A Halted Harmony

by BirbNerd17

Chapter 1: Truth and Lies

Sunny skated happily through Maretime Bay, a bright smile on her face as the sun shone down on the seaside village. With a small jump and a spin, she landed in front of her smoothie cart and started dragging it along.

“Good morning Dahlia! Morning Thunder!” She greeted the two with a smile, “Can I get you a smoothie? Fresh made ten minutes ago!”

“I’ll take one!” Thunder whinnied with a smile.

Sunny grabbed one with a hoof and tossed it to Thunder who grabbed it with a wing.

“Thanks Sunny!”

“No Problem!”

Sunny skated off, headed towards the Townsquare when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

“Hey Sunny Bunny!” The cheerful voice shouted, “Sunny Bunny! Sunny Bunny!”

Izzy ducked in front of Sunny and the earth pony quickly stopped skating.

“Izzy! I almost hit you!”

“Sorry! I’ve just got big news! Zipp has something you’re really gonna need to see!

***

“They tried to catch you in this?” Sunny asked, looking at the glue-covered net that was tangled in Zipp’s feathers.

“Yeah,” Zipp said, “And they woulda got me too if Pipp wasn’t there to catch me. I own ya one, sis.”

“No you don’t, any pegasus in the sky would have saved you at that moment,” Pipp said.

“Doesn’t mean I don’t owe you one.”

Sunny studied the net as she pulled it off of Zipp.

“This sure isn’t Canterlogic technology,”

“And it’s nothing that the Unicorns could make either.” Izzy chimed in.

“That must mean…” Sunny gasped, “Another town? Where they haven’t been informed that Pegasi and Unicorns aren’t to be feared?”

“That was my guess,” Zipp said, pulling the last bit of mesh from between her feathers, “Ugh, I’m gonna have to wash the glue off.”

“If that’s true then we can’t just leave them in the dark!” Sunny stated, standing up her eyes gazing confidently out at the horizon, “We need to go help those ponies!”

“Yeah! And show them friendship!” Izzy chimed in.

“We should get Hitch, can’t leave any friends behind,” Sunny said.

“Isn’t he busy with sheriff work?” Zipp asked

Sunny thought for a moment then gently shook her head, “Oh, I’m sure he has time to spare.”

***

“How long will it take Sunny?” Hitch asked.

“We don’t know, but everything is calm right now and it seems things are fine.” Sunny responded.

“I guess you’re right, but why do you need me to come? Aren’t you four enough?”

“The group’s not complete without you Hitch.”

Hitch smiled, happy to be appreciated, “Alright, let’s get going.”

***

The five ponies stood in front of the town, yelling could be heard from within it.

“Either somepony else stumbled in, or they are panicking because of Zipp,” Pipp said.

“Sunny you should go see,” Zipp suggested.

“Alright,” Sunny said, stepping forward and towards the town, she headed into the square.

“Hey! What’s going on here?!” Sunny shouted.

Ponies looked up at her first anger and fear in their eyes, then calm. In the center of all the ponies was a Unicorn filly.

“They keep on shouting at me! I don’t know why! I’m an earth pony! I’ve lived here my whole life!” The filly said.

Sunny scanned over the town, “Why? Why yell at those who can be our friends? Why try to shoot my friend out of the sky? Everypony needs to calm down.”

“She’s a unicorn!” A pony in the crowd shouted.

“You think I am because of my horn right?!” The little filly said, voice growing desperate, “Well then I’ll prove I'm an earth pony!” She lifted her head to the sky and scraped her horn across the ground, breaking it off. She looked up to the crowd, tears in her eyes but trying to smile.

“Leave it be, it’s not a threat anymore,” A couple of ponies murmured as they began to walk away.

“Lily Sparkle!” The filly called out to a purple mare with a deep blue mane.

The mare looked at the filly with regret, then turned away. Sunny’s eyes slimmed and she stared angrily at the townsponies.

“HEY!” She shouted at the ponies, many of them looking over at her, “Get your flanks back over here this second!” She shouted.

“Why should we?” One of the ponies asked, “You aren’t the boss of us.”

“In the name of Twilight Sparkle just listen for a second!” Sunny shouted.

