Harmony's Peril

"Oh dear, this is bad... really really bad!" Fluttershy fretted as she paced back and forth in the small lounge.

"Ah know Fluttershy. Just thinkin' about it makes me shiver." Applejack said.

"All of Equestria is starting to fall apart!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I heard some of the guards talking. Without the sun or moon the cities are starting to go into anarchy. And if the Princesses really are asleep-"

"I'm afraid they are." Twilight trotted in with a sad expression, levitating a large black book beside her.

"If the Princesses are unconscious, and Princess Cadence is in the Crystal Empire...  doesn't that make you the de facto leader of Equestria?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Yeah I guess so." Twilight said dejectedly. "Though I'm not sure if Princess Celestia would want me to be."

"What do you mean Twilight? You're a great leader!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Unless you did something really dishonest that totally betrayed the Princess' trust in the course of one night! But what are the chances of that right?!"

"Hehe yeah what are the chances!" Twilight chuckled halfheartedly.

Twilight saw her friends look at each other. "Er... is there something you need to tell us sugarcube?" Applejack asked cautiously.

"Me? Oh no nothing at all! Listen I'm fine really." Twilight lied. It pained her to do so, but if her friends found out where she got the black book, they wouldn't listen to her at all. Better that they focus on the task at hand. "Actually there is something. I found out exactly what we're facing here."

Fluttershy stopped her pacing and looked at Twilight. "Didn't the Princess say that we weren't ready to-"

"And look where she is now!" tears began to form in Twilight's eyes. Fluttershy backed away a few steps. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, this has all been... draining. We can't just sit back and do nothing now."

"I'm with Twilight. We have to do something. All of Equestria is depending on it for pony's sake!" Rainbow agreed.

Twilight levitated the book on to a table and flipped it to the appropriate page. "The tree was poisoned by a creature called "the Fiend".

"The Fiend? Never heard of it." Rainbow said.

"Him. And you wouldn't have, he ruled our world a long time ago, before Princess Celestia and Luna were in charge." Twilight replied. "It was an age of misery and suffering for all. Demons like the windigos roamed freely, wreaking havoc wherever they chose."

Pinkie shivered. "He doesn't sound like much fun at all!"

"So what happened to him?" Applejack asked.

"According to the book, friendship happened. When Clover the Clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie formed their bond as the first true friends, it created a powerful reaction known as the Fire of Friendship. This power was so great that it forced the Fiend to flee our world, and scattered his servants."

"So this Fiend guy is back, and he poisoned the Tree of Harmony?" Rainbow summed up.

"Yes. And he also has the Elements of Harmony." Twilight added.

"But if he has the elements, how are we supposed to beat him? He didn't even give us a riddle, how rude!" Rarity exclaimed.

Applejack facehoofed. "Er Rarity ah don't think villains are required to tell us how ta beat them... Discord was just bein, well... Discord."

"Actually the guard gave me something that might help. Before... last night...." Twilight took a deep breath and swallowed her emotions. "Princess Celestia was working at her desk. She was trying to figure out some sort of prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Fluttershy asked. "Like the one about Nightmare Moon?"

"Yes." Twilight levitated a small scrap of paper that was nestled in the book. She cleared her throat and read it aloud:

In the shadows Evil watches and waits

Testing those chosen through narrow straits

When his weapon is complete

Then will end Evil's retreat

A darkness returned, he comes to unravel the balance

With the six is Equestria's chance

The Fire of Friendship lights the way

But beware the Devil to pay

For in the end lies a weighty cost

And Harmony's meaning may be lost

"The six. That's gotta be us!" Rainbow reasoned. "Why would the Princess not want us to do this if the prophecy is obviously referring to us?"

"Maybe that part at the end?" Rarity suggested. "'And Harmony's meaning may be lost'. Sounds a bit ominous don't you think?"

"Harmony. Harmony... like the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight suggested. "That doesn't make sense. How could the elements 'lose their meaning'? It's pretty clear to anypony what Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, Kindness, Loyalty and Magic mean right?"

Pinkie Pie hopped onto the table. "What about that part waaaay at the beginning? About the tests and weapons and shadows? Huh huh huh!?"

Twilight cleared her throat. "Well it looks like 'Evil's retreat' has already ended, since the Fiend returned. As for the part about testing, I honestly have no clue what that means. But it looks like the first half of the prophecy is referring to things that already happened, so we can discount it for now."

"Hmmm. 'The Fire of Friendship lights the way'." Fluttershy puzzled. "That sounds like a clue!"

"The prophecy doesn't mention anything about getting back the Elements, but it looks like the solution has something to do with the Fire of Friendship." Twilight realized. "That makes sense! The Fire of Friendship was what defeated the Fiend all those years ago. I think we have to find the Fire of Friendship!"

"Uh Twilight, didn't it happen a really long time ago in some drafty cave?" Applejack pointed out.

Twilight didn't respond, instead galloping over to a bookshelf and levitating out a book. The title read: The Legend of Hearth's Warming. "According to the legend, the Fire of Friendship was the first ever manifestation of the magic of Friendship. It took the form of a beautiful purple heart, and dispelled the troublesome windigos, as well as the other demons that plagued the land. It is said that as long as we keep the spirit of friendship and love going each Hearth's Warming, the heart will burn bright for another year, sustaining the magic of Friendship forevermore."

"So the Magic of Friendship is firey purple heart?" Rainbow summarized. "Wonder why nopony's ever taken a picture or something."

"As Applejack said, it happened a long time ago in an unkown cave. Nopony has ever been able to find the Fire, and not for lack of trying." Twilight explained. "But maybe if we find it, we can somehow use it to restore the Tree of Harmony."

"But if nopony has ever found it before, how are we supposed to find it?" Fluttershy asked.

"You know, this is almost exactly like a Daring Do book!" Rainbow observed. "Old legend, lost treasure, mystical power. I bet she'd love this!"

"How does Daring Do usually find the treasure?" Fluttershy wondered.

Both Twilight and Rainbow raised a hoof. "Go ahead." Twilight sighed.

"She goes through all sort of crazy traps and solves really cool puzzles. Oh but before that she looks for evidence and clues. I usually skip that part though, it's kinda boring."

"But that's what we need to do." Twilight proposed. "We need to look for clues. Maybe each of the three tribe leaders have some sort of clue that could give us the location of the cave."

Applejack opened the window curtains with her forehooves showing the sky outside. It was still pitch black and storm clouds splashed down rain as far as the eye could see. Lightning flashed dangerously in the sky, keeping any pegasi from even trying to move the clouds.

"We don't have time to visit each of the three tribes. By the time we do, the poison could already destroy the tree, and the balance of Equestria with it!" Applejack said worriedly.

Twilight put her hoof to her chin and thought for a minute. "We don't have to! Most of Chancellor Puddinghead, Commander Hurricane and Princess Platinum's possessions were moved right here to the castle museum!"

"Then let's go!" Rainbow pointed her hoof to the door. "Fire of Friendship, here we come!"

The ponies snuffed out the candles lighting the room and galloped out. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight saw a small shadow in the dark room behind her, and heard a disturbing chuckle.