Side Story: Ending the Nightmares
It's been almost a week since the Shadow Galaxy incident and things have been quite busy in Canterlot, due to the Friendship Festival happening in three days. Everypony were working hard on the preparations of the stage, several stands and so on, like Dr. Beebles and his apprentice working on their honey stand, several hippogriffs and kirins working together, the Apples and Pears collaborating for delicious delights and even added the apple cherry crisps, thanks to Cherry Swirl, Pinkie Pie and Cheese working on their party stuff, Rarity doing the decorations and so on. Everyone has been in good spirits, despite of what happened last time, but since Ponyville was almost complete with the rebuilding process, the festival would be their well deserved break and reward.
Meanwhile in the castle, Princess Twilight Sparkle went to a meeting with the princesses, with Spike carrying the plans for the Friendship Festival and their main attractions. The difference between this one and the last one, is that Twilight has become a lot calmer and more considerate since then.
"Okay, princesses. I have a lot of plans for this Friendship Festival. Since we have a more down to earth celebrities this time, I was thinking of personalising the stage for them. For Star Time Rush, the stage would be a bit more simple, yet fun, In contrast to Songbird's extravagant look. They would perform a couple of their songs, while Pinkie would fire off sparkling confetti. As for the Try Guys, I have their schedule. First, they would attempt to bake something without a recipe, then having a performance and so on. Now, there is that issue of the empty spot, but I know exactly, who will fill it!" Twilight explained the plans, all while Spike showed them.
"And who would it be?" Cadence was curious and in response, Twilight whispered something in the ears of each princess.
"Are you sure about that?" Luna was a bit concerned.
"Trust me, they'll be perfect for not only performing, but also showcasing a new type of friendship, that is out of this world." Twilight smiled and soon, Celestia and Luna knew exactly, Where she is going.
"What happened there?" Cadence was confused. She was aware about the dragon incident, but not about the Shadow Galaxy one. In response, the other three princesses gave the princess of love the story about it and how she was ultimately defeated by a cosmic convergence between the magic of friendship and elemental magic, along with backstories for the ponies.
"Speaking of which, at the day, where Brain and Snow ended the conflict of the mole people, I actually entered my castle to find Jenny, the pink alicorn, but without success. But then, before midnight, I heard a noise coming from somewhere, and when Spike and I went to the source of the noise, which came to the room with the portal to the Human World, but it was inactive. I'm actually afraid to say, that she may escaped into the human world, before the portal had closed and that we have to wait for 30 moons for it to reopen. I'm sorry, princesses. It seems like, I wasn't able to get her in time..." The princess of friendship was bummed at her failure to reach to Jenny, but Celestia put her hoof on the violet mare's cheek.
"Don't get too upset, Twilight. Perhaps she was so distraught and needs some space to process. And when she comes to Equestria next time, you'll reach her for the necessary help." Celestia warmly smiled and hugged the violet princess, with Luna and Cadence joining in the hug shortly after.
"But for now, we should take a well deserved break from the debacle and concentrate on the upcoming festival." Luna changed the topic and suggested, that they should concentrate on other things. With nods from the other princesses, they exit the castle.
As the princesses inspected the progress, Twilight took the chance to visit her friends, who are currently working on their designated jobs: Rainbow clearing the skies, with the help of several pegasi, Rarity decorating the stage, Applejack working on her apple stand with her family, Pinkie and Cheese doing the entertainment preparations and Fluttershy organising the animals on the singing. It's similar to the first friendship festival, but without any interventions from evil and of course, Twilight being a lot calmer than last time. But there were a few shades of concern in her.
"Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie immediately jumped into a hug with her best friend. "How was the meeting?"
"It actually went quite well. I talked to them about the plans and the last spot was filled." Twilight explained her friends about the meeting.
"It's quite crazy, we're doing another one, just because we made friends with new kind of non-ponies and even ponies from out of space! But you know what, I don't mind, because it lead to more awesome moments!" Rainbow was excited.
"That and Tempest actually wanted to relive the experience, because of...well, you know." Twilight scratched her head. "You know...all of this reminds me of the first Friendship Festival, given with the deja vu. Except this time, there are no form of evil interrupting and me being a lot calmer than back then. In fact, I'm not exactly sure, why I was so nervous back them. Must have been the anxiety of doing this festival for the very first time." Twilight giggled, recalling of the last festival. "But this time, we got this...together!"
"That's the spirit, pardner!" Applejack smiled.
"Yeah! Let's give everypony the best party EVER!!!!" Pinkie gleamed in joy.
"As long, as we have each other..." Fluttershy warmly smiled.
"...we're gonna have an amazing time, darling." Rarity winked with a smile.
"What do we waiting for? Let's get to work!" Rainbow was excited.
"Yeah!" With those words, everypony worked even harder than ever before, ensuring that everything will be better than ever before. At the same time, they meet other ponies and help them out. Dr. Beebles with his apprentice, Honey Hive, several non-ponies like hippogriffs, kirins, griffons, yaks and many more. In fact, Twilight took her time to visit her old friends, Twinkleshine, Minuette, Lemon Hearts and even Moondancer. As time went on, they were so close of being completed. During the inspection, Twilight was suddenly visited by a tall, dark and strong pony with no mane, but wearing sunglasses and a suit. He looks similar to Mr. Black and Mr. White, but as a full pony.
"Are you the princess of friendship?" He asked.
"Yes, I am." Twilight confirmed her status and the tall pony stepping aside, revealing that behind him was a group of four young stallions. A black unicorn, a blue earth pony, a red pegasus and a white unicorn. After a while, they looked at the princess.
"So you are Twilight Sparkle, right? We are Star Time Rush. My name is Stellar Harmony." The red pegasus introduced himself and the band, confirming that they are Star Time Rush.
"It's nice to meet you, Stellar Harmony." Twilight shook hooves with Stellar, but then the black unicorn pushed him aside with a smirk.
"The name's Diamond. Diamond Tune." The unicorn, known as Diamond Tune, introduced himself in a suave and slightly flirty way. "It seems like, I found the Sparkle in the dark, because you shine brighter than anypony else."
That made Twilight speechless, but that's because she was thrown off guard by the black unicorn and his sudden pickup. But before she would say anything, Diamond was pulled away in a magical aura, courtesy of the white unicorn.
"Dude, she's a princess, you shouldn't just barge in! You're gonna set us up for big time trouble!" The white stallion was not happy about Diamond's direct approach.
"Hey! Performing this festival for everyone, including the princesses, is a high tier opportunity, so of course I had to look really beautiful." Diamond showed his face to the stallion, but that resulted in the two bickering...but not for long, as the tall and strong stallion, who is also their bodyguard, lifted them up with all of his strength.
"Okay, Freight Train! I get it!" The white unicorn was afraid.
"Sorry about that. We may be pretty chaotic, but our hearts are in the right place." Stellar apologised to the princess. "Oh! The white unicorn, you see is Rhythm Mind and finally, the blue one is Allegro Crash. We're all best friends, by the way." He then introduced the white and blue stallions to her.
"Sup." Allegro greeted in an excited manner, before looking around. "Wow, this place looks awesome!"
"It sure does." Stellar agreed. Around this time, Rhythm and Diamond were put down, after they stopped fighting each other and went to their friends.
"I'm honestly pretty nervous right now..." Rhythm was anxious abour their performance.
"We all are. But remember, opportunities like these come once in a life time and we have to live to our fullest as much as we can. In other words, go Big Time!" Stellar gave his friends a motivational speech.
"You're right! Plus, it's gonna be really fun meeting new ponies and having a good time all around." Allegro smiled.
"I really appreciate your optimism, guys." Twilight giggled. However, Freight Train was called by the the manager.
"Boys, we should head over to the hotel now, otherwise he will be pissed." Freight Train got the boys' attention to get to the hotel.
"Sorry, your majesty, but we have to go to our hotel to prepare ourselves." Rhythm told the princess of friendship, that they should go.
