The Lords of Harmony

by Whinifree


Act 1 - The Sister's Tale, part 1

There was silence throughout the tent. Twilight's gaze remained fixed upon Trixie. The fatigue that poked at Twilight's limbs seemed to vanish. Her mind raced as the unicorn before her moved to the center of the space, and the uncertainty lingered within her heart.

Hesitantly, Trixie lifted her sight to meet the others', and shivered as she observed their bruised and beaten bodies. She put her hoof to her throat and swallowed hard.

“I...” she muttered, stopping and taking several breaths.

Twilight beamed at her. "Take as long as you need."

“Well, what I know... I'm sure you're all already aware that the Amulet gives its wearer untold magical powers, but at a price.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “No need to explain that part.”

“I'm sure you also remember the story of what my life had become.”

“I do,” stated Twilight. “But perhaps you should tell it again for Princess Celestia. And hearing it again might help shed some new light on this whole mess with Nightmare Moon.”

Trixie's ears drooped and she glanced at Celestia with a frown.

Celestia walked over and settled down alongside Trixie, giving her a warm smile. “Do not be frightened, my little pony. You are doing well in even coming to us with this information.”

Trixie managed a weak smile as she gazed up at the Princess. “It started when I arrived in Ponyville a couple years back. I was a traveling showmare, and I had such stories to tell about all these great things I had done. But they were all lies; things I had made up to feel better about myself. Perhaps I always knew that I couldn't keep the act up forever, but I tried anyway since it had been all I'd ever known.”

She paused for a minute and stared at the ground.

“It was Twilight and her friends that exposed me as the fraud I was. After that, I was forced to abandon everything and find a new path. I'd hit rock bottom, surviving only by taking on less than savory jobs. I never stopped thinking about Twilight, blaming her for what I had become, and several months ago, I just couldn't take it anymore. That's when I swore to make things right again, or at least to myself anyway.”

The flowing of Celestia's mane and tail stilled. She turned her head, staring at an empty corner of the tent.

Twilight's smile turned into a frown.

Fear. Anger. Loneliness. Despair. It's like Trixie is describing precisely what Luna must have felt all those years ago.

Closing her eyes, she began to imagine a room.

The room was bathed in endless darkness like the depths of the sea. The silhouette of Luna lying alone upon a stone floor slowly came into view. Her head was resting on her forelegs. Her mane did not flow, nor did her tail. She stared at the floor, speaking not a single word. Tears ran down her face, and only the chill that permeated the space matched the utter hopelessness that was clear as crystal within Luna's somber gaze.

Twilight opened her eyes, but her vision was obscured by tears of her own that had quickly formed as the icy picture lingered in her mind. Once the image faded, she wiped her eyes on her blanket and refocused her sight on Trixie.

“Long story short,” Trixie continued, “I eventually found a way that I could get the revenge I craved.”

Celestia returned her gaze to Trixie.

“I devoted myself to finding someway to become truly great and powerful. After doing some research, I started to experiment with ways to enhance my magic, but it just wasn't enough. I started to lose hope again...”

“But then you found the Amulet,” said Twilight.

Trixie nodded. “I read about it in an old book. At that point I was willing to put my hopes in anything.”

“Where exactly did you find the Amulet, darling?” asked Rarity. “And, how?”

“I bought it from a pawn shop in the back alleys of Baltimare with the bits I'd saved up from working. How did I find it? Trial and error; asking everypony I met if they’d seen it somewhere. Finally, after weeks of searching, weeks of being told I was crazy and a bad omen, somepony came to my wagon in the middle of the night and gave me the answer I was looking for.”

“Who was it that visited you?” inquired Shining Armor.

“They didn’t tell me their name and I never got a look at them because they spoke to me from outside my wagon. All they said was they’d seen and heard me asking around, and that they were a friend of the shop’s owner. When I looked outside they were already gone. So, I went to the shop, and there was the Amulet.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Okay. Sounds like we’ll have to pay this shop a visit and ask about this friend of theirs. And where did this back alley pawn shop get the Amulet from? Did you happen to ask about that?”

“The owner said he'd found it in some old ruins deep in the Everfree Forest.”

Twilight furrowed her brow and glanced at Celestia who gave her the same look. A moment later, she turned her attention back to Trixie, gazing at her intently. “Did he know what it really was?”

"He seemed to. He warned me that it was very dangerous and didn't even want to sell it to me at first, but he just couldn't resist the bag full of bits I threw down onto his counter. I mean threw down quite literally."

“He said he found it in the ruins in the Everfree Forest," Rainbow stated. “You didn't think it at all funny he found it there of all places? Everypony knows the Everfree Forest has bad mojo written all over it.”

With her ears drooped, Trixie shook her head and stared at the floor. "I no longer had any care to give."

“Okay,” said Twilight. “So you learned about and then obtained the Amulet. What was happening while you had it?”

Trixie turned her gaze away from everypony else's, her eyes began to water, and she sniffled. "The moment I put the Amulet around my neck, I started to feel immeasurable power flowing from it into me."

Celestia gave Trixie a deep frown and wrapped a wing around the sullen unicorn.

"I was elated," said Trixie, wiping her snout with her foreleg. "My whole life I'd had nothing, and suddenly it felt like I had everything. I felt like there was nothing I couldn't do, and the voices in my head told me that everything would soon be all right."

