章節 18: BNS Chapter 18 - The Tree of Harmony
Running along the streets of Ponyville with Rarity towards Twilight Castle, Alan kept pondering what could have happened to the map, that his cutie mark had lit up, but not finding any logical and sane explanation, he decided to postpone this question until he arrived at the castle, and find out everything on location.
Five minutes later, they arrived at the castle, where they were met by the purple dragon Spike.
— Oh, Alan! You're just in time! Twilight just sent me for you, glad I didn't have to go anywhere.
Alan just shook his head with a smile and said.
— I'm glad for you, buddy.
Rarity looked at Spike and asked excitedly.
— Spike, Twilight sent you because the map is working again, right?
— Oh, right! Come on, she's waiting for me with Alan.
And at a fast pace, the dragon led Alan and Rarity towards the throne room. When they arrived, Twilight and Starlight could be seen discussing something with each other.
— Twilight, I brought him!
Spike reported, drawing the attention of the mares.
— Oh, Spike, that was quick. Great, Alan, you...
Before she had time to say something to him, she noticed that his croup, or rather his cutie mark, emitted a constant light, which surprised Twilight a little and caused a slight smile on Starlight's face.
Twilight spoke with some skepticism and interest.
— I told you that I saw this cutie mark on Alan's rump. I still don't understand how you didn't pay attention to this when you communicated with him, after all, his cutie mark is very unusual.
Rarity and Spike nodded their heads in agreement with her. But Twilight just smiled shyly and answered.
— I guess I was too carried away with communication with him that I simply ignored everything else. And besides, I was very tired then. And yes, one of the elements of his cutie mark raises a lot of questions in me, so I hope to talk to you about it Alan later, I hope you don't mind.
Alan nodded, as he already guessed which element she recognized.
Taking a deep breath in and out, Twilight gathered her thoughts and continued.
— Anyway, it's not that important right now. We have a much more pressing problem - the Map!
Saying so, she pointed her hoof in the direction of her magic map, which depicted the whole of Equestria, but a little darkened and discolored, as if it was now in the background. And apparently that was how it was, as the image of Alan's cutie mark hovered above the map, in full color and lighting.
Looking at this, Alan finally got confirmation that it was really map related. Moving his gaze to Twilight, he asked.
— So this is the very map you talked about? Why is my cutie mark on it?
Twilight and Starlight exchanged glances, and returning their attention to Alan, Twilight responded.
— The fact of the matter is that we do not know. Since yesterday, after I touched the map, the very spark that passed from you to me reappeared and went into the map, after which it again began to show signs of work.
Everyone looked at Alan, causing him a slight embarrassment, but were distracted by Twilight, who continued the story.
— But this is not the end, because right after that, an image of an hourglass appeared on it, as if showing that it was necessary to wait. We weren't sure what would happen when the wait was over, but today, when the sand in the clock completely poured down, the map emitted a small magic wave, and Equestria was displayed on the map, with your cutie mark above it. And it has been there for at least half an hour, and the map itself does not react to anything.
At that moment Starlight spoke up.
— We think it is waiting for something. But when I looked closely and recognized your cutie mark, I realized that the map was not waiting for something, but for someone. So Twilight sent Spike after you, and here you are... And you seem to have no idea what to do with it...
— Wait, you, one of the smartest ponies in Equestria, don't know what to do with the map, but you think that Alan should know?
Incomprehensibly asked Rarity, to which Twilight and Starlight looked away, slightly embarrassed.
— Well, he proved to be a very smart pony, and also showed that magic is quite familiar to him, so…
Twilight tried to make excuses while the others were very thoughtful. Here, Spike intervened in the conversation.
— Um, I'm certainly not an expert on this magical voodoo-shmoodoo of yours. But doesn't Alan need to do the same thing that Twilight did? Well, like, just touch the map... and... boom, the magic happened! No?
Twilight lifted her hoof to respond, then stopped immediately, pondering something. And immediately, her face brightened and she said.
— It actually might work, great thought Spike!
Smiling, the dragon folded his arms and answered.
— Pfft. You're always missing out on obvious solutions, as usual. What would you do without me.
Smiling, Twilight enveloped Alan in magic, and impatiently brought him straight to the map, stunning him with such a sudden change of location.
Looking at Twilight, he asked.
— So, I just need to touch this map table, right?
