[Everfree Forest, Tree of Harmony's Cave]
Meanwhile, Goku, Spike, and the Mane 6 appeared in a cave. As Goku promised, they weren't sick, weren’t experiencing any headaches, and didn’t have any sort of burns whatsoever.
"Hey, I'm alright!" exclaimed Rainbow.
"Me too!" Pinkie added.
“I concur,” confirmed Rarity.
"See? It's safe. There’s nothing to worry about," commented the baby dragon.
"Why isn't your teleportation like Goku's, Twilight?" asked the Element of Loyalty in a mocking tone.
The lavender Alicorn frowned at her and said, "Well, excuse me if mine is not fitted for everypony!"
"If you like, I can help you improve it, Twilight," offered the Saiyan-turned-pony and added, "Or I can teach you this technique. Your choice."
Stars appeared in the princess's eyes, "Really?!"
"Yes, right after we fix that," he answered in a serious tone while pointing something in front of him. The mares and the dragon turned their heads and saw the thing they were looking for: a crystal tree with Twilight's Cutie Mark on the trunk. The Tree of Harmony, as expected, wasn't in good condition. Dark-spined roots were wrapping the now dull grey magical plant while also infesting the cave.
"Well, at least we've found the Tree," commented Applejack, "But where are the Princesses?"
"She's right there," answered Goku as he pointed a chrysalis made of roots to the right of the dying plant. Twilight didn't waste time and tried to reach Celestia's prison and free her, but the black vines didn't agree with her plans and attacked her. She stopped when she saw the charging roots but, suddenly, a blast destroyed them all. She turned her head and saw the white Alicorn approaching her. "Those vines look like they’re even more aggressive than those in Ponyville," he stated in a serious tone and suggested, "Be careful."
"Thanks, Goku."
"I can sense another presence here. It is similar to Celestia's."
The Element of Magic gasped and said, "It must be Princess Luna's!"
"I bet she is in the other chrysalis," he said, looking at the mass of roots to the left of the tree, as the rest of the group approached them.
"Can you free them?" asked Spike
"No, I can't. I could hurt them in the process: those roots are too close to their bodies."
"Oh no, this is bad," commented Fluttershy in a worried tone.
"What do we do, then?" asked Pinkie.
Twilight was trying to figure out how to free the princesses. Goku couldn't help her this time, but certainly, there was a way to fix this mess. She looked at the Cutie Mark on the Tree of Harmony and, for some reason, she tried to reach it. However, a vine grabbed one of her legs. Instinctively, she cast an Attack Spell on the vine, destroying it, and flew back a bit.
She noticed the roots were strengthening their grab around the giant six-pointed star and, for some reason, she remembered what her ex-mentor said during her vision of the past.
[Tree of Harmony's Cave, 2000 years ago]
"Even without these elements, the Tree of Harmony will possess powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here."
[Present]
Twilight's expression turned serious as she landed and said, "I know how we can save the tree and maybe the princesses too: We have to give it the Elements of Harmony."
Everypony but Goku gasped. Give away the Elements of Harmony? That was basically giving away the country’s line of defense against any upstart villain who wanted to conquer it. This also meant giving away the items that started their friendship. "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa," stopped Rainbow as she flew right in front of her and landed. Then she asked, "If we do that, how are we supposed to protect Equestria?"
"How are we meant to rein Discord in if we can't use the Elements to turn him back to stone?" supported Rarity.
"Twilight..." started the Element of Honesty as she approached the princess, "The Elements of Harmony... They're what kept us connected, no matter what."
Twilight noticed Applejack's sad expression and answered, "You're right about one thing, Applejack: The Elements of Harmony did bring us together. But it isn't the Elements that will keep us connected: It's our friendship. And it's more important and more powerful than any magic. My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, ever be broken."
The Mane 5 and even Spike's morale was strengthened by that speech. Goku smiled because everything she said was true. However, he didn't expect what the lavender mare would have said right after that, "And to answer your questions, Rarity, Rainbow, don't you remember that we just befriended somepony strong enough to defeat Discord?"
