Dissonance: A Hidden World

by Braininthejar

Chapter 16: The Tree

It took a moment for Twilight to recover her senses. Once she did, she realised she was in a small clearing, in a familiar forest. The smell of smoke could still be felt in the air, telling her that she had to be close to the previous night’s battlefield.

Around her, her five friends were rising from the ground, in various states of confusion. Fluttershy was crying, Rainbow Dash instinctively coming to her side. Rarity was just staring blankly, still coming to terms with what had just happened. There was a loud ‘pop’ as Pinkie Pie inflated and deflated abruptly.

Then there was a sound Twilight hadn’t expected. Laughter. Obsidian was standing in the middle of the clearing, looking into the sky and shaking with mirthful laughter, seemingly oblivious to the glares he was already getting from Applejack.

The blast from Twilight’s horn caught the stallion by surprise, launching him across the clearing and into a tree, so hard that it broke and fell. He lay there, groaning in pain, but still laughing. The unicorn stood over him, snarling angrily.

“What have you done, monster!? What have you done to us!?” She breathed heavily, looking down at the stallion. She could now clearly see the runic patterns singed into his fur. He was obviously in pain, but didn’t seem to care.

“What’s so funny!?” screamed Twilight at the top of her lungs, tears welling in her eyes. Her horn started glowing again.

Obsidian’s staff swept her off her feet, breaking her concentration and making her hit the ground with a painful thud. Obsidian rolled on his side and looked at the gathered ponies. They were all glaring at him, and it looked like Rainbow Dash was the next in line to try to hit him.

“You’re all alive!” he exclaimed with a wide grin. “I never expected it would turn out so well.”

Applejack pushed closer, the gem on her chest glowing orange again. “You expected us to die!?”

Obsidian looked at her and his smile shrunk a bit. He started to get up from the ground. “Not you. I made you a promise. I had attuned my staff to this spot earlier to be able to get back here at short notice, so I was reasonably sure I could get you out of there once the monsters were revealed for what they are. But for all of you to make it there just in time, that was lucky. And those kids distracting Arrogance at just the right moment, I couldn’t have planned that if I tried. Now-”

“You left Scootaloo there!” shouted Rainbow Dash right into Obsidian’s face.

The staff swung around, hitting her head and sending her reeling. Obsidian’s grin turned into a snarl. “I managed to save Twilight Sparkle, you, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack, and got burned to the meat doing so. Show some gratitude.”

His staff extended over Rainbow Dash, but didn’t strike again, instead sending a short pulse that seemed to instantly ease her pain. Obsidian’s face calmed. “Now, that would be a great opportunity to teach you girls some healing magic, but we need to move. It is great that we won’t have to spend months looking for replacements for anypony that’s died, but unless we want to be found, we shouldn’t stay here.”

He was about to move before noticing Twilight Sparkle hadn’t risen from the ground. He turned towards her impatiently. “Now, what’s with you?” he asked.”I didn’t break your legs, even though you attacked me.” He paused for a closer look. Twilight was in tears, her mane in a mess and her coat slightly less purple than usual. She was no longer lashing out angrily, but instead silently shaking, her mouth moving in a monologue only she herself could hear.

Obsidian sighed heavily. “Ah, I see, your little world is in pieces. I should’ve predicted that.” He turned towards Pinkie Pie. “Can you cheer her up? It’s very important.”

Pinkie Pie shot him an angry look before walking up to Twilight. Her own mane deflated a bit as she took a closer look at her friend. “This is very serious, mister. That was a horrible thing to do.”

“What did you do to us?” asked Rainbow Dash, finally getting up from the ground.

Obsidian shrugged. The runes on his body were now glowing softly, his body slowly healing itself. “I only told you the truth of who your rulers are. Applejack did the rest.”

Everypony except Twilight looked at Applejack, who responded with a confused and guilty look. “Hey, I just said he was telling the truth. And he was.”

“Aaaah!” screamed Rarity suddenly. “Applejack, what’s happened to your eyes?”

Applejack blinked “Whaddya mean?”

The orange light in Applejack’s eyes had finally dimmed, but her irises remained deep orange, matching the crystal on her neck, flat discs of color with no visible pupils.

