The Mission Begins Anew

by comicfan616

The Harmonic Sentience

“This… is a development.”

“What’s up?”

“I noticed some kind of magical anomaly, so I’ve been looking into it to try to find out what it is.”

“Is it going to affect the map? Because, after the last incident, I don’t think my heart can take any more of that.”

“Which one? Star Swirl or Discord?”

“Yes.”

“… Fair point. Well, to answer your question, the map only detected the anomaly, and given what I’ve just learned of its source, I doubt we have to worry. Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“Between Starlight’s time travel plot and Star Swirl’s magical interference, I’ve learned to be a little cautious.”

“And yet you still think we have nothing to worry about?”

“Again, given the source, I can’t say there’s any immediate danger.”

“And that source would be…?”

“Here.”

“The… Tree of Harmony?”

“It certainly explains how we detected the anomaly in the first place. I mean, it makes sense, right? When the Pillars first planted the Tree, we’ve since coexisted in a sort of symbiotic relationship; we use the Tree’s magic to observe Equestria and the rest of the world to send the girls on missions, and we provide it with the power it needs to sustain itself.”

“I guess. Still, Tree or no Tree, I’m gonna give the Matrix the once-over just in case.”

“Your call.”

“So, do we know what this magic is doing?”

“Well, I couldn’t figure that out until I knew what we were dealing with. So, with that step out of the way…”

“…Okay, now I’ve seen everything. And I’ve traveled through time and space.”

“It certainly is… interesting…”

“Really? The Tree of Harmony takes on a life force of its own to magically project an image of Princess Twilight, and you call that merely ‘interesting?’”

“Let’s just see what it’s doing before we decide if we should worry about this or not.”

“…”

“…I don’t know about you, but I’m still confused.”

“Looks like it’s testing the students on their friendship mettle.”

“Why, though?”

“My guess is, as the harbinger of peace and harmony throughout Equestria, it wants to…!”

“No no no, I mean, why those six in particular? And how did they even get in this position in the first place?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Let me try something. I’m just gonna rewind the view a little bit…”

“You can do that?”

“I may or may not have experimented with time magic since the Upgrade. Small scale stuff, though, not enough to affect the physical plane… Okay, here looks good… Ah, study groups. The ultimate strain on the brain.”

“And tensions running just a little higher than normal…”

“…And Cozy Glow.”

“Ah.”

“Look, I get that she’s just a kid, but doesn’t that make it all the more urgent to set her on the right path?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t see a situation where we can do anything about it. Even if we call Princess Twilight, or anyone really, the last place they’re going to think to check for a friendship problem is a school devoted to friendship. And Cozy does play off the innocent act very well.”

“If you say so. Personally, I think she lays it on a little thick. It’s a wonder nopony’s even looked into it.”

“There is one more thing: I honestly think, and I hate myself for even daring to consider this, she’s probably beyond help at this point.”

“…Wow. And here I thought I was the one for hyperbole.”

“Bear in mind that her pen pal is Lord Tirek himself, and she’s young and impressionable. She’s also at just that age where she thinks she’s got it figured out, and woe to the poor soul who would try to say otherwise.”

“So, that’s it, then? We just give up on her?”

“Again, I don’t like it either. But there are too many factors against us. Maybe things will work out for the better, maybe not.”

“You ask me, I’m leaning toward ‘not.’ But you are the one who usually has the answers, so I guess I shouldn’t push this further. Let’s just move the clock forward now.”

“…”

“And this explains how they found themselves with the Tree at all; it came to them.”

“I didn’t even realize these tunnels existed. For all we know, the Tree has been gathering magic for something like this for a long time.”

“Wait, if these tunnels exist, and these students just happened to find it by accident…”

“Actually, it looks like it sort of… called them there.”

“Maybe, but do you really think it’ll stay a secret for long? Imagine if Cozy gets wind of this. And given how approachable she makes herself, it’s all too likely.”

“…You… might have a point there. I’ll… look into some options. But I can’t promise much, if anything.”

“Just do what you can. I’d just feel better knowing that, if things do go south, it’s not because we didn’t attempt anything.”

Author's Note:

On the one hand, I'm glad stuff like this happens; it gives me more to do than just the usual "here's how we justify this friendship mission team" bit.
On the other hand, though, It takes plenty of mental gymnastics to keep up with current canon and keep this story in line with it.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of the Tree of Harmony, I can't really come up with a way to incorporate the events of "School Raze" into this story, seeing as how the Tree was the real focal point, rather than any connection it has to the map.

Comments

[Comickook]

Great job on the discussion between the map spirits concerning not only the location of the anomaly and prior experience with map-messing but also Cozy Glow.