//------------------------------// // 8. Forgiveness/Melody Water Park // Story: The Fate of the Magic // by Harrison Sparrow //------------------------------// As Sunny and Zack continued on their adventure to the 'other place', Zack knew of a shortcut they can use to get there quicker. But later on, they've encountered a dead end. The quickest way was so high up over a cliff, as Sunny looked up in shock, and Zack looked down in shame. "You have got to be kidding." Sunny said. "*scoff* I wish I was, but I'm not. See, this is the problem I was talking about." "You did say this was a shortcut, right?" "And it is! I can get up there easily, no problem, but you? Maybe your mind's telling you to climb these rocks, but no, I think it's way too dangerous." "Yeah, you're right on that part." "Well, we could find another way round, but it'll take forever. *sigh* I made a mistake, what was I thinking...?" Sunny looked up at the cliff and had to think of what to do for a few seconds, and she had an idea. "Tell you what, how about you go on ahead? I'll figure something out." "What? No, I can't just leave you here!" "Well, what's it gonna take for you to trust me, Zacky Boy?" She said, and Zack got surprised by what she just called him. "Do you trust me?" "*groan* Alright, Sunny-Bunny, I trust you." Zack said, reluctantly giving in as he began ascending to the top of the cliff. "You know, for the record, Mom used to call me Zacky Boy when I was little." "Really cute. And I was surprised when you called me Sunny-Bunny. Dad used to call me that, too." "A-ha, well, that's even cuter. Sounded like you and your dad used to love seeing bunnies and give 'em lotsa hugs." Zack said, and he reaches the top of the cliff and lands. He began waiting for Sunny, but then became impatient. "You know what? This is really a bad idea. How about I come back down and pick you up so-" When he turned around, Sunny swooshed up into the sky in her alicorn form, putting him in an absolute shock. "HOLY DEWDROP!!" Sunny laughed and landed right in front of him, spreading her wings with a smile. "Ta-da!" "H... how did you do that!?" Zack asked, feeling speechless and at a lost for words, and Sunny deactivated her power. "And that!? I-I don't..." "Believe it? Neither do I!" "Are you an alicorn?!" "Ah, that's another thing you know about me! Congratulations, Thunderlane." Sunny said, as she continued walking on, leaving him so confused. "What? Wait, hold on!" Zack called, running after her. Meanwhile, at the Crystal Tea Room in Bridlewood, Alphabittle was still feeling down ever since Misty yelled at him, and Haven was there to comfort him, whilst drinking some tea. "Are you having any second thoughts about this role, Alphy?" Haven asked. "The big day is tomorrow." "Maybe I am." Alphabittle replied. "I just... I just feel so bad about... how Misty reacted when I told her about her parents. I've known them for so long, but... that psycho monster took that poor little filly away and tried to put her into a life of darkness for 16 years. If only I saved her in time..." "You've done everything you could. But you should be lucky that she's still alive, right?" Behind her, the door opened as Misty entered with Izzy and the pegasus sisters by her side. Alphabittle looked up to see her, and Misty stood still. She began having cold hooves, feeling nervous about what to say to him. "It's okay. We're with you." Zipp said, putting her hoof on Misty. Misty breathed as she walked up to Alphabittle, who walked out of his service area to be in front of her. "Alphabittle, I..." Misty tried to talk. She turned to her friends, who nod to her, knowing that things will be okay, and she turned back to him. "I'm sorry. I really am. I-I shouldn't have reacted like that, I just didn't know that I had any parents. *sniff* I understand if you're still mad at me, I-" "Misty, no." Alphabittle said, holding her chin. