//------------------------------// // New dangers, same fears // Story: My Little Pony: Harmony and Chaos // by AlphaToothless95 //------------------------------// “No… get out of my head! Just leave me alone!” Sunny yelled as she ran through the abandoned streets of Maretime Bay which was currently covered in fog. If it weren’t for all the lights being on, Sunny would have no idea where she was going since it was also nighttime. Besides, having grown up in Maretime Bay, she knew every inch of it pretty well now. As she runs in fear, she could hear the sound of an evil laugh that she hoped she’d never hear again. That’s when the fog suddenly turns purple as a giant shadow seems to move through the fog effortlessly. After seeing this, Sunny only picks up the pace, running as fast as her legs could take her. “You’re never truly alone Sunny…. We’re a part of you now. You are the key to bringing us back and returning us to power. After all, you are the one who destroyed me and you’re bonded to the unity crystals.” The familiar voice says as it seems to echo across Maretime Bay and Sunny shakes her head in denial. No way that monster was actually a part of her forever and no way would she let her use her again like some puppet. Wait… who did she mean by “we” and “us”? She obviously meant herself too but… who else was she talking about. Before she can contemplate this she notices everything turning red and looks up at the moon only to see a blood moon. That’s what was turning the fog and everything else completely red, giving Maretime Bay a sinister look. Sunny, at this point, isn’t just unsettled. She’s completely terrified. The trauma she suffered from everything that had happened had haunted her for years and a lot of it took the form of nightmares that got her waking up kicking and screaming, fighting for her life and sweating furiously. Her friends had suggested that Sunny talk to Twilight or one of the other princesses after they found out. They’d done this multiple times but Sunny had gotten them to lay off by telling them that she’d think about it once she got some sort of idea about why this was really happening to her. What she went through was traumatic but it shouldn’t be giving her nightmares for two whole years and three months. Especially when it’s now been six years since the pony talking to her was killed… by her. Was Sunny feeling… guilty? No. No no no, she was nice but not that nice. She would never feel sorry for a monster like her, who enjoys bringing pain and suffering to others. If that were the case, she might as well have been just as bad as her… except she was at one point. Not by choice but still. The experience, even though short lived, had left her feeling so much guilt about the horrible things she did. “What does me being bonded to the crystals have to do with anything?!” Sunny asks, hoping to get some answers. “And who is “we” or “us”?! I’m only seeing you!” Sunny shouts and gets no reply for a bit before she’s suddenly tackled and slammed by none other than Midnight herself. “Oh, so you suddenly have amnesia. Well allow me to remind you!” Midnight says before she reaches behind herself and holds up Izzy by the neck in one hand and holds up her dad in the other. Her horn starts glowing and Solaris is held up above her. Sunny sees this but before she can even get up, Midnight snaps Izzy’s neck, decapitates Argyle, and causes Solaris to explode. “NOOOO!!!” Sunny screams as her vision starts to flicker between her surroundings and pitch black. She feels so much… rage… and hatred. It goes against who she is but at this point, she doesn’t care… so she gives in. After a few seconds, she finds herself on top of a broken, bloodied Midnight with blood all over her. She looks at Midnight’s horn and wings and realizes that… they had been ripped off. …Did… Did she do this? Midnight chuckles a bit as she coughs, smiling up at Sunny, revealing that she also had missing teeth. “That’s the spirit… you’re almost ready. Look to your left… take a look at the new you.” Midnight says, laughing and coughing more as she gets a confused, angry and worried look from Sunny. Sunny slowly looks to her left and sees her reflection… but it’s how she looked when she was evil: black and purple armor, purple horn and wings, purple eyes and black and purple strands of hair in her mane instead of the red, yellow, and blue one that was apparently just there permanently now. Suddenly her reflection smirks at her then starts laughing along with Midnight and Sunny just holds her head, trying to keep her sanity. Out of the corner of her eye she sees… ripped up, corrupted, undead versions of her friends and her parents. She stands up to try and run away but her hair is suddenly pulled and she’s forced onto her back as they all suddenly lunge at her and start trying to tear her apart. All Sunny could do was scream as it seemed her alicorn strength didn’t want to work. She's stuck fighting and screaming for her life, even as she hears her name being called and she sees a light starting to shine in from between the crowd of undead