A Heart of Change

by SilentBelle

Chapter 22 - Decision

A Heart of Change – Chapter 22: Decision

By: SilentBelle
Proofread by: Mac349

Sweetie Belle felt an energized tingling flow down her spine as all her senses were assaulted. She could feel her familiar body’s shape, just as she had remembered it. Her curled mane formed a mess just upon the periphery of her sight; she felt her hooves firmly pressed against the singed floor; the sound of her own laughing echoed in her ears; the familiar feeling of magic pooled within her; and she felt two fangs in her mouth.

A sense of dread fell upon her. No! She rebuked her own senses. This isn’t right! I don’t have fangs!

Yet even as she thought those words, the feelings continued. It felt so good to finally be able to move again. After years of being encased in stone, immobilized, something in the world finally felt right. And behind it all, the ever burning anger dwelled.

Scoddri? Sweetie thought. These are your feelings? Your thoughts, aren't they?

There was no acknowledgment to her questions, and then a sudden movement caught her attention. She felt her legs suddenly strain and push shakily against the charred floor. In a moment, she was standing up, and her body still laughed in breathless wheezes.

“Sweetie, are you alright?” Scootaloo’s concerned voice caught her ear.

She felt her mouth moving to respond. No! Sweetie wanted to shout. This is my body, Scoddri! You can’t control it!

Her legs buckled beneath her as her mouth moved, but the words stopped in her throat. She fell back to the floor, landing on her side, knocking what little breath remained in her lungs out of her, and she finally stopped laughing.

“No!” she managed to gasp out. “I am Sweetie Belle, and this is my body!”

As she spoke the words, she felt a tension disappear as though it had never been there to begin with, and her body was once again under her control.

“Sweetie! What happened?” Scootaloo reached down to her, a hoof outstretched in apprehension.

“I got my body back,” Sweetie Belle said, as much to herself as to Scootaloo. With a grunt and an assisting hoof from Scootaloo, she pulled herself up into a standing position. “And I’m never letting go of it again.”

Scootaloo looked at her worriedly. “Seriously though, what happened, Sweetie? Why is your body like that?”

Sweetie Belle raised a hoof up to one of the small protruding fangs and quickly peered over her shoulders at the rest of her body. As far as she could tell, the rest of her was the same as she remembered, right down to just how unkempt her mane had been.

“I-I don’t know why this happened, but I think Scoddri had something to do with it.”

“That’s not all, either.” Scootaloo reached forward with a hoof and tapped at the golden heart-shaped necklace. “Your emerald’s gone, Sweetie.”

Sweetie let out a small gasp and stared at the empty golden socket. “Then I took him with me?” She probed one of her fangs nervously with her tongue. “But is that possible? We’re separate entities. It shouldn’t have happened like this.” Sweetie shook her head. “But it did. That’s why the spell didn’t work as I thought it would. Just as my subconscious remembered what my body was, Scoddri must have remembered his own as well, and that influenced the spell because our magical patterns are the same.”

“And also your eyes.” Scootaloo winced and looked away as she finished speaking the words.

“My eyes?” Sweetie wondered. She quickly scanned the room for a mirror and found one in the corner. It was covered in a slowly dissipating hoarfrost. She approached the mirror and squinted at the visage that met her.

Sweetie let out a small yelp and opened her eyes wide in fright. Looking back at her were two green eyes with slit pupils. Like a dragon’s? she wondered as she felt her breath leave her. Scoddri! What happened? There was a small pause, but no response was heard in her thoughts. Answer me! Damn it!

Sweetie Belle turned back to her friend, and noticed the pegasus’ wings tighten reflexively to her sides. “Yeah, I guess so,” Scootaloo said, not quite meeting her eyes.

From her position by the mirror, Sweetie took in the room around her, not without a small amount of discomfort. Her spell had torn the place apart. At the center of the room was a dark scorch across the crystalline floor, where her ritual had been drawn out. The ceiling above held the same charred marks as well as streams of dusted crystal floating down to the floor, forming a layer of fine sand. Beyond the center, everything had been chilled to the point of frost.

“Well,” Sweetie Belle began as she made her way across the room up to the pair of beds, “at least I made sure the furniture was as far from the center as possible. See? The bed’s only slightly singed.” Sweetie let out a small chuckle but quickly fell silent once she saw a grimace form on Scootaloo’s lips.

“Sweetie,” Scootaloo said firmly, shaking her head. “It’s not funny. These changes... how do we fix them?”

“Fix them?” Sweetie chuckled nervously. “I honestly don’t know, Scoots. But it feels mostly the same, I feel like me. Are two fangs and dragon eyes really that bad?”

“Of course it’s bad!” Scootaloo stamped a hoof. “You look different. What will your sister say when she sees what’s happened? Apple Bloom? Twilight? You can’t just shrug this off as if it’s nothing!”

“Scoots.” Sweetie took a single step away from her friend. “Look. We can search for a way to fix this later. Alright? I’m just glad that I’m not trapped inside that amulet anymore.”

“Later?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Stop avoiding the problem, Sweetie!”

Sweetie took a step away from her friend's outburst and bumped against the mirror behind her. She cast her eyes down. Of course it's unavoidable, she thought in fear as she observed her own hooves and shaking forelegs. Are they really mine? Am I me? What am I? An urge to run built up in her, to run from herself, her new body, and hope that everything would somehow go back to the way it was.

But it can't be the same. Life isn't like that. You can't always just undo what happens. The trembling of her legs became too much for her, and she collapsed in the corner of the room while Scootaloo turned away her head in shame.

“I'm scared, Scoots,” Sweetie admitted in a trembling voice. “I'm scared that I can't go back. That the real me is gone.” Sweetie looked at her friend with blurry eyes. “And I see it now. You can't even meet my eyes. I scare you, Scootaloo. I've become a monster. Haven't I? That's what you see, right? Something that needs to be fixed.”

“No!” Scootaloo shouted from the center of the room and ran to her side. The pegasus' eyes barely held a shimmer of tears at bay. “You're my best friend, Sweetie.” Scootaloo drew Sweetie into a tight hug. “You're not a monster to me,” Scootaloo whispered. “You will never be a monster to me. You can always be sure of that. Always. And I'm sorry.”

“Sorry?” Sweetie raised her head and pushed out of the embrace a bit to see her friend's tear-stricken face. Sweetie let out a small laugh, rather more akin to a cough. “What are you sorry for, Scoots?”

“That I can’t help. That you've lost so much. That I wasn’t fast enough to save you back then. That I was scared of what you looked like. I'm sorry, it’s—”

Sweetie prodded Scootaloo with a single forehoof. “It’s certainly not your fault, Scoots. And it’s not all mine either. Sure, we were stupid enough to get into this situation, but the blame is clearly on the guy behind the dragon, the storm, and the mind magic. There’s nothing for you to feel sorry for, at all. Without you, both Bloom and I wouldn’t have made it to where we are now. We’ve got to do what we can with what we have.” Sweetie stood up once again, the shaking in her legs nearly subsided. And what I have is this body. My body.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo admitted. “You’re right. Though how are we going to explain this to Apple Bloom?”

“Well, I’m sure she’ll feel vindicated that my spell didn’t go as planned.” Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to the golden necklace around her neck. “But having a body is better than being trapped in the amulet. I’m sure she’ll agree with that.”

“If you think so,” Scootaloo said doubtfully. She gave Sweetie Belle a furtive glance before changing the subject. “So you said your body feels about the same? What’s different? I mean, aside from the obvious.”

You mean how I almost lost control of my body? Sweetie suppressed a shiver as she recalled the feeling. That was Scoddri, I’m certain. But there was that anger too, a deep ancient rage, burning beneath it all. What does it all mean? He’s a part of this body? Part of me? She shook her head. “I’m not sure on what’s different, but—”

Sweetie Belle cut off when she heard a flurry of hoofsteps chiming through the corridor. The sound was accompanied by the unmistakable grind of metallic plates of armour. Both she and Scootaloo turned to face the door as a pair of guards wrenched the door open. Behind the pair was none other than Captain Snowfall.

The captain took a quick glance at the room, pausing a second longer at both the burned floor and ceiling. He then frowned at the last of the dissipating frost on the walls before finally fixing his gaze upon Sweetie Belle.

“What happened here?” he demanded. “And who are you?”

Sweetie eyed the trio, the two flanking subordinates each held a spear at the ready, whereas the captain held no weapon. But between his heavy crystalline plating and his muscular bulk, Sweetie was quite certain he wouldn't need a weapon to win most fights. He looked to be as fit as Big Macintosh except Sweetie was certain that his fitness was focused on matters far more martial than the procuring and preparation of apples.

“I’m Sweetie Belle, Captain Snowfall,” Sweetie replied in an even voice.

“The girl in the amulet? You got your body back.” The stallion remained stone faced as he spoke. “And you destroyed half the room doing it.”

“Sir!” one of the other guards whispered nervously. “Her eyes!

Sweetie frowned at the guard’s words. They want to hold me, stop me, and cage me again! The voice in her head resurfaced, clinging to each word, and behind it all, a deep anger was present. It scared her, the depth of that anger. Sweetie was certain that it was not her anger, nor did she know where it came from. It either had no source, or had too many fueling it to be sure. But as surely as she gained her new body, she had also inherited this anger.

“I know, Sergeant. Her features have not escaped my attention.” Captain Snowfall gave both of the guards a glance. “Lower your weapons. These are royal guests, and they are not to be threatened.”

“C-Captain?” the guard to his right flank sputtered.

“They are royal guests, Sergeant. I know Prince Shining Armor well, and he will want to talk to these two.”

Both guards nodded warily and slid their spears into the holsters along their right sides.

“Now, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, if you would both come with us, we shall escort you to the council chamber. You can tell the whole council what has just transpired here.” With that, Captain Snowfall moved out of the room with the two guards quickly following.

Sweetie shared a quizzical look with Scootaloo, and the pegasus simply shrugged with her wings. Together, the two fillies followed the three guards out of the room. As they moved out, Sweetie shot one last furtive glance at the room and thought about that pool of anger. While the hatred was gone, she was certain it had not gone far. What have I become, Scoddri?

* * *

“And we’ll need plenty o’ water—” Apple Bloom said, nodding to herself. She was pacing back and forth inside a rather sizable room within the guards’ barracks. It was a large provisions chamber with all the supplies Apple Bloom could want for a journey. It had only taken a few words from Sky Chaser to give the two of them unimpeded access to the room. “—at least for the way there. If we bring a pot, then Ah suppose we can just melt the snow once we get there.”

