*Click*
The button to a tape recorder was pushed, and now the device was recording freely. It was set down on a small wooden desk with a single picture frame holding a picture of a family including four ponies and a dog. A large red pony gently sat down next to the table and leaning against the wall, eyeing the room with two makeshift beds with only thin blankets to let one know they were for resting on.
Big McIntosh sighed, silently enough for it not to be picked up on the recorder.
"Log Date... Day number Six Fifty-Eight." He started. "We're still trying to keep up the morale for the few number of creatures that are left with us, but it's proving difficult each passing day. The others haven't fully realized it yet, but food and water are slowly, but surely running out. Soon enough some of us are going to be forced to go out and gather more. It'll be hard and frightening considering the monsters out there, but we already have some volunteers, including me."
"Still no signs of my sister Applejack. My granny is still most definitely in Ponyville if the varmint hasn't already sent her to the Changeling Hive. However..." He stopped and looked out of his room through the doorway, eyeing some fillies.
Sweetie Belle groaned and plopped to the floor, her head was pounding from all the magic she was using today. She and the other crusaders sat in the foyer of Cozy's castle, all tired and anxious for some dinner when they got home.
"Hopefully she takes a long bath today. I need a break." Apple Bloom said, Scootaloo nodding in agreement.
Suddenly the doors to the front of the castle barged open, and a familiar brown mare fluttered in.
"Spur?" They all say in unison.
"That's me." Spur said with a sad smile. "How have you all been holding up?" She asked.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous it is?" Apple Bloom asked, ignoring her question.
Spur put on a knowing look at the ceiling, her brows furrowed. "Where is she?"
They all went silent, but in a small voice, Sweetie answered. "She's taking a bath at the moment."
Spur looked at the Cutie Mark Crusaders for a moment and sighed. "I'm going to talk to her."
"Why in Equestria would you do that?" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"Because..." Spur sighed through her nose. "Because Cozy Glow is my sister."
Three gasps were heard, and Spur looked at the Crusaders who had utter shock written on their faces.
"I thought you would react like that." Spur said with a sad smile, before frowning. "You all don't understand! She's a victim in all of this too!" She tried to convince.
"How!" Apple Bloom spat, coming out of her shock. "How can that evil filly worse than prime Diamond Tiara ever be a victim!" She yelled, the other crusaders frowning as well.
"Let me explain." Spur said. "Back when Cozy and I lived together, we lived in Fillydelphia with our father in a rich home. We never knew our mother, and only had our father and some of his butlers."
"Just like Diamond Tiara, except for the mother part." Apple Bloom deadpanned.
Spur ignored her. "Cozy wasn't a spoiled brat. She was the most loving thing in the whole world to me. She was always polite, knew her manners, and always looked to do the right thing. The problem was our father."
"What do you mean?" Sweetie asked.
"Our father taught us that the most important thing in life was power. He told us that the only thing that mattered was power. That it was the meaning of life. At first, Cozy and I didn't agree with him, and we told ourselves we wouldn't follow in his hoofsteps. We continued living like any other normal pony. However, one night, when I was away in school, our father met up with one of his rich friends, who gave him an offer." Spur paused, before breathing shakily. "I should have been there... Cozy wouldn't have turned out like this..."
"What was the offer?" Apple Bloom asked.
"He was offering a bunch of things. Some stock holdings in his large company, more property, positions most ponies can only dream of. But the price was only one thing. He wanted Cozy Glow."
"Cozy Glow was bought?!" Apple Bloom asked.
Spur nodded. "His friend thought Cozy was a very cute filly, he had a son, but always wanted a daughter for himself, but didn't want to adopt a random filly or colt from an orphanage, so he went to my father. And that stupid stallion agreed to the offer. All for power."
"When Cozy found out, she was finally convinced that power did mean everything since her own parent was willing to trade her for it. Apparently, she had ran away from home before I got back from school, and she told me the story herself."
"That's..." Apple Bloom and the crusaders were heavily conflicted.
"Please." Spur begged. "Think about your own families. How would you feel if you were given away for something so meaningless? And wouldn't you want to stick up for your sisters if it happened to them?" She asked.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle thought of their siblings, while Scootaloo thought of Rainbow Dash.
"I'm not asking you to forgive her. What she's done isn't forgivable. But all I ask is for you three to understand her."
