//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Escaping the Factory // Story: The Never-Ending Ending // by 5u0myn0n4 //------------------------------// Dawn of Day 9. The final of the spell. It was the ninth day of Opaline's spell. With roughly one season of the mane 6's adventures taking approximately one day for the spell book to write out, this would be the last day of writing. On the dawn of this day, the magic quill began to pen the chapter where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna announced that they were stepping down from the throne, and would pass on responsibility of all of Equestria onto Twilight Sparkle. By the day's end, at this rate, the final page, depicting Princess Twilight's rule, and would thus complete Opaline's spell, and create a new Equestria featuring her as the main character, instead of Twilight Sparkle. Today was do, or don't. And right now, it wasn't looking good from the outset. Nine days in, and Sunny was still not able to let out her alicorn abilities, or do anything to stop or even slow Opaline's book spell. Misty fled the castle in tears over a dispute over cutie marks. And perhaps most frustrating of all, Izzy, Zipp, Hitch, and Sparky had been captured by Sprout were imprisoned in his factory. With their hooves suspended in chains, and even Sparky was in metal chains, and had a muzzle over his mouth, our heroes were all but helpless, much to their frustration. Nobody to help them, but a mouse scurrying along the floor. "I can't believe this." Hitch said, sounding defeated. "We don't have time to believe this or not." Zipp said. Zipp kicked, and pulled, trying to get herself free. "We have to get out of here and save Equestria." Zipp said. Izzy played the Harmonica, and sang while they were imprisoned. "Oooh! Ooohhh!! Please won't you let us out!" she sang. "Can't you see you're making a huge mistaaaaAAAAAaaaAAAke!?" Sparky giggled at Izzy's singing. The mouse even seemed to squeak and enjoy her singing. Everyone else was less amused though. Zipp flung her hooves and banged against the wall, nearly hitting Hitch. "Hey, watch where you're swinging." Hitch said. "Sorry. I just *errg* if there's anything I hate, it's being a helpless damsel." Zipp said. "This is really how it's going to end, huh? Opaline is going to finish her spell, while we rot away in this stupid factory!" "A lonely perish. Just you, me, you, you, and this little mouse." Izzy said. Sparky's eyes followed the mouse as it crawled around the floor. *Errgh* "I hate mice!" Zipp exclaimed. "Zipp, wait! Remember, critters can understand me. Maybe he can-" Hitch started. But Zipp was furious. Zipp kicked the mouse, and it flew against the wall. "Zipp!" Izzy exclaimed. "OW!" the mouse exclaimed. "Wha...?" everyone said. "If you don't want our help, then f... fine!" exclaimed the... mouse? Its eyes glowed a bright green. "Either all of us can speak critter now, or that mouse nearly cussed us out." Izzy said. "Green eyes. Deceptive form? Is that... the Changeling?" Zipp asked. *ahem* "You guys rang?" Pipp asked, sneaking up besides Zipp. "Pipp!" everyone exclaimed. "Shh." Pipp said. "I've got help." Pipp gestured her hooves up. Everypony looked up and saw Cozy sneaking through a window. "You ponies seem desperate." Cozy said. *eerrggh* There was a huge burst and someone punched a hole through the wall. It was Tirek, who was bigger and stronger, because he had accumulated some magic. "I guess we can spare a moment and help out just this once." Tirek said. Chrysalis as a rat crawled up the chains, and chewed the locks apart to set each of them all free. Zipp flew up and hugged her sister Pipp. "Thank hoofness you're okay." Zipp said. "Me? I was so sick thinking about what Sprout could be doing to you." Pipp said. "Us? I had no idea where you were! I was worried sick!" Zipp said. "What? Think your sister can't handle herself?" Pipp asked. "It's not that, I just couldn't stand not knowing." Zipp said. "Sparky!" Hitch said, hugging Sparky. Izzy looked at everypony celebrating. Everypony looked glad to be reunited with their best buddies. But Izzy's best buddy Sunny still needed their help. "Alright! Enough with the mushiness!" Tirek said. "Just for the record, we didn't save you guys because we're on any kind of team." Chrysalis said. "But word has it you're the only bunch who are crazy enough to tackle that evil alicorn." "And taking on that evil alicorn is exactly what's on our agenda." Pipp said to Zipp, which perked up Zipp. "You guys do that. We freed you guys, so just... get along with whatever you need to do." Cozy said. "She's right. We need to get out of this factory and get to that castle!" Zipp said. "But the