//------------------------------// // My Virtue for a Rose // Story: Prisoners of the Heart // by KidatHeart5 //------------------------------// When Flurry Heart woke up the next morning, she was devastated to find that her mother had not come through the entrance. Just after the Guardians had entered the Hidden Cave last night, they had made camp behind a rocky outcrop and waited for Cadance. When she did not come that night or the following morning, they could only assume that she had been either captured or corrupted. They had no choice but to continue with their mission of finding the rose. Though they were crestfallen, they sang a song to ease their heartache. Blaze sang to Nova, “Days in the sun…when our wedded bliss had begun…Not until my whole life is done…will I ever leave you…” Flurry sang forlornly, “Will I canter again…to my mother's gorgeous refrain?” Mischief joined his wife as they sang, “Will you now forever remain…out of reach of my arms?” Nova Rose sang, “Oh, those days in the sun…What I'd give to relive just one…Undo what's done…and bring back the light…” Mischief sang, “Oh, I could sing…of the pain that dark days bring…The spell they're under…Still it's the wonder of us…I’ll sing of tonight…” Blaze sang, “How in the midst of all this sorrow…can so much hope and love endure? I was innocent and certain…Now I'm wiser but unsure…” Flurry sang, “Days in the past…” Nova then sang, “I can't go back into my childhood…” “All those precious days…” “One that my parents made secure…” Flurry overlapped, “Couldn't last…” She then sang solo, “I can feel a change in me…” Nova overlapped, “Oh, hold me closer!” “I'm stronger now, but still not free…” All four of them finished together, “Days in the sun…will return, we must believe…as lovers do…that days in the sun will come shining through…” “Oh, beautiful voices.” The Guardians yelped as they were startled by a new voice. They looked down to see a rather large – not to mention haggard – caterpillar that was as high as their chests. They also saw that they were in front of an arched entrance. Blaze asked the caterpillar uneasily, “Who are you?” The caterpillar answered in a raspy voice, “I am the Keeper of the Rose. For countless years, I have safeguarded the treasure with every fiber of my being. I take it you’ve come to take my rose.” Flurry answered, “We need it to cure our dear ones of a terrible curse. They have been corrupted by the Pony of Shadows. If our cause is just, please allow us to use the rose.” The Keeper thought about it, “Hmmm…There is only one way to prove you are worthy. You must give up your most essential asset in order to pass through. First, I need to know your names and occupations. I can sense that you four are no ordinary ponies. Especially you two.” She pointed to Flurry and Mischief as she said that. Nova curtsied, “I am Nova Rose, Guardian of Kindness.” Blaze introduced himself, “I am Blaze, Guardian of Generosity.” Mischief bowed and said, “I am Mischief, Guardian of Empathy.” Flurry said, “And I am Flurry Heart, Guardian of –“ The Keeper interrupted, “Yeah, yeah. I get the basic gist. Well, since you four are Guardians, I suppose this means you embody the traits you specified.” Nova Rose answered, “Well, yes.” “That’s good enough of a price for me. One of you will have to give up your most important virtue if you are to obtain the rose.” The Guardians likened the situation to selling one’s soul to the devil, but if giving up their virtues would help them accomplish their mission, then so be it. Blaze stepped forth and said, “Then I volunteer.” “Excellent!” She then whipped up a crystal bead that soon grew into a ball. “Now, kneel and say the magic words: ‘Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose.’” Blaze kneeled so his horn almost touched the crystal ball and he said, “Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose.” Suddenly, a purple stream of magic was sucked out of his horn and into the crystal ball. The other Guardians watched in horror as Blaze turned gray from his hooves to his head. When his virtue was completely stored in the ball, the caterpillar said cheerfully, “There. Now off you go!” The Guardians were abruptly pulled into the entrance by an invisible force and landed roughly on the ground far from the entryway. As they regained their senses, Nova Rose remarked, “First we get pulled into Tartarus, and now this. I’m starting to wonder if she’s the one who got us trapped in the first place.” Mischief shook his head, “I really don’t think that’s the case.” Flurry asked in concern, “Are you okay, Blaze? Do you feel any different?” When Blaze’s eyes met Nova’s, he gasped