Twilight took a gentle breath and looked down at the ground. “I heard a voice in my head back at the Crystal Palace, when Nightmare Moon's magic shadows grabbed us.”

“You did?” asked Spike.

“I didn't hear any voice.” inquired Pinkie. “What did it say?”

“It said, 'give in to your fear as I feast upon it.'”

“I didn't hear no voice either,” stated Applejack. “And I wouldn't call what yours said a message of hope, Twi.”

A hush fell upon the ponies. Twilight looked away, and she restated everything Trixie had said in her mind. Once that was over, it was followed by a slow, piece-by-piece replaying of everything that had happened on Nightmare Night, and everything since.

“Applejack,” she said nonchalantly after several moments.

“Yeah?”

“Remember what you said before?”

Applejack paused. “Uh, what did I say before?”

“You said that something about this whole thing just didn't add up. Well... I agree.”

There was another minute of quiet within the tent.

“Has anypony else noticed that Nightmare Moon seems to be behaving strangely?”

“What in the haystack are you talkin' about, Twi?” asked Applejack. “She's the same old pain-in-the-patootie out to conquer Equestria that we fought in them ruins three years ago. That part hasn't changed any. Only last time she didn't have hordes of minions that seem to be able to materialize anywhere to throw at us, and she didn't have no blasted Alicorn Amulet.”

Twilight took a deep breath. “Yes, but I mean different in the things she's been saying. The Nightmare Moon we fought three years ago never gave any impression that she was doing it for anyone other than herself. She didn't even mention minions or subjects. But this time they're here with her and they're all she talks about. Besides that, if it's Equestria she wants, then why attack the Crystal Empire?"

“Maybe as a staging ground for the next part of her invasion?” inquired Cadance.

“I suppose that could be, but I do think Applejack was right. Even after all this, there's still something else going on here, something we're just not seeing.”

“There ain't a whole lot we can do stuck in bed like this,” stated Applejack.

“I understand now why we haven't found anything. We've been looking in all the wrong places. This whole thing started over a thousand years ago, maybe even earlier than that.”

“So what's the plan, darling?” asked Rarity.

“If we want to find some answers, some real answers, we're going to have to go back to the beginning. And right now, thanks to Trixie's help, everything is pointing to the Castle of the Two Sisters as the place to find them.”

Fluttershy trembled. "You mean we're going back to the forest?

Twilight turned her attention to Celestia. "Princess, I think it's time we had a look at the old journal." She paused, seeing the look in Celestia's eyes. “Princess?”

Everypony turned their attention to Celestia.

“You okay there, Princess?” inquired Applejack.

“You've been extremely quiet,” said Shining Armor. “What's on your mind?”

The minutes ticked by and a deep tension hung in the air as Celestia looked around the room, meeting the ponies' gazes one by one. After what seemed like an eternity, she rose to her hooves.

“The old journal,” she said, maintaining her steely demeanor. “Luna's parts of it."

"You two shared the one, correct?" asked Twilight.

“We did. Out of respect for Luna's privacy, I forced myself not to read her entries. Not that I wasn't tempted to peek at times during those younger years, but now it seems that whatever dark secrets Luna kept may be our only hope of finding someway of saving her, defeating Nightmare Moon, and saving Equestria."

Celestia let out a deep sigh and drooped her head. “Everything that's happened; my sister, these visions I've been having... The answer's been right in front of me all this time and I just didn't see it. I am such a fool...”

“Don't you go beatin' yourself up, Princess,” said Applejack. “I won't be hearin' such horseradish from the pony who has only ever had the best interests of all ponykind close at heart.”

“But that's just it. I was so concerned about the needs of the many that I lost sight of the one who needed me the most: my own sister, and I failed her.”

“I'm with Applejack, Princess,” stated Twilight. “I don't think there's anypony who could have predicted any of this would happen. Don't blame yourself.”

“So,” muttered Applejack, “I guess y'all know where we're goin' next.”

"Soon as we get our strength back," Rainbow stated, "we're off to the merry-old land of the Everfree Forest. We did it before, we can do it again."

Applejack let out a sigh. "Yee-haw..."

“Princess,” said Twilight, “where did you and Luna keep the journal?”

“We kept it in a secret room in the library. I'll go with you and lead you to it.”

“Will those poor Crystal Ponies be okay without you here?” asked Fluttershy, giving Celestia a concerned look. “Somepony should stay behind with them to make sure they're taken care of. They'll need food, water, shelter—”

“I know what you're thinkin', Fluttershy,” interjected Applejack. “But remember our promise we made to Princess Celestia. We gotta stick together, no matter what.”

“I will stay,” said Cadance.

Shining Armor nodded. “As will I. The Crystal Ponies are our ponies, and we should be at their side.”

“Actually,” said Celestia, “I would prefer you two to come with us so you can be up to date with what we discover in Luna's journal. I have somepony else in mind who could derive some good from lending her hoof to the aide of the Crystal Ponies.”

Cadance furrowed her brow. “Who?”

Celestia glanced down at Trixie and gently stared at her.

Trixie's eyes widened. “Me?”

Celestia nodded and a smile crept onto her countenance.

“But I'm just a showmare! I don't know anything about this stuff!”

“It would do you and the Crystal Ponies a lot of good. I'm sure they would be very grateful for the help.”

Twilight chuckled. “Actually, Princess Celestia is right.”

