As an Alicorn who had lived for over a thousand years, Nightmare Moon had spent a millennium on the moon, yet through watching dreams, she had witnessed plenty of brave ponies.
Still, she had never seen one quite this bold.
Smashing an Alicorn with a guitar? She really did not know whether to praise his courage or mock his utter foolishness.
Enveloped in magic, suspended mid-air in a downward chopping pose, and completely paralyzed, Bingtang Xueli knew nothing of courage—he only knew that he was totally screwed.
*Am I about to be blasted into dust?*
"It is quite remarkable that you have the audacity to challenge me, but that is the only thing I can possibly praise you for."
Bingtang Xueli forced another ingratiating smile onto his face.
"Ha-ha-ha, I was just joking with you! I won't disturb you any longer, I'll be on my way!"
With that, he struggled twice, but still could not move a muscle.
Nightmare Moon let out a cold snort, and the horn atop her head flashed. The guitar flew straight out of Bingtang Xueli's hooves, its strings instantly tearing off to bind him tightly from head to hoof. Then, together with the guitar, he was hurled straight out the window, hanging upside down from a streetlamp in the Ponyville town square.
"Well, I suppose Nightmare Moon is still somewhat merciful. I seriously hate magic."
Next came a burst of chaos inside the town hall. The large doors abruptly flew open, a cloud of blue smoke came rushing out, and Rainbow Dash bolted out right after it.
"Get back here!"
She yelled at the streak of blue smoke flying higher and higher into the sky, while Twilight Sparkle ran out of the doorway with Spike on her back.
"Where is she going?"
"Never mind where she's going, someone pay attention to me!"
Only then did Rainbow Dash notice Bingtang Xueli, tied up like a rice dumpling and hanging upside down from the streetlamp.
At that moment, Applejack and the others also rushed out of the hall.
"Xueli, are you okay?!"
Applejack charged over first, and with a kick to the streetlamp as if she were kicking an apple tree, she knocked Bingtang Xueli tumbling down from above.
"Oh yeah, never better."
He struggled, trying to break free from the entanglement of the guitar strings, but to no avail.
"Gosh, I was honestly so terrified when Nightmare Moon grabbed you," Fluttershy said, still wearing a look of horror, while several of the other ponies tried to yank the strings off him, only succeeding in binding him tighter.
*The quality of the guitar strings I bought is seriously fucking amazing. I'm definitely buying from this brand again next time.*
Bingtang Xueli thought to himself.
"You acted that part so well, you totally fooled me," Rainbow Dash said proudly. "Even though the sneak attack failed, that move of yours was seriously cool—at least ten percent cooler than usual! Though still a bit less cool than me."
"Give me a break. If even you could see through it, I wouldn't be able to fool a complete idiot."
"What is that supposed to mean?!"
"Alright, alright, what should we do next?"
Applejack stepped in to break up the bickering.
"I just saw Twilight Sparkle run off looking super worried!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly.
"She must have a plan. Let's go find her at the library and ask."
Bingtang Xueli's proposal was unanimously approved by everyone, and soon the ponies were carrying the immobile Bingtang Xueli over to the library.
The library was in absolute disarray. Books were scattered all over the floor, and Twilight Sparkle was muttering something about the Elements of Harmony while tossing new books onto the ground.
Rainbow Dash charged right up to her, demanding to know if Twilight was a spy. With Applejack holding her back and asking friendly questions, Twilight finally explained everything she knew—about Nightmare Moon, and about the need for something called the Elements of Harmony.
Along the way, she used magic to untie Bingtang Xueli.
He stretched his stiff body and couldn't help marveling at how much he absolutely loved magic.
Just as Twilight was declaring that she could not find a single book related to the Elements of Harmony anywhere, Pinkie Pie suddenly piped up.
"<i>Guide to the Elements of Harmony</i>!"
"What?!"
Twilight zipped over in a flash, shoving Pinkie aside, and pulled out the book <i>Guide to the Elements of Harmony</i>.
"How did you find it?"
