Chapter 1: Make Your Mark Special
"Twilight…Twilight…where are you? Can you hear me?" Sunset asked desperately.
The words burned on the pages of a journal, as Sunset Shimmer searched for her friends in the blinding darkness of her dream, on the face of Equestria, and the faded history of its past.
"I came back to Equestria because I wanted to pay my friend Twilight a visit," She narrated. "It's been, what? Many moons since last we've seen each other in the human world. I had just finished high school, with Twilight being there to witness the moment and congratulate me. What I didn't know was that it would probably be the last time I'll ever see her again…"
The hurt that can be heard in Sunset's voice is a reflection of the pain and regret that weighs heavily on her heart and mind.
"I came back to Equestria, to find that it has changed," Sunset continued to narrate. "The ponies were divided. Technology now exists in this world. And I'm stuck with more questions than answers on how this mess got started in my absence. Where did it all go wrong? Why did it all go wrong? How can we keep this from happening again?"
It was from a miracle that Equestria regained its magic, through the combined heroics of Sunny Starscout, Sunset Shimmer, and friends. But even with the magic restored, Sunset felt that it was only the tip of the iceberg. The start of something bigger than she, Sunny, or any pony in this modern age of Equestria could understand.
"Twilight's my best friend. She helped me on the right path to become a better pony, when I got lost in total darkness. I'll miss her…always. But until she and I are together again, the least I can do is to look after Sunny Starscout and watch over her progress. Just like how Princess Celestia once did for me…"
With the last words written of her thoughts, Sunset Shimmer retired for the night. But all the same, she thought to herself, deeply.
'Twilight. Wherever you are. I need a sign. Anything to point the way. I'm lost, trying to make heads and tails of this mystery. I wished I had your intuition. You always seemed to have an answer for everything."
With a sigh, feeling the sting of a tear, fighting to pour out from her eyes, Sunset fought the urge to cry.
'But now, I guess…I'll have to figure these out, on my own…goodnight, old friend.' She thought, missing Twilight and all the ponies she cared for.
In the skys on a nice sunny day, the winds are whistling, the birds are flying while chirping away, and then a whoosh went past them, which caught them off balance for a sec before regaining their balance, and as it turns out, Zipp is the one zooming past them as she fly ahead of the as she spread her wings while wearing two straps, one of her right front leg while the other is around her chest.
Zipp then hides in a cloud when a couple of pegasi with the same mane and coat colors while wearing glasses are looking at their phones fly past her. Once the coast was clear, Zipp got out of her cover, while having a puff of cloud on head until she shook it off as she flew away.
A little bit later, Zipp flew to Zephyr Heights as she headed to the castle while keeping cover. She made it to the top tower of the castle as she went to a window, while hanging upside down to see if the coast was clear.
Zipp then got in front of the window as she tried to budge it open by hitting it with her side, but so far no luck. "Hmmm…" She then thinks of another way to get in as she places a hoof on the window as she leans in, but then the window creaks open, which results in Zipp falling through it in the process. "Aah!" She cried out as she landed on the castle floor with a grunt, and then the radio on her strap frizz out as Pipp's voice spoke through it.
"So did you get it yet, Zipp?" Pipp said through the radio, apparently Zipp went to Zephyr Heights to grab something.
"Almost." Zipp answered.
"Well, hurry uuuuup!" Pipp frankly said, apparently in a hurry.
"On it." Zipp answered as she got up from the floor. "Maximum sneaky, engaged." She said with a determined smirk as she hears hoofsteps approaching in her direction as Zoom and Thunder are heading her way as they walk down the hall.
Zoom and Thunder approach the window, which Zipp somehow left, as they close it as they continue on. What they didn't know is that Zipp is right above them as she uses her wings to fly to the ceiling to stay hidden. Once the close is clear, she landed back to the floor and decided to move to the wall to pretend to be sneaky as she front flip to the other side past her family picture of her, her sister and her mother, Queen Haven when she and her sister were just fillies.
"Hey, Mom." Zipp said to the painting as she continued on when she saw Pipp's room door. She used her hoof of the scanner as the door opened up. Allowing Zipp to come in as she looks around her sister's room. "Uh…" She muttered to herself until she got her eyes on the prize. Pipp's microphone in a glass container next to the mirror. Zipp smirked as she lifted the glass up and snagged the microphone before racing down the hall with a victorious expression on her face. "Mission accomplished!" she declared.
"Good! Now fly fast!" Pipp called out, while telling Pipp to make it back as fast as possible.
Zipp chuckled at Pipp's words. "No problems with that." She said, fast is her specialty as she flew through the window as she flew away from the castle as she took to the sky, while performing her flying tricks along the way.
(Let's Make Our Mark Together! Song)
(Mane 5)
Hey!
You gotta let it glow!
You gotta let it shine!
Oh, let's make our mark together
Just riding on forever
Just keeps on getting better, better, better
Zipp did a big loop in the sky as she flew down, then gilded as she sped up her flying.
Everypony everywhere
You can feel it in the air
Find your spark and just glow and shine
Zipp then did another loop as she flew down, flew through the clouds before dividing with a twirl as she continued to take to the sky.
Make a mark that you can share
Hoof to heart, you know we care
Oh, ponies, come on, let's all unite (let's all unite!)
And then after some flying, she made it back to Maretime Bay as she flew over the ocean behind the Crystal Brighthouse as her hooves touch the ocean as she looks at the city of Maretime Bay below. And then she heard something that got her attention. "Aah! Watch out!" a voice called out.
Suddenly, Zipp saw two Pegasi fillies bump into each other as they started falling to the ground. Acting fast, Zipp then raced down to catch the two fillies in her hooves. "Heads up, everypony!" Zipp exclaimed as she flew to the ground, placing the fillies down safely.
"I'm so sorry. Thank you, Princess Zipp." The little filly pegasus thankec Zipp
"I'm so sorry. Thank you, Princess Zipp." One of the fillies said gratefully.
"Zipp. Just call me Zipp." Zipp stated, since the princess thing is never really her thing. "And don't worry about it. From what Sunset told me, the magic from the Unity Crystals in the Brighthouse is new to all of us. It takes practice." She replied, while according to Sunset, that ever since magic has returned, ponies are still getting used to it and are still learning their magic.
The unity crystals Zipp was talking about were displayed inside of The Crystal Brighthouse at the very top of it, but then, for some unknown reason, the crystals started glitching, and that wasn't a good sign.
And then somewhere in Maretime Bay, Pipp, with Hitch and Izzy beside her, helped up her phone in front of Sunset and Sunny, going to make a livestream with the two ponies who helped bring back magic and brought the three tribes together for an announcement they want to do, but they are waiting for Zipp to bring Pipp's lucky microphone to go along with it, which is the reason why she went to Zephyr Heights to get it.
Sunset grows impatient with this. "Pipp, are we going to do this livestream now or what?" She asked, seeing that this is taking a while.
"Yeah. Should we start now, or...?" Sunny asked as well, wanting to know if they could do it now or wait a little bit later.
Pipp groans, wanting to know the whereabouts of her big sister, and they need to start this livestream now. "Where is she? I really wanted to use my—" She was cut off when Zipp flew down beside her friends.
"Lucky microphone?" Zipp said with a smirk as she presented the microphone to her hoof as she twirls it around.
"There she is." Izzy proclaimed with a cheerful smile.
Pipp was happy that her sister had returned but was still demanding answers. "What took you so long? Don't tell me you were sneaking around the palace again." Zipp winked at her, giving her the answer as Pipp sighed. "You know you can just enter through the main doors. It's our house." She pointed out that she doesn't have to keep sneaking in their own home all the time.
"But if Mom knew I was there, I'd get stuck doing one of her random princess lessons." Zipp explained, giving the microphone over to Sunny, pointing out that if Queen Haven saw her daughter, she would want her to stay longer by giving her random princesses lessons, which is an excuse for her to let Zipp stay a bit longer than it needs to be.
"Good point." Pipp said, thinking Zipp's reasoning was justified, while also knowing that is exactly what their mother would do if she sees either of them.
"I would've done the sneaky thing, but I'm done sneaking into somepony place and taking something in it for one lifetime." Sunset pointed out her fair share of sneaking and stealing, one of how she stole the Element of Magic, Twilight's crown, when they first met and the second time when she and her friends stole the Pegasus Crystal from Queen Haven during their first adventure that brought back the magic and reunite the three tribes.
"Again. Good point." Pipp said as Zipp got beside Izzy as Pipp held up her phone while facing Sunny and Sunset. "Okay, you two. Just remember. Pretend you're both talking to us and not, like, all of Equestria, and you'll both do great." She assured the two ponies.
"Uhhh…" Sunny said, while feeling nervous about this as Sunset rolled her eyes.
"We gotta work on your choice of words, Pipp." Sunset pointed, seeing that her words were not comforting.
"Later, Sunset. You're both live…" Pipp said as she put her phone on livestream as she faced it in front of the two ponies. "...now!" She called out.
"Like, "now" now?" Sunny asked nervously as Pipp nodded in response as Sunny spoke to the live streamers. "Uh... Hey, everypony! I'm Sunny Starscout, and beside me is my mentor and sister figure, Sunset Shimmer, who is one of the legendary Guardian of Friendship from ancient Equestria." She started out as Sunset waved her hoof to the screen as Sunny continued. "We live here in Maretime Bay with my friends." She said while Pipp zoomed in on the two ponies before flipping the camera to show the rest of the Mane 6 as Izzy waved behind them with a smile and a laugh as the emojis on the livestream started popping up as Pipp flip it back to Sunset and Sunny as the two ponies smiled as Sunny continues.
"A lot has changed around here in the past few months." Sunny pointed out how much has changed ever since magic has returned. "Maretime Bay used to be the place just us Earth ponies live, just like how unicorns always stayed in Bridlewood and Pegasi never left Zephyr Heights. But when Sunset came into our lives and helped us on an adventure that changed everything, we found the three Unity Crystals and brought them back together, it brought us back together! All pony kinds were reunited in friendship!" She excitedly said while Pipp showed the ponies around Maretime Bay to prove her point. "Now anypony can live... anywhere! And... we have magic again!" She squealed in excitement while showing a Unicorn mare levitating two grocery bags, but then a Pegasus flew overhead causing the unicorn mare to lose her concentration that caused her bag to fall.
Sunset then spoke up next. "Equestria is now becoming the home that I remember. The magic, friendship, the three tribes together, this is what my old friend Twilight Sparkle would've wanted." She said with a fond smile, remembering Twilight, her old friend who showed her the magic of friendship. "When I first came to Equestria, it was not the place I remember or what Twilight told me about. It was divided, magicless and different from what I remember. When I first came back to Equestria, all of my friends were gone, along with the magic as well. But then when I met Sunny and the others, we journeyed to the three cities of each tribe of Equestria to bring back what Twilight dreamed of by reuniting the Unity Crystals, and once we showed friendship to the three tribes and brought them back together, it brought back the magic as well. Making Equestria as it used to be. Sure, all my friends that I once knew are gone, but I am glad to make new ones and help make Equestria the way it is supposed to be, to carry on Twilight's legacy." She finished with a smile, with Sunny and the rest of their friends smiling as well, being touched by Sunset's words.
"Doot-doo-doo!" Izzy spoke cheerfully as she levitated four oranges from the unicorn's grocery bags as Pipp turned her phone to her. "Well, the unicorns and Pegasi do." She giggles as she levitates the oranges high in the air as they fall down, one of them landed on her horn, not that Izzy mind. "Ta-daaaa! Now you both, Sunny and Sunset. Show everypony what you both can do." She said with an exciting look.
Pipp joins in as she faces her phone back to Sunny and Sunset. "Ooh, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah! Turn into an Alicorn, Sunny!" She squeals as she faces her phone to her own face. "That's an Earth pony, Pegasus, and a unicorn all in one!" She explained while combining three emojis of three ponies, one from each tribe, into Izzy that looks like an alicorn to show what she means. "You can see that Sunset is an alicorn herself. But let's see Sunny's alicorn form!" She excitedly said as she aimed her camera at the two ponies.
"Uhhh…" Sunny started as she laughed nervously. "You know it doesn't really work like that, guys. I can't just, uh…" She tried to remind them that she can't just summon her alicorn form quite yet, she can barely control it and doesn't know how to bring it out.
Sunset then spoke for her, seeing that she is nervous about that info. "Sunny is still learning her magic. I've been teaching her how to control it, but it's slow going. She can't bring out her alicorn half just yet, but she is improving." She said, while giving Sunny some explanations, apparently she's been having trouble controlling her alicorn half a the times and still needs practice.
"Right. Thanks, Sunset." Sunny said to Sunset, saving her the trouble as she faced the camera. "Anyway! The point is, magic powers or not, I think everypony can agree that our lives are way more magical now that we're together again." She pointed out as Pipp popped up on the screen.
"You know iiiiit!" Pipp sang before facing the two ponies in her normal voice. "Okay, Sunny and Sunset! Do the thing!" She said to them as the two ponies smirked as Pipp changed her phone to promotions.
Sunny then started first. "Do you like super fun times?" She asked while holding the microphone before letting it face Sunset.
"Are you interested in learning more about Earth pony traditions and tasting local treats?" Sunset asked the camera with a smile.
"Do you want to see ponies sing in a big concert?" Sunny asked as Izzy jumped in.
Yes! You bet! And yeeees!" Izzy cheered as she started scatting before striking a pose.
And then back to Sunny and Sunset. "Then you should come to our annual Maretime Bay Day Festival!" They both said in unison. Sunny gave Sunset the rundown of Maretime Bay Day before starting the livestream to help her get ahead of things as Sunny continued. "For a day of fun in the sunshine! It's going to be a blast! And we're not just talking about the fireworks show." She joked, which made her and Sunset laugh as Sunny continued. "All pony kinds are welcome!" She finished.
Hitch then came over next to Sunny, who was so excited as he grabbed the phone. "Oh! Oh! I love Maretime Bay Day! You gotta come check it out! The live Maretime music! The sand castle contest! The caramel ponycorn! Ah! It's the best!" He said in excitement, really love Maretime Bay Day as it is fun to be apart in.
Sunset smiled at this as she found Hitch's excitement cute. She looked at the Crystal Brighthouse with a proud smile, glad that Equestria is the way it's supposed to be and magic returned. But then suddenly, the rainbow from the Brighthouse glitch out a bit, clear as day for Sunset to notice, which makes her worried. "What the…?" She asked, before she could tell the group, a bird flew over Hitch as it chirped before grabbing Pipp's phone.
"Hey! Give that back!" Hitch called out to the bird, but it flew off, much to Pipp's distraught.
Pipp gasps at her phone being taken by that bird. "Hitch, my phone!" She dramatically yelled.
"After that bird!" Sunset called out as they gave chase to the phone stealing bird. The Mane 6 ran after the bird, making sure to avoid crashing into anyone along the way.
Sunset, Pipp and Zipp flew after the feathered animal, it then began flying near the ground around ponies making Zipp have to dodge them.
She and the bird flew up and Zipp almost caught it, but it then dived down. It flew through the train cart that was currently moving, causing Zipp to do so as well.
"Aah!" Both Zipp and the Conductor called out as Zipp flew through the train cart, but not before grabbing her hat in the process, which Zipp tossed it aside as they continued chasing the bird to get Pipp's phone back.
In the grass field just outside of Maretime Bay, the chase led just towards the distance of the house.
