It’s one thing to be surprised. It’s another to be stunned. To be both and scared is a terrible trifecta. For Thorn, this unholy trinity was his current state of being. Before him stood a physical embodiment of an immortal being with the power to push and pull the sun at will. He did not have enough time to prepare himself, but he trudge through his fear with the calmest composure he could muster. “I-it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Celestia,” he said very shakily and gave a polite bow. Azalea just looked at the princess with wide eyed fascination. Thorn nudged his sister lightly and motioned for her to follow his example. She looked at her brother then back to the Princesses. She quickly got the idea and bowed as well. When she finished her bow, she immediately went to the first question that had popped into her head, “Thorn? Are those ponies?” Thorn nodded deftly. Turning to look at the two princesses again, mostly focusing on Celestia. The fawn’s curiosity compelled her to ask the second question that was plaguing her mind. “Can I touch your... mane?” The question came out hesitantly, as the young fawn searched for the right word to describe the ever flowing, color spectrum that was Celestia’s mane.

Twilight and Thorn just stared in stunned silence. No pony was ever so forward or brave enough to make such a bold request, and here, a mere fawn, just asked to touch Celestia’s mane. Thorn was worried his sister had just insulted a demigoddess and was on the verge of a horrid punishment, however; the sound of an amused chuckle broke the older sibling’s train of thought and brought him back to the scene before him.

“Of course little one,” Celestia said with a motherly smile. She layed down on her stomach and gave her head a slight tilt so the fawn could get a good feel. Thorn let out a sigh of relief. Azalea hadn’t insulted the demigoddess, and noticed that she seemed almost motherly, at least based on her calm and understanding tone.

Azalea placed a tentative hoof into the flowing mane and was surprised to find that it was... warm. Like the warm embrace of a hug or the blanketing warmth of a summer day. Azalea suddenly found herself hugging the Princess out of reflex. “It’s so warm.”

Celestia chuckled and let the hug continue, “Thank you.”

Thorn looked at the scene and found himself relaxing even more. This alicorn seemed just a nice as Twilight... if not more so. The idea gave Thorn the additional courage to ask the question that had entered his mind the moment he had seen the two alicorns. “If I may be so bold? What brings the two of you here... or better yet how’d you get here?”

Celestia turned to Thorn, careful not to disturb Azalea.“Twilight informed me of your visit to Ponyville yesterday and I thought it might be nice to drop in on one of my old mentors and meet the first deer to set hoof in Ponyville, and as for how I got here, I believe my former student gave you a first hoof demonstration of teleportation the night before.”

Thorn blanched at the statement, not that the Princess and the Great Tree were student and mentor, but that she could readily enter and leave the capital whenever she pleased. The idea of an invasion force being able to appear right in the middle of Foraise at their convenience did not sit well with the buck. The only thing that kept him from panicking over the idea was that he knew that they had no intentions or want to invade. If they had, it was clear they could and would have done it long ago.

“It has been over a millennia since I have been here. It brings back many memories,” the solar princess stated with a nostalgic smile.

Thorn, Twilight, and Azalea all looked at Celestia with confused looks. Twilight was the first to question her fellow princess and former mentor. “Wait, if you knew about the deer all this time, why are you only now coming here and why didn’t you tell me when I asked?”

Celestia frowned as she patted Azalea with a wing and encouraged her to go back to her brother. “Because it wasn’t time to reveal them,” Celestia explained as she got back on all fours. “Long ago, deer and ponies had a strong alliance that helped to overthrow Discord’s rule. If it weren’t for the deer, we wouldn’t have the Elements of Harmony and things would not be as they are now.” Her features became more somber as she continued, “However, after Luna’s fall, the deer believed we were a threat. That we would turn our magical abilities on them. So they sealed the forest and placed sentries, wards, and other manners of deterrents to keep us out. I kept silent about them out of respect for their wishes. I even went so far as to warn settlers that the forest was a dangerous place and should be avoided.”

“Not that it hasn’t stopped many a wayward traveler from trying to enter,” the Great Tree interjected. “Thankfully, many of them were dissuaded from venturing too far in. Even now the wards around the kingdom continue to keep ponies from getting too curious.”

