Chapters The Fall of Friendship Castle
"More cake and balloons!" Pinkie emphasized.
"No no no! Pinkie the decorations simply must have more class! And we need actual food for the guests, not just cake!" Rarity countered.
Rainbow humphed. "I'm tellin' you, we should totally set up that skate park! Ponyville needs to scream: AWESOME!"
"Ah told ya Rainbow, that just ain't practical! We only got three days to prepare!" Applejack sighed.
"Um maybe we should... compromise?" Fluttershy suggested.
"When it comes to elegance, you can't compromise darling." Rarity pointed out.
"UGH!" Twilight moaned so loudly that it echoed around the room. "We've been sitting in this throne room for hours and we still can't decide on something! When the mayor asked us to come up with ideas for the Five Days of Fun, I didn't think it would be this hard!"
Pinkie Pie bounced off of her throne onto the map table. The map shimmered a bit and then went still. "Five whole days where nopony has to work and we get to play games, eat yummy snacks and have FUN!!"
"And when the city tourists arrive Ponyville needs to be the funnest place in all Equestria! Funnest... hmm is that a word?" Rainbow put a hoof to her chin.
"No it's NOT a word." Twilight said rolling her eyes. "Look I know things have gotten boring lately, what with no new map adventures and the changelings turning good, but that doesn't mean we need to turn Ponyville into a mad house. Fluttershy is right, maybe we can compromise-"
Twilight was cut off as an ear splitting shriek rang out, and the castle began shaking. She covered her ears and looked around for the source of the noise. The shriek seemed to be coming from... the castle itself. An inky blackness began to spread throughout the cutie map, covering the miniature buildings a dark shadow. Pinkie leaped off the map with a cry of distress and cowered behind the throne. The blackness didn't stop at the map, and spread throughout the room as the castle continued to shriek. Soon the once crystal white room was patterned with black veins snaking their way out the door. The shrieks and shaking subsided, leaving Twilight and her friends looking completely freaked out.
"What the hay was that!?" Applejack exclaimed.
"The whole castle is... black! Couldn't it at least have changed to a brighter color scheme?" Rarity asked sadly.
"It sounded like the castle was shrieking... like it was in pain." Rainbow observed. "Something's definitely wrong with it. I didn't even know castles could scream!"
Pinkie was curled in a ball near her throne, shivering. She muttered, "A darkness returned, he comes to unravel the balance..."
"Pinkie what does that-" Twilight began. She was cut off as the doors slammed open and a worried looking Starlight galloped in followed by Spike.
"We were working on those magic lessons-" Starlight panted.
"And I was helping!" Spike added.
"And the whole castle started screaming-"
"And shaking!" Spike chewed on his nails.
"And everything just turned bl... oh you already know." Starlight sighed and facehoofed.
"But what I don't know is why . In all the time I've had this castle, this has never happened! It's almost as if the castle had been corrupted somehow." Twilight puzzled as she began pacing in earnest.
Fluttershy got off her throne and began hovering, looking nervously at the black floor beneath her. "Well the darkness began spreading from the map. Maybe that means something?"
"Maybe, but WHAT?" Rainbow stomped a hoof in frustration.
"You know ah think maybe we ought to leave the castle fer now... in case it starts shakin' again?" Applejack suggested. Everypony nodded their heads in agreement and left the throne room. As Twilight walked toward the main entrance, she saw the rest of the castle had suffered a similar fate to the throne room. The walls and floors were almost entirely black, overshadowing the once beautiful crystal shine. If Twilight had to describe her transformed home in one word... icky. They trotted (or walked in Spike's case) out the main door and just far enough from the castle so they could see the entire building. From the outside, the castle looked even worse. The crystal building was patterned with the same black patches as inside, but the most repugnant part was the tree portion. The bottom tree-like part of the castle seemed to be decaying, as cracks appeared in the shiny bark and yellow ooze secreted out.
Pinkie stuck her tongue out. "Eugh!" Everypony seemed to share the sentiment.