The bird slowly lost its grip on the phone and dropped it, causing Izzy to activate her magic. She managed to catch it but it wasn't fully working, she then tripped and slid forward into the garden that sat at the front of the house. The rest of the Mane 6 caught up and laughed. "Got it!" Izzy exclaimed, still holding the phone. The leaves covered her face as she blew them off smiling.
"Izzy, you really know how to make us smile. Never stop doing it." Sunset said with a smile, Izzy really just kept reminding her of Pinkie Pie in the early days.
"That will never happen, Sunset." Izzy replied with a smile as she levitated the phone down in front of her, to see it was still recording. "Oh, hey, look. It's still on." She laughed and levitated it to Pipp's hoof.
"See you at the festival." Pipp spoke to the phone before ending the recording.
"You okay, Izzy?" Sunny asked her unicorn friend.
"Oh, yeah, oh, yeah. I mean, a little ground glitter never hurt anypony." Izzy answered as she shook off the remaining leaves on her mane as she giggled.
"Well, thank hoofness for magic." Sunny said with a smile.
"Glad the magic is back. And it's been really helpful too.
"Oh, yeah!" Izzy agreed.
"Definitely." Pipp added.
"Fo' sho'." Zipp finished.
"Well, I, for one, do not agree." An angry voice called out. The Mane 6 turned and saw Posey step out of her house as she gave them an angry voice.
"Hey, Posey." Sunset rolled her eyes, there are times where she is sick of Posey's attitude of how she sees the Pegasi and Unicorns, thinking things are better off without magic, and it really gets on Sunset's nerves when Posey keeps complaining about it.
"Is this about your flowers, Posey?" Sunny asked. "It was an accident, but we'll fix them right away."
"No." Posey replied as she walked closer towards the group. "What I meant was that I wish magic had never come back. And I'm not the only pony around here who thinks so."
"Uh, what do you mean?" Sunny questioned.
"Yeah. Why is that?" Sunset said, with a little irritated look that Posey is bringing that up.
"You Pegasi are always flying too fast! O-Or too low! Or too high up!" Posey complained.
"What's wrong with flying high up?" Pipp asked in confusion, along with Zipp since they can fly and they questioned Posey's reason while Sunset raised an eyebrow at it.
"Ugh! I just don't like it, okay?!" Posey yelled out while getting into Pipp's face before she faced Sunset and Izzy. "And every time I'm at the market, there's some smug unicorn using their magic to shop!" She continued, referring back to something that happened to her earlier.
Flashback.
"I almost got hit in the head by a bag of floating apples yesterday!" Posey complained as she remembered when she dropped her smoothie as a Unicorn passed by with a bag of apples, she looked down at her now ruined smoothie before staring down the Unicorn angrily.
End Flashback.
"Well, maybe you should've just watched where you're going?" Sunset sarcastically asked, seeing Posey's complaints are just excuses for the new change of Equestria of returning to the way it is.
Posey rolled her eyes at that as she continued. "My point is, magic is not very safe. At least not for the rest of us ponies who don't have it." She said, while saying that Earth Pony doesn't seem to have magic while the other tribes do as she walked towards the only Earth Pony of the group. "Right, Sheriff Hitch?" She asked, wanting him to prove her point.
Hitch just scratched the back of his head with his hoof, not sure how to answer that. "Uh… I don't know if I would say that." He said, which made Posey growled, not expecting that answer.
"Everypony's just... still learning how to use it. That's all. Magic takes practice." Sunny explained, stating that ponies are still getting used to magic and it takes time to get used to it.
Posey, who had faced away from them, grew a snarl. "But that's not the worst part… she is!" She pointed her hoof at Sunset.
"What?! Me?!" Sunset called out, a little angry that Posey thinks she is the worst part, not seeing what she means by that.
"You suddenly showed up in Maretime Bay with your Unicorn friend here and the rest of you joined together and brought back the magic! And you think you are incharge of us because you are an alicorn!" Posey yelled out, pointing out her reasons
Sunset then got angry as she gave an angry look back at Posey. "1: You don't make the calls! 2: Don't tick off an alicorn! 3: I got seniority on all of you ponies considering I'm from the time when Twilight and the rest of the Guardians of Friendship were around! And 4: All those complaints are just excuses of something you don't like, Posey. You just can't seem to embrace the change on how magic is bringing harmony to Equestria. And you don't get to judge on how we do things, you're not in charge of our decisions." She scowled the yellow-pinked haired Earth Pony.
"Really? What are you gonna do, blast me with your magic…" Posey was cut off when Sunset used her magic to shut her muzzle, which startled her as Sunset gave her a mean glare that made Posey flinch.
"Don't tempt me. You're lucky I'm a friend of Twilight and I would never go that far. I returned to Equestria to find out so many changes and all the ponies I knew and loved, gone." Sunset started as she closed her eyes to fight back the tears before opening them and facing Posey again. "And when I help Sunny and our friends return the magic and all of the pony kind together again, it feels like I'm home. And it's up to us to keep Twilight's legacy alive and make sure that none of that will happen again, and it's a promise I intend to keep, to honor my friends' memories." She pointed out as she releash Posey's muzzle, allowing her to talk again.
"Hmph. Then they should do their magic somewhere else other than my garden!" Posey called out. And with that, she stormed off back into her house, slamming the door.
"Okay, wow. She was really nice, right, guys?" Izzy asked, she said between Zipp and Pipp, but they just gave a smile as they walked off.
"I'm not sure if that's the word I'd use, Izzy." Sunset replied, thinking of much better words to describe Posey, really don't like her on how she viewed other ponies and how she's been acting selfish in the past.
As the rest of the group walked off, Izzy decided to fix up Posey's garden and her broken mailbox with her magic, all the while humming to herself.
"Oh! Come on, Sunny, Sunset! Let's go home!" Izzy said as she galloped off.
Before Sunny and Sunset followed the group back to Maretime Bay, she glanced back and saw Posey shut her curtains, clearly not wanting to associate with them.
Sunset sighs at this. "Posey really needs to know to embrace the change and move on." She said, really don't like how Posey wanted things to be the way they are before magic returned and the tribes united again.
"I know what you mean, Sunset." Sunny agreed to Sunset's words, seeing that Posey really needed to give this new change a chance and not hate it. "Don't worry, Posey. We're gonna find a way to show you and everypony else just how awesome magic can be." She said with an encouraging smile.
"And we will prove it that this is how it is, and how it was meant to be." Sunset added as she and Sunny went to catch up to their friends as they walked back to the Brighthouse.
The Mane 6 made it back to the Crystal Brighthouse while Zipp was flying through the air. The Mane 6 opened the door as they entered their home.
Izzy trotted in front of them as she looked at Pipp and Sunset. "Pipp! Sunset! Pipp! Sunset! Pipp! Sunset! I want to show you both something!" She said excitedly as she led the two ponies upstairs.
Sunset, Izzy and Pipp entered their bedroom while following Izzy.
Pipp hums while they stop in front of Izzy's bed. "So what did you want to show us?" She asked Izzy.
"Yeah, Izzy. Is it something special?" Sunset asked, wanting to know as well as well.
"Well, I don't know if you two noticed, but I consider myself a bit of an artist." Izzy pointed out with a smirk.
"Of course, we've noticed." Pipp said with a smile as she sat on Izzy's bed. "All of this beautiful stuff was made by you. You're so creative, Izzy." She complimented her unicorn friend.
"Yeah, Izzy. You are the greatest artist pony that ever lived. You make things out of anything." Sunset added with a smile.
"And you're amazed at making new things out of old things." Pipp added while holding a homemade pillow Izzy made as she then gasps. "What do you call it again?" She asked, wanting to know the name of Izzy's artist skills again.
"Oh, yeah. Uni-cycling." Izzy said with a smile as she twirled in a circle.
"Uni-cycling! Yes, yes, that's it!" Pipp called out as she placed the pillow down.
"So, what is it you want to show us, Izzy? Because when you talk about your Uni-cycling skills, it means you have something of interest." Sunset stated, knowing well that Izzy wants to show them something.
Izzy then spoke as she turned a box next to her with some stuff in them as she tossed them out, searching for something. "So, the other day, when I was searching for my box of googly eyes in the basement, I found this!" She lifted up Sunny's old lantern, which has seen better days for sure.
Sunset and Pipp gasps in shock as Pipp spoke first. "Is that Sunny's old lantern?" She asked in wonder.
"Well, her dad made it for her when she was a filly!" Izzy stated, with adding a cute tone to the filly part.
"That you'd fix it up for her as Maretime Bay Day present?!" Pipp finished in amazement.
"Yup! But shhh! It has to be a surprise! Sorry." Izzy said, while also wanting to surprise Sunny by fixing the one thing her father made for her.
Pipp squeals. "I love surprises! Your secret is safe with me." She assured Izzy with her wings flapping, not wanting to ruin the surprise for Sunny, then gave a confused look to Sunset.
"Agreed. Sunny will love this, Izzy. You are a good friend to her." Sunset complimented to Izzy for fixing the one thing Sunny's father made.
"Thanks, Sunset. What are good friends for?" Izzy asked cheerfully.
"True that." Sunset said before going back on topic. "We don't tell Sunny this. It's a surprise that we will cover when Izzy reveals it to her. Right girls?" She said as she lifted her hoof.
Izzy and Pipp smiled as they touched their hooves together with Sunset and then placed them over their chests. "Hoof to heart." They said their promising words, making a promise to never spoil this surprise.
Sometime later, the Mane 6 are gathered in the kitchen with some upbeat music, making homemade pizza together. Sunset loves pizza, and making some really got her taste buds going as she smiled while flipping a dough in her magic.
"I love flipping some dough." Sunset said while also having some second thoughts, about what Posey just said and that weird rainbow glitch the Brighthouse did earlier. "What was that glitching about?" She asked herself, and can't seem to figure out what it means.
Zipp was at the other table in front of her friends as she groaned, having some thought in her mind. "Zipp?" Pipp's voice called out, but Zipp was too far in thought to hear. "Zipp!" Pipp tried again, but no response. Having enough, Pipp hopped next to her sister. "ZIPP!" She called out close to her ear.
"Huh?!" Zipp was snapped out of her little world and gave her sister a sheepish look, not knowing that she zones out for a bit.
"I have been asking you if you want extra cheese on your pizza for, like, ten minutes!" Pipp explained while also showing how long Zipp zones out. "What's up with you?" She asked in concern for her sister.
"Oh. Sorry." Zipp apologized. "Just thinking about something weird that happened earlier." She said, thinking about the two fillies Pegasi falling all of sudden.
"The thing with Posey?" Pipp said, thinking that must be the problem her sister is thinking.
"Oh, uh... yeah." Zipp stuttered while giving a fake smile to Pipp. "That." She said, making clear that wasn't what she was thinking.
Sunset saw this and can see through Zipp's stutter, clearly thinking the same thing differently when the Brighthouse's rainbow glitched out.
"Same here. How could she not love magic?" Sunny asked, wanting to know why Posey hated magic, since it would make everypony lives better and it was part of them for years.
"Earth ponies have never had magic before." Hitch stated as he was rolling the dough. "Maybe Posey's jealous." He suggested that Posey might be jealous that earth ponies don't have magic.
"Jealous?" Pipp asked as she, Zipp, Sunset and Sunny were giving Hitch a look.
"I know I am." Hitch admittedly said, saying he feels left out since he doesn't have any magic and Sunny got hers in alicorn bonus. "Magic seems a little scary, but it would be pretty cool to be able to levitate things." He stated as McSnip appeared before hiding back down.
"Like this? Whoo!" Izzy cheered as she laughed as she levitated the unbaked pizza in her magic and lifted it in the air as it whirled around as the rest of her friends watched. Izzy saw McSnip carrying a bowl away, but that caused her to lose her concentration as her magic stopped and she looked up. "Whoa! Whoops!" Izzy called out as the unbaked pizza landed on her horn with a splat. Which caused the rest of the Mane 6 to laugh at this display, not that Izzy mined as she licked a sauce that was on her muzzle with a smile. "Mmm! Worth it!" She cheered, with McSnip taking the pizza sauce/.
"Ah, you're right, Hitch." Pipp said with a playful expression. "That is soooo much better than flying." She said as she walked ahead.
Zipp then got to Sunset and Sunny as they both gave concerned looks. "So have you two figured out the whole 'magical wings and horn appearing at random times' thing yet?" She asked them, trying to see if they have any ideas of this whole magic glitching thing problem.
"Sorry, Zipp. We haven't figured out what is happening." Sunset said, stating that they got nothing yet.
"Yeah. And it's been getting worse." Sunny added with a worried look.
"I'll say. Remember that time at the smoothie stand, Sunny. Your magic just pops up all of sudden." Sunset reminded them of the moment when her and Sunny were working at the smoothie stand.
Flashback.
The birds are chirping on a nice sunny day while Sunset and Sunny are working in the smoothie stand while Sunny is giving a unicorn mare a smoothie. Before she is giving her smoothie, she gave Sunny the money to pay for it, and then all of a sudden, Sunny's magic began to shimmer as it boomed into her alicorn form, causing the smoothie to fell to the floor of the stand and everything else to fly out, but it amazed the unicorn mare who gasps in amazement at Sunny's form.
Sunny gasps, having no idea how she got into her alicorn form. "Uh…" She said, unsure what to say.
Sunset looked in shock at this. "Sunny, did your alicorn magic kick in on its own?" She asked in shock.
"I think it did, Sunset." Sunny said, still unsure how it happened as she looked at her wings. But she was so distracted, she slipped on the spilled smoothie and fell backwards. "Whoa! Oof!" SHe hit the back wall of herstand, which caused it to tilt backwards as Sunny and Sunset started screaming. The stand then crashed as the ponies around the stand cringe of the impact. Sunset and Sunny groaned as they crawled out of stand as two birds landed beside each of them as Sunny's alicorn magic then vanished, but then four smoothies landed on the two ponies and two birds heads from the sudden action.
Sunset groans at this. "We need to figure out a way to solve this problem." She stated as Sunny nodded in agreement.
End of Flashback.
"Maybe Posey has a point. Magic is unpredictable." Zipp said to the two ponies, might agree with Posey for thinking magic can be unpredictable.
"Hmmm." Sunny thought of what Zipp just said as the time dings, signaling that the pizza is finished as Sunny walked to the oven and brought out the pizza. "It may be unpredictable, but it's not dangerous." She pointed out that magic isn't dangerous if it's unpredictable. She brought the pizza in front of her friends as she tossed it in the air, and then Izzy used her magic to slice the pizza into six equal pieces and pass them out to their friends as they took a bite of their slice. "We just need to show the Earth ponies that magic is nothing to be afraid of. It makes Equestria a... a better place. And it's fun!" Sunny explained as she took a bite of her pizza.
Sunset was in thought of all this. "Magic doesn't just work one way, Sunny. I've had my experience that when somepony uses their magic the wrong way, it can be a disaster. And that's not all that I'm concerned about lately." She said, while having a thought that something is off.
"What's that, Sunset?" Sunny asks, wanting to know what got into Sunset's mind.
