> Escape from Arora Ridge Quarry
>  by Glimbursts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugar Moonlight grinned as she led Lily and Rosedust towards a tall block of flats in downtown Zephyr Heights. It had been a long trip from Maretime Bay and all three were looking forward to a rest. However, as they approached the building, Rosedust looked more and more unhappy. “Are you sure this is the right place, Sugar?” She asked as she looked over her sunglasses at the building.

The building looked like it had seen better days. The exterior cladding may have at one time been white. However, this had faded to grey over time. Streaks of black mess ran down it from every horizontal surface. Green streaks also ran down the sides from various outlets. There was also graffiti daubed at various places around the building.

Sugar grimaced slightly but put on a brave smile. “Don’t judge a book by its cover. This is a huge opportunity for us, remember.”

“Well, it had better be better inside,” Rosedust sniffed.

“I think we wait and see,” Lily smiled optimistically. “It’s the only place we could get.” 


First impressions of the inside of the building were no better than the outside. The entrance was dank and had an odd smell. Litter was scattered all over the place. The lift had clearly seen better days and had a notice saying out of order. 

The trio therefore headed towards the stairs. The stairwells had an even stronger smell. They were concrete and utilitarian, piles of rubbish gathered in the corners. More graffiti was daubed around as well, and they looked worriedly at some of the Anti-Unity slogans.

“The apartment itself will be better,” Sugar promised. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Rosedust muttered.


When they found the apartment Sugar opened the door with excitement. She entered first, followed quickly by an equally excited Lily. However, as they looked around their excitement melted away. 

“Knew it,” Rosedust sighed. 

The apartment was furnished but there was a musty smell. The walls had dated wallpaper which upon inspection had black damp marks in the corners. The kitchen was just as dated too, the oven looking like it had come out from the previous century. However, it looked relatively clean at least.

Rosedust looked disgusted as she looked at the three single beds in the only bedroom. “So, tell me why we left Maretime Bay again?”

“Because the Twinkle Sky Modelling Agency is the best in Equestria,” Lily responded. “We need to live in Zephyr Heights if we want to make it big with them.”

“Lily’s right,” Sugar added optimistically. “This place is just a stopgap. We’re one hoof away from the big leagues thanks to all our hard work with social media.”

“And you’re sure we’ll make the big leagues?” Rosedust frowned. 

“Of course we will,” Sugar grinned. “Once we get some work then we’ll all be able to afford our own places.”

Rosedust frowned and turned her nose up doubtfully. “Oh, and how do we get work?” 

“We do what our agent says,” Sugar smiled brightly. “Trust me, he’s the best there is. Before we know it, we’ll all be moving out of here.”

Lily grinned as she put a hoof over Sugar’s shoulder. “Sugar’s right, she’s not led us wrong since CanterLogic closed.”

Rosedust sighed and finally looked a little more positive. “Okay, forming the Filly Four to take on social media together was genius. Even though we kept having to get to know new ponies for the fourth slot.”

Sugar held a hoof to her mouth as she giggled, “I can’t even remember the name of that last Unicorn.”

“I think it was Minty,” Lily replied. “Wait no, Milly.”

“No that wasn’t it,” Rosedust chuckled. “I thought it was Marcy.”

“It was something like that,” Sugar laughed. “It doesn’t matter, whoever she was she’s a nopony to us now. Let’s just try and make this place a little more habitable. Then, we’ll find out what we need to do and be out of here as soon as possible.”







However, the first months for the trio were hard. They were paid a basic rate by the Agency for just being on their books. The problem was that even by putting all three pay checks together, they couldn’t make the rent payments. Therefore, all three were forced to use their savings to make up the shortfall and pay for essentials.


They were walking together on their way back from the castle. Having been lucky enough to be in the Together Tree Garden when Sunny and her friends defeated Opaline.

“I can’t believe we got to see the Queen up close,” Rosedust smiled. 

“I know right,” Sugar grinned. “I thought it was great to finally meet our Agent face to face too.” 

“Oh, that was brilliant as well,” Rosedust giggled. “I knew he was going to be a hottie.” 

“He’s married you know,” Lily sighed.

Sugar laughed and shook her head. “From the sound of it, it shouldn’t be too much longer until we get some actual modelling work.”

“You’re right there, Sugar,” Rosedust responded with a smirk.

“Fortunately, I’ve still got enough savings to cover my contribution to this month's rent,” Sugar continued. “By next month, we should be on our way to getting out of that horrible apartment.”

“I hope you're right, Sugar,” Lily agreed.


As they continued to walk, Rosedust started hanging back and indicated for Lily to do the same. 

“What is it?” Lily asked.

“Just to let you in on a secret, I’ve already been getting lots of work,” Rosedust smirked.

“Y…You have?” Lily gasped. “Well, I did get a little work last week. I’m worried though, I don’t think Sugar’s gotten any yet.”

“Trust me, we’ll be out of that flat way before Sugar,” Rosedust advised. “If you wait for her, you’ll be stuck there for moons.”

With that, Rosedust picked up speed to catch up to Sugar. Lily blinked with confusion, feeling very conflicted. However, she grunted as she felt a tickle in the back of her throat. A tickle she’d been feeling since they’d moved into the apartment and was getting worse. She sighed as she realised, she didn’t have a choice. She had to get out as soon as possible.







Time passed and despite Sugar’s optimism she found work wasn’t forthcoming. She sighed as she exited the Pawn Shop. “I’d better get some work soon,” she muttered. “I don’t have much left. I really liked those sunglasses.”

She sighed as she arrived back at the block. As she entered, she found the lift was once again out of order, not that she trusted it anyway. She grimaced as she avoided the pile of rubbish in the stairwell which was clearly getting bigger. As she reached the apartment she couldn’t help sighing with relief.

“Lily, Rosedust, you here?” she called as she opened the door. 

Sugar stepped inside and gasped as she nearly tripped over on a pair of saddlebags. She frowned in confusion before calling out again. “Lily? Rosedust? Where are you?”

Lily gasped as she appeared from the bathroom, clutching a few toiletry items. “Oh, Sugar. I didn’t think you would be back yet.”

“W…What’s going on?” Sugar frowned. “Where’s Rosedust?”

Lily sighed as she headed to the saddlebags, depositing the toiletries inside before closing the flap. She gulped before looking back at Sugar with a guilty expression.

“Truth is, we’re both moving out,” Lily admitted. “We’ve both got enough money to afford our own places.”

Sugar’s eyes widened as she took a step backwards in shock, “W…What, how?” 

“Well, we’ve got enough modelling work on to pay for our own places,” Lily replied. “I’m sorry Sugar, I can’t stay here a moment longer. You were right about needing it but something’s affecting my health here and I need to get away before it gets any worse.”

The colour drained from Sugar's face, “B…but I’ve not done any work. I call our agent daily, but all he says is there’s nothing coming up for me. He tells me what to put on the socials but nothing changes.”

Lily sighed before coughing and trying to clear her throat. “I really don’t understand why not. Honestly, you’re a brilliant model, Sugar. I’m really sorry, but I can’t stay here anymore. It’s not doing my throat any good.”

“B…But, Lily,” Sugar pleaded. “I won’t be able to afford the rent on my own. Please, you’ve got to help me. C…Couldn’t I maybe move with you? I…I’ll cook and clean and do all the shopping and… and…”

Lily sighed as she shook her head. “My new place is only for one pony. That’s how I can afford it.”

“Lily, we’ve been through so much together, please,” Sugar begged. “You’ve got to help me somehow.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t afford to pay your rent as well as mine,” Lily replied. “To be honest, I only really became your friend in the first place to get noticed in the modelling world. But you’ve been a great friend, Sugar. I honestly really like you and I’m sorry I can’t help you. If our friendship ends here, I’ll understand.” 

Sugar blinked and looked on with shock as Lily picked up her saddle bags. Without another word, Lily walked out the apartment. Then, with a final sorrow filled look, closed the door behind her. 

Sugar sat down in shock, her mouth going dry as she stared blankly at the door.







After both Rosebud and Lily left, Sugar phoned her agent daily asking for work. She hadn’t wanted to sound desperate, but as time went on, that was what she became. Eventually, this seemed to pay off as she finally got on a photo shoot. However, it wasn’t modelling anything fancy, just household cleaning products. 

Sugar wasn’t sure that they’d even include her face in the advertisements. It was the kind of thing that she had told herself she’d never model for. However, it meant she could just about make her next rent payment with the last of her savings.


Then, after phoning her agent, she got the worst news possible.

“What do you mean I’m being let go!” she exclaimed.

“Sugar, sweetheart, it’s just you’re not wanted by anypony.”

“But…But we have a contract.”

“No, we had a contract. Check your copy, darling. Paragraph 14, subsection 2A. It states that the agency will carry out regular reviews of the models on our books. Anypony not receiving enough work will have their contract terminated.”

“You don’t understand. I need this work, there’s no way I can even afford the rent without it. I did everything you told me to do. How can you just drop me like this?”

“Listen, Sugar. Sweet name ‘n all but someponys have it and someponys don’t. It’s a cutthroat world out there and we ain’t payin’ you for doing nothing.”

With that, the agent hung up, leaving a mortified Sugar standing holding the phone to her ear as the dial tone played. 







Knowing full well that she needed money. Sugar immediately began searching for a job. Anything that would allow her to pay the rent. 

She searched newspapers, she searched websites, she searched social media. She applied for anything and everything she could. However, she never got a response from any of them. As a result, the next rent payment day came, and Sugar was unable to pay. 

She reassured herself that there would be some leeway. That it would be a few months of non-payments before she’d face eviction. However, she returned late one evening to find a letter on the doormat.

Frowning, she picked it up and opened it. Then, her blood run cold as she read it was an eviction notice.

“No, that can’t be right,” she said to herself. “It can’t be.”

She hurried to her bedroom and opened one of the drawers in the bedside cabinet. She searched through it until she found the rental agreement. Desperately, she read through it. Her eyes widened as she read the confirmation that she didn’t want to see.

“How?” she gasped as her mouth turned dry. “How can they just evict me like this?” 

Feeling numb, she looked around the flat. Confirming what she already knew, everything she could see had come with it. It wasn’t hers.

“I…I need some air,” she decided.

With that, she headed out the door and walked towards a nearby park. She had no idea the adventure that awaited her.
> Chapter One – A Grand Opening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny grinned as she skated along. The sun was beaming down over Maretime Bay, and it was a day she had been looking forward to for weeks. She’d even gone through the trouble of marking the days off on the calendar, she was that excited. 

Unlike the last time she’d counted days, she wasn’t headed to CanterLogic. Nor to the CanterLove Studios that now inhabited the same building. Instead, she was on her way to the seafront and a newly completed building that had its grand opening today.

As she skated along the seafront the building in question was clear to see. Not only was it quite large. Its white rendered walls seemingly sparkled in the sunlight. A large sign proclaimed it to be the ‘Maretime Bay Museum of Equestrian History’. 


Sunny grinned as she got closer and saw a familiar-looking Zebra pacing back and forth outside the building. She couldn’t help calling out to her, “Aunt Kendi!”

Kendi beamed as she turned and saw Sunny skating towards her. Sunny’s skates squealed in protest as she skidded to a stop in front of her surrogate Aunt. “I’m not late, am I?” 

Kendi laughed as she pulled Sunny into a hug. “Not at all, Sunny,” she beamed. “It is I who is early. Come, you must see inside. I know you will love it.”

Sunny grinned with glee. “eee! I’ve been buzzing all week just thinking about it,” she admitted. “Just let me take my skates off first. I don’t want to put marks on the floor.”


It didn’t take Sunny long to remove her skates. She hung them over her barrel as they slowly walked into the entrance foyer. As she looked around, Sunny’s jaw dropped, and her eyes widened in awe. 

This was no poky little museum, it was huge. The foyer was a massive cylinder reaching right to the top of the building, with a domed roof at the very top. Down the front, there was a series of windows which let in masses of light.

At ground level, there was a large curved desk to one side. This was set up with multiple stations for selling tickets. On the opposite side, was the bottom of a staircase that spiralled its way up the inside of the cylinder. It intersected with a balcony for each floor.

The desk was a light wood colour, whilst the walls were a gleaming white. The whole thing had a light and airy feel and was extremely impressive. 

Kendi laughed as she watched Sunny look upwards and turn around and around. Her eyes were still wide, and her mouth was agape. 

“Do you like it, Sunny?” Kendi smiled.

“Like it?” Sunny blinked. “This is amazing, how did you even afford all this?”

“Making it this large and impressive was Phyllis’s idea,” Kendi beamed. “She helped me apply for all sorts of grant funding. Before I knew it, there was more than enough money to make this museum the greatest it could be.”

“And you’ve really got enough to fill it?” Sunny blinked.

“Let us say there is room for much more,” Kendi grinned. “However, the Museum takes you on a journey through time. As well as the restaurant and gift shop, the ground floor has the earliest that we know about. Then the top floor has the most recent history, we can’t forget the individual histories from the Time of Separation. However, I suspect it is one of the middle floors you will like the most, come.”


Kendi led an excited Sunny up the staircase. It wasn’t long before they reached the floor in question. Sunny gasped as she saw ‘Time of Harmony’ written above an archway where the staircase met the floor’s balcony.

“This way, Sunny,” Kendi beamed as she headed onto the balcony. “The first room is the one I wish to show you.”

Sunny could already get a glimpse of what was inside as she walked off the staircase. They walked through another arched doorway and into a large circular exhibition room. She gasped and looked around in awe.

Straight ahead was a large image of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Clearly from partway through her reign. Her large body and long billowing mane clear indicators. There was a large area given over to describing her life and reign. The walls of this area being painted the same colour as her coat.

On either side of this, there were images and areas for each of her closest friends, the Guardians of Friendship. Each image was just as large as Twilights although their individual areas were smaller. Each one also being coloured the same as their primary coat colours.

Sunny gasped as she walked from display to display. Looking at the items within with wonder. “It’s as though my dad’s research is coming to life. Your life’s work is all here.”

In the centre of the room, there was an area given over to their combined story. From how they first defeated Nightmare Moon to when they stopped Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek.

“Princess Twilight lived for such a long time,” Sunny gasped. “I didn’t really realise how long she spent without her friends.”

“I think she always had friends,” Kendi smiled. 

Sunny finally spotted that below each image of the Guardians there was the artefact that they’d recovered from Opaline’s castle. Each being contained within a glistening display case. 

A crown for Twilight. A hat for Applejack. A flight jacket for Rainbow Dash. A rubber chicken for Pinkie Pie. A sewing machine for Rarity, and finally. A set of tail extensions for Fluttershy.

“I still cannot quite believe the tail extensions have survived,” Kendi laughed.

“Are they all safe?” Sunny asked. “Nopony is going to be able to take them?”

“Your friend Misty made quite sure of it,” Kendi reassured. “She used that sealing book.”

“The prison sphere,” Sunny gasped.

“Exactly,” Kendi smiled. “The versions Misty has created here can only be removed by her magic. Come, I want to show you this room.”

Kendi led Sunny through another archway and into a smaller room. Sunny gasped as she found it was dedicated to two ponies she knew very well. To one side there was a large image of Sunset Shimmer. On the other there was an image of Starlight Glimmer. Like the main room, the walls of the two areas were painted the same colour as their coats.

“Each of the smaller rooms here will be dedicated to Twilight’s other friends,” Kendi explained. “Or in this case, two of her students.”

Sunny gasped as she noticed the area at the back of the room. It was dedicated to when the pair time-travelled to their time. She frowned as she spotted a screen. Then, as she moved towards it, she jumped as it suddenly burst into life.

It depicted an interview Kendi had held with both Sunset and Starlight. As she watched, Sunny frowned with confusion. “I don’t remember you filming this, Aunt Kendi.”

“I had some time with them after you defeated Opaline,” Kendi explained. “I think you were busy with your cart.”

Sunny looked back at the display. She didn’t quite understand why she felt bothered about not knowing. It was just a harmless interview about their lives. 

However, then she realised, it wasn’t that which she was bothered about. There was something else Kendi had never told her, and this reminded her of it.

“Aunt Kendi,” she ventured. “Before Equestria was unified. Did you know about Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights and where they were located?”

Kendi sighed, her face falling and looking grave. “I did, Sunny,” she admitted. “I’d even visited them many times. I have friends in both of them, as well as you here in Maretime Bay.”

“So, why didn’t you tell me?” Sunny frowned.

Kendi sighed again, “Because your father made me promise not to. He didn’t want you to go running off trying to find them on your own.”

Sunny’s expression softened and she let out a sigh. “Would this be after the camping trip with Sprout and Hitch that ended in disaster?”

“Yes, yes it was,” Kendi nodded. “He didn’t want you to try following me and getting into more trouble.”

Sunny’s ears flattened against her head as she looked down sadly. “I can’t help but wonder what else he never told me,” she sighed. “There could be all sorts of stuff that could be really important.”

“I’m sure if anything was important, we would have found it in his research,” Kendi soothed.

“But I lost so much of it when the Lighthouse collapsed,” Sunny groaned before her eyes narrowed with determination. “I’m not losing hope though, I’ll find out what happened to him someday.”

Suddenly, Sunny gasped as she heard a beeping sound. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out her phone. She smiled as she read the notification. “Oh, Hitch is back!”

“Back?” Kendi questioned.

“He’s been to the Dragon Lands,” Sunny explained. “He’s dropped Sparky off there. We learnt from Twilight’s journal that there are things that she could never teach Spike. So, Spike Junior suggested we leave Sparky with him every so often. Then he can learn dragon stuff. I just hope Hitch will be okay without him.”

“Well, let’s go and meet him,” Kendi suggested. “I’m certain you will be a frequent visitor here.”

“Oh, I plan to be, don’t you worry,” Sunny grinned.


As the pair made it outside, they spotted Hitch walking towards the building. He smiled as he spotted them and made a beeline straight to Sunny, holding out a hoof. 

Sunny grinned as she held hers out towards him as well. As they met, they recited their friendship hoofshake and carried out the well-rehearsed actions.

“Up high, down low, hitch it to a post. Fip it sunny side up and on a piece of toast.”

Kendi couldn’t help laughing warmly, “I see you two are just as close as ever.”

“We save that for special occasions,” Hitch admitted. “Like me being away for a few days.”

“Speaking of, are you going to be okay without Sparky?” Sunny asked. 

“Don’t worry Sunny, he’s only having an extended holiday,” Hitch smiled. “I love him to bits but if anything this is going to be a chance to have some me time. I hadn’t realised how long it had been since I’d done something for just myself. 

“Oh, and Spike Junior says hi by the way. He’s going to come back with us when we pick Sparky up to check out the museum.”

“I will give him a personal tour,” Kendi smiled.

“Is Phyllis here yet?” Hitch asked.

“She isn’t and I am not sure she will make it,” Kendi sighed. “She told me that something has come up. She’s had to go out to one of the remote construction sites.”

“Ah, okay,” Hitch sighed.

“That’s a shame, she’s worked so hard,” Sunny agreed. “Ooh, Hitch, you have to see inside, it’s incredible, eee he he.”

“Indeed,” Kendi gasped. “Please come this way Hitch and let me show you.”

With that, Kendi led Hitch and Sunny back inside the museum.


As the time of the grand opening got closer, Kendi’s staff arrived and were soon setting up inside. Apart from the red ribbon and lectern, they also set up barriers to control the crowds. Which would be needed as crowds were already starting to build outside. 

Fortunately, Skywalk had been expecting this and therefore both Frost Wing and Sprout were already in attendance. Ensuring that everypony remained safe and those who wanted to get by could do so and carry on with their day. However, it was soon clear that pretty much everypony in Maretime Bay had purchased tickets for the opening.

“Maybe it would have been better to hold the ceremony outside,” Hitch chuckled.

“And be at the mercy of the weather?” Sunny laughed. “I told you the report was for rain, even though it’s still not arrived.”

Hitch laughed but gasped as he saw a familiar figure at the door. “Speaking of arriving.”

They both looked to see Sprout had opened the main doors just enough so both he and Phyllis could squeeze inside. Phyllis looked rather more dishevelled than her normal pristine appearance. She huffed and puffed as she tried to catch her breath.

“Mammy, are you okay?” Sprout asked worriedly.

“I’m okay, Baby. I’m okay,” Phyllis panted. “I didn’t think I’d make it. Cobalt sends his apologies.”

“Phyllis, I’m sorry, you don’t look okay,” Sunny replied worriedly. “Is everything alright? Kendi mentioned you had to go out to a remote site. I presume one for the new hydroelectric plant?”

“Well, I’m physically fine if a little out of breath,” Phyllis explained. “As for the hydroelectric construction site. There is a situation that I think I’ll need both of you to assist with. If I could have some of your time after the opening that would be appreciated.” 

“Oh, okay. No problem at all, Phyllis,” Hitch replied. 

“Sure, anything you need,” Sunny added.

“Thank you. I’d tell you more, but I don’t want anything to get in the way of this opening,” Phyllis smiled. “I’ll just go freshen up.”

With that, she headed towards the ladies whilst Sunny and Hitch looked at each other worriedly.


A short time later, the doors were finally opened and the crowds of waiting ponies were allowed inside. The media were ushered into a prime location, Pipp grinning as she joined them. Making sure she got some shots of the crowd getting their first look at the inside.

Everypony looked around in awe at the size and scale of the building’s interior. Clearly, they were just as impressed as Sunny had been. 

There was excited chatter as Sunny, Hitch, Kendi, and Phyllis approached the lectern. However, there was a collective groan as the others stopped and Hitch continued towards it alone.

“What? Don’t you like me?” Hitch smirked as he picked up a set of cards. “Welcome to the opening of, what I have to say is, the grandest building in Maretime Bay. The Maretime Bay Museum of Equestrian History is a credit to all those who worked on it. Not just the building itself but also putting together the wonderful displays that chart the history of our fair land.

“Now, it is my absolute honour as Sheriff of Maretime Bay to introduce a special pony to come up here and open this museum. Our very own, Sunny Starscout.”

There was a thankful and welcome round of applause as Hitch put the cards down and stepped to one side. Sunny grinned as she stepped forward, her powers activating with a flash as she came to the lectern. She laughed, shaking her head with a beaming smile.

“Looks like I’m doing this as an Alicorn then,” she grinned. “Thank you for the introduction, Hitch. Thank you everypony for the applause as well. I still wonder if I deserve it at times.

“Equestria’s History is something that has always been dear to my heart. It’s been a special part of my life for as long as I can remember. Thanks to the stories that my dad, Argyle Starshine, used to read to me as a filly. 

“I owe so much of who I am today to those stories. They inspired me, they inspired me to do things that many thought just weren’t possible. My father’s research forms the backbone of what you will find within this wonderful museum. However, he didn’t do it all alone and I want you all to meet somepony who helped him in many ways. Please let me introduce you all to, Kendi.”

Sunny held out a hoof as Kendi stepped forward, coming alongside her.

“It was Kendi’s expeditions that found the artefacts and stories that my father researched,” Sunny continued. “It’s from those expeditions that the majority of the artefacts found here were recovered. She worked hoof in hoof with my father and became a special part of my fillyhood. It was always an extra special day when Aunt Kendi came to visit.”

Kendi beamed as Sunny stepped to one side and she took her place at the lectern.

“Thank you, my dear, Sunny,” Kendi smiled. “Everypony, this is truly my life’s work and dreams coming to fruition. I have long dreamed of this day, but Sunny is quite correct it would not have been possible without Argyle Starshine. 

“It was his diligent research that allowed me to find so many wonderful artefacts. He was a close friend and I miss him dearly. However, the highlight of the museum and the reason you see this spectacular building is thanks to Sunny.

“On the floor dedicated to the Time of Harmony, you will find six precious objects. All are either worn or used by the Guardians of Friendship. It was Sunny and her fellow Guardians of Unity who found and recovered these items. 

“I must also pay tribute to our two time-travelling friends. Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. To actually meet ponies from the Time of Harmony was an absolute joy and their insight was invaluable. There is a section on the Time of Harmony floor dedicated to them.

“Finally, thank you. Thank you everypony for coming and being a part of this opening.”

There was a round of applause as Kendi stepped to one side and allowed Sunny to take centre stage again.

“So, before we cut the ribbon, there is one other pony here who needs a special mention,” Sunny smiled. “For us to have this impressive museum building somepony had to build it. The many construction ponies working for CanterBlocks did the work. However, it was Phyllis Cloverleaf who ensured the project remained on schedule, on budget and completed to the high standards you see before you.”

Sunny held out a hoof and there was a round of applause as Phyllis stepped forward and bowed.

“I think you’ll all agree that her teams have done a fantastic job,” Sunny smiled. “Now, it’s time I stopped talking and did some cutting with these fancy scissors.”

Sunny grinned as she picked up the golden scissors with her magic. She stepped towards the ribbon and waited as Phyllis and Kendi got into position as well. They then all posed for photographs to be taken before Sunny turned back to the ribbon.

“I declare this fantastic museum of Equestria history, open,” Sunny grinned as she cut the ribbon.

There was a loud applause as the gathered ponies stomped their hoofs with glee. Sunny and the others happily stepped to one side as the audience began making their way into the museum. Many stopping and shaking hoofs with Sunny, Kendi and Phyllis before doing so.

However, Sunny couldn’t help feeling that, behind her smile, Phyllis was a worried pony.
> Chapter Two – Stick to the Basics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst Sunny and Hitch were opening a new building, Misty was walking through Bridlewood with a massive grin on her face. She was heading towards the Crystal Tea Room for what had now become a weekly occasion. Afternoon tea with her dad, Alphabittle.

She was still beaming as she entered the tearoom. It was mostly quiet, but it was clear Alphabittle was in conversation with somepony. A strawberry red unicorn mare with a light cream mane and tail. Misty took no notice of the conversation; she looked over to the table they normally used and smiled as she spotted the reserved label. Other than the word ‘reserved’ there was an image of a butterfly on it.

Therefore, she trotted over and sat down. However, as she waited, she couldn’t help listening to the conversation. 

“Strawberry, it doesn’t matter that you’re teaching at the magic school,” Alphabittle sighed. “The books that are coming out of the old Canterlot library need to be vetted before they are reproduced.”

“So why can’t I help vet them?” Strawberry grumbled. “I’ve got a treehouse full of magic books. I’ve studied magic my whole life, now we can actually use it I’m the most advanced of any of us.”

Alphabittle sighed as he poured water into a teapot. “Need I remind you that the school can only teach magic from officially vetted books.”

“Oh, I know that and it’s another stupid rule,” Strawberry frowned. “I told you. I know more than anypony.”

“You don’t know more than Starlight Glimmer or Sunset Shimmer,” Alphabittle argued. “They taught magic to the Guardians of Unity. That means they are the ones who know the most about magic, not you.”

“Oh, it always comes back to the Guardians of Unity,” Strawberry huffed. “What’s so special about them?”

“They’ve seen what magic can do in the wrong hoofs,” Alphabittle explained. “Queen Haven agrees with the Elders, we need to be careful as we rediscover magic. One wrong spell could cause serious harm. The Guardians have been taught what to look out for. Therefore, they ensure the books that are reproduced are safe. Not you.”

Strawberry narrowed her eyes, taking a step back from the counter. “You know, I thought you’d support me,” she growled. “It seems I’ll have to take this up with Queen Haven on my own. I’ll show her what I’ve learned and that I understand magic just as much as those Guardians.”

With that, she turned and flounced away. The doorbell tinkled as she exited. 

Alphabittle sighed as he retrieved a tray of cakes from under the counter. He picked up the teapot in his magic too before heading towards where Misty was sitting. He sighed as he placed the cakes on the table and began pouring the tea. “I’m sorry you had to hear all that, Misty.”

Misty looked on worriedly as she watched the tea pouring into her cup. “Who was that? Why’s she so upset with me?”

Alphabittle sighed as he placed the teapot on a mat. “She’s Strawberry Sunflash. She’s a teacher at the new School of Magic.”

Misty couldn’t help frowning with confusion as she blew on her tea. “There’s a School of Magic?” 

“It was Queen Haven’s idea,” Alphabittle explained. “When Pegasi started flying again they had lots of injuries. So, they set up a flying school in Zephyr Heights for those who are struggling. She thought something similar would be good for Unicorns to learn magic.