Thorn was surprised by this reveal. He had no idea there were wards protecting the capital. He voiced his confusion to both Celestia and the Great Tree. To which the Great Tree responded, “The wards are a long forgotten secret. Hardly anydeer, outside the royal family, know that the wards exist. Anything not native to the forest will be unable to cross the perimeter leading to the kingdom. Anything that gets within a certain distance will be unwittingly guided away. If they are persistent magically attuned timberwolves are sent to threaten them. Anything further and the forest will openly retaliate... with prejudice.” The tone in which the tree spoke was somber. As though the fact that such things were implemented was either distressing or otherwise saddening to it.

Celestia’s expression seemed to match the tree’s tone. Twilight could see her former teacher’s sadness and it pulled at her own heart. It was very rare for her to see Celestia so gloomy. The only times she ever recalled seeing her like this, was when she was warning her about Sunset Shimmer, Celestia’s former student, and anytime she recalled Princess Luna’s banishment. Twilight did her best to try and comfort the older alicorn with a wing hug. Celestia accepted and returned it with a ghost of a smile.

Thorn watched and part of him couldn’t help but wonder if the two alicorns were related. Aside from the wings and horn they didn’t resemble each other in any form, and he also remembered Celestia referring to Twilight as “her student”, so maybe it was just a very close student/teacher relationship. He shrugged off the thought and returned to another question, “You said our two species came together to beat someone. The Great Tree informed me of how we came to separate paths, but I am unfamiliar with this ‘Discord’. Who was he that he warranted a coup d'etat?”

Twilight broke her wing hug to explain, using her magic to produce an image of the amalgamation of parts and pieces that made the draconequus. “Discord is the Lord of Chaos. His power is unmatched and worse, unpredictable. His magic can literally cause everything and anything to happen. Cats could rain from the sky or... rivers could become grape juice. Anything you didn’t expect to happen could occur. Before his reform, he used his magic rampantly to amuse himself. Of course, his amusement came at the suffering of others,” Twilight explained.

Thorn flinched at this description. This sounded like a creature he’d never want to meet. He shuddered at the idea of encountering such a malicious being. “Well... I can see why such a that would cause some strife,” Thorn stated in a nervous tone. “You also mentioned something about the Elements of Harmony. What are those?”

“Well, the Elements of Harmony are essentially the guiding forces of friendship, a very powerful form of magic. Kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic come together to make a harmonious force-” Twilight explained as she produced a magically conjured images of each respective element. As she continued,Thorn and Azalea looked on, but Thorn quickly noted something about several of the elements. He noted that each gem seemed strangely familiar, almost like he’d seen them before. It wasn’t until Twilight has turned sideways during her lecture that it clicked.

“Wait... These elements. Why do they resemble your mark? For that matter... why do they resemble several of your friend’s marks as well?” Thorn asked curiously.

Twilight stopped mid stride and a small smile appeared on her face. “Well, the reason is because, we are the Element Bearers. We’re the only ones who can wield the Elements of Harmony. So each Element bears a resemblance to their bear’s mark. Mine is the Element of Magic” she stated pointing to the starburst shaped element. “Pinkie’s is the Element of Laughter” pointing to the balloon shaped element “Rarity’s is the Element of Generosity” pointing to the diamond shaped element.

“The apple I’d assume is Applejack’s” Thorn interjected having picked up on the pattern.

“Yes, she is the element of honesty,” Twilight affirmed.

“Then the butterfly would be Fluttershy’s.”

Twilight nodded, “Yes, she is the element of kindness.”

“Couldn’t have been more spot on than that,” Thorn mused to himself.

He then laid eyes on the last element but he hadn’t met anypony with a similar mark. “Who does that one belong to?” he asked pointing out the lightning shaped element.

“Oh, that belongs to Rainbow Dash. It represents the element of loyalty. I’m sure you’ll meet her eventually.”

Thorn nodded in understanding. Azalea looked on as well and came up with a question of her own. “So... what do they do? And if you are the only one’s that can use them, how’d you banish Discord? Your weren’t around one thousand years ago... right?” Azalea asked in hesitation. She felt she was on the right track, but was concentrating to make sure she wasn’t missing any details.

Celestia took the reins to explain this part. “You are correct, little one. Twilight and her friends were not present during Discord’s reign. It was my sister and I who used them, but...” she stopped as her expression turned to sullen recollection. “But they were only used twice. Once to banish Discord and again to banish my sister. Afterwords, they would not respond to me, or anypony else.” The solar princess quickly cast away her sadness before continuing. “It was later revealed to me that the Elements are... sentient. They are aware of who is using them and can either grant or deny the user access to their power.”

