When in doubt, act. Standing around like a stunned mullet was not going to help anyone. “Come with me,” I told Trixie and hastened in the direction that the vines had taken Twilight. Almost immediately, we came across the purple alicorn’s tiara and I picked it up. It held her Element of Magic and I had a feeling that we might be needing it. To keep it safe and my leg free, I put it on my head and continued onward.
Trixie snickered. “It suits you well, Princess Dumbbells.”
I frowned at her. “Not the time for this, Trixie.” We came to a spot where a couple of purple feathers lay on the floor. I picked them up and waved them in Trixie’s face. “Twilight lost these while struggling with one of those black vines. If an alicorn can’t stop them, then they’re a real threat. You just got lucky.”
Trixie’s smile faded and she nodded. “Sorry. Trixie is just a bit shaken still.”
“Understandable,” I conceded. I looked ahead and saw no sign of the vines anymore. I tucked the feathers into my mane and trotted down the hall to the throne room where I found a couple of the Royal Guards standing around a large hole in the floor surrounded by marble rubble. As I approached, a pegasus emerged and joined them. They faced us and saluted.
“Report!” I ordered.
“Sir!” the pegasus replied. “Enormous black spiky vines were seen to withdraw into this hole with Princess Twilight Sparkle in their grasp. I attempted to pursue but the tunnel has collapsed.”
“Damn! I suppose none of you has ever seen those vines before?”
They all shook their heads.
“Maybe the Guild of Mages can give us some answers?” Trixie suggested.
“Good idea. Let’s—” I was interrupted by a burst of dragonfire that materialized into a scroll. Trixie caught it in her glow and unrolled it.
The blue unicorn read, “Monstrous black vines are invading from the Everfree Forest and taking over Ponyville. Dragonfire letters to Twilight just bounce back to me. Send help! Spike.”
My face creased with a mixture of fear and worry. “Sounds like the situation is even worse than we thought. At least we have a lead now. I’m going to head off to Ponyville immediately.”
“Trixie will organize the Royal Chariot.”
“That’ll take too long. I’m going to fly there now.”
Trixie gaped at me. “You still haven’t learned to control your flight magic properly!”
“I’ve been getting better, and as long as I hold a steady course and don’t try any fancy maneuvers, I should get there just fine. And besides, I haven’t tapped off my excess mana today, so I should have a turbo boost that will get me there a lot quicker.” As we spoke, I headed to a balcony that overlooked the countryside where Ponyville could just be seen in the distance.
“Are you crazy? Trixie doesn’t know what a turbo is, but she does know what happens when you use that excess magic!”
“It’s a risk I’m prepared to take.”
“Then Trixie will come with you.”
I was startled and I stopped to look at her. Trixie’s expression held a little fear but a lot of determination, and I knew that she wasn’t going to be dissuaded. “Okay, but I’ve never had a passenger before.”
“Learn fast!” was all she replied as she headed toward the rear of the throne. “Guard! Inform the Guild of Mages of what has happened here and in Ponyville. Have them let Trixie know if their research discovers anything useful about the vines or how to combat them.”
“At once, Your Highness!” The Royal Guard dashed away.
“What are you doing? We need to go!”
The mare returned carrying another set of her prosthetic wings. “Trixie cannot go without her symbols of royal authority,” she said even as her magic quickly buckled them into place.
I rolled my eyes but was thankful that she didn’t want to get her full royal regalia too. When we got to the balcony, I pointed myself in the direction of Ponyville and spread my wings. “Climb aboard and hang on tight!” Trixie obviously hadn’t ridden a pegasus before and her hooves poked me painfully a couple of times as she got into position. I grunted but held my tongue.
“Trixie is ready.”
“You better be!” I focused on everything that I had been taught – wing position and curvature, take off and cruising procedures, and last of all my flight magic. The latter was still pretty much an all-or-nothing situation for me, so it was with mental fingers crossed, I drew upon it. I shot off the balcony like a missile.
Trixie squealed in terror, and if she hadn’t been half-strangling me, I would have found it funny. As it was, the seriousness of the situation made me ignore both the humor and the pain. Amazingly, I settled down into a stable flight in the correct direction. I didn’t try to press my luck by optimizing anything, merely maintaining the power beat of my wings. Trixie released the death-grip on my neck but still clung ferociously as we hurtled toward Ponyville.
We were rapidly closing in on our destination and I could already make out the Golden Oaks library. Worryingly, I could also see the mass of black vines that were invading the town. Spike sure hadn’t been exaggerating. Worse yet, now there were bizarre spiky black clouds dotting the skies. Dodging them seemed a very good idea, but hardly my forte. I barely managed to scrape by some and if I hadn’t been going so fast, I might have been hit by the lightning they hurled at me. I aimed as best as I could for the library tree and it rapidly approached.
“Trixie thinks you should be slowing down about now,” I heard her say above the sound of the rushing wind and her flapping cape.
Good idea. One problem though. Just like the day when I accidentally set a new altitude record, my flight magic seemed to be stuck on. Our destination approached at a breathtaking speed and then I saw the flash and heard the bang of teleportation. My load was suddenly gone just before I reached the tree. I desperately tried to flare my wings, but a moment later, I splatted against an upper round window. As I slid off the window with a squeak, all I could think was that they made mighty tough glass in Equestria.
I felt hooves grab me under my forelegs and heard Rainbow Dash’s voice behind me as she gently lowered me to the ground. “Yeah, Twilight got tired of me waking her up by smashing through her bedroom window. She enchanted it so I can’t do that anymore. Next time, choose one of the windows downstairs for your dramatic entrance, though it won’t be as awesome as mine!”
As I lay dizzily at the base of the tree, Applejack emerged from it and helped Rainbow Dash get me to my hooves. As they guided me inside, Applejack said, “Ah’m sure glad yer here, Mark. Mebbe you can figger out what’s goin’ on.”
