The Birth of a New Sun and Moon

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Princess Celestia was a god among ponies. Regal and poised with her white fur and multicolored ethereal mane, she ruled over her subjects fair and just, granting the gift of sunlight to them and the land they loved.

Princess Luna was received likewise. The cosmic night was her domain, the moon and stars all hers to command. Although most creatures often slept through her nights -- something that had once angered her to such a point that she let a ghastly force overtake her body and soul -- some stayed up to appreciate them, or to take advantage of them for things like running errands.

Together, these two sisters ruled Equestria for millennia upon millennia. They had more wisdom and knowledge than any creature in existence, and most every creature knew it.

But the chains of commanding often have iron balls attached.

Most every creature knew about the stories of Twilight Sparkle and her five friends -- how they defeated villain after villain, how they always stuck together through thick and thin, and how they eventually became the co-rulers of Equestria following the princesses' retirement. Their reign was glorious, with harmony being maintained for years upon years.

That is, until every last ruler was erased from existence.

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack all took their deaths with dignity and peace.

Twilight Sparkle, on the other hoof, had gone missing without a trace.

No one knew where she had gone. About as tall as Celestia, with her purple-and-pink ethereal mane, it was rather hard to miss her. Some had rumored that the stress and grief of losing all five of her friends had caused her to run away, while others had rumored that she was battling some inner demons of her own long before her friends passed away. No one could find Spike, either -- whether he was busy in another city of Equestria or Twilight had somehow taken him with her was a mystery.

Regardless, however, the creatures of Equestria still held hope that their Princess of Friendship was alive somewhere. As long as the sun and the moon rose and fell every day and every night, she had to be alive. It was that steady routine that the Equestrian citizens depended on, the steady routine that guided the search parties through the lands in repeated efforts to find their beloved leader.

With a grunt, the filly landed on the ground. As she rubbed her head and slowly stood up, her vision was met with a town that was void of life and void of color. Nothing but greys and blacks littered the shops around her, making her an outlier with her orange fur and purple mane.

"Hello?" she called out as she walked, hoping to find any sort of intelligent life nearby that could, perhaps, help her out as to what had happened to...what had her dad called it? "Canterlot"? Yeah, that had to be it.

The wind that blew was harsh and bitter, and the filly couldn't help but shiver from the cold. She looked around at the dim and dirty streets, littered with trash and looking about as run-down as houses on the shoreline in an area known for frequent hurricanes. It was very unlikely that she would find anypony here, but nevertheless, she pushed herself to keep going, to hold just a small sliver of hope that somepony, anypony, was walking around, waiting for their call to be answered.

About a half-hour later, she had made her way to a place that she had heard her dad call "Canterlot Castle". Like Canterlot itself, the building was desolate and void of life, but despite the many years that had passed, color still lined it from every wall to every corner, although it was mostly faded.

She could hear her hooves clicking along the floor as she walked through the corridors and rooms. Tapestries depicting all sorts of Equestrian events were littered on the floor, most of them nearly torn up, and as much as she wanted to look at them, she resolved to keep walking.

After all, something was calling her. She couldn't hear it, but she could certainly sense it.

As she made her way through the castle, she wished that she had taken her journal with her, to record notes to bring back to her dad. And speaking of her dad...she kind of missed him. She felt lonely here, just making her way through a place she knew had no inhabitants to speak of, deep down inside. If her dad were here, he could help guide her through this now-dulled place that was once a lively, bustling town.

The filly had made her way into the next room, a rather large room she had to assume was a bedroom of some kind, when a soft humming sound caught her attention. She flicked an ear, and then listened more closely to assure herself that she wasn't just hearing things.

Sure enough, the noise continued.

Her eyes shimmering, she got into a running position, but then stopped as she realized that the sound of her hooves clicking would only make it harder to find the sound's source. So, as excited as she was, she resorted to simply walking, although she couldn't stem the excitement bubbling up from within her.

She made her way down the hall and opened the door to another bedroom, and her eyes took in what had been the source of the humming.

Half of a beautiful, round amulet, adorned with half of a shimmering pink jewel and a picture of a sun, sitting on the floor.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed, trotting closer to the amulet and picking it up to examine it. For all of her dad's research, she didn't recognize this amulet, but she assumed that was because she had half of it.

So where was the other half?

Just as she was about to sit down and fiddle with it, the humming noise got louder, and the pink jewel shone brighter. Within seconds, the filly found herself suddenly yanked away, and she had to fight to keep her grip solid on the amulet that was pulling her and dragging her along the ground.

"Hey! W-where are we going?" she asked, as though expecting the amulet to answer.

No response.

All she could do was wait, she supposed, as the magical device moved her through the castle hallways. A bored look settled on her face as she watched the stained glass windows zoom their way past her.

The sound of singing caught her attention, and her ears perked up before the amulet took a hard right into another room. By this point, the filly was so bored with what was going on that she barely recognized the other living being in the room with her.

"Ba-da-da-boo-doo- oh! Ohhh my gosh, it's another pony!"

The amulet stopped humming and released itself from the filly's grasp, clattering on the floor. Feeling her leg start to grow sore, she shook it out in an effort to get the blood flowing back into it.

"And...and an Earth pony, too! Oh my gosh, this is so exciting! My name's Izzy Moonbow, what's your name?"

"Uh..." The filly blinked as she took in the sight of the other pony before her. An illustrious unicorn with a mane and tail that perfectly embodied the night sky, she had a broad smile on her face.

"M-my name's Sunny. Sunny Starscout." She picked up her half of the amulet. "Um, why are you here?"

"Oh! Funny story about that, actually. So I was exploring around Bridlewood -- that's my home -- and I fell into this really weird portal! So I started looking around for anypony to help, but there was no one, so I made my way to this really creepy castle where I found this amulet, and it dragged me all over the place until it led me here!"

Sunny blinked as she tried to fully absorb Izzy's story. The other filly talked so fast that it was hard to make out what she was saying. However...

"Hold on. Did you say you had an amulet?"

"Oh, no! I have an amulet! See?" Izzy picked up her half of the amulet that was beside her, holding it to Sunny for her to look at. It looked much like Sunny's side, only with an engraving of a moon instead of a sun. The Earth pony filly picked up her own half and then took Izzy's half.

"What are you doing?"

"Tryna...piece these together!" Sunny used her hooves to connect the amulet until it was made one whole piece again. "There!"

"But how is it gonna stay together?" Izzy mused. "Oh, oh, I know! Do you have some tape? Or some Ponilla Glue? Glue's much better than tape, in my opinion."

Before Sunny could even open her mouth to answer, a loud humming sound emanated from the amulet as it began to glow. Two tendrils of white magic emerged from the device and extended themselves towards the two fillies, causing them to float.

"W-what's happening?!" Sunny shrieked.

"I dunno, but this is super fun!" Izzy shrieked back, seeming to enjoy whatever this amulet was doing to her. Whatever enjoyment she was having, however, stopped right quick when her eyes began to glow an ethereal white.

"Izzy?!" Sunny called, but she too began to see white, her mind gripped in the thralls of the amulet's magic.

Slowly, the tendril surrounding Sunny split off into multiples and snaked around her, two of them wrapping around her stomach and swirling about like ice cream in a cone as they extended out to her sides. While in her magic-gripped state, she was just barely aware of a new sensation on her sides, but couldn't do a thing about it.

Another tendril then made its way up towards the filly's head, wrapping around it and swirling outwards from her forehead. She winced slightly as she felt another new sensation on her forehead...a sensation that felt a little itchy. But as much as she tried, the amulet's magic still had a vicehold on her and she couldn't comprehend what was happening.

Izzy's magic tendrils did the same thing, wrapping around her sides and creating a whole new sensation for her. She could feel something gripping onto her horn, followed by a huge surge of power that rocketed through her body. It was almost too much for her to bear, and she couldn't help but let out a scream.

The two fillies descended, the magic tendrils slowly releasing their grips on them as they slunk back to the amulet. With a shimmer, the amulet fell still and silent, as though waiting for its two latest "victims" to come back to the waking world.

Sunny groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Surprisingly, she wasn't back at her dad's house or back in Maretime Bay -- she was still in Canterlot Castle. "What...happened..."

Izzy's eyes, on the other hoof, flew open as she leaped to her hooves. Her left eye became twitchy as her horn surged with magic, the swirls engraved on it lighting up in a bright mixture of blue and white.

"Izzy?" Sunny shook her head. "What's going on?"

"Idon'tknowwhat'sonmewhat'shappening?!" the other filly said, although it was hard for Sunny to understand what she was saying since she was speaking so fast.

A couple minutes passed before the swirls' lights died and Izzy's horn returned to normal. She blinked as her eyes scanned Sunny.

"Oh...my...gosh!"

"Oh...my...gosh."

Both ponies just stared at each other, trying to comprehend whether they were in some kind of twisted fantastical dream or if they were in the real world while gawking at their new appearances.

Izzy could see that Sunny now had a horn, a bright orange one that went well with her fur. In addition, she also had small purple wings, the same color as her mane and tail. It was quite a change for her, who had only met Sunny just a couple minutes ago when she was an Earth pony.

Sunny eyed Izzy, who still had her horn, but also had a new pair of small purple wings to go along with the faded purple ends of her mane and tail. She went around the room, hoping there was some kind of reflective surface that she could use to see herself.

"What are you doing? Why do I feel so weird?" Izzy swiveled her head around and tried to see what had happened to her sides, going around in circles.

"Got it! Izzy, c'mere!" Sunny called from the other side of the room. The other filly galloped after her, but stopped short when she saw what her new friend had called her over for.

Both of them were facing a mirror that was mostly intact, save for a rather large crack extending down the middle and stopping halfway.

"Wha...wha..." Izzy extended her new wings and softly flapped them a couple times. "I have wings?!"

"I'm an alicorn! Whoo-hoo!" Sunny jumped up and down with glee, flapping her own wings. "Wow, this is soooo cool! My dad always told me about alicorns but I didn't think they were actually real!"

"An alicorn?" The word felt foreign on Izzy's tongue. It felt almost like one of the four superstitious words of Bridlewood, but she was sure that none of her neighbors had ever heard of an "alicorn". Not even her parents had mentioned the word. But apparently, this filly...Sunny Starscout...she knew what an "alicorn" was. Maybe she could help her understand this.

"Um, Sunny, what's an alicorn?"

"Oh? You've never heard of them?"

Izzy shook her head.

"They're ponies that have a horn and wings. My dad told me that very few ponies in ancient Equestria were alicorns. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Princess Twilight Sparkle, to name a few!" Sunny's eyes lit up. "They're super-duper powerful, too."

"So...does that mean you're Princess Sunny Starscout, and I'm Princess Izzy Moonbow?" Izzy sounded rather hesitant.

"You can just call me Princess Sunny. And I'll call you Princess Izzy! Okay?"

"Mm..." Izzy wasn't quite sure how to go about this. Her gaze drifted over to the magical amulet, now one whole piece again. She stared at it for a while, then went to pick it up. "Maybe you should have this."

"Huh?"

"Your dad's really smart. Maybe he can study this...thingie." Izzy placed the amulet in Sunny's hooves, then started to make her way out of the room, her head hanging low.

"Princess Izzy, wait! Let's walk home together!" Tucking the amulet inside hammerspace, Sunny galloped after her new friend, not wanting to be left alone in this desolate land even with her new horn and wings.

It was a rather long walk back. The two fillies decided to go through the same portal that Sunny had used and entered it, making their way back to the more lively Equestria, the Equestria they knew and loved, with nary a word spoken.

As Izzy helped Sunny out of the cave, she sighed.

"What's wrong, Princess Izzy?"

"I..." The alicorn filly looked to her left. "I'm gonna go home."

"But why? Can't we play some more?"

"No. I don't feel like playing anymore." She began walking away, her head still hanging low. "I'll see you around, maybe."

"Wait! Can we be friends?!" Sunny called after her.

Izzy stopped and turned, only giving a small, but sad, smile before continuing on her journey back to Bridlewood. Sunny watched her go, a soft sigh escaping her before she turned and went the opposite way, back towards her own home of Maretime Bay.

So What Does an Alicorn Princess Do, Anyway?

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Sunny plodded back to her lighthouse home, still feeling a little dejected about Izzy's sudden mood change. The sun was still high in the sky, which she was grateful for. She was always drawn to the sun, how it was just so bright and uplifting and how many ponies enjoyed playing in its light and beauty. After all, it was her love for the sun that inspired her own name.

She opened the door and closed it, making sure to readjust the picture that hung next to it of her and her dad. "Dad? I'm home!" she called.

"In here, Sunny-bunny!" Argyle responded.

She didn't need to know where "here" was. It was the same place where her dad spent most of his days. The same place that she had come to love and adore. Her favorite room in the entire house.

She galloped through the halls, giggling all the while until she stopped in front of an ajar door that read "Argyle's Research Room" on it.

"Dad, dad, look at me!"

Argyle turned around in his chair. His jaw dropped. His eyes grew to be about as big as dinner plates.

"Do you like it? I got horns and a wing...wait, no...I got wings and a horn now!" Sunny trotted in place. "Dad, I'm an alicorn!"

He didn't respond, still too stunned at the sight of his only daughter suddenly having a change of race in the span of, what was to him, only an hour.

"Dad?"

"I'm..." Argyle shook his head. "I'm sorry, sweetie. It's just...how did this happen?"

"I went exploring outside Maretime Bay and I fell into this portal that led me into Canterlot!"

"Canterlot?"

"Yeah!" Sunny nodded. "I started exploring around and I got to Canterlot Castle where I found half of this thing..." She reached behind her and pulled out the amulet. "And then I found this unicorn filly named Izzy Moonbow who was super nice and had the other half of it! So I put it back together, and next thing I know, I was like this! A-and Izzy became an alicorn too!"

As Sunny continued to ramble on, Argyle grabbed the magical device and examined it. He tilted his head, turned in his chair and reached for his journal, parsing through it until he got to the section on Celestia's and Luna's retirements.

The Sun and Moon Amulet: Infused with small portions of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's powers, this amulet allowed Princess Twilight Sparkle to control the sun and the moon when they were unable to do so for any reason. Most notably, it was placed in the care of Twilight when Celestia and Luna left on vacation. It was activated using Twilight's magic, but somehow, it managed to break. The amulet fell into disuse when Twilight ascended to become the new ruler of Equestria, having learned the natural ability to move the sun and the moon just as Celestia and Luna had.

"Hmm..."

"Dad, are you listening to me?"

"Hm?" Argyle spun around in his chair, only to come face-to-face with a very upset Sunny. "Oh, I'm sorry, Sunny-bunny. But this amulet looked very familiar to me."

"What is it?"

"Why don't you have a seat and I'll tell you." He pointed to another chair on wheels that sat on the far side of the room. Instinctively, Sunny began to head towards it, but stopped mid-way and glanced at her horn. Closing her eyes tight, she heard the wondrous sound of her horn glowing as her magic aura attached itself to the chair and pulled it closer towards her.

Argyle could only chuckle. She's becoming skilled in magic already, he thought to himself, watching as his daughter began to use something that had long since been forgotten by ponykind. Although magic was all but gone, he supposed that the amulet had granted such a gift back to Sunny and Izzy, in addition to making them alicorns.

The second chair rolled right next to him, and Sunny gasped as her orange aura died down. She wasn't sure why she was struggling, exactly -- although she used to be an Earth pony and grew up in a world with no magic, magic just seemed like something that came naturally to her. Perhaps it was the sun's gift, a way of outlining her destiny as a pony who could show Equestria how great magic is and bring it back.

"Good job!" Argyle praised as Sunny hopped into the chair. "I see you're getting the hang of unicorn magic."

"It was hard!" she whined. "Unicorns didn't have this much of an issue with magic, did they?"

"No. But you were an Earth pony. You're not skilled with unicorn magic or Pegasus flight." he explained. "With enough practice, though, you'll be the most powerful pony in Equestria."

"Next to Princess Izzy, right?"

"Right." He chuckled and showed her the amulet. "Now, this amulet is know as the Sun and Moon Amulet. It had the power to move the sun and moon."

"Ooh! Did the princesses use it?"

"Mhm. Celestia and Luna gave it to Twilight so she could have their powers while they were away."

Sunny took a moment to reflect on this new information. She understood that Twilight, for a time, had no magical means of moving the sun nor the moon herself -- for all of her power, that was one thing she was unable to do. The filly glanced out the window, looking at the sun's rays shining down on all the flowers and wildlife that surrounded her home. At that moment, she felt a strong urge to go outside, lay in the sun, and maybe have a conversation with it while she was at it, but at the same time, she wanted to hear more information from her dad. So she settled on a compromise.

"Dad..." Sunny glanced at him. "Can we go outside, and you can tell me more? Pleeeeease?"

"Of course. C'mon." Argyle hopped off of his chair, and the duo headed outside for some much-needed fresh air.

As Sunny laid down and tried to adjust with her new wings, Argyle asked, "So how does the sun feel?"

"It feels...nngh..." After a bit more wriggling around, she was finally able to get into a position that was comfortable for both her and her new appendages. "It feels nice and warm!"

Her dad sighed and closed his eyes. "Honey, I want to try something."

"What?"

"Imagine the sun is another world. A world that you can reach just by flying there. Imagine that it's calling you, beckoning you to come closer and closer."

"Daaaad, if I get too close to the sun then I'll turn all burnt and stuff!"

"Then don't fly so close." He chuckled. "Go on. Try it. Feel the warmth, and feel the breeze."

She was initially hesitant, not wanting to get up after she put way too much effort into such a simple act as laying down comfortably, but her curiosity took over and she got up anyway, flapping her tiny wings rapidly like a hummingbird's. She had expected to struggle, but shockingly, her body slowly lifted off of the ground.

Argyle was in awe. He, too, had thought that Sunny would have fallen within seconds, but she was getting quite a solid grasp on Pegasus magic. He wondered if the alicorn ascension had somehow improved Sunny's abilities or something along those lines.

Sunny fell on the ground with a soft thump. "Oww..."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She stood up. "That was really cool, though!"

"At this rate, you'll master your new abilities and new magic in no time." Argyle smiled. "What do you say we practice some more?"

"Can we?!"

"Of course. I want to make sure my daughter grows up to be a good, wise, and powerful princess, after all."

"Yay! C'mon c'mon, let's get started!"

So, for the rest of the day, both father and daughter bonded, with Argyle cheering Sunny on while she tried her best at every attempt she made using magic, whether it something as minuscule as picking a dandelion or something as grandiose as soaring all the way up to the lighthouse's balcony.

By the time the sun was due to set, Sunny felt more powerful already, although in reality, there hadn't been very much of a change. The country of Ponania wasn't built in a day, after all -- it took time to master newfound powers, her father had said.

"How about a challenge?" he said. "Why don't you try to move the sun?"

"M-move the sun?!" Sunny nearly went pale. "B-b-but I just became an alicorn! I don't know how to move the sun!"

Argyle began to head back towards the house. "Hold on. I might have something on how Celestia and Luna used to do it back in the days of Ancient Equestria. I'll be right back."

Sunny watched him go, then looked at the sky.

Before today, the sun and the moon always moved on its own. So why do I have to do it now?

Maybe it's because...I'm friends with the sun? So does that mean Princess Izzy is friends with the moon? Can she move it like how I hafta move the sun?

A gasp came bubbling forth. Wait. Does Princess Izzy know how to move the moon?! Ugh, my head hurts! She sat down on the grass, letting out a groan of frustration. All of this new information was fun to learn, but when she actually got to comprehending it and understanding it fully, it got confusing right quick.

She made a mental note to try and head to Bridlewood first thing tomorrow, with her dad, of course. From what she understood, it took a couple days to get there and back, so she would have to pack some supplies. She allowed a smile to form, realizing that she could probably make it a fun camping trip. It had been a while since she had been on one, just her and her dad, having fun and bonding ever closer.

Argyle came back outside, journal in hoof, as he made his way over to Sunny. "Here we are."

"Hm?" Sunny turned. "Oh, yay!" Although she was excited to try moving the sun, her mind was still frazzled, and so her "yay" sounded less enthusiastic than usual. But her dad didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Can you follow these instructions?" He laid the open book down next to her and pointed at two pages full of text.

SECTION 12: YOUR DUTIES AS RULERS OVER THE SUN AND THE MOON
Written by: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna
For: Princess Twilight Sparkle

The sun provides much-needed warmth and light for the creatures of Equestria. But, it cannot stay in the sky forever. As the Princess of the Sun, you will need to raise and lower the sun each and every day. To do this, do not force the sun to rise or descend. Instead, work in tandem with it. Allow it to guide you as you raise it and lower it, and soon, it will come naturally to you.

The moon, likewise, provides peace and comfort to the creatures of Equestria, who sleep and dream well in its glorious light. As with raising and lowering the sun, you will need to work in tandem with it. Feel its power and its warm glow as you move it. Wish everycreature the best of dreams. And most important of all, take the time to look at it once your job is complete. It is your duty as the Princess of the Moon.

Both the sun and the moon are valuable entities in this world. Only the most worthy of alicorns may perform the daunting but necessary task of raising and lowering them. Please take this advice and use it wisely. We wish you the best of luck in all future endeavors, Twilight.

- Princess Celestia, Former Princess of the Sun
- Princess Luna, Former Princess of the Moon

Sunny ran her hoof over the first paragraph and tilted her head. She looked at the sky, where the sun shone on her face, as if almost inviting her to try moving it. Closing her eyes, she focused and allowed magic to flow into her horn, illuminating it.

"You're doing great. Don't try to struggle, okay?"

She kept her dad's advice in mind as she attempted to become one with the bright burning star. She could feel something stirring deep inside her, but couldn't quite identify it. Slowly, she could feel her magic aura catching the sun and slowly guiding it down.

"That's it, Sunny Starscout. Keep up the good work. Don't lose focus. Take deep breaths."

She nearly flinched at the new voice speaking to her. Was it the sun speaking? Was it somehow another pony? She wasn't sure. Nonetheless, however, she followed the advice and decided to focus on the current task at hoof.

The sun's warmth gradually faded, and in its place stood a different feeling. Not one generated by heat, but by cold. Although she loved the sun and the daytime, she had to admit that the cold air felt good on her fur.

"All right, Sunny-bunny. You can let go."

The magic aura around the filly's horn faded, and she slowly opened her eyes, giving a soft exhale. What met her vision was a bright night sky, although it lacked stars and a moon.

That is, until stars began to form in the sky, followed by the slow rising of the moon.

Did Princess Izzy learn how to move the moon after all?

"No."

"Huh? Who's there?" Sunny jumped to her hooves and looked around, Argyle tilting his head in confusion.

"Remain calm. I am an ally."

"An ally?"

"Yes. I am here to help you. Please, listen to me." the mysterious voice soothed. "Tomorrow, you must meet Princess Izzy Moonbow and share your newfound knowledge with her. I will come with you."

"But- but how? Don't you- aren't you-"

"We will be waiting at the edge of the daisy fields."

"Wait! Don't go!"

"Rest assured, I will always be with you, Princess Sunny Starscout. Have a most wonderful night."

And with that, the mysterious voice stopped speaking, leaving Sunny in a stunned state.

"Who were you just talking to?" Argyle asked.

"There was this weird voice that told me I needed to go meet up with Princess Izzy and tell her about this book." she explained. "I hafta meet with them tomorrow."

"It is a good idea to let Izzy know of her new duties."

"But Dad, I wanna go with you! I wanted t' make it a fun trip, and- and-"

"Shh." He gently rubbed her back. "I have a feeling this mysterious pony wants you to come alone. So you must make the journey alone."

Sunny couldn't help but whimper as she buried her face in her hooves. It all just seemed like too much to bear. She just wanted to get in the bed, go to sleep, and pretend this day never even happened. But the truth was, even with her new magic abilities, she couldn't just make the day go away by pretending. She was an alicorn princess now, and she had to live up to it. Deep down inside, she knew that it was her fate.

"I know it must be a lot to handle for you. Why don't we go back inside and have some dinner, okay?" Argyle smiled and guided his daughter back inside. With the sun having concluded its run for the day, it was only fitting that the filly most connected to it also began to end her day. But she just couldn't stop thinking about the day's events -- her new alicorn ascension, the magical amulet, and most of all, the source of that mysterious and soothing voice.

Izzy stood outside the door of the home she had lovingly called "La Villa Izzy". She unfolded her wings and looked back at them, giving a sigh. It hadn't taken her too long to get to Bridlewood -- after running away from Sunny, she had wanted to go home in a flash, and by some miracle, she teleported. She wasn't sure how she did it, seeing as how magic was gone, but she was here now, and that was what mattered.

What am I gonna tell Mom and Dad? There was no doubt that they would note the wings right off the bat. Explaining what had happened to them, on the other hand, would be a different story entirely, something that Izzy understood.

Still, she tried to keep her optimism in check as she opened the door and walked inside. "Mom? Dad? I'm back!"

"Welcome home, sweetie! I'm in the kitchen, making dinner. Your dad should be back soon."

"Is he getting more food?"

"Uh-huh."

Izzy began to head towards the kitchen, but stopped. Surely, if she surprised her mother while she was in the middle of making dinner, all that would happen was an episode of shock that turned into a huge mess of food to clean up. And she didn't really feel like cleaning today.

She headed over to the couch and laid down. "Mom, could you...c'mere for a sec?"

"Sure thing, honey! Just give me a minute."

There's no going back.

As Izzy's mother turned the stove off, she came out of the kitchen and laid her eyes on her daughter.

She immediately went slack-jawed.

Oh no. Nonono, I knew this was gonna happen! Izzy buried her face in the couch cushion in shame.

"H-honey...you...you have...wings?"

"Mom, I can explain." a despaired Izzy said as she glanced at her mother. "I went exploring and I found this really ancient city, so I decided to look around for anypony to help. Then I came across this castle where I found half of this amulet thingie, and I was just so happy that afterwards I did some more exploring, I started singing. That's when I met another filly named Sunny Starscout. The amulet thingie began to glow, and the next thing I knew, I had wings." She sighed. "I have magic now. A-and what am I supposed to do with these things? I can't even fly!"

It was a couple minutes before her mother said anything, only having the capability to stare at her daughter as she explained how she had become an alicorn.

The front door opened. "I'm home!"

Silence fell as the stallion that had entered stared at his wife, then at his now-winged daughter, who was looking at him with an expression of confusion and guilt.

"What's...going on?"

"Astral. Our daughter has wings. She's...she's an...ohh, what do you call it..."

"An alicorn?"

"Yes!"

He took off the basket of food that hung around his neck and walked over to Izzy. "Izzy, how'd this happen?"

"I found this ancient city and this castle where there was this amulet thingie that made me into an alicorn." the filly said, in a tone of voice that made it very clear she didn't want to have to keep reiterating her story over and over again to different ponies.

"Can you fly?"

"No."

"Is your magic restored?"

"Yeah. I somehow teleported here from the outskirts of Maretime Bay."

The stallion, Astral Crown, sat down on the floor and rubbed his head, trying to process all the information he had been given. He wanted to be supportive of his daughter, but at the same time, he knew very little about alicorns. The unicorns of Bridlewood had been reduced to nothing but unenthusiastic husks of their former selves following the loss of magic from the town, so they weren't much help. And Alphabittle, one of the sole exceptions, was, in Astral's eyes, a con artist who shouldn't be trusted.

"What should we do?" Izzy's mother asked.

"I don't know, Stella." Astral replied. "But perhaps it would be best if Izzy got some practice in. Make sure her magic won't destroy everypony here."

"You're not serious?" Stella took a step back. "Magic has been gone for a long time, Astral. If Izzy does all sorts of weird spells or tries to fly here, it will raise suspicions, especially with those four words."

"Not if she does it on the outskirts of Bridlewood." Astral pointed to Izzy, still lying down on the couch. "Go. Take her."

"I don't know the first thing about complex spells. And why don't you take her?"

"You were always the more magically superior one." Astral smirked. "Plus, it will give you two a good chance to bond with each other."

"But- but I-" Stella attempted to protest, but ended up sighing instead, knowing that trying to argue further with her husband would be pointless. "Fine. I'll take her. Just finish cooking dinner, okay? I want it ready by the time we come back."

"You got it." Astral picked up the basket of ingredients in his mouth and headed for the kitchen.

Izzy, meanwhile, hopped off the couch and glanced at her mother. "I'm ready when you are."

Stella's ears folded downwards, and she felt an ache in her chest. She did truly love her daughter with all her heart and would protect her with her life, just as any mother would for their child. But seeing her in such a state of despair made her feel despaired. After all, there were some days that she would allow her emotions to be sapped away like all the other unicorns of Bridlewood if it weren't for Izzy's constant optimism and cheer keeping her sane.

"All right. Let's go." Stella stepped through the door, shaking her head as she made a mental note to talk to her husband about closing the front door so burglars didn't have a free invitation to come in (not that there were any, anyway). Izzy followed suit and closed the door behind her with her hoof, excitement slowly bubbling up inside her as she became eager to try her new powers and spin this situation from a negative to a positive.

About ten minutes later, the duo arrived at their destination, passing all the "no pegasi" and "no Earth ponies" signs that littered the entrance to their forest home. They were quite a fair ways away from the forest, something Stella did out of fears that unicorns, as dreary as they were, would look up and spot them.

"Um, okay, where to begin..." Stella tapped her chin. "What about flying? Let's get the hardest thing out of the way first."

"But you're a unicorn. What do you know about flying?"

"Not much...but I've seen a couple pegasi fly before. I could teach you what I know from that."

"Okay. So what should I do first?"

"Start by flapping your wings. Not too hard."

Izzy did as she was told, extending her wings and flapping them gradually. To her surprise, her hooves began to touch air instead of earth. She gave a couple yelps of surprise as she spotted her mother, eyes wide with shock, getting farther and farther away from her. The filly tried to remain calm, taking deep breaths as she continued to flap her wings. She had to admit that it felt rather freeing to be way up in the sky rather than on the ground, and she relished the soft breeze that blew.

"Don't go too high!" Stella called as she watched her daughter go higher and higher.

Eventually the filly descended, although she had a rough landing and ended up faceplanting into the ground.

"Oh goodness, are you all right?"

"I'm..." Izzy spit out some dirt in her mouth. "...okay."

Stella breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled. "You did a great job. Flying seems to come naturally to you."

"Does it?" Izzy sounded unsure. "I was doing somersaults in the air!"

"Pegasi always do somersaults. They're show-offs that way." Stella pointed to her daughter's horn. "Why don't you practice some magic next? That should be easier for you."

"Okay. But what should I do first?"

"Um..." Stella looked around until she spotted a flower nearby. Picking it, she said, "Try turning this into any flower you want."

A hesitant look crossed Izzy's face, but as quickly as it formed, she was hit by a wave of determination. Okay, maybe this isn't so bad. I can do this. I love crafting stuff! So maybe if I give this flower the Izzy Touch...

Her horn lit up a bright purple as she squinted, focusing on what she wanted the flower to look like. With a pop, the flower turned from a white gardenia to a purple lilac, studded with glitter. "Ooh!"

"Well, that's...not really what I had in mind." Stella lightly chuckled. "Unless you-"

"Yeah! I wanted it to have glitter!" Izzy trotted in place excitedly. "Ha, I did it!"

"Good job! Now, you think you can make this part of the field into flowers?"

Izzy glanced at where her mother was pointing, a random spot of grass. Tilting her head, she walked over to it and examined it, trying to figure out how to "Izzy-fy" it, so to speak.

Closing her eyes, her horn lit up again, and the blades of grass stood up straight as they were caught in her magic aura. Slowly, they began to transform into moonflowers, and Stella watched as the transformation expanded farther and farther through both sides of the field. The moonflowers were closed due to the sun still being out, but they were still gorgeous to see nonetheless.

Izzy slowly opened her eyes and let her jaw drop as she witnessed her creation. "What...are these?"

"Moonflowers." Stella's voice was just barely a breath, her blue eyes shimmering as she ran her hoof along the petals of one of the flowers. "Honey, these are beautiful. Did...did you mean to do this?"

"I- well..." Izzy rubbed the back of her head. "Not really. But I was just thinking about the moon."

"The moon?"

"Yeah. You know I like the moon, Mom. It's really pretty to look at. And the stars...they're kinda like glitter. Sky glitter!"

Before Stella could respond, her gaze caught the sun slowly lowering, and her eyes widened. "Didn't you say somepony else became an alicorn? Sunny..."

"Sunny Starscout!" Izzy nodded. "She's my friend. She must've figured out how to move the sun!"

The unicorn mare watched as the sun continued to lower, until what stood in its place was a midnight-blue sky. The moonflowers on the other side of the field began to bloom, opening their petals in response to the sky's invitation. The moonflowers on Izzy's side also began to bloom, which was only accelerated when her mother spotted the moon rising and the stars forming in the sky.

"Oh, honey, look! The moon and the stars!"

"Huh?" Izzy turned and watched as, indeed, the moon and the stars took their rightful places up in the night sky, and not of her own volition. "Somepony moved the moon...and it wasn't me?" she asked quietly. She was downtrodden that she didn't get a chance to at least attempt to move the moon, let alone invite the stars out to play for the night.

"It was me, Izzy Moonbow."

"W-who said that?"

"Do not be alarmed. I am not your enemy."

"You're not?"

"On the contrary."

"Izzy? Who are you talking to?" Stella smiled. "Is it another one of your imaginary friends?"

"No, Mom, it's...it's this voice!"

"Izzy. You must meet Sunny Starscout and I on the edge of the daisy fields. Please come alone. It is important."

"But- but how...why..."

"It is for your own good. Please, trust me."

"I..." Izzy sighed. "All right..."

"Thank you. Have a most wondrous night."

And just like that, the voice disappeared. Izzy blinked a couple times, trying to process exactly what happened.

"Mom..." Izzy's eyes began to shimmer. "I need to go."

"Go where?"

"On an adventure. Tomorrow. To 'the edge of the daisy fields', wherever that is." As Stella opened her mouth, Izzy added, "Alone."

"Alone?! Out there?!" Stella stammered. "Honey, no, I can't! Who knows if you'll get abducted by one of those nasty Earth ponies or pegasi brutes who just happen to be out there?"

"Mom, please. This voice...I don't know who it belongs to, but...I wanna follow it."

"You are not going off on some adventure just because a stranger told you to."

"I can, and I will."

"Isabelle Starlight Moonbow, you are not going, and that is final!"

"I need to go!"

"You are not going!"

Izzy stifled a growl, stomping her hooves onto the ground. Her rage eventually boiled into a full-on irritated scream and a galloping on back towards Bridlewood.

"Izzy, you get back here this instant!" Stella immediately galloped after her, the moonflowers illuminating the pathway that led into the forest.

If Mom won't let me go, then surely Dad will! Izzy smirked as her legs allowed her to soar through the forest like prey being hunted by a predator.

She looked back, only to find her mother quickly gaining on her. Shoot! Maybe if I fly, I can escape...but I'm not good at it! What if I crash?!

Ugh...I'll have to take a chance!

Attempting to relax her body, Izzy spread her wings and flapped them, just like her mother had instructed. Although the feeling of her hooves not touching earth was still foreign, she knew what direction she was going, and to her, that was all that mattered. The cool breeze that blew nearly knocked her off track, but she forced herself to keep going until she returned home, doing a couple unintentional somersaults on the way.

A slam into the door and an "oww" marked her return. From inside, Astral looked up from where he was sitting on the couch and reading an old newspaper, tilting his head in confusion as he began to get up and head for the door. But there was no need -- Izzy let herself in, opening and closing the door so fast that one would think she were escaping from a zombie horde.

"Izzy? What's going on?" Astral asked.

"Dad. I need to ask you something."

"Okay. Shoot."

"When I was training with Mom, this mysterious voice told me that I have to go to the edge of the daisy fields and meet it, and Sunny Starscout. It told me to go alone, but Mom doesn't want me to go alone 'cause she thinks it's too dangerous!"

"Well, she's not wrong."

"Dad!" Izzy did a hoofstomp. "I know this voice is probably somepony who's super-crazy or strange, but I wanna go! I...I trust it!"

Astral tapped a hoof against his chin. "This probably has something to do with you being an alicorn." he mused. "If you went there, we might get some answers as to why and how this happened."

"Yeah!" Izzy nodded furiously. "I wanna know more about what happened to me and why! None of the unicorns here in Bridlewood would know, and-"

A loud slam of the door interrupted her. Stella stepped inside, her face nearly beet-red with rage. "Isabella...Starlight...Moonbow." She extended a hoof towards her daughter. "You are in so much trouble."