“Strawberry was a teacher before magic returned. We never realised that she’d been collecting magic books from somewhere and studying them. I’d say after you, she’s the most advanced magic user.”

“So, she’s upset because she wants more books,” Misty frowned. “But I’ve been working so hard. I…I even made myself ill.”

“Oh, Misty no,” Alphabittle sighed looking worried. “How?”

“I was staying up too late,” Misty admitted. “So, I wasn’t getting enough sleep. Sunny made me promise to spend only so much each day going through the books. There’s a storeroom full of them at the Brighthouse and they keep bringing more. I don’t think I’ll ever get through them all.”

“Can’t the other’s help?” Alphabittle asked.

“Not really,” Misty sighed. “Starlight made sure I understood how spells are written so I know what they will do. Izzy’s magic doesn’t go far enough for her to understand and she gets sidetracked. Whilst Sunny can cast more advanced spells, she struggles to understand written incantations. I’m basically on my own.” 

“Just keep doing as much as you can,” Alphabittle smiled. “We’re all still learning about the basics. Strawberry is just being greedy, she can wait.”

“She sounds like she knows more than I do,” Misty sighed as she eyed up a jam tart. “I’ve only been using magic for a short time.”

Alphabittle smiled as he passed the jam tart to Misty. “You’ve had invaluable lessons from two ponies who have likely forgotten more about magic than Strawberry will ever know. She’s got a thirst for knowledge which, in her case, could be dangerous.”

Misty frowned as she chewed on the tart and sighed after she’d swallowed. “I know what it’s like though. I’m excited to learn more about magic too. But now I feel guilty, I’ve got access to those books that nopony else has.”

“Misty, that’s fine when you understand what you should and shouldn’t be learning,” Alphabittle smiled. “You are part of the group of ponies that protect Equestria from magical threats. I think it’s right that you should learn as much as you can about magic. That’s the only way you’ll help protect everypony. Got anything you’ve learned recently?”

“Oh, there is one thing I wanted to show you,” Misty smiled as her horn glowed. 

Alphabittle gasped as Misty suddenly disappeared completely. He looked around with confusion, trying to work out where she’d gone. “Misty?” 

Suddenly there was a giggle and Misty opened her eyes. Alphabittle nearly fell off his chair in surprise as he looked back at the two floating eyeballs. Misty giggled again before she reappeared completely. 

“Sorry,” she smiled. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That was incredible,” Alphabittle gasped. “So, you…”

“Turned invisible,” Misty smiled. “It doesn’t work on your eyes though, so you have to close them if you don’t want to be seen. It’s something Starlight suggested I learned. She’s still helping me.”

Alphabittle looked back at Misty with surprise, “She is? How?”

“Zipp identified a code that Starlight has left for us,” Misty explained. “There’s lots of books that she’s either written herself or helped others write. Each one has a message for us. Well, for me. Pointing me towards which spells it would be best to learn next. I’ve got a long list, I just have to find them all.”

Alphabittle smiled as he poured them both another cup of tea. “You see, how could you do that if you didn’t have access to the books?”

“I miss them,” Misty admitted. “I miss being able to ask them questions. I miss their guidance. I wish there was some way to contact them. Sunset’s journal has a message just for us at the start as well. It’s all one-way communication, them telling us things. None the other way.”

“It sounds like they must have had fun leaving things for you to find,” Alphabittle smiled. “When you were born, I never imagined you’d be at the forefront of rediscovering magic. Then you’ve been through so much with Opaline too. Misty, you make me so very proud.”

Misty smiled gratefully, a warm feeling swelling inside. However, her shoulders slumped, and she looked down worriedly. 

“It all feels like such a huge responsibility,” she admitted. “That’s why I spent so much time doing the vetting. Staying up late and getting hardly any sleep. I promised Sunny I’d only spend time in the morning doing it now. Then I spend the rest of the day doing what I want to do. Like learning magic or coming to see you.”

“Go at your own pace, Misty,” Alphabittle advised. “The Elders and Queen Haven trust you. There’s no need to push yourself too hard. Ponies like Strawberry Sunflash will have to wait.”

Misty smiled again as she finished eating another cake. “Thanks, Dad, I’ll do my best to remember that. Hoof to heart.” Then she looked down at the now empty tray and gave a sheepish grin. “So, is there any more cake?”


Elsewhere, a still disgruntled and fuming Strawberry had arrived at her treehouse. Situated on the outskirts of Bridlewood not far from Izzy’s. 

She kicked the door closed with a hind hoof as she entered, it slammed back into the frame with an almighty bang. “I can’t believe he won’t support me,” she muttered. “I was best friends with Luna1, how could he overlook that.”

At one end of the room, there was a large round rose window. In front of this, there was a reading lectern positioned to get the maximum amount of light. All around the walls, there were shelves and shelves of books. Some looked extremely old. Just like the large one that was currently sitting on the lectern. Its cover was predominantly a dark brown with embossed inscriptions in gold shadowed by a dark green.

“I’ll show them,” she growled. “I’ll prove to them I’m the most talented magic user there is.”

She headed towards the lectern and flipped open the large tome of spells. She flicked through the pages until she came to the one she’d been working on. “I don’t need spells to be vetted before I can use them.” 

She re-read the spell a few times. Then, with a confident smirk, she turned towards a Venus flytrap plant that was growing in a pot to one side of the lectern. She fired a beam of teal magic from her horn at the plant. Nothing happened.

Frowning, she tried again. The beam of magic hit the plant and she growled with annoyance as again nothing happened.

“Why isn’t it working?” she growled. “There’s got to be something wrong with this spell.”

With an angry scowl, Strawberry looked at the spell once more. Then with an angry cry, she fired one final beam of magic at the plant. This time, something happened, this time the plant started to grow.

“YES!” Strawberry shouted with a huge grin. “I knew Earth Ponies weren’t the only ones who can do plant-based magic.”

However, her grin suddenly changed to one of confusion. The flytrap was getting bigger and bigger. “Wait, that’s enough,” she said. “You don’t need to get any bigger than that.”

The flytrap seemingly didn’t hear her as it continued to increase in size. Even the pot was getting bigger and bigger. Strawberry desperately turned back to the book but yelped as one of the flytraps snapped out towards her. She jumped back just in time and gasped as the plant grew so large that it knocked the lectern over. The book flew off and onto the floor under the window.

“No, stay back,” Strawberry yelped. 

She tried to run towards the door, however the flytrap snapped out again. Strawberry cried out in desperation as she dodged one of the traps. However, another lashed out and she couldn’t dodge it fast enough. It snapped closed around her, trapping her inside. “NO! SOMEPONY, HELP ME!”


Meanwhile, Alphabittle and Misty had finished their afternoon tea and were heading towards Izzy’s. Alphabittle smiled as they trotted along, “So, any idea what she’s been working on?”

“Not a clue,” Misty admitted. “I know she keeps coming back and forth between here and the Brighthouse on her scooter.”

They both frowned as they heard shouting in the distance. “Wait, what’s that?” Misty gasped.

“I don’t know but somepony shouting in Bridlewood normally means trouble,” Alphabittle frowned. “Come on.”

Misty squeaked as Alphabittle started to gallop, gasping she hurried to keep up. Her insides churned as she struggled between the urge to run in the other direction and to go and help somepony who could be in trouble.


They soon arrived at Strawberry’s house, both gasping in shock at what they saw. The flytrap had grown so large that it had erupted out of the door and windows. Its traps were wobbling around in the breeze, snapping out at anypony who dared get close.

The reason they dared get close was the unfortunate Strawberry who was pawing at the barbed bars of the trap she was caught within.

“Somepony, please help me!” Strawberry cried desperately. “I don’t want to become the first pony eaten by a plant.”

However, all of Strawberry’s cries for help were attracting ponies to come near enough to become trapped. Many had already fallen victim and Jasper gasped as he accidentally got too close. A trap lashed out towards him and snapped closed around him. “Aaah, help!” he cried.

“Everypony get back,” Alphabittle ordered. “Stay well back from it.”


Misty’s eyes were wide as she looked on in horror. She panted and panted as she struggled with conflicting emotions. She felt an urge to run away, to get well away from this beastly plant. However, she also saw the terrified expression on Strawberry’s face. The desperation on Jaspers. 

Gulping, she knew in her heart she had to help. With a deep breath, her eyes narrowed, and she looked on with determination. “Dad, I’ve got this.”

Alphabittle gasped as Misty galloped forward. However, his look of shock quickly changed to one of admiration. “You can do it, Misty,” he breathed.


Misty narrowed her eyes as she saw a trap streaking towards her. Wide open, ready to snap closed around her. However, her horn glowed and she fired a powerful beam of magic at the trap. There was a boom as a huge hole appeared in the trap, right in the centre.

Misty dodged as the remains of the trap fell harmlessly to the floor. Another trap shot towards her, but this time she let it come. She teleported just as it got to her, appearing behind it. She fired a beam at the stem and cut it off. Once again, the severed trap fell harmlessly to the floor.

Strawberry blinked with shock as she watched Misty, dodging and effortlessly cutting off traps. 

Then, Misty yelped as a trap appeared from behind her. This time, it slammed closed around her, and a cloud of dust was kicked up. All those watching gasped, thinking the worst.

However, the dust cleared and it was clear the trap wasn’t fully closed. Its barbed leaves were held open by a glistening shield. It trembled with effort as it tried in vain to break through this to the pony within. 

Misty frowned and teleported, the shield disappearing, and the trap slamming shut in thin air. She reappeared before the now-closed trap, severing it from the plant with a swish of her horn. 


It took some time, but Misty had eventually pruned away all the empty traps. All that remained were the traps that had successfully captured unfortunate ponies.

One by one, Misty began the task of cutting the ponies free. However, after she’d cut a thankful Jasper out, Misty gasped as more traps emerged from the treehouse.

Grimacing, Misty spotted that Strawberry was the only pony left. “Please don’t leave me here,” Strawberry said desperately.

“I’m not going to,” Misty reassured as she jumped back from a trap as it snapped out at her.

She cut the trap away before teleporting, appearing in the air above the trap that held Strawberry. She shot a beam at the stem of the trap, cutting through effortlessly. 

Strawberry cried out in surprise as the trap fell with her still trapped within it. However, the trap took the brunt of the impact as it hit the floor.

“Oof,” Strawberry groaned. “What sort of a rescue is this?”

“A quick one,” Misty advised as she reappeared in front of the trap.

“Who are you?” Strawberry gasped.

“I’m Misty Brightdawn,” Misty replied as she took Strawberry’s hoof in her own and then teleported them both. 

They reappeared in front of the crowd, a safe distance from the flytrap. Strawberry gasped with surprise, jumping to her hoofs, and looking around with confusion. “What, how, huh?”

“Strawberry, what spell did you use?” Alphabittle demanded.

Strawberry shook her head and looked at Alphabittle. “A growth spell, if Earth Ponies can do plant magic why not us Unicorns?”

“Where’s the book you used?” Misty asked.

“Why?” Strawberry asked defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

Misty sighed and lifted a hoof towards the plant. “Because it’s still growing,” she explained. “I need to see the book if I’m going to stop it.”

Strawberry looked back at the flytrap as there was a shattering of glass. One of the upstairs windows suddenly broke and another group of traps emerged from it.

She sighed and looked at Misty with resignation. “There’s a large round window in the main room. The book was on top of a lectern in front of that window. I think it fell to the floor directly below the window.”

Misty only nodded in reply and ran back towards the flytrap. A look of determination on her face despite her insides screaming at her to run the other way. However, she ignored them, she had come this far and needed to finish the job.


She fired a beam at the doorway, cutting through the multiple stems that were blocking her way. Creating enough space, she ran through and into the house. 

There were so many stems that there was barely any space to move. She spotted the window and started squeezing her way through the stems towards it. Then she saw there was a gap low down and knelt down in front of it. Without thinking, she started crawling her way through the gap.

However, she realised too late that this had been a mistake. Misty squeaked in surprise as the trap she’d crawled into suddenly clamped closed around her from above.

Wide-eyed and desperate, Misty immediately began struggling. However, she quickly realised that wasn’t going to work. The trap was clamped tightly around her and seemingly squeezed her tighter as she struggled. Escaping via struggling would be impossible. Desperately, she fired a powerful blast of magic straight into the heart of the trap.


Outside, Strawberry squeaked in shock as the powerful beam shot through the wall of her home. “What is she doing in there?” 

“Fighting the giant pony-eating plant you created,” Jasper retorted.

Strawberry looked on wide-eyed as a few more beams blasted through the walls of the house. Finally, there was a flash as Misty appeared, panting as she held a large tome. Dark brown with embossed inscriptions in gold shadowed by a dark green. 

“Is this the book?” Misty panted.

“Y…yes,” Strawberry gasped. “But what did you do to my house?”

“That doesn’t matter now,” Alphabittle responded. “Which spell was it?”

Strawberry looked confused but Misty was already turning the pages of the book. Holding it in her levitation as she scanned them. Finally, she turned the book towards Strawberry, “This one?”

Strawberry looked and nodded, “Yes, yes that’s the one.”

Misty frowned as she turned the book back and studied the spell. “It’s not meant to be used on plants like flytraps,” she explained. “It’s supposed to be used on seeds. To make them bigger so they grow into bigger plants. If you use it on a fully grown plant they’ll keep getting bigger until you use the companion spell to make them stop.”

“So, is there one to make it smaller?” Alphabittle asked. 

Misty turned the page and smiled, “Yes, there is.”

She studied the incantation and then turned around looking determined. Taking a wide stance, she placed the book down before she closed her eyes to concentrate. Then, opening her eyes she fired a beam of magic at the flytrap.

A glow of magic grew out through the plant from where Misty’s beam hit it. Then, it began to shrink and disappeared back inside the house. The gathered ponies suddenly cheered and applauded.

“Three cheers for Misty Brightdawn,” Jasper shouted. “Our Guardian of Unity.”

Misty gasped as she turned and looked around the gathered ponies in shock as they all shouted. “Hip, Hip. Hooray! Hip, Hip. Hooray! Hip, Hip. Hooray!”

Strawberry wasn’t listening, she was too fixated on the book. She picked it up in her levitation and moved it towards herself. Only to gasp as Alphabittle intercepted it and grabbed it with a hoof.

“No, I’m sorry Strawberry but this is clearly a book that’s not been vetted,” he frowned. “Where did you get it?”

“A lifelong friend gave it to me,” Strawberry growled. “One that a certain somepony used to call a friend too.”

Alphabittle’s eyes widened, and he gulped before he regained his composure. “Well, it’s going to be vetted now. Somepony could have been hurt because you didn’t know what spell you were using.”

“I did know,” Strawberry gasped. “I maybe skipped one tiny detail, but we can’t all learn magic if we restrict ourselves to the very basics.”

“The basics are all we should be working on right now,” Alphabittle sighed. “Somepony could get seriously hurt if the wrong spells are used. You’ve just proven that.”

Strawberry’s eyes narrowed as she scowled at Alphabittle. Then, she thrust an accusing hoof in Misty’s direction. “What? Like my poor house hasn’t been hurt by her random beams? Just how does she know shields, beams, and teleports anyway?”

“Because Starlight Glimmer taught me,” Misty responded. 

Strawberry’s face went blank, and she blinked with surprise. “Y…You’re the one doing the vetting,” she gasped before her eyes narrowed again. “But you’re so young! I’m old enough to be your mother.”

“Age has nothing to do with it,” Alphabittle replied sternly as he stepped between Misty and Strawberry protectively.

Strawberry’s eyes widened as she looked between Alphabittle and Misty, putting two and two together. Then, she looked at Alphabittle with understanding before she headed back towards her home without another word.

After watching her go, Alphabittle sighed and held the book out towards Misty who looked on worriedly.

“I don’t know what we’d have done if you hadn’t been here, Misty,” Alphabittle admitted.

Misty gulped as she took the book and looked back at Strawberry’s house worriedly. She didn’t like the feeling that she’d just made an enemy.
> Chapter Three – Hearing the News
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Sunset and Starlight had returned to their own time. Starlight’s little bedroom had been made into a guest room.2 

Meanwhile, Pipp had turned the area where Sunset’s bed had been positioned into a small filming studio for her videos and livestreams.3 This consisted of nothing more advanced than a sofa, a green-painted wall, a camera, and a set of lights. Pipp had also added bookshelves on either side which she’d filled with various items that related to her channels.


Pipp grinned as she sat on the sofa shooting a news update. She preferred to livestream these but had taken the wishes of her star guest into consideration.

Misty sat nervously next to Pipp on the sofa. Trying to smile into the camera as her friend started recording.

“Hey there, Pippsqueaks. Ya girl Pipp here with a Brighthouse news update. This time we’ve got two massive items of news for you. A grand opening and a grand battle!

“Next to me, is our very own Misty Brightdawn. Fresh from her one-on-one battle with a terrifying out-of-control giant flytrap that tried to gobble up the residents of Bridlewood.”

Misty couldn’t help squeaking as Pipp held a hoof in her direction and plastered a terrified grin on her face. “H…Hi,” she said meekly.

Pipp slumped forward and sighed as she pressed a button on her remote to stop the camera recording. “Oh, come on, Misty,” she wined. “You can do better than that.”

Misty sighed, looking at Pipp with sorrow-filled eyes. “I…I can’t. It’s too scary, all those ponies watching.”

“But they’re not watching,” Pipp blinked. “Not yet anyway. I told you. I’ll make sure the best take is used.”

“I know, but just the thought that all those ponies will be watching me makes my fur tingle,” Misty sighed.

Pipp sighed and looked at Misty with concern. “But Misty, you did that interview for the television.”

Misty sighed and looked at Pipp with sorrow. “Yeah, but I didn’t do it very well.”

Pipp blinked with confusion. “Misty, I’ve seen it. You were brilliant.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Misty sighed. “I was terrified, and they didn’t get anything useful at all.”

Pipp frowned, she’d seen the interview in question. Misty had been chatty and bubbly, just as she was around her friends. Suddenly, Pipp realised how they could have done it. Carefully, she set the camera recording again without Misty noticing.

“Misty, you saved so many ponies,” Pipp smiled. “You’re a hero.”

“I didn’t feel like a hero,” Misty admitted. “I just did what I could to help. I wasn’t brave. I was terrified.”

“But you overcame that fear,” Pipp beamed. “You managed to put it to one side and not let it stop you from helping. That makes you the bravest pony I know.”

Misty blushed slightly, looking down bashfully.

“Come on, Misty,” Pipp smiled warmly. “I want to hear you tell me what happened, in your own words.”

Misty sighed and looked back at Pipp’s smiling face. “Well, my dad and I were….”


When Pipp eventually finished the video a few days later she made sure Misty was the first to see it. They both sat in the living area as Pipp cast it to the TV. Outside, the rain that had been forecast had finally arrived with a vengeance.

Misty sighed as the video finished. “So, you filmed me without me knowing?”

“I did,” Pipp sighed. “I hope that’s okay, Misty. But if you don’t like how I did it, I won’t upload it.”

“Of course, you should upload it,” Misty gasped. “I think you did the right thing. As awful as that may sound. I just get so worried and scared sometimes that I can’t think straight.”

Pipp smiled as she put a reassuring hoof around Misty. “I’d never put anything up without you or anypony else knowing. I just wanted to make sure you came across in the video the same as we all see you.”

“I know,” Misty smiled. “I trust you, Pipp. Thank you for being honest. Hit that upload button.”

Pipp smiled as she did so. Blinking as Izzy and Zipp entered and sat down.

“You done with the TV?” Zipp asked. “We wanted to check the news bulletin.”

“Why?” Pipp frowned. “The TV News is always so behind.”

“Yeah, but we wanted to see if Misty or Sunny appeared again,” Izzy beamed.

“Also, mom said we should watch, remember,” Zipp winked.

“Oh, I’d forgotten about that,” Pipp frowned. “I wonder why.”

Zipp smiled as she picked up the remote and pressed a few buttons. “Well let’s find out.”

“Sunny!” Izzy shouted as the TV burst into life. “You joining us?”

“In a minute,” Sunny shouted absently from the kitchen. 


On the TV, a jingle played as the camera swooped down towards a desk where two familiar ponies were sitting.

“This is Sky Silver here alongside Dazzle Feather,” Sky smiled. 

“Bringing you the latest news from across all Equestria,” Dazzle grinned.

Then, Sky looked seriously into the camera as a graphic appeared behind them both. “Our top story tonight is the protests by extremist group, Pegasus for Pegasi.”

“They brought the centre of ZH to a standstill this morning,” Dazzle explained. “As they protested against the rising number of Earth Ponies moving from Maretime Bay to Zephyr Heights.”

“Protesters carried out a slow walk and fly through the streets for many hours this morning. Causing untold delays and disruption to many ZH residents,” Sky explained. “Our very own Dazzle Feather managed to get this report from the scene.”

The screen cuts to a group of Pegasi slowly walking and flying through the centre of Zephyr Heights. All carrying placards with various anti-unity slogans painted on them. They created a wall of Pegasi, stopping others from easily flying or walking past.

At the front, a mint green Pegasus mare was shouting.

“Earth Ponies are moving in and taking our homes and jobs,” she shouted. “ZH is for Pegasi and Pegasi alone. We shouldn’t be standing idly by and seeing our proud Pegasus heritage being undermined.”

Then, Dazzle came alongside the Pegasus, holding a microphone. Her camerapony clearly walking backwards to get the shot. 

“Excuse me, Dazzle Feather here from Equestria News. Could you tell everypony back home who you are and what your protest is about?”

“I’m Minty Cloudstrike, leader of the Pegasus for Pegasi movement. There are far too many Earth Ponies moving into Zephyr Heights. They’re taking Pegasi jobs and Pegasi homes. Our aims are simple, to highlight the issue and demand something be done about it. Queen Haven, you’d better be listening to this.”

“Thank you, Miss Minty Cloudstrike,” Dazzle smiled before she hurried away. 

The TV cuts back to the studio to see Sky smiling into the camera. “We contacted the castle for comment and received this statement.”

The screen cut to a written statement that Sky read out.



All within the Castle of Zephyr Heights are saddened by these displays of Anti-Unity. We remind all ponies that amendments to employment law have been made to ensure equal opportunities. Candidates for roles that could be carried out by any race of pony should not receive discrimination. There is equal opportunity for all in Zephyr Heights, the same as there is in Maretime Bay and Bridlewood.

We actively encourage the movement of Ponies between our communities to increase diversity. Work to increase the amount of affordable housing within all communities to accommodate this is ongoing.

The greatest period of Equestrian history occurred during a time of cooperation between all three pony kinds. However, the independent heritage of Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies is equally important, and we strive to protect it. Queen Haven encourages the members of Pegasus for Pegasi to meet with her to discuss their concerns and worries.




Pipp sighed as she looked at Zipp. “I can’t believe that Minty really still hates Earth Ponies.”

“You know her?” Izzy gasped.

“Yeah, she was one of the cooks in the palace,” Zipp explained. “She left after unification.”

“She’s been popping up at all sorts of protest rallies since,” Pipp sighed. “She’s turned into an extremist campaigner.”

“Isn’t that similar to Sunny?” Misty asked. “She campaigns for all sorts of things as well.”

“Yeah, but Sunny campaigns for new things that can improve our lives,” Zipp explained. 

“Like the community garden,” Pipp smiled.

“Exactly,” Zipp grinned. “Minty Cloudstrike is campaigning against things. She wants to stop things, like that new Hydro Plant CanterBlocks are building.”

“Oh yeah, she’s got a whole social media campaign going against that,” Pipp nodded. “All she seems to want to do is stop things from happening.”

Suddenly, their discussion was interrupted by the doorbell. Sunny immediately hurried from the kitchen to the door. Almost like she’d been expecting it.


Sunny opened the door to find a wet and bedraggled Phyllis standing in the rain. However, she was clearly far more worried than you would expect from being wet.

“Phyllis, come in, come in,” Sunny gasped.

“T…Thank you, Sunny,” Phyllis said worriedly. “Is Hitch here?”

“Not yet,” Sunny sighed. “I haven’t said anything to the others yet either. We need him to be here first.”

Phyllis nodded as she walked through the door. The others looked at each other with confusion. Something was clearly happening, but they weren’t in the loop.

Sunny was just about to close the door when her ear twitched. She thought she’d heard a voice and looked outside to see Hitch galloping through the rain towards the Brighthouse. She held the door open as he skidded to a stop inside.

“Thanks, Sunny,” Hitch gasped as he shook his mane. “Sorry, I wanted to beat Phyllis here but couldn’t get away from the office.”

“It’s okay, Hitch,” Sunny smiled. “You’re not that far behind her.”

Zipp frowned as she stood up and looked towards the trio, “Yo, Sunny. Want to fill us in? What’s up?”

“Sorry, Zipp,” Sunny sighed. “There’s some trouble and I needed to wait for Phyllis and Hitch to be here to explain. They know all the details better than I do.”

Pipp frowned as she turned off the TV. “Okay, this sounds serious.”

“It kind of is, Pipp,” Hitch sighed as he walked into the living area proper. “Ponies are going missing.”

“Missing,” Misty gasped, her eyes widening in shock. “Who?”

“Workers from my remote hydroelectric construction sites,” Phyllis sighed as she sat down. “Specifically, Earth Ponies. I’ve been going back and forth between here and there so many times since the Museum opened. It’s wearing me out.”

“So, how does this involve us?” Pipp frowned before she looked around at the others. “I don’t like hearing Ponies are disappearing but is that part of what we do?”

“Phyllis spoke to both me and Sunny after the Museum opening,” Hitch explained. “Skywalk and I sent Sprout to keep an eye on things and gather information. But we haven’t heard anything from him since.”

Phyllis suddenly seemed to look even more distressed than she was already. “I found out today. H…He’s one of the ponies that disappeared. His phone was found on the ground this morning. It looks like it had been there for a few days. My Baby has just vanished into thin air.”

“Two others disappeared as well,” Hitch revealed. “This is getting bigger than I can handle and Queen Haven is trying to avoid calling in the Equestria Guard.”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Zipp frowned as she shook her hoofs. “Okay, firstly why wasn’t I told earlier? I’m the detective here. Secondly, why avoid calling in the Guard?”

Hitch sighed and looked down at the ground with resignation. “We couldn’t involve too many ponies until we had more information. I wanted to tell you but was overruled.” 

“We had no clue what was happening,” Phyllis sighed. “My workers could have just been leaving without telling me. I gave Sprout complete authorization to go everywhere without question. So, we didn’t realise he was gone, and it tears me up.”

“Things have changed rapidly since Sprout’s disappearance was confirmed,” Hitch clarified. “The hydroelectric scheme is a big deal.”

“There are multiple sites for the scheme,” Phyllis explained. “However, the whole project is far bigger than that. At the moment, Queen Haven wants to keep the entire scope as secret as possible. But, I’m able to tell you.

“Whilst constructing the power plant, we’re developing new tunnelling technologies. Technology that will be needed for the next phase of the project, connecting Maretime Bay, Bridlewood and Zephyr Heights together by rail.”

“Really!” Izzy exclaimed. “That’s amazing!”

“That will transform so many lives,” Pipp gasped. “Instead of it taking days to trot between everywhere it’ll…”

“Take an hour or two at most,” Sunny continued. “Honestly, I had an inkling. During one of my meetings with Phyllis about repairing this place. She asked me about how rail worked in the Time of Harmony.”

“I spoke to Sunset and Starlight about it too,” Phyllis confirmed. “Sunset mentioned how in her Human World they used electricity to power their trains. That’s what we’re looking to do. Given Maretime Bay has trams we’ve been given the lead on the project.”

“So that’s why you need the power plant,” Misty blinked.

“Yes, but there’s a growing number of ponies that see it as destructive,” Phyllis sighed. “They see the power plant as unnecessary and can only see the damage that building it causes to the natural environment.”

“Minty Cloudstrike,” Zipp gasped. “Everything she’s campaigning against is in direct competition with what CanterBlocks is doing.”

“And her followers are growing by the day,” Hitch revealed. “That’s why Queen Haven wanted to keep these disappearances quiet. She’s worried about interspecies relationships breaking down.”

“Wait? Why would that happen?” Zipp frowned. “You’re going to tell me there’s more to this aren’t you.”

“There’s another complication,” Sunny sighed. “Earth Ponies aren’t just disappearing from the construction sites. They’re disappearing from Zephyr Heights as well.”

