For Suiteheart, things seemed to be looking up; she had a good home, she had found her wife, and she was actively searching for the souls. Though no crucial leads had surfaced, the area for exploration were decreasing everyday which meant Suite was getting closer to finding her children. Despite all the bad things that had transpired in the past year, things were genuinely getting better, easier.
These thoughts of good fortune swirled in her head, making her feel light. She decided to use these positive thoughts while searching for her children. She had traveled north and east already, so she was headed south. Surely, she would find something. She even carried a small bag with her that held the charm bracelets she had made for her kids in the event that she found them.
A sudden but far-off rustling sound caused her ears to perk, and she stopped moving. After having almost been ran over by Hazel's colt, she was not trying to be trampled today. She swiveled her head to the left, searching for the source of the noise. The scent that drifted to her was not that of the pony. No, it was something entirely different. In fact, the smell brought up a sense of dread in her, yet she could not tell why.
'What the hell could this be?' Suite wondered, trying not to let her curiosity get the better of her.
Despite her better judgement, she crept toward the sounds. Every fiber of her being demanded that she turn around, but she couldn't. It was as if she were drawn forward. Though she knew what she would come across would not be good, she could not stop herself; she had to be certain. She needed to exterminate the idea that was beginning to circulate in her mind.
'Not here,' she thought, a stern look on her face.
'There's no way.' It didn't seem possible, but maybe it was.
Glimpses of white fur could be seen here and there through the dense foliage that engulfed her. The trees around her made Suite think herself extremely small, but the creature ahead of her was massive. Panic arose in her chest as her true fears were realized: it was a bear.
It was not just any bear, however. No, it was a polar bear. She had no idea how this bear had gotten here, but it made her uneasy to even begin to think about. As her worry heightened, her vision began to darken. Her head was pounding. Suiteheart's legs almost gave out, causing her to stumble with a loud crash.
The bear whipped its head around, now having a clear shot of Suite. Baby blue eyes grew wide with a panic as she stumbled backwards. The mighty creature roared at her, taking a step forward. Before Suite could see what happened next, she hit the ground beneath her, unconscious.
---
Suiteheart awoke with a start. The dream she had had felt so real... It was terrifying. The last incident with a bear had left her absolutely scarred. She was thankful it was just a nightmare. If it had been real, she wasn't sure she would know what to do.
The female scanned the area around her, and she suddenly became very aware that she was not inside the Observatory. Confusion set in almost at once. Where the hell was she? It looked just like her dream, but the bear was nowhere to be seen. A bright pain stung her head, and she winced. Lifting a paw upward to hold her head, she -
The observer froze in place. Her eyes widened as she moved her paw in front of her face to see it was changed. Her usually petite white paws were now massive. Jet-black claws jutted out of them too. She looked down at her form, begging and praying it was not what she thought it to be.
And yet it was.
Suiteheart had shifted into a polar bear.
"Change back, you fucking idiot!" she roared. This was her worst nightmare come true. To be stuck in a bear's body... This... No. How could her powers return to her to betray her again? She cursed anyone and everyone she could think of. This wasn't fucking fair!
Maybe she just needed to concentrate. Suiteheart closed her eyes, and she waited. But nothing happened. There was no going back. She was stuck.
"No. No. Nononononononono!" the usually calm and collected girl hollered.
"I can't change back..." she murmured to no one, voice small and terrified.