"'I'll get the best one!" Diamond proclaimed.
"No, I'll get the one!" Allegro protested.
"Race to the hotel!" The boys proclaimed and proceeded to run, but Freight Train followed them, after apologising to Twilight.
"I must say, their friendship is...pretty interesting, but also chaotic...." Twilight scratched her head, feeling quite bamboozled at the level of chaos. But then again, those stallions are younger than her and since this is their first concert in Canterlot, she chalked it up to excitement, but also a little tension, before continuing her inspection. On her way, she talked with PostCrush, witnessed Applejack and Colortaura reuniting and watched the progress, when she saw a group of ponies discussing each other. What caught her attention were three ponies: A pastel blue pegasus wearing glasses and a silver ring necklace, a pastel green earth pony with a shorter and more fragile built and also wearing glasses and a pastel purple unicorn with beautiful mane and the narrowest eye shape, she had ever seen. She compared to the picture, Eugene gave to her and after comparing, Twilight had realized, that those three ponies are in fact the trio from the picture, in other words, the Try Guys have arrived.
"Oh, hey! You must be Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?" The green one saw Twilight and went to her. "I'm Lively Tea and it's been quite an honor to be there."
"It's nice to meet you, Lively Tea. I've heard about you and your friends from the response letter, but I'm quite curious on what you're doing exactly." Twilight answered out of curiosity.
"Glad, that you asked! We try out new things and more, while entertaining the crowd with puns, jokes and all of that shit. Like with food, fun or whatever the hell it could be, because frankly, we keep bringing out new things, while also continuing things, we love. Like with Fine Pride over here, bringing out all things gay and style and Jolly Goodie being a fun comedian, with a love for food." Lively explained.
"I actually have a feeling, that Jolly would be great friends with Pinkie, given that she is all about laughter and deserts." Twilight chuckled, but as if on cue, Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere.
"You called my name?" The peppy mare grinned, before seeing Lively Tea with stars in her eyes, she greeted him with high energy. "HIII!!! I'm Pinkie Pie! It's really nice to meet a new friend!"
"Wow, your energy can rival Jolly at time now." Lively laughed. "Speaking of who, you can meet him and Fine Pride over there-" But Pinkie dashed faster than the green pony could even finish his sentence. Bemused, he followed her, while Twilight watched, as the pink mare met Jolly and Fine for the very first time. Jolly Goodie was happy and excited, while Fine Pride on the other hoof...felt really uncomfortable around her. It became more evident, when Pinkie hugged the two stallions.
"Oh my god...Stop..." The violet unicorn became really, REALLY uncomfortable about the hug. Jolly on the other hand, chuckled.
"Pinkie, you should let them go!" Twilight demanded her friend to let them go, before apologising the stallions.
"Nah, it's okay. I mean, we all do some chaotic fun sometimes. Like the few times, where Fine Pride sat on my lap and I was full of chaotic joy." Jolly took it quite well with a chuckle and reminiscence about the fun time, resulting in Fine Pride just curl up and laugh out of embarrassment.
"Say, if you guys decide to visit Ponyville, I recommend to check out the Sugarcube Corner, where I create delicious treats for everyone, with a big bright smile!" Pinkie jumped and recommended the team.
"That sounds like, I could do a "Eat the Menu" episode there." Jolly responded with a smile, which both he and Pinkie laughed with each other.
After a while of discussing about the plans and so on, the Try Guys left with their team to their hotel, while Twilight and Pinkie stood there.
"Say...what about that last spot? I could bring in someone new to fill in!" Pinkie suggested.
"No need to. I know just a group of ponies, who are capable to do their own wonders." Twilight shot down her suggestion, knowing well, who that group could be, but wanted it to be a surpise.
Meanwhile, in Ponyville...
We see the elemental ponies hanging out near a flower shop. They've been feeling slightly better since the incidents, revolving around them, thanks to supporting friends and their new mentor, Twilight Sparkle. Recently, they were excited for the Friendship Festival, since it'll be a time to take a break and relax from the drama. Everyone....except for Fire and Ocean. Breeze was the first one, noticing the sisters in a blue mood, but quickly understood about why.
"Oh, right....I almost forgot about...that incident...Man, it really sucked..." Breeze felt sorry about the sisters. Her friends shared her feelings, since in retrospect and in hindsight, it was their fault.
"Even if it has been months ago, I still don't dare to step hoof on Canterlot..." Fire sighed, since Canterlot was hell for her.
"I feel you, sister." Ocean put her arm around her little sister, since she also had bad memories about Canterlot as well. But before they could sulking in dread, Trixie overheard the conversation and went to them.
"What's going on?" Trixie asked.
"Nothing, really...Just we're not in the mood of going to Canterlot.." Fire's ears and gaze lowered.
"Is it because of the mistake?" The magician asked.
"No, it's because of preference- Yes, of course, it's because of that fucking dragon mistake!! It's this reason, why I don't even bother going there..." Fire became frustrated about the guilt, she felt, which Trixie can sympathise with her. However, since Twilight forgave her and making friends with Starlight, she became a better pony since.
"Listen, girls. I understand your feelings, since I was in a similar situation. But here's the thing. Running away from the problems is NEVER an option. If you do that, you'll never find any peace and resolve. I know it, Tempest knows it, Princess Luna knows it and you should know it too. Rather than running away, it's best to just, you know...face it head on like making a statement? For example, I did my apology tour as a way to make up for my stupid mistakes." Trixie recalled her feelings, before giving them some advice.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that, when Canterlot hates my ass?" Fire was out of ideas.
"Like I said, just face it and make a statement, that you want to make amends! All you girls need is to muster some courage." Trixie made her point clear. "If that's difficult, it's okay. I can help you."
"That would be nice." Ocean faintly smiled.
"We REALLY use some help right now." Snow sighed. "ESPECIALLY Fire."
"Anyway, I'm about to go to Canterlot right now, since I have to practice my magic for my performance." Trixie explained and was about to leave. "If you want, you can come here too. Although I have to accompany the sisters, in case."
"You know, It wouldn't hurt to check out this place." Breeze shrugged.
"One second!" Fire rushed away from the group and ten seconds later, she came back with a black cloak, which obscured her identity.
"Oh boy....This is going to be harder than I thought..." Snow slowly facepalmed.
"Yep." Trixie agreed and the group left for Canterlot.
Meanwhile, Zizrar was walking around the village, being lost in his own thoughts. He couldn't stop thinking about Iris and Evelynn and how he can solve the issue. He tried to focus on other things like making sure, the men and women are not fighting. And it worked, as slowly but surely, they were slowly getting along. But now, he can't just leave the Evelynn situation hanging any longer. He HAS to act.
"No...I can't hide that any longer! I have to find out!" Now with full determination, Zizrar headed off to the place. Thankfully, he knew about the cottage, where Roy and Amber stayed for a while.
Somewhere in Equestria...
Inside the cottage, Evelynn was still frozen since that fateful day almost a week and everything has been quiet, apart from the occasional birds chirping. It wasn't until Iris entered the cottage and lamented at the sight of the frozen commander.
"Evelynn..." The queen sat down and touched the ice. "I wish, I know, what happened that caused you to be like this...." She then remembered the good times, where they've been training back in Primaia and while the winner kept on changing, they respected each other and their skills. Evelynn was known for being ruthless, but honorable. What happened to her? But before she could sulk in her misery, she was spooked by the sound of the door opening.
"Wow, I didn't expect the queen of the mole people to be squeamish." As Iris heard a voice, she looked at the door, revealing to be Zizrar, who opened it.
"What are you doing here?" Iris asked, masking her sorrows.
"I want answers." The king replied with three simple words, but with a big impact and went to the ice, with the intention of ending the problem. He pulled out a torch, much to Iris' surprise, but he couldn't reach up, due to his height.
