Through The Fog And The Misty Part 1

It was cold.

Dark.

Freezing.

That was all she remembered about that stormy night. She didn’t have many memories of her childhood, yet that was always be something that she vividly remembered no matter how many years passed. No matter how many times she tried to forget, that memory would always come back to her. Sometimes she would dream about it, sometimes she would hallucinate about being hopelessly lost to the point of death.

No matter how many times she tried to prove that she was no longer that same scared little pony anymore, that night would always come flooding back and remind her about how she would not even be standing today if she wasn’t rescued and taken in. She knew that to be the undeniable truth, one that she would never be able to shake until her very last breath. The howling, the crying, the screaming, the constant crashing cacophony of lightning from the clouds above.

She remembered it all too well.

The rain poured down on the newborn foal as she lay on the ground in the midst of a freezing storm. The rain battened against her body over and over and she huddled up to keep herself warm. She didn’t know where she was, nor where her parents were. She just wanted to go home. She was tired of being alone. She wanted nothing more than to be back in her loving mother’s embrace. She was too young to be left abandoned like this. If only the torture would just end…

The wind howled in her face and thunder boomed across the sky as lightning crashed onto the ground below. The small foal squeezed her eyes shut to try and avoid the battering of the rain. She sobbed quietly to herself. It wouldn’t be long before she froze to death out there. She was in the place where nopony dared to ever go and she had been laying in the same spot for hours on end.

Her hooves were shaking from the chilly air and her teeth were chattering. She could not sleep as the constant rumbling of her stomach would not give her a piece of mind. Her tears froze up as soon as they came out of her, becoming nothing more than ice that she ate to keep herself alive. The only things that she could muster out were quiet whimpering.

She silently begged for anypony to hear her. A part of her held out hope that someone was out there searching for her. Surely that tall grey stallion Alphabittle had sent out squads of unicorns to search for her, right? There was no way that her parents weren’t at least coming back for her, right? They were desperately looking for her…
Right?

As the minutes piled on, reality began to set in for the poor filly that no one was coming. She was going to die alone without anyone even knowing that she was gone. She was going to freeze out in the cold with no food, no nothing. She curled up into a ball as she felt her breathing slow down with each passing moment. Her suffering was going to end soon. The sweet release of death was coming for her at any moment. But it was okay. She had enjoyed her life while it lasted. She was loved and cared for. That was all that mattered.

As she prepared to accept the inevitability of her incoming demise, the sound of doors opening made her ears twitch. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a strange-looking winged unicorn step a hoof out of the castle to look at her. The pony was a tall, pinkish purple figure with a white and blue mane and tail. She sported a curved horn and teal bands on her hooves. She stared at the little filly with a look of surprise, making it clear that it was not common to see a lost filly out in these treacherous parts.

“Who are you?” asked the tall pony.

The foal didn’t move. How could she? She didn’t even possess the ability to walk yet, let alone talk. She couldn’t speak and all she had were her thoughts that kept her company. She stared at the winged unicorn with innocent eyes.
“You know it’s rude to not respond, little pony. Answer your Queen!!!!”

She whimpered again, her whole body trembling all over from fear. Why was this stranger mad at her? What had she done? Suddenly, she felt herself picked up by an aura of light pink magic and carried over to where the pony was standing. She could barely move, so she couldn’t fight back. She just let herself be dragged and dropped right in front of her.

The strange unicorn got down to her level and began studying her intensely. She hid her face in her mane so as to not be seen, but the older pony clearly saw through it as she brushed aside her mane and forced the poor little filly to look at her in the eyes.

“What are you doing out here in the cold at my castle no less?! Don’t you know who I am?!”

No response.

The other pony began to grow frustrated at each passing moment. “Well…DON’T YOU?!!”

Still no answer.

She then sighed in exasperation, knowing full well that she wasn’t getting anywhere. “Fine. I’m Opaline. Opaline Arcana. And you are?”

The foal still couldn’t respond and she was growing more and more cold by the minute. She knew that if she didn’t talk, then she would be left out to die. She tried to form a response, but all that came out were gurgling noises and whimpers.

Opaline rolled her eyes and began carrying her in a magic bubble once again. Within moments, she was taken inside the large castle and into the dark and decrepit throne room. In an instant, she felt the sweet rush of warm air overwhelm her senses and begin feeding life into her being.

The conditions weren’t perfect, but it was certainly more preferable to the outside weather. She started to feel movement in her limbs again as she was dropped to the ground on her stomach. She sat up with great effort, shaking all over from fear as her rescuer stood over her with a stern expression on her face.

“I usually do not let babies into my castle, but you were definitely cold out there,” Opaline spoke. “I don’t know what possessed me to be nice to you, but consider yourself lucky.”

She nodded in response.

“Anyways…” continued Opaline, “Don’t get too used to this place. You leave by morning, do you understand me?!”

The foal whimpered at the thought of being left outside once more.

“Quit whimpering!!” She snapped. “You’re giving me a migraine!!!”

The foal began to loudly cry from being yelled at, screaming to a nauseating degree. Opaline covered her ears with her hooves, trying her best to block out the sound.

“And what makes you think that I’m going keep you?! I don’t need ponies like you constantly nagging at my hooves!” Opaline yelled. “Unless you can prove to me that you’re actually useful, you’re leaving!!”

Tears appeared at the corner of the young foal’s eyes again and she looked up at her pleadingly, silently sending the message that she wanted to know what she could do.

Opaline smirked. “Well since you seem like you can at least move on your own, why don’t you go ahead and clean the cobwebs beside my throne? I’ve been meaning to take care of those for a while.”

The little pony was instantly galvanized into action and she wasted no time in crawling to the nearest cobweb, gumming it with her mouth and ripping it off of the throne. She did this for about 10 minutes and once she was finished, she looked at the older pony for approval.

“I must say, I am impressed by your work,” Opaline acknowledged her. “Truly you have a knack for getting into the small spaces of things. I could actually use that.”

The small foal gurgled with happiness upon finally getting praise. She cooed and her eyes shine with pride for what she had done.

It was at that exact moment that Opaline got an idea. An awful idea. Opaline Arcana got a wonderful, awful idea. She would use the foal to her advantage. After all, she was willing to do anything for her, so why let the opportunity go to waste?

“It appears you have proven yourself to me at last. So would you like to stay with me, little Misty?” she asked, getting the foal’s name from a small collar she wore around her neck. Her mother had bestowed this upon her before she had abandoned her, so that anyone that found her would instantly know her name.

The little foal clapped her hooves with excitement, giggling and gurgling with joy at the thought of gaining a symbol on her flank like her mother. She didn’t know what it was, but she wanted one of her own badly.

“Then how about this?” Opaline smiled widely. “You promise to serve me only and do my bidding, and I’ll let you stay for at least a little while longer. Sound like a deal?’

The foal was instantly happy again, jumping into her embrace. Opaline was caught off guard, but humored the innocent gesture from the child, holding her close and chuckling.

”Come, my adorable little minion. We have work to do.”

WHOOSH!!!

The Marestream flew as fast as it could through the overcast skies, leaving a rainbow contrail in its wake. Flashes of lightning threatened to strike it at every turn as the ship swerved and ducked to avoid impact. The wind howled and thunder boomed across the skies. It was a turbulent ride, but its occupants could not lose faith. They had to make it in time. They had to save the unicorns.

Inside the cockpit was none other than Misty Brightdawn and her friends, struggling to hold on for dear life as the area around them rocked back and forth violently. Zipp was piloting the airship with her hooves gripped tightly on the wheels. Her teeth were clenched and she was doing her best to keep standing as the constant motion was beginning to make her sick.

The five of them were traveling to Bridlewood in an attempt to warn Alphabittle and the other unicorns about Opaline and Sunny’s attack on them. They had been traveling for days since leaving Maretime Bay, but they had not seen any signs of either alicorn until about a couple hours ago, where a magical surge was reported near the Bridlewood Forest. Since nopony else but the two alicorns had magic, they knew it could only mean one thing, and they had to move in fast.

The cabin rocked violently again, sending Pipp crashing into Izzy. The two fell on top of one another in a heap as Hitch ran over to help them up. As he did so, a bolt of lightning struck the top of the cockpit ceiling, blasting a massive hole that began to let the air out.

Hitch cursed. “I knew flying through this stormy weather was a bad idea!” He turned towards Zipp. “How much farther are we?!”

Zipp opened her eyes, staring at the map on her phone. “We’re right above the forest! Hang on, everypony, we’re going in!”

“BRACE YOURSELVES!!!” Izzy shrieked as the cockpit lurched again. Everypony held on to each other tight as the ship began a rapid descent into the trees below.

The Marestream flew downwards quickly, very narrowly missing another lightning strike that was headed right for it. The wheels began to come out from the inside, slowing its descent and allowing for a relatively graceful landing onto the scorched terrain below. Misty and her friends got out, closing the door behind them.

The forest was on fire. Many trees had been scorched during the invasion and now lay on the ground in a flaming mess, which blocked their path for the briefest of moments. Smoke rose from the severed branches, obscuring their vision. The ponies coughed and hacked until it cleared. It was then that Misty took a step forward to try and locate the magical surge.

She looked around for any sign of the pony she once called her mother, scouring each area from left to right with her eyes. Fortunately for her, the flash of purple magic that had alerted them came once again, this time in the direction of Bridlewood itself.

“This way!” Misty exclaimed, pointing in the direction of the spark with her hoof. They took off on their hooves, jumping and hopping over the fallen trees as they did so.

They ran and ran, sweat heading down their faces and their expressions filled with great alarm. Up above, the skies were a crimson orange and the clouds changed from grey to black. Lightning struck a tree right next to them, sending it falling right in the direction of Pipp. As the pink pegasus screamed, Zipp pulled her right out of the way just in time and they continued on. They ran faster than the wind, stampeding through the collapsing foliage like it was no tomorrow. The more time they wasted, the more lives were being lost. And none of them were going to face the possibility of failure.

As they hurried in the direction of the town, the forest was falling apart all around and behind them. Trees fell on top of one another and were ablaze in a matter of seconds, while flowers and plants were burned to ash in the destruction. The fire increased in size and Misty struggled with keeping her friends from falling behind and being burned to a crisp in the process. There was no time to dawdle. She had to get to Bridlewood in time. She hadn’t ever been there before, but she knew deep in her heart that she could not let her fellow unicorns die. She would save them. She had to. She didn’t care what the cost was. All her mind could focus on was getting there on time.

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding harder and harder in her chest as the stress increased. Her hooves were starting to tire after a while of running, but she ignored the urge to rest and continued on. She couldn’t fail. She had to stop Opaline from destroying the place she would’ve called home. Failure was not an option. The sound of screams filled her mind and that made her quicken the pace. She had no clue as to whether or not she was imagining any of it, but she couldn’t take that chance. She was going to save them, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.

Eventually, she and her friends reached the entrance to Bridlewood and found the village completely and utterly unrecognizable. Houses had been burned down and now only existed as ruins. Bodies of dead unicorns lay on the floor. The area was scorched and no signs of life were present. Discarded swords, pitchforks, and knives lay all around, some still being held by their deceased occupants.

Misty could feel her heart sink to the bottom of the ocean and she felt like crying. They were too late. Opaline and Sunny had already departed, a senseless genocide left in their wake. She carefully stepped over the bodies as she surveyed the damage done. She could not believe what the two alicorns had done to such a peaceful village. What had the unicorns ever done to deserve this?

Her friends were silent, only staring at the leftover carnage in deep sorrow. Izzy knelt down and lifted up the body of a fallen unicorn mare, weeping softly into its bloodied hide. Misty walked over to her and put a hoof around her sister’s shoulder.

There was a slight noise and her ears perked up upon hearing this and ran to the source. A violet mare was crawling out from underneath the rubble of her house, coughing and weeping. Misty helped the mare to her hooves.

“Are you okay, ma’am?” she asked politely. “What happened here?”

The mare coughed out blood. “My baby…where’s my…”

“I don’t know,” Misty replied, shaking her head. “And I wish I can help. But I need to get to the Crystal Tea Room right now. Where is it?”

The mare pointed to the left with a trembling hoof before continuing to whisper over and over. “My baby…my baby…my baby…my baby…”

Misty felt awful for not helping the mare, but she knew in her heart that there wasn’t time. She went over to her friends and she and Izzy ran as fast as they could possibly run to the Tea Room, where she could only hope that there were some other survivors.

By the time they got there and slammed the doors open, however, it was too late. The place was completely empty and a huge mess had been left behind. Tables and stools had been haphazardly thrown around all over the place and equipment for the slam poetry performances lay scattered around in a broken heap.

The decor was also nowhere to be found and the walls had been scorched with fire, which now left smoldering craters in the center. Misty ran to the fallen ordering counter, expecting to find somepony hiding. Instead, she found a pair of blue hooves sticking out from underneath.

Curious, she lifted the table with all her strength and there was the decapitated corpse of Onyx. Her head was right by her side, frozen in a perpetual state of fear. Cuts and scratches were all over her body and a bloody knife had been violently implanted in her chest.

Misty was sick to her stomach upon seeing this and her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know this unicorn, but nopony deserved to have their life ended like this. It was unfair. Why couldn’t they have gotten there sooner? That was a question that she wished she could answer.

Izzy walked up to her. “Did you find anything or-“ She gasped upon seeing Onyx’s body. “Onyx!! No…no no no no no…”

Misty turned towards her. “Did you know her…?”

Izzy nodded slowly. “She was my only friend…” Her hooves buckled and she fell to her knees before sobbing uncontrollably over the body, her tears mixing with the dried blood and staining the fallen unicorn’s coat. She mourned for her, the only mare who understood her growing up.

Misty took a couple steps back in horror. They had failed. She had failed. She had to stop Opaline in time, and it resulted in the deaths of possibly hundreds. She was not a leader. She was a failure. She let Izzy cry into Onyx’s body and stumbled towards the exit of the Tea Room, feeling worse than she had ever felt in her whole life.

As the sky slowly began to get dark with nighttime, Misty walked out into the desolated wasteland that was once her hometown, letting the massive cloud of ash and dust consume her completely.

6 Months Later….

Misty shot up in bed with a loud scream, sweat on every inch of her face. She could feel herself hyperventilating and her heart palpitating with each beat as the memory she had been trying to forget continued to play out in her mind, despite the fact that she had just woken up. She wanted to forget that night, but she never could.

The night that Opaline found her as a filly still haunted her every being. That had been the moment her life changed forever and not in a good way. She had been forced to be a slave for years, and she could never leave as she had been indebted to the alicorn over a promise that was never meant to be. The only reason she stayed in the first place was so she could earn the one thing that she thought would make her feel better about herself.

A cutie mark. The very symbol that determined a pony’s special talent had been something she had sought after for years without end, and she had done countless missions and laborious tasks in an attempt to earn it. She had always gone above and beyond the call of duty and she never gave up on her one true dream no matter how hard life got for her. No matter what Opaline had entrusted her to do, she always did as she was told in spite of the numerous conflicts she had. No matter how nice her friends treated her, she always strived to get the job done.

Alas, it had been all for nought. She had been lied to for her entire life by the pony she trusted and she would never be the same as a result. She still blamed herself for being fooled the way she was. It didn’t matter that she had been far too young to understand the concepts of manipulation, perpetual servitude, or anything of the sort. She believed that she should’ve known better than to commit all these crimes for something that she wasn’t even guaranteed to get. After all, it was because of her that Maretime Bay was now doomed beyond repair, destined to become nothing more than another tiny town under the rulership of the Fire Alicorn she once served. It was because of her that the magic was gone and the ponies hated each other once more. She had turned a blind eye when the pony suffering the most needed her.

What kind of pony was she?

As these negative thoughts overflowed like a massive tsunami through her mind, she stared at her flank and sighed deeply. By now, she knew that she was never going to get a cutie mark. And truth be told, she didn’t want one anymore. She didn’t feel like she deserved anything in life after what she had done. She felt like a terrible friend. She felt like she didn’t deserve to be happy after all the trouble she caused. Because of her, Sparky was with Opaline and he was most likely far beyond help at this point. Either he was already dead, or he was going to be soon. She knew that the alicorn would not spare him nor show him any mercy. He had what she wanted, and he was too helpless to defend himself with him being a baby dragon.

Of course, she knew deep down that it wasn’t her fault that all of this happened. It was all because of Opaline and her evil schemes that Equestria was now even more divided than it had ever been, not her. Yet…why did it feel like it was her fault? Beyond the fact that she was used to blaming and putting herself down due to experience and low self-esteem, whenever she reflected on that moment, she felt like she was to blame. She couldn’t put the Crystals back together when they shattered. She couldn’t save two of her friends from that mob attack. She couldn’t do anything right and she didn’t get it in the slightest. But one thing was undeniably clear to her and it was something that she would never shake no matter how many times she thought about it.

She had failed her friends.

You will never be forgiven. Your disgrace is worse than death. You deserve to suffer a horrible fate for what you’ve done. She sniffled and she felt the sudden rush of tears come to her eyes. With not a second to waste, she wiped them away with her hooves as fast as she could. It didn’t matter that she was alone. Crying was for cowards. She couldn’t be vulnerable. The voice in her head was certainly harsh, but it was right. She didn’t deserve to live.

After a deep and shaky breath, she slowly got down from the bed and began walking out of the bedroom. She didn’t know where she was going and a part of her told her that simply running away would be the best option for her. Nonetheless, she continued on. The others seemed to be fast asleep in their beds and none of them woke up at the sound of her hoofsteps.

She couldn’t bare to look at them. It was too painful. Despite the fact that she knew they weren’t even looking at her and were most likely lost in their own worlds, she still felt the weight of their hypothetical scorn and judgement bearing down on her. Each step she took out of the room was like balancing on knives and needles, each stab more painful than the last. She kept her head forward and headed outside and down the ramp.

Once she was downstairs, she breathed a sigh of relief. Now was her chance to leave. She would go back to Opaline and slaughter her in cold blood. She would end the nightmare herself, and rid the world of the alicorn’s dark presence once and for all. She had failed last time when she had gotten her friends involved, but she had faith that she would succeed on her own this time. She couldn’t live with the guilt on her consciousness, and she was finally going to do something about it once and for all. After that, she figured that she would strike out on her own and attempt to live the rest of her life as a lone traveler in the wilderness. She knew that wasn’t a sustainable life, but she didn’t know where else to go.

As she put on her purple cloak and prepared to walk out the doors of the Crystal Brighthouse, Misty heard a rumbling sound come from below and she froze in place, thinking that one of her friends had woken up and spotted her. When she looked down, however, she noticed that it was instead the rumbling of her own stomach.

She groaned, cursing her own hunger. She silently prayed that nopony would see her as she grabbed some food from the refrigerator. Walking over to the kitchen, she opened up the main door to the refrigerator and felt the frigid air blast her face in an instant. She squeezed her eyes shut as it came at her with full force, only opening them again once the sensation had gone away. She didn’t like the feeling of cold air as it took her back to that unwanted memory.

She reached around the shelves, trying to find the pepperoni pizza that she always loved to eat. Alas, it was not there. Only Sunny knew how to make the best kind in the town, and she was gone. Nopony else knew how to make it and she certainly didn’t know how either.

Finally, she settled on a plastic bag containing five cookies and took them in her hoof, placing them in one of her cloak’s pockets. She then closed the fridge and started to walk away from the kitchen and towards the doors when she heard a sound behind her. She whirled around, startled, only to see a white pegasus mare with a red and blue mane and tail in the kitchen to her left.

It was Zipp Storm, the last pony she expected or wanted to see. She had flown down a couple of minutes back and was leisurely grabbing a plastic bottle of water out of the refrigerator to take back to bed.

That was when she spotted her and the two locked eyes with one another.

Misty squeaked in fear and hid her face underneath the hood of her cloak. She didn’t want to be confronted again. Not now. Not when she was trying to run away and never come back.

“Misty?” Zipp realized, laughing at her own foolishness. “Oh thank hoofness it’s just you. Don’t scare me like that, silly. Why are you wearing a cloak when the air conditioning is so warm? Aren’t you sweaty in that thing?”

Misty trembled all over from fear as she attempted to speak. “I-I-I-I’m leaving!! I’m going back to Opaline! I’ve caused enough trouble for you ponies already!”

“Back to Opaline?” repeated Zipp. Her puzzled expression was now replaced by one of deep concern for the unicorn she used to despise. “Why would you want to do that?”

Misty hid her face underneath the cloak, trying desperately to think of a good excuse for leaving. “B-because s-she offered me free ice cream in exchange for my renewed loyalty and you know h-how much I love the vanilla types!! Can’t refuse!! Haha, yeah…”

“You’re still trying to pull that baloney with me? I thought we were past that stage.”

It was at that moment that Misty knew there was no escape. She removed the hood off her head and she faced the young detective that she had such a complicated relationship with for such a long time. Tears rushed to her eyes again and this time, she let them spill out.

“You don’t want to know…”

“Why not?” Zipp inquired. “Seriously, Misty. You promised to not be so secretive with us anymore, at least with me. What’s wrong? You know you can tell me.”

Misty shook her head. “I can’t. Just…let me leave, please…”

“Does it have to do with what happened?”

Whimpering, Misty nodded slowly. She didn’t know what she could say. She blamed herself for all of it and she was scared. She couldn’t explain to the pegasus the full reason as to why she was leaving. She would surely judge her and yell at her again. Nothing she did made any difference.

“I was going to go back to Opaline so that I could kill her myself,” she revealed. The pegasus gasped at this, but she ignored her and continued. “I want her dead. She ruined everything. I know we failed in the past together, but I can succeed on my own. I can get her to trust me again. I’ll stab her in her sleep and end this once and for all.”

Zipp shook her head vigorously. “Misty, you can’t do that. She’ll kill you. I know you’ve become obsessed with our failure in recent months, but I can’t let you risk your life like that. I refuse to let one of my own friends die. You’re not going, or if you are going, you’re not going alone.”

“I don’t want you all to be dragged into this again,” Misty countered. “I made a mistake forcing you all into this. This is my war to fight, not yours. I’m the reason that all of these terrible things that happened, and I know it. I’m going to make up for failing you, Zipp. I’m going to be somepony you can be proud of for once.”

“Misty,” Zipp stated gently. “It’s not your fault we failed last time-“

“Yes it is!!!” Misty yelled angrily, letting all of her grief spill out. “We could’ve saved those ponies! We could’ve stopped Opaline right then and there if we just arrived sooner, but we didn’t! I didn’t! Since the moment I first arrived here, I’ve done nothing but make things worse for you and the others!! I couldn’t save Sparky and I couldn’t save Sunny either!! I watched her shatter the Crystals and disappear, all while doing nothing!! I could’ve done something to save her and avoid this whole mess!!“

“Misty-“

“I could’ve saved you and Pipp from that crowd fight too!!” continued Misty, “I watched as you and Pipp were beaten by those other ponies for absolutely no reason at all and I didn’t help!!”

“Misty…”

“And to top that off, our last mission resulted in the destruction of the entirety of Bridlewood! I had the chance to fix things, but I was too late to do anything!! I’ve done nothing to earn your trust in any way!!! You and the others gave me a second chance and this is how I repay you!! I let Oxyx die and she was Izzy’s only friend back home! I don’t deserve any forgiveness!! Just let me go out there and die already, please-“

“MISTY!!!”

Misty was stunned into silence for a moment. Her instincts immediately stopped talking the moment Zipp raised her voice at her. She was used to being yelled at, that was nothing new to her. But she didn’t understand why the pegasus wasn’t letting her go. Didn’t she hate her after everything that she put them through? The amount of trauma that everyone had endured was solely due to her own actions. She couldn’t understand for a minute why she wasn’t being ripped to shreds.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“Listen to me for one second!!” Zipp shouted back. “This isn’t your fault!! You need to stop blaming yourself for every single insignificant little thing! You couldn’t control what happened back there! The fact that Sunny’s gone evil isn’t your fault!! The fact that as were too late to save Bridlewood isn’t your fault!! Neither is the fact that magic is dead!! You did all that you could to be there for Sunny and she chose this for herself, not you!!”

“But you can’t fly-“

“So what?” Zipp asked her, unfolding her wings for a brief moment. “I don’t blame you for that either! So why do you?! Tell me, Misty. You know you can be open with me.”

“No I can’t!!” Misty sobbed. “You'll just judge me like you always do! No matter what I say or do, it's never enough for you!"

"Misty, please-"

"You always acted so hostile towards me in the past and you’ve never taken my feelings seriously, that’s why…that’s why I don’t open up about anything to you. It was...always a detective game between you and me. You only showed me genuine kindness once in the entire time I've been here..."

Zipp nodded solemnly. “You have no idea how much I’ve needed to hear that. Really.”

Misty wiped her tears, sniffling. “What…?”

“You’re right,” Zipp said in a shaky voice. “I…I wasn’t really the best to you, was I? I let my love for mysteries turn me into a narcissist.”

“No! Zipp, you’re not a narr…nar…”

“Narcissist,” corrected Zipp a matter-of-factly, “It basically means somepony that’s obsessed with themself to the point of outright egotism. And yes, I am. I was always hard on you, suspicious of you. And yeah, I was right all along, but that shouldn’t matter. None of this was my business to get involved in. Sometimes, I let the thrill of an investigation take over me and I became numb to other ponies’ feelings…”

“What inspired you to be a detective?”

“Well, I…” Zipp smiled sheepishly. “It kind of came with age. I was always the curious one growing up, never really conforming to the world around me. While Pipp enjoyed the Princess life to the extreme, I wanted to get out there and explore the world. One day, Mom lost Cloudpuff and I was the first to spring into action. After we found him under the bed an hour later, that’s kinda what woke me up and made me realize that I could be more than what fate had planned for me. I could solve cases, uncover clues, ask questions. It wasn’t long before I found out we royals couldn’t actually fly either after taking a peek backstage during one of Pipp’s concerts.”

“I see.”

“But really, that doesn’t matter. There’s a time and place for investigations. I never should’ve made you feel like you didn’t belong. In contrast, I think I might’ve only solidified your loyalty to Opaline over us with my constant questioning. It’s more my fault that Sparky was taken than yours.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Serving that mule was the only life you ever knew. If given the choice, of course you’d choose your family. I know I would.”

“You had every right to be on my flank about this though. Because of me, Sparky is gone and so is Sunny. I don’t deserve this chance you and the others gave me. I’m a walking time bomb.”

“No you aren’t. You’ve done a lot of great things for us while you’re here, especially for Izzy. You can’t leave now. Not when she needs you the most. She’s your sister after all.”

“But I already failed to save Sunny.”

“No, you didn’t,” Zipp insisted. “You didn’t fail to save her. I already told you, she’s the one that chose to join Opaline, not you. Honestly, I just can’t stand to see you blaming yourself for this.”

Misty looked back at her, sitting on the floor. “Why are you being so nice to me now? That’s what I want to know. Even if it wasn’t my fault, Sunny was your friend. Don’t you want somepony to blame for her turn? Who else than the pony who started all this to begin with?”

Zipp’s expression was one of immense guilt and sadness. She sat down besides Misty and put her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “I wish I could find somepony to blame. But that isn’t healthy, I see that now. Whenever something went wrong in this town, I always found it comforting to pick the first suspect that came to mind. No thought to the content of their character, nothing. If they left a bad first impression on me, they’d be the first pony I’d suspect, and you fell victim to that fallacy of mine. No matter how many times I tried telling myself the opposite, the truth is that I’m…not really that good of a detective. If I was working for a real agency, I’d get fired real quick.”

“I’m…surprised to hear this coming from you.” Misty remarked gently.

“So am I. I guess ever since the Crystals were destroyed, I’ve honestly felt…relieved.”

“Why?”

“I’ve been obsessing over that stupid Twilight Sparkle hologram for what seems like forever. Now that I know that I’ll never get an answer to it, I feel like a part of myself has been set free. The rational side of me, if there ever was one. I’ve let that mystery consume me and drive me insane. At least I know that it won’t bother me anymore.”

Misty nodded. “I just wish that…I don’t know, we met under better circumstances. Like, instead of me being sent by Opaline, we actually met naturally or something. I always think about what could’ve been and it makes me sad.”

“Then stop.”

“What…?”

“Stop thinking about what could’ve been and focus on the now,” Zipp advised her. “There’s a whole multiverse of possibilities on what you might’ve done differently. But that’s not the reality we live in. This is our reality, Misty. And you have an opportunity to move forward with your life. You’re free now.”

“No I’m not…” Misty countered, sniffling. “This isn’t over. I won’t be satisfied until I defeat Opaline and get Sunny back…the nightmares won’t leave me until we do.”

“Misty, you’re not leaving."

“Yes, I am! You can't stop me from going!”

“Why?!“

“I know we failed before, but I wanna try again…if that’s even possible. I just feel like…we could’ve done more for her. And I want to apologize for inadvertently ruining her life. I just…can’t stop thinking about what we could’ve done differently. Please tell me it’s possible, Zipp.”

Zipp sighed deeply. “I don’t know if it is. I want nothing more than to apologize to Sunny for everything, but…I don’t know, it feels like this is a lost cause. I’m not letting you go alone, that much is final. But even if we all wanted to try again, we don’t even know how to get there. It’s why we spent weeks drifting aimlessly in the Marestream.”

“Well we have to try,” suggested Misty. “I can take us to where Opaline is. We just need to wake up the others.”

Zipp seemed a bit hesitant. “Misty, I…” She was fumbling for the right words to say. “I’m not sure if…you’re in the best state of mind to lead a rescue mission like this right now. Especially how our failure last time broke you. I-I mean, I’m no expert, but…I’d rather you take the time to get over your trauma first. Please?”

Misty shook her head once more, standing up on her hooves. She looked down at the ground, and then back at the pegasus with fresh tears at the corners of her eyes. “I’ve had all the time in the world to get over my past already…and it resulted in us losing Sunny. The longer we wait, the closer she is…”

“You need to stop thinking about Opaline and start thinking about yourself!” Zipp tried to tell her worriedly. “You’re never going to be at peace with what happened if you keep beating yourself up over it!”

“I DON’T HAVE ANY MORE TIME!!!” Misty snapped. The pegasus was taken aback by her friend’s outburst, stunned into silence. “No matter how you try and spin it, Zipp, Sunny betrayed us because of me! She felt left out because of me!! I’ve done nothing but cause you all pain, suffering, and heartache since the moment I got here!! I’ve done nothing but hurt your friendship and betray your trust!! Now I finally have the opportunity to make up for all that! You want me to be at peace?! At least let me do something useful for once!!”

After a brief moment of saying nothing, Zipp relented. Her eyes indicated that she was not happy with her decision in the slightest, but that she valued the greater good more.

“Damn it, Misty…” she muttered, shaking her head with a mix of both exasperation and resignation. Finally, she looked up. “Fine. But you better have a great plan in mind, I swear.”

“I do,” Misty confirmed. “I’ve been thinking it over for a while now, but I believe that we might have a fair shot. But we have to get the others on board first.”

Zipp and Misty headed back up the ramp together towards the bedroom where they found the lights on and their friends searching all over the place. While Misty was talking with Zipp, Hitch had vanished into the night and was now nowhere to be seen.

Pipp was checking under the beds while Izzy was checking the windowsills. No matter where they looked, there was no sign of Hitch anywhere. Upon seeing her sister, Pipp leapt into her hooves and hugged her tight.

“Hey sis,” Zipp greeted her, gently prying the pink pegasus off of her chest. “What’s going on? I just went down to grab a glass of water.”

“Hitch is gone!!” Pipp exclaimed. “We thought you had vanished too and I was freaking out big time!! Thank goodness you’re okay!”

“Don’t worry, I’m okay.” Zipp assured. “I just had a little conversation with Misty. She still hasn’t fully forgiven herself for what’s happened. Come out, Misty.”

Misty walked out from behind Zipp and faced her other friends. She had a feeling as to where Hitch might’ve gone as this wasn’t the first time she had woken up in the middle of the night. She had done this many times over and she always remembered hearing screaming coming from the streets below. Normally, she assumed that it was because the other ponies were still on edge from losing their magic again, but now she realized that it may have been for a different reason. But she had something else she had to get off of her mind first.

“Guys…” Misty said, taking a deep breath. “Do you remember our last mission where we tried to stop Opaline from destroying Bridlewood?”

Pipp nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I remember that well. What about it?”

“I want to try again,” answered Misty. She took a step forward towards them and looked at them all in the eyes. “Look, I know we all failed before last time, but even though we did…it made me realize that I actually had the courage to stand up against her. It felt exhilarating…taking the initiative and leading a mission. And I was going to do all of this myself and leave you guys out of it this time, but…Zipp stopped me from leaving.”

“And for good reason,” Zipp stated firmly. “If you’re going to do something dangerous like this, you have to include us. We care about you way too much for you to do this alone.”

Izzy’s eyes reflected concern. “Misty…we can’t keep dragging ourselves out like this and repeatedly failing. I know you blame yourself a lot, but…I-I’ve already since let it go. I know Sunny is never coming back, and we’ve all accepted you as our new leader anyway. Not every problem has a solution.”

“But this one does,” Misty insisted, remaining firm. “I know we can save her, I just know it. One way or another, we can stop Opaline and end this madness. We can save Sunny, we can put all of it back. We just need to try. Please…will you guys trust me to do this one last time?”

Pipp sighed. “We’ll…talk about this later one on one. But first, we need to find Hitch. That’s what we have to worry ourselves with at the moment. He could be anywhere at this time of night.”

“I think I may know where he is,” Misty told them. “I’m not entirely sure and I may be wrong. But…we should probably check the streets.”

“The streets?!” Izzy asked in confusion. “Why would Hitch be patrolling the streets this late in the night other than to try and imitate-“ That was when her face lit up with realization. “Oooooh!! That makes sense.”

“What?” inquired Pipp nervously.

“You know that time Hitch activated Operation Glitterbomb?” Misty asked them. “Izzy, you told me about that.” The lavender unicorn nodded. “Well…every night, I hear the sound of ponies screaming out in the streets. And…there’s always a bright light coming from outside keeping me up.”

“And you never checked to see whether there was a fire because…” Zipp seemed confused by this revelation.

“I just assumed that the other ponies were still freaked out over magic disappearing…” answered Misty quietly.

“Hey,” Pipp noticed, looking around in confusion. “Is it just me, or are you guys hearing boss music outside?”

Suddenly, the ponies turned their heads to the window upon hearing the sounds of screams and crashes coming from outside. They ran to the windowsill, only to see the night sky light up with the symbol of Hitch’s cutie mark and a masked figure jump from the top of the Sheriff’s Department, landing on three unsuspecting ponies who were attempting to run away from him.

Zipp facehoofed. “That moment when you’re a better detective than me, Misty.” She faced the others. “Hurry! We have to stop him before he kills somepony!!”

There was no warning, nor any time for an explanation. The moment the beacon was activated, he was on them in an instant. To the ponies of Maretime Bay, that light was not a symbol. It was a warning. He wasn’t just hiding in the shadows.

He was the shadows.

Former sheriff Hitch Trailblazer leapt from the top of the Sheriff’s Department onto the Filly Four faster than a lion trying to catch its prey. They had hurt his closest friend and led her down a path to darkness. From now on, he was going to make sure that they never hurt anypony again.

He hated them for what they had done. It was because of them that this whole mess had happened. He wanted to see them suffer for what they had done to Sunny. It wasn’t enough that he had charged and sentenced them. No. That was too lenient. In order for those little brats to understand the full ramifications of the horror they had unleashed, they had to feel the same pain that Sunny felt when she was at their mercy. He knew that they would never learn unless they were given a taste of their own medicine.

Earlier that night, Sugar Moonlight and her friends had attempted an escape from their holding cells in his office at midnight while he was asleep. Despite resigning from office, he still lived in the building as he considered it his home. He had been alerted instantly to the escape attempt by his animal deputies swarming him and the alarm blaring at full volume in his ears. Within seconds, he was on the chase, decked out in full costume. Upon reaching the top of the roof, he turned on that dreaded beacon and leapt straight for them with no intent of mercy.

Sugar looked up and saw him heading right towards her. Her eyes filled with fear as she turned towards her friends. “Run!!”

The three mares took off as fast as they could running in an instant, with the former sheriff right on their tails. Hitch chased after them, an expression of rage on his face. He didn’t care how tired he was. He was going to get them no matter the cost. He had no other goals other than vengeance. He was a carnivorous predator in the wild, only knowing how to hunt and catch.

He pursued them down the streets, knocking over abandoned grocery carts and stop signs in the process. Sugar and Rosedust then separated in order to throw him off, running through one abandoned alleyway while Lily went down another. Unfortunately for Hitch, he was too late to stop them from doing this. He could only see where Lily was going, so he focused on her.

He ran after her and saw the terrified mare disappear into a hardware store that was closed for the night. With little effort, he burst through the automatic doors, shards of glass falling in every single direction. Seeing him right behind her, Lily shrieked and disappeared behind an aisle of smartphones and chargers. He followed her, picking up the pace so as to not lose her.

In his mad pursuit, he inadvertently bumped into the shelves to his left, sending it falling towards the ground. Boxes flew all over the place and some cords that had been opened fell out and landed on the floor. Fortunately for him, he ran out of the way just as it collapsed, narrowly avoiding it. Some of the chargers caught fire and began to smolder from the electricity.

Lily turned left and ran down another section. She slowed down a little bit, thinking that she had lost him. But right as she was about to stop and catch her breath, Hitch burst through the flaming isle, hooves outstretched in an attempt to catch her. She yelped and threw a discarded box at him. He shook it off of him, growling in an animalistic manner. Her eyes went wide as she realized too late that this only served to make him angrier.

She headed down another aisle in an attempt to make a beeline for the exit. He was after her again in an instant, trailing close behind her as she burst out of the exit. He broke through the glass again just as the interior of the store exploded and lunged straight for her. She ducked and move off to the side, resulting in him in landing headfirst on the hard concrete. He groaned, wiping the fallen leaves and sticks out of his eyes. By the time he got up again, she was gone again.

He had to think on his hooves. He looked all around desperately for any signs of activity, finally getting his break when he saw a red and white tail disappear behind another alleyway. He smirked sadistically to himself. He finally had his true target in sight.

He took off after Sugar and Rosedust. As he pursued them, he reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a black bat-shaped boomerang. With the weapon in his hooves, he reached back and hurled it at the two mares.

The boomerang landed on Rosedust, knocking the mare off her hooves. She screamed as she fell to the ground. He was on her in an instant, knocking the wind out of her with one simple punch to the chest. It was then that he took off after Sugar. However, the lavender mare had a bit more of a brain than her friends as she kept zigzagging and accelerating at random intervals, sending him crashing into walls on either side.

He quickly recovered, only to see her disappear from sight as she exited the network of alleyways and returned to the streets. He snarled and for a moment, he thought he had lost them for good. However, his eyes suddenly noticed the top of Mane Melody, which was in his line of sight. He ran towards the salon and pulled out a grappling hook from his saddlebag. He swung it to the roof and then began to climb up the walls with his hooves.

After much effort, he reached the top and jumped, leaping onto the roofs of various buildings and using the hook to swing between others, all while keeping a close watch on the mare throughout. There was the sound of thunder and a bolt of lightning struck the side of a house that he had just swung from. He leapt down towards the ground again, dropping, tumbling, and rolling before standing up again. He caught onto her and swiped at Sugar from behind. The mare briefly stole a glance behind her and squeaked, not expecting to see him still chasing her.

He pounced on her, grabbing her by the neck in an attempt to strangle her. She squirmed and fought in his grasp before managing to break free by kicking him in the chest. Hitch was knocked back several feet and saw her take off again. He yelled with rage and sprinted after her as fast as possible.

He swiped at her tail again, managing to slice a small portion of it off in the process. Sugar yelped upon feeling that. He threw another boomerang at her, but she ducked, causing it to miss her mane by half an inch. She ran through the streets across multiple blocks, bumping into streetlights and throwing anything she could to knock him off her trail.

Meanwhile, about several ponies had overheard the destruction of the hardware store from their houses and they opened their windows to look outside, only to see their deranged former sheriff acting like Batman and chasing a seemingly innocent mare throughout the town square. Many of them just shrugged it off like just another normal Monday and closed the blinds right afterwards while others looked on in concern.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sugar seemed to spot a quick getaway to her right in the form of a grocery store. She burst the doors, shattering them into many shards of broken glass that temporarily blinded Hitch as he followed close behind her. He let out a guttural scream as they flew into his eyes, momentarily stopping to pull them out one by one. She used this time to disappear into an open storage closet in the back of the store.

Once he was recovered, he was after her once again. The two pursued one another throughout the closet, knocking down many items and shelves in the process before stampeding towards the exit and returning to the outside streets once more.

After a while of running, Hitch lost her once again. This time, however, he didn’t think to give up as he knew that she was around here somewhere. He slowed down once he began to hear commotion. He peeked behind a corner and saw that Sugar had regrouped with Lily near Canterlot Studios. The two were talking nervously and quietly, so as to not alert him.

“…we’ll have to move,” Sugar explained. “There’s no stopping him. Find Rosedust and let’s get back to my house. We’ll be safe there.”

“A-a-are you sure?” Lily asked in a trembling voice.

“How should I know?!” Sugar snapped in response. “We’re dealing with a genocidal maniac here. Let’s go before either of us get caught again! I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nearly lost my whole freaking tail!”

Lily nodded meekly. “O-of course. A-any place but that blasted cell…”

“Funny you should say that…” came a familiar disembodied voice. “After all, that is where you should be.”

Sugar looked around frantically, clearly paranoid out of her mind. “Where are you?! Show yourself!!!!”

“Up here.”

She looked up to the top of the Canterlot Studios building, but it was too late to say anything as he leapt from the building and pounced on them both. As he landed on them, he heard them scream in terror, but he didn’t care one bit for them. He wanted them to pay. His heart filled with hatred and rage, he started beating them over and over with his hooves.

They struggled and fought against him as he did so, yet that only made him angrier. He increased the violence and smacked them across their faces multiple times as punishment.

The beatings continued, all while they shrieked and cried for mercy. Blood spilled across the pavement with every single punch he delivered. He smiled sadistically as he heard the sounds of bones and ribs cracking. Within minutes, Lily was rendered unconscious, leaving only a frightened Sugar Moonlight left alive.

“S-S-Sheriff H-H-Hitch, p-p-please…” Sugar choked out while coughing up blood.

“What do you have to say for yourself?!” Hitch demanded, his voice amplified beneath the voice modulator and the mask. “WHY SHOULD I SHOW ANY MERCY TO YOU AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO SUNNY?!!!”

“S-s-she d-d-deserved-“

“SHE DESERVED WHAT?!!!” screamed Hitch. “DESERVED TO BE SHAMED?!! IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SAY?!!! IS IT??!!! IS IT?!!!!!!” He pressed a hoof against her neck. “LOOK AT WHAT YOU TURNED HER INTO!!!!!!!”

Sugar coughed and gagged, all while trying to get her words out. “I-I-I-I c-can’t b-breathe-“

The deranged former sheriff growled once more. “Sorry doesn’t cut it anymore, Sugar. You and your cult are the reason why Sunny is with that monster. You are the reason why magic is gone!! Tell me…” He pressed further down on Sugar’s neck, all while the poor mare continued to try and helplessly fight for her life. His sadistic smile grew wider and wider as he did so as he prepared to give Sunny’s tormentor what she deserved. “Do you bleed?!” She choked and gagged, coughing out pools of blood from her mouth as he violently strangled her. “You will.”

“S-S-Sunny w-w-w-wouldn’t w-want-“

“HOW DARE YOU SPEAK HER NAME?! DON’T YOU TELL ME WHAT SHE WOULD’VE WANTED!!!! YOU HARDLY KNEW HER AT ALL!!!!!”

“P-p-please-“

“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!”

“I-I-I-c-c-can’t b-b-breathe-“

Right as he was about to completely lose his mind and choke Sugar Moonlight to death for what she did, however, he heard the sounds of running hoofsteps coming towards him out of the corners of his ears. Before he could blink, he was tackled to the ground by none other than Misty. Acting quickly, she was able to pin him down long enough for the tortured mare to scramble to her hooves and escape.

She disappeared into the dark shadows of the night, limping and dragging the unconscious body of her friend behind her.

Hitch got to his hooves and picked up his mask after realizing it had had fallen off. Before long, Zipp, Izzy, and Pipp arrived at the scene. They all wore concerned and worried expressions on their faces and it became clear that they were worried about him.

“Hitch!!” Zipp scolded. “What in Mom’s name were you doing?!! You could’ve killed Sugar Moonlight!!”

Hitch glared at her. “She would’ve deserved it for what she did. I hope you’re happy with yourself, Zipp. Now you’ll never see proper justice carried out.”

“Proper justice?!!” demanded Zipp. “You can’t be hurting ponies like this!!”

“Honestly, what’s gotten into you lately?! Misty says you leave the Brighthouse every night nowadays to do this!” Pipp added angrily.

“It’s true…” Misty replied. “I hear shouts and screams every night and it keeps me up. Now I know they come from the ponies you target.” She took a couple steps towards him. “I know you’re grieving over Sunny, but you can’t let her decision get to you.”

“Why not?!” Hitch shot back. He couldn’t even fathom the notion of not punishing the ponies of Maretime Bay for what they did to his best friend. “Those ponies hurt her!! They made her do this!! They deserve to die for what they did!! All of them!!” He could feel tears rush to his eyes and he sat down on the ground, putting his head in his hooves.

Misty put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. “Please, Hitch. Come back with us. I think we might have a plan to rescue Sunny. But we need your help.”

“Don’t do that…” Hitch told her, shaking his head vigorously. “Don’t give me hope…”

Misty’s eyes glistened with tears of her own. “We’re sorry that we couldn’t give it to you sooner. Please, Hitch. We need you…”

Finally, Hitch capitulated. He knew that he had nothing to lose at this point and that it was better to try than do nothing at all. “Fine. You win…what do you all have for me?”

Hitch emerged from the shower and dried himself off with the nearest towel hanging on the racks. He then emerged from the bathroom to find Misty patiently waiting for him outside. She had a concerned look on her face and he knew that she felt worried about him. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate her being there, he just still slightly resented her for everything that had gone wrong in his life, even though he knew it wasn’t entirely her fault.

She was just trying her best to make up for her past actions, and he understood that. However, that didn’t stop him from harboring animosity towards her due to the fact that it was because of her that Sparky and Sunny were both gone. And now she was proposing another rescue mission, even though the previous one had resulted in an innocent village being burned to ash.

He wanted nothing to do with her silly games, yet he also could not bring himself to refuse her offer either, almost as if there was a slight chance that one of them would work that he didn’t want to pass up.

“Are you okay?” Misty asked him softly, taking a cautious step forward towards him.

He regarded her coldly. “You should’ve let me kill them. Those mares were responsible for Sunny getting hurt. I already resigned as sheriff, so there’s no more moral code for me to uphold. They deserve it.”

“You don’t really believe that…do you?” Misty seemed disturbed by the mere fact that he even wanted to kill them in the first place, which just made him angrier at her. There was just so much that she didn’t understand, yet despite that, she was acting like that she knew everything about him and Sunny. She didn’t, and he wished that she would stop acting so pretentious about it.

“There’s nothing left for me to deliver except justice,” Hitch replied sternly. “I’ve wanted vengeance on those three for the longest time…but my duties as sheriff always stopped me from exacting it. Wouldn’t you want the same if Izzy got hurt?”

