Following the events of “The Last Problem,” Twilight takes on a new apprentice in Luster Dawn’s absence. But when a heartbreaking betrayal leads to her student’s tragic fall to darkness, Twilight must make the ultimate sacrifice to save her home….
Loosely Based on The Fall of Sunset Shimmer
How did Equestria fall? Why did Twilight create the Unity Crystals? Why did the three pony tribes split in the first place after so many years of harmony? It all ties back to that one fatal mistake, the great oversight…the folly of the Princess of Friendship…the fall of her apprentice…the fall of Opaline. Luster Dawn has moved to Ponyville with a new group of friends, leaving Princess Twilight Sparkle alone to rule in her solace. The Council of Friendship have disbanded due the remaining Mane Six having all died in a tragic accident. Closing herself off from the realm she rules, Twilight feels like she no longer has a purpose in life without her friends.
On the fourteenth Festival of the Two Sisters, Twilight is persuaded to take on an apprentice once again and chooses to take on an idealistic, but lonely unicorn mare named Opaline Arcana, who idolizes her. Seeing the opportunity to right what she considers to be her greatest mistake, Twilight takes Opaline under her wing and trains her in the ways of friendship and magic.
However, when a devastating betrayal begins to lead Opaline down a tragic path to darkness, Twilight must make the ultimate sacrifice to save Equestria….
A/N: Part 4 of the Misty Saga. Rated T for frequent uses of strong language, scary sequences, death, gore, and strong violence. This story takes place BEFORE the second chapter of “Can I Go, Mom?”.
Lightning flashed across the stormy and dreary skies of Equestria and struck the ground below it in a powerful display of fury. The only source of light came from a barely visible patch of the Moon, which was hidden amongst the omnipresent darkness. Storms were not usually this powerful, but outside of the protected pony civilizations, nature knew no bounds and was free to do what it wanted. Ponies had no control over the weather here. This was uncharted territory for them and nopony dared wander outside the protections of their kingdoms.
Another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky and roaring thunder sounded in response as the clouds grumbled angrily. The surrounding trees and shrubs shuddered as every fiber of their being was rocked back and forth, side to side, and every which way from the strong wind.
Out in the unknown regions, atop the tallest mountain known to ponykind was Opaline’s Dark Castle, an imposing structure that commanded authority from its presence alone. There were many unoccupied castles throughout the land, including the famous Castle of the Two Sisters Ruins. However, this castle was not one of those abandoned structures forgotten to time. In this castle existed the one and only alicorn left in the entire world:
Queen Opaline.
The dark purple alicorn had once tried to rule Maretime Bay and drive the three pony races apart through orchestrating simple fights that would drive Earth Pony against Earth Pony, Unicorn against Unicorn, and Pegasus against Pegasus. However, the plan failed and she was defeated and exiled by the legendary Princess Twilight Sparkle, who banished her from Equestria and created the three Unity Crystals. This ended up dividing the ponies further, allowing the force field to weaken year by year until Twilight and the Guardians of Harmony became nothing more than a myth, and Opaline was finally ready to exact her revenge and retake what she felt was rightfully promised to her.
Opaline stood on the balcony of her castle, staring out into the far reaches of the realm with a sinister grin on her face. This was the moment she had been waiting for. Equestria was finally going to be hers once more.
One final fight.
She cackled with the sort of maniacal delight that only the craziest of ponies would ever have the capacity to let out as she thought of her rival Sunny Starscout and her friends lying before her. Oh how wonderful it would be to see them in her clutches, the last hope of harmony gone.
“Any moment now, Sunny…you’ll soon pay the price for taking in a liability,” Opaline stated cruelly, slowly walking back inside of her palace with a sadistic grin on her face. The anticipation she felt for the confrontation she knew would occur. She already knew the spell. She would raise her army. She would attack.
She was going take back what was hers. The scattered remains of Equestria would bow to her reign or face ultimate destruction. They would be no match for the full extent of her abilities. She was not an ordinary pony. She was an alicorn.
She was Queen Opaline, the future ruler of all of ponykind. It was her destiny, what she had been trained for. Any moment now, she was going to perform a forbidden spell that would raise an army of darkness from the ground. She would not fail.
Her horn glowed a dark aura and the ground began to quake and tremble beneath her. Her pupils sunk into the rest of her eyes, morphing into a pure black tar substance. Her face began to wither and decay as she began to recite the ancient spell to release her minions and destroy the Magic of Friendship once and for all.
Soon Twilight Sparkle’s greatest creation would be destroyed for good.
As soon as the mere thought of the Princess of Friendship passed through her mind, however, Opaline abruptly stopped the spell. She took a couple steps back, shaking her head in disbelief, and trying to regain her composure. A large green circle of fire had been formed around her, signaling the near completion of the spell. Why was she stopping all of a sudden? The spell was already more than halfway done.
Nothing made sense. She had thought of Twilight before, mostly in her lonely hours when Misty was away following orders and getting herself into trouble. Twilight had always been a fixture in the mind of the Shadow Alicorn since that fateful night of exile. So why was it now of all nights that the simple thought of her former mentor haunted her so? The thought of the only pony who saw potential in her now sow doubt and uncertainty where resolution and arrogance once stood and she was taken back to that fateful day, when she was but a small filly, staring up at the regal Princess, clad in pompous and gilded armor, who commanded immediate compliance, even hers.
“You know you don’t have the guts to go through with this…” the familiar voice of Twilight echoed through her mind.
Opaline was taken aback by the voice of her former mentor. This was impossible. She snarled. “Get out of my head. YOU’RE JUST A MEMORY!!!!!”
“Hm. Memory or conscience?”
“I’ve been without a conscience for a long time.”
“That’s clearly a lie. After all, you simply just can’t keep me out of your head for long now, can you? Always harkening back to the old times. You always drive ponies away with your petty grudges. Just like you drove Misty away.You feel bad, don’t you?”
“Get. OUT!!!!”
“You miss her, don’t you? You were never without a heart.”
“GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!! YOU DON’T EXIST!!!!!!” With a thunderous stomp of her hooves, Opaline let out a powerful roar of agony and fury that reverberated across the castle walls and corridors. The floor trembled beneath her weight, potions toppling to the ground and shattering into a million pieces.
Finally, her rampage ended. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and slow her heartbeat down. Though her questions were far from answered, she never wanted to think about that namby pamby pony princess ever again. The voice had done its job.
And now it was gone.
The circle of magic from where the forbidden spell was being cast had now vanished and the alicorn was now left alone once more.
Opaline took a deep breath before shouting: “Misty!! Get me a memory wipe potion!! I want to forget this moment of weakness.”
Silence mocked her. The booming command that would normally get the timid blue unicorn to come running to her in an instant now yielded no response, no immediate gratification.
“MISTY!!!” Opaline yelled. “Don’t make me drag you out of bed, you little bi-“ She abruptly stopped her tirade as her eyes suddenly focused on a certain part of the throne room. It was the corner where she and Misty had their fateful confrontation all those moons ago. The chains lay limp on the floor and the wall was stained with dried blood from where she had beaten her.
Suddenly it all hit her at once. Misty was gone and she was the cause of it. She had gotten so used to shouting orders and expecting immediate results that the moment there was nopony left to carry out her schemes, it hit like a ton of bricks crashing down during an earthquake.
Off in the corner lay the deceased body of Sparky Sparkeroni, all the life sucked out of his pale green body, lying motionless on the floor. His body was covered in dried blood and his eyes were wide open from screaming. It was like he had been frozen in time.
Staring at the body now, Opaline realized that she really had no one. Before that fateful night, she would always be somepony she could gloat to. But now, she had no one to share her anger with. Why did she drive Misty away? She could’ve just given her former subordinate the cutie mark she always wanted and she would be loyal to her forever. Misty had gone above and beyond in attempting to do what was asked of her. Sure, she almost never succeeded, but the attempt was still there. She used to not think much of Misty, but now that she was gone, she suddenly realized that she was better off with the unicorn at her side.
Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She could’ve had Misty’s loyalty forever. She could’ve had someone to rule alongside her. She could’ve…had a daughter.
A daughter…Was that what Twilight considered her? Throughout all of her training, the Princess of Friendship had always told her how much she loved her. What happened? The moment Luster Dawn returned to Canterlot…it all suddenly disappeared. All the love, all the adoration…it simply vanished.
She imagined that was what Misty must’ve felt like that night, to believe that everything she did was for nothing.
To feel the weight of a mentor’s scorn. ——————————————————————————————————————————————— The Crystal Brighthouse bedroom Maretime Bay
“No! No! No! No! NO!!”
Zipp Storm rummaged through the bookshelves of the Crystal Brighthouse bedroom with her friends. The books all fell to the floor with a thud, piling on top of one another in rapid succession as the white pegasus dug more vigorously.
It had been two months since the fateful incident at the town square and things were only getting more dire. Zipp had been searching the small library with Hitch, Izzy, and Pipp for about five hours in search of a book that she thought would give her answers. So far, however, there was no luck in sight.
For days, she had stood by the Unity Crystals in hopes that the Twilight Sparkle hologram would reappear and give her all the answers she needed. Alas, no such message appeared and Zipp knew this deep down. After all, the only time the hologram appeared was when she was with her friends and the cutie mark magic combined. She knew that she would never get a result on her own, but she still tried anyways as she didn’t have anything to lose at this point.
After all, if she failed to find the answer to defeat Opaline, then…who would? She was the premier detective of Maretime Bay. If she couldn’t crack a case, then nopony could.
From underneath another pile of books, Hitch poked his head out. “Nope! Sorry, no luck. What, did you think something was going to be in here?”
“Um yeah Zipp,” Pipp remarked, sticking her head out from another bookshelf. “You didn’t quite say what you were looking for.”
Zipp sighed in exasperation. “Just something on what happened to the other creatures! If we’re going to fight Opaline and rescue Sparky, we’re gonna need an army. A massive army.”
“She does have a point,” Izzy chimed in. “I mean, you heard Twilight! She once tried to steal all magic from Equestria!! Who knows what she’s capable of now?! Yeah, we’re gonna need reinforcements. Anyways, back to looking!” With that, she buried her face in the bookshelf beside her.
“Not to mention she manipulated Sunny.” Hitch said bitterly. “I don’t care how powerful this Opaline is. She crushed Sunny’s spirit and made her susceptible to those little brats. She will die for that.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” came a familiar voice behind them. It was none other than Misty, walking inside the room with a concerned look on her face. Her mane was a disheveled mess, indicating that she hadn’t slept in days.
“Misty!” Zipp called her over. “Thank goodness you’re here. You can help us look! How’s Sunny?”
“Still not getting off the couch,” Misty replied sadly. “I sit by her side every morning and all I do is watch her cry into her pillow. I…I feel so bad.”
“Why? You have no reason to.” Hitch said.
Misty looked down in shame. “I was a part of the Filly Four at one point, you know. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“I’m sure everypony did that day.” Pipp answered.
At the mention of Sugar Moonlight and her clique, Hitch stiffened up. Unfortunately, Misty noticed this.
“Are you alright?” she asked worriedly.
Hitch shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He stomped his hooves on the ground violently. “Every time I hear the name of that bitch’s cult, I just want to head down to my office and kill them myself. Imprisonment is too lenient of a sentence for what they did to Sunny.”
“We all feel you, Hitch,” Zipp told him. “Honestly, if I knew that they were planning this…I would’ve…I would’ve told Sunny not to leave the Brighthouse.”
Hitch stared at her hopelessly. “You think she would’ve listened?”
“No. No, she wouldn’t’ve.”
“Her activism will be the death of her one day, I swear. If it isn’t already…”
“You think it is?”
“Guys!!” Izzy called from the top shelf. “I found something!!!” She was standing on top of a ladder with a purple book in hoof. As she looked at her friends, she suddenly lost her grip and fell over, falling to the ground on her stomach.
Almost instantly, Misty helped her up and took the book from her curiously. “Huh, I’ve never seen this book before. And I’ve checked all over yesterday.”
“It looks pretty ancient…” said Pipp, taking a look at the book herself. The cover was all dusty and worn out. She shook it as hard as she could, but the majority of the dust still remained. Fortunately, Zipp walked over and blew the dust off, studying it with her magnifying glass.
On the center of the cover was the symbol of the Elements of Harmony emblazoned in all of their glory. There was only one book in history that had this sort of symbol and layout, forgotten across the many centuries of paranoia and distrust.
This could only mean one thing.
“Did we just find what I think we just found?” Zipp asked.
“I thought it was only an old pony’s tale…” Hitch added. He held the book up. “I have to show this to Sunny!! We found the Journal of Friendship!!”
“But what’s it doing here?” Izzy asked.
“I don’t know,” Hitch admitted. “But I’m gonna find out. If anypony knows about what this could mean, it’s Sunny. I just hope she’s in the mood to talk.”
Without a second thought, he rushed out of the bedroom and down the ramp to where he knew his close friend would be. Thankfully, he was right. As Misty had relayed earlier, Sunny lay on the couch, sobbing softly into her pillow. It was clear that she had fallen into a deep depression since that fateful day. Nothing her friends said could get her out of it.
Her body was covered in cuts and scars, though thankfully she was no longer bleeding. The open wounds had turned into scabs which stained her coat and her skin barely covered the multitude of scratches across her body.
It was like she was barely recognizable.
Hitch cleared his throat. “Sunny? We need your input. I think we found a clue that could help us.”
Sunny didn’t move.
Hitch took a few steps closer. “Sunny, please don’t do this. We’re really worried about you and if you come with me, we can take your mind off it.”
Again, Sunny didn’t move.
“Sunny, talk to me now. This isn’t funny.” Hitch ordered.
That was when Sunny finally lifted her head up from her pillow and Hitch could see fresh tears flowing down her beautiful blue eyes. She stared at him with a mix of anger and sadness at the same time.
“What part of you thinks I’m trying to make a joke out of this…?” Sunny asked him softly.
“I’m not-Sunny, you haven’t eaten. You’ve barely spoken to anyone and you need to get up now.” Hitch told her. “Sheriff’s orders. Come with me.”
“I want to stay here…” Sunny replied. “Please…just leave me be, okay? I’m sorry I haven’t been there helping, I’m just-“
“I get it,” Hitch comforted her. “You’re upset. But trust me, you’ll be much happier once we look over this book. I…think it has something to do with your Dad’s research. Didn’t you say he liked to collect stuff?” He showed her the Journal of Friendship.
Sunny stared at the journal with wide eyes. She took it and felt the cover, marveling over it silently. Finally, she reached out with one of her hooves and turned to the first page. The writing was all faded from centuries, but it was still readable to the most keen of eyes. She flipped through multiple pages until finally settling on a bookmarked page.
“This is amazing, Hitch,” Sunny spoke, her voice a bit more clearer now. “I…don’t recall getting this from him.”
“Eh, you never know what secrets he has stored around for you. The same way you and Zipp accidentally stumbled upon the Wonderbolts book that one time?” Hitch joked.
Sunny giggled, a rare sign of happiness from her. But it was quickly gone as soon as it appeared upon examining the bookmarked page closer. “This section…this isn’t a friendship lesson.”
“You’re right,” Hitch glanced at the page in question. “The year…it’s completely different from the rest of them.”
“What could this mean?” Sunny asked.
“I don’t know,” Hitch said. “But we need to look at it together. Come.” He headed in the direction of the ramp.
Reluctantly, Sunny slowly got off the couch and followed him close behind. Her mind was far too curious to pass an opportunity like this up. ——————————————————————————————————————————————— “Aha!! I knew it!” Zipp declared triumphantly. “We got ourselves a major answer!!”
The ponies were all standing over the breakfast table, looking over at the Friendship Journal’s mysterious entry. Zipp had been examining it with her magnifying glass and she finally set it down upon her realization.
“So what is it?” Misty asked.
“This entry is titled a total of 10 years after the rest of them!” Zipp realized. “Meaning that this could’ve only been written by Twilight Sparkle herself at the very end of the Golden Age of Harmony. Read this.”
Pipp leaned over to read. “”Dear Journal and whoever is reading this in the future, my name is Twilight Sparkle: the Princess of Friendship and ruler of Equestria. It’s a lot to live up to and personally, I’m still trying to figure out if I’m ready for such a task. I know it sounds crazy, but I’ve lived most of my life as a normal pony and it still feels weird being the sovereign of a whole kingdom. What was the term Pinkie coined? Oh yeah! ‘Twilighting.’ My friends coaxed me into documenting what goes on inside the castle walls for the benefit of future generations. And so, I am dedicating the remaining entries of this journal to you. We’ve learned all that we needed to, but now it is time for all of you to take the lessons you’ve learned here and apply it to your own life.”
Everypony gasped.
“This is incredible,” Sunny exclaimed in bewilderment. “We somehow found the actual Journal of Friendship!! Now we can find out the truth about what happened ourselves!”
“Assuming Twilight Sparkle documented that part.” Zipp deadpanned, earning her glares from the others. “What? We gotta prepare for anything, right?”
“That we do, Zipp. That we do.” Hitch agreed, still completely shocked at what he had just read. “Keep reading, Pipp!”
Pipp turned the page and cleared her throat. “Entry 1: October 12th 2029. Luster Dawn and I shared a little heart to heart where I relayed the story of my coronation. Luster is a highly studious pupil of mine, but as a result, she didn’t really understand friendship. However, I wanted to give her the push that would motivate her to take up friendship as a study. That was when my friends unanimously agreed on a solution.
We would send her to Ponyville.”
Chapter 1: Happiness Is Simple/The Death of Harmony
The city of Canterlot is said to be the largest city in the history of Equestria. That is not entirely true, of course, but it is home to the most change, aside from Ponyville of course. It is historically the capital of the entire nation and it is where my mentors Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled with benevolence and grace for centuries.
Celestia rose to power alongside her sister after she proved that she could raise the Sun all by herself. This was a miracle to witness and it marked the end of the old era of unicorns raising the heavenly bodies as a collective.
Following the decision, the sisters moved to Canterlot, but still kept their castle in what would eventually become the EverFree Forest as a summer home. Since then, the city has endured it all and always came out on top. Even when Luna was banished to the moon, Celestia took it upon herself to rule the land alone, assuring the ponies that everything was going to be okay.
She kept the land safe for a thousand years until my friends and I came along. We vanished the evil Nightmare Moon with the power of friendship and brought back Luna. The two sisters reconciled and that became the first of many tests for my eventual ascension.
Even when I became an alicorn and took my place amongst my idols, the work was still not over. But who ever said it would be?
“Fillies and gentlecolts! May I present to you for the very first time…PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!!!!”
My friends were there for me, however, and assured me that whatever happened, we’d get to it together. And we certainly did. No matter what challenge came our way, we always succeeded at it.
After I became the ruler of Equestria, I thought that life would begin to get a little easier now that all the major threats had been neutralized.
However, I’ll be the first to admit that life hasn’t been quite smooth sailing.
First off, having to run a kingdom can really suck when you’re unprepared.
It’s been more than 10 years and I still don’t know how to answer when delegates from the other nations ask me about trade disputes and taxes! I personally see the new trade deals with the hippogriffs and the Abyssinians a dream come true for our economy, but some don’t see it that way, mainly the elites. Every time I sit down with the griffons, they would hound me over and over about providing free resources to Griffonstone! It’s like oh my gosh, mine your own gold if you want a new currency!!
I hope telling stories in exchange for 20 bits doesn’t become part of our culture.
One time, I called in Spike to quell a shouting match between Queen Skystar and King Pharynx about who has the best looking subjects. I still don’t know how that relates to anything I discussed with them, but he was able to tell them that their subjects both look good and he loves…hitting on both.
Needless to say, that just made it worse. Way to go, Spike.
Fortunately, it wasn’t all bad. I had my moments of doubt, but one thing always excited me and made me look forward to the next day despite the daily grind. I always planned in advance with eagerness as the date for the annual Council of Friendship meeting drew near. It was always a special time when my friends would visit. We only got to do this once a moon with everypony being so preoccupied with their own jobs.
On this day, however, we put all that aside. I always tout it as an official meeting of business, but really, it’s just a time where we could relax and be ourselves.
I had my personal guards handle the delivery of Luster’s letters this time around. Yes, of course I make her send me letters. Celestia made me do that and I turned out fine. Besides, the stuff she ends up learning always puts a smile on my face whenever I read it.
Today’s friendship meeting was certainly something special indeed.
Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up in the air as a sign of frustration. “No, Applejack! I’m not adding mandatory detention to the Wonderbolts Academy curriculum!! This is supposed to be fun!!”
“If ya want to train them recruits, you need to tell them they can’t sleep in class!” Applejack shot back. “Big Mac whipped me with a belt in my youth whenever I ever thought to do that!”
“He did WHAAAAAAAAT?!!!!” Rarity’s mouth dropped open in horror.
Fluttershy fainted.
“Wow!!” Pinkie Pie remarked. “Who knew Big Mac was such a control freak?”
“IT’S FAMILY TRADITION!!!” Applejack roared indignantly.
“WELL I CALL IT FILLY ABUSE!!!!” Rarity shot back.
“Hey hey!!” Twilight chimed in. “I’m sure we can sort this out calmly. Rainbow Dash, explain to me again what happened.”
“3…2…1…NOW!!!”
With a determined look on her face, Luster stared at the assembled six boulders out in front of her. Her horn emitting a yellow glow, she picked up the rocks using her magic and spun them through the air in rapid succession. She then released them from the bubbles one by one.
The rocks fell towards the ground in a thousand pebbles which formed perfect figures of the Mane 6 in different poses.
Twilight turned towards her in shock. “Advanced transfiguration!!! Luster, you did it!!!!”
“I did it!!!” Luster was grinning from ear to ear as she jumped up and down with joy. She had already passed her friendship test, but this was the final challenge before her ascension.
And she had not only passed, but excelled. This was the happiest day of her life.
ENTRY 7 October 10, 2031
Today is the day Luster became an alicorn, as well as graduating from my studies. I had been training her for this day for the entire time she’s been under me, yet even now it feels more like a vivid dream. None of us had expected it to happen so soon.
The ceremony was bittersweet for all of us. We celebrated with lots of cake from Sugarcube Corner and partied it up with the best music. Luster knew she would have to get the hang of being an alicorn at some point, but I assured her that all she needed to do now was be herself.
At the end of the day, she was still my faithful student whenever she wanted to be.
To cap off the festivities, we all gathered up together in a giant cluster as Stygian took a group picture of all of us.
“Smile…” Stygian instructed them. “On the count of three, say ‘For Equestria!!’ One, two, three!! GO!!!!”
“FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!” Everypony shouted, throwing their hooves up into the air.
Happiness is simple.
Like Luster’s first flight, soaring through the nighttime sky with Rainbow Dash leading far out in front of us. I was guiding her the whole way through, with her holding onto me as tight as she could for support. As we got higher and higher above the castle courtyard, I could see her panicked and frightened expression gradually morph into that of great excitement and elation once she finally opened her eyes.
It was at that moment where she finally let go and put her wings to work. Suffice to say, she found it easier than she initially expected. All I told her to do was copy my movements. She laughed and giggled as her wings flapped against the breeze.
It was a magical time for all three of us, time away from the castle. We flew as fast as we could in an attempt to outfly her, even though it was fruitless in hindsight. She wasn’t captain of the Wonderbolts for nothing after all.
The wind blew through our faces and our manes as we increased our speed. I remembered Rainbow describing the adrenaline she felt while flying. She was certainly right.
We had a blast.
We swooped through trees and spun through clouds, clearing them in the process. As we emerged from a large cloud bank, we whooped and cheered for joy. It was something we never wanted to end. It was a time of great bliss, a time to just unwind and embrace who we were.
But the thing about happiness…it could vanish in a heartbeat.
Twilight ran as fast as she could through Ponyville in a mad rush, the wind beating down on her as she did so. She couldn’t be too late. She couldn’t let her friends handle the situation on their own.
They always did these things together.
As she raced by the crowds of scared ponies, her heart pounded in her chest. She panted rapidly as she forced her body to keep going. She had flown all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville on her own as the Friendship Express was down.
She ran faster and faster as she began to detect the the scent of smoke and fire. No. She couldn’t be too late!! She had to save them! Why did they exclude her?!
By the time she reached the burning Ponyville Hospital, the flames had consumed the entire top half of the building. An entire assembly of doctors and patients were gathered in front as firefighters tried their hardest to douse the fire in as much water as they had in their arsenal.
“What happened here?!” Twilight demanded angrily. “Where are my friends?!!”
Nurse Redheart turned towards her. She could barely speak as she was shaking all over from fear. “P-p-p-p-p-princess, a-a-a p-mental patient went rogue and s-set the hospital ablaze!! We tried to restrain him, but he was too strong for us!!”
“H-he took the poor foals hostage!!” Doctor Stable added in a shaky, trembling voice. “Your friends are in there rescuing them!!”
“WHAT?!!” Twilight couldn’t believe it. Her friends had gone on a life-threatening rescue mission without her. But why?! Why did they leave her out? She could’ve gotten the foals out quicker. Did they not trust her? “No! No!! GIRLS!!!!!!”
More questions raced through her mind as the panic resumed. The more the flames continued to consume the hospital, the more the doctors continued to cry out in anguish. The fire chief was barking orders to his subordinates to grab more hoses and buckets the situation kept getting increasingly grim.
“Alright!! SPRAY!!!!” The chief ordered. “The Council of Friendship are in there!! We must save the building!!”
“I’m trying, sir!!” His second-in command said as he sprayed the east wing, which was almost entirely consumed.
“WELL TRY HARDER, BLAZE!!!! I’M NOT PAYIN’ YOU TO FUCKING TALK!!!!”
“Let me in there!!” Twilight yelled. “I need to save my friends!!”
“No!!” The chief shouted at her. “You’re our Princess!! If you go down, we all go down!! We can afford to lose them, but not you!!”
“As Princess, I help my subjects!! Hey, are you listening?!! Chief Firedusk, listen-“
“SPRAY!!!!”
More hoses attacked the building, yet this only served to make the situation worse. The fire increased and it wasn’t long before the entire left side was consumed by the plumes. After a little bit, however, the flames seemed to recede from the pressure of the water.
But it was only for a moment.
As the flames settled down momentarily, a thick cloud of black smoke remained in its wake. The ponies all held their breaths as they awaited what was to come next.
Chief Firedusk looked on in disbelief. “That…can’t be it. Keep your hoses ready, boys!! Spray ‘em good should she start up again!!”
Twilight watched with deep concern on her face. So far, there was no sign of her friends emerging from the building. The smoke was the only thing present. She closed her eyes briefly and prayed for her friends’ safe return.
“Please girls…” she prayed softly. “Come back…come back…come back…” She opened her eyes again at the sound of crackling fire. The flames were starting up once more and they were now more powerful now than they had ever been.
“There she blows!! SPRAY THE BUILDING NOW!!!”
“Girls…?”
Right as Firedusk gave the order, the hospital suddenly exploded from the pressure in a thunderous display of orange light that blinded everyone in the nearby vicinity. The doctors and firefighters screamed as pieces of debris flew in every direction.
