Cheerilee groaned as she awoke from her slumber. After almost two years of being sober, it made her forget just how much of a lightweight she was when it came to drinking. She wasn’t hungover, thankfully, but she had fallen asleep at the table at some point.
The mare sat up, her back popping audibly in several places as she straightened out. A groan escaped her lips and she rubbed a hoof on her back. It was going to take a lot more than stretching and water to fix that.
“Getting old sucks…” She concluded to herself as she looked around the dining room. She was the only one here, the others presumably in their rooms. Her lips came together and she blew a long and drawn out raspberry as she looked at the clock on the wall. Three forty-five in the morning. “Should go check on Scootaloo…”
Cheerilee rose to her hooves slowly. Her knees struggled to unlock and the awkward position she had been sleeping in had made her joints stiff and unresponsive. She had to stretch and shake her extremities before she got full feeling back in them.
The mare trudged from the dining hall and into the main room of the castle. She was headed towards the staircase when the sound of the front door opening made her freeze in her tracks. The sleep fogging her mind dissipated in an instant as she spun on her hooves, prepared for only the worst.
A familiar aquamarine head poked out and looked around. When Elytra saw Cheerilee standing there, she froze. Both creatures stared at each other for a few moments before the changeling stepped in and shut the door behind her.
“It’s like four in the morning, what are you doing up?” Cheerilee blinked at the bug. She wasn’t expecting to be the one questioned here, in fact she felt like her own actions were of the least concern.
“I could ask the same of you…?” Cheerilee asked. “What were you doing outside? Call me crazy, but I don’t feel like it’s a good idea to be out there alone.” Alarm bells sounded inside of the teacher’s head. Elytra had been absent more than a few times in the last few days, but Cheerilee had dismissed it as the changeling taking time to repair her shell or just get some simple alone time.
“I...uh…” Elytra shifted on her hooves as that familiar buzz came from beneath her carapace as her wings beat against it. “I…” Elytra shook her head and sighed. “Alright, yeah. I was outside. Doing stuff.”
“I expected a changeling to be better at lying.” She remarked, still eyeing up her supposed friend. It was an odd feeling in her stomach, she had to admit. She trusted Elytra and was convinced that the changeling was a good creature, but this was challenging that. “Doing what?”
“I’m working on something, okay? It’s...well it’s a surprise.” Elytra still wouldn’t meet Cheerilee’s eyes, despite the pony’s curious emerald gaze remaining focused on her. “If I could tell you right now, I would. You just have to trust me and...keep this between us? Please?”
“Alright.” Despite her head yelling that this was a bad idea, her heart was convinced to trust the shapeshifter for a little bit longer. “I won’t tell.” Elytra bounced on her hooves and grinned from ear to ear. “But please, please, don’t make me regret this.”
“You won’t! Trust me!” Before she knew what was happening, Cheerilee was enveloped in a hug. Those warm chitinous hooves were wrapped around her and squeezed her as tight as they could. “Just like a day or two more, okay?”
“Alright…” The guilt tugged at Cheerilee’s conscience as Elytra let her go and quite literally flew up the stairs. She was followed by the distant sound of a door slamming shut upstairs. “I really hope I don’t regret that.”
Knowing that was going to be on her mind for the rest of the day she trotted upstairs to her room. Inside Scootaloo was sleeping. The little pegasus was on her good side and snoring loudly into the empty room. Cheerilee sighed happily and smiled at the scene before climbing up into the bed to get a little more shut eye.
----
“Okay, what did you want, Sunburst?” Applejack was annoyed, her voice and body language exuded that simple fact. Everypony was crammed into Sunburst’s corner of the library. He had requested them as soon as everypony was up and around, but they had collectively waited until after breakfast to indulge the, quite frankly, madpony.
“I have it figured out.” Sunburst paced in front of his black board as much as the crowd around it let him. “I think, at least.” A collective groan went up from the group which only drew an irritated look from the scholar. “Hey hey, knock it off! I’m trying, alright?”
