The Heart's Promise

by MyHobby

The Death of the Tree of Harmony

Princess Luna sat on the deck of the Buttercup’s Folly, staring across the sea towards the far horizon. They were a day or so out from Felaccia’s shore, in the midst of the East Ocean. Theirs was a small fleet of warships, with the Buttercup’s Folly serving as the flagship.

As the sun sank closer towards the horizon, Luna felt a magic tingle from her side. She produced a small folding mirror from her saddlebag and opened it to see Twilight Sparkle’s ever-so-slightly grumpy face on it. The lavender alicorn yawned, smacking her lips as she greeted her friend. “Hi, Luna. How’s it goin’?”

Luna smirked at the tiny image in the magic mirror. “A fair bit better than you, it seems.”

“Mm hmm. Long hours.” Twilight Sparkle stifled another yawn and peered out the window. “What time is it?”

“Midafternoon. Practically the dead of night for some of us.” Luna spied someone else walk onto the deck to stare at the ocean; a young changeling disguised as a white-coated pony named Blankety Blank. She lowered her voice so as not to disturb him. “I recommend taking a few naps throughout the day if you are going to keep up this double-lives thing you seem to delight in.”

“‘Delight?’ Now I know you’re teasing me.”

“Princesses do not tease,” Luna said. “They jest.”

At last, a smile cracked the gloom surrounding Twilight. “I always figured Celestia was full of bologna whenever she said that. All you’ve done is proven my point.”

Luna let out a chortle. She furrowed her brow over a sad smile. “I wanted to let you know that your sunrise was beautiful this morning.”

“Thank you…” Twilight stared at something beyond the mirror, the smile proving to be fleeting. “It still feels strange, you know? Like it isn’t mine.”

Luna felt her chest tighten. The warmth of the sun turned chill as she thought back to watching its full power at work. “To a point, Twilight… it is good that you feel that way. To consider the sun to be yours and yours alone has led many creatures astray and destroyed many lives. At the end of my journey to Felaccia, it is my hope that no creature shall claim the sun as their own ever again.” She pursed her lips, wondering if it was her place to finish the thought as she saw it in her head. She opted to be candid with Twilight. If no one else could understand, she would. “I wish that Celestia had taken such measures before now.”

The air was quiet for a breath. Twilight bobbed her head noncommittally. “Whatever mistakes she’s made in her life, Celestia always did what she thought was right. She held onto her convictions, and that’s pretty impressive for a thousand-year reign.”

Luna sighed. “You have the right of it.” She looked down at the tired pony in the mirror, thought to say something, and decided against it. Pointing out that Twilight would not be dealing with this exhaustion if only Celestia had taken steps to protect the sun without her direct interference… well, Twilight would not appreciate that much candidness. Not right now. “Still, I feel that my visit is a few centuries too late.”

Twilight smirked. “What’s more important? Where we’ve been?”

“Nay.” Luna felt a twinkle in her eyes as she responded to one of Twilight’s favorite sayings regarding her. “’Tis where we are going.”

On the other side of the mirror, back in Equestria, Twilight let out a mumbled grunt. “Welp. Time for Twilight the Princess to clock out so Twilight the Monster Hunter can do her job.”

“Get some rest, oh slayer of fairies.” Luna let out a long breath through her nose. “Do not allow Celestia to overburden you. I love you.”

“Love you too, Luna.”

The mirror’s magic faded until Luna found herself looking back at her own visage. Short and sweet, as it always was with Twilight these days. She closed the clamshell and returned it to its designated pocket. A spray of seawater coated her wings, and she shook the salt from her feathers. “More than I can say.”

She glanced to where she’d seen Blankety head towards. She had been meaning to speak more with the young changeling, especially since the last time they’d worked together, it had been under more demanding circumstances. When she found him on the bow of the ship, she realized she was slightly too late. He was already watching the sea drift by with two of his friends, Martial Paw the griffon and Care Carrot the unicorn. They were in the midst of a quiet conversation discussing what they would find once they reached Felaccia.

Luna decided it was best not to disturb them. The return to Felaccia was a pivotal event in all their lives. Best to let them sort it out together… even as Luna sorted out her own issues.