Trixie glanced at Twilight. “Really?”

“This would be a wonderful way to prove that you've really changed for the better, darling,” said Rarity, giving Trixie a warm smile. “I think you can do it. You just need to remember that you're doing it for them.”

“I actually agree, too,” stated Spike. “You know, I thought you were nothing but a loudmouth even before everypony else in Ponyville did. You spoke about having done all these great things, well here's your chance to do something to feel truly proud of.”

Trixie slowly glanced around the room, looking at an empty corner for a brief moment. She turned back to the others, rose to her hooves, and stood tall with her back straightened and a fire in her eyes. “Okay. I'll do it.”

Twilight beamed. "I knew you'd come through!"

“How?” asked Trixie, giving Twilight a confused stare.

“Call it a hunch.”

Celestia smiled brightly at Trixie. "I can't tell you how much your help is appreciated, my little pony."

Slowly, a smile formed on Trixie's demeanor as she looked between Celestia and the others.

“So, Twilight,” said Rainbow, "how long will it take for Nightmare Moon's magic to wear off and we can all walk again?”

“I'm not sure exactly. It was an extremely powerful spell. I'd say a couple days at least.”

“A couple days?”

“Just a guess, but, yeah.”

Rolling her eyes, Rainbow flapped her wings weakly, and let out a loud, exaggerated groan.


There was naught a peep to be heard within the sleepy, golden metropolis of Canterlot. The darkened streets were nestled in the gentle glow of the streetlamps underneath a starry sky, and beams of moonlight reflected off the windows which shimmered against the polished buildings. A cool breeze wafted down from the top of the mountain, caressing the groups of guard ponies that patrolled all throughout the city. A large collection of ponies stood guard at every edge of the refuge camp that had been set up for the Crystal Ponies several days earlier, while only a very small number of guards remained around the palace exterior. Similar to what had been done after Nightmare Night, the palace was lit up so that it shone like a beacon against the darkness, it's golden aura rising up to stand at the same height as the peak of Canterlot Mountain itself.

Celestia sat upon the soft grass of the private garden. From her spot between the balcony overlooking the city and the trees behind her, she gazed deep into the vast reaches of the night sky while her mane and tail flowed gently in the breeze. Glancing to and fro, she watched the countless stars flicker in the heavens. Her gaze shifted to the moon, and becoming fixated on it, she allowed the silvery, celestial body to fill her eyes with it's comforting glow.

It really is quite beautiful. Personally, I can't think of many other sights such as this.

After several moments, a trail of white light shot across the sky and vanished as quickly as it came.

Celestia's eyes widened and she let out a quiet gasp.

A shooting star...

She closed her eyes and began to recall the comet from her vision on the eve of Nightmare Night. The image of it burned into Celestia's mind and she felt a twinge of fear poke at her, but suddenly, all the memories of the morning of Nightmare Night came flooding back to her. She pictured Luna with that warm smile as she lowered the moon. She remembered how excited Luna was for the festival to come that evening. The image of herself trying on the face mask of Luna's phoenix costume came into her mind's eye, and she chuckled as she saw herself and Luna side by side in front of the mirror and laughing together.

Celestia opened her eyes, and the first thing she beheld was the moon that hung high in the sky. For a brief moment, she imagined Luna's familiar face on it's surface, and she beamed as she sat there in the moonlight.

After a while, the cadence of ponies chattering disrupted the quiet of the garden and slowly grew louder. Twilight Sparkle emerged from the trees with all the others following behind her and with Spike sitting on her back. All the ponies wore saddlebags that bore their cutie marks and the leather matched the owner's fur color. Pinkie had a pink helmet on that completely hid her mane from view. Trixie stopped and waited near the edge of the trees while the others approached the spot where Celestia sat.

“Tell me again why you need that, Pink,” said Applejack. "We're just gonna go read a book. I know you told us back in the palace and all but I just want to make triple sure I ain't missin' somethin'.”

“This is to protect my head in the event the teleport makes me all dizzy again and I wobble and hobble and trip and fall and crash and burn!”

“Well, I guess that makes sense.”

Rarity stared at the helmet. "It... It does match your colors."

“I'm going to be ready for it this time!” Pinkie beamed and adjusted the helmet. “Sure you ponies don't want one too?”

“I'll pass,” stated Cadance. “Teleportation really isn't so dangerous. It just takes getting used to. Also, I don't think a helmet would fit on me with my mane.”

Twilight let out a chuckle then glanced at Celestia. “We're all ready to go, Princess.”

Celestia rose to her hooves and turned to face the others. Briefly, she examined the Elements of Harmony that sat around their necks then lifted her gaze to meet theirs. “The helmet won't be necessary, Pinkie Pie. I've decided that it will be safer to enter the forest on hoof.”

Pinkie frowned. “Aww, but I'm already wearing it, and it looks so cute on me!”

“Remember, the Everfree Forest is covered in a strange darkness. It is more or less a completely separate world than Equestria now.”

“Not like it was all that natural to begin with,” stated Applejack.

Celestia nodded. “I don't know exactly how our magic will work in there. So, instead, I will simply not risk just teleporting us into it and having something go wrong. I'll take us to the prairie and we'll walk from there. Everypony gather around.”

Everpony was silent as they formed a circle around Celestia, each of them glancing back and forth at each other. Spike clung to Twilight's neck. Cadance and Shining Armor stood close together and held hooves.