“You already have a pot on the list,” Sky Chaser said with a laugh. He held a small pad of paper in his magic’s grasp, and a purple quill poised to write. “Would you like me to add another?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and stopped her pacing. “Ah think we’ve got it all covered for the most part. Though Ah’m certain Ah’ve forgotten somethin’.”

“By my guess, you’ve picked out enough provisions to have both you and Scootaloo quite weighed down.”

Apple Bloom moved over to his side and peered at the paper. After a moment, she nodded. “Yeah, it’ll be heavy, and Ah'm sure Scootaloo will complain about it over the whole journey, but it’s always better ta be over-prepared than under-prepared. Ah still can’t believe that neither o’ them thought ta bring a rope with them.”

“If it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t have brought rope either.”

“Geez, doesn’t anypony do any real hiking anymore?” Apple Bloom scoffed. “Seriously, there's no more useful tool than rope when you're in the outdoors.”

“I’m more of the ‘stay at home’ sort of pony, myself,” Sky Chaser said. “I can't say I know all that much about the fine art of hiking, or even what one would use a rope for while hiking.”

“Yeah, Ah suppose that's true. Though your ‘home’ is pretty much all o’ the Crystal Empire. Seems like almost anypony runnin’ a business or with some connection ta nobility knows about you, and not always in the best o' ways neither.” Apple Bloom took a step away from the list and walked toward the door. “Ah guess the list is good. We should give it to the quartermaster as soon as we can if we want them ta get it all together before tomorrow. I’d be surprised if Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo would even wait that long.”

“I’m certain they are in the guest room, planning to make their way north of the city. They have been in there for a couple of hours. And,” Sky Chaser pulled up his staff with his magic, “even if they have left, we will know right away.”

“Yeah, though I’d like ta think that they’d at least stop ta talk ta me before they decided ta up ‘n’ leave.” Apple Bloom scuffed at the floor with a forehoof. “Geez, we’ve been friends for over six years now, and after all we’ve been through, if they've decided ta skip town without me, Ah’m gonna track them down and knock Sweetie right out of that amulet.”

“Well, you may have to be testing out your tracking skills sooner than you planned.” Sky Chaser gave her an apologetic smile and moved the staff closer to her.

The crystal affixed atop the staff revealed a chamber lit with early evening sunlight. She recognized the furniture, displaced as it was, as belonging to their guest room. But at the center of the room, it looked as though some sort of chemical combustion had occurred. “What happened?”

“Shall we find out?” Sky Chaser gestured to the door.

Apple Bloom nodded and moved to follow, being sure to keep the staff’s crystal within sight. “Can ya change the focus to track ‘em or somethin’?

“Scrying specific ponies is harder than locations especially if we don’t have a component to link the spell to. We can track them down, but it will take a bit longer. In fact, it might be quicker if we were to head back to the guestroom.” He brought Apple Bloom’s supply list between the two of them. “But first, let us finish up here, quickly.”

Before Apple Bloom could so much as sound her agreement, Sky Chaser pushed through the door, leaving her to scramble after him.

Outside of the provisions room was a small chamber with a large desk looming in the corner. Stationed at the desk was a petite, bespectacled, red crystal pony stallion surrounded by looming, although surprisingly organized, stacks of paper. Apple Bloom hadn’t caught the pony’s name, although she figured that his cutie mark, a quill and a piece of paper in the process of being written upon, was quite the adequate fit for his job.

“Quartermaster!” Sky Chaser called out, drawing the red pony’s attention away from whatever document he was working on.

“Yes?” the quartermaster replied, reflexively sliding his glasses close to his eyes. He rose quickly out of his seat and turned to face Sky Chaser. “What is it, my lord?”

“Oh, we have just finished going through our list of supplies that we’ll be needing.” Sky Chaser sent the list over to the stallion, who set it on the desk and scanned it over quickly.

“That’s enough supplies for five ponies for two weeks.” The quartermaster turned back to Sky Chaser. “Dare I ask for whom these provisions are? I’m afraid I cannot file the paperwork without supplying names and purposes.”

“Is that so?” Sky Chaser asked, a small smirk quirking his lips.

“It is so,” the quartermaster supplied matter-of-factly. “I know of your noble reputation, Lord Sky. Let’s just say that after last year’s scandal that proper measures have been put into place. The misappropriation of crown resources is no longer going to be tolerated.”

“I don’t believe the misappropriation of resources has ever been tolerated within the Crystal Empire.” Sky Chaser gave him a knowing smile. “As I am sure your predecessor is well aware.”

The quartermaster scowled at him and pulled out a quill and a blank sheet of paper. “Well, yes. Regardless, I still need to know exactly who will use these supplies.”

“But of course,” Sky Chaser said in a sly tone, to which Apple Bloom noticed the quartermaster’s expression darken. “These provisions are to be used by none other than our three royal guests: Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.”

“All this? For three ponies?” The red stallion shook his head. “And how do you plan on justifying this, Lord Sky?”

“Simple.” Sky Chaser twirled his staff around and ending the showy move with it pointing directly toward Apple Bloom. “She and her two friends are assisting the crown in an investigation into the cause behind the recent, terrible weather. They have a lead and are setting out on a lengthy journey to investigate the matter.”

As Sky Chaser spoke, Apple Bloom noted that the Quartermaster was writing down what was being said, word for word. He only paused his writing to speak. “And how long are they expected to be out on crown business?”

“Two weeks by our best estimate. As a wise mare once said, ‘It is always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared’.” Sky Chaser gave Apple Bloom a wink.

Apple Bloom merely shook her head though she began to wonder what exactly had gone on in the last year to make Sky Chaser have such a reputation. Not for the first time, she reminded herself to be a bit more wary of the eccentric stallion.

“As it is better to be rich than to be poor?” the quartermaster asked dryly as he set down his quill.

Sky Chaser let out a small chuckle but was interrupted by the quartermaster before Sky could make any further comments on the topic.

“It was a rhetorical question.” The red crystal stallion looked at Apple Bloom sharply. “We each have our own answers to such a question, and we should all be wise enough to keep them to ourselves.”

Apple Bloom frowned at the quartermaster's words. Is that a challenge, a warning? Or something else?

“I shall go over the list and procure all the items currently available.” He glanced over the list again. “It should all be ready within two hours. To where would you like them delivered, Lord Sky?”

“Oh, to my quarters, I suppose.” Sky Chaser nodded to the stallion. “Thank you quartermaster, but our guest and I must be on our way. Saving the Empire is a task that waits for nopony.”

The quartermaster merely snorted and watched as they left the chamber.

Once outside of the large garrison, Apple Bloom took a deep breath of fresh air, then they set off toward the palace at a brisk pace. As they walked, Apple Bloom frowned at Sky Chaser. “Seems like you're more than just well known around here. Sounds like there's a pretty big story 'bout what happened a year ago.”

“Yes, I am involved in many such stories. After all, saving the Empire does require stepping on other ponies' hooves every now and then. Such is the nature of my work.”

“Ah suppose,” Apple Bloom considered for a moment before letting her curiosity remain unspoken. “But now's not the time to get into ancient history, we have to find out where Sweetie and Scootaloo flew off to. What do you think happened to them?”

Sky Chaser barked out a short laugh. “Ancient? Hah! Sharp as a thorn, you are! Your friends, however, I do not know what happened to them.”

“But surely ya have a few guesses. The room looked a right mess. Maybe they were attacked by that unicorn again. Maybe he's aimin' ta pick us off when we aren't together. Ah, hay! Why did Ah ever leave their side?” Apple Bloom picked up her pace toward the palace, and Sky Chaser struggled to keep pace.

“I suppose that could have happened, as frightful a proposition as it is, but it could also just as easily not have happened.”

Apple Bloom slid to a stop, a minute away from the palace doors. “Wait! Pull up the image of the room again!”

With a few exaggerated puffs of breath, Sky Chaser slid to a stop behind her. “I am not as young as I once was,” he said between breaths. In the next moment, he gave his staff a flourish and brought the scrying image quickly into focus inside the crystal atop his staff.

“Knowin' what we do o' that unicorn, he would probably be trying ta capture Sweetie again. And if that happened, Scootaloo could be chasin' after her. She could even be miles outta the city by now.” Apple Bloom looked to the image. The charred bits of floor worried her. “It looks like there was some magical energy bein' tossed around. Must've missed Scootaloo and hit the room around her. So either they got away safely, or that unicorn made off with Sweetie and maybe even Scootaloo too.”

A glint of colour at the side of the image caught her attention. “Wait. Is that a guard?”

“A guard you say?” Sky Chaser squinted then rubbed his chin with a hoof thoughtfully. “Perhaps if the guard is involved, then your friends,” Sky Chaser trailed off. With a quick flick of his horn, the image shifted and reformed into an overhead view of the Crystal Palace's council chamber. “Ah, orange and violet. Indeed, your friend Scootaloo is meeting with Shining Armor.”

“What?!” Apple Bloom gazed on, wide-eyed at the new sight. Sure enough, Scootaloo's colours and half-spread wings were unmistakably present. However, standing right beside the pegasus, another colour combination caught her attention, and Apple Bloom felt her heart skip a beat. “No way, Sweetie's got her body back? Ah don't believe it.”

“I don't believe it either. Half the council is there, having session without me, and they didn't even send an invitation my way.” Sky Chaser swept his staff forward, dispelling the image within it, and pointed it toward the palace gates. “I'll truly believe it when I see it in the flesh. Let us go, Apple Bloom. We've not a moment to lose!”

Apple Bloom shook her head in disbelief as she followed in the unicorn's wake. What happened, Sweetie? And how? Is that really you?

* * *

With an audibly groan, the large double doors to the council chamber swung open. Scootaloo stepped forward alongside Sweetie Belle and Captain Snowfall into the room for the second time that day.

Shining Armor and Blank Slate looked up from an assortment of papers upon the table. Shining Armor wore an expression of weary surprise while his attendant gave a stern look at the unexpected guests and raised an eyebrow to question the captain.

“My prince,” Captain Snowfall called out sternly, bowing his head as he moved forward. “As I was supervising my guards stationed on the second story hallways, we heard an explosion coming from the guests' quarters. Fearing that the unicorn behind these storms was attacking us again, we moved to investigate and found this.” He gestured to Sweetie Belle.

This? Scootaloo scowled at the captain's backside. Sweetie's not an object, you oaf!

“A unicorn? What's your point, Captain?” Blank Slate kept her eyebrow quirked as she asked. “Are you trying to say that she's the unicorn behind this all?”

“No,” Shining Armor spoke up, and his mouth slackened in surprise. “I recognize her. That's my sister's pupil. Sweetie Belle, you have your body back. How?”

