The Cave of Harmony, Everfree Forest
The Following Day

"Hmm..." Harmony pondered in thought as she sat in her cave.

"I don't wish to inconvenience dear Celestia and Luna by coming down here to see me. No doubt Twilight likely written a letter to them about my sudden appearance, but..."

Harmony goes and paces around in thought. Since meeting her Bearers the previous night, she wandered around the Everfree Forest, ensuring all was normal, as well as plan out the eventual task of trying to bring life back to it. The Everfree wasn't always this dangerous, and was once as vibrant as any other forest in Equestria. After the Elements were taken by the Princesses to stop Discord, and eventually the inevitable banishment of Nightmare Moon, the forest began to become more unbalanced as the harmonic magic that was balancing the chaotic magic weakened over the centuries, eventually the forest became what it was today.

She knew that in order to bring the Everfree back to what it once was, she would need to slowly influence her magic throughout the forest, which could take a long time before it is complete. She also needed to take into account the creatures that resided here that adapted to the nature of the forest, but after what occurred last night, most of the creatures whom seen Harmony simply let her roam. They knew she was part of this forest, being the one that maintained all that lived and grew here.

She stopped, after thinking for five minutes, something came to mind. She smiled.

"Hmm... I wonder..."

Golden Oak's Library, Ponyville

After last night, Twilight knew that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be excited, intrigued, and shocked about the fact the Tree of Harmony came to life and became a living entity. She and Spike were just finishing breakfast, and upon cleaning up the dishes, the two made their way into the library.

"Alright Spike, take a letter." Twilight said, as Spike grabbed parchment and a quill.
"Ready!" Spike said as he held the quill toward the parchment.

Just before Twilight could get out her message, there was a knock on the door, surprising the two.

"Huh? Who could that be?" Twilight asked out loud as she goes to the door and opens the door.

"Hello? Can I help--" Twilight's eyes widen as she looked at the visitor.

The mare at the door, simply giggled, giving a serene smile.

"Hello my little pony.~ Are you impressed?"

It was Harmony. She was a regular sized unicorn mare, but still looked like she did while tall. Twilight's eyes bugged out.

"Wh-what?? But-but how are you-- When did you...??" Twilight was just flabbergasted.

Harmony giggled, finding the princess's reaction entertaining, and precious.

"Well, are you going to let me come in, and let me explain or you just going to stare at my radiance all morning, hmm?~" Harmony joked.

Twilight, still confused and in shock, just sighed and nods.

"O-of course, Harmony. Come in." Twilight let's her in as the Tree Pony looks around, keeping her smile.

"My my... what lovely little library you live in dear. It looks so quaint and homey.~"

Twilight just chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh, well it is nothing too special. But me and Spike do enjoy living here as we are close to our friends, near the center of Ponyville, and of course: the books.~"

Harmony nods and looks to Spike.

"Hello my dear little dragon. How are you this fine morning?" Harmony asked.

"Oh, I'm doing fine Miss Harmony. Me and Twilight just got done with breakfast. Do you want me to get you something?" Spike replied.

"Oh don't trouble yourself dear. I'm fine." Harmony held her hoof up and shook her head.

"So, Harmony. What exactly are you doing here, and more importantly, how are you here? I thought you said that you can't leave the Everfree Forest unattended without your presence there." Twilight asked, walking over to the unicorn.

Harmony just looks to her.

"Well, after you all left to return home last night, I spent the good night seeing all of the Everfree for myself, bringing back my influence that once kept it in balance. As I said, I didn't wish to remain rooted to where I was any longer, and wanted to be free to move outside the Cave. While it is important for me to remain in the Everfree Forest to prevent another incident like before with the plundervines, I was able to come up with a solution. That solution is what you see now." She explained.

Twilight and Spike looked at each other, clearly confused. Harmony then held her hoof out, as her horn glowed a whitish-blue aura. A small sapling appeared in her hoof.

"...A sapling?" Twilight asked.

"Not just a normal sapling, my little pony. This sapling is created using half of my magic. In order for me to keep the Everfree Forest maintained, I need to keep a constant presence from within but even a small amount of my magical influence, can keep the forest maintained while I'm not there physically. So, I created a sapling like this, placed it where I once stood as a Tree, and let nature take its course." Harmony replied.

