The Balance of Harmony

by Thornwing

Chapter Twelve - Friends in High Places

Twilight woke as the golden rays of the morning sun crept across her bed. She had slept alright except for the uneasiness she still felt not knowing how her other friends were doing. One thing she did note, while her sleep had been deep and restful it lacked any particularly coherent dreams. She chalked up the weird feeling to being extremely tired and went about getting her mane and tail presentable for an audience with the princesses.

Spike was still asleep in his small bed in the corner of the room. Twilight was just brushing out the last few snarls in her tail when a knock came at her door. The noise woke her assistant and he slowly propped himself up and rolled out of his bed.

“Come in,” she called to her visitor.

The Sargent of the Guard from the night before stepped into her bedroom. “Princess Twilight, I am here to inform you that Princess Celestia awaits your arrival in the throne room. Whenever you are ready, I can escort you there.”

“I’ll need to make sure my friends are ready as well,” stated Twilight. “I don’t want anypony to be left out here.” She winked toward Spike who just yawned and stretched in return.

“Of course, your highness, we’re all waiting just outside in the hallway.” The guard saluted, turned, and walked toward the door. On his way out, he stopped and mentioned one more thing. “I also must regrettably inform you that Princess Luna went straight to her quarters this morning and will not be joining you in the Royal Hall.” He then slipped out the door and into the hallway.

“I guess we’re the last ones to be ready, Spike.” Twilight finished her brushing and nudged the barely roused dragon out the door as well.

In the hall, Discord and Pinkie Pie were joined by several other guards. The Canterlot Royal Guard wasn’t very keen on having Discord in the castle. Security had been doubled as a precaution to avoid any potential chaotic mischief.

Twilight greeted her other friends and they all moved quickly in the direction of the throne room. Princess Celestia greeted them as they entered. Besides the princess, only a handful of other guards were present.

“Princess Twilight, I’m so happy to see you.” Celestia called out as the group moved across the room toward the throne. “I’m sorry that I missed you last night; I hope your visit isn’t regarding a matter of great urgency.”

Twilight approached Celestia and bowed in a small princess to princess nod. “Unfortunately, it is pretty important. We were just so tired yesterday that I felt it could wait until morning.”

“Discord,” readdressed Celestia, “how nice it is to see you as well.”

“Always a pleasure,” Discord said with a bow. “I’m afraid we have a bit of a problem, however.”

“We are in search of the Elements of Disharmony,” interjected Twilight.

Celestia’s brow furrowed. She was taken aback by the unexpected comment from the young princess. A hundred thoughts from long ago swept into her head as she responded, “That is not something I expected to hear you say, princess.” She turned her attention back to Discord and continued, “I would guess that this has something to do with you then?”

Discord replied, “Only if you consider -Discord- and -disharmony- to go hand in hoof.”

“That is exactly what I am implying and I think you know where I am going with that.” Celestia gave Discord a long hard stare.

Twilight broke the tension mounting in the room, “Well, I see that we all know exactly what we’re dealing with here, so no need to get lost in the details…”

“Yes, short story short, the elements are missing and I’ve asked Twilight and her friends to help me find them. As you can see, they’ve already found the first element and are keeping it safe while we gather the rest of them.” Discord pointed over to Pinkie as she proudly displayed the glowing blue gem hanging around her neck.

Princess Celestia settled into a less threatening posture. “Alright, Discord. I just don’t want to see this turn out like it did last time. I hope you understand the gravity of the situation this time.”

Discord waved off her concern as he continued, “Of course, princess. We’ve got the whole problem on lock down. I’ve even tracked two of the elements here to Canterlot!”

“That’s good, right?” Twilight tried to edge into the conversation one more time. “I mean, we know they are here in the city somewhere. Now all we need to do is find them and fix whatever problem they are causing, right?”

“Yes, Twilight.” Celestia addressed Twilight directly now. “However, it may not be as simple as you think. There are a lot of ponies in Canterlot. Finding whomever is at the heart of the problem may be more difficult than it seems.”

