Maretime Bay
"YOU LOST SPARKY?!" screamed Hitch. He tried to lunge at Pinkie and Izzy, who made no attempt to dodge, only for Applejack to wrap her forelegs around his midsection, holding him back.
"HITCH, CALM DOWN, FOR CELESTIA'S SAKE!" she shouted.
The group was currently gathered back at the Crystal Brighthouse. After Izzy and Pinkie had realized what happened, they immediately ran to tell Twilight and Sunny. Twilight, realizing everypony should know about it, had sent out a magical pulse, calling the others back to the Brighthouse.
"You two had one job," Hitch growled, somehow sounding like he was close to crying at the same time, "and you couldn't even do it! What, were you too busy playing around to keep an eye on my little buddy?! Now, he could be anywhere, and I'm never gonna see him again, and—!"
"HITCH!" Applejack yelled again, forcing her fellow earth pony to the ground. "Shouting at them isn't gonna do any good! We're gonna find Sparky, so just take a deep breath and relax for two seconds!"
Hitch still looked furious, but he obeyed, inhaling as much as he could, and letting it out slowly. Applejack released her grip on him, allowing him to settle down onto all four hooves.
"Thank you, Applejack," said Twilight.
Hitch's little outburst had the desired effect. Pinkie and Izzy looked absolutely miserable. Then again, that was how they'd looked even before he'd started screaming. Pinkie's mane was completely deflated. Everypony else was clearly on edge, not knowing what to say or do to defuse the situation. Zipp was going full detective mode, grabbing her super goggles and writing down notes.
"Would it help if we said we were sorry?" Pinkie asked, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. A quick glare from Hitch was all the response she needed, and she quickly clammed up.
"Okay, everypony remain calm. Losing our minds isn't gonna help Sparky," insisted Zipp. "Izzy, Pinkie, we need to know every detail, from the beginning. Tell us what happened."
Pinkie and Izzy were still downcast, but nonetheless, they told their short tale. How everything had been normal with Sparky, until Misty showed up. How Misty's gifts had distracted them, and when they looked back, both her and the baby dragon were gone.
"I found this on the floor," said Izzy, levitating up a small syringe.
Zipp grabbed the clue with one hoof, immediately putting on her super goggles and scanning it. "Looks like it was filled with a tranquilizer," she commented. "Makes sense. Sparky would just come running back if she took him while he was awake."
"So we're sure Misty took him?" mumbled Izzy, sounding even more heartbroken.
"I don't understand!" protested Sunny. "Why would Misty take him? What could she possibly have to gain from it?"
Twilight was pacing around the middle of the room. "I don't know," she said. "But I don't think you guys know everything about her. You saw the way she acted when she saw us at the beach. She must be hiding something."
"I've had my suspicions about her for a long time," added Zipp. "She was always nervous and awkward around us, and even though she claimed to come from Bridlewood like Izzy, she didn't know anything about the traditional unicorn sleepover. Plus, she freaked out and ran away in the middle of it."
"But...but she was...our friend..." whimpered Izzy, starting to cry. Pinkie put a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder, while the others looked depressed. Even Hitch's expression softened.
"Well, it doesn't matter now," declared Rarity. "We have to find Misty and Sparky, fast. Surely they couldn't have gotten far?"
"We'll need to spread our net as far out as possible." said Fluttershy. "Rainbow, Zipp, Twilight, and I can fly out in different directions and search from above. I don't want to think they got out of Maretime Bay yet, but we need to be realistic. Hitch, can you spread the word among the critters without me?" Hitch nodded.
"I can get all the Pippsqueaks on it, too!" added Pipp. "This is totally their thing!"
"Actually..." Izzy squeaked out, wiping the tears from her face, "that...might not be necessary."
"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow.
"Before Misty...showed up," Izzy continued, "I put a collar on Sparky. I put a GPS tracker in that collar." She pulled out her cell phone. "We can track him anywhere they go, as long as she doesn't take the collar off."
"Wow, good thinking, Izzy!" said Zipp. "We'd better hurry up! To the Marestream, everypony!"
She spread her wings, taking off from ground level and flying towards the platform where the Marestream was parked. Rainbow, Sunny, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Twilight, and Pipp all hurried after her. Izzy and Pinkie, however, merely climbed to their hooves, slowly trotting their way towards the door. This didn't escape the notice of Hitch and Fluttershy.