— That's the whole idea.
The purple unicorn responded enthusiastically, looking at Alan and the map with deep interest and slight tension.
Shrugging his shoulders, Alan turned his gaze to the map, and carefully put his hoof on it. And as soon as this happened, a light magical haze came out of the map, which connected with Alan's chest, after which his cutie mark gradually stopped glowing, returning to its normal state.
All this time, the three mares and the dragon looked at it with wonder and curiosity, trying to understand what was happening. Of course, the main character of this action wanted to understand what was happening more than anyone else, since it was with him that magic shenanigans, incomprehensible to him, were happening.
Not that Alan was worried, after all, the tree of harmony with which the map was connected should not harm anyone. Well, maybe the evil creatures, which Alan was not. At least he hoped the tree would not consider him so.
Finally, after ten seconds of such a connection, which Alan perceived as nothing more than a scan or inspection, the haze returned back to the map, and for several seconds, nothing happened, which made everyone present nervous. Especially Twilight, who looked at the map in panic and literally gnawed at her hoof like nails. The frustrated dragon that was expecting something spectacular said.
— Wait, is that all? I was expecting something... Well, I don't know... Bright?
— Spike! This is a complex magical artifact, not a light show or fireworks!
Twilight spoke nervously, as Starlight soothed her in every possible way.
— Pfft, nothing prevents this from being both.
The dragon replied, crossing his arms and looking away. Then Rarity entered the conversation.
— Spikey-Wikey, darling. I don't think it works like that...
But before she could finish, a powerful magical impulse escaped from the map, which went through the entire castle, going beyond its walls, and also passing along Ponyville, up to Everfree Forest and even further.
Staring with open mouth at this sparkling performance, Rarity spoke.
— Or... it definitely "can" work that way.
— I said it can be both.
The dragon replied with a smug grin. Twilight and Starlight just rolled their eyes with a smile, and returned their attention to Alan, who was still enveloped in such strong magic that he even hovered a little above the ground, and on his face you could see closed eyes and a little tension, which caused concern for Twilight and Starlight.
After a couple of seconds, the flow of magic began to dry up, and Alan again touched the hard surface, staggering slightly before standing up straight. His expression returned to normal, but inside, his thoughts flew wildly.
«Damn it, what the fuck was that! My magic reserve began to abruptly fill with magic, and having reached the limit, it was almost destroyed. It is good that wearing the bracelets helped me to improve my magical flexibility and control, so I was able to successfully control and contain most of the process, and my reserve increased significantly. Feels like it has grown five times for sure. Hell, that was really dangerous. The tree of harmony does not stand on ceremony when it wants to do something, does it? There is only one question left - why? I don't have a fucking horn, and my magic is limited only by what a bracelet or even an artificial horn can produce, which can channel more energy through itself than a bracelet, but still rests against the limit of the crystal that is used there. Looks like Maud and I will have to speed up the search for the best crystal to upgrade.»
It was at this moment, to the surprise of the others, Alana's cutie mark began to blink, and it's image began to move around the map, and stopped in a certain part of the Everfree forest. Seeing this, Starlight spoke slowly.
— This is…
— Location of the tree of harmony ...
Twilight finished speaking. They both looked at Alan, who was looking at it confused, and then asked.
— I assume the map wants me to go there?
— Yes, this usually happens when the map wants one of us to solve the problem of friendship. But I don't understand why it calls you to the tree of harmony.
Twilight said, receiving nods from the others. Returning his gaze to the map, Alan said.
— Well, I guess there's only one way to find out.
Rarity was torn between going back to her boutique and going with Alan to the tree of harmony and capturing what was happening, but it would definitely take a lot of time, and she had already been away for too long. Gathering all her courage in her hooves, she said.
— I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you, as I still have things to do in my boutique, but! You just have to tell everything when you get back, and Alan ... Don't forget about our agreement.
With a charming look and a smile, the mare said, looking straight into his eyes. Realizing what she was talking about, he answered without hesitation.
— I definitely cannot forget about this.
Satisfied with his answer, Rarity said goodbye to her friends and ran away on her own business. After examining the rest, Twilight said.
