My Little Pony: Stormbreaker

Record 2: A Madness to the Method

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle spent the last few days in the comforts of the Crystal Empire after their aid in the battle against King Sombra and the Umbra, Prince Shining Armor had taken them to meet with Princess Cadence. She used her special magick, studied their hearts, and found them both to be who they claimed. The mare was overjoyed at the sight of two more of the lost ponies from her sister-in-laws friends.

The pair of wayward ponies had seen the sights of the Empire, finding it to be mostly calm and the citizens living well within the ever present barrier of the Crystal Heart, and Prince Shining Armor’s own shield magick. By keeping the ponies here happy, their love and positive energies fed into their own protection as they knowingly powered the Heart. They were able to move on from the terror and horrors of the past, though no pony here was fooled into thinking that it was all safe. They knew that dangers loomed all around outside, but their faith in their Royal ponies and the Heart afforded them the ability to enjoy what they had now. This frustrated Apple Bloom, who saw the dangers growing and the risk of sitting idle as a sentence of suicide. No pony would listen, or give her time enough to get them to consider fighting back. No matter how she wanted to rally the Empire to move against the villains, it was proving impossible. Any time she tried to speak of the Shatter Storm, the conditions beyond, or forming a unified army she was brushed off. Apple knew war was coming, they all did, but she alone felt the call to arms.

She gained audience with the Princess and Prince, seeing the futility of going before the ponies of the Empire, she would try to convince the leaders instead. “How long until Sombra gains some hoof hold to strike? How long until the Apex Villains make a move against the Empire?” She argued her case, getting heated. “They all are getting stronger, y’all must sense it! What if something wiggles it’s way here, and starts undoing the defenses? Y’all got it on hold now, but what then?”

Casting a heavy sigh, Princess Cadence lowered her head. “We know that we sit on borrowed time, but we can no more make a move like you suggest, than they can against one another. We hold our lines here, and that is the extent of it” She looked up again. “I’m sure you’ve heard the story, but we watched as Nightmares of Land and Sky clashed. Like scavengers, the other villains moved against Nightmare Rarity and Rainbow Death. On their own, they are not the most powerful, but with their nations backing them, they were able to fend off the villains, and enact their pact in the wake of their near defeat. We are strong, but we are not near either nation of Demon or Aerial, and we would not survive if the villains came together against us”

“It was a shame they didn’t destroy themselves that day” Prince Shining sneered. “If they had fallen, even one of them, it could have changed things. They stand yet, and though we pose a great enough threat that it would just repeat their war to strike at us, striking first is just as much out of the question. Sombra picks at us, but he cannot do much more than annoy us. He has only that Twilight realm which we cannot reach, so we strike at them when they come in hopes we might snuff out at least one villain”

Sweetie, who had been largely silent, now spoke. She would regret it soon. “That reminds me, I only know rumors, can you tell me what happened with Twilight Sparkle?” Shining’s reaction to hearing that name was answer enough, for the pain that filled his eyes trickled out before he looked away, was most telling.

Princess Cadence was hesitant, not faring much better than her husband, but she responded to the question just the same. “The Shatter Storm broke her. Losing her friends, and with try after try to undo the damage, she could not handle what had transpired” She stood, not able to keep still, she traveled to the near the window of the room. She could see to the mountains, and she was miles away. “She lingered in Equestria, what was left of either after the eruption of Canterlot’s long thought dead volcano. Blaming herself for everything, she sought an escape. She eventually made her way into the mountains, and there…” She choked back on the memories. “As best as I could find, when I searched, she was… killed by Sombra…”

Something sparked inside Sweetie Belle, and she was now feeling as urgent as Apple Bloom. “I have to see her, did you recover her?” Cadence glanced at Shining, who was still refusing to look. “D-did you leave her out there?”

“What remained, was not fit to recover” Cadence remarked. “It would have compromised ourselves to try… She rests far from the chaos of this land now, it was better than bury her in what she felt was her great shame”

“No!” This response shook all of them, but Sweetie was set on her course. “Twilight was great, and needs to be home, however little is left. I will go to the North, and do it! I have magick that will keep me safe, and it won’t risk any of your guards. I need to see if she has the Element of Magick, so we can join it with Honesty”

Cadence wanted to protest the quest, but the mention of Elements distracted her. “Wait, you possess one of the Elements?” Neither of the mares had mentioned the incident, not sure if it was worth it too.

