Chapter 10
Misty awoke with a pained groan, she could feel the tug of a rope when she tried to get up. Misty was tied up. She could barely see anything, as the bright light of a window glared into her pupils. This wasn't the chamber room, Misty knew that much, but where was she? She didn't recognize anything she saw after she blinked her eyes and looked around.
The one pony she did recognize was her mentor. The vile alicorn of fire, Opaline. She hesitantly looked at the complex spell which Opaline was scribbling on the floor. She was hasty with her movements, while trying to get the circle into a certain shape. She levitated a book next to her. Painfully snapping her head from the book to her precious floor tiles.
"No no, it was… Maybe? Yes here! Only a few more to go!" Opaline exclaimed happily. Her excitement was palpable. Emanating from her usually scornful face. In her haste, Opaline was botching the circles, forcing her to erase them and try again. She scowled for a moment, before taking back her bubbling excitement when she got it correct.
Misty stayed muted. She ruminated on her feelings. She was sad, miserable even. Her friends were no longer her friends. Why? She had tried so hard. It wasn't her fault, was it? No. It was Opaline's fault. Opaline used her, over and over again. It couldn't be Misty's fault, if that was the case…Then Misty wondered if she could ever forgive herself. Maybe…It was her responsibility to accept her actions. Perhaps, even if Opaline was vicious, Misty still participated. She longed for a cutie mark. She even believed Opaline could give her one.
She was still responsible for spreading rumors. She was responsible for lying to them about her home. She was still responsible for trying to hide her intentions and steal from them, and even giving Sunny a mirror to spy on her. It was all her own doing, even if Opaline told her to, she took part for her own selfish reasons.
Opaline was evil, but Misty herself was selfish and cowardly. No matter how she spun it, Misty still needed to take accountability for everything she did, even if she wasn't the true mastermind of it all. She sat in shame, how could she have yelled at those ponies like she did? They were cornering her, but she had provoked the beast, by using deceit like a spear.
However, she was still furious at Opaline. Why did she need Misty? Was her only purpose to acquire Sparky? What were all those years for? No matter how hard she tried to conceive a reason, she couldn’t. She had an empty, regretful, static life. All courtesy of her mentor. Well, she wasn’t going to take that. No, that life was over.
“Opaline.” Misty inquired. The vengeful Alicorn didn’t bother to turn her head and look at her own child. Misty was never her priority. Misty sat in silence, still strained from her previous spells. How long had it been? A few minutes, a couple hours?
“Opaline.” Misty stated again.
Opaline seemed unamused. She tilted her head, while her eyes squinted in the shadow. “Bach…” Muttering, “Congratulations my subject, I’m preparing for my release.” Misty flinched in her restraints, Opaline had never called her “my subject” before.
She continued to write her many symbols, slowing only a little. Sighing, she began, “I know you’ll probably ask something like. “Opaline, what are you doing? Where am I? Why am I restrained?” She glared at her pupil. “But don’t bother to ask any of those questions.” She slammed her hoof on the tile. She continued, “Because I won’t answer.”
Misty took a deep breath, letting her fury boil to the surface of her lungs. Opaline was just…INFURIATING. Endlessly rude, uncouth, and oafish.
Misty began, “Fine, I won’t.” She simmered in her unheard anger. “I only have one question for you.” She thought of the most aggravating question she could possibly dig up. “Where is my cutie mark?” She smirked, almost chuckling at her own insanity. She knew Opaline had thoroughly screwed up something about Misty’s lack of one. But she doubted the alicorn would truly give her what she desired. Still, if she could give her some information, it would be preferable to a lifelong mystery.
Opaline took it as a challenge. “I knew you didn’t believe me…Well, that old thing is somewhere around here.” She rolled her eyes as she ignored Misty once again.
Misty felt her stomach drop and her face contort. Opaline had dropped an immediate bombshell on the poor mare.
Her cutie mark was just…around?
She was so flippant. Did Misty's prized possession (which she had never seen), mean that little?
This only proved to anger Misty to no end. “What do you mean by that? My cutie mark can’t be separated from my body! It doesn’t work that way!” How could something as important as a cutie mark be lying around the castle? Misty didn’t even know what that meant. It wasn’t like it could be anywhere else except on her flank. She concluded that it must’ve been another trick to fool her, it wouldn’t have been the first time after all. Misty wanted to convince herself that she was better than that now, wiser and alert to the misgivings of a rabid manipulator.
Opaline chuckled wickedly, “You’ll soon see how wrong you are.” She made quick work of the conversation, unresponsive to any of Misty’s other queries. She trotted over to the shadows, picking up a small cage. The recollection was immediate, she saw her grave mistake wave before her eyes. It was Sparky.
Opaline set to teach Misty a lesson of who was truly in control. She placed the small bars mere inches away from where Misty sat; a clear view of how miserable he was. He had a muzzle on, to keep him from trying to use his magic fire to get out. Atrocious a sight as it was, it only reminded Misty of her how much trouble they were in. It was a torturous couple minutes, spent scolding herself for the capture of the small dragon, who hit against his cage in fear. Sparky was a baby, who could have done such a thing to a baby?
The sight itself wasn’t the most unpleasant part. It was the spell that Opaline was preparing, Misty didn’t know what it was, but it was more than obvious to her. The spell was to drain Sparky’s magic, and escape. Misty half-expected her to take all his magic like she did the tiny flame which she had previously procured from him earlier that month, but she hadn’t. She wondered how much difference one dragon could make to whatever spell was keeping her trapped within, but it didn't matter.
Opaline would escape and take over Equestria, and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt her anger subside and be replaced by endless dread and guilt. No matter how much she hated all of this, or tried to make things right, it somehow backfired miserably. She glanced up at her horn, hoping that she had a little juice left to get them both out. She struggled against herself, letting her emotions power her horn, but nothing came out. It wasn’t like before, she felt a distinct lack of magical power in her body. Was this also Opaline’s doing as well? Her difficulty with spells had always been present, but why, she had little idea.
The alicorn cared little for Misty’s guilt, she didn’t completely understand such things as guilt. To her, there were necessities for her cause, and tools to complete that cause. Torturing her pupil a bit before her leave was her last amusement before casting her to the side for her insolence. She had finished the spell. Misty knew she had finished it by the ecstatic look in her eye, glimmering with anticipation for her release.
Opaline flew up and over to a carrier at the top of the tower. She pulled at it slightly, and it creaked in the years of unuse, but it budged. She pulled down dozens of containers, in neat rows and cubicles. All at her disposal for hundreds of years. She glanced to Misty who only squeaked. “Do you know where power comes from Misty?”
