In the next day, the train from Ponyville reached the Crystal Empire and Twilight, Blue, Heartbeat and the others left. The shadow that had been following them arrived and, going to a secluded place, took shape. It was Fire Punch, with his new horn given by the Lord of Chaos.
He then felt something. He turned and saw a darkness behind him, where there was a pair of red eyes. Fire Punch knew perfectly well who those eyes belonged to.
"My master" he said, bowing before the eyes.
"How are the things?" Lord of Chaos' cold and dark voice asked.
"Princess Twilight and Blue Sword had just arrived to the Crystal Empire, along with the General of Affection and the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony" Fire Punch answered.
"It looks like they're after the red star seed" the Lord of Chaos concluded. "For they bring all those reinforcements, it’s because they plan to go after the others after they get this one."
"I will take care of follow them to find the star seed and then take it to us" Fire Punch said.
"No, let them stay with this one" the Lord of Chaos said.
Fire Punch seemed surprised by that statement from his master.
"Are you sure about that?" he asked. "This is one of the star seeds of the six Generals. I remind you that we have to get all the six to reach the original star seed. If we let the General of Affection get her seed, it will be much more complicated to have it."
"I appreciate your concern and your arguments, my dear Fire Punch, but I know exactly what I'm doing" the Lord of Chaos replied. "I already have all prepare in this plan of mine. I prepared it for all eventualities and I know what we have to do. We will let them have this seed for we can move forward. But I want you to stay tuned and I want you to call me as soon as they find the star seed."
"As you wish, my master" Fire Punch answered, bowing.
And then the darkness vanished.
Twilight, Blue, Heartbeat and the others entered in the Crystal Empire, heading to the castle, where they were greeted by Shining.
"Shining!" Twilight called, advancing to his brother and hugging him. "It's so good to see you."
"It's good to see you too, sis" Shining said.
"Shining, my friend" Blue said, reaching the edge of Shining and giving him a hoof bump.
"Hey, Blue" Shining greeted. "I see you've returned from your mission. Princess Celestia didn’t add much about the mission, but it must have been really important for her to warn you on such short notice."
"You could say that" he replied.
"Where's Cadance?" Twilight asked.
"In the throne room with Gleaming" Shining replied. "I must confess that your visit was unexpected."
"Yes, but needed" Blue replied.
Shining then noticed Heartbeat.
"Who's the kid?" Shining asked.
"It's a long story" Twilight replied.
"Yes, and such a crazy story that leave anypony..." Pinkie said, doing after a gaping air to finish her sentence.
"It's so hard to believe that some of us still don’t believe completely" Rainbow Dash said.
"Well, I guess we'd better talk about it" Shining said.
"You know, Heartbeat, my brother, who is this stallion here, has a baby" Twilight said to Heartbeat. "Maybe you can play with her."
"Seriously?" Heartbeat asked. "Cool!"
They then entered in the castle, addressing to the throne room where Cadance were with Gleaming who was in her crib. After Cadance and Twilight’s song-and-dance, the visitors told their reason for being there.
"So you're here to find this star seed" Shining said.
"Yes, it's the only thing we can do now" Twilight answered.
"I must say that I'm speechless" Cadance confessed. "I've heard about the Light Kingdom and the stories about it, but I didn't think it really existed."
"Yes, I never thought that story about the seeds that increase the magic power was real" Shining said. "And more less this harmless thing is the General of Affection, the most powerful of all generals."
He did mention to Heartbeat that was bent over Gleaming’s crib, playing with her.
"Yes, it's really unbelievable, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"But ya should have seen what that little thin’ did when she start’d cryin’" Applejack said. "She could have easily swept Ponyville from tha map."
"Yeah, she made a storm even worse than the sum of all the thunderstorms that ever haunted Ponyville" Pinkie Pie said. "And look what I remember all of them."
"Seriously?" Shining asked, surprised, as much as Cadance.
