The kirin Fizzy Glitch has opened the Book of All Stories, letting loose its power to rewrite reality as its pages are scattered all over Equestria and beyond.
One of these pages, carried by fateful winds, could now change the tragic destiny of a cursed princess...
This is my written contribution to Ponyville Ciderfest 2023's Interactive Storytelling Adventure. During the convention, attendees could find special codes (#Scattered in the present case) to unlock a story, then decide which of the three factions would claim a magical page – heroes preserving the status quo, villains vying for victory, and agents of Chaos hoping to have some fun. More stories by a plethora of awesome writers can be found in the dedicated group!
A small fragment of dark crystal laid alone, half-buried in the snow. It was jagged, ugly, and pretty unremarkable beyond that... That is, if one didn't realize it had once been part of a grander whole, now scattered all over the cold expanses north of Equestria.
And on this day, as if the winds themselves knew of the secret, they happened to send a magical page the crystal's way. The enchanted paper, carried by the gale, snagged itself on one of the sharp, broken edges – captured.
Of course a crystal fragment, even one that once was a pony, couldn't read what was written on the page, let alone try to correct it. Yet, after a thousand-year curse, it seemed fortune had truly decided to come around...
With the tingle of magic, the page was reclaimed, then a cloven hoof nudged the fragment out of the snow. It wasn't the first time the crystal had come across a living being, even here in the frigid waste, but this creature didn't carry on its way like so many others had before... Or attempted to smash it, either.
A quick note jotted down to spite Fate, and the lone crystal piece was joined by others – just as dark, just as ugly, but less and less alone and broken as the scattered remnants reformed into the shape of a tall, elegant unicorn. With a flash of pink light, at last, Princess Amore of the Crystal Empire stood whole and restored.
It had been so very long... To breathe, to see, to feel, it almost overwhelmed the princess after centuries of lingering in the dark, helpless, thanks to Sombra's betrayal. Looking down in front of her, she was surprised that her savior wasn't anypony she knew, but a young, white-and-teal kirin mare with a fuzzy, pixelating iridescent mane. Amore bowed low, pale horn grazing the snow: "You have my deepest gratitude for breaking this curse, young one. Who are you, and what could I do to repay you?"
"It's Fizzy, and you're welcome," the kirin answered with a sigh. "Not sure you can really help me, but... Maybe that page found you for a reason. You were a princess a long time ago, right?"
"Of the Crystal Empire, yes." Amore's smile faltered, remembering who had taken the crown after bringing her down. She hoped her failure hadn't caused too much suffering. "Do you know what happened to my ponies?"
"They're doing alright now, I guess. Even got a new alicorn princess from Equestria."
This was a relief... but the news still hurt. She knew she couldn't have expected her subjects to wait forever for her return, that it was a good thing that the Empire and the Crystal Heart had found a new guardian... And yet. How dare they?
Maybe the darkness that had been her undoing had left a mark, after more than a thousand years under its influence. Maybe... she wasn't fit to rule any more, anyway.
"I... guess that second part isn't really super good news for you, sorry," Fizzy muttered. "At least now you're alive, and not crystal? Or in a million pieces. Or did I mess everything up again..?"
"Of course not my young friend, you did a good thing, and I can't thank you enough for saving me," said Amore, putting on a kind smile to better hide her own pain. It felt wrong to see this strange kirin so forlorn. "I’ve always wanted to believe that a pony could decide their own destiny, but it seems that sometimes, we cannot choose in which direction Fate sees fit to take us. You—"
"But what if you could?" interrupted her savior. "I'm sure your ponies would love to have you back. All it'd take is to write… Wait no, forget I said anything, I already changed things too much!"
Following Fizzy's gaze, Amore looked down at the page that radiated such a strange magic; she seized it in her aura before the kirin could snatch it away. Her eyes fell on the latest note added to it, the one that she now understood was responsible for her salvation. "So this is how you broke the curse. I gather whatever is written down here will become reality? What a tremendous power indeed…”
“Please princess! This– this was a mistake and I—”
“Would you say saving me was a mistake, then..?”
“M–maybe not, but…”
Amore had to ask herself the question, seeing how crestfallen Fizzy had become. If she wasn’t supposed to be restored on this day, what would be the consequences?
Weren’t her ponies in need of their princess? What of the Crystal Heart? Sombra? What was this alicorn usurper doing at the head of her Empire?
Or was she just… unneeded? Irrelevant? Wouldn’t somepony have saved her years earlier otherwise?
What would be the consequences… if she chose to alter her fate?
Amore stared at the page. At the sheer breadth of possibilities it offered her.
What was a princess to do? What should be her duty, in such unprecedented circumstances?
Could she trust herself with such power? After Fate had already shown her just how undiscerning she could be with Sombra?
If Fizzy had been truthful that her ponies were doing fine without her…
“No…” Amore let out at last, looking at her young friend. “My time has passed. I tried to be the best princess I could be, and it wasn't enough. I don't know this new princess yet, but I doubt the Royal Sisters would have let just anypony take the crown. Do you know of her, Frizzy?”