“What have you figured out exactly, darling?” Rarity’s honey coated words floated through the air. Everypony was thankful too, because there was a sense that if she didn’t Sunburst would’ve gone off on a tangent.
“I think I figured out how this castle works, and if I’m right…” Sunburst trailed off as his eyes lit up with excitement. “We’ll get to that. Anyway.” He flipped the board over to reveal a simple circle drawn on it, nothing else. “This was in Twilight’s notes regarding the castle, a page with just this on it. Nothing else. It meant something, I wasn’t sure, but I think I get it now.”
“She was practicing her shapes?” Bon Bon quipped from the crowd, drawing a few chuckles.
“No.” Sunburst hissed. “She was trying to get something across, an idea of what the castle is.” Everypony looked at him with only mild curiosity. “Take away the actual structures and leave only the crystal intact and what does the castle look like?”
The crowd all hummed as they tried to envision their home as only the crystal. Cheerilee had the distinction click almost immediately. The talk she had with Sunburst the other day had laid the groundwork for this and now it all made sense.
“A tree.” The obvious answer came from Diamond Tiara, but Sunburst wasn’t looking for the obvious answer. “It’s just a crystal tree.”
“No.” Cheerilee spoke next. “Not a tree, veins.” As soon as she said it the biggest smile she had seen in weeks erupted across Sunburst’s face. “Are you...saying…?” She could hardly believe this train of thought, it was so out there.
“The castle-” Sunburst threw his hooves into the air and laughed, a hint of sleep deprivation and madness in his eyes. “-is one giant vertical leyline!” Sounds of disbelief and incredulity rippled through the crowd from the ponies who knew what that was. “Think about it: how is this place protecting us? How is it keeping Rarity from changing?”
The ponies and changeling all looked at one another and shrugged. None of them had any idea, hell it was only Sunburst, Rarity, and thanks to a little crash course in it, Cheerilee who had a working knowledge of how magic even worked.
“Because it’s not connected to the main system of leylines!” He exclaimed.
Sunburst grabbed the eraser from the base of the board in his mouth and erased the circle he had drawn with a single swipe before dropping the eraser. The now-impotent unicorn picked up the chalk in his mouth and drew eight meandering lines that exploded out from one center point. He added little branches from them to give some detail. To top it off he drew a line not connected to any of the others and put a circle around it.
“Rarity! Sapphires, what do you know about them?” The stallion pointed a hoof at the seamstress. To her credit, Rarity didn’t sweat the sudden spotlight one little bit. The sole adult unicorn left cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
“Oh good, something I actually know about.” Rarity grinned and shifted excitedly on her hooves. “Well, they’re a fantastic gemstone. Usually blue but can also come in yellow, green, purple and orange. They’re remarkably hard, I believe top three in terms of…” Rarity trailed off before catching her train of thought again. “Oh yes, they’re also wonderful for enchanting. Just put a few sapphires in the neckline and you can do almost anything! Make it sparkle! Make the fabric change colors!” Rarity put a hoof to her chest and nearly swooned thinking about her profession. “Oh, just a tremendously unique gem.”
“Highly conducive to magic.” Sunburst reiterated the point he had been fishing for. “The crystal of this castle is closely related to sapphire. Different and even more able to hold and radiate a magic charge.”
Sunburst began to pace again. Every eye in the room was fixated on the stallion as he went. There was a sense as he went on that he wasn’t crazy. He was onto something and that was more than a little exciting.
