//------------------------------// // Harmony: 30 // Story: The Human Condition // by Gilded Tome //------------------------------// Andrew sat heavily in the wheelchair, his breathing a bit deeper than usual. He tried his best to remain calm, despite the annoyance at how difficult it had become to walk out of his room and down a single set of stairs. Luna was not far behind him, waiting patiently for Andrew to make his way down coming down before following. “You know there isn’t any shame in asking for help.” She pointed out, walking past him into the kitchen. “I know but I’m still in the denial phase.” He explained, wheeling behind her. “I’ll be asking for help soon, don’t worry. And besides, you’re going to be pushing me around all day today.” “Not as much as you might think. I will be teleporting us most of the way to our destination.” Andrew frowned, a bit frustrated. Luna had explained to him that she had something to show him last night, after everyone had left the welcome home party. So far, however, she had remained secretive about their destination. Luna floated Andrew a piece of buttered toast as well as an apple, which he caught and took a bite from. “Not that I’m not excited for this little adventure, but couldn’t it wait? Despite my stubbornness I’m not really up for much other than sitting around until my muscles heal.” “Unfortunately time is of the essence. My guards have been patrolling the area since you awoke, keeping the area secure so we may visit in relative safety.” She explained, using her magic to prepare her own meal. “And while they are perfectly capable, I would prefer not having my guard in the Everfree any longer than they have to be.” “We are going into the forest? What’s in there?” Luna ignored his question, rolling her eyes and pouring herself some tea from a kettle. She sipped it, before turning back to Andrew. “Patience Andrew, it is not that much of a rush, I would like to enjoy my morning tea.” Andrew sighed and shook his head, exaggerating it enough to let Luna know that he was kidding. The two ate their food quietly, Andrew happily taking a cup of coffee for himself after it was finished brewing. When they were both done, Luna stood and guided Andrew out of the dining room. “This isn’t gonna be like last time you teleported me, right?” Andrew teased. “Probably not.” Luna said with a smile. “Twilight is getting ready to greet her friend Zecora at the station, so she probably won’t be waiting at our destination to blast you into a china cabinet.” “Zecora? She’s the potion maker, right?” Andrew asked, stretching a bit in his chair. “Indeed she is, she has been away visiting her home since before you arrived.” Luna explained, stopping when they reached the center of the main hallway. “Are you ready?” “Sure, I g--” With a pop Andrew and Luna disappeared from the hallway, instantly reappearing in a clearly ancient castle. Vines crawled in through broken windows and large cracks in the wall, and sunlight lit up the large hall they were in through holes in the ceiling, rubble from those holes cluttering the floor. Andrew blinked at the bright light, looking around the room. “-uess” He finished, shaking his head and looking back at Luna “Right, okay, that still felt weird.” “Sorry, some ponies take longer than usual to get used to long range teleportation.” “So I guess this must be Everfree Castle?” “That is correct, I assume Twilight Sparkle mentioned it?” “Yeah, a bit ago.” He answered vaguely. “So this thing your showing me is in the castle?” “No, but it is nearby.” Luna used her magic to push Andrew along, weaving around the dust covered piles of rubble. Andrew spotted a few guards near a particularly large hole, which Andrew could only guess was once a door. They stood rigidly at attention, only stopping when Luna paused by them and motioned towards them. “Your fellow guardsmen have been patrolling the west gardens, correct?” “Yes Princess Luna, as you ordered.” Luna nodded and pushed Andrew through the broken doorway, soon after followed by the guards as they took position behind them. Andrew watched Luna closely, watching as she looked around the broken castle. “You used to live here, right?” He asked. “Way back before… everything.” “I did. Some of my earliest memories were made in this castle.” Luna smiled a bit, reminiscing. “It’s also where Nightmare finally took full control.” Andrew put his hand on Luna’s back, patting her reassuringly while smiling. She returned his smile, continuing as they navigated the thick overgrowth. Shredded bushes, vines and other flora littered the ground, clearly having been hacked back by someone recently. The alicorn pushed Andrew through the pushed back bramble before entering a small clearing. Several more guards patrolled the area, with two standing at attention near a wide crumbling statue. Most of the statue had been cleared away, leaving just the base behind. “The west gardens?” Andrew guessed, looking around. “Yes, though I would hardly recognize it.” Luna replied. Andrew