13 Years later
*BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BE- *click*
The alarm clock had shut off as the young mare got up with a yawn, stretching out her forelegs. Opening her eyes, Sunny first noticed that she has a bed mane, completely messy. She looked at the nightstand and grabbed a pair of glasses, ones that belonged to her father. As her vision came into view, she looked at the calendar and got out of bed in excitement, brushing and straightening out her man, readying her teal bag, looking at the mirror. Yep, she thought to herself cheerfully, Ready to take on the world! She then hurries downstairs to go get her roller skates and helmet, putting it on.
"Today's the day, Dad!” She tells the small picture of herself and her father, readjusting it, “I actually have a plan this time. Wish me luck!" She shuts the door, strapped on her skates, and set off. Down the Point and around into Maretime Bay, at top speed, a pony on a mission.
Through the past year, she'd managed to find a job delivering smoothies for Natural Flavors, who ran the smoothie stand on Shore Street, and she's been working hard on fitting in and getting ponies to like her, or at least stop frowning in her direction as she swept by.
Well, enough of the restraint, she told herself as she readjusts her glasses. Today, everything will change. Today, the gloves come off...
If the calendar was to go by and memory served her correctly, today was the Annual Presentation at Canterlogic. It’s time for her to put her plan into action.
As she skated through town on her delivery route, with the smoothie-cart rattling along behind her, she put up stickers of smiling pegasi and unicorns. She drew hearts on the posters of the dark, menacing pony. She made balloon animals and smiled at fillies and colts, getting them to smile back at her, unsure why they were doing it but eager to join in.
She let out all the pent-up excitement, all the way through town. Today she was going to make a difference. Today she was getting in. And everything would change, she was sure of it.
Eager and excited, she rolled up to the front walkway of the Canterlogic factory, smoothie-cart in tow. And was quickly confronted by Hitch, appearing from behind the sign at the base of the walkway.
"What is it with me and critters?" Hitch asked. "I'm like a magnet to them." Turning to the critters, Hitch bent down and asked, "Guys, come on. Give Hitch a little space." In response, the critters only took a step back, much to Hitch's chagrin.
"So, what's up?" Sunny asked.
"Oh, please, like you don't know," Hitch eyed Sunny suspiciously, before he pointed to a billboard next to him. "Today is the Annual Presentation at Canterlogic."
"Hey, I'm headed there right now," Sunny said, about to roll her way in, when Hitch stopped her.
"No, you're not," Hitch said sternly. "Listen, I know that you have come up with some hare-brained scheme to sabotage it, and if you think I'm just going to let you walk in..."
In defiance, Sunny simply skated around Hitch, before she turned around and began in a sing-song voice, "Hey Hitch...~"
"No."
“Hitchie~“
The sheriff gave her a faltered look, he hasn’t been called that in ages! “S-Sunny, don’t think about it.” He stutters as he tries to warn her.
"Come on~" She urges him, waggling her hoof toward him
"Good morning, Sheriff Hitch," An Earth Pony mare greeted.
"Morning, Mayflower," Hitch returned the greeting. "Dahlia," He quickly turned to look sternly at Sunny, "Sunny, I'm on duty." Nevertheless, Sunny held a hoof up. Hitch realized he was being exactly the kind of stressed, yet peacemaking pony, and he hasn’t been in the brightest mood as of late. Hitch took notice of what his friend was trying to do and sighed, giving her a smile, “Okay, fine.” They began their secret hoofshake.
"Up high! Down low! Hitch it to a post! Flip it sunny side up and on a piece of toast!”
The both of them laughed afterward, making the sheriff feel a little better. He really needed it, and his friend could tell by the look on his face. “Thanks Sunny.”
“Anytime, sheriff.”
he heard an exhausted, gasping sound coming from behind him and turned to see Sprout himself, trudging up to lean against the placard.
"I did what you asked for, Hitch. She never left my sight. Not even once."
"Oh, hey, Sprout!" Sunny said. "You okay? You seem kinda wheezy."