ponies. The voice sounds muffled but gets louder the more it calls her. “Sunny…” “Sunny…!” “SUNNY!” Sunny suddenly jumps awake, screaming and swinging her first and it lands on her nightstand, completely demolishing it and almost sending it down through the floor. After staring down at her now destroyed nightstand for a few seconds while panting, she looks around frantically only to see Solaris, who had just narrowly managed to avoid getting hit. Even though Sunny didn’t use her full strength, she wasn’t sure how soon she could recover from a punch like that if she was being honest. Solaris gave Sunny a concerned look as she got a bit closer to her. “Another nightmare, huh?” She asks and Sunny sighs and slowly sits up before putting her face in her hands. That’s all the answer she needed. “Now will you please talk to Twilight? Maybe she can help you.” Solaris suggests once again and Sunny, having had enough, slams her fist down on her bed and gives Solaris her most serious stare yet, causing the now teenage alicorn to jump back a bit. “Look! I get that you and the others are just looking out for me and I appreciate it, I really do, but I will go to Twilight on my own time! Not yours, not Izzy’s, not Hitch's, not anypony's! So stop. Bringing. It up!” Sunny lashes out, causing Solaris to gain a shocked and hurt look on her face and Sunny instantly feels terrible. “I’m sorry… it’s just… Twilight’s still trying to forget about Midnight and everything she took from her and her friends. I don’t wanna upset her by telling her that Midnight, despite being dead, had been tormenting me for two years and three months… and this time was different.” “Well… I won’t pry and I won’t keep pressuring you to go see her… You’re going through enough, but I understand. I have nightmares about her sometimes too. Terrible ones. I also have some about… an old friend of mine… Faust knows where she is now…” Solaris says as she looks out of one of the windows distantly, obviously thinking about this friend. Sunny gently puts a hand on her shoulder, causing her to smile and put her own hand on Sunny's. “Anyway, this isn’t about me. Me and the others… we just want you to be safe Sunny… You’re THE alicorn of Maretime Bay, the princess of harmony and a ruler of Equestria. But most importantly… you’re our friend and the glue that keeps us together.” Hearing this, Sunny can’t help but smile. She needed to hear that… there was a lot bothering her, not just involving her nightmares, but also involving being an alicorn and a world famous hero. The main problem? She was always the center of attention and there were certain decisions that she was left in charge of making that made her more than a little uneasy. It didn’t help that she was a bit indecisive at the worst of times. Then she remembered she had friends to help, so she wasn’t alone in this. “Thanks Solaris…” Sunny says with a soft smile on her face and Solaris returns the smile and gives Sunny a comforting hug, causing her to hug back. “Anytime… Also, I heard you and the others have a special mission in Askari's hometown coming up. So if you want breakfast before you have to go, ya better hurry before the rest of us eat it all!” Solaris says playfully before teleporting downstairs and Sunny chuckles, takes a quick shower, brushes her teeth, puts on jeans and a orange and purple hoodie then rushes downstairs to get breakfast. “Morning Sunny!” Everypony says and Sunny smiles and greets them as she walks over to the table, receiving a peck on the cheek from Izzy and returning one before starting to fix herself a plate of eggs, pancakes, and toast. “You were asleep for so long, we thought we might have to pour cold water on your head just to wake you up? Ready for our big mission today?” Pipp asks, shuffling her wings a bit excitedly and Sunny thinks about it but then nods until she notices that there are two individuals missing. “Hey, where are Hitch and Sparky? Shouldn’t they be here?” Sunny asks, getting a response from Zipp who finishes eating before speaking. “Since Hitch still sleeps at the station and we’ll be going on a mission soon, I think he decided to drop Sparky off at his Grandma Figgy's house so he wouldn’t be by himself, ya know since Solaris has to go to school. He would’ve asked Artemis and Thunderbird to watch him but those two have enough on their plate which is why they’re not going on this mission instead.” The pegasus explains and Sunny nods in understanding but just as she was about to go back to eating, she hears the doors to the Brighthouse open and looks to see Hitch walking in, panting hard like he had run all the way to Grandma Figgy's then here. “Oh hi Hitch! Breakfast?” Izzy offers and after catching his breath, he smiles and nods before walking over. “Thanks Izzy. Sorry about that girls… was having engine trouble on the way back soooo I had to run so I wouldn’t be late.” Hitch explains but the mares all explain that they figured. “So, how are we getting to Askari's hometown again?” He asks and everyone looks at Sunny who notices Zipp and Izzy smirking and Izzy whispers to