A devastated and homeless Sunny abandons her friends and meets two new unicorns: Lily Heartshoe and Carter Wrenchbox.
Set just after the events of 'A New Generation', the dream has finally happened. Magic and harmony to all pony-kind has returned to Equestria... but not everything is back to normal. Sunny Starscout is struggling with the loss of her house after it was badly damaged by Sprout, who has gone missing after seemingly being disowned by Phyllis. Whilst her friends work together on the wreckage, Sunny comes across two new unicorns named Lily Heartshoe, and her father, Carter Wrenchbox, who is also Argyle Starshine's former friend, and Sunny must learn that there's more to friendship than she knows.
Ever since she was a filly, Sunny Starscout always believed that earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi were meant to be together in harmony. Now 16 years old, Sunny tried once again to tell all other earth ponies that fear is not their friend and that they didn't need any "Canterlogic junk" to protect themselves. But no matter how many times she tried, they never believed in her, especially Hitch Trailblazer, who always stopped her from doing the same old thing. Hitch told Sunny that he was the only friend she got left in Maretime Bay, and that hit Sunny so hard, she thought of giving up... until a 'magicless' unicorn came to town, known as Izzy Moonbow! The town was so freaked out, Sunny had to get Izzy to her home for safety. When they managed to escape Hitch and Sprout, Sunny and Izzy travelled miles and miles to find out what truly caused the disappearance of the unicorns' magic, and they quickly became close friends. They end up in Zephyr Heights, where they find out that all the pegasi were unable to fly without magic. Meeting the royals of the city, Queen Haven and her daughters, Pipp Petals and Zipp Storm, Sunny and Izzy tried to introduce themselves with a friendly attitude, but Haven strongly disapproved of them, fearing that they were a threat to the Royal Jubilee. However, Zipp doesn't see that, and she becomes friends with Sunny and Izzy after freeing them from the city's prison. Fearing for Sunny's safety, Hitch leaves Maretime Bay to bring her back and arrest her, which angers Sprout, thinking that everypony loves Hitch more than him. Phyllis, Sprout's mother, decides to hand him the position as the town's 'temporary' sheriff, and Sprout felt so excited, he thought his childhood dream of becoming a sheriff has finally come true. Back at Zephyr Heights, Zipp tells Sunny and Izzy that she, Pipp and Haven were faking their flying, and that she's sick and tired of living that ridiculous lie. Then, Sunny discovers that they need to gather the two crystals together in order to bring back Equestria's magic and bring all pony-kind together in harmony again. First, they had to get the crystal from Haven, which Zipp thought was tricky, as her mom never takes her crown off. Coming up with a plan, Zipp acts natural for her sister's performance, whilst Sunny and Izzy sneak into the castle. Pipp performed her song in front of her fans, whilst Sunny and Izzy worked together to steal Haven's crystal. But when Hitch arrived, their cover was already compromised, and the royals' fake flying was exposed to the public, causing Haven to be arrested whilst Sunny, Izzy, Hitch and Zipp escape. Having acquired the first crystal, Pipp agreed to help the others find the last one in Bridlewood. Along the way, Hitch saw a new light and decided to befriend the two pegasi and Izzy. The others find out that the second crystal was being stored by a professional unicorn named Alphabittle. With a unicorn disguise, Sunny challenged Alphabittle to a special dancing competition, putting both crystals on the line. Sunny managed to win, only to accidently reveal her true identity to the unicorns. Hitch gets them all jinxed, and they all got away with both crystals. Haven somehow got away from her arrest, and she reconciled with her daughters. Alphabittle, Haven, the pegasi and unicorns fight over each other, but Sunny told them that there was no magic, making them finally realize. Sunny and Izzy put the two crystals together, hoping that magic would come back... but they didn't work. Heartbroken and dejected, Sunny returned the crystals to Haven and Alphabittle, heading back to Maretime Bay with Hitch and abandoning her friends. Whilst Sunny was packing her childhood toys away, she suddenly discovered that there was a third crystal inside the lamp that her dad made, and that there was also a secret frame that connects all three crystals. With her hope regained, Sunny raced to tell Hitch the good news, but they saw that the entire town was turned to Sprout's side, and that he was planning to attack the other pony races with his war machine. Reconciling with her friends, as well as Haven and Alphabittle, Sunny, Izzy and Pipp race into the lighthouse to connect the crystals, but Hitch, Zipp and Phyllis struggled to stop Sprout as he was crashing into the lighthouse and destroying it. Sunny and Izzy managed to connect all of the crystals on the frame, but they still failed to do anything. The tower crumbles, and Sunny's home was all in ruins. When it seemed that all hope was lost, Sunny realizes that all pony-kind had to put aside their differences and accept friendship. Having done that, the crystals glow and transformed Sunny into an alicorn, restoring Equestria's magic and bringing harmony back to all pony-kind.
Hours later after magic and harmony were restored across Equestria, the earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi gather together to attend Pipp's special performance at the newly restructured Canterlogic, which now makes special equipment for all pony-kind.
"Earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns! Are we all ready to soar through the sky?! Please welcome my daughter, and our new pop sensation, PIPP PETALS!!" Haven said with excitement.
"WOO-HOO!!!" Pipp said, as she comes out flying around the factory. This time, there where no strings attached, and the crowd cheered with excitement, including Sunny, Izzy, Hitch and Zipp. "Hello, everypony! Shall we dance?!"
"WE LOVE YOU, PIPP!!!"
Pipp began performing her song, both in the air and on stage. The crowd danced with her and she put on an amazing show. A show that her fans will never forget. Pipp took a bow in advance. "Thank you so much for coming tonight! And a huge shoutout to the Pippsqueaks!"
The spotlight shined on the Pippsqueaks, who are Pipp's biggest fans, and they screamed with joy. "PIPP, PIPP, HOORAY!!!!"
"Before I go, I also want to say a huge 'thank you' to a new friend of mine. She always believed that all pony-kind were meant to be friends in Equestria, and she made her dream a reality. Give it up for Sunny Starscout!!"
Sunny gasped with delight as the spotlight now shined on her, and everypony cheered. "Pipp!"
"Oh, and that's not all, as I have some exciting news to share with you." The crowd gasped as they all feel excited. "Ever since I made that song, which you loved so much, I always wanted to make a hit album. And that's exactly what I'm going to do!!" The crowd cheered for her once again. "I love you, guys! And goodnight!"
At the backstage, Pipp returned to her friends, who were so proud of her performance.
"Hey, Pipp!" Sunny said. "That was so amazing, I can't believe you even mentioned me!"
"Thanks, Sunny!" She and Sunny embrace each other.
"Admit it. You made history." Hitch said proudly.
"You rocked that stage tonight, sis." Zipp said. "You really are a hero."
"Couldn't have said that better myself, Zipp."
"Ooh, who's up for some pizza?!" Izzy said, as she brought out a box of cheesy pizza.
"Oh, yes!"
"It's my favorite!"
"Oh no, it's MY favorite!"
"OUR FAVORITE!! *laughing*"
They all took a slice each from the box. Sunny was the first to eat hers. "Mmm-hmm, nice choice, Izzy."
