AN: Thanks for reading
The Seventh Element: The Element of Hope
Chapter 6
Escape
As the night wore on soon the only ponies in the room were the main six and Lavender. Both Twilight and Lavender sent their assistants to bed once the other castle ponies began leaving. Once all the other ponies were gone the seven began to clean the room up. Lavender was sweeping in the same spot that she had originally been sitting at when the party had first started. She paused in her sweeping and leaned against a section of wall. As she leaned, unnoticed by her, her cutie mark glowed and the wall behind her vanished. She screamed as her support disappeared and she started tumbling backwards into a dark opening. The mane six rushed to her aid Rainbow dash flew quickly and grabbed Applejack by her front hoof tossing her closer to Lavender. Applejack was able to grab Lavender but the forward momentum from Rainbow Dash caused the two to hurdle down into the dark opening. The two tumbled down what they would later discover were stairs and once the tumbling came to a halt the two lay in a mismatch of limbs with Applejack on top of the pink unicorn. Upon realization Applejack jumped off Lavender as if she had been burned.
"You okay sugar cube," Applejack asked her as she helped Lavender to stand.
"I think so. I don't know about the dress though."
"It's okay Rarity won't care. And anyway she can always make a new one. Now where are we?"
"I don't know… I was sweeping then I leaned against the wall for a quick break, then I'm falling…"
"Hmm… well we are in a humdinger of a mess. I can't see anything."
"Oh! Hold on." Lavender lit her horn with her magic causing the room to be bathed in a light pink glow. The room clearly had not been touched in centuries some of the items within the room were very much like the thing Star Swirled the Bearded would have used. "Wow! Those chairs are just like the ones that Star Swirled the Bearded would have used!" Lavender rushed to the chairs in question.
"Hold on their sugar cube. We don't know how long any pony's has been down here. Best not touch anything." Applejack said as she rushed in front of the unicorn.
"Oh. Right. Come on let's try to find a way out then." The two were turning away from the chairs to look for an exit when Lavender bumped the table causing a box that had been on it to fall to the ground. The impact on the stone ground caused the ancient looking lock on the box to shatter. "Huh?... Oh. Oops." Lavender was about to pick up the box when the lid flew open and a black shadow rushed forth surrounding the two ponies before shooting up the stairs and out of sight. Applejack rushed after the shadow Lavender following close behind. The two chased the shadow up the stairs back to the common room where they crashed into the rest of the Elements of Harmony.
"Oh thank goodness you two are alright," Fluttershy said once everyone was standing.
"No time where did the shadow go," Applejack asked frantically as she and Lavender looked about the room.
"What shadow," Twilight asked.
"The shadow that came out of the box," Lavender explained.
"There isn't any shadow. At least none that we saw."
"But it was from the box that fell from the table. I knocked it when I was turning from the chairs of Star Swirled the Bearded."
"There's chairs from start Swirled the Bearded?! Where?!"
"Down there." Lavender pointed to where Applejack and she had come from but there was nothing there but wall. "What?! Where's the opening?!"
"How could a gaping hole just disappear?"
"I don't know… Maybe a hidden switch?"
"Good idea girls come on. Let's go." Lavender and the others baring Rarity made to go toward where Lavender and Applejack had disappeared to. Rarity rushed forward and stood before them.
"Not in the outfits! Please not the outfits! Lavender and AJ's are already in ruins. I won't have any more ruined," Rarity said.
"Geez Rare they are just dresses," Rainbow Dash said irritated, miffed that their adventure and chance to kick butt was stopped.
"She's right we can move easier without them. Meet back here at 10," Twilight said stopping the argument before it had a chance to start. The ponies scattered to their rooms and met back in the common room quickly. "Lavender do you know how you opened the passageway?"
"No all I did was lean against the wall."
"There has to be something. Girls spread out maybe we can find the switch." The girls began searching along the wall for any type of hidden switch that Lavender might have triggered. After a while, when no results were found, they gathered in the center of the room. "Okay girls we will meet in my room after breakfast it's far too late for us to continue searching we need rest." With that the elements of harmony and Lavender went to their rooms for some much needed rest.
As Applejack got into bed she couldn't help thinking on what had happened as well as her feelings for the pink unicorn. Dang it! What is wrong with me?! Getting all worked up over a pony. An incredibly cute pony… Gah! That's it. I'm going to just lay here and go to sleep. With that the country pony rolled over and allowed sleep to claim her. Applejack was not the only one who had a hard time getting to bed. Next door Lavender found that even though she was exhausted from the day sleep evaded her. She lay and allowed her thoughts to wander and they began to focus on a certain orange pony. Why can't I stop thinking about her? Or the way she held me as we descended into that room? Ugh! Head stop it. I need sleep for tomorrow. With those thoughts still going Lavender finally fell asleep. Much like Lavender and Applejack Rainbow Dash and Rarity were having similar thoughts. Rarity finished her nightly ritual and lay in the comfy warm bed only to toss and turn. Oh come now. Do you want awful ugly bags under your eyes? Then what would Rainbow Dash think of you? Oh it is so late. I do need to get to sleep. Rarity yawned and turned over yet again before sleep finally took her as well. Rainbow Dash fared no better when it came to object of her affections. Geez why is Rarity still on my mind? Who cares if she's the prettiest pony you have ever seen? Or that she smells wonderfully. Ugh! I need to focus on important things like the mission and Wonder Bolts. With that Rainbow Dash flipped over and fell asleep. Despite some effort on some ponies parts the elements, Lavender, and two assistants made it to breakfast.
