CHAPTER 7


Twilight came to after Celestia knows how long, and was incredibly groggy. She was only truly woken up when she heard the sound of hooves pounding on metal, more specifically iron bars. Twilight groaned as she slowly rose, and when she did she noticed that she felt strange, almost drained, like when she exhausted herself of magic from hours of practice, a feeling she was quite familiar with. Her attention shifted when she could hear the familiar voices of her friends talking between the ringing of the struck metal bars, though it was clearly more like arguing.

"Oh for heaven's sake, Rainbow Dash," Rarity complained, "You've been pounding on those bars for so long I lost track!"

"At least I'm trying!" Rainbow Dash snapped, panting.

"That's not fair, Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, "You know that Rarity can't use magic in the royal dungeons."

The royal dungeons? Twilight knew that those particular cells were enchanted with unicorn magic-cancelling to prevent lock picking. It would certainly explain why she felt so drained, but at least she and her friends were still alive. She groaned as she brought herself to her hooves, gaining the attention of her friends.

"Twilight!" Applejack said, rushing to her friend's side, "Oh, thank goodness yer alright. How ya feelin'?"

"Ugh, don't ask," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head. Once she had collected herself enough, she was made aware of the pounding headache she was having. "What about everypony else?"

"We're okay, fer what it's worth," Applejack answered, "Rainbow Dash got it the worst. Dang monster gave her a good-sized cut on the side of her head, but thankfully Rarity and Flutters were able to help her."

Twilight didn't hesitate to look over to Rainbow Dash, who stood in front of the iron bars of their cell, and was relieved to see that she had a white linen wrap around her head. She also saw Pinkie Pie, who was casually drawing on the brick and stone wall, and was inadvertently in the middle of writing Pinkie wuz here! in crayon. She wanted to ask where she got the crayons, but after knowing Pinkie for so long she knew it was best not to ask. Rarity was resting on the single makeshift bed of a bench, with Fluttershy across from her, also resting.

"So, what are we gonna do now, Twi?" Applejack asked, pulling Twilight's attention back to her. She could see what little hope was in the farm mare's face, and noticed that the others were looking to her as well with the same hopeful look in their eyes. Twilight's ears went flat as she sulked and looked to her hooves.

"I don't know," she said softly, "I don't even know if there's anything we can do." She got up and walked over to the corner on the left end of the room, then fell to her haunches.

"Twilight," Applejack said, a little taken back.

"Celestia's been imprisoned," Twilight continued, her voice shaking as she went on. "We lost the Elements of Harmony, and we're stuck in a magic-canceling dungeon cell with no hope of escape or rescue!" She sank even lower, her tail wrapping around her side and hiding the tears forming in her eyes. "What's worse, we're going to be killed in front of everpony we know and love! There is no hope."

Applejack and the others were in a complete state of disbelief from what they were hearing. Twilight Sparkle, the one unicorn they all could turn to in the most dire of times, aside from the Princess herself, had given up and was falling into despair. Well, Applejack wasn't going to have any of it, and strode over to the huddled Twilight. She quickly turned her around by her shoulder and hugged her harder than she's ever had, aware of Twilight's tears on her cheek but simply ignored them.

"Now don't think like that, Twi," Applejack said, petting Twilight's back, "Yes, we're in one heck of a pickle, but so what? We've all been through all kinds o' terrible situations before, and we've seen them through together!"

"Applejack," Twilight muttered.

"That's right," Rainbow Dash said, adding herself to the group hug, "We're not going to give up, and we're gonna keep fighting to the very end!"

"Hey, I wanna be in the group hug too!" Pinkie Pie shouted, and with lightning quick speed dashed and glomped into the three ponies, her crayon still spinning in the air before finally dropping.

"You see, Twilight?" Rarity said, adding herself to the group hug too, "None of us have given up. And we certainly won't let one our dear friends do the same so long as we're there to help."

"Rarity's right," Fluttershy said, "No matter how bad things get, so long as you have your friends by your side, there's always hope." She then gently hugged Twilight from behind.

To say that Twilight was deeply moved by her friends would be a great understatement. What fears and despair she once had were quickly incinerated and replaced by the warmth and confidence from everyone, the coldness pouring out of her eyes in the form of tears, like melting snow from the mountain tops in spring.

"Thank you," Twilight said as she nuzzled into Applejack's shoulder, "All of you. I would be so lost without all of you."

"It seems not even the fear of death will cause your bonds of friendship to falter," a familiar voice said. Everyone jumped in surprise, then quickly broke up and whipped around to see a cloaked and hooded pony standing in front of their cell.

"Who's there?!" Rainbow Dash barked. She received her answer when the mystery pony pulled back her hood, revealing herself to be Princess Luna.