"Right!" exclaimed the speedster realizing that there was Goku on their side, "Equestria has nothing to fear with the strongest pony ever on its side."
"It's kinda weird. I just ended up here, and they already need me as some sort of shield." thought Goku as he was nervously smiling.
"Well, there's no time to lose," said Twilight in order to return to their task, "Everypony ready?"
"Ready!" the Mane 5 answered as the lavender Alicorn took off. She stopped her flight once she was 4 meters away from the ground and took the Elements of Harmony from her friends using her magic. Once the 5 gemstones were around her, she extracted the Element of Magic from her crown and made them swirl around her body. However, the vines reacted to Twilight's actions as if they were well aware of what she was trying to do.
The dark-spined roots quickly attacked the lavender mare but, before they could reach her, they were destroyed by a Ki blast. Twilight turned her head and saw Goku who had a serious expression while his left forehoof was pointed towards where the roots were attacking from. The white Alicorn nodded to say she could proceed, and the princess nodded back in response. She made the Elements fly toward the dying tree: 5 gemstones flew to the branches while the last one flew to the tree's trunk.
The Elements of Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, and Honesty were set into their respective branches while the Element of Magic was placed into the six-pointed star drawn on the trunk. Once all the gemstones were in their place, they started glowing. Goku sensed a calm yet powerful energy coming from the Tree of Harmony that glowed as well. The power ignited by the Elements produced a magical shockwave that disintegrated every dark root and spiked cloud in the Everfree Forest and beyond, which was something that Discord didn't really like.
The light coming from the tree grew dim and fade. The group watched in relief and happiness that its health was restored. However, the good news wasn't ended yet, for the 2 chrysalises on the tree's sides were disintegrated by its rainbow magic, releasing Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Twilight, relieved they were safe, landed and ran toward the Royal Sisters and happily embraced them, while the others approach and watched from some distance.
Celestia and Luna gladly accepted and returned the embrace. "We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the Elements," the Sun Goddess said and added, "It took great courage to relinquish them." Twilight did listen to her mentor's words, but she was more focused on the hug. The relief and happiness she was feeling because of the Royal Sisters' newfound safeness were immense.
The Mane 5, Spike, and Goku were witnessing the scene with joy. The mares and the young dragon already knew how much Twilight cared about Luna and Celestia, especially the latter. Goku perfectly understood that feeling: if Master Roshi had been kidnapped, he would have been as happy as Twilight right now once he was safe.
Princess Luna turned her head and saw that all of Twilight's friends were there, but there was somepony else, a complete stranger for her. She assumed that he should be a new friend of the Elements, but what drew her attention was the fact he was an Alicorn, something that had never been seen in Equestrian history. "Uh, Sister? Do you see what I am seeing now?"
At first, Celestia was confused by her sister's question but, once she saw Goku, she immediately understood the situation and said, "His name is Son Goku. I, Twilight, and her friends met him yesterday after... quite an explosive incident."
"Huh?" said Luna in confusion.
"I'll explain to you later."
The Saiyan-turned-Pony began to approach the Princesses to introduce himself to Luna. However, once he stepped into the area of the colorless Yin Yang symbol drawn around the magical tree, his Cutie Mark began to shine. Goku noticed this and stopped as he was wondering what was going on. Everyone saw his Cutie Mark shining and were wondering why it was doing so. Twilight turned her head to see what the princesses were staring at and noticed this as well.
A spark appeared for an instant in her eyes. She immediately turned her head to see the Tree of Harmony. The Elements into the branches were blinking while the Element of Magic was shining brightly. Magic from the blinking Elements was channeled into the six-pointed star drawn on the magical plant. The magic of the 6 Elements flowed through the trunk, reaching Celestia's and Luna's Cutie Marks that were drawn on the lower part of the tree's crystal stem.
The ground beneath the tree began to glow as well. The colorless Yin Yang symbol started to be colored by the flowing magic. Half of it turned white with a black circle in it, and the other half turned black with a white circle in it. Everyone was looking in awe at what was happening in front of them.