"I know, right? Cheese and tomato are always the best!"
"Can't argue about that. This always puts a sheriff in a real good mood." Hitch said, but some critters next to him were begging for a slice. "Really? You all want a slice?"
"Hey, where's Mom? Is she busy all of a sudden?" Zipp asked, but she spoke too soon, as Haven immediately arrives with Phyllis to congratulate Pipp.
"Zephyrina!" Haven shouted.
"I take that back..." Zipp said through her teeth, feeling awkward.
Haven giggles at the remark. "No, no need to do that, my smart princess. Who's the star of the show!?"
"Mi-mi-miiiii!" Pipp said in singsong.
"Ha-ha-haa! Yes!" She and Pipp hug. "I'm so proud of you, lil' Pippy."
"Thanks, Mom. I couldn't have done it without the support of my friends. Especially you." Haven smiles lovingly at her, nearly shedding a tear. "Oh, and I have a little gift for you."
"Ooh, what is it?!"
Pipp reveals the gift: a special crown for her mom that Izzy made. "Courtesy of my friend, Izzy, a brand new crown for our number-one queen!"
"Ta-daa!"
Haven gasps, and is at a loss for words. "It's... it's..."
"Precious!"
"Oh, of course!" Haven puts it on her head. "And it's a picture-perfect fit! Oh, I love you so much."
"Love you too, Mom."
"Ah, you and Zipp both deserve a hug."
"Oh, c'mon, Mom..." Zipp said.
"Don't be shy, Zipp, go ahead! You deserve it!" Sunny said.
Zipp inhales deeply. "Gotcha! *chuckles*" She wraps her wings around Pipp and Haven. "No doubt this was the best night ever."
Alphabittle was talking to Izzy about the pizza she was having. "So, I heard you were having pizza tonight." He said.
"Oh, we sure did, Alphabittle! It was cheese and tomato."
"What?! C'mon, Izzy, that was my pizza!"
Izzy felt ashamed. "Aww..."
"Nah, I'm kidding!" Alphabittle laughed.
"Ah, you really got me there! Ooh, but if you're really desperate for one, there's one more box over there!"
"*gasps* BINGO!" Alphabittle said, as he ran off to get the last box. "NOPONY TOUCH THAT PIZZA!! IT BELONGS TO ME!!!"
Sunny chuckled at Izzy, and Phyllis approached her side.
"Hello there, Miss Starscout."
"Oh, hey, Miss Cloverleaf. Quite a show it's been, right?"
"Ah, it was splendid! All the special effects, the lighting, I've never seen a performance like that in my entire life!"
"Yeah, and can you believe that Pipp mentioned me?!"
"That's even better! And so is the re-branding of Canterlogic, thank you very much."
"You know, I'm glad you decided to make special equipment for pegasi and unicorns. That's an amazing idea."
"And I'm so glad you proved us all wrong. Everypony is making so much friends now, all because of you. Your father would be so proud."
"Thank you. This is the way it should always and forever be."
"*sigh* Well, I better get home now. Don't wanna be late for another big, happy day tomorrow."
"Yeah, me too. Good night, Phyllis." Phyllis walks away and out of the factory. "*sigh* I wish you could see all of this with me, Dad." She said in a soft voice, and she turns around to leave Canterlogic and head home.
Sunny was flying from Canterlogic to her home... but she found out that it was still in ruins following Sprout's attack. She looked around the rubble, feeling completely upset. Whilst doing that, she discovers that all her childhood toys (the figures of the Mane Six and the lamp), her dad's journal, and her bag have been broken, and she gasps in heartbreak. "No..." She picks up some of the broken figures and immediately breaks down in tears. "No, no, no, no... *sobbing*"
Izzy, Hitch, Pipp and Zipp arrive at the site to look for Sunny.
"Sunny?" Zipp said. She and the others look at the damaged lighthouse in shock. "Oh no..."
"I... I-I thought the magic fixed all of this." Izzy said.
Hitch turns his head and sees Sunny sobbing over her broken stuff. "Sunny?" He walks over to her, looking at the broken stuff, and he goes to comfort her. "Oh, Sunny..."
"Hitch... *continues sobbing*"
Izzy, Pipp and Zipp look over them and they all surround Sunny to hug her.
"It's okay. We're all here."
"How could we ignore this...?" Sunny weeped in Hitch's chest.
"Your journal..." Zipp said softly, as she looked at it all torn up.
Pipp took a look at the broken figures. "What are all those ponies?" She asked.
Sunny took a slow breath, wiping her tears from her eyes. "They are the Guardians of Ancient Equestria." She said. "My dad made them when I was little. He used to tell me stories about them every night when I was going to bed. All of their stories were real. *sniffles* They meant so much to me..."
"We know, this is all Sprout's fault." Zipp said.
"We tried to stop him. He just didn't care." Hitch said.
"I should've just gone up to him and fry his brain." Izzy scowled.
Sunny slowly gets up on her hooves. "Excuse me..." She said softly, as she goes into the house to get a white bag. She looks at Argyle's broken glasses and necklace, as well as the broken portrait with the picture of him with Sunny on her back, and she puts them into the bag. She then goes back outside and walks over to her broken stuff to put them in the bag.
"You can stay at my place for a while, if you'd like." Izzy said, trying to cheer Sunny up.
"Or at Zephyr Heights. We're happy to have you." Pipp said.
Sunny turns her head slightly, but she turns back and continues to store her stuff. "It's not enough." Her friends were surprised by those words.
"What do you mean it's not enough?" Hitch asked.
After Sunny put all of the broken stuff in the white bag, she tied it up and putted it on her back. "Me and Dad have been living here for a long time. But it was so special, we got to look out at the sea. This is all I have left of him." She continues crying as more tears pour out. "My life was so happy, and now... I lost everything..."
"Yeah, we'll start tomorrow morning and fix it together." Zipp said.
"HOW!?" Sunny said loudly, and her friends were in shock. "With magic?! Look around! It's too complex! It's impossible!"
"What?! But this is your home!" Pipp said. "It can't be impossible to fix at all!"
"We don't want you to be homeless!" Zipp said.
"You're not listening to me!"
"Sunny, we're trying to help you!" Hitch said, as he was getting a little angry. "It's what friends do!"
"Why do you think that!?"
"BECAUSE WE'RE YOUR FAMILY!!" Izzy yelled, and Sunny gasped in shock. Izzy quickly calms down. "And best friends... are the family we choose."
Hitch nods to what Izzy said, but after seconds of silence, Sunny closed her eyes and lowered her head.
"It doesn't matter... Nothing matters..." Sunny said in a broken voice.
"So that's it?" Zipp said. "You're just gonna throw everything away and move on?"
They stare at each other for a couple of seconds, and Sunny gives her broken bag to Hitch in complete sadness.
"Please don't do this..." Hitch said sadly, as he begged for Sunny to not give up on her home.
"Even after everything I've done, it's still not good enough..." Sunny said, and she turns away from her friends and starts leaving.
