Twilight Sparkle was still trying to figure out just what was going on, and why the events that were currently unfolding were unfolding the way they had. In particular, she was wondering where she had ended up, and why Princess Luna had inexplicably transformed into Nightmare Moon again!
It had all started within a day of Twilight saying goodbye to her Ponyville friends, as they all had to return to Ponyville ahead of the Summer Sun Celebration, even though it was taking place in Canterlot and not Ponyville. Almost as soon as her friends had disappeared over the horizon on a train, the young alicorn (who still had trouble getting used to her new wings) had told Spike in no uncertain terms. "I miss them already. Part of me will always feel like I'm missing out just by not being there."
Still, preparations for the celebration went smoothly. Twilight and Spike had bid farewell to Princess Celestia as they were taking one last look at a checklist Twilight had made. They didn't know it would be the last time they would see the sun princess, or that anything would happen to her.
It was only when Twilight and Spike woke up some time later that they noticed (and subsequently learned) that something was wrong! A royal guard had taken Twilight to a secluded area and informed her. "We were sent by her majesty, Princess Cadence herself. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, they've gone missing. Nopony knows where they went or where they might be."
And there was worse news to come. Another royal guard had reported! "The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... invading!"
It was on that note that Twilight had rushed back to Ponyville, though not without making sure Canterlot would be well cared for in her absence. "Princess Cadence should have everything well under control," She'd told her friends upon returning to Ponyville. Then she had decided. "Whoever or whatever it is that's causing this, I have a feeling we'll need the Elements of Harmony to stop it!" Soon afterward, an idea came into her mind about who might behind the strange happenings. "This has all the hallmarks of what happened the last time he caused trouble: Half day, half night... strange weather patterns... out of control plants."
Soon afterward, Twilight and her friends had summoned the very creature Twilight assumed might at least know something about what was going on: Discord. But Discord had denied any involvement in anything that was currently taking place. "I'm reformed now. I'm one of the good guys," That hadn't been enough to convince everypony (except for Fluttershy), but despite the harsh accusations he was still willing to direct them to another creature who could help them. "There is someone else who could give you some information. Someone who actually lives in the Everfree Forest."
That someone was Zecora, who had been chased out of her home by the out of control Everfree Forest. "From my own home I've been forced to flee! The forest has grown too wild, even for me!" When pressed on whether she had an answer for any of it, she had confessed. "There is something I had hoped would help me. A potion to improve my memory."
Twilight ended up using dark magic to modify said potion, turning the liquid in it from purple to white. Then she had taken a sip of it, hoping it would provide her with the answers she was seeking.
What happened next was that the young alicorn was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant flash of white light! And when it had faded, her eyes beheld a horrifying sight: Princess Luna undergoing a transformation into Nightmare Moon! "There can only be one princess in Equestria, and that princess shalt be me!" She had vowed, before the transformation was completed. And now, Nightmare Moon was standing before Twilight in all her evil glory.
It seemed that wherever the potion had taken Twilight Sparkle, it had left the young alicorn with more questions instead of answers. She had no idea what she could or should do now. But it seemed she was truly on her own.
All Twilight could do was watch in total helplessness as Nightmare Moon began laying waste to everything in sight. She couldn't believe this was happening again.
Desperately, Twilight called out to the wicked mare of darkness, hoping beyond hope to reason with her. "Luna! Why are you doing this?! Don't you remember what happened the last time you blocked out the sun?! Think of how long you were banished for that! Think of what will happen if you don't stop!"
If Nightmare Moon at all heard Twilight, she made no acknowledgement as she instead continued on her spree of destruction, firing off beam after beam from her horn.
Then, suddenly, who should come trotting up on the scene but Princess Celestia herself in all her glory? Like Luna before her, her eyes were narrowed. She seemed quite serious. But she too made no acknowledgement of Twilight's presence, despite Twilight literally standing right next to the sun princess. Instead, Celestia cried out! "Luna, I know you can hear me! I will not fight you, sister! Please, stop this madness! This has gone far enough! You must lower the moon, now! It is your royal duty!"
Nightmare Moon only coldly replied with a slow blink. "Luna? Luna isn't here anymore. She's never coming back. I am in control now. I am Nightmare Moon! I have but one royal duty now: To destroy you!" She promptly fired off yet another beam of magic from her horn, but it was effortlessly deflected by a shield that Celestia threw up to protect herself.
Rather than reply with her own beam of magic, however, Princess Celestia instead unfolded her wings and took off as she was careful to keep Nightmare Moon in her sights.
The evil alicorn cackled with glee, proudly bearing her sharp fangs. "That's right, run away and hide like the scared little filly you are! But there's nowhere you can run to, and no place you can hide where you'll be safe from me!"
Suddenly, with another blinding flash of white light, the scene changed. Celestia had apparently chosen to stop running away. She was now pursuing Nightmare Moon through what appeared to be the Everfree Forest, their battle destroying most of the exterior (and some of the interior) of a strange looking castle that Twilight had never seen before.
"Luna, please!" Celestia pleaded again. "You must fight the darkness! Don't let it control you! This is not the way to get attention, you know that!"
Nightmare Moon suddenly and inexplicably stopped right in her tracks, hovering in mid-air as it seemed like a look of guilt was reflected in her cold, moderate cyan eyes. "Sister?" She called out in a tone of voice that sounded much more like Princess Luna than it did a wicked mare of darkness.
