//------------------------------// // Chapter Five – Prisoners // Story: Marking the Generations – Part Four // by Glimbursts //------------------------------// “S…Sunny? Everypony, I think she’s waking up!” “Your right Misty, she is waking up. Sunny?” “Are you okay, Sunny?” “Please be okay, Sunny?” “Speak to us, Sunny.” Sunny let out a groan as her eyes fluttered open. “I…I’m here,” she groaned. “I’m here.” “Don’t move Sunny,” Zipp advised. “What do you mean?” Sunny grunted as she raised her head and blearily looked around. “Where are we?” “Opaline’s throne room,” Izzy informed. “What?” Sunny gasped as her eyes snapped fully open. “No, we…” Despite what she’d been told, in her half-awake state, Sunny immediately started moving. Or at least trying to, her legs and body were being held by something. She cried out as whatever it was tightened its hold. “Sunny, don’t move. It only makes you weaker,” Hitch advised. “Don’t try magic either,” Misty added. Sunny grunted and started to take more notice of her situation. The purple vine that had caught her earlier was still holding onto her. Its tendrils were wrapped tightly around her body and legs, restricting her movements. This also meant she was being held a few feet from the floor, suspended by the plant in mid-air. Carefully, she looked around and felt some relief as she realised all her friends were there. However, they were in the same situation as she was. Restrained by purple vines which held them above the floor. They were all covered in dirt and dust from their trip through the ground. The vine plants were growing in a circle around Opaline’s caldron pool. Each pony was being held so they were looking at the pool and had one of their friends directly opposite. They were also spaced out so nopony could reach and help one another. Purple lines in the ground led from each vine to small spheres which were located on the very edge of the pool. Within these spheres, were a series of familiar objects. “They’re artefacts from Twilight Sparkle and her friends,” Zipp advised having spotted where Sunny was looking. “The hat and jacket that was stolen from Kendi, they’re both here,” Hitch added. Sunny said nothing as she now looked at the pool itself, the water was a deep shade of purple. However, it was the sphere above the pool that Sunny noticed the most. She didn’t know it, but it was the same one that Opaline had trapped Sunset and collected the cutie marks in. What was drawing Sunny’s attention were the six small balls within the sphere, each containing one of their cutie marks. These were flying around inside the sphere, leaving trails of purple energy behind them. Like shooting stars streaking across a night sky. The trail behind the one with Hitch’s cutie mark was the longest, closely followed by Zipp’s, then Misty’s. Sunny gasped as she felt herself getting weaker, noticing the trail behind the ball with her cutie mark grew as a result. Sunny looked back at Hitch, Zipp and Misty. Their breathing was getting noticeably slower and more laboured. The purple vines holding them were glowing, streaks of energy travelling through them from each Pony into the ground. “We have to break this somehow,” Sunny frowned. “There has to be a way to get out of this.” “It’s no good,” Zipp gasped. “If we try to escape, we get weaker faster.” “Save your energy,” Hitch implored. “Don’t try to struggle.” Sunny frowned; she couldn’t resist trying to carefully move one of her legs. She grunted as the vine holding her tightened its grip and she felt her energy sapping away into it quicker. Her heart sank and she closed her eyes and grimaced. It suddenly felt like they were in an impossible situation. “D...Don’t use your powers,” Misty begged. “I tried magic already, but it didn’t work. It only made me weaker.” Sunny opened her eyes and saw Misty’s sorrowful expression. “She’s doing this on purpose,” Misty groaned. “She always liked strange punishments.” “Don’t worry Misty, I wasn’t trying my powers. I…I just...” Sunny trailed off and then frowned with determination. “No! We can’t just give up. There’s got to be a way out of this, there has to be.” “That’s it Sunny,” Izzy smiled. “If anypony can stay positive it’s you. I agree, we will get out of this, somehow.” Sunny looked around again as she tried to come up with something, anything that would help. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Zipp, your wings,” she gasped. “They’re not held by the vine, can you...” Meanwhile, Pipp had been slowly working to get something that she hoped would help. Despite her situation, she’d done it! With small movements from her wings, she’d managed to get her phone in hoof. In the meantime, Zipp had been arguing with Sunny. She’d tried using her wings to escape already and nothing had worked. However, she stopped as she suddenly spotted her sister looking at her phone. “Oh, come on, Pipp,” Zipp sighed with exasperation. “What is it with you and your phone? This isn’t…” “Yes, it is,” Pipp responded. “We need help.” “So, how will your phone help us?” Hitch asked. “I bet you don’t even have a signal.” “She will have,” Misty answered. “I always did, not super strong but it was enough to watch that cooking show you made.” “Okay, so please tell us how it’s going to help?” Hitch asked. “Unity,” Sunny gasped. “Opaline may have used the Together Trees against us. But we can use them against her too.” “Wait, wait that’s right we can!” Zipp cried excitedly. She cried out as the vine holding her tightened its grip. The amount of energy being pulled from her noticeably increased. The others cried in shock as Zipp grimaced and took deep breaths to calm her excitement before explaining. “The roots of the Together Trees are connected together,” she explained. “They spread all over Equestria, so the ponies are all connected. If these vines are the same as those that she took the cutie marks with...” “She’s connected us directly to the trees and therefore with everypony else too,” Misty gasped. “We’re all strongest when we stand together in unity,” Sunny