"It looks like the castle was the only thing affected. Everything else seems to be fine." Starlight observed. She was right. The beautiful grassy land and small cottages around the castle seemed to be normal, looking as pleasant as ever under the mild sunlight of the early afternoon.
Twilight suddenly became aware of a rythmic galloping noise behind them. Everypony turned around nervously to see who was approaching. "Zecora?" they asked together in surprise.
Their zebra friend came to a halt in front of them, panting with exhaustion. "My friends I came as fast as I could! I'm afraid the situation is not good."
"What's wrong Zecora?" Fluttershy asked.
"The Everfree Forest is not as it should be. I saw from my hut a sight quite sad to see." Zecora said dejectedly. "The forest, it seems to be dying. If I said any less I'd be lying. Trees rot, plants wilt and I do not know whom or what holds guilt."
Spike glanced back at the castle. "Zecora tells us the forest is dying, right after our castle becomes all blackened and nasty. Do you think they might be connected?"
"Connected? Connected..." Twilight muttered. "Connection! There must be a connection!"
"Um Twilight that's what I said."
"No no, I'm talking about a much bigger connection. The map and the castle are connected to the Tree of Harmony! So... something must be wrong with the tree!" Twilight theorized.
"It would certainly explain why the forest is dying. The tree must be affecting it." Rarity added.
"If something is wrong with the Great Tree, then beside it is where we should be." Zecora suggested.
Twilight nodded and levitated Spike onto her back. "Zecora's right, if something's wrong with the tree, we might be able to help. We've got to hurry before something else happens." As they galloped away toward the forest, Twilight glanced back sadly at her ruined home. She had a feeling it would be the last time she would see it for a while.
The Everfree forest had lost its sense of danger over time. As Twilight trekked through the foliage, she remembered how Rainbow had played up the terror factor of the forest, stating that "everypony who ever went in, never came out". As time passed, Twilight had learned that was far from the case, with Zecora even living secluded and alone within the woods. However everypony still made a point to avoid the place, as you never knew when a pack of timberwolves would get hungry, or even an Ursa Major would decide to go for a walk outside its cave. Now however, the forest just looked sad.
Trees sagged, a black substance eating away at their bark. They oozed a nasty looking sap that Pinkie Pie tasted and immediately spit out, claiming it wasn't sweet at all. Meanwhile the greenery around them had turned to a rotten brown, with more of the black substance dripping from it. Luckily for Twilight and the others, the black stuff didn't seem to affect them, at least on contact. Twilight did note that there were no animals around at all, and hypothesized that they were either hiding, sick or worse.
"Hey Twi?" Applejack asked behind Twilight.
"Yes?" Twilight responded.
"You know what ya said about connections n' all... didn't ya say that the Tree of Harmony was connected to the elements, and the elements were connected to... well us?"
"Hey that's right!" Rainbow inspected everypony except Starlight, Zecora and Spike. "Nothing seems wrong with any of us though."
"I don't know, this is all new to me too. The black liquid from the plants isn't affecting us so far, but something might happen if we don't deal with this immediately." Twilight reasoned.
"Do not fear, for the tree we seek is quite near." Zecora pushed aside some of the rotting greenery to reveal a cliff. Beneath it was a small cove that shined with bright light. Twilight new that they had indeed reached the Tree of Harmony. Everypony carefully made their way down the cliff face, the non-pegasi using vines and other plants to support themselves. Soon they were all standing in front of the secluded grove of the Tree of Harmony. They briefly shielded their eyes against the bright light and trotted toward the tree.
Twilight had tried to prepare herself for what she would see, but still found herself shocked. The tree looked horrible, to say the least. Dark veins snaked around the tree, and it's branches looked decrepit with age. Many of the hanging orbs that normally glowed with light were cracked open and dull, a vile liquid dripping from their interior. The symbols of the sun and moon were barely visible as the bark was patchy and darkened around them. The rest of the grove fared no better, with the many flowers and grasses around the tree looking rotted and black. A musty smell hung around the place, making Twilight's eyes water.
