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// Prelude: Shattered Pieces 
// Story: Stained Crown: The Elements of Disharmony 
// by EbonyDanger 
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The night had spread its long wings over the land. A black sea, covered with thousands of white dots like frozen flowers. The moon swam in the waves like a silver coin. Every now and then a could passed by and hide the dead eye behind a mass of white fog. A cool wind moved the branches and long gras. The Everfree Forest was kept in darkness. Silence swallowed every sound. Only some small animals like rabbits, mice and owls were moving between the branches.
Suddenley a large figure shot around the forest. The moon painted its silhouette against the dark sky. A mare with majestic, long wings. She was slowly flying between the long branches, covered in their filthy, fetty leaves. Fog clouded the ground. The trees surrounded the mare like old guardians, their bark rugged by the age. The play of shadow and light transformed those furrows into grimaces of beasts and other ghostly figures.
The mare slowly landed on a valley. She rolled her wings together and folded them carefully. A low sight and her breath passed her lips, forming white clouds in the cold night air. Spring was carefully blossing in Equestria, but winter still had its iron claws grabbed around the Everfree Forest. Frost covered trees, branches and the gras. A sharp wind made the leaves tremble.
The mare slowly started to walk. Her hooves left dark prints on the gras. Her mane followed her movement, rippeling and sparkling. Every now and then a ray of light broke through the celling of leaves above her and painted silvery-white dots on her coat. Her eyes glittered with determination.
The mare had come into this forest for a very certain thing. It was growing deep in the woods, hidden from curious eyes. But it was powerful and safely protected. The mare had made sure no one had seen her, leaving her place and following her. There was a reason, why forbidden things were done in the darkest hours of nighttime with only the animals as companion. But animals never told what they saw. They could keep a secret.
Their eyes were following the mare. They were everywhere. Yellow dots in bushes, on branches and in caves. Sometimes a very curious rat or mice would peek its head out of its hiding place, but as soon as the mare passed, it hide itself again. They could sense a tension in these steps, which were long and elegant. In any other scenario the mare would reminded someone of a swan. But now she was like a snake, sliding through those leaves, climbing over fallen trunks. Quick and hasty. In a silent hurry.
Finally the labyrinth of trees ended. The mare stood at a cliff. As she lowered her head, the moon's light broke itself on her sharp, spiry horn. The cliff was the start of a gorge. Grey, white and black stones clawed themselves on the sides. The fog seemed to be even thicker here. It floated through the gorge, white and dusty, as if it was its breath. No matter how hard the mare squint her eyes, she could not see to the ground.
Great. Just great. The mare cursed under her breath. It looked like she had to dive in. Slowly the mare opened her wings. With a majestic leap she took into the sky. Her wings slapped long, powerful and concentrated. The mare tilted her body forwards and flew into the gorge. The fog closed above her as if it had inherited her.
Carefully the mare soared down. Her wings were stretched and she used the winds of the gorge to get down. Only when her feathers came to close to the rocks, she moved her wings to avoid any injury. Her eyes were narrowed as she used the light of the stars to find her way. She did not liked the darkness. Her eyes were not made for that. But sometimes one must do, what one must do. Even if you did not like it at all.
Finally the fog lifted to reveal the ground of the gorge. Grass grew there, thick, dark green, almost black and fetty. It was ended by black stone with several cracks. These cracks came from the roots of a tree, which grew only in this gorge. The tree looked different from any other plant the mare had ever seen.
It was a massive tree, whose branches twisted and formed a weird star. The bark shimmered and glowed as if it had absorbed the moon's light. On the truck two signs could be seen. A sun and a moon. In the middle of the tree was an ornament, which looked like a star. Instead of leaves diamondshaped, thine stones grew from its branches. The whole area around the tree buzzed with strong magic, which softly connected itself with the mare's magic, making her horn flare for a couple of seconds.
The Tree of Harmony.... The mare stood there, before she slowly bowed. The ground, on which she stood, was holy. After all this tree was keeping the Everfree Forest in its balance, allowed the plants to grow on themselves, the clouds to move on their own and the animals to care for themselves. Everything was working without any other help like it was usual in the rest of Equestria.
Finally the mare walked around the tree and stopped. On the other side of the tree, the bark was darker. Onyx instead of lapis lazuli. But maybe it only looked like this, because here the moonlight did not touched the tree truck. But the mare did not cared how the tree looked like. Her focus laid on six gemstones, which stuck deep in the diamond-like bark.