her and she looks shocked before smirking as well. “You’ll see.” Sunny says… and Hitch was already regretting agreeing to this. A hour later After dropping Solaris off at school and Solaris wishing her good luck, Sunny flys back to the Brighthouse as a small advanced jet can be seen flying in and landing in front of it. Sunny lands as all her friends walk out of the Brighthouse with their bags or suitcases ready and Sunny gets her own and sees the door on the side of the jet starting to open, revealing Artemis and Thunderbird. They both walk out and receive hugs from the group of friends. “It’s good to see you all too. I’m sorry we can’t accompany you on this mission but I’m sure a few terrorists and mob bosses are nothing you can’t handle. So in exchange for us not being there, you all get to keep this magnificent jet.” Artemis says and they all instantly look shocked then cheer. Artemis chuckles before warning them. “Just be careful with it. If you lose it, it’ll be a while before you get another one.” Artemis says and they all nod and immediately climb aboard. Artemis and Thunderbird both wish them luck and wave goodbye as they watch the jet activate before slowly lifting off then flying into the distance, quickly making its way out of Maretime Bay. “We are never gonna see that jet again, are we?” Thunderbird asks, gaining a playful sigh from Artemis, who shakes her head and he chuckles. “Welp, it’s theirs now. So whatever happens isn’t on us.” He says before he raises a fist into the air, causing lightning to strike down on the two, teleporting them back to where their own mission was. Unknown to them, somepony was there lurking, waiting for them to leave the whole time. Once they do, this pony walks closer to the Brighthouse then walks in, taking off their hood and revealing themselves to be Misty, who’s eyes are still glowing purple. She reaches a hand up to her right ear and presses a button on the comm inside of her ear and speaks when it turns on. “I’m in. Time to find something that can restore Opaline’s magic.” In Askari's hometown / Another hour later As the Mane 5 all finished getting dressed into the outfits that Izzy had unicycled for them, they couldn’t help but notice how stunning they all looked. They were a mix between fancy and everypony's personality and colors. Sunny was the last to finish as hers was made specifically just for her which meant a lot more effort was put into it. Everyone’s clothes either had gold or silver accessories that were on their shoulders, arms, legs, chests, or heads. The reason for the major change in wardrobe was due to the info they had gotten, saying that the terrorists and mob bosses were going to meet at a big party with all pony kinds and other creatures invited. It would be happening in the middle of the village, now made into an entire city. Askari's aunt, being the well-supported government of the city, had declared that a party like this could happen once every year in celebration of a new era for Equestria. Since Sunny and her friends were pretty much heroes, of course they were invited, which made their job a lot easier. When they get to the party, security immediately recognizes them and even asks for a picture and Pipp happily gives them what they ask for and they even say her signature catchphrase with her when she says goodbye to them. They all walk in and are instantly met with music, lights, and a lot of commotion coming from a crowd below. They all walk to the railing and look down to see a large crowd of ponies dancing, some mingling, and the group immediately recognizes their targets. Some were batponies or unicorns and some were pegasi or gryphons. “Ok. Soooo since we can’t do much without setting them off and ensuing chaos and casualties, some of us have to try and get the attention of the crowd. One or more of us needs to try and get close to those guys.” Zipp says and everyone nods… except Sunny. Something was wrong. She really didn’t wanna split up with the others, she felt safer with them around. After discussing the plan and who would do what, the others start splitting up, with Zipp and Pipp going down the stairs on the right but Izzy and Hitch moving down the stairs on the left. Izzy notices Sunny's behavior as she sees her close her eyes and seem to breathe in and out. She didn’t have enough time to question it as Hitch starts rushing her. After a few minutes, the crowd starts breaking up and paying more attention to them but it’s not enough. “Damnit. This isn’t working. We need a new plan. Sunny’s a princess, most of the crowd will pay attention to her.” Everyone hears Zipp say through the comms and it makes sense. They look around until they see Sunny still at the top of the stairs. Just as everyone starts protesting against her behavior, Sunny puts her head in her hands, leaning against the railing and speaks into the comm. “I can’t. I can’t do this. I ju… I just…” Sunny says, her breathing speeding up uncontrollably for some reason. “Sunny, look at me.” Izzy says and Sunny slowly listens and looks down at her with a frown. Izzy gives her