Reluctantly, Misty nodded. “I have to admit I’ve had my own thoughts about…going to Opaline’s castle and murdering her myself for everything she did to me, for how much she hurt us.”

“And what’s stopping you from doing just that? Sounds like attempting that would be very cathartic for you right about now.”

“Two things…” Misty admitted. “One is the fact that in spite of everything…she was the pony who took me in and raised me. And two…on the night that I finally committed to doing it, Zipp was there to stop me. I think she did more for me in that moment than anyone.”

Hitch scoffed. “That’s quite ironic.”

“Why?”

“Izzy and I tried doing everything for you to help you get over your depression, yet it was Zipp of all ponies who ended up doing the most for you. What kind of living paradox is your life, Misty?”

“I wish I knew…” Misty looked down at the ground in sadness.

Hitch sighed deeply, glaring at her. “You said you had a plan to rescue Sunny. This is your last chance. If we fail this one, I’m never trusting you again. I don’t care what pathetic sob story you have to excuse it.”

His words seemed to stab Misty right in the heart emotionally as she blinked tears back from her eyes at that. “I promise I won’t let you down this time…”

“You better not.” He said coldly in response, making it clear to her that this was the final time that he was going to put himself on the line for her wild ideas.

Misty stood in front of her friends with a drawing board containing battle plans behind her. The ponies had all gathered in the living room and were discussing a way to sneak into Opaline’s castle and get Sunny back, as well as Sparky.

None of them had any clue as to whether the baby dragon was still alive or not, but they knew that sooner or later, they were going to find out the truth. The worse case scenario was that either Opaline or Sunny had killed him, but none of them wanted to believe that their closest friend would ever do something like that.

Even Misty had to admit that she was still terrified about going back to Opaline, despite that being her intention earlier in the night. She knew that stealing both Sparky and Sunny back would be a herculean task to accomplish. It all depended on how far the orange earth pony had fallen, and whether not she was willing to come back with them at all. Her outburst had made it clear to them that she was angry at them and no amount of reasoning would make the stubborn mare flip sides that easily after everything that had happened to her.

It would take a lot to bring Sunny back, that was for sure.

Sparky was a different matter altogether. Not only did they not know whether he was still alive, but they also had no idea whether he would even survive the trip home if he had survived Opaline’s wrath. There was a very strong chance that if he was alive, Sparky was most likely drained of all his dragon fire, which was the very essence that made up who he was. He was most likely near death and that was a terrifying prospect.

Despite all of their doubts, however, they knew that it had to be done. Misty knew it deep in her heart that she would never be able to live with herself if they didn’t at least attempt a rescue mission. She knew the risks, but the thought of Opaline taking over and killing her friends was too much to bear. She had to be stopped no matter what.

“Okay,” Misty spoke. “So here’s what I’m thinking we do. We take the Marestream to Opaline’s castle and make it seem like I captured you all and brought you all here just for her. I know Opaline. She has such a high ego that she’ll actually fall for that. Common sense isn’t exactly her strong suit considering the amount of failed plans she has under her belt, most of which involved me.”

Zipp stifled laughter at that last sentence.

“Just one problem,” Hitch pointed out. “What do we do if she doesn’t fall for it? Remember, we’re trying to get both Sparky and Sunny. A couple of us have to fight Sunny and take her down while another one of us gets Sparky. And we have to do it all while Opaline is distracted with her new “prizes.” We can’t be sure that she’ll be distracted that long.”

“That’s where I come into play,” replied Misty, flipping towards a map of the castle. “The first thing I’m going to do is come in and play up the whole ‘I was wrong! Forgive me, Opaline!’ shtick that will cause her to let her guard down for but the briefest of moments. Then, while I go on a monologue on how oh so terribly wrong I was, one of us sneaks upstairs and snatches Sparky. And then…well, I’ll tackle Sunny and knock her out, providing she’s even there, and we’ll haul her back to the Marestream unconscious.”

“You’re gonna TACKLE Sunny?!” Izzy looked flabbergasted at the prospect. “You know, I don’t really see that part of the plan working out too well. After all, she’s an alicorn and we’re…well, you know.”

“Powerless mortals without a hint of combat training or skill,” Pipp finished for her. “Yeah, Misty. We might need to revise the way we take down Sunny. Simply trying to pounce on her punk style isn’t really the smartest move.”

Misty nodded in agreement. “Yeah, you may be right. Any other ideas?”

Izzy raised her hoof. “Ooh ooh!! I got it!!”

“What is it?” Misty asked.

Izzy smirked. “Here’s my plan! We infiltrate the castle, confront Sunny, and offer her a gift and say ‘Hey! Wanna help us defeat Opaline together? Because all it takes is coming back with us to Maretime Bay!’ And then she’ll say, ‘Yes! I’ve been waiting for somepony to ask me! Let’s go!’ Best friends forever!!”

The others looked completely dumbfounded at Izzy’s idea.

Misty shook her head. “No no no, absolutely not. We’re going with my plan then.”

“Yeah, that has gotta be the worst plan of attack I’ve ever heard,” Pipp agreed. “No offense, Iz.”

Izzy looked crestfallen at that. It was obvious that she expected her idea to go down much better with her friends than it ended up doing.

“So I guess we tackle Sunny then,” Zipp said. “This’ll surely be a sight to behold. Pipp, make sure to capture that on your phone.”

Pipp nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, I can already see the amount of impressions this baby’s gonna get. I’ll add a sunglasses filter for you, Misty.”

Misty couldn’t imagine what she would do without her friends by her side to support her. Well, they weren’t really her friends, more so Sunny’s. Even so, they were all ready to stand by her side in battle. They had forgiven her for everything she had done in the past, and for failing to save Sunny from Opaline’s clutches. The only question was whether she could forgive herself and allow herself to be redeemed in her own eyes.

That was something she still struggled with. She still didn’t think that she was ready for that. Perhaps once they had saved Sunny and turned her back to the light, she would finally be willing to let go of her past and move forward with her life the way Zipp wanted her to. Until then, however, she would still feel responsible for it all.

“Once we get Sparky and Sunny back,” Misty spoke to her friends, “We will research a way to make new Crystals. If this Twilight Sparkle pony was able to make them, so can we. We’ll get magic back in no time.”

Hitch sighed with relief. “Well, that’s a relief. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I miss magic already, despite how unpredictable it can be.”

“So do I, Hitch, so do I. But I can’t believe it, we actually have a plan!” Zipp exclaimed.

Misty nodded in confirmation. “We have a plan. It’s all up to us. The future of Equestria is in our hooves now.”

Later in the night, the ponies began preparing themselves for the inevitable final battle that was about to take place. There was an aura of nervousness and anticipation in the air at the same time as each pony was assigned their roles. Everypony knew that there was no guarantee whether the plan would succeed or not.

Yet Sunny meant too much to all of them. She had been the one to bring them together. She had given all of them a sense of purpose in their lives when they had none. She had given them hope that they could change the world. To them, demonstrating to Sunny how much she meant to them was more important than their own lives.

Misty assisted in the preparations and once everything was loaded onto the Marestream, she went back inside the Brighthouse to collect her thoughts. All of this was still nerve-wracking to her. She didn’t know if she was going to come out alive or even worse, get her friends killed. She never claimed to be an expert strategist as she had demonstrated on several occasions how terrible she was at thinking of plans. Despite this, however, she knew she had to try her best. These ponies had placed their trust in her once again.

And unlike before, she was not going to let them down.

As she was pacing around the empty bedroom, she heard the sounds of hoofsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Izzy come walking up the ramp and stand by the doorway. The unicorn had a troubled expression on her face, which was a cause for alarm.

Misty motioned for her to come in and Izzy did so, stepping over scattered detective gear and other possessions. Once they were face to face, she asked her what was troubling her and whether it was because of what they were about to do.

Izzy shook her head. “No, that’s not it. It’s just that…” She sighed heavily. “I don’t like how you didn’t stand up for me back there when we were planning strategies. Did you really think my idea was that outlandish, Misty?”

“No! I-“

“Tell me the truth. I can tell you’re lying.”

"How?"

"We're family. I know exactly how you're feeling."

Misty looked down in shame. “I…I’m sorry, Izzy. I didn’t mean to make you feel ostracized back there, really, I…it’s just that…you know not everything can be solved with a simple lighthearted conversation, right? Especially not the way Sunny is feeling right now. We can’t just talk to her once and expect everything to be okay.”

“And is there any reason why Sunny wouldn’t listen to us?” Izzy asked her. “I was the first non-earth pony friend she ever met. If anypony can talk some sense into her, it’s me. We don’t have to resort to violence.”

“But that’s the thing!” Misty cried. “She won’t listen to us! I still play back that fateful night in my head constantly whenever I’m alone and it haunts me. I remember how angry she was, how she screamed at us while holding the Crystals up in the air as she prepared to drop and shatter them.” She shivered. “Whatever Opaline told her got to her deeply. If we’re going to get her to see reason, it’ll take lots of time. We can’t expect it to be instantaneous.”

Izzy faced her with an angry expression. “Maybe you think that way, Misty, because you haven’t forgiven yourself and you’re projecting. I know Sunny. She can be reasoned with! I know that deep down, she’s just hurting! She simply lost her way, she’s not evil!”

“Maybe she wasn’t then, but she definitely is now!” Misty shot back. “It’s been six months since magic was destroyed, who knows what lies about us Opaline has fed to her by now?! Izzy, I have the responsibility of keeping all of us alive while we go on a rescue mission that could potentially end our lives! I have the job of keeping us all together, and if there’s even a 1% chance that Sunny may not see reason, we have to take it as an absolute certainty!”

Izzy looked at her in an obviously disgusted manner. “No we don’t. If that was the logic we went on, then you wouldn’t even be here tonight. We wouldn’t’ve forgiven you as you would still be considered a threat. We gave you a chance, Misty. Sometimes all you need is a leap of faith. That’s what we did for you, so why can’t we do it for Sunny?”

“We can’t,” Misty said mournfully. “Izzy, you have to understand how much time has passed. She’s most likely not the Sunny we knew and love anymore. Bringing her back to the light will be a gradual process that isn’t so simple as talking to her.”

“It worked with you.”

“It did. But that’s because I was in the mood to talk. I had already joined your side a month ago and was considering my place here, as well as…whether I truly belonged. You ponies helped me realize that I had more to offer the world. But it’s also because of me that we neglected Sunny so badly when she needed us the most. Her turn was my fault. She hates me and probably despises the rest of you. She’s going to try and kill us. And let’s not forget that she’s the only pony in Equestria besides Opaline with magic. The rest of us are at a horrible disadvantage.”

“So there’s no happy ending for any of us here…” Izzy realized with tears in her eyes. “I can’t even tell her how sorry I am for letting her down…for being a bad friend.”

“You’re not a bad friend, Izzy,” Misty reassured her. “It’s my fault for unintentionally stealing you all away. This is my mistake to correct, not yours. You will be able to apologize to her…just not now.”

“Are you sure it’s possible…?”

“You just have to trust me,” Misty told her. “I wasn’t able to save her then, but I can save her now. If we try to negotiate, we’ll just waste time. Just…stick to the plan.”

Reluctantly, Izzy nodded, though it was clear she wasn’t happy about it in the slightest. “Fine. But you better be right about this, Misty. I hope you are.”

With that, she turned around and left the bedroom, leaving Misty alone to reflect on what she had just heard, and whether or not her friend was right. She wasn’t confident in her own words in the slightest, but she knew that she had no other choice.

The Sun rose across the horizon the next morning, illuminating the land in its heavenly and beautiful light. To most ponies, the dawn of a new day was something to celebrate and embrace. Yet Maretime Bay took no joy in it, at least not anymore. There was nothing for the townsponies to get excited over. They had magic once, but they lost it twice.

But for five quirky, but determined ponies, the dawn of a new day was something they had prepared for. As the Sun cast its rays on the Brighthouse, the doors burst open and out stepped Misty and her friends, all sporting nervous, but resolute expressions on their faces. They had wasted time for far too long, and now it was time for action. They had the means to rescue their captured comrades at last.

And hoof to heart, they were going to do just that. No matter what it took, they would see their mission to success.

“Six months ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends, we lost family, and we lost a part of ourselves. Today we have a chance to take it all back. You know your roles, you know your responsibilities. Steal Sparky back, save Sunny from Opaline…”

“…get in and get out,” Misty spoke to her friends. They were all standing by the Marestream as she debriefed them one last time on what the plan was. “No mistakes. No do-overs. We will undoubtedly be seeing Opaline, but that doesn’t mean we should be in a rush to fight. She’s so much more powerful than we are. This is a rescue mission, not a battle.”

Hitch and Zipp nodded as Pipp and Izzy loaded the last of their weapons into the back of the airship. In the past six months, the Marestream had been renovated to have an actual engine that didn’t rely on magic, as well as a trunk in the back that could store all the necessary supplies that they needed.

“Be careful.” Misty finished. “Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we’re gonna win.” She and Hitch faced one another. “Whatever it takes.”

Hitch smiled at her and for the briefest of moments, she felt assured that everything was going to work out in the end.

“Good luck.”

“She’s pretty good at that!” Izzy quipped.

“Right?” Pipp agreed with a smile of her own. She held up her phone to her face and began a brief livestream. “Alright, Pippsqueaks! My friends and I are going on a very important rescue mission, so if you all don’t hear back from me in the next few hours, then you’ll know something went horribly wrong! Thank you for all the support over the years, you’ve been the absolute best! Pipp Pipp Hooray!!”

Zipp playfully rolled her eyes.

“We are going to bring Sunny back in one piece, right?” Hitch asked. “I want a nice, clean fight! No cuts, no bruises, no nothing. And those are sheriff’s orders. She’s been through enough.”

“We’ll certainly do our best,” Misty assured him. “You’ll be there to make sure I don’t lay a scratch on her, remember?”

Hitch shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. Though as far as promises go, that was pretty lame.”

They glanced at each other and all nodded in unison. They all knew what they had to do and any doubt they might’ve had was immediately squashed by the overwhelming feeling of purpose.

“Let’s get our friend back.” Izzy said with a determined smile.

The five ponies opened the door to the Marestream and all stepped inside in a single file formation. Before long, the engines started rumbling and the ship began lifting up from the ground. It flew up towards the air and into the clouds, vanishing without a trace.

Inside the main cabin room of the ship, not a single pony was calm. Hitch paced back and forth in nervous anticipation for the inevitable confrontation while Pipp practiced meditation on the floor in order to calm herself. Ironically, it was Misty of all ponies who seemed to be in the most calm mood. She was anxious for sure, but she had gotten better at not outright showing it.

She sat with Izzy on the main red couch, keeping the other unicorn calm with her hoof around her. She was still trying to deal with the fact that she was her sister. It still didn’t feel real, even in spite of months passing. She had been alone for her whole life and suddenly she found out that she was not only friends with somepony else, but also related to her. She had always been close with Izzy and the hyperactive craftsmare had given her more kindness than anyone else, but the fact that the two were related was something else to Misty entirely. She didn’t see the resemblance between them, yet the reality was that they were family.

And family protected one another no matter the cost.

She looked over at her upon hearing the soft sound of whimpering. The lavender unicorn was staring at the ground sadly. It was at this point that Misty instantly began to fear that she had said something wrong back at the Brighthouse. She knew how much getting Sunny back meant to them both, in fact, it might’ve meant more to Izzy than her. But she didn’t know how else to phrase it other than being honest.

“Are you okay, Izzy?” Misty asked her.

Izzy looked back at her. “Huh? Oh, I’m okay. I’m just…nervous, that’s all. I still don’t like the whole attack idea. We’re just going to make Sunny angrier and she doesn’t deserve that.”

“Just don’t think of her as your friend yet and we’ll be fine,” Misty advised her. “We’re going on a mission to rescue Sparky and battle two alicorns. We’re taking one of them in for questioning, no personal stakes at all.”

Izzy threw her hooves up into the air in frustration. “Misty, you know I can’t lie to myself like that! I know full well I’m about to battle my best friend and I don’t wanna do that! I didn’t agree to this at all, why did you force this on me?!”

“Because it’s something we both want deep down…” Misty replied quietly. “I want to make up for my mistakes and you want to tell her how sorry you are. We’ll both get to have that.”

“But at the cost of what?!” Izzy demanded. “Our friendship?! At least if I try reasoning with Sunny, she’ll see that we’re not out to harm her! If we take her back by force and she sees us following your lead…she’ll…” She trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut to avoid a sudden rush of tears.

Misty understood what she was feeling. “…she’ll think we’ve really replaced her. There’ll be no doubt in her mind upon seeing you guys backing me. That’s what you’re worried about.”

Izzy nodded slowly. “My first ever true friend…she…she gave me something to look forward to in life, she…she made me realize that I’m not an outcast. She gave me friendship when I really needed it. I don’t want to lose her, Misty. Please…”

Misty didn’t know what to say in response. She couldn’t assure the unicorn of anything as she had no idea what was going to happen. All she could do was listen and try to be there for her.

Fortunately, Hitch saved her from having to say anything as he walked towards them both.

“Izzy, what choice do we have?” he asked. “Look, I don’t think this is going to pan out well either, I’m going to be honest. I’ve had my hopes dashed way too many times to really be optimistic. But if we don’t at least try, then what kind of friends would we be? We’d be exactly what she’s accusing us of being. This is more than just a mission, this is…I don’t know, it looks like we all have something to prove here.”

Izzy sighed, facing him. “Then let’s prove whatever we need to. But Misty…” She looked back at her with a pleading expression. “Promise me that we’ll come back with her, okay? Promise me.”

Misty knew that she could not promise, but she also didn’t want to make the unicorn more upset. So she decided to lie, even though doing so made her feel horrible.

“I promise.”

The skies were as dark and stormy as they usually were above Opaline’s Dark Castle. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, for the skies were always overcast. Lightning struck the ground and thunder clapped across the sky. This was the furthest place beyond the borders of Equestria where nopony ever dared to go.

The castle was a rather small structure on the tallest mountain in the land. It was worn, weathered, and rusty from age and lack of maintenance. Branches from dead trees were growing through it and it looked rather tacky at a first glance, yet the presence it carried on its own could not be underestimated.

It was a structure that held many secrets and many dangers, never to be discovered. It was from the throne room of this decrepit fortress where Queen Opaline Arcana ruled with an iron hoof, watching the daily lives of the ponies she now ruled through a special projection mirror with a perpetual sinister smile on her face.

And it was here where Misty and her friends were going to face the greatest challenge of their lives. They just didn’t know it yet. They thought it was going to be a simple rescue mission, but they were about to be proven wrong.

As the Marestream touched on the ground in front of the castle, the ponies stepped out of it and their jaws dropped in shock as they finally saw their destination face to face.

Misty swallowed hard. She had never wanted to return to this place again, but she knew that she had to if they were going to rescue Sparky and Sunny. No one ever said the right thing had to be easy, but it sure was giving her flashbacks that she didn’t want to relive.

“I take it back…” Izzy commented. “THIS is the spookiest place I’ve ever seen!!”

“Sparky’s in THERE?!” Hitch asked with dread, his shocked expression morphing into one of dismay as he thought about having to endure whatever horrors lie within that evil fortress.

Misty nodded. “Yup. I thought I’d never have to return to this decrepit castle again…” She motioned for her friends to follow her. “Come on! We don’t have a moment to lose.”

The five of them stepped inside the throne room of the castle, closing the double doors behind them as they began to explore the place a bit. They marveled at the ancient looking decor and creepy atmosphere. The throne room definitely seemed abandoned and there were no signs of Opaline or Sunny anywhere.

“She’s got great style!” Pipp marveled. Upon receiving a glare from Zipp, she cleared her throat and corrected herself. “Ahem, great evil style.”

“So where is Sparky?” Hitch asked, looking from left to right and vice versa. “Oh, I hope we’re not too late.”

Misty walked over towards the throne to look for herself and that was when her worst fears became a reality. The very dream that she had while in a coma had been real. Her eyes went wide with terror as she laid eyes on what she would always remember as the most horrible sight she had ever seen.

Underneath a small piece of fallen purple fabric was the deceased and lifeless body of Sparky Sparkeroni.

His formerly vibrant green color was now a sickly and pale gray. His eyes and mouth were still open as if frozen in time. There were cuts, scratches, and bruises all over his body as if he had been thrown around and abused before being brutally murdered. There was a deep gash on his chest where a knife had to have gone through.

Misty couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This could not be real, it wasn’t. This had to be an illusion, surely. They couldn’t have come all this way for nothing. Sparky couldn’t be dead. He wasn’t dead! She could still save him…right?

In that moment, she felt her heart sink to the very bottom of her stomach. She had failed. She had caused all of this. Because she had given Sparky to Opaline all those months ago, she had ensured that he would never see the light of day. Her entire body felt sick as the reality set in.

She had killed Sparky.

Hitch ran up by her side and grabbed Sparky in his hooves, holding him tight and beginning to sob relentlessly. Zipp, Izzy, and Pipp then followed suit, slowly walking up to their distraught friend and let him cry into their hooves while they tried holding back tears of their own. As she watched him grieve, Misty could not help but feel worse and worse for what she had done.

Sparky had meant so much to them. This wasn’t fair. They were supposed to save him, no, she was supposed to save him. She had beaten herself up for months over what she had done and she thought for once that she would have a chance to redeem herself for at least one of her failures.

But the reality was that she had doomed the baby dragon to his fate. There was no way to sugarcoat it. She had been the one to kidnap him in the first place, and she was now seeing the full extent as to how much she had screwed up. She would never forgive herself for this. She was a killer. A murderer.

She had let him die.

Instantly, Hitch’s expression changed from sadness to anger and he pushed the girls off of him, standing up. “WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR MURDERING SPARKY?!!! COME ON OUT WITH YOUR HOOVES UP!!!!”

His voice was so loud and booming that even Misty got scared for a second and she shrank away from him, thinking that it was directed at her. She knew that it wasn’t, but she felt responsible for this. It was her fault that Sparky was dead. She had no one to blame but herself.

Suddenly, there was the sound of maniacal cackling above them and a pair of green eyes emerged from the dimly lit stairwell. The shadows slowly parted to reveal orange hooves, golden wings and horn, and a purple mane and tail.

Misty instantly knew who it was and her heart sank all the way to the bottom of the ocean with dread. “Sunny…”

“You know I had the same reaction as you,” Sunny Starscout stated calmly as she flew down from the stairs and onto the ground. “I remember crying into my bed for two weeks straight, asking Opaline why she would do this to such an innocent baby dragon.” She faced her former friends with an expression of pure hatred. “How’s it feel to know that your pathetic little mission accomplished absolutely nothing?”

“Sunny,” Izzy tried to say. “I know you’re angry at us, but we didn’t mean to make you feel abandoned-“

“Oh you didn’t?” Sunny asked mockingly. She laughed, but this wasn’t one of her genuine laughs. It was obvious that she didn’t believe them and she was taunting their efforts to appeal to her better nature. “Well silly me, I must be remembering things wrong again! Look at me! Poor little Sunny; too weak and pathetic to do anything on her own! Let’s all treat her like the little foal she is, hm?!”

“That’s not what it was!” Hitch protested. “We were just trying to protect you!”

“PROTECT ME?!!” Sunny roared. “You were trying to replace me!! The moment Misty came along, you all started paying more attention to her and left me alone!! When she was in that coma, you all stayed by her side until she woke up! You took the time out of your days to comfort her!! But when I needed you guys in my darkest hour…where were you?!! That’s right. Obsessing over finding out the truth about Opaline!! NO THOUGHT AS TO HOW YOUR BEST FRIEND FELT!!!!!”

“W-w-we’re s-sorry!!” Izzy apologized, trembling. “W-we should’ve taken a break! But we thought you didn’t want anypony-“

“What kind of logic is that?!!” Sunny demanded. “I felt so scared and alone after those other ponies turned on me!! The least you all could’ve done was be there by my side! Only Misty ever bothered to be there for me every now and then!! Why didn’t you all?! Oh that’s right. It doesn’t matter how I feel now because Misty is your new favorite!!”

“NO!!”

“Misty, now!!” Zipp ordered.

Without a second to waste, Misty threw herself at the alicorn as fast as she could. Unfortunately, she barely made an inch as she was caught in a golden magic bubble and thrown against the wall. She groaned and gritted her teeth as she forced herself to stand up again. Her body ached all over from the impact, but this was no time to think about how she herself was feeling. They had a job to do.

Zipp was instantly by her side, helping her up. She glared daggers at Sunny as she began walking towards them. “You can’t be serious, Sunny!! We care about you and we want to apologize!! Just listen to us for one second!!”

“Why should I listen to you when you never listened to me?!” yelled Sunny furiously. “For the longest time, all you’ve done is patronize and belittle me!! You never took what I said seriously!! You mocked my causes and treated me like a filly who doesn’t know any better!! It’s like I don’t even matter to you all anymore!! Unlike you guys, Opaline does care about me!! Under her, I’m not weak, I’m not different, I’m special!! I AM AN ALICORN!!!”

“She’s using you!!” Misty shouted. “She won’t keep her promise to you!! The moment she’s done conquering Equestria, she’ll toss you aside like you never existed!! You don’t want this-“

“I’D RATHER BE USED THAN IGNORED!!!” Sunny screamed. “YOU MADE ME FEEL WORTHLESS!!! YOU STOLE MY FRIENDS AWAY FROM ME!!! SINCE THE MOMENT YOU CAME TO MARETIME BAY, YOU’VE CAUSED NOTHING BUT TROUBLE FOR ALL OF US, ESPECIALLY FOR ME!!! I HAD NOT FELT SO ALONE IN SUCH A LONG TIME!!!! IT MADE ME THINK OF MY DAD!!!!!!”

“I’m sorry, I-“ Misty began to say. She could feel her resolve slipping. She knew that deep down, Sunny was right in her assessment. She had been hogging all of her friends’ time, unintentionally of course, but it was time that could better have been spent comforting the poor mare when she needed them.

“Don’t you DARE try to apologize!!!” Sunny growled. “You took everything from me!! You made my friends cast me out!! Well, how is that working for you?! Do they love you yet?! Do they APPRECIATE your company?! Are they showering you with all the praises in the world?!”

“No, but-“

“EXACTLY!!!” Sunny’s horn glowed yellow and before they could blink, she had her former friends trapped in an inescapable magic bubble. They scrambled, trying to escape to no avail. She grinned widely with insanity as she watched them do so. “YOU GET WHAT YOU FUCKING DESERVE!!! IT WON’T BE LONG BEFORE THEY DROP YOU TOO!!! AND THEN WHERE WILL YOU BE, MISTY?!! YOU’LL HAVE NOPONY AND YOU WILL FEEL ALL THE PAIN I FELT!!! YOU WILL ALL SEE THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!!!! IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME!!!!!!”

As Sunny began to walk away, Misty looked around at her friends. They were all now sitting on the floor looking more helpless and depressed than they had ever been. She glanced at Izzy, who was sobbing her eyes out in her little own corner of the bubble. Then she glanced at Zipp and Hitch, who were comforting each together and refusing to look back at her. Pipp was also not her spunky, positive self.

This betrayal had gotten to them and it was then that she knew that she had to do something before either of the other ponies let their emotions consume them. She walked towards the end of her corner of the bubble and called out as loud as she could: “None of us ever meant to hurt you, Sunny!!”

Sunny turned around, her eyes still blazing with fury. She ran over to where Misty was and stomped her hooves on the ground. “Be quiet!! I don’t want to hear from any of you anymore!!!”

“I know you don’t,” Misty spoke softly, “And I don’t blame you for being angry at me. Frankly, I take full responsibility for all of it. You didn’t deserve this.”

Sunny blinked in confusion, backing up a couple steps. She never expected to hear these words coming from the blue unicorn, nor did she ever expect to get sympathy. She thought that she would be judged and scolded. Instead, she was being offered a choice to talk and her mind wanted to hear more. Regaining her composure, she stared at her prisoner. “Go on.”

It was at that moment that Misty finally realized what Izzy had meant. Sunny was hurting, and all she needed was a friend to talk to. Taking a shaky breath, she decided to finally unload everything she wanted to say. She didn’t know if it would do any good, but she hoped that she could at least explain and apologize for inadvertently hurting her so badly.

“I’m sorry,” Misty apologized, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. “You were so happy before I came along…and I took your friends away. I know how you must’ve been feeling. You needed them the most after those other ponies hurt you and it’s because of me that they weren’t there. I couldn’t get over my own pain, my own past…I made them be there for me, and as a result…I made you feel abandoned, like you didn’t have anypony to be there for you. You didn’t deserve any of this to happen to you, and I’m sorry for ruining your life.”

Upon hearing this, Sunny’s expression began to change. She was still angry, but her eyes reflected a hint of doubt and uncertainty. She blinked back tears from her eyes and Misty’s heart skipped a beat. She was listening.

Sunny walked a bit closer towards them, still refusing to get up close to the magic bubble. She faced Misty with that same cold look in her eyes, but this time it was mixed with a hint of sadness and many other emotions that she had been hiding internally for so long. Misty took this sudden change in demeanor as a clue to continue.

You treated me better than anypony ever has,” she continued, “you treated me like a friend, and you…you made me realize that there was more for me out there. You gave me a home, the life that I wanted…and I repaid your generosity by stealing Sparky and letting the rest of us neglect you after you were hurt. I still don’t forgive myself for any of it.” She faced the angry alicorn and looked her in the eyes. “You have no idea how much I blame myself for failing to save you, Sunny-“

“YOU’RE LYING!!!” Sunny shrieked, tears streaming down her face. “YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ME!!! NONE OF YOU EVER DID!!! YOU JUST USED ME AS A MEANS TO AN END!!!!”

“No we didn’t!!” Izzy instantly jumped in to back up Misty. “You changed our lives, Sunny, changed mine!! I don’t know where I would be if it wasn’t for you! You brought us together and made the world believe that we could all be friends!! We all care about you!! We love you! All we wanted to do was protect you, Sunny. We didn’t want you to be hurt again. But we went too far in doing it and…we didn’t trust you enough to make your own choices. I’m sorry we did that to you. We were never trying to replace you.”

Sunny was shaking her head in denial, trying to make sense of everything she was hearing. “No…no you’re lying…she told me…she…”

“Sunny,” Hitch chimed in sadly. “You needed me so many times throughout your life. You needed me to be there for you so many times…yet I never gave you the validation you desperately needed. I should’ve said more. I should’ve done more to really show that I care about you. So many times I let my fears for your safety consume me and I never trusted you. I always treated you like somepony to constantly be watched over. I never wanted you to go through heartbreak like losing your father again, which is why I was so harsh on you. It wasn’t my place to tell you how to feel.”

“No…y-you can’t be…I-I-you’re not-“

“I know that…” Misty told her gently. “…nothing we say can undo all the hurt you’ve been through. You’ve spent years being shunned by the community you live in, belittled by the ponies around you. But…I want you to know that I understand what that’s like. I know how it feels to not be appreciated, to be hurt by those you thought cared about you, to be betrayed, to feel worthless…to feel like you’re not worth anything…to feel like an outcast…”

“No!!” Sunny begged desperately. Her alicorn form had disappeared and she was back to her normal earth pony form, laying on the floor and sobbing. “Y-y-you d-don’t know a-anything! Stop…”

“…I know what it’s like to feel that you’re a failure, that you can’t do anything right…”

“Stop! You don’t love me…none of you do…none of you love me…they don’t love me…they don’t love me…th-they don’t…” she repeated the same words over and over again until they were barely audible and it was just sniffles and tears that came out.

“…I want you to know that…none of that is true and…you’re an amazing friend.” Misty finished, wiping tears from her eyes. Having gotten the words out of her system, she accepted her fate and walked over to another corner where she beside Izzy, the two of them holding and comforting one another.

Sunny was a broken wreck, no traces of the happy pony she once was left. As Misty listened to her cry, her heart ached for her. She wanted desperately to hold her tight and let her know that everything was going to be okay, that she wasn’t alone. But what more could she say? Nothing that she said would ever replace the amount of pain she had gone through for her whole life.

It was then that Zipp sat up and walked up to one of the corners of the bubble. “Sunny…will you look at me? I’m right here.”

The distraught earth pony picked her head up from the ground, showing off her tear-stained face and eyes. It was a sight that none of them ever wanted to see again.

“You gave us something that nothing and nopony could ever take away from us…” Zipp explained with a shaky voice. “Y-you gave us friendship, you gave us love. The blame is all ours. Like Hitch said…we should’ve…done more, been there more for you. It never truly dawned on us how fragile you really are on the inside. All that happiness and nonstop positivity in every situation…it was all a facade, wasn’t it?”

The slow nod from Sunny was all she needed to see in order for her theory to be proven true, and it just made her and the others look worse for not recognizing it sooner.

“You were hurting this whole time and we…we never noticed.”

“W-why…why else did you think that I was so clingy sometimes?” Sunny asked her, finally speaking again. “During Winter Wishday, when you were all planning on leaving to do your own plans…I-I thought we were growing apart…Same in every other situation where you guys weren’t there…the hike…I always had this fear that we would one day drift apart and…you would abandon me. Little did I know…that day came sooner rather than later…”

“And again, we only have ourselves to blame for you thinking that. You needed companionship. You needed us to constantly be there for you because we’re the only family you have. You can’t be away from us for long, I should’ve known that was the reason.”

“I-I know it sounds ridiculous to you, but-“

“No. Don’t say that. You have nothing to blame yourself for. When the Filly Four hurt you, we should’ve been on high alert. But we weren’t, because we thought that you would get through it all right. You always seemed to bounce back from any situation, no matter how bad it was. Little did we know…you internalized everything…”

“It’s too late for me, Zipp,” Sunny said. “I hurt too many ponies…I let too many die. No one will forgive me besides you guys. There’s no future for me in Maretime Bay. I’m a monster and I can’t be trusted around anyone. But I can do this…”

Sunny stood up from the ground, her expression a combination of both pain and guilt. She didn’t know what to believe at this point, but she could tell that Misty meant what she said. She looked back at her former friends, and then at Opaline’s throne.

That was when she ran up to it and kicked one of the decorative flame torches down.

Misty looked up, startled at the sound and she turned around to see Sunny slowly walking with the torch in her mouth to the magic bubble and popping it. It dissipated into thin air, little sparks of magic floating in the air before falling and being scattered around the area.

Hitch was the first to notice that they had been freed. Then the others began to notice as well and they all faced Sunny with a mix of surprise and disbelief.

“Sunny, you…you freed us?” Hitch asked her.

Sunny took a deep breath. “I still don’t forgive you guys…but I can’t bring myself to condemn you all to Opaline’s wrath. My heart will not allow it.”

“A part of you still cares…” Pipp realized.

Sunny didn’t respond to that, only staring at them in silence with a look of sadness on her face. It was clear that she still cared about them a little bit, but she could also never admit that as she still hated them deep down at the same time.

Misty stepped forward and held out her hoof. “Come back with us, Sunny. We’ll talk to the town, get them to apologize to you. We’ll figure out a plan together.”

“Yeah,” Izzy added. “We got a lot of lost time to make up! I’m sure everypony will forgive you for what you did.”

Sunny shook her head. “I’m sorry…I’m not going back. As I said…It’s too late for me now and I can’t leave anyway. Opaline’s going to come back soon from her trek across Equestria. She’s thinks that there’s other ponies out there and she wants to unite them all under her rule. If I leave, she’ll notice that I’m gone.”

“What?!” Hitch looked shocked at what he had just heard. “Sunny, you cannot be serious!! You’re actually going to stay with her?!!”

“Sunny, please!” Zipp’s voice was close to breaking. “We came all this way! We have to take you back with us! Misty, tell her!”

Misty glanced back at her. “We can’t force her, Zipp. We have to leave now before we’re captured again. At least we got Sparky back.”

“No!!” Zipp protested angrily. “This wasn’t the plan!! You said that we had to get her back!! We can’t just leave her here!!”

“We have to!!” Misty yelled at her. “Sunny just freed us!! Do you want to get us captured all over again?! Opaline won’t show us any mercy!!”

Sunny nodded in solemn agreement. “No, she won’t. I’ve gone too far to be forgiven, Zipp. I destroyed the magic. There’s no hope for me. But I can get you guys home. Just promise me you’ll never come back! I can’t save you all a second time and get away with it. If you come back…I’ll have to kill you.”

Izzy looked absolutely heartbroken. “Sunny…please don’t stay here. We’re in this together, remember? I need you…”

Sunny looked away in shame. “I’m sorry for causing you so much heartache, Izzy…” She faced the rest of them. “Go! Never come back here, promise me!!!”

Misty nodded reluctantly. She knew in the deepest corners of her mind that she was making a massive mistake. But she knew that it was Sunny’s choice in the end and she couldn’t change her mind. “I-I promise…”

With that, she and the others ran as fast as they could out of the throne room. All while they were running, Misty could feel her heart being stabbed from every angle. She knew that her friends were going to chew her out for this later, but she hoped that they would at least they would understand where she was coming from.

Once they were out of the castle, they hopped back on to the Marestream, which flew away from the area at top speed until it was gone from sight.

Back inside the throne room, Sunny stared at the opened doors with deep sadness. She could have gone back with them, but she was just too scared to face the ponies of Maretime Bay again. If they hated her before, then they definitely hated her even more now. They had no reason to trust or even associate themselves with her.

She looked down at the ground, closing her eyes and fighting back the sudden rush of tears. She truly was alone again, just like when her father Argyle died. The many years she had spent dealing with her grief had been the most difficult part of her life then and it still wasn’t any easier now.

As she prepared to return to her room, she heard the sound of humming and hoofsteps and she instantly knew who it was. Her heart began pounding as she quickly closed the doors to make it seem like nothing had happened.

Opaline Arcana walked into the throne room with a sinister grin on her face. “Turns out there are other ponies after all. Equestria’s definitely been scattered in the past thousand years. No unified government anymore. Perfect for me.” She glanced at her new apprentice. “I take it you have been doing well at home, my dear?”

Sunny nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Just the same routine as always. Nothing out of the ordinary happened here.”

Opaline looked skeptical. “You’re standing by the doors, Sunny. Are you sure there was nopony trying to seek an audience with their Queen? You didn’t happen to see Misty "Brightdawn" and those pathetic former friends of yours that she has with her now, did you?”

Sunny shook her head vigorously. “N-no!! I-I mean, I saw nothing. Nopony. I was just standing by the doors because I felt…cold…”

That appeared to satisfy her. “Very well then! We’ll get them next time. I thought they would be in a rush to rescue you from me. But it looks like I was right. They clearly don’t care about you in the slightest after all.” She began to fly up the stairs. “Come, Sunny.”

Sunny sighed heavily and followed the alicorn upstairs, her mind still reeling from the unexpected reunion that she had with the ponies that she had once called her friends. She questioned why she had freed them, why she had let them go, and most importantly…

…Who was telling the truth?

The Marestream emerged from the clouds and touched down on the ground beside the Crystal Brighthouse. Several hours had passed since they had departed and it was now nighttime. Once the ponies stepped out and had time to collect themselves, they began to engage in a full blown argument with Misty over what happened in the castle.

Misty tried to defend herself, but she knew that she was in the wrong. She knew that she could’ve convinced Sunny to leave with them. Alas, she did not and now everyone was angry at her. She didn’t blame them as they had put their trust in her and she had let them down.

If only they understood why she had agreed to Sunny’s wishes and why she was too afraid of losing her friends to Opaline’s wrath to try harder. Most of the plan had fallen apart the moment it was discovered that Sparky was dead. But she could have salvaged the rest of it. She wished she could’ve done so.

“I can’t believe it!!” Zipp shouted. “You left Sunny with Opaline?! What the heck got into you back there?! You told us that we were going to rescue her!!”

“That was the plan, I promise!” Misty insisted. “We had no idea that Sparky was actually dead! We didn’t know how far gone Sunny was! This was never going to work and I only did it anyway because I still blame myself for all of this!!”

“That’s the problem!!” Hitch shot back. “You’re too afraid of losing us to Opaline that when an opportunity presented itself to win Sunny back, you didn’t take it!!”

“Well at least I negotiated with her like Izzy wanted!!” yelled Misty, “I knew this wasn’t going to work! I knew we were going to fail!! But I thought if we at least tried, then I-“

“You what?!” Pipp interrupted her. “You would’ve felt better about yourself?! Seriously, Misty, you need to let your emotional baggage go!! We had the chance to get Sunny back and end things!! You were able to reason with her!! She even freed us!! That proves she’s not evil like you thought! Why didn’t you push her a little further?!!!”

“I’m sorry, I-“

Izzy was the one who looked the most upset. “I went along with your plan despite not agreeing with it. I thought you were going to save Sunny no matter what…but instead you left her in the hooves of her torturer, I just…I just can’t believe you. You lied to us again.”

“No!!” Misty cried. “I didn’t lie to you!! I wanted to save her!! I wanted to bring her home!! I just didn’t know what to do, honest!!”

“You haven’t been honest with us ever!!!” Zipp yelled.

Hitch’s eyes were filled with absolute rage as he glared at her. “Yeah. I guess old habits really do die hard, don’t they?!”

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes and she began sobbing as she desperately tried to think of something to say, anything that would explain her act of cowardice to them. She had no defense, no excuse, no explanation that would absolve her of any guilt. She was at fault and there was nothing she could say to defend herself no matter how hard she tried.

“At least we tried something!!” she snapped through tears and sniffles. “I knew this wasn’t going to work, but I did it anyway!! You want to know why?! Because all I wanted for the longest time was to make up for everything I did, for ruining your lives!! All I’ve done since coming here was drive you ponies apart, and I thought if we were to try this half-baked plan, I would finally be doing something right! I wanted to feel like I’m not a burden on you all!“

“NOT A BURDEN?!!” Zipp screamed back at her at the top of her lungs. “What do you think you’ve been this whole time?! You know, you were right about one thing, Misty. It’s because of you that all this happened!! IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT SUNNY GOT HURT!!! IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT SPARKY IS DEAD!!! YOU KILLED HIM BY CONDEMNING HIM TO THAT MONSTER!!!! AND NOW SUNNY HATES US BECAUSE SHE THINKS WE LOVE YOU MORE THAN HER!!! IT’S BECAUSE OF YOU THAT SHE JOINED OPALINE!! YOU DESTROYED OUR FRIENDSHIP, MISTY!!!!!”

“I-I-I-I’m s-s-sorry-“

“I went along with your crazy idea and comforted you last night because I believed that you genuinely wanted to make up for your mistakes!! You promised me that you were going to bring her home!! Never in a million years would I have imagined you leaving her behind!!” Zipp finished angrily. “You may have fooled everypony else into thinking you changed, but you’re certainly not fooling me!! You wanted the mission to fail, didn’t you?! That’s why you took us to Opaline!! YOU WANTED HER TO CAPTURE US!!!!”

“No!!”

Hitch was the next to confront her and he laid into her thick, letting all of the emotions that he had been bottling up for the past year spill out in one thunderous display of rage.

“You took everything and everypony that I ever loved away from me, Misty!!” he interrupted her. “I loved Sparky more than anything in the entire world. And he is dead because of your actions!! The baby dragon that I practically called my son was murdered in cold blood because of you!! Because of your stupid grief!! You couldn’t stop feeling sorry for yourself in time to save his life!! His blood is on your hooves!! And don’t even get me started on Sunny!! When she needed me most, I wasn’t there for her!! MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND!!! I WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR HER!!! WHEN SHE FIRST STARTED BEING AN ACTIVIST AND GOT REJECTED BY THE TOWNSFOLK, I WAS THERE TO CONSOLE HER AND TELL HER TO KEEP GOING!!! I WAS THERE FOR HER WHEN SHE BROKE INTO CANTERLOGIC!!! I WAS THERE FOR HER WHEN SHE GOT BEATEN UP BY THAT PATHETIC BRAT SUGAR MOONLIGHT!!!”

“P-pl-please, I-“

“And yet when she was hurting the most and needed the support of the pony she grew up with and practically considered her brother, where was I?!!” he continued. “Oh that’s right. Dealing with your antics and trying to come up with plan after plan!! All that time I spent by your side while you were recovering was time I could’ve spent with Sunny, talking with her, and helping her deal with her insecurities!! All that time we spent reading that stupid Journal was precious time that I could’ve been spending with my best friend in her distraught mental state!! I could’ve prevented her from falling to Opaline if I was just there for her more!! You’re the reason I wasn’t!! YOU’RE THE REASON WHY SUNNY HATES ME!!!!!!”

“H-Hitch-“

“BE QUIET!!!!! You are exactly the same pony you were before you left Opaline!!” Hitch accused her harshly. “I find it hard to believe that you didn’t want to destroy our friendships from the moment you met us. Nothing’s changed about you, so stop pulling that cheap ‘second chance’ nonsense with us. We don’t want to hear it. You’ve manipulated us long enough, so give me one reason why I shouldn’t lock you up for all the crimes you committed.”

Misty had nothing to say in response. She knew that ultimately, this was her mess. She couldn’t explain herself to them as they wouldn’t understand. If only they knew the amount of guilt she felt for everything that had happened to all of them and how she might’ve doomed the town to an eternity of oppression and tyranny. She didn’t mean to destroy their friendship. All she wanted was to feel like she belonged somewhere.

She looked at Izzy for any shred of sympathy, hoping that the lavender unicorn’s kind-hearted nature would allow her to understand how she was feeling. However, all she got from her was a look of pure anger. Tears were streaming down her face and she looked away instantly, sending the message that she didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

Without saying anything more, Misty sprinted off into the darkness and towards the Brighthouse, the only sounds being her hooves running in the tall grass and the chirps of crickets. Once she was inside she slammed the doors behind her. She didn’t know what she was doing, but all she knew was that she wanted time alone.

She headed up the ramp and took the elevator up to the place where the Unity Crystals used to be. As she stepped out of the chamber, she saw the shattered remains of the three artifacts that once held all of Equestria’s magic. Her eyes filled with tears as she walked through the destruction. It was because of her that magic was gone, and she had only made things worse by failing her friends.

They thought that she had lied to them and although she knew that she hadn’t, she didn’t know to explain that. She understood that they would most likely never trust her with anything again and she was scared to face them once more. She could never explain herself properly. Her friends would never believe her.

She sat down and let her tears fall onto a couple of the shattered pieces, feeling worse than she ever had before. She felt like a failure and all she wanted to do was end her suffering. She couldn’t do anything right and it was pointless to keep on living.

She couldn’t even save those that she loved.

Just as she was about to give up hope, however, she noticed one of her tears had fallen on a fragment of the Unicorn Crystal. The piece then began to vibrate and pulsate with pink magic. She gasped as a beam of energy shot out of it and towards the center of the rainbow prisbeam, which began to swirl with energy. This was then followed by the fragments of the Pegasus and Earth Pony Crystals as well.

“Misty…”

Misty glanced up, startled by the sound of her name being called. She looked around every which way and saw nopony there. Then, she looked to the spot where the Crystals used to be and she found the source. The voice was calling to her from inside the shattered pieces of the gems

The energy began to gather in the center and slowly come together, taking the form of a pony. No, it was not just any ordinary pony. It was a unicorn…no, it was an alicorn! She had a blue and pink mane and tail, as well as purple eyes. Her coat was lavender and her cutie mark was of a large pink star with five other small white stars around it.

Misty could not believe what she was seeing. Her mouth was wide open in shock as she took in the sight in front of her. She knew that there was no other pony that this figure could be. It was undeniable and clear as day.