put his hands on the wheels of his chair, pushing himself further into the clearing. Other crumbled statues, much smaller than the one that had been cleared away, dotted the clearing. Vines crawled around most of them, and all of them were in crumbling shambles. Luna followed Andrew, sighing as she looked around with him. “It was a lot more impressive when I was younger.” Luna assured her friend. “This was one of my favorite places in the castle. I could always find peace here.” Luna shook her head, turning away from Andrew and faced the large broken statue. She nodded to her guards, who nodded back, stepping away from their posts to join their fellows in their patrol. When they were at a safe distance Luna closed her eyes, focusing and calling on her magic. Her horn glowed, her magic surrounding the large statue as she slowly lifted it off of its large stone base, floating it to the side, letting it slowly drop to the ground. Her magic faded, before she cast another spell, the now exposed base shimmering before revealing a rather ominous looking opening with stairs leading down into darkness. “Wow… stairs… great…” Andrew said as he rolled closer to Luna, looking down the dark hole. “I could levitate you down?” Luna suggested her horn glowing. “No no, I’ll walk.” Andrew assured her, standing up and walking forward. “We might have to take a break though.” “It’s not far down” Luna assured him, stepping ahead, her horn glowing brighter now. Andrew followed his teacher as she walked down the stairs, lighting the way with her horn. Soon, however, her light was not necessary, as small gems set into the wall began to glow, lighting the stairway down. Soon the smooth walls transitioned into bumpy, natural cave walls, the crystals growing from the wall in natural patterns. Andrew ran his fingers along the stones as he walked past them admiring the large, multifaceted formations. “Hey these are pretty cool, are you making them glow or-“Andrew started to ask, turning to look at Luna before noticing the large room they had entered. “Holy hell…” “It is a sight to behold, isn’t it?” Luna asked with a smile, looking back at the human as she made it to the end of the stairs, gesturing to the massive cavern. “Welcome, my student, to Sanctuary, home of the Tree of Harmony.” Twilight squinted, focusing on the distant turn in the railroad tracks that led them out of her sight behind a small forest of trees. Her ears flicked slightly as she listened for the familiar sound of the locomotive making its way down the tracks. “Twi, it’ll get here when it gets here.” Applejack said, sitting nearby on the platform. “You know the trains are late sometimes.” “I know, it’s just annoying!” Twilight exclaimed with an exasperated sigh. “It’s gonna mess up the whole schedule, and then she said in her last letter that she was bringing a friend from her village…” “A friend? Ya never mentioned that before.” Twilight looked back at Applejack, her eyes wide. “I didn’t? I could have sworn I mentioned it….” “Nope, I actually forgot y’all were pen pals.” “Well a few letters asking about potions and Everfree plant life hardly qualifies as pen pals.” Twilight explained as she made her way to sit beside her friend. “Ah suppose.” Applejack agreed, nodding. “But what was this about her friend?” “Oh, right. She mentioned she had made a friend, and that she was having trouble with nightmares. She mentioned that I might be able to help, and her friend agreed.” “Well that’s mighty nice of you, do you think you can help?” “I’ll certainly try, and if I can’t, Luna is still here, she will certainly be able to help. I would have sent them to her immediately, but apparently her friend is a bit nervous to meet royalty.” “Well you’ve gotta admit, they can be a mite intimidating before you get to know them.” Applejack pointed out, giving Twilight a teasing nudge. “Well to those of us who aren’t personal students of Princess Celestia at least.” “No I understand that, it’s why I agreed to take a look at her first.” Before Applejack could respond a distant whistle echoed over the train station. Twilight immediately perked up and stood, once again peering down the tracks. This time however she noticed a billow of steam floating above the trees, and after a few moments the train itself appeared around the bend. “See, only…” Applejack paused to look at the clock behind her. “Twenty minutes late.” Twilight nudged Applejack gently, who only laughed back, smiling as she stood beside her friend. The train thundered down the track, its brakes squealing a bit as it stopped at the station. Its whistle blared twice while ponies from the station tended to the doors, some ponies stepping off the train on to the platform. “Do you see Zecora?” Twilight asked Applejack as she looked around. “I don’t see her.” “She would be kinda hard to miss darlin’” Applejack pointed out, looking around as well. “’Specially if there are two of them.” “What if she missed the train? She could be stuck in Appleloosa!” Twilight wondered worriedly. “Look