I noticed that Applejack’s accent got stronger when she was stressed. Things had to be pretty bad. I saw that the rest of my friends were there and Trixie was safely inside too, sitting amidst a pile of books. I growled, “You couldn’t have teleported me in here too, could you?”
Trixie actually blushed. “Trixie is sorry, but she has never rehearsed such a trick before. Indeed, she has never managed to teleport before.”
“That was your first?” I asked incredulously.
The faux alicorn nodded. “Terror is a great motivator, apparently. I have you to thank for that, Embark Quells.”
Pinkie interrupted. “I don’t know if you have noticed, but the Everfree Forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control.” Her tail suddenly twitched and she ducked. A massive black vine shot through the window and right through the space she had been in a moment ago.
Applejack used her earth pony strength to cut the vine utilizing the window’s sliding frame.
Rarity said, “But perhaps you already know what’s causing all of this calamity? Has Princess Twilight sent you to dispel it post haste?”
I cringed. “Not exactly. You see, Twilight was kidnapped by those vines. Trixie was almost taken too.”
Everypony gasped dramatically.
“I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but I believe we’re going to need the Elements of Harmony to get Twilight back. I brought along hers.” I touched the tiara that was still on my head. A weird thing about pony manes is how they managed to hold things securely short of being knocked off physically like the vine had done to this. Or maybe I had inadvertently pulled it off along with a few of her feathers when the second vine smacked me away from her. I brought my attention back to the situation at hoof and addressed the other Elements. “You should grab yours too.”
Rarity used her magic to open the case where the necklaces of the other five Elements were kept, and she distributed them among her friends.
“Just like old times,” Rainbow Dash said as hers went into place.
Applejack said, “Ah reckon our connection with Twilight through the Elements will help us find her. Now we just have to figger out who to aim these bad boys at so we can get her back and keep the rest of Equestria from becoming plant food!” She paused, then looked at me. “Any ideas?”
“I haven’t found squat in any of the books that I’ve been looking through,” Pinkie exclaimed. “Oops! Missed a spot.” She grabbed a marker and proceeded to color in a picture.
I shook my head and turned back to the others. “Semi-sentient vines; bizarre aggressive clouds; chaos abounding – I’m starting to get an idea about who we might be up against. Anypony know how to find Discord?”
Fluttershy said, “I think we can summon him with the Elements. I mean, if he knows I really want to see him.”
“Okay, let’s give this a try. Umm… I suppose I’d better give Trixie the Element of Magic as she’s got a horn.”
Trixie looked pleased until Rarity spoke up. “Oh, no, darling – that’s not how it works. Twilight is the Princess of Friendship because the power of friendship is magic, and you’re our good friend, Mark. You must wear the Element.”
“Me?” I squeaked. “I’m just a defective pegasus!”
“No, Rarity has the right of it,” Applejack insisted. “You have what it takes to make it work.”
Rainbow added, “And you’re awesome too. If anyone can do it with us, it’s you.”
Trixie sighed. “Trixie is forced to agree with their logic, Embark Farewells. Trixie expects you to try your hardest.”
I shrugged helplessly. Who was I to argue? I was only talking to some of Equestria’s greatest heroes... and Trixie. They might know a thing or two more about this crazy pony magic than me. “Okay. Let’s try this.”
We all trotted outside at Fluttershy’s suggestion, and I concurred. Heaven knows what would happen when flinging around enough magic to summon a chaos god… if it even worked.
“Okay, how are we going to do this?” I asked as we arranged ourselves in a circle.
“We just concentrate on the traits that make us the Bearers of the Elements,” Rarity explained. “I suggest that you concentrate on our friendship.”
“If you say so.” I closed my eyes and thought of all the enjoyment that we six had while together. At first, nothing happened, but then I felt myself starting to rise even though I wasn’t using my flight magic. I peeked through one eye and saw the other Element Bearers enveloped in a glow and rising into the air also. Then a rainbow ribbon of light emitted from their necklaces and joined together. Then they merged with mine and I felt the inexplicable magic of Harmony flood within me. It was both wondrous and overwhelming. Despite the distraction, I managed to focus on the goal of summoning Discord, and the rainbow magic twisted into a whirlwind of color. When it dispersed, a bathtub was on the ground between us, with a draconequus in it, scrubbing himself and singing.
“Winter wrap-up, winter wrap-ooh! Oho! Now isn’t this interesting? Are you the new Princess of Friendship, Mark Wells? You could have been more considerate – if you hadn’t noticed, I was in the middle of a particularly invigorating shower.”
The way he toweled his butt at me was less than appealing. “Enough! What do you know about the kidnapping of Twilight Sparkle and the invasion by the Everfree Forest?” I demanded as I advanced sternly upon him.
A vine suddenly burst up out of the ground and coiled about me before transforming into Discord. “Why, whatever are you talking about?” he asked with a grin.
“Don’t you play dumb with us, Discord. We know that you’re the one behind all of this.”
The draconequus disappeared and popped up again on the roof of a house. “Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely l-o-v-e what you’ve done with the place.” He snaked through the air until he was next to a hovering Fluttershy. “But I couldn’t possibly take responsibility. I’m reformed; don’t you remember?” he asked, giving Fluttershy a nudge.
“Yeah, right!” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. “This has got your cloven hoofprints all over it!”
“I’ll have you know that I have only one cloven hoof,” Discord replied in an offended tone. Said hoof and the disembodied leg it belonged to, gave the colorful pegasus a kick in the rear.
With his leg magically reattached, Discord walked away in a huff. “Such accusations! And here I thought we were friends.” He turned and gave us doe-eyes.
“Drop the act, buster!” Pinkie said. “We’re onto you.”
“Ladies! Ladies and lady-proxy! I’m innocent! Would I lie to you?”