in delight as his heart started pounding. He lunged at her as he exclaimed, “My Rose!” He tackled her to the ground, tightly wrapped his arms around her, and began kissing her rapidly. Nova cried, “Help! I’m being attacked by my husband who’s not really himself!” Flurry said as she and Mischief rushed towards the two, “Hang on! We got you!” The princess used her magic to try to separate Nova from Blaze and Mischief tried to use his magic to pull Blaze from his wife. He grunted, “No! Bad Blaze! Bad Blaze! Down!” Blaze whined, “But me want Rosie!” Soon, Mischief and Flurry were able to separate the two and the hybrid levitated Blaze to keep him out of trouble. That didn’t stop the unicorn from whining and fussing, though. Flurry conjured up a gag and tied it onto Blaze’s mouth, preventing him from uttering all but muffled protests. Mischief commented, “Well, at least we know that when he’s not generous, he’s greedy.” Nova nodded as she stood up and brushed herself off, “Yeah, for me.” Flurry said, “I hope we’re getting close to the rose so we can talk to the caterpillar and get Blaze back to normal again.” “I sure hope so. I don’t want a lust-crazed husband for the rest of my life.” With Mischief levitating a greedy Blaze, the Guardians traveled further into the cave before coming up to another entrance like the first one. The Keeper appeared before them again and said, “Well, hello again, brave travelers! How is Blaze taking to the side effects?” The three sane ones answered, “Don’t ask.” “Okay, I won’t. But you will need to pay the price again.” Nova asked, not really wanting to know the answer, “Another virtue?” “Another virtue.” She sighed in exasperation, “Fine. I’ll go, then.” She kneeled down and said, “Please, take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose.” The caterpillar pulled out another crystal bead as she said, “As you wish!” After the bead enlarged into another ball, a pink stream of magic left Nova’s horn and turned her gray from back to front. As soon as the deed was done, the Keeper of the Rose sent the Guardians through the entrance. They were again pulled by an unseen force before they fell to the ground. Mischief groaned, “I wonder what Nova’s gonna be like without her kindness.” Blaze – free of Mischief’s levitation but still with the gag on his mouth – gave a muffled shout as he ran towards his wife. Nova pushed him away as she angrily said, “Keep away from me, you creep!” Blaze didn’t heed her warning, instead taking the word “creep” to mean “creep on the ground”. As Blaze did so, Mischief snickered to Flurry, “You know, this is kind of funny.” When his wife scowled at him, he corrected his words nervously, “Er, I mean, it would be if Blaze and Nova were themselves and they were just playing.” He gave a cheesy smile in an attempt to soften Flurry. With Blaze and Nova in levitation tow, Mischief and Flurry soon came up to yet another entrance. Mischief deadpanned, “Don’t tell me.” The caterpillar appeared again and confirmed, “Yep! Time for either of you to fork over a virtue!” Flurry asked, “Just what are you planning to do with our virtues?” “I’m not going to say. It’ll ruin the surprise. Now, which of you is going?” Mischief knew that Flurry would want to sacrifice herself for his sake, but he wasn’t going to have it. He faked a big sneeze and lifted his levitation spell on Blaze. As soon as Flurry detained Blaze in her own aura, she turned to find Mischief already kneeling before the Keeper. He said quickly, “Please take my virtue in exchange for the enchanted rose.” The Keeper pulled out a crystal bead as she said, “Good enough.” Just like before, Mischief was drained of his empathy and he turned gray. Satisfied with her bounty, the Keeper sent the four on their way again. After another rough landing, Flurry muttered to herself, “I’m beginning to think that the rose is more trouble than it’s worth.” Blaze once again tried to make a move on Nova, who wasn’t having any of his – Flurry then heard raucous laughter next to her and she saw Mischief taking delight in Nova and Blaze’s situation. The hybrid said between chuckles, “You know, he’s like a punching bag when you think about it.” Nova smiled nastily as she kept pushing Blaze away, “Yeah. Suddenly, I’m beginning to like this game.” Flurry said in irritation, “Well, I don’t.” To the dismay of the three gray ponies, Flurry levitated them and brought them with her as she continued on their – now her – quest. A few minutes later, she came up to the last entrance. She looked to see if the caterpillar was in sight. When it looked like she wasn’t, Flurry bolted towards the entrance so she wouldn’t become