— Chapter Seventeen —
--- Intervention ---
Walking through the Everfree Forest was a vastly different experience at night then it was during the day. The silver light of the moon was far less capable of piercing the leafy canopy then its golden sister, leaving most of the woods draped in darkness. What little light did manage to pierce through did not do much to improve visibility, only enough to paint a few different shadows alongside the trees and dirt. The sounds of the forest were also entirely different, now almost dominated by the chirping of crickets and other nocturnal sounds. As well as the almost ever-present sound of timberwolves on the prowl for something to sink their fangs into.
Of course, one of these potential targets was not Twilight. She had wisely decided to keep the broken ward she had stumbled upon, kept just behind her ear just as Fluttershy had carried hers around. Grateful that its stench couldn't quite reach her nostrils from that position, she was even more thankful for the protection it granted her from these impending beasts. Some attempted to break through the unseen barricade that emanated from the small item, others decided to move on after realizing that their efforts were in vain.
It was a refreshing change of pace, especially after being chased down by these same beasts those weeks ago. The lack of having to focus on them allowed Twilight to aim her efforts solely on trying to find Fluttershy in this expansive stretch of trees. If nothing else, only to find out how the pegasus had gotten her hooves on such potent magic like this. It might not have had anything to do with Twilight's current situation regarding Mr. Knox and his apparent use of memory magic, but even still it was an important matter. Something like this would surely benefit the town as a whole, yet Fluttershy seemed determined to keep this secret to herself if the pegasus's earlier reactions were anything to go off of. Besides, Twilight had already stuck her nose this far into a mystery that didn't concern her, why should she stop at just the one?
The alicorn suddenly stopped walking.
Why was she doing this in the first place, she wondered. Because she offered to help Applejack out in exchange for information that she, in all honesty, didn't need? Why should she care about whatever it was that this sarosian was doing in this town? Twilight didn't even know who he was until very recently, and very soon she would be setting her sites away from Ponyville and onto the road ahead of her. Out of sight, out of mind. Whatever was going on in this small country village, it wouldn't be Twilight's problem anymore. After all, what would any of this matter in a hundred years anyway? Or two hundred? Or three?
"No, Twilight, we've been over this," she scolded of herself harshly. She shook the nihilistic thoughts out of her head as she pushed herself forward. "It isn't healthy to think like that. People matter. The things they do matter. The actions we take can have lasting consequences that far outlive—"
"A lifetime, gone in the blink of an eye."
The words from the nightmare rung in her ear and the young alicorn shook at their implication. Again, she violently thrashed her head about to jettison the thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to think about it. Not now, not ever. She just wanted to live her life, just her and Spike. The world was theirs to see, and they were going to see it all. Never stopping, never staying, never looking back.
Though this current train of thought was brought to a swift halt as Twilight walked directly into something solid, her horn loudly tinking against the crystalline structure which caused the magical pony a great deal of disorienting discomfort. She jolted backward from the shock, flailing wildly for a moment or two as she regained her composure. Once the ringing in her ears stopped and her eyes once more decided to focus, Twilight saw the immense crystalline root standing before her, one of countless belonging to the Tree of Harmony. The very gateway that had flung her into this region of the world—and this mess—in the first place. Seeing the root again jogged Twilight's memory, her attention shifting towards her saddlebags. She quickly retrieved the travel charm she had been given, her gaze falling upon the jewel in the center. While no longer pitch black, there was only the faintest of glows to the magical stone. It was recharging, that was for certain, but far from being useable.
"That's... not right," she muttered to nobody, "It shouldn't be taking this long to recharge... unless something's stopping it." Twilight looked back up to the crystal root, unmoving and untouched by the countless eons it had stood here. She thought back to how she was brought to this forest. How she had spent an undetermined period of time floating around in that endless astral abyss. Up until now, Twilight hadn't put much thought into this. But continuing her recent streak of being overly inquisitive, she began to question the nature of her accidental arrival.
"We could have come out anywhere... So why here?" She squinted at the crystal arch as if it would actually answer her questions.
