//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - An Expanse of Clouds // Story: A Heart of Change // by SilentBelle //------------------------------// A Heart of Change – Chapter 4: An Expanse of Clouds By: SilentBelle On both sides of the tracks thickets of pines stood imposingly, as similar to one another as flakes of snow. The snow fell as steadily as ever around Scootaloo, and the train tracks continued on beneath her with no end in sight. The task had become even more arduous for her friends, the slush turning thicker and deeper with every passing minute. They had to take each step with care, lest they splash themselves. Sweetie Belle had already used a few crystals, dislodged from the train tracks, to warm herself and Apple Bloom. Scootaloo had waved away the unicorn when she asked if the pegasus needed to be warmed up as well. I'm used to cold weather. Most pegasi are. Looking down at her friends, she let out a sigh. Apple Bloom wore a scowl, directed at the snow and slush all around her. While Sweetie Belle seemed to slip into that faraway gaze of hers for a few moments before shaking her head to little avail, and proceeding to look distantly in a different direction. The monotony of her surroundings reached out to her, and she embraced it out of habit. Scootaloo had a well-established relationship with monotony. She had grown to appreciate it as a comforting thing, which let her dwell on her inner most thoughts while continuing her daily regime. For she had devoted herself to doing the same thing day in and day out, ever since she got her cutie mark. Had it not been for Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and the odd race or two, Scootaloo would have led a very uninteresting life. Is that what I want? An uninteresting life? She looked back at her cutie mark: a purple triangle with wings. I always thought it meant that my special talent was to fly. But, what is it really? Why the triangle? She let her gaze go distant and thought back to the day she had gotten her cutie mark. * * * “Hey, Scootaloo! I got an idea of what we should do to get our cutie marks.” “Our cutie marks?” the pegasus responded to the emerald voice. “Sweetie, both you and Bloom already got yours. And besides, she's not here yet. She should've been here an hour ago!” “Oh, right. But I said I would keep crusading with you until we all got our cutie marks. And I have a great idea this time. It's really geared toward your interests!” “My interests?” The pegasus looked dubiously at her friend. “You sure it's not just your interests? Aren't you just trying to find an excuse to use a new spell you learned?” She saw the unicorn blush slightly. “Well, maybe it's a bit of that. But I have been reading up on some neat magic that I think it might help you out with flying.” Scootaloo winced at the suggestion. She knew she still couldn't fly. She was beginning to worry that she would be the only pony left in her class without her cutie mark once the summer ended and classes resumed. But what she dreaded even more, was Rainbow Dash's promise. The cyan pegasus had promised to teach her how to fly over the summer, but things hadn't been going according to plan. They had only been a few days into practice, with little to show for it, when Sweetie Belle had up and disappeared. It took over two weeks until they brought the unicorn back home. Sweetie Belle had even managed to get her cutie mark during that time. Eventually though, everything settled down, back to the way it was before. It took some convincing and begging on her part, but she managed to get Rainbow Dash to agree to continue her flight lessons. By the time only two weeks of summer remained, Scootaloo had arranged to meet with her idol twice a week for private sessions. The first such training exercise had been only a few days ago, and she still couldn't stay in the air for more than a few moments. Even with the older mare's tutelage, she was still flightless. It only added to her feeling of helplessness that Apple Bloom had managed to get her own cutie mark during the week prior. It was as if the pressure that had forced the trio of friends to create the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' had all been ousted onto the pegasus' back alone. Sure, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were still around, and were always devoted to helping her when they weren't busy. But, the feeling that Scootaloo had was unmistakable: the burden was hers, and her's alone. Just as she was about to reply to Sweetie Belle, the newly