Sweetie Belle smiled at the recognition, an action that revealed her two new fangs. Her two slitted emerald eyes focused intently upon the stallion before her.

Scootaloo nearly jumped at the sight as an image of a snake leaping at her slithered through her mind. She felt her wings twitch at her sides in panic but managed to stop herself from taking to the air. However, the disturbing sense of wrongness that coiled within her like an oily, leaden weight was not so easily subdued.

No, Scootaloo told herself. It's Sweetie Belle. Her body might have changed, but she’s still Sweetie. And I'll never be scared of her. I can't be.

“Yes,” Sweetie said as she walked slowly toward the council table. Scootaloo noted a slight spring to her friend's steps, and her voice matched her jubilant stride. “I got my body back. Well, at least most of it.”

The jollity in Sweetie's actions bit at Scootaloo smartly. Only fifteen minutes ago, she was collapsed on the ground shaking and alone. How can she wear such a mask and pretend everything is fine?

“What did you do?” Shining Armor asked, his stunned expression slipping into a worried frown. “Did you manage to find your body with Lord Sky Chaser's help?”

“Well, he was a lot of help.” Sweetie nodded in what Scootaloo figured was supposed to be a sagely manner, but the expression was quickly subverted by a grin that slid across her face. “He was able to determine that my body was gone, and I figured out exactly how it was destroyed in the first place. With that knowledge, it just took a bit of planning, and I was able to remake it.”

“Remake it?” Shining Armor's expression darkened. “I may not have studied as much magic as my sister, but I have studied the laws surrounding the use of magic. The creation of a body may very well be in violation of some of those laws.”

“Laws?” Sweetie Belle let out a chuckle. “I just saved myself from living as an ornament for the rest of my life. Are you saying you'd rather that I should stay trapped in that amulet?”

“No, not at all! I’m glad that you've regained your body, but the means through which you did so have me worried.” The prince lifted a hoof to his forehead. “I know you've studied magic under my own sister. Surely you must have read of the nefarious tales surrounding magics such as these.”

“Those are just horror stories about ponies who had no idea how magic really works,” Sweetie replied bitterly. “Have you ever seen ponies raise the dead or create mirrors of themselves like the tales warn ponies not to do?” She paused for a moment, and Shining Armor shook his head gently. “Well, neither have I. But I'm not a pony who's afraid of blind superstitions especially when there's a unicorn out there who's not afraid to use a forbidden magic, himself. Besides, the magic I used didn't involve anypony else. It was just I, my magic, and my body. There wasn't a single thing morally wrong with how I used my magic.”

“There was a bit of property damage,” Captain Snowfall said from beside her. To Scootaloo's surprise, the bulky crystal pony wasn't scowling at Sweetie Belle, but a small grin played for a moment on his lips before he fell back to his stoic stone-faced self.

“Well, yeah, I guess there was,” Sweetie Belle admitted and flashed the prince a smile. “And I'm sorry about that, but it's just a bit of blackened floor and ceiling. I think it adds a bit of character to the room.”

Scootaloo found herself grinning at the comment although Shining Armor seemed a little less pleased. He brought a forehoof firmly down upon the tabletop and leaned forward.

“Your aloof attitude is wearing thin on me, Sweetie Belle, but I do realize that focusing on this issue is not something that we have the time or resources for at the moment, so allow me to be frank. I have received word of your success in rescuing the child Azure from the clutches of our foe's mind magic.” Shining Armor nodded to Scootaloo before looking back to Sweetie Belle. “Sky Chaser's report, however, was not too detailed. I would ask if you have made any further headway on the other front.”

Sweetie nodded. “Yeah, we managed to track down where he's coming from: to the north in a mountain cave near a town called Frostford. And we're going to head out as soon as possible. I think he might have realized that we were looking for him. So if we should have any chance of actually facing him, we'd have to head out before he can get away.”

“Absolutely not,” Shining Armor said, giving both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo a stern glare apiece. “This is a matter of national security. I could never send three fillies into hostile territory to try and face down a foe of this caliber. I know my sister mentioned that you were a hoofful at the best of times and an absolute nightmare at the worst of times, but this,” the Prince trailed off and shook his head firmly, “No. I will not allow you to leave the city just so you can find a way to get captured, or worse, killed.”

“Wait, Twilight said what about me?” Sweetie Belle huffed and took a few steps toward the council table. Before she could make it all the way across the room, she suddenly spun around and her horn lit up reflexively.

Scootaloo followed Sweetie Belle's eyes, and sure enough, a sudden flash of indigo light erupted in the center of the room. From the light, Princess Luna's form materialized. Sweetie Belle frowned but let go of the magic in her horn.

I guess Sweetie's not used to getting upstaged, Scootaloo thought and cast the guards around her a nervous glance.

All of them had been in the process of drawing their spears and were now fumbling to put them back properly to their sides. Scootaloo had taken note that even the captain's body had tensed for a moment as if ready to throw himself across the room and tackle the intruder to the floor, although his face remained the stoic mask that she was used to seeing.

And for that matter, Princess Luna really should know better than to teleport into the middle of the council chamber.

“Twilight Sparkle has confided to me in the past that you were both her greatest point of pride as well as the greatest challenge she has ever faced,” Princess Luna said. With a sloppy gait, nearly a stumble, Luna made her way over to the council table past Sweetie Belle and took a seat.

The alicorn was in poor shape. Scootaloo could almost feel the fatigue seeping out of Luna. There were bags under Luna’s eyes, and the graceless way in which Luna collapsed into her chair spoke volumes to Scootaloo of just how deep that fatigue ran. She looks like a mare who's just flown the full hundred mile aerial circuit at top speed and hasn't slept on top of it all: All because she was fixing my mess.

“Pride? I doubt she'd ever say that about me.” Sweetie Belle snorted dismissively and walked up to the table and took a seat as far from both Shining Armor and the Princess.

“Ah, Princess Luna,” Shining Armor rubbed his forehead where Scootaloo was sure a migraine had started to form, “you certainly startled me. I ask that next time you announce yourself at the door. We are in a time of crisis after all.”

“Yes, I am sorry if I startled you.” Luna smiled apologetically. “But it is a time of crisis, and every spare moment counts.” She then turned in her seat and cast a glance toward Scootaloo. “Come my student. Join us at the council table. Rest your tired legs.”

Suddenly feeling all the eyes in the room focusing upon her, Scootaloo quickly made her way to a seat next to Sweetie Belle.

Captain Snowfall took that as his cue to take his seat to the right of the prince. On his way, he paused to look at the princess. “Does this mean that you were able to save Bulwark?”

Luna smiled tiredly. “Indeed it does. My student certainly left a lasting impression upon him, but he is fine now, and he will make a full recovery.”

Scootaloo let out a silent sigh of relief. To think that I caused so much trouble for the princess, for everypony. I can't let that happen again. I won't!

“That is great news, Princess Luna, and I thank you for all your hard work for saving one of my citizens.” Shining Armor pulled himself up straighter and looked directly at Sweetie Belle. “But back to the matter at hoof, you found a promising lead as to the location of our suspected unicorn.”

“Yes,” Sweetie agreed, “and we need to head out there immediately. It's only a matter of time before he moves to a different location or strikes out once again at this city. I'm not going to sit by and do nothing!”

“We could send out the guard and take him down,” Captain Snowfall added readily. “The guards are itching to find the pony and bring him to justice. I do agree that we must act right away.”

Shining Armor looked to his captain, thoughtful for a moment. “It is an appropriate response to send in the guards to capture him for his crimes, however, with the way he attacks us with his magic, I fear that even the royal guard is at a grave disadvantage. And if we are attacked while a large portion of the guard is away, then the whole city shall fall into chaos.”

“All the more reason to send us in instead!” Sweetie called out from her chair. “Sending us wouldn't compromise the city's defenses at all. And—”

“No, Sweetie Belle!” Shining Armor brought his hoof down hard upon the council table. “I told you already that I cannot allow three fillies to waltz right up to some pony who wouldn't hesitate to kill you.”

“But I can face his magic! I can beat him. And sitting around doing nothing will not solve anything!”

“And charging in, shall make it worse! You know what he's done to my sister and her friends!” Shining Armor shouted, the anger in his voice caused Scootaloo to flinch. “They are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. All six of them were stopped. What chance do three fillies have against such a foe?” Shining Armor glared challengingly at Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle didn't back down but spoke her next words slowly and deliberately. “I know what I am going up against. We aren't just three foals that need to be kept at home in safety. We're all grown mares now, and I know we have to face this threat right away before we allow him to either get away or to catch us in his web because he won't just leave us alone. I am going to track this unicorn down and take him out. I won't sit back and do nothing! Not with my sister in his clutches!”

“Interesting,” Luna said before Shining Armor could retort. “That is a commendable mindset, young Sweetie Belle. I believe I can better sympathize with Twilight Sparkle's own frustrations, now that I've seen your rather ‘passionate’ drive.”

Sweetie Belle frowned at the Princess.

Luna simply returned the gesture with a gentle smile and shifted her eyes to Scootaloo. “My student, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to hear your opinion on this matter. What do you think about this situation?”

Student? The title felt as alien a concept to her as ever. “Well,” Scootaloo began, looking at all the ponies around the table, “I do agree with Sweetie Belle on this. I saw what he did to Azure, and anypony who's willing to go that far is the worst kind of fiend. He must be stopped as soon as possible. I know it sounds really foolish when Sweetie says that she thinks she can stop him, but I believe her.”

Scootaloo glanced at Sweetie Belle, who looked right back at her with a small fanged smile. She's different, but it’s still her, Scootaloo reminded herself and looked down at the bracelet around her foreleg.

The sight of the bangle wasn't as comforting as it once had been. In an attempt to settle the unease building in the pit of her stomach, she looked back to Luna. The billowing mane of the princess, speckled with stars, brought an unusually comforting sensation to her as if for just a moment, she was flying freely through the cool night skies of autumn above a sleeping Ponyville. Then again, if Sweetie's changed, I suppose I have as well. A student under the Princess...

“It won’t be easy,” Scootaloo said carefully, “but we have faced him before, not in the flesh, of course. But we've faced his magic, and even though it has been a close call a few times, we stopped his spells each time, and Sweetie broke his mind magic over me. If anypony has a chance to face him on equal ground, it's Sweetie.”

Luna nodded. “I concur.”

“I would also like to weigh in,” a voice echoed into the room. Scootaloo instantly recognized it as Sky Chaser's. Even as the words were spoken, the chamber doors opened to reveal the gaudy, golden-robed unicorn as well as Apple Bloom by his side. “I am sorry for arriving late to the discussion.”