"Damn it! I want to thaw her head out!" He was frustrated, before noticing that the Queen looked at him quite awkwardly. "What? I've since become smarter, ever since I started staying in Equestria. Not to mention, this is also the safest method, without getting us killed. Now could you please give me a lift? He needed Iris' help, who after thinking about it for a while, proceeded to pick him up and lift him to Evelynn's head, in which the king used the torch to thaw the ice out. But it took so much time, so he pulled out a thick stick and turned it into a second torch, which sped up the process a bit. After a while, Evelynn's head has been thawed out, but as he got down and the former commander regained consciousness, she began to snarl, which freaked Iris out, but the mole king stayed cool and determined.
"Hello, Evelynn. I've heard a lot about you." The king approached her. "Tell me, what happened, that caused you to be like this?" He asked, but it fell on deaf ears.
"Evelynn...You used to be honorable..." Iris slowly approached her former sparring partner with tears in her eyes. "I thought, the tough exterior came from the pain of having our home planet robbed from evil and that's what everyone had been thinking up until recently....But even with the people being slowly united, I can't stop thinking about you, given that you were the best and we used to be friends..." She put her hand on the commander's cheek, which caused her to pause for a while...until she used her head to slap the queen's hand hard. Seeing Iris in a hurt state cause something inside of him to snap, got up to the ice and slapped Evelynn with a disapproving look on his face.
"Hey, she's trying to help you and this is your response?? Like, what the hell were you thinking!?" He yelled at Evelynn, who had snapped out of her feral state, due to the slap. "It could've been easier, if you just talk about what in the name of Celestia and beyond happened, that caused like this and we could've gone the easy route...but, all you did was hurting those, whom you considered as your fellow brethren, severely hurt Amber and just recently, made Queen Iris sad!!" He pointed at a now hurt Iris. But before Evelynn could respond, the queen ran off sobbing, feeling hurt, which angered Zizrar even more. "Oh, now you just made her cry! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!?" He screamed, but at the last minute, the king got his act together and got off the ice. But before leaving, he looked at the disgraced Evelynn and uttered those chilling words with: "I am seriously disappointed and ashamed of you..."
As he went outside, Zizrar wasted no time to find Iris, which didn't last long, as he found her sobbing near a tree. Without saying a word, he hugged the broken queen and thought of an idea on how to cheer up. The king looked around and saw a beautiful white and pink hibiscus flower. Immediately having an idea, he picked it up and tapped on her shoulder, since she was sitting on the grass, getting her attention.
"It's not much, but I thought, that would cheer you up." Zizrar gave the flower to Iris, whom she accepted the gift.
"Thanks..." Iris put the flower on her hair, but was still in a blue mood.
"Let me tell you something. There's an old saying, that goes like this: When one door closes, another one opens. I've heard that from a fortune cookie back then. Just because Evelynn can't be convinced, doesn't mean, you're an awful friend and queen. Everybody makes mistakes. Hell, I know that WAAAAYY too well." Zizrar made a speech. "But, you have a lot of your people, doing their best, to make you happy, even non moles like Twilight and Snow are helping us. They're always reminding me to always look at the bright side and I think, you should start doing the same." He then came up with an idea to cheer Iris up by playing a game. "Let's play a game, to liften up the spirits."
"What could it be?" Iris was still down about what happened.
"How about Hide and Seek?" Zizrar suggested.
"I think, I played the game a few times, but that was before I went to the army." Iris admitted.
"Then I guess you can relive that experience then. And to make things easier, I'll count and you hide." Zizrar came up with a solution and turned around to count. While he was counting to 10, Iris proceeded to hide somewhere.
After finished up counting, the king turned back and searched for Iris. He looked around trees, bushes, rocks and other areas, until eventually, he found Iris in a small cave. Afterwhich, it's Iris' turn to count and after a while of counting and hiding, she went on to find Zizrar in a Bush next to a river. It went on and on for a while, as they kept switching turns and so on. During this time, the queen slowly felt better and better, as she spent time playing with the little King. Eventually, the game ended with Iris finding Zizrar underneath some bushes and they went to a quiet place, where they witnessed a lot of fireflies flying around.
"You know, I never had something quite peaceful and joyful since the days before the invasion." Iris admitted, while watching the fireflies.
"Hey, it's best to live life to the fullest and make everyday count. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have some fun, you know?" Zizrar smiled and the two watched, as the fireflies flew around in a dazzling spectacle. The fireflies reminded them of the good old times. For Zizrar, it was about, when at one point, he and his men were watching the fireworks from afar, with the sunglasses on, due to how bright they can be. And for Iris, it was the innocent times as a little girl and that she used to stargaze.
And don't worry, the fireflies are small and not that bright enough to burn their eyes. After a while watching the fireflies and then looking at the stars, which at one point, when a shooting star appeared, they immediately made their wishes, they got up and were about to leave, when they heard a scream, filled with anguish.
"Ignore her." Zizrar recognised that from Evelynn and advised Iris, not to go there, much to her dismay, but given that she was yelled at, it's best for everyone to call it a day and recover. After all, they're only a few days left till the celebration and they have to look out for their people.
Canterlot, two days before the festival...
Preparations were under way for everyone involved, including the Mane 6, who were doing their usual duties, while Applejack met Rara again and the others meeting Star Time Rush for the first time.
"So, you were saying, that you had to work yourselves to the top?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yep. In the beginning, we were just four hockey players, but one thing led to another and our manager, Abrasive Blast, made us into a boyband. Mind you, Diamond Tune wanted to be a famous singer and we tried to help him, but because I stood up for my friends, here we are." Stellar chuckled.
"Yeah. I mean, I wanted to be famous, but...I was a bit nervous though. Thank Celestia, my best friends helped me shine through those obstacles." Diamond Tune appreciated, that his best friends became part of his life.
"Plus, being a popstar is really fun!" Allegro smiled.
"It is...unless if you count being yelled by our manager, excessive training, crazy fans, someone trying to sabotage our careers, etc." Rhythm counted some setbacks.
"Geez, that sounds harsh." Rainbow scratched her head.
"We'll manage." The boys shrugged off. It's clear, that they're a lot more outgoing and social than Songbird Serenade. Plus, it doesn't matter, if their stage isn't glamorous. They just wanted to have a fun time on stage. During their exchange, they learn that Allegro has a tendency of being a wildcard, often wearing a helmet, Diamond being a charmer, who at one point, winked at Fluttershy and Rarity, Rhythm being quite smart, but also anxious and that Stellar is doing his best to keep the band together.
"Dogs!! Rehearsal time!!" They heard someone yelling.
"Oh, man..." The boys sighed, recognising the voice as that from their manager, Abrasive Blast. They immediately go there, except for the black unicorn.
"Sorry, ladies. We have to go now. But our performance will be legendary, especially with this handsome face." Diamond Tune gleamed in his beauty, before leaving to follow his friends.
Afterwhich, Applejack returned to her friends to talk about what Colortaura has been up to lately, just as the Try Guys returned to witness Vinyl Scratch checking on her equipment.
"So, you are the Try Guys, huh? Brilliant Diamond heard a few things about you, before telling us about it." Rainbow became curious of the trio.
"Pretty much, unless he mistook us for a different group." Jolly chuckled. "I'm basically the funny food guy, making jokes and being a chaotic goofball. Lively is quite the quirky and lovable one, who also makes a joke or two and then there's Fine. Honestly though, his wardrobe and his presence could intimate anyone, but he has an eye for creativity and is dedicated to the craft, he makes." He then explained, what their personal shtick is
"It's really nice to meet somepony, who has an eye for talent with a brilliant dedication to it!" Rarity was amazed by Fine's dedication to his art, even though she was intimidated by his aura.
"By the way, is my dress ready?" Fine asked, which threw the generous unicorn off guard.
"Wait...so, you're the Fine Pride, who requested this dress?? I thought, it came from a mare...albeit a bigger one." Rarity was dumbfounded.