"Heartbeat has a special power that enables her to channel her power through her own emotions" Twilight explained. "If she's happy, she can expand this happiness and take it to the others. But when she's sad or angry, his power becomes destructive and hit everything around and doesn't stop until Heartbeat calms down. This is one of the reasons we are behind Heartbeat’s star seed. If she has it, not only she will return to be the old Heartbeat, but also she will be able to control her unstable power."
"Well, to me that sounds like a plan" Shining said.
"I agree" Cadance said. "Where do you think the star seed is?"
"In the Oasis of the Heart" Blue replied.
"Well, it’s not a surprise" Cadance replied. "That's probably why it can amply the emotions and feelings of the ponies."
Heartbeat was loving playing with Gleaming. She was having a great time and the baby was also loving a lot Heartbeat’s jokes that made her laugh and it was then Gleaming laughed at in such a way, that Heartbeat’s horn began to shine and freed pulsations that hit all the ponies around and these began to feel a tremendous happiness.
"Whoa, what is this?" Rarity asked.
"I feel like I wanted to make a thousand parties at once" Pinkie Pie said, unable to sit still. "I feel with so much energy."
"Tell me about it, Pinkie" Applejack said.
"Heartbeat is channeling Gleaming’s happiness and spreading it to all those who are on the edge, in other words, us" Twilight said.
"Well, that's amazing!" Shining exclaimed. "I've never felt anything like this."
"Shining, we're feeling our daughter's happiness" Cadance said. "Isn't it amazing?"
"Yes" he replied.
Although Twilight was enjoying a lot the happiness she was feeling, her body just finished with that happiness. A bad mood got Twilight, which felt like she would throw up. Blue noticed that and asked:
"Twily, are you okay?"
"Yes" Twilight replied. "I just need to go… to the bathroom."
Unable to stand it any longer, she left the room. That captured the look of all, especially Cadance’s.
"But what does Twilight have?" she asked.
"I don't know" Blue answered. "She's been like this for days."
"Did you take her to the doctor already?" Shining asked to his friend and brother-in-law, completely worried with his sister.
"Twilight thinks that's a bad mood due to what she is going to" Blue replied. "If she thinks that's no reason to go to the doctor, do you think I can convince her to go?"
"Blue's right" Applejack agreed. "Twilight is very stubborn. She could be an Apple."
"I see" Cadance said, advancing and leaving.
She went to the nearest bathroom and, when she approached it, she managed to hear Twilight throwing up. She knocked on the door and asked:
"Twilight, are you okay?"
Then she heard the sound of the toilet and then Twilight came out, already better, but recovering from the throwing up.
"Yes, I'm fine, why?" she asked.
"These nauseas aren't normal" Cadance commented.
"Cadance, don't exaggerate” Twilight said. “I'm fine. Come on, now, I have to get ready. I have a star seed to recover."
And having said this, she moved away but Cadance kept staring her sister-in-law, because she suspected what might be happening to her.
Shortly after, the group, accompanied by Shining (Cadance had stayed in the castle with Gleaming) departed to the Oasis of the Heart.
"I can't believe we're going to the Oasis of the Heart" Rarity said, immensely excited, as they walked.
"Yes, Rarity, we know" Rainbow Dash said. "You've been saying that all the way."
"That's because this is quite exciting" Rarity said. "We've heard a lot about this place through Twilight, but now let's see it personally!"
"I'm like Rarity" said Pinkie. "I can't wait to see the trees, the leaves, the flowers, the canals, the lake and the big tree! Hey, if we eat a lot of fruits of it will we radiate a red light?"
"Ah don't know, Pinkie" Applejack replied. "But Ah'm sure ya're goin’ tah find out."
"You bet" she replied.
"I also want to see the oasis" Fluttershy said. "It must be very beautiful."
"Oh, I love beautiful places!" Heartbeat exclaimed.
"So, it was that the place where it all began between you two?" Shining asked to Blue and Twilight.
"Shining, you're not going to start with your big brother curiosity, are you?" Twilight asked.
"Hey, now I can't know where the story between my sister and my best friend started?" Shining asked.
Then Blue stopped, causing the others to stop.
"What is it, Blue?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight, don't you think that, by now, we should smell the oasis’ flowers?" Blue asked.