"Luna?" The sun princess flew close and reached out a hoof, hopeful and confident that she had gotten through.
Alas, Nightmare Moon only swatted Celestia's hoof away and bellowed at the top of her lungs! "YOU FOOL!" And before Princess Celestia had a chance to prepare herself, Nightmare Moon fired off a powerful beam of dark magic from her horn that struck the sun princess square in the chest!
Princess Celestia let out a blood curtling scream, and all her strength seemed to leave her as she plunged to the ground, falling through the castle roof with a loud crash!
Poor Twilight had seen everything, and to say she was horrified would be an understatement! "NO!" She screamed and flew down after her fallen mentor.
Nightmare Moon, for her part, again seemed to briefly become tinged with regret as she asked. "What have I done?!" But the regret faded just as quickly as it came as she declared. "There's no turning back now. We must see this through to the end! All shall bow to me, or pay the price!"
Twilight, meanwhile, had reached the place where Princess Celestia had crashed to earth. The sun princess lay on her side and wasn't moving. She didn't even seem to be breathing. The young alicorn feared the worst as tears began to form in her eyes. "Why?" She asked between sobs. "Why would Luna do this again? Why now? Why couldn't I save you, Celestia?"
Suddenly, Princess Celestia began to stir. Then she stood up. Aside from a singe mark around her neck, she showed no signs either exterior or otherwise to indicate that she had been at all harmed by the attack.
Twilight Sparkle breathed a much needed sigh of relief as she rushed towards her mentor. "Oh, you're alright! Oh, thank heavens!" Yet she was yet again not acknowledged, as if she didn't exisit at all. "Princess Celestia?" She questioned as she waved a hoof in front of her fellow alicorn.
Celestia had tears in her eyes that she was trying desperately to hold back. "Oh, dear sister. I am sorry it has come to this," She declared as she began to light up her horn. "But you have left with me no choice but to use these!"
There came a rumble, and then from the ground emerged a huge pedestal bearing six familiar looking (to Twilight at least) gemstones. A realization struck the studious, book loving alicorn at once! "Those are the Elements of Harmony, or how they looked in... the past! Yes, that must be it! This has all happened before!" Looking up to the past Princess Celestia she realized. "This was the night you banished her."
One by one, the elements were lifted off their pedestals. And they circled around Celestia in a dizzying blur. Princess Celestia then rose back into the sky, her gaze fixed directly on Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare Moon didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated. "Back for more, huh? I guess someponies just never learn," She rolled her eyes. "We both know you don't have what it takes to wield the elements on your own. Don't expect any mercy from me! Prepare to meet your doom!" And she then unleashed the most powerful beam of dark magic she could conjure up!
Princess Celestia effortlessly managed to match the beam with one of her own. And slowly but surely, she pushed Nightmare Moon's beam back while advancing.
Nightmare Moon began to realize what was happening, and she was horrified! "W-wait a minute!" She pleaded! "You don't really want to hurt your own sister, do you?!" Alas, her plea fell on deaf ears! Celestia's beam completely overwhelmed her, and launched her high into the sky! "Nooooooooo!" She screamed, before she disappeared.
In the blink of an eye it was all over, the face of a mare was now projected on the moon's surface. Princess Celestia slowly descended to the ground, standing in the ruins of the castle as the Elements of Harmony turned to stone one by one. Her link to them had been severed completely. "Forgive me, sister," She sobbed as the tears flowed through her freely. "It won't end like this, I promise! From the bottom of my heart, I'll find a way to save you!" And then she began to sing a rather sorrowful song, all the while gazing up at the moon.
Another flash caused the scene to change. No longer was Twilight observing a scene in a castle somewhere in the Everfree Forest (or so she assumed given what she had been able to determine). Instead, she found herself looking over a ground that had been turned into alternating white and grey checkered squares. The sky was a hue of pink, but the exact time of day or night couldn't be determined. All sorts of chaotic things were unfolding everywhere: Including chocolate milk rain and pies raining down from the skies.
Celestia and Luna appeared to be rather battered if the many black bruise marks on their bodies was any indication. But they seemed quite determined and sure of themselves as they came trotting up to a throne with a very familiar looking creature spinning around to greet them!
Twilight realized at once she must now be witnessing Celestia and Luna's triumph over Discord, when he had been turned to stone for the first time.
Discord, of course, was unaware of Twilight's presence. He instead glanced at the two royal sisters and laughed. "Well well, look who's come crawling back for more. Have you two accepted the offer of being my new playmates for all eternity? You seem to be made of stronger stuff than all my other playmates. Anyone up for a game of 'Pin the Tail on the Pony'?" And after he had spoken those words, he held up the detached tail of Princess Celestia that he'd somehow managed to snatch without her being any the wiser!
Celestia gasped as she looked to her backside and saw that her tail was missing! Fortunately, she was able to quickly snatch it back and reattach it with her magic. "Okay, Discord," She told him in a stern, almost scolding like tone of voice. "You've had your fun. And now, playtime is over! You've caused enough chaos for one lifetime."
"Indeed, fiendish brute," Luna snapped! "And your idea of 'fun' isn't really fun for anypony. Seriously, does anyone besides yourself find you at all funny?"