"You have a problem with that?" Fine looked at Rarity with a slightly annoyed glare.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, anypony can wear whatever they want and I've seen a few stallions wearing dresses. It's just, I had no idea about your identity until now." Rarity made a clarification and apologized about the misunderstanding. "And as for the dress, I have it ready." She used her magic to give the dress to the violet unicorn.
"I'll let it slide this time." Fine answered.
"Hey, guys! Check this out!" Vinyl Scratch showed them a sound test by playing a bass drop and that caused the surroundings to shake. "How was it?" She needed some feedback.
"Uhm, that's sounds good, but could you please tone down the bass a bit? Wouldn't want the stage to collapse at any minute, given that I spent so much time decorating it." Rarity fixed her hair, as the bass drop fizzled it, as she gave Vinyl her feedback.
"Noted." Vinyl kept working on the audio balance.
"Not gonna lie, that sounded like a giant's stomp." Jolly commented on the bass drop, which caused Lively and Fine to laugh with him.
Meanwhile in Canterlot...
Trixie and the elemental ponies have arrived in the town and have been looking around the buildings. While Trixie and Breeze were excited for the spectacle, as the magician will perform some tricks for all ponies to see and the others being happy, that they'll taking a break, there were two ponies, who don't share the enthusiasm: Ocean Spark and her little sister, Fire Jewel, who has obscured her identity even further with the addition of white, high stockings, a mask and sunglasses. Being in Canterlot brought bad memories for the sisters for obvious reasons. As they kept walking, Fire made sure to avoid any eye contact with anyone out of fear of being exposed. As for Ocean, she had seen fearful glares from a few ponies, but other than that, most of them minded their own business.
"It's still haunting to return to Canterlot a few months later after....you know." Ocean sighed, feeling uneasy. But her sister was even more so, by remaining silent.
After a while of walking, they reached the stage, where they marvel at the decorations and other things, this festival will offer.
"Well, I'll be damned." Snow was amazed by the beauty.
"It looks beautiful so far. I honestly can't wait for the festival!" Cherry smiled.
"There you are!" Twilight welcomed them with a smile.
"Sup, princess." Breeze greeted.
"It's nice to meet you again" Snow bowed, flattering the princess of friendship.
However, her expression changed into confusion, as she saw the heavily cloaked pony. "Uhm...who is he or she?" Twilight asked, in which Ocean whispered her answer into her ear, revealing to be Fire Jewel in disguise. In response, the cloaked pony went to Twilight with a worried expression behind the mask and sunglasses.
"Seriously, Twilight. I'm not really sure, if I have the guts to be there. Normally, I'm known to be fiery and confident, but this place scares me." Fire whispered.
"Don't worry. You have amazing friends to support you, no matter what and you have done good things in Ponyville recently." Twilight was confident and proud of Fire's progress.
"Not to mention, you and your friends are slowly improving, so that's a good thing." Spike appeared, having overheard the conversation.
"That's a good point, if it wasn't for that obvious problem." Snow pointed at Fire, hinting them about the Dragon incident.
"I know. We'll figure it out." Twilight acknowledged the incident, before reminding of something. "Follow me." She went with Spike, much to the ponies' confusion, but decided to follow them out of curiosity. After a while, she lead them to the castle grounds and later, into the throne room, where the princesses are waiting.
"Welcome back, Twilight!" Cadence warmly smiled.
"And it seems like, you've brought your students along." Celestia looked at the elemental ponies with a warm smile as well, although she was confused about Fire with her identity being obscured.
"I know your issues, Fire." Luna approached the mare and removed the hood from the cloak, revealing her fiery mane.
"Nah, it's okay." Fire looked away, but Luna knew better.
"Sometimes, it's okay to be vulnerable. It makes you want to change things, despite the obstacles. Speaking from my experience. And I know, that you're currently afraid of facing the past after a long time, but remember. If you don't face the past, you'll be stuck with those negative emotions for a very long time." Luna responded, but the warning scared the mare a bit, so the dark blue alicorn comforted her with a hug.
"Remember, Fire. We're best friends for a long time." Cherry approached her friend.
"And we always got each others' backs!" Breeze smirked.
"And even though our behaviour and actions messed up our connection somewhat, we managed to pull through and picked up the pieces for a new beginning." Tropic added.
"Because at the end of the day, we're all destined to be great friends, hoping for a better future." Snow nodded.
"We're always there for you, sister." Ocean smiled. Their words gave some hope for the red mare.
"Thank you, girls. I honestly wouldn't be there, without you." Fire hugged her friends and her sister, while the alicorns smiled and Spike tearing up with joy. However, Twilight was feeling unsure on how to tell them about Jenny's escape to the Human World.
"Come to think of it...if only Jenny was there, so we can rebuild our friendship. Sure, she fucked things up, but so did we... Our behaviour didn't help much... She was and still is our best friend after all..." Ocean was feeling regretful of the pink mare's absence.
"I know, where she is...but...you have to wait till you can see her." Twilight went on to explain about Jenny escaping into the human world and that they have to wait for 30 moons for the portal to be active. Even then, it has a 24 hour limit for being open.
"30 moons?! Damn..." Breeze lowered her ears.
"Dear God..." Ocean shed a single tear, in which Twilight hugged the blue unicorn. "I'm not sure, if I'll be able to forgive myself for yelling at her back in the forest...." She was shook by the event.
"Same...we were just so shitty to her..." Snow sighed.
This left the alicorns wondering on how they can solve this problem. However, Twilight may have an idea. But she has yet to make an important announcement.
"Girls? There is something, I want to say." She turned her attention to the mares.
"What is it?" Snow was confused and so were her friends.
"Well... recently, there is one spot left for performers and I've been wondering about who will take the place. Well, I have since decided on which ponies will perform their magical spectacle, if you know, what I mean." The princess of friendship explained.
"Uhm....I don't get it." Cherry scratched her head and the others were equally as confused as her. That was...until a light bulb moment occured in Ocean.
"Hold up....you don't mean.." Ocean put two and two together.
"What?" Tropic didn't get it.
"Girls, remember the time in Ponyville, when we saw Breeze and Rainbow breaking the sound barrier and later joining in with our magic." Ocean recounted.
"Oh shit! I remember! So, does that mean....we're chosen to be performers on stage?!" Snow just realized and asked Twilight for confirmation, if which she and the other princesses nodded in response.
"Bro, this must been the craziest moment of my life...well, along with other crazy moments, I can think of." Breeze's mind was blown.
"No shit." Cherry agreed.
But that announcement would make Fire even more anxious than ever. Being chosen to be on stage in front of ponies and non-ponies, with some of them being from Canterlot, whom she really felt the most vulnerable, caused her heart to race so fast, she couldn't even think straight.
"What's the matter, Fire?" Celestia asked.
"Do I really have to be on stage?? In front of everypony??" Fire responded with a twitching eye.
"Easy, little pony." Luna comforted the red mare with a hug. "We'll figure it out."
Unknown Forest, the night before the Friendship Festival
After some time has passed, Zizrar returned to the cottage, Roy and Amber had built. He had a feeling, that there was still some unresolved problems to deal with and to visit Evelynn. When he entered the cottage, he saw that the ice has been fully melted by the torches, which were put with makeshift holders, which meant the former commander has been freed from her ice prison. But she's currently sitting on the ground, hugging her knees tight and her face buried on them.
"Hey...How are you doing?" Zizrar sat beside her, but she wouldn't respond to his question, out of guilt and sorrow. So, the mole king had to think of something to make her break out of her shell. He sighed, stood up and went to her, to speak with her, even though he couldn't see her face.