Twilight could not believe her eyes. Her friends had been killed. At that moment, all the emotions she had been building up rushed to the surface and she shrieked at the top of her lungs in pure agony. Her hooves buckled and she collapsed to her knees, screaming and sobbing relentlessly. Why?! Why did it have to be them?! Why her friends, the ponies she called her family?!!
Her world was crumbling before her very eyes, the ponies she had spent years with suddenly taken from her with no reason at all. At that moment, all she could do was scream. She didn’t even hear the calls from the firefighters and doctors to evacuate the area. Her eyes were glued to the sight of where the hospital once was.
They say that Twilight’s screams could be heard for miles, a bellowing cry that shook the whole world on its foundations. Her screams shook the ground and tore the trees off of their roots. It shook the bottom of the ocean and caused massive waves on the beach.
It was like the cry of a god, like the fury of an angry deity that wanted to take the whole world down with it.
At the moment she experienced her loss, everypony felt it as well.
As the smoke consumed her being, Twilight lay down on the ground and sobbed uncontrollably for the loss of her best friends. They were gone.
And she didn’t even get to say goodbye.
ENTRY 8 October 11, 2031
They say all the happiness you have ever felt in your entire life can be ripped from you in an instant. Well, that was how I felt at that very moment. I felt like I had been stabbed several times in the chest and resurrected over and over, just to feel that same pain again.
My friends were everything to me. They were there for me when nopony else was. They taught me things that I will never be able to learn again from anyone else. How is it that I get to survive when none of my friends did? Why is it that I am cursed with the burden of living when I don’t deserve it as much as my friends and those poor innocent foals did?
I can only feel worse for Cheerilee. This was her last year of teaching the Ponyville Schoolhouse before going into retirement. She intended to have these kids graduate with the highest honor imaginable. Those foals were supposed to go out and live long and healthy lives. They had such high aspirations and dreams.
Little did they know though, their lives were to be cut short the moment they had all come down with the pony pox. As a ruler, I feel terrible for the loss of my subjects. But as a friend, it hits me in ways I am unable to accurately describe in words.
I suppose both of us can relate to love and loss. All I can do is wait for the funeral. Then after that…maybe wait to live…maybe wait to die.
All I can do is wait for an absolution that’ll never come.
The sky above Ponyville was overcast and dreary that sorrowful morning. The clouds were an omnipresent shade of grey and clustered together around the usually bright and beautiful Sun. The weather ponies had made sure that everypony knew this was no time for lightheartedness and levity.
Heavy rain poured down from the sky in an extremely loud, but rhythmic sound. Each drop hit the ground beneath it faster than the last as the precipitation intensified. Strong wind blew throughout the town, knocking any pony who wasn’t careful off their hooves. Ponyville had seen its fair share of strong winds before, but this was unlike anything anyone had ever seen.
It was as if the heavens themselves knew this wasn’t fair.
Cannons sounded in the distance as a crowd of ponies began to come into view, through the dense fog and hazy mist. They were walking slowly in rows of two, all wearing black suits and carrying umbrellas. The ponies all wore sad and angry faces, refusing to look at one another as they lugged five coffins behind them.
The pink coffin had the emblems of two blue balloons with a yellow one above emblazoned on the top of it, a unique cutie mark to only one special pony. The blue coffin had a cutie mark of a rainbow lightning bolt beneath a cloud, belonging only to the fastest pony in Equestria. The orange coffin had the symbol of three red apples, a symbol of honesty and dependability. A white coffin had three blue gemstones in the center. It symbolized a type of generosity and selflessness that only one unicorn in the history of the realm ever displayed. Finally, there was the yellow coffin with a symbol of three pink butterflies. This was the tomb of the one and only Element of Kindness.
The charred bodies had been recovered at the sight of the explosion and carefully wrapped in loincloth to preserve them for centuries.
Leading the funeral procession was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. To the right of her was a large purple and green dragon, known all throughout the Equine Territories as Spike. He was the official Friendship Ambassador and Twilight’s number one assistant. To the left of the Princess was a pink alicorn with a yellow and orange mane and tail. She had a rising sun for a cutie mark and orange eyes. This was Luster Dawn, Twilight’s former faithful student.
The funeral crowd gathered in the town square, dispersing and reassembling into a wide circle around their leader as she took center stage behind a podium. Spike and Luster Dawn followed at her command, standing on opposite sides as her bodyguards.
Everypony watched as Twilight removed her hood and raised her head up for the first time that morning, revealing her beautiful flowing blue and pink mane, as well as her tiara that was given to her by her mentors Celestia and Luna. She wiped away fresh flowing tears as her silently distraught demeanor was replaced by one of professionalism and stoicism, the look of a grieving friend replaced by the face of an emotionless and stern monarch. She adjusted her microphone and cleared her throat as she solemnly faced her subjects.
“We are gathered here today,” Twilight spoke gravely. “To commemorate the life and legacy of Pinkamena Diane Pie, known here in Ponyville as the one and only…” She sniffled. “Pinkie Pie.”
In the back of the crowd stood Pinkie Pie’s family, comprised of her sisters Limestone, Maud, and Marble Pie. They each wiped tears away after Pinkie’s name was spoken.
“The embodiment of laughter,” Twilight continued. “Pinkie was committed to making ponies smile no matter what. It never mattered how a pony felt in any situation. Pinkie always knew what to say to make them feel better. As a ruler, I feel nothing but sorrow for the subject I have lost. But as a friend, I feel heartbroken and I feel pain. Pinkie Pie was amongst one of my first friends when I moved to Ponyville. She threw me a party in the Golden Oak Library welcoming me here. She got us out of the toughest situations. She taught me so much about friendship. I only wish I could’ve appreciated her much more.”
Spike reached a claw out and put it on his guardian’s back as a show of comfort.
“Today we also lose the embodiments of honesty, kindness, generosity, and loyalty,” Twilight went on. “As you all know, these monikers belong to Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, four amazing ponies who also tragically lost their lives in the burning hospital. They didn’t care what others thought. They rushed into that building knowing that it was going to kill them. Applejack was a trustworthy and reliable pony who always put her family above all else. Fluttershy taught us so much about finding courage in the face of adversity. Rarity taught us that sometimes all it takes is one single act of generosity to change a creature’s life forever. Rainbow Dash, for as brash and feisty as she was, had a heart of gold and a nerve of steel. She led the Wonderbolts proudly and stuck by us through thick and thin no matter what. The Elements of Harmony may be gone, but these ponies serve to remind us that they still exist in our hearts. We can do better. Together, we will learn to believe in harmony again.”
In the front of the crowd, ‘Lil Cheese buried his face into his father Cheese Sandwich’s hooves. He had lost a mother at such a young age. It was surely going to affect him for quite some time.
“Today we lose the elements once more,” finished Twilight gravely. “Today, we lose friends. And today…we lose a part of our family.”
Once she finished, a white unicorn mare with a pink and purple mane and tail stood in front of the podium and began to sing a couple notes softly to the crowd. She sang from her heart and she sang from her soul a song she had personally written for the event. This mare was named Sweetie Belle and she was an aspiring songwriter.
Once she finished and as if on cue, the rest of the assembled ponies began to sing in unison. They sang from their hearts a sad, but hopeful tune as the funeral workers lifted the coffins from the platforms and onto their backs, carrying it slowly towards its final resting place.
The chorus intensified as the coffins were slowly lowered from the backs of the funeral workers and into the ground. As Applejack’s hit the bottom of the hole with a thud, the choir intensified further, getting louder and louder. The tune reverberated across the town square and could be heard all the way up in the sky.
Twilight wiped more tears from her eyes as she finally let all her emotions out. Her friends had died, fading away to the great beyond. In one year, all her friends had been taken from her. The time of great harmony was ending.
The Council of Friendship was officially no more.
As Twilight sobbed relentlessly, the workers took the shovels in their hooves and began to fill the hole. The choir of ponies continued to sing, each flick of dirt followed by a heavy song note. This continued as all of the holes were filled up and tall gravestones were mounted into place.
Finally, the crowd sang their last notes and the procession ended with Sweetie Belle hanging her head low and stepping away from the burial site.
ENTRY 9 November 28, 2031
Love…loss. Friendship. What does that even mean anymore? I had already lost my friends in the accident and I’ll never have them again.
Perhaps Luster had been right all along in her initial assessment of friendship. After all, friendship wasn’t permanent and you’ll only be hurt if you make them. Eventually, it all fades. It all drifts apart in a neverending sea of disappointment and regret.
It’s times like these where I really begin to question everything that I was taught. For if friendships were always doomed to fade…
Wednesday, February 9th. Equestria is now without its ruler. Since the funeral, I’ve vowed to close myself off from everything and everyone I know and love in order to avoid getting hurt again. Believe me when I say that this is for the best.
The only time I ever come out of hiding is during the Festival of the Two Sisters once a year and it’s safe to say that my very existence is now considered a bigger “old pony’s tale” than Nightmare Moon ever was.
Luster Dawn no longer writes to me. I think our last conversation where I banned her from ever visiting me again shook her deeply. The only source of comfort I have is Spike. I tried to fire him as well, but he wouldn’t have it, saying that even though I gave up on friendship entirely, he would still be by my side.
I appreciated that, all things considered. I don’t think I would ever be able to truly get rid of the dragon that I’ve always seen as my own son. So he stays with me as I check in with my other advisors. The only things I hear about the outside world are through them after all. I’m told that trade relations are deteriorating as without my guidance, the griffons are trying to hoard all resources from the other kingdoms in a desperate attempt to build back their own.
I don’t intervene, of course. I let the trade regulators do all the work. I will say that I miss talking with ponies outside of the castle staff, who I see everyday, but I can never bring myself to show my face to the world again, knowing that I’ve failed to save my friends.
As a result, I don’t open up with anyone anymore, not even Spike. He tries to talk to me, of course, but I never capitulate. I just feel too scared to do anything that would involve any sort of non-professional interaction. I’m sure you understand. We’ve all lost ponies at some point in our lives and that loss cuts deep. It penetrates your soul until you’re unable to do anything, your brain constantly reminding you of your failure.
I think Spike understood this as he and I began to talk less and the only interactions we have now are simple greetings. He indulges himself in what I think is his work. He is usually down by the School For Gifted Unicorns. I don’t know what he does as I don’t go there anymore, but it’s nice to see he’s paying the teachers and students simple, friendly visits.
Or at least…that’s what I thought it was.
The doors to the Canterlot throne room burst open with a loud bang. Twilight looked up from the bill she was signing, startled, as Spike strutted in confidently, humming to himself as he approached her. She set down her glass of water and faced him.
Twilight groaned. “Ugh! Spike, can you not?! I’m trying to sign this bill here. It’ll hopefully crack down on those greedy griffons without me having to do anything personally.”
“That’s the thing, Twilight!” Spike exclaimed happily. “You are doing something personally now. Because I’ve just informed Professor Ink Cartridge that you’ve decided to choose a new apprentice!!”
Twilight spit out her drink in horror. “WHAT?! Spike, no!! I didn’t agree to that!! What exactly did you tell her?!!”
“Simple,” Spike exclaimed. “You don’t attend any events outside the castle except for one. And that’s the Festival of the Two Sisters. Tomorrow is the fourteenth Festival and it’s going to be here in Canterlot according to the annual Rotation Calendar. I just told Cartridge to arrange a field trip for all of her students and that you will be selecting one based on who can perform a transfiguration spell. That is how we selected Luster Dawn, right?”
Twilight nodded. “It was. But don’t tell her things that aren’t true!! I’m not leaving this castle for anything other than the Festival! And I’m certainly not going to choose another apprentice so soon. I waited years after Starlight to choose Luster.”
“I know,” Spike prodded. “But this is good for you. You want to know why I was down at the School For Gifted Unicorns, right? I was arranging the event. It had to go through her, Principal Arcane, etc. But it’s finalized! Plus it’ll give Arcane some publicity and let’s be real, that’s all he cares about.”
Twilight facehoofed. “Spike, why are you doing this?! Now I have to un-finalize everything!! And that means…”
Spike grinned. “You’ll have to step outside. The only pony who can undo a serious formal selection like this is the Princess herself.”
“Celestia dammit…”
“Seriously, Twilight. Don’t cancel this. An apprentice will be good for you.”
“No it will not!!” Twilight yelled. “I don’t want to get attached to anypony again! I can’t!!! Not after…” Tears came to her eyes. “Not after they left…”
Spike sighed deeply. “Listen, Twilight. I know it’s hard. You didn’t even get to say goodbye to them. We all loved our friends, right? Well, they would’ve wanted you to continue on without them. They wouldn’t want you to close yourself off just because of their deaths.”
“BUT I CAN’T DO THIS!!!” Twilight screamed. “Spike, you don’t understand!! My friends meant everything to me and I didn’t even get to say goodbye before they died in that fire!! I can’t bear to go through that loss again!!”
“You won’t.”
“But what if-“
“You won’t,” Spike promised her. “Trust me. It’ll help get your mind off your friends and that’s the best thing for you right now. Just train this one for a year and see what it does for you. If he or she’s insufferable, we’ll call it off immediately and you can tell me ‘I told you so’ all you want.”
Twilight glared at him. “You sound just like Celestia. Well, what if I don’t want to?! What if I say no?! As Princess, my word outweighs yours.”
Spike looked at her back with an even angrier stare. “Then you are not the pony who hatched me from an egg and raised me to become Equestria’s Official Friendship Ambassador.”
Twilight had to admit that she was intimidated by that look. She had never seen Spike give such a hard stare like that before, even at his angriest. Finally, she let out a sigh of resignation. There was no talking Spike out of the idea. The damage had already been done. “Fine. Who do you have your money on?”
Spike smiled. “Well, there’s this one unicorn mare in the class that Professor Cartridge says is the most powerful unicorn in the whole school. They don’t know where she came from or her family, just that she possesses incredible magic at such a young age. I believe the name of this unicorn is…Opaline Arcada?”
Twilight’s ears perked up. “Interesting name, I’ll admit. Very unorthodox. Well, we’ll see who I pick at the Festival. If she’s as powerful as you say, then transfiguration should be quite easy for her.”
Spike had made a deal behind my back. It was at that moment that my fate was sealed. It didn’t matter if I had ripped him a new one instead of just taking it. He knew what was best for me at the end of the day.
He knew it better than anyone else.
The School For Gifted Unicorns Professor Ink Cartridge’s Class
“Alright, class!” Professor Ink Cartridge spoke cheerfully as she faced her students. “Tomorrow is a very important day for all of us! Do you want to know why?”
The unicorns in the class were wide-eyed and attentive this time when they would normally be asleep at their desks as word was spreading around that Princess Twilight Sparkle herself was set to make an appearance at the Festival of the Two Sisters in order to make a very important selection that involved them.
One student raised her hoof. “Um…Princess Twilight Sparkle is going to make an appearance?”
“Very good, Ruby!” Professor Cartridge complimented her. “Not only that, but she is also set to choose a new apprentice! FROM THIS VERY CLASS!!!!” She squealed with pure excitement and joy. “There I said it!!”
The classroom immediately erupted into very heated and excited chatter as the students were all attempting to tell each other why they were going to be the inevitable pick. This was something that had been unheard of for so many years and with Twilight’s appearances being very few, there were those wondering what forced her hoof to select a new student.
“Well, I just know it’s gonna be me!!”
“Nuh uh!! I’m the most powerful pony who has ever lived!! I just know that I’m going to be chosen!!”
“No! I think she’ll pick me!”
“No! Me!!”
“No me!!”
“Me!!”
“ME!!!”
The only unicorn who wasn’t talking was a young purple unicorn with white and blue hair named Opaline Arcada. She was stroking the braids on her mane as she tuned out all of the discussion. She already knew that she wasn’t going to be chosen.
In her mind, she didn’t think she had what it took to be apprenticed to the Princess herself, even if many others who had witnessed her magical abilities disagreed with her assessment. She would be happy for whoever got chosen. It didn’t have to be her.
Yet, a part of her longed to be noticed by somepony. On one hand, she just wanted to live life as a normal pony and she felt that if she were to be chosen, she would buckle underneath all that pressure. On the other hand, however, being chosen would finally mean that ponies would want to be her friend.
She didn’t have any friends as she was too shy to make any. Whenever she tried to approach any pony, she would always chicken out and say the wrong thing, resulting in other ponies thinking her weird and awkward. She longed to just have one friend.
If only…
“Hey, Opaline!!” an unidentified voice said mockingly.
Opaline looked up and saw the familiar face of her regular bully Chill Raspberry. He stood over her menacingly with an evil grin on his face.
“Oh…” Opaline said softly. “Hey there, Chill.”
“What’cha doin’, loser?” Chill mocked her. “Plotting how you’re going to steal the position from me? Well let me tell you something. You’ll never be chosen.”
“I don’t want-“
“And do you know why?” pressed Chill. “Because I know how to talk to ponies unlike you. The Princess’s whole thing is about friendship. And you can’t even talk to docile Ruby without running away. Don’t even think about trying, you freak.”
Opaline stood up from her seat and began walking away. “I don’t want to talk right now, Chill…Just leave me alone…”
“Alone? Oh that’s right! Alone. Because you have no family and no life. What a sad existence you must live.”
“Leave me alone, please…”
“Are you really that afraid to fight me?! Come on, have at me, twerp!! Let’s see what kind of magic you possess! Huh huh? Oh no, she can’t perform magic! I guess I’ll just have to pass her up!”
That was when something inside Opaline snapped and the normally timid unicorn’s horn lit up a bright pink. Before anyone could say a word, Chill was sprawled on the floor with half of his teeth right next to him.
The moment Opaline registered her actions, she gasped in horror. What had she done?!! She didn’t mean to do this!
Chill groaned in pain. “You bitch. What did you do to me? I feel…ugh…I-“ He didn’t finish the thought as he slipped into unconsciousness.
“No!!” Opaline cried, tears coming to her eyes. “Please, please wake up!!”
The other students were now crowding around the fallen Chill and looking at him with expressions of worry and confusion.
“I’m not,” Professor Cartridge said gently. “I would never. What you did was a magical outburst. It’s outside of your control. I think it might be a result of that wild, untamed magic you have. None of us have seen anything like it.”
“What does this mean, Professor…?” inquired Opaline timidly.
“This school may be too dangerous for you,” Professor Cartridge told her regretfully. “I think it’s best if we get you transferred somewhere else should you not get chosen tomorrow.”
Opaline’s eyes stung with tears. This was the worst news she had ever heard in her life. Silently, she cursed herself as she could hear her classmates snickering behind her back.
Why couldn’t she just be normal?
That evening, Opaline ran out of the School as fast as her hooves could take her. She couldn’t stay there. Everypony hated her now.
She knew that the only way to keep everyone she knew safe was to leave and never return. She figured that she would run to the EverFree Forest and maybe get eaten by a Timberwolf or a manticore.
Anything was better than constantly getting ponies hurt due to magic that she couldn’t control.
As she ran and ran, she suddenly skidded to a halt as her eyes locked on to the setting Sun. For some reason, it mesmerized her and she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
It was like the Sun was trying to send her a hidden message just by its presence.
Tears came to her eyes and she wiped them away. The wind blew through her mane as she stared at the massive celestial being that was slowly setting behind the horizon. In that moment, she knew that she had to stay.
If she got chosen, then perhaps Twilight could help her control her powers and be normal. She couldn’t give up.
Not now.
With a newfound resolve, she walked back to the School For Gifted Unicorns, ready to accept whatever punishment they were going to give her.
At least she knew that all her suffering was going to end tomorrow if she was lucky.
ENTRY 12 February 11, 2032 THE FESTIVAL OF THE TWO SISTERS
Last night was the Festival of the Two Sisters. It was the only ceremony which I still attended out of respect for Celestia and Luna’s legacy. They would’ve wanted me to still host it, so I did as without me to raise the Sun, all life would cease to exist.
It was declared mandatory that I keep the cycle going regardless of how I was feeling. Normally, I wouldn’t mind as it was quite simple. By this point, I knew the routine like the back of my hoof as I had been doing this for years.
On this day, however, it was a different story. Everypony knew by now that today was the day that I was going to choose a new apprentice. It was a monumental occasion as my last apprentice selection, that being Luster Dawn, hadn’t happened in so many moons.
The creatures and ponies all gathered near the castle where the massive platform was. I had elected to keep it as a remnant of the old Summer Sun Celebration. It was historic and I didn’t want to get rid of it.
So we ended up using it every time the Festival would be held. To say that I myself was nervous would be an understatement. I barely interacted with the crowds save for this one event. Most of the time they didn’t mind my absence, but with things getting so bad now, I didn’t know what they would think of me.
Off to the left, I spotted a herd of young ponies trailing behind a grey earth pony mare with glasses in single file. It was Professor Ink Cartridge and her class. Cartridge had a big smile on her face, as did her students. I had given them priority seating so my new apprentice would be easier to select out of the thousands of creatures in attendance.
So they sat near the front, underneath the bright glow of the Moon. Everyone was waiting in both eager anticipation and intense trepidation for me to deliver my address and raise the Sun.
I glanced at Spike momentarily and he gave me an encouraging nod. I then stepped onto the platform and delivered my obligatory speech. It was there, however, that things began to go horribly wrong.
“…And so,” Twilight finished solemnly. “It is my deepest honor to commemorate the legacy of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna by raising the Sun. Let a new day begin!” She glanced at Spike again. “May I have the amulet, please?”
Spike rummaged through his bag, but couldn’t find the sun and moon amulet. He checked through hurriedly, increasing amounts of panic visible on his face until he finally looked back at Twilight. “Twilight…I think we might’ve forgotten the amulet back at the castle.”
“WHAT?!” Twilight stared at him with wide eyes. The crowd gasped in horror and started chattering amongst themselves that this was the time of Nightmare Moon all over again.
This couldn’t be! There had to be some sort of mistake. Perhaps this was some sort of mistake the Princess was trying to pull?! There had to be a solution!
“You can always raise the Sun yourself.” suggested Spike desperately.
“I can’t raise the Sun!!” Twilight cried. “Remember Tirek?! I had the combined powers of the princesses and it was still a mess!!”
“Just try it, Twilight!” Spike encouraged her fearfully. “You can do it!! Right?”
“I-“
Spike and I had forgotten the Sun and Moon amulet at home. This was the worst slip up ever in my eyes. Nothing could compare to the embarrassment I felt. I looked like a fool up there in front of all those ponies. I couldn’t even say a damn thing to calm the citizens.
What kind of Princess did that make me?
Just as I was about to give up hope, however, a small purple unicorn emerged from the crowd, staring up at me.
I was in no mood to talk to fans at the moment, but I had no choice. I was so desperate that I was willing to accept help from a student.
“Um, Princess…?” the unicorn asked. “Maybe…I could help…?”
The crowd laughed hysterically. Here was a unicorn mare not fully trained in her abilities trying to ask the Princess if she could aid her.
Twilight stared at her in total shock. “Young one, I do not believe you can. This is outside of your capabilities.”
“I want to try, Princess!” The mare insisted. “Please…let me help!”
“Ha!!” A white unicorn stallion with a pink mane and tail came up next to her. “Look at stupid Opaline trying to help the Princess!! She thinks she’s soooooo better than her!”
Opaline’s cheeks flustered in embarrassment. “No I don’t! I just-“
I could not stand to see Opaline be bullied like that in front of thousands, so I agreed to let her attempt to raise the Sun, much to the shock of the crowd.
I was not expecting much and I was already planning to say something in consolation once the attempt inevitably failed. But what I saw astounded me.
The Sun was beginning to move. Opaline was doing it. She was raising the Sun all by herself! Sure, it was awkward as the Sun kept bouncing all over the place in an erratic manner and moving extremely slowly, but she was doing it! She was really doing it! I had never seen such powerful magic from such a young pony before in my life. The sheer amount of raw power she displayed in that moment was truly unprecedented. Not even Luster could claim that she had the power to raise the Sun.
The crowd watched in pure awe as a mere filly, barely into her teen years, slowly raised the Sun higher into the sky inch by inch. This hadn’t been seen in thousands of years and the ponies chattered amongst themselves as to whether this was a sign from the gods or divine omen.
It was a miracle.
Needless to say, I was inspired to help, so I offered up some of my own magic once I saw she was beginning to struggle a bit with the spell. The Sun began to drop lower into the sky and I could tell that she was getting extremely exhausted. I did not blame her in the slightest. Raising the Sun was no easy feat and the fact that Opaline knew how to do it at such a young age was incredible. Right when she was about to collapse from the sheer exhaustion, I offered up some of my own magic to help keep the Sun in a steady orbit.
Together, she and I were able to raise the Sun high into the sky in front of the astounded thousands. Once it reached a tentative resting place, we let it go and took a few deep breaths to calm ourselves.
The crowd then recovered from its silence and then proceeded to give her a standing ovation. The day had been saved!
Twilight went down to Opaline’s level. “You’re Opaline, correct?”
Opaline nodded. “Yes, Princess…I…I didn’t think I could do that. I never tried raising the Sun before, I just-“
“You wanted to help,” Twilight finished for her. “Well, you certainly did. I will admit that I would’ve been lost without your help.”
Opaline nodded again shyly, looking away. It was clear that she wasn’t used to all this attention directed at her.
Twilight stepped forward and placed a hoof on the younger pony’s shoulder. “Let it be known that this young mare saved you tonight. She rescued you, rescued us. We would’ve been cast in eternal darkness had it not been for her bravery. I cannot commend her enough for what she’s done.” She scanned the watchful eyes of the crowd. “I said that today I was going to choose my apprentice. I said that I was going to choose my student who will learn under my guidance. Well, I believe that I have chosen her.”
Opaline looked up in surprise.
“This pony has proven in just five minutes that she is more resilient, capable, dependable, and powerful than anyone else here!” Twilight declared. “She’s proven that more than some could in an entire lifetime! She didn’t have to risk everything to try and help me! Whether she succeeded or not, her bravery is something to be praised, admired, and feared!! Her magic is beyond anything I have ever seen! Fillies and gentlecolts, give it up for my new personal protégé: Opaline Arcada!!”
Opaline gasped. She glanced at Twilight, who was now bowing down to her. She then glanced towards the crowd and all of them were doing the same thing. One by one, each creature present bowed in respect and reverence towards her. She couldn’t believe what was happening.
She had been chosen.
She stood there, frozen in both fear and shock as the crowd then began chanting her name. It started off quiet and then grew in intensity as more creatures chimed in.
“Opaline!”
“Opaline!”
“Opaline!!”
“Opaline!!!!”
“OPALINE!!!”
“OPALINE!!!”
“OPALINE!!!”
It was a magical moment that could not be replicated. I could not imagine how Opaline must’ve been feeling in that moment; being the center of attention must’ve felt so wrong, but also so right at the same time. The chanting continued as more ponies from across the city chimed in.
As the Sun rose higher and higher into the sky, it cast its rays upon her, giving her a divine look. It was the dawn of a new day.
And the dawn of a new life.
Interlude #1: Opaline’s Manipulations/What Do You Want, Sunny?
Pipp paused reading once she reached the end of the Festival of the Two Sisters entry. She looked at her friends and she could tell they were all equally shocked as well by what they read. Even Misty, who had known Opaline for years, looked downright mystified that Opaline had the power to raise the Sun all by herself at such a young age.