“I guess we have our work cut out for us then – should we get started by searching the town?” Twilight tapped her hoof nervously, still thinking there was more to the conversation between Celestia and Discord that wasn’t being said. Regardless, they still needed to do whatever they could to find the lost elements and secure them before they got out of control.

“Of course, Twilight. The Royal Guard is at your disposal. If there is any sign of trouble, you will be the first to know.” Celestia paused for a moment as she considered the situation. Her next question begged to be asked and she continued, “Do you happen to know which elements that you have tracked here to Canterlot?”

Twilight responded, “Actually, princess, we do. The element of greed and the element of envy. Discord said they were in other places earlier, but he now believes they are both here in Canterlot.”

Celestia’s worried look remained and grew a bit deeper as she considered another question. “Also, where are the rest of your friends? Surely they play a part in this as well.”

Twilight hesitated with her answer, “I’m actually not sure where they are. I sent Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to Griffin’s Nest to find the element of envy and Applejack and Rarity went to Manehattan in search of the element of greed. It wasn’t until recently that we discovered they were both in Canterlot.”

“That is unfortunate,” replied Celestia. “I will send my fastest Pegasi messenger ponies to see if they can’t locate your friends and bring them here to the castle. In the meantime, I suggest we get to work on finding your missing elements. One word of caution to your friend here --- Pinkie Pie, make sure you hang on to the element that you have. We wouldn’t want it slipping into the wrong ponies hooves.”

Celestia gave Discord another furtive glare as she finished speaking to the group and stepped down from the throne. She began to organize the guards in their respective tasks as Twilight and company trotted out of the room. They quickly left the castle and headed into the heart of town in search of the elusive elements.

---

The train arriving from Manehattan pulled into Canterlot Station right on schedule. Rarity and Applejack exited their traincar, both glad to be off the clanking transport for an hour or so. They had a layover in Canterlot before they could board another train that would take them the rest of the way home to Ponyville.

The pair of ponies tossed comments back and forth to one another as they took a leisurely walk into town. Applejack wanted to try some city food breakfast and see if it measured up to the quality and great taste of her own farm fresh morning meals. Rarity was itching to window shop – perhaps she might even find the inspiration for her new line of pony fashion-wear that had been eluding her.

They passed by a few shops and Applejack was able to find a suitable place for some food. They continued to examine more shops and take in the view. Out of nowhere, the last thing they would have expected to find met them.

“Applejack! Rarity!” Twilight shouted out their names as she charged down the street at a full gallop towards them.

Applejack gulped down her last bit of breakfast before being practically run over by her frantic friend. They both landed about three feet from where she was previously enjoying her meal and was now being attacked by a furious hug from the young Alicorn princess.

Rarity fought back a giggle as she hovered over them both. “It’s good to see you too Twilight, and thank you for remaining civil with myself.”

“Get over here you…” Twilight reached up and pulled Rarity into the hug. She had the biggest smile a pony could manage on her face as she reveled in the reunion with her friends.

Pinkie Pie bounced along around the trio shedding glitter with every leap. They all now had their own taste of the Pinkie glitter bomb.

Discord finally caught up to the others. The glow from Applejack’s necklace caught his eye. “I see you’ve got something there, Applejack. Whatever could it be?”

The ponies were able to break up their pile of hugs and glitter and came back to their upright positions.

Applejack replied, “Well, it’s not what you sent us to Manehatten for in the first place, but I think it’ll do right nicely.” She stuck out the gem for the other ponies to inspect.

Twilight beamed, “The element of lies! You did it, Applejack!”

“Couldn’t have done it without Rarity here,” Applejack said as she pushed the unicorn forward. “She’s the one that figured it all out.”

Rarity blushed as she felt rather embarrassed with Applejack heaping all the praise on her. “Well, I did help a little. It was, however, Applejack who sealed the deal in the end.”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to blush a little. “Aww shucks, Rarity. I’d say it was more of team effort to be honest.”

“That’s great you two!” Twilight couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was still so happy knowing that two more of her friends were ok. “That’s one less element we have to worry about.”

The mood was suddenly broken as two ponies raced by shouting at one another.

“Give that back right now!” shouted the first.

“I saw it first and it’s all mine!” yelled the second.