"Where are you going?" Izzy asked, but Sunny didn't respond. She was about to cry and she moved forward. "Sunny!"
Sunny stops, but she's too devastated to look at her friend. "*sniffles* I just need to be alone right now..." She continues leaving, and Izzy watches on in complete heartbreak. Hitch looks at Sunny's broken bag and sighs in defeat, as Zipp puts her hoof over his shoulder.
Sunny walked a long way away from Maretime Bay, as she kept walking through a very dark forest. She eventually sat down on a rock near a quiet lake, but seconds later, her alicorn magic has faded away. She gasped in complete sadness, and broke down in tears once again. "I'm so sorry, Dad..." She was extremely heartbroken, she had no father, no home, no friends, no magic... nothing.
Just then, whilst Sunny was all alone, a yellow unicorn with aqua blue hair appeared from behind. The unicorn walked up to Sunny with a worried look. "Are you okay?" The unicorn asked, and Sunny turned her head to look.
"No... Sorry, I'm not." Sunny said in a low voice.
"What's wrong?" The unicorn sat down next to her. "Has something really bad happened?"
"I... *sighs* I just... lost my home. I have nowhere to live."
"Then, what are you doing out here all alone?"
"I don't know, I... I had an argument with my friends."
"Ouch! That's so not good."
Sunny snickers a bit. "They were just trying to help me. They offered me to stay at their places for a while, but... I turned it down. I thought it was best to stay away."
"Well, there's absolutely no way you can live out here in the dark. Not if you don't have a tent... Unless, that white bag of yours has a tent?"
"*scoffs* No. It's my... personal belongings."
"Really? What kind of 'personal belongings'?" Sunny struggled to get another word out of her mouth. "Actually, don't answer that... yet. Why don't you come and sleepover at my house? Get you all warm and cozy." The unicorn got up and showed her hoof to Sunny with a warm smile, who takes it and gets up as well.
"Thank you."
"My name's Lily, by the way. Lily Heartshoe."
"Sunny. Sunny Starscout."
"Nice to meet you, Sunny. And wow! I really like your hair, it has so much color."
Sunny was surprised by Lily's compliment, and her cheeks turned red. "Oh! Thanks. Your hair looks pretty, too."
Lily felt starstrucked. "Ooh, I think we're gonna be such great friends! C'mon!" She quickly turned around and started running.
"Whoa, okay, I'm coming!"
They ran off together into the woods, heading towards Lily's house.
Sunny and Lily arrived at the house, and they saw that a window was left open.
"Up there, follow me." Lily said, as the two ponies climbed up the house and walked through the window. Lily closed it as they got inside, and Sunny looked around her room in awe. The walls were painted with a lot of different colors.
"Wow, you have quite a room here."
"Yup. I decorated the walls all by myself. I didn't wanna leave them all plain boring, so I got 'em all colored up."
"I see, you are very creative, Lily."
"Now, my father doesn't know I've sneaked out, so, whatever you do, please don't tell him about this, okay?"
"Why wouldn't he want to know? Have you snuck out before?"
"Yeah, many times. I just do it to go and exercise, and explore the world. And ever since we got our magic back, I never wanna stop doing it."
"Gee, you seemed to have worked out a lot, I guess."
"Yup."
"Oh, and big news: you're free to come and visit anywhere without any problems now."
"*gasps* Really?!" Lily said excitingly.
"Sure! I live in Maretime Bay."
"Maretime Bay?"
"Yeah, it's an amazing town which offers so many great views of the sea."
"Oh, I always wanted to see the sea! It's just that seeing lakes everyday feels quite dull."
"Oh, and I also went to Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood."
Lily was surprised. "What, you did?! Where the pegasi and unicorns lived alone?!"
"Absolutely! But... they weren't that welcoming when we first met."
"Oof, I guess they didn't like intruders?"
"Yeah, that was then. But now, they're our friends again."
"Oh, that's amazing! So, Sunny, what 'personal belongings' do you have in your bag?"
Sunny felt a little nervous. "You really wanna know?"
"Pretty please! You're not scared, are ya? C'mon!"
Sunny took a deep breath. "Okay, if you say so." She put down her white bag onto the floor, opened it up, and poured out all of the broken figures.
"Whoa... You weren't kidding when you said 'personal'."
"Yeah..." Sunny said upsettingly.
"Ooh, they look badly smashed. What are these things?"
Sunny sat down next to Lily, but she frowned whilst looking at the figures. "These ponies... they're the Guardians of Ancient Equestria."
"Where they here centuries ago?"
"Yeah. My dad made these figures of them when I was six. I grew up with them, and they became a huge part of my life."
"Do you know any of their names?"
Sunny started pointing at each and every one of them. "This one's Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash... and the one who started it all, Twilight Sparkle." She picked up the broken Twilight Sparkle figure and handed it over to Lily.
"So, this 'Twilight Sparkle' pony, did she make friends with all of these ones?"
"Yeah. She went to a castle to learn everything about friendship. Soon after, they were altogether and, what they did... was impossible. I used to let Dad tell me the story about them every day. And like me, he always believed that all pony-kind were meant to be friends. Not live apart by fear and mistrust."
"I see. But I don't understand how all of these broke."
"It was caused by a... 'friend' of mine, Sprout Cloverleaf."
"And what did Sprout do?"
"He created this huge machine while I was out of town, and he rammed it into my lighthouse and destroyed it. As well as everything I loved..."
Lily felt ashamed. "Oh, Sunny, I'm so sorry..."
"It's okay, Lily. It doesn't matter to me anymore."
"It doesn't? But you and your dad lived there for so many years, right? You know, seeing the sea and having all that piece and quiet together? And speaking of your dad, how is he?"
Sunny was about to cry when Lily asked her about Argyle. She didn't want to talk about it, but she had no choice. "He died when I was ten... six years ago."
Lily was a little shocked. "Wh- what happened?"
"He had a horrible sickness..." Tears came out of her eyes again, and she got too emotional. "I was so scared, that I screamed out for help... *sniffles* The doctors tried to save him, but it was too late..." Her voice chocked. "He was already gone..."
"So you were living on your own for six years?!" Sunny weakly nodded. "Oh, Sunny..." She gave her a huge hug.
"I'm sorry, Lily, I... I worked so hard to bring everypony back together and make our dream come true... It just hurts me so bad that he's not here to see it..."
Lily felt a little surprised on what Sunny said. "Wait... you brought back Equestria's magic?"
"Yes... I did..."
Lily gasped with delight. She got up and walked away a little. "I-I can't believe it!" She turned to her in happiness. "IT WAS YOU!" She hugged Sunny again so tightly, that it took her by surprise. "You got my magic back! Your dad would be proud, right?"
Sunny smiled a little. "Yeah, he would. *snickers*." But her face saddened again. "But it still doesn't bring him or my home back..."
"*sighs* Sunny, look... I understand how you feel, but I'm so happy for you." She smiled. "And just know, that you're not alone, okay?"
Sunny cheered up a little and smiled back. "Thanks for letting me stay here, Lily."
"I would do anything for a friend in need."