The red colt managed to pull himself together enough to look affronted. "That's Deputy Sprout to you."
“Easy, Sprout.” Hitch said in a calm tone, but then caught Sunny as she started to turn away, towards the path. Hitch quickly got in front of her. "Hey, wait up! I'm not finished!” He sighed before he continued on, “Look, Sunny, we both know how this goes. Every year you try to sneak in, and every year I stop you."
"Look, you have nothing to worry about," Sunny insisted, giving him a reassuring look, "I'll just go into the factory, deliver my smoothies..."
“Oh no you won’t," Deputy Sprout shook his head. "You can't even step a hoof in there. My mom had you banned."
"I'm asking as your friend, Sunny," Hitch said, and meant it. "Not as Sheriff. Just... please try not to pull any stunts today?"
Sunny sighed in annoyance, as her ears went flat, “A-alright. I’ll try.”
Hitch sighed as well, out of relief, “Thank you.” He then gestures to Sprout as he then said, “Now, give your delivery to Sprout, and go home."
As he turns to head to the building, his foalhood friend stops him as she tells him, “He saw it, you know.” Turns to look at Sunny as she continues on, “The sparkle in your eye. He saw that you have it in you.” Sprout gags as he took the cart and headed inside, after seeing him leave, she finished saying, “My dad has a lot of faith in you. He knows that you’ve took his stories by heart, and I know it too.” Hitch was about to saying something in turn, but Sunny giggled as she raised her hoof, “Don’t worry Hitch. I understand that you’re not ready to admit it yet.”
She took out a little figurine, but this one wasn’t like her collection of the Guardians of Harmony. It’s a figurine of him. Hitch was taken completely off guard by this as he hesitatingly took the small figure. “S-Sunny…” he tries to get out.
“I made it myself.” She explains to him, giving him a kind smile, “Think of it as an apology gift between friends.” She turned around and heads home, leaving the surprised Hitch Trailblazer.
The sheriff once again looked at the figure and smiled a little. She seemed to master Argyle’ talent of figurine making as well. You should be proud of her Mr. Starshine, he thought to himself as he placed the figure in his pouch of his sheriff’s gear, I can see why she takes up after you.
Meanwhile, Sunny snuck around the building all the while avoiding everyone else’s attention, sneaking in through the back door, wings and horn costume pieces on hoof, including a colorful sign. Today’s reall is gonna be the day, Dad, she thought to herself, Today I might get the Earth Ponies to listen. This just has to work!
She went inside, being stealthy as she could like she always does. Of course, she’s done this a multitude of times, but she knows that this time, this time for sure is going to be different. Then she found the way to the main stage, where she could hear the newest inventions being introduced by Phyllis Cloverleaf herself. Sunny and Phyllis really don’t see eye to eye just like he father, and it is unfortunate that it’s resulted to this ‘one pony against the world,’ scenario, but she has to try. This could be the one. It has to be the one.
“You’ll know you’ll fail.” A young male’s voice said behind her.
“Ah!” Sunny yelps as she looks back, earning the silver-grey young stallion a chuckle. “Oh,” she calms down as she places her hoof on her chest, settling her heartbeat down, realizing it’s just a friendly fellow Earth Pony “heheh, you really startled me. I didn’t even hear hoofsteps.”
“I get that a lot from other Earth Ponies.” He said with a shrug.
Looking at the other side of the stage, she could see Hitch and Sprout, who of which is enjoying a smoothie. For as long as the three had been together, Sprout would always be the instigator of starting something and not in a good way. She doesn’t even know how she and Hitch even put up with him, or why how they even became friends with him in the first place.
“You really seem adamant about this,” the silver-grey pony observed, “Wanting to prove the whole town wrong.” He paused for a second as he asks in a low, but gentle, tone, “But will it be worth it?”
“All the more so, so the three tribes can have Unity.” Sunny tells him confidently.
A stern pause lingered for a few moments. Then the silver-grey stallion said, “Well then, I won’t stop you.”