"Princess Luna?" Twilight said. Rainbow Dash and the others relaxed when they recognized her, but they still had their suspicion when Luna put a hoof to her mouth, issuing silence. The ponies gave a nod in understanding, and Luna approached the gate, bringing out a ring of keys with her magic and unlocking their cell. Twilight and the others were more than happy to leave their cell, and she approached Luna after she shut the gate. As they left, Twilight noticed that Trixie was in the cell right next to theirs, but was still unconscious as she laid still in the center of the cell. She turned to look to Luna, but before she could ask her to save Trixie as well Luna shook her head solemnly, silently putting an end to the subject.

"She will be safer here," Luna said softly, almost in a whisper. Despite the somewhat vague reply from the Princess, Twilight was smart enough to put two and two together. Reluctant, she opted to quickly change the subject, and already had a line of questions lined up for Luna.

"Princess Luna, how?" Twilight began, but Luna gave her the silencing gesture again.

"All will be explained," Luna whispered, "But not here. It is not safe." She looked over the six mares, boasting an air of authority and urgency. "We must move swiftly, but quietly. We must make our way to the Vaults in the Treasury."

None of the other ponies understood what Luna meant by what the Vaults were, but Twilight had read snippets and footnotes and heard whispers from the guards of what the Vaults were. Apparantly, the Vaults are catacombs where some of the most important -and sometimes powerful- relics in Equestria's history were stored and secured. They were placed in the palace's Treasury, which was already by far one of the most secure and heavily guarded locations anywhere in Equestria alone, but the Vaults had even more fortifications than the Treasury itself, tripling the already unimpenetrable security to dizzying feats, making it every plunderer's and thieve's pipe dream of the ultimate job should it ever be made public.

The six ponies nodded, and with Luna leading them escaped the dungeons and made their way to the main halls of the palace. They made their first stop at a corner leading to a hallway, Luna motioning to do so and stay behind her as she scoped out for what they thought were patrols. When she saw nothing, she gestured for the ponies to follow, and they silently complied. This continued for dozens of corners and hallways as they ventured forward, and as they went Twilight noticed that the palace didn't radiate the same white light from the marble, but instead had the hazy yellow-orange tint of early evening, as well as the random, upward floating black pixels in the air around them. She knew the pixels had to be the work of Zant, but something else has been eating more and more at the back of her mind since they left the dungeon. Whatever it was, she felt as though that the magic-canceling effects of the cell felt like it still clung to her, like an invisible, thin fog that hovered around her.

Her thoughts had to be put on hold, for after what felt like an hour of stopping and going they had finally made it to the doors that led to the main office of the Treasury. Luna opened the doors and ushered the ponies in, then taking a last looking glance before closing the doors behind her and locking them. They trotted past the desks and chairs of the empty room, which looked like any ordinary bank, and made their way to the massive steel door that lead into the underground.

"Now how are we gonna get through that?" Applejack asked.

"The vault door will only open for carefully chosen treasurers and bankers who know the unlocking spells," Luna explained as she stepped forward, "But my sister and I also have access since we cast the spells in the first place. I just hope I have enough magic to unlock it."

Twilight looked at Luna quizzically, wondering what she meant by her last statement. Luna ignored Twilight's stare as she closed her eyes and focused her magic, remembering the unlocking spells. Her horn lit up, and the large tumbler on the steel door being encompassed in the same aura as Luna cast one spell after another, until the tumbler gave in, making a large clunking sound before spinning clockwise, then slowly stopping. Luna stumbled as she relaxed, but remained standing, and nudged the large metal door open.

"Quickly, inside," Luna said, and the six ponies heeded. Once the last pony made it in, Luna entered herself, then turned around and used her magic to close the door, the tumblers rolling to signify that the door had been sealed. Luna let out a long needed sigh, relieved that they made it and could finally relax. She turned to face Twilight and her friends, who were all gaping at the contents of the royal treasury.

Never in their dizziest day-dreams could they could have ever imagined the vast wealth that the palace held within it's walls, just below the bedrock that makes up the inner core of the mountainside that it was perched and built into. Thousands upon thousands - perhaps even into the millions upon millions - of Bits were stacked, piled, and overflowing along every length of the walls. Bars of gold of various sizes, from no bigger than a pencil, to small bullion, to some as large as some of the troughs that Applejack used to feed her livestock, and gems of all sizes, cuts -some being left uncut-, and of all colors of the rainbow mixed into the tall piles, causing them to glitter and gleam in the torchlight. Strewn about the room, some partially buried in the piles, were also many treasure chests; some were made of simple wood and iron reinforcements, while others were furbished to be fit enough for royalty. Many were closed shut and locked, while a select few were simply splayed open and overflowing with coin and gems.

