The rains of Bridlewood have long brought change to the forest's unicorn inhabitants. During one particular downpour, young widower Alphabittle Blossomforth has his life changed forever, in more ways than one.
The rains of Bridlewood have long brought change to the forest's unicorn inhabitants. During one particular downpour, young widower Alphabittle Blossomforth has his life changed forever, in more ways than one.
Alphabittle headed down the dirt path through the Bridlewood forest at a steady trot, as the light rain slowly and steadily became heavier. Carrying a tote bag containing ingredients needed for a few meals, he was hoping to get home before things got too wet, namely the groceries or the dirt road. Dinner wouldn't take too long to prepare, and it was a good thing, too; he had a grumbling two year-old stomach he had to satisfy before the owner got too cranky, and that of course would lead to her not settling down for bedtime in about an hour.
The Crystal Tearoom's assistant cook lived on the north side of the unicorn village of Bridlewood. He preferred his residence's solitude out all this way; after all, work every day gave him more than enough company and excitement during his shift, so it was nice to come home to some peace and quiet. Well, peace and quite aside from the aforementioned two year-old filly. Luckily, foalsitting rates during the day were perfectly reasonable while he cooked away in the kitchen of the Tearoom, and she was perfectly occupied during this super quick fifteen minute trip to the food pantry, so their cupboards wouldn't be completely bare for the next few days until Alphabittle's next payday.
Just off of the northernmost road in town, sat the isolated residence that had been built into one of the many large trees that dotted Bridlewood, just like almost every other 'building' in Bridlewood, keeping the town much more natural-looking with the surrounding forest. The bulky stallion trotted up the front walk, and opened the front door to his home, wiping his muddy hooves on the doormat before stepping inside. The rainfall could now be heard on the leaves and branches.
When he closed the door, the gathering storm outside became more muffled. He set the bag of groceries down, took a moment to shake himself off, as his mane and coat were somewhere between damp and dripping wet. Afterwards, he ran a hoof through his thick white mane, picked the grocery bag back up, and continued inside.
"Alright, I know somepony's got to be hungry by now. Not to worry, dad's on the job; it'll be ready before you know it!" He announced, going right for the kitchen that had been built into the front right area of the interior, setting the cloth bag on the wooden counter and he began to unpack the contents, but paused when he didn't hear any kind of reply from his young daughter. That would be just his luck; go out to get what he needed to make her favorite meal of broccoli and cheddar hash, and she fell asleep in the playpen before he got a chance to get home and cook it up.
"Did a certain somepony fall asleep without dinner, hmm?" Alphabittle asked, about halfway done unpacking the contents of his grocery bag before he stepped out of the kitchen and into the small living area, where his daughter's playpen was currently front and center. Inside the confines of the gating were the toys she had been playing with when he left, but alarmingly, no filly inside, which made the unicorn stallion's concern rise.
"Misty? Sweetheart?" Alphabittle called, looking around the room, before grabbing the lit lantern from the end table next to his chair. There weren't too many places to sneak away to in this modest dwelling, but she loved playing hide and seek almost every day. The unicorn stallion headed down to the opposite side of the interior of the tree to her bedroom, opening the door, and holding the lantern up. He felt his heart start to beat harder and faster as he found the crib and closet empty and just as they were this morning when she had gotten up from her nap after he had picked her up after work that evening, just before heading out to get what he needed for making dinner tonight.
"Misty Blossomforth, if you're playing hide and seek, this is not the time, sweetie. It's time for dinner, you hear me?" he said, raising his voice as he stepped back out into the main living area, trying his best to make his voice stern and authoritative and not filled with worry. He went into his bedroom and he felt his heart climb up into his throat as he saw his bed, neatly made, nothing underneath the bed frame, and the closet and bathroom just as he had left them.
His breath quickening along with his heart rate, he went to the kitchen and double checked the pantry and under the table cloth as thunder began to rumble overhead.
"Misty???" He called, as panic was surely beginning to take hold. Hearing the lantern handle rattle in his now quivering grasp, he went back to the front door and yanked it open, running around the tree to the back yard, where the garden was getting a downpour along with the rest of the forest.
"Misty!!!" He called out again, at a full scream, holding his lantern up, the light emanating from it not even reaching a meter into the thickening trees behind the backyard, and further dampened by the rain.
Alphabittle took as deep a breath as his pounding, panicking heart would let his lungs take, and turned around, walking around the tree again, keeping an eye out for any hoof prints in the dirt below the windows. It was no good; the dirt was now mud, and even the tracks his heavy form had left in the path coming up to the house were now washed away by barely two minutes of this downpour. He knew he was about to become very helpless in a self-induced panic if he tried to do this alone any longer. He put the lantern around his neck, and headed back towards town at a full, muddy gallop, as lightning flashed overhead.
"Help! Please, I need help! Somepony, anypony! Misty, where are you?! Misty!!!"
Crystal Tearoom bartender Oak Branch stood silently behind the bar, polishing the cleaned glasses one by one and racking them up for service tomorrow. Closing time was fast approaching, and by now, only one patron remained; every other unicorn had gone home before the rain began.
Oak occasionally glanced over at his Head Cook Alphabittle Blossomforth as he silently sat at the center stool at the bar, a half-empty glass of apple whiskey in between his front hooves on the counter. He was on his fourth glass of the evening after his shift, but the heavyset stallion was nowhere close to drunk; due to his size, he'd have to down over half the bottle before he was even considered tipsy. He'd never come close to that, and some would say that was commendable, given the circumstances.
There was no need for the bartender to comment; he knew what the stallion had been through, not just over the past few months after his two year-old daughter vanished without a trace, but also before that, when his wife had died giving birth to her. It was entirely too much tragedy for somepony who was barely thirty, and Oak was amazed that Alphabittle had the tenacity and willpower to continue coming into work.
Oak remembered the night well; it was a downpour, much worse than the one currently passing over them. Alphabittle had come back into the main part of the village in an absolute panic, screaming for help. Oak had been the first one outside into the rain to see what was happening, and had helped gather up nearly half the town to head into the northern forest to cover as much ground as possible. After four hours, and nearly everypony soaking wet, cold, and coughing, they called off the search.
Alphabittle didn't sleep at all that night. Oak wouldn't have been surprised if the stallion stayed out in the downpour, gotten lost, and collapsed of exhaustion before he gave up, but luckily he had a better head than that. He was the last one back, and had gotten himself sick the next morning, sleeping in short bursts, usually waking up from nightmares, but he persevered, somehow. Search parties went out day after day, but after two weeks, after finding absolutely no trace, the search for Misty Blossomforth was officially called off.
After that two weeks, Oak approached an inconsolable Alphabittle and told him, 'take all the time you need. Your spot will still be here when you're ready.'
Nopony in the village had the gall to accuse Alphabittle of endangerment, not that they needed to; he immediately accepted full responsibility for the quarter of an hour that he had left his daughter alone to go get groceries.
Oak Branch had turned 50 this year, and was now considered a Village Elder; unicorns considered old enough to dispense sage advice and wisdom when it was asked of them. The voices and opinions of Elders usually carried more weight than those of the younger Bridlewood villagers, but he still wanted to be very careful of what he said to one of his best workers. Alphabittle eventually came back to work, and the quality of his labor hadn't dropped a bit since.
Still, Oak could tell just from Alphabittle's eyes that he was a long way from forgiving himself for what had happened. If a couple drinks after work gave him a few moments of uneasy peace, then that's what Oak would offer him, because he couldn't imagine anything else being able to.
With a quiet sigh, Alphabittle lifted the glass to his lips one last time, and finished off the last of the ice-cold whiskey.
"Thanks, Oak. I'll get out of your mane and let you finish closing. See you on Monday," Alphabittle softly told him, not raising his eyes to meet his boss' gaze, but left a 5-bit coin as tip on the bar top before heading for the door.
"Be strong, Alph," Oak told him in response, to which Alphabittle offered no reply before stepping outside into the rain, closing the door behind him.
Alphabittle was fairly certain that there was nothing closer to feeling dead inside. The rest of Bridlewood called it a hurting heart, and he would honestly trade it for all the jinxies in the world. He'd do the ritual dance for days if he could simply stop feeling like there was a gaping hole in his chest.
The lunch and dinner shifts at the Crystal Tearoom offered something of a reprieve; staying busy kept the pain away, and the drinks Oak Branch offered him as they closed up continued to keep it dulled during the walks home; if he was lucky, he'd be asleep for a few precious hours of peace before a nightmare woke him up; it was rare that he didn't dream of his daughter and wife. He had always preferred his solitude, but this...
...This was too alone. Every time he got home after leaving the Tearoom, he immediately yearned to be back; it was his one reprieve.
Tonight's rain wasn't as heavy as the downpour that Misty had vanished into, but he would undoubtedly have to dry off once he got home. The sun had gone beyond the horizon already, and the late night lights came from where they always did; the moon, were it not currently obscured by rain clouds, and the many crystals protruding out from the forest floor.
The unicorn's ears immediately perked up when a tolling bell pierced through the sound of steady rainfall, and he paused in his gait down the muddying dirt road. The tolling continued, echoing through the trees roughly every two seconds.
"The Elder Bell..." Alphabittle whispered to himself. He knew that his residence was the closest to it; had anypony else heard it over the rain?
The Elder Bell was one of the oldest structures on the outskirts of the village. He wasn't quite sure what purpose it served; but he knew that maintaining it and making sure it remained serviceable was a task that frequently fell to the Village Elders, thus the name that the rest of Bridlewood had given it. The only other thing he knew about it was that when it rang out, somepony, usually an elder again, went to it. Every other time he had heard, the ringing had been during gusty winds, but even then, the tolling was always investigated, and this was far too steady for it to be the wind.
His curiosity having now gotten the better of him, and not particularly eager to get home, Alphabittle increased his gait to a full gallop, past his home towards the north edge of the forest. As he got closer, the steady ringing became louder. The rain wasn't so heavy that he risked slipping and falling in the mud, so he maintained his gallop through the trees, coming to the clearing before the mountains. He skidded to a halt as soon as he cleared the trees.
There at the towering post with the bell, stood a pony wearing a hooded cloak, pulling on the long rope attached to the bell.
Alphabittle couldn't make out any features other than the bottoms of their legs, and they had been looking up and down the treeline to the south, as if they were expecting the tolling of the bell to be investigated. Their glancing to the left and right paused, along with their rope-pulling, as they spotted the imposing unicorn at the treeline. Their front hooves left the rope attached to the bell, descending to all fours, and the hooded figure appeared to give a slow and steady nod towards him, shortly before they turned and galloped away towards the barely visible mountains.
Alphabittle wasn't sure what to do at first, but then he heard a sound that immediately pierced his heart as it overtook the softening tones from the bell; the distressed cries of a newborn foal. Hearing those, he instinctually broke into a gallop towards the bell post, and the small, simple wooden container that had been built around it, and the cluster of glowing crystals around it provided ample lighting in the late evening.
The stallion once again skidded to a halt in front of the bell post, the hooded figure having vanished against the darkness and rainfall.
The shelter on the ground could be mistaken for a fallen birdhouse, if your average birdhouse-dwelling avian was three times the average size. It had a slanted roof, and a simple hinged door on the front. Alphabittle had always assumed it was an offering shrine of sorts, perhaps for one of Bridlewood's countless superstitions. But that assumption crumbled as he knelt down in the wet grass, opened the door, and there, wrapped in a blanket and laying securely tucked into a wicker bassinet was a unicorn foal.
Taking steady breaths, Alphabittle continued to inspect the bassinet as he slowly pulled it out of the shelter, and set it down in the grass. Now in the glowing ambience of the crystals, Alphabittle saw the newborn's lilac coat, and a short white horn poking out through the blanket and cerulean mane.
Just as he was about to pick the bassinet up and head back into the forest, he saw a piece of rolled parchment tucked into the folds of the blanket. Sheltering the bassinet from the rainfall with his body as best he could, he took the parchment, unfurled it, and read next to the glowing light from the crystals:
I pray the arrangement from olden times is still honored.
She is five days old as of the ringing of the bell, and completely healthy.
Please love her as one of your own.
-Haven, of Zephyr Heights
Alphabittle knew of Zephyr Heights; it was the pegasus settlement up in the highest mountains to the northeast. How in blazes did a unicorn foal get all the way up there?
He needed answers, the crying foal beneath him needed warmth, and he knew where he could get both, as he rolled up the scroll, tucked it in between the foal and the side of the bassinet, and picked it up.
"Shhh, there there," Alphabittle said, using as much of his head as he could to keep the rain off of the newborn, who had begun to settle down slightly from the subtle rocking as the stallion began to head back towards the trees. "Let's get you inside out of the rain."
Oak Branch had just finished polishing up the glass mugs and teacups, made one last look around the kitchen, making sure everything was ready to go for the breakfast rush in the morning, and was now just finalizing receipts from dinner as the last task of the night. Just as he was ready to grab his key, lock up, and head home for the night, there was a pounding on the front door that nearly made him jump out of his hooves.
"Oak? Oak you in there?" the muffled voice of Alphabittle announced his presence on the other side of the door.
After catching his breath and composing himself, stepped from around the bar, walked through the tables, and walked towards the front door.
"Alright, alright, you're going to knock the door off the hinges," Oak commented as he got to the front door, unlatched it, and pulled it open, revealing the towering grey unicorn stallion.
"Just what's going..." Was all that left Oak's mouth before his eyes inevitably fell to the wicker bassinet that was cradled in Alphabittle's right front leg, with a unicorn foal tucked inside.
"The Elder Bell rang on my way home. A pony in a hooded cloak was ringing it. They ran off when they spotted me, and she was in the shelter under the bell," Alphabittle told him.
Oak immediately stepped aside, and allowed Alphabittle to step inside. He went to the nearest table and set the bassinet down, shaking himself off from excess water before reaching into the bassinet and retrieved the scroll.
"This was tucked in next to her, care to explain it?" Alphabittle asked, offering him the scroll, which the elder unicorn immediately unfurled and read.
"What does that mean? What arrangement? How did a unicorn foal get to Zephyr Heights?" Alphabittle asked.
Oak re-read the short scroll to make sure he had gotten it correctly the first time.
"If her age is correct, then I don't think a unicorn foal made it to Zephyr Heights, but a unicorn foal was born in Zephyr Heights," Oak told him.
"What? Is that even possible?" Alphabittle asked, glancing over at the foal who was now getting restless in the bassinet, who started to fuss and whine.
"Is there a foal bottle of any kind in there?" Oak asked. Alphabittle gently dug around the blankets, and indeed came out with an empty foal bottle from another fold in the blankets wrapped around the baby. Oak took it and headed back to the kitchen. "She's probably hungry, and this conversation will be much harder to have if she starts with the full-on crying."
For his part, Alphabittle took the complaining foal from the bassinet, sat down on the unmoving cobblestone stool at the table, and started rocking her as he heard the stove in back fire up. A couple minutes later, Oak returned out to the dining area with a now filled bottle of warm milk, gave it back to Alphabittle, who immediately offered it to the foal. She began nursing the nipple in earnest, and quieted down.
"Alright, now," Oak began, sitting across from Alphabittle at the table, with the bassinet off to the right side. "There's something... I think it was called 'genie-ology'. Although rare, it is entirely possible for two pegasus parents to have a unicorn or earth foal, two earth ponies to have a pegasus foal, and so on and so forth. That bell is our last remaining arrangement with the other tribes; that foreign-born foals should be with their own kind. Foreign births have been even more rare than they were in ancient times; this is the first genuine bell-ringing I have witnessed in my lifetime."