Sunny looks back at him, quite surprised. “Y-you aren’t?” She asked him.
Then, as if on cue, she could hear Ms. Cloverleaf speaking, “Now, please, stand back," Everypony all did as they were told, "This product-testing demonstration is fully automated."
Now is my chance! Sunny thought to herself as she charges in, knocking the test dummy out of the way, causing the crowd to gasp, Hitch’s face fell in a state of shock, and of course, Sprout being dramatic as always, did a spit take. Sunny raised her sign up as she proclaims proudly, “Earth ponies of Maretime Bay! Fear is not your friend! But the unicorns and pegasi can be! Let's extend the hoof of friendship."
Just as she was about to continue, the floors beneath Sunny suddenly gave way as her hooves were suddenly clasped inside what appeared to be robotic boots. "That is not what I meant," Sunny commented at the predicament she finds herself in.
"Turn it off," Phyllis whispered to some of the staffs. "Turn it off, turn it off!" The staffs frantically tried to turn off the machine, while Phyllis continued, "So now you can prevent an aerial abduction with a set of Anti-Pegalift Boots!"
With that, a large robotic version of a pegasus, with claws beneath it, came falling out of the ceiling, narrowly grabbing Sunny, who ducked her head to avoid being caught, as she continued, "Peace with pegasi! Unity with unicorns!" However, the only thing the robots managed to snatch away from Sunny are her fake wings, horns, and sign. "Whoa! Give me that back!" As of complying, one of the robots dropped the billboard on Sunny's head.
"Sunny..." Hitch shook his head as he leaped in, while his deputy stayed behind to watch the show. “That’s quite enough,” he insisted to his friend, “It’s time to go.”
"Peace...with Pegasi!" Sunny continued, when she was suddenly lifted up by a claw, with the boots taken off of her, and the platform beneath her, flipping over to reveal a large red X.
"Uh...everypony take a look at our Unicorn Entrapment Device," Phyllis presented. Sunny was then fitted with a fake unicorn horn, dropped onto the red X, and in the blink of an eye, was entrapped in a metal box, with a red flashing alarm.
In the meantime, Sheriff Hitch came to the rescue, as he barked at the frantic staffs of Canterlogic, "Toots, Sweets, shut her down. Sheriff's orders!"
"We're trying!" One of the staffs explained, as he frantically pressed several buttons.
"Fully automated means it has to go through the whole cycle," The other staff explained.
Sunny tried to get herself free from the contraptions, but it’s no use, the claw had her strapped tightly around her barrel. As she continues to struggle and tries to preach her message, she heard something… or rather, somepony. “Find the Unity Crystals…” the voice said, making Sunny stop and look around. The voice sounded feminine, young, and somewhat royal. It was odd, nopony she knew sounded like that. Then she heard it again, “Hear their song… save our home.”
Sunny was now fitted with a pair of robotic wings, facing another machine, developed by the Canterlogic engineers. In appearance, it appeared to be a large electric fan, built with catapults for blades, with a tank of strange green liquid mounted on the other side.
"Oh no!" Sunny whimpered.
Sunny was lifted off the floor and was spinning around in the air, as if she was a toy airplane, with several strange green liquids lobbed at her, as she continued, "Peace with Pegasi! Unity with unicorns!"
In the meantime, the audience were all protected from the green sticky projectiles, behind a see-through wall.
"And this is the Splat-a-pult!" Phyllis stammered, presenting the said machine, while Sunny was having a wild flight of her life.
"Cease fire!" Sunny screamed, only to be hit, in the face, by one of the globs.
“Unity rests within you…” the feminine voice said to her, Sunny’s hooves started to shimmer a golden glow, underneath the helmet and the robotic wings, the same golden glow peaks through the cracks.
“Find your sparkle…”
Hitch couldn’t take the sight of it anymore and hurries to the plug.
“Seek the other tribes…”
The ponies behind the control panel are trying and trying to shut down the mechanisms, but to no avail.
