• Published 25th Mar 2013
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A Heart of Change - SilentBelle



Sweetie Belle comes up with a plan to share a summer's vacation with her friends. Little do the young mares know that their trip will not be quite as they had planned. But when has anything ever happened as they planned?

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Chapter 7 - To Make a Decision

A Heart of Change – Chapter 7: To Make a Decision
By: SilentBelle

“Alright, that's gotta be all the wood we'll need,” Apple Bloom stated as she finished dragging one last heavy branch into the cave. “Careful though, when ya light it Sweetie,” she offered a warning, “pines tend ta spark from the sap an' all. They also burn quicker than most, so start off small and ration the wood as we use it.”

Sweetie Belle simply nodded as she leaned some of smaller branches against each other in a quick motion of magic. A frown made its way onto the unicorn's face as she focused for a moment. In moments, the water from the smaller branches began filtering from the wood and fell, drop by drop, into a puddle near the entrance to the mine. Then with a light crackling sound, a plume of fire cast its glow upon the rocky surface of the mine entrance. She then let out a sigh, and slumped down to the floor looking rather exhausted. “Geez, that wood's wet. It took quite a bit of effort to start that fire.”

“Yeah, fresh and wet wood'll do that,” Apple Bloom admitted evenly. “But we should be able to keep it goin' for a while with this much wood. Good thing so many of the trees we broken and knocked down, certainly made it a lot easier ta gather.” She tossed a glance over to the orange pegasus beside Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was shivering, even as she lay there, unconscious. “How's she doin'? Ah hope the fire warms her up.”

“I'm not a doctor,” the unicorn responded, “but she looks like she'll be okay. Her magic's still there.”

“Hmm. Ah hope we'll be safe in here.” The storm outside had calmed to a simple, even snowfall, and the clouds had remained stationary and even across the sky. Apple Bloom was quite thankful that everything had settled so quickly. “Think that cloud guy'll come back?”

“Hmm...” the unicorn began. “I don't think so. Not immediately, anyway. It probably would take a while to send another channel all the way here. Though, if the sky starts changing at all, we should probably run deeper into the mine.”

“Ah'm not sure if that'd be the best idea, we don't even know if this mine goes anywhere else, or if this is the only entrance.”

“But going out there, if he returned, would be a disaster,” Sweetie Belle argued back. “He'd be able to control the weather for miles. We're safer in here.”

“Ah don't know...” Apple Bloom trailed off in uncertainty. “But we can ask Scootaloo what she thinks when she gets up.” We have ta think this through carefully. Sending Scootaloo up ta clear the clouds was a big mistake. Why did Ah ever think that'd be a good idea? What was Ah thinkin'? Ah can't let something like that happen again, just 'cause of a lack o' foresight. Ah have ta consider everythin' we know 'bout this situation.

Sweetie Belle nodded her head in agreement, and let her eyes settle upon the mare beside her. “She was amazing though, you know? That move she did in the sky.”

“Yeah, that tornado thing? Ah've never seen nothin' like it. It was almost as big as when they siphon the water from lakes back ta Cloudsdale ta make the weather. But they usually have a whole roster o' pegasi fer that. Fer one pony, this was a mite impressive.”

“It was beautiful,” Sweetie Belle nearly whispered, with her eyes half-closed in memory of the event. “I saw it, all her magic, it went beyond her, and wrapped around her. It was breathtaking... almost like she was drawing a spell sigil with her own movements. Only, it was so much more complex than that. The way her wings pulled the air around her, and reached into depths of the skies themselves...”

“Ah... don't quite follow.” Apple Bloom tilted her head and tried to imagine the scene, but came up short. “All Ah saw was a mighty 'mpressive tornado. And if it weren't fer that... well, Ah'd rather not think 'bout what might've happened. Never thought that Scootaloo could do somethin' like that.”

“I don't think she knew she could do it either.”

“Oh?” Apple Bloom frowned a bit. She'd have to admit that she hadn't spent nearly as much time with her friends in the past year or two, as she wished she could have. She supposed it only made sense for Sweetie Belle to understand Scootaloo a bit better than Apple Bloom herself.

