Pokemon Alola Journey - Trials of Sarah: Journey for the Royal Family Arc 1 - MLP: A New Generation

by Zipp Storm

Glowin' Up

Later that night, Sunny and her friends are all putting their plan to take the Wings of Loyalty into action, being in position behind Queen Haven's throne and in anticipation of the upcoming show. Nikki and James, in the meantime, managed to gather their family, Sugarcake, Siren, and Sugarcoat into the alleyway Zipp mentioned to them and they braced themselves for what was about to come later on. It was a major gamble for all of them to make in order to take that next big step to restore Equestria and bring back the lost friendships and love between the ponies, Pokemon, and dragons, especially with the stakes by their knowing of Scarlet Nightmare and the possibility that she's responsible for the world being in such strife.

Upon the perch from the throne room, Zipp was leaning against the railings along with her mother and little sister, who came to see her before the show would begin soon. She could only hope that their plan would be foolproof enough that'll allow them and herself to "borrow" the Wings of Loyalty for the sake of restoring their homeland and bring back their extended family and Pokemon friends.

"I've heard you've been visiting our guests, child," Queen Haven began as she was powdering herself to spruce up her appearance.

"Huh? Pipp told you about that?" she gawked in shock at her.

"Oh, you know she tells me everything. Never one to miss a trick when it comes to you and how much of a rebel you are. Honestly, I wish you would tell me more about your insecurities and your ideas for the future. You're going to be queen one day and your sister long after depending on what you do to further propel us to prosperity and happiness. You'll wear this crown one day when I step down. And, trust me, this thing is much, much heavier than it looks."

"Actually, Mom, there's something I want to tell you and Pipp that's really important," Zipp began, frowning towards her mother as she explained. "The Unicorns, they don't have any magic. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I think it's tied to the fact that we can't fly for some-"

"Zephyrina! Where did you get such an idea?! Oh, I just don't know what I'm going to do with you, young mare!" groaned an aghast and shocked Queen Haven as she turned to her eldest daughter.

"I don't know what kind of foolish things those Unicorns have been putting into your head since they came here but you must remember that we have a duty to protect our citizens. The Pegasi are all happy enough knowing that we royals can fly and they can't. Why would you ever want to disrupt things as a result of your careless behavior even if it's for the best?"

"It's a lie, I don't want to live it anymore! What would be the point of it all?"

"It makes them feel safe and our lies being exposed is what scares me the most. When everybody knows that everything's a lie in the end and we've given them false hope, the Pegasi will rebel and they'll demand answers as to why we lied to them. How do you think they'll react to the truth once you tell them?"

"But, none of it would've mattered anyway if the Pegasi eventually find out and start questioning things. They're not stupid even they're being told lies daily."

"Yes, but nevertheless, our lies will continue to make them feel safe no matter what. One day, you'll understand. Your sister does......." reaffirmed Queen Haven much to Zipp's disgruntlement as Pipp arrived, being carried on wires and scatting as she warmed up her vocals. "Oh, here she is now."

"Showtime!" Queen Haven announced, spreading her wings proudly as the lights dimmed.

Then, the sound of upbeat pop music played in the background as the royals were carried up and gently lowered into the throne room. "Remember to smile!" she chirped to her daughters as they flapped their wings.

"Ugh!" Zipp groaned in disdain, as both she and her mom took their seat on their thrones.

Cloudpuff yapped as he took a sit besides Queen Haven. Looking behind her mother's throne, Zipp looked to see Sunny, Izzy, and Sarah, were all in place for the next phase of the plan. Just as Zipp had said, her sister, Pipp, made a grand entrance above her adoring fans, as she proceeded to sing, and "fly" to further captivate the audience.

(Pipp Petals)

We got the light

We’re coming in stronger

We’re in it together

If you want it it’s all inside your mind

We got thе light

Won’t wait any longer

We’ll get it togеther

If you want it then you can paint the sky

Just as Zipp said, all eyes were all on Pipp's performance, including Queen Haven's. Though, even Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but whistle as she bopped her head to the rhythm of Pipp's singing.

"Wow, she's got nice sets of pipes!" Sunset commented.

"Uh, Sunset?" Sunny called, as she stood on top of Izzy. "Little help here?"

"Oh, right," Working her magic, Sarah levitated Sunny up, until she's right on top of Queen Haven's throne.

Used to care what they'd say

Let 'em into my brain

But I found a new way

Ooh-hoo-ooh

Every time I fall down

I pick it up like rebound

Gotta get through somehow

From there, Sunny made the swap with the fake crown that Izzy had crafted, while Sunny stole the real crown. Once the task was done, Sarah gently placed Sunny back on the floor, before she walked over to inspect the pegasus crystal embedded crown.

"Huh, so this is the pegasus crystal?" Sarah looked over the crown.

"Yeah!" Sunny nodded before putting the crown in her saddlebag. "C'mon! Next stop is Bridlewood!"

With that, the three mares galloped towards the nearest exit. Unfortunately, a guard was at the door. Fortunately, he was too busy talking to someone, possibly his girlfriend, on the phone, to notice.

"No, you hang up," The guard insisted.

Sunny and Izzy quickly closed the doors, when they and Sunset heard a dog whimper, to which they turned to see the royal dog, Cloudpuff, growling and flaring up his wings.

Sunny and Izzy both let out a scream, while Sarah focused her magic to stop the dog in its tracks. But the dog continued to bark and wriggle in Sarah’s telekinetic grip.

"You're a spunky little one, aren't you?" Sarah said to the dog.

