"W-what just…. Happened?" Flurry Heart whispered weakly. She slowly used her magic to lift her scrapbook to her and turned to Discord.
"Discord? I'm going to go see if-"
"No, you're not. You go get the elements of harmony, tell the girls what happened and I'll go see that prince." Discord interrupted.
Flurry Heart frowned. "Why can't I come? I'm Randy's friend, he would explain this to me if to anypony." She huffed, flying up to face Discord.
The draconequus gave a growl and started to walk away.
"Wait up!" The alicorn cried, flying after him.
Discord snapped his paw though and a door appeared. He opened it and stepped through, leaving Flurry Heart to slam into the wall once it had disappeared almost immediately after.
"Grrr… I don't like him sometimes." The princess huffed.
"Why do you want to talk about your niece? I think there's more pressing issues at the moment that a full grown alicorn could be handling right now." Thorax muttered.
"I understand why you're mad at me…. But please, I want to talk." Twilight said, nodding slightly.
Thorax frowned. "About what?"
"Even as a baby, your goal was to make peace and be happy in the changeling kingdom, obviously, circumstances did not allow this."
Thorax bit his lip. "Yeah… No joke. The Crystal Empire just… Disappeared that day. It was odd. The queen found me though and she called me a traitor. The villains came together so all ponies would fear them and together, a war would have been too
long. I was surprised when Sweetie Belle and her friends took on the responsibility for the camp after Applebloom's grandmother and brother…. Were taken… I don't know why I have such a bad feeling when I see your niece… I just do. It feels like she
/did something but I don't know what. I want to help the ponies but they're too scared of me. I even tried to save them, and look where that got me. The guards only let me see the Queen calling the other villains and Sweetie Belle trying to wake up
/Scootaloo. I hope they're both safe."
"Why do you care about the CMC so much?" Twilight asked.
"The what?"
"Oh, er, nothing. I meant Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle."
"Um…. I can't really explain that either. I just have these feelings!" The changeling creid.
The alicorn frowned. "Hm… that is strange… Have you seen my niece's scrapbook?"
"Um, no. She hates me. Why are you asking me all this?" Thorax wondered out loud.
"I need you to help Flurry Heart with her quest of saving Equestria, The Crystal Empire, everypony! I once knew a certain draconequus that I didn't want to work with, but for my subjects, I knew I had to. So it doesn't matter if you don't like her
/very much. If you want the girls and everypony else to be safe, you're going to have to escape and find my niece."
Thorax nodded.
Flurry Heart knocked on Sweetie Belle's door where the elements often spent time planning for the villans.
The door opened and Babs welcomed her. Flurry Heart walked in and saw that everypony looked fine but realized Sweetie Belle looked absolutely exhausted.
Her usually perfect mane was sticking out a different angles, her eyes red and puffy, the usual sparkle in her eyes dimmed.
"Are you alright?" The princess gasped, running to her.
The unicorn shook her head and slowly closed her eyes. The mare gave a shake so hard that the alicorn leapt away in shock and her eyes shot open.
"What's wrong with her?" Flurry Heart murmured to Gabby, sitting down next to her.
"She's been having horrible headaches, she's been randomly crying too, we don't know why she's been this way, poor thing!" She sighed.
"She's so jumpy…" Diamond whispered.
Applebloom and Scootaloo said nothing, being Sweetie Belle's nearest friends.
"Hasn't been sleeping either." Babs murmured.
"Since when?"
"Since last night."
Flurry Heart frowned. Didn't Randy wake up last night?
Thorax pounded desperately on the jail cell he was locked in, trying to get free.
"Help!" He yelled. Thorax knew it might be pointless but if he was born with a will to make friends, maybe another changeling had it too.
There was a sudden clunk and Thorax turned to the cell door. A guard had opened the door.
"T-thank you!" Thorax creid.
"I'm not coming here to free you."
"Oh." The changeling whispered, not knowing what sort of punishment awaited him.
He slowly got up then noticed something sticking out the guard's helmet.
"What's that?"
The guard frowned and looked up at the paper. He tried to shove it back in when it fell. Thorax swiped it up. He unfolded it and frowned.
It was the picture of Flurry Heart and her relic above her.
"Why… Why do you have this? I drew it." Thorax murmured.