"My pinyin is just that good~" Pinkie said happily, skipping up and down.
After reviewing the book's descriptions and the virtues represented by the Elements of Harmony, they finally learned where the Elements were located.
"The Everfree Forest!"
That forest was notorious, and even when wandering about, Bingtang Xueli always made sure to steer clear of it.
Gazing at the gloomy and terrifying forest before them, all the ponies wore looks of dread.
Except, of course, for Pinkie Pie.
"Yay! Let's go!"
Twilight stopped her, firmly declaring that she wanted to go alone, but at that moment Applejack stepped forward.
"Of course you ain't, sugarcube. We ain't about to let a friend go into a scary place like that all by herself."
With that, Applejack and the others set off toward the forest.
"We're gonna stick to you like sugar on a candy apple."
"Woohoo, if there are candy apples, we definitely have to go!" Pinkie said happily, seeing Twilight's puzzled expression. "What? Candy apples are delicious!"
Watching Twilight sigh in place, Bingtang Xueli stopped and turned to face her.
"Twilight, I hope you don't mind me calling you that, but I can tell you might not be very eager to make friends."
"W-What? Oh, I was just..."
Bingtang Xueli interrupted her and pressed on.
"I can understand how you feel. A long time ago, I was just like you. I thought that as long as I was good enough, I wouldn't need any friends. But after running into walls everywhere, I realized how terribly wrong I was. I learned that the most powerful force in this world is friendship. Friendship brings you unexpected things—guidance when you're lost, and help when you're in trouble. A single pony's strength is undoubtedly trivial, but with a group of like-minded friends, one plus one can be greater than two. So, please trust us. Please trust your friends."
With that, he flashed a brilliant smile, then turned to chase after Applejack and the others, leaving Twilight standing there in deep thought.
As it turned out, this accursed forest was just as dangerous as Bingtang Xueli remembered: a sudden crumbling cliff, a furious Manticore, terrifying and twisted trees, a sorrowful Sea Serpent. Yet through the efforts of her friends, every difficulty was smoothly resolved. Twilight witnessed so much—Applejack's honesty, Fluttershy's kindness, Pinkie Pie's optimism, and Rarity's generosity. And finally, when Rainbow Dash refused the recruitment offer from the so-called Shadowbolts and reconnected the broken suspension bridge, they arrived before the Old Castle of the Royal Sisters.
"See? I never let my friends down!" Rainbow Dash said smugly.
"Oh, please. If I had wings, I could've gone and reconnected that bridge too."
"You? You were practically about to pee your pants back at the cliff!"
"What kind of bullshit is that?! I wasn't scared at all! You're slandering me! She's slandering me!"
"Then what was that supposed to mean when you were playing the violin in the back while we were fighting the Manticore?"
"You don't know a damn thing. I was providing support and buffs for you guys!"
Watching Rainbow Dash and Bingtang Xueli bicker and clown around, everyone burst into laughter. At that moment, Twilight seemed to gradually understand what Bingtang Xueli meant by the power of friendship.
Entering the castle, what met their eyes were dilapidated buildings all around, and right at the center of this crumbling ruin stood a large platform holding five stone spheres.
"These must be the Elements of Harmony, right? Why are there only five?"
Taking down those five stone pedestals, Twilight looked at them thoughtfully.
"The book says that once all five are gathered, a spark will make the sixth Element of Harmony appear."
"A spark? I've got a lighter right here."
Bingtang Xueli said as he produced a lighter. Twilight took one look and shook her head.
"That is definitely not what it means, but I have an idea. Please step back; I don't know what's going to happen."
With that, Twilight's horn began to glow.
"Everyone outside first, let her concentrate."
Following Applejack's words, everyone filed out of the castle hall and stepped outside.
"Do you think this'll actually work?" Rarity asked with some worry.
"Relax, she'll definitely pull it off. We've got to believe in her," Bingtang Xueli shrugged, pulling out the lighter again. "Since we've got time to kill anyway, how about I do some lighter tricks for you guys?"