"Honey, honey, why don't you hear her out?" Astral smiled. "I know Izzy going far away to an unfamiliar place is scary and unsafe. But as I was just telling her, this might help us understand her situation."

"How? How would it help us understand her situation?" Stella marched over to her husband. "She's an alicorn. So what? There's nothing else to it than that. Sure, she has magic back now, but that doesn't mean anything!"

"Yes, it does. It means that she's special." In contrast to his wife, Astral remained calm in both stature and tone. "That amulet she came across is more than just some useless object Alphabittle would keep in his little tea shop. It's magical." He looked towards Izzy, whose eyes were wide with shock. "I have a feeling this is the beginning of something grand. You should let her go on this adventure, Stella."

"I'm not letting her go out there alone!"

"But she has to."

By this point, Izzy had tuned out the argument. She had been watching her parents go at it, her dad being the reasonable one who thought it would be in her best interest to go while her mom was the paranoid one who thought nopony could be trusted, and she was getting tired of it.

She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a plastic container from the cabinet above the counter, attempting to use her magic to lift it and set it down. Turning towards the table, she eyed the dinner that her parents had made. It was vegetable stew, one of her favorite meals. Nice and filling, she knew of no unicorn in Bridlewood who made a veggie stew quite like her parents.

As she magically took her bowl and poured it into the container -- something she would be surprised at if her brain wasn't being pulled all different ways -- she mentally ran through her next actions.

They're gonna be arguing for a while...maybe I should leave. I dunno where "the edge of the daisy fields" is...but that voice will guide me! Her chest swelled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement, and she had to bite back an excited squeal. I'm really doing this! I'm really gonna be running away from home...away from my parents...away from Bridlewood...

She set the bowl down and gave a soft sigh. Maybe this is a bad idea.

No! No it's not! You have to go, and you have to go now! While you're alone!

Izzy was filled with a mixture of all sorts of different emotions. She was conflicted on what to do. On one hoof, she wanted to run away from home, away from her mom and dad, away from Bridlewood, and head to the place where her new friend and the source of that voice were both waiting. But on the other hoof, she didn't really want to leave, because she would miss so much.

Come on. Who says you can't go back to Bridlewood once all this is over with, anyway?

She froze. She hadn't considered that.

Huh. Thanks, brain.

Closing the container, she levitated it with her magic, closed her eyes, and teleported to her room. Upon arriving there, she stumbled and nearly fell on her side, not having gotten used to teleporting just yet. Once she was able to stabilize herself, she rushed around her room, making sure to pack as much of her items as she could. Only halfway through did she realize that she was going overboard, packing non-essential items for a trip that would likely only be a couple days, and she started over, sticking to the essentials.

Soon, she had a suitcase filled with clean water, some secret snacks she had hidden from her parents and kept in her room (most of it was candy), her veggie stew, personal hygiene items for bathing, some camping items, and Fluffy, her favorite stuffed toy. Exactly how she had managed to fit all of that inside one suitcase was a mystery, but nonetheless, she was ready to leave.

Except for one thing.

She walked over to her desk and grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen. Once she was finished, she levitated it and her suitcase using her horn and headed downstairs.

Her parents were, surprisingly, still going at it. I haven't seen them fight this much in a long time, she thought, her heart aching. But by now, she had learned to tune their arguments out and maintain her optimism.

Quietly, Izzy laid the piece of paper on the couch and went through the door. Although she couldn't clearly see the night sky, a sense of familiarity gripped her heart, as if the sky were calling to her.

"Hi."

The word danced on the alicorn filly's lips, and she smiled before she extended her wings and flew off towards her destination with her suitcase in tow. It felt rather freeing, to fly for fun and not in an emergency situation or for training. And surprisingly, the act seemed to almost come naturally to her now. She supposed this was the amulet's doing, but how the whole flying situation worked was merely an afterthought to her.

She passed the fields of moonflowers that she had created and gave a hearty laugh, doing swirls in midair as the flowers bloomed and shone a bright white. They almost seemed to be encouraging her, swaying in the breeze that she was creating while also illuminating the path ahead.

"Whoooooo! 'Edge of the daisy fields', Izzy's back and she's comin' for ya!"

Catching unwanted attention be damned. She was having the time of her life. The night was her domain, and she was going to make the most out of every single second no matter what it took. She was an alicorn, and although she knew that could never be changed, it wouldn't stop her from using her optimism to get by.

The Most Mysterious Mentor

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As the moon sat high in the sky, Izzy let her wings take her soaring across grassy fields, through thick woods, and past all sorts of ponies. Her suitcase levitated beside her, and she made sure to be careful with its contents as she did all sorts of aerial stunts she had never dreamed of doing but seemingly came naturally to her.

The moon and stars seemed to provide her with power that she never had before, in both unicorn magic and Pegasus flight. Where before she felt hostility and hesitance at her new change of race, she now felt freedom and acceptance. She felt like she could fly forever in the night, doing midair swirls and enjoying a nice change of scenery from her dreary Bridlewood hometown.

She stopped and made a bit of a rough landing, doing another faceplant on the ground. Clearly, those were what she needed to work on the most -- she was never the most graceful pony in Equestria. She got up and rubbed dirt off of her face before eyeing her surroundings. Although she had no idea where she was going, it wouldn't matter if she got lost. After all, it would be more time spent with her hooves off the ground and away from her parents.

Several ways into her journey, she became lost, and started to worry.

Trotting along a rocky path through some woods, she heaved a sigh. She hadn't accounted for her wings growing tired enough to give her a lack of support, forcing her to land and make part of the trip on hoof. Maybe I should go to sleep, she thought, gazing up at the moon that shone as bright as it always did. Being tired won't do me any good.

Suddenly, her horn began to glow brighter. She widened her eyes, knowing that she herself wasn't strengthening the grip on her suitcase that remained levitating at her side. "What's going on?" she asked aloud, bracing herself for the worst.

In an instant, she felt herself being dragged forcefully down the trail she was walking...only she was going back the way she came, not forward. Her suitcase, now wrapped up in a more fierce magical aura, followed suit.

Izzy, realizing that it was "shiny magic thingie in the castle, lemme grab it and see what happens" all over again, didn't bother to fight, instead stifling a groan. Well, I guess one good thing is that I'm not going fast... A yawn escaped her. And I am getting sleepy...

As she emerged from the woods, she could see the moon and the stars watching over the whole of Equestria. She had to wonder if they were the cause of this, but she had been hit with a wave of drowsiness and she was forced to put the thought aside for now.

Her eyes slowly closed, and she could have sworn she saw the stars twinkling a special "good night" message to her as she was swept away into dreamland.

Sunny strained against the weight of the sun. Although she was attempting to work with it, for some reason, it just didn't want to come up this morning.

After much struggle, the sun eventually rose, and the little filly could relax. "Daaaaad!" she whined. "When am I gonna be able to move the sun without it fighting with me?"

"In time, Sunny-bunny." Argyle called from where he was standing in the doorway of their home. "Now come inside and have some breakfast. We need to finish packing."

"Okay!"

She got up and started to walk towards the house, but stopped. She wondered if this would be a good time to practice her flight skills -- after all, if she was going on a journey to meet the source of the mysterious voice, flying would make it go by much quicker.

Extending her wings, she slowly flapped them, and was surprised when they lifted her off the ground. Perhaps even more surprising than that was the revelation that she had gotten surprisingly better at flying. It felt more natural to her now than it had before, and she couldn't help but give a hearty laugh as she soared across her front yard.

She made a mental note to have some fun with flying later, instead stopping the fun early and parking herself at the doorstep. "Dad, Dad, did you see me?" she asked, closing the door behind her.

"No, I didn't. What happened?"

"I was really really flying! It was soooo much fun!" Sunny trotted in place. "I wanna fly all the time!"

Argyle chuckled. "You're doing wonderful."

Sunny made her way over to the kitchen table and took a seat, eyeing her rather delicious breakfast of sliced-up chocolate chip pancakes, her favorite kind. She glanced at the fork that sat next to the plate, then got an idea.

Her horn lit up with magic, capturing the handle of the fork in its illustrious aura and moving it towards the pancakes. She took a piece and levitated it up to her mouth, relishing the taste of it when it hit her tongue.

I did it? Oh my gosh, I really did it! A smile formed on her maw as she chewed and swallowed. Eagerly, she tried her hoof at eating the other pancake pieces using only her magic, and was surprised at how easier it was over using her hooves.

"How is it?" Argyle asked, sitting down across from his daughter and proceeding to eat his own stack of pancakes.

"It's so good!" Sunny swallowed her final piece of pancake. "Thanks, Dad!"

"Don't mention it." Argyle nodded. "Go get ready, okay? I'll see you off."

Sunny hopped down from the table and raced to her room as fast as her little legs and hooves would carry her. Most of her stuff was packed already -- all she needed were a couple more essentials. She took the lantern her father had made for her and slipped it inside her saddlebag, knowing that it would help on dark nights spent in caves, if she just so happened to stumble across one. Her stuffed bear, her rollerskates and a couple snacks she had also went inside the backpack.

She emerged from her room just as her father had finished washing the dishes. "Okay, Dad, I'm ready!"

"All right. Now, let's go to the edge of Maretime Bay."

"Why there?"

"You'll see." It was all he said as he left the house, Sunny following suit with her saddlebag in tow.

Sure enough, after about a minute of walking, her horn began to glow a bright orange. The next thing she knew, she was being dragged along the ground just as the amulet had dragged her across the ground before, her horn shimmering with magic. "Dad, what's happening?!" she cried, extending a hoof out to her father, simply trotting along as he kept pace.

"The sun is guiding you, Sunny-Bunny. If you don't know where you're going, it'll help push you in the right direction. Or, well..." He chuckled. "I guess pull you in the right direction."

Sunny flapped her wings aggressively, hoping that her Pegasus powers would win against her unicorn powers in this war of attrition. Unfortunately, they did about as much damage as a pebble thrown at a brick wall.

"Don't try to fight it." Argyle advised. "Just go with the flow. It'll take you to where you need to go."

He stopped trotting, leaving Sunny in dismay as she extended a hoof to him. "I'll be back soon, Dad! I love you!"

"I'll miss you every second, sweetie! Love you too!" Argyle waved as he watched his daughter become nothing more than a speck in the distance, the flash of her horn also becoming a speck with it.

His smile, once plastered proudly on his face, slowly but surely turned into a frown as he made his way back home.

How long will it take her to come back?

Across the span of a couple days and nights, Sunny and Izzy made the journey over to "the edge of the daisy fields". Sunny, being empowered by the sun, traveled during the daytime, when the warmth would guide her and her horn would lead her to her destination. The only time she stopped was at night, usually to eat, to sleep, or to go to the bathroom. Izzy, being empowered by the moon, traveled during the nighttime, but only because that's when her horn would actually work and drag her along the ground towards her destination. For some reason, it adamantly refused to do it during the daytime, meaning that if she wanted to continue on her journey then, she had to rely on her Pegasus flight or keep her hooves on the ground, and risk getting lost no matter what option she picked.

As dusk fell across Equestria, Izzy approached "the edge of the daisy fields", and marveled at their beauty as she stroked one with her hooves. Flowers were quite a rarity back in Bridlewood -- after the loss of magic, nopony was motivated to start or maintain a garden -- so whenever she passed by some, she made sure to smell them and even pick some from time to time.

"Izzy Moonbow."

Izzy immediately looked up, and saw a rather mysterious cloaked figure approaching her. Behind the figure was none other than Sunny Starscout, wearing a rather bashful face expression.

Slowly, the mysterious figure took the brown cloak off, revealing an alicorn with purple fur and light blue tints, on both her body and her large, elegant wings. Her mane and tail were both ethereal storms of color, bearing stripes of light, dark and navy blue, as well as stripes of purple and pink. Her cutie mark was of trees, gusts of wind, fire and water, creating a circle around a pink heart. It shone so radiantly that both Izzy and Sunny couldn't help but notice.

"Y-y-y-you're an...alicorn?!" Sunny's eyes grew to be the size of saucers, and her jaw dropped. She almost couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Indeed."

"What...how?" Izzy asked. "There aren't any alicorns in Equestria! I mean, besides us, of course. And you."

"That is where you are incorrect." the alicorn said. "Many moons ago, there lived four alicorns: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Each alicorn was in charge of a certain aspect of Equestria -- Celestia ruled the sun, Luna ruled the moon, Cadence ruled over love, and Twilight ruled over friendship."

Izzy shared a glance with Sunny and shrugged, knowing that she wasn't as much of a history buff as the orange filly was.

"Under their reigns, Equestria lived in harmony for a long time. But that harmony was broken when a unicorn decided to spread mistrust and division instead of love and devotion."

"Wait! Can I ask you a question? Pretty please?" Sunny took a couple steps forward.

"Of course."

"Do you know...do you know what happened to the princesses?" the alicorn filly asked. "My dad doesn't know...he's researched the princesses for years, but he has no idea what happened to them."

The mysterious alicorn remained silent, merely looking ahead at the daisy field that surrounded them. After a minute or two had passed, a sigh escaped her lips. "They passed away."

"Passed...away?" Izzy tilted her head. "What does that mean?"

"They died." Sunny responded, her voice cracking as she tried to process the news.

"I know what you are thinking. You think alicorns are immortal, do you not?" The mysterious alicorn chuckled. "Sad to say, that is but a myth. Alicorns do pass away in due time, like any other creature."

"So Celestia, Luna, Cadence and Twilight...all died?"

"That is correct, Sunny Starscout." The mysterious alicorn nodded. "All from old age."

"So how are you still alive, then?" Izzy asked.

"I am a rather complicated case." the mysterious alicorn said. "Please, do sit down, and I will tell you my story."

Sunny and Izzy did as they were told, sharing a glance with each other once more before opening up their ears to hear their mentor's tragic tale.

Prior to becoming an alicorn, I had been nothing more than a simple Earth pony who often studied the world we lived in. I was rather fascinated with the planet I called my home, and I would spend hours telling creatures about its hidden wonders.

I was born during the great reign of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Under their rule, Equestria was peaceful, with nary any strife. Any threats that came our way were swiftly dealt with.

One day, I bumped into Princess Twilight in Canterlot by complete chance. Growing up in one of Equestria's most elite cities, I heard endless talk about royalty. Meeting the Princess personally was one of the greatest honors bestowed upon a creature, and so, I decided to take this chance to get to know her.

"Oh! I-I'm so sorry!" I backed up, my eyes growing wide as I saw whom I had bumped into. "I didn't mean-"

"Relax, my little pony." Twilight soothed. "It's all right. Don't worry about it. What's your name?"

"I'm...Terra."

"Terra. What a lovely name." Princess Twilight tilted her head. "Why 'Terra'?"

"I, um...I love Equestria!" I exclaimed. "I study it all the time. A-and the world we live in, too, as a whole."

"Hmm?" An expression of thought crossed the Princess's face. In that moment, my heart was racing. I had no idea how she would react. "How interesting. What say you stop by the castle for some tea, and you can teach me all about what you've learned?"

Any nervousness I had completely dissipated. "Really?"

"Of course. It's a wonderful opportunity to get to know one of my subjects better."

"Oh, yes! Thank you so much, Princess! Um, I'm available tomorrow. Around 2:00. Would that work?"

Twilight thought for a second, and then nodded.

I was thrilled. I had somehow planned a tea time session with the ruler of Equestria. Other creatures could not care less about what I had to say about our world, but here was a pony who seemed completely invested in it, and I could not be happier.

The very next day, I showed up early to the castle. Princess Twilight and I had a wonderful time together. But it was what she said at the end of our session that stuck with me.

"Terra, I have been thinking about the land beyond our home." she said. "You said it yourself: the world is vast, and there are many places which haven't yet been explored."

Her face then fell.

"My domain is Equestria, and always has been. But I believe there is somepony that is willing to go further than Equestria. To protect the world we live in, and all of the cities, countries and kingdoms that reside within it." She held my neck with her hoof. "I believe you are that pony."

"M-me?"

"However wrong it is of me to place my trust in a pony I only just met..." Her gaze was stern, but warm. "I trust that with your knowledge and your passion, you will do a fine job."

The next thing I knew, I had been somehow transported to this other realm. A realm that few ponies had been in before. And then, within the blink of an eye, Princess Twilight's magic encompassed me, bathing me in a cocoon. I woke up with wings on my back and a long, elegant unicorn horn on my forehead.

"Wait...Princess..." I had said, feebly extending a hoof as she walked away. "Does this...I mean...I have so many questions..."

"I am willing to answer them another time, Terra. I'm so sorry, but I must go."

And with that, she had left, leaving me rather dizzy and confused.

It would not be until the following month that I would get the answers I was so direly seeking. Princess Twilight had made me an alicorn, like she was, although I was not named a princess. My duty was to travel across the world, assisting other kingdoms and other creatures outside of Equestria. And so, that is what I did, for many years.

In my travels, I had gotten wind of a mysterious unicorn who was sowing the seeds of fear and mistrust among the ponies of Equestria, and I had also gotten wind of Princess Twilight sealing the world's magic into the Unity Crystals. The tragedies that came about as a result of the mysterious unicorn also affected me, and the cities and countries I visited. Some I had visited were wiped out completely when I returned for a second visit, both in land and in population.

Many moons later, I was summoned back to Canterlot. I had expected this summons was going to be a rather serious one, and that it was.

The Princess was on her deathbed.

She gazed up at me with glossy purple eyes that lacked any sort of life. "Terra..."

"Yes, Princess Twilight?"

"You must...you must..." A round of coughing interrupted her words. "You must protect Equestria."

"P-protect Equestria?" I blinked. "But I am not a princess like you are. You never named a successor."

"That I did not. And that is because Equestria is in another era of harmony. One that I expect to last for many years after I'm gone."

I sat on her words for a moment. She was right -- following the Unity Crystals' creation, things had been rather peaceful. Perhaps it was for the best that she had not named a successor, if Equestria was expected to remain harmonious. Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy had long since passed away, meaning that she had no more co-rulers left.

"Please. Protect Equestria. Protect our world. And keep the Unity Crystals safe..."

Her eyes slowly closed, and what tumbled from my lips was a question I knew I would not get an answer for.

"How?"

I watched with my own two eyes as the ruler of Equestria died. I knew that it was not from illness or some outside force -- it was due to natural causes. Age had caught up with the Princess and had taken her life, just as it did for every living creature in this world.

The funeral for her was a heartbreaking ordeal in more ways than one. Although Equestria remained peaceful, it was quite clear that most creatures were in a state of grief and sadness that wouldn't go away. To some, I was believed to be the next ruler, and was mistakenly referred to as such. As much as I wanted to entertain such fantasies, I had to break the news that I was nothing more than an alicorn without a title, who was directly ordered by Princess Twilight to travel across Equestria.

As I traveled across the world, I came to a realization. Perhaps one day, Equestria could be a more happier and livelier place. Not gripped in the thralls of depression and grief, but gripped in the thralls of joy and excitement instead. I made my decision to see this through, and using a few spell books that served as remnants of Princess Twilight's legacy, I mastered a spell that would allow me to freeze myself for many, many moons, with no repercussions. By using this spell in a remote location, I remained frozen where no creature could find me and thaw me out. I emerged, in time...but it seems this world is not as joyous and full of life as I had expected it to be.

"You're right." Sunny explained. "The ponies here lost their magic. Now, Earth ponies, Pegasi and unicorns live in three separate cities, and they all hate each other!"

"Lost their magic...so the Unity Crystals were separated?"

Sunny and Izzy both shrugged.

Terra took a moment to think, but it didn't last long, as Izzy piped up with another question.

"So how do you know about us?"

"Hm?" Terra tilted her head. "A short while after Princess Twilight had passed away, a scroll was found that told of a group of ponies who would be the new saviors of Equestria if it ever fell into turmoil and disharmony again."

Sunny's eyes widened as she glanced at Izzy. Well, there's Princess Izzy...but who are the other ponies? She had to admit, she didn't know of any other ponies besides Hitch Trailblazer, her best friend. Is he one of the "group of ponies"?

"...five ponies."

Sunny was brought back to her senses by Terra finishing up an explanation to Izzy, whom had most likely asked another question. "What about five ponies?"

"That is how many are in the group. I could recite the scroll from memory, if you so prefer."

"Yes please!" Sunny and Izzy said in unison, nodding furiously.

Terra cleared her throat.

"In times of uncertainty, in times of division, in times of mistrust, five ponies will rise up and save the wondrous land of Equestria from collapsing. Together, these five ponies will develop a bond of friendship unlike any that has been seen before, and will serve as the new saviors of Equestria for many moons to come."

"Is there a picture?" Sunny asked. "Of the five ponies?"

Terra shook her head. "You two are some of the saviors. But I do suspect..." Her gaze swept across the fields again. "If Princess Twilight's group was comprised of two Pegasi, two Earth ponies, and two unicorns...then perhaps this group will have the same ratio."

"So two alicorns, two Earth ponies, and one unicorn?" Izzy tilted her head.

"Or two alicorns, two Pegasi, and one Earth pony?" Sunny gasped. "Wait! But...with magic gone, all three races were separated. How are we gonna convince two Pegasi and one Earth pony to work with us?"

"You carry traits of all three races. There is little doubt in my mind that will be the key to bringing you all together, and restoring peace and unity to Equestria once more." Terra waved her leg free of a fly that had decided to make it a good resting spot. "In the meantime, I would like to train you both in the ways of being an alicorn."

"Huh?"

"Sunny Starscout and Izzy Moonbow. You are but fillies who have just recently become alicorns. Trust me when I say you both have a long way to go until you master your new abilities and powers." Terra explained. "I expect you to have a more firm grip on them when you are fully grown, and as an alicorn myself, I would like to help you get there."

Izzy's eyes widened, and she nodded furiously. "Yes!"

Sunny, on the other hoof, was rather hesitant. "But what about our families? My dad-"

"Do not worry. I will send a letter to both of your families. I am sure they will be very understanding." With her horn alight, Terra conjured up two scrolls and two quills, and got to writing.

"Izzy?" Sunny glanced at her friend. "What about your family?"

The alicorn filly merely scoffed. "My dad wanted me to come here, but my mom didn't. She thought I would get stolen. I'll miss them, I guess, but..." She gazed at the sky. "I wanna become the bestest princess Equestria's ever seen! And I trust Terra to help me!"

"That's the spirit." Terra chuckled. "Although I would not refer to yourself as a princess just yet. That title must be earned."

"Aww." Izzy kicked the ground with her hoof.

"And where are we gonna stay?"

In response to Sunny's question, Terra extended her front leg towards a rather large tree, fully in bloom with pink leaves hanging on its branches. "I have carved out a home in there."

"Ooh, can we go see it?" Izzy asked.

"Of course. But first, I believe you need to do something." Terra pointed at the darkening sky. "Why don't you try moving the moon this time?"

"Um...well, I would, but...I don't know how."

"Lemme help you!" Sunny smiled as she sat next to Izzy. "Use your magic and latch onto the moon, then work with it as a team in lowering it. Don't force it!"

Izzy let out a soft groan as she lit up her horn. The moon appeared to be caught in her magic, although she couldn't see it. She watched as Sunny's horn also lit up before she began to lower the sun. She's so great at it already... A pang of jealousy began to grip her heart, but she fought it off and tried to focus on her task. Following her friend's movements as closely as she could, she successfully raised the moon just as Sunny lowered the sun.

"Wonderful job. I see you are already making a fine duo." Terra nodded. "Now that we have our duties out of the way, follow me, please." She began to take flight and headed off towards the tree. Sunny and Izzy, taking their items with them, quickly followed suit, using their own wings to keep up with the much bigger alicorn.

What met the two fillies upon arrival was a rather elaborate and homely tree house, complete with a living room, functional kitchen, and stairs leading to a second floor that housed three large bedrooms. Sunny commented that "it's like you just built this", and Terra explained that "you are right -- I built this with my magic as soon as I thawed out."

Sunny and Izzy put their luggage in their new rooms as Terra encouraged them to decorate them however they liked. Once that was done, the alicorn mare got to work cooking a meal for the two of them.

"Hey, Terra..." Sunny asked. "How do you get stuff you need? Like food?"

"After Princess Twilight's death, I began reading about all sorts of spells, knowing that if I were to thrive in an improved Equestria, I would need a strong magical arsenal." Terra sighed. "The Princess taught me how to control and use my new magic and flight abilities, but she never taught me any advanced magic. So I took it upon myself to learn some. One of the spells I learned was the ability to disguise yourself as another pony. When I thawed out, I used that spell to transform into a Pegasus, Earth pony or unicorn pony to buy needed items in other towns."

"But how did you know the three races were separated?" Izzy asked.

"I flew across Equestria to see what it was like. What I found was separation and fearmongering, in addition to a lack of magic." Terra emerged from the kitchen, levitating three bowls of macaroni and cheese. "Here you are."

"One of my favorites!" Sunny eagerly lit up her horn and levitated her bowl. "Thank you!"

"Thank you."

"It is no problem at all. It is hot, so be careful." Terra took a seat in a chair on the other side of the room, watching as the fillies happily scarfed down their meals as though they hadn't eaten for weeks.

Once they were done, the trio headed outside, where the moon and the stars shone brightly in the sky.

"What do you feel, Izzy?" Terra asked.

"I feel..." The filly placed a hoof on her heart. "So powerful. Like I can do anything." She let out a holler as she soared into the air, Terra following suit.

"The moon enhances your powers. Likewise, the sun enhances Sunny's powers." she explained. "You both have plenty of power already, but the moon and the sun make it stronger."

"Really? That's so cool!" Izzy exclaimed. "Do you know any cool nighttime spells?"

"Yes. I'm more than happy to teach you some. But let's do it tomorrow night. I'm sure you must be very tired from your journey here."

Terra and Izzy both descended, finding that Sunny's eyes were half-lidded. "I feel fine, though." Izzy complained.

"Even the future Princess of the Night needs her rest. Now come on." Terra took off towards the tree house. It was a minute or so before the two fillies followed her, eager to get some sleep and learn more about alicornhood from this kindhearted and wise mentor who definitely wasn't so mysterious anymore.

Argyle watched the sun go down and the moon go up, a small smile forming before he began to make his way back inside. The second he stepped hoof in the house, a scroll magically appeared in front of his face and dropped to the floor.

To whom it may concern:
Your daughter, Sunny Starscout, has much to learn about being an alicorn. In order to help her succeed in becoming a future ruler of Equestria, I have decided to take her under my wing for the foreseeable future. Please, do not be alarmed -- I am not your enemy, but instead, I am an ally. I promise that I will keep her safe, protected, and healthy, and I hope that you may see her again when she is fully grown and fully accustomed to her new destiny and her new role.

Argyle's eyes widened as he read the note over and over, just in case he was missing something important. After a moment of panic, however, the smile returned to his maw. My little Sunny-bunny...I hope you grow up to be the kind and regal alicorn I know you can be. Take care, and have fun with your new teacher.

He made his way to the kitchen and started making dinner, for one this time. He had to admit that it would be lonely without Sunny running around the house, interrupting him during his research with her requests to play with him. But he held hope that someday, she would return to him all grown up, more powerful than anypony in Equestria while still having a soft heart for the one who had raised her.

As he laid a pot full of water on the stovetop, he glanced at the front door. I wonder if I should stop by Scarlet's house tomorrow and tell Hitch...it would be nice for him to know where his friend has gone. Many a playdate between the filly and colt was supervised by Argyle, and he was always grateful that Sunny had at least one friend that didn't shun her or tease her for her broad-minded views.

Yes...perhaps it's best if I go over and break the news. How to go about it without causing alarm, though...

The evening went by like most any other evening. Argyle spent time in his Research Room, hoping to accrue enough knowledge about ancient Equestria to pass along to his daughter when she returned. It was around 2:00 in the morning when he realized that it was getting late, and decided to turn into bed.

On the way to his room, he passed by Sunny's room, with her door still ajar. It was a bit of a mess at the moment, with toys of the Guardians of Harmony littered all over. It seemed she hadn't cleaned it even after he had told her to. After a couple minutes passed, he sighed and closed the door.

Lying in bed, with his room illuminated by the moonlight, he looked at the picture frame he had on his nightstand. It was of Sunny as a foal, being held by her mother with Argyle posing beside her, his leg draped around her.

Oh, honey...I wish you could see our daughter now. You would be so proud of her, always cheering her on as she masters complex spells like a unicorn and soars through the air with all the grace of a Pegasus.

Another sigh left him. He almost felt like crying in that moment, the same way he did when the Maretime Bay Police showed up at his door that fateful day and informed him of her death. It had taken him quite a while to grieve -- he could still remember the mixed wave of emotions he felt for months afterwards, wondering how he was going to take care of Sunny. But he had done a great job so far, or so he thought. Although it was a lonesome and daunting feat, he knew that Sunny was going to grow up to be a great pony, and he knew that he was doing the best he could for her.

His eyes slowly closed, the memories of his late wife playing in his head like a movie as he slipped into unconsciousness.

Another agonized scream rippled through La Villa Izzy.

Astral Crown dropped his fork into his salad and let out a groan. She's been doing that for hours...

"Where is she?! Where is Isabella?!" Stella marched down the stairs. "Astral, we need to find her!"

"Would you just calm down?" Astral rolled his eyes. "Izzy is fine."

"No she's not! She could have been abducted by one of those Earth ponies and eaten by them! Or- or killed by one of those nasty Pegasi! Or-"

Astral perked up when he heard a pause in his wife's hysterical tirade. He paused in his eating and trotted into the living room, finding her reading a scroll.

To whom it may concern:
Your child, Izzy Moonbow, has much to learn about being an alicorn. In order to help her succeed in becoming a future ruler of Equestria, I have decided to take her under my wing for the foreseeable future. Please, do not be alarmed -- I am not your enemy, but instead, I am an ally. I promise that I will keep her safe, protected, and healthy, and I hope that you may see her again when she is fully grown and fully accustomed to her new destiny and her new role.

Stella's breathing quickened with every sentence she read. Astral, likewise, was wracked with panic when he took a look at the scroll for himself.

"Our daughter...she's..."

"Not coming back?!" The sheer volume of Stella's scream could knock down the entire house if it wasn't weaved and built into a tree. "No. No, this can't be! This thing...this creature...this ugly, vile creature has taken our daughter!"

Astral opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't get a word in edgewise before Stella rested a hoof on his chest. "This is what I was so concerned about, Astral. My suspicions were right. She was abducted, and certainly not by a unicorn."

"You don't know what race they are."

"What unicorn in Bridlewood would go and steal somepony else's child? In case you haven't noticed, nopony has wanted to do anything since magic has disappeared."

"Honey, you are being completely unreasonable about this. You're not thinking rationally."

"I am thinking perfectly rationally." Stella began to head for the front door.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"To find our daughter. To take her back from her abductor, maybe give them a piece of my mind while I'm at it. I'll bring her back home even if it kills me."

"But you don't have magic! How are you-"

The slam of the door interrupted Astral, and he let out a sigh as he rubbed his forehead. Honestly, with how paranoid she's been, I'm surprised she hasn't announced a divorce yet...

But we have Izzy to care for.

He picked up the scroll and read it over and over again, making sure that he hadn't misread or misinterpret anything. Sure enough, Izzy had been taken in by a strange ally. Moving over to the couch, he picked up the note that his daughter had left, and read it once more.

Mom, Dad, I'm leaving. To the edge of the daisy fields. I dunno when I'll be back, but I hope I'll see you soon. Don't worry too much about me. I can handle my own. And if I don't return...then someday, I hope I make you proud.
Love, Izzy Moonbow

A sudden pain gripped his heart, and he felt tears pricking at his eyes. As paranoid as his wife was, he couldn't deny that her intentions were noble and partially justified. She loved Izzy with all of her heart just as much as he did. Unfortunately, her mental health had been in a declining state ever since the loss of magic, and the ponies of Bridlewood losing their luster certainly didn't help matters. Many times, Astral had thought about helping her get better, but abandoned the thoughts when they all circled back to the same old question of "how can I help her?" He certainly couldn't go to other towns for help -- no doubt they'd freak out about seeing two unicorns walk into town, even if they were begging for assistance.

He returned to the kitchen and ate his salad, looking out the window as depressed fillies, colts, mares and stallions passed by. With his wife and daughter gone, now he was the only unicorn who wasn't depressed, and it made him feel rather lonely. The only thing keeping him from succumbing into despair was the hope that was alive in his heart -- the hope that someday, Stella and Izzy would return home, safe and sound.

As he placed the empty bowl into the sink and made his way upstairs, he stopped to look at the family pictures that stood on a cabinet full of porcelain unicorns that his mother had collected. Some were from happier times, while others were from times where magic had disappeared. He couldn't help but smile at the memories.

Maybe it's for the best that this "ally" trains Izzy. She's an alicorn now, after all. I know she wouldn't get abducted by some crazy Pegasus or some stupid Earth pony.

I hope you're well, sweetie.

A yawn tumbled from his lips, and he came to the realization that it was most likely pretty late. He slipped into the bathroom and began to get ready for bed.

When he finished, he made his way to the bedroom and made his way towards the window, looking up to see if there was any sign of the moon. It took him all of five seconds to realize that he was in a forest, and that if he wanted to see the moon, he would have to venture outside of Bridlewood, something that he didn't have the energy to do. At least...not tonight. He made a mental note to go out and see the moon every night, starting tomorrow. He felt it was the least he could do, if he wasn't going to travel across Equestria to find his daughter and instead allow her to return to him.

He slipped into bed and closed his eyes, a smile forming on his face as he tried to think back on the happy memories he had with Stella and Izzy. The memories that he so longed to relive. The memories that would carve a path towards the creation of new and happier ones. The memories that fought off the foreboding despair emanating from the other unicorns.

The memories that he hoped Izzy would cherish, no matter where her new destiny would take her.

Alicorn Training For Newbies

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The sun rose over the horizon, with Sunny's guidance, of course. The alicorn couldn't help but yawn as she tried to wake herself up, and she nearly lost control of her grip on the sun in the process.

Once her duty was done, she flew back to the tree house and stepped inside, the smell of slightly burnt toast filling her nose as she made her way to the kitchen. Izzy sat at the table, happily munching away on a piece of toast that she was levitating.

"Good morning, Sunny. Did you move the sun?" Terra asked as she levitated another plate with eggs towards the table.

"Yup! Right after Izzy lowered the moon."

"Good job. Now eat up. We have a long day of training ahead of us."

"What're we doing?" Sunny took a seat at the table and levitated a piece of toast.

"Well, I thought we would start off with some spells. Basic ones, of course. This way, you both can have a strong magical arsenal for your journey to find the other three saviors."

"Like nighttime spells?!" Izzy asked excitedly.

Terra chuckled. "Yes, like nighttime spells. But as you can see, it is the daytime, so we cannot practice those spells just yet."

"Aww..." Izzy folded her ears downwards.

Once the trio was done eating breakfast, they made their way outside, relishing the cool breeze on their faces that also touched the grass and made it rhythmically sway back and forth.

"Let us start with teleportation." Terra nodded. "Have either of you teleported before?"

"I have!" Izzy said. "It was a little hard, though. I felt all dizzy afterwards."

"That is very common, Izzy. It takes some time before a unicorn, or even an alicorn, is able to teleport flawlessly." Terra explained. "The main knowledge behind teleportation is visualizing where you would like to go in your head. Once you do that, it will come naturally to you."

She pointed towards the tree house. "Try teleporting yourself over there."

Izzy gave a small "mm" of hesitation, but lit up her horn nonetheless. In a bright purple flash, she was gone, and Sunny watched as another bright purple flash signified her arrival at her destination.

Once Izzy teleported back to the group, she smiled. "Hey, I didn't feel dizzy this time!"

"Well done." Terra clapped her hooves together. "Your turn, Sunny."

Sunny followed Izzy's lead and performed her feat of teleportation successfully.

"Very good. I must say, you two are learning quite fast." Terra smiled. "Next, let us try some telekinesis."

She conjured up about twenty simple cube-shaped blocks, ten each of which laid in front of Sunny and Izzy.

"Try to levitate all of these at once. Remember, when levitating objects, relax your body and remain calm."

Both fillies tilted their heads at the sight of the objects, then got to work. Terra was surprised at how unisonant they were, lighting up their horns at the same time and moving the blocks in illustrious figure-eight motions with ease without them bumping into each other. It filled her with a sense of hope and promise.

Sunny and Izzy shared a glance with each other, then tossed the cubes into the air. A blast from Sunny's horn changed some of the cubes into orange leaves, while a blast from Izzy's horn changed the other cubes into star-shaped plush toys, which promptly collapsed to the ground.

Terra couldn't help but clap once again. "Wonderful job. Now, let's move on to some more complex spells."

