Sprout was right, you know.
Bridlewood was so beautiful at night!
The trees seemed to be glowing with some unusual energy, and the plants were themselves glowing. They were covered in some light that meant you didn't need a torch to see where you were going. I could, at least. I could have used my horn to light the way if we'd had access to magic, but as we didn't I couldn't. Besides, blank flanks can't really cast spells very well, so that probably wouldn't have worked all too well.
We paused after some time underneath a tree, its light allowing us to see the stars above.
"Just breathtaking," Sprout said quietly. "Who knew this was under our noses?"
It had been a long time since I had last seen proper stars. Light pollution or being under tents had rather affected that. But here we could see the night sky, the stars shining above us as beacons of a better world.
"Looking up at them means we're looking back in time," I said. "Light can take a long time to reach us. In fact, the very source of the light may not exist anymore."
Sprout nodded. "True. But the very fact it produced light means we can remember and observe that it existed." He looked around. "Nice plants, huh?"
"Yeah," I smiled. "Lots of glowy things."
"Bioluminescence," Sprout replied.
I snorted. "Try saying that one five times fast with a mouth full of marshmallows!"
We both laughed at that for a bit, before things fell silent once more. We just soaked up the stars and the landscape with happy smiles.
Before we were done, however, Sprout turned to me, looking concerned. "Misty, why are you still working for her?"
I blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I think you do," Sprout said. "You were talking to Opaline earlier. I overheard it. Tell me, what do you have to gain from working from her?"
I decided then and there to spill the beans. "Opaline wants the crown and the magic to be back so we can defeat the One with the Stripes and prevent Equestria from being blown up by a madman!" I sucked an incredible amount of air into my lungs as I finished the sentence.
Sprout looked at me. "The same guy we fought on that mountaintop. And I faced him in Maretime Bay. Somehow we've all been drawn here, to face him. But why us?"
I sighed. "I don't know. All I know is that I seem to be following my own destiny. And keeping Opaline happy is the easiest way to avoid ending up a thin red smear on a wall somewhere."
Sprout sighed. "I know things aren't ideal right now for anypony, but I suggest going against what they expect of you and following your heart instead. That's exactly what I did."
The very same words he said on the mountain when we first met. I looked down. "I don't think I can turn back though. Not after what I did. That madpony is in charge because of me. I split up friend groups. Zipp and the Queen are in a mess because of what I did. When I've done so much wrong in the world, can I really turn back to the light?"
Sprout pulled me into a hug. "You're not a bad pony, Misty," he said. "We all make mistakes and decisions we regret- enough to last me a lifetime. But you can't let those decisions define you forever. We are so much more than what we have done."
I closed my eyes, trying to hide something. "Who would ever want to love a worthless failure like me?"
"I could."
My eyes went wide. Well, this was going a bit fast.
"You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" I asked.
"No," Sprout replied. "I've spent time thinking, processing it in my heart- and I know the truth now. Ever since we first met I've felt the butterflies in the pit of my stomach. And I can finally put a word to that sensation."
He dropped back to look me in the eyes. "And trust me, I thought I would never find it either. I think you know what I'm thinking, huh?"
I was about to reply, but suddenly I heard music in the distance. "Wait, what's that?"
Sprout sighed. "Seriously? A musical number when I'm about to say possibly the most important thing I've ever said? Looks like we'll have to get this out of the way, but at least the words seem to have loaded in my mind."
The music was telling me I would lead off, so I did.
(when you're with your friends, yeah, you're with your family)
I took a deep breath.
"What is the key to a family? (Oh-oh)
What is the key to a home?
What is the part that I'm missing? (Oh-oh)
To help me find where I belong?"
Sprout then took over the vocals.
"I'm searching, I'm lookin' for something!
Something that comes from the heart! (from the heart)
'cause sometimes you need something to lift you up!
And help to reignite your spark!"
I then resumed the lead vocals, but something weird then happened.
"Even when it feels so/
confusin' when you're alone!"
I was somehow singing two notes at once during that moment. Sprout then switched onto lead vocals, which was a nice change. He has a surprisingly nice voice.
"You know we got each other to find the way home!"
Sprout glanced over. "Switch lines! I'm on backing vocals!"
'cause I got you and you got me!
We're closer than close friends, yeah, we're a family!
If you're feeling low or incomplete/
You've always got me, yeah, we're a family!"
Sprout then adopted lead vocals, so I dropped back onto the odd interjection now and then.
Together when there are good times! (Oh-oh)
Together when times are tough!" (Times are tough)
I then resumed lead vocals.
"Together when things need celebratin'!
And when you think that you've had enough!"
Sprout went onto lead again.
"'cause I know you better than anypony else!"
Sprout then stepped back to let me take over on lead as he dropped back to backing. Had this been a film the camera would be spinning round us now.
"And you know me better than I know myself!"
We then launched back into the chorus, with slightly different words to before.
"'Cause I got you and you got me!
'Cause when you're with your friends/
Yeah, you're with your family!
Keep 'em in your heart/
'Cause that is the key!
Oh, when you're with your friends/
Yeah, you're with your family!"
"One more chorus!" Sprout called.
"I got you and you got me!
'cause we aren't just friends/
No, we are family!
When you're feeling lonely or incomplete/
Don't forget about your friends, yeah, they're your family!"
"Oh-waoh-oh-oh-oh!
Woah-oh-oh-oh-woah!
Woah-oh-oh-oh!
"'cause when you're with your friends, yeah, you're with your family!"
And that was utterly true. These guys were my new family. And in Sprout I'd found somepony who understood me better than any other pony I knew.
We trotted back to the house, content in each other's company. If this was love, I wanted it to last forever.
The next day came, and we were mostly put into disguises. I wasn't as I already was a unicorn, but Izzy thought I stuck out too much, so had an idea.
She took me upstairs to her bathroom after the others were done getting fitted into their kit, and with Pipp's help they redid my mane to disguise me. They tried a lot of different colours, but I thought the orange and purple shades worked best for now. I could always wash it out later. I do kinda like the old colours, to be honest.
Once that was done we got on our way to the Crystal Tearooms, and Sunny won against Alphabittle. Quite easily, might I add.
Possibly a little too easily.
Once our disguises were exposed, the jig was up, so to speak. Boy was Alphabittle scary when he was mad. And he was rude to Izzy too!
"There is no deal, spy. The only thing we do with spies is string them up- we have plenty of trees to hang your kind from. Did you really think we'd let you go and report back to your spymaster especially given Fillydelphia recently started rearming?"
They're rearming? No wonder everypony is on such edge.
Just then Pipp removed her disguise. "I'm not a unicorn either. I'm a pegasus, and she and I are friends!"
"You tried that trick at Thunder Bay, but it won't help you now," Alphabittle said. "Now then, you'll have a 30 second headstart-"
"I'm an earth pony too," Sprout said, removing his horn. "I know I don't look like much, but if you let your bigotry consume you then you'll just be miserable."
"I'm an earth pony as well," Hitch added. "And I will not tolerate my friend being spoken to that way."
"And I'm a unicorn!" Izzy said. "But you probably knew that already."
I then stepped forward, shaking my mane a bit to reveal my features. "And I'm also a unicorn, but you probably didn't know that seeing as I'm not from here."
Alphabittle froze, and looked at me with a shocked face. "Can it really be?" he said. "After all this time... my Misty has returned to me?"