“Well…” The Zebracorn started, giving a brief account of what had happened in the forest. “- So after that, I knew that there was a chance that the Elements remained, and could be recovered. I believe Applejack somehow passed it to Apple Bloom, and I think if we can get to Twilight, we might recover her Element too, or maybe at least find some way to call upon the one we have”

Shining was restored, thinking about the Empire, and pushing down his feelings. “If one remains, it is possible the others lie dormant as well” He looked to Cadence, who seemed troubled. “Maybe it would be worth it to seek her out… I would like to have her laid to rest here”

“Hon, we talked about this before. To go to the North, deeper into the unknown reaches of Sombra, would be too risky. To bring her back, would tax our forces too greatly. We don’t even know what it was that awoke in Apple Bloom, and certainly no way of knowing how, if at all, we could draw upon Twilight’s Element”

Apple Bloom interjected. “Sweetie and I can go, we ain’t part of your defenses, and won’t much change if’n we are here or not. The chance of recovering another powerful tool against wickedness is too great to pass up”

Cadence paced around the window, peeking out each time her eyes passed it. “This poses a new possibility of fighting back, if we can draw the Elements into new hosts”

“Just point us in the direction, and we’ll go-” Apple Bloom was cut off by the Princess.

“No. Out of the question” Cadence was not willing to risk them. “King Sombra and the Umbra thrive out there, and they’ll have you before you get anywhere near her” She looked to Shining, with apologetic eyes. “The danger is too high, and the reward is uncertain at best. You are where you would serve her better, and alive”

“With all due respect” Apple Bloom shot back. “We ain’t asking. We came here on a mission, and aided y’all with yer troubles, but if’n you ain’t aiding in our quest to take the fight to the Villains, than we’re ain’t sticking around” Her boldness surprised the two royals, as no pony here would ever dare to speak so. “I survived out there with my sister for many years, and then on my own for a bit after she died. I ain’t here to cower and nurse at yer teat as I wait fer death. I seen the worst of this world, the wastes and destruction, and I’m not here to curl up for the end after all we sacrificed” As she spoke, that same glow was taking her, as it had against Nightmare Rarity. “Either help us, or not, but y’all ain’t stop’n us either way”

Both the royal ponies wanted to be mad and challenge them, but they both knew the two were not refugees but survivors who were not bound to the Empire. Cadence spoke, annoyed, but calmly. “You are stubborn, just like your sister, and it is clear that your pure honesty in what drives you is what summons this power; your Element of Harmony. I cannot stop either of you from this foal’s errant,” She sighed, defeated. “I will show you on the map where she might be recovered, but I cannot spare any ponies to join you. The forces of Sombra and the Umbra are yours alone to dare”

“Thank you, Princess Cadence” Apple Bloom gave a bow, showing her respect. “We will find her, and do what we can to return her. If we come back with her Element, at the very least, and it can turn this war around, will you join us?”

Not responding right away, the Princess mulled it over, considering the options it could introduce. “We shall see” She finally gave. “I will not risk those who,” She gave a humored smirk. “Suckle at my teat. If the chance to strike back and win is too slim, I will not throw them into a losing battle. I rather offer them as many years, months, weeks, even just a single moment more of life, than sending them to die”

“The Crystal Empire will not fall, but it will not move hastily” Shine Armor added. “You have your cause and convictions, we have ours”

“Fair enough” Apple Bloom nodded, with a bit of a smile. “We’ll take some rest, and charge out in the morning. Cut’n through the forest took more our of us then we figured, can only imagine how much more of a pain in the flank the snow’s gonna be”

Agreeing, Shining said. “Yes, you will need all you can get now, for you will not find rest out there. I made an attempt some time ago, and between Sombra, the Umbra, and the weather itself, the journey proved too great to take on. I can only hope you will find it easier”

******

Although they had said they would get rest, Apple Bloom spent a good part of the night trying to willfully access the Element, while Sweetie Belle focused on preparations for the journey. She was envious of how easily Apple was used to such adventures that she needed no time to pack or get ready, but she also admired her for it. Apple Bloom was first to pass out, the efforts of trying to summon the Element taking a lot of of her, leaving Sweetie Belle to work a bit later into the night. Somewhere in that time, the mare decided on something that would greatly upset her friend.

“WHAT?!” Bloom protested to the news, early that morning. “Y’all can’t be serious? Shining said it’s a whole mess of trouble out there, and y’all wanna go it alone? I ain’t have’n it!”

