The Triumph of Harmony

Truly a marvel of innovative architecture, Ponyville's library, enshrined within an ancient tree, housed a great force of change. The sun's balmy rays filtered through the window, and alighted upon a unicorn of lavender hue.

Twilight Sparkle, librarian and avid scholar, was studiously engrossed in the latest edition of the Manehattan Mercury. She looked up with a start, a faint rapping sound coming from the door. "Spike," she called, "would you please answer that?"

A small purple and green dragon popped his head out of the kitchen. Nodding, he said, "Sure, Twilight. Oh and by the way, breakfast's done."

Spike waddled to the door and opened it to reveal a graceful pegasus, Bearer of the Element of Kindness. "Hey, Fluttershy. What brings you 'round this morning?" he greeted.

"Oh... um... good morning, Spike," murmured the light yellow pegasus. "Twilight said that she was working on something for me, and—"

"Fluttershy!" exclaimed Twilight, on seeing her friend. "I'm so glad you could make it. Your timing is perfect." She gestured to the table. "Would you care to join us for breakfast? We were just getting started."

Seeing her sincere expression Fluttershy spoke, "Thanks, Twilight. If it's not too much trouble."

"Great! Spike, please set up another place while I get the item for Fluttershy." In saying that, Twilight happily trotted off to her bedroom.

Spike scampered into the kitchen, retrieving a set of crockery, and, on his second trip, his famous claw-made pancakes, which he placed before Fluttershy. "You haven't lived until you've tasted my special pancakes. Heck I would even say that they're as good as Pinkie's cupcakes!" he boasted.

"They look wonderful, Spike." She nodded appreciatively, and then gave him an inquisitive look. "Did Twilight mention what exactly she wants to give me? That is, um, if you know..."

"Sorry, Fluttershy, but when Twilight wants something to be a surprise, it would probably be easier to wrestle a hydra than for her to tell."

The clip-clop of hooves alerted them to the return of Twilight who was magically levitating her surprise.

"Spike, those pancakes look delicious, you have really outdone yourself," complimented Twilight as she set the item on the table.

Fluttershy examined the item curiously. It seemed to consist of a rather large emerald encased in a golden hoop with three slender, but surprisingly sturdy legs.

Twilight sat down opposite the pegasus. "You are probably wondering what this is. Let me explain," she said, unconsciously slipping into her famous lecture mode.

"Lately, I have been delving into the science of biology and health. As I discovered, unicorns of old had been able to perform miraculous spells of healing and restoration that seemed wholly fantastical. I was able to glean sufficient information from my studies to be able to replicate, to a lesser extent of course, the feats performed by our ancestors. Using the basic principle of self-regeneration, I honed a spell which speeds up the natural regeneration rate of any living organism."

Twilight gestured to a nearly healed cut on herself. "In fact, this cut healed about twenty percent quicker than without the spell. That's when I thought of you, Fluttershy. You are always looking after sick animals and critters thus I realised that this could greatly assist you."

She picked up the artifact. "I call this the Convalescence Field. I was able to channel the spell into this emerald, which holds the most efficacy for healing spells, and now, anything within a roughly two metre radius will fall under the field, and will consequently be subject to the spell. Simply put, it literally is a portable healing field."

She sat back down, having stood up in excitement, a satisfied smile on her face. She was presented with one awestruck dragon, and a similarly, yet shyly, impressed pegasus.

"Wow, Twilight!" blurted Spike. "I didn't know you could do that! You really are the most powerful magic user in Equestria!"

She glared at him. "With the exception of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." He coughed.

"Twilight, I agree with Spike. That is really something, and I'm so pleased that we can help the poor, sick animals get better faster," gratefully said Fluttershy.

Twilight beamed. "Thanks. It was a lot of work, but it is definitely worth it." She paused contemplatively. "However, I did find something rather odd. The tomes seemed to reference what they called the 'power of thought', stating that a positive disposition, and thoughts centred on healing, could further enhance the effect of the spell."

"I wanted to get this to you as soon as possible, hence I have been unable to scientifically test this phenomenon," stated Twilight, "so I was hoping you could give it a try, and tell me what happens."

"Um... okay, Twilight. It is the least I can do for you." Acquiesced Fluttershy. "But will it work? I didn't think such a thing was possible."

"Neither did I, nonetheless the tomes were quite firm in the belief that it is possible, and that thoughts in fact have energy, and can affect the environment," said Twilight, assuredly. The aroma from the cooling food drew attention to her hunger. "Now, however, I'm starving, and I can't resist these pancakes any longer."

Pleasant chatter followed in the next few minutes; all present enjoying the companionship and camaraderie.