Misty swallowed a lump in her throat, “It comes from ponies.” She knew the answer because of her upbringing. How could she not, when she’d heard it a thousand times.
“Good, very good. Ponies generate power, but only the best can take advantage of that power. Power is in us all, except not all are worthy of wielding it, like I have.” She touched the ground, walking over to Misty with a grin of the ages. “Do you know where we are? We haven’t left the castle.”
Misty looked left and right, as she tried again to recognise the room which they stood in. She didn’t. The only things she saw were old furniture, a bed, tools and books. It was cluttered. Opaline hadn’t bothered to clean up anything. There were a few papers on the wall, and spells which she didn’t know strewn about the desk next to the window.
Opaline turned her head, “This is my private quarters, the highest tower in the castle. You were never allowed to step hoof into this room until now. It was for my eyes only." She nodded, turning towards the isolated desk.
"And, do you know why unicorns are better than the other races?" Opaline turned a skeptical eye to her pupil.
Misty hesitated. She wasn't exactly sure what her vile mentor was getting at. And Misty certainly didn't believe in any sort of superiority of unicorns over other ponies. Alas, she still knew the answer Opaline was fishing for. "B-because…" Misty stopped before continuing. "Because they can utilize more potential and power than the other races."
Opaline beamed, "Yes Misty, I see you've listened to me over the years. This is the reason I am better than all ponies, I utilize all magics. It will be too bad you won't be by my side to see the utopia I will bring to our kind." She huffed.
She made her way to the many jars. Misty couldn't see them properly in the shadows. But she could make out symbols on each one. Deciphering them in such darkness would be impossible. Opaline looked at many of them, trying to pick out a particular one to present to Misty's eyes.
Misty felt a growing sense of dread, what were those jars, there were so many of them, what were they for? She felt the trickle of sweat go down her brow. Opaline smirked when she finally found what she was looking for. She trotted over with the container, letting Misty squirm in her seat. She still wished to use her magic and escape, but found it to be impossible. At the mercy of another as deranged as Opaline was a scary thought.
"Behold Misty, a fraction of my power. Contained here for you to see." She calmly lowered it down, allowing Misty to gaze at the object of her obsession.
"N-no!" Misty yelled as she felt a terror ripple through her body. She clenched her eyes shut, as her breathing grew erratic and shaky. "It's a trick, I'm not a fool." She replied.
"Ah, but it isn't. I promised you a cutie-mark Misty, and this one has been yours from the day you got it. That was, until I needed it for my own purposes." She smiled, almost as if she remembered something that Misty didn't.
"I don't believe you. Don't try to lie to me, Opaline." Misty spat.
"Oh my," Opaline tutted her lip, "Such insolence from a mare with no power and no cutie-mark." She came closer to the tied up unicorn. "Listen to me Misty." She placed a threatening hoof on Misty's shoulder, inciting a glance. "You belong to me, you always have. You are just one of the many unicorns I've had under my tutelage over the years. Where do you think your parents are? Why, they traded you to me for power!"
Misty listened in horror. "You see, these containers hold all my students from over the years!"
She raised her hoof, and shot a shining spell over to the many cubicles that lined the wall. It exploded in a massive light, eliminating all of them for Misty to see.
A hundred cutie-marks, maybe more. Misty couldn't believe what she saw, she could feel her chest huff in pain as Opaline forced her forward, filling her vision with all the "students" she had.
Opaline began to whisper in her ear, "It started with many students, they took care of my every need, and willingly gave their marks to me. I needed the magic that resided within to keep my powers at capacity after Twilight locked almost all of it away. They dwindled over the years, having fewer each generation. They resided in this very castle." She flung Misty to the ground in front of Sparky, who cried and whined in his cage.
"You are the last of my pupils, and by far my worst." She scoffed. "I promised your cutie-mark, and that's exactly what you shall have. I will require no use of it when I absorb the dragon's magic instead." She concluded, picking up the dragon's cage as Misty trembled in front of the spell circle.
All this time, Misty couldn’t imagine the truth. It was a miserable truth, and was that she wished she could forget immediately. The jar had one thing glowing within.
A star-shaped butterfly with a sparkling flame in the background. It was hers, and Opaline had claimed it for herself, like a common object with barely a lick of worth.
That was wrong, that was despicable. The only thing important to Misty now was stopping her, she clattered and struggled in her seat, flailing on the floor like a fish. She managed to buck herself a few inches.
"No!" She called, and she saw Opaline floating with Sparky's cage. She removed the muzzle from his face, she needed the magic he contained in his fire.
The giant circle glowed, sensing the beginning of the epic spell that would release the alicorn ruler. Opaline's eyes lit up in attention. Her hair began to waft with magic, while Misty finally managed to get herself out of the chair. A shiver shot down Misty's spine, as she felt the endless magic flowing through both the room and the alicorn.
"You're too late Misty, behold my new power." Opaline spiked Sparky right in the gullet, causing his fire to spill out with a yelp. He started to float, his magic drained out of him. It looked painful to Misty, who tried to get into the circle, to no avail. His fire turned a brilliant blue.
Opaline sucked it into her body. "Yes! YES! POWER!" She called out. Her wings and horn blasted a powerful beam in the ceiling, causing a magical rift to form in the sky. "NO LONGER SHALL THIS WRETCHED SPELL CONTAIN ME!"
Opaline struggled against the ancient magic, giving every last drop of her ability to break it. Her feud with Equestria and Twilight ended a thousand years ago, and still she committed herself to her one dream. It yielded, shattering into a million shimmering pieces. The purple aura was gone, replaced only by a ring of Opaline's magic which rippled across the land. And evil brewing right above in the sky.
Misty watched in horror as her nightmare came true. The jars holding cutie-marks smashed on the ground, causing tiny magic explosions all around her. All the while Opaline laughed wickedly with glee.
"Finally! I can see the outside world once more!" Opaline had gone under a transformation. Her mane and body were slender and shiny. Once drained of all his magic, Sparky slumped to the floor. Exhausted and emancipated. He didn't have a chance to think, or to do anything.
Opaline saw the mountains, she saw the trees and sky. She knew they all belonged to her. Most of all, she saw her empire, Maretime Bay shining in the sunlight like a gem in the rough.
"My first stop will be your precious friends. Oh how I wish to see your face once the town is destroyed!" She chuckled, taking in Misty's horror as if it were air. "Well, Farewell Misty. I hope to see you when I'm finished."
