As soon as Izzy pushed open the gates, a thick green smog rushed through the space bordering Canterlot and toward where she stood. It swirled around her hooves, making her jump a little out of surprise and stagger backwards. The mist began to rise and reach up to her ears as Izzy’s eyes darted back and forth, unsure what sort of thing she might have released from the ancient unicorn city.
“Sunny?...” She muttered, unable to speak loud enough for the others to hear.
Whatever it was seemed to have a mind of its own and its unknown intentions seemed to change into aggression after she called out for her friend. It rapidly circled Izzy’s body, enveloping her lower half and inching up her neck. She raised her head to try and see just above the mysterious smog to a small snippet of the old abandoned kingdom that once belonged to Princess Twilight Sparkle. Buildings and memories long left behind and shattered to pieces…It made the moment seem a lot more depressing than it should have been for Izzy.
“Your sparkle is so faint…I can barely see it.”
With a soft thud, Sunny landed to the ground, followed by Zipp and Pipp. It seemed Hitch hadn’t returned yet from asking the critters around this area if they had seen anything out of the ordinary and Sunny and the others had come back to land empty-hoofed. There was nothing but rows and rows of trees for miles that were too thick to see through without potentially getting lost. It was too great a risk to lose any of their friends in uncharted territory like this, especially with the random glitches in their power every so often.
Pipp groaned. “This is why you should have let me pack, Zipp! Now I can’t even use my phone to find out where we are because you didn’t let me bring my charger!”
“Yeah well, we can’t wait around and let magic fully disappear while you pack your bag with a million pillows. Somepony could get seriously hurt if we don’t find out what’s causing those glitches.”
“I wasn’t going to take that long. At least twenty minutes.”
“We don’t have twenty minutes to waste!”
“Zipp, Pipp!” Sunny called out over their arguing.
The two pegasi turned to look at Sunny, surprised expressions on their faces. Sunny took a deep breath, reeling in her irritation before addressing them once again.
“Look, arguing isn’t going to make our mission to save the magic any easier. We’re all supposed to be on the same page but we can’t work together if we’re fighting.” Sunny paused and sighed before continuing. “I don’t want Equestria to go back to the way it was. Unicorns not able to use their magic and fearing it instead, pegasi not able to fly, us earth ponies never getting to use our new powers again…I don’t want that.”
Pipp frowned and gazed at the ground guiltly while Zipp nodded solemnly, agreeing with Sunny silently.
“If it wasn’t for magic, I would have never met all of you. So please, help me fix this so that we can help all our friends back in Maretime Bay.”
Zipp and Pipp looked at each other once more before a small smile formed on Zipp’s face as she glanced at Sunny again.
“I’ll try to keep my comments to a bare minimum.”
“I guess I can try to tolerate Zipp for the fate of Equestria’s magic.” Pipp replied sarcastically, a small giggle eliciting from her.
“That’s the spirit!” Sunny grinned.
Sunny’s transparent horn and wings vanished with a small twinkle whilst she climbed over a few bushes, investigating their surrounding area. It was then that something that happened earlier caught her from her thoughts. Before she took off into the air with Pipp and Zipp to scout the area, she recalled Izzy yelling something at her before she flew too high to hear her speak. She tried to remember what she said as her eyes moved across the area, looking for her peppy self hiding in the grass somewhere.
Wait, Izzy wasn’t here…She wasn’t here when they returned from the sky either. Panic struck Sunny’s face as she galloped towards her friends in a hurry.
“Sunny, you alright?” Zipp asked, noticing Sunny’s distress.
“Izzy, did you two see her? A-Anywhere?” She asked anxiously.
“No? I thought she went with Hitch to go talk to the animals around here.” Pipp replied.
Just as she said that, Hitch came trotting over from behind a low hanging tree, a small animal parade consisting of tiny mice, bunnies, birds, and even a bear followed right behind him as he made his way over to the group. Pipp yelped at the sight of the towering bear and hid behind her big sister, hugging her tail tightly as she shuddered in place. Both Sunny and Zipp reacted a little hesitant as well as they backed up unsurely.
“Hitch, there’s a giant bear right behind you!” Pipp cried.
“I know, it won’t leave me alone.” Hitch answered irritatedly. “All I wanted to do was ask a few questions and now they’re all following me around. This is even worse than the amount of animals I attract in Maretime Bay.”
