Harmonic Spectrum - Epilogue - ''The Day to Live''

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Epilogue: “The Day to Live”

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Awaken... my chosen one.

Dash's eyes had snapped open, her body having been jumped a bit by the voice she had suddenly heard. Her rose eyes moved left and right a few times, trying to gain focus on her surroundings.

“Wha...?”

As her sights were set straight, she quickly noticed that she was not in her bed anymore, remembering this time that she had only fallen asleep the moment before.

“What is this...? Where am I now?”

Dash, as her normal blue self, had found herself standing in what appeared to be an area that was filled with layers of bluish-green mist all over. The seemingly endless layers of mist surrounding her were moving at a very slow pace. Several night stars had seemed to be scattered all over the area, with the size of them being bigger than the ones seen in the night.

This place seems... heavenly, Dash thought. Ethereal. As if she was welcome here, a feeling unlike the dream of darkness that she had before. Was she dreaming, then? Lucidly? Or was she here for real?

“You have done well, fated one,” echoed a female voice.

“Huh?”

The pegasus looked around, hearing the same voice from before. Then, she realized where it was coming from.

“Hey... I recognize you,” Dash said. “You're the one I've been hearing lately. The one who woke me up that morning, and the one who made us all realize what my true destiny was, showing those scenes to us and all.”

She looked down at her chest, touching it with her hoof.

“It's you, isn't it? What really transformed me into the Flame of Harmony... You... are me.”

“Correct. I am you. Or rather, it is you who is my chosen vessel.”

With that realization, the pegasus then felt a feeling of calmness within her, with her chest beginning to glow a large circle of swirling rainbow colors. Seeing it, she lowered her hoof, and she then felt like something was exiting out of her from within. The glow on her chest began to protrude outward, and like a round object that was exiting a pool of water, what appeared to be a large, brightly-glowing, multicolored sphere was making its way out of her chest.

The sphere of swirling rainbows had soon exited out of her, with Dash no longer feeling the calmness inside of her. The sphere then floated up to the front of her face, causing her to form an expression of awe as she looked at it.

“I am, indeed, the source of your transformation into the Flame,” it said. “For I am the true power behind the Elements of Harmony. I am all that keeps the peace throughout Equestria, stabilizing all that the denizens of this world hold dear... I... am the Soul of Harmony.”

“...Woooow, so you are... How awesome!” exclaimed the pegasus, smiling. “Heh heh, looks like I was right when I said that it was my soul on display for everypony to see, that I was gonna be the one to save Equestria.”

“Indeed. Just as you felt in the dream that foretold your destiny.”

“Yeah... Wait, so it was you who made me dream that?” Dash asked, looking puzzled. “On that note, you can see the future as well?”

“I can. But my ability of foresight is limited... Nevertheless, I see that my choosing of you was not made in error. And for that, I am glad.”

“Choosing...? So you mean...?”

“I can sense that you have many questions swirling in your mind, Rainbow Dash... Linger still, then, for I shall answer all.”

The sphere proceeded to move itself to the right of Dash's head and stayed there, with the pony looking at it.

“We are here, in what is known as the Lane of Destiny,” said the Soul. “It is an ethereal plane of Equestria, in which special or chosen ones arrive here to either discover their destiny, set them on the path towards it, or both. By now, you know that once ponies gain their mark, it sets them on their journey to reach their destinies... Such things do not require entrance to this place, for it is only for those with hidden, truer destinies. Unknown ones, such as yours.”

“My true destiny to become the Flame,” said Dash, looking at the mist and stars all around them. “Hm. I always thought that I was to become the fastest flier in all of Equestria as well as to take care of its weather. I never knew that I was also to be its savior.”

She looked at the sphere next to her. “So am I really here in this place, or is it another dream you're giving me here?”

“Your physical self remains on the bed in your home. I have merely brought us, your soul and myself, here.”

Glancing ahead, the pegasus took a few steps forward and stopped.

“So its a dream, then. A lucid one,” she said.

“Yes.”

As the Soul moved up and stopped next to her head again, something then appeared in front of them. A panoramic, flat-looking box, it was, floating a few feet above Dash's height. For a brief moment, the box displayed nothing but a black screen, then it started to show something.

