Thankfully, Skyla got a full night’s rest this time and Flurry wasn’t awoken in the middle of the night again. After breakfast, Flurry went out to the gardens to find Discord sitting on a tall mushroom. He was obviously in a foul mood after what happened the day before.
Flurry flew up to him and cautiously asked, “Uncle Discord?”
He dismissed her, “Not now, Flurry. I have to sulk.”
“I know. I just want to make you feel better.”
Discord scoffed, “How can you possibly make me feel better?”
“Well, maybe you can train me today.”
His ears perked up when he heard that. He turned to her with a mischievous grin, “You know…I’m just dying to see how strong your magic’s grown.”
Flurry smirked, “I knew you’d go for that.”
Soon after, everything was set in front of the castle; the target, the power meter, the whole shebang. Flurry Heart had seen something like this when her dad would train the royal guards.
She looked at the target and asked, “So you want me to hit the target with my magic?”
Discord answered, “Precisely.”
Blaze said as he opened an umbrella, “Well, in that case, I’m definitely going to need this.”
Flurry glared at him before returning her focus to the target. She took a deep breath and uttered, “Okay…Here we go.”
She angled her horn towards the target and summoned a yellow aura. When she was about to fire –
CRASH!
The crash of cymbals caught her off-guard and she yelped in surprise. At the same time, a powerful ray of magic shot from her horn and not only annihilated most of the target, but also burned a hole through the woods about 15 feet long. Flurry, Discord, and Blaze all gaped at the outcome.
Blaze remarked, “Whoa-oh. That is killer magic.”
Flurry asked Discord in a semi-angry tone, “Discord, what did you do that for?!”
Discord gestured at himself innocently, “But I wasn’t the one who burned a hole in the Everfree Forest. Why are you accusing me of it?”
Flurry groaned, “No! I mean, why did you scare me like that?”
“Well, fear tends to make a pony’s magic very powerful, and since your magic is already powerful, I just wanted to see it at its most raw.”
Blaze pointed to the thin ring that was what remained of the target, “That rawness almost obliterated the target entirely.”
“My point exactly. I’ll get a new one if you’re so concerned. Be right backsies!”
No sooner did Discord teleport away than Screwball did emerge from the front doors just mere moments later.
“Hi. I just wanted to see what you guys were…” She trailed off as soon as she saw the damaged trees. “What the -?! What happened here?!”
Blaze explained, “Long story short, your dad was training Flurry and he decided to scare her, hence the burnt-out target and trees.”
Screwball groaned, “That draconequus! He should know that we don’t need more incidents with your magic!”
Flurry said, “He was just testing how powerful my magic was.”
The Earth pony then said sarcastically, “Gee, I wonder what other tests my dad will put you through? Making you sneeze? Making you giggle? Ooh! He’ll probably make you cry and bring down the entire castle with your super-powered wails!”
Blaze retorted, “Okay, now that’s a low blow even for you.”
Flurry calmed him, “It’s probably her hormones. She’s not acting like herself.”
“Ooh! Maybe her husband is impersonating her.”
That tore it for Screwball and she shouted at him in the Royal Canterlot Voice, “DO NOT SPEAK ILL OF THY HUSBAND!”
Unfortunately, the force of her shout drove Blaze over the edge of the ravine surrounding the castle.
Screwball gasped as Flurry cried, “Blaze!”
Without another thought, the alicorn flew down the ravine and used her magic to levitate Blaze before he could hit the ground.
Blaze sighed in relief, “Phew! Thanks for saving my hide, Flurry.”
She smiled back, “No problem, Blaze. Now let’s get back up there before Discord notices.”
Just then, Blaze saw something at the bottom of the ravine. He pointed at it and said, “Wait! I see something! Take me down!”
Flurry, curious about what he saw, set him down on the ground and landed there herself.
Screwball leaned over the edge of the ravine and asked, “Are you guys okay?”
Flurry waved to her, “We’re fine!”
Blaze added, “Although you nearly killed me with that super-sonic shout of yours!”
Screwball apologized, “Sorry about that! Aren’t you guys going to come back up?”
Flurry answered, “We will! We just want to see something down here!”
“Well, I better come down in case it’s something dangerous.”
Screwball soon floated downwards to join the kids as they neared a closed entrance that blended in with the rock wall.
Blaze pointed to the symbols on the entrance and said, “There! That’s what I saw.”
The three of them looked closely at the strange markings below the symbol of a six-pointed star with a hole in the middle.
