Apple Butter exclaimed, “It’s broken!”
Nova Rose fretted, “Now the Tree of Harmony’s going to die!”
Blaze said angrily, “Flurry, how could you?”
Snow Pea chastised, “Blaze, don’t blame her for this.”
Flurry shook her head, “No, he’s right. I’ve broken the Gem of Harmony like how I broke the Crystal Heart when I was a baby. I suppose my cutie mark’s going to be in breaking gems, huh?”
Roller Blade pointed out, “I don’t see a cutie mark on your flank.”
Screwball suggested, “Maybe we can get Grandma and Great-Aunt Luna to fix it. They’ve done it before.”
Flurry said, “They can’t ever know it was me.”
Skater tried to reassure her, “Kid, it’s going to be okay. We’ll just tell them everything and –“
“No! I’m never going back! I can’t go back! What if I’m a threat to everyone?! I should run now, before I hurt other ponies!”
Little Button shook her head, “No, Flurry, no! You can’t run away!”
Flurry’s eyes glistened as her voice thickened with emotion, “I’m sorry. I have to go. It’s the only way I can protect you.”
She turned away from them and took off with a sonic boom in her wake. She flew so fast that no one could catch up to her even if they tried.
As Flurry disappeared over the horizon, Nova asked sadly, “Now what do we do?”
Just then, they heard groaning by the castle entrance. They saw that the guards were just waking up. Before they could get up, the doors suddenly flew open and crushed them.
Discord, who had opened the doors, asked, “Why did I see Flurry Heart fly over the castle just now?”
Screwball said uneasily, “You better sit down, Dad. It’s going to be a bit much.”
“You want a bit much?” He pointed his thumb behind him, “Check out the throne room.”
The ponies followed Discord into the throne room and gasped at the damage left over from the skirmish.
Mothball asked, “Do you think Flurry was fighting that new villain in here?”
Discord replied, “I would say that with 99% certainty the answer is ‘yes’.”
Apple Butter asked, “But who was she and why did she want to get rid of Flurry Heart?”
Roller Blade suggested, “Maybe she kidnapped Skyla and lured Flurry here so she could dispose of her.”
Discord asked, “Wait. How did you all get here in the first place?”
Screwball explained with a nervous smile, “You see, Flurry vanished from the palace, so I used my powers to track her down. When we found out where she was going, we jumped on the next train to Ponyville and headed there.”
Little Button added, “And then we saw this new villainess attacking Flurry and blasting her into the ravine. We got the villainess to chase after us while –“
Discord exclaimed, “The villain chased after you?! Screwy, what on earth were you thinking?! You’re pregnant, for crying out loud! You shouldn’t be chased by some dangerous foe in your condition!”
Screwball retorted, “Oh, yeah? And where were you? Making Mom and me worried sick wasn’t exactly good for either of us!”
“Well, for your information, I was fine. Unconscious, maybe, but I was still fine!”
Snow Pea asked, “Discord, who knocked you unconscious?”
He explained, “Believe it or not, I just teleported myself right to Skyla, but then she threw some kind of sleeping powder at me. After everything went dark, I woke up to see that she had disappeared again, so I went to look for her. I got to the throne room and found it in this shape. Oh, and I also saw Flurry fly away through the hole in the skylight.” He pointed upwards as he mentioned the skylight.
Nova Rose burst into tears and confessed, “Flurry ran away because she used the Gem of Harmony to send Skyla to the moon and broke it!”
Everyone stared at Nova with wide eyes full of shock.
Roller Blade gaped, “That was Skyla?!”
Skater asked, “That horrible monster?!”
Nova and Blaze both shouted to get the point across, “YES!!”
Blaze explained, “Flurry told us that Skyla turned herself evil. She tried to use the Gem of Harmony to get Skyla back to normal, but she got sent to the moon instead and the Gem broke.”
The ponies and draconequus just stood there until a fainting couch flashed into view and Discord fell on it like a drama queen.
Screwball muttered as she rolled her eyes, “Such a drama king.”
Snow Pea asked, “Now what do we do?”
Nova suggested, “Um, panic?”
Blaze scowled, “That’s your answer for everything!”
She retorted, “Not everything!”
Just then, Discord’s eyes caught something through the hole in the skylight. He pointed upwards as he asked, “Does that count?”
The ponies looked up and saw four new stars surrounding the moon. The stars made up a constellation of a diamond with the heavenly sphere in the center.
Mothball remarked, “That is definitely new.”