Misty trembled, and her knees buckled as Opaline prepared to cast her largest spell in at least 500 years. In a blinding flash of blue light, she disappeared. Opaline had teleported herself to Maretime Bay. The air from the outside rushed into the building, the wind pushed severely on Misty's mane.
The first thought Misty had was to check on Sparky. She ignored her cutie-mark as she held the small dragon in her arms. His color was all but gone, replaced with a gruesome gray. It emulated in his body, only a small inner fire keeping him going.
Misty sighed, it was bad, no, it was closer to death than she'd ever seen any creature. But he lived. Opaline would've killed for her escape, but Sparky still lived, so it must've been only to torture Misty. She felt her eyes frantically scan the room, something, anything to revive Sparky, alleviate him of pain.
Her cutie-mark? She knew that she had trouble casting spells. If she reattached her own mark, would it help? She knew one thing, if she didn't help Sparky, he might be in trouble. Grabbing the jar, she looked at the mark, as her pupils enlarged. It was pretty. Beautiful even.
She struggled at the lid. She couldn't get it open. Her anger persisted, as she stood up, gingerly placing Sparky away from the danger, on top of the bed in the corner.
Why had this happened? Why? Misty tried to pry the lid off to get her cutie-mark. She couldn't. Opaline was so violent, and angry, that she had hurt a child. It was without words that Misty knew she must stop Opaline, but how? She could never beat an alicorn, let alone one who'd been recently powered by a spell. Misty struggled and growled.
"JUST OPEN! I DON'T HAVE TIME!" She threw it to the floor, as it shattered below her hooves. The butterfly shifted under the glass pieces. Misty flinched backwards, cutie-marks couldn't move by themselves…Right?
It snapped up from the rubble, looking around as if looking for somepony. It held its attention to Misty. Her eye flickered in recollection, it omitted magic that was similar to her own, but obviously older. She didn't know how long her mark had been separated from her body, but immediately she could tell that it was many years. It was a pleasant pink, like a warm fire that spread across the area.
"U-uh, hey?" She waved at it. She wondered if it had a mind of its own. It floated closer, letting her have a good look and feel for the magic. Her hoof reached out, feeling her old friend as it recognized the mare.
A flash overwhelmed her body, when she felt it, it was like the first time she earned her mark. Her missing memories came rushing back into her mind. Training her talent and practicing advanced spells with her parents. Many gruesome things Opaline had done over the years which were locked away in her mark never to be seen again, until now.
Misty felt a peace she had never felt before. Her body became whole again in a matter of seconds. She shed a tear for her memories, and her old family.
She looked over to Sparky, her body emanated a pink glow. She levitated him close to her, she immediately forfeit some of her own magic, filling his small body with only a fraction of what he once had. But it was enough, his flame burned brighter, and certainly not on the cusp of death any longer. Misty was relieved. Despite it all, she scraped up the burnt pieces of this disaster, somehow gluing them back together.
She could finally remember her talent. Magic.
That was it. The absence of her mark only made it harder to perform properly. Her skill was always present. She learned the art of advanced spells from her parents and Opaline, who were the last of the unicorn order which looked after the castle. Opaline herself allowed Misty a small taste of magic she still held in order to cast without the crystals activated. Once Opaline found her strong enough to go without magic, she took her mark, and locked it away with the others, advancing her own magic pool that dwindled over the hundreds of years.
Misty couldn't let her master take over the land. She was unfit for it. She sighed, looking to the demolished ceiling and staring into the distance for Maretime Bay. Opaline was most likely utterly destroying every crevice of it by now.
She had no more time to waste. She levitated herself up to the large bookshelf where spells were kept, Sparky laid and rested on the bed. She worked quickly, flipping the pages with her pink magic.
She nodded, "Yes, this will do." She glanced at a spell she hadn't seen in years. One that would allow her to channel the magic of the many marks that lined the wall over to herself. Carefully, she unscrewed every single jar. The marks floated around her body in a celestial display. "Here goes everything." She whispered as she chanted the spell.
Each mark emitted its own glow of magic, her senses were full of oversaturated memories of times long passed, they floated and funneled into her own body. It hurt, but only for a moment while she was overwhelmed with more magic than she had possessed for years. She felt her body morph into a form that was not destined for a cowardly mare like herself. Unfortunately, that mare had transformed, leaving only the ashes. Like a Phoenix flame.
Her hair danced with ethereal pinks and Celestial blues. The darkest shade of black, and the lightest of white. She could feel the sun and moon jump for joy when she connected to the Astral plane. She had the blessing of both objects. Her eyes were a stark white when she looked at Sparky.
Levitating him up to her side, she ruminated on her old home, it was all but dead to her now. After this was over, she promised to demolish the unnerving castle, for it never to be seen again. Opaline's Reign would be a quick one, she would make sure of it. With the marks of all her ancestors dancing around her body, there was hope to beat her yet.
Teleporting herself was easy now, akin to breathing air or drinking water. The subtle power wafted in the air like snakes. She only had to think of where she wanted to go and she'd be there in an instant. She only hoped the alicorn hadn't destroyed too much of Maretime Bay by the time she finally got there.
Sunny sat in silence on the couch. It had been at least two hours since both Misty and Sparky had phased out of existence. Hitch was hyperventilating and having a panic attack for thirty minutes afterwards. Of course, all feelings that they held for Misty had to be put aside and replaced with worry for the dragon, who had come to be like Hitch's own child in a way. It was easy for Sunny to guess her friend's reactions. Izzy felt depressed that her new friend actually wasn't her friend. Hitch was worried for his child. Pipp was angry about being hurt, and Zipp was betrayed. Sunny however, didn’t exactly know what she felt. A fear for the future? A fear of what was happening outside of the town that she didn’t know about?
No matter what she felt, one thing was true, that Misty was an agent of Opaline. She was not their friend, she said and did despicable things. Most of which Sunny couldn’t even comprehend. Regret was one of the emotions that haunted her. How could she have been so blind, Misty’s magic, the missing lantern, the missing Sparky. It all had a purpose. She was blind to it before. Held down by believing in the best of intentions from a pony. Zipp had suspected her, and yet they all ignored the signs. Sparky had become a victim to Opaline and her plans.
Hitch was stupefied. He went back to the place where his baby disappeared over and over again. Wordlessly breathing and hanging his head low. His forceful personality seemed unrecognizable to the others. Pipp and Zipp cleaned the wreckage from the party very solemnly. Zipp wouldn't admit it, but she came to like Misty, despite her earlier suspicions.
To Izzy however, everything seemed futile. Cruel and unusual. She wanted to integrate Misty into their own home. To see her smile and hear her laugh. Now that she was gone, well… Her excitement was not what it was when she planned the party.