"Eugh!" Pinkie said again.
"Oh my gosh..." tears welled up in Fluttershy's eyes. Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity and Spike looked away, unsure what to make of the tree. Zecora looked down sadly and hoofed the ground.
"This is the Tree of Harmony?" Starlight said uncertainly.
Twilight suddenly remembered her student had never seen the tree before. "This isn't what it normally looks like."
"I gathered." Starlight said as she went to inspect the tree. She did a full circle around it and returned back to the group. "Hey I think everypony should see this... there was something behind the tree." They all trotted over to the sick tree to see what Starlight meant. There were more black veins and nasty puss... but they all seemed to lead to one centerpoint.
"Are those ... hoofmarks?" Rarity asked.
"Cloven hoofmarks. Somepony burned three cloven hoofmarks into the tree and it looks like all the black veins originate from them." Twilight said dryly. "And look at the branches. Whoever did this also took the elements!"
"No wonder we weren't affected then! If the Tree ain't connected to the elements, then it ain't connected to us. And without the elements... the tree is weaker!" Applejack reasoned.
"Making it more susceptible to whatever this black stuff is." Rarity completed. "But not just anyone could remove the Elements of Harmony. They'd have to be pretty powerful."
"It took Princess Celestia and Luna to do it last time." Spike recalled.
"It be clear what happened here. Someone poisoned our tree so dear." Zecora said.
Twilight nodded. "She's right. Someone poisoned the Tree of Harmony... and I think I have a theory who."
"It has to be Discord. I'm sorry Fluttershy but it's the most rational explanation." Twilight stated flatly as they walked back through the forest. She lit her horn to show the way, making up for the sunlight blocked by the thick tree canopy above them.
Fluttershy looked annoyed, a rare expression for the normally timid pegasus. "Oh you never give him a chance Twilight. Even after he risked his life to save us from the changelings, you still accuse him as soon as something goes wrong."
"Twilight's right Fluttershy. He did this sort of thing before. Remember the plunderseeds?!" Rainbow argued.
"Not ta mention the cloven hooves!" Applejack added.
"And he's one of the few beings that has enough power to steal the Elements from the Tree of Harmony." Starlight pointed out. "I hate to say it Fluttershy but it all fits."
"But he planted the plunderseeds ages ago!" Fluttershy cried. "I know Discord has done bad things before, but he wouldn't go as far as poisoning the forest. Even before he was reformed he never did anything like that."
"He's the Spirit of Chaos, he's not loyal to anything or anyone. That's just his nature." Twilight looked up and noticed that the tree canopy was beginning to thin out, however it was still as dark as ever. Odd. Late afternoon sunlight should've been filtering through the branches, lighting their way. It couldn't be night yet, they had only been gone for two hours at most.
"That's harsh Twilight and you know it." Fluttershy look away sadly. Everypony groaned. Nopony could understand why Fluttershy so staunchly defended Discord, in the face of his constant trickery. Twilight didn't want to believe he had done something this severe, but she couldn't put it past him.
"I can see that tensions are running high, but I must direct your attention to the sky." Zecora pointed a hoof. Twilight saw that they had finally made their way out of the forest, but it was still pitch black outside. She looked up at the sky, searching for the sun. In place of Celestia's warm glowing sun, was a darkened circle ringed by red energy. The entire sky was pitch black, with not a star to be seen.
"Something darkened the sun ?!" Rarity cried. Everypony shook with fear. In the distance Twilight heard screams and shouts coming from Ponyville as the townspeople panicked at the loss of the sun. She just hoped the mayor could calm everyone down before things got out of hand.
"If the sun stays like that, all hay'll break loose!" Applejack exclaimed worriedly.
"Brrr. Wish we had sweaters..." Pinkie Pie said chattering her teeth and hugging herself with her forehooves. They all shivered in the chilly air. Without the Sun's warmth, the air temperature was already beginning to drop.