“Wait…So the bear is friendly?” Pipp peeked out of Zipp’s tail curiously.
“I mean he hasn’t tried to eat me so I guess he is.” Hitch glanced up at the bear.
The bear stood at his backside on its four legs, to his dismay, gently patting Hitch on the head, ruffling his mane up. Even if the other ponies couldn’t understand a word it said, it was obvious that it had no intentions of harming anypony here and appeared to be more intent on being overly affectionate with Hitch. This reassured Pipp as she ducked out from behind Zipp and stared up at the bear in amazement.
“I wish my phone wasn’t dead. I’m sure the pippsqueaks would love to see this!” Pipp fought back her laughter,
“Hitch, was Izzy with you?” Sunny asked.
“No, I thought she went with you gals?”
“Uhh, Hitch, Izzy is a unicorn. She wouldn’t have been able to follow us up there.” Zipp replied.
“Oh, that’s strange. I didn’t see her at all, I was too preoccupied with these little ones.”
Hitch gestured to the little critters gathered at his hooves as he bent his arm down to a few mice. They quickly scurried up his forearm and onto his head, nestling themselves into his mane comfortably. A few of the other small animals on the ground gave dirty looks up at the mice, jealous of them for being chosen to ride on Hitch’s head.
“Oh no, this is not good! Where could she have gone?” Sunny panicked.
“Maybe she was looking for clues on the ground? She did seem a little disappointed earlier that she couldn’t help us search in the sky.” Zipp suggested.
“But this forest is gigantic! If she went investigating then she might have got herself lost, or worse! She was right, we should have stayed together.”
“Maybe the animals saw her walking past, I’ll ask them.”
Everypony waited with bated breath as Hitch leaned down and asked the animals surrounding him if they saw Izzy nearby. The others saw the critters communicate with him in their own little squeaks and growls but nothing they were able to comprehend in english. Hitch nodded, listening to them intently for a moment before turning back to his friends.
“I think if I’m understanding correctly, a few of them said they saw her approaching…’The Gate of the Ancients?’...I have no idea if that’s a mistranslation on my end or if that’s actually what they’re saying. Either way, I have no idea what that-”
“The Gate of the Ancients!” Sunny repeated spontaneously.
The other ponies glanced at her confusedly but Sunny knew exactly what the animals were talking about. It was the same gate Princess Twilight had created hundreds of moons ago to welcome those who believed in the power of friendship and unity within the castle walls of Canterlot. Although it was an old bedtime story her father used to tell her before she went to sleep, her father, Argyle was also a researcher for ancient Equestria. He was incredibly knowledgeable on the events that occurred back then and was the reason Sunny was so passionate about friendship and the Mane Six now. If he knew about it, there had to be some sort of remnants left of it. Izzy might have just found a piece of history that ponies had long forgotten about. Maybe even a key to saving the magic?
“Yeah?...That’s what I said.” Hitch titled his head.
“Hitch, you heard exactly right! I know what The Gate of the Ancients is. But first, we need to see if we can find Izzy’s hoof tracks in the dirt anywhere.”
“Could you tell us what it is? I like knowing what I’m in for before attempting anything.” Zipp asked.
“I’ll explain on our way there, help me find any clues that could lead us to the gates!”
Zipp sighed exhaustively and joined Sunny in searching the ground for any clues of Izzy. Pipp and Hitch helped out as well and eventually, all ponies had their muzzles to the dirt, including Hitch’s animal friends, inspecting the earth thoroughly for anything out of place. Pipp had to take a few short breaks out of disgust of a bug flying right into her face and mane which slowed the process but it wasn’t before long the four ponies found reasonably sized hoof tracks in the mud.
As they pursued the trail, Sunny explained the history of the gate bordering Canterlot to her friends and its intentions for all creatures visiting the kingdom. Their reactions were a mix of astonishment that they might be discovering an old area once belonging to an influential princess that was long lost to time, it also seemed a little too good to be true. How could they possibly be so lucky to stumble upon a castle so old and mysterious as a couple of ordinary ponies? And even so, it must have been heavily affected by the natural elements since all that time. They might just come across a pile of rubble, now useless to ponykind.
