//------------------------------//
// Chapter Fourteen – Battle at the Brighthouse 
// Story: Marking the Generations – Part Three 
// by Glimbursts 
//------------------------------//

Zipp groaned as she stared into the book she’d read twenty times. It was getting to the point that she could almost recite the whole thing from memory. However, she was still sure she’d missed something.

“Spark,” she groaned. “What spark? Where's the spark?.”

Her heavy eyelids suddenly closed, her head falling forwards a second later before impacting roughly with the desk in front of her with a loud bang.

“Zipp?” Pipp said as she came over from her bed. 

She entered Zipps workstation area and gasped when she saw her sister’s head on the table. “Zipp, wake up.”

“Huh? Whassat?” Zipp groaned as Pipp shook her.

“Come on, you can’t sleep like that,” Pipp said. “Have you been up all night?”

Zipp groaned as she lifted her head, she looked back at Pipp with dreary bloodshot eyes. “I can’t find it Pipp,” Zipp moaned. “There’s nothing, no mention.”

“No mention of what?” Pipp asked.

“The spark,” Zipp replied. “What it is or how to create it or find it. I've looked through all the books on Together Trees and Flowers.”

“Starlight said that it would come to us,” Pipp responded  “Or to Sunny at least. She said that’s what happened for Twilight.”

Zipp only groaned in reply, her eyes blinking and looking heavy again.

“Okay, somepony is going to get forty winks,” Pipp sighed. “Come on.”

Zipp said nothing as Pipp began helping her sister back into bed.


Elsewhere, Starlight had decided it was high time Sunny got a crash course in teleportation. It seeming to be the most obvious combat spell she currently couldn’t cast.

“Couldn’t I at least try levitation?” Sunny moaned. “I’ve always wanted to float things around.”

“I told you,” Starlight answered. “Levitation and transfiguration will need to wait.”

“Do we really have time for this?” Misty asked from nearby. “Posey and Jazz are in trouble.”

“We had this conversation,” Sunny scowled. “We can’t save them without the elements.”

“You mean your element,” Izzy responded from the kitchen. “We’ve all got ours.” 

Sunny’s scowl deepened and she shot a dirty look at Izzy.

“Okay, no distracting my student,” Starlight sighed. 

“Sorry,” Izzy replied worriedly. “I didn’t mean to upset you Sunny.”

Sunny closed her eyes and sighed. “I know Iz, I just wish I understood these riddles.”

“Well solve the riddle that’s in front of you,” Starlight responded. “Orange. From there, to here.”

Starlight pointed at an orange that was on the coffee table and pointed to a spot on the floor nearby. Sunny closed her eyes for a second. “Focus,” she whispered.

She opened her eyes and stared determinedly at the orange. Then she fired a golden orange beam of magic from her horn at it. There was a flash as it disappeared and then another as it reappeared where Starlight had pointed.

“Good,” Starlight smiled. “Now, move it back to the table then back there again.”

Sunny frowned and did as she was told. She teleported the orange back onto the table and then back to the same spot on the floor.

“If this is a crash course,” she ventured. “Does that mean I can try teleporting myself now?”

“You can certainly try,” Starlight shrugged. “However, only within line of sight and you must focus. Like with the orange, start by identifying where you want to go.”

Sunny took a deep breath and focused on a spot nearer the front door. 

“Then focus on yourself and being there,” Starlight instructed.

Sunny did as instructed, and her horn lit up. There was a flash as she disappeared and another as she reappeared.

Sunny gasped as she realised everything was upside down. Before she could react, she fell in a heap on the floor with a yelp.

“Looks like you need more fruit-based practice,” Starlight sighed. “Pears are a good stepping stone. They have to appear the correct way up too.”

Sunny groaned as she picked herself up, just as the door opened.

“Brighthouse mean friends,” Sparky squeaked. “Apple please.”

“Sparky,  you’ve just had breakfast,” Hitch frowned.

“Breakfast tasty, apple tasty,” Sparky smiled.

“At least somepony is learning today,” Sunny laughed. 

“Yeah, he’s been talking about apples all morning,” Hitch responded. “He’s picking up more and more words really quickly.”

“Words fun, apple crunchy, apple please,” Sparky squeaked. 