This elicited a look of confusion as the same question assaulted the two siblings. “Wait, then how did Twilight -er Princess Twilight and her friends know they could use the elements?” Azalea asked for the two of them.

“It was prophesied that in a thousand years my sister would return, and when she did the Elements would only lend their power to those who embodied the six aspects of friendship. I didn’t know who they would be until the day I met Twilight. It was when I met her, that I saw what the prophecy foretold. Oddly enough, the same day I met her was the same day she and the other elements were bound to each other.”

Both Thorn and Azalea asked to hear the story in more detail and both alicorns happily accepted. However, it was going to be a bit of a long story so the small group sat down and listened.

Fluttershy just made it to Rarity’s boutique. Spurred on by the idea of having an eventual get together with Thorn she had flown into town rather than walked. She made her way inside while calling out to Rarity franticly... but not too loudly. She didn’t want to disturb her friend too much.

“Just a moment, dear. I’ll be right there,” the voice of the shop owner called out. A few seconds later, Rarity appeared from a side room where she designed and made her dresses. “Now what seems to be the mat-” Rarity stopped mid sentence as she noticed something about her pegasus friend. For one her face was flushed yellow and red along with the tips of her ears, and there was a small yet distinct smile that didn’t seem to waver from Fluttershy’s face. Then she noted that her wings weren’t entirely folded at rest and seemed just the slightest bit ruffled. “Fluttershy? Did something happen?”

She nodded.

“Does it involve a certain deer from the forest?”

Another nod followed a brightening of red in her cheeks and ears.

“Well, what happened?” Rarity asked wanting to know more.

“Well... I... I....asked him...to join me for tea,” she replied becoming more embarrassed as she explained, causing the volume of her voice to drop at the end.

“You asked him to what?”

“I... asked him... to join me for tea!” she squeaked out rapidly, but with a smile still on her face.

Rarity’s eyes widened and her own smile quickly surpassed Fluttershy’s. After pulling her pegasus into a hug and squealing in delight, she ushered her friend into the kitchen where she put a kettle on the stove for tea and insisted that Fluttershy give her the details.“Do tell, darling! Oh, this is such a big step for you!” Rarity stated in a higher pitch than normal, due to excitement.

Fluttershy took a seat at the nearby table as she began to inform her friend of the events that had transpired.“W-w-well, Thorn was in town today... and he was with this other male deer. I think he was older. They visited my cottage on their way back into the forest... and... I gave them a tour. They seemed to find it interesting and I... felt...” She rubbed her two front legs together nervously as her smile grew a bit. “I felt confident,” she eventually said with a big smile.

“Good, good! Confidence is good. Then what happened?” Rarity egged her friend on.

“Um... well. After the tour, they were about to head back into the forest... and I just... I...I just sort of blurted it out. It-it was really embarrassing, but when he said yes... I was really happy.” Her blissful smile only seemed to grow as she recalled the feeling, but it quickly disappeared when she recalled why she had come to the boutique to begin with. “Oh! But I need your help! I don’t know what I should do. I mean... What tea should I make? Sh-should I wear a dress? Is that too forward? Oh, Rarity, I’m very nervous.”

Rarity titered to herself. “Being nervous is fine darling. If you weren’t nervous then you wouldn’t really care about impressing this deer. As for tea, I would suggest a nice herbal tea. Maybe something with mint?” She offered to which Fluttershy nodded in understanding. “As for clothing, I would guess by Thorn’s attire they don’t have a lot of the style of clothing we do. Which is interesting, in it’s own way, but I’d say something simple, and don’t worry about getting fancy.” She paused and slyly smirked, before adding, “At least, not yet. If it gets serious, we’ll work on your wardrobe. Until then, just get to know him.”

Fluttershy was stunned at how simple Rarity was making this seem, yet her worry persisted. Rarity removed the now steaming kettle off the stove and poured each of them a cup of hot water before adding the tea bags.“So, when’s the date?”

The pegasus waited until the contents of the bag had fully infused with the water. “He said, he’d like to meet for tea next time he was in Ponyville...but he wasn’t sure when that’d be.”

Rarity took a tentative sip of her tea as she digested the information. “Well, that does complicate things a bit.” Rarity pondered on what to suggest for a moment. She rarely had a stallion have her wait for a date, usually she did that. Of course, this wasn’t like most dates. This was a new species with different traditions and obviously different courting rituals (at least she assumed). In the end she found only one solution, “I would say you just need to wait. I’d suggest just trying to mentally prepare yourself, and, above all, try to relax. Thorn seems like a very calm and understanding sta... er-deer. Just be yourself, breathe, and try to have a good time.” Rarity finished with an assuring smile.