We don’t fly like we used to

We take what we’ve been through

And we can feel brand new

Ooh-hoo-hoo

I know I am a fighter, I feel the fire

I’m shinin’ brighter

Ooh-hoo-hoo

With Sarah holding off Cloudpuff, Sunny and Izzy galloped to another door, only to find Sheriff Hitch, in a paper-thin pegasus disguise, complete with a mustache.

"Sunny Starscout," The sheriff barked. "You're under arrest..." Before he could finish, Sunny closed the door on him.

Turning to another direction, Sunny and Izzy dashed off to find another way out, while Sheriff Hitch dashed in, only to find himself enchanted with Princess Pipp's performance, swaying his hip to the sound of her enchanting voice.

Glowin' up kind of love

Dip and slide through the cut

Glowin' up kind of love

We say "Hi", you say "What?"

Sarah was still wrestling with Cloudpuff, when the two guards from before caught her in the act.

"Hey!" The other guard shouted. "What are you doing with the queen's royal dog?"

"Uh...I was just playing?" Sarah grinned nervously, as she held the dog in her hoof and gave it a scratch behind the ears. "I just love dogs! And isn't he a cutie being a small puffball with tiny wings?" Unfortunately, the small dog wriggled himself free from Sarah’s grip. "H-Hey! Come back here!" With that, Sarah took off chasing the dog, with Thunder and the other guard exchanging agreement.

"I don't blame her," Thunder commented. "He is cute."

Everywhere that I’ve been

Yeah, they say I’m say different

But I’m good in my skin

Ooh-hoo-ooh (Hey)

If it doesn’t feel right

Break it in with tie-dye

And don’t you stop ’til sunrise

Cloudpuff dashed into the crowd of pegasus ponies, to forcing Sunset to sneak around the crowd in hopes of cutting off the little dog's escape at the other side. Unfortunately, she was too late. By then, Cloudpuff had gotten to Sunny and Izzy and stole the crown back, intent on giving it back to Queen Haven.

Sunny and Izzy gave chase, only to crash into Sarah in the process, "OOF!" The three mares grunted as they fell to the floor.

"Wipeout!" Izzy moaned.

Sunny looked up and pointed, "There he goes!"

Working up her magic, Sarah levitated Sunny and Izzy off of her, before they resumed the chase.

We don’t fly like we used to

We take what we’ve been through

And we can feel brand new

Ooh-hoo-hoo

Cloudpuff returned to the throne, wagging his tail as he sat at the base of the step. Before her mother had time to notice, Zipp quickly stepped in, struggling to pry the crown away from the dog. "Give me that!" Zipp grunted, pulling the tiara off, while Cloudpuff ran off with the pegasus crystal into the crowd.

At that moment, Sheriff Hitch had finally found his targets and was closing in on them. Thinking fast, Sarah beckoned both Sunny and Izzy to hide behind some curtains, while she stepped in and blocked Sheriff Hitch's path. "Get out of my way!" he ordered.

"Sheriff, I know you and Sunny go way back," Sarah began. "But you don't understand."

I know I am a fighter (Fighter), I feel the fire (Fire)

I’m shinin’ brighter

Ooh-hoo-hoo

We got the light

We’re coming in stronger

We’re in it together

"No, you don't understand!" Sheriff Hitch argued. "I'm trying to keep Sunny out of trouble!"

"By arresting her?" Sarah countered. "Yeah, real helpful."

"It's not like I wanted to put her in jail! She's at the point of no–" Before Hitch could continue, Cloudpuff arrived and crashed into the stallion's leg, dropping the pegasus crystal in the process. "Huh?"

When Hitch looked down, like all the little critters, the little dog immediately took an instant liking to the stallion.

"Hey, he likes you!" Sarah said to the stallion.

"I can see that," The sheriff replied. "What is it with me and critters?"

Before the conversation could continue, the spotlights began to flicker out of control, interrupting Princess Pipp's performance.

"What the..." Pipp said in confusion.

Next thing everyone knew, the spotlight shines on Sarah and Sheriff Hitch. The pegasus crowd all shared confused looks at the new ponies. Then, out of impulse, both Hitch started to dance and sing awkwardly:

(Sheriff Hitch)

Throwing up

Find a glove

Fly around,

bup-bup-bup

Doing stuff that I love

You're like, why?

I'm like what?

"What is happening?" Princess Pipp asked, unsure as to how her spotlight could be taken by the winged unicorn and strange pegasus.

Sheriff Hitch continued to sing awkwardly, with Cloudpuff howling with the stallion:

(Sheriff Hitch)

Crisp and dry

Eat some mud

Glowing up

Lovey dove...

As the show went on and everybody was none the wiser of Sarah, Sunny, Izzy, and Zipp's plan to take the Wings of Loyalty and make a break for Bridlewood with everyone else, a scream was heard and the crowd looked to see Pipp Petals suddenly zipping around and spiraling out of control. In the midst of the chaos that began to break out, Hitch had managed to sneak into Zephyr Heights and find Sunny along with her friends but was distracted when he was seen "dancing" with Queen Haven's dog, Cloudpuff (who had actually fallen in love with him while he had disguised himself as a Pegasus) with the Wings of Loyalty.

Seeing her chance, Zipp made her move as she took the Wings and left the dumbfounded Hitch with the royal dog while the rebellious princess regrouped with Sarah (who was wearing a hat Zipp had gotten for her to hide her horn earlier), Izzy, and Sunny.

"I got it!" Zipp cheered, handing Sunny the Wings.

"Yes!" smiled Sunny as they quickly took off and tucked it away in her saddlebag.

"Good job, Zipp! Ryu would be proud of you if he could see you now!" smiled Sarah to Zipp.