repaired clubhouse's door was pushed open. A panting Apple Bloom stood in the doorway. “Sorry gals, it took me a while ta get away from the farm. AJ 'n Mac set a whole bucket load o' chores on me at the last moment.” “Perfect! The plan will work even better with three of us!” “Huh? Did Ah miss somethin'? What plan are ya talkin' 'bout now, Sweetie?” “It would be nice if I knew too,” Scootaloo insisted. “Oh, come on girls! It would spoil the fun if you knew what the plan was.” “Fer you maybe, but Ah like ta know what Ah'm gettin' mahself inta 'fore Ah get inta it.” “Yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in alongside her friend. The pegasus was smiling in anticipation of the plan, and would be happy regardless of what it turned out to be. She'd been waiting all week to hang out with her two friends. But with their new schedules, a summer like this was beginning to feel even busier than their school weeks had. Sweetie Belle frowned. “No. I'm not telling you. Not until we get there.” “Get where?” “Ya have ta at least tell us where we're gonna be goin'.” “Fine, fine! Let's get the scooter out and scoot down to Ghastly Gorge.” “Why the gorge? I thought Applejack said that if she ever caught us going over there, she'd have us all doing a week of farm-work.” The idea of her friends being busy with even more work didn't sit well with Scootaloo. “Yeah, I know. But if we're careful, it'll be fine! It's not like we're going to be doing anything dangerous.” “Ya sure 'bout that? Ah don't want another helping o' chores. Ah've got mah hooves full at as is.” “Well, it beats sitting around here anyway.” Scootaloo got up and tossed her friends their helmets. “Ah, don't know, girls,” Apple Bloom protested, as she caught her helmet. “And I do,” Sweetie Belle rebuked as she swiped her helmet out of the air with her magic. “Trust me, this is going to be great!” With that single line of assurance, the trio made their way to Ghastly Gorge. Scootaloo pulled her friends along on her scooter. After half an hour, they were looking over the edge of the canyon. “Sure is high, ain't it? So, Sweetie, what's the plan?” “Well, there's a new spell I learned. I'll cast it once you both go down into the canyon, and Scootaloo can use the spell to help with her flying. You brought the rope, right, Bloom?” “Uh, yeah. But Ah still don't know what ya need it fer,” the yellow filly said as she procured a large length of rope from their wagon. “You two should head on down to the canyon, using that path over there.” The white filly pointed to a small trail that lead down the gorge. It looked treacherous and unstable. “Once you are both down there, then Bloom, you can tie that rope around Scootaloo.” “Wait, what?! I never agreed to be tied up! How's this supposed to help me with flying?” Scootaloo shot a look at Apple Bloom daring her to even try to tie that rope. The earth pony threw the rope to the ground. “Sweetie, Ah ain't goin' ta tie Scootaloo up if she ain't agreein' ta it.” “Fine. Here, I'll show you both my plan.” The unicorn turned back to the edge of the canyon and poked her head over the side. She then closed her eyes and her horn sparked to life. Scootaloo, looked around and didn't see anything happen, until the slightest of whistling sounds caught in her ear and shimmered across her vision. It was a silvery-brown colour, and a sound she had never heard before. “Sweetie, what are you doing? Where's that sound coming from?” The filly didn't respond for a moment, then she shook herself and blinked her eyes. “Well, that took a bit more magic than I thought it would.” Scootaloo saw Sweetie Belle's legs begin to buckle from the strain, just as the whistling sound got louder and more prominent. The unicorn lurched slightly. “Woah!” she shouted as she lost her footing and fell forwards. “Sweetie!” Scootaloo didn't even think as she sprung into action. She dove after her friend, just as the unicorn slipped off the side of the canyon. The pegasus beat her wings as furiously as she could and caught up to Sweetie Belle as they fell together. She wrapped her hooves around the white unicorn as tightly as she could and flared her wings out, pumping them with all her might. “Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom's panicked scream came from above echoing down to her. Fear clung inside her heart as she saw the ground fast-approaching even as she struggled with her wings. It's over! The thought came freely to her mind and she hated herself for thinking it. Even so, she did not regret jumping after