Sunset, Sparky, Starlight, Pipp and Hitch all coughed and coughed. Their eyes stung from the dust which made finding out what had happened difficult.
“Sunny! What...” Sunset coughed. “Where are you?”
“Are you okay Sunny?” Hitch shouted with concern.
“Speak to us Sunny,” Kendi coughed.
Pipp meanwhile flew upwards, above the dust cloud and readdressed her livestream.
“Okay Pippsqueaks,” Pipp said. “I...I’ll be back shortly once this dust has settled, and we’ve confirmed what’s happened here.”
“Sunny!” Sunset shouted worriedly before coughing. “S…Speak to us!”
“I’m okay,” Sunny said at last. “Sort of.”
“What do you mean, sort of?” Starlight wheezed. “We can’t see you.”
“Please, be more specific Sunny,” Kendi urged anxiously as she coughed heavily. “The dust is too thick.”
“Hold on everypony,” Pipp said. “I’ve got an idea.”
Pipp began to flap her wings, sending a gust of wind towards a nearby window. Slowly, the dust was drawn away and began to clear.
As it did so, Sunset’s eyes widened, and she stood frozen in place. Before her was an image that had flashed in her mind at the party, then again when they entered the castle. One she had still hoped she’d been imagining. However, now there was no denying it, it was there right in front of her.
The sphere had moved, it was no longer above the caldron pool. Instead, it was hovering above where the pile of debris had been. Debris which was now strewn all over the place.
However, the sphere was no longer empty. Stood inside was a very confused, and now powerless, Sunny. “Urm, for the record. I have no idea how this happened,” she said meekly.
As Sunny started inspecting the inside of the sphere. Sunset stood staring at it, her breathing getting quicker and quicker. Noticing this, Starlight looked at her with concern. “Sunset?” she ventured.
“I...I told her to be careful,” Sunset growled. “I shouldn’t have...”
She trailed off and her face started to turn red. Turning abruptly, she headed towards the door of the castle. Sunny gasped and held a hoof up towards her.
“Sunset?” Sunny called worriedly. “No, please don’t go… I...I’m sorry...”
However, Sunset didn’t hear her. Zipp and Misty were just re-entering the castle and she pushed past them both as she exited. They watched her go with confusion before turning back to the others and spotting Sunny’s predicament.
“Okay, that is a new one,” Zipp commented. “How’d this happen?”
“I...I have no idea,” Sunny replied worriedly. “Seriously, I have no idea at all.”
“I bet Opaline is laughing at us right now,” Hitch commented as he turned to look back at her petrified form.
“So, how do we get Sunny out?” Misty asked.
“No clue,” Starlight admitted. “The only one of us who has any experience with this thing just went off in a huff.”
“I’ll go speak to her,” Pipp offered.
Before anypony could respond, she had fluttered out the door. Just as Izzy came in from the library and looked around with confusion, “Did I miss something?”
Outside, Sunset was stood on the drawbridge trying not to blow her top. Her face had turned a deep shade of red as she held her breath to stop herself from shouting.
“Come on Sunset, breathe,” Pipp coaxed as she approached. “It’s okay, we’ll find a way to get her out.”
Sunset finally gasped and started taking in deep breaths as she tried to calm down. “Why did I let her get that close to it?” she growled. “I shouldn’t have let her go under that pile.”
“Sunset, it’s going to be okay,” Pipp soothed.
“Is it?” Sunset replied as she rounded on Pipp. “How could you possibly know that Pipp?”
“Because I’m confident in what we can all do,” Pipp replied calmly. “I know you couldn’t get yourself out of that prison sphere. But you were alone then. This time you’re not alone, you’ve got friends around you. There’s no need to be angry with Sunny.”
Sunset groaned as she closed her eyes and sat down dejectedly. Pipp put a calming hoof around her as she breathed deeply and tried to get a hold of herself.
“I’m not angry at Sunny,” Sunset said at last as she opened her eyes. “I’m angry with myself.”
“Why?” Pipp asked as she rubbed Sunset’s back reassuringly. “You didn’t know what would happen.”