The spirit only laughed. "Oh trust me, I'm a riot. Why, I'll practically have you two in stitches after this," Then he began munching on what appeared to be some black colored seeds. And as he spoke, the seeds were being scattered everywhere, some of them even hitting the princesses in the face. "Hungry?" He asked as he held out a small pouch containing some of the seeds. When he recieved no reply he just shrugged his claw. "Oh well, more for me."
The two alicorns, meanwhile, just looked across to each other and nodded in unison. Then they used their magic to open up the saddlebags they had brought with them. Six gemstones began to encircle the two princesses: Three around Celestia and three around Luna. But only Twilight (who was watching the memory play out) knew what each one was at the moment.
Of course, the floating gemstones quickly caught Discord's attention as he dropped his seeds and inquired in a curious tone of voice. "Ooh! What have you got there, princesses? I don't recall seeing those the last time we met."
"Just a little something called the Elements of Harmony." Celestia pointed out.
Luna added. "And with these, we shall defeat you once and for all. Nothing will save you from humiliation." Then she and her sister put their horns together, channeling the power of the elements as the gemstones began to circle around the princesses not unlike a shield..
Discord didn't appear to be worried for even a second. In fact, he was laughing hysterically as he watched the princesses power up. "You really should see yourselves right now. The expressions on your face. So intense. So sure of yourselves," He leaned back in his chair and held out a paw as he proclaimed. "Hilarious!" And it was the last thing he said before the power of the elements turned him to stone. Just like that, Discord's reign of chaotic terror had come to an abrupt end.
The scene changed a moment later, and this time Twilight Sparkle found herself looking at a tree she knew for sure she had never seen before (or even read about). It was a pure white in color and gave off an almost blinding glow. It rested all by itself somewhere, apparently in some kind of gorge. But most noticeable of all was what was emblazoned into the trunk of the tree: A very familiar looking six pointed star! The same star that was part of Twilight's cutie mark!
But what did that mean?!
Twilight soon found out, as she watched a past version of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna approach the tree with a sense of wonder reflected in their eyes. Princess Luna even let out a gasp! "The Tree of Harmony! It's real!"
Twilight blinked. Apparently, "Tree of Harmony" was the name of this mysterious object. "Tree of Harmony? My cutie mark? What does it all mean?" She asked herself, even though she knew the past versions of the princesses couldn't answer her.
"Sister, art thou sure this is what Mother and Father were referring to?" Luna inquired as she looked across to her sister.
Celestia nodded in reply. "Indeed, Luna. This is no ordinary tree, there's something... magical about it. A kind of magic I haven't felt since Starswirl the Bearded," Then she added with something of a giggle. "And you know you don't have to speak like that anymore, Luna."
"But sister," Luna protested. "It is tradition. It is the way we have addressed our subjects for decades."
The older alicorn corrected. "Well, times are changing. We can discuss that more later, after we take care of Discord," Then she stated. "With the elements grown on this tree, we now have the means by which we can defeat Discord and free the citizens of Equestria from his chaotic reign."
Luna was still hesitant as she eyed the tree. "Are we sure these... 'elements' are for us? And what if we remove them? What will happen then? It doesn't seem like this tree could long survive in a place like the Everfree Forest without something to protect it."
Celestia simply replied. "The magic I am sensing in this tree is a magic that cannot be so easily snuffed out. Even without the elements on its branches, I'm confident this tree will still be standing for a long time to come. It posses a powerful magic of its own. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here. It might even be possible for us to move into that castle that was intended for us before the one in Canterlot was finished." Then she and Luna used their magic to pull the various elements off the tree one by one.
Another flash brought the chain of memories to an end. Twilight came back to the present and shook her head to gather her thoughts (as well as shake off the temporary groginess that seemed to be an after effect of the potion). As she did so, she noticed that all of her friends (along with Spike and Zecora) were all giving her the most unusual looks. It seemed like they were rather worried about her for some reason.
An uncomfortable silence filled the air, before Twilight saw fit to ask. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Did something happen?"
"You tell us," Applejack replied in a concerned tone of voice. "After you drank that potion, you started mumblin' to yourself. Somethin' about how this had all happened before."
Rainbow Dash added. "Not to mention the uncontrollable sobbing. You just suddenly started crying, and you wouldn't stop even when we tried to ask you what was wrong. It was like you couldn't see or hear us at all."
Discord, meanwhile, appeared before Twilight and displayed a photo of her showing what she had looked like while she was crying. He'd also made it move, though instead of the sound of Twilight's voice it was just the sound of a baby wailing and crying. "Well I for one found it delightful. Sort of a one-pony theater piece, if you will. You should really consider taking it on the road. I think you'd make a killing on Bridleway."
Rainbow then saw fit to ask the alicorn. "So, what? Did you find out whose rump we need to kick and where we can find them?"
"Well, not exactly," The young alicorn explained to the best of her ability. "The potion worked like I hoped it would, it let me see into the past. But it took me back much further than I was expecting: I saw memories from when Princess Luna was banished, memories of her and Princess Celestia defeating Discord, and where they got the Elements of Harmony from."
Rarity pondered aloud. "And how does that help us?"