Starlight shivered. "If something's wrong with the sun, something must be wrong with Princess Celestia as well, and I'm willing to bet Princess Luna didn't fare much better."
"This is just like last time! I'll bet Discord has kidnapped Princess Celestia and Luna, just like his plunderseeds did before!" Twilight yelled angrily. Fluttershy looked at the ground, unsure what to say. No doubt her friend didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't deny anymore that this looked like Discord's doing.
"So... what do we do?" Spike asked cautiously.
Fluttershy looked up with a determined expression. "We summon him. If he did do this, he's going to set things right so help me. If he didn't... then maybe he can still help us."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Spike, Starlight, Zecora: stand back. This is a very powerful spell and it has to be done precisely."
The three non-elements backed up, and everypony else gathered in a circle. Before they could begin, Starlight raised a hoof. "Are you sure summoning Discord is a good idea? I mean if he really is behind all this, we don't have the Elements to stop him. For all we know he could've hidden them in some other dimension!"
"If he did this, he'll have to deal with me." Twilight briefly glowed with magic, causing everypony to step back. She didn't like displaying her power as an alicorn, but Twilight felt that Discord had gone one step too far this time.
"And me." Fluttershy sighed sadly. Twilight knew if there was anyone Discord would listen to, it was her.
"Ooh ooh and me!" Pinkie bounced up and down excitedly, seeming to forget the cold for a moment. With each bounce the ground seemed to crack a little bit without explanation.
"Let's do this!" Rainbow smacked her hooves together as if ready for a fight. Rarity and Applejack grimly nodded their acquiescence.
The six former element bearers gathered in a circle, holding each other's hooves and closing their eyes tightly. Twilight channeled her magic into the summoning spell, willing Discord to appear before them. A rainbow light spread from her horn and encircled her five friends, spinning concentrically. Then something changed. There was a white flash, and Twilight felt the magic move in reverse. She felt herself being lifted off her hooves and beginning to disappear. Twilight frantically opened her eyes and saw a bright white light engulf her.
BANG! Twilight and her friends found themselves on a blue tiled floor, looking up at an elegant but darkly lit room. Shadows played at the corners of the decorated room, giving it an eerie feel.
"Where are we?" Applejack asked wide eyed. "And where are the others?" Twilight saw that she was right. Starlight, Spike and Zecora had been left behind.
"The spell wasn't teleportation, it was summoning. It shouldn't have taken us here... wherever 'here' is. This doesn't make sense!" Twilight explained.
She was about to continue rationalizing what happened when two yellow eyes with red pupils blinked open in the shadows. There was a familiar dark chuckle. "Make sense? Oh what fun is there in making sense?"
"Discord." Twilight said slightly awed. "What did you do!?"
"Simple. I reversed your summoning spell so it would take you to me instead of me to you. It almost does make sense if you think about it." Discord flashed a toothy grin in the darkness.
"NO it doesn't! That shouldn't even be possible!" Twilight yelled.
Discord laughed. "Oh Twilight, Chaos wouldn't be Chaos if it was possible and predictable!"
"Enough games!" Rainbow yelled. "You poisoned the Everfree forest!"
"And what did ya do with the Princesses?!" Applejack asked angrily.
"Is it just me or am I getting a sense of deja vu?" Discord said thoughtfully. "I assure you I am neither directly nor indirectly responsible for what happened to the forest. And as for your Princesses... I used the last of my magic to bring you here at their request." Discord went into a coughing fit.
"Wait, the last of your magic?" Twilight asked.
"In fact, I am feeling a bit... faint ." Discord stumbled into the light and collapsed to the ground. His normally multi-colored body was a dark shade of black. He was breathing heavily and wheezing.
"Discord!" Fluttershy began to gallop forward but was stopped by Twilight.
"Wait Fluttershy! He's faked sick before. This could all be some trick to get us to lower our defenses." Twilight cautioned.