Sunset opened her eyes and looked up at the clouds in the sky. Feeling calmed, she took a deep breath and stared as though she were contemplating something. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh and smiled at Pipp. “Thank you Pipp, I’m sorry for getting so angry.”
“It’s fine,” Pipp smiled. “You should see how angry Zipp gets sometimes. Calming her down is one of my specialities. Although, come to think of it, winding her up is too.”
“Heh, I bet,” Sunset sighed. “Come on, I bet Sunny’s getting stressed and it’s not fair on her if I keep her waiting.”
Inside, Sunny was indeed starting to get more and more frantic. She kept turning around in the sphere and banging her hoofs on the inside. Trying to find a weakness which wasn’t there.
“Calm down Sunny,” Starlight urged.
“But I can’t use my powers in here and I’ve upset Sunset,” Sunny whimpered. “She told me to be careful and I didn’t listen.”
“Sunny, it’s going to be okay,” Misty reassured. “Sunset won’t be mad at you for long.”
“But I should have listened,” Sunny cried as she banged her hoof on the inside of the sphere in frustration. “This thing is completely solid. I don’t know how you’re going to get me out.”
“Well, you got in there so we should be able to get you out,” Starlight reasoned. “Sunset won’t stay mad for long, she’ll come and help.”
“Exactly,” Zipp responded. “Don’t worry, Sunny, we’ll get you out of there.”
“A…Are you sure?” Sunny blinked.
“Yes, we are,” Sunset said as she and Pipp walked in. “I’m sorry for running out on you Sunny. Trust me, we’ll get you out, leave it to us.”
Sunny took a deep breath and sat down. “I…I’m sorry Sunset,” she blinked. “I should…”
“Sunny no,” Sunset interjected. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at myself. I knew that prison sphere was dangerous. This is my fault.”
“It’s okay Sunset,” Starlight replied. “It’s understandable after what you went through.”
“So, you were stuck where Sunny is now?” Kendi asked.
“Yes, I was,” Sunset sighed. “As Opaline’s prisoner.”
“So, the difference is, Sunny has friends on the outside,” Kendi smiled.
“Exactly,” Sunset responded. “Sunny, stay calm, we’ve got you. We’ll get you out.”
“Speaking of, Opaline got you into it Sunset,” Starlight pondered. “So, she must have had some way of doing so. There must be a way to control it”
Sunset took another deep calming breath and nodded. “True, and I don’t think Opaline would have known how to on her own,” she reasoned. “She said she’d designed it. But there must be a book that told her how, somewhere.”
Zipp let out a groan in frustration, “We’ve got half the books loaded already. It will take ages to unload them so we can look through them.”
“We won’t have to,” Misty advised. “If it’s one she’s been using it will be in the study.”
“Okay, so where was that?” Sunset asked.
“Upstairs,” Misty advised. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
With that, Misty started to head up the ramp whilst Sunset, Zipp, Hitch, and Kendi followed behind.
Meanwhile, Pipp gasped as she heard a notification. She immediately whipped out her phone and started tapping before looking nervously at Sunny. “Sooooo, Sunny, err, how do I say this?” she grinned meekly.
“Why do I feel I’m not going to like this?” Sunny frowned.
“Welllll, just before you’re, err, accident I was streaming,” Pipp explained. “I paused the stream and right now it’s got thousands of ponies tuned in wanting to know if you’re okay.”
“Oh brilliant,” Sunny sighed. “So right now they have no idea what’s happened to me.”
“And they’re thinking the worst,” Pipp confirmed.
“Okay, this is why that streamy thing is a bad idea,” Starlight responded.
“You’re going to need to tell them something,” Izzy gasped. “I mean, Sunny’s not hurt or anything. Just a little bit stuck.”
“True, but if we show everypony it will make Sunny a laughingstock,” Pipp said sadly. “She could even become a meme.”
Sunny sighed and looked at Pipp reassuringly. “I think I’d rather that then having everypony worried about me,” she replied. “I’ve borne the brunt of many jokes and the like when my campaigning attempts failed. So I’m not too worried about that. I’ve seen some posts saying I should be made the new Princess of Equestria. This might actually work to show why I shouldn’t.”
