Twilight had spent hours agonising over her decision, and weighing the pros against the cons. The truth was, there were far more reasons not to perform the spell than there were to perform it. The more she thought on it, the harder it got.
It didn't help that, over the course of the hours she took deliberating, all the rest of her friends had filtered into the castle, and had teamed up, taking sides with either Applejack or Dash.
Dash held the belief that Twilight should cast the spell, regardless of the risks, if it meant there was a chance Scootaloo could be healed and fly again.
Applejack held the belief the spell should not be cast, because the risk of Apple Bloom losing her newfound freedom and being reverted back to a crippled pony was far too great, and something she did not wish to see happen. And besides that, Scootaloo seemed fine with the way things were anyway.
Pinkie Pie sided with Applejack, declaring that, if Scootaloo was happy with her choice of being the crippled pony while Apple Bloom was able to live a normal life, then it shouldn't be messed with, because anything else might make Scootaloo unhappy.
Fluttershy also sided with Applejack, but only on the part that the spell was way too risky and could hurt or kill both young mares.
Rarity sided with Dash, announcing that, if there was any chance to switch them back and heal them both, it should be done, no matter the risk.
Unfortunately, the divide between them caused quite an argument to ensue, both sides claiming their opinion was right, and Twilight just got that much more upset and panicked with the choice in front of her. She finally did the only thing she could think of to do amid all the heated yelling.
She called the Crusaders to the castle.
Upon their arrival, she, along with Dark Magic, explained the spell and exactly what was at stake. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo exchanged glances.
"So you're saying that this could work and we'll both be fixed?" Scootaloo said slowly. "But it could also go horribly wrong and that could end with Apple Bloom being the way she was again?"
Twilight nodded. "I felt you should have a say in this."
"What would you say for us to do, Twilight?" Apple Bloom enquired.
Twilight took a deep breath, met Dark Magic's sympathetic gaze briefly, then looked at the young mares before her.
"I...really struggled with this." She conceded finally. "It's not an easy decision, considering everything that could go wrong. Truthfully, some part of me screams no. But...another part says this could work. I'm willing to try, if you are."
They stared at her, a mixture of apprehension and raw fear on their faces. Twilight sighed.
"I know what this means for you, girls." She told them softly. "It means trusting me completely with your wellbeing...with your lives, even. I know that isn't an easy thing to do, especially knowing that too many things could go wrong..."
"We trust you, Twilight."
This statement from Apple Bloom made every pair of eyes settle on her.
"If this spell can fix everythin', then do it." She finished.
"But if this goes wrong you could be crippled again!" Scootaloo cried in panic. "I don't want that to happen!"
"Ah have faith in Twilight, Scoots. She won't fail us." Apple Bloom stated with firm conviction...as if there wasn't a shred of danger involved in the entire thing.
"But if it goes wrong..." Scootaloo protested.
"Then we'll just cross that mountain when we come to it, Scoots." Apple Bloom replied gently. "But Ah believe in Twilight."
Twilight looked like she wasn't sure whether to be flattered or panicked at the amount of faith and trust the young mare placed in her.
Scootaloo sighed. "Well, I believe in Twilight, too, so...Twilight? If you think this will work, then go ahead and do it."
"Yes!" Dash cheered. "You'll be flying again in no time, squirt!"
"But what about Bloom? Ah don't want her losin' her freedom again!" Applejack insisted. "An' Dark Magic said this could go horribly wrong! What if ya wind up killin' both of them?!"
Twilight looked stricken by that. Hearing the girls had made her think she might be able to do this, but now...well, she was terribly afraid something would happen and harm both of them.
"Nah, Twilight's got this covered!" Dash announced eagerly. "She won't let anything happen to them. Right, Twi?"
Twilight took a deep breath. "If the girls want to do this, I'll do it. But like Dark Magic said, there is danger involved. I am going to hope this works out, but I won't lie: it could fail. I'm hoping it doesn't."
The others exchanged glances. Scootaloo still looked apprehensive, while Apple Bloom looked a bit more calm. Twilight sighed again. This could either be the best, or the worst, choice of her life. Hopefully it wasn't going to be the latter.
"I'll get to work on creating the spell." She finally spoke up. "Dark Magic? Since the Judgement's Blessing spell came from your family, will you help me?"
Dark Magic flinched slightly. "As I stated before, Princess," he reiterated. "I cannot be held responsible for the outcome of this. It is a very volatile spell capable of causing untold damage and harm."