“The other day when I had to use a thaumometer for-” His eyes locked with Applejack’s for a split-second before he looked away. -things. It read a full charge on the air. This place is humming with magic. How? Rarity has been using hers for a month straight now. Flurry Heart has been using some too, so how was there a full charge? It should’ve diminished because whatever magic was in the castle had been pulled in, used, and rendered ‘dead’. So how?” He turned to face the whole group again. “Because...there’s a mana pool here. I don’t know where and I have no earthly idea how it ended up here, but that’s the one explanation! The roots of the castle start in a mana pool and the raw magic is carried through the crystal and it resonates throughout everything! Dead magic is absorbed into the walls and taken back down to the pool to be re-energized.”
“Why isn’t Dashie getting better then?” Pinkie spoke slowly, her icy blue gaze focusing on the stallion at the front of the crowd. “You said her magic was drained. If it’s all over in here, why isn’t she getting better?” There were rumblings amongst the group over the implications of that statement. Rainbow wasn’t getting better, Applejack had said that. She had also neglected to mention the extent of the Element’s ailment.
“How would she absorb it?” Sunburst retorted. “She’s not a unicorn, she has no horn.” That did nothing to embolden Pinkie, just deflated her further. “It’s why we age, it’s why we die. Our magic slowly drains and we grow weaker and weaker until we hit empty.” Sunburst spoke like he was rattling off simple facts and not a cold reality. “Unicorns typically live longer because we can supplant our natural battery with magic from the earth. You guys, though? Once you’re done, you’re done.”
The heartbreak on Pinkie Pie’s face was enough to break anypony. It was clear and harsh and defeated. A hint of scorn was mixed in, an angry and selfish glint in her eyes at the cruelty of it all. It was the pain of losing somepony close far before their time.
“There has to be a way!” Pinkie shouted back at the pony heading the group. There was more emotion in that single statement than the mare had shown since she and Cheerilee had gone to the schoolhouse to ring the bell. It was full of anger and spite. “Please.” The passion died all at once and left only a quiet sadness. “There has to be something…”
“I’m really sorry, Pinkie.” Sunburst did his best to sound authentic and caring, but his apology rang hollow. “Like I said: make her comfortable. Take care of her while you can.” That was the last straw for the somber party pony, as she trudged out of the room with tears in her eyes.
An uncomfortable silence descended over the room and settled on the ponies inside like a thick fog. Scootaloo tugged at Cheerilee’s leg. The filly was looking for comfort, for some sort of assurance that her hero would be okay.
Cheerilee had none to give.
“Okay but what does this all mean? The castle havin’ it’s own mana thingy, Ah mean.” Applejack, always the pragmatist, pushed forward with the topic at hoof. It was clear she wasn’t happy about Dash’s condition, but she was told there was nothing they could do and she believed it. “No offense, but as fascinatin’ as Ah’m sure this is, how does it help us?” A murmur of agreement went up among the survivors.
“It means, if I’m right, we might be able to turn those monsters back to normal.” The shock that statement sent across the room was palpable. It hung in the air until Meriwether spoke up from the back after a solid minute of silence.
“If you’re wrong?”
“The odds of me being wrong are-”
“Answer the question, Sunburst.” Applejack demanded, cowing the stallion as he backed away.
“W-well if I’m wrong…” He looked away from the group. “There’s a very very very very small chance that there is no pool and this is all just leftover untainted magic and…” His voice shrunk to a near whisper, causing the group before him to lean in. “...and bringing a unicorn would taint it all, turn Rarity and disable whatever protective qualities the castle has.”
A furious roar split the once hopeful atmosphere of the library. The general sentiment was that they couldn’t take that chance and that their lives were more valuable than some experiment.
“Listen!” Sunburst shouted back to the group at the top of his lungs. The assertiveness from the usually tame stallion took everypony aback and earned their silence. “The way I see it we have two options. We’re going to run out of food sooner or later, none of you can deny that. We can’t grow any, most of the stuff outside is already rotten, and scavenging is downright dangerous. We can’t leave because either the unicorns or the sun will kill us. So we either bunker down here and slowly starve to death and get picked off one by one by those monsters, or we take a chance.”