The two ponies hugged again, and Sunny felt happy that she had someone who was taking good care of her.
The next morning, at Sunny's damaged home, Izzy, Pipp, Hitch and Zipp meet up to discuss how they're going to fix it.
"Right, we'll need to think of a plan." Zipp said.
"Got any bright ideas?" Hitch asked.
"Well, we could start investigating on how badly damaged the house looks first."
"How about we start off with the tower?" Izzy suggested, but the others looked at her in confusion. "Of course, it's already chopped off."
"We should probably look inside." Pipp said.
"Good call." Zipp agreed.
They go inside the house and see a lot of debris left on the floor, as well as a few cracks on the walls and the windows.
"*sighs* Sprout, what have you done...?" Hitch said disappointingly.
Pipp took a deep breath. "Okay, so what do we have?" She asked.
"Broken floorboards, smashed windows... and the walls are cracked, bad. Like, really bad." Izzy said.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Zipp asked.
Izzy put a notebook on the table and started writing. "So, plan A is: we try and put everything back the way it was before Sprout's attack."
"Uh... that would be tricky." Zipp said, who was unsure about the plan. "I'm starting to think Sunny was right about it being complex."
"But we have to try and prove her wrong. We can't leave it like this." Izzy said.
Pipp suddenly thought of a better idea. "Oh! How about a plan AB?"
"AB?"
"We can bring out the rest of her stuff, knock the rest of the house down, and rebuild it into something even better."
"And that is...?"
"A Zephyr Heights makeover!" Pipp flapped her wings.
Zipp and Izzy were shocked.
"What?! Why would Sunny want that?" Zipp asked.
"You know, I was thinking that we could modernize the lighthouse and make it look like the buildings back at home. Because we have better technology, as well as-"
Zipp cut her off. "Whoa, no-no-no-no-no, Pipp. I don't think that-" She stood on the mess of beans that was caused by Izzy. "Eugh!"
"Oops..." Izzy said softly with a shy face, and Zipp looked at her with disgust.
"Izzy, what'd you do?"
"Uh, I was, um... playing a little game with Sunny?" Zipp just stared at her, and she had to come clean. "*scoffs* Okay, to be fair, I was showing Sunny if I had any magic when we first met, and yes, I made that mess. Silly me!"
"Well, we could start off with you cleaning it up, seeing that was clearly on you."
Izzy sighed. "Okay, I guess you're the boss of me."
"Hey, nopony's the boss of anypony here, okay?" Pipp said. "We do this together."
Izzy nodded her head, and as Zipp turned hers, she saw Hitch looking out a broken window, who was still feeling disappointed.
"What's wrong, Hitch?"
Hitch was silent for a couple of seconds. "I feel like this is all my fault."
"Why would it be? You know this is all on Sprout."
"The thing is, ever since Izzy came to Maretime Bay and Sunny ran off with her, I thought Sunny was putting herself in grave danger. I told Sprout not to start any kind of war while I was gone, and yet, he disobeyed me!" He raised his voice as he was getting mad. "He- he tore up my calendar and put his head over mine on one of my photos, and even worse, he turned the entire town on his side and became... an emperor?! I mean, what kind of deputy does that!? I should've known the whole time that he was still jealous of me being the sheriff and that he was always being the kind of pony who keeps screwing up!!" Zipp was shocked on what he said. He sighs in deep regret and calms down. "He and I should've never been friends in the first place." He rested his head on the table. "And if I hadn't gone after Sunny, none of this would've happened."
"Hey..." Zipp comforted him and puts her hoof over his back. "Hitch, you can't blame yourself for all of this." Hitch turned his head to look at her. "And besides, it's like you said to Sunny - 'you've done everything you could'."
"No, Zipp. I thought what I did was right: being a good friend and keeping Sunny out of harm's way. But a good sheriff would always stay in his hometown and keep everypony in line."
"You're an amazing sheriff, Hitch." Zipp smiled. "You always do the right thing."
Hitch smiled back, but made it immediately disappear. "Right... I'm gonna go tell Sprout he's fired."
As soon as Hitch was leaving, Pipp's phone buzzed. She looked at it and gasped. "Hitch, stop!"
Hitch quickly turned to face her. "What is it?"
Pipp ran up to him. "Sprout's gone missing!"
"What?!" Hitch took the phone and saw the ZBS News reporting of Sprout.
"Sprout Cloverleaf has been announced missing this morning following his unfortunate attack on the lighthouse at Maretime Bay last night. The earth ponies have only discovered his so-called 'emperor' jacket, which he seemed to have dumped before his absence. Here's what his mother, Phyllis, had to say before she left to find him..."
"I just wanna make sure he's okay. I don't want him causing anymore trouble!"
"At this moment in time, nopony has any clue on his whereabouts, and we can only fear that Sprout Cloverleaf is on the run. Stay tuned to ZBS News for the latest."
"This is really bad!" Hitch said, as he gave Pipp her phone back.
"And Sunny doesn't know!" Pipp said.
"Has Phyllis gone to look for him?" Izzy asked.
"I think so. I have to go with her before this gets out of hoof!" Hitch said, as he was about to head off, but Zipp stopped him.
"Hitch, no! That can wait. This is more serious than Sprout right now." Zipp said.
"Why?" Hitch asked.
"Because Sunny needs her home!" Pipp said. "We have to help her."
"You're right." Hitch said with realization. "And Maretime Bay needs a lighthouse!"
"Exactly! SO LET'S DO THIS!!" Izzy said loudly, as she stomped her hoof on a rotten staircase. It breaks and falls on the floor, and all of a sudden, the roof over them started to crumble.
"EVERYPONY RUUUUUUUN!!!!!!!" Hitch yelled, and the girls started screaming as they quickly ran out of the lighthouse before it came crashing down.
Izzy was laying on the path. She slowly opens her eyes, gets up, and turns her head to see that all of Sunny's home has been completely destroyed. She and the others were shocked with sadness. "No..." She said softly, as she walked up to the destruction and looked at all of it. She sighs in complete regret.
"Now what do we do?" Zipp asked.
Izzy slowly turned around to face her. She gave a confident look and said... "Plan AB."
At Lily's house, she and Sunny are still sleeping in their beds, when suddenly...
"LILY HEARTSHOE!!" Someone shouted.
"AH!" Lily woke up in a fright. "Oh my gosh!"
"Wh- what is it?" Sunny said whilst waking up.
"It's Dad! And it's nearly past breakfast time! WHAT THE HECK ARE WE DOING!?" She got out of her bed and grabbed Sunny's hoof in a hurry. "C'MON!!"
"Whoa-whoa-whoa!"
Lily took Sunny downstairs to the kitchen, where her dad has made breakfast for both of them. "So sorry I'm late, Dad! I-I was just-"
"*sighs* Never mind about that, Lil. I just can't afford to see any of this oatmeal going to waste. Especially since I made two of them here!"
Lily was confused. "Hang on, you knew about-"
"About your new friend? Yeah, I heard you talking with her last night. And made her have a sleepover."
"Oh, well... see, the thing is, she's..."
As soon as her dad turned around, he saw Sunny in surprise.