"Holy moly, that's a lot of gold-y!" Pinkie Pie finally exclaimed.

"Surely," Luna said, joining her friends' sides, "Now you see why only a select few are even allowed in here. But the one treasure we're truly after is down and deeper still."

"With all due respect, yer Majesty," Applejack said as she turned to face Luna, "But ah think we deserve some explainin' before we go any further."

Luna paused, as if mulling in her thoughts, then nodded in agreement. "You are right, Applejack," she said, "Where would you like us to begin?"

"For starters," Twilight interjected, "How long were we in the dungeons? And how did you evade capture fer this long?"

"It has been three days since our sister, Celestia, has fallen," Luna answered promptly, a tinge of hurt in her expression and her words, "And fortunately the usurper known as Zant is not familiar with the entirety of the palace, for we have hidden within the more unfamiliar passages and rooms until we deemed it was the right time for your escape."

"Three days?!" Twilight nearly shouted, "I was unconscious for three days?!" She looked around at her friends, some with a bit of guilt on their faces.

"We didn't want to say anything at first," Fluttershy said softly, "W-We just didn't want you to worry."

"Well I'm worried now!" Twilight snapped. Fluttershy flinched, practically on the verge of tears. Twilight then realized her shortcoming, and calmed back down. "I-I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I went too far."

"I-It's okay, Twilight," Fluttershy said after a moment to calm herself as well, "I forgive you."

Twilight smiled warmly, then turned her attention back to Luna. "Okay, there's something else I want to know. Ever since we left the magic-canceling dungeon, it's felt like my magic hasn't really come back. Could it be because we've been in there for such a long time?"

"Wait," Rainbow Dash interjected, "You mean you've been feeling drained, too?" Twilight nodded in response, and Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

"It's not just her," Rarity added, "I've been feeling rather tapped out as well."

"Might wanna make that the four of us," Applejack said, "'Cause I've been feeling weak mahself, too."

Luna's demeanor became more stern, even grim, as she pondered her answer. "We are afraid that that is not the case, Twilight Sparkle. Tell me, have you noticed that, despite our sister's imprisonment, the sky is like that of early evening, before the sun's setting?" She gave pause, letting them mull over the question. As it turns out, they actually did notice it being a little strange, and the looks on their faces was all the confirmation that she needed to continue. "And surely you've noticed the free floating pixels in the air? All of this, and more, is due to Zant and his shadow magic. He's somehow managed to erect several Pillars across Equestria, including Canterlot, each projecting his shadow magic over the land, like a dark veil."

The mentioning of Zant's name ushered fear and loathing in the ponies, Twilight especially affected as the mere mention of the name reminded her of Celestia's imprisonment. That reminder lead to the revelation of her dreams, her repeated nightmare, and mentally facehoofed herself for forgetting it.

"Princess Luna," Twilight said, "This may sound crazy. But believe it or not, for several nights before Zant arrived I've had nightmares about him imprisoning Princess Celestia, almost exactly like how he did three days ago." All eyes were now on Twilight, who felt their stares bear down on her like hot lead weights. "But if I had known they were premonitions of things to come..." Twilight's voice became softer as she trailed off, her head hanging with shame.

"Be at ease, Twilight Sparkle," Luna said after a long silence. This caused Twilight to quickly look back up, a little in shock. "For we were aware of your nightmares as well. But you cannot blame yourself. No one could've foreseen any of this, even if it were foretold in dreams. For how can one truly determine a dream from foresight?" Twilight mulled Luna's words for a moment. She was right, but it still didn't help this feeling of shame she had about her from not telling anyone sooner.

"But that is neither here or there," Luna continued, "What has already transpired cannot be undone. But we can still fight for the future. For Equestria's future!"

"But how?" Twilight asked, "Princess, Zant stole the Elements of Harmony. By now he's probably sealed them away, or worse; he could've destroyed them."

"Yes," Luna said calmly, "Zant may have stolen the Elements, but we assure you that they are not destroyed."

"How can you be so sure?" Rainbow Dash asked, "The creep was able to stand hoof to hoof with Princess Celestia! Who's to say he doesn't have the power to do so?"

"Because, even though he's taken them from you, he cannot touch them." Luna answered. She then received looks of doubt, and knew she had to elaborate. "Do you remember when he tried so much as to reach out to them?"

"He was zapped," Twilight answered quickly, the event still fresh in her mind. "He even recoiled from it, like he was in pain."

"Exactly," Luna stated, "The Elements are powerful relics of light, ones that evil cannot touch without sever consequences. So you can rest assured that the Elements are intact."