Trixie watched them from the edge of the trees with a frown on her face and her ears flat upon her head. “Please... be careful.”

“We will, darling,” said Rarity, giving her a comforting smile. “And we'll be back as soon as we can. Don't worry.”

“Here we go,” stated Celestia. Closing her eyes, her horn began to glow.

“Alright, teleport,” said Pinkie as she braced herself and adjusted her helmet a second time. “This time you won't beat me!”

The golden light around Celestia's horn slowly grew brighter. A moment later, it enveloped her and the others before becoming blinding and illuminating the entire garden. There was a crack, and the light disappeared along with the ponies.


After several seconds of being pulled through complete darkness at extreme speed, Celestia felt soft grass beneath her hooves again. The gold light returned and she covered her eyes. When the light faded, she returned her hoof to the ground and craned her neck to stare up the towering face of Canterlot Mountain. Even though she had brought them close to the base of the mountain, she could see the pillar of light from the palace in Canterlot rising up to meet the sky, and she continued to stare at it while the others collected their bearings.

“Everypony okay this time?” asked Twilight, gently shaking herself off.

"Nothing to it!" Rainbow kicked off the ground and flapped her wings, hovering in place.

“This time, yeah,” said Applejack. She readjusted her Element of Harmony and went to adjust her stetson, but stopped when she felt nothing on her head. “Oh, right, forgot about that... again...” She sighed. "I wonder how Apple Bloom and the others are doin'. It kills me that we don't really have time to pop in and say hi."

"We could send them a letter when we get back to Canterlot," said Rarity.

"Yeah, but, it just ain't the same..."

Fluttershy gave Pinkie a concerned look. “Um, Pinkie? You don't look so good.”

Pinkie had her head held up with her hooves and there was a dizzy look in her eyes. “Score: teleport two, Pinkie zero.”

Twilight grinned and rolled her eyes. “I'd say it's actually teleport one and you zero. After all, the first one was done without a chance to prepare for it which isn't really fair play is it?”

Pinkie put her hoof to her chin. “Hmm. That's a Pinkie of a point, Twilight! Very perceptive!”

“Anyway,” said Twilight, “let's get moving.”

“Hold for just a moment,” stated Celestia. “Take a look at the mountain, and its peak.”

Everypony glanced at Celestia and then up the at the mountain.

“The mountain underneath a night sky... I saw this exact image in my first vision.”

She turned and gazed at the grassland that spread open before her. “And I saw all of you in this field.”

“You saw us?” asked Rarity. “What were we doing?”

“You don't remember?” Twilight gave Rarity a confused look. “She told all of us this before. But it has been a while since. I guess a refresher wouldn't hurt.”

Celestia turned and beamed at Rarity. “Stargazing. I joined you, and then the wild meteor fell on us. I saw a shooting star earlier tonight, and it reminded me of that.”

“Stargazing?” asked Rainbow. “Sounds kind of lame.”

“Sounds kind of awesome!” cried Twilight.

Celestia grinned and began to walk away from the mountain, keeping the image of the mountain's peak and the glow coming up from the palace deep inside her mind.

The breeze continued to blow across the sprawling prairie as the ponies moved along. Everywhere, the songs of crickets rose up from the tall grass and was carried on the wind, resulting in a continuous chime. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the moonlight shone down upon the ponies.

After a while, with Canterlot and the mountain now far behind them, Celestia's gaze turned skyward and she stopped.

“Princess?” asked Twilight.

Rainbow came to a halt and hovered in place. She groaned. “What are we stopping for? We got places to be.”

Celestia remained quiet for several moments. When she did speak, she kept her back turned to the others and continued to stare up. “It really is quite beautiful, isn't it? The sky, the moon, the stars...”

Everpony glanced at each other but they said nothing.

“In the months that followed Luna's banishment,” Celestia continued, her voice seeming to trail off, “I would come out into this field every night and just look up as I am doing now. I wished and wanted it all to be just a bad dream, and in the morning my little sister would be in her bed. Even after I came to accept that it had really happened, I was out here. Same time every night.”

Twilight approached Celestia and reached up, setting her hoof gently upon Celestia's shoulder.

Celestia glanced down at Twilight. Her eyes were wet, but she was smiling. “Want to know something crazy? After a while, I stopped feeling sad.”

“But how?” asked Fluttershy. “How did you stop feeling sad after such a horrible tragedy?”

“Well, I didn't stop feeling sad entirely. That was a bit of an overstatement, I guess. I still felt the pain and anguish in my heart, but at the same time I began to feel something else alongside my sorrow.”

“What was it?” inquired Shining Armor.

Several tears ran down Celestia's face. She levitated a towel from her saddlebag and wiped her eyes, but her smile did not diminish. “Hope...”

There was a brief moment of silence as Celestia returned the towel to her saddlebag.

“What started out as a crushing sadness for me became something I could look forward to.”

Twilight kept her hoof on Celestia's shoulder. “Did you know that Luna would someday return and you'd be together again?”

“It was just a feeling I had. After that, I continued to come into this field every night and stare at the sky. If I started to feel down, I thought back to that hope that I would see my little sister again someday. Other times, I was able to take my mind off of everything by counting the stars.”

“Ooh!” exclaimed Rarity, smiling wide and turning her gaze toward the star-painted heavens. “Now that does sound lovely. Why haven't I ever thought of that?”

