‘Redeemed’ EXCLUSIVE Preview #3 · 4:54am Nov 11th, 2023
Hello, everypony! Bet y’all weren’t expecting to see this post suddenly come out of the blue. I’m currently doing a couple of rewrites for Part 1 of Redeemed in order to add scenes that make it more in line with the events of Purpose and I just finished writing this scene about 5 minutes ago. I figured it would be interesting to show off considering most of you were curious as to how the Alphabittle storyline of the former would tie into this story. Well, this is your answer. Yeah, this doesn’t need much introduction. Enjoy!
The Moon shine brilliantly over the small town as the pegasi prepared camp for the night by the Crystal Tea Room. Misty helped the civilians set up tents and sleeping bags, as well as give them slices of the cookies that she had stored in her saddlebag. They weren’t as tasty as they once were by this point, but they had to eat something while out on their journey.
As she watched the other ponies fight over who got to have what slice from her small campfire, she let out a deep sigh of defeat. She wasn’t prepared for this at all, and she knew it. She couldn’t lead these ponies, what was she thinking? It was ridiculous to think that Alphabittle would suddenly change his mind. After all, he had a good point. He didn’t have any reason to trust her. Despite the fact that they were family, he didn’t even know her. It was equivalent to trusting a stranger, and her parents had left on bad terms with him.
She had struck out on her own, thinking that she had a chance of reuniting the tribes all by herself. But she wasn’t a naturally gifted orator like Sunny. She didn’t have anything to incentivize them with. At least back then, the other ponies were able to be tempted with magic. What did she have to offer them in return for their services? Nothing. All she had was her words alone and the abstract concept of living in harmony again, which didn’t work out the first time.
So why would it work out now?
The truth was that she stood no chance of accomplishing her goal and she was leading herself on a wild goose chase. If only her friends were here to support her. If only they were here to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But they weren’t. They didn’t trust her anymore. They hated her now, and wanted nothing to do with her. She had failed them, just like she had failed everypony that she had ever met.
A soft whimper escaped from her and she began to softly cry on the floor, burying her face in her hooves as the harsh reality that she was all alone once more began to overtake her. She had no friends, no family that loved her, and no life beyond constantly blaming herself. Why couldn’t she just…
“Misty?”
Misty looked up, instantly springing to her hooves upon hearing someone call her name. She looked all around until her eyes saw Alphabittle coming towards her from off in the distance. He slowly walked over to the campsite with a concerned look on his face, a sharp contrast from the angry one he had earlier. She wondered what had changed.
Upon him approaching her, she was instantly on her guard. “What do you want? Here to beat me down some more about things I can’t control?”
Alphabittle shook his head. “No, I…I just wanna talk to you, one on one. Like family. Are you willing to do that with me?”
Misty regarded him coldly. “You didn’t seem to care about that back in the Crystal Tea Room. What changed?”
“Haven filled me in on everything, and I think I understand you a bit better now,” Alphabittle replied, sitting down on the grass beside the campfire and patting the spot where he wanted her to sit. She reluctantly did so, taking a seat right next to him. It felt weird, but also oddly comforting.
“What did she tell you?” Misty asked.
“Your upbringing and…” Alphabittle trailed off for a moment, sighing. “…basically whatever else you told her. I’m sorry you had to go through such a difficult life and I believe we got off on the wrong hoof. I should’ve been more happy to see my granddaughter after all these moons.”
“It’s…all water under the bridge now, I guess.”
“I know it isn’t,” Alphabittle countered. “I know you’re angry at me and you have every right to be. I’m the whole reason why your life was ruined. You could’ve lived here with everypony else, but my foolish pride drove your father away. Now that I’m dating Haven, it…it feels different, and I…just can’t help but feel like I missed out on so much.”
Misty said nothing, only looking into the burning embers of the fire in front of her. Her face briefly reflected in the flames for a split moment and for the first time in a long while, she saw herself and what a dirty, tired wreck she had become on her fruitless quest. She was slowly losing weight and her eyes reflected many nights of insomnia. All of this pain for a mission that she couldn’t even succeed in.
The reflection then vanished and she blinked fresh tears back from her eyes. She couldn’t cry again, not now. She had to be strong for her friends back home, no matter what the outcome of the mission was.
“Tell me something,” Alphabittle told her gently, breaking the silence. “Now that you’re free from Opaline, you can go anywhere…live a brand new life, far away from all of this drama. So why do you want to stay and fight to save the ponies who hate you?”
Misty looked up at him. “Because I can’t bring myself to fail them again. I’m responsible for Sunny turning evil and destroying magic. It’s my fault that Sparky’s dead, I couldn’t save Bridlewood from being destroyed six months ago…I should’ve succumbed to my injuries and died after escaping Opaline’s castle that night. I was never meant to live, but…somehow I did…by some miracle. I have to undo my mistakes, or else I won’t be able to live with myself.”
Alphabittle looked down. “I know the feeling, kid.”
“What?” she asked, surprised at his answer.
“The day I banished your father…” Alphabittle revealed, sniffling. “It was the worst day of my life…my son, the only pony who ever truly understood me…I banished him out of my own fear of the unknown, and I could never take it back. I spent a lifetime trying to bury his name, forbid any mention of anything he did. I told myself for years that I never had a son, that he never existed. But the more time I spent in my own denial…the grumpier I became, and the more bitter I became at the world. You and I both share these traumatic experiences.”
“Oh…”
“But unlike me…you actually did something about it.” Alphabittle finished, looking back at her. He smiled. “And that’s something I have to admire. You’re already so much stronger than your old man, just by…coming out here, knowing full well what the consequences of doing so would bring.”
“I…never thought about it that way.” Misty admitted.
Alphabittle chuckled, the first sign of happiness from him in a long time. “So I guess the plan is to reunite the unicorns, pegasi, and the earth ponies into a unified coalition in order to defeat a rampaging alicorn dictator.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
He stood up, grinning at her. “Want some help?”
Misty smiled back at him, feeling happier now that she had somepony by her side that actually understood her. She stood up and walked with him back to the Crystal Tea Room.
There we go! Let me know what y’all think. Bye!
Oh, Nightwing, stop torturing me.
5754480
With what?
Well, Misty came around pretty easily. After what I read in purpose, Alphabittle has a long way to go to redeem himself. I especially looking forward to it because I don't think he was ever part of the saga before.
Can't wait to read this! Until then...
5754481
With a bunch of teasers.
5754484
I got one more planned after this one and then all leaks will go silent until the story drops.
So now Misty's friends are gonna lose faith in her and make her feel worthless all over again...
Why am I not surprised anymore?
5754489
This takes place after their failed mission to rescue Sparky and Misty strikes out on her own in order to personally set things right, so yeah, she’s still dealing with the harsh words they said to her earlier. I wrote it this way so that she could go on an arc of proving herself to them by attempting to reunite the tribes herself, therefore strengthening her role within this final act of the Saga.
Wow... this was such an emotional scene!
5754512
Can't wait for the story!