It was rare for Sweetie to be stern with her friend, but she slammed a hoof down with her counter. “No! I know I’m not some explorer like you, facing all kinds of monsters and whatever, but I’m also not a pushover. I’ve survived the heart of the storm for around as long as you’ve been in other dangers. There is no sense in risking both of us, and you can work more on figuring out the Element” She drew her saddlebag near and slung it over her back. “With the information both Princess and Prince have given me, I have planned a safe route, and one I can travel much further with my teleportation spells. The danger to me is less than it would be for two”

Apple Bloom struggled in her mind, wanting to find any flaw in the logic, but it was pretty cut and dry. Two ponies hoofing through the snow was a greater risk than one popping in and out across the landscape. She had seen Sweetie in battle, and she was capable. “I don’t like it, not one bit… but yer right… I just don’t want to lose ya… How will I even know if’n something goes wrong out there?” Her single eye showed the fear of two, and she hung her head feeling ashamed to be so scared. “I-I can’t lose any more, I can’t bear it… especially you Sweets”

Since coming back together, the Zebracorn had wondered if her friend had felt as much for her as she did her, now she knew that Apple Bloom was just as invested in her old friend. She moved to the earth pony, nuzzling close into a hug. “I’ll be fine AB, and Princess Cadence can track me with her Heart magick” The two were feeling like this was a final farewell, even though neither wished it to be. “I’ll come back to you, I promise”

When they parted, Bloom was feeling a little better at letting her friend go, but not by much. She understood the need, importance, and the logic, however those words echoed in her from another she had to let go and would never see again. “That’s what AJ said…” She thought to herself, putting on a veiled smile that did not hide the pain of an old, bitter memory.

Bidding her friend, and the two royal ponies goodbye, Sweetie was off into the wilds of the North. She was able to travel further than she expected, a possible side effect of her pushing her magick harder recently. The first skip was the most alarming, as she went from the controlled atmosphere of the Castle to the open, unforgiving weather of the outside. The subzero, and howling winds framed just how dangerous it was out here. She had bundled herself, but the driving snow was more than she bargained for. She would not have time to adjust, as the risk of Sombra was just as real as the frost.

As if to underline the horrors of the North, and eerie howl come rolling from all directions, and she knew that Sombra or the Umbra knew she was out in their realm. She focused, found her barings, and skipped closer to her goal.

Making good time, and feeling less drain than she expected, the mare was fast upon her target location. Driven to elude the wicked creatures, and escape the weather, she was happy to find her magick was already stronger. She now stood on a cliff that was high above the whipping winds, and sharp snow. This was where Twilight was last said to be, where the view of the barren, white North lay below the rising peaks of the mountain. To the South she saw a glow that cut through the valley, a comforting beacon of the Crystal Empire’s ever present challenge against the wicked. To Sweetie, it was her friend who, most likely, impatiently awaited her return. It was nice to know somepony was out there, wanting her home, something she lost with Zecora’s death.

Pushing aside her feelings and desires, Sweetie Belle looked around the area for some signs of the long lost Princess, using both skills she mastered as Zebra and Unicorn. After a half hour, nothing was turning up as any kind of guide. She moved around until she tripped on something in the deep snow, and panicked when it turned out to be a body. She uncovered it, and her worry was put aside, for it had been here far longer than the Shatter Storm, and was not even pony. It was a large beast, one she believed to be a Wasset, though it was even larger than she knew them to be. It did give an idea that it had lived near here, and likely made a home in a cave.

She searched around for some indication of holes or caves, but it was proving to be as fruitless as before, perplexing and angering the mare. “In a region like this, it would have stayed close to it’s home unless desperate. It did not seem starved, but why did it come out to die?” She thought about the creature and more that Snow Wasset’s burrowed, not so frequent to use caves. She felt foalish for forgetting this, but the mistake gave rise to something better.

Sweetie dug into the snow going a fair distance in, and when she hit rock she summoned a geological spell, one that would give her an image of just what the mountain looked like under all the snow. When she found a promising sign, she ended the spell and returned to the top of the drifts. Trotting to an edge, she looked down the side and plotted out her move.

To attempt a teleport through stone and rock was a mistake a few ponies had made. She recalled a reckless Pegasus named Pressmare, who had attempted to have a Unicorn phase them through rock. The results placed a ban on such attempts, under the Algeron Law. Sweetie was no foal, and even without laws, she would not end up half materialized in solid rock. Instead, she would slide down the side of the mountain, using her magick to help keep her hugging to the mountain. At one point she was no longer able to keep close, and tumbled down and falling into an opening. Recovering quickly, she looked around and declared “Eureka!” She studied the spell that masked the entrance, and knew she would need to put a spell on herself to pass it.

Entering the cave, Sweetie could tell that something was living here, or had been recently. She used her horn to illuminate the path, as she searched for the mare she was hoping to find. It was by no means the dwelling of pony standards, but it was clear that somepony did call it home.