“I was wondering how long it would take for you two to show up,” Sweetie said nonchalantly.

To Scootaloo's surprise, the words were completely ignored by Apple Bloom. Instead of scowling, Apple Bloom ran right up to Sweetie Belle and drew her into a tight hug. “Sweetie Belle, ya got your body back! I can't believe it! How did ya—” She let out small gasp. “—Your eyes and your amulet and—” Apple Bloom's eyes darted to Sweetie's fangs and she broke out of the hug and took a step back. “—what happened to you?”

“I got my body back,” Sweetie supplied evenly.

“But what happened to your body? Why's it all different?” Apple Blooms eye's widened, and Scootaloo could all but hear the gears grinding away within her head. “Discord's fragment, your amulet, if it’s gone, then that means... How's that possible?”

“Magic?” Sweetie offered with a short laugh.

Shining Armor scowled at the reply. “As I said earlier, we do not have time for this. Let's get back to the matter at hoof.” Shining Armor let out a solid sigh before he spoke again. “Lord Sky, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both seem intent upon chasing down our attacker to the north. Tell me what you think of their plan.”

“Ah, yes, I do actually agree with their plan of action. It fits right in with what they agreed to do, does it not? You asked them to assist me in tracking down our culprit, and the trail leads to the north. It only makes sense to pursue that trail and figure out what's at the end of it. And we would need somepony of considerable magical talent to track down and face such a particularly dangerous fellow,” Sky Chaser reasoned. “If we had a veteran force of highly trained unicorns from Canterlot, I would of course have suggested we send them in instead. However, of the ponies we have at our disposal, I can think of no greater choice than a talented trio of mares who have proven themselves to be both capable and resourceful.”

“Why not send a platoon of the guards?” Captain Snowfall demanded. “The guards have been trained to disable all types of ponies, including unicorns and pegasi. A squad of my best dozen could do far more than these three could hope to. Our guards have been trained for this, my lord! We cannot involve citizenry in this!”

“I'd not count these three out so quickly, Captain,” Princess Luna interceded, giving the trio a small smile. “These are the siblings to none other than the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, ponies who have grown up with, and have learned from their sisters. And while our gaudy Scrymaster does at times seem to make questionable decisions, I do agree with his assessment.” Luna looked directly at Shining Armor. “I would ask that you grant permission for my student, your sister's student, and their capable friend to track down this villain.”

Shining armor shook his head. “Princess Luna, I do not like this. I cannot ask this of them, no matter how reasonable you make the prospect seem. These three are civilians from Ponyville, and they are not resources that the Empire can use. It is morally wrong.”

“Remember that the bearers of the Elements were also mere civilians from Ponyville before my return,” the princess said, bowing her head sadly at the memory.

“No,” Shining Armor replied adamantly. “Even if it is at your request, I cannot give my permission for them to do so. If you wish to make a royal decree on the matter, then I shall abide by it. However, the Crystal Empire will not grant them permission to seek out our foe.”

“I see,” Luna said in turn. “I am not going to decree anything on the matter, as I do not rule the Empire.” The princess gave Shining Armor a tired smile. “As always, Shining Armor, you do have a kind heart. Even with all that is going on around us, you still worry about each individual. The Crystal Empire is indeed greatly fortunate to have you to look out for its citizens.”

“Thank you,” Shining Armor said with a nod.

“Wait! Hold up! You mean that you're saying we can't leave the city at all?” Sweetie asked indignantly. “So you're just going to sit here and do nothing now that we finally have a chance to do something about this guy?”

“You are right about one thing, Sweetie Belle. If we do not take this opportunity, we'll just remain a victim to his devices. I am not going to do nothing,” Shining Armor said fiercely. “I have many trusted advisers in this court, and I, myself, am more of a guard than a prince. It is not in my nature to do nothing.” Shining Armor looked to Blank Slate, to Sky Chaser, and finally to Captain Snowfall. “I shall head out personally to deal with this cretin who dares to attack our great city and the ones I love!”

“Then can't we at least come with you?” Sweetie Belle insisted. “You need somepony who can deal with his magic! Don't treat me like I'm still just a blank-flank foal! We have to—”

Whatever Sweetie Belle had been about to say fell short as the whole chamber suddenly began to tremble.

An earthquake? Scootaloo jumped out of her chair and with a quick flurry of her wings, she was hovering above the council table, looking down at the rest of the chamber.

All the ponies around the table shouted. Luna had taken to the air; Captain Snowfall managed to get out of his chair and began peering accusingly around the room, even as he almost lost balance; Shining Armor remained in his chair, a look of shock filling his eyes; Blank Slate scrabbled madly for falling stacks of papers; Sky Chaser fell out of his chair and hit the ground with a wheeze; Apple Bloom remained seated, but had cast her gaze upward to the crystalline ceiling; and Sweetie Belle had vacated her seat, her horn alight with magic, though she was struggling to keep her balance.

The building rumbled and groaned all around them, however no fissures formed along the walls of the structure. The whole ordeal had lasted for a minute by Scootaloo's estimation before the final echoes of its run fled the Palace walls and a soft silence, like settling dust, fell upon the room.

Apple Bloom was the first to open her mouth. “What the hay just happened?”

“An earthquake? Well, at least the walls stood up,” Sweetie said breathlessly. After a quick glance to the others around her, she looked down to the floor below her, or rather, past it. “That was some intense magic. The stone and earth could mask most of the patterns that were at work, but I definitely noticed a couple of them down there, far away.”

“Of course, it had to be a magic attack. The Crystal Empire, despite our proximity to the mountains, is not known to experience anything beyond the slightest of tremors.” Shining Armor nodded, got out of his chair and moved toward the double doors at the front of the council room. “The palace seems safe enough, but we must assess the damage to the city. Captain, Slate, both of you with me! Captain, tell your guards to form into rescue groups, I fear that some houses may not have held as well as the palace has.”

“I will come as well,” Luna said, swooping down to land next to the prince. “I'd like to see the extent of the damages and do what I can to help.”

Shining Armor nodded. “Of course, Princess Luna. Your assistance shall be invaluable.”

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo all nodded to each other and moved forward as well. “We'll go too,” Sweetie insisted. “I'm worried about that magic. I'm sure it's that unicorn we are looking for. We can—”

“Sky Chaser,” Shining Armor interrupted her. “Please, stay with these three. I would like for you to check on the remaining palace guards and make sure they have not abandoned their posts, as well as assess any damages the palace may have received from the earthquake.”

“Milord.” Sky Chaser smiled as he pulled himself back to his hooves. “I shall not let them out of my sight.”

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle shouted at Shining Armor. “Why do we have to stay in the palace? We just want to help, you know! We aren't useless!”

“By the stars above,” Shining Armor muttered under his breath before turning to face Sweetie Belle directly. “Staying here is an important task, Sweetie Belle! You will do as I say, until we have this situation assessed and under control! Now is a time to rely on order and following the rules, so please, listen my orders and stay with Lord Sky until we resume our meeting.”

Without waiting for a response from Sweetie Belle, he turned back around and headed out the door with two of the three other ponies, as well as the guards flanking the door's sides. Luna remained behind and gave the trio a concerned look.

“Princess?” Scootaloo asked nervously.

“Heed Shining Armor's words well, you three. Staying here and doing what you can is an important task.” Luna paused a moment and let a small grin slide to her lips as she looked directly at Sweetie Belle. “Your new appearance is most interesting. Once we have the time to do so, we shall have an in-depth discussion about the nature of magic, its possibilities, and its limitations. But for now, please keep in mind that knowing all of you are making certain the castle is safe shall keep all our minds at ease.”

With that said, Luna leaped into the air, opened the double doors with her magic and flew out of the room. The doors closed just as swiftly, leaving the three young mares and Sky Chaser alone in the council room.

Sweetie let out an irate growl. “Staying here is important? Like hay it is! Can you believe it?” She turned to face Apple Bloom for a moment, who only shook her head in annoyance. Sweetie then she fixed her eyes on Scootaloo. “Well? Don't you two think that we should be out there helping out ponies who need it? They could have gotten caught beneath some falling buildings! They could need all the help they can get!”

“Yeah, I suppose it would be better to be out there helping ponies,” Scootaloo agreed quietly as she settled back down to the chamber's floor. “But I'm sure that Princess Luna and all the guards can handle it. I'd probably just get in the way if I were there.”

“Oh, don't look so glum, you two,” Lord Sky chided jovially. “The task the prince gave us is quite important.”

“Checking in on palace guards and looking at walls for cracks?” Sweetie shook her head. “How in the hay is that supposed to be more helpful than rescuing ponies who could be trapped in rubble?”

“Oh!” Apple Bloom said suddenly, drawing their attention to her. “It could be even more important than that! Sweetie, think about it. If you were an evil mastermind, tryin' to take out an empire, what could creatin' an earthquake like that possibly serve?”

Sweetie paused for a moment, and blinked. “Well, it didn't sound like any huge buildings collapsed, so I don’t think he was trying to knock down the palace. And Shining Armor just left with most of the guards to help the citizens.”

“So you think he's going to try and attack the palace while everypony's gone and most of the guards are in the city?” Scootaloo reasoned.

“Not exactly,” Apple Bloom said worriedly. “But Ah'd be willin' ta wager that this unicorn's after the one leader who hasn't left, 'cause she can't: Princess Cadence.” Apple Bloom looked to Sky Chaser, and frowned. “That's why Shining Armor wanted us ta check on the remainin' palace guards. Ah'm guessin' the only ones that wouldn't be rushin' ta help the city folk would be the ones guarding the princess.”

“Ah, sharp as a needle, Lady Apple Bloom,” Sky Chaser remarked. “I do believe the prince is all too aware of just how powerful an opponent this unicorn could be. He also knows—even if he won't admit it too readily—that you three would probably fare just as well as, if not better than him, against such a foe.”

“Ah'll only tell ya one more time, Lord Sky. Ah'm not a lady. Next time, Ah'll show you Ah'm not a lady.”

Scootaloo looked to the double doors of the chamber anxiously. “So then, we should head over to wherever the princess is recovering, and make sure she's safe. If that snake got to the princess...” The thought of Princess Cadence with a creepy grin and eyes that burned with corrupting magic was not a pleasant one to entertain. “That would spell disaster for the whole empire.”

“Verily,” Sky Chaser agreed, motioning them toward a small door at the back of the room. “To the royal quarters!”

Sweetie Belle followed right behind him, and Scootaloo was about to follow as well when she felt Apple Bloom's hoof prod her backside.

“Hey, Scootaloo, you have a sec'?” Apple Bloom asked quietly.