"Okay, so we can still reclaim the Elements," Rainbow Dash said as she rubbed her temples, trying to keep herself from getting lost. "You wouldn't happen to know what Zant did with them, do you?"

"All we know is that he did, in fact, try to destroy them, all in vain," Luna said, "We witnessed him doing so, in a rather frustrated fashion." She put a hoof to her thin. "Now that we think about it, it just so happened that the Pillars were erected shortly after he took power. Whether there is a link or not is yet to be seen, but Zant's magic is weak, only strong enough to return to his true form, so how he managed to build them, let alone cover Equestria in shadow, is a mystery to us."

"So that's why he threatened all of Equestria with death," Twilight said, "Because he didn't have the strength to face Princess Celestia head on. He knew that she would never take that risk."

Luna nodded, then continued since they were on the main subject before they were side-tracked. "The drained feeling you've all been experiencing comes from this veil of shadow that Zant has cast. It is suppressing the mana in the air, as well as within each and every pony, making even the simplest of spells or tasks, such as flying for pegasi or bucking for apples, much harder to perform, or even impossible."

"But if that's true, how were you able to use your magic?" Twilight asked.

Luna gave a light chuckle as a small grin broke out from the corner of her mouth. It was the first time any of them had seen her with such a relaxed expression. "An Alicorn's magic is much more powerful than the average pony's, Twilight Sparkle. Yes, my magic is heavily oppressed, but that does not mean we cannot perform the simple tasks if we focus hard enough."

"Well, all this certainly explains a lot," Applejack said after a pause, rubbing the back of her head, "But we're still left with the one simple fact; Without the Elements of Harmony, we're 'bout as useful as any other pony, now even more so since we ain't got any magic. What can we do?"

"Ah, yes," Luna exclaimed, "With all these questions, we've nearly forgotten about that." Twilight and the others perked when Luna emphasized whatever that was. Luna made her way past Applejack and the others and down the one clean path through the mountain of treasure, then looked back to them and motioned with her right wing to follow. "Please, come with us. We will explain as we go, but stay close. You will all want to hear what we have to say should you wish to reclaim the Elements of Harmony and save Equestria, and our sister."

The six ponies looked to each other, then silently heeded Luna's beckoning, and followed her by her side, with Rainbow Dash instinctively trying to take to the air, only managing to hover a little off the ground. Frustrated, she opted to stay on the ground, following on hoof.

"Tell me, my little ponies," Luna began, breaking the silence, "Have any of you heard the ancient myth of the Hero and the Ancient Grove?"

There was another long silence as Twilight and her friends looked to one another, all shaking their heads to her. Twilight then faced forward and pondered as she sifted through her mind of it's vast knowledge that she has accrued over the years.

"I think I may have read something about it," Twilight answered, "But the only thing I can remember is that the tale is considered to be so old, it's not even considered a significant myth anymore." She looked up to Luna, puzzled by her question. "But why bring it up?"

Luna gave a small smile at Twilight's answer, finding it ironically humorous in how she worded it. "Yes, Twilight, it is quite an old tale," she said, "In fact, it is one so old that it was told to Celestia and myself when we were just foals, when it was more of a fairy tale than disregarded myth."

Luna slowly and gently closed her eyes, unconcerned and confident that she would not walk into anything, as nostalgia and warm fondness of her youth gushed forth as she tried to remember how the story was told to her and Celestia. She opened her eyes, a warm smile across her face.

"Long, long ago," Luna began, "Long before the time of Chaos, before the defeat and imprisonment of the evils of Tartarus, and even before the time of the royal bloodlines of the Alicorns and the three tribes, there was once a kingdom of heavenly light that sat in the center of what is now known as Equestria. The kingdom was a peaceful one, where many and all species of life lived in harmony, all under the guidance of the power of the sacred relics of their goddesses, the Golden Triangles, which represented Power, Wisdom, and Courage.

"But one day, an evil wind blew forth from the edges of the kingdom, and without warning, the kingdom fell into war with the darkness. Though the kingdom had the power of their light and their goddesses to protect them, it was swiftly overpowered by the hate and disharmony that the Evil brought, and joy became sorrow, happiness to despair."

Twilight and the others listened intently, with Pinkie Pie holding a stuffed bear for some reason or another, paying little attention to their surroundings as they turned corners, went through secret doors, and even down a pit via a spiraling walkway along it's walls as they followed.

"And yet hope still lived, for in the heart of one stallion lied the resting power of one who embodied one of the Golden Triangles; the Triangle of Courage. He sought a way to drive away the Evil, and so he left his home, traveling a great distance through many dangers, in order to seek council with the kingdom's Princess, who was rumored to be wise beyond her youthful appearance, and was one who was destined to be the embodiment of the second Golden Triangle: the Triangle of Wisdom.