don’t go worrying your pretty head, she’s getting off right now.” Applejack said, pointing over at the far end of the train. “See over…what in tarnation?” Twilight followed her friends pointing hoof, spotting her zebra friend stepping off the last passenger car. She waved happily before stopping mid wave when Zecora’s friend stepped off as well. “Twilight… is that…?” Applejack asked, not finishing for a moment. “Is that Andrew?" "I don’t think so… Andrew is a bit taller than that…” Zecora noticed her two friends and waved, slowly making her way to them, her friend close behind. The human like creature was covered in a thick cloak. “Hello Applejack and Twilight, this is such a wonderful sight.” Zecora exclaimed happily, giving Twilight and Applejack separate hugs. “It’s good to see you to Zecora.” Twilight replied with a smile before turning to the cloaked figure. “And… who is your friend?” “I’m Marula.” She responded. “Zecora said she mentioned me in a letter…” “Oh she did, I just figured you’d like to introduce yourself.” Twilight admitted. “Though I’ll be honest… I didn’t expect somepony like you. Are you perhaps… a human? Andrew gaped for a long moment, his eyes traveling around the massive crystal studded cavern. They glowed and twinkled, a few of them pulsing with some sort of energy. In the center of the room stood a large crystalized formation, which Andrew could only assume was what Luna had been referring to. “It doesn’t look all that much like a tree to be honest.” Andrew said as he walked the last dozen or so steps. “More like…. Well I don’t know but it’s not a tree.” “What do you mean, it’s clearly a tree.” Luna disagreed, motioning with her hoof. “Look, there is the trunk and the branches. It even has leave formations.” “Alright alright, I guess it kinda looks like a tree if I squint…” Andrew admitted, before adding at a whisper. “And if I had never seen a tree before.” “I heard that.” Andrews only response was a shrug as he made his way to were Luna stood, much closer to the tree. He sat down a bit heavily onto a flat rock formation that had formed on the ground, his legs starting to get tired. The tree was an incredible formation for sure, his eyes following the shining branches that made their way from the heart. Luna stepped closer, motioning for Andrew to stay sitting when he started to get up. “You can stay sitting. I have some important things to explain while we are here.” Andrew sat back down, his head still swiveling around to examine everything around him. “So… what does it do?” “The Tree of Harmony is the nexus of power behind the Elements of Harmony. Every hundred or so years they must be brought here to be recharged.” Luna began to explain. “It also serves as place of healing should any of them be damaged, in battle or otherwise.” Lunas horn glowed lightly, as if she was gingerly reaching out with her magic. One of the six outer branches glowed slightly in response. Luna sat, her horn still glowing. “There is a place for each Element, six around the outside, and the Element of Magic in the middle.” She explained, gesturing with her hoof. “The Element of Magic is the final focusing point of the Elements, a sort of controlling lens.” “Okay… But I thought there were only six?” “For a long time there was. The seventh element went missing before Tia and I were even born. Our brothers and sisters have been looking for it but could never find it. Now we know why, because it had been corrupted into the Alicorn Amulet.” “Soooo…. That’s why the Elements went so wonky when Twilight and the gang used them on Nightmare Terror?” “Yes and no. The Elements wouldn’t have worked on Nightmare even if she hadn’t been wearing the amulet-“ “Because she isn’t a Child of the All-mother or whatever… one of us.” Andrew finished, putting the pieces together. “So all that magic swirling around was…?” “The Elements attempting to purify one of its counterparts.” Luna said with a nod. In truth we never considered that the Alicorn Amulet might be the seventh Element because we simply did not think it was possible to corrupt an Element. Damage it, maybe, but corrupt it…” “Why is that so hard to imagine?” “You have to understand that they were gifts from the All-mother herself.” Luna explained, pausing for a moment to focus on the magic she was using. “The Elements of Harmony are the purest type of magic known by any living creature on this planet. The magic surrounding them is so simple and solid that the idea of something corrupting it was... unthinkable.” “Well someone clearly did…” “Indeed. The Alicorn Amulet has been recorded showing up dozens of times though out history, always in times of strife, always finding someone to wear it, always corrupting that wearer. We think it was a side effect of the spell that corrupted it in the first place. We believe that the Element was corrupted so that anyone could access its power, giving the wearer alicorn like abilities. That corruption would have been so powerful that tainting the user would have been