The light pushed the shadows back, and in the far wall of the cavern a body was blanketed in darkness. The form was clear enough to be pony, and it did not seem to move at her approche. Sweetie swallowed hard, fearing the worst. Closer she drew, the more the signs were there. The purple body, deeper purple mane, with the two tone stripes through, and two wings with a single horn. She had the answer she did not want to have. “Twilight… oh no…” She stood behind the still form, silently morning the loss of her indirect mentor in her Unicorn craft. “Even though I suspected, and even though Cadence warned me… I didn’t want to admit that you were actually…” She looked away, finding it too hard to focus on, and her mind wandered. “What is the spell drawing from?”

As the mare was distracted, the corpse leapt up at her in a madness of one long gone from sanity. “My cave! Thief, books, return my studies” Twilight repeated the last part, slower, lower, and more crazed as she stroked some invisible object. “my… studies…”

Sweetie yelped and jumped back, as the now very much alive mare started to stumble about the cave. It seemed that Twilight was not even aware that she had company, as she just acted out of a random impulse.

“Reports, must record and report… Barometric pressure, wind speed, no birds singing today, happy ponies are silent, no lies, keep true to your friends, give, do good, MAGICK!!!” She screamed out the last part, hurting Sweetie’s ears as it echoed and Twilight collapsed into a pile against the far wall. “Dancing, the sweet taste of sound, seeing the feelings of what you smell… how delightful”

Sweetie was still, just beside herself at what was before her. “Oh Twilight…” She was crying at the sight of one of the greatest unicorns brought so low, the one who had inspired her to study the magick of her ponies.

Whipping around in a sudden stand, Twilight was finally aware of her guest. “It came without ribbons” The mare grabbed Sweetie, and seemed to be looking over a cliff, but it was just as stone. “It came without tags!” She looked again. “It came without packages, boxes or bags!” She let the mare go, and drifted back into the corner of the cave. “Such is life” She again was unaware of the other, then it hit her again. “Zecora!, how nice of you to visit here in Canterlot. Do you have any of that delightful tea?”

Sweetie was still a few steps behind, not able to process just how far gone the pony had been. She put it together, that her stripes were clear to Twilight as a sign of the other mare she was being confused for. To her broken mind, it was the closest association she could make.

“Say, is that a horn, or are ya just happy to see me?” She picked up a rock, putting Sweetie on guard. “I’ll have to report this to Princess Celestia” Clearing her throat, she turned to a pile of stones. “Spike, take a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have discovered that Zebras can grow horns, how or why is not yet known, but it is possible.

For further updates, please stay tuned for more at eleven. Now back to the show.

She then smacked the rock against the wall, and threw it out the cave. “Bye bye little butterfly”

“So what can I do ya fer?” Twilight suddenly turned back toward Sweetie, eye twitching in the corners. Her grasp of reality was tentative at best, leaving the mare unsure how to play her moves.

“I came to… see you” Trying to rhyme, to keep up the little bit that Twilight understood, only Sweetie could never master Zecora’s speech.

Twilight squinted, then exclaimed. “Sweet foal Jesus! Sweetie Belle, you got so big, and zebra-like”

“Jesus?” Sweetie wondered, but pushed it aside. “You recognize me?”

Laughing harder than she should have, nearly falling over in her hysterics, she sat awkwardly on a boulder instead. “Oh my, yes. How is Rarity? Making those fantastic dresses I imagine. Being here in Canterlot has kept me so busy. Did she get knocked up yet? Not that I thought she was a slut or anything, but every stallion did have eyes on her. Speaking of obvious plots, did AJ and Rainbow hook up? People sure love that lesbain stereotype of two tomboys huh? Plus a Rainbow mane, she was pretty much doomed to that life, right? Fucking bronies” She snickered again.

Still confused by her ramblings, Sweetie tried to reach for something. “Do you not remember the Shatter Storm?”

“What? Is that some Clop fiction? Probably full of grammatical errors, and weak plots. Am I in it? I hope I’m not some hyper futanari who goes to Princess Celestia for some “special” lessons, or do my brother who is somehow a mare now. Is Luna in it? Does she watch or join in?”

“Princess Twilight, please, you’re making no sense!” Sweetie cried out, unable to take any more of this nonsense.

The mare looked around, confused by the title. “Who?”