---

Twilight Sparkle landed in the Everfree Forest, not too far from the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters. She grimaced; all that was left were the ruins of the palace, having been made decrepit by both the passage of time and the damage done by Discord’s Plunder Vines. And then, and then, the discovery of the ancient changeling city that once lay far belowground had opened a great pit that nearly swallowed up what was left of the castle itself.

She gave a long look at the crumbled castle walls, nearly completely obscured by dead and dying Plunder Vines. Whatever magic the vines had been feeding off of had faded in the wake of Ahuizotl’s cataclysm. This should have been cause for celebration! With the threat of the vines stifled, the Tree of Harmony should have been able to achieve full power.

Unfortunately, the vines were not what was killing the tree.

She turned away from the castle to face the cavern that lay below it. For centuries it had been hidden by vines and the wickedness of the Everfree Forest. Now, it lay open, having been the subject of careful care and consideration. Equestrian soldiers patrolled this part of the forest, skilled rangers and trackers all. The entrance of the cave was a carved archway, with symbols written in an ancient language from before the time of Equestria. Even before this area was one of three changeling cities. Translated, the symbols read: “Where the First Word was spoken.”

Twilight rubbed her throat, feeling where her purple coat was parted with a white scar. Her voice had been stolen from her, the very same year Celestia was attacked by the assassin. She pulled a gemstone necklace from her saddlebags. She had carved it herself based on a modified Siren Gem. When she wore it, it granted her clear speech and a strong voice. Without the gem, she could speak well enough, but always with a crackle and a wheeze, like someone who had smoked for most of their life.

She walked beneath the carved words and trotted past the ponies that guarded them. Not too far into the cave, the Tree of Harmony itself stood tall. The tree was grown from pure magic, its bark was crystal, as were its glistening leaves. Light spilled from within, most brightly wherever fruit hung from its branches. Within each of the six fruits was an Element of Harmony, returned to the tree to keep it alive for as long as possible.

Even the Elements, it seemed, were not enough to save it.

Darkness crept up from the root system. Its luster faded at the edges of the leaves. Many had begun to change to a solid, non-luminous, quartz-like color. Several had already fallen, becoming as brittle as glass and shattering against the ground. They had already tried to remove the Elements, but the relics had become embedded in the tree, becoming one with it. To remove the Elements was to see both them and the tree fade to dust.

“Twilight!”

Twilight’s thoughts lost a great deal of their power over her as someone very close to her heart waddled across the cavern towards her. She offered him a smile and met him halfway, embracing him with her forelegs and wings. “It’s good to see you, Spike.”

“Yeah. Been too long.” Spike smiled at her, his bright green eyes shimmering with contentment. She knew his worries must be as plentiful as hers, but even so, he could find a simple joy in just being near her. She decided to be of like minds. The contentment lessened, however, as he gestured to the tree. “It… it’s about as bad as it looks.”

She shook her head as she sat a few meters from it, her foreleg linked with Spike’s. “No progress.”

“None. Starswirl’s been working on it nonstop since the seasons changed.” Spike raised his eyebrows. “He wanted to speak with you.”

“Me too.” Twilight rose to her hooves and swiveled her neck. “Where is he?”

“Not so much as a how-do-you-do.” Another voice came from behind her, one that she didn’t expect in the slightest. “Am I chopped liver or what?”

Twilight spun on the voice and felt her jaw drop. It was another alicorn, one with a bright orange coat, as warm as sunlight. She gave Twilight a mischievous grin.

“Sunset!” Twilight grabbed her old friend in a quick embrace and pulled away in the space of a single breath. “What the heck are you doing here? I didn’t even know you were visiting Equestria!”

“Not for too long,” Sunset said with a chuckle. “My double wants to take her family on vacation to her home universe, so I’m here to make the transition smooth. We’ll be headed back before the week’s over.” She winked at Spike. “But I couldn’t resist surprising my favorite princess.”

“You’re both sneaks, you know that?” Twilight rubbed Spike’s head, who let out a laugh. “I wish we had more time to catch up. But things are tight in Equestria right now.”

“I know.” Sunset spread her wings and tilted her head imperiously. “Which is why I did not come emptyhanded.”

Before Twilight could reply, another pony approached, his conversation with a soldier ended. He was an elderly unicorn, though one still spritely of step and keen of mind. His gray beard trailed down his chest, coming to a point just above the dust of the floor. Long, blue, shimmering robes covered him from back to fetlock. Bells dangled from the brim of his towering wizard’s hat, each one enchanted with a protective spell. He bowed to both Twilight and Sunset.

