//-------------------------------------------------------// Sugar Rush's Journey -by PrincessSugar2014- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: How It Starts //-------------------------------------------------------// Prologue: How It Starts This is not your ordinary tale. It's not full of dangers lurking around every corner or courageous quests to save ponies in danger. No this is a story of a young mare at the age of 13 going out into the world to find something. Or rather somepony. All she knows about this pony is that he disappeared when she was 6 and after that, vicious creatures called changelings attacked Canterlot. Afterwards, her mother shut her in for 7 years. How do I know all of this? Because that mare, is me. My name is Sugar Rush and this is my story. I rolled around in my bed, my sleep being plagued by nightmares. My eyes snapped open as a particularly bad nightmare came to an end. I was trembling from head to tail, my heart still racing with fear. My mother came in to check on me, worry in her eyes. I rolled my eyes as relief passed over her face. My father had been called out by a threat to Equestria and I had wanted to go. When they said no, I had tried to go after him. Let’s just say my mother was guarding me. I was just about to fall back asleep when an explosion sounded in the empire, waking me up fully and startling my mother. She raced to my window and looked for the source of the sound. A large cloud of smoke was rising up from the middle of the city. My mother turned and shot out of my room. I was on my hooves and following her in an instant. When we got to the explosion site, I looked around. Shards of crystal were everywhere and the guards were searching through the wreckage for survivors. But when they found none, they agreed that nothing could have survived the blast. It was then, however, that I noticed my father’s helmet lying on the ground, scorch marks and dents covering the metal. “M… mom?” My mother, Princess Cadence turned to the helmet  and screeched. She shot over to the battered helmet and screeched again. The guards turned to the helmet, and upon looking at their faces I knew. My father, Prince Shining Armor, was dead. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Depressing Days //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 1: Depressing Days "No....!" I stand frozen in place, staring at my fathers dented and scorched helmet. I want to look away, run around screaming my fathers name, but I can't bring myself to do so. My eyes well with tears, the color drains from my face, as I get a knot in my stomach. And for the first time ever; I felt my heart rip in two. The guards escort my mom back to the castle, tears streaming down her face, as she passes I hear her mumble something about me.  One of my dads head guards; Loyal, gently places his hoof on my back, and pulls me tightly to him, trying to comfort me. "Let go of me!" I yell, ripping myself from his grip. I turn and look at him, my eyes overflowing with tears that I try to hold back, but I can't any longer. I blink once, twice, as the tears start flowing down my face as the same thought repeats in my head. It's all your fault. If you hadn't told him about your nightmares then he wouldn't have gone out! It's all your fault! I turn away from the stallion and start to walk away. "Princess!" He calls to me, but I continue walking while ignoring him, and as everypony in the empire knows that I can be stubborn, he turns and runs to get the other guards. I continue walking, but I stop once I reach the border from the empire to the long empty trail to Canterlot. Right when I am about to take the step out of the empire, I hear hooves, the hooves of four guards. As being age 6, I am very light, making it easier for the guards to sweep me off my hooves. "NO!!!" I yell, thrashing to get free of the guards grip. I kick, hit, as I struggle to get away. "Princess! Stop it!" Loyal exclaims. I stop struggling, as I sigh in defeat I drop my head. He looks at me, the guards holding me, while I whimper. Loyal gently places his hoof under my chin, and lifts my head until I see him eye to eye. "It's okay little one." He says softly causing my eyes to fill with tear once more. He smiles, with a warm soft look. He gently rubs my mane as the guards set me down. I stand there, looking at Loyal, tears once again streaking my face. "Let's get you home." He picks me up and sets me on his back, letting me sit there as he takes me back to the castle. When we get back my mother looks like a wreck. Her mane and tale messed up with terrible knots, her face has stains from the tears, her eyes red and puffy. When she sees me she runs up to me and immediately pulls me into a tight hug. "Don't ever try to leave again!" She exclaims, her voice scratchy. I nod my head as I hug her back. "Come on, let's go to your room." We walk to my room, my eyes heavy. Once we reach my room I crawl into my bed, ready to go back to sleep. My mom sits on the end of my bed, looking out the window. "I can't have you trying to leave now Sugar Rush, you're all I have left now. That's why you cannot leave the empire, ever. Do you understand?" I nod "Yes mommy...." She look away from the window and looks at me. "Mommy loves you, so very much, all the way to Luna's glowing moon and back." She smiles, her eyes sparkling with truth of the words. "I love you too mommy." She kisses my forehead and she walks to the door. "Goodnight, Sugar Rush." She leaves my room, and closes my door. Once I hear she's gone, I whisper. "Goodnight...." Then I pass out. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Tears With Trouble //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 2: Tears With Trouble I wake up slowly, my eyes heavy. I sit up in my bed, I stretch hearing my spine popping. I get up and I walk over to my balcony, where I look out through the empire, my gaze freezing on the middle of the empire. I start to tear up, but I shake my head and replace my sadness with anger. I run back inside my room, slamming the balcony doors. I rush over to my desk where I rip out my drawers. "Where is it!?" I exclaim searching through the pile of papers, pens and books. I finally see it. The picture of my mom, dad and me standing in front of the crystal heart, you have a clear sight of just above my head. My parents holding me close to them. I grab the picture and hold it close to me, until my rage grows bigger. I scream and throw the picture, hearing the shatter of the glass. I look down, my breathing turning short, sharp and quick. I look at the big mess on my floor, I start to throw everything around searching for the one thing I've had hidden from my parents. The thing I took from the archives when I visited Celestia and Luna