“What’s to say that even if there is a mana pool that it won’t be tainted and corrupted by one of those unicorns?” Cheerilee asked. She was all for taking a chance in the face of a slow and painful demise, but she needed to know the risks.
“Logic.” Sunburst responded flatly. “L-look.” His eyes searched the crowd before they landed on Big Macintosh, who was standing right by Applejack. He reached out and grabbed the other stallion, pulling him to the front of the group. “Let’s pretend Big Mac here is our mana pool. Big, strong, etcetera. This disease, virus, taint, whatever you want to call it, is represented by one filly.” Sunburst dragged Diamond Tiara to the front next and made her stand opposed to Big Mac. “Could you take one filly in a fight?”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac responded.
“Two? Ten?” Sunburst continued.
“Eeyup.”
“Two dozen?” The unicorn continued.
“Three dozen, I reckon.” Big Mac stated.
“I’m not going to argue with you.” Sunburst concluded after a moment of thought and a deep breath. “But that’s what I’m getting at. The Central Pool, the one connected to every major leyline in the world, could handle just cleansing Twilight’s magic. It could handle a hundred ponies, maybe a thousand. But let's just say that there are seventy thousand unicorns in Equestria, all of them now spewing this tainted magic out of their horns. It can’t cleanse that fast. Our little pool can handle one unicorn, I will stand by that.” There was still a general sense of unease in the room, one Sunburst knew he had to rectify. “Okay, a compromise: not an adult unicorn. A filly or colt, one with a relatively low skill in magic.”
“Ah...ah know where to find one…” A voice seldom heard was the first to speak after the stallion. Applebloom pushed her way through the crowd and to the front. The youngest Apple’s mane was untamed and frizzy, dark circles under her eyes and a distant look within them. “Ah think.”
“Applebloom?” Applejack asked. “How would y’all know where to find that?”
“Ah...Ah kinda lied to you, Applejack.” The hurt look on the Apple family’s current matriarch was one of pure hurt for a split-second before the sisterly worry returned. “When this all started and Ah was in the clubhouse with Sweetie...she started to go all crazy like and Ah...Ah used the rope we kept in there to tie her up and Ah ran.”
The gasp from Rarity was the only other sound in the room.
“The odds of her still being there are...slim.” Sunburst railroaded the conversation and continued his own train of thought. “If she is and is somehow still tied up, she didn’t starve. Those things don’t eat. If they starved to death this problem would’ve solved itself by now.” He stroked his wiry beard as he spoke. “Anything closer? More of a sure bet.”
“No.” Rarity retorted. “We’re saving my sister.” Each word was a nail in the coffin of decision. Her voice was hard and flat, unlike her usually soft and melodic voice. It was final and resolute.
“Alright, Rares.” Applejack rested a hoof on her comrade’s shoulder. “You’ll get your sister back, Ah promise you.” There was nothing more rock solid than an Apple’s promise, and Rarity knew that. It was one of the few things that felt dependable in these times and Rarity knew that. The two shared a smile and a small hug before parting and looking back to Sunburst.
“If we do...and this works…” Sunburst turned back to the board and chewed on his lip. “There’s a chance we can save Twilight too.” A final note of hope rang through the castle and filled the minds and hearts of those inside with renewed purpose and maybe even a way out of this.
Now its getting really interesting
Hopium
Clever Applebloom, she’s always good at thinking on her hooves
Wow, my phone bill is going to be really expensive because I FUCKING CALLED IT AGAIN!
Tree is connected to the ninth undiscovered Ley Line CALLED IT (kinda). Granted, my theory planted the tree above it, it didn't theorize that it was the tree itself, but I still sort of called it! 2 for 2, let's see if we can get three with the next mystery!
10836348
Yeah you calling my shots is getting to me lmao
I’m gonna stump you one of these days
0-1 for theorizing
But anyways, that's actually a clever way to go ahead and write in why the castle is protecting them, I haven't found a fic this cohesive and thought out I'm terms of magical proponents since I Don't Need Magic. Props to you!
