Time and Space in Harmony
by Inkspots
Chapter 2
Twilight was too hungover to conjure up a telekinetic field that morning, so she nursed her coffee cup with her hooves. She was going for maximum efficiency, so she simply laid her head on the table and periodically worked up the strength to tip the cup towards her mouth. This was a brilliant solution, because it also allowed her to hide from her parents’ gaze behind the massive seasonal centerpiece her mother had put on the table.
In her more generous moments, Twilight admitted that she was too old to stumble home drunk to her parent’s house, fail to open the door with a key and end up melting the lock off of the door, but these things happen to even the best of ponies, she thought.
But most ponies weren’t Princesses.
“Twilight, eat some toast,” her mother said sternly. A blackened slab of bread dripping with an ambiguous goo floated towards her. It was revolting.
“Shiny can eat it,” Twilight mumbled.
“Prince Shining Armor is busy in the Crystal Empire being married and ruling a kingdom and no doubt being a good boy and eating some toast if his lovely wife offers it to him,” Twilight Velvet said.
“Honey, come on,” came her dad’s voice, trying to calm the situation. “This really isn’t a big deal, and she said she’d buy us a new lock.”
Twilight wondered briefly if she had enough composure to successfully teleport outside of the room. She determined that no, she did not. She spilled some coffee on the table, and decided consciously that she wasn’t going to clean it up. There came a knock on the door, and her father got up to go answer it. After a moment he returned and gave Twilight a letter. It had the royal seal on it. Twilight gingerly tried to pry it open with her hooves, but after a few moments her father opened it with magic and handed it back to her.
“Don’t help her, she deserves this,” her mother said.
Twilight tried to glare at her mother, but all she could see was the fruit and flower summer themed centerpiece, so Twilight glared at a pear for a moment, then read the letter. Maddeningly, the handwriting was as fluid and elegant as ever. Twilight wondered if Celestia was somehow immune to hangovers, and decided probably.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Thank you for your company this weekend. It is good to have a friend with you in difficult times. And in the difficult times ahead, I know you will have the best of friends at your side. I have a new assignment for you, and I am quite sure it will be the most difficult task I have ever given you.
I am granting you the title Princess of Harmonia. I would like you to travel to the Everfree Forest and restore the Kingdom of Harmonia to its former glory, either through the reversal of whatever foul magics corrupted it, or its reconstruction by traditional means. Though I and other ponies have wielded the Elements of Harmony in the past, none have come close to embodying their timeless essence as you and your friends, and as such, there are no better ponies for the task of restoring the Kingdom of Harmonia.
Come see me when you are feeling better, and we can talk at length.
Your Friend,
Celestia
Twilight nodded, as if she was listening to the Princess speaking. Then she stood up, the first of a number of bad decisions.
“Oh, well, sorry mom, I gotta run. I’m the Princess of Harmonia. A kingdom. A real one. And it needs me to run it. So I’m off to do that,” Twilight knew that sounded lame. “Sparkle, out!” That was better. Then she teleported outside into the shrubs in the front yard, instead of into her room upstairs. Then she threw up.
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Harmonia.
* * * * * *
“Did you not get the ‘Don’t Drink and Fly’ lecture in school?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I didn’t fly,” Twilight replied. She was back in Ponyville, in her Library. All of her friends were splayed out on cushions around her.
“Yes and the phrase for Unicorns is ‘Drinking and Magic, Always Tragic,’” Rarity replied.
“You all are ignoring the best part of this story,” Pinkie cut in. “‘Sparkle, out’ is a great catch phrase. If I could teleport I’d be all like ‘Pinkie OUT!’ Bam! Gone.”
“I still can’t believe you got drunk with a Princess,” Applejack said.
“I still can’t believe we’re talking about this, I have other news!” Twilight replied.
“Is it more shocking that Celestia teleporting wine bottles out of the castle cellar?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Actually, yes,” Twilight said. She told her friends about Star Swirl the Bearded, the Kingdom of Harmonia, and her assignment from Celestia. Everypony was taken aback.
“So you’re telling me I stood in the Kingdom of Harmonia?” Applejack asked.
“We all did, we just didn’t know it,” Twilight replied.
“Well I feel like a storybook character,” Applejack said.
