For Silverstream and her friends, everything seemed to have happened at once. In the blink of an eye, everything had changed. They had been preparing to go their separate ways for the summer when they had received a suddon summons from the Tree of Harmony. The next thing they knew, they were captured by the monster known as Lord Tirek and held as prisoners within his phantom zone. Only upon his defeat and his demise were they set free. And only after all of that did they learn that the Tree of Harmony had been destroyed, reduced to a charred out stump by Lord Tirek after he had captured them.

But there was very little time to grieve, because Silverstream and her friends were soon told that they were going to be sent back to their respective nations as originally planned. "Your leaders won't be too happy if they find out I kept you here longer than was promised," Headmare Twilight had told them in no uncertain terms. "You can all stay the night at the School of Friendship. But first thing in the morning, you're all going back to your respective nations for the summer. My decision is final. I won't risk your safety yet again for the sake of Equestria. My friends and I can protect harmony just fine in your absence."

That night, sleep proved difficult for the six friends. Just like that, their adventures together were coming to an end. But even with all the uncertainty surrounding them, they still eventually managed to fall asleep. And once asleep, they began to dream. The dreams were all very unusual too.

Silverstream suddenly found herself in what appeared to be Ponyville, only to notice it seemed a lot darker and stormier than she remembered it being. Wind howled, lightning flashed, thunder clapped, and rain poured down from the skies! Could it be?!

The young hippogriff's worst fears were realized when, almost literally out of the blue, she saw Professor Rainbow Dash swoop down and land in front of her. She was clad in her Wonderbolts uniform, and appeared to look very desperate and concerned. "Silverstream, thank goodness!" She exclaimed! "The Wonderbolts need your help, and so do I! The Storm King has returned, you're the only one who can help us defeat him for good!"

"What?! Me?! I... I can't! I'm not ready!" Silverstream protested!

Rainbow Dash just tossed a uniform to Silverstream and helped her into it. "You're as ready as you'll ever be! Now come on! If we don't hurry, there won't be a Ponyville left to save!" And as quickly as she had appeared, she disappeared into the tempest.

Ocellus, meanwhile, was facing a predicament of her own. She found herself surrounded by books that seemed to be piling up all around her, growing taller and taller with each passing second! "W-what's going on?! What's happening?!" She gasped as she looked all around, searching in vain for a way out.

Then, standing atop a tall tower of books, who should appear but Headmare Twilight? And was it Ocellus' imagination, or did the headmare seem to have a disapproving scowl on her face? "You want to prove you're better than Chrysalis? That you're not here just to spy on me?" She sternly lectured as more books came down. "Well there's only one way to be sure, Ocellus. Prepare for your final exam!"

"Now?!" Ocellus exclaimed in disbelief! "Please, Headmare Twilight! I need time to study!"

Headmare Twilight only shook her head and remarked with disapproval. "I see. I guess I was wrong about you. And so was Thorax. You're a disappointment, and no better than Chrysalis."

"NO!" Ocellus cried out in horror as her body began to morph into Queen Chrysalis!

As luck would have it, Smolder wasn't too far away. But she was facing her own problem. She was once again glad in a long, flowing, sparkling blue dress and wearing pink eyeliner and lipstick. "What the-?!" She exclaimed as she tried to rip off the dress, only to find that it was somehow glued to her body and refused to come off. To make matters worse, all around her she could hear ponies laughing and jeering at her. It made her feel small, isolated and alone. Why was this happening to her?!

Gallus was also finding himself trapped in a situation that was rapidly detoriating. He was inside of a small cage that just barely held him, and it was hovering over flood waters that were rising rapidly! He banged repeatedly on the iron bars, trying in vain to break free! "Get me out of here! Quick! I can't swim!" He cried out!

