Age Before Beauty
Sunny's eyes are glued to her grandfather as Zipp continues their conversation. Her voice isn't as demanding as before, and although she is still putting pressure on Anon to respond to her questions, she seems a bit more relaxed. Similarly, Misty seems much less afraid after the general mood improved so much.
"Well, I guess we should pick up where we left off. Now we know that Sunny's mom and your daughter are the same pony. That explains why you know so much about her and why she lived with you in the Everfree Forest, but it opens up even more questions."
"And I promise to answer those questions to the best of my ability."
"Okay, then let's start with this: You said she was in danger. Why?"
"We both were. As I told you and Sunny before, I escaped into the Everfree Forest with Joy when she was still an infant, while Tia stayed behind to help Twilight fight. And also as I said before... they lost."
"That's something that has been on my mind. The history books, Discord, and even you get really cagey when Princess Twilight's defeat is brought up. We know that the events of that day led directly to the three ponykinds choosing to live separately from each other and the complete dissolution of the Equestrian throne, but... we don't know the why, how, or even the who. Who took down Princess Twilight? Why did they want to? If they won, then why don't we already know this stuff?"
"One question at a time, Zipp." Anon sighs as he prepares to tell the story as he knows it. "In truth, it was all orchestrated by one pony. She was perhaps the most dangerous and cunning manipulator Equestria has ever seen. She played the long con, slowly sowing the seeds of her uprising. A whisper here, a nudge there. She did all that she could to create disharmony between the ponykinds. She wanted to prove how fragile the friendship that Equestria was built upon really was. We all laughed at her."
"You didn't take her seriously?"
"Why would we? You saw it for yourself in the Journal of Friendship. How many villains said that exact same thing over the years? She was just another name in a rogue's gallery of bad guys to defeat. ...At least, that was what we thought."
"Stronger than you imagined?"
Anon shakes his head.
"Strictly speaking? No, not really. The problem was us."
"What do you mean?"
"Her plan worked. Ponies started hating each other. Fights broke out in the streets. Next thing we knew, even we couldn't escape the wrath of the populous. They turned on us. They turned on Twilight. It became hard to go anywhere, do anything. Things were getting crazy. They were getting dangerous. And none of us even noticed until it was too late."
"What happened?"
"She waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. One accident injured Fluttershy. Another left Rarity stranded in Manehattan. She realized that she didn't need to destroy the elements, she just had to separate them." Anon laughs an empty, somber laugh. "Hard to rely on the magic of friendship when your friends are nowhere to be found. She picked us off one by one."
Sunny mumbles next to Anon.
"Goodness..."
"Then she marched on Canterlot Castle. That was the fateful day that I lost everything. I lost my home. I lost my friends. ...I lost my wife. Joy was all I had."
"So you exiled yourself to the Everfree Forest. Then what?"
"...Silence. I didn't hear anything from anyone. I suppose that's the point of going into hiding though, huh? Anyway, I waited about a week before I dared to venture back to Ponyville. It... it had been destroyed. Abandoned."
"So you went back into the forest?"
"Actually, I got even more daring and headed for Canterlot. The whole place was in ruins. I can't even begin to imagine the battle that took place there. I... I was in shock. Reality didn't really set in until I tried to go back to the forest. Little Joy and I passed a caravan of earth ponies heading east. I asked them where they were going, and they said they were 'going to live with the earth ponies.' Then I asked if they knew what happened to Princess Twilight and Celestia. That was when I found out that they had been wiped out."
"Wait, even you don't know how the battle went?"
"No, I don't. Tia's body was never found, but strangely, neither was the mare that defeated her. I... I couldn't just assume that everything was fine. Heck, Equestria was in shambles, of course everything wasn't fine. I had nowhere to run. No one to turn to. If that villain was still out there, she would almost certainly go after Joy and I at some point. What else could I do but go back into hiding?"
"You keep mentioning this 'villain,' and the things 'she' did. But who exactly IS she?"