The screen began showing what appeared to be a white, leaf-less, crystallized tree, rooted deep at the back end of a dark cavern. Dangling from their many branches were several crystallized orbs that were emitting sparkles from them, floating upward and making the tree a sparkling sight to behold. At the end of five of these branches, a colored gemstone was embedded within each of them, having the individual colors of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple. In the very center of the tree, a large, white, six-pointed star-shaped gemstone was seen, and below it were the engraved marks of the sun and the crescent moon.

“Long ago,” began the Soul. “When the world was young, there existed nothing but darkness and chaos. They ravaged throughout the world as they saw fit, leaving nothing but destruction and death to every young life form that lived, to every soul that had just been born. Not a single ray of light and hope had shone through this darkness... until one fateful day. Hiding away from the ravaging chaos, a great number of brave young life forms had made the decision to sacrifice themselves, using their souls and their energy to form and condense themselves into one single soul. A soul that then bound itself into one single tree seed.

“In their shelter of protection,” it continued. “Those who had remained behind after the sacrifice had taken the seed and planted it deep under the earth. It took many months for it grow, but in the end, the sacrifice had proven to be not in vain. The seed had subsequently grown into a beautiful, peaceful tree, a stark contrast to the darkness around them. Thus, they had named it, 'The Tree of Harmony.' And with the birth of the Tree, came the entity that would power it.”

“...You,” Dash said, looking at the crystal tree with a bit of awe.

“Yes... As you can see, young one, that tree is the birthplace of the Elements of Harmony.”

“Woooow...”

Having just heard the origin of the Elements, the pegasus was utterly fascinated by it all, looking even more in awe than before with her eyes widened.

“Yeah, I could tell. The gems on the Tree. It was how the Elements looked like before we obtained them,” she said, pointing at them with her hoof.

“Correct. Their unbound forms, to be precise. Mere conduits in which to channel my power through them... With the birth of Harmony came the first wielders of it, and it was through them that the world knew peace for the first time. Throughout time, many have taken the mantle, restoring peace to the world and preventing those who would dare to threaten it from doing so. Indeed... I have been split many times to empower each of the individual wielders. Those who would carry the Spirits of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic. Splinters of myself that would help them unleash the power of friendship on their enemies... Pieces which would form back as one should they ever lose connection to the Elements due to whatever cause. Should that happen, then I am forced to wander this world, searching for the next set of wielders.


“But, as you felt in the prelude of your destiny,” it continued. “I would also be whole if a certain set of requirements were met. For when I shatter into the six Spirits of Harmony, I always leave my core in the soul whose willpower is the strongest. I have always done this, ever since he became the first.”

“He?” asked Dash, glancing at the sphere.

“The first Flame of Harmony.”

With it still on the Tree of Harmony, the screen ahead of them had then cut to another scene. This time, it was a large and wide view of a desolate wasteland, with what looked like a few remnants of plants and grass here and there. Most of the area's ground appeared to be scorched with black spots all over, with dead trees in some spots and huge craters in another. The sky above was a dark shade of red, adding to this dark and desperate scene.

In the center of a large, scorched spot, there appeared to be six differently-colored ponies, with five of them lying on their sides and front, looking to be injured with various cuts and bruises on their coats. Only one of them was standing ahead of them, struggling to stay there with the same injuries.

The screen had cut to a frontal view of him, and his features were shown with his teeth clenched. A cobalt-blue earth colt pony, he was, with a red, slicked-back mane and tail. He had green eyes, and his cutie mark was that of a yellow lightning bolt, much like Dash's own. Along with the rest of the ponies behind him, he wore an Element of Harmony on his neck; a golden necklace with a blue gemstone on it that was in the shape of his cutie mark.

“Hey... it's him. The pony from the ancient record I've read,” said Dash, recognizing him.

“Yes... Before this very moment, I have always split my core when I turn into the Spirits of Harmony, taking them along,” said the sphere. “Now, no longer, because of this. I have foreseen his defiance and willpower, but again, I can only see so far as well as some things... I have never known that I could empower a single life form with the full might of Harmony. Nor see the foreshadowing signs beforehand.”

The scene had then appeared to skip forward a bit, now showing the colt with an expression of surprise as he looked down at his necklace. Various colored streams of energy were being siphoned into his necklace, coming from his friends who still laid behind him with one of them looking unconscious.

The streams had stopped, and the screen had then faded to white. A second later, it faded back into the scene, and now the colt stood there, transformed with a firm frowning look. His red mane and tail had become moving, waving flames that emitted embers from them, and his coat had turned into a golden yellow color. His eyes were ruby red, and his cutie mark was now a red lightning bolt.