"Thanks, let's go!" nodded the rebel princess as she led the other three with her to an exit.

"Nice work with the lights earlier," Sarah completed Sunny and Izzy as they ran. "By the way, how did you two manage to do it with how tight security is? "

Sunny blinked in surprise as she admitted, "We didn't do anything!"

"But, we did meet this nice Pegasus backstage as we got there. But, he was scared of us and he jumped on this strange thingamajig with all the flashing buttons, the levers, and he just took off screaming!" chirped Izzy, still as optimistic as always.

"Let me guess; is he one of the Pegasi responsible for the lighting and who was in on the Big Lie?"

"FREEZE!"

"Hold it right there!" two loud voices barked, stopping the quartet in their tracks as they saw some Pegasi guards spotting them and gasping in shock.

"The prisoners!" another guard cried, seeing Zipp's friends.

At that moment, Pipp came swooping down as she was still out of control from her wiring system going haywire until she crashed into Hitch and knocked his fake wings off, blowing his cover. "Oh, boy......" he peeped meekly.

"It's another Earth Pony!" gasped a random Pegasus, pointing to Hitch as he panicked and fled, leaving a heartbroken Cloudpuff behind.

"Whoooooooooa!" cried Pipp helplessly as she then accidentally crashed into Sarah this time, consequently knocking her hat from Zipp off her head from behind.

"Look, the Winged Unicorn from earlier!"

"No, wait! Look at her!"

"Oh, my stars! She's not just a Winged Unicorn!"

"No! It can't be, it's not possible!"

"But, how?!"

"She's an Alicorn!"

"An Alicorn?!"

"I thought her kind was dead!" gasped some of the other Pegasi spectators in shock (some of them fainting as the sight of an Alicorn with them became too much for them to bear) when they saw Sarah pick herself up and realize that everyone was staring at her now that she lost her hat.

But, everybody's troubles were only going to get worse because when Pipp came to the end of her flight, she was hung upside down as the wires on her were shown in the spotlight, shocking the entire Pegasi crowd.

"That's not flying!"

"Oh, of all the-!"

"She's a fake Pegasus!"

"She's fooled us with those wires and lighting tricks!"

"A fake?!"

"FAKE!"

"Let's get her!" snarled the audience furiously with one of the reporters in the room snapping a photo.

"The royals can't fly, either?"

"Have they been lying to us all this time?"

"Why, those lousy, good-for-nothings, backstabbing, feather-brained weasels!"

"You're going to pay for making fools out of us!"

Pipp gulped as she realized she was in big trouble now along with her mother but when she looked around the room, in desperate need of help, she saw her older sister, who stopped to look at the commotion and had her sights on her.

"Zipp?" she pleaded, only to see her doing nothing as she looked sadly at her.

Zipp was conflicted on what to do; even though she and Pipp had always butted heads in one way or another, she still loved and cared for her. The rebellious princess knew that she wanted to be free from the stringent and overbearing annoyances of her royal lifestyle and the Big Lie she was forced to live but she didn't want Pipp to suffer for her selfishness no matter how badly she wanted to change her destiny. She also wondered what Ryu would say if she were to abandon Pipp now and go with Sunny, Sarah, her family, and Izzy to complete their common goal. Would he be ashamed, would he be mad, would he be disappointed in her for not caring for her family this time?

Sunny and Izzy were galloping their way towards the exit but Sunny bumped into Zipp as she realized that she and Sarah haven't rejoined them yet. "Zipp! Sarah, hurry!" she shouted, forcing the rebellious princess to follow but not after solemnly mouthing "I'm sorry" to her devastated little sister.

But, Sunny had also dropped the Wings of Loyalty from her saddlebag as Sarah quickly picked it up and saw the three of them leaving. "Sunny! Hey, wait! You forgot-Sunny! WAIT!" she shouted, being too late as they soon disappeared.

"Princess Pipp is a fake, she's going down hard! Who's with me?!" shouted an angry Pegasus spectator as Pipp's former fans raged on the frightened younger princess and her equally frightened mother.

Sarah gasped in horror as she heard the angry crowd of Pegasi voicing their agreement and saw Pipp being left hanging helplessly above the enraged crowd as her popularity took a nosedive. The human-turned-Alicorn knew that she made a vow to help Zipp bring back her extended family along with helping Sunny restore Equestria and defeat Scarlet Nightmare should she ever escape. And, seeing the two in such a mess and remembering the vow she made to Zipp, she knew she couldn't leave them alone, thinking Ryu, his siblings, and their Pokemon friends won't be so forgiving if they weren't saved.

With no other choice, Sarah quickly stashed the Wings into her Satchel, concentrated her magic (straining as she did so) as she focused on a spell, and shot it at Pipp as she disappeared and reappeared next to her mother. Queen Haven was shocked as she looked between her daughter and where she used to be.

"Wh-Pipp! You ca-b-what? H-How?! How is it-when?!" she stuttered, completely dumbfounded.

"I-I, I don't know, Mother! Someone saved me, but-?" Pipp began before they found themselves at the mercy of the outraged Pegasi as they accused and pointed their hooves furiously at them.

But, they soon forgot their rage as Sarah suddenly teleported between them and the disgraced royals in a flash of light (through a teleportation spell she and Tsukumaro managed to learn before coming to Zephyr Heights), spreading her wings out and shocking the crowd as they backed away from her in fear.

"You will not harm them by my order as the Sun Princess!" she declared angrily before she disappeared with a stomp of her front right hoof and another flash of light, taking Pipp and Queen Haven with her.

"What happened?!"

"That Alicorn, she's gone!"

"S-S-She has magic! And, she managed to take the royals as well!"

"We're all gonna die!"