Screwball remarked, “That’s strange…That star looks a lot like Aunt Twilight’s cutie mark.”
Flurry agreed, “Yeah.”
Blaze squinted at the markings and his eyes suddenly widened when he realized something. “Guys, I think I can read this!”
Flurry asked, “You can?”
“Yeah! My parents taught me to read and translate the language of the Rainbow-Eyed Ponies when Daring Do and Quibble Pants would bring back copies of their writings. This must be a version of that language.”
Screwball asked, “Can you translate it?”
“Well, the characters look somewhat different than what I’m used to, but yeah. They look just about the same, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for me.” He slowly looked at each character and read aloud, “’Those…with…pure heart…open…door.’” He turned to his cousins and explained, “It basically says that those with pure hearts can open the door.”
Screwball gestured to the hole in the star, “And I’m guessing you have to put your horn in there.”
Blaze cracked his neck side-to-side before he said, “Well, here goes nothing.” He inserted his horn into the hole and waited for something to happen.
When nothing did, Flurry suggested, “Maybe you should use your magic.”
“Okay.”
He activated his horn and waited a few seconds for the entrance to open. However, nothing happened.
Blaze sighed, “Nothing. Maybe you should do it, Flurry.”
Flurry inhaled before saying, “I really hope I don’t blow up the entrance.”
“That would be so cool if you did.”
Screwball shot him a glare, which practically told him to quiet down before he scared Flurry Heart more.
Flurry took a deep breath to calm down, inserted her horn in the hole, and emitted her yellow aura into it. When she drew back, the lines from her magic shot to the tips of the points of the star. The three ponies were surprised when the entrance began sliding upwards to reveal a wondrous cave. Circular stones lined the bottom of the cave walls and several crystals dotted the ceiling above. However, what attracted the attention of the ponies the most was the crystalline tree situated in the deepest part of the cave. It was a sight to behold, with its radiant glory providing a form of light in the cavern.
The trio stepped forth to further absorb its beauty. At a closer glance, Flurry saw something on the trunk.
She pointed to it and said, “Look! There’s Grandma’s cutie mark!”
Blaze saw something above the crescent moon and remarked, “And there’s my grandma’s!”
Screwball pointed to the shape above the sun and said, “And look up there! That’s…”
All three finished in amazement, “…Aunt Twilight’s cute mark.”
Blaze asked, “Is this, like, the second time we’ve seen her cutie mark today?”
Screwball pondered, “Yeah. I wonder what’s up with that.”
Flurry gestured to the star and said, “Or that pretty gem in the middle.”
The trio turned their gaze towards a shimmering circular gem in the center of the star. Flurry didn’t know how, but she felt as if the gem was calling out to her, drawing her to it. Suddenly, a white flash of light appeared behind them. In surprise, they turned to see Discord standing at the entrance, also surprised.
The draconequus broke the stunned silence by remarking, “We spent decades living here and we didn’t notice this?!”
Discord tapped the magic mirror as he muttered, “Come on, K.K. Pick up. Lulu?”
Mothball asked, “Are you sure you looked through every single book for anything about a crystal tree?”
Blaze nodded, “We’re positive. There’s nothing in those books about the tree at all.”
Nova added, “But we did get information about the gem. It’s said that Celestia and Luna once wielded a gem that shot out rainbows.”
Flurry nodded, “And I could feel very powerful magic from the gem I saw on the tree. I’m certain it’s the one Grandma and Aunt Celestia used.”
When the image in the mirror began to ripple, Discord remarked, “Well, finally they answer!”
Luna’s annoyed face came on and she said, “You caught me just before dream duty. Consider yourself lucky.”
Flurry waved to her grandmother, “Hi, Grandma!”
Luna saw this and her frown quickly lifted into a smile. “Hello, dear Flurry Heart, fair Skyla! How is your visit in the Everfree Kingdom?”
Skyla answered, “Splendid, Grandma. Absolutely splendid.”
Flurry said, “It’s great seeing the cousins again. I like spending time with them.”
Luna smiled, “How wonderful to hear that.”
Discord waved his claw nonchalantly and said, “Yes, yes, yes. Now can we get on with the question?”
“’Question’?”
Flurry explained, “Yeah. We found a crystal tree at the bottom of the ravine this afternoon. It had a crystal gem on it that maybe you and Aunt Celestia wielded a long time ago.”