Alphabittle looked down at the foal who was already halfway through the bottle.
"So, what now?" He asked.
"We'll have to find a household to take her in. It's too late for that tonight, so someone will need to watch her for the night," Oak answered.
"I will do it," Alphabittle told him.
"I figured you would, better than knocking on doors at this time of night," Oak said.
"No, I mean, I will take her in. Gladly."
The elder bartender gave his cook a very serious look.
"Alphabittle, after what happened..." Oak said.
"How will I ever get the chance to correct my mistake?" Alphabittle told him.
"It's not about correcting a mistake. It's about not making the same mistake again, ever," Oak countered, his tone serious.
The foal had finished the bottle, and Alphabittle set it down on the table, and instinctually put her over his shoulder, and softly patted her on the back, until he got a satisfying burp from her, before wrapping the blanket back around her, and set her back in the bassinet, where she happily coo'd, and settled down, before he turned his attention back to the elder.
"She won't replace Misty. I know that, Oak. I know that. But my mother once told me that a heart hurts when it has love with nowhere to put it. Ever since taking hold of her... Some of the pain of the last six months has started to fade."
Oak wasn't entirely convinced, but listened intently.
"I have the room. I have the experience. She would be loved with me, I swear it. But if you don't approve, Oak, you can find another."
Oak Branch took a breath.
"Your heart is hurting, Alph. I would not deny you the opportunity to atone for past mistakes, nor an opportunity for that hurting heart to begin to heal. But your mind must be sound before you make this decision," the elder told him.
"What should I do?" Alphabittle asked.
Oak glanced out the window at the weather.
"It will probably rain all night. I'll get you a few blankets from the supply closet. Make a fire, dry yourself off, warm both of yourselves up, and stay here for the night. In the morning, when the rain has cleared, take her home, spend the day with her, and think very carefully if this is a burden you want to take on. If it is, return with her to the bell, and we will perform the ceremony."
Alphabittle nodded, finding that agreeable.
"Thank you, Oak."
"Don't thank me yet. Get that fire going, and I'll be back with sleeping arrangements."
Doing as he was told, Alphabittle went over to the fireplace and got a fire built and lit by the time Oak had returned with a pillow and several blankets for his surprise overnight guests. By the time the flames were crackling and giving the dining area by it a warm glow, Alphabittle had his sleeping area for the night arranged. When he went back to the table to bring the bassinet over closer to the fire, and found the foal inside sound asleep.
As Oak silently exited the Crystal Tearoom, locking the door behind him, Alphabittle settled down next to the sleeping foal.
"Sweet dreams, little one."
Alphabittle stepped outside of his home the next evening, the rain from the previous night long gone. He looked down at the foal securely and comfortably tucked into the sling that went around his barrel.
"Are you ready?" He asked her, and she babbled happily in response. Alphabittle smiled down at her and turned left down the northern path to the bell. The dirt path had dried by now, so it was considerably less muddy than it had been the previous night. When he got to the clearing, he saw Oak Branch already waiting there, having closed the Tearoom slightly early for this.
It was a clear night, with all manner of stars sparkling in the sky. As he closed in on the bell, the crystals glowed a little brighter from the light coming from the full moon above.
Coming up to Oak Branch, he was regarded with a curt nod. The elder unicorn wore a simple gem bag around his neck.
Alphabittle didn't know the particulars of the ceremony that basically amounted to adoption, but Oak told him he didn't need to; he simply needed to answer the questions truthfully and do as he was told.
"Alphabittle Blossomforth, do you solemnly swear to care for this foal, to shelter, protect and love her as your own flesh and blood?" Oak asked.
Alphabittle nodded confidently.
"I do."
Oak turned his attention to the gem bag around his neck, loosening the knots on both sides, and then slowly tipped it over, pouring a small pile of pulverized amethyst onto his hoof, which he then slowly and carefully moved towards the foal in Alphabittle's sling. He gently shook his hoof, dusting the foal's forehead, horn, and mane with the gem dust that sparkled in the moonlight.
"You are this child's guardian, Alphabittle. Speak her name."
Alphabittle looked lovingly down at the foal who had managed to reach up and get some of the amethyst dust on her hooves, and was now utterly fascinated by it.
"Moonbow," he answered softly, but enough for the elder unicorn to hear. "Isabelle Moonbow."
Alphabittle relaxed on the couch in his living room, dividing his attention between reading a book and watching his adopted daughter Isabelle go to and fro all around the interior of the living space with a wooden spoon she had drawn a face on, making whistling and whooshing sounds all the while.
After the adoption ceremony eight years ago, Alphabittle had taken Isabelle, or 'Izzy', one of her first words, to her new home. Because he had not taken Oak's advice months earlier, her new nursery had been fully furnished with a crib, changing table, with a playpen out in the main living quarters. As his new foal got settled in, the unicorn stallion had finally found the strength to begin to move on, and began boxing up the belongings of his wife or daughter that neither of them would have any use for, either donating them or putting them into storage. By her first birthday, which had had marked as five days before the bell ringing, he had effectively made a new home for the two of them.
The rest of Bridlewood said nothing other than murmurs when the time came to return to work and a new foal was dropped off at daycare; Oak figured that most of the families in the village believed in letting Alphabittle have a second chance rather than have another mouth to feed, and as time passed, the judgmental glances all but ceased, and the vast majority of Bridlewood accepted that nopony was perfect, that Alphabittle's lapse of judgement was a mistake he wasn't likely to repeat, and that Izzy was in good hooves.
Even if she was a bit... Lively.
Alphabittle had to admit, Izzy's exuberant mannerisms put her in rather stark contrast with the rest of Bridlewood's youth, and non-youth, for that matter, and it was likely because of that exuberance that she didn't have very many friends her age. The other fillies and colts usually played checkers, horseshoes, or played on the playground sets, and Izzy almost always wanted to mix things up in one way or another, and everypony else her age was pretty much set in their ways.
In fact, almost everypony in Bridlewood was set in their ways. The primary reason that Alphabittle excelled so much as the Lead Brewer at the Crystal Tea Room was he knew exactly what to have on hoof at the beginning of every shift, because nopony's orders ever changed. He was thinking of asking Oak for the position of Head Bartender when the time came for the elder to start thinking about retirement, which was likely to be in the next few years, as the owner of the Crystal Tearoom was approaching sixty years old. After all, he was fairly certain that was the best position for him in the Tearoom, given his cutie mark.
Alphabittle's attention was pulled away from his book when Izzy's whooping and trotting with her toy spoon came to a halt. He looked up and found her attention completely captured by something outside the back window.
"Alphie, Alphie, look!" She called, starting to hop up and down excitedly.
He set his book down on the arm of the couch he had been leaning on, and began to get up. When Izzy first started to talk, and rapidly learned words day after day at school, he wondered if he'd ever get used to being on a first name basis with his adopted daughter. But it was either that or more ritual dancing. Adoptions were very rare in Bridlewood, and if you weren't blood, calling somepony mom or dad meant major jinxies. But if he was honest with himself, he didn't mind her pet names, like Alphie, and Bitty.
He walked over to the back window and looked where Izzy was enthusiastically pointing.
"A falling star???" She asked as the orange glowing object in the sky got slowly larger.
Whatever it was, it did indeed look like it was going to land in the backyard, if the wind didn't shift.
"Stay here, kiddo, I'll take a look," Alphabittle said, turning around and heading for the front door. He stepped outside, walked around the tree house, and found that Izzy had, instead of staying put, opened the window, climbed out, landed in the flowerbeds, and was now standing under what looked to be a small floating lantern.
"Who needs doors?" Alphabittle muttered to himself.
Izzy pranced in place, her energy barely contained as what looked to be a piece of parchment attached to the bottom of the balloon was coming right to where Izzy was standing. As she began to reach up for it, Alphabittle stepped up next to her.
"Careful now, Iz, that looks like an open flame. I'll help you get it," Alphabittle said.
The stallion was more than double Izzy's height, so he had no trouble reaching up and stopping the balloon. Once he had it in hoof, he blew out the flame with a quick breath, before letting it continue to float down to Izzy, who was purely focused on the drawing on the parchment. It was attached to the balloon via a half-circle clip. Izzy reached up to undo the clip, and the paper fell into her hooves as the balloon, now with no flame, deflated in Alphabittle's grasp.
"Dear unicorns and pegasi, you have friends in Maretime Bay. Come visit us!" Izzy said, reciting what was written above and below the drawing.
Draping the balloon over his foreleg, Alphabittle leaned down to inspect the paper with Izzy. It was clearly a young pony's drawing, featuring a purple unicorn, a blue pegasus, and an orange earth pony sharing what looked to be muffins under a rainbow.
"Wow! Friends! Can we go? Can we go, Alphie, can we go? Please please please?" Izzy asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure that's such a great idea, Izzy," Alphabittle answered.
"But... But we have friends there!" Izzy countered.
"I think that's enough excitement for one evening. We have to get ready for bed. I've got work tomorrow and you've got school in the morning," Alphabittle said.
"Oh, alright," Izzy resigned, folding up the paper and tucking it away.
Not wanting to end the night on disappointment, Alphabittle decided to explain on the walk back around to the front door.
"You see, Iz, unicorns don't leave Bridlewood. If we leave the forest, it's the worst kind of jinxies. We'd have to do an awful lot of ritual dancing to ward them off."
"Do you think earth ponies and pegasuses would ever come visit us?" Izzy asked.
"I hope not," Alphabittle answered as they walked through the front door. "Earth ponies don't smell too pleasant, and pegasi, well, they steal your luminescence."
"My luma-what?"
"Your happiness, Izzy," Alphabittle told her as they walked towards her room, with Alphabittle putting the deflated balloon on the end table as the passed the couch.
"Are you sure they've never been here? Because that would explain over half of my class. They're like, never happy."
"Well, I certainly don't want that to happen to you," Alphabittle said as they walked into her room, and he helped Izzy into bed. He got her tucked in, and kissed her goodnight on the forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Izzy."
With that, he walked to the door, shut off the light, and closed the door almost all the way, leaving just the glow of the night light in the filly's room.
Of all the places for that balloon to land. If it did come all the way from Maretime Bay, it must have had quite the favorable breeze to get all the way up here. With a sigh, he folded up the balloon and set it next to his book, which he picked back up as he sat back down on the couch.
Oh well, she was at that age where nothing stayed on her mind for more than a day. By tomorrow, she'd be fixated on something else, and then the next thing, and the next.
It was a cool autumn afternoon in Bridlewood, and Alphabittle carefully lead a blindfolded Izzy down the path south through town. She had just turned eighteen, and after a small celebration at home, she was being taken to her 'really big' present.
"The less hints you give me, the more excited I'll get," Izzy warned him a few days ago.
"Unlike most of the village, I don't mind when you get excited, Izzy," Alphabittle had replied, seeing right through her ruse to get more hints.
From how far they were walking, Izzy had to figure they were getting pretty close to the edge of the forest, so it had to be any time now, because at no point had she ever left Bridlewood.
"Alright, right there should be good," Alphabittle told her, placing a hoof on her back to let her know to stop. "And just turn a little bit to your left... There we go. Alright, Izzy, hope you love it..."
Alphabittle reached up behind her head and loosened the knot the blindfold had been tied in, and pulled it away from her eyes.
"Happy birthday!"
Izzy squinted as her eyes adjusted to the afternoon light, then they widened considerably as she found herself standing in front of a tree house. It was one of the larger trees in the forest, with about a third of the roots grown into the hill on the right side.
"Oh... Oh my gosh! Really?!" Izzy said excitedly, beginning to jump up and down.
"It needs some good TLC, but I figured that would be right up your alley, Iz. It's bigger than my place, so you'd have more than enough room for all the projects you like to work on. Even has half of a second floor, and a balcony up front," Alphabittle told her, pointing up above the front door.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you sooo much!" Izzy said, jumping into a hug, which due to his size, had no chance of knocking him over.
"You're welcome. Enjoy it. Just promise me you'll visit every now and then, okay?" Alphabittle asked.
"You bet! I'll probably be back home tonight, because I doubt I'll get it livable in just a few hours," Izzy reassured him.
"Well, then go ahead and take the rest of the afternoon and evening. I've got to get to the tearoom for third shift tonight. Have fun!"
With that, Alphabittle tossed her the key to the front door, and headed back down the path to town while she happily bounded to the front door. She slid the key into the lock, turned until it clicked open, and pushed the door open.
While most would see an empty, rundown tree house, Izzy's eyes and smile widened with all the possibilities. Paints, lights, not to mention all the room for her arts and crafts, and the wall and floor space to display them. If only there were ponies interested in seeing them...
For now, there was one table in the middle of the ground floor. She went over to it, and opened the right flap of her saddlebags, pulling out a large book which she set on the table, before reaching up behind her right ear and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it, revealing the drawing that had been attached to the lantern that had floated into their backyard all those years ago. She set it above the book in the center of the table, before opening it, revealing that it was an atlas of ancient topographic charts for the region. She flipped through the pages one at a time, eyes quickly scanning the pages for two specific words.
On the twelfth page, her eyes narrowed, and she tapped the tip of her hoof on the lighthouse symbol near the bottom of the map, above the words she was looking for.
MARETIME BAY
"There you are."
Alphabittle trotted up to the Crystal Tearoom, opened the door, and saw that the evening rush hadn't quite started. He saw Oak Branch in his usual spot, wiping down the bar and making sure everything was ready when everypony started coming in for dinner.
"Afternoon, Oak. Thanks for letting me have the lunch shift off to spend with Izzy on her birthday," Alphabittle greeted, taking a seat at the bar to have a drink before he started his shift in about 15 minutes, a practice that had become practically routine by now.
The bartender smiled at him and ran a hoof through his greying mane.
"Eighteen, right? Stars above, feels like yesterday you came in with her when she was just a foal. I hope you don't mind if I've got a little surprise for you on her birthday, though," Oak replied as he poured Alphabittle's regular, a shot of apple whiskey.
"For me?" Alphabittle asked.
Without saying anything, Oak turned back to the bar and slid Alphabittle his glass with his right hoof, and with his left, placed the key to the Tearoom right next to it.
Alphabittle's mouth dropped open slightly.
"Oak... You can't be serious," he said, stunned.
Oak Branch scoffed.
"And why can't I? I've been slowing down for years, Alph, and I'd like to spend my twilight years relaxing, instead of risking screwing up ponies' orders. You started here as a buspony, and now you've been head cook and bartender for years. I can't say I completely approve of the 'games' you play with patrons here," Oak said, motioning to the small area of the shelves behind the bar that had been taken over by the 'prizes' that Alphabittle had offered to any patron who wanted to challenge him to a game of skill, who had to put up an item of their own as their bet. "Nor do I even come close to understanding that infernal dancing game you put in the other room, but it's brought in more customers. You know this place like the back of your hoof. Now are you gonna make me give you even more reasons, or can I give you one more drink on the house, and you let this old stallion retire in peace?"
Alphabittle took a breath, took the key, looked at it for a moment, then picked up the glass of apple whiskey that the elder had poured him, and held it up.
"Bing bong!" Alphabittle chanted as he hopped on alternating hooves next to his Just Prance dancing game, the words being repeated by every single unicorn in the Tearoom.