“News of the disappearances has been kept as quiet as possible,” Hitch explained. “Queen Haven wanted to avoid a panic, or hoofs being pointed.”

“Hoofs that would be pointed at Pegasus for Pegasi,” Zipp frowned. “Their sudden rise seems oddly coincidental to all this.”

“Okay, this is getting more and more serious by the second,” Izzy gasped. “Everything you’re saying is bad news.”

“Well, we’re going to turn that around,” Sunny said confidently. “I spoke to Queen Haven this afternoon. I’ve offered our assistance.”

“Okay, that’s fine but I still could have been way further along in solving this if you’d told me sooner,” Zipp sighed.

Sunny grinned confidently, “Don’t worry, Zipp. I already have a plan to speed things along. It’s only Earth Ponies that have gone missing and I’m an Earth Pony who has magic.” Her powers activated, her wings spreading wide for emphasis. “I’ll be able to catch these activists in the act and hopefully persuade them that it’s the wrong cause to be fighting for.”

“Woah, woah, woah! Cool your jets, Sunny!” Zipp exclaimed as she waved her hoofs back and forth. “We’re nowhere near ready for any sort of action like that. Hitch, I want all the information you have on these disappearances. Then I can investigate this properly and we can take it from there.”

Sunny frowned as Hitch produced a folder. He placed it on the coffee table and extracted the papers, spreading them out on the table. “I knew you’d say that and that’s why I wasn’t here sooner,” Hitch smiled. “This is all the information I have right now. More and more information is coming too. Yellow paper for the construction sites, green for Zephyr Heights.”

Zipp immediately began picking up papers and reading through them. Sunny looked and blinked with surprise as she spotted the photo of one of the victims. “Sugar?” she breathed.

“What was that, Sunny?” Misty asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing important, Misty,” Sunny smiled. “Come on, let’s leave Detective Zipp to her work. Phyllis, you look like you could do with something to eat.”

“Oh, only if that’s not too much trouble, Sunny,” Phyllis gasped. “I…I’m just so worried about my baby Sprout.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Phyllis,” Sunny smiled. “I bet the training he got from the Guard has put him in good stead for this. Come on, I’ll make you something. It’s no trouble at all.”

“Don’t stay up too late, Zipp,” Pipp frowned as she followed Sunny and the others to the kitchen.

“I won’t,” Zipp responded. “There’s not that much here.”





The next morning when the others came down for breakfast. They found Zipp waiting for them in front of a case board. The images and names of the ponies that had disappeared were positioned around the edge. Red threads connected the images to anything which linked more than one pony together. 

“Woah, you’ve been busy,” Izzy gasped.

“You didn’t stay up all night, did you?” Pipp frowned.

Zipp smirked, “Do I look sleep-deprived to you? Honestly, this was pretty easy. With the names of the ponies, I could dig up all their info pretty quickly and then connect things together. There is one massive problem though.”

“Which is?” Sunny frowned.

“There is only one thing that links all the victims together,” Zipp explained. “The fact they are all Earth Ponies.”

“There’s still lots of lines here though,” Izzy smiled. “It looks like a pretty spider web.”

“There are lots of lines because the ponies either live in Zephyr Heights or work at the Construction Sites,” Zipp clarified. “There’s only one or two that live in Zephyr Heights and work for CanterBlocks as well.”

“So, we can rule out the possibility that CanterBlocks is being specifically targeted,” Hitch deduced. “Zephyr Heights is huge; do we know where the ponies were disappearing specifically?”

“Thanks to some CCTV help we do,” Zipp smiled. “They all disappeared from one park.”

Zipp flipped the board over. The same photos ran around the edge of the board. However, in the middle, there were two maps. One of the construction sites and one of a park. 

There were red and yellow threads this time. They ran from the pictures to a point on either of the two maps.

“Red threads show we know the exact position of the disappearances,” Zipp explained. “Yellow, we don’t know exactly. In the case of the park, they show where the pony entered. Annoyingly, the CCTV in the park has been on the fritz for moons.”

“So, do we know who’s entered and exited the park around the times of the disappearances?” Sunny asked.

Zipp looked down and sighed, “That’s being worked on currently. But early indications are there’s no commonality. Just ponies going around their normal business. The only common thing is it’s normally late at night and therefore the park is quiet.”

“Soooo, was anything left behind in the park?” Misty asked, trying to be helpful.

“Same as all the victims we know the locations for,” Zipp explained. “Anything they had which is electronic was left behind.”

“That’s oddly specific,” Pipp gasped.

“Not really,” Zipp countered. “If you’re ponynapping somepony you don’t want them to have their phone. If they did, they could be tracked. Experts at Zephyr Heights have already been gathering info off the victims' phones. If we have their phone, we know roughly when they disappeared.”

Misty frowned, holding a hoof up to her chin in thought. “What about magic? I think I remember seeing a tracing spell in one of the books.”

“The park is a public place,” Zipp sighed. “Unicorns use it all the time, there’s nothing to stop them from using magic there.”

“Phyllis confirmed they use magic at the Construction Sites too,” Hitch added.

“Moms already had the park closed,” Zipp informed. “Officially it’s closed for maintenance. There is one final clue though.”

“Which is?” Sunny frowned.

“There’s a time pattern,” Zipp replied. “The disappearances appear to occur on a set schedule.”

“I hate to say it,” Pipp sighed. “But I’ve thought of the one thing that ties everything together.”

“Which is?” Hitch frowned.

“Minty Cloudstrike,” Pipp replied.

“Well ahead of you there, Sis,” Zipp responded. “Her campaigning makes her the prime suspect. Not only is she against Earth Ponies being in Zephyr Heights but she’s also against the Hydroelectric Scheme.”

“If she knew about the rail links, I bet she’d be against that too,” Pipp added. “It would conflict with her campaign about preserving Pegasus heritage.”

Sunny grinned, stepping forward as her powers activated and she spread her wings wide. “Which means with all that information we need action. I can be the bait to draw out Minty Cloudstrike.

“Then I’ll have a one-on-one discussion with her. Campaigner to campaigner. The Time of Separation is just as much a part of our history as the Time of Harmony. There’s a whole floor in the new Museum dedicated to that time and the individual history and customs we created.”

“What? No, Sunny,” Hitch gasped. “That won’t work. How can you of all ponies be bait? Everypony knows you have powers.”

“Besides, we ought to gather more intel first,” Zipp responded. “Based on the schedule, the next disappearance would be tomorrow night at the park. Then there’s a gap before the next one at the construction site. We can check it out and see what happens. Then, we’ll know what we're up against and have time to plan a proper sting operation before the next one.”

“But just think of all those poor Earth Ponies who are who knows where,” Pipp argued. “We need to find them, and once Izzy and I are done with Sunny nopony will recognise her.”

“Yeah, we can’t leave them trapped wherever they are for that long,” Izzy grinned. “Sunny will be able to talk some sense into these activists. I know she will.”

“But we don’t even know for sure it’s Minty Cloudstrike behind it,” Zipp argued. “I mean, she’s prime suspect right now but I want to check out what she’s been doing. I can’t because I’m waiting on the access to do so. Sunny, you could be taken anywhere and have no way of contacting us.”

“Yes, she will,” Misty said confidently before squeaking as all eyes turned towards her. “Ah, urm. That is, I’ve just gotten this spell book that includes a chapter on messaging spells. The simplest one would allow Sunny to communicate with me directly.”

Sunny grinned, stomping her hoofs with excitement. “eee, that means I’ll not only be disguised. I’ll be able to tell you where I am so you can come and help me save everypony.”

“That’s only if you’re actually taken,” Pipp grinned. “We can catch the culprit red hoofed. Then they can tell us where the ponies are.”

“Are you sure they’d have red hoofs?” Izzy blinked. “Ponies have all sorts of different coloured hoofs. Isn’t hoof polish expensive in that colour?”

As Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, and Misty continued to plan. Zipp and Hitch looked at each other with bewilderment. It seemed they’d somehow been outvoted despite their increased experience in these matters.
> Chapter Four – Meet Moondust Twinkle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After that morning’s meeting, despite their reservations, Zipp and Hitch threw themselves into planning. If Sunny was going to play bait, they were going to ensure that she was as safe as possible. 

Meanwhile, Misty spent time working with Sunny throughout the day. The messaging spell was simple enough and once it had been explained to her, Sunny had no issues casting it. Despite this, Misty had her practice and practice over and over, just to be sure. 

They started to look at teleportation. However, just like every time previously, Sunny continued to appear the wrong way up. Misty was starting to think Sunny's mind was wired differently from hers, nothing seemed to work.

Izzy and Pipp meanwhile started planning Sunny’s disguise. The problem was they had far too many ideas and options. Therefore, Pipp decided they’d just go with the flow the following morning.







So, the following morning, Pipp led Sunny and Izzy towards Mane Melody. All three were excited but Sunny seemed to be even more so. She giggled and laughed as she walked along and wasn’t paying attention. Pipp grunted as Sunny bumped into her for the third time. “Woah, Sunny. It’s a good job you’re not skating. You’d be crashing all over the place.”

Sunny laughed as her powers activated. “I’m sorry, Pipp. I’m just buzzing! This is all so exciting, eee!”

Izzy looked on worriedly as Sunny fluttered her wings. “Sunny, I thought you had control of your powers. They’d better not pop out like that later.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Izzy. I do have control of them,” Sunny responded reassuringly. “I could have easily stopped them just now, but I feel like a big ball of excited energy! I want to let it all out before it gets serious later. Honestly, maybe I should have gone for a quick skate around town this morning. Going really fast would do it!”

“Yas, that’s the way, Sunny,” Pipp grinned. “I often try to work through performance jitters like that. Get them all out of your system before it’s time to get serious.”

“But Sunny doesn’t look jittery to me,” Izzy frowned. “She’s excited like it’s the first day of Wishiehoof, or it’s the first day of Summer. Ooh ooh, or the first day of Autumn with all those crunchy leaves to play in. You can make great big piles of them then crash into them to make them go flying!”

Sunny laughed as she shook her head. “It’s nearly the same thing, Izzy. I want to rescue the missing Earth Ponies as quickly as possible. If Minty Cloudstrike doesn’t appear then I’ll need to be taken, then I’ll be able to have a one-on-one with her.”

Pipp suddenly looked worriedly at Sunny. “What? Are you serious, Sunny?” she gasped. “Can’t we just catch whoever tries to take you?”

“Maybe, but it will be fine, Pipp,” Sunny reassured. “I’ve got the messaging spell down. Misty made sure of it. If things look really bad I should be able to escape.”

“Ooh, like teleporting away?” Izzy asked.

Sunny groaned and looked frustrated, “No, not yet. I still appear upside down and it’s massively disorienting. I can’t go far either.”

“Okay, well we’ll make sure this is the best disguise ever,” Izzy smiled. “I trust you, Sunny. I know you’ll talk some sense into Minty Cloudstrike.”

“I’m not sure it’s a case of talking sense into her,” Sunny admitted. “It’s reassuring her that Pegasus history is important. Also, hearing what problems there are and making sure that things are done about them.”

“Like houses,” Pipp agreed. “Mum already knows there’s a shortage. There’s a whole neighbourhood of really old tower blocks she wants to knock down and replace with new ones. Most of the flats and apartments there are so disgusting. It’s no wonder nopony wants to live in them.”

“Okay, so what this situation needs is for everypony to sit down and talk,” Sunny grinned. “If Minty and Queen Haven have a discussion, I bet all the problems can be solved.”

“Of course they can,” Izzy beamed optimistically. 

“Sure, they can, mum can’t fix things if she doesn’t know what needs fixing,” Pipp agreed.


They soon arrived at Mane Melody and headed inside. Pipp grinned as she saw Jazz had pulled out multiple trollies of supplies and positioned them around one of the treatment chairs. “Oh, thank you, Jazz. You didn’t have any trouble clearing the morning appointments, did you?”

“Well, there was one,” Jazz smiled. “But I came in early and gave Posey’s mane its weekly shampoo.”

“Came in early,” Pipp echoed with concern. “You didn’t need to do that. Especially for Posey of all ponies.”

“Oh, no it’s fine, Pipp,” Jass reassured. “Besides, I’d prefer to keep Posey happy. When you get trapped with somepony you learn things about them you never realised.”

Izzy frowned and looked confused, “Trapped?”

“Posey and Jazz were caught by Opaline,” Sunny reminded. “They spent the night trapped in her castle together.”4

“Not to mention the struggle getting back,” Jazz shuddered. 

“Oh! I completely forgot about that,” Pipp gasped. “I’m sorry, Jazz.”

“It’s okay, I’d prefer it if we forget about it,” Jazz responded brightly. “But on the bright side, I learnt things about Posey I never realised. Things I promised to keep to myself.”

“Ah, say no more,” Pipp grinned. “Make sure you log down that extra time though.”

Jazz gasped and looked surprised. “Oh, okay. I’ll do that. So, what’s happening here? Why did you need me to clear the appointments and get all this ready? Everything we have that’s washable is here, are you experimenting on somepony?”

“You might say that,” Sunny grinned as she sat in the treatment chair.

Izzy narrowed her eyes and smirked seriously as she got close to Jazz so she could whisper. “Don’t tell anypony, Sunny has a secret mission and needs a top-secret disguise.”

“When we’re done, we need to ensure nopony will recognise her,” Pipp gushed excitedly. “We’re about to give her a whole new look!”

Sunny grinned as she bounced up and down in the chair and clapped her hoofs together. “Okay, as long as these will all wash out then let’s do this.”

“You’re a braver pony than I am, Sunny,” Jazz gasped as Pipp and Izzy got started. “But if you’re serious, I’d suggest coat colour first.”







That afternoon, Queen Haven was sitting trying to enjoy a cup of coffee when Zoom burst through the doors to her throne room. 

“Sorry to interrupt your coffee break, Your Majesty,” Zoom gasped as she skidded to a stop. “The Marestream is on approach, you said you wanted to know.”

“Oh, my hoofness,” Queen Haven gasped as she put down the cup. “Yes, I did want to know. Thank You, Zoom. We must head out to meet them. Come, Cloudpuff.”

Cloudpuff yapped in response as Queen Haven got up from her throne. Then, she hurried from the throne room with both Zoom and Cloudpuff in pursuit.


Outside, the Marestream was just touching down on the landing pad as Queen Haven exited the castle. She hurried towards it as Zipp, Pipp and the others exited. Her daughters ran towards her and flung their hoofs around her. “Mom!” they chorused.

“Oh, my darlings,” Queen Haven smiled as she put her hoofs around them both. “It has been far too long again. I can never get to see you as often as I’d like.”

“We know,” Pipp smiled. “It just makes seeing you feel even better.”

Queen Haven sighed as they pulled away and she looked around the group with worry. “Oh, I wish it wasn’t under circumstances like this though. I don’t think Sunny acting as bait will work. Especially as we don’t know for sure what’s happening.” 

“Err, Your Majesty,” Zoom frowned. “Sunny Starscout isn’t here.” 

Queen Haven looked around the group with concern. She looked questioningly at Pipp and Zipp as they were accosted by Cloudpuff. Suddenly, she realised there was a pony in the group she didn’t recognise. 

Hiding shyly at the back with Misty was a black Earth Pony mare with a silver-grey mane and tail. “Wait, who’s that with Misty? Is it a new friend?”

Pipp grinned and managed to suppress a giggle. “Oh of course. Mum, you have to meet our new friend, Moondust Twinkle. Moondust, don’t be shy, come and meet Queen Haven.”

‘Moondust’ gasped and carefully walked forward shyly.

“I...It’s an honour to meet you, Queen Haven,” she said in a soft voice.

“Ah, it’s lovely to meet you too, Moondust. I’m sorry we couldn’t meet at a better time,” Queen Haven replied. “Zipp, where is Sunny? I need to talk some sense into her. There is no way anypony is going to see her and not recognise her. This playing bait plan isn’t going to work.”

“I’d like to agree with you, Mom,” Zipp sighed. “But you’ve just proven the flaw in that argument.”

“The talents of Pipp and Izzy,” Hitch sighed. “I don’t like the plan either, but you’ll find you actually know Moondust better than you realise.”

Queen Haven looked at ‘Moondust’ with surprise and shock. “Wait? No, you’re not telling me...”

‘Moondust’ grinned and there was a flash as a golden orange horn appeared on her head and a pair of wings on her back.

“I’m sorry, Queen Haven,” Sunny giggled. “I’ve been arguing with Zipp and Hitch all the way here. I knew you wouldn’t recognise me.”

“Oh, my hoofness,” Queen Haven gasped. “I truly had no idea it was you, Sunny. Even your cutie mark is different.”

Sunny grinned as she looked back at her right flank. It was true, her normal cutie mark had been covered over. Instead, there was an image of the moon being trailed by a streak of dust. A series of sparkles around it.

“That’s my doing,” Izzy grinned.

“We knew it had to be perfect,” Pipp smiled. “This is Sunny’s safety we're talking about here.”

“Okay, if disguises are getting that advanced. I need to review castle security,” Zoom frowned.

Queen Haven pretended she hadn’t heard that and sighed with resignation. “There really is no stopping you from doing this, is there?”

“I’ll be wearing a tracker and will be in contact the whole time via an earpiece,” Sunny explained. “I know this could be dangerous, but I’m doing it to find and save those Ponies who have gone missing.”

“Hopefully, Sunny won’t be taken at all,” Hitch added. “Hopefully, we’ll catch the culprit in the act and get them to reveal the location of the missing ponies.”

Queen Haven let out a deep sigh. “Okay, whilst I don’t like it, I admit I’m deeply worried about the missing ponies and the problems their disappearances could cause. 

“I don’t want there to be renewed anger between Pegasi and Earth Ponies and, what with the protests, that’s exactly what’s happening. Sunny, please promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I will, Queen Haven, I promise,” Sunny smiled. “Don’t worry, you can count on me. I’ll do my best to speak with Minty Cloudstrike too and try to calm the Pegasus for Pegasi movement. I’m sure that whatever their issues are, you’ll be able to fix them. You just need them to tell you what they are.”

“Thank you, Sunny,” Queen Haven smiled gratefully. “But the sooner tomorrow morning comes, and you're safe and well, the better.”


Sometime later, a base of operations had been set up in one of the park's buildings. Members of the Castle Guard that had been borrowed for the operation were preparing themselves.

Meanwhile, Zipp and Hitch stood on either side of a map of the park. Both watched Sunny as she studied the red line that had been drawn on it.

“So, you want me to take this exact route?” Sunny frowned. “Why can’t I just walk around anywhere?”

“Because there will be ponies hiding along this route,” Zipp explained.

“They’ll all be ready to act as soon as something happens,” Hitch added.

Zipp gestured towards a small computer desk which had multiple screens on it. “I’ll be sat here monitoring your every step. You need to keep on course so I can predict what’s happening.”

Sunny sighed and looked dubiously at the map. Hitch groaned and shook his head. “Sunny, you need to realise this is really, really dangerous. You could end up trapped anywhere.”

“Hitch, I doubt Pegasus for Pegasi will whisk me off that quickly,” Sunny smiled.

“No, they won’t,” Zipp sighed. “But there is still a chance that this isn’t them. This could be something else.”

“You said it yourself, Zipp. Minty Cloudstrike is the primary suspect,” Sunny responded.

“Yes, but there’s also innocent until proven guilty,” Hitch groaned. “We’ve nothing that links her to this for certain.”

“I’m still waiting for access to look for anything that could,” Zipp explained. “That’s why this is so silly and dangerous. It’s too early.”

Sunny took a deep breath and sighed. “Okay, okay. I hear you. I’ll stick to this route, and I’ll make sure I’m in continual contact with you. It will be fine though, I’ve got this. If things start looking really bad, I’ll activate my powers and fly away.”

“I just hope you have time to,” Hitch groaned. “There is a complication. For the culprit to have access for this to work the park can’t be closed, it has to be open. You should try to avoid other ponies as much as possible. We don’t want members of the public to get in the way should things start happening.”

“Okay, so how do I do that if I’m supposed to follow a route?” Sunny frowned.

“Turn around and follow the route the opposite way,” Zipp explained. “Only stray from the route if there’s no other option. The park should be quiet though so it should be fine.”

“And I’ll keep you informed at all times,” Sunny smiled. “Got it, instructions all received and understood. Could we get the tracker and earpiece set up? You both want me to be careful. So, let’s be careful and make sure those are hidden and work.”

Zipp and Hitch both looked at each other and sighed. There really was no going back now.


As darkness started to fall over Zephyr Heights everypony got into position. Despite there still being plenty of light, Sunny began walking the route. However, this turned out to be a good thing.

Sunny frowned as she approached a fork in the path next to a bench. She couldn’t remember if she went straight here or turned. She chose the one she thought was right, but an angry Zipp immediately shouted in her ear over the radio. “Sunny! It’s left at that bench, not straight ahead.”

Sunny grimaced, holding a hoof up to her now ringing ear. “Zipp, not so loud,” she protested. “I’m sorry, I thought I turned left at the next one. If I get it wrong, please don’t shout at me.”

“I’m sorry, Sunny,” Zipp sighed. “I just thought you said you understood how important staying on the route was.”

“I do,” Sunny protested. “It’s just remembering all the turns. I’ll get it right, I promise. Just guide me if I go wrong to start with.”

“What, like now?” Zipp chuckled. “It’s a right at that bin, not left,”

“Urgh, that’s because I’m talking to you!” Sunny groaned as she turned around.

“I know, I know,” Zipp laughed. “Come back here to double-check the map. Then we’ll take it from the top.”


It wasn’t that long later until Sunny had gotten used to the route. She was soon making the turns automatically. 

This meant that she started to enjoy the park. From the colourful formal flower beds to the wilder-looking shrubbery. She admired the design of it, the way a stream ran through the middle looked natural. Not pony made. 

Then, as the sun went down, she began to admire the reflection of the colours in the glass of the tower blocks all around the park. Everything was bathed in a golden aura which looked breathtaking. It was all quite enjoyable, even if she had to keep to a set route.


However, this started to change after it got dark. As it became more difficult to see, Sunny started to hate the fact she was walking the same route. She plodded along with a half-interested expression on her face. Suddenly, she started to wonder how long she’d have to keep going.

Meanwhile, Hitch groaned as he peered through the darkness from his hiding spot. “Pipp,” he hissed into the radio. “You could have chosen a different colour to black. I can’t tell when Sunny’s walking past. I think I missed her!”

“Hey, it’s a completely different colour to what anypony would expect Sunny to be,” Pipp responded. “Also, it goes well with her eyes. Gives her a spooky vibe.”

“Well, safety is more important than spooky,” Hitch hissed.

Suddenly, the radio crackled into life with a new voice. “This is Zoom at the North Entrance. We’ve got a group of five Pegasi entering the park. Appears they’ve been out partying. Let’s just say they’re in high spirits.”

Sunny frowned, suddenly starting to take notice of what was happening around her. “Understood, thank you.”

Then, there was another voice. “Thunder here at the East Entrance. Got a group entering here too. Three Pegasi, I think they have Pegasus for Pegasi badges.”

“Sunny,” Zipp hissed urgently. “You’re likely to run into the north group. Hopefully, the east group will bypass you.”

“Understood, Zipp,” Sunny whispered. “Thank you, Thunder.”


Sunny was now on high alert and her ears twitched back and forth from left to right. She could hear the group of Pegasi from the north. They certainly were in high spirits and were quite rowdy. Sunny had to admit, she didn’t want to run into them anyway.

She reached the bench where she’d failed to turn earlier. However, she realised the rowdy Pegasi were just up ahead on her route. She stopped and listened, confirming her suspicions. They were coming towards her.

“I’m at the bench, the north group are on my route ahead and coming closer,” she advised. “I’m turning back to avoid them.”

“Understood,” Zipp responded. “Everypony, high alert.”

Sunny did as she’d advised. However, she hadn’t gone far when she gasped and stopped again. The group from the east had gotten behind her somehow.

Her heart racing, she turned around again and tried to think of a way out. Suddenly, she remembered the radio. “I’ve turned around again, the east group were behind me,” she hissed. “I’ll have to go straight at the bench and then try and get back on route as soon as I can.”

“Shoot, yes do th… Wait, no! This could be it!” Zipp gasped. “Sit on the bench and let them come to you. It’s right by where Pipp’s hiding.”

“Pipp here, I’ll still have a visual if Sunny goes straight.”

“No! It’s a pincer movement!” Zipp insisted. “Sunny, sit on the bench then we’ll have control of the situation. Everypony, be ready to move on my signal.”

Sunny gasped as she reached the bench. “But what am I doing on the bench? I’ll look so strange just sitting there.” 

Sunny gasped as a comic book suddenly came flying from a nearby bush. “Use this,” Pipp instructed.

“What?” Zipp questioned.

Sunny grinned as she picked up the comic and sat on the bench. Feeling glad there was a light above so she could see it. “Doesn't matter Zipp, sat on the bench as instructed.”

“Good,” Zipp sighed. “Everypony be ready to move.”

Sunny’s heart continued to race as she tried to focus on the comic. She heard the hoofs of the group of three Pegasi getting closer and closer. Then, she couldn’t help frowning as she realised, they’d walked past.

“Pipp here, the Pegasi from the east have walked straight past without paying any attention to Sunny. I can see the North group approaching.”

“Sunny, stay put,” Zipp instructed.

Sunny gulped and continued to focus on the comic. She could hear the rowdy north group getting closer as they laughed and joked with each other. They got closer and closer until.

“Pipp here, the north group have passed by as well. They turned and followed the other group.”

“Okay, situation normal everypony,” Zipp sighed. “They were just members of the public. Sunny, when your ready resume your route.”

Sunny let out a deep sigh of relief. She’d gotten so caught up in the moment, that she’d forgotten that getting caught was exactly why she was there. “Okay, resuming.”

She got up from the bench and placed the comic under it. However, just as she was about to turn the corner, a flash of fire appeared in front of her. 

Sunny gasped as a strange-looking creature appeared from the flames. However, before her brain could even process exactly what was standing in front of her, the creature fired a beam of magic at her. 

Sunny squeaked with surprise as the beam streaked towards her. With no time to react, it hit her and there was a flash as she disappeared. 

Her earpiece and tracker seemed to hover in the air for a moment before falling to the ground. Instantaneously, the creature was enveloped in another ball of fire and also disappeared completely.

From her hiding place, Pipp had seen everything and looked on with widened eyes and bated breath. Blinking she finally realised what had just happened.

“Sunny? SUNNY! NOOOOO!”



To be continued...
> Chapter Five – Where's Sunny?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sunny? SUNNY! NOOOOO!”

All the others winced as Pipp’s voice screamed through the radios in their ears.

“Aaah,” Zipp cried before she barked into the radio. “Pipp, stop screaming! Sunny, come in? What’s happening? ”

“Sunny, thing, poof, gone,” Pipp babbled incoherently. 

“Gone? What do you mean gone?” Zipp gasped in response.

“I don’t like, poof,” Izzy worried.

“I don’t like, thing,” Misty fretted.

“Okay, nopony panic,” Hitch responded. “Sunny? Are you there?”

“Misty, you’re at the next junction, any sign of her?” Zipp asked.

“No, nothing,” Misty gasped. 

“I told you she’s gone!” Pipp sobbed.

“I’m going to look for her,” Misty replied.

“No! Everypony, stay where you are!” Zipp instructed. “I’m on my way. If there’s any evidence, I’ll find it!”

Zipp growled as she slammed her radio headset down. Grabbing her visor, she hurried from the control desk. 

“Okay, gates, close the park,” Hitch instructed. “We need to preserve what’s happened here.”


Knowing that Zipp will have searching the scene covered. Hitch decided the best thing he could do was speak to the one pony who’d seen what happened.

Sure enough, as he approached the bench, he could see Zipp was already there. Hovering above the ground, scanning anything and everything with her visor. Hitch carefully kept to one side and moved to where Pipp was hiding. 

He gasped as he moved the camouflage and revealed Pipp. She was distraught, head in her hoofs as she cried into them. She sniffed as she looked up and saw Hitch looking back at her.

“Oh, Hitch!” she cried as she flung herself forward and wrapped her hoofs around him. “Why didn’t I listen to you!”