“So Opaline had the power to raise the Sun that young?” Zipp inquired. “But that doesn’t make any sense! It shouldn’t be possible for a unicorn only in her early adult years to be that powerful! No offense, Misty.”
Misty shrugged.
“It looks like magic was much more powerful back then than it is now due to centuries of practice,” Sunny mused. “But it is odd how she was able to do that…Could it be because of what type of alicorn she is? I know I can’t do something like that even if I tried.”
Misty nodded slowly. “I wouldn’t rule it out. Opaline always told me that Fire Alicorns were very powerful. But the fact that she was a unicorn like me at first kinda breaks that theory. But it is interesting. I wonder how she became an alicorn.”
“Probably the same way Luster Dawn did,” suggested Hitch. “We’re told here that Twilight gave Luster alicornhood. Maybe that’s also what happened.”
“But then why fall to the dark side?!” Zipp started pacing around the room, the detective side of her now fully activated once more. “Nothing makes sense. If she completed her training, why try to destroy the very mentor who gave her everything?”
“I remember Opaline telling me once that she was betrayed…” Misty stated, a haunted look in her eyes. “She didn’t tell me who did it, but I have reason to suspect that Twilight did something, whether she realized it or not…”
“That’s impossible though!” Sunny exclaimed indignantly. “Twilight would never…” She trailed off mid-sentence as a theory began to come to mind. It was one that made her feel horrible. Unfortunately for her, Hitch noticed this.
“Sunny?” he prodded her gently.
Sunny shook her head. “I-I-I’ll be back in a bit!” With that, she ran out of the bedroom and down the ramp as fast as she could before her friends could say another word. She ran and ran until she reached the sofa where she had been laying on.
Once she was there, she took a couple of shaky breaths to calm herself. She didn’t know what had frightened her so much as the theory she had been thinking about was now gone from her mind as quickly as it had appeared. However, she knew that there was only one way that she was going to be able to find out the truth.
Beside her was the Alicorn Mirror, the present that Pipp had given her so many months ago. It was the very device that Opaline had used to manipulate and groom her to the point of extreme vulnerability. She still remembered their last conversation and it haunted her, how Opaline brought up her past with zero self-hesitation in order to get her to cooperate.
It occurred to her that the evil alicorn may have been watching her life the entire time. The thought scared her and shook her to her core. How much had Opaline seen? Heard? How much did she know about her private life? Her thoughts? Her insecurities?
Her father…
She looked around in order to make sure her friends weren’t around before sitting down on the couch, taking the Alicorn Mirror in her hooves, and flipping it open.
“O-Opaline?” Sunny asked, trembling all over with fear. “I-I know y-you’re watching me right now. T-tell me the truth.”
Instantly, her reflection shifted and was replaced by an evil version of herself, which stared back at her with all the malice of a wolf hunting its prey.
“Ah Sunny,” the evil Sunny replied. “There you are! I was beginning to think that you had forgotten about our little conversations. Glad to see that you’re still open to talking with yourself.”
“You’re not me,” Sunny told her firmly. “I know that much. So just cut the act and tell me the truth. Why do you want to take over Equestria?! How did you have the power to raise the Sun all those moons ago?!”
“Oh, you know about that?” answered evil Sunny, “Well, I hate to tell you this, but even I don’t know. The only thing that I was told was that I possessed incredible magic that had been unseen in Equestria for centuries. That really didn’t tell me much. But it really should’ve been a red flag for those puny ponies in hindsight. Why? Do you want to learn the power to bend reality to your will?”
Sunny’s gaze remained firm. “Say that I did for a split second. How did you possess that much magic? I know that you know at least something. Otherwise I wouldn’t have talked to you.”
Her reflection cackled heartily. It was a full body laugh that chilled Sunny to her core. She was considering putting the Mirror down and running back to her friends before her twisted image spoke again. But alas, she was a second too late as the next thing it said forced her to stay put.
“Oh Sunny,” her reflection mocked her. “Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. Still searching for answers, are you?! That is what you always do. You always think there’s some greater truth behind why things happen to you. Deep down, you’ll always be that scared and insecure filly who lost her father at such a young age. Have you not considered that your desire to bring ponies together comes out of a need to be heard and validated by those around you?”
Sunny’s hooves felt shaky upon hearing those words. “Y-you know nothing about me! I-I ask the questions, not you!”
“Sunny, I know everything about you.” Evil Sunny prodded her sinisterly. “I know that beneath that facade of positivity lies a broken heart who feels so alone without Daddy around to comfort her. But you have a gift now, Sunny! Don’t you want to be in control of your own destiny? Don’t you want to get revenge on all those who were ever mean to you? I know I did. Don’t you want to get back at those popular ponies? Oh…what are their names? The Filly Four?”
The name of her former schoolmates’ group was enough to make Sunny freeze for the briefest of moments. In her mind, she remembered being beaten and tortured until she was nothing but a bloodied mess that Hitch had to rescue. It filled her with an unbridled rage that the more rational side of her tried so desperately to keep hidden.
“Enough!” Sunny yelled, trying to mask the fact that she was beginning to fall for Opaline’s lies again. “Answer my question!”
“I am getting to that, Sunny. You see, I really don’t have an answer. I never knew the full extent of my powers until I just…tested them. Don’t you want to test what you can do, Sunny? I saw how those ponies treated you back there. You were only trying to help, and the entirety of Maretime Bay ganged up on you. Tell me. How does that make you feel? Don’t you want to give the Filly Four what they deserve?”
“They’re already in jail! That’s enough punishment…”
“Oh, but you don’t think so…do you? You think the punishment Hitch gave them feels like they got off scot free in comparison to what they should have gotten. Let’s see how powerful you really are, Sunny. Go to the Sheriff’s Office and let them have it.”
“No!!” Sunny cried. “Please, I don’t want to hurt anypony-“
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!” Opaline cackled evilly through the mirror in a manner that was too terrifying for anyone to hear. It was a sinister, laugh that only a truly insane pony would ever let out. It was at that moment that the evil Sunny reflection morphed into the Fire Alicorn herself. She didn’t need to hide her true form anymore.
She had Sunny right where she wanted her.
“Please-“
“NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!” Opaline shouted at her. “YOU HAVE POWER, SUNNY!!!! YOU SHOULD USE IT!!!! YOU’RE NOT A STUPID EARTH PONY ANYMORE!!! YOU’RE AN ALICORN, A GOD!!!! SHOW THEM!!!!!SHOW THOSE PONIES!!!!!!”
“No!!”
“YOU’RE WEAK!!!”
“NO!!!”
“SPENDING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE CRYING ALONE ON YOUR OWN BED INSTEAD OF DOING SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR SITUATION IS COWARDLY!!! DO YOU DENY IT?!!”
“No!!! I just-“
“YOU WHAT?!! TELL ME!!! WHAT?!! WHAT?!!!”
“I-“
“Drop that Mirror right now!!!!”
Sunny turned at the sound of the voice, tears flowing down her face. It was Misty, standing beside her. As quickly as she could, she dropped the Mirror on the floor and the call abruptly shut off.
Sunny took several deep breaths, sniffling. “Misty, I-“
“We heard you screaming all the way from the bedroom!” Misty yelled. “Hitch was gonna come too, but I told him to stay put. What were you doing?!!”
That was when Sunny couldn’t take it anymore. She burst into tears and began to sob all over again. She couldn’t help herself. She was so scared from that encounter and she didn’t want to hold anything in anymore.
Misty didn’t know what to do, but she knew she had to do something. She wasn’t experienced in comforting others as no one had ever done that for her, but she decided to give it her best shot. She walked a little closer and let Sunny cry, stroking her gently.
It wasn’t long before Hitch came up from behind them and did the same thing. He stroked her back in a rhythmic motion in order to get her to calm down.
“What happened?” Hitch asked as gently as he could.
Misty looked at him, tears brimming in the corners of her own eyes too. “It’s Opaline…they were communicating.”
“Shit…” Hitch cursed. “Sunny, you can’t be doing that. You knew how hard it was on you last time. Why would you want to do it again?”
Sunny looked up at him, her face red from the tears. “A-a-all I-I w-wanted to do was f-find o-out t-the t-truth! I’m sorry, I-I-I didn’t mean to-“
Back in the bedroom, Zipp, Pipp, and Izzy were still mulling over the journal’s contents when Hitch walked back in with Misty and Sunny.
Zipp was the first to notice them. “Sunny, thank hoofness you’re okay! I legit thought someone broke in to the Brighthouse. Are you alright?”
Sunny didn’t answer her, only keeping her head low.
“I think Sunny would prefer if you guys didn’t pry her about it,” Hitch said. “Rest assured, she’s okay. Now let’s get back to that journal.”
Pipp nodded. “Right! Okay, I’ll read again.” She walked over towards the journal once more and turned the page.
Izzy walked over towards the distraught Sunny and picked her chin up. “You know I’m here if you need a friend to talk to, okay…?”
Sunny nodded briefly before hanging her head low again. Izzy’s eyes were full of worry and sadness as she walked up next to Misty.
Pipp cleared her throat. “Okay! Entry #13! This looks like training time.” She put her right hoof on the first lines. “I wished I could’ve delayed it, but Spike insisted that today was the day that I trained Opaline. I didn’t know why I needed to speedrun her training so soon, but…at least she was eager.
I wished I could’ve delayed it, but Spike insisted that today was the day that I trained Opaline. I didn’t know why I needed to speedrun her training so soon, but…at least she was eager.
Very eager.
Before her training, I allowed Opaline to stay in my bedroom the previous night. It was the least I could do after she saved the entire Festival. It was clear that she had no idea what it was like to stay with royalty and kept jumping on the bed until I told her to settle down. I didn’t blame her, of course. Any mare around her age would feel extreme amounts of high energy.
That is one of the perks of youth, I assume. It made me miss the days when I was a filly and didn’t have such responsibility and loss thrust upon me. When Shining Armor and I would compete over the Sibling Supreme crown or share everything together.
Opaline reminds me of myself in a lot of ways and I still don’t know how to feel about that. She’s very studious and diligent. However, unlike Luster, she has a strong desire to connect with others right from the offset. I know she likes talking to me and I tried to humor her a lot of the time despite my fears of forming bonds with other ponies again.
While I was writing the last entry, however, I noticed how skittish she was around me all the same. Despite being extremely happy to be my apprentice, it was like whenever she wanted to say something, the words would fail her and she would say something out of place or nonsensical off the top of her head to compensate.
I told her she didn’t have to worry about saying the wrong thing, but she countered by reminding me that I’m the ruler of Equestria and that she had to say the right thing or be executed. I could’ve laughed and said that she was being ridiculous, but I didn’t. It’s a common misconception ponies have about their rulers that they must be absolutely perfect at all times or they would be killed or “banished to the Moon.”
Seriously, what type of princess-phobia did Nightmare Moon’s banishment instill in these ponies? I wish I talked to Celestia about that.
Fortunately, I was able to reassure her that she didn’t have to hide who she was from me, that she could be honest and it would be okay. That seemed to calm her down and she finally slept. We then woke up bright and early to begin the training and I promised her that I was going to help her control her powerful magic like she wanted.
On the way out to the castle courtyard, she asked me why I never smiled or laughed. I didn’t know how to answer her, so I left the question hanging. What was I to say to a filly? That my friends died in a fire and were taken from me without any reason or explanation? That I was still grieving over their deaths and that I wasn’t sure if I even wanted her with me as a result?!
Surely such an explanation would traumatize her to an irreparable degree, so I wanted to preserve her innocence as much as I could about the realities of the world.
At last, however, we reached the training field. Spike had already set up everything I told him to upon our arrival, so we were all set to go. He had set up six large boulders in a single-file row as I instructed, as well as some target bullseyes. Next to the boulders was a large brown cardboard box containing additional supplies. I figured I would teach her some basic levitation first and then move on to the more complicated stuff.
Once it dawned on her that our training session was about to begin though, she looked at me anxiously. I realized at that moment that she was scared about what what I would think of her if she failed. I assured her that it was alright and that we would just try again.
She started walking towards the row of boulders before glancing at me again. I motioned my head for her to go forward and she did. I watched her as she walked towards the rocks and her horn began to glow.
The rocks levitated off of their places and into the air. They spun around for a couple of seconds before Opaline got tired and dropped them. I congratulated her on the first attempt, but revealed to her that she was not being focused enough. Levitation requires both the body and mind to be focused on the same thing and she was too worried about what I would think to fully concentrate.
When she asked me what she needed to do to prevent distractions, I told her only one word that would go on to change the trajectory of our sessions forever:
Focus.
She nodded and tried again. This time, she was able to hold them up for longer, but she ended up slingshotting them towards the horizon when she attempted to drop them.
I figured that time, she was being a little too focused. I amended my advice as a result, explaining that while too little focus was counterproductive, too much focus was even worse, especially for a unicorn with magic as wild and untamed as hers.
The trick was to get it just right. It was a leap of faith and she needed to trust in her own abilities more. Confidence was something she lacked and I could see that in her eyes. I could not tell her anything to uplift her as that would ruin the point of her gaining it herself. This was something she needed to learn on her own from constant practice.
She was initially distraught, thinking that she had ruined my setup. That’s what I thought as well until I found a collection of plastic test dummies inside the box that Spike had left as a replacement in case something went wrong.
Sometimes, I don’t know where I would be without my #1 assistant.
We tried again with the dummies. And again. And again. Each time, her hold improved and she was able to do some neat little tricks with them.
Next up was target practice. I gave her a small bow and arrow and told her to shoot directly at the bullseyes. She was initially hesitant, considering her last failure, but she tried anyway. Many of the arrows missed, but a few made it extremely close. I told her to try again and this time, she needed to visualize hitting the target in her mind as she was doing it.
She did so and she was able to get many of them on the target, just not in the center. She looked at me for approval, but I simply nodded at her to keep going. This disappointed her greatly, but I could tell that it had a profound impact on her going forward.
It was at that moment that she knew that I wasn’t going to be satisfied until she got it 100% perfect. Her expression changed after that. Maybe it was confidence, perhaps ambition, but I could sense a competitive streak take over the formerly timid unicorn.
I saw her eyebrows crease, I saw a determined smile cross her face, and I saw her take a step out forward. Rearing her right hoof back, she sent all six arrows hurling towards the targets at top speed.
With a thunk, all of them landed perfectly on each bullseye. I turned my head after looking away for the briefest of moments upon hearing the sound and my jaw dropped to the floor in amazement.
She had done it!
On her face was the biggest grin I had ever seen. She was jumping up and down in excitement, exclaiming over and over how she had finally done it. I was so proud of her that I couldn’t help but…smile. I had not smiled in so many months, it felt so weird! Yet I knew that she had earned it all the same.
We tried teleportation afterwards and we ran across the courtyard chasing each other for what seemed like more an hour. I was panting and sweating from exhaustion, yet beaming from ear to ear as Opaline was probably having the most fun she had in her entire life.
I then sat her on my back and we flew across all of Canterlot, soaring through the bright blue sky. Several ponies pointed at us from down below as it was not common for them to see me out and about so casually. At her request, we swooped down and she waved to all of the baffled residents before we ascended high once more. We laughed and whooped for joy as the wind blew through our faces and our manes.
As the Sun began to set below the horizon, we flew towards it and the light cast a shadow over us that made us look like silhouettes from below. I smiled at Opaline and she smiled back. In one day, she had done what nopony else had been able to do for so long.
She made me happy again.
Opaline walked through the main hallway of Canterlot Castle, skipping merrily as she hummed to herself. She still could not believe that she had managed to make Twilight proud of her. She had initially doubted herself, but the alicorn never gave up on her.
As she was walking, the sound of voices far behind her made her ears twitch. She turned and saw Spike arguing with a blue and yellow griffon Royal guard. They were engaged in a heated and intense debate…about her.
“…Absolutely not, Gallus!” Spike yelled. “The law is final! You think there’s some loophole that allows you to just QUIT?! Hell no. You’re staying!”
“I will not serve a tyrant who’s too distracted with her little pet to care about what’s going on!” Gallus shot back. “Because of Twilight’s new policy, griffons are getting discriminated against and beaten wherever they go! I literally have to remind my superior that I am in fact a guard and not just somegriff playing dress up!!”
“I’m sorry you are going through that,” Spike reasoned. “But this is not a reason to suddenly quit the guard. Twilight has been going through a lot lately. I warned her not to sign that trade bill, yet she did it anyway. At least give me time to talk to her before you decide take this manner to federal courts.”
Gallus glared at him. “I worked my entire life to learn friendship and prove that griffons aren’t the nasty scumbags this law makes us out to be!! I will not stand to see Silverstream and I, or anyone else, treated like crap!! Do you understand me?!”
Spike nodded. “Duly noted, I-“
“YOU!!!!”
It was at this point that Gallus was pointing his claw at Opaline. She backed up a couple steps in fear. “Y-yes, s-s-s-sir?”
“I don’t know what game you’re playing,” Gallus accused her. “But it certainly isn’t mine!! You’re hogging all of Twilight’s attention while we “DISADVANTAGED CREATURES” are treated like absolute trash!”
“I-I-I’m sorry, I-“
“Why don’t you just go back to that school where you belong?!” Gallus demanded. “Or at least…get out of Twilight’s way!! She needs to address this injustice and not have to deal with you!!”
Opaline shrunk further and further away from him as he got in her face. She backed up against one of the pillars, cowering. “P-p-pl-please s-s-stop-“
“OR WHAT?!!” Gallus shrieked. “WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?!! BANISH ME TO THE MOON, YOU SICK FREAK?!!”
“I-I-“
“ENOUGH!!!!”
The booming sound of the Royal Canterlot Voice reverberated across the walls. It shook and rocked the stained glass windows. Thunder clapped and lightning struck outside in response. Gallus spun around and saw a very enraged Twilight standing over him.
“Your majesty-“ Gallus began.
“You wanted to talk to me?!” Twilight shouted angrily. “Well, I’m sorry to say that you’ve forfeited that privilege!! Pack your bags, you’re discharged!”
“YOU CAN’T LET THIS INJUSTICE KEEP HAPPENING!!!!” Gallus screamed. “SILVERSTREAM AND I WERE YOUR STUDENTS, SHE WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY-!!!”
“I don’t care,” Twilight spoke harshly. “You forfeited all right to the moral high ground or any sort of reasonable conversation when you accosted my student. Leave or I’m calling your superiors to escort you out personally.”
Enraged, Gallus took off his armor and threw it in her face, storming out the double doors right afterwards.
Upon seeing her mentor look at her, Opaline couldn’t take it anymore and sobbed relentlessly into her hooves. Twilight got down to her level and stroked her gently, turning her head to look at Spike.
“You let this happen?!” she demanded in an enraged voice.
“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Spike apologized. “It all happened so fast, I…it’s no excuse, I’m sorry.”
Twilight shook her head in an exasperated manner. “You’re my Royal Advisor, Spike. When something like this happens on these premises, you act immediately. Who knows what would’ve happened had I not rescued her in time.”
Spike nodded solemnly. “I know. It’s my fault…”
ENTRY 14 FEBRUARY 14, 2032
They say the harshest of words are said for the harshest of reasons. Unfortunately, I know that expression all too well now.
I took Opaline outside after she was attacked by Gallus, and we sat on the grassy field, underneath the blanket of stars that covered the night sky. The poor pony was distraught beyond belief. When I asked her to explain, she could hardly get a word out without choking on her own words because she was crying so much.
It made me feel horrible. I didn’t know the full ramifications of that bill I had signed into law and as a result, my staff were taking it out on the one pony who didn’t deserve any of it.
She asked me if she was born by accident by whichever god was responsible for creating ponies. I told her she wasn’t, and that she brought me a very special gift. It was true. She made me happy when no one could, and that was something truly special. It was there that I revealed to her everything that happened to me. I unloaded all of it as she deserved to know the truth.
I could see something in her eyes shift as she was just now grasping the concepts of death, evil…heartache. I let her know that she wasn’t responsible for anything that was going on in Equestria right now, and that it was my negligence and grief that had done this all.
I tried to assure her that Gallus didn’t mean to make her feel bad, that he was sometimes too brash for his own good. She didn’t believe me, but I knew deep down that it was true. Why wouldn’t Gallus be upset? Before he came to the School of Friendship, he had no family and no friends, so the well-being of others meant so much to him, more so than it would to the average person.
I had failed him both as a teacher and a Princess, and that’s a memory that I’ll never forget no matter how many years pass.
Opaline and I bonded underneath the stars and she shared with me her life before she met me, how she had no family, and how she was always bullied and outcasted because of her strange magic. I put a hoof on her shoulder and I let her know under no uncertain terms, that she was a part of my family and would forever be so.
This in turn perked her up and that was when the most amazing thing happened. Without a second thought, she jumped into my hooves and hugged me. I was caught off guard by the gesture, but I reciprocated nonetheless. I held her tight for as long as she needed me and I allowed her to let all of her emotions out.
When she was done, she looked up at me and asked what if we were going to train again tomorrow. I let her know that the decision was entirely up to her and that we could take a break the next day if she wanted. Yet she pushed on and when I asked her why, she insisted that training with me today was the most fun she’s ever had in her life. It certainly was for me as well.
A full year has passed since the last time I wrote an entry in this Journal. I apologize for not regularly updating, but a lot of things have transpired since the last time I have felt the need to write. Due to my absence, you would assume that I am doing better now and you would be right.
Opaline has gotten so far in her training that it is unbelievable. She’s surpassed all of my expectations both in friendship and magic! I know that I should’ve had her graduate months ago, but it’s like me with Starlight. If I don’t have to send her away yet, I won’t. Whether I want to admit it openly or not, she’s a part of my family and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
She and I have grown a lot closer as a result of my constant presence. I can tell that she thinks of me as her own mother, even if she is too afraid to say it out loud. I’ve tried to give her the family that I know she deserves and I hope I have given her enough love because Celestia knows she needed it desperately.
Equestria is looking a lot better now too. Just when our international trade policy was on the brink of collapse, I swooped in and took direct action by repealing the heinous bill that I had accidentally unleashed. I still don’t know if Gallus forgives me though. Some rumors have gone around alleging that he had returned to Griffonstone with Silverstream. Others say that the two moved to Mount Aris.
Either way, we haven’t kept in touch and his last words to me still haunt every fiber of my being to this day. I’m still angry that he took it out on poor Opaline, but he had a valid point and I still contemplate to this day whether discharging him from the Guard really was the right thing to do.
Well today was a new day, and I decided to take Opaline to the Crystal Empire for a leisure trip. She had always wanted to explore places outside of Canterlot, so I thought why not take her there? After all, there was absolutely zero chance that she and Flurry Heart wouldn’t hit it off immediately. I asked Spike if he wanted to accompany us, but he had other things to take care of. He pointed out that someone had to hold down the fort with the Princess away and honestly, I couldn’t fault his logic.
So we took the train. I wanted to go there the old-fashioned way instead of flying as I enjoyed train rides. Plus, I had been a unicorn longer than an alicorn and taking a long, scenic ride was more of my style. Opaline stayed by my side the whole time. I could tell that she was scared of being on a moving vehicle and I didn’t blame her. For somepony riding the train for the first time in their lives, it can be nerve-wracking.
We arrived at around 2:00 PM. I made sure to bring plenty of scarfs and wool hats for Opaline to wear as I remembered trekking through the frozen north the first time when Celestia gave me that assignment to protect the Empire. Over 20 years later, it isn’t any easier. She was shivering the whole way there regardless, so I had completely failed to keep her warm in that regard.
When we reached the Empire, I gave her a self-guided tour of the city. Needless to say, Flurry had made a lot of improvements upon taking the reins from Cadence. The city was now much larger and more grand. In particular, we noticed that there was not only a live theater built for the annual Crystal Faire, but there were also other recreational avenues that the crystal ponies could indulge themselves in.
To the right of us on the way to the castle was a drinking and karaoke pub and beside it was a decently-sized children’s playground, which stood next to a small schoolhouse painted in solid gold. But the biggest thing that Opaline seemed to be interested in was the Crystal Heart. She just kept staring at it with a mix of awe and curiosity. I told her that she could look at it later and that we needed to see Flurry.
Needless to say, Flurry was really excited to see me. She had completely forgotten to do her mane, so it was all messy and frazzled when she came up to embrace me. We talked for quite a little bit in order to make up for lost time, and decided to stay for the night. Flurry was eager to get to know Opaline more. It took a while, but eventually Opaline warmed up to the young princess and the two of them were chatting it away.
I honestly have never seen her so happy around somepony before. The two got along great! Flurry had the exact amount of youthful energy to spark my apprentice up and she also knew exactly what to say to stimulate a long conversation. I left them alone for a bit to check on how Shining Armor was doing. He still lives in the castle, even though Cadence had since moved elsewhere post-coronation. To my BBBFF, the Empire was his home and he was never going to leave it, even if Flurry politely asked him to.
Shining now works as the official drill instructor of the Crystal Guard Academy, even if he’s not the captain anymore. Though he may be showing his age a bit in his movements, he still knows how to command absolute obedience and maximum attention from his recruits. Just ask the cadet who tried to prank him by stealing his badge. It did not go well for him whatsoever.
A lot of other creatures also now join the ranks of the Guard. No longer is the land simply protected by ponies. During one of Shining’s afternoon training sessions, I spotted a combination of hippogriffs, griffons, yaks, and changelings. It had only seemed like yesterday that Thorax was the boogeyman of the crystal ponies and now his subjects are a huge part of the military.
Later in the day, the Crystal Faire began after a short speech from Flurry, and it’s now a lot bigger and festive than it used to be. Creatures from all across Equestria now flock to attend the event and there is something for everyone now. The hippogriffs and Kirin now sing at talent competitions held at the theatre. The yaks and buffalo now have their own stomping and smashing grounds. Dragons now hold their own fire-breathing competitions that seem to be the most popular event. Griffons work admission stands for special historical museum tours, charging ponies out of their bits with ridiculous prices (within reason, of course). The changelings hold arts and crafts sessions for the little foals to express their creativity. Flurry explained it as part of her own inclusion initiative. As the population of the Empire was constantly growing in population, she wanted to make sure that there was room for everycreature to celebrate their own cultures. No longer was the Faire just about the Empire’s history.
It was now about everycreature’s history.
Opaline and I attended one of the talent competitions. It was a live performance of the play Haymilton put together by a very talented group of young Kirin students looking to express themselves. To say that Opaline got the songs stuck in her head would be an understatement. She was singing them all day and she couldn’t get them out of her head, much to her later annoyance. After that, we bought some ice cream and got our faces painted. She was initially a bit nervous to do so, but I assured her that the paint was washable, which got her onboard.
Following that, we enrolled in a free jousting tournament watched by thousands and she actually managed to beat me at combat! Shining Armor must’ve been giving her lessons behind my back. Thankfully, it was all fun and no one was allowed to take it too far. I then bought Opaline her very own flugelhorn and showed her how to use it. She didn’t end up mastering it at first, but watching the cool sounds she ended up making with it was interesting to say the least. When she finally got the hang of it, she couldn’t put it down.
She was that hooked.