"We're doomed! Doomed, I tell you!" the crowd now panicked, screaming in absolute terror as they tried and failed to comprehend what just happened.

With Sarah, she, Pipp, and Queen Haven reappeared just outside the castle in another ball of light. Of course, having not experienced something like teleportation in their lives, they both felt dizzy and dazed from having traveled in such a haphazard way.

"Whoa! My life just suddenly flashed before my-Oh......." groaned Pipp, trying to shake off her nausea.

"You! Alicorn! I demand an explanation! What is the meaning of this?!" snapped Queen Haven, turning to Sarah. "Disrupting the royal celebration, the highlight of my daughter's career?! What are you playing at, a ploy to bring down my kingdom?!"

"Will all due respect, Your Highness, I was just trying to help," replied Sarah (trying to keep herself calm) as she glared back at the queen with an unfortunate Pipp stuck in the middle as she watched their spat (but also looking as miffed about everything). "If I hadn't used that teleportation spell, that crowd would've beaten you two to a pulp for the Big Lie you've made up."

"Oh, really? By stealing the spotlight when I least expect it, ruining my reputation AND my career in the process?" scoffed Pipp, feeling insulted. "Pfft! Yeah, right, some help you are."

"I'm serious, your career and reputation would've been busted regardless because somebody was bound to pick up that Big Lie sooner or later," retorted the Alicorn before the two, a little annoyed at them.

"Look, I'm sorry for going aggro on you all earlier today and I know I scared you to death with my outburst on what you planned to do with my family but that's not the point! My friends and I along with my family have a reason for doing all of this. We're trying to restore your magic as well as that of the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies as well as bring back your lost loved ones because of what this evil Alicorn from long ago, Scarlet Nightmare, had done. And, to do that, not only do we need your crystal along with two others known as the Earth Pony Hope and the Unicorn's Eye, we also needed your Wings of Loyalty."

To exemplify her point, she took out the Wings of Loyalty and presented it to them as she continued, "I now understand the pain you're going through from what Zipp told us earlier this afternoon so we needed this to-"

"Wait! Hold on, how did that get in there?" gasped Queen Haven in shock, seeing the Wings of Loyalty and the crown on her head. "If those are the Wings of Loyalty, then what have I been...... What is this?"

"It's a crown from my friend, Izzy. She's a real artist, runs in the Unicorns in us. I think you'll find it just as beautiful as the Wings of Loyalty, Your Highness."

Impressed by the detail, Queen Haven put the crown back on her head as she commented, "Hmm...... Good crafts-ponyship, not bad. But, still, I'm going to have you arrested and tried for sabatoge and I'll make sure you face justice for trying to steal my crown jewel! It was-!"

"FREEZE!" several voices shouted, causing the trio to turn and come face to face with an entire squadron of angry Pegasus guards surrounding them. "Queen Haven, you, your daughter, and the Alicorn are under arrest for conspiracy, deception, and treason amongst a host of charges I'm sure will be no cakewalk for you!" the leading commander spat angrily.

"Your days of royalty are numbered!"

"Surrender now or we'll drag you back by force!" added two more guards, just as furious as the squadron kept their spears pointed at them.

"......How DARE you betray me and my family! I'm your queen, you should serve me! I've kept you safe for many years with the Big Lie and this is how you repay me?!" snarled a shocked Queen Haven.

"If you've been honest with us about you traitors also not being able to fly like the rest of us from the start, we would've been more lenient on you! But, you decided to continue to play us for fools and your daughter helped you with your stupid act!" scoffed the commander. "And, because you've shown that you're a fake, you've shown why we can't trust royalty like you anymore! You also had the nerve to house an Alicorn, a creature that has never been seen nor mentioned in our records for many moons! And if that wasn't bad enough, with your lies, you've made complete fools out of us by believing that only royals could fly! As of this moment, we don't take orders from you anymore! You're coming with us whether you like it or not, all of you!"

The angry guards closed in on the three trapped ponies but not wanting her youngest daughter trapped in the mess they all made together, Queen Haven turned to Sarah and said, "You, Alicorn! Get out of here and take Pipp with you!"

A horrified Pipp turned to Queen Haven as she screamed, "W-Mom, NO!"

Smiling sadly as she held her daughter and kissed her before her arrest, she told Pipp, "It's alright, sweetheart, I'll be fine. Go, it's not safe for you here anymore, find your sister and get out of here!"

Then, she turned to Sarah one last time with a hopeful and slightly apologetic frown. "Look after her......." she said quietly.

Sarah was conflicted again but once again reminding herself of the vow she made to Zipp, she also steeled herself and nodded, before taking Pipp with her despite her protests and struggles to break from her magical grasp and teleported themselves to a separate alleyway. This left the stunned and shocked guards to arrest Queen Haven as they now saw no point in finding the fallen princess, thinking she would be toast along with Sarah since she didn't have the ability to fly either and they would find themselves in trouble to their liking.

In a separate alleyway, the Sun Princess managed to teleport herself and Pipp away from danger. But, once she was put down and back on her own hooves, Pipp was left crestfallen and devastated over the loss of her mother when she was arrested, angrily turning away from Sarah as tears of grief fell from her eyes.

"......Um, you're welcome?" Sarah called, raising an eyebrow.

"I never asked you to do this, I never asked for your help in anything," Pipp began, frowning with anger as she slowly got in her face and ranted. "Why would I bother thanking you for anything? You've ruined my show with your stupid transgressions, you've turned my own sister against me with your machinations, you've turned everypony against me and my mother back home while ALSO RUINING ME LIFE!"