Fluttershy took a small sip of her tea as she listened and mulled over her friend's words.She was unsure how relaxed she could be when being around the buck seemed to send her heart into spasms. Although, she did remember how confident she felt when discussing her animals. Maybe if she could put herself into a similar position she could keep her nerves under control. She wasn’t sure how to do that, but it seemed like her best option. “I will try, Rarity. I’m just so nervous I’ll do something wrong.”

“Don’t worry about that. The more you worry about it the more likely your nerves will get the better of you. Like I said, relax, breathe, and you’ll be fine,” Rarity countered. “You have a wonderful personality and you are the kindest mare I know. If Thorn cannot see it, then he doesn’t deserve you.”

The yellow mare turned a bit sheepish at the compliment. “Y-you really think so?”

The confident look that crossed the fashionista's face said it all, but she voiced it anyway. “Of course, Fluttershy. Now, enough about that. When are you free for our next spa meet?”

“So we were unknowingly linked by Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom, and after the events of the Summer Sun Celebration we’ve been friends ever since,” Twilight finished, having explained the individual events of each of her friends gaining their cutie marks.

“It was also on that day I bore witness to Twilight’s immense magical potential. From there I did everything in my ability to prepare her to take on the role as the bearer of the Element of Magic,” Celestia added.

Thorn and Azalea listened intently without interruption. They had listened to the tale spun to them and digested it as they went. Thinking on the information Thorn found everything very coincidental. A singular event would link the lives of six individuals? It almost seemed clandestine. “This prophecy, where was it foretold?”, the buck inquired to Celestia.

Celestia was silent. She didn’t say anything for some time, but her features suggested she was contemplating something. The princess was debating what to say and how to say it. This was something she had planned to reveal this to Twilight, yet she wasn’t certain how to explain it to the deer. In the end she wasn’t entirely certain. She decided to side with the truth. “It was prophesized by the one who created the Elements of Harmony.”

“My sapling,” the Great Tree added, causing the two deer to go wide eyed in shock and surprise. It also caused a unanimous “WHAT!?” to erupt from both of them. “You have a sapling?!” Thorn yelled incredulously, which
was amplified by the enclosed space.

“Yes, I just said so. And watch your tone in here you two. It gets loud in here.”

The deers' ears folded under the tree’s scolding and both squeaked out a “Sorry”. The siblings then asked why both the Great Tree and Celestia had been silent about the sapling’s existence. Twilight was also curious, but opted to just to listen in... although she was regretting having not brought a quill and parchment.

The tree was as silent, but in contrast to Celestia there was a sense of fear within the minds of those within the cave.“Because, I was worried for her safety. She was my only seed, and our last hope to halt Discord. The Tree of Harmony is and will continue to be my little sapling, just as you and the rest of the deer are my little deer. I’d do anything to keep her safe.”

“The... Tree of Harmony? The Elements came from a tree?” Twilight inquired with a hint of curiosity and a dash of disbelief.

Celestia nodded, “The Tree of Harmony is the Great Tree’s one and only sapling. It offered it when we had nothing else. She became a tree like no other and produced fruit like no other. The Tree of Harmony saved Equestria twice and she has a gift. She is clairvoyant.”

“And a bit of picky on who uses her fruit. She foresaw your potential,Twilight Sparkle, you and your friends. She chose you and your friends to be the bearers of her Elements.” The Tree’s pride was sown into each word it spoke. It sounded like any parent that dotted on their child. “It is my hope that, when she awakes, she may continue to assist both our people.”

Azalea looked to her brother with a quizzical expression. “Does the Great Tree sleep?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“I suppose?” Thorn replied in uncertainty. He’d never found the Great Tree sleeping or even dozing. He knew normal trees tended to be dormant during the more colder seasons, but that was rarely the case with the Great Tree. It always seemed green and alive no matter the season. Was it’s sapling different in some way?

“Can we meet her?” Twilight asked with a small gleam in her eye.

Celestia looked to the roots above her. No audible words were spoken, but the princess and the wise tree seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement. Celestia turned to her former student,“Not yet, Twilight, but in due time. We must first see to restoring relations between ponies and deer. Until then, that meeting with have to wait.” She then turned to Thorn and Azalea. “Thorn, Azalea. I would like to ask something of both of you. Would you hear my request?”