At that same moment, Yona found herself falling through the sky with alarming rapidness! "Ahhhhhhhhh!" She screamed, flailing her hooves about in a vain attempt to stop or even slow her descent. But just as she was about to impact the ground, she felt something take hold of her by the legs. It was something sticky. Looking up, the yak saw to her dismay that she was trapped inside of a giant spider's nest, completely webbed up and unable to move! And there was the giant spider that had spun the web, advancing towards her slowly but surely!

And while all of this was unfolding, Sandbar found himself being hastily rushed to safety by two of his professors: Namely Applejack and Rarity. And neither of them would let him go even when he squirmed and tried to break free of their grasp. "It's not safe for you here anymore, sugarcube." Professor Applejack said to the colt.

Professor Rarity chimed in with her own sentiments. "Your friends will just have to fend for themselves. There's nothing more we can do for them. We must think about our own needs for the time being. You can always make more friends later."

"But I don't want to make more friends! I like the friends I have now!" Sandbar pleaded in protest! "Please, professorrs, you're making a mistake!" Then, suddenly, the realization dawned on him. "Wait a minute: This has all happened before!" And as he spoke those words, they echoed everywhere, being picked up by all of his friends.

Just as suddenly, their surroundings changed. The six creatures were set free from their nightmares, finding themselves standing on solid ground in a blank, white landscape that stretched on forever and ever.

"Okay, does someone wanna tell me what the heck is going on here?" Gallus snorted. "This is not my idea of a good time."

Ocellus could only shrug. "Your guess is as good as mine. But this is all starting to feel vaguely familiar."

Then, sure enough, who should appear before the six students but a sparkling, glowing form of their headmare? They knew at once who it really was. It was the spirit of the Tree of Harmony. But something was different, her form was shaking, as if it was struggling to maintain its presence. It opened its mouth to speak, and its voice was slow and stilted. "My friends," It whispered ominously to them. "I... need... you. My time... grows short." And just like that, it glowed brightly, flooding the vision of everyone present!

Inside their dormetries, the six students all woke with a start! All they knew was that they had been summoned by the Tree of Harmony once again. For what purpose, they did not know. But they were going to answer the call and help it out as best they could. In doing so, they were unknowingly going to reveal something their headmare had already begun to suspect.

The very next morning, all six students immediately made a beeline for their headmare's office. They had to speak to her right away!

To say that Twilight was surprised by the sudden arrival of her six most promising students would be an understatement. She hadn't even been planning to stay at the school now that classes were done for the summer. To have any of her students come rushing in so suddenly was something that had to be seen to be believed.

"Please, Headmare Twilight! Don't send us back! Let us stay!" The six students all pleaded at once, creating quite the cacophony in the process!

Trying her best to maintain her patience, the young alicorn raised up a hoof and motioned for the students to be quiet. "One at a time, please!" She instructed, and waited until silence fell over the room again. "That's better," She sighed in relief as she sat back in her office chair. "Now, what's this all about? What has gotten into you six?"

Surprisingly, it was Ocellus who was the first to speak up! "Headmare Twilight, the Tree of Harmony appeared to us last night in our dreams. It said it needed our help."

"A dream? Are you sure about this?" Twilight questioned. It sounded as if she believed her students, where they would've expected her to be rightfully skeptical.

"It was so weird! But it happened!" Silverstream desperately insisted! "One moment we were all experincing a nightmare, reliving our worst fears. It was just like when the tree tested us the first time. Then it stopped. And that's when we saw the Tree of Harmony. It looked just like you, but it was glowing!"

Sandbar chimed in. "Well, it was for a moment. But then it started to fade. It must be because Lord Tirek destroyed the Tree of Harmony. And now, it wants us to help it somehow."

For a moment, the alicorn princess was silent as she let the information sink in. It wouldn't be the first time strange and unusual events had happened to this group of six creatures. In the year she had known them, so much had unfolded that she never would've believed if you had told her about it before hoof. "You're all quite certain of this? That you saw the tree in your dreams, and that it looked like me?"

"Come on, headmare!" Gallus rudely remarked. "Would we make something like this up? Even if I wanted to stay here with you and the ponies, which I do by the way, I wouldn't make up a story like this."