Sighing, feeling overwhelmingly disheartened, the zebracorn was finding this to be a complete waste of time. “This is hopeless. You can’t remember two seconds, let alone two decades… No way you can be of any help against the villains, or even explain how Apple Bloom can call on the Element of Honesty, let alone use it while the rest remain lost”

While she was talking, Twilight was rolling stones around, but something struck her senses. “Apple Bloom has an Element? I hypothesized that they could be transferred to another, but… So it’s possible. Then that means I can do this” Twilight stood up and focused her energies as her crown appeared and floated toward Sweetie Belle. “As Princess of Equestria, and bearer of the Element of Magick, in my last act of sanity, I give Sweetie Belle this Element of Harmony to become its new keeper and user” The crown then changed to a pair of earrings, and found a place on the Zebracorn’s ears. “I’m sorry to say I cannot say why Apple Bloom can use the Element freely of the others, but…” She began to struggle. “I cannot… maintain… this sanity… S-Sweetie Belle… I’m… proud of what you’ve become… Y-you… honour both of… us… Zecora… an-” She shuddered.

The entire time, Sweetie was stunned by the sudden change, and could only watch and listen as it all happened. Twilight had given over the Element, and actually recognized that she had been studying Twilight’s spells, and was proud of her. She found herself torn between the happiness of the praise, and the loss of her mentor. She started to cry, from both feelings. “Twilight… thank you… for everything! I’ll keep you proud, I’ll do you both proud!”

Twilight gave a smile, likely the last true smile she would. “I know… you… will… Win the brand new cart!” The sincerity of the smile was twisted into insanity, and the moment was gone, likely forever, along with Twilight. With a heavy heart, Sweetie left the mare to her dementia. She wanted so bad to bring her home, but seeing her like this was hard enough for the mare. She now understood why Princess Cadence had done what she had…

-Last night, after Apple Bloom passed out, the Princess came to call upon Sweetie Belle.

“There is more to why I wanted to keep you two from her, but I could not say in front of Shining” She looked around, keeping her voice low. “Twilight is alive” The new shocked the zebracorn. “She snapped, like I had said, and has gone far into dementia from her experiences. I placed a spell on a cave in the North, where she would be safe, trapped, and free to live her illusion world in which she did not fail, and all Equestria remains. I don’t know what will happen when you go there, but you should be warned. Please, do not tell Shining. I said Sombra killed her, to keep him from seeing her like that, and focused on keeping the Empire safe”-

… Sweetie hated that she had to push Apple Bloom away, to keep this secret that Princess Cadence had confided in her. Sweetie had learned the spells of Twilight, and was connected to the mare for it, but she was Shining’s sister, and he would have likely been destroyed by the reality. Apple Bloom would just be another in the lie, kept from knowing a truth that neither Cadence or Sweetie wished to bare.

The trip back was quick, though to Sweetie it was an eternity. Her mind was still behind, thinking on what she saw, and just how she was going to cover up how she claimed the Element. At least she did not have to lie about knowing anything on why Apple Bloom’s Element could be called, seeing how she learned nothing about that.

“Unfortunately so…” Sweetie began, in the audience with the two Royals and her friend. “All I managed to find was the crown, and when I took it, it turned to these earrings. I guess it was just seeking a new barer, and being the closest magickal creature, they took to me. I guess that explains how the Element of Honesty lets Apple Bloom call on it, just not why it works alone. Applejack was the most honest, and truest pony anypony had ever known. Apple Bloom shares that. Twilight was the greatest Unicorn Equestria had known in some time, but I guess just being a Unicorn was good enough”

Scoffing at the modesty, Apple Bloom was quick to argue against that. “Don’t be so down on yerself, y’all are the only pony ever to become part zebra, and y’all are mighty good at being both. If’n I’m not too far from Applejack, yer not much too far from Twilight”

Ignoring their back and forth, focused more on the task at hoof, Shining cut in. “So we have an idea why the Elements move, but right now it doesn’t do any good, if we can’t find how to call on them. Can you tap into the Element of Magick, or is this another fancy piece of jewelry?” They could all sense that he was just upset over his sister, and was directing it toward the immediate need.

“So, I guess no luck with calling on Honesty?” Bloom gave her friend a defeated shake of her head. “At least we can both work on it, and when one figures it out, we can hopefully unlock the other too”

“The Elements have always been a mystery, even to the Princesses Celestia and Luna, and they were the first to call upon them. They could use them freely, but that was before they were reborn in ponies” She looked at the Zebracorn. “You physically have the Element of Magick, but Honesty is somehow inside Apple Bloom. So one transfered, the other reborn. I hope the solution will work for both these conditions, but I think our biggest priority is to draw out Honesty”

Sweetie thought on this, focusing mostly upon her friend’s Element. “I think I know what we must do, a way to draw it out. We will need to push Apple Bloom. Every Time it has even glimmered, was as she was being pushed, and defending her convictions”

“So, what, I gotta get on a soapbox and just shout out my feelings?” Bloom asked, not really believing this to be the solution.