Anon's expression goes dark. Slowly, he turns to face Misty, whose eyes dart around the room nervously.
"The fire alicorn forgotten by history. Opaline Arcana."
"WHAT?!" Misty's shout catches everyone off guard. "I... I didn't know that she...!" Misty begins to shiver in place. Zipp moves towards her and wraps a wing around her in an effort to calm her down. Anon decides to say nothing more until she's able to catch her breath and regain her composure. When she does so, she looks back up at Anon, a pleading look in her eyes. "Is that why you're so interested in me?"
"Sort of. I have two reasons to make note of you."
"Two?"
"Firstly, your connection with Opaline. The fact that she kept you around to do her bidding implies to me that she has a reason to not make her presence known. I believe you said that she's hunting for dragon fire, yes?"
"R-right. She said it'll restore her fire alicorn magic."
"Meaning she doesn't have it." Anon lets out a tired, relieved-sounding sigh. "That means Tia's fight wasn't in vain. If nothing else, it bought us enough time for the six of you to meet each other."
"W-what's the other reason?"
"That'd be your cutie mark." Anon motions towards Misty's butterfly-shaped cutie mark, and she anxiously looks down at it. "Tell me, do you have any particular connection with butterflies? Or animals in general?"
"N-no, that's really more of Hitch's thing."
"That makes your cutie mark a bit curious then, doesn't it?"
"Oh no! Do you think something is wrong with me?"
Anon lets out a warm chuckle.
"Not at all, Misty. It just means that your cutie mark symbolizes something else. And I don't think it's a coincidence that it's so similar to Fluttershy's."
"I remember reading about her in the journal. She was the Element of Kindness, right?"
"Correct. And I believe the same is true for you. Hence my interest."
"How does that make me any more special than everypony else? Zipp is the Element of Loyalty and you weren't staring at her!"
"It's because of the unique position you find yourself in. Your kindness is much more subdued than that of Fluttershy. You've... been through a lot, haven't you?"
"..."
"It's okay, I won't pry. I just have one question for you."
"What's that?"
"You don't really want to hurt Opaline, do you?"
"..."
"..."
"...No, I don't." Misty's voice is shaky, and could barely be considered a whisper.
Anon smiles.
"Good."
"Huh?" Sunny, Zipp, and Misty all look shocked at Anon's response.
"Why are you all so surprised?"
Sunny speaks up, her voice filled with worry.
"I-I'm sorry, but... didn't Opaline kill Celest- grandma?"
"Hmhm, it's strange to hear that word come from your mouth. But yes, I have reason to believe she did. What about it?"
"I... I just expected you to be more... I don't know, angry, I guess?"
"Sunny. I've had a long, long time to temper my anger." Anon closes his eyes and lowers his head ever-so-slightly. "But there is still a voice inside telling me how much it wants to see Opaline suffer."
Misty responds.
"B-but... just because she's a bad pony doesn't mean we should hurt her!"
"You're completely correct, Misty."
"I'm confused."
Anon opens his eyes again and smiles.
"Opaline has cared for you for a long time, Misty. She was certainly a terrible mentor, but she was your mentor all the same. It makes sense that you, the Element of Kindness, would want to avoid harming her. And I don't think you should harm her, either. None of you should. It would be a bit counterintuitive for Equestria's newest champions of friendship to do so, don't you think?"
Zipp responds inquisitively.
"Then what should we do?"
"Use the Elements of Harmony. Just like I've been teaching you."
"...Ah!" Misty suddenly exclaims, her eyes wide and her voice filled with more hope than Anon has ever heard from her. "The Journal of Friendship talked about that! The Elements of Harmony pretty much always defeat the villain in one fell swoop! They'll turn good, turn to stone... whatever it takes to save the day! And you just said Princess Twilight and her friends couldn't use them against Opaline because they were all split up!"