Twilight contemplated what she had seen for a moment, before declaring. "Well, even if I'm not sure what exactly happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I think I know why the Everfree Forest is acting up again. That incomplete master spell must've messed things up more than we thought. In the past, Princess Celestia mentioned that a thing called the Tree of Harmony had a magic all its own. The master spell must've triggered the reaction, and the forest's magic was thrown out of balance."
"Yeah, but you fixed it. That was how you got your wings," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "We all saw that. Why would the Evefree Forest invade Ponyville again so soon?"
Twilight replied. "Something else must've aggravated it. Whatever it is, I'll bet it's connected to the vines. And the only way I can think of that'll restore everything to how it should be is to save the Tree of Harmony."
"The tree of what now?" Rainbow inquired.
Twilight explained. "That's where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found and obtained the Elements of Harmony. Something must've happened to it, it must be in danger somehow. We must save it!"
"Well alright then, sounds like a plan!" Applejack happily proclaimed! "Let's go save a... tree, I guess," Then she asked. "And uh, where it would be, exactly?"
The young alicorn gulped and swallowed hard as she confessed. "I can only think of one place." She gestured a hoof off into the distance, and almost immediately everyone knew to what she was referring to: The Evefree Forest itself!
As the reality of the situation slowly sank in for the ponies (as well as Spike and Zecora), Discord excitedly exclaimed as he lounged in a bright red chair and wearing paper glasses with blue and red shades. "Ooh-hoo, how exciting! I'm going to need more popcorn!" And he shook an empty bag of popcorn about to emphasize that point. "Well, don't mind me, ladies. Go do whatever it is you need to do. You surely don't need my help to save some tree."
Hesitant though the ponies (and Spike) were to enter the Everfree Forest, especially with the way things were now, they bravely made their way into the forest with the Elements of Harmony at the ready.
The trek through the forst began to bring back memories for the six memories, memories of the last time they as a group had ventured into the forest together. "Seems like only yesterday we were heading into these woods to find the Elements of Harmony. Isn't it amazing how the time just flies?" Rarity asked.
Everyone nodded (except for Spike who, of course, had not been part of that fateful journey), before Twilight pointed out. "It seems like only yesterday I was still a unicorn who was foolish enough to think I should do it all on my own. Foolish enough to think I didn't need friends, they'd just get in the way. I wouldn't be the pony I am today if I hadn't met you girls," Then she proclaimed. "I don't know what exactly we're going to face on this quest. But whatever it is, we need to face it together." And her friends all nodded in agreement.
A little while later, the ragtag group reached a thick and muddy pond that was far too deep for them to hope to wade through it.
Fortunately, Twilight spotted a solution as she noticed a bunch of inconspicuous looking stones resting on the pond's surface. She stepped onto one as the alicorn proposed to the others. "We can use these to cross. Come on." But then suddenly the stones began to move, causing Twilight to yelp!
As it turned out, the stones were actually just the scales of a large rock like crocodile! And it was clear it intended to snack on the ponies now that they had been foolish enough to disturb it.
"It's a cragadile! Run for your lives!" Rarity shrieked as the ponies (and Spike) all took off in different directions, hoping to make the beast give up.
The cragadile did not do so, however. It instead decided to set its sights on the nearest pony it deemed to be prey. In this case, Twilight Sparkle. And to make matters worse for Twilight, she found herself facing a sudden dead end! Frantically and desperately, she tried to flap her wings in order to escape, only to find that they refused to cooperate with her! Thinking fast, she charged up her horn and shot a beam at the cragadile! But the cragadile was completely unphased.
A horrified Twilight shut her eyes, waiting for the end to come! It never did. Instead, she heard the sound of grunting and snapping. She opened her eyes, and saw to her relief that her friends had quickly wired the cragadile's mouth shut with vines (which had the added effect of leaving it trapped in place, unable to move for the time being). The alicorn breathed a much needed sigh of relief at the close call. "That was close."
Applejack immediately saw fit to comment. "A little too close for comfort if you ask me," Then she asked her alicorn friend. "You sure you're okay, sugarcube? That was a very near thing just then."
Twilight protested. "I'm fine, Applejack! I obviously wasn't expecting a cragadile to show up. If my wings hadn't decided to stop working back there, I would've been fine! It's not like I've been intentionally putting myself in danger or anything. I'm not being careless."
"Aw, don't worry about it," Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. "I'm sure you'll get the hang of your new wings eventually. You just haven't had a chance to really break 'em in yet."
"Well 'eventually' might not be soon enough," Twilight Sparkle frowned. "At least I still have my horn though. I know that won't let me down."
Fluttershy then protested. "Is that why you had to use dark magic on Zecora's memory potion to get it to work? Is that why you rushed off to help us here in Ponyville even after you knew Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were missing, and that you didn't know where they were or what had happened to them?"
Applejack stopped in her tracks as she contemplated. "You know, Fluttershy actually makes a good point. No offense, sugarcube," She turned to Twilight. "But it seems like you've been forgettin' the fact that you're not just an alicorn now. You're an official princess. I know we said that deep down you're still the same old Twilight, but that doesn't mean you can just ignore your new responsibilities. Plus, what if somethin' happens to ya because you felt like you had to come here to help us out?"
Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes. "Applejack, come on! I don't need you protecting me, I can take care of myself!"
"Then how come you almost got eaten by that cragadile back there?" The farm mare inquired with a serious look on her face. "You don't even know if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will come back even if we do manage to save this tree. I don't think Equestria could handle losin' another princess, especially if that princess is you."