The tracks ended at a large rotted gate half open and covered in overgrown leaves. Symbols like a six pointed star, a small butterfly, and even a lightning bolt were encrusted into the wood permanently as if they were intentionally chipped into its surface. Sunny traced her hoof over the six pointed star, her eyes lighting up.
“This is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark, I’m sure of it! This has to be the right gate.”
“Look, the gate is open a crack. I think Izzy tried to go inside.” Zipp pointed out.
Sunny pushed her entire weight against the gate, groaning and shutting her eyes tightly. The gate gave away and scraped against the dirt noisily, opening just enough for everyone to see the other side. They saw the other side just long enough for their expressions to fade into shock and sadness at the city in front of them.
The same green mist that surrounded Izzy now circled around Sunny and all her friends, aggressively wrapping around them at a terrifying rate. Pipp let out a scream and Zipp frantically tried to dust it away with her wings to no avail. The mice hiding in Hitch’s mane let out high pitched squeaks and the other animals rushed to run away from the strange smog. Sunny attempted to back away from it but it only enclosed the space around them, preventing them from escaping.
“Somepony, help!” Sunny yelled, knowing her cries for help would be useless, especially with nopony around but the small group.
Suddenly, their whole surroundings disappeared into nothing but the swirling green fog and all of Sunny’s friends collapsed to the ground, all except for her.
“Hitch, Zipp, Pipp, what’s wrong?!”
“I…Can’t move…I feel so weak.” Hitch murmured tiredly.
“S-Sunny?...”
Sunny glanced downwards to Pipp sprawled out across the floor, her legs shaking and her eyes filled with utter fear as she could barely move. All she could really do was shiver a little and plead with her eyes for Sunny to save them, somehow set them free from this invisible imprisonment. She didn’t really know how or what to do. The only possible solution was to confront whatever was hurting her friends.
Sunny turned around, stomping her hooves to the ground firmly and dragging her right hoof through the dirt. She stood up straight with confidence as she stared out through the swarming mist. It felt as though her hooves would be glued to the ground, standing strong against the force that was against them. Sunny wouldn’t allow this to go on any further.
“Whoever you are, you need to let my friends go right now! I won’t tolerate you hurting innocent ponies.”
Her voice echoed throughout the space as she held her ground, awaiting a response or surrender from her enemy. When she found her demand ignored, she continued.
“I will be forced to fight you if you don’t free my friends. Please don’t make me have to resort to violence when we could settle this peacefully.”
A low voice sounded from the darkness in a mocking tone. “And what could you possibly do to harm me, little earth pony?”
While she was startled by the sudden response from the mysterious figure, she felt a little offended that they decided to insult her for being an earth pony. She could hurt somepony just as much as a pegasus or a unicorn could. Although, she felt a little guilty for thinking about it like that. She didn’t want to hurt other ponies, she just wanted others to understand that all races were equal in their own way and there was no reason to compare.
In a moment of irrational thinking, Sunny decided on her next move. It wouldn’t be very smart to reveal herself like this but if it was for her friends, she’d do anything to save them.
“I am not just an earth pony. I am the one who brought magic back to Equestria and united the three races of pony again!”
“I’ve heard that same narrative more times than I can count. In fact, there’s been multiple ancestors of yours that have reunited ponies time and time again because your kind never stays together. It gets quite exhausting watching small creatures futile efforts be reversed over and over. What’s the point?”
The voice sounded bored of Sunny, daresay even tired of her. The way they spoke sounded almost as if they were familiar with a past Sunny never had the chance to see. A present that was led by different ponies with dreams and passions that strived for a bright future. They had seen this all before and Sunny’s words meant nothing to them. She had to do something to make them see…
Canterlot…Princess Twilight Sparkle. There has not been a single pony who’s walked this area in many moons. And if they have, they wouldn’t be from this era, from this time of Equestria. The only way somepony would know about Canterlot other than her father and her is if they lived the Twilight era and were able to tell the tale. Was it possible for another creature to still be alive from then? Sunny wasn’t sure if she was onto something but if this figure knew about this old city, they would know about its old ruler.
“I am a disciple of Princess Twilight Sparkle. I never had the chance to meet her but I carry on her message and legacy of friendship in hope that I can make a difference too. In the name of her highness, please stop this madness!”