The guard looked around before whispering, "Did you really see the princess?"
"Um… Yes? Why do you want to know?" Thorax asked.
"I-is she as powerful as said?"
"She uncovered a town from twelve, soon thirteen years of snow once, she's super powerful at least… In her white eyes state, normal? I guess she's alright. But she always forgets to use her powers then."
"Oh. D-do you think she'll win?"
Thorax blinked in surprise. "I-I don't know. I need to help her. Without my help, she can't win. So-"
The guard swung open the door.
"I… I fell in love with a pony long ago. The queen killed her." Was all he said.
Thorax snuck out with help of the guard and started his journey to the princess.
Flurry Heart stared at her scrapbook.
"There's gotta be a map, o-or a clue, or… Magic! There's some kind of magic to lead me to the Crystal Heart, right?" She looked to the cave ceiling and sighed.
"Mother… What do you mean? Where is it? Why must I be careful? Tell me what to do!"
There was a collective gasp suddenly and she turned to the door. The princess opened it and saw Thorax covered in snow and shivering.
Sweetie Belle sat awake in her bed, her eyes bloodshot from trying to keep them open and blinking as quick as she could, fearing she'd see those frightening red, angry eyes that stared at her when she did blink. The mare felt tears trickle down her cheeks
/but made no move to brush them away. The headache of freezing and burning still hadn't gone away and the pain was almost unbearable.
Her friends, the elements of harmony, glanced at each other, concerned. Tender Taps couldn't be there, being the new leader of the camp, but he would be worried for their friend too.
"You gotta go to sleep sometime, it isn't good for your health!" Diamond Tiara said.
"It's not great for mine either." Gabby yawned.
Sweetie Belle shook her head. "I can't. Everytime I try, I see those eyes…"
"Please, please try again!" Applebloom whispered.
"If I try, will everypony please go to bed?"
The others sadly nodded.
Sweetie Belle slowly exhaled then closed her eyes. Those eyes!
"I can't!" She growled, snapping them open.
The unicorn looked to her friends to see they were all taken aback by her outburst.
"G-go to bed, like you all said you would."
Then, all her friends collapsed.
"Girls?" Sweetie Belle whispered. They didn't stir.
The unicorn bolted up and ran to them.
"Get up!" She grunted, trying to shake them awake.
But it didn't help. "No… Don't tell me the villains have come for us!"
There was a sudden laugh behind her and Sweetie Belle went pale.
"Don't worry, I didn't want them to
feel as much as you will when I destroy you all."
"I won't you hurt my friends and neither will this!" Sweetie Belle growled, levitating her crown on her head.
"And one element will stop me?" Randy chuckled.
The unicorn's furious face faded to realization.
"I-I-"
"I'm right, aren't I?" Randy asked, his smirk growing.
The unicorn backed away slowly, frightened by the poisoned words of the boy.
"Yes, I'm going to relish in all the elements death but yours especially." Randy hissed.
"Y-you're the one who's been torturing me all day! Why are you like this?! Why do you hate me all the sudden?! Y-you're going to disappoint Flurry Heart too!" Sweetie Belle cried.
Randy's eyes burned red and Sweetie Belle was lifted up. She choked for air and Randy jerked her to him. He grabbed her chin as she kept struggling.
"Never say Flurry Heart will be disappointed in me! Never! You think you're any better?! You knocked her out! You hurt her! And you, Sweetie Belle, will regret that. Flurry Heart is all I love and anypony trying to hurt her will die but not before
/I let you see all your precious friends end." Randy growled.
Sweetie Belle fell to the ground then looked to her friends.
"No..." She whispered, tripping while she gasped for air to them.
Sweetie Belle fell in front of them and turned to Randy, tears streaking down her face.
"Please, no!" She pleaded.
"Don't you talk back to me, you beast!" Randy yelled.
Sweetie Belle was flung into the wall and was chained there.
Randy narrowed his eyes and they turned red.
"No!" The unicorn cried.
A red ball of energy appeared above his head and Sweetie Belle struggled.
"No, no, no! Applebloom, Scootaloo, everypony, get up! Get up!" She sobbed to her sleeping friends.
The dark magic fired and Sweetie Belle screamed.
"NO!"
