"I've got it! I've got it!"

In a cave, Twilight Sparkle spun around as she held a small seed in her hooves. "I've finally made it - the seed of Harmony!" Twilight stopped as she sat down and inspected the seed. "It took me a long time, but I did it! Just need to find a place to plant it..."

Twilight thought about just planting it outside, but it was too obvious. She needed a place to plant it that wasn't too obvious, but easily rememberable - just as the Pillars did when they planted it under the Castle of the Two Sisters! "Not too obvious but it has to be memorable... Ponyville? Wait, no. That place is covered in vines, it would be impossible to plant stuff there! What about... aha!"

Twilight packed her saddlebags as she made her way out of the cave. "Next stop, Canterlot!"

Okay, this was not how she expected it would look like.

Granted, it has been around a hundred years since Equestria entered a new age. But Canterlot didn't even look like Canterlot! It had... pegasi? Shouldn't it be unicorns? Whatever. She had one job, and one job only! She entered deep within the crystal caves under the mountain, it was a miracle it was still here!

After she found a spacious spot, she settled down as she thought out loud. "Okay, trees need... water, sunlight, nutritious soil..." She grabbed a bottle of water before gently dousing the area with it. "Sunlight... sunlight..." She paced around, trying to find a way to get sunlight in the cave.

She eyed the ceiling of the cave before she gasped. She rummaged in her saddlebag before she found a shovel and a ladder. Perfect. Carefully and slowly, she dug out the ceiling. A twelve hours later, a small hole of sunlight made it's way into the cave, just big enough to be enough!

She grabbed some fertilizer that she stole and mined a hole in the ground and poured it in. She doused the area with water again before finally planting the seed. "Okay! Harmony Seeds don't need that much to grow. not dirt. So it should sprout any time now... any time now..." She sat down, prepared to wait.

She waited for a few hours before she groaned, "Tree! It's time to grow! Tree, please! I need your Elements to bring back my friends!" Okay, why was she talking to it now? Has she finally gone crazy!? Twilight sighed as she stood up. "This is pointless! I know you can hear me, Tree! I've researched all about you, I know you're sentient and can hear me!"

"Tree, please!" Twilight begged, "I need the Elements, it's the only way to make my mistake right! I- woah!" The ground began to rumble as a giant crystal tree sprouted from the ground. In the center was a magenta, six-pointed star. Around it, was a pink butterfly, a red lightning bolt, an orange apple, a light blue balloon, and a purple diamond. "The Tree of Harmony! Yes, yes, yes! Let's go!"

As Twilight left the cave, going back to her other cave to retrieve her other stuff, the Tree of Harmony swiftly glowed rainbow as the crystal in the center shot out a projection of Twilight. "No... this... it's too early!" The projection said, it's form flickering in and out of reality. "I wasn't supposed to sprout yet, this is impossible! Unless... no, it can't be!"

The projection of Twilight faced the Tree of Harmony, "Twilight Sparkle, just what are you holding inside you?"

Author's Note

A small flashback chapter, that's basically it.