Just as he intended to pop the lighter into his mouth, a shriek echoed from inside the castle. Bingtang Xueli dropped the lighter instantly and bolted back inside.
But it was already too late. The last sight he caught was Twilight and a burst of blue smoke vanishing right where she stood.
"What happened? Where did she go?"
Rainbow Dash looked around in all directions, completely unable to find any trace of Twilight. The ponies immediately panicked.
"She was taken by Nightmare Moon! Where did they go?"
Just as Bingtang Xueli was pondering, Rarity spotted something unusual.
"Look over there!"
Looking toward the window beside Rarity, they saw another tower of the castle outside, and that very tower was radiating a dazzling light.
"Let's go!"
Gazing at the shattered fragments of the Elements of Harmony, Twilight's eyes were filled with disbelief. Listening to Nightmare Moon's victory speech, she truly had no idea what to do.
*Princess Celestia, am I really about to let you down?*
At that exact moment, the sound of her new friends echoed from the stairs behind her.
"Twilight! We're here!"
She whipped her head around. The silhouettes of several ponies appeared at the top of the stairwell. Her pupils dilated, a tiny spark flickered within her eyes, and a confident smile returned to her face.
She turned back to confront Nightmare Moon once more.
"You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony just by doing this? You are completely wrong! Because the spirit of the Elements of Harmony is right here!"
Bingtang Xueli and the other five ponies stepped up beside Twilight. At that moment, the fragments of the Elements of Harmony beneath Nightmare Moon's hooves began to glow and slowly lifted into the air.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Nightmare Moon cried out in utter dismay.
"Bingtang Xueli—he was the one who first told me about the power of friendship and urged me to trust my friends! Applejack gave me confidence when I had doubts; the spirit she represents is honesty! Fluttershy tamed the Manticore with her compassion; the spirit she represents is kindness. Faced with danger, Pinkie Pie chased away fear with laughter; the spirit she represents is optimism! Rarity sacrificed herself to comfort a sorrowful sea serpent; the spirit she represents is generosity! Rainbow Dash refused to abandon her friends just to fulfill her own desires; the spirit she represents is loyalty!"
As Twilight spoke, the fragments of the Elements of Harmony flew toward the ponies one by one, beginning to orbit around them.
Except for Bingtang Xueli.
"What about mine? Don't I get one?"
Twilight Sparkle stood right in the center, continuing her impassioned speech.
"Our spirits, combined, helped us overcome every single challenge!"
"Wait, hold on! How come I don't get one? I didn't get assigned any!"
But not a single pony paid Bingtang Xueli any attention.
"But where is the sixth Element of Harmony?" Nightmare Moon said in disbelief. "The spark didn't work!"
*Right, there's still the sixth one! So this sixth Element of Harmony must belong to me, Bingtang Xueli, right?*
"It worked! Just not the kind of spark you thought!" Twilight turned back to face her friends and continued. "At that moment, I realized how happy I was when I heard you, when I saw you—how much I care about you. That ignited the spark in my heart! And I realized that you are all my friends!"
With those words spoken, the ponies all had tears welling up in their eyes. Bingtang Xueli was even more moved, though he felt it would be even more perfect if a few fragments of the Elements of Harmony were still floating around him.
Right then, a stone sphere abruptly materialized in mid-air, right in the center of which was a recessed six-pointed star, glowing with a dazzling radiance.
Bingtang Xueli's heart leapt with joy—*has it finally come?!*
And then that sphere slowly drifted right above Twilight's head.
"Nightmare Moon! Those five Elements were ignited—ignited by the spark in our hearts! The sixth is about to appear, and that is the Element of Magic!"
The sphere in the sky erupted in a brilliant, dazzling light. The six ponies—minus Bingtang Xueli—slowly floated into the air, and the fragments that had been hovering around them converged before their chests, transforming into sparkling pendants, while that orb descended onto Twilight Sparkle's head, turning into a tiara adorned with a six-pointed star pattern.
Witnessing this scene, Bingtang Xueli quietly retreated to the side. He wanted to bite a lighter to cope, but failing to find one, he could only pull out his trusty violin.