“Well, my head’s not only spinning but also aching from my lessons,” Sunny giggled. “So why don’t I make Sparky an Apple Blast Smoothie?”

Sparky’s eyes lit up as he bobbed up and down with excitement. “Yay! Apple blast! Sunny best!”

“Sure, I think a break is called for,” Starlight sighed as she followed them into the kitchen. Once again spotting that Sunny was keeping her powers active.


They walked into the kitchen and Sunny began opening cupboards and getting out the items she’d need. Suddenly, there was a massive crash as the doors to the Brighthouse were thrust open and smashed from their hinges. 

“Oh, make mine a strawberry and apple,” Nightmare Shimmer smirked. “Or are you only serving your friends?”

Sunny and the others gasped as Nightmare Shimmer walked past the destroyed doors. Lava and Jade appearing on either side of her.

“Lava, Jade, destroy them,” Nightmare Shimmer ordered. “I’ll deal with the crystals.”

“No, you won’t,” Sunny shouted as she ran headlong at Nightmare Shimmer. “I won’t let you anywhere near the crystals.”

There was a flash of fire as Sunny’s shield connected with Nightmare Shimmer’s. Sunny gasped as she was bounced away and her hoofs left the ground. She flared her wings and regained control before hovering. 

Meanwhile, Nightmare Shimmer growled as a shot from Starlight impacted her shield. “Two against one?” she snarled. “That’s not exactly fair, is it?”


Meanwhile, the dragons advanced on the others. Izzy frowned and picked up the bag of apples before she started throwing them at Lava.

“Bad dragon,” Izzy shouted. “Very bad dragon.”

Lava flinched as apples bounced off his head, he snarled in annoyance before opening his mouth to breath fire. However, his eyes widened as an apple landed inside it, getting caught in his teeth. 

“Where are Pipp and Zipp?” Hitch asked.

“Upstairs,” Misty replied. “Zipp’s workstation I think.”

Hitch cried in surprise as he ducked to avoid a burst of fire from Jade. “Sparky, go warn Pipp and Zipp.”

“Okay,” Sparky squeaked in reply as he scurried away. 

Jade snarled and watched Sparky go. She was about to breath fire at him when a blast from Misty’s horn impacted her wing.

“Over here,” Misty shouted, waving a hoof.

Jade growled and ran at Misty, fire shot from her mouth as she got close enough. However, before it could impact her, Misty teleported. The fire impacting the wall directly behind where Misty had been stood, leaving a blackened scorch mark. 

Appearing the other side of her opponent, Misty fired a beam of magic into Jade’s back which made her tumble forwards. Right into the wall that she’d just burned. Jade groaned as she slid down the wall and collapsed in a heap.


Meanwhile, Hitch and Izzy were dodging burst after burst of fire from Lava. One of Hitch’s hoofs began to glow green as he tapped it on the ground. Vines burst through the tiled floor and grabbed Lava’s leg. 

However, Lava whirred around and shot fire at the vines, burning them away and freeing himself. He turned back to Hitch and snarled.

“Have some GLITTER!” Izzy shouted.

Lava grunted in surprise as a ball of glitter impacted him in the face, blinding him. Hitch tried again with his vines, this time entangling both Lava’s legs and his arms. 

Lava snarled but before he could breathe fire to release himself again, colourful streamers suddenly whipped around his snout. Izzy grinned as she tied a pretty bow in the streamers, slamming the dragon’s jaw shut and preventing him from shooting fire. All Lava could do was squirm and growl in annoyance.

Panting, the three friends looked at each other with triumph before gasping as the whole building shook.


Nightmare Shimmer snarled as she picked herself up from the wall she’d just been slammed into and partly demolished. She watched as Sunny flew around in an arc to get another angle before spotting Sparky, Pipp and Zipp hurrying down the ramp from upstairs. She grinned as she disappeared in a ball of flame.

Sunny grimaced as she watched Nightmare Shimmer disappear, then the next thing she knew Sparky was flying straight at her. His eyes widened in fear and his little arms and legs flailing helplessly.

“I’ve got you Sparky,” Sunny gasped.