"So by taking out half of your magic, you can continue to keep the Everfree from growing out of control, and not be there at all? So you can leave the forest anytime you like?" Twilight asked in an excited tone.

Harmony chuckled, and nodded.

"Yes, however, doing this comes at the cost of me only having half of my full magic, and thus I developed this form. It is weaker than my taller form, but as you can feel, I still have strong magic in me." Harmony added.

Twilight nodded, feeling Harmony's magic. It wasn't as powerful as what she felt last night, but she still seemed to be still stronger than a normal unicorn.

"And when I return to the forest, I can simply reabsorb the magic I placed in the sapling and return to my full strength. But it does leave me a bit tired afterwards so I would likely require at least a full day before I can leave the forest again. Plus, I don't wish to remain outside of the forest for too long as even if half my magic runs through the Everfree, it will eventually wane and could be taken over by the chaotic magic and would take longer for me to regain what I lost, so I plan on limiting my time outside of the forest for at least a day." Harmony added further.

"Well, it is great you were able to figure out a way to leave the forest, Harmony, and within one night no less!" Twilight said in a gushed tone.

"Means I can show you all around Ponyville and you can meet the girls and see what they do!" The alicorn added.

Harmony just stifles a giggle.

"That would be most lovely. But, I did have a reason to visit you, dear Twilight. I was wondering if you have written a letter to Princess Celestia about me."

She nods, "Oh! I was just going to do that when you knocked at the door. I was going to let them know about what happened and that they needed to come to Ponyville right away."

"Well, I was actually thinking of this Twilight. I don't wish to take Tia and Lulu out of the busy schedule, which is why I wished that you let them know that I would come visit them personal in Canterlot.~" Harmony said.

"You want to go visit them yourself?? But Harmony, you just came to existence last night, and I know you were able to find your way here to Ponyville, but you don't know your way around outside of here." Twilight replied in a incredulous tone.

"No need to worry that my little pony. From what I can see, is that Canterlot is just up that mountain ridge right?" Harmony asked pointing out the window toward the distant capital city.

"Well... yes you are right, but..." Twilight said before being cut-off by Harmony.

"And all I would need to do is take the train that runs up there, correct?~"

Twilight blinked. She never knew that despite being a Tree for centuries, she is quite aware of what happens in the world.

"Um...yeah that's correct." Twilight replied.

"Well then there you go. I know I just came into being just last night my dear, but I am a big filly and I can figure it out. Besides, it isn't hard to find Celestia and Luna's magical signatures considering they were my Bearers in the past, so they can't be forgotten that easily. You simply write to them on your findings and to expect a guest that is coming to see them at this moment. Don't worry, Tia and Lulu are bright ponies, I'm sure they'll figure me out." Harmony chuckled.

"Well... if you want to, then I don't want to keep you then. It should take an hour to get here to Canterlot by train, but you don't have any bits do you?" Twilight asked.

Harmony held her hoof up in thought.

"Hmm... that might be a small issue. Considering I been residing in the Everfree for centuries, really didn't need any money... But I can always use an easier method of travel.~"

Twilight raised a brow, "Oh? And what's that?"

"...Teleport." Harmony quietly responded, as her horn glowed and suddenly she disappeared in a bright flash. Twilight and Spike shielded their eyes, being caught off guard and once they looked, Harmony was gone.

"W-what?? Harmony! Did she really just teleport all the way to Canterlot from here...? There is no way a unicorn could do that, I can't even do that and I'm an alicorn...!" Twilight screamed out.

"Um Twilight...? She is the very spirit of harmony, and you said you still sensed her magic being that strong, even if half it was back in the Everfree right? So, whose to say she is capable of teleporting all the way to Canterlot? I mean, she isn't a normal pony." Spike explained.

Twilight just blinked, not really aware Spike would explain that to her.

"Huh... well I suppose she could do that... But still, it makes me wonder if she did get there..." Twilight wondered.

"Alright Spike, take a letter again!" Twilight said, back in her confident tone.

Spike just rolled his eyes as he held the quill back up to the parchment as he began to write out what Twilight wanted to tell Celestia and Luna.