“Tear down the walls of fear they hid for so long…”
The golden light now envelopes around Sunny, now taking notice that something was happening as she rose higher and higher. Everyone in the crowd took notice as well, some where frightened, others were shocked and confused from what is happening. Hitch, who wasn’t taking distracted by pull the plug, did a double take and see what seems to be a glowing magical ball of golden fire with a multicolored hue, circling and spinning faster and faster. And then…
“Unleash your magic! Break free!”
*KABOOOOOOMM!!!!!*
A shockwave golden magic was sent throughout the the building and phasing through the walls, unveiling an awesome sight. Seeing before them is Sunny Starscout, the robotic wings and fake horn are no longer attached to her as they’re now pieces of scrap on the stage floor, her glowing horn was a shimmer gold with a cascading amber orange at the tip, her wings in the same glowing gold had fiery feathers of reds, oranges, and yellows, her eyes glowing white, no irises or pupils present.
The audience couldn’t believe it, nor did they want to believe it, neither did Phyllis or her son. This couldn’t be real! Sunny has magic?! Hitch wasn’t like the rest of the Earth Ponies in attendance, he heard that magic does existed from Argyle, but this? This was a whole new level of it! Sunny was now presented as an Alicorn!
In a forest, far away from the little town, Aerovad swing around his dagger against the barks of the trees, slashing at them with such venom and hate. His siblings refused to listen. Why? Why are they refusing to listen? They should’ve been out there hunting the Child of Prophecy by now, yet they refuse to listen!
Just as he was striking at the trees, two cloaked figures wearing masks stood watch.
The earth brown masked figure sighed in disgust, “He has been doing this for years now. Honestly, why does he believe that a simple child would even pose a threat to our master?”
“As I told you multiple times Gaialum,” the blue masked figure reminded his sister, “Aerovad always believes in perfection. If he wants to defeat her his way, he’ll do it his way…” he sighs before he finished, “Even if he has to do it himself, or breaking the rules.”
Gaialum was about to retort in dissatisfaction, but suddenly, the branches and leaves of the trees and bushes starts to shake against the wind. Aerovad too stops, taking notice of the wind’s sudden change… the wind that he controls.
The three alicorns looked behind them and in surprise, and sudden golden wave rushed through them, they shielded the visors from the incoming debris of sticks and pebbles hurled at them. The wind then dies down and the two alicorns looked at each other.
Aerovad then proclaims, “THERE!! You see now?! It is her power! Her powers have now made itself known!”
“Brother, the master said-”
“The master and the law be darned!” Aerovad snaps at his brother, “This child will lead us to the destruction of everything we worked for! Fought for!” He unfurled his wings as he then says, “The child must be destroyed!!” He took off to the skies and left his siblings behind.
Gaialum looked at her brother and asked in concern, “Luvios? Should we go after him?”
The blue masked alicorn sighed and shook his head, “No. Let him do what he wants. If this is the path he chose, then we will not follow him.”
“But-”
“He’s made his choice, Gaialum,” Luvios cuts her off, “If he wants to suffer the wrath of the master, or get shattered in piece by the child, then that is is choice. We will not intervene.”
The earth brown masked alicorn looked at the skies where his brother took off one last time and sighs, and so the two siblings wandered in the other direction, leaving their brother to his own fate. Whether he perishes or not, the master knows what to do with him. He always has a plan… he always does.
As the glow started to die down, Hitch started to call out for his friend, “Sunny! Sunny!”
She shook her head, wondering what is happening as her horn and wings had disappeared and she should’ve been brought down any minute… more like any second as she then realizes that she’s no longer attached by the robot arm and start plummeting down to the stage head first, screaming as she fell. She landed on the right side of her head, unintentionally giving herself a concussion. Her vision suddenly doubled and her hearing muffled, like as if someone shoved cotton in her ears.
She couldn’t see clearly, but the yellow fuzzy figure, knowing well that it’s Hitch, tries to reach out for him, but she blacks out at the last second, fading into unconsciousness.