Twilight’s smile faded as she pondered the strange event that just occurred. Normally there would never be an argument like that in Ponyville. Everypony got along pretty well and were able to sort out their differences without too much fuss. Perhaps things had changed in Canterlot in the time she had gone to live in Ponyville. Maybe the city was becoming more like Manehattan – too big and impersonal for its own good.

Another thought then crossed her mind – maybe this was the result of one of the elements they were tracking. Twilight came to this realization a bit too late; the ponies were long gone. She addressed her group of friends:

“That has to be the work of one of the elements. We need to figure out where they are before this really gets out of hoof.”

“Well, why don’t we split up and cover more ground then?” suggested Applejack.

“Yes, Applejack and I can take the boutique shops, and you and Spike can search the upper village – Pinkie Pie and Discord can search -- wherever.” added Rarity.

Twilight replied, “Actually, Rarity, I want Pinkie Pie and Applejack to go back up to the castle and help coordinate the guards. They already have their elements and we can’t afford to lose them in all this mess. You and I can search the lower town.”

“And what would like me to do, Twilight?” asked Spike in almost an afterthought sort of way.

“Oh, sorry,” stammered Twilight. “Umm… how about you and Discord take the upper town?”

She wasn’t too sure about pairing her trusted assistant up with the one person she didn’t fully trust. In the end though, she figured it wasn’t going to hurt anything and may actually help Spike to be out in the middle of the action as it were. The ponies broke their informal huddle and dispersed to their assigned tasks.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie started off towards the castle. The pair didn’t have much to say as they trotted through the upper town. Applejack felt a little unsure of their roles in the plan, but eventually decided it was for the best that they should protect the elements they had acquired without putting themselves in the line of fire any more than they had to. Pinkie trotted along beside her, still shedding a small trail of glitter in her wake as they went.

As they approached the castle, one of the guards that had been in the throne room earlier met them halfway up the steps.

“Miss, uhh, Pie,” the guard stammered as he tried to address Pinkie in the most appropriate manner possible.

“That’s me!” chuckled Pinkie.

“Yes, um… Have you seen Princess Twilight? Our messenger pony has already returned with a few of your friends in tow --- as well as, a Griffin.”

“Oh, Twilight will be so happy to hear that,” squealed Pinkie – the glitter now falling into little piles around her as she jiggled with glee. “She’s probably still on the other end of town. You can probably find her there – just look for the dress shops.”

The guard saluted and raced off into town – still a bit confused by the strange interaction with Pinkie.

“Well, what are we waitin’ for,” said Applejack as she rose up in preparation to gallop away. “Let’s go find our friends.”

She raced off into the castle with Pinkie hot on her flank.

Comments

[Sunlight Blaze]

So we open this up the next morning and Twilight and Discord get an audience with Celestia.

They explain why they're in Canterlot: to find two of the Elements of Disharmony.

Celestia’s brow furrowed. She was taken aback by the unexpected comment from the young princess. A hundred thoughts from long ago swept into her head as she responded, “That is not something I expected to hear you say, princess.” She turned her attention back to Discord and continued, “I would guess that this has something to do with you then?”
Discord replied, “Only if you consider -Discord- and -disharmony- to go hand in hoof.”

Discord, sometimes you can be really dim; you of all people know that.

“That is exactly what I am implying and I think you know where I am going with that.” Celestia gave Discord a long hard stare.

Uh......Never seen Celestia give a look like that since "A Canterlot Wedding."

We’ve got the whole problem on lock down. I’ve even tracked two of the elements here to Canterlot!”
“That’s good, right?” Twilight tried to edge into the conversation one more time. “I mean, we know they are here in the city somewhere. Now all we need to do is find them and fix whatever problem they are causing, right?”
“Yes, Twilight.” Celestia addressed Twilight directly now. “However, it may not be as simple as you think. There are a lot of ponies in Canterlot. Finding whomever is at the heart of the problem may be more difficult than it seems.”

Aha! See? I told you Canterlot's size would be a problem!

Then Celestia notices that not all of the group is there and asks where the rest of them are.