Finally, the day concluded with everycreature gathering in a crowd in front of the Crystal Heart and pouring their light and love into it. The Heart spun and glowed with energy, sending a torrent of multicolored light out the top of the castle and cascading throughout the region. It was a truly magical experience and you would’ve had to have been there and see it to believe it. Opaline was glued to the whole thing. She raved about it to all of us at dinner faster than Pinkie Pie on fifty cupcakes. We all got a good laugh out of it and raised our glasses of water as a toast to the future.
It was a day of fun, a day of bonding, a day of friends…and a day of family.
“Ms. Flurry?”
Flurry Heart was interrupted from her happy thoughts by the sound of Opaline’s voice. She looked up, startled, and saw the young unicorn in front of her with a troubled expression on her face. She looked nervous and Flurry was concerned that something terrible had happened.
“Yes, Opaline?” Flurry greeted her. “What are you doing up this late?”
Opaline’s ears went flat in embarrassment. “I don’t want to disrupt whatever you’re doing…I-I’ll just leave now.”
“No no no!” Flurry shook her head, smiling. “It’s fine, it’s all fine! I was bored out of my mind anyways. Just thinking about…” She paused for a moment on how best to phrase her next sentence. “…you know. Ruler stuff. You know how Auntie Twi gets into that…zone.” She cringed inwardly for sounding so awkward.
Opaline nodded, not convinced.
“So…what do you need?” Flurry inquired curiously.
“I just…” Opaline looked down in shame. “You probably won’t let me, but…I want to see the Crystal Heart. Touch it, see it. I overheard somepony saying that it shows you what’s in your heart…and your future.”
Flurry nodded in understanding. “I’m aware of that legend. Some say that’s how King Sombra saw his future as a tyrant. I don’t think that’s real though. It always sounded too outlandish to me growing up, and that was 5-year old me talking.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Besides, we don’t usually let anypony near the Heart after hours anymore.”
“I just want to know…” Opaline stepped back a couple steps. “…If being Twilight’s apprentice is really in my future. I mean, I’ve done really well according to her, but…she is so much more powerful than I am. And I saw the way you used the Crystal Heart! How you poured your own magic into it! All of you are so much more powerful than I am. Even ordinary citizens are more powerful than me if they can influence an ancient relic just like that!”
“Power doesn’t always equal good, Opaline,” Flurry advised her cautiously. “And neither does knowledge come to think of it. Certain things are kept secret from us for good reason. In a way, if we knew everything about the world at such a young age…we likely would hate it. Same applies with magic. Some things like dark magic, forbidden spells, all that…they’re kept hidden for a reason. Even from alicorns like myself. You can learn it, but what’s even the point when good magic is so plentiful?”
Opaline nodded again. “I understand…I’m just…I don’t know, it’s stupid. Twilight tries to tell me to take things one step at a time, but I can’t! For some reason, I want to be as powerful and filled with confidence as she is. I don’t really have a lot of that…”
“I can relate,” Flurry stepped off the throne, gently gliding down in front of her. “Even now, I’m not the first pony you go to when it comes to confidence. As a ruler…” She sighed deeply. “I get scared a lot of times. Scared of messing up, scared of not living up to Mom’s legacy, you name it. I’ve always had a great support system, but I’ve never really mastered the confidence department, you know what I mean? I know how you feel.”
“Thanks…My confidence issues mainly stem from the fact that I don’t even know where I came from. Professor Cartridge always told me that I even never knew my family. A bunch of guards just found me alone in the Everfree Forest one night and then whisked me away to Magic School. I know nothing of my background, just that I’m extremely powerful.”
“I heard about you raising the Sun a year back.”
“Exactly!” Opaline exclaimed. “And before that, I severely hurt a school bully! I have all these weird abilities that I know nothing about! Twilight promised me that she would help me get to the bottom of my strange powers, but she hasn’t done squat about it in the entire time we’ve been together! I value her as a mentor…and a mother, but I want to know where I came from, what my future is. That way I…” She trailed off.
“Yeah…?”
“…That way I don’t end up hurting somepony I love…”
Flurry understood. She felt for Opaline. Her heart ached to hear the younger pony open up about her insecurities and doubts that reflected her own. In that moment, she knew that she had to do something. She felt that after getting to know Opaline like she did, she could trust her with the Crystal Heart. She could at least do well to soothe the unicorn’s fears.
Finally, she made up her mind and capitulated. The rebellious part of her took over any sense of logic and reason, and she threw caution to the wind. “Okay, Opaline…I’ll take you.”
Opaline brightened. “Wait, really?!”
Flurry nodded. “It’s the least I can do for a friend. The guards aren’t on patrol duty yet, so we can make a quick dash for it. Plus, I’ve always wanted to find out if the legend is true, sooooooo…yeah. But we gotta make this fast.”
Opaline was instantly by her side faster than she could blink. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you!”
Flurry giggled. “You’re welcome, Opaline.” She smiled mischievously as she let her inner child run loose. “Now…let’s go out the back door. That area is never guarded.”
The two ponies made their way down the halls of the castle and towards a double-door exit located near the large crystal staircase. As they were walking, Opaline admired the architectural design of the walls and floors. She thought that it was incredible to be walking inside a building made completely out of crystal. The amount of effort that must’ve gone into the construction process had to have been insane.
On the way out, she asked about the history of the Crystal Empire and Flurry regaled her with the story that Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had told her about the Empire’s founding.
The Empire had once been ruled by a benevolent unicorn named Princess Amore, her great great great great grandmother. However, she was overthrown by a recently-corrupted King Sombra, turned to stone, and her pieces shattered all throughout the world.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna then came in and took Sombra down with the power of the Elements of Harmony after a brutal battle. The Empire was then lost for a thousand years until Spike, who became known as “The Brave and Glorious,” saved the crystal ponies by restoring the Crystal Heart, which banished Sombra once and for all.
Opaline was fascinated by the story and she kept mulling it over in her mind as she and Flurry headed out the doors and to the outside. Once they were out of the castle, Opaline marveled at how beautiful the night sky was. The Moon hung in the air like a dazzling ornament in the center of the starry purple canvas that was the night sky. Glittering white stars burned in every direction, illuminating the city below it.
The city was deserted. The crystal ponies had all retired to their beds and the Crystal Guard was not scheduled to patrol the area until the next hour. They were completely and utterly alone, with only the faint sounds of the Arctic North in the distance as a constant source of ambience.
Flurry and Opaline took the long way around the castle to avoid detection, but they eventually reached their destination. Spinning on the dais inside the front of the palace was none other than the Crystal Heart.
“This is it,” Flurry Heart said proudly. “The Crystal Heart, our most sacred relic. The nighttime is the best time of day to look at it.”
“Wow…” Opaline breathed. She stared at it with a sense of childlike wonder and curiosity. What secrets lay beneath its surface? What history was hidden in its construction, yet to uncover by the brightest of scholars?
They walked closer towards it and Opaline felt the power of the Heart call to her. She heard a soft and angelic rhythm in her ears that enticed her to come closer. She smiled and began to walk up to it before pausing. She glanced back at Flurry with a nervous expression.
Flurry made a motion with her head for her to keep going. “Go on. I’m right behind you, okay? Trust the Heart.”
Opaline nodded and walked up as close as she could into it until she was right in front of the relic. The angelic choir was now blasting in her ears at full volume, reverberating and echoing throughout her entire being.
She smiled and placed a curious hoof on its surface, slowly closing her eyes. She could feel the light and love that radiated from it lull her into a sense of peaceful comfort.
That was when she was assaulted with a vision.
When Opaline opened her eyes again, she was back in Canterlot. She looked around, confused, looking all around to see where Flurry Heart was. Had it all just been a dream? Questions raced through her mind as she struggled to comprehend her situation.
She was sitting on a throne made of black steel. Looking down at her hooves, she saw that they were suddenly much larger. Green wristbands were on each of them and she was wearing Twilight’s crown.
She squealed in fear and jumped up from the throne. What was happening?! Why was she on Twilight’s throne?!! Why was she…a queen? Nothing made any sense and she feared that she had done something terribly wrong and she didn’t even know it.
She needed to find out the truth. Everything she had experienced in the Crystal Empire had vanished within a single night and she felt like crying and begging Twilight for help, wherever her mentor was. She was about to run as fast as she could from Canterlot and never come back.
That was when the cheering started.
It started off small, but it grew in intensity. It was a rhythmic chant that she had only heard one other time in her life. As the sound continued to grow, she felt oddly calmed by it, like she knew the source of the sound and that she was coming to reassure her subjects that everything was going to be okay.
Wait, subjects? The thought immediately stuck out to her. She had never called the ponies of Canterlot her “subjects” before. What was she thinking? No. The ponies needed their queen. She had to give a very important speech. Equestria was in danger and only she could reassure them.
That was when she suddenly found herself walking in the direction of the castle balcony. Curiosity took over her and she swallowed hard, her whole body trembling, as she stepped out into the light and looked down at the sight below her.
The crowd was made up of all unicorns and they were cheering her arrival. They were all screaming her name in a loud and reverent manner, the same way they did when she was apprenticed not too long ago. The sound was all too familiar to her and she knew it all too well.
“Opaline!”
“OPALINE!!”
“OPALINE!!!”
“OPALINE!!”
“OPALINE!!”
That was when she began to speak, except the voice was not hers. It sounded much older and she was not in control of what she was saying. She spoke in a sinister and devilish tone that she wouldn’t normally dare speak in to anypony.
“Citizens!!” Opaline boomed. “You have no reason to live in fear of that traitorous Twilight Sparkle!! She is gone and unable to hurt us!! I decree that we shall devote Equestria’s resources to the making of concentration camps!! TO THE BUILDING OF WALLS!!!! We must exterminate the plagues that are those other creatures!! Unity and equality is but a relic of the past!! EQUESTRIA IS PONY ONLY!!!!!!”
The crowd burst into applause once more, this time even louder than before. They were cheering her, celebrating her. But inside, Opaline felt sick. What was she saying?! This wasn’t her!! She would never say anything like that!! As her eyes frantically looked around for a way to escape her predicament, they suddenly narrowed on a sign that one fanatical unicorn mare was holding.
Written in black, bold letters next to a crossed out picture of Twilight was the chilling sentence:
LONG LIVE QUEEN OPALINE!!
Queen. That very word frightened Opaline to her very core and suddenly everything started to fall into place. This was the Crystal Heart’s doing. It was showing her what she was going to become if she continued to hone her magic, if she continued studying under Twilight. This wasn’t her present.
This was her future.
“Opaline? A-are you okay…?”
Opaline whirled around, startled. Flurry Heart was standing directly behind her with a worried look on her face. She shook her head vigorously, her eyes full of fear. She didn’t know how to explain what she was seeing to the white alicorn, or even if she would believe her.
That was when the scene shifted and Opaline was suddenly at the School of Friendship, witnessing a bunch of masked guards brutally slaughtering a bunch of young hippogriff students with swords and chainsaws. They screamed in pain as they slumped to the ground in a bloodied and gory heap, their classmates running for the door as fast as they could with Starlight and Sunburst in the lead.
The scene shifted again and she saw a unicorn mare in Ponyville brutally slice open an earth pony stallion with her magic, guts and organs spewing out and splashing onto the former’s once pristine facial features.
The unicorn shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry, Storm Chaser. You don’t belong here anymore…”
The vision momentarily paused and Opaline looked back at Flurry Heart with wide and terrified eyes.
“What do you see?” Flurry asked fearfully.
“That’s the future, it’s coming…” Opaline whispered. “A mass genocide spreading across Equestria like unquenchable fire…”
The scene shifted again and this time, it was at night. A crowd of unicorns were all holding red and white banners with a black swastika in the middle. They all raised their hooves into the sky in a saluting manner, staring up at an airship with a pony in a black cloak in the front. Thunder boomed overhead.
It only occurred to Opaline in that manner that the pony in the black cloak was her. She stood tall, overlooking her fanatical subjects with an evil smile on her face.
“Opaline, you’re scared, I can see it!” Flurry whispered, momentarily breaking the vision. “Tell me please, what do you fear?!”
Opaline shivered, fear overtaking every inch of her body as the visions continued to progress in intensity. This was going to be her.
She was going to do all these terrible things.
When she looked upon the Heart once more, the scene shifted once more to she and Twilight battling it out with their magic in the sky, tearing through buildings and setting the city ablaze while ponies ran screaming through the streets.
“Somepony help me, please…” Opaline begged softly.
“Opaline…”
Opaline looked back at her with scared, haunted eyes. “It’s coming…I see myself commanding the mass genocide of all those innocent creatures across Equestria like unquenchable fire, unicorns fighting earth ponies and pegasi out of nothing but blind hatred!”
“Opaline-“
”Fanatical crowds of ponies cheering on the destruction of friendship while holding up banners proclaiming me to be their queen!!” Opaline screamed. “A WAR IN MY NAME!!!! EVERYPONY’S SHOUTING MY NAME!!!!”
“Opaline…”
Flurry Heart walked up to her. “Opaline Arcada, listen to me. You will not become that monster, not do any of those horrible things!! You have the power to control your own destiny! You’re not tied to any chosen fate-“
“GET AWAY FROM ME!!!!” Opaline shrieked angrily. “YOU KNEW WHAT I WAS GOING TO SEE, THAT’S WHY YOU TOOK ME HERE!!!! YOU KNEW THAT I WAS BORN A FREAK!!!!!! JUST LIKE KING SOMBRA WAS!!!!!”
Flurry stood there, motionless and frozen in fear. Nopony had ever yelled at her the way Opaline had just done. It wasn’t just fear she was hearing from the younger pony. It was anger, hate…vengeance.
Flurry Heart looked at her pleadingly. “I-I was afraid of this, Opaline…when you started talking about wanting more power, I…I don’t know, I didn’t want to take you. Even if the legend turned out not to be true, which it is, I didn’t want you to be traumatized like this…I knew that if what I was told turned out to be true, then the Heart would reflect your innermost desire.”
This caused Opaline to pause and look down at the ground. Tears of anger and grief started gathering in the corners of her eyes as she came to a heartbreaking realization. “So…you knew. I mean, you didn’t completely know, but you had a suspicion. Then why didn’t you tell me any of that?! If you were to just tell me, ‘hey, stop talking like that or you’ll become a monster,’ I would’ve shut up immediately!! Why didn’t you?!”
“Not saying something doesn’t change what’s in your heart,” Flurry told her. “You’ve always felt outcasted, so you’ve built up this internal rage that’s begging to be let out. That’s what the Heart reflected. I knew from the moment you talked about your past that was what you were probably going to see. But I took you anyway because you said that you didn’t want to hurt anypony. How could I refuse that?!”
“You still said nothing.” Opaline growled. “You could’ve said something, anything…Why didn’t you tell me? Why?!”
Flurry couldn’t respond to that. In the deepest parts of her mind, she knew that Opaline was right. She could’ve said something instead of simply outright dismissing the possibility. She knew that it was her fault and there was nothing she could say to apologize.
ENTRY 16 May 6, 2033
If only I had just been there.
So many regrets, so many what-ifs. So many things I wished she hadn’t seen. I was awoken by a scream coming from the outside window. It sounded like Opaline’s, so I instantly flew down from my room and grabbed Shining Armor and the Crystal Guards. For all I knew, it could’ve been an attempted break-in and my apprentice was in trouble.
Running as fast as we could, we ran outside the castle doors to the place where the Crystal Heart stood on its dais. I didn’t know what was happening, but I knew that I had to save my student. Whatever was happening, there wasn’t a moment to lose.
When we arrived, however, it was too late. Opaline was outright screaming at Flurry Heart, who was trying her best to apologize for showing her something that I did not yet know she showed.
Needless to say, Shining was downright furious that someone was allowed to see the Crystal Heart after hours. He was barking his head off at Flurry. It didn’t matter that his daughter was now the ruler of the whole Empire. She disobeyed the proper protocol and because of that, she was getting the full force of my BBBFF’s wrath.
I asked Opaline what had happened and that was when she explained to me through uncontrollable sobbing what she had seen in the Heart’s reflection. She explained everything in great detail, how she saw herself turning evil, instigating another race war between the ponies, commanding a mass genocide of the other creatures, and taking over Equestria. My heart sank further and further with each thing she said. In that moment, my entire world crumbled before my very eyes.
I knew what this meant.
My Opaline, the pony who I considered to be my own daughter, was destined to become a tyrannical monster that I would eventually have to defeat. I had turned her into this. With all my constant expectations and encouragement, I made her hungry for more power and more control.
I know now it won’t be long before either one of us betrays the other, but I’m trying to hold onto my sweet baby girl for as long as I can. I can already sense the beginning symptoms of darkness within her. Upon looking into the Heart, it was clear that a part of her died that evening, the part that housed her innocence and naïveté about the world, the part of her who wouldn’t even dream of hurting a fly.
In the place of my sweet apprentice was a bitter and angry unicorn who was moments away from taking it all out on her best friend who she had met earlier today.
Perhaps it was my ego, perhaps it was a mother’s desperation, but I promised her that I would not let that happen to her. I still don’t know if I can keep that promise, but I vowed that no matter what, I was going to save her from this fate. I was not going to lose her.
I was going to alter the course of fate. Quickly, we packed our bags and left at 3:00 AM in the morning. Opaline didn’t even say goodbye to Flurry as she was still angry, but I told her that I was going to fix this and that we needed to get to Canterlot as soon as possible so that I could start conducting some research.
Please, Opaline. If you happen to be reading this now, know that I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. I love you so much, my sweet, sweet girl. You’ve given me hope when I’ve had none. When I was in my darkest days, you came in and saved me from myself.
It won’t be easy. But I’m not giving up. You’re more than just a faithful student to me, Opaline. You’re more than just an apprentice. You’re my daughter.
“That’s the last entry…” Pipp realized in shock, flipping through the book several times to make sure that she didn’t miss anything. Sure enough, she didn’t miss one page. All of the diary entries up to that point had been read.
The Journal of Friendship ended there.
The others were clearly in states of denial and shock. This couldn’t have been it. Why did it just end like that?! It couldn’t have ended there!
Zipp clearly shared the same sentiment as she wasn’t having any of it. “What?! But that’s impossible! Twilight couldn’t’ve left this on such a cliffhanger! Why would she do that?”
Nothing made sense. They had come so far in the story and to see it end right when all the answers were about to be revealed was downright tragic. The last entry had promised so much and now, there was no continuation.
Hitch groaned. “Ugh, We were so close!! Twilight, whyyyyyyy?!!”
“We already know what happened to the other creatures though,” Misty pointed out. “In that last entry, Twilight described what Opaline saw. Apparently, she ordered a mass genocide of the other creatures in order to make Equestria more pony-centric. It makes sense why she would have this animosity towards them after her encounter with Gallus in the castle.”
“That’s no excuse to slaughter millions,” Pipp replied. “The other creatures didn’t do anything wrong! And she just up and murdered them!”
“I just feel bad for poor Flurry Heart…” Sunny spoke up. “She had no idea what Opaline was going to see and she treated her like garbage! I know she was scared after the vision, but that is just no excuse to treat your best friend like crap!!”
Izzy nodded. “I definitely agree there. But now it seems like we’ll never know the full details as to what happened! I just hate cliffhangers.”
“Maybe we can,” suggested Sunny. “Guys, I know you don’t like me doing this, but I need to talk to Opaline again-“
“No.”
Sunny stared at Hitch, confused. “Why not? Opaline knows what she did. I’m sure that I can coax a confession out of her-“
“Absolutely not!” Hitch snapped. “You have no idea what she could do to you next! Sunny, you were so close to falling into her trap earlier today! There’s no way in hell that I’m letting you anywhere near that mirror, do you understand me?!”
Sunny was tempted to back down. But she knew deep down that this was the right thing to do. She had to find out the truth. “No, Hitch. I need to find out more about what happened. Do you want to stop Opaline or not?!”
“I do, but-“
“Then you have to let me do this,” Sunny insisted. “I’ve been through it once, I can handle her manipulation-“
“HANDLE HER MANIPULATION?!!” Hitch yelled. “Sunny, if I recall correctly, you cried into my hooves for a whole 30 freaking minutes!! You very easily could’ve fallen to the dark side if Misty wasn’t there to snap you out of it!! I’m sorry, I will not allow you to do that again!! Sheriff’s orders.”
“Hitch, I’m not a foal!!” Sunny shot back. “I can make my own decisions!! If I decide to contact Opaline behind your back, what are you going to do?!! Kill me?!! That would honestly be better than living this pathetic life!! At least let me do something useful for once instead of just being the useless optimist who can’t do anything right except get herself ganged up on by the ponies of Maretime Bay!!”
“You’re not useless, Sunny! I’m only-“
“You’re what?!!” Sunny shouted. “Looking out for me?! I don’t need you to fight my battles for me! I want to prove that I can do something, anything without screwing it up!! Are you so scared that Opaline’s going to suddenly show up and kidnap me that you think treating me like a child is going to make it any better?!”
“It’s not like that, Sunny!!” Zipp retorted, stepping in. “We all know that you’re not in the best mental state right now after what happened in the town square. All Hitch wants to do is protect you. It’s…been hard on all of us watching you cry alone everyday and we can’t say anything to comfort you…”
“I understand that, Zipp,” Sunny answered firmly, finally calming down. “But I want to help, like actually help. I can’t just sit around and do nothing while Equestria is going to be attacked in the next couple of days! The least I can do is prove that I’m not…” Tears came to her eyes. “…that I’m not worthless…”
Misty turned her head to look at her upon hearing the last word. She didn’t say anything, only staring with a look of sadness. After all, she understood what Sunny was going through all too well. Not too long ago, that had been her.
“Opaline is trying to groom you, Sunny,” Hitch told her gently. “How can you be sure if anything she’s saying is true?”
“Do you trust me enough to not fall victim to her…?” Sunny asked him. “Answer me truthfully…do you trust me at all to make my own choices?”
Hitch sighed deeply. “To be honest, Sunny, if I told you yes, then I would be lying. I saw you out there in that town square, all bloodied and bruised. There you were begging for mercy as those ponies threw stuff at you, pelted you…beat you up. And you did nothing wrong! All you wanted to do was share your passions with the townsfolk and those bitches instigated a mob attack on you!! You have the interests of the world at heart, Sunny, but the world doesn’t have it vice versa for you. I can’t let you make the same mistake and get hurt again, I…I love you too much.”
Sunny’s eyes stung with tears. She was crushed by what Hitch had just said. In the entire time they had been friends, she never expected to hear him say that he didn’t trust her. It made her feel horrible. It wasn’t her fault that she had gotten nearly lynched to death. She hadn’t known what was going to happen.
She nodded slowly. “I think I get it. I’m sorry that my silly lost causes are now the reason why none of you trust my judgment anymore…”
“It’s not your fault, it’s theirs.” Zipp said. “You saved their hides on multiple occasions and this is how they treated you. We just don’t like to see you hurting like this. If we can stop you from making a similar decision like that, then we will. Please…just trust us and don’t contact Opaline. We’ll find another way. I’m sure there’s an updated edition of the book somewhere. We just haven’t looked hard enough.”
Sunny nodded again. “I understand, Zipp…”
Later that day, Misty and the remaining Mane 5 went up to the top of the Brighthouse to inspect the Unity Crystals for clues. It was decided that they would continue searching for answers and that failure was not a viable option.
In the meantime, Sunny sat on her couch again, feeling the most helpless that she had ever felt in her entire life. None of her friends trusted her. They all thought her judgement compromised because of her stupid causes. She wondered why she even decided to go out in the first place. She could’ve stayed put and none of this would have happened.
In that moment, Sunny felt like simply ending it all. She wanted to end her suffering, end the constant cycle of pain and despair that she felt on a daily basis. At least she would be with Argyle in the afterlife, right? Her father wouldn’t judge her for simply giving up at this point, would he?
She let out a deep sigh of sorrow as she stared up at the ceiling. “You always knew what to say, Dad…I’m sorry that I can’t be you…”
Just when she was about to stand up and go to the kitchen to grab a knife, a familiar voice called out to her:
“Sunny…”
“Sunny…”
It was Opaline. Sunny looked around frantically, searching for any sign that Misty and the others were coming back. Fortunately for her, there was no sign of them at all. Quick as a flash, she picked up the Alicorn Mirror from the floor and held it up to her face.
Instantly, her reflection shifted and morphed into the evil version of herself, Opaline’s most recognizable disguise.
“Ah!” Opaline greeted her. “Perhaps you aren’t as half-witted as I thought. You know, I always took a liking to you, Sunny, and I really feel for you. It’s sad how your friends don’t trust you with anything anymore now, isn’t it?”
Sunny nodded. “Hitch said he doesn’t trust me. But I’m not here to give you additional ammo to manipulate me with. I want answers.”
“Hmm…more answers, you say?”
“You act like you gave me any to begin with. What happened after you got home from the Crystal Empire?”
Opaline smiled sinisterly. “So you do know about me. Well Sunny, I can give you the rest of the story if you do something for me.”
Sunny raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Yes?”
“I need you to destroy the Crystals for me,” Opaline instructed her. “I am currently trapped in the castle by an ancient spell that Twilight cast. Should you destroy the source of her power, all the magic will be released and my power should return to me.”
“No way!” Sunny yelled. “What do you think I am?! Stupid?! I’m not going to give you your power back under any circumstance!!”
Opaline put a hoof up to her chin. “Hmm, then I guess you don’t want my help after all. It’s a shame, really. You want so badly to prove yourself to your friends. Clearly they don’t trust you enough to do anything right. I can give you an opportunity to prove yourself and more. If you join me, I will never treat you like a child, Sunny. I will treat you like a Princess because that is what you are.”
“N-no!” Sunny cried. “You’re lying! You don’t care about me!” She hung her head low. “Nopony does…”
“But I do.”
Sunny looked up. “What?”
“I’ve been watching you for your entire life, Sunny,” Opaline said. “I’ve watched you grow up sad and alone and without anyone to love or support you. I’ve watched a poor little pony struggle in a society that hates her. I’ve seen a brave pony triumph over evil and prove everypony wrong about her. I too know what it’s like to be useless, to not feel like you’re making a difference, to feel-“
“STOP!!” Sunny shouted. “You won’t sway me no matter how hard you try! It won’t work! I am strong, I am confident, I’m-“
“You still think I’m trying to sway you?” Opaline shook her head in disappointment. “I am your friend, Sunny. I’m just like you in more ways than one. We both thought that we could make a difference, only to be rudely awakened by reality. We both wanted to find a way out of our pain.”
Sunny resisted the onslaught of fresh tears, blinking them back quickly. She couldn’t show vulnerability in front of the pony she was trying to interrogate. She wouldn’t be weak, she wouldn’t be-
“Awwwwww…” Opaline mocked her. “Poor little Sunny. You know you don’t have to be tough with me. I emphasize with your situation, more so than your friends ever could. They never knew what it was like to grow up an outcast, to want things that could never be attained.” She stared Sunny directly in the eyes. “I want to lift you up, my dear. Imagine what you could do if you just…put your trust in me.”
“Why would I ever do something like that?” Sunny asked. “Even if you could give me everything I ever wanted, why would I betray my friends, the ponies who love me?”
“Do they though?”
“What?”
“Do you really think your friends care about you? That they love you? After not letting you help with anything? After yelling at you? Sounds like somepony is being gaslit into believing she’s contributing by doing nothing.”