When they all finished brooding. Sunny demanded that they talk and set things straight. They sat and laid on top of a few beanbags which Izzy crafted. They needed Hitch to be as comfortable as possible, level headed and able to deduce what he wanted to do after such a tragic event. Even though he was almost reduced to a bubbling pile of sobs, he held firm in his strong and steadfast responsibility to protect the town.
Sunny cleared her throat to begin, "So, I believe that Misty was working for Opaline. This is the pony who we were warned about by Twilight." She looked around at her friends, they were shells of what she knew them as.
Zipp decided to speak after Sunny, "How did Opaline live as long as she did? Magic has been gone for hundreds of years."
Sunny nodded, "Yes, that is true. However, I have reason to believe that Opaline was getting her magic from somewhere else." Sunny cautiously glanced at Hitch.
Pipp was next to talk, "Where could a pony get enough magic to live for hundreds of years?"
"Well, all of you saw yourselves how powerful Misty was with spells. That has yet to be replicated by any unicorn we know of. Ponies are still able to acquire cutie-marks, even within the magicless era of history. However, they contain magic in them as well."
Hitch gaped his mouth open, "Don't tell me you're suggesting …"
Sunny smirked. "Yes Hitch. Opaline has been grooming unicorns with high level abilities so she can siphon their abilities and power spells even with the limitations opposed by Twilight. This would allow her not only to use magic, but also to live for an extraordinary amount of time."
Izzy was silently listening, only now attempting to contribute, "That means Misty was groomed! We need to help her!"
Hitch glared at Izzy, obviously retorting, "Be that as it may…Sparky is gone because of her. If I see her again, it'll be right in the slammer." He remarked. Most of his anger was talk, and he directed it to Misty. Sunny couldn't blame Hitch for his words, if confronted with the same action, she would've wanted punishment as well.
Izzy deflated. "O-of course Hitch… I didn’t mean…Well I-i suppose." She obviously didn't agree. Sunny knew her own point as well, Misty might've been just a pawn. However, Hitch had a very good point. Especially considering her involvement. Sunny had previously yelled at Misty, making the situation worse. She felt guilty, but the fear of what could happen to her new town.
Sunny looked at the faces of her friends. This is not what she imagined when she brought everypony back together. Smiles and laughter, friendship and acceptance. Her vision had shattered. Everything she did was being eroded in front of her eyes. Without cheery ponies around her, it was empty and nauseating to think of what happened.
"Everypony. Listen up. With this threat upon the horizon. We need all ponies on deck. If we don't prepare, then some crazy pony is going to come here and try whatever plot she has." She sparked a little eye out to her cohorts, a small sparkle glimmering in the grim atmosphere.
Izzy could see it, her sparkle glowing and lighting up like a match. Sunny spoke again "I know it won't be easy, but I believe in us. I believe in all of us." Both her wings and horn appeared, as she clawed her optimism to the forefront of her mind. "I think that, like Twilight. If we put our heads together, we can do anything." She paused, waiting for a sign that her friends supported her. Any sort of signal she could count on. Their support meant everything, without it, Sunny wasn't sure she could do it all by herself. Being an leader was hard.
Hitch’s skin was clammy, but it didn't deter his dependable nature. "I agree, anything we can do to stop this from happening to anypony else." He frowned.
Zipp was next, "I think that's a great idea. I wasn't being careful enough, I will help with whatever is takes to secure Maretime Bay, Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood." She drew her bashful nature in.
Pipp scowled, "I'll help too. I don't want any more spies trying to decimate our reputations." She puffed her feathers like a swan in a lake, it was quite frazzling.
Once they were done, they turned to Izzy, expecting a response. "I-i… I need some time… This is all going too fast. I can't think straight!" She stood with extreme trepidation. It wasn't like her to be so put off, however it was understandable to Sunny, who had a hard time believing it all herself. Without a warning or pony to guide the crew, they were merely stumbling about like foals.
Unfortunately for Izzy, and the rest of the group of friends, they had no time to think of ways to plan against Opaline.
In an instant, there was a large earthquake, it shook the earth below their hooves.
Sunny trembled with unease. "What was that!?" She exclaimed. Maretime Bay, despite everything, had never experienced an earthquake. Not in her lifetime at least.
One thing that caught her eye, in the window, was a large blue magic circle. Echoing the one that the crystals had produced when magic came back to all ponies. She rushed outside. Taking no time to alert her friends.
Outside she saw a figure, floating mid-air above the town. Sunny couldn't fathom what she was looking at. It was a pony. A pony unlike herself, but similar. A glaring difference between them was Sunny's lack of concrete horn and wings.
Her hair flew into the sky like a blazing storm of blue and magic. Like a blue fire in hairstyle form. Her wings were large and intimidating, cascading a dark aura around the ground. She had both horn and wings, tailored for her body like they'd always been in place. Something Sunny hadn't gotten. It was strange, like looking in a mirror of what could've been.
The pony looked around, snaking her eyes against the world like she hadn't seen it before. The wings had powerful strokes, drawing air from all directions. Sunny began to hyperventilate, staring at the apparent alicorn from the door of the lighthouse. It seemed silly to her now that she thought peace would be easy. There were so many unknowns. So many loose threads she had yet to tie.
The alicorn looked in the direction of the lighthouse, and Sunny froze. Her body turned cold, a chill ran down her spine. It just wasn't right. Not at all.
She could hear Izzy's voice echo behind her, she could barely make it out. "Sun–What?---who is that?--she—-COMING!!!"
Sunny wasn't thinking, or acting, or moving. She was just waiting, waiting for Opaline to come, and she'd be forced to fight her. Sunny hadn't a clue how to fight. She'd need to, if she wanted to protect the town.
She could hear Izzy screaming, and see Hitch standing tall and proud, ready to fight. Zipp’s tech by her side, and Pipp's agape mouth as she stared in horror.
Opaline, when she teleported into Maretime Bay, let her lungs breathe in fresh air. She hadn't done such a thing in centuries. It was a cathartic experience. When she turned her head, she could see the lighthouse, prime and freshly built. She could make out the face of Sunny from afar, it would fill her with joy to see it become twisted and broken.
She chuckled, smiling and shaking her head. She needed those crystals, and she knew just how she'd get them. Flaring her wings, she bolted towards Sunny. She didn't need hesitation, because she was the queen of all.
When she got up close to the Brighthouse, her head was immediately struck. "Gah!" She growled, turning towards a white pegasus whose name she couldn't remember. "You strike your new Queen. Stand down, pegasus." Opaline shook her neck and mane pulling out a device similar in design to the new tech which was common in this advanced world.