“Whoa...! His coat there. It's literally gone gold!” exclaimed the pegasus, awed by the sight of the first Flame. “How awesome!”

“Indeed... And with such a transformation, all on his own, he had vanquished the enemy of his time. In the thousands of years afterward, no one else had managed to reach the form as he did, despite my choosing of the one with the strongest willpower. Either the initial power, the Great Beam of Harmony, was enough to restore the peace, or the wielders have simply failed to defeat their threat. Although... before you rose up to become the second, there was one who almost managed to attain it.”

“What? Who?”

“Her.”

Cutting away from the golden colt, the screen then displayed what looked like a view inside a darkened interior of a building in the embrace of the night. A large hole in the ceiling was seen, shining down the moon's light onto a spot inside the building. In the center of the lightened spot, there stood a tall stone pedestal of sorts. On top of the pedestal, there was a large stone orb with the mark of a six-pointed star on the side of it. Below the orb, five stone extensions were seen protruding out from the base that held the orb on top. At the end of these extensions, on top of them, were the five Elements in their normal forms.

Next to the pedestal in the moon's light, there appeared to be somepony standing there. Dash saw her, recognizing who she was.

“Princess Celestia...? But why is she... Wait, of course!”

The mane-waving sun princess stood there in front of the pedestal, looking firm at it. Then, with a few flaps of her wings, she flew up to the top of it, with her horn glowing yellow. Using her horn, she levitated the Elements up, enveloping them with the same glow. From the top of the large orb, the Element of Magic was then seen exiting out of it with the same glow, rising out of it like water from the yellow portal.

Taking a look at the Element of Magic, Celestia then proceeded to levitate all of the Elements around her into a circular motion, spinning around her vertically and then horizontally. She tapped into their power, causing them to spin faster and faster until they spun like a speeding wheel. Then, moving her wings and body upward, she made a small explosion of light and rainbow, causing her mane and tail to shoot themselves all the way up.

“Hey, her mane and tail...!” Dash exclaimed. “They...”

“Rose up like fire? Yes,” said the Soul. “But notice how they are not separating embers from them. Notice how her coat color stayed the same, as well as the color of her eyes... Even though she has all of the Elements by her side, even though she was wielding my power and though I chose her to be my core, in the end, it was not enough to make her fully transform. For she was lacking one thing...”

“The Magic of Friendship... Right,” nodded the pegasus.

“And thus, the rest is clear.”

With the spherical aura of light and rainbow around her, the sun princess flew up and out of the large hole in the ceiling. She made her way towards the one that waited for her in the sky, whose large bat wings were keeping her afloat in the air.

“Yeah, I definitely know how it went, alright,” said Dash. “She banished her to the moon and locked her up inside of it.”

“All while losing their connection to the Elements. To me... Not only did Luna turn on her sister, but Celestia using the Elements, without the one thing that is needed to use their power in whole, had further severed their link. That, and although she had the stronger inner willpower of the two, Celestia could not muster it up from within. She was afraid of hurting her beloved sister.”

“Huh? She was?”

“Yes.”

The scene had cut to a close-up view of the sun princess, showing her as her tears came out of her eyes while preparing her horn. It then zoomed out as she swung her head down, her horn commanding the six gemstones to fire out a large rainbow beam towards her sister's incoming green energy beam.

The two attacks had clashed, and it was not long until the rainbow beam was pushing the other back. The green beam had been canceled out, and the rainbow beam had engulfed Nightmare Moon in whole. Afterward, the beam shot itself upward, heading straight towards the moon above.

“...Man, so she was, huh?” said Dash, with a slightly sad frown. “I'd be the same if I went against any of my friends like that... In fact, I was the same when I confronted Twilight in Ponyville. Only that I didn't shed any tears about it. At least I kept my guard up throughout the whole thing.”

“Any good soul would be the same. Indeed... Thus, when the sisters lost their link to me, I was then forced to wander the world once again for the next millennium. In the time since, there had been no threats to the world. Even though she has lost her sister, your faithful sun princess has done well in keeping Equestria safe... Still, I kept my search up for the time being, searching for the one whose inner willpower is the strongest to place my core being inside, and granting him or her the potential to become the Flame. After such a long time...”

The Soul moved up to the front of Dash's face.

“...I had finally found you. The one with the rainbow mane and tail. A trait that is synonymous with Harmony, as you surely know.”

“...So I was born with you, then?” Dash asked.