"Bingo. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she's plotting to take you all down... except Misty, maybe. However, what she doesn't expect is for you to know about, let alone use, the Elements of Harmony against her. Don't forget, she went to GREAT lengths to prevent them from being used against her last time. I'm positive it'll work."
"How are you so sure she doesn't know that WE know about them?"
"Beyond what's written in the Journal of Friendship, how much DID you know about them before I got here?"
"...Not much, admittedly."
"Exactly. She doesn't think you know because she still doesn't know about me, let alone the prospect of me teaching you all."
Misty speaks up once more, the fear now completely gone from her voice.
"I'm sorry, Anon. I was just... so scared of you. I didn't know what you would think of me. A-and when you started talking about us defeating Opaline, I was afraid of what you were going to tell me to do."
"I apologize for scaring you so much, Misty. However... now that I've spoken to you, I'm not so sure that there's much I can actually teach you either way."
"What do you mean?"
"Kindness comes to you naturally, Misty. I can't teach you that."
"But can't you help me learn more about it?" Misty leans forward in her seat towards Anon, her eyes big and pleading. "Please?"
"Hmhm. Sure, Misty. I'll try." Anon gently claps his hands together. "So. Does that answer all of your questions?"
Sunny, now appearing somewhat tired, perks up.
"I have one more."
"What's on your mind?"
"Well, if mom was an alicorn, how come nopony noticed? Does that mean I'm half-alicorn?"
"For the second question, yes, you are. Well, maybe quarter-alicorn? I mean, Joy was technically half-alicorn, half-human."
"Woah." Sunny looks at Zipp and Misty with bewilderment and wonder. "I'm quarter-human!"
The four share a laugh before Anon continues.
"As for your other question, it's because I'm her old man. She got some of my magic which, as I've explained, isn't Equestrian in nature. I don't know how, but that magic gave her the ability to shapeshift."
Zipp interrupts.
"Oh! You talked about this back at the cabin! She used that ability to look like a pegasus in Zephyr Heights and a unicorn in Bridlewood."
"Right. Eventually, she transformed into an earth pony and made her way here. Next thing I knew, she had sent me a letter about this stallion she met named Argyle Starshine."
"Hah! I never would have guessed that when you told this story a few months ago you were talking about my parents!"
"Haha! Anyway, the rest is history, as they say. I was left alone in the Everfree Forest for years until a couple of mares from Maretime Bay came loudly crashing onto my doorstep, and here we are."
The four fall silent for a few moments. However, it isn't an awkward or pained silence. Instead, it's a comfortable silence. It's a feeling of everything finally being out in the open. The feeling of peace.
Eventually, Zipp breaks that silence.
"So now we just have to be ready for whatever Opaline does next?"
"That's the plan."
Misty chimes in.
"How long will that take, I wonder?"
"Who knows? It could be some time, it could be tomorrow. Hard to tell."
Sunny speaks up again as well.
"And you're going to be here to help us, right?"
"I'll be here to train you, sure. That said, my fighting days are mostly behind me. Timberwolves? Sure, I can deal with a few wild animals. My wife's murderer? That's... a tall order. Hmhm, but maybe I can get a quick potshot in on her before you all beat her, eh?"
"Please don't." Misty's voice is half-serious, half-joking.
The group laughs once again before Anon finally rises from his seat.
"Where are you going?"
"I need to head back to my cabin in the Everfree Forest."
"Wait, why?! I thought you were going to stay here!"
"I am. I've got an apartment lined up and everything. I just have to go back and get some of my stuff, haha!"
"Oh, okay. W-wait, you're going to walk halfway across Equestria to move your belongings?!"
"It's just a few small things, Sunny. I'll be okay." He kneels down to meet her at eye level. "And I WILL be back. That's a promise from your grandpa."
Without a word, Sunny hugs Anon. He gratefully returns the gesture with a smile. After a few seconds, the two part, and Anon rises back up again.
"Well, thank you for the company. I'll be back in, say, a week or so."
"Alright. Thank you for everything, grandpa!"