“It’s attunement, or awakening, as they used to call it,” said Obsidian. “That means Honesty is finally properly yours. As for what you did, you wanted the truth from me. You created an area in which I couldn’t tell a lie, even if it weren’t already the case. Then you confirmed my words.”

He looked around the girls with a dramatic pause.

“That’s another of Honesty’s abilities. When you speak with utter conviction, you can’t be doubted. Make sure to use it wisely, and be careful not to be misled into spreading falsehoods. The power to be believed can be much stronger than many would imagine. I know, I used to wield it myself.”

Applejack nodded with a serious face, then walked up to Twilight and Pinkie Pie. She leaned closer to to the unicorn. “Twilight? You okay there? We need to get out of here, fast.“ She kept looking intently at Twilight, but the unicorn did not respond. Applejack’s expression slowly turned worried.

“I’ve seen Twilight all frazzled before, but never like this. Pinkie?”

Pinkie Pie kept moving around Twilight, looking at her from various angles. Then she scratched her chin. “A song won’t do here… she needs a hug. A big one… But first, we need to stop her moping. Moping only makes things worse.”

“Ah, right,” said Obsidian. “You have experience with sad kids at parties, not with life-shattering tragedies. But you’ve passed the test. That means you do have what it takes. Can you do the impossible when the need arises?” He didn’t come any closer, but kept watching them intently, like a teacher during a test.

“Okay…” said Pinkie Pie, “but I’ll need everypony here. Fluttershy?” She turned to look at the others. Fluttershy had tear tracks across her cheeks, and was leaning against Rainbow Dash, but still approached along with the rest. Rarity’s pallor was apparent even through her white fur, but she put on a brave face, if somewhat stiffly, apparently postponing her own breakdown while her friends needed her.

“First,” said Pinkie Pie, “we need to stop her talking. She’s just digging herself deeper.” She reached into her mane and pulled out a muffin. It was slightly misshapen and had a curly pink hair stuck to it, but seemed to still be edible. Pinkie blew on it gently to clean it a bit and then pushed it softly into Twilight’s mouth. The silent monologue was interrupted and soon replaced with a soft sound of chewing.

“Now,” said Pinkie, “everypony, follow me.” She leaned forward, nuzzled Twilight with her snout and then hugged her.

One after the other, the rest of the mares followed, forming a regular pattern around Twilight. Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and smiled. “And now, talk to her.”

Applejack turned closer to Twilight, the orange gem on her chest glowing softly again. “Sugarcube, we’re here for you. We all are. Whatever may come-”
“We’ll face it together,” finished Rainbow Dash.
“We’ll help each other until all is well again,” said Fluttershy, swallowing her own tears and smiling.
“Nothing will break us apart,” said Rarity, briefly breaking the hug to put a hoof across her heart.
“Until we can all smile again,” said Pinkie Pie, looking Twilight straight in the eyes, a mischievous smirk on her face, her own gemstone glowing soft blue.

Everypony looked at Twilight. Slowly, the unicorn’s eyes opened, and the corners of her mouth shook slightly upwards. She looked at Pinkie Pie. “I… I’ll be okay, just give me a moment to… get it out of my system, ok?” she then pushed forward, hugging tightly around Pinkie Pie and bawling loudly into her mane. The pink pony stood patiently while the bawls gradually turned into sobs and then silent sniffling.

Obsidian nodded slowly. "So sappy... but effective. It looks like we will be able to move out immediately after all.”

He was met with a collection of silent stares.

“Good work, Pinkie Pie, and you too, Applejack. You clearly know your friends well.” Obsidian cleared his throat. “Now, I know you all need more time to recover, but we need to decide what to do next. We can’t stay here, obviously. And going back to Canterlot now is out of the question.”

It took them a second to understand the implications. Then the mares’ faces became masks of pure horror.

“Apple Bloom!” “Sweetie Belle!” shouted Applejack and Rarity simultaneously.

“As well as many others, I imagine,” said Obsidian. “Lots of ponies you care about, that could be used against you.” He walked closer and stared Applejack in the eyes. “But if you rush back in and get yourself killed, they will no longer be that… useful. Going back there now, when you’re in no condition to fight, is the worst thing you could do if you care for their safety.”