Zipp scowled. "No! I won't let you through!" She beeped a small controller on her hoof, which let out a flurry of devices.
They stuck and beeped at Opaline, who growled and sighed. In a swift action, she outstretched her wings, flapping them quickly, turning herself into a pony tornado. All the devices were promptly smashed to the ground in a swift action. Opaline snorted in victory.
After Zipp's devices were indisposed, she rushed in. Zipp didn't notice the subtle glow of magic that emitted from Opaline. She was too unfamiliar with the old ways of spell casting. In a swift action, she was flung about like a ragdoll from the tip of her tail. Pipp could only watch in sudden terror as her sister crashed beside her with a pained squeak.
"Fools…" Opaline sighed, scanning the area for any more aggressors. She materialized a shield around herself, not for fear of failing, but to save precious time. To her credit, she was correct, on cue, Hitch emerged behind her form. He chucked a metal object in her direction, which clanged against the force field.
She held it up in a magic field, "This is what you call defense? Needs a little WORK!" Opaline chucked it back, clanging against Hitch’s leg. He winced and kneeled down, examining the wound.
He touched the ground lightly, "I have much more than that, it's just not as useful against flying pests like yourself." He hummed, crackling a humorous snort, even while in pain.
From Opaline's peripheral, she could see the pink pegasi character trying to come at her, only being stopped by the two other ponies. The false alicorn Sunny and a unicorn who she did not remember the name of.
"SHE HURT ZIPP! LET GO! LET GO!" Pipp thrashed defiantly, taking no care against Sunny or Izzy.
"Pipp stop! You'll only hurt yourself! I'll fight her!" Sunny retorted, still holding down Pipp in a battle of will and strength.
"Pipp! You have to calm down! You can't defeat her!" Izzy exclaimed, pointing out the obvious.
Opaline took their infighting as a chance to turn her head to both Zipp and Hitch. She charged her horn, sizzling the powerful magic. It crackled and sputtered, as it reached its intended targets. They growled in a pinching pain that took hold of their bodies. Before they knew it, their cutie-marks had vanished. Opaline breathed in the fresh magic, not those old dusty marks of her previous servants. The two cutie-marks of Hitch and Zipp floated around Opaline's body like charms she had collected. The magic energized her even more.
Before it was known, Sunny had calmed Pipp, explaining to her what to do with the crystals in the tower. Sunny needed to hold the alicorn off for as long as possible, while Pipp and Izzy made off with the crystals. Sunny thought the plan had a small chance of working, even if it didn't, she could take comfort in knowing they had tried.
Opaline turned, and Sunny was bolting toward her with a vengeance. Sunny's horn and wings shined brighter than ever. The darker and more fiery alicorn didn't believe for a second that Sunny could stand a chance against her.
When Opaline charged her horn with blue flame, she waited for the exact moment to strike. Opaline might've been a dramatic and fanatic pony; however, she was locked away for a reason. Her magic reached levels unknown to Sunny and the others. When Sunny got in close for a blow, Opaline pulled a flip above her, shooting a laser into her back. The beam shoved her into the ground, grinding against her body.
Sunny was shocked with the pain of a thousand needles. "AHHHHH!" A satisfied smile overtook Opaline while she beat upon Sunny.
Opaline fizzled out her horn, almost disbelieving in how much power she had recovered. "So I still have it don't I? I ought to take a little something from you, just so you remember that I am the true ruler of ponykind." She whistled in victory.
When Opaline gently glided down to the crater that Sunny laid in, she readied her magic to take Sunnys' cutie-mark. That deactivated Sunny's false wings and horn. Sunny did not have very much practice with her new disappearing body, especially not enough to go toe to toe with an ancient force of evil.
The magic flowed into the fire alicorn like a stream of water. Her parched body became obsessed with the feeling of empowerment from taking marks. She turned her sights toward the tower, the pink pegasus Pipp was fumbling to unlodge the three crystals as if her life depended upon it. While the unicorn Izzy was using her magic to try and disassemble them into a more transportable form. The flying object had an innate need to stay in the same place, as if it was programmed. And it was.
Opaline flew upwards, leaving the three incapacitated ponies to whatever fate lay upon them their shambled form.
"Don't try." Opaline began as she landed on the top of the Brighthouse.
Izzy growled, "You can't have these! They belong to us!" She frantically pulled with her magic on the crystals, they gave way only a little.
"Oh yadda yadda. It's a formality, when Twilight made these crystals; she made them to crown the new ruler of Equestria, and since I just defeated Sunny, they belong to me now." She looked around, "In fact, congratulations! You are witnessing the coronation ceremony. I've just decided I'm the Queen." She shook her head at Pipp, mocking her stature, "Awwww, sorry little pegasus, playing house is over for you in that big castle of yours."
She took hold of Zipp's cutie-mark, examining it. "You know, once I have both of your cutie-marks, I might just bind them together and lock them into my new crown! How fun would that be, you serving me while glancing longingly at your own cutie-marks! It gives me the shivers just thinking of it." She caressed Zipps mark, looking to Pipp for a reaction.
Pipp took a step back with disgust. "You…You…Won't win. The ponies, they won't accept you as their leader." She gritted her jaw.
Opaline cocked her head, "You see, that's the thing about ponies. They follow who you tell them to follow. They accept whatever benefits them most. Especially after I take their cutie-marks. When you reunited the three tribes, why did the pony citizens accept this…Unification?"
Pipp frowned, "Because it was right! Because we brought back magic and friendship." She exclaimed, craning her neck to show the obvious veins popping out.
"Wrong, they did it because you told them. You are the princess, and if you told them to accept me as the new Queen, they would do it." Opaline smiled.
"You're wrong. I wouldn't do that."
"Maybe not at first, but to save your sister? If I promise to spare them? Would you?"
Pipp stopped, trapped in thought. "I-i…."
Izzy growled, "Stop talking. You aren't the new Queen. And the crystal is ours." She continued to try and take out the object, but no success was found.
Opaline sighed, she levitated both of them in blue magic. "Enough talk, move aside." She moved them over to the edge of the Brighthouse. "Don't try anything, it will end badly for you."
With the Crystal in her reach, Opaline touched it with her magic. Indeed, it was a powerful relic, containing all the previous ruler's strength. However, Opaline knew Twilight's tricks. It would be little more than a hop skip and a jump to suck out all of the magic from it. After that, she alone would control all, they would be forced to bow, or be obliterated.