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at myself. It's my fault that I didn't tell you sooner. You did nothing wrong." "Do you... do you really know anything about me? Like, at all?" "Of course I do. Your parents, the day you were born, Opaline taking you away... all of it. If she hadn't come down and attacked Bridlewood in the first place, none of this would've happened, and your life would've been a whole lot better. And I'm sorry I acted like I didn't know you before, I... I just got nervous, that's all. I forgive you." Misty looked up to him and smiled. "I forgive you too... Dad." Alphabittle gasped at what she just called him, and the others were all surprised by it. "Excuse me, what did she just say?" Pipp asked. "She called him 'Dad'!" Izzy replied happily. "Isn't that sweet?!" "I... I don't know what to say, I-" Alphabittle said, and Misty swopped into him for a tight hug. Haven felt touched by this, and Alphabittle smiled, hugging Misty back, and their cutie marks began glowing. Pipp, although feeling happy for Misty, moaned, as her prediction that Alphabittle was Misty's uncle didn't came true. "And here I thought he was her uncle." She said. "Sorry, sis. Not everything that you predict comes true." Zipp said. "Besides, you should like 'Dad' better. Right, Mom?" "I couldn't have said it better myself." Haven replied. "Oh, and where's my little introduction from you two?" "*chuckle* Hi, Mom." Zipp said, as she and Pipp hug their mother with lovingly smiles. Whilst watching them hugging, Izzy began tearing up. "So much love... *sniff* I've never been so emotional in my life!" She sobbed. As Zipp reopened her eyes, she then saw an interesting book on the shelf. "Can you excuse me, please?" She walked over to it to have closer look, as it was about the history of magic in Equestria. "Hmm... Hey, Alphabittle. How much for this book?" Having gotten over the hill with ease, Sunny continued strolling along with Zack, who was still confused about her alicorn magic. "I-I just don't get it. I mean, how did you get that power of yours even though you're not an actual alicorn?" He asked. "The night we brought magic back." Sunny answered, without turning her head. "Okay, but how does it even work? Is it like, uh, an on-off switch or something?" "You think?" "Well, you deactivated it somehow, so it's gotta be something like that, right? I mean, it's kinda obvious. Or... is it complicated?" "I'm still getting to grips with it. I just basically believe that I can turn into one. But I only do it whenever I get into tough situations, like that cliff back there." "That cliff? But you made it look so easy! You had me thinking you turned into a permanent one." Sunny, having heard that, stopped and turned to face him. "What, you've never seen a real alicorn before?" "Nopony has seen a real alicorn in centuries. Not since ancient times, that is." "Hmm... yeah, that's true. But do you wish to see a real one someday?" "Oh, would I love to. We would hang out on a sunny day, eat ice cream, take hundreds of photos, and make it the most memorable day ever!" Zack said happily, but his face turned to confusion as Sunny stared at him. "What, are you... jealous?" Sunny suddenly bursts out in total laughter, putting Zack in shock. "NO! Again with the strong words, you dummy!" She said, hitting Zack's chest. "But-but for a few seconds there, I thought you were mad!" "How could I be mad about you doing that? I would do the same thing, even with my friends!" Zack sighed with relief and chuckled. "You really got me." "Yeah, I have a knack for that sometimes." Sunny replied cheekily, but she then turned her head again, hearing some loud noises. "Wait, what's that?" Zack was hearing the same, but he then realized they've arrived at their final stop. "We're here!" He said, as he ran up to a bush with Sunny following behind. "Whoa, where exactly is here?" Sunny asked. Zack took a little peek through the bush, and turned to Sunny with a smile. "Have a look at this." Sunny walked up to him, who removes the bush out of her way. Sunny gasped with joy, as it's revealed that they've ended up at a massive water park, filled with all sorts of slides, fun and games. Sunny ran down to the park in a flash, where lots of ponies and dragons were having a fun time together. The two arrived at the entrance, and Sunny looked at the arch, where the name of the park is 'Melody Water Park'. "Sunny Starscout, welcome to Melody Water Park." Zack said. Sunny got so excited and couldn't wait. "Come on, let's get in!" She said, as the two went up to the security gates, where three guards were checking in on some guests. One of them was a young turquoise and purple dragon named Jelly, who was scanning some bags by a few ponies, which were only filled with their own swimming equipment. "All good! Have a great day swimming, you hear?" Jelly said, as the ponies grabbed their bags and ran off in excitement. She