The kirin shrugged. “Kinda? She’s Cadance, the Princess of Love.”
Love, then? Appropriate, Amore thought with a slight, bittersweet smile. She would look forward to meeting her someday, when she’d be sure her reappearance wouldn’t cause some political fallout in the Empire.
She glanced at the page again. She could… erase that last line, make sure the course of Fate was fully restored, as far as she was concerned. Condemn herself back to the dark oblivion.
Maybe a stronger pony might have managed it.
Not as much of a princess as she could’ve hoped to be, indeed…
Amore folded the page and levitated it to the kirin.
“Are you sure..?” asked Fizzy, tucking the page away.
“Quite so,” the unicorn nodded. “There is clearly more happening that I do not understand yet, but I still wish to do my part. Hopefully, Fate will guide our hooves toward those who need our help, like you helped me. Come on then my friend, onward!”
She knew it was wrong of her to entertain such thoughts… Maybe she had been right. Maybe whatever Sombra had done to her, it had affected more than just her body.
Because right then, she could see her way to reclaim her crown, to take back what was rightfully hers.
First Sombra taking advantage of her kindness, now the Equestrians annexing her Empire in her absence? How convenient that the Royal Sisters never attempted to free Amore from her curse! Those she thought her allies, her friends, happy to have her out of the picture!
No, no – she couldn’t draw such hasty conclusions, there had to be more to this story… But why take more risks?
Back then she had insisted on confronting Sombra alone. Wanted to offer him a choice, let him choose his destiny because it was what she herself believed in, but Fate wouldn’t have it. Now she had the power to force Fate to go her way, and she wouldn’t take any chances anymore!
The princess summoned a quill.
“W– wait, what are you doing?!” the young kirin blurted out – not that Amore paid her any attention.
The moment the nib left the paper, the ground started to shake, and through the layer of snow lances of dark pink crystal erupted. The newly-formed constructs took the shape of armored ponies, and the legion of crystalline automatons stood in tight formation around their princess – they would only answer to her will.
Looking at her soldiers, Amore noticed that the kirin had fled at some point. A shame, she thought as she folded the page and tucked it into her mane, I could’ve used the company.
Princess Amore turned in the direction she knew her Crystal Heart to be, even if their link was tenuous. She’d take it back from any usurper, be they umbrum or alicorn! The Empire might enter a period of turmoil and strife as she worked to reclaim it, potentially leaving the door open for other villains, but she had made her choice.
You don't make an Empire without breaking a few crystals, after all…
Amore stared at the page, and wondered just how much this mysterious artifact could truly change her fate.
She had always believed a pony could decide their destiny, but now she herself could decide her past.
Would it be so bad… if she seized this opportunity to correct her greatest mistake? Wasn’t this Fate offering her a way to make a better choice?
Could it really hurt to try? There was enough space on the page to course-correct, if need be.
The princess summoned a quill.
“Wait, what are you doing?” asked Fizzy, nervous.
“Creating a better History… I hope,” Amore answered as she finished penning a new destiny.
‘Sombra never set hoof in the Crystal Empire, and Princess Amore’s reign endured.’
The kirin’s protest was cut short by a bright flash.
Amore blinked, shaking off the temporary blindness. She didn’t find herself in her throne room in the Crystal Empire, like she could’ve expected.
No, she was sitting at the center of the sparkling bridge of a great crystalline ship, sculling through the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere. Ponies of every tribe were busying themselves all around, dressed in uniforms stamped with Amore’s own snowflake cutie mark.
An alarm sounded, and the forces of the Nightmare descending from the scarred moon were displayed on the bridge’s main battle screen.
Amore of Equus shared a worried glance with Ensign Fizzy Glitch at the com station, and sighed.
Nopony ever said changing one’s Fate was that easy…
Amore stared at the page, and sighed. This was a bit too much for her right now.
Fate wouldn’t fault her if she were just a mite selfish, would it?
She summoned a quill, and started writing.
“Wait princess, what are you—”
Fizzy didn’t have the time to finish before the bright flash engulfed them both.
The kirin suddenly found herself in a much warmer, and wetter, environment.
“P– princess, what did you write? What is this..?”
“Why, the best spa treatment magic pages can offer, my dear Frizzy,” said Amore, levitating a fluffy pink sponge her friend’s way, and letting herself soak in the large tub’s hot, bubbly water.
“But the page!”
“All in good time, dear.”
“Not that it isn't a pleasure to see you again Amore, but what is the meaning of this?” Princess Celestia asked from the other side of the tub; her sleeping sister had yet to wake up, sprawled on a massage table.
Amore smirked at her long-time friend. “Come on Celly, I think I deserve to be pampered a little after a millennium of not even being able to scratch my back, no? Now please pass me the cucumber slices, if you would.”