She hummed, starting her work over the spell. It had a few leaks, it was already breaking, Opaline could tell by the small inconsistencies in the aura. She slithered her magic into those cracks, the old thing was no match after its centuries of preservation.
"Yes! Now it's mine." She could feel it click, disabling its field entirely. Taking it in her hooves, it stopped beaming the rainbow in the sky, and became dull like a regular rock.
Opaline looked at it for a mere second, before replacing the magic with her own, slowly imploding it from within. After it fell, Twilight's right Reign over the ponies of the land would end.
The Crystal shattered into six distinct pieces, and a wave similar to the first was unleashed. "HA! If only Twilight could see me now. She'd certainly be peeved." She levitated both Pipp and Izzy towards her.
Both ponies were defeated, having starry and scared looks to their glassy eyes.
"I-it can't be…" Izzy croaked. She shut her eyes, hoping it was all a dream she would soon wake from.
"What? How-" Pipp began, before Opaline unleashed an unrelenting assault upon their bodies. The color slowly drained from them, cutie-marks vanishing from their flanks.
"Twilight's magic is very effective, I know first-hoof from her spells. She spent many years studying in order to make them as effective as they could be. However, a pony long dead for a thousand years is easily beaten by a pony with more magic power. Besides, I've spent years dissecting her magic from my castle." She smirked and looked at her new subjects. They didn't respond, and she groaned. Did nopony appreciate evil speeches anymore?
Looming over them both, she swiftly left, and went to gather more marks, and more power. It was all hers after all.
From the outside of the Brighthouse, Sunny opened her eyes slightly, witnessing Opaline fly toward the town. She tried to get up, but it stung, all she wanted to do was lay down and close her eyes forever. Her body, she couldn't move it, and not in the tired way, more like the non-response way.
With her cutie-mark gone, Hitch yelling into her ears, and Zipp laying limply on some objects nearby. She just felt lost. How in the world could she win now? Opaline certainly was a force to be reckoned with, Twilight wasn't joking about that. She chuckled in her own delirium. Hazy Hitch was still limping around, dulled and static.
Sunny realized there was another. A pony with a flowing mane of beautiful magic, with objects around her entire body.
"Misty?"
Misty teleported to the Brighthouse to find everything in ruin. Sunny In a hollow ditch, with a dull coat. Hitch limping around, trying to wake Sunny. Zipp was clearly concussed, she looked as though she'd been thrown with enough force to kill. Misty hoped that wasn't the case.
She wanted to help Zipp, but Sunny and Hitch were much more alarming. Hitch was yelling something along the lines of "STAY WITH ME, KEEP BREATHING" Well, Misty decided that didn't sound so good. Misty silently apologized to Zipp, she'd rather check on the ponies close to death than the already dead ones. She couldn't revive anyone after they'd already gone cold.
She swiftly made her way, albeit carefully due to holding Sparky, over to Hitch. "Hitch." She said, and he widened his eyes with relief and terror.
"Misty?" He was more confused than anything. "Is that…Is that you? And Sparky? Oh horse apples, I must be seeing things from the pain." He drooped.
"No, it's me, here." She gently placed Sparky into his arms. He cradled Sparky like a lost treasure.
"He's real." He looked at Misty and frowned, "That means you are too."
"Sadly enough, yes I am real." Misty smiled. "But enough with the talk, how is Sunny?" She came closer, trying to touch the pony.
Hitch slapped her hoof. "Why are you here? Why do you look like that?" He growled.
"I'm here to heal you. Look I've given you Sparky, I can heal you too to prove it." She half-whispered her words, wanting to heal Sunny immediately.
Hitch softened, "Fine, if you can heal me, then I'll let you near Sunny."
"Good, I don't think she'll last much longer, give me your hoof." She reached out her hoof, and Hitch gently placed his into hers.
With a warm glow, Misty went to work healing him. His leg was practically mangled, however, magic was a power thing. Instead of being permanently disfigured, Misty healed him in a short matter of seconds.
Hitch took a step, then another. "I can't believe it." He whispered. "How did you learn something like that? It seems so…advanced."
"It is advanced. However, Opaline trained many unicorns in her time, me included. Turns out when you have some time on your hooves, you can learn many spells." Misty glanced back to Sunny, she was looking beat, she creaked open her eyes, only a little.
"Misty?" She croaked. Misty, seeing the delirium setting in on Sunny, rushed forth.
"Sunny, I'm sorry this happened to you…I'll fix it. Let me fix you, take my hoof." She grabbed hold of the hoof, Sunny didn't react.
"Misty…M-My whole body..I can't move."
"I know, please, let me make you better." Misty started her work, it was hard and consuming. Sunny's spine was preposterously twisted. Yet again, she felt the injury go from excruciating to manageable. Sunny wouldn't be paralyzed, but she'd live with this memory forever.
When she finished, Sunny lifted her hoof, "Haha…Never knew I'd see the day." She carefully looked at Zipp. "Please…Misty, help Zipp…If you can. I don't know why you're here or if you're with Opaline, but I don't want ponies to be hurt." Sunny had a distinct sincere twinkle to her eyes, one Misty couldn't just ignore.
When Misty got up to look at Zipp, she swallowed a lump she didn't know she'd been carrying. She changed her magic in preparation. She closed her eyes and listened for a heartbeat, wincing as she looked closely for a sign of life.
There was life. Misty galloped over, this would need a lot of work. Possibly weeks of recovery. Zipp was concussed, like she'd thought but it might've been a lot worse than that, major brain damage. There was some, but minor and fixable. Misty wasn't God, she couldn't bring back someone who'd broken their brain. Some injuries were too much to heal.
Zipp had a myriad of injuries, most of which are better left to the imagination. Point was, she lived. Misty finished, just in time for Pipp to come running outside. Izzy following dutifully behind.
"Zipp!" Pipp hurried past, taking no notice of Misty.
"Hrrgggg." Zipp groaned, blinking her eyes. "What? Pipp? Misty? What's going on?"
"You were incapacitated by Opaline. But I healed you now. Are you alright?" Misty began.
Pipp looked shocked, "You healed her?"
Zipp held herself up, though she was shaky and stood on uncertain hooves. "Misty…I'm not sure why you're back, but I do know that I would've been a goner if not for you, so I owe you one." She fell on Pipp, who tried her best to support her sister.
"Don't try too hard. You'll hurt yourself." Pipp told her sister. Pipp grew softer to Misty's whims, now that she'd saved her sister.
Izzy, in the midst of the reunification of all her friend's, only smiled. She knew everything was messed up. The Crystal was shattered, and everypony was out of luck in the cutie-mark department. But even so, they were all together, that had to mean something. She picked up the shattered pieces of the Crystal and put them into her bag. She didn't know if they'd be useful or not, but she had them.