"We... could try." Apple Bloom said with a stern expression.
"Thank you." Spur said with a nod. "Now, go."
"Huh?" The three fillies asked.
"Get out of here, even if I can't talk her out of this, I can at least distract her enough for some of you to flee. She and I haven't seen each other in years, way before this all happened."
"Are you sure? What if she hurts you?" Scootaloo asked.
"She won't. Trust me. Deep down, she's still the same sweet filly I grew up with. Now leave, I can't say the same for the three of you."
The Crusaders looked at each other for a moment before nodding in determination. "We hope you'll get through to her." Apple Bloom said before they began sprinting out of the castle, wasting no time. Scootaloo shouting a 'good luck' before the door closed.
Spur flew up the stairs and wandered the halls before halting when she heard Cozy humming in a room. "She's taking a bath." She smiled at some memories before heading towards her direction.
Cozy was humming in delight while playing with a rubber ducky, mountains of bubbles all around her as she relaxed in the warm water. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. Grunting in annoyance she rolled her eyes and yelled out, "Who is it?"
"Can I come in?"
That voice. Cozy remembered that voice somewhere. Raising an eyebrow, she used her magic to open the door to reveal her sister.
"S-Spur?" Cozy said as she leaned out of the bathtub. "Is that you?"
Spur didn't say anything but put on a bright smile.
Without looking away from her long lost sister, Cozy pulled the drain with her magic and fluttered out of her bath, another wave of magic removing the suds and drying her fur. She stared at Spur for moments, her mouth agape. But suddenly, she furrowed her brows and scoffed. "Oh, I get it. Nice prank, Chrysalis." She sat on her haunches and crossed her arms.
"You've always hated crust on bread and never ate it without cutting it into triangles." Spur simply stated. "You also used to take long baths to waste time so you didn't have to come out of the bathroom to see dad."
Cozy widened her eyes and said, "Chrysalis could have probably known about the bread, but... It really is you." She slowly walked forward towards her sister.
"I see you're now an alicorn. That explains a lot of things." Spur said.
"I've..." A few tears escaped Cozy's eyelids. She jumped up to embrace Spur in a hug with happiness. "I've missed you so much!" Cozy said happily as she nuzzled Spur's fuzzy chest, as warm as she remembered.
"Me too!" She replied with a bright smile, hugging back tenfold, and trying not to be poked by her sister's new horn. "We have a lot to catch up on."
Moments later, and now they were in the throne room, with a new crystal chair conjured up for Spur to sit on. They were playing chess on the Friendship Map table.
"This is so exciting! Now I'll finally have someone to talk to every day!" Cozy said as she moved a rook, taking one of Spur's bishops.
Spur smiled at Cozy and moved one of her pieces.
"Oh! I've got to find a way to give you some powers too! Although I don't know where Tirek is nowadays, maybe he'll know something."
"Powers?" Spur asked.
"Yup!" Cozy said with excitement as she moved another piece. "How else would you rule at my side?" She looked into her sister's eyes and her large smile grew smaller. "That's what you came here for, right?"
"Rule?" Spur said with fright.
"I-if you just came here to hang out, that's fine too."
"Cozy I don't think you understan-"
"It's alright. I know it's a lot of responsibility to rule over a lot of ponies, but I'll let you do whatever you want. Be whatever you wanna be."
"No! Cozy I didn't come to rule or hang out." She told.
Cozy tilted her head, "So... you didn't come over to see me?" She said with a hint of sadness.
"No! I mean- That's not-" Spur sighed, and moved a piece on the board, giving her time to think. She had to be cautious with her words. Any wrong move could cost everything, exactly like a game of chess. "I meant, I didn't come here just to talk, or to rule. Yes, I came here to see you, but..."
"But?" Cozy looked at Spur intensely with curiosity.
Spur gave Cozy a sad smile, and started, "I came to talk about this." She gestured towards the destroyed thrones, a symbol of Cozy's victory over the elements of Harmony. "And... you." She explained, looking at Cozy's horn and larger wings.
"Uh... what about it?" The pink filly asked.
"Cozy... this is wrong." Spur began. "Taking over Equestria? Teaming up with ancient villains to defeat the heroes of Equestria? Why?"
The filly glared at Spur. "For power of course!" She moved another piece.