Princess Twilight Sparkle.

This was no mere hologram like what Zipp had described. This was the spirit of the former ruler, a ghost in full form. And she was speaking to her from beyond the grave.

“Twilight Sparkle…?” Misty asked in confusion. “How are you here? I thought you’re-“

Twilight’s expression was somber as she faced the unicorn. “Dead? I am. The spell I cast on Opaline removed my immortality. But although I am gone physically, my consciousness has lived on for generations in what was once these Crystals. I lay dormant for years until you ponies awoke me with your unity.”

“I’m sorry…” Misty apologized, hanging her head low with grief. “I can’t imagine what it must feel have felt like to watch your kingdom die…”

“It was an inevitability that could not be prevented,” Twilight answered sadly. “But I do not blame you ponies for what you did.” She looked her in the eyes as her expression changed from disappointment to seriousness. “Listen to me, Misty. Opaline is coming and the Magic of Friendship is in danger once more! You must save Sunny Starscout and bring her home.”

“How can I convince her?!” shouted Misty with tears in her eyes. “I can’t even forgive myself and my friends hate me now! I just don’t know what to do…”

Suddenly, she felt a hoof lift her chin up and she was now staring into the eyes of the deceased alicorn. Twilight looked at her with a face of compassion and empathy, radiating wisdom beyond her years with the words that she spoke next. “Many moons ago, a student of my own taught me a valuable lesson that I will never forget; that nopony is beyond redemption.”

Misty sniffled, wiping her tears with her hooves as she processed what she had just heard from the former ruler. “Not even me…?”

“You made a mistake, Misty,” Twilight told her gently. “You were manipulated by somepony close to you. None of this was ever your fault.” Her image then began to glitch and slowly disappear as it did before when she had first appeared to the Mane 5.

Misty instantly noticed this. “No!! Please, Twilight!! Don’t leave me! I need your help…”

“I never left you, and never will. Remember, Misty. Friendship…is…magic…” With that, she completely vanished and the shards stopped glowing.

Misty looked down on the ground, her thoughts spinning around in circles like a tornado inside her mind. She closed her eyes in deep contemplation as the reality of her situation became clear. She knew what she had to do, but she didn’t know if she even had the strength to do it, nor whether or not she was going to make it out alive.

She had to confront her past and save Sunny from Opaline. But she had no idea how. Opaline was extremely powerful and would crush her in an instant. She also knew that she would have to do it without her friends. They no longer trusted in her, so she was on her own. The thought was scary and filled her entire being with dread. She didn’t think she was ready to face the pony who had put her through so much pain and suffering throughout her entire life. She had no clue on how to convince Sunny to come back with her as the earth pony had refused to do so the first time. There were so many unknown variables that told her that this was a bad idea and that she shouldn’t go through with it.

However, she knew that she had to anyway. Living with so much grief and regret for her entire life made her depressed, and if she was going to die, she wanted to do so fighting for what was right. It didn’t matter what her friends thought of her now. They would understand in the end what she had done. She didn’t need their forgiveness to be happy. All she really needed this whole time was to forgive herself for not only her past mistakes, but for everything she had done.

There was no more time to blame herself. The fate of the world depended on her. She had failed those who she cared about before, but she was going to set things right. She knew that she couldn’t take back all of the horrible things she had done and the emotional trauma she had inflicted on her friends multiple times, but she was going to make damn sure that such things never happened to them again. Failure was no longer an option. She finally had a cause worth fighting for.

She opened her eyes at last with a newfound resolve. She was no longer the scared, broken, and abused young mare who left Sparky in Opaline’s clutches a year ago. She was no longer the cowering, sobbing wreck who had failed to stop the magic from being destroyed. No longer was she a worthless slave whose only purpose was to be pushed around and stepped on.

She was Misty Brightdawn. She was somepony. She had a purpose that transcended beyond anything she had ever imagined, a friend to save, a destiny that awaited her.

And she was going to save Equestria or die trying.

Without giving her brain a chance to change its mind, she took off on her hooves in a hurry. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew that she couldn’t stay here. She had to find help. It was because of her mistakes that the other ponies hated each other again. She vowed that she was going to undo this and bring them back together. In order to do that, however, she had to reach Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood. She had to convince the unicorns and pegasi to come back.

Once she was downstairs, she put on her purple cloak to avoid detection by her friends. She couldn’t let them see that she was leaving. This had to be a surprise. She slammed the doors open in a triumphant manner and ran outside as fast as she could, feeling the warm air assault her face. Her hooves ran through the grass faster and faster as she picked up speed. She clenched her teeth in determination as sweat began appearing on her forehead as a result of how fast she was running.

The minute she was far enough away from the Brighthouse, she took off her cloak and tossed it to the wind as hard as she could behind her, where it landed on the sidewalk with a soft thud. In that moment, she felt more free than she ever had in her life. That cloak had been a symbol of all of her grief and conflict for so many years, and she was finally letting it go. Throughout her entire life, she had done nothing but use it to hide from the outside world and those she had wronged. Now, she had no more use for it.

The Sun was slowly rising above the horizon, lighting up the sky above it. The bright rays and golden aura shone brightly, illuminating her in a heavenly light as she continued her sprint. From a distance, the light made her seem like a shadowy silhouette. She had always hidden from the light, yet she was always drawn to it all the same. Here she was now, however, at long last embracing the Sun’s rays and the freedom it represented. It was her cheerleader, egging her on with every step she took.

As she ran, the wind blew her mane back and her face lit up with a bright and wide smile as the sights around her became clear. She was finally seeing everything around her in a whole light. Suddenly, the world was different to her now, no longer inhibited by the rigid and cynical ways that Opaline had attempted to impose on her. She was now liberated, unbound by any threat or order. She could go anywhere and meet anypony she wanted. She could travel the globe and finally experience life the way that it was always meant to be experienced.

The future was in her hooves. She had a second chance at last to make things right. And hoof to heart, she was not going to waste it.

The Royal Palace
Zephyr Heights

“Your majesty?”

Queen Haven looked up from the ground at the sound of somepony calling her name, thoughts of love and loss being ripped from her in an instant. She had been thinking of Alphabittle and the life that she could have had with the burly stallion before magic was destroyed once more and the ponies had started blaming each other again. Being the leaders of two respective cities, they had to cut ties and it hurt her just thinking about it.

As she located the source of the voice, she breathed a sigh of relief once she realized that it was coming from none other than one of her personal guards, Zoom Zephyrwing. She and Thunder Flap were leading a blue unicorn into the throne room, flanking her on both sides like a prisoner. The unicorn had the traditional security shield placed on her horn, a tennis ball.

“We found this unicorn at the gate,” Zoom stated. “She claims to have a desire to speak with you.”

Haven gave a simple nod in response, still not fully trusting this unicorn. She could have sworn to have seen her before, but whenever she tried to think about it, her mind blanked out. Yet, she was intrigued nonetheless to find out what this pony wanted with her. Perhaps it was her ego feeding off of the attention, perhaps simple curiosity, but for some reason, she didn’t want this unicorn escorted out.

“Shall we escort her to your luxurious dungeons for sneaking into the city without proper documentation, your majesty?” Thunder asked her.

The monarch shook her head. “No. I wish to speak to this unicorn alone. I wait outside the throne room until I give my signal.”

Zoom bowed before her ruler. “Of course, your majesty.”

Thunder followed suit and before she could blink, they had run out of the throne room, hiding just behind the doors for their leader’s signal.

Haven stared at the unicorn, eyebrows furrowing in skepticism. “I could have sworn I’ve seen you before. You do look familiar.”

The unicorn lifted her head up from the floor. “My name is Misty, Misty Brightdawn. I’m friends with…well, I was friends with your daughters.”

That was when it finally clicked. “Ah! Yes, yes, yes! Now I recognize you, dear. You know, Pipp’s spoken very highly of you. Zipp, not so much. You know, you’re not easily noticeable at a first glance.”

Misty didn’t answer that, instead getting on with the point. “I know you’re extremely busy, so I’ll make this as quick as I can. I need the pegasi to come back to Maretime Bay, as well as the unicorns. Since you’re in contact with Alphabittle, I’m sure-“

“Don’t speak his name in my presence!!” Haven snapped. When she saw Misty jump back in fear, she took a couple deep breaths to calm herself. “Sorry about that, Misty, but I’m not sure you’re aware. Nopony is allowed to speak his name in my kingdom anymore.”

“Why…? I thought you two were…” she trailed off.

Haven sighed regretfully. “Close? Yes, it definitely appeared that way at one point. And we would’ve continued our relationship had our duties as leaders of separate civilizations not gotten in the way. Magic disappearing once more has put us all in quite the predicament. Oh well, at least ‘ol Alphie was understanding…”

Misty nodded slowly. “I’m sorry that happened to you. I don’t have anypony personally, so…I wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

“I can see that must be really hard on you.”

“It once was…but now I’m used to it, I think. We’ve been trying to get the other ponies back together since magic disappeared, but…I don’t know, I feel like maybe they need something stronger than that.”

Haven cocked her head in confusion. “What could possibly be stronger than magic? If that failed to unite ponies long term, then what would?”

“Friendship…”

“Pardon?”

“Sunny showed you all if nothing else that friendship was stronger than any magical incentive,” Misty explained. “Her loss brought you all together in her darkest hour. She needs your help again now, your highness. She’s been captured by Opaline and I want to save her. But I can’t do it alone.”

Haven shook her head, standing up from her throne. “Well I’m sorry to say, you’re on your own, dear. We all trusted Sunny and that whole “friendship” thing she was selling us. We felt bad for her after she lost her house and we took a gamble despite being so unsure of ourselves. We didn’t know what our future was, but we all placed our trust into Sunny. I trusted both Zipp and Pipp with her. I even thought of her as my own daughter for a brief time.” She felt tears come to her eyes and turned away. As she thought about the earth pony, her sorrow soon turned into anger and she turned back around. “And then she went ahead and destroyed those Crystals of yours, putting all of my subjects in danger.”

“It wasn’t her fault though!” Misty argued. “I apologize for my tone, your majesty, but Opaline manipulated her into doing that. She’s coming for all of you and if we don’t work together, we’ll all die!”

“It doesn’t matter who started what!” Haven shot back. “I put my trust into that slimy earth pony!! I trusted her with secrets that I wouldn’t even tell my own offspring!! And she put the whole planet at risk!! She nearly killed my precious daughters!! I’m not going to bust my chops raising an army for somepony who doesn’t deserve it!”

She felt bad for yelling at Misty, but the idea of helping the very pony who had destroyed magic in the first place sounded downright ludicrous to her. Sunny had betrayed her trust and put her subjects’ lives on the line. In her mind, there was no going back from that.

It ultimately came down to the pegasi she ruled versus an earth pony who had demonstrated without a shadow of a doubt that she could not be trusted. For Queen Haven, the choice was an easy one, and she was not going to allow herself to be fooled again like she had been before. But if that was the case, why did a part of her think to the contrary? Why did a part of her think she was making the wrong decision? She didn’t know, but her mind was made up.

Misty looked back at her with tears of her own. “So…you’re just going to leave her. In spite of all the good she has done…in spite of the genuine bond you two had, you’re not going to help me save her from Opaline.”

Haven sighed deeply. “No dear, I’m afraid not. My decision isn’t easy, but she broke my trust. I could forgive her for stealing a piece of my crown at the concert in spite of my misgivings as she needed it for a greater cause, but destroying all magic and risking my subjects’ lives is a new low that I can’t forgive. We were finally getting somewhere as a society when magic came back. Flight opened up so much opportunities for us. Now she’s set our economic and social development back years. Not to mention, it's because of her that my Zephyrina was almost murdered. There is no redemption to be found with one who puts their own friends in harm's way."

“But if you saved Sunny,” Misty insisted. “Ponies would finally be united again! You’d be able to see…err, him again and things would be back to normal! Please, your majesty, I just-“

“The answer is no!!” Haven shouted. She took a couple more breaths to calm her temper as she stared at the unicorn below her. “As a friend, I would say yes. But as Queen of Zephyr Heights, I say absolutely not. My responsibility is to protect my subjects, and most importantly, my family. Sunny is a loose cannon. She must pay for what she has done to us.”

“But-“

“And I can’t have you going after her either. If what you’re saying is true, we’re about to be invaded by an evil alicorn, the same one you once worked for, and she’ll most likely be coming for you. You were once an agent of that monster. You’ve put us all in danger by your very presence alone. I say you’ve done enough, Misty.”

Misty blinked, a look of fear appearing on her face. “What…?”

Queen Haven whistled. “Zoom!! Thunder!!”

In an instant, the two guards were back in the throne room and saluting her, waiting patiently for their next order. Misty looked at the two of them anxiously, almost as if she was beginning to realize what was about to happen to her.

“Yes, your majesty?” Thunder inquired respectfully.

“Escort Misty Brightdawn to the dungeons,” she ordered with a heavy heart. “She is to be locked up for her own protection, so she does not go after the traitor. I do not want the citizens do not try and attack her either. We hold her as leverage to get this Opaline scum to surrender!! I will release her once we have taken care of this personally.”

“No!” Misty cried desperately. “Your majesty, please!!”

“Please don’t make this harder for me than it already is,” Haven told her mournfully. “This is for your own good.” She faced her guards. “Take her away and mobilize immediately!!”

“As you wish,” Zoom responded, bowing to her. She looked at her new prisoner with a sad expression. “Come along, Misty. This’ll all be over soon, I promise.”

“No!!” Misty shrieked, struggling against the guards as they attempted to lead her out of the throne room. “You can’t fight Opaline alone!! Listen to me!!”

She managed to break free and make a beeline for the exit before she was tackled and restrained. She was still screaming and begging for Haven to listen as she was hauled and dragged out of the throne room, doors slamming closed behind them.

The pegasus monarch watched as this all went down with an expression of great disappointment and regret. She didn’t want to do this as Misty meant well, but the fate of her kingdom was at stake. She could not afford to take any chances on anypony anymore.

The main courtyard was bustling with a level of activity unseen in hundreds of moons. Many curious ponies had gathered to see their military march out of the palace. It was a rare occurrence as Zephyr Heights had always been known as a particularly peaceful nation. It wasn’t known to have too many conflicts, and the guards weren’t usually needed. This time was different, however, for the drums of war had sounded, and preparations were being made for a full-scale assault on Opaline’s castle.

The sky was overcast and covered the land in harsh shadows to reflect the grim reality of the incoming war. Thunder boomed across the sky and hard rain began to pour onto the ground below. Flashes of lightning struck the roof in a powerful display of divine fury as the heavens cast their judgment on the world below.

Percussion drums began to sound and horns were being played by the regular palace guards as part of the ceremony to make way for their higher-ranking peers. The crowd watched in trepidation either on site or on the broadcasting screen as church bells rang across the city.

The doors slammed open and an army consisting of about three hundred pegasi decked out in golden armor marched out in two battalions. They all wore grim expressions on their faces and carried the flag of the kingdom on their backs, hoisting it high into the air. They carried themselves professionally and not a single face was doubtful. They had been trained for this sort of scenario for years and endured the hardships of the boot camps. They had proven themselves on the field of battle before and had sworn an oath to execute the will of their Queen no matter the cost.

As they marched past the adoring eyes of their citizens, Queen Haven emerged from the palace as well. She was dressed in a silver commander’s uniform and a ceremonial crown for this sort of occasion. Her eyes blazed with fury and she had an an aura of authority about her that no one dared to step out of line.

She stomped her right hoof on to the ground, ordering them to come to a halt. The guards did so instantly and she walked past them, inspecting each one of them one by one before stopping at Zoom, who was leading the second division. The pegasus guard nodded and saluted her.

That was when Haven gave the go-ahead and made the charging motion with her hoof. The army moved out at once, each one of their hoofsteps making clip clop noises on the ground as they marched in formation to their deaths out of the courtyard and down the hill that led to the outside world. The sound of their marching and brandishing of swords echoed across the vicinity and up into the sky.

She watched them go, her face illuminated by the flashes of lightning above. The rain poured down on her armor, soaking it in the downpour. She was confident that they would get the job done. The time for negotiations had come to an end.

There was no time for trust nor reasoning, only war.

The Crystal Brighthouse was once again in a state of chaotic frenzy after the ponies had woken up and realized that Misty was not in bed. Once they realized that she was nowhere to be found, they checked every corner in a frantic search for about two hours before giving up to finally have breakfast with the promise of resuming the search later on.

Not a single one of them were in good spirits. Izzy was inconsolable and was being comforted by Pipp while Zipp sat in grim silence for about half an hour while eating her hayburger. The only pony who seemed to be in any rational state of mind was Hitch, who was trying desperately to start up a conversation with his friends.

“Soooooo…” Hitch began to say. “Wonderful weather we’re having right now, right? Not a single cloud in the sky! I see this as an absolute win!” When all he got was angry looks and blank stares in response, he sighed. “Alright, look. We messed up big time.”

That was when Zipp finally spoke up. “Well, look at that! The sheriff finally uses his brain. We did more than mess up big time, we made her run away!! Who knows where she is now?!”

“Probably captured by Sunny and Opaline,” Pipp replied while stroking Izzy’s face gently. The poor unicorn was sobbing into her hooves and she was trying her best to console her. “That’s my best assumption, I mean, Opaline’s no longer confined to her castle, so where she’s at now is anypony’s guess.”

“This just isn’t right…” Izzy said through tears, sniffling as she did so. “She may have lied to us, but it was well-intentioned…all she wanted to do was help and we chased her away…”

“You think that’s bad?” Hitch asked her. “I flat out accused her of being her old self! I mean, how much more heartless could I be?! I would never say that to anypony!!” He threw his hooves into the air and hung his head low in shame. “It’s official. I’m nothing without Sunny. She always knew what to say in order to keep my stress and temper under control. I always thought that I knew best, but without her, I’m a broken wreck.”

“I know how you feel,” Zipp added. “None of us have been the same since she left. It’s like when her innocence died, a part of ourselves also died alongside it. Doesn’t help that it’s because of us that she joined Opaline…” She trailed off after saying this and tried to change the subject. “Have you buried Sparky yet?”

Hitch shook his head. “No…it’s just too painful. He’s still in my room. I guess I have to pay those funeral expenses sooner or later though. My little guy deserved so much better.” He put his head in his hooves on the table. “He was my world, and Opaline took him from me…”

Zipp put a comforting hoof on his shoulder and he looked up at her, tears brimming at the corners of his eyes. She let him sob into her chest and held him as Pipp had done for Izzy.

The five of them sat in silence for about several minutes before Pipp cautiously spoke up, her face full of emotion.

“Maybe…” she whispered softly. “Maybe we’re all to blame here for what’s happened. All of us.”

Zipp looked confused. “That’s quite obvious already, sis.“

“No no,” Pipp shook her head vigorously. “You’re not understanding. I’m not just talking about Sparky and Misty. I mean everything that’s happened over this past year. We’re all to blame.”

Izzy sat up, looking her in the eyes. “What do you mean?”

“It’s all of our faults that Sparky’s dead,” explained Pipp with a shaky voice. “All Misty ever wanted was to be loved and cared for. We could’ve gotten her to open up sooner before she dragonnapped him. We didn’t think much of her suspicious antics when it should’ve been a serious warning sign. Zipp, you weren’t helping things either by constantly treating her like a criminal. You could've avoided this all if you just showed her more kindness."

Zipp tried to defend herself. “Hey, I know I was a jerk to her before, but we already talked and made up! I already apologized to her, I don’t get-“

“You apologized too late.”

This got Zipp to stop talking instantly as she knew that her sister was right. By the time she had apologized to Misty, the baby dragon had already been completely drained of his essence and killed. There was nothing she could say to sugarcoat that.

She nodded solemnly, looking away. “You’re right…this wasn’t a game. She was being abused. And I only added to it…”

“Sunny’s also gone because we weren’t there for her,” Pipp added. “Everything she said back in the castle was absolutely true. We were too focused on finding the truth about Opaline and we neglected her when she needed us the most. We had no excuse making our best friend feel abandoned. Treating her like an immature filly also didn’t help matters. Hitch, you said that you didn’t trust her. How do you think that made her feel?”

Hitch picked his head up from the table, facing her. “I imagine that she must’ve felt pretty terrible, like she didn’t have anypony who believed in or trusted her anymore. She probably felt so alone, just like when…” His eyes went wide with realization and he sighed in deep despair. “…Just like when Argyle died. Poor Sunny…”

“Why did you say that to her, Hitch?” Pipp asked him. “You knew she was more than still capable of taking care of herself.”

“I just didn’t want her to be hurt again, okay?!!” Hitch yelled, tears streaming down his cheeks. “Throughout her whole life, she’s done nothing but put herself on the line for what she believes in! I warned her when we were both 14 and she began taking up this activist gig that she would get hurt doing it one day! And then when I saw her all bloodied and bruised on the streets, being pelted and beaten by the townsponies, I didn’t know what to do! My worst fears had become a reality and I vowed to never let that happen to her again! If I had to go full sheriff mode and treat her like a prisoner to keep her safe, then I would! She means far too much to me!!”

“And did that keep her safe?”

Hitch shook his head. “No. No, it didn’t. It only made the problem worse. This wasn’t helping her and I should’ve known that. All she wanted this whole time…was a friend…” He wiped his tears with his hooves. “Not a sheriff, not an overprotective guardian. A real friend; somepony who would be there to talk and hold her whenever she needed it, somepony who…wouldn’t put her down.”

“We all messed up in our own ways…” Pipp stated gently. “And…I don’t know if we’ll ever get the chance to undo it. All we can do now is hope that we don’t get invaded, and that Misty comes back, so we can apologize to her for never believing in her.”

“She always believed in us.” Izzy piped up with a sad smile. “Even when we didn’t believe in her. That’s something, right?”

Pipp smiled back. “That she did, Iz…that she did. Both she and Sunny always stuck by us. We don’t deserve them.”

They ate in silence for the next few minutes as they silently reflected on their lives, and how much they wished that things panned out differently.

That was when the doors to the Brighthouse burst open and a teal earth pony with a red mane and tail came frantically running in with a panicked expression on her face. It was Jazz Hooves, and she was panting from exhaustion.

Pipp was the first to hear her and turn around. “Jazz?!! What are you doing here?!”

“The news broadcast outside!” Jazz stated between breaths. “You need to see this. The pegasi are under attack!!”

The ponies all ran outside as fast as they could to the town square where a television screen in front of a large crowd was relaying the latest news from Zephyr Heights. As the reporter spoke about the situation, Zipp felt her heart fill with dread. Opaline was getting bolder with each passing day, showing no mercy to her opponents.

“And this just in,” Dazzle Feather explained over footage of a large-scale battle happening right in front of Opaline’s castle. “A military patrol of about 300 pegasi sent by Queen Haven is getting absolutely slaughtered by the evil alicorn and Sunny Starscout. Body-cam footage shows guards retreating and going down in droves…”

“No…” Zipp realized, her eyes going wide in horror. This could not possibly be true. Her mother would never be so reckless with her own guards that she would send them out to die, right? But the truth was undeniable and she knew it. There was no other way to state it.

Equestria was officially at war.

In the video footage shown on the screen, the pegasi guards were getting magically sliced in half and decapitated by Opaline in a full bloody massacre as she and Sunny rampaged through the enemy lines. They screamed for their comrades as their futures ended faster than they began. It was a brutal bloodbath, and the two alicorns were showing them no mercy.

One by one, the guards went down in a lifeless heap and those who were smarter than the others took off, retreating for the hills before Sunny caught up with them and sliced through their skulls with a javelin that she conjured up using her magic. Tears rained down her face as she did so and it was obvious by her expression that she took no joy in doing this.

Opaline, however, was reveling in the chaos that she was creating. She sliced three fleeing pegasi in the chest in less than a millisecond and then ripped them into a million pieces of flesh using her magic. Her grin was one of pure insanity as screams of terror erupted all around her. Finally, she spotted the guard with the body cam and sliced through his neck.

The sound of choking could be heard as he slowly fell to the ground, the video glitching rapidly as a result of being severely damaged. The last thing the video showed was Opaline’s triumphant face before glitching again and cutting to static.

“The question on everypony’s minds is now,” Dazzle spoke mournfully. “In a state of complete and utter turmoil, where are the princesses when we need them?”

That was when the entire news broadcast ended and the screen turned off, leaving the assembled crowd of earth ponies in dead silence.

“I regret to inform you that Zoom Zephyrwing and Thunder Flap have died.”

Queen Haven looked up from her throne once more. Her eyes widened with alarm and she could feel herself being stabbed in the heart internally with this knowledge. She had always adored her two personal guards and had seen them as practically family. This news hurt her more than anything in the world, and shocked her to the core.

She stared at the messenger mare below her with great sadness before clearing her throat and swallowing back any tears that were threatening to form. “I take it that the mission was a failure, Clear Skies?”

Clear Skies nodded solemnly. “All dead, your majesty. Not a single pegasus soldier survived the onslaught. Reports have been coming in left and right showing the live footage and it’s…not good. We know you did everything you could.”

Haven sighed deeply. “This is not the first time I let pride cloud my judgement. I knew that it was a mistake to send that battalion. This Opaline is just too strong to be taken down. Perhaps Misty was right about me needing her help after all.”

“Pardon?”

“The prisoner down in the dungeons,” Haven clarified. “She came to me earlier and warned me that this exact situation would happen. Deep in my heart, I knew that this had to be a sign of things to come, but I didn’t listen. And now Zoom and Thunder both dead…because of me.”

“Should I ask the guards to bring her up here again?” Clear Skies inquired.

“No no,” replied Haven, shaking her head. “Nopony is authorized to release her except me, which means that I have to go down there and speak with her.”

“I see. Well I hope you’re not walking into a trap, your majesty.”

She stood up and walked down from her throne, her eyes radiating authority as she gazed upon her messenger with confidence. “Take me to her.”

Misty didn’t know how long she had been crying. It felt to her like months had gone by, even though she knew full well that was not the case. Without any empathy whatsoever, the guards had thrown her in the dungeons of the castle by order of Queen Haven and warned her not to try and escape. She couldn’t warn them about the dangers they were going to face nor reason with them, as they gave her no chance to explain why this was here.

Fortunately for her, the dungeon was surprisingly luxurious, with its own built-in air conditioning and a single lounge chair for spa treatment, along with a great view of the outside through a large barred window. It wasn’t dark or oppressive and that was of great relief to her. Yet she was still worried about what was going to happen.

She knew Opaline extremely well, and she understood that a pegasus military would be nothing against a powerful alicorn like her. Queen Haven was sending her army to her doom, and she didn’t even know it. After thinking about how the monarch, as well as her friends were going to die by her former mother’s hooves, she laid on the floor and sobbed relentlessly.

She silently cursed herself for thinking that bringing the ponies back together was going to be an easy task. It wasn’t, and she should have known better. Due to magic disappearing again once more, the ponies were now so hopelessly divided that nothing was going to reunite them this time no matter what, not even friendship. She couldn’t incite them to come back and she knew it.

As she lay there in utter despair, her ears perked up upon hearing a noise coming from the hallway. Instantly, she got up and ran to the door of her cell, thinking for a moment that her friends had come back for her. Instead, it was a disheveled and exhausted-looking Queen Haven stumbling down the steps and heading towards her.

Upon the monarch approaching her cell, Misty looked away. She was in no mood to talk to her after what had gone down in the throne room and she just wanted to be left alone.

As if she noticed her being non-receptive, Haven let out a sigh of disappointment. “You were right, Misty. Almost all my guards are dead. I should’ve listened to you, but my desire to protect my subjects got in the way of my reason.”

Misty looked back at her, finally deciding that it was better to talk with the queen rather than be alone again without anyone there for her. She knew she was not getting out, but at least the other pony was willing to talk reasonably now instead of shutting her down.

“What happened to Zoom and Thunder…?” she asked carefully.

“Gone,” replied Haven bitterly. “They were reported as part of the battle casualties at the dark castle. I’m going to miss them a lot.” She looked away.

Misty nodded slowly. “I know this must be really difficult for you to deal with…and I know why you want to keep me here. I understand…” She could see the queen’s lips trembling as she tried to figure out what to say, but was probably too embarrassed to ask it out loud. “You know you can tell me.”

Haven faced her again, tears in her eyes. “I’m almost glad that Zipp and Pipp aren’t here right now in the midst of this war. My poor daughters…it was the right call letting them stay in Maretime Bay. I was tempted to call them home after all the ponies split again, but I knew Zipp wouldn’t have liked that and she’s a big girl now. She deserves to make her own decisions…”

“Is Zipp her real name?”

Haven let out a small chuckle. “No. That’s the abbreviation we coined that she likes to go by. I still call her by her real name Zepphyrina sometimes, but she doesn’t quite appreciate that. Too much of a mouthful as she calls it.” Her smile faded. “She doesn’t want to be a princess and prefers being a detective. One day though, she’ll have to take up the throne and she knows it.”

“Does she though?” Misty asked. “You could very easily ask Pipp to do that. I don’t mean to intrude in personal matters, your majesty, I just-“

“No no,” Haven said, shaking her head. “It’s alright. You’re probably right in saying I should do that, really. I’m the queen and I can change the law. Realistically, I can never ask Zipp to give up a life of adventure in exchange for the stuffy palace life. She likes to be herself and you don’t really get to do that when you’re queen. I know I learned that the hard way.”

They stared at each other in silence for a couple of minutes before Misty spoke up again. “What else…what else did you see in the casualty report? If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Well, the body cam footage showed it all,” Haven answered. “Nearly the entire military got wiped out in that battle. I know that I have to start drafting new soldiers again if this kingdom is to survive. Sunny was also there, participating in the massacre…but something about the way she carried herself was different from what I was expecting.”

“How so…?”

“Well she seemed like she didn’t want to be doing it. I saw tears run down her face during the bloodbath and she looked tortured, like she wasn’t having any fun, like she was…being forced into committing these actions against her will.” Haven explained. “That was honestly the last thing I expected to see, I thought she was-“

“Evil?”

Haven nodded. “She destroyed the magic and yet, it looks like she didn’t have any malicious intent while doing it. I can only assume this because otherwise she would’ve been enjoying slaughtering all my soldiers. You don’t just commit a horrible act of treason and then come out of it the same pony. I thought this Opaline turned her into a monster."

“Deep down, she’s just hurting…” Misty told her gently. “She’s not evil. I know this for a fact, which is why I was adamant in the throne room. A year ago, Sunny was hurt by the ponies of Maretime Bay while promoting her causes. We were never there for her when we should’ve, which is why…she turned on us. All she needed was somepony to be there for her when she needed it most. She thought Opaline was that dream parental figure that she always wanted. But she knows now that she isn’t.”

Haven looked down at the ground, and then back at her. “I can’t send out another battalion. The risks are far too great…” Her eyebrows then furrowed into a serious expression as she seemingly made her mind up about something. “Misty, I want you to look at me because I mean this.”

Misty did as she was told, staring the ruler directly in the eyes. “Yes, ma’am?”

“I want to know what you are willing to bet on with your belief of there still being good in Sunny,” Haven stated with great emotion in her voice. “Tell me. How much do you believe in her?! How much would you be willing to bet on that?!”

Misty didn’t know what Queen Haven was getting at yet, but she knew in her heart that this was something that she believed in strongly. She had seen it firsthand during the first encounter with Sunny in the castle. The broken earth pony had seen reason back there and there was still good in her. Whether or not she would ever get a chance to tell her that, this was a fact that she knew without a shadow of a doubt.

“I’d bet my life on it.” Misty replied with no hesitation.

Right when she said that last sentence, Haven walked to the right of the cell and pressed the red button on the wall with her hoof as hard as she could. There was a loud buzzing sound and cell door slid open above her.

Misty was free.

She slowly walked out of the cell and stared at the monarch with a mixture of surprise and shock as she didn’t expect to be released so soon. She had no idea what had caused her to change her mind, but she wasn’t about to question it.

Haven reached out with her hoof and lifted her chin up in stern manner. “Do not make me regret this, Misty Brightdawn. Let’s go!” She then began running down the hallway in a rapid manner with Misty frantically trying to catch up to her.

“Wait!!” Misty called after her. “Where are we going?!”

“We’re going to rally the citizens!” Haven answered quickly. “Like it or not, we’re going to need a massive army, and that includes the unicorns and earth ponies. I pray to the heavens Alphie doesn’t skin me. We’re going to Bridlewood!!”

Misty could not believe her ears. They were actually going to get the ponies back together! This was the best news that she had heard in her entire life and suddenly, she felt a great wave of hope wash over her like a massive tsunami. Her face lit up with a bright and wide smile as the information registered with her. She could still do this. She could still make up for what she had done. She could still save Sunny. There was still time to heal the damage that had been dealt to Equestria.

Izzy had been right the whole time when she had talked with her in the bedrooms that fateful night. Sunny was hurting from the betrayal of the townsfolk. True friendship was all she needed, and Misty was going to make sure that her friend never felt abandoned again. Twilight’s advice of nopony being beyond redemption also rang through her mind, and she knew it was true. She had redeemed herself by turning against Opaline all those months ago, and it was time to give Sunny that same second chance. She silently vowed that was going to redeem her no matter what. She would bring her home.

She only prayed that her faith in Sunny was well-placed. It was make or break now. If she couldn’t reform Sunny and defeat Opaline, then Equestria was doomed. She knew that they only had one more shot at this, and she was not going to fail. There was no more room for failure. She had spent years of her life failing mission after mission. But this time, she knew that she was going to succeed. She was not doing this alone.

Not anymore.

Once they had gotten to the throne room, Queen Haven immediately sent out a citywide broadcast using one of Pipp’s old phones with Misty’s help, informing all of the pegasi to meet up by the castle as they were going to Bridlewood. Within seconds, the post blew up with tons of hearts and likes and the call to arms reached the whole city. Ponies flocked to the castle entrance in droves, determined to serve their queen and avenge their loved ones who had fallen in battle just a few short hours ago.

Misty then led the pegasi on a long journey by hoof from Zephyr Heights through the uncharted terrain. She had never been in charge of a crowd of ponies before in her life and she felt scared. But she knew that she wasn’t alone this time. The queen was right by her side, barking orders to her subjects whenever she needed to as they traveled the long distance to the Bridlewood forest.

Bridlewood had mostly recovered in the six months following the destruction of the last attack and was now a thriving community once again, with Alphabittle and the surviving unicorns having quickly restored order in the time that had passed. It had taken a long time of pain hardship, but things were more or less back to normal in a sense.

The villagers went back to their daily lives and resumed being paranoid of the other tribes as if nothing had ever happened, all those months of progress and inclusion being undone in a snap. Many of the old customs and travel bans were reinstated as Alphabittle didn’t trust the earth ponies and the pegasi anymore. He retreated back to the Crystal Tea Room and his isolation, never allowing himself to open up to anypony else ever again.

That was until the pegasi came back.

It started near dawn. Alphabittle was making some early morning tea for himself. He didn’t normally have the time to make things for only him to enjoy, but business was slow and he wanted to try out a new blend. As he was heating the tea, he was interrupted from his thoughts by a panicked aqua unicorn mare running into the shop.

“Alphabittle!!” The mare cried, panting as she ran up to the counter. “I just…I saw…They’re…they’re here!”

He turned around to face her. “Who’s here?! What’s going on?! Are we under attack?! Slow down, Isla Breeze!”

Isla took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. “The pegasi…they’ve…they’ve crossed the border into town! A young unicorn is leading them. They’re back!”

Alphabittle could not believe what he was hearing. Could it be true? As fast as he could, he rushed out of the Tea Room with Isla and what he saw made his jaw drop in shock and tears of joy filled his eyes. It was a beautiful sight that he thought he would never see again in all of his years as Chief of the village. This wasn’t a dream. This was real.

Walking into town off in the distance was none other than his beloved Queen Haven, having finally returned to his life at long last. Behind her was a crowd consisting of about over a hundred pegasus civilians, all marching into town with weary expressions on their faces and tired eyes. Walking next to her was a blue unicorn mare with a red and purple mane and green eyes. She was giving silent orders with her hoof and commanding them.

With each step they took past the border, more unicorns came out of their houses to admire the sight before them. They marveled at the bravery of this strange unicorn, who they had never seen before in their life, leading an army of pegasi into town. It was an act of treason by law, but it was still something not seen every day. It was a magical sight to see, the two races finally united again after so long.

“The pegasi! They’ve crossed the border!!” One stallion exclaimed, pointing at them with a mix of surprise and awe.

“This is a sign from the gods!” another mare chimed in.

“This unicorn! She leads the tribes!!” another stallion remarked from the back of the assembled bystanders. “The prophecy has come true at last!”

“She is the Chosen One!”

“She leads the pegasi!”

“It’s the Second Coming!”

“The messiah has come to save us!”

“The Daughter has returned!”

The mare looked at the other ponies who were in awe of her and silently acknowledged them with a simple nod before turning her attention to the front once more. She looked exhausted and like she hadn’t gotten much sleep, which showed in her movements. There were bags under her eyes and she occasionally stumbled, only to be supported by Haven. Despite this, however, there was an aura of confidence and authority about her. She was determined to get whatever she needed to do done no matter the cost.

She was clearly grabbing the attention of the citizens as they all gathered in droves to watch this procession through town. The ground trembled slightly beneath her each time her hooves touched it.

The crowd bowed down to her as she passed by them. They were amazed by her and saw her as some sort of messiah. And for good reason, it seemed, as she was doing what nopony else would even dare to do. She had the courage that none of them had. She led the pegasi past the Wishing Tree and towards the Tea Room.

Alphabittle watched all of this go down with a mix of bewilderment and suspicion. On one hand, he was excited to see his beloved once again, but at the same time, an army of pegasi marching into Bridlewood constituted an act of war under tribal law. He didn’t know what this unicorn wanted, but he was for sure going to get to the bottom of it before he let any one of his ponies get hurt.

The mare came to a stop in front of him, the army of pegasi following her lead and skidding to a halt. She faced him with such a serious expression that it even made him slightly afraid. If looks could beat you into submission, this would be it.

“Oh my darling Alphabittle…” Queen Haven spoke, breaking the silence. “It’s so lovely to see you again!”

Alphabittle regained his composure, resisting the urge to just hug her right then and there and lose all of his professionalism. “It’s so great to see you too. You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” His gaze turned towards the unicorn. “But who is this unicorn and why is everypony treating her like a goddess?”

The mare took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “My name is Misty Brightdawn, daughter of Star Collector and Moon Watcher. I am your granddaughter.”

The unicorns around them gasped in shock, murmuring about how Star’s name had not been spoken in so many moons, and how Misty had just committed a serious crime by uttering his name.

Alphabittle’s eyebrows furrowed in anger. “You dare speak my son’s name in my presence! How do you know who he is?! I never told anyone!”

“Izzy and I both hail from the same family,” Misty explained. “Some childhood memories just can’t be repressed, and I believe that we were able to remember for a reason. Judging by everypony’s reactions to me though, I believe that his name’s been spread throughout Bridlewood without your knowledge.”

All eyes were instantly on Elder Flower, the oldest mare in the town, and the keeper of stories passed down through generations. She stood in the back of another group of bystanders, grinning sheepishly.

“Be that as it may,” Alphabittle said sternly. “What do you want with us?! As Star’s daughter, I should have you executed for violating the ban I placed on him. You are not welcome here.”

“I know I’m not,” replied Misty firmly. “But that won’t stop me from finishing his mission. I’m not here to request living arrangements here, for that life is gone forever. I’m here to ask for the help of the unicorns in our rebellion against Opaline.”

Alphabittle stared back at her, eyes seething with anger. He was surprised to see that she didn’t even flinch, instead holding firm underneath his withering gaze.

“…you walk into town, blatantly disregard my laws, get everypony into a frenzy thinking you’re some chosen messiah, and to top that off, you ask for my help?!” Alphabittle demanded.

He was sitting at a table in the Crystal Tea Room. Misty and Queen Haven were sitting opposite him, with the pegasus monarch providing her with moral support during the negotiations. The room was silent, with a very few amount of customers that were doing their best not to disturb what was going on with their idle conversations.

Deep down, Alphabittle could tell that the mare was slightly afraid of him by the way she sat so closely to Haven, but aside from that, she was doing a good job of not showing her fear to him and retaining a stoic expression throughout his rants.

“Not too long ago,” Misty pointed out. “Sunny upset the peace here by stealing the unicorn crystal and preaching unity among the tribes, and she turned out to be right. I want to make up for my past, and save Equestria from Opaline’s wrath. She won’t stop until she has all of Equestria in her possession. We share a common enemy in her. We can stop her together.”

Alphabittle scoffed. “Together. Now where have I heard that before?” He turned towards Haven. “Don’t tell me you’re actually buying this slop from her. We’ve both been down this rabbit hole before.”

“Now see here, Alphie,” Haven spoke up. “I have my reasons to doubt Misty as well. I haven’t seen Sunny in a long time and it could be that her faith is misplaced. But is this any time to start thinking about that? Especially when the fate of both of our cities hangs in the balance. In these times, it’s either we go all in or nothing.”

“We’re leaders,” Alphabittle countered. “We shouldn’t be so dumb to take the word of some ‘Chosen One.’ We tried that before, and look what it cost us. Ultimately, if it comes down between some false sense of unity and the safety of our ponies, you should know exactly what side to pick.”

“I tried ‘picking the safety of my ponies’ and it cost them their lives.” answered Haven flatly. “It’s because of my arrogance that Zoom and Thunder were killed in that assault on the castle. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of doing the same thing just because you want to ‘prove something.’”

“I’d rather try ‘proving something’ than trusting the word of some maniac!!” Alphabittle yelled, slamming his hooves on the table. Misty flinched in response to that, but he didn’t care how she felt. “I’m not letting myself fall victim again to somepony who only uses their allies as a means to an end!”

“And you claim to know what happened to Sunny?!” Misty shot back angrily. “You know nothing about how she turned, nor how much we blame ourselves for-“

“I’d watch your tone if I were you, young mare!!!” Alphabittle snapped at her, silencing her instantly. “This is a matter between adults, and I don’t know who died and put you in charge of anything. So shut your mouth!”

“I did.”

Alphabittle turned back towards his marefriend, shocked. “You…you trusted her? Why?! Don’t you remember what happened to Sunny?! We trusted her and then not even half a year later, she destroyed all magic! You’re really going to let the same thing happen again?!”

“Alphie, we have no choice!” Haven shouted. “How can you not see that?! The entire reason why this alicorn has been going after towns left and right and succeeding no less is because we weren’t united! When magic died, we should’ve been more unified than ever, standing together against the incoming darkness! Instead, we doomed our subjects because we let our pride get in the way!”

“Are you saying that I’m choosing my pride over the safety of Bridlewood?!”

“I’m not just saying it, I know it!”

“And if Misty betrays us too, what will you do?!!”

Haven was stunned into silence for a moment at that, clearly not expecting that sort of response to come from him. “What?”

“What will you do if months after we defeated this Opaline,” Alphabittle pressed harshly. “Misty here also decides that magic doesn’t belong in Equestria anymore and destroys whatever conduit remains?! If your daughters are killed in the process, would you be so open to trusting a literal stranger?! Need I remind you that Zipp was literally almost killed by an angry mob because of Sunny’s actions?!”

Haven looked down in sadness, shivering. “Not a day goes by that I don’t hear those blasted words from Doctor Redcross in my head. ‘Your daughter is in critical condition.’”

“Then you know exactly how I feel,” Alphabittle asserted. “Think of your daughters, but multiplied by a hundred! I’m not risking their lives on the off chance that things might be better this time! I’m never trusting anypony with the safety of my citizens again!”

“But would you trust your own family…?” Misty asked softly.

Alphabittle glared at her. “Your father harbored an earth pony in town for years behind my back. You’re not one to be lecturing me about ‘trusting family.’” He stood up. “This discussion is over. You and your army of flightless birds leave at first light tomorrow.”

With that, he walked away from them and back towards the counter to start serving tea. Misty watched him go and sighed deeply.

Haven glanced at her, smiling sadly. “I’ll work on him. If there’s one thing Alphie knows, he can’t say no to me. You go help the pegasi set up camp for the night, okay?”

Misty nodded obediently, standing up and silently heading towards the double doors with a lot on her mind. The reunion with her grandfather had been a disaster, and she didn’t know how she was going to convince him to help.

“I thought you’d still be in here.”

Alphabittle turned around, startled upon hearing Queen Haven’s voice. He accidentally dropped the teacup that he was carrying to the ground, which shattered into a million pieces. He sighed. He knew what she was here to talk about and he didn’t like it one bit. He wished that his past hadn’t come back to haunt him like this.

He hadn’t meant to be so rude to Misty earlier in the day during the negotiations and he felt bad for telling his own granddaughter off, but all the fear and shame that he had been internalizing for over a decade had gotten the best of him and he lashed out. He thought that he would never have to deal with the mention of his son ever again.

“Leave me alone.” Alphabittle demanded bitterly. “I know you’re here only because Misty asked you to be.”

“Actually,” Haven corrected him. “I told her that I would talk to you. She didn’t ask me to do anything, not like she can anyways. I’m here because you need somepony to talk to.”

Alphabittle glared at her. “I don’t need anyone. Not anymore. I buried any mention of Star for years, and I will continue to do so. I don’t need to be reminded about what I did.”

“And has that helped you?” she asked sternly.

“…”

“Answer me. Has it?”

Alphabittle sighed heavily. “No, it hasn’t. In fact, I think it’s only served to make me grumpier with age. But why do you suddenly care? And how do you know anything about Star? I’ve never mentioned him to you.”

“Misty knows,” Haven answered. “According to her, she remembers everything. She’s lived with visions of her past for years, and they’ve only now started to make sense to her. She told me everything she knows about them on the trip here. I can tell that the fact that she’s the child of your son troubles you.”

“An illegitimate child, I might add.” Alphabittle replied angrily. “She and Izzy both. I wanted to exile her as well, but…” He looked down. “…For some reason, my heart couldn’t bring me to do it. Maybe it’s because she was already very close to me, or the fact that I couldn’t send such a small filly to die out in the wilderness like that.”

“But you were willing to banish a newborn foal, I take it.” Haven reminded him, not buying his excuse in the slightest.

“She already had her mother!” snapped Alphabittle. “Why do you think I didn’t have Moon executed the moment I found out about her treachery?! I knew she was pregnant! I wasn’t willing to let the foal die! At least she got to live a happy life with her mommy, free and sheltered from this horrible world we live in!”

“What if I told you that she didn’t?”

Alphabittle was confused. “What are you saying?”

“Picture this, Alphie,” said Haven sternly. “The parents escape the forest. They travel on their own for days until they cannot keep the foal safe anymore due to food options being limited and they think the mob is close by. They’re forced to abandon the foal near a decrepit old castle. She’s left on her own on a cold winter’s night as she waits in anguish to die of starvation. But instead of a somewhat merciful end, the despicable occupant of the castle takes the starving child in and raises her for years as a slave to do her bidding.”

Alphabittle’s blood ran cold. “No…”

“The child then grows into a young mare who is socially isolated and her past completely buried under a mountain of lies. She knows nothing about the world, only having her first moment of true happiness upon meeting new ponies who truly care about her. Yet even then, the lies that she’s been led to believe by her adoptive mother outweighs any moment of happiness she has received…and she makes the biggest mistake of her life, one that she’s spent months trying to undo.”

“Are you…are you saying that-“

“Yes. That newborn child you sent out to die is Misty. And she’s come back here to do something you were never capable of doing. She’s already so much braver than you are. And she’s a better leader too, I might add.”