“Yes... When you were still in the womb of your mother, I had merged with your soul. Thus, I had been with you since the very beginning.”

“Huh... How awesome.” The pegasus smiled, chuckling as she rubbed the back of her head with her hoof. “Yeah, rainbows are definitely the face of Harmony, alright. It's kinda strange how rare us rainbow ponies seem to be, though.”

“Indeed. It is a strange and rare genetic trait. One that I had nothing to do with, if you wish to know... Perhaps it was also your destiny for your soul to be merged with me, having been set by some entity who can see all of time itself? Nevertheless, I am glad to have found you. Whereas Celestia could not muster up her will, you did... and that is why I said that my choosing of you was not made in error.”

“Hehe, I guess. I really couldn't bear to see that creep Discord take over the world, so I just did what I had to do.”

“Of course... and for that, I am proud.”

The pegasus chuckled again.

“Soooooo... with all of what you've said so far, I think I can connect the rest of the story,” she said. “When I did my first Sonic Rainboom as a little filly, you split away from me into the Spirits, didn't you?”

“Correct... By doing what no one had seen in a long while, by shattering me apart, I had ridden along the waves of your Rainboom to those who had seen it, to the five who had gained their destinies because of it. It was I who had forged the friendship between the six of you.”

“Hm, and then, we became the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony... Right. I think I get the whole story now.”

“Yes... and I can sense that your mind is clear now.”

Dash nodded. “Yep.”

With every question in her mind having been answered, the pegasus felt at ease, knowing how it all made sense to her now. She began to walk past the sphere, with the panoramic screen fading away in front of her. She thought about what the Soul had said, how it all weaved together. Then, she stopped, with a sad frown on her face as her head tilted down, sighing sadly as well.

“...You know,” she said. “It's great that I became the second Flame of Harmony and all. But... my friends. What about them? Don't you think its kinda unfair that none of them got to transform as well? We could've taken on Discord together while he was a giant dragon.”

“...Indeed, it is unfair. But there can only be one Soul of Harmony, and only the one that I choose can transform. I am sorry, but that is the reality.”

The sphere moved up to her, floating a few inches above her this time.

“Do not forget, my child. It was your friends who have helped you transform. No one else. Without them, all that you know would cease to be.”

She sighed again. “I know... I did sort of say I was fighting for my friends after all when I confronted Discord.”

Dash lifted her head up to look at it, smiling. “I won't forget it. I can promise you that.”

“Hmm... You may be the only one of your friends who has gone through a special destiny, but... with ease, I can say that another of you also has a special destiny ahead of her. One that will also represent all of the Elements, but in a way that is separate from becoming the Flame.”

“Huh...? Another of my friends? Who?” the pegasus asked.

“That is for you, and her, to discover.”

“...Hm, keeping it a mystery, huh? Heh, I think I like discovering stuff for myself, honestly.”

Smiling, Dash then looked around once more.

“So, uh... What will you do now? Go back to my friends or what?”

For a brief moment, the Soul had said nothing, floating there in silence.

“...Uh, Soul of Harmony?” the pegasus called, staring at it and waiting for a response.

“...No, my chosen one... I... shall remain here with you.”

“Huh? Really?” Dash had a look of surprise.

“Yes... Since you have become the second Flame of Harmony and have saved this world, it is wise of me to stay within you. You may have stopped the spread of Chaos, but that does not mean it is the only threat you will ever face. Not in this lifetime... Something is approaching this world, Rainbow Dash. Something darker than Chaos... If it is not stopped, this darkness will swallow the world, at a speed greater than Discord could ever manage to reach.”

“What...? Wh-what is this darkness, exactly?” asked the pegasus, looking suspicious.

“I do not know... but I sense that it is coming. Thus, you must prepare for it. By remaining inside of you, I will grant you the ability to transform into the Flame whenever you desire, so that you may hone the form to its absolute perfection. You did well in your battles against Chaos, but you must improve if this new foe is stronger than anticipated.”

...Whoa, what? Dash just thought, taking a step back with an expression of surprise and with her mouth a bit open. Me? Getting to transform whenever I want? But, but I thought it was just a one-time thing...

For a brief bit, she continued to look surprised at this sudden revelation. Then, she formed a firm, smiling look.

“Well... if you want me to keep the form, if you want me to improve at it... then I will,” Dash nodded. “Besides, heh heh, I think I look more awesome as my white flaming self, anyway.”