"I'm afraid it is no trick my little ponies." The door to room opened, flooding the place with light from the lamps beyond. Princess Celestia and Luna strode in looking grim. Twilight gasped as she saw that they were both the same shade of black as Discord, who seemed to be fast asleep on the floor.
"P-Princess you're-" Twilight began. Princess Celestia held up a hoof for silence.
"I'm sure you have many questions... but perhaps it is best if we let Discord rest." In the new light, Twilight saw that they were in a small guest bedroom, with several goofy looking pictures of Discord hanging from the walls. Fluttershy gently lifted Discord and tucked him into bed, trying her best to make him comfortable.
Princess Luna waved a hoof. "Come, let us discuss these matters elsewhere." They followed the princesses to a small lounge, where tea and snack were already laid out.
"I hope Spikeywikey isn't worried about us." Rarity fretted quietly.
"I have already sent a message to Spike. He is to gather anyone willing to help and assist Mayor Mare in calming Ponyville. The darkened sun is no doubt causing a large panic." Princess Celestia said. Twilight couldn't help but be amazed at her mentor's foresight. Despite her own ailment, she had calmly delegated the appropriate tasks to the appropriate ponies to deal with the crisis. Rarity seemed to be thinking something else, as she turned slightly red at Celestia hearing her affectionate name for Spike.
"Already the larger cities have gone into lockdown." Princess Luna explained. "There are riots in Manehatten, Fillydelphia and Baltimare over the loss of the sun. The royal guard and police forces are barely able to keep things in check. Meanwhile Cadence and Shining Armor are trying their best to hold the Crystal Empire together, and keep the Crystal Heart functioning among the panic."
"But why did the sun go dark and why did you turn black?" Rainbow asked bluntly.
Celestia sighed. "Our best guess is that something terrible has happened to the Tree of Harmony."
"Darn right something terrible has happened. Somepony poisoned it!" Applejack said.
"I get why that would cause the forest to start dying, and Twilight's castle to become corrupted, but why would it make Discord sick... or darken the sun?" Rarity asked.
"Connections." Twilight realized.
"Indeed." Celestia agreed. "You see, Equestria operates on a delicate balance. Harmony, Chaos, the Sun and the Moon are all connected. They work together to keep our land sustained. But if the Tree of Harmony has been poisoned..."
"Then it affects the balance." Twilight finished. "So because the tree is sick, it made Discord sick too?"
"Yes. As the Spirit of Chaos, Discord is forever locked in a balance with the tree, and is thus deeply connected to it. Our connection through the Sun and Moon isn't as strong, but soon I'm afraid we will also fall unconscious as he did. Already our powers are weakened so we cannot use our magic." Celestia explained.
"I told you Discord was innocent." Fluttershy crossed her hooves.
"But when Discord's plunderseed vines took over the forest and attacked the tree, he didn't seem sick at all!" Twilight protested.
"I believe that we are dealing with something very different here." Celestia countered. "Discord's vines were merely suppressing the magic of Harmony, thus turning the balance in the favor of Chaos. Capturing us was something the vines did on their own, as Discord had foolishly given them their own will. This poison seems to be far more sinister. It is a direct attack on Harmony, slowly destroying the tree and its magic."
"I do not understand something." Luna said. "The tree is most of all connected to the Elements of Harmony. They should have protected it from any poison. And furthermore, if the tree was affected... why weren't any of you affected through your connection to it?"
"The meanie who poisoned the tree, also stole our elements!" Pinkie said angrily.
Luna put a hoof to her chin. "Whoever did this is very powerful. Not just anyone can remove the Elements of Harmony. It makes sense why you thought it was Discord who poisoned the tree."
"Actually, we thought it was Discord because o' the cloven hooves." Applejack said.
"Whoever poisoned the tree left a mark of three black cloven hooves burned into it." Twilight added.
Luna gasped. "A mark of cloven hooves ? Sister you don't think... if he has returned..."