“Because y'all wouldn't be caught dead lyin' in the dirt," said Applejack playfully. "Or the grass, or... Well, y'all just wouldn't be caught dead lyin' outside.”

“That is true.”

“And if it rained—”

Twilight cleared her throat very loudly and shook her head, beaming at Applejack.

Celestia let out a soft chuckle. “It's embarrassing to admit but I did end up falling asleep out here several times. But enough about all that. Let's continue on.”

The ponies formed back up behind Celestia as they resumed their trek through the field. After another hour, the tops of dark trees appeared on the horizon and started to rise higher up the closer the ponies moved.

When she spoke, Celestia kept her eyes forward. “Did I ever tell you that building the castle in the Everfree Forest was Luna's idea?”

Twilight blinked several times. “No, you didn't.”

“Be a negative on that, Princess,” said Applejack.

A smile slowly crept onto Celestia's face. “Yes. And the interior design as well. We had help from the Unicorn Kingdom with the tapestries, and once we were able to show to them that we meant no harm, even the animals of the Everfree Forest helped us build the castle, so we were able to get it done in record time.”

"Really?" asked Twilight. "That's impressive!"

“To think,” said Rarity, “such an exquisite marvel of architecture filled with the most gorgeous of ancient tapestries just rotting away piece-by-piece. When this is all over we should fix the place up.”

Twilight nodded. “I agree wholeheartedly. I was thinking the exact same thing when we last visited there on Nightmare Night.”

The idea passed through Celestia's mind several times, but it was quickly placed aside when they reached the threshold into the Everfree Forest. She stopped, as did Twilight and the others. She stared deep into the pitch-black underbrush, and the tops of the darkened trees themselves were discernible only by the contrast against the starry sky.

“This is where I saw the book on the grass in my second vision,” stated Celestia. “And now, just like the pages from the book, we fly on the wind toward dark secrets.”

Twilight nodded. “Let's go read a book.”

“About a year ago, I would have literally gagged at the very idea,” Rainbow said.

The ponies stood still for a minute before stepping into the forest. As soon as they passed beyond the first line of trees, the stars all vanished behind a veil of darkness that engulfed the area. Even crossing the clearing between the first line of trees and the second, there was no sky.

Nopony uttered a word as they crossed the second line and entered the cover of the thick woodland. Fluttershy let out audible whimpers as she walked between Pinkie and Twilight in the middle of the pack. Applejack and Rarity kept watch on the group's left, while Cadance and Shining Armor stayed to the right. Rainbow hovered several inches above the group while Spike remained seated on Twilight's back, still clinging to her neck.

Celestia scanned the area, her sight swaying to one side and seeing the thick, abyssal bushes and large tree trunks, then to the exact same sight on her other side. Her horn tingled. A moment later, a golden aura appeared around it and a field of light shone around the ponies.

The glow of light spread only a few yards out from Celestia's horn, before seemingly being devoured by the veil of shadow. The various flowers, bushes, and ferns that could be seen appeared wilted and decaying, and they were all the same color as the shadows that dominated the forest.

Celestia moved her horn closer to a large nearby fern. The fern's dark color did not brighten as the light moved over it, remaining a solid black.

Celestia pulled back then took a deep breath. “Let's continue.”

The ponies resumed their walk, following the light of Celestia's horn and keeping their formation as they delved deeper into the forest.

“Silent as the grave,” stated Applejack. “Just like before.”

“Could we please stop using words like 'dead' and 'grave' to describe things?” muttered Fluttershy.

Rarity shivered and levitated a purple cloak from her saddlebag, wrapping it around herself. “It's so cold here, and my horn is tingling just like last time.”

“It is rather chilly tonight,” said Twilight. “And it'll be winter soon. My horn's tingling again too, just like the last time we were here, but at least it looks like we can use magic in here.”

“I would still be cautious about that, Twilight,” said Celestia firmly. “This forest is definitely under a dark power and it seems to have infected the flora. We can only hope it hasn't taken the animals as well.”

“Speaking of,” said Spike, “didn't Zecora say that the forest was teeming with shadow ponies?”

“Yeah,” said Applejack. “She did say that.”

Spike strengthened his grip around Twilight's neck. “So then, where is everypony?”

“Not here, apparently,” Rainbow stated. “And really, that's fine by me.”

Twilight nodded. “Seems like they all went over to the Crystal Empire.”

“If you ask me,” said Rarity as she continued to shiver, “'Everfree' is much to cheerful a name for a horrid place such as this. Princess Celestia, may I propose we change the name to something more fitting?”

“Do you have a name in mind?”

“Oh, I don't know.” Rarity pondered for a few moments, but passing by a tall, thorny bush, her cloak snagged on one of the branches and she let out a yelp. “I'm caught on something!”

Applejack rolled her eyes and carefully pulled Rarity's coat free from the branch. “Calm down, Rarity. It's just a thorn bush.”

“But I swear, I wasn't that close to it!” Rarity trembled and glanced back at Celestia as the ponies continued along their way through the forest. “What about... 'Everfear Forest'? Or just, 'The Everfear'? I mean all this forest ever does is frighten ponies away.” She brushed the leaves off the spot where the cloak had snagged and frowned at the hole that was now visible in the fabric. “And ruin perfectly good cloaks.”