Finally, popped up a big flower from a root, but it didn't bloom yet. Twilight approached the flower and touched it, making the pink plant bloom, revealing a crystal casket in it. The casket had a hexagonal shape and there were 6 locks on it, 1 per side, and, on the top of the crystal object, there was a colorless Yin Yang symbol. The Royal Sisters reached Twilight and took a better look at the 'gift' given by the Tree of Harmony.
"6 locks, 6 keys," commented the Princess of the Night. Then, she noticed the Cutie Mark of the new Alicorn on the object and thought, "What is this supposed to mean?"
"What's inside it? How am I supposed to open it?" asked Twilight to Celestia.
"I do not know where or how to open it," answered the Sun Goddess, "But I do know that it is a mystery you will not be solving alone." She stepped aside, letting her former student see her friends, implying that the lavender Alicorn had somepony, or someponies, to rely on.
"What a touching moment," said an unknown voice, “it’s a shame that I have to ruin it.'' For the Mane 6 and Spike, it belonged to someone or something completely new, but for Celestia, Luna and Goku, it was a voice they knew all too well. All of them turned their heads and saw 2 bipedal beings standing at the entrance of the cave. The first one was an anthropomorphic purple cat with large pointed ears, golden-yellow eyes, no irises, and dark pupils. His form was hairless and, while overall defined in built, he was very thin and bony.
The second one was a being unknown for most of the group. Twilight and Spike noticed that he was, appearance-wise, similar to the Humans they saw back in Canterlot High. The only different things were his weird clothes, the scepter, and the azure halo around his neck. For the Mane 5, he was a tall bipedal thing with pale blue skin, white mane, pale violet eyes, and rather effeminate features. Only Fluttershy was more than sure he was male, while the others found difficult to say if the thing was female or not.
The Royal Sisters and Son Goku immediately recognized them, all of their eyes going wide. While the sisters were still shocked, surprised, and a little afraid to see them, the Saiyan, after getting out of his temporary shock, glared at the God of Destruction. The destruction of Earth and the death of his family and friends were still fresh in his mind and, since he didn't know the reason why they were here, his first thought was that Lord Beerus was here to finish him off or worst... to destroy the planet he was on.
The rest of the group, minus Pinkie, saw the reactions from the Princesses and Goku. Surely, the new arrivals must be beings of significant importance and strength if they were able to send the Princesses into a paralyzed state. They were starting to get worried by the tense atmosphere, that was until one of them decided to speak up.
"Uh, Who and what the hay are you?" asked Rainbow, with a hint of fear in her voice.
The God of Destruction couldn't even open his mouth as Pinkie popped out of nowhere above his head. While she was upside down in mid-air, defying physics, with her muzzle near Beerus', she said, "Hi there! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"
Goku was impressed by Pinkie: he didn't see her moving. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of the deity and he didn't even notice it until she was actually there. Did she know Teleportation or Instant Transmission too? That was something he wanted to ask later... if he ever survives a Round 2 against the purple cat.
Meanwhile, Lord Beerus just used his telekinesis to bring the pink pony back to the ground and said, "I already know who you are, Element of Laughter."
"Ooooh! How do you know I'm the Element of Laughter? Are you a fortune-teller?!" she asked with a bright smile and stars in her eyes, then she added, "Can you tell me if Gummy will like his birthday party I'm planning for next month?!"
The Mane 4 and Spike facehoofed/faceclawed, while Celestia, Luna, and Whis were amused by this scene. On the other hoof, Goku and Fluttershy were confused by Pinkie's questions. The God of Destruction was losing his patience, but his assistant quickly spoke, "Ohohoh. Of course not, Miss Pie, Lord Beerus isn't a fortune-teller. He is a Hakaishin. In other words, a God of Destruction."
The Mane 5 and Spike gasped. They can’t believe it, this was the being who destroyed their friend’s world and who knows how many more. And he was standing there, right in front of them, menacingly. "Oooh, a God of..." said the pink Earth Pony in awe, but then she realized who she was talking to, "*GASP* You're the meanie who destroyed Goku's home!" She quickly retreated, reaching her friends.