After two more hops, the ritual was complete, and the jinxies had been successfully warded off from all four forbidden words. Everypony else in the Crystal Tearoom wasn't quite finished, and with more than two dozen ponies all doing the ritual dance at once inside, it was just a little too much for the structural integrity, and Alphabittle heard a creaking out by the front door, soon followed by splintering sounds, and then followed by a crash. He trotted forward around his bing-bonging customers, and saw that the front sign had collapsed in front of the open entrance to the Tearoom.
As more and more unicorns finished their ritual, he came up to the front door, and carefully pushed the sign out, just enough to get a hold on the edge, and carefully roll it out of the way so ponies could start to make their way to the exit, and so that he could go after his crystal.
What was Izzy thinking? Bringing earth ponies and pegasi into Bridlewood? Had she lost her mind?
He followed the hoof tracks east, and saw that four other unicorns had followed him out of the Crystal Tearoom, and were right behind him. Smokey, Azalea, Jade, and Allium kept pace as they came to one of the smaller clearings of the forest, and skidded to a halt as they saw the ponies who had been in the crystal tea room, along with a pale pink pegasus and a fluffy white dog.
Before Alphabittle could say a word, the mare who had cheated him out of his crystal turned to him.
"Let us explain," she said, and was immediately interrupted by the approaching sound of more galloping hooves, as four armored pegasi came through the bushes.
"There she is!" The lead armored mare called out. "Your Criminal Highness, you're coming with us."
The spring green pegasus to her left glanced over at the group of unicorns and immediately took on a look of panic.
"Agh! Unicorns!" He cried out, producing a tennis ball before lobbing it through the air towards Alphabittle, who merely stood there unamused as it bounced harmlessly off of his forehead.
Finally, he stepped forward.
"Give me back my crystals and leave Bridlewood!" He demanded.
"Your crystals? That crystal belongs to me!" The 'Criminal Highness' objected.
"Not any more it doesn't. I won it fair and square."
"Ha! I certainly doubt it. Unicorns are known to be cheaters!"
"You pegasi always thought you were better than us."
"She's not a queen here," Smokey countered from behind Alphabittle.
"Who do you think you are?" The armored guard asked, taking a step forward.
"We're gonna zap you with our horns!" Allium threatened.
"This is our land!"
"You're not welcome here!"
"Surrender the crystal, or I'll use my powers against you!" Alphabittle threatened, fairly confident that pegasi were not at all aware of the fact that unicorns hadn't had their magic in generations.
"I'd like to see you try!" the queen countered.
Well, so much for his bluff not being called.
"Nopony has magic!" The earth mare shouted, bringing an end to the escalating bickering. The clearing had gotten so quiet that they could hear Allium quickly say "bing-bong!" to ward off any jinxies.
"But we're here to bring it back," she continued, looking at both the unicorn and pegasus groups.
"Is it possible?" Jade quietly asked Smokey.
"Did she just say magic?" Thunder asked.
"This is a trick." Zoom said.
"I know it sounds unbelievable, but please, just let us try," the earth mare continued.
"Please, mom." The white pegasus said over to the queen.
"Trust us," the light pink pegasus added.
"You two... Fine," the queen said, giving in.
"You're wasting your time, kid," Alphabittle said, stepping up to the earth mare.
She said nothing, but stepped up with Izzy onto the wide rock that was uncovered on the forest floor.
"Ready, Izzy?" She asked.
"Ready," Izzy replied, giving her a curt nod.
They both slowly raised up the turquoise and sapphire crystals between the two of them, and every pony present watched with abated breath and slowly widening eyes. Even Alphabittle began to wonder if there was something to this. The crystals slowly came together, touched, and seemed to fit perfectly.
But nothing else happened.
Slowly, looks of disappointment spread throughout the groups of ponies.
"It... It..." the earth mare stammered.
"Why didn't it work, daddy?" Azalea's son asked as he stood next to the stallion.
Azalea let out a sigh of resignation.
"'Cause it was all just make-believe," he answered.
"We can try it again!" Sunny countered up on the rock, uncertainty beginning to seep into her voice. "Maybe... Maybe we did it wrong somehow."
Their hopes dashed, the unicorns and pegasi split off and began to go back their separate ways, leaving Alphabittle, the queen, the two guards, and the group that had been in the Tearoom.
"Wait, wait, don't go. Oh, come on. Work! Work. Please work," the earth mare's desperation was all to apparent now as she hopelessly continued putting the two crystals together. The other earth pony, a stallion, stepped up to her.
"Sunny. It's okay. You did everything you could," he reassured her, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
"I... I thought it would work. I was so, so sure of it."
With that, Sunny silently walked back over towards Alphabittle.
"What do we do now, Sunny?" the white pegasus asked.
Without a word, Sunny offered the sapphire crystal to Alphabittle, who held his hoof up and accepted it. Intruder or not, he could tell that the mare was clearly heartbroken, as she walked over to the queen.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused you," she said, offering her the turquoise crystal before continuing down the path out of Bridlewood.
"Sunny, we can't give up," the short pegasus called after her.
"I thought I could make a difference," Sunny lamented, looking over to the colt who had turned back to look at her with disappointment as he continued walking back into the forest with his dad. "But everywhere I go, I just make things worse."
"That's not true," Izzy told her, walking up to her. "We're all in this together, right?"
"Yeah." "Of course," came the reply from the two pegasi.
But the mare's resolve had been broken.
"I'm so sorry I let you all down."
With that, she turned back down the path, continued walking, and didn't stop. The earth stallion started to follow her, looked like he wanted to say something, but only sighed instead as he turned back to the other three.
"I guess this is goodbye, friends," he said to them.
"Better hurry, Sheriff," the white pegasus told him, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice any longer.
As the stallion distantly followed Sunny around the bend, the queen silently motioned for the two pegasi mares to join her, and they headed south with the two guards. Alphabittle looked over to where Izzy had been standing, and saw that she had silently began to trot back into the forest.
"Izzy?" He called after her.
Izzy was silent for the entire walk back to her house. She stepped inside, shut the door, and locked it before Alphabittle inevitably came in to try and cheer her up. Sure enough, a few moments later, she heard the door knob attempt to be turned.
"Izzy?" Alphabittle's muffled voice came through the door.
Izzy looked across her home, fighting back tears as she looked at all the arts and crafts that her new friends couldn't stop fawning over. The chimes, the macaroni face with the moving eyes, the lamp of rotating butterflies, and of course the flower tea table.
"Izzy, I know it's not what you wanted. But it'll be better this way."
When she heard those words, she felt her resolve suddenly harden. Swallowing her tears, she turned back to the door, unlocked it, and pulled it open.
"Better, Alphabittle? Better? For the first time in my life, I wasn't lonely. For the first time ever, my unicycling, which I got my cutie mark for, was appreciated. No, this is not better."
Izzy took a breath, and looked him in the eyes.
"And I'm not giving up!"
With that, she jumped out of her doorway, pulled it closed, and headed back out towards the south fields at a full gallop.
Alphabittle kept galloping south, keeping a reasonable pace to make sure he didn't lose all of his stamina and lose Izzy entirely, who was several paces ahead. In between the two of them was the queen pegasus, who was chasing after her daughters after Izzy had caught them a couple miles outside of Bridlewood, and had convinced them to go to Maretime Bay. It was hard enough to keep track of them through the night as she and the two pegasi ran seemingly through the night to get to Maretime Bay by sunrise.
He hadn't wanted to give chase alone, so he offered Smokey, Jade, and Allium some considerable discounts at the Tearoom if they risked some jinxies and went after Izzy with him, and to his surprise, they agreed.
When this was all over, everypony was going to need some serious sleep.
It was still early morning when they neared the coast and he finally heard Izzy's voice over the next hill.
"Sunny!" She called out.
"What are you guys doing here?" He heard Sunny asked.
"We don't care what anypony says," Izzy said.
"Yeah, we just want to stay friends," Zipp told them.
The queen pegasus got to the group first.
"Pipp! Zipp!" She called as she came to a stop in front of them. "I know you're upset, darlings, my sweet little darlings, but it's time to go home now."
By this time, Alphabittle had reached them and stopped right next to the queen.
"Izzy Moonbow, you're gonna get us all jinxed. Come back to Bridlewood!" He chastised.
"Excuse me," the queen interjected. "Do you see my mouth still moving? That means I'm still a-talking," she said, leering at him.
"You're all in danger!" Sunny said, before Alphabittle could come up with a reply to her highness' rudeness.
"I'm sorry, what?" the queen asked.
As if on cue, they heard a loud honking sound, and a large red all-terrain vehicle came over the hill, coming to a stop right in front of the group of five. The air brakes threw up dust around the whole group. By the time it settled, a line of seven earth ponies with metal caps on their heads were next to the vehicle. They looked across at the gathering pegasi and unicorns, and immediately most of them looked rather uncertain.
"Huh?" the large turquoise one said.
"Would you look at this! Our enemies delivered themselves to us!" Came the muffled voice of the vehicle's pilot, a red, blonde-haired stallion.
"No, no, no, we're not here to fight, Mr. Big Robot Pony," the queen said, stepping forward in an attempt to diffuse the situation.
"I do not accept your surrender," the stallion replied, turning to look down at the line of earth ponies beside the vehicle. "Load the Splat-a-pult!"
The looks of uncertainty in the line had only increased, and the one on the left was the first to break rank and run for it, immediately followed by the one in the middle. This was followed by the driver of the vehicle letting out an immature whine.
"Oh, why do I have to everything myself?" He asked as he began working the control panel in front of him. The front bumper of the vehicle extended out, looking like it was ready to ram something.
"We gotta stop that thing," Zipp said, getting a grasp on how serious the situation was getting.
"Yeah, but how?" Izzy asked.
"With magic." Sunny answered, turning and going over to Alphabittle and the queen.
"Quick! I need your crystals." She asked both of them.
Wondering what she could need them for, both the queen and Alphabittle passed over the turquoise and sapphire gems.
"There's a third crystal! Follow me!" Sunny told her friends before galloping for the lighthouse.
"What?" The amber earth stallion asked, bewildered.
"Oh, no you don't!" The red stallion driver said, yanking the lever and turning the vehicle towards the group galloping towards the lighthouse at the top of the hill. Alphabittle began to step forward, and saw the white pegasus and amber stallion turn back to face the approaching vehicle. With some impressive acrobatics, they jumped aboard, on top of the treads underneath the driver compartment, as the other three made it into the lighthouse.
Alphabittle gasped as the vehicle, not slowing down in the slightest, slammed into the front of the structure, and finally started to run for the scene, seeing cracks go up the lighthouse.
"Sprout, stop!" he heard the amber stallion yell.
Suddenly, two contraptions popped out of both sides of the vehicle, and began to spin rapidly, flinging globs of green sticky goo everywhere, sending most of the other ponies present into a panic as they struggled to avoid the slimy projectiles. Alphabittle saw his trio of armadillos right in the middle of the road, unsure where to go with the gunk landing all around them. He galloped forward to shield them from the slime, and got hit in the back and the back right hoof for his trouble, and was unable to pull his hoof free.
He didn't see it, but heard the vehicle slam into the lighthouse again, hearing one of the pegasus scream loud and long, but fortunately head an "I'm okay!" a moment later.
"Izzy!" he heard the earth mare scream.
"We need to shut these down!" the white pegasus shouted.
"Alphabittle, look out!" he heard the other pegasus shout. He turned his head to see the vehicle backing up again, and wasn't going to slow down in time to not hit him.
This was going to hurt.
At the last moment, the pegasus queen lunged in from his right side, tackling him and tearing his hoof free from the sticky goo. He had luckily swept up the trio of armadillos in his foreleg, and all of them landed safely in the grass.
He looked to the lighthouse to see Sunny holding onto Izzy after the balcony had collapsed from under her hooves, and she was hanging by her left front leg as she tried to reach the crystal.
"Izzy!" he shouted.
The earth stallion standing on the back of the vehicle yanked a steel pin out, and the left Splat-a-pult came loose, spinning end over end and headed right for where Izzy was hanging.
"Izzy!!!" Alphabittle screamed.
Sunny saw it at the last moment, and yanked Izzy just far enough to the left to avoid the metal debris as it firmly planted itself into the side of the lighthouse. He saw Sunny carefully swing Izzy far enough to grab the crystal before pulling her back into the light room at the top.
The older mare who had been running along side the vehicle trying to shout at the driver to stop suddenly jumped in front of the vehicle's path.
"I. Said. Stop!" She screamed.
The vehicle lurched to the right to avoid the mare, and this sudden change in trajectory also threw the earth stallion and pegasus off of the back, rolling in the grass and coming to a stop.
The vehicle slammed into the lighthouse a third and final time.
"No, no, no!" The earth stallion shouted.
The top of the lighthouse quickly became unstable, and looked like it was going to come right down on top of the vehicle that had slammed into the bottom of the building.
Alphabittle saw Sunny and Izzy still in the light room, trying to crawl back up to the center pedestal. He forced himself to look away as the top of the lighthouse finally gave in, falling and slamming into the vehicle, knocking it over onto its side as the structure began to crumble, sending dust spreading out across the entire hill.
The unicorn stallion's heart pounded against his chest as he frantically tried to look through the dust to see if they were okay. When the dust clouds finally settled, he breathed a sigh of relief, seeing Izzy get to her hooves towards the left side of what remained of the structure, and that her earth pony friend was miraculously lucky as well, with chunks of concrete all around her, but was otherwise unharmed. A quiet had settled across the hill as pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies coughed and got their bearings. Everypony got to their hooves, a bit dazed, but nopony seemed to be hurt.
A squeaking of metal broke the quiet as the driver of the now overturned vehicle also emerged, not seeming to be hurt, and only now seemed to get an idea of the chaos and destruction he had just caused as his ears folded back as he surveyed the scene.
"Oh, Sunny." Izzy said as she came up to the mare who was looking at her destroyed home.
"I understand now," Sunny said, turning to the group that had started to gather on the front walk. "It's not the crystals that need to be brought together. It's us. We can bring back everything that was lost, but it's up to us. We can stay separated by fear and distrust, or we can choose friendship."
She turned to look at her four friends, before looking down at a broken picture frame, containing a photo of her as a filly, and an older stallion, presumably her father.
"We can choose love. That's the true magic."
The pegasus queen was the first to step forward as the first rays of sunlight came over the horizon. She stepped up to Sunny, reached down, and adjusted one side of the broken picture frame, before looking up and smiling gently at Sunny.
Alphabittle decided this mare was right; if Sunny saw something in these ponies that was more important than jinxies and rituals, then they deserved a chance. He stepped forward, and slid the right side of the frame into place, shortly before the elder earth mare did the same with the top. The gesture was symbolic; the frame would need glue to stay together, but the message was there. They were ready to try working together.
The smiles of Sunny and her friends widened as the rest of the surrounding ponies had gathered in silence, affirming they were ready to give unity a shot.
The crystals, which had been buried by the rubble, glowed brightly, pushing themselves out of the piles of concrete, and began floating around Sunny.
"Ah!" Sunny shouted as she was lifted up into the air by the ethereal force of the crystals that began to rotate around her fast and faster.
Alphabittle watched as she rose higher into the sky, and his eyes widened when he saw glowing golden wings and a horn appear on her body, before the crystals rose up above her, and came together. There was an explosion of rainbow and light, that instantly evaporated the morning overcast, as streaks of prismatic light snaked out over the horizon.