As she rattled off a list of spells, ranging from the mundane like Accelero to the complicated like transfiguration, she watched as Sunny and Izzy performed them near-flawlessly. It was rather surprising to her, seeing these fillies who were once terrible at magic get used to having it again, and with hardly any stumbles, to boot.

By the time Terra's verbal list was completed, the sun sat high in the sky, indicating that was lunchtime, or close to it. But there was one more spell she wanted to teach her students first.

"Transformation?"

"Yes, Sunny. In the event that we need to travel for supplies -- or when we leave to find the other three ponies -- we must transform into the race of the respective pony that lives in each town in order to fit in."

"Ooh, like changelings!" Sunny's eyes sparkled. "Teach us, teach us!"

Terra nodded. "Close your eyes, and imagine the Earth pony mare you would like to be. Sunny, do not think of what you looked like prior to your ascension."

"Why not?"

"You will be with me for quite a long time. If we were to travel to your hometown and you were disguised as yourself, in your original race, then you would most certainly draw attention to yourself."

Sunny gave a displeased frown, but nodded anyway, understanding what Terra was talking about. She was already a bit of an outcast in Maretime Bay, but being an alicorn, especially one with magic, would only make it worse, and she didn't want that.

She closed her eyes and thought hard about the ponies she had come across in Maretime Bay and what they looked like, mentally making a checklist and crossing ponies off. She knew she had to come up with something original, something that didn't look like any of the residents of her hometown. Something...a little different.

Slowly, her horn became enveloped in illustrious magic, and her body shimmered as she transformed into an Earth pony with forest-green fur and a pale grey corkscrew mane and tail. She had also obtained a cutie mark, in the form of a pair of dice.

Throughout the transformation, Izzy watched in awe, and immediately got to work on making her own Earth pony alter ego. She transformed into an Earth pony with light yellow fur and a bubblegum-pink mane, and like Sunny, also obtained a cutie mark, only in the form of a flower vase filled with all sorts of flowers.

"Umm...I have a question." Izzy asked, spinning around in circles to admire what cutie mark she had gotten. "We don't have magic in these forms, do we?"

Terra nodded. "You do. I am not quite sure what magic you have as Earth ponies, though."

"Didn't Earth ponies have magic back in Ancient Equestria?" Sunny asked.

Terra tilted her head. "Earth ponies were well-known for their strength and stamina, but as far as I am aware, they did not have any other powers."

"Well, I do feel stronger! Like I could take on...uhh..." Izzy looked around. "That tree! If it were alive and stuff!"

Sunny giggled. "Me too!"

"Very good. Now, try changing into a unicorn."

Almost immediately, the two fillies (or mares, now) transformed into unicorn ponies, keeping the same colors.

Terra opened her mouth as though wanting to suggest they make up two new ponies, but then closed it and smiled. "I certainly am not surprised that you two are getting the hang of this quickly. Can you transform into-"

The pair changed their races from unicorn to Pegasus within the tap of a hoof.

"...Pegasi."

Terra blinked a couple times, then clapped her hooves together. "Very well done."

Sunny and Izzy transformed back into their usual alicorn forms, giving each other a hoofbump and sharing a giddy laugh.

"Let us head inside for some lunch before we continue."

Izzy immediately began booking it for the tree, another giddy laugh emanating from her as her hooves touched grass for a moment before she took flight. Sunny followed suit, feeling rather hungry herself.

As she took a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Sunny tilted her head as she watched the news on television. Surprisingly, there was nothing on her or Izzy's disappearance, although she supposed that was for the best. After all, if Terra managed to get caught, it wouldn't bode well -- for her or for the fillies.

Izzy was busy licking her hoof free of peanut butter, giving small giggles here and there as she felt it stick to the roof of her mouth.

"Hey, Terra?"

"Hm?"

"What other spells are we gonna learn?"

"No more spells, Sunny. We will hone your Pegasus abilities next." Terra levitated her plate into the sink. "Both of you have displayed some wonderful flying skills, but I believe we can go a little further than that."

"Sho we're gonna go up to the cloudsh?" Izzy asked, a clump of sandwich in her mouth. "Cool!"

"But I thought the Princesses of Ancient Equestria were magic users." Sunny pointed out. "They weren't really known for speedy flying. At least...that's what my dad told me."

"It is very true that the Princesses who once ruled Ancient Equestria were quite reliant on the unicorn part of their magic, to a very tragic fault once Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek took advantage of that reliance to best them in battle." Terra explained. "But I do not want you two to grow up like that. An alicorn carries the traits of all three pony kinds. It would be a waste to have wings but to not be skilled in using them. And the same goes for your Earth pony magic, as well."

Sunny nodded. She had to admit, flying did seem kind of fun, and very freeing. She thought about her roller skates, a present that her dad got for her and adjusted accordingly as she grew older. It seemed to be a remnant of her Earth pony past now, and her heart was momentarily filled with sadness as she thought about whether she would have to give up rollerskating for flying.

Rollerskating doesn't sound very princess-like to me. She took another bite of her sandwich and absentmindedly went back to watching television, where a news anchor was reporting on a group of bunnies who once rose to fame for doing tricks.

Several minutes later, the trio were outside once again, staring up at the calming blue sky with its equally-calming fluffy white clouds.

"Follow me." Terra commanded, taking flight and heading for one of the clouds. Izzy and Sunny followed suit, easily flying without bumping into each other while also going at a steady speed. Once they landed on the cloud, they awaited for their mentor's instructions.

"Now, I want to guide each of you through the sky naturally. Izzy?" Terra nudged the little filly. "You are first."

"Um...okay, but..."

"Do not worry. I will give you tips as you are flying."

Terra flapped her wings and began hovering in midair, Izzy following her lead. The sight of being so high up caused a wave of nervousness to crash down upon her, but she forced herself to stay hovering. As the older alicorn gestured to her to begin flying, she did, flapping her tiny wings and soaring through the air.

"Make sure you go along with the wind currents. Allow them to guide you as you fly."

Izzy nodded, still feeling a little nervous but placing her full trust in Terra. She could feel the wind slightly pushing her forward, and so she eased her speed a little, allowing it to guide her in flight. Maybe, like the moon...I need to work together with the wind to fly? she thought.

She flapped her wings a couple times before leaving them still and splayed out, allowing the wind to let her glide across the sky. With this a success, she was able to turn on her side, spin, and even let her wings rest momentarily.

Terra's eyes widened as she saw the sight from behind, and quickly soared over to Izzy's side. "Very impressive!"

"I just needed to work together with the wind, like I do with the moon!" With a joyous holler, Izzy soared away, leaving Terra trailing behind once again. The comment warmed her heart and caused her to blush, a smile creeping on her face before chasing after the filly to make sure she didn't fall.

After a good twenty minutes or so of flying, Izzy and Terra returned to the cloud where Sunny was waiting. As Izzy began to tell her friend all about her experience, Terra couldn't help but smile once more.

They are going to grow up to become great princesses someday. I do so wish you could see them, Princess Twilight.

It was Sunny's turn to fly high in the sky, and using Izzy's tips, she performed quite well. She had to admit, though, that she was a little awkward in the sky due to being so used to keeping her hooves on the ground, and a small part of her began to prefer staying on the ground instead of in the sky.

The afternoon turned to the evening, and the three alicorns were eating HLTs (hay, lettuce and tomato), with the lettuce and tomato having come from a plant that Sunny had managed to grow using her Earth pony magic.

"Being able to grow plants with a simple stomp of our hooves...why, we certainly never had that..." Terra mused. "But I do suppose it comes with the territory. And you seem to have a wonderful handle on it, Sunny."

"Well, I was an Earth pony." Sunny shrugged. "Still kinda weird, though."

Izzy swallowed her sandwich bite. "I love being able to grow moonflowers and stuff! They're soooo pretty to look at, especially with glitter!" She gasped. "Could I make glitter flowers?! I wanna try!"

Terra laughed. "I do not think such a thing exists. But you are welcome to try your hoof at it after dinner."

Those words were all the filly needed to begin scarfing down her meal like it was going to grow legs and hooves of its own and walk away.

Sunny, on the other hand, began to grow bored and listless, and ate her food in the same way. While it was nice that she was able to grow plants and fly and do magic, and she was very appreciative and grateful of being one of the few magic users in a world with no magic, she couldn't help but think about what she would have to give up when she grew into a proper ruler of Equestria. It had been sitting in the back of her mind for a while, but the lessons she had been taught pushed it to the forefront. Still, in spite of her worries, she had put on a smile for Terra and Izzy -- a smile that had been only a small part of a mask she had donned.

Once she was done with her meal, she quickly excused herself and made her way up to her room. She spotted her roller skates sitting on the far side of the room and magically levitated them over to her, making her way downstairs.

"Hm? Where are you going, Sunny?"

"Oh, just...out."

Terra's eyes drifted to the roller skates that were caught in her student's magical aura, and gave a small smile. "All right. Just be safe, and stay close to home."

"I will."

The filly took a seat as she put each skate on, one by one. After tying those up, she put on her leg pads and helmet, and went outside.

Although the night was not her domain, she couldn't help but admit that its cool breeze felt nice on her fur. She took flight, heading for the pathway that was just east of the daisy fields. Once she landed, she tapped a skate on the ground, giving a small smile.

Now this is gonna be fun!

The pathway snaked past the river, which wasn't very far from the tree where the trio had made her home. Sunny had figured she would be safe here, with no rogue unicorns or pegasi passing by.

She pushed one hoof backwards, and almost as if on instinct, the other hooves followed suit. Her mane and tail billowed backwards as she let out a series of hollers, enjoying the freedom she felt. Even though Terra had told her not to go far, she felt thrilled to be able to go anywhere she wanted within that radius.

Buck professionalism. Buck expectations. Surely Celestia let loose from time to time...right? And after all, she was but just a filly. And Terra seemed to approve.

As she skated, her gaze drifted to her wings, and she opened them, keeping them splayed out and steady. A wingbeat or two increased her speed slightly, making her thrilled.

It's almost like flying, but on the ground! she thought, gazing up at the moon. It seemed to welcome her presence, and she couldn't help but wave at it, its glow only serving to boost her mood.

After what seemed like hours of skating in circles on the pathway, she suddenly felt herself careening forward, and she collided on the ground face-first, the lower half of her body flopping down after a few seconds of delayed reaction. As she lifted her head up, she glanced back, but couldn't really see the source of her fall. Nonetheless, a giggle burst forth, and it eventually turned into a full-on belly laugh as she turned onto her back and stared at the sky.

To her surprise, the sky was mostly dark, but the stars seemed to appear whenever she looked at a dark spot, which she found rather odd, and she had to wonder if the sky was playing a trick on her. Nonetheless, it was calming to look at, and she couldn't deny that it made a wave of drowsiness wash over her after such an exhilarating skating session.

Get back home before Terra finds out you're missing! her brain screamed at her, attempting to fight the drowsiness that was making her eyes droop. But it was proving to be a fruitless battle. Her horn lit up with magic in an attempt to teleport, but the magic sputtered out just as fast. She knew that she had to get home, but whatever physical capacity she had to do that was nonexistent.

"Sunny!"

She was too tired to recognize the voice calling her name, nor make out the figure that flew in the sky and seemed to be gazing downwards at her. Her eyes closed, and she slipped into the darkness.

Sunny's eyes opened ever so slowly, and she bolted upright in bed.

Where...what happened...how...

Her mind swimming with questions, she spotted the light of the night filtering into her room. The alarm clock that sat on her nightstand read 6:00.

Oh shoot, I gotta raise the sun!

An unceremonious yelp accompanied a tumble out of bed, and she found herself on the floor yet again. As she glanced at her hooves, she found that her skates weren't on her -- and perhaps that was a good thing, because even as tired as she was, nopony would sleep in roller skates.

"Hiya!"

It took her a few moments to recognize the voice and the figure that was illuminated by the light, but once she did, she gave a surprised whinny. "I-Izzy?!"

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay! C'mon, we gotta go lower the moon and raise the sun and stuff!"

"Wait, what's going oooooooooon!" Sunny didn't get to even finish her question before she was lifted up in Izzy's magical aura and dragged out of her room and out of the house.

"Izzy, put me down!"

"Okey-dokey!"

Izzy did as she was told, causing Sunny to take her third tumble in the span of only a few hours, collapsing onto the ground.

"Oh! Sorry about that." Izzy said. "Whenever you're ready, 'kay?"

Sunny stood up and wiped some dirt off of her cheek, then shook her body out in an attempt to rid of any other dirt that was on her. "Okay, ready."

Together, the two fillies worked in tandem once again to signal a new day in Equestria. Izzy couldn't help but notice that Sunny, as hard as she was trying, was faltering, and while she wanted to ask her what was going on right then and there, she didn't.

She asked afterwards instead, as they were heading back to the house.

"I forgot to bring the stars out to play, so I went out to do that, a-and that's when I found you! I knew Terra would get mad, so after I brought the stars out, I decided to teleport you back home and put you in bed!"

Sunny didn't respond.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's...I'm...well..." The filly of the sun faltered. "Before I left for the daisy fields, I packed my bag, and I put my roller skates inside, 'cuz I love rollerskating, and I wanted to keep on doing it even as a princess. But Princess Celestia and Princess Luna...they didn't do stuff like that, at least from my dad's research. I-I mean, maybe they let loose from time to time, but...rollerskating, as a princess? It sounds...wrong!" She could feel tears streaming down her face. "I don't wanna give up rollerskating, Izzy! I love it so so much! Do I have to stop it just because I got wings and a horn now?!"

As her friend began to sob, a shock of pain stabbed Izzy's heart like a needle. She knew she couldn't relate to Sunny's love of rollerskating, but now that she mentioned it...Izzy knew there were things she most likely had to give up now that she was going to become a future ruler of Equestria.

My unicycling, for one thing. Mom always told me what would happen when I grew up. Always telling me that arts and crafts were for foals, while Dad supported me by saying that full-grown mares and stallions do it for a living... The pain grew bigger, and it made her stumble a little as she walked, squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't start crying too.

"Look..."

Sunny gave a sniffle as she looked at Izzy.

"No matter what happens, promise me. Promise that we'll never, ever give up the things we love when we become adults." After a moment of silence, she snapped, "Promise me!"

"I-I promise!" Sunny blinked. "Just 'cuz I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm gonna give up rollerskating!" She gazed up at the sky. "It's what Celestia would want, I think..."

"And I'm not gonna give up my unicycling for anything! No matter what Terra says!" Izzy gazed at the sky as well. "Whoever 'Princess Luna' was, she probably had fun sometimes too. And to me, that's okay! You don't have to be professional and stuff all the time, right?"

The two fillies stopped walking for a moment and shared a long and tight hug, feeling their tears of anxiety and sorrow turn into tears of happiness and joy.

"Thank you, Izzy. For bringing me back home." Sunny smiled. "I really wanted to get back, but I just felt too tired. And the night sky was just so calming to look at..."

"D'aww, I try my best." Izzy waved a hoof. "The night sky has that effect on ponies, you know."

Linking their legs together, they began to make the journey back home, not fearing any consequences that Terra might give them, if she gave them any at all.

"Goodness, that is quite a tale. I am glad you are safe, Sunny."

"I'm really sorry. I was just gonna skate around the pathway a bit, but it felt so freeing, and then the night sky...the night sky-"

"Do not speak another word, little filly." Terra cooed. "Come and take a seat. Let us discuss your worries."

Sunny and Izzy did as they were told, coming up to Terra's side on the couch and allowing her to wrap them in the embrace of her soft and feathery wing.

"The princesses were very professional. After all, they had reputations to uphold." she explained. "But they also had sides to each other that would surprise most anypony."

"Like what?" Izzy asked.

"Princess Celestia was often known for being bored of Grand Galloping Galas. I recall a time where Princess Twilight told me about Discord bringing Smooze to the party, and Princess Celestia was thrilled that the Gala had livened up. The same had gone for when Princess Twilight and her friends were first invited to the Gala." Terra mused. "Princess Celestia was known for her love of exciting thrills and adventure. When I first visited Silver Shoals, in fact, I saw her partaking in a sport she had lovingly called 'fruitball'."

"Fruitball?"

"It is like...oh, what was it called, now...soccer, I believe, but with fruits. I played a few games with her. She is quite good at the sport. But, um, I digress." Terra cleared her throat. "She told me stories of what she had done since retiring. Ziplining, jungle tours, snorkeling...she was discovering all sorts of new activities each and every day. But she also told me of all the joyous times she had with her former subjects, and how the burden of being uptight became hard to bear."

Sunny's eyes widened, her brain absorbing every word Terra said, but drowsiness soon overtook her.

"Princess Luna was much the same way. It took a lesson from Twilight Sparkle on one Nightmare Night for her to learn how to have fun with her subjects after her freedom from the Nightmare's influence, but even so, she preferred more low-key activities, such as seeing theater productions and relaxing at the spa. She, too, told me stories of what she had been up to during retirement...oh, the movie plots she used to spoil." Terra couldn't help but chuckle. "But you see, like her sister, Princess Luna also had to uphold the burden of being a leader, and that meant she was often unintentionally intimidating to other ponies because she was not used to interacting with her subjects."

Now it was Izzy's turn to widen her eyes, as she too hung onto every word of her mentor's. However, like Sunny, she also began to grow exhausted.

"Both of you are free to enjoy the activities you once enjoyed prior to becoming alicorns. But you should always remember that there is a time for work, and there is a time for play." Using her wing, Terra stroked the manes of both Sunny and Izzy, causing their eyes to begin drooping suddenly. "I will always support you every step of the way, no matter what you do, and no matter where you go. Please do not forget that."

It didn't take more than a couple seconds for both fillies to fall soundly asleep. A smile forming on her maw, Terra grabbed them in her magical aura and took them upstairs.

As she tucked Izzy into her bed, Terra couldn't help but eye the various crafts the filly had been working on that were sitting on the table. Some of them looked to be a work-in-progress, but others appeared to be completed. One in particular appeared to have gemstones embedded into it, which shone radiantly in the sunlight.

A loud snore startled her, and she quickly whirled her head back to find that the filly she had tucked in was now starting to snore from her fatigue. Smiling once more, she took Sunny and closed the door.

Upon tucking Sunny into her bed, Terra eyed the skates that laid next to it, grabbing one in her magical aura and examining it. These would have been great to have when I was younger...to be able to see the sights of Equestria by riding on roller skates... She didn't have roller skates growing up, but looking at them now, they certainly looked fun to use.

She set the skate down and left the room, letting Sunny rest and allowing both her and Izzy to take the day off from training. Whatever Earth pony magic training they had to do could wait a day, she figured.

Soft wingbeats were the only sound she heard as she flew downstairs and went outside, settling down in the fields and basking in the warmth of the sun.

They will grow up to be good princesses, indeed.

A Surprising Pre-Journey Visit

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As time passed, Sunny and Izzy began to grow, in both strength and in physical appearance. The pair were already naturals at magic as fillies, but their magic only served to get stronger as they grew bigger. Although there were times when they had arguments, they always managed to reconcile in the end.

Likewise, Terra made sure to tell them all sorts of stories about Ancient Equestria -- if not for Sunny's benefit, than for Izzy's. From the lunar imprisonment of Princess Luna, to every baddie that the Guardians of Harmony had to fight, to Terra's own experiences with visiting such kingdoms as Griffonstone and Abyssinia, they learned it all and made sure to remember it.

As for Sunny's and Izzy's parents, on the other hoof...

Astral kicked the final mound of dirt onto the grave, a sigh leaving him as he looked at the mound of brown that stuck out amongst a field of white flowers. He held a hoof to his heart, not bothering to fight the tears that welled up in his eyes.

With his other hoof, he grabbed a couple flowers and laid them on the grave.

"Stella..."

His voice was but a whisper, dancing on the soft breeze. Tears began to cascade down his face, and he folded his ears down as he let them fall.

Like Argyle, he too held out for his daughter's return, but very soon, he decided that enough was enough. Unlike his wife, however, he was going to "the edge of the daisy fields" to visit Izzy, not to bring her home.

Sadly, as much as he chased Stella shortly after her sudden departure -- if not to find her, then to somehow run into his daughter -- he could never quite catch up to her.

Until he did. And came across one of the worst surprises of his life.

As he looked straight ahead of him, he forced himself to move. I hope Izzy hasn't suffered the same fate as Stella...what'll I even tell her, if she's alive?

No. No time for answering that question. I have to find her, no matter what it takes. Stella may have starved herself to death looking for her, but I won't.

Please don't worry, my little Izzy. I'm coming for you.

A slow march turned into a slow trot, and then to a full-on gallop as he sped away from his wife's grave and headed straight.

Most ponies knew him. They were often wary of his preachings about all three kinds of ponies once living in unity, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with him nor his knowledge. Of course, the same also went for his daughter, in spite of her being a filly -- there was a reason she didn't have many friends.

He tried many times over to convince his fellow citizens, but each time, it was to no avail. Either he was overwhelmingly booed off of whatever makeshift stage he had created, or nopony bothered to give him even a second of their time and simply went about their daily lives. However, he never gave up hope -- after all, if he couldn't convince them, then perhaps his daughter would be able to.

But even they didn't turn their back on a pony in need. Especially if their needs were dire.

And especially if said pony was but a mere colt.

"Somepony, please help! We need a doctor, stat!"

As Sunny and Izzy were eating some toast with eggs, Terra came down the stairs, a yawn parting from her jaws. "Good morning." she mumbled sleepily.

"Mornin', Terra!"

"Good morning!" Sunny nearly coughed through her mouthful of toast, and swallowed before she continued to speak. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine." Another yawn racked Terra's body and made its way forth. "When I wake up a little more, I have something I would like to discuss with you two."

"All righty!" Izzy chomped on her toast, chewing noisily as she watched the older alicorn walk into the kitchen and immediately go for the tin of coffee in the pantry.

Once Terra settled down with her coffee, she got to explaining.

"Both of you have trained with me for many years. You have studied, learned, and mastered the magic of all three pony kinds. You have traveled with me to various Equestrian cities to retrieve crucial items, food, and other necessities. And now..."

She took a deep breath.

"It is time for you to find the other three saviors."

Sunny and Izzy shared a surprised glance.

"I do not know where these other saviors might be. But I trust that you will be able to find them, form a bond of friendship with them, and bring magic back to Equestria."

"I, um..." Sunny fiddled with a string that was poking out of the couch she was sitting on. "I think I might know where one savior is."

"You do?" Izzy asked. "Who is it?"

"My fillyhood friend. Hitch Trailblazer." Sunny explained. "He lives back in Maretime Bay. He has such a good and kind heart, and he's always helping other ponies whenever he was able to. He was...the only friend I had when I was a filly."

Izzy nodded, as though understanding. She herself never had any friends to speak of, but she knew all too well what it was like when nopony supported you no matter what you said or what you did.

"If we find him, a-and meet up with him again, maybe he could help us find the other two saviors!" Sunny could hear her voice crack slightly, but forced herself to keep it under control.

Terra tapped a hoof to her chin. "I see. He does sound like a good pony."

"He is!"

The alicorn smiled. "I will not stop either of you from identifying the other saviors. If you believe Hitch is one of them, Sunny, then by all means."

Sunny couldn't help but give an excited squeal, stomping her hooves on the couch as her body was filled with a rush of emotion at the thought of seeing Hitch again. It's been so long...I never even got to say goodbye to him as much as I got to say goodbye to my dad, thanks to my magic getting in the way. But now, we can reunite, and restore magic back to him, and the rest of the ponies of Equestria!

A blush crept into her cheeks as she blissfully ignored Izzy asking Terra a question, followed by Terra giving an answer and shaking her head.

"All right. Now that both of you have full stomachs, why-"

A knock on the door interrupted her. Three heads each swiveled to stare at the door, eyes widened out of both curiosity and fear.

"Stay back, both of you!" Terra warned. "I will answer the door."

Slowly, her hooves took her to the wooden door. Her heartbeat accelerated with every step, and she couldn't help but warm up her horn by wrapping it in her lustrous blue aura.

Her magic gripped the door handle, and it turned. She almost felt like she was going to pass out with how fast her heart was beating.

Silence fell across the entire scene. An Earth pony with an oak-brown coat and a blonde mane and tail stood at the door.

Izzy's eyes began to water as she hopped off of the couch and trotted to Terra's side.

"Dad?"

"Izzy."

Father and daughter both stood there for what seemed like moons, gazing at each other, the daughter's eyes full of relief and longing and the father's eyes full of pain and grief.

Finally, Izzy moved to hug her dad, wrapping her front legs around him and holding him as tight as she could. He, in return, did the same thing, tears cascading down both of their faces as they began to sob.

"I will assume you are Izzy's father?" Terra asked, a small smile forming on her maw as she watched the reunion.

"I am." Astral Crown responded, his voice cracking as he continued to embrace his daughter with a loving hug.

Seeing the reunion made Sunny think about her own father. I wonder if he's okay...I know he's waiting for me to come back. And I want to come back, so badly. Just wait, Dad, okay? Aside from that brief thought, she pushed her emotions to the side, however -- as much as she missed her dad, Izzy's reunion with her own dad was more important at the moment.

Finally, the two ponies broke their embrace.

"Please, feel free to come inside." Terra, feeling much more relieved, went into the living room and allowed Astral to come in. He followed her, taking in the sights of the tree that his daughter had so lovingly called her home.

"Would you like some coffee, um..."

"Astral Crown. But please, just call me Astral." the stallion responded. "I would love some coffee. Dark, with a couple sugar cubes in it, if you have any."

Terra nodded and went into the kitchen, allowing him and Izzy to have some time with each other (mostly) alone.

"So this is where you've been living all these years. This is 'the edge of the daisy fields'."

"Yup! Terra's been helping me to hone all my new magic. I've gotten soooooo good at it, Dad! I can levitate things, and fly, and even grow plants just by stomping my hooves on the ground!"

"And...Terra is..."

"She's an alicorn, like me. She has the traits and abilities of all three kinds of ponies. Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns too, of course!" Izzy explained. "Her story's kinda long, though..."

"And who's your friend here?"

Sunny opened her mouth to speak, but whatever words she was going to say were taken out of her mouth by Izzy. "Sunny Starscout! She's an alicorn too! I told Mom about her, but I dunno if she told you..."

"Hmm. Well, it's nice to meet you, Sunny." Astral smiled. "I see you've become good friends with my Izzy."

"Yeah. We're like two peas in a pod! Being with Izzy is a lot of fun."

Astral couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, Dad...where's Mom? Did she come too? How's she been doing?"

The chuckling stopped.

The mood of the room suddenly turned dark and ominous, and Terra could certainly feel it as she walked into the living room, levitating a hot cup of coffee. As she passed it to Astral for him to take in his hooves, a heavy sigh left him.

"Izzy...I'm..." The stallion set the cup down beside him, struggling to find the best way to word his explanation. Eventually, he decided to cut right to the chase.

Izzy is a full-grown mare now. She's no longer a filly, Astral. She can handle the truth.

He took a deep breath.

"Izzy...your mother ran off to find you shortly after we received Terra's letter. I chased after her, but I couldn't catch up to her. At least..."

Izzy's eyes widened.

"Until I did."

The alicorn's eyes darted back and forth slightly, trying to figure out what her dad meant. When the realization hit her, however, it felt like the weight of the entire population of Bridlewood slamming into her all at once. Her orchid eyes became misty as she fixated her gaze towards one spot on the floor.

"I'm sorry, Izzy. She was suffering for such a long time, but I certainly didn't think she would die of starvation and dehydration the way she did."

Sunny held a hoof to her mouth in shock. Likewise, Terra's eyes widened. Neither one of them said anything, though, only glancing at Izzy with worry written all over their faces.

It felt like hours before Izzy finally worked up the courage to say something, anything, in response. "Where...did she die?" she asked, her voice only but a whisper.

"I can take you to her grave, if you'd like."

Izzy glanced at Terra, who only gave her a single nod of approval. With that, the younger alicorn got up and followed her father out of the house.

Sunny's ears folded down, and she too looked at the floor.

"Sunny? Is something wrong?" Terra asked, breaking the heavy silence that hung over the room like a thick black storm cloud.

"It's...my dad. I want to make sure he's okay. He probably misses me a lot."

"I am quite sure he does." Terra took a sip of her coffee. "Is he coming to visit as well?"

"Not that I know of. I don't even remember receiving any letters from him...and I was so focused on my studies and trying to be a good future ruler of Equestria that I hardly sent him any!" Sunny's voice began to crack. "I just...I don't...I-"

"Shh. Do not say anything further, Sunny. When you arrive in Maretime Bay, you may go and see your father at your own discretion." Terra soothed. "Izzy's mother was a special case. From the looks of it, she had been suffering from something for years -- perhaps a hidden illness of sorts."

"Dad didn't have any illnesses. He seemed perfectly fine when I left him!"

"I am sure he is fine." Terra immediately bit her lip, realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to say if she had no clue of Sunny's father's fate. "But if, for some reason, he is not, then by all means...please take however long you need to in order to grieve."

"But finding the other-"

"Your father's death, if it has occurred, will always take a backseat to finding the other two saviors, Sunny."

Neither one of them said anything for a long time after that. The room felt devoid of life, even moreso without Izzy's constant enthusiasm to liven things up.

Finally, Sunny got off of the couch. "I'm gonna go up to my room and...maybe get some sleep."

"That is fine. I will be going out to retrieve some more groceries later on, so do not be alarmed by my disappearance, all right?"

"I won't."

Terra listened to the slow plodding of her protege's hooves on the wooden stairs, suddenly developing a sinking feeling in her heart as she remembered the loss of Princess Twilight and how Equestria never quite returned to the way it used to be after her passing. Although she continued with her duties, grief still weighed on her, and made its home in the deep chambers of her heart even after she froze herself. Sometimes, she wished that she had learned a resurrection spell, to bring the Princess and all five of her friends back from the dead. But bringing back somepony from the dead wasn't always a good idea -- at least, that was the conclusion she had come to after lots of thinking.

She levitated her cup of coffee up to her lips and took another sip, this time a much larger one than the previous ones. Whatever effects the harmful drug commonly known as "caffeine" was known to do to ponies were absolute no-sells with her today. She went to the window, hopping up onto the ledge and laying down. A heavy sigh left her as she watched the world go by, with the flowers lightly swaying in the breeze and the creatures of Equestria living their lives to the fullest both on the ground and in the air.

It was about the only thing she felt like doing at the moment. Whatever happiness had lingered following her sendoff of Sunny and Izzy on their journey was completely crushed.

A mound of dirt came into Izzy's line of vision. She immediately ran to it, eyeing the lone flower that had been placed on the makeshift grave.

"This was where I found her." Astral explained as he approached the grave. "I wanted to bury her in Bridlewood, but I was too far from home. So I decided to bury her here."

Izzy bit her lip as she felt tears pricking at her eyes. With a choking sob, she allowed them to fall, laying down and burying her face in her hooves. Astral didn't say a word, instead rubbing a hoof along his daughter's back as his crimson gaze settled on the grave.

The pair stayed like that for a very long time, until Izzy got back up into a sitting position and found the will to say a few parting words.

"Mom...I don't have any regrets in running away from home, but if I knew this was what it was gonna come to, then I would have stayed ho-" A bolt of pain ricocheting through her heart stopped her, and she held a hoof to her chest, slightly quaking at the reaction. With a sigh, she continued. "I wish you could've seen me. I'm so good at unicorn magic now, and Pegasus flight, and Earth pony magic too. Maybe I could have..."

She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"Magic wouldn't have cured what she was going through, sweetie." Astral soothed. "Don't you remember? All the times we advised her to seek help, only for her to refuse?"

Izzy, although not wanting to admit to it, nodded anyway.

"'You can't help somepony who doesn't want to help themselves.' It's an old saying that runs in the family. Try as hard as you might, if somepony refuses help, then you can't help them anymore. It's only up to them to come to their senses and admit the truth." Astral gave a heavy sigh. Although there wasn't anypony in Bridlewood who could've helped her, anyway, he wanted to say, but forced himself to keep his mouth shut, knowing that would only upset Izzy further.

As she looked towards Astral, Izzy nodded again. "I...I understand, Dad. It's a good moral, I think." Her gaze swiveled back to Stella's grave. "Mom, please just know this. I miss you. I'll miss you each and every single day. Each of the crafts I make will be made with you in mind. And...I'll always think of you. You'll be in my heart, okay?"

The last sentence made Astral smile. She still loves her uni-cycling, after all these years...

Izzy stood up and picked a flower from the field, using her magic to levitate it onto her mother's grave, right next to her father's flower. A small smile graced her maw as she turned to her father once more.

"Dad, let's go back home."

As she walked past him, Astral briefly watched her begin to leave, before forcing his hooves to move once more as he followed her.

The sound of hooves descending the stairs caused Terra to wake up from her sudden and rather impromptu sleep. A yawn left her body as she turned to spot Sunny, roller skates caught in her orange magic aura.

"Are you going out?"

Sunny only nodded before she sat down and began putting the skates on her hooves without a single word spoken. Whatever nap she had taken -- if she had taken one at all -- didn't seem to help, Terra noted. But she did know that Sunny loved to rollerskate. Perhaps that would help ease her worries.

With another yawn spilling out, Terra left the window ledge and took a seat on the couch, turning on the television and using it as idle background noise as she telekinetically grabbed a book from the bookshelf and began reading it. The reminder of going grocery shopping still lingered in her mind, but she ignored it for the time being.

Meanwhile, Sunny got right to it, pushing with her front leg and allowing the wind to guide her as she splayed out her wings. No matter how many times her hooves took her around and around the lengthy pathway, however, she couldn't shake the feeling that something with her dad...was off.

Maybe it's just the death of Izzy's mother. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. Maybe Dad's fine. Maybe he's not fine. Maybe he's sick. Maybe he's injured. Maybe he's dea-

A stumble brought her back to her senses, and she once again collided with the ground. This time, it wasn't a rock that caused her downfall, but rather, it was a wheel with rusted metal that was moving about as well as one on a rusty, ten-year-old shopping cart. She sighed, not bothering to get up as soon as she did the last time she fell.

Maybe...when Izzy returns, we should leave for Maretime Bay. Maybe I shouldn't do that, since she needs time to grieve over the loss of her mom.

Maybe I'll be selfish if I drag her along with me.

She stayed in the dirt for a long time, all the "maybe's" floating around in her head as she felt something cascading down her face.

By the time she did another round on the pathway and returned home, Izzy and her father had already returned home themselves, as they sat on the couch and watched TV.

"Where's Terra?" the orange-furred alicorn asked, knowing that she was asking a rhetorical question but not finding the will to stop herself.

"She said she had to go and get some food." Izzy responded. "What's wrong, Sunny?"

"I'm..."

Her gaze drifted to Astral Crown, who tilted his head in confusion and wore an expression of concern.

"I'll tell you later."

"Okay." Izzy shrugged nonchalantly.

The rest of the day moved in a rather agonizing manner for Sunny. Normally, her days were filled with training, rollerskating, or heading out into town. But now? She just felt...bored. She didn't feel like doing much of anything, or really going anywhere. Not even the sun's shining rays had any effect on her.

Eventually, Terra returned with bags in hoof, stuffed to the brim with fresh ingredients, some non-perishable canned food, and some snacks. Her mood hadn't improved any, and the very first thing she did when she got home -- after putting the groceries away, of course -- was dig into an entire tub of chocolate ice cream. "Bored eating", as they so called it.

By the time dusk rolled around, Sunny made her way downstairs, having spent hours holed up in her room. She was surprised to see Izzy in the kitchen, seemingly gathering ingredients for something. "Izzy?"

"In heeee-eeeeeere!" Izzy called in singsong, levitating a small canister and adding it to the floating pile of ingredients.

"Can you come with me? Outside? We have to lower the sun and raise the moon. And...we need to talk."

Izzy nearly dropped the items she was holding. Luckily, she managed to place them on the countertop for the time being so she wouldn't create such a mess. Once that disaster was averted, she made her way out of the kitchen and nodded to Sunny.

"Okey-dokey, let's talk."

Once the sun was lowered and the moon was raised, Izzy and Sunny laid down in the grass, the former working her magic to bring the stars out for another night of play.

"Izzy..." Sunny hesitated for a moment, a heavy sigh leaving her body. "I want to leave for Maretime Bay first thing tomorrow."

"Huh? Why? I was thinking we could go to Zephyr Heights first, honestly. Maybe they might have some clues!"

"Seeing your dad, a-and you learning of your mom's death...it made me worried about my dad. I want to see him and make sure he's okay." Sunny explained. "I want to reunite with him after so many years spent away from home. And, on a lesser note...I want to reunite with Hitch, too."

