In the early hour of the night, a black swirling vortex opened up in the main hall of the Castle of Friendship. Out of the portal walked several ponies and a large parazyte. Gar and the Elements of Harmony had returned from their little excursion from the Marvel universe and were fairly worn out from their recent fights.
Applejack let out a yawn. "Alright, ya'll, as fun as it's been Ah've got to be gettin home. I still have work and chores to do on the farm tomorrow. Night girls, Gar, see ya'll later," she waves while trotting off.
"Dears Applejack is right," Rarity stretched. "I have orders that need finishing and I'm nothing without my beauty sleep," she stretched and followed. "Ta-ta darlings."
"Twilight," Pinkie got the attention of the pouting alicorn. "I need to maintenance on Pinkie Tron, mind if I borrow you lab and tolls tomorrow?"
Twilight perked up a bit, "Um, sure but only if I can watch and help a bit."
"Of course you can silly filly. She is a piece of technology, and you didn't get to speak with Doomie about a lot of stuff,"Pinkie giggled. Suddenly, Pinkie let out a gasp of excitement. "I need to plan Pinkie-Tron's birthday party too! Pinkie-Tron, stay here until I SAY SO!" Pinkie yelled as she then zoomed out, sounding like a go-cart at top speeds.
Gar and Twilight merely looked from each other and then to the door with only their eyes a few times, while the robot locked itself in place.
"I should get home and feed my nighttime animals," Fluttershy realized. "They're probably grouchy by now, I should hurry."
"I'll go with ya Flutters," Rainbow put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "If we hurry we might be able to catch up with Aj before she gets too far ahead."
Fluttershy smiled, "Thanks Rainbow," she said as the pair flew off.
Twilight let out a cute yawn.
"Best get you to bed too," Gar commented as he picked Twilight up and carried her bridal style.
"Hey I can walk ya know," Twilight commented as her face heated up slightly.
"I am aware," Gar nonchalantly replied. "But I wanted to do something nice and see to it that you got to bed. Besides," he looked down with two eyes. "Knowing you, you would stay up and try to learn about the robot, perhaps even try to take it apart."
Twilight puffed out her cheeks as Gar opened the door to her room and he walked over to her bed. Setting the princess down he started to tuck her in.
"Gar."
"Hmmm..."
"Why are you so nice to the ponies of this world?" Twilight looked down as he stopped. "We've done nothing for you at all but yet from the very start, all you've done was protect us. You even took on the Storm King, sacrificing yourself, and was turned into an obsidian statue. You risked your life for us so many times. Why?"
"I guess a good part of it has to do with my favorite superhero back home, Spider-Man," Gar looked at her, a bit of sincerity leaking through his voice. "He lived by the motto 'With great power comes great responsibility'."
"But just because you have power doesn't mean you had or have to use i for us or other," suddenly shot out from the blanket. "You could've sided with the Storm King, ruled the ponies at his side, even taken over from him and been our king."
"True, and this would've been an ideal situation for me," Gar agreed, sitting on the bed.
"Then why didn't you?" Twilight feared his answer.
"Because I didn't want to," He said. "But there is also a saying that my second older brother had. "If you have he power to make a choice then you have all the power in the world to make a difference. For those with power with should always use it the ways they want to, without regret." he looked at his princess. "And I chose to help you because that is what I wanted to do and I do not regret my choices."
He stood up and put Twilight back under the blankets. "I will not deny that there may be a day when we find ourselves at odds with each other, perhaps we may even be enemies on the battlefields. But know that I will never regret my choices, even passed that and should either of us fall, I will still be your friend."
"I ... never...want... that..." Twilight said as she drifted off to sleep.
"Some times we don't get what we want my little pony," Gar said in his usual monotone voice. He collected the Elements of Harmony and then proceed to walk out into the balcony off Twilight's room. Once he locked the door he spread his light-bright butterfly wings and took off towards his kingdom, the Everfree Forest, for the Cave that housed the Tree of Harmony to return the Elements to their rightful places. Once this task was one he flew off to his own home that now sat atop the Sacred Tree.
The tree went through a shift as the day and night would swap their places with one another. During the night the tree was dark blue similar in tone to Luna's fur but darker and it was let up with bright cyan natural bio-luminescent lights
While during the day its trunk was similar in color to most of the dark greens of the Everfree Forest, but most of it leaves are a bright vibrant pink color with various other vibrant color thrown in but can only be seen when close enough to the tree to see them.
Not long after the Sacred Tree had achieved full maturity Gar had moved his hydra bone hut so that it now sat atop the Sacred Tree in a clearing far from where most would see it. The tree itself hides Gar's home so that only he and those Gar's allows in can access the clear and by further extension his home. Zecora, Tempest, and Grubber are among the few that have around the clock access to the hut. Tempest and Grubber because they both live here alongside Gar and Zecora because she is very dear to Gar.
