The Misadventures of Ponified Friends
Chapter 5: A Twist of Fate (Elements of Harmony Part II)
Nightmare Moon cackled in delight as she took in the fear in every pony's faces. They couldn't even move, so I decided to wake them up.
"Every pony! Get out of here NOW!" I shouted.
They started to run about, panicking as they headed outside the Town Hall. A few feet away from us, I saw Spike's unconscious form lying on the floor. He could get stepped over and hurt himself seriously!
"Hassan! Get Spike away from here!" I ordered him.
"Who?!" He asked. I forgot that he hadn't met the dragon yet.
"The purple dragon lying down over there! Hurry before he gets hurt!" I pointed. He nodded and went straight to the baby dragon's location.
"Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!" We heard the Mayor ordering the Royal Guards, who magically appeared from out of nowhere. I didn't even notice them when we went in here! The golden clad soldiers charged forward Nightmare Moon.
"Hey, guys, wait!" Speedy shouted. "You're soldiers! Every soldier who tried to attack villains always end up-"
"Stand back, you fools!" Nightmare Moon summoned lightning that struck the soldiers, defeating them with ease.
"Knocked the hell out!" Speedy finished, pointing the cliché.
Her dark mane enveloped her until she became a mist herself before ramming the door of Town Hall. Every pony that was still inside ducked to avoid the wrath of the Night Mare.
"Come back here!" Rainbow Dash, who was stopped by Applejack biting her tail, tried to halt Nightmare Moon. But it was already too late when she flew after her.
"I got the baby dragon, man!" Silver came back with Spike on his back. "Where do you want me to bring him?"
"Spike!" Twilight ran over to us, "Oh no, is he okay?"
I nodded, "He's fine. Silver got him safely before anything bad happened to him."
"Oh, thank goodness," She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much."
Silver nodded, "Glad to help."
Twilight smiled at him, then her face changed into a dimmer mood, "But night time…forever?"
"What are we going to do? If she's a legendary pony, there's a chance that she possesses god-like powers and abilities," I concocted. "How are we going to stop her?"
Twilight thought about this for a moment before she made a face of realization. "I know how, and the answer is somewhere in the library."
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I urged. Twilight agreed in determination before running out ahead of us.
"Wait- Wha-what's going on, dude? Are we missing out on something here?" Speedy asked, completely lost.
"While you were busy partying, Twilight and I got into a discussion, sort of," I answered.
"And let me guess: It had something to do with that monster?" Silver deducted, joining in with Spike deep in slumber on his back.
"Precisely, and we're going back to the library to help Twilight solve this problem," I stated, my voice filled with resolve.
"What?! Are you kidding?! Didn't you see what she did to those soldiers?!" Silver gestured at the stallions lying on the ground, "She killed them in the blink of an eye!"
"And as fun as it is beating a villain's ass, I know for a fact that we're completely useless even though we became cartoon ponies," Speedy added. "We don't even know how to use magic and fly yet! You know what? Screw that! We're not even heroes! How are we supposed to stop her?"
I sighed, "I know that this is way out of our league to handle, but I hate seeing everyone here in danger."
"But this is just a cartoon world, bro! We don't have any concerns whatsoever happens to this place!" Speedy argued.
"Face the reality, Lemuel. Whether you like it or not, the three of us are NOW part of this cartoon world. And whatever happens to this place can gravely affect us as well," I raised my voice, hoping that it would get through his head. "And think this through. What if Nightmare Moon had something to do with our transportation?"
"Ah, shit. Wait, how can you be so sure? "Silver asked.
"The only way to find out right now is to chase her down and confront her. This could be our chance to get the answers that we were looking for. Now, are we just going to let this slide away in front of us?"
That got their attention. The two looked at each other, and they closed their eyes for a moment. When they gazed back at me, I noticed that the look in their eyes changed.
I smirked, "So are we ready?"
Silver nodded, "If her defeat results in us coming back home in our world, I'll die trying."
Speedy grinned, "Now, let's kick some monster ass! Anime style!"
"WE'VE GOT TO STOP NIGHTMARE!" Spike suddenly yelled in his sleep and slumps back down at the startled Silver.
"Before we kick some monster butt, let's head out first to the library. The baby dragon needs his sleep," I suggested.
The moment we opened the door of the library, books were scattered everywhere around the room. We witnessed Twilight searching. "Elements? Elements? Elements!?"
"Wow, messy much?" Speedy snorted, catching the attention of Twilight.
"I can't find it!" She yelled in frustration.
"Silver, bring Spike up on the second floor. There's a bed there," I ordered him before bringing my attention to Twilight. "What are we looking for?"
"There has to be a book about the Elements of Harmony somewhere! It's the only way to defeat Nightmare Moon!"
Before I could respond, I felt someone dash right before us. It was Rainbow Dash. "And just what are the Elements of Harmony? And how did the two of you know all about Nightmare Moon huh?" she demanded, face to face with Twilight. She turned her attention to me, and before I know it, she was in front of me in a blink of an eye.
"Are you a SPY? I just knew that the three of you have secrets! Who lives in a town called Oklahoma?!" She said, glaring at me. Rainbow Dash suddenly yelped when Applejack pulled her tail. I noticed that Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy also stopped by inside the library.
"Simmer down sally. They ain't no spy," Applejack said, then she looked at me with doubtful eyes. "Are you?"
I shook my head. "No, we're not. We're just as baffled at these events as you are."
"I still don't believe that the three of you came from a town so isolated that barely everyone knew it existed, though." Rainbow Dash said, crossing her front hooves.
I sighed, "Whatever floats your boat."
"But the two of you sure know what's going on," Speedy said.
"Other than the whole eternal night in the kingdom part and Nightmare Moon, that's pretty much all I know," I then bobbed my head, pointing at the purple Unicorn. "But, I bet that Twilight has more knowledge about it."
We all looked at her, expecting an explanation. Twilight sighed as she closed her eyes.
Before she had the chance to talk, the stomping of hooves interfered.