“Like Daring-Do! We’re going to crawl through ancient ruins and probably dodge dart traps-”
“I really don’t think they’ll have dart traps,” Twilight said.
“-And swing on vines and solve puzzles, fight our way out of snake pits-”
“There are no snake pits,” Twilight cut in.
Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight. “A girl can dream, can’t she?”
“But, the place was in ruins, are we going to have to rebuild the buildings and everything?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a construction pony.”
“Well, we might have to bring in construction crews, but for a whole Kingdom to just cease to be, it seems very likely magic played a part in it. If so, reversing it may take care of some or all of the problems,” Twilight explained. “But maybe not. If it comes to it though, no one’s asking you to be a construction pony, Fluttershy, but you know the Everfree Forest is full of strange monsters. And you’re just the pony I’d want helping me with that.” Twilight took a deep breath. “This more than just an assignment though, it’s also sort of a job offer and... a new home. And I know that’s a lot to ask, but there’s no one in the world I would rather have with me than you guys.”
“How is this even a hard question? Of course I’m down. I’m not going to turn down the chance to be Weather-Master General for an entire kingdom,” Dash said.
“But what about becoming a Wonderbolt?” Twilight asked.
“Oh yeah,” Dash rubbed her chin for a moment. “You know what? I’ll start my own flying team. Wings of Harmony or, well, something better than that, that’s a terrible name. But you know what I mean, a better team! All I know is if I stayed here to join the Wonderbolts, and all my friends moved away, I wouldn’t be happy for very long. Maybe one or two seasons, depending on the schedule,” Rainbow Dash said.
“What about the rest of you?” Twilight asked.
The rest of the ponies talked it over out loud. In truth, Ponyville would be the closest town to Harmonia Kingdom, it would probably take two days on hoof, a half day on the wing or by train if they connected it to the train network.
Twilight looked at Applejack across the room. She was silently tapping her hooves together, deep in thought. Twilight knew from the start that asking Applejack to leave Sweet Apple Acres would be the hardest part. Rarity decided she would hire a sales pony to run Carousel Boutique and open a new store in Harmonia. Fluttershy admitted that she was well over the pet limit on her lease and could take the opportunity to build a properly sized Animal Rescue. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie didn’t have a good reason not to go.
“Well, what are we waiting for then?” Applejack said.
“You’re coming?” Twilight asked.
“Of course I am. I’m an Apple Family pony. And an Apple Family member has been part of every frontier settlement worth a hay in the last five hundred years,” Applejack said. “To be honest, I was probably going to be leaving Sweet Apple Acres soon anyway.”
Everypony was shocked at the admission.
“Now hold on, it’s not like that. Big Mac would never come out and say it, but him and Carrot Top have been sweet on each other for a few years now. And I know they want a mess of fillies between the two of them. If I didn’t leave, they’d have to build a new house somewhere on the property before they could get hitched, and that kind of money would take awhile. The quicker I get out of their hair the quicker they can get on with their life,” Applejack explained. “Besides, any of you ponies know how to grow food? Exactly.”
* * * * * *
Later that night after her friends left Twilight had a stack of letters to send out. So, after putting it off for years, she went into the Library and dug out a book she had been avoiding. It was Birch Wand the Younger’s Exhaustive Guide to Matter Displacement, second edition. She opened up the first chapter.
There are two methods of approach when the unicorn wishes to displace matter. The purist’s approach involves the proper combination of teleportation effects, the reduction of complex forms to manageable variables within the mathemagical equation, and passive remote viewing combined with inanimate geases. The practical approach is simulating dragon fire, which to this day far surpasses our efforts in Matter Displacement in speed, accuracy, and efficiency, with no effort on the part of the dragons to hone or even understand the mechanics of the spell.
“Is that Birch Wand’s second edition?” Spike asked from behind her. “Oh no, you’re leaving me here, you’re going to go off to Harmonia and leave me to clean the library forever!”
“Spike, I’m doing no such thing,” Twilight said. “But having you around has meant that I’ve put off learning this rather basic spell for years.” Twilight closed the book and turned around. Spike was covered head to toe in mud and dragging a wooden chest that was so full of gems it couldn’t shut properly. “Traveling supplies, eh?”