"Really?

Sunny nodded. "I really want to go with you, Izzy. You're my best friend. Can you please come with me?"

Izzy briefly hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. "Of course I will! After all, we should look everywhere for the other three saviors, right? And it really wouldn't hurt to check Maretime Bay!"

"Are...you sure? I don't want you to go if you don't want to. I-I mean you're still grieving, aren't you?"

"I'll be fine. Even if she didn't let me go to the edge of the daisy fields, and even though she was super-duper sick, my mom will always hold a special place in my heart." Izzy held a hoof to her chest. "I can see her, you know. Up there."

She extended her other hoof towards one particular star that seemed to twinkle brighter than all of the other ones. Sunny blinked twice, to make sure that the star wasn't playing some kind of trick on her eyes. But indeed, its light was nearly blinding.

"She'll always be watching over me. I know it and feel it. And if your dad is..." Izzy trailed off, not wanting to say anything further. She simply swept her hoof across the sky, hoping that Sunny would pick up on her drift.

If I find out he's dead...then he will always be up there, watching me, too. A small smile crept onto Sunny's maw. Between the warm rays of the sunlight and the twinkling calm of the stars, he'll always be there.

"I see that smile!" Izzy giggled. "Did I cheer ya up?"

"Yes. Yes you did. Thank you so much." The words danced on the Princess of the Sun's lips, and she couldn't help but begin to cry. She sat up, and using her magic, she lifted Izzy and embraced her in a hug, which the other alicorn happily returned once she processed what was going on.

The two friends returned home after about a half-hour of stargazing, hearing their stomachs rumble as they became hungry for dinner.

"Hey, what were you doing with all those ingredients earlier?" Sunny asked.

"Oh, those? I was gonna try and use them for my next uni-cycled craft!" Izzy chirped. "I dunno what I'm gonna make yet...but it's gonna be fantastic!"

Sunny simply shook her head. Typical Izzy...always making last-minute, mish-mosh crafts. She followed Izzy as she skipped into the house and went straight for the kitchen, not seeing any sign of Terra.

"Oh yeah, Izzy?"

"Hm?"

Sunny smiled, this time bigger and more genuine.

"Allow me to make dinner tonight. What do you want?"

Izzy's eyes shone, and she laughed giddily.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

Off to Maretime Bay

View Online

As they flew, they raised the sun and lowered the moon in complete harmony.

And as they flew, they marked a new day in Equestria and a fresh start to their journey to a place that one of them knew well.

Maretime Bay.

A peaceful and quiet seaside town populated solely by Earth ponies, Maretime Bay was a relatively simple place. Ponies went about their daily, albeit magic-less, lives, seeming much more distant than the Princess of the Sun had seen them when she was a filly. In that way, the town felt devoid of...something, although it was hard to place what, exactly.

The two princesses easily transformed into their Earth pony forms and landed near the bridge that covered the tram tracks below, Izzy looking around at all the places and ponies with her eyes shimmering brightly.

"Whoa, so cool!"

As she was admiring the town, Sunny looked around in an attempt to find her father, or perhaps Hitch himself. What she saw, however, were downtrodden expressions and hushed, moody conversations. She made her way over to where a mare and a stallion were talking, making sure to assume a position where it wasn't obvious she was eavesdropping.

"I just can't believe he died. He seemed like a healthy pony...even if he did live isolated." the mare said.

"And without his daughter, too. She went missing years ago and hasn't even been seen since. Didn't even bother to come back for her dad."

A pit slowly, ever so slowly, began forming in Sunny's stomach. She suddenly couldn't bear to hear anymore, and without thinking, she made herself known.

"E-excuse me?"

The mare and the stallion turned to look at her.

"Could you tell me where I can find Hitch Trailblazer?"

Both ponies exchanged odd glances. "He's at the police station." The stallion extended a hoof and pointed to the place that Sunny was very familiar with.

"Thank you very much!" the disguised alicorn said, before darting off towards where Izzy was standing in front of a bakery.

"Sunny! Uh, I mean, Dicey Roll!" Izzy waved her over. "Look. At. This. Bakery. Ooh, it smells so gooooood! We should go inside!"

"You can go inside if you want." Sunny glanced towards the police station. "I need to go and see somepony."

"Okay! Meetcha in a bit!" Singing a happy ditty, Izzy made her way inside the store.

With trembling legs, Sunny slowly made her way towards the Maretime Bay Police Station. It looked the same as it always was, which is something that both surprised her and didn't surprise her given the lack of magic.

She pushed open the door, only to find nopony there.

"H-hello?" she called out nervously, suddenly feeling a chill run down her spine that certainly wasn't helped by the gloomy atmosphere outside. Her hooves took her around the station, with no luck.

After circling the room a few times, she sat down and sighed. He's probably out. Unless he... She shook her head. No, of course he's not. Hitch is a strong pony. Even with magic gone, he'll still live his life like he always has.

But what if-

"Hello?"

Sunny gasped, and she whirled around to see a rather familiar sight standing in the doorway. The light-saffron fur, the moderate-saffron eyes, the mane that was just the most wondrous mix of aquamarine and arctic blue...there was no doubt about it. Even as a full-grown stallion, she could still recognize him clear as day.

"H-h-Hitch...?"

"Uh, yes? That's me! The one and only!" Hitch chuckled. "Can I help you, ma'am?"

Sunny became paralyzed with indecisiveness. What do I say?! On the one hoof, I can't expose myself and tell him I'm an alicorn until I know he's one of the saviors. But on the other hoof, I want to show him my real form and ask about my dad...

Finally, after what seemed like moons, she shook her head vigorously. "S-sorry about that! Um, y-yes, I was hoping you could help me figure out what happened to...Argyle Starshine?"

The color drained from Hitch's face, and he suddenly avoided eye contact with her, his gaze moving to the ground as he kicked it with his hoof.

The pit grew bigger.

"He, um..." Hitch shook his head. "I'm sorry, do you two know each other?"

Yes, we do! I'm his daughter! her mind screamed, although what came out of her mouth was much different. "Yes. He was a dear friend of mine. I had, um, gone on vacation away from Maretime Bay, and everypony seems so distant..."

The stallion's eyes shimmered with sadness and grief.

"He died."

He died.

Hediedhediedhediedhediedhedied-

Her mind completely shut down. Any sense of rationality she had went completely out the window. Her body began to quiver.

"He dropped to the ground in Town Square. I took him to the hospital...t-the doctors said it was a stroke..."

A stroke.

Astrokeastrokeastrokeastrokeastroke-

"I'm really sorry."

Sunny grit her teeth, and then let out a scream. A scream that rocketed through the police station, blew the doors open, and echoed both inside and outside.

Her transformation slowly became undone.

Her wings appeared, followed by her horn, and then, the rest of her true form began to take shape.

Within a few minutes, the form of Sunny Starscout stood before Hitch. He became paralyzed with a wave of emotions -- shock, fear, panic, confusion. All he could hear was his own heartbeat, his brain not even fully registering the shaking and sobbing form of the pony who was once his fillyhood friend. He wasn't sure what to focus on first.

Sunny Starscout?!

B-but she has wings! And a horn!

She's an alicorn?!

Who was that pony I was just speaking to?

What in Equestria is happening?!

The two ponies remained in their current states for a long, long time. Sounds came out of Hitch's mouth, feeble attempts to form words that would somehow communicate his reaction to the reveal in a relatively sane manner. His ears picked up the muffled sounds of ponies outside, some panicked, others concerned, most racing for the police station to get answers.

"Hitch, what's going o-"

The mare who had spoken could only stare at the pony who was a mess of tears and emotions, shuddering on the floor with her hooves covering her face. Hitch slowly pivoted his head and stared at the crowd of Maretime Bay residents who were now standing outside of the station.

Surprised murmurs began to fill the air.

"Is that Sunny? Sunny Starscout?"

"What is she doing here?"

"Forget about that for right now, look at her wings and horn!"

"Was this her true form all along?!"

A pony with red fur and a blonde mane pushed his way through the crowd. "'Scuse me, deputy comin' through!" he called, making his way inside with great effort and with a bag of pastries in his hoof.

His eyes drifted to Sunny.

And he screamed.

Luckily, Hitch snapped out of his stupor just in time to clap a hoof over his mouth and shut him up. "Sprout, don't."

The deputy pointed a hoof at the emotional alicorn mare and attempted to fire a flurry of angry words that only served to be muffled by the hoof of his fellow police officer in his mouth.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Sunny stopped her crying for a brief moment as her ears picked up the voice of Izzy, bouncing up and down in order to get a good look. Eventually, the disguised alicorn mare shunted her way through, landing gracefully in the police station. "Sorry about that!" she called to the crowd.

Her head swiveled around to survey the situation, and she gasped. "Sunny?"

"Do...you two know each other?" Hitch asked.

Forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be disguised, Izzy blinked. "U-um...yes! I, uhh...I grew up in this town when I was a filly, yeah! And I knew Sunny preeeetty well."

"Then how come I've never seen you before?" Hitch removed his hoof from Sprout's mouth and made his way over to the Earth pony, pacing in circles around her and eyeing her up and down.

"Yeah...I've never seen you before, either!" Sprout chimed in. "Who are you?"

"M-M-Moon Flower!"

Hitch and Sprout both exchanged glances, the emotion in them of which Izzy was unable to place.

"Stay there." Hitch ordered after a minute or so had passed, turning to Sunny and sitting down beside her.

"What are you doing?! Don't touch her! She could be dangerous!"

"Sunny?"

A couple sobs wracked Sunny's body as she slowly tried to sit up. Her bloodshot aquamarine eyes stared at Hitch, then at Sunny, then at the disguised form of Izzy, then at the crowd of clamoring ponies, before closing slowly. She gave a heavy sigh.

"My disguise came undone, didn't it?"

She couldn't see it, but she could feel Hitch, Sprout, and Izzy all nodding.

"Hitch...is it true? D-did...Dad really die?"

"Yes." he said. "I speak the truth, Sunny."

The alicorn gave a few more sobs, gritting her teeth together and feeling the tears stream down her face, with all the elegance of a small flowing river.

Izzy, meanwhile, looked at her hooves. Should I reveal myself, too? she thought, before glancing at the crowd of ponies. I wanna help Sunny, but if I expose myself...

These ponies haven't seen an alicorn before, either...have they?

She trotted to Sunny's side and sat down beside her. "Um...Hitch, was it?" she said. "Could you close the blinds and, uh...close the doors?"

"I'll do it." Sprout raised a hoof before turning and doing as he was asked, giving some reassuring words to the crowd before slamming the doors and lowering the blinds so that they completely obscured the ponies outside.

"Sunny, I won't talk about your dad's death until you're ready, okay?" Hitch said. "Again, I'm really sorry. I know how much you loved him, and I know how much he loved you."

Pain continued to grip the alicorn's heart. She wanted to give another anguished scream, but she didn't have the energy to.

A long time passed before Sunny was able to utter out another word.

"Hitch..." She sniffled. "I want to explain everything."

"Go ahead. I'm listening."

Through a cracked voice and a broken heart, she told her fillyhood friend every detail she could encounter -- about meeting Izzy, about her ascension, about her magic taking her far from home, about meeting Terra, about spending years mastering all three aspects of her magic. With each topic she shifted to, she could feel energy being sapped from her, just a little bit at a time. And at the end of it all, she felt like sleeping the entire rest of the day away, to recuperate and try to meet her dad in her dreams if she couldn't do it in the waking world.

Sprout watched on with a disgusted and horrified look on his face. Hitch, on the other hoof, was completely shocked, but far more sympathetic. A load of questions swirled in his mind that he desperately wanted answered, and he glanced at the pony who had dubbed herself "Moon Flower".

"Huh? What's up? Something on my face?" Izzy reached into hammerspace and pulled out a mirror, her eyes widening when she found out why Hitch was looking at her the way that he was. "Oh. Whoopsie! My bad."

Closing her eyes, she allowed her true form to show, extra appendages and all.

"So you really are an alicorn..." he breathed.

"Yup! I used to be a little ol' unicorn living in Bridlewood, but I ascended along with Sunny and became...the Princess of the Night!"

"Bridlewood?"

Izzy nodded enthusiastically.

"Huh. Never met anypony from Bridlewood before." he mused.

"Sunny, are you feeling okay? Maybe we should..." Izzy trailed off, wanting to suggest that they go to Sunny's home before realizing that probably wasn't the best place for her to be at the moment.

"Izzy." Sunny put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "You want to take me home, don't you? Back to the lighthouse?"

"Well, I..." Izzy faltered, but nodded. "Yes. You look so tired. Maybe a nap will do you some good!"

"Maybe."

Izzy turned to Hitch. "Hey, Hitch, can you calm down the ponies outside? And you too, uh...Sprout."

Sprout instinctively shook his head. A deep slicing glare from Hitch, however, brought him to his senses, and he reluctantly made his way to the double doors, where the crowd was still raging outside. He could spot his mother, eyeing the crowd with suspicion, and began to go into a sweat.

"Citizens!" Hitch called out the second he opened the doors. "Please, calm down!"

The crowd continued to clamor.

"CALM DOWN! THAT'S AN ORDER FROM YOUR SHERIFF!"

Immediately, the noise died down.

"Thank you." Hitch cleared his throat. "Now, don't be alarmed. It's just a little...station mishap."

"But I saw two alicorns in there!" one pony said, causing everyone's eyes to widen.

"I-it's a costume! Just a costume. Don't worry." Sprout waved a dismissive hoof. "Please just go back to whatever you were doing. There is no threat to the general public! I repeat, there is no threat to the general public!"

The crowd murmured. Some ponies were hesitant, but others were convinced and decided to depart from the crowd.

"It's our job to keep Maretime Bay safe and free from harm. If we're in danger, then we'll know, and we'll deal with it." he said to the hesitant ponies.

"Oh? You don't say."

A familiar but sickening voice cut through the tension, and an Earth pony mare with light peach-colored fur and a blonde mane and tail stepped forward.

"I know what I saw in there. Two alicorns, wings and horns and all. Don't tell me you just so happened to invite them here?"

Hitch bit back a groan. "No, Phyllis, I didn't invite them here."

"So there are alicorns in there?!" one pony shouted. This caused whomever was left of the crowd to begin clamoring, and ponies in the immediate vicinity to take notice.

"I don't plan on getting killed by alicorns today, Sheriff." Phyllis spat. "But if you want to take your time in getting rid of them, then fine by me. It will be good business for Canterlogic."

"Honestly, Mom. Everypony in Maretime Bay is getting sick and tired of your ramblings."

"Oh? The sales I make beg to differ, my little pony." Phyllis chuckled. "Alicorns are brutal and murderous creatures. They don't belong here. It's just such a shame Hitch couldn't see that...I blame Scarlet."

"My mom has nothing to do with this. Leave her out of this conversation!" Hitch could feel his levels of rage rising with each sentence he put out, his eyes blazing with a fire of malice and determination.

Which only proved to get worse when Phyllis gave a noblemare's laugh. "If you say so." She turned hoof and made her way back towards the Canterlogic factory.

"Hitch, answer us! There are alicorns inside the station, aren't there?!" one pony in the crowd cried out, which seemed to snap the sheriff out of his anger.

He shook his head to clear his mind, then hesitantly nodded. "Yes. There are."

He winced at the gasps and murmurs that rippled through the crowd.

"They're going to eat us!"

"I don't want my essence stolen!"

"Maretime Bay is doomed for destruction!"

"Everypony, listen!" Sprout stomped his hoof on the ground a few times, making the crowd fall silent. "Yes, alicorns are here in Maretime Bay. But don't worry. As ponies who uphold the peace, both Hitch and I will keep all of you safe. We will make them leave as soon as possible."

"And Sunny is an alicorn too?!"

"Yes." Hitch nodded. "Unfortunately, that means we will have to make her leave too. Rest assured that we will work as hard as we can to resolve this situation."

The rest of the crowd dispersed, ponies muttering amongst each other. Hitch couldn't understand what they were saying, but he got a feeling that some ponies were doubting him and Sprout.

With the station's doorway no longer obstructed, both stallions could safely get Sunny and Izzy to the former's lighthouse home.

Upon stepping inside, Sunny's eyes widened. Hardly anything had changed since she left, aside from her dad's research room which was littered with a lot more papers and books than before. Even her room was left intact.

"So this is where you live?" Izzy asked. "Fancy-schmancy! Though not as fancy-schmancy as my house."

"It's nothing special." Sunny said. "But, um...thanks for taking me home, Hitch, Sprout. Maybe we could talk tomorrow, when I'm feeling better?"

"Of course. Just remember, you're welcome here in Maretime Bay whether you're an alicorn or an Earth pony."

"Thanks."

Hitch frowned, noting that the smile his fillyhood friend gave him wasn't genuine. He hated seeing Sunny in such a state of misery, even moreso that he couldn't do anything about it at this very moment.

"Can I stay, too?"

Hitch and Sprout nodded. "Any friend of Sunny Starscout is a friend of ours. What did you say your name was again?"

"Izzy Moonbow. Princess Izzy Moonbow, if you wanna be formal, but Izzy's just fine!" Izzy said. "And your names?"

"Hitch Trailblazer."

"Sprout Cloverleaf." Sprout nodded. "Nice to meet you."

"Samesies!"

"If you want a tour of Maretime Bay, I'm happy to give you one. But I'd suggest you transform into...uh...that disguise you had on. 'Moon Flower'." Hitch suggested. "Not everypony knows you're an alicorn. This way, you won't draw attention to yourself."

Izzy nodded. "Sure!" With her horn alight, she changed back into her Earth pony form. "Can we start now?"

Sprout couldn't help but chuckle at her high energy, nodding in response to her query. "Let's go."

The disguised alicorn began humming a ditty as she bounced her way out of Sunny's house, Hitch and Sprout both following suit and giving each other knowing smiles.

A few minutes into the tour, Izzy had excused herself, saying that she needed to go to the bathroom. With this excuse, it gave her free reign to help her alicorn friend.

Making sure nopony was around to see her, she ducked into a dark and lonesome alleyway and transformed into her alicorn form, letting her horn blaze alight once more.

Sunny awoke in a landscape that had about the same color and texture as cotton candy. She knew right away that she was in a dream, and eagerly looked around. "Dad?" she called, her eyes shimmering with hope.

No response.

But after a few seconds had passed, a pony began to materialize.

It was hard to see through the thick haze that bound the clouds together, and so she couldn't see who exactly was arriving in her dream.

"Sunny-bunny."

That nickname...she knew it all too well.

Tears began to form in her eyes, and she felt her throat close up as her father stepped forth and broke free of the haze. His loving smile, relaxed posture, and warm eyes felt so genuine that it was like he, as an alive pony, had found some way to enter Sunny's dream.

She choked back a sob and immediately ran to him, burying her face in his chest and sobbing with all of her heart. As much as she tried to find the words to say to him, only sobs of grief, of shock, of sadness came out. The alicorn cried into his chest for a very long time, and he simply sat and allowed her to get her feelings out, rubbing a hoof along her back for comfort.

When Sunny stopped crying, she lifted her head up and looked at her dad. His kind expression almost made her want to start sobbing again, but she forced herself to hold it together -- after all, who knew when she would get an opportunity like this again?

"D-dad..." She sniffled. "I'm...so sorry. I should have come back soon. I never should have gone with Terra, I should have stayed with you!"

"Nonsense." Argyle shook his head. "Your destiny guided you and entrusted you to Terra because I knew, just from a gut feeling, that she would protect you and teach you well. I was aware that you going to her would mean that I would not see you for a very long time." He smiled. "But look at you. You've grown up to be a strong and wise pony, one who is on a mission of her own that will change the future of all Equestria. I couldn't be prouder."

Tears welled up in Sunny's eyes again. "When I came back to Maretime Bay, I wasn't expecting the news that you were dead...from a stroke, no less!"

"To tell you the truth, I don't think this was a random stroke." Argyle explained. "Before you returned, I had decided to take a journey to Ponbonear Island in search of an ancient artifact that might help in restoring magic to Equestria. Lucerna's Locket, I believe it was called."

Her eyes widened as she hung onto every word.

"At one point on my travels, I had eaten a few berries that I had thought was safe, but upon closer inspection, looked similar to another berry that was actually safe to eat. I didn't think much of it. Unfortunately, when I was out running errands, I ended up collapsing."

She folded her ears downwards. Part of her wanted to snap at her dad right then and there, ask him why he didn't know any better and why he had to die from an easily-avoidable act of stupidity. But the other part of her, the part that told her doing that would amount to nothing, won over. Instead, she buried her face in her hooves, trying hard not to cry again.

"What happened after that, I'm not sure. I only know darkness now."

She wanted to go there. Another small part of her wanted to go to the darkness, and be with her dad forever and ever and ever. But at the same time, she knew that this was merely a dream, that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring her dad back to the waking world -- Terra would have told her the same thing had she asked about it, she figured.

She felt stuck. Trapped by emotions that were so twisted and so tangled that she couldn't even identify them. She felt miserable, but she also felt a sense of acceptance. She wasn't sure where to go next.

"Dad..."

"Don't say anything, Sunny-bunny. Even though I'm gone, I know you'll be able to bring magic back, make new friends, and enlighten the ponies of Equestria to come together instead of standing apart. And I'll always be watching over you." Argyle looked at the peach-colored sky. "All you need to do is look up."

Her eyes shimmered as she remembered Izzy telling her the same thing about her dead mother. She's up there in the starry sky, every night...just like Dad. He'll always be up there, too. He'll brighten up the sun and give me warmth every single day. And on cloudy days, his ray of sunshine will always cut through the fog and shine on me, his loving daughter who will carry on his legacy.

Yes. I understand now.

Tears began to well up in her eyes again and dripped onto the ground, but they were not tears of grief -- on the contrary. She enveloped her dad in another tight hug. "T-thank you, Dad. I love you, and I always will."

"I know, honey. I know."

For a brief moment, the alicorn thought she could see the silhouette of Izzy high in the sky, but she woke up before she could confirm her suspicions.

As her eyes drifted to her alarm clock, she saw that it read 4:00. Jeez, have I really been sleeping that long? she thought, rolling out of bed and getting on her hooves. For some reason her body felt achy, but aside from that and the fatigue, her mood had vastly improved.

Once she fixed herself some lunch, she went into Argyle's research room and decided to look around. Within only a few minutes, she was reading about an artifact known as the "Unity Crystals" and how Twilight and her friends created them using the sealed magic of Equestria.

Maybe this is the key to restoring magic... Her eyes darted about, trying to look for any evidence of the Earth Pony Crystal that Argyle had said was stored in the very room she stood in. Books were tossed, items were shifted around, and the room was a complete mess by the time Sunny had finished looking.

So of course, it would make sense that the Crystal was hidden in the most obvious place.

Right in a treasure chest that sat by the window that the alicorn had missed.

Groaning, she opened the chest and levitated a small blue box. As she opened it, she found a note inside.

Dear Sunny-bunny,
I found this crystal on my travels. I had wanted to use it in your birthday gift, but I decided to hunt for a fitting substitute instead. I've kept it in this box for you, so that when you return, you may use it to reunite Equestria. I have written extensive observation notes on the Unity Crystals, and I hope that they'll help you in your journey.

With much love,
Dad

Her eyes widened. Such an important crystal as this, just...found? On the ground? She wasn't sure exactly how, but she supposed there would be time to answer that later. Right now, she had crystals to put back together.

Holding the Crystal in her magic aura, she sped out of the room and ran straight for the door like a pony getting the heck outta Dodge City. Before she could open the door, however, the door swung open seemingly on its own and clocked her clear in the face.

"That was sooooo much fun! And that food was absolutely delicious..." Izzy's mouth began to water. "Thanks so much!"

"It's nothing." Sprout smiled. "I'm glad you were able to see all of the sights of our fair city."

"Most of them." Hitch corrected. "We still had some seasonal shops we couldn't check out, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

"Sunny? You okay?"

Izzy peered around the door to find her friend furiously rubbing her snout, a pretty-looking white crystal laying on the floor beside her. "Ooh, what's this?" she asked, levitating it and watching it shine in the light.

"It's the Earth Pony Crystal." Sunny shook her head. "It's one of the three Unity Crystals."

The trio all looked rightfully confused.

"Come on. Sit down and I'll tell you all about it."

"Yeah...we do have a lot to talk about, don't we?" Sprout remarked.

And talk they did.

For what seemed like hours, Sunny told Sprout, and reiterated to Hitch, what had happened to her and why she had returned. She told them about her dream, and about the research she had found.

"Me? You think I'm one of the saviors?"

Sunny nodded. "I couldn't think of anypony more suited, Hitch. You always think of everypony in Maretime Bay and always keep it safe from harm. I know you could extend that to the whole of Equestria. And you do! Just look at Izzy!"

Izzy beamed. "Yeah! You were super-duper nice and super-duper understanding of us and our new forms. Most anypony would freak out and not even try to befriend us."

"That is true, I guess..." Hitch nodded. "But restoring magic back to Equestria? Do you realize how grand of a task that is? I may be the sheriff of Maretime Bay, but I-I don't know about bringing magic back..."

"Please, Hitch. This will be for the greater good." As Sunny pleaded, she saw Sprout fold his ears down and look away, his face wearing an emotion of which she couldn't place.

Silence overtook the room as Hitch closed his eyes, in deep thought about whether he wanted to go through with this or not. On the one hoof, he felt conflicted -- he was just going to leave his hometown with Sunny to gallivant across Equestria to maybe or maybe not bring back magic? -- but on the other, he placed most of his trust in Sunny and figured that she and Izzy knew what they were doing.

His face expression contorted into anger as he thought back to Phyllis's words. He had to admit, if there was one thing that was going to get him to go on this journey, it was her. To rub it in her face and let her see how wrong she was. To get sweet, sweet revenge on her.

Finally, his eyes flew open, and he gave a single affirmative nod.

"Okay, Sunny. I'll go with you."

Her eyes shimmered. "You will?!"

"Yes. If I'm being honest...I want magic back just as badly as you do." He looked out the window to his right. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Maretime Bay hasn't been the same since Argyle passed away. The ponies go about their days as usual, but there's this air of...melancholy I feel every time I step outside."

Izzy nodded, as did Sunny, having seen some ponies walk with their heads down or with slumped postures and having felt the gloomy vibe of the place upon arrival

"As for being a savior...I'm not sure about that yet. But maybe this adventure will help me make a decision. Or maybe it'll help destiny make a decision?" He shook his head, trying to clear his confused and cluttered brain. "Either way, bottom line is, I'm going with you."

The two mares cheered and hoof-fived each other.

"Sprout, I'm gonna need you to watch the station while I'm gone, of course."

"Of course I will. You can count on me."

"Okay." Sunny got up. "I want to leave tomorrow morning. Izzy and I had originally wanted to go to Zephyr Heights before I told her I wanted to come here, so to Zephyr Heights it is!"

"The city of the Pegasi?" Hitch tilted his head.

"Yeah. I don't really know of any exact locations the other two saviors would be...but Zephyr Heights isn't too far from here. It would be worth it to check it out."

"Plus, I really wanna see the Pegasi!" Izzy blurted out. "I've never been to Zephyr Heights, and my mom always told me that Pegasi were bad...so I wanna see if she was right!"

Hitch shot Izzy a concerned look, wondering how she could be so nonchalant about walking into a lion's den like that. Still, he had to smile and shake his head. Those two are like two peas in a pod, aren't they?

The group eventually decided to have an early dinner at Le Chehz (Izzy couldn't help but crack up at the name and ask why they chose that name, of all the names to choose), and returned home to gather their bearings and prep for their trip.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you tonight, Sunny."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Izzy. Now that Dad's gone, I could use a companion...and his room is free now."

As the alicorn moved towards the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge and the pantries for something that could be eaten as a dessert, Izzy hesitated -- although her hesitation wasn't regarding her friend's act of hospitality. "You want any help?" she offered.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Ooh, hey, there's a box of pudding here!"

Izzy moved towards the living room and took a seat on the couch, turning on the TV and letting her eyes glaze over as her brain only absorbed half of what was being said. She was so lost in thought, in fact, that she didn't even register Sunny setting a bowl of chocolate pudding in front of her.

"Izzy? What's wrong?"

She perked up, consciousness returning to her as she stared at the concerned Sunny that was levitating her own bowl of pudding.

"I- it's...you see..."

"Izzy, you can tell me. I'm here to listen."

The princess sighed, sitting up on the couch. "Um...well...you know that dream you had? With your dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I may have...created it for you."

Sunny very nearly dropped both her bowl and her spoon. Luckily, she had enough sense to set it down onto the coffee table first. "You...you did that?"

Izzy nodded. "I-I didn't mean to! But you were just so sad, and I thought that reuniting with your dad again, one last time, would help you."

Sunny could only blink at this explanation. Since when does she have the power...? Did Terra teach her something and I just never heard about it? Something inside her chided her for asking such a rhetorical question, and she snapped out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be." Sunny shook her head. "Meeting with my dad again was just what I needed. I remembered your words from yesterday, Izzy...about you being able to see your mom in the night sky all the time. And it helped me to reassure myself that my dad is up there too, always watching me. If I miss him, all I have to do is look up."

Izzy couldn't help but smile, her mood slowly but surely doing a 180.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

And sure enough, Izzy found herself wrapped in a hug.

The two mares laughed for a long time -- in happiness, in pain, in suffering, in relief. They laughed themselves to the point of exhaustion, and then they broke free and ate their pudding in silence, with nothing but the TV for noise.

Although the lingering thought of needing to prepare for tomorrow stayed in both of their minds, they ended up falling asleep on the couch, both from the feeling of fullness the pudding gave them and from having all of their energy sapped from the day's events. Sunny rested her head on Izzy's back, its steady rise and fall providing an ample sleep aid for her. Izzy, meanwhile, elicited snores that would threaten to send the lighthouse tumbling down if it wasn't sturdy enough -- not that Sunny minded, of course. She was too exhausted to care, and she had lived with Izzy long enough to get used to them, anyway.

And thus, the town of Maretime Bay was at peace for yet another night as ponies got their well-needed rest to meet the next day ahead.

Well, most ponies.

"Hi, Mom...I'm home." Sprout said as he pushed his way through the front door of his mother's luxurious-looking home.

"Oh, welcome back, sweetie! I'm glad those alicorns didn't hurt you."

"Um, about that..."

Sprout made his way into the living room.

"You might be happy to know they're leaving tomorrow. They're going on a journey with Hitch to Zephyr Heights."

"Zephyr Heights, hmm?" Phyllis tapped a hoof to her chin. "Quite interesting. Good for me...and good for my business."

"How's that?"

"I know I wanted them gone, but now that I've had time to think about it, them staying or leaving could go one way or the other. If they stayed, I would gain more business. But if they left...I could always let the threat of them coming back and destroying us all looming over these ponies' heads. And then they would have to buy from Canterlogic. I am, after all, ponies' only hope. So it's a win-win situation for me either way!"

Sprout wanted to say something, he really did. But no words came out. All he could do was listen as his mother rambled on and on about ridiculous things such as the fantasy of beating them to Zephyr Heights and creating an army to take the two alicorns down before they left, but also sane things such as Hitch being an ally of theirs (which she still blamed on Scarlet) and Sprout himself possibly taking over his place as Sheriff permanently.

Eventually, he grew tired of listening to his mother and declared his intentions of going to bed, the verbal venom that spewed from her mouth weighing down on him like he had been stepped on by an elephant. He took some time to scribble his thoughts in a notebook.

Hi, random piece of paper in a notebook.
So my mom is going on and on about how bad Pegasi and unicorns are...again. But this time, she's added alicorns to the mix. Do I agree with what she said? No. I want to fight back against her, but I just can't. She's more powerful than me. She has a heavy influence on everypony here and could easily turn them against me...and since I'm going to be the only Sheriff here, now, I don't want to risk that.

Maybe I should ask Hitch, Sunny and Izzy what they think. Maybe they would have some advice for me.

...No. They're going on an important mission. I shouldn't bother them.

I guess the only thing I can do now is avoid my mom, serve the citizens of Maretime Bay as best I can, and wait for them to come back.

And hopefully, not get the town destroyed in the process.

Sighing, he closed the notebook and laid his head down on his bed, his mind reeling with thoughts as he closed his eyes and got taken to dreamland for another night.

The Royal Turmoil of Zephyr Heights

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A knock at the door woke Sunny and Izzy up as they tumbled onto the floor, giving cries of surprise.

Izzy was the first to get up, sleepily trudging towards the door and opening it.

"Good morning!" Hitch greeted. "Are we ready to go?"

"Ugh...no..." Izzy rubbed her head. "You can come in if you want. Just give us..." A yawn. "...a few minutes."

"Sure!"

As Hitch made his way in, he smiled and waved at Sunny, who was just getting up herself and gave a tired wave back.

Lucky for the stallion, he only had to wait a few minutes for the mares to straighten up their looks, pack their supplies, and get ready.

"So how long is it going to take us to get to Zephyr Heights, anyway?" he asked.

"Well, with our flight abilities, it shouldn't be long." Izzy mused. "Although I don't know where it is..."

"I do!" Sunny called from afar. "I have a map that'll guide us! We'll be there before you know it!"

"Yeah! And when we get there, maybe we'll meet the other two saviors!"

Hitch smiled, being grateful for his mother in that she never taught him to be prejudiced against ponies of different races.

A few minutes later, the trio stepped outside and closed the door, bags packed full of snacks and other necessities.

"Uhh...how are we gonna carry Hitch?" Izzy asked.

"Magic field." came Sunny's simple response, as her horn lit up and encased the stallion in an orange spherical field. He looked rather shocked at the action and mentally kept telling himself not to look down, but couldn't resist giving a muffled scream.

"Ooh, why didn't I think of that?" Izzy blinked. "Although he kiiiinda looks uncomfortable..."

"I'm fine!" came the muffled cry. "Juuuuust fine! Don't worry about me!"

This was enough convincing for Izzy, who simply gave a shrug.

Taking deep breaths, the trio took flight, with Hitch experiencing the wonders of being in the air for the first time. Soon enough, they passed the worn-down "Now Leaving Maretime Bay" sign, feeling hopeful that they would reach Zephyr Heights without any sort of problem.

Well, okay, there was one problem.

Sunny and Izzy hadn't eaten breakfast.

So they were forced to make a pit stop at the entrance to an expansive forest, and eat some.

As the two alicorns ate their sandwiches, Hitch, free of his spherical confinement for the time being, decided to run around and relish the feeling of his hooves being on the ground while he still could. He didn't go too far -- after all, he didn't know where he was going outside of city limits, and if he got lost, it would only hinder progress in the journey.

"Hey, Shunny?" Izzy asked through a mouthful of sandwich. "You think we'll pash by Terra on the way to Shephyr Heightsh?"

"Maybe! We can introduce Hitch to her!"

Izzy swallowed and nodded in agreement before taking a larger bite. Sunny could see excitement shimmering in her eyes.

Hitch has to be the third savior. There's no doubt about it! And when we tell Terra, she'll-

A scream from inside the forest made them jump to their hooves within a millisecond.

"Hitch?!" Sunny dropped her sandwich and galloped into the forest with nary another thought.

"Sunny, hold on!" Izzy looked to her sandwich, then to Sunny, then stuffed the rest of the sandwich in her mouth and took off flying.

A large, looming bear stood in front of Hitch, its red beady eyes boring into him. All the stallion could do was crouch in place, his body shivering, his eyes reduced to pinpricks as he became a deer in the headlights.

"Uh...h-h-hello?" Hitch offered, mentally berating himself for thinking he could actually talk to a bear and have it understand him. But he was too terrified to ponder any logic right now. "P-p-please don't hurt me, I was j-just passing by!"

The bear didn't move. It didn't run away or change its expression. All it did was blink.

"I-I'm really sorry to bother you, but do you think you could move, please?"

Another blink.

Then the bear grumbled, got down on four legs, and moved to Hitch's right.

"Oh, t-t-thank you!" The stallion breathed a sigh of relief. "I wasn't sure you understood me, but I figured, why not try? Beats trying to get past you and you chasing me through the forest...hehe..."

As he walked, his eyes drifted towards a large thorn that was embedded in the bear's leg. Is that why it was walking on two legs and not four? he wondered. Maybe I should help it. It seems nice enough...if it let me by when it was angry...

Swallowing his fear, he walked over to the bear and began operating almost on sheer instinct. "Is that a thorn?"

To his surprise, the bear glanced at its leg, and then sadly nodded.

"Would you like help getting it out?"

The bear nodded again.

"All right. Just as a warning, this might sting."