then turned to see Sunny and Zack showing up. "Whoa, hold up, you two ponies! I can't let you go in the park without me checking your bags. Safety first." "Ah come on, Jelly, you know who I am!" Zack said, revealing that they've first met a while back. This came as a surprise to Sunny. "HA!" Jelly said loudly, slamming her paw on the desk and pointing at him. "You know I do, Zackety-Zack, it's been too long! How ya doing, bud?!" "Cool, as always. And you prolly need to remove the term 'been too long'. It's only been six months." "Oh right, right. Totally gone off target. And who's this little girlfriend of yours?" "Girlfriend?!" Sunny said in shock. "No, we're just... just friends, thank you. So, have you two met before?" "Oh yeah, Jelly's the first dragon I've ever made a friend with." Zack said. "Wait, I thought you said you never had any friends." Sunny reminded. "Pony friends." Zack corrected. "I did tell ya that, didn't I?" "Okay, my bad, but this is some sorta surprise. Hi, Jelly, I'm Sunny Starscout, and I triple-promise you, that my bag is all clear." She said with confidence. "Uh, I'll be the judge of that, thank you. I know you're excited, but come on." Jelly said, as she demanded them to hand over the bags, who do so, and she started checking them. Whilst checking Sunny's, she started looking at Twilight Sparkle's logo and the three buttons. "Wow, are these cutie marks from the ancient guardians?" "Wait, you know them?" Sunny said, not knowing this. "Oh absolutely! Zack shared me some stories about 'em ever since we first met, ain't that right?" "You know me too well. Hey, you still remember that one story where they saved Equestria from the Storm King's army?" "And the one where they came together to defeat King Sombra! I remember them all, you know!" "*laugh* How am I not surprised!? Now, about our bags..." "It's an absolute win! Your access has been granted, ponies!" Jelly said with a smile, as she handed them back their bags. Sunny squealed with extreme excitement. "Thank you so much, Jelly! You will not regret this!" "Hey, I regret nothing here. Now go on! The water's waiting!" Sunny immediately dashed into the park with such happiness, leaving her in a tad shock. "Whoa. She's a fast runner." Zack chuckled nervously as he followed Sunny, who looks around the whole area. Everyone was so happy, she felt like she was in paradise. "You need to slow your legs a little, Sunny-Bunny." Zack said, having caught up. "So, what do you think?" "What do I think? Oh my gosh, Zack, THIS IS SO COOL!!!" Sunny shouted. "My first time ever at a water park, and I'm already in love!" "I had a feeling you were gonna say something like that. There's so much you can do here; volleyball, obstacle courses, water bowling..." Sunny gasped as she stared at the park's biggest water slide. "And the biggest of them all: The Slide of Heaven! OH, I CANNOT WAIT!!" Zack chuckled with a bit of a scare. "Yeah, that as well. Looks pretty scary, though. I think I'm gonna pass and leave it all to yourself." He turned around to leave, but then... "Hold it right here, Zacky Boy!" Sunny demanded, as Zack came to a stop, feeling nervous. "You didn't bring me all this way just to tell me you're afraid of a little water, did you?" "What, me? Afraid of water? No! Absolutely not!" "Is that true?" Sunny said, as she slowly crept up to him. "Are you even afraid of... what's the word? Oh, heights?" "NO! Just... you know, chasing bees! I'm not scared of flying or, well, anything here, really." "Oh yeah? Then why don't you prove it? You versus me, let's see who's the best of all games and slides in Melody Water Park." Sunny said in a threatening-like voice. "Wait, are you forcing me to challenge you on every single thing here? You wouldn't dare." "Oh, I certainly would." "*scoff* I don't think you know how any of these work, do you?" "Well, why don't we find out?" Sunny turned her eyes to see a pool nearby, and smirks. "First one to dip in that pool over there wins- GO!!" She yelled, as she zoomed off in a blink. "Wha- WHAT?! HEY!!" Zack shouted, as he chased her down, but was just too slow, as Sunny dives into the pool, leaving him in a surprised state. "*laugh* I WIN!" "C'mon now, that's not even fair! You didn't even give me time to prep myself!" "Ha-ha, gotcha!" Sunny winked. Then, Jelly swooped down on them. "Wowee, are you two doing a myriad of challenges?!" "Why, yes we are!" Sunny