Hitch gasped as Pipp continued to cry into his shoulder. He sighed and put his hoofs around her comfortingly. “Pipp, that doesn’t matter now. Crying like this isn’t going to help Sunny,” he said carefully. “She needs you to be strong. You’re the only one who saw what happened. We’ll find her but only if you help us.”

Pipp’s sides heaved as she gasped for air. Sniffing, she pulled back from Hitch’s embrace. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she began drying them with a hoof as she recovered.

“Y...You’re right,” she breathed. “Crying won’t help. I just didn’t think anything like this could happen. I just wanted to give Sunny an awesome disguise. I didn’t think it would get her poofed away like this.” 

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say the possibility had crossed my mind,” Hitch admitted. “But even I thought it was unlikely. Now, come on Pipp, what happened?”

Pipp sighed, rubbing her nose with the back of a hoof and sniffing. “Well, as soon as Sunny got off the bench this fire creature appeared. It was as though it was waiting for her. It fired this beam at her, she disappeared and then it disappeared too.”

“Teleportation then,” Hitch responded thoughtfully.


Suddenly, they heard Zipp’s voice shouting at somepony. Gasping, they saw she was shouting at Misty.

Zipp was hovering above the path. Misty meanwhile was stood on the path holding a spell book.

“Misty, I told you to get back!” Zipp roared. “You could be stepping on something important!”

“B...But I think I can help,” Misty gasped.

“Zipp, stop shouting at Misty. There’s not going to be much to find.” Hitch informed. “From what Pipp’s told me the creature used teleportation. Come and listen to what she has to tell us.”

Zipp groaned as she heard somepony running. She looked and saw Izzy running up the path towards them. She glanced around at the worried faces of her friends. Then, she closed her eyes and screwed her face up into a pained grimace. “I’m sorry everypony, I just knew this was a mistake. I should have been firmer with Sunny.”

“It’s too late for that now,” Hitch responded soothingly. “Right now, we need to work together to find where Sunny’s gone. Pipp saw what happened so let’s listen to her.”

“Okay,” Zipp sighed. “Just please don’t walk around. There could be anything here that will help.”

Zipp flew over to Pipp, pulling out her phone and putting it on record. “Okay, Sis. What happened?”

Pipp sighed as she looked sorrowfully at Zipp. “It was all so fast. This fire creature just suddenly appeared. It fired a beam at Sunny that teleported her away. Then it disappeared too.”

“A fire creature, can you describe it?” Zipp asked. “I know it’s difficult but try to be as detailed as you can.”

Pipp took a few deep calming breaths as Hitch put a reassuring hoof around her. “Take your time,” he soothed.

Pipp gave a small smile before looking back at Zipp and took a deep breath. “Well, it appeared in a burst of flame. I don’t know what colour its coat was, it was too dark. But its mane and tail were made of blue and red flames. Well, I think there was a little flame at the end of its tail. Its mane wrapped around its head, and it joined together under its face. Oh, the hoofs! They were flaming too.”

“That’s a lot of flames,” Zipp noted. “What about its face? I know it was really fast, but did you see that?”

Pipp shuddered and grimaced. “That’s the worst part. Its eyes were completely white, its teeth were too. They were sharp, Zipp. Like they could cut through anything, and it was snarling at Sunny. Oh, Zipp, Hitch, we’ve got to find her!”

“We will,” Hitch said with determination. “It doesn’t matter that she didn’t listen to us. We’ll find her.”

“Exactly,” Zipp said as she put her phone away. “And we’ll all do it by working together.”

Suddenly, there was a frustrated groan. Zipp, Hitch and Pipp looked to see Misty looking frustrated at the book. Izzy was sat holding it in her hoofs, using her horn as a light source. Misty’s horn was glowing, her eyes closed as it seemingly pulled her head back and forth in different directions. Finally, Misty cried out in dismay as she stopped the spell.

“Misty,” Zipp said with concern. “What were you trying?”

Misty said nothing, she sat down panting. Closing her eyes with a pained expression before slamming a forehoof on the ground in frustration.

Izzy sighed as she looked back at the others. “She was trying to see if she could trace the spells.”

“It’s no use,” Misty said at last. “There’s been too much magic used around here for this spell.”

“Is there one that would just track teleporting?” Pipp asked.

“Yes, but I can’t cast it,” Misty said crossly. “It’s written in old Ponish and I’ve not learnt enough of that yet.”

“Misty, it’s okay,” Zipp responded. “I’m sorry for shouting at you earlier. You tried and that’s the main thing. What about the messaging spell?”

“Nothing yet,” Misty advised. “When I was teaching it to Sunny, we agreed she’d message me. If we do it the other way it makes her powers appear.”

“And that will blow her cover,” Izzy gasped.

“That could be all that’s keeping her safe at the moment,” Hitch sighed. “Look, we know when and where these creatures appear next. Let’s put a plan together to capture one.”

“Sure, let me just double-check for anything useful here,” Zipp advised. “Like scorching or anything like that. It could help piece together the bigger picture.”

With that, Zipp donned her visor and began scanning the ground again. Meanwhile, Misty looked down at Sunny’s earpiece and tracker. A feeling of determination building within her.







Elsewhere, Sunny let out a groan. Her vision was blurry and didn’t want to clear. No matter how many times she blinked.

She was laid on something cold and hard which felt like it was slowly swaying. She groaned again, bringing a hoof to her forehead as her head pounded. 

Finally, her vision began to clear as the pain in her head lessened. As everything finally came into focus, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Looking around she gasped at what she saw, and a sinking feeling grew in her stomach.


She was in a bell-shaped cage. It was hanging from a chain that was attached to a pole. The pole was jutting out from a wall that was behind her. 

As she looked around, Sunny realised her cage wasn’t the only one, far from it. There were similar cages attached to the wall, above, below and on either side. Ahead, there was an open gap before a series of suspended walkways. 

Each row of cages had a walkway which were held up by a series of wires. On the other side of the walkways, there was another gap. Then more cages were attached to another wall in the same way. 

Sunny gasped, there were cages attached to this wall as far as she could see in every direction. She therefore presumed the same was true of the wall hers was attached to.


She got to her hoofs, gasping as the movement made her cage sway. Carefully, she moved closer to the bars, so she could get a better view. The other cages weren’t empty, they each contained a creature. 

Not since the Night Market had Sunny seen so many different creatures.5 Some she recognised, like Griffons, but there were others that she didn’t. “Oh no, nonono,” she whispered.

Her mouth turned dry as she sat down. The sinking feeling in her stomach getting deeper. This was way bigger than she’d ever imagined it could be. Gasping, she tried to keep a hold of herself, she knew panicking could be the worst thing she could do.


Suddenly, she gasped as she spotted one of the fiery creatures that had taken her. It was walking along the walkway below. She watched with wide eyes and gasped as she heard shouting.

“Oi, where you taking us? You fire monster!”

Sunny blinked as she saw the creature shouting was a dark blue Griffon. She was hanging onto the bars of her cage, shaking them angrily.

The fire creature stopped, it looked at the Griffon with a blank expression.

“Don’t just stand there!” the Griffon shouted. “Let us go!”

The Griffon started swinging on the bars, slamming her hind paws into them, and making a loud banging sound. Other creatures began getting rowdy too but seemingly daren’t make as much noise as the Griffon.

The fire creature suddenly snarled and fired a beam of magic at the Griffon. The Griffon gasped as the magic hit her, then groaned as she collapsed to the floor of the cage, unconscious. 

The other creatures immediately went silent. Meanwhile, the fire creature said nothing, it just resumed walking.

“That’s what happens if you cause trouble,” a voice said.

Sunny gasped in shock and turned to see a light teal buglike creature in the cage next to hers looking at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I startled you,” the creature said. “I am Thymus.”

“W...What are you?” Sunny gasped.

“I’m a changeling,” Thymus smiled. “I presume you have never met one of my kind before. I admit, I’ve never met a pony before either. What’s your name?”

Sunny gulped, remembering her disguise. “Moondust,” she responded. “Moondust Twinkle. I’ve heard of changelings but never met one.”

“I suspected not,” Thymus replied. “Equestria has been hidden for so long so it’s not surprising. So, Moondust Twinkle, are you one of those ponies that does magic?”

Sunny blinked, unsure if she should be honest or not. Finally, she decided to play it safe. “No, I’m an Earth Pony.”

“An Earth Pony?” Thymus blinked, looking confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what that means.”

“Well, there are three kinds of pony,” Sunny explained. “Pegasus ponies have wings so they can fly. Unicorns have horns and it’s those that allow them to use magic. Earth Ponies have neither, but we’re stronger.”

“Interesting, we don’t have physical differences like that, but we choose our jobs when we are young,” Thymus explained. “I’m a guard and I help protect the hive. That’s how the Nirik captured me. I was trying to help capture one so we could find out where they were taking our brethren. But we failed.”

“Nirik?” Sunny gasped. “What’s that?”

“The creatures that captured us,” Thymus explained. “I don’t know much about them. I’ve certainly got no idea how they built this airship.”

“Airship?” Sunny said as she cocked her head.

Thymus laughed, “You ponies really have been hidden for too long. We’re on board an airship. I think it’s a big one too, what we can see from our cages is only a small part of it. I’ve been releasing pheromones which other guards of the hive will be able to follow. But I have no idea if they will make it out of the ship. Do others know you are missing?”

“They do,” Sunny conceded. “Lots of Earth Ponies like me have gone missing. I thought it was other ponies taking them so offered to be bait. I didn’t listen to my friends. They said we weren’t ready for anything like that, that we needed more information. I...I should have listened to them.”

“Well, I’m sure they will be doing everything they can to rescue you,” Thymus responded. “Just the same as my fellow Hive Guards will be.”

“I hope so,” Sunny sighed. “This is way, way bigger than what I was expecting. If you’re a changeling, can’t you change into other creatures?”

Thymus sighed and pointed to a collar around his neck. “Normally yes, but this collar is preventing me somehow. I can’t remove it.”

Suddenly, there was a loud noise. A droning sound which got louder and louder. Sunny gasped as her cage began to shake.

“We’re taking off,” Thymus advised.

There was a series of loud bangs and thuds. Then, Sunny gasped as she felt as though she was moving. Her cage started to sway in a rhythmic motion. She looked around, spotting all the other cages were swaying as well.

Sunny sighed and her heart sank as she realised, she had no idea where the airship was. Let alone where it was taking her now.



She really, really should have listened to Zipp and Hitch.
> Chapter Six – You need to look after Yourself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



When everything feels like it’s just too much
But you gotta let it in, even if it’s tough
Know it gets better, know it gets better
We push through the weather, weather
 
Let it ra-a-a-ain
(There’s beauty, there’s beauty in the breakdown)
Let it ra-a-a-ain
Don’t be afraid of walls coming down
Sometimes it hurts, you’ll figure it out
Let it ra-a-a-ain
(There’s beauty, there’s beauty in the breakdown)
 
Let it rain, let it ra-a-a-ain...




Pipp sniffed as she looked at her phone screen. She’d been watching and re-watching Sunset Shimmer's performance of Let it Rain at the leaving party. It was a beautiful song, and it was certainly helping her through her current feelings.

They had returned to the Brighthouse in the early hours of the morning. Most headed straight to bed, including Pipp.

However, bed was where she’d stayed, even after the sun had come up. She hadn’t slept as fresh feelings of guilt washed over her. She felt awful for the role she’d played in Sunny’s disappearance. Covering her head with the covers. She started flipping through her phone and hadn’t moved for hours.


Suddenly she heard Izzy’s voice. “Pipp? Are you still in bed? It’s time to get up sleepyhead, you need to eat something.”

Pipp groaned as she rose upwards, curling the covers around her head like a hood. “I can’t eat at a time like this, Izzy,” she wined. “It’s all my fault that Sunny’s gone.”

“No, it isn’t,” Izzy responded. “It was Sunny’s own idea and she convinced us to support her.”

“But we should have listened to Zipp and Hitch,” Pipp moaned. “I got so caught up with the thought of giving her a whole new look for her disguise. Why do things always go wrong when I don’t listen to Zipp!”

“Well, I didn’t listen either,” Izzy reasoned. “I wanted to give Sunny an awesome disguise too. I worked so hard on that cutie mark design. But I know we’ll find her.”

“How?” Pipp sniffed. “How will we find her?”

“By working together,” Izzy smiled. “We might not be the best when it comes to solving clues. Or doing magic. But we can help those who are. We can encourage them. We can support them. How can Zipp think about clues and things if she’s got the munchie munches or a sleepyhead? We got to make sure they don’t work themselves too hard and I can’t do it on my own.”

“You’re right, Iz,” Pipp smiled as she came out from under her bedsheets.

“Course I am,” Izzy beamed. “I trust Sunny too. She’s so strong and resilient. She’ll come through and her disguise is really awesome.”

“I just hope it’s holding up,” Pipp admitted as she led them towards the ramp. “I mean as long as she doesn’t get wet it should be okay for a while.”

“It’ll be fine,” Izzy grinned optimistically. “Now I’ve got an awesome lunch prepared for you.”

“Oh, Iz, you better have not made a mess again,’ Pipp chuckled. “Wait, lunch? What happened to breakfast? Have I been under my sheets that long?”


In the living area, Zipp and Hitch were tucking into healthy portions of daisy and clover sandwiches. They were watching the TV at Izzy’s insistence, as a way to take a break from their investigations. Pipp smiled as she sat down, and Izzy passed a full plate to her.

“Wow, you are looking after us,” Pipp gasped.

“Oh good,” Zipp smiled. “Well done, Iz. Have you had any joy with Misty?”

Izzy sighed despondently, “Not yet and she’s been up all night reading books.”

“Really,” Pipp gasped. “I mean I was up but that’s because I couldn’t sleep. Where is she?”

“In the Crystal Chamber,” Hitch sighed. “She’s been searching through the books from Opaline’s castle for something, but she’s not told us what.”


Suddenly, the TV show cut to an intermission screen and an announcer's voice could be heard. 

“We interrupt this scheduled broadcast with a special news bulletin.”

The news jingle played as the screen cut directly to Dazzle Feather sat alone at the news desk.

“Sorry to interrupt your scheduled broadcast,” Dazzle said. “Reports are emerging that many Earth Ponies have been mysteriously disappearing. Queen Haven herself made this announcement to the press moments ago.”

The screen cut to Queen Haven stood in front of a lectern. She had a grave look on her face.

“Ponies of Equestria, I stand before you today to inform you of a new magical threat that is looming over our land. I hope doing so will help protect you all.

“With immediate effect, work at the Hydroelectric Construction Sites will stop overnight. Similarly, the parks of Zephyr Heights will be closed during the hours of nightfall. I also urge everypony to remain at home between the hours of sunset and sunrise, no matter where you live.

“You may be wondering what the reason for this is. I’m saddened to announce that several Earth Ponies have disappeared. The safety of all is my primary concern; therefore, these measures must be implemented to protect everypony.

The disappearances have been identified as being caused by magical creatures. We currently have no idea where these creatures may strike next. So far, they have targeted Earth Ponies. However, they could start targeting Pegasi and Unicorns. I therefore ask everypony to take this issue seriously.”

Please rest assured that the Guardians of Unity are on the case. They are doing all they can, and I am confident in their abilities. They will stop these creatures, one way or another.”

There was a chorus of voices as the waiting media absorbed this information. Many raised their hoofs to ask questions and Queen Haven selected one.

“Queen Haven, there are reports that Sunny Starscout is one of those missing, is this true?”

Queen Haven sighed and looked down in dismay. “As I mentioned, the Guardians of Unity are looking into this and that includes Sunny. I therefore cannot comment on their specific whereabouts. We must all trust our protectors, they have saved us all before and I am confident they will do so again.”

With that, Queen Haven stepped back from the lectern to a cacophony of voices shouting questions. As she walked off stage, Zoom and Thunder both stepped forward protectively.

“Sorry, no more questions,” Zoom informed.


In the Brighthouse, Zipp and Hitch looked at each other with worry. They both started getting up, leaving their half-eaten plates of food behind.

“No, no, don’t do that,” Izzy gasped as she blocked their way.

“Izzy, everypony is counting on us,” Hitch said.

“Especially Sunny,” Zipp added.

“Yes, but how can you investigate if you’re tired and hungry?” Izzy asked.

“Izzy’s right,” Pipp protested. “How can we help Sunny if we don’t take care of ourselves?”

“Says you after crying under your bedsheets all day,” Zipp frowned.

“I know, but that’s why I’ve stopped crying,” Pipp responded. “You were right Zipp, we should have listened to both of you. But, crying isn’t going to save Sunny and the others. Supporting both of you and being there when it’s time for action will.”

Zipp sighed as she sat down again. “I hear you, Sis. I’m sorry for snapping.”

“You’re right, Izzy, Pipp,” Hitch sighed as he also sat down again. “We need to look after ourselves if we’re going to find and save Sunny.”

“You can count on us to help,” Pipp winked. 

“Cool, cool, just tell that to Misty,” Zipp sighed.

“Oh, I’ve already put a call in for somepony to help with that,” Izzy grinned.


A short time later, there was a knock on the door. Izzy practically skipped over and beamed as she opened it to reveal Alphabittle. However, he looked far from happy and Izzy’s face fell at seeing his sour expression. “Oh? Y...you don’t look happy to see me?”

“I’m sorry, Izzy,” he sighed. “It’s just I’ve been forced to bring somepony else along.”

Alphabittle moved inside and revealed Strawberry was standing behind him. “Izzy Moonbow, meet Strawberry Sunflash,” Alphabittle sighed. “Now, Strawberry. You’ve seen the Brighthouse so now you can go back to Bridlewood.”

Strawberry scowled and looked Alphabittle in the eye. “Oh no, you’re not getting rid of me that easily! I will prove that I’m just as much an expert on magic as Misty Brightdawn. Where is she?”

Alphabittle sighed as Zipp flew over and put herself in the doorway. “Look, I’m sorry, we don’t have time for tours or magic competitions right now.”

Hitch hurried over, and stood next to Alphabittle, “Zipp’s right, there are lives of many ponies at stake and we need Alphabittle’s help. We don’t have time to show you around.”

“I saw the news on my way here,” Strawberry sniffed arrogantly. “Unlike some Bridlewood residents, I’ve embraced technology. If there’s a magical creature problem, then the more horns the better.”

“No,” Zipp said crossly. “We’ve got enough problems with Misty as it is. We don’t need somepony coming and turning this into a competition and making it more difficult.”

Strawberry blinked with surprise. Her arrogance melted away and she looked generally concerned. “What do you mean problems? She’d better be alright, what’s wrong?”

“Why would you care?” Hitch asked unsurely. “You’ve just said you wanted to prove you were better than her.”

“Well, yes. But she’s still my best friend's daughter,” Strawberry revealed.

Everypony turned and looked at Alphabittle with surprise. He looked equally surprised at their reaction. Then, after a look of realisation, he sighed and looked down. “She means Misty’s mother. She was best friends with her.” 

“Luna Brightdawn was my best friend since I was a filly,” Strawberry sighed. “I remember when Misty was born, she was all Luna could talk about. Look, I admit I can be a stubborn and arrogant pony at times. I do want to prove I’m better. But I won’t do that if Misty’s already struggling through something. I owe it to Luna to help her.”

Zipp sighed and looked at Hitch. “Maybe, another pair of eyes looking at the books would help.”

“Misty’s driving herself too hard as it is,” Hitch admitted. “I don’t know.”

Alphabittle started to look very worried. “Wait? What’s going on? Where is Misty?”

Hitch groaned, “Okay, come in and close the door, we’ll bring you up to speed.”

“What? Really?” Zipp gasped. 

“I think we’re going to need more magical allies if we’re going to rescue Sunny,” Hitch admitted. 

Strawberry gasped and her eyes widened in shock. “Rescue Sunny? So, the reports are true, she’s been taken!”

Zipp let out a deep sigh of resignation. “Yes, she has.”

“And Misty’s in the Crystal Chamber trawling through books and getting no rest because she blames herself,” Izzy added.

“And that she thinks she’s got to do all the magic stuff alone,” Pipp admitted.

“Then I need to speak to her,” Alphabittle frowned. “Which way?”


Upstairs, the Crystal Chamber was a complete and utter mess. There were piles of books all over the place. Some were stacked neatly, but the majority were messy unorganised piles. Random books lay scattered around as well. 

Misty let out a bellowing cry of frustration as she suddenly slammed the book that she’d been reading closed. She picked it up with her magic and flung it across the chamber, letting out another cry. It impacted one of the few neat piles, causing it to fall over.

There were dark lines under her tired bloodshot eyes. She sat panting, blinking rapidly as she struggled to stay awake. She looked around with frustration, picking up another book and opening it. Suddenly, the lift activated and started to lower. 

“I said I don’t need anything!” Misty shouted irritably. 

She tried to focus her eyes on the pages of the book, but it remained stubbornly out of focus. Then, she heard the lift coming back up and growled with annoyance. “Go away, Izzy!”

Misty turned and readied the book, intending to throw it at Izzy who she thought was coming up the lift. However, as it reached the top, she gasped as she saw Alphabittle standing on it alone.

“Misty,” Alphabittle gasped. “Oh, my little Mistywhisty. There’s no need for this.”

Misty stared at her father as the book fell to the floor. Her eyes started to fill with tears as she struggled to answer. Her mouth made juddering movements, but nothing came out. Finally, she let out a cry of anguish as she closed her eyes and let the tears fall.

Alphabittle moved forward and off the lift. However, he didn’t get far as Misty jumped up and hurried forward and into his embrace. 

“I…It’s all m…my fault,” Misty sobbed. “I…I can’t… I can’t find it!”

“Find what?” Alphabittle said soothingly as he heard the lift going down.

“The s…spell,” Misty wept. “T…The one that w…will find Sunny.”

Alphabittle sighed as he rubbed Misty’s back and mane soothingly. “Oh, Misty. You’ll find it if you take your time. Staying up all night won’t help.”

“I…I know,” Misty cried. “I…It’s just I should have listened… I should have listened to Hitch and Zipp. I s…should have taken their side... Convinced Sunny it was a bad idea, that we should be more careful. I didn’t think it would be something like magic creatures. N…Now I’ve got to try and deal with it alone.”

“Like you haven’t already dealt with powerful magic?” another voice said.

Misty gasped as she saw the lift had come back up. Stood on it was Strawberry with Izzy standing behind her.

“You defeated a powerful Alicorn,” Strawberry continued. “You bested that flytrap I accidentally made into a pony-eating monster.”

Misty sniffed as she blinked the tears from her eyes. Frowning she looked at Strawberry cooly. “Opaline was different, I knew how she worked. The flytrap, I just did what I had to.”

“Which you’ll do again,” Izzy said brightly. “Wearing yourself out isn’t going to help Sunny though.”

Misty groaned as she felt Alphabittle rubbing her back soothingly. “Misty,” he said. “Pushing yourself this hard to find the answers isn’t going to help. You need to take care of yourself as well. If you're too tired and hungry you won’t be able to help Sunny.”

“I’ve seen what you can do and it’s... impressive,” Strawberry added. “But right now you’re nowhere near impressive.”

Misty scowled at Strawberry, “Why are you even here?” 

Strawberry sighed, looking less confident. “I came because I wanted to prove I’m better than you. But now I’ve realised, that’s not what your mum would want. She’d want me to help you.”

Misty gasped and pulled away from Alphabittle’s embrace. “What’s my mum got to do with it?”

“I was best friends with Luna,” Strawberry explained. “We were like two peas in a pod. The books I have, we both studied them. If we’d had magic when…” 

She trailed off, closing her eyes as a pained expression appeared on her face. She sighed and looked back at Misty with determination. “Teach me, teach me how to properly interpret the spells. Tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll help you find it.”

Misty frowned, looking at Alphabittle unsurely. 

“I’ll be honest,” Alphabittle sighed. “Strawberry can be an arrogant and conceited pony at times. But your mother proved, underneath that she’s got a kind and caring heart.”

Misty closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll show you. When we first met, I hated the feeling I’d just made an enemy. I'd prefer to make friends, not enemies. So, if letting you help me and teaching you will turn you into a friend, then let’s do that.”

Strawberry’s chest puffed up with pride. “Being friends with Luna’s daughter sounds brilliant. When do we start?”

Misty was about to reply, however there was a loud growling sound from her stomach. 

Izzy couldn’t help giggling, “Right after Misty finally gets something to eat and has a nap.”

“Sure,” Strawberry replied. “But maybe I could organise this lot so our task will be easier? I assume these are the ones from Canterlot?”

Misty frowned and shook her head. “No, these are from Opaline’s library. These contain dangerous magic, the kind that nopony should currently get their hoofs on, if at all.”

“Then why are you looking through them?” Alphabittle asked in shock.

“Because I’m looking for a spell that I saw Opaline cast,” Misty explained. “A location spell, she used it to find the Dragon Stone before she sent me to retrieve it. I know that spell is in this lot somewhere, I just can’t find it.”

“No wonder with how messy it is,” Izzy admitted.

“That’s because we never organised them when they got put up here,” Misty growled before sighing. “Also, I got frustrated. I don’t even know if it will find Sunny. But it’s all I can think of right now.”

Strawberry nodded understandingly and looked determined. “Okay, I understand, the magic in these books could be dangerous. Go and get some rest, I’ll organise these and then we’ll find that spell together. I promise, if I see anything in these books, I’ll speak to you before using my horn.”

Misty locked eyes with Strawberry and they stared at each other for a moment. Then, Misty nodded, “Okay, I...I think I trust you.”

She started to walk shakily towards the lift. Alphabittle smiled as he joined her, supporting her as the tiredness started catching up with her.

As the lift descended, Alphabittle smiled as he rubbed Misty’s mane reassuringly. “You’ve made the right choice, Misty.”

“I want to make friends,” Misty yawned. “Not enemies.”
> Chapter Seven – Quarry Arriving
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny sighed as she lay in her cage, it had been ages since they’d taken off. At least she thought so, she had no way of knowing. The continual rhythmic drone confirmed they were still in the air. Her cage continued to sway from side to side too which made things interesting.

One thing she’d kept an eye on though was the Nirik. They were making regular patrols and she’d worked out there was a window in which she could activate her powers and contact Misty.

However, she knew that would mean that Thymus and her fellow captives would know her secret. Something she remembered Zipp telling her over and over was how important maintaining her cover was. After not listening previously got her into this situation, she was now determined to follow Zipp’s advice.

Which was proving difficult as Thymus kept asking her questions about Equestria. She’d decided that if she ever went undercover like this again. She would need to come up with a convincing backstory. However, she also knew that wouldn’t help her current dilemma. 

There was a niggling question in the back of her mind that was related. Would it matter if the creatures knew the truth? She certainly didn’t want the Nirik to know. But what about the other creatures that were captives like she was? Would they even know who she was?


As she tried to work out what to do, there was a loud clunk followed by a rising number of voices.

“Moondust,” Thymus said urgently. “Moondust Twinkle! Get up and look!”

It took a few moments for Sunny to realise Thymus was talking to her. “Huh? What?”

“Look, that Griffon from before. She’s gotten out!” Thymus said urgently.

Sunny quickly got up and moved to the edge of her cage. She looked down at the walkway below and gasped. The Griffon had indeed escaped her cage and was carefully walking along the walkway, trying not to make a noise.

However, as creatures noticed, there was soon a rising cacophony of shouting voices as they all tried to be heard. Most were asking to be let out, others were shouting instructions. Several were telling her not to be so silly. Meanwhile, some were trying to calm the situation. 


The Griffon looked around the cages with dismay as the volume rose higher and higher. “Will you all shut up!” she shouted urgently. “You’re going to ruin everything!”

The Griffon scowled as Nirik appeared at either end of the walkway, running towards her. She tried to flee by jumping from the walkway. Opening her wings, she started flying upwards to get away. However, she hadn’t realised there were Nirik on the walkway above and was immediately caught in their levitation. 

She growled as she was held in the air and struggled in vain, “Gah, you all did this shouting like that! Now nocreature will escape!”


As the Nirik carried the Griffon away, Sunny sighed as she looked around the cages. That settled it, she couldn’t trust the other creatures to keep quiet if she activated her powers. She would need to bide her time and hope she’d get another opportunity.







The humming drone continued for days. At least Sunny thought it had been days, it was difficult to know. She couldn’t see outside, and the lights were left on continually. They were fed, but it didn’t seem to be at any specific time. However, eventually, things changed.