Hitch trotted to the side of the creature and gripped the thorn in his teeth. Slowly, he pulled his head back, and the thorn smoothly slid out. The bear gave a cry of pain, but otherwise didn't object. Once the thorn was out, the Earth pony disposed of it by spitting it out as far as he could, resolving to find some water to clear the nasty taste that filled his taste buds.

Immediately, the bear calmed down. It gave a happy and grateful cry before pulling Hitch into its grasp.

"Y-you're welcome...not so tiiiiiiight..." he uttered out, feeling his lungs being crushed.

As he watched the bear go, a smile formed on his face. His heart was filled with a rather weird emotion that he couldn't place.

"Hitch!"

The familiar voice of Sunny made him turn, and he saw her flying over to him with Izzy following suit.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened?"

"I was trying to find my way back when I ran into this bear..." Hitch glanced behind him. "He had a thorn stuck in his leg, so I pulled it out for him."

"Aww, how sweet!" Izzy gushed.

"I'm not surprised." Sunny remarked. "You've always had a way with animals, Hitch. Remember when you would always pretend you were the 'beach sheriff' of Maretime Bay and gather up animals to serve as your deputies?"

"Yeah. And now, I have actual animals as my deputies!" Hitch proudly responded. "But anyway, we should get going. We have a lot of ground to cover. The sooner we get to Zephyr Heights, the better, right?"

Sunny nodded. "C'mon. Let's finish eating, and continue forth!"

With that, the trio made their way out of the forest and back to their impromptu picnic area, keeping an eye out for any more dangerous creatures of the woods that may or may not eat ponies.

Once bellies were filled, they continued on their journey, soaring through the forest and past fields of flowers with ease. It took a shorter time than expected, since Izzy and Sunny could fly, and both could achieve quite the speed thanks to training with Terra.

After a couple days of traveling, they came across a canyon, wide and sprawling. Up ahead from the canyon, they could see Zephyr Heights, a large, mountaintop town filled with technology that far exceeded that of Maretime Bay's. Unsurprisingly, no Pegasi could be seen in the sky.

Sunny and Izzy landed, taking Hitch with them and freeing him once again.

"What's wrong?" Izzy asked.

"We have to disguise ourselves, Izzy. Remember? The Pegasi are gonna freak out if they see that we're alicorns!"

"Oh! Right, right."

With horns alight, the pair changed into the same "Dicey Roll" and "Moon Flower" forms, only with wings attached to their sides. Hitch watched the magical feat in awe, wondering just how they knew this seemingly complicated spell.

"Stop right there!"

A sudden cry made the trio jump, and they turned to find a Pegasus approaching them. With a striking white coat, a pink tail and a pink mane both streaked with cyan, and a dominating pose, she certainly looked like she knew her way around.

Sunny and Izzy stiffened, both of them thinking the same thing: Oh no, did she see us transform?!

"Who are you? Why are you traveling with an Earth pony?"

"Um...w-w-we-"

"We found him outside of the city! W-we were gonna bring him to...to..." Izzy could feel sweat beads beginning to form, and prayed that this Pegasus wasn't the brightest bulb in the hardware store.

Unfortunately for her, she was, indeed, a bright bulb in a hardware store.

The Pegasus exhaled. "There's no use in lying. You're better off showing yourselves."

"S-showing ourselves? B- n- no, w-whatever do you mean? We're authentic Pegasi, in the flesh!"

"No you're not." An eye roll. "You're alicorns."

Hitch's eyes widened. Somehow, someway, this pony had figured Sunny and Izzy out, and it was clear that running away and escaping -- whether into Zephyr Heights or back the way they came -- was no longer an option.

"Sunny. Izzy." he said. "The jig is up."

Both mares shot each other nervous looks, before their transformations wore off and they changed back to their usual forms.

"H-how did you know?" Izzy asked.

"I saw you transforming while I was out here doing some stunts."

"You're not going to punish us or anything, are you?" Sunny blinked. "Please, listen to us, we came here for a reason! We have to restore magic and-"

"Hold on. Did you just say 'restore magic'?" the Pegasus asked. "Interesting."

"Why's that? You don't have magic either?" Izzy asked.

"Hm? Me? Oh, I have magic."

Jaws dropped. The Pegasus was surprised that none of them dropped low enough to hit the surface of the canyon.

"Yeah. The story about that is...a little complicated. But we shouldn't talk out here." She looked around. "Nopony comes out here, but it's better if we stay in an enclosed space. Follow me."

With mighty beats of her wings, she took off. Still in shock, Sunny, Izzy and Hitch all followed suit.

"Uh...should we trust her?" Hitch asked. "Who knows where she's taking us?"

"She has magic, Hitch!" Sunny said. "I'm willing to trust her. She might be one of the saviors!"

"'Might be', sure. But what if she's not? She could be somepony who's out to destroy Equestria, for all we know!"

"He does have a point."

"Izzy!" Sunny's cry was practically a scream, and she clapped her hooves to her mouth, hoping the Pegasus wouldn't overhear. When the coast appeared to be clear, she shook her head and sighed. "Look. Everypony just follow my lead and play along. We'll find out what her true intents are soon enough."

It didn't take long before Sunny, Izzy, Hitch and the mysterious Pegasus arrived at some mysterious spot within Zephyr Heights. It was adorned with three stained-glass depictions of a unicorn and a Pegasus, plus one overarching one that sat on the top with a depiction of an Earth pony on it. Above each of the depictions were three Crystals -- one that was round and white, another that was blue and diamond-shaped, and another that was cyan and shaped like a pair of wings.

The stained-glass doors slowly opened with a loud creaking sound that definitely showed its age. As Izzy freed Hitch and they made their way inside, Sunny stopped and stared at the glass.

"Where are we?" was the first question out of her mouth.

"This used to be a station for traveling Earth ponies and unicorns. They would usually come to Zephyr Heights by hot-air balloon."

"So is it like the trolley?"

"Uh...I guess you could say that?" The Pegasus shrugged.

Now that that was out of the way, Sunny could dig into the meat of her curiosity. "And what about the Unity Crystals?"

"The Unity Crystals? You know about those?" The Pegasus looked up. "This stained glass was made years ago, back when Equestria was full of magic. The Pegasus Crystal up there was..."

"...was?"

The Pegasus avoided eye contact. "Part of my mom's crown."

A crown? Does that mean...this Pegasus...she's royalty like us?! Sunny's jaw dropped. But it's not the same kind of royalty. She doesn't have a horn. And I doubt she has Earth pony strength.

"If you want that story, keep following me."

Blinking, Sunny made her way inside, the stained-glass doors creaking closed behind them. As she walked, she made note of all the drab-looking curtains that hung on the sides in what looked like little closets, and wondered what they were for. Whatever questions she had about the room, though, would have to wait -- right now, she wanted answers.

"Right, so, uh, first of all...never gave all of you my name, huh?" The Pegasus smiled. "I'm Zipp Storm. But just call me Zipp."

"Ooh, are you a princess?" Sunny blurted out without thinking.

"I was a princess." Zipp explained. "As were my sister and my mom..."

Queen Haven -- that's my mom -- ruled over Zephyr Heights for a long time. In fact, our entire family has ruled over Zephyr Heights in some way or another. Ponies who didn't want to become royalty were often shunned, and in some cases, even disowned.

One day, a surprise intruder entered the castle, flanked by almost every single guard in our army. My mom, my sister and I were all surprised when we saw that it was an alicorn. She called herself "Terra" and stated that she had just come to Zephyr Heights for a visit, nothing more and nothing less. My mom, however, wouldn't have it, and locked her in the dungeons, making sure to secure her wings with heavy-duty tape and stop magic in her horn by using a tennis ball. Of course, it didn't last long...mostly because I freed Terra just hours after she was locked up.

I took her to the station so we could talk in private.

"You are Princess Zephyrina Storm, correct?"

"U-um...yeah. But I prefer Zipp."

Terra nodded. "I must thank you for freeing me. Your dungeon might be such only in name, but I certainly did not want to cause a ruckus by using my Earth pony strength to get out."

"Yeah, that probably would've caused a number of issues." I scratched the back of my neck. "So why are you here in Zephyr Heights?"

"If I am honest with you...to get this out of the way first and foremost..." Terra sighed. "I am an alicorn from ancient Equestria."

"Ancient Equestria?! B-b-but...how..." Then it dawned on me. "Ah, wait, you're immortal."

Terra shook her head. "That is nothing but a myth, my little pony. Like any other living being, alicorns pass away in due time. It just takes them longer to do so than other pony races."

"So how are you still alive, then?"

"I mastered and used a freezing spell on myself, allowing me to live for many, many moons. You see, Zipp, I come from the time of Princess Twilight Sparkle's rule."

My eyes shimmered. "You do?"

Terra nodded. "As a matter of fact, Princess Twilight is the pony who made me an alicorn in the first place. Before then, I had been nothing more than an Earth pony who loved Equestria and loved the world it sat on."

"So you're a princess."

"No. Princess Twilight never granted me such a title. I was simply assigned to travel the world and visit various kingdoms outside of Equestria, keeping up with its citizens and helping out when needed."

I took a moment to let this all sink in. It was crazy to think that this pony came from a time when being a princess meant something else entirely, and here I was, having been born one. A Pegasus one, at that.

"If I am being honest..." Terra broke the silence. "I did not come here just for a simple visit."

"You didn't?"

She shook her head. "A short while after Princess Twilight passed away, I had found a scroll that told of a prophecy. Five saviors, five ponies, would save Equestria if it fell into such a wretched and conflicted state."

I blinked.

"I believe you are one of those saviors, Zipp."

I blinked again, and then my jaw dropped.

"Now, this is only a feeling I have. I do not know if it is true, and I do not know for sure where the other four saviors might be located." Terra said. "But I do have ideas."

"What...what are they?" I asked, feeling my mouth becoming dry.

"On my journey across Equestria, I came across two Earth ponies living in a place known as 'Maretime Bay'. Her name was Sunny Starscout, and her father was known as Argyle. I watched as they spread messages of hope and perseverance to their fellow citizens, to no avail as they shouted words of protest. I wanted so badly to help them..."

I heard Terra's voice crack at the last sentence, and for a second there, I thought she was gonna start crying. But she got back to it only a few seconds later.

"It was then I felt something warm in my heart. This pony, who was so dedicated to her cause, and her father who supported her every step of the way...they were truly a dynamic duo." Terra sighed. "But not even they could restore peace to Equestria.

"My next stop was a place known as 'Bridlewood'. It was a thick and expansive forest that felt devoid of life. I despised that place."

"Why?"

"It only served to remind me of Equestria after Princess Twilight passed away. The lives of everycreature did not slow down, but they were not lived with the same drive and enthusiasm as before. Everywhere I went, it was like a dark cloud hung over my head, the trees looming over me as though they were depressed as well."

I held up a hoof, suddenly remembering something. "Wait. After the Princess died, no one ruled in her place?"

"No. Equestria was more harmonious then. She had put in everything she had to made sure that harmony would last for years. And her friends had passed away long before."

The gears in my mind began to turn faster as I nodded. "Ah, I see. Sorry for interrupting. That question just popped into my head. Please continue."

Terra nodded. "As I walked through the sleepy town, I spotted one unicorn who did not seem to be afflicted by the same change in mood that had plagued the town with the loss of Equestrian magic. As surprising as it was, she galloped, and skipped, and sang a happy song, even though no pony was eager to join her. She reminded me so much of Pinkie Pie, one of Princess Twilight's friends..." A smile crossed her face for only a single moment, then faded as her face fell. "My own mood instantly lifted. I felt a sense of... warmth in her presence. It did not take me long to deduce that she was one of the saviors. And the rest is history."

So did she come to Zephyr Heights directly after Bridlewood? I thought. Seems like this all just happened.

"So if Sunny makes one savior, that unicorn makes two, and I make three...who are the other two?"

"I do not know that for certain yet. Given that you are not an only filly, however, it would not be too far-fetched to assume that the other pony who was with you..."

"Queen Haven?"

"No, no. The one who was holding that rectangular object."

"Ohh, Pipp? Yeah, she's my sister."

"Ah." Terra nodded. "So it would not be too far-fetched to assume that Pipp is also a savior."

At this theory, I had to laugh. "My sister, a savior of Equestria? That's hilarious! She would be more of a savior of her own social standing than the whole of the country!" I then leaned forward and muttered, "Plus, she's sometimes not the brightest pony in the town."

"But?"

I stared at her with concern. Was she expecting me to say something else? Either way, I knew what she was getting at. I sighed. "She has good intentions. She loves the Pegasi of Zephyr Heights and would do anything for them."

She smiled, as though I had given her an answer she had been looking for. "I am sure the time will come when you, Pipp, and the other three saviors will create an alliance of friendship and restore magic to Equestria. When that time does come, I do hope you succeed."

I took a deep breath. Saving the whole of Equestria is a big responsibility...but it's not like I don't already have a big enough responsibility with being the crown princess of Zephyr Heights. Maybe I could pull it off.

"With that all being said..." Terra's voice cut into my thoughts. "I would like to introduce myself to your Queen once more. Although I am not royalty like her, I believe talking with her and sharing what I know about Ancient Equestria might broaden her worldview and make her less hostile towards me. Could you take me to her, please?"

"Um...I could, but..." I bit my lip. "If the other Pegasi of Zephyr Heights saw you, they might be preeeeetty alarmed. Since, you know, you're an alicorn and all that."

"I do not mind."

So we left the station, and I brought her back to my mother.

"Mom, please, you don't understand. Terra is from Ancient Equestria, where alicorns were princesses. Just like me and Pipp!"

"Zephyrina, darling. Surely you're aware that a queen holds higher power than a princess?" my mom responded. "Terra holds just as much power as you and Pipp."

"But that's not how it was back in olden times! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled for millennia, and Princess Twilight ruled for millennia after they retired. Even Princess Cadance and Princess Flurry Heart ruled the Crystal Empire with iron hooves for that long! They've all weathered Equestria through so much. And meanwhile, what are we in charge of? A Pegasus city!" I scoffed. "How does that happen?!"

"We are descended from a line of royal ponies whose very destinies are to lead!" Mom fired back. "That is how."

"Mom. Just think. What if we had Terra in charge? Not just in charge of Zephyr Heights, but in charge of all of Equestria? She could...she could..." My face lit up. "She could bring back magic!"

As I glanced at the alicorn, I saw her stiffen as she made an expression that told me maybe offering that suggestion was a bad idea. My mom wasn't so receptive to it either.

"Zephyrina Storm! I am not sure what nonsense you are spewing out, but it certainly isn't something I will tolerate being said in my castle!"

"Your castle? This place belongs to the three of us!"

"Keep it up, and it won't be your place anymore."

That was enough to get me to shut up, at least for a second. I stared at the guards, who all seemed to be, at the very least, thinking about what I said. It was lucky my sister wasn't here too, otherwise it would be two against...at least eight. Maybe more, if Mom hired more guards when I wasn't looking. I wasn't sure.

"That thing you have with you will only kill us! There is a good reason I kept her locked up in the dungeon!" my mom hissed. "Put her back."

"No! Terra isn't like that! She's not the menace you think she is!" I retorted. "She just wants peace to be restored to Equestria, just like I do. Haven't you felt it, Mom? The change in the air since Pegasus magic was taken and we all found out we couldn't fly?"

"Yes..." She gazed at her hoof. "But you, for whatever strange reason, were immune to it. You can still fly while the rest of us have to suffer."

"No I can't! I lost my magic along with the rest of Zephyr Heights!" I stamped my hoof onto the ground. "Why are you still going along with that stupid fantasy? You saw me after magic went missing. I can't fly. Watch."

I splayed out my wings and flapped them, only to gain just a tiny bit of air, and then immediately plummet to the ground. My jaw radiated with pain from impact with the hard floor, and as I got up, I rubbed it a little.

"Oh, pshh." My mom waved a hoof. "You're just being a drama queen."

All I could do was stare at her, not bothering to even try and argue with that logic.

However, there was one thing I could leverage against her. One thing that had been a frequent issue among the Pegasi for a long while now. I didn't want to use it just yet, though, as I had one more trick up my sleeve.

"Hey, Terra?" I asked. "Can you restore magic to me and Pipp, and allow us to fly again?"

Terra blinked. "I am...um...I am not quite sure about that, Zipp. I may be an alicorn, but far be it from me to perform such a feat as giving back Pegasus magic to you and Pipp."

I shuffled over to her and whispered into her ear, "Do you see that crown my mom is wearing?"

"Yes, I do. That is the Pegasus Unity Crystal." Terra whispered back. "What about it?"

"Use it to boost your magic." I explained. "I know it might be really stupid and really risky, but it just might work."

A pause lingered over the room. I caught my mom eyeing us suspiciously, and sweat began to pour down my face as I wondered if she heard us. But it didn't seem so.

"Well...it does not seem like your mother is willing to negotiate. She is a rather close-minded pony." Terra sighed and shook her head. "I suppose I could try. But what exactly do you have planned?"

"You'll see. Just lemme call my sis in first."

A few minutes later, Pipp came trotting into the throne room, her expression filled with anxiety. "Zipp? What's going on? You said it was an emergency, where's the emergency?!"

"Relax." I said. "Just stand beside me."

Pipp gave me a look of uncertainty, but after glancing at my mom and witnessing her look of unbridled rage and upset, she hesitantly trotted over to me.

Terra took a deep breath. "Before I do this, please understand that this might come with ramifications neither of you might be ready fo-"

"Just do it!"

"What ramifications?!"

Terra's horn lit up in a brilliant array of blue hues. We found ourselves being lifted into the air, hearing the guards panic down below and my mom screaming something that I had tuned out. I felt a really warm sensation spreading through my wings, and closed my eyes as I prepared for what was to come.

My wings were wrapped in what felt like golden tendrils -- maybe from the Pegasus crystal, judging by my mom's screams -- and it was like a power rush. The magic began to flow back into them, and it ricocheted throughout my entire body. It felt a little painful, too, and I winced.

It seemed like forever before Pipp and I floated back down to the ground. When I opened my eyes, I saw that my feathers were lined with gold, and so were hers. The tendrils, which I could see had extended from the Pegasus crystal, finished their journey from the crystal to my wings, wrapped around them, and then went away in a poof of magic dust.

My mom was speechless. Her jaw hung open as she took in the sight of her two daughters with restored abilities. After what seemed like forever, she closed her mouth and shook her head. "W-what did you do to them?!"

"I only did what Zipp had requested." Terra simply said. "I attempted to grant her and her sister the ability to fly once more."

As my mom stumbled over her words, I noticed Pipp looking at her wings with concern, then slowly flapping them. My heart raced with all kinds of emotions, and all kinds of thoughts flooded my head.

However, to my surprise, she gained liftoff.

She flew higher and higher into the air, and then moved around the throne room with ease and comfort, a giddy laugh following her. "Oh. My. Gosh. I can fly!" she cried out.

I watched her for a few more seconds, and then decided to try with my own wings. I flapped them, and was surprised when they actually got me off of the ground. I achieved liftoff faster than Pipp -- no doubt due to all the time I've spent gliding and such -- and together, she and I moved about in the air, sharing laughter and hugging each other as we both cried tears of relief and happiness.

"This is...this..." my mom said, although I chose to ignore her.

"Terra!" I landed in front of the alicorn mare. "Thank you soooo much for this. You don't know how grateful I am. I-I can't believe you were actually able to restore magic to us again!"

"And I cannot believe your idea worked, Zipp." Terra smiled. "I did not know the Unity Crystal had such a power, to restore magic to individual ponies rather than restore magic to an entire race..."

I turned to Pipp. "Hey sis, you know what? This would be an awesome event to tell your Pippsqueaks about!"

"Zipp. You. Are absolutely. Right!" Pipp squealed and immediately whipped out her phone to start a new livestream.

"Um...might I ask what Pipp is doing?"

"She's gonna livestream this." I explained, before I shook my head and backtracked. "U-uh, I mean, she's gonna tell all of Zephyr Heights about this. In...her own way?"

Terra still looked confused. I sighed, knowing that explaining Zephyr Heights's technology to a pony from Ancient Equestria would take a long time.

"Pippsqueaks!" Pipp greeted. "Today has been such a day, oh, you will not believe it, where do I begin?! Okay, okay, I should start with introducing this lovely pony!" She swiveled the phone towards Terra, who blinked and gave a sheepish wave. "This is Terra, and she is an alicorn. That's right, she's an Earth pony, a unicorn pony, and a Pegasus pony all in one! Can you believe it?!"

I glanced at my mom to see her reaction. She had always been supportive of Pipp and her constant livestreaming of everything, but this time, she looked about ready to burst, and not in a happy way.

"Anyway, guess what she did?" Pipp soared into the air once more, making sure to angle her phone so the Pippsqueaks could see what she was doing. "That's right, she gave me back my flight! I can fly again!" She pointed to me. "She gave my sis her flight back, too, of course."

As she pointed the phone to me, I smiled and waved, something I had long since gotten used to as both a pony of royalty and a pony who frequently appeared in her livestreams.

"Now, do not worry, guys. We will definitely find a way to restore magic to Zephyr Heights so you guys can all fly again, too. It's a Pipp Promise!" My sister grinned. "For now, just keep holding on. I'll work as hard as I can for all of you! Love you bunches! Pipp Pipp hooray!"

And with that, she tapped her phone again, ending the livestream.

Unfortunately, that was when my mom snapped.

"Pipp! M-must you livestream... that to everypony?!" she shouted. "This monster did something to you and- and you're livestreaming it?!"

"Well, 'this monster' did kinda give us the ability to fly again, Mom." I pointed out.

"Do you know what this means?" Mom's voice dropped lower than I'd ever heard it before. "Now ponies are going to be wondering why I didn't do this when magic was lost. They will turn on u- on me! A-and furthermore..." She stood up and glared at Terra. "Why did you not restore magic to me?!"

I stayed silent, waiting for her to tack on "or restore magic to the rest of Zephyr Heights". But nothing came forth. This was a side of my mom that I hated -- she adored the spotlight, but it didn't stop her from becoming vain and narcissistic sometimes.

"Because it was not what Zipp had requested of me." Terra said. "And besides that, my own moral judgment would question what common sense is involved with giving magic back to such a baneful pony."

My mom blinked once, and then twice, and then a third time. It looked like she was trying to make sense of Terra's mindset.

"Hey, Terra..." I said. "Could you restore magic to the other ponies of Zephyr Heights, too?"

"I can, but that is a matter you and your sister must take care of."

Pipp shot me a concerned and confused glance. Not knowing what the alicorn was talking about, I shrugged in response.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" my mother yelled. "Baneful?! Hardly! Why, every ounce of my skills goes to helping Zephyr Heights!"

"That's what other ponies see." I said, trying to keep my tone as calm as possible. "What I see is a queen who is closed-minded and prejudiced towards nice ponies without even giving them a chance. You do know Terra is technically all three pony types, right?"

"S-s-so what?!" My mother was losing it. "That does not excuse the fact that she simply wandered into Zephyr Heights unprotected! She is just as capable of frying our brains and stinking up the place as unicorns and Earth ponies are!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "If that's what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night." I uttered. "If she really wanted to fry our brains, wouldn't she have done that the second she made her way into Zephyr Heights?"

My mom was doing the pony equivalent of a blue screen of death. She opened her mouth and then closed it a bunch of times, wanting to say something but not being able to.

It was then that I noticed Pipp giving a knowing wink at me and jerking her head towards her phone.

Which was...recording?

Oh my hoofness, it's recording!

It was like the pieces snapped into place for me.

"Mom, if Terra was so capable of frying our brains as you claim she was..." I continued. "Do you really think a tennis ball and some tape would have stopped her?"

The guards' interest became piqued, and I could see their heads swiveling towards me, eyes widening as they became all ears. Feeling confidence surging inside of me, I ran on autopilot.

"I've been proposing that we should make the dungeons more dark and imposing for a while now. But you don't listen. Unless it's Pipp doing the talking, of course..." I scoffed. "You listen to her."

A noise came out of my mom's mouth that I didn't bother paying attention to.

"What's a leader if they can't even properly arrest intruders that trespass on their territory? Terra may be an alicorn, but let's be honest...anypony could remove a tennis ball from their horn and break free of the tape around their wings." A smirk spread on my face. "I say we should use chains instead. Much sturdier, and much harder to break out of. Oh, and a horn ring or something, so unicorns can't use magic."

I glanced back at Terra, who was tilting her head in confusion. I gave her a knowing wink, trying to tell her to just follow my lead.

"I'm pretty sure the citizens of Zephyr Heights would a-"

"THAT'S IT!" Mom's voice was a yell that echoed throughout the entire room. "Guards! Seize her at once!"

To my surprise, though, none of them moved.

"Okay, but then what?" one of them asked, though I couldn't identify who it was. "Zipp's just gonna break free, anyway. Chains would be so much better."

The other guards murmured their agreement. My mom was absolutely floored. She grit her teeth. "Fine, then. Zipp, pack your things and leave at once."

I had expected this, but that didn't mean I didn't feel a sense of shock run through me all the same. "What?"

"If you are going to preach such nonsense around here, to a point where the guards are even turning against me..." Mom shook her head. "I will not have this in my city!"

Pipp caught my eye, with her conflicted expression. She looked like she wanted to protest, but didn't -- maybe she didn't want to get kicked out too, or she just didn't know what to do in general to stand up to the mother that adored her. A small part of me felt betrayed, but I retained hope that maybe, just maybe, she had something up her sleeve.

"All right." I simply said. "I'll leave by the end of the day. But what about Terra?"

"TAKE HER WITH YOU!!"

Terra was upset. I could see it written all over her face. Still, I urged her to come with me as I went to my room.

"I'm really sorry." I said. "My mom is...a hoofful. Especially when it comes to unicorns, Earth ponies, alicorns, restoring magic...and me."

"It is fine. We tried. That is what matters." Terra nodded. "Although I must question your mother's mental state. Perhaps she is not fit to rule if she is so prejudiced and quick to anger."

"You make a good point." I said. "She's kinda unpredictable. She can be a nice and sweet mother one moment, and then completely angry at somepony the next. I've tried to make sense of her, but...I can't."

"Then perhaps it is for the best that she has kicked you out."

"Well, yeah." I smirked. "But I don't plan on leaving."

"Hmm?"

"Police are going to arrest her the next time she steps hoof outside. For unlawful jailing practices."

Terra tilted her head. "And that is an actual law?"

"Yeah. I'm not really sure when the law came into effect, or who made it...just that it was made as a result of police officers harming prisoners. Once she gets arrested..." I looked at Terra with a knowing expression.

"Um, I-I do not think me leading is such a wise idea, Zipp." She held up her front hooves defensively. "I am not opposed to it, but if I am to lead the whole of Equestria, perhaps it would be fitting to get the agreement of Maretime Bay and Bridlewood first."

"Hmm. Good point." I mused. "Then maybe I could be...a temporary ruler? As the next pony in line for the throne, of course."

"Now that sounds more promising." Terra smiled.

Sure enough, my mom got arrested within the week, and I became the new queen of Zephyr Heights. Of course, Pipp was still a princess and became the next pony in line, but I vowed to find some way, any way, to make Terra be crowned the new ruler of Equestria, just like how it was back in Ancient Equestrian times.

"See, the thing is...I never really wanted to rule Zephyr Heights. My mom wanted me to, but I didn't want to. That's why she hated me so much. She kept pressuring me into being more like 'a proper queen' and hated when I left to do stunts and stuff like that."

"So what happened to the Pegasus Crystal?" Sunny asked.

Zipp dug a hoof under her wing and pulled it out. "I disassembled the crown. Didn't feel like wearing it."

Sunny dug around in her saddlebag for the Earth pony crystal, taking it out and holding it up next to the Pegasus crystal. Her eyes shimmered, and her body felt rather strange, like she was in the presence of strong magic. Izzy, likewise, felt the same way, only her body began to vibrate slightly for some strange reason.

"And you said this crystal allowed you and Pipp to get your flight back, with Terra's help?" Hitch clarified, coming up next to Sunny with Izzy flanking her other side.

Zipp nodded.

"Where's Pipp now?" Sunny asked. "Is she here?"

"She should be." Zipp hesitantly took out her phone. "I'll try calling her. Don't get your hopes up too high, though."

Although she had hesitant hooves, Zipp took a deep breath, forced herself to remain calm, and went into her Contacts to find Pipp. She tapped her sister's icon, and then the green Call button.

Each ringback tone she heard only made her more and more nervous. After the third one, she was starting to wonder if maybe Pipp had been subject to some kind of punishment at Queen Haven's behest before she stepped outside and got arrested, maybe as some kind of residue she had set up -- her mother wasn't that dumb, after all.

The tones stopped, and a familiar voice was heard on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Pipp? It's Zipp. Can you meet us in the station? The old one, where unicorns and Earth ponies used to land when visiting Zephyr Heights?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

Zipp glanced at Izzy, Sunny and Hitch, and smiled. "Let's just say there are a few ponies I think you should meet."

The Five Saviors of Equestria, Together At Last

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Pipp rushed to the station as fast as her wings would take her -- which wasn't really saying much, since she certainly wasn't as fast as her sister. Still, she couldn't deny that she was eager to see what she had planned.

She still thought of that day. When her mother, who showered her with praise and love, went off on Zipp and kicked her out from the castle. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck that got her mother arrested and allowed Zipp to ascend to the throne, or some crazy miracle. Still, who cared how it happened? Zephyr Heights was in much better hooves, even if her emotions were still at war with each other.

Her mind flashed to yesterday, and how she had visited her mother at the Zephyr Heights Correctional Facility. Every second of her time there was vivid, from the secretary at the front desk taking pity on her to her mother screaming at her, begging her, pleading with her to set her free just before she was taken away by security guards.

She really did love her mother. Deep inside, she still did. That was the exact reason for her own personal conflict, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake it.

Still, even online celebrities had lives beyond the screen. Her Pippsqueaks were so understanding. She found solace in them all the time. It was the one thing that kept her from breaking down.

She finally arrived at the station, forcing herself to keep her mind clear. However, that didn't go over so well when she saw just who Zipp had wanted her to meet.

"Zipp? What are...alicorns...you...who are you?" she stammered, her eyes growing wide as she took in Sunny's and Izzy's horns and wings.

"This is..." Zipp blinked, realizing that she never got any of the names of the trio. "Sorry, what're your names?"

"Sunny Starscout. Princess of the Sun!" Sunny waved.

"And I'm Izzy Moonbow, the Proud and Punny Princess of the Moon!" Izzy giggled. "Just call me Izzy, though."

"I'm Hitch. Hitch Trailblazer. Sunny's fillyhood friend." Hitch greeted with a wave of his own.

"Ah. Nice to meet you." Zipp nodded. "Guys, this is Princess Pipp Petals. She's my little sister."

The two mares and the stallion gave their hellos to the still-stunned Pipp, who could only stare at Sunny and Izzy in particular, her mouth agape.

"Sis, why are you so surprised?" Zipp teased. "You were the one who told me alicorns didn't exist, remember?"

"B-b-b-" Pipp furiously shook her head. "T-they're real?! B- Mom always said they were the stuff of Equestrian fantasy stories! Unless..." She trotted over to Sunny and Izzy and examined them, feeling their horns and wings.

Sunny began to look visibly uncomfortable, while Izzy giggled. "That tickles!" she said, when Pipp got to her wings.

"They're...real." Pipp sat down. "How...how?"

Izzy took a deep and noisy breath before Sunny could get a word out. "We found ourselves in this portal and found this weird amulet inside of Canterlot Castle! Then, Sunny and I became bestest alicorn friends! Then, we met this other alicorn named Terra who told us to come see her, and she took us under her wing -- not literally, of course, that's silly -- and she trained us in the ways of magic and flying! We're saviors of Equestria, all five of us!"

The other four ponies could only stare at her.

"Um...I'm sorry, what?" Pipp tilted her head.

Sunny gave a bout of nervous laughter, and summed up Izzy's version of events in a way that Pipp could understand. "It started when we were fillies. Izzy and I found both halves of a magical amulet inside Canterlot Castle -- kinda where we are now -- and we became alicorns. After we went home, our parents received a letter from some pony named 'Terra' who was an alicorn, and they sent us off so we could be under her care, and grow, and be trained in how to use our new powers!" She smiled. "Do you understand?"

"I, well...I kind of do?" Pipp blinked. "I'm sorry, it's just that this is so hard to believe. Your wings and horns are real...unless...you're holograms?"

"Can a hologram do this?" Izzy smirked, before motioning with her hoof for everyone to step back. She then leaned back on her hind legs and punched the air repeatedly, making various grunts and cries that wouldn't be too out of place in hoof-boxing.

"Izzy, we're not holograms." Sunny rolled her eyes.

"Okay, so you're not holograms. But you're..." She exhaled. "You're definitely real alicorns."

Zipp smirked. "Told ya so. You didn't believe it when Terra came to visit, but you believe it now, when two other alicorns come to visit? Third time's the charm, huh?"

"Shut up, Zipp." Pipp said. "And technically, it's the second time that was the charm."

Zipp only gave a nonchalant shrug in response.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you all, really. Sorry for my surprise. Heh, I guess I've seen it all now."

"Uh, about that, sis...there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

Over the course of the next few minutes, Zipp relayed to Pipp her conversation with Terra, about the prophecy she had found and about the alicorn in general. She watched as her sister's jaw dropped, more and more, until it became as unhinged as it could get.

"W-W-W-Why didn't you tell me this before?" Pipp said, sitting down on the floor. "Five saviors...and you're...and you three are..."

"Careful. Don't faint." Zipp said, her tone lighthearted. "But yeah. I'm one of the ponies that is destined to save the world and bring back magic to Equestria. And so are you."

"S-save Equestria? Bring back magic?" Pipp looked at her wings, opening them and giving them a few flaps. Her gaze moved to Zipp, then to Hitch, Sunny and Izzy. Her mouth felt dry all of a sudden, and her brain scrambled to make sense of the situation.

She took a moment to think. Her eyes closed.

On the one hoof, I don't know if I'm ready to take on such a huge responsibility. Mom's in jail, and my sister's the new queen...and she wants Terra to be the ruler of all of Equestria.

On the other hoof... She paused. On the other hoof, I want to bring back magic to Zephyr Heights just as much as Zipp does. I made a promise to all of my Pippsqueaks. I can't let them down.

I won't let them down.

Taking a deep breath, she rose to her hooves again, her expression steely as she looked at Zipp. "I'll help out."

"You will?"

"Yes. I -- we -- owe it to the Pegasi of Zephyr Heights to get their magic back. And, while we're at it...we can get everypony else's magic back, too." Pipp smiled. "I'm still just a liiiittle bit confused by the situation, but I'll do my best."

Zipp's eyes widened. She had expected Pipp to be a little more oppositional. But maybe she had just underestimated her. She gave a chuckle. "All righty. So that's that." She turned to Sunny and Izzy. "Where do we need to go next?"

"Sunny!" Izzy exclaimed, before her fellow alicorn could get a word out. "Let's go home!"

"Home? Why?"

"Duh, 'cause our new friends just have to meet Terra!" Izzy bounced up and down. "We have all five saviors gathered now! We gotta give her the good news!"

Sunny smiled. She couldn't argue with that logic. "All right, then. We're going to meet Terra!"

The eyes of Zipp, Pipp and Hitch all shimmered with curiosity and excitement. With raucous cheers, the group set off.

"...so yeah, that's pretty much what's goin' down. Rest assured, we'll bring back magic to you guys, and to all of Equestria, sooner than you think. Mark my words."

With that, Zipp tapped the red RECORD button on her phone, a satisfied smile settling on her face as she stashed it away under her wing. She made her way on over to Hitch, back in the sphere and levitating in the air with a panicked look on his face.

"So how're you doing in there?" Zipp smirked.

"N-n-not quite used to being so high up yet!" Hitch said, giving a bout of nervous laughter. "L-lucky for me that Sunny and Izzy can go super-fast."

Zipp snickered. "Oh, if I were controlling that ball, you'd be going so much faster."

Hitch's face turned from panic to utter dread, and Zipp couldn't help but laugh. "Kidding, kidding. I have standards, you know."

"We're here!"

The clouds parted to reveal the ever-familiar and easily-recognizable tree with pink leaves.

Pipp's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. That's your house?!" She squealed. "It looks so pretty!"

"A tree with pink leaves?" Hitch tilted his head. "Well that's a first."

The group descended until smooth landings were made onto the grass below, just outside the front door. Once the sphere landed on the ground, it disappeared, and Sunny could give her horn a rest. Unbeknownst to her, however, Hitch had started kissing the ground in relief.

