We performed several more times in different cities before Applejack was brought to us, and then a few days later it was Lyra Heartstrings. At this point, the company had to get two rooms for our group to share, though every morning we would have a short conference over breakfast. I had called Brenda again, but this time got no answer as her phone went to voicemail after ringing several times. I wasn't sure what to think, so I asked a company exec to check on her for me and get back to me as soon as possible. Twilight expressed some degree of concern for her safety as well, though she remembered her poor attitude toward me and told me not to worry too much.
The room arrangement we had was such that Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack and I would share a room. Lyra, Trixie and Rainbow would share a room and wait for another pony to join. Applejack's human was a male and Lyra's was female. My guess is that the execs wanted to keep the human genders separated, though Gwen and Brooke didn't get along too well. Lyra's human was able to make a truce between the two, though, so everything went pretty well, though the adjustment time for some ponies took longer than in other cases.
Our performances were separated as well, so we could impress more people. The only problem with this was that Trixie and I and our magic duel performance was the real headliner and got the most attention, to the point the execs were toying with the idea of having us perform in a stadium which seated 10,000 people. My guess is that they wanted us to go all out, no holds barred, full-tilt boogie against each other. Twilight was aghast at the idea and I expressed an opinion that it was a very bad idea to do that -- unless they wanted us to perform outdoors, with necessary safety precautions. One exec gleefully rubbed his hands together in eager anticipation and I glowered at him. There was a part of me that was starting to wonder how smart my initial decision to become a spokespony was, though having every need addressed and not having to worry about money seemed to alleviate my concerns somewhat.
It was on the day named in honor of Andrew Johnson that Fluttershy was finally integrated into our group. With all six of the Elements gathered, I called a small conference just for the Element Bearers. We formulated a strategy, but needed Princess Celestia's help. I called Brenda once again to see if I could reach her. This time I received a message that the number was not in service, which had me quite worried.
"Hey, Twi, how're we s'posed ta get ahold of the Princess if ya can't reach her?" asked Applejack.
"I think maybe I need to concentrate my magic to see if I can communicate with her telepathically," I replied. I wasn't really sure how well that would work, but I tried anyway. "Clear some room, ladies, I'm gonna try something." They cleared back a bit and I stood in the center of the room. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Princess Celestia's location, focusing on where I though she might be. I lit my horn to try to send her a message, but instead of a message being sent, I disappeared from the room in a bright flash of light and a magenta POP. I appeared in the throne room of a castle, the Alicorn sitting on her throne.
"Hello, Twilight, my faithful student! I wasn't expecting you to appear in my throne room -- it's truly a rare occurrence. Is something the matter? I see a worried look on your face," the Solar Princess stated.
"Discord roams my homeworld, as you suspected -- there are more ponies there now than a few weeks before -- and all of the Element Bearers are there as well. We need the artifacts, or duplicates of them if possible, so that we may track down Discord and banish him, your Majesty," I stated solemnly.
"So, you came from Earth to visit me? I am most impressed, um -- do I call you Twilight? Or do I call you by your human name?"
"My human name is Michael Walker, though you may call me whatever you wish, your Majesty."
"Very well then, Michael. How well do you know the others? If you haven't established strong enough bonds of friendship with the others, the Elements may not work as well as you might think. There's a reason why the magic of friendship is as strong as it is -- it requires strong bonds to create strong magic," the Alicorn explained.
"So there is only one set of Elements then?" I asked.
"Essentially, yes, Michael. I can create duplicates, though they may not have the strength of the originals. I am quite loath to lend you the originals, as I cannot ascertain with any degree of confidence that your compatriots have created sufficiently strong friendships with each other."
"So we have to let Discord continue to roam my world freely?" I asked.
"Has he done any serious damage?"
"He has changed our calendar in a most peculiar way," I replied.
"He can be rather mischievous," Celestia grinned. "Did he inform you as to his plans?"
"I guess he said he wanted to drain us emotionally, perhaps to discourage us from trying to stop him," I replied flatly.
"There exists the possibility that he is aware of your collective existence, but he probably also knows that your bonds of friendship are not strong enough to effectively wield the Elements of Harmony. All of you will need to work together to strengthen those bonds before you can use the Elements. I cannot lend you ours."
"Yes, your Majesty. I apologize for imposing on you like this. I shall return to my homeworld then. Perhaps we can meet again sometime -- it was a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia," I smiled.
"Farewell, Michael, and good luck. You're going to need it."
I lit my horn and concentrated on the location I had left and disappeared in a flash of light and magenta POP. I materialized in the same spot I had left, the others chatting among themselves.
"So how'd it go?" asked Nick.
"I teleported to Celestia's throne room and had a brief discussion with her. She says that we need to strengthen our bonds of friendship before the Elements of Harmony can be successfully used against Discord," I said, somewhat sullenly.