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Sunday, June 23, Location Unknown, Equestria, Night
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The doors to the dimly lit and shadowed chapel opened. From the outside walking in, was Daring Do. She seemed nervous, her slow uneasy steps being the biggest indicator. She looked around for someone that she knew would be in here. Her right wing was no longer bandaged, as both of her wings were flared out in her state of caution and alarm.
She then heard the voice of rustling cloth, as if the pony inside, whom she knew would be wearing a cloak, shifted his body to turn towards her direction. Sure enough, from the shadows, the dark-cloaked alicorn came about five feet in front of Daring Do. Daring Do looked at the pony with contempt in her eyes.
“Daring Do,” he spoke, in a calm, smooth voice, “welcome back. I trust that the mission was a success?”
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Daring Do slunk out of the exit of the crystal palace, hoping that Shark would not catch her as he went for a solitary walk. She could rest assured in the fact that, as a loner, Shark would not try and bother anyone unless they bothered him, which she wouldn't do in her right mind. As he walked south, Daring Do began to walk up north, Shark being completely unaware of her presence.
Suddenly, she noticed Rainbow Dash flying down and up to Shark. With her being more friendly in nature, Rainbow Dash would more than likely pester her if she caught Daring Do. Using as much speed as her legs could muster, Daring Do hid behind one of the legs of the palace. Daring Do panted heavily for a spell, calming down soon after to avoid her breathing being heard by either Shark or Rainbow Dash. Peering around the side, she watched them talk until they left.
“Because I’m your friend, Shark,” she argued with him. “I really like you. I like spending time with you. Plus, once we save the empire, you’ll go home... and then I’ll never see you again.”
There was a pause as Shark searched for an answer. To Daring Do, the wait felt like agony.
“Keep up,” spoke Shark, walking south again.
Daring Do sighed in relief as she watched the human and pegasus walk out of sight, completely oblivious to the treachery she was about to commit.
Daring Do reached at her bandaged wing and unwrapped the cloth keeping it immobile. Once the cloth was off, she shot her unharmed wing out, stretching it out to reduce the stiffness. When she felt like her cover was safe, she shot up into the air, flying towards the top of the palace.
Upon landing at the top room, she found the Crystal Heart floating above the design on the floor. She looked at it with wonder and awe, knowing that she was the first creature to lay eyes on it in over a thousand years.
“And to think,” spoke Daring Do, “a pegasus could find this thing by merely passing by.”
She then reached into a pocket on her shirt, pulling out a folded piece of paper that was browned with age. Upon unfolding the paper, it had a description of where the Crystal Heart was and its powers. One side of the page was frayed slightly, as if it had been torn straight from a book.
“Sorry, Twilight,” she said, placing the paper back into her pocket, “but I can't let my mission fail.”
Daring Do then reached behind her and pulled out a teal, crystal heart that looked exactly like the one she was staring at. She began to spread her legs out into a lunge, ready to make a switch. Daring Do, pulsing down a couple of times, then galloped to the design, leaping into the air just before her hooves could touch the design. At the same time, she grabbed the Crystal Heart with her right hoof while her left hoof dropped the counterfeit. The fake heart floated in the air all the same, while the real Crystal Heart was safe in Daring Do's hooves as she landed on the other side of the design.
“Now, I just got to get this back to Stargazer,” she whispered to herself, “and then I'll be done.”
Placing the Heart into her shirt, she stood and waited until it got late and the rest of the ponies would be in bed.
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Daring Do pulled out the Crystal Heart from her shirt and placed it on the floor in between her and the alicorn. The cloaked pony walked up to the gem and placed his horn on it. He began to chuckle, giving Daring Do some comfort that her mission was successful.
“Nothing less of the brave and cunning Daring Do,” he spoke.
“I still don't understand,” she replied. “Why couldn't you use the crystal heart that you made and leave the real Heart with the Crystal Empire.”
“It's simple,” he responded. “The heart that I made was used with a crystal mined in Saddle Arabia. You do know what magical albedo is, right?”
“Yes. It's how well an object can absorb and exert magic.”