“You can’t be asking us to just leave them there!” shouted Rainbow Dash angrily.

Obsidian turned towards her in turn. “I’m just giving you the facts here. Right now, you couldn’t even beat me, let alone the Shattered. And so, if you’re loyal towards those you care about, you will not put them in danger by showing up to an unwinnable battle.”

“We don’t need to fight them at all,” protested Dash, “We just need to get in there-”

“Right under their noses, just like I did just moments ago, hoping the they will fall for the same trick twice in a row?” Obsidian’s eyebrow was raised in amusement, but his face was scowling.

Dash turned red. “You said it yourself, being the Elements is about doing the impossible!”

“Yes,” replied Obsidian, “I know how it works. That’s how I know you’re not ready. I can’t tell you to silence the voice of Loyalty screaming in your heart. That would go against your nature and might even drive you insane. But you can be loyal in a smart way, and direct your drive towards something useful. Right now, you need strength to make a difference. Survive, and I promise I will make you stronger.”

“You said strength doesn’t matter!” shouted Applejack, suddenly standing beside Rainbow Dash.

“I said there are many ways to gain strength,” replied Obsidian. “I said strength is not what the tests were looking for. Was it your strength that put Twilight Sparkle back on her hooves? Yea, I didn’t think so. Perhaps we should start with the site of battle that took place here last night, to show you exactly just what you’re dealing with.”

“We have no time,” said Twilight Sparkle.

The other mares looked at her in surprise.

“I saw the size of that explosion,” continued the unicorn. “There are probably hundreds of trees there, broken like matchsticks. But we have to move out now. Reach my brother in the Crystal Empire. With the magic of the Crystal Heart protecting it, it might be the only place safe from this kind of power. Then we can work on finding out what has really happened to princess Celestia and princess Luna.”

“Didn’t I just tell you-” started Obsidian.

Twilight would have none of it. “You don’t know that for sure! You were locked up in your tower for how many centuries? I have lived in Equestria all my life, and it isn’t something a monster would build. We must learn more. Now, what is the fastest way for us to get to the Crystal Empire?”

“Well,” said Obsidian. “If Magic were properly awakened, you could teleport us all the way there on your own.”

“Something more useful?” groaned Rainbow Dash.

“How about leyline magic?” said Obsidian.

“Leyline magic?” asked Twilight. Her eyes were still red from the crying, but even so a spark of interest gleamed within.

Obsidian smiled. “Yes. This world is alive with magic flowing through it, from and to Dissonance. Some of the energy flowing through this world focuses in lines spanning the surface of the world. These are tricky to use. However, a crossing of lines, or a node, directs some of the energy upward, allowing a pony to take from it without struggling with the current, so to speak.

In my times, nodes were popular spots to build fortresses and wizard towers, providing extra energy for powerful magic. My tower used to stand on one such node, and I used it yesterday to get here. This forest contains another, and though it is already occupied by a magical object of great magnitude, there should be more than enough power for our needs.”

He turned south east. “Please follow me. It is something I wanted to show you anyway. This should add to our discussion about the rights and wrongs of Equestria.”

Twilight glared at the back of his head. “While we walk, tell me everything you do know.”

***

“You are late,” said Celestia.

She was standing in the ruined lab with Luna and Enigma. Around her, pieces of rubble crawled across the floor, slowly taking their places back in the shattered walls.

“It’s not like you to be late. We could have used you here.”

“I was just where you sent me,” replied Enigma, “stuck trying to find two ponies in the middle of the biggest magical anomaly in 200 miles radius.”

“And you didn’t feel the disruption when the lab exploded?” asked Luna.

Enigma shrugged. “I did. I thought that was the plan. You said you’d be making Twilight into another ‘princess’. That takes a lot of magic.”

“Ah, yes,” said Celestia. “You weren’t there the last time it happened. You’re never with us when we need you.”

The unicorn looked her in the eyes. “That’s because I keep having to clean up your mess, your Majesty.”

“Where is my daughter?” sounded a female voice from the door.

Celestia turned around. The blue-maned, tan earth pony mare standing in the door looked her in the eyes with worry.