Why do I suddenly feel like some kind o' intruder? The thought had come unbidden, but she let it linger and considered it for a moment.

“I watched her practice all the time,” the white mare explained, casting a soft smile at the pegasus. “She was a source of inspiration. The way she chased after Rainbow Dash, day and night. It was a sort of motivation that I was always a bit jealous of.” The unicorn let a soft blush colour her smiling face. “It was what actually got me motivated to start making jewelry in the first place. As often as I could, I watched her while she was training, and I saw all the effort she was putting into her flying. It really made me realize how little and small I was, and how much more I could be, if I put more effort into my own studies and magic. It was both disillusioning, and at the same time refreshing.

“I had felt like such a foal at the time, like the both of you had just grown up without me. So, I felt I had to do something to make a dream of my own.” Sweetie Belle grabbed a couple of thicker branches and tossed them onto the fire, causing a crackling hiss of sparks to fly up to the cave roof. “Just like that, it was one of the most important choices of my life, and I made it in a mere moment. It felt strangely liberating...”

“Ah see,” Apple Bloom said quietly, and grimaced inwardly. Ah can't believe Ah never knew that. When did we ever get so out of touch? “So, what does that have ta do with her tornado from earlier?”

“Well, in the past two years of watching her fly and practice I saw something. Yeah, she was good, but not amazing like she'd need to be to make it into the Wonderbolts. At the time I'd never even have admitted it to myself, she's my friend, and we all see our friends in the brightest of lights. But now, after today, I think I can see... she was actually limiting herself.”

“Limitin' herself? Hay, she almost won that race just yesterday,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “Ah don't think she could have done that if she was limitin' herself.”

“Physically she's been training yes, and that much is obvious, she's as fast as they come.” The earth pony raised an eyebrow at her skeptically, and waited for a better explanation. “But I get this feeling now, after what she did today. I feel like she mustn't have had the right mindset. She's always been aiming to be as good as Rainbow Dash, and following in her hoofsteps. And the effort she's put forth in that struggle has been amazing, and inspiring, but it wasn't right.”

“Huh? Right? What do ya mean?”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle insisted, while she fed another branch into the flames with her magic. “I realized it so clearly when she did that move. That's the first time I've ever seen her fly in the last two years where she wasn't trying to chase after Rainbow Dash. I don't think chasing after anypony is a good idea in itself. Scootaloo's not Rainbow Dash, and she never will be. You can see that, can't you, Bloom?”

“Ah get what ya mean,” the earth pony admitted. “Life ain't 'bout followin' in other ponies' hoofsteps, no matter how ya look up ta them. Funny how that is. Ah always used ta look up ta Sis, and always wanted ta become like her. Dependable, hard workin', and Ah always thought Ah'd run the apple farm 'longside her and Big Mac. But now that's all different. Ah'm aimin' ta be a mechanic, and hay, it sure does feel right. Though Ah still look up ta Applejack, Ah do know Ah'm not her, nor will Ah ever be. Ah got mah own life ta live and mah own interests.”

“Hmm,” Sweetie Belle hummed in agreement and nodded her head.

By the light of open flame and flying sparks, they sat there, warm and contented. Scootaloo had ceased shivering and her breath rose and fell evenly.

“Say, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom began tentatively, “Ya mentioned a name. 'Scoddri' or somethin' like that, with that glowin' emerald and yer necklace. What's all that 'bout.”

“Oh, that's right...” Sweetie Belle stole a nervous glance at the earth pony then looked away. “I only ever told Scootaloo,” she admitted, “I'm sorry! I never meant to keep it a secret!”

“Huh... Ah'm just curious is all. Ah figure we might be able ta come up with a plan, if we get all our facts straight while we can.”

“Well, it's kind of a strange story. And I was nervous for the longest time, because I thought something might be wrong with me... But, I know better than to doubt myself on that account any more. Put plainly: Scoddri is Discord. And before what happened at Canterlot, before I got my cutie mark, he was just a voice in my head...”

Apple Bloom thought of what she could say, but the words wouldn't form properly in her mind. Hearin' voices, huh? Ah get why she'd be hesitant ta say anythin', but why did she tell Scootaloo and not me as well? Ah guess Ah was more outta touch with mah friends than Ah thought. She kept her silence and concealed her shame by lowering her gaze toward the base of the campfire.