Zecora spends most of her time here as the tree provides her with whatever plants it can from the Everfree and because she has formed a deep spiritual connection with it. Zecora spent so much time at the top of the tree and her connection with it was so profound that the Sacred Tree has even made a hollow for her within its own confines of its own body to live in when she chooses to stay for extended periods of time. The tree even provides food and the means of cook and brewing potion with the use of various plants the mimic nature. Such as Fire Mushroom to heat Zecora's cauldron.
Fire Mushrooms, obviously mushrooms that mimic the properties of fire as the name suggests but do not burn plants unless the plant life is dead. They have orange stems and red tops adorned with pulsing yellow speckles on them. They are usually found in volcanic areas with tropical forests. They are not to eaten under any circumstances as they well burn whatever they touch other than a pant Though creatures that are highly resistant to fire, like dragons and Kirins can stomach this fungus with little difficulty once they have reached the age at which they can sustain a consistent flame.
Upon his arrival, Gar was greeted by a few of his subjects that were still active at night. About a week after the Sacred Tree had been planted many fairy type ponies made their way to the Everfree and stated to still in the forest and call it their home. Not long after this and with the Sacred Tree well established a new form of life had started to appear from the Everfree forest. Fairies that resembled humans from Gar's homeworld but with varying sizes, looks, wings, and other features started to be born from the various flowers and trees, and other flora of the forest.
Gar landed at the top of the tree in a large clearing. In the back center of the clear sat a large ornate throne with large four branches jutting out of each side of it. Leading up to the throne was a small wooden altar glowing alight with bright icy blue flames. Behind the throne were four curving tree trunks adorned with runes the grew in the bark while atop each of these was a large bright icy blue flame.
"King Gar you've returned," Came a female voice. A female fairy floated out from a nearby branch.
"Indeed," Gar commented flatly as he walked over and sat on his throne.
"Do you have anything to report on today's activities Gerheade?" His gaze shifted to his fairy advisor.
"Nothing too major my lord but more ponies have been trying to climb the tree," Gerheade reported. "The fog does deter them back out but some of them have disappeared altogether in the mists."
Gerheade is a female fairy with has purple eyes, long light brown hair, and long pointy ears. She wear's a green hat adorned with a dark pink flower on the left side of the hat. On her back was a pair of long insect-like wings. She wears a white dress with butterfly green scale-like patterns on the top and around the base of the dress with a pair of white matching shoes. Gerheade wears a pair of mint green arm covering that extends from her wrist to three-quarters of the way up her arm. She also wears earrings that match her fruit staff. Her staff has a single large red berry looking fruit with three leaves at the base of the fruit.
"Hmmm... it would seem the some of the legends that surround the Everfree Mists have some merit to them," Gar said as in with the slightest bit of intrigue as he shifts in his throne resting his head in his clawed hand. "Gloxinia," he called for the captain of the fairy guard.
"You called my lord," Gloxinia appeared in front of Gar a the foot of the steps that led to the throne.
Gloxinia is a fairy male and older brother of Gerheade who strongly resemble resembles a female human child in the face. He has amber-colored eyes with pointed ears draped by his long bright red hair, and a gray corsage on his left wrist. He wears baggy white pants which have dark blue butterfly scale-like patterns at the cuffs. Around his waist, he wears a green sash and wears a set of black shoes. On Gloxinia's back was a set of sparkling insect wings similar to his sister's while at his side was his Holy Tree Sword. He wields a deadly scimitar made from the Sacred Tree in the fairy realm that he uses in close-range and long-range combat. He also has the ability to transform his scimitar into swarms of mini-sized versions of his weapon that act as rotating razor blades and sends them towards his enemy at great speed. He can use it in conjunction with his powers like summoning to his location the massive roots of the Sacred Tree. He also has the power of Guardian similar to Gar in which his turns his sword into a massive spider the can poison foes with a venomous bite and ensnare others in webbing.
"Have everyone keep watch over the fog and makes sure that the ponies stay out of it," Gar ordered. "I don't want any ponies going missing on us. I owe it to Twilight as her knight to look out for the citizens Ponyville, but I won't be blamed for needless disappearances of any creature that wanders into my forest either that have not been warned of the consequences and risks of the Mists."
"Yes King Gar," Gloxinia nodded and then flew off to tell the denizens of the Everfree.
"Gerheade," Gar shifted and sat up in his chair. "Would you please fly to the capital city of the ponies, Canterlot, and inform the princesses of the Sun and Moon? It's the city on the side of the mountain, take this and present it to the guards," he reached into his chest and pulled out a medallion with a silver crescent moon over top a golden sun on a red silk ribbon. "Tell the guards you are here on behalf of Sir Gar with a message of the utmost importance about the Everfree Forest for the princesses' ears only. If Celestia isn't awake then tell Luna and have her wake her sister."
Gerheade took the medal and placed it around her neck. "You Lord Gar, and what if they wish to speak you?"
"I will speak with them at a later time. I must rest and recover my magic," Gar monotones as he leans back into his throne. "If it is that they need my right away then use teleport to return here and inform meee...." He slurred as he drifted off to sleep.
Gerheade bowed her head and then took off towards Canterlot.