Sunlight Dawn looked up at her cousin, who seethed and spat in rage. The young princess immediately feared for her life. Flurry looked so different than she had the last time they had seen each other. She was dressed from mane to hoof in heavy battle armor. Her once flowing, and rather beautiful mane had been shredded. There were fresh battle scars all over her face. Her eyes were bloodshot.

She cackled down at Sunlight. "I told you, Sunlight! I told you I would beat you!"

"Flurry, this isn't a competition!"

"Oh, forget your little ethics and morals! I'm gonna win this war, save Equestria, and capture Silver Wing's heart! I know it, you know it, EVERYPONY KNOWS IT!"

"Flurry, please!" Sunlight begged with desperate love in her eyes, "I don't want to fight you! Let's work together!"

"Work together? Please! I'm gonna be the hero when this thing is all over, mark my words, Sunlight Dawn! Mark my words!"

"I'm so disappointed in you," Sunlight said as she cast her eyes away from her cousin. Flurry quickly backed up, a bit unnerved at the tone of Sunlight's voice. She had never heard anything like that pass through Sunlight's lips before. She was normally always so kind and cheerful when they were together. I never actually thought Sunlight would be…disappointed in me. But then she straightened up. That doesn't matter! I'm going to win, and I'm going to be with Silver!

"Oh?" She taunted, "and why is that?"

"Because you used to be somepony! You used to be a hero to everyone in Equestria! You and I were princesses bent on friendship and kindness, and you threw it all away! Sure, we weren't perfect, but we darn sure gave it our all every time we were together!" Sunlight stopped and her eyes began pleading with Flurry once again. "Please…come home. Stop this fight. We can work together and bring Midnight to her knees. I know we can!"

"But you're the pony of the prophecy!" Flurry said in a rage, "you're the hero! I'm…nothing."

"That's not true, Flurry Heart! You're my cousin, and I love you like a sister! Now, please! Call off your army!"

Flurry looked down and Sunlight looked hopeful. She thought that her cousin was going to change her mind, call off her attack, and come running into her waiting forelegs. But Flurry looked back up with piercing eyes. She threw all of her hatred and jealousy into that look. "I'm sorry, Sunlight…but you have something I want, and I won't stop until I HAVE MY PRINCE!"

With that, she screamed and threw herself at Sunlight. Using her speed to her advantage, the young princess was able to dodge her cousin. She could tell that the hoof-to-hoof combat Flurry had seen had been very limited. She wasn't very good at it, but she did manage to get a couple of swipes in. Sunlight looked and saw blood beginning to rise out of the cuts.

"Alright," she said, "you asked for it. But remember…this may be a fight to you, but for me…I'm rescuing my cousin from the darkness within her."

Flurry gritted her teeth and charged once again, this time using her wings to float above the battlefield. Sunlight floated up and the two fillies clashed in mid-air. The whirling sounds of the battle screamed around them. They heard the moans and yells of the injured and dying ponies beneath them. They heard the shouts of the commanders as they ordered their brigades into battle. But for them, all the noise was completely subconscious.

They fought each other with horn and hoof alike. Sunlight was the better combatant, and she quickly knocked Flurry backwards. Flurry steadied herself and charged once again. The two locked horns viciously. "I will NOT let you play into Midnight's hooves!" Sunlight shouted.

"I'm not playing into her hooves, you pompous, putrid pony!"

Even though her cousin's words stung like a horde of flash bee stings, Sunlight pressed on. She slashed down Flurry's chest with her horn, making sure to hit her where she knew it wouldn't kill her. "Why have you allowed this reckless jealousy to overtake your heart?" Sunlight pleaded desperately. "Why have you allowed it to tear our friendship apart?!"

"Because he said I was worth more!"

Sunlight backed away. Who was this "he" that Flurry was referring to? Did she have some kind of military partner? Was he as twisted as Midnight was?

"Who said you were worth more?!"

"I'm not gonna tell you, and you can't make me! Now, defend yourself or die!"

Flurry swooped in and went for a lethal blow. But Sunlight was too quick and she dodged it. She wrapped back around Flurry and stabbed her in the flank. Flurry howled in pain and Sunlight cringed and shed tears. But she knew she was doing it for her cousin's own good. Whoever it was that had gotten into her head and told her she was "worth more" was absolutely crazy. Of course she was worth more! She was worth more to her than anypony in the entire world!

She removed her horn and quickly healed the wound that had been created. Flurry looked at her in shock. "W…I…you healed me."