"Then he has made his move... when the balance unravels, evil will take it's place." Celestia said. Twilight had never seen her mentor actually look scared, until now. Both Celestia and Luna's eyes were wide with fear.
Rainbow flew up and smashed her forehooves together. "Whoever this guy is, we'll track him down and pry the elements out of his hooves-"
"NO!" Celestia yelled harshly. Rainbow immediately shut up and settled back on the ground. Another first, Twilight realized. This was the first time the Princess had ever actually yelled at any of them. Celestia looked at their appalled faces and instantly she had a regretful expression. "I'm sorry. This is an enemy you are not ready to face."
"Not ready but-" Twilight started.
"It is late... we will talk more in the morning." Celestia began trotting toward the door but stumbled. She was caught by Luna who looked at her with concern. "It is nothing. Off to bed all of you." The two blackened princesses trotted out of the room, leaving Twilight and the others shocked.
As Twilight trotted to her guest bedroom, she went over what Celestia said. "Not ready... she's never said that before."
But Twilight was a princess and an alicorn. What could she possibly not face, after all the villains she and her friends defeated together? The only time Princess Celestia hadn't sent Twilight to stop a villain, was when Tirek was at large. And even then she only sent Discord because Discord could track him down quickly. Yet in the end Twilight and her friends had to stop him. But this time her mentor had specifically said this was something Twilight couldn't do. What was Celestia hiding?
Thought swirled around in Twilight's head as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Princess..." a voice whispered. Twilight groaned in response. "Princess you must wake." Twilight's eyes shot open, and when her vision came into focus she saw an elderly light brown unicorn mare standing beside her bed.
"Book Mark?" Twilight asked groggily, recognizing the royal librarian. "Ugh what time is it? Is it morning? Am I late?!"
Book Mark chuckled. "Earnest as ever Twilight. If it was morning would it matter? The sun no longer shines. As for the time... it has only been a few hours."
Twilight rubbed her bleary eyes and yawned. "It's the middle of the night? Um... then why'd you wake me up?"
Twilight had known the royal librarian since she was a foal. She had spent so much time in the library that Book Mark even gave her her own special reading room, and sorted out specific titles that Twilight might like. The librarian treated Twilight like a grandchild, and often imparted to her the wisdom she had learned over decades of reading. One thing Twilight knew, was that Book Mark loved her sleep... and it was odd that she was awake in the middle of the night.
"So you may learn about the foe you face." Book Mark replied as she adjusted her thick glasses.
"How did you know-"
Book Mark waved a dismissive hoof. "The walls have ears Twilight. Rumor spreads around here pretty quickly. Now come on, the answers we seek are in the library."
Twilight slipped out of bed and followed the librarian out the door. Book Mark magically lit her horn, lighting up the dark hallways. They trotted quietly, careful to make sure their hoofsteps didn't wake anyone.
The light cast eerie shadows along the walls, and had Twilight been a foal she might've even been scared. She watched her own shadow trot perpendicular to her, matching her every move. Twilight glanced at Book Mark trotting ahead of her. Her shadow seemed... distorted, as if it were the shadow of something much larger. Before Twilight could make it out, Book Mark dimmed the light. "We're here."
Twilight realized she was being silly. Shadows scared foals not an alicorn princess. Now quesadillas ... those were scary. Book Mark levitated her keys out of her nightgown toward the door. The wooden door unlocked with small click and swung open. "Um, don't we need the light?" Twilight asked.
Book Mark pointed to a guard who was fast asleep inside the library. "Wouldn't want to disturb his nap."
Twilight followed the librarian inside, quietly sneaking past the guard. They went deeper and deeper into the ancient library, until they reached a dark gated section. Book Mark levitated her keys and unlocked the gate, trotting past it. Twilight hesitated to follow, and her guide turned around with a confused look.
"That's the dark magic section. Princess Celestia said never to go in there..." Twilight whispered.
Book Mark smiled, wrinkles creasing her time worn face. "But the answers you seek are here dear. Isn't it important to you to find out who's behind all this?"