"Hey, girls?" asked Hitch, drawing their attention. "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you. None of us could've predicted that somepony was out to actually foalnap Sparky. And Misty's been hanging around us long enough that she knew how to play you two. It's not your fault."
"But still, we should've been more careful," insisted Pinkie. "I know ponies think I'm oblivious, but it never bothered me before. Now, I've screwed up because of my obsession with having fun, and—"
"It's not just you," added Izzy, sadly. "I was so excited to meet somepony like me, I let it go to my head, and now, Sparky is out there somewhere, and Misty's doing who knows what to him..."
"We won't let anything happen to him," said Fluttershy, sternly. "The fact that you thought to put that collar on him means you're not stupid. We can still fix this, don't worry. Besides, you can learn from this, and not make the same mistake again."
Pinkie and Izzy smiled slightly at her encouragement, and Pinkie' mane got some of its poof back. The four remaining ponies then scurried out to the Marestream.
Opaline's Castle
Misty panted as she finally reached the front doors of the castle. She'd been running constantly ever since she left the sheriff's office, and given that Misty wasn't the most athletic pony, she was completely exhausted. She set down the box containing Sparky and took several deep breaths to regain her energy. After a quick peek inside the box (to make sure Sparky was still unconscious), she pushed the front doors open with one hoof.
Opaline, as usual, was seated on the throne in front of her scrying pool. She was currently draining a tea cup of something, with a bemused look on her face. When she finished, she placed it down on the armrest.
"Opaline! Opaline!" exclaimed Misty, rushing up to the bottom of the throne. "I did it! I captured Sparky! I've got him right here!" She pulled the box off her back, presenting it to Opaline proudly.
"Oh, did you now, Misty?" replied Opaline, casually looking at her new hooficure. "As much as I'd love to believe that, you've brought me the wrong animal in a box before, so at this point, I know not to get my hopes up."
Misty frowned, but she shook off the expression. "No, really! I did it! Let me show you!" She grabbed a butter knife and used it to slice the tape, before popping the box lid, revealing the still-sleeping baby dragon laying within. "See? I've got him!"
Upon seeing Sparky, Opaline's eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot upwards. She leaped off the throne and trotted over to Misty, looking over Sparky. A smile slowly began to form on her face.
"Well, Misty, it seems you've actually accomplished something!" she noted. She stopped to cackle a little. "I'd ask how you pulled it off, but at this point, I don't care. I finally have the means to restore my alicorn powers!"
"And give me a Cutie Mark, right?" asked Misty, her eagerness palpable.
"Yes, yes, but first things first," replied Opaline, stretching her wings. "Time to remove that pesky enchantment Twilight Sparkle placed on me!"
She reached into the box with both forelegs, lifting Sparky gently out. The baby dragon continued to snore, the tranquilizer still in effect. Opaline wrapped her forelegs around Sparky's stomach, squeezing gently. Sparky's eyes slowly opened, and a faint burp of purple fire emerged from his mouth. Opaline's horn began to glow with purple electricity, and the dragon fire was absorbed into her horn. The magical aura around the appendage intensified, and the glow spread to Sparky's entire body. Suddenly, a stream of dragon fire began to climb out of Sparky's throat, as though being pulled by Opaline's magic. The baby dragon was fully awake now, and struggling to get away, but his efforts were futile.
"More, give me more!" Opaline snarled.
The flames from Sparky continued to be absorbed into Opaline's being, and her magical aura glowed brighter and brighter. Opaline spread her wings, taking off from the floor. Bolts of electricity zapped outwards from her hooves, nearly striking Misty, who leaped away in fright. Sparky garbled as he squirmed in Opaline's grip. His vibrant green scales seemed to dull as more and more fire came out of him, until his eyes glazed over. Opaline laughed as she released her physical grip on him, though she kept him in her telekinesis, and she gently floated down to the floor. Sparky dropped to the ground as well, lying limply on his back.
"My powers are finally restored!" she cheered, lighting up her horn and firing a lightning bolt. The blast destroyed a nearby wall and made the whole castle shake. "Now I can take my revenge on Twilight Sparkle at last, and she won't even know what she did to me! Oh, this is delightful! Soon, all of Equestria's magic will belong to me, and then I can—"
"Um, Opaline?" Misty interrupted. The magenta alicorn snapped her gaze onto Misty, who quivered in fear, but kept talking. "Not to be rude or anything, but could I please have my Cutie Mark now? You told me it would be really simple, so I was hoping we could—"
Opaline said nothing for the next few seconds. Misty continued to shake in terror, but kept the optimistic smile on her face. Finally, Opaline's face changed into a wicked smile, and she threw back her head and laughed.