"Dear Celestia and Luna, I have some news that might shock you both..."

Canterlot Castle, Canterlot

Princess Celestia was going about her usual day-to-day duties. She wouldn't lie if most of the day court would be boring, but as one of the leading rulers of Equestria, what can you do? Though today was different, as her mind wandered about last night, as Twilight wasn't the only one who picked up that magical flux. Luna was going about her duties while Celestia was asleep for the night but was woken when she felt the surge of magic that got her attention. Ever since last night, she seemed to be awaiting a report from Twilight, since she knew it happened in the Everfree Forest.

As she was signing some documents, a familiar green wisp of flame entered the throne room and stopped before Celestia as a scroll appeared. Celestia knew this was it.

"Guards, I wish for you to fetch my sister. It is of most urgency." Celestia ordered her two guards in a calm tone.

"Yes, Your Highness!" The Royal Guard ponies saluted as they galloped off to find Luna.

"The rest of you, I wish to be alone with my sister for the time being. You are excused." Celestia said to the rest of the guards, who all saluted and made their way out of the throne room, with two guards standing outside the door.

It didn't take long, as Luna appeared in flash and goes up to her older sister.

"Dear sister, is it from Princess Twilight?" Luna asked.

Celestia nodded, "It is, let us see what her findings are..."

She opened the scroll and began to read the letter.

Dear Celestia and Luna,

I have some news that will shock you both. As you are aware, last night a powerful surge of magic erupted from the Everfree Forest, where the Tree of Harmony was located. Naturally I ran out there to investigate to ensure that the Tree was alright and no malicious threat was harming the tree, despite me and my friends returning the Elements of Harmony to it.
When I was traveling through the forest, I noticed it was very silent and that none of the creatures that normally roam at night, were nowhere to be seen. It was unusual, so I made haste to the cave where the Tree was at, and to my shock and surprise...

The Tree of Harmony is alive!

As in, the Tree was able to create a body for itself and now roams around like a living pony. She called herself 'Harmony' and she appeared as a tall, majestic white unicorn, much like your height. Me and the girls, whom Spike ran to get after I ran out from home to investigate without thinking twice, listened to Harmony and how it became possible to be alive. She said our friendship and our bond with the Elements were so powerful she was able to gain higher sentience than before and used the Elements to create the body she is now in.

I would go into more detail, but I have to tell you this: you are about to meet a pony whom teleported from Ponyville all the way to Canterlot, and when you meet this pony, you will know. She really wants to meet you both, and you will be just as shocked and in awe as me and my friends were. She said before leaving my library, that you both will point out who she is quickly.

Yours truly,
Princess Twilight Sparkle

The Princesses looked at the letter and were silent. This was rather... unbelievable news to say the least.

"The Tree of Harmony... alive?" Celestia questioned.

"Sister, what do you think? I knew that magical surge was familiar and powerful, but I couldn't put my hoof on what it was exactly." Luna asked, still trying to process this news.

Celestia was silent, and shook her head, "I do not know, Luna... This is very interesting news indeed, and I know Twilight hasn't lied about something big like this..."

Though, thoughts of the Changeling invasion during Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding came to mind, when she, along with everypony else, thought Twilight wasn't herself when she made claims that the Cadance they were about to wed Shining Armor with wasn't the real Cadance, but turned out to be Queen Chrysalis disguised as Cadance. She knew after the revelation was true, she couldn't help but feel guilty for not listening to Twilight's accusations when she and everypony else was fooled. Considering the news Twilight has sent them now, Celestia knew Twilight would be telling the truth.

Her thoughts are interrupted when a Royal Guard comes into the throne room.

"Pardon my intrusion, Your Highnesses. But a young unicorn is outside and says you are expecting her." He explained.

Both Princesses looked at each other, and Celestia nods to the Royal Guard.

"Send her in, and leave us be."

The Royal Guard salutes.

"Right away, Your Highness. You may enter, ma'am." He looked back, as a white unicorn walks in, with a content smile on her face. The Royal Guard bows and then leaves the throne room with the three ponies alone.

The Princess looks at the unicorn, and suddenly, they felt her magic.