"The baby dragon is tucked in and sleeping all the way to dreamland!" Silver announced his accomplishment as he climbed down the stairs. He stopped in his tracks when he noticed us all grouped up. We all looked at him.
"…Did I miss something?"
"Just come down here, dude. Twilight's going to say something important," Speedy gestured him to come down and take his place next to us.
"Well? Go on…" I told Twilight to continue.
She nodded and began, "I read all about the predictions of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called The Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her. But I don't know what they are, where to find them, I don't even know what they do!"
I looked around the bookshelves. I noticed that the E section hasn't been searched yet by Twilight. I walked towards it, and I saw a book with a case that looked definitely more important and detailed than the rest. That's how you know that it was indeed the right item.
"The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide?" I looked back at them. "Is this what you're looking for, Twilight?"
"Yes! But how did you find the book? I searched everywhere!"
"It was under the E section."
"…Oh."
With her magic, she levitated the book off of the case and began to flip through pages. She stopped midway, "There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth element is a complete mystery."
"Did the book say anything about their locations?" I asked.
She looked back at the page, "It is said that the last known location of the elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters."
"And where's this castle located?"
"It is located in what is now…the Everfree Forest."
"THE EVERFREE FOREST?!" All the ponies exclaimed.
Everfree Forest…The forest with the freaking dragon. And we're supposed to search an ancient castle with six rare items to defeat a powerful evil pony? Things just got more complicated.
"Wasn't that the place we woke up in?" Silver asked. "Oh, I am SO not going back there!"
"Dude! It's just TREES! The forest looked completely harmless!" Speedy stated.
"Harmless?! Does a dragon and wild animals sound harmless to you?!"
"Oh, now you're freaking out because of the trees!"
"It's not the trees! AND THEY ARE CREEPY LOOKING!"
All the mares looked at me, questioningly.
"It's a long story," I said with a sigh.
So we somehow calmed Silver Spur down to come with us in the search. I was surprised that it only took ten minutes to reach the opening of the forest all the way from the library by walking. We stayed in absolute silence for a while. I just stared at it as I imagined the chaos happening in there.
"Well, what are we doing here just standing around? Let's get this over with and save the world!" Speedy said confidently, marching in front.
"Not so fast!" Twilight halted.
"Huh? Why?"
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but I would rather do this on my own."
"No can do, sugarcube," Applejack said. "We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours goin' into that creepy place alone!"
The look on Twilight's face showed displease when Applejack mentioned the word friend.
"We're sticking to you like caramel on a candy apple!" Applejack settled, leading the girls to the forest. They all agreed with a hum, although Silver acted hesitantly.
"Especially if there are candy apples in there!" Pinkie said.
"I doubt that this is the last place you'll find those, Pinkie Pie," Speedy commented, trotting next to her.
"What? Those things are good!"
Everyone besides Twilight and I already went inside the Everfree Forest. I heard her sigh.
"Hey? What's the matter?" I asked.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not used to getting help around any pony else," She answered.
"I can relate to you, to tell the truth. But, during a time like this, you need all the help you can get. Especially if the fate of an entire kingdom depends on it." And with that, we walked through the forest and soon caught up with the others. It felt like we're now deep in the middle of the forest after minutes.
"So…Other than the three stallions, none of you have ever been here before?" Twilight asked as we continued the walk.
"He-Heavens no! Just look at it! It's dreadful!" Rarity cried her observations.
"And it ain't natural. Folks say that it don't work the same as Equestria," Applejack added.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Twilight asked, her voice hinting fright.
"Nopony knows~!" Rainbow Dash crept up from the shadows, with the intent of creeping us out. "You know why~?"
"Rainbow! Quit it!" Applejack scolded, but RD continued to creepily walk towards us.
"Cause every pony who's ever come in has never… come… OUT!"
Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy screeched in terror. I swore Silver did too. However, Speedy and I didn't react at all.
Speedy scoffed, "Really? Then how come we came out of this place in one piece?"
"Maybe you guys were just-"
I felt the ground shake. I didn't realize that we were at the edge of a cliff, and the end that we were standing on was collapsing.
"…Lucky?"
The edge finally collapsed, and we were falling down to our doom. We showed no signs of slowing down as we slid. Adrenaline and stress consumed me. I was never in this kind of pressure since my 6th-grade talent show where I had to sing in front of everyone at school.
Yes, I just compared falling down from the edge of a cliff to a harmless talent show.
Lucky enough, we have three Pegasi with us. Two that could fly and one that still didn't know how, though. Rainbow Dash swooped down and carried Pinkie Pie up while Fluttershy bit on Rarity's tail to slow her down. Applejack and I grabbed on tree roots that were erect as we slid down. Silver was strong enough to dig into the rocky ground with ease, his speed slowly decreased while Speedy used his wings to glide down in an unorthodox way to land right in Silver's back.
"Is everyone all right?!" I rose. They all answered back. I sighed in relief. That was a close call.
Wait a second… Where's Twilight?
"HELP!" I heard her screaming, already dangling and holding on for dear life at the edge. I've got to act quickly!
"Twilight! Hold on!" I released my grip to the tree root and slowly came my way to her. When Twilight was about to fall off, I quickly grabbed her hoof. That was close!
"Don't you dare let go!" Twilight cried in fear.
"I won't! Just don't look down, okay?" I told her, and boy, was that true. The fall could be a good 100 feet.
My muscles started to ache. I was never the physical one anyway. My face scrunched in pain, struggling to keep a hold on Twilight. I needed help quick.
"A little help here?!" I shouted.
"Don't worry! Imma comin'!" Applejack responded as she lets go of the root to slide down to us.
I didn't think she could make it in time. Damn it! If only I knew how to control my magic. This would have been over sooner, and with Twilight in this situation? I bet she couldn't think straight because of fear. I felt my grip about to falter, and as if on cue, Applejack grabbed a hold on Twilight's left hoof. I groaned in pain, my right hoof finally away from the stress as I aided my left hoof with it.
"Star Blast, Applejack, what should I do?!" Twilight demanded.
"Let go." Applejack said.
"WHAT?!" Both I and Twilight yelled at her. Was she crazy?