"See ya, Anon."
"Goodbye, Anon!"
With one final wave and with his walking stick in hand, Anon leaves the Crystal Brighthouse. The three mares left inside smile, but Sunny's is clearly the biggest. The pure, unbridled happiness and excitement exuding off of her is enough to be contagious, and her two friends can't help but try to match her energy.
"I have a grandpa!"
Sunny throws one arm around each friend, pulling both of them into an excited hug. They silently return it, more willing than ever to face the days to come.
Several days later, Anon finds himself stepping over a large root. With a sigh, he looks through a small gap in the trees. There, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, his old cabin sits peacefully still. The sun has just recently set, but the outline of the cabin in the dark, moonlit forest is still visible to his trained eyes. As he steps forward, however, he notices something odd. There is candlelight peeking through the windows of the cabin, and smoke is clearly billowing from the chimney.
Furrowing his brow, Anon slowly creeps closer to the cabin until he reaches the front porch. As carefully as he can, he peers through the window. The cabin isn't large, and he sees no one inside. However, the wax on those candles indicate that they were lit not too long ago.
After taking a deep breath, he approaches the front door and slowly opens it with a long, drawn-out creaking sound. Once the door is open, he knocks on it.
"Hello?! Who's in here?!"
Anon enters the cabin. When he does so, he is greeted by the distinct smell of freshly brewed tea. A smell not at all unfamiliar to him, but strange in the given context. Recognizing his own tendency to get flashbacks from times long past, he closes his eyes as tight as he can. However, when he opens them, the scene remains unchanged. He sniffs at the air. Tea with... lemon. And exactly four sugars.
His eyes go wide. He stands perfectly still, unable to process the information around him.
He hasn't made tea like that in decades. Not since-
The door suddenly closes behind him. With it, he hears the sound of a mare quietly chuckling.
"It's chilly out tonight. You really shouldn't leave the door open like that, sunshine."
Slowly, Anon turns around to face his guest.
Standing in front of the door is a tall mare. Her coat is snow white, though it appears dirty in more places than one. Her mane and tail are both cut short, but they are made up of varying hues of green, blue, and pink. Despite their short length, they seem to flow in a nonexistent wind. One of her back legs is missing completely, replaced by a mechanical prosthetic. Her other back leg is similar, though only from the knee down. One large, feathery wing is tucked against the right side of her torso. On the other side, a small nub where a wing might once have been rests against her back. The sharp, broken remains of where a horn once was protrudes about an inch off of her forehead.
The two stand there in complete silence for several tense moments. Said silence is finally broken by the sound of Anon, who has been frozen stiff since turning around, suddenly dropping his walking stick.
Anon makes no effort to move. However, as the stick settles on the wooden floor, it is accompanied by the sudden appearance of tears falling freely to the ground. Anon's eyes are closed tight, but he is unable to keep his composure. The mare standing in front of him smiles, though after a moment she, too, begins to sob.
After what feels like an eternity, Anon takes a couple of steps forward before reaching the mare. With a shaky, hesitant hand, he reaches out to touch the mare's face. She does not pull away, and merely continues to smile and sob as his hand caresses her cheek.
"...You're real."
The mare wraps a hoof around Anon's hand, a laugh of sheer disbelief filling the space.
"I've missed you, Anon."
"I... I..."
Anon struggles to say anything through his tears. The next thing he knows, he is crying the hardest he has ever cried. He forgot that he was capable of feeling so much emotion at once. The shock, the disbelief, the sheer elation he feels is like nothing he has ever known before. Overwhelmed, he wraps his arms around the mare's neck. Slowly, his legs begin to shake. He falls to his knees, never once letting go of the mare. With the shortened gap in their heights, she places her head on his shoulder and leans into him, further tightening the embrace as they both cry violent, ugly, ecstatic cries.
"Tia!"
And that's it! Thank you all so much for reading! Perhaps I'll do another one of these stories after Chapter 5 of Make Your Mark releases, hmm? 