"An earth pony?" He said, as Sunny gently waved her hoof at him. "You brought an earth pony into our house?"
Lily nodded her head with a sweet grin.
"Uh, it's nice to meet you, sir?" Sunny said, as she raised her hoof, hoping for a hoofshake.
"I thought you were another unicorn. Guess I was wrong."
"Her name is Sunny Starscout. I found her alone at the river last night."
Her dad was in shock over what she said. "You have GOT to be KIDDING me! You went out?! Again?!"
"Dad, look, I can explain-"
"No, Lily! We talked about this every single year - you go out every night, unsupervised, and put yourself in danger! Do you have any idea how much I care about you?!"
"I know that, Dad, and I'm sorry, okay?! I can't help it! It's who I am. And besides, I had to help her. I was just... trying to be a good friend. I really hope you understand that."
Her father sighed in frustration. "You are this close, Lily. THIS CLOSE... to being grounded. Now go and destroy your oatmeal." Lily nodded her head in shame and went to the table. "That includes yours, too. Starscout." He said to Sunny.
"Thank you. Sir." Sunny said, as she went to sit next to Lily. And whilst she was eating her oatmeal, she discovered that all her broken stuff was put on another table. "Hey, why is all my stuff over there?"
"I moved them." Lily's dad said.
"You did?! Why!?"
"Ah, well, I just... thought I take a closer look."
Sunny was in a shock as she quickly left the dinner table and ran up to him. "No, don't touch them!"
"Why not?"
"Because... they mean everything to me." Sunny said, as she put her hooves over them.
"Those ponies are the Guardians of Equestria." Lily said about the figures, as she walked over.
"Ancient Equestria." Sunny corrected.
"Oh yeah, that."
"Really? And who made them? And this... weird lamp?"
Sunny's face saddened as she said... "My dad."
"Your dad?"
Sunny gently nodded her head, and she shows Lily's dad the picture of her as a filly, hugging Argyle Starshine on his back. Lily looked over the photo and gasped in awe. "Aww, Sunny, look at you! That's a sweet photo."
"Yeah, it is. We had this taken years ago."
Lily's dad looked closely at Argyle. "Do I know that pony from somewhere?"
"His name is Argyle Starshine."
Lily's dad raised his eyebrows, as he felt that something was coming back to him. "Argyle...?" He said softly. "Sunny, you're... you're Argyle Starshine's daughter?"
"Yes, I am."
Lily's dad felt surprised. "I... I don't believe this!"
"Wait, what don't you believe?
"I'm with Argyle Starshine's daughter!" Lily's dad said happily. "What am I doing with myself!?"
"I don't know. Maybe you're... not being you right now?" Lily said, feeling puzzled.
"Hey, I didn't ask you that."
"You knew my dad?!" Sunny said in shock.
"Heck yeah! We used to go way back since we were your age."
"He... he never told me about you."
"Didn't he?"
"No!"
Lily was shocked as her jaw dropped. "Well, this is a huge surprise!"
"Oh, it really is!" Sunny replied. "So, sir, how did you-" She asked Lily's dad, but he cut her off.
"Carter. Call me Carter."
"Okay, Carter. How did you knew him?"
"Years ago. When I was younger, I came across your dad when he was strolling through Bridlewood. Of course, everypony still lived apart without Equestria's magic back then. He looked at me and, well, I was a tad scared, but he didn't see me as a threat, so that's how we got along."
"He must've told you the stories about the guardians then?"
"He sure did. Every single one of them. And I believed him."
"Wait a minute, you never told me anything about your childhood friend!" Lily said. "And he was also an earth pony?!"
"Well, you never asked me anything about my past."
"So you skipped school your whole life?" Sunny said.
"I did. Ever since Argyle told me those stories, I stopped believing all that nonsense. So we hung out together, playing games and all that jazz... but when he met your mother, that was when everything changed. We got torn apart and... we never saw each other again."
"I still can't believe you and Dad were friends at the time."
Carter smiled. "Yeah, me too. So... how is he? I haven't seen him for years."
Sunny's smile faded and she stuttered for a couple of seconds. "Uh, he... *sighs* he-"
"He died, Dad." Lily interrupted, and Carter and Sunny looked at her, both in shock. "Sorry, wasn't I supposed to... I-I'll just go and finish my breakfast." She went back to the table whilst carrying her breakfast with her magic.
Carter looked at Sunny, feeling stunned. "Is it true?"
Sunny nodded in sadness. "Sickness took him. I grew up with him for ten years ever since Mom died at childbirth. And when he also left, I was living on my own in my lighthouse for six years. I had to figure everything out on how to live independently. I felt so scared... but I only had Hitch taking care of me. But he never believed the stories of the guardians. He thought they were just made-up bedtime stories. But then, I met Izzy, even though she didn't have any magic. So we went on a quest to find the crystals, so that magic would return and everypony will live in harmony again."
"So, when my magic returned... was it really you?"
"I brought back the magic." Carter felt relieved. "But before that moment, Sprout destroyed my house and broke all of my toys with his machine... and I thought I lost everything."
Carter felt terribly ashamed for her. "I'm... I'm sorry, Sunny."
"It's okay. It's just that... I miss Dad so much...."
"Yeah, I miss him, too. You know, Sunny, I remember a time, when me and Argyle were playing with my own toys. He accidently broke one of them... but he said sorry, so I forgave him. And then, we fixed it together."
"So, do you fix things?"
"Of course I do. And if these things really do mean so much to you..."
Sunny smiled at him. "Thanks, Carter."
"And, you may not know it yet, but there's a lot more to friendship than you know." As he and Sunny embraced each other, his phone rang. "Whop, gimme a sec..." He picked it up and answered. "Hello? ... What? ... Whoa, that sounds serious. Okay, I'm inbound. Later." He hung up.
"What is it?" Sunny asked.
"Got a job to do. And I should probably take care of these for you." He took the white bag with Sunny's stuff in it. "And Lily?"
"Yes, Dad?"
"Stay outta trouble while I'm out."
"Otherwise, I'm grounded. Don't worry, I get it. You know I love you, right?"
"Love you too. I'll see you two later." Carter said, as he closed the door and left the house.
"*sighs* So, uh... do you wanna watch TV, or, play outside?" Lily asked Sunny.
"Actually, Lily... I know what I like to do first."
After a heartwarming talk with Carter, Sunny decided to play a game of frisbee with Lily in the garden.
"Okay, Heartshoe! It's earth pony versus unicorn in a best-of-three!"
"I bet you can't handle the heat, Starscout!"
"Oh no, I'm FEELING it! GO LARGE!!!" She threw the frisbee to Lily, who jumps and catches it with ease. "Nice catch!"
"Too easy. Now, let's see you try catching... THIS!!" She threw the frisbee very hard with her magic.
"Whoa-whoa, hey, that's too high!!" Sunny yelled.
The frisbee flew into the woods, and just then, it landed on someone. "OW!"
"Huh? Who is that?" Lily asked.