"What do you mean by let go?" I asked Applejack, clearly confused.
"Just trust me, Blast."
"Are you crazy?!" Twilight asked incredulously.
"No, I ain't. I promise you'll be safe."
"That's not true!"
"Now listen here, what I'm saying to you is the honest truth," Applejack smiled reassuringly. "Let go, and you'll be safe."
My eyes caught sight of two mares flying. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew down just below us, and Twilight was completely oblivious to it.
"Trust her, Twilight," I said.
She looked at us, eyes full of doubt and hesitation. And finally, she lets go of our hooves. I watched her screaming as she fell, and the two Pegasi caught her.
I scooted away quickly from the edge and flopped down in exhaustion.
"I…have never felt…that scared and exhausted…in my entire life!" I said through pants.
"We sure don't know what to expect in this forest," Applejack said, helping me up.
"That's right. And we need to find the Elements of Harmony quick and fast."
"ROB!" I heard Silver and Speedy called using my real name, slowly making their way towards us.
"Don't worry! We're fine! Just get down here carefully!"
"We almost died!" Silver cried.
"I couldn't fly and help out! I feel so useless!" Speedy complained.
"Be positive. We're safe now, okay? Let's find a way down."
"What about this thing here?" Applejack pointed to rock formations that descended down. This works.
Slowly and carefully, the four of us jumped down the platform-like rocks and met up with the others. Finally regrouped, we continued our unpredictable journey.
"And when Pinkie and Rarity were safe, Woosh! Me and Fluttershy looped and looped around and wham! Caught you right in the nick of time!" Rainbow continued to brag as we walked. I just listened over how dramatic she told the story to us.
"Yes, Rainbow, we were there," Twilight said thoroughly and not amused. "And we're very grateful. But we've got to-"
We were interrupted yet again by a huge problem. This time though, a monster. And not just any monster, a freaking real-life Manticore right in front of our eyes! I'm not even surprised anymore.
"A Manticore!" Twilight exclaimed. "We got to get past that!"
"Oh yeah! My first time ever battling a monster!" Speedy said excitedly and then ran towards it.
"Hey! Come back here, you idiot!" I yelled at him. But it was already too late when he used his wings to gain speed and charge at the Manticore.
"HOOF OF FURY!" He shouted. I just sighed.
The Manticore used its backhand to swat Speedy away in ease. That idiot!
"Falling hard~!" He shouted comically, voice trailing. He landed somewhere in the bushes.
"Silver, check if he's okay!" I asked.
"Do I always have to babysit that airhead?" Silver complained.
"Well, unless you want to fight that thing, then be my guest!"
"…Gotcha."
As Silver checked, the Manticore looked like it was ready to pounce at us at any moment. I braced myself for what was about to happen.
It pounced and swiped a claw at Rarity. She dodged and countered with a kick at its jaw.
"Take that, you ruffian!" She yelled at the monster. It then retaliated with a loud roar in front of her face. It completely messed up her mane. "My hair!"
Rarity tried to run away from it, but the Manticore gives chase. I saw Applejack jump up and landed on its head, giving Rarity the momentum to escape.
"Yeehaw! Get along little doggy!" She proceeded to ride the Manticore like a bull.
"Wait!" I heard Fluttershy call out, but her voice was too soft.
"What is it, Fluttershy? I asked.
"I want them to stop fighting the Manticore. This is a huge misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding? What do you mean?"
I averted my eyes for a moment and witnessed Applejack flying through the air. She said something to Rainbow Dash while she was airborne. I guessed that it would be something like 'it's all yours' when Rainbow saluted to her and began circling around the Manticore at absurd speed, creating a colorful tornado.
"Wait!" Fluttershy called again.
I saw the Manticore whipped its scorpion tail at Rainbow Dash, stopping her onslaught and knocking her away.
"Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed.
Rainbow Dash slid in front of us, groaning in pain as she tried to stand up. This Manticore's quite the fighter. It looked like we needed all our strength just to stop it. Everyone got ready to charge at the beast, including me. Just when we were about to charge, Silver got in the way.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm sorry, man. But enough is enough! I'm not just gonna stand here and watch everyone fighting that thing!" Silver turned away and glared at the Manticore. "Let me handle this. If I can't defeat this beast, then I have no right to call myself a man!"
"What's with the sudden drama?" Speedy wondered. I'm glad that he's all right.
Silver huffed angrily, "BRING IT ON MONSTER!"
Silver made a war cry as he charged forward, the Manticore doing the same. All we could do was close our eyes and wait for what's going to happen next.
"WAIT!" I heard Fluttershy yell. She stood in front of Silver and the Manticore. We all looked at her questioningly.
"What are you doing? Get out of the way! That thing is dangerous!" Silver warned, but Fluttershy ignored him when she turned her attention to the beast.
She inched forward, now closer to it. The Manticore lifted its gigantic claw, ready to swipe Fluttershy. We quickly became on edge, prepared to retaliate if the Manticore attacked her.
"It's okay…" Fluttershy said to the Manticore caringly. She nuzzled the Manticore's left paw. The beast's expression turned from ferociousness to nervousness as it opened its paw, revealing a huge thorn. Wait, where was that when we were trying to fend it off? It just magically appeared!
"Aw, you poor, poor little baby," Fluttershy said as if she was talking to a toddler.
"Little?!" Silver exclaimed behind her.
"Now, this might hurt for just a second…" She bit the giant thorn and pulled it out. The Manticore roared in agony and lifted her up. What came next rattled me. The Manticore licked Fluttershy affectionately.
"What just happened?" Silver stared at them in disbelief.
Seeing that the Manticore was distracted, we took the time to get past it. I went to Silver and said, "It's all right now, Hassan."
"But…But…"
"I'm proud of you, you know? You just tried to face a monster head-on! That's brave of you!"
"Who knew that the Manticore was just having a fit because of that huge thorn?" Speedy joined us.
I looked at Fluttershy, "How did you know that it was hurt?"
"I didn't." The Manticore brought her down carefully. Her mane stuck out from all the licking.