answered. "But, why aren't you at the security gate?" "Someone just took over for the rest of the day. I'm also a certified referee. You prolly didn't know I have more than one job here." "I knew that before." Zack said, unamused. "And you gotta help me out here, Jell, she brought me into this, and cheated on the first one!" He madly pointed at Sunny. "What, getting into the pool first? Look at you, you haven't finished your race!" Jelly said as she then threw Zack into the pool by surprise. "Winner: SUNNY!" "Yes! Easy start!" Sunny said. Zack then faced her with a grumpy face. "*giggle* Oh no, somepony's looking jealous." Left with no choice, Zack gave in and decided to take her on. "Okay, Sunny Starscout. You wanna do this? You got it!" He said bravely. Sunny chuckled menacingly. "Atta-boy!" The duo's battle began as they started doing more games and challenges around the park, including a water relay, which Zack ultimately lost because of a slow teammate. But he caught up to Sunny, as he won a water bomb challenge, a slip n slide, and a balloon spoon race. Sunny, however, was still proving to be a tough competitor, as she won games like an obstacle course, a water blaster challenge, and a log rolling challenge where they tried to survive whilst avoiding water bombs being thrown at them. Jelly was announcing the winner on every single one of them, until it got up to a tie between Sunny and Zack. But they had one more challenge left... "Alright, you two ponies, you proved really challenging on one another today, such close competition! But now, for our final challenge, a RACE down the one and only... SLIDE OF HEAVEN!!" Jelly announced, as she pointed to the big slide in excitement. Sunny chuckled sinisterly, thinking that she could win it with ease, but Zack was feeling very nervous. "Oh, I have a real bad feeling about this..." "What's the matter, you scared? Better not be, unless you wanna feel the wraith of the magical alicorn?!" She growled through her teeth, right at his face. "Alright, alright! I'll try to be brave, even if it may cost me my life." "Come on, Zack, you're not gonna die! Everyone's been on there many times!" Jelly said, as she watched the two walk off to the slide. "Nice persuading, by the way, Sunny." Sunny and Zack arrived at the top. The earth pony was confident, whilst Zack, looking all the way down, was trying too hard not to be scared, as he took a massive breathe. "Just so you know, Sunny Starscout, I've never been on this thing before, my blood pressure's rising like supernova, and I'm already seeing my life flashing before my eyes." "What, you're just saying that? Don't you wanna top off our date with a bang? Don't you wanna win this thing?" "Well, I do, honestly. But I will hand it to you, you've been an amazing competitor, and I would really hate to see you lose." "*scoff* Thanks, but I don't think you stand a chance on this biggie." Sunny replied threateningly. "Not by a long shot." Jelly lands behind them as they buckle up and get ready to slide down. "This is it, little ponies. Only one survives, and only one dies." She said. "WHAT?!" Zack snapped. "*laugh* Kidding! GOOOO!!!" Jelly shouted, as she slammed the button, which opens the gates and forces Sunny and Zack to begin sliding. The two were screaming and cheering as they twirled around the tower at such high speed. Sunny was having such a blast, and Zack was begging for complete mercy. And by the time they reached the end of the slide, both of them flew off at the exact same point. Jelly took a photo of them from down below before the two ponies splashed into the pool. They then rested their heads on the deck in total laughter. "Oh, that was SO much fun!!" Sunny said happily. "Am I right?" "Yeah, I'm... well, I'm thrilled! Phew... Maybe it wasn't so bad." Jelly clapped as she landed in front of them. "Man, that was CLOSE! Hey, did you see the picture I've taken? So adorable!" She showed them the photos, which displayed Sunny and Zack flying from the slide. Sunny was joyous, but Zack was freaked out. "I've made two copies, just in case." Sunny chuckled at it as she took her copy. "Look at you, Thunder-Boy! You really loved it!" "Aw come on, it looks... humiliating! Oh, and Jell, who won the race?" He asked, but Jelly was having a long thought, causing Zack to get desperate for an answer. "Come on, say it! Me or her!?" "I DON'T KNOW!" Jelly snapped, stunning them. "I