inevitable.” “If it has been gone for so long, how did it still have any energy left? You said they needed to be charged.” “In all honesty Andrew, we haven’t been able to figure that out yet.” Luna admitted. “It is still a mystery, as is the type of spell that was used to corrupt it. The other Elements destroyed all traces of the corruption.” Silence settled over the two for a few moments while Luna continued to use her magic on the tree, the glowing beginning to pulse slowly. Eventually Andrew broke the silence “So how do the Elements work? Why can’t we just use them to get that stupid ring off of Trixie’s horn?” Luna turned to look back at Andrew, focusing on him while she talked. “The Elements of Harmony are a source of great power. They find a pony, or any other species for that matter, who embodies their aspect. The Element of Hope, for example, finds Pinkie Pie to be a perfect match.” “Hope? I thought she was Laughter?” “The titles specifics sometimes vary, though they all exhibit the same core aspect. I suspect while we may not find the difference between Kindness, Empathy and Mercy to be all that different in practice, the bearers find great importance in the difference.” “Yeah… Though I can’t really imagine Fluttershy being the Element of Mercy.” “Nor could I.” Luna agreed before resuming her explanation. “The Elements bond with their bearers, allowing them to tap into their powers. The bearers let the magic of the Elements flow through them to the Element of Magic, which focuses and direct that energy through the bearer of the Element of magic.” “Again, so why don’t-“ “Because Andrew the Elements must be, above all else, in harmony, in perfect balance with each other and the bearers themselves. Every imbalance reduces their power, their abilities, and their finesse. It is why my sister could only banish me to the moon, while Twilight and her friends could separate me from Nightmare. Tai surely embodies all of the Element aspects, but not nearly as well as the Element bearers do now, and even they don’t have enough control over their Elements to do something as delicate as undo your work, not without the added balance of the seventh bearer.” Andrew sagged, putting his head in his hands and sighing loudly. “Well then we need to find the seventh bearer. There is no way I am letting Trixie suffer ‘cause I couldn’t control myself.” “Normally the Elements find their own way to their bearers, through magic we don’t quite understand. Whether in groups or individually, when one of our brothers or sisters loses control, the Elements arrive where they are needed.” “Well they are needed now.” “And they have arrived Andrew. When the seventh Element is finished healing we will start searching for a bearer. Trixie knows this, she has accepted it and is patiently waiting. She is a very strong mare.” Andrew was silent for a while staring at his hands while Luna concentrated on her spell. After a long moment the magic surrounding her horn disappeared, followed by the magic around the branch fading. She made her way back to Andrew, who was still sitting silently. “The Element is almost completely healed, maybe only a few more days. After that we can begin searching for its bearer. It won’t be long before-” “How do I face her?” Andrew asked softly. “She had experienced so much pain… and I just made it worse.” “Andrew… my student.” Luna started, putting her hoof on his hands. “You weren’t in complete control of yourself. Trixie understands that. I will not lie, the mare still struggles with what Nightmare did to her. I spend most of my nights fending off all too familiar shadows from her dreams. Her absent magic is making her recovery hard, but she still has hope in her heart. She doesn’t blame it on you, in fact, from what I understand she wishes to thank you. For stopping Nightmare and separating the two.” Andrew shook his head, sighing loudly before sniffing and blinking his eyes. He looked into Luna’s eyes, closing his own and leaning forward, pressing his forehead to hers. Luna did the same, her horn running along his face. “Thank you.” He whispered, his eyes still closed. “Thank you Luna.” “Anything for my student.” She replied, just as quiet. The two stayed silent for a long, unending moment, before Luna slowly pulled away, her hoof still on Andrew’s hands. “We should return home, Doctor Glow will be there later this afternoon.” Andrew gave a quiet nod, leaning on Luna as he stood. Together they slowly made their way back up the steps, leaving the glowing crystals behind. “God, going up is waayyy harder than going down!” Andrew said with a huff, plopping down in his wheelchair heavily. “My legs are killing me.” “I told you I could carry you.” “Denial phase, remember?” Andrew reminded his teacher, still breathing a bit heavily. “You should really get that place up to code. Put in a ramp at least.” “Yes, let’s install a ramp in the super-secret cavern that holds the most important magical construct on the entire planet.” “I’m glad you agree.” Andrew said