“It frightens ponies away, all right,” said Cadance. “And for good reason. For as long as I can remember, this place has been an oddity. I've heard that the forest has been here since ancient times, but we still don't know exactly how it works. Everfear sounds like a good name to me.”

Suddenly, Celestia halted and then raised her right foreleg out to her side.

The ponies came to a stop right behind her and gazed at her with raised eyebrows.

“What is it, Princess?” asked Twilight, slightly tilting her head.

“Wait here...”

There was an eerie silence among the group. Everypony gave each other nervous looks and moved closer together as Celestia walked ahead of them, becoming visible only by the magic light emitted by her horn.

Rarity's horn lit up and the same light formed around them again but it too spread only several yards out, seeming to be devoured by the darkness just beyond its edge. “My horn's tingling again.”

“So is mine." Twilight rubbed her horn and then her eyes. “So are my eyes. Or maybe it's these scars. I can't tell anymore.”

Celestia focused her gaze onto a tree that was several yards ahead of her. She approached slowly while keeping her head low to the ground and stopping mere inches from it.

Like the rest of the foliage they had passed along the way, the tree remained pitch-black amidst the light coming from Celestia's horn, but its trunk was solid white, as were its roots that breached the soil. Puffs of mist rose up from the ground all around the tree, each one swaying side to side in slow, rhythmic unison, and it was the same ghostly white as the tree's base and roots. The ghastly vapors faded as they drifted up about a meter, but just as one set vanished, another one emerged from the ground in a never-ending cycle.

Celestia's breath quickened as the sight ingrained itself into her vision and her mind.

This coloration...

She stared at the base of the tree for a minute longer before pulling back and shaking her head. She swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and glanced behind herself at the others. “Onward.”

The ponies trotted up to Celestia, staying tightly grouped up.

Fluttershy's eyes widened and she started to whimper very loudly. With her ears flat against her head, she pointed at the tree trunk and the vapors, and her foreleg trembled ceaselessly as she held it aloft.

“Wh-what is that?” stammered Rarity.

Everypony stared at the tree, but none dared to step closer to it.

Twilight rubbed her eyes again and looked further down the forest path. “Look, there's more of them ahead.”

“Are we getting close to the old castle?” asked Shining Armor. “It's so dark in here, I can't tell how far we've gone.”

“Well,” said Twilight, “we have been going a little slow but that's for cautionary reasons. We should be nearly there. Just a little further until we reach the chasm, and then the castle.”

Twilight paused and glanced back at the unearthly-looking tree in front of her. Putting her hoof to her chin, she lowered her gaze to ground for a moment before letting out a small gasp. She gave Celestia a frightful look. "Princess, I think we should...”

Celestia nodded. “Check on the Tree of Harmony."

“Do we have time for that?” asked Applejack.

“There's always time for a side trip as important as this.” Celestia turned her attention back to the forest pathway and began to walk at a brisk pace. “Come. Hurry.”

As the ponies progressed further into the deepest reaches of the forest, the number of trees with the white trunks and the ghostly smoke rising from their roots increased until there wasn't a single one in sight that wasn't as such.

Soon, they entered a large clearing. Just like the space at the entrance of the forest, the sky was hidden behind a dark shroud that blocked out the light from the moon and stars. A deep chasm ran through the center of the clearing, branching off in opposite directions to the ponies' right side, with a bridge spanning the length of the canyon that separated the two halves of the clearing.

On the far side of the chasm, the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters loomed before the ponies. The ruins were partially obscured within the darkness of the forest, and only the lower portion of the moss-laden, stony compound was clearly visible.

Celestia stopped. She gazed at the old castle with a firmness in her countenance, and all the memories of a millennium and beyond were pulled from their resting places, filling her mind like a tidal wave. She took several breaths and walked away toward the edge of the chasm to her right.

Twilight and the others also stared at the old castle for a brief moment before following Celestia. They came to a stairway that was built into the cliff face. There was no guard railing, and very slowly, the ponies proceeded down the cold stone steps as it led down into the bowels of the chasm.

At the bottom of the stairs, they entered into a small cave that was only wide enough for two ponies to pass through at a time. The cave's entrance disappeared behind them as they delved into the winding corridor. Very large amethyst gems were lodged within the walls on both sides and in the ceiling. The light from Celestia and Rarity's horns reflected off of the gems, creating a glow that made the passageway shimmer.

“Goodness gracious!” cried Rarity. “Oh, I wish I could get my hooves on some of these!”

“Likewise,” said Spike as he stared at the gems. His mouth began to water.

After a few moments, the ponies came to a large cavern. The ceiling rose as high as the grand hall in the palace in Canterlot, and the width of the space allowed for the ponies to form a line from left to right. Dozens of small, flat-topped rock pillars lined both sides of the chamber. Many of the small pillars had vines wrapped around them, and several of them had pink flowers on top of the rock. Similar to the corridor, very large amethysts were embedded in the deep blue, rocky walls and ceiling, and the floor was a deeper purple than the gems.

At the back of the cavern, stood a tall tree made entirely of light-blue crystal. The base of the tree had an engraving of a half-moon, above it was an engraving of the sun, and at the center of the tree was an engraving of a six-pronged star. All of the tree's branches had multiple strings of small white gems dangling from them, and five of the branches had a single larger gem at its tip. The five larger gems were each a different color, one of them pink, the others turquoise, orange, purple, and red. The gems were arranged in a perfect circle around the star engraving in the center of the tree, and the entire tree gave off a white aura that illuminated the cavern.