"Remember during the whole SproutMaximus robot problem? And in the speech, I said that even the earth ponies lost their magic?" Sunset asked them, they all nodded, remembering that day clearly since it was the day magic returned and the tribes reunited. "Well, lately we see only unicorns and pegasi having their magic. But for some reason, the earth ponies don't have their magic as well. So, the real question is, why hasn't the earth pony magic returned like the rest of the magic in Equestria?" She asked the million bits question, remembering that earth ponies can help grow plants and be fast on their feet with enough staniam to make run as fast to make the leaves drop in the fall.
"Maybe it hasn't returned yet, possibly because the Unity Crystals can only contain so much?" Sunny suggested, thinking that the crystals can maybe hold so much magic.
"Still, we might be guessing." Sunset said, thinking that theory isn't it, trying to figure out where the earth pony magic.
"Wow! Are you ponies thinking what I'm thinking?" Izzy asked in excitement as her friends looked at her with a smile.
"I think I might be." Sunny said with a smile, knowing that Izzy might be thinking .
"All right, everypony. On the count of three." Izzy said with a knowing smile. "One... two... three... Floating parade! Right?" She called out while raising her hooves in the air before placing them on her cheeks.
Sunny paused for a second since that wasn't what she was thinking, but just smiled and responded. "Not exactly, but close. We're going to use Maretime Bay Day as our chance to show off all the amazing things magic can do!" She declared as the rest of her friends looked at her as she continued. "Then everypony will remember just how special it is that we have friendship and magic in our lives again! Are you ponies in?" She asked, wanting her friends to join in.
"Yeah!" Izzy answered with a smile.
"Definitely, definitely!" Pipp said twice with a smile.
"I'm in!" Hitch called out, agreeing as well.
"You know I'm there, Sunny." Sunset adds with a smile.
Zipp's phone starts ringing, she look at her phone to see who's calling, and groans as, you know who, figure she might call
At the top of the Crystal Brighthouse where the Unity Crystals are, Zipp came up using the elevator while her phone kept ringing.
Zipp sighs as she answers her phone tablet, showing her mother, Queen Haven, but she got the camera facing her ears. "Zephyrina? Are you there? H-Hello? I can't see you." Queen Haven called out, while the camera was facing each one of her face, the ears first, then her mouth and then her eyeball, clearly not used to phones as she used to.
Zipp looked away for a bit, a little weird out that her mother can't use a phone property as she answered with a dry tone. "Hi, Mom." She said with a small smile.
"Oh." Queen Haven said once she got the camera right as she chuckled. "There you are."
At the throne room in Zephyr Heights, Queen Have sits on her throne in the center of the thrones her daughter sat on with Cloudpuff next to her with two of her royal guards in front of her, Zoom and Thunder, as she spoke to the phone with a smile.
"It's been ages since I've seen my fillies!" Queen Haven cheerfully said to the phone while Cloudpuff barked in the conversation, wanting the doggy treat Queen Haven had in her hoof. "At least Pipp answers her phone when I call her. You never do." She said to Zipp while giving Cloudpuff the treat, which he gradually ate, while also stating that Zipp never answered her mother's calls for a while since she and her sister moved to Maretime Bay with their friends. "And you haven't visited Zephyr Heights at all." She added, while stating that Zipp hasn't come and visited Zephyr Heights to see her either.
Back at the Crystal Brighthouse, Zipp looked nervous at what her mother just said.
"Nope! You're right!" Zipp called out nervously. "I definitely have not been to Zephyr Heights!" She said with a nervous laugh, while not wanting her mother that she was at Zephyr Heights since she can't let her mother know that.
"Well, it's not like you can't fly now, darling." Queen Haven called out with an amusing expression, reminding Zipp that Pegasi can fly now when magic returned, and then Cloudpuff came in front of the camera as he licked the screen. "Oh! Cloudpuff wants to say hi!" Queen Haven spoke with a smile as she looked at Cloudpuff. "Who's Mommy's little baby?" She said with a baby tone to Cloudpuff as Zipp cringed at the sight, she knows her mother has a great bond with Cloudpuff like her and her sister but that's a little weird to see that.
At Zephyr Heights, Queen Haven nuzzled Cloudpuff as he flew close to her face.
"You are!" Queen Haven finished, but then realizes they are getting off topic as she regains her composure and looks at her daughter. "You were saying?" She asked Zipp, getting back on track.
Back at the Brighthouse, Zipp regains her composure as she speaks. "Oh, it was just—" She was cut off when her mother spoke again.
"Listen, Zipp, dear." Queen Haven started through the phone.
Back at Zephyr Heights, Queen Haven continued as Cloudpuff kept barking while backflipping in the air before landing back on the ground.
"I called because I'm gonna need you to move back home, okay?" Queen Haven spoke her reason for calling, wanting Zipp to move back to Zephyr Heights.
"What?!" Zipp asked in shock through her mother's phone. "No! No way!" She protested, not wanting to move back to home and leave her friends and little sister behind.
"I know you've had your fun with your new friends and all, but you're a princess, darling." Queen Haven pointed out, while understanding that Zipp wanted to be her friends but also reminding her daughter that she is the future queen of Zephyr Heights. "You're going to be queen one day." She added, saying that Zipp will one day be queen in the future.
Back in the Brighthouse, Zipp didn't feel like being Queen yet as she rolled her eyes at her mother in understanding.
"I know. What about Pipp though?" Zipp asked, saying that Pipp will be left behind and while also saying that she is a princess as well to Zephyr Heights.
"Well, your sister has a little salon project, and while I do like the idea of you being there to keep an eye on her, let's face it, she livestreams everything, so that's not really necessary." Queen Haven pointed out, stating that Pipp has to run Mane Melody and all she does is livestream everything to her Pippsqueaks, so Pipp is out of the question. "You're the one I need here, studying my every move and representing the royal family." She finished, stating that Zipp is the oldest and is heir to the throne and needs to learn more about being queen by learning those lessons from her mother.
Zipp is feeling conflicted about this as she felt like she would go back but also knowing that she can't leave her friends behind.
Back in Zephyr Heights, Zipp answered through her mother's phone. "But I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave just yet." She called out.
"And why wouldn't you be?" Queen Haven asked her daughter, wanting to know why don't want to leave.
Back in the Brighthouse, Zipp tries to think of her reason for not wanting to leave.
"Ummm…" Zipp thought of her reason before remembering Maretime Bay Day as she turned to her mother on her phone.
Back in Zephyr Heights, Zipp spoke her reason. "…there's a festival soon?" She said to her mother in an unsure way.
"Hmm." Queen Haven thought of that for a moment before speaking. "I do suppose festival planning does count as a useful skill for your future on the throne." She said, finding her daughter's reason fair since it will be part of her queen training as she smiled at Zipp. "As queen, you'll be responsible for arranging state dinners, teas, parties…" She listed out the reasons on how queens handle festival planning to Zipp.
Back in the Brighthouse, Zipp grows nervous at her mother listing out the planning, putting more pressure on her as she speaks out.
"Uh-oh!" Zipp's voice called out as she mimicked static sounds while shaking her phone. ""You're…! Breaking…! Up…!" She said she finished minicking while Queen Haven gave Zipp an unamused expression before Zipp ended the call. "Ugh." Zipp groans as she walks to the edge of the balcony as she looks at the view of Maretime Bay as she sighs.
A little bit ago, Sunny and Sunset are walking around the Brighthouse and heading to the top of it with an elevator installed after their pizza lunch as Sunset spoke.
"You know, Sunny. Ever Since I came back and the magic was restored, something has been going on lately. And not just the random magic incident, but for some reason, earth ponies don't have magic to go on for some reason." She said, trying to process how earth ponies don't have magic since back in her days, they used to have them.
"Yeah, I see what you mean. And what you told me about the many kinds of magic, earth pony should have them. Right?" Sunny asked.
"Well, they should. But since magic is restored, all the earth ponies don't have them. Which is strange to say the least. The bigger question is, where is the earth pony magic?" Sunset questioned.
"Uh, oh!" Zipp's voice called out as she mimicked static sounds, Sunset and Sunny turned and saw Zipp at the balcony at the top of the lighthouse where the Unity Crystals is. "You're…! Breaking…! Up…!" She said she finished miniking and ended the call on her phone, which showed Queen Haven giving Zipp an unamused expression before Zipp ended the call. "Ugh." Zipp groans as she walks to the edge of the balcony as she looks at the view of Maretime Bay as she sighs.
Sunny and Sunset came to Zipp with concerned expressions as Sunny spoke. "Is everything okay?" She asked Zipp.
Zipp turned and saw Sunny and Sunset coming next to her. "Yeah. It's just that... I love it here in Maretime Bay so much. I don't want to leave yet." She admittedly said with a little sad look.
"Leave? What do you mean?" Sunset asked.
"Go back to Zephyr Heights." Zipp pointed with a sad tone.
"But you just got here!" Sunny pointed out that Zipp just got here when she first moved.
"I know. I'm not ready to become a full-time, heir-to-the-throne princess yet. Not the way my mom expects me to be anyway." Zipp pointed as she walked to the side a bit. "But... I'm not sure if I fit in here either." She pointed out.
"Of course you do!" Sunny announced with a smile, knowing that Zipp really does fit in here.
"Even if all I do is fly around and try out new moves?" Zipp asked as she flapped her wings and did a little flying before landing back on the balcony to prove her point.
"It's what you love to do!" Sunny stated, knowing that's all that Zipp would have wanted. "As Izzy would say…" She then imitated Izzy in a tone. "It makes your sparkle shine really bright!" She repeated the tone on how Izzy sees other ponies sparkle.
"I don't know. Maybe my mom is right." Zipp said as she walked a bit around the balcony. "Maybe I should just go back to Zephyr Heights and really try to be the kind of princess everypony is hoping for." She said as she sighs. "I'm going to have to do it someday." She stated as she hated being a princess, she knew that she might become that princess one day, since it's only a matter of time.
Sunset then places a hoof on Zipp's shoulder for comfort. "Nopony like what they might become, Zipp. But it's your choice to be the princess everypony sees in you, or you can be yourself and choose your own path." She said some wisdom to Zipp, telling her that's her choice and not nopony else.
"Thanks, Sunset. But still, I don't know." Zipp said, not sure if she can make the right calls.
Sunny then spoke. "At least stay until Maretime Bay Day. Then you can decide." She said, wanting Zipp to have fun in Maretime Bay Day before she makes her choice.
"Okay, yeah. I guess I can't miss that." Zipp said with a smile, knowing she can't miss that special day.
"Now come on. We have a festival to plan, and it needs your magic, too." Sunny said as she walked back to the elevator as it went down. Sunset then gave Zipp a small smile.
"Don't worry, Zipp. You will know where you belong. It's not the mind that helps you make the choices, it's the heart that helps you choose who you are meant to be." Sunset said as she placed a hoof over her heart. "When I returned to Equestria, I was lost, alone, and so out of date of how much Equestria has evolved, that it felt like I don't belong here. But when I met Sunny and the rest of you, I found my place and purpose in Equestria again, and I must continue on to make sure the legacy of my old friend Twilight Sparkle lived on." She said as she turned to where Sunny walked off. "And I'll look after Sunny and the rest of you, while keeping the magic of friendship alive for the future sake of Equestria. We don't become who we are by what other ponies say, but we become who we are meant to be by being ourselves and doing what we need to do." She said, saying that anypony can become who they are by doing what they need to do and not do what other ponies tell them to do.
Zipp sighs, taking Sunset's words by heart as she can see what she is saying. "I guess you're right, Sunset. I'll think about it." She said, going to think of her choice before making her decision.
Just then, two Pegasi, one a mare and a stallion, their wings started glitching as they somehow stopped flying as they fell from the sky while screaming.
Zipp and Sunset gasp when they see it. "That's not good." Zipp said as she flew off the balcony to try and catch them, Sunset was about to follow, but then the two Pegasi flew again as they went on with their business. Sunset and Zipp looked at each other strangely. "Weird." Zipp said as she sighs as she flies back to the ground.
"Weird is right. And also strange." Sunset added, while placing a hoof over her chin, she then heard a glitching sound as she turned to the Unity Crystal, that looks okay right now. "What is going on?" She asked herself, wondering where are these glitches coming from as she went down with the elevator, unaware that the Unity Crystal glitch out again.
Sunset made it back downstairs of the Brighthouse and saw Sunny showing Izzy and Pipp on how they celebrate Maretime Bay Day.
"Ribbon wreaths are the traditional decoration of Maretime Bay Day." Sunny explained. "We hang them on our front doors, on Mane Street... Everywhere!" She pointed while also pointing out ribbon wreaths all over the Brighthouse to prove her point.
"Cuuuute!" Pipp cheered as she lifted one up, but coughed as some dust fell off it. "A little dusty, but cute." She corrected herself.
Izzy then gasps as she levitates a teaspoon over her head. "I once made a wreath out of old teaspoons!" She said to her friends.
"Loving that idea, Izzy." Pipp said with a smile and then she gasps, having an idea. "Maybe we can add some unicorn and Pegasus flair to these ones, too." She suggested, wanted to add all three flairs of each tribe together.
Izzy then gasped as she went through the kitchen cabinets and brought back a bunch of teaspoons while tossing some to her friends, who duck for cover, a handle she is carrying in her mouth while the rest is in her magic. "Now... where did I leave my suitcase full of glitter?" She asked herself with a mouthful as she went to find her glitter supply.
"Uh, anypony seen Zipp and Sunset?" Sunny asked, wondering where they are now.
"I'm up here." Sunset called out as Sunny and Pipp looked at her on top of the stairs, having heard Sunny about the flair thing. "But Zipp, don't know." She said once she went down the stairs.
"What's with all the spoons?" Speaking of said pegasus, Zipp flew down to the floor as she asked why there are so many spoons.
"Oh, we're uni-cycling these old decorations." Izzy explained while in front of her suitcase of glitter as she levitated some of the spoons. "Do you two want to try?" She asked them.
"Maybe later, Izzy. Because I gotta check on something." Sunset said to Izzy, wanting to try out, but with the glitches acting up, she needs to figure out what is going on and how to stop it.
Zipp however, feels unsure about it. "Uh, decorating things isn't really my strong point." She said as she started to walk by.
"We could do something else." Sunny said as she got next to Zipp. "What about baking Bay Day treats?" She suggested.
"I'm not very good at baking either." Zipp said as she kept walking.
"Or write a song for the big concert!" Sunny suggested again as Pipp flew next to her sister.
"Ooh! Zipp, you used to love writing song lyrics with me!" Pipp added, remembering how she and her sister used to sing lyrics to songs that Zipp wrote down.
"I-I don't think so." Zipp asked nervously as she kept walking to the door.
"Wait! I'm sure we can find something that you'd like to do." Sunny pleaded, wanting Zipp to have some fun with them as she continued to walk up to the door.
"Uh, maybe later. Bye!" Zipp said quickly as she walked out as she closed the door. Sunny gave a sad look at Zipp not wanting to join as Izzy brought up the spoon flair she made as she smiled cheerfully as some of the spoons fell off.
Sunset sighs at this. "I'll go with Zipp. Just to be sure she's okay. You guys have fun and save me some supplies for a flair of my own, okay?" She asked her friends as they nodded in saying yes. "Okay. I'll see you guys later." She said as she walked out the door to catch up to Zipp, knowing well what's gotten into her mind.
Sometime at the Sheriff Station, Hitch is walking to his station with a cheerful expression.