"Speaking of Goku," he started as he laid his gaze upon the ponified Saiyan, "You were very lucky to survive that attack, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, I was," Goku answered with a serious expression, "If Twilight and her friends hadn't saved me in time, I wouldn't be alive right now."
"I just happen to know you Saiyans possess an ability called 'Zenkai', that allows you to greatly increase your power after the complete healing of a deadly wound."
"So, what are you saying?"
"I think you already know what I'm getting at."
"You want to resume that fight we had, don’t you?"
"Precisely."
The Mane 6, Spike, and the Royal Sisters didn't like what was about to begin. The Mane 6 and Spike were worried... no, scared of the quite likely destruction of Equestria and the world. Their previous fight annihilated countless lives and a planet. If they fought again, that would probably seal the fate of Equus. Celestia was sure that Beerus wasn't going to destroy the planet for 2 reasons: the food and his friendship with her and her sister. However, she was worried about the destruction their fight would have caused all across the land and the possibility of innocent ponies being caught in the crossfire.
Luna was well aware of the God of Destruction's power. So, she didn't understand why he was so interested in fighting a pony, even if he was an Alicorn. He already proved his total superiority over the mightiest beings of Equus when he first arrived in the Kingdom. What made this pony any different from the others? She liked to watch a friendly fight between 2 warriors, but this one wouldn't be anything but a complete massacre. “That poor foal,” Luna thought in worry, “being challenged by Beerus himself is nothing but a death sentence. Though, I am curious about what he said about Goku being a 'Saiyan' and this ‘Zenkai’ ability he has.”
"I'll warn you: if you refuse to accept, I will destroy this planet," stated the purple cat. His blunt and direct comment caught everypony, including the Royal Sisters, off guard.
“*Gulp* H-he ain’t ly-ying there,” Applejack stammered out to the others, confirming the honesty of his statement. The farmer’s confirmation added further fear to the Mane 6 and the little dragon, scaring them even more.
“It can’t be true. It can’t be, the Princesses would never allow such a thing,” Twilight looked at her former mentor for any sort of defiance, but was taken aback by Celestia’s and Luna’s complacency. She met eyes with Celestia, the lavender mare looking for any form of retaliation, but all she saw was the Princess looking down in shame, her ears folded against her head. Twilight was left stunned by this, and looked down at the ground. A sense of dread and hopelessness started to take over her until she realized something. She quickly turned around to see Goku, realizing that they still have one last layer of defense. “He’s our last and only hope for our survival,” she stated in shock.
Goku gritted his teeth because of that statement. He'll be damned if he let this guy do to Equestria what he did to Earth. So, for the sake of his new friends and the will for a rematch with the God of Destruction, he answered, "I accept."
[New Namek]
The Grand Elder Moori was in the square of the village, standing in front of the Dragon Balls. The Namekians were all gathered around Grand Elder to see the awakening of the wish-granting dragon Porunga. Eons passed since his last awakening and they all were curious, especially the new generation, to see the mystical being. "Takkaraputo popurunga pupirittoparo!" exclaimed the Chief of the Namekians.
After the pronunciation of the Namekian password, the Dragon Balls began to blink. The sky turned dark as the mystical orbs were shining brightly. Suddenly, a pillar of golden light was generated by the 7 spheres as the Namekians were looking in awe at the event. The pillar of light began to take shape and finally faded, revealing a titanic and bulky red-eyed green dragon.
Porunga was much more brutal-looking than his Earthling counterpart, Shenron, with a heavily muscled upper body: large pectoral muscles, shoulders, arms, and a well-defined four-pack. Instead of looking snake-like in appearance, like Shenron did, Porunga appeared to be more alligator-like. He had a long green slithery tail instead of legs, a large fin down the center of his back, and large spikes on his shoulders and head, as well as two antennae on his forehead, similar to the Namekian people.