Scootaloo saw a worried look in her eyes. “Yeah?” Scootaloo replied just as quietly. “What's up?”

“It's about Sweetie Belle. Is she really okay? Ah don't know what happened, but you were there, right? Her body's changed so much, if that'd happened to me, there's no way Ah'd be fine. Is she really as well off as she seems to be?”

“I... don't think so,” Scootaloo admitted. “It's like she's trying her hardest to ignore it, and pretend that nothing's happened. I've been keeping an eye on her since she got her body back, but it definitely has her worried. Hay, I'm worried too, but we don't have time for that.”

“Yeah, Ah feel like she's puttin' on a brave face too.”

“Don't worry, Apple Bloom. I'll keep my eyes on her,” Scootaloo assured her friend. Not that I'll be able to do much when it comes down to it. But at the very least, I'll be there.

“Hey! Hurry up you two!” Sweetie Belle shouted from the doorway.

“I'm on my way!” Scootaloo shouted back and flew to her side as Apple Bloom ran after them.

* * *

Sky Chaser had led the trio down a passageway which seemed as though it could belong to any part of the palace were it not for an intricate design of coloured crystal worked into the otherwise azure walls. The ambient daylight lit up the hall, and displayed a series of pictures that seemed, to Sweetie Belle, to be a retelling of the story of the empire's sudden reemergence nearly five years ago.

With a quick glance, as she walked further down the halls, she saw depictions of her sister and her sister's friends. They were portrayed to be singing to and greeting crystal ponies, as well as being part of a fair of some sort. But then, to the forefront of the pictures, an amethyst and emerald figure took center stage of the story.

“Huh... Spike's pretty famous here, isn't he?” Scootaloo remarked.

“Well, he saved them from King Sombra, ya know,” Apple Bloom said. “Seems pretty obvious to me that they'd appreciate him. See look, that's him with the crystal heart.” Apple Bloom pointed a hoof at the climactic scene of crystal before them.

Spike was standing with the heart-shaped crystal held firmly in his outstretched claws, and dark shadowy mist was pushed back, away from him, as if the petite dragon were attempting to banish some sort of supernatural being.

Spike... Sweetie Belle couldn't help but think of the dragon. She had always considered him to be a firm friend over the years. He had usually been around whenever she was visiting Twilight to learn more about magic, or when she was checking out a book on magical theories and spells. After years of visiting the library regularly, Sweetie had come to the conclusion that Spike had been the sole reason that the library never seemed to fall into complete disarray. He always seemed more natural with a dusting wand, a broom, or an apron, than he ever would charging forth while brandishing some great artifact to banish the darkness threatening to engulf an empire. The crystalline depiction of the dragon before her nearly drew a laugh from her.

Though in five years, Sweetie Belle had to admit, he's grown quite a bit. In fact, last time I saw him he was almost as tall as me. Maybe if he had saved the kingdom being as large as he is now, he'd make for a more majestic image on this wall. The playful thought slipped from her mind and was replaced by an unshakable sense of unease as she continued to look at the depiction. I hope he's alright. He was definitely with Rarity and Twilight.

Here eyes focused on the crystal heart in the image, and she began to wonder. The crystal heart, it looks so similar to Scoddri's. Save for the colour, they could have been identical, at least prior to Scoddri's fragmenting. He had called it his Element. Did he mean it like an Element of Harmony though? What makes something an element?

As Sweetie Belle considered the question, she saw an image flash before her eyes: a pair of smoldering, emerald eyes with reptilian slit pupils, a mirror to her own, looking directly at her, hating her. She could feel the heat of the anger burning at her, trying to consume her, and she felt her legs begin to quiver beneath her. Hate for being used. Hate for being caged. Hate was an endless chasm to see in those eyes.

I will not be used!

Who? Sweetie Belle labored for breath. She couldn't tell if the thought was her own, or if the anger was her own. The heat inside her chest felt so real, as real as her body. No! she reminded herself firmly. I am Sweetie Belle!

The rage stopped as suddenly as it had started, and Sweetie gasped, finally catching the breath she so desperately needed.

“Sweetie? What's wrong?!” Scootaloo's concerned voice came to her ears.

What happened? Sweetie Belle wondered as she stared down at the golden chain necklace around her neck, and the empty socket that once held Scoddri's element. Now it's inside me. But what does it mean? Is Scoddri gone? Are these stray emotions and feelings his? Are they mine?

Sweetie shook her head, trying to clear her head of the unanswerable questions. With little effort, she shot both of her friends a smile. “It's nothing, Scoots. I just thought that this picture of Spike is a little dramatized, don't you think?”

Scootaloo gave her a worried glance, but it was Apple Bloom who spoke up.

“Of course it's exaggerated, Spike's a hero here. Who doesn't want to embellish their heroes a bit?”

“Well, I guess I find it hard to imagine Spike playing the hero.” Sweetie let out small chuckle, though it sounded flat to her ears. “After seeing him fight with cooking food and housework so many times, it's hard to get the image out of your head.”

“That may be the case,” Sky Chaser said with a wise nod. “Often our perceptions of the friends and family closest to us are harder to see past than we could ever imagine.”

“Yeah, I suppose you'd know better than most,” Apple Bloom said dryly.

“You flatter me,” he replied. “Now we shouldn't tarry much longer, the guards are giving us inquisitive looks.”

Down the hallway a single door marked the end of the wall mural. A crystal heart emblem shone brightly above the doorway through some trick of light, and if that weren't indication enough, two particularly stiffly standing mares flanked the door with spears at the ready. Sweetie had no doubt that the chambers beyond belonged to none other than Princess Cadence.

The two guards each stood a little taller than Sweetie herself, and they shared a pair of concerned glowers as Sweetie and the others closed in on them.

“Lord Sky Chaser, what, may I ask, are you doing here?” The guard on the left asked, hoisting her spear in his direction.

“Now, now.” Sky Chaser let out a nervous chuckle. “We're here on Prince Shining Armor's request, to be sure that you have not abandoned your post in light of that earlier seismic disturbance.”

“Abandon our post?” the guard on the right asked indignantly. As she spoke, Sweetie noticed the magic within the guard's body shifted, forming a few familiar patterns of light spells, which caused the pony to actually let out a small flash of light to emphasize her irritation. “You'd have the gall to even think that we'd ever do such a thing? Especially with the princess being in the condition she's in?!”

“I meant no such implication, I assure you,” Sky Chaser said smoothly. “I am merely following orders. The prince is indisposed of at the moment, due to that earth-trembling display which you may have felt a while back.”

“So, what caused it?” the guard questioned, finally lowering her spear and fastening it to her side.

“I do not know.” Sky Chaser let out a small sigh. “That is, of course, what the prince has set out to discover. However, he was all too aware that doing so might be playing into the favour of the one behind the earthquake, who's also suspected to be the one behind the storms earlier this week. So, like the dutiful prince he is, he sent us to pass on the message. He's worried for the Princess' safety.”

“We'll keep her safe, of course.” The pair of guards both straightened in attention. “He doesn't have any reason to worry, we are the best there are in the empire.”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

Scootaloo spread her wings out apprehensively and cast the door a worried look. “So... aren't we going in to check on the Princess and make sure that she's okay?”

“Of course you aren't allowed in. Only the prince, the royal guard, or selected palace staff members are allowed access.” The mare's eyes quickly darted to her spear then to Scootaloo, assessing the pegasus. “We have permission to stop any uninvited guests, with lethal force if necessary.”

Scootaloo frowned at the guard's words, and Sweetie Belle noticed her friend giving the guards a measuring gaze of her own. Sweetie wondered for a moment if Scootaloo was legitimately considering barging past the guards.

“Makes sense,” Apple Bloom said, reasonably. “Ah'm sure they also have a pair of guards inside as well, Ah doubt we'd be able ta help make her any safer than she already is.”

“Speak for yourself, Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said. “Against a snake like him, the more ponies we have prepared to take him out, the better. We should go inside and help them prepare in case of an attack.”

“If the Princess is in danger we should help out how we can,” Scootaloo agreed.

“Ah don't know...” Apple Bloom said and looked down the hallway they had come from. “We know the guards won't let us in without something to convince them, and it'd have ta be very convincin'. Nothing short of a royally sealed letter of permission is going to get us in there. And besides... there's somethin' else about this that's been buggin' me.” Apple Bloom lowered her voice to a whisper. “If he had wanted to attack the princess then Ah think he'd have done it already, or tried to anyway. Either he didn't want to attack her personally, or there might have been somethin' stoppin' him.” Apple Blooms eye widened as she came to a realization. “Oh shoot!”

“What is it?” Scootaloo asked.

“Of course! How could Ah not have seen it before? There's no way he'd go after the Princess. She's not an obstacle to him, in fact, her being indisposed of is just helpin’ to lessen the number of watchful eyes in the Palace!”

“So you're saying that he's not headed here at all?” Sky Chaser mused aloud. “But then where do you think he'd strike? At the prince and guard captain to throw all of the city into chaos?”

“No. Think for a moment... what's the one thing in the Crystal Empire that was used to keep evil at bay?”

“The Crystal Heart,” Sweetie Belle concluded, a feeling of dread descending upon her. Almost as though speaking the words had been a trigger of some sort, a familiar sensation of magic pulled at her. It was a very faint tendril which held a pattern identical to her own. “I can feel it! He must be using another fragment of Scoddri's!”

Apple Bloom quickly spun to face Sky Chaser. “Sky Chaser! Quick, tell us! Where's the Crystal Heart kept?”

The calm smile on Sky Chaser's face dropped into a look of worry. With a quick wave of his forehoof, he sped off down the hallway. “This way! To the castle courtyard!”

The trio of young mares followed closely behind him. As Sweetie ran, in spite of the dread she felt toward the situation, she felt an exhilaration building within her. Every joint, every step, every breath, it reminded her that she was alive again. As she moved, she was surprised that her own breathing wasn't nearly as taxing to her as she had expected. On an inquisitive whim, she focused on the world around her as she kept pace with her friends, and she felt something delightful. With every hot breath of air she let out, she could see ambient magic in the air surrounding her autonomously moving toward her. The ambient magics were being drawn to the pool of magic within her. Once the miniscule bits of magic got close enough, their own patterns changed to mimic hers, quickly replenishing any of the energy she was expending during her run, as if the world were casting a simple restoration spell upon her with every second that passed. The sensation was dreamlike, to run and to not feel the leaden weight she normally associated from the task pressing down on her. She felt nearly giddy with excitement.

“They just keep a national treasure in the Palace courtyard?” Scootaloo asked incredulously. “Couldn't anypony just come in and steal it?”