“Hm, then it is settled... Although the form is now yours to use as you desire, you also now have a great responsibility with it. Take care not to abuse it, my child, and do not forget that you are the only one with this special gift.”

“...Right. I won't.”

The Soul lowered itself to the pegasus' chest, moving closer to her as she watched.

“I shall merge back inside of you, now that everything has been made clear. Though I may have exited your friends to be whole again, it does not mean that they have lost the power to wield the Elements. For I have left pieces of myself within their souls. Thus, as long as the Magic of Friendship still binds you together, the Great Beam of Harmony shall shower your enemies within its light. Should that fail, though, then you may rise as the Flame of Harmony again and cleanse the threat away from this world... This will be the last we shall ever speak, my chosen vessel.”

The sphere moved straight into her chest, entering inside of her.

“Until the very end... you are, and will always be, the one Soul of Harmony.”

The Soul had entered her completely, leaving a bright glow of rainbow on her chest.  She closed her eyes and tilted her head up as the great feeling of calmness swelled all over her again.

The glow on her chest had dimmed down, and she opened her eyes. For a second, they appeared to be ruby red, then they reverted back to her normal rose.

A few feet ahead of her, something seemed to be opening up. A door, it was, and past it, a room of bright white light was seen, shining its light towards her.

Dash formed a proud, determined smile on her face. She had acknowledged everything she had learned just now, and with the power remaining inside of her for what was implied to be the rest of her life, she knew never to abuse it as well, just as the Soul had said.

“Don't worry,” she said, beginning to walk to the door. “I will prepare for this darkness. I will prepare for anything, for that matter... I will never lose, and you can count on that.”

Dash had entered the door, walking into the great light that soon enveloped her.

---

The pegasus' eyes were slowly opening themselves, waking up from the light that was in her vision a second before. Gaining focus as the blur in her sight went away, the ceiling of her room was the first thing she saw, noticing that she was lying back on her bed in her room.

Blinking, she looked around. It had appeared to be in the early morning, with the orange-colored light of the sun shining through the open window in her room.

Seeing the morning light, Dash sighed with a smile, her eyes half-closed. For a while, she stayed there, looking relaxed as she did. Then, she sat up, pushing her blanket off with her hoof, and sitting there with her head slightly tilted down as the feeling of slumber still lingered within her.

After a few seconds, she yawned loudly, stretching all of her hooves out as she did. Then, staring ahead  with fully open eyes, she looked down, putting her hoof on her chest.

The great calm feelings she felt in the dream when the Soul re-entered her. They still persisted within her to this very second, confirming to her that the power really was staying with her. To this, she grinned a bit, knowing that she could transform into her awesome flaming form whenever she wanted now. Could she try it now, then? She wondered.

Nah, not now, she thought. She had just woken up after all, and she needed to do her usual morning routine first. Perhaps later at Canterlot, then, for a very special event was being held there.

---

The hours had passed by.

The blue pegasus was now standing in front of a large red curtain that was hanging over a large wall, in the same building in Canterlot where the Elements of Harmony were kept. She stood in the middle of a long and large hallway, on a red carpet that was leading to a large door on either side. On the left and right side of the curtain, as well as all around the hallway, were various stained glass mosaics. Each of them were depicting an event in history, with most of them involving the Elements.

The pegasus was not alone in the hallway, for she was surrounded by crowds and crowds of ponies that had filled most of the place, endlessly chattering about as they waited around. Standing near her were her friends, looking onward to the curtain that hanged over the wall.

“Gee, who would've thought that somepony like you would save Equestria on her own?” asked Applejack, smiling. “And bein' powered up by the Elements of Harmony no less?”

“I don't think any of us saw that night coming, honestly,” said Rarity.

“We definitely didn't see it coming, alright,” said Twilight, having been nursed back to health since the incident. She looked at the blue pegasus. “Only she did.”

Dash nodded, smiling as she looked on.

At the base of the hanging curtain, there stood the sun princess herself, glancing around the hallway with a smile. Celestia then looked at the six friends and began her speech.

“We are gathered here today to honor the great heroism of one special somepony who stood up to the villain Discord and saved Equestria from eternal chaos for the second time,” she said. “As all of you may know, these six friends had saved the world twice in the past. This time, however, as a group, they could not. It was then, through their support for her, that a miracle had happened. A miracle that none of us had ever known about, until that moment.”