The siblings looked at each other before looking back to the princess. Thorn spoke for them, “What is it you would ask of us?”

Celestia approached and kneeled before both of them, putting her just below Thorn’s eye level and at equal eye level with Azalea. She looked to the two of them and gave them a warm smile. “I’d like to ask that, no matter happens in the times to come, that you and your sister would be our friends.”

Thorn blinked. Friendship? She was asking for friendship?

“More than likely, negotiations will open between our kingdoms. It is unclear where things will go from there. It is my hope we can come to a peaceful agreement, but-” her expression turned dour as she spoke. “Should things not go well. I would appreciate your friendship and our gratitude for what you have done.”

The deer were hesitant to respond. The request was nothing that couldn’t be done, but coming from this alicorn princess it felt like it was something else other than the simple offer of friendship. “We... would be honored, your majesty,” Thorn responded with a bow, careful not to poke Celestia with his antler or bump her horn. Azalea followed suit, before quickly asking if she would be able to make pony friends. When the princess responded with a chuckle and a yes, the fawn began to jump around happily with a large eager smile.

With basic the offer given and accepted, Celestia brought herself back to all fours and went to stand next to Twilight. When she turned to face Thorn and Azalea, she had a small smile on her face,“Well, should you need to discuss anything, you can always tell Twilight and she will inform me or my sister. I want to thank you for your understanding and courage in this matter. Especially, due to your... phobia, Thorn.”

The buck in question became very sheepish at this and chuckled in an equally nervous tone. “Well... it was borne of a incident nearly a thousand years ago. Seeing ponies for as they are rather than how they have been portrayed has helped ease my fears a bit.”

Celestia chuckled and nodded. “Very true. Fear is often borne of misunderstandings. I would hope that in time your fear may eventually disappear in time. And I would guarantee the residents of Ponyville will always be willing to welcome you and your family. Right, Twilight?”

Twilight nodded with a smile that matched Celestia’s.

Fawn in the room looked to her sibling and she found herself surprised Thorn was afraid of something. She had always assumed her brother to be somedeer who wasn’t afraid of anything. Why was he afraid of ponies? They seemed nice enough, especially Celestia. She seemed really nice.

Celestia again bowed to the two deer before she motioned for Twilight to stand close to her. “Thank you again for your time. I need to return to Canterlot in case word comes in from the king. I hope the rest of your day goes well and I look forward to seeing you again.” Celestia’s horn flared in a golden radiance before it fully enveloped her and her former student and the two vanished in a flash of light.

Having seen the two ponies disappear, Azalea rushed to where they had been and began to inspect the area. She found no source of the ponies, but was no less impressed and astounded. “Whoa! They can teleport! COOL!”

“That they are,” Thorn replied still impressed to see the act he experienced two nights prior.

He patted his sister and motioned for her to follow her out. The two left the cave and made their way back up to the meditation dias. The Great Tree was waiting for the two of them. “I’m glad you both were able to meet Celestia. I just received word that the king is aware of our ‘neighbors’ and is on his way to seek my counsel. I would suggest the two of you head home. You may have visitors later today,” the tone was happy and heavily suggested they heed its warning. “Also your mother is a tad worried about you two.”

Both deer nodded, said their good-byes, and bounded off to their home.

After finishing their tea, Fluttershy and Rarity said their farewells for the evening and parted ways.

Fluttershy was feeling a bit more confident after her chat with Rarity and felt like she had some kind of game plan. She still wasn’t sure how she’d control her nerves, but maybe her animal friends would be willing to help her. Surely Angel would give her a helping paw. Until then, she decided to take Rarity’s advice to heart. She’d wait for Thorn to return and try to do her best to get to know the kind deer who saved her and was really nice... and had really nice- *Pomf*.

“Eeep!” Fluttershy’s imagination may have been a bit too vivid for her own good, as her wings flew open in a fit of excitement. She made sure nopony was around to witness the embarrassing sight and quickly got them under control. She then made a hasty retreat to her cottage and kept her mind strictly on pure, non-deer related, thoughts.