“I-“
[Opaline]
🎵 “My little Sunny, so small, so meek I could give you what you seek All you must do is one little thing Just say you’ll agree and I’ll be your wings…”🎵
Sunny was scared, but also curious at the same time. She didn’t trust Opaline, yet the offer she was given certainly sounded better than feeling useless every single day. There was no point to her existence now. “Agree? Agree to what?”
[Opaline]
🎵 “Look at all your friends, so perfect and rare They say you are loved, but they never cared That poor little Sunny, unwelcomed, unfair Is crying alone in despair…” 🎵
Sunny wiped an escaping tear from her eye as she got up and began walking with the mirror in her hooves. She had to admit that she was considering Opaline’s offer. If she could just get up to the Brighthouse and take the crystals…
No! No! She’d never do that. This was all a trick! She had to remain strong. Surely, her friends did still value her…right? As she considered her options, an angelic choir started building in the background and she began falling into a hypnotic trance. As she slipped further into her mind, Opaline’s voice continued to ring in her ears.
[Opaline]
🎵 “You are much better than what they see You could make them take bended knees Think of the power, a world of your own Where no one alone will take your throne…” 🎵
It was at this point that Sunny began losing further grip on reality. The offer sounded so good. If only she could just take it, she would finally be valued by someone. She would finally be appreciated by those around her.
“Just picture it,” Opaline said soothingly. “A world of which you want.”
As the backing choir increased in intensity, Sunny closed her eyes. She began picturing what life under Opaline’s tutelage would look like. She imagined herself standing on the balcony of a large castle in her alicorn form, overlooking a crowd of ponies cheering her on. The Sun was shining down on her and she was happy. Opaline stood next to her like a protective mother, smiling warmly. There was no pain, no betrayal. No sadness.
Only peace.
The wind blew softly through her mane as she took in the ambience of the early morning. She heard the birds chirp in the trees amidst the crowd chanting her name. They all adored her. They all wanted her. She meant something to them.
For the briefest of moments, she mattered to everypony around her. She was content, she was satisfied. And she was finally loved, more so than her friends ever could give her.
[Opaline]
🎵 “Yes little Sunny, this all can be yours I ask one request to ensure Say you’ll agree too and take my hoof To welcome soon The reign of the moon…” 🎵
Sunny opened her eyes again and suddenly she was back on the couch. Had that whole song been a vivid dream this whole time? She didn’t know why she was hallucinating things, only that the offer sounded very appealing to her.
She still didn’t know if she wanted to take it, but she knew that she was going to think it over. Opaline was right. Her friends didn’t trust her anymore, and she was nothing but a burden on them. Why did she want to stay with them when she could be someone special instead?
“So…what’ll it be, Sunny?” Opaline inquired sinisterly. “You destroy the Crystals and I’ll tell you the rest of the story.”
Sunny put her hoof to her mouth in deep thought. As she considered her options, the answer immediately became clear. She knew what she wanted to say.
Chapter 5: Too Much Power, No More Control/Opaline’s Betrayal
From the moment we returned home from the Crystal Empire, Twilight and I barely saw each other outside of a few passing greetings and interactions. She spent all her time holed up in the Canterlot Archives with Starswirl the Bearded, searching through book after book, spell after spell, trying to find a way to alter my fate.
To say that I missed my teacher was an understatement. I felt so alone without her constantly beside me. I barely knew anyone in Canterlot outside of Spike and he never had time to talk to me. He was always so busy with his Friendship Ambassador duties that he didn’t once stop to check how I was feeling.
So I stayed in my room as I was told to, practicing some spells I had already been taught. As I put to use some basic levitation, I marveled at how much stronger my hood was than other unicorns my age. I still knew nothing of my origin, or how I was blessed with such powerful magic, but the vision that the Crystal Heart gave me still haunted every fiber of my being each day.
I was scared to do anything for fear of turning into that evil alicorn, which is why I stuck to safe spells during practice. Deep down, I knew that one wrong move and I would accidentally corrupt myself with dark magic. I couldn’t even imagine killing anypony for anycreature simply because I felt like it. It felt wrong and it certainly was. Back then, my developing brain couldn’t comprehend the concept of murder, so what I saw that night came as a huge shock to me.
I didn’t want it to be true, but I knew that I was going to become a monster sooner or later. Twilight loved me very much, but even she could not prevent the inevitable. Despite this, so many questions were racing through my mind. Why was I doomed to suffer this fate? Why was I forced to turn evil and slaughter millions? Nothing made sense. I had tried my best to do as I was told and live a good life as I’m sure my nonexistent parents would’ve wanted from me.
Yet fate still wanted to punish me. But why? What had I done to deserve this? All these thoughts were running through my mind, all while I thought about Twilight. There were so many times that I wanted to see her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, that she didn’t have to worry about me.
Alas, the guards never allowed me in, and it aggravated me each time. That was when one night, I decided that I was going to do the unthinkable, something only a truly crazy pony would ever think to do.
I was going to sneak into the Archives so that I could help Twilight.
They say that love can make you do truly insane things and that was certainly the case for me. She had gone out of her way to give me a home, as well as raise me like her own. There was no way that I was going to let her suffer through my inevitable destiny alone.
However, one often meets their destiny on the road they take to avoid it, and I was about to learn just how fast my turn was going to be. I had spent so many weeks dreading it, but now…the first seeds of darkness were beginning to blossom.
At midnight sharp, I got out of bed and headed towards the Archives. I didn’t bother to put on a disguise as I wanted Twilight to see me. I didn’t just want to sit around and be useless. I would go up to the guards, force my way in, and then explain everything to Twilight, who would finally let me help her.
I wanted to prove that I could do the same important things as she did. Besides, this was my chance to finally learn about my past. After all, there had to have been some book in there about the nature of unicorns with powerful magic, right? And even if there wasn’t, then that wrinkly old wizard Starswirl surely knew more about me.
As I walked down the main hallway that led to the gated doors, I saw the same griffon guards who denied me entry last time. My teeth immediately clenched in hate upon seeing them. They had been so mean to me the previous night that I had tried to get in. I felt like smashing them both against the nearest wall in revenge.
However, I had to remain calm. If I was perceived as a threat, then things would instantly go wrong. I bit my tongue and walked over towards the two guards with a forced smile on my face.
“Um, hello sirs!” I greeted them as nicely as I could. “Sorry to bother you two again, but I was just wondering if I-“
“Nope.”
The interruption from the first guard was abrupt. It was clear that he remembered our other encounters and wasn’t having any of my bullshit.
“Excuse me?” I asked indignantly.
“Pipsqueak, we’ve been through this 15 times already,” the first griffon guard said in an exasperated tone. “Every night for two weeks straight, you ask the same question and every night, it’s always no. Take a hint already for Twilight’s sake!”
I glared at him. “I just want to see Twilight! I’m not trying to steal anything!! She needs my help searching!!”
“No, no she doesn’t. I told you already, you moron, she asked us to keep you out. We’re just following orders.”
The way he spoke to me got me angrier and angrier. As we argued back and forth, I felt the strong tingling of my magic inside of me. All I wanted to do was pummel him, and the next thing he said was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me.
“I hardly think she even values your input at all,” he told me. “Plus, you aren’t even allowed to be here at all. Didn’t the Princess tell you to stay in your room?!”
I growled. “That is none of your concern. Let me in!!”
“No. And if you keep talking like that, we’re gonna have to detain you. Now what’ll it be?”
That was when I snapped. My horn started glowing with magic and I slammed him against the doors of the Archives with all my strength. “HOW DARE YOU!!!!! TRYING TO ARREST ME JUST BECAUSE I’M LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR BOSS?!!!! WHAT KIND OF GUARD ARE YOU?!!!”
I had never spoken to anyone like that in my life and it frightened me to my core, hearing my own words coming out of my mouth. But at that point, all reason had gone out the window. He stared at me in complete fear. It seemed like he didn’t expect me to react the way that I did.
It was at this point that the second guard aimed his spear at me. “Stand back!! Get off my friend, you witch!! You’re under arrest!!”
I turned to look at him and he immediately started backing away in utter terror. I laughed. It was a sinister laugh that I didn’t think I would ever let out. It made the second guard tremble and he started getting on his knees, begging me for mercy.
I smiled sinisterly. “Too late…”
Within moments, I had them both held by their throats, encased in levitation bubbles. I then proceeded to repeatedly slam them both to the floor violently. I could hear their bones break further upon each impact, yet I only pressed harder.
The first guard coughed out blood. “W-what a-are y-you?!”
I stood over them with a cold, impassive expression on my face. It was at that moment where my turn was complete. There was no turning back now. “I…am a nightmare.” My magic choke hold tightened further and I began to strangle the guards as hard as I could.
In my mind, it was justified. They couldn’t keep me from helping the pony I called my mother. They could try all they wanted, but eventually I always won. After all, that’s what love does, doesn’t it? It drives you crazy to the point where you kill anyone who gets in the way of your family. I understood that more than anyone.
I was so distracted with choking the guards to death that I didn’t notice Twilight and Starswirl run out the door upon hearing the commotion. The grey unicorn then blasted a beam of silver magic at me, which succeeded in knocking me off my hooves and onto the ground.
I groaned, getting up slowly. I was expecting it to be another guard, but my face fell upon seeing Twilight and Starswirl standing angrily in front of me. I knew instantly then that I was doomed. I couldn’t explain what I had done.
They wouldn’t understand.
“Opaline Arcada, what the hell were you doing to those guards?!!” Starswirl demanded angrily. “Answer me!!”
My body was trembling all over from fear and I hung my head in shame. What could I say? That I only did this because I wanted to help? There was no chance that they would ever believe me. Or at least, that’s what I thought.
Twilight seemed to be the only one who seemed to understand. She knew me so well that she could read my body language and know exactly why I had done what I did.
“Opaline, I…” Twilight was fighting back tears. “I knew it…I knew you were going to do this. You wanted to help me so badly and I…I didn’t let you.”
I nodded, tears of my own forming. “Please, Twilight! I’m sorry I hurt them, I only wanted to help you find-“
“That’s no excuse!!!” Twilight shouted. “You severely hurt these guards!! No. YOU NEARLY KILLED THEM!! What’s gotten into you?! The Opaline I know would never do this to anypony!! No matter what the circumstances were, she wouldn’t hurt a fly!! What happened to you?!!”
“I’m sorry!!” I begged, tears of regret and anguish streaming down my face. “Please, all I wanted to do was be there for you, so you wouldn’t have to worry about me alone!! You’ve been so stressed lately that I only wanted to help you and prove that I’m not worthless to you!!!”
“You’ve proven nothing tonight except that you’re a dangerous psychopath who deserves to be locked up alone in Limbo for her own protection!!” Starswirl yelled. “What you have done is evil, Opaline!! You must be punished!!”
“YOU CAN’T LET HIM DO THIS, TWILIGHT!!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. What else could I do?! My mind was panicking upon hearing Starswirl’s proposition. I hoped desperately that Twilight would talk him out out of it, just something. Anything! “PLEASE, I DID THIS FOR YOU, FOR US!!!!! I GAVE YOU THIS, I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!!! I LOVE YOU-“
“SHUT UP!!!” Twilight boomed, using the Royal Canterlot Voice. I was taken aback. She had never yelled at me like that before. At that moment, I knew that our mother-daughter bond was officially over. There was nothing I could say to justify what I had done. The next thing she said sealed the final nail in the coffin. Through tears and sniffles, the next four words she said is something I still remember to this day. “My daughter is dead…”
My heart shattered into a million pieces. My perfect world suddenly crumbled before my very eyes in a smoldering heap. I was left stunned and speechless, which was most likely for the best. There were no words left to say. All those constant words of encouragement and praise, all the months and years of spending precious time together…all of that was gone in a snap. In that very moment, Twilight had disowned me and was willing to see me imprisoned without giving me an opportunity to explain.
As fast as I could, I ran down the hallway and didn’t look back. I didn’t know if any guards were chasing me or not. All I knew was that I had to escape. I felt the clip-clop rhythm of my hooves as they stampeded across the floor in a mad dash for the exit. I knew right then and there that I would never see Twilight ever again.
I was an orphan once more. And all because I had become the very thing I swore to destroy.
Once I had reached the exit, I continued to run until I was far away from any detection. I then looked back at Canterlot Castle, my former home, for one final time. I let my mind reminisce about all of the fun I had with Twilight.
Then I turned forward and vanished into the night. I had no idea where I was going, only that I was no longer welcome in Canterlot.
Outcast.
Betrayer.
Alien.
I spent the entire night on the run. My hooves ached from so much running, but I knew that I couldn’t stop. I comforted myself in the prospect that at some point, I would find a new place to stay, I would find a new family.
I walked the moonlit fields in a daze, wondering if starvation would eventually take over and finally put me to rest. Deep down, I hoped that would be the case. I didn’t want to live any longer with the shame that I now carried.
My face was stained red from the tears I had shed, tears that were now long gone. My flank was still badly bruised from where Starswirl had shot me, and that pain remained with me for as long as I could remember. It hurt whenever I walked, let alone run.
I could barely even move, yet I still had to push on regardless. I forced myself to stay awake and I kept going, wandering aimlessly underneath the beautiful glow of the Moon.
By morning, I found myself in front of an old, spooky forest. This was said to have been my birthplace, the location where the Canterlot guards found me and took me in.
The EverFree Forest.
It was less spooky during the daytime as you could see, but it still carried an aura of mystery behind it. I walked through it, stepping over loose twigs and leaves to stop myself from falling. The trees loomed large over me, dominating my surroundings and blocking out the view of the sky.
Whenever an owl hooted or a Timberwolf howled, I cried out in alarm or jumped back defensively. The animal noises scared me to death as I was completely and utterly alone, with no one around to defend me should anything happen.
This lasted for several hours until I reached the deepest and darkest parts of the forest. Suddenly, there were no more noises and everything went completely silent. There was no light filtering through this area and I could barely see a thing.
That was when my hooves on something strange and scaly. It wasn’t grass, far from it. It was a completely different surface. I shrieked and stepped off of it. I couldn’t see what it was at first, but that was when the ground beneath that surface began to glow.
It illuminated the area around me in a harsh red light and suddenly I could see what was in front of me and what I had stepped on.
Laid out in a single-file row for about a mile in front of me were the deceased and decaying bodies of dragons.
I screamed.
Dead bodies?! What happened here?! Why kill innocent dragons? What had they done to deserve any of this?!
That was when I spotted a necromantic circle right below the first body. It was a large, red circle of magic that only cults dealing in necromancy would use. Inscribed in reverse Old Ponish in the center was a block of text that supposedly commanded the spell.
Fortunately, Twilight had taught me a little bit of how to read the language and my mind instantly knew to reverse the order of the letters in order to decipher it.
CREATION: FIRE ALICORN - MADE FROM THE LIFE ESSENCE OF FULL-GROWN DRAGONS. COMMANDS MAGIC BEYOND THE ABILITY OF THE AVERAGE UNICORN. NEEDS A STEADY STREAM OF DRAGON FIRE TO KEEP IT ALIVE ONCE WEAKENED.
I gasped. I could not believe what I was reading. My eyes widened as it finally registered to me what exactly the text meant. This was how I was born. Whatever cult had existed in the forest years ago had used the dead bodies of dragons to create me.
I was a product of an experiment by this organization to create the ultimate alicorn, presumably with the intention to overthrow Twilight and take control of Equestria. Although the cult had fled, the evidence of their existence still remained intact.
Suddenly, I knew who I was. The vision that the Crystal Heart showed me suddenly made a lot more sense to me. All the puzzle pieces fell into place perfectly in my mind and everything I had seen became clear to me. I knew the purpose behind my creation, and my strong magic.
I wasn’t like the average unicorn. The reason why magic was so powerful that I could raise the Sun without any training at such a young age was because it came from dragon fire, the most powerful form of magic in the land. I was created to be a weapon, not a tool of peace. I was never meant to conform, never meant to be a follower. I was meant to be the leader, the commander.
I was meant to rule.
I returned to Canterlot immediately upon discovering this, ready to exact my revenge on those who wronged me. It didn’t matter that just yesterday, I was averse to killing anyone. Twilight and Starswirl had scorned me, tried to imprison me without letting me explain.
They tried to hurt me. And I was going to give them a taste of their own medicine. By this point, I had fully embraced my destiny and what it entailed. If the inhabitants of Equestria didn’t want my love, they would get my hate.
This time, I managed to acquire a black cloak to disguise myself as I re-entered the city. Thankfully, no one appeared to recognize me and I was in the clear. I knew now that the only way that I was going to wash away my sins and live in peace was if I killed everyone who knew.
I snuck into the castle undetected, passing myself off as a disfigured mage along the lines of the ancient Empress Sable Spirit, who couldn’t show her face due to the amount of shame felt from it. This seemed to fly with the guards, who let me proceed further.
As I was passing by Twilight’s room, I overheard her and another pony talking. My curiosity peaked, so I peered through the window, eavesdropping on their conversation. Twilight was sitting on her bed, talking to a pink alicorn with a yellow and orange mane and tail. I had only seen her one other time.
Luster Dawn.
“…you think she was always like this to begin with?” Luster asked cautiously. “Ponies just don’t…turn into monsters overnight, do they?”
If only you had seen what I’d seen, girl.
Twilight sighed. “I don’t know. I know she was trying to help and I acted out on my emotions there. Starswirl certainly wasn’t doing the situation any favors. He certainly means well, but his fiery temper only fed mine that night. If I had just remained calm…maybe this wouldn’t have happened to begin with. I could’ve fixed this. Now I have nopony left.”
“Twilight,” Luster put a comforting hoof out and touched her former mentor’s. “You can’t fix it. You thought you knew her, but you know that she’s an evil pony with dark tendencies. You can’t teach someone who already has evil thoughts not to have them.”
When I heard that, I felt like barging in there and strangling Luster. What did she know about me?!! Who did she think I was?! I never asked for any of this! I loved Twilight more than even she did! She had no right to call me a hopeless case. My anger towards her was now put to immeasurable levels and I hated her with every fiber of my being.
I vowed that she would be first.
My chance came when I saw her standing on the balcony of the castle, watching the Sun slowly set behind the horizon. As she breathed in the evening air, I cleared my throat.
She turned around, startled, and immediately cried out in fear upon seeing me. “Aah!! Opaline!! W-what are you doing here?”
“I’ve always wanted to meet you. From one former apprentice to another,” I spoke calmly, “We both think we know Twilight, don’t we? We both try to analyze what she’s feeling.”
Luster backed up against the railing in fear. “S-s-s-stay back!! D-d-d-d-don’t come any closer!!”
I laughed heartily. “Awwww, what’s with the stammering, Luster? Come on. Why don’t we be friends? After all, you already think you know me so well.”
“N-no! I-I-I’m sorry-“
“Oh you’re sorry?” I mocked her. “Well, I think it’s a little too late for that now, isn’t it? You claim to have learned soooooooooo much about friendship!!” My eyes narrowed down at her with unbridled rage. “And yet, you turn around and label me a freak. Cool story, sis.”
“No!!” Luster cried. “Please, I don’t-“
“Shhhhhhhh…” I said soothingly. I walked up close to her face, putting my left hoof over her mouth. She tried to call for help, but my grip on her mouth was too strong and it came out muffled. She twisted and kicked, trying to escape my grasp. I patted her on the head with my other hoof. “It’s quiet time, little pony…just hold still. This won’t hurt a bit.”
Luster’s eyes filled with tears and she looked at me pleadingly, almost as if she was trying to ask me what she had done wrong. I didn’t answer her as my horn lit up with a bright purple aura. I could feel it now, all of the power that I had spent trying to hold back rushing up to the surface.
I grinned as I touched my horn to her forehead and proceeded to start draining both her life essence and her magic. She screamed and shrieked as the energy came flowing out of her and into me. She fought in my grasp, struggling and squirming, as she tried to escape.
Eventually, her movements became slower and slower, her eyes beginning to close. I laughed maniacally, feeling more powerful than I ever had before. Once all the energy had been sucked out, she slumped to the floor in an unconscious state.
My eyes opened and suddenly, I could feel all the powers of a goddess at my command. It felt like something had awakened inside me. My entire DNA had been entirely rewritten. Magical fire crackled all over my body. I could feel it inside me, the power of an alicorn coursing through my veins. It felt wonderful! I had never felt so much magic at my disposal before, and I thought I was already powerful!!
On my back was now a large pair of flaming, glowing wings. They stood tall and proud in glorious fashion. I laughed once more, knowing that I had finally done it. I had become what Twilight always intended for me to become.
I had become an alicorn.
I took off my cloak and threw it off the balcony. There was no need for it anymore. There was no one on this planet who could stop me. The cloak fluttered in the wind as it spiraled towards the ground, unfolding. It then hit the ground with a soft thud.
I then turned my head and stared at the unconscious Luster Dawn, shaking my head in disappointment. She was now a unicorn once more, her divine status having been sucked out of her. Her wings had become mine. Despite everything, I did pity her. She thought she knew it all. Perhaps if she had not slandered me, she could have ruled by my side. She could’ve had everything she ever wanted.
Alas, it was not meant to be. She would’ve been a rebel anyway, too stubborn and headstrong to ever conform to my laws and regulations. It was best that I left her out of my new kingdom.
“What have you done?!”
I whirled around upon hearing the voice. It was Twilight, standing before me with a horrified expression on her face.
I smiled. “Hello, Twilight. I hope you appreciate what I’ve done with your admittedly annoyinglap dog. Rest assured, she won’t slander anyone again.”
“I understand that you’re hurting, Opaline,” Twilight said firmly. “And I never should’ve pushed you away like I did. Even now, you can still turn back.”
“Turn back?!” I stomped my hooves on the ground. “Turn back?!!! Why give up all that power?! All that magic?! I know what I am now!! And I’M NOT YOU!!!! I’m meant to be a Queen!! I’m meant to rule everything!!”
Twilight took a few steps forward, her eyes as hard as steel. “Even as you say that, I know that isn’t what you really want. You tried to help me, and I pushed you away. To that end, I am so sorry. I’ve failed you as a mentor…and a mother.”
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve accepted her apology and given this up. But I had already crossed the line. There was no forgiveness left for me, even if I did reform in that moment. I would still have to face justice for my crimes, and I was never going to submit to that.
“IT’S TOO LATE NOW!!!” I exclaimed proudly. “Twilight, can’t you see? You were right. You were right the whole time. If there was anything you showed me, it’s that alicorns are the most powerful beings in Equestria!! We have magic far beyond mortal comprehension!! Why not use that to do what we want?! Why not ask for more?!!”
“Because it’s tyranny!!” Twilight shot back. “We use our powers to help spread harmony, not chaos!!!”
“WHAT GOOD IS HARMONY?!!” I screamed. “WHEN PONIES CONSTANTLY GET HURT?!! WHEN FOALS ARE DISOWNED BY THEIR MOTHERS FOR NO REASON AT ALL?!! YOU SHOWED ME THE REALITIES OF THE WORLD, TWILIGHT!!! Ponies don’t care what your intentions are, ONLY WHAT YOU DO!!! YOU CAN BE COMPLETELY INNOCENT AND STILL GET BANISHED!!!!”
“I am sorry that is how you feel about me now,” Twilight apologized. “My actions have come at a great cost to you. But seeking revenge will not appease your anger. It can only serve to fuel it.”
“Oh you’re sorry, are you?!!” I demanded. “You’re sorry for filling my head with dreams, for training me until my bones cracked?! For acting like you love me when you pushed me away every chance you got?! If you truly loved me, you would not have listened to Starswirl!!!”
“Opaline, I-“
“WELL I GET IT!!!” My horn glowed a dark purple aura as I stepped towards her with the intention of striking her down. “You said it yourself, Twilight!! Your daughter is dead!! You and I are nothing to each other!!!! If I was to kill you now, I’d feel no grief whatsoever!!”
Twilight’s horn lit up a bright pink aura. “I can’t let you do that, Opaline.”
I shook my head again. “Oh, I wouldn’t do that.” I grabbed her in a telekinetic magic bubble as she flew up, slamming her against the wall. Blood had splattered the wall from where she had hit it. She tried to get up with great effort, moaning as she did so. “EVERYTHING I DID WAS FOR YOU!!!! TELL ME HOW PROUD OF ME YOU ARE, TWILIGHT!!! TELL ME!!!!! TELL ME!!!!!!”
Twilight looked up at me in complete terror. I grabbed her in my magic again and violently slammed her down several more times. She coughed and hacked each time she hit the ground. Cuts and bruises were all over her body and she was bleeding profusely.
With great effort, she stood up once more, blood dripping down onto the ground as she did so. “I have always…been proud of you, Opaline…it was my pride that prevented me from seeing…what you were becoming…what I…was turning you into. I’m sorry…”
I paused for a moment. For the briefest of seconds, I considered whether I should’ve continued on. Perhaps it was an innermost longing for her love again, maybe it was foolishness. But for a split second, I paused.
Then the anger returned and I grabbed her in a chokehold, feeding all my hatred into strangling the one pony who traumatized me for life. She coughed and hacked, and my grin only grew wider as I continued to strangle her. I flung her across the balcony towards the other railing, where she landed with a thud.
Once I was sure that she was unconscious, I blasted the walls that kept the balcony where it was. As it trembled and shook, I quickly flew up and away from the castle using my newfound wings.
Once I was as far away as possible, I watched the balcony finally collapse, taking the unconscious bodies of Twilight and Luster Dawn down with it.
Chapter 6: A Kingdom Divided Beyond Repair/What Must A Princess Do?
The next day, I began hearing rumors spreading around that Canterlot had fallen into complete and utter turmoil. It didn’t take long for a nationwide marehunt to be issued for my arrest, but I knew that I would be safe from any amount of guard forces would would try and stop me.
I was far too strong for them by now.
Despite the order for all of Equestria to be on the search for me, only a few selected towns and cities appeared to take it seriously. I didn’t blame them. There was no way that any of those pathetic little ponies would ever want to go up against an alicorn. Back in my time, we were revered as gods and it was said to be suicide to try and take one of us on.
I hid out in the EverFree Forrest and began harnessing my new abilities. My capacity for spells had increased tenfold and I was even more powerful than I ever thought I was. I started by killing small animals that roamed the forest grounds before moving on to timberwolves, manticores, cragidiles, etc.
I cleaned out the forest faster than anyone could blink and used that as my hiding place. I began experimenting with the weather and causing thunderstorms to happen on a whim. This seemed to enrage the earth ponies down below in Ponyville. They screamed at the pegasi for causing it to rain during harvesting season and the some weather ponies responded that the earth ponies spent too much time on their crops.
Before long, I had created my first fight within the tribes. I then moved on to the unicorns and I began feeding their minds with thoughts of superiority and dominance. I told them that they didn’t need the earth ponies or the pegasi, that they were the one true race of ponies, and that the others needed to be exterminated.
This seemed to work as before long, an earth pony was reported to have been hurt by a unicorn during what was described as “a magical accident.” I was building up an army of my loyal supporters who would listen to me no matter what. I then told the earth ponies that they didn’t need unicorns for Equestria to survive, that they were the backbone of the whole society, that if they didn’t watch out, the unicorns would try to usurp their positions and take over agriculture. They had no idea it was me, but I knew that it wouldn’t be long before they connected the dots.
