“You only just got my letter now?” Apple Bloom spluttered.
Starlight Glimmer shrugged. “I’ve been mostly on the road all year. I guess the letter carrier only just caught up to me. Speaking of which, I brought your mail from the Station Halt on my way.”
“You mean our way,” Trixie interjected.
“Oh, cool. Zecora sent me those potion recipes,” grinned Apple Bloom, rifling through the papers Starlight gave to her. “So are you two gonna put on a show tonight or something?”
“This town isn’t exactly on our tour route,” said Trixie, “but Starlight was curious about her old domain. The Great And Powerful Trrrrixie shall go park the cart.”
“And maybe,” said Starlight, staring around at the village she once ruled over, “if you’re not busy…”
“I’m not,” smiled Apple Bloom. “I’ll show you around.”
*****
It was instantly obvious that Starlight’s Village had changed in the past year. The first two cottages at the start of the road had For Sale signs in front of them.
“Party Favour moved away,” Apple Bloom told Starlight. “He’s taking care of his sick brother in Tall Tale.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to give him a visit when our tour next gets to Tall Tale,” said Starlight.
She looked across the Road at the other cottage with a For Sale sign. Evensong Glisten was there, standing on a ladder and whitewashing a window awning… by hoof.
“Are the Glistens moving, too?” asked Starlight.
“Nope, they all still live in this Village. Just not in that cottage anymore. Day Star and Selenic are down there,” Apple Bloom pointed down the Road. “They’re our new innkeepers. You’ll see our hostel soon.”
“And if you stick around long enough, you’ll see the sheriff’s office too,” said a voice coming from above.
*****
Starlight looked up. Lightning Dust was parked on the rooftop watching Evensong work.
“Sheriff Lightning Dust at your service,” she said, snapping a salute with one of her wings. “Just supervising our little criminal here while she’s doing some community service. Today she’s sprucing up her old cottage to help it sell better, tomorrow, construction on the Sheriff’s office is starting and she’s pitching in.”
Starlight watched as Evensong’s brush strokes became gradually more aggressive as Lightning Dust went on. For a second, she thought she’d splashed some whitewash on her horn. Then she saw it was a bandage.
“I’m a bit behind here,” she said. “The rumour is she’d rustled the Queens and tried to remove their cutie marks.”
“Yep. I came close to living your dream,” said Evensong, not looking at anypony and brushing the awning more roughly.
“She’s a sneaky devil,” said Lightning. “Gotta keep a sharp eye on her, even if she can’t use magic anymore.”
*****
Starlight was about to ask what happened to Evensong’s horn when something came scooting up the Road. She thought it was a giant orange water balloon for a second, and gasped when she realized it was Scootaloo, who did a U-turn at once. Clearly she hadn’t missed Starlight’s reaction and didn’t want to discuss it.
“Did she do that to her?” Starlight pointed to Evensong.
“Not quite,” said Apple Bloom, “but it was her fault it happened. But Scoots got her revenge. Her scooter fell on Evensong’s head and crippled her horn.”
“Yeah, and now I’ve got mountains of magical energy bottling up inside me,” Evensong grunted, her paintbrush pummeling the awning. “It’ll reach boiling point one day.”
Starlight gulped and glanced at Trixie, who was double-chocking the wheels of her show wagon.
But Apple Bloom took no notice. “She’s been bitter ever since her last plan failed. She’s always spitting insults at us and trying to scare us. Come on. I’ll show you the rest of the Village.”
*****
They soon dropped in on Sugar Belle’s Cafe, and Starlight got to see the Barn Extension and a slice of the Apple Orchard beyond. Sweetie Belle was just leaving the Orchard, having done some chores. Starlight had some mail for her, too; a parcel from the Flim Flam Brothers.
“They’ve sent me more power-up magic for the ceiling fans,” smiled Sweetie Belle. “Great timing. The weather’s getting pretty hot. Better get started. Bye.”
Apple Bloom sighed as she watched Sweetie leave with the crate of jars.
“That’s both the other Cutie Mark Crusaders busy,” she said absently. “Sweetie’s powering everypony’s fans, and Scootaloo’s trying to work off the weight Queen Hamper put on her.”
Then a thought occurred to her.
“Keep that stuff away from Evensong!” she called after Sweetie Belle.
“Roger!” Sweetie called back.
*****
Eventually, Apple Bloom and Starlight Glimmer reached the Cutie Mark Grid at the end of the Road.
“This used to be the Vault,” remarked Starlight, glancing back at the Cave and spying a hole in the side of the mountain.