“YES!” we all chorused except Fluttershy who added, “Um… maybe.”
“Well then, it seems we’ve reached an impasse. I’m telling the truth, but you think I’m lying. What do friends like us do in a situation like this, Princess Mark?” Discord asked as he poked at the Element that was still on my head. “Congrats on the promotion, by the way – you totally deserve it,” he said snarkily, then his look turned thoughtful.
“Although, I must say, you don’t quite look the part. Allow me to help!”
He snapped his fingers and everything went white for a moment. I blinked and saw a purple horn in the top of my field of view along with blue hair with a two-tone purple stripe. Looking back, I saw the first dress that Twilight had worn to the Alicorn Challenge. The same coloration on my tail and purple wings removed any doubt about my current form.
Discord clasped his hands together and beamed. “Oh, congratulations, Your Highness! Now your coronation can proceed as it was always meant to. Equestria is so lucky to no longer be short an alicorn.” He blinked and held an apologetic paw out to Trixie. “No offense intended.”
Trixie frown deepened. “Offense taken.”
Discord wasn’t wrong. I perceived what must have been unicorn magic running through my horn, and I could feel an uncanny connection to the ground beneath me. “I have to say…” I said in Twilight’s voice as I turned to face the draconequus again. “…been there, done that, taken the photos.” I tried to put on my most disappointed expression. “Frankly, I expected a self-styled Lord of Chaos to be more… original.”
He frowned at me for several seconds before snapping his fingers. The world went white again and everything felt normal.
I turned my back on Discord. “He’s useless. Who else can we turn to for help?” I was hoping the trickster would feel a need to prove me wrong, but instead, Applejack spoke up.
“Well, Zecora knows more about the Everfree than anypony.”
Rainbow Dash flapped upwards and craned her neck. She pointed. “Speaking of the zebra, there she is!”
Turning to look, I saw where the being in question was emerging from the forest with a huge sack on her back and pulling a cart full of what had to be all her worldly possessions. She seemed to be straining under the load, and she came to a tired stop nearby.
“Zecora!” I called out, rushing up to help her along with my friends and Trixie who had decided it was safe to join us now. The mare used her magic to relieve the zebra of her burden which Rainbow and Fluttershy took away while Applejack and Pinkie unhitched the cart.
“From my home, I’ve had to flee. The forest has grown too wild even for me,” Zecora said.
“Any idea why this is happenin’?” Applejack asked.
“I’m afraid it is a mystery to me as well. But, I may have something that may if combined with a spell.” Zecora rummaged around in her cart and pulled out a glass flask with a gold base and neck. “I do not dare to use it myself – the result would be tragic. It only responds to alicorn magic. Where is Princess Twilight? She can turn the potion from purple to white. Then after a sip, she may speak the answers that we all seek.”
“You just missed Twilight. Her timing is awful!” Rainbow Dash said as she gave me a glare.
I ignored the pegasus. I had no intention of begging Discord to change me into Twilight again unless it was absolutely necessary. “Then we have a real problem,” I said to Zecora. “Twilight has been captured by the vines.”
“Will I do in her place?” Trixie asked hopefully, unfolding her wings.
Zecora shook her head. “The spell of this mystic brew will only respond to alicorn magic true.”
“Perhaps we can get Cadance?” Rarity suggested.
“It would take far too long for her to get here,” I replied. I thought hard and something occurred to me. “Zecora – you said the potion responds to alicorn magic. What would happen if I combine it with these?” I pulled out the feathers that I had placed in my mane earlier and forgotten about. “They’re Twilight’s.”
The zebra examined them and shrugged. “Who can tell? Stir it well!” She passed the flask to me.
I dropped the feathers into the liquid and started stirring. At first, I thought that we were out of luck, but then the potion started getting paler. I renewed my efforts and then it abruptly turned white.
“It worked!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Who gets to try it?” I asked.
Zecora said, “The potion responded to you and your will. Take a drink but do not spill.”
“Me?!” I looked around and all my friends were nodding in agreement. Even Trixie seemed to glumly concur. I looked at the milky liquid and wondered what I was in for. “Oh, what the buck…” I lifted the beaker and took a few swallows. Of course, it tasted weird, but nothing happened. “Doesn’t seem to be working—” My vision exploded.
When my sight cleared, I found myself in a strange building, another castle, I believed. There were two thrones with matching banners – one in blue and the other in gold. Then I heard a voice.
“Not another step!”
An alicorn emerged from behind the thrones, one whom I recognized immediately. “Princess Luna!” Had I been somehow transported to where the sisters were stuck? “Where are we? Why did you and Princess Celestia disappear through the portal?”
“Did you expect me to stand idly by while they all basked in your precious light?”
I blinked at the non sequitur. “What the hell are you talking about?”
She walked over to a small balcony, saying, “There can only be one Princess of Equestria, and that Princess will be me!” She reared up and smashed the balcony wall, glaring angrily.
I cringed and watched in horror as cracks spread up the wall and a portion broke away to reveal the sun. Then Luna lifted her hooves and the moon rose to block its light. Shadows started to swirl and a wind arose. The darkness enveloped Luna, and in the moment before it had subsumed her, I saw the doubt and fear in her eyes. Dark magic englobed her and then exploded, revealing a black-coated alicorn with slit eyes in Luna’s place. She started laughing madly, revealing razor-sharp teeth. Suddenly I knew who I was facing from the stories I had been told. Nightmare Moon! Had I at last found the source of our troubles? And how had this happened to Luna?
Nightmare Moon started destroying the castle with blasts from her horn. I dodged the rubble just as a white alicorn walked up beside me. Princess Celestia looked sternly at Nightmare Moon who approached her with a scowl. The rogue alicorn fired a blast at Celestia who rose up to the ceiling to avoid it. A follow-up blast destroyed a section of the roof but again the white alicorn moved out of harm’s way.