“You don’t have to bow, Archmage. Not in this company.” Twilight still felt a little jitter in her heart whenever she was in close proximity to her childhood legendary hero. Here the stallion was, a page out of history come to life. Just as magical, knowledgeable, and wise as the tales made him out to be. And, at times, just as much of a crackpot as Celestia insisted he was. “Thank you for overseeing the health of the tree.”

“The honor is all mine, Princess.” Starswirl’s beard moved as he spoke, but his lips got lost somewhere behind his moustache. He narrowed his eyes and peered from left to right. “There is a darkness that approaches, unseen but felt. The Unseelie are moving more frequently, and no longer merely within the realm of dreams. I fear that the Tree of Harmony’s illness is a direct result of their tampering.”

“And that’s where I come in,” Sunset said, folding her wings against her back. “Back in Canter City, we’ve discovered a new magic technique that might be effective in fighting fairies head-on.”

“Head-on?” Twilight exchanged a perplexed glance with Spike, who could only offer a shrug. “They’re spirits. Beings of pure magic and little else. I heard Pound Cake’s story of punching one in the face, but mild contusions don’t seem like a long-term victory again the Unseelie Court.”

“You said it yourself, they are pure magic.” Sunset Shimmer drew out an equation in the air as she spoke, arranging numbers and symbols to spell out what was hopefully the doom of the Unseelie. “This spell requires you to think about magic as matter.”

“Yeah, okay?” Twilight circled around the illusion and read over Sunset’s work. It didn’t seem like much just yet, but she saw shades of something she was familiar with. Near the edge of the spell’s workings, she saw fragments of something she’d read in the Grimoire Alicorn, King Sombra’s personal spellbook. She shivered at the thought of it, even if it was just the ghost of an idea. There were dangers in that book, the likes of which Equestria was not ready for.

“Something wrong, Twi?”

Twilight glanced at Spike, but soon returned her full attention to the spell. It was already beginning to come together. “It looks a little like something King Sombra crafted.”

“That makes a certain kind of sense,” Sunset said. “This one was made by his human counterpart, Dr. Sombra.”

“The fully on the up-and-up college professor,” Spike said, a half-convinced grin easing across his face. “And not the immortal dark lord?”

“You got it.” Sunset shifted several of the symbols around, creating semicircle around the core of the spell, which remained blank. “Most of the time, when we work with magic, it’s as a form of energy. Produced in our hearts and projected through our hooves, horns, or wings. But this energy form is not the only one that magic can take.”

Starswirl the Bearded appraised the spell with a nod and a sparkle in his eye. “Magic can take on a variety of forms, as can most matter. Liquid, when it is used in potions. Gas, whenever it is used in weather production. The harsher combat spells even utilize a plasma form.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. The spell came into clarity, at least as it was in the Grimoire Alicorn. “The spell you’re suggesting… is one that turns magic into its solid material state. Crystal.”

The spell King Sombra had used to ensnare a nation. It transformed magic into its solid, crystalline state, no matter its source. Trees, animals, ponies, all living things had some form of magic within them, and all could be transformed to crystal. Sombra’s Dark Spikes would feed off the magic of its victim, tearing into their flesh and rending them limb from limb, if left uncured. Its aura was one that instilled fear in all who witnessed it, because the very core of the spell, the emotion that drove it to its desired target, was sheer terror. Twilight had cast the spell herself, on a couple of occasions. Only long enough to open a trapped door in the Crystal Palace, and later when researching Sombra’s work.

But “terror” was not the word Sunset wrote into the core of the spell, nor were the replicating properties of the spell anywhere to be found. Dr. Sombra’s was a much softer version of the crystalizing spell. It was to be used in short spurts, only to craft simple devices such as a blade or a shield. It would not seek out the heart of a pony to stop it cold, it was only a tool.

Instead, Sunset wrote the word “affection” at the center of the spell, and with that done, it was complete.

“Okay…” Spike rubbed his chin from the far side of the illusory instructions. “But how does creating a crystal shield on the fly help against someone who can just walk through it?”

