With her ‘friends’ imprisoned, Misty waited with Opaline as she drained Sparky once again of fire magic. The little dragon clutched his stomach with an uncomfortable, even… pained expression. He looked at them with pleading eyes and said in his little dragon babble.
“Aap!”
Aap? Was he trying to say stop?
Misty sighed in remorse at the sight.
“Why the long face Misty?” Opaline asked as she noticed this.
Misty looked at her. She saw Opaline’s mane, tail and wings shine with blue-purple fire.
“Its just that seems to really hurt Sparky,” Misty said.
“Yes, it does hurt,” Opaline said. “But he’ll survive. Remember, don’t get attached. It’s a sign of weakness.”
Misty nodded slowly. “Right… Opaline.”
There was a moment of silence.
“So… how many more times do you have drain him?”
“Just one, maybe two more times,” Opaline said. “He’ll need a while to recharge. Why don’t you go and have a little fun? Do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t damage anything in my castle.”
“You’re actually telling me to have… fun?” Misty said.
“After helping me finally acquire what I need I feel you’ve earned it,” Opaline said with a small smile. “Go on, do whatever you wish.”
Misty nodded and walked out of the room they’d been keeping Sparky in, she looked at her room right across then turned her head to stairs nearby. Wondering how her friends were doing, Misty walked down the stairs and made her way into the dungeon.
She heard them talking.
“I should have followed my instincts about Misty,” Zipp’s voice said.
“I can’t believe she’d betray us!” Izzy said in the cell. “She’s our friend!”
“Get it through your head, Izzy!” Zipp snapped. “She was never our friend! She was a liar and a spy sent by Opaline to get close to us!”
“I always thought she was so sweet!” Pipp said in what sounded like a teary voice. “I should have never intervened when you were accusing her of stealing the lantern! Maybe she would have cracked under the pressure and revealed everything!”
“Then we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Hitch said. “Oh I hate to think what’s happening to Sparky right now.”
“Its not looking good,” Misty said as she looked at them through the peek hole of the door.
“Misty?” Sunny asked as she and her friends turned around and saw Misty’s green eyes and blue fur through the hole.
“Yeah,” she said. “Look, I’m sorry for this but I have to help Opaline.”
“Why?” Izzy asked.
“Because she’s clearly evil!” Zipp said to the mulberry unicorn.
“Because she’s raised me since I was a filly,” Misty said. “I was lost when I was young! I don’t know where I came from.”
They looked at her with pitying eyes, all except Zipp who still frowned, unwilling to fall for anything that Misty might say again.
“So she’s your mother?” Sunny asked.
“My queen and guardian, yes,” Misty said. “I was pretty surprised when she even called me her daughter. But her love for me always feels on and off. She’s often been harsh and well…”
“Has she hurt you?” Hitch asked.
“Well she did call me a worthless unicorn that no one wanted a few times and a failure,” Misty said. “But to be fair I did-
“Nopony should be treated like that!” Pipp said. “Why are you even working for her? What do you want to get out of it?”
Many of them hoped that despite Misty leading them into this trap that perhaps they could get her to help them and turn on Opaline. It might be their only chance. The only one that felt it was pretty much impossible was Zipp.
“Let me guess, you get to rule by her side as some sort of high ranking official?” Zipp asked.
“No, all I want is to get my cutie mark,” Misty said.
“What?” Sunny asked.
“I don’t have one,” Misty said as she looked down at her flank and scubbed the drawn on image off. She then bent down presented it to them through the opening. “I never did. That’s all I really want right now, to find my place in this world. When Opaline has all her power back, she’ll give me one.”
“Misty! No pony can just give you a cutie mark!” Sunny said.
“Yeah, its something you find for yourself!” Izzy said.
“By discovering what you’re good at!” Pipp said.
Misty looked at them. “You’re saying Opaline lied to me?”
They nodded, hoping this could maybe change Misty’s mind and that she would free them. Zipp just frowned, certain it wouldn’t change anything.
“No, you’re lying! Opaline wouldn’t lie to me!” Misty said.
Though as she said the words she thought of all the things Opaline had said, like her story of Twilight Sparkle stealing the magic, or that Earth Ponies smelled and Pegasi were savages. But based on what she’d seen so far that was not true. Still-
“I have to stay with Opaline,” Misty said. “And then she’ll give me my mark.”
She turned away.
“But what happens after that? She takes all the magic, including yours?” Sunny asked.
Misty stopped. “No, she said she’d let me keep my magic to be useful to her!”