“She’s fine, Dr Bluebonnet,” answered the princess, “but we needed to have her detained. Her friend got out during the emergency, and might have been exposed to enemy mind control magic. We are in the middle of a crisis, and can’t handle any more distractions now.”

The mare breathed a sigh of relief. “Where is she locked?”

“Sub-level 3, eastern corridor,” answered Enigma. “But she’s asleep now. Her condition was acting up under stress, so Dr Stone administered her some medicine.”

Bluebonnet nodded. “I see… wait, is Dr Stone back already?” she asked, pointing at the place on the floor where a dark spot was still visible.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” answered a voice behind her. Dr Stone entered the ruined lab. “I have finished neutralising agent Pierce’s poisoning. He’s not at full strength yet, but recovered enough to help with guard duty. Could you please watch over your daughter while he takes care of her friend? We will be busy here for a while.”

Bluebonnet blushed. “Of course, of course. I will delay you no longer.” Bowing quickly to both princesses, she turned and left, her white lab coat swishing behind her from the sudden movement.

Dr Stone waited for the sound of her hooves to disappear and then closed the door.

“You really are back quickly,” said princess Celestia.

Dr Stone seemed to shrink a little, the facade of a serious scientist replaced by a meek smile. “Oh, it wasn’t me. The procedure was simple and... I knew it could be... dangerous if something went wrong…”

“So you used one of your constructs,” finished Enigma.

Dr Stone looked at her front hooves. “Yes.”

Celestia breathed in deeply and exhaled purposefully. “I shouldn’t have cleaned it then. Now I won’t know the details first hoof.”

“I can still read what’s left of the instruments?” suggested Dr Stone with a small smile.

“That’s hardly important now,” said Luna sternly. “We’re facing the worst case scenario and we need to act quickly. I assume you have a plan prepared for such an occasion?”

Celestia lowered her head, her face suddenly twisted with sadness. “There is only one thing we can do. I will return to the palace and restore some semblance of order. You will search for them. Enigma, you go to the Crystal Empire. They will be headed there, and you need to do your part before they can find refuge there. Take Lightbringer with you.”

Enigma looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Once wasn’t enough, was it? I can do it fine on my own.”

Celestia looked at him sternly, her wings spreading reflexively. “You will do as you’re told.”

The unicorn sneered. “As you wish.” And then he was gone, the place where he had stood suddenly empty.

“Is it wise, making him hate you like that?” asked Luna. “And sending Lightbringer there, of all ponies?”

“He already hates me anyway,” answered Celestia. “Right now I need him to follow orders. Once we are done, he can spend the rest of his days wherever he likes. But not before. And Lightbringer… he won’t be happy, but we don’t have anypony else strong enough.”

Luna shook her head dejectedly. “You do know all this could've been avoided.”

Celestia glared at her. “No, it couldn’t. You were there, you saw what ‘Sombra’ was capable of. We needed a backup plan.”

“And who’s going to save us from the backup?” asked Luna, raising an eyebrow.

Celestia rushed towards her, but Dr Stone blocked her way. “P… please don’t argue. We need…”

Celestia backed down, but kept glaring at Luna over the scientist’s head. “That’s right. We have more important things to do. You have your orders.”

She turned towards the exit. “I will not let Equestria be consumed by madness.”

***

“So that is your story?” asked Twilight Sparkle.

During their short trek through the forest Applejack tried to retell the tale she had heard from Obsidian. However, it quickly became apparent that the ancient stallion wasn’t content to just listen, and kept interrupting the farmpony with annoyed corrections, until finally he took over the storytelling entirely.

“You don’t seem convinced,” he said without turning around, his eyes focused on picking the way ahead through the forest.

“Well,” said Twilight, doing her best to keep track of her surroundings despite being absorbed by the conversation, “I know the gist of it is true. I wish it wasn’t, but it is. But there are still pieces missing. I’ve known princess Celestia for years, and she doesn’t behave like an emotionless monster you say she is. For all my life, she has done nothing but good.”

“Do you always do good, Twilight Sparkle?” asked Obsidian.

Twilight walked in silence for a moment. “I always try to. It doesn’t always work out as I’d like to though.”

“Why?” asked Obsidian.