“Well, it is always kept under the watchful eyes of the palace guards,” Sky Chaser managed to say, nearly breathless from the exertion of running. “Of course, today there may be fewer guards in position to deal with any intruders.”

“Then we have to get there quick,” Sweetie said determinedly as she sensed the thin stream of Scoddri's magic drawing closer.

Apple Bloom nodded as they turned a corner. “It's not far from here, if I remember what the palace looks like. I imagine they keep it in the courtyard so that ponies can come and see it from time to time. The crystal ponies take a lot of pride in their crystal heart. It's said that no pony with ill intent can get near it. And that makes me kind of worried.”

“I still think it's kind of silly to put their greatest treasure on display like that,” Scootaloo said darkly. “Regardless of how much the public wants to see it, it should be kept somewhere more secure.”

“The Crystal Heart is a strange artifact, indeed. It does keep all of the empire safe, but it draws on the will of the ponies who see it and cherish it, and it uses that will to protect the whole empire,” Sky Chaser explained breathlessly as they made it halfway down another hall. “If it were locked away it would be as useless as if it were stolen.”

“Crystal pony magic,” Sweetie spoke her thought aloud. “That must be what feeds the crystal heart. But what is the heart, really?" And why does it look so much like Scoddri's?

“I am not sure how the heart works, honestly,” Sky Chaser admitted. “I have only seen it in action once, just this past week when Cadence used it to sustain a shield over the whole city. I did notice, however, that the crystal lost much of its luster over the days, and the protection it offered lessened over time.”

“Ya mean that the ponies who visit the stone regularly were beginin' ta lose faith in how effective it would be?” Apple Bloom wondered.

“Faith?” Sweetie shook her head and laughed. “I doubt something as magical as a crystal heart would operate on faith. It probably was just running out of magic after being used for so long. I mean if Cadence collapsed from how long she spent using the crystal and still hasn't woken up, it had to have been using her magic as well.”

“Ah'm just sayin' that Ah think that when the ponies saw the shield weakenin' they probably lost some of their faith that the Crystal Heart would protect their city from the endless storms.”

Sweetie was about to argue back at her friend when they all heard a distant, unintelligible shout from down the hallway before them. There were a pair of opened doors with sunlight spilling through them, which Sweetie Belle determined could only be the doorway which lead out to the courtyard of the Palace. The shout was quickly followed by a loud crack, akin to a thunderclap, and a flash of brilliant blue light.

Sweetie Belle and her friends quickly galloped the rest of the distance and turned to look out the doorway.

The courtyard was a resplendent area of greenery. All sorts of shrubs and numerous trees surrounded the enclosure, all of them coursing with large amounts of magic. Sweetie Belle felt fresher just by being close to the greenery. It was a sight she was quick to compare to her ventures through the Everfree, while not quite as untamed and primal, it was still a formidable surrounding of natural magic to behold.

In the center of the courtyard, her eyes were quick to spot a pedestal upon which a heart-shaped crystal of light azure was on display, it burned brightly with unused magical energy, nearly causing Sweetie to wince. The crystal stood proud and shimmering in the sunlight, and Sweetie Belle felt an anger building inside her.

Another one, trapped, only ever to be used! Sweetie shut the thought out of her mind as well as she could, though she felt her heartbeat quicken, and her jaw clench reflexively.

At the foot of the pedestal, four armoured crystal ponies were laying upon the ground, motionless, beside them, a broken spear lay discarded. Just above the scene, orbiting small circles around the Crystal Heart, was one of Scoddri's fragments, its magic was linked to the heart.

The shard had a strong, complex magical pattern feeding into it from above. A series of different patterns were woven into each other, all surrounding and feeding into the fragment's own, like threads winding together to form a rope.

“Ah, what a surprise, I did not expect to see you here, half-heart girl—” The deep voice cut himself short and gave a low growling chuckle. “Or perhaps I shouldn't call you that anymore. Whatever happened to my fragments?”

“Shut up!” Sweetie shouted and quickly pulled magic into her horn. She began to form the magic into a quick and simple lightning spell, one of the most effective spells she could think of to sever the control of other pony's over their spells and sigils. The pure and simple flow of concentrated magic would be sure to warp and disfigure any other magical patterns it came into contact with. “You don't own him, and you aren't getting away with this! We stopped you before and we'll stop you again!” As she fed the spell, she felt a small grin reach her lips, there was more magic to draw on within herself than she ever remembered having before. Her spell easily held as much as she would have been able to draw from at least four gemstone, or three emeralds.

“Wait, Sweetie!” Apple Bloom shouted, but she was too late.

Sweetie discharged the lightning, which sped out from her in a silvery green flash. She hadn't seen any magic reaction from her target in that moment, and Sweetie was certain that it would be strong enough to overcome and obliterate the other pony's hold over the shard. From there, Sweetie figured it would be a simple thing to retrieve the shard.

As her spell made contact though, she felt an explosion through all of her senses, and the hold she had on her own spell dissipated immediately.

* * *

Apple Bloom shouted her warning too late, and she watched as Sweetie Belle's spell burst forth. It was an electrical blast, which caused Apple Bloom to let out a yelp of fear in response while it ripped through the air in vibrant flash. If that hit a pony, it could kill 'em! She had never seen Sweetie Belle fire off a spell quite like that before. It scared her.

The spell, fast as it was, crashed into something just short of the target. The silvery green flash of magic smashed into a transparent blue wall, but instead of shattering the wall, as Apple Bloom imagined it should have, the blue wall shimmered, as brightly as the lightning had, and grew more opaque than it was before. It now looked as though a large patch of endless sky were before them, blocking the crystal heart and the shard of Discord from sight.

Before she had more than a moment to register the shielding magic's sudden appearance, it began to expand, and quickly. Both herself and Scootaloo took a leap back instinctively, and as she landed, Apple Bloom's eyes locked onto Sweetie Belle, who hadn't moved an inch since she had cast her lightning spell. The unicorn just stood there with her legs trembling beneath her, her eyes half-closed to a squint, her teeth clenched, and her lips held in a tight in a grimace.

“Sweetie!” Apple Bloom managed to shout, but just as before, her words were too late, and she could only watch in horror as the barrier crashed down upon her friend.

The shield spell hit Sweetie Belle with enough force to knock her over onto her backside, for a second after the impact, the spell paused, but in the next moment, it continued expanding, pressing against the fallen unicorn.

As the spell touched Sweetie Belle, it stopped once again, and Apple Bloom saw emerald shocks of magic jumping out of the shield, they flicked through the air and touched down on Sweetie Belle, most of them directed toward into her horn. Sweetie let out a shriek as the magical electricity flowed into her.

After a second, Apple Bloom noticed the shield's opacity begin to wane as Sweetie's shrieking grew more shrill.

“Sweetie!” Scootaloo shouted and dove forward, landing beside her. Without hesitation, she thrust her left forehoof out toward the shield spell, and brought her bracelet down onto the surface of the spell. The sparking alongside the wall intensified and its opacity lessened even more, until it looked as the shield spell had before Sweetie's lightning had touched it. The shield, even weakened as it was, began to strike down on Scootaloo's bracelet just as viciously as it was upon Sweetie Belle, the amulet in turn responded by lighting up, and it quickly began to emit a keen piercing sound that seemed to eerily echo Sweetie's own vocalization.

As Scootaloo had made her move, Apple Bloom forced herself to move as well only moments afterward. She jumped forward, and snatched Sweetie Belle by her tail. With a quick yank, Apple Bloom pulled her friend back, and the sparking from the shield lessened.

Sparing a single glance for Scootaloo—the pegasus was glaring past the shield, right at the crystal fragment, and her mouth was formed to a pained hateful scowl—Apple Bloom quickly considered what she knew about magic, from what Sweetie had told her. Well, it's worth a shot! She leaped forward and dug her forehooves into the ground, using the momentum of her landing, she brought her hind legs around and kicked, pouring every ounce of effort into the action.

With an electrical jolt, her hooves met a small bit of resistance, but then she felt the resistance shatter in the next moment. With a sound of fragmenting glass, the shielding sphere fractured to bits and dissipated into the air.

In the next moment, the shard of Discord and crystal heart took to the air, as if being reeled away by some invisible tether.

Scootaloo let out a wild scream, her bracelet flaring in a spectacular amethyst lightshow, and she leaped into the air, flying directly toward the shard and the crystal heart.

Before she could reach them, a small bubble of a shield formed around the heart and the shard. Scootaloo hit the new barricade hard with her shoulder, let out a gasp and crashed off to the side.

“Impressive, that you managed to break through the shield,” the shard's voice said, and Apple Bloom thought the voice sounded rather earnest as he spoke the words. “But I shall be going now. I have what I came for.” The shielded heart and fragment began quickly ascending into the air of the open courtyard.

“Like hay you are!” Scootaloo shouted as she pulled herself off the ground and she grit her teeth against the effects of her crash landing, which could only have been a series of bruises and small cuts at best, perhaps a broken bone at worst. “You aren't getting away with this!” In spite of the obvious pain painted across her features, Scootaloo took to the air once more and chased after the ascending shield spell.

“Ah!” Apple Bloom heard Sweetie exclaim, which brought her attention back down to the mare behind her.

Sweetie Belle was on the ground, twitching and convulsing, her eyes were opened wide and glowing with a green so bright, it nearly looked to be white. Apple Bloom couldn't even see her friend's pupils, just the open sockets emitting light as two beacons shooting skyward to mingle with the afternoon light.

“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom exclaimed and pulled her friend into a close hug. “Hang in there!” Oh, by the sun, what's happened to her? What can Ah do to help her?

As she cradled Sweetie Belle close to herself, Apple Bloom noticed her friend's horn beginning to glow. “Oh, shoot,” was all she managed to say as her mind raced to find an answer. In a desperate gambit, Apple Bloom grabbed Sweetie Belle's head between her forehooves and desperately aimed the unicorn's horn away from herself and up into the open sky.

Sweetie Belle's horn only continued to grow with magic until it finally erupted. Apple Bloom felt a shiver shoot down her spine, as a pure beam of emerald magic shot into the sky, passing by the reaches of one of the looming trees in the courtyard, causing a dozen or two nearby leaves to ignite and smolder upon the tree's closest branches.

“Sweetie!” Scootaloo's voice cried out as the pegasus slammed into the ground hard, nearly knocking her own legs out from under her. Without pausing for a second, she scrambled over to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “What happened?”

“Ah don't know! That shield's magic did something to her!”

“That certainly was quite the lightshow,” Sky Chaser said, poking his head out from the other side of the palace doorway.