I did not suspected, there were more of them. The mare puffed her chest. She took a step forwards. Her horn started to glow. As the magic began to enwrapp itself around the stones, the roots of the tree came to life. Like snakes they lashed out and grabbed after the mare's leg. Sharp thrones grew out of the roots like crystals. She whinnied in shock and rose to her hindlegs. Her front legs kicked around and her wings flapped through the air as she tried to keep her balance.
The roots trembled as if they were animals, which actually had eyes. The leaves of the trees whispered furiously and jingled. Finally the roots slowly withdraw themselves until they disappeared in the dark stone and the shadows. The mare landed on her frontlegs and snorted.
Her chest was racing and her wings trembled. They let themselves couched rather abhorrent. The mare's tail tip twitched thoughtfully. How can I reach them without the tree attacking me again? The mare lowered her head and breathed out slowly. Her breath danced between her legs. Small scratches from the thornes covered her ancles. Her mane trembled just like the rest of her body. It took her some time to calm down and as she did so the mare got an idea.
Her magic was still circulating within her body. Like cool water it ran through her veins together with her blood. The mare sensed the magic of the tree buzzing through the air, filling the gorge like a river of honey. Thick, sweet honey, which reacted sensitive if something strange was thrown into it.
The mare took another step backwards for her safety. She closed her eyes and let out another breath. You can do this. Her horn again started to flare. Her magic now did not go for the elements, but instead started to touch the tree. It was no attack. In fact the aura softly caressed the bark and went over it like water. It was a careful scanning, a meeting.
She smiled as the roots stayed, where they were. The mare's horn started to flare once more. Very carefully and slowly she let her magic enwrapp around the gem stones. This time the Tree of Harmony allowed her to pick them up. The mare directed the stones closer to her. They swam in her magic like small peebles in a river.
The mare smiled pleased. Maybe her task could become a success after all. She furrowed her brow in concentration. Her horn glowed stronger and so did the stones. The mare watched them swirling around her in an attempt to connect with one another. Then suddenley there was a loud cracking sound like thunder together with a flash and a small explosion pushed the mare from her legs.
She screamed in shock as she was tossed through the air and hit the morass with her side. W-what?! How is this possible? The mare shook dirt from her forehead and came to her hooves. The stones still laid by the tree. They shimmered dull in the dim light. The mare slowly stepped closer to the six gems and stared down on them. She chewed her lips. I do not understand this. Why didn't they connected? Why didn't they reacted to me?
She lowered her head and sniffed at the stones as if their scent could tell her something. The mare again lifted her head. Her eyes shimmered worried. This is not good. If I cannot controll them, who else can? There was only one way to find out. The mare had a strong magical ability. Therefore she was capable of finding the pony, who could controll those stones.
The mare closed her eyes and breathed out again. Her horn started to glow. Nothing happened in the world now. The mare was using the spell on her own spirit. To open her mind and her sense. In the hope to get a hint of the pony, who could do, what she was not capable off. For a short moment everything in her mind was black, then a flash went through it and with it the silhouette of another pony. It had the same stature as her, but it was smaller.
As soon as the mare had seen it, her eyes shot open. Her jaw dropped. No, no, no! This can not be true. I must be wrong! She shook her head as if she could destroy the image that way. Panting the mare stared at the gem stones. There laid beauty in them and great danger. If they were not used probably and maybe even by the wrong pony..... She did not dared to finish her thought.
If I am not capable of using them, then no one should. Her brow furrowed and she nodded to herself. Yes, the choice, she was making now, was probably the best for the ponies. Because if they were not there, no harm could be done. The mare strengthen her magic and canaliced it to prepare herself for the act, she was about to do. 
Her horn glowed stronger and stronger, until her magic was so bright as if she had pulled down the sun from the sky. With a dry battle cry the mare fired an enermous beam at the stones and as they started to glow like hot coal, she rose to her hindlegs and stamped on the ground with all her weight. Under the pressure the stones shattered with a clinging sound like broken glass. The mare repeated this process until there were only dustlike shreds of the gem stones. Pleased the mare turned around and walked away. Only one stone was only partly destroyed A bloodred gem, which was shaped like a star.  On one of his spikes stuck a bunch of fair hair, trembleing in the wind.