“That-that is so wrong! Magic is something that every pony should enjoy! You have no idea what it was like to have to pretend to be the only few Pegasi that could fly!” Pipp said.
“That’s rich coming from you sis! Since I was the one that was really against it!” Zipp said.
Pipp sighed. “I learned I was wrong, and you were right, Zipp. Lying to everypony was not the right thing to do. We made ourselves look better, and that nearly destroyed us when the truth came out. I see now that magic is not something only royals should have. It brings such joy to everypony!”
Misty looked back as she said that.
“Please, help us!” Sunny said.
“Get us out of here!” Hitch said. “Help us save Sparky!”
He did feel angry at her for being the one to take Sparky in the first place, but if she were to help them then maybe he could forgive.
“Not a chance!” Misty said. “I’ll… I’ll never betray Opaline.”
Her hesitation did not go unnoticed. Still, they would have preferred her to accept. She vanished from the door as she walked away. But they had planted a seed of doubt, or rather, helped it grow more. What if Opaline didn’t give her a cutie mark?
Misty made her way to her room and thought for a while. Then Opaline knocked on her door.
“It’s time Misty,” she said.
They entered Sparky’s room, the little dragon seemed barely able to walk. He saw them enter the room and tried to run away but tripped instead. Opaline took him in her magic and drained his fire one last time. Opaline’s mane, tail, and wings burned even brighter.
“Yes! Yes!” she declared as she flew just above the ground in triumph. “I finally have the power I need!”
“Then… you’ll give me my cutie mark?” Misty asked hopefully.
Opaline landed softly on the ground and looked at her. “Oh, Misty. About that… I can’t actually do that.”
“What?” Misty exclaimed. “But you said-“
“I lied,” Opaline said. “No pony can give you a cutie mark, believe me… Twilight Sparkle had to say the same thing to this annoying trio of little fillies that spent a long time trying to get their mark back in her day.”
“But… you-you lied to me?” Misty asked.
“I had to,” Opaline said. “You were my only way to get past the barrier and conquer Equestria!”
Misty’s heart broke, her entire life had been led by a lie.
“But I can tell you how to maybe get a cutie mark,” Opaline said. “Go out into the world and find something you are good at!”
Misty just looked at her. Opaline simply smirked.
“That’s the best I can offer you,” she said. “Once I break through the barrier, you are free to leave. I truly do appreciate all your help. But now, I don’t need you anymore. So you can go out and find your true destiny!”
Somehow, this information was not enough to satisfy Misty as she thought of her friends. They had treated her with kindness ever since she met them, and she betrayed them.
“Go and pack your bags,” Opaline said. “You can also take a fair amount of gold that should last you a while as well as some books you might like.”
She made her way out of the room casually, not even seeming sad Misty was going. The blue unicorn meanwhile, took a moment to come to a decision.
“I can’t let this happen. She may have given me the information on how to acquire a cutie mark, but she still lied to me and used me all this time! And my friends, they were led here because of me!” Misty said. “I have to help them!”
She made her way back down the dungeon.
“Guys!” she called.
“Misty you’re back!” Izzy exclaimed.
“Back to try and tell us more sob stories?” Zipp asked still untrusting.
“No! You were right! Opaline was lying to me! She can’t give me a cutie mark!” Misty said. “I’m gonna help you get out of there!”
…
Opaline made her way out of the castle and to the start of the shield. Sparky levitated by her side, unable to move and still weak from the repeated draining.
“At last! I will be free! And so will my army and son!”
She lit up her horn and shot fire at the shield. It spread over it and began to burn. Once her fire covered the whole shield it would destroy it. Then she’d be free to resume her conquest of Equestria.
…
Misty looked around the dungeon desperately for a key. Izzy had already tried to using magic to open the door but the inside prevented her from doing so. Sunny couldn’t turn into an alicorn either and the others had no way to use magic of their own, be it flight or control plants.
Finally she spotted something on the wall at the end. A key! She took in her magic that she’d learned to control not long ago and took it back to the cell.
“I found it!” she said as she inserted it.
Rotating the key in her magic, she heard a click and the door opened. The Mane 5 all locked at her with gratitude, though Zipp had one of shock. Had Misty actually freed them, or was this another trick?
“Come on!” Misty said.
She led her friends back up out of the dungeon and toward the front door. “Opaline is outside! She has Sparky and drained a lot of his fire magic!”
“We have to stop her!” Sunny said.
“But if she’s at her full power that might be too hard!” Zipp said.
“Getting Sparky is our first priority!” Hitch said.