“It was on the day I burned down the clubhouse by accident...” Sweetie Belle began to regale her friend.

While the unicorn spoke, her musical voice echoed softly in the cave and Scootaloo let out a soft sigh of peace.

* * *

She walked through the snow, which was thick underhoof. Before her, a single set of hoofprints marked the otherwise unblemished snow. When the pegasus examined the closest print, it sparkled with its own inner light. As if the impressed snow crystals caught some hidden beam of moonlight and threw a faint spray of rainbow colours up to her eyes. The sight disappeared in the next moment, and flickered faintly into existence from the next hoofprint before disappearing as well.

A sense of worry fell upon her. She felt her lungs begin to pump, and her hooves begin to move beneath her. She was walking, then trotting, then galloping after the hoofprints the shimmering colours, always fading just before she reached them.

The frigid winter air caught in her lungs and burned her throat with every breath. Raw and painful, she kept up her panicked pursuit. The lights they're almost gone! She spurred herself onward as she ran, even flapping her wings for the extra speed.

With a final flash, all the colour disappeared from the white snow and Scootaloo skidded to a stop, nearly losing her balance. The plain white tracks themselves stopped abruptly before her.

She looked around nervously. To the left and right, the snow fell calmly and evenly creating a plane of unblemished snow. Above her was an impenetrably thick fog of clouds. She glanced backward and felt her eyes widen at the sight. The hoofprints, both hers, and those she had been following were slowly disappearing. Only five remained.

What can I do?! Where do I go? The panic gripped her tight, leaving her as a shivering statue.

Four.

Every direction looked the same, no landmark was in sight, just white. Simple white.

Three.

Back! she told herself. If I run back, I can start again.

Two.

Back to where they are. Friends, family, home.

One.

But which way is back? she wondered as the final hoofprint disappeared.

She collapsed, letting her legs give way beneath her. She had been running for too long. She felt the exhaustion in her limbs, as they ached for the cool embrace of snow. She settled down gladly and shivered.

This feeling... I'm lost, aren't I? she considered the thought, gazing at the endless tundra. I've been left behind. Abandoned. There's no way back...

Then she felt something warm reach out to her. Like a memory of childhood, it warmed her from inside. She could almost hear her friends' musical voices between the sound of falling snowflakes. So gentle and soothing.

There's no way back, the thought stayed with her as she closed her eyes to listen for those faint words through the falling snow. Perhaps there was something there, just out of sight. But she'd never know.

* * *

Upon a bed of ice she lay,
Cold, desperate and alone.
But loneliness she'd never admit
While she held memories of home.
So she closed her eyes,
Clinging to all that remained of her.
Relics of a time less important.
A time she could almost remember.

Soon the memories filtered into the white around her.
Their voice was the soft wind of winter.
Their warmth, the moon's gentle glow,
And their embrace, a soft new blanket of snow.

Just as gently,
She woke.

* * *

Scootaloo let out a soft groan and opened her eyes to see the low glow of firelight. It didn't make sense to her, and she frowned at the strange flickering light. Her wings burned on her back, with the low, dull, throb of overuse. Her legs were sore as well, but just from simple scrapes, and not a bone-deep weariness. Where am I? What happened?

“He's alive Apple Bloom, I'm sure of it. He's out here somewhere, and I can help him this time, I know it!”

Sweetie Belle? The unicorn's voice brought a small bit of clarity Scootaloo's mind as she turned her head slightly. The white mare was sitting only a foot away with a pleading look on her face, the sight was enough to make her skip a breath. Why do you look like that? What happened?

“That's great an' all. But how? We don't know how any of this works. We can't do anything 'til we know th' facts. 'Sides, we're out here in the middle o' nowhere.” Scootaloo couldn't see Apple Bloom from her sprawled position, but judging from the sound, she was on the other side of the flickering campfire.

Thank goodness they're safe! She felt an unmitigated smile form on her lips as relief flushed through her body, and a hidden tension disappeared from within. But what happened? She remembered flying. The sensation of wind fiercely pulling at her mane and tail. And her wings were throbbing something fierce. And only one thought still echoed dimly in her mind. Faster...