Sweetie Belle. The whistling sound caught in her ears then and knocked the thought from her mind. No! she told herself. It's not over! She turned her body to face the direction from which the building, silvery-brown sound was coming from. In that moment she felt her wings strain as something pushed against them. Something strong and smooth. It's wind? She barely had time to register it. Shutting her tear-stained eyes as tightly as she could, she focused all her might into pushing against that billowing force of air. Pain flowed through her wings from the strain, but she pushed the feeling back. It didn't matter. Nothing else mattered, just pushing against that stream of wind. She heard a gasp from Sweetie Belle. “Scootaloo, you're flying!” In surprise, the pegasus opened her eyes. Looking down, she saw Sweetie Belle's smiling face looking up at her. Those green eyes were filled with pride and absent of any trace of fear. Beyond the unicorn, Scootaloo saw that they hadn't hit the ground yet, and were instead slowly falling toward it. She still flapped her wings as frantically as ever, and eventually they touched down upon the canyon floor with an ungraceful thump. “Scootaloo! You were amazing! You saved my life!” Out of breath, the orange filly nearly collapsed to the ground, but managed to keep herself up. With a single intake of air, she felt the full weight of the pain in her wings descend upon her. With it came anger, which quickly took the place of her earlier fear. She gritted her teeth and faced her friend. “Sweetie! What the hay were you thinking?! You were nearly killed! We were nearly killed!” “I didn't plan to fall off, you know!” the unicorn protested. “I just used too much of my own magic for the winds, and it made me dizzy. Before I knew it, I was falling.” “That was so stupid!” Scootaloo cried out, tears forming in her eyes. She raised her two forelegs around her friend's neck, pulling her into a hug. “Promise me you won't do something as stupid as that ever again!” Sweetie Belle nodded. “I promise.” She offered a soft smile. “Stupid, it may have been, but look!” She pointed a hoof towards the pegasus' hindquarters. “You got your cutie mark!” Stunned, Scootaloo turned and looked at her own flank. There, emblazoned upon her fur, was a triangle with two wings embracing it from either side. They shone with the same colour of violet as her own two eyes. * * * That certainly was one way to get a cutie mark. And she wonders why I doubt her plans. She looked at her mark with a smile, though she was still unsure about it. Flying, huh? Sometimes I wonder if I've misinterpreted the whole thing. Or maybe a cutie mark needs to be uncertain to work properly. Bah! There's no point in dwelling on it. I should really start another conversation, this monotony is getting a little too, well, monotonous. She gave the scenery a quick once-over, looking for a good topic to start with. “Hey girls,” she called out tentatively. “I don't suppose either of you have any great ideas as to why it's still snowing? Or, for that matter, why there's a whole winter's worth of clouds out here in the first place?” “Yer, askin' th' wrong pony. Ah figured if any pony'd know it'd be a pegasus.” “Yeah, well, I haven't actually done much with the weather,” she admitted sheepishly, “other than busting some clouds for Winter Wrap-Up.” “It's not natural,” Sweetie Belle stated. The unicorn kept her gaze distant as if she were seeing something in the clouds above her. “It's set up as a sigil. I've never seen anything like it, both the pattern and the scale. But I'll bet all the bits I own, that it's responsible for these crystals on the tracks.” “What do you mean by that?” Scootaloo looked to the overcast sky. To her eyes, the clouds looked like any other cloudy day. Well, perhaps it was a bit darker than most overcast days, but still, those were no storm clouds. They were just floating above looking entirely innocuous. “I mean that these clouds were placed there to cast a spell over a wide range.” “Ya think that's possible?” “I didn't know it was until I saw it with my own eyes.” “Hold on! So, what would happen if I decided to clear out some of the clouds?” She wasn't too sure about how unicorn magic worked, but she knew there were rules. “Well, I suppose that would be like slowly erasing parts of the sigil itself. It would disrupt the spell and potentially turn it into a different spell, although that is quite unlikely. It's much more likely to just fade away.” “So, you're telling me that I could have just flown up there