Worlds Apart

by Elkia Deerling

Intermission: lost and found

One year before the Heat Seekers’ downfall.

For two whole years, nothing extraordinary happened. Two years after Discord’s alliance with Chrysalis, life in Equestria went on as usual, while nopony knew about the lingering threat. The mane six, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer had grieved for a long time after Fluttershy’s death. Even the cutie map became silent, as if it wanted to offer them some respite. The cutie map knew they weren’t ready yet ready for new friendship missions; Equestria had to wait until they felt better. In the end, it proved to be Applejack, staunch-hearted, faithful, and strong as she was, who helped them get out of the lingering depression.

“Fluttershy wouldn’t want us sitting here, crying, grieving, when there are things left unsolved,” she had said. “Fluttershy would want us to dry our tears, go out there into the world, and make it a better place. She would want us to spread the magic of friendship and spread kindness all over Equestria. Now, are we gonna honor her last will or not?”

And so they got to work again. No sooner than the echoes of Applejack’s voice faded away through the large throne hall, the cutie map sprang to life again. It raised from the ground, and showed the great kingdom of Equestria and its friendship problems.

The mane six, Spike, and Starlight Glimmer went on friendship missions all over Equestria, settling conflicts and helping others where they could. The map kept calling and calling them, and they never ignored a single call. They traveled and talked and fixed what was broken. The missions gave them a sense of purpose again, and filled, however shallowly, the gaps in their hearts. But no matter how many friendship problems they solved, no matter how often they came together, there was always one empty throne, standing desolate at the round table. And every time, they felt tears in their eyes, as the memories of the mare that occupied it flashed by. Memories of the element of kindness.

And all the while Princess Celestia observed her student, Twilight Sparkle, the princess of friendship, through her letters. She saw how she grew from the unsecure, secluded student to the strong-hearted, resolute princess she was now. She knew that Twilight Sparkle and her friends felt the loss of their friend in their hearts, but she also knew that they were strong, and that they could pull themselves out of the depression. In the end, she proved to be right.

But the wellbeing of the guardians of friendship wasn’t the only problem that lingered in Princess Celestia’s mind. Equestria had lost one of the elements of harmony, and, however cold it sounds, it had to be replaced. Somepony had to fill in the gap, or the other elements would be forever weakened. In order to keep Equestria stable, to make Equestria complete, a new element of kindness had to be found. And that was why Princess Celestia summoned her faithful student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to her court in Canterlot.

Twilight bowed before her ruler. “You wanted to see me, Princess Celestia?”

“Please rise, Twilight Sparkle. You don’t have to bow for me,” Celestia said.

“Nor for me,” Luna added.

Princess Twilight blushed and rose to meet the princesses’ gazes. “I answered your calls. Is something the matter?”

“There is,” Celestia said. She sighed, looked down at the ground, swallowed, and then met Twilight’s gaze again. “We have all grieved for our poor Fluttershy. She was a special pony, a pony worthy of bearing the element of kindness.”

Twilight Sparkle sniffed. “She was.”

“And that is why we have summoned you, Twilight Sparkle,” Princess Luna said. “Fluttershy was not only a pony, she was the bearer of one of the elements of harmony. With her gone, there is not only a gap in everypony’s hearts, but also a gap in the magic of friendship, the very thing that keeps Equestria together.”

Perking up, Twilight said, “I… I think I understand. The land of Equestria, it needs…”

“A new element of kindness,” Luna said.

Princess Celestia gave Luna a thankful nod. She had no idea how to tell Twilight that without the fall of tears, but luckily her sister was more adept at hiding her emotions than she was. “My sister is right,” she said. “Equestria needs a new element of kindness, or the natural order of things will be disturbed. No matter how strong you all are together, we simply need a new element.”

Twilight had never before thought of that. She thought they did fine. Yes, she thought that all of her friends had moved on, and had given the death of Fluttershy a place. Her eyes shimmered. “But… how?”

“The elements of harmony reincarnate,” Celestia said. “Whenever a bearer passes away, a new bearer of the element is born. It is a vicious cycle.”

“After you defeated my dark side,” Luna said, “you activated the elements of harmony, and with that, you also made sure that they will last forever. New bearers will be born when old ones wither. Those bearers do not know of their destiny, but once they approach the element, their true colors will be shown. It is just a matter of finding the right pony.”

Twilight swallowed. “That is… I can’t believe it.”

“It is true,” Celestia said. “As we speak, there is somepony somewhere in Equestria who is the living embodiment of kindness and carries it within his or her soul. You have to find that element, however difficult it will be.”

“One pony in all of Equestria,” Twilight whispered. “But… he or she could be anywhere. He or she could be anypony.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “It is true that the task of finding the new element will be difficult, but don’t forget that it is fated. In the end, you will find the new element. It will reveal itself at the right time at the right place.”

“But… how can you be sure?” Twilight asked.

“We can feel it,” Luna said. “My sister and I can feel the presence of the new element in the world, in Equestria. We cannot find out exactly where the element is; that is a task to be carried out by the elements of harmony themselves. But we do know that he or she is in this world, waiting for you to discover him or her.”

“Look out for an extraordinary pony during your travels, Twilight,” Celestia said. “That is all you need to do. Observe, watch, search, and then the element of kindness will reveal him or herself to you.”

Despite the advice the princesses gave her, Twilight Sparkle was left with many, many questions. She realized that an important task was given to her. But she also knew that she was not alone. She would ask her friends to help her in her search. It was just a matter of waiting and searching.