a determined look and a smile. “You can do this. You’re Sunny Starscout, the strongest mare I know. The bravest one I’ve ever seen. We tell you a lot how much we believe in you but Sunny… it’s time for you to start believing in yourself. Now come on down and let’s get this done.” Izzy says and after a few seconds, Sunny opens her eyes and slowly stands up straight then adjusts her look a bit to make sure nothing’s out of order. She then walks down the stairs on the right and once someone points her out, the crowd instantly starts turning its attention to her. So many ponies and other creatures try getting her attention but she continues walking, trying her best to keep up the act of confidence. Zipp and Hitch see a opening at the same time and both go for it. Just as they’re about to make contact with the targets, an announcement comes on as the music starts to change and it pretty much just says that it’s the time of day where everyone gets to go to the dance floor and show off their moves. The crowd separates a bit but some pairs keep getting in Zipp and Hitch's way, preventing them from making the arrests, unaware of what’s really going on. Sunny gets lost in the crowd of ponies and other creatures dancing. She’s looking for her friends until she sees a hand held out to her and looks to see it belongs to Izzy, who’s giving her a comforting smile and her eyes say everything they need to. “Wanna dance?” Izzy asks and Sunny smiles and takes her hand before getting gently pulled towards her and into a gentle embrace. Before long, their movements start matching the rhythm of the music and they start to lose themselves in the moment as all that matters to them is each other. Before they can get too lost in it yet, they hear Pipp’s voice over the comm. “Guys, are you there? Hitch and Zipp are having trouble. If something doesn’t distract this crowd soon, these guys are gonna get away. What do we do?” Pipp says, not yelling but the urgency is there. Sunny and Izzy both try to think until Sunny comes up with an idea. “Pipp, I need you to get on that stage and start singing. Leave the rest to me and Izzy.” Sunny says with a hint of nervousness in her voice. Pipp instantly knows where this is going and she quickly goes to the stage, asking for a few things and then getting the crowd’s attention. Once all eyes are on her, she introduces herself, not that she needs to, then starts singing one of her most famous songs as the music changes to fit the theme of the song. “Ready to blow some minds?” Izzy asks and Sunny nods, despite her nervousness. Suddenly, she and Izzy start getting wilder and more active in their dancing. This draws the attention of most of the audience and even Hitch and Zipp are amazed at the moves that the two mares are showing off. They were perfectly in sync, losing themselves in the moment once again. Zipp and Hitch quickly focus and get closer to the two groups but one pair of dancers bumps into Hitch and his badge slips out of his pocket and slides into the foot of one of the unicorns. They look down then look at Hitch and he smiles sheepishly, giving a nervous chuckle as Zipp facepalms. “It’s a setup.” One of the batponies says calmly before both groups immediately take out weapons and one unicorn tries attacking Hitch but Zipp kicks his knee in before punching him, knocking him out and Hitch picks up an empty tray and throws it at a gryphon behind Zipp, knocking her out. They both smile at each other before they hear a shot and see a pegasus struggling against a gryphon, causing the shots to hit the roof. The first shot scares everyone, causing ponies to start running outside or taking cover. Hitch makes an Ursa claw on his right arm and delivers a powerful slash to both creatures, sending them flying into a wall. Zipp uses her speed to disarm all of them and knock them out before they even knew what hit them. More members of both groups show up but before they can do much, a sonic scream from Pipp sends them all flying back. Some of them are knocked out from the impact but the ones that aren’t take out weapons that are immediately frozen and rendered useless by Izzy. Sunny quickly sends a wave of golden alicorn magic at them, sending them into the wall once again and knocking them out. The boss of the bat pony/pegasus group wakes up and throws down a smoke grenade and quickly makes a break for it. Sunny is the first one to see him escaping and killing security guards so she goes after him, landing behind him and trying to blast him but he dodges. He smirks and looks her up and down before scoffing. “So YOU are the new princess of Equestria? You fight worse than your old man.” He says and that causes Sunny to freeze up with shock, confusion… and rage. Her eyes and arms glow as her alicorn magic starts to come out without her really wanting it to. “Don’t you ever talk about my father! You don’t know anything about him!” Sunny shouts and she goes to attack the bat pony again, but he moves to the side and something bursts through the wall behind him and it’s a armored truck. It hits her and sends her