Closing her eyes, the princess' horn then began its yellow glow. The curtain behind her was soon enveloped in the same glow. She jerked her head upward, unfolding her wings as she did, and the curtain had opened itself.

What the curtain once hid before was that of a newly-built stained glass mosaic. In the center of this mosaic, six colored gemstones were surrounding what appeared to be Rainbow Dash herself as her Flame of Harmony self. She was firing off, from a raised hoof, a beam of rainbow at the shocked-looking Discord above her at the very top of the mosaic. In the background behind them both was that of a rainbow-colored gradient.

“And so, we shall dedicate this to you, Rainbow Dash, for your efforts against Discord as the long-lost Flame of Harmony,” continued Celestia, opening her eyes towards the blue pegasus and smiling, with the glows fading away. “May you and your friends forever treasure this within your hearts.”

With that, the crowds of ponies began to applaud for her, stomping their hooves on the ground and cheering loudly at her. Glancing around, Dash began to blush a bit, smiling almost innocently as well.

In the midst of this, though, she was reminded of something, making her look a bit surprised. For a moment, her head tilted downward a bit, her eyes shifting left and right as she thought about something. Tilting her head back up and glancing ahead, the pegasus had then nodded to herself.

“Uh, um... Princess Celestia?” she called as the applause died down. “I have something to say to everypony here, if you would allow me to.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

Dash proceeded to walk up to where Celestia stood. As the princess stepped out of the way for her, the pegasus then stopped at the spot. She took a glance at the mosaic above, then she turned around and faced the crowds that were now putting their eyes on her.

“...Um... Gee, I don't even know where to start, or how much I should say on this,” she said, looking down and rubbing the top of her mane with her hoof. She then looked ahead again. “Um... this morning, I had a dream. Though, it wasn't an ordinary dream. In it, I spoke with someone, and it turned out to be something I was born with from the very beginning. Twilight, you know how, when we first got the Elements of Harmony, we also ended up representing each of the Spirits of Harmony, right?”

“Yeah,” nodded Twilight. “What about them, Rainbow?”

“Well, it turns out that the Spirits were inside of us all along... and when you guys were transferring the energy of the Elements to me, those were actually the Spirits exiting from out of you.”

“What? We were actually harboring them inside of us?” asked Rarity, looking a bit surprised.

“Really? But... I thought we were just making a connection to them so we could use the Elements,” said Twilight.

Dash shook her head. “We had them all along, and then they exited out of you to fuse with the one inside of me. As I learned in the dream, what they had fused into is the real power behind the Elements. It called itself the Soul of Harmony, and it was the one I was speaking with in my dream.

“I learned a lot in our chat together, you know,” she continued, glancing around at the crowds. “If I were to explain everything right now to everypony, it would take a while. So I'm just gonna get right down to it, then... Guys, Discord isn't the last that we'll see trying to do bad things to this world. There always had been bad guys in the past, and there always will be. It's always been like this throughout Equestria's history.

“Well, then, I gotta warn you guys,” said Dash, her look turning into a determined one. “There is a darkness coming. A darkness that looks to be greater than what Discord has ever done.”

“...What? A darkness?” asked Applejack, looking suspicious, yet puzzled. “And its gonna do worse things than him?”

“Who or what is this darkness, Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight.

“I don't know,” replied the pegasus, her eyes downcast. “All I know is that its coming.”

To the sound of this, the crowds of ponies began to murmur to each other about it, with some of them looking scared and surprised.

“Whatever this darkness might be... I must prepare for it,” Dash said.

“...So you're sayin' that we need you to be the Flame of Harmony again,” said Applejack. “'Cause I doubt the old-fashioned rainbow beam will be enough to stop this darkness. If it really is stronger than Discord, that is.”

“Yep. But... we don't need to do the energy transferring thing again, you guys.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Dash's eyes moved back up to look ahead, putting on a determined smile on her face.

“Heh heh... Watch this.”

Closing her eyes, the pegasus lifted her head up as she reached out for the calmness inside of her. The second she tapped into it, the Harmonic energy had spread all over in an instant, much quicker than when she transformed in the throne room days before. Already, she felt the need to burst from within.

She lowered her head and quickly jerked her head upward, unfolding her wings at the same time. In the middle of her wings unfolding, Dash had exploded in a quick white flash, instantly turning her coat white and enlarging her wings with her mane and tail bursting into flames. Despite this explosion, only a single rush of wind came out of it, sweeping back the manes and tail of everypony as it came through.