“Well, that’s the thing.” Sunset lowered one of her ears in concentration. Her horn shimmered as she tampered with her illusion spell. “This is Dr. Sombra’s original spell, but this—” Several of the symbols swirled around until the central work “affection” was completely surrounded. “—is my modified version.”

Twilight allowed her grimace to fully mature. “This hews a little too close to King Sombra’s original. Rather than using your own internal magic, you are gripping the magic of somebody else and forcing that into crystal.”

“The magic of somebody else…” Spike shrugged and gave Sunset a halfhearted grin. “Or the magic of some-fairy else?”

“Right.” Sunset Shimmer swallowed hard as she passed her hold on the illusion to Twilight. “My hope is that if they are completely turned to crystal, they would be reduced from a spirit to a physical form. At best, completely immobilized; at worst, highly punchable.”

“It can’t be a pleasant sensation for them, in any case.” Twilight turned the spell over and over in her grip. She studied it from every angle, understanding it at its deepest levels. “Dr. Sombra’s spell can be used by any half-talented unicorn, but your modification… do you realize the amount of power required to transform a fairy into a crystal? Even on a theoretical level?”

Starswirl pulled his jingling hat from his head and rubbed his bald spot. “It would take the same amount of power as is required to raise the sun.”

Twilight sighed through her nose. With the spell etched into her memory, she allowed the illusion to dissolve into sparks. It would take time to perfect the spell, perhaps hours of practice, but it was at least better than no start at all. “That leaves our pool of available Fae Fighters pretty low. Just you, me, Luna, and Cadence.”

“Just you, Luna, and Cadence.” Sunset rested a wing on Twilight’s back as they faced the Tree of Harmony. “Even when I’m on this side of the mirror. I’m still not used to alicorn power, Twilight. I’ve had it for less than a year, and I’ve spent most of that time back home. Princess Celestia says I’m still a year or so away from raising the sun. I think we’re gonna face the Unseelie long before then.”

Twilight resisted the urge to utter a profanity. How was it that every time they found some sort of leg-up on the enemy, it came with ten different caveats and a headache to boot? “I understand. But if things go sour, we’ll need you to keep training your magic. I’ll gladly accept three and a half alicorns, if that’s all you can promise me.”

“I’m sorry.” Sunset scrunched her muzzle, glancing at the dust of the floor to avoid Twilight’s eyes. “It’s all I got.”

“It’s still a chance.” Twilight patted Sunset’s shoulder as she walked past her, to where Starswirl and Spike were standing. “So, Starswirl, you had something you wanted to speak to me about?”

“Naught but glum tidings, I’m afraid.” Starswirl the Bearded sat down before the faintly-glimmering tree in the center of the cavern, his hoof bumping up against a black root. “It is my belief that the Tree of Harmony will die this very night.”

---

A storm came upon the Everfree Forest, turning the night as dark and dreadful as the mouth of a hungry dragon. The wind wailed as though said dragon were descending upon a hapless village, while lightning flashed akin to the same dragon’s fiery breath.

Spike yawned within the confines of the Tree of Harmony’s cave, a tiny spurt of flame lighting up his surroundings. He sketched the tree on his ever-present notepad, taking care to lovingly swirl his lines around the fruit of the tree. He was an amateur sketch artist at best, but he knew enough to jot down a passable representation of whatever he could see. He stuck his thumb upright and closed one eye, blocking off part of the fruit that held the Element of Loyalty. A faint outline of a red thunderbolt could be seen in its glossy skin.

Twilight lay curled up not too far away, resting on a thin mattress and covered in old blankets. She was finally asleep. She had been going for hours on end, without giving herself even a moment’s rest. She was not healthy, to Spike’s eye. She was worn down, doing the job of eight different ponies at once. They hadn’t even seen each other all week, and they worked together! Spike considered moving back into the castle, just so that they could have a moment to speak every morning.

Then the memory of blood on the castle walls dripped back into his mind, and he banished the thought. He unconsciously rubbed his hands, smearing ink between his scales. He grimaced. It was difficult to get ink out of his hands. Almost as difficult as certain other stains he’d encountered in recent years.

Starswirl wandered around the tree, making his own notes and scribing his own thoughts. He glanced up at Spike and hailed him with a quiet wave. Spike rose and lumbered his way towards the old wizard, putting thoughts of death and pain on the backburner.