What happened next nearly overwhelmed him; he felt his horn tingle, and it was like he became aware of a piece of himself that had been missing all his life, as he felt his horn get filled with energy.
"Whoa!" Izzy exclaimed excitedly as her own horn began to glow intensely, just before the wings of Pipp and Zipp spread and they gave their wings a single flap, and they easily became airborne.
"Sunny, check you out!"
"Now that's what I call a glow-up!" Izzy said as Sunny floated back down to the ground.
Alphabittle took a breath, got his excitement under control, and walked over to the group of friends.
"Izzy? Sunny? Everypony? I'm sorry, and thank you. Thank you for believing in us when we didn't."
He got smiles and nods from the group before Izzy came in for a hug.
"This is the start of something amazing, I know it!" She told him.
The magic continued to spread, as more of the pegasi and unicorns present got glowing wings and horns. Alphabittle turned back to the pegasus queen, who had elected to stay on the ground for now.
"Um, Your Highness?" He asked, getting her attention. When she turned to him, he offered a short bow.
"Thanks for the save back there. I don't think we were properly introduced back outside the forest. Alphabittle Blossomforth, of Bridlewood."
The pegasus smiled at him.
"Haven, of Zephyr Heights. A pleasure, Mr. Blossomforth."
Her curiosity was piqued when Alphabittle's eyes widened upon hearing her name.
"From the look on your face, I'm assuming you've heard of me?" She asked.
"You... Could say that. Look, I'm sure we're all very tired from our overnight trek here. Let's see if Maretime Bay can put together some sleeping arrangements for everypony for a few hours, because I won't have it said that Alphabittle is ungrateful towards those who saved him from harm's way, and I intend to prove that. Say, over dinner, Your Majesty?"
Alphabittle returned to the waking world after six hours of sleep in his room at the Maretime Bay Inn. As he got up, showered, and made himself presentable, he couldn't help but wonder why a building like this was maintained.
Why have a hotel if this was the first time Maretime Bay had had visitors in generations?
After cleaning himself up, he gathered up his trio of armadillo friends, left the room, and made his way out to the lobby, and stepped up to the front desk.
"What do I owe you for the room?" He asked the clerk.
"Oh, not necessary, sir. Canterlogic is covering the cost of all the rooms for our surprise guests today. It's a good trial run, I'd say. I'm gonna have to hire some more staff. Tourism in Maretime Bay? This inn is about to get considerably more busy, thanks to Sunny Starscout and her friends. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed your stay, and enjoy the rest of your day!"
Alphabittle gave the clerk a smile and a nod before stepping out onto Maretime Bay's coastal road.
The sun was now high in the sky and slowly making its way west towards the ocean. The rainbow streaks across the sky were still there, and the crystals were still floating up above what remained of the lighthouse. He squinted and saw construction ponies surveying the damage up on the hill.
A small chiming sound went off as the door to the inn opened behind him, and Queen Haven stepped out onto the street.
"Oh, that feels so much better," she said, her winged, fluffy white dog sitting on her back. The pegasus had showered and groomed herself, and was now a sight to behold. She gave a single flap of her wings and floated in the air for a moment.
"So it wasn't just a dream," she commented as her hooves landed on the ground.
"Not at all," Alphabittle replied, coming up and softly petting the dog, who was all too happy to receive the affection from somepony new.
"This is Cloudpuff, the royal pet," Haven introduced him. "So, shall we do a self-guided tour before dinner?"
Alphabittle nodded.
"That sounds like a great idea."
As they walked down the coastal road, they saw earth ponies in Canterlogic vests on almost every street, disassembling metallic tiles that had been built into the street. Temporary signs had been put up, letting the visitors know to please be wary of such tiles, called 'Unicorn Entrapment Devices', as it was going to take several days to decommission all of them.
"It feels good to have a second chance at introductions. I'm not exactly proud of how I acted back in Bridlewood," Haven commented.
"Nor am I," Alphabittle replied. "I'm sure there will be a lot of clearing the air of rumors as the tribes get to know each other again for the first time in generations. Thank you again, for your actions at the lighthouse, Your Majesty."
"Think nothing of it. It was the right thing to do, Mr. Blossomforth," Haven replied.
"Please, just Alphabittle," the unicorn replied.
"Very well, Alphabittle. As long as you extend me the same courtesy. Just Haven, please. I'm actually not sure if I'm a queen at the moment anyway," Haven told him.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I'm not sure if you overheard the 'your criminal highness' back in the forest, but my daughters and I are technically fugitives of Zephyr Heights right now."
"Well, I'm betting there's a story behind that, but that can wait for dinner. Where would you like to eat, anyway?"
"I'm just as new to town as you. Let's see what's along the way and just pick some place," Haven suggested.
"Spontaneous, I like it," Alphabittle agreed.
"So do you have a set time that's you're headed back to Zephyr Heights?" Alphabittle asked.
"Not quite, but I'm assuming it'll be sometime tonight. Zipp and Pipp are seeing a movie with the others over at the theater, so we'll have a couple hours at the very least," Haven told him.
"I'm wondering how things are going back at Bridlewood, with all the unicorns with magic all of a sudden. Here's hoping they don't set anything on fire," Alphabittle half-joked, half-concerned at the possibility.
"Same with Zephyr Heights, as well. Thousands of pegasi taking to the air for the first time in their lives... Ponies are going to get hurt," Haven agreed, and she spotted a restaurant that caught her eye. "Ooh, that place looks like it has a nice view. Let's go see if the menu is just as nice."
Alphabittle looked at where she was pointing. It was a small eatery called Bay Bistro, and it indeed looked like the seating area had a great view of the beach and ocean.
"Alright, Bay Bistro it is," Alphabittle replied, and the pair of ponies crossed the street, heading for the entrance. It wasn't exactly dinnertime, but going during a non-rush period would mean much less of a wait. Plus, after that very long nap, he could eat.
Together, the pair of ponies walked inside, where the host was standing at the podium, and looked surprised to see a pegasus and large unicorn enter the restaurant.
"Ah, oh, hello, and welcome to Bay Bistro. How may I serve you today?" The host asked.
"Do you have a table for two?" Alphabittle asked.
It was at this moment that Haven realized that they may have made a mistake.
"Oh my goodness, we should have checked if they only have specific seating times," Haven said.
"The mare is correct. Normally, we don't begin seating for dinner until 4pm, but for the very first unicorn and pegasus patrons, I'm certain an exception can be made. Right this way, please."
With that, they were lead to what was arguably the best seat in the place, as the afternoon sun reflected beautifully off of the ocean. Once their orders were placed and their drinks were served, they began to relax a bit.
"So, want to tell your story first? On the run from your hometown?" Alphabittle asked.
"In a manner of speaking," Haven said, sipping at her wine. "We may have sort of been propping up the complete falsehood that the royal family had retained the ability to fly. We, and all our stagehands that were sworn to secrecy, agreed that it gave pegasi a sense of hope."
"That couldn't have been easy," Alphabittle commented.
"Not in the slightest, an act that never ended in public. In hindsight, yes, it was wrong. That's why I'm going to willingly go back and face the music. Perhaps every pegasi being able to fly will soften the blow a bit. I'm also hoping I can deflect the blame from Zipp and Pipp; they were players in my play."
"Think they'll forgive the whole thing? Pegasi being able to fly again has to be significant," the unicorn suggested.
"Never hurts to hope. Now what about you? What's your story?" Haven asked.
"Not much to tell. The past twelve hours are the first I've spent out of Bridlewood. My day to day consists of the Crystal Tearoom. I started there as a buspony, worked my way up to where I'm running the place now, after the previous owner retired."
Their plates were brought to the table, and their wine glasses refilled.
"Sounds like in for quite the treat when I get over to Bridlewood. Is there anypony, how do I put this, significant, in your life?" Haven asked.
She noticed Alphabittle's expression soften.
"No, not anymore. I'm a widower. My wife died in childbirth," the unicorn told her.
Haven gasped and covered her mouth.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't—" Haven began, but Alphabittle raised a hoof.
"Don't worry about it, Haven. You asked for my story, and stories aren't all happy parts. My baby daughter survived, but just over two years later, I made a quick trip out for dinner ingredients, and she vanished. We searched the forest day after day, but we never found a single trace. Not one."
"Well, I'm certainly hoping this story gets better," Haven said, taking her first bites.
"It does, thanks to you," Alphabittle told her.
Haven listened intently.
"Six months later, during a rainstorm, I heard the Elder Bell ring. A pony had been ringing the bell, waiting for it to be investigated before running off, and I found a foal in the shelter underneath the bell. I found the scroll written by you in the basket along with her, and a village elder explained to me one of the last remaining agreements among the tribes, even given the apparent rarity with which it happens. I took her in, and raised her as my own."
"By the stars, it is a small world. I presume she turned out well?" Haven asked.
"Seeing as how it was Izzy, one of the ponies who just helped reunite us all, I'd say she turned out perfect."
Haven was clearly touched at the revelation.
"I'd say so," she agreed.
"So..." Alphabittle began, pausing to sip at his glass of wine. "Is Izzy yours?"
Haven gave a chuckle.
"Oh, goodness no, although I'm sure Zipp would be absolutely thrilled to give the throne over to an illegitimate heir. But no, the mother requested anonymity, and with the rarity of a birth like that, we granted it, assuring her that she would be taken safely to Bridlewood, a task that I didn't feel right trusting to anypony else. So I looked up in ancient scrolls where the bell could be found, and traveled down the mountain with a pair of guards. If it weren't for the rain, the entire trip would have been rather uneventful," the pegasus explained.
"It sounds like being proud of what our kids have accomplished is something we both have in common," Alphabittle offered, and Haven immediately agreed.
After a delicious main course, dishes of key lime pie were served.
"So, you haven't mentioned one, so I have to ask, was there a father figure in Zipp's and Pipp's lives?" Alphabittle asked.
This caused a hint of a blush on the queen's cheeks.
"No... I suppose that's my big mistake. You left your daughter alone at home during a grocery run, and I... Did a little too much drinking during the larger parties at the castle, where of course one thing leads to another... Twice... Once for Zipp, again for Pipp a year later, before I finally wised up and learned my lesson."
Instead of laugh, or act judgemental, but instead found a sort of kinship with the pegasus over life-changing errors.
"Well, two single parents from different tribes. This could be a first date for all we know," Alphabittle commented as he was halfway through his pie.
"My, that's a bit forward of you. But... You're also not wrong, Alphabittle. I've had a great time opening up to you today, you know. It feels good to let other ponies in on your darkest secrets, and not be judged for them, because we've grown from them, both of us."
At the end of the meal, the check came, and the restaurant was gracious enough to accept Alphabittle's foreign currency, with the reasoning that there would soon be a lot more unicorns coming into town with it, and that the Maretime Bay banks would soon offer exchanges.
"Well, I'd say this was certainly a successful meeting of the tribes, as we become one nation again. Thank you for a phenomenal meal, Alphabittle. I can't personally guarantee you anything at the moment, but please feel free to come to Zephyr Heights anytime. Hopefully I'll be there to receive you," Haven said.
"Likewise, Haven. If the worst should happen, and they like, exile you or something, please consider this an open invite to Bridlewood. I'd be honored to put my years of experience to work and give you a personally-cooked meal at the Crystal Tearoom."
"I will certainly keep in touch. I have to figure that one of the first things Zephyr Heights will do is get as many smartphones as we can to both of the other tribes, so hopefully that will make keeping in touch instantly much easier once we get signal towers installed."
"Well, until next time, Haven," Alphabittle bid goodbye, offering a short bow.
Instead of bow in return, Haven stepped forward and hugged the unicorn.
Alphabittle stood at Izzy's dining room table, helping her get organized for her move to Maretime Bay. He wasn't sure how to feel; partly proud, perhaps, but this was also the first time he could remember that a unicorn was leaving Bridlewood.
Izzy could tell that he was at least a little bummed about that, regardless of how her and her friends were transforming Equestrian society.
"It's not like I'll never visit, Alphabittle. Once the trail gets more and more defined, I'll be able to make the trip in less than half a day! I mean, I made it to Maretime Bay in just about six hours the first time," Izzy said as she was packing her saddlebags.
"I know, but until last week, you've never been farther away than the other end of the forest," the stallion replied.
"And once Zephyr Heights gets here and puts up that tower and the phones, we'll be able to keep in touch instantly!" Izzy told him.
True, that would also be a rather drastic change, that level of technology coming to town. Instantaneous communication over distances that long seemed otherworldly.
"So, any last minute surprises before I leave town?" Izzy asked excitedly, as she strapped on her saddlebags.
"Well, I know you wanted a farewell parade, but with how preoccupied everypony has been with their own magic, I wasn't able to put together anything... Impressive, shall we say," the stallion told her.
With her house as ship-shape as it would be in, Izzy gathered the last of her things she was taking with her, and walked to the front door with Alphabittle. They turned left towards the meadows just outside of the forest, and before they got to the end of the treeline, there stood a red-maned, navy blue colt, who blew a farewell melody into the kazoo he currently had in his mouth.
Izzy giggled as she turned and waved goodbye to the forest.
"Yep, that was enough!" Izzy told him happily, turning back towards the meadow and continuing to walk towards it with Alphabittle. A few moments later, the two unicorns stood at the edge of the forest. Izzy turned to her adoptive father once again.
"Alright, this is it. I'm sure we'll be able to find each other on Ponygram once Pipp and the pegasi finish getting smartphones to everypony."
Alphabittle smiled down at her for a moment before he leaned down and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm proud of you, Izzy Moonbow. Never forget that. See you soon."
Izzy returned the hug, gave him another smile, and then headed out across the meadow, turning to wave one last time before breaking into a gallop, disappearing over the next hill after a couple minutes.
Alphabittle tried not to hurt inside; Izzy hadn't been living at home for years, but she had always been in the forest, always not that far away. As he fought back tears and headed back into the forest, he told himself that he wasn't losing a part of himself, but was instead letting that piece out to make all of ponykind stronger and more unified.
He couldn't help but take a little pride in being the one who raised one of the ponies who was reuniting Equestria.
Izzy's words were indeed true; a few days after she had left, a construction team of pegasi had arrived at Bridlewood to put a cell tower up right behind the Crystal Tea Room, thus minimizing the eyesore that it would prove to be to the rustic look of the rest of the forest. A second construction team had already built a new bridge across the ravine where the ancient one had crumbled. Alphabittle had immediately suggested naming it the Moonbow Bridge, in honor of the Bridlewood resident that had played a part in the reunification of Equestria.
After the tower had been erected, a team of pegasi from something called 'Z-Mobile' arrived with enough smartphones for all of Bridlewood. Several of the older unicorns politely declined, not quite willing to make such a leap in technology. Alphabittle himself was a bit bewildered with the device, but was willing to read through the manual and try his best if it meant keeping in touch with Izzy, as well as continuing to build his new friendship with Queen Haven.
If he didn't know any better, he was becoming the unofficial spokespony for Bridlewood.
The fact that half of Bridlewood now had smartphones affected the after-lunch crowd of the Tea Room considerably. Now that ponies had access to this region-spanning 'Canternet' was, they took longer on their drinks. It didn't lower sales terribly, because tea refills had been free for years, but it did mean that the trips to and from tables for refills was considerably slower after the lunch rush, and thus Alphabittle had more time to get used to his new device along with the rest of the unicorns.