Starlight snorted as she tried to supress a laugh, “You’ve never seen half the situations Twilight got herself into. Being a princess isn’t about being perfect. Everypony makes mistakes and needs help from time to time.”
Pipp’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Wait, that’s it! That’s our message here. Okay, I’m going live again.”
Pipp held her phone up and selected her front camera so the stream couldn’t see Sunny. She took a calming breath before putting on a smile and resuming the stream.
“Hey there Pippsqueaks,” she grinned. “So, I know you’re all worried about Sunny and what’s happened to her. Now I’m pleased to say that she’s not hurt in anyway. However, she has gotten a little bit stuck.”
Pipp smiled as she swapped cameras and angled the phone at Sunny who grinned sheepishly.
“Yeah, just a little stuck,” Sunny chuckled as she banged a hoof on the inside of the sphere. “So, for the record, I have absolutely no idea how this happened. It was all too fast.”
“Just to be clear,” Pipp interjected. “This sphere is basically a prison. You all know that Opaline captured Sunset, well this is what she was trapped in. So, Sunset isn’t exactly best pleased right now.”
“Especially after continually warning everypony to stay away from it,” Izzy added.
Sunny looked uncomfortably back at the camera as Pipp noticed the chat responses she was getting. She tapped her phone and swapped the camera back to herself.
“Okay, okay chat there is no need to worry,” she smiled reassuringly. “Some of our friends are already looking up how to help Sunny. I’m confident they will find what we need and we’ll get Sunny out in no time. The moral of all this is, everypony makes mistakes from time to time.”
“Then, if that mistake lands you in a bit of a jam you can count on your friends,” Izzy grinned as she jumped into shot beside Pipp. “We’re not perfect, no pony is.”
“Exactly, Iz,” Pipp winked. “We are all Ponies at the end of the day and even the Guardians of Unity make mistakes. Now, we don’t actually know how long it will take to rescue Sunny. So, I’m going to sign off completely for now. However, don’t worry Pippsqueaks. I’ll make sure you all know when this little adventure is over. Pipp Pipp Horray.”
With that, Pipp tapped her phone and ended the stream before giving Izzy a big hug. “Iz, that was brilliant,” she squealed.
“I still don’t understand what you were doing,” Starlight muttered to herself.
Upstairs, unlike the throne room which had been tidied somewhat already, the study was a complete mess. Here, roof trusses and roofing tiles lay all over the place, covering everything that had been within the room. Misty couldn’t help groaning as she tried to make sense of the carnage that lay before her.
“G…Give me a moment,” Misty gasped as she saw Sunset’s stony expression.
“It’s okay Misty,” Sunset sighed. “I’m not angry with you. I’m angry with myself.”
“But, I thought you’d calmed down,” Hitch answered.
“Still simmering,” Sunset admitted. “I knew... I knew this was going to happen.”
“How?” Kendi frowned. “How could you know?”
“Err, lets call it a feeling,” Sunset replied awkwardly.
“Okay, so given the amount of time and the fact she was working on collecting everypony’s energy. The book wouldn’t be on the desk anymore,” Misty explained. “She would have put it on the bookshelves.”
“Which bookshelves?” Zipp frowned.
“The one’s that have fallen over and are under half the roof,” Misty sighed.
“Oh of course it is,” Hitch groaned.
“It’s okay,” Sunset said as she stepped forward towards the mass of debris. “Misty, I’m going to try lifting this lot. You get ready to pull out as many books as you can.”
“Oh, o…okay,” Misty stammered unsurely.
“Are you sure you can do that?” Kendi gasped.
“The way I feel right now, I’m going to give it a shot,” Sunset admitted.
She took a wide stance and took in a few deep breaths to prepare herself. After a few moments, her horn glowed and the crimson aura of her magic grabbed the remains of the roof and the bookcase. Then, Sunset grunted as she slowly began to lift. She closed her eyes to maintain concentration as she exerted more effort.
The others watched in astonishment as the debris began to slowly rise. Sunset grunted and groaned as sparks of magic flew from her horn. Misty gasped as she knelt down and started moving books. However, she suddenly realized that teleporting them would be faster. Therefore, she began firing beams at as many books as she could see.