"I hope she's home." Izzy said, her and Sunny giving three unisonant knocks on the wooden door.

The seconds ticked by.

Everypony waited.

And just as Sunny and Izzy were about to turn and leave, the door opened.

Terra gazed at them, and then her gaze moved to the other three ponies, who all gave waves. Pipp in particular looked about ready to burst, but was holding in her gushing out of politeness.

She remained silent for just a moment, and then a smile formed on her face.

"You found them." she breathed.

"We found them!" came the unisonant response from Sunny and Izzy.

Tears began streaming down Terra's face, although she didn't know it. "Please, all of you, do come inside." she urged, watching as her guests eagerly went inside and began talking about how nice everything looked.

"I never knew a home in a tree could look so good." Hitch said, fixing his gaze on Sunny. "Did you make this?"

"No, Terra did." Sunny explained. "We just moved in with her when we were fillies."

"Accent gems!" came the elated cry of Pipp, who flew up to touch a few diamonds that hung from the ceiling by strings. "Oh wow, they almost look like real diamonds, too!"

Zipp breathed a sigh of relief and joined her sister. "Lots of flying room in here." she said. "Good choice."

"Um..." Terra said. "Would any of you like anything to eat?"

"Now that I think about it, I am feeling a little hungry." Pipp landed on the ground and tucked her wings in. "Do you have any sandwiches?"

"Ooh, ooh, you know what? I make a suuuuuper-mean HLT. Why don't I make you one, Pipp?" Izzy asked with a grin.

"An HLT? I love those!" Pipp nodded. "Yes please!"

"Okay!" Izzy flew up to Zipp, who was still soaring around the room. "And for you, madam?"

"Eh, just a salad's fine."

"I'll have a PB&J!" Hitch waved from his spot on the couch.

Terra nodded. "Of course. Sunny, Izzy, would you mind helping me?"

"Not at all!" Sunny chirped, bounding into the kitchen with an excited Izzy in tow.

Several minutes later, six lunches were fully prepared for six hungry ponies. Everyone chowed down eagerly, relishing in the food's taste while making idle chitchat with each other. Terra looked on as Sunny laughed at a joke Zipp had shared, a small smile forming on her face.

They did it. All five saviors have been found. And already, they've become good friends.

Oh, Princess Twilight...if you were here, you would be so proud. Not just of me, but of the five ponies who will follow in you and your friends' hoofsteps, carving out a new legacy and protecting Equestria from harm while also keeping the magic of friendship alive.

She took a bite of her own sandwich. Tears began falling down her face again, and she quickly wiped them away before anyone noticed.

Please, do continue to watch over them. And guide them towards a bright future -- for them, and for all of Equestria.

As much as she wanted to cut right to the chase and catch up with Sunny and Izzy, she forced herself to wait, to take her time eating her sandwich. Magic would be restored to Equestria soon enough...but there was nothing wrong with taking a moment to have a good time with the ponies you loved.

Eventually, the group got down to business.

"Hmm." Terra inspected the Pegasus Crystal that Zipp had given her, as well as the Earth Pony Crystal that Sunny had. "I was not aware the Crystals had separated. But it is good that you found them." She nodded. "That makes us a couple steps closer to restoring magic."

"So all we need is to find the Unicorn Crystal then, right?" Zipp asked.

Terra nodded. "The Unicorn Crystal is likely located within Bridlewood."

Izzy's eyes widened, even more so when everyone turned their gazes towards her. "W-well, uh, I-I can say right now, I don't have that Crystal." A bout of nervous laughter slipped from her lips. "But I'll definitely help with the search for it! I know my way around Bridlewood preeeeeetty well."

Zipp tilted her head in curiosity, but otherwise chose not to comment.

"Do not go so soon." Terra urged. "You all should spend the night here before venturing out to Bridlewood. I can imagine you are quite tired."

"Are you sure?" Hitch asked. "We don't want to be a bother."

"I insist." Terra glanced towards the door. "I can buy some sleeping bags later on. But for now, do tell me all about yourselves, and your adventures."

Over the course of the next several minutes, Hitch, Pipp and Zipp introduced themselves to their new alicorn friend, and talked about their personal lives. Likewise, Sunny and Izzy shared their experiences in finding them, traveling from one town to another and uncovering some rather shocking news.

"Oh...so your father passed away." Terra folded her ears down. "My deepest apologies. He must have been a wonderful parent."

"He was." Sunny nodded. "Ever since my mom..."

Silence fell as everyone turned their gazes onto the alicorn.

"Um, n-never mind." Sunny waved a hoof, not wanting to go deep into the topic of her mother at the moment. "Thank you, Terra."

"It is no problem." Terra gave a small smile. "I must say, however...this 'Phyllis' character sounds rather concerning. Something tells me she might become trouble if she is not stopped."

"Sprout can handle her, don't worry." Hitch assured. "He's got everything under control."

Terra took this at face value. She gave a nod. "I see. If that is the case, then I do believe you should devote your time to finding the Unicorn Crystal. We can deal with Phyllis later." Her gaze flicked to the door. "You are all free to go outside, if you would like. Perhaps you can bond a little more and discuss plans for retrieving the Crystal."

"That's a good idea." Sunny nodded and began making her way towards the door. "Come on, everypony!"

The rest of the group followed suit, some stretching their limbs before trotting outside and taking in the fresh air.

From the most ludicrous of plans (finding some artifact that made everyone into unicorns) to the most sane (maybe just asking around town?), they shared opinions and ideas about how to get the Unicorn Crystal long into the rest of the day. By the time Terra had begun to head to a nearby town to purchase sleeping bags for Hitch, Zipp and Pipp, she had needed to prompt Sunny and Izzy that it was their time to lower the sun and raise the moon -- something they had nearly forgotten.

"All right. Watch this." Sunny grinned, lighting up her horn as her magic gripped the sun. Likewise, Izzy did the same, her magic grasping the moon that was not yet visible in the sky.

The others watched in awe as the sun gradually lowered to make room for its friend. When the moon sat in its usual position in the sky, Izzy jerked her head up, and the stars slowly began to form, one by one. The excited murmurs grew louder.

"Oh my hoofness, that is incredible!" Pipp squealed, ruffling her wings in excitement. "You two are so good at this!"

Sunny blushed with embarrassment. Izzy, on the other hoof, got sparkles in her eyes. "Thank you thank you! If you'd like, I can show you some of my favorite stars I've named. See, that one's Gerald, that one is Maurice, that one is Julian Boom Mike the Second-"

"Um, you guys?" Sunny raised a hoof as she turned to face the group. "I really think we should finalize the plans for retrieving the Unicorn Crystal. You know, just to...pass the time until Terra comes back?"

Zipp groaned. "Sunny, we've been over the plan a ton of times. We've been over..." She waved her hoof around as she wordlessly muttered numbers. "...I'd say about ten plans now."

"I know!" Sunny looked at the sky. "But we're so close to getting the magic returned to everypony. If we get the Unicorn Crystal, I know we can do it!"

"Hey." Hitch gave a soft smile. "It's like Zipp said. We have a plan. Why don't we just take the rest of the night off to relax? After all, you've reunited with me. And, you've made two new friends." He gestured to Zipp and Pipp. "It really wouldn't hurt to do some stargazing."

Sunny glanced at the ground. Deep inside, she knew Hitch had a point, and perhaps she was getting a bit antsy. But the completion of the mission of restoring harmony to Equestria was so close, she could almost touch it. The sooner, the better, in her eyes.

Sighing, she flopped onto the grass and looked at the moon and the stars. Although they were not her domain, she couldn't deny that looking at them brought her a sense of peace, and it almost made her sleepy.

"Oh! Look, a shooting star!" The eyes of Pipp, who was now lying on the ground, shimmered for a brief moment before the shimmer went away and her eyes became narrowed as she side-eyed Izzy. "Izzy, did you do that?"

"Maaaaybe?" a cheeky Izzy responded, before she giggled. "Just kidding, I totally did. Everypony, make a wish!"

The group slowly closed their eyes and silently made their own unique wishes.

"Okay! Now, what did you all wish for?" Izzy asked.

"I wish that magic would be restored to Equestria soon."

"I wish to uphold the peace and justice in Maretime Bay for years to come."

"I wish for lots and lots of loyal Pippsqueaks!"

"I wish that I can perfect the Sonic Rainboom."

Sunny glanced at Zipp, her eyes widening as she racked her memories. She had heard about the Sonic Rainboom once or twice from her dad, and from what he had told her, it had been a spectacle that had to be seen to be believed. But only the Guardian of Harmony Rainbow Dash had been able to do it. She wondered exactly what Zipp was capable of at her best, and made a mental note to ask her to perform some stunts once their mission was complete.

"Izzy? What did you wish for?"

Upon hearing Hitch's question, Izzy slowly opened her eyes, a small smile dancing on her face. Tears began brimming in her eyes, although she wasn't sure whether they were happy tears or sad ones. Her next words were nothing more than a murmur that rung out in the silent air.

"I wish...that we would be bestest friends until the end of time."

With that, the group fell silent, continuing to stare up at the dark blue sky for a long time as they reflected on their wishes.

Author's Notes:

Oy vey...it's been a while, huh? If "a while" meant "over 6 months".

I know I said I would address the long hiatus in a blog post but I don't even have the motivation to write one of those. Which leads into the biggest reason this fic was put on hiatus: a lack of motivation.

Between two contests, The Adventures of Peaches and Mandy, and a few other fics here and there (including an anniversary fic), that's sapped up a lot of my motivation. With the contest stuff taken care of, I plan on finishing up Solar and Lunar, as I plan on making a sequel that will introduce Misty and Opaline as well as other MYM and TYT elements. No details have been finalized on that, though -- I have an ending in mind for this first.

I know this is a short and very choppy chapter, and I apologize. This one has been floating around for a long time with me working on it here and there and I'm just happy to have finished it to the best of my abilities.

With that all being said, I hope to keep a more consistent release schedule from here on in, especially since I'm caught up with MYM and TYT (for now). Stay tuned!

Challenges Are In Order!

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The next morning, after plans were "more finalized than finalized" -- Sunny's words -- Terra sent Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, Sunny and Izzy on their way to Bridlewood to retrieve the Unicorn Crystal. The journey didn't take very long, thanks to the power of flight, and the five ponies soon stood at the entrance to the thick and expansive forest.

"This is Bridlewood?" Pipp said. "It looks so...eugh...spooky..."

"Well, it is a forest, sis." Zipp rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Izzy nodded. "Zipp's right! Bridlewood isn't scary at all. It's just a little...um..." She struggled for a moment to find a good word. "Unique!"

Pipp's eyes widened.

"In a good way!"

The Pegasus's expression didn't change.

"C'mon, let's go inside!" Izzy glanced at Sunny. "But first...Sunny?"

Sunny nodded and sidled up to Izzy. They lit their horns up, and Pipp, Zipp and Hitch were bathed in a prismatic blinding light. Once their hooves touched ground, all of them began to examine themselves, and promptly freaked out.

"Uhhh...where are my wings?" Zipp asked, spinning around in circles.

"Where are my wings?!" Pipp's words were practically a screech.

"And what's this thing on my head?" Hitch touched the horn delicately.

"Oh, I just turned you all into unicorns." Izzy waved a hoof. "Terra taught me the spell! It's temporary, so it'll wear off after two hours. That should give us more than enough time!"

Sunny sighed. "I told you this was a bad idea, Izzy."

"It's temporary." Izzy emphasized. "Now c'mon, let's transform!"

Once the two alicorns had changed into their unicorn alter egos of Dicey Roll and Moon Flower, they began their journey into the forest.

The first stop on the trip was a quaint little shop in the heart of town, known as the Crystal Tea Room. Everypony had agreed on avoiding Izzy's house, especially after Hitch, Pipp and Zipp had heard about what happened with Izzy's parents. Besides, neither one of them had any reason to keep the Unicorn Crystal, anyway.

The shop was cozy and inviting, although the "inviting" part could barely fit due to the depressive nature of all the unicorns.

"Hey, Izzy- er, I mean, Moon Flower..." Pipp asked. "Why is everyone so grumpy?"

"They've always been like that, ever since magic went away. Nopony's wanted to do anything. There's no hope, no passion, no happiness..." Izzy kicked the ground lightly with her hoof as she walked. "Me and my dad are the only ponies left who haven't turned sad."

Pipp put her hoof to her chest. "That's awful!"

Izzy guided the group through the shop, stopping at the table of one unicorn in particular who was running his hoof along the grooves of the table.

"Pssssst!"

"Huh?"

Izzy beamed. "Hi! Word around the streets is that you, my friend, collect crystals. Would you happen to have a blue diamond-shaped one in your fine collection?"

The unicorn looked at Izzy, his eyes showing nothing but unbridled fear. It took him a minute or two to actually speak anything of coherency.

"Gloomy Doomies."

Izzy gasped. "What? T-them?" She bit her lip. "How could they have the Crystal?"

"Stole my crystals from me while I was walking. Ran off with them into..." The unicorn gulped. "The jinxie part."

Izzy gasped again, and more dramatically.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt..." Zipp pushed forward. "But what's 'the jinxie part', exactly?"

"Rumor has it that if you go in that part of Bridlewood, you stay jinxie'd for life!" Izzy shook her head. "And there's no getting rid of those jinxies."

"Why would ponies want to go in that part of the woods if it's so cursed?" Sunny asked.

"Beats me. But nopony's even dared to face them. They take advantage of all the upset in Bridlewood to steal all sorts of items." Izzy gave a sympathetic look to the unicorn. "Don't worry. We'll get your crystals back, and all the other stuff back too!"

"Wait. Don't tell me we're actually gonna face the Gloomy Doomies?!" Pipp placed her hooves to her cheeks.

"We'll have to, if we want the Unicorn Crystal." Sunny said. "Er, thank you, mister."

"Yeah, thanks a bunch!"

As the group turned to leave, they were stopped by a voice that Izzy knew all too well.

"Hey, Izzy!"

Izzy turned around. "Oh, Alphabittle!" She trotted over. "What's up?"

"I heard the whole conversation." Alphabittle smirked. "Going to see the Gloomy Doomies, are you?"

"Yeah! We need to get the Uni- uh...I mean, we have to get something important back from them!"

Alphabittle raised an eyebrow as if noticing Izzy's slipup, but ultimately chose not to comment on it. "Well..." He leaned closer. "I just so happen to have a map to their little hideout. If you want it, though..."

Izzy watched as the older unicorn grabbed a rectangular-shaped box from one of the shelves behind him and set it down on the table. "You'll have to beat me at Trot-Bo."

"Trot-Bo?" Izzy looked nervous. "I, uh...w-well, I don't know how to play Trot-Bo..."

"I do."

Zipp confidently stepped forward and sidled up next to Izzy. "I'm a pro at Trot-Bo. Rhyme unintended." She had herself a chuckle. "Allow me to be your opponent, if you will."

Alphabittle grinned. "All right. Have a seat."

Izzy took a few paces back, allowing Zipp to do her thing. Sunny and the others came up, with the other alicorn placing a hoof on her friend's shoulder comfortingly as she watched the game's setup.

"Don't worry." she assured. "I'm sure Zipp's got this in the bag."

Izzy swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded.

Alphabittle dealt the cards accordingly -- 30 each in two piles that served as stock piles, as well as 5 cards for each player. "Here's the deal." he said. "If you can beat me once, and only once, you can have the map. And if you lose..."

Zipp stared at his outstretched hoof, getting the gist of what he meant but thinking about what she had on hoof to trade. Finally, she looked over her shoulder and extended her own hoof to Sunny.

"...Zipp?"

"Give me my Crystal."

"Sis, no!" Pipp cried. "If you lose, then he'll have both the map and the Pe- I- I mean your special Crystal!"

"I won't lose." Zipp responded coolly. "I'll show him what-for. Just give me my Crystal."

Sunny took a deep breath. She didn't want to give up the Crystal, just on the minute chance that Zipp lost. But at the same time, she knew that she needed to trust in her friend -- if she said she was a pro at Trot-Bo and knew she could beat Alphabittle at his own game, then she had to take her words at face value.

She reached into her saddlebag, pulled out the Pegasus Crystal, and placed it in Zipp's hoof. The disguised Pegasus gave a single nod of thanks before she gave the Crystal to Alphabittle.

"Thank you." the unicorn said, placing it behind him. "Now, I'll give you the honor of going first, little pony."

Zipp examined her hand. A 1, two 7's, an 11, and a 12. A reasonable hand, she figured. But she knew that based on the like-new state of Alphabittle's cards, the odds would easily turn in her favor later on. She set the 1 down, placed a 2 down from her stock pile, and overturned the next card.

A 3. She set it down and turned over the next one.

Drat. A 5.

She looked at her hand again to determine what cards to put down. Within seconds, she grabbed ahold of the two 7's and placed them next to her stock pile, beginning a new discard pile.

Alphabittle's eyes widened. "You can't put two down at once!"

"Yes you can, actually." Zipp raised a hoof. "If you read the rules, you would know that. It's your turn."

Alphabittle stifled a growl and examined his own hand. He didn't have as much luck with his own stock pile as Zipp did with hers, but he did manage to deplete his hand, which allowed him to draw 5 more. Eventually, he put down a 9 for a new discard pile.

Izzy, Sunny, Pipp and Hitch all watched nervously as the game raged on. It was a very close call, with both Zipp and Alphabittle keeping pace with how many cards were in their stock pile. The tension that Sunny in particular had been building melted away as she watched her Pegasus friend at work.

When Zipp had 11 cards left in her stock pile and Alphabittle had 8, the latter took ahold of the cards and shuffled them.

"You've done well." he praised. "I can tell you've been playing this game for a long time."

"Sure have. I know all the tips and tricks like the back of my hoof."

"Do you now?" Alphabittle shuffled for what had to be the fifth or sixth time now. "Well, I have a three-card advantage over you. Let's see how you do. It's your turn."

Zipp, wanting to remain collected so as not to give away anything, resisted a smirk as she watched the unicorn place the newly-shuffled deck back in its rightful place next to four building piles that had been set up. She drew 4 cards to complete her hand and examined them.

Although well-hidden by the cards, her smirk came forth and grew.

She made play after play, depleting card after card in her stock pile, getting rid of building pile after building pile. Alphabittle's expression gradually went from bemused to bewildered.

"Impossible!" was the only thing he could say as he watched Zipp at work. She paid him no mind, being completely focused on the game.

2 cards left in the stock pile.

One was a 12, which she eagerly played to get rid of a building pile.

Her hoof rested on the last face-down card.

"You know that if this is a 1, a 3, or a 10, I win?" Zipp said, her tone as cool as ice. "Especially if it's a 1. That's the good card."

Alphabittle merely stammered.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Zipp turned over the last card.

It was a 9.

Alphabittle gave a breathy chuckle. "Well well well, would you look at that. Luck ran out for ya, didn't it?" He smiled, although it certainly wasn't the kind of smile that held any niceties.

Zipp set down a 7 to start her fourth discard pile.

"Now, my little pony...watch and learn."

He picked up 3 cards to complete his hand of 5. From there, he laid down the three he had picked up -- a perfect order of 1, 2 and 3. His other two cards were a 10 and an 11, which helped him with one of the other building piles.

Zipp scrutinized everything -- her opponent, his hand, his stock pile, his discard piles, the building piles. She could feel her muscles begin to tense, but did everything in her power to relax them. Her mouth fought with her brain as it tried to curve up into a smile again, but she forced the frown to remain as a tried-and-true poker face.

In one turn, Alphabittle had cleared two discard piles, and had only a single card in his stock pile by the end of it.

He closed his eyes and overturned the card.

A 10.

He raised his hoof and stomped it on the table -- not hard enough to send all the cards jostling, but hard enough to communicate his anger and frustration without a single word spoken.

His head became bowed down, and he gave a small smile.

"Your turn."

Zipp blinked. She examined the building piles.

One of them just so happened to house an 8 on its top.

She drew a card to complete her hand, and played the final card in her stock pile.

"And that's the game." Zipp laid down the cards in her hand and outstretched her hoof. "The map and the Crystal, please."

Alphabittle sighed as he retrieved the map and the Pegasus Crystal and placed them on the counter. "Here. You earned them." he said. "How'd you get so good?"

"Well, the first red flag for you was the shuffling." Zipp explained. "See, Trot-Bo cards are a little tricky in that a unicorn can shuffle them over ten times and still have the cards end up in ascending numerical order."

"That so?" Alphabittle gathered up the cards and began putting them back into the Trot-Bo box. "Very interesting. Got any more tips you want to share?"

"Sure." Zipp gave a nonchalant shrug. "It's important to keep your head in the game at all times. Even one slip-up can cost you the entire game. I've learned from enough games with my sister." She rolled her eyes playfully. "You should also discard your cards in descending numerical order. Makes for easier playing."

Alphabittle nodded, then put the Trot-Bo box back on its proper shelf. "I'll keep that in mind." He turned back around and gave Zipp a friendly smile. "Gotta say, you're the first opponent I've had in a while who's actually fun. Come back and play another round sometime, huh?"

Zipp slid off of her stool, grabbing the items. "Will do." She waved. "See ya."

As the disguised Pegasus returned to the group, murmurs of excitement rippled throughout.

"Zipp, you were aaaamaaaaaziiiing!" Pipp said in singsong. "I knew you could do it."

"Yeah!" Izzy gave a small hop. "You're really good!"

"It's nothing." A small blush crept across Zipp's cheeks. "Trot-Bo just happens to be my favorite game, that's all. And I've had years of practice."

"And you managed to get the map, plus the Pegasus Crystal!" Hitch said.

"All right, ponies." Sunny grabbed the Crystal from Zipp, slipped it into her saddlebag, and turned towards the exit. "Let's go see what these Gloomy Doomies are all about."

Feeling much more confident, the group made their way back outside. Things were looking up for them, and they hoped the momentum continued on until they had all three Unity Crystals in their possession.

The map that Alphabittle had was, to Izzy's and everyone else's surprise, very coherent with the names of its landmarks and seemingly up-to-date. With it, they were able to get into the underbelly of Bridlewood, where hardly any unicorn had walked.

"Hey, Izzy?" Hitch said. "Do you know anything about these 'Doomy Gloomies' ponies?"

"Gloomy Doomies." Izzy corrected, before she shook her head. "And not a clue! I've admittedly never been to this part of Bridlewood before. I don't even know if it is Bridlewood. But it feels like Bridlewood, so that's a good sign, right?"

No one answered, so she decided to answer her own question with a bold "Righty-o!" and continue along.

As the group traversed deeper and deeper inside, fog gradually began to obscure their visions. Although Sunny and Izzy used magic on the tips of their horns as flashlights, it didn't help very much.

"Everypony, try to stick together!" Sunny ordered. "We can't afford to get lo-"

A ghostly moan cut through the air. Poses stiffened. Eyes darted around nervously. All seemed quiet for a minute or two after the moan died off.

"What was that?" Pipp's voice was a murmur as she stuck close to Zipp.

"Izzy..." Hitch glanced at the alicorn. "There aren't any ghosts that live in Bridlewood that you know of...right?"

Izzy bit her lip. "W-well...only in legends!" she said. "But I've never seen a ghost in Bridlewood. Then again, I've never been to this part of the forest, either..."

Another ghostly moan. This one caused screams to be elicited, with everyone hugging each other tightly.

"Everypony, run!" Sunny cried, sprinting away as fast as her hooves would carry her. The others followed suit. No one had any clear direction -- all they knew was to keep running forward.

The next thing Sunny knew, she was tumbling down a sloped surface of some kind. Hitch, who trailed her, stopped just in time, but the barrage of Izzy, Pipp and Zipp caused him, and them, to go down next.

Sunny landed flat on her stomach and let out a groan. As she slowly opened her eyes, she found that the fog was only slightly less prominent, which allowed her to see just a bit ahead of her. Before she could take in her surroundings, however, the four-pony ball crashed into the ground.

Another moan.

Sunny bolted straight up and squinted. It sounded closer, now...almost too close for her liking.

"H-h-hello?" she called, trying to spot any pony-shaped figures in the mist. She could swear she saw faint outlines, but for all she knew it was her eyes playing tricks on her. She turned to face the rest of the group, who were slowly getting to their hooves.

"Is everypony okay?"

"I'm...fine...whoa." Izzy wobbled and sat on the ground, rubbing her head. "I just need to sit for a minute."

"Ugh!" Pipp pawed at her mane, filled with dirt and rocks. "My mane's all ruined now!"

Zipp shook her leg free of a pebble that was resting on it and digging into her, helping Hitch up as well. Her eyes widened slightly as she spotted equine-shaped outlines growing closer and closer.

"Uh...what's that?"

Sunny stiffened. Her gaze remained locked on the outlines that were, sure enough, growing closer.

"Oh my hoofness, are those new friends?!" Izzy waved. "Hi, new friends!"

She didn't get a response. The figures kept advancing, and as they did, she realized that it was a trio.

"Stay back." Sunny ordered, conjuring up a shield and standing at the forefront of the group, her posture as poised as she could make it. She forced herself to take deep breaths to calm her nerves, assuring herself that she, and the others, could protect themselves easily if need be.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the mysterious beings made themselves known. Unicorns, to be specific, which was typical for Bridlewood. All of them had dark coats, dark manes and dark tails, which helped them blend well with the spooky setting.

"W-who are you? What do you want?" Sunny asked.

None of them responded. After a half-minute, the pony at the forefront opened their mouth.

"We could ask you the same thing."

His tone was melancholy, although not to the extent of the other Bridlewood unicorns. His two comrades nodded in unison.

"I- well...we...were hoping you could help us find something. Something very precious to us." Sunny explained, lowering her shield. "It's a blue crystal. Diamond-shaped, like the horn of a unicorn. Have you seen it?"

The lead unicorn's eyes flashed with anger briefly. "I have not. But our leader might have."

Sunny's eyes brightened. "Oh! That's good. Can you, um...take us to them, please?"

"One does not simply ask to see our dear leader, pony."

"Valencia." the lead unicorn snapped. "Bite your tongue and know your place."

The second unicorn fell silent, not uttering any kind of an apology and keeping her glare fixated on the opposing group.

"Anyway, she is correct. Seeing our leader is something reserved for..." A long pause. "Special ponies."

"W-well we're special ponies!" Izzy moved to be next to Sunny, shedding her disguise and spreading her wings out. "We're alicorns!"

The trio's eyes widened. Gasps were shared among them. It was made quite clear that they had never seen an alicorn before, and while curiosity overtook them, caution ultimately won over.

"Yes, yes, very special indeed." the third unicorn said, her voice not melancholy like the others. Her gaze shifted to the lead unicorn. "In that case...Rapid River, should we show them the way?"

Rapid River didn't say anything for a few moments, his jaw dropped in shock. Eventually he came to his senses, shaking his head and blinking rapidly. "I, uh...y-yes. If you five would be so kind as to follow me."

Everyone was quick to note that his tone was no longer melancholy -- something that intrigued Sunny and co. as they followed the group through the expansive fog.

"Uh, Izzy...are you sure these are the Doomy Gloomy ponies?" Hitch asked.

"Gloomy Doomies." Izzy corrected again. "And yup! You can tell by their coats, their manes, and their voices."

Hitch raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Well, at least they seem friendly. Enough."

The destination took only a few minutes to get to. On Zipp's insistence, the trio of unicorns revealed that they were, indeed, part of the Gloomy Doomies, but would not reveal anything more, even with her prying. So, the group determined that seeing their unnamed leader would give them all the answers they wanted.

The Gloomy Doomies' hideout was located in a rather expansive wooded area, obscured only by bushes. Rock formations of all kinds could be seen, from a large flat rock that jutted out like a diving board to a set of what appeared to be stairs leading to the top of another rock. Unicorns of all kinds lingered about the campsite, glaring at the newcomers as they walked.

"They sure love their rocks..." Pipp muttered under her breath.

"Izzy, why did you go and change back like that?" Sunny hissed. "What makes a pony 'special' is entirely subjective!"

"Well, it was better to be safe than sorry!" Izzy countered back. "Besides, nopony's out here besides the Gloomy Doomies, anyway."

The alicorns' conversation was cut short by the three unicorns leading them towards a tall, gaping cave entrance. Jaws dropped, wondering what kind of creature would need a cave that was so tall, and the nerves began to spread as the group tried to prepare themselves for what was to come.

"Mara?" Rapid River called. "There are some guests here to see you."

A pause.

"And to whom shall I be speaking to?" came the reply, which sounded like many ponies were talking at once but also carried a sense of dread that lessened the threatening factor.

"Two alicorns."

Instinctively, Sunny and the others backed up a few steps as a dark figure clad in a tall ethereal cloak came shuffling forth from the cave. Sunny could easily see that it was a unicorn, judging by the horn protruding from the silhouette, but what caught her attention the most was that they were floating by a mysterious force.

I thought magic went away for everypony, except for me, Izzy, Pipp and Zipp...so how is this unicorn self-levitating? Could they have not been affected by the Unity Crystals' separation? Or is it just special effects?

A million questions ran through her mind, and simultaneously, it picked up on the unicorn's mouth moving.

"Um...I'm sorry?"

"Identify yourselves."

"Oh! Well, I'm Sunny Starscout. Ah, Princess Sunny, for short. Or just Sunny." Sunny nervously chuckled, glancing at her friends and gesturing for them to follow suit.

"I'm Princess Izzy Moonbow! Princess Izzy, for short. Or just Izzy!"

"Zipp Storm."

"Pipp Petals. I'm Zipp's little sister. You can just call me Pipp."

"And I'm Hitch Trailblazer." Hitch bowed. "It's nice to meet you."

A pause. It seemed the unicorn liked to pause before they spoke, which unnerved Sunny and the others greatly. "My name is Mara. I am the leader of the Gloomy Doomies." Her eyes glowed a bright white suddenly, and she narrowed them. "What is your purpose for coming here?"

"We're looking for a crystal." Sunny explained. "It's diamond-shaped, blue. We were wondering if you had it in your possession, and if we could, ah...have it back?"

"The crystals we keep are powerful. They are essential for allowing us to thrive here, in a world that rejects all magic." Mara explained. "The Unicorn Crystal has been all but discarded by the unicorns of Bridlewood. It is in better hooves now. And I will not allow simple ponies like you to take it."

"We're not simple!" Pipp protested. "Sunny and Izzy are alicorns! Alicorns! Don't tell me you don't know what alicorns are?"

"That word means nothing, filly." Mara spat. "'Alicorn' is simply a fancy word for the horn of a unicorn. Sunny and Izzy are simply winged unicorns."

"Yeah, like the winged unicorns that ruled Equestria in the past!" Zipp countered. "And the winged unicorn that will rule Equestria in the present!"

Silence fell. Zipp clasped a hoof to her mouth, her eyes widening in shock as she realized that she had let the secret of Terra accidentally slip within her building rage.

Mara, however, didn't notice Zipp's slipup -- and if she did, she didn't call the disguised Pegasus out on it. "Don't make me laugh. There is no ruler of Equestria. There has not been such a ruler in eons. And there shall never be one."

"Oh yeah?" Zipp made her way to the front. "If you give us the Unicorn Crystal, I can prove you wrong."

"And how is that? You are simply a unicorn, with no wings to speak of. Do not tell me you are planning to rule Equestria?"

Zipp grit her teeth. She stood rigid for a few moments, contemplating whether what she was about to do was the right thing to do. Ultimately, though, her anger took over her common sense, and she swiveled her head towards Sunny and Izzy.

"Do it."

"Zipp, no!" Izzy cried out. "You could-"

"I don't care about the consequences, Izzy. Reverse what you've done."

Izzy bit her lip, but ultimately relented, firing up her horn and encasing Zipp in brilliant blue light. Within seconds, her horn had faded away, leaving only her wings exposed.

Mara moved back a few inches. The other three unicorns let out gasps of shock.

"I'm not planning on ruling Equestria." she began. "I'm the Queen of Zephyr Heights, and I don't want to become ruler of anything beyond that. But I'd like to make a proposal."

Mara's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Don't you want to have magic back? Don't you want Equestria to return to the way it was?"

"We..." Mara illuminated her horn for a moment. "...have magic."

That stopped Zipp cold. Her jaw dropped, as did those of her friends. "H-how..."

"The loss of magic did not affect us because we live in such an isolated part of Bridlewood. Thus, we are the only beings who still have magic." Mara's muzzle wrinkled. "Or, were the only beings."

Sunny and Izzy exchanged a glance, realizing that Mara's reasoning made sense, though they certainly didn't believe it was possible.

"So, if you want your precious Crystal back..." Mara sneered. "...then defeat me in a magic battle. The winner shall be the one who takes the Crystal for themselves."

"And what happens if we lose?" Izzy asked.

"Then you shall remain with us, as valued members of the Gloomy Doomies. Forever until your deaths."

Both alicorns waited. Waited for Mara to pick which pony she wanted to fight. But she did not respond, only glaring at the group menacingly.

"Um...w-would you excuse us for a moment? We'd like to discuss this in private." Sunny twiddled her hooves. "May we go right outside?"

Mara nodded, and the five ponies began making their way out of the cave, looking back to make sure she wasn't going to follow them.

"Aren't you guys scared?" Izzy asked, trotting ahead of the group and walking backwards.

"Us? Scared?" Zipp scoffed. "Of course not."

"We totally believe in you guys!" Pipp chirped. "I haven't seen what either of you can do yet, but I just know you have so much potential. You'll do great!"

"And don't forget. If you need help, we got your backs." Hitch nodded. "Go beat Mara and get that Unicorn Crystal!"

The words sounded so cliched, so automatic to Izzy. But no matter how they sounded, her friends' support was all that she needed. "Thanks so so much!" she said with a smile, before turning around as she passed through the exit of the cave into the campsite that laid before her.

Sunny, with a smile also on her face, trotted over to her alicorn friend. "So who's going to be the pony that faces down Mara?"

"I'll do it!" Izzy frantically waved her hoof in the air. "I was born and raised in Bridlewood, after all. If anypony's gonna get that Crystal, it'll be yours truly!"

Sunny didn't need to second-guess Izzy's decision, placing her utmost confidence in her. "All right. Good luck in there. Don't forget what Terra taught us!"

"Oh don't worry. I have a few tricks up my pony sleeve that's sure to rock the glittery socks off these Gloomy Doomies!" Izzy giggled as she began to bounce into the cave.

As Mara's ears picked up on the sound of what appeared to be a spring hopping along, she narrowed her glowing eyes and kept her gaze fixated on the blue-maned alicorn that was approaching her.

"Leave." was the only command she gave the three unicorns that had led the group to her, and they immediately obeyed, galloping past Izzy as fast as their hooves would take them. Izzy paid them little mind, steeling her nerves as she faced down her towering opponent. She could see the confident smirk on Mara's face, but her own smile didn't falter.

"You may have the first attempt."

That was all Izzy needed. She took flight, swirling around into the air in a showy fashion before rearing back and firing a purple beam of magic directly at Mara's face. While it appeared to be a direct hit, Mara's unchanging expression showed that it didn't seem to do much damage, if any at all.

"How cute." the unicorn said plainly. "My turn." Taking a deep breath, magic surged into her horn until it glowed a color that Izzy was unable to identify. Before she knew it, a bright beam shot straight at her, leaving her with little room to dodge. She definitely wasn't the most agile pony -- Sunny outranked her in that regard as far as the two of them went -- but she had learned a few tips and tricks from Terra, and it was that which allowed her to dodge by rolling to the side, nearly colliding with the cave wall.

Mara narrowed her eyes. "Feh. Missed." She rolled her hoof around idly. "Oh well, there's always a next time."

Izzy bit her lip, her brain scrambling to try and figure out her next move. For her genki nature, not even she was dumb enough to try hitting Mara with magic again and again, and she knew that she needed to come up with a good strategy -- and fast, for she wanted to get the Unicorn Crystal and restore magic to the rest of Equestria as soon as possible.

If I can't attack her body, then maybe... Her gaze drifted to the dark cloak, with the rolling waves on its ends that lapped the ground. Suddenly, an idea began to form in her brain, and she grinned as she lit up her horn. Conjured into existence was a rope, which she took in her mouth and casually trotted closer to Mara.

"What? What are you..." Mara watched as Izzy's trot turned into her becoming nothing more than a blur, circling the cloak at blinding speeds. The unicorn felt a squeezing sensation at the bottom of her cloak, which got tighter the more Izzy circled her. After a few seconds, Izzy stopped, and with one end of the rope in her magic, she stood up on her hind legs and gave a mighty yank.