Spike looked at the chest. “Hey, a dragon’s got to eat. I can only put up with hay and flowers for so long.”
“Well put it in the cellar and clean yourself up. Then, you can send these letters. They’re important, so it might actually be a bad idea for me to try sending them without some practice,” Twilight admitted.
“Alright, now we’re talking,” Spike grabbed the pile of letters and blasted them with green flame, dissolving them in a puff of smoke.
“How do you know they’ll get there?” Twilight asked. She had asked before.
“A letter knows where it needs to go,” Spike replied before dragging the chest of gems to the cellar.
* * * * * *
After the letters went out a sudden flurry of activity descended on Ponyville that meant every pony in town knew about the expedition in less than a day. Big Mac proposed to Carrot Top, Rarity and the Cakes put out help wanted signs, and Fluttershy started appearing around every corner, thrusting pets into the hooves of unsuspecting ponies. Twilight met with the mayor and resigned as town Librarian, adding that Cheerilee could look after the Library until school started again in the Fall. Celestia sent a letter informing Twilight that an account had been opened at the Ponyville Bank, the money within intended to outfit her expedition for the journey ahead.
After that came more letters. Letter from her brother and sister-in-law, congratulating her on her new position. A letter from her father, wishing her safety and telling her that her mother would stop being mad and be proud of her in a month or two. From then on Twilight lived in a hectic post office, with Derpy appearing at all hours with letters and packages and Spike spitting out missives so often his stomach ached.
But as chaotic as it was she knew she was better off than Applejack.. Sweet Apple Acres had turned into a mad house. The wagons and supplies for the expedition were being assembled there. While all that was going on Big Mac had insisted that Applejack be the Best Mare at his wedding, and that he get married before she left. This left less than a month for the couple to plan their entire wedding.
Eventually, it was proposed that their wedding reception be combined into a Wedding Reception/Going Away Party for the ponies leaving town on the expedition, with essentially every pony in town attending, as well as Princess Celestia, a few dozen ponies from Canterlot, and a handful of Cloudsdale Pegasi. At that point Carrot Top dropped to her knees and begged Pinkie Pie to arrange everything for her so she could hide in the hayloft till it was all over.
Finally, a little under a month after Twilight sat in the Star Swirl the Bearded Section of the Canterlot Library and met Star Swirl the Bearded, Big Mac and Carrot Top walked down the aisle at their wedding, said their e’yups, and were married. Twilight cried a little and Applejack cried a lot, all over the beautiful Best Mare gown Rarity had made for her. Their wedding reception was easily the biggest party that had ever been thrown in Ponyville, and once Pinkie Pie realized just how many ponies were coming she decided the location for the party would have to be the entire southern orchard. So long tables were set up between each row of trees with candles hanging over the tables and the air lit by a flock of fireflies Fluttershy had somehow talked into attending the wedding. Twilight warned her expedition that they would be leaving early the next morning and that everypony should go easy on the drinks, but there were dozens of toasts and casks of cider constantly being tapped and drained. Less than an hour into the reception Carrot Top fell asleep sitting at the head table, so Big Mac announced they were leaving. It took them another half hour to escape to a carriage that was waiting to take them to their honeymoon.
“Welp, I’m probably going to be an Aunt ten months from tomorrow,” Applejack said, sitting down on the bench next to Twilight. They were off on the far edge of the party, surrounded by only a handful of ponies and a low murmur of conversation.
“Not ten months from tonight?” Twilight asked.
“My brother hasn’t slept in three days, and she hasn’t slept in four. I reckon the carriage driver is going to have to toss them out himself,” Applejack explained. Twilight sipped her cider without responding. “You’ve got something on your mind, sugarcube.”
“Just thinking about tomorrow,” Twilight said.
“You nervous?”
“Well, yes,” Twilight admitted.
“You know why? Because you’re a smart filly. It’s real easy for a fool to be confident. But Princess Celestia picked you for this because you’re capable of doing it,” Applejack explained. “We’re always doing crazy things like this, and we’re going to be fine. Except Rarity, she’s going to die of an allergic reaction to trail dust. But the rest of us will be fine.”
Twilight chuckled. “I’ll tell her you said that, she’ll make you pay for the dress.”