Rarity added. "And in Celestia and Luna's absence, even Princess Cadence can't be expected to manage alone. You said it yourself, she delegated to you because she knew you were already in Canterlot and thus would be better suited to taking charge, rather than forcing her to leave the Crystal Empire and put her own responsibilities on hold."
Twilight could hardly believe her ears! Her friends were starting to turn on her, all because of her alicorn status! "This is ridiculous! I'm the reason we've even gotten this far, girls! So I'm a princess now, so what?! You think I would've bothered making you girls my royal advisors if I wasn't planning to still be friends? I could've moved back to Canterlot, but I stayed in Ponyville because I thought that's where I was wanted."
"Look, we're glad you came back to help us, really," Rainbow Dash nervously answered. "But Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy all make good points."
Pinkie Pie found herself forced to chime in. "Yeah, they kind of do. It's okay to think about yourself and how important you are, Twilight. We understand that you won't always be able to come with us or do all the things we used to do. You're a princess now, that's a very big responsibility. Even bigger than me foalsitting the Cake Twins, and let me tell you that was a responsibility I almost couldn't handle."
"If we need your help, we'll certainly call," Fluttershy reluctantly and hesitantly stated. "But until then, maybe it's for the best if you go back to Ponyville. At least then we'll be able to carry on with our search without worrying that something might happen to you."
Spike even declared. "I think I have to go with the girls on this one, Twilight. You've already done a lot for them since you came back to Ponyville. Now it's time for you to trust them to carry on without you. There's no need for you to risk yourself for something that's not guaranteed."
The young alicorn sighed and frowned, sensing that she was outvoted. "I fear you're all making a terrible mistake here, girls. But it seems I can't stop you," She motioned to Spike. "Come on, Spike. We've wasted everypony's time here arguing about this. Let's go back to Ponyville and make sure things are under control." And with that, the alicorn and the baby dragon tured around and began to walk out of the Everfree Forest.
The five other mares watched their friends slowly disappear into the distance. They were certain this was the right move to make, so why it did feel so wrong to them?
Back in Ponyville, Discord was minding his own business and didn't appear to be the least bit concerned about two earth ponies that were tangled up in the thorny vines. He didn't even seem to acknowledge their pleas for help, instead using Gummy as a filer to trim his fingernails.
Twilight came upon the scene and immediately frowned. "Discord!" She scolded the spirit.
"Oh, alright," Discord reluctantly replied. And with a snap of his talons he set the two earth ponies free. He was more than a little bit frustrated to see them immediately take off afterward. "You're welcome!" He shouted, only to receive no reply. "Well, that's gratitude for you. You try to be nice, try to be a hero, and this is the thanks you get!"
Twilight only further scolded. "Maybe they'd be more appreciative if you actually helped them without somepony else needing to tell you to do so. Just a thought."
The spirit only retorted. "Oh, but what would be the fun in that?" Then he inquired. "Speaking of which, how was that little search of yours? No luck finding that tree?"
The young alicorn frowned and pouted. "My friends decided it was best if I come back here, since there wasn't a guarantee we'd find the tree or that saving it would bring back the princesses. All because some stupid cragadile tried to have me for lunch."
The witty draconequus blinked his eyes, eyeballs and everything. "And you just agreed to it? Just like that? And after all that talk about friendship and about solving it together. Never would've thought that after all of that, you'd just declare yourself better than everypony else. And you call yourself the princess of friendship. Ha, what a laugh!"
Twilight stomped a hoof down as she grit her teeth. "I don't think I'm more important than anypony else! It was my friends' idea, not mine. I simply agreed with them because they wouldn't stop talking about how I was needlessly putting myself in danger just for them."
Discord simply snapped his talons, giving Twilight a long, flowing robe made of a blue silk, a large crown, and a golden scepter that had a wooden carving of her face on the end of it. "Oh really? You let your friends decide for you just because of one incident? That never stopped you before," He shrank himself down and began whispering into Twilight's ears. "All you did was choose to keep your precious princess self out of harm's way while your friends thrust themselves right into the thick of it," Then he added. "But not to worry. I'm sure you'll all be the best of pals again when they return from their terrifying yet deeply bonding experience that they're having without you."
At that, something deep inside of the book loving princess began to stir. A realization dawned on her as she threw away the cane and threw off the robe, then took off back towards the Everfree Forest as fast as she could! "You know what, Discord, you're right! Coming back here was a mistake!"
Spike rushed after Twilight, certain that he knew what the real mistake was! "Twilight, come on! Don't listen to Discord, he's just trying to get under your fur!"
"Well it's working!" Twilight firmly declared as she continued her headlong rush. "Since this whole thing started, I've been doing what I thought I should do. But now I'm thinking about others. If something happens to my friends in that forest because I wasn't there, I'll never be able to live with myself. Besides, I didn't become the princess of friendship by staying out of things just because there was a chance I could get hurt."
As Twilight and Spike thus rushed back into the Everfree Forest, the five other mares were doing their best to carry on despite the decision they'd made. It had seemed like the right one to make at the time, but now they were starting to be filled with regret and guilt for it.