Yona thrust her hooves onto the headmare's desk! "Headmare Twilight has to believe us! She has to! Yona not want to go back if Tree of Harmony say it need Yona and Yona's friends."

Twilight lifted her head slowly, blinking as she processed the information and gathered her thoughts. "If you're all sure of this, then perhaps I could let you all stay a little longer here in Equestria."

Smolder excitedly cheered when she heard the news! "Awesome! Thank you, headmare!"

The studious alicorn quickly protested. "I wasn't finished," She cleared her throat. "I could let you all stay. But only if your leaders are all okay with it. You'll have to convince them. They're the ones who let you come here in the first place. I don't want to get into any trouble with them, especially when some of them took a lot of convincing to allow you to be here."

Silverstream just smiled and started chirping. "Don't worry, headmare. We can take care of that, no problem! The Tree of Harmony reached out to us, which means it's up to us to help it out! We'll convince all our families and guardians to let us stay. You'll see!"

"Well, if you can get their permission, I'll let you all stay here for as long as it takes," The young princess agreed. "Which means that for now, we need to get you all down to the train station right away. The sooner you get back to your lands and speak to your elders, the sooner we can sort this whole thing out. I don't know how or why exactly the Tree of Harmony contacted you, but I'm sure that it must be important. The tree never spoke to anyone else."

So it was that the six students temporarily went their separate ways. Each of them went back to their respective nations, eager to talk to their families and/or designated guardians and explain to them in detail about why they had to be allowed to return to Equestria so soon. Even Sandbar had to go before his parents and ask for their permission. For his part, it took very little convincing. They had no reason to doubt their son, and having seen for themselves the friends he'd made they thought it was an encouraging sign that he wanted to be with them even after school let out.

As for the other students, they all had to perfrom specific tasks before they could convince their families and/or guardians to let them go back to Equestria. Their headmare had sent each of them home with a permission slip to be signed, but to get it signed they each had to do something significant.

For Smolder, it was only once she'd successfully proven herself by defeating every other dragon in the dragon lands a arm wrestling that Ember happily signed her permission slip.

Yona's task was a bit simpler, though by no means less difficult. She had to collect rugs hung out on racks, plow paths through thick layers of snow, and deliver pillows and blankets to yaks resting in their huts. Once she had done this, her parents agreed to sign her permission slip, and Yona eagerly raced away! She couldn't wait to meet up with her friends again!

Ocellus had to help pitch in and look after some of her younger cousins, who were only hatchlings. Luckily, it was easy to entertain them by giving them paper and colored pencils with which to doodle. And once that matter was taken care of, it was a piece of cake to get her permission slip signed by her parents.

And as for Silverstream, she took the liberty of setting up a series of hastily made sketches to explain to her parents and to her brother Terramar about why she had to go back. It took a lot of explaining on her part about what each sketch was supposed to represent. Still, her parents needed very little convincing afterwards. And the permission slip was signed with very little fanfare.

Meanwhile, Gallus found that all he really had to do to get his permission slip signed was go to Grandpa Gruff and start speaking. That did the trick. Grandpa Gruff was more than happy to do what Gallus asked of him if meant not having to listen to the young griffon prattle on at length about it.

So it was that, with permission slips signed and hearts full of hope, the students met back up in Ponyville within a day of having parted from one another. Now they just needed to figure out why the Tree of Harmony had summoned them, and what they could do to help it.

Once they were all together again, the friends wasted no time. They raced through Ponyville and into the Everfree Forest, recalling that the tree had once stood proud and strong in a gorge not far from the abandoned Castle of the Two Sisters. Despite knowing the dangers that still lurked in the forest even after it had been tamed and calmed down, they set off into it. And with luck, their journey through the forest passed unimpeded.