“I'll figure it out, Bloom. I know how magic works. I can see it differently from other unicorns. I'll find out how Scoddri fits into all of this. I have to!”

“But that's not our biggest problem at th' moment!” Apple Bloom argued back. “We need ta get someplace safe and find a way ta contact the princesses. They can rescue our sisters and the rest. That's most important, and should be our focus! We can't do anythin' if we don't know anything 'bout it. Let's work with what we got!”

Sweetie Belle looked almost hurt by the rebuke. She opened her mouth a few times to try and counter her friend's logic, but she gave up and let a sour silence take hold of her for a while. “You're right,” she admitted finally.

Her tone drew painfully acidic strands across Scootaloo's vision and the pegasus almost winced. “Are you okay, Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo managed to whisper harshly, before coughing a few times.

With a sudden shout, Sweetie Belle jumped to her hooves in surprise, her horn sheathed in an emerald light for a moment. “Scootaloo! You startled me!” Her indignant remark did little to hide the relief in her voice. “And that's what I should be asking you anyway!”

“Scootaloo! Yer back! Are ya okay? Can ya stand?” Apple Bloom made her way around the small fire. “How are ya feelin'?”

“I'm fine, girls,” she said with a wince and pulled herself into a sitting position. “I suppose I could use some water, though.”

“Right, Ah got some right here!” Apple Bloom fished through her pack, and pulled out a metal cup; it was a simple chrome container, with a single handle that she could easily fit her hoof through. She then picked up a kettle that had been sitting somewhere upon the ground, hidden behind the firelight.

“I still can't believe you brought a teakettle with you,” Sweetie Belle said while a light grin tugged at her lips. “And to think, you didn't even remember to bring the tea leaves.”

“Fer the last time, it ain't fer tea!” the earth pony rebuked as she poured some water from the kettle. “It's used fer heating water fer lots o' different reasons, like fer my experiments ta figure out how ta harness steam fer the best output. It's not just fer drinkin'. But it's a good thing Ah brought it. Better than goin' round, tryin' ta get a drink from th' snow.” She brought the filled cup over to Scootaloo, and set it before the orange mare. “Here ya go Scootaloo, melted snow from outside.”

Scootaloo nodded thankfully and gulped the water down. It tasted glorious; it was one her favourite feelings in the world. 'Refreshing'? No, that word doesn't do the feeling justice. She focused on the feeling with a sense of nostalgia, and remembered the hundreds of times she had gone through a long day of training and had finished it off with a large glass of water. 'Catharsis'? Nah. This feeling, it just means I've done some good, hard work. She set the emptied cup down with a sigh.

“By the way Scoots, you were amazing!”

“Huh? What do you mean?” she asked reflexively. “And don't call me Scoots.”

The unicorn ignored her rebuke. “I mean you saved us back there. If you hadn't gone and cleared the sky like that, we probably would still be out in the storm, with that... monster.”

“Monster?” Scootaloo took in her surroundings warily and glanced at the cave entrance. “What monster? What happened?”

“Well, Ah don't know if ya can call him a monster or not. But there's somepony out there. Somepony is controlling the weather. And not just the weather neither.”

“You mean, the eye in the clouds?” Scootaloo asked with a shiver. She remembered the smell of ozone when the lightning had struck out at her. “You girls saw it too?”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom affirmed. “After Ah found ya out in the snow, Ah tried ta bring ya back here. But that's when the storm caught up ta me. And then that big eye came out of nowhere, and somepony's voice began talking ta me, mockin' me. And then Ah saw somethin' else, somethin' weird. Must've been some magic of his.”

“What did you see?” Scootaloo asked. She could see her friend was shaking slightly as she spoke.

“She saw our sisters, and Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. All six of them. They were...” Sweetie Belle, glanced hesitantly at Apple Bloom before continuing, “encased in some sort of gray crystals. Like statues.”

“Even Rainbow?” Scootaloo saw unicorn nod, and her stomach churned slightly at the thought. “Where? Where are they? And what about Spike?”

“Apple Bloom didn't see Spike anywhere,” Sweetie Belle answered. “And we aren't sure where they are being held, but it was in some sort of stone chamber.”