It was revealed to be Phyllis, who was still looking for Sprout. She came out from the bushes in a doozy, and frustratingly brought out the frisbee. "For Celestia's sake, will you please watch where you throw this silly frisbee of yours!?" She threw the frisbee back to Lily.
Sunny was surprised. "Phyllis?!" She said in shock.
"*gasps* Sunny!"
"Wait, you know her?" Lily said. "Well, this day's got a lot more interesting."
Sunny ran up to Phyllis. "What are you doing here!?"
"Oh, it's terrible! So, so terrible!"
"What's going on?"
"It's Sprout! He's missing!"
"What?! Do you know where he went?"
"No! We looked everywhere around Maretime Bay, and all we found was his jacket! Nopony has seen him since he destroyed your house."
"So you're still trying to find him?"
"OF COURSE I AM! What else do you think I'm doing!?"
"Wow, this is some kind of plot I'm hearing." Lily said.
"I'm sorry, and you are?" Phyllis asked her.
"This is Lily Heartshoe, my new friend." Sunny said.
"I made her sleepover with me last night." Lily smiled.
"And don't worry, Phyllis. We'll go and find Sprout together."
"But it could take forever. I've only searched about nearly a tenth of the map!" Sunny and Lily stared at her. She thought about giving up. "Oh well, it doesn't matter, since I'm not his birth mother anyway." She said softly, as she was turning away.
Sunny raised her eyebrows on what Phyllis said. "Wait. What did you just say?" She asked her.
Phyllis stopped, and turned her head shyly. "It doesn't matter?"
"No, what you just said after that."
Phyllis was silent, but she breathed deeply and spilled the words... "I'm not his birth mother."
Sunny was shocked, and she got mad. "Are you serious?!" Phyllis felt ashamed. "So, you knew all that time, and you never told me, Dad or Hitch?!! *scoffs* I can't believe you kept this from me!"
"I know I should've told you years ago, but I never wanted to hurt his feelings! I was just trying to be a good mom. But then, I realized I wasn't good enough. Sunny, what he did, with all that 'Canterlogic junk', I am so sorry. I tried to stop him."
Sunny understood what she said. "I don't blame you, Phyllis." She said warmly, but then, she thought of something. "Unless... it was his fear."
"What are you saying?"
"His fear! It must've taken control of his mind that made him attempt to attack the unicorns and pegasi with his machine."
"Sunny, that's crazy! He just lost his mind, it can't have been his fear!"
"Well, I'm sure of it. He may not have been the Sprout I knew from my childhood... but he is my friend. We can't give up on him, Phyllis. We should forgive him and move on."
Phyllis looked up to her and smiled. "You're right. Everypony makes mistakes."
"So, do you think you can remember where you first found him years ago?"
Phyllis nodded. "I will do my best."
Sunny turned to Lily. "Lily, you go out every night, right?"
"You know that's what I do!"
"Then, how would you like to go on an adventure with us? And find Sprout?"
Lily couldn't believe it. "*gasps* You really mean it?! Oh, YES-YES-YES!!" She hugged Sunny and Phyllis tightly.
"Okay, this feels... kinda exciting." Phyllis said through her teeth.
"Right, if it's gonna be a really long adventure, which I really hope it is, then we'll need... lots of camping gear."
They went inside the house to get loads of camping gear. Once they were finished packing, they left the house and started journeying together to find Sprout.
A couple of days later, at night, Sunny, Lily and Phyllis were still searching for Sprout. But at one point, they came up to an old tower, and they found him sitting on top of it alone.
"*gasps* There he is! Oh, look at him... All alone..." Phyllis said in a soft, worrying voice.
"So that's Sprout? Up there?" Lily asked.
"It sure is." Sunny replied.
"I have to go and talk to him." Phyllis said, but Sunny stopped her with her hoof.
"No. Let me do it."
"Sunny, he's my son."
"And he's my friend." Sunny said, and she went into the tower whilst Phyllis and Lily waited outside it. She looked up and saw Sprout. "Sprout?"
Sprout turned to see her, but he turned away in a miserable mood. "What are you doing here?"
"I was gonna ask you the same thing. Everypony's worried about you."
"It doesn't matter. Your friends have their magic back, end of story. Now, go away!" He got up and moved to the other side, out of Sunny's view.
Just then, Sunny looked at a few drawn marks on the wall. She then climbed up the ladder to the top, and Sprout was sat down facing away from her. "Phyllis told me she wasn't your birth mother. Is that true?"
Sprout raised his head a little, thinking that Sunny found out about his past. He sighs and drops his head again. "My real last name is Greenhoof."
Sunny raised her eyebrows after hearing this. "Greenhoof?"
"It was before she founded and adopted me."
"Then, what do those marks on the wall mean?"
"My dad left me here when I was a filly, so I started counting them after he went."
"So, you were here alone for that many days?"
Sprout was getting emotional. "He said I was strong and brave enough to be on my own. *sniffles* I just stopped after a while because I... I wondered if he changed his mind... and that he would come back. But I get it. He's better off without me. You are, too."
"Sprout, that's not true."
"Yes, it is! You know what's right and wrong, so you're the good pony..." Tears came out from his eyes, and he began weeping. "And I'm just the dumb pony that ruins everything... I just wanted to be a good sheriff, but all I do is make things worse..."
Sunny tried to cheer him up. "But, being a great deputy at Maretime Bay, and being Hitch's partner? That's something you should be proud of, right? And, playing with my toys-"
"JUST STOP, OKAY?!" Sprout shouted, and Sunny felt a little shocked. "Look, none of this would've happened if you and I were never friends!"
Sunny got even more sad. "No... No, please don't say that."
"Get outta here, Sunny! Go back to Maretime Bay." He breaks down again.
Sunny felt so bad, she wanted to leave. So she turned around and started walking away, but she stopped, as she didn't want to abandon Sprout in the same way she abandoned her friends. "I'm not leaving you here."
"Why wouldn't you...?"
"You're right, Sprout. We could've avoided this... but it was your fear that controlled you and made it happen."
"How do you know that?"
"When Izzy came to town, she never wanted to scare you. She had no magic back then. I knew that when she showed me. Look, I know you didn't mean any of this... and I forgive you."
Sprout turned to face her. "You... you do?" Sunny nodded with a smile. "Okay, I-I didn't expect you to forgive me, but... but I swear, I will build your house back up. I know it's-"
"Sprout! The lighthouse doesn't matter. Caring about my friends and everyone else is what matters. And, even though you broke some of my father's possessions and could've hurt me or my friends... I didn't want you to leave."
"So, you really don't care about that anymore?"
"I also don't want to hold any grudges. And like I said, I choose friendship, the same way the guardians did. I think you should, too."
Sprout started to cheer up and began smiling. "I... I can't believe you're giving me a second chance."
Sunny smiled back. "And I am so happy to have my old friend back."
After a few seconds, Sunny and Sprout embraced each other. Just then, Phyllis and Lily climbed up to see them.
Sprout opened his eyes and was surprised to see his adoptive mother again. "Mom? You came, too?"
Phyllis took a look around, and she wasn't happy. "*sighs* I never wanted to come back to this place again. You scared me, sugarcube..."