“Luna! I will not fight you. You must lower the moon. It is your duty!” Celestia exclaimed.
“Luna? I am Nightmare Moon!”
Wait. How could Celestia not recognize her?
“I have but one royal duty now – to destroy you!” The Nightmare fired another blast at Celestia, but she had taken off through the hole in the roof.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Nightmare Moon asked as she pursued her sister.
Without thinking, I took off and followed, only to witness a major aerial battle. However, it was Nightmare Moon doing all the attacking while Celestia merely dodged her horn blasts. The castle was being torn apart, but that meant nothing to the mad alicorn. Finally, one of the blasts found its mark and Celestia fell with a cry back into the throne room. Nightmare laughed in triumph as I flew down to check on the white alicorn who lay on the floor, injured from the blow.
By now though, I knew something was screwy. Neither had acknowledged my presence, Celestia’s ignorance of Nightmare Moon was telling, and I was flying way too well. As Celestia began to rise again, still not seeing me right in front of her, I realized that this must be some sort of vision caused by the potion that I had drunk. Whatever it was, it was far more immersive and realistic than the best virtual reality that I’d ever experienced. I couldn’t interact with it though, so I could only wait and see how it turned out.
Celestia said, “Oh, dear sister, I am sorry, but you have given me no choice but to use these.” Her horn lit up and the floor opened to allow a pedestal to arise from the depths. It had five arms upon which rested large gems of different colors. She summoned them to her, and then a sixth gem emerged from the sphere atop the pedestal. It was identical in shape and color to the one that now adorned the tiara that I was still wearing. They started to spin about the alicorn and surrounded her with a rainbow of light.
Those had to be the Elements of Harmony as they had been in the past. Even in a vision, I could feel their power. Then Celestia rose back into the sky to confront Nightmare Moon. They faced off against each other and the dark alicorn fired off a massive bolt of magic at Celestia who met it with a combined beam of her own magic and that of the Elements. At first, it seemed stalemated, but then the harmony beam started pushing back the dark magic. As it reached Nightmare Moon, it surrounded her as she screamed, “NO-O-O-O-o-o-o!” Then it blasted off in a beam of light toward the moon where it impacted in a rainbow burst. The silhouette of a dark alicorn appeared on the satellite, completing what I knew of the tale of Nightmare Moon’s banishment.
Suddenly, I was back in Ponyville, with my friends giving me puzzled looks. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Applejack replied, “It’s just that… you were mumbling to yourself…”
“And don’t forget all the ‘What the bucks’ you kept exclaiming,” Pinkie brightly added.
“We were really worried about you,” Fluttershy said.
“I, for one, found it dee-lightful,” said Discord who was lounging on a nearby vine. “Sort of a one-pony theatre piece, if you will. You should really consider taking it on the road.” He unrolled a theater banner that showed me gaping like a fool and cringing and cursing. How the hell did he know what I had experienced?
“Did you find out whose rump we need to kick and where we can find them?” Rainbow asked, putting words into action.
“I saw a vision of when Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, but it doesn’t explain what’s happening now.” I lowered my head in thought. “Since the Royal Sisters aren’t here, maybe the vision was saying the Elements of Harmony are relevant to our current problem?” I shrugged. “That’s my best guess.”
Zecora stepped up to me and said, “Perhaps farther back still are the answers you seek. Another sip of the potion will give you a peek.” She hoofed over the beaker to me.
“You sure about this?” Spike asked.
I shrugged. It obviously hadn’t hurt me the first time, and so far I had no better ideas. I drank another couple of gulps of the potion.
Discord suddenly appeared dressed in an old-fashioned movie director’s outfit, along with a motion-picture camera on a tripod to record the event. “Oh, I do hope he breaks into a song this time!”
My sight exploded once more.
The first thing that I saw was a school of fish swimming through the air. Looking around, I saw that the ground was now a surreal checkerboard. Plants were distorted and houses floated in midair on chunks of earth. But it was the two alicorns who caught my attention. Celestia and Luna were deliberately walking towards a tall throne that faced away from us on top of a nearby hill. Both looked worse for wear, but they wore fancy saddlebags. They stopped to glare at the occupant of the throne – Discord!
“Oh, ho-ho! This is so much fun!” the draconequus exclaimed as he faced the alicorns. How about a game of pin the tail on the pony?” He held up a familiar pastel-streaked item.
Celestia gasped and flared her wings before looking around to see that her tail was missing. Then she frowned and said, “Playtime is over for you, Discord.”
“Oh, I doubt that,” he replied as he munched upon a bag of something that he held in his right paw. “Mmm! Hungry?” He threw what looked like dark-colored beans at them, but they ignored him and the beans bounced off their faces.
“Suit yourself.”
Celestia and Luna’s horns lit up, and out of the saddlebags rose the six mystic crystals. They hovered in front of the alicorns as Discord leaned forward to take a closer look.
“Hmm – what have you got there?”
“The Elements of Harmony!” Celestia replied.
“With them, we shall defeat you!” declared Luna.
Discord practically fell over laughing. “Ha ha ho hee hee! You should see yourselves right now. The expressions on your faces – so intense. So sure of yourselves! A-ha-haa!”
Luna and Celestia crossed their horns and a stream of rainbow light burst forth. It streaked towards the draconequus even as he exclaimed, “Hilarious!” Then the beam struck and froze in a stone pose that was destined to last centuries.
The vision abruptly changed and I was elsewhere. It appeared to be a cave, but I was transfixed by the sight of the magnificent glowing crystal tree in front of me. Five familiar gems resided in pods on the branches, and the star-shape of the Element of Magic was at its heart. Even what I believed to be Celestia and Luna’s cutie marks were on its trunk. The alicorns in question approached the tree just then.
Luna gasped and said, “The Tree of Harmony!”