At last they reached the gorge where the tree had been. But that was when they were met with a stark reminder of the reality they were in. Whereas there had once stood a beautiful, shining tree, now stood only a blackened, burnt, and chared stump. Its remains were sitting there, forelorn and casting a gloomy shadow over the entire chasm. In just the few days it had been like this, it had deteriorated rapidly.

"Oh, I forgot the tree was like this," Silverstream commented as her happy mood faded. "It looks so sad now."

"And we were supposed to protect it," Ocellus remarked in an equally glum tone, looking down at the ground. "But we failed. The tree helped us, and yet we couldn't be there for it when it needed us the most."

Smolder somewhat hesitantly asked. "So... what? We came all this way out just to feel sorry for ourselves? The tree called out to us for a reason."

"Maybe it was just trying to say goodbye," Sandbar concluded. "Whatever magic it might have had must've disappeared when it was destroyed by Tirek."

Gallus growled, kicking at the dirt! "I hate feeling useless like this! This is just like when that no good Tirek trapped us in his phantom zone. There must be something we can do for the tree. There just has to be!"

"Yona want to ensure tree not scarifice itself for nothing," Yona spoke up. "Tree helped bring Yona and friends together. Tree special, like Yona and her friends."

Sandbar could only shake his head. "There's nothing more we can do for it now. It's gone, and it's never coming back. The pillars probably planted a seed for a new tree already," He turned and prepared to leave. "Whatever it is the tree still needed us for, I don't think we're gonna find it here. Maybe we should try somewhere else."

But it was then that Ocellus gasped as an idea came into her mind! "Wait a minute, that's it! This is the place! We're here to honor the tree's memory."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Gallus pondered. "It's nothing but a smoking ruin now."

Silverstream, however, excitedly and chiperly chimed in with her own sentiments! "I get it, Ocellus! We can build a memorial, a monument or something! Something that'll honor the tree's memory and what it stood for! That way, everyone who comes here after us will know what used to be here. It'll be the perfect way to ensure the tree scarifice is remembered."

"Now we're talking!" Smolder cheered as she briefly jumped into the air! "That sounds way better than just standing around, feeling sorry for ourselves."

Sandbar turned around slowly, eyeing his friends as they all seemed to suddenly find themselves on the same page. "You guys thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" He said to them as his eyes slowly drifted upward.

Gallus smiled, his grin slowly spreading from ear to ear. "Oh yeah, I think I do. This is gonna be fun!"

And all at once, the six friends shouted in unison! "We'll build a clubhouse!"

"Yeah, just like the one the Cutie Mark Crusaders have!" Sandbar proposed. "And I know the perfect place we can build it in: The Castle of the Two Sisters."

Ocellus' excited mood faded as the realization of the proposal sank in. "Wait, we're going to build it there? Not down here in the gorge where the tree used to be?"

"Why not?" The blue feathered griffon pointed out in an indifferent tone of voice. "We'd have more space to work with. And it's not like anypony's using that old castle anyway. We could turn it into a museum, and ponies will come from miles and miles away for the chance to have a guided tour."

"And we can erect sone kind of carving, a permanment memorial that'll be the envy of everyone who sees it!" The orange scaled dragon eagerly exclaimed!

"Ooh, and we'll use lots of bright and pretty colors too!" The pink feathered hippogriff chimed in. "Maybe we could even put up some of our own sketches about our memories, and add them to the castle hallways! They'll fit right in."

The light green changeling reluctantly and skeptically proposed. "W-well, as long as there's a place for ponies to reflect on what the tree meant to us, I guess that could work."

The earth pony colt with a sandy yellow coat then turned to the only member of the group who had yet to speak up about the proposal. "How about you, Yona? I'm okay with just building the clubhouse inside the castle. Doesn't really matter to me what we put into it. I'm thinking we just give everycreature a space to put their own things in."

"Sandbar not want to add anything?" The young yak questioned.

"Well, maybe a few poems about my thoughts," Sandbar confessed. "It's not like we have pictures we could place inside the castle. Feel like that would be better. And maybe we can all do a group picture when we're done so ponies remember who built it."