"The Princess, having the power of Wisdom, knew that one day a destined Hero would come to her to seek her guidance and wisdom in order to banish the Evil. When the stallion arrived, the Princess saw in him the Courage that was foretold to reside in the destined Hero. The Princess told the stallion of the location of a power that can cut through the veil of Evil, an ancient and heavenly weapon that is only known to us as the Blade of Evil's Bane."

"That sounds awsome!" Rainbow Dash shouted, promptly interrupting Luna's story. "A legendary weapon from the super distant past that can cut through the darkness! That's where we're going to get, right? Right?" The other ponies stared at Luna with anticipation, but were only met with a disappointing look.

"The Blade of Evil's Bane, unfortunately, does not rest in the palace, young Rainbow Dash," Luna said glumly. A volley of 'Awwws' soon followed, and once they were silenced, she continued. "If you allow me to finish, there is more to be heard. The Princess told the stallion that the Blade of Evil's Bane rested in a temple long forgotten, but not lost to Time, that sat in the Ancient Grove, a place that is said to be pure of light, untouchable by darkness. Both the Temple and the Grove sat in the heart of the dark forest on the borders of the kingdom, where Evil is said to lurk. Undaunted by the task at hand, the Hero ventured forth head-first into the Evil, and after many hardships and trials, he managed to find the temple, and the Blade.

"Taking up the Blade of Evil's Bane, the Hero fought back the Evil that covered the kingdom, and by proving himself victorious after the final battle with the Evil's source, drove out the Evil and it's darkness forever. But before the Hero departed from the land that now made him a Legend, he and five of his closest friends returned to the Temple. There, he returned the Blade of Evil's Bane to it's rightful resting place, where it now resides, and waits."

There was a pause as Luna finished, the other ponies waiting to see if there was more. After a few seconds, someone finally spoke up.

"Well, no offense to your wonderful story-telling, Princess," Rarity said, "But it still doesn't answer why we're walking so far and so deep underground to these 'Archives'."

"I have ta agree with Rarity on this one fer once," Applejack added, "I mean, you did say that it was all jus' a fairy-tale bedtime story, right?"

"That is what Celestia and I thought ourselves," Luna said, "That is, it was at first."

"At first?" Twilight parroted.

Luna nodded. "During the time when Celestia and I did battle with the great evils that now rest in Tartarus, we happened to come across a rather peculiar artifact. One that linked the tale of the Hero and the Ancient Grove, as well as our now last hope for salvation, to some grounds with reality." She paused when she stopped at a great stone door, decorated with stars and randomly connecting lines that appear to go with constellations. "For you see, the Ancient Grove cannot be simply found, as you six have with the Elements of Harmony. Before the Hero departed, the Princess gave to him a treasure, one that was passed down her royal bloodline, that could guide him to the location of the Ancient Grove."

Luna paused again, her horn lighting up. She tapped the tip of her horn onto one divot of a star, lighting it up, then guided the light along one of the cut lines, connecting it to another star, lighting that one up. She continued this until the image was complete, which was one that none of the ponies recognized as any of the constellations that they were familiar with; A perfect triangle, divided into four, smaller triangles, three in the same upward-facing position, while one in the center was inverted. Luna stepped back, and when she did the three upward triangles began to glow in a brilliant, golden light, dulled by the shadow magic that now blanketed the room. A light split the door down the middle, and soon both sides were retreating into the walls.

Within, resting on a single, rectangular pillar was a single, golden hand harp. It was curved in an almost perfect semi-circle, the two ends pointed outward like birds' beaks, connected by a single gold bar stretching across the open middle, with several silvery strings ribbing the center. It glowed and shimmered with a soft light, as if unfazed by the shadow magic that surrounded it, and filled Twilight and the others with a warm, hopeful sensation. Etched into the pillar was a music bar, complete with several notes of a song they couldn't readily recognize.

"Wait, that's it?" Rainbow Dash said, breaking the silence. "A golden lyre?" Her brows furrowed and flattened, completely disappointed.

"This is no ordinary lyre, Rainbow Dash," Luna said as she stepped forward. Using her magic, she levitated the golden object towards her, then hovering over her. "This is the treasure that the Princess of the heavenly kingdom gave to the Hero of Legend, the one that guided him, and will ultimately guide you six, to the Ancient Grove and to the last known resting place Blade of Evil's Bane." She paused as she watched in mild content as Twilight and the others began to gape and stare in awe at the item over their heads. "This is the Goddess Harp."

There was a moment of silence as the Mane Six could do nothing but ogle at the harp. One would think that the fact that they once had to follow a one-thousand year old prophecy in order to find the Elements of Harmony, and by extent do battle and defeat the embodiment of nightly fear, a.k.a. Nightmare Moon, would somewhat soften the blow from this, yet those memories were unfortunately left absent.