“Yeah, we can stop her later if we have to!” Pipp agreed.
“Eh, it shouldn’t be too hard,” Izzy said.
They weren’t so sure about that.
The Mane 5 slowly walked to the door with nervous expressions, knowing that facing a full-fledged evil alicorn like Opaline would not be easy. If they made even a single mistake it could be the end. But they noticed Misty was not following, the blue unicorn looked up the stairs as a thought occurred to her.
“Misty, you coming?” Izzy asked.
“Yeah,” Misty said. “But there is something I need to get! Something that could help us defeat Opaline if we can’t do it now! Go ahead! I’ll have to catch up!”
She ran up the stairs nearby that went in the opposite direction of the dungeon. Zipp watched her uneasily, while Misty had saved them and seemingly turned to their side, the elder Pegasus sister still didn’t trust her completely.
Sunny took a deep breath to ease her nerves. “Let’s go.”
Izzy used her magic to open the door and they all stepped out. They could see something happening in the sky around the dark castle, it looked as though it were on fire. That had to be Opaline’s doing.
“What is she doing?” Izzy asked.
“Whatever it is, it can’t be good,” Zipp said. “We got to hurry!”
They ran (or in the case of the Pegasus sisters, flew) forward. Soon they saw her standing in front of what looked like a large magical barrier that was just before the place where they had landed next to the statues. Sparky levitated next to her in his prison bubble.
As they were getting close to her, Zipp shouted, “Stop!”
Opaline’s concentration, faltered and she looked over her shoulder. The fire in the sky still burned above them on the shield.
“You! How did you all escape?” she asked in surprise.
They didn’t answer.
“Very well, it seems I’ll have to teach you how to respect your rightful monarch,” she said.
“You have no power over any of Equestria,” Sunny said.
“But I will soon, once I destroy this shield keeping me trapped in here!” Opaline said gesturing above.
So that was what they saw above them.
“And I will free my army and begin reconquering this land!” Opaline declared.
“Not if we can help it!” Zipp said.
“Yeah!” Izzy said.
“Let’s get her!” Pipp said angrily.
“You’re going down, your highness!” Hitch finished, speaking the last part with venom.
“I think not!” Opaline said as she flapped her wings and ascended into the sky slightly.
Zipp and Pipp glared at her as they flew just above their friends, Izzy lit up her horn, Hitch stomped the ground, and Sunny closed her eyes for a moment, calling upon her alicorn powers. Her wings and horn appeared and she flapped them so that she was at the same level as the two Pegasus Princesses.
Zipp went in first. She flew at Opaline and tried to grapple her so that one of the others could attack her. But the evil queen easily overpowered her and flew backwards before firing a beam of lavender magic. Zipp managed to dodge it and it flew harmlessly across the sky. Pipp tried to circle behind her and take her by surprise while Sunny sent a bubble of golden alicorn magic out. Izzy looked around for something she could use to throw with her magic. Hitch, meanwhile, ran for Sparky and snatched him from his prison bubble which broke on contact with his hooves. It prevented Sparky from getting out, but outside forces could easily break it.
“I’ve got you!” Hitch said before turning his attention to the battle. “Now, got to stop her!”
He put his hoof on the ground and focused, vines sprouted from the ground and flung up at Opaline, wrapping around her like tentacles as she exclaimed in surprise.
“Aah! Get off me!” she said as the fire around her burned more intensely and incinerated the vines.
Pipp, however, thought she saw an opening.
“Alright, time for you to go down!” she said as she charged.
“Pipp look out!” Zipp called out in concern.
But Opaline saw her coming and fired a beam at Pipp, hitting her in the chest. She fell with a scream.
“Pipp!” Hitch screamed as he was already on his way to stand next to Izzy who was the only one still on the ground.
He jumped as Pipp fell and reached out with his hooves, catching her before she could hit the ground. Her chest was a little burned but not too badly. She had been stunned by the beam though.
“Hey! No pony hurts my little sister!” Zipp yelled in fury.
She charged like Pipp had, and Opaline sent a similar beam at her, but she dodged and made it to the enemy, landing a hoof strike to her face. Opaline grunted as she felt the strike from the elder Pegasus sister that would probably give her a black eye.
“You dare punch a queen!” she roared, her hoof lighting up in fire as she shoved into Zipp as well.
With her large body, and strength of an Earth Pony to boot, she punched Zipp back and the Pegasus clentched her teeth at the burn before she too was hit with a beam from Opaline’s horn that sent her to the ground as well. That left only Sunny in the air fighting.