"Luna... do you feel that?" Celestia asked, her eyes widen.

"I do Celestia... this is the magic I felt last night. This pony... could she be...?" Luna replied.

The unicorn approached them and just chuckles.

"...It is so wonderful to finally meet you like this, my dear Tia and Lulu. My past Bearers of Harmony... I am who you think I am...~" The unicorn answered.

There was no doubt now. Twilight was correct.

"...You are the Tree of Harmony, correct?" Celestia asked as she got up from her throne and slowly approached Harmony. She can feel the magic from Harmony: pure, raw, powerful harmonious magic. It was warm, and comforting to the Princess of the Sun.

Harmony nods. "I am... but you can simply call me Harmony, my little ponies.~ My... you two have grown up so much since I last seen you, 1000 years ago..."

Luna comes to her sister's side, "So Princess Twilight was right... you used the power of the Elements to come to life as a pony...?"

"It is a lot to take in, I know. But, I wouldn't lie if I said I do enjoy seeing the reactions ponies make when they see who I am, hee hee.~" She giggled.

"...Harmony, it is... a real honor... to be in your presence like this... We never thought in our lifetime, that you would appear before us... and talk to us." Celestia said as she bowed, Luna doing the same.

"Oh... come now my little fillies... No need to do that. I am not royalty, and while I am the very embodiment of harmony and order, you can just treat me as your equal, alright?" Harmony said.

Both Princesses just looked at her and slowly raised their heads up, chuckling sheepishly.

"But in all seriousness, it is a real honor to actually be communicating with the one that allowed for us to stop the reign of Discord... From what Princess Twilight has said, she said you gained a higher sentience after the Elements were returned to you... Does that mean you were always sentient?" Luna asked.

Harmony nods, "I know we have much to discuss, and I will answer everything you want to know, but perhaps we can chat in a more... cozier environment, hmm?~"

The two sisters agreed. Celestia calls out to her guards.

"My loyal guards, my sister, our guest, and I will be convening in my quarters. Tell anypony who wishes to see me or my sister, not to disturb us unless it is of utmost importance."

"Yes, Your Highness." The Royal Guards salute.

Celestia looks to the two.

"Shall we?"

They arrive in Celestia's private quarters, where she had her maids bring them some tea and scones. The three ponies sat together, as Harmony discusses how she was able to bring herself to life, using the Elements, how it was thanks to Twilight's friendship and the strong impact it made on the Elements to allow for her to transform into the pony they see now.

"I know, it is rather shocking, but stranger things have happened in Equestria. I'm sure me roaming about now is nothing much to write home about.~" Harmony said, sipping tea.

"True, a lot of things have occurred in Equestria that this point, most ponies, least the ones in Ponyville, seem to right off as a natural occurrence. And of course, it is nothing Twilight and her friends are capable of doing. After all, as you said, you chose them to be your Bearers." Celestia replied.

"So Harmony, now that you are free to go about as you please, what do you plan to do? I mean I know you wish to remain in the Everfree Forest to ensure it doesn't spiral out of control like what happened a few weeks ago with the plundervines..." Luna asked, as she munched on a scone.

"Well, dears, I wish to bring back balance to the Everfree. As you recall, it was once a vibrant wood that surrounded your Old Castle and was a place of beauty. Now that I can move about freely in the forest, it will make my task easier to restore it to what it once was, though it might take some time before it is done, years perhaps..." Harmony replied.

"I do remember those days, especially when I ventured through the forest and found myself in the grasslands where the zebras resided. I don't know how they could confuse me for a manticore however. Tia was rather cross with me for roaming off, but she was impressed with me finding zebras outside of Equestria." Luna recalled, as she smiled softly to her older sister.

Celestia chuckled, "Oh yes, considering how far the Everfree stretched, it seemed like a place of no end, yet you did find a way through and we met a neighboring land. Even so, seeing a zebra in Equestria is rare, aside from Miss Zecora who resides in the Everfree."

"Ah yes, a very kind zebra. Not many live in the forest, but she finds no fear living there. I am just glad that the ingredients she finds in the forest helps her in potion making. After all, she is good in her craft, especially when it can help save another pony's life." Harmony replied.