Rainbow Dash then spoke up to dispell the abrupt air of silence that had fallen over the group. "Anypony else starting to think this is a lost cause?" She wondered aloud while flapping her wings. "We've been marching for who knows how long and we haven't found anything. Maybe there is no Tree of Harmony, maybe Twilight was just seeing things when she drank that crazy potion."
"Or maybe it's right down there," Applejack suggested as she pointed a hoof to a small gorge. "Look!"
Everypony's eyes became drawn to the depths of the gorge that was just beneath the rope bridge that led to the Castle of the Two Sisters. And when they did so they saw a sight they knew they had never seen before! There stood a truly massive tree that bore Twilight's cutie mark on its trunk. But in contrast to how Twilight had described it, it didn't look beautiful at all. It was drab and covered with the thick vines.
Rainbow could hardly believe her eyes! "No way! Twilight was telling the truth after all! Can't believe we never noticed that tree before."
"To be fair, the last time we were in this part of the woods, it was dark and filled with mist," Rarity pointed out. "Pretty easy to overlook something we didn't know about," Then she asked. "The real question is, how are we supposed to get to it?"
Just then, a series of thuds and bumps reached everypony's ears as they turned to look, and saw Pinkie Pie tumbling down a huge flight of stairs. When she had reached the bottom, the pink party pony proclaimed. "Take the stairs, silly!" And the other mares followed her lead without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were trying their best to retrace their steps in the hopes of being reunited with their friends. Unfortunately, they appeared to have found themselves in an unfamiliar part of the forest. And by now, worry was starting to fill every ounce of their being.
"I think we're lost," Twilight glumly admitted as she halted right in her tracks. "What was I thinking letting my friends talk me into going back? I never should've left them!"
"Hey, we can't give up now!" Spike firmly insisted as he reached out a claw to Twilight. "We've already come this far, we have to see it through to the end," Then he got an idea as his eyes spotted a fairly large tree nearby. "Hey, I know! I bet if I climb up this tree, I'll be able to spot 'em. Just stay there and don't wander off!" He jumped down from the alicorn's back, raced over to the tree, and slowly but surely ascended it branch by branch.
"Can you see them?!" Twilight shouted up to the little dragon.
The little dragon shouted back. "Not yet!" Then he started scanning all around, taking advantage of his heightened surroundings to survey the forest in greater detail. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the forms of five very familiar mares down in a gorge a short ways away. "Well whaddya know, there they are!" He declared and jumped down, ready to tell Twilight the good news.
But Twilight had far more urgent matters occupying her attention at the moment. A mysterious black plant had somehow snuck up on her, and it had sprayed her with some kind of dust cloud that overwhelmed her senses. She became disoriented and coughed, unable to focus! And to make matters worse, more of the plants were starting to surround and overwhelm her!
"Twilight!" Spike screamed as he rushed to the scene of disaster!
The young alicorn simply threw up a hoof as she managed to choke out. "Run... run away... Spike! Get... get help! G-go... now!"
Hesitantly and reluctantly, Spike nevertheless obeyed!
The five other mares had no idea what was happening to Twilight right now. They were more concerned about what was happening to the Tree of Harmony.
Fluttershy let out a gasp when she observed the vines surrounding the tree, draining color from it! "I think it's dying!" She exclaimed! "We've got to do something, quick!"
"So let's stop talkin' and start savin' it already!" Applejack proclaimed as she rushed forward, trying to grab onto one of the vines and pull it away! When she tried to do so, however, more vines snuck up from behind and struck her, tossing her back!
Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings. "Nice try, AJ. Leave this to me!" She zoomed close to the tree, hoping to kick away the vines as she extended one of her legs outward. But the vines just tightened and circled around each other, resisting any attempt by the brash speedster to move them. She was flung back a moment later, hitting the ground with a thud.
Rarity then spoke up. "A valiant effort on both of your parts, but the tree remains in jeopardy."
Adjusting her stetson, the farm mare grumbled. "And I suppose you've got a better idea?" When Rarity shrugged her hooves, she declared. "That's what I thought. Don't think unicorn magic's gonna help us here."
Fluttershy then proclaimed. "I know one pony who might know what to do," Then she hung her head in shame as she whimpered. "But we sent her away."
It didn't take long for an argument to break out as Rainbow Dash accusingly pointed a hoof at Applejack and snapped! "This is all your fault! It was your idea to send Twilight back, Applejack!"
Applejack argued back! "We all agreed to it, Rainbow Dash! Now's not the time to be pointin' hooves! We were tryin' to protect her!"
Before Rainbow could reply, there came the sound of tumbling and thudding. The mares rushed over as they saw that the one who had made the noises was none other than Spike. He was bruised and battered, and his eyes were wide open! It seemed he'd been to Tartarus and back since they'd seen him last. And more concerningly, Twilight wasn't with him.
Spike frantically managed to force out. "Twilight! Trouble! Help!"
Once the mares were able to extract more details from Spike, they quickly decided to put their efforts to save the Tree of Harmony on hold! Right now, they had a friend to save! It was a good thing that they did, because by the time they made it back to Twilight's location, the black plants looked about ready to finish her off!
Thinking quickly, Applejack pulled out a rope from under her trusty stetson and used it to lasso one of the plants, pulling it to the ground! With narrowed eyes and a somber expression she proclaimed. "Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"
And soon, the five mares were able to bring down all of the plants and help Twilight to safety. The young alicorn was most grateful for the rescue as she slowly but surely managed to shake off the disorientation that had paralyzed her just seconds earlier.