It probably could, if it had some way of communicating. Not a single soul, living or dead, knew quite for sure what exactly the Tree of Harmony was. At first, it was believed to just be an unusual natural phenomenon. But several key events in Equestria's history—and likely some from well before that history—suggested that there was something more to the tree. Since then, hundreds of thousands of theories had come into existence over the lifespan of civilization as to what its true nature was. Most of them agreed on one thing if nothing else: that the Tree of Harmony was wise beyond all mortal comprehension. And it had proven this in the few but significantly meaningful times it had "acted" in the affairs of the world. Twilight knew this, just about everyone in Equestria did, it was a common topic in general history classes.
"There has to be a reason for sending us here, right?" She asked, pacing to and fro before the stone structure as she thought out loud. "I mess up the spell and just happen to end up a stone's throw away from both Canterlot and one of the most important historical sites in relatively recent history? That portal could have led anywhere, or nowhere, so why here?"
She stopped in her tracks and looked up to the crystal root with wide, waiting eyes. But of course, the pony's questions were left unanswered, understandably so considering she was technically talking to a rock. A rock that was connected to one of the most powerful sources of magic in the world, but still just a rock. Nothing more and nothing less. Twilight's expression of anticipation slowly faded into one of bitter animosity. Partially towards the unusual tree root for not answering her, but also herself for expecting answers from it in the first place. A loud sigh signaled the end of her fruitless waiting.
"I'm wasting my time..." Shaking her head, Twilight turned to walk back towards Ponyville. She didn't care about answers anymore, and she didn't care about whatever it was that may have been going on.
What was I even thinking? Coming out here like this... She growled in frustration to herself. I'm just going to go home, get a good night's sleep, and we'll leave in the morning. I'm not getting any further into whatever this mess is. End of story.
But then, as the alicorn made up her mind with an angry snort, the wind picked up. A strong, short burst of air suddenly pushed at Twilight, enough to send her mane into a frenzy and to ruffle her cloak. Caught off guard, she yelped as her magical hold on the travel medallion was lost, causing it to fall to the ground. The round relic rolled with the wind for but a moment before falling to the dirt, slowly renewing centerpiece facing upward. And just as quickly as the sharp breeze had started, so too did it end without any warning. Twilight just stood there for a minute, unsure of what to make of the bizarre natural phenomenon that had just occurred around her. At first, she wrote it off as just that and nothing more. But then, as she went to retrieve her amulet, her overly analytical brain noticed a very odd and specific detail.
That gust of cool air had just pointed her towards Warden's Keep.
She was beside herself as she gazed over in the fortress's dirrection, finding herself at an actual loss for words for the first time in a very long time. There was a sense of doubt that filled the air for a long while, the alicorn wondering if that gust of wind had been just that or something more. Looking to the small piece of the tree in question, the crystal archway offered nothing akin to an answer. It simply stood there in the dirt, exactly as it had since long before Twilight was born, an eternal reminder of the Tree of Harmony's presence in this world. Twilight thought of the implications of this for what felt like ages. Her mind raced back to one of the many many books she had read in her youth. One that told the story of the Tree of Harmony and the mare who had become Equestria's first queen.
The story itself was old and vague, even to the one pony in the world old enough to hear it first-hoof, but enough was known to understand the general idea of what had happened all those hundreds of years ago. The tale of how in the earliest day of pony society—when the three tribes of pegasus, earth pony, and unicorn were still at odds with one another and the Spirit of Chaos itself—the mare who would be queen was "guided" towards what she came to call the Tree of Harmony. The tree had bestowed two gifts upon her: a mighty weapon that could smite the chaos, and an immortal body that could withstand such power. It was the oldest story in Equestrian history, the story of how the first alicorn had come into existence, to save and unify the ponies of the region, and to defeat the avatar of chaos that had beseeched the world. There wasn't a single living pony in Equestria who didn't know the story in some form or fashion.
But what Twilight was caught up on in particular was how exactly the first queen had found the tree in the first place. All historical records simply state that she was "guided" there, and nothing else. No further explanation existed, any and all who would have known had died long ago. Even the second queen was ignorant of the true meaning of that part of the story, or so she claimed. Though at this moment, Twilight's sharp mind had come up with a hypothesis. A hypothesis that greatly resembled the bizarre scenario she had just experienced.