…
Misty packed her saddlebags with gold for money, as well as some of the combat spellbooks Opaline had showed her part of a while ago. If they couldn’t stop Opaline now, they needed to have a way to learn more advanced magic so they could later. She put as much as she could fit in her bag and then ran out to help her friends. It was time to say goodbye to this dreadful castle.
She galloped out of the front door and saw the battle going on.
It was not looking good, even though there were five of them against one of her, none of them had ever been trained to handle combat situations, except maybe Hitch, but that probably didn’t include the use of magic. Pipp was down with Hitch holding her in his hooves. Opaline could fire offensive beams with her horn, which was something that Izzy had never learned to do. Sunny was in the same predicament as well, so far she’d only learned how to use her magic to fly, levitate and stop things from moving or falling. They didn’t have any methods of deadly force, while their enemy did.
Sunny looked down at Zipp as she fell like her sister. Izzy managed to catch her before she could hit the ground with her magic, though she struggled under the weight. Sunny turned her attention back to Opaline and barely managed to block her next attack on her alicorn shield. Opaline charged her horn with magic and fired again. The powerful attack was enough to break through Sunny’s defense and send her falling with a scream like the two Pegasi. She landed with a hard thud, and pain shot through her back at the impact. She yelled out and clenched her teeth, her back didn’t feel broken but sure hurt.
At that moment, Misty came up close, her bag heavy and her mouth wide open in concern as she watched her friends.
Opaline landed before them, triumphant, not noticing Misty yet. She sent a wave of magical energy at them that didn’t hurt, but locked their hooves to the ground as long. She then levitated Sparky back up to her.
“No! Sparky!” Hitch yelled in concern.
“A pity you decided not to join me.” Opaline said as she got the little dragon out of the way. She still had possible use for him later. “But I can’t have you getting in my way again. Time to say goodbye, Sunny Starscout! You and all your friends”
She charged up her horn even more than last time, ready to deliver a fatal attack. Sunny lay on the ground, unable to move. Izzy’s magic wasn’t powerful enough, Pipp had recovered but that didn't matter since none of them could move. They were done for, unless a miracle happened.
Opaline let out a mad roar as she prepared to fire and end their lives. Only to be hit from the side on her wing by a burst of light blue magic. It knocked her down and the Mane 5 looked over to see the source of the attack had been none other then Misty whose horn was lit up, her eyes narrowed in hatred.
“Misty… what?” Opaline exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
“Saving my friends!” Misty declared.
Opaline’s eyes widened at Misty’s words.
“YOU DARE BETRAY ME!?” she roared.
“Yes, you lied to me my whole life!” Misty said. “You told me you could give me a cutie mark!”
“I told you the secret!” Opaline reminded her.
“Yes, and I would have been grateful for that, if not for the fact that you hurt my friends!” Misty declared. “These ponies gave me something you never did! Fun, care, and friendship! They treated me better then you ever did! And I’m gonna help them stop you!”
As she spoke, magic suddenly surrounded Misty. All those present watched in surprise. Sunny’s pain had subsided and she saw as well. Misty flailed her hooves a bit as she was raised into the air.
“What the-“ she wondered as the blue light danced around her, a spark circling her and going down to her flank.
A mark appeared there, a mark of a colorful red butterfly. The Mane 5 smiled happily as they saw this while Opaline was dumbfounded.
“A cutie mark! I can’t believe it!” Misty said as she looked at her flank.
“You did it Misty!” Izzy said. “You found your purpose!”
“It seems that your destiny was always to oppose me,” Opaline said, drawing their attention back to her. “This saddens me, I had sometimes hoped you might have gotten a cutie mark while working for me. Then you could have perhaps ruled at my side.”
Misty glared at her. "I’m glad I didn’t get a cutie mark until now, then!”
Her horn lit up and she fired a beam of cyan light at Opaline, a spell more offensive then anything Sunny or Izzy had managed to do. Opaline blocked it with ease and retaliated. Misty put up a shield that lasted for an instant but quickly broke. Opaline’s spell knocked her off her hooves, but she managed to get back up. Opaline tried to fly and get above her, but as she did so, her wing burned up where Misty had hit her.
“Ah!” she cried out and plopped back down to the ground. “You’ll pay for this, Misty! Nopony betrays Opaline!”
“Guess somepony had to be the first!” Misty said before looking at her friends. “Run! I’ll hold her off!”
They all looked down and noticed that the spell keeping them in place had worn off. It must have happened when Misty hit Opaline.