That got the back of his head some odd looks.

“What do you mean, why?” asked Twilight “That’s the right thing to do, isn’t it?”

“So, you don’t need much of a reason beyond your beliefs,” continued Obsidian. “Tell me then, if a good deed is done for selfish reasons, is it still good? Is the result more important, or the motivation?”

Twilight huffed in annoyance. “You can’t oversimplify it like this. Each case is different.”

Obsidian suppressed a chuckle. “Really? Just a couple seconds ago, your outlook on life seemed so much simpler.”

“In one thing princess Celestia did tell the truth,” said Twilight, “you’re great at twisting words.”

“She made that up,” replied Obsidian, “she wouldn’t know. I wasn’t like this back when she knew me. I was always talkative, but I used to be straight to the point and as stubborn as Applejack.”

“You’re still stubborn,” said Applejack behind his back.

“True,” agreed Obsidian. “Back to our discussion though, it is easy to claim you are doing good, but what about the results? Today I unraveled a web of lies spanning centuries. We all agree that lies are bad, don’t we? And yet, I don’t see myself getting praised as a hero. Instead you lashed out at me with a force that might have killed me if I were still an ordinary pony. You called me a monster too.”

“That’s because you are,” said Twilight. Behind her, Rarity and Fluttershy gasped. “You didn’t care about Equestria at all, just about your old war against those ‘shattered’.”

“There is a saying,” said Obsidian,” ‘if something can be destroyed by the truth, it deserves to be’. But not all agree with it. Do you? If you are convinced I’m the evil here, you have all the Elements of Harmony conveniently arrayed behind my back. You’ve already caught me off guard once today. All it would take would be one good shot and I might end up sealed in some gnarly tree. Then you could go back to your princess and spend the rest of your life pretending this has never happened, heroically ignoring what you know about her, all for the peace of Equestria.”

There was a moment of tense silence, punctuated only by the sounds of plants getting pushed out of the way.

“You’re insane,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“Yes,” replied Obsidian.

He parted the bushes in front of him and emerged into a small clearing. The ruins of the Castle of the Sisters were now visible in the distance. Obsidian headed purposefully in that direction.

“What can you tell me about this forest, Twilight Sparkle?” he asked.

“What does it have to do with anything?” asked Twilight.

“You’ll see in a moment,” said Obsidian. “so?”

“The Everfree Forest stretches in all directions around the Castle of the Sisters,” said Twilight reluctantly. “It is a home to many strange creatures. Despite its location very close to Canterlot, it is not directly controlled by ponies. The weather, the plants, all function without pony help. That’s why it is called Everfree.”

“So, you consider it a natural phenomenon?” asked Obsidian.

“On the contrary,” answered Twilight. “It feels… weird for it to function without ponies.”

“See,” said Obsidian, “this is where we differ. I remember the times when things weren’t so strictly controlled. When trees didn’t need being told that it was autumn. When being able to change the weather was a useful ability, not a necessity. When the goddesses of Sun and Moon didn’t need to be reminded of their job by mortals every single day.”

“So, the Sun would just rise on its own?” asked Applejack.

“Yes,” said Obsidian. “Why would it need ponies?”

Rainbow Dash looked around. “So, you’re saying all of the world used to look like this?”

Obsidian stopped, turned to look at Dash and shook his head slowly. “No. this forest is all but natural.”

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight. Fluttershy seemed like she was about to ask the same question, but being a bit slower, she just settled for a puzzled look.

“Just look around you,” said Obsidian, his staff waving around for emphasis. “What a wonderfully diverse environment. So many kinds of creatures living next to each other. It happens of course. But I saw creatures running away from the battle earlier. So many large predators living so close together? And what of the plants? There are magical fruit growing here. Zap apples. Heart’s desire. Poison joke.”

He smiled, looking at his audience. They kept nodding their heads, but didn’t seem to understand where he was headed.

“There are parasprites here too,” he finally said.

“It is their place, isn’t it?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“Well, in a way,” said Obsidian. “They were created during the war, to fight the enemy hiding in the jungle. They eat anything plant-like and multiply faster than any predators could eat them. I’ve seen what they could do. A forest of this size should be a barren wasteland by now. And yet, it isn’t. Did I mention the whole area is full of magical anomalies?”