with a smirk, his breathing finally normalizing. “So… back home?” “Indeed, are you ready for another teleport?” Luna asked, waving over her guards. “Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.” Luna nodded, waiting a moment for the nearest pair of guards to make their way to them. The two stood at attention for their princess eyes forward. “Gather your fellow guards and have do a final sweep of the castle. Once you are done, group off into your assigned triads and make your way back to the barracks. The Lieutenant will have your assignments for the rest of the day.” The guards nodded, throwing up a precise salute before turning to find their peers. Luna grabbed Andrew’s wheelchair with her magic, guiding him to the center of the garden. Her horn glowed again, and with a pop the two arrived home, this time in the back yard. “Huh… why back here?” Andrew asked. “You’re gonna have to bring the chair inside.” “It’s best to have a set area for long distance teleports, anyone close to the target area can be knocked aside rather harshly.” Luna explained, pointing to the four red dowels stuck into the grass. “I set these up before we left this morning. Most ponies know to stay out of marked areaa like this.” “That’s handy, I hope I didn’t hurt anyone when I teleported Mac, that would really…” Andrew’s words petered out as a sound came from inside the house. The distinct sound of a groups laughter came from within, making Luna cock her head. “It would appear we have-“ “Shut up!” Luna blinked, taken aback by Andrew’s sudden rudeness. She opened her mouth to retort, but Andrew stood quickly, listening as if the world hung on the sounds coming from their home. Luna listened with him, barely audible murmurs all she could hear before laughter rang again, slightly louder than the talking. Without another word Andrew leapt forward, lurching across the ground as he rushed, his body still weak but clearly driven to move. He stumbled across the patio, falling harshly as he slipped up the stairs. Luna rushed to follow him, wincing as he fell. “Andrew are you-“ He ignored her, jumping up again and fumbling with the door, throwing it open. He shoved chairs out of his way, stumbling over one as it fell, barely making it. He made it through the kitchen and under the doorway, Luna hot on his heels. He stopped, dead in his tracks, Luna almost knocking him over as she stopped behind him. “Andrew what’s going on with-“ Luna once again halted her words as she looked into the living room, and saw who occupied it. Twilight and Applejack sat on the farthest seats, with Autumn sitting by herself on a small chair. On the largest couch sat Zecora, and next to her sat a hooded figure, tall and slender, very similar to Andrews human shape. The conversation quickly died down as the occupants noticed the new arrivals, most of them standing up. The hooded figure stood last, turning towards them. Luna’s eyes widened as she saw her face, noticing the scars immediately. “Hello.” Marula said simply, wearing a smile but still clearly nervous. Andrew shook, his legs trembling and failing. He dropped to his knees before the human, unable to hold himself up any longer. Luna stepped forward and saw his eyes were wide, tears pouring from them. His mouth moved to form words but no sound came out. Marula stepped forward, kneeling down awkwardly. “Are you alright?” She asked. “It’s nice-“ “Alice.” Andrew finally whispered. Andrew lunged forward, grabbing Marula in a bear hug, knocking her to the ground. She shouted in alarm, instinctually trying to shove Andrew off of herself. Zecora rushed to aid her friend, while Luna rushed to hers. Marula, finally recovered from her surprise, broke Andrews grasp easily. She moved with trained precision as she broke his hold, shoving him off and sliding on top, pinning him to the ground, her hand raised in a fist. For a moment it seemed as if she would strike him, but Luna stopped her. Magic wrapped around her body as Luna tore her off of her student, tearing Marula’s cloak off in the process and using it to wrap up her up and immobilize her, keeping her levitated in the air for good measure. Luna wore a snarl on her lips, one focused on Marula. “How dare you attempt to strike my student? I’ll-“ “Luna! Stop! Put her down!” Andrew pleaded, leaning heavily against her, pulling himself up. “Please! It’s Alice Luna! My sister!” Luna’s mouth gaped, her eyes widened as she looked from Andrew to Marula. Eventually she nodded mutely, slowly letting Marula down to the ground. The girl stumbled against the stairs as her prosthetic failed, caught in her cloak. The group sat in silence, Andrew finally managing to stand up, tears still pooling in his eyes. Applejack and Twilight finally stand, joining Zecora at the entrance of the living room. Marula stares back at Andrew, her own eyes filled with emotions, dropping her gaze after a moment. “I-I’m sorry.” She finally said. “I… I don’t remember much of anything before coming here Andrew… I don’t remember you. I’m sorry.”