"But the Princess-"
"Twilight." the librarian said patiently. "You are no longer a student, you are a princess now. You must make your own decisions and judgements based on what you think is good for Equestria. When the answers are just a few steps away, will you let them slip through your hooves?"
Book Mark had a point. Finding out who poisoned the tree would bring her one step closer to solving all this. Princess Celestia had said Twilight wasn't even ready, yet here Twilight was, just a few feet from answers. The Princess had said not to look into the dark magic section, but surely she would be okay with it now. Equestria itself was on the line, and Twilight had a duty to save it. Determinedly, Twilight trotted past the gate.
"We've got to find out what burned those cloven hoof marks into the tree." Twilight said.
"Perhaps this might help?" Book Mark levitated a large dusty black tome onto the floor. Twilight lit her horn, and peered at the cover. It read: "Dark Marks and Symbols ". She used her magic to flip it open to the 'C' section and flipped until she found the entry she wanted.
Cloven Hooves
Description: This mark is often burned into wood and is usually black in color. It belongs to an eldritch creature known as the Fiend, who is not of this plane of existence. He leaves it as a warning or a calling card, to make beings aware of his presence or involvement. It is advised to avoid places marked with this symbol at all costs, lest he exert his wrath upon trespassers.
Twilight felt her stomach turn slightly, but decided to press on.
The Fiend goes by many names as he visits different worlds across the multiverse. He is known as Satan, Lucifer, the Devil and Old Nick among other epithets. The force of evil incarnate, he seeks to corrupt the hearts and minds of ponies, humans and all creatures alike. Many worlds have fallen to his influence, becoming demented hellish places where good is fleeting to nonexistent.
Thousands of years ago, the Fiend ruled Equestria in a state of misery. His numerous demonic servants, especially the windigos, caused untold suffering. However the first friendship between Clover the clever, Private Pansy and Smart Cookie, weakened the Fiend's power so much that he fled our world and his servants were scattered to the ends of the planet. It is unknown why one friendship was so powerful as to defeat the Devil himself. What is known is that soon after, Princess Celestia and Luna took charge of Equestria and the Fiend has not returned since.
Suddenly what Princess Celestia said made sense. "When the balance unravels, evil will take its place."
Powers: Records from the time of the Fiend's rule are sparse, however it has been noted that the Fiend is capable of anything. He can warp time and space to his own desire, on a planet wide scale. His very presence causes feelings of hatred and anger to surface. Despite his great power, he prefers instead to use trickery and guile to get his way. Often he watches his targets for a time, years even, manipulating things behind the scenes. He may shapeshift into someone familiar and coerce a pony into doing what he wants. Though he can create a perfect likeness of a pony, there are certain things he cannot hide. His shadow is that of a large beast, and will follow him no matter what his shape. His eyes...
Twilight raised her head in alarm. The shadow. Slowly she turned around to look at her companion. Book Mark had a sinister grin on her face, her teeth sharp and pointed like predator's. Her eyes weren't ringed with their usual brown, but were instead were pure black. "I'll be watching Twilight. Always watching." She vanished into black smoke.
Behind her, Twilight heard urgent galloping as though multiple ponies were rushing to the scene. She turned around and saw the blackened forms of Celestia and Luna, and the now fully awake guard panting with exhaustion. "I'm very disappointed in you Twilight." Celestia said angrily.
"But I-"
"I specifically said never to read anything in this section. Now you go behind my back and-" Celestia went into a coughing fit.
"Your Highness!" the guard supported her. Luna began wheezing. She closed her eyes and fell to the floor.
"Luna no!" Celestia croaked.
"Princess wait let me help!" Twilight rushed over to them. "Please I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"
"T-Twilight I..." Celestia collapsed, her eyes sliding closed.
"No!" Twilight cried.
"Help! We need a medic! The Princesses have fainted!" the guard yelled. Twilight felt tears roll down her cheeks, as she looked down at the mentor she had betrayed.
"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.