A look into the past
"It's now or never."
You stare at the whirling mass of arcane energy above the dark clouds covering the skies.
The vestige of the most powerful dragon's soul.
The feared ruler of Tartarus who tried to gain dominion over the world, now a vengeful spirit of malice seeking its destruction.
In its current form, neither the prisons of Tartarus nor banishment can contain it.
The only way to seal it for good is to use a vessel strong enough to contain the power and seal it along with the power until time wears it away.
You are that vessel.
An alicorn born from a family of smiths. Sword Sweat son of Claymore. You have a gray coat with an ebony mane and tail. A sword sheathed into a shield is your mark of destiny.
You are one of seven alicorns who protects the land from the evils of the world. An honorary keeper of Harmony.
The only alicorn who does not have dominion over harmony.
You gaze back at the six alicorns accompanying you. Your comrades who fought with you and stayed with you through thick and thin.
Together you have slain Tyrranus and brought an end to his invasion. Together you shall stop his wrath for the sake of the greater good.
Your friends form a circle around you as they begin their chant.
Their horns glow as a ball of magic builds up on the top of their horns.
In a flash of light the magic crystallized forming the components for the spell.
Their powers are the essence of light, the power of harmony. These gems hold the same power.
These are the Elements of Harmony.
With the first part of the ritual done they take a look at one another, unsure whether to continue or not.
You give them a nod.
The alicorns continue their chant gathering the dark energy from the sky.
The whirling mass of energy speeds up, turning faster and faster.
The primal force that encompass most of the dark skies now concentrate on the vortex of amber light.
Soon the skies clear up as the light of the sun pierce through the smoke.
All that's left is a massive amber ball humming and glowing with power.
For a moment it stands still.
You look back on your friends thinking of the good times you shared.
Clear Thought the regent of truth. A Yellow coated alicorn with a black mane and tail drooping down. His mark of destiny is that of an open book. Calm and humble, he sees through lies and deceit. You'll play cards with him any day.
Everfree the regent of kindness. A dark green alicorn with a light green mane and tail often braided and tied back. A paw adorns her flank. Swift yet strong, she tends to the needs of the creatures of the land.
Brave Heart the regent of laughter. A sky blue alicorn with a wavy sea blue mane and tail. A loot and a white smiling mask is her mark of destiny. With her cheerful disposition and her love of fun she fights for the sake of others so they may smile and be happy. She's a nut but she's a good one.
Solemn Vow the regent of generosity. A red alicorn with a short orange mane and an orange tail. A bounty of treasure is his mark. A stallion of little words, he gives his all for the sake of others.
Gale the regent of loyalty. A purple alicorn with snow white mane flowing to unseen winds. The mark of destiny adorning his side a snow covered mountain with a gust blowing at its peak. Often brash and sometimes over his head, he will stop at nothing to fulfil his word.
And last but not the least, Starburst regent of magic. Her fair pink coat brings out the blue of her eyes as her golden ethereal mane frame her face. She's the first one chosen by destiny, a six pointed star adorns her flanks. She's a brilliant mare with the best of intentions. The love of your life and the second candidate for the vessel.
She does not know that. She does not need to.
You smile at them as if everything will be alright. It had to be even if you're not convinced of it.
You stare at the ball of energy.
You ready yourself for what is to come.
The ball of energy shot forth, entering your body like a torrent.
You feel the power inside of you burning you from within. Your white coat turns black as the power enters you. Your skin forming cracks as magic seeps through it radiating an amber glow. Your mane, once calm and black now flares out, bursting into flames.
The world around you darkens as the power takes hold.
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You rise up slowly, observing your surroundings. A red sky covers the horizon. The earth charred black, fire seeping through the cracks on the ground.
You stand your ground, eyeing your surroundings.
A fiery glow enters the corner of your sight. You turn towards it and see its source.
A devilish elemental stares at you with its piercing red eyes. Its body made of lava covered in sheets of hard rock studded with shards of obsidian. It stood on four clawed limbs with a tail ending in a ball of spikes. Two curved horns adorn its draconic head as a sphere of flames flicker on top.
This is it, you think as you take your stance. The final battle.
This world is one within your mind. This is a fight between two entities for the control of the vessel.
You charge your horn and spread your wings ready to lash out at the beast.
A pillar of light shoot out from your horn, hitting it right on the face.
The beast shakes its head to clear its daze and return its sight on you.
It rears its head and shoot out a cone of fire from its maw.
You quickly fly up, evading its attack.
You charge up another spell, your eyes now glowing in power.
You let out a battle cry as another pillar of light shoots forth from your horn hitting the beast once more, knocking it off its feet.
It glares at you with burning red eyes.
It gathers its power making the ground tremble with its might.
It fires volley upon volley of fire and brimstone upon you.
You weave through the shots as you reply in kind with your magic. Firing beams of energy when you're able.
The beast hurls a large mass of burning brimstone towards you in staggering speeds.
Unable to dodge it you fire a beam of light at it.
It shatters in your might as the massive rock explodes, but the fragments burst through the explosion embedding themselves on your flesh.
You succumb to the pain as your injured wings stiffen up.
You plummet down from the sky, hitting the ground like a comet causing dust and smoke to shoot upwards.
You are in a fit of coughs as you try to breathe in. Your body shaking in agony as your injuries make itself known through waves of pain. You rise up clumsily summoning enough will power to stand up.
As the smoke and dust clears up you see the beast staring at you once more.
"No. It is not over yet!"
you steady your breathing as you focus magic on your horn.
They need more time to finish the spell.
You glare back at the beast with a look of determination in your eyes.
You gather all your power to make your final stand.
As you gaze into the face of the beast you give out a booming roar pouring out every drop of power you could muster, blasting the beast straight in its eye.