Applejack snorted. “Now come on, lets hike on over to the dance floor and cut loose a little.”
“You know I’m a sucker for dancing,” Twilight said.
“You do suck at dancing, but it’s a hoot to watch,” Applejack replied.
“AJ!” the mare was already galloping away, so Twilight bolted after her.
On the dance floor Pinkie Pie was cutting a large swath with her wild gyrations. She caught sight of Twilight and bounced over. “Alright Commander Sparkle, the dancing will have to wait. The envoys from the Princesses are here and you still haven’t met them.”
“I’ve been really busy Pinkie Pie,” Twilight replied.
“More like been really shy, come on, this’ll be fun,” Pinkie grabbed Twilight around the neck and hurried her off towards the buffet. There, a red-brown unicorn was munching away on an apple fritter.
“Twilight, this is Princess Celestia’s envoy, her name is-”
“Quick Fix,” Twilight finished.
“Awww, you already know her?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“We went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns together,” Twilight explained.
“Yeah, we did,” Quick Fix said, blushing.
“That’s so super cool, so you’re a master wizard pony like Twilight?” Pinkie asked.
“Oh no, no I’m not anything special,” Quick Fix replied.
“Nonsense, you’re the best Artificer I’ve ever known. I think pretty much every telescope I have is still using the calibrations you suggested from school,” Twilight said.
“Art-i-what?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“I just tinker a bit,” Quick Fix replied.
“She creates complex magical devices that mimic or perform spell effects. It’s something I’ve tried my hoof at, but I’m nowhere close to Quick Fix’s level,” Twilight explained.
“Oh, stop it,” Quick Fix said.
“Spells huh, oh! Could you like, build a set of shoes that lets Earth Ponies walk on clouds like a pegasus?” Pinkie asked.
“Uh, well, maybe, if I had the right supplies-”
Pinkie grabbed Quick Fix in a hug.
“You are the best friend a pony could ask for!” Pinkie said with a squeeze.
“Uh, Pinkie, we should track down the other two envoys,” Twilight suggested, hoping to spare Quick Fix from being hugged to death.
“You’re right. Nice to meet you Quick Fix,” Pinkie said before walking away.
Quick Fix hoarsely managed a vague reply as she rubbed her ribs. Twilight and Pinkie headed off towards the Zap Apple grove, where Twilight assumed Pinkie knew a pony would be. The grove was quiet because it lacked tables or party decor, but the air was dotted with the light of Fluttershy’s fireflies, which was enough to spot the shimmering pony they were looking for.
“Twilight, this is Jade,” Pinkie Pie said.
“Good evening Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Jade said.
“Please, Twilight is fine. So Princess Cadence sent you?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, she did,” Jade replied. “After Celestia sent her a description of the kingdom of Harmonia, Cadence suspected you would need my skills. I’m an Arcane Herbalist. All of the food grown in the Crystal Kingdom is grown under magical conditions since the ground is technically tundra. And I think magical conditions will be needed to grow food in a kingdom with no day or night.”
“You’re right, I honestly didn’t even think of that,” Twilight replied. “So you like the Zap Apple Trees?”
“They’re beautiful. I just wish I could be here when they bear fruit,” Jade replied.
“They’re crazy,” Pinkie Pie said. “There are Timber Wolves and a lightning storm zaps the whole grove and each apple is rainbow colored.”
“It sounds amazing,” Jade said. “I’m surprised they bear fruit without an Arcane Herbalist tending them.”
“Granny Smith has been looking after them for decades,” Twilight explained. “She figured out how to grow them by watching the wild Zap Apple Trees in the forest. Actually, we might end up growing them in Harmonia, they’re native to the Everfree Forest.”
“I should go talk to Granny Smith then,” Jade said.
“And we should go track down the last envoy,” Pinkie Pie said.
Twilight and Pinkie Pie headed back through the party and towards the clearing where they had the wagons waiting for the next morning. Just beyond the clearing they found three barrels that hadn’t been loaded on yet. Twilight picked them up with her magic and floated them over to the clearing. There, Twilight spotted a dark figure standing guard. It was a stallion in dark blue armor. As they approached Twilight realized it was a member of Luna’s Night Guard. His wings were made of a leathery membrane, his eyes were golden with vertical pupils, and rather than a mane he had another spined membrane running down the back of his neck, protruding from his helmet.