"There's the unicorn I came to see," he heard a familiar voice call out a couple days later as he was leaning on the bar, scrolling through Ponygram. He looked up to see Queen Haven, accompanied by a pair of armored guards, one light blue and the other mint green.
"Your Majesty, what an unexpected pleasure," Alphabittle greeted with a widening smile, pushing off of the bar and inviting her over to one of the stools. She came forward and took a seat, waving off her pair of guards to one of the nearby tables.
"What can I get for you, Your Majesty?" Alphabittle asked.
"Please, Alphabittle, just Haven," the pegasus replied. "I've heard from quite a few returning tourists that the Tea Room's long island ice tea is divine. I believe I'll try one of those."
"Coming right up," Alphabittle said, immediately turning back to the shelves behind the bar and grabbing the bottles he needed. "Anything for you, soldiers?"
The mint green stallion got an excited expression on his face, but was quickly stared down by the blue mare, who was clearly his superior officer.
"Much obliged, sir, but we're on duty," Zoom replied.
"Captain Zephyrwing, would you live a little," Haven chastised. "I hardly wanted to make this an official visit, but you insisted. So I insist that you two have a drink. After all, you two have come just as far as me."
Zoom cleared her throat nervously while the stallion's ears perked up again.
"If her majesty insists, I'll have an apple whiskey," she replied after taking a quick look at the small menu standing on the center of the table.
"A long island for me as well, thank you," the stallion, Thunder, answered.
"Two long islands and an apple whiskey," Alphabittle recited.
It wasn't the first bar she had been in, and she was quite impressed with how quickly and expertly the unicorn stallion made the drinks. He served Haven hers first, then immediately walked around the bar and gave her accompanying escort their orders, before returning to the bar and wiping down the drink station.
"So, I take it prison or exile isn't going to happen?" Alphabittle asked.
Haven chuckled, taking a sip of her drink.
"I'm afraid not. It turns out you were right on the money; Zipp and Pipp helping in returning flight to the whole city was more than enough for all to be forgiven. Plus I don't think anypony else was really anxious to figure out how to take on my everyday duties."
Alphabittle took a look around, seeing how not busy the place was, quickly fixed himself an apple whiskey, then came around the bar again and took a seat on the stool next to Haven.
"I was happy to step back into my role. I owe Zephyr Heights that much. I'm glad it keeps me so busy, because to tell you the truth, when I'm not, I'm miserable," Haven told him, taking another swallow of her drink.
"Miserable?" Alphabittle said.
Queen Haven nodded immediately.
"My doctor calls it Empty Nest Syndrome; feelings of grief and loneliness once your children leave home. It even started to set in before Zipp and Pipp left for Maretime Bay, I started to feel it when they were packing... Pipp a lot more than Zipp. So when I had a day off, I knew I wasn't going to sit there all day and let it eat away at me, so I came here," Haven told him.
"Well, I'm glad you did. It certainly brightened my day up. It feels a bit emptier here in Bridlewood with Izzy gone, too," Alphabittle told her.
"Well, I suppose I can toast to that," Haven said, raising her glass. "To empty nests."
Alphabittle smiled gently at her.
"To new friendships," he said, picking his glass up and gently clinked it with Haven's. Together, they finished off their respective drinks, and Alphabittle got up, walked to the other side of the bar again, and began making them some refills.
"So what happened to your crown?" Alphabittle asked as he filled their empty glasses with ice cubes.
"Oh, I'm still waiting for a replacement jewel, seeing as how the turquoise one was a unity crystal, and is now on the top floor of Sunny's new lighthouse with the others," Haven told him.
"Well, I've been really looking for an excuse to come up and see Zephyr Heights for myself. There's certainly no shortage of crystals here, so let me see what I can find before I head up. I've got a couple days off coming up," the unicorn stallion told her.
Haven was clearly touched as Alphabittle slid her second drink over to her.
"I would be honored to have you as a guest at the castle, Alphabittle. I'm already looking forward to having you." Smiling, she took her glass in her hoof, and raised it.
Alphabittle absolutely could not deny the unfamiliar splendor that the cityscape of Zephyr Heights seemed to offer from all angles. Bridlewood was all nature; trees and crystals. The pegasus city was buildings that frequently broke through the clouds depending on how low they were, many of the skyscrapers with lively signs and advertisements advertising some product, service, or performance.
He looked down at the map he pulled out of his saddlebags, and confirmed that he was heading in the right direction towards the city's highest area; the castle district. Knowing that a pony could spend days and days and days seeing all that Zephyr Heights had to offer, and go after what, or rather whom, he was here to see. With that, he walked down the main street to the cliffside elevator, which was attended by a pair of guards.
"Good afternoon, sir. Do you have business at the castle?" The guard on the left greeted as he approached.
"I do, I believe Queen Haven is expecting me," the unicorn replied, pulling out his phone and opening the email he had gotten from Haven, which she told to show to the guards. Angling the screen towards the guard, he quickly determined that it was authentic.
"I hope you enjoy your stay, sir. They'll direct you to the throne room at the front doors. Please step on the platform," the guard told him. He did so, and the pegasus pressed the button beside him, and the glass barrier slid up into place, and the platform began to ascend up the cliff, and the unicorn nearly lost his stomach at the new sensation, becoming queasy for just a moment. He adjusted, and took in the sight of the evermore impressive skyline as the elevator rose to the top. He was so enamored by the sight that he didn't notice the elevator stop at the top and the safety barrier slid back down the side behind him for a few moments. Once he realized that he had arrived, he turned, stepped off the elevator, and trotted up the main concourse to the front doors. Another pair of guards greeted him, and he again showed them Haven's invitation. Before he was admitted, however, he submitted his saddlebags to a security check, who quickly saw that they contained nothing more than a map, a bottle of water, his phone, and a cloth-wrapped parcel tied with twine.
"What is this package, sir?" the guard asked.
"A gift for Queen Haven," he answered.
The guard excused himself, taking the package to another room to have the contents verified by a scanning machine, returned a couple minutes later, where it was returned to the unicorn's saddlebags no worse for wear, and he was escorted in, and taken down the center hall. As impressive as the cityscape was, the interior of the castle was awe-inspiring. At first he wondered why anypony would want to leave a place like this, but then figured that seeing this every single day would probably make it as plain as Bridlewood.
The unicorn and the two guards came to another set of large doors. They were opened, and on the other side was a throne room almost as big as the foyer. He saw Queen Haven on the throne, talking with yet another guard as she sat on her throne, and as he got closer, recognized her as the mare that had accompanied her to Bridlewood.
His escort came to a halt, and so did he as they placed their spears on the ground.
"Your invited guest, Your Majesty," the guard on the left announced.
"Oh thank goodness you're here, Alphabittle. It has been the slowest day today," Haven said, getting up and passing the paperwork she had just finished signing over to Zoom.
"It's great to see you again so soon, Haven," Alphabittle greeted.
Haven noticed his escorts nearly go pale.
"Sir, you will address Her Majesty in the proper—"
"I'll have none of that, Sergeant," Haven interrupted, nipping the situation in the bud. "Alphabittle is a good friend of mine, and I'm hardly going to make him stand on ceremony. Thank you for bringing him up, you gentlecolts are dismissed."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty," the guard replied, clearly flustered at the allowed breach in protocol as the pair of guards turned to leave. When the throne room was empty, Haven let out a breath of relief.
"Speaking of not standing on ceremony, I believe I am done for the day. I hope you're ready for dinner, because I surely am," the pegasus mare commented.
"Absolutely. It was quite a hike to get here, and I'm famished, but first, I have something for you," the unicorn replied. With that, he reached into his saddlebags. He came out with the package, and offered it to her.
"I worked on it all week, I hope it fits," he said as Haven took it, undid the twine, and lifted the folds of cloth away, before her eyes widened at the hoof-carved amethyst crystal contained within. It looked exactly like the unity crystal, but with a purple hue. She knew immediately that it went better with her mane than the old one did.
"It's perfect, Alphabittle, thank you so much," Haven said, stepping forward and wrapping her free leg around his neck. Alphabittle returned the embrace, thrilled that she was happy with her gift. She immediately took it over to Zoom, who was standing at attention.
"Captain Zephyrwing, please take this to my jeweler and have him fit it to the crown, please," she asked, giving the re-wrapped crystal to the mare, who immediately took it and offered a salute.
"Right away, Your Majesty. I'll see if he can have it done by the end of dinner," she said, before marching out of the throne room with her delivery orders.
"Shall we? Hearing 'dinner' just made me even more hungry, and I've picked out a special place for tonight, with quite the view," the queen said, turning back to her unicorn friend.
"After you, Haven," Alphabittle said, and she lead him out of the throne room through a side door, both of their stomachs nearly grumbling.
"How're are Zipp and Pipp?" Alphabittle asked as they climbed a set of carpeted stairs.
"Clearly enjoying themselves down in Maretime Bay. I never need to wonder how Pipp is doing; she livestreams every single day, and her new business is booming; Mane Melody she calls it. Zipp, sadly, is much harder to get a read on. While her little sister can't get enough attention, Zipp can't seem to get far enough away from it," Haven told him.
"You mentioned that Zipp was the heir apparent?" Alphabittle asked.
"That she is, and unfortunately, she is nowhere close to being ready. I mean, I'm not exactly ready to retire, mind you, but it would be nice if she was making at least some progress in being more regal," Haven opined.
"Well, look at it this way," Alphabittle began. "If our kids turned out exactly the way we wanted them to, I highly doubt you and I would have met."
"What an amazing mindset to have about it. Yes, you are absolutely right. We try to mold our little ones into upstanding citizens, but we often forget that the clay often moves on its own and does its own thing all too often," Haven agreed as they walked up to another set of doors, these completely normal sized. "And here we are."
Haven opened the doors, and Alphabittle's eyes widened as he saw that Haven had prepared a simple yet elegant table for two out on the castle balcony, right next to the railing, offering what was certainly the most stunning view of the city of Zephyr Heights.
A view that was becoming more spectacular by the minute as the sun was slowly dipping below the horizon, and more of the city lights were coming on for the evening.
"Wow..." Was all he could say as he walked over to the table with Haven, and knew enough about equine etiquette to go and pull her chair out for her, getting her seated before he went around to his chair on the other side and sit down, as Haven pulled out the bottle of champagne that had been chilling in the bucket of ice between the table and railing, and poured two glasses.
The kitchen staff must have been alerted somehow that they had been seated, because immediately, the server came out with two plates of fresh salad greens and a garden's worth of veggies, and a bottle of dressing.
"Raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It is simply divine," Haven told him as she took the glass bottle, tipping it slightly over her salad, drizzling the dressing over the salad on her plate, before setting it back down and sliding it over to Alphabittle, who immediately added it to his plate as well.
"Bon appétit," Haven said as she raised her glass of champagne, and the unicorn raised his glass and the gently clinked in the middle before taking sips, and started into their salads.
After his first bite, Alphabittle knew he was in for an incredible meal, and this was just the first course.
"Haven," he began, after swallowing his first bite. "I've always been a pony to speak my mind, and I don't want to do you a disservice by not doing so now. This right here," he paused to motion at the elegance of the table they sat at. "This seems a bit excessive for a meal with a good friend. To me, this would be something I'd put together if I wanted to invite a good friend to become something more. Now, if I am completely wrong in that, and I'm moving entirely too fast, I profusely apologize. But if I'm right..." he paused again, to try and garner any kind of reaction from the pegasus' expression.
"...Then it's something I welcome."
Relief washed over the queen's face.
"After Pipp was born, I figured it would be for the best if I stopped with the dating, and the flings after parties, and just go it alone. I was always entirely too nervous to bring one more pony into the fold of our dirty little secret. I figured when they knew, when they found out that royal flight was all a farce, whatever feelings they had for me would fade away. But now that Zipp, Pipp, Izzy, and the others have reunited us, and given us our magic back... I'm finding that I'm not afraid anymore, and a small part of me was terrified that I was moving entirely too fast for you."
The unicorn smiled gently at her.
"When my wife passed away, I never, ever entertained the possibility of falling in love again. When my daughter vanished, I wanted nothing more than to just drop dead... For weeks that's all I wanted. Then you came along that rainy night with a second chance. From then on, I put all of my energy into raising Izzy, and running the kitchen at the Crystal Tea Room. Now with Izzy away with a life of her own, now I'm starting to feel that hole where something has been missing for twenty years. I can't tell you how honored I am that you're giving me yet another second chance, at something I never thought I'd experience again."
Haven began to tear up a bit, but managed to keep her composure as she raised her glass of champagne again.
"To second chances," she said.
Alphabittle picked up his.
"To new beginnings."
One month later...
The elderly Oak Branch sat in his rocking chair just outside his home in Bridlewood, as the crickets began to sing their chirping songs for the evening. He looked up from the book he'd been reading, adjusting his eyeglasses to see Alphabittle coming down the path.
His face looked like it had taken a hit by a beehive, and Oak couldn't help but chuckle.
"Have a good time?" He asked, unable to hold his chuckles in.
"The best time," Alphabittle replied.
Oak's eyes widened just a bit when he didn't detect a single bit of sarcasm in his voice.
"If your face feels as bad as it looks, and you had a good time, then I have to be the bearer of obvious news, Alph," Oak said.
"And what's that, Oak?" Alphabittle asked, wincing as he rubbed his left cheek.
Alphabittle So, just to go over it one more time, it's a ball where everypony wears masks to hide their identity, when everypony has perfectly identifiable cutie marks?
Alphabittle kept his phone easily accessible as he trotted up the mountains towards Zephyr Heights. He had left work early today so he could have as relaxing hike as he could to the city, and not be completely exhausted when it was time to enjoy himself. Ten seconds after he put his phone back in his saddlebags, he heard it give a chime and vibrate as he got a reply. He dug it out again and read:
Haven The Jinxie Games were proof enough that things don't have to make perfect sense in order to have a good time. See you soon.
That was true enough. He was looking forward to seeing how the castle looked when it was full of party guests.
For the past few months, Alphabittle and Haven had used any excuse they could to get together. That included attending Maretime Bay's resurrection of the Equestria Games, as well as Bridlewood's 'Jinxie Games' last month. He remembered Haven having to deal with more of her daughters reacting to their 'mushiness', but that seemed to come to a decisive halt when Haven insinuated that her daughters were 'good friends' with Maretime Bay's sheriff, while Pipp insisted it was just a 'play board games' type of friendship.
The unicorn was confident that they didn't really mean anything by it, and that reacting to seeing their mom dating again was just one of those signs that in some ways, your kids never stopped being your kids. If he was honest with himself, he was looking forward to seeing them again, along with Izzy and the rest of her friends, who would all be at this party. But while he was traveling on foot, they would be taking the 'Marestream', some flying contraption that Izzy and Zipp had put together and powered with their unity magic, or whatever it was called that also caused a brand new lighthouse to pop out of the ground where the old one laid in ruins.
Unfortunately, due to the rather on-the-spot nature of Pipp's 'Bridlewoodstock' musical event, Haven wasn't able to clear her schedule in time to come down. But a couple weeks ago, a package arrived at Alphabittle's house, from the Zephyr Heights castle, containing an invitation to what was an invite-only event, along with an eye mask, styled like a purple butterfly with a hot pink outline, and a note that said 'see you in two weeks!'.