"You won't be held responsible." Twilight assured him.
He gazed at her for a long time before finally nodding.
"Very well. I will assist you. But I advise great caution in this endeavor."
"Noted." Twilight acknowledged with a nod. "Though I do my best to exercise great care with every spell."
Dark Magic regarded her soberly. "This one requires even greater attention than all of yours put together."
Twilight believed it. Every word. It wasn’t just the magic, it was the young mares lives, it was their sisters and the sanctity of the Elements of Harmony. She didn’t need to be reminded to be vigilant during this spell casting, she knew. The thought of a lifetime of accusing glares from former friends if she were to fail did not bear dwelling on too closely.
"Ah can't agree with this!" Applejack yelled. "It's too dangerous!!! Twilight, ya can't do it!"
"Twilight, you have to!!" Dash shouted. "Scootaloo needs to fly! If this can work, you have to fix them!!"
This led to more yelling on both sides as the Crusaders watched in complete confusion and Twilight looked ready to have a breakdown as she began to doubt her decision. She grabbed Dark Magic and dragged him aside.
"I have got to stop this fighting!" She told him. "It's making this too difficult! The girls are willing to try the spell, but their sisters are going to have them and me doubting it and too scared to do it!"
He glanced at the arguing groups and back to Twilight.
"Perhaps the best way is to convince them to participate." He stated. "If they are truly worried for their siblings' safety, they need to focus and calm themselves so that no mistakes are made."
"That's true." Twilight responded, rubbing her head. "We'll need them anyway, in order to use the power of Friendship in the spell."
She strode forward and faced her friends. They stopped yelling at the look on her face.
"If you want to protect the girls," she said. "Then it will help if you will participate in this spell. I need you for the Friendship part of it. Applejack, Dash...I understand where you are both coming from, but please, stop fighting and help me help your sisters."
The two exchanged looks. After a long moment of silence, they nodded.
"Ah'll help." Applejack agreed. "But only cause Ah want my sister safe, and cause Ah know she wants to try this. Ah still have my doubts."
"I'll help, too." Dash offered. "You're right, Twi. If this is gonna be anywhere close to successful, we gotta stand together and make it that way."
The others agreed to that with nods of assent. Twilight took a deep breath.
"Good." She stated. "Now, I have a really good idea how to create this spell. I just need a few minutes to think before I can start."
She moved to the chalkboard that hadn't been put away, grabbed the chalk in her magic, and levitated several books over to herself. The others watched...except Dark Magic, who went to her side and quietly conversed with her. The two kept exchanging words as all kinds of figures and diagrams were written on the board. At long last, both of them stood back and surveyed the work.
"Well, now we know how to do this." Twilight announced.
She turned to her friends, Dark Magic following.
"Alright." She said. "I have figured out how to correctly combine the different ingredients into the spell we need. However, there is one problem. Well, two actually."
"Ah knew it!" Applejack exploded. "It's gonna hurt em, ain't it?! It's gonna turn Apple Bloom back to bein' injured! Consarn it all, Twilight!" She yanked off her Stetson and flung it on the floor.
"Applejack, darling, do calm down and listen." Rarity suggested comfortingly.
Applejack replaced her hat and scowled.
"The spell is very strong and complex." Twilight explained. "It's going to have to be cast in three separate stages, no less than a week apart, to make sure that the girls, and us, do not become overwhelmed by too much magic at once...and make sure we don't overdo it in the casting of it. It's going to be a very demanding process, and take a lot of all our energy."
"That makes sense." Dash considered, rubbing her head. "So what's the second problem?"
"The spell, even with all the ingredients, can only work through a close surrogate that's unaffected by the magic already in play." Twilight said. She hesitated briefly. "In other words, we need a third pony to work through on this, one that has had no contact with any of the magic in the spell preformed on Scootaloo and Apple Bloom."
"That makes sense, but who would you get, darling?" Rarity asked. "And what exactly would their role entail?"
Twilight glanced at Dark Magic, then back at her friends.
"It would mean transferring all the injuries to this third pony long enough for us to purge the other two, or in other words, heal them completely and remove any and all magic not their own. This pony, though, would have to carry the injuries for two weeks...until we've completed the final spell."
"That is a lot to ask any pony to carry." Rarity conceded, sighing. "But if we must. Who can we get?"
"The closest surrogate..." Twilight drew a deep breath "... the one with the purest heart to match Scootaloo's and Apple Bloom...is Sweetie Belle."