Maybe there was a reason as to why she had been brought here after all.
Twilight continued onward through the Everfree Forest with that thought without even realizing it, each step bringing her closer and closer towards Warden's Keep. Spurred on by her own curiosity and another gentle gale in the same dirrection, the litteral wind in her sails, the young alicorn was now resolved to go through with this. Even if she didn't know what she was going to do with whatever answers she was to find, she at least wanted to know. If nothing else, she could pass on her findings to someone else so they could take action. But right now wasn't the time for worrying about that, right now was the time for finding answers.
And soon enough, the trees began to dwindle in number as the sudden drop off came into view. Stopping at the cliff's edge just as her guiding breeze did, Twilight looked to the forsaken fortress at the bottom of the canyon with inquisitive eyes. In the light of the moon, the broken barricades and shattered stone walls were just as distinctive as they were in daylight. They were all that remained from the countless years that this battleground had been forgotten and left hung open to rot. Though all of that was beneath Twilight's notice at the moment, her gaze solely locked on the massive tree that had taken root in the center of the structure.
The impossibly large plant had grown streight through the central mass of the keep, rendering it rather ineffective as a stronghold in any sense of the word. Twilight had briefly given it some thought the last time she was here, but there had been more prevalent topics on her mind at the time. But now she was free to question the absurdity of this unusual floral phenomenon, and the strange green light emanating from somewhere within the massive expanse of leaves.
Twilight double took as she noticed the slowly flickering luminance. She almost mistook it for a trick of the moon's light for a moment, but she corrected her mistake once she remembered that the moon wasn't green. She looked back to the treetop and the green glow emanating from within, it was just barely noticeable among the leaves glistening in the moonlight. It seemed to be pulsing, stopping and starting again after every few seconds. Like a slow heartbeat. There was something in there, Twilight was certain of that. What she was also certain of was that unless she was mistaken, this light was the same green hue that emanated from the eyes of the timberwolves.
"Okay... more unusual magic," Twilight idly commented, tilting her head at the unusual green glow. "... If I were a betting mare, I'd say this is what my new pen pal wanted to show me."
There was a moment where Twilight simply stared at the ominous glow with hesitance. A moment to steel her nerves in preparation for whatever it was she was about to come across. She had already come this far and had already decided against turning back, so one last deep breath was ready to go. A flicker of magic was enough to pull her cloak out of the way, allowing her to stretch out her wings with a few quick flaps to get the blood flowing. The gap between her and the treetop was too far a distance to teleport safely, especially without knowing what exactly it was that was up there. So flying was, unfortunately, the better option. Even if she hadn't done so in quite a few years.
"Alright, Twilight. It's just a short trip to the tree," the alicorn reassured herself, looking over the edge down to the ground below. "Not that big of a deal. Just... gotta remember those lessons... yeah." Twilight peered down over the cliff to the grassy landscape bellow, memories of her first few flying lessons coming back to her. Of course, this was a significantly shorter fall then the cliffs near Canterlot, so it was probably going to be okay. Plus, there wasn't an over-zealous pegasus to throw her off the ledge before she was ready, nor was there Spike to throw himself off the ledge after her. Bonus.
Several long steps backward were taken before she ran right off the edge of the cliffside. The first few strokes of her wings were hectic and uneven, only serving to slow her descent into the pit below. It didn't take her long, however, to even out her movements and actually ascend. It wasn't easy, especially when she had to navigate through the many leaves and branches that surrounded whatever it was she was after, but eventually, she did reach the tree's top.
A massive dome of greenery surrounded the spacious crown of the tree, a natural plateau large enough to build an entire house upon—and then some. The only source of light within this space was the mysterious green glow, and the light of the full moon beaming down through a large gap in the canopy—something she wished she had noticed before flying headlong into the cluster of leaves. Twilight quickly readjusted her cloak as she landed, but didn't hear the sound of hoofs clacking against the wooden surface.
