It had been a few hours since we had found the two Caribou children, and, far as i could tell, we were close to a particular castle. It wasn't until a few minutes later did I see a sight that horrified me, and the others as well.

The sight was the Castle of the Royal sisters covered in Plunder vines. "What happened here?" I asked.

"Discord happened," the mare called Silver said. Her armor covered all her body, and I couldn't see what she looked like. "He was a traitor to Celestia, as were, of all ponies, her niece and her husband. They changed the crystal heart, perverted it. It's the reason why most stallions so easily accepted the Caribou. There is no defense against it."

I scoffed. "There is a defense against anything," I said. "You need simply find it," I said, glancing down at a cavern under the castle. "If I do not return in an hour, continue, for that means I am dead."

"What are you going to do?" a changeling asked.

"Something crazy," I said as I activated my suit's thrusters, and made my way down to the cave.

Once I had set down and entered the cave, I saw one thing I had hoped to never see. The Tree of Harmony encircled by vines. But it still glowed.

It was alive, but dying. I shook my head in pity and sadness. The Caribou, Discord, any traitors to Equestria, be they mare or stallion, had better hope they die before I find them. With rage in my hidden eyes, I made my way to the tree, and put a hand on the last of the visible crystal bark, and, to my surprise, I heard a voice.

What are you? it said in a feminine voice. You are not any race of this planet.

"My name is Mau'ual, Valus to they skyburner of the Cabal Empire," I say. "Great tree, I know you have no reason to, and I doubt the power, but I humbly ask to have your power, just enough to shield myself from what ever spells that alter minds are cast against me."

Why?

"Because I wish to bring Equetria back to what it was, once. Before the Caribou. I know I have no reason to do so, but I will not stand by the side or at the side of the beasts who caused this while ponies trying to survive and preserve their way of life die," I say. "Where I come from, that has been all too common a theme in history, and I wish to make sure there is one instance in some worlds history that isn't like that."

How can I be sure, should I give you my power, what remains of it, you will succeed?

"You can't," I say. "But is doing this not showing the ponies that still see what you represent that you watch over them? I will gladly offer what ever I can to show you I am honest."

Anything?

"Anything but an innocent life or that of my current allies," I say.

Then my price shall be this, the tree said after a few seconds of silence, If you wish to have my power, then you must simply answer a single question: Do you fight for good?

I almost answered by saying "Yes", but didn't. I mean, yeah, morally speaking, I was. But that's just it. Morals. They're different for each race, each individual. The rebellion fought for what they saw as good, which was bringing Equestria back to the way it was. They thought they were in the right. But, so did the Caribou, from their twisted point of view, but it was still their point of view, which meant they saw the rebellion as evil.

"No," I said. "At least, not to everyone. It all matters on perspective. To the Caribou, no, I am an evil that must be purged. For the rebellion, yes, as I have the same cause as them, and have allied with them. I suppose what I really fight for is proper balance. Discord is the embodiment of chaos, with the six Elements, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia being the opposite. One can not exist with out the other. I fight for Harmony."

"Oh, what a rousing speech," I heard behind me. "But, sadly, it's in vain."

"I wondered when you'd show up, Discord," I said, turning to face the god of chaos. "Before we do anything, two questions. One: what did you do to the others up on the ridge. Two: why?"

"Oh, you're friends are simply having fun with other stallions," Discord said with a grin, making me clench my fist in anger. "As for why? Well, because it's fun, and I honestly can't wait to see what kind of chaos will happen with you involved."

"So you're doing nothing against me?" I asked.

"As long as you do a simple favor for me," he said with a grin before his face took on a look of anger. "Make sure the one who owns Fluttershy is killed. Painfully."

I smirked. "I was planning on doing that for all the owners of the Elements and the princesses," I said.

"Thanks," he said before disappearing. Yeah, I don't trust him.

I put turned around and my put my hand back on the tree, but it was silent for a time.

That, Valus Mau'ual, the Tree eventually said, is correct. Few truly ever fight for good as it is at that time, and fewer know the difference between good and evil. In fact, your answer make you more worth then the alicorns. You are indeed worthy. Take the remnant of my power, and use it for Harmony.

"Thank you," I said, bowing my head. A light enveloped me for a few seconds, and I pulled my hand away. When it faded, I saw that the entire tree had been enveloped by the vines. I looked down at what I could see of my armor, and saw two things. One was that I was no where near as fat as in-game Cabal. The second was that my maulers seemed to glow with the rainbow from season four. I turned around and made my way out of the cave. Just as I had exited, a small tremor shook the ground. I thought it was just the vines, but little did I know it had far reaching consequences.

Canterlot

For Celestia, ex-ruler of Equestria and current slave of the Caribou king, it had been, all things considered, a normal day. That was to say, she had been fucked ten times already. And it was before lunch. She didn't enjoy it, she had lost her horn when the Caribou took over, and she had only submitted so that her former subjects would surrender and save themselves pain. And, though she wouldn't admit it, she did like the feeling of her current outfit, or lackthereof. There was something about it that was just so freeing.

Right now, it was just her in the room Dainn had let her have, looking out the window that faced the Everfree. She had been doing so for near an hour before she saw a wave of energy come from the forest. "It can't be," she whispered to herself. "Somepony's taken in the Tree's power." Just as she finished uttering that sentence, the wave of energy hit Canterlot, and swept through the city, penetrating even the most magically defended rooms.

Really, it didn't do much. It didn't free stallions from the control, it didn't help the few purple collared mares, those poor souls. But what it did do, though, was something akin to a miracle. Every mare, when the wave washed over them, felt a surge of hope that this would all end soon, and a voice saying, This war is in it's final stages.

Author's Notes:

Had to get this out today after reading what's up for Twilight's fall, which is a canon story for FoE.