"Listen. I know, that you've been feeling crushed after the whole debacle with you and your people, especially Amber. And I can understand that. I have a friend, who's been feeling the same way. His name is Brain Freezer and he too let his extreme emotions get the better of him all the time and It result in severe damage and chaos. But as he realized his mistakes, he was and still is slowly learning on how to be better. But he's not the only one feeling that way, as Snow Emerald also had a similar experience. But it was a result of multiple betrayals in her life, that made her cold and distrusting towards others. But eventually, with help of her friends, she managed to slowly get out of the shadows and learning to be better as well." Zizrar recounted the stories of Brain Freezer and Snow Emerald and their mistakes and eventual redemption as examples on something, he wants to say. He put his hand on Evelynn's shoulder and continued with: " What I'm saying is, it's never too late to change your ways and become better. I'm pretty sure, your heart is saying the same way."
But then that tender moment was interrupted, when the king smelled a burnt scent and as he looked back, his King's coat has been catching fire, due to him being unknowingly too close to one of the torches. Immediately, he got it off and tried to put the fire off. He managed to stop the flames, but that left the coat to be singed.
"Oh, that was my favourite coat!!" Zizrar was understandably frustrated at the damage, but before he could yell more, he was grabbed by Evelynn, whom she finally showed him her sorrowful face. Apparently, Snow's story had caught her attention.
"Is there something, you want to say?" He looked at the vulnerable woman, which after a while of silence, finally broke it by revealing a story.
"Yes....It's something, I buried it deep into my head a long time ago and didn't tell the others, out of paranoia...So...remember the invasion in Primaia? I was helping Iris on evacuating the people to several escape pods, when one of my sisters remined me of my family, who were trapped inside the burning house. Feeling alarmed, I went there, tearing down debris and fighting through the flames until I reunited with my mom and my other sister. After a while, we tried to get out of here, when the unthinkable happened....Shadow ponies have ambushed us and I saw my sister, Eris just standing there. I called her name, asking for help, but she didn't respond. Instead, she grabbed my mom, looked at her with the coldest stare, I've ever seen and as me and my other sister, Kryssa were held captive by those monsters, we were forced to watch Eris execute our mom in cold blood and stole her necklace. It became clear, that she betrayed us for those Shadow Ponies....But as we get taken into a ship, Kryssa saw an opening and attempted to fight off those creatures, while freeing me. Knowing, that she wouldn't survive, she yelled at me to run as fast as I could and never come back. I was hesitant as first, since she was and always has been, the best sister, but she insisted, telling that I have to live. With no other option, I did, what she said and ran off the burning house, feeling severely betrayed, hurt and pissed. However, one of the mole women, named Nara, noticed me and informed Iris about my whereabouts. Afterwhich, we escaped Primaia into the parts unknown, until we reached at a planet, housing a land, named Equestria. As we hid underground from anyone, the pain and anguish fueled my flames of negativity and began distancing myself from anyone, out of fear, but that cost my sanity. Despite all of this, I've seen my people as family, even Amber, despite my rough exterior. But then she left, which caused something inside of me to snap. I literally had no idea, why....but I'm not really sure, if I'll be able to get out of this hell, I created...." She lowered her head, after explaining her story. "As a matter of fact, the only thing, I deserve, is death... Go on....kill me..."
The revelation threw the mole king off guard. He knew Snow's story of betrayal, but Evelynn's was much, much worse. Being betrayed by a friend is one thing, but being betrayed by your own sibling and witnessing them to kill your parent, is a whole new level of pain. Sure, what she did was terrible, but her story gave him a new perspective and context. Despite of the revelation, Zizrar refused to kill Evelynn and instead hugged her.
"Why?....I am beyond any point of redemption...." Evelynn was surprised, but feeling hopeless.
"Don't say that! You're not a terrible person. You just made a mistake. That's all. I'm no stranger to mistakes as well, but even then, I eventually found my way of redemption, with the help of friends, I've made in Equestria. You should do it too. Just because you made a mistake like this, doesn't mean your life is over. As one popstar from one TV show said: "Everybody makes mistakes. Nobody's perfect." I said that to Iris and she considered it. So, what do you say? Are you willing to shake off those demons and start over with a clean slate?" Zizrar reached his hand out. At first, Evelynn hesitated a bit, as her actions and the consequences made her entirely miserable, but something inside of her heart told her to take action, so after a while, she took his hand, but also pulled him into a hug. It seems like, she saw Zizrar as a father. As a response, he smiled and hugged back.
"The thing is, Iris has no idea about my inner struggle with my demons..." Evelynn admitted.
"Until now..."
That voice came from Iris, whom she decided to visit Evelynn. She overheard the entire conversation as a result of it.
"Queen Iris!" Evelynn was surprised by the queen's appearance and bowed down. "I'm truly sorry for what I've done to Amber... My demons and emotions made me snap, as I was afraid of being betrayed again..."
"Actually....I'm the one, who should be apologising. We all had no idea about the consequences of our actions. I had no idea about Calypso's promise until Amber left and while I felt really guilty about it, Zizrar and his people and friends showed all of us, that there is a different way to find redemption and solace." Iris admitted. "It was OUR fault for not being transparent about the issues. Not realising, that Amber is much more important, than we thought, due to our pride and time being cruel..."
"Just to let you know, Amber is a princess." Zizrar added some clarification, which shocked Evelynn. She had unknownly harmed a princess, which made her feel even more miserable. Thankfully, Zizrar hugged her once again, to comfort her. Seeing this made Iris join in and Evelynn staring to sob quietly, letting the remaining bit of her sadness out.
"There, there...Everything will be okay." Zizrar comforted the broken commander, before turning his attention to Iris. After a while, the sobbing stopped.
"Hey...the Friendship Festival is tomorrow and it would be a good time for a break. What do you say?" Iris asked.
"I'm honestly not sure..." Evelynn answered.
"Hey. We're here for you and if you have something in your mind, tell us." Zizrar showed his fatherly side to Evelynn.
"I guess, I can join....But I'm not, what the others will say. Especially Amber..." The commander was concerned.
"We'll help you apologise to them." Iris smiled, giving her friend some much needed hope. After a while, the mole people left the cottage, with Evelynn holding Iris' and Zizrar's hands.
Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Castle...
In the middle of the night, Fire Jewel was on her way to the bathroom to wash her face. But on her way, she heard angry voices in her head, along with the growls of a dragon. As she reached the sink, she turned the water on and looked at the mirror, only to see the fire dragon in her reflection, spooking her. Immediately, the red mare proceeded to wash her face multiple times and turning off the sink, but as she pondered at her own reflection, the dragon flashed in front of her once again.
"No..." Fire was horrified until the voices in her head became louder and more unbearable to her. Memories of her punishment in Canterlot, of her being ridiculed and belittled by the people and almost getting killed by a crazed pony, was driving her crazy...
"GO AWAY!!!" Feeling Critical, Fire punched the mirror into pieces and curled up into a ball. But then, she started hyperventilating and gasping for air. Thankfully, a male bat pony, who is working as a night guard, heard the commotion and went there, only to see the red mare gasping for air.
"Hey! Are you okay??" He immediately rushed to the mare, who was having a panic attack. "Hey! Easy there! Take a deep breath." He coached her to take a deep breath and continued to do so. After some fast breath, her breathing finally slowed down. He looked at the shards and was confused. "What happened?" He asked Fire about it.
"I....I..." Fire was struggling answer, when Ocean suddenly appeared.
"Fire, what's going on?!" The blue mare immediately rushed to her sister.
"She had a panic attack." The guard reported.
"Is it because of-" Ocean was about to tell her about the incident, when she was interrupted.
"YES, IT IS BECAUSE OF THAT DAMN INCIDENT!!" The red mare screamed.
"Calm down, ma'am! What incident!?" The confused bat pony wanted answered.
"Oh...It seems like, you're new to the situation, we're dealing with. Don't worry... I can explain." Ocean answered and proceeded to tell him everything. The dragon incident, the drama between friends, the paranoia, the Shadow Galaxy incident, EVERYTHING.
"I see... And you've been trying to restore on what's left on your friendship with the others and the relationship with you two." The guard slowly understood the entire story.