When she got home, Fluttershy investigated her kitchen for what teas she had. She had some apple spice tea, green tea with mint, orange spice, and some nice chamomile tea.
She figured each one seemed like a decent choice... but would he like those choices? What if he didn’t? What if.... She halted her thoughts before they devolved into more “what if” questions. “Rarity said to relax and I’m sure Thorn... won’t mind any any of these...” she thought to herself, attempting to assure herself that everything was fine. Although, her mind still kept finding negative possibilities to assault her with. In the end, she closed her cabinet and decided a good soak in a warm bath would be a good way to ease her mind. “I really hope that I can stay calm when this happens.”

The shadowy spirit of Mallum sulked through the forest. He’d yet to come across anything stronger than a manticore. He’d recently tried possessing a timberwolf, but their inert magic didn’t work well with his and he was ejected. To make matters worse for the entity, it seemed like the entire forest was aware of his presence. Animals seemed to scurry off before he could ever get close and all the bigger beasts were too well hidden.

He let out a frustrated groan as he continued to scour the forest. He’d been at this for a day and a half with no success. He was nearly tempted to grab a bug or something when he came across a something unusual, a castle. By the looks of it, it had been long since abandoned and was in an extremely dilapidated condition. The malicious spirit took in the sight of the castle, but was soon distracted by a familiar feeling. A horrid wretched familiar feeling. He felt harmony. He followed the feeling until he found a small cave just below the castle. Inside he found the source of his discomforting feeling. A blue crystalline tree with five branches and a large starburst image at the center. “YOU!” he yelled accusingly.”Because of you mistress is gone! Malum will end you!” The spirit launched itself at the tree with every intention to corrupt and wither it, however; when he got within killing distance he hit a magical barrier that burned and repelled him at the same time. He writhed and yelled in pain as he eyed the tree with disdain. Every fiber of his spiritual being hated this tree. It was the source of his pain, suffering, and solitude. He do anything to rid Equestria of its existence.

“We can help with that.”

Malum snapped to attention and searched for the source of the new sets of voices. From what the shadow spirit could see, it was just him and the despicable tree. “Down here, numbnuts!” The voices called out again putting the shadow’s gaze to the ground.

“Who speaks to Malum?...And how dare you insult Malum!” he barked at the voices.

“Oh geez, a third person speaker. That’s not going to get annoying,” the voices snarked.

The spirit was getting tired of being sassed,“Malum doesn’t need to listen to this! Either get to the point or Malum walks.”

“Okay, okay!” The voices said deciding to explain themselves before they lost their hope...although it didn’t stop them from throwing in one last comment. “Pushy prick”

“Look, we can help you get rid of the tree. We’ve been trying for a thousand years but we can’t breach her magic. We just need a itty bitty boost and your power could do it!” the voices explained. “And I bet we could even get your mistress back and punish the ones who sent her away. You want that right?” voices were sweet as they taunted Malum with his desires.

The shadow couldn’t deny that the offer was tempting but this seemed a bit too convenient. “What do you need Malum to do?”, he asked suspiciously.

The voices got very cheery. “The tree is a powerful force of harmony. We are pretty powerful ourselves, but we are just shy of breaking through her barrier. All we need is you to make us a bit stronger. We know you can do it.”

Malum’s suspicion grew. How did these voices know he could possess things? Had they been watching him? “Why do you want to help Malum? What do you gain from this?”

The annoyance made a return in the voices’ tone, “We were tasked with getting rid of the tree a while ago, but we’ve found her personal barriers fairly... sturdy.” The voices smoothly transition into a more tauntingly sweet tone as they continue, “Plus with the extra bit of magic we can extend our reach to get your precious mistress. We can give you what you want: your revenge, your mistress, and we can give you happiness. Isn’t that what you want?”

Malum mulled over the offer. While he suspected the voices had an alternative motive, yet he saw no reason for the two to collaborate. He’d been gone for a long time and if he could get rid of this tree, everything else would become much more easier. While partially unsure about the voices intentions, the offer seemed too perfect and having an ally would make his mission easier. He’d keep an eye on them in case they tried anything. If they tried to double cross him, he’d make sure they didn’t live long enough to do it again. “Fine. Malum will assist. What do you need Malum to do?”

The voices cheered collectively,”Wonderful! There is field a little north of here. You’ll find a black cluster of thorny vines growing there. Lend it your magic and then we start our fight. The tree is going to resist us, but she can’t fight us forever. We’ll wear her down until her barrier breaks... then we will rid Equestria of the Tree of Harmony!”

Author's Notes:

Made it just in time for Christmas Eve! Woot!
Hope this can count as a small gift for you guys. Happy Holidays and see you in the next chapter!