Instead, what met her ears was the dry crunch that comes when someone steps on an old and dead plant, as well as a slight sinking sensation. Like the floor wasn't strong enough to support her weight, as strange as that sounded. Looking down, the entirety of the floor was covered in what were unquestionably dead flowers. Hundreds of thousands of them, a thick layer of dead foliage left atop this massive tree for some unknown purpose. Their colors had all but been torn away by the passage of time, now just a dark cluster of tangled dead things. They couldn't have grown up here, there was no soil to be had, it was obvious that they had been placed here. But by who?
This was a question Twilight couldn't answer, but it was one that became more prominent as she turned to face the slow green blinking. Her eyes were first drawn to the only other living thing up here—or formerly living, given its current state. She slowly walked over, desecrating this bed of flowers ever further, to one bunch of flowers that looked to be brand new. A small bouquet of rosemary had been placed here. Fairly recently from what the alicorn could tell, evident by how fresh their scent was. She wasn't the first one to come up here this evening, it seemed. Twilight took the opportunity to partake in the aroma, mostly to help cleanse her mind of the stench she had experienced earlier, before placing the flowers back down.
Though that didn't answer the question of "why?" that permeated Twilight's mind. Looking around at the thick layer of dead flora around her, it was clear that whoever had left this bouquet here had been helping keep up some longstanding tradition for a very long time. Perhaps as a way of paying respect to those who had fallen here? That was the only conclusion she could come to. But this routine service of remembrance wasn't the reason why Twilight had come up here.
No, she came up here to find the source of that green glowing. After having moved the newest addition to this hoard of rosemary, the mysterious light was shown to still be shining from underneath the layer of additional flora. And so, Twilight began to dig. Lightly pulling away small layers of the decayed plants away with her hooves, careful as to not disturb whatever it was that was beneath.
Finally, though, the secret was revealed after penetrating at least a foot of decayed flowers. Twilight could now see the wood of the tree's crown for the first time, and the strange shard of crystal that looked to be partially embedded within the tree, the perfect size to be concealed by Twilight's hoof if she so chose. It continued to pulse and glow as it had had been doing before, it's light brighter now that it was no longer buried by the thick layer of decaying rosemary. Not enough to be blinding, but it wasn't exactly comfortable to look at.
"What in the world is this?" Twilight pondered out loud, she was absolutely stumped as she observed the small object lodged in the bark. There was a short-lived moment where Twilight wanted to forcefully remove it from the wood with her magic, but she was smart enough to write this off as a bad idea. She had no idea what this thing was, and it was clearly magical in nature, it would be best not to agitate it.
Of course, that choice was soon revoked from the alicorn as an unusual humming began to emanate from her saddlebags, in perfect synch with the returning radiance of the crystal. Looking back towards her pouch, a bright white light was seen beaming through the fabric. She quickly reached into the pack and removed the object that had seemingly begun to resonate with the tree's shard.
She held the travel amulet in her magic, its new pale glow shining unopposed even through the magenta aura her horn had wrapped it in. The humming was louder now, almost unbearably so, and Twilight was forced to close her eyes from the two different sources of now brighter light. Though now, unlike before, the light did not cease. Even though the lids of her eyes, Twilight could tell that the two lights were getting more and more intense. And as the two magical stones reacted too one another, Twilight could feel her own thoughts growing heavy. Whatever the arcane phenomenon she had just triggered was, it was having a very strong effect on her ability to retain consciousness.
Alarmed, she murmured and stumbled about in defiance, fighting against her own fleeting awareness as she tried to escape whatever force she had inadvertently unleashed. She blindly stumbled about, fighting as hard as she could to stay cognizant, just focused enough to at least put the amulet back into her bag. That, if nothing else, diminished the intense light by a small amount. Enough for Twilight to finally open her eyes.
Just in time to watch as she inadvertently stumbled over the edge, and began the long but fast trip to the ground below.
Though by this point, her own sudden onset exhaustion had taken the better of her. She felt tired, unnaturally so, and found herself passing out as she continued to plummet to the shattered fortress far beneath her. The last thing the young alicorn saw before blacking out was the Mare in the Moon, silently watching this all transpire from her place amongst the stars.
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9917298
Or maybe it is, and the wrong color is there to throw you off?