smiled. “Oh, what a delightfully redundant statement.” They all gasped as Opaline slowly flew down from the hole in the ceiling. A huge smile on her face as she surveyed the scene before her. “I could keep pounding that shield around your silly Brighthouse until that fool Starlight can’t shore it up anymore. But where is the fun in that?” she smirked as she landed and began walking around. “You can’t stand together in unity when you can’t even stand. You’re powerless to do anything and if you try, you’ll just become weaker.” She laughed hysterically as she continued to walk around the outside of the restrained ponies. “I’ll drain you all dry, and then you will all become my new heralds,” she grinned. “Together, we will beat down that barrier, take the Unity Crystals and root out any of the last remaining cutie marks there are out there. How does that sound?” “Terrible,” Misty responded as she glared at Opaline with defiance. “Oh Misty,” Opaline cooed with mock hurt. “You used to be so diligent and devoted, I thought we were family. don’t you remember when you were sick? Or that time when you broke your leg? I cared for you night and day until you were better.” Misty gulped as her eyes widened. Memories of Opaline caring for her flashed in her mind. Had that been actual care and worry? The others gasped as they felt the vines hold on them tighten, clearly Opaline didn’t want them to interfere. However, that didn’t stop Sunny. “Misty,” she groaned. “Remember how you got your cutie mark? How you got your element? You’re our friend and we can be your family now. She took you, stole you away from your actual family. We’ll help you find them if you want, she won’t.” Misty closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. “Nice try Opaline,” she frowned as she opened her eyes. “I’ve seen what being your herald is actually like. I don’t want to be your Nightmare Brightdawn or whatever you’d call me. It doesn’t matter if you looked after me at times. You still only had one goal and you used me like a tool to reach it.” Opaline scowled as she stared at Misty. Then she stared at Sunny with utter hatred before looking at the sphere. “Well, Misty,” she spat. “You may not want to be my herald but none of you has a choice. Your friend Sunset found there was no escaping me. It’s only a matter of time until you are all nicely drained and I can start the treatment.” With that, she turned and walked towards the ramp to head upstairs to the study. “Why are you doing all this Opaline?” Sunny asked suddenly. “Why do you want all the power in Equestria?” Opaline stopped, chuckling she turned back to look at Sunny directly. “Simple, I want what was supposed to have been mine and what was promised to me,” she smiled. “I tried playing the good pony game long ago. However, it didn’t work. Ponies looked at me with fear. So, I’ll rule them all with an iron hoof and then they can both fear and love me.” As she turned to continue to the ramp, out of the corner of her eye Opaline spotted Pipp holding something. She looked at Pipp more closely and frowned at the phone with confusion. She rolled her eyes and continued upstairs towards her study. Leaving the six ponies to their fate. Meanwhile, in Maretime Bay, Glory and Seashell gasped and smiled as Peach Fizz finally started to move. “W...What happened?” Peach Fizz groaned as her eyes fluttered open, and she slowly lifted her head. “It was Opaline,” Glory said. “She’s taken everypony’s cutie mark.” Peach Fizz blinked groggily before looking back at her flank to see it was now empty. “You blacked out when yours was taken,” Seashell added. “We were worried about you.” Peach Fizz groaned again and closed her eyes. Placing a hoof to her head in pain. “I...I can’t remember anything,” she moaned. “I...I don’t...” Seashell and Glory looked at each other with concern. They knelt down and put their hoofs around Peach Fizz. Peach Fizz smiled as she felt her friend's embrace before gasping as she opened her eyes. “O...Opaline,” she gasped. “The mist, she took me. I couldn’t get away and she made me drink some yellow liquid. It did something to me. I don’t remember anything after that.” Peach Fizz closed her eyes again and screwed up her face. “It’s okay,” Glory gasped as she hugged tighter. “We’re here for you,” Seashell added. Peach Fizz opened her eyes as she rose into a seating position. She flung her legs around both her friends. “I…I think I’m okay now,” she replied. “I know I’ve got you both to look out for me. Can we stick together, please?” They shared a long embrace before each got a notification on their phones, one they had heard many times before. Frowning, they broke off the embrace and extracted their phones. Glory’s sporting a cracked screen following her fall. They looked at each other with confusion as they saw it was a livestream from Pipp. “Why’s she livestreaming?” Glory asked. “Wait, do you think they’ve defeated Opaline?” “I hope so,” Peach Fizz grinned. “There’s only one way we’ll know,” Seashell answered. They each opened the stream and gasped as an image of a dishevelled and dirty Pipp appeared. “Pippsqueaks,” Pipp hissed. “My friends and I need your help, all of you.” The quality of the stream wasn’t good, and it was clear that Pipp was trying not to be heard by somepony. However, what was also clear were the purple vines that were wrapped around Pipp's body. “We’re trapped in Opaline’s castle,” Pipp continued. “We need your help to escape. Get to your Together Tree!” “By standing together in unity we are all stronger,” Sunny said from off-screen. “You can send your strength to us.” “Then we can use that strength to escape Opaline and defeat her,” Zipp added. “Please, tell your friends, your brothers, your sisters, your parents,” Pipp said. “We need you. If all of you are together at the trees, you’ll help us defeat Opaline. Remember, we’ve got the magic in us. All of us.” Suddenly, Pipp gasped and looked up with concern. There were hushed and unintelligible voices in the background before the stream ended abruptly. To be continued...