Chapter 4

It was a busy day in the Crystal Empire. The streets were bustling with Crystal ponies rushing home from the markets and shops, their packs filled with fresh apples and other luxuries.

"Good afternoon, Moondust!" Cadance greeted an iridescent white pony with a sleek silver mane. She was selling baskets of Crystal berries (an Empire specialty) at a little stand near the fountain. "How are your foals doing?"

The pony beamed as she bowed to the two princesses. "They are wonderful! Would you like some fresh Crystal berries?" Moondust asked, and gave them each a small bunch. The sweet tartness exploded in Twilight's mouth as she devoured them. Twilight made a mental note to bring some back for the Cakes. The berries would definitely taste delicious in a pie.

"Thank you very much!" Twilight said as they walked away. How did Cadance do that— remember the names of a whole kingdom's residents? Twilight sometimes found it difficult to remember the names of just the entire Apple family. So far in the Empire, she'd met Topaz Twist, Citrine Star, Rosie Quartz, and now Moondust! Cadance's memory was impressive. Twilight wondered if she studied every night.

"I always try to remember everypony in the kingdom, because each one is special," Cadance explained as they walked. "We all play our part in making the kingdom a happy and fun place to live." Twilight sighed. Cadance definitely had a point, but all these new responsibilities were starting to add up. Maybe she could make flash cards with each pony's picture on it.

"You're such a great princess, Cadance," Twilight said. They approached a young Crystal pony couple, who smiled and bowed as the princesses passed them. "I wish I could be like you. I feel so lost."

"You know," Cadance offered, "I didn't always feel so confident."

"You didn't?" Twilight asked, trying to think of a time when Cadance had seemed as lost as she felt now.

"When I was found as a baby Pegasus, in a forest far, far away…" Cadance began the familiar tale. Twilight listened intently as Cadance recounted her path to becoming the great pony leader she was today.

Cadance told her how some Earth Ponies from a nearby village took her in as their own little filly. And as she grew up, the natural love and compassion she had for others filled everypony with warmth and the urge to protect her. Cadance was definitely special.

But all was not well for long.

An evil pony enchantress named Prismia lived alone nearby. She rarely came out of her cottage because she felt nothing but jealousy for the other ponies in the village—the way they loved and took care of one another. And yet, she had nopony who cared for her. Prismia always wore a powerful necklace, which she cared for more than anything else in the world, and it served to amplify the evil and jealousy within her own heart. When Prismia's bad feelings and the power of the necklace finally overtook her, she cast a spell on the villagers that leeched all the love from their homes. She hoped to capture some of that love for herself. Everypony was distraught and sad.

Cadance decided that she couldn't let that happen, so she went to see Prismia. Luckily, the enchantress's powerful necklace also amplified the power of Cadance's love, and she soon defeated Prismia with her incredible gift of compassion. Once Prismia changed her horrible ways, Cadance was surrounded by magical energy and transported to a strange place—a place that nopony except

Princess Celestia had ever been! So when Celestia discovered special little Cadance in that mysterious location, her fate was sealed. The princess brought her back to Canterlot to raise her as her very own royal niece—the special and loving young Princess Cadance.

Princess Cadance's special talent had always been her amazing ability to spread love wherever she went—settling conflicts and bringing ponies of all kinds together. In her final exam at Celestia's school of magic, Cadance was even able to make two known rival pony families of Canterlot become best friends for life.

"So I spent a long time in Canterlot just resolving conflicts whenever I was needed and helping other ponies find love. I never really experienced it for myself." Cadance blushed a little and giggled. "Even though I did have a crush on your brother."

Twilight made a disgusted face. "Yuck."

"Everypony was telling me what a great princess I would be someday, but I just didn't feel like I knew what to do!" Cadance said. Twilight nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Now they were talking. "So I went to Princess Celestia for advice."

"And…?" Twilight asked, all ears.

"She asked me if I felt like a true leader." Cadance stopped walking and turned to her young companion. "I told her that no, sadly, I didn't."

"And…?" Twilight repeated again. She could hardly take the suspense!

Cadance continued, "She told me about an ancient spell that had the power to make anypony who was destined to lead become the pony they were meant to be."

Twilight smiled. She knew that there was an answer to all of this—and of course it was a spell!

True leadership was only an enchantment away.

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The two ponies soon found themselves standing in front of a giant crystal statue of Cadance. The sun shone through it, creating hundreds of tiny rainbows in the water flowing through the fountain. "Wow, they must… really love you a lot here, Cadance." Twilight cocked her head to the side. She could never imagine having a statue of herself. It was a bit much.

Cadance shook her head and shrugged. "Oh, I guess so!" she said, chuckling.

The famous, powerful Crystal Heart stood next to the statue, shining brilliantly with the magic of the Crystal ponies. Thankfully, it was safely displayed right where Twilight had last left it, rather than hidden away with some evil king. Rescuing the heart once had been difficult enough. She didn't want to have to do it again.

"So where can I find this leader spell, then? Can you teach it to me? Is it in one of the old spell books?" Twilight asked eagerly. As soon as she learned the words from Cadance, she'd be on her way back to Ponyville. Then everything would be solved.

"Oh, no, Twilight." Cadance shook her head. "This spell isn't something that can just be learned. The Crystal Heart Spell can only be revealed when a future leader of Equestria understands what her biggest challenge in leadership will be. Only then will she know how to rule, in her heart."

Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion. What in Equestria was Cadance talking about? Revealed? Twilight was somehow supposed to get some random spell to appear out of thin air? This was going to be trickier than she'd expected.

"How in the hoof am I supposed to do that?!"

"I can help you with one clue, just as Celestia did with me." Cadance's voice was gentle and reassuring. "Just think about the elements that make up a great kingdom, Twilight."

"The Elements of Harmony?" Twilight asked. It was the first thing that popped into her mind, so it probably was too obvious.

"Not exactly…" Cadance said. "What are the best things we have in Equestria?"

Twilight cocked her head to the side, completely baffled. Cadance thought it might be time for a different approach. So she began to recount her search for the spell in greater depth. Cadance

warned Twilight, though, that the spell worked differently for everypony. It couldn't be repeated.

"Once I received the clue myself, I decided to start by asking my friends what they thought," Cadance remembered. "They had all sorts of crazy ideas about what they liked in a kingdom."

"Like what?" Twilight was soaking everything in like a sponge. This would all be useful in helping her find the Crystal Heart Spell.

"Well, my friend Buttercream said she thought every kingdom should have a chocolate fountain in the center. And another pony I knew, Sky Chariot, suggested a curfew time for all ponies to be home by." Cadance scrunched up her face in distaste. "I didn't really agree with any of them, but I used their ideas anyway."

Twilight nodded along as she listened to the story.

"But nothing happened!" Cadance said dramatically. "The spell was nowhere to be found, and I was more lost than ever."

Twilight's eyes grew wide. "So how did you find it?"

"One day, I was sitting by the lake just outside Canterlot, reflecting on the situation," Cadance recalled. "I thought about how all I had ever done was listen to the suggestions or commands of other ponies."

"Like the way they would always ask you to help them fall in love?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, exactly! I never made any decisions for myself." Cadance stared out into the water of the crystal fountain. "As soon as I realized this, the spell appeared, shimmering in gold letters on the surface of the lake."

"Wow…" Twilight cooed, imagining the pretty scene. Maybe she should go visit the Crystal Lake after all.

"As soon as I read the spell aloud, I instantly knew that my destiny was to lead other ponies with my strengths of True Love and Tolerance. But the only way to do it was by listening to my own heart as well."