It was easy to prey on the ponies’ fears. Everypony was so scared from what had happened in Canterlot that they were willing to turn to any random stranger they could for protection. I used this to my advantage and I watched from my hiding place in the forest as ponies started fighting and killing each other.
Slowly but surely, the prophecy was coming true. I was fulfilling my own destiny. At this point, I embraced it. There was no use running from an inevitability. Each day, the ponies became more and more fanatical, and this began to affect the other creatures as well. You could not go a day without hearing on the news something to do with hippogriffs getting lynched in the streets, griffons and yaks being denied service at restaurants, or changeling businesses being boycotted.
The Equestria that Twilight had created was falling apart piece by piece. She had betrayed me, and now I was going to make sure that she had nothing left to fight for.
Before long, word began spreading that a school shooting of Kirins was happening at the School of Friendship. A pegasus student had flown to campus with a loaded gun with the intention of murdering as many foreign students as he could. It became a national headline and the School was temporarily closed down for investigation in the midst of the fear. The other creatures began leaving Equestria in droves, taking their kids out of schools, and returning to their own countries in a mass exodus.
I then began kidnapping ponies and draining their magic before sending them back to warn their friends. It succeeded. There was paranoia and distrust in the streets like wildfire. Each day, the amount of casualties ramped up exponentially and Ponyville was no longer safe. It didn’t take long for my indoctrination to spread across Equestria and before long, everyone in the realm was fighting.
I became known as the mysterious pony who was trying to spread the truth. With my new disguise, that I created out of my own magic, nopony knew my true identity, so I was free to do whatever I wanted.
I became known as “The Shadow Alicorn.”
Twilight would do her best to quell the flames of war, of course, but to no avail. Her subjects were now too far gone and my influence was too numerous that no amount of friendship speeches were going to save the day this time around. I believe she knew this, as during one of her rallies that I attended, her pleas for peace were drowned out by waves of protests and calls for her to resign.
As days turned into weeks, my influence began to grow more and more. Wherever I went, chaos and disharmony would follow. I enjoyed it. I loved the feeling of undoing the hard work of the one pony who betrayed me. I loved the power and influence that I had over these ponies. They were listening to me, and I was commanding them to carry out my dirty work.
Upon hearing that the School of Friendship had been reopened, a couple of my cultists and I marched onto the campus and began slaughtering all the students there. It didn’t matter who or what they were.
They were all going to die.
The Royal Guard then raided the School and my supporters were arrested for murder and treason, though I managed to escape. Calls to take down the current monarchy began circulating amongst the cities and I fed into them by publishing anonymous newspapers that detailed crimes and scandals by Twilight that she didn’t do.
Upon receiving these supposed “reports,” the calls became louder and louder until Twilight signed a new law that banned these types of movements. She hoped that it would quell the flames and make the baseless misinformation slowly die out. Unfortunately for her, it did the exact opposite of what she was expecting.
Organized crime began erupting as ponies began setting fire to cottages and buildings in retaliation attacks. The fighting had become far too widespread and there was nothing she could do to salvage the nation that she built. Eventually, Twilight repealed the law after so much bloodshed had resulted from it.
I was winning. The once peaceful kingdom that I had grown up in was now a shell of its former self, with nothing left to salvage it.
Twilight sat on her throne with her head on the floor. Thoughts of failure and desperation ran through her mind as she thought about all the ways that she had failed her predecessors Celestia and Luna. She knew that they would be incredibly disappointed in her if they saw the state of the land as it was now.
If they ever were to find out what was going on, would they ever forgive her? She didn’t think so. They had ruled the kingdom for over a thousand years and they knew how to keep peace and order. She didn’t know how to do any of that. She was too scared to take any direct action on the situation that would involve getting in the way of her fellow ponies fighting.
What kind of Princess did that make her?
The doors flew open and Spike came in with a recently recovered Luster Dawn. The mare had bandages all over her body and was walking with a limp, but she looked okay. Twilight was relieved to see this after hearing that her former apprentice had been in the hospital for a full month.
She looked up, nodding in acknowledgement of their presence as they slowly walked towards her with concerned looks on their faces.
“Are you okay, Twilight?” Luster asked her. “We’re here to talk with you if you need anything.”
Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “No. You two might as well leave. I have nothing left to say or do.”
“That’s not true!” Spike protested. “Equestria is falling apart before our very eyes and you have to save it! We can rid the land of Opaline, I know we can! If only we-“
“That’s the problem!! I DON’T WANT TO!!!” Twilight snapped, taking them both aback.
Luster looked stunned. “You…don’t want to save Equestria?”
“I can’t!!” Twilight yelled, tears flowing down from her eyes. “How can I confront the one pony who I’ve loved like my own daughter?! I tried last month and it nearly got us all killed!!”
“Twilight,” Spike tried to explain. “This is your responsibility as Princess. If you don’t do this, nopony will. Everyone is just so scared about what’s happening to even think rationally. They need you to expose Opaline as a fraud if they’re going to turn back.”
“But I won’t.” Twilight stated firmly. “I’ve made up my mind. I can’t kill my own daughter. I raised Opaline as my own and it just hurts so much. I can’t do it, not even for Equestria. I’m not strong enough.”
“I get it,” Luster went up next to her former mentor. “It can definitely be hard. But you remember what Celestia went through when she banished Luna. It can be a difficult thing to come to terms with, but if you want to save Equestria, you must banish Opaline.”
“But…” Twilight tried to say. “She’s my family-“
Spike nodded solemnly. “I know. But this is what must be done. I don’t want to face the truth either, but the pony you knew and loved is gone. Only a monster remains.”
“Because of me.”
“What?”
“I told you about this already, Spike.” Twilight answered. “The only reason why Opaline is like this is because I pushed her away when I shouldn’t’ve. In the time she needed me most, I abandoned her!! I just…I can’t deal with this!”
“Twilight-“
“Opaline was like my only ray of sunshine after my friends were stolen from me with no reason at all!! She gave me hope and a desire to live when I had none!! She was there for me when you two weren’t!! SHE GAVE ME SOMEONE TO CARE ABOUT!!!” Twilight screamed. “YOU CAN’T MAKE ME BANISH HER!!!!!”
“You listen to me, Twilight!!” Luster shot back. “You did all that you could!! You raised her to be a good pony, but what happened was her own fault!! She chose this path for herself, not you!!! Did you overreact that night?! Sure! But she could’ve chosen to stay and talk things over with you later on, but she didn’t!! She made the decision to do this, not you!! You didn’t fail her, Twilight, none of this is your fault!!”
Twilight was stunned into silence. She had to admit that Luster had a point, but it still didn’t change how hard of a decision this was. She wiped tears from her eyes as she stared at her apprentice.
“Thanks, Luster…” she whispered.
“Look at me, Twilight.” Luster implored her. “I know you can do this. You’re the same pony who taught me that friendship isn’t a waste of time. You showed me that and now I have friends of my own! You taught me so much about friendship, Twilight! You made me believe in how beautiful it is having other ponies beside you!!” She lifted Twilight’s chin up and held it. “You made me a better pony just by telling me a story! You’ve given Equestria so much!! Look at me, Twilight! What does friendship mean to you?!”
Twilight thought back to her first day coming to Ponyville, to the night she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon. Suddenly, all the memories she had been trying to repress came flooding back to her one by one in quick succession. She remembered all the great times she had with her friends, the adventures they went on together, the lessons they learned, the songs they sang, the villains they defeated, and all the friends they helped over the years.
All of it culminated in that very last memory: the day where she nuzzled her pupil as she went off with a new group of friends. In that moment, she realized the truth. She did have a life worth living. She did all of this with her friends, and now it was her responsibility to carry on their legacy by reunifying ponykind.
Luster could tell that Twilight had finally seen reason just by looking at her face. She smiled at her mentor. “So…who are you, Princess?”
Twilight looked back and faced them both with a determined smile. “I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship!”
She knew what she had to do. It would not be easy, but she was going to save Equestria and the ponies she loved…or die trying.
Misty walked through the main room of the Brighthouse, her mind lost in deep contemplation. She had just left her friends upstairs with the Unity Crystals after a failed attempt to jumpstart Twilight Sparkle’s hologram again had failed. Once that had happened, the group had started arguing with one another once more and that was when she had left, not wishing to get involved.
She didn’t know why she had chosen to leave during the argument and she knew that she could’ve talked some sense into them. Deep down, however, she was too afraid to pry in matters that had the potential to get them angry at her. She already felt like she was on thin ice as it was, and she knew that no one fully trusted her yet in spite of everything. Despite them taking her in and the fact that Izzy had forgiven her, Misty still felt like she was intruding on a home that wasn’t hers, like a guest overstaying their welcome. She knew that Izzy had accepted her apology and welcomed her with open hooves, but what about the others? She never asked them whether they had fully forgiven her. In her mind, they were likely just keeping her around until Opaline was defeated and then they would just push her away.
The thought of being forced to leave while Opaline was most likely out for her blood scared her to death. She still didn’t want to face the alicorn that raised her, but she knew it was inevitable. Sparky was still in the castle, most likely having his magic drained daily.
Or worse…
During her nightmare months ago, Opaline had killed Sparky in front of her very eyes. She still wasn’t sure whether that had been a nightmare or a vision. It had felt so real and she really hoped that he wasn’t dead. Such a fate would be catastrophically tragic and if that was true, then no one would be able to recover from it.
She loved Sparky, and it had hurt to kidnap an innocent baby dragon who had done nothing to her and take him to his death. She prayed that he was still alive, that he was still safe somewhere. But deep down in the back of her mind, she somehow knew that most likely wasn’t the case.
Opaline had made such a big deal about stealing Sparky’s magic that it would be downright absurd to believe that he was still alive in any capacity. Dragon fire made up his very essence and if somepony were to take that away, then there was no chance that he could live. The thought sent shivers down her whole body and it made her feel sick, knowing that she was responsible for this.
What kind of pony was she? She had the opportunity to back out at any time, but she didn’t. She had risked all of her newfound friendships for the slim chance of getting a cutie mark.
All for nothing.
Silently, she cursed herself for being so stupid and gullible. It wasn’t her fault as she had been naïve back then to know any better, but she still blamed herself all the same. If only she had seen reason, if only she had just left Opaline sooner before any of this happened.
If only-
“…there was no escape for her and she knew it. I had been anticipating this confrontation for weeks, and it was finally my time.”
Misty’s ears twitched at the sinister sound of Opaline’s voice, her thoughts abruptly cut off. It was coming from the next room over. In an instant, she ran as fast as she could towards the living room and saw a sight that she hoped she wouldn’t see.
Sunny was sitting on the couch, Alicorn Mirror in her hooves, listening to Opaline retell her backstory to her.
Misty froze up in fear, not knowing what to do. She should’ve known that Sunny would not listen to any of them, but the sight of her abusive mother staring coldly at the orange earth pony sent shivers down her spine. Her heart began to beat faster and faster as she thought desperately on what to do.
She couldn’t just take the Mirror…could she? That was the only viable option left, and she knew that Sunny was going to hate her for this. Nonetheless, it was the right thing to do and if Sunny wasn’t going to save herself from Opaline’s schemes, then she would.
Without a second thought, she ran up to where Sunny was sitting and snatched the Alicorn Mirror from her. Sunny looked up, startled, upon feeling the Mirror no longer being in her hooves and her eyes narrowed in anger upon seeing the culprit.
“Misty!!” Sunny yelled. “Give me the Mirror back!! Opaline and I were talking!”
“Hitch told you no!!” Misty shot back. “You can’t be doing this, Sunny!! I’m not going to let you harm yourself so you can prove you’re something you’re not!!”
“Ah, Misty…”
At that moment, Misty’s entire being filled with dread. Her pulse quickened and her heart began palpating. She didn’t close the Mirror in time.
Opaline had noticed her.
She stared at the face of her former abuser, trembling all over from fear. “O-O-Opaline…w-w-w-what a-are y-you doing to Sunny?”
Opaline cackled. “My my my, seems like you’re just as skittish and pathetic as you were when you left me, Misty. I guess your friends aren’t doing you any favors. You do know that life isn’t the same without you, don’t you?”
“Enough!” Misty shouted. “Stop torturing Sunny with your lies!! She’s been through enough!”
“Lies?” Opaline asked in mock indignation. “They are the truth, Misty. I’m simply opening up to her as a friend. Everything I’ve done, she’s already done to herself. Just like you can’t seem to shake the life you left behind.”
“A friend?!” demanded Misty, “You’re manipulating and torturing her!! You don’t want her as a friend, you want her as your slave!! Just like you did to me!! Well, I’m not letting you do that, I-“
“Misty,” Sunny stood up from the sofa, walking towards her. “I want my Mirror back. Now.”
Misty slammed the Mirror shut before Opaline could speak again and held it close to her chest. “I’m not giving it back to you, Sunny! I’m throwing this off a cliff where it belongs!”
“Give me the Mirror, Misty,” Sunny replied calmly. “Don’t piss me off. I just need to hear the full truth from her. I don’t want to have to take it from you.”
“She’s deceiving you!” Misty tried to say. “You think anything she’s saying is the truth?!! You can’t let-“
“I can’t let what?!” Sunny asked, shaking her head in disappointment. “You don’t get it, do you, Misty? Opaline’s actually been very open with me. Meanwhile, all you and the others do is treat me like a filly. All because of something that I couldn’t control. Suddenly, after that day in the town square, I can’t be trusted and why?! Because I suddenly have no common sense?!!”
“It’s not like that, Sunny!” Misty protested. “You’ve been depressed for weeks and we’re trying to protect you!! Now look at you!! You’re acting irrationally! Think about what she’s doing to you!!”
“Irrationally?!!” Sunny demanded angrily, backing Misty up against the wall. “I think I get it now, Misty! You all want me to be that happy, go-lucky pony who puts up with everything!! You all want me to be docile and submissive, do you?! You don’t want me to stand up for myself and instead let myself be dragged around and shut down like before I met you guys whenever I even think of doing anything for myself!!!”
“Sunny, please-“
“I finally have somepony who cares about me!!” Sunny continued her tirade. “Somepony who won’t shut me down!! I’m not weak!!!! I’m not just a stupid, boring earth pony who has no control over anything!! I have the powers of an ALICORN!!! Opaline said she’ll give me whatever I want!!!! I DON’T HAVE TO FEAR-“
“THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID TO ME TOO!!!!” Misty screamed through tears as they streamed down her face. Her whole body was shaking from the sheer fear of being cornered and she felt like she was about to die.
Sunny froze in an instant. “What…?”
“Opaline promised me a cutie mark!!” Misty snapped. “She promised that she would love me, take care of me!! I was too young to know any better and she took advantage of me!! I didn’t ask to be forced to steal Sparky!!! I didn’t ask to spy on you guys and lie straight through my teeth!!! I DID THIS ALL FOR HER!!!!”
Sunny backed away a couple steps, a haunted look on her face as what Misty was saying finally registered. “No…”
“Yes!!” Misty pressed on. “This is what she’s doing!! She’s praying on your vulnerability again!! Sunny, if you join her side, she’s not going to love you!! She’s going to ENSLAVE you!! Those bleak walls and a single dog bed in a tiny room are going to be it for you, do you understand me?!!”
Sunny looked crushed beyond repair. She sat on the floor, putting her face in her hooves. “No…no…you’re lying…please…”
Misty shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I was, but it’s true. I know you’ve been searching for someone to love you like your Dad did…I get it. But Opaline isn’t that. When I was under her, I didn’t get love. I got nothing but orders. I was constantly yelled at, made to feel like I was worthless, and I was always on my grind, trying to please a pony who never loved me in the first place…” She walked up towards her. “I endured that for years, and I don’t want that for you.”
Sunny looked up at her, sniffling as she wiped her tears away. “But I thought she…” She sighed deeply. “Look at me…being manipulated again for the second time. Hitch was right…I can’t be trusted with anything.”
“No he’s not,” Misty told her firmly. “Look at you. You’ve accomplished so much, given us so much. Hitch is just afraid, Sunny. He’s already lost Sparky and he doesn’t want to lose you. When he saw you out there being beaten up, he told me that it was like a part of him died. I don’t agree with his belief that you can’t be trusted with making your own decisions as that’s just stupid, but please try to understand him. We’re all on edge here because we don’t know when Opaline is coming…”
“Well she won’t be,” Sunny said. “She’s trapped inside that castle via the cloaking enchantment. It’s powered by the Crystals. The only way she can be freed is if the Crystals are destroyed.”
Misty nodded. “Then I’ll tell the others. I knew that spell around the Brighthouse meant something. Just try to get some rest.”
Once Sunny had gone to her room, Misty returned to the top of the Brighthouse where the others were still hopelessly locked in an all-out feud with one another. She knew what she had to do, even if it would get the others angry at her in the process.
“Everypony, STOP!!!” Misty commanded at the top of her lungs.
The fighting instantly ceased and all eyes were now on her.
“Misty, where did you go?!” Hitch demanded. “I’ve been waiting for you to back me up in this discussion for like 10 minutes!!”
Misty took a deep breath and faced her friends. “Sorry…I left because I didn’t want to get you guys angrier at me than you already are.”
“What are you talking about, Misty?” Zipp asked.
“Look,” Misty stepped forward carefully. “This is going to sound crazy to ask now, but…do you all forgive me?”
Izzy was the first to speak up. “Of course I do! We had a whole conversation about it-“
“Not you, Izzy. The rest of you,” Misty indicated the remaining four of them. “I never asked you guys before because we’ve all just been so angry and on-edge that…” She sighed. “…That we’re neglecting how our friends are feeling and how to deal with it. I’ve never been the best at communicating with others. Zipp, you’ve seen how I can get really awkward sometimes.”
Zipp nodded.
“So I’ve tried to put it off for as long as I could,” Misty continued. “I ignored my own fears and insecurities for so long because I was so worried about Opaline coming for us…In that time, I realized that I never bothered to ask the rest of you how you feel about…me. Izzy, I know you forgive me, but how about the rest of you?” She pointed at Hitch. “Hitch, I stole Sparky from you, kidnapped him, and now he might be dead. Zipp, I kept dodging your questions and lying straight through my teeth to the point where Pipp had to come in and defend me. Pipp, you stuck up for me over the whole lantern thing and I betrayed your trust by doing this. I just want to know how you all feel. Be honest, I can take it…”
Hitch faced her. “Misty, I-“ He took a moment to calm his nerves before continuing on. “Look, I’m going to be honest. What you did is a punishable defense. Not only did you kidnap Sparky, but you lied to a detective, tampered with evidence, were complicit in an evil mastermind’s attempt at world domination, disturbed the peace in Maretime Bay, the list goes on. But you know why I haven’t arrested you or charged you for those crimes, Misty?”
“Because you need me to help you all stop Opaline…?” Misty asked timidly.
“No,” Hitch replied. “It’s because you’re showing a genuine desire to change and prove yourself. Sprout never apologized for all the mess he caused, but you did. You’ve already made a huge effort to make amends with those you hurt and you even volunteered yourself to help us, even if it risks your own life in the process. I may be stressed to death right now about Sparky, but I can’t penalize somepony who’s gone out of their way on their own accord to become a better pony. That’s all I can ask of you.”
“I’m going to be honest,” chimed in Zipp, “You’ve were more than a boatload of suspicious when we first met. But I should not have pried as much as I did simply because I didn’t understand you. It was immediately obvious that you didn’t grow up in Bridlewood and it’s reasonable suspicion to assume that you put the lantern outside in the dirt for Pipp to find, but honestly, that was none of my business. I don’t care what you did in the past anymore. You’re one of us now, Misty, for all the reasons Hitch described and more. You make Izzy extremely happy, obviously, but you also make us very happy. You’re more than just a tactical advantage to us, Misty. You’re our friend.”
“Totally!” Pipp told her. “Don’t beat yourself up for something you couldn’t control, Misty, as that is totally not healthy. You’ve already proven yourself to be a trustworthy, reliable, and caring friend. You’ve stayed by Sunny’s side for weeks just to be there for her, and you never left. That’s something none of us are even capable of doing at the moment, even though we know her better than you do. You’re forgiven, Misty. Both in our eyes…and Maretime Bay’s.”
Misty was touched by this. Right at that moment, she could feel her insecurities and fears wash away in a grand tidal wave of relief and joy. Her friends didn’t hate her. They thought of her as a loyal ally and friend. They loved her. They cared about her.
They were her true family.
Tears of happiness came to her eyes and she broke down sobbing at that moment. Without a second thought, the others came over and wrapped her in a warm and loving embrace. They hugged for what seemed like a total of 5 minutes before Misty wiped her tears and they let go.
That was when Zipp finally noticed the Alicorn Mirror around Misty’s neck. “That necklace! What are you…doing with that?”
“I caught Sunny with it again.” Misty replied. “She was talking to Opaline and I took the necklace from her.”
“She’s still doing that?!” Hitch demanded angrily. “I TOLD her not to!! Why won’t she listen to me?!”
“Because you’re not listening to her.”
Hitch was taken aback. “Wait, what?”
Misty’s gaze was firm. “You know what I mean. The reason why she was so drawn to Opaline was because she offered her something we’re not.”
“Which is?”
“Trust.” Misty explained. “Hitch, you can’t control everything she does like this. I understand that you’re looking out for her, but she’s a fully grown mare. Like we all are. She can make her own decisions and not get hurt from them.”
“But she’s gotten herself into trouble so many times!!” Hitch protested. “Even before the Filly Four orchestrated that mob attack, I’ve always had to save Sunny from all of her stunts gone wrong. She’s done nothing but demonstrate a lack of common sense in every stretch of the imagination and I don’t want to lose her like…” He paused. “…Like I lost Sparky…”
Misty nodded slowly. “Listen to me, Hitch. You didn’t lose Sparky. I took him. To this day, I wish I never did. But there’s a massive difference between a baby dragon and a fully grown pony with a mind of her own. And if that’s the way you think, then I have to ask. Who brought you all together and united the pony tribes singlehandedly?”
Hitch sighed. “Sunny did. You’re right. If it wasn’t for her sometimes reckless decision making, none of us would even be here together right now.”
“Exactly,” Misty confirmed. “I think Sunny learned an important lesson from that traumatic experience. If you don’t give her the chance to prove she’s grown…how will you ever know?”
“We definitely wouldn’t ever know, now would we?” Zipp said, smiling. “Sunny is a lot of things. Kind, smart, thoughtful, compassionate, determined. But foolish ain’t one of them. She knew exactly what she was doing back when she brought us all together and she taught us all to be better ponies. Misty’s right, Hitch. We need to trust our friend to make her own decisions.”
Hitch faced her. “You’re right. I can’t treat her like I did Sparky. If we’re going to defeat Opaline, we’re going to have to trust each other.”
“Oh, that’s the thing!” Misty took off the necklace and held it in her hooves, grinning. “We won’t have to. As long as the Crystals are here and intact, Opaline is physically incapable of leaving her castle. Sunny’s seen reason and this baby’s gonna be chucked off a cliff. So we’re safe on that end!”
“Ooh! I wanna come!!” Izzy quipped. “I’ll be the one to throw it!!”
“Nah nah nah,” Zipp replied, shaking her head. “I think we should all agree that I’ll be the one to throw it. This thing’s caused me enough trouble already.”
“How about we all throw it?” Misty suggested. “Together.”
That seemed to get everyone onboard and they all had a good laugh over who would get to throw the necklace first.
Meanwhile, Opaline watched the exchange happen from her castle. She cursed at the fact that her plan had failed once again. She had just lost Sunny as a potential valuable ally. She had been so close in breaking the poor earth pony’s spirits, but she has come just short of her intended success.
Or did she?
Opaline was no fool. She knew deep down that breaking Sunny was still possible, but she couldn’t do it the traditional way anymore. Misty had told Sunny the truth and now the latter was going to be so much more careful on what she believed.
However, there was still one last option. She knew that if she was able to damage Sunny in this way, then her greatest rival would finally be hers to control. It was an idea. An awful idea. In that moment, Opaline got a wonderful, awful idea.
As she stared at the reflection pool, it began to swirl ever so slowly. The substance kept kept swirling around in a constant circlular loop until an image of Canterlot came into view.
Chapter 7: A Princess Walks Alone/Twilight vs Opaline Part 1
The sky above Equestria was an ominous black the night of the fateful confrontation. Storm clouds were blocking out the light of the Moon as thunder boomed across the sky and lightning struck the trees. Strong and powerful winds howled throughout the realm with enough strength to knock any unassuming bystander off their hooves.
Strong waves from the ocean crashed against nearby beaches, creating small tsunamis that ended up flooding local areas. Heavy rain fell onto the ground from the clouds and boulders fell off the hills in terrible landslides. Avalanches of snow fell from the top of the mountains buried any form of civilization within more than several miles.
It was as if nature itself was unleashing its fury that night.
The city of Canterlot was in a state of total paranoia. In the midst of the biblical storm, the ponies stayed shut inside their houses in fear of Opaline’s wrath. Not a single individual was in a peaceful state of mind. It was after this night that their fates would be decided and everyone knew this.
The news began airing a 24-hour broadcast of the impending confrontation, which didn’t help soothe public anxiety in the slightest. Some reports indicated that Opaline was going to win and take over while others suggested that Twilight was going to win against her former pupil and remain on the throne.
Public perception was indeed divided on the matter. Some wanted Twilight to stay in power while others supported Opaline and believed that she was in the right. No one could come to an agreement and families were beginning to be split up because of it. The unrest in Equestria had become so dire that only a confrontation like this would be able to decide its ultimate fate.
Through the howling wind and heavy rain, Opaline flew towards Canterlot with a grim expression on her face. This was the moment she had been waiting for. She had been training for the battle all throughout the week and wanted to take what she believed was hers. She vowed that if she were to somehow fail, then she was going to bring down the entire land with her.
Her wings flapped against the current, pushing her forward with each beat as the capital city began to come into view. The rain flew right past her eyes and the wind blew through her long mane.
This was it.
She touched down near the castle entrance and began menacingly walking towards it, a smile of pure malice growing wider and wider with each passing step. Her horn lit up a purple hue and she prepared to destroy the palace entrance and kill her former mentor in the process.
Right as she was about to strike, however, the doors to the castle suddenly burst open and out walked Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. She was clad with silver battle armor that protected her entire body. She wore a knight’s helmet on her head and her mane had been neatly combed back. Her face was one of calm and collected anger as she walked towards the pony she had formerly called her own.
Her horseshoes made clip clop noises on the ground as she got closer. There was no fear present in the older alicorn’s facial features nor body, only determined resolution.
Lightning struck the ground beside where the two of them were destined to battle it out. They slowly walked towards each other until they each stopped in front of the other. Opaline’s expression was one of pure hatred while Twilight’s was calm and collected, yet masking a mother’s pain.
“I have come home, master.” Opaline declared darkly.
“This is no longer your home,” Twilight told her firmly. “And I am no longer your master.”
“Ah yes,” Opaline sneered. “You chose your precious idol over me and wouldn’t let me explain myself when I needed to. Tell me. Where are those…Pillars of yours? Perhaps I might’ve put them out of commission on the way here?”