Twilight hesitated with her answer, “I’m actually not sure where they are. I sent Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to Griffin’s Nest to find the element of envy and Applejack and Rarity went to Manehattan in search of the element of greed. It wasn’t until recently that we discovered they were both in Canterlot.”

Uh, don't you mean this:

Twilight hesitated with her answer, “I’m actually not sure where they are. I sent Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to Griffin’s Nest to find the element of malice and Applejack and Rarity went to Manehattan in search of the element of lies. It wasn’t until recently that we discovered they were both in Canterlot.”

I'd recommend going back and changing that. (Writing: -1)

“That is unfortunate,” replied Celestia. “I will send my fastest Pegasi messenger ponies to see if they can’t locate your friends and bring them here to the castle. In the meantime, I suggest we get to work on finding your missing elements. One word of caution to your friend here --- Pinkie Pie, make sure you hang on to the element that you have. We wouldn’t want it slipping into the wrong ponies hooves.”

Celestia gave Discord another furtive glare as she finished speaking to the group and stepped down from the throne. She began to organize the guards in their respective tasks as Twilight and company trotted out of the room. They quickly left the castle and headed into the heart of town in search of the elusive elements.

Uuuuuhhh.....I was under the impression that Celestia trusted Discord... I know the situation isn't exactly pointing in his favor, but she's definitely a pony to give him the benefit of the doubt! She wouldn't be this antagonistic towards him. (Writing: -1)

So we flash to Rarity and Applejack arriving in Canterlot before heading into town to wait for their layover train to Ponyville. Twilight, Pinkie, Spike, and Discord show up shortly thereafter.

Discord finally caught up to the others. The glow from Applejack’s necklace caught his eye. “I see you’ve got something there, Applejack. Whatever could it be?”
The ponies were able to break up their pile of hugs and glitter and came back to their upright positions.
Applejack replied, “Well, it’s not what you sent us to Manehatten for in the first place, but I think it’ll do right nicely.” She stuck out the gem for the other ponies to inspect.
Twilight beamed, “The element of lies! You did it, Applejack!”

Wait...so it wasn't the Element of Lies they originally sensed in Manehatten? *rereads back a few chapters* ......... Well, *nervous laughter*.....awkward.........(Writing: previous penalty discarded)

So, that means the Elements can move around and/or switch places with another? Well, that just made the search a LOT more difficult.

After some Element of Greed shenanigans with two ponies arguing over an item of some kind, the six of them huddle together to discuss their plan on catching the two Elements in Canterlot.

“That has to be the work of one of the elements. We need to figure out where they are before this really gets out of hoof.”
“Well, why don’t we split up and cover more ground then?” suggested Applejack.
“Yes, Applejack and I can take the boutique shops, and you and Spike can search the upper village – Pinkie Pie and Discord can search -- wherever.” added Rarity.

My goodness, Rarity came up with a good plan! Those pairings are well-thought out as well; Rarity and AJ are getting along better, Twilight and Spike are closer than ever, and Pinkie is just as random as Discord. Good job, Rari---

Twilight replied, “Actually, Rarity, I want Pinkie Pie and Applejack to go back up to the castle and help coordinate the guards. They already have their elements and we can’t afford to lose them in all this mess. You and I can search the lower town.”
“And what would like me to do, Twilight?” asked Spike in almost an afterthought sort of way.
“Oh, sorry,” stammered Twilight. “Umm… how about you and Discord take the upper town?”

Aaaaand you blew it....

She wasn’t too sure about pairing her trusted assistant up with the one person she didn’t fully trust. In the end though, she figured it wasn’t going to hurt anything and may actually help Spike to be out in the middle of the action as it were. The ponies broke their informal huddle and dispersed to their assigned tasks.

Twilight's learning; getting Spike more involved in the main plot? Progress...
As a side note, though, I don't think Twilight doesn't trust Discord fully. (Double negative...)

So they all head off in their assigned directions/destinations. AJ and Pinkie run into one of the guards, and we learn that Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Gilda have arrived.

“Well, what are we waitin’ for,” said Applejack as she rose up in preparation to gallop away. “Let’s go find our friends.”
She raced off into the castle with Pinkie hot on her flank.

I wonder how they're going to react to Gilda... Oh, glorious conflict setup.