Sunny finally got herself out of the ditch. She brushed off some rubble. "Everypony, we need to head over to Maretime Bay, Opaline has likely caused a lot of damage. The ponies need us."
Hitch shook his head. "Sunny, we were defeated in a matter of seconds, you and Zipp almost died, and now we have no cutie-marks. I'm usually optimistic, but this seems like a downhill battle."
Misty wanted to reassure them, to tell them it would all work out in the end. But it just wasn't something she could promise. "Sunny, I'm sorry for what I've done. All you ponies need to do is get the remaining citizens out of the town, and alert the other tribes. I'll hold Opaline off."
Sunny nodded, "Thank you for your apology, but how will you ever go against Opaline? Surely you couldn't hold her off long enough?"
Misty levitated herself into the air, "I have my ways, besides, I know Opaline best, I was her student. When you're ready, I'll cover you. Whatever it takes to fix my mistake."
Sunny glances skeptically at her friends, who's looks assured her that Misty was their only chance. "Alright, let's go…Gang?"
They trotted forth reassuringly, Misty's tension released from her body at the sight of it.
They hurried down as fast as they could. Maretime Bay was plagued by chaos. In the streets, there were ponies everywhere. Some were fleeing, others were trying to help family or friends. And at the center of it all, was fire, so much fire. Buildings, streets, everything.
At the top of it all, was the alicorn herself, announcing her new reign to all who passed. "HEED MY WORDS PLEBIANS, I AM YOUR QUEEN!" She cackled maniacally. She was noticeably larger than she should've been. Now sporting glowing eyes of blue flame. A whirlwind cascaded on all ponies who weren't in the middle of the storm. It seemed as though she had spared ponies who came willingly, but punished whoever else.
It was no joke to suggest that Opaline had gotten cocky, drunk with lustful desires of fear. Misty only felt anger when she looked at her enemy. Was she so sure that burning down the town was a good strategy to give ponies a reason to follow her? Misty was sure not, Opaline was short-sighted, focused on small events that would only last a few years at most.
With no hesitation, Misty began to put out the fires. With no town, there would be little victory for either side. The ocean was only a bit away, that would be a good source of water. Taking as much magic as she could muster, Misty levitated water on every fire in sight. With that action, she caught the attention of Opaline.
"Misty?" Opaline stared at her old student with wide flaming irises. She laughed again, "What have you done to yourself?" She huffed while she laughed.
Misty's mane floated with a blinding brightness, and her eyes turned back into pure light. Her levitating cutie-marks returned, and her body loomed small underneath the abnormally large pony.
"Me? What about you? You're huge." Misty said, she looked her up and down.
Opaline smirked, "I've taken many marks, this is the ultimate result. Well, this will be easy."
Misty tried to react as fast as possible, but found herself being slow. Opaline wasn't kidding about her attack, she dove right for Misty, charging her horn halfway.
Misty bolted her body away by a hair, observing Opaline's body in slow motion while Opaline left a nasty crater.
"Fast I see." The alicorn commented. "I wonder what the ponies who were once attached to those marks would've said about all this, they'd agree with my conquest I imagine. They were my pupils."
Misty snorted, "Doesn't matter what they think, they're dead and gone. If it helps me defeat you, then I will do anything."
Opaline's flame worsened, she unleashed a destructive blast that almost caught Misty by the tail, however, she raced by the buildings. Through the street and couldn't watch while Opaline destroyed the trolley rail. She saw that many ponies were getting out of town, some with cutie-marks, and some without. She felt pleased that she was useful to the town.
She looked as the alicorn was prepared to release another blast. Misty turned to the ocean. She needed to lure her closer to the seaside. That would both stop major destruction of Maretime Bay, and let more citizens escape.
She darted towards the sea. Opaline followed suit, taking no thought into why Misty would do such a thing. The fiery pony had almost no higher idea as she bludgeoned towards her target. The sight would've made anypony scream in terror. Sadly, Misty was familiar with this brutish behavior. As much as Opaline liked to gas herself up and pretend to be sophisticated, she was anything but.
Jumping downwards was her only salvation, Misty didn't look back, as she leviatted herself only inches away from the water. The faster she went the more she felt like she was doing something to save Maretime Bay from destruction. She could hear the heavy and angry breaths of Opaline when she focused too hard. Fortunately, it came into her favor, when Opaline shot a blast, but instead it hit the water due to Misty's renewed instincts.
"Who's easy again?" Misty chuckled, darting left and right to avoid any more attacks.
Opaline fumed, but suddenly looked back to see that Maretime Bay was far behind her. She realized Misty's tactic, surrounded by water, the fire alicorn would be more easily weakened.
"I see how it is…" Opaline turned back towards her new domain, forgetting Misty.
Misty couldn't allow that. In a few short seconds, Opaline was surrounded by a large ball of water. Misty hoped it would at least mitigate her abilities. The giantess roared in anger. Fire magic wasn't the only type she knew, she thought a nice horn beam would suffice as Misty's punishment.
Misty locked eyes with the alicorn as she grinned with a new attack. Misty dispelled her bubble to rehash it but instead onto herself but as a shield.
The beam was relentless, a pure magic tornado that shook her resolve to fight. Misty bolted upwards, twisting and turning to avoid most of the damage. She could feel her magic draining quickly the more she had to hold off the attack. Drained and exhausted, Misty slowly followed behind as Opaline returned their fight to the edge of town.
Opaline gazed on with her blue irises of fire. "Still alive? How disappointing." Her eyes were cold, no sympathy, not even a lick of empathy. She raised Misty and yet, didn't care whether Misty lived or died. Her drastic age (being akin to multiple millenia) might have caused it, however that was not all. "Bow to me Misty." She shot another beam from her horn. "Bow to me, bow to the Alicorn of power. You are an imitation, a copy. So is Sunny, a lousy imitation of a true ruler of Equestria." Opaline shook her hoof.
Another beam, and another, before Misty felt her horn burn with overuse, and her control over her marks slip. This wouldn't continue for long. Misty hoped that her death would be meaningful. That those ponies had escaped and fled to wherever Opaline wasn't.
Before she could give into her evident superior, her ear swerved to hear a voice. It was Izzy's voice, calling out to her from behind. The mare galloped over, taking shelter with a makeshift umbrella and fire resistant clothing. Before she could react, Izzy held onto her tightly. Her throat went dry as a bone.
Izzy couldn't die here. She had too much talent, too much to achieve in her lifetime. Misty could momentarily feel magic flowing back into her body. Her shield became more durable, and more effective against Opaline.