Upon trying the mask on, he immediately knew that this just had to be a tradition that they didn't want to do away with, because it did next to nothing to conceal his identity. His mane, his stature, and not to mention his teapot cutie mark were all dead giveaways. But, if this got him into the castle for an evening of dancing and partying with Haven, he was more than willing to humor this tradition.
If this was what a party at the castle was like, Alphabittle was stunned that they didn't do it more often. He had gotten a tour of the empty ballroom when he had first come to the castle, but to see it decorated and populated like this was something else entirely. He took as much of it in as he could, making his way towards the thrones, carefully levitating a couple glasses of punch.
"A glass of punch for the queen of the palace," he said, offering one of the glasses to her as she lounged on the center seat.
Haven left out a gasp of surprise.
"Oh, who, me? Shh... Obviously you recognize me when nopony else does," she said, getting up and coming down the ramp to him.
The unicorn raised an eyebrow curiously. Was she serious? She was on the throne, for pony's sake. She was even wearing the crown.
"Wait, you think that—?"
"Absolutely. Only my closest friends and family ever know it's me when I'm masquerading."
Alphabittle chuckled. Fine, he'd let her have this.
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Sorry for blowing your cover," the unicorn said, leaning in towards her ear.
"No apologies needed, Alphie. Nopony heard. But since we share a secret, could I ask you a friendly favor?" Haven asked.
"Mm-hmm, of course."
"Don't tell anypony who I am."
"Yes indeed, your majes-- I mean, yes, whoever you are, mysterious young mare," Alphabittle assured her, clinking her glass of punch with his.
"And I will cheers to that."
The two of them had a good enough time hanging towards the back of the crowds, watching the dancing ponies from afar while sipping at their punch and sampling the absolutely delectable spread of snacks on the buffet tables. They weren't sure how much time had passed as they were enjoying each other's company, but their attention, and the attention of most of the attendees were drawn to the center of the room as a modern pop rhythm began to play on the ballroom speakers.
"What up, what up Manesquerade Ball?!"
Alphabittle instantly recognized Izzy's voice as she mimicked a party horn as she stepped onto the dance floor.
"Everypony clear the dance floor for something that will blow you away... Away... And now! A special performance of the Electric Unity Shuffle!"
Alphabittle remembered Haven telling him something about reserving a few minutes on the dance floor for Sunny and her friends. This must have been it. He saw Sunny step onto the dance floor under a yellow spotlight, and began a choreographed dance routine, joined shortly by Princess Pipp and Izzy under hot pink and magenta spotlights on either side of Sunny.
"~Somepony give me a shimmy, somepony give me a shake! Give me a twist and shout and just feel the bass, hey, hey!"
He saw the Maretime Bay sheriff join the dance line under a teal spotlight. The crowds had begun to crowd around the dance floor, so he didn't see what must have been the rest of her circle of friends join the routine as red and blue spotlights joined the spectrum. It must have been Zipp and...
Wait, six? He only remembered five from the Jinxie Games last month. Was it that baby dragon? Was he part of it?
"You know what this reminds me of?" Haven asked him, drawing his attention away from the dance floor.
"My amazing Dance Skills on Just Prance?" Alphabittle guessed, remembering how the two of them had spent hours on the game after the Jinxie Games had wrapped up.
Haven laughed.
"No. Reminds me of my Pipp and Zipp. The palace just feels so empty without them."
"Isn't that them?" Alphabittle asked, pointing up in the air closer to the spotlights, at the two pegasi twirling around each other in midair. Surely she must have known about this dance number; she had to have been the one who cleared the performance.
"My hoofness, you're right. You go, girls!" Haven cheered.
Alphabittle's gaze fell back down to the middle of the dance floor as Zipp and Pipp continued their midair moves, and got a glimpse of the blue unicorn dancing in unison next to Izzy.
What he felt next, he couldn't quite describe, as he squinted to get a closer look at the mare, just as his view was obstructed by another spectator.
Alphabittle felt as if his stomach turned inside out as memories from decades ago flashed in his mind. Fighting back the sudden wave of nausea, his eyes darted all around the room, looking for the balcony exit. He spotted it, and ran for it.
"Alphie?" Haven called. She saw the unicorn hop over the velvet rope that was blocking access to the balcony doors, and push them open, running outside, and quickly gave chase. She gingerly stepped over the rope, and exited the ballroom out to the balcony, where she saw her date hunched over the railing.
"My goodness, are you alright?" The queen asked, running over to his side and putting her foreleg on his back.
Thanks to the fresh air, he had managed to keep the snacks and punch down, and not vomit dozens of feet to the ground below.
"That's... That's impossible. It couldn't have been..." Alphabittle muttered as he struggled to let the wave of nausea pass. After a few more deep breaths, he pushed himself off of the railing and finally glanced at Haven.
"Darling, you look like you've seen a ghost," Haven said, her concern quickly rising.
Alphabittle continued taking deep breaths.
"I'm... I'm very, very sorry, Haven, but I have to cut our evening short," he told her.
"Alphie, you're really worrying me right now," Haven replied.
"I'm really sorry. I'll explain everything when... When I can make sure of what I just saw in there... Because honestly, I'm not sure if it was a ghost, or if I'm going crazy."
Those words did very little to ease Haven's worries as he leaned down to hug her gently.
"I'll make this up to you, Haven, I swear it."
With that, he headed back inside the ballroom, leaving Haven out on the balcony. Sure enough, three minutes later, she saw him heading out of the castle down the red carpet at a full gallop, she could only assume back to Bridlewood.
'Just what in ponyfeathers did he think he saw in there?'
As the Manesquerade Ball was wrapping up, there were less invited guests in the ballroom and more janitorial and kitchen staff who were emptying tables and sweeping floors.
Over by the punch bowl, Zipp, Pipp, and their friends were polishing off the rest of the beverage before the staff rolled that cart back to the kitchens. Pipp glanced over at the throne, where her mom was lounging in the chair, watching the last of the guests leave as she continually glanced at her phone.
"Mom, everything alright?" Pipp asked, stepping up to the throne. "Where's Alphabittle? Figured he'd be one of the last to leave."
"So did I, dear," Haven replied, as she tucked her phone back under her wing. "But he was one of the first to leave, just as all of you were performing your unity dance. He saw something that made him seriously ill."
"What did he see?" Pipp asked.
"No idea, but whatever it was, he said it was 'impossible.' He left after that, letting me know what was going on when he could make sure he wasn't going crazy. I don't know why I'm already worrying; he's probably not even halfway back to Bridlewood yet," Haven said.
Pipp turned back to her friends who had finished off the punch, and Zipp came up with Misty.
"Mom, I'd like to introduce Misty, our newest friend," the white pegasus told her mom.
Misty took a nervous step forward and gave a bow.
"Thank you for letting me come to this event on such short notice. I had a terrific time, Your Majesty," Misty greeted.
"It's great to meet another one of my daughters' friends, and I'm glad you had such a good time, dear," Haven replied with a tired smile, getting up. "Alright, enough worrying and stressing for one night. He'll get back to me as soon as he can, I'm sure."
"I'm sure everything's fine, mom. He probably thought he saw something that wasn't really there," Zipp reassured her.
After making a quick stop at a snack stand and picking up a few protein bars and a couple energy drinks, Alphabittle made the trip between Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood in record time. He arrived back at the unicorn forest almost completely exhausted, but he refused to sleep yet. He had to know.
He slid the key into his front door, stepped inside, wiped his hooves off on the mat, and immediately went into his bedroom, to his closet, and began pulling boxes out, shoving them out of the way as he made his way back to the bottom boxes in the very back of the storage area. Coming to the very bottom box, he lifted the flaps back, and began pulling out books and papers. About halfway down, he came to what he was looking for, a dusty old photo album, which he carefully pulled out. Blowing as much of the dust off with a long exhale as he could, he set it down on top of the open box, and opened the cover, quickly going through the old photos.
The album wasn't that large, it was one of the last he had been putting together twenty years ago. He came to the last page, and stared down at one of the photos near the bottom of the page.
It was a photo of Misty, in her playpen. He remembered taking this photo, about two months before she vanished. Even though the photo was two decades old, it had spent almost its entire life in the confines of this photo album, so he was certain the colors were still accurate.
Taking a deep breath, he picked up the album and took it over to his nightstand, placing it under the lamp and pulling his phone out and going to the PonyGram app. Looking up Pipp Petals' feed was all too easy, as it was one of the suggested ones on the front page, and he immediately began scrolling down her feed, hoping that she was punctual as she always was with her posts.
Just like had happened at the Ball, he scrolled to the third image down, and his heart skipped a beat as he stared down at the photo.
PippOfficial Fantastic group selfie from our new pal @MBrightdawn! Amazing time dancing with you all!
Alphabittle's gaze went from his phone screen to the photo in the album, each time the feeling of his heart being squeezed tightened slightly.
He knew he was not going to be able to do this on his own. He had to be absolutely sure that he wasn't seeing things. He got up, closed the photo album, saved the picture from Pipp's PonyGram, and headed out into the middle of the Bridlewood night.
Oak Branch was pulled from his deep sleep by a dull pounding from the other side of his bedroom door.
"Oak? Oak, you in there?" he heard the muffled, panicked voice of his former cook.
Flipping his blanket off of himself, he rolled out of bed, and half-asleep, pulled his bedroom door open, and went over to his front door, and unlocked it. Turning on his porch light and opening the front door, he laid eyes on Alphabittle.
"Alph, do you have any idea what time it is?" Oak asked, then took a moment to see just how disheveled the unicorn looked. "You look like you've seen a troggle."
"Oak, I need someone to tell me I'm not seeing things," Alphabittle explained.
The concern the elder unicorn heard in his friend's voice was absolutely genuine, so he stepped aside and let him inside.
"Let me grab my glasses and get a cup of coffee," Oak said, as he went to back to his bedroom, then over to the kitchen as Alphabittle made himself as comfortable as he could on the couch, which wasn't very at the moment.
Five minutes later, Oak came over to the couch and sat down next to Alphabittle, levitating two cups of coffee with his horn.
"Alright, I don't know how good of an idea this is, because you look like you seriously need sleep," Oak said, passing one of the cups over to his friend. "So what do we have here?"
Making sure the lighting was adequate, Alphabittle opened the photo album to the last page, and pointed to the last photo of his long lost daughter.
"That is the last picture I have of her; about eight weeks before she vanished," Alphabittle explained, as Oak leaned in to take in the details.
Alphabittle turned on his phone screen, went to the gallery, and pulled up the picture he saved from Pipp's PonyGram.
"This was taken eight hours ago in Zephyr Heights," Alphabittle said, setting the brightess to full and set it down on the album next to the photo in question, and watched Oak's face carefully.
Sure enough, the elder's mouth dropped open slightly as he did a double, then triple, then quadruple take of the two pictures.
Oak sat on the couch, sipping at his coffee, continuing to stare down at the old photo, while Alphabittle paced back and fourth between the window and the doorway to the kitchen, occasionally glancing out at the forest outside, the darkness pierced by the crystals protruding from the ground, and down at the picture that was still up on his phone screen.
"What do I do, Oak? Has she been up in Zephyr Heights this entire time? Did... Did a pegasus take her all those years ago? Is that why there was no trace of her? No tracks to follow?" Alphabittle asked.
These words finally got Oak off the couch, who came between his longtime friend and the window.
"That right there, Alphabittle... That right there is why you need to go home and get some sleep before you make any kind of decision. Because the last thing you should do is march up to Haven with that kind of accusation. All that picture proves is that either Misty was in Zephyr Heights for a party last night, or that there's a practical twin out there somewhere."
Alphabittle took a deep breath as he paused in his pacing. Oak was right; the caffeine from the coffee was already wearing off, and he wasn't going to do himself any favors by mentally fueling these scenarios that were most certainly hogwash.
Oak went and grabbed the scrapbook, closed it, and gave it back to Alphabittle.
"Go home. Get some rest. Then go explain to Queen Haven why you cut her evening with you short. Then start to think about how to approach this," Oak told him.
Alphabittle took another breath, then nodded, accepting the scrapbook and slid it into his saddlebags.
"You're right, Oak. I'll head home. Thank you," he said.
"I know this is a potentially life-changing situation, Alphabittle. But you still have to take it one step at a time. Let me know if you need anything," Oak told his friend, walking him to the front door, seeing him out.
Breathing in the fresh air, Alphabittle walked home in silence, listening to the crickets, as his mind continued to fly through the possibilities of where his long-lost daughter had been for the past twenty years, or if he and Oak were both seeing things and this mare wasn't Misty at all.
His horn lit up, and he pulled out his phone with his magic, and began sending Haven a text.
Alphabittle I know you're probably asleep. I want to say again how sorry I am for last night. I don't quite have a handle on the situation yet, but I've gathered myself enough where I can explain things to you, and I'd really rather do it in person. After I get some sleep and a meal, I'll head back up to Zephyr Heights.
With that, he went up his front walk, opened his front door, and stepped inside. Before going to his bedroom, he went across the living room over to Izzy's, and Misty's, old bedroom. The mattress was bare, no sheets or pillowcases, but he had wanted to keep it furnished as a guest bedroom in case Izzy had wanted to come home.
He could still see Misty's old crib in his mind, that had become Izzy's. A small part of him had always thought it hadn't been a good idea to keep Misty's room as it was after she vanished, but because he did, he was able to take Izzy in, and hit the ground galloping with raising her into the mare she had grown up to become.
His vibrating phone pulled him out of his reminiscing. He pulled it out, and read the alert.
Haven I don't care what time it is; thank you for letting me know. Come by anytime, and you'll have my attentive and listening ears at the next meal.
Love, Haven
He felt his throat tighten at the end of the text. Haven had been the reason for his second chance, and because of the invitation to her masquerade, she was also the reason that he had discovered his long lost daughter. Feeling the waves of tiredness continue to crash into him, he sauntered over to his bedroom, placed his phone on the charger, and collapsed onto his bed, hoping to get enough rest to eat a good meal in the morning, and get right on the road back to Zephyr Heights.
After six hours of sleep, Alphabittle woke up just before noon, had packed his camping supplies, ate a substantial meal, then left back for Zephyr Heights after making a quick stop at the Crystal Tearoom to make sure everything was still running smoothly in his absence. He got halfway before stopping to make camp for the night. Sleep didn't come easy; the old and new pictures of Misty was constantly on his mind, making him restless. Was she still in Zephyr Heights? Did she go back to Maretime Bay with Izzy and the others?
He wasn't sure when he got to sleep, but he awoke the next morning feeling mostly rested. After some haycakes over a campfire, he packed up, and continued on to the pegasus city. Trying his best to make it for lunch, his pace with his camping gear was just a little too slow, and he arrived on the castle grounds just before 2PM, and was greeted by the door guards.
"Hello again, Alphabittle," the sergeant greeted.
"Greetings, sergeant. I take it Queen Haven is unavailable?" Alphabittle asked.
"I'm afraid her afternoon is quite busy. I've been instructed to put you in one of our guest suites, and she can meet you for dinner, sir," the guard told him.
"Sounds like a plan to me, sergeant. I've had quite the hike," the unicorn replied.
"Castle staff can show you to your room, sir. I hope you enjoy your stay."
With that, Alphabittle went into the castle, where the butler escorted him to the closest guest room, and was informed he'd be returned for when dinner was served. He laid down on the bed, found it extremely comfortable, and managed to get a couple more hours of sleep, before he was woken up by a knock at the door. He rolled off of the bed, and went to answer the door, finding Captain Zoom Zephyrwing at his doorway.
