It had been at least two weeks since the Mane 6 and Sparky got back from their last Unity Quest with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Borealis, who was revealed to be the princess of the Northern Lights foxes, and together, they stopped Allura and the evil ice king Winterbolt in their wicked schemes.
And in doing so, the Mane 6 actually got the second star shard that they had been searching for!
But since they were finally home for a while, the ponies decided to take every opportunity they could to have some peace and quiet before the Unity Crystals summoned them for another mission again.
Luckily... Izzy knew just the thing that could help them have some serious fun-- the Bridlewood Summer Festival!
According to local beliefs, held by Bridlewood unicorns for many generations having fun during the hot summers in Bridlewood warded off the jinkies, and ever since magic returned and ponies were reunited in friendship, it's been even more amazing.
But the more our pony friends thought about it, they wanted to share this amazing celebration of fun and frienship with their families, so Hitch decided to invite Grandma Figgy to come along, and Pipp and Zipp invited their mother so she could spend time with Alphabittle while she was there (of course, since she had wings and Bridlewood was not that far away, she just decided to fly there with the guards).
Finally... the big day finally arrived, and once the Marestream had picked up Grandma Figgy, they set off toward Bridlewood for the festival.
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“Oooh, you’re gonna love it in Bridlewood, Figgy!” Izzy giggled excitedly to Hitch's grandmother as the Marestream soared through the clouds with Zipp at the wheel. “There are crystals EVERYWHERE, and they have the most amazing crystal-berry treats that I think you could recreate for your own special occasions!”
“Oh, that sounds lovely, dear!” Figgy chuckled as she cradled Sparky in her arms. “I’m so happy that you children invited me along to see the festival-- I do love trying new things and exploring new places, don’t I, Hitchie?”
“You sure do, Granny!” Hitch smiled with a little laugh. “And I think you’re gonna love officially meeting Misty’s mom. She’s really turned her life around since she got back to Equestria, right, Misty?”
“I definitely think so,” Misty smiled, turning back to her friends after looking out the window. “She gets to enjoy doing all the things she used to do-- did you know my mom was an avid painter while Opaline wasn’t looking? She hid some of her paintings in Dad’s attic, and when she showed them to me, I could hardly believe it!”
“Wow! That is pretty cool, Misty!” Sunny smiled. “Speaking of Bridlewood,” said Zipp from the driver’s seat, “did your parents say if they’ve found anything about flying snow leopards in the Bridlewood archives?”
“No, my mom says that she looked at least 10 times, and nothing,” Misty sighed. “She really did try.”
“We know,” Hitch said, trying to provide some comfort. “But the more we can learn about Allura’s species, the better chance we have of trying to figure out how we can stop her.”
“Oh, I know you children are trying your best,” Grandma Figgy said, “but this Allura sounds like she’s more powerful than Opaline… and if she gets the remaining pieces of that star…”
“It’s game over. We know,” Pipp sighed. “I’ve been so worried, I haven’t been able to come up with any new Ponygram ideas!”
“Okay, when Pipp says stuff like THAT,” Zipp said sarcastically with the roll of her eyes, “that’s when you know you SHOULD be worried.”
“Ha ha, very funny!” Pipp told her sister, rolling her eyes right back at her. “Well, all we can do is keep trying to find the rest of the shards,” Sunny told her friends just before gasping and looking out the window. “We’re here!”
Everypony joined her at the window as the Marestream slowly descended onto the ground, and everypony was in awe at what they were seeing-- the forest was brightly decorated in balloons, streamers, bounce houses and many different kinds of food and craft vendors.
The doors opened and the group exited the Marestream, but not long after, Misty gasped and ran toward two figures she knew and loved. “Mom! Dad!”
“Misty, you made it!” Paradise said as she and Alphabittle hugged their daughter. “We’re so happy you and your friends decided to come!”
“We’re happy, too,” Misty smiled. “In fact, we brought another guest!”
“Paradise, this is my grandma, Figgy,” Hitch introduced. “Granny, we’d like you to meet Paradise Moonray, Misty’s mom.”
“Oh, it’s so good to meet you at last, dear,” Grandma Figgy smiled as they shook hooves. “Hitchie and his friends told me all about you.”
“Oh, they told me all about you too-- it’s so nice to finally meet,” Paradise smiled. “Welcome to the Bridlewood Summer Festival.”