Hesitantly, Yona proposed. "Yona could... put up quilts about tree and hang them in castle. Professor Rarity have some spare threads Yona could borrow."

At that, Sandbar happily exclaimed! "Great! It looks like it's a deal! So let's stop talking and start building! After all:" He said with a wink. "Canterlot wasn't built in a day."

With a plan of action agreed upon, the friends all left the gorge and headed over the wooden rope bridge that led to the abandoned castle. It looked almost as forelorn and neglected as the tree's remaints, to say nothing of the fact that it seemed all but ready to collapse.

"What's the deal with this place?" Gallus remarked as he and his friends made their way inside the Castle of the Two Sisters. "Why's it abandoned? It's not like ponies to build something so magnificent and then just forget about it."

Ocellus pointed out. "Weren't any of you paying attention in our history classes that Headmare Twilight taught? This was the sight of the battle between Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon. This was the very spot where Princess Luna was banished to the moon for a thousand years. And it's where the Elements of Harmony rested until Headmare Twilight and her friends rediscovered them."

"I think Headmare Twilight and her friends were planning to fix up this place. They spent a lot of time here just before she got her new castle," Sandbar pointed out. "But afterwards, I think they unintentionally forgot about it. It's a shame, because I've heard stories that it's full of trap doors and slides, and used to be haunted."

"Haunted?!" Yona gulped.

Sandbar chuckled and waved a hoof. "Oh relax, those are just old pony's tales. There's no such thing as a haunted castle."

"But you've seen the Tree of Harmony speak to us and talk to us in dreams." Ocellus pointed out.

The earth pony colt replied with indifference. "Ah, that's different. The Tree of Harmony is magical, this castle isn't. Besides, the real magic's in us," He proudly boasted. "Don't forget, we helped Headmare Twilight and her friends save all of Equestria once. The tree asked us for help because it knows we're special. And by the time we're finished with this castle, all of Equestria will know that too."

"Assuming this castle holds up long enough to let us do anything," The griffon with blue feathers pointed out. "Are we sure this place is safe?"

"It's no more dangerous than anything else we've been in," Ocellus reluctantly commented. "And if we fix it up while we're converting it into a clubhouse, it should be safe for everypony."

Smolder unfolded her wings! "Great! Let's start planning out what's going to go where, then we'll get the supplies we need and get to work!" She quickly began flying all about the castle, admiring the detailed scenery and how spacious it seemed to be. "Wow! This castle is a lot bigger on the inside! I bet it'd be the perfect place to have a game of hide and go seek!" She exclaimed!

Silverstream's eyes were soon transfixed by something that she hadn't been expecting to see. As she was strolling through the castle at a lesiurely place, she suddenly saw what appeared to be an old, rusty pipe organ. "Oh my gosh! An organ?! This place has got everything!" She promptly placed a paw on the keys, and to her amazement the organ briefly came to life as she moved her paws across said keys. "I gotta find a way to make use of that! Live music will be just the thing to make this place even more magical!"

Ocellus, for her part, was fascinated by the tapestries. "Wow!" She exclaimed as she flew closer to look at them in detail. "These tapestries look like they haven't aged a day! What kind of magic makes that possible?!" She quickly decided. "That settles it. This place is the perfect spot for my reflection grotto. Maybe I'll even put in a small fountain."

Even Gallus, as cynical and skeptical as he usually was, had to admit that the old castle had a certain charm to it. In particular, he really liked the ramparts and the towers, both inside and out. "These will be excellent places to set up photo stands," He said to himself. "Ponies can come here and take pictures. Maybe we could even charge them for the privilege of taking them, in order to ensure this place stays open of course. It's not like we're running a charity, after all," Then he shook his head. "Huh, where did that thought come from?" He shrugged it off, quite unconcerned about it.

"See guys?" Sandbar happily exclaimed as he joined them in the castle's front courtyard. "Is this the best idea I've ever had or what?!"