Loved seeing Twi reflecting on the protective ward she kept while looking for Fluttershy as well as the mystery concerning Mister Knox. And Twi struggling to get the hang of flying again was another great detail as was her being briefly knocked out by those glowing artifacts she collected (which may or MAY NOT be the Elements of Harmony [we'll have to wait and see on THAT]).
Anyway, really good job on the characterization and future chapter set-up in all the right places.
Ya know slapping me in the face with fish as you slam buttons wildly on the forshadowtron-5000 isn't really intriguing.
9917641
Fair enough.
Personally, I really like that the two Big Alicorns are only being referred to by titles rather than names. I... think I mentioned it in a previous comment, but I think it's some really nice, and really subtle, character- and worldbuilding that even Twilight, who has had a very personal relationship with the Queen, refers to her by her title exclusively.
9917298
The elements, as we've known them, were not green.
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/5/53/The_Elements_of_Harmony_in_a_chest_S03E10.png/revision/latest?cb=20130120172521
But if we take a peak at the prologue at the beginning of the first episode...
vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/3/38/Elements_Of_Harmony_2_S01E01.png/revision/latest?cb=20121231014615
So it isn't, strictly speaking, impossible for this to be one of the Elements of Harmony. Or it might not—none of the flashbacks fromPrincess Twilight Sparkle include a green one (which I just checked on YouTube. Then again, we do know that Twilight's Cutie Mark still incorporates the six-pointed star we associate with the Element of Magic, from her description of her armor, which might suggest they'll still be playing a role here. But then, we don't know if her Cutie Mark in this AU still incorporates the five other lesser stars representing the other elements, the lack of which would be a recontextualization which could give her Cutie Mark very different meaning.
...Which is an awfully long-winded way for me to agree that, while we may have our suspicions, we can't actually say for sure what is going on here, since our dear author is not afraid to put that AU tag to work. I genuinely wasn't expecting this to turn into a mystery story, but I am very much enjoying it.
But I do think it's one of the elements. Specifically Kindness, because Fluttershy it's acting up on a night where, for some reason, Fluttershy has her house warded against the magic of the Everfree. Also, as we know from her Gala dress, green can go very nicely with Fluttershy's coat.
ohhhhhh its the focusing crystal for the orbital friendship cannon that was knocked loose when luna clipped it on her asscent to the moon
So the first Queen of Equestria, the one who defeated Discord and united the three tribes is not the alicorn we that we think is Celestia
Now I'm just curious about this "over-zealous pegasus"
9921972
Soon, my child.
Soon.
Amazing descriptions and scene-building here.
Ya know, despite everything that happens in this chapter, one of the things that sticks out to me the most, personally, is near the start where you give a brief glimpse to Twilight's inner turmoils to being an alicorn. From the brief look into her thoughts, she believes herself to be immortal, and Spike being a dragon and thus destined to live thousand of years, as her only worthwhile companion because of this. Any other friendships would be fleeting. This adds a whole new dimension to their relationship and the bond they share, but also to some of the reasons why Twilight is so wander-lustful (other than the obvious of finding Spike's heritage), and why she has trouble making lasting friendships.
This is excellent fodder for future chapters, as I'm sure you already know and have plans to take advantage of.
I wonder if Spike realizes that she's immortal, or if Twilight has ever actually voiced her concerns to him? What if it turned out that long dragons didn't live as long as other dragon species? How would she take it?
I liked your take on her having second thoughts about the entire venture, and how the bit of world-building with the Tree of Harmony was used as a mysterious resolution. Excellent writing!
Also, my bet's on Fluttershy catching Twilight as she falls.
9918253
...Curse you for making me think of Eureka 7! Curse (Bless) you, I say!
9930648
So I just have to bring mention to the fact that this is my favorite comment I've received on this story by far.
9930806
Thanks! But you deserve it. This is one of the most interesting stories on the site that heavily features Spike.
9931086
Thank you so much.
I wonder how long it'll take me to ruin it? Lol
I hope the stick stayed in place.
Second queen? Is that Cadance? Celestia? Luna? There is a lot we don't know about this world we can't just take from the show to fill in.
This is no cliffhanger, this is a clifffaller!
Hmmm, its obvious Nightmare Moon wants something from Twilight. Or maybe she just wants to reverse the spell Twilight preformed on herself.