“How dare you-“

“You know it’s true.”

Begrudgingly, Alphabittle conceded the point. “She certainly showed a lot more courage than I could ever dream of earlier today when she led your people across the border.” His arrogance returned right after. “But that doesn’t matter! I’m not putting my trust into somepony like that ever again, family or no! We tried that with Sunny and look where it got us!”

“What Sunny did was horrible,” Haven admitted. “And I will never truly forgive her for almost indirectly killing my daughters. But at the moment, we have no choice but to do this. Don’t you remember how much worse the era of disunity was for us before Sunny came along? I was forced to lie to my own subjects, Alphie, and I don’t ever want to have to do that again. And you certainly know how much better off Bridlewood was during the age of magic returning. This isn’t even about ethics anymore; it’s how both of our civilizations would benefit from defeating this monster.”

Again, Alphabittle had to admit that she made a very good point, but his eyes still reflected uncertainty. “True, but we put our trust into Sunny. What if this happens again? What if…Misty decides that she’s the only one who deserves to have it? If it happened to Sunny, it can happen to anypony else! These so-called ‘Chosen Ones’ aren’t infallible. They’re just as susceptible as any other pony to dark forces. They’re not the pure saints our stories like to portray them as, Haven. Don’t start putting your faith into some ‘messiah’ who claims to be of holy intent.”

Haven stood her ground, remaining firm. “I certainly trust her more than I’d trust myself to lead another assault on the castle. I told you already, I already lost everything to my own ego. I thought I knew what to do against an alicorn with all the magic in the land, and I lost over a hundred soldiers due to that arrogance. And I’m not going to choose to accumulate more casualties. Is it risky? Yes, it is. But she’s your family, Alphabittle.”

“But-“

“Wouldn’t you trust the offspring of your own flesh and blood? Especially when you know now that your perceptions of Star were proven wrong? You know that’s what he would’ve wanted.”

Alphabittle looked away, lost in deep thought. He looked around the room until his eyes settled on a picture of Star Collector as a young colt that stood on the back counter. He picked it up, staring at it. Tears filled his eyes and he wiped them away. But as he did so, one of the tears fell on the picture frame and it began to glow, increasing in brightness ever so slightly before it filled the entire area in a blinding golden light. It was at this point that his cutie mark lit up as well and began pulsing with blue energy.

Haven stared on in amazement and Alphabittle was left speechless as the picture frame pulsed with the warm golden light. It felt comforting and familiar and for the briefest of moments, he began to sense a presence next to him that he had not felt in a long time.

It was like a sign from the heavens, that Star was telling him what to do right now from above. At that moment, he knew that he had an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past and trust his family when he didn’t before. He could make everything right. There was no other way. He had to take a leap of faith once more, if not for himself, then for all the ponies he cared about.

The glow faded and Alphabittle looked back at his beloved, gently setting the picture back on the table. He knew what he had to do. He still wasn’t completely onboard, but he knew that Haven was right. This was the right thing to do, even though it was the hardest call to make.

He sighed again. “Watch my shop for me, will you? I’m going to go talk to her.”

Haven nodded, but she was a little unsure about managing the place in his absence. “But isn’t it closing time? Seems like there wouldn’t be too many customers coming to the Tea Room this late.”

“Trust me,” Alphabittle assured her. “There’s always the occasional stallion running home from work who wants to get his wife something. You got this.”

Without giving her a chance to respond or protest, he bolted towards the exit and headed out into the dimly lit roads where the campsite was supposed to be.

The Moon shone brilliantly over the small town as the pegasi prepared camp for the night by the Crystal Tea Room. Misty helped the civilians set up tents and sleeping bags, as well as give them slices of the cookies that she had stored in her saddlebag. They weren’t as tasty as they once were by this point, but they had to eat something while out on their journey.

As she watched the other ponies fight over who got to have what slice from her small campfire, she let out a deep sigh of defeat. She wasn’t prepared for this at all, and she knew it. She couldn’t lead these ponies, what was she thinking? It was ridiculous to think that Alphabittle would suddenly change his mind. After all, he had a good point. He didn’t have any reason to trust her. Despite the fact that they were family, he didn’t even know her. It was equivalent to trusting a stranger, and her parents had left on bad terms with him.

She had struck out on her own, thinking that she had a chance of reuniting the tribes all by herself. But she wasn’t a naturally gifted orator like Sunny. She didn’t have anything to incentivize them with. At least back then, the other ponies were able to be tempted with magic. What did she have to offer them in return for their services? Nothing. All she had was her words alone and the abstract concept of living in harmony again, which didn’t work out the first time.

So why would it work out now?

The truth was that she stood no chance of accomplishing her goal and she was leading herself on a wild goose chase. If only her friends were here to support her. If only they were here to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But they weren’t. They didn’t trust her anymore. They hated her now, and wanted nothing to do with her. She had failed them, just like she had failed everypony that she had ever met.

A soft whimper escaped from her and she began to softly cry on the floor, burying her face in her hooves as the harsh reality that she was all alone once more began to overtake her. She had no friends, no family that loved her, and no life beyond constantly blaming herself. Why couldn’t she just…

“Misty?”

Misty looked up, instantly springing to her hooves upon hearing someone call her name. She looked all around until her eyes saw Alphabittle coming towards her from off in the distance. He slowly walked over to the campsite with a concerned look on his face, a sharp contrast from the angry one he had earlier. She wondered what had changed.

Upon him approaching her, she was instantly on her guard. “What do you want? Here to beat me down some more about things I can’t control?”

Alphabittle shook his head. “No, I…I just wanna talk to you, one on one. Like family. Are you willing to do that with me?”

Misty regarded him coldly. “You didn’t seem to care about that back in the Crystal Tea Room. What changed?”

“Haven filled me in on everything, and I think I understand you a bit better now,” Alphabittle replied, sitting down on the grass beside the campfire and patting the spot where he wanted her to sit. She reluctantly did so, taking a seat right next to him. It felt weird, but also oddly comforting.

“What did she tell you?” Misty asked.

“Your upbringing and…” Alphabittle trailed off for a moment, sighing. “…basically whatever else you told her. I’m sorry you had to go through such a difficult life and I believe we got off on the wrong hoof. I should’ve been more happy to see my granddaughter after all these moons.”

“It’s…all water under the bridge now, I guess.”

“I know it isn’t,” Alphabittle countered. “I know you’re angry at me and you have every right to be. I’m the whole reason why your life was ruined. You could’ve lived here with everypony else, but my foolish pride drove your father away. Now that I’m dating Haven, it…it feels different, and I…just can’t help but feel like I missed out on so much.”

Misty said nothing, only looking into the burning embers of the fire in front of her. Her face briefly reflected in the flames for a split moment and for the first time in a long while, she saw herself and what a dirty, tired wreck she had become on her fruitless quest. She was slowly losing weight and her eyes reflected many nights of insomnia. All of this pain for a mission that she couldn’t even succeed in.

The reflection then vanished and she blinked fresh tears back from her eyes. She couldn’t cry again, not now. She had to be strong for her friends back home, no matter what the outcome of the mission was.

“Tell me something,” Alphabittle told her gently, breaking the silence. “Now that you’re free from Opaline, you can go anywhere…live a brand new life, far away from all of this drama. So why do you want to stay and fight to save the ponies who hate you?”

Misty looked up at him. “Because I can’t bring myself to fail them again. I’m responsible for Sunny turning evil and destroying magic. It’s my fault that Sparky’s dead, I couldn’t save Bridlewood from being destroyed six months ago…I should’ve succumbed to my injuries and died after escaping Opaline’s castle that night. I was never meant to live, but…somehow I did…by some miracle. I have to undo my mistakes, or else I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Alphabittle looked down. “I know the feeling, kid.”

“What?” she asked, surprised at his answer.

“The day I banished your father…” Alphabittle revealed, his eyes shimmering with tears. “It was the worst day of my life…my son, the only pony who ever truly understood me…I banished him out of my own fear of the unknown, and I could never take it back. I spent a lifetime trying to bury his name, forbid any mention of anything he did. I told myself for years that I never had a son, that he never existed. But the more time I spent in my own denial…the grumpier I became, and the more bitter I became at the world. You and I both share these traumatic experiences.”

“Oh…”

“But unlike me…you actually did something about it.” Alphabittle finished, looking back at her. He smiled. “And that’s something I have to admire. You’re already so much stronger than your old man, just by…coming out here, knowing full well the consequences that doing so would bring.”

“I…never thought about it that way.” Misty admitted.

Alphabittle chuckled, the first sign of happiness from him in a long time. “So I guess the plan is to reunite the unicorns, pegasi, and the earth ponies into a unified coalition in order to defeat a rampaging alicorn dictator.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

He stood up, grinning at her. “Want some help?”

Misty smiled back at him, feeling happier now that she had somepony by her side that actually understood her. She stood up and walked with him back to the Crystal Tea Room.

They got back inside to find a whole crowd of unicorns harassing Queen Haven at the counter and refusing to be served by her. She was doing her best to calm them down, but all attempts did was make them angrier as a result. Fortunately, Alphabittle was there to settle them.

He walked up to the angry customers and stomped his hooves one at a time on the ground. The sound reverberated across the vicinity and instantly quelled the fighting. Whatever he did, he had authority, and everyone listened to him.

“That will be enough fighting for the night!” Alphabittle ordered them. “I was going to close up shop anyways, so you either respect her or no late night tea at all for any of you! I left her in charge of the shop for a reason.”

“You’re letting a pegasus serve us!” shouted an angry stallion. “What’s gotten into you?!”

Alphabittle held firm. “She is as much a pony as the rest of you. Her race does not matter and she is a queen no less. I will hear no more of this. We have something else that’s way more important to take care of tonight.” He glanced at Misty. “Tell them.”

Misty nodded slowly, walking up to the skeptical ponies. They all glared at her intensely and she resisted the urge to curl up into a ball and cry. She would not do that this time. The fate of the world depended on her too much for her to do that. She had spent the entire journey worrying about whether or not she would succeed.

This was her moment to prove herself, not just to her friends back home, but also to herself. She wasn’t worthless. She was the daughter of two ponies who had given up everything so she could have a chance at life, and she had just been reunited with her family. She had to get the job done, no matter what it took to do so.

“I know you all are scared,” she began to say, addressing all in the room. “You’ve all experienced unimaginable tragedy at the hooves of somepony you trusted. And I know how that feels. I know what it feels like to lose faith, to be frightened of the unknown. I know what it must feel like to lose everything you’ve ever loved. But now is not the time to be vulnerable!”

“What are you saying, Ms. Brightdawn?” asked a mare who was in the front of the crowd and holding a newborn foal in her hoof.

“I’m saying that I’m not afraid,” Misty continued. “For my whole life, I lived with a bully. But I learned that bullies can only make you afraid if you let them.” She softly stroked the small tuft of mane on the foal, who giggled in response. “And sometimes…all you need to beat the darkness is a little light.” She faced the other ponies once more. “My parents gave everything for me so that I could live and stand before you today! And in spite of all the hardships that I’ve been through, I’ve come out of it all a stronger pony! But I could not have gotten where I am without my friends back home to support me.”

“She can’t be serious…” murmured one pony in the back to her friend.

“Aye, she is.” the other unicorn whispered back with a knowing look of her own.

Misty faced the mare with the foal one last time before turning away and heading up towards the counter, standing on top of it in a determined manner. “My friends were there for me when I needed them the most! They made me who I am today! So I’m asking you to not give up on yours, and stand by their sides!!”

Haven’s mouth opened wide in utter shock, which was followed by a couple unicorns murmuring to each other in hushed conversations. The mare from earlier them inched closer to her husband in a show of solidarity, which led to a couple of other unicorns doing the same and inching closer to their friends or loved ones. The process repeated until all of them were gathered in one massive cluster, embracing one another.

Alphabittle smiled proudly and walked up to where she was. “My granddaughter speaks wisdom beyond her years! We can all choose to stay separated and be subjected under tyranny, or we can embrace the things that have brought us together and unite for our freedom! From now on, if there is to be any fighting between us, it will not start with me! Ready yourselves for the struggle ahead!! We journey to Maretime Bay!!!!”

The unicorns all threw their hooves into the air in celebration and stampeded out of the Tea Room as fast as they could, knocking over stools and tables in the process. They headed out into the streets in droves towards the direction of the campsite, where they were going to grab the pegasi and head out. Shouts of excitement and battle cries filled the air as the herd of ponies cascaded down the streets and awoke their friends and neighbors.

Misty watched all of them go with tears in her eyes. She had done it. She had fulfilled her quest. The sight before her was beautiful, and she could not believe that she had brought the tribes together all by herself. She hopped down from the counter and was hugged by both Alphabittle and Queen Haven.

Once they let her go, Misty stared at the wide open doors of the Tea Room. “I…can’t believe that I just did that.”

“I can,” Queen Haven complimented her. “You’re a natural speech giver! You should really take over my job.”

Misty giggled. “That…might be a little too much.” She then turned her head to look at Alphabittle. “Grandpa…thank you.”

Alpabittle wiped tears of his own from his eyes and winked back at her. “No problem, kid. Now come on! You’ll be leading us back to town!!”

Misty headed with the two leaders out the doors of the Crystal Tea Room and followed the other unicorns into the horizon just as the Sun slowly began to rise above the horizon and clear away the oppressive darkness.

By early morning, the ground trembled as about several hundred hooves stampeded out of the Bridlewood Forest and out into the unknown, back towards the place they thought that they would never have the chance to return to. It would a long way back without any means of transportation, but she made sure to pack plenty of food for the other ponies to share along the way. They had come well prepared for the journey, and with each step taken, their confidence only grew and their resolve only strengthened further.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!” Misty bellowed at the top of her lungs as she led them at the front. The other ponies behind her responded with a rallying battle cry and marched in unison throughout the empty plains and fields.

There was no doubt in her mind that the ponies were united once more. They were facing the world together, and although a couple of angry glares were thrown around every now and then, it was clear that both parties were onboard and ready to stand by one another. The Sun shone down on them, warming them with its embrace, and the omnipresent grey clouds cleared to reveal the beautiful blue skies. Soft wind blew throughout, a sharp contrast to the rough weather that they had faced on the way there. The heavens were on their side she knew deep down that her parents were watching her from high above.

The trek was brutal as they traversed through harsh and dry deserts and endured heavy downpour in the rainforest areas. When day turned to night, they utilized the old fashioned method of following the light of the stars in order to guide them to their destination, which worked out perfectly. Soon, word began to spread about this strange unicorn that was leading a mass migration to Maretime Bay, and her existence soon made the local headlines.

She felt herself feel so much lighter with the weight that had burdened her finally off her shoulders. There was no more room for talk nor error, only action. They had been traveling for several thousand miles by this point, yet she felt like she could run forever and never get tired of it. She had never gone this far before, never allowed herself to push her own limits. It was invigorating and she didn’t ever want it to end.

The voices of her friends and the memories they had together rang through her mind as she made her trek. No longer were they condescending or angry, but they were encouraging. She thought of Izzy and how she was her first ever friend, and now she was so much more than that. She had forgiven her and given her a chance when nopony else would, how she was willing to stand by her side in spite of everything. The unicorn deserved better than empty promises. She deserved the world. She thought of Zipp and how she was once scared of the pegasus, but that they had finally mended their relationship at last. She was not going to let her down again.

As she helped the army across a rampaging river, she began to reflect on her life and how far she had come since starting her journey across Equestria nearly a week ago. She was a pony who had grown up isolated and alone, thinking that there was no other life out there than one of servitude.

Now she knew better. Here she was at this point in time, bridging the divide between the two races of ponies as they worked together to stop the greatest threat to the land.

Back in Maretime Bay the next morning, Hitch was giving a motivational speech to a large crowd of terrified citizens in the town square. Following the fateful news report about the defeat of the pegasi, rumors had began circulating amongst the ponies about Opaline and Sunny heading to Maretime Bay and attacking it next. While this all amounted to simple conspiracy theories and nothing more, it was also a very real possibility and no one wanted to get involved in the crossfire.

In order to mitigate as much panic from the populace as possible, he had retaken the mantle of sheriff, which was fairly easy in itself as all he needed to do was swear the oath of office again. As such, he was responsible for soothing the public’s fears and making them feel better in a bad situation, and although he was trying his best, he knew it wasn’t working. No matter what he said, his words were constantly being drowned out by angry yells and frightened chatter. He could not get through to them despite his best efforts.

His friends were in the crowd watching him for moral support, but even they seemed to know that his attempts at reasoning with the townsponies was not working in the slightest as Zipp kept shaking her head in exasperation whenever somepony talked over him. They were all worried about what was going to come next. After all, if the rumors were to be believed, then they were all about to be in massive trouble.

“Listen to me!” Hitch shouted. “We will find ways to stop Opaline’s invasion! We may not have magic, but we aren’t completely helpless! There will be no more death coming for us!!”

“How do you know that?!” yelled a random stallion. “We can’t take her on all by ourselves! We’re nothing without the unicorns and pegasi!”

“We don’t need them!” somepony else argued. “They can go back to their own kind!”

“Nopony has magic!!” another stallion shot back.

“You better fix this!!” a filly yelled from next to her mother in the front.

The crowd then devolved into an all-out shouting match once again as the assembled ponies tried to get the one-up on each other. Hitch buried his face in his hooves upon seeing this. What was he doing? He had only made things worse.

Right when he was about to give up hope, however, the crowd suddenly went silent as they noticed something off into the distance. Hitch looked to his left and saw what appeared to be an army of shadows coming his way through the dense fog. They were indescribable shapes at first, but as they got closer, their forms solidified into solid shapes. These vaguely looked like ponies, but he wasn’t entirely sure at first.

He peered closer, squinting his eyes to have a closer look. Emerging from the gradually clearing mist were the silhouettes of about more than several hundred ponies led by a familiar figure that he could swear that he recognized via mane style. But these weren’t just earth ponies. Some of them appeared to have wings…or horns!

“Look!” a mare in the crowd exclaimed in excitement at the top of her lungs. “Everypony, the unicorns and pegasi are coming back!! The unicorns and pegasi are coming back!!!!”

The crowd began to excitedly chatter amongst themselves as the mist began to clear further, and the familiar silhouette of a unicorn mare in front of the crowd began to materialize. Zipp instantly recognized the pony leading the other ponies as soon as she saw her. The look of the mane was instantly recognizable. She began to tear up with happiness upon seeing her friend alive and well, as well as for what she had done.

“By hoofness, you did it, Misty…” she whispered, wiping tears from her eyes.

“MISTY’S BACK!!!” Seashell shouted from the front of the crowd, jumping up into the air repeatedly. “She’s back!! And she brought the other unicorns and pegasi!!!!”

“Misty has returned!!” echoed Toots. “She’s come back!!”

The crowd went wild and stomped their hooves in a standing ovation. They cheered and waved at the approaching crowd, chanting her name over and over in a fervent manner, their voices growing in intensity as they did so. It was as if at long last, hope had returned to Maretime Bay and swept over the townsfolk, their fears and doubts washing away like a tidal wave on the beach. The optimistic spirit that made them who they were came back and banished the internal darkness away.

Izzy looked up upon hearing her sister’s name and smiled proudly off in the distance. She knew that the blue unicorn would return successful. If anypony could bring ponies back together, it was her. Hitch also let out a massive sigh of relief and swallowed back tears of his own. He had been so worried about her. He thought that he had lost her forever after telling her off a week ago, yet here she was safe and sound, and a hero no less.

The mist fully cleared away and sure enough, leading the combined forces of unicorns and pegasi back into Maretime Bay was none other than Misty Brightdawn herself, who was sporting a confident look in her eyes for the first time in her life. Her flank was glowing brightly with the cutie mark of a magenta butterfly. The shining light almost made her look ethereal, like a messianic figure returning from beyond the heavens. With each step she and her followers took, the cheering of the crowd became louder and some even bowed before her. She had started her journey as a broken pony and had been spiritually reborn over the course of it. She was committed and ready to take on the world once again. She was no longer scared and doubtful of her destiny, for she had embraced it and accepted her role as a leader. The fate of the land depended on her, and she was ready to step up to the challenge, just as she should’ve done long ago.

Once Misty stopped and took in the sights around her, she was immediately tackled and wrapped in a massive bear hug by Hitch and the others. She giggled as they held on to her tight, refusing to let go for a solid minute. Izzy and Pipp were sobbing, while Zipp and Hitch begged her to never run off on an epic quest without telling them ever again.

She promised them that she would not and they let go, staring at her with a mix of amazement and regret. She could tell that they wanted to apologize for not believing in her, but were unsure on how to get the words out.

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “I know you were all angry. Frankly, you had every right to be. I promised that I would save Sunny, and I didn’t. I was scared…I didn’t want to risk losing you all after you all practically became my family…and it made me chicken out at the wrong time. I should’ve stayed strong and it’s my fault. I’m ready to try again though.”

Zipp’s whole body was trembling with nervousness as she gazed at her with sad eyes. “Misty, please don’t blame yourself. All of this is on me. This whole debacle started because I didn’t trust you.”

Misty was confused. “Zipp, we already talked about-“

“Listen,” Zipp interrupted her. “This isn’t just about what happened to Sunny, it’s about everything. Since the moment you came to Maretime Bay, I’ve treated you like a pawn in my investigation instead of a friend. I know we already talked about this three days ago, but it’s only now dawned on me that you were being abused this whole time and I did nothing to help you. I saw the signs, knew what was going on, and I did nothing. I only wish we could’ve talked more before…” she trailed off.

Misty understood what her friend was trying to say. “Before I stole Sparky and condemned him to his death…”

Zipp nodded. “You have nothing to apologize for. The fact that we didn’t see the signs makes us to blame for what happened to Sparky, not you. If I just talked to you and got you to open up about your experiences with Opaline at least once, then you could’ve used that as a reason to turn back. But I didn’t, and none of us were any wiser. You can’t be expected to be perfect all of the time, and we shouldn’t have accused you of lying to us. You saved our lives back there by forcing us to leave. Who knows what would’ve happened if we stayed and tried to get Sunny out?”

Misty put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Zipp, thank you. I mean, you have every right to be angry and hate me…but…I’m grateful that you’re not, that none of you are.”

“I was afraid, Misty…” Izzy admitted softly. “For Sunny’s life…I was afraid she was going to die if we didn’t save her. But I’m not anymore…”

“Sometimes, ponies make mistakes,” Hitch told her. “But it’s what we do in the end that counts. Sunny taught me that. I may have lost Sparky, but I enjoyed the time that I had with him. This battle shall be fought in both his and her names.”

“You have a second chance now, Misty,” Pipp said. “Not only at redemption, but at a new life. We’ll be there for you whatever you do next, we promise. Congratulations on the new cutie mark by the way. Very fancy!”

“Thanks.”

The sound of Alphabittle clearing his throat interrupted their conversation and Misty turned back to look at him and Queen Haven, who were both pointing at the sight in front of them. She looked back around and saw that the earth ponies were angrily staring the unicorns and pegasi down. A crowd fight was due to happen at any moment.

She then faced Hitch and cleared her throat in order to address him. “Hitch Trailblazer, sheriff of Maretime Bay.” He nodded back in acknowledgement. “With your permission, I will speak to these ponies now. You will honor me by lending me the podium.”

“That much I can do,” Hitch agreed. “But you’ll probably have a tough time getting this crowd to listen to you. They wouldn’t even listen to me! And I’m their sheriff!!!!”

“I’ll certainly do my best.” With that, she walked over to the assembled crowd of ponies, who were currently engaged in a full on shouting match with each other. She stamped her hooves to get their attention. “Everypony, listen to me!!”

Suddenly, the crowd stopped arguing and all eyes were now on her. She swallowed hard, hoping desperately that what she was about to say wasn’t going to end up with her getting herself smacked to pieces like a piñata at a party.

“We have to save Sunny!” Misty told them. “She is our friend!”

“No she isn’t!!” shouted Posey Bloom. “She destroyed our magic! I had a bad feeling about that mare from the start, but did anypony listen?! No, because nopony ever listens to poor ‘ol Posey!! I tried to warn you ponies!!!!!!”

“Oh, just get over yourself, Karen!” another mare shot back. “None of us had any idea that she was going to turn out this way!”

“I did…” mumbled an embarrassed-looking Sprout from way off to the left. When he caught a few glares from the ponies next to him, he looked surprised. “What? Don’t look at me. We were friends once when she was a filly. Emphasis on were.”

“Please listen-“ Misty began to say before she was interrupted by the townsfolk now going after the crimson earth pony.

“You’re as bad as she is, lighthouse demolisher!” hollered another earth pony mare. “That was a priceless piece of Maretime Bay history!!”

“That was years ago!!” Sprout protested. “And Sunny was living in it! That makes it okay, right?”

“NO!!!”

“Sunny certainly deserves serious jail time, but you deserve the death penalty, jerk!! Sheriff Hitch was way too lenient on you!!” Dahlia accused him.

“Hey!”

“Believe it, manbaby!!” Toots insulted him.

“I’M NOT-“

“Sunny deserves to rot down to the deepest pits of Tartarus for what she did!!” Rosedust shouted. “There is no forgiveness to be had here!!”

“Everypony, please!!” Misty begged.

“She poisoned our water supply, burned our crops, and delivered a plague onto our houses!!” Lily screeched.

“SHE DID?!!”

“No!” Lily replied angrily. “But are we just going to wait around until she does?!! Something worse might happen!!”

“I say we all take her smoothie cart and chuck it down the ocean!!” Sugar Moonlight declared. “She doesn’t deserve to have any trace of her hard work preserved!! LET HER SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!!”

“YEAH!!!”

“LET’S RAID THE BRIGHTHOUSE AND THROW ALL HER BELONGINGS DOWN WITH IT!!!”

“YEAH!!!”

From afar, Hitch watched the whole argument go down and facehoofed, groaning audibly. He knew that he should’ve killed that mare when he had the chance. She had apparently learned absolutely nothing from her time in jail.

“WE DON’T WANT SUNNY STARSCOUT HERE!! LET HER DIE ALONE!!!!”

“YEAH!!!!”

“LISTEN TO ME!!!!” Misty bellowed as loud as she could, her voice radiating and echoing throughout the entire vicinity, carrying authority wherever it went. She had never yelled this loud before in her life, but she knew that it had done the trick.

In an instant, the argument was quelled to a couple barely audible “yeah”s and angry stares. Nopony dared to make a move as they were all paralyzed in fear at the sound of her voice.

Misty let out an audible sigh of relief as she gazed at the crowd. “I get that you all hate Sunny for what she did!! But have you considered for one second what she’s been through her whole life due to your own selfish actions?!!”

“Mocking and belittling her for her naïve view on the world isn’t the same thing as committing a literal crime, Marcy,” Sugar stated flatly. “An ungrateful little brat is not somepony whom I’m intending to die for.”

Misty nodded solemnly. “You’re right.” The influencer blinked in surprise as she said that. She looked at all of the gathered ponies. “Then who shall you die for?”

The ponies of the crowd all looked at each other in confusion at her question.

Having gotten their attention, she walked to the podium after commanding the ponies to listen to her. She stood behind it and began to speak. “You all know full well that Sunny isn’t a bad pony! She believed in all of you! When you were all separated by fear, who traveled to the ends of the earth to prove her belief that you were better off together? Yes, she’s the reason you embrace those around you today! Why you had magic in the first place!”

The ponies began to look at each other with begrudging acknowledgment. It was true. They had never appreciated what Sunny had tried to tell them, nor apologized to her when she had turned out to be right. They all kept treating her like trash when all she was doing was advocating for what she believed in.

While she was speaking, Hitch and the remaining members of the Mane Five had joined the crowd and stood in the front row listening in anxious anticipation to her speech, waiting to hear more.

“And when you were all about to be forced to fight against one another,” Misty shouted. “Who was there despite losing everything she had ever loved to reach out with her hooves and offer you all a better way to live?!” She paused momentarily and began to indicate individual members of the crowd. “She’s the reason you made new friends…” Izzy looked up at her in sadness. “…she saw the good in all of you!! And she's the reason we believe in ourselves!!”

The crowd was fully paying attention now, expressions of anger now replaced with sorrow and grief over what they had done to the pony who had once treated them all like her friends. She glanced at her friends in the front. “We’ll do our parts…” Hitch held his breath as he awaited the inevitable response.

“Hooves to hearts.” she finished with a determined look.

Hitch nodded, a smirk appearing on his face as he whispered the words. “Hooves to hearts.” The ponies next to him began to repeat the word and it wasn’t long before the whole entire crowd was saying it to themselves. They looked at each other in shock and repeated the words again with a bit louder intensity.

“She’s right!” Windy realized, getting the attention of all those around her. “Sunny is our friend, everypony!!!! SHE NEEDS OUR HELP!!!!!”

That was when the whole crowd suddenly burst into a standing ovation, cheering the blue unicorn on with a newfound energy and vigor. In spite of the dangers of doing so, they knew what had to be done, and how they were going to fix it. Sunny was their friend, and they were going to bring her home.

“HOOVES TO HEARTS!!!!” Misty screamed at the top of her lungs with equal enthusiasm.

Alphabittle brandished a sword and held it up into the air in solidarity with his granddaughter as he bellowed as loud as he could: “For Sunny!!!”

The other unicorns followed his example, holding their hooves up in the air and shouting the same phrase. This was followed by the pegasi and the earth ponies doing it as well. In just a few short moments, the very thing that had been considered an impossible task several months ago had been accomplished.

The ponies were now unified again.

Within seconds, the streets were packed with more than a thousand ponies running back and forth in massive stampedes, shouting battle cries in a fervent manner and climbing up ladders on the town’s buildings to put up the banners of their civilizations. The unicorns helped the earth ponies raise the flag of Maretime Bay, and the pegasi helped out both parties.

Around another nearby block, Seashell and her fellow Pippsqueaks put war makeup on their faces and held out their cellphones into the air as weapons. This was followed by Sunshine Wings and Rainbow Tails, the fillies of Zipp’s flight academy, holding Wonderbolt banners out and waving them out in front of them as a sign of support.

All across the town, weapons were being brandished and flags were being hoisted. Atop the sheriff’s office, the unicorns were hoisting the flag of Bridlewood with Izzy’s help, while right above Sunny’s smoothie cart was the raising of her very own flag with her face on it. The earth ponies held up discarded smoothie cups, sipped through the straws, and raised them high into the air as the flag was put into place.

Meanwhile, Zipp and Pipp finally embraced their roles as princesses and were shouting orders to the pegasi raising the flag of Zephyr Heights above Mane Melody as Jazz and Rocky were climbing the ladder to put it on the roof. Queen Haven watched her daughters with pride, wiping tears from her eyes as she did so.

From atop of Canterlot Studios, Misty was watching the entirety of ponykind gear up for war with a confident look on her face. She may have failed to save Sunny before, but she was going to this time. Opaline was strong, but she had never fought the full might of Equestria at once. In her own words, she was going to feel the flames, the flames of rebellion.

Standing beside her was Hitch with an expression of equal determination. He had been sheriff for a long time, and now he could finally say that he was using his position to do the right thing. He was going to avenge Sparky and take down his killer in the most brutal way possible.

As the two looked on, the old flag of Equestria was hoisted in front of them, officially signaling the call to war.

Sunny lay on her small bed in Opaline’s room on her side, her eyes swollen and puffy from crying. Her body was covered in cuts and bruises and she was bleeding onto the tiny mattress she was laying on. She didn’t know how long she had been sobbing for, but it had to have been an eternity. Under normal circumstances, she could count on one of her friends to give her words of encouragement when she was feeling down. She could always rely on them for support.

This time, however, she had no one.

She had driven away everypony that ever cared about her and joined Opaline thinking that she would be valued and appreciated. Instead, all she had gotten was verbal and physical and abuse. Life was no different for her here than it was back home. She had been forced to take lives and plunder cities and threatened with death if she didn’t. She couldn’t even talk about the constant trauma inflicted on her as the other alicorn wouldn’t give her the time of day.

At least back home, she had friends to listen to her and hear her out. Yes, they had neglected her when she needed them most, but her life was so much better with them compared to with Opaline. She silently cursed herself for falling victim to blatant manipulation again. What kind of leader was she supposed to be when she couldn’t stop herself from falling to the dark side? She should’ve known better than to let herself be this vulnerable. She had opened herself up to love and it resulted in her getting hurt repeatedly.

Was she still angry at them? Of course she was, but anything was better than what she was currently forced to endure. She thought that after joining the evil alicorn, she would finally have a parental figure who loved and took care of her like Argyle did when he was alive. But she was wrong. She had instead fallen into a pattern of lies and deception that she knew she would never be able to leave.

She had committed so many crimes against ponykind that there was no way she could ever redeem herself or be forgiven. Her dream of changing the world for the better was dead and she was the cause of it. If only she could’ve listened to her friends and not fallen victim to Opaline, she could’ve had a nicer life. She had everything she could’ve ever wanted and she threw it all away in hopes of finding something better.

What kind of pony was she?

All she wanted was to make others happy and spread her passions around to those who would listen. Yet it was her passion that ultimately led to her being hurt by Sugar Moonlight and the Filly Four in the first place. She barely knew them in school, only seeing them in the hallways being paraded around by hundreds of adoring classmates. They had always been the golden ponies, the favorites, while she was shunned and ridiculed for her beliefs.

She had internalized it for years until she was old enough to start spreading her views around publicly, but all of the bullying stuck with her. She had always believed in her causes so strongly to a fault that when she faced the inevitable rejection, it stuck with her and she internalized it deeply. After magic was restored, she thought that ponies would be willing to listen to her.

Little did she know that the other ponies still despised her. She could still remember the sick enjoyment many of them had while beating her up, the sinister smiles some of them had as they pelted stuff at her, all while she was desperately begging them to stop. The day she got hurt was the biggest wake up call to her that nopony liked or cared about her. She had hoped that her friends would at least be there for her, yet she didn’t even see them for weeks as they were always holed up in the library with Misty. She didn’t hold any animosity towards the blue unicorn, contrary to what she had said prior. It was clear that she only wanted to redeem herself and make up for her mistakes. But the anger she felt towards all of them had blinded her that night and she lashed out when she shouldn’t’ve.

Now she was alone without anyone to care about her. If she died, no one would care. She had thrown away the only ponies who ever gave her the time of day at all just because of her grief. And now she was going to have to kill them if they ever returned for her. She didn’t want to, but Opaline wouldn’t give her any other choice.

It had to be done, and she hated that. She hated the feeling of helplessness, not being able to do a thing while everything she had ever loved crumbled around her. All because of her one stupid mistake. She would never be happy again. And all it took was one bad day.

The door to her room created open, interrupting her thoughts. Sunny abruptly sat up and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Opaline walking in with an angry expression on her face. She was seething and Sunny began to tremble, thinking that she was about to be hit.

“O-O-Opaline…” Sunny greeted her shakily, doing her very best to not curl up into a ball and beg not to be hurt. She didn’t know what the alicorn wanted with her now, but it must not have been good.

Opaline regarded her coldly as she stood in front of her, wings outstretched with the authority she commanded over the earth pony. “Get up.”

Sunny did as she was told and got to her hooves, still shaking. She looked fearfully at her as she waited for her orders.

“I hope you learned your lesson, Sunny,” Opaline said harshly. “Don’t ever ask me to not make you do things ever again. I can do whatever I want with you, do you understand me?!!”
“Y-y-yes, m-ma’am…”

Opaline smiled sinisterly. “Good. Now, I’m actually feeling a bit generous today, contrary to what you may be thinking. Instead of taking you along to help me plunder New Appleloosa, I’m instead going to give you the job of watching the palace while I am away.”

“Watching the palace…?” Sunny asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, that’s what I just said,” Opaline replied. “After all, this job does sicken you as I have seen. So consider this mercy on my end.”

Sunny simply nodded, refusing to say anything in response for fear of retaliation. Opaline appeared to notice this as her smile grew wider. She reached with her hoof and lifted her chin up until she was staring straight into the soulless eyes of her captor.

“You should be thanking me, Sunny,” the older alicorn sneered. “I shudder at the thought of where you would be without me. Those little ponies hated you. They cast you aside once they found their new favorite. You shouldn’t have any sympathy for such weak-minded equines who offered you nothing.”

“Y-y-you want me to kill them though…” she whispered.

“Yes. And we’ve been through this,” Opaline told her harshly. “If you’re going to prove yourself as a leader, you need to get rid of those in your way. Why do you even have any positive feelings towards them anyway? They clearly don’t for you.”

“T-th-then why did they come back for me-“

“Because they wanted to hurt you!” interrupted Opaline, who was clearly becoming increasingly more frustrated with her. “They wanted to destroy what little free will you have left. They like it when ponies are weak. Especially with you being an alicorn, it gives them extra power and status. You think they ever loved you for who you were?! Did they ever support or helped you spread your passions?!”

Sunny shook her head. “N-n-no, I-“

“Then why do you care about them?!!” Opaline demanded. “You’re stronger than this, Sunny!! If you want ponies to listen to you, you need to make it clear to them that they have no other choice!!!!”

“B-b-b-but I don’t want to kill anypony else-“

“STOP STAMMERING!!!” snapped Opaline, rearing her hoof back to hit her. Sunny immediately backed up against the bed, huddling and whimpering. Her face was full of terror, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she braced for the inevitable impact. “YOU’LL DO AS I SAY!!!”

“P-p-please d-don’t…” Sunny begged. “D-don’t hurt me, please…I-I’ll do what you want, I promise. I-I’m the one that’s wrong. I-I just need to get over them. You’re right.”

Opaline removed her hoof from Sunny’s face, satisfied that she had scared her into submission once more. “That’s better. You should know better that you have no future with them. You’ve gone too far to be in their good graces ever again. Remember, Sunny. Only I have your best interests at heart. When you first came to me, you were nothing but a scorned dog. But once we’re done conquering Equestria, that dog shall have a home…and a proper family.”

Sunny nodded again, opening her eyes. She blinked back tears that were threatening to come out. She couldn’t show weakness. That was wrong. She wouldn’t show her vulnerable side ever again. She would never be hurt again. She just needed to get the job done, as painful as it was.

“Y-you’re right…” Sunny replied. “I-I’ll do w-what must be done. I-I won’t doubt you again. I-I know y-you’re just doing this for my own good.”

“I am,” Opaline confirmed. “And I want you to know that I care about you, Sunny. I too was misunderstood by those around me and betrayed. You’ll never have to worry about that ever again. I will love you like your father did. I’m only trying to toughen you up.”

“I-I know…”

With that, Opaline turned and left Sunny alone in her bedroom, walking into the hallway and slamming the doors violently behind her.

One day, she would get rid of that miserable pony, just as she did Misty. But for now, she needed her loyalty. She had been taking baby steps for far too long. It was time that she finally show Equestria the full extent of her power. It was time that she finally demonstrated that she was not somepony to be messed with.

She grinned malevolently and walked to her main study where the Dragonstone hovered above, simmering with dark energy. She placed her hooves upon it, imagining how much power would soon be in her veins. Her redemption in the eyes of all who once rejected her was inevitable. She would prove them all wrong and at last, her worth would be seen.

“You’ll see, Twilight!” Opaline cackled. “You never deemed me worthy enough to help you when you needed it. You and Starswirl cast me out on my own when I was but an innocent filly. But look at me now!! I am a god just like you!! I finally have all the magic I need to carry on your legacy and take my place among our great ancestors from Skyros!! I shall become the new Princess of Friendship and rule over all of Equestria!!! And you, my mother, shall finally see my worth in death. ARE YOU PROUD OF ME NOW, PRINCESS?!!”

Her horn lit up with bright pink flames and she shot a blast of magic through the ceiling and into the sky, turning it a crimson red. The sounds of wailing could be heard and from the ground, zombie-like corpses of ponies with deformed faces began to rise out of the ground in droves. They growled and uttered guttural noises as they wobbled towards in different directions, ready to plunder any cities or towns that got in their way.

All while she was doing this, Opaline laughed maniacally. She had been bullied for all of her formative years, but at last, she got to be the bully. She was in control now and nopony could stop her reign of terror.

The doors to Mane Melody burst open and Misty walked inside with her friends, closing them behind her. Following the declaration of war and the Crystal Brighthouse undergoing some refurbishments to prepare for it, she and her friends had decided that the salon would be their new base of operations.

The lights instantly turned on and Jazz looked up from her newspaper with an eager smile on her face. She was obviously happy to see them. The ponies stopped in front of her as she stood up to greet them. Pipp walked up to her and showed her the other ponies.

“I brought my friends with me.” she said. Upon Jazz nodding in understanding, she turned towards her friends. “Everypony, Jazz has agreed to host us here until the Brighthouse is refurbished for war.”

Hitch nodded and each of them greeted the green earth pony as they walked past, with the exception of Misty, who simply walked past without saying a word as she had too much on her mind.

“It’s badass, Jazz.” Zipp complimented her before she walked past her to join her friends at the center of the salon.

Jazz smiled back in response before turning her head towards Pipp. “Well, I’ll go find the mane brushes.”

“Great.”

“Though, I don’t know how we’ll accommodate that many hooficures in one day.”

Pipp shrugged. “Just do your best.”

Jazz walked over to the other side of the room and disappeared into a storage closet while Pipp headed towards the place where her friends were.

“Well,” Misty said, breaking the momentary silence. “I think our course is clear. Izzy and I are going to head out to retrieve the other creatures tonight. We shouldn’t be long. Our first stop is the hippogriff kingdom.”

“Wait, hippogriffs?” Izzy asked. “I thought you said we needed to find the queen of the hippos. I was very confused.”

“Hippogriffs,” Misty corrected her. “They’re apparently part pony, part eagle. We’re not searching out hippos. Didn’t Skystar tell you as much during one of your meetings?”

Izzy’s face lit up with the realization. “Oh yeah! Weird, I thought she said that she was a hippo.”

“Anyway,” Zipp cut in, trying desperately to change the topic of conversation. “Do you two have any course beyond Hippogriffia?”

“Not that the moment,” Misty replied. “We could try the Dragon Lands, but we have no map to there or anything. It would be a shot in the dark whether we find it or not.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try, right?” Pipp said with a smile.

“True,” Misty admitted. “But the problem is the lack of map, plus the fact that any texts about them say that they've been hibernating. According to Argyle’s geographical guidebook I found in the Brighthouse basement, many of the other creatures have been wiped off the map overtime as they became forgotten. It seems like only the hippogriffs remain.”

“Then that’s what we’ll focus on,” Hitch confirmed. “If one kingdom joins us, the rest are sure to follow. Just focus on one thing at a time.”

“Right,” Zipp stated, a skeptical look on her face. “But if you two are going out doing the recruiting, then what are we going to do in the meantime? You guys can’t have all the fun.”

“The rest of you have the most important job,” Misty informed them. “You will be keeping Maretime Bay safe and train the ponies for battle, so that if or when Opaline attacks, you all will fend her off.”

“Sounds risky…” Pipp commented.

“It is, but this is the only way,” Hitch told her. “Misty knows what she’s doing. But to get back at a reasonable time, you will both have to leave as soon as possible.”

“Then we’ll do so,” Misty answered. “Get ready, Izzy. We have a long journey ahead of us.” The lavender unicorn nodded back in response.

“Before long, we’ll be fighting the devil and her army…in hell…” Zipp realized.

Izzy’s eyes were full of fear. “Yeah, I mean…Opaline’s probably fought…hundreds of thousands of other ponies in the other villages she’s destroyed, right? And we have to assume she’s won.”

“I don’t care how many demons she’s fought in how many hells,” Misty declared firmly, her expression reflecting sheer will and determination. “She’s never fought us. Not us united.”

Author's Notes:

And here we are! The beginning of the end is upon us. Let me just say, this story has had to be the hardest one that I've ever written. With all of the evolution that Make Your Mark has been undergoing, I found it important to factor in as much canon as possible from the show, while still keeping the AU status. That meant expanding Alphabittle's role in the story in the wake of Chapter 5's release during rewrites. Plus, I needed to establish connective tissue between this story and Purpose as when I first started writing this, that story didn't exist. Plus, as my writing craft improved over the course of all these months, I became dissatisfied with how certain plot points played out and felt the need to do EXTENSIVE additions to the storyline and characters, which included certain dynamics and relationships. Heck, the whole Haven x Alphabittle thing was an afterthought in the original edit, and much of Izzy's dialogue had to be tweaked in order to establish the fact that she is in fact Misty's sister in this universe. So this chapter is a hell of a lot longer than originally anticipated and double the length to boot. I really went out of my way to make sure that this story is the conclusion you all deserved, and that includes bringing the story full circle.

You all might be wondering why this story is light on action so far, aside from Hitch's Batman v Superman-inspired chase scene through town in the beginning. Well, that's because I realized early on that there were two things that people came looking for when it comes to this Saga, those being the heartfelt and emotional character work, and the Lord of the Rings-esque epic storyline and action. Not wanting to sacrifice a possible grand spectacle of a finale, I split the structure of this story in two, whereas this chapter is primarily centered around Misty's quest for redemption, and the second chapter will provide closure on both her and the other characters, while centering itself primarily on the final battle against Opaline. As I'm writing this, I currently have three scenes left for Part 2 and it will release on the day Secrets of Starlight comes out, that being the 23rd. Sorry that this story wasn't released on the 20th as promised, but I needed to give this story more time to cook in the writing room. You all know me; I'm only satisfied with releasing the best quality stories I could possibly offer (except on April Fools day. That's when I don't mind shitposting a little bit ).

So I hope this gives you a little taste of what's to come in a few days. Let me tell y'all, Part 2 goes HARD. As always, feel free to let me know your thoughts on this chapter below and I will see you all in a few days for the end of an era. Bye!

Through The Fog And The Misty Part 2

View Online

“This isn’t over.” Misty countered, sniffling. “I won’t be satisfied until we defeat Opaline and get Sunny back…if that’s even possible.”

Zipp sighed deeply. “I don’t know if it is. I want nothing more than to apologize to Sunny for everything, but…I don’t know, it feels like this is a lost cause. We don’t even know how to get there.”

“Well we have to try,” suggested Misty. “I can take us to where Opaline is.”

Izzy faced her with an angry expression. “Maybe you think that way, Misty, because you haven’t forgiven yourself and you’re projecting. I know Sunny. She can be reasoned with! She simply lost her way, she’s not evil!”

“You just have to trust me, Izzy,” Misty told her. “I wasn’t able to save her then, but I can save her now. If we try to negotiate, we’ll just waste time. Just stick to the plan.”

Reluctantly, Izzy nodded, though it was clear she wasn’t happy about it in the slightest. “Fine. But you better be right about this, Misty. I hope you are.”

Sunny took a deep breath. “I still don’t forgive you guys…but I can’t bring myself to condemn you all to Opaline’s wrath. Not after what you said, Misty.”

Misty stepped forward and held out her hoof. “Come back with us, Sunny. We’ll talk to the town, get them to apologize to you. We’ll figure out a plan together.”

“Yeah,” Izzy added. “We got a lot of lost time to make up! I’m sure everypony will forgive you for what you did.”

Sunny shook her head. “I’m sorry…I’m not going back. It’s too late for me now and I can’t leave anyway.”

Izzy looked absolutely heartbroken. “Sunny…please don’t stay here. We’re in this together, remember? I need you…”

Sunny looked away in shame. “I’m sorry for causing you so much heartache, Izzy…” She faced the rest of them. “Go! Tell the ponies of Maretime Bay that I’m sorry!! Never come back here, promise me!!!”