"Good morning, station!" Hitch cheerfully said to the building as he walked inside with his critters behind him. "Sheriff Hitch here, reporting for duty." He said to himself as he sat on his desk with a smile and adjust his desk a bit before his critters crew came in front of him as the two birds salute to him while McSnips just stand there as Hitch smiled at them. "At ease, deputies!" He said to them with a smile and hooves on his hips as the two birds lower their wings as Hitch continued. "So what do you say? Which Sheriff-y things should we do today in Maretime Bay? Hey, hey, heeeey!" He sanged as he twirled around in his seat with a cheerful expression.
At the same time, Sunset caught up to Zipp as Sunset spoke first. "Zipp. You know how our friends feel if we deny their request to have fun together. You can't just walk out on them like that." She said to the pegasus.
"I know, Sunset. I wanted to have fun with them too. But with what's been going on lately, I need to find some answers." Zipp said, stating what she saw earlier and trying to figure it out.
"You're not the only one. This glitching is becoming a nuisance to me as well." Sunset admitted. "Maybe we should talk to Hitch and see if he has anything to say." She said that maybe might have some advice they can use on this issue, if he doesn't know that is, at least he can give them some advice.
"My thoughts exactly." Zipp said as they made it to the station, but then they heard Hitch's voice through the door.
"At ease, deputies. So what do you say?" Hitch's voice said as he began to sing. "Which Sheriff-y things should we do today in Maretime Bay? Hey, hey, heeeey!"
Sunset and Zipp raise an eyebrow as they open the door as they walk in and see Hitch's sitting on his table with his animal crew. "Oof. Are you trying to rhyme?" Zipp asked with a raised eyebrow with Sunset smirking at Hitch's trying to rhythm.
"Oh, hey, Zipp. Hey, Sunset." Hitch greeted his friends. "Yeah, what did you both think?" He asked them what they thought of his song.
"Way too much." Zipp answered with a raised eyebrow, finding Hitch's rhyming a little bit much.
"I have to agree with Zipp, Hitch." Sunset said. "That was a good rhyme but a little bit too much. Try and dumb it down a bit next time." She advises.
"Cool, cool. Just trying something out. Didn't work. Good feedback and advice." Hitch said to them, going to have to work on his rhyming as he clears his throat. "So what can I do for you two?" He asked them, wanting to know what brings them here.
"I'm just here to keep Zipp company. But she's here for a reason, I just tag along." Sunset said, wanting Zipp to let out her worries on her own, since she can't force ponies to do that, that's not the princess way or what Twilight would do, and she did that before when she was a bully of CHS, and wanting to move past that.
Zipp then grew nervous again. "I came by because... well... Have you seen anything... strange lately?" She asked him.
Hitch grabbed a pencil in his hoof as McSnip brought his sheriff journal and wrote it down. "Strange? What do you mean?" He asked what she meant by that.
"Well, I was on the balcony earlier when…" Zipp tried to explain but stopped herself. "Y-You know what? It was probably nothing. Forget it." She said as she laughed nervously.
Sunset looked at her in disbelief as Zipp couldn't even reveal the strange glitches lately as she followed her out.
"Wait." Hitch stopped them as he spoke. "I know what this is about." He said as the two were caught off guard.
"You do?" Zipp asked.
"Yup. Mm-hmm. You're... bored." Hitch said, thinking that Zipp must be bored as Sunset and Zipp raised an eyebrow at each other, clearly Hitch didn't get it yet. "But you don't have to be shy. We're pals! We can totally hang out! I know. Let's order fries from three different diners and then decide which ones are the best!" He said excitedly as Sunset and Zipp gave him an amused expression as he gasps. "Or maybe a puzzle!" He excitedly said while holding up a puzzle. Zipp and Sunset give him a strange look, and finding it funny Hitch is going overboard until a phone starts to ring. "A call?" He said excitedly as he answered the call and cleared his throat as he spoke. "Sheriff station. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I see. Really?" He asked as McSnip brought out his journal as he wrote down what the caller was calling. "How strange. At the beach? Well, I'll be right there." He assured the caller as he hung up the phone. "It appears we have a code eight-eighteen at the beach. Want to come on a trot-along with me, Zipp and Sunset?" He then looked at where they were and saw Sunset just standing there as Zipp went out the door as it closed.
"Um. She just went out the door." Sunset said with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, at least you can join, Sunset. But what's gotten into Zipp lately?" Hitch asked.
"Well, she's been thinking about something. But with what, I don't know. And this is something she has to figure out herself because she needs to know." Sunset said, while thinking this might have something to do with the glitch lately, and maybe she should give Zipp some space to figure out, and maybe she will too if the two ponies cover more ground to get some new clues, and she hate to not tell her friends about this but she needs more proof to really know what is going on lately. "Come on. Let's go to the beach and see what strange thing is going on." She said,
"Let's go then." Hitch said as the two ponies walked out of the building to head to the beach to see what was wrong.
Later on at the beach, ponies are having a fun time as Sunset and Hitch, along with the animal crew, walk down the path and into the sand as they look for anything out of the ordinary.
"Hmm. Looks normal to me." Hitch said, seeing nothing strange going on here.
"Keep your eyes peeled, Hitch. One must look before judging." Sunset said to Hitch, to look around for anything strange, even if it's not.
"What do you mean something strange happened?!" An annoying earth pony colt said to a unicorn mare, with an umbrella on a destroyed sand castle. "You did it on purpose!" He accused her.
"Okay, follow the sound of the angry colt." Sunset said as she and Hitch headed to where the two ponies were.
"I did not!" The unicorn mare tries to defend herself.
"I saw you use your magic to drop your umbrella onto my sand castle!" The colt exclaimed while pointing to his ruined sandcastle.
"I'm telling you, it wasn't me!" The nervous unicorn said. "I was carrying it, and then my magic just went away!" She tried to reason with him.
"I don't believe you!" The earth pony colt exclaimed, as some sand rustled from his ruined sandcastle as he gave her a look.
"But I'm telling the truth!" The nervous unicorn exclaimed nervously.
Hitch cleared his throat to get the two ponies attention as he and Sunset walked to them. "Is everypony okay over here?" He asked, wanting to know what was going on.
"Okay you two. What happened?" Sunset asked, wanting to know as well.
The nervous unicorn then spoke first. "Sheriff Hitch! Princess Sunset! I promise I didn't mean to ruin everything! My magic…" She tried to explain but was cut off.
"I worked on that castle all day!" The earth pony colt exclaimed, interrupting her.
Unknowingly to Hitch, Sunset and the two arguing ponies, Zipp is watching the whole thing with a bored expression, wanting to see what is going on, and then her phone starts ringing. "Aah! Huh!" She got startled as she grabbed her phone and saw that it's her mother again. "Argh!" She groans as she hangs up her phone, knowing that it's not the time for Queen Haven to call while she is investigating with Sunset to figure out the glitches, to cover more ground to find more clues, as she brings her phone close to her as she records what she knows with a detective expression. "Thursday, noon, beach. Second magical mishap with Sunset investigating personally with Hitch. Levitation glitch. Unicorn drops umbrella. Lots of upset ponies. Very strange. Must investigate further and report back to Sunset when I can." She said as she sneakily walked backwards after ending her recording.
Zipp got up as she spread her wings, ready to fly, but then her wings, along with the rainbow in the Crystal Brighthouse at this distance, started to glitch out as Zipp's wings began to glow and glitch, losing her ability to fly as she landed back on the ground with a worried expression.
"Oh, no! Please, no!" Zipp asked worryingly as she flapped her wings again, trying to fly, but her wings kept glitching. Landing back down, Zipp looked at her wings in worry as she turned and saw the Crystal Brighthouse's rainbow start to glitch out. Zipp gasped at this sight, now even more worried that something is wrong and the glitches are getting worse. She then flaps her wings again, this time, the glitching stops as she laughs with pride, glad that she can fly now as she flies straight to the Brighthouse at high speed.
After a little bit of flying, Zipp flew back to the Crystal Brighthouse as she landed right in front of the door, which she was greeted by Sunny who opened the door after seeing Zipp coming back.
"Zipp! There you are!" Sunny cheerfully calls out, glad that Zipp is back as Pipp watches from behind with a smile while Izzy jumps next to Sunny from the other door with a cheerful expression.
"Oh, hey! Coming to town with us to gather more supplies for the new-and-improved Maretime Bay Day?" Izzy cheerfully asked with wiggle eyebrows, wanting Zipp to join them on getting more supplies for the Maretime Bay Day decorations as Zipp walked back inside the Brighthouse.
"Oh. Wish I could, but—" Zipp started with an unsure expression, wanting to solve this glitching problem very soon, but was cut off when her sister spoke.
"Why can't you exactly? And where's Sunset?" Pipp suppiously asked, wanting to know why Zipp can't join them and wanting to know where Sunset is now.
"Because... I'm working on my surprise thing for Maretime Bay Day!" Zipp nervously lied with a nervous smile as she walked backwards while her friends gave her strange looks, not wanting to tell them yet until she found some more clues about this. "And Sunset is with Hitch helping with a little problem at the beach! Yeah!" She called out, with the part of 'Where-Sunset-is' true as she turned to the stairs. "H-Have fun!" She called out nervously as she then flew straight upstairs to where the Unity Crystals are, wanting to investigate them to see what is wrong.
At the top of the Brighthouse where the Unity Crystals are, Zipp is determinedly watching the Unity Crystals, wanting to find some hints and clues to this glitching problem as she figured the crystals could be the source since they are the source to the magic.
Zipp brought out her phone as she recorded what she learned without taking her eyes off the Crystals and going to tell Sunset this when she can. "Thursday, 12:15. Crystals – normal. Pris-beam energy – intact." She said before ending the recording as she walked to the windows while looking at the view as she sighs, still can't seem to find a clue yet.
Back at the beach, the two ponies kept arguing over the sandcastle while Sunset and Hitch tried to get them to calm down to give out a straight answer.
"Okay! Enough!" Sunset called out, which startled those two ponies as she continued. "One at a time and tell us the reason for this so we can know what is happening. Got it?" She called out, as the two ponies nodded their heads in saying yes.
"Okay. Tell us what happened. One at a time." Hitch said while also preventing the two ponies from saying something all at once as they pointed hooves at each other but lowered them when Hitch and Sunset said 'one at a time'.
"She tried to sabotage my sand castle!" The Earth Pony pointed at the Unicorn accusingly.
"No, I didn't! My magic was just gone!" The Unicorn retorted.
"Okay, okay. Everypony just—"Hitch tried to explain but he was cut off.
"Magic shouldn't even be allowed on the beach!" The Earth Pony continued.
A small Pegasus filly walked over to the Hitch and Sunset. "Is magic allowed on the beach, Sheriff Hitch?" He was about to answer, but then Sunset spoke up.
"Of course, it is!" Sunset explained, "In all honesty, while I know magic more than any of you. I do believe it can be a good thing if practiced enough, so all I can say is maybe a bit more careful when you use them." She called out, since these ponies only had magic for three months, they are still out of practice and are still getting used to them.
This caused the Pegasus filly to smile at her. "Thanks, Princess Sunset!" the filly said cheerfully.
Sunset chuckled. "Eh don't worry about it. And please just call me Sunset. I'm not one for formality." She told her, not one with royalty after all.
The Pegasus flew off afterwards, and Sunset faced the other Ponies who were surprised by what she had said before. "Listen not to sound rude, but can you please let it go and not accused of anypony of their magic. You all only had magic for three months, everypony is still practicing and it's just a sand castle, it can be rebuilt again. No harm, no fuss." She called out. After that was said, she began walking off with Hitch following behind him.
"Whoa, I can't believe you just said that!" Hitch exclaimed in amazement that Sunset managed to get that under control.
Sunset faced the Earth Pony sheriff with a smile. "I have ways to get everypony to calm down, Hitch. And honestly, that was gonna get really bad, so I just did what I could to diffuse it." She explained, having ways to get ponies to understand.
As the two ponies walked out of the beach, they saw something that caught their eyes as they saw an egg on the end. "Huh. You don't belong here, do you?" Hitch said to the egg as he turned to Sunset. "I've never seen an egg like this. Have you, Sunset?" He asked Sunset, wanting to know if she has seen this before.
"Can't say I have, Hitch. But it does look familiar for some reason." Sunset said, amazed by this egg as well but having a familiar vibe feeling of seeing this egg.
"What in Equestria are you?" Hitch asked the egg, but then suddenly a tie came in as it washed over them and Hitch's animal crew as Hitch grabbed the egg before it washed away with waves. "Oh!" He grunted as he placed the egg in his hooves as he smiled sweetly at it.
"Maybe you should keep an eye on the egg, Hitch. You do have ways with animals." Sunset pointed out since Hitch animal crew is proof and he always seems to be a critter magnet to these creatures.
"Good idea, Sunset." Hitch said as he looked at the egg with a smile. "I'll take care of you, little one." He said to the egg as he walked back to the station with Sunset behind him.
Sunset's phone started ringing as she picked it up and saw that Zipp was calling as she answered it. "Hey, Zipp. What's up?" She asked.
"Sunset. I'm at the Crystal Brighthouse and I think the crystals may have something to do with the glitches." Zipp answered through the phone.
"Wait. You mean that these glitches are somehow connected to the crystals?" Sunset asked, wanting to know if she heard right.
"I'm sure of it. Earlier today I saw the Brighthouse's rainbow glitched out when my wings started glitching too, losing my ability to fly for a brief moment. So I think something is wrong with the crystals. I'm keeping my eye on them to figure it out right now." Zipp stated what she is doing.
"Wait. I saw the Brighthouse's rainbow glitched out as well this morning, so you might be onto something. Keep watch on the crystals, I'll be there as soon as I can." Sunset instructed, wanting to see this for herself as well just to be sure.
"Sure thing. See ya." Zipp said as she ended the call so she could keep watch on the Unity Crystals.
Sunset kept walking as she followed Hitch, while processing what she just learned. "This is getting worse than I thought if this has something to do with the crystals. I better catch up with Zipp when I can." She said to herself as she and Hitch walked back to the station.
Back at the station, Hitch has placed the egg in his closet with a blanket at the bottom and a lamp post to keep it warm as Sunset watches on .
"That's better." Hitch said as he turned one the lamp. "All roasty and toasty. I'll just keep you safe here until we can find who you belong to, okay?" He said to the egg with a smile.
"You are really good at taking care of critters, huh." Sunset asked as she smiled, seeing much of Fluttershy in Hitch every now and then, and a little bit of Applejack in him as well.
"I have my moments, Sunset." Hitch said with a chuckle.
"Sheriff Hitch!" Posey's voice called out as Hitch slammed the closet quickly as he ran to his plant and his cup as he pretended to water it as he chuckled nervously as he and Sunset saw Posey coming at it. "What were you and Sunset talking about?" She asked.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Hitch lied through the teeth, going to keep the egg a secret while Sunset looked at Posey.
"What are you doing here, Posey?" Sunset asked, wanting to know what she wanted now.
Posey then glared at Sunset before speaking. "I was just trotting down Mane Street when I noticed that my hooves were stuck to the sidewalk. I tried and tried to move, but I couldn't for, like, a really long time." She explained her complaint on what happened to her, which drove Sunset into a loop.
"Okay. That is strange and oddly specific." Sunset said while thinking. 'First the rainbow glitched, the magic glitched, the Unity Crystals glitched and now ponies are stuck to the ground while being unable to move, this is getting worse by the minute.' She thought.