and busted up a few of those clouds and disrupted this spell-cloud thing all this time?” “Wait!” Sweetie Belle interjected before Scootaloo could fly off. “Whoever put the clouds out here would notice a disruption in their sigil if they were checking on it. And whoever put them up there in the first place must be powerful. Maybe as powerful as Twilight. Or there could be a lot of them. I don't want to make somepony like that angry at us.” “Yeah, but if the clouds stay up there, they'll just keep causing problems right? We can't just let it stick around like this. We have to do something.” “Well... Hmm,” she hummed to herself as she stopped walking to consider the proposition. “You have a point, Scootaloo. What do you think, Bloom?” “So, it's a choice 'tween leavin' the weather and walkin' through this slush, or throwin' a wrench in the gears o' this possible somepony's cloud spell? What's the worst that could happen if we just left it? And the worst if we try ta stop it?” “I suppose if we left it, the weather would continue, and any other effects of the sigil would keep acting,” Sweetie Belle said as if it were simple logic. “It's a very subtle pattern, and I can't see the entirety of it, but judging by the effects we've seen so far, even if I saw the whole sigil, I wouldn't recognize it. So, honestly, I'm not sure what other things it might do in the area. However, if we try and stop it, as I said, we could provoke the ire of its creator. Either way, I'm not quite sure which is the best option.” “Might as well stop it then, if we can. Ah can't imagine there bein' a good reason fer this weather. Snow isn't meant ta fall in the summertime. 'Sides, Ah figure that the one behind all this weather, if there even is somepony behind all this, prolly has their hooves full dealin' with our sisters ta worry 'bout us. We shouldn't have ta worry 'bout somepony attackin' us. Scootaloo nodded and Sweetie Belle offered a shrug. “In any case, we'll see what happens. if anything happens,” the unicorn said and a small grin appeared on her face. “Keep in mind, I can't clear all the sky. There are as many clouds out here as there are on Winter Wrap-Up Day, and we only have one pegasus.” A smile crept upon Scootaloo's face at the welcome break from the monotony. “Still, we'll see what happens!” Without wasting another moment she shot up from her hovering position towards the blanket of white. As she sped upward, she could feel the air chilling around her. Her breath became much more visible than the faint haze it had been near the ground. But the mare was no stranger to flying at such altitudes. She practiced in frigid airs on a regular basis. It was an essential skill should she ever wish to become a candidate for the Wonderbolts. Not that I have much of a chance after blowing that race... I needed to place in the top three. She shook her mane. No! I won't think about that. It's done, and there's nothing I can do about it. Just focus on the task at hoof! Turning her attention outward, she noticed that the clouds were floating almost all at the same altitude and there was a distinct lack of wind. In all her years of flying and practicing, she never once flew up as high as she was now without some sort of breeze tossing her mane. It was enough to make her back itch. Tentatively, she prodded one of the large white clouds with a hoof. Well, it certainly feels like a normal cloud. Contented with the fact that the cloud didn't rebuke at her touch, or try and attack her, she flew away from it with a few powerful beats of her wings, then launched herself through the white mass. The force from the dive was easily enough to disperse the cloud. She smiled to herself and proceeded to the next cloud. I may be no weathermare, but I can bust clouds just as easily as any pegasus. Half a minute had passed, and the pegasus had managed to clear out at least a dozen of the clouds and was about to dive in to bust another one when she felt something. It came from every direction and felt like a change in pressure, which made her ears twinge. She spun in place, glancing all around. Eventually she caught sight of something in the clouds. Her eyes didn't register what she saw at first, and she had to blink a few times before she believed it. A section of the clouds nearby flowed of their own volition. It morphed, flowed and pulled itself into a spherical shape. Then at the center, straight ahead of her, a red circle appeared. Is that an eye? The cloud made another motion as the mare watched. Did it just blink? That's kind of