The Pony Project

by Palm Palette

A Beautiful Heart

A Beautiful Heart

Spike was running out of bad ideas. “She really likes the color green,” he told Orion. He may have said that already, but this weepy pony clung to his every word. Orion had been sitting in this bath almost as long as Spike. He was turning into a giant prune. Spike, himself was getting fed up with the bath but it hadn't been seven hours yet. He still had at least one more hour to go.

Aloe and Vera came in carrying another bucket of steaming hot water. The communal bubble bath was pretty full by now, so they poured the water on top of Spike.

“Too cold,” he complained and took a deep breath. The spa ponies dodged out of the way as he blasted the bucket with green fire. It remained suspended in the air by his flame. The water boiled, and steam poured down on top of him. When the bucket was empty, it too melted and dribbled on Spike. Once that was done, Spike was the only one left on that side of the pool.

“Ah, much better.” He kicked back and relaxed.

Aloe loomed over him. Her face was scrunched up in a frown. “Okay, bath time's over,” she said.

“What, but it hasn't been seven hours yet,” Spike complained.

“Each bucket costs you an hour. Get out,” she demanded.

“Okay, okay.” Spike picked himself up and left. Bah. He didn't really want to have that bath anyway. He'd been in a sour mood ever since Twilight kicked him out with no explanation. He wanted to go back to the library and demand answers but Twilight would probably just complain if he came back early.

Spike had some time to kill and he didn't plan on being gentle with it. Hmm, if he couldn't go back to the library, than where could he go? Ah! There was a place near the base of the mountain where he'd left some unfinished business.

When they were practicing magic at one point, Spike had convinced Twilight to copy Rarity's gem-finding spell. She stopped when she realized that he only asked because he wanted the gems for himself. Still, he'd managed to mark off several locations and he hadn't had a chance to dig them all up yet. The delicious gems would be sure to take his mind off his troubles.

When he got there, he could see the Cutie Mark Crusaders chipping and carving away at a large boulder. It looked like they were making a statue of an alicorn. That wasn't all; they had a bucket set aside for gems they'd uncovered. Spike didn't even realize he'd picked one up until Apple Bloom knocked it out of his claws.

“Spike, we need those gems to pay for the tools we've borrowed,” she said.

“Sorry,” Spike said. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stopped working to look at Spike. “What are you working on?”

“We're making a statue for the art festival next year.” Scootaloo handed Spike a piece of paper.

Spike read it silently and looked up when he was finished. “Great job girls. That statue looks great. It really looks like, uh-” The dust settled enough for him to get a better look at it. “Twilight doesn't look like that.”

“What?” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Yeah, we're not making Twilight,” Scootaloo said.

“Then, who is it?” Spike asked.

“Rarity.”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Applejack.”

The three of them looked at each other and what they'd done so far. Sweetie Belle had added Rarity's head and forelocks. Scootaloo had added Rainbow Dash's wings and crest. Apple Bloom had added Applejack's tail and cutie mark.

“Oh, we really messed it up this time,” Sweetie Belle moaned.

“And ai thought for sure we were doing so well,” Apple Bloom said. She was crestfallen.

“Aww,” they all whined.

“No no.” Spike waved his arms motioning for them to stop. “You've actually done a great job. It's, uh, it's like you've invented a new princess: The Princess of Sisters.”

“Really?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Yep. And to prove it I'll send in a reservation for you.” Spike materialized a parchment and a quill using a trick with his dragon fire. He penned out a note and sent it off.

“Ooh.” Scootaloo was impressed with his trick.

“Buurp!” Spike belched into the air and the response materialized. Scootaloo was less impressed with that.

“Ahem,” Spike unfurled the note and read it:

“Dear Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom,

Thank you for your timely submission. I very much look forward to seeing this 'Princess of Sisters'.

PS. Spike, please remind Twilight and the others to send in their reservations as well. Space is limited and running out quickly.

-Princess Celestia”

“See, even Celestia likes the idea,” Spike said in triumph.