“Sweetie Belle adapted it on the day she stopped Evensong and rescued the Queens,” Apple Bloom told her. “Now it kinda works like Twilight’s Cutie Map. Only…”
“It calls ponies with cutie mark problems here?!” exclaimed Starlight.
Apple Bloom nodded.
“Wow. It’s not just Evensong living my old dreams,” said Starlight, staring at the Grid.
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “...yeah.”
Starlight looked at the two-dimensional purple sun criss-crossing its way through the squares on the grid.
“That’s Evensong’s cutie mark,” she said. “Have you…?”
“No,” groaned Apple Bloom. “She was our very first mission when the Grid was created. It’s almost been a year. She’s been sniping at us for the last week saying we’ve failed her. Like I said, she’s bitter. But she’s not wrong. We just can’t help her. That stupid mark will never leave the Grid.”
*****
Apple Bloom climbed the Grid to the CMC Clubhouse perched on the top, and Starlight followed. From the balcony, they had a good view of the few buildings beyond the Road. But Starlight only had eyes for one new building; the Hostel.
“I hate to cut this tour short,” she said as politely as she could, “but I’m dead on my hooves and my head is throbbing. I don’t get much sleep on tour with Trixie.”
She glanced back at where Trixie was parking the cart; she was now triple-chocking the wheels.
“You got a headache?” asked Apple Bloom.
She glanced down at the papers Zecora had sent her and pulled one out.
“I can mix up a cure for ya,” she offered.
Starlight glanced around at the various cauldrons lying around the clubhouse.
“That’d be great,” she smiled weakly. “In the meantime, I’m gonna go rent a room.”
And off she went, leaving Apple Bloom to gather the ingredients she needed.
*****
The potion was nearly finished (according to the instructions) when Apple Bloom heard Evensong’s voice from outside.
“Hey, the Grid says get your flanks in gear!”
Apple Bloom blinked and found that her cutie mark was glowing and vibrating.
“Oh, yay! We’ve got another mission!”
She abandoned her brewing, exited the clubhouse, and clambered down the Grid. Evensong was standing at the bottom. Her cutie mark was glowing and vibrating too. Lightning Dust was standing closeby eying Evensong like a hawk. Apple Bloom looked at the Grid; the purple sun in there was pulsating as it navigated the Maze. Then another symbol entered the Grid. It was a dark blue blur. Apple Bloom looked around, following the direction it had come from. Two figures were flying into town towards them. One was a yellow pegasus stallion in Royal Guard uniform, the other was a light pink alicorn filly clutching a plush snail.
“Princess Flurry Heart!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.
*****
Flash Sentry landed alongside Flurry and snapped a salute with one of his wings.
“Bombardier Flash Sentry reporting, here to escort Princess Flurry Heart. We understand you solve cutie mark problems. Well an hour ago, something blue shot from Flurry’s flank, and we followed it here.”
“Well, we can help,” smiled Apple Bloom, taking a step towards Flurry.
“Don’t come any closer!” cried Flurry. “Who knows what I might do to you?!”
“You may not have found your unique talent yet, but that doesn’t make you a mess,” Apple Bloom insisted. “We’ll help you find your calling in life.”
“Or be blown to kingdom come,” whimpered Flurry, sitting down and rocking back and forth, holding Whammy tighter.
“We’ve all been very worried about her at the Crystal Empire,” said Flash. “She’d had Fledgling’s Forbearance cast on her shortly after she was born to curb her magic fluxuations. Sunburst told us it will lift at around the age she is now, and he’s warned us that there’s a possibility that the moment the enchantment breaks, she’ll have a massive surge.”
*****
“Well, well,” smirked Evensong. “That’s two magic fillies primed to burst with magic power you’ve got to deal with.”
Apple Bloom refused to let the challenge intimidate her. “We can do it. We’re the…”
“Stop saying ‘we’, you idiot,” snapped Evensong. “It’s just you the Grid called.”
“Don’t be stupid,” said Apple Bloom. “It can’t have called just me. It always calls all three of us.”
She looked half-heartedly around, trying not to let her face fall as she realized Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had not joined the party.
“Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!” she called.
She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard Starlight groaning softly from within the Hostel. Sweetie Belle poked her head out of Mancy’s cottage.
“Wow! Apple Bloom! You were called for a mission?! Just you?! That’s new!”
Apple Bloom clung to her confident expression. “Your cutie mark didn’t go off?”
“No. I guess the Grid thinks you’re the only Crusader who can help these ponies,” Sweetie grinned, looking around at the small group.
