My Little Pony : Spirits of Harmony

by PairADice

Prologue

Princess Twilight sat upon her throne as three acclaimed scholars entered her throne room. Though Canterlot scholars typically remained in the Canterlot School for Gifted Unicorns, Princess Twilight required their help to observe a matter of grave importance. Three weeks ago, she sent them on a mission to observe natural irregularities within their assigned region of Equestria. Now that they had returned from their assignments, Professor Polaris, Professor Karat, and Professor Jones bowed before the princess, each of them eager to present their findings.

While the scholars' lowered their gaze, Princess Twilight's eyebrows furrowed with worry. She had assigned four unicorns to this task, but the fourth scholar, Professor Bayleaf, was not present. The professor's absence was upsetting; however, she set aside her concern and braced herself for whatever news she would be hearing.

With a nod, she commanded, "Please, begin.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Professor Polaris said. He stood upright and adjusted his glasses. “My observations of the night sky: week three, concerning the stars. The stars surrounding the moon have nearly doubled in apparent magnitude over the last three weeks. My second observation, concerning the moon. Deviations in the moon's orbit are becoming more extreme with each passing day. Forgive me, princess, but I believe that the moon could shift into a completely different orbit if you allow this abnormality to persist." He gave another low bow. “That is all.”

Professor Karat stepped forward and presented a stack of research papers with a photograph of a small black crystal placed on top. Pointing at the picture, she said, “As you know, Your Majesty, I reported the appearance of these strange black crystals at the base of the northern mountains bordering the Crystal Empire. More of these crystals are showing up every week, yet given their individual growth rate, I estimate that it will be a few months before they reach a notable size - the size of a colt, that is to say. They seem to be harmless, and they have little effect on the ecosystem. I recommend that you ask the Crystal Empire to keep an eye on them, but I do not believe they are worth too much of your attention for the time being.”

She gave a quick bow and looked to the pony standing beside her.

Professor Jones stood upright, but before he could report his findings the throne room doors burst open. Everyone jumped, looked back, and saw Professor Bayleaf standing in the doorway. Her mane was scruffy and crumpled notes stuck out of her saddle bag. Tardy and unsightly, she ran down the red carpet and fell down before the throne in contrition.

“Forgive me, princess!” she pleaded.

“It’s alright, professor,” Princess Twilight said compassionately, but she did not conceal the urgency in her tone. “Tell me what you know.”

Remaining on the floor, she looked up at the princess and said, “I have distressing news regarding the Everfree Forest, the lands you instructed me to observe!”

“Yes?” Her eyes widened.

“I-I was testing the credibility of local rumors regarding the sudden outbreak of irregular plant life within the forest. Well, there's no doubt that strange magic is having its way with that land! Vines unlike any I have ever seen or read about are growing in the forest at an astonishing rate! Last I checked, they were growing thirty-six inches per minute, and who knows how fast it's growing now! I strongly urge you to evacuate Ponyville and nearby communities before these vines overrun the region!”

Princess Twilight took a deep breath, placed her hoof on her chest, and exhaled before opening her eyes and looking down at Professor Bayleaf. In a calm, reassuring voice, she said, “Thank you, professor."

Professor Bayleaf looked up at the princess quizzically, and the other scholars murmured amongst themselves, confused by the princess's sudden serenity.

"Thank you, all," the princess continued, looking to the other three scholars. "You have gathered invaluable information with commendable diligence. I hereby discontinue your tasks, and you may return to your normal schedules.”

The scholars left the room packing up their notes. Three of them exited proudly, despite the confusion they felt from the abrupt termination of their respective mission. However, Professor Jones’s head hung low as he stuffed his lengthy observations back into his bag.

As soon as Twilight was alone, she projected a magical screen from her horn. She closed her eyes and pictured a specific pony in her mind, a unicorn with a bright yellow coat and a light orange mane tied into a ponytail with a burgundy bow. When she opened her eyes, the pony appeared on the screen. At this very moment, the pony was meticulously securing priceless historical artifacts on white pedestals and covering them with glass casings. Twilight smiled; she sent this pony to Ponyville three weeks ago - her prized pupil, Celestial Sky.

Twilight stood and the screen disappeared as she stepped down from her throne. She made her way out of the castle thinking about Celestial Sky with every step. Despite living in Ponyville for the past three weeks, Celestial Sky was showing no signs of making any friends, and this deeply troubled Twilight. She had been watching Sky from Canterlot hoping things would unfold accordingly, but she couldn’t afford to wait any longer - she had to intervene. For unbeknownst to her four scholars, particularly Professor Bayleaf, Twilight had set things in motion that only Sky could fix. It was critical that her student complete the task she had given her – the fate of Equestria depended on it.