10836350
One of these days is still not today
10836350
It's a sign that you're a good author. Mysteries should be be able to be solved by the audience alongside, or before, the main cast. Some authors aren't able to write compelling mysteries because we have to have something that makes no sense explained to us as if it was the most obvious answer. The puzzle pieces are there, I shouldn't need to know this thing that only this one character knows even THOUGH I CAN LITERALLY READ THEIR FUCKING MINDS AND THEY DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HOW THEY JUST COMMITTED MURDER! Fuck you David Cage!
Sorry, really hate Heavy Rain. Anyway, amazing story, keep up the fantastic work.
Anyway, as for what Elytra's doing, I have a thought. First, there's the "good theory" and then the "Bad one".
Good Theory: She's going outside scavenging, just like how she "found" that Apple Cider in the basement. Possibly building up a stockpile to prove, "I'm safe, you can trust me to go outside, have all this free stuff." She's not in contact with Thorax or the others yet since those Changelings aren't inside yet. Second good theory is that she's trying to get in contact with them, which is why it'll take a day or two longer.
Bad Theory: I love Elytra, but... Fuck, I can't help but look at the signs. She's doing something secretive, it'll take a day or two more, and she "can't tell them". If it was a good surprise like the food, then she could probably tell Cheerilie and ask her to keep it quiet. But this is secretive, something she'll need to prove to them is a good idea. There's something nearby in the Everfree that has the same magical properties as our current favorite bug. Someone that Elytra may look up to and respect that fell from grace. A certain Changeling Queen who may be pulling the strings for Elytra to make the ponies as happy as possible when she comes into the picture. I think Chrysalis is going to become either a problem, or a begrudging hope for the ponies trapped inside the castle.
Wouldn't this mean that the hole that the Unicorns are digging is a way to look for a round-a-bout way to get to this pool and render it useless?
The way this story has gone, hope has never turned out well for our survivors. They had hope when the train arrived, and that led to losing one of their number. They had hope that Fluttershy and Big Mac were alive, and that led to Fluttershy's entire HOUSE being gone, most likely cause of Discord (prove me wrong), and Rainbow Dash now being on her way to the fields of Elysium.
My point is, you never give us hope in this story without something being taken away in exchange. The only question I have now is: what are you taking away this time? My money is on Rarity ending up turned.
So that will solve my doubt regarding to what could happen if an infected unicorn enters the castle, that also seems to give power to the theory that they are digging to get something hiding in the underground, magic? Prey? I hope is the latest.
And that solves the Sweetie riddle I thought of in the beginning ^^
And finally some hope, and hopefully it will work
10836376
That was exactly what I was thinking when I read that part.
Surprise hopeful twist
10836376
That's what I'm thinking, but there must be something we're not seeing. Like Sunburst said, the mana pool would be like Big Mac fighting off a hundred fillies. Even if all of Ponyville's unicorn population jumped inside it's possible that they'd be healed quicker than they can infect it.
Whatever tainted the main mana pool, the one connected to the 8 Ley Lines, was powerful enough to corrupt eight streams. If the Harmony Mana pool is Big Mac fighting a hundred filled strong, then the main mana pool would have to be Celestia fighting a million fillies strong. So, if the thing that infected the main pool walked over to Ponyville, it'd be like a sumo wrestler stepping into a plastic kiddie pool and defecating in it.
Needless to say, if Feral Twilight has the poison, or something is going to bring it, then that pool is gone. Unless the Feral's plan is to sever one of the roots connecting the pool to the tree, then there's something we don't know. A plan to corrupt that mana pool by doing more than throwing in ferals and hoping for the best. Unless they actually plan to drop in Celestia, Luna, and Twilight to overwhelm the pool. If we're sticking with the Big Mac comparison, a unicorn would be a filly to him, but one alicorn should be about an average pony or above average like Applejack. He'd be able to fight Applejack, but three Applejacks against a Big Mac isn't a fair fight. That mana pool is screwed.