The burst of magic push the creature back, knocking it to the ground as it roars in pain.
It lies motionless on the ground.
You kneel in exhaustion, catching your breath.
"Is it over?"
You look on the fallen figure of the beast lying on the ground.
"With this my friends can now seal both of us until the day your power fades away."
You calm down as a sense of victory fills you. A smile making its way on your face.
Suddenly, a series of spikes sprang forth from the ground, impaling your wings and your legs.
You let out a scream of pain.
With your vision hazy from blood loss and your body shaky from exhaustion you eye at the beast once again.
The draconic abomination slowly rise up, taking its time to steady itself. it now looks at you, half of its face burnt off from your
final attack. It slowly moves towards you, ready for the kill.
As it steps closer you hear a chant from all around you.
It's the spell. They're almost finished.
The beast move forward, glaring at you with its one good eye. Its face inching closer to you.
You stare defiantly at the beast knowing that you've done your part. Whatever the beast does from here on out won't matter anymore.
The world around you glows white as the landscape fade into the light.
Soon only you and the beast is left in the world, the sound of chants growing louder by the second.
You watch as the beast slowly crumble, turning smaller. You see its red eye dimming as it loses its strength.
In its place you see a beautiful blue eye.
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As the shards of crystal take hold your sight grows clear. The demon you fought now fade away into the light.
Your vision returns and you see your friends for one final time.
Burns cover their bodies as they stand wearily. Chanting the final lines of the spell. Their once elegant coats charred black and littered with cuts.
At the center you see the love of your life. Half of her beautiful face covered in soot and caked in blood.
She stares at you with her one good eye.
You see her love for you. You see her sorrow.
You see fear.
As the last word leave their lips the crystal shards hasten their growth around you, connecting the five Elements of Harmony to that of magic.
You feel yourself slipping, your consciousness fading.
As the world around you gives way to crystals and light, your final thoughts are consumed by one question.
What have I done?
"I'm sorry."
You mutter your final words as the crystals completely cover you, forming a pristine crystal tree adorned with the Elements of Harmony.
Starburst kneels down, hugging the crystal tree. Tears streaming down her cheek as she speaks of her love for you and of forgiveness that you may never ever hear.
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Twilight sat on a chair and leaned on her desk.
It'll take time for the new books to arrive for the castle.
She shut her eyes and wondered about the many events which lead to this.
Twilight was a curious mare. She loved to broaden her horizon through learning and reading. What she can't find in a book she'll ask from an expert. When no one knows the answer, she'll find it through research and experiments. Her thirst for knowledge drives her to excel in the field of magic.
When she found out about the Tree of Harmony, her curiosity piqued. An ancient tree that holds the Elements of Harmony deep within the Everfree forest. She knows that it kept the Everfree forest in check but was that its original purpose? Sure, it protected Equestria from the horrors of the Plunder vines but that was because of Discord's seeds.
She knows that it existed even at the time of Discord's rule when both princesses of Equestria acquired the Elements of Harmony from it to seal him in stone but she does not even know why it's there to begin with.
All she knew about the Tree of Harmony was what Princess Celestia and Princess Luna told her. An ancient tree with the power of harmony. A power throughout time known for it's ability to wipe away corruption, to weaken evil and to seal it when all else fails. She has seen all its power first hoof.
But what was it doing there in the Everfree? Its clearly magic in nature but was this a product of the forest or something else entirely?
Though it may look like a tree it also had the characteristics of Ingenuity. The way the crystal chamber shut to hold the element of magic in place as well as how the elements themselves changed into necklaces and a tiara to better suit each of the new bearers.
Even after they gave the Elements of Harmony back the tree sprouted a branch from which a box with six key holes appeared. Aside from that obvious sign of ingenuity, the box launched itself towards Ponyville after the defeat of Tirek turning into a tree castle made of crystal.
This among other reasons form numerous questions as to the true nature of the tree. Why did it change for Twilight and her friends while it stayed the same when Celestia and Luna used them? Why did it give them a more powerful source of magic to tap into upon returning the Elements of Harmony instead of using it for itself during the time the Plunder vines sprouted? Why did it need some item made from proving their worth as a bearer of an element in order to open it?
Was it seeking something in each pony? Was it actively seeking six beings who posses the characteristics to be the bearers of harmony? If so, why?
Does it need it in order to propagate? It's somewhat plausible considering how it grew another crystalline tree but why was it different from the original tree in terms of structure as well as power?
Could it be that the Elements of Harmony would also tap into their bearer's power in order to function? Could that be why it changed according to the bearer? If so, was it possible that the elements themselves gain power from their bearer?
She recalls the the day she and her friends returned the Elements of Harmony to its rightful place. She recalls how the power from the five elements converged to the center of the tree at the element of magic. The energies then followed a path through the symbols of the sun and the moon ending at the roots of the tree.
Was the power from the box actually from the tree or was it made from the bearers and their bond with their element? Does this explain the bond they alone share with their new found power?
By now, Twilight's inner machinations kicked into overdrive as she processed question after question.
Was the purpose of the tree to spread harmony or does the existence of the castle tree imply a fail safe if in case the Tree of Harmony falls? If so, then why?
Why?
Questions are a form of studying for Twilight Sparkle. When there are no books to read, no experiments to run and with nothing else planned all she can do is think of questions upon questions. Ones that may hold some truth to it.
She pondered once again stared at her window as she thought on something to think about.
"When will the new shipment of books arrive?" she asked to no one in particular. She lets out a sigh as she watched the clouds move idly by.
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Deep within the Everfree forest the Tree of Harmony stands strong glowing with power. Inside of it lies two voices, one roars in fury while the other asks for forgiveness.
I am sorry. I am truly sorry...