*****
“I’m here, I’m here,” came Scootaloo’s breathless voice.
She came staggering from behind the Schoolhouse perspiring and clutching a bottle of water.
“I was just taking a break,” she huffed.
“Scootaloo, did your cutie mark go off?” asked Apple Bloom.
“No,” Scootaloo replied. “Did yours?”
Apple Bloom nodded.
“Nice. You’ve got your first solo mission,” said Scootaloo, smiling for the first time in about a week. “Good luck. I gotta get back to my exercise.”
“And I’ve still got FlimFlam magic to deliver,” said Sweetie, taking a moment to gaze lovingly at the Cutie Mark Grid she was so proud of creating. “Happy helping, Apple Bloom.”
“You heard them,” smirked Evensong as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle went about their respective business. “The Cutie Mark Grid has chosen you, the earth pony of the group, to deal with a unicorn and an alicorn who both have potent magical energy bubbling to the surface.”
Flurry Heart nodded. “She’s due soon. Great timing, isn’t it? Just as I’m about to burst.”
“I was instructed by Captain Shining Armour to look after Princess Flurry Heart in a field on the outskirts of the Crystal Empire,” Flash Sentry said to Lightning Dust, “and report to my CO if her magic was unleashed.”
“So were you just flying around above the grass or something?” asked Lightning Dust.
“I suggested going for a fly, but Flurry didn’t like the idea of pumping herself full of energy. She never does,” said Flash. “She always wants to take it easy. So on our way out of the city, she grabbed some wrapping paper.”
“I wanted to gift-wrap my new sibling’s present,” said Flurry, holding Whammy out and briefly managing a smile. “But then… when I levitated him over the sheet, I made him zoom around the field. I had to stop using my magic completely. I can’t risk my family and their empire’s lives.”
“I was about to inform my superiors,” said Flash, “when something blue and blurry shot from her flank.”
“I was scared at first,” Flurry said with a bit of a shudder. “But then I remembered…”
She and Flash looked at the Grid; the dark blue blur they’d seen escape Flurry’s body was playing tag with Evensong’s cutie mark in the Maze.
*****
Apple Bloom had returned to the CMC Clubhouse atop the Grid. She was rifling through her sheaf of potion recipes, hoping to find something that could remedy the situation, and trying hard not to fall apart. She could hear the conversation outside, but she had absolutely no idea how she was going to handle this situation on her own. She set her papers down, crept to the side of the window, and peered out. She did not like the look on Evensong’s face at all as Flurry poured her heart out to her and Lightning. Apple Bloom looked around the Village. In the distance, Sweetie Belle, with her load of FlimFlam magic jars, was knocking on B Rainy’s cottage door. Apple Bloom was tempted to call her for help. But all too quickly, B Rainy answered the door and told Sweetie to come in.
“How can she not be the mare for the job?” groaned Apple Bloom as Sweetie disappeared. “Her magic could easily stop Flurry from exploding or Evensong from doing something evil.”
She saw Scootaloo toil along the Road making sluggish progress on her umpteenth lap. Apple Bloom had to admit she could understand why the Grid didn’t call Scootaloo for this mission, but this did nothing to relieve the stress she was feeling.
*****
“We left pretty abruptly,” Flash said, looking back in the direction he and Flurry had come from. “I neglected to inform anypony of the situation.”
“Just as well we answered the Grid’s call right away,” said Flurry sadly. “It’s for the good of the Crystal Empire.”
“But your highness,” said Flash, “we’re still in a town full of ponies. If you do erupt, we’re no better off here than back at home.”
Flurry yelped, and had a slight spasm. The purple sun and the blue blur in the Grid suddenly picked up speed in the Maze they were navigating. It only lasted two seconds, but now, Flurry was sweating with anxiety.
“It’s getting pretty hot out here. Why don’t we continue this conversation indoors?” Evensong chimed in, gesturing towards the Hostel.
“You really must think we’re stupid,” Lightning Dust scowled. “You’re banking on her blowing off and killing your parents in the--”
She stopped short.
“That-that Grid used to be in a cave outside of this town, didn’t it? That’s what I heard,” Evensong said shakily. “Maybe we should go there.”
She took a step towards the start of the Road, but stopped immediately with a sharp intake of breath. It seemed by now, even walking might set her off.
“Let’s hope Apple Bloom thinks of something soon,” groaned Flash.
“But look!” Evensong pointed again. “Apple Bloom’s going into the Hostel. Let’s follow…”
Lightning smacked the back of Evensong’s head with her wing. “Shut up!” But she was curious.
