Opaline trudged through a snowy drift, keeping her head low, trying to stay below the low branches. With Twilight's death and the disappearance of magic, Opaline's power seeped away and she could do nothing but watch. Her cyan mane faded to an off-white color and her horn and wings no longer worked, but the most concerning thing was the emptiness she felt. Despite having no magical power whatsoever, her immortality remained and she hasn't decided if it was a blessing or a curse.
The purple alicorn dodged yet another branch and thought of the lonely years. Those centuries spent brooding and raging at the pony who took it all away. After the siege of Canterlot, Opaline tried to find out where the magic was stored. It was in one of Twilight's lectures, something about magic energy can't be created nor destroyed, just stored. After years of fruitless searching, Opaline decided on roaming the world. Exploring became quite the past time for her, yet her anger at ponykind would always bring her back to Equestria.
After dodging what must've been the fiftieth branch, Opaline paused. Her ears perked up, catching on to the sound of crying. On an impulse unbeknownst to her, she started following the noise. A quick canter arrived Opaline to a charming little cabin. The alicorn pushed the door open, wondering why there was no fire lit in the corner. In all of her years, this was one of the coldest winters she had ever experienced.
After a quick look around, barely glancing at the furniture, Opaline made her way to the back of the house. The fourth room she poked her head into was a nursery. In said nursery there stood a crib that held a filly. The wailing must've come from this creature. Opaline crept forward, her gaze curious but anxious. The little pony stopped bawling once Opaline's head came into view.
"Well, what do we have here?" Opaline scooped the filly out of the crib and peered at the pony closely. She had a light blue coat and a frizzy cyan and blue mane. Something in those filly eyes reminded her of somepony. Somepony, she knew, long, long ago. As she contemplated on who that was, the filly started crying again.
Opaline nearly dropped the child in shock, then started panicking, unsure on how to stop this infernal noise. After much looking around in a daze, she concluded that fillies needed food. She quickly, yet hesitantly, put the crying filly aside and ran to the kitchen. Opaline rummaged through every cupboard and basket, looking for anything remotely baby-related.
She galloped back to the nursery, some mashed dandelions in her hoof. Once she returned, there were tear puddles all over the place. Opaline gasped as the filly started to roll off the counter she had been set upon. With a quick dive, Opaline caught the filly. Setting her atop the counter again, the alicorn hoof fed the mashed dandelions, which, much to Opaline's relief, the filly calmed down to.
With a great sigh, Opaline collapsed on the floor. She twisted her head ever so slightly to have the filly in her sights. The adorable sounds the filly was making, made the alicorn smile, just a little one.
***
Opaline had tried to leave that little cabin multiple times since that day, yet no matter what she did, she always came back to this little filly. After the third day, Opaline decided to stay for another week, and if nopony came to rescue this filly, then Opaline would have no choice but to bring the filly with her. There is no way that the alicorn could live in this dense area.
As the week breezed by, Opaline would play and feed the little one, and even gave her a name. It was a foggy day, mist clung to trees as it crept in from everywhere. Opaline was tired of calling her 'filly' and decided that Misty was an appropriate name. The baby squealed in response to her new name making Opaline smile.
When the day finally came, there was no pony who had come. Opaline frowned at this, wondering who abandoned this poor filly to her fate. The thought quickly dispersed as this meant that Misty was coming with her. Opaline wrapped the little filly in a bundle of blankets, determined to keep her warm, and hitched her onto the alicorn's back. Using her wings, she was able to keep her package stable as she trudged through the heavy snow once more.
***
The duo traveled for a while, skirting around borders and choosing to hide from other creatures, while trying to find their new home. On the road, Opaline would teach and feed the little one. And from Misty's happiness, Opaline would feel whole. Suddenly, it didn't matter that magic was gone. Her whole life was this little filly in front of her.
On the fifth week, Opaline spotted a tower on the horizon. As they neared, she saw that it was a part of a castle that overlooked a bay. From a distance, it looked absolutely perfect for their needs and wants. Giving little Misty a quick nuzzle, Opaline opened the giant doors and took a peak inside. Nothing. It took over an hour, but when the search was complete, Opaline found that this castle had been abandoned long ago. A really peculiar thing about this particular castle, was that there was a giant tree in the middle, its roots spreading all over. However sporadic, it does seem that it made the bases of the castle walls.
Opaline cared not at that moment, her thoughts wandered to the unicorn filly she had come to love as a daughter. She quickly set up a comfortable place for the two to sleep for now, using old mattresses and blankets. Misty didn't seem to care, and that was enough for Opaline.
***
Many years later, Opaline woke up to a strange rumbling. This wasn't a rumble that could be felt with your senses; nay, this was a rumble you detected through your inner magics. Such a thing was something she hadn't felt in a millennium. And it felt good.
"Opaline? What's happening?" Misty's panicked voice drew the alicorn's attention away. A spike of fear drove through Opaline. If somepony has returned magic to Equestria, then Misty would surely get magic too. For reasons she could not explain, this did not sit right with Opaline.
"Nothing Misty. Everything's fine." Then she paused as if coming up with a thought. "Although, I think it's finally time you've heard about my story. About an alicorn who stole magic from me and kept it hidden. It's a story of..."
***
Misty watched Opaline look at the magical hologram at the center of the room. The alicorn whom Misty had come to think of as a mother, had completely dismissed her, even putting her bed in a separate room. She would only ever call on Misty when something needed to be done, like spying on the ponies of Maretime Bay. Though it has been days since then, it still didn't feel right. In fact, Opaline has been acting a whole lot different.
"What happened to you?" Came the whisper, nopony else heard. "Where is the mother I used to know and love?"