“Very good. You see, Saddle Arabian crystals have high magical albedos, meaning that they can absorb large amounts of magic and exert it just as quickly. With my own magic stored in the faux-heart, that heart can function just like the Crystal Heart for a year or two, give or take, before it loses all its power.
“The Crystal Heart, the one that we have, is made from Crystal Empire crystals, which normally have very low albedos. However, the magic of the Crystal Empire allows their crystals' magic absorbing abilities to increase, while its exertion of magic is much less. The magic stored in the Crystal Heart can power that empire for another 1000 years, maybe more. The high levels of magic in this Crystal Heart is exactly what I need to execute my plan.”
“Well,” spoke Daring Do, “good for you. Now that the Heart is yours, I'm out.”
As she began to walk to the open exit of the chapel, the doors slammed shut on their own. Daring Do, now fearing for herself, tried to push and pry the doors back open, but to no avail.
“And just where do you think you're going?” asked the alicorn, slowly walking to Daring Do.
“I did what you asked me to!” she yelled, slipping into a seated position on the floor. “I'm going to go and live my life now.”
Daring Do soon felt an force constrict around her neck and pull her to her hooves, the force being a green aura that shared the one that was on the alicorn's horn.
“I don't think you understand,” he said, before setting her on all four hooves. “I was the one who gave you life after I summoned you from your story. You are mine to command now as I please. After all,” he said, tapping at her right wing with his hoof, “I was the one who also fixed up that wing of yours. But, if you really want to terminate your service to me...”
A green aura wrapped around both the alicorn's horn and Daring Do's right wing. The base of the wing twisted and bent forwards with several cracks and crunches echoing through the walls of the chapel. Daring Do yelped in agony, forced into crouching from the unbearable pain, tears forming in her eyes. Another green aura wrapped around Daring Do's left shoulder before the arm popped out of her socket, dislocating it and issuing more screams from the pegasus.
“...I will just terminate your existence!” he finished.
Daring Do slumped to her right side, falling on her mangled wing. She hollered in pain once again as tears cascaded from her eyes and onto the floors. The alicorn stood above her, and charged his horn again. The aura began to wrap around Daring Do's neck.
“OKAY!” she wailed. “I'll do it! I'll do it!”
“Hmhmhm,” chuckled the alicorn. “A wise choice.”
Green auras covered Daring Do's broken wing and dislocated shoulder before the shoulder slid back into Daring Do's arm and her wing was bent and folded back to normal. The pain was gone from Daring Do, allowing her to stand back up on her fours and give her mended wing a flap.
“Now,” spoke the hooded fiend, “you will need your own deck. Is there one that fancies you?”
Daring Do was finding it hard to stand him, yet alone giving a reason for herself to answer to him, but she knew she couldn't allow him to try and “persuade” her again. She pulled the card that Trey had given her from her breast pocket and gave it to him.
“Chronomalys?” he spoke. “A very fitting choice for someone of your profession.”
“A friend recommended them to me.”
“They must have good tastes. I just have to ask, Daring Do, I won't need to persuade you again, will I?”
“No,” she flatly said, bowing in submission. “I am yours to command, Stargazer.”
“Good. Now come. We shall witness the birth of our plan.”
Stargazer, using his magic, took the Crystal Heart with him to the alter near the back of the chapel with Daring Do following him. Coming from the shadows at the back of the chapel and gathering around the alter were five ponies all cloaked like Stargazer. Two were pegasi, their wings revealed at their sides coming out the sides of their cloaks. One was a unicorn, its horn holding up the top of the cloak's hood. Two, however, were earth ponies, who had no wings or a horn of their own. Daring Do stood at Stargazer's side as he stopped, waiting to see what he would do.
Stargazer placed the Crystal Heart upon the alter. With another charge of his horn, his horn grew from green to a purplish black. He shot his black aura at the Crystal Heart, rendering its teal luster to a dark, glowing black. Stargazer began to laugh, getting louder and louder as the Crystal Heart suddenly split into seven pieces from the center and began to evaporate, each fragment turning into a card.