As she lowered her head, a red glowing outline of a lightning symbol had appeared on her neck. The glow then turned into a full glow, and a second later, the glow had extended around the front of her neck with a bright yellow color. It then dimmed down, leaving behind the golden necklace of Loyalty on her.

The flames that were flaring off from her mane and tail had soon died down, with both assuming the stationary shape of a flame. Dash then opened her ruby red eyes, still with a determined smile on her face.

At the sight of the transformed pegasus, the crowds of ponies had gawked and gasped in awe, having seen the rainbow flames that flared a second before. With the large wings and pure white coat, she was a sight to behold, looking almost as beautiful as Celestia herself to some of them.

“Whooooooooa!” yelled Pinkie Pie, with an expression of great surprise. “You can Super-ize yourself without the Elements now?!”

“Wait, what?!” exclaimed Twilight, looking just as surprised. “But I thought the power had left you days ago?”

“It hasn't, Twilight,” replied Dash, looking at her hoof that she had raised up. “The Soul of Harmony is staying inside of me, giving me the ability to transform at will now. It's doing this so that I could get better at using the power of the form. If I'm going to be against the darkness by myself, then I have to train. No matter what.”

“It's staying inside of you...? But, what about the rest of us, then?” asked the purple unicorn, staring at her.

“Yes. If the Soul is remaining with you, then we can't use the Elements anymore,” said Rarity.

“Yeah. It's soundin' like we have to depend on you from now on, Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack.

Hearing them, Dash lowered her hoof and looked at them. Still smiling with a kind look, she proceeded to walk to them.

“You guys are still connected to the Elements,” she said, stopping in front of them. “The Soul told me that it left pieces of itself within you when it exited as the Spirits. So... if you guys still prefer to use the Beam of Harmony...”

“...No, it's alright, Rainbow Dash,” said Twilight, smiling as she looked away. “On second thought, its better if we just leave it to you, really. Besides, considering what Discord had done to get us separated twice now just to stop us from doing the Beam of Harmony...”

“Yeah, Twilight's right,” said Applejack, smiling as well. “I mean, if this darkness really is stronger than Discord, then, again, I doubt that the beam will work on it anyway.”

“I agree,” said Rarity. “Honestly, having the power of all the Elements into one single pony is better than having them spread around six ponies.”

“What they said as well. Besides, anyway... even if we might no longer use them, I think we shouldn't forget that it was the Elements that brought us together in the first place,” said Twilight, looking at the white pegasus.

“Yeah, and you shouldn't forget that it was through us that made you reach this form, Rainbow Dash,” said Applejack. “As long as you keep fightin' for your friends, it's all good.”

“Right,” the white pegasus nodded. “Just as the Soul had said to me.”

Glancing around at the crowds again, Dash walked backward to the spot she was in before. She put on a resolute smile again.

“So, as I was saying, I must prepare for this incoming darkness,” she said. “I will train to the best of my ability, and will discover everything there is to being the Flame of Harmony. So that when it comes... nay, when ANY threat may come here to try and ruin everything...”

She flapped her wings down, launching her upward. Stopping in the air, she then raised a hoof up and threw it down, stopping near her face and making her look like she was putting up a closed fist. At this throwdown, a small explosion of white particles had erupted around her, forming an aura that surrounded her. Along with the aura, her mane and tail had resumed their flaming forms with colored embers separating away from them.

“...I will kick their flanks out of this world and back! And you can count on it!”

With the declaration from her, the crowds and crowds of ponies began to whoop and cheer for her as loud as they could, stomping on the ground to applaud for her as well. With a happy face, Pinkie Pie began to jump high into the air a few times, joining in on the wild cheering. As the crowds cheered and applauded on, to Dash, it began to feel like she was in the Wonderbolts stadium again.

“Whooooooooo!!” yelled Pinkie, continuing to jump high into the air. “All hail Super Dashie!!”

Dash chuckled, lowering her hoof as the feeling of being proud came over her. Then, she turned around to look at the mosaic of her.

Days and nights had passed since the pegasus had read that chapter in the book on the Elements of Harmony. Who knew, back then, that the chapter was but a small glimpse of her true, future destiny? Who knew that she was going to save the world all by herself? At first, she didn't think she was going to become the thing that was lost to the ages. She didn't think she would represent all of the Elements at  once.

In the end, she did, and now she hovered here as the very thing she had read about that night. She was, and always will be, the Soul of Harmony, the light of which is on display for everypony to see again and again.