Twilight leaned back, thoroughly sated after that lovely treat of a breakfast. She caught sight of the Manehattan Mercury, where she had left it on Fluttershy's arrival, and vivid images of what she had read flashed through her mind. Her mood noticeably dampened, a pensive frown replacing the triumphant grin. Spike, gnawing away at his pancakes, failed to notice, yet Fluttershy observed the change, and grew concerned.

"Twilight?" she queried. "Is something the matter? Did I do something wrong?"

A sheepish look appeared on Twilight's face. "No, Fluttershy. I'm really enjoying your company." Twilight's grimness remained, however, as she picked up the newspaper and opened to its front page, laying it on the table. 'Studies show' read the headline, 'rising crime levels and discontentment among ponies'.

Fluttershy whimpered. Spike stopped eating to listen intently, sensing the conversation's importance.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," apologised Twilight, "it's just that, living here in Ponyville where everypony is kind and compassionate, and all are treated with neighbourly goodwill can lull one into a false sense of security. I think that it is important to note that not everypony is selfless, and that environments like the cities give rise to ponies whose intentions are less then noble."

She indicated the headline. "This study lists many instances of heinous crimes. It seems these cities are cesspools of negativity. I can't claim to be fully acquainted with urban life, but perhaps the harshness and stress break ponies down, and their thoughts turn dark."

She sighed. "It just doesn't seem fair that our lives, my life, is filled with such goodness while other ponies suffer on a daily basis. I just wish I could understand it all."

"Oh, Twilight..." Fluttershy said, compassionately. "You shouldn't try to carry the world's burdens. I know that there are bad ponies out there, and that there are ponies in bad circumstances, but we all just try to get through our daily lives, overcoming our own obstacles. We can send happy thoughts, and perhaps donate to charities, but I don't think that we can do much more than that. You have already contributed greatly with this Field."

She excitedly gave her wings a quick flap. "Think of the consequences of your discovery on medicine. It's sure to help everypony."

"Yeah, Twilight!" interjected Spike. "Don't you think that you're over-reacting? You've already saved everypony from Nightmare Moon and eternal chaos. You work hard and deserve everything you've gained. Fluttershy is right, this discovery is really awesome, and you should be proud!"

Twilight slowly nodded. "Thanks, Fluttershy, Spike. Sometimes I think that I can be too philosophical for my own good. Maybe I need to speak to the Princess about these concerns. They are quite disturbing..." she said, lightly pawing the ground.

"Okay, Twilight, if that's what you want to do," said Fluttershy. She glanced at the clock, then stood up, cradling the Field. "I had better be going now. I really enjoyed breakfast. Thank you, Spike, and thank you so much, Twilight. Please come and pay us a visit; I'm sure that the animals will want to thank you for your effort."

Spike and Twilight walked Fluttershy to the door. "Sure!" agreed Twilight. "Thanks for coming and look after yourself."

"Bye, Fluttershy! Let's do this again sometime," said Spike.

Fluttershy waved at the pair as she took off, flying at a low altitude back to her cottage and her charges.

Twilight watched her go, then turned to Spike and gave him a gentle nuzzle. "What would I do without my number one assistant?" she mused.

"Never be able to find any books, that's for sure!" joked Spike.

She laughed, taking comfort in their kinship. "Since you made breakfast, Spike, allow me to clear."

"Thanks, Twilight. I had better get busy cataloguing the West Wing books, like you asked." He headed off to that location, quill and parchment gripped in his practiced claws.

The unicorn grinned after him before employing her magic to the task of removing the breakfast remnants. Placing the last dish away, she regarded the area. Her eyes wandered between the tabletop, the floor, and the stove, inspecting their condition. "Cleaning... check," she said, making a mental tick.

Determined to continue her research into the power of the mind, she began to search through the older, and rarely read books of the library. The pile of rejects, stacked next to her, grew steadily larger as time marched on. Pausing for a moment, the librarian glanced at a rather high shelf. A tome, bound in crimson, caught her eye.

Twilight lightly levitated it from its perch. The title read, simply: Inner Power. Reading randomly selected pages, she thought, this looks promising. Enveloped in a magical aura, the tome revealed its long forgotten knowledge.

The page numbers grew, from double to triple digits, as the conscientious student hungrily absorbed contents. She wrote a summary on her findings; the most pertinent paragraph read:

Chapter 3, page 142 ratified my notions on the positive power of thought. However, chapter 7, page 432 included an intriguing case study detailing the negative power of thought. Of course, one would expect there to be an antithesis, but seeing it detailed so extensively is interesting. This case study details a tribe of pony settlers who predate the formation of Equestria. The tribe vanished within a very short space of time. A post-mortem, for want of a better phrase, conducted on the civilisation revealed that they had been annihilated by a plethora of natural disasters. Further, it was discovered that they had been engaged in a harrowing civil war, and both sides were committing unspeakable atrocities. The authors of Inner Power conjectured that their heavily negative dispositions had actually birthed their doom... Further study is warranted.