“We’re landing,” Thymus said suddenly.

Sunny turned and looked at him with confusion, “What? How do you know?”

“The sound,” Thymus answered. “It’s changed. Last time it changed we landed and picked you up.”

Sunny frowned and felt the movement of her cage. It did feel different. 


The new lower humming continued for a while and then got louder again. Then, there was a series of loud clunks at either end of the airship. The whole airship shook which made the cages vibrate violently. Creatures reacted to this, crying out in surprise and fear. Then, for the first time in ages, there was silence and the cages finally settled and stopped swaying.

“We’ve landed, but that was odd,” Thymus admitted. “I don’t remember those clunks last time. But, I expect that cage next to you will be occupied soon enough.”

Sunny frowned and looked at the empty cage beside her. Suddenly, a loud bang from below made Sunny squeak with surprise and shook the whole ship. Then, there was a loud whirring noise. “Okay, what’s happening now?” Sunny gasped.

“I think there are doors below us,” Thymus explained. “Once they’re open, that cage will be lowered down ready to become occupied.”

“Why?” Sunny frowned. “Why move the cage when you’re using teleportation?”

“I don’t know,” Thymus admitted. “That’s just what happened last time.”


However, they both gasped as their cages began moving along with the empty one.

“Woah, what’s happening?” Sunny gasped. “Why are we moving as well?”

“Okay, this time I don’t know,” Thymus admitted.

“Oh, but I was starting to think you were the expert,” Sunny smirked.

“I just take note of my surroundings,” Thymus smiled. “Like how we’re moving because the poles above us are extending.”

Sunny looked up and saw Thymus was right. The pole that the chain her cage was attached to was extending. It did so until the cages were hanging between the walkways and the other cages, then they started descending.

“Okay, I don’t need to be told we’re going down because the chains are getting longer,” Sunny frowned. “They must be on winches.”

“We must have arrived at our destination,” Thymus reasoned. “That’s the only explanation. Look, Moondust Twinkle, I’ve been meaning to suggest we work together to escape. I think there is more to you ponies than meets the eye.” 

Sunny was about to respond when they suddenly emerged from the bottom of the airship. 


They were both bathed in bright sunlight and Sunny gasped as she shielded her eyes. Once they had adjusted, she looked up and her jaw dropped. The airship was huge, the doors they’d emerged from were just one set of four. 

Sunny’s heart sank as she realised how many creatures must be on board. There had been rows and rows of cages, as far as she could see. If that was just one section of four there had to be hundreds and hundreds of creatures trapped aboard it. 

She spotted three large towers made of black metal latticework. These went up to the bottom of the airship and she realised it was docked with them. That must have been the cause of some of the noises earlier.

Suddenly, the cages jolted which made Sunny squeak with surprise. She looked down at the floor and thrust her legs out into a wide stance as she tried to keep her balance. The cages had stopped descending but continued to swing on the chains.

“This doesn’t look good,” Thymus said.

“W…What doesn’t?” Sunny gasped.

“Our destination,” Thymus responded gravely.

Sunny finally stopped looking down and looked outwards. She gasped and her eyes widened at the sight before her.


They were above a massive quarry, gouged into the side of a mountain in a massive horseshoe. There were many, many massive grey shelves which seemed to walk up the side of the mountain.

Each had a sheer rock face that linked it to the shelf below. Between these levels, there were inclines. The one in the middle was huge, it ran from the level at the very top of the quarry right down to the bottom. At the top of each incline, there was what looked like a small shed. Ropes ran from the shed down to tubs that were running up and down the inclines. 

At the very bottom of the quarry, there was a lake full of glistening water. Between this and the first rock face, there was a series of large buildings. Then, on one of the wider levels around halfway up the quarry, there was a series of large huts.

Suddenly, Sunny yelped as she felt her cage start descending again. She looked in dismay as she realised it was just hers.

“Looks like this is goodbye,” Thymus shouted.

“Seems so,” Sunny called back. “If we manage to see each other again, I’ll gladly take you up on that help escaping,” 

Thymus nodded, “Good, I think we will both need it! Good luck, Moondust Twinkle!”

Sunny looked down and closed her eyes, letting out a deep sigh. She gulped before she took a deep breath and opened her eyes again with determination. Whatever was about to happen to her, she wouldn’t give up hope. She would contact Misty and she would escape along with every captive creature here.


As her cage finally neared the ground. Sunny gasped as she realised, she was being lowered into a pen. Formed of high mesh fencing, there were multiple Nirik stood around this. All were looking up at the cage expectantly. 

Sunny licked her dry lips with concern. She wasn’t expecting the bottom of her cage to suddenly disappear. She shrieked as the floor parted, and the two halves swung away on a pair of hinges. It took everything she had to resist the urge to activate her powers. 

It was only a short fall and Sunny landed on her hoofs with an ‘oof’. She looked around the pen worriedly. Unsure what was happening. She looked upwards as she heard a clunk. The cage’s floor had swung back into position, and it was being lifted away.

Looking around the pen, she realised its high wire fence had multiple gates. The Nirik each stood next to these gates on the outside of the pen. They watched her expectedly as one of the gates slid open.

Sunny blinked and looked around worriedly. Did they want her to go through the gate, or was something else going to join her in the pen? The Nirik looked like an audience, so she got worried she was expected to fight a monster or something. Maybe it was a test!

She soon got her answer though as the Nirik behind her began snarling. They slammed their hoofs on the fence, making a noise that made Sunny jump. 

“T...That way?” She asked, pointing a hoof.

This made all the Nirik snarl. Their fiery manes flared, and their eyes seemingly flashed with anger. Finally, one of them pointed with a hoof towards the gate.

“Okay, okay, I’m going,” Sunny said carefully, holding a hoof up in submission.


She quickly moved through the open gate and found she was in a narrow-fenced walkway. Wide enough for just herself. Wire mesh covered the top, presumably to stop creatures flying away.

As she worriedly walked down this, she squeaked as she was picked up and held within a Nirik’s levitation. She looked up and spotted a Nirik above her, its curved Y-shaped horn glowing. Sections of the fencing on either side of her suddenly slid downwards.

Sunny gasped as the hold on her seemed to tighten so she couldn’t move. Then, she felt a harness being fitted around her barrel. Followed quickly by a light bridle around her head. 

After the invasion of personal space, Sunny was let go. As she landed back on her hoofs, she heard the sections of fencing sliding and clunking back into place. Then, she squeaked as something pushed against her backside. She didn’t look to see what that was, she just started running forward. 

As Sunny galloped through the fenced corridor, she approached several gated junctions. Each time she got close, the gates moved, swinging either left or right. Ensuring she went the way her captors wanted her to travel. 


Finally, she ran out into another pen and skidded to a stop. She looked back as the gate to the fenced corridor behind her closed with a clatter. 

She panted as she looked around, the pen was round and smaller than the last one. Apart from the gate that she’d just come through, there was one other. A large double one that looked to be designed to let large numbers of creatures through.

Through the fence, she could see it was one of many in a long row. There were Nirik around but not in the same numbers as before. They appeared to be patrolling, the pens appearing to be for holding creatures rather than sorting them like the previous one.

She sat down and fiddled with the harness. It wasn’t uncomfortable but she couldn’t see any way to take it off. Similarly, when she felt the bridle, she couldn’t find any way to release it. She flexed her jaw, feeling relief as she found it was unrestricted.

She looked back toward the airship. Now she was further away she could get a better look at it. It looked like it was in two halves. The top half was rounded and ribbed, as though it was a large canvas balloon. The bottom half was more angular and made from metal. She cocked her head in confusion, the bottom was shaped like the small boats she had seen back at Maretime Bay. 

It was a dark charcoal grey colour all over, apart from a cream number 2 on its side that made Sunny’s heart sink. “How many of them are there?” she breathed. “How many creatures are they taking against their wills?”

She looked through the fences, the pens on either side of hers were filling up. She soon realised she was the only pony there, nopony else joined her. She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

The Nirik continued to patrol too. She knew there was still no way she could contact Misty. She sighed and wondered how long it had been, her friends must be so worried. She couldn’t help feeling bad for what they must be going through.


Suddenly, a horn bellowed out. Sunny frowned and turned towards where it was coming from. A tall pedestal had been lifted into the air, and a large purple leopard with wings stood atop it. Looking around and snarling at the creatures in the pens below.

“Welcome to your new lives! Whatever life you had is over, it is gone. The sooner you accept that the better. Your only purpose now is to serve the Arora Ridge Quarry. To serve me, your new mistress, Allura. 

“Your combined task here is to mine the Arora Ore. It will be far easier for you to accept your new life willingly. There is no escaping! Work hard and once my goals are completed, I may return you to your old lives. BUT only if there is no trouble!

“Communication is banned, anycreature caught talking will be dealt with by my loyal Nirik guard. Anycreature causes trouble, I will deal with personally. Pray this is the only time you see me!”


With that, Allura jumped from the pedestal. Spreading her wings and gliding down out of sight. There was suddenly a chorus of dismayed voices from the other pens. However, these were quickly silenced. Sunny frowned; she couldn’t see what the Nirik had done but she didn’t want to find out. 

She felt the pit in her stomach returning and getting deeper. She’d been so sure that Minty Cloudstrike was behind the disappearances and had been completely wrong. Why hadn’t she listened to Hitch and Zipp? She was well in over her head now.

Suddenly, Sunny was shaken from her thoughts as she felt something being attached to her bridle. Gasping, she looked and saw a Nirik holding the other end of a leash in its teeth.

Without a word, the Nirik turned and began leading Sunny towards the large gate in the pen. The leash went taught and Sunny was forced to follow. She gulped, trying desperately to keep calm, and hoping she would eventually have a chance to contact Misty.


The Nirik led Sunny through the quarry. It took her up winding narrow paths and onto one of the higher levels. 

Despite Allura’s rule of no communication, the quarry was a hive of noise and dust. There were continuous banging and crashing sounds as large, strange creatures dug away at the rock. Sunny spotted other creatures loading the rock into carts. Carts that she realised were being pulled by a mix of creatures including some odd-looking ponies.

Finally, the Nirik stopped walking and Sunny found herself standing before several carts of different sizes. The Nirik selected one and gestured for Sunny to stand in front of it. Not wanting to cause trouble for herself, Sunny silently did as instructed.

The reason for the harness soon became apparent as the Nirik attached the cart to it. Sunny watched as it did this, frowning as she realised it did so using its magic. Once it had finished, Sunny couldn’t see any way to unhitch herself from the cart.

The Nirik grunted to get Sunny’s attention. She looked and gasped as it removed the leash and then held out a flaming hoof, pointing up a track.

“What would you like me to do exactly?” Sunny asked carefully. “What are my instructions, please?” 

The Nirik’s eyes narrowed, and it snarled dangerously. Sunny gasped and held her hoofs up submissively and this seemed to pacify the Nirik. It stood looking at Sunny blankly, as though it was working out what to do.

Finally, it reattached the leash to Sunny’s bridle and started to lead her along the track. They eventually came to a line of carts, it appeared all were waiting to be loaded.

The Nirik attached Sunny’s leash to the back of one of the larger carts. Sunny frowned as it then walked away, leaving her stuck to the cart. “I suppose this is one way of finding out what to do,” she muttered quietly.


Sunny soon found out what her task was, moving rock from where it was being dug to the large central incline. 

The cart in front of her was being pulled by two of the strange-looking ponies she’d seen earlier. Sunny could see they had crystallised horns, but she couldn’t make out much more. She sighed, thinking better of trying to talk to them. 

Pulling the cart was hard and dusty work. Especially as she was following another cart, still attached by the leash. It caused her to walk in a cloud of dust, before long, she was longing for a drink.

As she walked back and forth along the same route. Sunny also began to realise there was a series of watchtowers. Each one contained several Nirik which watched over them from a high level. 


Finally, the sun started to get lower in the sky. After unloading, Sunny gasped as the same Nirik from before appeared. It unhitched Sunny’s leash from the other cart and started to lead her away. Sunny frowned, she wanted to ask where they were going but thought better of it.

Finally, they stopped, and Sunny was unhitched from the cart. Then, she was led down some of the narrow paths between the levels.


They eventually neared the large huts on the middle level. Sunny spotted above each hut there was a picture of a creature. Soon, they came to one with a picture of a pony above the door.

The Nirik stopped, it removed the leash before unlatching and opening the door. Sunny couldn’t help noticing the door was locked from the outside. The Nirik growled and pointed inside, and Sunny immediately did as instructed. 


She walked through the door and was blinded by the bright light within. As her eyes adjusted it felt like she’d just walked in on a private party.

The inside walls of the hut were panelled in silver metal. On the grey concrete floor, there were brown rectangular-shaped mats. A row down each side, the short end near the wall with a wide aisle between them. Above was a grey ceiling which had two sets of strip lights running down the length of the hut.

All the missing Earth Ponies were there. Many stood or sat around in groups, others lay on the mats. They were all wearing the same as Sunny and all looked filthy. Sunny gasped and looked down at her disguise, the black dye was now covered in a layer of grey dust. However, to her relief, it still looked to be intact.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind her which made Sunny squeak with surprise. That caused everypony in the hut to look at her. Sunny gasped and suddenly felt nervous, did she come clean about who she was? Were they being watched? 

Sprout suddenly appeared from the crowd, hurrying over towards Sunny with a concerned expression. His guard uniform was gone, replaced with a similar bridle and harness to Sunny’s. His red coat was covered in grey dust, as were his mane and tail. “I thought I saw a new pony,” he gasped. “It must have been so scary in that flying thing all on your own. It’s okay now, we can speak here. What’s your name?”

Sunny blinked with confusion. Even though she’d literally just been thinking about her disguise, hearing Sprout ask her name was strange. Fortunately, Sprout just assumed her silence was nerves or fear.

“It’s okay, I’m Sprout Cloverleaf. I’m one of the Equestria Guard based in Maretime Bay. Don’t worry, despite what that Allura says we’re going to find a way to escape and get everypony back to Equestria.”

Sunny sighed, finally having made up her mind on what to do. She was in this mess because she didn’t listen and wasn’t cautious enough. So, she was going to continue to take Zipp’s advice and be careful. 

Therefore, she responded in a soft voice, “I...I’m Moondust Twinkle. I moved to Zephyr Heights some time ago. Do you know what those scary fire creatures are?”

“Well, that Allura said they were Nirik, but I don’t know anything about them,” Sprout responded. “As long as you behave, they won’t hurt you. We’ll escape soon enough anyway.”

“B...But how?” ‘Moondust’ replied worriedly.

“We’re working on a plan,” Sprout said confidently. “We’ve searched this hut carefully. There are no cameras and nocreature is watching us. We’re free to do what we like within here.”

“As long as you leave everything the same,” another voice said condescendingly. “There’s no point getting in trouble trying.”

Sprout sighed as he turned and looked at Sugar Moonlight who was laid on a mat nearby. Sunny couldn’t help noticing her appearance. Her normally meticulously applied eyeshadow and makeup were gone. Her mane was a mess, having not seen a brush in ages. She had the same bridle and harness as the others, and she was covered from nose to tail in dust.

“Sugar, we’ve been over and over this,” Sprout sighed. “We will escape, and we will get home. I told you; I was sent to gather intel by Sheriff Hitch. That I’ve disappeared will mean he and the other Guardians will be looking for us.”

Sugar groaned and shook her head, “And I’ve told you there’s no point. All you’ll do is get in trouble.”

There was a chorus of other voices. All encouraged Sugar that they would get away. However, Sugar just sighed and looked down. ‘Moondust’ frowned, she couldn’t help thinking Sugar looked sad, therefore she joined in.

“I…I know I’ve just arrived, and this is all scary. But we can’t just give up hope. It’s all we have if we’re going to get through this.”

“Well said, Moondust,” Sprout smiled.

However, Sugar scowled and stared at ‘Moondust’ accusingly. “You sound like  Sunny Starscout, she’s always preaching about hope. She’s a fool.”

‘Moondust’ gasped, she couldn’t help taking a step backwards in surprise. Fortunately, Sprout didn’t notice her reaction as he leapt to Sunny’s defence.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Why’s Sunny a fool?”

Sugar closed her eyes and grimaced with pain. Then, she growled and scowled with anger as something seemed to snap within her. She jumped up from her mat and looked Sprout in the eye. “She’s a fool because she should have left everything as it was! I was happy working for CanterLogic. Getting to strut my stuff in their showcases. I’ve got nothing now! If...If I go back to Equestria I...I don’t know what I’ll do!”

Sugar groaned as she sat down and tried to get a hold of herself. She trembled, having just let out a cartload of bottled-up feelings.

Sprout blinked with surprise before sighing. “I thought you’d been oddly quiet,” he said. “Sugar, it’ll be okay. We’re in this together and we’ll only get out of it with everypony’s help.”

“I know that but there’s just no point for me,” Sugar frowned. “My modelling career is done. I’ve got nothing, no job, no home, no money, nothing. I’ve certainly got no hope so ponies preaching to me about it just makes me more upset.”

“So, how’s this all Sunny’s fault?” Sprout asked. “You sat next to her in Miss Butterscotch’s class, didn’t you? I bet if she knew your situation, she’d help.”

“I’ve not been friends with Sunny since school,” Sugar scowled. “She’s no reason to help me, especially after my stunt with the Alicorn thing.” Sugar sighed and lay down, putting her head in her forehoofs. “Nopony has a reason to help me. You all may as well leave me here. I’ll be your distraction or something.”

Sunny frowned, that was it, the time for being cautious had passed. “How do you know I wouldn’t help you, Sugar?”

Everypony gasped as they heard Sunny’s normal voice. They watched in surprise as ‘Moondust’ stepped forward and there was a flash. A glistening horn appeared on her head and two golden orange wings on her back.

Sugar’s eyes widened in shock, “Sunny?”

Suddenly, everypony in the hut got very excited. Voices filled the air, the volume getting louder and louder. Many thought rescue was at hoof, others thought it strange Sunny was in disguise. Sunny herself looked around with confusion, not sure which questions to answer. 

However, Sprout took control of the situation. “Quiet, not so loud!” he said urgently. “Do you want to get the Nirik in here? Calm down, everypony.”

Everypony looked at each other and quietened down. However, the feeling of excitement was still there.

Meanwhile, Sugar blinked as she got up and looked at Sunny in surprise. “Why are you even here? What’s with the Moondust thing?”

Sunny sighed and shook her head. “I was playing bait for what I thought were disgruntled Pegasus ponies,” she admitted. “I wanted to help you all. But honestly, this is way bigger than I ever imagined it could be. I should have listened to Zipp and Hitch. They said we weren’t ready for action, truthfully, I’m just as trapped here as you all are.”

The others all looked at each other with a mixture of confusion, worry and some disappointment. Sunny looked around them all and gave them a small smile.

“I know, I’m not the rescuer that you all thought I was. I’m not even the rescuer I thought I was going to be. But, all is not lost. I wanted to be sure that the Nirik weren’t watching. Now I can finally contact Misty and my friends. They’ll help us, I know they will.”

Everypony looked at each other unsurely as Sunny’s horn started to glow.

“Misty, are you there? It’s Sunny, can you hear me?”
> Chapter Eight – Message Receiving
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Brighthouse, the Crystal Chamber looked far more organised than its previous messy and chaotic appearance. Strawberry had worked hard to reorganise the books and after she’d rested Misty assisted. However, it took the rest of that day which annoyed Misty greatly. Mainly as she knew the reason it took so long was her fault.

Fortunately, Alphabittle's presence helped her push past this. Then, the continued encouragement from Pipp and Izzy helped Misty and Strawberry continue their search.

However, as the days passed, Strawberry began to suspect the location spell they were searching for didn’t exist. They’d gone through nearly all the books and still hadn’t found it. 


Strawberry let out a groan as she closed a book and put it to one side. “Misty, are you sure this location spell you're talking about is here?”

“Yes, I'm certain,” Misty responded before looking less confident. “A…At least I think so.”

Strawberry frowned and grunted, “You think so?”

“I know Opaline cast this spell,” Misty explained. “She never cast spells without looking them up first. I never saw her just cast spells, apart from if she’d already used them before.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why the spell would be here,” Strawberry scowled.

Misty frowned with frustration, “It’ll be here because these are all the books from Opaline’s castle. It, it has to be here.”


As Misty returned to searching, Strawberry scowled as she looked over the piles of books. The pile they had gone through was far larger than those they had left. However, she also knew the titles of those books didn’t sound promising. 

She looked over towards Misty with annoyance. This had to be some sort of initiation test or something. But then she spotted the concern on Misty’s face, the way she was intently searching the books. Then she remembered the emotion Misty had shown when she first arrived. No, this wasn’t a test.

Strawberry’s scowl softened to a look of sorrow, and she let out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry, Misty.”

“What?” Misty blinked, having not quite heard.

“I said, I’m sorry,” Strawberry groaned. “I’m sorry for questioning if the spell we’re searching for is here. I forgot why we were doing it.”

“Which is?” Misty queried.

“To save somepony,” Strawberry responded. “Just like you saved me from that pony-eating flytrap I created. I…I never said thank you for doing that. If anything, I’m sorry for the way I acted. I’d still be trapped if it wasn’t for you.”

Misty let out a sigh as she looked at the dwindling pile of books they still needed to look through. 

“You’re welcome,” she said at last. “But I would have done it for anypony.”

Strawberry watched as Misty retrieved another book. She sighed as, for a moment, Misty reminded her of somepony else. “I kind of thought you would. However, that doesn’t make your actions any less noble.”

Misty blinked, she was about to reply but then her eyes went wide, and she gasped.

Strawberry frowned with concern, “Misty? What is it?”

“It’s the messaging spell! It’s Sunny!” Misty said happily. “Quick, go get the others in the living area. I’ll be down shortly to tell them.”

Strawberry blinked, looking confused. “The what spell?”

“GO!” Misty urged, waving a hoof towards the lift. “Get the others downstairs and tell them Sunny is messaging me.”

Despite still looking confused, Strawberry headed towards the lift to carry out Misty’s instructions.


Meanwhile, Misty’s horn glowed and she frowned as she concentrated on the messaging spell. Finally, she heard Sunny’s voice in her mind.

“Misty, are you there? It’s Sunny, can you hear me?”

“Sunny!” Misty replied with relief. “I hear you, are you okay?”

“I am, I’m with the other missing ponies. I’m so sorry, Misty. I know you all will have been worried and I couldn’t message you until now.”

“It’s okay, I’m just over the Luna Moon to hear from you. Don’t worry, wherever you are, we’ll find you."

"I...I know but I should have listened to Hitch and Zipp. This is way, way, way bigger than I expected!"

"We know, Sunny. Please, don't worry about that, we won't give up. Hitch and Zipp most of all. We'll help all of you, give me as many details as you can.”

With that, Misty quickly grabbed a notebook and pencil and began jotting down everything she could.


It wasn’t long before Misty came hurrying down the ramp and into the living area. Strawberry had done as requested and gathered the others.

“Misty!” Pipp gasped. “Have you really heard from her?”

Misty beamed as she skidded to a stop, “Yes! She’s okay. She’s sorry it took so long to message. She’s maintaining her cover.”

“Sensible,” Zipp smiled. “So, did you get any details of what’s happened to her?”

“Of course,” Misty grinned. “I noted them down too so I wouldn’t forget anything.”

Misty produced her notebook and began flicking through the scribbled pages. Meanwhile, Zipp got her phone ready to record.

“Okay, so she’s been taken to this massive quarry. There’s hundreds of creatures there, all captives like she is.”

“A quarry,” Hitch blinked.

“Details,” Zipp said desperately. “Does she know where?”

Misty sighed and shook her head. “She’s no clue where she is. The creature that took her, it’s called a Nirik. She said they’re the guards in the quarry. But they didn’t teleport her straight there, she woke up on an airship.”

“An airship?” Izzy frowned. “What’s an airship?”

“It’s a flying machine,” Strawberry replied knowingly. “One of the books I have mentions them.”

Zipp sighed, trying not to get too annoyed with the tangents. “Does she know where the airship was when she woke up?”

“Afraid not,” Misty confirmed. “She said she was locked in a cage on-board it for ages. She has no idea how long exactly, just that it transported her and lots of other creatures to the quarry. She said they were all being made to mine something called ‘Arora Ore’. Oh, and the Quarry is the Arora Ridge Quarry.”

“That’s all information we may need but nothing that helps us find her,” Zipp sighed. “Why would these Nirik want the ore?”

“Oh, wait!” Misty gasped. “It’s not the Nirik that wants it. It’s somepony called Allura.”

“Somepony?” Pipp gasped. 

“Oh, no! Not somepony,” Misty clarified. “She’s a purple leopard.”

Zipp couldn’t help sighing with disappointment as she tucked her phone away. “Okay, I’m super happy that Sunny’s okay. Apart from that, this isn’t much help finding her.”

“Probably a little optimistic that she’d know her exact location though,” Hitch winked.

“Well, yeah, it’s the biggest flaw with her getting captured plan,” Zipp admitted. “But it’s made more questions than answers. I wish I could have been there to ask things.”

“Well, next time you can,” Misty smiled. “Sunny’s going to message each evening. You can tell me what to ask her.”

Strawberry sniffed arrogantly, “You think Sunny’s going to have all the answers?”

Pipp frowned back at Strawberry with annoyance. “Oh, and have you helped Misty find the location spell yet?” 

“No, we’ve not found it yet,” Strawberry admitted.

Misty sighed with resignation. “I’m starting to think the book with it in isn’t there,” she admitted. “We got all the books we could find from Opaline’s but…”

“We could have missed some,” Hitch sighed.

“The titles of those left don’t sound like they’d have that kind of spell in,” Strawberry explained.

The others looked at Misty, her silence and look of sadness were all they needed for confirmation.

“Then our best bet is to capture a Nirik,” Zipp decided. 

Izzy gasped and looked worried. “But how are we going to do that? Didn’t Pipp say the one that took Sunny poofed her away and then poofed off itself? How do we know where it’s going to poof next?”

“We know where and when,” Zipp replied. “There’s a pattern, the next disappearance will be from the CanterBlocks Construction Site.”

“And when?” Pipp questioned.

“Tomorrow night,” Zipp replied.

“We’ve got a plan,” Hitch added. “We just need somepony to play bait.”

Pipp frowned, looking concerned. “The Nirik thing that took Sunny was so fast though. How do you plan to capture it before it disappears?”

Zipp let out a sigh of resignation. “That’s another detail I’m kind of still working on,” she confessed.

“We can’t let anypony be taken either,” Hitch revealed before rubbing the back of his head with a hoof. “Yeah, there’s some major kinks that need ironing out.”

“Sounds like we’re starting over then, Strawberry,” Misty sighed as she got up.

Strawberry blinked, looking confused, “Wait, what?”

“The Nirik uses some sort of teleportation,” Misty explained. “We need to see if we can find a spell that will stop that. If the books upstairs don’t have anything then we’ll need to look at those in the basement.”

“Basement?” Strawberry blinked.

“The books from the recent expeditions to Canterlot are down there,” Misty sighed. “What we’ve looked at is nothing compared to how many are down there.”

Misty started walking toward the ramp. However, as she passed Izzy a rumbling sound could be heard from her stomach.

Immediately, Izzy sprung up from her seat and grabbed Misty from behind. “Wait! Stop right there! I heard a rumbling tummy. You are not. I repeat, not! Going hunting through books on an empty tummy.”

Misty groaned as she tried to push Izzy off. “Then bring something up to me,” she insisted. “If Sunset and Starlight were here, they’d know exactly what books to look in. But I don’t, I’ve got to look through all of them and I don’t have enough time.”

“You’ve got help though,” Izzy responded, not letting go.

“No, there’s too much relying on me,” Misty argued. 

Suddenly, a stern-looking Strawberry stood in Misty’s path. “You sound so much like your mum,” she said sternly. “The number of times I’ve had to stand in her way. To stop her from pushing herself too hard. You are not alone. You’ve got good friends around you who are going to help you.”

“It’s okay, Misty,” Pipp smiled. “We’ll come up and help. Just tell us what to look for like Sunset did when we were in the Canterlot Library with her.”

Misty groaned, looking at the ground with resignation. “Okay, fine. Food first, then we’ll look for a bit tonight before getting some sleep.”