Twilight nodded her head. “Princess Celestia mentioned it, that’s how the changelings could get so many soldiers so fast.”

“Ah, so you never have to be lonely here? The forest will just make you companions?” asked Obsidian. “And there are magical plants for every occasion, a paradise, as long as you manage not to get eaten, because the forest tries to accommodate every creature, from small pests to enormous meat-eaters.” His smile disappeared. “This is not a natural balance. Or even a product of a control freak like the rest of Equestria seems to be. This here is forced balance. It is harmony, as imagined by the insane.”

He suddenly turned around and started running towards the castle. “Follow me.”

The six mares had little choice but to follow, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle sticking closely behind Obsidian, while the rest just tried not to get left behind. When the stallion finally stopped, he was standing at the edge of the chasm splitting the ground in front of the ruins. However, instead of heading towards the rope bridge, he walked along the edge, pointing towards what turned out to be stairs, hewn out of stone and heading down the cliff towards the bottom.

“Remember how I told you that much of the local leyline power is already invested?” asked Obsidian as he descended the stone steps. “This is where all that energy goes.” He pointed his staff at a cave entrance visible at the bottom of the chasm. There was pale light glowing from the inside.

One after another, the ponies entered the cave. At first sight, it seemed similar to the changeling tunnels they had seen before. There were glowing crystals in the walls and here and there the spiky, black vines emerged from the ground.

“What is this thing?” asked Rainbow Dash.

At the end of the cave, there was a tree made of crystal, a single piece of translucent, indigo mineral glowing with pale light. As the ponies approached, more details became visible; there were five hexagonal holes in the thickest branches of the tree, and one more empty space in the very center, shaped like a six-pointed star. Below that, the symbols of sun and moon were embedded in the trunk.

“That’s my cutie mark,” said Twilight confusedly, looking at the phenomenon up close.

Obsidian set the staff horizontally in front of her, barring her passage. “Don’t come any closer. There might be protection spells around it. I don’t want the Shattered to know we’re here.”

The ponies formed a small semi-circle, keeping their distance, but looking at the tree curiously.

“So, once again, what is this thing?” asked Applejack “Is this what you wanted to show me?”

The Honesty on her chest started glowing a faint light. Obsidian squinted. “You want to test me again? Don’t you trust me? Actually, you might want to remember this trick. It is useful against hypocrites - confront them, and force them to be honest, and they might choke on their own words just long enough to give you an opening. But, coming back to our topic.”

He turned away from Applejack and towards the tree. “Twilight, you surely remember how I told you about each Element only attuning to one pony. And yet the princesses have been able to use all of them to an extent. This here is the explanation of this particular mystery. You’ll notice that the tree bears the cutie marks their bodies have. From what I understand, this thing served as their connection to the Elements, giving them indirect access to their powers. More importantly, it fooled the Elements into reacting as if attuned. That is why there haven’t been any true bearers in centuries - the Elements were created to attune to ponies, they should naturally seek new ones to attune to. But while they were placed inside the tree, they would be kept dormant.”

“We found the Elements in the castle ruins above, not here,” said Twilight Sparkle.

“And what does that prove?” asked Obsidian.

“Does it mean they had been moved from here?” continued the unicorn.

Obsidian nodded. “Most likely. They wanted to be found, and somepony wanted them to be found as well. And as soon as you embarked to look for them, you were joined by five other mares of potential compatibility. You could call that a coincidence, but all the living things are connected through Dissonance.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” said Twilight. “If Princess Celestia wanted me to find the Elements, why come here just to move them to the castle, and not give them to me? And if she didn’t, like you say she wouldn’t, why remove them from here at all?”

“Well, that’s something you’ll probably have to figure out for yourself,” said Obsidian. “I don’t have all the answers. But the adventures you six went through on your search seemed a lot like a simplified version of my tests… but weren’t all the obstacles Nightmare Moon’s doing? Do you think it was fate, a coincidence, or were you being tricked from the very beginning?”

“Wait,” said Rainbow Dash loudly,”this still doesn’t add up. How would this thing trick something as powerful as the Elements of Harmony? If a piece of crystal could do it, anypony could.”