*****
“Yeah, I remember Sunburst mentioning the risks of Fledgling’s Forbearance,” said Starlight, who was reclining on her rented bed with a damp cloth on her forehead.
“So I want your opinion on something,” said Apple Bloom in a quiet voice. “When the boiling point comes, is it possible to concentrate that burst of magic energy into casting a specific spell? Any specific spell? Something complicated? Something advanced?”
It looked like thinking too hard about it made Starlight’s head hurt more, but within a minute, she had her answer.
“Yes.”
“Great. Then I’m gonna go with my idea,” said Apple Bloom, her earlier anxiety absent.
She headed for the door. Starlight sat up.
“You should lie down,” Apple Bloom said as Starlight started to climb out of bed. “I know you're curious…”
“Concerned, more like,” said Starlight.
“Still, you need rest. The Grid called me. Just me. All I needed was an opinion from a powerful unicorn. Lie back down, Starlight. Leave this to me. I’m sure this’ll work now.”
*****
Apple Bloom softly shut Starlight’s room door, and headed for the door out of the Hostel. It banged open just before she reached it. Apple Bloom knew the time must be drawing near, and ran back to the group of ponies standing in front of the Grid.
Flurry’s eyes were shut tight as she fought to keep her magic inside her. She felt Apple Bloom’s hoof on her shoulder and opened her eyes.
“I know exactly what you need to do,” said Apple Bloom. “You need to cast a specific spell the moment the Fledgling’s Forbearance wears off.”
“Lots of ponies have told me that, but whatever spell I cast, I’ll overdo it,” Evensong groaned. “There’s too much magic in me. I can’t possibly control it.”
“You’ll just have to cast a high-level spell,” said Apple Bloom, kindly but firmly. “An advanced spell. Something worthy of Twilight Sparkle. A spell that would take as much energy as you’ve got. And I know just the one.”
“Yeah?”
Apple Bloom stepped aside and pointed at Evensong.
“You need to zap Evensong’s magic out of her. Tirek style.”
*****
Flurry Heart spluttered. “You want me to take in even more magic?! Are you crazy?! I’m already gonna unleash a bomb! You want the blast zone to be even bigger?!”
“It won’t be,” insisted Apple Bloom, holding Flurry’s shoulder again. “Once you’ve absorbed Evensong’s magic, the surge will be over, and you’ll have total control over your magic.”
“Can’t Starlight…?!”
“It has to be you, Flurry Heart.”
“My magic broke the Crystal Heart! After I was just born! That’s how much power we’re dealing with here!”
“You’ll need that much power,” said Apple Bloom, “if you want to help us stop Evensong from having just as big a blow-up as you’re about to have.”
Flurry tried to calm her breathing. She looked at Evensong, who was too stunned by Apple Bloom’s plan to speak or move. She glanced at Flash and Lightning, who seemed torn between fearing for everyone’s safety and wanting to have faith in Apple Bloom’s idea. Then she felt it. The final surge was coming.
“Okay! I’ll do it! I’ll try it!” Flurry Heart yelped. “But please, can we do this outside the Village?”
But she’d barely taken a step towards leaving the middle of the town when she felt mountains of magic pour into her horn, which lit up like a sun.
“Concentrate!” called Apple Bloom, taking a step away from the bubbling alicorn filly. “Aim it at Evensong! Drain her dry!”
*****
Lightning Dust and Flash Sentry only just had time to step away from the eruption. Evensong Glisten was still too shocked to move. To her, the beam of blue light that gushed from Flurry Heart’s horn seemed to undulate towards her in slow-motion. Then she let out a scream as the blue light grabbed her horn and seemed to squeeze it like a sponge. Apple Bloom, Lightning Dust, and Flash Sentry watched, amazed, as cyclones of yellow light snaked along the beam of blue light in the opposite direction and made contact with Flurry’s horn. The light was blinding, but Flurry Heart was not blinking. Her eyes never left the shrieking purple unicorn before her. The ground was shaking a little, and there was a pretty loud rumble emanating from the beams of blue and yellow light, but it appeared Flurry had control over the sea of magic she was unleashing in this tiny Village. Some villagers came out of their cottages to see what was happening. None of their cottages were collapsing. No glass windows were shattering. No slates were sliding off the rooftops. Not even the Cutie Mark Grid or the CMC Clubhouse sitting atop it seemed affected by the storm happening right in front of them. Flurry had perfect restraint. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to absorb Evensong’s magic.