Luna gaped as soon as she heard the words “crystal tree”. After Flurry finished explaining, her grandmother said, “Flurry Heart, what you’ve just described are the Tree of Harmony and the Gem of Harmony.”
Whirl asked in confusion, “The What and What?”
“The Tree of Harmony is a very powerful source of magic for Equestria. It is so powerful that it is kept hidden from the rest of the world.”
Blaze said, “So that’s why the markings read, ‘Those with pure hearts can open the door’.”
“I’m surprised that you can be adept at reading the ancient language of the Rainbow-Eyed Ponies. They are a mysterious tribe, but they have history with the Tree of Harmony. When my sister and I found the entrance to the cave, we were confused by the markings. We traveled as far as the jungles of Equestria before we found the Rainbow-Eyes. They taught us their language and ethics. Before we found the tribe, we did not know of kindness or friendship.”
The family gaped at Luna before Skater asked, “Hold up. Are you saying that you and Grandma Tia weren’t all that friendly before you met the Rainbow-Eyes?”
Roller Blade turned to his twin sister and remarked, “Mind. Blown.”
Luna nodded, “Yes. Our childhood did nothing but mold us into proud and regal ponies. There was also the hatred for the draconequui. We weren’t taught to be kind to them or make friends with them. Rather, we were taught to despise them because of their…strangeness.”
Discord humphed as he crossed his arms, “Hmph! You ponies are always scared of creatures not like you. My kind hated the alicorns for being too haughty and too good for us.”
Starling said, “Guys, we’re getting off-topic. Aunt Luna, what about the Tree of Harmony?”
Luna said, “Oh, yes! I apologize for drifting away from the subject. You see, after Celestia and I returned from meeting the Rainbow-Eyes, my sister managed to open the door because I thought of myself as less than worthy. When the entrance opened for us, we found the most beautiful tree in all of Equestria. However, it was not the way you found it. When my sister and I saw the Tree of Harmony, the branches held six different gems and the seventh one was stored in the star.
“In curiosity, we asked Star Swirl the Bearded what the tree and the gems were. Since Gaea Everfree had forbidden him from entering the forest again, we had to travel to Canterlot to meet him. We brought drawings of what we saw, and one glance at them made Star Swirl’s eyes bulge bigger than dinner plates. He knew exactly what we found and brought out a book to show us. He explained that the Tree of Harmony and the Elements it held were rumored to be a legend, but my sister and I proved that the legend was true.
“Star Swirl requested for the Elements of Harmony to be brought to him, but Celestia and I were worried that taking them from the tree might cause serious damage. He assured us that the tree would still be powerful without the Elements for some time, so we did as he asked. Before we could bring the Elements to him, we received a letter that he was battling a deadly foe at Ghastly Gorge. We thought he needed help, so we brought the Elements with us. We saw that this was no ordinary foe, but one who had terrified ponies for a long time and had been too elusive to capture. We saw this as a chance to use the Elements to finally put an end to the terror once and for all, but Star Swirl would not have it. He did not want to risk our safety, so he took the Elements and used them to defeat the foe all by himself.
“This, however, came at a cost. The villain was defeated, but the Elements were shattered in the process, all because Star Swirl did not know friendship. It was the very thing that made the Elements powerful to begin with. Celestia and I could not repair the Elements as they were before, so we used our magic to meld them into one gem: the Gem of Harmony. We returned the gem to the Tree of Harmony before the magic could start dying off and hid the cave to prevent anyone from stealing the gem. Star Swirl was ashamed of breaking the Elements and so did not contact us until the Royal Summit where Celestia and Sombra met.”
Skyla said, “But I don’t understand. We found a section of you and Great-Aunt Celestia using the Gem of Harmony. Have you not used it since you created it?”
“Only when Equestria was being invaded by the changelings. We were victorious in many battles before it was stolen. After we recovered it, we decided to keep it hidden again and that the last battle with the Changeling Queen should be fought without the Gem of Harmony.”
Whirl remarked, “Wow…That makes you guys all the more heroic.”
Screwball agreed, “Yeah. To win a battle without the Gem of Harmony is really impressive.”
Starling added, “It even shows true strength and valor.”
Luna nodded, “Yes, it was a hard battle for Celestia and Sombra, but our side was successful. I just hope that the Gem of Harmony will not be wielded again unless it’s necessary. Even then, I pray that it will not be shattered like the Elements it’s comprised of.”
Flurry asked in concern, “What would happen if it does?”
“The Tree of Harmony will slowly die and all of the magic in Equestria will perish with it.”