“I doubt it, but I don’t know either” Sweetie replied. “All I know is that you need to be pushed to be truly passionate about what you are saying, against something that challenges your views. So I don’t think preaching is the answer here”

Shining now had an idea. “Maybe we can get some ponies together, and just argue with you?” The rest were skeptical, but he was insistent. “We saw you glow when you wanted us to go to war, and we said no and tried telling you what to do. So maybe we just get more ponies together, corner you into some debating, and really push you to stand your ground? Maybe that will call out the Element?”

Apple Bloom cracked her neck, with a bit of a grin. “If’n it don’t work, at least I can get some aggression out. Been sometime since I had a good shout’n match, be like ol times in the school yard with Tiara…” An image flashed in her mind, something she saw when she came to Ponyville, but she pushed it back. “I’m game” She covered.

“If anything, maybe it will give you an idea of how far you can go before you can at least tap into the power” Sweetie attempted.

The group broke off, Shining and Bloom heading off to attempt their plan, while Sweetie was held back by Cadence. “A moment, if I could?” The mare was stopped by the Princess. “Thank you for keeping the secret… how… how was she… really?” It was clear she was mixed in wanting to know, and staying in the dark. “I know she is still alive… if it can be so called, but I do not know how she fares”

Sweetie Belle’s heart sank, and Cadence could sense it and reacted in kind. “She’s… gone. Her mind is fractured, and I don’t know if really anything is left of her now. She makes Discord look rational. She briefly regained sanity, and passed the Element to me, but then slipped right back into madness”

There was a great sadness in Cadence’s eyes, but a smile played on her lips. “Thank you again, for keeping their between us. Shining could not handle this, and she is better left dead to the world. She was one of the last Princesses of Equestria, and I’ve done well to keep her memory just that. I don’t want any to start calling her the Princess of Madness, or anything like that” She closed her eyes now, a shimmer around the seals. “I loved her too, and it was everything I had to not break when I saw her slipping those many years ago. I knew it would get worse, and I hoped that my spell would have at least kept her at peace…”

With a hard sniffle, Cadence opened her eyes again, and studied the zebracorn. “I imagine it was like what you dealt with, when Rarity was turned. How are you holding up?”

Turning from her, with a voice shaken, Sweetie responded. “It was hard to learn what happened to Rarity, but it was harder to see Twilight, to be honest. I don’t see Nightmare Rarity as my sister, just the monster who stole her from. Twilight is still alive, but shattered. Nightmare has my sister’s look, and voice, but not her heart or spirit. Despite anything, I know Rarity would have never hurt me, or tried to kill me, or anypony for that matter” Something struck her, as hr thoughts wandered. She turned back to Cadence. “What happened to Spike? Without Rarity to swoon over, or Twilight to assist, what happened to him?”

“I don’t know… unfortunately, I can track and sense ponies, even dragons, but it is limited. If I’m very close to them, I can reach further, but wherever he went was beyond my reach to find. I can sense hearts across Equestria, but it is vague. Unless I know them well, I could only tell you if they are kind or wicked”

Sweetie was saddened by this news, but she kept hope. “If Apple Bloom and me could survive, I like to think he did too… I should go focus on unlocking the Element, even if Apple can summon hers, it won’t do much good if mine is still silent”

“Please use the Crystal Empire’s library for any help it might give. It boasts books and collections that even predate Equestria. Princess Celestia had sent a number of volumes here when the Empire returned, so it as good a chance as any to house what might aid you. It is open to you, and at your disposal”

Out in the courtyard Shining Armor had summoned some of his Guards, and now they stood surrounding Apple Bloom. She was grinning, looking at the gathering and waiting for the trial.

“I have collected you all here,” The Prince began, looking at each of his ponies. “Because you each have proven to be the biggest pain in my flank, time and time again” Some of them snickered, even after he gave them a glaring look. “You all have a mission now, to get this mare here to unlock a power inside her, challenge her convictions, and get her to defend herself and what she believes in. NO physical fighting!” He again picked out a couple of his ponies with his eyes, then looked right at Apple Bloom, who he could tell was as much ready to brawl as the others.

“So, how should we start then?” One asked, looking at Shining.

Apple Bloom went for the kill, snorting a laugh. “Really? Y’all are the most troublesome of the Empire, and ya gotta ask him for help?”

“Didn’t know if you could take us bumpkin” Another guard countered.

“Pfft, is that yer best? Be sure ta ask Daddy Shinny here to hold yer hoof as you cross the street on the way back” Bloom shot back, not being impressed so far.