Her vision slightly blurry from eye-strain, she let her quill rest. Her head swam with such a revelation. It seemed apparent to her that somehow, the hatred and rage of those ponies had acted as a catalyst in the ruination of their society.

Lost in thought, she returned to focus as a divine aroma wafted around her. Glancing down, she saw that a warm daisy and hay sandwich had been placed in front of her.

Spike watched her, munching on some low-grade turquoise. This was a common occurrence, and he had grown accustomed to the unicorn losing herself in her studies for hours on end.

"Oh! Hi, Spike! This is really, really, interesting, and I guess I lost track of time. Thank you for the dinner," she said, sating her hunger.

"No problem, Twilight. I think that you'll be glad to know that the West Wing is now fully accounted for," he said, polishing off the remaining stones.

Twilight perked up with excitement. "That's great news, Spike! Now I can finally compile the master-book!"

Spike stood up, yawning while nodding. His efforts had left him exhausted hence he, sleepily, headed upstairs.

"Night, Spike," Twilight called as the baby dragon ascended the staircase. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight, Twilight," he replied.

She read her notes, pleased with her progress. Drawing a large star next to the last line, she decided to call it a night, and join Spike in the land of dreams. "Owlowiscious," she called. With a flap of sturdy wings, Twilight's nocturnal library assistant landed close. "Will you look after the library, please?"

The owl hooted an affirmative, getting comfortable. Twilight nodded thankfully and headed upstairs.

***

A flash of emerald fire lit up the entire library, followed by the hurried scampering of a purple dragon.

"Twilight!" he cried, roughly shaking the purple unicorn awake.

"Spike... what is the matter?" she groggily asked. "Why are you so distressed?"

"You need to look at this. Now." He handed an official-looking letter, bearing the royal seal, to Twilight. A conspicuous 'URGENT' marking visible.

Twilight, now fully awake owing the shock, hesitantly unfurled the letter. Her eyes widened with disbelief; she felt adrenaline surge through her veins. Flinging herself out of bed, she galloped to the front door. "Spike, find Rainbow Dash and spread the message that all the residents of Ponyville must assemble in the town square. Now! I need to speak to the mayor!" she called as she ran.

"Wait! What happened?" shouted Spike.

She didn't respond.

"Fine, will do! Owlowiscious, watch, the library! Thanks!"

He exited, and was greeted by soothing starlight. The calm atmosphere made all the more tense to him due to Twilight's worrying behaviour. Breaking into a run, Spike headed towards Dash's palatial cloud home.

As it came into view, Spike ground to a halt. "Oh man! How am I going to get up there? I can't fly, yet!" he groaned. "Think, Spike, think." A name formed, clear in his mind. Fluttershy.

The patter of his passage washed over the sleepy town, hardly a soul yet awake. Spike could feel his heartbeat accelerate and the strain on his body intensify as he exited Ponyville. His goal: the cottage-cum-sanctuary, located on the outskirts of Ponyville.

The dragon passed the clock tower and ascended the stairs to the home of Fluttershy. He urgently rapped at the door.

A few moments passed, before the door creaked ever so slightly open, a wary pegasus peering through the gap.

"Fluttershy!" exclaimed Spike. "So sorry to disturb you, but something is seriously wrong!"

Fluttershy breathed deeply, trying to settle her anxiety at the unexpected visit. "Oh Spike, what's the matter?" finally asked the pegasus, concernedly, opening the door and allowing Spike to enter.

"That's the thing, I don't know. Twilight got a late night letter from the Princess, and it must have been pretty bad, 'cause she ran off to see the mayor and told me to get Rainbow Dash to tell all the ponies to meet in the town square. But I can't fly, so I came here to ask you to get Rainbow." He wheezed.

"Oh, I see. Okay, I'll do it. Spike, you go find Twilight, okay? She needs your help, I think..."

Giving her a quick hug, Spike said, "Thanks Fluttershy! I knew I could count on you!"

Fluttershy watched him disappear into Ponyville before securely closing her door, unfurling her graceful wings, and taking to the skies.

In her urgency, she paid no heed to the canopy of stars stretching to infinity above her. Determined not to let Spike or Twilight down, she made it to Dash's home in record time.

Rather than flying through a window, as Rainbow was wont to do, she pressed the doorbell, well rather a storm cloud that is like a doorbell, a rumbling being transmitted into the home.

Rainbow Dash awoke with little of her characteristic charm on show.