A gold glowing light began at Sunny’s back and the top of her head as her transparent horn and alicorn wings spawned out of thin air. Her wings held out straight at her sides defensively and her horn flickered with her magical aura, ready to be used if they disagreed with her.
To Sunny’s relief, it didn’t seem like it would have to come to that as the rapid mist faded almost immediately as her alicorn magic was revealed. Her friends stopped straining in place and carefully got up to their hooves, surprised to find themselves intact after that whole ordeal as their whole surroundings changed once again.
They had been teleported right into the old throne room of Canterlot Castle without even taking a step through the gate. The ceiling above them appeared as if it was caving in, several cracks lining its surface and making Sunny a tiny bit uneasy about being here. To their left, the old hall which depicted all the major events of Equestria and its saviors within stained glass was completely closed off by fallen debris and overgrowth of planets. Oddly enough, all the stained glass murals were all in great condition and almost as if they were untouched. Sunny’s eyes fell on the one depicting Twilight’s first ascension into an alicorn princess, feeling a sense of pride to be there to see it.
“Thanks, Sunny, for helping us.” Hitch said, trotting up from behind Sunny.
“Yeah, that was really weird. I couldn’t even move my own legs, I felt so tired and could have sworn I almost passed out.” Zipp recalled her experience, still a little shaky.
“Of course, I’d always try to save you all,” Sunny smiled at her friends before scanning the area with her eyes. “Although, I don’t know what happened to that pony who was talking to me. They just up and vanished.”
“Are those the old heroes of ancient Equestria?” Pipp asked, interrupting their conversation as she gestured to the mural of Twilight and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon.
“They are. Back when Princess Twilight still ruled Equestria, they often recorded influential events that took place in the form of stained glass,” Sunny joined Pipp’s side. “Everything you see is something that happened way back in the past.”
Pipp fetched her phone from under her wing and held it up in an attempt to get a picture of the stained glass windows but was thoroughly disappointed again to be reminded by a flashing low battery screen on her phone.
“If they’re all from the past, then why aren’t they all damaged?” Zipp asked. “It’s been thousands of years and this whole place seems to be falling apart. But these windows are still here.”
“Maybe it’s some kind of magic spell?”
The debris in the stained glass hall started to shift as small rocks rolled into Sunny’s hooves. She arched her back defensively just as a large lanky shadow started to inch out from beneath a chunk of concrete, pulling itself up onto its legs and glaring Sunny dead in the eyes. All she saw was a pair of red irises before the figure launched itself at her and sent both of them tumbling across the floor, forcing the other ponies to leap out of the way before they were knocked over.
“Sunny!” Hitch shouted, almost losing his balance as he dodged out of the way.
Sunny felt sick to her stomach as the world spun around and around from the force of the other creature on top of her. Their weight and immense size felt like it was crushing her alive as they remained in motion until Sunny’s back slammed into a wall. She grunted as a sharp pain pierced through her back and she screwed her eyes open to look up at who was crouched over her.
A curtain of white and grey hair passed over her face while a tall creature exhaled furiously overtop of her. Its sharp teeth were bared angrily at her while a low growl emitted from its throat. A lion paw and an eagle claw were planted into the ground at either side of her and a red dragon tail whipped behind it, the creature showing its immeasurable distaste for Sunny.
Sunny stared up at it, not with a look of fear but wonderment. She wasn’t really sure what to say or what to do. This creature was clearly upset with her but she didn’t really know why or how. She didn’t even know them and yet they were acting so irrationally towards her.
“Get off her you monster!” Pipp shouted from the other side of the throne room.
In response, the creature snarled loudly at her and Pipp immediately backed down.
“O-Okay, okay, never mind! You can eat Sunny if you want.”
Zipp glowered at her. “Pipp!”
It turned its attention back onto Sunny and resumed growling at her and moving dangerously close to her face. Sunny closed her eyes and inhaled a big breath of air before letting it go. This thing behaved like a wild animal and if she had learned anything about having a friend who could communicate with animals, it was best to not act out of aggression and not fight fire with fire. It was better to approach the situation calmly and reassure the other creature you did not mean any harm.
Despite her fear screaming at her to do otherwise, Sunny slowly but surely raised her hoof towards the angered creature’s face, allowing it to see her hoof before proceeding. The growling only increased and rumbled loudly from its throat the more her hoof drew closer. But she wouldn’t allow herself to be frightened by its temper.