When the rescue was over, the farm mare breathed a sigh of relief and exclaimed. "I sure am glad we found ya when we did. And I'm glad you came lookin' for us."
Twilight replied. "Not as glad as I am that you found me. That's twice now in one day you've saved me from certain doom."
Rarity just massaged the back of her neck with a hoof as she admitted. "The truth is, Twilight, we'd simply be lost without you to guide us. You're always the one who knows what to do in these situations, we never should've doubted you."
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed. "Even if Equestria needs a princess..."
Fluttershy then chimed in. "...We need our friend."
The happy reunion was short lived, however, as Twilight Sparkle soon declared. "We can save the apologies for later. Right now, we've got a tree to save! Let's hurry, before it's too late!"
Twilight followed her friends back to the gorge they'd been down in just a short time ago. Even she was surprised at just how bad a state the Tree of Harmony was in. And she soon found that the vines surrounding it resisted any and all attempts to move them: Be it through magic or other means.
The alicorn princess was stumped. How was she supposed to save a tree if the very objects draining its life energy refused to move or budge an inch?
Suddenly, Twilight began to remember what Princess Celestia had said in the flashback, back when the sun princess had first discovered the Tree of Harmony all those years ago. It was then that Twilight knew what needed to be done. Turning to her friends, she said to them all. "I know how we can save the tree. We have to give it the Elements of Harmony. We need to return them to the place they came from."
Naturally, everypony else (along with Spike) were shocked at such an idea! Rainbow Dash was the first to voice her objections to the proposal! "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Give up the elements?! Are you crazy?! How are we supposed to protect Equestria without them?!"
Twilight countered. "We didn't need them to defeat Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra. Besides, I'm sure if we really need them again, the tree won't mind if we borrw the elements for a little while."
Rarity then inquired. "But what about Discord? How are we supposed to keep him in line if we can no longer turn him to stone if he gets out of hoof again? Heck, even with the elements, he's barely helped us at all since he reformed."
"We'll just have to rely on our friendship to keep him in line," Twilight insisted. "We didn't think it'd ever be possible to reform him, but Fluttershy found a way," Then she added. "The elements might have brought us together, but they're not what's kept us together for over two years now. Our friendship is more important and much 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."
"I hope you're right, Twilight," Fluttershy insisted with concern. "But I think we'd better act soon. The Tree of Harmony's not gonna last much longer!"
The young alicorn nodded. "You're right! It's now or never!" To her friends she all asked! "Are you with me?!"
The five other mares all shouted in unison! "Yeah!" And then, one by one, they watched as Twilight took the gemstones out of the necklaces, as well as the tiara that ressembled her crown. The gemstones began to circle around her as she flew frantically towards the Tree of Harmony, ready to save it!
But as the alicorn princess drew near, the vines suddenly reached out and ensnared her! Twilight struggled just to move! It took every ounce of strength and magical power she had to slowly move the gemstones back onto the branches of the Tree of Harmony. Then, finally, she was able to place the gemstone for the Element of Magic back into the center of the tree. When she did so, the tree began to glow a brilliant shade of white!
The newly restored magic from the tree was enough to dispel the vines, and not just from around it either. All of the black, thorny vines were slowly but surely erased, until there was not a single one left.
And then, to the surprise of everyone, walls of vines on both sides of the tree disappeared to reveal Princess Celestia and Princess Luna: Completely unharmed.
Princess Celestia was the first to speak up as she approached Twilight. "Thank you, Twilight. It seems that once again, Equestria as well as Luna and I owe you a great debt of thanks for what you've done," She was quick to add. "Luna and I know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the elements. It took great courage to relinquish them. Truly, a hallmark of a great princess. You continue to make me proud every day, Twilight."
Twilight blushed despite her best efforts not to appear affected by what the sun princess had said. But then something caught her eye! The tree suddenly produced on a flower a glowing, crystal-like chest that had six key holes on it. She trotted over and inspected this mysterious chest. "What's inside it?" She asked the other princesses. "How am I supposed to open it?"
"That is a mystery even to us, I'm afraid," Princess Luna confessed. "Though the six locks hardly seemes like a coincidence. There must be six keys needed to unlock the chest and its contents."
Princess Celestia nodded in approval of what her sister had said, and then added. "I have no clue as to where those keys might be, but I can safely say that this mystery is one you will not be solving alone, Twilight," Then she changed the subject. "But for now, we must get out of this forest. The Everfree Forest will need time to readjust to having the Tree of Harmony's magic fully active again. And there is still a Summer Sun Celebration to be held."
Discord was waiting when Twilight and her friends exited the Everfree Forest. He'd even gone so far as to set up banners and flags celebrating ther victory, and he blew loudly on a party horn! "Bravo, ladies, bravo! Another spectacular performance!" And he saw fit to ask. "So, how did you save the day this time? Come on, don't hold back on the details! Did you blast the baddies with those magic necklaces of yours?"
Twilight took a deep breath and prepared to speak. "Well actually, Discord, we..."