"I gotta hoof it to you, Sandbar," Ocellus happily replied. "Choosing the Castle of the Two Sisters as the sight of our memorial to the tree is an excellent idea. It's practically right on top of where the tree used to be! It's the perfect place to tap into its magic."

"And I already know exactly where I'm gonna put up my monuement!" Smolder firmly insisted. "It's going right here, right in the courtyard. That way, it'll be the first thing ponies see when they walk in."

Gallus was quick to protest. "Hey, wait a minute! The courtyard's supposed to be where the tour groups meet up. Where else do you suppose we have them start off?"

Ocellus huffed. "Guided tours? Gallus, have you lost your mind?! This is supposed to be a private and quiet place. A place to honor the tree's memory, not to profit off of it."

The blue feathered griffon snorted and folded his claws across his chest. "Who said anything about profit? I just don't see the point of keeping it all to ourselves. The tree's memory will best be kept alive if we spread it to everyone. Other ponies and other creatures have to know how magical and important the tree is."

"We haven't even gotten a chance to decorate it yet," Silverstream spoke up. "This clubhouse needs to look as enchanting on the outside as it does on the inside. Otherwise, no one will bother to come around."

"The clubhouse was my idea!" Sandbar loudly protested! "And this place used to belong to some very important ponies! We all agreed to pick a part of the clubhouse to put our own things in. What does it matter if Gallus wants to give tours, or Smolder wants to erect a monument? Can't they all just go wherever as long as we build something together? I haven't even had time to think up what poems to put into my little corner. It's going to be down in the dungeons, where it's nice and cool."

"Yeah, sure, put your silly poems in the dungeons. Just keep your bright and shiny colors and your peace and quiet away from my stone monument!" The dragon with orange scales rudely remarked!

"And you keep your rock away from my tour meeting spot!" The blue feathered griffon growled! "You can put it wherever else you'd like, but the front courtyard is my designated area."

"We don't need tours or monuments!" The light green coated changeling protested. "We're supposed to honor the tree's memory, not glorify it or turn it into a tourist attraction."

The pink feathered hippogriff then spoke up. "If poems are going to be in the dungeons, and a rock is going to be in the courtyard, I don't know if I can arrange enough musical soundtracks to fit all those different locations. And I don't know if I have enough paints to reflect all those different things. Plus, I wanna have some paints left over for my own paintings. I wanna tell the tree's story my way, so everyone understands how important it is."

"We don't need to repaint the castle. We haven't even started building the clubhouse yet," The earth pony colt with a sandy yellow coat complained. "I'm starting to think we should just build our own memorials somewhere else. I'll build a clubhouse on my own!"

Just like that, it seemed as if the friends were apart to reject the idea that had seemed so promising. It looked as if each was about to try to do whatever they wanted with whatever parts of the castle they could lay claim to.

But it was at that very moment that Yona (who had remained uncharacteristically silent up to this point), spoke up and hollered at the top of her lungs! "STOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPP!" That made all her friends turn their attention to her. And when they did, they could see how visibly upset the young yak was. She seemed to be all but on the verge of tears.

"Yona, what's wrong?" Sandbar was the first to question.

Yona plucked up courage and protested. "Yona not like seeing friends fight! Fighting not the way to honor Tree of Harmony. Tree of Harmony brought us together, now friends threatening to drift apart, forever!"

"Yona, that's crazy talk!" Ocellus replied in disbelief. "We're having a disagreement, that's all. We'll still be friends when this is over. We all want to honor the Tree of Harmony. We just don't agree on the best way to do it."

The yak only stomped a hoof down and stood her ground. "This not what tree would want. Tree not want to see fight. Yona just want to make spirit of tree happy. But Yona not see how friends do it when they all try to do their own thing instead of working together."

That seemed to spark a realization within the five other creatures, who only a moment or so prior had been fighting and arguing amongst themselves. Now, suddenly, they all began to look and feel rather guilty. They'd been thinking about themselves, not about the tree. How had they lost track of what was most important?