I didn’t lie to you!!” Misty cried. “I wanted to save her!! I wanted to bring her home!! I just didn’t know what to do, honest!!”

“You haven’t been honest with us ever!!!” Zipp yelled.

Hitch’s eyes were filled with absolute rage as he glared at her. “Yeah. I guess old habits really do die hard, don’t they?!”

Misty felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at that statement. None of them trusted her anymore. And it was all her fault. She had failed to deliver on her promise of saving Sunny and now they all hated her. She felt more horrible than she had ever felt in her whole life, and she didn’t know what to say in response. She had no defense, no excuse, no explanation that would absolve her of any guilt. She was at fault and there were no more words left to be said.

“How can I convince her?!” shouted Misty with tears in her eyes. “I can’t even forgive myself and my friends hate me now! I just don’t know what to do…”

Misty sniffled, wiping her tears with her hooves as she processed what she had just heard from the former ruler. “Not even me…?”

Misty instantly noticed this. “No!! Please, Twilight!! Don’t leave me! I need your help…”

“I never left you, and never will. Remember, Misty. Friendship…is…magic…”

“And this just in,” Dazzle Feather explained over footage of a large-scale battle happening right in front of Opaline’s castle. “A military patrol of about 300 pegasi sent by Queen Haven is getting absolutely slaughtered by the evil alicorn and that traitorous Sunny Starscout. Body-cam footage shows guards retreating and going down in droves…”

Equestria was officially at war.

Opaline was reveling in the chaos that she was creating. She sliced three fleeing pegasi in the chest in less than a millisecond and then ripped them into a million pieces of flesh using her magic. Her grin was one of pure insanity as screams of terror erupted all around her. Finally, she spotted the guard with the body cam and sliced through his neck.

“The question on everypony’s minds is now,” Dazzle spoke mournfully. “In a state of complete and utter turmoil, where are the princesses when we need them?”

“I’d bet my life on it.” Misty replied with no hesitation.

“Look!” a mare in the crowd exclaimed in excitement at the top of her lungs. “Everypony, the unicorns and pegasi are coming back!! The unicorns and pegasi are coming back!!!!”

Zipp instantly recognized the unicorn mare leading the other ponies as soon as she saw her. It was unmistakable. She began to tear up with happiness upon seeing her friend alive and well, as well as for what she had done. “By hoofness, you did it, Misty…”

Sure enough, leading the combined forces of unicorns and pegasi back into Maretime Bay was none other than Misty Brightdawn herself, who was sporting a determined and confident look in her eyes for the first time in her life. Her mane and tail were now dyed purple and pink, and her flank was glowing brightly with the cutie mark of a magenta butterfly.

As the two looked on, the old flag of Equestria was hoisted in front of them, officially signaling the call to war.

“I don’t care how many demons she’s fought in how many hells,” Misty declared firmly, her expression reflecting sheer will and determination. “She’s never fought us. Not us united.”

The Kingdom of Hippogriffia stood largely unchanged by the passage of time. The realm that was said to be home to the mythical hippogriffs and the elusive seaponies still operated the way it usually did on a remote southern island off the coast of the raging ocean.

On land, these majestic beings of flight continued to inhabit and embrace their terrain, which was known as Mount Aris. It was a fairly agricultural-based nation, although some of the technology from Equestria had been stolen in recent past and integrated into the culture. Despite this, the hippogriffs had no use for it. They were largely rigid in their ways and preferred to stick to their traditional ways, a mindset that was bred into them since the very day they were founded.

The kingdom had been founded four thousand years ago when the first hippogriffs broke off from the land that would eventually become Equestria to form their own country. Led by Queen Aris, they created their culture and their own way of life. This was so monumental that the mountain from where they had first gathered together was named after her.

For over a thousand generations, the hippogriffs grew their empire and expanded their influence across the seas. As the reigns passed from Queen to Queen, Hippogriffia became a major world power. No foreign country ever dared to invade it and everycreature across the world loved Queen Eternalia, a resolute, but compassionate leader who led a revolution in domestic policy, improving the hippogriffs’ home life.

But all that changed when Queen Eternalia passed away, leaving her daughter Princess Novo the Queenship. Queen Novo was not like her mother. While she was a respected and resolute leader, she was far too focused on maintaining harmony between her subjects, and building the Harmonizing Heights for leisure activities while abandoning the kingdom’s borders.

This came to a head when the Storm Kingdom set their sights on finally capturing Hippogriffia. The leader of the invaders was a being called the Storm King, a name cursed and feared in every universe. While the Storm King was never able to conquer Hippogriffia, he had posed a visible threat to the other kingdoms, conquering them for a brief time and then moving on after mass murdering the majority of the population.

Finally, the Storm King made his move on Hippogriffia, attacking and utterly destroying the populace, forcing the hippogriffs underwater, leaving their former capital of Mount Aris abandoned. However, despite her failure to protect her kingdom, Queen Novo vowed to not let her mother’s legacy collapse, calling upon all the powers of the sea to craft a magical Pearl of Transformation that would allow the hippogriffs to live new lives underwater as seaponies.

From there, Queen Novo and the seaponies used their ambition and resourcefulness to build a new kingdom called Seaquestria, hidden away in the darkest depths of the sea, where the Storm King could never go. Following the Storm King’s defeat by the ponies, the kingdom was divided into two depending on where they wanted to go. The hippogriffs could choose to be seaponies and vice versa.

Although it was once allies with Equestria, however, that was no longer the case in present day. This was because the rise of the evil alicorn Opaline had sown so much distrust amongst the general population that creatures who were not ponies were no longer welcome and those who refused to return to their own countries would be slaughtered. This resulted in the hippogriffs and seaponies officially declaring their allegiance to the kingdom of ponies over.

It was in this state of isolationism that Hippogriffia stayed for a thousand years and many grew distrustful of ponykind. Some even considered them to be myths in turn. But all that was about to change one stormy night as a centuries-old prophecy was finally going to come true.

It all started way below the ocean’s surface in the underwater Kingdom of Seaquestria, a beautiful city made up of pink houses that glowed brightly and lit up the dark water surrounding it in a fabulous light. To all who visited it, it was known as a place of peace and sanctuary. There was no war or any form of recorded armed conflict as no potential invader could possibly know where they were.

Not much was happening on this day. While their land brethren dealt with the harsh climate above, the seaponies were leisurely swimming along, their fins flapping against the smooth current and propelling them forward. They talked with one another and integrated with various marine life that passed by them.

The seaponies lived in blissful ignorance as they went about their day to day lives, unaware of the danger they were about to get themselves involved in. On the very top of their fantastical city was a building much larger and more luminous than the others. This was the Queen’s Castle and home to the currently reigning monarch Queen Skygrace.

She sat on her throne in deep contemplation, remembering the last message from her mother Reefstream bestowed upon her before passing the title of queen to her. It was a sad night many months prior that her mother passed away and she still was not over it. She was only 18 years old and much of the populace thought her far too inexperienced to be the ruler of the two kingdoms, yet they still respected her regardless.

She was their queen and by law, she was to be obeyed.

She remembered laying by her mother’s bedside, crying and sobbing, begging her not to die like this. Reefstream told her though that death was natural and was only a chapter of the endless story that was the way of water, the cycle of life. And it was on that very night, the Sacred Message was bestowed upon her.

“Remember,” Reefstream had said on her deathbed, diagnosed with terminal cancer, “Remember…the secret message those ponies gave us a long time ago. ‘Queen Novo, daughter of Empress Eternalia, ruler of the hipppgriffs and seaponies…I’ve come asking for your help. Equestria is under attack where I am and I need the help of the hippogriffs. I need your help, your majesty.’ This was given to us by our great ancestor Queen Novo…”

“And you want me to carry this message?” Skygrace had asked, fear on every inch of her body, not just of the enormous responsibility bestowed upon her, but about the nature of the message itself.

“Yes,” Reefstream coughed out blood. “They will come…those very ponies…in a time of great sorrow. They will bring us back out into the world. Until then, we must hide. Do…not…forget…”

With that, she had passed on and the funeral had been held the following day. Skygrace remembered being inconsolable for months, yet she held onto that message and never forgot it. It was her mother’s last words. She kept the memory close to her no matter how much it hurt her to constantly relive it.

As she began to lay down and fall asleep, a seapony guard swam into the throne room faster than a rocket, seemingly with urgent news.

“Your majesty!!” the guard spoke frantically. “Our scouts are detecting an unidentified flying aircraft in the sky! It’s headed right towards us!”

Skygrace was instantly on high alert. No creature had ever found them in ages as it was presumed to any outsider that their existence was a myth. If the guard was telling the truth, then that meant that someone knew of their existence.

“Are you certain of this?!” she demanded. “What does this aircraft look like to you?! Describe to me in detail.”

“They say that it is an unusual looking craft,” explained the guard cautiously. “It is purple and white, large window for the cockpit. They’re saying that they have spotted some ponies inside. What should we do?”

Skygrace froze. She knew what this meant. It was the message that her mother had told her to keep in the back of her mind. She had been right. Although the story seemed so fake to her as a child, she could not deny its existence and it terrified her. What could these ponies want that required their help? Didn’t they know that the hippogriffs and ponies were no longer allies?

She knew that she could not refuse them, even if she wanted to. It was her duty as a ruler to answer the call and she knew her mother would have wanted her to. Despite her better judgement, she knew what she had to do.

She stood up from her throne in an instant and swam over to him. “Send out all of our military and army personnel to meet them.”

“Pardon, my grace?”

“You heard what I said.”

“But why? They carry no weapons.”

“That’s just it,” Skygrace said fearfully, “This is the prophecy my mother warned me about. It’s coming true. Send out all army personnel to greet them on the shore. Let them know that we see their cursed beacon in the sky. It’s those ponies…they’ve come for us.”

The Marestream slowly descended from the air, landing on the beach that connected Mount Aris and Seaquestria. The sky was obscured by a sea of storm clouds and rain poured down on the shores. The wind howled violently and the sea raged as waves bashed against the shoreline in a thunderous display of nature’s fury.

As the ship touched down on the wet sand, an army of about five thousand hippogriffs emerged from the sea and the distance, marching in quick formation towards the landing site. Leading them was Queen Skygrace, decked out in full battle armor. She had a solemn and serious expression on her face as she approached the vehicle.

The doors opened to reveal none other than Izzy Moonbow and Misty Brightdawn, the ponies of the prophecy, stepping out to meet the army in front of them.

Skygrace was the first to speak to the newcomers. “Greetings, ponies of Maretime Bay. Have you come to bring your war here as you foretold many years ago?!”

Izzy shook her head. “No. We instead need you to help us. We have no intention of bringing this war to your soil. Equestria is in danger and our friends too. Several thousand years ago, Misty and I told you guys about the time of great sorrow, about the rise of Opaline, and why we need your help. Your great great great great great great great great great great grandmother Queen Novo gave you all permission to fight alongside us.”

“That was then, this is now.” Skygrace’s voice reverberated across the vicinity. She might’ve only been a teenager, but the authority in her tone was clearly present and no soldier dared to step out of line unless told to do so. “Why should we trust you?”

“Your ancestors and Equestria were once allies,” Misty continued. “You fought together and you fought many victories on the field of battle. When the Storm King arrived, you guys fled underwater. You swam away from your problems instead of facing them head on, and Queen Novo vowed to never do that again. If you don’t help, Opaline will take our war back to your shores, to your children’s children. You will never be safe unless we stop her together. It’s time for you all to rise again, born again as our allies. We will help you if you help us. We will supply you with whatever you need, armies, ammunition, communication, knowledge.”

“It’s time we make our stand together!” Izzy declared. “Today is a privilege to call our own, a story that will be told for a thousand years!! Let our final stand be recorded to the histories!! And let it be shown THAT WE CHOSE TO DIE AS COMRADES IN BATTLE RATHER THAN AS SLAVES TO TYRANNY!!!!!”

The hippogriff soldiers all cheered in unison, applauding in one massive standing ovation, and Skygrace gave a small bow of respect to the two ponies before turning towards her army. “You heard them!! MOVE OUT!! I shall follow you all!!”

The hippogriffs all shouted battle cries and took to the skies, their powerful wings beating against the storm that threatened their lives. The soldiers didn’t care about death, however. Their lives were made on the field of battle. Their legacies would be one of victory and comradeship, not defeat and cowardice.

Lightning struck the ground and thunder sounded across the sky as Izzy and Misty got back into the Marestream, which took off into the sky. It was the symbol of harmony, the symbol of friendship, the triumph of light against darkness, and the beacon that signaled the fulfillment of the ages-old prophecy.

Finally, Skygrace took flight after her soldiers, but not before whispering one last prayer into the heavens as her future became one of uncertainty.

“This is for you, Mother…”

It was a late Tuesday afternoon when Sunny found out about her father’s passing. It was a tragedy that no pony at that age should ever go through, yet it still happened. The news cut deep into her soul and she didn’t know if she would ever be happy again. The worst part about it all was that she had no idea that it would occur.

She remembered being sent off to school and given a warm hug before heading out the door, blissfully unaware of how her life was about to be changed forever. I guess in hindsight, I should’ve warned her. Argyle hadn’t been feeling the best for the past few weeks and I could see that the more I saw him. The usual spunk he possessed had long since faded and what remained was a shell of a stallion.

We were both 12 years old at the time, two years before Sunny would get into activism. According to her, the doctors had cautioned Argyle about a potential stroke, but he didn’t listen. I don’t know if it was the sheer stubbornness he possessed or just blind hubris, but it seemed like he thought he was invincible. He thought that he would be there for her for the majority of her life to guide her. But it was not meant to be. The moment I found out about his seizure, I wasted no time in calling all emergency services in the nearby area. I had just taken over from my own father as Sheriff of Maretime Bay and was still a newbie learning the ropes. But heavens forbid if I was to let somepony die under my watch.

We rushed Argyle to the hospital and it was there that Sunny and I were given the unfortunate news. He had suffered a major stroke and would not make it. The moment I heard that, I saw something shatter within Sunny. Her entire worldview, her optimism, everything that made her who she was just…vanished. She was inconsolable and I let her cry into my hooves. I didn’t say anything to her while she cried. After all, what could I say? I didn’t know what it was like to lose someone at the time. The only thing I could do was watch as she threw herself onto Argyle’s body and begged him not to leave her. Even as he was taking his final breaths, she didn’t want to leave him. The nurse had to come in and sedate her as she was screaming, bawling…I had never seen her this distraught before. She kept fighting against them as they did so, all while the orderlies yelled at her and slapped her across the face until she was calm. I was disgusted by what they were doing to her, but I did nothing as it was not my place to intervene.

I still regret not standing up for her that day. The orderlies were being very cruel to her when all she wanted to do was say goodbye. And I just stood by and watched it all go down. Sunny was never the same after that. I didn’t know how much the passing affected her, but I would finally get my answer that night.

I had just finished up sheriff duties and I decided to visit Sunny at the lighthouse to check on her. It was a full moon and I thought that I could get her to watch the stars with me. We always loved doing that growing up. But when I opened the door, I saw the most horrific sight that I wished never saw, an image permanently etched into my mind that I would never get rid of.

Sunny was holding a kitchen knife to her throat with one hoof and a noose with another. Her face was all bloody and her body was bruised. She had hurt herself multiple times and was going in for the killing slice to the neck. I knew what she was about to do and I rushed toward her as fast as I could, tackling her and knocking both items onto the floor.

Never again would I see my best friend attempt to commit suicide.

She asked what I was doing and all I could do was scream at her, demanding why did she try and do that to herself. She told me that life wasn’t worth living without her Dad in it. He had always guided her and let her breeze through life, and without him, she felt like she was nothing. She pleaded with me to let her die, that I didn’t have to watch, and that it would be better in the long run if I didn’t have to worry about her delusions.

This was the first time I had ever heard her doubt the stories she was told and it would also be the last. I was not a trained professional by any means, but I had to try something. Sometimes, your life boils down to one insane move. If I didn’t seize the opportunity, I would certainly regret it.

I broke down and explained to her how much of an amazing friend she was to me, that I didn’t want her to go, and that she had to keep on living. I don’t know how long I spent recounting all of our playdates, but it felt like an eternity. I told her that Argyle would have wanted her to keep on living, and I made her promise to make me believe no matter what. I didn’t buy into the whole “pony unity” thing at the time until many years later, but I had to give her an incentive to keep on living her life. This, I believe, was her incentive for becoming an activist. More than anypony in the world, she wanted to convince me of what she saw in the pegasi and unicorns. She wanted to make me see the truth.

The whole time I was talking, I saw her eyeing that blasted knife. Her gaze would not leave it until I was done. In that moment, I just wanted to hold her tight and tell her everything was going to be okay. I don’t get vulnerable a lot, mainly because being a sheriff doesn’t allow for sentimentality, but I let myself feel that night and I cried with her. We had been slowly growing apart ever since 5th grade, but I genuinely felt close to her again in that moment. Our differing beliefs didn’t matter. All I wanted to do was save her life and tell her how amazing she was at being her.

I’ll never forget that night. No matter how many years pass, my mind keeps coming back to it. I don’t think I’ll ever get to tell Sunny how much of an impact she’s left on me now that she’s gone. I guess the reason why I lashed out at Misty was that I saw this rescue mission as the only way to make things up to her. It was a dream that was never realized. I never meant to neglect her when she needed me and in hindsight, I realize now that it wasn’t Misty’s fault either. It was entirely mine. She just wanted to help us and the blame is on me for not taking the time out to help comfort my best friend.

I don’t know if I’ll ever see Sunny again. This war we’re about to go into sounds like something that could kill us all. We might not survive and she most likely won’t see reason. After all, why would she? We’ve been nothing but ignorant to her insecurities for months. I’ll never forgive myself for letting her go down this path. I should’ve been there for her. What kind of friend was I?

Hitch set down his pencil, letting it fall onto the dining room table as he stared at the entry he had just written in his diary. The memory of Sunny’s near-suicide still haunted him and it was even worse now that she was gone. He had been there for her all those years ago, so why couldn’t he be there for her now? The questions raced through his mind at a million miles per minute and he didn’t have an answer to any of them.

He was alone in the Crystal Brighthouse with only a couple of lights on overhead. The rest of his friends were put preparing for war in their own unique ways. Misty and Izzy had taken off in the Marestream to Mount Aris in order to recruit the hippogriffs and apparently fulfill a prophecy, while Zipp and Pipp were with the pegasi going over battle strategy. Despite being the sheriff, he had no clue on how to contribute to the preparations. Misty had done most of the work in rallying all of the ponies to battle and at this point, he felt like he wasn’t needed.

The most he could do was reassure the citizens that the two unicorns would return from their trip abroad with a bigger army. That was all he was good for. Internally, he questioned whether he was really up for the task of fighting Opaline and getting Sunny back. After all, he let his anguish turn him into a full-on murderous psychopath. He neither trusted himself nor his feelings. Perhaps unbridled rage was what was ultimately needed in order to win, but he had already fallen victim to it once. He didn’t want to do so again.

Poor Sunny didn’t deserve any of this. Her life was a particularly tragic one and she had lost so much. Hitch thought that all their problems were solved once magic came back and they could go on to live their lives, but he was wrong. Since the moment Misty had shown up on their doorstep in Sprout’s hooves and let them know about the impending crisis, he and his friends’ lives had been one thing going wrong after another. All he wanted was to live his life in peace now that years of paranoia and distrust had ended. Instead, he had to deal with it again and to top it all off, Sparky was dead.

The loss of his favorite baby dragon cut into the very core of his being. He thought that he would be there to see Sparky grow up under his care. He did everything he could to provide for him in hopes that it would lead to a healthy and happy life for the both of them. Alas, it was not to be and he felt like crying just thinking about it.

He had lost two companions close to him in just six months and he couldn’t protect either of them. He never thought that he would see the day that Sparky died, and he never thought that he would hold a lifeless corpse in his hooves. This was his punishment and he could never undo it. He had failed to save the few best things in his life and he would never forgive himself for that.

He closed his journal and looked up to the ceiling where four flies were buzzing above the light. He had always considered himself enlightened as a sheriff, but the adventure to restore magic taught him how wrong he was. After his friends had defeated Sprout, he thought that he had everything.

However, it turned out that he in fact had nothing.

He looked at the journal cover and his eyes narrowed, his mind filling with hate as he thought of the lifeless body of Sparky lying in his room, all of the essence and magic sucked out of him like a straw. He vowed that he would destroy Opaline with his bare hooves if it came down to it. He wanted to make her suffer the same fate she had given his son.

Just then, the sound of hoofsteps caught his attention and he turned towards the ramp in front of him. Walking down towards the kitchen was none other than Pipp Petals. She was humming her song to herself and stopped in front of him. Her face was a mix of confusion and curiosity as she stared at him.

“I thought I was the only one here,” Pipp commented. “Didn’t expect to see you writing another entry in that journal again.”

“It’s all I’ve got,” Hitch replied. “Sunny told me to keep a diary years ago. This is how I keep her memory alive in case…” He trailed off, finding himself unable to finish.

The pop star princess seemed to understand what he was about to say as she nodded in understanding.

“In case we don’t get her back.”

Hitch nodded back. “It’s highly unlikely. Misty certainly means well like she always does, but if we failed to do this before, it’s doubtful that we will be able to succeed the second time around. Sunny hates us, and there’s nothing we can say to talk her out of it.”

Pipp’s expression morphing into one of deep concern was all he needed to know that she understood his fears.

“I worry about that too. Misty and Izzy still aren’t back. It makes me think that they might’ve failed. Or worse. What if the hippogriffs captured them and are holding them hostage?!” Pipp asked, her eyes going wide in horror.

“I don’t think they’re gonna do that.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well for one thing,” Hitch explained. “Izzy knows them. I don’t know how, but she does. Remember when we were cheering her on in that battle arena? When she had to answer that stupid riddle from Discord?” Pipp nodded. “Well, I saw at least two hippogriffs in her friend group. It’s obvious that she has a good rapport with them.”

“But they met through some multiverse dream shenanigans, I don’t know what!” Pipp argued. “It’s been more than a thousand years since Skystar’s time. How do we know that her great great, I have no idea how many greats, granddaughter is as charitable as her?”

“We don’t,” admitted Hitch gravely. “But for once, I’m operating strictly on faith, not on reason. We’ve lost everything, Pipp. Everypony we ever loved. Sunny, Sparky…what do we have left besides blind faith and hope?”

Pipp looked down on the ground in deep sadness. “When…Sunny first turned to the dark side and…Zipp was gravely injured in that crowd fight…I sat by her bedside for days, hoping and praying that she would live. I genuinely thought that I was going to lose her that night, my only sister. All I had with me was faith. When I relied on divine intervention and begged for a miracle…it brought her back from the brink of death. So I get what you’re saying.”

“I take it you never told her about how you were feeling that night. You don’t strike me as somepony who relies on faith all that much.”

“How do you tell somepony that you thought they were going to die?” Pipp inquired sadly. “Zipp likes to think herself invincible sometimes and I know that makes her feel good, so I mainly stayed quiet when she woke up from her coma, never really letting her know how worried I was for her aside from the basics. Yet that marked the first time I ever relied on faith. Turning to prayer in my most desperate hour. Sometimes, all you gotta do is believe in the power of miracles.”

“Miracles didn’t prevent Sparky from being killed…” Hitch told her mournfully. “Nor did it prevent Sunny from getting hurt and betraying us. But it’s all I have left. Painful irony isn’t it? A sheriff who’s always relied on hard facts and most importantly, the law for his entire life, now forced to rely on nothing but faith.”

“You’re not infallible, Hitch. So stop holding yourself to that standard. It will only cause you more problems in the long run.”

Hitch was about to say something when suddenly, the doors to the Brighthouse burst open and in ran Zipp Storm with a stressed look on her face. She stopped in front of the two of them breathed a sigh of relief once she saw that they were okay. Her face was sweating from the effort of running all the way from wherever she had come from.

“There you two are!” Zipp admonished them. “I’ve been looking all over for the both of you! Especially you, Pipp. What were you doing?!”

“Livestreaming upstairs,” Pipp replied. “It’s not important. It was just…another random stream to the Pippsqueaks, nothing else. Then I heard Hitch and we started talking.”

Zipp didn’t look convinced. “Uh huh. Well, I’m going to take your word for it. I wasn’t there.” She cleared her throat. “Listen Pipp, we don’t have time for your silly streams. I needed you to go over combat strategy with me out in the field and you weren’t there. The other pegasi were waiting anxiously for you for a full hour. We’re setting up war camp.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be too hard on her, Zipp,” Hitch said. “Honestly, I needed the advice she gave me badly. I haven’t been myself as of late and for good reason.” He stood up and walked over to her. “What are we doing now?”

“Well now we’re going to Mane Melody,” replied Zipp. “I put the cadets on break as Jazz and Rocky have something that they want to show us both. Plus, we can pass the time there until our friends get back.”

Hitch sighed, picking up his diary and holding it in his hooves. “Alright then. I suppose we could afford to chill for a little bit. We’re all a little too on edge here after all.”

Zipp nodded. “Don’t worry. The town’s fortified in all areas. There is no way Opaline and Sunny can get in except through the sky and even that is shielded with electric power lines.”

“The Marestream can still get in though, right?”

“Yeah. I let Izzy know through text that her opening is right above Mane Melody, which is why we’re going there. There’s no shield of any type in that vicinity, so they can get in easily.”

Pipp smiled. “You’ve thought of everything, sis.”

“Well, when being princess makes you a military general by default, you kinda get to learn the basics.” Zipp answered with a playful smile of her own. Then her expression turned serious. “Alright, let’s get going. We can’t be out long.”

The three ponies headed out of the Brighthouse in the direction of Mane Melody, all while the skies above raged with the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning.

Meanwhile…

The Marestream flew through the stormy skies back in the direction of Maretime Bay at top speed. The engines let out an audible roar and accelerated the ship forward while thunder clapped and boomed all around it. Heavy rain poured down on the roof, soaking the areas near the hatch as it braved the harsh weather to get back.

The skies were not usually this stormy, so it was certainly seen as a dark omen for the confrontation that was about to take place. Nature had its way of foreshadowing future events to come through the weather, so it was not a stretch of the imagination to say that was happening now.

Izzy was driving the Marestream while Misty sat in the back with Queen Skygrace of the Hippogriff Kingdom and talked to her. They were flying back from Mount Aris after recruiting the hippogriff army to their aid and they were all exhausted. While the remaining army flew ahead on their own, the queen chose to ride with the ponies in order to extract more information out of them. Misty agreed, of course. After all, the situation they were in was so complicated that if they were to have any hope of winning against Opaline together, it was better to know who their allies were on a more personal level.

Although she had a general plan of attack figured out, Izzy still had no idea how she was going to explain everything to Skygrace. She knew of the hippogriffs’ existence through her multiversal friends, but she did not want to sound like an idiot in front of one of their only allies by revealing it. The multiverse and time travel were very outlandish concepts that few believed in and she wanted to be taken seriously for once in her life.

She sighed, putting the ship on autopilot and heading to the back cabin in order to speak with her friend. Her mind was at war with itself despite everything that had happened. It should have been a good thing to her that Misty had finally taken her advice and decided that reasoning was the best way to go. But what if she was wrong? Sunny had made it crystal clear that her leniency was a onetime thing and that should they ever come back for her, then she would be forced to condemn them to Opaline’s wrath.

This put her on edge as a result. She questioned whether what she was doing was truly the right decision. Misty was certainly dead set on it now, but was she? Would Sunny really forgive them after they had basically abandoned her when she needed their comfort the most? The thought would not leave her head, and she felt like she was putting all their lives at stake as a result.

She didn’t know what the point of it all was. What exactly was killing her friends going to accomplish? Sunny was her first ever friend in the world and she loved the earth pony more than any of her other friends as a result. Her loyalty was what drove her to be harsh on Misty and push her to go with the reasoning option. But the chances of the mission failing again were astronomically high and this time, they knew that not all of them were getting out alive.

As she found Misty and Skygrace, the latter turned towards her with a skeptical look in her eyes. There was no trust in those piercing green irises, only distrust and suspicion. It was clear that the last thing the hippogriff wanted was to be involved with ponies again after their troubled history and she didn’t blame her.

Izzy couldn’t look at her back as she was trembling all over from that gaze, so she kept her head low and sat besides Misty.

“Did you put the Marestream on autopilot?” Misty asked carefully. “I don’t want us to crash.”

Izzy nodded. “Yeah. I’ll get back behind the wheel soon, I promise. I just need to talk with you and queenie here. I’m sorry, what’s your name again?”

“Skygrace,” she responded with an edge to her voice. “Get it right for once now, please. I don’t see how this is so hard for you to understand.”

Izzy looked down in shame as the words cut right through her heart and stung where it hurt the most. She had always been called dumb and stupid by the unicorns around her for most of her life while growing up in Bridlewood. Most of her peers didn’t like how she treated every situation with such lightheartedness and levity and some even told her to grow up. The phrase ‘hard for you to understand’ was one that she heard so often that she practically memorized every encounter where that phrase was said.

It wasn’t her fault that she wanted to make her town a better place and brighten up everypony’s days…was it? She had no idea, but she didn’t like hearing the same words repeated to her now. It brought back bad memories that she always tried to keep hidden.

Misty noticed her downtrodden expression and hurriedly backed her up. “Your majesty-“ She cleared her throat as she corrected herself. “Um, Skygrace, we’re your friends. You don’t need to be so standoffish.”

Skygrace barked a laugh. “Friends?! Give me a break. My subjects shouldn’t even be involved with Equestria after the stunt you ponies pulled years back. I’m only helping you because my mother would’ve wanted me to.”

Izzy looked back up upon hearing that. “Is…the stunt about how Opaline convinced the other ponies to hurt you all those years ago…?”

Skygrace gave a simple nod in response.

Misty had an expression of deep concern on her face. “We know what went down. Six months ago, we found the Journal of Friendship stored in our bedroom. We know how she really rose to power…and what happened to all of you.”

“You ponies saved us from the Storm King so many moons ago,” Skygrace spoke angrily. “You built a school to indoctrinate our young into your culture. You welcomed us with open hooves…and you chased us out with hate and murder as soon as you didn’t need us anymore.” Her eyes filled with tears that she quickly blinked back. “All hippogriffs and seaponies know this story. And yet you come asking for our help in spite of everything you had done to us?!!”

“That’s not what happened!” Izzy protested. “Skygrace, we…that was years ago. And our ancestors were blindsided by fear and distrust. Opaline fed on their disdain for change and she…she made them vulnerable to her influence. But we’re not like that anymore!”

Skygrace said nothing in response, still standing in a defensive pose with an expression of pure hatred.

“Nothing can undo all the harassment you guys received…” Misty told her. “You were promised a better world, and Opaline took that from you. But we want to make it right. Times are different now and…things are changing. We’re open to welcoming you all back. I understand if you’re angry at us. But we are not our ancestors. Just as you’re not your mother…”

The violet hippogriff’s eyes softened a bit, but her voice still conveyed suspicion as she nervously took a few steps closer to them. “Can I ask you something? When your friend got kidnapped, and you needed help…how did you know that we existed? I thought we were considered nothing to you but an old ponies’ tale?”

Izzy’s heart raced as she thought of something to say in response. As she was panicking internally, she felt Misty’s comforting hoof on her shoulder. The touch was warm and it filled her with a sense of self-assurance. She could reveal the truth and not be thought of as insane. She would be believed.

She took a shaky breath. “I knew of you through Skystar. She…we met each other once in this strange chaos realm. She told me about her kingdom and where it was. We passed along that message through her mother.”

“You knew my great ancestor…” Skygrace’s voice radiated a childlike sense of amazement and wonder at the news. All that anger was gone now and was replaced by an eagerness to hear more. It was clear that she was fascinated with her family’s history and lineage. “You told her our prophecy?”

Izzy nodded, smiling. “We did. Mount Aris was the first place we went after Sunny was kidnapped. We knew that we could trust her, and to an extent, we knew that we could trust you as well.”

“But…how?” she asked in bewilderment. “You didn’t even know that I would even exist back then.”

“If you’re anything like her,” Izzy replied. “You’re loyal to your friends no matter what, no matter who or what they are. You’d never leave them behind.”

“We even got to see Mount Aris as it was back then.” Misty added. “Your kingdom is absolutely beautiful, your majesty.”

Skygrace smiled back wistfully. “It sure is. And you haven’t even seen all of it yet. The Harmonizing Heights is still a beautiful place full of boundless opportunity. We are a people of hope, not war. The Storm King may have subjugated Mount Aris once. But he could never destroy our people.”

“So you’re saying…” Izzy prodded gently.

“Yes,” Skygrace stated firmly. “I will help you fight Opaline. We will take back what was stolen from us all those years ago.”

Both Izzy and Misty whooped and cheered for joy at this news. With this, a new truce between the two races was born, and it was one that they vowed would never be broken.

The Dragon Lands…
Central Intelligence Cave

The cave walls slid open and a red fully-grown dragon walked inside of it, groaning audibly. He had a blue crystal in his claws that was delivering some sort of message. An hour ago, Dragon Lord Spike had asked him to decipher who was behind it as the image resolution of the speaker was so blurry that nobody could make it out.

He had accepted his task, of course, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it by any means. In his mind, he had better things to do with his life than to waste his time deciphering messages from foreign nations. Unfortunately, his job as the official scribe meant that he had to do it whether he wanted to or not.

He walked towards the end of the cave, where a large supercomputer stood with many videos running all at once. This was the way that the dragons could keep watch over all of Equestria and gather information from them without anypony from the land knowing. Many other dragons stood behind the keyboard, all typing at once and scouring different locales.

“Hey,” the dragon called out to his peers. “I got the crystal.”

A female pink dragon turned around upon hearing his voice. “Lava! There you are. How are you doing? I realize we didn’t get to talk much this week considering our tasks.”

Lava blushed, but quickly shook his head to get rid of the feeling. “I’m…fine, Blaize. Just doing the job as always. Here’s the crystal. The speaker delivering the message looks like a pony, but none that any of the history books have shown us.” He handed her the crystal, which she took.

“Maybe they’ve evolved.” a tan dragon called Tumble off-handedly commented. Upon receiving glares from the others, he shrunk back in embarrassment. “What? It could happen. You know, how ponies from the Celestia-Era had their cutie marks on one side removed in exchange for new kidneys-“

“Okay,” Blaize interrupted, putting out her other claw in order to stop him. “We…don’t need to go into that again, history buff.”

Tumble rolled his eyes.

“I don’t get why this message is so important to Spike,” Lava told them. “I mean, so what if we haven’t gotten any contact from ponies in hundreds of moons? This could be nothing.”

“So everything!” a blue dragon with purple scales from the far right exclaimed. “Do you know what this could mean? They could be requiring our assistance for some impending disaster!”

Blaize scoffed. “You mean like the time Princess Twilight still tried to ask for our help after unleashing her racist apprentice on us? Yeah, never again, purple head.”

“Only one way to find out, I guess.” Lava said, shrugging.

Blaize plugged the crystal into the outlet and watched the message slowly load onto the screen. The video then popped up, showing the barely recognizable image of a pony speaking into a computer. “Hello, is this thing working? Hi, my name is…pp…m…asking for your help.”

The dragons all facepalmed, after which they slammed their heads face first into the table in frustration, groaning loudly.

“Seriously?!” The blue dragon raged. “For this?! We get a crystal recording and it’s glitchy?! What the heck does ‘my name is pp’ even mean?!”

“Besides the obvious.” Tumble joked with a dirty smile. He was promptly smacked upside the head by his colleague after saying that.

“It seemed to start glitching at the pony’s name,” Blaize reasoned. “I figure if we all blow our dragon fire at it, we can increase the video’s resolution.”

“You think?” Lava asked skeptically.

“How should I know? Let’s give it a go just to be sure.”

All five dragons proceeded to take a deep breath before unleashing their fire at the supercomputer monitor. The combined force began increasing the resolution as the pixels began to rearrange themselves in real time. The video cleared up and soon the pony speaking was fully visible.

“…Our magic does make us different,” the pony spoke, her voice more clear. “And that’s something we should embrace…both in ourselves and in others. Our powers let us be the best versions of ourselves…”

Lava opened his eyes and gasped upon looking at the screen. “I…I-I don’t believe it. Spike was right. That’s a…that’s a…”

“It’s a…” Tumble added, his eyes wide in shock. “It’s…”

“…a pegasus…” Blaize finished in amazement.

Blaize and Lava flew over to the tall throne of rocks at the very heart of the Dragon Lands, also known as the Isle of Scaley to outsiders. The place was still as harsh and volcanic as could be all these years later, but now supported the occasional plant life every now and then, and many of the volcanos that used to supply lava in excess were now dormant.

Since Spike had ascended to the role of Dragon Lord, the dragons had begun to adopt a more peaceful lifestyle that didn’t involve making the enemy of outsiders. He had been instrumental in taking over for Ember after she was forced to give up the Bloodstone Scepter by popular vote and guided them to a new age of wealth and prosperity. He had assured his kind that although the era of coexistence with ponies had ended, that did not mean that they had to lose all they had learned.

Lava was the first to touch down and bow to the large purple dragon sitting on the throne, Blaize following his example. Spike might’ve old and his eyebrows were starting to turn grey, but his presence still carried authority and struck fear into all who saw him. He was sleeping with his back against the rock, only stirring once he heard sounds of wings touching down.

Spike sat up, clutching the Scepter in his claws tightly. His eyes opened and he gazed upon his subordinates below. His voice sounded older and more gravelly, but they still radiated power and confidence.

“Have you processed the message?” he asked them.

Blaize nodded. “We have, Dragon Lord. We believe that the message comes from a pegasus. The recording on the crystal is still a bit hazy, so we can’t make out her features, but I definitely see wings.”

Spike stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Interesting. It appears that my predictions to Luster all those moons ago weren’t so far off after all. It could be that they need our help.”

Lava was flabbergasted at the concept. “B-but you can’t be serious! Dragons have existed without ponies for generations! We don’t need their help!”

“Crystal.”

Lava groaned and handed the crystal over, grumbling under his breath. Spike took it from him and gazed at the restored footage. As he listened, his eyes went wide and he nodded in understanding, processing every word that was spoken by this mysterious messenger.

“Well?” Blaize asked.

Spike looked up, his face reflecting immediate decisiveness. “Gather up the other dragons and tell them to meet me here at the throne. We are apparently in more danger than I initially anticipated.”

Mane Melody was unsettlingly quieter than it usually was at this time. While the premier mane salon of Maretime Bay would normally bursting at the seams with activity and lively chatter, the three ponies visiting it all stood or sat in silence and barely spoke to one another outside of a couple passing whispers.

The only sound filtering through the uneasy tension was the air conditioning that blew cool air throughout the room, which ensured that nopony would suffer from any possible heat stroke. Everyone was on edge for fear of Opaline coming, and there was no time for lighthearted conversation.

Jazz sat opposite one of the mirrors trying on a new lotion on her mane while Rocky stood by her side protectively. Hitch was sitting beside Pipp while reading silently to himself a newspaper that detailed the latest city to fall to Opaline’s wrath. The headlines described it as a real-life “zombie apocalypse” in reference to the undead army that the evil alicorn had taken with her. His face grew more and more worried with each sentence he read.

Zipp was pacing back and forth after having enough of standing in one place for about an hour, her hooves creating clip clop noises as she continued to wander aimlessly. Finally, she let out an audible groan and impatiently walked over to Pipp, who was reclining back and taking a small beauty nap. Upon getting a tap on the shoulder from her older sister, the pink pegasus stirred and fluttered her eyes open before giving her a glare.

“Sorry Pipp,” Zipp apologized. “But I’m like really bored! Do they have any board games in here? I’m sick of waiting.”

“Mmm…go ask Jazz or something,” Pipp told her groggily. “I wanna sleep…Maybe she’ll play with you.”

Zipp refused to do so, shaking her head. “No fun without my little sis. Come on, sleepy head. You’ve been out for far too long.” She playfully prodded her four times, only to get her hoof almost instantly smacked away by Pipp’s own.

“Go away, Zipp!!” Pipp snapped. “Please!! I want some peace, alright?!! We’ve been through a lot already!!”

Zipp was taken aback by this with her playful expression morphing into that of deep concern and worry. “Pipp…are you feeling okay? You haven’t seemed like yourself since this morning.”

Pipp blinked back tears. “I’m fine!! Just…leave me alone.”

“I know you’re not. Did something happen during that livestream you were doing earlier? What was it about anyway? You know you can tell me.”

Pipp shook her head vigorously. “I can’t. Y-you’re…you’re not interested anyway. Just go bug Hitch or something. He looks bored too.”

Zipp sighed, finally deciding to acquiesce to her sister’s wishes. “Fine. But we’re going to talk about this after we get Sunny back, mark my words.”

She walked over towards Hitch, who was engrossed in his newspaper. Upon seeing her shadow obscure his vision, he looked up.

“Hey.”

“Hey…” Zipp responded. “So…you feeling alright? Pipp sent me to talk to you. I know you’re busy, but I’m just-“

“No no, it’s alright.” Hitch replied. “I’ve actually been meaning to get this off my chest anyway. Can I…trust you with something crazy?”

Zipp shrugged. “I love crazy. What is it?”

Hitch’s expression went serious as he looked off into the distance. “I um…after Misty left for Mount Aris…I had a dream, like a…It was…almost like a premonition. It was late at night. Izzy Moonbow was right here.” He pointed to the floor in front of him. “There was this magic energy bubble all around her. And she was…calling out Misty’s name.”

Zipp’s eyes widened in surprise. “How’s this possible? She’s not even here. She left with Misty. It can’t be her that talked to you unless it was a…” She trailed off upon realizing what it might’ve been.

“I think it was a vision of the future…” Hitch answered for her gravely, his eyebrows creasing downwards as he thought of the prospects. “…or something darker.”

Before any of them could think further on the possibilities of what this could mean, there was the sound of rapid hoofsteps and a very excited Jazz came running up to them, alerting all of their attentions to her. “Sheriff Hitch!! Sheriff Hitch!! You need to see this!!”

The ponies opened the doors to Mane Melody and looked up into the sky to see none other than the Marestream slowly descending down towards the ground below them. Both Izzy and Misty stood on the edge of the ramp, waving enthusiastically to them with massive grins on their faces. Behind them was an army of about several thousand hippogriffs clad in battle armor flying in the sky.

Zipp’s mouth dropped open in shock, followed by the others doing the same. They had never seen anything like this before. Their friends had done it! They had recruited help and now had the backing of an entire foreign nation’s military. There was nothing that could stand in their way when saving the day now.

As the Marestream touched down on the ground below, Hitch and the other ponies walked over to Misty and Izzy in order to congratulate them on succeeding on their mission and finding help.

“You found them!” Hitch exclaimed.

Misty nodded, smiling. “They agreed to help us. This is their fight as well.”

“Our fight.” Izzy corrected her with a smile of her own, patting her sister on the back in solidarity with her hoof.

Zipp and Pipp walked with their friends up the ramp and into the main cockpit while Hitch stayed outside briefly to have a moment with Jazz.

“We’ll get her back, Jazz, I know it!” Hitch assured her.

“What makes you so sure?” Jazz asked him skeptically.

“Faith, Jazz!! Faith!!”

In that moment, he was no longer the broken and angry stallion he had become six months prior. He had hope once more. Pipp had been right the whole time about having faith. And he was going to use that in order to save his best friend and stop Opaline once and for all.

With that, he walked up the ramp as it closed behind him. The roar of the engines sounded and soon the Marestream was ascending to the skies once more, only this time with a renewed purpose and the aura of hope.

It turned around in a circle before speeding off into the air and into the night sky, leaving a sonic boom in its wake.

“Yes…POWER!!!! UNLIMITED POWER!!!!!”

With a loud yell, Opaline blasted a powerful beam of dragon fire magic at the floor below her with all the might of an angry goddess. The blast hit the ground at full speed, leaving a smoldering stain from the impact. Small puffs of smoke billowed out from it and rose up into the air, leaving the smell of burning fire behind as the flames slowly settled into tiny embers.

The evil fire alicorn smiled at her handiwork. The skin on her face was gradually peeling and melting from the effects of the spell. Her eyes had turned completely black with no pupils, but they were still filled with a sense of sadistic excitement. Trails of blood poured down from them as she proceeded to recite the ancient incantation meant to raise the mythical Umbrum from the ground.

The evil shadow creatures had been locked below Equestria for several thousands of years and it was time for them to serve a new master. The ground trembled and low guttural growls could be heard. From the place where the magic hit, a long and bony, smoky hoof emerged from it and grabbed the floorboards with all its might. Slowly but surely, the second hoof rose from the ground, followed by an equine-like face with pupiless white eyes, and then inevitably, the rest of the body.

Several more followed suit as they filled the cold air with the sounds of growling, roaring, screaming, and wailing in an unholy manner. They rose from the ground one by one, their expressions filled with a bloodthirsty desire to get revenge on the ponies who had once imprisoned them.

The Umbrum stared at the alicorn hungrily as she loomed over them. One of them lunged at her, only to be blasted into smithereens in an instant. Seeing this, the rest of them bowed down to her, not wanting to be incinerated like their comrade had just been.

“Yes…” Opaline commanded them, her evil grin becoming increasingly more unhinged by each passing second. “Go, my precious Umbrum! FEED!!!!!!!!!”

It was said that every living creature throughout the realm could sense the winds changing and braced themselves for the oncoming storm. Animals ran and hid in their habitats and across the land, ponies looked up into the sky in great fear.

Meanwhile in a hidden village within the Peaks of Peril, two Kirin were playing chess on top of a cliff when they heard a boom sound in the sky. One of them, a bluish Kirin, looked up from the chessboard and at the sky, only to see a great beam of magic off in the distance shooting straight up for the clouds.

“Great Rainshine…” the Kirin whispered.

It didn’t take long for his friend, an orange Kirin, to notice as well and look up. Upon seeing the massive beam in the sky, he turned towards her. “We must warn Rosedawn. A great evil is coming for us all.”

“Not a great evil…” the blue Kirin corrected him, his eyes filled with terror. “The great evil.”

The Umbrum scampered away from the area like a pack of wild animals chasing after their prey. They varied in size, but were all equally as ferocious as they hissed and roared. Their eyes bore neither mercy nor humanity in them. These creatures only existed to kill and nothing else, for it was their sole purpose of being. They lived only to serve, conquer, and destroy.

As they left the throne room and scattered across different directions, the sounds of triumphant roars and wails filled the air, filling anyone in any nearby area with an unmatched feeling of dread.

Opaline’s evil smile grew wider and wider until it was a full insane grin, all of the malice and malevolent intentions all manifesting into one insidious expression. Meanwhile, Sunny watched all of this go down with a mix of intense fear and deep regret.

She didn’t like this one bit. All she could do was silently curse herself for letting this happen. She couldn’t fight back against Opaline. All she could do was carry out the other alicorn’s orders against her will and live with the consequences afterwards.

…

“Opaline will be attempting to conquer Equestria now that she has all of its magic at her disposal,” Misty spoke to her friends, walking down to the main room of the Marestream where her friends were standing. “We have to stop her before she is able to take any more lives. The longer we waste, the more cities she plunders, and the more ponies she kills.”

The other ponies were standing with Skygrace in front of a large table and were studying a map of the perimeter of Opaline’s castle. Zipp had her magnifying glass out and was scanning every single corner of the drawing, trying to determine the best route of attack. Upon seeing Misty, she and the others looked up.