“What happen to your eye? Maybe don’t trot and chew gum at the same time, sugar hooves?”

With a mocking laugh, Apple only grinned more. “I’d ask if y’all read that, but those old joke books ain’t got pictures”

“You even know what a book is? It’s that thing your momma used to boost you on the seat, shrimp”

Shining stepped back a bit, wondering just how smart this was. He could not stop it now, but doubted it would actually do any good.

“Yer getting pretty witter there, might be able to keep up with the snails soon” Bloom shot back, still not feeling agitated.

The insults went on, not doing much to even spark Bloom’s Element, and after about twenty minutes Shining was breaking up a huge brawl that was fated to happen. Apple Bloom had proven to be quite the fighter, showing that same skill she had when first coming to the aid of the Empire. Shining was wondering who he was saving.

“What did I say?! No physical fighting!” Shining chided them. “What is wrong with you?” He looked at each in turn, seeing how beat they had all been, even Bloom looked roughed up, but it was clear who was winning.

“I think I’m in love” One of the guards said, getting the rest to laugh and agree.

Shining was even more enraged by them, as he snapped. “This wasn’t a sadomasochist speed date! This was a huge waste, and we’re nowhere nearer to unlocking her magick”

“It was fun though” Bloom attempted, with a few of the others nodding in agreement.

This ticked the Prince to a new level of rage. “FUN?!” He seethed. “This is fucking serious, and you’re screwing around?! Do you have any fucking clue to how seriously we need an edge, or even give a shit about the mission?!”

Stepping right up to him, not one to stand down to anyone. “Of course I do!” Her humor was long gone, and she met his challenge. “I grew up rough house’n, and I got a bit lost in the moment. Soooorry Prince”

“How could you survive like that?! You are skilled, but letting yourself to go like that in the kind of nonsense that gets ponies killed! You act all protective of Sweetie Belle, and that you are so assured of yourself and taking on the Apex villains, but do you have a clue? Is this some game to you? Did you drag Sweetie Belle and us into this shit for fun?”

Now the mare was getting more worked up than she had been. “How dare you?! Of course I take this serious!”

“Then grow up!”

“FUCK YOU!!! I AM!!!” She shouted, enough that the rest backed away, and attention was being drawn to them. “Y’all been sitting here, protected by walls, and hearts, and yer magick, but I’ve been out there in the thick of it, fighting each day fer my life! Y’all got yer bed,s and can go to sleep at night pretending that the monsters are out there, but I had to sleep with them monsters all around! I watched my sister get killed because of those horrors, and so forgive me if’n I took a moment out of my endless torment and worry about what might kill me, to enjoy something I ain’t had since before I watched my brother and granny and home get destroyed! Fuck me for trying to have a bit of happiness in thirteen years, but don’t y’all dare say I ain’t grown up!” Her good eye was wet, starting to soak her cheek, as a faint glow was coming from her lost eye. He struck a number of old and new insecurities“I grew up might fast, I had too, or else Applejack would have to survive for the both of us, be strong for the both of us. Everything was stolen from me, and now that I got Sweetie Belle back, I ain’t letting nothing hurt her. Don’t dare question if’n I got my wheat and chaff mixed up, er if’n I am focused, and don’t say I ain’t grown. I’M A BIG PONY!!!” With her final shout, a flash shot out, and stunned most in the blinding radiance. The ribbon over her eye came free, and drifted from her as she stood panting and shaking from her anger.

When they could see, they all gasped at the sight, Shining being closest, was the one Apple Bloom noticed, and he was the first to say something. “Your… eye…”

Going to cover it, now aware that it was exposed, she reached a forehoof to it. “I know, it’s bad…” A lot of the flesh was gone, leaving scar tissue clinging to exposed bone, however the once empty void was filled with a strange object. This was what the Prince was meaning, and when Bloom touched it, she too realized something was different. Covered by her hoof, she noticed her vision was halved, and removing her hoof, she had her full range of sight. She rushed to a reflective surface, being one of the guard’s well kept armor.

Two eyes, she again had two eyes, only one was not normal. It was some kind of metal, with a gem for the iris or purple, she did not much care for the proper title. “Th-that… the Element of Honesty?” She covered it again, almost overwhelmed by full vision, and the shock of this object claiming her missing eye’s place.