*****
No one could say how much time had passed - it could have been just a few seconds, it could have been several minutes - but it ended quite abruptly. The lights dimmed, the sound diminished, and Evensong stopped screaming. Both she and Flurry Heart collapsed. Evensong had passed out, but Flurry was still conscious. She raised her head and looked around.
“Nothing happened?!” she called to the villagers watching from their cottage doorways. “Everypony’s okay?!”
“Eeeyep!” came Big Macintosh’s voice.
“All’s well!” called Muga.
“Everything’s fine over here!” Updraft called.
Flurry was elated that everypony and everything around her was unscathed. She clambered to her hooves - she appeared to have grown an inch - and looked at the unconscious Evensong Glisten. She cast a levitation spell on her. The limp unicorn filly rose, just as Flurry intended. The spell was not overdone, and nothing else was affected.
“Look!” Lightning Dust pointed excitedly at Evensong’s flank.
There was no cutie mark there. Flurry set Evensong back down on the ground.
“Congratulations, Princess Flurry Heart.” Apple Bloom walked up to the young alicorn. “You’ve defeated your first villain.”
There was another flash of light. A small one. It came from Flurry’s flank. Everypony looked. Flurry Heart’s cutie mark was a blue heart repelling a downpour of snow. They looked at the Grid. The heart repelling snow replaced the dark blue blur in the Maze, continued zigzagging through the squares for a few seconds, and then, along with the purple sun, finally found the center square. They glowed brightly inside the Star, and then crackled into nothing. For the first time since it was created, the Cutie Mark Grid was empty.
*****
The following week, Apple Bloom was standing at a podium in the middle of the Crystal Empire, alongside Prince Shining Armour, Princess Cadence, and their children. She was carrying Flurry Heart’s newborn baby brother on her back. His mom and dad each gave the young earth colt a kiss on the cheek and levitated him high above them for the crowd of crystal ponies to see him plainly. Flurry levitated a dark purple case up to Apple Bloom and opened it. Apple Bloom chose the longest of the crystal shards it contained.
“Hey, crystal ponies!” she called to the crowd. “Say hello to the new Prince! Blizzard Eye!”
High above, a warm glow emanated from the smiling baby colt as the citizens beheld him. He may not have had any wings to unfurl, but he was an uplifting sight all the same.
“And that’s not all!” Apple Bloom went on as the crystal ponies murmured and warbled their adoration. “This ain’t just a Crystalling. It’s also a Cute-Sinera!”
She gestured to Flurry Heart, who took to the air, showing her cutie mark to the gasping citizens. Flurry did a slow lap around the crowd to give everypony a good view of the heart and snowfall on her flank, and then hovered above the podium, holding her new brother in her forelegs. Blizzard Eye promptly gave Flurry a boop. Without a dry eye in the crowd, the crystal ponies knelt before their leaders, their happiness and positivity pouring into the streets of the Crystal Empire.
*****
“It’s so warm,” Twilight grinned from behind the curtain, shifting her hooves on the glowing road beneath her. “I don’t remember it being this warm during Flurry’s Crystalling.”
“You were pretty busy concentrating on keeping the Crystal Heart together,” said Spike. “It’s kind of a shame, isn’t it? You’re always behind the curtain at Crystallings, it looks like. You just keep getting robbed. Shining Armour always ends up asking someone else to be the Crystaller.”
Twilight shook her head. “It’s nothing to be upset about. Apple Bloom deserves the honour. And someone has to watch the Crystal Heart to make sure everything’s okay.”
The curtain rippled and Apple Bloom stumbled excitedly in holding her chosen crystal shard, which was glowing so brightly, Twilight and Spike couldn’t gauge the size of it. With no hesitation, Apple Bloom sprinted to the Crystal Heart and fed it the glowing shard. The ancient artifact spun like a fruit machine and gushed a bright white light. One by one in a matter of seconds, everypony in the city had a glossy complexion, a twinkling body, and a fancy hairdo. The following outpouring of multicolour light that streaked from the top of the Castle was met with thunderous and deafening applause.
*****
Starlight’s Village was the first Equestrian settlement from which the colourful lights from the Crystal Empire were visible. The villagers cheered when they saw it. Even Evensong cracked a half-hearted smile when she saw the lights. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were watching from their Clubhouse balcony. Scootaloo, despite not having made any progress, was happy too. Sweetie Belle looked around at the unharmed cottages, the happy villagers, and her pride-and-joy Cutie Mark Grid, standing grand and empty.
“Well done, Apple Bloom,” she said quietly. “You’ve got to be the best Cutie Mark Crusader there is.”