There’s a tree of Harmony now? This was getting weird. I looked around and saw a wide entrance to the cave that appeared to exit out into the bottom of a ravine. I turned back to see Celestia rise to shoot a beam at the symbol of Magic.
Luna asked, “Are you sure?”
Her sister replied, “We have managed to discover the only means by which we can defeat Discord and free the citizens of Equestria. Even without these Elements, the tree will possess a powerful magic.” All six Elements were released from the tree and hovered around them. “As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here.”
Then the view flared once more and I was back in Ponyville.
“So – what didja find out?” Spike asked eagerly.
“I’m not sure. This time I saw something called ‘The Tree of Harmony,’ which is where Celestia and Luna got the Elements. I also saw them turn Discord to stone.”
The Chaos Lord waved a paw dismissively, scattering popcorn everywhere. He reached into his bag of popcorn until his entire arm was inside. He pulled it out and glared at his empty hand. He then tipped the bag above his head and a large number of uncooked kernels poured into his mouth. Immediately after closing his lips, I heard the unmistakable sound of popcorn popping.
I frowned. Still hanging around with all of us as his entertainment? Fine. Time to turn up the pressure. “I think the vision meant we are supposed to turn him to stone again.”
His eyes went wide and melted butter shot out his nose as he swallowed then coughed. He stared at me for a moment then slapped both hands over his chest. A red, heart-shaped cartoon flew out his back and bounced away. “My heart!” he cried.
“Ummm…” began Fluttershy, a hesitant look on her face.
“I’ll second that!” said Rainbow Dash.
I continued. “I mean, what harm could it be? We can always turn him back, right?”
“Ummm…” said Fluttershy again.
Discord appeared directly in front of me. His head was now that of a white rooster, and both wings were draconic-looking and a shade of blue-grey. “Alright, buster. I think I’ve had enough of your chest-pounding in front of the mares. Maybe you don’t need to go on this little adventure after all.”
I felt my back legs begin to go numb. Looking back quickly, I saw they were turning to stone.
The rest of the mares and Spike covered their eyes, but Fluttershy flew right up next to us. “Discord, stop it! Mark, I promised Discord I would not turn him to stone. I’m not going to break that promise. So Discord, just stop.”
I turned to look back at the angry godlike creature in front of me. My hindquarters were numb now. I must have really pissed him off because he wasn’t listening to the yellow Pegasus at all. “You see there, human? That’s what friendship is all about. You could have learned a lot from these mares.” OK, selective hearing, maybe.
Fluttershy frowned and glared at the draconequus. “Discord! You’ve made your point. Change him back. Now!”
I narrowed my eyes and started thinking very quickly. As my chest went numb, I said, “I’d be glad to be petrified if it helped a friend. Friendship is when you think of someone else’s welfare above your own, wouldn’t you agree?”
Discord’s demeanor changed to resembling a professor beaming at his prized student. “Indeed! Now you’re getting it!”
I gave him a flat smile. “What’s wrong, Discord? Isn’t Twilight your friend?”
He froze in place and his eyebrows shot upwards, leaving his face entirely. At the same time, the numbness stopped at the base of my neck. Discord glanced at Fluttershy and I did as well. She was looking at him expectantly, her head tilted a bit.
After a few seconds, he blinked. With a snap of his fingers, I felt my body return to normal as his body returned to its original form.
I couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh.
Discord frowned. “I know when I’m not wanted.” He turned into a white vine with balls sticking out of it instead of spikes. He shot into the air instead of the ground then disappeared.
With the source of the threat gone, my back legs started shaking uncontrollably. Trixie reached me first. She punched me in the shoulder with a hoof. “That was so stupid!” She then proceeded to hug me. “However, Trixie is glad you are safe.”
Applejack came up next. “Ah think there’s somethin’ seriously wrong inside yer skull, Mark. Why in tarnation did ya go pick a fight with him? And yeah, Ah know you were needlin’ him on purpose.”
Fluttershy came up to me. “I don’t know what got into him today. I’ve never seen him so aggressive before. I’ll have a long talk with him later about the proper way to behave around ponies, I assure you.” Her expression softened. “I know it may not look like it, Mark, but he really has reformed. Discord wouldn’t cause anypony permanent harm.”
I held onto Trixie while my heart slowed down. I was glad for the support because otherwise I probably would have fallen over. After several seconds and many deep breaths, the panic subsided to the point I could speak again. “Discord is pretty much omniscient and maybe even omnipotent here in Equestria. I did get him to admit that he expects us to go on some sort of adventure. For whatever reason, he wants us to team up to save Twilight.”
Rainbow Dash flew up, smiling. “Just the kind of hare-brained stunt I’ve come to expect from you, Mark.” She held out a forehoof. With a final pat on Trixie’s back, I separated myself from her and clopped my forehoof against Rainbow’s.
Rarity said, “I hope you are feeling well enough to continue, darling. I also recommend you not go around insulting demigods. There’s no future in it. However, I must ask: what was it that Discord said about chest-pounding?”
“Ah. Humans share a common ancestor with apes. One of these is the gorilla, who establishes dominance over other males for the females in the troop by a show of force, including pounding his chest.”
All the mares gave me amused looks. Zecora had a hoof over her mouth and I heard her snort. I was surrounded by smirks and raised eyebrows. I started to sweat. “Look, I can’t help it if Discord decides to see things that way!”
Pinkie Pie was the exception to the Skeptical Contingent. She came up and gave me a hug. “Then he’s just plumb crazy. You spend more time with us as a mare than as a stallion.”
I blinked. “I… hadn’t thought of it that way.”
Apparently, the party pony’s observation distracted the rest of the mares as well. I took advantage before the topic of my stallionhood could be brought back up again. “So, I’m thinking this ‘Tree of Harmony’ is in the Everfree somewhere. I saw a large cave at the bottom of a ravine. Zecora, do you know of such a place?”