"Excuse me? I went along with Zipp's plan because I wanted to help her and I made a personal vow to her! You ended your own life by living the Big Lie you and your mother made up! What makes you think I played a part in destroying it when it was your fault alone?!"

"You've ruined everything ever since you've set one hoof on Zephyr Heights and brought your monsters along with those two scumbags for ponies with you! And, you know what made it worse? The fact that you, YOU, are the only pony here in Equestria that-tha-that-t, you have WINGS, MAGIC! That suggests to me now that you're no ordinary pony! Zipp told us earlier that Unicorns don't have magic so how come you lied to her and us when she said YOU AND YOUR SO-CALLED FRIEND OF A UNICORN AND THE REST OF THOSE HORNED INGRATES DIDN'T HAVE ANY?!"

Sarah snarled as she was getting tired of Pipp trying to deny the truth and deflect whatever responsibilities she needed to take for her and her mother's actions for lying to their own subjects.

"Uh-Uh! Sorry, Ms. Oh-So-High-And-Mighty, but don't act like you're the only victim here! What I've done is purely out of self-defense and because I wanted to help you and Queen Haven, I couldn't just leave you high and dry when there was much more at stake than just your popularity! My actions don't even come close to you both lying to everybody 24/7 that only royals can fly and they can't!"

She then pushed Pipp away from her face as she continued, "You're a princess, and princesses are known to be fair, kind, just, and loyal, an inspiration to everyone in their own kingdoms. But, you told us earlier that only royals are only able to fly and instead of telling the truth, you and your mother decided to delude yourselves and your own subjects by promoting that lie and making everybody fall for it! Don't you even care that there are more important things in life than just being popular and that lying to them is only going to make things worse for both them and yourselves? This is why Zipp never went along with it; she was tired of living your Big Lie and deceiving herself and wanted something more to help her be somebody and not just a princess. Isn't that what telling the truth is for, to set you free from the pain you're all going through?"

"It doesn't matter now that my own sister backstabbed me and my mother was taken and with them being distant from my life, all I had left were my fans while I was popular until now! IT'S NOT FAIR! My own sister left me hanging by my wires, a fake unveiled from her smoke and mirrors before everypony's eyes! She could've done something to help me get out of that mess, but nooooo, she had to run off and I had to figure out how to get out of this jam before you interfered! I barely got away with you before they arrested Mom and all because my own dear sister couldn't find it in herself to put me first but SHE SOLD ME OUT BEFORE YOU SAVED MY SKIN!"

Pipp sniffed as she was lost in her anger and grief while she ranted again, "All my life, between her and Mom, I-I was like some kind of third-wheel pony hauling a two-horse cart. I had to be contented with Mom being the queen and Zipp being the heir since she was the eldest and next in line for the throne; she's always been the favorite between us. Me, I'm nothing with only a pretty voice to boot. Both of them never had time for me with their duties and all that, I was left in the dust by both of them because they had more important things to worry about other than spending time with me as they should've."

"You couldn't possibly know what it's like for me as the youngest daughter, trying to compete with Zipp for her attention just to get her to notice me when she would often tell me to stop fooling around with my phone and be like Zipp! When, in fact, there's only one of her, ONLY, ONE, ZIPP STORM?!" she finished before she finally broke down, sobbing heavily into her front legs as she laid down with her back turned.

Sarah was stunned by the gutwrenching truth; as Pipp and Zipp were Queen Haven's only two daughters, there was always going to be some form of sibling rivalry between them, even if they didn't notice it right away. And, not only that, Queen Haven was pulling off some favoritism when she was grooming Zipp.

She then realized why she had been livestreaming all the time and meddling with her phone; she was trying to fill in the void that Zipp and Queen Haven had left in her heart with her fans given her singing and performance career and vlogging. But, it was only a hollow comfort for her as her fans appreciated her for what she did and not for who she really is beneath the surface of being a princess. Pipp honestly felt like her own mother and sister didn't want anything to do with her and/or didn't have time to do anything with her in terms of family bonding between them. Now, with the reveal of her loneliness and the pain of having to deal with her own family be with her supporting what she can do and for who she's meant to be, it threw Sarah for a loop, and now, her opinion on her completely changed.

She was now starting to realize that given how close Ryu, his siblings, and their Pokemon friends really were to Zipp, Pipp, and Queen Haven, she realized that without them around after the dragons and Pokemon were banished, Pipp had no one else to turn to for help and to support her on her career and livestreaming.

Granted, Zipp and Queen Haven both suffered from the loss of her big brother and her closest friend but if any of them were close to Pipp, their loss after their banishment and stone-cold deaths by Scarlet Nightmare's power left her the most broken between them. So, to make up for that and believing her own family no longer cared for her, she decided to fill the void with her fans and fake friends from them when she started her performance career.

Now, Sarah felt sorry for Pipp so she decided to take the first step in trusting her as she stepped forward and placed a comforting hoof on her.

".......I'm sorry, Pipp. I had no idea that you felt that way," she began, a sympathetic frown on her. "You're right, I don't understand what you're going through. But, I think it's best for you to know......... Zipp, actually, doesn't want to be future queen, ever."

Pipp was surprised as she stopped crying and turned to the Alicorn, ".......W-What?"

"Zipp told me, my family, and my friends everything; she hated the thought of being Zephyr Heights' new queen and she would rather leave that responsibility to your mother. Hell, maybe she'd even consider you had she given you a nudge in the right direction. She's not ready to take up the crown yet but I don't think she ever will be given her rebellious nature. If anything, she actually admitted to us that she had nothing compared to you."