"Cozy, a lot of ponies and even other creatures are hurting. Don't you care about their wellbeing?"
"They look completely fine to me!" She yelled, getting angrier by the second.
"They aren't, Cozy. You know that!" Spur said sternly. "You used to care about everypony. You used to be so kind, what happened?"
"You know what happened, Spur. I know you do."
"Yes, but what did he do to turn you against everypony. I would understand your hatred towards him, but the other ponies and creatures didn't do anything to you."
"Didn't papa teach you anything?" Cozy spat.
Spur went silent at the question.
Cozy looked at the board and examined it thoroughly. At first glance, it would seem as if Cozy was trying hard in this chess game, but Spur knew she was doing the same thing she was earlier, trying to come up with some words. Spur knew that could only mean she was contradicting herself, she was lost, but she didn't fully realize it yet.
Spur moved another piece, Cozy cleared her throat and continued. "When he... sent me away. Yes, I hated him from that day on, but I will admit that he taught me more than anything that same day." She went on, moving another piece. "Power is the most important thing. Why else would he sell me for it?"
"That isn't true, Cozy!" Spur said. "Power might feel great, but deep inside you'll be consumed by loneliness!"
"Is that what happened to papa?" Cozy asked. "From what I could tell, he would have been doing so much better if I hadn't ran away."
"Dad was an idiot." Spur said, moving a chess piece. "You don't have to follow in his hoofsteps. I know you're smarter than this, Cozy! You're the smartest filly I know! Please realize that even if you have all the power at your hooves, if everypony is forced to follow you, you'll still be truly alone. No pony wants that! No pony thinks that power is worth more than friends and family!"
"Everypony is forced to follow me, you say? I'm the best leader that's ever lived! It doesn't matter if they are forced to follow me or not, that simply means they don't fully realize that I'm a great leader yet!"
"No, it doesn't!" Spur shouted back.
"Shut up!" Cozy yelled, standing up in her seat. "You weren't the one who was being sold. You were at school learning the wrong things about life, while I was taught the right things firsthoof! When I ran away, I vowed to gain power and shove it into papa's face. Showing him that his sweet little daughter has more power than he could ever dream of, then ripping what little he has left! I discovered that friendship was power on my own, and I nearly won with my first attempt, but after I lost, I forged an alliance with two powerful creatures, and the three of us working together finally succeeded, on top of it being the most fun thing I've ever done it was the first time anypony that opposed to Celestia actually won. And now, I have more power than anyone in the history of time! I took down Celestia and Luna, and even Twilight Sparkle and her friends, if that isn't worthy of being a leader I don't know what is!" Cozy screamed at the top of her lungs, some strands of hair escaping her well-done mane.
Spur looked at her sister in shock.
"And I still plan on doing that to him, for what he did to me." She continued in rage, talking about their father. "His reward for teaching his filly the way life will be the loss of everything he holds dear. Spur, be honest with me, do you agree with me on this one? Are you going to follow me or turn your back on me like everypony else?!"
Spur teared up, before breathing out, "N-no..." She then shouted back. "Please, Cozy! You still have a chance to stop all of this. I can teach you a different way of life, and we can live happily away from dad and live out the rest of our lives in peace, with no pain!" She said while crying a bit. "I just want my sister back..."
"Your sister disappeared years ago when your papa tossed her away," Cozy said coldly, before moving a piece. "Checkmate."
Lighting her horn, she created a portal behind Spur, leading to the Changeling hive.
The portal started sucked up her sister, as Cozy watched heartlessly seemingly without being pulled in herself, her mane still whipping around because of the winds. Spur looked inside the portal, grabbing onto her crystal chair to avoid being sucked up. She looked back and forth, her gaze transitioning between the portal and her sister. She soon lost her grip on the crystal chair and got sucked in, landing in the hive and changelings surrounded her. Before the portal closed up, Spur said, while looking at her sister who stared back at her with cold but wavering eyes, "I'll always love you, Cozy Glow. I'm sorry." Then it closed.
It was now silent in the room. Cozy breathed heavily and took a look at the finished chess game, before blasting it away with her magic in a feat of anger. Then, she started to rant, walking back and forth across the room, mocking Spur and convincing herself that power is everything.
But she couldn't deny herself, like a house flooding in with water, she quickly began to realize that she still missed her sister, and slowly but surely started to regret sending her away.