The zebra shook her head. “I cannot be of service. I know of no such crevice. The forest’s center you must inspect. There you will find it, I suspect.”
I looked around. “Is everyone ready to go in after Twilight?”
Zecora shook her head sadly. “The forest will tolerate me no longer. But if all the Elements go, you will be stronger.”
“Well, alright then!” Applejack exclaimed. “Let’s go save the… tree. Uh – where is it exactly?”
I grimaced and pointed at the Everfree with my hoof. “Exactly? I don’t know.”
We approached the hostile forest with some trepidation.
“Seems like it was only yesterday we were heading into these woods to find the Elements of Harmony,” Rarity said.
“Was it always this creepy?” Trixie asked.
Applejack replied, “Well, it were in the dark that time with only moonlight to show the way.”
Trixie shivered. “At least the plants weren’t trying to abduct you then.”
“If’n yer feeling scared, you can leave it to us, Princess Trixie,” the apple mare replied. “This is kinda our job anyhow.”
Trixie sniffed haughtily. “Are you saying that the Great and Courageous Princess Trixie cannot deal with the same dangers as her subjects?”
Applejack was taken aback somewhat, but she persisted. “It’s just that if something happens to Twilight, Equestria will need its Princess.”
I added, “Those vines could come after you again. I’d feel a lot better if you stay safe back here.”
Trixie frowned. “Do you all really feel that way?”
Everyone nodded, some more reluctantly than others, but I was glad that they supported Applejack and me. I reckoned I’d have enough to worry about without having to watch over Trixie too.
“Very well. Trixie will help the citizens of Ponyville while you risk your lives. Don’t get yourself killed, Hallmark Farewells.”
“By your command, Princess,” I replied, then turned to the others. “Let’s go!”
In spite of my urging, my friends seemed inclined to maintain a walking pace. Even Rainbow Dash was keeping to a low and slow hover above the group. It took a scolding from Rarity to restrain my sense of urgency.
“Mark, dear, trust us when we say that the Everfree Forest is dangerous enough even without the addition of those horrendous malignant vines. We must proceed with caution lest we encounter one of those perils.”
Polite and reasonable as ever, but her delivery made me aware of how pushy I was being in the face of the unknown. I resolved to restrain my impatience and be more alert for danger. This was not the time for ‘Crash’ Wells to screw up. Not long into our trek, that caution paid off.
Our party came to a stream, but there were stepping stones there to help us get over it. As I didn’t trust my wings in this situation, I decided to use the stones and started to cross. Then there was a roar and the steps beneath me moved.
“Cragadile!” someone yelled.
Heedless of the consequences, I took off into the air out of reach of the snapping jaws of a creature that looked like a cross between an alligator and a pile of rocks. I may have bounced off a branch or two, but I landed safely enough amidst the others. I started shouting orders.
“Pinkie! Distractions! Rarity! Use your magic to throw stuff in its face and slow it down! Applejack! Grab a vine and lasso its jaws. Rainbow and Fluttershy – fly behind it and grab more vines and ensnare its legs. Rarity – when the others have it restrained, wrap it in vines to render it harmless!”
To my relief, everyone acted without question. Pinkie pulled a party cannon from who knows where and shot confetti and streamers in the cragadile’s face. Rarity followed up with a shower of stones that caused it to flinch, giving Applejack enough time to break off a vine and make a lasso which she expertly looped around the beast’s snout. With those dangerous jaws and teeth out of the equation, we just had to prevent trauma by other physical attacks. The pegasi were on the job though. Surprisingly, Fluttershy was doing a better job of restraining the cragadile than Rainbow Dash, although in retrospect I realized that the animal carer might know a thing or two about dealing with injured and uncooperative patients. However, Dash was faster at getting the vines to restrain it, and between the two, the monster’s movements were severely restricted. Applejack was already breaking off more vines and Rarity was telekinetically whipping them into place as fast as they were supplied. Soon, the cragadile was rendered harmless.
“Good work, ladies,” I said.
“You ain’t done so bad yerself,” Applejack replied. “You kept yer head and gave directions like a pro.”
I chuckled. “Thanks. I may not be great with the physical stuff, but I usually think fast in an emergency. Anyway, we’ve lost enough time already. Shall we proceed? Cautiously, of course,” I added with a wink.
There were some laughs that relieved the tension before we headed off again.
I wish that the cragadile was the only peril that we faced while venturing through that crazy forest. A wolf made out of pieces of wood thought to make a snack out of us. Ironically, it was snared by several of the black vines and smashed into kindling. I was informed that timberwolves could regenerate though, so we didn’t hang around.
At one point, a manticore blocked our path. Before I could make a plan of attack, Fluttershy stepped forward and said, “Don’t worry – Manny is a friend of mine.”
My jaw dropped as the fierce creature bent over to rub its cheek against the butter yellow pegasus and purred. The quietest and most timid pony whom I had ever met was utterly at ease with this beast. Not to mention the bear and other carnivorous creatures that frequented her cottage. That was very impressive. And she had her eyes on me too? I quietly ranked her way above Rarity as a threat to my single status.
We continued onwards, exploring every possible likely path. Without a clue as to where the Tree of Harmony was located, we had to risk ourselves many times, but working as a team, we overcame all obstacles. However, we were almost undone by a thicket of black vines that came up with a new trick.
Several rose around us and flowers that resembled a cross between a Venus fly-trap and a spider started hissing at us. Then bursts of choking mist were sprayed in our direction. I gagged and coughed before managing to say, “Rainbow – wind gusts!”
“On it!” The multicolored pegasus whipped up a whirlwind that took away the noxious cloud. With the rest of us able to breathe again, we could take action.
“Duck and weave! Tie up these suckers!” I yelled.