The spirit didn't bother to wait for Twilight to finish her sentence, especially since he began to notice something that drew his attention. "-Hey, where are those little trinkets of yours, anyway?" He asked as he shrank himself down to microscopic size, and started inspecting the six ponies very carefully. "You know, the ones you could use to send me back to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison if I should misbehave?"
Applejack reluctantly confessed with a sigh. "That's what we were about to tell you, Discord. They're gone. We had to give 'em up."
"What?! Gone?!" Discord exclaimed as he returned to his original size. "What do you mean gone?!" Then, slowly, it dawned on him what that meant. "Gone?" A malicious smirk slowly began to spread across his face.
Fluttershy was quick to shut down whatever thoughts Discord might have about taking advantage of the situation. "They may be gone, but our friendship still remains. And if you want to stay friends with us, you'll stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking and help us clean up. Understand?"
Discord had been slowly shrinking in size as Flutterhy effortlessly put him in his place. "It's just like you, Fluttershy, to make a guy feel small," He lamented. Then, he poofed himself back to normal size and dawned a maid's outfit while grumbling. "Fine. But I don't do windows." And he began to walk away.
As Twilight watched the witty spirit stroll off towards the distance, a nagging thought began to knaw at her. "There's still one thing I don't get about all of this. Just what caused those vines to appear? No evil force was behind them, nopony cast a spell, so where did the vines come from?"
By chance, the draconequus overheard the princess' pondering and promptly proclaimed. "I have no idea. Your guess is as good as mine. Those seeds I planted should have sprouted up ages ago."
Hearing the word "seeds" caused Twilight to blink and bat an eye. "What did you say?" She asked, hoping beyond hope she had misheard somehow.
Discord only replied with a laugh. "Oh, why bother to explain it when you can see for yourself?" He then produced the memory potion Twilight had modified earlier, shoved it into Twilight's mouth and watched as she drank down the last of the concotion. Just like before, her eyes began to flash with a brilliant white light, triggering another flashback.
This time, the flashback was the same one Twilight had seen before: The one where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had defeated Discord and turned him to stone. Even the words spoken by the two alicorn sisters was the same.
However, this time the flashback was accompanied by the present Discord providing his own little narration. In particular, he drew attention to the black seeds he had been munching on just prior to the fight. "Well, as you can clearly see, things obviously didn't go quite the way I'd hoped," He willingly confessed. "I didn't realize until too late that those pony princesses weren't playing around. But even then, it shouldn't have mattered. My plunderseeds should have stolen the magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna over a thousand years ago."
Then the memory changed, showing the seeds starting to sprout into vines. But before they could break through to the surface, a magical barrier blocked their path. Discord was explaining. "Alas, it seems the tree had enough magic to keep the seeds from growing up big and strong. Until now, that is. When you unleashed that doozy of a master spell and threw the elements all out of whack, you upset the balance and forced the Tree of Harmony to use what power it had left to restore everything to normal. After that, it was only a matter of time until my seeds turned into vines and did what they were supposed to do."
The flashback ended as Twilight narrowed her eyes at Discord, and with a harsh glare she told him in no uncertain terms. "So you were behind all this after all, just not intentionally?! You realize this is information we could have used hours ago?!"
The spirit feigned innocence. "To tell you the truth, even I forgot about them until they sprouted up. Besides, even if I had told you the truth, you and your friends would've just blasted me back to stone right then and there, and I probably would've deserved it. However, if that had happened, you'd have never learned about Celestia's past, or that valuable lesson about what it truly means to be a princess," He pulled on Twilight's cheek as he added. "What kind of a friend would I have been if I'd let all that happen?"
The young alicorn could only groan. "Don't push your luck, Discord. This better not happen again, for your sake."
Discord simply waved a paw. "You have my word. But in the meantime, don't you have a city to get back to and a Summer Sun Celebration to take part in?"
A short time later, Twilight had obtained a new crown to replace her old one that had been based on the tiara that housed the Element of Magic. Princess Cadence had happily relinquished authority back to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but decided to stay in Canterlot for the duration of the Summer Sun Celebration since she was already there.
The celebration went on as planned despite the unexpected delay that had occurred. None of the citizens of Canterlot were any the wiser as to what had happened in Ponyville.
Soon, with the blaring of trumpets, Princess Celestia stepped out onto the stage that had been erected for the celebration. She immediately gestured a hoof, calling for the silence of the crowd. And once she had obtained it she spoke at length. "Citizens of Equestria, it is no longer with a heavy heart but with great joy that I raise the summer sun today," She paused briefly to steady her emotions, watching as her sister came trotting out onto the stage to join her. Then she continued. "For this celebration now represents not the defeat of the Nightmare Moon, but the joyus return of my sister, Princess Luna."
"And now," Princess Luna declared. "It is with great pleasure we that officially welcome the newest princess of Equestria into our ranks. Princess Twilight Sparkle shall now perform her big finish."
Twilight needed no further instructions. She flapped her wings and managed to take off into the air without trouble. She even generated a shockwave that burst outward in all directions in the shape of her cutie mark, it even had the same color as the six sided star on her flanks.
Twilight's friends all proudly cheered as they witnessed the big finish go off without a hitch! Twilight had fully settled into her new role and new title, and she hadn't changed a bit from the pony they'd known from when she was still a unicorn.
Of course, there was the matter of the search for the six keys. But that could wait. For the time being, everypony was just happy things were back to normal, more or less.