Twilight looked to where they were. Indeed, when she and Blue were already in that place, they could smell the sweet aroma of the oasis' flowers.
"You're right" she said. "It's weird."
"Are you talking about this amazing aroma?" Heartbeat asked, seeming to be enjoying the most delicious thing.
"Can you feel a scent that is everything that you like?" Twilight asked.
"I can smell freshly make sweets and the smell of roses and the sea" Heartbeat replied.
"We'll take that as a yes" said Blue.
"Hey, Heartbeat, can you follow the scent?" Twilight asked.
"Course" she replied.
And the little filly started to move and the others began to follow her.
"It’s strange that tha little one can smell it and ya don't" Applejack said.
"Maybe the fact that they don't want to go to the oasis to be alone with each other is the reason to not feel it" Fluttershy suggested.
"But that's impossible" Rainbow Dash said. "How can that be?"
"It is also impossible to there is a whole Kingdom petrified, but, however, it exists" Blue said. "We're also talking about the Oasis of the Heart. Everything in that place is a real mystery."
"Blue’s right" Twilight said. "We shouldn’t dismiss this hypothesis of Fluttershy."
"Well, you two know this place better than us" Shining said.
Then, suddenly, the cold of the arctic was left behind and the snow was replaced by grass. A big shadow welcomed them and those that weren’t used were almost blinded by the bright light that greeted them. They were in the Oasis of the Heart. Those who were there for the first time were speechless, watching the trees, the leaves, the flowers, the channels... everything. Some crystal butterflies were also there. Rarity almost fainted before such beauty, Fluttershy became very excited, Pinkie Pie kept hooping and went to see everything that was there and Heartbeat followed his example, but preferring to run instead of hooping. Even Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Shining gasped.
"Well, what a place!" Applejack exclaimed.
"Amazing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Looks like something out of a dream!" Rarity sighed.
"They are right" Shining said. "I've never seen anything like this before."
Twilight and Blue exchanged a smile. They were pleased to see their admiration, but that wasn't the time to enjoy the sights.
"Very well, ponies, we have to get going" Twilight said. "The star seed is inside the great tree and it is in the center of the oasis."
They then began marching towards the center. Everypony seemed focused on the task ahead, but Heartbeat and Pinkie Pie were the ones who were often distracted more easily: Heartbeat for being a filly and Pinkie for... well, being Pinkie.
"Twilight, when we arrive to the said tree, do you know how to take the star seed?" Rainbow Dash asked, while flying.
"Rainbow made a point" Applejack said. "How are we goin’ tah get Heartbeat’s star seed?"
"I think we’ll have to figure it out when we got there" Twilight replied.
Then they began to hear Pinkie laughing.
"Pinkie, do you might to take this seriously?" Twilight asked, stopping.
"It’s not my fault" she said between laughs. "The trees are tickling me in trying to hug me."
Twilight and the others turned and saw that Pinkie Pie was being imprisoned by branches of a tree that had extended to catch her. It didn’t late until everypony be caught by the trees nearby.
"But what is this?!" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to break free. "But why the trees are attacking us?!"
"I don't know!" Twilight replied, trying to hold the grip that the branches which were holding her began to do. "This never happened!"
"Well, but it's happening now" Shining said.
"But this place has always been calm and peaceful" Blue said. "It even helped me and Twilight to stay together, because it knew how we felt about each other."
Upon hearing that, Twilight then realized the reason for that being happening.
"I know!" Twilight exclaimed. "The oasis knows what we feel. He must know that we want the star seed, that's why I and Blue didn’t felt the scent of their flowers and that's why it is attacking us."
"Of course" Shining said. "It's his heart. It must be trying to protect it from everypony."
"And it can do it because it feel the intentions of those who enter into it" Blue concluded.
"That’s very interesting and everything" Rainbow said, trying to break free at all costs. "But it doesn't help us to get out of here."
"If I were you, Rainbow, I wouldn’t resist" Fluttershy said. "This will only cause the trees to tighten even more."
"Yes, but I won’t go let them strangle me" Rainbow Dash answered.