“Wow, Spike, you're so awesome.” Scootaloo hopped down and rubbed Spike on the head. Sweetie Belle giggled.

“Thanks girls, but I guess I'll be heading back to Twilight. She'll want to hear this too.” Spike tucked the letter underneath his arm.

“Wait, Spike.” Apple Bloom said. “We could use your help with the statue. We wanted to finish before dark but we haven't even started on the base yet.”

“Uh... I don't know...”

“You can keep any gems you uncover,” Apple Bloom said.

“All right! Sure, I'll help.” Spike dropped the letter and grabbed a hammer and chisel. He was totally going to add Twilight's legs.

“Yay,” the three fillies cheered and got back to work.

***

The train ride to the Crystal Empire was long and cold. Rarity kept the window open most of the time, even as they approached the Frozen North. Brr, the Frozen North – the dread king, Sombra, had been turned to turned into smoke and banished there for a thousand years. It was hard to believe that any pony could ever deserve such a fate until she'd seen him for herself. Sombra was gone forever now, but his ghost still seemed to haunt these lands.

With no pegasus here to control the sky, it often snowed. Well, it always snowed. On a good day, it would flurry instead of blizzard. From the looks of things, the snow was starting to pick up again. The wind howled and- Whump. Rarity looked behind her. A unicorn a few rows down had gotten fed up with the draftiness and shut her window for her. “Harrumph,” Rarity said in disdain.

So much for distracting herself with the scenery. Rarity leaned back in her seat and grumbled. The train car was nice and all, but looking at other ponies (particularly the crystal ones) kept making her think of that 'project'. How could Celestia ever ask for such a thing and how could Twilight ever put up with such an unreasonable demand. A sparkling reflection caught her eye, is it had been doing this entire trip. It was rude, but she couldn't help but stare.

Rarity always told herself that she'd want to be with another unicorn, but the crystal ponies were just too beautiful to pass up. She felt excited just looking at them. They were so exotic.

“Ack, no no no, Rarity. You shouldn't swoon at them like that,” she told herself. That kind of behavior wasn't very lady-like. Or perhaps, it was too lady-like. Regardless, it wasn't proper behavior. Proper ladies don't drool.

What a fine mess she was in now. Without the cold air from the window things had really begun to heat up in here. It was stifling. She opened the window again to the groans of the ponies behind her. Fortunately, they didn't have long to suffer since the train was slowing down. The journey was over.

Amidst the barren wasteland of the Frozen North, the Crystal Empire was an oasis. The land was green, and the sky was clear. Emanating from the spire of the central palace, an aurora of hope, joy, and love spread out and radiated across all of Equestria. The hues were simple, but definitive. In the center of it all was a heart. An actual heart. A crystal heart. A beautiful heart. She sighed.

Looking around the train station, Rarity spotted the souvenir shop. They seemed to be out of snow globes, but had plenty of sports-related items to choose from. Rarity selected a figurine of an ice skater that she liked. It would be a gift for her sister. The figurine had such an adorable little outfit on that she couldn't help but marvel at the simplicity and elegance of the design. Well, it wouldn't hurt if she kept it to herself for a while to base some outfits off of the Crystal Empire uniform, right?

Item in hoof, she approached the salespony. He was a radiant blue stallion. She placed the figurine on the counter.

“That will be six bits,” he said.

“My, you're looking just positively brilliant and handsome today.” She leaned forward to look into his eyes. The faceted reflection on them fascinated her. Her tongue hung out, and she drooled a bit. She just kept staring at him, as close as she could get.

He fidgeted awkwardly. “Um, Miss, do you want me to lower the price?” he asked.

“Oh! Oh.” Rarity snapped out of her trance and blushed deeply. “If, if you would be so kind...” Rarity dropped some coins on the counter.

He accepted the four bits she gave him and breathed a sigh of relief when she left. Rarity still kept blushing. The image of his sparkling blue form kept clouding her mind. Rarity shook her head. Why was she feeling like this? She tried to clear her head and looked up at the Crystal Palace. Perhaps Cadance would know.