Rarity let out a loud gasp, her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. She rubbed her eyes for a moment and blinked several times, then they grew wide once more.

“Heavens to Betsy!” cried Applejack, also with eyes wide. “I ain't never seen somethin' so... so...”

“Divine!” shrieked Rarity.

“It's so beautiful!” said Fluttershy. “And I feel so relaxed just looking at it!”

Rainbow grinned and sat down. Crossing her forelegs, she scanned the full height of the tree. “Okay, now that's pretty cool.”

“Everypony,” said Twilight, “behold the Tree of Harmony, birthplace of the Elements of Harmony, and rumored to be the source of life and magic in Equestria.”

Celestia glanced around and smiled. Seeing that nothing about the cavern or the tree was mis-colored, and that the magical energy emanating from the tree was still warm, she put her hoof to her chest and let out a deep sigh.

“That's it then!” cried Pinkie, bouncing up and down and wearing a bright smile. “I know what the theme of my next big party's going to be!”

“You said it, Pinkie!” stated Rarity. “And I've got so many ideas for new lines coming to me so fast, I can't decide which one to do first!”

Spike nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and just like Fluttershy said, just looking at it makes me feel relaxed.”

Cadance took a step closer to the tree, gazing up. “So, this is the legendary Tree of Harmony. I've seen drawings of it but to see it in person. It's more glorious than a simple drawing could ever show.”

“It's definitely something somepony would have to see to truly appreciate,” said Shining Armor. A grin slowly formed on his face, and he walked up alongside Cadance. Sitting down next to her, he leaned against her and draped his left foreleg over hers. “It's even a little romantic, isn't it, dear?”

Cadance beamed and gave Shining Armor a tender nuzzle. “It certainly is, my love.”

“Well, my little ponies,” said Celestia, “it seems that the darkness that has taken the Everfree Forest has not made its way down here, and the Tree is doing as well as could be hoped.”

Twilight gazed up at Celestia. “Do you suppose the Tree's power could be keeping the darkness at bay?”

“It seems likely, but whatever the case I'm just glad its okay. And we can only hope it stays that way.” Celestia pondered for a few moments then broke into a silly grin. “Would you believe me if I told you that the Tree of Harmony makes even myself and Luna look young?”

The others gave Celestia surprised looks.

“Oh, yes,” she continued with a small chuckle. “It was here long before Star Swirl the Bearded first showed it to us when we were just fillies. I remember that researching it was one of his big, long-standing endeavors.”

“What came first?” inquired Pinkie. “The Tree or the forest?”

Applejack furrowed her brow. “Is that supposed to be a riddle, Pinkie?"

“Nah. Honest question, but I can turn it into a riddle if you really really really want me to.”

“Pinkie's question is, in fact, one of the greatest mysteries of Equestria,” stated Celestia. “Even Star Swirl the Bearded didn't know the answer to that, and I'm not sure if we'll ever really know. But all that matters right now is we know the Tree is still safe.”

“That's one bit of good news amidst a chain of bad,” said Applejack. “Well, what are we waitin' for? Luna's diary ain't going to read itself.”

Celestia gave a quick nod and led the ponies out of the cave, keeping her horn aglow as they retreated through the tunnel. They stepped onto the stone stairway, and the darkness that blanketed the forest engulfed them once again as they climbed.

Reaching the top of the chasm, the ponies slowly crossed the bridge, and all of their gazes became fixed on the ancient castle that towered within the shadowed heart of the Everfree Forest.

Celestia stared at the archway that led into the castle. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and filled with a somberness. “Just like I said before, the diary is in a secret room in the library, but we must also proceed with caution. Nopony leaves the light of my horn.”

“Business as usual then,” said Applejack.

Silence returned to them as the ponies proceeded up the crumbling stone stairs. Keeping within the magic light that shone from Celestia's horn, they passed through the archway into the castle's entry hall. Once they were all inside, whatever light from Celestia's horn that reached behind them seemed to vanish, leaving only a field immediately to their sides and to their front that they could see clearly. Particles of dust floated through the air, but they too were not visible beyond the field of light. Every hoofstep the ponies made rebounded off the stone walls, causing the sound to echo all along the hall like a flat melody, while every breath they took hung in the air for a moment like soft chanting.

Passing through a second archway at the end of the hall, the ponies entered into a long chamber that was big enough to hold a large crowd. Banners bearing the crest of Equestria came into their view, most of which were torn, tattered, their colors faded, and covered with many layers of dust. At the far end of the grand hall, two stone thrones sat atop a small dais. One throne bore an engraving of the sun, a moon was carved into the other, and two banners, each one bearing a symbol matching one of the two thrones hung on the wall behind its respective seat. Between the two thrones was a small balcony whose central portion was broken, its rubble spread across the floor below, and in the wall behind the balcony and between the banners of the sun and moon, was a large hole.

Taking in the sight, Celestia's ears flattened, her eyes began to water, and she let out a sigh, but a quick second later, she turned to her left and stepped toward another doorway.

Twilight's breaths became deeper and she stared at the thrones.

Cadance bumped into Twilight and let out a soft grunt. “Twilight? What is it?”

Twilight raised her hoof and pointed at the corner of the room directly behind the throne engraved with the moon.

“There...” she said in a partial whisper.