“In the name of Applejack don’t mention that Unicorn in our town!” One townspony shouted back.

“For Twilight's sake! My goodness, you are stubborn.” Sunny snorted, clicking the back of her front hooves together. In a spark of light her magical wings and horn appeared, she flapped her wings lifting herself in the air, “Listen to me ponies!” She shouted gesturing for her friends to step forward. And they did, Zipp and Pipp flying to Sunny’s side holding Izzy and Hitch in their hooves.

A couple of ponies pointed and one pulled out a slingshot, “Get the Earth Pony away from those creatures,” They said, gesturing to Hitch.

“What!? No thanks! I’ll stay with my friends!” Hitch said crossing his front hooves angrily.

“Hey, Hitch?” Zipp said, “could you maybe not move, it's already hard enough to fly while holding somepony.”

“Oops, sorry Zipp,” Hitch said, scratching his head with a single hoof nervously.

“Hitch that’s still movement,” Zipp said, readjusting.

“You wanna talk about- umph, movement Zipp?” Pipp asked, bobbing up and down as Izzy squirmed around in her hooves, “Izzy doesn’t know what the word still means.”

“I do!” Izzy said, “I just like moving!” She said, then stuck a single hoof in her mane and pulled out a fake horn, “Here Hitch, they don’t like Unicorns,” She said handing it to the Stallion as Pipp struggled to stay in the air.

Hitch stuck the horn in his mane, “There see, I’m a Unicorn now, and I’m staying with my friends.”

The earth ponies stared at him like he’d gone crazy.

“Don’t bother with that one he’s clearly gone mad, but that’s something we can fix, get the ones with wings first,” one said.

Sunny landed on the ground and her friends did as well. She walked up to the townsponies, and they took multiple steps back.

“What do you want from us!?” One of them yelled.

Sunny sat down and pulled her journal out of her bag, “I just want to talk.” She said, her wings and horn fading, “But to do that I need your attention.”

A tall mare walked forward and loomed over her, “Who are you?” She asked.

“I am Sunny Starscout of Maretime Bay,” She said, standing up and holding out a hoof. The pony shook it.

“Hello, Miss Starscout. Welcome to Appleton Village,” The pony said, “I am Jazz Apple Jam.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sunny said, “These are my friends, she said turning around to find Izzy Pipp, and Zipp being held down by multiple ponies, “Hey!” She shouted, “Let go of them!”

The ponies shook their heads and carried the three into the crowd. Jazz Apple turned Sunny to face her again.

“Miss Starscout, do you know what happened between the three pony breeds.”
Sunny looked at the Pony, anger in her eyes at first, then a glint of curiosity, “N-no, I just know that we were all once friends,” Sunny said, a small part of her intrigued.

“We have the real history here, and it is true, Unicorns Pegasi and Earth Ponies were once great friends.” Jazz Apple said, starting to lead Sunny through the town.

“And they can be again,” Sunny said.

“I wish that were true, but the reason we split apart all leads back to a harmful thing, that can never be forgiven.”

“What do you mean?”

“I assume you know the tales of ancient Equestria, the legends of Celestia, Luna, Discord, Cadence, and Princess Sparkle?”

“I do.”

“Well, this is the one no one has told you,” The pony said, leading Sunny into a museum, she pointed at a mural that showed Twilight happy with her friends, “Twilight Sparkle and her friends were very close, and they ruled ancient Equestria together for many years. Her friends all represented different elements that made up harmony. Kindness, Laughter, Magic, Loyalty, Generosity, and the ever-important Honesty.”

“I know, they were the Guardians of Friendship.”

“Yes, but it didn’t last,” Jazz said, leading Sunny to another mural, this one was cracked and worn, “behind the backs of her friends Twilight decided to create the Unity crystals. The issue was to store magic, you must gain it, and to do so she gathered magic secretly from the ponies of Equestria.”

“Twilight would never do that, it makes no sense.”

“I haven’t told you why yet. You see, Twilight fell in love, but the pony she fell for was sick, without the magic of an Alicorn they wouldn’t last.”

Sunny stared at the mural, a dark blue unicorn laying in the bed surrounded by clouds of darkness sat at the center. “She could just give them some of her magic couldn’t she?”