Everyone present was more than impressed by the gigantic creature standing in front of them. The Dragon of Love was bigger than how they actually believed it was, and his threatening look made them feel a bit of fear and respect toward him.
"YOU HAVE COLLECTED ALL 7 DRAGON BALLS. AND NOW THAT I HAVE BEEN AWAKENED, THINK WISELY AND I SHALL GRANT YOU 3 WISHES WITHIN MY POWER!" stated the Eternal Dragon with a deep voice.
[Supreme Kai's Planet]
King Kai, the Dragon Team, Chi-Chi, Videl, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, Chiaotzu, Dende, Android 17, Elder Kai, and Kibito Kai watched the awakening of Porunga using the crystal ball. Gohan, Krillin, Dende, and Vegeta had flashbacks of their quest on Namek. Gohan, Krillin, and Dende remembered when they summon Porunga in order to resurrect Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu but, in the end, they just resurrected their Namekian friend and wished him to be on Namek before the passing of the Dragon. Vegeta remembered the time he wanted the Dragon Balls to be immortal and defeat Frieza by himself, but he just tossed those memories aside.
The others were amazed by the look of that Dragon. "Wow, that Dragon is way different from Shenron," said Goten in awe.
“He looks cooler as well,” Trunks added.
"His name is Porunga," said Gohan, "And yes, he's very different from Shenron. I was as impressed as you are when I first saw him."
"Yeah, that sure was something," commented Krillin, remembering how titanic that dragon was.
"Alright, everyone, be ready, because the Grand Elder is about to state the wish," suggested King Kai. Everyone but Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Oolong, and Chi-Chi nodded in response.
"Mom..." started Gohan with a hint of sorrow, "Is this a goodbye forever?"
"No, Gohan," she answered with a sad smile as she hugged him, "We'll meet again someday. This is just a 'see you later'." Gohan accepted the embrace and Goten joined them. A few seconds later, they broke the embrace and the offsprings of Son Goku looked at the Old Kai and nodded, indicating that they were ready.
[New Namek, Grand Elder Moori's Village]
The Dragon of Love was growing impatient because no one stated a single wish yet. He was good-hearted, but being that he was a dragon, he was a bit grumpy. "LOOK, I'M ENJOYING THE FRESH AIR, BUT I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY. IF YOU CAN'T DECIDE, JUST WISH FOR NOTHING 3 TIMES SO I CAN GO HOME."
[Supreme Kai's Planet]
A giant drop appeared on the back of everyone's head after the dragon's words. "Ehehe, that's what he said to us back then," said Krillin with a nervous smile.
King Kai decided to let it go and proceeded to communicate with the Namekian Chief, "We are ready. You can state the wish, now."
[Grand Elder Moori's Village]
After hearing from King Kai confirmation, he raised his hands as he laid his gaze upon the Eternal Dragon and exclaimed, "PLEASE, MIGHTY DRAGON PORUNGA, RESTORE THE LIVES OF THE BEINGS KNOWN AS VEGETA, BULMA, KRILLIN, ANDROID 18, MARRON, ANDROID 17, SON GOHAN, SON GOTEN, VIDEL, HERCULE SATAN, MAJIN BUU, YAMCHA, PUAR, PICCOLO, DENDE, AND MUTEN ROSHI!"
The dragon was in silence for a few seconds. The Grand Elder feared that the wish was beyond Porunga's power, but then, the dragon's eyes glowed for a moment. "YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED. STATE THE SECOND WISH."
The Namekian sighed in relief and exclaimed, "PLEASE, SEND THE RESURRECTED BEINGS TO THE LAND CALLED 'EQUESTRIA'!"
The dragon was in silence for a few moments, then he said, "YOUR WISH IS A BIT COMPLICATED TO GRANT, FOR THE LAND YOU WANT THEM TO BE IN IS A PLACE WHERE TIME FLOWS DIFFERENTLY. IN ORDER TO GRANT IT, I MUST SYNCHRONIZE ITS FLOW OF TIME WITH OURS. HOWEVER, IT WILL COUNT AS 2 WISHES INSTEAD OF 1."