Everypony turned their attention to Twilight as she continued to stare forward.

“'There' what?” asked Spike. Still seated on Twilight's back, he leaned to the side and gazed ahead in the direction that Twilight was pointing. “I don't see anything.”

Applejack held her foreleg above her eyes and squinted. “What are you lookin' at, Twi?”

Twilight placed her hoof back on the floor, but she kept her eyes forward. “That's where I saw her... Nightmare Moon, on Nightmare Night, after you girls had left for Ponyville. I couldn't tell it was her, as her features were hidden beneath her cloak.”

Twilight's tone darkened. “And her voice. It was so... ethereal... The things she said... mysteries wrapped inside of enigmas. I looked away for only a second, but when I looked back she was gone, as if it had all just been a hallucination. But it wasn't. I haven't been able to get any of it out of my head ever since.”

There was a brief moment of tense silence as Twilight completed her recount.

“Applejack,” she continued, “tell us the Legend of the Pony of Shadows again.”

Applejack's ears flattened, she frowned, and rubbing her foreleg, she cleared her throat. When she began to speak, her voice was riddled with gloom. “'When Nightmare Moon was banished, not every last bit of her dark magic went with her. When night falls on the castle, that magic takes the form of—'”

“'The Pony of Shadows...'” muttered Twilight. “Prior to this past Nightmare Night I scoffed at the very idea of such things. But now, after everything that has happened, I am utterly convinced the legend must be true.”

“Sis...” Shining Armor put his hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

“But it wasn't nighttime when we were last here.” Twilight shook her head. “No. I saw her with my own eyes, and heard her with my own ears. Or rather, a lingering fragment of her, here, in the middle of the day, which makes me suspect that the legend is incomplete.”

“Or was misinterpreted,” stated Applejack.

Twilight frowned and slowly nodded. “And that's what scares me the most. Are all of the other old pony tales really true as well? What other dark secrets does Equestria hold that we don't know about?”

“That's why we're here, darling,” said Rarity with a warm smile. “To get some answers.”

Celestia turned and stepped closer to Twilight, sitting down in front of her. She leaned down, and gave her a gentle nuzzle. “The library is just through the next hall. We'll know more soon.”

Celestia returned to the front of the pack and the ponies stepped through the arch in the wall to their left. As they proceeded down the long corridor, their eyes occasionally turned to the paintings that lined the walls. Some of the paintings were of ponies dressed in regal garb, others had ancient maps of Equestria.

“Ooh, I love these paintings!” said Rarity. “So exquisite, and such lovely garments on all these ponies.”

Her gaze passed over a painting of the castle standing in its completion. The view was angled slightly to the right side, the castle was nestled under a clear blue sky, and tree leaves were flying in a wind. “This one though I think is my favorite. I can almost feel the breeze as I look at it.”

Soon, the ponies exited the corridor and entered into another large chamber. The light from Celestia's horn revealed piles of crumbled stone scattered about the floor, mingled with books and torn papers of all sizes. Countless cobwebs hung on everything, going in every direction and which shimmered in the light coming from Celestia's horn. Bookshelves reaching from the floor all the way up to the ceiling lined the walls of the chamber from front to back. One statue of an alicorn stood near the entrance to the library, but its head and wings were broken off in chunks, while a second statue sat whole near the back of the chamber. In the center of the room was a long table with a chair at each end, plus several more chairs on each side.

Twilight's eyes widened, she beamed, and she let out a loud, drawn-out gasp.

“Wow!” she cried as she galloped through the library and gazed up at all the different bookshelves. “Look at all these ancient books! It's a veritable gold mine of information! I can't believe it!"

“So, Princess Celestia,” said Shining Armor, “where's this secret room with the diary?”

Celestia walked over to the chair that was at the far end of the table. She tilted it back so that its front-right leg lifted off the floor and exposed a metal bar that was going down into the floor.

Several clicking sounds broke the silence of the library. Suddenly, a bookshelf next to the table came out from the wall and split down its center. The two halves parted in opposite directions, sliding along the floor with loud grinding noises and revealing a doorway in the wall. Large clouds of dust shot out from the bookshelf, and more rose up from the floor as the bookshelf moved.

Everpony watched in awe as the bookshelf came to a stop with a loud thud, but as the clouds of dust fell over them, they covered their eyes and started to cough. After the dust had settled, they shook themselves off.

“The biggest downside to walking around old ruins...” Rarity let out a whimper and sneezed. Levitating a tissue from her saddlebag, she wiped her nose and balled up the tissue, setting it inside a side pouch in the saddlebag. “Everything is covered in huge batches of dust. It's positively havoc on one's sinuses.”

The ponies stepped through the newly revealed door in the wall, entering a circular room and glancing around. The room was small, with a single bookshelf against the wall to the ponies' left, and a bed against the wall to their right. Several pillows were scattered on the floor at the base of the bookshelf. Two stain-glass windows were built into the back wall. The window closest to the bookshelf was gold and had a picture of the sun, and the window closest to the bed was blue with pictures of a half-moon and several stars.

In the center of the room was a pedestal, upon which sat a single closed book.

“There it is...” said Celestia.

Everypony's gaze fell upon the book as they approached the pedestal.

Celestia peered down at the closed tome, and a consuming dread that was icier than the air of midwinter invaded her heart and mind.

“The Journal of the Two Sisters...”