“Perhaps, but Twilight herself was not as strong as many Alicorns of the past. So she took the magic, but eventually, ponies began to notice, and as they noticed they began to blame each other. They would never suspect their princess, none of them would. None but Applejack, she discovered Twilight's secret and called her out. But it was too late, and even if the ponies wanted to be friends they knew they could be no longer. Twilight was the key to the friendship, and thus they went their separate ways. And that is how it has been for generations since.”

“But what happened to Twilight?” Sunny asked.

“Some say she still lives on with her lover, others believe she passed long ago. But either way, the citizens of Appleton want nothing to do with it.”

“Twilight wouldn’t lie!” Sunny defended her idol.

“Even the mighty can falter miss Starscout, she was bound to fall to darkness over time, whether from this or something else.”

Sunny set a hoof against the mural, it was cold, and made of stone.

At that moment Hitch ran into the building, “Sunny!” he shouted I got Izzy Pipp and Zipp! Let’s go!”

Sunny turned not moving for a second then ran towards him. The ponies made it back to the town entrance. The little unicorn filly they had seen before still sat there.
Sunny looked over to the filly and beckoned her friends to speak to her alongside her.

“Hey, little filly, are you okay?” Sunny asked.

The filly turned to Sunny and her friends, looking at Izzy she squeaked, “AH! A Uni- oh, wait, I’m one of those.” The filly said solemnly, “You’re an earth pony, why don’t you run from me?”

“Because I’m friends with a Unicorn and two pegasi. This is Izzy-”

“Hiya!” Izzy interrupted.

“Hitch,” Sunny said gesturing to the stallion. Hitch waved.

“Zipp.”

“Heyo,” Zipp said.

“And Pipp.”

“Hi there.” Pipp waved with a smile.

“My friends. And I’m Sunny, what’s your name?” Sunny asked

“I’m Fallen Starshine, but you can just call me Star.” The filly responded.

“Alright, hi Star, come with us, we’ll bring you somewhere safe.”

“I can see you’re nervous,” Izzy said softly, sitting beside Star, “But we’re here to help you, and spread the magic of friendship and love to your town.”

“Magic?”

“Yeah, magic! Physical magic like spells and flight is cool, but the real magic is everypony coming together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Really! When we all come together in harmony we create magic that spreads far and wide!”

“All the ponies in my town hate magic, they make weapons and devices to ward off Unicorns and Pegasi.”

“Surely it must've been them who shot me down then,” Zipp said.

“Oh, that was you!? I’m so sorry! I shot that net. Are you okay?” Star said, worry sparkling in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Pipp caught me so the only hurt came from washing the glue off my feathers.”

“Everypony in Applewood hates Unicorns and Pegasi, We were celebrating shooting you down when the hat I always wear fell off. I didn’t know why Lily Sparkle always had me keep it on before, but now…”

“Who is that Lily Sparkle, did she know you were a Unicorn?” Sunny asked.

“I can’t imagine she didn’t, but I don’t know why she never kicked me out until today.”

“Maybe she sees that Unicorns and Pegasi are friends like we do!” Izzy chimed.

“But then why would she leave me now?” Star asked.

“Sometimes ponies do things they’ll regret when surrounded by ponies they want to stay on the good side of. It doesn’t justify what she did, but it might be why she did it.” Hitch said.

“But Lily Sparkle’s like an older sister to me! She’s the only family I have,” Star whinnied, “She’s defended my actions before, why would she abandon me now?”

“Sometimes you trust ponies, and they break that trust,” Izzy said, setting a hoof gently on Star’s shoulder, “It stings, I know, but you can’t choose which ponies will be kind to you, just hope you choose to befriend the nice ones,” Izzy said, looking at Sunny, eyes glowing gently, a smile on her face.

“Don’t give up hope Star!” Pipp said.

“Yeah! We’re not giving up on your town, we can teach them friendship!” Zipp said.

“We can teach them love,” Sunny said.”

“And we can help you,” Hitch said, looking Star in the eyes.

Star looked up at the ponies that surrounded her, still holding her broken horn with a single hoof, “You’d really do that all for me?” She asked.

“Really,” Sunny said, “But first let’s get out of here.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Is this story related to RealityCheck's Alicornundrum?