creepy. But it's still just a cloud! In an instant, she sped toward the strange eye before it could blink again and plunged right through it. She let out a gasp of surprise. Unlike most clouds, this one did not disperse readily. Instead she felt its soft form flow around her, wrapping around her forelegs like vines across a trellis. As if guided by one being, the cloud pulled at the pegasus and slowed her, bringing her to a stop inside the large cloud. “What have we here?” a grating voice asked with a large measure of pride. “An outsider, to help the Crystal Empire? I was expecting one of the princesses. How... disappointing.” “Who in the hay are you?!” She tried to pivot in place, but the cloud held her tight. “You can call me Despair, Pain, or Power. It matters not. Just know full well that your foolishness in crossing me has cost you everything.” The cloud around her darkened and she could feel pressure mounting. Scootaloo frowned and flared her wings. “You think you can stop me?! I'm no pushover!” * * * Cold and wet. It's not quite how I thought I'd be spending the rest of my summer. Sweetie Belle cast a glance to her hooves. I really should have packed some boots. A few hours of snowfall and the slush is already getting deep. At this rate we'll be swimming before we get to the Crystal Empire. “Anything yet?” Apple Bloom asked, pulling the unicorn's attention back to the sky. Both the mares were staring upward, peering past the small snowflakes. “I said I'd let you know when something happens.” Sweetie Belle shook her head, trying to free a few rogue strands of her wet mane from her sight. “Well, how long could it take?” “I don't know. It's only been a minute or so. She's probably just being cautious.” “Since when do either o' the two o' ya do anything cautious-like?” “Hey! We do cautious things!” She exchanged a look with her friend before glancing away and grinning to herself. “Well, Scootaloo does cautious things, and sometimes I'm around when she does them,” she admitted. “She's actually a pretty quick thinker when it comes down to it.” Apple Bloom smiled triumphantly. “Yer a quick thinker too, Ah reckon. Even if half the stuff ya think of ends up blowin' up in yer face.” “Oh, Bloom, you know me too well,” Sweetie Belle chided with a smile, though she made sure to slip her tongue out as a measure of her sincerity. The yellow mare just rolled her eyes in good humor. “Will ya never change?” “Change is what you make of it. Everyday I'm one step closer to the mare I'm gonna be.” “And one step closer to the end o' the world,” the earth pony replied with a smirk. “Well, if I end up breaking the world, at least it will have been an acci-” she stopped her sentence short and shot a gaze to her amulet. Was it just glowing? She couldn't be sure, but then she felt something else, a change in the array far above. “Bloom!” she shouted turning her eyes skyward, “something's happening up there! The clouds, I think they're moving and their energy is growing!” “And that means...?” the other mare replied with a raised eyebrow. “The hay if I know!” The two gazed upward, and in the next minute the clouds visibly began to darken. They are all storm clouds? Every single one? That's some intricate magic right there. A single bright flash of crossed the gray sky. “I wonder if Scoots is-” she stopped herself short as she saw the pegasus in question dive toward the two of them, with an echo of thunder in her wake. Scootaloo wore a frantic look on her face and Sweetie Belle noticed her orange friend's bangle was glowing. But the pegasus spoke up before the unicorn could question her. “We have a problem! We have to get moving! Now!” As if for emphasis, the darkened clouds let out another display of lightning, echoed only seconds later by a peal of thunder. And perhaps it was the sudden change in light, but the snow falling around Sweetie Belle seemed to be slightly larger than before. “What in tarnation are ya talkin' 'bout? What happened up there?” “Listen, there's somepony controlling the weather. I don't know who. I think he was waiting and expecting the Princesses. He tried to get me with the clouds.” She let out a shudder. “He nearly did, too. If it wasn't for this bracelet, I'd have been fried by the lightning. And now he knows we are out here. We have to go, before he finds us!” The pegasus' bangle stopped glowing as she finished the sentence and they all heard the sound of the winds growing as the conifers began to sway from either side of the tracks. “Well, we can't just stay out here in the open. We