“Ooh, these decorations are super gorgeous!” Pipp said as she took a picture. “Did you do all this, Paradise?”
“Not all of it-- I did have the help of the decorations committee,” Paradise said, turning to look at Izzy. “And Izzy, of course.”
“Paradise and I have been talking over the phone for weeks,” Izzy explained, “trying to find just the right decorations for the festival that suited all three pony kinds.”
Suddenly, a royal fanfare blew, and Queen Haven and Cloudpuff, followed by Zoom and Thunder, flew in from the skies. “Did somepony say festival?” Queen Haven asked with a chuckle. “I’ve been looking forward to this!”
“Mom!” Zipp and Pipp immediately hugged their mother. “Haven, I’m so glad you could make it!” Alphabittle smiled, approaching his mare-friend. “What do you think?”
“Oh, it’s lovely!” Queen Haven told him. “Cloudpuff has been particularly excited for the Critter Play Area that you keep telling me about.”
“Another reason why I brought Sparky!” Hitch lifted the baby dragon onto his back. “I love being a dragon dad, but sometimes I need a little me time.”
“Well, what if we all go and drop these little floofs off,” said Grandma Figgy, tickling Sparky's tummy and causing him to laugh, “and Alphabittle and Paradise can show us all the best things to do at the festival?”
“Great idea, Granny!” Hitch smiled. “See? My granny is a genius.”
“Well, let’s get hoofing it!” Alphabittle told the group, making them laugh and trot away to drop Sparky and Cloudpuff off before starting their day of fun.
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After Sparky and Cloudpuff were dropped off at the Critter Play Area, where they could make friends with all the little critters of Bridlewood, the Mane 6 and their loved ones went off on their own to enjoy the food, crafts, rides and games the festival had to offer.
And needless to say... everyone was having a fantastic time.
The food was amazing, the rides were thrilling, there were so many crafts to see and experiment with, and Alphabittle even won Queen Haven a stuffed bunnycorn at the bean bag toss game.
Finally, it was time for a break, so everyone decided to get a funnel cake from the nearby funnel cake booth, each one of them topped with their favorite toppings, and they all sat down at the picnic table to share the story of the Mane 6's last Unity Quest. “And then, Borealis threw the guns right at Winterbolt’s scepter,” Zipp explained, wiping the powdered sugar off her face, “shattering it and causing Winterbolt to turn into a tree! It was kind of scary, the way he just withered away, but at least he won’t be back to cause the North Pole anymore problems.”
“Phew… I’m just glad you girls and your friends made it out of there okay,” Queen Haven sighed. “I could never do the things you all are tasked to deal with.”
“Thanks, your highness,” Hitch bowed his head respectfully. “I mean… we have to do what we have to do in order to protect our home from Allura. We’re just… not sure where she went after we defeated her last time.”
“We’ll find her… wherever she is,” Sunny promised, putting her hoof on Hitch's. “But for right now, I think it’s best if we just try and relax before--”
“Oh my goodness, look!” Grandma Figgy gasped, pointing at the Mane 6’s cutie marks with her hoof. “The Unity Crystals are summoning you all again!”
The Mane 6 turned to see their cutie marks glowing, and the glow from their cutie marks caused a portal to another world to slowly open. “Well, I guess the Unity Crystals know the best time to send us on a mission,” Misty sighed. “Could you guys keep an eye on things around here until we get back? We’re not sure if we’re gonna run into Allura again, so it would be best to have backup on this end just in case.”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Alphabittle nodded. “We’ll be here, ready to protect everypony if need be.”
“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Hitch promised as he hugged his grandmother. “Promise.”
“Okay, everypony…” Sunny said as they prepared to run into the portal. “Next stop… I-I’m not really sure where, but we’re going!”
And just like that, all six ponies leapt through the portal, leaving their loved ones behind before it swiftly closed.
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But, while the Mane 6 were traveling through the portal to their next destination, they had no idea that Allura and Twitch were resting in a forest close to a small down in New York called Merrivale. “Soon, Twitch,” Allura said sinisterly, “those little ponies will be back for another quest… and then, once they come around… I will get my revenge on them.”
Then, she looked up at the clouded sky with a smirk. “And with the time of the old legend coming to pass, this will be the perfect chance to destroy those fools AND claim power that ISN’T a shard of the star. But… we must be patient. After all… hunting is all about patience. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”