"I did," Sunlight said. Her eyes glowed with the light of the sun, and she spread her wings. Flurry swore they had grown twice as large. "The Elements of Harmony and the future of Equestria are more important than our spat, Flurry. Come home. Reunite with me, and we can take Midnight Sun out together. If you don't, then all of friendship could be lost to the world forever. Remove this senseless jealousy. No matter what this other pony told you, nopony could know your worth better than me. You are my best friend, Flurry Heart. I will never, ever leave you behind."

She floated up to Flurry and grasped her in a hug. But Flurry quickly backed away. Sunlight's coat was burning. It was too hot to touch. She saw fire in her cousin's eyes. Her mane and tail were flowing with the rainbow of Celestia, and her horn betrayed the sheer power that was rising within her. The prophecy… Flurry said to herself. Then she did something she never thought she would do. She turned down and yelled to her army, "CEASE!" Her voice made the ground rattle and the buildings of Canterlot shivered.

Suddenly, she felt something changing inside her as well. The jealous spirit that had attached itself to her heart vanished, and happy memories of herself and Sunlight replaced it. Her eyes began glowing, and she felt a burning sensation on her coat. She tried to fight it, but something held her back. Don't fight this, it seemed to say, this was meant to be. You and your cousin hold the keys of Equestria in your hearts. The Spirit of Equestria flows through you. You have more power here than you realize.

She floated up next to her cousin, and the two burning fillies joined hooves. They opened their mouths in silent, yet commanding screams, and everypony on the ground immediately bowed low in respect. They also beheld as two white plumes of magic came forward out of their throats. This magic quickly darted through all the warring ponies and cured them of their enmity. It also healed all of Canterlot's enslaved ponies.

After this, everypony gathered together in one massive group. They looked up to where the two fillies floated, shining as brightly as the sun. Everyone was awestruck. They were captivated by the sheer power and magnificence of the scene. A beautiful prophecy had played out in front of their very eyes, even though none of them knew about it. Sunlight's prophecy had been broadcast by Twilight and Flash for some time, but nopony thought that Flurry might have a prophecy as well. "Behold," Crystal Sky said solemnly, "what true friendship can accomplish."

The two fillies quietly floated to the ground and stopped glowing. But they each turned and smiled. "What was that?" Flurry asked.

"I don't know," Sunlight responded honestly, "but I thought I heard a voice tell me that we hold the keys of Equestria."

"You do," a strange voice said. The fillies and their combined armies turned to see Zecora standing there. "ZECORA!" They yelled happily as they ran and hugged the kind medicine zebra. "Oh, Sunlight, and Flurry as well. I see that you've uncovered the spell," she rhymed cryptically.

"What spell?"

"The spell that will end the time of Midnight, and set Equestria back on the path of light."

"You mean…our glowing thing that we just did can defeat Midnight?" Flurry asked.

Zecora nodded and then delivered some words that Flurry Heart would never forget.

"Yes, dear Flurry, your friendship spell

Midnight's evil, it will dispel

I know how jealous you have been

Of Sunlight Dawn's charming colt friend

I do not blame you for having these feelings

But on a princess, it is most unappealing

You must learn to control these things

And become close with your in-spirit sibling

Be as close as you were before

And you shall find yourselves on friendship's shore

Use this power to defeat the evil one

And see that all of her curse is undone

As far as your prince goes, young Flurry, I cannot say

But I imagine you'll meet him one day

After all, what goes on in your heart

Can help to make that kind of thing start

You, Flurry, are just as important as Sunlight

For only true friendship can help make things right."

Zecora finished and smiled down at the two fillies, who smiled right back. They now knew that the thing they held that was so important to saving Equestria was the special bond of friendship they shared. That was the Key of Equestria, and each filly held one in her heart. When they were put together, they formed an alliance so strong, nothing could ever break it.

"Now, my sweet princesses, look at your flanks. I think you will see they are no longer blank."

So Flurry and Sunlight looked down and began bouncing up and down. They had their cutie marks, and they were born out of the love and commitment they had for each other. Sunlight's was a picture of Flurry, and Flurry's was a picture of Sunlight. The two fillies grasped each other and shed tears of joy. "I'm so sorry, Sunlight," Flurry whispered, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"I'm sorry, too," Sunlight said, "Silver and I didn't help matters by being so romantic around you. From now on, I promise, we'll save that kind of thing for more private areas."

Flurry smiled and her cousin smiled back. Their bond had been restored. They now knew that the key to saving Equestria lay in them. They just didn't know how they were going to defeat Midnight. "Aw…what a cute little family reunion," a taunting voice suddenly said before laughing. Sunlight turned and gasped. Flurry mirrored her reaction. There, cackling in front of them, was Twilight.