Shining overcame his shock, and approached the mare. “I’m sorry about that” He had come to his senses, realizing just how aggressive he had been. “I lost my sister, my family, all I have is here in the Empire, and I’m also very protective of it all… That doesn’t give me lease to think you are also not as driven” He gave a sad, short laugh. “What I wouldn’t give to have a game of O&O again. So, I can’t fault you for taking some time to have your own fun” He looked around, a much larger number of ponies gathered around them. “You are right, the Empire is safe, safer than anywhere else in this broken world. Fighting Sombra and the Umbra nearly everyday, I tend to forget just how safe it is… I also forget that not everypony can always be serious and strong”

Giving a weak smirk, changing between covering and uncovering her new eye, she looked at him. “Here I was start’n to think y’all did that to push me” He blinked, and was almost embarrassed he did not think about that. She jabbed him, before adding. “Hey, y’all got me to summon this thing. Who’d guess it’ll show up in my eye?”

As the two trotted back toward the castle, the original gathering looked at one another. “Damn, anypony else have any idea what just happened?”

“Na,” Another replied. “But I’m even more in love” The rest started to joke and rib one another.

Apple Bloom had tied the ribbon back on by the time they were with the Princess and explaining what had transpired outside. Cadence listen closely, and was secretly amused by the story. “A fight huh?” She looked to her husband, still standing beside the earth mare. “Are you sure you were trying to get the Element, or punish some troublemakers?” He tried his best to hide his own enjoyment at seeing them get their flanks hoofed to them. “May I see it?” Cadence was again on the topic of the Element.

Being a bit uneasy about showing such a fancy pony the horrors of her time in the fields, Apple Bloom took some time before undoing the ribbon. Cadence gave a reactive gasp she would be sorry for, and the other mare was again ashamed of her face. “Sorry…”

“No, no… You poor dear” She stood from the throne, moving closer to the younger pony. “We could heal that, the skin at least”

Shaking her head, stepping back a bit, Apple Bloom was no longer ashamed. “That’s mighty nice, but it’s fine. Can’t see me keeping this off too often, so no point prettying up something nopony will see”

“Very well,” Cadence accepted, now looking closer at the gem. The color was more amber, a bit closer to her surviving eye’s iris, and not the orange that she knew Honesty was for Applejack. The shape was round, to fit the eye shape. “Truly one of the Elements, but in the eye? I would have never guessed the Elements could take on such forms” She stepped back, feeling she was invading the pony’s personal space. “Then again, even to the Princesses Celestia and Luna, the Elements were fairly unusual and mysterious. Coming out of a tree, and becoming gems, then stone, reborn through ponies, and now this” She started to pace around, trying to recall anything that Celestia had said in regards to the Elements, however in the many years they had been together the royal pony said very little on the subject, even when they came back.

“Twilight’s was a crown, but it became earrings when Sweetie Belle retrieved it” Shining offered. “I can’t see her having much need for a crown, maybe they take on a form that best suits the holder?”

“Makes sense” Apple Bloom agreed. “Applejack’s was a necklace, and she wasn’t much for jewelry, but not much else they couldn't have been fer her. I needed an eye more than a bauble, so…”

Princess Cadence stopped, and looked at the two of them, being as close as she was in figuring this mystery out. “Can you use it, like you did against Nightmare?”

Apple Bloom had been so caught up in everything, she did not even think to try. “I… hmm. I can’t feel it any more than I did before, apart from move’n about my skull… which it a might bit weird” She attempted to make it glow, but the Element was silent. “I suppose like before, it needs to be something important. I mean, all the time so far has been when I was with or thinking about Sweetie Belle, and keep’n her safe” She attempted again, focusing on the thought of keeping her friend safe. The Gem made a faint glimmer, but not much to really call it a success. Princess Cadence felt differently.

“I see… So she is your key, at least the most important thing to you. I would guess that it is the same for each. We’ll need to bring this to Sweetie Belle, and see if we can make more steps toward unlocking all the Elements. It’s a start”

“Y’all just mean mine and Belle, or do y’all know of more?”

Cadence smiled, like the one about to start a grand adventure. “No pony yet, but we’re going to find more, and any others that are still out there in the broken world. I think it’s time we gather our forces, and take back our land”

Shining was a bit torn, not so ready to jump to the drums of war, just become of a fancy eyeball. “It’s a bit early to raise the flags and sound the horns, don’t you think dear? Maybe we should at least get Sweetie Belle’s Element to react?”

“You are right, but we still have ponies to save out there. One way or another, the survivors of the Shatter Storm will be rescued. We are bound to find more champions who have struggled through the harsh years to make it. It is time Equestria stands again, it is time to be unified”

Apple Bloom did little to hide her readiness to this, being her goal since the moment her and Sweetie Belle decided to go to the Empire.

Record 02: A Madness to the Method

End

Author's Note

It has been many years, but they cannot sit idol.