when my parents were away. Then I find it. "There it is." I look at the book that's in front of me. "It's time...." I whisper to myself. I grab the book and I grab my rug that's at the foot of my bed, dragging it into the middle of my room. I smooth out the rug on the floor, then placing the book facing me. I grab two candles from the pile of junk on my floor. I place them by the book, then I lite them. I sit down, facing the door to my room. I look at the title to the book, It reads: Black Magic. I take a deep breath and I open the book, I flip through the pages until I find the page I need. I close my eyes, having already memorized the spell after reading it a couple times. I start to chant; "Harsh darkness, enter the world of light, take hold of the seeker, power light the way of the broken..." As I chant, a gust of wind starts blowing through my room, my hair swirling, the candles burning out. "Help the lost souls that need it, spare the light and replace." My horn glows a dark red color, very different from my normal light blue of my eyes. I hold my eyes shut tighter as tears start rolling down my cheeks. "Let the darkness and black magic take hold of thee, change thy magic, and thy soul. Do what the good, shall now be evil." My coat starts turning blood red, my mane and tale going jagged, and grey. I open my eyes, the color now changed to orange, as purple smoke starts to come from my eyes. "Change my magic, change my soul!"  I exclaim. All of the sudden the book starts to spark, a spark hits me, sending me shooting across my room, I hit my wall, bending into it, hearing a loud crack. Tears streaming from my face, then my door burst open. The book slams shut, when I see my mother and Loyal standing in the doorway. Cadance gasps seeing the mess of paper, pens and books, seeing the book of Black Magic, and seeing me, stuck in the wall. She screams once she notices the purple smoke coming from my eyes. "Sugar Rush!"  She runs to me pulling me off the wall, lifting my chin after I sit up weakly. "What have you done!?" She stares into my eyes. Loyal starts cleaning up my room. "I.... I had to do it...." I say weakly. She pulls away from me. "Loyal!" She calls. He trots over. "Yes?" He asks. "Can you fix this?" Cadance asks. Loyal looks at me. "I can, but not fully, if she did the whole chant, the whole spell then it'll be stuck with her, but it will just be a curse." My mom nods, giving Loyal space. "This might hurt..." He whispers to me, but I don't respond, I just stand there silently already feeling pain of the black magic taking over my soul. Loyal closes his eyes and starts to concentrate, his horn glowing a bright green. His magic picks me up, holding me in the air. Then, his magic reaches for my horn, and my heart. "This is the part that'll hurt." He says, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. His magic starts sucking the darkness out of my heart and horn, causing me to scream in agonizing pain. After he is done, I slip out of his magic and I fall to the floor, unconscious. Cadance sighs in relief, as Loyal inspects me. He checks me for any injuries. "She's gotten a broken wing, the right one." Cadance nods, worry now filling her eyes. "But other than that, she should be good." He says calmly. "What about her curse?" She asks. "Since she did the spell while she was mad and sad at the same time, the curse will only take effect if she is very sad or mad." She nods once again. "Okay." Then, there's an echo of explosions. //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Attack In Canterlot //-------------------------------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Attack In Canterlot I groan as I open my eyes, I squint due to the blaring sun coming through my glass balcony doors, I stand up slowly, my hooves sore, my head spinning, and my wing stinging.  I slowly stand up from where I was laying, seeming that my mom nor Loyal didn't move me to my bed. I stand shakily, trying not to fall. I stretch, but causing me to wince when my right wing stings terribly. I stand up strait, and I turn and look to see my right wing wrapped up, and gently tied to my side so I don't try to fly. "I broke my wing..... No wonder it hurts...." I murmur. I look around my room to see it's cleaned up. I roll my eyes and I walk to my door. I take a deep breath knowing I'll be in a lot of trouble from what I did. I open my door and I step outside into the hall. Nopony is there. "Huh." I look around confused. I sigh and walk through the halls. I walk all the way down to the main floor, where I find my mom sitting in a chair. "Good Morning, Sugar Rush." She says. "Come sit." She nudges her head towards the chair in front of her. "Okay..." I walk over to the chair, I try to get up but the chair is a bit high. I jump to get on the chair, which works. I turn to face her. "What do you want to talk about?" I ask her. "You know better than to use dark magic Sugar Rush. You know it is forbidden." My mom exclaims strictly. When I don't answer she continues. "Now you've put a curse on yourself. And it hurts me to know that now you have an evil side." She sighs "I don't know what to do, your father is gone, and now you have a curse. What have you got to say for yourself, Sugar Rush?" She looks at me, waiting for a response. "That I never should have done it, and that I regret it. I was just so sad, and angry." I whimper, lowering my head in shame, my mane covering one of my eyes. Cadance nods her head, she gets up and walks over to me, she gently lifts my head and pushing my hair away from my eye. She kisses my forehead and she smiles.Loyal then bursts into the room. "Princess Cadance!!" He exclaims running over to us. He bows quickly, then stands strait again. His coat covered with sweat, while he breathes heavily. "There..... There was another attack..... In Canterlot.... By Changelings...." He says gasping for air. My mom nods, thinking that everything will be handled with. "Celestia and Luna..... they had to give up their crowns. They no longer rule Equestria, Twilight and her friends tried to stop the changelings, but they couldn't..... With Shining Armour gone and you ruling the Crystal Empire...." Loyal shakes his head. "No. She can't. she is too young, and with this new news I will not allow her to leave the castle. Get all guards on duty, if we get attacked I don't want her getting hurt. Do you understand?" She says strictly. Loyal nods and runs off. "What's going on mommy?" I ask, looking at her. "Nothing sweetie. Go to your room please. I'll explain later." I sigh. "Okay....." I trot off to my room. I enter my room and I close the door. I sit on my bed. I think about what I had just heard. "It's going to be a long life...." I look at my roof, my ears drop and I sigh.