One morning Sunny received an enigmatic letter. When she opened it, it turned out to be a unique invitation to a special place.
"Sunny, I congratulate you! You've been chosen as the lucky winner of an all-access pass to a funmagic theme park, but it is also the home of ponies who live in peace even before the restoration of magic. Don't forget to bring your friends!" -shadow
Sunny had heard of a theme park like this but she had always dismissed it as a ponytale rather than a real location. The letter did, in fact, include directions for getting to magicland It was somewhere in Everdale.
"Oh my gosh!" Sunny beamed. She hurried to her friends, because how could she not invite them to such a fantastic theme park?
Funmagic Is it really a real place?" Zipp asked skeptically.
"Apparently it is, I absolutely have to do a concert there" Pipp commented.
"And it's a theme park? I thought those were made up!" Izzy exulted.
"This seems a little strange." Hitch wondered, "Why haven't we heard about it, but Sunny, you were somehow invited?"
"yeah that's strange but who knows, it could be a fantastic adventure." said Sunny. Sunny's call to adventure had persuaded the friends, and a lovely trip to a theme park couldn't hurt.
"I'll call the limo carriage. They'll take us there in no time." Pipp assured. She picked up her phone and dialed for the royal pegasi's limo carriage.
"We should probably pack before we head off. Don't want to be too unprepared." Zipp added. The friends agreed and headed back to their houses to gather everything they would need for the trip.
Izzy had so many arts and crafts in her suitcase that it could hardly close.
Pipp brought her golden jewellery to flaunt to everyone in the park and to post about on social media.
Zipp only brought what she believed was absolutely necessary, such as clothes and mane and tail garments.
Hitch brought everything he needed for his job as a sheriff, including extra badges.
Sunny packed light because she believed the adventure didn't require much preparation.
The five friends reconnected at the location where they had arranged to meet. They were greeted by a limo carriage hauled by two pegasus guards.
"LET'S GO!" Izzy squealed impatiently.
"Off to funmagic" Sunny crowed.
The five friends walked in and were amazed by the Pipp posters and the goodies on offer. While Pipp glanced through her social media profile while Zipp read a scientific book, Sunny, Izzy, and Hitch dove right into the goodies.
"I got a feeling that this is gonna be the best trip ever!" Sunny smiled.
The limo carriage finally arrived at Everdale after a two-hour ride. The mane five were asleep when one of the guards spoke through the speakers announcing they were there.
"We're here...I think."
Izzy immediately sprang up.
"OMG! Fun, here we come!" she squealed.
"Izzy wait!" Sunny urged. But she couldn't contain herself. She burst open the limo carriage doors but her wide grin turned to a frown. The other friends exited and they too were bewildered at the sight. Sunmusentville, funmagic's central hub, was broken, and the rides appeared to be ruined.
"What? No...this can't be right." Sunny says. She looked at the map and indeed there was a sign saying 'Welcome to Sunmusentville.'
There were some ponies sulking around the ruined place with frowns on their faces.
"Um...excuse me." Hitch called out to them, "is this really Sunmusentville?"
"Get away from me." a lavender blue pony whispered, quickly galloping away.
"Wow, these ponies here don't really socially" Zipp commented with her ears back.
"Rick, Roll, take us back. This must be some kind of mistake." Pipp ordered the two pegasi guards. The mane 5 walked back into the limo.
"Awww, and I wanted to go on all the rides." Izzy sighed. Sunny hugged her, feeling very disappointed as well.
Just then, the limo carriage came to a halt in mid-flight.
"Uh, we've run into some complications." Rock said, talking through the speaker.
"Look out the window, quickly!" Roll added. The mane five rolled down the window and indeed saw a strange teal colored barrier around the entire park. Just then, they heard a menacing laugh.
"Tsh, tsh, tsh. Didn't you read your ticket deary?" a calm and sultry voice asked, "No refunds." Just then, a Pegasus with a staff appeared floating in the sky near the carriage.
"Huh?! Who are you?!" Sunny queried.
"I'm shadow idiot"
The mane five gasped. Owen had set them all up for a trap. They didn't know for what.
"Seriously, who thinks that all-access passes are handed out like candy?! What nonsense!" he taunted, "This place has been a desolation for years, anyway. Now then, time to experience the hopelessness that everyone in this place is feeling!"