"How was your first night in Ponavia," Princess Dusk asked once everypony was served.
"It was wonderful until Lavender and Applejack fell down this awful, dark, scary hole that appeared in the common room," Fluttershy said softly.
"I'm sorry hole?"
"I was leaning against a wall and it suddenly vanished. Applejack fell with me and at the bottom was this room. I saw chairs from star Swirled the Bearded and as I was about to look more closely I knocked a box off the table that was nearby. It broke open and a black shadow thing came out and raced up the stairs. We chased after it and ran into the others. But the shadow was gone," Lavender explained as Princess Dusk's eyes widened with worry.
"Tell me did this box have silver inscriptions?"
"I believe so," Applejack told her.
"So it truly has begun."
"I beg your pardon Princess but what do you mean?"
"Once everyone is finished eating please follow me." Breakfast was eaten quickly and the group stood and followed the princess into the audience hall. They did not stop there and continued to a hidden entry way behind the thrones. The elements, assistants, and Lavender gasped upon entering the room. On the wall was a dark purple pony with dark blue and purple streaked mane. Her cutie mark was that of a silver star. The pony was not just a pony but an alicorn pony.
"Princess Dusk what is going on," Twilight asked her.
"This depicts the original wielder of the element of hope. She had been my sister Star Dust. Although with the help of Celestia, Luna, and the newly crowned Mi Amore Cadenza were able to seal her into the box you found. Now the prophecy begins."
"Prophecy," Lavender asked.
"It stated that the cruel princess of hope now transformed into darkness called Demonica shall be released and spread her darkness. Yet not all is lost for the new elements of harmony shall join together and find the new wielder of the lost element and together they shall vanquish the darkness." Suddenly the lights extinguished sending the room into pitch blackness. A cold laugh echoed out into the blackness. Silla screamed as she and Spike clung to the nearest pony to them.
"So you think these pathetic ponies are the chosen ones," the same cold voice asked. Lavender lit her horn and began searching for the voice.
"Whose there," Lavender asked as Twilight and Rarity followed her example and lit their own horns. The lights came back suddenly as they had gone out and standing there was the alicorn pony from the portrait only she had a dark aura about her.
"Why I am. Silly little pony. So you are my dear sister's prized pupil? Tell me what makes you so special?" As she spoke dark purple tendrils of magic wrapped around Lavender and started pulling her towards the dark alicorn.
"Hey," Applejack shouted and attempted to rush to Lavender's side. Princess Dusk moved and stood between her sister and the others.
"Leave her alone Demonica,"
"Hello sister. How have you been? Better than me I'm sure after all you weren't trapped within a box for thousands of years!"
"I was not the one to decide your fate you were!"
"You will pay for my suffering I will show you all just what glorious darkness can do!" With that Demonica vanished just as she had appeared.
"What do we do now," Applejack asked.
"We whoop Demonica's butt what else," Rainbow Dash told the country pony.
"If only it were that simple. You need to find the seventh element first," Princess Dusk told them.
"The Princess is right we need the seventh element first. If we can get back into that hidden room maybe we can find a clue to who the seventh element wielder is now," Applejack said.
"Good idea girls. I wish you the best of luck." The mane six, assistants, and Lavender were about to leave. "Hold on a moment Lavender."
"Of course. I'll meet you guy in the common room."
"Right," Twilight said before the mane six and assistants left.
"What do you need Princess?"
"How are you with them?"
"Things are fine they want to be my friends. They truly are amazing."
"Good I'm happy to hear that. You are branching out but that is not why I called you to wait I have something for you." Princess Dusk Picked up a black box and handed it to Lavender. Inside was a silver tiara with a purple heart at its center. Lavender looked up at her princess confused.
"I don't understand."
"You will in time, remember it will come to you when you need it most. Now place it in your room and go meet the others." After she left the Princess she rushed to her room and placed the box into her wardrobe and rushed off to the common room. As she hurried she thought on what had happened. As she rushed she was not paying attention and ran into somepony. When she looked up she saw Fluttershy.
"I'm so sorry Fluttershy! Are you okay," Lavender asked as she helped the yellow pegasus up.
"Oh I'm okay. Thank you. Uhm… Could you help me? I need to take this back to the library for Twilight but I don't remember the way," Fluttershy said as she took the book out of her saddle bag.
"Sure. Come on." Lavender turned the opposite way in which she had meant to go and Fluttershy followed.
AN: Read and Review. Thanks to everypony for sticking around this far