"But the problem is, Fire's Canterlot experience was so awful, she wouldn't even dare to step a single hoof in it, without freaking out or even worse." Ocean sighed.
"I see... Listen, Fire. As much as I understand your concern and I do feel sorry for what happened to you, what you're doing is running away from the past. It NEVER leads to something good and would haunt you for all eternity." He warned the red mare about what she is doing.
"Isn't it, what Princess Luna told me earlier?" Fire asked.
"Exactly. Like you want those nightmares to end, do you?" The guard asked a very important question.
"Of course, I do!" Fire answered.
"Then you should face it head on. Make a statement, take action and forge a new road of redemption! You just need to gather some courage." The bat stallion gave her and Ocean some motivational advice for them to consider.
"That's what me and my friends have been doing recently." Ocean nodded, before turning her attention to her younger sister. "And as for you, I know, you're scared. But remember, your friends and I are always here for you." She hugged the red mare for comfort.
"I know...." Fire lowered her ears and hugged back. "I'm tired of living in the shadows for so damn long and being plagued by my demons....I want to change that...No...I want to face It head on like a warrior!" The red mare stood up.
"There you go." The guard nodded with a smile.
"Oh and...sorry for breaking the mirror. I was haunted by my past." The red mare apologized.
"Don't be sorry, lady. Be better." The guard replied, leaving Fire more motivated to make amends.
"Come on, sister. We have to go back to sleep." With Ocean's words, the sisters went back to their room to sleep, while the guard continued his duty.
Canterlot - The day of the Friendship Festival
It's showtime! The Friendship Festival is about to begin and every pony and non pony entered the town for a good time. Kirins, changelings, dragons, griffons, hippogriffs and many, many more have joined for the festival as a symbol on how much Equestria has grown. One group of Kirins, lead by Autumn Blaze, headed to the court.
"This is soooooooo exciting!!! This is my first time, I visit this festival and I can't wait for meeting new people and sing songs!" Autumn gleamed in excitement.
"Easy there, Autumn. The festivities haven't started yet." A female kirin calmed the excited friend down.
"But we can check the stands in the meantime, like the apple stand over here." A male kirin pointed at the stand, occupied by the apple family, but when Autumn saw a particular, orange mare, her eyes dilated.
"HI, APPLEJACK!!" She ran to the stand to meet her friend, even if it means cutting the line. "It's been a long time, since we last met, isn't it?" She brightly smiled.
"Howdy there, Autumn! Though next time, be more patient. There are a large line of ponies waiting here." Applejack pointed out the line of angry ponies.
"Oh. Sorry. I'm just so excited to be in this festival and meeting you again." The kirin chuckled.
"It's okay, pardner. Just keep that into consideration, okay?" Applejack giggled.
"Got it!" Autumn nodded and went at the start of the line, leaving the other kirins being slightly annoyed, but bemused by her antics.
Other notable sights include the hippogriffs talking with other kirins for the first time, the Student Six tasting some honey treats, Dr. Beebles and his students prepared, Sissy and Missy playing a game, Jillian meeting some likeminded ponies, Fluttershy, Angel and the Penguins helping out with the birds, the beautiful ice sculptures, Brain Freezer and Snow Emerald made and several ponies and non ponies having a good time. Two of which were a lilac pegasus and a beige unicorn having a good time.
During this time, Johnny, Dukey and their family had just arrived at the courtyard.
"This festival is quite lovely, isn't it?" Sweet Serenity smiled, admiring the beauty of the festival.
"It sure does. But nopony can be as lovely as you, sweetie." High Velocity smiled at his wife and kissed her, much to the annoyance of both Johnny and Cosmic Blaze.
"Dude, stop!" Johnny shielded his eyes.
"Mom, dad! Stop!" Cosmic was embarrassed.
"Wait, you too, Cosmic?" Johnny was surprised by his little brother sharing the same opinion as him.
"Really goes to show, that you guys are too young and inexperienced about love. I mean, I also share the same statement as you two, it's just....well, it's complex to say the least." Dukey scratched his head.
"Hey, Cosmic!" The family heard a voice coming from Spring Gale and his parents, who were also visiting the festival.
"Hi, Spring! Are you also here for the party?" Cosmic was excited to see his friend again.
"You bet, buddy!" Spring jumped in excitement.
"You must been Cosmic's parents, right? Spring has told us a lot about you and your children." The kind earth pony mare greeted the couple.
"It sure does." High Velocity smiled, seeing his son hanging out with Spring.
"I just want to thank you for giving him a better home." Sweet thanked them.
"It's nothing. After hearing his story, we knew, we had to take care of him." The unicorn stallion smiled, before introducing himself and his partner. "My name is Picture Snap and this my fiancée, Iridescent Dawn."
"I'm High Velocity and this is my wife, Sweet Serenity. You already known my son, Cosmic Blaze, but those two ponies are our adoptive sons, Radiant Thunder and Coffee Paw." The neon stallion introduced himself and his family to the couple.
"You've been adopted as well?" Iridescent Dawn was surprised by the fact.
"Yep. For a very long time." Dukey answered with a chuckle.
"And man, it was the best decision, since they treated me sooooooo much better than the last one." Johnny commented.
"It shows." Picture Snap chuckled.
"Hey, guys!" Another voice can be heard. This time, it came from Golden Heart and her mother, whom they were also visiting the festival. "You are also here too, huh?" The silver filly smiled.
"You bet, Golden!" Cosmic responded.
"Easy there, kids. The festival hasn't started yet." Golden's mother calmed the kids down.
"That's the thing. We were about to go to the stage for the announcement and performances." High Velocity stated.
"Same here. Hey, why not going there together?" Iridescent Dawn asked.
"Sure, that would be great." Sweet agreed and so did Golden's mom and the dads and the group of families were on their way to the stage. On their way, Johnny and Dukey met with Eugene, the men in Black, the General, Mr. Harm with a group of filles and colts for a class trip, along with Cherilee, Gil with his new friends of ponies, a dragon and a griffon and later, Sissy and Missy, whome they finished the game and all of them were on their way to the stage. They also met the mole people and meet the women for the first time.
"It's so crazy, that we're meeting mole girls from out of space." Johnny commented.
"Our culture and stories are much crazier, trust me." A mole woman, named Carissa, chuckled in response.
Every pony and non pony have gathered for the opening announcement. Even Tempest Shadow, Grubber and the reformed Storm Creatures, Captain Celaeno and her crew, Capper, Queen Novo and Princess Skystar were there to attend the second festival. After a while of waiting, they heard the horns, as the princesses finally appeared.
"Citizens of Equestria and beyond! We're all gathered to celebrate a new era of friendship!" Princess Celestia introduced the festival to everyone.
"Recently, there has been great progress made of friendships. It's not just limited to Equestria and our world, as ponies and non-ponies from different dimensions and even from different galaxies arrived and made friends with our people." Princess Luna continued.
"And as the months go on, despite some setbacks, friendship and love continued to blossom, thanks to the new development, while also getting introduced to their cultures and stories." Princess Cadence smiled.
"And their stories caused a big impact to our lives, etching them in history books for all eternity. We couldn't be any happier with this new era of Equestria, we're ushering in. So...without further ado, in the name of the Sun and the moon, love and friendship and all things positive, let the festivities-" Twilight was about to finish the speech, when her microphone was taken away from her, being in a orange aura. That actually came from Fire Jewel herself, who is on stage.
"Hey! It's that fire demon again!" Someone from Canterlot noticed and soon, some of them booed at the sight of the red mare, who was getting even more anxious. The bad memories have returned and was about to break, when all of a sudden...
"Hey! Leave her alone!!"
That voice silenced the crowd and it came from Ocean Spark, who came to the stage with her friends to defend her sister.
"Seriously. What is up with you and constantly harassing her, just to make yourselves feel better?! Do you guys feel no shame??" Cherry called them out, feeling tired of her friend being verbally attacked. But that didn't stop the angry ponies from protesting.