"YOUR MAJESTY!" Rick and Roll shouted. They quickly maneuvered the carriage away from the blast. But the was right on their trail. Rick and Roll zigzagged across the sky, trying to avoid Shadow's evil magic. Inside, the mane five were in a panic and being flung this way and that. Even Zipp, in all her acrobatic flying skills, couldn't handle flying through the carriage in every direction.
"I tire of this game!" shadow declared. He then got an accurate shot on Rick and Roll. The beam hit them making them disappear but without the guards keeping the limo carriage afloat, it plunged back to Sunmusentville. As they were pushed to the very rear of the vehicle, the mane five shrieked.
"This is it! This might be the end!" Sunny panicked.
"What?! But I never got to make a model of zephyr heights out of toothpicks! I NEED MORE TIME!" Izzy fretted. Hitch, who was usually very brave around situations like this, was hyperventilating. Pipp was screaming but then she pulled out her phone to take a selfie to post later and then she started screaming again.
"Hold...on...tight!" Zipp urged.
CRASH! The limo carriage's front hit the ground and the airbags inside went off, ensuring the mane five survived the impact. The ponies came out of their houses to inspect the crash. The mane five exited the car, dizzy and disoriented. Unbeknownst to them, Shadow was coming at them from up above. He was going to take advantage of their weak state for hit them but then, out of nowhere, an adobe beige unicorn with hazed nuts and toffee tart mane appeared. Her cutie mark was a paint palette with all the colors of the rainbow. She blasted Owen with her magic. Then joining her was a cocktail hour colored colt with a vermilion cinnabar pattern like a paint horse. His mane was colored like strawberry whip. His cutie mark was a sun with a flame inside of it. He began to kick rocks at Shadow.
"Go away shadow!" the mare shouted.
"Leave these ponies alone!" the colt shouted. Shadow had enough of their obnoxious attacks and was going to hit them. By using her powers, the mare, the colt, and the mane five were teleported into the broken mirror house.
Shadow was about to retaliate but she took a deep breath
"Fine, you want to play cat and mouse? I'm willing to take part in that. But if you get in my way again, you're doomed."
He disappeared into the sky like a ghost.
When the ponies realized the coast was clear, they departed the broken mirror house and had a chance to chat.
"Thank goodness we came when we did. Shadow would have disappeared y'all for sure." the mare explained.
"But what are you outside ponies doing here?" the colt asked.
"We were tricked by Shadow into coming here." Sunny elucidated, still recovering from what just happened.
"I don't know what that sorceress is up to but it can't be good." the mare muttered, "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Artsy and this is my boyfriend, Sunflower. We've been living here since we were little."
"Well hello, Artsy and Sunflare!" Izzy smiled, waving at them, "I must say despite how horrific this place is and how cruel everyone is, y'all are definitely a shining light!"
"Please forgive the ponies for not being particularly friendly; they've all given up hope." Sunflare apologized.
"Given up hope? Why? What's going on here?" Hitch asked.
"Why is FunMagic not so joyful?" Pipp added.
Artsy sighed solemnly and told the mane five everything she knew,
"FunMagic used to be a happy place. Since I was a tiny filly, I've called this place home. Dapper Scroll and Goldie Heart, my parents, relocated our family here since it was said to be a pony paradise. Rides for ponies, themed areas with more fun adventures, and ponies of all kinds could all get along. Shadow on the other hand, arrived with the Coven, a cult of creatures They wanted to make FunMagic a place of despair and sadness, I'll never forget my parents' terrible fight; I wish I could have done more to prevent it."
Artsy started to get a little guilty but Sunflower put his hoof on her back to encourage her, she continued.
"Anyway, using his evil magic brainwashing hateful ponies into slaves for her evil army. Those who stood in the way were disappear by Ravenia. I was so terrified as a young filly that I couldn't help but run. Shadow had me cornered, and then...and then..."
Artsy started getting choked up. Sunflower hugged her and she began to cry.
"They pushed me...out of the way….and took the blast...that would disappear me." she blubbered between tears. The mane five could feel Artsy's pain in having her own parents be portraitfied before her. Sunny wanted to hug her. Izzy wanted to cry along with her. Hitch would have offered his shoulder for Artsy to cry on. Pipp wanted to distract her with a little music. And Zipp wanted to take her for a walk that helped her release some physical energy.
"Since then, we've been fighting Shadow and the newly formed Coven." Artsy added.
"Welcome to Sunmusentville." Sunflower said solemnly