“Good,” Izzy beamed. “Now sit down, one meal coming up!”

“Wait, Iz,” Pipp squeaked. “I’m coming to help you. Maybe then we can avoid another mess!”







Meanwhile in the quarry, Sunny smiled as she ruffled her wings. She couldn’t help feeling happy after finally hearing Misty’s voice. Sprout however looked at her with confusion. “You do realise you were just talking to yourself?”

Sunny laughed and grinned at him. “It’s called a messaging spell, Sprout. I know you couldn’t hear Misty but trust me I was talking with her just now.”

“You were?” Sprout said, looking confused.

“Yes, it’s like using audio messages,” Sunny explained.

Sprout however looked none the wiser, “Whatever you say, Sunny,” he said brightly. “Come on, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.”


Sunny followed Sprout down the line of brown mats, until he stopped at one and sighed. “It’s really basic I’m afraid. It’s even worse than what I had to sleep on at boot camp. No sheets or pillow either.”

“Anything will be better than the floor of that cage,” Sunny admitted. “What’s with the bowls?”

Sunny pointed to the wall above the mat. There were two bowls set into an alcove in the wall. Each mat seemed to have one.

“Well, one is for food and the other for water,” Sprout explained. “We get fed automatically. It’s really, really nothing to write home about either.”

“It’s awful,” Sugar piped up. “Some sort of oatmeal slop. I tried growing something but the floor’s too hard.”

Sunny’s eyes suddenly widened, and she gasped with surprise. “Wait, do the Nirik know about Earth Pony magic?”

Sprout frowned looking thoughtful. “Don’t think so.”

“I told you,” Sugar snorted. “It doesn’t work in here.”

Sunny groaned and looked around at the others. “Has anypony tried using Earth Pony magic outside the hut?”

Ponies looked at each other questioningly. Many shaking their heads, others looking confused. However, nopony confirmed they had.

“There’s no time to grow anything outside the hut,” Sprout said at last. “We’re watched too much. If you slow down or go off course, then the Nirik notice.”

“Okay that’s good,” Sunny smiled. “It means we’ve got an advantage over them. We can use that in any escape plan.”

“Oh, we’re well on our way with an escape plan,” Sprout smirked. “We’ve started a tunnel.”

Sugar snorted, “Oh please, it’s not a tunnel. It’s a few scratches on the floor.”

“Show me,” Sunny responded.

Sprout shot Sugar an annoyed look before leading Sunny towards the mat in the furthest corner from the door. He pulled it to one side and pointed proudly at what was revealed. A series of scratches in the concrete which formed a square.

“It’s going to take some time to cut through but once we do, we’ll have ourselves an escape tunnel,” Sprout grinned.

“And how are we going to get rid of the dirt?” Sugar groaned. “The Nirik come in every morning and inspect us. They’ll notice a sudden pile of dirt.”

“We’ll worry about that later,” Sunny smiled as she fluttered her wings. “Do we need the concrete?”

Sprout gasped, suddenly realising what Sunny was about to do. “Yes, yes we do. As Sugar says, it’s got to go back in so the Nirik won’t find the tunnel.”

“Okay, stand back everypony,” Sunny grinned. 

Sunny studied the marks on the floor, walking around and seemingly forming a plan. Then, she angled her head, aiming her horn at an angle to the floor. 

She fired a fine-cutting beam and carefully traced around the marks that were already there. By holding the beam at an angle, she created a socket that the floor would return into. 

When she was finished, Sunny beamed with delight as she used her magic to effortlessly lift the piece of floor from the hole, revealing a patch of dark grey earth. She placed the floor down and then looked triumphantly at the others who were all looking impressed.

Lifting a forehoof, Sunny smiled towards Sugar as it began to glow green, and she tapped it on the now-revealed earth. A green aura grew through the ground before a small apple tree started to grow. It quickly grew to full maturity, the golden red apples rapidly ripening and looked ready to be picked. Everypony looked at each other with excitement as Sunny started picking the apples with her levitation. 

“Okay, quietly form a line everypony,” Sprout instructed. “I’m sure there’ll be plenty for everypony. We don’t want to share this with our Nirik friends.”

“But we will with the other creatures,” Sunny winked. “A tunnel is a good idea but we can’t escape on our own. We need help.”

“Okay, the problem will be communicating with them,” Sprout sighed. 

“We’ll work on that tomorrow,” Sunny smiled.


As Sprout continued to hand out apples, Sunny made her way towards a surprised and confused-looking Sugar and held an apple out for her.

“Sugar, I know Miss Butterscotch put you next to me in class, but we got on so well,” Sunny smiled. “I know that we’ve not really been friends since but don’t worry. When we get out of this, whatever’s happened to you, I’ll help. I promise.”

Sugar frowned as she took the apple. “Okay, whatever, Sunny.” She paused as she looked at the apple. “Thanks.”

Sunny smiled in response before she headed back to the tree to grow more apples. Meanwhile, Sugar headed back to her mat, sitting down on it she looked thoughtfully at the apple. Studying it for a moment before tucking into it.

As she ate, she couldn’t help feeling she had a lot to think about.
> Chapter Nine – A Day on the Carts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While having a mat was better than trying to sleep on a hard metal cage floor, and the lights got turned off in the hut, Sunny still struggled to fall asleep. It was nothing like sleeping in her warm, comfortable bed in the Brighthouse. However, once she finally got to sleep, exhaustion kept her there.


A high-pitched beeping eventually awoke her and the lights in the hut turned on. Sunny groaned as she tried to keep her eyes firmly closed. However, the bright light burrowed its way through and forced her awake.

“Come on, Sunny,” Sprout said urgently. “You can’t stay there. You need to get up!”

Sunny grunted as she started trying to move, finding her muscles stiff and unresponsive from the hard mat. “W...What’s happening?”

“You’ve got to be ready to eat,” Sugar groaned. “The food is horrible but trust me, they won’t let you leave any of it.”

Sunny looked confused as there was a lower-toned beep. She was about to ask what that meant when food and water were dispensed into the bowls. 

Whilst everypony else started eating, Sunny finally hauled herself from the mat and moved to her bowls. She grimaced at the strange porridge that somehow managed to look both lumpy and runny at the same time.

“I know right,” Sugar sighed. “It’s vile, but you don’t want to be force-fed.”

Sunny looked around unsurely, she couldn’t see any utensils to eat with. Then, she realised the others were all eating straight out of the bowl. Sighing, she moved in to do the same. 

The food was indeed horrible. She could feel it sliding all the way down her throat and it left a nasty aftertaste in her mouth. After a few mouthfuls, she had to drink some water before continuing.

“Is this all we’ll be given to drink today?” Sunny asked.

“Most likely,” Sprout advised. “It varies.”

Sunny sighed and continued trying to force the food down.


A short time later, there was another series of beeps. All the others immediately stood by their mats, lining up so they were looking into the central aisle. However, Sunny was still trying to eat as the door was unlocked and swung open.

As a group of four Nirik entered the hut, Sprout realised Sunny wasn't finished. “Sunny,” he hissed. 

However, Sunny didn’t hear him and was completely unaware of what was happening.

The Nirik walked down the two lines of ponies. Checking their bridles and harnesses and ensuring they had all eaten. Eventually, one reached Sunny and snarled angrily. 

Sunny gasped with surprise as she turned and saw the Nirik. She looked around and realised the others were lined up. The Nirik walked towards her and inspected the bowl. There was a small amount left and the Nirik looked at Sunny expectedly.

Sunny said nothing, she guessed what it was waiting for and ate the last of the food. She looked back at the Nirik, and it pointed to the water. Sunny sighed with relief, she had wanted to wash away the taste anyway.

After she finished, the Nirik had Sunny stand in the line like the others. It checked her harness and bridle before finally moving on. Sunny couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief, feeling she’d gotten off lightly.


With all their checks completed, the group of Nirik ushered the ponies out of the hut where others were waiting. The Ponies were split into smaller groups and guided to different areas of the quarry. Some of the groups were attached together with leads before being led away.

Sprout kept close to Sunny and ensured they were in the same group. They were escorted towards a set of carts and the Nirik started hitching them up. They appeared to prefer using the larger carts that needed two ponies to pull.

Sunny looked around as she waited her turn, there were two watchtowers looking out over the area. She gasped as Sprout poked her in the side and silently indicated towards one of the carts.  

As two Nirik began hitching them up, Sunny watched intently. The Nirik were pulling the straps into position and then using their magic to fasten them. Sunny frowned; it was suddenly becoming clearer to her why only Earth Ponies had been taken. 


Once hitched to the cart, Sunny and Sprout were ushered away. Sunny let Sprout take the lead as they started down a track. Eventually, Sprout looked around and smiled.

“If we’re careful we can talk between the towers,” he explained. “The Nirik have good hearing but can’t be everywhere. When we’re near them, stay quiet. I saw you watching them hitching us, there’s no way to undo the straps.”

“I think there is, I’m pretty sure the buckles are activated by magic,” Sunny revealed. “I’ve got to maintain my cover.”

“Why?” Sprout frowned.

“Because we don’t know if the Nirik will recognise me and realise I have magic,” Sunny explained.

“Oh, okay,” Sprout responded.

Sunny frowned, she wasn’t sure if he understood or not. He’d certainly changed after getting the training from the Equestria Guard, but she doubted it would make him smarter.6


They stopped talking as they neared another watch tower, trotting past it with no issues. Then, when she thought they were clear, Sunny started talking again. “I didn’t see that much yesterday. Do you think there is any chance of speaking to the other creatures?”

“Knew you’d say that and it’s going to be difficult,” Sprout explained. “The areas they’re digging are watched and the Nirik are like hawks. Where we unload, there’s fewer Nirik but fewer other creatures as well.”

“Then in the middle, we’re on our own,” Sunny sighed. “What about those other ponies, with the crystal horns?”

“I’ve no clue what they are,” Sprout admitted. “They’re very chatty with each other though. They talk about how nice everything is, how it’s a lovely day and the like. It’s like they have no idea what they’re actually doing or where they are.”

Sunny looked confused, “But I thought there was no talking.”

“There isn’t,” Sprout responded. “But they get away with it somehow.”

Sunny frowned with thought, going silent again as they neared the area where creatures were digging, and they would be loaded.


As they waited, Sunny watched with interest. Now she wasn’t stuck behind another cart she had a much better view. She knew Zipp would want as much information as possible. 

She gasped as she watched four massive creatures dig away at the rock face. They looked like a cross between a bear and a bee and each was a different colour.

Suddenly, there was a whistle from one of the Nirik. The four creatures immediately stopped digging and there was a flash from each of them. Sunny’s eyes widened as all four turned into Changelings. She squinted at one before grinning as she realised it was Thymus.

The Changelings all moved to one side, standing under a cover out of the sun. A Nirik stood with them, making them all drink water from a trough. 

Meanwhile, a group of other creatures moved in and began digging at a seam of pink rock that had been exposed. Most were Griffons, however there were other creatures with them. Instead of being half lion like the Griffons, they were half pony.

Sunny watched with interest as they loaded the pink stone into baskets. However, suddenly she felt the cart shake. She looked back and saw a group of Diamond Dogs loading the cart with rock. It didn’t take long at all and all too soon they were on their way.


This time as they walked along, other carts were coming the other way. Sunny knew other creatures were pulling carts too. However, she didn’t expect the first one to be pulled by two Yak. 

They both looked strange, their normally long and woolly coats had been shaved right back. Sunny frowned as she suddenly realised how hot it was getting as the sun climbed into the sky.

“It’s going to be a hot one,” Sprout sighed. “Hopefully, they’ll have water waiting for us where we unload.”

“Did you see those creatures that look like a cross between a bird and a pony?” Sunny asked.

“What, the Hippogriffs?” Sprout asked. “We were told about them in basic training. They were some of the first creatures to contact Queen Haven after magic returned.”

“Really?” Sunny gasped with surprise. “Why haven’t we heard anything about them?”

“Ah, shoot,” Sprout gasped. “Ah well, it's probably better you know, Queen Haven kept it quiet. We needed to learn to get along with ourselves first. Then you went and met the Dragons and made instant friends with them. There hasn’t been contact with the Hippogriffs since.”

Sunny frowned with thought as they passed another watchtower. Then, a cart pulled by two Hippogriffs passed them. Sunny couldn’t help noticing how, unlike the others she’d seen, their wings were restrained by straps.

Sunny was glad to find water waiting at the central incline. However, she was less enthusiastic about how this was given to them in a trough, it felt so demeaning. However, it was getting hotter, and it was a relief to be able to drink something cool.


Later, Sunny and Sprout were back at the digging area and waiting to be loaded. The cart ahead of them was a large twin axle one pulled by two Yak. Filling it was therefore taking some time to complete.

As the Nirik’s whistle blew, the Changelings pulled back like before. However, whilst the Hippogriffs moved in to dig out the pink ore, the Griffons didn’t.

Sunny and Sprout looked at each other with confusion. Meanwhile, the Nirik looked equally confused. One advanced on the Griffons, snarling and pointing at the pink rock with a flaming hoof. 

However, the Griffons didn’t do anything, they didn’t move. The Nirik snarled again, its flaming mane getting bigger as it got angrier.

Reacting to this, more Nirik advanced on the Griffons from where they’d been watching the other creatures, leaving them unsupervised. They stood alongside the first Nirik, all snarling as they stared down the Griffons.

However, there were still more Griffons than Nirik and, suddenly, the Griffons all lunged forward in a coordinated attack. As the Nirik began defending themselves, a group of three Griffons suddenly took to the air. They flew off in the direction of the rim of the quarry.


As Sunny watched the commotion, she heard a whisper. “Pssst, Moondust Twinkle. Down here.”

Sunny gasped as she spotted Thymus hiding under the Yak's cart. Alongside him was a lavender Hippogriff with a yellow beak.

“This is Skysurf,” Thymus introduced quietly.

“Thymus tells me we can trust you,” Skysurf hissed. “Those Griffons are doomed to fail. Their wings are clipped so they will tire before reaching the quarry's edge. We must work together if we are to escape.”

‘Moondust’ nodded before turning to Sprout. “Keep watch, Sprout,” she instructed before looking back at her two visitors. “I agree on needing to work together. What’s your plan?”

“We don’t have one yet,” Thymus admitted. “However, we’ve started a tunnel between our huts so we can meet privately.”

“Thing is, yours is between them,” Skysurf admitted. “It would be silly to not invite you to join us.”

“Sure,” ‘Moondust’ nodded. “We’ve already cut through our floor.”

“R...Really?” Skysurf gasped. “How?”

“Wrap it up,” Sprout hissed urgently. “The Griffons are nearly done.”

“Tell us later,” Thymus gasped. “Our tunnels are well advanced. Where should we aim?”

“The back corner, side nearest the Changelings hut,” ‘Moondust’ instructed. “It’s under the mat there.”

“That’s not far,” Skysurf smiled. “We should reach it tonight if you tap next to it to help us aim.”

“We’ll do that, get back to where you should be,” Sprout advised. “Quickly.”

Thymus and Skysurf nodded and hurried away. Meanwhile, Sunny couldn’t help smiling. Even if the Griffon's escape attempt failed. They’d given them all an opportunity and that gave her more hope than ever.
> Chapter Ten – Strawberry for Bait
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a busy morning catching up with things at the Station, Hitch was making his way towards the Brighthouse. As he approached, he felt confused as he could see Misty and Strawberry were stood outside. He thought they would still be searching in books.

Then, he realised they could have found something. However, he couldn’t see what they were doing from a distance. Seeing Misty suddenly disappear with a flash before reappearing again moments later added to his confusion.


As Misty reappeared, she looked at Strawberry with an almighty scowl. “What happened that time?”

Strawberry grunted and scowled back. “I did exactly the same as before,” she snorted. “You must be doing something different.”

Misty sighed with frustration. “I didn’t do anything different. You must be getting the incantation slightly wrong or something. We’ll need to keep practising.”

Strawberry grunted with annoyance as Hitch finally arrived. “Morning, what’s happening here?” he asked brightly. “Did you find something in the books?”

“Morning, Hitch,” Misty sighed. “Yeah, we found a spell that prevents teleportation.”

“That’s excellent news!" Hitch grinned. "Just in time too, we’ve got to get everything ready for this evening. How does it work?”

“It’s an area effect,” Strawberry said matter-of-factly. “I cast the spell and anypony within the area around me can’t teleport.”

“That sounds like just what we need to capture a Nirik," Hitch beamed.

“Yes," Misty sighed, "But there’s a few complications.”

“Oh?” Hitch blinked. “Which are?”

“The area is really small,” Misty explained. “So, the Nirik will need to be very close to who’s casting the spell.”

“Which I keep saying isn’t a problem,” Strawberry replied crossly. “I can get as close as I need to be.”

Hitch blinked and suddenly looked very confused. “Wait, how are you going to do that?”

“She’s going to be the bait,” Misty sighed.

Strawberry couldn’t help grinning as her horn glowed. She transformed into an Earth Pony security guard.

“Woah, woah, woah, I thought the Security Guard was going to be a dummy,” Hitch exclaimed. “Least that’s what Zipp and I planned.”

“Yeah, that’s changed,” Misty admitted. “The only way for Strawberry to be close enough to prevent the teleport is for her to be the bait.”

“Oh,” Hitch gasped. “I’m telling you now, I really don’t like the idea of somepony else playing bait.”

Strawberry smirked arrogantly, “You don’t need to worry, I’ll be completely fine.”

“You won’t if you can’t cast the spell correctly,” Misty frowned.

Hitch blinked before staring back at Misty. “Wait, what?”

“She can’t cast it reliably,” Misty groaned. “She needs more practice.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Hitch sighed. “Are you able to cast it, Misty?”

Strawberry couldn’t help smirking as Misty shook her head sadly.

“I don’t know if I could cast it any better as there’s nopony I can test with,” Misty explained. “Also, that’s an advanced disguise spell she’s using. I’ve looked and it’ll take me ages to learn.”

Strawberry’s chest puffed out with pride. “You see, she’s not the most advanced magic user after all.”

Misty sighed and frowned with annoyance. “It’s not a competition.”

“Says the pony who’s currently losing,” Strawberry grinned triumphantly.

“Okay, okay, we get the point,” Hitch said diplomatically. “Does Zipp know about all this?”

Misty nodded. “Yeah, she does. She’s already been making the arrangements.”

“Good, then I’ll go check in with her,” Hitch smiled. “Strawberry, I suggest you keep practising. I’ve not seen you stop Misty teleporting yet.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Strawberry smiled arrogantly. “I will!”







It was late afternoon at the CanterBlocks Hydroelectric Construction Site. Phyllis stood on a balcony outside one of the Portacabins that made up the main site office. She was looking out towards Maretime Bay from her elevated position, watching intently. 

Meanwhile, down below, Cobalt Blocks was busy moving the last few items of construction materials as he cleared a landing pad.7

Finally, Phyllis spotted the Marestream approaching and called down to Cobalt. “They’re nearly here.”

“No problem,” Cobalt called back. “Everything’s ready down here.”


It wasn’t long before Phyllis and Cobalt watched as the Marestream touched down on the makeshift landing pad. As they both waited as the group disembarked, Phyllis sighed and looked worriedly at her business partner. “I…I don’t see Sunny.”

“The reports must be true then,” Cobalt frowned.

Zipp had a look of concern on her face as she made her way towards where they were standing.

“So, is it true then, Zipp?” Phyllis asked. “Sunny is gone?”

Zipp gave a small nod. “Yes, she didn’t listen and got herself in over her head. Finding her and the others rides on being successful tonight.”

“Are we hearing right?” Cobalt frowned. “You’ve swapped from using the dummy to having somepony play bait?”

Zipp let out a sigh. “Yes, and it’s not my preferred option. But for the anti-teleport spell to work, the caster needs to be close to the Nirik. Strawberry will disguise herself with a spell and be our bait.”

Phyllis gulped and looked at Zipp with concern. “I don’t like this, Zipp,” she admitted. “I don’t understand spells, but we’ve done a really good job on the old CanterLogic test dummy. These Nirik wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”

Zipp was about to respond when Strawberry trotted over, chest puffed out proudly and with a confident smirk on her face. “I appreciate your concern but there’s really no need,” she said arrogantly. “When the Nirik appears, I’ll cast the anti-teleport spell, and it will be completely helpless.”

“You’re certain you’ve learnt the spell,” Zipp frowned.

“Completely,” Strawberry said haughtily. “You keep asking and I keep telling you. I’m not a beginner, it doesn’t take me long to learn new spells.”

In the background, Misty frowned and rolled her eyes. Meanwhile, Zipp ignored Strawberry’s posturing and turned back to Phyllis and Cobalt. “Have all the other arrangements been made?”

“Yes,” Phyllis nodded.

“We sent the entire workforce home this morning,” Cobalt explained. “They should be back with their families now.”

“Queen Haven provided us with members of the Equestria Guard for security,” Phyllis continued. “Their checkpoints are someway away. Cobalt and I are the only ones here and the site is completely secure.”

Zipp nodded thankfully. “Good, Good, you both should stay with Hitch in your offices where it’s safe. Leave this all to us.”

Phyllis and Cobalt both nodded in agreement.


It didn’t take long to set things up. Hiding places were positioned whilst Strawberry donned her disguise and sat in the guard hut. As she looked around, she activated her earpiece. “So, what do I do again?” 

Hitch couldn’t help sighing before responding. “Just sit there. Now and then, I’ll tell you to walk out of the hut to the other side of the gateway and back. Make it look like you’re patrolling.”

“Is that all?” Strawberry grunted.

“Yes,” Zipp groaned. “Misty and I are close. We’ll back you up once you stop the Nirik from being able to get away. Then, Pipp and Izzy are ready to help contain it.”

Strawberry grunted with annoyance. “Why can’t I go further than just across the road? It’s not much of a patrol route. Why don’t I…”

“Because last time we did this there were too many variables,” Hitch interrupted. “We’re keeping this simple. I’ve got an overview via the site’s CCTV. Strawberry, please, do as I tell you.”

“Fine, fine,” Strawberry grumbled.

From her hiding spot, Misty held a hoof to her mouth as she yawned. She couldn’t help feeling worried. Not only because she wasn’t sure Strawberry could cast the spell. She was feeling increasingly tired and didn’t want to fall asleep.


It wasn’t long before night fell, and it got increasingly darker. Although, the area was floodlit which made things simpler.

However, as time ticked by slowly, Strawberry got increasingly bored. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh as she looked around. “If this is what being an actual security guard is like, it’s a boring job.”

From her hiding place, Pipp too was getting bored to death. “Are we sure the Nirik is coming? There’s not even any signal out here!”

“Good job,” Hitch grunted. “Or you’d not be paying attention. The Nirik that took Sunny appeared much later than this, so stay alert. Strawberry, if you're falling asleep, do another patrol.”

Strawberry rolled her eyes and got up from her chair. She walked to the door of the hut and out into the now frigid night air.


She walked across the gateway, looking around with an uninterested expression. As she reached the other side, she rolled her eyes and sighed with annoyance. Holding her tongue, she turned around.

Which was when there was a flash of flame in front of her. Strawberry squeaked with surprise and looked on, wide-eyed, as a Nirik appeared. She stared blankly at the creature before her, she’d never seen anything like it. The Nirik snarled and its curved horn started to glow.

Strawberry gasped, suddenly remembering what she was supposed to be doing. She tried to remember the anti-teleport spell. However, before she could even start, the Nirik fired a beam straight towards her.

“Aaaah,” Strawberry cried as the beam hit her and she disappeared.

The Nirik gave a small growl, its horn was just starting to glow again when a beam hit it in the back of the head. It growled with annoyance, whirring around and through narrowed eyes, it began scanning for the source of the beam.

Suddenly, a flash from the nearby undergrowth caught its attention. The Nirik snarled and fired a beam directly at it.

However, there was another flash behind it as Misty appeared. Immediately, she fired another beam into the Nirik’s back, making it stumble forward.

The Nirik spun around with an enraged growl. Its horn glowed again, and it fired a beam directly at Misty.

Misty narrowed her eyes, lighting her horn and creating a shield around herself. The Nirik’s beam impacted the shield and had no effect. Jumping to one side as she lowered the shield, Misty fired at the Nirik again.


From her hiding place, Zipp watched in awe as Misty and the Nirik traded shots. It was abundantly clear that Misty was holding back. She wanted to knock the Nirik out and was trying to do so without severely hurting it.

What was less clear was what the Nirik was doing. Why didn’t it teleport away? 

Zipp decided that didn’t matter, she needed to help Misty. She reached for her earpiece and readied herself. “I’m moving in to help.”

“NO! Stay hidden, Zipp,” Hitch ordered. “The Nirik could be using teleporting beams. We need to leave this to Misty, she can defend herself. You can’t. Everypony maintain your positions!”

Zipp scowled and begrudgingly held her position, “Understood.”


Misty reappeared after using a teleport to reposition. She fired a beam which hit the Nirik in the side of its neck. As it impacted, it’s mane was deflected, and Misty gasped as she spotted something. A box attached to a collar around its neck, the multiple flashing LEDs making it stand out clearly.

The Nirik growled and spun around to where Misty was now standing. Misty squeaked as the Nirik fired another beam at her, only just managing to raise her shield in time.

However, she now had a new target. With a look of determination, she teleported again and swapped sides. After reappearing, she spotted where the collar was and carefully aimed.

The Nirik was slow to react as Misty’s beam hit its mark. Impacting the collar, the beam cut its way through the material. As the collar fell away, the Nirik let out a visceral growl as it was suddenly enveloped in a ball of fire.

Everypony watched in surprise as the fire dissipated. Instead of the Nirik, another creature stood in its place. The creature looked completely dazed, wobbling on its hoofs before its eyes turned back in its head. Groaning, it fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as it did so.

Misty stood panting as she watched the creature intently. However, after a few moments, she let out a sigh of relief as she sat down. Gasping for breath, she looked upwards and closed her eyes. Her mouth was dry, and she suddenly felt exhausted as the adrenaline of battle started to wear off.


With the threat seemingly over, Izzy came bounding from her hiding place. “MISTY!”

Misty looked but had no time to react as Izzy jumped at her. Squeaking, Misty found herself held tightly in Izzy’s embrace. Her eyes bulged as Izzy squeezed her.

“You did it!” Izzy cried. “You caught it!”

“Well, she’s caught something,” Zipp said as she approached. “Misty, what did you do?”

Misty didn’t reply, she only grunted and gasped for air. She desperately tapped Izzy on the side with a hoof. 

Izzy blinked and her eyes widened as she spotted Misty’s desperate wide-eyed expression. “Oops.”

Misty gasped for air as Izzy loosened her vicelike grip around her. Feeling her wobble, Izzy held Misty to support her as Pipp and Hitch finally arrived.

Eventually, Misty recovered enough breath to respond. “I…I spotted a collar,” she panted. “Around it’s neck. I managed to cut it off.”

“Wait, and that’s when it transformed?” Zipp gasped.

“Y…Yeah,” Misty gasped. “It had loads of blinking lights on it. I thought it must be important and went with my gut.”

Zipp frowned as she found and picked up the now damaged collar. “Interesting.”

“Well done, Misty,” Hitch smiled as he patted her on the back with a hoof before sighing. “Why didn’t Strawberry use the anti-teleport spell? Now we’ve got to rescue her as well.”

Misty’s face fell into a scowl. “She wasn’t ready, but she was too arrogant to admit it,” she grimaced and looked down sorrowfully. “Now she’s gone.”

“Everything keeps going wrong when ponies play bait,” Pipp commented. “Can we not do that anymore? I don’t want to be next!”

“You won’t because nopony is playing bait again,” Zipp frowned as she studied the collar. “Misty, can Strawberry contact you?”

Misty sighed and shook her head. “I can message her, but she won’t be able to respond. We concentrated on the anti-teleporting spell.”

“And she can’t teleport,” Hitch sighed.

Misty groaned as she shook her head sadly.

“Okay, there’s two things,” Zipp said optimistically. “Firstly, they’ve not taken Unicorns before and hopefully won’t want one. They might send her back.

“Secondly, when our friend here wakes up. They should be able to tell us how to find the airship or the quarry.”

“Speaking of what are we doing with it?” Hitch asked as he checked the creature over. “It’s still breathing, just knocked out.”