"I take back what I said," Rainbow Dash said, breaking the silence, as a large grin appeared on her face. "THIS is, like, way more awesome!" She then jumped into the air, actually hovering a bit as excitement filled and fueled her. "It's like I'm right in the middle of one of Daring-Do's adventures!"

"This is absolutely life-changing!" Twilight shouted, her eyes glued to the relic, "I mean, the things we can learn about pre-Equestrian, no, pre-Faust history from it!" She then looked to Luna, with eager, knowledge-hungry eyes. "How does it work? Who made it? Does it still have magic?"

Luna chuckled under her breath a bit, happy to see hope back in the eyes of Twilight and her friends. She raised a hoof, causing Twilight to settle, then lowered it. "The means of it's creation, as well as it's magic, was one that I took a great many an hour of a day of studying, for what seemed like centuries. However, despite all that I could learn from it, there is actually very little I can tell you. It's core magic is a mystery, being a divine relic and not some trinket with a few spells weaved into it. But since it is a magical instrument, it would be safe to assume that it's magic is connected to music."

She sat on her haunches, then levitated the harp to her left hoof. Then, with her right hoof, she began to softly strum the strings of the harp, the soft, soothing melody it created vibrating down to the cores of Twilight and the others. It was a strange sensation to them, but it wasn't one they would call "bad". No, it was more of an uplifting feeling, one that, if Luna had played with more gusto with her playing, would have each of them, including Fluttershy, break out and sing with the music that Luna was playing. After a moment of reveling, Luna stopped, along with the sensations, but they could still be felt from within, as if each and every one of their hearts continued to sing.

"And so, after many, many years of testing and playing various songs and notes, from some of the oldest I have learned as a foal, to ones more of the recent timeline, and even some I have concocted through mathematics, I was only able to discover only one song that caused it to react." She paused to turn and face the pillar, an act that the others followed as well. "And I have etched it onto the pillar itself, in case I forgot in the future."

She paused, her face softening as she began to lose herself in fond memories. "It was odd, when I discovered the melody. The moment I finished playing it, I had a vision of a forest, and a stone with a strange symbol on it, like a disc with a wind-esque pattern on it." She paused again before turning to Twilight, then levitating the harp within grabbing reach of her. "You, Twilight Sparkle, must take up the Goddess Harp, and learn to play this melody. I have no doubt that you were destined to, and discover it's secrets."

"Wh-What? Me?" Twilight stammered as she looked to the harp, then to Luna. Twilight never really learned how to play an instrument before. True, once in a while as she studied as a foal, and even into the present, she'd get curious about music and how instruments worked, then researched about them until her curiosity was curved. But she never actually had the chance to put that knowledge to action before, not even so much as a maraca. But Luna broke through what doubts that stopped her as she gave a small nod with confident smile, and Twilight swallowed dryly as she sat on her haunches. "O-Okay." she said, "I'll give it a try."

She took the harp from it's magical suspension, then studied over the notes that were engraved into the square pillar. She looked back to the harp, resting it in her right foreleg, and with her left hoof gently stroked the length of the strings, gauging the pitches and tones of each strummed string. It was odd in of itself to play it, she noticed, as she felt like she hardly had to touch the strings for them to ring exactly how she wanted them or how they should sound, which boosted her confidence a bit. She turned back to the notes, and began to recite the melody one note at a time. As she plucked the last note, she heard a small tune, as if signifying that it was done correctly, and then was soon overcome with an empowering sensation that she felt oddly familiar with. While she never held an instrument before, the moment she played she felt as though she had spent most of her life practicing with it. She then recognized the overwhelming sensation as a mix of confidence and hope, and both burned brightly in her heart, as well as coursing through her body.

She then began to replay the song, this time the music sounding much more professionally done, with more being played than what was written in the stone, as she started to levitate slightly off the ground. She played the melody two times over, and as she finished the last section she came back down to the ground, the music ending. She held out the Goddess Harp in front of her, then let it go as it began to levitate in front of her face, and a small message box appeared within the fourth wall.


Twilight has learned the Ballad of the Sheikah! This melody will provide aid by showing visions of the next mission's location, as well as helpful hints!


