“I. Just. Don’t. Get. It. Why? Why won’t it just tell us what it wants??”

“Twilight, that whole spectacle was a pretty good indicator. Your approach seems to be the right one. We need to bring Nick back,” Starlight rubbed her mentor’s back as the alicorn lay prone. After the whole time freeze and scattering of the gems to who knows where, the Princess of Friendship found herself at her limit. The Tree sure had no qualms telling Nick, Matt or Ivy what was needed next. But now, it was silent, like it had always been, it’s actions as of now more confusing than guiding.

“Yeah but why did it have to freeze time like that? What was with the light and the sealing of the Cutie Map?!” She looked up at the Tree. It was more radiant than she had remembered, the Elements glistening on its branches. It seemed as if it was restored with newfound energy.

“We could always ask the princesses on their thoughts,” Pinkie chimed in, excited at the prospect of going on another crazy, fun adventure.

“They have enough problems dealing with all of these other events that happened,” Applejack added. “This would just be one more thing on their plate. Twi’s hunch was right, we need to get Nick back.”

As the group debated amongst themselves on how to go about doing so, Twilight lifted her head off the ground, her ear twitching as she heard something.

“Bring… me… back…”

The voice was feminine, at least from what she thought she heard, but shook her head, thinking she was hearing things. Perhaps her desperation was getting to her. While her friends were still busy trying to figure out what to do next, Tempest had picked up on Twilight’s odd behavior and walked over to her.

“Twilight, are you ok?” she asked in concern, looking her over to see if she was injured.

“Yeah… I guess I’m just hearing things,” she had a perplexed expression on her face, standing up to her hooves.

“Please, bring me back…”

The voice was louder, causing the two mares to perk up. They looked at each other, and their expressions confirmed they heard the same thing.

“Everyone quiet!” Twilight yelled to her friends, who looked at her in confusion.

There was a pause as they waited for whatever it was they were listening to.

“My faithful Elements of Harmony,” the voice was much more clearer now, although the power behind it was only loud enough to be heard by them. “It is a pleasure to finally speak to you all.”

The group all audibly gasped at hearing the Tree for the first time, excluding Ivy and Matt, who internally cheered that they weren’t going crazy. The mares couldn’t believe that it was actually talking to them, however Twilight was the first to recover.

“But why? Why haven’t you spoken to us before? Why did you take Nick away from us?” She pleaded, her natural curiosity along with desperation taking over all her other questions.

“Verbal communication wasn’t necessary, you all were able to understand what I needed by yourselves, however, it’s in these recent times that it appears I need to intervene more directly. There are other forces at play, some that threaten our very way of life.”

“Well Nick took care of Phobetor,” Twilight spoke. “If you hadn’t taken him away from us…” she could feel a mix of rage and sadness welling through her. How dare this “entity” now try to make peace, after all this time.

“And I do understand the sacrifice that came with it, as did Nick.” It was hard to judge the Tree’s emotions as she said this, if she was merely saying this or if she actually sympathized with Twilight. “But, I realized that my reaction was… premature in this case. I had no idea the repercussions of a champion actually fulfilling their destiny. Which is now why, with my blessing, I want you to bring back Nick.”

The group as a collective blinked. Here was the Tree of Harmony, balance of all things in Equestria, keeper of the Elements of Harmony, telling them that she had made a mistake. It was as if all they had known was now just lies, at least with how infallible they thought the Tree was.

“I know that this is hard for you all to hear, but you must believe me,” she continued. “Just as I trusted you six to maintain the harmony throughout Equestria, I now ask that you trust me in this request.”

Twilight looked to all of her friends, who were looking back at her. They had been through so much, ever since the beginning they had trusted the Tree of Harmony, after all it guided them to each other. To think their friendship was based on a mistake, they figured that the Tree may not have been omnipotent as they thought, but it still had the right intentions. Coming to an agreement, they all nodded wordlessly, Twilight turning back to the Tree.

“If we were to bring back Nick… would that mean the return of the villains he defeated?” she asked the crucial question.

There was a pause, long enough to make them think that maybe the Tree was already “gone”. However she did answer.

“Yes, but they may be changed from what they originally were. That much I can tell you. Anymore, is cloudy to me. What you must do will not be easy, since even I cannot simply bring anyone back from the dead. Using most of my power, I was able to enchant the gems that Nick, Ivy and Matt possessed, marking artifacts that belonging to Tirek, Chrysalis and Sombra. First you must find Nick's gem that is in the Badlands, then use Matt and Ivy's to locate the other two artifacts in the Frozen North and Tartarus. Once all have been obtained, bring them to me. With the rest of my magic, I will be able to give Nick back his form. After that, all of you will have to make your decisions on your own. I can only pray you all choose wisely.”

“So, Nick became a part of you?” Twilight asked, so many other questions swimming around in her mind. “What do you mean by form? How will the villains he defeated be changed?

“Nick is in the place you all discovered when bringing back the Pillars, Limbo. There, he is embarking on his own journey that will test whether he is up to the task. That is all I can say now. My power wanes with each passing moment, so please complete this task as soon as you can. Good luck Elements of Harmony, and may my light guide you.”

With that, the glow from the Tree died down, to where it looked just like it did before Nick arrived in Equestria. Twilight had so many more questions to ask, but knew that it was futile to bother. Sighing she turned back to her present company. Each mare she looked in the eyes, seeing if they had any objections to this news or if they had anything to offer. These were her best friends, the ponies she trusted with her life. There was no mistake that they were all chosen for the right reasons but now, did they all think that this was the best decision.

Each mare, despite what their opinions were before, felt in their hearts that this was the right thing to do, that any other action made them feel empty.

“Twilight, we’re with you all the way,” they said in unison, smiling at the alicorn.

She smiled back, looking to Tempest, Starlight, Matt and Ivy, who all nodded in agreement.

Closing her eyes and nodding, she spoke. “Let’s do this.”

Author's Note

Hi, just checking in to see how you all are doing?

How's the story so far? Any compliments, complaints, concerns?

Hope you enjoy what's to come, the story is just starting to get intense.