“That’s encouraging.” Skygrace muttered under her breath.

“Once we fly the Marestream in,” continued Misty, stopping next to Hitch. “The hippogriffs will come out from behind and help provide aerial support while we launch a ground invasion to take out the main army. If we can stop them from leaving, we’ve won half the battle.”

Hitch nodded. “I brought my makeshift costume. Those zombies are going to feel the full might of Operation: Glitterbomb!”

“Be that as it may,” Zipp chimed in. “The trouble is that with Opaline having an undead army guarding the vicinity, getting in the castle will be next to impossible.”

“We would have to rely on only one pony having insurmountable amounts of luck in order to get in and hopefully reform Sunny,” Hitch added. “I vote me-“

“I will.” Misty interrupted, knowing full well what he was about to say. He opened his mouth to protest, but she put a hoof up to stop him. “Hitch, no. You’re the backbone of this whole operation. Maretime Bay needs its sheriff. If anypony’s going to die by her hoof, it should be me. I created this whole mess to begin with. In the grand calculus of Equestria’s survival, I’m expendable. You’re not.”

“No!” Izzy cried. “Misty, you can’t! We saw how angry she was back there, you were right! If you go in there, she’ll kill you!”

Misty remained firm. “Better me than you. It was me that got you all into this. Now I’m the one that needs to make up for my mistakes. I can’t have you ponies fighting my battles for me.”

“B-but s-she’ll k-kill you-“ Izzy tried to argue with her, but deep down, she knew that her sister was right. Misty reached down and picked her chin up. She stared at the blue unicorn, tears in her eyes.

“Hey,” Misty told her, smiling sadly. She knew full well that the very thought of her going into battle alone destroyed Izzy from the inside, but the last thing she wanted was her first friend ever getting hurt in any capacity. “You know, you were the first friend I ever met. And now you’re so much more than that. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt.”

“But you’re my sister!” Izzy protested angrily, tears streaming down her face. “Sisters look out for one another! They don’t leave others behind to risk their lives!!”

“Izzy…” Hitch walked up to her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s her choice. I don’t like the idea at all either…But it’s not like we can stop her.”

Izzy shook her head vigorously, pushing him off. “YOU’RE GONNA LET HER KILL HERSELF?!! No!! This is all wrong!! You’re not going to die, Misty!! You’re not going back to that castle, do you hear me?! I’m not going to lose you again!! We stick together, friends stick together!! Family sticks together!!!! This is not a mistake, we can fix this! And we can save everyone!! NOPONY DIES!!!”

“Izzy!!” Misty snapped. “That’s enough!!” When she saw the other unicorn jump back in fear at the tone of her voice, she took a deep breath to calm herself. “Look, Izzy. I’m sorry. I have to do this, alright? If anypony can get through to her, it’s me. I promise I’ll do my best to stay alive for you. But I’ve made up my mind on this. I’m going to make everything right.”

“You don’t know that!” Izzy still was having none of it. “You don’t know whether you’re gonna live or not! I can’t let you do this, Misty, you…You changed my life…”

Misty felt tears come to her eyes too. She let them spill, knowing full well that her next encounter with their former friend was most likely to be a fatal one. She didn’t fear death, for she knew the risks involved in this mission, yet saving Sunny meant more to her than her life. She had spent the longest time being afraid of her past and that rendered her unable to take any action as she constantly second-guessed herself. But she wasn’t that same pony anymore, and she finally had the confidence to know what was right. She knew deep down in her heart that this was the only way she would have any chance of saving the scorned earth pony.

She stared at the distraught unicorn and gave her another smile. “And you changed mine. I’m very proud to have been a sister to you. A loving family’s all I ever wanted. And you ponies gave me that and more. Now it’s time that I do something for all of you in return. The night we lost Sunny has done nothing but haunt for months without end, just as it did to all of you. I won’t live with this and Sparky’s death on my conscience any longer. After all this time…I finally know what I have to do. I have to save her…no matter what happens to me in the process.”

“No…”

“Please, Izzy. This will bring her back, trust me. Let me do this. It’ll all be worth it in the end.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Yes. Trust me, Izzy. I know what I’m doing. I mean, who knows? I might not die. That’s a prospect to look forward to, right?”

Izzy reluctantly nodded, but her face indicated that she wasn’t convinced in the slightest.

Even Zipp was holding back tears of her own. “Fine. But you better come back alive, Misty! I swear to Mom you better!! Promise us so we can trust you!!!”

Misty sighed deeply. “I promise.” She knew that she would most likely not be able to keep that promise, but she wanted to reassure them nonetheless. She had come too far now to back out. If she was going into this, she was going in all the way.

“Providing that Misty survives her encounter with Sunny,” Hitch spoke up, sniffing once. “and gets her back on our side, we’ll barge into the throne room and take down Opaline together. Misty, it’s all up to you.”

Misty nodded in understanding. “I know. We’re going to win this, don’t worry about it. We’ll be celebrating this time at Mane Melody tomorrow. All of us.”

“Victory group photo’s on me.” Pipp affirmed, her determined expression making it clear that she wouldn’t be hearing anything to the contrary.

The ponies and Skygrace all looked at one another and nodded solemnly. They then proceeded to put their hooves and claw into the center of the table in circular formation, signifying their unified bond and determination.

Their cutie marks all glowed brightly, illuminating the entire room and the whole ship in a brilliant rainbow light as it traveled across the stormy skies and towards its final destination.

The stormy sky above was filled with the sounds of screaming and wailing as about a thousand flying demonic creatures descended down in packs like flies, all bearing their teeth in a hungry manner. Claws outstretched, they flew towards the ground and joined the packs of Umbrum and hellhounds that were running below.

In her mad pursuit of reinforcements, Opaline had summoned all the forces of the underworld to help defend her castle from the oncoming attack from Misty and her friends. She knew that her former subordinate was coming, and she was not about to let everything she had built up to that point be taken away.

From the window of her room, Sunny watched in horror as the unholy forces scampered together towards the hills. She wished she could do something, anything. But there was nothing she could do. Opaline had locked her in her room until she needed her, and she had no way of escaping.

She buried her head in her hooves, silently cursing herself for the monster that she had just unleashed.

The demons, hellhounds, and Umbrum were soon joined by more zombies and ghouls followed afterwards. They let out triumphant roars as they rampaged through the area and in the directions of the hills.

The forces of the dead had been united into one faction and there was nothing to stop them from fulfilling their mission, no opposition in sight.

Meanwhile, Misty and her friends were marching up the hill, leading a united army of earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, and hippogriffs. It was an alliance that hadn’t been seen in so many centuries, yet here it was in plain sight. They had no reason to fight alongside each other, but they had put their differences aside in order to help save the world they held dear.

Zipp and Pipp led the forces of pegasi to the right, wearing battle armor specified for only princesses. Queen Haven was right next to them in clad in golden regalia that shone like the sun amidst the terrible darkness. At long last, the Royal Family was reunited once more and leading their people proudly. They all wore grim, but determined expressions on their faces, and they were going to show Opaline what happened when you messed with the citizens of Zephyr Heights.

To the left was the cavalry of earth ponies, who were being led by Hitch and Sprout, along with Phyllis Cloverleaf providing additional support. The headstrong sheriff had reunited with his former deputy just for this conflict and they were working together in a way they hadn’t in years. Though Hitch hadn’t fully forgiven Sprout, he understood that they had to work as a team.

In spite of the red earth pony’s clumsiness and tendencies to cause wars, he had gotten things done in the past when it mattered to him and Hitch valued that. So he was temporarily rehired, but there would be matters that would have to be worked out once the war was over.

In the middle was the crowd of unicorns being led by Izzy, Misty, and Alphabittle. They all wore a special form of tribal war paint on their faces and were shouting orders to their soldiers behind them. Misty had never been put in such a high position of authority before and the prospect still terrified her. But she was ready to get the job done regardless.

Finally, Skygrace operated the Marestream above while the other hippogriffs followed close behind. Their aerial power was useful since their magic hadn’t gotten stolen. For thousands of years, they had sworn off having ties with the ponies of Equestria, yet here they were helping them now. It was definitely a confusing time, but both unicorns had proved themselves worthy of their loyalty.

Misty glanced at Zipp, who looked back at her and raised her bow into the air in solidarity. The two of them had once disliked one another, but now they were sworn allies bound by blood. Then, she glanced at Izzy, her best friend and older sister. The purple unicorn turned towards her and offered her an encouraging smile before looking forward once more.

From the balcony of the castle, Opaline watched the ponies approach with their army and snarled. She knew they couldn’t stay away and let her take over. They valued Sunny too much. The worst part about all of this was that Misty was leading them. Misty, the pony she had raised to be her loyal servant, was now commanding an entire ground force to take her down.

This infuriated her beyond all rationale and she stamped her hooves on the ground in anger, causing it to rumble. She then stormed inside the castle and headed down towards the hallway where Sunny’s bedroom was. She unlocked the door and opened it to see Sunny laying on her bed once more, staring out the window.

Opaline smirked upon seeing her still in this depressed state. It was exactly how she wanted her to be, so that she would be ripe to believe any sort of lie thrown at her. She reveled in the fact that she could tell Sunny anything, and the poor mare couldn’t do a thing about it as she only had her left in her life and nopony else.

“It’s time, Sunny.” Opaline told her. “The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Those ponies have come back for us.”

Sunny sat up, turning to look at her. “They’re here?”

Opaline nodded. “Yes. My forces will already be there to meet them, but you know what to do once Misty gets inside the castle.”

The earth pony seemed to understand, though she didn’t seem to happy about it in the slightest. “You want me to kill her…”

“Precisely right,” answered Opaline sadistically. “I raised that girl since she was born, and she turned against me. It’s only fair that she pays the ultimate price for her betrayal. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”

Sunny trembled under her intense stare. “N-no, of c-course not. I’ll take care of it.”

“Good.”

“I warned her never to come back here…” Sunny muttered under her breath worriedly. “I knew this would happen…”

“What was that?!” Opaline demanded.

“N-nothing!” Sunny stammered, eyes widening in terror before she regained her composure. “Sorry…I’ll take Misty down for you. I’ll be sure to kill her myself.”

Opaline grinned. “‘Atta girl! Make sure her body is in good condition, will you? I wanna hang her up on my walls as a reminder of my inevitable victory.”

Misty stopped once she and her army reached the top of the hill. The castle was still a little bit of a walk, but now was the time for her to debrief her friends on the plan one final time. This was it. Once the battle began, there would be no turning back. It was either they went all in this time, or they went home, and she wasn’t about to choose the latter.

She turned around to face them and made sure they were all paying attention to her before she spoke, her words carrying authority and ringing across each of the battalions.

“I’m gonna fight my way into the castle and duel Sunny,” Misty told them firmly. “Whatever you see, stick to the plan.” They nodded and she gave them a smile of encouragement. “It’s why I brought you together.”

“We’ll be right behind you, Misty.” Zipp affirmed. “We’ll tackle the ground forces while the hippogriffs will act as our aerial support. Skygrace will lead from the Marestream.”

“Copy that,” Skygrace’s voice came in from the tiny pendant at the center of a necklace the white pegasus was wearing around her neck. “Nothing like a little air superiority.”

“Yeah, well don’t get too cocky, queenie,” Zipp challenged her. “Once magic returns, we settle this like adults in a race.”

“Oh we hippogriffs have been mastering the skies since long before you were even born, pony,” Skygrace responded a matter-of factly. “It is so on.”

“You two are friends now?” Pipp asked her.

Zipp smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, we kinda chatted on the way here, found out we had a lot more in common than we thought.”

“That explains you talking to yourself.” remarked Phyllis dryly.

Misty turned back towards the front. “Now we just wait for Opaline’s forces to come out. We charge on my mark.”

The Umbrum emerged on the other side of the barren field in one massive pack, the demons hovering right above them. Rabia came to the front of the army, eying the surrounding vicinity hungrily. It had been hundreds of moons since they had last tried to conquer the realm of ponies, and she had been waiting for this day for a long time. Since Sombra had betrayed them, they hadn’t been contacted by anyone.

That was until Opaline had secretly began conversing with them and they had built up a form of trust for years until it was finally time for them to be used. Rabia still had her doubts about the alicorn’s intentions to actually be loyal to them, but anything was better than being trapped underground, lost in their own sorrow.

She sniffed the air, seeing no signs of life around. It was like the fight was over before it had even began. The ponies that she had thought would be waiting on the other side for her had vanished into the night, and had fled.

She groaned. “Those ponies have retreated. Looks like our fight is already won.”

“Well that stinks!” Ira shouted. “Too cowardly for their own good. I wanted to blow their brains out! How long do we have to wait now?! Another thousand years?!”

“Hold on!” Rabia ordered, holding her hoof up into the air to silence her lieutenant as she began to hear the faint sounds of motion off in the distance. “We have movement at 500 meters. Hold your ground! Don’t move.”

They all stopped in their tracks, listening with their ears to see if anyone would suddenly appear out of nowhere and charge at them. They waited for about a few moments and when no one came, they began to relax and start heading back towards the castle.

That was when the ponies charged.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rabia spotted a brief flash of blue and pink and turned just in time to see an army of about a thousand ponies charge out from seemingly out of nowhere, screaming at the top of their lungs. She quickly ordered her army to disperse just as the two sides collided and began viciously fighting one another.

Before long, she was locked in combat with about ten earth ponies, all who were clawing and punching at her. She fought back and sent five of them crashing into the other side of the field before being attacked again by a squad of unicorns, who were much harder to beat.

On the ponies side, Misty charged at a couple of Umbrum, both of which brandished swords and ran towards her in response with them. She brandished a knife of her own and threw it at them, instantly killing them with a dying shriek. It wasn’t long before the demons from above flew at her in the hundreds. She sliced through as many as she could, but they were far too numerous for her to beat alone and they just kept swarming her.

She gritted her teeth and continued to slice, but a much larger demon knocked the knife out of her hooves and pounced on her. She fought in its grip, but it snarled and swiped at her face, making it impossible to see where she was aiming. It carried her into the sky, all as she screamed and held on for dear life.

That was when Izzy came sprinting in with a bow and arrow, shouting a battle cry. She loaded an arrow and shot it at the demon, knocking it out of the air and causing it to drop Misty, sending her crashing towards the ground with it. She landed on her stomach and quickly recovered, joining her sister and engaging a squad of Umbrum that were heading straight towards them.

Misty kicked one in the stomach, which infuriated it and it started punching at her. She got at its hoof, which caused it to recoil, right in time for a unicorn stallion to charge in and slice it into two halves, both of which fell to the floor in a pathetic heap, blood squirting out of its body. He kicked its remains and moved onto the next target faster than he had arrived. Misty used this opening to leap into the air and slice four demons right through the head as they ran. They crumpled to the floor, instantly, their eyes wide open in horror.

Zipp and Pipp led the pegasi against another squad, barking commands left and right, ordering them to break formation and engage them individually. They did so, splitting into groups of six. Zipp threw a sword at several charging demons, while Queen Haven knocked one out with a swift punch to the head. It was at that point that Alphabittle barged in and started trampling the Umbrum under his hooves, the unicorns behind him following suit. The shadowy creatures were buried underneath the might of the ponies and killed instantly.

Hitch was shooting at the demons with his own bow. The effort was exhausting and no matter what he tried, more would constantly fly in. He reloaded it with fresh arrows and shot a larger demon out of the sky before he was swarmed by two charging Umbrum, all which started pummeling him. He kicked two of them off before the rest began to overwhelm him. It was at that point in which Sprout shot the other four in the back from behind, causing them to start chasing him instead before they fell to the ground, lifeless.

Hitch ran towards his former deputy and together, they shot at the mass of Umbrum in front of them. They ran through the mass of shadowy creatures as they charged, slicing every which way while doing acrobatic poses in the process. The leader of the battalion didn’t know where to hit them and ran into its lieutenant, sending them both falling to the floor. Before it could get up, Sprout stomped on top of its back, killing it.

He stopped and turned the other way, zigzagging through three others as they began to chase him. The Umbrum in charge growled and attended to change course, but her attempt only resulted in her colliding with her teammates and falling to the ground. One of them managed to stand up to all fours before being sliced through the neck two times by Hitch. He watched it fall to the ground with a triumphant expression before charging in the direction of two more that were going after Posey.

Phyllis, meanwhile, was having trouble dislodging an Umbrum that was clinging to her back. She tried bucking and kicking it before it hit into her flank, causing blood to squirt out. She yelped and fell to the ground, trying desperately to shake it off. The demons nearby saw this as an opportunity and landed on top of her as well. They snarled and beat at her, all while she was helpless to close her bleeding wound.

Thinking on her hooves, she brandished a hammer from her saddlebag and started beating them with it. She knocked two of them off before moving on to the stubborn Umbrum. As it opened its mouth to bite into her again, she threw the hammer straight into its jaw. It reared back and tried to dislodge the tool, but it was too far in and it couldn’t speak. She took this opportunity to grab a wrench and start beating the vile creature with it.

The Umbrum bucked and growled, finally pulling the hammer out with its shadowy hooves. She then took out a knife and sliced through its chest, sending it crumpling towards the ground.

Rabia threw Izzy off of her and glared at the opposing army. She then quickly turned her attention to her nearby comrades and faced them. “This is a direct order. Break formation, engage all hostiles.”

The Umbrum closest to where she was nodded and ordered its fellow soldiers to split into smaller groups and attack. They did so, with a group of two charging at full speed towards Posey and Windy, who had just finished taking down a group of demons.

Windy gulped. “Uh, I don’t think I prepped for this in the Trail Trotters manual!”

Posey shook her head in exasperation. “Of course you didn’t. These are living hellspawns, not grizzly bears. Take a knife and let’s go!”

Windy obeyed, pulling out a throwing knife from her own saddlebag and charging with the yellow earth pony into battle. She jumped on top of her two attackers and hung on for dear life. Grunting, she clung onto the neck of one and wrestled it to the ground before decapitating it. The other one saw the carnage and lunged towards her. Windy screamed and covered her eyes, waiting in terror for the inevitable moment of impact.

That moment never came as it was sliced in midair by Posey, who had leapt into the air and impaled the creature right in the eyes, saving her best friend. The Umbrum roared and fell towards the ground on its back. She pulled the knife out and tossed it to Windy, who caught it with her hooves. Now holding two knives, one in her hooves and one in her mouth, she ran into the thick of the ensuing chaos, and sliced through the smaller Umbrum armors like it was no tomorrow.

She pounced on an Umbrum that was currently engaging Misty and sliced its head clean off. The head rolled onto the ground beside the horrified unicorn, the rest of the body following. Misty stood up and silently thanked the pegasus with a nod before running after a recovered Izzy, who was being overwhelmed on all sides by a squad of five demons. Her eyes were filled with fear as some circled her from above, eying her hungrily.

Misty gripped the hilt of her sword with her teeth and leapt on top of the nearest demon, punching at it repeatedly to get its attention. Once it turned, she took the weapon in her hooves and impaled it through the forehead before moving on to the other four. However, they were much smarter, rearing and flying every which way, trying to shake her off. She clung on, gripping the fur of the demon and motioning with her head for Izzy to run while she had them distracted. The other unicorn did so, trotting away as fast as she could.

The demon was ruthless in its attempts to shake her off and just as it seemed like Misty was about to slip, a barrage of a thousand missiles began raining down from above that distracted the creature. She looked up to see the Marestream firing its cannons at the squad of demons. with none other than Skygrace piloting it from the cockpit.

“Oops.” Skygrace quipped with a smirk on her face.

Another round of missiles came raining down from the sky, sending the remaining demons in the battalion falling back towards the ground. Before it hit the ground, Misty jumped off hers and onto the back of another one, where she proceeded to impale the top of its head.

“Light her up!” A demon from another squad ordered his soldiers, pointing at the Marestream above them in an accusatory manner.

The other demons roared and chased after the ship, only for many of them to be knocked back down by a barrage of missiles. A couple of them managed to leap onto the roof and cling onto it. They then began to beat at it, slowly damaging it and causing it to begin caving in. Skygrace noticed what was happening above and started descending the airship rapidly in an evasive maneuver. The demons were caught off guard and thrown off the roof, the wind sending them flying in multiple directions.

“You’re not the only one with the brawn, bitches.” she remarked, smiling to herself.

Meanwhile on the ground, Pipp was being chased by a horde of Umbrum that were right on her tail. While she was running for her life, she accidentally tripped on the severed head of a demon that had rolled to where she was and she slipped. She fell to the ground on her face and quickly sat up, only for the creatures to instantly swarm her and start to constantly bite at her, searching hungrily for a vein to suck blood out of.

She tried fighting them off with her hooves, but one of them appeared to anticipate this as it smacked at her hoof and pinned her to the floor. There was no escape. The creature had her right where it wanted her and there was nothing she could do about it.

Tears came to her eyes and she began to think that this was the end of the line for her. She screamed at the top of her lungs at as high of a pitch as she could muster as the Umbrum dove in for the kill, preparing to suck the life out of her once and for all. But right as it was about to bite into her hoof, there was a familiar loud yell from above.

Pipp looked up upon heading the sound and she gasped as Zipp dove in for the kill from seemingly out of the blue carrying two swords in her hooves. She impaled both Umbrum in the chests on opposite sides at once by utilizing a clever throwing trick. They collapsed to the ground in pools of blood as she landed, crumpling in a pathetic pile.

She then began kicking their lifeless corpses repeatedly for good measure in order to make sure they were truly dead. Once they were nothing more but indistinguishable red heaps of clouds, she removed the swords from their bodies and walked over to her sister.

“Zipp, you…you saved me!” Pipp said, her expression still one of shock.

Zipp smiled back. “Yeah, well…it was either you or some random guy in the same area. I obviously knew who to save first. Nopony attacks my sister like that.”

Pipp was about to apologize for being rude to her earlier, but before she could say it, Zipp was off again in a flash, killing the next batch of Umbrum and fighting off demons that were chasing her.

Up in the sky, Skygrace was having the time of her life, piloting the Marestream with her army flanking her. She began to aim it in the direction of the castle, pressing a couple of buttons on the control panels to prepare for missile launch.

“I’m going after the castle.” she spoke into the pendant that she was wearing around her neck. “Is that alright?”

“No,” Zipp countered through the speaker. “Misty wants the castle intact as she’s trying to get in there. If you blast it, you’ll send it falling right on top of Sunny and Opaline.”

“Isn’t the whole point to kill Opaline?” Skygrace asked, her eyes reflecting her confusion. “I’m not sure I follow.”

“Yes,” Zipp conceded cautiously. “But if you end up killing Sunny in the process…I’m not sure how much more guilt Misty can take. Do not bomb the castle, that’s an order.”

Skygrace groaned. “Fine, I won’t bomb it.”

She looked up and gazed out at the ground below through the window, searching for any possible targets. That was when her eyes landed on Rabia and her squad of Umbrum fighting a small battalion of hippogriffs and her cocky smirk returned.

“But I can take out wannabe Storm King over here.” she suggested instead, salivating at the idea.

“Oh, you mean the leader of the attack?” Zipp seemed to catch on to what she was saying. “Yes, please take her out! We need to clear a path for Misty to get into the castle, and killing her will demoralize the smoke guys. Go go!”

“Roger that.” She pulled up on the main lever and began another rapid descent towards the ongoing battle. Her eyes gleamed with unabashed excitement as she loaded a fresh box of missiles into the slot. “This is where the fun begins.”

She hovered over the cannon monitor and turned the strength of the blasts to maximum force before she pressed the red FIRE button in the middle of the controller with her claw as hard as she could. The cockpit shook and with one press, she sent the missiles hurling down towards the ground below at full speed. Each one collided with the field individually and blew up in massive explosions upon impact near Rabia and a couple nearby Umbrum, instantly knocking them off their hooves.

They let out shrill shrieks as they were blown in every single direction from the sheer force of the blasts. More missiles hit the ground and exploded, sending them barreling into another battalion and resulting in them all toppling like dominos.

Misty and Zipp watched the display go on in awe as explosions erupted everywhere and the Umbrum were being taken out with little to no effort.

“Heck yeah!!” the pegasus detective exclaimed, throwing her hooves up in the air in celebration. “You did it!! Get ‘em!!”

“Let’s take these smoky bulls by the horns!!” Skygrace cheered through the speaker, clearly having a blast as she took full advantage of the cannons. “Whooo hoooooo!!”

Zipp chuckled before turning towards Misty. “There’s your opening, Misty! Go!!!”

Misty nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ll get her back, Zipp! I promise!”

“Hey,” Zipp replied, giving her an encouraging look. “I have no doubt you will.” She smiled back, showing support for the unicorn she used to consider her enemy, but now was not only her comrade in battle, but also her friend.

Misty ran through the field as explosions and chaos erupted all around her, slicing through the retreating Umbrum with her sword. She could see the castle coming up in front of her and she took a deep breath as she continued on, preparing for the inevitable confrontation that she was about to have with Sunny.

She only hoped that she could convince the earth pony to listen this time around.

Meanwhile in Maretime Bay, Seashell was closing up Sunny’s smoothie cart for the night, putting the sign up on the top. Business was slow to nonexistent this time around as everypony else was off fighting a war that she wished that she could be a part of. However, being only a small filly, she was not allowed to participate and instead had to stick with serving out smoothies to whoever was left in town, which wasn’t a high number of ponies by any stretch of the imagination.

As she prepared to leave and head back towards her house, her ears perked up upon hearing the faint beating of wings. She looked up and saw a strange creature silhouetted against the light of the Moon slowly descend onto the ground. It certainly wasn’t a pegasus as they couldn’t fly anymore and it didn’t even look like one either, so what could it be?

The creature touched down onto the ground with a soft thud, folding its wings. It was a purple dragon with green scales and similar-colored eyes. Seashell’s mouth dropped open in shock upon seeing this. She had never seen a dragon before in her life and she could’ve never guessed that she would actually meet one in real life.

The dragon gently walked towards her. “Greetings, little filly. I believe we haven’t met before. The name’s Spike. I’m the leader of the dragons.”

“S-Seashell…” Seashell stammered, still in awe of the sight right in front of her. “A-are you here to-“

“Help?” Spike finished with a playful smile. “You could say that, yes. I also heard that you sell some delicious smoothies. Mind if I have some? We could use them for the road.”

Seashell didn’t hear the rest of what he told her as her mind had only payed attention to the last sentence and she was now fixated on it.

“…We?”

The cold air came rushing back. The dark, unforgiving environment that she had spent a lifetime trying to forget had returned. Misty walked through the hallways of the castle she used to live with a nervous expression on her face. She knew what she had to do, and she had gone too far to back out now, yet she was still scared of what was to come.

Deep in her heart, she knew that reforming Sunny would be a challenge as the earth pony was oftentimes too stubborn for her own good, but she also knew that if she didn’t try, then she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. She had to be the one to pull it off, even if that meant dying to jolt the other mare back to her senses. She had accepted the inevitability of her responsibility with no problem at all as she would stop at nothing to undo what she did.

But the reality of the fact that she was going to have to fight an alicorn with half of all magic in Equestria terrified her to the very core of her being. She had no way of surviving the encounter outside of pure luck, and the swords stored in her pack. She would have to think fast to possibly have a chance of surviving and reasoning with Sunny, something she knew that she wasn’t good at.

As she continued onward, the air seemed to get chillier with every step she took. The little light that remained in the hallways flickered off and the darkness consumed the entire area. She stopped dead in her tracks as she could not see a thing, waiting patiently for the candlelights to return.

That was when she heard the voice.

“I made you promise me that you would never come back here.”

A golden flash of light illuminated the oppressive shadows and Misty looked on with dread as none other than Sunny Starscout herself stepped out of them in her alicorn form. Parts of her body were singed and scarred, yet she still carried herself with eerie efficiency.

She walked towards Misty slowly, carrying a scythe in a small magic bubble created by her horn. Her eyes reflected no empathy and she showed no signs of hesitation. She stopped once she was about six feet away from the unicorn she was about to fight, both of them staring each other down to the death.

Misty was the first to break the silence. “I came back because I’m not giving up on you. I don’t care what you say or do to me. I won’t leave you. Not this time.”

The words seemed to momentarily have an effect on Sunny as she momentarily paused, seemingly considering her options. Her eyes filled with tears and she blinked them back hurriedly. For the briefest of moments, the empathy she was known for came back and it looked like she was about to give up and call off the fight. Misty felt her heart skip a beat as she lowered the scythe by an inch.

Her hopes were dashed, however, when the ominous glare soon returned and she raised it once more. Her eyes narrowed and she took a threatening step forward. “Then you will die.”

Misty’s eyes went wide as Sunny took a step back before running towards her with the scythe in an attempt to kill her. Hurriedly, she reached into her pack and pulled out her sword, raising it just in time to block a potentially lethal strike to her head. She then countered with her own swing, forcing the alicorn to parry and deflect a strike to her hoof.

Sunny then swung at Misty’s chest, with the latter barely managing to block and deflect it. She yelled in frustration and began swinging more violently, forcing Misty to take several steps back and continuously be on the defense, blocking and deflecting, while having no time to land an actual hit. During this, she was being careful not to seriously hurt Sunny. She knew that was close to impossible, but she didn’t want to injure the mare in any way that would render her in critical condition as she wanted to reason with her.

The two of them were locked in a full duel to the death. Spotting an opening, Misty tried to force Sunny to retreat by swinging her sword at her chest, but the other pony seemed to see it coming as the hit was blocked instantly. She then ran to the side of the wall and bounced off of it with a loud yell, sword held high above her head.

As the blade came crashing down onto Sunny’s, the two remained in a gridlock until the alicorn swung again, forcing Misty to return to the ground, sliding with all four of her hooves so as to not fall. She then attempted the same trick again, only to be grabbed by a magic bubble and violently thrown against the wall, sending pieces falling in front of her.

She groaned, picking herself up and gritting her teeth. As she opened her eyes again, she saw Sunny heading right towards her once more in attempt to impale her. She blocked the strike and punched her a couple inches backwards in retaliation before regaining her bearings and blocking another strike.

Sunny growled and with after audible scream of frustration, she launched herself at Misty, punching her in the chest and sending her flying several feet backwards. Misty skidded on the ground once more, holding the sword up high once more. However, instead of a strike to the head, the scythe was instead aiming for her heart. She quickly maneuvered the sword to block it, the sheer force sending the scythe hurling out of Sunny’s grip and onto the ground.

Misty took a couple steps forwards. “I don’t want to hurt you, Sunny! Please, you have to listen to me-“

“I UNDERSTAND!!!” Sunny shrieked, grabbing the scythe again with her magic and blocking an offensive strike from Misty. “I told you before to leave and never return!! I spared your life and told you what would happen if you came back!! Why won’t you just give up on me like everypony else has?!! Why do you have to torture me like this?!!!”

“Because you don’t want any of this!!” Misty shot back, blocking another strike. “I see the conflict within you! You don’t want a world where you’re alone once more!! You just want to be loved!!”

“I made my choice!!” argued Sunny, swinging the scythe at Misty’s hooves once more, only for the strike to be blocked instantaneously. “I turned against my own friends!!! Nopony will ever forgive me, and I know that!! JUST LET ME DIE ALONE ALREADY!!!”

“I can’t do that!!”

“WHY NOT?!!!!!”

“Because you’re my friend!!”

“LIAR!!!!” Sunny shouted again, twirling the scythe in her hooves before swinging in the direction of Misty’s forehead. This time, the unicorn didn’t have time to block the strike and it cut her right near the tip of her mane.

She cried out in pain as blood began oozing out, giving Sunny enough time to pick her up once more and throw her against the wall. Blood splattered on the rock as she landed. She felt dizzy and struggled to keep herself from slipping out of consciousness.

She coughed out blood and tried to stand up, but her knees buckled and she fell once more just as Sunny picked up the scythe and swung right for her neck in a finishing move.

Outside, Zipp and Izzy were taking down hordes of Umbrum that were swarming them, their blades cutting through the shadowy beasts with little effort and leaving nothing more but bloodied heaps to show for it. The enemy armies were dwindling, but it seemed like with each pack that fell, more came to take their place.

Izzy wiped sweat off her forehead just as a demon came flying right towards her. She struck it through the heart with a scream of rage, the blade emerging out the other end. Tears filled her eyes as it slowly crumpled to the ground. It was clear that killing was taking its toll on her and she didn’t want to do it any longer.

Zipp cut down another demon and kicked its corpse off to the side just as a squad of four others came flying at her. She cursed and grabbed her bow, pulling back the trigger before shooting at each of them with expert accuracy. They fell from the sky one by one and fell to the ground right as more showed up and the cycle continued.

“We’re not getting anywhere!” Zipp shouted.

“There’s too many of them!” Izzy cried, fighting desperately and cutting down the demons that had attacked them with her blade. Her hooves were stained with blood and tears were streaming down her face. “Please…I don’t wanna do this anymore!”

“This is just the reality of war, Iz,” Zipp told her sternly. “If we wanna win, we have to take these guys down, no matter how hard it is.”

Izzy blinked her tears back and continued to cut down the enemy lines until she and Zipp were able to move further inwards, only to be stopped by another horde of Umbrum. Zipp grabbed her sword once more and held the bow in the other hoof before she impaled the leader of the battalion straight in the heart with her blood-soaked blade.

The Umbrum collapsed to the ground in a lifeless state as its comrades ran for their lives, retreating to another area, where they were promptly cut down by a knife-wielding Queen Haven and Alphabittle. He spun his knife in a circular motion before stabbing another one with it through the neck, slicing the head clean off.

Regaining her vision at the last second, Misty blocked the scythe that was headed for her neck. The scythe slowly slipped off of the blade and fell to the ground. She stood up with great effort, ignoring her pain and raising her sword once more in a motion for the duel to continue. She blinked back tears of her own as it became clear that she had to either fight dirty or die by the hooves of pony she had been trying to save.

Sunny took a step back in shock upon seeing her still alive and ready to fight. She picked up the scythe and before long, the two were at it once again, swinging and striking at each other with vicious intensity. Misty swung again and landed hit after hit, causing Sunny to lose her balance and nearly slip.

The alicorn stomped her hooves on the ground in order to stop herself from falling and conjured several magical javelins out of thin air using her magic before throwing them at Misty, who deflected each and every single one with her sword. The javelins all disappeared in a puff of smoke as if they hadn’t even been there to begin with. Misty then reached into her pack and produced a throwing knife, which she threw at Sunny’s chest.

The orange mare ducked out of the way just in time, sending it hurling off in the distance. Thinking fast, she lunged at Misty and the two collided, punching and hitting one another while struggling to maintain their footing. It was at this point where Misty slashed at Sunny’s cheek, causing the latter to cry out in pain and recoil.

Misty then slashed again and now Sunny was on the defensive, trying her best not to get her throat slit. There was no mercy left in the blue unicorn. She had realized that Sunny was too far gone, and she had to either kill or be killed. There was no way that both of them were going to get out of the castle alive.

With a scream of unbridled anger, Sunny lunged at Misty once more with her blade in hoof, but Misty stepped off to the side to avoid impact and swung to her left, blocking the scythe and flinging it out of her hooves and onto the ground. She then ran towards it and picked it up, now having two blades in her hooves.

Sunny stepped back in fear now that she was disarmed. She looked around for anything for her to use just as Misty ran in for the kill. That was when she noticed the walls of the castle. Using her magic, she carved out chunks of loose rock and threw them at Misty, who barely managed to deflect them in time and narrowly missed being hit by one.

Sensing an advantage, Sunny then waited for an opening and then lunged at Misty again, punching her and sending her falling back against the wall once more. The impact knocked the the blades out of her hooves and sent them skidding onto the floor.

Misty struggled to stand, but before she could fully do so, Sunny’s hoof was on her chest, pinning her to the ground. There was no escape. Sunny held the scythe and raised it into the air once more, preparing to slice her opponent through her skull.

The blue unicorn coughed and gagged, blood trickling from her lips. She could barely speak from the amount of pain she was feeling, but she tried anyway. “W-what would…Argyle s-say if he saw you like this…?”

Sunny froze where she was, her eyes narrowing down at Misty. “What does that mean? Why did you say that name?!”

“Your…father…” Misty choked out. “Argyle…would…be ashamed of you…”

Sunny stood there, not moving an inch, her mind a total mess as the memories she had been trying to suppress began flooding back to her in droves. Tears brimmed at the corner of her eyes and suddenly, she was taken back to that fateful day in the hospital room with Hitch when she was an innocent young preteen. It was the day that her father was on his last breaths and she had been called in to say goodbye.

That nurse in the hospital uniform…the very pony who had given her the unfortunate news and had inadvertently set her life to a path of no return. She remembered crying and being inconsolable, all while the other doctors were screaming at her and trying to haul her away.

“NO!!!!” Young Sunny shrieked through sobs, fighting desperately against the orderlies as they were trying to take her out of the room. “Don’t leave me, Daddy!!! Don’t leave me, don’t leave me, don’t leave me!! Let me go!!!!!”

“Shut up!!!” Doctor Crossheart ordered her harshly. “If you don’t stop crying, we’ll put a muzzle on you!!! We did everything we could!!!”

Sunny continued to shriek, kicking in their grasp and injuring two of them. She eventually managed to break free and run to her father’s bedside before she was violently tackled by Crossheart and gagged with a muzzle. As she continued to fight, he moved to inject a sedative drug into her left hoof in order make her fall asleep .

All the while, Hitch stood there in the doorway, doing nothing to stop the injustice that was being inflicted on his best friend. What could he do? He had no power nor authority to tell them off. All he could see was the hurt and feeling of betrayal in her eyes as she helplessly looked back at him.

“Argyle…” he whispered softly, looking away from Sunny and gazing up in sadness at the earth pony stallion’s body as the heart monitor flatlined one final time.

“WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!!” Sunny demanded upon her mind coming back to reality. Internally, she was a wreck and she was now beginning to realize with horror what she was about to do. She pressed further upon Misty’s neck, causing the mare to gag and choke once more as she tried to form a response.

“I-I-I…” Misty tried to say, but no words other than that came out. She was suffocating due to the constant pressure on her throat and was quickly losing consciousness.

“Argyle!! Why did you say that name?!” Sunny pressed further, growing angrier and angrier by the second as she wasn’t getting any answers.

“Sunny, stop!!” shouted a voice off in the distance. It was Hitch, who had broken through the enemy lines and had made it inside the castle. He was running towards them as fast as he could in order to stop the murder that was about to take place, panting as he did so. “Please, stop!!”

“WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!!!” Sunny screamed, her voice cracking with emotion.

“It’s your father’s name!!” Hitch yelled at her, running to Misty’s side. “How would he feel if he saw you were about to kill one of your own friends?!!”

Sunny looked down with horror, the full weight of her actions finally setting in. She was about to become the very thing she had sworn to destroy, and that terrified her to her core. She took a couple of steps back before throwing the scythe into the darkness, where it disappeared from sight.

She then collapsed to her knees, sitting down on the ground and sobbing into her hooves. Her wings and horn flickered off and she returned to her normal earth pony form, all of the malice that she had previously possessed gone. All that remained now was a sad and broken mare.

Hitch walked over to her after helping Misty up, the latter following close behind him. They put their hooves on her back, silently consoling her as she let all her emotions out. The poor mare was crying and whimpering to herself, so lost in her own sorrow that she didn’t even notice them there. Misty felt tears come to her own eyes and she let them fall. She could relate to the feeling of being alone, like she had nothing left.

“I’m sorry, Sunny…” Hitch apologized to her, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I should’ve been there…I should’ve put your wellbeing first…It’s my fault you’re like this. It’s my fault…”

Sunny didn’t answer, the only sort of response from her being a soft whimper and more sniffles. Hitch nodded, interpreting this as her wanting to be alone for a little bit. He and Misty walked over to the side, just out of reach and watched her closely.

They wouldn’t leave her this time.

The cabin shook, rocking violently. Skygrace clung onto the steering wheel for dear life as she tried to reverse course. She was all out of missiles and could not load any more of them into the cannons, which was a problem in itself. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have to worry about it so much. However, a horde of about fifty demons were on her tail and were hitting the backend of the ship left and right.

She looked around, searching desperately for the ejector seat or anything that would get her to safety. She knew that she couldn’t keep the chase up forever as the amount of damage that the Marestream was taking would soon result in its downfall, which was evident in the fact that the controls were malfunctioning.

She could do nothing to shake the demons off and could only watch in horror as they punched and clawed at the windshield, slowly breaking it. There was no escape for her. There were no ways to evacuate the ship, and there wouldn’t be, as Zipp and the others had never thought to build one. The only outcome for her now was death…but she wouldn’t die a coward. That wasn’t the hippogriff way. Her mother had taught her better than to let situations like this get to her. If she was going out, she would do so in style.

She sighed and activated her pendant. “The Marestream is badly damaged, I’m going in. Sorry, Zipp.”

“Skygrace, no!!” Zipp cried through the speaker. “What’s going on?! Can’t you evacuate?!”

Skygrace shook her head. “No. Those damn insects hit the ship. The controls are acting up like crazy and there’s no ejector option. Frankly, I don’t blame you for not thinking about that. You didn’t plan for any of this. The only outcome for me now is death…” In spite of her impending fate though, she smiled. “But I’m not going alone.”

“N-n-no!!” Zipp shouted at her, the tone of her voice clearly showing great pain at the thought of her suicide bombing the aircraft. “Skygrace, you must evacuate! Please evacuate! Do you hear me?! Sky-“

Skygrace shut off the communication line just as the demons broke through the main window and began infiltrating the cockpit. They flew inside and began swarming her, trying to bite at her face. She pushed them away and yanked the main lever right off of the control panel, effectively sending the ship spiraling downwards at maximum speed.

The demons realized what was happening too late and snarled with a mix of anger and pure terror. They clung to the front of the Marestream with all the strength they could muster as it plummeted to its demise, trying desperately in vain to reach her. The main hull began to catch fire as it rocketed through the atmosphere, burning with fire upon its abrupt re-entry.

Skygrace smirked upon seeing the terrified demons and winked at them. She wasn’t afraid of death. Instead, she welcomed it with open claws and embraced the inevitable. She had given her life in battle like a true warrior. She had helped fulfill the centuries-old prophecy and contributed to a cause worthy of her family’s name. She had helped the ponies in their quest to restore magic. She had done all that she could, and had no doubt that she would be seeing her mother soon.

From the ground, Zipp saw the Marestream crash and explode into a massive burst of flames about six feet away and tears came to her eyes. She hadn’t known the hippogriff queen for long, but it still felt like she had lost someone very important in her life.

She and Izzy ran to the flaming wreckage and together, they lifted up a fallen piece of the hall to reveal the barely surviving body of Skygrace. She was coughing and her breath was weak. Cuts and bruises were all over her body.

“Skygrace! Are you okay?!” Izzy asked her worriedly. “You’re gonna be okay, you’re gonna be okay! Do you hear me?! Everything’s gonna be fine! Please…”

Zipp turned towards her, her expression filled with great sorrow. “Izzy…she’s not going to make it. That collision did her in.”

“No!”

Skygrace coughed, fluttering her eyes open. “Not this time, pony…maybe some other time…”

Zipp sniffled, blinking back fresh tears that were threatening to form in the corners of her eyes. “We can’t save you, can we?”

The young hippogriff queen smiled for what would be her last time. “You already did…you already did…” Then her eyes rolled back and her head went limp. She was gone.

The two sat there in silence amidst all the chaos as the pegasus cradled Skygrace’s lifeless body in her lap. They never thought that they would lose one of their own so quickly, and it made them think that perhaps trying to fight Opaline’s forces was a bad idea.

Meanwhile on the balcony of the castle, the air began to grow chillier and pink fire began appearing on the sides of the railing. A purple hoof stepped out of the shadows, followed by another one, and then the rest of the body. It was none other than Opaline Arcana herself, walking towards the railing with an enraged expression on her face. She wore black battle armor that adorned her body and a crown made out of thorns.

She stared at the battleground below, seething at the small victories that the ponies were having. As she watched them cut down her soldiers, her frustration only grew and fire seethed in the corner of her eyes. She had expected this to be a simple fight, where her enemies would be crushed without much effort. That was why she hadn’t intervened at first.

However, she could now see that her presence was needed. It wouldn’t be long before the fight was taken to her, and she needed to level the playing field. She wasn’t going to lose. If those useless blobs of smoke couldn’t do their jobs right, then she would do it herself.

She growled. “Do not fear their feeble attack, my faithful. NOTHING WILL STOP THE RETURN OF OPALINE ARCANA!!!!”

Her horn began to emit a purple and green aura, the same color as the forbidden dark magic that had been lost to time, and her eyes went pure black once more. She began to chant an incantation that began to peel her skin away. The aura got larger in size until she was ready to cast the spell.

That was when she sent a massive beam hurling at the ground below, knocking the remaining hundred hippogriffs out of the sky and enveloping everypony within the nearest radius in individual magic bubbles. She could hear her victims below scream as their cutie marks were ripped from them in massive amounts.

From the ground, Izzy was the first to see what was happening and her eyes went wide with fear. She yelped as she was suddenly caught in a bubble of magic and lifted into the air, her mark slowly being detached from her body. She screamed and cried, fighting against the bubble that held her. She had never felt so much pain before in her life and she just wanted it to stop.

Her cutie mark detached itself from her body and floated in the direction of the castle, towards Opaline. The bubble then disappeared, dropping her towards the ground as her colors began to fade. Zipp was next as she was suddenly lifted into the air, forcing her to drop Skygrace. The pegasus shrieked as her mark was ripped from her in an instant, the bubble dropping her right afterwards as well.

Opaline grinned evilly as the cutie marks of about over a thousand ponies floated to her and she ate them all whole, gaining their abilities and luminescence. She was gaining more and more power by the second. She had now not only acquired the outer spectra of the pony populace, but the inner spectra as well, and she had never felt more strong and powerful than she did now.

Using her newfound strength, she casted a massive torrent of magic that shot up into the sky. From her powers, new hordes of demons and Umbrum emerged, doubling the amount that had been there previously. They landed on the ground and began overrunning the army of ponies. They tried to fight back, but they weren’t strong enough and were caught off guard, resulting in many falling by their blades.

After a while, the once mighty army was reduced to nothing but a pathetic shell of what it once was, all combatants laying on the ground in a defeated mess. Izzy witnessed the devastation and fell to her knees, mourning for all of those who were either lost or critically injured. She couldn’t believe that they had just been defeated just like that, after all of the progress they had been making.

She didn’t even care about her cutie mark at this point. She was more so angry that so many lives had been taken. They didn’t deserve to die. This war wasn’t theirs from a personal sense, yet they had still chosen to fight alongside she and the others. She wished she could’ve saved them.

It was then that Opaline flew down towards the ground several feet away from her, landing on her hooves and smiling sadistically at her. She reveled in the pain that the unicorn felt, both physically and emotionally, and she was going to milk it for all it was worth.

“You know, I have to give you and your ‘sister’ credit,” she taunted her. “In all my days of conquest and violence, I’ve never seen such strong resistance to my authority. Not even Twilight Sparkle was as brave as you. So at least that’s a consolation.”

Izzy hissed at her in response, taking a defensive stance.

Opaline shook her head mockingly. “You think you’re so tough, little pony? Time to wake up.” She pointed at the sky, which was filling with the sounds of triumphant roars and growls. An army of about a million hellhounds and skeleton armies dropped to the ground from out of nowhere, all standing beside their new master eagerly and waiting for orders. The army seemed insurmountable and downright impossible to beat, but that didn’t stop Izzy.

