Cinematic Adventures: The Wizard of Oz

The Cowardly Lion

While Dorothy and her new best friends continued down the road, the ponies and the baby dragon stayed behind to listen to Twilight's confession. As Twilight Sparkle explained herself, the Mane Six and Spike could not believe their ears. They just couldn't believe it; the Elements of Harmony were still intact. Now currently in the Wicked Witch's grasp, Celestia knows what untold horror she could unleash. For a while, neither one said a single word after this shocking revelation... But not for long.

"So wait a minute!" Rainbow Dash spoke. "Let me get this straight: You, Twilight Sparkle, supposedly the smartest pony in our team, had the Elements of Harmony with you... The wholetime?!"

"Yes," Twilight nodded, guiltily. "I'm afraid that's true."

"How in the hay is it even possible?" Applejack asked. "Didn't Sombra destroy 'em that there one time?"

Twilight kept looking toward the ground, brushing her leg back and forth. The Princess of Friendship was too embarrassed and ashamed to even look at her friends, not even Spike.

"Well... It's like this," Twilight began, sighing. "It was after we defeated Sombra and saved Equestria. I had returned to where the Tree of Harmony stood, to gather the remaining pieces of the Elements to return to the Princesses. But when I got there, I had discovered that the elements themselves have restored themselves. I couldn't believe my eyes they were still intact after that horrible battle; but there they were, just sitting right near the tree as if nothing happened. And soon enough, the Tree of Harmony restored itself too."

Every pony faced each other, more confused than they've been so far. True, the Tree of Harmony 'did' regrow when their pupils, the Student Six, decided to make it into their clubhouse, but hearing about the Elements was brand new to them. As if this whole journey wasn't confusing enough, this revelation really took the cake. Still, they kept quiet as Twilight kept explaining.

"I couldn't figure it out myself," Twilight continued. "So I gathered the Elements and brought them back to my castle for further research. I studied through each and every page of that tome, over and over, not just trying to find out 'why' they were restored... But 'how' they managed to survive. But no matter how many times I searched or how much time I spent studying, I couldn't find anything. I was about to give up right then; until, I realized something."

This grabbed every pony's attention, as they leaned closely to hear it.

"What did you find out, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"It was when we realized it was 'never' the Elements themselves that granted us our power, when our 'friendship' was our greatest magic to put an end to Sombra, the same magic that helped us defeat Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow all at once. I may have put too much thought into the 'actual' Elements, but I was wrong! It was always 'us' who represented them, our friendship that always wins in the end. Soon as I realized that, by using that 'power' to defeat Sombra back then, that was more than enough to restore them."

Every pony thought about it, something none took into consideration. Sure, they always knew their friendship was 'strong', but they usually realized on the Elements to solve their problems... Perhaps, too much. But that day, it took them fully using the power of their friendship (And a craft draconequus) to save Equestria from a revived monster. If what Twilight was saying is true, that it took them to 'fully' embracing the friendship that saved their home on multiple occasions, it's possible that same power is what restored the Elements of Harmony themselves.

"You know, when you put it that way," Spike spoke. "That actually does make sense."

"Maybe so, Spikey-wikey," Rarity said. "But that still doesn't explain why Twilight Sparkle brought the Elements in the first place!"