“Ya could have helped, ya know?!” Apple Bloom shouted sourly. “Sweetie almost died here!” How did all this even work? How did Ah manage to break a spell just by bucking it? Trying to wrap her mind around what had happened was quickly giving rise to a headache.

“I dare say, I am not so adequately prepared to deal with combat magics,” Sky Chaser professed in his defense. “I fear I would have only gotten in the way.”

Sweetie Belle coughed suddenly, and followed the action with a slight groan.

“Sweetie!” Scootaloo grabbed the unicorn from Apple Bloom and pulled her fast to her side. “Are you okay?”

“I've been better,” Sweetie managed to mumble and rubbed her horn, a scowl spreading across her face. “Darn it. Did you manage to stop him, Scoots? Where's the shard?”

“He got away,” Scootaloo said, disappointment thick in her voice. “But that's not important. Are you hurt? What happened, Sweetie?”

“Like hay it's not important!” Sweetie struggled out of Scootaloo's embrace and onto her own hooves, nearly falling over as she did so. “He just got away with the crystal heart! With that in his possession, he could drop the city in a day! We have to go after him right away!”

“But you can't be saying that after what he just did to you! You can barely stand!” Scootaloo shouted back. “I know. I want him to pay for what he's done just as much as you. I do! But charging headlong into that... even I know that's not going to work.”

Apple Bloom sighed in an attempt to clear her head and release the tension that riddled her body. “Sweetie, with how he just stopped us, we can't just chase after him without a plan.”

Sweetie scowled at Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. “I'm tired of being told I can't help, that I have to sit still and do nothing while others try and fail to stop this guy. I'm going, you two, and that's that! He may have gotten the jump on me this time, but I know I can face his magic. I have to!”

Apple Bloom peered at her friend's face and saw a deep determination, and anger. Of course she's not going to give up this time. Her body's shaking from the effort of standing up, but her mind's decided even more so than before. We'd have to strap her down just to stop her. And that means Ah'll just have to come up with a really good plan, she thought resignedly.

“We will face him,” Apple Bloom said. She couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding at her own words. “We'll set out right away. Sky Chaser and Ah made the preparations for the journey.” She turned to Sky Chaser, gauging his reaction.

The stallion offered a knowing smile. “Well, since we made the preparations, it's best to make sure they don't go to waste. You three should head to my chambers to grab your supplies, it has been nearly two hours, I wouldn't be surprised if all the supplies have been delivered already. I'll fetch a few guards to see to these ponies.” He waved a hoof at the four downed crystal ponies. “Then I shall give my report to the Prince.”

“He's not gonna like this,” Apple Bloom said.

“Of course not, but I do believe he'll be even more worried about the Crystal Heart being stolen away. I've learned that with the prince, it's often best to bring him information where there are no variables. It's with such information that he makes his best decisions.”

“The prince is very practical, and he realizes when his actions would be a waste. Not unlike yourself, Apple Bloom.” Sky Chaser's words came back to Apple Bloom's mind.

So with Sweetie Belle being invariable in her decision, it'll allow me ta make my best decisions as well? She couldn't help but wonder.

“Sounds like a plan,” Apple Bloom said, turning back to her two friends.

Scootaloo was looking at her in surprise, while Sweetie Belle offered her a thankful smile.

“I'm feeling better already,” Sweetie said with confidence. “A small magic trick like that isn't about to stop me anytime soon. Let's go!”

* * *

End of Chapter 22

Comments

[Maelstr0m]

Taaaaaake meee,
To the magic of the moment,
On a gloooooory night,
Where the children have tomorrow.
Dream awaaaaaay, in a Wind of Change
*flies away*

[Daone0]

Aweshum

[SommeOne]

oh my god! thank you!!

[dangerbrony]

Most intriguing. I thought that Sweetie might have more magic after absorbing her pendant but the additional effects are something I didn't foresee. Subconsciously absorbing ambient magic to replace lost reserves will be quite handy though I worry that she will lose control of either her body or magic at a critical moment. The eyes she saw were clearly not discord's so whose where they?

The part with the Crystal Heart is also quite interesting. I had noticed the resemblance between it and Discord's element though I never suspected that it was an element itself. Whatever that will turn out to mean.

Great chapter and I look forward to more.

[defunct321]

So, what I'm thinking right now is that there are several primodial beings in Equestria who have god-like powers, or are even gods. One is Discord, and then whatever being who's trapped in the Crystal Heart like how Discord was trapped in Sweetie's pendant, and then that snake creature. Discord would be the embodiment of discord of the author is smart, or chaos if the author isn't quite that smart. The snake would be evil, I would guess, and the Crystal Heart would be love or faith or something like that.

[Flame6666]

Oh well this ain't good... Sweetie absorbed Discord, whom has a thing about being trapped, now has a cute little marshmallow as a new prison.
This can only turn into a very good read.

[GMZ_Casper]

Things are just getting even more troublesome for the gangs than before. The Crystal Heart has been stolen, something else happen to Sweetie Belle, and who know what the douchebag has in mind involving the Crystal Heart. And, if that isn't enough, a mystery of said item has now popped up. Man, and to think, this all started as a vacation for the CMC.

C&Cs:
...and thought about that pool of anger
> Missing a period.
Discord's fragment,your amulet,if it’s gone, then that means...
> Need spaces.
I've been keeping an eye on here since she got her body back...
> Not sure if you meant it or not, but on the chance of it being not, replace ‘here’ with ‘her’.
“That must be what feeds the crystal heart. But what is the heart, really?
> Missing the ending quotation mark.
The shard had a strong, complex magical pattern feeding into it from above.A series of different patterns were woven into each other...
> Separate the sentences.

[Rametep]

Maybe I should try to draw this Sweetie belle at some point

[TheGreatEater]

"That must be what feeds the crystal heart. But what is the heart, really?

Needs end " marks.
_________________________________

Another one, trapped, only ever to be used!

Indent paragraph.
___________

Yay! Update! Great chapter as usual, and I hope that Best Fillies finally catch a break.

For some random reason when reading this chapter Cassandra by, Edward Arlington Robinson popped ran in the back of my mind.

[Mad Maudlin]

that you three would probably fare just as well as, if not better than him, against such a foe.”

Considering Shining Armor's track record, a small yet vicious dog would probably outshine him on the battlefield.

[Arcane Howitzer]

So, the Crystal Heart and the Elements of Harmony, probably the only artifacts capable of matching him for sheer magical power, are now in his possession, the Princesses and Shining Armor are all too busy/unconscious to go after him, and the only other beings with the raw gumption to face him head on are three young mares, one of which may or may not also have half a draconequus in her head.
Also, I still have a sneaking suspicion that the Big Bad Snake just so happens to be the other half of said draconequus, simply because we don't even know his damn name yet.

5053294
Hey, small dogs are vicious!
Like Wiener Dogs, which are also called Badger Hounds because they were bred to fight and kill badgers in their own dens.

[SilentBelle]

5052981 That would be amazing.

5053156 Thanks. I'll fix those.

[SilentBelle]

5052980 Thanks for the corrections. I really appreciate you pointing them out.

[TheGreatEater]

5053556

You're welcome, and btw. Can't say this enough. I love this series. It's on my top 4.

[GMZ_Casper]

5053598
Heh, you're welcome! And, I agreed wholeheartedly with TheGreatEater, the series have been awesome so far! Keep up the great job!

[TechSavii]

Woohooo! Another fantastic chapter. It occurs to me how memorable this story is, I don't ever have to reread the last chapter. Go Belle Go!

[Cast-Iron Caryatid]

And while our gaudy Scrymaster does at times seem to make questionable decisions

Our spymaster? Suddenly I'm imagining Sky Chaser secretly moonlighting for both of them.

I would ask that you grant permission for my student, your sister's student, and their capable friend to track down this villain.

[Biker_Dash]

You know, the Crystal Empire in this fic fits nicely within my own headcanon Equestrian world map.
The Crystal Empire suffered through an earthquake in this chapter. In an earlier chapter, the CMC fought their opponents within an active volcano.
This fits quite well with my version of the Crystal Empire, where as I picture Alaska being that place.

Think about it, Alaska is very seismically active, and has numerous active volcanoes, with three being relatively close to Alaska's three major population centers of Fairbanks, Juneau and Anchorage. Any one of those three cities could easily serve as the capital of the Crystal Empire.

I have a bunch of thoughts about this awesome fic goin through my head right now. I should message you about them, so as to prevent any possibility of spoiling things for the readers.

[Archy the Hobo]

“Twilight Sparkle has confided to me in the past that you were her both her greatest point of pride as well as the greatest challenge she has ever faced,”

Extra "her"

I am intrigued to see what will become of Sweetie now with this rather chaotic turn of events.

[LostUmbrella]

So, the crystal heart is somepony element uh? Did you have that planned ever since Scion of Chaos?

[Fox]

5052686 How would portraying him as the embodiment of chaos would be less smart? I mean, he actually called himself "spirit of chaos" in the show. It's not about headcanons.

[Geminii]

After a second, Apple Bloom noticed the shield's opaqueness
The sparking alongside the wall intensified and its opaqueness
opacity?

[Geminii]

5053725 It's fair colloquial use, meaning both "of those relevant to us / the discussion" and "of those allied to us". Luna's basically saying that she is allied to the Crystal Empire at this time and for this situation, and Sky Chaser is both the Empire's Scrymaster and the Scrymaster of relevance to the current situation.

[SilentBelle]

5054403 Thanks for pointing that out.

5053934 Fixed. Thank you.

5053984 I'm making a lot of this up as I go. I did however have an explanation for what elements are since the end of Scion of Chaos. And then there were a few comments that Sweetie's cutie mark looked a lot like the crystal heart (which I hadn't even considered at the time). I'm just taking what I can from the show and applying it if it works well enough with what I've got.

[defunct321]

5054316 He's the spirit of chaos, not the embodiment of chaos. This is a common mistake, one I myself made for quite a while. His name is Discord. That I feel has a higher ranking on what his embodiment is than his title. As well, in the beginning of The Return of Harmony, the cutie mark crusaders each claimed that he was either the embodiment of chaos, evil, and confusion, before Cheerilie said he was all of those things, resulting in him being the embodiment of discord. Normally the odds of them actually knowing this are quite slim, but due to show exposition magic and MLP:FiM not having a super complex plot, I'm going to say they got it right.
And discord is most certainly not the same thing as chaos. Chaos is not definitively evil, but discord is. Discord is not the worst evil or the most extreme one, but it most definitely is. Also, bringing in the confusion aspect, it's more subtle, in that it would not just be changing everything for the point of chaos, but to cause disharmony and turn ponies against each other.