Big Mac smiled. "However some good news has finally come. My little sister and her two best friends escaped and managed to get themselves found safe and sound. They now live here with the resistance in our base in the caves underneath Canterlot. I was so darn happy to see them, and they told me all what has been happening back in Ponyville. It hasn't made me.... happier, I'll say. But it's not as bad as I once thought."
The stallion then thought about his journey to Mt. Everhoof. "Sometime after the last recording. My wife, Sugar Belle, and old wizard, Starswirl the Bearded, a pony named Fizzlepop Berrytwist that now goes by the name Tempest, and I went to a journey to Mt. Everhoof, with intentions of gathering information about Grogar's bell, since it had come from there originally."
The four ponies draped in warm clothing and saddlebags were far up the snowy mountains and found a wooden cabin. It was the only thing they found in the area, and they were about to inspect it.
Starswirl, his magic still drained from so long ago, knocked on the door. The winds blew the four of them while they waited for anyone.
A couple of seconds passed and an old brown pony with a cape and rusty bucket for a helmet revealed himself. "Howdy, what can I do for you all?"
"Greetings. My name is Starswirl." The wizard said. "May we ask some questions regarding Mt. Everhoof and Grogar's Bewitching Bell?"
"The name is Rusty Bucket! Sure, come on in, it sure is cold out." Once every pony was seated inside his warm house in the living room, Rusty asked, "What seems to be the problem?"
"Everything," Tempest said.
Rusty looked concerned.
"Three villains acquired a magical talisman that was able to aid them in taking over Equestria," Starswirl explained. "Do you know anything of this?"
Rusty instantly got serious, with his expression very hard.
"They took away our families, and forced us away unless we wanted to be under their rule or captured." Sugar Belle said, snuggling into Big Mac.
"Eyup."
"That Centaur, bug and filly did it..." He surmised.
"You've seen them?" Starswirl asked.
"Yes, I met with them years ago. They were my most recent visitors... if you count years passing as recent." He chuckled. "They ignored my warnings that the mountain was dangerous, and I never saw them again when they began to scale it. I thought they were already goners."
"It seems not," Tempest said. "They got the magical talisman, Grogar's Bewitching Bell, and took off."
"That should have been impossible," Rusty explained. "Not only is the mountain nearly impossible to scale, but once you get there there is a magic barrier blocking anypony from getting to the bell."
"They found a way," Starswirl said. "Is there perhaps any other talisman or secret in these mountains? Something that we can use to fight back with?"
"I'm afraid not. However..." Rusty went over to a chest and dug through it. At first, the other ponies in the room thought he was going to pull something out of it, but from the sounds of it, he pulled a lever or pushed a button inside the chest, and suddenly the room started to shake. Acting quickly, Rusty pulled the rug away from the center of the floor, and it was revealed that the floor was opening up. In the middle of opening up, a stand rose from beneath the floor, rising high and holding something.
Rusty took the object from its stand and sighed while holding it to his chest. "I am a descendant of Gusty the Great. I want to ask you, do you know about her true relationship with Grogar?"
The rest of the ponies in the room looked confused, except one.
Starswirl nodded. "They were once friends, yes." He said. "I know the full details, they used to put it in ancient history books back when I was a young colt."
Rusty nodded. "They were once the best of friends, working as a team to gain land and power. Grogar's bell... it is only one part of a full set." He revealed a white absolutely gorgeous sparkling silk that Rarity would die for. "You can wear the bell with anything, but only with Gusty's magical silk will the true potential of the bell will be unlocked. Not even Grogar himself knows this, it's been a secret passed down generations." He gave the silk to Starswirl.
"How does it's potential unlock?" The wizard asked.
"More control. You can directly use the magic inside the bell, whatever left of it there is. Even creatures who can't normally use magic can use it, however, I must warn you that once the bell and silk are put together, the physical toll on the wearer's body will be huge."
Starswirl nodded, and unbeknownst to everypony, Big Mac held his mouth agape only slightly.
"The more the user uses, the bigger the toll." Rusty looked down at the silk and gripped it tightly even as Starswirl held it in his magic. "I didn't know the situation was so dire. I apologize for not realizing sooner. This silk has been hidden and protected by my ancestors for thousands of years, I trust you all to do the right thing, and if you succeed, please bring it back to me."