Obsidian grinned, looking at the pegasus and then at Twilight. “What do you say, Twilight Sparkle? That was a very good question. Can you give an answer? Because that’s a big part of the reason why I brought you here.”

Twilight Sparkle swallowed loudly. “If what you say is true, and the Elements only attune to one pony each, the tree would have to pretend to be six ponies, right? And ones with the right personalities to bear the Elements.”

Obsidian chuckled. “Does anypony have a gold star they could give to miss Sparkle?”

Pinkie started digging a hoof through her mane, but soon gave up with a shrug.

“Yes,” said Obsidian. “The tree needed to have six distinct personalities, with strong enough features to attract the Elements, but at the same time, not coherent enough to have a mind of their own - creating a fully sentient vessel to link with the Elements would defeat the purpose. But Dissonance is full of memories and emotions, bits and pieces the souls are made of.” He turned to look at Rainbow Dash again. “You remember that, don’t you? If Absynthe can walk dreams as Luna, that provides a way of reaching into Dissonance. Then it’s just a matter of taking pieces with you, and weaving them together. Of course, leave something like that sitting for a couple centuries and it will inevitably start coalescing, whatever your intent.”

Twilight Sparkle shuddered. “You mean there are pieces of… inside this thing? It thinks it's ponies?”

Obsidian closed his eyes. “Can you not hear them, Twilight Sparkle, singing off-key inside their prison?” He stood in silence for a moment, as if listening in, before opening his eyes and looking at Twilight again, no longer smiling. "No. If it was only that, I would be a hypocrite to condemn them. After all, I helped design the Void Passage. It is full of 'things that think they're ponies'. This is worse. A mess of emotions and half-formed concepts that feels it's ponies, but was never meant to think coherently, purposefully crippled, and deformed to serve a single purpose.

This is the power that has created the Everfree Forest, always eager to serve the case of harmony, but too crazy to understand what it is doing. This is the price paid for the thousand years of peace, and I assure you, it wasn’t the only one. There is a saying that three ponies can keep a secret if two of them are dead. And the Shattered must have had a lot to hide.”

His staff jerked forward, bumping Twilight on the horn, just as she started gathering energy for a spell. The unicorn flinched away with a yelp.

“Why did you do that?” she asked, “We can’t just leave it like this!”

“Sure we can,” replied Obsidian, “If we reveal our presence here, the Shattered might be here in seconds. You can take care of it later, if you win. Or this problem might solve itself,” he continued, looking around. “These vines weren’t here when I was here earlier.”

Everypony looked around at the cave floor. Just then another tendril shot out through a crack in the stone floor.

“I’ve seen them in the changeling hive,” said Twilight Sparkle, “They used them to mask themselves from magic. But those weren’t growing so fast.”

“But now the hive is abandoned, isn’t it?” said Obsidian. “The changelings must have had some way to keep these vines dormant, but now, they are no longer being contained. And it looks like the leyline is attracting them-” His staff swung around, breaking a vine that was starting to coil around it. “Yes, they are definitely attracted by magic. We’d better hurry in this case. This leyline might not be usable for much longer. Follow me to the castle above. I’ll show you how to draw a proper teleportation circle.”

Author's Note:

This was written somewhere in season 4, one of the last pieces of canon I tried fitting into the story. And then came season 8, where the Tree of Harmony decided to give a friendship lesson by trapping a claustrophobic griffon in a shrinking cave

Also, a picture of Dr Bluebonnet

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[Rakdar]

9536775
So where does this fit in the whole envy and arrogance timeline, is it a sequel, a rewrite, a reboot, or what?

[Braininthejar]

9698169
What is a difference between a rewrite and a reboot? The story is retold anew. Some things are changed because Mindblower got new ideas, some because I did. As such it is separate from the old Envy and Arrogance, but shares the world with some of my fics (both Tales of a Hidden World, and Adventuring Archeology)

[Rakdar]

9698456
Good question. I actually found this and for some reason thought it was a part of airstreams series. But now that I know where it fits it will be a lot easier for me to read.

Especially since it’s finished

[Braininthejar]

9698583
I'll be grateful for any comments. My ego is starved for writer-reader interaction.