— So, here's how I propose to proceed. I'll stay here to watch for changes in the map, while Starlight will guide Alan to the tree of harmony and make sure he doesn't get hurt along the way. When you're done, I want Starlight to send a magical signal into the air when it's over. Spike will be watching the forest from the balcony through binoculars from the castle, and if he sees a signal, he will inform me to make sure nothing else has happened to the map. Any objections?
— Sounds like a plan.
Alan said, to which Starlight replied.
— Yes, I think this is the best solution in this situation.
Then she looked at Alan and said.
— Well, are you ready to go?
— Yeah, lead me to victory, my fearless partner!
Giggling at her hoof, Starlight shook her head, hinting to follow her, and headed for the exit from the castle. Waving Twilight with Spike, Alan quickly caught up with Starlight, leaving the castle.
Watching them go, Twilight couldn't help but smile, then turning her gaze to Spike, she said.
— Spike, in twenty minutes you should be in position, if there are no problems, then by that time, they will have to arrive at the tree of harmony, and I will look at the map and write down all the changes that have occurred in it.
— Got it!
Having saluted, the dragon ran to look for binoculars to get into position with him. Twilight took out a notebook and sat down in her chair, intently studying the map.
— I hope that these changes will not lead to anything bad...
* * * * * * * * * *
After about 8 minutes' walk, Starlight and Alan entered Everfree Forest. Examining the surroundings, Alan could not help but notice.
— Wow, just like an ordinary forest near my house.
— Did you live next to a similar forest?
Starlight asked, looking skeptical at Alan. Straining a little, and cursing his long tongue, Alan quickly pulled himself together and decided to answer with a good old mixture of truth and fiction.
— Well, when I was still a foal, my parents had a house on the outskirts of a small town, which also bordered on a vast forest. It was quite a wilderness, and various animals could often be found there. Although, of course, I did not go deep. Since my parents warned me that dangerous predators are found further, but ...
— Let me guess, did you go there anyway?
Starlight asked with a grin, to which Alan replied with the same grin.
— Ha, of course.
— Ideally, I should say that this is very irresponsible and all, but... How was it? Did you find anything interesting?
— He-he, definitely! Besides the fact that I saw small black bears a couple of times, which, to my luck, were very shy, one day, I stumbled upon an old abandoned wooden house.
— Ooo, and what was there?
Starlight clearly loved such things that smack of danger, and therefore, her curiosity only increased, plus it brightened up a walk through the current dangerous forest.
— Well, going inside, I found many creepy pictures, each of which depicted the same black dog.
— Sounds very strange...
Alan just grinned at the mare's remark, and asked with a mysterious smile.
— But do you know what is most interesting?
— What?
The mare asked with even greater interest that she was already fully imbued with the atmosphere. And therefore, in a wary and slightly tense voice, Alan continued.
— I would swear that every time I looked at one of these pictures, I heard the soft grinding of dog's paws on the floor. As if the same dog was watching me so that I did not touch anything. Fortunately, I was smart enough not to touch anything, and quickly get out of there.
Having listened to his story, Starlight, at first stared into nowhere for a while, with empty, rounded eyes, and then finally answered.
— Brr... What a horror. Do you think it really was a kind of dog spirit that was in the spiritual magical plane?
With a chuckle inside himself, Alan answered.
— Who knows. I never went back there to find out. Maybe it's true, or maybe it was just my childhood imagination. But exactly this ignorance makes this story so mysterious and unusual, right?
Starlight thought for a moment, but then nodded and smiled slightly as she looked at Alan next to her. She is once again convinced how much they are close in spirit, and she again involuntarily remembered Maud's words about taking a risk and getting to know him a little better and closer.
«Maybe that's what I'll do.»
With a slight smile, Starlight thought, still looking at Alan, who was looking around with interest, as they finally reached the bridge leading to the sisters' castle, but they did not need to cross it, as they had to go down into the ravine. Fortunately, Starlight knew the place where the stairs were located.
After going downstairs, they headed towards the cave, from which, even at a distance, a faint glow could be seen. Even Alan could sense the magic in the air around this place.
Standing in front of the cave entrance, Starlight spoke solemnly.
— We are in place. Well, are you ready to see... THE GREAT TREE OF HARMONY!?
— Where does so much pathos come from?
Starlight only scratched the back of her head in embarrassment and answered with a smile.
— I just always wanted to say something like that, revealing something amazing to someone.
— I understand, well then ... Whatever this cave is preparing for me, I'm ready!