flying through the railing and back down to the dance floor, crashing through a table and tumbling into the stage. The truck then backs out of the hole it made and he walks outside and gets in. Zipp and Pipp both clear the smoke and they all immediately rush over to Sunny to make sure she’s ok. They hear the tires of multiple trucks screeching and Zipp immediately gives chase with her speed, flying after them and avoiding gunfire. Pipp immediately flys out to help her sister and uses her sonic scream to crash one of the trucks. “Izzy, come on. They might need our help.” Hitch says and Izzy looks between him and Sunny before focusing on him. “What about Sunny?!” She asks and Hitch hesitates before sighing, grabbing Izzy and running out to make it to the jet. “She’ll catch up! Let’s go!” He urges and Izzy sighs and proceeds to keep up with Hitch. He was right. Sunny was strong, it would take more than that to keep her down. Meanwhile, Zipp just used her electricity to stop another one of the trucks by frying the engine before she and Pipp proceeded to chase the rest for about a full two minutes. They hear something and look behind themselves, seeing the jet in the distance. They both smile before they see a golden ball of light fly into the sky then stop before flying towards them and they immediately cheer, knowing it’s Sunny. They turn and notice the same bat pony she confronted coming through an opening on top of one of the trucks. They also notice that he has… a rocket launcher. They both move as he fires a rocket but didn’t realize that it would set the rocket on a straight path towards the jet. Izzy and Hitch, both surprised by this, try turning and they manage to but the rocket hits the left wing of the jet, causing it to start to go down. “NO!” Zipp and Pipp both yell before flying back to try and help their friends. The bat pony laughs before he notices Sunny approaching fast. He gets ready until she strangely goes past his truck, confusing him. At least it confuses him until she goes for the truck in front of his, slamming down onto the front of it, causing it to flip over and go flying. She catches it with her magic then throws it towards his truck which stops it and the ones behind it. The bat pony crawls out of the truck he was in when it stops tumbling forward violently and he sees a weapon, starting to go for it until someone steps on his wrist and he looks to see Sunny smirking down at him with her hands on her hips and her wings flared, earning a glare from him. She sees Zipp and Pipp carrying Hitch and Izzy towards her before they land and they all smile at her and she smiles back, glad everyone’s safe. “Mission accomplished… with some difficulty.” Sunny says before she steps away from the bat pony, allowing Zipp and Hitch to make the arrests and after a while, the resident cops in the city arrive at the scene and after explaining everything, the Mane 5 depart to check on the jet. Before they can fully survey the damage, Pipp gets an alert on her phone, checks it and gasps in shock and horror before showing it to the others. Canterlogic was attacked by a mysterious masked unicorn with armor and a bladed whip, five workers dead and nine workers and civilians critically injured. There was even a video showing the horrible events that took place during the attack. It was recorded half an hour ago and was already viral. They all start panicking and feeling guilty for leaving Maretime Bay unprotected. Now ponies have lost their lives and so many innocents got hurt. They all wished that they hadn’t left and that the jet hadn’t been destroyed so they could get back. Once they all have the same thoughts, suddenly a multicolored beam of magic shoots up into the sky out of where they had settled in and it redirects itself at the jet, causing it to glow more and more until the Mane five are forced to cover their eyes. Once it stops, they all look to see the now repaired jet but… it’s different, upgraded even. It was now silver with a few rainbow lights trailing around it in some areas, making a pattern. The wings on it looked a little more like actual wings, the windshield was now in the shape of a heart with a rainbow light tracing the outline of it. There were also now five- no, six seats in the cockpit of the jet which confused the group of friends. Regardless, they had no time to really discuss it. Sunny and Izzy teleport everyone’s bags and suitcases onto the jet and they all get on and Sunny notices something in her bag glowing. She hesitates but slowly opens it and sees… the lantern that her dad had made for her when she was a filly. It was repaired and improved but… how is that possible. She sees something attached to it and it’s a tag that reads “To: Sunny, From: Izzy. I love you Sunny.” Sunny can’t help but smile and start to tear up before putting the lantern back in her bag then sitting with her friends and focusing on the task at hand: getting back to Maretime Bay… and figuring out who would be crazy or evil enough to do such a thing. Little did they know… the plan… the REAL plan… was already in motion.