Snow Pea knocked, “Zecora? Hello? We know it’s late, but it’s important. Can we please talk to you?”
Luckily, Zecora opened the door and greeted warmly, “Welcome, my honorable guests. Are you on another quest?”
Little Button said, “We are, in a way.” She then sniffed the air wafting from inside Zecora’s hut. “Are you cooking something?”
“Why, yes, I am. Some spicy soup with a bit of yam. Perhaps you would like a bite? No belly wants to be empty all night.”
Screwball said, “Come to think of it, I am a bit hungry.”
Discord agreed, “Of course! You’re eating for two, after all.”
After Zecora and her guests had their bowls of soup in front of them, the zebra congratulated Screwball and Mothball, “I am happy to hear that you are expecting a child so dear. My sincerest wishes to you and your offspring. Such delight and wonder a child brings.”
Screwy smiled while touching Mothball’s hoof, “Thank you, Zecora.”
Zecora then frowned, “As much as I don’t want to spoil this joyous mood, I can tell whatever’s on your mind is not good.”
Discord sighed, “You know us too well, wise zebra.”
Blaze explained, “It’s Skyla…”
Nova added, “And Flurry…”
Snow Pea placed a small bag on the table and said, “And this.”
As soon as the shattered pieces of the Gem rolled onto the table, Zecora could tell that they contained powerful magic.
Zecora asked, “How are all three connected? Perhaps in the problem, the answer can be detected.”
When nopony wanted to say anything, Skater took a deep breath and explained, “Skyla ran away from her home this morning and found her way to the Everfree Castle. Flurry went to look for her and we went to look for Flurry. By the time we got there, Skyla had…become an evil alicorn and was…trying to kill her sister. Flurry used the Gem of Harmony – these shards – on Skyla and banished her to the moon. When the Gem broke, Flurry flew off.”
Discord cleared his throat, “You forgot to mention my rescue attempt! I tried to bring Skyla back, but she threw sleeping powder at me! By the time I woke up…” his irritation soon morphed into sadness, “...it was too late to save her.”
Zecora stayed silent until she said, “My deepest pity to you all. It’s painful when from grace a princess falls.”
Roller Blade suddenly remembered, “Oh, we forgot to tell you! There are now four stars near the moon and they kind of form a diamond constellation. Do you know anything about that?”
A spark of worry flickered in Zecora’s eyes as she asked, “Was this before or soon after Skyla was sent to the moon?”
Apple Butter contemplated before she said, “I think it was after Skyla was banished.”
Zecora breathed as her eyes widened in fear, “No, it can’t be…The prophecy!”
As Zecora rushed all around the room to gather potions and powders, Discord groaned, “Oh, wonderful. Another one? We just got rid of the last one!”
Little Button asked Snow Pea, “What can this mean?”
Blaze said, “Well, whatever it is, I hope it doesn’t involve Snow Pea again.”
Zecora said as she retrieved the last vial she needed, “No, it is not about Snow Pea.” She put a bowl of liquid at the center of the table. “This is a different and much darker prophecy.”
She dumped the powders and potions into the bowl until she began to stir the concoction. An image of the moon before Skyla’s banishment soon formed in the liquid.
Zecora told the group, “In ancient zebra lore, elders foretold of a heavenly door. The door, however, would not lead into paradise; instead, it would release terrible evil and vice. When a dark pony becomes trapped in the moon…” The shape of a pony’s head appeared on the moon’s image. “…the four stars will aid in her escape very soon. She will arrive with an army beside her to spread in all directions fear and terror.”
Mothball said, “And now with the Gem of Harmony in pieces, the Tree of Harmony is going to die and take all kinds of magic with it. Without any sort of magical defense against Skyla and her army, we won’t stand a chance.”
Everyone stayed silent until Blaze uttered, “We. Are. Doomed.”
It wasn’t long before the Tree of Harmony began to die. The absence of its very heart could be felt throughout Equestria. The magic for which the Tree was responsible could not be sustained without the Gem of Harmony, so thus it began disappearing at the very edges of the land.