— Hmm... A little unnatural, but it will do.
Rolling his eyes, Alan smiled and went with Starlight into the cave. Inside there was a fairly wide tunnel, and after walking only 15 meters, they entered a vast cave formation, in the center of which stood an imposing tree, literally consisting of an unknown kind of crystal. The tree itself radiated a glow, and created a slight impression of something with the mind.
Starlight looked with a smile at the amazed Alan, who was examining with curiosity every crystal branch and the holes in which the elements of harmony were located. Inside, he felt some strange feeling, forcing him to come closer, and as soon as he took a few steps to the tree, in his head, the image of a sky blue pony with a fluttering light purple mane emitting neon light appeared, as if it consisted of energy... She did not have any specific look, but rather the base of a pony mare, which had only a mouth. She very much reminded him of "Anodite", the race of aliens from the animated series "Ben 10", but only in a different color, and in the guise of a pony.
«What the, who is this?»
Alan did not understand why this image appeared in his head, but after a couple of moments, it dawned on him.
«Is this an image of the tree of harmony? Is it... Or rather, is she... Trying to contact me?»
As if hearing his thoughts, this pony smiled, and her smile was so otherworldly and charming that Alan was even a little embarrassed, being charmed by this extraordinary mare.
Coming out of the stupor, he tried to turn to Starlight, but to his surprise, she was nowhere to be found, and the whole space around was a little foggy, and floated, as if he was in a dream. Moving his gaze back to the white pony, he noticed that she nodded to him, inviting him to come closer.
Seeing nothing wrong with this, he cautiously approached her, and when he was only a meter away from her, she smiled at him again, and a small wave of magic went through her body, which rushed to her head, where all this energy began to take shape of horn, with small outgrowths, like a tree branch.
Alan watched all this in amazement, and missed the moment when she moved, and put her horn to his forehead, being face to face with him, still retaining her unearthly smile.
Closing her eyes, she penetrated her magic into his head, showing him certain images that made his eyes wide with shock. After all, these were possible scenarios of the future, or, so to speak, predictions.
In many of them, very bad things happened, in some visions the main six friends were able to prevent disasters, and in some they lost. In all these visions, Alan could feel the emotions of this magical mare. These were emotions such as worry and anxiety. And all these visions had one thing in common, they were all without him. And so, when he finally saw one single vision with his participation, in which everything was fine, and he was finally able to feel other emotions from this mystical mare, such as hope, interest, and joy.
She removed her horn from his head and Alan was finally able to ask a question.
— Is this... your way of communicating?
The pony nodded to him, smiling sweetly. After receiving confirmation, Alan asked the following question.
— Then, these visions... Are these possible variations of the future?
She nodded again, but this time without a smile, and with some sadness on her face. Seeing this, Alan asked the next question that came to his mind.
— Were there always so many options for events?
This time, the pony shook her head in denial, depicting some complex and inexpressible emotions. After thinking, Alan wanted to say something, but.
— You…
But realizing something, he asked not what he wanted.
— Listen, do you have a name? It's a little awkward to just call you "you".
This question brought the mare out of her difficult thoughts, arousing her interest. She shook her head in amazement, as if she had never thought about it before. This made Alan smile and he said.
— Then, do you mind if I give you a name?
The mare tilted her head to the side, with a questioning expression on her face. But she nodded her head anyway. After examining her again, under the uncomprehending gaze of the mare, he said.
— Then... In my opinion, you are like a magical and mysterious dryad, and among other things, you are as beautiful as a forest nymph. So, what do you say about the name - Dryana?
The mare blinked a little thoughtfully with her eyes glowing with white light, and nodded with a bright smile, clearly pleased with this name.
Alan said with a smile as well.
— Do you like it? Then it's settled! From now on, your name is Dryana! Well, or at least I'll call you that. Whether you will use this name to communicate with others is up to you.
Having received a nod from her, Alan returned to the previous topic.
— Then, Dryana, regarding these visions. If they were not there before, then something unusual happened that rejected the course of history, right? Am I the reason for this?
He asked the question, with a difficult expression on his face, since he did not want to be the cause of possible problems. But when Alan saw her shaking her head negatively, he calmed down a bit.