Tempest held Rusty's shoulder to comfort him. "We will win. And I'll bring it back to you personally."
Rusty nodded, and the group made their way out his door. "Good luck to you all, I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do to help."
"You've done plenty," Starswirl said. "You have my thanks."
"This silk is Equestria's light of hope." Sugar Belle said. "This will give us the chance to make everything right."
Then Big Mac thought about a couple weeks ago, he grumbled and snorted in a wave of anger.
"We're about to have a meeting. Let's head to the planning room." Apple Bloom said to Big Mac, in front of his crystal room.
The resistance's base was located in the crystal caverns below Canterlot, that spanned out across the entire city. The same caves which once held an imprisoned Princess Cadence, and more recently the dungeon that the villain trio used to keep the Royal Sisters, Pillars, Starlight Glimmer, Discord, and the Element Bearer's minus Twilight captive. Now the caves were swarmed with tents, tiny crystal structures that didn't look like it would hold but were used as homes, and other establishments. Unfortunately, species such as the Yaks weren't able to get away from the villains, but ponies, griffons, and other various creatures of different ages not captured by Chrysalis or ruled by Cozy Glow bustled about and did their own things, some creatures teamed up to make and grow food, others that worked together to procure clothing, and even armor, and some others surprisingly making weapons, like spears, shields, and swords. There was an orphanage for the fillies and colts who lost their parents, a small library containing some books from Canterlot's library when someone sneaked in to grab some, and even a small school for the younger creatures. It was a little underground village, created by scraps, but now a home nonetheless.
Big Mac followed his sister and her friends to the meeting room, passing some ponies and changelings. The room was directly under Canterlot Castle and had a secret entrance to the Canterlot Archives within the castle. But no one dared to go into the castle itself, since the last time a cocky griffon did, he was caught by surprise when Tirek was wandering about, and nearly busted everyone underground.
A few makeshift holes in the room served as windows allowed anyone to look down at the landscape, including a little bit a Ponyvile. There, Starswirl, Sugar Belle, Dragon Lord Ember, Sunburst, Yona, and Tempest were seated around a big stone table.
"Everypony is present," Sunburst mentioned to Starswirl, who was writing some stuff down on some paper.
"Let's get started then," Starswirl said.
"Still no sight of Sandbar, Yona?" Ember whispered to her Yak friend.
"No," Yona said simply with a depressed expression. Ember rubbed her back with pity.
With Big Mac and the Crusaders seated, Starswirl cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, it's finally time to explain our plan of action."
"As you all know, four of us recently came back from a journey carrying Gusty the Great's magic silk, capable of concentrating the magic inside Grogar's bell." Starswirl began. Sunburst, who was one of the few that still had his magic, projected an image of the silk with his light yellow magic, switching the image to correlation with Starswirls talk. "With it, we can undo all the damage Cozy Glow, Chrysalis, and Tirek have done."
"Princess Cadence, her husband, and their daughter are also on a mission of taking Grogar's bell from Tirek," Sunburst said. "If they are successful, then our chances to save everypony skyrocket."
"Then we just wait for them then?" Ember asked.
"Exactly."
"Well, I don't take kindly to that plan. I don't like to just wait around." Ember explained.
"We have no choice," Sunburst said. "Besides, we've been waiting two years for this moment, can't you wait a little longer?" He asked kindly.
Starswirl ruffled his beard.
"You could have came with us to Mt. Everhoof if you wanted to stretch your wings." Sugar Belle said.
"Too cold for a dragon," Ember said simply. "But anyway, what I mean is, I don't like to wait around when we have a chance to do something."
"Hm..." Starswirl looked at Ember in wonder. "What do you mean?"
"While you four were gone I made friends with this Yona here." She gestured towards Yona. "She's one of Smolder's friends."
Yona waved, albeit a bit shyly. She's been really quiet ever since Gallus and Sandbar left to find their friends, and only recently opened up to Ember when she found out she was close to Smolder.
"We were talking, and she told me of an old Yak technique that could be used to combine powers!"
"Combine powers... Could you elaborate?" Sunburst asked.
Instead of Ember continuing, Yona spoke up. "If pony and pony do old dance movements. Then pony and pony combine. If pony and dragon try, no work. If one pony big and one pony small, no work. If one pony strong, and one pony weak, no work."