"You could say that." Posey said as she continued. "I think somepony's pranking me. Probably one of those unicorns. I'd like to file a complaint." She said to them.
"Okay. The complaint box is over there on the wall." Hitch answered as she pointed to the complaint box next to the door as more complaints fell out of the box, having taken up much room.
"Well, I'd prefer if you took it down yourself." Posey said to Hitch, wanting him to solve the problem personally.
Hitch then looked nervous. "I would, but I'm late for an important meeting at the Brighthouse. Sunset came here to remind me of it." He said while giving a wink to Sunset, telling her to play along as Sunset winked back. "Duty calls!" He then went to his desk as he placed his plant down and opened his closet to whisper to his bird critter. "Keep an eye on that egg for me, would you, deputy?" He asked his critter friend as the bird chirps and salutes to him as he closes the door and then laughs nervously as he and Sunset walked out of the station as Posey watches them go with a look.
Back at the Crystal Brighthouse, Sunny and Izzy are in the kitchen as they are baking some baked goods for Maretime Bay Day as Sunny spoke. "Maretime Bay Day is going to be great with these treats!" She stated.
"How could it not?" Pipp asked from the stairs as she flew down. "We've literally thought of everything. And I've been working on the all-new anthem for Maretime Bay Day! Whoo!" She sanged before turning to her friends. You wanna hear it? Too late! Doing it anyway!" She said before the two ponies could answer as she cleared her throat. "A-five, six, seven, eight!" She then started singing.
(soulfully)
Maretime Baaaaaay, yeah! Hey! Heeeeey!
"And then it's like…"
Somethin' about the sunshine and sea
"And then it's like…"
(progressively higher-pitched)
Somethin', somethin', somethin', somethin', SOMETHIN'!
"Then…"
(extra soulfully)
Somethin', somethin', somethiiiiin'!
Pipp sanged as she got close to her friends while striking a pose until she gave an exciting look to her friends, wanting to know how she did.
"Uh... yeah, I don't like it." Izzy started with an unsure look before going excited. "I love it! What?!" She yelled out excitedly.
They then hear the door opened as they see Hitch and Sunset coming in as Hitch starts to hum the song Pipp sang. "Catchy! Somethin', somethin'...Yup. Very catchy. She's good." He said, linking that song.
A timer dings as Sunny brought out some freshly baked tarts. "Mmmm! Miniature glimmerberry tarts! Great idea, Izzy!" She said to Izzy, complimenting her for this idea.
Izzy giggled as she spoke as she placed some purple sticks on the tarts. "Aww! Ta-daaa! Ooh, now they're a true work of 'tart'." She jokingly said.
Hitch then grabbed one as he ate it, liking the taste. "Mmm. But how do you make 'em taste like magic?" He asked, saying that they do taste like magic.
"The secret ingredient…" Izzy started as she whispered. "Magic!" She said, saying she used her magic to make the tarts taste like magic.
"We have to make cloud candy next!" Pipp excitedly said as she held up the recipe. "It's Zipp's favorite! Um, where is she, by the way?" She asked, wanting to know where her sister was all day.
The three ponies looked at each other before giving a 'I dunno' sound, Izzy followed after Hitch and Sunny. "As a matter of fact, where is Sunset? Wasn't she just here?" Sunny asked, but the gang shrugged, not knowing where Sunset could've gone this time since she was here.
Zipp is then looking at the Unity Crystals, looking very tired from looking at the crystals for this long. "Hour five... Still nothing…" She said as she continued to stare at the crystal. "Hour five and one minute... Still nothing…" She said after a minute as she closed her phone as she sighs.
"Nothing on the crystals yet, Zipp." Sunset's voice was heard, as Zipp turned and saw her coming up the elevator as Zipp stood up.
"No. Nothing. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there's no pattern to it. Just a glitch. Ugh." Zipp said as she was starting to give up.
"I don't know, Zipp. There must be a connection to it." Sunset said as she placed a hoof on Zipp's shoulder. But then they heard whirring sounds that got their attention.
"What in the wingfeathers?" Zipp asked in disbelief as she and Sunset turned and saw the Unity Crystals drawing in some magic.
"What in Equestria?" Sunset asked in disbelief as well as they saw the Unity Crystal drawing in some magic as it began to glow.
Back in the kitchen, Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp are laughing as they are preparing for the next baked goods, with Pipp chomping one down, but what they didn't know is that some magic are drawing out of them and heading towards the Unity Crystals.
Back to where Sunset and Zipp are, the Unity Crystals starts to pulsate as it begins to glow bright.
"Ah!" Zipp and Sunset called out as they covered their eyes enough to get a proper view as they saw the Unity Crystals start whooshing out some magical green vine-like lines around the area.
"Whoa!" Zipp said in amazement.
"Amazing." Sunset said as she never saw this before as her and Zipp took a closer look at the vine-like lines.
"I don't believe this!" Zipp said in amazement as Sunset nodded her head in agreement as they both went down the elevator to tell their friends.
Sunset and Zipp flew downstairs as they went to their friends. "Everypony, quick! Come upstairs! You have got to see this!" Zipp called out.
"There you are." Pipp said in relief.
"What happened?" Hitch asked, wanting to know what was going on.
"No time to explain!" Sunset exclaimed.
"Just hurry!" Zipp called out as she and the others raced off to where the Unity Crystal is.
At the top of the Brighthouse by using the elevator, but what they saw is not what Sunset and Zipp were expecting, because all of the magic vines are gone.
"Wow! What are we looking at?" Izzy asked.
"There were all these vines growing on the wall! And they were glowing!" Zipp explained to her friends.
"Glowing vines?" Pipp asked, not sure what Zipp is saying.
"Zipp. You have to tell them." Sunset said, seeing that Zipp has to tell them about the glitching problem.
"Okay. I have a confession." Zipp said to her friends. "I've been monitoring the Crystals, and I think something is wrong with them." She said to them while looking at the crystals.
"What? No, there isn't." Sunny said, thinking that nothing is wrong with the crystals.
"None of you have noticed that magic seems kinda weird lately?" Zipp pointed out to her friends how strange magic is lately from the glitches. "Like it keeps switching off or something." She said to them.
"Hmmm... Nope!" Izzy answered after thinking with a smile, haven't really noticed it.
"Me, neither." Pipp said, oblivious of what has happened.
Zipp then turned to Sunset. "Sunset. Back me up, have you felt any glitches in your magic lately?" She asked, hoping Sunset could clear this since the glitch might have affected her as well.
Sunset thought of it for a moment and then she spoke with a weird look. "Actually, Zipp. Other than what has happened lately, I haven't felt any glitch, not even a little. My magic hasn't even been going wonky, not one bit." She said, stating that she hasn't felt any of the glitching in her magic at all for some reason.
"Really?" Zipp asked in disbelief, not just that her friends don't believe her or Sunset, but for some reason, Sunset magic hasn't glitched one bit.
Pipp's phone then chimes as Pipp answers it. "Sorry, sis." She said to Zipp while looking at her phone.
Zipp then turned to Hitch. "Hitch? I saw what happened at the beach the other day along with Sunset. Didn't you take—?" She was cut off when Hitch spoke.
"What?! I didn't take anything at the beach!" Hitch said while losing balance, thinking that Zipp knows about the egg.
"...down a report?" Zipp finished with a raised eyebrow at Hitch's panicking.
"Oh. Right. A report." Hitch said, now embarrassed from that as he went to the elevator. "Actually, that reminds me. Gotta go file that report!" He said as he went down the elevator.
"Hey, you wait a second!" Izzy called out as Hitch went down. "You were gonna teach us how to make life-sized gummy bunnies!" She said as she jumped down while Pipp flew down after him, leaving Sunset, Sunny and Zipp alone.
"I know it sounds weird, but I know what me and Sunset saw!" Zipp called out as she paced back and forth. "And what we've been seeing! Like the other day, when I was flying back from Zephyr Heights, these two Pegasi crashed into each other, and I think it—!" She cut off when Sunny spoke.
I'm sorry, Zipp. I've been so caught up in all the festival planning." Sunny said. "This is all my fault." She said with a guilt tone.
"That magic is glitching?" Zipp asked.
Sunny scoffed at that question. "Magic is not glitching." She said, thinking that magic can't be a glitch.
Sunset then facehooved herself as she groaned. "Sunny! You really need to pay attention to these things! Magic never glitched and this kind of thing never happened before in my own time in Equestria." She said, pointing that magic wasn't glitching before back in her days when she was in Equestria.
"Yeah, Sunny. And you said it yourself. Your Alicorn magic keeps appearing randomly." Zipp pointed out. "You don't find that strange? At all?" She asked.
Sunny was unsure how to respond to that. "No, I-I think that's just because I'm still learning. We all are." She suggested as the three ponies looked at the crystals.
Sunset then turned to Sunny. "Sunny. Just because there is a tiny glitch, does not mean it's not a threat. You can't just judge something by its cover, you have to see if there's a problem. And right now, you and the others were so distracted on preparing for Maretime Bay Day, you don't see the bigger picture." She pointed out that their friends were so busy preparing for Maretime Bay Day, they were oblivious to what has been happening lately.
"W-what?" Sunny asked. "What do you mean by that? Magic hasn't been glitching, and I'm still learning my alicorn magic, so I don't have control of it from time to time." She tried to reason.
"Sunny. We hardly know a thing about the crystals. Me and ZIpp have been around Maretime Bay all day just to see what is going on. And frankly, we found some clues and theories lately, and you and the others aren't taking this seriously." Sunset stated about the events that occurred.
Sunny then spoke again. "Sunset. Magic is just magic, that's how it is. And we are still learning it." She stated.
Sunset then groans at this. "Fine. If you think that way about this, then don't help. I'm gonna go to your father's notes and moderate the crystals to figure out what is going on." She said as she turned to Zipp. "Zipp. You go find more clues, glitches, the green vines, or anything. If you do, report back to me." She added, Zipp nodded as she flew off from the Brighthouse. Sunset then turned to Sunny for a sec before watching the crystals before heading downstairs.
"Sunset, wait. Don't you think you worried too much?" Sunny asked.
Sunset stops for a sec before turning to Sunny. "That's a thing when it comes to being an alicorn, Sunny. You must investigate and solve this problem before it gets worse. Not ignore it even with the slightest bit. Something you need to learn from, when you can't seem to trust me or Zipp about this matter and don't believe a word we said." She said as she went downstairs to do the research, leaving Sunny deep in thought of what she said, seeing how she doesn't see the bigger picture of what Sunset and Zipp have been doing and didn't see the slightest problem with it. Feeling bad for making Sunset and Zipp feel this way.
Meanwhile at the streets of Maretime Bay, Zipp is looking around for any signs of glitching that Sunset tasked her too while the birds are chirping and ponies going about their day, but so far no clues.
"Uggghhh." Zipp groans of lacking any leads to this magic glitch as she brings out her phone to record her progress. "Report. Nothing new to report to Sunset. No more signs of mysterious glowing vines or Crystal glitches." She stated, while saying that Sunset hasn't reported any crystal glitches and neither of them have seen any more magic glowing vines as well. Zipp's phone then started ringing, startling her as she looked at her phone and see her mother calling again "Uggghhh!" She groans again, seeing that this is the worst time Queen Haven should be calling, but can't keep her mother waiting as she flips her phone tablet open, answering the call as seen by Queen Haven close to the camera again. "Hi, Mom." She greeted her mother.
"Zipp! There you are!" Queen Haven said to her daughter with a smile, but then zoomed out as she gave Zipp a stern expression. "Have you been ignoring my calls, young filly?" She asked, guessing that Zipp had been ignoring her calls lately while investigating the glitches.
"No, no!" Zipp quickly said with a nervous smile, lying that she has so she won't make her mother mad or face her wrath for ignoring her. "Just busy, Mom! I'm actually helping Sunny and Sunset with decorations right now, so I gotta go." She lied with a nervous laugh, clearly haven't been helping Sunny with the decorations but she is helping Sunset, but not with decorations as she needs to continue her investigation on the magic glitches she and Sunset are searching about as she reaches to end the call.
"Well, I can't wait to see them!" Queen Haven said excitedly, which caused Zipp to stop from pressing the 'End Call' button in the process.
"See what?" Zipp confusingly asked her mother.
"The decorations!" Queen Haven answered obviously, but then realizes why is Zipp confuse about it. "Oh, didn't Pipp tell you?" She asked her daughter as she continued as her camera accidentally zoomed into her mouth. "I'll be attending this Maretime Bay Day Festival." She answered.
Zipp grew nervous as her mother is coming for Maretime Bay Day Festival. "You will?! Why?!" She nervously called out with a spread of her wings, really nervous that her mother was coming.
Cloudpuff the pop on screen next to Queen Haven as he barked excitedly as Queen Haven turned to him with a smile. "Yes, it is treat time! I know, I know!" She said to Cloudpuff with a baby tone, which gives Zipp a bore expression that her mother is adoring Cloudpuff in a conversation. "See you there, darling!" Queen Haven said to Zipp before ending the call.
"Come on!" Zipp called out as she put her phone away, getting back to the investigations of the glitches in hoof. "There's gotta be something!" She said as she brought out her binoculars as she looked around the area she was in for any clues to help find the answers her and Sunset are seeking to these glitches.
Zipp sees a couple of ponies laughing on a table, a tolley bell ringing as the conductor and a pink earth pony mare smile at each other as Zipp around some more. "Everything on Mane Street appears normal." She said to herself as she zoomed in to the Sheriff station with Dahlia and an Earth Pony stallion walking out, but then turned and saw Hitch hiding behind some barrels. "Huh?" Zipp questioned what she saw as she saw Hitch dragging a bag into the station once the close was clear. "Hmmm. Except that. Huh." Zipp said with a smirk, wanting to know what Hitch is hiding.
Inside the Sheriff Station, Hitch is in the closet cabinet where the egg he and Sunset found is as he gives it a smile.
"Here you go, little one. I brought you some sand to make you more comfortable." Hitch said to the egg, wanting to keep it comfortable with some sand that he collected from the beach. "I thought maybe you'd like that." He said to it, thinking that the egg needed something it's familiar with as he put a crab plush toy next to it as McSnips-a-Lot came to the other side of it. "Lookin' rosy and cozy! Now who wants to hear a story?" He asks with a baby voice to the egg.
"I do." Zipp called out with a smirk behind Hitch, saw the whole thing.
"Aah! Zipp!" Hitch called out in a startle as he turned to Zipp and closed the cabinet door. "Wow. You are sneaky." He said with a nervous smile, finding Zipp's sneaky side impressive. "What are you doing here?" He asked nervously, wanting to know why Zipp is here.
"I had an instinct, so I followed it." Zipp answered causality before she smiled and pressed her hooves on the table as she spread her wings. "And I was right. You have been hiding something!" She said to Hitch while getting on the table and flew on top of the cabinet while smirking down at Hitch before opening the cabinet, still smirking at him.
"Hey!" Hitch called out at Zipp's finding out what he was hiding as Zipp looked upside down and saw the egg.
"Whoo!" Zipp called out as she laughed with pride after seeing the egg. "So, uh... what is it?" She asked Hitch, having no idea what this egg is.
"No clue." Hitch answered as he turned and walked a bit to the side. "Me and Sunset saw it on the beach, and we just knew it needed help and she trusted me to keep an eye on it. So I just—" He explained how he and Sunset found the egg and his reason for keeping an eye on it, but Zipp spoke up with a smirk as her wings spread with a knowing expression.