"I hate to admit it, but you're right, Yona," Gallus glumly relented as he hung his head. "If we're all just thinking about how we want to honor the tree, we're not thinking about what made that tree so special in the first place, or why it reached out to us when it did. The Tree of Harmony meant a lot to us, and it meant a lot to Equestria."

"Yona believe that anything we build should honor that," Yona concluded. "But Yona want to do it with friends, and only if friends all agree to work together, not try to do their own thing."

After looking at each other for a bit, the five other creatures all found themselves agreeing. They needed to build a memorial, a mounement to the tree that reflected what had made it important and what they all remembered it for. It wasn't about them, it was about the Tree of Harmony and what it had stood for.

"Well..." Ocellus commented after a long contemplation. "I think Sandbar had kind of the right idea from the start: Building a clubhouse right here on the grounds of the Castle of the Two Sisters. But maybe we don't need the clubhouse. Maybe we just need to fix up this old castle and make it as good as new. Then it can be like a clubhouse to us, and a permanent memorial to the Tree of Harmony."

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Silverstream excitedly chirped! "Let's all come together and work together! Because together, we'll make this castle into the perfect memorial!"

It took the better half of at least a day, but the six students managed to clean up the castle grounds and start working on repairing and restoring it to its former glory. It was like they were picking up from where their professors had left off all those years ago. And working together helped them all to remember the good times they had shared with one another, the memories that would always be with them even when they could no longer stay in Equestria and be together. Their bonds were strong enough to survive the long distances. Theirs was a bond that would not be broken no matter what!

"Well guys," Sandbar sighed at last, wiping the sweat from his brows as he and his friends stared longingly at the setting sun. "I think we've done all we can do today. We should probably start heading back to the school so Headmare Twilight doesn't start worrying about us."

Ocellus frowned, observing the current state of the Castle of the Two Sisters. "But we're not even close to being done yet, Sandbar! It feels like we've only just scratched the surface."

With an excited smile, Smolder replied. "Hey, that just means we can come back tomorrow! And the next day. And the day after that. We can keep coming back as long as it takes to finish our little project. Maybe it'll even take us until the end of summer vacation to complete it. And that means we won't have to go back to our home lands before school starts up again."

"You think our leaders will let us?" Silverstream asked with hopeful optimism.

Gallus shrugged his claws. "I'm more worried about how we'll convince Headmare Twilight. She probably wasn't planning on us staying for more than a day. But I'm sure we'll find some way to get her to understand."

Yona, meanwhile, just fondly and happily proclaimed! "Yona just glad to be with friends again! When Yona with friends, Yona feel like she can do anything!"

Sandbar smiled and seemed to faintly blush as he stared at Yona. "I feel the same way, Yona. That's just what I like about you."

"What Sandbar say?" Yona asked, apparently not having overheard.

The earth pony colt quickly recovered, couging into a hoof. "O-oh, it's nothing," He turned to the others. "Now come on, let's get out of here. There's nothing more we can do today."

Just then, however, the ground began to shake and rumble quite omionusly! The vibrations forced the six friends to huddle close to the ground for safety!

"W-what's happening?!" Gallus exclaimed! "I-is it an earthquake?!"

Seconds later, there came a sudden, blinding flash that forced the six creatures to shut their eyes! They opened them up once they were certain the harsh light had faded. And when they did so, they could hardly believe the sight that greeted them!

There stood the Castle of the Two Sisters, looking almost as good as new. You could hardly have known a battle had taken place there, because it was bright and full of color, and whereas before there had been nothing there now stood a splendid roof with gleaming spires and towers. Tapestries depicting its former occupants flapped happily in the breeze, inside and out.

But it was what was standing right next to the castle that commanded attention. It was a tall, sparkling tree made of solid crystal. Its leafs were a dazzling, beautiful shade of pink. And within the tree itself was a large, splendid treehouse whose colors matched the trunk of the tree and its leafs perfectly. It rose high into the sky, apparently having sprouted from out of nowhere.