She stared at the growing number of hellspawn creatures and stepped forward. She didn’t know what she was doing, yet she care whether she was the last one standing in battle. She stood by her friends until the very end. She would not abandon them no matter what. If she had to take on the army of the undead all by herself, plus the rejuvenated number of Umbrum, then that was what she was going to do. She didn’t care if she died in the process.

She took several more steps forward and raised her sword into the air in a clear show of defiance. She wasn’t going to let them scare her. She had been through enough as it was. Now she was going to fight until the bitter end, no matter what that entailed.

As she prepared to charge into battle all by herself, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice behind her that was calling her name.

“…Izzy Moonbow, you read me…?”

Izzy looked from left to right, confused. She didn’t recognize the voice, and it certainly wasn’t from anyone she knew. It sounded regal and ancient. Who could it be?

“…Izzy, we’re here. You hear me?”

She still couldn’t discern where the voice was coming from. It seemed like it was coming from behind, but she couldn’t be sure. She looked all around her again in order to be certain, but she could not see the source of the voice. For a moment, she thought that she was imagining things, and that the stress of the night was slowly driving her insane.

That was when the voice called to her again, this time much clearer sounding.

“On your left.”

She turned behind her as instructed and saw the thick cloud of dust begin to clear and out from it emerged a couple of tall alicorns. One of them was a white alicorn with an ethereal, multicolored mane and tail with a sun symbol for a cutie mark. The other was a blue alicorn with a starry mane and tail and a moon symbol for a cutie mark.

It was none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the former rulers of Equestria. After all these years, they were alive and well. They were clad in golden and silver battle armor respectively that covered their whole bodies except their faces.

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing them and she felt her spirits rise. She wasn’t going in this alone. Whoever these ponies were, they were here to help. She wasn’t alone anymore. Suddenly, she felt a massive burden be lifted off of her shoulders.

Upon seeing her, Luna simply nodded and winked. Just then, a large purple and green dragon flew through the cloud of dust in a flash as it cleared completely, letting out a loud roar and breathing fire into the air. It was at that exact moment that Izzy began to hear the collective battlecries of about several thousand armies approaching her location.

Opaline’s pupils shrunk into tiny pinpricks as she realized what was happening. However, it was too late to do anything, and she could only watch in terror as reinforcements arrived.

The first army that emerged was one from another village of pegasi, all of them carrying knives and pitchforks as weapons, and wearing tribal armor. Landing on the ground in front of them was their leader. He had a grim expression on his face and wielded a special spear in his hooves. Suddenly, another figure landed in front of him, this one being a filly. It was Sunshine Wings, who was carrying a Wonderbolts poster in her hoof. She looked up in awe as the other armies assembled around her.

Izzy looked to her right and saw that a separate cavalry of earth ponies had arrived. They were carrying imperial purple banners, with the chief in front barking orders to her fellow soldiers.

“Intra!!” shouted the chief as loud as she could, her words carrying authority and reverberating across the assembled lines.

“INTRA!!” The other ponies repeated in unison, holding their flags high above their heads as they entered the battlefield.

“Junge!!”

“JUNGE!!”

“Move!!”

“MOVE!!”

“Parati!!”

“PARATI!!”

The armies kept coming at full force and showed no signs of stopping. A couple of airships appeared in the sky above the ground forces with the unicorn emblems on the hulls. The rest of the dragons then arrived, which was then followed by the armies of Kirin, changelings, buffalo tribes, and Breezies. Others followed suit, including the anthropomorphic Abyssinians, the zebras of Farasi, and the crystal ponies of the long-forgotten Crystal Empire, with an older Princess Flurry Heart in the lead.

Ruby Jubilee then arrived with the various bands of Bridlewoodstock, followed by Elder Flower and the other village elders. Eggman Bunny then appeared from under them, leading the adorable forces of racoonicorns and bunnisi into battle. Following that, the griffons then soared down from the skies, led by their leader King Goldengruff, who was carrying a new version of the fabled Idol of Boreas in his claws.

Pipp woke up from her unconscious state just in time to see a purple earth pony filly land in a superhero pose on the ground next to her friends. It was Seashell, and she leading the Pippsqueaks into battle in her name.

“Is that everyone?” Celestia inquired, turning towards Luna.

“What? You wanted more, sister?” Luna answered her, seemingly indignant, but backing up her statement with a mischievous grin.

About six feet away, the ground rumbled and emerging on the top of the hill was a small army of about forty yaks being led by their Prince. He stepped in front of them and raised his pitchfork into the air in a challenging manner.

“YAKS SMAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSH!!!!!!!” he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the battlefield and catching everyone else off guard.

The world was united once again, all the armies gathered together against a common foe, shouting battle cries and brandishing their weapons. Izzy stood triumphantly in front of them, grinning smugly at a horrified Opaline. The alicorn took a step back in fear as it was at this point that she knew that she had lost. One mare had decided to stand up against destiny when all seemed lost, and the universe stood with her.

As the armies stood behind and waited for her order, Izzy took a confident step forward just as her remaining friends returned by her side.

“Guardians!!!” she shouted, picking up the sword in a powerful demonstration of leadership. She knew what she had to do, and she wasn’t afraid anymore. “Advance…”

“CHARGE!!!” Zipp screamed at the top of her lungs, raising her bow high into the air.

“PERCUTE!!!” The unnamed earth pony chief ordered with the same manner of intensity, holding her spear out in front of her.

The armies charged in unison, all bellowing powerful, individual rallying cries to their troops to motivate them. The ponies took off first, followed by the dragons, and then everyone else. The unicorn airships flew down from the sky, raining fire down on the enemy lines and destabilizing their ranks before the battle had even begun.

Opaline glared at them with a seething hatred. With the simple point of her hoof, she commanded her undead army to charge forward in retaliation. They did so, roaring and snarling as they did so. They barreled through one another in a bid to attack Izzy’s army first. They knew no restraint, no discipline. The hellhounds barked and the skeleton warriors let out guttural screams as they pushed forward. All they knew how to do was kill, and they were certainly going to do their best in order to accomplish that.

Izzy led her army into battle with her friends by her side, feeling the wind blow through her mane as she ran faster than she had ever done so in her life. She had the support of the entire world by her side, and nothing was going to take them down now.

The two opposing factions stampeded towards one another and collided. The fight was on. The buffalos and the yaks tore through the skeletons and smashed them to nothing but discarded bones, while the earth ponies and the zebras took turns wrestling hellhounds and bucking them several feet away. The unicorns and the zebras sliced through the demons one by one with their blades, while the griffons and the pegasi beat the Umbrum into submission.

A couple of changelings constantly shape shifted in order to confuse a squad of Umbrum soldiers, causing them to get dizzy and bump into one another. Then one of them leapt on a single creature’s back and started stabbing at it repeatedly with knives until it shook her off.

Up in the sky, Spike and a couple of other dragons were raining powerful dragon fire on the ground, reducing many enemy combatants to nothing but smoldering flames that soon simmered into ash. They did this repeatedly and flew around the battlefield while doing so.

Meanwhile, Zipp tossed Pipp a smaller blade while she took a bigger one and ran off, slicing any demons or hellhounds that got in her path. The battlefield was a chaotic mess once more, but the difference was that now, they actually had a chance to win.

As Pipp impaled a hellhound with her knife, she was attacked by a skeleton warrior. But before it could land one hit on her, it was promptly taken down by none other than Seashell, who ran excitedly towards her after doing so.

“Pipp! Pipp!” Seashell exclaimed. “You will not believe what I just went through! Do you remember when you guys left me back at home, and I was selling smoothies? Well, I was closing up shop and then I heard the beating of wings. A dragon named Spike was there, right? And he told me ‘We need some of your delicious smoothies for the road!’ And I was all like ‘Who’s we?’, so then he explained the whole m-“ She was cut off when her idol abruptly wrapped her in a warm embrace, holding her tight and refusing to let go.

Seashell was confused at first, but relaxed in the warmth of her touch after a while, tears of happiness streaming down her face.

Zipp landed on the ground beside them after jumping off the back of a rampaging hellhound, chuckling. “I cannot believe that just happened.”

“I can’t believe it either!” Pipp agreed, gently pushing Seashell off of her. Her eyes reflected her complete and total bewilderment. “It was a shot in the dark, I…I didn’t think they would come at all!”

“Wait,” Zipp said, holding out her hoof to stop her. Her analytical mind kicked into gear and she wanted answers. “‘You’ thought they wouldn’t come? What are you talking about, Pipp?”

Pipp looked away, ashamed.

“You know you can tell me anything. What’s going on? How did these guys show up?”

Before she could answer, she was interrupted by the beating of wings and Spike landed on the ground. He walked over to them with a blue crystal in his claws.

“We were summoned by a mysterious message,” he explained. “I had Blaize and Lava decode it at the lab. I believe the messenger’s name was Pipp. Know anypony of that name? I want to speak with her while the enemy’s distracted.”

Zipp nodded. “There’s only one pony I know of.” She then gasped as the realization hit her, turning towards her sister. “Pipp, that livestream you told me that you did for the Pippsqueaks! Is it possible that it…wasn’t for them at all? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Pipp sighed deeply. “I didn’t think you would understand…how much I was worried for you…the amount of times they told me you were gonna die. After almost losing you once, I didn’t want you to get hurt like in that crowd fight again. So I took a risk, hoping it would pay off.”

Zipp felt tears rush to her eyes at that. “You…sent out a message out to the entire world…in order to protect me? But I don’t understand. How did you-“

Pipp silenced her with a hoof. “Listen to me, please…” When the other pegasus nodded, she continued. “I didn’t think it would work, but I knew that I had to try something anyway. You were essentially risking your life again and I was helpless to do anything about it. So I geotagged that last stream to regions all across Equestria and beyond…and prayed for a miracle…”

Ten hours ago….

Pipp sat at her study table in the Crystal Brighthouse bedroom with her phone propped up against a barely illuminated nightlight. She was currently running a livestream on ClipTrot, but this wasn’t one of her usual streams. She had activated the geotag feature, which meant that the footage would be broadcasted to the whole world.

Her face reflected her deep concern and she stared at the feed in front of her. She was taking a leap of faith. She didn’t know whether her target audience would listen, but she had to try regardless. The most important thing on her mind was saving her sister from a fate potentially worse than death. Zipp had always been there for her when she needed help, so now she figured that it was only fair that she do something for her for once.

She blinked back tears and cleared her throat, addressing her viewers on the other side. “Hello…is this thing working? Hi…my name is Princess Pipp Petals of Zephyr Heights…and I’m asking for your help. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. But please don’t turn the other way as you need to hear this. I’m sure that wherever you are…you all have something or someone you care about…someone you would do anything for…”

“…I have a sister. Her name is Zipp, and she’s always put herself on the line for me, oftentimes more than she should. She never gave up on me, even during the numerous times throughout my life that I was ready to give up on myself. She was always there for me and stood by my side whenever I needed her. She was always there to fight for me, get me out of any situation…”

Spike hovered above a crowd of about fifty other dragons that were watching him broadcast the speech from the crystal. They all chattered amongst themselves upon realizing that the pony wanted their help; some reactions were angry, and some were sympathetic. He knew that not everyone was as forgiving of the ponies as he was, but he took it upon himself to try convincing them anyway.

He pointed at the image of the mysterious pegasus talking into the microphone. “There’s your proof right there! Everything I told Luster Dawn all those years ago has been proven to be true! The ponies of Equestria still care about us! As dragons, it is our duty to protect our friends!”

The meeting then devolved into a full out argument between the dragons. A lot of them were still on the fence about the idea and were making their voices heard as much as the sympathizers were. As they bickered endlessly, Spike held the Bloodstone Scepter in front of him.

“SILENCE!!” he roared, his voice amplified by the Scepter’s power. The fighting was instantly quelled to a couple of passing “yeahs” and then they all went quiet, listening to what he had to say. “We may be separate from them now, but they are still our friends, our neighbors! And for some of us, even our family!”

“…She never gave up on me, so I’m asking you to not give up on us. I know things haven’t always been the best, but times have changed, and we’re sorry for all the suffering we have inflicted upon you in the past. We were supposed to know better…but that shouldn’t be a reason for you guys to abandon us entirely…”

Inside the castle of New Changeling Kingdom, King Mantis and his fellow changelings watched a television broadcast of the speech with a mix of skepticism and wonder. They were curious as to how this pony managed to reach out to them like this and ask for their help.

After about a minute, one brave female changeling stood up from the rest of the pack and pointed at the screen. “She’s right!”

“What are you saying, Ladybug?” King Mantis asked her.

“It was the ponies that taught us a new way to live all those moons ago!” Ladybug declared. “They gave us all a second chance when we didn’t deserve it! So I think it’s high time that we give them a second chance too!!”

The other changelings erupted into applause, giving her a standing ovation as she continued to rally them. King Mantis smiled to himself, this being the exact outcome that he had been secretly hoping for all along. He had never truly blamed the ponies for causing them to split, and believed in giving them another chance. This was his moment to finally make that a reality.

Wasting no time, he stood up from his throne and began flying towards the war room in order to prepare for the incoming battle.

“…I’m creating this message for you in the hopes that every time you feel overwhelmed, you can listen back and remind yourselves that anger is not the answer. Our magic does make us different, and that’s something we should embrace…both in ourselves and in others. Our powers let us be the best versions of ourselves. I mean, who would Zipp and I be if we couldn’t fly?”

The Breezies stared at the old television screen they had from the center of the Night Market, their curious gazes soon turning into knowing expressions as they looked at one another. They began to murmur amongst themselves in their fast-paced language, trying to decide on the best course of action while not being able to come to an agreement.

That was when their leader, a Breezie named Oceanbreeze, flew up to the front and launched into an impassioned speech, pointing at the screen and asking her people to remember the time that the ponies had helped them all those moons ago.

It took some time for the others to process this, but they soon began murmuring in agreement and cheering her on with a passionate intensity. They flew all throughout the market, putting war paint on their cheeks and flying out of the Wishing Tree in a single-file formation.

…”Magic can be used for evil, but it can also be used to bring us together. You’re not alone, and you never were. There are those just like you out there…just waiting to be found. And I believe that even in spite of all that has happened, we can still choose friendship…we can choose love…”

The doors to the Royal Crystal Bedroom opened up for the first time in a long while and Princess Flurry Heart stepped out of it, dressed up in her mother’s battle armor. Once she had discovered that there were still surviving pony settlements out there and requesting their help no less, she had wasted no time in answering the call, ignoring the warnings of her advisors.

The guards that were stationed just opposite of her room were shocked to see her emerge after such a long time. She gave them a simple nod of acknowledgment before heading down the hallway and towards the exit of the castle.

One of the guards ran up to her, panting as he did so. “Your highness, your highness! Where are you going?! You know we must follow you for your own protection.”

Flurry turned to look at him. “If you must, but know that we are heading into a war. Rally the crystal ponies and have them meet near the dais.”

“Where the Crystal Heart used to be?”

“Precisely.”

“But what exactly are you doing?” he inquired worriedly. “You haven’t expressed any interest in reaching out for what seems like hundreds of years.”

Flurry smiled wistfully. “I just…finally feel like forgiving my friends at long last.”

“And yes, our powers may threaten some ponies, but if we’re able to use what makes us special in unity, then I know that we can create the Equestria we always dreamed of.”

The griffons flew though the skies with their weapons in their claws, the sheer force of the wind blowing through their wings and helping to keep them airborne. King Goldengruff led them, shouting rallying battle cries as he did so. They had not left Griffonstone in a long time, and the very thought of heading off to battle was scary for a lot of them.

But he was keeping them motivated the whole time. He did not trust these ponies in the slightest, but he wasn’t the type to refuse a challenge when it was given to him and he had longed to break free of the isolationist lifestyle that had plagued them for centuries.

They soared through the stormy skies as lightning struck random areas and nearly hit them. He ordered them to break formation and to fly in smaller groups as they headed towards the far off horizon in front of them.

“…Lead with your heart,” Pipp finished, wiping tears from her eyes. “It will always show you the way.” She then shut off the stream and walked out of the bedroom, heading downstairs in order to see if her sister was back.

The phone sat on the top of the table, on and the app still running.

Present Day….

Zipp was completely flabbergasted at what she had just heard. Her sister had gone out of her way and took a massive risk in order to protect her. She wiped tears from her eyes as her mind went wild, trying to figure out anything to say in response. She felt awful for dismissing the stream back when Pipp had first alluded to it. The poor mare was going through a lot, and she could’ve done a lot better in supporting her feelings throughout it all.

Pipp seemed to sense what she was feeling. “I know it sounds hard to believe, but…I’ve always wanted to repay you, Zipp…for being the older sister I never deserved. And after I almost lost you to that mob…I was afraid that I’d never get that chance again. I thought you were gonna die.”

“Oh Pipp,” Zipp told her, taking a step forward in her direction. “You didn’t have to do any of this. I always knew you loved me. You didn’t have to say anything in order for me to know. I could always see it in your eyes. That’s what sisters are in the end after all…family.”

Pipp sniffled, tears streaming down her face. “But I genuinely thought I was going to lose you, and I couldn’t do anything about it! You don’t understand how horrible those two weeks were for me. I laid by your bedside every night, watching you constantly hooked up to those machines and barely breathing, thinking that the monitor would flatline at any moment and…that I would never get to say goodbye to you…”

Zipp nodded slowly in understanding. “Well you’ll never have to worry about that again.”

“What do you mean…?” Pipp asked in a shaky voice. Her whole body was trembling with all of that pent-up emotion finally being let out at last.

Zipp smiled warmly, looking at her straight in the eyes. “Because I’m here for you now, okay? And I’m not going anywhere. Those days are over. Whatever we do going forward, wherever we go…we’ll always do it together…I promise.” She sat down on the ground, reaching her hooves out wide.

That was when Pipp finally stopped trying to hold her feelings inside of her and she made a beeline for Zipp, just as she used to do when she was but a small filly before the online world would change her life forever. She leapt into her hooves and was wrapped in a tight embrace. She sobbed relentlessly into her shoulder, letting out all of the fear and pain she had been going through. Tears cascaded from her eyes and she held on to her, never wanting the moment to end.

As she hugged her sister and cried, she felt a massive burden be lifted off of her. She had always felt like an outsider, like she wasn’t valued enough by those around her. Yet it was here of all places that she realized that she did belong. She had a family, a sister that cared about her, a mother that spoiled her way too much, and a life worth living. In that moment, the weight of expectations that she had been carrying washed away in a grand flood, her mind being cleansed of the image that she had always maintained. It was okay to be vulnerable, it was okay to show emotion. She didn’t have to worry about what others thought of her as long as she had her friends and family by her side to support her.

Zipp held onto her little sister, embracing the moment wholeheartedly and letting the tears fall. She was not usually one to let herself be vulnerable either, but she didn’t care this time. Her sister meant more to her than anything or anyone in the whole world and she deserved to see the real her, not some detective on a mission, but the genuine older sibling who would do anything to protect those she loved. The fact that Pipp had done all of this for her was something she never saw coming, and it made her appreciate her even more. They hadn’t always gotten along with one another, but in the end, they were family, which meant they looked out for one another.

From the side, Spike and Seashell silently watched the exchange go down with smiles on their faces, not saying a word and letting the two have their moment. He certainly knew what it was like to family, and it made him think of Twilight, the pony who once raised him, and how proud she would be to see him step up when the time was right.

Across the battlefield, Opaline was fighting off an attack force of about five hippogriffs that were attempting to avenge the death of their queen. She blasted them back with her magic before more came upon her. They clawed at her face and tried to knock her off balance multiple times before she shredded them into nothing but pieces of multicolored skin and meat.

She flicked the remains of flesh off of her, smiling sadistically to herself. That was when she heard the sound of a loud thud on the ground. Opening her eyes, she saw a familiar alicorn mare land right in front of her. It was Flurry Heart, her old friend that she had met at the Crystal Empire so many moons ago. It was then that the unwanted memories that she had been working to forget flooded her mind once were and she shook her head to clear them.

Flurry’s expression was one of pure hatred as she stared at her, getting into a defensive stance and readying herself to pounce.

“You took everything from me.” she seethed.

Opaline smirked. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, old friend. How has life with no magic been treating you so far?”

Without answering, Flurry threw herself at Opaline with a loud scream, punching her across the field. The blow sent shockwaves throughout the vicinity that resulted in the latter being flung about ten feet away and hitting the ground hard.

She instantly recovered and got to her hooves as the other alicorn lunged at her again, conjuring a magic bubble around herself in order to keep from being hit once again. Flurry hit the bubble and was flung several feet into the air, where she managed to catch herself. She dove in once more as the bubble dissipated, hitting Opaline across the muzzle and sending her sliding back several inches.

Opaline skidded her back hooves on the ground as she slid, struggling to maintain her balance. Flurry then ran towards her with her right hoof out in a punching position, only she was unable to land a hit this time and instead barreled right into the Fire Alicorn, who caught her instantly in her grip and brought her up close to her face.

“Oh, you don’t know when to quit, do you?” Opaline asked her, shaking her head in a taunting manner. “Such a shame.”

She then reared her hood back and punched Flurry squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of her and sending the mare falling back on the ground. Flurry coughed and gritted her teeth as she stood up once more. But right as she did so, Opaline was on her again and the two collided with one another, trading blow after blow.

Flurry then proceeded to repeatedly hit Opaline across the face, yelling with rage each time she did so. After a while, she managed to knock her back once more, only for Opaline to catch her with magic and throw her on the ground like a rag doll again as hard as she could. Flurry landed on her back, crying out in pain from the impact.

Wasting no time and ignoring her injuries, Flurry recovered and punched at the ground, tears of anger streaming down her face. She stood up and launched herself at a smug Opaline, punching her across the field with all the strength she could muster before running after her. Sensing her coming, Opaline ran after her as well and they punched at each other at the same time, sending them both falling back.

Flurry regained her bearings once more and kicked Opaline as hard as she could, sending her spinning in the air towards the direction of the castle. She slammed into the nearest window, shattering it into a thousand tiny shards of glass that flew in her face. She growled and flew after the pony she once called her friend, who was running after her on the ground and blasted her with a powerful blast of magic.

The former new Princess of Love was knocked off her hooves and sent straight towards a passing unicorn airship, where she landed with an audible thud, blood splattering on the hull, before she slipped and fell towards the battlefield below.

But just before she could hit the ground, she was caught in mid-air by Spike, who had swooped in just in time to rescue her. He flew her through a swarm of rampaging demons with as much speed as he could muster, breathing dragon fire at any who got in his way and incinerating them. Flurry fluttered her eyes open and she gasped upon seeing herself upon his back, her eyes going wide.

“Uncle Spike!” she exclaimed.

“Hang on, Flurry!” Spike instructed her firmly. She did so and he flew downwards at top speed, all the while she screamed and held on for dear life. He kicked a demon that had attached itself to his claws, sending it spiraling several feet in the air before he incinerated it with his fire.

He landed in front of an exhausted looking Princess Luna and setting her down on the ground, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Well,” Luna mused with a smug look on her face. “It appears that we aren’t the only old timers joining this party.”

“What in Tartarus are you and Celestia even doing here?” Spike asked with confusion. “I thought you two retired from Equestrian affairs long ago.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Well, it was either this or listen to Tia moaning about the sad state of Silver Shoals cheesecake for the next several millennia. Believe me, one was bad enough. I liked it better when she was an actual Princess, not a full-time dessert critic!”

Spike chuckled. “I feel you, Luna.” He briefly glanced at Flurry, and then back at her. “Well, I’m off to slay more space insects. You and Flurry can tackle the skeleton warriors.”

He then flew back up into the sky, raining fire on all who dared to attack him. He swooped and glided through the air, his large wings beat against the strong wind current and he looked majestic as he fought them off.

On the south side of the field, Phyllis and Queen Haven had formed a temporary alliance and were currently locked in a fight with a horde of hellhounds that were trying to attack them. They stabbed and kicked at one as it pounced, sending it flying back. This didn’t last long, however, as they were corned by about four more.

Haven turned towards her. “I could really use any one of your fancy Canterlogic tech right about now! You have any?!”

Phyllis looked back at her with a look of regret. “Ooooh…well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I kinda…closed it down and sold it.”

“What?!” the pegasus monarch demanded. “But then…how are we going to fight these guys off?!” She stabbed a hellhound in the heart with a throwing knife as it lunged at her, while kicking another one with all the strength she could muster.

“Don’t ask me!” Phyllis shouted, her eyes filled with panic. “I only knew how to make items for protection, not actual war! And half of them weren’t even effective anyway! Now the factory’s become some sort of…community center or something.”

Haven facehoofed. “Dammit.” She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a sword from one of her palace guards. She tossed it to her. “Here, take this. It’ll have to do!”

The two sliced their way through the remaining hellhounds, yelling as they did so. Haven did a somersault in the air and sliced one of them through the top of its head. She pulled out the sword as it fell to the ground in a lifeless state. Phyllis did the same, though she fell flat on her face when she landed. She got to her hooves and sliced through the last attacker, pulling the sword out and panting with exhaustion.

Her victory was short-lived as several skeleton warriors then appeared out of nowhere and charged at them at full speed, roaring and shrieking with unholy fury. They held javelins in their hooves and their robes blew back in the wind. One of them bared its teeth and lunged at them with full speed. Its face was one of no mercy and it intended to finish them off in the most brutal way possible.

Phyllis’s expression was one of alarm, but Haven didn’t seem afraid. She spun her sword in the air and sliced through the first opponent with speed that only the most trained fighters could master. It fell to the ground instantly as it was no match for the blade that had just punctured its insides. Her eyes reflected anger as she leapt into the air and did a backflip, kicking another one in the chest. The skeleton warrior fell back, screeching with pain, before it was mercifully finished by a swift stab in the same area.

Emboldened, Phyllis followed her example and leapt at the next one, slicing it right through the empty eye socket. The creature screamed as purple blood began to leak out of it, grabbing its face and holding on. She used this opportunity to kick it in the head and send it stumbling. Jumping in, Haven stabbed it in the chest, sending it collapsing to the ground in a pathetic pile of bones.

The two mothers had formed an unlikely alliance with one another and were fighting the skeletons like their lives depended on it. Haven grinned with a weird sense of enjoyment as she sliced, punched, and kicked. The skeleton felt the impact and collapsed, followed by another one. Phyllis laughed in turn, living in the moment like she never had before. She took down another one and danced on the bones that were left. She then turned and ran at a fourth skeleton warrior that was coming near. This one was smarter and charged at her back. The two blades collided in an instant and were locked in an impossible stalemate, trying to see who would disarm the other first.

She screamed with rage, trying her hardest to disarm the skeleton. It snarled with fury and pushed her back a couple of steps. Her sword began to slip and she began to fear that she had lost the fight already. However, that was when her opponent made a fatal mistake. It began to get distracted by looking at the fallen remains of its comrade. Phyllis used this opportunity to knock it back, surprising it. Before it could react, she sliced through its heart with a victorious battle cry.

The skeleton warrior shrieked and tried to jump at her face, but it only made it a couple of inches off the ground before Haven ran in and impaled it right through the top of its skull. It fell apart on a matter of seconds, slowly decomposing into nothing but individual bones. Phyllis raised her sword into the air and cheered. Haven laughed in response. The two enjoyed the moment before running ahead to slaughter more enemies.

Meanwhile, Izzy, Zipp, and Pipp were running after a couple of fleeing Umbrum that they had just finished fighting when the former locked eyes on the sight Opaline flying back in the direction of the castle after sending no more immediate threat to her power. She gasped upon seeing this, her eyes going side with terror.

She turned towards Zipp. “Opaline’s flying towards the castle! What do we do now?”

“We follow her now,” Zipp answered quickly. “We have to get into the castle before she does. That way we have a better chance of influencing Sunny. Let’s hurry while the enemy forces are distracted and we’re forgotten.”

Pipp nodded. “Right. Sunny, here we come!”

The three ponies ran in the direction of the castle as fast as they could as the battle raged on around them, hoping desperately that Sunny would be in the mood to listen to them.

Misty had been watching Sunny cry for what seemed like an hour. Her heart ached for the poor mare, and she wished that she could do something, anything to make her feel better. She knew what it was like to feel alone and she didn’t wish that on her in the slightest. It was a horrible feeling, and she didn’t know how she would recover from it, if at all.

She looked back at Hitch, who was still staring at the floor glumly, and took a deep breath. She had to try and reason with Sunny. Now was her chance to finally do what she should’ve done a long time ago, and save her. There was no other way. It was either that she did this now, or live with the guilt of not doing it for the rest of her life.

She took a couple of steps forward and slowly walked towards the broken earth pony, her eyes reflecting compassion and empathy. Hitch looked up and saw her do this and shook his head lightly in a cautious manner. Seeing him out of the corner of her eye, she turned around and looked back at him with an expression of assurance, silently telling him that this was the only way.

The sheriff reluctantly caved, but it was clear that he wasn’t happy with this plan in the slightest. Normally she wouldn’t have any reason to doubt him as he obviously knew Sunny longer than she did, but she had no other choice. The safety of the world depended on this moment, and she wasn’t going to chicken out this time. She had come too far to back out now, and she was going to save her whatever it took.

She reached out with a trembling hoof and gently tapped Sunny on the shoulder, getting her attention. The earth pony looked up at her, eyes glistening with fresh tears.

“Are you okay?” Misty asked her softly.

Sunny shook her head, sniffling. “I never wanted to see any of you again…why did you have to come back, Misty? I told you to leave me here to die…I told you to never come back!”

Misty flinched at the sudden yelling, but still maintained her composure. “Do you really think that promise would have stuck? That I would’ve just left you with Opaline? You know I could never do that, even if you bribed me with everything I could ever want.”

“That doesn’t matter…” Sunny replied, letting her tears stream down her face. “Now I can’t pretend. I killed all those ponies and got many more hurt…I destroyed magic and let my Dad down. I don’t deserve to live.”

“Yes you do,” Misty countered firmly, but making sure she still spoke gently to her. “I once thought the same as you. I once thought that there was no hope left for me after everything I did. After I escaped that fateful night, I vowed that I would never forgive myself for letting Sparky get hurt, for letting him get killed. But my experiences taught me that nopony is beyond redemption, that ponies can change. We can get better, and we don’t…repeat those patterns.”

Sunny still didn’t seem convinced. “Ponies can’t change, Misty. Nopony stays good in this world…I learned that the hard way. There’s nothing stopping me from being manipulated and doing the same thing again. I let my vulnerability get the better of me, and it twisted my mind…I thought Opaline would give me the one thing I’ve been longing for my whole life…”

Misty nodded in understanding. She knew what it was that Sunny wanted. It was a desire that she shared for the longest time. “A family.”

“I had all of you,” Sunny explained sadly. “But you guys weren’t family. You didn’t know how to look after me and be there in my most vulnerable moments. You didn’t understand what I was going through, and I could never ask you to…I could never ask you all to relate to and understand how I felt deep inside…so I tried masking the pain by treating everything with smiles and optimism, burying all of that self-doubt under my desire to change the world. And it worked until…” she trailed off.

Hitch walked over to her as well upon seeing that she was willing to talk. “…Until the Filly Four riled up the town that day. That was your wake-up call, wasn’t it?”

Sunny nodded solemnly. “You were right, Hitch…it wasn’t worth it. My lost causes weren’t worth all this hassle. I would’ve been happier just conforming to the status quo and not constantly making enemies out of everypony. I should’ve stopped after magic returned, I had everything I wanted by that point. But I just didn’t stop…”

“Your activism was never the problem, Sunny,” Hitch told her. “It was how you went about it. My warning to you was that the way you carried yourself…ponies could only take being preached to for so long. But it wasn’t entirely your fault either. We should’ve done a lot more to help you. All we saw was the confident mare you portrayed yourself to be, not the deep-seated insecurities you carried underneath all that. We should’ve known better, I should’ve known better…than to let all that resentment boil over.”

“Well it’s too late now,” Sunny answered bitterly. “I sealed my fate by joining Opaline and destroying the Crystals. I can never go home. Nopony will ever forgive me for what I did, and they shouldn’t. Just leave me alone, please. I don’t care what happens to me after all this as long as I can continue pretending for the rest of my life that I’m actually happy.”

“But…that isn’t what you want, is it?” Misty pressed gently.

“Who cares what I want?!” Sunny snapped, suddenly standing up in a defensive position. “It doesn’t matter what I want! Every time I follow my passions, it ends in disaster! Everywhere I go, I just make things worse for everypony around me! I’d rather live as a slave and never have to worry about hurting those I love, than be a free mare and make the lives of others miserable every day I wake up! At least…I at least know that Opaline will never let me see the aftermath of my actions.”

“We know you don’t mean that, Sunny.” came a familiar voice.

The three ponies turned to their left and saw Zipp, Izzy, and Pipp walk through the castle doorways with concerned expressions on their faces. They walked over to them slowly, their hooves making clip clop noises on the floor as they did so. Sunny saw them and tried looking away in shame.

Zipp was the first to get her attention. “Sunny…look at me.”

Sunny shook her head, sobbing. “Please Zipp, just go away!”

Zipp remained where she was. “I’m not doing that. I will not leave you like I was forced to do before. None of us are leaving your side ever again, so the sooner you look at us, the faster this will go.”

Reluctantly, Sunny obeyed after seeing there was no way out of this. She looked into the faces of her friends, who had all gathered in front of her. Her whole body was trembling from fear and her eyes were wide. She was scared to death, and Misty could see that. She knew the feeling all too well, and she didn’t blame her for feeling the way she did.

She motioned for the others to back away a couple steps in order to give her space. They did so, and Misty spoke up once more.

“We’re not leaving you, Sunny,” she said, this time with conviction. “You mean too much to us, and we’re not going without you. We know what you did, but we don’t care. Even if we’re the only ponies that accept you back, we don’t care. You’re our friend, and friends stick together.”

“I don’t deserve it…” Sunny said with a trembling voice. “Don’t tell me that you’re actually willing to accept me back after I helped slaughter so many innocent ponies…I’m not your friend anymore, I’m a cold-blooded murderer that should be locked away. I’m a monster.”

“You’re not a monster,” Izzy told her. “Yes, nothing you say or do can ever take back what you did. But…you’re here now. You’re listening. And all these ponies…they came all this way for you. Don’t you realize that? We’re here for you. We all care about you, Sunny. We’re all your friends. And we love you.”

“They…all came back for me…?” Sunny asked in surprise, refusing to believe what she was hearing. “Even after I…”

“No matter what you did after magic was destroyed,” Pipp confirmed. “They still saw the good in you. What you did for Equestria by bringing us all together outweighed any negative impact you might’ve had. When it ultimately came down to it, we all united to save you. That’s why we’re here.”

Sunny squeezed her eyes shut as more tears cascaded down her cheeks, only opening them again once she felt Hitch’s hoof on her shoulder.

“None of us can ever replace Argyle,” Hitch comforted her. “He was too good for this world and I know how much his passing affected you. But…we can be your family, all of us. We can learn how it works, and…you don’t have to hide anything from us.”

“But why…?” Sunny asked them. “Why do all this for me…? Why did you go out of your way to lead an army into battle…for me? I’ve been nothing but a burden on all of you. Why didn’t you all just give up on me when you had the chance…?”

“Because you never gave up on us,” Izzy explained, gesturing to her friends. “You gave us a chance when no one would and offered us your friendship when we didn’t even deserve it. You fought tooth and nail for us, and you went to the ends of the earth…for us. You treated us like family and welcomed us into your life the moment you had the chance. And even when all hope seemed lost, you stood in front of those three leaders and showed them a better way to live. It’s because of you that we’re here today, don’t you realize that? You changed the world and our lives just by your actions alone. You changed lives life, Sunny. And we’re so grateful for everything you’ve done.”

“You may think you haven’t made a difference in the world,” Hitch added. “But that isn’t true. You’ve made a big difference…to us.”

Misty held her hoof out in front of her. “Take my hoof, Sunny. Let me show you there’s another way, just as you once did for me.”

Sunny stared at her for a moment before she began to lift a trembling hoof towards Misty’s. She held the position for a moment, hesitating, before she gave up the gesture entirely and leapt into Misty’s hooves, burying her face in her shoulder and sobbing uncontrollably. Hitch and the others then joined in on the embrace, hugging her tight and telling her that everything was going to be okay, that she didn’t have to be afraid anymore, and that they would be there for her whenever she needed them.

As Misty held the inconsolable earth pony, it suddenly dawned on her that she had done it. She had saved Sunny at long last and redeemed herself. It felt too good to be true, yet here it was clear as day. She felt all of her remaining self-doubt wash away in that moment, the liberating feeling of victory overwhelming her entire being. She had done what so many had considered to be impossible, and she did not want the moment to ever end.

Eventually however, the moment did come to a close. Sunny let go and looked them in the eyes, her expression one of pure regret and sorrow. Even though she had been forgiven, it was obvious that she still felt immense guilt for everything she had done.

“I’m so sorry,” she apologized profusely. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen…”

“I know,” Misty replied, smiling. “It will take a lot of time, for sure. But going by my own experiences, I don’t have any doubt that at some point, they’ll all forgive you.”

Sunny nodded slowly. “Thanks, Misty. I…really don’t know how to thank you, thank all of you for refusing to leave me.”

“That’s what friends do,” Pipp told her sincerely. “And there’s nothing broken that we can’t fix…together.”

That was when Zipp stepped in to interject. “I hate to break up the touching moment here, but…we kinda still have an Opaline to deal with?”

Misty sprang to attention upon hearing that. “Right! Are you ready to finish this once and for all with us, Sunny?” When she saw the earth pony standing there, paralyzed with fear, she instantly grew concerned. “Sunny?”

Sunny was trembling again as she took a couple steps back in fear. “S-s-she c-can’t see me with the rest of you. I can’t face her! I’m not ready! I’m not-“

“Sunny-“ Hitch began, trying to calm her down.

Before he could finish, Sunny rocketed through the ceiling in her alicorn form, leaving a massive gaping hole in her wake.

Upon hearing a sonic boom in the sky above from where they were at, Zipp facehoofed. “Oh great, she’s gone. Now what?”

“She’s been through a traumatic ordeal, Zipp,” Misty explained. “Just give her time. We’ll just…take Opaline on by ourselves and hope for the best. We shouldn’t force her to do this if she doesn’t want to. She needs to cool off.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to launch a funeral stream for us,” Pipp stated glumly. “We are so not gonna survive this.”

The five ponies rushed to the throne room with a renewed sense of purpose. Their hooves pounded on the marble floor and their manes blew back as a result of the rush of wind that flooded in. They had defied the forces of destiny, and they were going to get the job done.

Upon reaching the entrance, they opened up the double doors and peeked behind a corner where they found Opaline staring intensely at the reflection pool at the center of it, an expression of anger on her face. She was scratched and bruised all over, but her resolve had not gone away and she still looked ready to fight at any moment’s notice.

Sensing an opportunity, Misty stepped forward and gently crept her way towards the pony she once called her mother. Normally, she would’ve been frightened to death about something like this, but she wasn’t this time. She had come so far on her journey and she no longer feared Opaline. She had the backing of her friends by her side, and that was all that mattered.

“Opaline!” Misty called out to her bravely. “Face us if you dare!”

Opaline’s eyes turned pure black for a moment before morphing back to their normal colors. She turned around and faced her, smiling in that sadistic manner that she was all too familiar with. Misty felt her heart sink with dread upon seeing that cursed expression. The alicorn had been anticipating this. She knew they were coming and had been biding her time.

She stood dominantly over the unicorn, towering over her like a skyscraper in the big city. Despite this, Misty still remained firm and cleared any doubts from her mind. This was the moment. She had to end this now while she had the chance.

“Well,” Opaline mused. “Look who it is. The pony who still doesn’t have a cutie mark. How’s that life treating you, hm?”

“I have one, Opaline!” Misty revealed, showing her flank to the new enraged alicorn. “I earned my mark through true friendship! And you can’t take it from me!”

Opaline laughed maniacally. “Oh…Misty. Really?” Her horn began to emit a dark pink aura, which grew larger and larger by the second.

But just before she could grab Misty in her bubble, Zipp jumped in front of her and shielded her with her body, protecting the unicorn from the spell. The rest of her friends then came out from the corner, standing in triumphant poses. Opaline growled upon seeing this, the aura fizzling from the lack of use.

“It’s over, Opaline!” Hitch declared. “You’ve lost. Sunny is no longer yours, our forces are overwhelming yours. You have nothing left to throw at us. Surrender now and we’ll be merciful.”

Opaline put her hoof to her chin. “Hmm, I could do that. But then again…I could also do THIS!!” Her horn lit up once more and with a look of pure insanity on her face, she blasted a massive beam of magic at the ponies, who all scattered in opposite directions, running for cover.

Zipp ducked as a blast headed right towards her, covering herself with her hooves until she was sure that it had missed. It was then that Izzy charged at Opaline, only to be blasted back against the wall. She groaned, picking herself up just as another blast headed her way. She yelped and leapt out of the way, with the beam narrowly singing the side of her mane and hitting the wall instead, sending pieces of rubble tumbling down.

The battle was in full swing as each of the ponies tried their hardest to land a hit on the Fire Alicorn, but each time they were unsuccessful. With a loud yell, Misty threw herself at Opaline, but was caught in a bubble of magic and violently thrown against the wall. She shrieked as she hit the ground, wasting no time in standing up and trying again. Her whole body was aching and in pain, and she was trying her best not to pass out from the force of the impact.

Opaline then ran at her, eyes seething with murderous intent. Misty zigzagged, changing directions and forcing her to turn around and run the other way. She then leapt onto her back and began repeatedly hitting at it. Opaline laughed and bucked her off, sending her crashing onto the ground.

Izzy then returned and proceeded to throw chunks of fallen rocks at her, all of which were instantly vaporized. Opaline blasted at her, but she jumped out of the way and ran in a circle, forcing the alicorn to constantly change directions and grow dizzy. Using the distraction, Zipp reached into her pack and pulled out a sword. Wasting no time, she dove right at her with the blade in hoof.

Opaline’s eyes went wide and she stepped off to the side, resulting in Zipp barreling right into the throne and being knocked out in an instant.

Pipp gasped. “Zipp!!”

Opaline chuckled. “You see what happens when you try to stop-“ Her sentence was cut off when an enraged Hitch suddenly appeared in front of her and loaded an arrow into a bow he had gotten out. He then fired multiple shots at her with expert accuracy. Two out of the four arrows hit her in the chest, causing her to cry out in pain.

Hitch glared at her. “This is for Sparky, bitch!”

Without much effort, Opaline removed the arrows from her body and snapped them each in half. “Pathetic. Did you somehow forget, oh I don’t know…WE’RE IMMORTAL?!!” She then ran at him and slammed him against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. He groaned, doing his best to stand to his hooves, but his body failing him each time.

Pipp reached into her pack and pulled out multiple jars of potions, to which she proceeded to throw at her. Each of them shattered into a million shards of glass, leaving only the spilled contents that dripped off her face. She continued to throw jar after jar, and potion after potion, yelling as she did so. Opaline shook off the glass shards and her eyebrows narrowed in fury.

Pipp swallowed hard. “Maybe this…wasn’t such a good idea-WHOA!!” She leapt out of the way to the right just as a giant mass of alicorn dove in for the kill, causing her slam into the throne, breaking it.

Opaline shook the pieces of the throne off of her, shaking her head mockingly. “You really need to try better than that. Much better.” Her horn lit up and she caught Pipp in a magic bubble and began peeling her cutie mark off in an excruciating fashion. She cried out in pain and fought against the bubble keeping her up in the air.

Eventually, the mark was fully removed and she was dropped to the ground where, she landed on her stomach, unconscious with a thud. Misty noticed this and ran to her side, begging for her to wake up.

Opaline grinned sadistically. “You see what your actions have caused, Misty? Perhaps it would have been better if you had just stayed with me.”

Misty stared at her in anger, tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them back, holding Pipp’s comatose body in her hooves.

Sunny walked alone into the empty bedroom of the Crystal Brighthouse, the words of her friends and father repeating over and over in her mind, and memories that she had long since suppressed rushing back to her in droves. She was quite used to solitude, having spent most of her life living alone as a hermit in the outskirts of town, so this was nothing new to her. She also used to like getting away from all the noise that came with being the savior of the town and just keep to herself.

She had arrived back in Maretime Bay about an hour ago and expected to see other ponies, only to be greeted with deserted streets and abandoned houses. Seeing no one there that she could apologize to, she had gone back home to her home and was now wandering aimlessly throughout the empty rooms as she relived key memories from her past.

“What’s the matter, Sunny Bunny?”

“Hitch and Sprout still don’t believe me.”

“Maybe one day they will. But the important thing is that you stand up for what you believe in. Okay?”

“Well when I grow up, I’m going to show everypony that we’re friends!”

She slowly crept inside, bearing witness to belongings haphazardly thrown every which way onto the floor. She silently passed by fallen blankets and sheets, as well as Sparky’s empty crib. She could almost feel the silence in the air and it was an unfamiliar feeling. The place was normally so lively and fun, and it felt weird being the only pony in the house. But at the same time, it also felt oddly peaceful and in her opinion, it was a good environment for self-reflection.

She headed towards the window and stopped in her tracks, staring out at the night sky outside. The Moon was always a comforting presence for the ponies of Maretime Bay. Every time it cast its soft light upon the town streets, it was a reminder that they weren’t alone and that anything was possible. There were still those who loved the night and those who hated it. But they couldn’t deny that the Moon was the most beautiful sight to look at through a window.

“Being an alicorn doesn’t make you different. It makes you the same.”

“It does?”

“As an earth pony or an alicorn, you inspire all of us to be better ponies. That’s your true power.”

She felt a soft breeze come through the window and blow through her mane. Startled, she turned around to see a trail of leaves blowing in a circle through the left side window, scattering away to parts unknown once it had gone far enough. The frequency of the wind blows gradually morphed into comforting words in her head, filling her mind with happy thoughts of bedtime stories, making lanterns, and messages on a quilt.

“Can we send it?”

“I think it’s our duty.”

“Your family can be the ponies you choose. And Sunny, hoof to heart, I know you’ll find that someday.”

A shooting star flew by where she was and disappeared faster than it had arrived. As she witnessed it vanish, she could almost make out the faint voice of her father talking to her from that star, silently giving her a sign that he was always there for her. She gently closed her eyes, letting the gentle breeze soothe and nurture her.

“I wish I had a friend who could fly around or float things…Why can’t we be friends anymore?”

“That my darling, is a big question. And maybe one day, we’ll figure it out. We’ll do our part…

…hoof to heart.”

Sunny opened her eyes at that last phrase as it began to echo throughout her subconscious, repeating over and over to a degree until she couldn’t hear anything except for that. It meant something. Her father had been prepping her for a moment like this for her whole life. She couldn’t just stand by while the fate of Equestria hung in the balance. Her friends needed her…and the world needed her. They needed their beacon of hope, and she was tired of repressing who she was.

She stared out into the beautiful night sky, her expression slowly morphing from one of shock and confusion, to that of determination and conviction.

The doors to the Crystal Brighthouse swung open and out from them emerged a reborn Sunny Starscout, now wearing golden regalia on her body. Her father had once bought her that Celestia costume before he had been sent to the hospital as a last gift to her, and she was now proudly wearing it to save the world.