"EVERYONE, SHUT UP!!!!!" Snow screamed at the crowd, silencing them indefinitely. "Thank you." She lowered her voice.
Seeing her sister and friends defending her, gave Fire even more hope and remembering the words from Luna and the bat pony, coupled with a smile from the moon princess herself, she took a deep breath and put the microphone close to her. "Before we start with the party, there is something, I want to get it out and address even further."
"Something, WE have to get it out. Because we got this...together." Ocean corrected and after looking at the princesses, they were given with five more microphones to make their official statement.
"I'm pretty sure, you guys are aware of our actions, which lead to my dragon form nearly burning Cantelot to the ground and by extention, Shadow Galaxy invading Ponyville. I know, that you have a lot of questions....So...we're gonna give you a timeline of what happened, along with a public apology later on." Fire opened her statement and letting one of her friends to continue.
"But first, some background info. We actually come from different planets in a galaxy far, far away from yours. Our galaxy had been in war against a nefarious warlord and conqueror, Shadow Nebula. In ancient times, there were seven powerful sorcerers with orbs, called the elemental orbs, able to defeat and seal her for a very long time, until the seal has weakened, allowing her to return. The seven sorcerers put those orbs in a temple called "The Temple of Order" and put a protection spell on them. Fast forwards a lot of years and the elemental orbs had been drifting in space, until they sensed and chose seven special ponies with divine elemental power. Those ponies are us, along with another one. A pink alicorn named Jenny." Snow added some history to their galaxy and the orbs.
"A divine pony, named Galaxy Shine, who was Jenny's mom in a higher level of existence, have warned us about Shadow Nebula's return, after me, Jenny, Fire, Cherry, Snow and Breeze have gathered in Shima and thus started a very long adventure, full of danger, trials and tribulations. But during our decade long adventure, due to the orbs heavily slowed down our aging process, we grew closer and closer and became best friends." Tropic explained about their start of a long adventure and how they grew to be best friends.
"Eventually...I was part of it. At first, I was seriously bitter, thinking that Fire had killed my parents and had followed Shadow Nebula's orders to destroy them. During many of our battles, I used my water powers to best them in combat and in one occasion, actually defeated them. But later, Fire, with the truth of Nebula being the true murderer and the knowledge, that we're long lost sisters, approached me and after a long battle, she won. As she wouldn't bring herself to kill me and me not being able to do the same either, I apologised to her and slowly but surely, redeemed myself and eventually joining the team." Ocean added her story of blind revenge and redemption.
"Eventually, after a long and arduous battle, the Luminous 7 were finally able to destroy Shadow Nebula for good with the power of the elements and friendship, which created a very powerful convergence, similar to those, which defeated Shadow Galaxy in Ponyville. We went on to be immortalised in history books around the universe and decided to go to Equestria for a much deserved break....but we had no idea about the Storm, that was about to brew among us..." Breeze sighed.
"We had no idea, what caused Jenny to be on high alert and being distrustful towards new ponies. Either she sensed a new kind of evil in this place or something else. Whatever it may be, settling in Equestria started off really rocky. But as I saw some couples abusing their kids, I got terrible flashbacks of my own childhood, where my stepmother abused me...I had to take action to protect the kids, but....looking back, I was so damn immature and too lost in my own emotions...." Fire recounted the start of their troubles.
"I only wanted to keep an eye on my sister, due to what happened in Xeon, where she transformed into a fire dragon and, after losing herself in her rage, causing damage to the cities. I wanted to prevent another Xeon disaster here, but....in hindsight, the execution was terrible to say the least...." Ocean lowered her ears, while explaining the reason.
"In fact, the whole plan literally fell apart outside the Ponyville Hospital, when we stood against Fire and Tropic. One thing left to another, which lead to our natural imprisonment, arguments occured left and right and our immaturity caused the split and eventual end to our group. And it only got worse with the dragon incident, which severely crushed our spirits. And we wouldn't be there and left the planet out of shame...if it wasn't for Twilight Sparkle and her friends. They showed us about the importance of friendship and mental solace. They were here, when there were no other way, they guided us to where we are and that's something, we're really grateful for." Cherry explained the Storm of negativity, which lead to so much dissaray and Discord, which where slowly solved with the help of their newfound friends.
"However...there was also Jenny, who after being left alone for a while, let her negative emotions got the better of her, which allowed a dark force to take over her body and turning her into a wicked pony, known as Shadow Galaxy. That dark force was caused by Shadow Nebula herself, when she used her magic to corrupt her during her captivity. That dark side caused so much strife for us, that we're still figuring out on how to dispell that evil side permanently, but without any sign of success, as this force was so persistent and difficult to deal with. The only time, it really rested, is when Jenny dealt with it in a mental battle inside of her subconscious mind. And it seemed like, she conquered the dark side for a long time....but the drama caused Shadow Galaxy to return and spread havoc in Ponyville..." Tropic sighed.
"Fire and Ocean were unavailable at that point in time, since Luna and Tempest had released them and took them to where the hell they were, I was injured by the fight and before that, had to deal with mole women and later, Snow was getting even more outraged and distrusting, until Brain Freezer had to call her out and knock some sense to her. What's worse about it, due to their actions, the fire and water orbs got shattered. So, my friends had to face against Shadow Galaxy on their own. Even when they got help, she overwhelmed them and was about to defeat them, when Fire, Ocean and Snow returned from their absence. And thank God, they were back." Breeze recounted on the Shadow Galaxy incident.
"My sister and I were taught about redemption and the importance of friendship and bonds by Princess Luna, Tempest Shadow and later Trixie Lulamoon. As time went on, we learned more and more about those topics and took action to slowly end our nightmares and restoring our relationship and friendships with them, until that particular day, when we were ready to face It. At first, it was nearly impossible, until the fire and water orbs have been magically restored due to our redemption and got our powers back. After a long battle, in which me, Fire, our friends and even Twilight and her group teamed up and combined our skills and wits to weaken her, we performed a magical convergence between the magic of the elements and the magic of friendship, defeating the dark pony once and for all...even though it only suppressed her as always, as we still have no idea on how to purge that force out of Jenny. Speaking of Jenny, the magic cleansed her from the influence, but feeling guilty of her actions and our behaviour not doing anything better, she teleported away, with her now being in the Human world, which is currently not open until 30 moons later." Ocean explained about her and Fire's redemption arc and the defeat of Shadow Galaxy.
"Look, I get that there are still some unresolved questions and we wished to go further, but there are some things, we have to consider, as we're currently go through everything. And for those, who keep on harassing Fire, knock that shit off! I'm pretty sure, everyone has made a mistake in their lives at some point! That includes me, whose fear of betrayal and pain had fanned the flames even more." Snow lowered her head.
"I don't know, if we can fully articulate from the pain, we're currently feeling right now. Our pride and arrogance had costed a lifelong freindship, we've built for many years...We...We lost a friend, a leader, that we can count to, someone who has changed our lives for the better. It's weird and we're really sorry for dragging you into our personal dilemma..." Tropic apologised.
"Things will change. But, we hope that through the dark times, there will be a chance to grow and become better ponies for a better future. We're slowly improving, as time went on and made some progress. I mean, I was vital on saving Ponyville with a renewed confidence." Fire scratched her head. "So, in conclusion..."
"We're really sorry for our actions." The six ponies bowed down, while issuing their public apology.
"We hope, that you can understand, that nopony's perfect and that there's always a chance for redemption." Fire concluded the speech. "And we hope, we have cleared enough things up. If not, you can ask us anytime and we'll give you more information."
At first, the crowd was purely silent, which gave them a bad impression, that their apology didn't work, since some ponies are quite tricky to be convinced. Even when the dragon incident happened a few months ago. But before they can leave the stage, they heard a clap from Tempest....followed by Grubber, then Johnny and Dukey, then Trixie, then Brain Freezer as well as Sissy and Missy, followed by the men in Black and Dr. Beebles and slowly, more and more of the crowed clapped with them until eventually, they were given a big applause for their transparency and maturity. Even the princesses applauded for them.
