It has merely been a few years since Sunny Starscout and her four unlikely friends did the impossible and returned magic to a world, which didn’t believe in it anymore. What started out as an awkward period of re-connection eventually blossomed into full-blown friendship and not much later the leaders of each tribe announced to the world the forging of a new alliance, one that would elevate their individually meager states into a union of nations.
This was a year ago and Sunny wanted nothing to do with it. That is not to say, she wasn’t elated with the news, but after the new government’s tenth attempt to give her the “Princess of Friendship,” the “Ambassador to Friendship,” or one of several other ridiculous titles, she wanted nothing more than to just return to her smoothie shop and help her local community. Even with all her newfound fame, she didn’t feel like she wanted any special treatment and all things considered, she was pretty content with her current job. As she closed her business for the day and began trotting back towards the lighthouse, a mare she used to have a much more strenuous relationship with approached her.
“Ah, hello Ms. Cloverleaf, how is business?” greeted her Sunny. The elder mare, who was usually positively beaming since her factory re-branded into a company manufacturing affordable consumer electronics, now looked suspiciously worried.
“Oh Sunny, you know you can just call me Phyllis,” she chided her softly, before her face took on a much more serious look, “sadly I’m not here for small-talk. Can I follow you to your house? We need to talk in private.”
“Ms. Clo- Phyllis. If this is about Sprout, you should know I have long forgiven him. It is not my fault he still runs away screaming whenever he sees me.”
Phyllis’ eyes went a bit wide upon hearing this, but she quickly composed herself.
“No, it’s not my son I wanted to talk about, though it seems like I have to have a heart-to-heart with him too,” she sighed, as the pair arrived to the lighthouse. The old building never looked nicer. Its reconstruction was one of the first projects that members of all three tribes worked on. Seeing how incredibly effective the pegasi logistics and the unicorns’ mastery over levitation was, combined with the raw strength of an earth pony helped legislators push towards unity. Even those who weren’t moved by sentimental reasons could not deny the economic benefits.
The two mares entered inside the building and Phyllis cleared her throat before speaking up.
“As you may know, recently more and more pegasi have been flying outside to scout the areas we ignored till now, due to our unfortunate paranoia and ignorance.”
“I’m with you so far,” replied Sunny, who felt a bit confused at why she’s being told this. The scouting parties were a hot topic in the media, it was more or less impossible that someone didn’t hear about them.
“Yes, however, what only very few know is that recently one of the parties returned injured.”
“That’s terrible! What happened to them?”
“I haven't been told all the details, but what I do know is that they are covered in frostbites and suffer from some sort of amnesia. Zephyr Heights' best physicians are looking after them, but we are a bit afraid that there might be something lurking out there that we have absolutely no idea about.”
“This is awful,” Sunny’s voice quivered a bit, “but I’m still not sure why you are telling this to me. I’m neither a warrior, nor a tactician. I can’t defend Equestria.”
“Sunny, dear, no one is asking you that. However, you are by far the strongest pony out of all of us and certainly the most resourceful one too. After all, you were the one to unify all of us.”
“Only with the help of my friends,” retorted Sunny with the slightest bit of offense in her voice.
“Yes, yes, I didn’t mean to ignore their contributions. Either way, a chariot will arrive soon because some higher-ups want to meet us to discuss the details.”
Sunny frowned as she listened to the elder mare and began pacing around the room. She looked at her father’s photo. She then turned to face her again.
“What if I say no?”
“Dearie, I can’t exactly force you,” Phyllis smiled apologetically, “if you say no, then I’ll ask you to please keep silent about this conversation between us and that’s the end of this story. However, we have no idea what’s out there and who knows what might happen to us if we’re hit unprepared. Even worse, we don’t even know how to treat those poor pegasi. The doctors might have mostly stabilized them, but due to some nasty curse, their bodies are rapidly losing heat and we aren’t sure how long we can mitigate that.”
Sunny wanted nothing more tonight than a good night’s sleep. An urgent government summons and a potentially dangerous adventure was the exact opposite of her wishes. Yet, she couldn’t sit around idly when the lives of innocents were on the line. She glanced once more on her father’s photo, then stared deeply into Phyllis’ eyes.
“Alright, I will get to the bottom of this,” Sunny said with less conviction in her voice than she intended. Phyllis gave her a reassuring smile.
“I’ll leave you to pack and lock up. Meet me in ten minutes outside.”
Sunny wasted no time. She picked up her trusty saddlebag and then surveyed her home for things she could use during the trip. Maretime Bay experienced warm summers and gentle winters, so she didn't really have too much in terms of warm clothing, but after she dug through her father's belongings again, she found his old scarf. It wasn't much, but she figured it would at least keep her neck warm. She also placed her father's journal into the bag. Perhaps it could hint at the identity of whatever was causing these anomalies. And, as Sunny reluctantly admitted to herself, having it close also made her feel safer.
Suddenly she heard knocks on her door and upon turning around she saw Phyllis standing in the door.
"It's time," she said and Sunny trotted out behind her, locking the door and taking one final glance at her home.
As it was late in the afternoon, most ponies were already at home and the few who weren't regarded the duo with unsuspecting glances. After all, now that there was peace, it could only mean good if the town's hero and its leader shared a friendly evening stroll, right?
Their short walk ended at a road at the end of the city, that still looked freshly paved. One of the most successful first legislation of the Union was a system of roads that connected Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights to Maretime Bay, allowing ponies to visit each other, without the risk of getting lost.
A dark mass appeared in the distance, which steadily grew as it approached. It was a large machine, which could easily fit ten to fifteen ponies inside. Its outside was covered in elegant dark-gray plates, which were in turn adorned with golden frills, giving the vehicle a regal look. Despite its impressive size, however, it made little noise, other than the quiet screeching its tires. The humbly named 'chariot' was the peak of Equestrian engineering. It was built by utilizing the smartest engineers of the Bay, the superior factories of the pegasi and casting a massive, collective spell on the road which allows the chariot to move without an internal power-source as long as it stays on the road.
The vehicle parked next to Phyllis and Sunny and the driver seat's door opened. A primly dressed unicorn stepped outside and walked up to them.
"Ms. Cloverleaf, Ms. Starscout. Please take a seat," he motioned as he opened a door on the side with his magic. As they stepped inside, the chauffeur closed the door and then returned to his own place. Upon making sure that they were properly seated, he reached down without another word and started the car again. As they rode, Sunny didn't feel like she was in a talkative mood. None of her usual topics felt appropriate at a time like this, not to mention she was worried. Phyllis looked at her and opened her mouth, but upon seeing the young mare's face, closed it again. The rest of the journey passed in silence.