"So they have to be similar," Sunburst concluded.
Yona nodded.
"Unicorns used a simple spell in the past as well," Starswirl said. "However they wouldn't combine, not physically."
"So... couldn't we combine?" Sweetie Belle brought up, raising her hoof, causing all heads to turn to the three Crusaders, putting them on the spot. It was the first time any of them spoke, so curiosity swept the room. "Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and I. We're all the same size, roughly the same weight. Do different body parts like horns and wings affect anything? O-or the number of creatures?"
Yona shook her head.
"So all three of us should be able to combine!" She said.
"If Yona shows us how to do this technique. It would prove a great asset." Starswirl said.
"However, if we made it into a spell a unicorn could cast, it would prove even better." A new voice said.
All heads turned to the new voice, and Starswirl smiled in seeing a new friend. "Stygian! You've returned!"
The small grey, blue maned unicorn stepped up to the table. "If a technique like that could be replicated into a spell, it would be much easier to use." He said. "I agree with the filly, the only creatures in this room that would be able to combine would be these three. And if it works, they could be more powerful than either of us."
"But what if it doesn't work!"
All heads turned to Big Mac.
"What if something happens to them? What if they can't be changed back? Will I lose my sister forever?"
They all took in his words and thought to themselves, looking at him with sympathy.
"Don't worry Big Mac." Apple Bloom said. "It'll be worth it if it does work."
"And if it doesn't?" He asked.
"We have to at least try!" Apple Bloom said. "I can't stand around doing nothing while everypony is hurting out there. Ember's right, if we can do something why not try? Cozy's still out there as we speak, and I want to stop her! For everything she's done she needs to pay!"
"I don't want to lose you again!" Big Mac yelled, which startled his little sister. "I haven't seen you in nearly two years. Nor have I seen Applejack or Granny Smith. I-I can't lose you again..."
"You won't," Starswirl said. "I can teach Sunburst a reversal spell, in case things go wrong."
"And what if it's not reversible?" The large red stallion asked.
Sunburst raised a hoof. "Starlight has shown me a time-reversal spell. If anything happens I can undo everything in a two-minute span."
"Please... trust them, Big Mac, they're some of the best unicorns that ever lived." Apple Bloom said with a glare, but not towards her big brother. "We need to do this. I need to bring Cozy down."
"Trust us too." Scootaloo put in. "We don't want anything to happen to us as much as you do."
"Yeah," Sweetie said.
Big Mac grumbled. "F-fine... But the moment anything goes wrong, we cancel this plan and wait for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor."
"Of course," Starswirl said as he watched Big Mac start to leave. "Thank you."
Big Mac paused for a second, looked back, then continued after giving Starswirl and Sunburst a pleading look.
"Come you three," Starswirl said after turning to the Crusaders. "Sunburst, Yona, Stygian and I will try to get this Yak technique to work. The rest of you, look out for the Crystal Royals. Do not disturb us unless it's an emergency." The six of them walked out as well, leaving everypony else to do their own thing or watch for Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.
*Click*
Big Mac stood up and made his way out his room, and decided he was hungry.
It's been weeks since that meeting. His sister and her friends have been practicing since then, and Big Mac wasn't very pleased, to say the least. Every night, before sleep, he would tuck his sister into bed and would stroke her mane as she thought about the future, their future. He wanted to believe it was going to be a bright one, but he knew he couldn't guarantee that. He only had to hope for the best.
Sugar Belle opened the doors to the lounge area in the resistance base with her magic, and took sight of some ponies, Changelings, and other creatures such as griffons and kirins eating and talking. The lounge room was fairly large, looking like a school cafeteria but without an actual store. Food was hard to come by these days and rations were stocked up and taken care of by Starswirl and the other leaders of the resistance, who tried to evenly distribute food among everypony.
She went over to her husband, snacking on some dry grass at a table.
"Are you alright dear?" She asked, taking a seat in front of him.
They could both hear distant sounds of magic coming from another room.
"Nope." He said simple and clear.
Sugar Belle sighed. "I understand why you're moody. I know you care about Apple Bloom."
"I care about all three of them." Big Mac said, taking another bite out of his food, and shivering a bit. He swallowed. "I failed to save them, Applejack and Granny. I don't want to stand aside and potentially watch Apple Bloom and her friends taken away from me too..."