The Goddess Harp came back down and into Twilight's hooves, and she stared at it for a moment before she was suddenly shocked into a vision. Images of hallways, countryside, and trees quickly flashed before her eyes like a slideshow, until everything slowed and began to replay in her mind. She saw a hidden passage that let out of the palace and Canterlot, the image fading out, then refocused as she saw her and the others -minus Luna- entering the EverFree Forest. The image faded again, only to refocus again as she saw a ragged, uncharted path wind and turn, stopping at a particularly placed stone, where she saw the design that Luna had spoken of earlier. She stared and studied the stone for a while longer before noticing a large, hollowed log protrude from a cliff face in the unrecognized distance, before everything became encompassed by a bright light, blinding her and ending the vision. The next thing she knew, Twilight was back in the Vaults with Luna and the others. She set the Harp aside as she turned to face everyone, who were looking at her with both amazement and concern.

"Twilight," Rarity said, "Since when did you lean how to play the harp? Why, you played it as if you had your whole life."

"I-It wasn't me," Twilight said, shaking her head, "The moment I played the melody, it felt as if the harp sort of took over. Next thing I know, I had a vision that showed me the exact stone that Luna said she saw when she played the melody." She then looked to Luna, who was a little more than surprised to hear this. "I think we're supposed to find it."

"Alright, so we have ta find this rock," Applejack said, stepping forward. "So where is it?"

Twilight looked to Applejack, then became slightly sullen as she looked to the ground. "The stone sits somewhere deep in the uncharted parts of the EverFree Forest." She was answered with gasps of surprise, but Twilight partially ignored it as she perked up, as if remembering something. She looked back to Luna. "Princess Luna, you don't think...?"

"I do," Luna answered without missing a beat as she nodded. "The dark forest that bordered the heavenly kingdom. The one area as mysterious as it is dangerous. Perhaps that very forest never really disappeared, and we simply know it as the EverFree today." She then got up and began to pace, looking to the ground in thought. "But whether this is just coincidence or not, the EverFree would be a perfect place for anything to remain hidden and undisturbed for so long."

She stopped pacing, then faced the others with a stern look. "Then it is decided. The EverFree is where you all need to go." Using her magic, she levitated something from underneath her cloak, which was revealed to be a small saddlebag. She levitated it towards Twilight, fixing it to her, then picked up the Harp from the ground, tucking it away in the right side pouch. "Never part with this Harp, for whatever reasons. Do you understand, Twilight?" As she asked, she stared at Twilight with the most serious expression she's ever seen her in.

"Don't worry, Princess," Twilight answered, trying to be as serious and sincere as she could express, "I will protect it."

Luna nodded, then turned to make her way back, not even bothering to shut the stone doors. She then looked back to the others, and motioned with her wing to follow. The six ponies answered promptly, and before they knew it they were galloping back towards the treasury.

"I must warn you all now," Luna said, gaining the attention of the others, "While the EverFree Forest is where you must go, you must do so with the utmost caution. One of Zant's Pillars of Shadow now rests within it, no doubt that it's dark magic having an adverse effect on the already dangerous beasts that dwell there." She looked to the others, concern on her face. "Please, avoid going anywhere near the spire at all costs, if you can."

"Don't worry, Princess," Twilight said, "Up until we actually find it, from what I saw in my vision the hidden path that leads to this mysterious stone winds through a part of the EverFree Forest that doesn't seem to get too close or even pass wherever the Spire's built." She looked to the princess, a bit of confidence in her demeanor. "We'll all keep each other safe after that, I promise."

Luna's worried expression melted into a softer one as she smiled, trusting her friend's word. She then looked forward, and soon everyone came to a stop as they found themselves back at the main atrium of the Treasury, and the large safe door. Luna quickly worked her magic as she unlocked it, and tumblers could be heard as the last lock gave way and the door swung open again. The six ponies and one princess then quickly made their way out, the large metal door swinging and slamming shut with an audible bang, before they exited the lobby and made their way back into the many halls that consisted of the palace.

"Quickly, this way," Luna ordered, moving to the right end of the hallway, "There is a secret stairway that will take you under the palace and out of Canterlot. If we hurry, we might be able to evade-"

"Well, well, well," someone said, cutting off Princess Luna, "Look who we have here. Six fugitives and one traitor!" Everyone froze when they all recognized who's voice it was, but the revelation struck Twilight harder than anyone. Luna was already facing their interceptor, but Twilight and her friends had to turn around slowly to face her.

Standing in front of them from the left side of the long hallway was Queen Chrysalis, the tall, black insectoid alicorn-esque Changeling queen whom Twilight and the others once defeated in the past. Despite the long passage of time since then, Chrysalis's piercing green eyes, vile tongue, and gnarled horn still brought up old, feared memories of their last confrontation, all of which were mixing with the fears of the present that they were all experiencing within her sudden presence.

"Leaving so soon?" Chrysalis said sarcastically and smugly, with an expression to match, "And 'his Majesty' and myself were so looking forward to your oh so special day."

"Oh, oh!" Pinkie interjected, as if she went completely numb to all the fear she had just moments ago. "Is it a birthday? Who's birthday is it? I don't know any birthdays that are today."