“I must say Spike—” Starswirl the Bearded closed his notebook and tucked it into a saddlebag on his side. “—your knowledge of spellwork is quite impressive. Understanding the spell’s use through its inscription says that you have a great working knowledge of spellcraft.”

“I’ve been Twilight’s assistant for my whole life, sir.” Spike shrugged, looking up at the tree and hoping its glow would hide his blush. “It’d be weirder if I didn’t pick up a thing or two.”

“Assistant? Pish posh.” Starswirl walked around the tree and gestured for Spike to follow him. “You call yourself her assistant, while she treats you more like family than anypony else I’ve seen. Would it not be more prudent to call you a brother or some such?”

“Family, sure, but I don’t know if I’d call her my sister…” Spike grinned as his tail swayed back and forth. “She relies on me way too much to call me a little brother. And I rely on her way too much. Friends, coworkers, fellow researchers, family… Family’s good. She’s my family.”

“I suppose you can call it what you like!” Starswirl laughed and slapped Spike on the back. The wizard winced and rubbed his newly-sore hoof. “A mind sharp as iron and a body as tough as stone. You are an interesting fellow, Spike.”

Spike resisted the urge to pull a face. The flattery was pretty to listen to, even if he thought it was basically fluff. Was Starswirl trying to butter him up? “If you say so, sir.”

Starswirl narrowed his eyes, then let out a chuff with what might have been a smile behind that moustache. “Celestia was right. You are far too modest, young drake.”

Spike furrowed his brow. Perhaps he had judged the old stallion too harshly. He was probably just making conversation. “Keeps me humble. Dragon sickness and stuff like that. If I get a big head, it’s actually kinda literal.”

“Yes. From what I hear, you had your bout with dragon sickness some fourteen years ago.” Starswirl the Bearded looked toward the mouth of the cave at the flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder. Sunset Shimmer could be seen just inside the entrance, wearing a heavy poncho and wide-brimmed hat. She looked into the pouring rain with a nearly-entranced expression, having not seen a magic-born storm in quite some time. “And yet, what few dragons I’ve met don’t express much fear for losing control of their own magically-induced greed.”

Spike laughed and scratched a dead scale on his chest, one at the edge of the scar directly in the center. “With all due respect, they don’t live in a library.”

“One of them does, actually.” Starswirl had led Spike to the far side of the tree, out of sight of the cave mouth and the sleeping princess. The fruit containing the Element of Magic dangled before them, still resplendent even while the others had tarnished. “Have you ever met Leviathan?”

“No. But I’ve met his understudy, Shardscale. The Dragon Chronicler. She’s cool.” Spike folded his hands behind his back and gazed up at the Element of Magic, its glistening light nearly matching the color of his own purple scales. “I’ll probably take over her job when she retires… a thousand years from now. Leviathan’s the one who keeps all the News of the World organized, I think.”

“Right you are. He was the world’s first librarian, in a sense.” Starswirl pulled his hat off and let it rest beside him, his constant muted jingle coming to a quiet halt. He looked much smaller without the hat, as if the wizard had faded away to the elderly stallion he truly was. He was thin around the face, if you looked past his beard. What could be seen of his legs was spindly and shaky. But he wore the weakness proudly, as it had been gained through years of seeking and finding both knowledge and wisdom. “I simply mean to say, in my own way, that it wouldn’t hurt to take a compliment, Spike.”

Spike sat beside him, letting his tail curl behind his back. “Then I accept your compliment. Thank you. You’re a pretty mind-blowing guy yourself.”

“I am…” Starswirl looked confused for a moment before he seemed to brush it off with a raised eyebrow. “Having never been referred to as such before now, I can only marvel at such a lovely compliment.”

Spike frowned as he watched the tree. Even as they’d been talking, the tree had grown darker. The Element of Magic, the last to retain its luster, had dimmed ever-so-slightly. “So… when the tree dies, is that it? From listening to Twilight and Celestia, it sounds like the Elements of Harmony will reappear around the world. But how to they know that?”