“The voice,” Apple Bloom said with a shudder, “he said it was his antechamber, and was talkin' 'bout them like they were some sort of prize. Then he said an even worse fate awaited us, because we didn't have the elements ta protect us. He almost got us too.”

“How'd you get away?”

“Sweetie Belle guided me outta the storm with magic, and stopped 'im fer a moment with her spell.”

“It was a simple light spell, and I used all my remaining crystals for it. I guess it must have blinded the eye for a bit. Must have caught him off-guard.

“An' that was enough fer me ta get ya outta there and inta this cave,” Apple Bloom gestured to her surroundings, shadowed as they were in the fire's light.

“But he followed Bloom back here, and cast some sort of spell. I'm guessing it was similar to whatever he used on our sisters and the rest. I was able to catch the spells just in time, because I saw them coming, and Apple Bloom and I were able to stop his remote spell,” Sweetie Belle concluded.

“Remote spell?” the pegasus questioned.

“It means he wasn't actually out here. He was casting his magic from far away. Controlling the weather, scrying, communicating, and even casting dangerous magic. He was doing all that, probably miles away from here.”

“That's possible?”

“We can't 'fford ta think that it ain't,” Apple Bloom admitted sadly. “Ah mean, he was able ta stop our sisters. He's dangerous. We have ta assume that he's able ta do stuff like that.”

“I'd never seen anything like it before either,” Sweetie Belle said bitterly. “And I've studied and practiced magic for the last five years. I think it has to do with the shard he was using.”

“Shard?”

“Yeah. He was channeling his spells through it. Most crystals used that way would have fractured under the stress. But this was different. I think it was a piece of Scoddri.” Scootaloo couldn't fail to note the tone of fascination and hope that clung to the unicorn's voice

“What are you talking about Sweetie? You told me that he was gone. Destroyed five years ago, at Canterlot.”

“But we heard him for a moment. He was laughing, and he even said my name.”

“This doesn't make any sense!” the pegasus complained and got to her hooves. She walked over to the entrance of the cave and peered out into the calmly falling snow. It was nighttime, but the clouds blocked the moon entirely, leaving a dark expanse before her, as deep and foreboding as any cave. “So you're saying he's alive out there, and laughing?”

“Girls!” Apple Bloom called out sternly from her spot at the fireside. “Let's not talk 'bout Discord right now. We don't know enough facts 'bout him ta do anything 'bout it. But we need ta figure out what we can do.”

What can we do? Even Rainbow Dash wasn't strong enough. The thought came, nearly as dark as the scene before her. Scootaloo turned from the entrance, and walked back to her friends. Rainbow...

“Fine,” Sweetie Belle admitted in a sour voice. “We have two obvious choices right now: Do we get out of the cave or go deeper into it?”

“How's that even a reliable choice?” Apple Bloom argued back. “We don't know how deep the mine goes, or if there are other exits. Mines can be dangerous places, Sweetie.”

Scootaloo glanced up a the ceiling, with its sturdy braces and shivered slightly. The thought of thousands upon thousands of pounds of rock just above her, which could fall at any moment, was a little discouraging to say the least. She swallowed the feeling as it rose.

“But this guy out there,” Sweetie Belle insisted and pointed her hoof at the entrance, “he has the weather under his control. It would be just silly to just walk out there, where he could just attack us like he did this afternoon. It's much safer inside the mine.”

“Safer? Well, maybe. But we need ta get ta the Crystal Empire and find some way ta inform the princesses 'bout what's happenin' out here. And Ah don't think a mine is going ta lead us to the city.”

“Shouldn't we try to find a way to rescue Rainbow Dash and the others?” Scootaloo asked. “They have the elements. That's probably the only thing that could stop this guy, whoever he is.”

“But they're inside his antechamber. We don't know where that is, and we have no idea how ta break them free.”

“But I'm sure Sweetie could figure it out. She's really good with magic.”

“I could probably figure it out if I had enough time to test it out,” Sweetie Belle admitted, but didn't sound entirely convinced. She was looking deeper into the cave, at a single pair of steel tracks that disappeared into the inky darkness of a mining tunnel.