"Had an instinct and followed it?" Zipp asked Hitch with a knowing expression with a smirk, knowing that feeling as well.
"Yeah." Hitch answered with a smile as Zipp flew down from the cabinet and right in front of Hitch as he continued. "Hey, uh, would you mind keeping this between us for now? Sunset already knows this since she was with me the whole time, but let's not tell the others, okay?" He asked Zipp to keep this secret for now, not wanting the rest of the girls, san Sunset, to know about the egg yet until he figures out what it is.
"Sure. I can 'Zipp' it." Zipp answered with a smirk and joked on using her name with a zipp it expression as Hitch shook his head in amusement at Zipp's pun. But then Zipp continues to smirk as she leaned her head closer to Hitch with a teasing expression.
"What?" Hitch asked with a smile, wanting to know why Zipp is looking at him like that.
"So... you gonna read us that story now or what?" Zipp playfully asked, wanting to know what kind of story Hitch wanting to tell as Hitch embarrassedly smile, not sure if he could tell it now after what just happened as McSnips clipped his calls while the bird chirped in responds, wanting to hear that story as well as Hitch continued to embarrassedly smiled while Zipp smirked that his critters are siding with her.
Just then, Zipp's phone starts chiming as it got Zipp and Hitch's attention as Zipp brought out her phone, and then the two ponies gasped at what they saw on it as it is a message to Pipp, and it looked dire with some emojis with sweat and angry faces while '!' on top.
"Oh, no!" Zipp said with a nervous look, worried for her sister and that if the messages are this dire to her.
A few minutes ago around the same time Zipp finds out Hitch's egg secret, Sunset is in the crystal room with some notes on the ground, trying to find a hint of the glitches while keeping an eye on the crystals for any glitch, but so far no luck.
"No glitches so far. But that doesn't mean it has stopped. And no response from Zipp either. This is concerning." Sunset said to herself, a little worried that no glitches had happened lately, but now that it's only a matter of time before anything unexpected happens. Sunset then heard hoofsteps as she turned and saw Sunny coming in with a guilt expression. "What is it, Sunny?" She asked.
"Sunset. I wanted to say I'm sorry. I should've realized what you and Zipp have been through when the glitches happened." Sunny apologized. "And I guess you're right. Me and my friends don't know anything about magic yet since we just got them back. And I guess I was so distracted in preparing for Maretime Bay Day, that I didn't realize that I was talking back to the expert in magic, a member of the Guardians of Friendship, and I should've listen to your theories instead of putting them aside." She said, regretting for not paying attention to either Sunset and Zipp as she and the others weren't helping at all in the matter.
Sunset sighs as she speaks. "Sunny. You may have read about magic, but you and the others only know so little about them and some of them are not really magic. Frying brains, that was one of them. I've known magic since it was a part of me and my time in the old days. And magic never glitch without a reason, and right now, this is getting worse. Which is why me and Zipp are investigating the matter to see what is wrong. And you and the others think we might be paranoid that we might be in over our heads." She said as she turned to the other side of the room.
"No, no! We don't think you two were paranoid." Sunny assured, not wanting Sunset to think that she and Zipp might be paranoid. "We just thought you two were just stressed. And I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. I'm a beginner at magic. I only know so little through my father's research, and I'm barely able to control my alicorn magic. I thought we had nothing to worry about when the glitch happened. I just thought it was from out of practice." She reasoned.
Sunset took a deep breath. "Sunny, I love you as a friend and you have great intentions. But you still have a lot to learn to figure out how magic works. While I don't blame you since Equestrian Magic was gone for generations from what you told me, this is a sign that can't be ignored. Believe me, I learned that the hard way, many times." She reminded herself as she ignored the possible threat and jumped to conclusions without thinking clearly and finding proof of it. "Just remember to take things seriously, even if it's the smallest one." She said to Sunny with a hoof on her shoulder for comfort.
Sunny looked down a bit while processing Sunset's words before looking up as she nodded. "Okay. I'll try." She said, going to be serious on the matter.
Just then, their phones chimed as they saw they got a message from Pipp, and it looked dire with some emojis with sweat and angry faces while '!' on top. "Speaking of which…" Sunset said as she and Sunny went down stairs.
A little bit later, the Mane 6 rushes to the living room where Pipp is at as Hitch spoked. "We rushed right here! So what's the emergency?!" He said urgency.
"Well, everypony seems really stressy lately." Pipp started. "We clearly need a break. And luckily, I know just the place. I planned a surprise for you! You're welcome!" Pipp said to her friends with a smile.
"Oooooh!" Izzy awed, while the others thought of Pipp's surprise as interesting.
"That's it." Sunset whispered, since Pipp is one for dramatic things, this is not what she thought of.
Zipp however was nervous if she thought about one thing her sister thought about. "Please don't let it be makeovers. Please don't let it be makeovers." She said to herself.
Sometime later, the Mane 6 are in Mane Melody as the girls are having their mane dry in the mane dryer seats while Hitch is getting his hoof filed.
"I knew it." Zipp said in deadpanned, had a feeling that this would happen.
"But this is soooo relaxing!" Izzy said as she read a magazine. "And informative! Did you ponies know that there are over a thousand different kinds of hermit crabs?! 'Cause I... did not!" She pointed to herself.
"Great to hear, Izzy." Sunset said with rolled eyes from this.
Hitch then started laughing from Jazz filing his hooves. "Sorry, Jazz! I'm so sorry! So ticklish!" He apologized, which Jazz didn't mind as she smiled in understanding.
Pipp laughed at this as she turned to her friend. "Don't you ponies love it here at Mane Melody?" She asked them.
"Yeah-huh!/Mm-hmm!" Izzy and Sunny answered in response while Zipp and Sunset stayed quiet.
"What's wrong, girls? Not a fan of Mane Melody?" Rocky asked Sunset and Zipp.
"No, no. We like it." Sunset answered to assure they don't hate it.
" Yeah. It's awesome." Zipp said. "Pipp has done a great job here." She added.
Pipp then gasped when her sister said that and went to her. "You really think so?" She asked happily.
"Yeah. I do. And, hey, We're sorry if me and Sunset haven't been helping out. Our mind's just on other things." Zipp apologized on behalf of her and Sunset.
"Yeah." Sunset said in agreement with all the stress they've been through.
"Like the Crystals?" Pipp asked knowingly.
"Something weird is going on." Zipp said as she tried to reason again.
"And it's about to get worse." Sunset added.
"Ugh. You both worry too, too much." Pipp dismissed.
"Pipp. Something bad is about to happen." Sunset pointed out.
"Yeah." Zipp spoke next. "And if something happens to those Crystals, we'll lose magic again for good. Then it'll be no more flying and—"
"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys. You both need to chill. Nothing is going to happen." Pipp reassured the two ponies and flew to her music stage where Rocky and Jazz are as Pipp stands between them. "We've got our friends back, we've got magic back, and we've got…" All three ponies sang in sync vocalizing. "Muuuuusiiiiic-kuh!" They sanged.
"At Mane Melody…" Pipp started.
"...we siiiiing…" Jazz sang next.
"...while we style!" Rocky finished.
"Pipp-Pipp-hooray!" Both Hitch and Izzy cheered while Sunset, Sunny and Zipp are still worried, Sunny is taking Sunset's words by heart to take things seriously and not ignore it.
"This one goes out to my paranoid big sis Zipp and our friend Sunset." Pipp said, while the two ponies find that offense to it.
(Everything is Gonna Be Okay Song)
(Pipp, Jazz, and Rocky)
Shoop, shoop! Hey! Shoop, shoop!
Shoop!
(Pipp)
I know you're feelin' like there's somethin' wrong
But don't you worry, I have just the song for you (Mm-hmm!)
So kick those hooves up in this comfy chair
And you'll forget about those cares in a minute or two
Yeah! That's what you'll do-ooh-ooh
[Jazz)
You've got a lot on your mane, and that's kind of tragic
But with a little bit of caring and a touch of magic
(Rocky)
You'll feel brand new
And you'll forget what's been troublin' you
(Pipp)
So put your hooves up high
'Cause we're feelin' alright (hey!)
Everyday is awesome in Maretime Bay
So put your hooves up
Put your hooves up (hey!)
Everything is gonna be okay!
"Enough of this!" Sunset called out, which startled her friends from the outburst. "None of you are taking this seriously!" She yelled out.
"Sunset's right! You don't get it do you?! We can't just sing a song and ignore everything! If we lose magic this time, we may never get back and something else could take away you and everyone else again and it'll be our fault..." Zipp expressed finally letting her worries be free.
"What are they talking about?" Izzy asked
"Lose magic?" Sunny said, remembering what Sunset said, really listening this time.
"Whose fault?" Hitch commented before a loud crash was suddenly heard from outside and the group came out to see a cluster of ponies, including Windy, a red Pegasus.
"Are you ponies okay?" Pipp asked as they got up.
"Windy, what happened?" Sunny asked the pegasus.
"I don't know. I was just flying along and before I knew it I was down here on the ground." Windy explained.
"Me too. Because you fell on us." a unicorn frowned, giving Windy a glare.
"I'm sorry everypony. I'm usually a good flier." Windy apologized.
"Clearly she's not." Posey snarked as she appeared again. "This is what I've been saying, what everypony's been thinking. If Pegasi and Unicorns can't be respectful. Then they shouldn't be allowed to use their magic in Maretime Bay."
"She's right."
"I'm not sure."
"Yeah, no more magic."
"It's not fair. We Earth Ponies don't get any magic and the ones that do have it don't even know how to use it. Or use it to prank us." Posey snarked again.
"Yeah."
"Posey's right." two more Earth Ponies stated.
"Everypony wait!" Sunny exclaimed.
"And now they want to ruin our special Earth Pony holiday too." Posey accused.
"That's not true!" Sunny exclaimed.
"And neither is what you just said about Unicorns and Pegasi not being able to control their magic, you don't make the calls. And may I add that my friend Twilight has to learn new spells before using them and she and her friends learn of the magic of friendship that brought peace and harmony to Equestria, and lead Equestria when she was crowned." Sunset pointed out, frowning at Posey. "Not to mention that I still have complete control over our magic." She added, not feeling the slightest glitch one bit.
"She's right." the unicorn agreed with her.
Posey scoffed before she insulted Sunset. "Says the pony who suddenly turned up after leaving us for many moons only to suddenly show up and bring back the magic and probably don't even deserve to be in Equestria at all let alone lead us back to how she sees it and who is going to ruin our holiday too!" She yelled out.
"Sunset would never do that!" Sunny said defendly for Sunset. "She is a Guardian of Friendship and was a friend of Twilight Sparkle, who helped me and my friends to overcome our fears and bring back the magic and has been a mentor and sister figure to not just me, but to all of us. That's the reason we're together again." She pointed out.
"Well maybe things would have been better if Sunset never came back to Equestria! So do us all a favor and get rid of them!" Posey declared, Sunset tried her best to keep her cool and not explode in anger like which seemingly caused the formation of dark storm clouds the skies above.
"And Maretime Bay Day should be a magic free!"
"Like a no fly zone!"
"Or Alicorn and no Sunset zone!"
"Yeah she should leave Equestria!"
"Or else we're not coming!" Posey declared as a flash of thunder made her and the ponies run for cover while the Mane 6 saw this, with Hitch's critters huddled to the sheriff while Sunset starts to have a familiar vibe to this.
"Oh no." Sunset said in worried, having read about these sudden clouds from old books from her time in Canterlot as she looked at Sunny, who gives a worried look back as they look at the sky.
At the Crystal Brighthouse, the Mane 6 are in the Unity Crystal room as Zipp spoke up.
"I think I know why and what's happening to magic. Why its' glitching." Zipp stated.
"You do?" Sunny asked.
"Then lay it on us, Zipp." Sunset said, wanting to know how the glitching is happening.
"It's the Crystals. They might be powered by ponies" Zipp claimed while pointing to the Unity Crystals.
"Whaaaaaat?" Hitch said, finding that theory strange.
"Are you sure, Zipp?" Sunset asked, wanting to see if it's true.
"Okay. Check this out." Zipp then turned to her sister with a smug look. "Pipp, when we were fillies, I used to steal Mom's chocolate-dipped cherries and blame it on you." She admittedly said.
Pipp then gave a deep gasp in shock before glaring at her sister. "I knew it! You got me grounded, like, twelve times!" She angrily said.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Zipp said as she walked back a bit before facing her sister again. "And guess what. I don't like karaoke! It's the worst! UGH!" She called out, receiving another deep gasp from Pipp while Izzy glared at Zipp.
"Hey, you take that back! Karaoke is a fun activity for every age and skill level!" Izzy angrily yelled, knowing that karaoke is one of her favorite singing styles.
"Zipp's allowed to like what she likes." Sunny defends Zipp as she continues. "Just because we enjoy something doesn't mean she has to." She pointed out as Hitch then spoke.
"Sunny, there's no need to get all huffy about it." Hitch tries to calm the matter. "Izzy was just trying to stand up for Pipp." He said.
"Don't call me huffy!" Sunny called out at Hitch, not liking being called huffy.
"Ugh! I didn't call you huffy! I said you were being huffy!" Hitch retorted while Sunset and Sunny saw the Crystals fizzling out. "There's a difference, and— Whoa." Hitch said as he saw the crystals frizz as the rest saw this as well as Sunny turned to Sunset and Zipp.
"You... You two were right." Sunny said, now seeing why Sunset and Zipp are so worried as the rest of the Mane 6 now understand.
"So, when ponies aren't treating each other with kindness…" Izzy started.
"When we aren't vibing…" Pipp was next.
"...the Crystals get weaker." Zipp said with a serious look.
"And the more unstable magic becomes in Equestria." Sunset finished with what's happening and why the glitching was suddenly appearing.
"Which causes Pegasi to lose their flight and fall on other ponies!" Sunny listed out.
"And unicorns to drop stuff onto things like sandcastles!" Hitch said next.
"And weather changes!" Pipp said and then gasped. "Like a rando thunderstorm?!" She asked, while remembering the thunderstorm outside.
"Yup! Everything is all out of whack!" Zipp declared while looking at the still frizzing crystal.
"And that's not all." Sunset spoke as the group looked at her. "I recognized this kind of thing before. But only on a Hearth's Warming Eve tale. The ponies hating each other, magic going out of whack, the sudden weather changes. We are gonna have some Windigos to deal with!" Sunset declared.
The Mane 6 gasped, remembering that tale really well since it was written down in Sunny's father notes. "You mean those Windigos that cause sudden storms and disaster in Equestria when the ponies fight one another?! But why aren't they appearing now!?" Izzy asked the million-dollar question since this hasn't happened before since the three tribes were separated.
"Well, I can think of two ways. One: Maybe because since magic disappeared, the Windigos must've vanished in the process, so when the magic returned, so has the possibility fo Windigos. Or two: Maybe because each tribe were afraid with one another since Windigos are summon by hate." Sunset listed off, since she knew that tale really well that when the first time the tribes were divided before they found Equestria, they hated each other which caused the Windigos to appear, and that since the magic disappeared, that must be why the Windigos haven't appeared until now.
"I wonder if this had anything to do with why the Crystals were separated all those years ago." Sunny then thought that this might be the reason the crystals were separated by not really sure. "Ugh. Or why I still can't seem to figure out my Alicorn magic." She added that this might be the reason why she can't seem to control her alicorn magic.