Starswirl rubbed his beard, wincing as a leaf crackled against the ground and crumbled to dust. “We know it will happen because it has happened at least once before. Long ago, during the start of the Second Age, the Age of Mortals, the changeling queen Cicada was said to have destroyed the tree so that the power of the Elements could not be used against her.” He gave Spike a rueful smile. “Ultimately, her empire fell the normal way; through overreaching, inward decay, and outward invasion. It was quite some time later—nearly eight-hundred years, in fact—that the Founders of Equestria and the young Celestia and Luna traveled the world in search of the artifacts.” He touched the side of his nose with a gray hoof. “When the six were gathered, the tree itself appeared in this very cave, beneath our capital city of Fort Everfree.”

Spike’s frilly ears flared out as he considered things. “Coincidentally, or did you have some say in it?”

“I doubt it is coincidence, but I also know we were not the ones who planted the tree.” Starswirl pointed to the entrance of the cave with his thin horn. “Those words up there, they are older than the stars. An ancient changeling city was built upon these ruins, and the castle was built upon those ruins in turn. It stands to reason that we are simply following a cycle, an ever-turning wheel of finding and losing the Elements. We know very little about the artifacts, frankly, and we will not gain full understanding within my lifetime. Yours, perhaps.”

Spike furrowed his brow, his claw resting on his pen. “What makes you say that?”

“That wonderous mare over there,” Starswirl said reverently. “That blessed Princess Twilight. She has learned more of magic and understood more of friendship than I could have in three of my lifetimes. If only she is given the opportunity, she will be the key to bringing a lasting peace to this world. In a way I or Celestia could only dream of. She will not rule by threat of force, but by understanding and friendship.” Starswirl tapped Spike’s shoulder. “And she shall have you by her side.”

“Now I know you’re buttering me up.” Spike packed his writing equipment back into his bag and leaned back against the cave wall. “It’s nice to think about, but we’ve got a long time before anything like that can happen. Celestia’s not gonna retire anytime soon. The Unseelie Court of Fae needs to be swatted. The Sirens need to be found out… Here and now demands an awful lot of attention.”

“Fair enough. And from a young head as well.” Starswirl joined Spike against the wall, resting his hat back on his head to shade his eyes from the light of the tree. “The future catches up with you soon enough, but the present is all we have any direct control over.”

Spike pressed his lips together. The tree would die, and there was nothing they could do about it but watch. The Elements of Harmony would be scattered, and there was no way to know where. Celestia had lived a thousand years since her journey, and time had clouded her memory. Luna insisted that the only reason they’d found them at all was the help of a scatterbrained draconequus, and his contributions were more jocular than explanatory. Discord, of course, had no memory of the event, his mind having been overwritten by his own chaos magic. Starswirl had not joined the Founders and Princesses on their quest, content as he was to remain in Equestria defending his home.

The only thing that could give them precise locations, accurate latitude and longitude, careful instructions… that was Clover the Clever’s journal. And that was still lost to them.

And then, who among them would even go on the long journey? The six Bearers? With Twilight tied down running half of the country while Celestia rested, the number would be five. Most of them wouldn’t even do well with such a long trek. Spike remembered Rarity’s sanity slip during a simple camping trip. A smile crept over his face; she was a brave soul, but a poor hiker. Fluttershy had recently traveled the wilds for the sake of Discord, and the injuries she had sustained still hadn’t fully healed. Applejack hadn’t gotten much exercise the last four years she’d been mayor. Pinkie, too. It seemed like the only one who could possibly lead the charge was Rainbow Dash, and she had duties of her own in Cloudsdale.

He shook his head at the tree, cupping his mouth in his clawed hands. He knew there was really only one person who could chase after the Elements. Only one person who was familiar enough with the magic, who had fought alongside the Bearers, who had the strength and freedom to see the job through. One who would be missed by a few, but not so much that he couldn’t set out on his own.

He touched the scar on his chest. It was the pitted remains of a misfired griffon volleygun. It was a solemn reminder of the night he had accidently killed the pony who was attacking him and his friends. He hadn’t tried, hadn’t even dreamed it, but a single punch to the head was enough to end the pony’s life instantly. Zephyr, he had been called. Thankfully, he was unrelated to Fluttershy’s brother Zephyr Breeze, but still… Spike didn’t have to kill him.

He touched the scars on his forearms. They were the remnants of Spike’s brief battle with Ahuizotl, who had sliced deep into Spike’s flesh with the mighty Wyrmslayer blades. Spike had been left lying on the ground, bleeding out, going into shock, unable to do anything to help as his friends fought and died against Ahuizotl’s forces.