The sound of something fluttering reached Mara's ears. Dread pierced her heart. She didn't need to look back to know what the sound was, but she could certainly feel the pain that resulted from it, as she plummeted to the ground and landed hard on her stomach. The glow from her eyes faded away, slowly but surely, until they looked like the normal eyes of a pony.

Izzy eyed the cloak curiously. Its ends came to a stop, until it looked like nothing more than an ordinary cloak. "Oh wow, that actually worked!" She giggled. "For a second there, I thought I was gonna look really dumb."

"M-m-" Mara attempted to get to her hooves. "My cloak...w-what did..." She grit her teeth and a groan slipped out before she could finish her sentence.

"Aww, nothing special, really. Just used a teeeeeny-tiny bit of Accelero to remove the source of your magic."

Mara wanted to scream at this alicorn that had somehow beaten her without putting up much of a fight, but she was too in pain at the moment to do much of anything but slowly get herself into a standing position. Izzy watched with a grin on her face, not disappearing even when Mara whipped her head around so fast that she could have gotten whiplash from it.

"You..." Her lips curled back and exposed her gritted teeth. "How dare you. To remove what has kept me alive, what has kept the Gloomy Doomies running...to end our battle so soon after it begun..." She shot daggers at Izzy, which only intensified the longer she looked at her smile. "It is blasphemous."

"I dunno what that word means!" replied an innocent Izzy. "But hey, I won the battle! That means I get to have the Cry-" Her hoof running across something hard interrupted her, and her eyes widened as she flipped the cloak over. Sure enough, in an inner pocket was the Unicorn Crystal, shining brightly and in pristine condition.

"No!" Mara cried out with an outstretched hoof. "Don't take that! Please!"

"But we need it to restore magic!" Izzy countered. "It's for the good of Equestria!"

Mara's horn sparked, and she growled. "That Unicorn Crystal grants me abilities that I never would have been able to obtain in my lifetime, no matter what knowledge I obtained, no matter what spells I practiced, no matter how hard I tried. Without it, I am nothing but a cheat, a fraud, a liar to these ponies who have built up their trust in me." She slowly approached Izzy. "Did you honestly think I would put such a powerful force at stake for something as trivial as a battle of magic abilities?"

Piecing the puzzle together, Izzy gasped. "So you cheated?!" she exclaimed. "B-but...why? Why not..." She stammered for a few moments. "Why not pick something else to...nonono, why not just concede and let us have the Crystal?!"

Mara heaved a sigh. "You are a dumb little pony." she tutted, stopping in front of Izzy and straightening her posture in a feeble attempt to tower above the alicorn to some degree. "There is no other power source that is available to me. I do not have magic. I cannot obtain magic. I cannot use magic. What portion of this do you need elaborated upon?"

"I..." Izzy stared into her opponent's eyes. The amber irises and dark pupils bore into her with malice and hurt, and funnily enough, the alicorn found them more menacing than when the eyes were glowing. Try as she might, she couldn't tear her gaze away, up until she began blinking rapidly. "I had...no idea." she finally spit out. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was a wa-"

Her mane and tail billowed for a few moments in the breeze that was created by Mara galloping deeper into the cave without another word spoken. By the time she turned around, the leader of the Gloomy Doomies had disappeared into the darkness. Briefly she contemplated running after her, but ultimately decided that was an issue best left to after magic was restored.

As she plodded out of the cave, Sunny, Hitch, Zipp and Pipp gave cries of relief.

"Izzy!" Sunny wrapped her legs around her friend, pulling her into a hug. "How did it go? Did you win?"

A pause. And then, "Yeah. I won."

"Izzy, what's wrong?" Pipp asked. "What happened in there?"

The alicorn didn't respond. She sat on the ground and rubbed her leg, avoiding all eye contact. Although she didn't know for sure, she felt like every unicorn in the immediate vicinity was glaring at her, as if knowing that their leader had just run away and probably, maybe, abandoned them.

The others exchanged worried glances, but didn't press Izzy any further.

"Mara..." Izzy lifted her head up. "She...she doesn't have magic."

"What?" Hitch blinked. "But that's impossible! She told us she and the rest of the Doomy Gloomies-" He shook his head furiously. "Gloomy Doomies had magic!"

"With the Unicorn Crystal, yeah. W-well, she does, anyway. I dunno about the other Gloomy Doomies." Izzy looked around, but didn't see any unicorn actively using their magic. "But when I beat her, she told me that the Unicorn Crystal allowed her to use magic, since she can't use magic at all."

"At all?" Sunny tilted her head. "Like...she really can't use magic? Not because Equestria doesn't have it, but because she lacks the ability?"

Izzy nodded. "I told her that us having the Crystal was for the good of all of Equestria. But she didn't listen. And when I tried to apologize, she ran off."

"Deeper into the cave?" Zipp looked past Izzy and through the cave's gaping mouth. "Well, we're not going to find her if we look for her in there."

"What're we gonna tell these guys?" Hitch gestured to the rest of the unicorns. "I don't think they'll like it if we tell them their leader's gone AWOL."

Izzy reached behind her and pulled out the Unicorn Crystal. "Here. Take this, and run."

"Run where?" Pipp interjected.

"To the outskirts of Bridlewood." Izzy placed the Crystal in Sunny's hooves. "I'll stay here and break the news."

"But what if they attack you?"

Izzy smiled. "Don't worry. I'll hold them off. Just go, okay?"

Hitch, Pipp and Zipp stared at Izzy for a few seconds before turning around and heading out of the campsite. Sunny lingered for a little bit longer, biting her lip in worry and concern before she relented.

"Stay safe." were her last words before she followed the others, tucking the Crystal into her saddlebag.

Izzy watched them go until they were out of sight, which was a rather easy feat given how the area was still shrouded in fog. Taking a deep breath, she looked around for a rock she could stand on, hoping to get as many ponies as possible with how high up she was. Luckily, there were two, but she didn't know which one was the rock Mara used to call meetings. Regardless, she made a decision and began climbing up to the land where the base of the rock sat, forgoing any usage of her wings to assist her. As her back hooves scrabbled in search of a rock, she hoisted herself up with her left front hoof gripping another rock. Up and up she went until she finally reached the top, and she made her way to the very edge of the rock, looking down at the campsite below.

"Um...a-attention, Doomy Gloomies! I, er, I mean Gloomy Doomies!" Izzy called. The knot in her stomach began to form and grow bigger with each unicorn that gathered. Although all of them had curious expressions, she couldn't find relief in them because she knew what those expressions were going to turn to.

I could lie. The thought was sudden, and she tried to push it away. Lying was a viable option, but she knew that lying would only get these unicorns even more upset, and she didn't want to risk that. So, she took another deep breath, and opened her maw.

"Recently, uh...I had a battle with your leader, Mara, for the Unicorn Crystal." she began. "I ended up winning after I removed her cloak and caught her cheating-"

Gasps rung out in the clearing. Izzy could swear she heard words like "impossible" and "incredible" among the murmurs that followed. She cleared her throat and pressed onward.

"And she...she told me that she doesn't have magic."

Louder gasps. More murmurs.

"She didn't wanna give me the Unicorn Crystal at first, even though she said the winner could have it. I tried to reason with her, and I told her that giving me and my friends the Crystal would help Equestria, but she didn't listen. And then I tried to apologize, and she..." Izzy pointed to the cave. "...ran deep into the cave."

The murmurs turned into cries of horror.

"I-I'm really sorry! I fought fairly. She put the Unicorn Crystal up for grabs, not me. I just..." Izzy slumped onto the ground. "I just wanna save Equestria and bring back magic to everypony..."

Her blurted excuses did little in the way of providing solace to the worried crowd. She buried her face in her hooves, struggling to fight back the tears that she felt pooling in her eyes.

After a minute or two, she couldn't take it anymore. "I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" she cried, before lighting up her horn and teleporting away in a bright purple flash, leaving the Gloomy Doomies behind. Although she couldn't see it, the unicorns in the group had ceased their reactions, looking up at the spot where Izzy once was with unreadable expressions.

In the back of the group, Rapid River stared with intent at the cave that his leader had escaped into. And unbeknownst to him, Valencia, as well as the third unicorn who had come with them, Cosmic Gust, were also staring at the same cave. All three of them shared the same exact thought and began to adopt the same exact mission as they began mentally running through preparations.

Izzy's teleportation took her to where the others were currently heading to, just outside of the forest that contained her home. She sat down and decided to let her tears flow free, her body racking with each sob she gave. Her crying only served to get worse when intrusive thoughts began to form, of what would have happened if she had stayed in the Gloomy Doomies' campsite.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed by the time she heard the galloping hoofsteps of her friends approach her. She looked up, her orchid-colored eyes bloodshot as she turned her head towards them.

"Izzy?" Pipp was the first to notice, swooping over to her side. "Why are you crying?"

Izzy swallowed a lump that was in her throat, finding it hard to answer the pop princess's question at first because the words refused to come out. Eventually, though, they did. "I told the- the Gloomy Doomies what happened, and..."

Everyone waited for the alicorn to finish her explanation. They didn't need much, however, to know that whatever had happened in the time that they left was bad enough to have left Izzy in emotional distress.

"They...were upset." Izzy's ears folded downwards. "I was afraid they were gonna start attacking me, so...I teleported away after giving an apology."

Sunny held a hoof to her mouth. Zipp and Hitch's eyes widened in unison. And Pipp's expression was one of empathy as she placed her hooves on Izzy's shoulders and touched ground.

"It's good that you explained things to them." the Pegasus soothed. "Just running off without saying anything wouldn't have made you any better than Mara."

Izzy merely stared at her friend wordlessly.

"You did really good, Izzy. I'm so proud of you." Pipp encased Izzy in a tight hug. "We can always go back when magic gets returned and explain everything. Don't worry."

The words were few, but the impact was tremendous. Izzy collapsed in a fit of sobs, returning the hug eagerly. Pipp winced as the tears began soaking into her fur, and she gave herself a mental reminder to clean herself thoroughly the second she was able to. But for now, she was willing to sacrifice her cleanliness to help out a friend in need.

A few minutes later, Izzy pulled away from the Pegasus, standing up and wiping her tears away. "T-thanks, Pipp. I really needed that." She gave her a smile before turning to the others. "So now that we have all the Unity Crystals, what's next?"

"Let's go back to my house." Sunny decided. "If we're going to put together the Crystals, then we're going to need to do some research on the aftermath and make sure we restore magic to everypony without any aftereffects."

Nods were shared among the rest of the group, and together, they galloped down the pathway, excitement fluttering about as they realized that their mission was so close to being completed that they could almost taste it. Soon, everypony would have magic again, and Equestria would become a better place to live, work, and thrive.

Back in Maretime Bay, the ponies who lived there walked with a sense of paranoia. Phyllis had been screaming nonstop about Sunny and her friends coming back to Maretime Bay and destroying it and everypony in it, capitalizing on the fear of her fellow citizens to create a sense of danger. By doing this, sales at Canterlogic had increased tenfold, with ponies buying everything from Pega-Periscope Goggles to Anti-Mind-Reading Hats, keeping in line with the "to be scared is to be prepared" motto that the company was known for. Phyllis had lost track of just how much money she had made in the span of a day and a half -- an unreasonable amount it was for such a short span of time, but whether it was reasonable or not hardly made a difference to her. Money was power, and she was soon on her way to becoming the richest pony in the town.

Sprout, meanwhile, was the only pony to not have bought into the ridiculous hype. It seemed that every few minutes he would have somepony barge in, wanting to file a complaint because they looked into the water and thought they saw an alicorn or a Pegasus or a unicorn staring back at them when it was nothing more but a trick of the eyes. As temporary Sheriff, he was forced to comply, and filed each complaint accordingly. By the time he had gone home on the day when Sunny and the others had left, he had been so wiped out that he didn't bother to listen to his mother's boasting. That had gotten him a good chewing-out.

Now, he closed the window and the blinds, his chance at getting some fresh air ruined by his mother yelling that Sunny and her friends would come "any day now". He was almost tempted to go out and drag them all back by the ears himself, but being the only cop in town at the moment found that desire dashed. As he sat at his desk, he picked up a pencil in his teeth, mindlessly writing out plans to stop his mother if she ever decided to attack the innocent ponies he had become acquainted with.

Something in his gut told him that was going to happen soon.

The difference was that he wasn't crazy enough to go out to the town square with a sense of certainty and scream his thoughts through a megaphone and scare innocent ponies. He was above that, and so, he continued to write out his plans, holding on to the hope that Sunny, Hitch, Izzy and whatever ponies they had brought with them would return to Maretime Bay sooner rather than later.

United We Stand, Divided She Falls

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Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Hitch and Zipp rushed to Maretime Bay as fast as their hooves would take them. Along the way, Hitch and Pipp's disguises wore off, and they reverted back to their usual forms -- which was a good thing, because although they wouldn't admit it, they weren't sure if Izzy's spell really was temporary. Along the way, the group neglected to stop at Terra's house, with Sunny citing that she was sure they could handle the rebuilding of the Unity Crystals and the restoration of the town themselves without the more experienced alicorn's assistance. Surely, all they had to worry about was Phyllis, and she didn't seem like much of a threat, she said.

As they passed the Welcome to Maretime Bay sign, the relief and excitement shared by them only served to grow bigger. Izzy, in particular, looked like she could almost start vibrating from it, while Pipp looked about ready to burst into song. Being in the home stretch of a mission was a wonderful thing, and everypony was reveling in it.

From his spot in front of the police station, where he was removing a few expired notices, Sprout turned to spot the group approaching them. "Sunny! Izzy! Hitch!" he called in relief, running up to meet them. "You're back!"

"Sure are!" An airborne Sunny landed and stopped to catch her breath before continuing. "How's it going?"

Sprout sighed. "Could be better."

As if on cue, a harsh cry cut through the vicinity. "Ponies of Maretime Bay! Hear my words and listen to me!"

Hitch's ears folded downwards, recognizing the voice. "Oh no."

"Oh yes." Sprout held up a hoof. "Just listen for yourself."

"We will be under attack by unicorns and Pegasi very soon! And leading them will be two alicorns, one of them being our very own Sunny Starscout!" Phyllis's words were practically screamed into the megaphone she held in her hoof. "We must take all precautions necessary! If you haven't already, buy some Anti-Unicorn-and-Pegasi heavy-duty household tape at Canterlogic to protect yourself and your loved ones from harm!"

Sprout scoffed. "The tape doesn't even work. She's selling bogus products now." He rolled his eyes. "At least her Anti-Mind-Reading Helmets and Unicorn Entrapment Devices actually worked as intended. But tape? To secure your house with? That wouldn't even keep an Earth pony out!"

Sunny stared at the ponies heading in the opposite direction of her, presumably towards the sound of the voice. "We were only gone for two days. Not even!" she exclaimed. "How..."

"How much has she sold?" Sprout finished. "A lot. More products than one would think could be sold in that small of a timeframe. She's become rich. Richer." His eyes widened in horror. "The richest."

Hitch bit his lip nervously. "It was always her dream to become the richest pony in Maretime Bay, wasn't it?" he recalled. "And now it's become a reality."

"Uh, pardon my ignorance..." Pipp made her way to the front. "But being rich isn't necessarily a bad thing. If somepony wants to get rich, and they get rich, then what's the problem?"

"Sis, did you ignore the fact that she was advertising tape that keeps out Pegasi and unicorns?" Zipp pointed out. "She's just like everypony else in Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood. Living in dissonance instead of harmony."

Pipp blinked. "Ohhh. Well, when you put it that way...yeah, that's not good."

"We have to stop your mother, Sprout." Sunny said. "Can you take us to her?"

Sprout hesitated for a moment. "I'm...not so sure that's a good idea." He swiveled his head around to look at a mare who was eagerly galloping past him and the rest of the group. "I don't know what she's going to do to you if she sees you. Let alone with, uh..." He pointed at Zipp and Pipp. "...you two."

"Maybe we should introduce ourselves?" Zipp offered, making her way up and standing next to her sister. "I'm Zipp Storm. The current Queen of Zephyr Heights." As Sprout bowed, the Pegasus waved a hoof. "No need to bow. Just call me Zipp."

"And I'm Pipp Petals! I'm the Princess of Zephyr Heights, Zipp's little sis. Niiiice to meeeet yooooou~!"

Sprout appreciated the ditty Pipp sang, and a smile formed on his face. "Nice to meet you both. I'm Sprout Cloverleaf. Been friends with Hitch and Sunny for years. I work at the Maretime Bay Police Station with Hitch, actually."

"We make a great team." Hitch gave a wink to Pipp and Zipp.

"Okay, now that introductions are over..." Sunny said. "Sprout, we have all the Unity Crystals. If we put them together, we can bring back magic!"

Sprout frowned. "It's a good idea in theory, but something tells me joining the Crystals together and restoring magic won't be the way to go."

"Huh?"

"Even with magic back, who's to say those guys won't still hate unicorns and Pegasi?" Sprout pointed behind him. "Then Canterlogic is really going to thrive, even more than it already has. Phyllis is going insane because she has so much money and is profiting off of the fearful propaganda she's pedaling. She has almost everypony under her hoof, as supporters and as consumers." He paused for a moment. "If you guys want to try speaking to her, then be my guest, but don't be surprised if it doesn't work."

Sunny glanced at her friends. "Well, trying and failing is better than not trying at all, right?" She smiled. "I say we try talking to her. And if we can't do that, then we can at least try to convince the ponies of Maretime Bay to embrace other pony kinds. Who's with me?"

"I am!" Izzy frantically waved her hoof in the air. "Let's do it!"

"I'm in." Pipp nodded.

"It really couldn't hurt to try." Zipp concurred.

Hitch hesitated for a moment, looking from Sunny to Sprout and back again as though he didn't agree. After a couple minutes, however, he relented, and gave a nod. "All right."

"Great! Sprout, can you lead the way?" Sunny asked.

"Sure. Follow me!" Sprout took off in a gallop, and the group followed suit, ignoring the stares, the screams, and the cries of their names from ponies who were looking at them. All they were focused on was getting to meet Phyllis face-to-face and try to talk her down from her maddened state.

The pink-coated Earth pony spotted Sprout first-hoof as he pushed through the crowd, willingly ignoring Sunny and the others. "Ohh, Sprout! Welcome back, sweetie. Have you come to help me out?"

"Look at them, Mother."

"Here, I'm sure I have another megaphone around here somewhere..."

"Look at them, Mother."

"Or maybe I left it back at ho-"

"LOOK AT THEM!!"

The words were an echoing shout that washed over the crowd of ponies and silenced them. Phyllis gave a single scoff, jerking her head away from her son and looking at him through a side-eye. "And why should I?"

"Because they aren't the harmful ponies you think they are!" Sprout fired back, gesturing to Pipp and Zipp. "You see those two Pegasi over there? They came with Sunny, Izzy and Hitch. And they haven't attacked us or anypony else!"

"Yet." Phyllis raised a hoof. "They're just biding their time and making a plan. You'd do well to stay away from them."

"No. You're being irrational. You've been blinded by your wealth and power. There are better ways to sell your products than to prey on the fear of your customers!"

Phyllis merely scoffed. "Sprout, sweetie, I wouldn't expect you to understand anything about business." she said. "In this industry, you must do whatever it takes to survive. And of course, that means appealing to the customer's whims. If the ponies of Maretime Bay fear unicorns and Pegasi, then of course I'll capitalize on that."

"But by doing that, you are pedaling the fear further. Fear that should be nonexistent. Don't you understand?" Sprout took a few steps forward. "Sunny, Izzy, Hitch, Zipp, Pipp...they all went on a journey to restore magic in Equestria and restore unity within the ponies that live in it. Are you really just going to make all their efforts not worth it?"

Phyllis hesitated for a short moment before she responded with a simple "Yes."

Realizing that there had to be somepony in the crowd who knew a thing or two about business, Sprout leaped onto the platform, rudely shoving his mother aside and grabbing the megaphone from her. "Ponies of Maretime Bay!" he called. "My mother, Phyllis Cloverleaf, has been preying on the fear you harbor for Pegasi and unicorns, taking your hard-earned money and pushing products that only serve as scams. But!" He pointed towards Sunny and the others. "I encourage you to look at Sunny and her friends, and tell me if you honestly think they are going to harm you!" With his free hoof, he gestured to himself. "Look at me! They certainly haven't harmed a single strand of fur on me, so what makes you think they're going to harm you?"

The crowd began to mutter. Sprout couldn't tell whether they were seriously considering his words or doubting them. Still, he opened his maw to continue.

"Do Pegasi really eat their young?" came a voice from the crowd.

Sprout glanced at Sunny's group. "Why don't you ask them?"

Sunny's eyes widened as Sprout performed a "come here" gesture with his hoof. She glanced back at the others, then tentatively stepped forward, her friends following suit. She, Izzy, Sprout and Hitch made room for Pipp and Zipp to take center stage, with Zipp waving the megaphone away when Sprout offered it to her.

"To answer your question..." Zipp began. "No, we do not eat our young. On the contrary, actually. We raise them just like Earth ponies do."

Surprised murmurs rippled through the crowd. Although no one noticed, Phyllis's eye twitched.

"You guys aren't gonna eat us...are you?"

"Absolutely not!" This time, it was Pipp who took over the floor, a grin on her face. "Believe me, we all eat normal pony food. Same as you guys!"

"Do unicorns really fry pony brains?"

The question came forth before anyone could react to the previous one. "Nope!" Izzy said, pushing her way in between the two Zephyr Heights sisters. "There are some old, old Bridlewood legends about zombie unicorns doing that, but they're just legends, I guarantee it!"

Zipp facehoofed. The crowd began murmuring again.

"Stop spewing lies!" Phyllis snapped. She stamped a hoof down, her cheeks beginning to glow a bright red. "W-what do any of you know?!"

"A lot, actually. A lot more than you." Hitch fired back, a smug smile on his face as he turned to the crowd again. "Anypony have any more questions?"

"Yeah!" A stallion held up a roll of Canterlogic's Anti-Pegasi-and-Unicorn Tape. "Can you look at this and tell us if it really keeps you guys out?"

As he threw it towards the stage, Izzy instinctively caught it in her corona, causing the crowd to gasp and huddle down. The alicorn tilted her head, a frown dancing on her face for only a fleeting moment before it turned into a smile. "Nope! We can totally break into your home if you had this up. N-not that we would, of course!" She noticed the stares of her friends, and gave a nervous chuckle. "Unicorns and Pegasi don't go breaking into ponies' homes."

"You see?" Sprout said, an edge of hope in his voice. "Canterlogic has been selling you all nothing but faulty products that claim to keep out Pegasi and unicorns, but really don't. Phyllis is a fraud!"

Silence rang out among the crowd. Everyone on the stage held their breaths, awaiting the reaction of Maretime Bay's residents to see whose words they believed more.

Hopeful chatters began to grow.

Sunny gave a surprised gasp, and then a laugh.

Surely, it seemed like Maretime Bay was coming around, with mares and stallions, fillies and colts, all growing curious as to what unicorns and Pegasi were really like.

"Hey!" Sunny's voice cut through the crowd. "If you'd like to meet some Pegasi, then Zipp and Pipp would love to meet you!" Both Pegasi waved as the alicorn continued. "And my friend Izzy used to be a unicorn, so you can ask her any unicorn-related questions you'd like!"

The crowd took a few steps back to allow Zipp, Pipp and Izzy to hop off of the stage. The second the trio's hooves met ground, however, they were instantly swarmed by Earth ponies, all of them asking a flurry of questions ranging from the mundane to the bizarre.

Within the chaos, Sprout's eye caught his mother's teeth grinding together in rage. Before she could say anything, he decided to take this opportunity to try once more at making her see the light, trotting over to her.

"You see, Mom?" he said. "Maretime Bay has come to accept other pony kinds, simply by lending their open ears and developing open minds. And if you were smart, you would do the same."

"No!" Phyllis screamed. "I refuse to accept this! I..." She devolved into such incoherent stammers that Sprout could swear he saw the gears turning in her head. "This can't be happening!"

"But it is. We're one step closer towards unity." Sprout smiled. "I have a feeling their journey isn't over yet, though."

Phyllis's lips curled back into an ugly snarl. "What are you saying?"

"They still need to convince Zipp and Pipp's hometown, and Izzy's. And of course, there's still...you." Sprout's smile turned into a frown. "It's up to you. You can either stand united, or fall divided. That goes for Canterlogic, too."

Phyllis glared at her son, then at the excited crowd below. She squeezed her eyes shut, the rage building inside of her as she contemplated her options. Finally, after a few minutes, her expression and posture relaxed, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"I would rather take a third option." she sneered. "I won't stand united or fall divided. I will gather up a new crowd, a new base of customers to sell to. Bring unity to Equestria all you'd like, but there will always be ponies who are stuck in the ways of routine, ponies who will never change."

"Speaking only of yourself, are you?" Hitch trotted up, raising an eyebrow as he stood beside Sprout.

"Scarlet has softened you. Both of you." Phyllis scoffed. "I never should have let you two play together. I knew that mare was up to no good."

Sprout idly admired his own hoof, a distraction from his mother's nonsensical ramblings. Hitch, however, had more to say in his stead.

"You're just afraid to admit that she was right. Unity can be achieved in Equestria. And we are living proof of it." Hitch waved a dismissive hoof. "But if you want to run away, then by all means. We won't stop you."

"Run away? Who said I was doing that?" Phyllis raised an eyebrow. "I am conceding. Big difference."

Sprout snorted. "Right. Sure."

"And if you are going to side with these...ponies who wish to engage in such foal's play..." Phyllis thrust her face into her son's until they were touching noses. "Then don't even bother calling me your mother anymore."

Both stallions' eyes widened. They exchanged a glance, not expecting Phyllis to go to that extreme. The moment of surprise was short-lived, however, as Sprout burst into uproarious laughter. "You're disowning me? Just for doing what's right?" He stopped to try and catch his breath. "Oh, Phyllis...you are a laugh riot."

"When I become the richest mare in Equestria, you'll reconsider."

"I don't need riches to live a happy life. I would rather have magic back."

"Money is power."

"So's magic."

Both mother and son stared at each other for what felt like hours. Hitch swallowed a lump in his throat, suddenly getting the feeling of being a third wheel, like a friend whose friend had gotten in trouble with their mom. He wasn't sure what Phyllis was going to do, though, and in spite of his nervousness, he remained on guard, just in case she tried to attack.

Luckily for him, the mare wasn't so keen on doing that. Instead, she narrowed her eyes.

"Don't come crying to me when ponies become divided again."

With that said, she spun on her heels and began trotting away, her head held high like only an elite member of society would.

The weight of what he had done crashing down on him, Sprout sat down, placing a hoof to his head as he tried to process what had happened.

"Hey." Hitch placed a hoof on his shoulder. "You did great. Phyllis won't be a bother to us or to Maretime Bay anymore."

"I know. It's just...I really didn't expect her to just disown me like that." Sprout gave a halfhearted chuckle. "Though maybe I should've seen it coming."

"Maybe. But hey, the important thing is that unity has been restored here now." Hitch's smile grew bigger. "I couldn't be prouder of Sunny. Her dream finally came true, and it's thanks to you."

"Me?"

"If you hadn't alerted these guys to what Phyllis was doing to them...if you had stopped us at the town line and been just as hateful as her...nopony would have seen the light." Hitch shook his head. "But you kept an open heart when nopony else did. That takes guts."

Sprout lightly blushed.

"She could've hurt ponies too, with her crazy ideology. You realize that?"

"Yeah. That was the one thing I was fearing, especially when you, Sunny and Izzy left Maretime Bay. I was so worried that she was going to attack the town and attack the ponies here...but she didn't." Sprout blinked a few times in an effort to suck back in some unwanted tears that were pooling in his eyes. "We really did it, didn't we?"

Hitch wrapped his front legs around him, pulling him in a tight hug. "Yeah. We did." Both stallions embraced the hug for a minute or two, before Hitch pulled away. "We're not done yet, though."

"Huh?" Sprout blinked. "Oh yeah. You still have to go to Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood and convince the ponies there, don't you?"

"Yup. But I have a feeling they won't give us too much trouble." Hitch stood up and began making his way over to the center of the stage. "You mind watching the station for just a little while longer?"

"Of course not. It'd be my honor."

Hitch turned to the crowd of ponies, still swarming a very flustered Sunny, Zipp, Izzy and Pipp. "Hey, guys!" he called. "Can you come here?"

It took them a while to break free from the crowd, but the four ponies eventually climbed up onto the stage.

"Phyllis is done and over with, but we still have a few more things to take care of." Hitch pointed to the path where the group had come from.

Sunny tilted her head. "I...don't get it. What are you saying?"

"It's great that we've unified Maretime Bay. But now, we need to unify Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights, too." Hitch glanced at Pipp and Zipp. "Pipp, Zipp, maybe you two can fly back to Zephyr Heights and speak to the ponies there. You're royalty, after all." His gaze then shifted to Izzy. "And Izzy, maybe you can go back to Bridlewood and spread the word."

His suggestion to Izzy ended with him raising his voice as though posing a question, which Izzy caught on to, rubbing her right leg with her left one. "Um...I could try, but...I don't know if anypony's gonna listen."

Sunny smiled. "I'll come with you." she offered. "Who knows? Seeing two alicorns might do something to lift everypony's spirits."

Hitch could feel the hope building up in his heart. "I'll come with you too, Sunny and Izzy. The ponies of Bridlewood could use all the happiness they can get." He nodded at the two Pegasi. "You two have got things covered in Zephyr Heights, right?"

"Right." Zipp smirked.

"Of course!" Pipp reached under her wing and pulled out her phone. "And I may have a plan in mind."

"Oh?" Zipp turned to her sister. "Do tell."

"Ap ap ap. That'll be for when we actually get there." Pipp winked. "Trust me on this."

Hitch clapped his hooves together. "All right. When we're done, we'll all meet back in Maretime Bay, and we'll bring the Unity Crystals together!"

Everyone erupted into cheers. As Pipp and Zipp took off for Zephyr Heights and Sunny and Izzy began racing for the town line, Hitch turned to the crowd.

"All right, everypony. I'm leaving to go and reunite Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights. I should be back soon, and then, we'll restore magic to all of you! To all of Equestria!"

With that, the stallion bounded off of the stage, the cheers of the audience following him as he galloped after Sunny and Izzy. The hope that was in his heart remained, and it made his body feel rather jittery as he began to grow excited at what was going to come.

Arriving in Zephyr Heights took no time at all for Pipp and Zipp, even more so when they began to grow excited at what was about to happen.

"All right, sis." Zipp paced around the throne room of the castle. "Lay it on me."

Pipp didn't say anything. She sat with a smirk on her face and tapped her phone once before holding it up to her face.

"Hellooooo ponies of Zephyr Heeeeeights!" she sang. "Have I got some good news for you! Whoo, have we had quite the adventure." She chuckled. "With the help of an Earth pony, Hitch Trailblazer, and two alicorns named Sunny Starscout and Izzy Moonbow, we have managed to restore peace and unity to Hitch and Sunny's hometown of Maretime Bay. But that's not all!"

Zipp amusedly rolled her eyes, wondering how she didn't see Pipp's plan coming. She stayed silent as her younger sister continued.

"If we want unity to spread across Equestria, we can't just stop at Maretime Bay, no no no. And that's where you come in, Pippsqueaks!" Pipp grinned. "When it comes to Earth ponies and unicorns, you have nothing to fear. Me and my sister are proof of that. Together, we went on a journey with two Earth ponies, and a unicorn!" She blinked. "Well, uh, I-I mean...Sunny was an Earth pony...and Izzy was a unicorn. But anyway!" She cleared her throat and held up her phone so that Zipp was in-frame. "My sister would like to give a royal decree."

"I, uh..." Zipp got a bountiful of excited whispers from Pipp, which couldn't be heard by the Zephyr Heights citizens but could be perfectly heard by her. She began to understand just what her sister had in mind, and eagerly nodded as she straightened with purpose. "Yeah! So as the Queen of Zephyr Heights, I declare that the city and its borders are now open to any and all kinds of pony races -- Earth pony, unicorns, alicorns. All are welcome here, and nopony will be treated with disrespect or harassed just because they're not a Pegasus."

Neither member of royalty heard it, but murmurs were coming from all sorts of Pegasi, many of them hopeful, others skeptical. The former was a rather overwhelming and surprising majority, one that could only come from the trust that the people had in their leaders. Surely, if they had ventured with Earth ponies and unicorns and had come back unharmed, they must be safe. Never had Zipp or Pipp lied to them, at least to their knowledge, and it was this realization that made them come to trust them.

"With this new rule, I'd like to express my hope for a new era in leadership. One that isn't mine." Zipp rubbed her leg. "Some of you might remember when my sis introduced an alicorn -- that's an Earth pony, a unicorn and a Pegasus in one -- named Terra, back when Haven was still leading. Alicorns have been leading Equestria since ancient times, and I believe we can thrive a lot better with an alicorn leading us now." She smiled. "So, I'd like to propose that Terra be the new ruler -- not just of Zephyr Heights, not just of Bridlewood, not just of Maretime Bay, but the new ruler of the entirety of Equestria. She can lead us to greatness, to unity, to harmony. I know it, because I've met her." Zipp stopped to take a deep breath. "So, what do you say, ponies?"

She paused again, this time for longer, so she could stare at the phone. All sorts of emojis flooded the screen, though a majority of them were unsure.

Zipp bit her lip.

And then, more and more happy emojis came floating upwards, followed by a flurry of comments.

an alicorn? as the leader of equestria? sure i guess

I can't believe Princess Pipp and Queen Zipp met an alicorn! OMH! If they say we should have an alicorn as our leader, then yeah!!

idk i'm still a little skeptical...but if anything goes wrong then princess pipp and queen zipp will save us right?

She had to be honest, in that she was surprised by how many seemed to be in support for her. The general consensus was that if things with Terra went wrong, Zipp and Pipp would hurry to fix it before any damage was done, which she supposed was better than outright denial of Terra as the new leader.

All right. Now that we've got Zephyr Heights on board, we should try and convince Bridlewood and Maretime Bay, too. But first, we need to restore magic.

She cleared her throat again. "Thank you, everypony. I promise that Terra won't let you down, and that we'll help all of you if things get crazy." she said. "As for the whole magic thing, we're still working on that. Now that we have your support, we're sure to restore magic to all of you. It's practically a definite." A content smile formed. "If Sunny, Izzy and Hitch can convince Bridlewood to share and spread unity, then we will live in a world of magic once again!"

Cheers erupted from the city as Pegasi stomped their hooves and leaped up into the air. Excited murmurs also quickly spread, which quickly filled Zephyr Heights with anticipation and joy.

"That's all for now. Uh..." Zipp waved. "Take it away, sis."

"Thank you, Zipp." Pipp smiled. "Just hang tight, everypony. We're so close to finishing this mission, I can feel it in my wings!" She squealed and trotted in place. "Pipp Pipp hooray!"

As Pipp pressed the Stop button on her phone, the cries of the Pegasi as they recited her cheer could be faintly heard through the castle's open windows, which made her and Zipp both smile.

"Well, I'd say your plan was a success." Zipp said. "Good job, Pipp."

"Aww, it was nothing! For all that you trash-talk social media, you can't deny that it has perks."

"Can't argue with you there." Zipp spread her wings. "Why don't we head to Bridlewood and see if Hitch, Izzy and Sunny need help?"

"I'm with you!"

Together, the princess and the queen took off, flying as fast as they could out of the castle and towards Bridlewood. None of them could stop the excitement and energy that rocketed through their bodies as they began to taste victory right on the tips of their tongues.

Izzy set Hitch down on the ground as she and Sunny landed at the entrance to the forests that made up Bridlewood. Sunny and Hitch went ahead, but Izzy paused to take a deep breath. Realizing that things would be okay as long as she had friends by her side, she mustered up the courage to gallop after them, though she couldn't fully purge her mind free of worry. Still, she didn't think any members of the Gloomy Doomies would show themselves in the midst of Bridlewood.

Once the trio arrived in the main square, Izzy hopped up into a slanted tree, pulled out a cowbell from out of nowhere, and began shaking it. "Ponies of Bridlewood! Hear our words!" she called out, as loud as she could without using any magic to amplify her voice.

To their surprise, ponies ceased their moping around, either lifting their heads up to stare at the crazy pony in the tree or just moving their eyes towards said pony. Some even began gathering towards the town square, not caring that the two ponies that were already there were of completely different races.

Sunny decided to take the helm, turning to face the growing crowd. "Um, so! I hear you guys don't like Earth ponies or alicorns..." She bit back a groan at how lame that entrance was, before clearing her throat and continuing with something a lot better. "But anyway, my name is Sunny Starscout, and this is my friend Hitch Trailblazer. I'm sure a lot of you know about Izzy Moonbow up there..."