spell's grown so powerful in the sky already. How will all of us get there in time?" Hitch asked. "With the Marestream of course!" Izzy exclaimed. "Great...! Where's the Marestream?" Pipp asked. "I have no idea!" Izzy exclaimed. "Well it has to be somewhere. Let's find it, and fly on out of here." Zipp said. "How are we going to find it without getting noticed by Sprout or anypony else?" Hitch asked. "With the help of our new... allies!" Pipp said, pointing at the mean trio. But they stared at her blankly. "Um, hello? Remember phase two? You were gonna stop Sprout? And it seems my friends in fact do need help with that." Pipp said. Hitch peaked his head through a door, and he heard lots of chattering outside the room. "I think I hear everyone in the factory gathering in the main strange room." Hitch said. "Alright. We'll assist you guys. We'll crash their presentation, while you guys look for... whatever it is you're looking for." Cozy said. Pipp nodded and smiled. Pipp extended her hoof to Cozy. Cozy looked away, but she couldn't help herself. She swiftly bumped Pipp's hoof. Pipp grinned. In the main area of Canterlogic, Sprout was holding a presentation. Sprout walked up to a microphone at the center stage, while ponies below listened. "Citizens Attention everypony-" But the microphone was too loud and blared everyone's ears. Sprout tuned it down. "Citizens, the time is neigh! We have to act at once! The alicorns are still cooking up a big spell, and it's but a matter of time before they return to Maretime Bay and enslave all of us!" "I know you all think of Sunny Starscout as a friend of Maretime Bay. But after what I witnessed on that day. After seeing her fly away with the shadowy alicorn to the faraway castle... I'd never felt more betrayed." Sprout said. The crowd looked in sadness. "But nevertheless. What comes first is our future! We will stow our fear! When we see those alicorns we'll use the Alicorn Stinger on the both of them!" Sprout exclaimed. Sprout had everyone's attention. Everyone was buying his tale, and believed everything he was saying. However, the silence was interrupted by the sound of tiny hooves clapping together. The crowd disbanded from the middle, and standing right there in the middle of everyone was Cozy Glow. "Thank you, Sprout Cloverfeaf for that rousing speech! From what I've heard, and seen, you truly are a pony of your word." Cozy said, gleefully. "Uh... thanks. Wait, what are you doing here?" he asked. "I know alicorns are very scary." Cozy said, suddenly transforming into an alicorn. "Wouldn't want to make direct eye contact with one." The crowd gasped at Cozy's transformation, and backed away in fear. "Woah, woah! H-how'd you do that?" Sprout said. "And there's no doubt in my mind that you have a plan to rid Equestria of evil. So when you say we shouldn't trust alicorns, then how come you're trying so hard to protect that shadowy alicorn Opaline in her castle?" Cozy asked. "Protecting... who? How am I-" Sprout said. "You're out here protecting Opaline behind a veil of lies about Sunny. If we don't do something about Opaline, who knows what's going to happen when her spell completes. And all you want to do is continue to lie on and on about how they're working together." Cozy said. Sprout raised a hoof, but Cozy kept speaking. "You think you know Sunny well. But if you truly were her friend, then you would know that Sunny would never dream of casting a dark spell that's about to end Equestria." Cozy said. "As someone who fought Sunny Starscout herself, I can say quite confidently that Sunny is definitely the least deceptive of any alicorn. And I've witnessed at least four other alicorns." Cozy Glow flew above the stage. "She gave it her all. She was determined to stop my little evil skirmish. And it's because she cared about, more than anything, protecting you guys, and protecting her friends." Cozy said. "You want to know what betrayal feels like, Sprout? I know betrayal. Try being left in stone for who knows long! Now the alicorns of old... *sniff* But Sunny... let's give her a chance. What do you say, ponies?" Cozy asked the crowd. The chatter in the crowd changed tone. The sound of the chatter changed. Cozy grinned facing opposite from Sprout. Meanwhile, Izzy, Zipp, Pipp, Hitch, and Sparky snuck through the factory. "Where do you think he towed the Marestream?" Hitch asked. "I don't know. Can't be that hard to find though." Zipp said. *clang* *clang* Everypony heard the sounds of hooves knocking against a metal exterior. They all looked and saw Izzy Moonbow and the Maresteram 2.0. "Lookie, lookie." Izzy said. "Woah. This thing is all decked out." Zipp said. "Sprout must've towed the Marestream