"Mr. Alphabittle, sir. I'm here to escort you to dinner with Her Majesty Queen Haven," she greeted.
Alphabittle nodded, grabbed his phone off of the charger and his scrapbook, before glancing at himself in the mirror and found himself acceptable, before returning to the front door.
"Lead the way, Captain," the unicorn said.
Zoom lead him up a flight of stairs and down two hallways, before opening a large set of double doors; Haven's private dining room.
"Alphabittle Blossomforth, Your Majesty," Zoom announced.
Haven looked up from her phone, and immediately got up from her seat at the long table, coming down and meeting Alphabittle halfway, where they embraced each other.
"I'm sorry again for how I left the other night," Alphabittle apologized again.
"You're here now, that's what matters. Now come and sit down. I'm all ears," Haven said, parting from the embrace and walking him down to the seat adjacent to hers at the head of the table, moments before the servers came out with the first course, a salad.
"Dinner is served," the butler announced.
"So what happened the other night?" Haven asked, after taking a sip of red wine.
Alphabittle cleared his throat, then picked up the scrapbook that he had brought with him off of the table, opening it to the last page, and setting it next to Haven's plate.
"I told you about my daughter, how she vanished twenty years ago. That's the last picture I have of her, a few months before that happened," Alphabittle explained.
Haven glanced down at the photo, finding the foal sitting in the much younger Alphabittle's lap somewhat familiar.
Alphabittle got out his phone, and for what had to be the fiftieth time at least, opened the gallery folder to the picture he saved from Pipp's Ponygram.
"This was taken the night of the Manesquerade," Alphabittle said, setting his phone down on the scrapbook page just above the photo.
Her reaction was strikingly similar to Oak's.
"Oh my hoofness..." Haven commented, her voice just above a whisper as she took another sip of wine.
"I raced home to look at old pictures... I had to be absolutely sure... And I'm ashamed at the foolish conclusions that my sleep-deprived mind started jumping to," the unicorn confessed.
"What do you mean, Alphie?" Haven asked.
"Before reunification, we always warned younger unicorns to not stray out into the open outside the forest, that pegasi would come and snatch them away, or steal their 'sparkle'. I immediately began to wonder if that was the case, and I'm sorry."
Haven gave him a compassionate sigh.
"Alphie, prejudices aren't going to vanish completely that fast, and in the state you were in, I'm not surprised that you started jumping to reasoning that you were told in your youth," she told him.
"So she hasn't been living here?" Alphabittle asked, as he closed the scrapbook and returned his phone next to his plate of salad greens.
Haven shook her head.
"She arrived on the Marestream along with Zipp, Pipp, and the rest of their friends. I hadn't seen her before that night," Haven said.
Alphabittle didn't know what to say, so he took a few bites of salad, and a few drinks of wine, until Haven decided to break the silence.
"What are you going to do?" she asked him.
"I've been going over and over that in my head for two days. I suppose I should talk to Izzy and the others, see what they know about her... But..."
Alphabittle paused, and Haven saw him shudder for a moment.
"...But what if she doesn't remember me?" Alphabittle asked, his voice quivering slightly.
Haven took a breath.
"I'll be the one to rip this band-aid off. She probably won't, Alphie. Realistically, do you remember anything from when you were that young? I know I sure don't. Core memories rarely form when foals are that young," Haven reasoned.
Alphabittle felt his chest squeeze around his heart for a moment, but realized that Haven was most likely right.
"So... So is this the right thing to do? Do I just... Come back into her life all of a sudden? After all this time?" he asked.
"It's certainly worth a try. Even if she doesn't remember you, you're her family, and there's absolutely no reason that the two of you shouldn't be able to try and start again. Here's what we're going to do, Alphie. You and I are going to enjoy this amazing dinner, you're going to return to your room to get as good a night's sleep as you can, then you're going to go to Maretime Bay and talk with Sunny and the others to see what they know, and see if you can meet her."
Alphabittle downed the last of his first glass of wine, realizing that he hadn't really had a good head on his shoulders for the past two days, ever since he had spotted Misty in that dance, and Haven's clear and level-headed words were bringing him some much needed comfort at the moment.
"Misty!" Alphabittle called as he galloped down the forest path.
He chased after the fading image of his daughter, who was just a bit faster than him even at a full galloping gait.
"Misty! Wait, please!" He pleaded, as the rain began to fall, and as his mane and coat became damp, then wet, then soaked, he was slowed down even more. Then his hooves began to sink in the mud, and the unicorn mare sunk deeper into the darkness down the path.
"Stop!!!" He cried out, before tripping over a root, and flipped end over end, rolling over onto his back.
Alphabittle bolted up on his small sleeping pad, taking in a gasping breath. Taking a moment to realize where he was, he fell back down onto the mat, letting out a heavy sigh. He couldn't be terribly surprised he was having unsettling dreams like that; he was hopefully just mere hours away from reuniting with the daughter he had lost twenty years ago. What sleep he had in the guest suite in Zephyr Heights as well as out here on the rolling prairies had been restless. Without even unzipping his tent he knew it wasn't even sunrise yet, but he also had the feeling that it wasn't going to be much use trying to get back to sleep.
It was still over a half-day's trek to Maretime Bay. If he left now, he could get there in the early afternoon, and he wouldn't arrive super late, and have to wait yet another day to see Misty. So he sat up, rolled up his sleeping pad, buckled it to his saddle bags, stepped outside, broke down his tent, got it rolled up and packed just behind the pad, and was headed south, feeling the early morning dew on his fetlocks.
Even with what Haven had told him about how young she had been when she vanished, and about core memories, Alphabittle still hoped that Misty remembered him, even if it was just flashes. But he was also mentally preparing himself for the distinct possibility that she didn't. Would she consider coming back to Bridlewood? Was she living with Izzy and the others in their lighthouse in Maretime Bay?
These would be questions that would of course be answered when he got to Maretime Bay, which he hadn't visited since the town hosted the revamped Equestria Games, an athletic competition for the region. It was a relatively uneventful hike to the coast. He snacked on a granola bar on the way, and was able to refill his water canteen at a creek in one of the last forests he passed through before he finally got sight of the coast.
The rainbow coming out of the new lighthouse was the first thing to let him know he had nearly arrived, followed closely by the factory on the highest hill within the town limits. He came in from the northeast, and saw that there had been some changes to the building; namely the giant glasses at the top had been removed, replaced with large letters that spelled out 'CanterLove Studios'. Close by, a building was under construction, with a sign out front that said 'Unity Apartments coming soon!', and Alphabittle assumed it was so that the town could accommodate unicorns and pegasi who wanted to move here on a more permanent basis.
Turning down the coastal street, he got several waves of recognition as he headed down the road towards the lighthouse as the sun began its journey across the western half of the sky. He walked up the dirt path, came up to the front door, and took several deep breaths, before reaching forward, and knocked on the front door. He waited for several moments, and didn't hear any muffled hoofsteps, or anypony saying they'd be right there... No sounds of any kind. He knocked again, and another minute passed before he figured no one was inside. He hadn't seen Izzy or any of her friends on the walk through town. After thinking for another few seconds he peeked around the back of the building to see that their flying vehicle, whatever it was called, was not there, so he figured all of them were out. He let out an exasperated sigh, slightly frustrated that the anticipation that had been building up for nearly two days was going to have to wait a bit longer.
Hearing his stomach grumble, signalling that his morning snack had long since worn off, he turned and headed back into town, looking for a restaurant to pass the time. They'd be back sooner or later. As he headed down the street towards the factory, he dug his phone out of his saddlebags, and brought up his message history with Izzy, before typing in a new message.
Alphabittle Hey Izzy, I'm in Maretime Bay. There's something I'd like to talk about, and I'm hoping you and your friends might be able to help me. Let me know when you get back. Looking forward to seeing you again.
He came up to a small diner he hadn't yet patronized, and so he headed in. The interior had seating for about two dozen ponies, and there was a bar on the back wall of the dining area.
"Well, hello there, Alphabittle. Welcome to my pub," the bartender greeted. "What brings you to town?"
"I thought I'd stop in and see Izzy, but it doesn't look like she or her friends are here at the moment," Alphabittle answered as he sat down at the bar, being one of four patrons, as it was too late for lunch, too early for dinner.
"Ah. Hitch was in here this morning before lunch, asking if anypony had seen that baby dragon of his. Maybe they got a lead or something. I swear the sheriff needs a leash for that kid," the bartender commented. "So what'll it be?"
Alphabittle took a moment to look over the small menu.
"I'll do some chili cheese hay fries, and I'll try that Maretime Bay Mojito," the unicorn replied, hoping that a drink would help calm his nerves a bit. He glanced down at his phone again as the bartender put his order in.
His message to Izzy had sent, but it hadn't been read yet. They must have been busy, because Izzy was normally pretty good at checking notifications quickly. While the chef in the back was making his food, the bartender quickly made his drink order, and slid it to the unicorn while he slid 15 bits across the bar.
"Thanks, keep the change," Alphabittle said before taking a sip, immediately getting the taste of mint on his tongue. It was good, and he was half tempted to ask for the recipe to take back to the Crystal Tea Room. A few minutes later, a hot plate of steaming, crispy hay fries practically drowning in a vegetable-loaded chili sauce and liquid cheese. It was the perfect thing to partner with his drink. It made him realize how long ago his light breakfast was, and ordered a second helping, sliding the bartender another 5-bit coin. He ate this one more slowly, just eager to pass the time at this point, and finally, he was pulled out of his thoughts by his phone vibrating on the bar top. He picked it up, and saw the notification from Izzy.
Izzy Hey there, Alphabittle!
Sorry I didn't see this until just now. Dragon emergency out of town. But we got back and are settling in for the evening, making sure Sparky is okay. I'd be happy to help you with whatever it is you need me for. Come by anytime!
Alphabittle had to focus to stop from shivering in anticipation. Thanking the bartender once again for the drink, he got up from his seat, and exited the restaurant. It wasn't long before he was headed back up to the lighthouse at a full gallop. He had to nearly skid to a halt at the front doors again, and took a moment to catch his breath. He reached forward, and took one last deep breath.
This was it.
Knock knock knock.
This time, he did here sounds on the other side, followed by quickly approaching hoofsteps. The doorknob turned, the door opened, and there stood Izzy.
"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise!" Izzy said, bounding forward and wrapping her forelegs around Alphabittle in a hug.
"Good to see you too, Izzy," Alphabittle replied.
The two unicorns parted from the hug, and Izzy stepped aside to let him inside.
"Sorry it was so long before I saw your message. We've had quite a bit of excitement today. Luckily we don't have to be quiet any more; Hitch took Sparky back to the precinct for some much needed rest. So what can we do for you?"
When Izzy didn't get a reply, she glanced back at the large unicorn, whose attention was already pulled to the rest of her friends sitting at the dining room table, namely Misty, who was wondering why their new guest was staring at her.
"Oh, where are my manners," Izzy said, trotting over to the dining table. "This is our new friend, Misty. I figured you'd already know her, since she said she was from Bridlewood when we first met, but it turns out things are a bit more complicated than that, and she's probably not from Bridlewood. Misty, this is Alphabittle, Bridlewood Elder, and the unicorn who raised me since I was a foal!"
Misty waved meekly at the large, gray unicorn, still sensing that there was something a little off here.
"I-It's nice to meet you, Alphabittle. I remember seeing you at the dance in Zephyr Heights," Misty greeted.
"Alphabittle, is everything okay?" Sunny asked, when she saw the stallion's almost stunned expression.
Alphabittle pulled his attention away from the mare for a second while he reached into his saddlebags.
"Sorry about the confusion, Izzy. Misty here is from Bridlewood... And I'm guessing she doesn't remember me," Alphabittle said, as he stepped towards the table, pulling a book out of his saddlebags. He opened it, and gently set it in front of Misty, and her eyes widened as she stared down at the last photograph on the page.
"Well, I suppose there is no getting around the inevitable awkwardness, Misty. I think you're my long lost daughter."
The Crystal Brighthouse had largely fallen silent as Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp had quickly gathered around Misty to stare down at the book that had been placed in front of her on the table, and one by one, their wide-eyed expressions betrayed their thoughts.
"Do... Do you know what this means, Misty?" Alphabittle heard Izzy whisper into the other unicorn's ear.
Misty forced herself to tear her gaze away from the photo in the book to glance at Izzy inquisitively.
"It means WE'RE STEP-SISTERS!!!" Izzy squeed before throwing her forelegs around Misty in an excited hug. "That is so awesomely amazing!"
Misty managed a small smile as she returned the hug as best she could under the current squeezing conditions, before returning her attention to the photograph in the book.
The filly in the old picture was her, no doubt.
"This is... This is so unexpected. I'm sorry to say that I don't remember much of anything before Opaline," she confessed.
"Queen Haven warned me that that would most likely be the case, Misty. It's alright," Alphabittle reassured her. "What's important is that I finally found you. But, who is this Opaline?"
"All I remember is being lost. She found me, and brought me to her castle. She was all I had ever known, u-until now that is," Misty answered.
"Opaline Arcana is an ancient alicorn, trying to usurp all the magic in Equestria for her own whims. She had to have gotten close to doing that, because what we know is Princess Twilight Sparkle put the magic of Equestria into the unity crystals and hid them away as ponykind began to splinter apart," Sunny explained. "She had been using Misty to spy on us, but I'm proud to say that she's seen the light, and finally gotten her cutie mark."
Misty smiled bashfully at the compliment.
"Could I see it?" Alphabittle asked.
"Absolutely," Misty answered immediately, all too eager to show off what she had yearned for for years and years. She stood up and turned around, showing him the purple and orange butterfly.
"And you just got that today?" Alphabittle asked.
"About two hours ago!" Izzy interjected. "My step-sister here has quite a bit of catching up to do. Eeee, I just love saying that!" Izzy said, unable to keep the excitement in again.
Misty lit her horn up, and carefully picked up the book with her magic, closed it, and floated it back over to Alphabittle.
"So... Now what?" Misty asked as Alphabittle accepted the book and put it back into his saddlebags.
"That's... Certainly the question now, isn't it?" Alphabittle began, as he fastened his saddlebag flap closed. "I didn't come here to interrupt whatever you've built here with your friends, Misty. I just wanted you to know that you have a family, and there will always be a place for you in Bridlewood. It would be an honor to get to know you again after all this time."
Misty was clearly touched.
"Thank you, but I'm not sure yet what kind of spare time I'll have. Part of me thinks the best decision would be to return to Opaline, to keep an eye on her," Misty answered.
Alphabittle found the answer somewhat perplexing, and he didn't want to seem rude.
"Why would you do that?" He asked.
"She doesn't know I've defected. If I can hide my cutie mark, I can keep my friends appraised of what she's up to," Misty told him.
Sunny was the first to discern that something was off from the expression on Alphabittle's face.
"We know it's risky, Alphabittle, but—"
"Risky? She'd be going back to the monster that probably took her from me in the first place! So many things could go wrong, if this Opaline so much as suspects that..."
Alphabittle took a breath, desperately not wanting to lose his temper.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, it just doesn't make sense to me. I told myself that I wouldn't come here to step on any hooves... Do what you think is best, Misty. All I want is to know that you're safe."
