Age of Equestria

by EdofJville

Turning Point

Twilight Sparkle nearly choked on her food as her eyes widened in surprise. She managed to swallow the bit of her hayburger and drank a swig of soda before mustering a reply. "You want to visit the Tree of Harmony....again!? But why?"

Ethereal Divide hesitated momentarily as he gazed at his plate lying before him on the table, his hayburger and sweet potato fries largely untouched and getting cold by the minute. Spike, meanwhile, had already gobbled up his lunch and was leaned back on his chair with his claw resting firmly on his now full stomach. He eyed Ethereal with curiosity, expecting a response any second.

The three of them had traveled into town to eat lunch at The Hayburger, which was apparently a new favorite dining establishment of Twilight's. She had decided to give Spike a break from cooking, which he appreciated. It also served as an occasion to discuss their next steps in regard to Ethereal and his predicament. He had already told Twilight and the others about his harrowing encounter with timberwolves and being backed into a corner by a majestic crystalline tree the night before.

He perked up at Spike's voice.

"Uh, dude? You okay?"

Twilight spoke again with a twinge of concern in her voice. "Ethereal, what's wrong? You've barely touched your food."

Ethereal finally broke his silence while still staring down at his plate blankly.
"Sorry, I was just thinking. And yes, I want to go back to that tree. The....Tree of...Harmony... as you called it. Something about it captivates me."

He forced himself to take a bite of his hayburger and consume some fries before they lost any more warmth. He was actually hungry in spite of his initial failure to eat. His thoughts had been consuming him ever since he woke up that morning with a newfound resolve to visit the tree again. He sipped his lemonade as Twilight pressed him once more.

"It is a pretty captivating tree, I agree. But I did tell you the other day that the Tree of Harmony is magically enchanted since its imbued with the Elements of Harmony. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna discovered the Elements embedded in it many moons ago and used them to defeat Discord, the spirit of chaos. And then later on, Celestia was forced to banish Luna to the moon for a thousand years using them because she had been corrupted into Nightmare Moon. And my friends and I have relied on the Elements several times to defeat threats to Equestria up until Tirek showed up. You know the rest of that story."

He glanced up at her and nodded.
"Yes, I recall you telling me about that. It explains why there are relics on the tree that resemble all of your cutie marks. Those are the Elements, right?"

"Yes" replied Twilight.

"But", Ethereal continued, "I'm not interested in the tree because of that. There's something else.... something that almost calls out to me. Some sort of resonance that I can't really explain. I just feel it." His gaze drifted away toward the windows across from their table on the other side of the restaurant. His mind was drawn outside in the direction of Everfree Forest.

Spike suddenly shot up in his chair with excitement. "Hey, I just realized something! Didn't you say that while you were at Zecora's place, she dropped this weird gold liquid on you and a magic aura appeared around you!?"

Ethereal had a look of intrigue on his face. "Well yeah, that did happen. What are you getting at, Spike?"

"What I'm saying is that maybe your sealed magic that's inside of you is somehow reacting to the Tree of Harmony! Maybe that's what you're feeling!"

Twilight chimed in. "Oh my gosh, Spike! I think you might be on to something! That makes sense! I mean, I'm not sure how exactly it works, but it would explain why Ethereal is suddenly feeling this sensation. Zecora's potion must have had a leftover side-effect."

Ethereal smiled slightly at this. "I guess I should thank Zecora for two things now. I forgot to thank her last night for saving my life when I was cornered by the timberwolf pack the first time. And now, her potion may have inadvertently stimulated my inner senses which are guiding me to this mystical tree."

"Seriously? You forgot to thank somepony for saving your life? Who does that?" remarked Spike.

Twilight gave Spike a displeased look, but he just shrugged.

"It was an eventful night. It sort of slipped my mind" answered Ethereal sheepishly. "But yeah, now I'm really interested in going there. I don't know if it will amount to anything or not, but I at least need to see it in the light of day." He resumed eating his meal from there on out.