"I like it" Pinkie Pie said, cheerfully. "It's like receiving a big hug!"
"Pinkie, this is no time for... that you're doing" Rarity replied.
"Hey, everypony, look" Applejack said. "Not all of us were caught."
They looked to where she was pointing and saw Heartbeat on the floor, smelling a flower on the floor.
"Wait a minute, she didn't get caught?" Rainbow Dash asked. "But why?"
"For the same reason she could smell the flowers’ scent and we didn't" Twilight realized. "She's a filly and her emotions and feelings are pure. She has no intention of harming the oasis."
"Of course, that makes sense" Blue said.
"In fact, this may play to our advantage" Shining said, turning down. "Hey, Heartbeat!"
She looked at all sides, looking for who had called her and then noticed them, asking:
"What are you doing up there? Are you playing with the trees?"
"Ah... Yes, we are" Shining replied. "But, listen, could you do us a favor?"
"Sure" Heartbeat replied. "Since then I can have the same fun you are having."
"Of course" Shining said. "You just have to follow this channel in that direction. You'll find an island with the largest tree of here. Approach it. There's something there that we want."
"What?" Heartbeat asked.
"A kind of very bright seed" Blue replied. "But you have to be quick."
"Ok, I'm going as fast as I can" Heartbeat said.
And then she began to run along the canal.
"Do you think she will do it?" Twilight asked.
"It’s her star seed, isn’t it?" Shining replied. "I think she will."
"Well, I just hope she’s fast before the trees crush us" Rainbow Dash answered.
Heartbeat followed the canal and then soon she reached the center of the oasis, finding the lake and later the island where the great tree was.
"Wow!" she exclaimed, getting surprised with the tree’s beauty.
She approached the edge of the lake and then the stone platforms appeared, giving her the path to the island. Heartbeat smiled and jumped on each of the platforms, heading to the island. When she got there, she advanced to the tree. The tree began to radiate a more intense light as Heartbeat approached it.
It was then that the little filly put a hoof on the trunk. The light intensified even more, making Heartbeat take the hoof out and protect her eyes. It was then she saw a seed with a hexagonal bipiramidal form and with an intense red light getting out of the tree and approaching her. The same closed flower that appeared on her forehead when Celestia proved that she had no star seed appeared and opened. The seed advanced and put itself in it. The flower back to close and disappeared. Heartbeat began to radiate an intense red light, while she closed her eyes, and when the light faded, she opened her eyes.
With the pickup of its heart, the oasis began to lose what made it unique. The great tree and all the other trees lost their red light on the leaves and on the trunk and the flowers were no longer expelling their attractive aroma. The branches dropped their prisoners who fell on the ground, with the exception of Twilight, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash who had wings and could make a smooth descent.
"It seems that she did it" Twilight noted.
"In fact, I did" a voice said.
All of them looked and saw Heartbeat approaching.
"And now that I have my star seed, I returned to my old self" she said, arriving at the edge of them. "I'm not the same innocent and ignorant filly. Although I still has the same childish behavior, because that's what characterizes me."
"You're the true Heartbeat" Twilight said.
"And you're the famous Princess Twilight" Heartbeat said, approaching her. "I know your accomplishment, especially your victory over the King of the Changelings, along with..." she turned to Blue "the pony that you love, Blue Sword."
"You know that?" Shining asked.
"Of course" Heartbeat replied. "As I know your whole story with Cadance and your victory over the Queen of the Changelings and Sombra."
Shining seemed a bit bothered by Heartbeat knowing all that.
"But how do ya know all this?" Applejack asked.
"I will explain everything" Heartbeat replied. "But before... It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful place, don't you think?"
So her horn were charged with magic and its glow intensified. Heartbeat's eyes became red and she radiated an intense light, like a red sun. It was then that the Oasis of the Heart began to recover the beauty it had before with everything getting back the red glow.
"Wow!" everypony exclaimed.
"Now, I think the grown-ups need the help of the little filly to clarify some doubts, isn't it?" Heartbeat said. "So let's go back to the Crystal Empire. There, I will give you the answers."