I didn’t have to say any more. Each of the ponies used their strengths to tangle, knot, and otherwise restrain every single one of those vines, and soon we stood in the midst of squirming but helpless creepy vegetation.
“Anypony think we’re getting nowhere?” Rainbow Dash asked. “We’ve been at this for hours and got nothing but danger after danger.”
“I don’t know, Dash,” I replied. “Seems to me that these black vines have been getting more aggressive all of a sudden. Makes me think that we may be getting to the heart of the problem.”
“You make a good point, darling, but which direction is this heart?” Rarity asked. “I am quite turned around.”
I nodded. “Good thing we’re out in the open then. Dash – can you get some altitude and scout the way?”
“Aye, Captain!” Rainbow streaked upward and paused to look around. “The vines are thickest thataway!” she yelled down to us while pointing with a hoof.
“Okay, ladies – shall we?”
They all gave me confident grins and followed me as I took the lead. Forewarned about the vines’ latest trick, we were prepared to act whenever they threatened again. Soon we came to a deep ravine with a rickety rope and plank bridge across it. I could see the ruins of a castle on the other side, and I wondered who would be crazy enough to build inside this dangerous forest.
“Oh my! That’s the Castle of the Two Sisters! Do you think that’s our destination?”
Thank you for the convenient answer to my unspoken question, Rarity. I’d have to ask about that later. “No, it was in a cave in a ravine, remember?” I peered over the edge.
“How about there?” Applejack said, pointing to a spot further up the ravine.
I looked where she was indicating and saw the glow emitting from a cave that had caught her attention. “Good eyes, Applejack. That matches what I saw in the vision. Now, how do we all get down there? Those of us with wings can manage. Maybe Dash can lower the rest down? I don’t trust myself to carry anypony.”
Rainbow Dash smirked. “Anypony except the Great and Screaming-Like-A-Little-Filly Trixie like you did all the way to Ponyville.”
My ears folded onto my head. “Uh… yeah. I suppose I could try—”
“Whoa! Oof! Ow! Eep! Ugh! Oops!”
Pinkie’s voice drew our attention down and to the right where we found her sprawled on the floor of the ravine.
“Take the stairs, silly!”
I facehoofed. How did I miss those? I blame the distractions. As Rainbow Dash flew into the ravine, the rest of the mares took the stairs. I eyed them warily and weighed the odds of falling down them or doing a flying face-plant. Then I manned up, spread my wings, and glided to the bottom. I managed a creditable landing beside Rainbow and waited for the others to join us. We then all headed into the cave.
I immediately knew that we had found our goal, but the crystalline tree in front of us was a far cry from the brilliantly vibrant one that I had seen in my vision. It was dull and choked with the malignant vines that festooned the cave, and dripped with some sort of noxious slime. Two coils of the black tendrils lay at the base of the tree and I found myself wondering what they held.
“I think it’s dying!” Fluttershy exclaimed.
“So, let’s save it already!” Applejack said as she leapt into action. She grabbed a vine in her teeth and yanked, but it flicked her away.
“Nice try,” Rainbow Dash said before launching into a flying kick. However, a vine whipped out and sent her hurtling away to crash ignominiously on the floor of the cave.
“Nice try on both your parts,” Rarity said. “But the tree remains in jeopardy.”
“And I suppose you have a better idea?” Applejack snarked.
I recalled what I had learned during the vision of the Tree of Harmony and what Celestia had said about how its magic controlled and contained all that grew here. That magic obviously was almost completely drained, which meant that it was dying, just as Fluttershy had said. There was only one solution.
“I know what we have to do.” Everypony looked at me expectantly. “We have to give the Elements back to the Tree to save it.”
“Whoa! How are we supposed to protect Equestria without them?!” Rainbow protested.
“How are we supposed to rein Discord in, especially if we can’t use the Elements to turn him to stone?” Rarity asked.
I held up my forehooves to halt the protests. “Girls – you’re missing the big picture. If we don’t deal with this problem here and now, Twilight Sparkle may be lost to us and all of Equestria may fall. Now – are you ready to do the right thing?”
They shared a glance and nodded. They concentrated and suddenly their Elements detached from their necklaces. I did not expect them to make a beeline for me and begin orbiting the Magic Element in the tiara that I still wore. I did not have the experience with them as the others had, but I tried to emulate them. I focused on sending the star-shaped gem to join its companions. Much to my surprise, it worked, but it drew the attention of the vines and they whipped out to wrap around me and try to grab the Elements.
My mind raced. Why capture me if the Elements were the danger? Was it because I controlled the Magic Element that was created by the union of the five others through friendship? I had to give it a try. I willed the Elements to go to their places on the Tree, and much to my relief, they complied. They shot forward, dodging the grasping vines, and clicked into place in their respective pods. As the Magic Element settled in, they all started to glow brilliantly. Then the vines that were wrapped around the tree started disintegrating. Like fuse cords, they fizzled away, racing past us and out of the cave. I had the feeling that they weren’t going to stop until every vine was turned to dust. Meanwhile, the two thick coils at the base of the Tree also disintegrated, revealing Twilight Sparkle in one, and a pair of blue wings in the other.
Twilight and the mares spotted each other and raced together into a group hug. I stood back and admired the Tree of Harmony that was now restored to the same brilliance that I had seen in the vision. The Elements throbbed with life and I knew that Equestria was safe once more.
“Hey, Mark! What are you doing just standing there? Come over and join us!” Pinkie demanded.
As the others chorused agreement, I grinned and trotted over to join their embrace. It was good to have such great friends.
And I definitely did not cop a feel from Fluttershy. Don’t look at me like that.
As the hug broke up, Twilight noticed something missing from the necklaces and tiara. “What have you done to my Element?!”
Wordlessly, we pointed to the tree where they all now resided.
“We had to give them back to the Tree of Harmony to save you and Equestria.”