"Alright then! We'll head over to the Everfree Forest as soon as you're done, Ethereal." Twilight seemed genuinely invested in doing this. The waitress soon came to collect their plates and Twilight footed the bill, leaving a small pile of bits on the table. Minutes later, the trio headed out the door of the increasingly busy diner. Before they ventured off into the forest, Twilight flew off to recruit Rainbow Dash for their trip in order to have an aerial view of the forest and find the tree easier.

Not long after, Ethereal found himself traversing the Everfree Forest once again with Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash in tow. Twilight was leading him on hoof in front while Rainbow Dash scoured the area overhead searching for the small canyon in which the Tree of Harmony resided.

Twilight called out to her: "Any sign of it yet, Dash?"

"Nope, nothing yet" she replied. "Just a bunch of trees for as far as the eye can see. Oh, and uh, I can see the top spire of the Castle of the Two Sisters. But the tree we're looking for has gotta be somewhere before the castle."

Ethereal found himself feeling a bit antsy by this point. He anxiously wanted to find the tree again and was growing uncharacteristically impatient. "You'd think it would be much easier to find this tree during the day. You girls have been through here many times before, right?"

Rainbow Dash turned her head and flashed him a confident grin. "Hey, no worries bud. We've got this!"

Twilight echoed the sentiment. "Rainbow's right. We'll get there. We've been to the site of the Elements more than enough times."

He trusted them and did his best to keep any signs of frustration or impatience to himself. Besides, without these two mares, he'd just get lost wandering in circles around this vast, thick forest. He couldn't forget the threat of looming timberwolves roaming throughout the habitat either. He wasn't keen on tempting death a third time. It was also good that Spike had chosen not to accompany them since he would have likely slowed them down. He was probably enjoying his time helping out Rarity at her boutique. The little dragon was hopelessly infatuated with her; a fact Ethereal found somewhat funny.

What seemed like hours went by as the sun slowly arced downward in the sky. At one point, they had reached the perimeter of a large swamp which Twilight warned him not to go near because of dangerous creatures known as cragodiles. The trio made their way alongside the edge of the swamp, eventually passing through dense forest foliage again before Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted.

"Hey guys! I see it! I see the entrance to the tree!" She flapped her wings rapidly in excitement.

Soon after, the trees and bushes cleared out in front of a familiar canyon basin. Ethereal galloped down the stone stairs to the bottom while Twilight and Rainbow flew down and landed. As they trotted closer to the end of the basin where the Tree of Harmony was lying in wait, Ethereal felt a strong sensation well up inside him. It was something akin to a vibration or some type of whole body static electricity. Whatever it was, it gave him a sense of adrenaline and his heart was beating fast.

They rounded a final corner and laid eyes on the magnificent sight that was the Tree of Harmony. It glimmered brightly as it basked in the afternoon sun's rays. Ethereal Divide was in awe. Seeing it now in the daylight was a whole other experience from encountering it in the middle of the night. He could now see every single intricate detail of the crystalline tree as he trotted closer and closer.

"I still get chills when I see it" admitted Rainbow Dash.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Me too. It never gets old."

Ethereal stood right in front of the tree's base. He looked straight up at the towering branches, each of which having a single cutie mark shaped rune embedded inside. Each one corresponded to the matching element and cutie mark of one of the mares he had come to know in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle's element of magic, Rainbow Dash's loyalty, Pinkie Pie's laughter, Fluttershy's kindness, Applejack's honesty and Rarity's generosity. They were all here, emblazoned permanently on this enchanted tree of crystal, only being plucked away when needed under dire circumstances as Twilight and her friends had recounted to him.