Pipp was shocked as Sarah continued to tell her about Zipp's true feelings, "I don't think you've heard this from her yet since she was training her parkour and didn't want any part of royalty but she was a little jealous of you. Your mother has the crown, you have your social media, performance career, and your amazing singing but Zipp....... She's got nothing, just, Zipp, and her princess title. She wanted something more, something to make her be her true self just as you were, Pipp."

"I.....I never knew," the former princess blinked, now understanding why Zipp was so distant as she was

"That was why she was being distant from you and your mother in the first place. She's been trying to find something else that'll make her special and unique and not just a princess ever since......you guys lost Ryu, his siblings, Helioseon, Seleneon, Thundereon, and Freezeon to Scarlet Nightmare's last attack many moons ago."

Pipp smiled sadly, remembering the dragons and Pokemon that had been extremely close to the three of them very well.

"Yeah, Tamu and the others....... They were all great friends to us, especially Tamu. She always brought up the best out of Mother, always chatting and hanging around with each other whenever she's herself and not just the queen. Ryu and Zipp, they're almost like brothers even though he's a dragon. Zipp always looked up to him and wanted to be a leader like him. The others and I, we got along so well together......."

Then, she frowned again as she remembered how broken they were from their greatest loss. "When they sacrificed themselves for us and the rest of Ponykind, especially Ryu with Zipp, we were all so devastated. Mom and I were heartbroken but Zipp was really devastated even if she didn't show it, it was like we all lost a valuable part of us...... I'm sure if they're here now and seeing what has become of our world along with what we've done, they would be very disappointed."

She then smiled at Sarah, now feeling grateful to her and Zipp along with her family and their new friends for actually doing her and Queen Haven a great deal, feeling as though a great weight was finally lifted off of her.

"I'm also sure that they'll be very proud of you for what you've done for us - me, Zipp, and Mom," she finished, a warm smile now on her face. "What happened earlier tonight was rough but now, I'm glad that the truth of us royals also not flying was finally out. Thanks, Sarah."

The Sun Princess nodded warmly as the two then shared a hug, a new friendship blossoming between them.

"Now, Pipp, I know it'll take a while to set things right back at Zephyr Heights and since you're a wanted mare now," she told Pipp as she brought up the Wings of Loyalty. "Let's find a way to get your extended family and friends back, starting with this and finding your sister. If the Wings of Loyalty have anything to do with helping us stopping Scarlet again, we'll need to bring it to them. I promise we'll explain everything once we find them."

"Okay," Pipp nodded with a soft smile.

Together, the two friends quickly set off to find everyone, knowing that the fates of Zipp, Pipp, and Queen Haven's loved ones and their Pokemon friends along with the rest of the world are now lying on their hooves along with everyone else's hooves, paws, and claws. With this, Sarah and Pipp started over and began a new friendship that'll propel everyone yet another step further to saving everyone and Equestria.

---

Meanwhile, as Sarah and Pipp made their way to the others, the sounds of police sirens filled the air as everyone in Sunny Starscout's party was galloping for their lives with Hitch following close behind. Sunny was shocked to see her childhood friend had tracked them all down to the Pegasi city as he did but she knew there were more dire matters to attend to as they had to get away from the Pegasus guards searching for them with Zipp leading the escape. They had even managed to meet up with Tsukumaro after he had to fight his way through some guards that were about to arrest him prior and they were all running together.

"Quick, this way! This is where Sarah's family is!" she shouted, guiding the group to take refuge in the alleyway Nikki, James, and Sarah's family all were. "Ok, I think.......I think we lost them!" gasped Hitch as he, Sunny, Zipp, and Izzy all panted in relief.

"Tsukumaro, Sunny, Izzy, Zipp!"

"What happened?"

"We heard the sirens going off earlier!"

"We were worried you might've been caught!"

"Are you all okay?" Hashimoto, Winter, Silver, Ching Wan, and Boltund asked worriedly.

"Okay, not that I'm suspicious or anything, really. But, how and when did the runt who started our whole journey show up?" Eternatus quipped, reminding the ambitious and hopeful Earth Pony of her childhood friend.

"Hitch, what are you even doing here?!" she asked in surprise.

"Looking for, arresting, and saving you," he answered before sarcastically continuing, "Yeah, all three of those things. So, you're welcome!"

"Oh, gee..... Thanks, but, we didn't need any saving, okay? We were doing just fine until you goofed everything up," Zipp snorted, rolling her eyes as she approached the headstrong yet paranoid detective. "And, who are you?" Hitch questioned.

"That fine pony you're speaking to is Ms. Zipp, Ms. Zipp Storm," answered Magearna as she approached them, making him yelp at her.

"Her mom is also the queen!" Izzy chirped again, surprising Hitch.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Hold on a minute," he blinked before he looked at Zipp, dumbfounded. "So, does that mean you're actually a princess?"

Zipp snorted amusingly and said with a mocking smirk, "Huh, well, look at that. The Sheriff of Maretime Bay promoted himself by becoming a detective."

"What?" Hitch chirped in annoyance as he deadpanned.

But, the banter was soon cut off as everyone took note of a TV screen in front of them from above announcing an urgent news broadcast. The news of Pipp and Queen Haven's lies about royals flying had gotten out in the open much sooner than anybody had ever anticipated as the city's top news reporters, Sky and Dazzle, appeared to share the new story with a photo of Pipp hanging upside down from her wires. It was clear the media was having a field day with what they had just discovered but indirectly from Zipp, Sarah, Izzy, and Sunny's actions.

"Welcome back to Zephyr Top Gear, mares and gentlecoats. In a recent hit of Breaking News, Zephyr Heights is now in a tremendous state of turmoil for tonight, there was a shocking revelation that the Pegasi royals can't fly. This was met with a huge public outcry by all the citizens as they demanded to know what the royals were playing at with their Big Lie," reported Dazzle, starting off the program.