“Misty, can you put it in the Prison Sphere?” Zipp inquired.8

Misty took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes, “I can try, I think I remember the incantation for the basic one. The same that Opaline used on Sunset. It will stop it from getting away or teleporting.”

“That should do fine,” Zipp smiled.

Misty nodded and started to get to her hoofs. Izzy gasped as she was forced to let her go. Misty smiled at her gratefully before indicating to her friends that they should all get back.


With a deep calming breath, Misty closed her eyes and focused. Then, she opened her eyes and fired a beam of magic at the creature. With a flash, the creature was trapped within a translucent sphere that floated a few feet from the ground.

“There,” Misty groaned as she sat down. “It’s going nowhere. C…Could I maybe go have a rest now? Please?”

“Phyllis prepared quarters for us,” Hitch smiled. “Go rest, Misty. We’ll take our friend here somewhere safe and wrap things up here.”

“We’ll come and get you when food’s ready,” Pipp smiled kindly.

Misty nodded and slowly started heading towards the main offices.


After speaking with Phyllis, Misty was shown to a small room. It had a single bed, a desk, and a small washbasin.

Groaning, she lay down on the bed. Hoping to at least have a nap before she was summoned to eat. However, a tingling sensation in her horn put paid to that.

Misty couldn’t help groaning as she sat up. However, she suddenly realized what the sensation was. Gasping, her horn glowed as she focused on the messaging spell.


“Misty, are you there? It’s Sunny, you’ll never guess all the progress we’ve made!”
> Chapter Eleven – An Alliance of Escapees
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the ponies were all ushered inside their hut, Sunny immediately made her way to the very back. She stopped and waited until the door had been firmly closed and locked before she activated her powers.

“Sunny!” Sprout gasped. “What are you up to?”

Sunny grinned as she moved the mat and removed the concrete floor ‘plug’. “Sprout, start tapping next to the hole,” she instructed. “I’m going to make another hole for us to grow food.”

Sprout suddenly remembered and with a look of understanding did as instructed. Meanwhile, Sugar and the other ponies watched on with confusion.

Sunny moved the next mat in the row, then angling her horn she fired a fine cutting beam. Walking around in a circle she created a smaller round hole. One which would be big enough to grow plants but not for anypony to get through.

Sugar frowned with annoyance as she watched Sunny remove the round ‘plug’ and Sprout continued to tap on the floor with a hoof. “Okay, you’re acting weird, Sunny. You’ve even got Sprout acting strange. That’s saying something.”

“Hey,” Sprout frowned as he continued to tap.

Sunny giggled giddily, “We made contact with other creatures, Thymus the Changeling and Skysurf the Hippogriff. Their huts are on either side of ours and they’ll be busy digging towards Sprout’s tapping right now.”

Sugar blinked with confusion as the others looked at each other. “So, what you're saying is we’re getting visitors?”

“Yes, isn’t it exciting? Eee he he,” Sunny squeaked. “If we all work together then we’ll all escape.”

Sugar scowled with annoyance. “I don’t think escaping will be quite that easy, Sunny.”

“Maybe not,” Sprout interjected. “But it’s a start. At least with tunnels between our huts, we’ll be able to plan a coordinated effort.”

“Wow, big words for a little Sprout,” Sugar goggled. “Can we grow some food then?”

“Not yet,” Sunny instructed as her powers disappeared. “We need to wait for them to get here first.”

“Okay fine,” Sugar sighed. “But I’m still getting my apple tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Sugar. I’ll make sure you do,” Sunny beamed.


As the evening went on, Sunny’s previous enthusiasm started to wane as nothing seemed to happen. Both she and Sprout began taking turns tapping on the floor. Especially when there was a low-toned beep and food was dispensed.

“Do they come and check we’ve eaten?” Sunny asked worriedly.

“No, but if you don’t finish it tonight, it will still be there tomorrow morning,” Sprout advised.

“They’ll make you finish it then,” Sugar grumbled.

“I take it you talk from experience, Sugar,” Sunny smirked.

Sugar’s scowl was all the confirmation Sunny needed.


Later, Sugar was laid on her mat watching as Sunny continued to tap next to the hole. She was tempted to ignore what Sunny had said and grow some decent food. However, she didn’t get the chance.

Suddenly, there was a scraping sound and Sunny stopped tapping. She gasped, as the ground in the hole began to shift. Then, it disappeared, and revealed a very dirty Thymus.

“Moondust Twinkle,” Thymus smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

‘Moondust’ grinned as she offered a hoof to Thymus. He took it gratefully and ‘Moondust’ pulled him from the hole.

“Some of us thought you wouldn’t make it,” ‘Moondust’ smiled, shooting a look at Sugar.

“I did say our tunnel was advanced,” Thymus smiled. “It shouldn’t be too long until Skysurf arrives.”

Suddenly, there was a tapping sound from under the floor on the opposite side of the room. Sprout gasped and immediately resumed tapping on the floor.

“Thanks, Sprout,” ‘Moondust’ grinned. “Seems you're right, Thymus, she’s not far off.”

“I may as well assist her,” Thymus grinned as he headed back into the hole.


It wasn’t long before ‘Moondust’ and Sprout were pulling both Thymus and Skysurf from the hole. However, they were surprised to find that behind Skysurf was a dark blue Griffon.

“So, these are the Ponies,” the Griffon sniffed. “To be clear, we ain’t joining you yet. I wanna hear your plans first.”

“Well, before that let’s make some proper introductions,” Skysurf suggested. “I’m Skysurf, I’m here to represent the Hippogriffs of Mount Aris and Seaquestria. There are many of us here, we’re all desperate to escape and return home. Especially those of us who prefer to live in Seaquestria. I’m the personal guard of Coral Cloud, the daughter of our Queen.”

“Seaquestria?” ‘Moondust’ gasped. “Where’s that? If it’s underwater, how do you breathe?”

Skysurf smiled. “It’s under the sea near Mount Aris. Hippogriffs have long lived both on land and in the sea. We transform into Seaponies to live below the waves.”

‘Moondust’ gasped in amazement as the Griffon grunted and rolled her eyes.

Thymus smiled knowingly. “You know Equestria has been isolated for moons. They are going to have many questions. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“Yeah, ponies are so naive,” the Griffon snorted before sighing. “Fine, I’m Giselle, I’ll decide on behalf of the Griffons of Griffonstone if we’re going to join in here. So, Changeling, why don’t you impress me with your changing?”

“Well, firstly my name is Thymus,” he sighed. “I’m a guard and sworn protector of the changeling hive. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Giselle, the collar the Nirik fitted me with prevents me from using my changeling abilities.”

“But you do change,” Giselle frowned. “I’ve seen you.”

Thymus nodded. “Yes, when we are at the dig sites, we’re able to transform into Bugbears. But only Bugbears and only when we’re within the dig sites. They can also turn it off at any time and force us back to normal form.”

‘Moondust’ gasped as Giselle frowned with annoyance. She poked Sprout in the side, indicating he should introduce himself.

“Oh, errr. So, I’m Sprout Cloverleaf. I’m a Private in the Equestria Guard based in Maretime Bay.”

Skysurf gasped and suddenly looked very interested. “Maretime Bay? What’s that?”

“It’s the Earth Pony town,” Sprout explained. “We’re all from Maretime Bay originally. Although some of us moved to the Pegasus City, Zephyr Heights.”

“As its name suggests, Maretime Bay is situated on the coast,” ‘Moondust’ explained.

“So, is it right you were all divided until recently?” Skysurf asked.

“Yes, we were,” Sugar nodded in the background.

“Well, as we’re in your hut, please feel free to join our discussion,” Thymus smiled. “What is your name?”

Sugar sighed in resignation before stepping forward. “I’m Sugar Moonlight. Before unification, I worked as a model for CanterLogic. But it’s closed now.”

“CanterLogic produced personal protection equipment,” Sprout explained. “We Earth Ponies can’t fly or use magic, so we needed a way to protect ourselves. My mom was the CEO, she closed it after unification.”

“Unification?” Giselle blinked.

“That was when all three pony kinds reunited,” Sugar explained before sighing. “An Earth Pony was brave enough to make friends with Unicorns and Pegasi. Together they travelled across Equestria and found the three Unity Crystals. They reunited us all and brought back magic.”

“How wonderful,” Giselle snorted.

“You’ve suddenly gone very quiet, Moondust Twinkle,” Thymus said worriedly. “I thought you’d be excited by this.”

“I’m just, being cautious,” ‘Moondust’ frowned. “Giselle, you look familiar. Did you attempt an escape on the airship?”

Giselle grunted with annoyance. “Yeah, that was me. If you were one of those idiots who started shouting, we’re going to have words.”

“Moondust and I were there,” Thymus admitted. “But we only watched. We didn’t contribute to the noise that caused your downfall.”

Giselle’s expression softened slightly. “Good. Whilst I’m still not convinced by this. The Griffons have been recklessly trying anything to escape. It’s landed many of us in high-security confinement, myself included.”

“What’s that?” Skysurf frowned.

“They lock you in cages, amongst other things,” Giselle snorted. “Allura got angry with how many of us were in there this afternoon and turfed us all out.

“Anyway, whilst the Griffon tactics need to change. I don’t currently see what working with you lot will achieve. Especially you ponies, no offence. But you’re stuck pulling carts. You’re going to be no help at all.”

‘Moondust’ took a deep breath and frowned. “Then, my question to you all is this. Can I trust you?”

“Trust us?” Skysurf gasped.

“Can I trust you to keep a secret from the Nirik,” ‘Moondust’ clarified looking pointedly at Giselle.

Thymus nodded reassuringly. “Of course, you can trust me, and the other Changelings. We owe the Ponies a great deal from deeds done in the past. I hope we can rekindle past relations with Equestria.”

“Same here,” Skysurf nodded. “You can trust me and the other Hippogriffs. When we were attacked by the Nirik. Coral Cloud and I were part of a delegation heading to Equestria. We want to restart our friendly relations that our ancestors enjoyed with you.”

Giselle scowled with annoyance. “Well let me put it this way. Anything you say stays within this hut. I won’t tell the other Griffons unless you want them to know.”

Sunny sighed. “Close enough because I want to introduce myself properly. My name isn’t Moondust Twinkle. It’s Sunny Starscout. 

“Sugar mentioned an Earth Pony who made friends and travelled Equestria to reunite us all. Well, that pony was me and when we reconnected the Unity Crystals, I was given something special.”

Sunny took a step back from the others, closing her eyes she activated her powers with a flash. She spread her wings and flexed them a few times before folding them against her sides.

“Okay, now things are getting interesting,” Giselle gasped.

Thymus nodded understandingly. “I can see why you are being cautious, Sunny Starscout. It is good to meet you properly.”

Sunny sighed and looked down. “Thymus, I’m sorry for deceiving you on the airship. I was being honest about my friends though. They are looking for me and I’ve even been able to use my magic to message them.”

Giselle’s eyes lit up. “You have magic then!”

Sunny nodded. “Yes.”

Giselle jumped forward, a beaming grin on her face. “Then teleport us home!”

Sunny gasped, stepping back in shock. “I…I can’t.”

“Sure you can,” Giselle beamed. “I’ve heard the stories of pony magic. You teleport, fire rainbow beams, and turn creatures into stone. What are you waiting for?”

Sunny gulped, suddenly wondering if this had been such a good idea. “I…I can’t teleport you. Well, I could, as far as the other end of this hut. But you’d appear upside down.”

Giselle pulled a confused face. “What?”

Sunny sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know why it won’t work right for me. My friend, Misty, is currently the only Pony in Equestria that can teleport properly. She’d maybe be able to take three others with her, but that’s it.”

“When we divided, we lost magic as well,” Sprout interjected. “Sunny and her friends brought it back with the Unity Crystals.”

“That’s why they’re the Guardians of Unity,” Sugar added. “They didn’t just bring back magic. They defeated a powerful enemy too, one who threatened all Equestria.”

Giselle’s eyes twinkled. “Was that with a rainbow beam?”

“Yes, that was using powerful artefacts called the Elements of Unity,” Sunny confirmed with a small smile. “I can’t do that on my own though. I can only do that with my friends, I don’t have my element with me either.”

“Okay, okay,” Giselle said as she held up her claws. “You’ve convinced me, I’m in. The thought that you are in contact with these Guardian friends of yours sounds good.”

“The Nirik must not find out about you,” Skysurf said suddenly. “I don’t know who you are, but the Nirik know who’s important. Coral Cloud was the most important Griff in our delegation, they targeted her specifically.”

“They may already know you’re here,” Thymus said gravely. “Pseudonym or no, I suspect they’ll recognise that mark you have on your flank.”

Sprout couldn’t help laughing and the creatures all looked at him confusedly. “Oh, don’t worry,” he chuckled. “I’ve known her since we were foals and when she came through that door, I didn’t recognise her.”

“I’m kind of not normally this colour, it’s a disguise,” Sunny sighed as she looked down with embarrassment. “You all knew you were dealing with Nirik when you were captured. I didn’t. I thought we were dealing with disgruntled Pegasus Ponies. 

“There have been protests from a group of them against unification. My friends, Hitch and Zipp. They told me we didn’t know what we were dealing with, but I didn’t listen. I should have, Hitch is the Sheriff of Maretime Bay and Zipp is a brilliant Detective. They knew something didn’t add up but I paid no attention.

“I convinced my other friends it was Pegasi too. I knew Pipp and Izzy would enjoy creating this disguise. Also, I knew Misty would enjoy teaching me a new spell. 

“So, when the Nirik appeared, I wasn’t ready at all. I completely screwed it up.”

“None of which matters,” Sugar responded. “You made a mistake, get over it. I bet you’ll listen to Zipp and Hitch next time.”

Sunny looked at Sugar with a thankful smile and Giselle let out a groan.

“Okay, that actually sounds pretty similar to my story,” she admitted. “I didn’t know why Griffs were going missing either. I just jumped into things too. I wasn’t the bait, but I got caught trying to stop a Nirik getting away after it surprised us.”

“It sounds like we have a lot in common,” Skysurf smiled. “I think this alliance will work well. The last thing I want to know is, what’s with the other hole?”

Sunny smiled. “I’m sure Sugar will be pleased to show you. She’s been waiting all night.”

“Finally,” Sugar sniffed.

She moved over to the smaller hole in the floor and raised a forehoof. The creatures gasped as it glowed with a green aura.

Then, as Sugar tapped her glowing hoof on the ground, the creatures watched in awe as a small Apple Tree grew from the hole. The apples quickly ripened to maturity and Sugar grinned as she picked one.

“Oh wow,” Giselle gasped. “Okay, everything I said before about you Ponies being useless I take back. You guys are epic.”

“That is Earth Pony magic,” Sunny smiled. “We’ve only had it since unification. We can grow any plants instantly.”

“But, what happens when the Nirik come in tomorrow?” Skysurf asked worriedly.

“They won’t have a clue,” Sunny beamed. “We can reverse plant growth too, so that tree will be gone when we’re done with it.”

“We just need soil,” Sprout added. “We couldn’t grow anything substantial on this concrete.”

“I knew there was more to you Ponies,” Thymus grinned. “Alas, time is getting away from us. We had better leave before lights out.”

“Make sure you take some Apples with you,” Sunny grinned. “Don’t worry, we can make the tree produce as many as we want.”


With that, the creatures each said their goodbyes and headed into the tunnel. Each loaded up with apples before carefully making their way through.

After they’d gone, Sunny carefully placed the concrete ‘plug’ in the hole. She shot Sprout and Sugar a confident smile.

“You sure you made the right choice?” Sugar frowned. “Showing them your powers?”

“We’re not going to escape on our own,” Sunny sighed. “I don’t think I’d even be able to get away on my own. We need to trust them, and they need to trust us.”

“At least you managed to convince Giselle,” Sprout grinned. “Although you ought to have upside down teleported her. That would have been proper funny.”

Sugar snorted in disgust. “Well, we ought to tidy up. Lights will be going out soon.”

“Yeah, let's do that,” Sunny smiled before gasping. “Oh no! I need to message Misty!”

“It’s fine, Sunny,” Sprout smiled. “We’ll take care of it.”

“Whatever,” Sugar groaned.


As Sugar and Sprout made sure everypony had been given an apple and started tidying. Sunny walked to the corner of the room as her horn started glowing.

“Misty, are you there? It’s Sunny, you’ll never guess all the progress we’ve made!”
> Chapter Twelve – Meeting a Kirin
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Misty, are you there? It’s Sunny, you’ll never guess all the progress we’ve made!”

“S…Sunny,” Misty gasped. “I’m here, w…we’ve made progress too.”

“Misty, are you okay? You sound worn out?”

“I…I am. I’ve just caught a Nirik. Well, it was a Nirik.”

“Was?”

“Yeah, it was wearing this collar, so I shot it off. It changed, transformed. W…We’ve got it in a Prison Sphere, a…and I was about to take a nap.”

“Oh, Misty! I’m so sorry, you sound really exhausted. Things have been happening here and I completely forgot I still needed to message you!”

“It…It’s fine, I wouldn’t have been able to receive it until now anyway,” Misty admitted. “Please, tell me what’s been happening?”

“Well, we’ve got an alliance going here. Today, Sprout and I made contact with Thymus the Changeling and Skysurf the Hippogriff. This evening, they dug tunnels between our huts. They’ve just left with Giselle the Griffon, they agreed we’ll all work together to escape.”

“Th…That’s great news.”

“Misty, how soon do you think you’ll be here?”

“I…I don’t know. We need to wait for the Nirik creature to wake up first.”

“Wake up?”

“Yeah, when the collar came off it kind of collapsed. I...I’m worried it might not know where the Airship is. I…I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“That’s okay, Misty. I know you’re all doing everything you can. I’m still so sorry for messing up like this. I’ll message you tomorrow evening when they’re all here.”

“S…Sounds good. I’ll make sure Z…Zi…Zipp’s with me too.”

“Bye, Misty. Get some sleep.”

“Bye, S…Sunny. W…We’ll sa…save you.”

With that, Misty collapsed onto the bed. Her eyes closed even before her head hit the pillow. 


However, she didn’t stay asleep long as there was soon a knock on the door. Misty groaned and didn’t reply. However, that didn’t stop Pipp opening the door and poking her head inside. “Misty? Food’s ready.”

Misty groaned, bringing her hoofs to her eyes, and rubbing them blearily. She started to push herself up from the bed but was clearly struggling. 

“Oh, Misty,” Pipp gasped as she came inside to help. “Come on, you need to eat. Why are you so tired? That didn’t look like it was a taxing battle.”

Misty groaned as she blearily looked at Pipp. “I…I might have been up most of last night looking at books.”

Pipp’s eyes widened with surprise. “But you came to bed with the rest of us?”

“I did,” Misty nodded. “But I couldn’t sleep so went back upstairs.”

Pipp frowned with confusion. “How? The lift always wakes me up when it’s activated.”

“Yeah, that’s why I teleported up there,” Misty confessed.

“Oh, Misty,” Pipp sighed as she put a hoof around her and helped her off the bed. “Come on, lean on me. Let’s get some food in you and then you can get some proper sleep.”

With that, Pipp led Misty out of the room and towards the office where hot food had been prepared.







It was early the next morning and Pipp sighed as she aimlessly tapped away on her phone. She couldn’t help feeling relief that Phyllis had provided her with wireless access. 

She was sat in the room that they’d brought the creature into. Hitch and Zipp had wanted to split watching it between them, however, Pipp insisted that she took a watch too. She hadn’t wanted Zipp to get too tired. However, she soon regretted it after her early morning wake-up call.

She sighed as she looked at the unconscious creature. Its coat was a light brown and there were dark green scales which ran from its nose over its head and down its back. 

From its forehead, it had a dark red horn which curved backwards and split into a Y shape. This had multiple stripes of lighter red circling it. Its mane was burgundy red, bushy and curly with the appearance of a lion mane. Its tail was long and thin with more thick burgundy red hair growing at the end.

It looked completely different to the angry fiery creature that had taken Sunny and Strawberry. However, as she continued to study it, Pipp suddenly realised that its eyelids were starting to flutter.


Slowly, the creature began to stir. It groaned as its eyes opened and, slowly, it brought a hoof to its head. Pipp gasped, she put her phone away and moved closer to the sphere. The creature groaned as it slowly began to push itself up into a seating position. Then, it spotted its own hoof and, with a confused expression, studied it intently. “I…I…I’m f…free?”

Pipp watched the creature intently as it continued to study its hoof with widened eyes. Then, it looked up and spotted her. Wide-eyed and slack-jawed, its body trembled with what appeared to be fear.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Pipp coaxed. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“W…Who, w…where?” The creature closed its eyes in pain, putting a hoof on its head and grimacing. “Th…The blue one? Where? Rescued…”

“It’s okay, it’s all going to be okay,” Pipp persuaded. “Do you have a name?”

The creature opened its eyes and looked confused. “N…Name? Do I have a name?” Suddenly, its eyes lit up with recognition and it looked at Pipp with confidence. “I’m Feather Breeze.” 

Pipp beamed, fluttering her wings with joy. “That’s a beautiful name Feather Breeze. I’m so pleased to meet you. I’m Pipp Petals but you can call me Pipp.”

“Pipp,” Feather Breeze repeated. “You’re Pipp.”

Feather Breeze grimaced again, holding a hoof to her head in pain. Pipp couldn’t help but feel concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I…I think so,” Feather Breeze responded. “My mind is getting clearer and clearer. It’s been so long.”

“What has?” Pipp asked worriedly.

Feather Breeze sighed and looked down sadly. “Since I was myself.”

Pipp moved towards the sphere, placing a hoof on it reassuringly. “It’s okay, you’re safe here. What did you mean? Why wouldn’t you be yourself?”

Feather Breeze blinked, looking around and finally realised she was inside the sphere. “W…What? What is this?”

She held out a hoof and touched it. Then she banged on it a couple of times, confirming she was trapped. “P…Please, let me out. I’m not a threat, I promise.”

“It’s only a precaution,” Pipp reassured. “It’s going to be okay.”

“No, nonono, please,” Feather Breeze gasped with wide eyes. “I…I’m not… I have to help them. Please, let me out!”

“It’s okay, you’re safe. Nopony can hurt you,” Pipp reassured. “Help who?”

Feather Breeze’s eyes widened, and she jumped to her hoofs. “The Kirin!” She exclaimed angrily. “They’re all prisoners in their own minds! I have to help them! Let. Me. OUT!”

Pipp gasped as Feather Breeze suddenly erupted in a burst of flame. She jumped back as the flame swirled around within the sphere. It dissipated and revealed Feather Breeze had transformed into the same Nirik form she’d had before Misty removed the collar. 

“You don’t understand, they’re all in trouble!” Feather Breeze shouted. “My friends and family are all trapped in the quarry! I have to help them!”

Pipp’s eyes widened as she started to piece together what she’d been told. “We will,” she reassured. “We will help them. I have friends trapped in the quarry too. We can rescue them together.”

“To…Together?” Feather Breeze repeated, her eyes widening and her fiery mane diminishing. 

“That’s right,” Pipp calmed. “But we’ll only do it by working together. I want to let you out, but I can’t. I don’t have that kind of magic.”

Feather Breeze sat down, taking deep breaths, and trying to calm herself.

“That’s it,” Pipp smiled. “Deep breaths, it’s okay. We’ll help you, we’ll help them, together.”

“Together,” Feather Breeze gasped as she erupted in flames again. 

Pipp couldn’t help feeling relieved as Feather Breeze transformed back into what she assumed was her Kirin form. 

“I…I’m sorry,” Feather Breeze gasped as she held her head in her hoofs. “I just want to help my friends and family.”

“You will,” Pipp reassured. “Please, we know nothing about you and your kind.”

Feather Breeze took a deep breath and looked at Pipp with interest. “I know nothing about your kind either.”

Pipp smiled and spread her wings. “I’m a Pegasus pony, I fly, and I sing.”

“Sing?” Feather Breeze blinked hopefully.

Pipp gave a powerful flap of her wings, she lifted into the air and rotated around as she sang a verse from one of her songs.




You gotta follow your beat
And then soon you will see
You won't have that far to go
Until your song starts to grow
All you need is your beat 




Feather Breeze finally smiled as Pipp’s hoofs reconnected with the floor. “I used to sing, before the quarry,” she sighed. “I’m a Kirin, our village is near the Peaks of Peril. Well, it used to be.”

“So, what’s with the fire thing?” Pipp asked.

“When we get angry, Kirin transform into Nirik,” Feather Breeze sighed. “I think it was a defence mechanism. Thanks to Allura, I…I haven’t been in my Kirin form for some time.”

“Allura? Isn’t she the leader of the quarry?” Pipp queried. 

Feather Breeze nodded. “Our leader, Winters Breath, is good friends with the leader of the Aroracorns, Violet Frost. Violet Frost sent a message, saying the Aroracorns were in trouble. So, a group of us went to help, including me. But it was a trap.”

“A trap?” Pipp gasped.

Feather Breeze nodded sadly. “Violet Frost was under the control of Allura. When we arrived, she was ready for us. In our Nirik form, we’re more susceptible to her purr. So, she quickly took over our minds as well.

“When we’re in Kirin form though, she can’t control us as easily. Her little friend, Twitch. He made collars which somehow trapped us in Nirik form. I…I haven’t been able to control my own actions for so long.”

“I can’t imagine what that could be like,” Pipp blinked, looking sombre.

“It’s horrible,” Feather Breeze admitted. “I knew what was happening, I just couldn’t do anything about it.”

Pipp looked at her sadly. “So Allura made all those in your village come to the quarry?” 

Feather Breeze shook her head sorrowfully. “No, she ordered us to take her to our village. When she arrived, she quickly took control of everypony. Then, she had us burn our own village down.”

Pipp couldn’t help gasping in shock. However, Feather Breeze looked at her with determination. “You said we’ll help them all together, do you have a plan?”

“Well, first we need information,” Pipp admitted before sighing. “Let, let me go and wake up Misty and my sister, Zipp. Misty can let you out and Zipp can ask you what we need to know.”

“I’ll try and answer every question they have,” Feather Breeze said firmly. 


When Pipp eventually returned, Feather Breeze noticed only one pony was with her. 

“Feather Breeze, meet Misty Brightdawn,” Pipp smiled. “She’s going to get you out of that sphere.”

“Y…You’re the one,” Feather Breeze gasped. “You’re the one that saved me.”

Misty blinked with shock. “I…I don’t know about that. I was trying to stop you getting away.”

“Yes, but you removed the collar,” Feather Breeze smiled. “You saved me.”

Misty couldn’t help frowning and looking unsurely at Pipp. “You sure this will be okay?” 

“Perfectly,” Pipp reassured. “Feather Breeze is a victim here.”

“So, where’s Zipp?” Misty asked.

Pipp waved a hoof dismissively. “I’ll get her in a minute.”

“You don’t want her to know,” Misty gasped.

“No, no, I do,” Pipp responded desperately. “It’s just she’ll make this way more difficult than it needs to be. Trust me, Misty. Feather Breeze is cool, and I trust her.”

Misty sighed and nodded. “Okay, I trust you, Pipp.”


Misty took a wide stance and closed her eyes to focus. Then, opening her eyes she aimed her horn and fired a beam of magic at the sphere. Immediately, its membrane wobbled and shifted. 

Feather Breeze gasped as the hard surface she’d been sitting on seemingly disappeared. She fell through the sphere's membrane and onto the floor below.

As soon as Feather Breeze was free, Misty cut the beam. She then fired another one, this time making the sphere disappear completely.

Feather Breeze groaned as she picked herself off the floor. Gasping she found Pipp directly in front of her, offering a hoof. Tentatively, she raised a hoof and took it, allowing herself to be pulled to her hoofs.

“Thank you, Misty Brightdawn,” Feather Breeze nodded.

Misty sighed. “Please, just call me Misty. I…I hope you won’t make me regret this.”

“I won’t, I promise you,” Feather Breeze responded. “We Kirin always speak the truth. You have my word.”

Misty was about to reply when there was a loud gurgling growling sound. Feather Breeze gasped and looked at her stomach which had been the source.

“Pipp, I’ll make breakfast, whilst you get Hitch and Zipp,” Misty suggested. “I’m still worried about Strawberry.”

“Strawberry?” Feather Breeze frowned.