Hesitantly, the friends approached the treehouse, and once they got inside they were surprised to find the glowing form of the Tree of Harmony as it had appeared to them before. "Thank you, my friends," It said to them. "Though I am no longer part of this world, I can rest in peace knowing that you are here to carry on my legacy. Harmony is changing in Equestria, and with you six I am confident that the future is bright."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gallus questioned. "Are we going to have to fight more baddies like Chrysalis or Tirek?"

The glowing figure just vaguely replied. "It is not for me to say. I cannot foresee or predict what the future holds. But I do know that you are all meant to play a very big role in whatever comes next. You will be tested, there will be hardships ahead. But so long as you stay together and remember that spark that united you, I am confident you will triumph over evil and right wrongs." Then, just like that, it faded completely from view, almost as if it had never been there to begin with.

"Guess that means we'll have to tell Headmare Twilight how important we are to Equestria," Ocellus concluded. "I just hope she'll understand."

"I most certainly do, Ocellus," The familiar voice of Headmare Twilight called, prompting all of her students to spin around. They saw her standing at the entrance to the new treehouse, alongside her friends. And all of them had bright smiles on their faces, some even shedding tears of joy. "It's just as I suspected: You six represent the future of harmony. The tree has chosen you to lead the way for the next generation."

Silverstream gulped and swallowed hard. "Gosh, talk about a big responsibility. After all we've been through already, I'm not entirely sure we'll be up to it."

But Twilight beamed and nodded quite affirmatively. "You won't have to do it alone. Your professors and I will be there to guide you and support you as best we can. I don't foresee anything happening to us anytime soon. But I do know that, should we fail or fall, you six will be there to carry on our legacy and the legacy of all who've come before us."

A gasp escaped Ocellus' lips as she realized what the alicorn was talking about! "You mean the pillars?! The ones who planted the seed for the Tree of Harmony?!"

"Indeed I do, Ocellus," Twilight nodded once again. "This is going to be a very interesting time in Equestria: The past, the present, and the future of harmony are all together. And not a moment too soon. I have a feeling that it'll be up to each of us to defend Equestria. Chrysalis and Tirek were just the beginning, more dangers lie ahead."

Sandbar immediately vowed! "We won't let you down, Headmare Twilight!"

The studious alicorn smiled. "I know you won't. I couldn't be more proud of you six if I tried. I'm honored to have called you my students." And just like that, as the sun set, the realization settled in. The torch had been passed to a new generation. Equestria was going to change, as would the world around it.

Author's Note

Like many other bad or otherwise disappointing episodes in Season 9, this episode seems to largely be despised because of its wasted potential. Given the role the student/young six would play in "The Ending of the End" in ensuring Twilight's victory over the Legion of Doom, this episode originally seemed like it was poised to be a passing of the torch. And it instead turned into a very bad rehash of "Castle, Sweet Castle".

There's also details such as the Treehouse of Harmony replacing the Castle of the Two Sisters entirely, destroying a set piece of untapped lore and replacing it with a setpiece used solely for decoration and to sell a toy since in-universe it never plays a significant role in any episode (the few times we see it afterwards, it's just window dressing). And the fact that the student/young six all apparently ran off to see the tree without telling anyone where they were going, even though they already almost caused their leaders to go to war the last time they did that.

I decided the best idea for this episode would be to focus more on each member of the group wanting to decorate a different part of the castle, rather than them all trying to build their own separate memorials after Sandbar carts off the tree's remains all by himself. And I felt it was necessary to have that passing of the torch be more or less made official.

~~Stare Master~~
~~Pinkie Apple Pie~~
~~The Cutie Map, Parts 1 and 2~~
~~The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone~~
~~Hard to Say Anything (Bonus Chapter)~~
~~A Health of Information~~
~~Uprooted~~
The Royal Apologies (The Point of No Return)
The Big Mac Question (Bonus Chapter)