"I don't know. I want to find out." Zipp declared. "And Sunset is somewhat immune to the crystal's effects since she was out of Equestria because when she came back, she still had her magic." She pointed out as Sunset nodded her head in agreement, seeing that theory fair. "But if we want to keep magic in Equestria for the rest of ponykind, first we need to get everypony back on the same page." She said to her friends.
"Because if the ponies don't agree with one another, things could get ugly." Sunset added.
"Zipp and Sunset are right." Sunny said, agreeing with the two ponies. "We can't give up. We can still make Bay Day the celebration it's supposed to be." She announced.
"A day of friendship!" Izzy cheered.
"And haaaaarmooooony!" Pipp sang while flying above them.
"Yeah!" Hitch, Izzy, and Zipp both cheered.
"Let's do it!" Pipp cheered as the Mane 6 brought their hooves together. "Hoof to heart!" They declared, going to make sure the magic stays and everypony gets along.
The next morning, the girls are sleeping on their respective beds as Izzy wakes up as she gasps and gets out of bed quickly as she goes to her friends. "It's here!" She cheered to Sunny as she started scattering as she woke up her friends. "The big day is here!" She repeated as Pipp yawned while Sunset rubs her eyes while Izzy went to Zipp. "The big day is heeeere!" She cheered.
Zipp yawns with a sigh as she smiles at Izzy's wakeup call then goes to check on the crystals. "Don't worry. I got you." She assured the crystals, not gonna let it down.
"We all got it, Zipp." Zipp turned and saw Sunset behind her with a smile as Zipp smiled back. "Now come on, we have a lot of work to do." Sunset said as she and Sunny caught up to their friends.
After breakfast, the girls walked out of the Brighthouse to begin their mission. Before Sunny could get far, Izzy called to her.
"Sunny! Sunny, wait!" Izzy called out as Sunny turned to her unicorn friend as Izzy brought out a present in her magic. "Happy Maretime Bay Day!" She announced.
"We don't usually exchange gifts." Sunny said with a grateful smile as Izzy gave her the gift.
"I know, but just open it!" Izzy encouraged with a smile.
Sunny then tears the paper of the gift, and then gives a shock at what it is. "It's... It's the lantern my dad made for me." She said with a smile with joy as she saw the newly restored lantern her dad made as there is a crystal glowing inside it as she looked at Izzy with joy. "I-I thought it was beyond repair. Thank you so much, Izzy!" She said gratefully.
"Sometimes, when you add a little bit of magic, you can fix anything." Izzy pointed out with a smile.
"You're right. Now let's go add some magic to today and fix this." Sunny declared as she held up her lantern.
"Mm-hmm!" Izzy said in agreement.
At Maretime Bay, ponies of all kinds are having fun at the festival, as blow horns are heard while streamers are in the air as the crowd cheered. A unicorn mare gives a filly a teddy bear, a Pegasi, a mother and her son, are looking at the three flairs from each tribe while the Earth Pony stallion give a weird look while a couple of unicorns are walking by chatting with each other while one of them are eating a carrot dog.
Izzy is giving a pony a snow cone as she looks around with her friends. "Oh, look! Look, look! Ponies showed up after all!" She cheered to this many ponies and then gasped when Queen Haven and two of her guards, Thunder and Zoom, landed. "And there's the queen!" She cheered as trumpets were heard while the crowd cheered for Queen Haven. "Hello, your Majesticness!" She called out as she and others walked towards her to greet them.
Pipp looked away from her phone as she gasped as she saw her mother. "Mom!" Pipp cheered as she headed towards her mother, Zipp however grew nervous as she trotted away, not wanting to face her mother yet.
Somewhere in the festival, Sunny, Hitch and Sunset are waving to the crowd.
"Happy Maretime Bay Day, everypony! Welcome!" Sunny cheered.
"Hope you have a fun time!" Sunset called out.
"So far, so good." Hitch said, seeing the festival doing okay.
"For now." Sunset pointed out that it's only a matter of time.
"Now we just gotta keep it up." Sunny said to her friends as they heard Dahlia's voice.
"Spoons in the wreaths? Ugh, yuck!" Dahlia said as Sunset and Sunny saw her, Posey and an Earth Pony Stallion looking at the wreaths. "I liked the old decorations better." She said, not liking the others.
"I could not agree more." Posey said as her, Dahlia and the earth pony walked off pass Sunset, Sunny and Hitch as Sunny looked down in despair while Sunset gave off a growl with a glare, really hating Posey for making things worse.
Meanwhile the Mane 6 are at the beach, Izzy and Sunset are admiring the sandcastles, the ponies madam having done nice work on them.
"Ohhhh! Ooh! Oh! Oooh! Wow!" Izzy awed as she and Sunset saw Windy with her biggest sandcastle yet, as it looked like the Crystal Bright House as the pegasus put a seashell on top of it for the Unity Crystal touch.
"Amazing." Sunset said, liking this sandcastle as a Unicorn stallion admired the look as well as giving a trophy to Windy for doing a great job. But the crowd grumbled since they didn't win, Posey and her group didn't like that as they came to Windy with glares.
"Ahem!" Dahlia coughed.
"Hey!" Mayflower groaned, wanting to know what the deal was.
"Pegasi have an unfair advantage!" Posey accused, which caused ponies to argue over this.
Sunset then groaned as she glared at Posey. "What do you know?! All she did was reach high places! That's not an unfair advantage and it isn't cheating! You just can't seem to figure out the meaning of it!" She yelled out.
"Really! That's a lot coming from you!" Posey retorted as she glared back, but then the storm began to grow worse as thunder boomed from the sky, startling the ponies in the process.
"Hmmm…" Zipp said, seeing that this is getting really bad.
In the middle of the festival, ponies are enjoying themselves as some of them head to the stands. And then in an ice cream stand, a unicorn mare gives an Earth Pony stallion a green moss look ice cream.
"Moss ice cream?" The stallion questioned as he licked it to taste it, but regretted it. "Bleghhh!" He cringes from the taste, tossing it away, not liking it one bit.
Then three other earth ponies each tried out different types of treats, but cringe in disgust, not liking it as they throw them away in the trash, before the tart was thrown in, a Unicorn stallion grabs it. "Waste not, want not!" He said as he ate the tarp before chomping in the trash, Toots and an earth pony stallion next to her are grossed out.
Sunset saw this, as she is even she is gross out by this. "Okay, that's disgusting. How low have the unicorns gone down to?" She asked herself as the winds then started to get strong. "Huh?" She asked, seeing that the storm is getting stronger as Toots and her stallion friend lost their cotton candy in the wind.
"Oh, no!" Pipp called out as she tried to fly up and catch them, but her wings started glitching as she lost her ability to fly as she hit the floor. She grunts in an effort to flap her wings to fly, but nothing happens. " My wings won't work!" She cried out.
Hitch then tries to move to help, but he can't move as he sees his hooves stuck to the ground by some kind of magic. "Neither will my hooves!" He cried out.
"Heeeelp!" And Earth Pony cried out as the Mane 6 saw the same thing happening to Hitch is happening to the other earth ponies.
"Our hooves... are stuck!" Another one cried out, and then their hooves were freed from the magic grip but was afraid of what was happening. "What's going on?!" The Earth Pony asked in fright.
"The glitches!" Zipp cried out as the wings grew stronger. "They're getting worse!" She added as thunder boomed.
"And that's not all! Look!" Sunset cried out while pointing up to the sky, the Mane 6 were seeing three ghostly figures circling around, and those figures Sunset knew too well. "The Windigos are starting to form! If we don't find a way to fix this, they will take form and put all of Equestria into chaos!" She cried out as the Mane 6 are even more worried that this is happening.
At the music stage, the ponies crowd gathered around as Sunny looked at the stage with a nervous look before turning to her friends, who were backstage as well.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sunny asked Pipp in concern. "Nothing has gone to plan today." She pointed out that things haven't been good at all.
"I have to give it my best shot." Pipp announced. "We still need all the positivity we can get, right?" She asked, but a little worried on how this plays out.
"That's true, Pipp. We need to keep the magic of friendship alive. And turn this negativity around to keep the magic going." Sunset stated, meaning that they have to do everything they can to keep harmony balanced.
Zipp then came next to her sister while holding her microphone. "Maybe this will help." She said while giving it to her sister.
Pipp gasps. "My lucky mic! Okay!" She said as she did some vocal warm-ups and trills. "Yes, we're ready! All right! Showtiiiiime!" She sanged as her friends smiled at her.
"Break a hoof, Pipp!" Izzy called out as Pipp flew off to get started with her song. "But not really. Actually, be really careful." She corrected herself while Sunset and Sunny walked up to the front of the stage.
Sunset is the first to announce. "Okay, Everypony! Thank you all for coming to hear a song for Maretime Bay Day!" She called out as Sunny spoke next.
"Everypony, please welcome pop star Princess Pipp Petals to sing the brand-new Maretime Bay Day song!" Sunny announced as Pipp landed in front of the stage beside Sunset and Sunny, but then the crowd, only the Earth Ponies, started muttering as a result.
"New song?" One of them asked.
"What?" The other asked.
"That's my daughter!" Queen Haven cheered on with Cloudpuff in her hooves as she flew over the crowd as they looked at her.
Before Pipp could sing, Dahlia's voice spoke. "We want to hear the real Maretime Bay song! Sung by an Earth pony!" Dahlia said with Posey and the stallion on both sides of her as the crowd then grumbled and argued as the clouds grew darker and thunder started booming stronger, witches startled the ponies as the Unicorns' horns started to frizz out while some ponies ran off in fright as the Windigos above them starts to form faster until they are shown to everypony as they circle around in the sky.
"The Windigos!" Somepony cried out as that tale never died so they all know about it, but thinks it was just a little filly's tale as they begin to be scared.
At the Crystal Bright House, things are looking better as the thunder trailed down the rainbow and it gets worse as the crystals begins to crack from all the negativity of the ponies fighting among each other, meaning that something bad is happening.
The rest of the Mane 6 got out of the stage when things got worse.
"Hey! Be nice! Sheriff's orders!" Hitch called out to the crowd.
"Are you on their side?!" The Earth Pony mare accused.
"There are no sides!" Zipp pointed out as thunder boomed again as it got worse while the ponies started arguing with one another.
Sunset is so fed up with this as her face grows red, when it reaches its breaking point, she unleashes her Royal Canterlot voice to the crowd. "ENOUGH!" She yelled out as the crowd stopped arguing as they were startled by Sunset's yell. "EVERYPONY IS HERE IS TO BLAME FOR THE WINDIGOS BEING HERE AND THE MAGIC GLITCHING! ALL OF YOUR HOSTILITY AND HATRED FOR EACH OTHER COMING BACK HAS BROUGHT THE WINDIGOS HERE AND CAUSING THE MAGIC TO GLITCH OUT! YOU ALL ARE CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN!" She yelled out, which got the ponies to mutter while processing Sunset's words. "I PROMISE TO MAKE SURE TWILIGHT'S LEGACY LIVES ON! AND I'M GONNA KEEP THAT PROMISE! AND KEEP THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP ALIVE!" She added, vowing to keep her promise to keep Twilight's legacy alive.
Sunny then spoke once Sunset was finished. "We know that magic returning hasn't been easy for everypony, that Equestria is really different, but that's a good thing! It's so much better now—!" She tried to explain but then thunder boomed as she and the rest of the Mane 6 saw the Brighthouse from here, and it wasn't good. "Whoa! No, no, no! T-The magic! It's dying!" She called out as the Mane 6 saw the rainbow in the Brighthouse start to frizz out as the Windigos gave off howlers.
"This is bad! This is very bad!" Sunset cried out, seeing that this is chaos.
Lightning then strikes the police station as Hitch gasps. "Eggy!" He cried out as he ran to the station to save the egg.
And then from the center of the Windigos' circle, lighting strikes the ground in front of the stage as a portal starts to open up and expand as it starts to suck everything in.
"This is familiar!" Sunset called out, never having seen this kind of chaos before, but is having some deja vu as she remembers something similar happening in the Friendship Games.
"What is that thing?!" Queen Haven pointed out in shock.
"It's some sort of void!" Zipp theories as they saw nothing in the portal as it grew in bigger sizes.
"Everypony, get back!" Sunny called out to the crowd.
"Everypony, run! Get clear from the portal!" Sunset cried out as the ponies started running and screaming as they tried to get away from the portal. But the Earth Ponies's hooves got stuck to the ground by some kind of magic grip.
"But we're stuck!" One of the Earth Ponies cried out as they tried to get free.
"Please let us go!" Another Earth Pony mare pleaded to a unicorn next to her, thinking they were doing it.
"It's not us!" The unicorn pointed out that it's not them doing as they saw lightning strike a tree, destroying it.
Posey tries to free her hooves with a grunt effort, but can't seem to budge as Windy comes next to her. "Can't you ponies with magic do something?!" She pleaded, for the first time in her life, she would like somepony to use their magic to help them.
"Ugh!" Windy tried to fly but couldn't. "Our magic isn't working!" she cried out.
"Everypony! Help the Earth Ponies! I'll see if I can hold off the portal!" Sunset cried out as the rest of the Mane 6 and the other Pegasi and Unicorns tried to help free the Earth Ponies while Sunset then used her magic to try and slow it down, but portal to the void continues to grow while the Windigos increase the wind speed.
"Agh! The portal's too strong! I can't hold it!" Sunset cried out as she tried to stop the portal but it was too strong for her, even with her alicorn magic alone.
"Aah!" Hitch cried out as he held the eggs in one of his hoofs, but the rest of them were stuck on the ground as well. "I do not like this! No! I do not!" He cried out before a newspaper hit his head before it flew with the winds.
The portal continues to grow as it draws closer to Posey and Windy, the latter tries to get Posey free, but then they fall to the portal once it gets close to them, causing the two ponies, since Windy can't fly, to scream as they fall to the void. "Posey! Windy! No!" Sunny cried out as the girls came to her, Hitch still stuck, as they saw Posey and Windy falling to the void.
"We gotta save them!" Sunset shouted, as much as she doesn't like Posey's attitude, she doesn't deserve this.
"Come on, Alicorn magic! Work!" Sunny called out, trying to bring out her alicorn half.
"But the magic! Besides Sunset, I-It's gone!" Zipp called out.
"But we can't let those ponies perish as well, Zipp!" Sunset pointed out, not going to let those two ponies perish.
"Then I'll have to try without it! I'm going in!" Sunny said with a determined expression, going to save Posey and Windy without her alicorn magic.
"Not alone, Sunny!" Sunset called out as she placed a wing on Sunny, not wanting to let her go in alone.
"And not without the rest of us!" Izzy called out, and then her horn starts to shimmer as they saw it glow.
"That's it!" Zipp said as she realizes now how to save the day. "The magic will come back to us if we can work together!" She pointed out with a hopeful smile.
"The magic of friendship is what gives us strength!" Sunset added, getting what Zipp is saying. "The more ponies work together and accept one another, the stronger the magic gets!" She said, while seeing that if negativity is causing the magic in the crystals to fade, positivity can make it strong again.
Zipp then spoke to the ponies in Maretime Bay closest to them. "Come on, unicorns! Come on, Pegasi! Help the Earth ponies!" She called out as the two tribes, unicorns and pegasi, helped the earth ponies to get unstuck.