What smug look Chrysalis had quickly went flat in disbelief as she looked at Pinkie before she turned back to the group as a whole and went back to her previous menacing demeanor.

"Quite the contrary," she answered as a fanged grin grew on her face, "After today, the six of you won't have any more birthday parties. EVER." She paused, Pinkie gasping at the prospect of no more birthdays for any of them, while the others gasped simply because they understood Chrysalis's guised threat. "For you see, today's the day 'King' Zant has decided to hold your public execution!"

Twilight's blood went cold as Chrysalis's words rang in her head, her jaw dropping with nausea quickly following. Scenarios suddenly went through her mind where Luna hadn't come to rescue them when she did. She thought of Chrysalis and several of her Changeling minions coming down the long hallway, herding them out of their cell and down the long hallways towards their demise. She thought of what if she and the others tried to escape while their mana was suppressed, the scenario not going well at all and only making their doom all the more discouraging. Her thoughts then reluctantly drifted to what could be their final sights, seeing the crowd of surprised and horrified faces of ponies that were also forcefully herded to the center of Canterlot to observe the event. Some were crying, turning to friends or loved ones for comfort; others turned their heads and looked away, and some were lost in their daze as the unimaginable and the utter cruelty that was unfurling right in front of them. Unbeknownst to her, the others minus Princess Luna were also experiencing the same heart-stopping, sickening sensation as the Changeling queen's words echoed through them, and not even Pinkie's high optimism stood a chance. They were eventually brought back when Luna stomped her hoof hard on the marble floor, fracturing it slightly from the impact.

"You shall not lay a claw or hoof on them, you fiend!" Luna shouted, nearly using the royal Canterlot voice, as she stepped forward and outstretched her wings, shielding Twilight and the others, while taking an offensive stance.

Chrysalis simply chuckled under her breath at Luna, nearly breaking out into a cackle. "Aww, does wittle Wuna wanna play?" She also took an offensive stance as she grinned evilly. "Are you sure you're up for it? You're magic must be so weak with the veil of twilight hanging over you."

Luna remained steel-faced at Chrysalis's taunts, turning to Twilight with more seriousness that she's ever seen on her once gentle face. "Twilight, you and the others must flee. I know you know the way out of the palace from your vision. Escape from Canterlot and find a way to save Equestria."

"Wh-What?" Twilight said, stunned by both Luna's sudden command and the fact she knew a little of her vision. She shook her head in protest, ignoring the tears that have started to develop around the base of her eyes. "No! We can't just leave you! I can't just leave you!"

"I said go!" Luna said, raising her voice, not even trying to argue or reason with Twilight.

"But-"

"WE COMMAND YOU TO FLEE!" Luna shouted in the royal Canterlot voice, sending shivers through Twilight and the others. Despite the loud command, Twilight -as well as Applejack and the others- were ready to argue once more, but stopped when they saw that Luna's steel-hard stern expression drastically shifted to one that read of near desperate pleading. With the message clearly received, Twilight and the others hesitated as conflicting thoughts ran through their minds. They all wanted to stay and aid Luna, their rescuer, princess, and above all their dear friend. But they all knew that to stay would only lead to their recapture, making all of Luna's efforts up until now be all for naught.

With as much mental and emotional strength she could muster, Twilight nodded as the tears began to flow freely from her eyes. "We'll come back for you! That's a Pinkie Promise!" And with that, she quickly turned and dashed down the right-sided hallway, the others right on her tail.

"Stop!" Chrysalis shouted. She began to dash for them, but was quickly cut off by Luna. She scowled before she charged her magic, Luna doing the same, and soon both began to clash. As Twilight and the others made their mad dash to the secret tunnel out of Canterlot, the large battle between the Princess of the Night and the Changeling Queen behind them could be heard as it echoed down the hall. Twilight fought to keep her gaze forward, trying to ignore her inner pleads to turn back and help, all while she both cursed herself for being so useless and prayed with all her heart that Luna would be alive and safe when she and her friends return to rescue everypony.


Author's Notes: So, can you guess what the Ballad of the Sheikah is? Well, I'm just going to tell you. It's the melody that plays in OoT when you encounter Sheik, before you learn the warp song(s). His "theme song", if you will.

Alright, the Mane Six are free, but now Luna's been exposed! Possibly Captured?! What other melodies will Twilight and her friends find on their journey?! Can they make it through the EverFree Forest safely?! Will they be able to find the Ancient Grow and find the Blade of Evil's Bane?! And all the feels! CAN YOU FEEL THE FEELS? Are you reading all of this in a dramatic tone?!

Answers will be told...next time!

As always, please review at your leisure.