Cadance! Of course. She could solve all of Rarity's problems. She might not have been able to talk to Spike, but that wouldn't be a problem here. Cadance could get a direct response from Celestia too.

Rarity galloped through the streets. The prismatic buildings and shiny walkways were a far cry different from the earthy hues of her home town. Not that Ponyville wasn't colorful too, but here it was just different. Crystal ponies dodged to get out of her way. It had always been her dream to move to Canterlot and join the upper echelons of high society, but she was sure she could be happy here too. It even had a palace and everything. She was driven with purpose, but stopped by guards.

“Halt. Who goes there?” The two Pegasus Royal Guards opened their wings to block her passage.

Rarity panted to catch her breath. She decided that wasn't very stylish, though, and struck a pose where she swung her head aside and placed a hoof to her forehead. “I simply must see Cadance as soon as possible. It's very important.”

“Uh, who are you Miss...?”

“Rarity. Don't you recognize me? I'm a very important pony.” Rarity tried to look as dignified and hurt as she could.

The guards looked at each other. “We're sorry but we weren't expecting a... Rarity today. Cadance is terribly busy. Perhaps you should seek an audience the proper-”

“Wait, isn't she the pony who filled in when our manedresser fell ill that day?” another pony said.

“Yes, she helped us win the bid for the Equestrian Games.” Rarity looked around. A couple of curious crystal ponies had followed her here. At least they recognized her. Fortunately, they were all mares. Rarity could at least keep her emotions in check for a while longer.

The guards whispered to each other. “Very well, we'll go ask.” The first guard nodded to the second and he walked off. “But Cadance really is busy. You shouldn't get your hopes up.”

The second guard returned and shook his head. “Cadance is delighted that you're here but she's too busy with the delegate from Unicornicopia to see you right now. He's been here all day actually. He's upset that the Crystal Empire beat them on their bid for the Equestian games and he's so certain that we cheated somehow. Cadance doesn't want to get on his bad side since Unicornicopia is the best place to get weather-control spells from.

“They're a northern city as well and that don't have that many pegasus, so the unicorns do most of the work. If we're to host the games properly, we'll need those weather spells. We get plenty of snow and such, but you can't exactly do any skiing or ice skating in a blizzard. We'd ask Cloudsdale to help instead, but the air is just too cold here for most pegasus to handle.” The guard shivered. He'd apparently been up there himself.

“Oh dear,” Rarity said, “why don't you ask Twilight? I bet she could do it.”

“Twilight? One pony?” The guard scratched his head. “Oh, you mean Princess Twilight.” The guards broke out laughing. Rarity didn't know what was funny. “While you're at it, why don't you ask Celestia too? I bet she could do it. Ooo – or the Wonderbolts! I bet they'd love doing weather patrol.”

Rarity walked off while the guards continued laughing. She knew that Twilight would help if Cadance asked for it, but that could reflect badly on her if she had to rely on another princess to solve the problems of the Crystal Empire. Not that Cadance would have a problem with that personally but she did have appearances to keep up.

From the sound of things, Cadance wasn't likely to finish anytime soon. Rarity walked to the plaza under the palace to admire the Crystal Heart. It was one of the most powerful magical artifacts in Equestria. It was the soul of the Crystal Empire. It hung in the air and hummed softly as it collected the emotions of the crystal ponies and resonated their hope, joy, and love across the world. But now that she had a chance to examine it up close it looked- dare she even think it? -crude.

Rarity had an eye for gems, and this one was lacking. It was plain compared to its surroundings. The palace, the streets, even the crystal ponies (especially the crystal ponies) were all more radiant, brilliant, and much more deeply faceted than the Crystal Heart. Shouldn't the thing at the center be the most brilliant of all? It was a mystery to her. She wondered why that was, and like it or not, she was about to find out.

She couldn't see it through the clouds, but the sun touched the horizon.