don't know." "You don't know who won? Is that it?! There's gotta be a proper answer than that!" "Hang on. On second thought... shall we just call it a tie?" Sunny asked. "A tie? Who even said it was tie!?" "Well, I... I..." Sunny tried to speak, but the noises kicked in her head again, meaning there's trouble happening. She put her hoofs on it to try and focus. Zack tried to figure out what's going on. "Sunny? Sunny, are you alright? Can you hear me?" The vision revealed another pony in danger nearby, but this time, they were hanging onto a cliff and were about to slip. Sunny got out of the vision and gasped. "Oh no, there's a pony dangling on a cliff!" Sunny exclaimed. "What? Where?" "Up there!" Sunny pointed at the danger, and Zack and Jelly turned to see it as well. "I see 'em! Hang on, Jelly's onto the rescue!!" The dragon said, as she flew off to save her. "Jelly, wait!" Sunny said, as she activated her alicorn ability... "I got this!" ...and took off in a flash. "NO, SUNNY, STOP!!" Zack shouted, but she ignored him as she flew past Jelly, catching her by surprise. "What in the-?! HEY, YOU'RE STEALING MY SAVE!!!" Jelly yelled, as she tried to catch up, but was too slow, as when the pony slipped and fell from the cliff, Sunny caught her in the nick of time, saving her. Jelly stopped mid-air, as she inspected Sunny's alicorn form. "How is that possible?" She asked herself, as Sunny landed on solid ground with the mare in her hoofs. "You okay?" Sunny asked. "I... Yeah, thanks to you." The mare replied with a smile. "I'll try and be careful next time." "SUNNY STARSCOUT!!" Jelly shouted from afar and landed nearby in frustration. "WHAT in sweet mother of Celestia was that!? I mean, how did you become like that and how could you steal my save?" "Sorry, Jelly, I guess you... probably didn't know I had this and were just a little too slow." "Yeah, I'll have you know now that I'm also a certified lifeguard, so that makes it three jobs. But right now, I need some serious context! Zack, how long have you known this?" "About two hours ago. I was shocked myself, too." Zack answered, and he then faced Sunny. "What was that, Sunny? I didn't know you'd-" "See it happening? It was my new power thingy that Zipp figured out." "What are you talking about? Wait, was it those noises again?" "Yes! Because she was in peril, they kicked in and helped me find out what was happening. They gave me a vision of her in danger!" "And, after that, you then swooped in and saved her life?" Sunny nodded in response. "So that's how it works! Right. Are you okay with it, though?" "Maybe, as long as everypony learns to be careful most of the time." "Hold on a sec, do you have superpowers? Are you a superhero?!" Jelly asked. Sunny wasn't having it. "Zipp thought I'd be too, but that's just a comic book thing." "But I love superheroes! My all-time favorite, they are. Oh, and speaking of which, Sunny, because you saved her, shall I reward you the final point of the day?" "Are you serious?! That wasn't part of the duel!" Zack argued. "No thanks, Jelly. I think we're better off with a tie." Sunny said, as she faced Zack with a smile, who sighed. "But I will say, we've won an amazing time here, so thank you for having us." "Aw, such a sweet compliment, Sunny, you're really welcome." Jelly said, as she and Sunny shake on it. "And just you wait till I get this on the news, everyone will be amazed with what you've just did!" "Oh, and one more thing, Jell. You interested in attending a big music festival tomorrow?" Zack asked, as he showed her a Glastonpony poster. "Sunny and her friends have been working on it." "Glastonpony? A music festival?! *gasp* Oh my gosh, tomorrow's my day off and I'm SO in!" "Really? That's great!" Sunny said. "Hope to see you there." "Ooh, I can't believe this is really happening to me! I'm gonna LOVE this!!" Jelly laughed in excitement, as she took the poster and flew away. "I think you've just made her day right there." Sunny smiled to Zack, as they headed back to the park to get their stuff. "Ah, it's what friends do. What else can you do for them?" "So many possibilities, Zack. Like, give them free chocolate?" "Oh, absolutely." "Spend quality time with them?" "Can't say 'no' to that." "And tell them that you've also saved a filly from drowning in rough waters?" "Wait, you did that with your powers?! Save a filly?!!" Zack said in surprise. "Yeah, but it wasn't easy."