Izzy then used her magic to get one of the earth pony stallions free as it got free from the magic grib, giving her a 'thank you' look before trotting off. Zipp and Pipp then worked on freeing Hitch as they grunt in effort, and then got him free. "It's working!" Zipp said as she and her sister started to fly and Zipp flew to where Sunny and Sunset were. "You both got this, Sunny and Sunset!" She called out to them.
Izzy then came next to them as she levitated Sunny's lanter. "It's too dark in there! Take this!" She said while giving them the lantern in her magic as thunder boomed, and then Izzy's magic glitch out again as the lantern fell into the void.
Sunny is brave enough to jump and grab her lantern in her teeth as she falls into the void. "Sunny!" Sunset cried out as she jumped in after Sunny, leaving the rest of their friends worried for them. Sunset fell close to Sunny as she grabbed her once she was close enough.
"Sunset! You're crazier than I am! What are you doing?!" Sunny screamed while holding her lantern, wanting to know why Sunset is doing this.
"I'm not letting you do this alone, Sunny! We're friends, and we stick together! I'm not losing you like I lost Twilight and my friends!" Sunset cried out, if Sunny's doing this, she won't be alone. Sunny feels touched as she hugs Sunset, who hugs back. And then between their hugs, Sunny's lantern begins to glow as Sunny's cutie mark did as well. And then in a flash, Sunny's alicorn form then appeared, giving her the ability to fly as Sunny flew next to Sunset after they broke the hug, they watched in amazement of what happened. "You're alicorn magic is back!" Sunset cheered.
"I guess it is!" Sunny cheered with a smile, glad to have summoned up her alicorn magic as she gave Sunset a determined look. "Now let's go save Posey and Windy!" She declared to Sunset, who nodded her head in agreement as the two alicorns flew down to save the two ponies.
Posey and Windy continued to scream as they fell into the abyss. Sunset and Sunny saw them as they flew closer to them as they grunt in effort, combining their magic as its magic aura appeared around them as they tossed that magic sphere to Windy and Posey as it got them in the sphere, levitating them as they stopped falling.
Back on the surface, the earth ponies are free thanks to ponykind working together as Posey and Windy are levitated out of the portal as the ponies watch in awe as they are placed safely on the ground as the magic sphere fades.
Once Posey and Windy are safe, the ponies and the rest of the Mane 6 are looking at the portal, they grow worried for Sunset and Sunny since they haven't made it up yet. "Sunny? Sunset?" Izzy called out worriedly as she looked at the portal.
And then suddenly, a magic rainbow flew out of the void as Sunset and Sunny flew out after it before the portal closed. The ponies watched in amazement as the rainbow took out the Windigos as they disappeared and right into the Crystal Brighthouse. Inside the Brighthouse, the magic vines appeared in the walls of the Brighthouse before heading into the Unity Crystals, which gives off a magic explosion as the magic vines spread from the Brighthouse and into the rest of Equestria as the Earth Ponies saw their hooves sparkled green once the vines made contact with them. The Earth Ponies watched in awed as their hooves sparkled.
Hitch laughed as the magic vines came to him as well as he laughed."That tickles!" He said after feeling the tingly sensation of the vines as Sunset landed next to him.
"Are you and the egg okay, Hitch?" Sunset asked in concern.
"We are now, Sunset." Hitch answered with a smile as he saw his animal crew crawling out from under a box, using it for cover after what happened as one of the critters chirped at them as they came to Sunset and Hitch. "I know, I know! I totally agree with everything you guys are saying." He said to them, but was caught off guard at what he just said as Sunset widened her eyes at Hitch as he drew closer to his critters. "Did you just... talk?! Did I just... understand you?! Whaaaaat?!" He said in amazement and shocked at the same time.
Sunset then gasped at this as she knew this ability very well. "Hitch. Those magic vines must've given you the ability to talk to animals! That was something Fluttershy could do!" She said in amazement and an exciting smile.
"For real?! Wait. Are you saying that…" Hitch stopped once Sunset continued for him.
"That you are related to Fluttershy!" Sunset pointed out. "Talking to animals runs in her blood. You're related to her, her descendant!" She declared, now knowing that Hitch is really related to Fluttershy since talking to animals is Fluttershy's, both human and pony, would do.
"Amazing!" Hitch said in awed, never knowing that he was related to one of the Guardians of Friendship, the Element of Kindness as one of Hitch's birds chirped at him, telling him something he should know. "Wow, that's a lot of information. Well, nice to meet you, Kenneth. I'm Hitch!" He introduced himself as the bird continued chirping to him as Sunset smiled, seeing that Hitch really is related to Fluttershy as she turned to Posey.
Posey looked at her new green glowing hooves and gently tapped the ground, creating roses out of thin air, "Flower power...?!" she gawked in awe as two more Earth Ponies used their new magic to restore the tree that was destroyed from the lightning strike.
Sunset and Hitch watched in amazement as the rest of their friends came to them as they saw this new magic Earth Ponies can do now. "Earth Pony Magic!" Sunny smiled in amazement next to Sunset and Hitch.
"But that's never happened before!" Izzy grinned as she hopped next to Sunny.
"Earth ponies had magic before, guys. But this is a new one." Sunset said, as she knows Earth Ponies can handle gardening and are fast on their hooves, but have never in her life they would have magic to grow plants this quickly.
"Maybe when we come together, we can create new magic." Zipp theories with a smile.
"You're right, Zipp." Sunny said as she continued. "Actually, you and Sunset were right about everything. I'm sorry I didn't believe you two. I should've been a better friend and listened." She apologizes to the two ponies for not taking things seriously, she and Sunset may have forgiven each other but she wants Zipp to hear it as well. "I was just so focused on hoping magic was okay that I lost sight of everything else." She said as she came close to them. "Can you two forgive me?" She asked them.
Zipp and Sunset chuckled at Sunny's question. "Obviously./We sure do." as Sunny laughed as she gave Zipp a hug before hugging Sunset.
And then they heard Queen Haven's voice. "Zephyrina!" She called out as the Mane 6 turned and saw Queen Haven coming to them with Thunder and Storm behind her and Cloudpuff. "There you are! My hoofness, what an ordeal!" She exclaimed of what had happened. "Gather your things. We need to hit the sky if we're going to make it back to the palace by sundown." She said to her, wanting Zipp to return to Zephyr Heights so that she can train to be a true princess.
"Mom! I'm not going back with you!" Zipp stated, as she doesn't want to go.
"We agreed that you were to resume your studies." Queen Haven reminded her daughter of their talk from the other day.
"My place is here in Maretime Bay with my friends." Zipp said while looking at her friends before facing her mother. "I just need more time to figure things out. To investigate magic. To explore who I am before I take on my royal duty. And... you know what? I think who I am is somepony who likes figuring things out." She spoke from her heart, having found her purpose on staying in Maretime Bay other than flying as she likes to discover new things and figuring out.
Queen Haven give her daughter a proud smile, understanding her daughter choice, and proud of her. "Yes, you certainly are, my little princess investigator." She said while placing a hoof under Zipp's chin as she placed her hoof down.
"Mom? Would you do me a favor?" Zipp asked her.
"Anything, darling." Queen Haven answered, going to do anything for her daughter.
"Would you mind just calling me Zipp for now?" Zipp asked, wanting her mother to just call her Zipp instead of 'Princess'.
"Of course... Zipp." Queen Haven obliged her daughter's wishes with a smile as Cloudpuff crawled to the rest of the Mane 6 as he barked at Hitch, who is the only pony who can understand him.
"I'm sorry, it's a what?" Hitch asked Cloudpuff again as the dog barked again, and then the Mane 6 saw the egg Hitch was holding shakes as it sparkled up as it began to hatch. Once it hatched, a magic dust cleared out as a baby dragon cooed at them, the baby dragon is a green baby dragon with a light green underbelly. He has four horns which all curl backwards with swirls on them. He has low, long ears with pink insides. He has a pair of bat-like wings. "A dragon...?!" Hitch said in amazement as did the rest of the Mane 6 as Sunset smiled in excitement.
"But dragons haven't been seen in Equestria for generations!" Sunny stated with an exciting tone and barely contained herself at how cute the baby dragon is.
"I haven't seen another baby dragon after Spike for a long time! And he's the first we have seen in Equestria!" Sunset said in excitement, finding the baby cute and with knowledge that the other creatures of Equestria might still be out there somewhere if this baby dragon is here.
The baby dragon cooed as he hugged Hitch as Hitch smiled fondly at this baby dragon.
"He's so cute!" Izzy cheered, squealing at the baby dragon.
"Adorbs!" Pipp added as she takes a closer look at the baby dragon while he and Hitch are hugging as he got on Hitch's back with Hitch helping him as he cooed and hugged his back as the Mane 6 smiled at the baby dragon cuteness.
"Hey, everypony." Posey said as she got next to the Mane 6. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted." She apologized to them for her attitude and how she treated other ponies "I think I just felt…"
"Left out?" Zipp answered with a forgiving smile.
"Jealous?" Sunset added.
"Yeah! Exactly to both of those!" Posey agreed as she continued. "And I let my feelings get the better of me which nearly brought back the Windigos and destroyed Equestria." She said as she turned to Sunset. "And I'm really sorry for what I said to you, Sunset. I should've embraced the changes and given other ponies a chance instead of things how they were before. You are a great alicorn and a great leader that helped us get back our magic and keep the harmony. I should've put aside my feelings instead of letting it get to my head." Posey apologized to Sunset for everything she said to her, now seeing why Sunset is here and is helping keep the magic alive and the friendship as well, now knowing the purpose of the Guardians of Friendship.
Sunset places a comforting wing on Posey as she gives a forgiving smile. "Me and the others forgive you, Posey. You were just left out when Earth Ponies didn't have magic before, and you and the others feel left out for it. But you aren't anymore now that Earth Ponies now have magic and the magic in Equestria is now stabilized." She said, forgiving Posey and she could understand how she felt.
"And we'll make sure that doesn't happen again." Sunny promised as she looked at her friends. "Right, guys?" She asked her friends, who all spoke in agreement, wanting to make sure something like this never happened again and would keep magic alive.
Posey then came in front of Pipp to ask her something. "Pipp? Would you mind... singing your new Maretime Bay song?" She asked, wanting to start fresh with new things and wanting to hear Pipp's version of the Maretime Bay Song.
"I will on one condition – if you'll sing it with me." Pipp said with a smirk as she presented her lucky microphone to Posey, wanting her to join in on the song as well.
"I'll do the harmony!" Posey said excitedly as she and the Mane 6 went back to the stage to continue where they left off as the crowd came back to listen to the new Maretime Bay song as they enjoy the rest of the festivities.
In a dark castle throne room, a tall mare who is an alicorn with a long, slightly curved horn that is colored paler towards the tip. She is deep purple with dark blue eyes and glittery blue eyeshadow. Her mane is white with light streaks of cyan and is parted into two side sections with thin braids wrapped around her ears, looking at the screen showing Maretime Bay.
"Hah. Those little ponies finally figured out how to stabilize the magic." She said to herself and to her unicorn friend next to her throne, who is the unicorn is blue with purple hooves, she has kinky navy blue and teal hair. Her mane swoops to her right and she has three cornrows on the left side of her scalp. She also has teal-green eyes, dark blue eyebrows, and a long blue horn with a pink gradient towards the tip and pink swirls. In addition, she has freckles on her cheeks, a pink belly, and pink fetlocks, as the evil alicorn mentions that she was watching the Mane 6.
"And it looks like this Sunset is more than meets the eye. Something I am familiar with." The evil Alicorn said, referring that Sunset's actions remind her so much of the former Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle "Took them long enough." She said as she gave an evil smile as her unicorn friend watched. "And now that they have, it's time to take back what is mine!" She declared while laughing evilly as she continues to watch Maretime Bay.
Sometime later after Maretime Bay Day, Zipp, with her straps and radio on her, is setting up one of her posters next to her bed.
"It looks brilliant!" Izzy cheered from behind with the rest of the Mane 6, with the baby dragon on Hitch's back.
"You think so?" Zipp asked Izzy with a smile as her friends smiled back at her.
"We're so glad you're staying in Maretime Bay, 'Detective Zipp'!" Pipp said to her sister with a smile for making the right choice and finding her right place.
"Me, too." Zipp replied with a smile. "We have a lot to learn about magic and how it works." She said while looking at her golden detective pin she had gotten and put on her strap that is on her leg as she looked back to her friends. "I'm just glad I'll be here to figure it out with my best friends." She said to her friends, while Izzy is playing around with one of her friendship bracelets over the baby dragon, who is trying to grab it as Izzy gives it a cute friendly face.
"We started this together, we will figure it out together." Sunset said with a smile, since their first adventure, they started it so they will work together to figure out some more clues.
"Well, I definitely still have a loooot of questions." Sunny spoked next. "Like why does my Alicorn magic disappear?" She asked, wondering why her alicorn magic disappeared in the first place.
"Yeah!" Hitch said in agreement as the others turned to him. "Like why is it that I have the magical power to understand every animal except for this adorable baby dragon?" He said the 'dragon' part with a cute baby voice as he looked at the baby dragon, who then grabbed his muzzle out of curiosity, while also getting from Sunset that after finding out that Hitch is related to Fluttershy, the magic from the Unity Crystals from the magic vines must've unlocked his ability to understand animals like Fluttershy once did with the Earth Pony magic to go along with it, but not knowing how he can't understand this baby dragon. "Ow, ow, ow." He cringes, not blaming the dragon since he is a baby after all.
"Or... where did magic come from?" Zipp asked as she got into her detective mode as she paced back and forth. "Who made the Crystals anyway? And how did they get separated? Why didn't Earth ponies have magic before?" She asked the many questions that needed to be solved.
Sunset then spoke. "Well, I don't know about the rest of those questions yet as well, but I do know the answer to yours, Hitch." She said as Hitch listened after getting the baby dragon to let go of his muzzle. "From what I learned from Fluttershy is that she can understand animals, but this dragon is just a baby, he can't talk yet. And dragons can talk like anypony could. I should know since I know Spike the Dragon could talk." She pointed out that since this dragon is just a baby so he can't talk yet while saying that dragons could talk like anypony could like Spike did before."
"Ooohhh. Now I get it." Hitch said while nodding his head in agreement while amaze that this baby dragon will talk like they could when he gets older.
"But for the rest of those questions, it's unknown, even to me." Sunset said, not having all those questions. "This is something that needs to be discovered." She said to them, stating that they need more clues if they are ever to find the answers to this mystery, and maybe more clues on what happened to Twilight and the others on how Equestria became this way.
"Well, at least we already know one thing for sure." Sunny said with a smile to her friends.
Izzy gasps as she excitedly comes close to Sunny. "What's that?" She excitedly asked.
"No matter what lies ahead, we'll face it together!" Sunny announced to her friends as the rest of the Mane 6 cheered.
"And we face whatever comes our way as the magic grows stronger than ever as long as we're together." Sunset said with a smile as she looked up at the rainbow where the Crystals are. "Right, Twilight?" She asked happily to the rainbow as the Mane 6 smiled while huddling together, knowing that Twilight is watching over them in spirit.
At the top of the Brighthouse, the Unity Crystals shine bright while emitting the rainbow right to the sky from the Brighthouse for all Equestria to see as the Mane 6 will be ready for anything as they will figure out this mystery as the magic of friendship grows.
End of chapter 1.