A strange tingling welled up in her. It felt like magic, but she wasn't casting any spells. There was a pressure building, it felt like something powerful was seeking an outlet. Her horn flared up on its own. Rarity felt something pop, and she was suddenly flooded with magic. A magical spark flew, and in that instant she was connected to the Crystal Heart.

She could suddenly see, hear, feel and almost even taste every crystal pony in the empire, even across all of Equestria. They responded in turn. They were puzzled, wary, afraid. Fear. A shadow still lurked within the heart. A green haze overtook Rarity's eyes as the corruption tried to take hold.

Fear.

The crystal ponies were hers to command. All she had to do was turn their fears back on them. Let hatred take hold and bind them in chains against their will.

“King Sombra!”

“He's back!”

Yes... The corruption almost seemed to have a voice. Give in...

She was vaguely tempted, but the very thought sent chills through her core. Or perhaps she was feeling the chills of the crystal ponies. It didn't matter. She disliked it either way. This corruption wasn't the only force pressing against her. The pure magic racing through her horn caught on to her reluctance and pushed back. Rarity threw up.

This awful, lingering, black magic. It sickened her. This... this greed for power. It went so much against who she was, what she was: the bearer of the Element of Generosity. Sure, she might have a weak spot for things, but, it was the very fact that things were important to her that made her generosity all the more meaningful when she gave them up. Now, she held the lives of the Crystal Empire in her hooves. Hers for taking. This thought made her furious. She'd never, ever, ever take the freedom from other ponies and force them into her bidding.

Rarity pulled a cloth from her saddlebags and polished the Crystal Heart. With the strength of her will, and the power of the magic coursing through her, she forced out the last of the dark magic lingering within the heart. It hissed in protest and tried to fight back but she was stronger. Her rag was soiled and soaked with bubbling blackness and steaming with green and purple smoke. Time to get rid of it. A dark-fic writer cried out in horror as Rarity tossed aside his brilliant idea and snuffed it out for good.

Without the blackness trapped inside, deep facets within the heart were able to reach the surface and glisten. The heart was once again as intricate and majestic as it was always meant to be. The Crystal Empire breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, with that out of the way, Rarity could do things her way. Once again, she looked into the heat, and could see into the hearts of others. They were still wary and apprehensive, but the fear was gone. They were almost calm. Rarity took that all in, and now she wanted to give something back. But what could an empire need? What could she offer?

What she felt from the crystal ponies, was not quite what she expected. They'd been gone for a thousand years; banished by the dark king. And even before that they had been enslaved by fear and hatred. They were having trouble recovering. What love they had to offer, they'd used like a shield to protect themselves. They had little left for themselves. The stallions, oh the stallions... She could see them all through the heart. Well, Rarity had more than enough love of her own to offer. All of that passion that kept welling up in her – she let it spill out and let others feel it too.

The Crystal Heart wobbled in the air. It became unbalanced, and tilted to one side. The colors that it reflected changed. The blues and yellows of hope and joy faded in the night sky. The crimson color of love and passion deepened. The aurora broke free of its tiny band and spilled across the entire sky. All of the ponies in the Crystal Empire – no, not just them – all of the ponies everywhere, they felt the change too. It was sudden, unexpected, and intense. They boiled with passion.

With her magic spent, her connection to the Crystal Heart ended and the light of her horn winked out. Rarity slumped to the ground. (But quickly got up and scooted away from her vomit). She looked around to see what she'd done and locked eyes with Cadance.

Cadance said nothing. Her eyes welled up with tears of happiness: liquid pride. She gave Rarity a quick hug and flew off. Rarity watched her leave. The light shone brilliantly through her. She was crystalline again. Rarity looked at herself. She was crystalline too.

Rarity jumped with glee. She dashed around wildly. She had to find a reflective surface. She wanted to drink in her own image. But when she did find a mirror, she caught the reflection of a crystal stallion behind her. She could vaguely recall his hopes, his dreams, his passions. Her own passion was on fire. She grinned so wide it didn't even fit on her face completely. Tonight was going to be just perfect.

Next Chapter:
Life, Night of