The voices of the royals could be heard singing, “She must return…Since the Gem of Harmony’s broken…Since the Gem of Harmony’s broken…Since it’s broken…All through great Equestria…the magic will start dying off…for all creatures, for all shamans...For Pegasi…For unicorns…For Earth ponies…For the dragons…For all the cattle, for the sheep…For all the oxen in the fields…For all the dreams, for all the sleep…till the moment the magic yields…Where’s Flurry Heart? Before things burn…she must return…”
As Flurry kept her distance and watched the turmoil happening before her very eyes, she sang, “Once I called you sister…Once I thought the chance to make you laugh…was I all ever wanted…”
When uncontrollable storm clouds began forming, the frightened citizens sang as they pointed to the darkening sky, “Look, there’s thunder from the sky…Here comes the lightning crashing down…”
“And even now, I wish that you’d never been bitter…Serving as your foe unwillingly…is the last thing that I wanted…”
“There are many fires burning…in every field, in every town…”
Flurry sang as she sorrowfully watched the devastation, “This is my home…All this pain and devastation, how it tortures me inside…All the innocent who suffer…and have no choice but to hide…”
Another group of ponies sang as parasprites came towards their crops, “There are parasprites on the wind such as the world has never seen…on every leaf, on every stalk…until there’s nothing left of green…”
Elsewhere, the royals sang, “Where is Skyla? This we must learn…She must return…”
Flurry sang, “You who I called sister…why must we permit another blow?”
“Where’s Flurry Heart? For her we yearn…”
“Let your hatred go…”
“She must return…”
Though separated from each other, they both sang, “You/She must return…”
Meanwhile on the moon, Nightmare Sky looked down towards Earth and saw the havoc happening all over Equestria. However, she didn’t take notice of that and only focused on her hatred for Flurry Heart.
She sang, “You who I called sister…How could you have come to best me so? Is this what you wanted?”
The royals sang, “Where is Skyla? For worse, things turn…”
“Then let my heart be hardened…and never mind how high the cost may grow…This will still be so…I will never let my hatred go…”
“She must return…”
Flurry Heart sang, “You must return…”
Nightmare Sky sang, “I will not…”
They both sang in their separate places, “Let…”
Nightmare Sky sang, “My…”
Flurry sang, “Your…”
Both sisters finished, “Hatred…go-o-o-o-o-o…”
At the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Heart was growing dimmer with each day. Since the Crystal Heart was tied to Cadance, her grief over the absence of her daughters stripped the relic of some of its power. The amount of magic the Crystal Heart now had was barely enough to protect the Empire from the plagues that had invaded the rest of Equestria. After the Gem of Harmony was broken, the royals who were there during the incident told the rest of their families, so now everyone in the clan knew about Skyla’s downfall and Flurry Heart running away. Cadance, who took the news hardest of all, did not budge from her bed, too weighed down by the grief for her precious daughters.
Shining Armor, weary with grief himself, sighed as he entered their bedroom, “The North Luna Ocean has just reclaimed a third of Vanhoover. No casualties, but the damage is still devastating.”
Cadance asked, “What are we going to do, Shiny? My mother and Aunt Celestia can’t fix the Gem of Harmony because the break in our daughters’ bond caused it to become impossible to repair. Oh, Shiny, I thought everything was going well in our lives, but for this to happen…” Tears sprang up anew in Cadance’s smudged eyes. “Where did we go wrong?”
As his wife wept softly into her pillow, Shining Armor stroked her back and comforted, “We did the best we could. Something else must’ve happened. Something that might’ve made Skyla turn against her own sister.”
Just then, a guard appeared by the doorway, “Your Highnesses, we found Baroness Gourmand by the side of the road.”
Shining Armor nodded, “I’ll go see her.”
Cadance said as she rose from the bed, “I’m coming, too. Zesty was there when Skyla had her breakdown and she left the morning Skyla ran away. If she knows anything about what happened, we’ll both talk to her.”
Shining Armor said as he helped Cadance onto the floor, “All right. If that’s what you want.”
The royal couple made their way to the castle foyer and saw the baroness in a white bathrobe.
A guard explained to the royals, “She was filthy when we found her and she insisted on a bath before seeing you.”
When Zesty saw the royals, she humphed, “Well, it’s about time!”
Cadance asked, “Baroness Gourmand, what happened?”
“It is absolutely outrageous! I of all ponies got ambushed on the way to the Gala!”
This surprised the couple, so Shining Armor asked, “But weren’t you there that night?”
Zesty replied indignantly, “I was not! It must’ve been that dreadful bug-pony who attacked us with her small band of insects. Of course, I don’t know how she’d even impersonate me. She was far too tall and too…ghastly to even pull it off.”
The royal couple’s eyes widened as soon as they realized who Zesty’s ambusher was.
Cadance slowly said, “Zesty, that was no bug-pony.”
Shining Armor explained with a serious expression, “That was a changeling…named Chrysalis.”