The three went silent, as a thought came to mind for Harmony.

"...How is Discord doing?" Harmony asked.

The sisters blinked when she suddenly mentioned Discord. Luna puts her hoof up to her chin to think.

"Discord has been well. He does occasionally pop in for a visit, but for the most part he seems to hang around with dear Fluttershy, considering she was able to reform him from his chaotic ways, though he does like to still cause some minor mischief. At this point, he is tolerable, though at times can be rather a nuisance, but other times he does try to brighten up our days with a little bit of harmless fun." Luna answered, smirking.

"I see. I do find it amazing that my little Bearer of Kindness was able to set him straight..." Harmony replied, sipping her tea.

"Are you at all... angry with him? I mean, I sense no hostility from you, but considering he sowed those plunder seeds a century ago to drain your magic, and almost succeeded in killing you..." Celestia asked, with a soft frown.

"What's done is done. He was only acting as he would been acting, as my counterpart. I don't think he would've realized I been sentient this whole time, and eventually, come to life. I'm sure he would pick up on it and find out sooner or later... But, I can't hate him for doing what he was born to do: cause chaos. After all, this world has to follow the laws of balance: light and darkness, good and evil, harmony and chaos. You can't have one without the other after all, for it would cause disaster on either case..." Harmony mused.

The three continued to enjoy their chats, and then soon took a stroll around the castle gardens, allowing for the Tree spirit to enjoy its splendor. She enjoyed this, just being with her previous Bearers and talking to them. However, all good things must come to an end, when she saw that it was soon dusk.

They returned to the throne room, where the two sisters prepare to lower the sun and raise the moon for the night, and Luna beginning her evening duties.

"I really enjoyed our day today, my little ponies.~ I'm glad that everything has been going well for you all, but I fear I must depart back home and begin my task of bring the Everfree back to its former self, as well as regain the rest of my magic before it fades away." Harmony said, with a sad smile.

"Oh, I wish you could stay a bit longer, but you have your duties and we have ours. It was a real honor to meet you like this, Harmony. We found it to be a nice change of pace." Celestia said, with a soft smile.

Luna nodded in agreement, "We do hope you can find time to visit Canterlot again."

"Well, I will try to make time to visit again. And if I can't, you can always visit the Everfree, as I'm sure you would be eager to see what I truly look like, considering this is me at half my power." Harmony bows her head.

"Until we meet again, my precious little ponies...~"

Harmony turns around as she began to walk toward the doors and, in a flash of light, she disappeared.

"Today has certainly been an interesting one, my dear sister." Luna said.

"It certainly has, and I can't help but feel that it will get more interesting as the days go on." Celestia replied, as she looks down at her younger sister.

"Well, shall we bring about the night?" Celestia asked, and Luna nods.

"Yes, let us show Harmony a beautiful transition."

The two princesses both disappear in a flash of light, returning to their private quarters to bring about the evening.

Entrance to the Everfree Forest

Harmony reappears just outside the entrance to the forest. She looks out back toward the horizon, toward the mountain range where she was just at, and saw the sun beginning its descend. She smiled softly, wanting to see Celestia and Luna do their duty, and it was breathtaking to say the least.

"...They have come a long way Old Star Swirl... You would be proud of your students..." Harmony muttered quietly to herself, smiling contently

Soon after, the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, and slowly the stars began to dot the sky, as the moon begins its rise. She didn't want to leave and miss this all beauty in the world. Despite the amount of danger Equestria has faced, there are the little things in life that everypony take for granted and enjoy. This is something to enjoy until the end of time.

With that, the spirit walks back into the forest, as she began to glow faintly. Her magic slowly returns to her, as her height begins to grow to what it was. The small sapling that she left in the cave, disappeared as the rest of her magic returns to her, and soon is back to her full power.

"Only day ends, another chapter in life begins...~" She said softly and wanders deep into her forest, humming a small tune that would quietly echo the sleeping forest.

Author's Note

And that my dear readers, is another chapter done. Yep, longest on I did. The next few chapters will follow this, as Harmony spends the day each of the Mane 6, but I wanted to get Tia and Lulu out of the way.

Hope you enjoyed this, and look forward to the next chapter!