A happy squeal left the alicorn as she tucked the cowbell away and bounced down the tree, parking herself at Sunny's side.

"Together, we went on a journey to restore unity and harmony to Equestria. But that's not all we're looking to restore." Sunny smirked. "How would you all like magic back?"

Gasps rung out through the crowd. Unicorns began whispering and murmuring amongst themselves.

"If you do, then I am happy to say that you are the key to restoring it -- not just for Bridlewood, but for all of Equestria. Yes, even you!" Sunny pointed at a filly with a confused expression on her face. "Together, we can fix Equestria and return it to its former glory. Bridlewood can be a joyous and thriving forest town, something that would extend to its citizens. All you have to do is...be friendly!"

The murmurs continued.

"When you see somepony in need, lend a helping hoof. When you wake up in the morning, give your reflection in the mirror a smile!" Sunny threw up her hooves. "It's the smallest things that can make the biggest difference. Trust me, I've seen firsthoof how friendship changes ponies. It can change you too!"

It felt like hours before the sounds of the crowd went from confused and skeptical to understanding and hopeful.

"Let's give it a try."

"Why not? It couldn't hurt."

"For friendship!"

Sunny had to admit that she was surprised at how well her speech worked, but she knew that the unicorns would be back to how they were when magic returned. For now, this was as good of a start as any. She watched as the crowd began to cheer, give themselves hoofbumps, and communicate with each other for the first time in what was likely moons.

"Wow." Hitch chuckled and gently nudged Sunny. "I guess you didn't really need my help at all, huh? Should've known better than to contend with your public speaking skills."

"You did it, Sunny!" Izzy wrapped her forelegs around Sunny and pulled her close. "Well, not entirely, we still gotta restore magic, but you did it!"

Sunny laughed. "Yeah!" She took a deep breath, then wriggled her way out of her fellow alicorn's hug to address the crowd. "Thank you, everypony! I promise, magic will be returned to all of you very soon!"

With that, the three ponies bounded away.

"Hey! Izzy!"

The addressed alicorn stopped her flight, turning around to face the source of the deep, gruff voice that had called her.

"Oh hey, Alphabittle! What's up?"

Alphabittle's frown turned into a gentle smile. "You've done a good thing for us. Just know that I, and the rest of Bridlewood, believe in you."

Izzy opened her maw to speak, but was stopped by the familiar sight of her dad, smiling and waving at her from where he was turned in the opposite direction of the crowd. As well, there was a more ominous figure that wore an unreadable expression from someplace else in the mass of ponies, a figure that widened its eyes and darted away quickly the second it locked eyes with Izzy. She outstretched a feeble hoof, but ultimately pulled it back and smiled at Alphabittle.

"Thanks!" she said. "If you see a biiiiig giant boom in the sky, that's us and you should say hi!"

Alphabittle laughed. "I will! Good luck!"

"Thanks!"

Izzy soared off after her friends, screaming at them to wait for her as she moved at high speed.

"That's my daughter." Astral trotted up next to Alphabittle.

"Hm. You've raised her well, Astral."

The two stallions watched until Izzy completely disappeared from sight, then went back to the excited crowd.

With all three towns taken care of, the group reconvened back in Maretime Bay. Once they found Sprout, they agreed to meet at Sunny's lighthouse, finding it to be a good meetup location.

"Okay, everypony!" Sunny took the three crystals out, handing the Pegasus one to Zipp and Pipp and the Unicorn one to Izzy. "Let's do this."

Before anyone could move their hooves forward, however, the crystals acted entirely on their own, moving slowly towards each other until they joined to create a rather regal shape.

Nothing happened for a few moments.

And then, a thick bright beam shot towards the lighthouse, engulfing it in a blinding white.

"W-what's happening?!" Pipp cried, though the hum that was emitted from the magical feat very nearly drowned her voice out.

By the time the light died down, a gorgeous structure stood in its place. The crystals raced to the sky until they could be seen no more, emitting a burst of light that washed across the sky and seemed to extend for miles and miles. Then, they settled somewhere on the top of the structure, and a bright rainbow beam began to shoot vertically both ways, touching the clouds in an array of colors while also touching somewhere on the inside of the structure. It was a sight to truly behold, and no one could say anything for a few minutes.

"Oh...my...hoofness." Izzy breathed. "Sunny, your lighthouse, it's..."

"Incredible is what it is!" Sunny's eyes shimmered with delight. "I can't believe it! I-I think magic has been restored!"

"Whoa!" Hitch leaped back as a flower seemed to suddenly appear in front of him. Examining his glowing hoof, however, proved something different. "Is this..."

Sunny turned towards her friend and gasped. "Earth pony magic..."

Hitch simply stared for a few moments. "Wait. I have...I have magic?"

"Yeah you do!" Zipp soared in the air. "You can grow plants and stuff! That's so cool!"

Hitch wasn't sure what to make of the new revelation. Growing plants wasn't his forte, and for him to have magic seemed to be nothing more than a mere fantasy. But this certainly wasn't a dream -- his hoof was glowing green. Curiously, he stomped it onto the ground, only for another flower to appear right next to the old one.

He gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah...it really is cool. Strange, but cool."

"Izzy!" Sunny gripped her friend by the cheeks. "We have to go tell Terra about this, now! Let's go!"

"Right behind ya, friendo!"

As the two alicorns took off, Zipp and Pipp agreed to depart for Zephyr Heights to see if magic had been restored to the ponies there as well. Meanwhile, Hitch rushed into the town square to inform the ponies of Maretime Bay and see their reactions to the phenomenons.

"Ponies of Zephyr Heights!"

At the castle, Zipp stood on a balcony that overlooked the entirety of Zephyr Heights. A small cylindrical drone acting as a camera broadcasted her, her sister, and their message for the city to see. Pegasi, many of who were struggling to fly, stopped to look at what was going on, giving confused but excited murmurs.

"We told you we were going to bring magic back, and...we did!" Zipp smiled. "Me, my sister, and our friends. Together, we have restored magic not just to Zephyr Heights, but to the entirety of Equestria. We know learning to fly again will take a while for some, so I will be offering flying classes to those interested."

"And I will be opening a new salon in Maretime Bay!"

Zipp blinked. She turned her head to look at Pipp with a confused expression. "Huh?"

"Siiiiis. Surely you haven't forgotten my dream?" Pipp rolled her eyes. "I've always wanted to open and run a salon! Ponies have to look their best, after all, and who better to give them new looks that inspire confidence than the pony who embodies style?"

"Nice humble ego." Zipp smirked. "I know you've talked about opening a salon. But won't going back and forth between Maretime Bay and Zephyr Heights be a little...you know...tiring?"

"Yes, but it'll be worth it. Now, maybe this is a conversation we should have in private? Hm? There are tons of ponies waiting to hear what else we have to say!"

Zipp nodded and looked into the drone's camera again. "There is one more announcement I'd like to make." She steeled herself and took a deep breath. "Many of you might remember when I introduced Terra, the alicorn who I met when Mom was still in power."

The nerves got to her before she could keep going. Pipp reached out a hoof and placed it on her shoulder for support, giving her a warm smile. Zipp returned the smile eagerly, taking a deep breath and continuing.

"As I said previously, I would like for her to lead all of Equestria, just like in ancient times. Back then, two princesses led the country to greater times, all the way up until their retirement. Terra is kindhearted, and only wants to do good. I think...I think she'd make a far better leader than me." Zipp sighed. "Because if I'm being honest...I don't want to lead Zephyr Heights. I'll always love this town and the ponies that live in it, but being queen just isn't for me."

Pipp didn't express too much surprise, having heard complaints from her sister before about being next in line for the throne before. The ponies of Zephyr Heights, however, reacted with resounded gasps and murmurs, many uneasy over Zipp's apparent resignation. Neither Zipp nor Pipp could hear the shocked reactions, but they could certainly feel the tension in the air.

"I know this might be tough for some of you." Zipp paused. "Okay, most of you. But you have to trust me on this, ponies. I wouldn't be endorsing Terra if she were some evil alicorn."

The tension shifted a little, but not by much. Zipp was starting to get antsy, and Pipp could see it.

"A-and I endorse Terra too!" she chirped. "She's a great pony, and she'll lead Equestria through years and years of harmony. I just know it."

It shifted again, but still not by much.

Zipp heaved a sigh. "That's all for now. Terra will be making an official announcement in the coming days. Thank you for listening."

The lens of the drone, shaped like an eye, closed, and Zipp flicked the OFF button, watching as it fell into her hoof. She tucked it under her wing before she began marching back inside.

"Sis? Are you gonna be okay?"

Zipp didn't respond at first. She grit her teeth, her mind reeling as she began to wonder if she had made the right decision. She thought back to after she had told her mother off, when Terra had advised she get the permission of Bridlewood and Maretime Bay first.

If the ponies of Zephyr Heights aren't going to welcome Terra with open hooves...what makes me think Maretime Bay and Bridlewood will?

A headache began to form. She put a hoof to her forehead, one eye open so she could see where she was going as she made her way to her room.

"Sis! Let's talk this out. You and me."

"Just leave me alone, Pipp. Okay?" Zipp said, her tone edging into a snap. "I just need some time to think. Now that things have calmed down...hopefully."

Pipp disobeyed, following close behind. "You're making the right decision! I'm sure the Pegasi will come to accept Terra in time. It's only natural!"

Zipp, not having the energy to snap at her, continued walking down the hallway.

"Wait! What should I tell Sunny, Izzy and Hi-"

The door to her sister's room slammed in Pipp's face before she could finish. Rubbing her pain-ridden muzzle, she stared at the door for a minute or two before she sighed and began trudging back towards the outside, trying to figure out a way to break the news to her new friends without disappointing them.

Something told her there was no way to break the news without disappointing them. But it wouldn't be for a lack of trying.

"Terra!"

"Terra, we did it! We brought back magic!"

The words were unisonant, and loud enough to make Terra drop her teacup in shock. She got up from the couch and made her way to where Sunny and Izzy were standing in the doorway, big grins on their faces.

"You...brought back magic?"

"Sure did!" Izzy hopped up and down. "It took a liiiiittle bit of convincing for Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood to accept each other and embrace unity, but we made it work!" She stopped and folded her ears down. "Sorta. Bridlewood's a little shaky."

"And, my lighthouse turned into this awesome crystal structure!" Sunny chimed in. "With the Unity Crystals sitting on top!"

Terra's eyes widened, shimmers of excitement and joy sparkling within them. "Goodness...this I must see. Are Pipp, Zipp and Hitch with you?"

"Pipp and Zipp went to Zephyr Heights to see if magic returned there. Hitch stayed in Maretime Bay to see what happened to its residents."

"I see." Terra nodded. "Then let us go to Maretime Bay, posthaste. I must see this new structure you refer to, Sunny."

The excitement built up further and further, so much so that all three alicorns opted to teleport to the outskirts of Maretime Bay instead of simply galloping there. As soon as Terra took on the form of a striking blue Earth pony, they made their way to Sunny's new house.

Terra tentatively opened the door and stuck her head inside, marveling at the wide-open space of the living area. To her right sat a kitchen, and to the left sat a door as well as something that looked like it could be used as a rest space. Curiously, she made her way in and up the stairs, until she got to an area that looked like it could potentially be used as a bedroom. Sitting in the middle of it was a beautiful rainbow pillar surrounded by glass, which she had to assume led to the Unity Crystals up above. As she passed by the doors, they automatically opened, and curiosity took over her as she slipped inside. To her surprise, the pillar of rainbow light felt rather warm on her fur as she began ascending upwards, and a smile fell on her face.

"Terra? Where'd you go?"

The sound of Sunny's voice grew distant. Terra stepped off of the platform once she reached the top, and her eyes widened at what laid before her.

The Unity Crystals...all together. I never thought I'd...see them all together.

Unbeknownst to her, the platform lowered, then rose up again to reveal Sunny and Izzy. They, too, stepped off and looked at the Unity Crystals, hovering in midair and protected by the rainbow beam. It brought everyone a sense of peace and relaxation, knowing that it was the beacon of newfound harmony in Equestria.

Sunny blinked. She could have sworn she saw a flicker in the beam, but supposed her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"This...is wonderful." Terra breathed. "I had hope in you two to bring harmony and magic back to Equestria, but to have it result in this..."

"And three new friends!" Izzy hopped up and down. "Though I guess for Sunny, it was kinda sorta...two friends."

Sunny frowned. "Yeah...but this entire building? I can't possibly live in it all by myself. It's nice, but..."

"Unity among ponies must first start with those who brought back unity in the first place. I believe your home was turned into this structure to reflect that." Terra smiled. "It was meant for all of you to live in."

"Really?! We get to have roomies?! Awesome!"

Izzy's excitement wasn't shared by Sunny, however. "I...well, I'd like for Izzy, Pipp, Zipp and Hitch to live with me...but I don't know if they want to." She glanced at Izzy. "I know Izzy will want to stay, but will Pipp, Zipp and Hitch really want to leave their homes to live here?"

"That is a question for them, not for me."

Sunny knew Terra was right. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. When they come back...I'll ask them."

But as they say, the waiting was the hardest part. Even while the trio got accustomed to more of the interior, Sunny couldn't help but feel antsy and anxious. She had a gut feeling. Something didn't feel right. Something was wrong. Her friends were going to say no, weren't they?

Well...it really wouldn't hurt to ask. Please, please, please let them say yes...

The Moving Experience (And Lack Thereof)

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As Hitch was the one closest to where Sunny, Izzy and Terra were located, he was the first at the new structure.

"Sunny? Terra? Izzy?" he called, taking his first steps inside. He marveled at the spacious area that lay before him, noting that it looked a lot bigger than his home at the police station.

"Hitch!" Sunny made her way downstairs. "How's Maretime Bay faring with magic back?"

"Well, needless to say, everypony's pretty confused." Hitch glanced behind him. "It's gonna take a while before we get used to our new magic."

Sunny nodded. "I expected as much. But you're here to keep the town safe. And maybe you could...teach ponies how to control their magic?"

"Easier said than done. Especially since I don't have much control over my own." Hitch looked up at the top of the ramp. "But anyway, before disaster begins to strike, can you give me a tour?"

"Sure!"

Sunny took Hitch all throughout the place, telling him about the Unity Crystals and mapping out the various rooms as well as the placement of furniture. All the while, she noticed his attention wavering, as though he was lost in thought, and her heart began to sink as she feared the worst.

When the tour was over, she decided to lay it on him.

"Um, Hitch..." She fiddled with her hooves. "I was wondering...would...would you be open to maybe staying here?"

The silence was deafening. Watching Hitch make various facial expressions of thought was even worse.

Finally, after a minute, Hitch sighed. "I'm sorry, Sunny. I'd love to stay here with you, but...I think I'd be more comfortable at the station."

"But why? Doesn't it get uncomfortable sleeping on..." Sunny stopped. "...whatever it is you sleep on? I know it's not a bed. I've never seen a bed in there."

"Moving isn't something that happens spontaneously. If I'm gonna move here, I need to think about it first."

Something inside Sunny wanted to make him stay by sheer magical force. Cast a spell that would make him housebound, unable to even step a single hoof outside. But she knew that wasn't only unrealistic, it was unfair. At the most, she could visit him at the station. With her skates, it wouldn't be too far of a ride from here.

She gave a resigned nod. "Okay. That's one down."

"Huh?"

"Terra suggested that, because this place being built was meant for all of us to live in, I should ask everypony if they wanted to move to Maretime Bay and come live here." Sunny swept a hoof around the area. "It's huge. Too huge for just me to live in. But I just don't know if everypony will want to move."

Hitch put a supportive hoof on Sunny's shoulder. "Well, don't let me stop you. You still have Izzy, Pipp and Zipp to ask."

"Yeah...you're right." Sunny gave a small smile. "While we wait for Pipp and Zipp, you wanna help me set this place up? It should still have all of my things, and my dad's too. I just don't know...where they are..."

Hitch nodded, and together, the pair began looking in cabinets, closets, and all sorts of hidden spaces. Terra eventually joined the hunt too, after a few minutes into the search, though no one could find where Izzy had gone.

"So you...went grocery shopping?"

"Yup! Can't have a house with no food in it."

Sunny blinked in confusion. "I see."

"Soooo what did you wanna talk about?" Izzy's eyes widened. "Wait. Wait. I bet you're gonna ask me to be roomies with you again, aren't you? Then I'm gonna give you my answer: yes yes yes!"

Watching Izzy bounce up and down, Sunny realized that she knew about asking everyone to move in. Within the anxiety, it had slipped her mind completely. Still, that didn't mean she was expecting her to say yes.

"A-are you sure? What about your dad?"

Izzy stopped, hanging in midair without the use of her magic or her flight. "Oh." Her expression fell. "Well...Dad's just a hop, skip and jump away, right? I mean, Bridlewood has magic now. I could teleport there!"

"That's true."

"But living with you all these years...it's what I'm used to." Izzy landed and avoided eye contact with Sunny. "If Terra says that this house is for all of us, then I trust her."

Sunny nodded in understanding. "So you'll stay?"

"Of course!"

Sunny could feel tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes. "Thank you." she murmured. "It'll...I'm..."

"Shhhh. Don't say anything else!" Izzy zipped towards the front door, turned, and frantically waved her hoof. "C'mon, roomie! We gotta shop for some more stuff to spice this place up!"

In all honesty, Sunny didn't think the place needed spicing up. All of the old furniture was still here, along with pictures, utensils, and everything else. But somehow, it still felt...empty, and she couldn't pinpoint what felt so empty about it.

Still, she held her head high and followed Izzy outside, hoping shopping would take her mind off of things for a little while.

Halfway down the front walkway, she managed to spot Pipp flying towards her. She smiled and waved, but the smile faded when she saw the pegasus princess's worried expression.

"Pipp? What's going on?"

"I...it's..." Pipp paused in an attempt to gather her bearings. "It's Zipp. She gave Terra the throne, but...there was so much nervousness among the crowd that it got to her, and now she's holed up in her room!" She sighed. "I couldn't speak to her no matter what. She said she needed some time to think over things." Shifting forward, she grabbed Sunny's hoof in her own. "Sunny, Izzy, I am so sorry. I'm-"

"Pipp." Sunny smiled. "Don't worry about it. Maybe if the ponies of Zephyr Heights meet Terra for themselves, they might change their minds. When is Zipp planning on introducing her?"

"Soon. She didn't give an exact day."

Izzy, walking backwards, approached the crowd. "Well, not to rush Zipp or anything...but it should be sooner rather than later!" She turned and looked at the doors to the new house. "And you should tell Terra what's going on, too."

"I'm going to do that right now. Where is she?"

"She's inside!"

Pipp rushed in there as fast as her wings would take her, making the two alicorns' manes billow in the breeze she made.

"Hey, pick up that frown and don't be so down!" Izzy chirped, nudging Sunny gently. "Shopping isn't any fun if you're just gonna be grumpy the entire time."

Initially, Sunny didn't respond. She continued to stare at the doors, biting her lip as she thought over Pipp's situation with Zipp. There was no denying that there was still a lot of unfinished business to take care of with the return of magic, but Zephyr Heights seemed to be the most troublesome of the three locations. Which was odd, because Sunny had thought Bridlewood would be the clear winner in that regard.

"Izzy, wait." Sunny said, a realization beginning to form. "Before we go shopping, don't you think we should check up on Bridlewood first? See where they stand with magic's return?"

Izzy stood still for a minute. "Ohhhhh." She nodded. "Yeah, now that you mention it, we never did check on Bridlewood."

"Why don't you do that?" Sunny began trotting towards the doors. "I'll stay with Pipp, Hitch and Terra."

"Okay!"

As Izzy began to take flight, Sunny rushed back inside, flinging the door open and listening for voices.

"Perhaps if Zipp were to introduce me, it would ease any anxieties the ponies of Zephyr Heights have."

"But what if it doesn't?"

"That is a possibility. But it would not hurt to try."

"Maybe having history classes would help. You could teach pegasi all about Ancient Equestria, and how alicorns used to rule it."

"Well, maybe not me, Hitch. After all, being a celebrity doesn't leave me much time for other jobs. But I bet Zipp would love to host a class like that!"

Sunny bolted upstairs and into the area where the elevator to the top resided, Sure enough, there were the ponies she was looking for.

"Sunny." Terra turned. "I thought you had gone shopping with Izzy."

"I...wait. How did you know that?"

"When she gets excited, she can be quite loud. I was on one of the upper floors."

"Ah." Sunny playfully rolled her eyes. "Well, she's off to Bridlewood to check on the situation there. I thought I'd stay here with you guys and see if I can help with Zipp."

Terra nodded. "I was just proposing that I visit Zephyr Heights and introduce myself formally to the ponies there. After all, it would be best if they saw who was going to lead them."

"That's a great idea!" Sunny said. "You two should go do that right now!"

Pipp took a deep breath. "Okay." She spread her wings. "We should take off now."

"No need. This is a rather urgent manner that should be taken care of." Terra's horn began to glow alight. "I shall teleport us there."

Pipp nodded, and the pair disappeared from the room with a bright flash.

"I should get back to the station." Hitch began to head for the stairs. "I'll see you later, Sunny."

"Oh, Hitch! Maybe you'd be up for going shopping later? Izzy wants to add some stuff to this place. A-and we still need to come up with a name for it!"

Hitch chuckled. "I'd be happy to. And don't worry, I'll try and think of some ideas."

As he trotted down the stairs, Sunny sighed. She was all alone now, but the feeling came on much stronger than she expected. She supposed that was one of the downsides of having such a big residence, one that she felt apt to explore more as she heard the front doors open and close.

After several minutes of peeking in closets, inspecting the furnishings that were already there, and even finding the basement, she wondered if she should go check on Pipp, Zipp, and Terra. If things went south, they could always use some kind of a mediator...or not. Pipp was a princess, after all. She knew how to smooth things over with ponies.

Finally, she settled on retrieving her things and setting them up in the house. It was more fun with friends, but she needed something to occupy the time while they were away.

"Ponies of Zephyr Heeeee-eeeeeeights!" Pipp called, making sure to raise her voice so Zipp could hear it from her room. Though, since she and Terra were right outside the door, she didn't need to raise it that much. "It's your gal Pipp! So, I brought back Terra for you all to meet. Wave to the camera, Terra!"

Terra did, putting on a lopsided smile.

"I know some ponies might still be a little...on edge about her leading all of Equestria. But you heard my sister. She doesn't want to lead Zephyr Heights. Meeting Terra, I've come to realize that she is a good pony. She wants what's best for all of us. And I'm asking you, as princess, to give her a chance."

The comments began flooding in.

but what'll happen to u???

you mean you're not gonna be princess anymore?? and zip won't be queen??

i support terra!! do what's best for u pipp!!! and for zephyr heights too

That last one got one or two angry reaction emojis. Pipp opted to ignore them. There were always toxic haters online. She was sure some ponies didn't like the alicorns of Ancient Equestria when they were in power. You couldn't please everyone.

"Well...I'm sorry to say this, but..." Pipp took pause for a moment. "If Terra becomes the new ruler of Equestria, then I can't be princess of Zephyr Heights anymore. And Zipp won't be queen of Zephyr Heights anymore, either. I know that might be disappointing to some of you, but it's like I said: I believe Terra becoming the leader will help Equestria stay unified. And full of magic, too."

Terra stepped forward, exchanging a glance with Pipp before clearing her throat. "Pipp is correct. I only wish to do good for Equestria. I am asking for your trust and loyalty, so that together, our beloved country can thrive."

The amount of positive emojis well outweighed the amount of negative ones. A small part of Pipp wondered if it was just because ponies were getting tired of the appeals, but a win was a win in her book.

"It seems like a lot of you Pippsqueaks really want Terra as the new leader!" she said. "That's wonderful. I'm sure Zipp will be glad to hear that." She glanced at the door behind her briefly. "She's, um...a little busy at the moment, and can't attend, for those wondering where she is."

Terra breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank you all. However, I cannot be the leader of Equestria just yet. We will be spreading the word to Maretime Bay as well as Bridlewood, asking for their agreement."

A few comments expressed relief that Zipp and Pipp were still the leaders. Once again, Pipp ignored them.

"I will keep you all updated, so don't worry! Oh, and about those flying lessons, because I'm sure you all need them after magic's been gone for so long..." She chuckled. "I think Zipp is the pony to ask for that. But I'd like to ask that you all keep your hooves on the ground for now. We don't want anypony getting hurt." A worried look crossed her face for a moment, knowing that at least one pegasus has likely already been injured in some way from trying to fly. She saw a lot of them trying to fly, after all. "That's all for now. See ya, Pippsqueaks! Pipp-Pipp-hooray!"

Both mares waved, and Pipp pressed the Stop Recording button on her phone.

"I wonder..."

"Hmm?"

"Perhaps it would be best if Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch received one of those communication devices."

"One of..." Pipp glanced at the phone. "Oh! Yeah, that's a great idea. I have tons of spares. But, um...before we go to my room to get them..." Her gaze moved to the door once more. "I think we need to talk to Zipp."

"A good idea."

Pipp took initiative, knocking thrice on the door. "Ziiii-iiiipp? It's me! And Terra's here too! Can we talk?"

"I don't think there's much to talk about." came a muffled voice. "I heard everything."

"All we need is to get the permission of Bridlewood and Maretime Bay!" Pipp encouraged. "After that...you'll get your wish."

Silence.

"And Zephyr Heights is really okay with this?"

"Well..." Pipp sighed. "Not all ponies, of course. But you can't please everypony. There will always be a few who don't like Terra being in power." A wan smile formed. "And that's perfectly okay! I'm sure Terra can handle whatever criticism comes her way. Right, Terra?"

Terra nodded. "Of course. There have been ponies that did not like Princess Twilight being in power, and wished for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to take the thrones once more. But that number was smaller than one would think."

More silence.

"All right, all right. If the pegasi of Zephyr Heights are on board with it, then I won't complain." Zipp said. "You two heading to...?"

"Bridlewood is perhaps the most difficult of our two options." Terra ruffled her wings to relieve an itch that had come creeping onto her feathers. "Do you wish to come with us?"

"Yeah. Just give me a few minutes to freshen up."

"Great! That'll give us enough time to get the phones."

"Ah. I must remember that. 'Phones'." Terra paused. "My apologies. It will take me a while to get used to the technological advancements of modern-day Equestria."

If one looked close, they might have been able to see Pipp's eyes shimmer at the prospect of teaching somepony new about technology. "It's no problem at all! Come on, let's go." She began to take flight and turned her head. "Meet you back here, sis!"

"Got it."

It took no time at all for Pipp and Terra to retrieve four new phones that had yet to be set up. As much as Terra wanted Pipp to show her how to use it, Pipp decided to leave the lessons until after things had calmed down, and after gathering a newly-rejuvenated Zipp, the trio set off for Bridlewood.

To say Terra's arrival made the residents of the forest town do a complete 180 in attitude would be an understatement. If Sunny's speech hadn't done anything to sway some unicorns into snapping out of their funks, Terra landing on the ground right in the center of town certainly did. Pipp and Zipp were only mere afterthoughts, despite being pegasi.

"Ponies of Bridlewood, may I have your attention, please?" Pipp called. "My name is Pipp Petals, and this is my older sister Zipp Storm! And this..." She gestured to her other guest. "...is Terra, an alicorn."

"We're here to ask something of you all." Zipp stepped forward. "I'd like to request that Terra be the pony to lead not just your town, but all of Equestria. I think having her in charge can help form new bonds of unity between unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies, as well as keep magic alive." Her gaze moved to one unicorn who was trying to get his horn to light up. An aura encased the horn a few times, but flickered out within milliseconds. "Losing magic...it was one of the worst things I've ever experienced. Don't any of you feel the same way?"

Glances were exchanged. Some gave noncommittal grunts. Others gave soft murmurs of agreement.

"But we don't even know how to use it!" cried a voice from somewhere neither Pipp nor Zipp nor Terra could see. "What's the point of having magic back if we can't even use it?!"

"Well, I know of somepony who can help! I'm sure if we ask her, Izzy would be glad to help you all in learning how to use your magic again." Pipp smiled. "So what do you say, ponies? I know Bridlewood doesn't really have a ruler -- at least, not like me and Zipp -- but Terra is a fair and kind ruler. We wouldn't be traveling with her if she wasn't."

"You're looking for a ruler of Bridlewood?"

A baritone laugh cut through the air, and a gray stallion marched forward. If he had been in the crowd before, no one had seen him, which was odd considering just how big he was. For Pipp in particular, the size disparity was like Cloudpuff standing next to a skyscraper.

"Now, I'm not some fancy princess or anything...but I think I'm about as close to authority as you're gonna get around here." The stallion stuck out his hoof. "The name's Alphabittle."

"Alphabittle, huh?" Zipp returned the hoofshake. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you!" Pipp squeaked.

"A pleasure." Terra bowed.

"Terra, is it? Please, don't bother with the formalities. And, uh, don't bother with the speech either. Izzy came by already and told us what was going on."

Zipp blinked. "She did?"

"Yeah, yeah. She got our approval." Alphabittle's warm gaze bored into Terra. "I think you'll make a fine leader, Terra. From everything Izzy's told us, it sounds like you have some experience on your shoulders."

"Indeed. Thank you, Alphabittle. I promise I will do everything in my power to protect this incredible town." Terra looked around. "Built into a forest, no less...how nostalgic..."

There was a pause. Pipp gently poked the alicorn. "Uh, Terra?"

"Hm? Oh! My apologies. I was simply reminiscing of days gone by." Terra lowered her head. "We should go to Maretime Bay to inform them of the situation. And...I believe Sunny has something she would like to propose to you two."

Zipp and Pipp exchanged confused glances.

Upon arriving in town, Pipp, Zipp and Terra were greeted with nothing short of panic. It seemed like plants of all kinds, from flowers to vines, were rapidly overtaking the entire town, taking some ponies with them as they became ensnared and trapped. Hitch was attempting to guide those fleeing towards a safer area, while Izzy was doing her best to combat the vines. A flying orange-and-purple speck near the outskirts of town was deduced to be Sunny.

"What's going on?!"

Had Zipp's face not already been white, she would have been seen blanching. "Hitch isn't the only earth pony who got magic back. Everypony else got magic back too. And nopony knows how to use it!" Her head swiveled towards Terra. "Terra, can you do something?"

"I can certainly try. I do know a spell for this, but it has been a while since I have used it, and I do not wish to cause more harm to Maretime Bay."

"It wouldn't hurt to try!" Pipp said, right before dodging a rogue vine that snaked upwards and threatened to sock her right in the chin.

Terra nodded and descended until she was hovering close to the ground, finding a safe place that was largely free of frantic plant life. She lit up her horn, letting steady waves of magic wash over the town that gradually made the plants fade away. Izzy and Hitch, meanwhile, rushed around and tried to catch any ponies that were too high up to land safely.

When the chaos had died down, murmurs of shock and confusion rippled through the area, with some gathering around the mysterious pony that had saved them.

"Do not worry, everypony. The plants are gone, and will not return. However..." Terra raised a hoof. "Please refrain from using your magic until you are properly trained in its usage, lest something like this happens again."

"We don't mean to!" shouted a yellow-furred, pink-maned pony from the crowd. "It just...happens!"

Amidst the various sounds of agreement, Terra raised her voice. "Then Izzy and Sunny can work together to prevent any further calamities from occurring. In the meantime, I am more than happy to train you."

"And just who are you?"

"My name is Terra. I am an alicorn who has raised Sunny and Izzy both into the alicorns you see today." Terra explained, trying not to let the yellow-furred pony get on her nerves. "I have come here to ask you all if you will accept me as the new leader of Equestria. Both Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood have accepted me with open hooves, and I am asking you to do the same."

To her surprise, and that of Zipp, Pipp, and Izzy, there were more whispers and murmurs of concern than there were of outright agreement.

"You would have to ask Hitch." a small voice piped up from the crowd. "He's the sheriff."

"Well..." Hitch slid next to Terra. "I believe Terra can help guide us towards a peaceful world. This plant magic, it's...I still can't believe it." He chuckled. "But Terra is here to help us with it. And that's why I support her becoming the new ruler of Equestria."

Slowly, the crowd began to grow optimistic. The yellow-furred pony was the only outlier, fixing Terra with an ugly scowl before stomping away.

"Hey, Posey!" Sunny greeted, flying down so that she was hovering in front of her as she walked. "Where are you going?"

"Away from all of this. An alicorn as the ruler of Equestria? Please. Her ridding Maretime Bay of all the plants was nothing more than a fluke. There's no way she can help us with our magic." Posey scoffed. "And if I had my way...she wouldn't be here at all."

Sunny flew up and watched her go with a look of disappointment before ultimately flying back to Terra and the group.

"Thank you for your support, everypony." Terra smiled. "I would like to invite you all to a coronation ceremony, where I will be officially crowned Princess Terra. It shall be held here in Maretime Bay, the most neutral area for all three kinds of ponies. I hope to see you all there next week."

The crowd erupted in excited hoofstomps and cheers, Pipp, Zipp, Izzy, Sunny and Hitch included. It was quite clear that the concept of a coronation was foreign to all but Pipp and Zipp, and so the very idea of it got ponies buzzing about what was going to happen.

After the crowd separated, Terra trotted over to the party of five.

"Oh my gosh!" Pipp grinned. "A coronation? Oh, we have to start planning for this right away. I can give you some tips, do your mane and tail, oh, and I bet I can make a fabulous crown for you to wear!"

Terra gave a hearty laugh. "Thank you, Pipp. I appreciate your enthusiasm, as well as your assistance. It will be interesting to see how this modern Equestria handles enthronings."

"I'll help too." Zipp offered. "Not with the mane stuff or the crown stuff, but I can give you tips too."

"Thank you as well, Zipp."

"Oh!" Sunny blinked in realization. "Um...Pipp, Zipp, I need to ask you something."

Both sisters stared at Sunny expectantly.

"See, Terra told me that my new home was meant for all of us to live in, and...I was wondering if maybe...you two would want to move in with me?"

Pipp was the first to react, giving a happy squeal. "Yes! Of course I will, Sunny!" She turned towards the buildings that sat behind her. "This is the perfect opportunity for me and my salon!"

"Your...salon?"

"Uh-huh! I've always wanted to open up a salon, to help ponies with their mane and tail troubles. I was gonna open one up here, in Maretime Bay. And I know, I know, the commute would have been terrible..." Pipp rolled her eyes. "But now there won't actually be much of a commute! Isn't that great?"

Sunny nodded. "Uh...yeah! I didn't know you wanted to open a salon." she said. "But it's great that you're moving in with me! Izzy will be staying with me too."

"Yuparoonie! We're gonna be the bestest roommates ever!"

"Eh, I don't see why I can't move in." Zipp gave a shrug. "Since Zephyr Heights is gonna be ruled by Terra now, I don't need to be there all the time, sitting on a throne, doing nothing all day." She smirked. "It'll be a great change of pace."

"Whoo! Four bestest roommates!"

Sunny's gaze moved over to Hitch, who was looking at the group with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Hey." She moved over to him. "Still thinking about moving?"

"Yeah."

The smile on Sunny's face was understanding, but filled with sadness. "Well, I'll make sure to leave a bed open for you if you want it." she murmured. "And whether you move in or not, you'll always be welcome."

"Thanks." Hitch returned the smile.

"...the Brighthouse!"

The mysterious name made Sunny turn. "The...Brighthouse?"

Izzy nodded enthusiastically. "It's a pun! Lighthouse, but with a bright rainbow...you know?" She grinned. "Our new home needs a fantabulous name, after all."

The more Sunny thought about the pun, the more she enjoyed it. It was simple, but clever. "I like it. The Brighthouse it is!"

Cheers erupted among the group.

Sunny raised a hoof. "Now, I know Izzy wanted to go shopping for some stuff to spice up our new home. Anypony wanna come with?"

Izzy, Hitch, Pipp and Zipp all gave various sounds of agreement and headed off with Sunny to check out a store nearby. Terra, however, stayed behind, watching them leave. When they couldn't be seen anymore, she turned and let her gaze sweep along the ponies of Maretime Bay.

Soon, pegasi and unicorns will populate this town just as earth ponies have. That will certainly be quite a sight to see. She smiled. Sunny and Izzy have new friends. Phyllis is gone. Magic has been restored to Equestria.

Oh, Twilight...you would be proud of the progress this country has made. And with me ruling it in your stead, I will make you proud and lead it in a new era of harmony.

With a soft exhale, she turned back around and headed towards the same direction Sunny, Izzy and the others had run off to, her entire body feeling light in a rush of happiness and relief.