Twice, Spike’s Noble Dragon Code had been called to action, and twice, he had failed to achieve its lofty goals. A needless loss of life, and a lost chance to help. He would not fail a third time. Spike would retrieve the Elements of Harmony, once they scattered to the four winds. He had made the decision long ago, even if he hadn’t said so aloud. It was his duty, his desire, and his cause.

The tree’s color was different than usual, he realized with a start. It had become a sort of autumnal green, rather than its usual shimmering blue. The Elements of Harmony had gone completely dark, and their fruit shriveled as though they had been left on the vine too long. A deep groan echoed throughout the cavern. It might have been the storm, but Spike thought he felt the earth shake.

“Starswirl?”

Spike rose to his hind legs and fell forward a step. The world seemed to bow inward towards the tree, as though all of reality was drawn to it like light to a black hole. Spike’s stomach lurched. He barely held it in, and could barely stand upright. He heard Sunset shriek, and Starswirl shout. Twilight yelped as she was roused by both the raised voices and the strange arrhythmic magic. It was like strong wind ripping past Spike’s scales, dragging him towards the heart of the Tree of Harmony.

Generosity fell from the tree and shattered against the ground. A pit appeared in Spike’s stomach. He wasn’t sure if it was because he tied the artifact so closely to his friend, or if he was literally feeling a piece of the world die.

Loyalty followed. Then Laughter. Honesty. Kindness.

He reached out to catch Magic as it sped for the ground. He moved as if through water, in slow motion. Light and air bent around him and dragged him to and fro, but always towards the tree. He cupped the Element in his hands and held it close to his chest.

He needn’t have bothered. It crumbled to dust and slid through his fingers as purple sand. He tripped over nothing and braced himself with a palm against the trunk. The crystal cracked at his touch.

“Spike!” Twilight’s voice sounded distant, though she was just a few meters away. “Get away from it! Run!” She tried to cast a spell to drag him away from the tree, but the tumult within the cave soaked up her magic.

Spike’s bones ached as he held onto the tree. He felt strength leave his body, syphoned by a thirst greater than the driest desert. A massive crack ran up the length of the tree’s trunk. The magic that rushed in and out of it was pitch black, the inkiest darkness Spike had ever witnessed. Darker than Sombra’s spells. Darker than the deepest depths of the changeling hive. Laughter filled the cavern, a hundred tiny, rasping voices clawing at his ears as their cheered victory.

It coated Spike from head to tail. He shut his eyes against the oozing shadows. His heart beat erratically as he felt himself descend. Rushing magic became rushing wind as he tumbled through nothing into nothing else. He couldn’t see, couldn’t hear, couldn’t breathe, because there was no light or sound or air.

After a moment, his panic lessened. He righted himself, at least as much as he could in a world without gravity. He peered into the dark and sought out some form of substance.

The sight that greeted his eyes was deeply unwelcome.

It was a massive throne, the likes of which would comfortably seat the greatest dragons. It was not a solid block of stone, but a cobbled-together collection of statues. Hydras, krakens, cockatrices, grotesques, and sundry other horrific monsters made up the body, seat, and arms of the throne. But the creature seated there was more terrible than any of them.

It was impossible to say what the creature was, only that it had the features of several familiar beasts. The head of a bull. The clawed talons of an eagle. The black wings of a raven. A torso that utterly dwarfed Spike, with rippling muscles that looked eager to inflict some cruelty or other. The entire body was coated in fire that raged, but did not consume the beast. One talon gripped a spear tight. The weapon seemed to be made from a bronze-colored alloy, like the kind found in the ancient changeling cities: Golemium.

And there, in the center of the face, were two glowing, piercing, greedy green eyes.

All at once, Spike realized that he had seen this monster before, in his most dreadful nightmares. Fear coated him from the tips of his scales to the depths of his heart. He wanted to run, flee to the four corners of the world. This creature had promised pain, loss, devastation upon everything Spike loved.

Spike clenched his fists. That was exactly why Spike couldn’t run. Though he had no breath in his lungs, he found it within himself to shout aloud. “I know who you are, now! You’re the Lord of the Sky! The Master of the Unseelie Court!” He pointed a claw forward, to the wrists and ankles of the beastly fairy. Crystalline chains and shackles, the same color and material as the Tree of Harmony, fastened the monster to the throne. “I know you’re just a prisoner! You’ve been defeated for three-thousand years!”