"Really?" asked Twilight.
"It's true. Sometimes, all we need is to show a little kindness." Fluttershy replied.
Twilight smiled a bit, and we moved on.
"I don't know what to expect in this place anymore," Silver stomped away in annoyance.
With two obstacles down, we now entered a darker and much more disgusting part of the forest. It reeked of swamp water, moist soil and animal poop. I sensed danger coming.
"Ugh! My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck!" Rarity exclaimed.
As time went on, I noticed that it got darker and darker the more we went inside this part of the Everfree. She just had to say it.
"Well, you just got your wish, sweetheart." Speedy deadpanned.
"Well, I didn't mean it literally," Rarity added.
"That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces, and we wouldn't even know it," Twilight surmised.
Everyone got into a dispute of confusion about this place.
"I think I just stepped on something!" Applejack said.
"Me too," I lifted my hooves up, sticky mud covering it. "There's mud everywhere."
Fluttershy screamed.
"Don't worry, Fluttershy. It's just mud." I told her.
I noticed that the other mares were shaking. "What?"
"I'm not scared at the mud," She pointed to something behind me. "It's…THAT!"
I was confused. Sure it was dark, but what could be possibly scarier in this place other than-HOLY SHIT!
I just had a jump scare moment there. When I turned around, there was a realistic scary face embedded on a tree. Eventually, we found ourselves surrounded by these creepy figures. Were these the trees that Silver's been talking about?
"I told you the trees are creepy!" He shouted, blocking his eyes with a hoof.
"KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!" Speedy continued to yell dramatically while the others also began to scream in terror. Meanwhile, I was bewildered and stood there, analyzing the situation. This must be some sort of trick, an illusion like that one part in the Snow White movie. But damn, the faces looked too realistic even for me.
They all stopped screaming suddenly, and we all looked at Pinkie Pie, laughing at one of the trees and making funny faces at it.
"Pinkie, what are you doing? Run!" Twilight told Pinkie, who was still in front of that tree with pointy teeth.
Pinkie Pie laughed, "Oh, Twilight, don't you see?"
She began to bob her body from left to right, in sync with the music. Wait, music? Where is it coming from?
"When I was a little filly and the sun was going down~!"
I shook my head, "Please tell me she's not just randomly singing."
"The darkness and the shadows they will always make me frown~!"
"She already is," Speedy responded, bobbing his head rhythmically with the mysterious background music.
"I'd hide under my pillow! From what I thought I saw! But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all~!"
"Then what is?" Silver asked.
"She said 'Pinkie! You got to stand up tall! Learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you, just laugh and make them disappear~! HA! HA! HA!"
The creepy face of the tree just poofed away when Pinkie laughed at it. Literally! With pink smoke! We all gasped at the scene. Pinkie continued to sing as the music became more ecstatic.
"So~! Giggle at the ghosty~! Guffaw at the grossy~! Crack up at the creepy~! Woof it up with weefy~! Chortle at the crooky~! Snortle at the spooky~!"
The mares all began to laugh at the trees around us, and it all transformed back to normal. I just watched them with Silver right next to me.
"Hey, guys! While everyone's laughing, I need to take this as an advantage to tell you a joke I just remembered!" Speedy said taking his place in front of the two of us. "What do you call a fly with no wings?"
Silver and I shrugged.
Silver snorted, "A WALK! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
And that killed me right there. I didn't laugh at the joke. I laughed at his obnoxious laughter. Silver did too.
"Oh my god! You sound like a retard!" Silver said as he continued to laugh.
I heard poofing sounds behind us as well. The trees were no longer scary. I guess we helped out in some way.
"And tell that big old scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got a another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna-! HAHAHAHAHAHaaaaaa~…"
Well, that was a mouthful.
"LAUGH~!" Pinkie Pie finally finished her random musical number. All the trees now normal, and the once dark forest now illuminated by the moonlight. The mares all lay down laughing their hearts out. I watched them in amusement. They're like a typical elementary school gal pals.
From a distance, I heard a torrent of splashes. I followed the sound out of curiosity, and I began to walk away from them. I heard laughter behind me, so they must be following.
It was all coming back to me. This was the place where I woke up! Then that means that the river…Oh no.
The once calm river that morning had violent waves right now. And I have a feeling that we would meet that purple dragon.
"How are we gonna cross this?" Pinkie asked.
We heard crying not far from our location. We peeked from a bush and saw the purple dragon. Was he the one crying?
"Dudes! It's that dragon with the mustache!" Speedy pointed.
"Yes, I know, Speedy," I said.
"But why is it crying?" Silver wondered.
"What a world! What a world!" It cried, trashing around its long body and flailing his arms. He was the source of the violent waves of the river, and we need to stop him from doing that. How are we going to hush him up?
"Excuse me, sir, but why are you crying?" Twilight asked. We all went out of the bush to confront the dragon. He faced us, and I noticed that half of his mustache was cut off.
Speedy gasped, "What happened to your face?!"
"Don't look at me! I'm horrible!" The dragon flopped down in the river and created a huge splash. And we were at water works, making us all dripping wet.
"Oh, give me a break!" Rainbow Dash said in annoyance.
"What happened to your mustache anyway?" I had to ask. Were dragons supposed to grow hair in the first place?
"Oh, I don't know! I was just sitting here, minding my own business when this chunky little cloud of purple smoke just-WOOSHED past me and tore half of my beloved mustache! Clean off!" It explained. "And now, I look simply horrid!"
"That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack asked.
"Your mustache will grow again. I don't see the problem." Silver said.
"Why, of course, it is a problem!" Rarity walked towards the dragon. "How can you be so insensitive?"
"Uh, because we don't have mustaches?" Speedy said, but he was completely ignored.
"Oh, just look at him! Such lovely luminescent scales!" Rarity patted the dragon's chin.
It sniffed, "I know…"
"Your expertly combed mane!"
"Oh I know! I know ~!" The dragon ran a claw at its ginger hair.
"Your fabulous manicure!" Wait, that dragon got his nails done?
"I know! That's so true!"