The broadcast then cuts to an interview with a pegasus foal, talking into the microphone, "Pipp used to be my favorite."

"If we can't trust our own royalty, who can we trust?" another pegasus civilian asked hopelessly before the microphone was taken by a pegasus stallion.

"I blame the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies for this crap!" the stallion went on record to say. "They always ruin everything when you don't need them!"

"Forget them! What happened to that strange Alicorn who helped Queen Haven and Princess Pipp escape?" another pegasus asked, shoving the angry stallion to the side roughly, his question bringing a look of horror to Sunny.

"Alicorn?! Oh no, Sarah!" she gasped.

Izzy, Tsukumaro, and Zipp also gasped in horror and shock by the revelation; they were all so busy in their haste to try and get away from the chaos that ensued back at the palace with the Wings of Loyalty, they had accidentally left Sarah behind. "What did you do?!" cried Mai, aghast as she turned to the quartet.

"I can't believe you!"

"You bailed on Sarah after you got the Wings of Loyalty!" Mist and Spark snarled as Ruby and Sapphire went to soothe them.

"Give us one good reason why we shouldn't take you down for betraying her," warned Sokka as he prepared to use Razor Shell.

"How could you do this to Mom?! We're supposed to be friends!" snapped Blitz as Curly did her best to comfort her crush.

"It wasn't our fault, everything was in chaos while we were looking for the Wings! And, we were just desperate to get out!" Sunny defended.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least they managed to get away safely. Look!" Izzy replied, pointing back to the news broadcast as it showed Sarah teleporting with Queen Haven and Pipp, both in tow in a flash of light before Queen Haven's arrest.

"For the moment, with all the panic that has been stirred tonight, the Alicorn who assisted in their escape is still at large along with the royals," continued Sky. "But, rest assured, there will be serious consequences for them by the official word of the guards. For if anypony should find them within Zephyr Heights' boundaries, they're to be hunted down and arrested on the spot."

Then, Dazzle gave them an update which showed Queen Haven's arrest (much to Zipp's horror as she gasped and watched on) as she was escorted to prison by Thunder and Zoom, "This just in, Queen Haven has just been arrested for being a phony pony full of baloney!"

"No comments and no photos!" she huffed as she walked before she quickly changed her mind with a grin. "Okay, one photo."

"What was that all about?" asked Terrakion.

"What did you all do up there?" Kommo-o demanded firmly.

"Anypony else care to explain what's going on?" Hitch added, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"I'm sorry but this is really important. We had to get the crystal, look!" Sunny defended, reaching into her saddlebag for the Wings of Loyalty, only to find nothing as she and Zipp were horrified. "Oh, no! No, no! No, n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-no, no! It's gone, I can't find it!"

"Seriously?!" Zipp cried. A whistle was heard, attracting everyone's attention as they saw Sarah with Pipp and the Wings of Loyalty in her magical grasp.

"Looking for this?" smiled Sarah smugly, twirling the Wings in her magic.

"Sarah!" cried Sunny, relieved as she ran up to and hugged her Alicorn friend. "You're alright!"

"AUNTIE!!!!!!!!" cheered the Night Lights, tackling her to the ground and giving her loving nuzzles, making her laugh and yelp at them.

"Oh, sweetheart, thank heavens!" smiled Nikki in relief.

"You really had us going for you there, Ponchita," joked James as Pipp cleared her throat, looking a little irritated as she glared at Zipp.

"Oh. Yeah, but......... You guys remember Pipp Petals, do you? I saved her from being arrested when this whole fiasco started," Sarah replied, directing everyone to Pipp as she marched up to her sister.

"Oh boy, here we go," groaned Zorua with an annoyed eye-roll.

"This again with the drama queen?" Hurricane sighed in exasperation.

"Will somepony please explain to me why THAT THING was so important to you all that you had the nerve to come in and ruin my whole show over it, essentially making me the laughing stock of all of Zeyphr Heights?" she snarled, pointing at the Wings in Sarah's grasp.

"Trust me, Pipp, it was," Zipp replied, galloping to her sister as she angrily got in her face.

"Don't you start now, Zipp! You could've bailed me out when I was stuck up there but you threw me out and left me hanging until Sarah came in and saved my skin for you! Now, because of you, everypony knows that we can't fly apart from her and that other Pegasus!"

A vibration from Pipp's phone caused them to cut their conversation short as they looked to a news update from the Zephyr Top Gear with Dazzle giving the update and showing a mugshot of Queen Haven. "In yet another update for our breaking news, arrest warrants are being made for Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals," continued Dazzle.

"Pipp! Zipp! Please, save yourselves! Run!" Queen Haven exclaimed dramatically before she posed for another photo snap of her profile.

Zipp and Pipp were both horrified by what had happened and they knew that they and their new friends were at the epicenter of Zephyr Heights' current predicament and what was on the wrong track for them. With all of the Pegasi having turned their backs on them and Queen Haven and being made orphans with their mother's arrest, they were now officially wanted mares.

"Oh, no! No! No, no-no-no-no-no, this can't be! This can't be happening!" shrieked Pipp, looking frantic. "This is SO, NOT, HAPPENING! We're in so much trouble, I never thought things would actually get worse even if exposing the Big Lie was for the best but it just got worst!"

"Pipp! Calm down!" Zipp snapped, quickly grabbing her sister and getting her attention before she could descend into a panic attack. "Listen, forget about all that! We think there's a way we can bring back magic but we need the Wings of Loyalty to do that. I'm sure Sarah must've told you already when she explained it to you and Mom earlier."