"I guess I'll just keep providing support and buffs for you guys."
Beams of multi-colored light surged skyward from them, spiraling and intertwining in the air before transforming into a rainbow that plunged straight toward Nightmare Moon, wrapping entirely around her.
Accompanied by Nightmare Moon's agonizing shrieks and the passionate music of Bingtang Xueli's violin concerto, they hovered mid-air. Twilight's pure white eyes gradually blinked open, and a blinding white light burst forth from them.
Then, bringing it all to a close, they slowly descended to the ground. Bingtang Xueli rushed over at the first opportunity to help them up.
"Are you guys alright? Is everyone okay?"
Fortunately, it was a close call with no harm done. Everyone seemed completely fine, save for a slight headache—even Rarity's severed tail had magically restored itself to normal.
At that moment, all of them wore necklaces set with gems shaped like their respective Cutie Marks, while atop Twilight's head sat that gleaming tiara.
"I thought you were just talking nonsense earlier, but looking at it now, we really do represent the spirit of friendship," Applejack said happily.
Bingtang Xueli had no idea what the spirit of friendship was; Bingtang Xueli only knew that he hadn't gotten a single thing out of this. Still, he didn't mind too much and remained quite happy.
*Yeah, with a group of good friends of such noble character, who needs a bicycle anyway?*
"Well said."
At that moment, warm sunlight streamed in through the window. The sun slowly rose, and Princess Celestia appeared upon the high platform.
The other ponies bowed respectfully, while Twilight excitedly ran up to embrace her teacher.
"Hello there, Twilight, my most faithful student," Princess Celestia said affectionately, gently stroking Twilight Sparkle's mane with her chin. "I knew you could do it."
"But you told me before that it was just a legend," Twilight said with a grievance-filled pout.
Princess Celestia shook her head and explained, "I asked you to make some friends, and that was enough. I knew Nightmare Moon would return, and I knew your knowledge and magic would be enough to defeat her, but you could only wield this kind of magic when truly touched by friendship."
Hearing this, Twilight Sparkle turned back with immense pride to smile at her friends, and her friends responded with proud smiles of their own.
"I hope you've learned your lesson too, Princess Luna."
Amidst the pieces of Nightmare Moon's armor lay a dark blue Alicorn, slowly raising her head and opening her eyes with visible effort.
"I haven't seen this side of you in a thousand years, Princess Luna," Princess Celestia said, walking toward her. "Please put our unpleasantness behind you as soon as possible and rule the kingdom by my side, little sister."
"Little sister?!"
"Will you accept my friendship once more?" Princess Celestia asked sincerely.
After a moment of hesitation, amidst the eager gazes of the ponies, Princess Luna lunged into her sister's embrace. "I'm so sorry! I've missed you so much, big sister!"
Moved by this touching scene of sisterly reunion, everyone was deeply touched and shed tears of emotion—especially Pinkie Pie, whose eyes were spraying water like a high-pressure fire hose.
Yet halfway through her crying, she suddenly stopped.
"Hey! Do you know what this means?"
"Mega party!"
At the Ponyville party, laughter filled the air. All the ponies adored their new princess. Two pegasi placed a flower wreath upon Princess Luna's head, and she beamed with joy. Twilight, who had initially been unhappy at the thought of leaving her friends, was now happily embracing them after receiving the princess's decree allowing her to stay in Ponyville.
Everything on this day was simply wonderful: Princess Celestia had recovered her sister, Princess Luna had returned to Equestria, Equestria had gained a new princess, and Twilight Sparkle had found a wonderful group of friends. Every pony was full of joy, and who could say this wasn't the most perfect day ever?
In the dead of night, at Sweet Apple Acres, inside Bingtang Xueli's room.
Bingtang Xueli bolted upright in bed.
"Wait a minute! My guitar is gone, I got beaten up by Nightmare Moon, I didn't get any Elements of Harmony, and even my lighter is fucking lost! I swear to mother—"
So, who could say this wasn't a perfect day?