He was utterly mesmerized at all this. Somehow these ponies have the ability to wield these powerful artifacts and channel magic through their strong bonds of friendship with each other. I can't imagine that feeling. How wonderful it must be to have genuine friends like that. Even just being able to use magic period would be fulfilling in and of itself. This tree also gave birth to Twilight's castle home.... from a sealed chest. A chest she and her friends had to unlock with special keys that only they could obtain. And also through the unlocking of this chest, they were granted the power they needed to defeat that monster Tirek. This tree is truly special. I wonder what else it is capable of doing. And above all....why do I feel so drawn to it?

He closed his eyes as a feeling of peace washed over him. Before he realized it, he raised his left hoof and touched the tree. Upon making contact, a surge of energy jolted through his body. He could feel some pain and discomfort coursing through him, especially centering around his horn and forehead, but it wasn't enough to make him cry out. Then another sensation washed over him and coursed inside his muscles, bones and bloodstream: warmth. It was as if his body was bathing in an intense hot spring; one that encompassed him so completely. He felt himself go numb as he lost all physical control of himself. But rather than being scared, he enjoyed nothing but inner peace. At that moment, something shattered within him and an outflow of some kinetic force poured out, radiating around his body.

Pulsating, vibrating, shocking him inside and out. He opened his eyes, only to see nothing but bright white light engulfing his surroundings. Then, a sudden and strong force flung him away from the tree at great velocity as his vision and hearing failed. Blackness everywhere. He lost consciousness....

What followed was perhaps the best slumber of his entire life. No dreams or nightmares. No pesky thoughts clouding his mind. Only a deep state of sleep. He eventually awoke to a crystal ceiling and familiar surroundings. He was tucked in bed in his room back at the castle. He became aware that he was not alone as the distinct sound of snoring could be heard nearby. He turned his head sideways to the right, and there, at the foot of the bed, was none other than Twilight Sparkle, fast asleep with her face buried in her hooves and her lower body slouched along the bed's edge touching the floor.

A weak smile formed upon his face. He then noticed that she had left a cup of water for him on top of a night stand adjacent to the bed. He outstretched his hoof and tried to grab it, but the damn thing was just out of reach. Mustering the effort to rise up, he tried to grab the cup again but was too weak to stretch out far enough as his muscles ached and strained. He fell back onto his pillow and cursed under his breath. He was really thirsty at this point, but aside from waking up Twilight for assistance, which he didn't have the heart to do, he was out of options.

He stared at the cup in frustration. All he could think about at this very moment was having a drink of water. His gaze fixated firmly on that cup. He needed it. He had to have it. And by Celestia's grace, he was going to get it dammit. Right then and there, the cup became enveloped in a lime green aura. It levitated into the air and toward Ethereal's face. Confused, he looked around but no one was in the room aside from a sleeping Twilight and himself. His brain registered the only logical conclusion.

And then he saw it. His horn was glowing a bright green aura. Magic. Actual magic emanating from within himself. It promptly fizzled out and the cup of water shattered on the floor.

Ethereal Divide lay back down and stared at the ceiling, absolutely stunned.

Author's Note:

Chapter 8 is in the books! What a doozy! From hayburgers to sensations, the friggin Tree of Harmony and magic. Yes magic! It seems Ethereal has finally unlocked his magic ability after following a call to the mystical Tree of Friendship Lasers and Rainbows. But on a serious note, what does this mean? Obviously, Zecora was right about Ethereal's magic being sealed, but who or what could have done this to him?

And what of Luna's theory? Does she know or at least suspect more about Ethereal than she has admitted? What will her next move be, if any? Does Celestia fit into any of this? Why is Ethereal's magic green? Aren't magic auras supposed to match the color of a unicorn's eyes or something? Why wasn't he taken to Ponyville Hospital? Is he hurt or just drained from the whole tree experience?

Most importantly, now that Ethereal has his magic, what's next for him? Something tells me he'll likely have to learn how to use and control his magic from scratch as if he were a young colt. Talk about delayed development!

See you in chapter 9!

Comments

[Silentwoodfire]

Long way to go for him.