Misty thought hard. The thing Opaline hated most was friendship, she had a bad past with it. Misty knew if she flaunted it in her face, then her guard might have been let down for a second.
"Izzy…You're here." Misty cried.
"Of course, I thought it was a little loopy that you had to be alone with such a party pooper, so I came to cheer you up." She exclaimed, still holding tight to her friend from under the shield.
"Tell the others I'm sorry. Tell them that I want them to run away as fast as possible, and warn the other tribes." Misty said as she held strong her magic, still taking blasts and yet, her body was light as a feather.
Opaline screamed, "Are you seriously having small talk right now!?" She gritted her teeth, trying to channel even more power into her spell.
Izzy ignored Opaline, "You can tell them yourself Misty." Izzy smiled.
"What?" Misty could see that Sunny was flying with Zipp and Pipp, quite fast. With Hitch holding a large stick in-between his teeth. That wasn't all however, because Hitch was being miraculously carried by all three winged ponies.
Misty cringed, she didn't want them to be blown out of the air, that would take them all out instantly. She tried to reach out and shield them, but to her surprise, Sunny was wearing a strange looking crystal on her neck. She was channeling her own shield around all of them. Now that she looked, Izzy, Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch were wearing them as well.
They landed mostly uneventfully,to the immense gratitude of Misty.
Sunny chimed out from her shoulder, "Misty, we're all in this together. These pieces may be the last we have of the Crystal, but it doesn't matter. Because when we are all together we can do anything." Sunny reached around her neck, and attached a similar crystal piece to her own neck, that matched the others.
"I c-can't hold it much longer." Misty, told Sunny, with damp eyes.
Sunny let some of the weight off Misty's horn, taking up half the shield. "You aren't alone anymore. I know you wanted to impress Opaline, but it doesn't matter now. All that matters is the ponies out there that are worth more than a cutie-mark." Sunny said, grunting.
Zipp put a hoof on Misty's shoulder, "I'm sorry I was hard on you. But you really were suspicious, you know that?" Zipp grinned.
Pipp lightly spoke. "I'm sorry I was so happy to barge in and expose you in front of everypony, I just… I was angry that you tried to ruin the one thing I love to do."
Hitch was next, "I really wanted to arrest you, and I still do. But I think we can work something out with community service. And a lot of dragon sitting."
Misty couldn't believe what she was hearing. These ponies, who she did nothing but betray continuously, were with her until the bitter end. Even if they ended up dying, even if the town was half destroyed.
"I'm the one who is sorry, this is my fault, I helped evil, I colluded with her for something as simple as a mark on my flank. If it wasn't for me, none of this would've happened." Misty concluded.
Opaline stopped her assault. She was looking tired even for someone as empowered as herself. She was quiet, but only for a moment. "You wretched ponies. I was meant for glory, you lot are meant for nothing more than fodder for my empire. I'm the Queen! I'M THE QUEEN!"
Izzy started to laugh, she giggled so much that Opaline sneered in annoyance. "You laugh now, but when you are slowly dying by my hoof, I'm sure you'll be receptive to bowing down."
"No silly, I'm laughing because you're just such a goober."
The whole gang began to laugh, Misty giggled until her whole abdomen hurt. In the middle of a brutal battle, showered in uncertainty. It now felt stupid, Opaline picking her ears to see if the sight in front of her was really happening.
"STOP!" Opaline yelled.
Misty felt a light tingle at her neck. The Crystal was glowing and shaking. The rest of them were as well, popping and rocking like a frenzied rainbow.
The overwhelming magic felt right as it poured over in an arc and slammed onto Opaline. She shrieked like a banshee. Misty swore she felt the Crystal tearing the magic off of Opaline and back into the six crystals.
In a minor flashbang. The alicorn was now smaller than ever, the size of a regular pony at least. Misty could still see wings and horn, but no flame, and no extra cutie-mark power. Suddenly, the cutie-marks of all her friends returned. They excitedly squealed in victory.
Misty slowly crept her way to Opaline, while Sunny and the rest walked closely at her side.
Opaline's eyes fluttered open, taking in her new surroundings.
"Opaline?" Sunny asked, tilting her head in an abstract way.
Opaline took large gulps of air, trying to recover a voice.
Sunny spoke up, "I read about this once. Twilight and her friends banished the evil away from Luna and then she turned back to normal!!!" She squealed in her fangirlish ways.
Misty could see that pony. Though she was smaller than before, it was the same mare as before, as she'd always been. So when Sunny suggested just…Accepting her back. It was unthinkable.
Zipp looked skeptical, "Don't fangirl right now Sunny! We don't know what happened!"
"Yeah Sunny! She could still be evil! And she destroyed the town and almost killed us all!" Pipp exclaimed.
Opaline croaked lightly, "C-closer…H-hurts."
Sunny gasped, "Of course!" She leaned in closer, letting Oplaine whisper in her ear. But instead of that, Oplaine grabbed her by the neck, attempting to pull off the crystal around her gullet.
"Gluk! Get her off!" Sunny yelled.
Bonk.
She collapsed on the floor, going limp and letting Sunny go as her hooves turned limp. Hitch held his stick in place, making sure Opaline was really unconscious.
"Hitch!" Sunny whined.
"What!? She was attacking you. And besides, I really wanted to apprehend her." He shrugged, bonking her once more for good measure.
Zipp shook Sunny "Hey! Earth to Sunny! Don't go close to evil ponies who might try and kill you!"
Sunny slumped, "Sorry…I guess my nerding out got the better of me."
Misty began to lay down, as exhaustion took the front seat in her psyche. It had been a long day.
"Hey Misty?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah Izzy?" Misty blinked.
"We're proud of you." Izzy nodded.
Misty grinned, "Well, I suppose that is much better than hating me isn't it?"
Izzy tapped her hoof against her own snout. "I guess so."
"Then that's all I could've done"
Misty watched as her new friends argued over an evil dictator's unconscious body. A lot of "you shouldn't haves" and "I had tos." Well, Misty was glad that they could laugh and joke again, the town was still in shambles. But at least it was intact, Misty could take a little pride in that.
She sighed, a little nap wouldn't hurt anypony.
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Man, this chapter was roller coaster. It's always nice seeing the magic of friendship triumph over evil in the end. And yeah, technically this is no longer cannon, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Some of the best stories on this site pretty blatantly go against cannon. It's part of the fun of fan fiction, we can do stuff the writers weren't willing/allowed to do.
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Thank you for the encouragement! ☺️ You always comment such nice things!
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