"Zipp, have you lost your mind?!"

"Please, Zipp! Trust me, this is the only way we can do it. This might be our only chance to bring back Ryu, Tamu, and the others; don't you and Mom want them back after everything they did for us before Scarlet Nightmare attacked moons ago?"

Pipp frowned but suddenly became thoughtful as she remembered the devastating losses she and her family had with losing their greatest friends and Zipp's big brother. If it really was their chance to bring them back and save Equestria, what have they got to lose?

"You're......... You're right, I can't believe I forgot about them, I know they would only want what's best for us and they've done so much for you, Mom, and I before Scarlet appeared and attacked them and everypony else along with the dragons and Pokemon we've all banished. And, Zipp........ I'm sorry, Sarah told me earlier that you didn't want to be queen since Mom had been grooming you for her position one day until she retires. I had no idea you hated that since I had been too absorbed in my social media to care. I thought you both didn't care about me......."

Zipp frowned remorsefully along with her sister, realizing now that she hadn't had given herself any time to spend with her given her recently distant nature and longing for something more to make herself her own pony. "I'm sorry, too, for not paying attention to you and leaving you hanging in the spotlight earlier. Will you help us?" she offered.

Pipp sighed before she gave a determined nod. ".......Alright, fine, I know a way out. Come on!" she declared, now taking the lead with her sister.

"Hey, wait! Wait! You guys can't-! What are you-we can't possibly-!" Hitch cried in shock as everybody else left him behind. "GET BACK HERE! I'M THE SHERIFF AND I'M SUPPOSED TO BE IN CHARGE!"

"Not in this town, Donut Lord!" Zorua retorted from her normal place on Zeraora's head.

"You've no jurisdiction here and this is completely out of your league, dork!" Hydro taunted with a mocking laugh.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here before the guards catch us!" Zarude shouted to everybody as Sarah used her magic to lift Hitch and drag him along.

"Uh, hang on, first off, who died and made you leaders of this pack?" he commented skeptically before he looked to Sarah. "And, second, how is it that your Alicorn 'friend' actually has magic, unlike the Unicorn with you?"

"And, how can she and Nikki actually fly unlike Pipp and Zipp, is that what you're gonna ask?” Echo quipped, directing to Nikki deciding to fly so she can keep an eye on everyone from in the air but at a reasonable height where she can see them with the help of Sarah's Flying Types.

"What?! Flying, f-flying?! What, what, what?! Flying-what?!" Hitch spluttered in shock, pointing to Nikki flying. "I don't care what you've either inhaled or eaten while you're with those giant birds, you can't possibly tell me that in this world, they can fly and those Pegasi can't! How does it make any sense?!"

"Oh, yeah! Don't you know; Sarah here's a princess from another world whose birth parents were actually our allies and who defeated the evil Alicorn, Scarlet Nightmare, a long time ago before they vanished. Now, she was sent here with her giant family to help us restore Equestria!" chirped Izzy, giving Hitch an abridged explanation. "And, for the record, we don't know why they still have magic but we'll let you know when we do."

This revelation threw Hitch for a loop as he was slack-jawed in shock before he finally built of the nerve and wit to finally say, in his total bewilderment............

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT????????!!!!!!!!!!!!"

But, as Pipp and Zipp lead everybody to a way out of Zephyr Heights and away from danger while being forced to leave Queen Haven to face the music from her family's own subjects, they had no idea that they were being watched by a Braivary. But, the Flying Type spying on them was no ordinary Braivary as it was black and white all over and it had glowing red eyes that narrowed at the entire group before it eventually flew off into the night.

At the base of the mountains leading back to Zephyr Heights, a familiar dark Alicorn mare was waiting for someone as she meditated underneath some nearby trees from a forest. She then heard a caw coming from above her and she turned to her left, seeing the dark Braivary coming down as it bowed to her.

"Mistress Scarlet, I've returned with bad news. It appears that we've gotten ourselves nearly 200 intruders having crossed over from another world and I think they may be related to your old enemies," the Braivary reported. "They've all appeared to be comprised of Pokemon and dragons but those dragons are not like the ones from this world."

"Oh, intruders? Pokemon and dragons, you say?" asked the Alicorn mare, revealing herself to be Scarlet Nightmare as she got up and emerged from the shadows. "I suspected as much but I never expected an entire army of sorts, never thought we'd find out about those again after so long. Did you find out who they were or who's leading them?"

"Just recently, a small group currently comprised of eight ponies are attempting to assemble the lost Equestrian Crystals those dragons and Pokemon from long ago once created together along with that army. But, there is an Alicorn mare amongst them and what makes it worse, she's actually related to the hooligans responsible for your imprisonment.”

Scarlet was intrigued when she heard this as she hummed and rubbed her thoughtfully, "A daughter, to them? Hmm......... How interesting, not once did I ever think they would have children and they're actually married. Somehow, she must've found out about me and my work on this miserable world and its ponies and is planning to ruin everything I've planned ever since those vile menaces were done away with by them. Those two and their companions that locked me away before are more resourceful than I first thought......"

"Shall our forces deal with her accordingly before we move on to the main course?”

"No, do reconnaissance first. And then, once they reach Bridlewood and that infuriating Earth Pony meets her match with her pitiful goal, we'll strike. We must find out if their daughter is as annoying as them the last time they crossed over. If she is, then she's our number one threat to cut off from our eternal nightmare for them."

"Understood," nodded the Shadow Braivary, bowing one last time before taking off to find Sarah's family and pony party to watch and keep tabs on them, leaving Scarlet with a lot to think about for her full return to power.