"Ha! GAAAA-" Before Speedy could finish that line, we blocked it with our hooves.
"All ruined without your beautiful mustache!" Rarity finished.
"It's true! I'm hideous!" The dragon covered his face.
"I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected!" She said in determination. Was there even a word called fabulosity?
Rarity bit the dragon and plucked out a scale the size of her head.
"Ow! What did you do that for?" The dragon cried.
Rarity raised the scale, and it looked like she was ready to cut something.
"Rarity, what are you-" Twilight's question left unfinished when Rarity cut off her stylish purple tail. The dragon fainted dramatically, his head right next to Rarity. With her magic, she tied her tail to replace the dragon's mustache.
"Oh! My mustache!" The dragon said joyfully, striking a pose. "How do I look?"
"You look smashing!" Rarity answered.
We walked up to Rarity. "Oh, Rarity! Your beautiful tail!" Twilight said.
"It's fine, my dear! Short tails are in this season! Besides, it'll grow back."
"That's what I said earlier," Silver said.
"Well, I can't just let him wait for months for his mustache to grow back in style, can I?"
"Wow, you're that generous?"
Rarity smiled proudly, "Maybe I am."
Now that the dragon calmed down, we could finally cross the river.
"Hey, we can cross now!" Twilight announced, already crossing herself. She was suddenly lifted up by the dragon's snake-like body.
Wait a minute, was he a dragon or a sea serpent? They all looked alike to me. I asked him once I got closer. Man, I feel like I'm an idiot saying that he was a dragon all this time. Thanks a lot, How to Train your Dragon.
So we finally crossed the river and thanked Steven Magnet. Yeah, I had to ask his name. I'm tired of saying 'dragon, dragon, dragon.' Oh right, and he was a serpent.
Minutes of searching again through this dark path, we finally found the castle.
"There it is! The ruin that holds the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight announced.
"So we made it?" I asked.
"We are one-stop away from saving the world, everyone!" We all agreed to Speedy's declaration.
"And we must waste no time!" Twilight took off ahead of us.
"Twilight, wait! Let's not get excited!" I called out.
"Why not?! We're almost there- whoa!" Twilight almost fell off the cliff again. Good thing Rainbow Dash was there.
"What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" she asked.
"I'm sorry. I just got ahead of myself there." Twilight apologized.
"And the bridge connecting to the other side is down?" I brought up.
"Uh, duh?" Rainbow flapped her wings in front of me. Of course, she could tie up the other end of the bridge to the other side. She then flew down to grab hold of the other side of the bridge
It suddenly got misty that we couldn't see what was happening on the other cliff. This got me worried. Why was Rainbow Dash taking so long?
"Rainbow! What's taking so long?!" Twilight shouted. We couldn't see a thing in this thick fog.
"Do any of you have a sharp eye?" she asked.
"Let me take care of this," Speedy volunteered. He hovered up a few feet from the ground and searched.
"Well?"
"Hmm…haven't seen her yet…Oh, wait there she is! And she's with three other ponies!"
"Three other ponies?"
The fog cleared up slightly, and all of us could now see Rainbow Dash with three Pegasi in black.
"Oh no! Rainbow, don't listen to them!" Twilight warned. One of the Pegasi's goggles glowed when she gazed at us, and the fog just got denser.
Seconds felt like hours to us in this tension. Who were those ponies? Evil was written all over them. I could hear them trying to persuade Rainbow Dash on something.
We heard a flapping of wings, and the one who landed in front of us was none other than Rainbow Dash. We all cheered for her safety and crossed the bridge. "See? I'd never leave my friends hanging!" she proclaimed.
I was walking next to Twilight when I saw her smiling. It seemed that she finally realized how important having friends could be.
Finally, we're now in front of this ruined castle. We took a step inside carefully. I looked around to check if there was something suspicious. None were found so far. In the middle of this huge place, which I presumed was the main hall of the castle before, there stood a contraption made of concrete that held five different stones, each had different shapes in it.
"It's the Elements of Harmony! We found them!" Twilight announced. We all looked in astonishment at the ancient relics. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and even Speedy Glee helped out in bringing the elements down carefully in front of Twilight. It looks like he finally got the hang of flying.
"One, two, three, four…" Pinkie counted. "There's only five!"
I remembered that the sixth element was a complete mystery. Where the heck could it be?
"Where's the sixth?" Rainbow wondered.
"The book said that when the five elements are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed," Twilight informed, kneeling down and inspecting the stones.
"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked.
"Does it need to be activated with concentrated magic?" I said.
"That's exactly what I had in mind, Star Blast. Stand back! I don't know what will happen." Twilight cautioned us, and we gave her space. Her horn glowed a purple hue when she began to concentrate.
"Come on ya'll. She needs to concentrate." Applejack told us, and we made our way outside. I stopped by the door to look back at Twilight. She was defenseless in her position right now, so I surveyed the area one last time. I spotted a purple mist in my vision, making its way towards the Elements. Twilight was in danger!
"Twilight!" I yelled as I ran after her. At this rate, the purple mist enveloped the Elements as it spun around like a tornado, the size of it increasing. Nightmare Moon was sabotaging us!
Twilight finally got out of her concentration, and she screamed in surprise. "The Elements!"
She jumped into the tornado to stop it, and I barely made it myself. All I saw was a flash of white, and the cries of the others we left behind.
The purple tornado brought us in an unknown part of the castle. Twilight and I fell down the ground hard. I groaned, but I ignored the pain to help her up.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Where are the Elements?"
We heard cackling near us, and we gasped when we saw Nightmare Moon. And worst of all, she has the Elements of Harmony! Lightning echoed the room.
"Why are you surprised? Did you seriously think that I'm just going to let you get the Elements of Harmony? I have been following you all this time to prevent you from doing it!" Nightmare Moon revealed.
"So it's all your doing? The cliff? The manticore? The trees?!" I pointed an accusing hoof at her, "You even involved an innocent creature! And tricking Rainbow Dash to turn against her friends? You're worse than I thought!"