The Lord of the Sky tilted his head. A smile appeared out of the strange mixture of shadow and flame. “Foolish creature. I was imprisoned, but never defeated.” He raised his left hand, showing the shackles to Spike. “How very amusing that you would think otherwise.”

To Spike’s horror, the shackles shifted from brilliant blue to sickly green, just as the Tree of Harmony had. As he watched, the chains turned brittle and crumbled away. The massive being laughed.

The Master of the Unseelie Court stood and walked towards Spike, who hung useless in mid-void. “Now that the accursed tree had been truly broken, I can return to the world of mortals as its ultimate ruler.” He armed his spear, hefting it over one shoulder, its tip pointed right at Spike’s chest. “You will soon know how fragile and feeble your precious world really is.”

He lunged, and Spike shut his eyes just before the spear met its mark.

The splitting pain never came.

Spike opened his eyes to a near-blinding light. A massive shape stood between him and the fairy. It gripped the Lord of the Sky by both wrists, wrestling him aside. The lord’s wings beat in a frenzy as he tried to shake himself free. Spike’s protector stumbled, but sheer determination served to anchor it in place.

The Lord of the Sky gnashed his teeth in an effort to bite the being attacking him. “You were slain! You no longer belong to the world of mortals! Return to the lands beyond!”

“We are not in the world of mortals! You are still imprisoned within the Abyss!” Spike’s protector extended her wings to their full span, bathing Spike in a warm light that he found familiar, though he could not place the source. “He will have his chance to stand, foul creature! Begone to wherever you will, and leave this child be!”

The Lord of the Sky wrenched himself away from the being of light. He sneered at her and Spike, then disappeared into the darkest reached of the emptiness.

The being turned, and Spike found himself looking at the spectral form of a mature dragon. He couldn’t speak. What words could he say? He already knew what he was looking at. He could almost hear the very same voice every night, during the time when the stars shone brightest. Tears pooled in his eyes. He didn’t dare step forward, or raise his arms.

He didn’t need to. The being embraced him, taking him in her gentle hands. Her warm, rumbling voice spoke softly to his filmy ears. “You have a long and difficult road ahead, child. But it shall not be walked alone.” She touched a claw to his chest, and a wellspring of magic built up within him. “Remember these words: ‘By my blood shall the book be opened.’” She laid a soft kiss on his forehead. “Now go.”

“Spike!” Twilight Sparkle shook Spike’s body, her voice high and panicked. “Spike, wake up! Please!”

Spike opened his eyes with a gasp. He would have said something, had Twilight not hugged his neck with a deathlike grip. He patted her shoulder and wheezed when he could finally take a breath.

“You were coated in that… that… inky black stuff!” Twilight gestured with a wing at the center of the cave. “There were voices, and you were crying, and…”

Sunset tugged Twilight away. “Give him room to breathe, Twi.”

“Say something, young drake,” Starswirl said, his voice warbly. “Are you well? How did you fight off the darkness?”

“I…” Spike sat upright. He gazed to the center of the room, where the Tree of Harmony once stood. Now, it was only a pile of crystal shards. “I… I didn’t. I didn’t fight it off.”

“Then how did you get away?” Twilight’s voice was nearly a screech. She reached out to hug him again, this time with less force, but no less worry. “Did someone help you?”

“Yeah.” Spike rested his hand on Twilight’s hoof, feeling the pressure of tears threated to spill out as sobs once more. “It was my mom.”

Comments

[RadicalDishonesty]

11186225

That is of course the insidious thing about Merry Mare, that she is willing to cause these problems if she can use the dissatisfied people to achieve her own goals. It's wonderfully hypocritical.

It's not just that, it's that she is not making the connection that if she is seeing the Unseelie cause the problems that is being manipulated.

And she has a problem, from her past...

That it could be the same thing going on, with the Unseelie causing it which us as an audience know is true.

Of course, her own willingness to do just the worst stuff is also pretty awful. She does seem to know not to trust them, at least.

I wonder how honest the belief that turning over Equestria to the fae would be a move that would be good for anyone anywhere is.

[ANerdWithASwitch]

And with that we have the third named character to die this fic: the Tree. It seems likely that there are many more to come.