She confidently stepped outside in her alicorn form, her mane flowing in an ethereal manner similar to how the old rulers used to have their hair the same way. She had emerged from her hardship a new mare. She knew her purpose. She knew her destiny. She had been given a second chance when she didn’t deserve it, and no matter what, she was going to make the most of it.

Since magic returned, she had been so unsure of her place in the world. Now she knew what it was. Her alicornhood was a symbol of pride and accomplishment, and she needed to embrace that side of her instead of being afraid of it like she had been before.

“We can stay separated by fear and distrust, or we can choose friendship…we can choose love. That’s the true magic.”

“Now we never have to be apart!”

“We’re all your friends, Sunny. And we love you.”

The ground shook as she prepared to fly. She crouched down low, feeling her mind relax at last. She had always feared flying as it was something she wasn’t used to, but now she was embracing it with every fiber of her being. The sky was her domain. It was her responsibility to be the representative of all Equestria. She had a destiny that called to her, and a cause worth fighting for.

Her spirits rose and she felt genuine happiness for the first time in a long while. She was at peace, and no longer in conflict. She had the support of an entire land by her side, and they had come all this way to save her. They all cared about her. They all loved her. They were all her friends. She was not broken, and she certainly was not alone.

She slowly lifted her head, staring up at the stars above her and smiling to herself. She knew that she was going into a battle, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. There was nothing standing in her way of saving the realm once more and proving herself to the rest of Equestria that all the faith that they had put in her was worth it.

“We always promised each other that someday, we would prove that all ponies were meant to be friends.”

“A little helping hoof for the pony who inspires all of us to be better!”

“And you all like me for who I am, no matter what kind of pony I am. And I know…I can change the world with that.”

“You helped everypony believe in magic. Now it’s time to believe in your own magic, Sunny.”

“I already did, Dad.”

“We may not ever be Argyle, but we can still be there for you whenever you need us.”

As Sunny’s determination fully solidified and her cutie mark was glowing with all of the sparkle she was letting shine through, the words of her friends and family slowly came together into one command that let her know that it was time to let her true self run free.

“Fly, Sunny. It’s time.”

Without needing any further confirmation, she rocketed up into the air at full speed. She flew through the skies and through the clouds, leaving sonic booms in her wake. She laughed with unfiltered joy as she flipped and spun around in the air, catching the breeze and propelling herself through the sky. The cool air blew through her pink and rainbow mane, a relaxing presence that she let guide her along the dark canvas sky. The skies were at her mercy. She was the master of her own domain.

The town was far away from her now as she flew with confidence and with speed. She knew exactly where she needed to go now. Opaline needed to be stopped once and for all. She needed to go find her friends. They would know what to do.

As she felt the great sensation of freedom, she felt some drops of rain fall on her as she soared straight through a cloud. She licked the droplet, reveling in the thrill of finally tasting something besides dust and filthy air.

She emerged from the clouds with a renewed sense of purpose at the highest elevation possible, feeling more joy than she had ever felt in her entire life. As she gazed down at the world below, her eyes suddenly locked on the horizon and she saw the Sun slowly peeking its rays off in the distance.

With hooves outstretched, she glided in the air towards the rising Sun, letting its warm embrace consume her whole.

Misty held onto Pipp’s barely breathing form as she glared at Opaline, feeling a sense of rage and anger fester inside of her. She hated her for all the abuse and the harm she had caused to her friends. All she wanted was to slaughter that alicorn in cold blood for making her life a living hell, for constantly putting her down and belittling her.

Izzy ran by her side and gasped upon seeing Pipp’s unconscious form. Her eyes filled with tears and she dropped to her knees, sobbing relentlessly.

Opaline stood over them triumphantly. “It’s a shame that I’m going to have to kill you both. Especially you, Misty. You know, you did mean something to me at one point. I did care about you. Unfortunately, it appears that your defiance has cost you greatly.”

Misty spat at her, hissing and holding Pipp tight in her hooves. She refused to let go. She didn’t know what would happen, and she wasn’t about to let one of her friends get hurt again.

“Of course,” Opaline offered. “This can all be avoided. You can come back with me and we can forget that your defiance ever happened. Just give me your cutie mark and we’ll call it a deal.”

“You’re psychotic.” Misty insulted her harshly.

The Fire Alicorn smiled evilly. “Hm, that’s a three-syllable word too big for little minds. I’m giving you one last chance. If you will not be turned, then…perhaps she will.”

Izzy let out an audible gasp, clearly knowing full well what she meant. She was going to try and turn her to the dark side if she could not get her former slave back.

That was when Misty lost it. The last thing she heard before she lost all control was Izzy trying to warn her. Then, all she felt was unchecked hate-filled rage. She lunged at Opaline and caught her off guard, slamming her onto the ground with all her might.

The alicorn stood up instantly, eyes momentarily filled with terror, before she reached a hoof back in order to punch Misty, who ducked out of the way and climbed on her back. She bit and clawed at her former mother, feeling nothing but vengeance. Opaline growled and threw the unicorn off as hard as she could.

Misty caught herself on the ground before she could fall and launched herself at her again with a loud yell. She didn’t care if she lived or died by this point. All she wanted was for Opaline to die. Before she could reach her, however, she was blasted by a massive beam of magic and sent flying towards the nearest wall. She hit it with a loud thud, blood splattering as she landed.

She cursed and forced herself to stand to her hooves, feeling dizzy and like she was about to pass out. She ran up to Opaline and punched her as hard as she could. She stumbled back with a grunt, screaming with rage as she stood up once more. Hurriedly, she conjured up a magic bubble to protect herself as Misty launched herself at her once more.

She bounced off of the shield and grabbed onto it, clawing at it desperately as Opaline’s smile grew wider with each passing second. She made the bubble disappear before catching her mid-air with a second one. Misty fought and kicked, but she was no match for the strength of what held her. Before long, she was thrown back once more.

Before she could get up, Opaline ran at her with a crazed expression and picked her up once more, throwing her on the ground repeatedly. Blood splattered with each impact and she felt herself get lighter and lighter. She coughed out blood as her mind began to go fuzzy. She could see her surroundings get blurrier and blurrier. She knew that she had to stop fighting, but she couldn’t. She grabbed onto Opaline’s mane and tried pulling at it, but this only served to make the alicorn angrier.

On the other side of the room, Izzy was pleading desperately for them both to stop. Tears of anguish were streaming down her face as she watched her sister get pummeled repeatedly and she couldn’t do a thing to stop it.

Opaline turned towards her, now having gone completely insane. “How does it feel, huh?! To be a unicorn without magic. In a world WHERE YOU CANNOT SAVE ANYPONY!!!!” Without wasting a beat, she slammed Misty down on the ground hard right in front of her.

“STOP!!!!” Izzy shrieked at the top of her lungs, sobbing. She took running towards them, trying in vein to save the fellow unicorn she loved. Opaline seemed to anticipate this and threw her back with her magic, encasing her in a bubble before she could get up. Izzy stood up and pounded on the bubble with all her strength, but she could not get free.

“P-please-“ Misty choked out, her body now all covered in gashes and bruises. She had no energy left to fight and all of the rage had gone out of her. She was done fighting and she just wanted the nonstop nurture to end. Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes and she began to cry as Opaline slammed her on the ground once more.

“DO YOU APOLOGIZE?!!” Opaline demanded angrily. “Tell me how sorry you are, Misty!! TELL ME YOUR LOYALTY IS TO ME!!!!!” When Misty didn’t answer, she was thrown against the wall once more, where she landed with a sickening crunch.

As her vision began to face to black, she saw Opaline slowly approach and reach her hoof back, preparing to deliver the final blow and end her life for good. She couldn’t do anything about it now. All she could do was watch helplessly as she was about to be murdered by the hooves of the very pony who raised her for years.

But right as Opaline slammed her hoof down with the crushing blow of an alicorn, the impact never came. Instead, it pathetically bounced off of a golden shield bubble made out of magic. Her eyes went wide upon seeing this.

Standing protectively in front of Misty’s fallen form was none other than Sunny Starscout, who sported an angry expression on her face. She had conjured a powerful shield to protect her friend from the hit just in time, and was not going to let her die.

“Not. Impressed.” she stated flatly, slowly dissipating the shield into tiny particles that disappeared into nothingness. Opaline could not believe what she was seeing. This was impossible! How did Sunny turn on her as well?! She could feel the frustration building up inside her, and she was powerless to do anything about it now.

Sunny then punched what was left of the shield before hovering slightly into the air and kicking Opaline as hard as she could, sending the alicorn crashing into the remains of her throne, landing on her stomach with a loud thud.

Recovering, Opaline angrily punched at the ground with her hooves, the thought of losing this fast infuriating her and keeping her going. She stood up, her eyes seething with an unbridled rage that was barely being contained inside of her. Sunny barely reacted to the threat, only standing there nonchalantly as her horn began to emit a bright yellow aura. She shot a blast of magic at Opaline, who barely ducked out of the way and resulted it in it hitting a wall instead.

She then launched herself at Sunny in an attempt to punch her. She struck out with her hoof, but barely missed her face as the other alicorn managed to dodge the hit and fly up into the air, sending another blow crashing down on her. Opaline was sent barreling into another wall from the sheer force of the shockwave, groaning after landing headfirst on the ground.

On the other side of the room, Zipp regained consciousness right in time to see Sunny fighting Opaline. Her eyes went wide upon seeing this as she didn’t expect her to show up. Izzy ran to her side, having been freed by Sunny, and helped her up.

The two stared at the ongoing spectacle with a mix of awe and disbelief, witnessing the evil Fire Alicorn get absolutely humiliated and thrown around like a rag doll.

“Well then,” Zipp mused. “That’s one problem solved.”

Izzy nodded, smiling warmly. “I always knew she would come back for us.”

Opaline stood up again after being thrown at another wall, dusting herself off. Upon getting to her hooves, she was greeted by the sight of Izzy, who was standing there with the biggest and most adorable grin on her face. With one swift buck to the chest, the hyperactive unicorn sent her flying towards the opposite side of the room, where she crashed down hard and was promptly tossed into the air again by a kick from Zipp.

Sunny flew towards her at top speed from out behind a corner, her hoof out in front of her in a punching motion. She punched Opaline in the direction of the ceiling, where she landed, before slowly flying up to meet her and delivering another punch. Opaline was knocked down onto the ground once more and Sunny pounced on her, pinning her where she was and refusing to let up.

She hit her across the face before her horn lit up with a golden aura. She then blasted her with a powerful beam of magic that burned her entire being. Opaline screamed in pain as she was being hit, with the blast managing to singe off one of her own ears. Before she could do anything, she was swiftly punched again by Sunny, who repeated the motion over and over.

By this point, Hitch and Pipp had also regained consciousness and ran towards where Zipp and Izzy were. They regrouped and discussed what was happening just as Opaline suddenly threw Sunny off of her, with the orange alicorn being sent crashing against the wall.

“Sunny!!” all four of them cried, running towards their friend as fast as they could and huddling by her side, begging for her to wake up. When she finally did, their faces lit up in relief.

Sunny stirred, opening her eyes. “Huh?”

“Sunny! Are you okay?” Hitch asked her in a panicked tone.

Sunny nodded. She slowly got to her hooves, wincing as the pain she was feeling suddenly spiked up to a nauseating degree. She struggled to stand and face them. “I-I’m fine! I’m fine! Let’s finish this now!”

Opaline stood up in a triumphant manner once again, laughing maniacally and grinning at the terrified ponies, who were now in no condition to fight her. She had won.

“Wake up, my daughter.”

Misty awoke upon hearing the familiar voice, fluttering her eyes open. She slowly got to her hooves, looking all around her for the source. She was in a blue and white void full of stars, which seemed to be alive and moving on their own. She began to tremble, not knowing where anything was and what had happened. Had she died? Was this what the aftermath looked like? What was going to happen to her now if she had truly passed on? The questions raced through her mind and terrified her to the very core.

She didn’t want to die, not now. Not when the fate of entire world was at stake and depended on her. She couldn’t. She had to get back to where she was. She had to get this done. She had to stop Opaline and save her friends from death.

That was when she spotted them out of the corner of her eye. She might’ve only been a newborn foal when they had abandoned her, but she recognized those figures instantly. It was a silver earth pony mare and a white unicorn stallion, and they were walking right towards her.

“Mom…Dad…” Misty managed to say, her eyes wide with shock. She could feel the sudden rush of tears and she let them fall. These were her parents; the very ponies that she had been dreaming about for her entire life, but never truly seen until now.

Moon Watcher smiled warmly. “My Misty Wisty. Your father and I have been awaiting this day for over a decade. It’s time for you to come join us.”

“You’ve passed on,” Star Collector clarified. “And it’s time for you to depart this plane and join us in paradise.”

“Where am I?” Misty asked. “What is this place? Is this…Heaven?”

Star shook his head. “No no no. That’s a little up North. This is actually what’s known as the Celestial Plane, the realm that exists between life and death. The great Twilight Sparkle was once here a millennia ago. This is where she received her wings.”

Misty nodded in understanding, but she was still worried. “I see. But Dad, I can’t go. Not now. My friends need me. I have to stop Opaline. Please, I just need a little more time.”

“But your body is in no condition to fight,” Moon countered, her voice reflecting her deep concern. “You’re wounded all over and have no energy left. You can’t defeat her, sweetie.”

“I have to,” Misty replied firmly. “No matter what, I have to. Just…give me the strength to stop her and save my friends. I’ve come so far already, and I’ve learned so much. I know what kind of pony I need to be. For you. For all of us. Please just let me finish this. Afterwards, you can take me.”

Star clearly seemed conflicted, even a little bit sad. “You don’t have to do anything, Misty. You’re at peace now. I’m sure your friends would understand.”

“I know they would,” insisted Misty. “But they mean more to me than anything in the world. I need to finish this and rid the world of Opaline once and for all. For my whole life, I’ve always been so unsure of myself. But now I know what my true destiny is, why I survived that night. It was to redeem myself and bring this world together once and for all. I want to pass on knowing that I did everything I could. I haven’t yet, and I need to save them.”

Moon took a careful step towards her. “Misty, you’re shouldering too much burden on yourself.”

Misty looked at her in the eyes. “I know. But Dad did the same thing for you when he sheltered you in Bridlewood for years. He put everything he had on the line for you and paid the price for true love. You both understand what it’s like to be burdened with glorious purpose.”

Star nodded solemnly. “That we do, Misty. I can’t deny that. I chose the path of exile because I didn’t want to leave your mother. You want to do the same thing, but for your friends.”

“I do.”

The two parents looked at one another and silently came to a unanimous agreement that her wish would be granted. Star faced her with deep sadness in his eyes.

“Very well,” he told her. “We will grant you all the strength of the heavens in order to do this. But it comes at a grave cost. Your actions will directly cost you the rest of your lives. You may never reincarnate into another pony after death. Are you sure you’re willing to bear this burden?”

Misty nodded without a second thought. “I am, Dad. I’m making this choice out of love for the ponies around me, just as you once did.”

“Then I am very proud of you,” Star told her sincerely, smiling at her. “I see that my bravery has not been lost on you and Izzy. Shoulder the weight of this destiny as you must. Now…RISE!!!”

Misty’s eyes snapped open. She gently lifted her head up, feeling all of the nerves return to her body. Her scars and bruises began to heal over until they were nonexistent. She slowly stood up to her hooves, gripping at the ground to support her as she did so. She had never felt so strong in her life, and she could sense the spirits of her parents within her. They were giving their essences to her, so that she could end this nightmare once and for all.

Her life flashed before her eyes and she stood tall and proud in the midst of the destruction, staring at a horrified Opaline. She was now truly free, unbound by any law or mortal fear. Her cutie mark was now glowing as bright as the sun, illuminating the room with its divine light. She stole a brief glance at her friends, who were still in the corner with Sunny and were currently unaware that she had just been resurrected from certain death.

“Opaline Arcana!!” Misty bellowed, her voice echoing throughout the room and reverberating across the walls. “We end this now!!”

Opaline took a couple steps back in fear upon seeing her, her pupils shrinking to tiny little pinpricks as the horrible reality slowly dawned on her. “T-this is…this is impossible! Y-you can’t be alive! I KILLED YOU WITH MY OWN HOOVES!!!!”

It was then that Izzy noticed that she had recovered and gasped, her eyes going wide. The others then took notice as well. They stared at her in utter disbelief, almost as if they were seeing a ghost in front of their very eyes.

Misty took a step forward and the ground trembled beneath her might. She glared at Opaline intensely. The alicorn had taken everything from her, and she was going to suffer the consequences for it. She had put up with all of this and hid her true self for far too long. It was time to let her sparkle fully unleash, and let the universe guide her to victory.

Snarling like a wild animal, Opaline charged up her horn and blasted Misty as hard as she could, intending to knock her back. However, she was unsuccessful this time around. The beam merely bounced off of her face and dissipated, almost as if some invisible shield was protecting her. She tried again in vain as the unicorn began approaching her, with her attempts only yielding the same results over and over.

She began to panic internally upon seeing this, wondering what was causing her to be so strong and deflect attacks so easily. She tried again with another beam. This time, Misty’s horn lit up with magic and she deflected it back with a bubble. Somehow, she had magic, even though all of it had been presumably drained from the land.

“You couldn’t break my spirit no matter how hard you tried!” Misty shouted, deflecting another blast. “And do you know why?! Because no matter what you tried pulling on me, I emerged through each challenge as a stronger pony in the end because I had my friends to support me! They made me who I am, and I’m done running from you!”

“SILENCE!!!” Opaline screamed, shooting another blast at her. “I CONTROL YOU!!!! I AM THE PONY YOU SHOULD BE BOWING TO!! I AM EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN!!!!”

“You raised me on a life of lies and told me that the world was a dark and cruel place!!” Misty shot back as the beam bounced off of her. “Yet I learned that the only things dark and cruel about it are ponies like you!!”

Opaline shrieked with fury once again and blasted her once more, pouring all of her anger into the spell. Misty simply deflected it again, a translucent shield beginning to form around her as she did so. Her friends soon followed close behind her, walking triumphantly with her towards the destroyed throne.

“I used to be afraid of you!” Misty yelled bravely. “I used to think that there was no life for me out there, and that I would never be accepted! But my friends proved me wrong! They gave me the life I never had! I realized that together, we can do anything! No matter what you try, there will always be light to fight the darkness, unity to fight separation, friendship to fight loneliness, and harmony to fight chaos!!”

“NO NO NO!!!” Opaline cried desperately, blasting them over and over. The shield grew wider and wider around them, swirling with energy that she could not counteract no matter how hard she tried. She was fighting the power of the heavens, and losing. The gods had chosen their side and were casting their judgement on her, making her pay at long last for her defiance against them. “NO NO!! NOOOOOOO!!!!”

“I’m not broken!!” declared Misty, absorbing another blast that the shield at full force. Her friends instantly jumped in next to her in this moment and stood triumphantly with her. She had them by her side, and they were her true family. “And I’m not alone!!!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

The more she was hit, the stronger Misty became. Her mane began to flow in an ethereal manner as she absorbed each blast into herself. The sheer power of Equestria’s magic would normally be enough to kill any normal pony. But she was no longer tethered to the mortal world as she knew it. She was imbued with the power of her ancestors, and they were protecting her with each step she took. She could feel their voices inside of her, centuries of unicorn knowledge flowing through her mind. She had become something stronger than even she could imagine, and she was harnessing all of the power within her.

The next blast hit the shield and bounced harmlessly off of it, hitting a wall instead. Opaline bellowed with rage and took a step forwards, blasting it once more. This attempt also did nothing and bounced off the four walls of the throne room. She was becoming desperate, sweat beading down her face as she began to tire of the constant use of her magic. Nothing was working, and she was quickly becoming exhausted and frustrated.

“YOU WILL NOT TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME, TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!!!!” Opaline bellowed, blasting the shield once again. This time, she kept the beam for longer and strained as she tried in vain to destroy it. Instead, it was simply absorbed into the shield and became a part of it.

She could feel her magic start to dwindle and realized too late what was happening. Misty was draining her magic. With each time she blasted her, the unicorn absorbed more of her powers, and she was effectively feeding her it.

“You were never a god, Opaline.” Sunny spoke, the voice of Twilight echoing from her mouth. “You were never even a true alicorn.”

“NO!!!!”

“Today,” Misty added, hearing the echoes of Luster Dawn’s voice come out of her as she stated this to her. “All the magic you stole from Equestria…shall be given back.”

Wasting no time, her horn lit up with a pink aura and she began to drain the magic from Opaline’s mouth. The alicorn screamed and shrieked as her very essence was ripped from her horn and into her former servant’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 Misty had on her. There was no sympathy left for her in the unicorn’s eyes. She had crossed the line and now she was paying the price for her actions.

Misty held it within herself for the briefest of moments, feeling her senses be filled with all the Equestrian magic in existence. It flooded through her body and coursed through her veins, giving her strength and power beyond recognition. Memories that weren’t hers overwhelmed her mind, the events of over a thousand years of history flashing before her very eyes. She could see the past, present, and future of the whole realm. She could do anything at this moment and accomplish anything she wanted to with little to no effort. But she knew what was the right thing to do, and didn’t let anything tempt her.

With a loud scream and a simple blast, she sent a torrent of rainbow energy spiraling into the air. It tore through the ceiling and exploded across the battlefield in a massive Sonic Rainboom, returning both the magic and cutie marks to entire world. Unicorns gasped as their horns suddenly lit up with magic and pegasi looked up in surprise as their wings shimmered and they could fly once more.

Back inside, the magic shield was now stronger than ever and illuminated the room with its light. The rainbow then crashed down on Opaline, engulfing her in a tornado of pure harmonic energy. She screamed as she began to literally disintegrate into pieces. Her wings were the first to disappear, followed by her horn. It was then that her back hooves vanished. She was being erased from existence, and she could do nothing to stop it. She howled in pain as the magic burned her entire being and incinerated her slowly. She continued to scream until her face disappeared into nothingness and she was gone.

Misty and her friends were united, holding onto one another as tight as they could. Their eyes were glowing pure white and their now returned cutie marks were all glowing as brightly as the Sun, matching hers. They were finally at peace with themselves, just as she was with herself. Their sparkles shone brighter than they ever had before as they let their true selves out. The Magic of Friendship had been reborn with them. They were the new Guardians of Harmony.

It was then that Misty finally released all of the energy, followed by her friends. The shield exploded, sending them falling back to the entrance to the throne room and rendering them all unconscious.

The battle was raging. Now having the power of flight back, Queen Haven led the pegasi in an all out aerial assault against the demons and were largely successful in doing so, depleting their ranks and forcing many to retreat in fear of being sliced.

As she and her soldiers tore through the horde, one of them latched onto her face and began clawing at her. She cried out in alarm as she began to spiral down from the sky. She tried angling herself with her wings, but she couldn’t see where she was going. However, just when she was about to hit the ground, the demon that was assaulting her vanished into a puff of smoke.

She looked up in shock, only to see the rest of the attack force suddenly vanish as well. The other pegasi glanced at one another with confused expressions. Down below, the same thing was happening. The Umbrum forces were disintegrating in numbers, vanishing seemingly faster than they had arrived.

The ponies all started looking at each other and chatting amongst themselves in bewilderment before that puzzlement turned into outright cheers, and they threw their weapons up into the air in celebration. The skeleton warriors shrieked as they slowly began to break apart into piles of bones, leaving only their robes behind as proof that they had ever been there. The hellhounds slowly melted into puddles of volcanic lava, starting with their faces until they were completely gone.

Alphabittle looked on with relief as the enemy army slowly disappeared into nothing, setting down his knife on the ground and panting with exhaustion. Once he did so, the reality that they had won became clear and he began laughing, silently marveling at the absurdity of the whole situation he had gotten himself into.

In the midst of it all, Rabia watched her forces vanish with horror. This was it. She had lost once again. She took a couple of steps back, refusing to believe what she was witnessing. Finally, she could not deny the inevitable anymore and simply sat on the ground, patiently waiting for her death.

It took about thirty seconds, but before long, her form began to decompose and she closed her eyes, accepting her fate as she vanished into thin air.

Back in the castle, the ponies slowly regained consciousness and got up from the floor. Sunny was the first to get to her hooves and run towards her friends. She pulled them each up, asking them if they were okay. The fight had done a number on the throne room as everything was either destroyed or slowly burning to tiny embers. It looked nothing like the imposing lair that it used to be.

Of course, that was a good thing, but it still hurt Sunny a bit to see all of this destruction. She had lived here for over seven months and had grown sort of an attachment to the solitude that came with her short-lived imprisonment. She blinked back tears from her eyes upon seeing the place where Opaline once stood. The evil alicorn had once been just like her, and had been led down the wrong path. A small part of her wished that she could have reformed her and showed her friendship.

She helped Hitch to his hooves and watched as he dusted himself off. He looked around the room frantically, only relaxing once he saw no sign of Opaline.

“Are you feeling alright, Sunny?” he inquired gently.

Sunny nodded. “I will be. I was just…thinking of what could have been if we were able to save her too. She was once like me.”

“Yes she was,” Zipp answered. “But the difference was that when it came down to making a choice, she let her bloodlust consume her, whereas you didn’t. Whatever filly Twilight Sparkle used to know died when she was exiled by Starswirl. You couldn’t’ve done anything.”

“Hey,” Pipp interrupted, walking towards them. “Has anypony seen Misty? I’ve been looking for her all over and I couldn’t find her.”

Suddenly, Izzy ran in their direction from the other side of the room, carrying a bloodied and bruised blue unicorn mare with her magic. It was Misty. Her body was all charred and burnt, with smoke billowing from her flank. She stopped in front of them, setting Misty down on the ground as gently as she could. Her eyes were full of tears.

Zipp gasped upon seeing her broken form, fighting back tears of her own. She knew what this meant and it wasn’t good.

“Misty…” she whispered softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “Please don’t die…”

“She absorbed too much magic,” Sunny realized with sadness. “I-I have no idea how she managed to drain so much without getting overwhelmed, but…this might’ve done her in.”

“No!” Izzy cried, crouching down on the floor and shaking Misty desperately. “She can’t die! She can’t…I-I can’t lose her again…”

“Izzy-“ Pipp began to say, clearly understanding what she was going through as evidenced by her facial expression. “L-let her rest-“

“No!!” Izzy shot back through tears, her body shaking from the fear she had. “She won’t die! I won’t let her! We can save her, we-“ She stopped when she felt someone grasp her hoof. She looked to her left to see that Misty had woken up. Her breathing was shallow, but she was still alive.

“I-Izzy…” Misty addressed her in a fading voice. “I-it’s okay…”

“Misty!” Izzy realized, breathing a momentary sigh of relief. She checked the unicorn all over. “Are you okay? W-we can get you to the hospital if you’re not-“

“Izzy…” Misty repeated, shaking her head lightly. “Is…is magic back…?”

“Yes Misty,” Sunny answered her, crouching down as well. The others followed her example and they all gathered by their friend’s side. “Magic is back. We defeated Opaline together. You can rest now. W-we’re going to be okay.”

Misty smiled weakly, coughing. “I did it…I actually did it. After all this time, I…I did it…”

Hitch looked worriedly at her. It was if he knew what was about to happen well in advance before the others did. He squeezed his eyes shut to avoid tears coming out before opening them again. “We can’t save you…can we? This is it.”

Misty managed a small nod. She looked around her with her eyes, reluctantly settling on Izzy. “Do the duty…Izzy. You have to kill me…”

“I-I-I-I c-can’t do it!” Izzy replied fearfully, shaking her head vigorously. “P-please don’t make me, I…I already lost you once as a filly. I don’t want to…” She trailed off as tears streamed down her face.

“Y-you need to-“

“YOU PROMISED ME YOU WEREN’T GOING TO DIE!!!” Izzy shrieked, sniffling. She looked away, whimpering. “Y-you k-knew this would happen…didn’t you?”

“I did…” Misty answered, coughing as she did so. “But…I was willing to do…anything for you ponies…even putting my life…on the line…”

“We didn’t deserve it, Misty,” Izzy sobbed. “You didn’t have to do any of this for us…You could’ve just stayed in Maretime Bay and we all would’ve forgiven you anyway!”

“I did have to, Izzy…and do you know why…?”

“No…”

“You ponies…gave me a chance when…nopony would. You gave me a home…you gave me a new life…and you…were always…my true family…”

Sunny felt her heart break into a million pieces at that final sentence. She glanced at the rest of her friends, all of whom gave a unanimous nod. She then hoofed a knife over to Izzy and gave her a pleading look. The lavender unicorn looked back at her and lowered her head in resignation, silently accepting what she had to do.

Izzy then held the knife and pushed it through Misty’s heart as gently as she could, tears cascading from her face as she did so and her heart aching. Misty let out a small gasp of pain before it settled into a final breath and a peaceful smile. She was gone in mere seconds after that, but this time, she had died with her friends right beside her.

She stood over her now deceased sister, feeling awful that she had been forced to do that. She knew Misty was at peace now, but that didn’t make the loss any less devastating. She sighed, grasping her lifeless hoof in hers and wiping her tears away, before she began to recite a prayer that would allow her to pass on to the heavens.

“Forgive me, my sister,” she whispered quietly, closing her eyes. “Go now to the mother spirit. Your spirit goes with the heavens, your body stays behind, to become part of the Forest…”

The others got down on their knees and hung their heads low in mourning, silently praying for her to pass on to a better world and letting her know that she could rest. They let their emotions out and not a single face was dry. They were all crying like they never had before. Misty had been with them for such a long time, and it felt like they were losing a key member of their family after today.

While they did this, the Sun began to break through the clouds and shine through an open window, slowly rising above the horizon and symbolizing the dawn of a new era.

Celebrations erupted all across Equestria. The news of the ponies’ victory spread like wildfire as those who fought returned home and told their friends and family all about it. There were parties and festivals. Statues of Opaline were torn down in a matter of hours and burned in massive bonfires, with the residents of the suburban towns dancing through the nights.

Fireworks were being set off by the thousands, with loved ones commemorating the tragic loss of their loved ones on the field of battle, and honoring those that had survived the ordeal. There were music concerts and bands performing on live stages. Sunny and her friends traveled all around the land and got to bear witness to many of these parties. They were revered as saviors and given medals by local tribe leaders. All of these ponies felt content to sing praise to them, and they enjoyed each of the events, yet something didn’t feel right in spite of all of this. None of the grateful citizens knew who was the real hero that fateful night. They didn’t know who truly saved them, and Sunny didn’t have the heart to explain how much this mare had really given them. It hurt far too much and she knew that they wouldn’t understand what this mare had sacrificed, how she truly endured in order to give them the ground they pranced on.

How would they know? After all, this pony never told any of them what she did. She never got the chance to be honored as a hero and be celebrated by the masses. She would always be remembered in passing, living on only in the most obscure corners of history while her friends got all the love and attention. But did this mare mind? No, she did not. She wasn’t ever too big on being in the spotlight and preferred keeping to herself. It was the way she had always lived. She didn’t even leave much evidence of her existence for future scholars to uncover centuries later.

The only proof of her existence she ever left behind was a video recording that she had recorded on her phone before the whole battle had even occurred. It was something so rare and obscure that only her friends would ever know that it had been real, that she had been real. And they played it whenever they wanted to look back and remember the unicorn who had come into their lives and left an undeniable impact on them that would never go away.

“Everypony wants a happy ending, right?” this mare spoke in what would be her final words to her friends. “But it doesn’t always roll that way. Maybe this time. I’m hoping…if you’re playing this back…it’s in celebration. I hope…families are reunited, I hope…magic comes back, and something like a normal version of the land has been restored…if there ever was such a thing…

…Gosh, what a town, world now. If you were to tell me a year ago that we would come so far together, let alone to the extent that we would save the world from a rampaging magical goddess, I mean, I-I-I probably wouldn’t’ve been surprised, but come on, who knew? The…epic forces of harmony and chaos that have come into play. And…for better or for worse, that’s the world that future ponies many years from now are gonna have to find a way to grow up in…”

“…So I thought I’d record a little greeting in the case of an untimely death on my part,” Misty spoke through a large screen. Her friends had gathered in a large circle in the living room of the Crystal Brighthouse and were playing her message back to them on a hologram projector. “Not that…death at any time isn’t untimely, but I think you ponies get what I mean.”

Izzy nodded slowly, wiping tears from her face, only for more to follow in their wake. She moved closer and and rested her head against Sunny’s shoulder for comfort. The orange earth pony mare put her hoof around her friend and closed her eyes, showing her support and empathy in a time when she needed it most.

Hitch held Sparky’s blanket in his hooves as he sadly watched the broadcast. It was the only thing he had left to remember the baby dragon by.

“This mission to Mount Aris that Izzy and I are going to be embarking on soon, and the whole final battle afterwards, it’s…” Misty paused for a second, briefly flipping through her note cards that she had written down before continuing. “It’s got my head scratching about the survivability of it all. Then again, that’s the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Zipp’s eyes shimmered with tears as she gazed at the image of the pony she now had the honor of calling a friend. They hadn’t always gotten along before in the past, but their experiences together had changed them both and made them better ponies in the process. But now, Misty was gone and she could never tell her how much she truly appreciated their bond.

Misty seemed to look at her in that moment and her heart skipped a beat. It was almost like she was still there in some way, even though this was a past recording. She gave them all a big smile and began walking in their direction. “What am I even going on about? Everything is going to work out exactly the way it’s supposed to.”

Izzy looked away for a split second upon seeing her deceased sister walk up close to her and bend down to her level, but relented upon realizing that this would be the last time she would ever see her face and stared into her eyes. She fought back tears and sniffled, her whole body shaking with emotion.

“Hoof to heart…” Misty whispered to her gently before she shut off the recording.

The funeral was short and sweet. Following a procession that consisted of all the ponies from Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights combined, they gathered in the town square, dispersing and reassembling into a wide circle around their leader as Sunny gave a short little address that commemorated the fallen unicorn and explained to them what she had done. Of course, no one would remember that she had ever existed at all years from now, but it was the thought that counted, and they all wanted to honor the pony that had given so much for them and then vanished without ever having the chance to say goodbye.

Misty’s coffin was a large navy blue one with the emblem of a pink butterfly on the very center. It symbolized a pony who had gone from having nothing in life to saving the entire world and having everything she could’ve wanted. It was a monument dedicated to a mare who changed her own destiny, and had found redemption in the most unlikely of times. She had been a symbol of hope for them when the ponies needed her most. She had fought tooth and nail for them when they didn’t deserve it, and this special burial was all they could give her in return.

The funeral workers lifted the coffin from the platform and onto their backs, carrying it slowly towards its final resting place and dropping it within the designated hole . They proceeded to shovel dirt into the hole, covering the coffin until the proper tomb could be put in place a week later. As they did this, a crowd of everycreature in the Equine Territories gathered behind to pay their respects. The dragons were in the second row and being led by Spike, followed by the Breezies, and the hippogriffs. The rest of the creatures stood behind them in a large assembly. They all wore their respective ceremonial uniforms and hung their heads low. Not a single face was dry that day, as all present had something to grieve. This silent ceremony was something to be seen in itself, for even though Misty died, she had brought the world together and left an impact on it that would be felt for many generations to come.

Sunny stood with Izzy and Hitch at the very front of everyone, while Zipp stood with Pipp. Their eyes were closed and they were struggling to keep their emotions inside of them. They grieved and mourned for the special pony in their life they had lost. Seashell stood next to her idol and was bawling her eyes out. The pink pegasus was doing her best to console her, but even she wasn’t okay. None of them were. That day, they had lost not only a close friend of theirs, but also a member of their family, and most importantly, they lost a part of themselves. A huge part of their souls had been shattered beyond repair the day she died, and it would be one that they would never get back. Equestria had been saved, but at a grave cost that could not be understated.

To many, it was not a true victory. They had lost so much in the process, and so many lives. Misty meant the most to them, however. She may have not been with them for a long time, but she had meant so much to them, and now she was forever gone from this plane. She was at peace, and living a much better life in some other realm. She had started her life as a lowly spy meant to aid in Opaline’s plans, but had ended it as a hero to all who knew her.

She was a pony who had overcome adversity and had showed the world around her that ponies like her could change. She had brought the allied nations together and had showed them that they weren’t alone in this world. She had finished the work of her parents that started many moons ago, and had proven them right in spite of everything that had transpired. The others creatures all stood there with the ponies, tears streaming down their faces, watching on as the mare who had healed their world was buried before their very eyes, forever lost six feet underground and never to be seen again by anyone.

Standing at the back of the crowd was Sprout Cloverleaf, who watched the whole funeral with a sad expression of his own. He didn’t really know Misty, but it was because of her that he and Hitch were able to make amends and fight on the field of battle together. And he knew deep down that he would never get the chance to tell her that he was thankful.

But perhaps he could do something else…

Sunny and Hitch sat on the sand at the beach together, watching the tidal waves crash against the shoreline and recede once more. She sighed deeply, inching closer towards her friend. She could feel the warmth of his body soothe hers as she leaned on him. He felt this and reciprocated the gesture before he glanced at her.

He looked her in the eyes. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Sunny nodded, blushing slightly. “Yeah, I’m…I’m okay. Sorry if that came out of nowhere, I just…needed someone to lean against.”

Hitch chuckled. “Sure you did, Sunny. Sure you did.” His expression then went serious again as he could tell she was bothered by something. He knew it all too well. “I know you’re still grieving over Misty. It’s…not your fault that she died.”

“I just wish that there was some way for us to tell her that we won,” Sunny explained sadly. “That…we did it. Misty never got to truly experience the world. She never got to go to school, get a job, and truly live life as a free mare. She was with us until the very end…and she never gave up on me.”

“Just as we never gave up on her.” Hitch confirmed, his tone radiating wisdom. “Even when we’re angry, we can never truly stay mad at our friends forever. We all knew you weren’t evil, just hurting. And you had every right to be. But we came back for you because we love you. And…it’ll take time, but everypony else will warm up to you again too. Just give them a couple weeks.”

“But the fact that Misty came back for me is what got her killed,” countered Sunny. “And she’ll never truly know that we put everything back.”

Hitch paused for a moment, facing away from her as he collected his thoughts. Then his mouth morphed into a small smile and looked back at her again, a twinkle in his eyes. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Sunny.”

Sunny was confused. “What do you mean, Hitch?”

“Somewhere out there, wherever she is,” Hitch told her, pointing to the sky. “She knows. They both know. And she’s looking down on us right now…finally at peace, and living the life she’s always wanted. She’s with her parents, and having her own ceremony up there, surrounded by all the fallen ponies that she fought for. She may not be here with us physically…but she’ll always be alive…in our memories, and in our hearts.”

“How do you know…?”

“Faith.”

The Sun broke through the cloudy sky and shone down on them in them, illuminating them in its warm embrace. A soft breeze blew through their manes and a pink butterfly flew past them as they leaned on each other, watching nature do its daily work. It was as if Misty was there with them in that moment and comforting them from wherever she was above.

2 Months Later…

Sunny stood at the gravesite with Izzy. They were both there to pay their respects and say their goodbyes to Misty one last time before moving on with their lives and pushing forward towards the future. She felt tears brim at the corners of her eyes as she looked upon the magnificent tomb that they all had constructed for her. It was a monument that the unicorn definitely deserved for all the work she had done, but it still hurt nonetheless and she still wasn’t entirely over it.

Izzy’s expression was unreadable. She wasn’t an inconsolable mess anymore, but it was as if she didn’t know how to feel now that her initial wave of grief had passed. She was stuck in an eternal cycle of figuring out what to do with her life now that her only unicorn friend had passed on. None of them knew how to handle the loss, but it obviously hit her a lot more considering that had only recently found out that they were sisters, and family was always hurt the most by a loss.

Sunny glanced at her, deep sorrow present in her gaze. “Are you ready to leave?”

Izzy shook her head. “No…not yet. I need a little more time to process the fact that she’s gone. It just feels so…unreal.”

“Why don’t you talk to me about what’s happened as of late to take your mind off things?” Sunny suggested. “I’ll admit that my weekly visits to the psychiatrist have been keeping me a little busy. Only if you want to though.”

The unicorn thought for a moment, putting her hoof to her chin before she finally remembered what she wanted to say. “Well, I heard that Equestria is in the process of reunification. Spike’s helping to set up a centralized government and…we need a leader.”

Sunny blinked in surprise. “He obviously can’t mean me.”

Izzy nodded, obviously indicating to the contrary. “He does. But…the choice is still yours. We can delay your ascension if you don’t think you’re ready.”

“I just stopped being an evil alicorn’s second in command two months ago and they already want me to be in charge again?!” Sunny asked in disbelief. Her mind was spiraling out of control just at the thought of it. “I…didn’t think ponies would forgive me that easily.”

“Some don’t,” Izzy replied. “There was a little bit of pushback, but…the majority thinks that you’re ready and you won by popular vote. It’s like we said before, when it came down to it, they all saw the good in you. They think your experiences will make you a great leader.”

“But don’t they remember what I’ve done?”

“All they see is the heroic alicorn that turned against Opaline when it mattered and saved Equestria from her wrath. Not everycreature knows that it was Misty that truly took the initiative that night. And…I don’t have the heart to tell them. In this period of rebuilding, I think they need to have their faith in somepony else rewarded.”

Sunny let out a deep sigh. “Tell them I’ll think about it, alright? Why don’t you go tell Hitch and the others that I’ll sleep on it and let them know tomorrow. I just…wanna be normal me for one more day.”

“Got it.”

With that, the lavender unicorn was off, but not before glancing back behind her at the lavish tomb with a sad expression on her face. Sunny looked back at her and gestured with her head for her to go. Once Izzy was gone, she walked up to it and pulled out a pink flower that was hidden in her mane and held it out in front of her.

She stared at it longingly for a split second. She had given flowers when visiting before as she used to visit her Dad’s gravesite often before activism took over her life and she had no time for anything anymore. She hadn’t been to a grave in so long and it took her back to those depressing times that she didn’t want to remember.

She held the flower with a trembling hoof before gently setting it down on top of the grave using her magic. She closed her eyes for a minute, letting the tender moment linger and silently giving a last prayer to the pony who had changed her life in more ways than one. In her relatively short time with them, Misty had saved her in every way a mare could be saved, and she would be forever grateful to her. She had offered her true kindness and compassion when she needed it the most and showed her that there were in fact ponies out there who loved her.

Sunny smiled wistfully, wiping a falling tear from her right eye and feeling at peace with herself for the first time in a long while. The time of great sorrow was over. She was ready now. It was time for her to move on and embrace the future.

“Thank you, Misty…” she whispered softly into the air.

Back at the Brighthouse, Sunny set the group picture of Misty with she and the others on the nightstand to her left. It was right beside Argyle’s picture, and would serve as a forever reminder of the impact that the unicorn had on her life that she would never forget.

She then headed downstairs to greet her friends. They were watching a news broadcast by Dazzle Feather that was detailing some sort of disaster happening in Zephyr Heights. She couldn’t quite make it out yet, but she knew in the bottom of her heart that it had to be something serious.

“So, what’s going on?” Sunny asked them curiously.

Hitch turned towards her. “Apparently we have this fire-breathing bugbear that’s invading Zephyr Heights and terrorizing the populace if the news broadcast is anything to go by.”

“That’s one ginormous bugbear!” Izzy commented, pointing her hoof at the screen.

“Mom’s trying to fight it off,” Zipp added. “But it’s just too strong for any one pony to handle on their own!”

Sunny smiled confidently. “Well, you all know what that means. Equestria needs the help of its Guardians once again! Time for another adventure!”

“Adventure?!” Zipp’s face lit up with excitement. “I’m in!”

“Whoo hoo!!” Hitch exclaimed. “Let’s go, ponies!”

The five ponies all got their weapons ready and burst through the doors of the Brighthouse. They ran through the streets, passing by bystanders that upon seeing them, instantly knew that they were on a mission. It was obvious. These ponies didn’t just leave their base of operations for nothing. The world needed their help once more, and they had answered the call.

As she was running faster than she had before, Sunny turned towards Hitch in an enthusiastic manner, reciting the old playtime routine that she used to do with her figurines as a little filly. Things had truly come full circle at last.

“Earth ponies, take the lead!” she shouted. Once he nodded, she glanced at Zipp and Pipp. “Pegasi, fly beside me!” They did so and finally, she looked at Izzy, the very pony that had kickstarted her entire journey to begin with. “Unicorns, horns at the ready!”

They emerged at the very end of town and stared out into the unknown. They didn’t know what lay ahead of them or whether this bugbear would be easy to take down. But there was one thing they were sure about. As long as they had each other, they couldn’t go wrong and they had the power to do anything. They were the Guardians of Harmony, the protectors of the realm, and they had the Magic of Friendship on their side.

As they prepared to embark on their next dangerous journey, they shouted one last battle cry to the heavens, letting any foes that dared cross them know that they would be next if they tried anything sneaky. It was a unanimous call to action that represented the close-knit harmony and friendship they had with one another.

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!!!” the ponies all declared at once.

With that, our brave heroes leapt into the horizon at full speed, ready for where the next phase of their lives would take them. The Kingdom of Equestria had been reborn with the next generation, and friendship would always be magic.

Author's Notes:

For Teddy

And thus, a huge chapter of my life has officially come to an end. Honestly, I just want to say thank you…to every single one of you. This finale wouldn’t’ve been possible without all of your support. You guys rescued me from the pits of writing hell and showed me support when I needed it, so my journey in a way does kind of reflect Sunny and Misty’s arcs here. It’s because of you guys that I have the courage to defend G5, both in writing and in my actions. This generation truly means a lot to me, and I hope that I was able to give you everything you wanted out of this story. I know there are some tears to be shed, but don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Really, I put my heart and soul into this series, I really put…myself into it. . A lot of the arcs that I had the Mane 5 and Misty go on have reflected real insecurities and fears that I’ve had in the past. And the themes of love and loss are things that I myself have experienced, how to overcome adversity, redeem yourself after making mistakes, so on and so forth. I’d like to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for truly getting to experience the journey of being a writer. It’s been a tough journey, but…I made it. I’ve proven that I can make it out there, and that’s something I will never forget. The impact that you’ve all left on me is something that cannot be understated, and though we’ve had a couple bumps in the road along the way, writing this story and finishing off a year’s worth of storytelling was truly a rewarding experience. I’d like to thank each of you for sticking with this Saga through the end, and being there to see these characters really reach the peak of their journeys.

This sounds like a goodbye. But don’t worry, it isn’t! Not by a long shot. This isn’t even the end of G5 stories from me either! What? You thought one of the most unapologetic defenders of this generation would suddenly get up and leave? Of course not, silly. This really just marks the end of an era for G5, both in relation to The Misty Saga and Make Your Mark. And to tell you all the truth, I really shine the best when crafting standalone stories. The G5 Universe was a fun experiment, but there’s a reason why it’s going to end with Izzy Moonbow: Beyond The Multiverse of Randomness outside of setting up a whole new franchise entirely. I feel like I have more creative freedom in making more standalone fics, so expect that to be the future for the time being.

Until then, I’ll be seeing you all soon. Happy Thanksgiving and here’s to more awesome stories in the future. We’ll do our part…hoof to heart. Bye!

Listen to the full soundtrack on LunarMusicVEVO: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs0PCVjJEPHd6QQZ1vCLSyr2ku_ooXRl4&si=JmokEVRBRibY7Pl0

Redeemed

by Admiral Producer

Through The Fog And The Misty Part 1

Through The Fog And The Misty Part 2