need ta get under cover.” “Right behind you!” “Sweetie Belle, what are ya waitin' fer?” Apple Bloom's voice snapped her back to the situation at hoof. She shot one last look at the amulet around her neck. Scoddri, could he be the one...? No! He wouldn't do that! But then why was it glowing? With a mind full of questions, she chased after her friends through the cold slush underhoof. * * * It must've been half an hour by now. Apple Bloom shot a panicked glance to the treetops. The pines were swaying under the heavy winds, and echoing thunder pealed from beyond the coniferous branches. Even under the cover of the trees the falling snow was becoming thick. If we don't find some real shelter, and fast, we're gonna be frozen 'fore the sun sets. She looked around, hoping to find at least a sign of where they should be headed. But the small forest stretched out much the same in all directions. She wasn't even sure which direction they were headed in anymore. Stay calm, she told herself, as she lead her friends onward. Panicking does nopony any good in this sort of situation. We need ta find a place, but with this snow, we'd be lucky if, in an hour, we could find a tree twenty feet in front o' us. “Sweetie!” she called out as she slid to a stop, “We need ta find some shelter 'fore the storm gets even worse.” “But how?” the unicorn asked, as she batted away a stray lock of hair in a futile bit of effort see. “I can't see anything.” “Don't ya have a gem-findin' spell or sumthin'? We need ta find a cave ta hide in. Now, Ah know this area was known for its crystal mines, bein' close ta the Crystal Empire and all.” “But the gem-finding spell doesn't reach very far.” “Well, land's sakes! Sweetie we hafta do somethin' or we're done fer!” The unicorn closed her eyes and started rubbing her forehead with a fore-hoof. “Well, I could try a scrying spell, but I need a good enough focus.” “Uh, can't ya scry, or whatever it's called, fer caves? You know, someplace dry and solid.” “I need a focus though. For example: if I was scrying for you, I'd use a hair of yours or maybe your old pink bow, or even your sister as a focus. It has to be related to the target in some way. The closer the relation, the better the result. So think. What's unique in a cave that would make it easy to spot?” “What type of rocks are in the cave, maybe we could use those,” Scootaloo offered. “No.” Sweetie Belle dismissed the suggestion with a shake of her head. “That won't do. There'd be too much rock around here.” C'mon Apple Bloom, think! What are the Northern Mines known fer? A variety of gems sure, that's why the Empire was diggin' in the first place. With the help o' diamond dogs, the crystal ponies dug out mines that went for miles and as they built it- Of course! Without wasting a moment, Apple Bloom reached into her bag an pulled out a single nail. “Take it,” she managed to say around the nail she held in her mouth. Sweetie Belle scooped it up in her magic. “It's a nail.” “It's a steel nail. And what did the crystal ponies place inside the tunnels o' their mines?” Apple Bloom paused waiting for either friend to answer. “I don't know. Steel nails?” Scootaloo asked. “No, they put steel tracks down fer their mine carts, ta transport th' crystals more easily to the entrance o' th' mine.” “Oh! I see! So, then I can scry for the steel, and I should be able to locate any entrances based on where the tracks start!” “Then let's do it, Sweetie! We don't have a moment ta spare.” She watched the white mare pull out a green crystal from her bag. “I'll have to use an emerald. These are the easiest to use.” Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and sat down in the wet snow with the single nail and emerald floating on either side of her. “I hope this works,” Scootaloo said dourly. “The wind's getting worse. I don't know how much more the trees can take.” “You an' me both! Why did Ah ever agree ta come along on with the two of ya?” “I thought it was to keep us safe, or something,” Scootaloo responded, with a nervous chuckle. “And here Ah was, hopin' mah worries would be unfounded. Ah'm goin' ta regret followin' the two of ya, ain't Ah?” “If it makes you feel better, I'm glad you came with us.” “Hah! It's startin' ta feel just like old times, huh?” “Running around, with danger stalking our every step?” Scootaloo grinned. “It does, doesn't it?” The pair watched as the emerald shattered into a haze of mist and disappeared into Sweetie Belle's glowing horn. “Well, Ah guess we can only hope that th' spell works.” End of chapter 4