She spun around in the air, catching Sparky safely in her forehoofs. However, that was exactly what Nightmare Shimmer expected. She appeared high above Sunny and fired a blast of fire. 

Sunny’s eyes widened as the fire shot straight for her. She barely had time to spin around to shield Sparky, curling her wings around herself. She was thrust by the fiery magic straight into the kitchen where she demolished the cabinets.

The others cried in dismay but knew they needed to focus on their opponent. They ran forwards in an attempt to attack all together.


Nightmare Shimmer laughed as she flew straight at the onrushing opponents. Zipp, in her half-asleep state, was quickly diverted from her flightpath and out of a window. There was a crash as she slammed into a tree before falling into the bushes at its base. 

Hitch and Pipp meanwhile cried in surprise as they found themselves lifted into the air by Nightmare Shimmer's magic. She threw Hitch over a sofa and into the wall behind. The sofa toppling right over and landing on top of him.
Pipp faired little better, being thrust upwards into the ceiling where she impacted and fell to the ground in a heap.

Izzy gasped but put up more of a fight, she threw a pot full of glitter at Nightmare Shimmer. It burst apart as it impacted but Nightmare Shimmer laughed as she burned the small particles away with a burst of fire.

“How creative,” Nightmare Shimmer chuckled. “Tricks like that won’t work on me.”

Izzy gasped as her hoofs suddenly felt hot. She jumped as she found the floor beneath her had caught on fire. Before she could do anything else, Nightmare Shimmer grabbed her as well and threw her into the supply cupboard. The door slamming shut behind her.

Throughout this, Misty had been teleporting around the room. Keeping out of trouble whilst also firing shots at Nightmare Shimmer. Nothing had worked though as they all just impacted her fiery shield. She gasped as she looked around, finding she was the last one standing.

“Aren’t you getting skilled all of a sudden,” Nightmare Shimmer commented as she hovered. “Come on then, let’s see what you’ve really got?”


Starlight groaned as she tried to extract herself from the bookcase that had landed on top of her. Her charged-up shot had thrown her backwards just as much as it had thrown Nightmare Shimmer forwards. “Should have braced more,” she muttered.

She looked up and gasped as she saw Misty was taking on Nightmare Shimmer alone and redoubled her efforts to extract herself.


For all Nightmare Shimmer’s gloating, Misty was holding her own as they traded shots. However, whilst Nightmare Shimmer relied on her shield. Misty was relying on teleporting and keeping herself moving. Nightmare Shimmer grinned as she realised Misty was moving in a pattern. 

“Oh, you are so silly Misty,” Nightmare Shimmer cooed. “Opaline was correct to replace you.”

“If you’re what Opaline wanted me to become, I’m glad I left,” Misty grunted. “We’ll defeat you and rescue Sunset.”

“You’ll have to get better then,” Nightmare Shimmer grinned.

As Misty teleported again, Nightmare Shimmer blasted the carpeted floor where she expected Misty to appear. When she did, Misty suddenly found her hoofs became stuck to the sticky carpet where it had melted.

Nightmare Shimmer grinned as she landed, Misty gasped and fired another shot at her opponent. However, it impacted her shield like all the others.

“I’ll give you a chance to learn,” Nightmare Shimmer smiled. “Cast yourself a shield. I’m sure you must be working on them.”

Misty’s eyes widened, she felt it was a trick of some kind. However, she then remembered that Sunset was still there, deep inside her opponent. Panting, Misty closed her eyes to remember the incantation. Then her horn glowed, and a flickering shield appeared around her which, after a moment, stabilised.

“Now that is impressive,” Nightmare Shimmer smirked. “Sunset took years to learn that spell. Let’s test it.”

Misty gasped as Nightmare Shimmer quickly fired a burst of fire at her. She gulped and closed her eyes to concentrate on maintaining the shield. However, nothing impacted her shield. Hearing a cry of surprise, Misty opened her eyes to see Starlight was stood between her and Nightmare Shimmer, her own shield taking the blast.

“No offence Misty,” Starlight grunted. “But I don’t think this is the best conditions to learn in.”

“Me neither,” Misty smiled gratefully. 

With that, Starlight lunged forward as she fired a shot straight at Nightmare Shimmer.


To be continued…