"Oh, Misty," she said, casually running a hoof through Misty's bushy mane, "I can't believe, after all this time, you still believe I could give you a Cutie Mark."
For the next few seconds, nopony responded. The only sound that could be heard was a faint groaning from Sparky on the floor. Then, Misty sat up from her position.
"...what?" she asked.
"I may be an all-powerful alicorn," Opaline continued, "but it is beyond even my power to give a Cutie Mark to a pony. A mark must be brought to the surface through a pony finding their special talent. And yet, you honestly believed me when I said I'd give you a Cutie Mark." Opaline threw her head back and cackled some more. "It's sad, pathetic, and hilarious at the same time."
Misty began to tremble, and water began to pool around both her eyes. "But...b-but...you promised—" she whimpered.
"I lied, Misty," Opaline cut her off. "That's something that ponies do. I knew what to do from the minute you wandered out of that forest into my castle. I needed somepony to help me break the seal, and you did just that. But now, I have no further need for you." She powered up her horn once again. "So now, I'm going to do the entire world a favor."
"But I gave you so much!" begged Misty, falling to her knees. "You took me in, and I did everything I could to repay you! Did that mean nothing to you?! I don't...I did everything you asked me to!"
"That was your purpose, Misty," Opaline replied with a giggle. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't get a Cutie Mark from doing that. Truly, that's a shame. But you've done all that I needed of you." Lightning began to gather around her horn. "Good-bye, Misty."
A Few Minutes Earlier...
Zipp carefully steered the Marestream, keeping it just above the trees as they went. The eleven ponies and one dragon were all crammed into the back, considering there were only six seats. Spike, Rainbow, and Fluttershy had tried to help by hovering above everypony else, but the constant turbulence had tossed them around, so they'd settled back down on the floor. Izzy was currently guiding them through her phone, tracking Sparky by the collar.
"Please tell me we're close to them," moaned Rainbow Dash, who was currently squished between Pipp and Applejack. "My wings are all cramped."
"Well, we are almost there," replied Izzy, looking at her phone again. "Sparky's stopped moving, so either they took off the collar, or Misty's reached her destination. Come to think of it, we never did ask where she lived."
"I still don't like this," Twilight muttered from her spot between the wall and Sunny.
"Why? What do you think Misty's gonna do?" asked Sunny.
"That's just the thing: I don't know what she could do. Sparky's breath has powers that dragons in our time never possessed. Whatever she's planning on doing with him, I doubt it's good. Otherwise, she would've just asked."
"Sparky! We're coming, little guy!" shouted Hitch.
"Hold on, everypony! I think we're...there?" said Zipp.
Everypony (and Spike) directed their gaze towards the windshield, where they saw what had caught their pilot's attention. A large castle stood over the horizon, sticking out from the side of a hill, with one large spire jutting towards the heavens. The castle glowed a faint black color from some magical source.
"Whoa," said Spike. "Izzy, you're saying Misty lives here?"
"I guess," replied the unicorn. "The signal from Sparky's collar is coming from inside."
Twilight kept staring at the castle, her jaw dropping lower and lower as she took it in. "That's..." she breathed. She lit up her horn, casting a quick, unseen spell. "Impossible..."
Zipp guided the Marestream down to the grassy plain just outside the castle, and landed it softly. As the ponies spilled out the sides to get the cramps out, she produced her super goggles, giving the castle a quick scan.
"There's tons of ambient magic floating around that place," she announced. "Just like the Brighthouse. Only this time, I can't tell where the magic's coming from."
Twilight continued to stare in silence at the castle. "Twilight? What's wrong?" asked Sunny.
"Sunny..." Twilight said, "that's my castle*."
Sunny almost jumped. "What?!" she demanded. "But your castle was made out of crystal from the Tree of Harmony—"
"I know it doesn't look the same," replied Twilight. "Clearly, whoever's been living there has altered it over the years. But I can sense the same magical signature around it. It's the same building."
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." muttered Applejack.
And that was when the blinding light emerged from inside the castle, bathing the surrounding area in a deep purple glow. This was followed by an intense scream of agony. Twilight, Sunny, and the others all looked at each other, then charged towards the doors.