“Come on!” Hitch said wasting no time in running.
He grabbed Sparky, breaking the bubble that trapped his dragon son with his hooves once again. Sunny and the others quickly followed, survival instincts driving them. Zipp, however, looked back as Opaline charged at Misty.
…
The evil queen directed her curved horn at the young unicorn. Misty dodged and lashed out with her hoof, catching Opaline in the head. She grunted and Misty followed up with another blast, again knocking Opaline to the ground. The wicked alicorn growled as Misty smirked.
“You taught me well,” she taunted. “One good thing about spending my time here!”
Opaline hissed. Had she fought this little pony back in the battle with Twilight Sparkle she would have crushed her easily. But she was seven hundred years out of practice, still, Misty had only gotten a few days worth of training. Opaline still had the advantage of more spells and experience.
“You may have learned well, but I taught you everything you know!” she reminded her.
She fired another blast from her horn, Misty tried to dodge but was too slow thanks to the weight of her saddlebags. She was the one to be knocked off her hooves this time.
She tried to push herself up as Opaline advanced.
“It has been many lifetimes since I had to punish somepony this harshly,” the evil alicorn queen said.
She charged up her horn which lit up in flame and then turned to black-blue lightning. She released it at Misty who felt intense pain that caused her to release an ear piercing scream as it hit her.
“Aaaaaah!”
…
Zipp heard Misty scream as she and the others primed the Marestream for take off. The hatch closed, and Zipp shook her head.
“Sunny take the wheel!” she ordered stepped away from it and walking back out into the main area.
“What are you doing?” Sunny asked as she stepped forward.
“What I have to,” Zipp said. “I’ll be right behind you, just go.”
Sunny hesitated but nodded. Zipp opened the hatch and flew out. It closed behind her and the Maresteam took off. Zipp heard the scream sound again and looked to see Opaline blasting Misty with an electric attack.
“Now Misty, you shall pay the ultimate price for betraying me!” the evil queen said. “But you’ve only delayed the inevitable. I still have just enough power to finish you off and complete my work. You served me well, but its over now. Your destiny ends here, before it even begins!”
She charged her magic for a final attack like she did against Zipp and the others. Zipp spread her wings and flapped, snatching the wounded Misty from the ground and pulling her out of harms way just in the nick of time as Opaline struck. She looked after them as Zipp flew. Misty weakly looked at her savior with a pained expression.
“Zipp, you came back for me,” she said.
“I’ll never abandon any of my friends,” Zipp said as she held on tight. “And that includes you now!”
“After everything I did?” Misty asked weakly.
“You saved all our lives!” Zipp told her. “That more then makes up for it! Now its my turn to return the favor!”
She turned around and carried Misty toward the direction of Maretime Bay. On the ground Opaline tried to shot beams up at them and stop them from escaping. She narrowly missed and fired another.
“Whoa!” Zipp exclaimed as she dodged.
They headed for the shield which was still burning, but recovering from Opaline’s damage. They passed through harmlessly as Opaline prepared another attack. They made it through just in time and Opaline’s attack instead hit the shield, which burned completely now. It cracked and broke apart, fading into nothingness. Zipp flew Misty out of range, they were safe, but now Opaline could get out of her castle grounds. She watched them flying away, unable to follow thanks to the wound inflicted by Misty on her wing. But she’d gotten what she’d needed most.
“Enjoy your victory little ponies, for you will not have one again,” she said as she slowly made her way forward.
She finally passed the spot where she’d never been able to venture beyond. She saw her army… and her son… up close. Her horn lit up once again and she released a wave of energy around her. The stone statues glowed and melted away, freeing the ponies in her army. Some of them collapsed. She made her way over to him with a wicked but still loving smile. A pony with a coat of smokey gray and a red, yellow, and orange mane.
He opened his eyes as he recovered after instantly falling on the ground. He looked at her, his vision blurry for a moment.
“Mother?” Fireforge Destiny asked.
“Yes, Fireforge,” Opaline said. “It is your mother. Welcome back.”
She then looked in the direction that her enemies had fled. “We have a new Equestria to conquer.”
…
Far away from Opaline’s castle, across the sea over a hundred miles from Maretime Bay, another land resided. A small hut rested on the shore, from it emerged a light pink alicorn with a purple mane and a blue streak with a crown on her head. Her horn glowed, alerting her that something had happened, and she knew what.
“My aunt’s final enemy has returned,” Flurry Heart said. “Then I must too.”
She looked back behind her at the mountain overlooking the beach.
“Once he wakes up.”