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback!
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How dare you end this story like that! I thought it was going to be longer
friendship training and human shenanigans… plus that ending 
Btw, love how Anon wants Opaline redeem. That’s special mercy of friendship that any MLP character would ever has shown before…
Wait… After chapter 5?!? Noooooo!!!
I didn’t expect Celestia to survive
Wonderful story, I am glad sunny has a grandfather.
Keep up the great work.
Oof. I expected the moment Celestia revealed herself to Anon that she probably wouldn't be 100% intact, but still. She got put through the wringer.
With that ending, there better be a sequel at some point. I NEED to know what happened, to leave it here would actually be criminal. Gah, my feels man.....
If Tia is alive then maybe Twilight is too.
Oh my god, Celestia was alive! That very well means Twilight could be too! The reunion between Celestia and Anon was too much, I cried right there along with them. Now Sunny can have a proper family again soon! And man, it is scary to see just how much of a beating Celestia took, and that alone makes me wonder if Twilight survived. I truly, truly hope so, along with Joy Starscout.
But you know what this means Runic, right?
This means there better be a DAMN sequel to this story!
WHY RUNIC?! DON’T LEAVE US WITH THIS BEAUTIFUL CLIFFHANGER!
This is beautiful BUT YOU CANT STOP!
Oh man Sunny is gonna flip when she finds out she has a grandma to hug too.
These have been stories that would fulfil an Anons wildest dreams (except the harem one maybe), without being overly trite and convoluted in the way that most other fics with self inserts or Anons tend to do. So I applaud you for that.
I can't help but wonder though, if Anon here might actually be somewhat mistaken in his assessments of the Elements of Harmony.
G5 so far has given me the impression their traits have been sort of diffused and mixed around between them all. Hitch may be sheriff but he's as kind as Fluttershy not just because he's always caring for animals, but also compassionate enough to be Sunny's only friend for most of her life. Misty may have the butterfly mark, but given how the episodes went it seems more likely it reflects her own personal growth to be who she really is, catalysed by her loyalty to true friends, even if shes just as shy. Zipp exudes many of the qualities of Rainbow Dash, but her detective work tells me honesty is pretty high up on her priority list.
And, they've had other names in the past across generations. The Pillars of Equestria weren't exactly named after all the same traits either. Different ponies needed in different times after all. Does G5 need all of the exact same 6 elements? I guess only time will tell, but I think it's arguable that the qualities Sunny and her friends embody might just be a little bit different.
I once read a post or fic somewhere that posited that Sunny would be the Alicorn of Hope. That ponies could be united again, that things could change. Maybe that's what they need this time round.
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it was mentioned in the last story
Sorry to bring you down. Joy died from Sunny’s birth
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Possibly, but that’s as far as Sunny knows. Anon and Sunny thought Celestia was gone too. Maybe it’s something Runic will revisit in the sequel to this story (which I refuse to accept ‘no’ as an answer!).
ah man... this is why i love fandoms more than the source material.
It's all just better lmao
FUDGE!!!!
cliff hangers!!!!!!
ur evil!!!!
MOAR!!!
Goodness me. For being such a couple of short stores, this has been the most interesting G5 story so far...
I really look forward and hope to see more, and see what happens—especially since 'Tia is back in Anon's life after centuries.
I know Anon said his fighting days were behind him but when the inevitable final showdown against Opaline happens I REALLY want him to beat the brakes off Opaline just a little bit. Magic? Maybe. But hands will definitely be thrown. I love this story and am hoping for a sequel
*throws toaster through window*
EXPLAIN YOURSELF RUNIC
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It's in production!
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IT BETTER BE!
I'm up way too late to be ugly crying. Good stuff.
I love this story, personally I'm not a fan of G5 (I mean the show, the comics are gooooood). Also bruh when I saw the last chapter.......its almost midnight here, its too late to be crying TwT she better be real, if she is an illusion or a trap or something it will break my heart.