This is either going to go amazingly or horribly, no in between.
Well, at least they have a plan now, and they pretty much have to find a way to cure an alicorn if they want any hope of surviving long term, but I really don't see how they're going to get Twilight inside the castle even if they were willing to sacrifice one or more of their own to do so. They really don't have the numbers or strength to pull that off, not when she's that big, can fly, has magic death lasers, and will usually be surrounded by all the other infected. Getting a few cured unicorns could help, but not much they can do if they can't use their magic outside without getting reinfected (unless getting cured somehow immunizes you). Maybe if they stood right inside the doorway and used their magic to pull Twilight inside by surprise once she got close enough? Having a few refugees from Cloudsdale might help too, but I feel if they were going to get any they would have seen them by now.
I suppose there is one quicker way to test Sunburst's theory without needing to risk venturing outside and drag an infected all the way back, but I doubt anyone would be heartless (or foolish) enough to suggest it. You could tie a rope on Rarity, have her take one step outside, and then pull her back in the second she starts changing, see if that stops or reverses the process. Don't see Applejack being willing to subject Rarity to that though, nor her responding well to anyone suggesting it.
Looking forward to seeing what happens when an infected gets cured- assume that's going to be the case, otherwise they're pretty much screwed regardless of whether the castle still protects them after. Will it cure their mind and body, or leave them in that feral form but at least able to think again? Will they remember anything from that time, maybe give a hint what was driving them and why they are compelled to dig a hole in the earth?
Hopium, I get the feeling that you called it that on purpose. Opium gives momentary bliss but screws you up in the long run.
I bet they heal Sweetie and she immediately starves to death. You’ve drawn attention to the fact that they don’t eat too many times for that not to be important. Chekhov's gun and all that.
If the mana pool is directly underneath the castle and that's why those things are digging then they're fucked
oh celestia this is so exciting and scary
10836367
I LOVE writing about magic. I love playing with it and trying to explain the mechanics of something that doesn’t exist. It’s so fun
10836348
I was just about to say "Chicken called it again". I'm starting to think you're cheating somehow.
Hey I just thought of something, what if you send Pony-Rainbow Dash through the portal to the Equestria Girls world and then have her come back through the portal, would that heal her then or what?
10836502
No Equestrian Girls portal here. EqG being canon is dubious at best so I’m choosing to ignore it
10836370
Given that Changelings are often portrayed as living underground, I'd been wondering if she might be tunneling. Would come in handy to reach other places in town.
Of course, once would assume the entrace to be inside the castle, not outside, so I think it's not too likely an idea. Unless the crystal makes making the tunnel entrance in the basement unfeasable...
10836505
But it is Canon, in the series final episode when they show each of the mane 6 with ponies in the background with different colors they show Sunset in the part behind Princess Twilight.
10836505
EQG is canon. But there are others who have explained it
What about that whole incident with tirek, ponies drained of magic turning grey but get magic put back in them by harmony. Can something like that work for dash? Very anticlimactic way to die for her if otherwise
10836505
Uh oh. You riled up the EqG fans. Prepare for tens of downvotes.
I've got a bad feeling that sweetie isn't there anymore and that someone is about to go down. The question remains who is it, so far they've lost both their fliers, I'm guessing from the looks of it Bon-Bon might be next.
10836506
Well like Rarity said, sapphire material is very hard. And if the basement is made of crystal, digging through it isn't going to be all that easy to do. So of course Eltyra would have to dig underground outside of the palace for moving from point A to point B.
Sunburst seems really tone deaf at this point
I'm sorry, but surely Sunburst being as smart as he is sees why the unicorns are digging now!
So what will be sacrificed for Sweetie if it isn't Sweetie herself hm?