“Tree of Harmony?” the alicorn queried as she turned to look at it.
“Long story,” I replied just as the Tree throbbed with power.
We watched as colored streams of magic ran from the five Elements on the branches and into the Magic Element where they combined and flowed down the trunk and down to the roots. It sent up a shoot that grew into a giant flower bud. Twilight walked up to it and cautiously touched it with her hoof and the flower bloomed. Nestling within the petals was a crystal hexagonal box with what looked like keyholes in some of the faces.
As we all crowded around it to have a good look, Twilight asked, “What’s inside it? How do we open it?”
I said, “Anyone got keys that might fit in those slots?” I got nothing but blank looks. “Well, considering that there are six Elements and six former Bearers, it’s probably up to you six to find them.”
“It should be seven, darling,” Rarity said. “You earned the title today, you know?”
“Thanks, Rares, but I have enough responsibilities. Besides, that would be just one more key to look for, right?”
Twilight said, “You can try to reject the title, but it doesn’t change the reality. You are now and forever more an Element Bearer.”
“I thought you’d be more upset about me using your Element,” I told her.
“Are you kidding, Mark? The Element of Magic is formed through the power of friendship. Besides, it confirms my theory that the Elements choose their Bearers. Anypony with the requisite characteristic that exemplifies any of the aspects can become a Bearer. You are the proof!”
“And she’s nerding away so all is right with the world once more,” I said drolly to the laughter of the others and a blush from the purple alicorn.
I waved a wing at the crystal box. “That thing is a conundrum that can be solved another day. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m tuckered out.” I grabbed Trixie’s wings. “Let’s go home.”
# # #
When we got back to Ponyville, the first thing that I saw was that it was totally free of the invading vines. That made it easy to spot Trixie haranguing Discord who actually looked relieved to see us.
Banners and streamers popped out of thin air and party horns tooted. “Bravo! However did you save the day this time?” Discord asked. “Blast the beastie with your magic necklaces, I presume? Where are those little trinkets of yours? You know – the ones that you use to send me to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison.”
“Gone,” Applejack admitted.
“Gone?” Discord asked with a smirk.
Fluttershy flew up and gave him a pointed look. “But our friendship remains.”
Discord wilted and Fluttershy poked him with a hoof.
“And if you want to remain friends, you’ll stop thinking whatever it is you’re thinking and help us clean up.”
Discord popped away and reappeared in a maid’s outfit. “Fine! But I don’t do windows.”
I wasn’t done with the draconequus yet though. “You’re suspiciously blasé about this as if you knew what was happening. What part did you play in all this, and why only now?”
Discord shrugged. “I have no idea. Those seeds that I planted should have sprouted up ages ago.”
“What did you say?!” Twilight demanded.
“Why should I try to explain it when you can see for yourself?” Discord held out the flask of the white potion that I had drunk before.
“What’s that?” Twilight queried.
“Allow me, Twilight,” I said. “Might as well see the final pieces of this puzzle.” I took the flask and drank. My vision exploded once more.
I was back at the scene where Celestia and Luna confronted Discord, but this time the focus was on the beans that he was eating. The vision followed some to the ground where they buried themselves and started sprouting. Then I heard Discord’s voice narrating.
“Well, obviously things didn’t go according to my original plan. My plunderseeds should have stolen the magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thousands of moons ago. Alas, it seems the Tree had enough magic to keep the seeds from growing up big and strong. Until now, that is.”
The vision showed the roots of the plunderseeds being stopped by the Tree of Harmony, and then I was back in Ponyville.
I glared at Discord. “So, not only was that information we could have used hours ago, but you were the cause of the problem in the first place. You could have stopped all this if you wanted to.”
“And rob you of a valuable bonding experience with the others? What kind of friend do you take me for?”
“One who should be a statue right now,” I replied.
“Not much you can do about that now. Without the Elements, there’s little you can do against a demigod.”
“I don’t believe in gods. I believe in friends.” I stepped back to join the six former Element Bearers and they closed in and presented a united front to the draconequus.
Discord gave me a sour look, but his trademark smirk soon returned. “I was right about you, Mark Wells. You are indeed delightfully disruptive.” He then disappeared in a flash of light.
When it was apparent that Discord was not returning, Trixie wandered over to me looking despondent.
“What’s wrong, G and P?” I asked.
“Trixie was not of much use,” she admitted.
“Did you keep Discord preoccupied while we were looking for the Tree of Harmony?” I asked.
Trixie snorted. “The Great and Indignant Princess Trixie had a thing or two to discuss with him. I got him to agree not to pull his antics on my little ponies any longer!” Her ears fell a bit. “Well, at least those outside of Ponyville.” Her ears pointed forward and her mood brightened. “Do you know what else? He told me I thought of myself as better than my friends, which was quite perceptive of him!”
This got an epic eye-roll and a smile from Twilight.
Trixie continued. “I think he tried to shame me into running into the forest to help you all, but Trixie knew that you’re a competent lot, so there was no reason to do so.” She gave a warm smile to the purple alicorn. “It’s good to have you back, Princess Twilight.”
Her co-ruler smiled. “It’s good to be back, Princess Trixie.”
I grinned. “I’m impressed. I suspect old snake-hips respects ponies who stand up to him, even if he’s insufferable a lot of the time. Heaven knows what he might have done if you didn’t keep him busy.”
“That makes Trixie feel better, but she notices that you did not include her with your friends.” She pouted.
I grinned back. “I have lots of friends, but only one princess.”
That brought a genuine smile to her face. “You are forgiven. Now, Trixie thinks it’s time we went home.”
I spread my wings. “Would you care for a lift, Your Highness?”
Trixie laughed. “Not a chance in Tartarus, Birthmark Smells. We’ll take the train.”
I smiled. It was good that everything was back to normal at last.
# # # # # # # # #