"Can I ask...? Why did you decide to adopt me?"
Phyllis was about to cry. "Because... you were a lonely little boy. I wanted to take care of you and be a good parent. A better parent than your dad ever was."
Sprout felt proud of what Phyllis did. "I understand now. I'm sorry I disappointed you."
Phyllis began tearing up. "I know... *sniffles* But you don't belong here, Sprout... Please come home..." Her voice choked.
Sprout teared up as well, and after chuckling softly, he and his mom hugged in reconciliation.
Lily started sobbing whilst she was watching them. "Oh, this is so emotional..." She said.
"Lily..." Sunny said, as she comforted her.
"I'm sorry, it's just... it's just too much for me to handle."
The next morning, at Maretime Bay, Izzy is sitting on a bench in the middle of the town. She was feeling so upset, that she missed Sunny so much. "*sighs* I wish you were here, Sunny..." She said in a broken voice.
Pipp and Zipp approached Izzy and they sat next to her.
"You hanging in there, Izzy?" Zipp said.
"No. It's Sunny. I miss her..."
Pipp frowned. "So do I."
"Me too." Zipp said.
"You know, she wasn't being herself ever since Sprout ruined everything. I just hate seeing her so upset..."
"She'll come back soon. We're sure of it." Zipp said, and Izzy smiled a bit.
A few seconds later, when Izzy turned her head, she gasped when she saw someone arriving in the distance. "Sunny?" She said softly. It was indeed Sunny, who has returned with Sprout, Phyllis and Lily by her side. Her smile grew and she ran up to her. "SUNNY!!!"
"Izzy?! IZZY!" Sunny shouted, and she ran up to her friend.
"Sunny? She's back!" Pipp said, as she and Zipp flew off to her.
"NO WAY!"
Sunny and Izzy hug, and Pipp and Zipp joined them, as they tearfully reconcile.
"Oh, Izzy..."
"We missed you so much." Izzy said.
"I missed you, too. I'm so sorry about our fight."
"None of that matters. I'm so happy you're okay."
"It's good to have you back, Sunny." Pipp said.
"Thanks, Pipp."
Izzy opened her eyes, and noticed that Sunny's alicorn magic was gone. "Wait... your magic..."
"Where's your glow-up?" Zipp asked.
Sunny's smile faded. "It... poof, disappeared." She said, and Izzy felt gutted. "I'm sorry..."
"Oh, Sunny..." Izzy hugged her once again.
"Hey, you brought Sprout back!" Zipp said, as she just noticed him.
"Oh no, we brought him back. We travelled everywhere to find him." Phyllis said.
"Really? Where was he?"
"Uh, it's probably best that we don't talk about it." Lily said.
"Umm, okay." Zipp said. "Welcome back, Sprout."
"Thanks." Sprout smiled.
Pipp turned to face Lily and tilted her head. "And who's this unicorn?" She asked.
"Girls, meet Lily Heartshoe." Sunny replied.
Izzy gasped with delight, and she gave her a huge smile. "Hi, new friend! My name's Izzy Moonbow."
"Nice to see you, Izzy. Wow, we totally look the same!"
"Well, except for our color, but, mostly the same." She and Lily giggle. "So, how did you meet Sunny?"
"Oh, I found her crying the other night, by a lake. I decided to let her sleep with me."
"Did you?" Izzy said, and Lily nodded her head. She, Pipp and Zipp stared at Sunny.
Sunny felt guilty of what happened on the night she left. "*sighs* Look, I know you guys were trying to help me, and I shouldn't have turned you down on wanting to stay at yours. I'm happy to sleepover with you tonight, and I mean it."
Izzy felt extremely happy. "Oh, that's amazing, Sunny!" She said, but then she felt questionable. "But... do you really wanna do that?"
"What? Yes! Why are you asking me?"
"We wanna show you something!" Pipp said with excitement.
"Yeah, but, you'll have to be blindfolded first." Zipp said. "Izzy?"
"Blindfolded? What do you-" Sunny said, and Izzy wrapped a piece of cloth around her head to cover her eyes. "Hey, whoa! Izzy, what are you doing?"
"Don't take it off 'till we get there, okay?" Izzy said, as she started guiding her.
"Why? Where are we going?"
"Okay, this I gotta see." Lily said, as she decided to follow them. Phyllis and Sprout did the same.
"Honestly, where are you taking me?" Sunny asked, as Izzy hasn't stopped guiding her.
"For what?" Sunny asked, as she was still confused as to what's going on.
"You can take it off now!"
"Okay..." Sunny said awkwardly, as she took the cloth off her head. She gasped in surprise, as it was revealed that her house has been rebuilt into a more modern Zephyr Heights-like style. All of her friends have been working on it together whilst she was away.
"SURPRIIISE!!!"
"TA-DAAAAAAA!!!!"
Sunny was speechless, as she couldn't believe it. "My... my house! You fixed it!!" She said happily.
"Yeah? Whadda ya think?!" Zipp said.
"It looks... different, but... but better! I can't believe it!"
Lily gazed at Sunny's new house. "Wooow!"
"Welcome home, Sunny Starscout." Hitch said.
"Hitch..." Sunny said, and she gave him a big hug. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome." Hitch said, when he hugged her back.
"You brought back our magic, so we wanted to return the favor." Carter said, as he walked up to her.
Lily was surprised to see him. "Dad!"
"Lily!" Carter responded, as he and his daughter hugged.
Sunny was surprised too. "Carter! Did you do this?!" She asked.
"No, we all did it! Together."
"We did our part, hoof to heart. Just like your dad said." Hitch said.
Sunny was about to cry. "Guys, I'm... *sniffles* I'm at a loss for words right now. I don't know what else to say."
"We couldn't leave you without a home." Izzy said.
Hitch looked to see Sprout arriving, and his smile disappeared. "Well, look who came trotting back..."
Sunny turned to see Sprout, and she put her hoof on Hitch's chest. "No... Go easy on him." She said.
"Why? You know he-"
"Hitch, please... Let him explain."
"Explain what?" Hitch asked, but Sunny didn't answer. He sighed and went up to Sprout.
"Ooh, Sunny, we also have some gifts for you!" An earth pony said.
"Yeah, we think you're gonna love them!" A pegasus said.
"Really? What are they?" Sunny asked.
Izzy brought out a new bag for her friend. It was colored purple, and it featured the pins of Applejack's, Fluttershy's, Rainbow Dash's, Pinkie Pie's and Rarity's cutie marks that were attached to its strap, with Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark being on the front of the bag, but in full color.
"A new bag?"
"Hitch and Carter told us everything about the guardians, so we wanted to add pins of the cutie marks of Twilight Sparkle's friends on the strap." A unicorn said. "Whereas hers... on the front." Sunny took her new bag and looked at it with a smile. "You like it?"
"I love it even more." Sunny said, as she put it on. "Thank you."
"Hey, guess what we've got!" A filly pegasus said, as she and her friends brought forward a present.
"OPEN SESAME!!!"