"You did it, girls! You managed to bravely stand up and make amends in front of everypony! I'm so proud of you." Twilight congratulated the elemental ponies with a hug. The group were finally relieved, as a big weight around them has lifted. Especially Fire, who she finally felt the Sweet and serene peace, after months of mental discord and finally regained her full confidence.
"Wait a minute!"
They heard a voice from behind, revealing to be Zizrar, who's with Iris and Evelynn the entire time.
"Evelynn?!" The mole women were surprised by her return.
"Go on. Tell them." Iris smiled at her friend, encouraging her to come forward.
"What are you doing here?!" Roy was not happy to see Evelynn again.
"I know, you're still mad at me for hurting Amber and I get that. But please...hear me out..." Evelynn responded, before clearing her throat. "I'm truly sorry for what I've done. I was so caught up with the past and my emotions, that I forgot about my consequences until it was too late. You may be asking, what past? Well...during the Primaia invasion, my sister, Eris betrayed me and Kryssa and even worse, killed my mom in cold blood, revealing to be working for the invaders. But even when Kryssa managed to get me out of here and escaping the planet, the betrayal had seared into my heart and soul so bad, that I've became distrustful, rough, persistent, prideful and angry all the time. I hid my pain through my tough exterior, as I kept on training and even when I became Iris's commander, the pain and anger was still there. It wasn't until I hurt Amber and Zizrar calling me out of my behaviour, that I finally got back to my senses and realized about the consequences, my behaviour and actions have brought. At first, I was feeling hopeless with death being the only release, but Zizrar showed me another way, that doesn't end in my death. One filled with hope, friendship and courage. In other words, he gave me an offer of redemption, which I gladly accepted. Now, I'm trying my best to become better, even there are some doubt. But I'm not giving up. As long as I have a loving family, there will be a good future." She offered everyone a big apology on her own. Hearing Evelynn's story had confirmed Snow's suspicion of feeling betrayed.
"You're not the only one, who had been betrayed in the past. I know that issue too well, since I was in that situation multiple times, except it came from those so called "friends", I had the closest connection to. So, let's make a promise. I'll help you overcome your darkest fears, just like somepony did that to me." Snow hugged Evelynn with a warm smile.
"Thank you...but I'm not sure, if I have the courage to tell Amber about it..." Evelynn was worried, when they heard a familiar voice.
"No need to, Evelynn."
The commander gasped at the voice, which revealed to be Amber, who came out of the crowd.
"Amber! I'm really sorry for nearly killing you..." Evelynn was in tears, feeling regretful of her actions. "I was....not feeling myself on that day, feeling consumed by my own demons and-" before she could finish her sentence, Amber hugged her. "But...but why?" The short-haired mole woman was left speechless.
"Simple...Despite your stern behaviour and the trauma, you're like a big sister to me. I never gave up hope on you, because I always had a feeling, that you cared for me in your own way. I mean, you helped me fix my braid at one point." Amber smiled.
"What?!?" Roy was shocked.
"Roy...please hear me out." Amber looked at Roy, before turning her attention back to Evelynn. "I know, things have been really rough, But I was never mad at you. In fact, I was concerned. Concerned on what's happening to you. And now that I heard abour your past, I feel really sorry for you and understand, why you were like this."
"I understand." Evelynn wiped her tears away."it's just....I want to set things right. Restoring on what's left and becoming better. So...what do you say. Should we start over with a clean slate, Princess Amber?" She bowed down in front of the shy woman, which shocked everyone, since they had no idea, that Amber is a princess until now. Regardless, Amber accepted the offer, while Zizrar and Iris were proud of them.
"Awwww!" The crowd were touched.
"Well, looks like, there is a happy ending after all." Cherry smiled.
"It sure does, man. It sure does." Breeze nodded. It was, when the Try Guys approached the elemental mares.
"You know, the way, you girls handled the apology surely reminded us of a dark time, where we also had to make a statement like this and restructuring our company and group for the better." Jolly commented.
"What happened?" Ocean asked, in which they told them about the event, that threw them off guard in a bad way.
"Oh my God..." Tropic was shocked. "I'm truly sorry for what happened to you."
"We all are." Fire corrected, feeling bad for them.
"But we've since moved on from that shitty time and became better." Fine was happy about their independence and emancipation.
"That's actually good." Snow nodded.
"Anyway, when will the party start?" Lively asked.
"Oh! Twilight, if I may?" Fire asked Twilight for her permission.
"Of course, Fire. You have my permission." The princess of friendship nodded.
"You have all of our permission, Fire." Princess Cadence smiled.
"Sooooo...With the nightmares being finally gone and everything being alright again, are you guys ready?" Fire smirked and asked the crowd, in which they cheered. "I can't hear you! Are you ready?" The question made the crowd cheer even louder.
"Then let the party begin!" Fire used her magic to light up the torches, signaling the beginning of the festival and a good time. Everybody cheered, as the elemental ponies were now excited for their upcoming performance and having the best time of their lives, even though Jenny wouldn't be present.
Sunset's Apartment, Human World
We see the fiery teenager packing her stuff, as she and her friends were about to go on a vacation to a different place. As much as she's excited for it, since that would meen good times together and even performing for a crowd, she knew that, she needed someone to watch over her stuff.
"Alright, everything's settled." She picked up her suitcases and went to the door, where Starlight was waiting with money, she earned from her new part time job. "How's your new job, Starlight?" She asked to her friend.
"It actually went quite well." Starlight replied. "So....you're going away with your friends today for a while, right?"
"Yeah. We taking a little vacation there to relax and take things off from our mind before our final tests next year. And since you've been watching over my apartment and my stuff, you do realise, what you should do." Sunset told to Starlight about her duties as a housesitter.
"I know, I know. Don't touch your personal stuff and taking care of Ray." Starlight already understood the rules, causing Sunset to chucke a bit.
"I know, I can count on you." Sunset smiled, before giving spare keys to the apartment complex, the mail box and the apartment itself to her best friend. "Take care, Starlight!" She said goodbye, as she left her apartment to join her friends below. After a while, Starlight opened the window, seeing her friends.
"Hope, you girls have a good time!" Starlight waved, as the girls smiled, when they entered into a limo cab, which Rarity paid for transport and drove off to the airport. Afterwhich, she went to the living room and picked up the heart necklace, wondering about the possibility on who the owner could be. Didn't help, that she was still worried about Susan and Mary, who were still in a coma. She had visited the hospital once more before Sunset left, only to hear nothing from them. But at least she gave them some gifts and flowers, before leaving.
"I wish, they could finally wake up, so I can talk to them...." Starlight sighed and sat down, feeling concerned about their health and if they would ever wake up. But regardless, she had to keep praying for a miracle, so she got on her phone, which was a gift from Rarity, to browse on the Internet.
To be continued...
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I do Johnny's sisters wake up and realize that they were not nice to him and they should have been there for him instead using as guinea pig just so they can get a dumb but good looking boy. That guy was so dumb that the villains would have made better dates. As for the parents I hope that they are realizing their mistakes especially the father who seem to think nothing of Johnny well being just because he expects to be obey perfectly without getting the whole story and he didn't have the right just to get rid of the family pet without talking with the family.
Honestly though how much of their actions were theirs during the nightmare arc really? At this point I am more interested in the EQG parts than the Equestria ones.
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Good news for you, Act 2 will be mostly EQG focused.
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The reason I want to see more on EQG is because I see the sisters as like Trixie and the alicorn amulet because in the show while they experimented on Johnny they did care about him at the end of the day so I question how much of their actions were done of their free will similar to Trixie
Hey! I love this story so far. When will you get a chance to finish it and I'm looking foward to see Brain Freezer win Show's heart!