Twilight got ready to charge at her. Nightmare Moon looked at her in disbelief, "You're kidding, right?"
Twilight's horn glowed as she charged. Nightmare Moon took the challenge and proceeded to charge as well. Nearing collision, Twilight suddenly disappeared while Nightmare Moon looked around. Twilight reappeared at the Elements' destination.
"Just one spark!" Twilight started to concentrate her magic on the five stones.
"No!" Nightmare Moon yelled before she tried to teleport again.
"Oh, you're not going anywhere," I saw rubble the size of a golf ball near me, and with a kick, it hit her point-blank at the back of her head.
"You fool!" Nightmare Moon started to make her way towards me. I'm too angry to be terrified right now, and this situation is causing Twilight some time to activate the Elements.
I felt my body being covered in purple magic as I levitated. Nightmare Moon came face to face with me, "You dare attack Nightmare Moon?!"
"Well, we're the good guys, and you're the villain. Isn't that how it works?" I asked, sounding innocent.
"You will regret this!"
"Oh, if I were you, I wouldn't be concerned about that right now," I said with a smug smirk, at least I tried it to be.
She made a look of confusion before realizing that Twilight had all the time in the world, activating the elements.
"What? No!" She dropped me down and teleported. I just hoped that I covered Twilight enough time.
Twilight was knocked away by a spark right when Nightmare Moon appeared. Then, the five stones started to glow that made her panic.
"You did it!" I said, rushing over her. She made a confident smirk, but the stones suddenly stopped glowing. Her magic didn't work?
Twilight gasped, "But where's the sixth element?"
"You little fools! Thinking you could defeat me?!" She cackled, before stomping down her hooves that shattered the five stones. We watched as every fragment of the stones showered right in front of us. "Now, you will never see your Princess or the sun! The night will last forever!"
"That's where you're wrong!" I shouted.
"Hmm? What is it now? The Elements are now nothing but ashes! There's nothing in Equestria that can stop my reign!"
"What you didn't realize is that you actually helped us find the true Elements!"
"Star Blast, what are you saying? You just saw her destroy it!" Twilight said.
"Think about it, Twilight. Didn't you see the pattern? The Elements of Harmony were with us this whole time!"
Coincidentally, the five mares showed the traits of every element while we were having an adventure of a lifetime back there. As if on cue, the others finally arrived, calling for us. Twilight and I looked back, and I could've sworn that I heard a spark.
"Star Blast is right! You think you could destroy the Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong! Because the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are right here!" Twilight proclaimed. The remains of the five stones began to glow in five different colors and floated, making Nightmare Moon confused.
"What?!"
The tide was slowly turning to our favor. Things were going to get messy, so I got out of the way.
"Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty!"
The sediments of the stone with an orange hue circled around Applejack.
"Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness!"
The same happened with Fluttershy, this time sediments with a pink color.
"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter!"
Blue fragments revolved around Pinkie.
"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity!"
Violet fragments surrounded Rarity.
"And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire, represents the spirit of Loyalty!"
Finally, red crystals appeared around her.
"The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!" Twilight finished.
"You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!" Nightmare Moon countered quickly. Oh, we have it alright, and she's talking to you.
"But it did. A different kind of spark," Twilight looked at the five with tears, "And I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends!"
Up above, a stone with star shape floated down and stopped in front of Twilight. I had to block my eyes thanks to the brightness of it.
"You see Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all, creates the sixth Element. The Element of…Magic!"
The crystals that surrounded them formed into necklaces, except for Twilight, whose element created a tiara. They all floated up, a white glow enveloping them. But suddenly they all fell down. That can't be good.
"What? Why didn't it work?!" Twilight wondered.
Even Nightmare Moon was surprised. She let out a laugh of relief, "Looks like the Elements of Harmony weakened within time!"
"What?! But that's impossible!"
Nightmare Moon's face was filled with rage at that point. With her magic, she grabbed and held us up in the air. The mares struggled at the grip while I glared at her.
"Now, I will gladly take this opportunity to purge you once and for all!"
We were running out of options. Nightmare Moon's too powerful that even these Elements couldn't stop her. Her gaze was terrifying. All I could think right now was the suffering that she would give to us, and we probably had no chance of going home now.
Unsuspectingly, a blur of gray charged at her. It interrupted the magic that held us up, and we fell down on our butts. We were all surprised to see Silver, who pummeled Nightmare Moon.
"Hassan? Where the hell have you been?!"
"I'm sorry, man. We got lost!"
"I told you to go, right!" Applejack said. "The two of you just disappeared!"
"Sorry!"
"But, your timing couldn't have been better."
"What's this? A pony that dared attack me? You must be very brave to do such a thing." Nightmare Moon sneered at Silver's presence.
"I may be a coward most of the time, but when our lives are on the line, I will never back down!" Silver replied. I could tell that he was serious. Even with his ponified face, I recognized it, the look that he always liked to call "mamba mentality" when he's in a close basketball game. His eyes were full of determination, his mind was as strong as steel, and a heart that pumped resiliency.
Nightmare Moon laughed at his statement, "Very well. Then let's see if you could withstand a thousand strikes of lightning!"
"I don't think so, lady!"
We all looked up, seeing Speedy flying through the air. He was holding a huge boulder, and he dropped it above Nightmare Moon. Enraged, she quickly crushed the boulder with her magic and looked around, "Where are you?!"
"Think fast!"
With absurd speed, we witnessed Nightmare Moon crash through the wall. I was startled, because since when did he had that kind of strength and speed?
"Hah! Take that!" Speedy said as he floated down.
We all stared at him in awe. He managed to send her flying and crash through a wall!
"Speedy? How did you do that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That was so AWESOME!"
He looked at us with a smile, "Simple! I just believed in myself that I can do it!"
"And?" I know that's not the only reason.
"Uh…Cartoon physics?"
"And?"
He sighed, "Adrenaline…"
"Is that so? You might regret your overwhelming confidence! It'll take more than that to stop me!" Nightmare Moon teleported right in front of us again, not a single scratch on her.
"Oh, come on!" Speedy and Silver backed away from her until they were right next to me.