"Big Mac..." Sugar Belle didn't know what to say.
He looked down at his food. "I know the circumstances. I know this will benefit us all if it works. But I just got Apple Bloom back. I don't want to lose her again."
"I understand honey. We all do."
"I was so happy when I saw her again."
"I know, you... haven't smiled so much in so long."
Big Mac nodded.
"But, Big Mac. Didn't you look at their eyes?" She asked. "The fire within them, every time they're finished practicing and training, it's scary! They've all personally dealt with Cozy Glow's fury. They're enraged, they want revenge. Those determined little eyes looked so... monstrous." She explained.
Big Mac looked at Sugar Belle, who had a frightening look staring down at the table.
She looked up at him. "I know you aren't agreeing with this new plan. But only you can talk them down on taking revenge. Do you want your little sister to become a heartless fighter for the rest of her life?"
Big Mac shook his head softly.
"Then you need to explain to them that revenge is not the answer. I doubt that Twilight's way for reforming evil into good will work for Cozy at this point, but remind them to fight for the good of others, not for something as terrible as revenge."
"I... I see your point." Big Mac said. He leaned over and pecked her on the lips. "Thank you, sweetie." He was still frowning, but he knew what he had to do.
"Anytime." She said with a small smile.
Sitting down, Big Mac was now stationed outside the training room. Where only the Crusaders, Starswirl, Sunburst and Yona were currently in, Stygian had left a few days ago for recon work. He waited there for about an hour, listening to magic sparking behind the door that separated him from them. He heard the frustrated sounds the three fillies would make and the encouraging sounds from the wise unicorns. He heard the yak instruct, and every time following her instructions the sounds of them attempting a spell would bring up.
Eventually, the door opened, and the six of them walked out. The frustrated fillies' manes were frizzled, and there were some scratches on them, but otherwise, they were completely unharmed.
Big Mac heard Scootaloo complaining as she walked out. "I can't believe it wouldn't work. We were so close!"
"Relax, Scootaloo. We'll come back to it later." Starswirl said. "The progress we made was excellent."
Scootaloo groaned. "Yes, sir."
"Take a break, we'll start again whenever you three are ready," Sunburst said. "I'm a bit hungry, would anyone like to take a bite with me?"
"No thank you, I'll be on the lookout for the Crystal Royals," Starswirl said.
"Yona hungry," Yona said. "Yona go with pony."
"We just ate, I think we're good." Sweetie Belle said.
Sunburst nodded and they departed, leaving Big Mac and the Crusaders.
"I'm guessing y'all didn't combine?" He asked.
They shook their heads, and Scootaloo growled.
"How are we going to beat Cozy Glow and take back Ponyville if we can't even do the spell properly!" She said sitting on her haunches in front of Big Mac.
"It'll probably take us forever. They said we're making progress but it looks to me like we're heading nowhere." Apple Bloom said sitting next to her.
Sweetie said nothing but sat down aswell.
Then, Big Mac started to chuckle.
Apple Bloom frowned. "I see you're happy that we can't combine big brother." She said bitterly.
Big Mac slowly stopped chuckling and shook his head. "This reminds me of the good ol' days. When y'all would try to get your cutie marks."
The Crusaders widened their eyes.
"If I know you three, and I do say so myself that I do, I know you'll be able to do it. You three have always set your eyes on something and got it done. I've seen it countless times."
"It won't matter if it takes as long as getting our cutie marks," Scootaloo said, kicking a pebble away.
"Maybe, but it's better than not doing anything, right?"
"I thought you didn't want us to combine?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I still don't. But I can't stop you three, I don't think anyone can." He said with understanding.
"Then why were you waiting for us, Big Mac?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I didn't come to see y'all and try to stop you," He explained. "The three of you are... scaring Sugar Belle... and me."
"Huh?" They raised their brows.
"I didn't notice it at first, but Sugar told me that you three are angry with Cozy..."
"Of course we are!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"...and I understand that." He continued. "But you're not acting like the sweet innocent fillies I know. I realize that maybe you're not so innocent anymore, but it pains me to see you three so angry and full of hate. It hurts seeing that the only thing on your mind is revenge."
They still had their eyebrows raised, but they looked at each other in concern.