“This battle is between you and me.”
Opaline frowned in disappointment. “So…that is how it’s going to be.”
Twilight nodded, getting into a defensive stance. “That is how it must be. I will cleanse Equestria of your wrath, even if I must die in the process.”
Opaline growled. Without any hesitation, she launched herself at full speed towards Twilight, who countered by kicking her away with all the strength she had. Opaline retaliated by shooting a blast of magic at Twilight, and she countered it with her own.
The battle was now in full force. When Twilight was momentarily distracted, Opaline launched herself at her again and pounced, sending the Princess of Friendship barreling into one of the castle walls. The wall crumbled upon impact and fell on top of Twilight, who barely had any time to put up a magic shield before the rubble completely buried her.
Opaline stopped, momentarily thinking that she had won. Just when she let her guard down, an enraged Twilight launched herself from the rubble and knocked her off her hooves. She was sent flying across the area and into one of the houses. Twilight then flew straight towards her and picked her up by the neck, pummeling her in mid-air through walls and furniture as the house’s occupants ran out in fear.
They emerged from the house, which crumbled to the ground in a massive explosion. Twilight’s horn lit up a pink aura and she blasted a beam of magic at Opaline, who dodged it using her own magic shield. The beam bounced off of the surface and then back at Twilight, who was sent flying 20 feet across the city, landing in a large bush.
Twilight recovered, spitting out some leaves and branches in the process. Before she had time to process her situation, Opaline was diving straight towards her. She flew up, sending her former apprentice crashing through another building, which collapsed in another explosion.
Opaline emerged from the rubble, cuts and bruises all across her face. She threw herself at Twilight, who returned the gesture by launching herself at her. The two duked it out across the city, punching each other with tremendous strength into many houses and town centers.
Ponies were running out screaming as the houses caught fire and erupted in a blaze. They all watched together with horror as the two titans battled it out for supremacy. It was a brutal battle and neither side was giving up their strategical advantages.
With a loud thud, the ruler of Equestria landed near the Canterlot Library, only to see a massive blast from Opaline heading straight to where she was. She initially was able to block the impact using her magic shield, but the pressure eventually became so intense that she gave in and was hit by the blast. She was sent falling headfirst into the main lobby in a smoldering heap of smoke. She landed on her back and she immediately stood up again as Opaline appeared in a flash, conjuring several magic arrows with her horn.
Twilight cursed. This was the result of the archery lessons she had taught her and she was paying the price for it. Using her own magic, she conjured two magic lances that she used to block and parry the barrage of arrows thrown at her. She was able to deflect them back at her former apprentice, who blasted them all to nothing before they could hit her.
Twilight then faced the bookshelves and began levitating as many books and novels into the air using her magic. She threw them in quick succession at the stunned Opaline, who could barely manage to dodge each impact.
Enraged, Opaline conjured a massive beam of magic that she threw at her. Anticipating this, Twilight conjured her own and the two beams collided in a massive shockwave that sent furniture flying in a flaming heap. The two were now locked in a powerful magic duel. Sweat appeared on Opaline’s forehead as she screamed with rage, trying to keep the magic blast active and consistently firing. Twilight’s eyes narrowed with fury and with a loud yell of her own, overpowered the younger alicorn and sent her falling into a bookshelf.
With no time to waste, Twilight began blasting at Opaline, who countered with her own blasts, and the cycle repeated. The two alicorns threw magic at each other as they battled it out through the library and back to the outside, where a crowd of ponies were now watching them.
As they fought in the stormy skies, Opaline snarled. “Give it up, Twilight!! You can’t win against me!!!”
“I trained you, Opaline!!” Twilight shot back. “Everything you know now is something I taught you in our sessions!!”
“THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT YOU COULD’VE AVOIDED THIS!!!” Opaline roared. “I ONLY WANTED TO HELP YOU FIND AN ANSWER SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME!!! I WAS DOING WHAT EVERY GOOD DAUGHTER DOES FOR THEIR MOTHER!!!!!!” With that, she blasted Twilight through the roof of the School For Gifted Unicorns with a blinding beam of purple light.
She crashed through multiple levels and floors, each impact hurting more than the last until she landed at the bottom level. She coughed out blood, forcing herself to stand up once more despite bleeding all over the exposed areas of her body. Opaline crashed through the roof as well and the two resumed blasting each other.
“You hurt those guards who did nothing to you!!” Twilight yelled. “They were only upholding the duty I assigned them and you nearly killed them!!!”
“WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR OWN STUDENT AWAY FROM FURTHER KNOWLEDGE?!!” Opaline demanded. “I COULD’VE HELPED YOU!!! WE COULD’VE SOLVED THIS TOGETHER!!!”
“NO WE WOULDN’T’VE!!!!!!!!” Twilight bellowed, throwing herself at Opaline again. They both exchanged punches, kicks, and throws as they fought through one of the main hallways of the School.
They crashed through an abandoned classroom and Twilight began throwing all the desks and chairs at Opaline, who deflected them all with a magic javelin and sent them hurtling back at the former. Twilight blasted them to nothing before both of them crashed through a window, sending glass flying everywhere in every direction.
Lightning crashed upon the ground as the two alicorns were once again in the air trading blows with each other. Thunder boomed as Opaline attempted to grab Twilight by the neck and strangle her. Fortunately, the older alicorn was able to anticipate this and dodge, retaliating with her own kick to the face. As lightning struck near them, they returned to near ground, where they flew straight through Twilight’s house and out the other side while still locked in bloody physical combat.
Twilight then used her magic to summon a tsunami of water and send it crashing down on Opaline, who was swept away straight through a restaurant. The water flooded the entire area, causing tables and eating utensils to float. Twilight then dove straight at Opaline and the two dueled it out across the water using knives and forks.
At about halfway into the fight, she managed to slice Opaline’s cheek with her knife. The evil alicorn cried out in pain and Twilight used the opportunity to deliver a second barrage of hits as the water level rapidly rose higher and higher.
Meanwhile outside, Spike and Luster Dawn had escaped the falling Canterlot Castle and were now helping the frightened ponies escape to the train station. They ran in droves, tripping over each other in a mad rush for survival.
The city was on fire on every corner. The destruction caused in the wake of the two alicorns battling had set several houses and work offices ablaze. There was no hope left to salvage the city. The only thing the other ponies could do was watch their beloved home slowly crumble to dust as they fled for their own protection.
The mares and their foals were led by Luster while the stallions were led by Spike in two separate groups. As the two of them stopped and watched their fellow ponies stampede for their lives for the train station, they saw Opaline and Twilight emerge in full flight from a collapsing restaurant, leaving it to collide with another and cause a massive explosion behind them.
Falling debris and rubble flew in every direction as Twilight used her magic to grab some of them and throw them at Opaline in mid-air. She barely managed to dodge the debris thrown at her and one of them hit her squarely in the jaw, causing her to lose her concentration and fall into a nearby structure.
Twilight immediately dove in after her, horn blazing with a powerful beam of magic. The top of the building exploded from the impact of the both of them and they emerged on the other side. Opaline was being held down in the air by Twilight, who was throwing punch after punch, blast after blast. Opaline tried to fly away, but Twilight was faster. She caught up to her escaping apprentice quicker than a millisecond and punched her across the city.
Both Luster and Spike watched all this go down in complete and utter horror. Luster in particular didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t intervene as she no longer had wings to fly, and she didn’t have the courage to jump in and help from the ground.
All she could do was watch as her former mentor turned into a ruthless killing machine bent on revenge.
She turned towards Spike. “We have to help her!”
“We can’t!” Spike responded, shaking his head. “It’s far too risky to attempt such a thing. We’ll be blown to smithereens in an instant!!”
“But she won’t last forever!” Luster protested.
“I know,” replied Spike solemnly. “But we must be strong, Luster. This is a fight that she may not survive…”
“You can’t be serious!!!” Luster shrieked. “She’s your adoptive mother!!! She raised you and you’re about to leave her to die?!!”
“Listen to me!!” Spike argued. “Somepony has to pick up the pieces when she inevitably falls to her death from exhaustion!! If we all go in there and help her, then we will both die and no one will be able to take over ruling Equestria!! This is a fight between her and Opaline only!! There’s nothing we can do!!”
“But-“
CRASH!!
The sound of another building exploding caused Luster to look to her left as her eyes bore witness to Twilight’s old library collapsing in on itself, slowly becoming nothing but a pile of rubble. Right at that moment, Twilight flew out of it faster than a speeding bullet, dragging the now bloody Opaline into the sky. The two of them continued their fighting in the clouds, taking turns giving the other blow after blow, kick after kick, and punch after punch.
Opaline was panting from exhaustion, but she still remained strong. Spotting an opening, she opened her mouth and bit into one of Twilight’s exposed hooves. She screamed and the two fell out of the sky, crashing onto the ground where they continued to fight.
Twilight was beating Opaline senseless while the latter kept trying to land a chokehold on her former master. They skidded across the ground and spiraled into many structures, causing multiple explosions around them in the nearby vicinity.
Eventually, the sheer amount of exhaustion got to Twilight and she paused to catch her breath, allowing Opaline to kick her into the wall of another restaurant, smashing it.
Twilight punched the rubble off of her, taking a moment to catch her breath. Her armor had been badly singed and was close to falling off. She took off her helmet and wiped the blood off her face. She didn’t know if she could continue this much longer.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to rest as right at that exact moment, she saw Opaline swoop down and snatch Luster Dawn, carrying her high into the sky. Luster screamed and fought, but she was too afraid to break free and jump down at that height.
Instantly, Twilight was back in action. She stood up and rocketed after the two of them as fast as she could. She followed close behind them and watched as Opaline carried Luster towards a small restaurant in the back of an alleyway.
It was the Tasty Treat.
Opaline crashed through the ceiling and threw Luster onto the floor. She groaned and tried to sit up, only to feel Opaline’s hoof violently press down on her. She kicked and struggled, but she was no match for the strength of the alicorn.
She looked up at her captor with wide, pleading eyes that silently begged Opaline not to hurt her. Opaline didn’t listen as her horn began to light up a harsh purple aura.
“YOU WANT A PIECE OF THIS?!!!” Opaline threatened her, raising her hoof into the air. “HUH?!!”
“No! No!!!” Luster begged fearfully. She covered herself with her hooves, bracing for what was about to happen to her.
Just then, there was a loud boom and Twilight smashed through the roof of the Tasty Treat with an expression of pure rage, tears streaming down her face and horn blazing bright pink as she prepared to bring down the restaurant on top of her former student.
“STOP!!!!” Opaline shrieked, realizing what was about to happen. “IF YOU DESTROY THIS RESTAURANT, YOU KILL YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!”
Twilight was having none of it. Her eyes filled with further hatred as her heart went ice cold. She didn’t care if she died as a result of this. The nerve that Opaline had to still harken back to the good times they had together after everything she had done did nothing but sour her mood further. It wasn’t going to do any good.
Nopony hurt Luster Dawn and got away with it.
“SHE’S ALREADY DEAD!!!!” With a loud scream, Twilight blasted several holes in the ceiling of the cafe, sending pieces of the roof crashing down onto the floor. Opaline was knocked off her hooves as she tried desperately to dodge the rubble falling on her.
Twilight then grabbed Luster in her hooves and flew out of the collapsing restaurant as it suddenly exploded into a million pieces of debris, causing them both to spiral out of the sky and crash onto the ground below them.
Right as they thought they were safe, however, Opaline emerged from the smoking wreck that was once the Tasty Treat, violently pushing the fallen planks of wood off her charred body. With an animalistic growl, she got into a defensive stance and made a beeline towards a bewildered Spike.
Instantly, Twilight jumped in the way and tackled her to the ground. The two fought in an all-out physical brawl as Spike ran for his life, taking Luster with him. Once she was sure that her friends were safe, Twilight conjured a massive blast of magic and smashed it onto the ground, which cracked underneath the impact.
Opaline did the same and they began throwing chunks of ground at each other for several minutes. Each time that she would throw one, Twilight would blast it to dust and then throw another. The cycle repeated until Opaline flew up into the air once more and began charging up another Magic blast.
Twilight looked up and her eyes widened in terror. She knew what Opaline was about to do. She could see it in her eyes and it filled her heart with absolute dread.
Opaline was about to nuke Canterlot.
The blast continued to build up in intensity, getting bigger and bigger until it was the size of a massive supernova.
“NO!!” Twilight screamed.
Opaline smiled maliciously. “DIE!!!!!!!”
She then unleashed the blast upon the city. It spread for miles, toppling houses and buildings, and burying everything in its path for but a moment in a blinding white light.
Chapter 8: Twilight vs Opaline Part 2/Creating The Crystals
Spike opened his eyes with a loud gasp, feeling his breath come back into a comfortable rhythm. He fully expected to be dead and obliterated, but he wasn’t. By some miracle that he could not explain, he was still alive and well.
The flaming remains of Canterlot city were still intact and so was everypony else at the train station. The explosion had completely missed their location. Each pony opened their eyes and was relieved to still be standing. The blast had not gotten to any of them. They had survived!
But how?
Spike looked to his right and could not see Luster Dawn. He looked left to right, but the pink unicorn was no longer in sight. For a moment, he feared the worst and he began thinking that she had been killed by the blast.
He panicked. “Luster!! LUSTER DAWN!! LUSTER DAWN, WHERE ARE YOU?!!”
That was when he heard a scream come from beside him. He looked under a large piece of fallen rubble and found his answer. Luster was trapped beneath a fallen house and she could not escape. Her entire body was covered in burns and bruises, but she was miraculously still alive.
“I’m here!!” Luster shouted. “Spike, I’m here!!”
“Luster!” Spike knelt down to her level. “Luster, hold on!! Hold on!!
“I’m stuck!!” Luster said in a panicked voice. “I can’t get free! I’m stuck!!”
“It’s okay,” Spike told her. “We’re going to get you out of there, I promise. Just sit tight.” He began to stand up, but Luster reached out for him.
“I’m not leaving you,” Spike promised her. He looked up at the other ponies. “Everypony, get your flanks over here and help me!!”
The ponies all came over and began trying to help Spike pull the collapsed building off of Luster. Yet even with their combined strengths, it was far too heavy to lift. As Spike and the ponies strained to lift the rubble, sweat appearing on all their foreheads as they did so, there was the sound of an explosion and another blast that sent a trail of falling debris their way.
Luster whimpered. “Spike…I’m scared…”
“COME ON, PUSH!!! PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT, PUSH!!!!”
“It’s far too heavy!!” A mare cried. “We can’t lift this!!”
“Well keep trying!!!!” Spike yelled. “We’re not leaving her, do you hear me?!! PUSH, ALL OF YOU!!! COME ON!!!”
As the destruction continued to rage across Canterlot from the blast, Spike saw out of the corner of his eye another source of magic countering it and he suddenly realized why he and the others had not been obliterated from Opaline’s nuclear blast.
Twilight was in the center of it all, pushing the blast back with her own magic. Her armor had melted off of her, yet she was still standing strong. She had no weapons, no means to defend herself now. However, that didn’t matter to her.
The safety of her fellow ponies came first.
As the two beams collided in the air and fought for control, they sent shockwaves throughout the area and it was reported that you could see the blast for miles. The sheer power they displayed was enough to send several loose planks of wood, metal, and brick flying in every single direction.
The ponies screamed, trying to dodge all of the debris flying their way as they continued to try and push the rubble off. In the midst of all of the other screams, Spike could hear Luster’s coming from underneath.
That was when he turned around, took her hoof in his claw, and grasped it.
He knew that they were most likely about to die in that moment. The blasts were too strong and it was only a matter of time before they were consumed by them. But he wasn’t going to leave her to perish alone. If there was anything Twilight had taught him, it was that friendship wasn’t always easy, but there was no doubt that it was worth fighting for.
Luster was his friend to the bitter end, no matter what that end entailed. And he was going to die by her side.
Twilight gritted her teeth, fighting back the urge to stop and breathe as she kept her blast going. Her cutie mark was glowing and her mane was flowing back in an ethereal manner. Her eyes were a bright, pupiless white as she unleashed the full extent of her power. It was at that moment that she finally understood what it meant to be the ruler of Equestria. After all these years, she finally realized what Celestia had been training her for throughout her entire life.
This was the moment she finally understood what being a Princess meant. It wasn’t just about being a ruler or a friend. It was also about being the protector the ponies needed, even in the face of great adversity. Her friends may have died, but they had given her an invaluable and incredibly special gift.
They had provided her the means to finally come into her own as a leader. She didn’t need to rely on their guidance to be the ruler everypony deserved. All she had to do was trust in herself and her capabilities.
Now…she was doing just that.
The destruction raged all across the city and as Spike held Luster’s hoof tight, Twilight flew up and with a loud scream, punched Opaline across the sky and back down towards the ground, ending the lethal blast faster than it had started.
Luster was the first to notice that the destruction had suddenly stopped. She looked around, confused, wondering what had just happened. Spike looked confused too, yet a smile of relief began to form as the reality became clear.
They had survived.
Twilight took several deep breaths before she turned her head to look at Spike, who had just gotten Luster out of the fallen debris. The three of them looked eyes with each other for but a brief moment of quiet acknowledgment before the fight began again.
With not a second to waste, Twilight then flew towards the other side of Canterlot and landed in the ruins of the statue garden. The statues had all fallen over and were shattered beyond repair, with a disheveled looking Opaline in the center of it all, struggling to get up.
“You will never rule Equestria,” Twilight spoke, walking towards her and stopping once she was right in front of her former apprentice. “You’ve caused so much destruction all across Canterlot because of something you don’t understand. Despite this, however, I don’t want to kill you, Opaline. The part of me that still loves you won’t allow it. But I don’t have to save you either.”
Opaline glared daggers at her. She punched the ground and stood up. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, Twilight? Manipulating an innocent pony to do whatever you want and then tossing them aside when you don’t need them anymore? That’s the lesson I learned from you. That’s all you alicorns do.”
Twilight said nothing, only standing in silence.
“Well I see how it is,” Opaline smiled as blood dripped down from her lips. “You want to take everything from me. Very well, I’ll oblige. But what will you do after?! Parade yourself as the hero who took down the biggest threat Equestria has ever faced while scrubbing my existence from the history books?”
“You are not the biggest threat I have faced, Opaline. You’re merely a fraction of what my friends and I have fought combined.”
A fraction. The word filled Opaline’s head and stung every inch of her being. It got her angry and seething with rage. She was still being called inferior despite everything she had done, in spite of almost winning and destroying a city off the map. Despite splitting the pony tribes beyond repair and organizing a mass genocide of the other creatures, she was still not recognized for it.
This filled her with a hatred unlike anything she had ever felt before in her life. She wanted to be noticed. She wanted to be praised, admired, and feared. She wanted all those she encountered to bow before her and suffer through the same heartache she had felt when Twilight had cast her out not too long ago.
If Twilight wasn’t going to fear her on her own accord, then she was going to make the Princess fear her.
She growled, flying up into the air. “A fraction? Well then…so be it, Twilight.”
With her heart filled with insurmountable amounts of hate and jealousy, she lunged at Twilight once more and knocked her into the air, sending the other alicorn spiraling through the skies. She barely managed to catch herself before she saw Opaline charge at her again out of the corners of her eyes. Reacting quickly, Twilight punched her repeatedly across the city, where she landed several feet off in the distance.
Sensing her former master coming, Opaline flew in the opposite direction just out of view. Twilight cursed and followed her, flying across multiple alleyways and buildings before stopping in one to see if her opponent was there.
She looked around in confusion before an enraged Opaline charged out of an abandoned building at a speed faster than light and pounced on her. The two titans fought above the rooftops of a couple of houses before Twilight was punched towards another building. Before Opaline could react, Twilight was on her again, holding her head down as they smashed through several windows before emerging out the other side.
They continued to punch one another in mid-air until Twilight was grabbed by the neck, spun around, and sent flying into several more houses that exploded upon impact. She crashed through furniture, walls, ceilings, stairs, and several more objects before appearing on the other side in a bloody state.
Right as she was about to catch her breath, she was again punched in the face. She flew several feet in the sky and out of the atmosphere, crashing on a satellite in space. In an instant, Opaline appeared and continued to pummel her. During their battle, they crashed right into the satellite, sending it flying and burning through the atmosphere upon reentry.
Through the raging flames, Twilight continued to punch Opaline over and over with no signs of stopping. The point of negotiation had already been passed. There was only one way the fight could end and both of them knew it.
Either Twilight died or Opaline did.
Back on the ground, the crowd of ponies from earlier were watching the fight go down. In front of them was Spike and Luster. Upon hearing the sound of a supersonic boom, everycreature looked up into the sky to see a hurricane of flaming debris falling towards the ground. In the middle of it all was Twilight pummeling Opaline towards the ground.
From the angle the crowd was looking, the two of them looked like gods.
They crashed back down onto the ground and Opaline’s flew back into the air before Twilight could pummel her again. Once she was in the air, she began blasting at every last standing structure that she saw, determined to destroy the last remaining fragments of harmony left.
Twilight slowly stood up, limping to her hooves. Luster and Spike were instantly by her side as she watched all of the carnage and destruction that Opaline was causing. She knew what she had to do, but it would not be easy. There was only one way to end the Fire Alicorn’s reign of terror over the kingdom of ponies once and for all.
And she knew exactly what it was.
With a heavy heart, she turned towards both of her closest confidants and smiled weakly. “I love you guys…”
Spike shook his head vigorously. He knew what was about to happen. “No…no, Twilight, you can’t!!”
“This is my world…”
Luster’s eyes filled with panic. “No, Twilight!! Don’t!!”
“You are my world…”
“No!” Luster cried. “Please, don’t-TWILIGHT!!!!”
Unfortunately, she was too late. Without a moment of hesitation, Twilight took off flying towards the sky again, her horn lighting up for one final spell that she hoped would finally defeat her former student.
She didn’t have long. She didn’t know if she would live or die. Starswirl had told her that there was no other way, that she would have to make this choice or let Equestria die. She had spent days researching the spell. She knew the risks, she knew what she would be sacrificing. It didn’t matter to her. The safety of Equestria mattered to her more. A spark of pink magic became an aura and then a full bubble of magic encased her. The magical energy became stronger and her eyes glowed full white.
There was no time for anymore thoughts, only action.
Opaline was blasting building after building and alley after alley, reveling in the destruction that she was causing. She cackled and laughed in a maniacal manner. Her mind had lost all sense of sanity and the only thing that was left was sadistic hatred and revenge. The once sweet and innocent unicorn was now long gone, and a genocidal maniac had taken her place.
She was having so much fun that she didn’t see Twilight fly up from below her. The purple alicorn was encased in a large pink magic bubble as she faced the monster that she had created one last time. Opaline turned around at the sound of magic that wasn’t her own and gazed upon her enemy with a grin of pure insanity.
Her horn lit up a fiery purple and she let out a guttural growl as she shot a massive blast at the alicorn she once called her mother with the intention of striking her down from the sky and killing her. The blast hit the shield and shattered it to pieces.
That was when Twilight’s own horn lit up and she began to slowly drain Opaline’s magic from her, absorbing it into herself.
Opaline screamed and shrieked as her very essence was ripped from her horn and into her former mentor’s. Her entire body felt like it was burning from the inside in a pit of infernal fire. She fought and tried to pull away, but the grip was too strong and she could not break free from the hold that Twilight had on her. There was no sympathy left for her in the older alicorn’s eyes. She had crossed the line and now she was paying the price for her actions.
Tears of anger and grief streamed down Twilight’s face as she continued to absorb the magic and she watched her apprentice scream as she did so. Her heart ached. In her mind, the scream was not of a maniacal villain, but the kind and gentle pony that she raised. She felt the pain of a mother stab her entire being in every area. She was killing her own daughter. She was punishing the one pony who had given her so much hope and then taken it all away faster than it was given. But she knew it was the right thing to do.
She knew that the amount of magic that she was absorbing would most likely kill her, but she didn’t care. She could not let this destruction continue. There was no room left for negotiation nor forgiveness. Opaline had taken everything from her, and now she had to deal with the consequences for what she had done.
From below, Spike, Luster, and the crowd of ponies were watching with terror and trepidation as their Princess sacrificed herself to save them. They all feared the outcome as whoever came out of that and took down the other would be the undisputed ruler of Equestria.
The two beams then collided and with a loud scream, Twilight unleashed all the magic from her inner being, creating a supersonic blast of magic that resembled the Sonic Rainboom. The ring of energy cascaded throughout Equestria, the sound of her screams traveling with it. The sound was so loud, it awoke any pony that heard it.
The sound was heard loudest in Ponyville. Everycreature ran outside just in time to see a very large image of Twilight’s cutie mark explode into being in the sky, the very same image that had appeared when she had become an alicorn all those years ago.
When the light cleared, Opaline was gone.
All that was left in the sky was the badly burnt body of Twilight, still breathing, but barely. Her appearance had changed with the spell. No longer was she tall and ethereal, but she had revered back to her normal form from before she had ascended to the throne. Her armor had been completely vaporized in the explosion and she felt weaker than she ever felt in her whole life.
She slowly lowered herself onto the ground. Luster and Spike immediately ran up to her to see if she was okay, checking her over several times. Twilight refused to look at them. She had won, but at a grave cost. She had to banish the pony she had been the closest to. There was no coming back from that.
As everypony came over to offer their silent condolences, she only gave each of them a simple nod of acknowledgment before motioning them to disperse. Her horn glowed again and she held up three artifacts that she didn’t have previously. In the explosion, she had created three crystals, each one of them being different colors.
There was a small, triangular purple crystal, a circular white crystal, and a large blue crystal in the shape of pegasus wings.
Luster felt them and looked up at her former teacher. “What are these…?”
“My magic…” Twilight spoke weakly. “…Crystals…Please…protect…” She didn’t finish the sentence as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The strain of the battle and the spell had finally gotten to her and she was now too weak to move.
Luster and Spike knelt by her side, stroking her gently as the morning Sun slowly rose above the horizon.
It took two months to fully clean up Canterlot. The battle between Twilight and Opaline had leveled the entire city and there was a lot of work to be done before things could go back to normal. Spike assisted in the recovery efforts while Luster took over as the ruler of Equestria until Twilight was fully recovered, giving motivational speeches to the scared populace.
However, in spite of Opaline’s defeat, the impact that she had left behind was far beyond anything that could be repaired. The ponies still hated each other to a very large degree. The words that the evil alicorn had spread had given the tribes the idea that they were better off apart from each other.
Following the creation of the Crystals, each one was given to one of the races to protect. This soon grew into a desire for separation and word began to spread that all the earth ponies would be migrating north to a completely new civilization. The unicorns and the pegasi followed suit as each of them only felt safe with each other.
Before the Crystals were given, however, it was said that Twilight had recorded a secret message for the next generation of ponies that could only be activated when all three pony races were together again. Many of the other races tried to activate the hologram alone and failed miserably, as it was not yet time.
Stored within the three artifacts was the majority of Twilight’s magic. She had placed it inside while draining Opaline’s own magic and they were responsible for a rumored cloaking enchantment spell that was said to protect Equestria from Opaline, who was now banished far beyond its borders, never to find it again.