Sorry if it became something of a rant, but I wanted to get this off my chest for a while now.

[djthomp]

Well now, that was something. Wild prediction, the story big bad is a being similar to Discord whose heart was long ago removed to become the Crystal Heart, and it is using one of Discord's fragments to power this whole mess in an attempt to retrieve it.

I love Sweetie's new body, it's fairly awesome. I am deeply amused at Luna's reaction to it, she has some personal experience with suddenly having fangs and slitted eyes after all.

[Capacitor]

Scoddri must have remember his own as well, and that influenced the spell because our magical patterns are the same.

This should be past tense.

“There was a bit of property damage,” Captain Snowfall said from beside her.

Wonderful.

[SilentBelle]

5056308 Thanks, it's been fixed. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

[DrWhooves007]

If we bring a pot

c2.staticflickr.com/4/3705/9473367818_eaf2f39fd4_z.jpg

Captain, Slate, both of you with me! Captain, tell your guards to form into rescue groups, I fear that some houses may not have held as well as the palace has.

Captain: "So, which one should I do? Tell the guards or come with you?"

[Greenjack]

5053725 well, she couldn't very well just say "your sister's farmer friend's little sister"! you're getting into spaceballs territory with that one!

[SilentBelle]

5068141 It's unfortunate that it confused the heck out of you. I honestly don't think it's too confusing to the reader, but I can see why some might feel it's wrong to have such a crossover, and going into it, I figured there'd be a few people who wouldn't enjoy it. While I agree that it is a large shift in tone and does come a bit out of left field, I don't think it's too much for a single chapter or for a reader who hasn't read TSC.

The reason why we wrote it together is because we thought both stories could have a fair amount to benefit from the crossover. The chapter allows WD's Sweetie to have a bit of a much-needed break from what she was going through in her story, and it acts as a bit of a catalyst for my characters in terms of adding perspective and a bit of conflict to SB's character, as well as allowing the characters to come to terms with just how serious of a threat they are facing.

It was never intended to be an immersion-breaking experience. But rather it was a way to say, "Hey. This story is the story that inspired me to start writing again after three years of doing nothing and I think it's really awesome. If you liked this chapter perhaps you should check it out. If you don't like the chapter, well that's unfortunate, but it is what happened."

I'd disagree that it feels like a deus ex machina, as WD's SB jumping in wasn't what saved my SB from being skewered by a drake. (Though it may seem like it initially.)

While the chapter will certainly appeal more to those who have read TSC (which I believe is about half my readers), I still think it stands well enough for many of the readers who haven't read it and don't want to.

I know it's not for everyone and it's jarring to some, but it was something that I do not regret writing in the slightest. Perhaps I was a bit starstruck to get the opportunity to collaborate with one of the authors I really look up to as an inspiration, and the opportunity was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. However, if I thought TSC wasn't worthy of being validated in such a manner, then I wouldn't have done the crossover.

Not only that, but having a shared chapter that is canonical in both our universes, I feel, validates both universes, rather than takes away.

In short, I like the chapter as it is. I know it has flaws, but it also has its strengths. It's unfortunate that it didn't appeal to you, and I saw that coming, it was a worry I had when writing the story, but worries or not, I decided to write the chapter with WD and I am quite fond of how it turned out, as well as what it adds to the story. I know my explanation of it won't do any good to change how jarring of an experience the chapter was for you. So I'll leave it at that, I think.

[Pinkacalypse]

5068141 To be fair if you had read TSC you would know those terms and wouldn't be confused by them. My advice stop putting it off and read TSC it's a great story and it'll make the crossover's with it make way more sense.

[SilentBelle]

5073233 I don't know if I'd consider that fair. Whether it is this story or TSC, the reader shouldn't have to read both stories to feel like they aren't missing out. WD generally does a great job in making it so that you don't have to read the source material for the crossovers and you still won't feel lost when reading the chapter that crosses over with said story.

I think the fact is that I might not have given enough focus upon the story through the eyes of a the readers who have not read TSC. I thought I had, but the fact that it was off-putting for him is a completely valid point and not something that should just be brushed off by telling him that he should just read TSC already.

If anything, I think it reflects a lack of foresight on my part as an author, and an avenue that I can learn to improve upon. People should read TSC because they want to, not because they feel they are obligated to. To approach a novel with the mindset of it being a chore kind of destroys half of what makes the story so wonderful in the first place. It's unfortunate that my chapter had the reverse effect for this reader, but the fault is not with the reader, but rather with myself as the author.

[Pinkacalypse]

5073383 I guess that's true I just didn't want him to hate TSC because of this experience with it. As soon as I read the chapter I went and read TSC because I wanted to be informed and I'm better for it seeing that TSC is my 2nd favorite story on the site. It does kinda seem weird to me that he hasn't read it though. He talks like this isn't the first time it has happened to him so shouldn't that be more then enough reason to stop putting it off? But if you think you made a mistake I won't argue with you all I'm saying is that it is very common in even a good crossover to be a bit confused if you don't know both materials as they'll use abilities or do things you won't understand so you shouldn't blame yourself.

P.S is this complaint common?

[treos]

good story so far but all this business with crystals and dark magic and now the crystal heart makes me think the villain in question could only be sombra returned somehow, if not him then...who?

[The Poni]

5073233 That is a matter of opinion. I tried reading it but it was just off putting but I read through it in about a week so the chapter might make sense. My main complaint with it was that it just drags on. It spent four chapters doing what could easily be done in two. And personally i'd rather read something like Moonlight where the Location usually changes but the cast doesn't so you can actually grow more attached to the author's version of the characters.

[SilentBelle]

5073633 It's not too common of a complaint. I honestly expected the chapter to be met with a lot more mixed opinions, but for the most part people seemed to really enjoy it, which honestly surprised me. I have a close friend in real life who reads this story, and the other stuff I write on this site, but he doesn't read anything else. He's seen the shows, and went to BronyCon with me, but other than that he doesn't really interact with the fandom at all. I used him as a sort of litmus test and was pleasantly surprised when he said that the crossover chapter didn't confuse him at all.

I like to think it was a strong chapter and a catalyst for change within my story, although I'm certain it could be improved in many ways.

[Pinkacalypse]

5075711 Fair enough I can see that viewpoint. We simply have different tastes and I respect that, I mean at least you read it.

[markoatonc]

I still think magic schooling acroll all universes system has a big flaw in there. They ate constantly taught to make sure they target the end point of spell properly, to gude it with care so they hit right target, or don't teleport into wall. But noone ever thinks about guiding and targeting spells starting or entry point, you will have lot less mages teleporting along woth furniture or parts of wall, the telepathy will transfer only desired thoughts, the fireboll won't burn caster and you might be able to use telekinesis with other reference point than you, maybe even self-levitation.
If sweetie knew that, she wouldn't be in situation like this.
Ps. sorry for any mistakes, I write from phone.

[DragonMaus]

But for now, please keep in mind that know all of you are making certain the castle is safe shall keep all our minds at ease.

I believe that should be knowing.

leaving the three young mares and Sky Chaser alone in the council room.

The way you worded that suddenly makes it seem like a very bad idea.

Next time, Ah'll show you Ah'm not a lady.

Anyone selling tickets?

[SilentBelle]

5080786 Thank you for pointing that out.

[VcSaJen]

5080123
By "Reference point" you mean "Anchor"? Yes, if you use anchor point in hard earth, and not in yourself, you can lift heavy weight and even self-levitate, but you can't fly: even with different anchor point, distance between lifter, anchor and lifted can be so much.

[markoatonc]

5085617
I know, I never said anything about flying, though really skilled and powerful caster might be able to use attraction/repulsion TK to 'spring' oneself between particular point and re-anchor to somewhere else, like TK-powered jumps, or a way to cross some hole, or ravine.

I remember, there was one thread on one TCB forums, called newfoal unicorn school, I created along with some friends. Hours of discussing nature of magic, watching show closely, comparing fanfictions, very quickly we left MLP and walked into General Magic Topic. amount of theories on how magic works was great, (like, is magic imagination powered, will powered, 'math powered', or maybe incantations? And which is better, which would work better in general unicorn usage and which for skilled mages) I love stories like this one, that has it's own nature of magic, that is established but not fully described, leaving that level of mystery that all that magical should have.

And surprising how some 'rules of magic' are working throughout most of stories, books, games etc.

[shirotora]

5086648 I've always seen telekinesis as working like a long, powerful arm. The caster will always be the fulcrum on which it's centered, but the force of the work is dissipated into the ground allowing the caster to lift several times their own weight. Conversely, levitating while in the air limits the caster to lifting only what their body can handle as the force of the work is on themselves. That would mean trying to self-levitate with telekinesis would be like grabbing the back or your shirt and trying to lift yourself.

Of course, this is simply my own take on telekinesis. I've seen plenty more that explain it well.

[markoatonc]

5100437
this is one of possibilities.
But the only sure conclusion that I ever got to, is that trying to understand magic is for us like cat trying to understand our language, it can learn meanings of some words, and our intentions when we say something to it. But it'll never understand how it works, and why we use it, it may also have problem understanding other people as all of us talks in different way. (OK weird comparison, I just had my cat on mind) If one of us suddenly became a mage, then, and only then, we could try to understand. as for now, What magic is, depends on creator of story and world (though sometimes even they do not really know how this works.) But as I said, some ideas or 'rules' are working with many 'kinds' of magic, which is fascinating thng, how so may people can think similarly.

[shirotora]

5100747 I'd say it's more like hearing someone speak in code. It's not impossible to figure out some of it, but for the most part it's only educated guessing. You might like this. It's something I put together a long time ago. It's meant for one of my fics, so there's some head canon there.

[markoatonc]

5101109
Thank you for sharing this, I would share mine too, however not only it is all in Polish, but also unfortunately most of it was lost.
I love that part about necromancy, FINALLY!!!
Sorry, but things like "Dark Magic" = "Evil Magic" unnerves me.
It is actually well thought-out description, though it was to be expected from your great stories.

About that, I am currently out-of-loop when it comes to fimfiction (I have to thank the "A New World, a New Way" universe for that, and that crazy ed2481 who seems to shit with those chapters) So, how are you? (and now the dreaded question) What bout your stories? are we going to see any update soon?

[Von Voctavia]

Read the first two, now reading this, sees how Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo act towards each other, check for the romance tag, don't find it.

[SilentBelle]

5101393 Romance isn't really the theme of the story so much, it's focused on adventure more so than anything else.

[Von Voctavia]

5101635

Yeah I'm enjoying the story, good slice of life action piece. :)

And Sweetie just teleported off a moving train into a puddle of ice water