a shadow of her former self, too. Unfortunately, the Keeper appeared just the same and Flurry skidded to a stop. The Keeper wagged her stubby hand and said, “Nuh-uh-uh…Naughty, naughty. Pay the caterpillar first. Now, what was your virtue again?” “Magic.” “Oh, magic! Give me your magic and then you’ll get the rose.” Flurry sighed in defeat as she set the three gray Guardians on the ground. “I will do as you ask.” She turned to see her loved ones squabbling amongst themselves. She then asked the Keeper, “But what about my friends?” The caterpillar answered nonchalantly, “They paid the price for getting you this far. If you want to honor their sacrifice, you will complete your mission and retrieve the rose. But you can’t have the rose unless you give up your magic.” Flurry thought about this for a few moments. She wanted to cure the corruption spell on her grandmother and great-aunt, but where would that leave her friends? She finally told the Keeper, “Keep the rose. I will give you my magic, in exchange for my friends’ virtues.” The Keeper asked in surprise, “What? But what about your mission?” “I’m sure I can find another way to defeat the Pony of Shadows and save our loved ones without my magic, but I can’t do it without my friends.” She then kneeled before the caterpillar and said, “Please, take my virtue in exchange for –“ The Keeper interrupted her, “You know what? Never mind.” She pulled out the three crystal beads and breathed on them, releasing the virtues. Once the virtues reached their rightful ponies, the Guardians regained their common sense as well as their colors. Flurry smiled as she trotted towards them, “Guys!” They all hugged and laughed until Nova pointed to something bright, “Look!” The Guardians turned to see a bright glow fading to reveal a radiant white butterfly hovering just above the molted skin of the caterpillar. She was too beautiful for words and she was now the size of a pony’s head. She spoke in a silky voice, “Congratulations. You passed the test.” Blaze asked in confusion, “Test?” The Keeper nodded, “Yes. You three made a noble sacrifice in giving up your virtues for the sake of the mission. But a nobler sacrifice lies in giving up your mission for the sake of someone else.” She then quipped, “Someone who deserves it, at least.” She returned to the subject, “Your cause is just, and your hearts are true. You are now worthy of possessing the enchanted rose. Come with me.” The Guardians followed the Keeper through the entrance and into a chamber full of blue and white crystals. They then came up to a pair of colorful doors made of a thin material akin to chitin. The butterfly used her magic to open the doors, which in turn revealed a spectacular yet humble rose growing within a circle of small crystals that gave it an ethereal sort of glow. The ponies looked at the flower in sheer wonder before remembering their mission. The Keeper told the group, “Before you pick the rose, I want you to look at the petals. How many are there?” Nova counted the petals and answered, “24.” “Yes. The rose has 24 petals, each one representing an hour. After the rose is removed from its home, a petal will fall for every hour that passes. When a petal falls, it will diminish the rose’s power to cure corruption bit by bit until the rose itself completely withers at the end of the 24 hours.” Blaze raised his hoof to ask a question, but she said to him, “And no, freeze spells won’t work. Time will march on for the rose regardless.” Blaze whispered to his friends in shock, “How did she do that?” Mischief asked the Keeper, “Is there a chance the rose will wither faster if we use it more than once?” “Perhaps. But I will tell you this: if the rose has not died but its power is almost gone by the time you use it, the magic can be restored by a tear of repentance.” Flurry stooped to pick the rose, but she wanted to be sure first. She turned to the others and the Keeper, who all nodded for her to take the rose. The alicorn then used her magic to delicately pluck the rose from its nest. As she did so, she noticed that the crystals surrounding it instantly went out like lights. To put the rose somewhere safe, Nova created a crystalline jar with her magic. After Flurry placed the rose inside, Nova closed the jar and put it in one of her saddlebags. The Keeper said, “Now, you must be off. Use the rose wisely and only when it counts. I wish you well, worthy heroes.” Blue smoke then twirled up around the Guardians, sending them back to the entrance of the Hidden Cave. They steeled themselves as they prepared to leave the cave and lift the corruption the Pony of Shadows had wrought upon their family.