"I've wasted precious time! After this nuisance, all of Equestria will be mine!"
Ugh, she's unbeatable! I thought. Was there any other way?
… Andersen …
I heard an unknown voice inside my head. Time seemed to have slowed down around me.
… Allow me to help you …
My eyes sparked up.
"…That's where you're wrong."
"Oh? It useless to even hope of winning against me."
I took a breath. This idea of mine sounded so stupid, but I tried it. "The reason that the attack didn't work was because there were three more Elements of Harmony!"
"WHAT?!" All the ponies in the room exclaimed.
"But Star Blast! The book only said about six Elements! How could there be more?" Twilight asked me.
All I could say to her was, "Trust me."
Nightmare Moon laughed at me, "Do you think I'm a fool? I know that there are only six Elements of Harmony, and even those couldn't stop me! How in Equestria could there be more?"
I tried my best to answer confidently, "Because we haven't awakened it yet," I gestured myself, Speedy and Silver.
"That's not possible…There is no such thing!" I noticed Nightmare Moon's tone turned panicky. She's actually buying it?
"Uh… dude? What are you babbling right now?" Speedy whispered.
I wasted no time to go in the offense, "Silver Spur, I've only known him for five years and let me honestly tell you that he's the most emotional of the three of us. But when I witnessed him being put into the direst situation, his sensitivity turns into bravery. He strengthened his mind and spirit to face these challenges and for once never backed down! So that's why it fits for him to harness the Element of… Valor!"
And what happened next surprised me. A stone magically appeared in a flash and floated down in front of Hassan. It glowed a glittery silver, engraved in it was a spur, like his mark.
"Another Element? So it is true!" Twilight said in awe. She didn't know that I made this all up.
Silver stared at his stone. "Woah…"
I continued, "Speedy Glee is my friend ever since we were little. When someone feels down, he was always there to cheer us up. When the going gets tough, he would always try and try because he never doubted the abilities of not only himself but to everyone dear to him. His optimism led him to be the person-er, pony that he is today! You are now looking at the one possessing the Element of… Confidence!"
A stone appeared above him too, this time a gold hue with a fire shaped mark.
"Awesome! Mine is LIT!" he said.
"I was so lucky to meet them in my life. Back in the day, I never really cared about anyone, but I accepted them with open arms in my world. I admired them, and from that point on, I was now able to feel and understand how something or someone is important and valuable. We had a wonderful time here in Ponyville, for I admire that everypony treats each other like family, not just friends. And we're not going to let you get away with your evil scheme! This is your last stand, for I harness the Element of Respect!"
I finally settled as a stone floated above me. It was emerald green, the mark engraved on it the same as my mark in my flank, a star with a dozen needle-like diamonds. Our Elements turned into chest plates, and they were very detailed and cool in appearance.
The six mares began to glow once again, creating a rainbow. Our silver, gold, and emerald glow mixed with the rainbow and surrounded Nightmare Moon. She cried, being attacked by the Elements of Harmony.
The whole room was engulfed by a flash of white until we found ourselves lying on the ground when it finished.
"Oh my head…" said Rainbow Dash.
"Everypony okay?" asked Applejack.
"More than okay!" we saw Rarity's tail all grown back.
"Oh, Rarity, it's so lovely!" Fluttershy said in admiration.
"I know! I will never part with it again!" Rarity waved her tail around before cuddling it.
"No, it's your necklace. It looks just like your Cutie Mark." Fluttershy pointed out.
"So does yours!"
"Look at mine! Look at mine!" Pinkie Pie hopped around, showing off her accessory.
"Aww yeah!" I think we could all guess that was Rainbow Dash.
"We finally have superpowers!" Speedy said ecstatically. "And look. At. Our. ARMORS!"
"I know. It looks impressive." Silver said.
I just watched them being amazed. Was it pure coincidence that our 'Cutie Marks' and the symbol of the Elements were the same?
"Gee, I thought the two of you were just spewing a lot of hooey! But I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Indeed, you do…"
A ball of light appeared from out of nowhere, and a tall pony with a coat of the purest white and a mane composing of light green, blue and pink revealed herself. The six mares bowed down to her. Was she Princess Celestia? Silver, Speedy and I also bowed down to her to show our respect.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight ran over to her and gave her a hug.
"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student." The Princess replied with a hug of her own. "I knew you could do it."
"But…you told me that it was just an old pony tale."
"I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew that it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart."
Twilight nodded in understanding. "But…The Elements? I didn't know that there were Valor, Confidence, and Respect."
The Princess' face turned stern when she looked at me, "Not even I knew about it. But… I do recall a prophecy as old as these lands that three, mystique beings across another world will set foot in Equestria, although it is unknown what their roles will be. But since you've become the bearers of three Elements, it is safe to assume that you are our allies."
From that moment, every pony looked at the three of us. A prophecy? That's why we were brought here? Was that in the show?!
"Prophecy? I don't remember anything like that on TV…" Speedy whispered.
"You what? I thought you haven't watched a single episode?!" Silver whispered harshly.
"Okay, I admit. I watched a season finale, but that was years ago! I can't even remember most of the events in that episode because I wasn't that interested before!" he then looked at me. "What's YOUR explanation, Rob?! How did you know we're part of those Element Harmonies?!"
I sighed. "I honestly don't know how I know…"
We heard a female voice clearing her throat. We slowly turned around and saw that everybody was looking at us. We tried not to lose our composure.
"Yesterday, I sensed a powerful surge of magic in the Everfree Forest that lasted for mere seconds, and I presume that it was you three?" She informed.
My eyes moved, uneasily, "…It could be anyone?"
There was no point lying to them now. I took a deep breath before answering, "All right, it's true. We are from another world. A portal appeared before us, and it sent us into yours."
Every pony gasped as expected.
"We didn't know the reason why, and we decided to travel to Ponyville to find answers. Heck, we even managed to help and defeat Nightmare Moon, thinking that she was the one behind all of it."
"But Nightmare Moon has been trapped in the moon for centuries. She can't cast a teleportation spell." Twilight said. "And how did you know that there were three more Elements?"