"I get it, Cozy was heartless to you all. She used you as slaves every day and only seemed to care about herself. But wouldn't you rather focus everything on saving your friends and family at home rather than some revenge?"
They stared at him for a second, then looked at one another. Shortly after, they nodded silently in agreement.
Big Mac smiled. "Twilight has always taught us that friendship matters most, and even the worst can change. I know it might be impossible to reform Cozy Glow, her... sister has been long gone." He said with sadness, remembering when Spur had met the resistance, stating that she would try and stop her little sister. "But when you do encounter her, don't fight her with revenge in mind, fight with the intent of saving everypony. That's how Apple Jack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash would want you all to do."
They nodded again, and Apple Bloom got up to hug her brother. "I'm sorry for making you worried, Big Mac."
"I'm still worried. There's a chance this might work, but even if the spell doesn't work, you might not be able to stop Cozy. Anything can happen." He said as he hugged her back tight.
"Yeah, but we can't stop now," Applebloom said with determination.
"I know." He closed his eyes.
"I think we're ready now." Sweetie Belle suddenly said.
"What makes you say that?" Scootaloo asked, looking towards her friend.
"Yona keeps saying, 'Pony mind, like sky.' over these past few days, I think she meant to tell us that we had to clear our minds!" She explained.
Apple Bloom smiled. "That must be why the spell couldn't work! Our minds were clouded with revenge!"
Scootaloo frowned. "But I... still hate her. I can't forgive everything's she's done. It's just... I can't believe she used to be our friend..."
The other two Crusaders looked at her in compassion.
"Maybe she was lying to us the whole time. But that would mean she betrayed our trust and everything! Then she just tortured us every day with no remorse!"
"It's alright to be angry." Big Mac said. "No one blames you for that. I could bet you a million bits that Rainbow has had her fair share of outbursts. You can be angry, just be sure to think about your friends and family as well. I know you have your aunts in Ponyville."
Scootaloo gasped at the mention of her aunts and nodded in determination. She turned to her friends and shouted. "Let's try again girls!"
Sweetie Belle began to sing.
"The three of us will fight the fight."
She did a wonderful spin as she sang, and started dancing.
"There is nothing that we fear."
Apple Bloom bounced her head back in forth as she took Sweetie Belle's left hoof and spun her around more. On contact with her friend's hoof, Sweetie's horn lit up with magic. It seems that Tirek could not steal away the magic of their friendship.
"We'll have to figure out how to save the day..."
They both used their free hooves to throw Scootaloo into the air, who did a flip and flapped her wings.
Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo then all sang the last line together, the pegasus was caught in the air on her belly and stomach.
"Now that our cutie marks are here!"
They started to glow, Apple Bloom was glowing red, Sweetie was glowing purple, and Scootaloo bright orange. They were all enveloped in Sweetie's light green magic, and Big Mac watched as their glowing forms fused into one.
Still glowing, Big Mac saw a pair of pegasus wings spread, and a unicorn horn radiating with magic.
A bright golden eye opened, and the glowing stopped.
Big Mac stared at the colorful alicorn filly that stood before him, in the back of his mind he was so happy that the spell worked. Her legs up to her torso were yellow, like Applebloom's fur, her wings transitioned from yellow to orange, like Scootaloo, and her horn transitioned from yellow to white like Sweetie Belle. Her mane flowed like Celestia's and had curls like Sweetie Belle's, with its colors of red, purple, and pink streaks.
The filly stared at Big Mac for a second, before raising a hoof and looking at it.
"It worked..." She spoke in a new squeaking high pitched voice, like Sweetie Belle's.
"Of course it did!" She said again but in a different confident tone.
Big Mac noticed, but they weren't talking to him. It was like they were talking... to themselves.
"I was right, we did need to clear our minds." She said in a different tone once again, but this time it was more observing.
"So... what's your name?" Big Mac asked.
They looked at him and then put a hoof to their chin. "Hmm, good question."
She thought for a moment, and Big Mac waited patiently.
"Aha! Since we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders who help ponies find their cutie marks, which is a symbol of their future, how about... Destiny."
"Destiny?" Big Mac said. "I like it."
The filly called Destiny squeed. "This is so awesome!" Before staring at Big Mac in determination.
"Now let's save, Ponyville!"