I don't know why...but I have a really bad feeling about this.
I'm already getting suspicious about Elytra, but I'm also getting suspicious of Mayor Mare. I have a feeling she's gonna cause the mission to fail, have Applejack "sacrifice" herself, and take over.
very cool
So like I theorized, the unicorns are aware in some capacity that the Castle's immunity is linked to the Central Pool, and that is why they're digging the hole. They're trying to get to the pool so that they can cut off or contaminate the loop.
It's a race against the clock at this point. Time to find Sweetie Belle, and fast. The good news is that most of the unicorns seem to have relocated to the digging site, so Ponyville might be emptier than it usually is. I can't wait to see how this goes horribly wrong.
10836563
I always kind of head-canoned that Sunburst was on the Autism/Asperger's Spectrum, same with Twilight. Social tact is not our strong suit in the slightest lol.
10836045
Oh! Okie dokie!
10836705
Still he should be able to at least grasp the visible frown on pinkies face
With a straw
Pool? nah Twi built a magical reactor in the basement
I tied up Sweetie Belle...
Spike you must Rescue my little Sweetie
Robin to the Bat Cave! We'll use the anti zombie spray from our utility belts and the Bat Chopper!
Comic books
10836520
10836510
Time to shake this beehive. One character in one shot of the final episode does not make it canon. They never mention the mirror, or Sunset or anything EqG in the rest of the series. 2 seconds of screen time doesn’t mean anything.
I’m not saying it’s not canon. Just that it’s dubious/up in the air.
Ain’t gonna be any humans in this story.
10836752
Oh who said you had to add it. That's your choice. I'm just saying its canon. tbh it would add a too convenient exit to save the characters.
Like, "Hey, we have this cool fancy portal to a perfectly normal world with no monsters. Lets just go there!"
10836752
except if i make a midquel of it ;)
No. I don't think there is.
10836752
Good. Humans tend to ruin everything they touch.
10836821
You joke but I was actually toying with the idea of opening this up to expanded universe stories if people wanted to make them. Either that or running a contest with prizes for it when this is done.
10836988
I'm legit not joking
EDIT: why does this have a dislike?
You updating this story so fast and so often has turned it into quite the drug. Need my daily serotonin hit, thanks!
I wonder if Elytra is the key to curing Rainbow Dash? She needs to reabsorb mana in some form while inside the castle. Don't the reformed Changeling share love, now? They don't just take it. They give it and that act in itself provides sustenance. Maybe just the act of Elytra sharing love with Rainbow Dash (chatting with Pinkie Pie or Scootaloo and learning all these positive things about her) would at least open up a channel that surrounding mana can funnel into, even if the "love" itself isn't a form of mana.
THEN AGAIN IT TOTALLY IS LOOKAT CADANCE.
I will have to re-read to see if Sunburst is even aware of a changeling being present. Elytra has been understandly making herself scarce and he has been holed in the library reading books, which none of the other surely bored and stressed-out ponies seem to even consider as a legitimate way to spend one's time.
Rainbow Dash did not get cider this chapter. :C It's full of applefam love and earth pony magic or whatever, kept safe in the castle's system, maybe it will cure her. But also she deserves cider.
10836505
Also IDK if it existing would solve any problems.
Spike, at the very least, would know that Twilight has a method of communicating with Sunset Shimmer through the journal, but advice is all she could give; coming over would risk her transforming, and the rest of the human elements with little Equestrian experience, getting killed. It could even open up a means for this "infection" to bleed over into the human world, as Equestrian magic already has to extent leaked over into the Human world in the EG series. Spike could check in via the journal and make sure she is okay and warn her to stay away, but Sunset doesn't even have a library or any recorded resources or information to help out, despite being a scholar. Borrowing the EQ as Elements of Harmony would have to be a last last last last last resort. Actually, if infection via magic is too much to risk, once remembering the journals existence, it might be deemed too risky to even use it.