"DO IT!" exclaimed Moori, and Porunga obeyed as his eyes started shining.
[Everfree Forest, Tree of Harmony's Cave]
"Excellent," said Lord Beerus with a smile after hearing Goku's answer. "However, this is not a suitable place to resume our battle. Let's go outside, I’ll be waiting for you," he added as he levitated himself and went outside followed by his angel.
Before Goku could even begin to trot, Rainbow Dash reached him as fast as lightning and said, "You MUST win!"
Rarity intervened and said with a smile that reflected fear, even though she was trying to hide it, "What she wanted to say is that we'll be cheering for you and... good luck."
Goku noticed that the Fashionista was really scared, but was trying her hardest to not show it. Then, he took a better look at everyone present. The Mane 6 were scared, with Fluttershy shaking in fear by the implications. Spike too was shaking in fear, Luna had a gaze of worry, and Celestia had a serious expression. However, the Sun Goddess was just hiding her true feelings about all of this. The Saiyan-turned-Pony got serious and left toward the exit of the cave while releasing a short burst of aura. That fleeting peak of power surprised Luna, whose questions increased even more.
They decided to follow the black-maned alicorn to see the battle that was about to begin and to act as moral support: that was the only thing they could do for him. Once outside, Goku flew toward the God of Destruction, who was waiting for him above the forest canopy. Whis was sitting on a rock near the entrance of the cave while observing the 2 fighters. The Elements of Harmony, Spike, and the Royal Sisters noticed him, with the first ones being a bit scared of him, since he was an ally of Lord Beerus.
However, they didn't expect what he said when he noticed them, "Long time no see, Celestia and Luna."
The eyes of the Elements and Spike widened, with Twilight asking, "You… you know them?!"
Celestia sighed and answered, "Yes, we do. It's quite a long story."
"Can you explain to us what exactly he is?" asked Rainbow.
"He's an Angel, Rainbow Dash," replied Luna, "And he's Beerus' assistant."
"So, you help that Beerus guy destroy entire worlds?!" asked Spike in fear.
"Ohohoh. Absolutely not, young dragon. Destroying is the God of Destruction's duty. Mine is just to merely advise him, gather information, help him travel across the universe and, if needed, stop him from accidentally destroying it."
"D-destroy the universe??!" exclaimed the baby dragon, "H-he can really do that?!"
"Yes, he can. But don't be scared: a God of Destruction cannot destroy his own universe, for it is forbidden."
Spike sighed in relief while Twilight spoke, "Wait, you said that one of your duties is to prevent him from accidentally destroying the universe. That means that you're strong enough to stop him, right? Why don't you stop this fight?"
"It doesn't work like that, Twilight," said Celestia, "An Angel cannot stop his God of Destruction from doing something that won't endanger the universe. They can suggest it, but the deity is the one who will make the final decision."
"Their previous fight destroyed Goku's world. That means that we're doomed, right?" asked Applejack in worry.
"I don't know. We'll have to see the outcome of this second round to know the fate of Equus," he calmly answered as he laid his gaze upon the 2 fighters.
Meanwhile, Lord Beerus and Son Goku were flying above the forest. They were one in front of the other, with only 4 or 5 meters separating between the two juggernauts. Goku wasn't using his wings to fly yet, but his Ki, while he got into his fighting stance. He tried to remember the feeling of the power of his God form: it was different from the one of his mortal forms. If Super Saiyan and its enhancements, Super Saiyan 2, and Super Saiyan 3 were forms ignited by rage, Super Saiyan God was a form ignited by positive emotions.
He closed his eyes and remembered his friends and all of his adventures with them. From the time he lived with Grandpa Gohan to when he defeated Kid Buu with the help of Vegeta and Mr. Satan. A smile appeared on Goku's face as a blazing aura began to engulf him. His mane turned red, as well as his tail, irises, and feathers. He opened his scarlet eyes with a confident smile and said, "I'm ready."