The fillies opened it up, revealing a cute bunny. Sunny gasped lovingly, as she gently picked it up and cradled it in her arms. "A-a bunny?! Oh, you look so cute...!"
"We thought you needed a pet."
"And we called her Bunny!"
Sunny was confused. "What? Bunny??" The fillies giggled. "Bunny the bunny? That's... uh, something." She giggled back.
Sprout was telling Hitch everything about his past, and he even apologized for his antics. "Listen, I'm sorry about everything, okay? I know you won't forgive me... but Sunny did."
Phyllis nodded her head to Hitch, who understood how Sprout felt, but was still feeling disappointed.
"*sighs* Sprout Greenhoof... I'm glad that you've accepted friendship, and I'm sorry about what your dad did to you." Hitch said. "But that won't stop me from saying this - 'you're fired'."
Sprout felt ashamed and lowered his head. "I understand..."
"From being an emperor." Hitch continued.
"Wait, what?" Sprout said in surprise, and brought his head back up.
"I have to be honest with you. You've learnt a valuable lesson, and I'm surprised that Sunny gave you a second chance. And you know what? So am I." Hitch took off his belt, and he put it over Sprout, officially making him the new sheriff of Maretime Bay. "So, as the new sheriff of Maretime Bay, do you promise to keep everypony safe and in line?"
"I promise." Sprout nodded, and he smiled.
Everypony was complaining about Hitch standing down as sheriff.
"Wait... Are you sure about standing down as the sheriff, Hitch?" Zipp asked.
"Ah, well... I just thought about becoming a detective instead." Hitch winked at her.
Everypony gasped, and Zipp giggled.
"What?!? I was just joking!"
"No, you talked me into it, and I should probably do it in style."
"Hitch, you don't have to do this."
"I want to, Zipp. For you." Hitch smiled.
"Well, look at you moving up in the world!" Zipp kissed him on the cheek, and Hitch felt surprised.
"ZEPHYRINA!!" Haven shouted.
Zipp felt uncomfortable. "Uh... sorry, Mom."
"Calm yourself, Zipp, she's not mad." Alphabittle said.
"No, I'm GLAD!" Haven said, overjoyed. "You've made a boyfriend!"
Zipp thought her mom was jumping to a conclusion. "Well, I just kissed him, so, we're not really-"
"It's still a great start! Especially for us."
"Mom, you're... you're dating Alphabittle?!" Pipp asked.
"Ah, come on, Pipp, we started since your performance!" Alphabittle said. "And I did give you that pizza, didn't I?" He said to Haven.
"*giggle* You sure did." She and Alphabittle nuzzled each other.
"Well... congratulations, Mom. Uh, to both of us, really." Zipp grinned.
"Hey, Sunny, you wanna look inside your new home?" Carter said.
"Oh yes, please."
"This will be a big one!" Izzy said.
Sunny opened the door to her new house, and much to her surprise, the interior was majorly modernized. "Wow!"
"Looks just like our home in Zephyr Heights, right?" Pipp said.
"It really is!"
"Oh my gosh, this is AMAZING!!" Lily shouted.
"I know, right?! Everything seems very hi-tech!"
"You're not wrong." Zipp said. "We've added a 4K TV, adjustable stools, a comfy couch, floor heating for the winter, and some of the coolest gadgets you'll ever need for the kitchen."
"Oh, and we even restored the lift." Pipp said, and she pressed the button that brought down the new lift. "Stunning!"
"Guys, I still can't believe you did all of this for me." Sunny said, as she got even more speechless. "I love it!"
"I guess plan AB was a total success." Izzy said to Pipp.
"That's not all, though." Carter said.
"Isn't it?"
"Nope. There's one last surprise upstairs. Come and see."
They went upstairs to Sunny's new bedroom, where there was a special box waiting to be opened on the balcony.
"You even remade my room!" Sunny said, and she looked at her new bed. "Wow, look at the bed!"
"Yeah, it's a king size, so we can both sleep in it!" Izzy said.
Sunny chuckled. "Izzy...!"
Carter showed Sunny the box. "Well, what are you waiting for?" He raised his hoof. "Go ahead."
Sunny took a deep breath and walked up to the box. She opened it, and saw that the figures of the Mane Six, and her lamp have all been restored. Sunny smiled and was on a verge of tears. "You fixed them..."
"Like I said, your dad and I go way back."
Sunny touched one of the figures and shedded a tear. "*sniffles* Hello, friends..." She said softly.
"They started it all... and you brought it back. So their legacy lives in you."
"No..." Sunny said, as she went to her friends, Izzy, Pipp, Zipp and Lily, and stood right beside them. "It lives in us." She said proudly.
Carter looked at his daughter with some concern.
"Does this mean I'm not grounded, Dad?" Lily asked Carter.
Carter sighed, rolled his eyes and smiled. "Not this time, Lil. As long as you stay out of trouble."
Lily was so happy. "OH, THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU-THANK YOU!!!!" She hugged her dad so tightly, who then hugged her back.
"I think this calls for a huge party! Don't you think?!" Sunny said.
"YEAH!!!" Izzy said with excitement.
"Oh, bring it on!" Zipp said.
"YAY! I love parties!" Pipp said.
"C'mon, everypony!" Lily said.
Sunny and all of her friends went back to Maretime Bay to throw the biggest party everyone has ever seen.
And hours later, at dusk, Sunny, Izzy, Lily, Pipp and Zipp where in the top of the lighthouse making floating paper lanterns. Once they finished making them, they went out onto the balcony.
"Are we all ready?" Sunny asked.
"Ready!" Izzy said.
"Yes! I've never done this before." Lily said.
"Let's do this." Zipp said.
Together, they let go of their lanterns, as they floated away into the sky.
"Oh my stars, it's so beautiful..." Pipp said.
"Where do we think they'll be going?" Lily asked.
"Ooh, I know! Into the stars!" Izzy said.
"Yeah, me too!"
Sunny's smile faded, as she was feeling a little upset about still missing her father.
"What's the matter, Sunny?" Zipp asked.
"I... *sighs* I just wish Dad was here to see all of us united." Sunny said.
"We do too." Izzy said, feeling sorry for her friend. "We're sorry you miss him."
"He would be proud of you, and that you have friends like us." Zipp said.
"Thanks, Zipp." Sunny smiled. "And I would never want to fight any of you, or let you down."
"We know you didn't mean it that night, and we forgive you." Pipp said.
"And letting us down? *scoffs* No. You would never do that." Zipp said.
"And besides, magic or no magic, you're always special to all of us." Izzy said.
After Izzy and Sunny stared at each other, the girls looked out at the sea for a few seconds.
"So, what do you think is out there, Sunny?" Lily asked. "I'm guessing there are a lot more lands than this!"
Sunny chuckled. "I don't know." She said. "But whatever there is, we'll go and explore together. As a family."
"We'll do our part, hoof to heart, right?" Izzy said.
"Always."
"We love you, Sunny." Pipp smiled.
Sunny got emotional hearing this, and she started having tears of joy. "I love you too, girls."
They all gathered for a loving group hug, and Sunny was so happy that everything was fixed and she had the very best friends that she would ever have.