Dryana touched his forehead with the horn again, and showed a vision in which she used magic to create a seed, which she sent with the help of magic to an unknown place. And then, he saw an image of a tree that was exactly the same as the one he saw in the park in front of the bench, a minute before he was transported to Equestria.
Finally realizing what's what, he asked.
— So, it's because of you that I ended up in this world?
Not knowing what emotions to display, joy or sadness, Dryana simply nodded, with a complex expression on her face. Seeing this, Alan sighed heavily, but still smiled and said.
— Cmon now, don't worry. To be honest, yes, at first I was a little worried about leaving my past life, but fortunately, my sister is already old enough, and has a good job, and my family received a lot of money from me, so I'm sure that despite the fact that I am not with them, they will be completely fine. In addition, I made new connections here, which now I cannot refuse. So I'm quite happy and you shouldn't be sad.
Having said this, Alan could see that Dryana was feeling better and she smiled warmly. Then, Alan finally asked the main question.
— Then, in short. Due to an unknown anomaly, you are not entirely sure about the future, and therefore, you tried to find someone not from here who could help. It just so happened that that someone turned out to be me, and now, you want me to help your chosen guardians of the elements to cope with all the problems that come their way, right?
Smiling and jumping happily from the fact that Alan understood everything, Dryana nodded and pointed in the direction of the tree itself, or her current vessel.
— Do you want me to go to the tree?
The mare nodded, and soaring above the ground, flew towards the tree, and flew into it like a ghost. It was at this moment that Alan heard Starlight's voice.
— Alan, what's wrong with you, are you okay?
Starlight swung her hoof in front of Alan, who was staring blankly at nothing. Shaking his head, Alan looked around and fixed his gaze on the mare.
— What happened?
Looking at him oddly, Starlight answered.
— Well, you stood for a few seconds and looked at the tree without answering or reacting to me, so I got a little nervous and decided to take you out of your strange reverie. Are you all right?
Looking around in search of Dryana, Alan saw nothing. Returning his gaze to the Tree of Harmony, he responded.
— Just now, I spoke with Dryana.
— With whom?
— With the Tree of Harmony.
At these words, the mare's eyes widened in shock, since Twilight had never said anything like that before. Without waiting for her answer, Alan went straight to the Tree of Harmony, standing right in front of it. Looking at its trunk, he thought a little, and gently touched it with his hoof, and at that very moment, the tree began to shine brightly, which brought Starlight out of the stupor, which immediately ran to Alan to find out what was happening. And not in vain, because at that very moment, a strange crystal sprout with a bud grew out of the ground right in front of Alan, which emitted a light magic flash before opening.
As soon as Alan saw what was inside, his eyes opened in surprise, and a joyful smile appeared on his face. Starlight's face was equally surprised as she understood what it was.
In the bud, there were a large number of clear crystals of the purest quality, and they emitted a faint glow, clearly showing their predisposition to magic. Using the magic of the bracelets, Alan moved them into the bag, and looking with a smile at the tree, said.
— Thank you, Dryana. You're the best.
And as if answering his words, the tree gave off a playful glow, and a small beam of magic separated from it, and flew up to Alan, touched his cheek and disappeared. Seeing this, Starlight's jaw literally dropped open, not expecting anything like that. She could only guess how Twilight would react to this when she found out about it.
— Come on, Starlight. We still need to signal Twilight.
Having said this, Alan went to the exit of the cave, and Starlight, amazed by the new discoveries, with a difficult face followed this stallion that never ceases to amaze her.
Already at the exit, Alan shouted towards the tree.
— Bye, Dryana! I will visit you from time to time!
Having said so, with a smile full of anticipation, Alan left the cave, thinking to himself.
«Great, with these crystals, I can create the perfect devices for using magic! Get ready Equestrian villains, cuz I'm in business now, bitches!»
* * * * * * * * * *
Author's Note:
A new chapter in a series of "almost daily" publications. I will try to catch the new chapter by tomorrow, but not the fact that I will be in time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.
- - - - -
If you want to support me as an author, or get access to 4 new chapters a little earlier than others, then you can subscribe to my Boosty (russian analogue of Раtrеоn) and read it right now.
My Boosty profile link: (site name) dot (to) /silentdudestory
Or you can just find the link in my Webnovell profile, or in the fanfic description.
創作者的想法 
Silent_Dude
Silent_Dude New character, new plot, NEW CHAPTER!
Hope you like it.
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票