With that, Alphabittle got up from his seat at the table, and walked to the door, mumbling softly beneath a whisper as he went for the door, pushed them open, and stepped outside. He began trotting down the hill towards the beach, leaving the occupants of the Brighthouse just a little confused at the unicorn's abrupt visit that had ended even more abruptly...
It was only a couple of minutes before Sunny and Izzy decided that the air had not been sufficiently cleared between them and their new visitor, and so quickly trotted out after him into the Maretime Bay evening, hoping they weren't going to lose him to his head start.
Luckily, they hadn't even made it into downtown proper before Izzy pointed down at the beach, where the staunch grey unicorn stallion was sitting just beyond the tide, watching the sunset and the waves.
"Alphabittle!" Sunny called as she and Izzy galloped down into the sand towards his silhouette. "Look, don't be angry! I know this sounds risky, but—"
"Sunny, Izzy, stop!" A third voice yelled from behind them. They turned, and saw Misty coming down the hill.
"He should hear it from me," Misty definitively told her new friends. They exchanged glances, and nodded at her, heading back up to the coastal road, but stayed to keep her in sight as she slowly sauntered over to Alphabittle, and sat next to him as the evening tide continued to slosh against the sand. He glanced down at her, but stayed silent.
"I'm trying to remember you," Misty started. "I really, truly am. You obviously care about me a great deal, and I want you to know that that means a lot to me right now."
Alphabittle softly nodded, but otherwise didn't reply.
"Are you going to try and stop me? Talk me out of it?" She asked nervously.
Alphabittle took a quiet breath, looking over at his long lost daughter again.
"Barely twenty minutes... That's how long I was gone. That's how long it took for this 'Opaline' to take you away from me. I don't know if she physically snatched you, or somehow lured you out of the house... I don't expect you to remember. The point is, I've never forgiven myself for that. I had already sent the foalsitter home, I saw the storm clouds, and I didn't want to risk you getting wet and sick if I took you along to get groceries. One lapse of judgement... That's all it took."
Misty didn't know how to reply to the stallion's confession, so she just sat there silently, sensing he wasn't done.
"Stop you? No. You're a grown mare, Misty, and you can make your own choices. But talk you out of it? I'd certainly like to try. If I lost you again, Misty... I don't know if I'd be able to deal with that."
"It's... It's not set in stone. Opaline doesn't really expect me to keep 'spying' on these ponies because she assumes they know I'm still working for her. You're right... It won't be an easy guise to maintain. But she's a very real threat... The sort of danger that Equestria hasn't seen in generations, and I just feel that if I can keep an eye on her to help my new friends figure out how to defeat her... Part of me feels I should do that," Misty told him.
"I just don't want you to forget to live your life, Misty. That's something I forgot to do when you disappeared, until Izzy came into my life. I mean it; anytime you want to come see Bridlewood, you're welcome. I'd love to see you back home. You have to do what you think is best, and I get that. But if Opaline is as dangerous as you all say she is... I don't want to see you get hurt, or lose what you've just gained," Alphabittle told her, motioning down at her new cutie mark.
Misty looked back at her flank, smiling at the mark she had longed for for years.
Alphabittle stood up, and faced her.
"I think I'm gonna start heading back home. I don't think I'm going to sleep very well tonight. But I've done what I came here to do. I mean it, Misty. If you need anything, any time, come to Bridlewood, or just call me. I'm really starting to get a hang of this smartphone."
Misty nodded.
"You don't need to dig it out right now, I'll get your number from Izzy," Misty said. "And thanks. Knowing that there's somepony out there that cares about me, that means a lot. Like, a lot a lot," Misty replied.
Alphabittle stepped forward and pulled the young mare into a hug.
"I love you, Misty. Never forget that," he said, his voice wavering.
Misty returned the hug, not even able to get her front legs around the front half of his barrel.
"I love you too... Dad..."
She felt the hug tighten slightly after she said that, and he took another shuddering breath, before breaking from the embrace.
"Alright, alright. I'm not gonna get all mushy on you, don't worry. Stay safe, and I can't wait to see you again, kiddo."
With that, he turned and walked slowly up the hill, nodding at Sunny and Izzy, who had been standing and watching from a distance.
"Thank you. For showing her friendship. For being there for her," he told both of them, before continuing north down the coastal road.
Queen Haven was awakened by a knock on her chamber door. Lifting the sleep mask from her eyes, she glanced over at the night stand and saw that it was two in the morning. The knocking persisted, and she tossed the bed covers aside and swung her legs out of bed, getting to her hooves as she put on her night robe.
"By the stars, something better be on fire..." She muttered as she went to the door. She slowly pulled it open, and saw Captain Zephyrwing, standing with Alphabittle, who had looked like he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.
"Captain...? Alphie...?" She asked, wincing at the light out in the corridor.
"A thousand apologies for waking you, Your Majesty, but your instructions were to admit Alphabittle here any time he showed up, and he has specifically asked for you immediately," Zoom told her.
"Is everything okay, Alphie?" Haven asked.
Alphabittle cleared his throat.
"I'm sorry if this seems sudden, Haven. I... I was headed home, after meeting Misty. I was about halfway there when I realized that I didn't want to be alone tonight," he told her softly, so his voice wouldn't carry down the hall.
"Thank you, Captain, that will be all. Come on in, darling," Haven told him, opening the door the rest of the way as Zoom marched down the hall the way she had come. Alphabittle walked into Haven's bedroom, and she closed the door, returning the room to its previously barely-lit ambience.
"Having my dearest call on me in the middle of the night wasn't exactly how I was imagining sharing my bed for the first time in two decades, but I'll certainly take what I can get. Come to bed, and you can tell me all about your reunion in the morning," Haven told him, walking back over to her bedside, and sat down. By the time the unicorn had gone to the other side of the bed, she had pulled the covers far enough back so that he didn't have to do it himself. He gently climbed into bed, laid back, and helped Haven pull the sheets back over the two of them. The pair snuggled in together, and welcomed whatever dreams that were in store for them.
Alphabittle slowly woke up to the morning sun coming through the window, and was roused further by the bathroom door opening, and Haven came out with her mane in curlers and wearing a white bathrobe.
"Ah, about time, dearest. But with how late you got here last night, I figured you were needing a bit more sleep than I did," Haven told him as he sat up, pulling the covers off of himself.
"Am I presentable enough for breakfast?" Alphabittle asked, taking a quick look at himself in the mirror.
"You're presentable enough for me," Haven replied. "And that's all that matters."
The unicorn stallion ran a quick brush through his mane before following Haven out into the corridors and towards the dining hall.
Captain Zephyrwing was standing at parade rest at the double doors to the dining hall, and snapped to attention when Haven turned the corner along with Alphabittle.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," Zoom greeted.
"Good morning, Captain," Haven replied as the guard opened the doors for the pair of ponies. Haven took her spot at the head of the table, and Alphabittle sat down at the first available adjacent chair to her left. Like clockwork, the kitchen staff came out with a cart containing pancakes, waffles, decanters of syrup, and fresh fruit.
"Alright, Alphie. You've kept me in suspense long enough. How did it go?" Haven said, asking the question before even starting into her short stack of pancakes.
"Well, when I got to Maretime Bay, Misty and her friends were out, something to do with that baby dragon of theirs, so I stopped in for a quick bite to eat on the edge of town. Izzy got back to me soon after that, and I went inside to meet her. She was stunned at the revelation, of course, they all were. But what bothered me the most was where she has been all these years; with an ancient alicorn named Opaline."
"I recall Zipp mentioning somepony like that, an alicorn who's been after all the magic in Equestria," Haven said.
Alphabittle nodded.
"They told me she's the reason that magic was hidden away all those generations ago. She's also the one who likely took my daughter from me. Worse still, she's... She's considering returning to her, to act as a double agent for her new friends. That can't be safe, and if anything ever happened to her..." Alphabittle trailed off, forcing himself to start into his breakfast on the plate in front of him.
Haven took a quiet breath as she mulled over what the stallion had just told her.
"I certainly don't want to fill your ears with sweet nothings and reassurances, Alphie; not when you have every single right to be worried. I will say that Misty is in good hooves; her new friends were the catalyst that have reunited all of Equestria."
"I think I just have to accept being worried for the time being, Haven. They told me Opaline is the kind of threat that Equestria hasn't seen in generations, and I believe them. I just wish there was more I could do," Alphabittle told her.
"There is more you can do. Just because there's some ancient cold war brewing doesn't mean that you have to put your relationship with your long-lost daughter on hold. Keep in touch with her, and get to know her again."
"There's not exactly a lot to catch up on, I doubt she wants me to sit there while she recounts all her years with Opaline. Now she's back, out of the blue, and she has her cutie mark now."
Haven paused mid drink, and Alphabittle could see the light bulb come on over her head.
"What is it?"
"That, right there! That would be a perfect starting point! Zephyr Heights' Cutie Blossom Bash is coming up, and for the first time, we're involving all the tribes. If she's not off playing spy for Sunny and the others, see if she wants to come to that with you," Haven suggested.
"Cutie Blossom Bash? I think Bridlewood does something similar," Alphabittle replied.
"I'm sure Maretime Bay does too. In fact, I think friends and families threw individual parties every time a pony got their mark in ancient times. Well, it turns out, doing it once a year as a group is a lot more practical and cost efficient," Haven chuckled.
"But, these things are for fillies and colts half her age, even less. Not fully grown mares. Do you really think she'd want to go to something like that?" Alphabittle asked.
Alphabittle couldn't deny that it was as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders by the time he had arrived back at Bridlewood. He was still worried, no doubt, but he had done it; he had reunited with his long lost child. Granted, it hadn't been as long as he was perhaps hoping for, but she had started to build a life of her own with her new friends, and the last thing he wanted to do was butt in.
He would be here for her when she was ready.
After doing a quick walk-around inspection of the exterior of Izzy's home, he continued down the main road north into Bridlewood. He got several welcomes back into town, but strangely wasn't asked when he'd be reopening the Crystal Tea Room, as it was a fairly popular destination in town.
Of course that was because when he got to that area of the forest, the Crystal Tea Room looked open.
Raising an eyebrow curiously, he stepped forward, opened the front doors of the Tea Room, and indeed, several tables had patrons seated, even some earth ponies and pegasi who had decided to relocate to Bridlewood. He had chosen the perfect time to come in, as Oak was passing the entrance with a platter of food and drinks.
"Hey, Oak. What's going on?" Alphabittle asked, his tone more curious than accusatory.
"Hey there, Alph. You got a guest who came looking for you last night, apparently not knowing you'd be spending the night in Zephyr Heights. She's at the bar," Oak said, before continuing on his way to the table waiting for their order.
Alphabittle continued into the seating area, and his eyes widened when he saw just who was waiting for him at the bar.
"Misty...?"
The light blue unicorn swiveled on her stool, and smiled when she saw him, immediately getting up and going towards him.
"Hey dad," she greeted.
Alphabittle came forward and pulled her into a hug.
"I must say, this is quite the surprise. I... I thought you were headed back to—"
"I know, but I thought about it, and decided that I didn't get enough time with you yesterday. You did come all the way from here to see me in Maretime Bay. Besides, when I do go back, I'm not exactly going to stay. I'll need to occasionally go out for 'recon' and 'intel', and those will be perfect times to keep in touch with everypony," Misty said as she returned the embrace.
Father and daughter parted from the embrace, and Alphabittle made his way to the other side of the bar.
"So I'm guessing Oak spotted you and decided to just open up with that spare key I left him, did he?" Alphabittle asked with a smirk.
"Nothing wrong with a trip down memory lane, Alph," came Oak's reply from around the corner.
"Well, I've thought about things too, Misty. If this Opaline is as big a threat as you all claim she is, and your friendship with Izzy and the others helped pull you away from her, then it's not fair for you to take a back seat in trying to defeat her. It's not fair that they expose themselves to danger, while you hang back just because I'd worry. I'm sure they have others that worry about them. I worry about Izzy too," Alphabittle told her.
Misty gave him a smile.
"Thanks for understanding, Dad," she said.
"So, what will it be?" Alphabittle asked, motioning to all the teas on the shelves behind him, between all the trinkets that were on the left and right.
"Oh wow, I don't know. I haven't decided which one of Sunny's smoothies is my favorite. How about your best-selling tea?" Misty asked.
"That's easy. One cup of black tea, coming up," her dad replied, immediately getting to work, and within a minute, a fresh steaming cup of black tea. She gave it a few stirs, and sipped at it.
"Delicious," she complimented.
"So, anything around here jogging your memory? I brought you here on more than one occasion," Alphabittle asked her.
"I'm... Not sure. I don't remember much of anything from before Opaline," Misty answered.
"Well, that's alright. As long as you can make some new memories here. And not here as well. Queen Haven ran an idea by me, and I'd like to know what you think," Alphabittle said as he slid a serving bowl of pretzels to her.
"Sure, what did you have in mind?" Misty asked, taking a pretzel and beginning to munch on it.
"Each of the tribes used to have their own annual celebrations for ponies who have gotten their cutie marks that year, and Queen Haven has offered to hold a larger, single 'Cutie Blossom Bash' in Zephyr Heights for all three tribes. They certainly have the room for it in that banquet hall of theirs. So, what do you say? Want to go celebrate your cutie mark with your old dad?" Alphabittle asked.
Misty swallowed her nervousness as best she could.
After filling up on tea and snacks, Misty was now following her father down the path north through Bridlewood, getting friendly waves and looks, but understandably, none of recognition.
As much as she was trying, she didn't recognize anything. She was digging for memories that were too deep, or just plain weren't there to begin with.
"And here we are," Alphabittle announced, turning to the left, and Misty found them standing in front of a simple one-story tree dwelling. The stallion stepped forward, unlocked the door, and pushed it open, inviting his daughter inside. She followed him in, and took a look at her surroundings.
It was a cozy enough place. Moss covered the old tree roots that were acting as the support for the structure. A small bookshelf was mounted to the wall beside the front door, and several trophy awards on display. She took a closer look, and saw that some were for him, tea brewing competitions, and a couple others were Izzy's.
"This here used to be your room..." Alphabittle told her, as he stood in the middle of the room, stepping towards the closed door on the left. He opened it, and stepped aside, letting Misty walk in first.
"When you vanished, I kept everything just as it was, and that allowed me to take Izzy in when I found her at the Elder Bell. Then, when she grew, the room changed over the course of her fillyhood. She took most of her stuff with her when I got her the house near the south end of the forest, so this has been largely unused for now."
As Misty listened to her dad's explanation, she took in the simplicity of the room; Izzy had taken almost everything with her to her new home, and had probably done much of the same when she moved to Maretime Bay. A pair of lamps were on either side of the purple-tinted twin bed, and there was a shelf with nothing on it mounted on the wall above. A window on the right side of the room gave a nice view of the back yard.
"Dad... I know what you're thinking of doing; you want to offer me my room back. But please, don't. This room belongs to Izzy just as much as it did to me," Misty told him. She saw how he tried to hide his disappointment behind the soft smile that he had given her. "I know you want to try and pick up where we left off, but I just think we'd both end up being disappointed in that. We have to start over. All over again, just like you did with Izzy. I can't even imagine what she's thinking of doing now that we're step-sisters."
Alphabittle nodded as he stepped forward and hugged his daughter.
"You've got it, kiddo. I guess there is no perfect way for us to enter each other's lives again. There's no turning back the clock," he said, squeezing her.