Eventually, the magic from all ponykind would fade upon the Crystals’ separation as they were said to be the ponies’ primary source of magic after Opaline had stolen so much of it.
The other creatures were now gone from Equestria. Following a disastrous trade deal that Luster tried to negotiate, the hippogriffs, changelings, dragons, yaks, kirin, and griffons all announced that they would be cutting ties to the land of ponies they had once been friendly with for the past several decades and focusing on their own civilizations. This was due to the large racism that had been spurned on by not only Twilight’s old bill, but the way the majority of ponies had treated them after Opaline’s teachings had taken hold.
After she had recovered from her injuries, Twilight made one last public appearance to commemorate the final Festival of the Two Sisters as it had been officially tainted in her eyes now and she was canceling it for good. Barely anypony showed up as nearly all of them had migrated to their new civilization sites, with only a few remaining in the old cities.
Once the Festival was over, Twilight vanished from Equestria.
Nopony knew where she had gone and baseless rumors and conspiracy theories began spreading around as to where she had potentially disappeared to. Hardly anyone cared to actually look though, and those who did strike out on their own quests never made it back home.
On June 6, 2033, the three civilizations of Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights were officially established, effectively marking the end of Equestria as it was formerly known. The name still existed, but the new cities were effectively separate nations altogether without any ties to the old monarchy.
Friendship and harmony had officially died, with paranoia and distrust taking its place. The ponies of Equestria were no longer friends.
On a bright Tuesday morning, Luster stood near the Treehouse of Harmony, staring at the large exterior with an expression of nostalgic longing. This structure that had risen from the shattered remains of the old Tree of Harmony had once held such promise for future generations.
Now all of it was gone, and it would sit abandoned until time withered it away in the eyes of history until it would eventually be forgotten.
The last ponies had moved out of Ponyville and the town was now completely abandoned. Luster was the only pony still living there and she knew that she would be the last one. Once she died due to old age or something else outside of her control, no one would ever step hoof in it again.
This Treehouse was all that remained of a fantastic golden age, one that didn’t deserve to end so abruptly. It was all that remained of a time known for progress, friendship, inclusion, and most importantly, peace. Nopony had ever ruled Equestria in the way Twilight had done, and nopony would ever rule in that way again.
She sighed and turned around to walk away, preparing to leave behind the past and live the rest of her life alone as a hermit.
That was when Spike flew down from the sky and touched down beside her. She glanced up, startled, as she didn’t expect to see him in this location. He gave her a small smile and she reciprocated in turn. It was good to have a last visit from a friend.
“You feeling okay?” Spike asked her.
Luster shook her head. “They just don’t get it, do they?”
“The other ponies?”
Luster nodded in confirmation. “Yeah. They all left because of the lies that Opaline fed them. If only they knew that Twilight sacrificed herself so they could be together. We’re the only ones who will ever know the truth.”
“I doubt that.”
Luster blinked in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Spike smiled cheekily. “Eh, you never know. Some nerd like Twilight might…find out the truth in the future through some old history books. Teach his own daughter. We might have another golden age of harmony on our hooves.”
Luster looked down at the ground. “I wouldn’t hold my breath, Spike. Some ponies just can’t see reason. They’ll deem that pony an outcast. She’ll be shunned by everyone around her, made to feel like the scum of the earth by her peers. They won’t believe her because she can’t prove what she hasn’t seen.”
“You just gotta have a little bit of faith, Luster,” Spike told her. “‘No use being pessimistic in an already grim future. Ponies can stand together if given the right incentive. They’ll just have to learn about friendship all over again.”
Luster glanced back at him solemnly. “A couple of years ago, Twilight sent me to Ponyville to learn about friendship, to learn how to open up to those closest to you. Now all of my friends are gone…they’ve returned back to their own kingdoms. Opaline’s made a world where friendship and love are impossible.”
Spike stared at the crystalline pink leaves of the Treehouse and as he did so, a hopeful smile slowly formed on his face. “Friendship will survive…”
“We fight. We kill. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will…we have to…”
Throughout each civilization, each of the pony tribes elected a leader to represent them. The earth ponies of Maretime Bay elected a sheriff, the pegasi of Zephyr Heights held the coronation of their first Queen, and the unicorns of Bridlewood chose a town leader.
Each leader stored their Crystal away in a secret location that was not meant to be revealed to anyone except for a time of crisis. Each nation did this through a very important ritual that was attended by the first citizens. The earth pony crystal was stored in a tall lighthouse overlooking the bay, while the pegasus crystal was made to be a part of the Queen’s crown. The unicorn crystal was put in a pawn’s ship. Only one pony could be the rightful owner of it at a time and they would never know of its true value.
The ritual signified the abandonment of the old Equestrian traditions and the beginning of new ones all their own. It was a promise to a bright and prosperous future.
And a promise of peace.
Epilogue: Sunny’s Betrayal/All It Takes Is One Bad Day
“I DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU!!! PLEASE, I DID THIS FOR YOU, FOR US!!!!! I GAVE YOU THIS, I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING!!! I LOVE YOU-“
“SHUT UP!!! My daughter is dead…”
“I ONLY WANTED TO HELP YOU FIND AN ANSWER SO THAT YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME!!!”
“STOP!! IF YOU DESTROY THIS RESTAURANT, YOU KILL YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!!!!!!!!!!!”
“SHE’S ALREADY DEAD!!!!”
Sunny awoke in a pitch black void. The only things she could see were smoke and mist swirling around her. Her bedroom was gone, her friends were gone. There was no one and absolutely nothing in sight for miles.
She looked around frantically. Where was she? Her comfy bed had been replaced by cold, hard ground that she couldn’t even see. She resisted the urge to scream. Wherever she was, she had to find a way out herself. No one was going to help her.
As she registered her surroundings, she began to hear very faintly the sound of trickling water out in the distance. Taking a deep breath, she ran towards the sound only to find nothing. Yet, the sound continued at a constant rate.
“Where am I…?” Sunny asked fearfully. “Hello…?”
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
The sound annoyed her, made her want to scream again. The infernal sound was like nails on a chalkboard. Once more, she resisted the urge to scream. Whoever captured her was doing a really good job of trying her patience.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. “Okay, whoever is doing that sound, please stop!”
Suddenly, she heard angry yells and dark laughter coming from her right. She spun around in that direction, but saw nothing. Then, the laughter came again, this time even louder than before. It reverberated and echoed across the void in all areas.
Sunny felt herself begin to tremble. She still tried to maintain a brave facade. She would not let her captor see her in a frightened state. “Where are you?! Show yourself!!”
“Awwww…you remember the sound of my voice, don’t you, Sunny? Or have you forgotten me already?”
“Opaline…?”
Suddenly, a cloud of purple fog began to gather around her and the imposing figure of Opaline Arcana appeared in front of her. She smiled evilly as she walked towards the frightened earth pony, her hooves creating clip clop noises on the floor as she got closer.
“That’s Queen Opaline for you, dear,” Opaline corrected her vainly, “My humblest apologies for invading your dreams, but this was the only way I could contact you after that little BRAT Misty threw our necklace down a cliff.”
Sunny started to back away from her. “Please…I-I’m not supposed to talk to you anymore. You lied to me.”
Opaline feigned indignation. “Lied to you? Why, I’ve been nothing but upfront with you, Sunny. Seems to me that you’re not sure who is telling the truth and who’s lying.”
“You promised Misty a cutie mark and didn’t give her one.” Sunny pointed out angrily. “Misty told me that you’ve been lying to her for her whole life and now you’re trying to do that with me!!”
“She told you that?” Opaline scoffed. “That statement couldn’t be further from the truth if it tried. Who do you think found her in front of my castle and raised her for most of her life? I know her better than she knows herself. She’s a very erratic girl. You really want to believe Misty after what she’s done to all of you?”
“You made her do all these things!!” shouted Sunny. “You forced her to kidnap Sparky-“
“Did I force her? Or did she do that herself?”
Sunny paused. “What…?”
Opaline got down to her level. “After all this time, you still believe the lies that Misty has told you? That she’s become a changed pony? She’s the same pony that she’s always been. Just like you are.
“No, I-“
“If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be here today now, would you? I’m the reason you have any desire to get up in the morning. You would still be crying over the fact that those puny little ponies laughed at your silly causes and tried to beat you up over it. And you know you want revenge on them for it too.”
“I-I-I don’t want revenge on a-anypony-“
“Yes you do,” Opaline reached out a comforting hoof and lifted Sunny’s chin up. “You have been bullied your entire life, Sunny. You’ve never had anyone that’s ever cared about you. The ponies of Maretime Bay hate you, all your friends have ever done is put you down.”
Tears began streaming down Sunny’s face. “Please…t-that c-can’t b-be true.” The more she heard the purple alicorn speak, the more her heart kept breaking. It couldn’t be true. Her friends loved her, they cared about her!
Did they?
“You can’t keep being depressed like this, Sunny,” Opaline said, shaking her head. “Believe me, I know what that’s like. When Twilight banished me from Equestria, I had never felt so alone in my entire life. I felt like my entire world had shattered in front of my very eyes. The very pony I trusted with my life didn’t trust me enough to know I was telling the truth, that I wanted to help. I don’t want power just for the sake of it. I want to use it to help Equestria. Just like you.”
“I-I-“
“You and I are the same,” Opaline told her soothingly. “We both want to use our powers to help the ponies around us and no one understands us. You wanted to make the citizens’ lives better and they rejected you. You wanted to help your friends and they rejected you. Wouldn’t it feel great to feel like you were…making a real difference?”
Sunny pulled away from her, head hanging low. “I can’t help anypony. I can’t make a difference. The only thing I’ll be remembered for is how irritatingly pathetic I am.”
“But that doesn’t have to be your legacy.”
Sunny looked up at that. “What are you talking about…?”
Opaline stared down at her, eyes gleaming with malicious intent. “You still can be somepony special, Sunny. You can finally make your Dad proud of you. In spite of everything, you can redeem yourself and make a difference in society. You still can become the pony you were always meant to be, and you don’t need your friends to help you. I will show you what it is like to be an alicorn, I can help you master the full extent of your abilities.”
Sunny found herself walking closer towards her now, her mind transfixed at the idea. But a part of her was still skeptical. She didn’t know if she could trust Opaline or not. “I…I-I don’t know. W-w-what will my friends think?”
“They don’t care about you, Sunny. I already told you that,” Opaline stated. “They don’t care about you enough to check on how you’re doing. It’s always Misty who is sent to check on you. Don’t you find it aggravating how they don’t have time for you anymore? Wouldn’t you rather be with somepony who will treat you with respect? Don’t you want ponies to love you? To cheer you on instead of treating you like a burden? All of that can be yours, Sunny.”
Sunny sighed deeply. “You know me too well, don’t you…?” She wiped tears from her eyes. “If I was…if I was to free you from that castle…what would you do?”
“The first thing I would do is find us a more…fitting place to live. That castle is too grimy and dusty to be habitable anyway. It’s no wonder Misty left. Then, you may wish for anything and I will make sure that it becomes a reality. Your majesty.” She bowed down before her.
Sunny stared at the Fire Alicorn who was supposed to be her enemy. She thought it over in her head for about a minute. If she was to do what Opaline requested, then she knew that without a doubt, her friends would never forgive her. She would be shunned for the rest of her days. Yet they didn’t even care about her anyway, so what exactly was she losing?
After a while of thinking, she finally looked back at Opaline, stared her straight in the eyes, and smiled back at her.
Misty was awoken by a crashing sound in the middle of the night. She shot up in bed in a cold sweat, thinking that Opaline had entered the Brighthouse and was coming for her. Her heart was pounding as she quickly got out of bed without a second to waste.
She woke up Hitch and the others from their sleep with a loud whistle and told them to prepare for the worst. None of them had heard the crash themselves, so they were confused as to what exactly she meant by that. Misty was sure that she wasn’t the only one who had heard the sound.
She couldn’t be hallucinating, could she?
Zipp seemed to be the only pony who took her seriously as she was instantly on her guard, much to Pipp’s annoyance. The five of them got ready and took the elevator to the top of the Brighthouse, where the source of the crash had come from. All while they were heading up, Misty was hyperventilating internally as she didn’t know what to do. She had no means of protecting her friends if Opaline had truly entered.
She hoped deep down that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t prepared, and she thought that they didn’t have to worry about it. After all, the necklace had been thrown off the cliff, right? There was no way that Opaline would still be able to monitor their every move…right?
By the time they reached the top, all five ponies gasped in shock as they beheld a sight that they hoped they would never have to see. As her eyes laid upon what was in front of her, Misty’s heart sank to the bottom of the ocean.
“Sunny…” she whispered with dread.
Sure enough, Sunny was standing by the balcony with all three Unity Crystals in hoof. She had a bitter expression about her and she scowled as she laid eyes upon the ponies she thought cared about and loved her. She knew what had to be done, and she was going to do it whether her friends wanted her to or not.
Hitch was the first to step forward. “Sunny, put the Crystals back now. What are you doing?!”
Sunny faced him and her eyes narrowed in anger. “Oh hello, Hitch. Having fun with Misty, I assume? It’s already clear you all have replaced me.”
“No…” Zipp shook her head vigorously. “Sunny, we would never do that to you! What did we do wrong?! Tell us!”
“What did you do wrong?!!” Sunny demanded. “Everything!! You never let me have a voice in anything anymore!! You don’t trust me with doing anything by myself anymore! All you want to do is control me because I’m vulnerable and weak!!”
“No!!” Izzy cried. “Please Sunny, we would never-“
“SHUT UP!!” screamed Sunny, clutching the Crystals closer to her chest. “You said that you would be there for me, yet you didn’t comfort me once when I was crying alone after my accident!! All you care about is whether Misty is okay!! I was your first friend ever and you just ignored me!!!”
“I’m sorry!!” Izzy apologized. “Sunny, I really am! I should’ve been paying more attention to how you were feeling before-“
“None of you ever loved me!!” Sunny continued angrily. “Hitch, you’ve tried to control my every action ever since I got hurt, even when I told you not do do that, that I can still take care of myself!! Zipp, all you care about is your little investigation!! ‘Nevermind how my friend is feeling! I gotta check out that damned hologram!!’”
“Sunny-“ Zipp began.
“Pipp, you’re supposed to be the supportive one!!” Sunny snapped. “When I asked you to be there for me two days ago, you instead flew off to Mane Melody!! What’s the matter?! Are your Pippsqueaks and your livestreams more important to you than your own friend?!!”
“No, Sunny!!” Pipp tried to say. “I was scared, okay?!! I didn’t know what to say to you, so I went to get advice-“
“I don’t believe you!! AND YOU!!!” Sunny pointed an accusing hoof at Misty. “You’re the cause of all my problems!! Since the moment you got here, you’ve been trying to steal my friendships away from me!!! You act like you care about me, but since you began staying with us, LITERALLY NOTHING HAS GONE RIGHT!!! WHY ARE YOU REALLY HERE, MISTY?!!”
Misty got down on the ground and began to cower and whimper, tears leaking out of her eyes. She couldn’t help herself. It was an instinctual reaction. The pressure was far too much for her to handle and she didn’t know what to say. She had been yelled at like this before by Opaline, but hearing these accusations coming from a pony she called her friend just cut even deeper.
“Sunny, that’s enough!!” Hitch yelled. “Put the Crystals down right now!! You’re acting far too irrational for your own good!!”
“Don’t come any closer!!” Sunny warned him, holding the Crystals higher into the air. “Take one step and I’ll send these pieces of junk falling!!”
“You can’t be serious, Sunny!” Zipp shouted. “You can’t destroy the source of all magic in Equestria!! Think of what you’re doing!!!”
“THINK OF WHAT I’M DOING?!!” Sunny roared. “WHY SHOULD YOU GUYS GET TO KEEP YOUR MAGIC WHILE OPALINE ROTS WITHOUT HERS?!!! YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO USE IT!!!!”
“Sunny, she’s evil!!” Zipp argued. “She’s making you do this!!”
“SHE AT LEAST CARES MORE ABOUT ME THAN YOU DO!!!”
Zipp froze where she was, heartbroken by that statement. She knew that she should’ve been spending more time with the orange earth pony in her time of need, but she had been too distracted with her investigation to take a break. And there was nothing she could say to apologize.
Misty slowly stood up and took a few steps towards Sunny. She reached out her hoof and put it on the other pony’s shoulder. “Listen to me, Sunny. I know you’re angry, but this is no time to do anything drastic! Just listen to me-“
“DON’T FUCKING TOUCH ME!!!!” Sunny shrieked at the top of her lungs. With as much strength as she could muster, she kicked Misty away from her, sending the blue unicorn barreling straight towards the opposite side of the room where she hit a wall.
The others gasped in horror.
Then Sunny reared her hoof back and with a loud yell, violently shoved the three Crystals in the direction of the ground.
The gems slowly fell one by one, each shattering upon impact with a loud and audible crash, splitting into a million tiny pieces that sparkled with a bit of magic before fizzling completely. It was at that moment that she finally registered what she had done. She had become the very thing she had sworn to take down.
She had destroyed the magic.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” Misty screamed from the other side of the room. She ran up to the shattered pieces as fast as she could, trying her best to piece them back together. She kept trying over and over as the realization soon became clear. “No! No no no no no no! Please work! Please, please…please work! Please…”
“What did you do?!” Hitch demanded, his eyes wide with terror. “WHAT DID YOU DO?!!!!”
The others simply stood there, their jaws hanging open as their minds tried to process what their closest friend had just done. It had to be a dream, right? This couldn’t be happening. The magic couldn’t really be gone just like that…could it?
Suddenly, there were the sounds of screams in the streets as the magic faded away. Sunny could hear the other ponies shouting and running as rampant pandemonium began to ensue all over. The screams turned into panicked voices.
“…my magic is gone!!!”
“…Windy, no!!!!”
“…I can’t fly!!”
“…my horn!! What’s happening?!!”
“THE MAGIC IS GONE!!!!”
Tears filled Sunny’s eyes as she faced her shellshocked friends for what she believed to be the last time. “I-I-I’m sorry…”
She then jumped off of the balcony and down to the ground below. Misty and the remaining Mane 5 ran to the railing and looked below them, but they could not see Sunny. The traumatized earth pony had disappeared in the crowd of panicking ponies and she was no longer in sight.
Misty watched the whole thing, feeling nothing but pain and guilt. It was because of her that Sunny had destroyed the magic. If she had never come to the Brighthouse, then this would’ve never happened. Things would’ve been normal. Nopony would’ve had to suffer.
Sunny would’ve been happy.
Opaline was sitting on her throne, reading over a new spellbook and searching for the right spell to summon the creatures of darkness that she had tried to resurrect earlier when her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the double doors opening once again.
She looked up, half expecting to see Misty crawling back to her as that was what she was always used to seeing. As she looked closer though, she realized that it was not. It was instead a very distraught looking Sunny Starscout, slowly walking towards her.
Sunny looked up at her, tears pouring down her eyes. “I did it, Opaline…I hope you’re happy…”
Opaline smiled widely. “The Crystals are gone!! At long last, I may escape from this wretched place and claim dominion over all ponies the way alicorns were meant to!!” She got up from her throne and walked in the direction of her new ally. “You brilliant pony. I am so proud of you.”
Sunny looked away, refusing to say anything else.
“Awww, what’s the matter?” Opaline asked. “Too distraught to get any words out?” She scoffed, walking in the opposite direction. Sunny followed her out of pure instinct, not sure where they were going. “Well you shouldn’t be, Sunny. Regrets will get you nowhere.”
“That’s pretty reassuring coming from you…” Sunny mumbled under her breath.
Opaline rolled her eyes, turning around. “Ugh, you’re just as bad as Misty when she used to mumble. I hope I didn’t make a mistake.” She then smiled warmly at the earth pony. “Look on the bright side, Sunny! All the magic belongs to us now. It is time that you start picking out your vision for a reunified Equestria.”
Sunny looked up at her again. “I just…I-I just don’t want my friends getting hurt…I know they don’t care about me, but…” She trailed off.
“You still care about them.”
Sunny nodded slowly. “Even though they used me…they still gave me hope when I didn’t have any. And…I don’t want to hurt anypony else more than I already have.”
Opaline nodded back. “So I see. Very well then. Your friends shall be spared from my wrath. I don’t know why you even still bother to care about their wellbeing, however. They clearly don’t care about yours.” She held out her hoof in front of her. “Nonetheless, a deal is a deal, and I shall uphold my end of the bargain…Princess Sunny.”
Sunny looked into her eyes and slowly reached out her own hoof. She trembled as she did so, the rational part of her mind begging her not to do such a foolish thing.
She then pushed aside all doubts from her brain and took the older alicorn’s hoof in hers before she could change her mind, grasping it firmly.
“NO, SUNNY!!!”
Misty and the remaining Mane 5 instantly ran as fast as they could into the dining room of the Brighthouse upon hearing Hitch scream. As soon as they got there, they saw the yellow earth pony stallion look disturbed and panicked.
“What happened, Hitch?!” Zipp questioned in a cautious tone. “We heard you scream!”
“Is everything okay?” inquired Pipp nervously.
Hitch shook his head, staring at them with a haunted look in his eyes. “No. It’s just as I feared. I can sense it from a mile away.”
“What is it?” Misty inquired, fearing for the worst.
“It’s Sunny…” Hitch told them, his whole body trembling from what he had just sensed happen. “She’s…turned.” With that, he collapsed to his knees, tears of despair welling up in his eyes. He had failed her, his childhood friend, and she had joined the dark side as a result. He had told her off when he needed her, yelled at her when she had tried to talk to him. He had pushed her away.
And he vowed that he would never forgive himself for as long as he lived.
Izzy put a hoof to her mouth in horror. It couldn’t be true. Not her Sunny! She couldn’t have joined Opaline. She silently begged for it not to be true, even though she knew Hitch would never lie about such a thing. It had to be true, she just knew it.
Pipp fainted into Zipp’s hooves from the absolute shock of the news and the latter could feel tears coming to her own eyes as well. She had hardly cried about anything in her life as she liked to present herself as tough. However, this was too much for her to handle and she began to sob relentlessly.
This was all of their faults. They had caused this because they weren’t there for Sunny when she needed them. She was obviously mad at them, and Zipp knew that it was likely the earth pony would never forgive them for what they had done.
Misty just hung her head low and stared at the ground, feeling like a failure. She couldn’t say anything to make the situation better. This was her fault, she just knew it. There was no other way to look at the situation. All of this had been started because of her presence here.
Why couldn’t she have just kept her damn mouth shut?
Sunny embraced Opaline after taking her hoof and the two of them hugged each other for about a full minute. She was stroking the younger pony softly as she wept into her hooves. She didn’t really care about Sunny, obviously, but she did feel a twinge of sympathy for her.
After all, it wasn’t Sunny’s fault that the entirety of Maretime Bay was filled with a bunch of jerks who liked to destroy an innocent pony’s dreams. Opaline knew what that felt like and she could relate to her a lot.
Once they let go, Opaline smiled at her new apprentice. “I hope that helps calm you down, Sunny. We have work to do. I’m curious, however. How do you feel now that you’ve gotten this off your chest?”
Sunny looked at her, the face of a heartbroken mare slowly morphing into that of a bitter one who had betrayed by everyone around her. “I feel…I feel…” An evil smile began to slowly creep up on her lips. “I feel…powerful.”
“That’s my girl!!” Opaline complimented her. “Now show me what you can do, Sunny!! Get us out of this prison!!”
Sunny grinned devilishly as she assumed her alicorn form at will. Her horn lit up with yellow magic and she blasted a massive hole in the wall in front of her, creating a balcony out of thin air. She could feel the sheer raw amount of power coursing through her and she loved it. She had been holding back for far too long.
It was time to show the ponies of Equestria what she could really do.
The two alicorns stepped on to the newly-created balcony, feeling the strong wind blow through their manes as they looked out into the world below them. There was no going back now. The deed had already been done and Sunny had no intention of ever returning to the Brighthouse.
This was her home now. She was going to get her vengeance on all the ponies who were ever mean to her. They would pay for everything they had done to her, one way or another. She was no longer scared. She was confident, she was strong.
And she was powerful.
The skies were still stormy above Maretime Bay this time of night. Lightning flashed across the sky and struck the ground below it in a powerful display of fury. The weather fit quite well with the somber mood of the town. It was a time of great sadness and mourning as all of the magic had been destroyed.
In the town square, a crowd of frightened ponies were gathered as Hitch gave one of his routine sheriff addresses to them. He was attempting to calm their fears and explain that things would get back to some form of normalcy soon.
Misty and her friends were also present in the crowd watching the address. She could barely look at Hitch as he was speaking. She just felt so terrible and she didn’t want to be in Maretime Bay anymore. She had already caused enough trouble as it was.
She had to get out of here as soon as she could.
“…we will rebuild!” Hitch spoke to the crowd in a trembling voice. “We’ve been without magic our whole lives, so we will adjust to life without it again! This is no cause for fear nor terror, citizens! You have no cause for concern. Opaline will not find us here!! We are safe! We are secure! We are protected!”
“You’re friends with that traitor Sunny Starscout!!” somepony in the crowd shouted. “How are we supposed to trust you when we can’t even trust ourselves?!”
“Thyme Basil, please-“ Hitch began to say before he was interrupted by the roars of the crowd members arguing with each other.
“How DARE you?!” Jazz Hooves shot back in response. “Sunny was a victim!! We are the reason she turned evil, not Sheriff Hitch!!”
“It was not our faults either!!” Windy yelled back at her. “It was that Sugar Moonlight and her clique!! We did nothing wrong!!”
“NOTHING WRONG?!!!”
“I blame the unicorns and the pegasi!!”
“Well, I blame you snobby earth ponies!!!”
“WELLI BLAME ALL OF YOU!!!!”
The crowd began arguing with each other back and forth, their volume growing in intensity and drowning out Hitch’s pleas for them to settle down and listen to him. He tried screaming louder for them to stop, but that only succeeded in increasing the panic and public outrage.
Despite Zipp trying to jump in and calm the situation, she soon found herself ganged up upon by a mob of angry earth ponies. She and Pipp were soon trampled and beaten over and over until they were bleeding all over their bodies, while Izzy and Misty ran for their lives.
Once they were far enough away, Misty stared at the feral crowd with deep sadness and regret. As she heard the desperate screams of Pipp and Zipp, her heart slowly hardened to stone as she began hating herself more and more. She couldn’t even help her friends. What kind of pony was she?
Meanwhile, atop the highest and tallest mountain in all of Equestria, Opaline Arcana and Sunny Starscout stared down at the land below them with smiles of pure sadistic excitement on their faces. The magic was theirs now, and the ponies were too focused on themselves to care what their ultimate fate was going to be.
Opaline had a comforting hoof on Sunny’s shoulder as the younger alicorn glanced at her with a smile. She then turned back towards the realm she had called home and she thought of all of the possibilities that were open to her now.
She was no longer held back by any rules, laws, or regulations. She was free to do whatever she wanted and take what she wanted. Her friends were going to pay for pushing her away and she was going to make them suffer every minute of it.
The once idealistic and naïve earth pony had vanished and in her place was a power-hungry and vicious alicorn, who wanted nothing more than to see all the ponies who had ever been cruel to her die under her iron hoof.