here, and claimed it as its own." Izzy opened the door, and everypony and Sparky went inside the modified Marestream. Sprout had wired up a whole bunch of terminals over the existing ones already in the Marestream. "This thing is seriously decked out now. But why go through all this trouble though?" Zipp wondered to herself. "If the Maresteam is powered by our friendship, obviously Sprout hasn't got access to that." Pipp said. "Right. So then Sprout probably attached all these rockets to the outside of the Marestream, and installed the a new dashboard so he could control it himself." Zipp said. "Never mind that. It's still my tram car, because I restored it, and I don't recall transferring ownership to Sprout." Izzy said. "He has no concept of friendship powering flying tram cars." "And fortunately, Sprout seems to have forgotten the number one rule of car security." Hitch said. "Never leave your keys in the car." Hitch and Izzy said simultaneously. Everypony gathered and held the lantern. The prisbeam magic was still bright. Even after all this time. They all smiled at each other, and nodded. Izzy placed the lantern on the dashboard, which reactivated all the old terminal underneath the new one. "And now we unite hoof to heart." Izzy said. Izzy, Hitch, Zipp, and Pipp put their hooves to the lantern, and the magic prisbeam glowed brighter. The lantern and its glow brought the Marestream 2.0 to life. No motor or rockets required. Just the power of their friendship. "Alright. Let's book it on out of here, and save Sunny!" Izzy said. Back at the Main stage, Cozy Glow was still going on with her speech. "Are we just going to sit around and let Sprout tell these lies about Sunny Starscout?" Cozy asked. "NO!" the crowd exclaimed. "Don't you want to help Sunny, and bring back the sunshine?" Cozy asked. Cozy had the crowd's attention. Sprout was very upset. Sprout had had enough. He reached into his saddlebag, and pulled out his secret weapon. Sprout shot Cozy Glow with the alicorn stinger. The crowd gasped, and Cozy fell from the air and onto the ground. Cozy laid on the ground, injured by the shot. *heavy breathing* "That would've really hurt... if it pierced my cold exoskeleton." Cozy said, with her eyes turning green. "What the? You, wait, how?" Sprout said, panicking. Cozy was revealed to be Queen Chrysalis, and the shot merely hit her skin, and bounced off. The real Cozy Glow was behind Sprout. Cozy Glow swung a hammer and hit Sprout's leg. "Ow! My knees! Oh! Ah....." Sprout collapsed from the injury. Tirek stepped up to the stage and ate up Sprout's magic essence. "Any objections to this?" Cozy asked. "Um... well..." Phyllis said. "Mom!" Sprout exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Sprout. But I just didn't agree with your plan. There I've said it." Phyllis admitted. "Ah, I've still got that manipulative edge." Cozy said, pleased with herself. "Wish I could've received my speech that I came up with. "I wish you could've said it. Pretending to be you was a neat twist. And the alicorn transformation bit was a fun idea, but we're lucky that projectile was weak. But ugh, saying those things about Sunny was... eh, it was icky." Chrysalis said. Cozy laughed a bit. She enjoyed being a part of a team. The crowd looked at them in part confusion, and astonishment. "Well, now that you ponies follow me, I'll be taking charge of things." Cozy said. "Do you hear something?" Tirek asked. There was a very loud whirring the room behind them. The lantern glowed bright, and powered up the Marestream. "Shouldn't we roll this thing outside before we-" Pipp tried to say. "NOPE! We ain't got time for that! Sunny needs us, so we're busting out way out of here! Everypony fasten your seatbelts!" Izzy revved up the Marestream into full throttle. "What's that sound?" Chrysalis asked. The Marestream burst through the factory wall. "Everypony get down!" Cozy exclaimed. "AHH!!!" everyone screamed. Everypony ducked, and the tram cart flew over everyone, and then burst through the other wall, and out of the factory. "What the heck was that?" Tirek asked. "It almost hit us. That was nerve racking." Chrysalis said. "Was that... Sunny's friends?" Dahlia asked. "It was. Those brave ponies are heading for the evil alicorn Opaline's castle right now to save their friend Sunny Starscout." Cozy said, amazed. "Well, I want to help Sunny Starscout too." Windy said. "Why are we still in this dingy factory?" Posey asked. "Sprout was right about one thing. Let's show that evil alicorn a piece of our mind!" Cozy grinned gleefully. Finally a group of ponies under her command. First Sprout, next, Opaline. "Alright, everypony! Follow my lead!" Cozy exclaimed.