Squinting in the dim light, she uttered, "Who in pony's sake wants to see me during the middle of the night."

She dragged herself out of bed, giving her wings a luxurious stretch before hovering to her front door.

Upon seeing Fluttershy, she exclaimed, "Shy! What the hay! What's the big idea coming around here so late at night?"

The passive pegasus flinched at the outburst, but stood her ground, she was a mare on a mission. Iron Will's assertiveness training hadn't been a complete waste, and besides, having known the pegasus since foalhood, Fluttershy knew that she would have been annoyed at the disturbance.

"So sorry, Rainbow Dash, but, um, something bad is happening and Twilight sent Spike to tell you that you need to tell everypony to gather in the town square."

"Oh, I see! You need my awesomeness to work its magic! Well, step back, and let these babies"—she flexed her wings—"get to work."

With a swoosh, Rainbow Dash rocketed away from her home. Fluttershy watched her go, before following at a more sedate pace.

If there is one thing that Rainbow Dash is good at, it's getting a pony's attention. Needless to say, then, that in short order, the town was abuzz.

***

Mayor Mare addressed the crowd, a short half-hour after Rainbow's rousing. "Citizens of Ponyville, I have grave news. The city of Manehattan has suffered an earthquake of immense magnitude."

Gasps could be heard throughout the congregation. Twilight looked around, incredulity clearly evident on the majority of faces.

The mayor continued, "Princess Celestia, through Twilight Sparkle, has informed us of this fact, and she has put out a nationwide call for assistance, specifically requesting that Ponyville provide aid. It is our duty as Equestrians to assist our brethren, and I am hereby appointing Ms Sparkle head of Ponyville's assist and rescue effort. Please do everything within reason that you can. Ms Sparkle."

"Everypony, I know that this news is frightening and disheartening, but we must be strong, so that we can lend our efforts to this cause. Please think about how you can help, and then see me in the morning. I will be heading to Manehattan, and I would like to form a search party from Ponyville, so any volunteers will be greatly appreciated. Thank you."

The ponies dispersed, their thoughts occupied with the gravity of such a rare occurrence. Twilight was joined by her friends, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

"Ah reckon ah ain't never heard of an Earthquake which was so serious before," said Applejack, "Why, it's been so long since the last one." She gave Twilight a reassuring smile. "But don't ya worry none, Twilight. Ah'll definitely be coming with ya. Big Macintosh can look after the farm while ah'm away..."

Remembrance flashed through her mind. "Did somepony say Manehattan? Mah aunt an' uncle are in Manehattan!" she cried. "I need ta look for them! They need ta be alright!"

"Applejack..." Fluttershy comforted. "I'm sure that they are fine. I'll help you look for them."

Applejack gave her a brief, thankful look. "But sugarcube, are ya sure ya can handle this? It ain't no stroll through the daisies."

"She's right," interjected Rainbow Dash. "There's going to be lots of hurt ponies. They'll definitely need somepony of my speed, so count me in!"

"Um... I'm sure, Applejack, Rainbow. Caring for the animals has helped me come to terms with them... passing on." She sniffled.

"But, my dear, all that debris and dust and filth. How will you cope?" asked Rarity. Without waiting for a reply she continued, "My apologies, Twilight, I won't be coming with you. But I can make blankets and clothing for the ponies of Manehattan."

"Good one, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie. "I know what I'm going to do... I'm going to throw a everypony-get-well-soon-super-duper party!"

She was met by five sets of disapproving eyes.

"Sugarcube, ah hardly think now's the time ta be throwing parties. Why don't ya make some treats fer the ponies, or figure out how ta boost morale?" asked Applejack.

"Wow, Applejack! And I thought Twilight was the smarty-pants! I think I'll bring some goodies along... and streamers, 'cause everypony loves streamers!"

Twilight glared at Pinkie Pie before nodding her head, gratefully. "I knew that I could count on you, girls. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you."

"Come on, Twilight," Rainbow meaningfully said. "We'd never leave you hanging."

"She's right, hun, that's what friends are fer," agreed Applejack.

Rarity spoke up, "Girls, however much I would love to stay and chat, do not you think that we should get a move on?"

The six friends said their goodbyes. They proceeded to begin preparations for their departure to Manehattan, or, in Rarity's case, preparations to make blankets, and other needed apparel.

Similarly, the majority of Ponyville's ponies were mobilising to lend their support; a testament to the perfect choice by the Elements of Harmony of five residents of that bastion of love and light.

Among the glittering towers of Canterlot, within a room in the castle, the chest containing the Elements of Harmony seemed to glow impossibly bright. The Elements themselves emitting a holy light. That day would come to be known as one of the most peaceful days in Canterlot, in all living memory.