Hitch and Zipp both gasped as they suddenly found themselves catching books as they appeared above him. Kendi looked astounded before she started helping. Stacking the books as quickly as she could.
Meanwhile, Sunset gritted her teeth and let out a groan of effort. “P…please say you’re almost done,” she grunted as she began to tremble.
“Nearly,” Misty replied as she teleported the last few books. “Okay, you can put it down now.”
It seemed Sunset’s interpretation of ‘put it down’ was ‘drop it’. She gasped as she let go of the debris, sitting down panting as sweat dripped from her brow.
Misty squeaked with surprise as the debris suddenly fell. A cloud of dust being kicked up as it fell to the ground.
“S…sorry,” Sunset panted. “I couldn’t hold it anymore.”
“It…It’s okay,” Misty smiled. “I’m just surprised you could lift that much.”
“W…well,” Sunset panted. “Magic is often fuelled by emotion, and I feel a lot of emotion right now.”
“So wait, you channelled your anger,” Misty gasped.
“Yeah, just be careful if you ever try doing that Misty,” Sunset advised. “Anger is a powerful emotion. I’ve...well, kind of had a lot of experience channelling it.”
Meanwhile, Hitch, Zipp, and Kendi had already started looking through the piles of books that had been collected. Kendi was astounded by some of the titles but gasped as she found one that looked promising. She showed it to Zipp who smiled.
“Conjurations of Containing and Confinement,” Zipp read aloud. “That sounds about right to me. What about you Sunset?”
“That sounds something like it,” Sunset blinked as she held out a hoof. “Let me see?”
Kendi passed the book to Sunset who flipped it open and started scanning the pages.
A short time later, Sunset grunted as she stood in front of Sunny. She was holding the book in her levitation as she studied it intently.
“So? Is that it?” Izzy whispered to Misty.
“Yep,” Misty smiled as she whispered back. “Though Sunset’s not at all happy.”
“Why?” Izzy replied a little too loudly.
“Because it’s annoyingly too simple,” Sunset grunted before sighing. “Although, now I’ve read it more. It’s actually impossible to escape from inside so that’s something I suppose.”
Sunset studied the ground below the sphere and noted the amount of debris directly below it. Grunting, she grabbed the sphere in her levitation.
“Woah,” Sunny gasped as Sunset moved the sphere.
“You need to be above clear ground,” Sunset advised. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Prepare yourself Sunny.”
She snapped the book closed suddenly before looking back at Misty and offering it to her. Misty smiled and took the book as Sunset took a wider stance and focused. After a moment, her horn lit up and a beam of crimson magic shot towards the sphere.
As it impacted, the sphere seemed to wobble. Then, Sunny cried out in surprise as she found herself falling through the sphere’s membrane and landing in a heap on the ground below.
“Ow, okay, I’ll be ready for that next time,” Sunny groaned. “Wait, no. There isn’t going to be a next time!”
Sunset smirked as she cut the magical beam. The sphere’s membrane immediately stopped wobbling and went solid again. “There won’t be a next time because I’m going to make sure of it,” Sunset smiled. “You’d better get back.”
Sunny scrambled to her hoofs as Sunset’s horn lit up again. After giving Sunny chance to get clear, Sunset fired another beam at the sphere. This time, the membrane wobbled before there was a flash and it vanished completely.
“There, it’s gone for good now,” Sunset smiled. “Well, that one is. That book has lots of different ways to make containers. Not just spheres but boxes too, you can put anything inside.”
“Like things you want protecting?” Sunny asked.
“Especially things you want to be protected,” Sunset smiled as she looked pointedly at the artifacts.
“Excellent,” Starlight smiled. “So, with all that excitement over. Why don’t we get back to what we came here for?”
“Just a second,” Pipp grinned as she put a hoof around Sunny and held her phone up. “Smile Sunny.”
Sunny grinned as Pipp also smiled and took a selfie of the pair of them.
“Thanks Pipp,” Sunny smiled. “Hopefully that will close off the social media side of things too.”
“You know it,” Pipp chuckled as she tapped on her phone, posting the selfie onto her feeds.