I couldn't give a proper explanation. I didn't know the reason why it happened. "I don't know."
"It seems that the magic of friendship is more powerful than we thought that it created these three new Elements." Princess Celestia said.
I just shrugged with a confused smile, "I guess so, Princess."
"Now, if only another will embrace friendship as well…" She turned at the smoke covered crater. A small violet pony was laying there. "Princess Luna."
The pony looked startled when Celestia began to walk towards her. "It has been around a thousand years since I have seen you like this. It is time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."
"Sister?" we all questioned.
"Will you accept my friendship?" Princess Celestia asked her sister, hopefully.
Every pony leaned forward in anticipation. Pinkie fell down for leaning too much.
Princess Luna finally broke down, crying, "I'm so sorry! I've missed you big sister!" she said, giving Celestia a hug.
"I missed you too!" the Princess replied tearfully.
The scene was heartwarming. It reminded me of my family. The others were in tears, especially Speedy and Pinkie. Remember that Speedy has a sister?
Pinkie blew on a tissue loudly. Her mood changed suddenly, "Hey! You know what this calls for?!"
"Let me guess, a party?" I said.
"A PARTY!"
"Yes. The ponies of Ponyville would love to meet their heroes and their returning ruler." Princess Celestia agreed.
"Really? But... I have threatened and hurt these little ponies. You really think that they would accept me?" Luna asked doubtfully.
"Of course they will, my sister." Princess Celestia smiled at her, and Luna finally accepted.
Royal guards came upon the entrance of the old castle. The Princess motioned us to ride in this huge golden carriage, and we accepted. Well, except Speedy, who could now fly without struggling? It was hard to tell. He was flying with a happy expression while his flight pattern was abstract.
We finally came back to Ponyville, where every pony was waiting for the arrival of Princess Celestia. Pinkie Pie wasted no time to begin the largest party I have ever been to.
Spike ran towards Twilight to give her a big hug when we came down the carriage. Every pony bowed at Princess Celestia's presence. Two little Pegasi gave Princess Luna flowers that caught her by surprise.
"Man, this was an exhausting day."
"So, the result of her defeat didn't bring us home after all." Silver said gloomily. "An old prophecy brought us in this show? Who would've guessed! Out of all three people, why does it have to be us?"
"Because we are the elements of Valor, Confidence, and Respect! Right, Rob?" Speedy winked at me, causing me to roll my eyes.
"I know, I know it's cheesy," I said. But seriously, why were we chosen? And importantly, WHO chose us? Did the voice that talked to me somehow connected to it?
Not far away, I saw Twilight's sad face. When I was about to ask her, Princess Celestia beat me to it.
"Why so glum my faithful student?" Celestia asked as she walked over. "Are you not happy that your quest is complete and that you can return to your studies in Canterlot?"
"That's just it. Just when I learned how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them behind." Twilight responded.
We all watched as the Princess continued to speak.
"Spike, take a note please," Celestia ordered the dragon nicely. Spike held a paper and pen.
"I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the Unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville!"
We all cheered as they gathered around her. "Oh, thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before!" Twilight vowed.
"And as for you three," The Princess turned to us. "You have my deepest gratitude for assisting my student and her beloved friends. And as the bearers of the Elements of Valor, Confidence, and Respect, we expect great things from you in the future."
We nodded, "Don't worry, Princess. We will."
"But please, do tell me if you wanted to know more information about the prophecy. Even I am unsure about your current situation, but I am willing to help you out. "
"We'd love to," I responded. "But... maybe some other time, your highness? We'd like to hang low at least for a while after all the events that just occurred."
"I see... then I respect your decision, dear Star Blast."
I nodded and flashed a smile.
"Now continue partying, my little ponies!" Celestia announced, and the party resumed.
It went on for hours. Since I'm not the type that likes to 'party' in a celebration, I sat out and watched them instead, drinking a cup full of apple juice with a straw. Oh, I want to finish that Daring Do book so badly right now.
"Fancy seeing you here, Star Blast." I jumped up when I heard Twilight's voice.
I smirked at her, "Hey, Sparkles."
She chuckled as she took a seat next to me, "Why don't you hang out with us? This party is not fun if I'm not enjoying it with all of my friends."
I smiled, "This day totally changed your point of view, huh?'
"Yeah, it did." She sighed. "And I wanted to say thank you."
"For what?" I asked.
"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have found the hidden Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon."
Oh, that. "It's nothing, and I just… did what I thought I was supposed to do."
"No, really. Even though the three of you came from another world, you helped and saved Equestria from evil. You've helped us more than you realized, Blast."
"Well, even if the prophecy did say that I wouldn't hesitate from the get-go."
"By the way, since you're… alien and all, I'm guessing that you don't have a place to stay?"
Oh, right, I forgot, "Pretty much. We're basically broke and homeless right now."
"If that's the case, why don't the three of you live with Spike and me for a while at the library? I'm sure there's another room that you could use." Twilight suggested.
I quickly questioned her, "Are you sure? I mean, wouldn't it be a little awkward to have three, literal out-of-this-world stallions under the same roof as housemates?"
"Oh, don't be silly!" Twilight waved off. "And you can help and join me with my studies! Don't you want to learn how Unicorn magic works?"
"Well… I do, but offering us to live with you? It's just too much."
"It's the least I can do for a friend, but it's still your choice if you three want to have a place of your own."
I've thought about this for a moment, but it was better than nothing. How could I refuse a kind offer? "Okay, Twilight. Thank you for having us."
"Great!" she stood up. "We're playing pin the tail on the pony at Sugarcube Corner. Care for a round?"
I chuckled. This whole friendship thing totally changed her. "Sure. Why not?"
Author's Note!
Ugh... writing this long makes me feel exhausted, due to the demand of my friends for more exposition of their OC's
And I have mixed feelings about this chapter right here. I'm so going to regret turning them into Elements XD
As always! Fav it! Follow it! Review and tell me what you think!
See you guys in the next chapter! – Super Bright Brat
DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE THREE OCs!
