Interdimensional Craft

[twilightpony]

I dreamed about the Tree of Harmony last night. I dreamed I was in the Everfree Forest and I was gazing down into a crevasse. Then I was at the bottom of the crevasse which is the alcove where the Tree of Harmony has stood for I don't know how many thousands of years. It began to move. I turned to run, and as I reached the stairway, I looked back to see it floating up after me. I ran in a panic through the bushes and brambles to the Friendship Castle and in the front door. The Tree of Harmony rose up, right there, springing upright from the hallway floor and blew me and Spike and all my books out the door. Then a giant crack appeared in the sky and the Treecastle slid sideways into the crack and vanished.

I woke up, soaking wet with sweat.

Addendum: This journal entry was written on the 1 year anniversary of its inception!

Comments

[flareblitzfury]

Whoa, very freaky.

[twilightpony]

I know! I must have eaten some moldy hay. Or silage gone bad. Sometimes it's hard to tell if the food's gone bad after Spike has spiced it up.

[flareblitzfury]

Yeah, hopefully you won't have anymore dreams like that!

Also! Yay! 1 year!

[algernon97]

This is probably bad.

You should check on the tree.

[twilightpony]

That's probably a good idea, but I don't expect anything to be wrong. The Treecastle here looks fine and I'm sure it and the castle are linked.

[borglord]

I hate to play the amateur psychologist, but this seems to pretty clearly say that you're afraid of the Tree of Harmony. Why do you think that is?

[twilightpony]

Because it looks like a tree made of stone and yet it appears to be managing us ponies like Fluttershy manages her wild fauna?

[borglord]

The wild fauna benefits from the management, does it not? It seems to me that you too benefit from the management.

As I recall, since you restored it, the Tree has been sending you to places where you can promote harmony in major ways. That's what one would expect from what seems to be the incarnation of the concept of harmony. It's also given you the power to defeat Tirek. What it hasn't done is forced you to do anything. Sure, it may send you on dangerous missions, but you'll charge into danger for a good cause all on your own. Sure, it doesn't explain itself, so you don't know what mission you're undertaking when you leave, but that cuts both ways. If its mission didn't align with your values, it's unlikely you would even figure out what it wanted, let alone carry it out. It seems to me that you are only able to interact with the Tree in any meaningful way because you all proved that your goals align with its, and that given the guidance to find situations that need fixing, you would behave roughly as it would behave were it a pony. That would imply it won't ever ask you to do anything you don't want to.

Anyway, I'd say that Celestia can be as inscrutable as the Tree at times, and I know you trust her.

[twilightpony]

Like ponies changing the seasons and the Animal Team helping critters meet their basic needs, the Tree of Harmony seems to know us better than we know ourselves. That is frightening. One of our Map missions, one where the Tree sent me and Fluttershy to restore Friendship between two feuding families, we found critters that were suffering due to the ponies neglecting to steward them. If the Tree abandons us in that way, what would become of Equestria? We can talk to Princess Celestia and the critters can talk to Fluttershy, but so far, nopony can talk to the Tree. Still, you are right and I trust the Tree of Harmony, as much as I can.

[schnee]

Happy anniversary, Twilight!

And apologies for having been a stranger, life is just too hectic.

[twilightpony]

Thank you, Schnee. And take it easy, it's winter! Time to warm your hooves by the fire and relax.