“Yeah, but the princesses have even more experience, they'll know what ta do fer sure. Ah think lettin' them know what we've found out should be our priority,” Apple Bloom reaffirmed. “Say, Scootaloo...ya think ya could fly all the way back ta Canterlot?”

Sweetie Belle spun at the question, and Scootaloo caught a look in her eyes. Is that fear? Worry? She didn't know, but the sight made her heart cringe.

Tentatively, the pegasus, stretched out her wings from her sides. The orange feathers turned golden in the glow of the firelight. As she extended them, she felt her muscles scream at her she clenched her teeth against the feeling. After a moment, she gave them a test flap. The movement took so much more out of her than she expected, and struggled to even complete the single motion.

She winced. “Ah, I don't think so. I doubt I'll be able to fly for the rest of the day more than a few feet. I must have overdone it back there.”

“That's for the best,” Sweetie Belle stated simply. Scootaloo frowned at her friend, but didn't rebuke her “We can't afford to separate ourselves. We'll have to work together to get through this.”

“Yeah, and that means we have ta 'gree on what we're gonna do next. Ah think walkin' ta the Crystal Empire is our only sound option.”

“It's too dangerous! If he finds us out there again, he'll stop us for sure. He's not likely to fall for the same trick twice. I still think it would be a better idea to search this mine. Maybe we can even find some crystals to replace the ones I've used.”

“And we're back ta this again,” Apple Bloom said with a sigh, and shot Sweetie Belle a glare. “Ah told ya before, there's no point in searchin' the mine. We need ta do somethin' that will take us closer ta our objectives. And goin' underground ain't closer ta the Crystal Empire. We're gonna have ta risk the weather. Maybe if we stick ta the trees, we won't be spotted. We can head out in the mornin'.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head firmly. “No, Apple Bloom. It's too dangerous. He's probably set up and waiting for us to step outside of the protection of this cave before he'll release a storm we'll never get out of!”

“Oh Sweetie, that's a fine thing ta say. Since when do ya worry 'bout how dangerous somethin' is? Ya always seem ready ta jump a mile off o' clouds at the drop o' a hat, or ta try some unknown spell that ya haven't even fully researched. Goin' out there is the only sound logical option with all the facts we've gathered, surely ya aren't goin' ta let the prospect o' a bit o' risk stop ya from choosin' th' best option.”

“That's a harsh blow, Bloom,” the unicorn replied gratingly. “But no, I still think we should at least check to see where this mine goes. I'm willing to think that this mine might have another exit somewhere else. We have to do what that guy doesn't expect! That's how we'll get through this! What do you think, Scoots?”

Don't call me Scoots! she thought as she threw a disparaging sigh at her arguing friends. Scootaloo looked to the entrance, dark and sombre with it's falling snow, and then to the passageway with its steel tracks leading into a void of unknown depth. Wait, does this mean I have to decide? She looked back to both of her friends, and they were both met her with expectant gazes. “Really? You want me to decide which way we go? How the hay am I supposed to choose something this important? It would change everything.”

“But that's the best part of being crusaders,” Sweetie Belle said with a slight chuckle, “the third pony gets to decide which plan to choose.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, in a more serious tone than Sweetie Belle, “that's how we always solved these situations before: by majority vote. So give us yer vote Scootaloo.”

“Darn it! We haven't had to do this for years! Besides, aren't we done being Crusaders? We've all had our cutie marks for nearly five years.” Scootaloo's argument seemed to have little effect upon her friends' expectant looks. She let out a sigh and gave into the inevitable option laid before her. “Just give me some time to figure it out!”

Her friends nodded, and Scootaloo carefully walked over to the steel tracks, and the tunnel that they ran down. She didn't expect to see anything as she glared down into it's ominous recesses. However, something caught her eye: grayish fractures, which appeared for only a moment. It reminded her of cracks forming upon thin ice. Her breath caught slightly as she realized it was a sound. Hoofsteps? No, it sounds different than hooves on stone. A metallic screech, and something softer alongside it. And it's slowly drawing closer.

“Uh, girls,” she called out in a nervous whisper over her shoulder, “I think something is coming down the tunnel...”

* * *

End of Chapter 7