“Twilight, this is Dark Matter, he’s a member of the Night Guard,” Pinkie Pie said. Twilight set the barrels down to greet him.
“Good evening, Dark Matter, how are you?”
“Princess,” he said with a salute. “Princess Luna has ordered me to be your personal guard. I will defend you with my life.”
The three stood in silence.
“So, are you excited to be going,” Twilight asked.
“I am concerned with the dangers we will face,” he replied.
More silence followed. Twilight looked for something to do, so she decided to float the three barrels into the back of the wagon and then cleared her throat.
“Well, that’s done. I think we’ll go find Applejack,” Twilight said.
“I will stand guard here till morning,” Dark Matter said.
Twilight and Pinkie Pie slowly walked away.
“Well that’s a dour pony,” Twilight said.
“He seems really nice,” Pinkie Pie said. “I bet he’s going to enjoy himself.”
Twilight shook her head, then walked onto the dance floor. Applejack grabbed her almost instantly and pulled her into a square dance.
* * * * * *
Twilight and Applejack stumbled up the stairs of the farmhouse. Neither were particularly drunk, but their hooves ached from dancing and both had been working double overtime for weeks.
“We’re all up in my room tonight. All the guest rooms are full o’ponies,” Applejack mumbled.
Upstairs Applejack’s room was covered in sleeping bags. Rarity and Fluttershy were already asleep, with Rarity snoring loudly. Twilight’s sleeping bag was under the window. Applejack made for the bed, but found Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash curled up together in it. So she left them to it and dragged Pinkie’s sleeping bag over next to Twilight.
“Remind me, do they think we don’t know about them?” Applejack asked.
“I uh...I think it’s supposed to be a secret? I have no idea,” Twilight said as she climbed into the sleeping bag.
“I don’t know how Pinkie is keeping a lid on it,” Applejack tossed her hat onto a dresser and slid into Pinkie’s sacaran pink sleeping bag.
“Dash probably made her swear a Pinkie Promise,” Twilight said.
Applejack made some word-like noises, already falling asleep.
Twilight turned away from AJ and looked out of the window at the sliver of moon outside. In moments Twilight found herself in the Astral Plane. An unexpected side effect of becoming an alicorn was that she was fully in control of her faculties while sleeping. She could instantly wake herself up or slip from the Astral Plane into her dreams, and even there she retained control. That night she found Princess Luna waiting for her.
“Hello Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said.
“Good evening Princess Luna. I’m sorry you couldn’t make it to the wedding,” Twilight replied.
“It is alright, I am not a party pony,” Luna said. “How has Dark Matter performed in his duties?”
“He’s so serious. He’s barely said anything at all, just stood guard,” Twilight said.
“I fear he has taken this assignment as an offense, that I picked him because he was not worthy to protect me. I will visit his dreams and see if he feels wronged. In the meantime, please be patient with him, Twilight Sparkle. The Night Guard were outcasts during my thousand year imprisonment, times have been, difficult, for them,” Luna explained. “But I must speak with you on another topic. You leave in the morning, correct?”
“Yes, tomorrow morning we’re heading for the ruins of Harmonia.”
“Then I must give you a warning my sister could not,” Luna said. “When jealousy took hold of my heart, I lost control of the Elements of Harmony. I knew I could not face my sister without a power to match hers. I went to the Everfree Forest, to the castle where we found the Elements, searching for other magical weapons. Instead, something found me. I remember searching the ruins of the castle, and then a long span of vague and terrible memories, like a nightmare, and then I recall seeing your face, and my sister’s, asking me to let friendship back into my heart. I accepted, because the prospect of returning to that nightmare realm was so horrifying.”
“Wait, that means you didn’t really commit those crimes, you’re innocent,” Twilight said.
“No, I have heard the tales of my actions, and they were exactly what I planned to do. So I deserved to be punished for them. The warning is this: something in those ruins showed me the path to Nightmare Moon, to the fulfillment of my every dark desire. Until you find it and destroy it, you must keep your heart free of hatred and jealousy, or it will find you.”