“She’s a friend,” Pipp explained. “She was kind of playing bait for... Well... You.”

Feather Breeze’s eyes widened in realisation. “A…And I zapped her away!”

“It’s okay,” Pipp said quickly. “You said it yourself; you were under some sort of mind control. I’ll go get Zipp, then you can answer all her questions.”

“She’s kind of our detective,” Misty smiled. “Come on, I’ll make us some food.”

“O…Okay,” Feather Breeze gasped. “Thank you.”


Needless to say, after being woken up, Hitch and Zipp weren’t best pleased that Feather Breeze had been let out of the sphere. They were making Pipp very aware of this as she led them towards the kitchen.

“You should have come and gotten us straight away,” Hitch argued. 

“There was no time for that,” Pipp defended. “I told you, she was dazed and confused. I wanted to help her straight away.”

“By letting her out when we have no clue if we can trust her?” Zipp frowned.

Pipp scowled with annoyance. “No, I helped her recover after she woke up. I listened to her. I made sure she knew she could trust us. Just like I know we can trust her.”

“At least she’s with Misty,” Zipp sighed. “We know Misty can hold her own.”

“And my word means nothing then?” Pipp scowled. “I told you. We. CAN! Trust her.”

Hitch let out a deep sigh. “Fine, Pipp. We can trust her.”

“Thank you, just don’t make her angry,” Pipp warned. “That’s what triggers her change into a Nirik.”


As Hitch and Zipp entered the room. They were surprised to find Feather Breeze and Misty were getting along like old friends. 

“These are so good!” Feather Breeze gasped. “What were they called again?”

“Pancakes,” Misty smiled. “Our friend Sunny makes better ones though.”

“I…I’m so sorry she’s been taken,” Feather Breeze sighed.

“It’s okay,” Misty responded. “We’ll find the quarry. Then we’ll rescue her and all your friends too. And you really think Strawberry will be sent back?”

“Yes, I’m certain,” Feather Breeze smiled. “I…I remember the instructions, no wings, or horns. If her disguise drops as you say, she’ll be sent back to this area.”

“You’re certain about that?” Zipp said as she walked forward. “Hi, Zipp Storm. Pipp’s older sister who’s really wanting some answers right now.”

“I know you only have my word with no evidence to back it up,” Feather Breeze sighed. “But Kirin like me are honest creatures. I wouldn’t tell you lies; I promise. Please, ask me any questions you have.”

Zipp nodded as she got out her phone and put it on record. “So, just for my notes and understanding. Kirin change into Nirik when they get angry. Why?”

“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Feather Breeze admitted. “Although, as I said to Pipp, I think it’s a defence mechanism. It’s just a part of what it is to be a Kirin.”

Zipp nodded. “And Allura controls you when you’re a Nirik but not when you’re a Kirin?”

Feather Breeze sighed and shook her head. “No, Allura can control any creature with her purr. However, it affects some more than others. The Aroracorns, she puts into a trance, they believe things are different to what they actually are. 

“She can only control most creatures when they are close to her. But further away, she can’t. That’s what happens when I’m a Kirin. But when I’m a Nirik, she has more control.”

Zipp nodded and looked at Feather Breeze understandingly. “What kind of control?”

Feather Breeze closed her eyes and grimaced. “It's like living in a nightmare you cannot wake up from. All our actions are governed by a series of instructions. The way the quarry works is disciplined to make those work. All the creatures do the same things, day in and day out. 

“If specific things happen, like creatures start talking or act incorrectly. We have set responses. We have no freedom to change our actions. I’ve not been in the quarry for some time though. I’ve been on the Airships.”

Zipp blinked and couldn’t help gasping. “Airships? As in plural?

“Yes, there’s two airships that I know of,” Feather Breeze explained. “The captains are Violet Frost and Winters Breath.”

Pipp blinked and looked worried. “But you said Winters Breath was your leader.”

“She is,” Feather Breeze sighed. “I…I don’t think she’s under Allura’s control. She’s certainly not in Nirik form. But….But she issues us with orders aboard the airship. Orders that Allura’s purr forces us to obey.”

“Allura must be using the fact she has you all in her control as leverage,” Hitch frowned.

Feather Breeze nodded sadly. 

“Okay, so how come you’re still affected by the purr when you’re so far away from Allura?” Zipp frowned.

“There are speakers throughout the ship,” Feather Breeze explained. “They emit the purr so that we hear it continually. I…I don’t know how they recreated it.”

“Okay, so is the airship continually flying around or has it landed somewhere?” Hitch asked.

“It lands when it’s time to go and, well, collect creatures,” Feather Breeze sighed.

“So, do you know where the airship lands?” Zipp asked.

Feather Breeze nodded. “It changes every time, and I can’t describe where it is, but I need to know for the teleportation spells. There’s a set of coordinates, etched into my mind. I can give them to you.” She frowned and suddenly looked worried. “If you don’t mind me asking a question, why do you need them?”

“Because if we’re going to find the quarry. We first need to find the airship,” Zipp explained. “Hopefully we’ll be able to track it to its destination.”

Feather Breeze’s eyes widened, and she looked at Zipp with concern. “Then we don’t have any more time to spare. We need to go. Now!”

“Why?” Hitch asked.

Feather Breeze sighed. “Because, if it hasn’t already, it will be leaving soon.”
> Chapter Thirteen – Airship Intrusion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although it was still a few hours until sunrise proper, the sun started making itself known as the Marestream streaked its way through the sky. 

In the rear compartment, Misty and Izzy had both opted to take naps. Meanwhile, Feather Breeze sat, looking around with a mixture of panic and anxiety. “I...Is this thing really safe?”

“It’s completely safe,” Pipp reassured. “I guess you don’t like flying much.”

“I…I’m terrified of it!” Feather Breeze exclaimed. “Being trapped in my own mind aboard the Airship. It was horrible! I’d never flown before and I…I couldn’t find out what the noises were. Why things moved as they did. I saw things, but I couldn’t check what they were.”

“It’s okay,” Pipp reassured as she put a hoof around her. “I’m here and I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you. I’ll help you understand what’s happening if that makes you feel better.”

Feather Breeze grimaced before taking a deep calming breath. She let it out slowly before smiling thankfully at Pipp. “Thank you so much, Pipp.”


Zipp meanwhile was homing in on the coordinates that Feather Breeze had provided her with. She frowned as she stared intently at the instruments. “These better be right.”

“Err, Zipp,” Hitch gasped. “I think they are.”

Zipp looked up from the instruments and also gasped at what she saw out the windscreen. 

The airship was so large that it towered above the trees of the woodland it had landed within. Hitch and Zipp could barely fathom how many creatures could be on board.

“Okay. Okay, Zipp. That’s close enough,” Hitch said worriedly. 

“Oh, shoot! You’re right, we don’t want to be spotted.”

Zipp put the Marestream into a tight turn. Banking away before they got any closer. 


In the rear compartment, the sudden turn caused everypony to go flying. Feather Breeze cried out in fear, wrapping her hoofs around Pipp tightly as they fell on the floor. “Nonono, help me!” 

“ZIPP!” Pipp shouted crossly. “What are you doing!”

There was a crackling sound as the intercom came to life. “Sorry for the rough ride everypony,” Zipp said bashfully. “We’ve found the airship and are landing now.”


After they’d landed, Feather Breeze was still clinging tightly to Pipp. Her eyes were closed as she trembled with fear. “N...Never again. Never again.”

“Feather Breeze,” Pipp said softly as she rubbed her head reassuringly. “I’m sorry but we’re going to have to fly again if we’re going to follow the airship to the quarry. It’s not normally that rough, honest.”

Feather Breeze opened her eyes, gasping for breath as she tried to calm her nerves. “I...I know,” she admitted. “W...What’s the plan now?”

“We need to get close enough to plant a tracker on the airship,” Zipp said as she entered from the cockpit.

“A tracker?” Pipp blinked.

“Yeah,” Zipp said as she opened a draw and removed her drone. “I’ve spent most of my time modifying this thing. It’s got a mode that’s got epic battery life. All I have to do is get it on board that airship before it takes off. 

“Feather Breeze, I’m sorry, I know you probably want to stay a billion miles from that airship. But I’ll need your help.”

“I...I’ll try,” Feather Breeze gasped as she finally let go of Pipp. “I don’t think we’ll be able to sneak on board though.”

“We won’t need to,” Zipp smiled as the drone started to hover. “I just need your help to guide it in.”

“Okay,” Feather Breeze nodded.

Suddenly, there was a loud clatter as Izzy emerged from a pile of stuff that she’d landed in. “Sorry we don’t have any pancakes today,” she said randomly before collapsing back into the pile and promptly falling asleep.

“Whatever you say, Iz,” Zipp laughed as she packed a saddle bag. “Everypony else should stay here. This is a stealth mission.”

“No, I’m coming with you,” Misty said suddenly. “If we’re spotted, I can get us away.”

“Good point,” Zipp admitted. “Come on then.”

With a series of nods, the three of them headed towards the door. 


After they’d gone, Pipp checked her phone. She sighed and sat down as Hitch walked in. “Pipp? What’s wrong?”

“Hitch, I think we need to tell everypony that Sunny is missing,” she admitted. “I wanted us all to discuss it, but I don’t think there’s time. I’ve got a signal, enough to maybe do a low-quality livestream.”

Hitch sighed understandingly and sat down next to her.

“Queen Haven didn’t want ponies to panic,” he sighed. “But now, we’re just about to start our rescue mission. That’s going to give the families of those who are missing hope. I say you tell them, make sure they know that everypony needs to stay safe and alert.”

Pipp nodded with determination and readied her phone. She checked her mane and adjusted it a bit before starting the stream.

“Hey there Pippsqueaks! I know this is, like, super early for a stream and you are all probably in bed. I expect most of you will watch this later. Those of you watching now are likely wondering what gives. Well, what gives is I have an important update for you all. If I wait any later then I’ll be out of signal range.

“Yes, you heard that right! Ya girl is going off grid for a bit. My friends and I are just about to start the mission that will rescue Sunny and the other Earth Ponies that have gone missing.

“Yes, you heard that right too! Sunny Starscout is one of the ponies that has disappeared. I know there’s been a whole lot of speculation about that, and I wanted to put the record straight. The thing is, that doesn’t matter now. There’s a whole load of creatures that are in trouble. Not just Sunny and our fellow ponies. We’re determined to rescue them all.

“However, the threat has not passed! Please, please, please, follow the curfews like Queen Haven has asked. We are dealing with another powerful enemy here, one who can control others. 

“Turns out the creatures that have been whisking ponies away are prisoners themselves, prisoners in their own minds! They’re controlled by this powerful enemy against their will. But, I’m confident that by working together we’ll rescue not only our missing friends but every other creature that’s in trouble. 

“Wish us luck everypony, as soon as I’m back in signal range I’ll give you all an update. Pipp Pipp Horray!”

Pipp sighed as she tapped on her phone and ended the stream. She looked at Hitch with a hopeful expression.

“Not sure I’d have said that stuff about a powerful enemy, but I think that’s put the message across,” Hitch admitted. “Your cutie mark certainly seems to think so.”

Pipp blinked before looking back at her cutie mark to see it was glowing brightly.


Meanwhile, Zipp, Misty, and Feather Breeze were carefully making their way towards the airship. It was still dark and they daren’t use any light in case they alerted the Nirik.

“I thought you said there were two airships,” Misty gasped. “Isn’t that a big number three on its side?”

“Yes, there’s two that I know of,” Feather Breeze answered. “Number two, and this one, number three. I’ve no idea if there’s a number one.”

“Okay, that’s mildly concerning,” Zipp admitted as she pushed between two bushes. “Okay, super sneaky time. The clearing is just up ahead. Everypony whisper from now on.”



They carefully made their way towards the treeline of the large clearing the airship had landed in. Hiding within a group of bushes, they crawled forward until they could see out towards the airship.

From the bottom of its large underbelly, there were a series of large floodlights. These lit up the clearing and it was obvious that moving further from the treeline would be foolish. They kept in the shadows under the bushes and watched.

From an open hatch near the ships nose, four cables run down to a lift on the ground. One Nirik stood by this, guarding it.

One of the large sets of doors at the bottom of the airship was open. From it, five chains dangled downwards, each having a bell-shaped cage attached to the bottom. Around the cages, there were several Nirik. However, they weren’t the only creatures there.


Feather Breeze gasped and watched, wide-eyed, as a large Kirin paced back and forth in front of the cages. “W…Winters Breath.”

“Is that a good thing?” Misty murmured.

Zipp frowned as she started removing items from the saddle bag. Passing a pair of binoculars to Misty before looking through a pair herself. “It’s probably got something to do with the Pegasi in the cages,” she breathed. “And Strawberry of course.”

“Strawberry?” Misty gasped quietly.

As Misty looked through her binoculars, she saw Zipp was right. In the cage at the end of the row was an unconscious Strawberry. The other four however each contained a Pegasus.


Zipp zoomed her binoculars in on each one. She didn’t recognise the first three. But then, in the cage next to Strawberry, she spotted one she did. “They’ve got Minty Cloudstrike.”

“Who?” Feather Breeze whispered.

“Minty Cloudstrike is the leader of the Pegasus for Pegasi movement,” Misty murmured. “She’s been protesting against Earth Ponies being in Zephyr Heights.”

“Maybe Sunny will get to chat with her after all,” Zipp hissed as she readied her drone. “Feather Breeze, what’s my best way in?”

“Well, I’m honestly not sure,” Feather Breeze sighed.

“You never looked around or anything?” Zipp frowned. “Like checking doors were secured or carrying out maintenance?”

“No,” Feather Breeze sighed. “I was always on Situation Thirteen, so I was a guard. Checking things like that wasn’t part of the instructions.” 

She groaned and held her head. “Oh, I hate this,” she said quietly. “T…The memories haunt me. All the things I wanted to do that I couldn’t. All the decisions I wish I could reverse.”

“It’s okay,” Misty whispered back. “There’s so many things I want to change in my past too. By helping us, you’re already making up for them.”

“Especially when you weren’t in control of them,” Zipp added quietly. “Are the Nirik on the ground all I need to watch for?”

“Honestly, the Nirik won’t be a problem,” Feather Breeze whispered. “It will be Winters Breath. I doubt that the Nirik will bat an eyelid at the drone. I mean, inside they’ll be screaming with curiosity, but they’ll not be able to do anything unless told specifically.”

“What? Really?” Zipp goggled.

“They’ll all be on Situation Thirty,” Feather Breeze explained with a grimace. “Watch for unauthorised creatures, capture on sight. There's a list of unauthorised creatures.”

“Okay, I’m going for it,” Zipp informed as she passed Feather Breeze the binoculars. “You can take these if you like. I’ve got my screen here.”

Feather Breeze watched in interest as the drone took off. It slowly climbed, staying out of the beams of light from the spotlights. Then it headed towards the top of the airship.

“I’ll take it over the top,” Zipp murmured. “There could be hatches up there.”

Feather Breeze looked at the binoculars in her hoofs with confusion. She wasn’t sure how to use them. Spotting this, Misty gave her a quick tutorial.


As Feather Breeze got the hang of the binoculars. She gasped as she watched Winters Breath inspecting Strawberry.

“We have waited too long already,” Winters Breath said to the closest Nirik. “We must send this one back. We cannot take a Unicorn.”

The Nirik blinked and cocked it’s head. Winters Breath looked down sorrowfully and sighed. “Query, did you see any ponies without horns or wings?”

The Nirik blinked, and after a moment, it shook it’s head.

“The Ponies have reacted so fast, it's getting harder and harder," Winters Breath groaned. "Query, have all Nirik returned.”

Again, the Nirik blinked. After a longer pause, it shook it’s head again.

Winters Breath’s eyes widened. She looked around the Nirik with concern. “Situation Ninety!”


In the bushes, Zipp gasped as she concentrated on her screen. “What’s happening?”

“W...Winters Breath has realised I’m missing,” Feather Breeze gasped. “She’s running roll call.”

“The Nirik have all lined up,” Misty informed as she watched through her binoculars. “This is your chance, Zipp.”

“Come around from the tail,” Feather Breeze advised. “Winters Breath is looking the other way.”

“Got it,” Zipp nodded as she piloted the drone.


Meanwhile, Winters Breath was working down the line of Nirik. Confirming who each of them was.

After reaching the end of the line, Winters Breath looked crestfallen as she looked around. “Feather Breeze?” she murmured.

She sighed and looked back to the Nirik. “Spring Flare, Situation One.”

One of the Nirik stepped forward, it cocked it’s head and looked intently at Winters Breath, ready to receive instructions.

Winters Breath produced a piece of paper. She looked at it before looking back at the Nirik. “Red pony with horn. Bind hoofs. Copy words from this onto its flanks.”

She held out the paper, the Nirik blinked and took it in its levitation.

“When complete,” Winters Breath continued. “Await further instructions.”

The Nirik blinked again before nodding. It then ran forward and started carrying out the instructions.


“Wait,” Misty gasped quietly. “Was that Strawberry they’re talking about?”

“Yes,” Feather Breeze murmured. “They are sending her to the city. I’m not there, so they can’t put her back where they got her from.”

“What was that about hoofs?” Misty asked.

“They’re making it look like she’s been a victim of an attack,” Feather Breeze sighed. “It has been done before. She will wake up, bound, dazed, and confused, and with slogans painted on her.”

Misty frowned as she watched the Nirik get to work on Strawberry. She could feel a growing urge to jump in and rescue her. But she held back. They couldn’t risk detection, there were too many others that were relying on them.


Meanwhile, Zipp had been busy. With Winters Breath distracted, she had managed to pilot the drone through the large hold doors. “I’m in.”

“Stay low,” Feather Breeze advised. “There are walls full of cages in there. There will be creatures within pretty much all of them.”

“And if they spot the drone, they could alert the Nirik,” Zipp deduced. “Any idea where’s best to hide the drone?”

Feather Breeze sighed and shook her head. “I’m not sure. Like I said, I was on Situation Thirteen when we were in the air.”

“And what was that again?” Zipp asked kindly.

“Oh, yeah,” Feather Breeze gasped. “Standard patrol of the hold. I’d walk a set route watching the creatures.” 

Zipp nodded understandingly. “Okay, does Winters Breath come down to the hold?”

Feather Breeze shook her head. “No, I never saw her much. Only on the bridge.”

“Winters Breath,” Misty hissed. “She’s walking around and around looking for something.”

Feather Breeze gasped and looked through her binoculars again and gulped. “She’s looking for me.”


Winters Breath sighed as she walked further from the Nirik. Walking around in a circle as she watched the treeline.

Suddenly she heard a growl from the Nirik behind her. Turning around she saw they were all looking at her through narrowed eyes. Their manes flared dangerously as they began snarling.

“Fear not, I am not attempting to leave,” Winters Breath sighed as she walked towards the Nirik.

As she neared them, they all seemed to calm down. The one working on Strawberry finished and stood next to her expectantly.

Winters Breath noticed and headed over. She inspected Strawberry, ensuring her hoofs were all tightly bound together and that the slogans she’d prepared had been copied correctly.

“Your paintings were always so good,” she murmured.

The Nirik cocked it’s head in confusion whilst Winters Breath sighed sadly. “Spring Flare, Situation One.”

The Nirik cocked it’s head the other way, ready to receive instructions again.

“Stealth level maximum. Teleport this one to capture area Zulu,” Winters Breath instructed. “Leave it within a bush. Return to Alpha, alone.”

The Nirik nodded and there was a flash as it teleported away with Strawberry.

Winters Breath sighed as she turned around and looked up at the ship before waving a hoof. Suddenly, the five cages began rising into the airship. 

With another heavy sigh, Winters Breath looked around again. “Feather Breeze!” she shouted. “If you are free, do not come for us. Doing so will just result in you falling into her paws again. There…There is no hope for us.”


Feather Breeze trembled as she watched Winters Breath and the other Nirik walk towards the lift. As they boarded it, the Nirik that had taken Strawberry appeared on the lift with a flash. Then, it began to slowly rise towards the ship.

“Feather Breeze,” Zipp hissed as she angled her remote. “This look good to you?”

Feather Breeze looked at the screen on the remote. Zipp had found a corner to hide the drone.

“I...I'm not sure,” she admitted unsurely. “I can’t see the walkways so, maybe?”

“Good enough for me,” Zipp responded kindly as she tapped on the remote. “There, it’s all set. Come on, let’s get back to the Marestream before it takes off.”

“But you heard her,” Feather Breeze murmured.

She gasped as Misty placed a reassuring hoof on her leg. “It’s okay,” Misty responded. “She doesn’t know you’re with us. She doesn’t know you have friends who are going to help you. She thinks you’ll recklessly run into that quarry alone. You won’t. We won’t. We’ll work out a way to save everycreature. Hoof to heart.”

“Hoof to heart,” Zipp smiled. 

Feather Breeze gasped, blinking as she looked at her hoof. “Hoof to heart?”


It was a short time later that the three of them made it back to the Marestream. As they hurried on board, they found Pipp was on a video call with Queen Haven.

“…I just don’t think it was necessary,” Queen Haven sighed.

“Yes, it was necessary, Mum,” Pipp groaned. “It’s been like the worst kept secret ever. Ponies put two and two together when they didn’t see her. It was getting embarrassing. We’re about to go rescue her so it’s fine.”

Queen Haven sighed and was about to respond when Zipp suddenly jumped in. “Mom, you need to get somepony to search every bush in the park.”

“Whatever for, Dear?” Queen Haven gasped.

“For Strawberry Sunflash,” Zipp responded. “She’s been left there by a Nirik, bound and with Pegasus for Pegasi slogans painted on her flanks. We can’t let her be seen by anypony or it will cause even more trouble.”

“Oh, my hoofness, that’s awful,” Queen Haven gasped. “Yes, I’ll get Zoom and Thunder on it immediately.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Zipp smiled. “You need to know, the last ponies taken from ZH were Pegasi. Sounds like there weren’t any Earth Ponies for them to take. Minty Cloudstrike was there so I think they were members of Pegasus for Pegasi.”

“Oh, those silly fools,” Queen Haven sighed. “Are the Nirik likely to return to take other Pegasi?”

“They are,” Zipp confirmed. “We’re about to leave following the airship. Hopefully, we’ll be in touch soon but solving this is all going to take time.”

“What? NOW!” Pipp gasped. “It’s going like, right now?”

“Yep, right now and we don’t want to lose it,” Zipp confirmed. “Love you, Mom.”

With that, she hurried towards the cockpit.


Queen Haven let out a deep sigh. “It’s okay, Pipp, my darling. I’ll follow up on your stream. I’ll extend the curfews too.”

“Queen Haven,” Misty ventured as they felt the Marestream powering up. “I...I’m worried about Strawberry. Could you make sure she’s okay? Please?”

“I’ll have Zoom message Pipp as soon as she’s found,” Queen Haven reassured. “Don’t worry, Misty, I’ll personally ensure she’s okay and cared for.”

“Thank You,” Misty smiled. “S...She kind of failed after being really boastful. I’m worried about how she’ll take it.”

“I understand, Misty,” Queen Haven smiled. “Don’t worry, leave it with me.”

Pipp gasped as the Marestream lurched and took to the air. She looked back at the phone, sighing as she saw the already poor image deteriorating. “Mum, we’re going to get cut off. I love you.”

“I love you too, Pipp,” Queen Haven smiled. “Please, let Zipp know that I love her too and I trust you both. I know you will sav…”

Pipp sighed as the image suddenly froze. A few moments later it disappeared completely as the Marestream flew forward.

“So, that was your mother?” Feather Breeze ventured.

“Yes, Queen Haven, the ruler of Equestria,” Pipp responded sadly.9

“But that means...”

“Yes, Zipp and I are Princesses,” Pipp sighed. “I know what you’re probably thinking but it changes nothing. We’re going to that Quarry, Feather Breeze, and we’re going to rescue everycreature there. I’m confident we can do it, no matter what we face. We’ll do it together.”

Feather Breeze blinked; the words Winters Breath had said were ringing in her ears. Then she saw Pipps confident and unwavering expression and nodded. “Yes, together. We’ll do it together.”
> Chapter Fourteen – Sending Messages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the high-pitched beeping sound awoke Sunny the next morning she immediately began hoisting herself from the mat. She was determined not to be caught eating as the Nirik entered this time. 

Meanwhile, Sugar grunted as she shook her mane. She was longing to be able to brush it, the straps from the bridle were doing a number on it.

Then, she gasped as she saw Sunny. “Urm, Sunny, did you get hot last night?”

Sunny blinked with confusion. “It was a bit warm, yeah. Why?”

Sugar pointed at the side Sunny had been laid on. “Because I assume the advice on the bottle is, don’t get wet.”

Sunny turned her head and looked at her side. Patches of the dye had disappeared, and her normal orange coat was showing through. Gasping, she fiddled with the harness around her barrel. Sure enough, the areas under it had completely lost the dye as well.

“Well, I wasn’t going to let Pipp actually dye me black,” Sunny defended. 

“Actually, I don’t blame you,” Sugar responded. “I don’t think I’d want to permanently change my colours for a disguise either.”

“I’m going to need to be careful,” Sunny sighed. “It was never supposed to last this long.”

They heard the low-tone beep, and Everypony immediately started trying to eat the horrid porridge.


Later, as they were ushered from the hut, Sprout realised Sunny was staying close to him. Then he spotted Sugar and smirked, keeping as close to her as he could.

As the ponies were split up, all three remained in the same group. Then, as they waited to be hitched to the carts, Sprout smiled as he realised his plan was going to be easier than he expected. Of the remaining carts, there was only one for a single pony. 

As Sprout expected, Sugar started to move towards the one-pony cart. However, Sprout suddenly pushed Sunny into Sugar’s path and they collided. They both gasped and only just remembered to stay quiet and not alert the Nirik. 

Sugar frowned at Sunny who looked back innocently and silently indicated towards Sprout. 

Sugar scowled as she saw Sprout was already being hitched to the one-pony cart. Then, she realised Sunny was the only pony left that she could be paired with.

Suddenly a Nirik growled at them and pointed towards a cart. Sunny looked at Sugar and shrugged before moving into position.

Sugar frowned as she reluctantly moved towards the cart and stood alongside Sunny.


As they both headed away after being hitched up, Sugar groaned. “Looks like somepony really wanted us stuck together today.”

“Seems that way,” Sunny agreed. “Not too dissimilar to when we were at school. Why did Miss Butterscotch move you next to me again?”

Sugar snorted. “Because I kept winding Dahlia up.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Sunny smirked. “Sprout was winding me up too, so she swapped you both over.”

“Yeah, you kept getting angry with Miss Butterscotch when she took Sprout's side,” Sugar chuckled.10

“At least you didn’t try to change what I believed in,” Sunny responded.

“Only because I thought the arguments were silly,” Sugar admitted. “I thought History was boring, so I didn’t care.”

“Oh no, that’s not what I remember,” Sunny grinned. “You thought it was funny every time I argued with Miss Butterscotch in her History lessons.”

“Yeah, that’s because it was,” Sugar smirked. “You wound her up so easily telling her she was wrong all the time.”

"You never heard the conversations she had with my dad afterwards," Sunny chuckled.

They both started laughing. However, they stopped in their tracks as they suddenly heard a loud growling sound. They hadn’t realised they were getting close to a watchtower. Therefore, the Nirik stood at the top of it had heard them.

Gasping, they looked at each other, wide-eyed and slack-jawed as they realised, they were in trouble. 


There was a burst of flame in front of them as one of the Nirik appeared. It’s eyes were narrowed and it’s flaming mane was large and threatening. It walked towards them slowly, hunched over with it’s head down in a threatening position. It’s eyes were narrowed as it bared it’s pointy teeth and snarled at them.

Then, Sunny suddenly remembered what she’d done the last time she’d spoken. She held her hoofs up submissively, staying silent and looking at the Nirik with an obedient, non-threatening expression.

Sugar gasped, looking at Sunny with confusion before she realised the Nirik was now staring straight at her. She glanced back at Sunny, then at the Nirik. 

Finally, she copied Sunny, holding her hoofs up and looking as submissive as possible.


Both of them waited with bated breath as the Nirik stopped walking and watched them intently. It continued to snarl as it stood and waited to see what they were going to do.

Slowly, it’s flames began to diminish, and it eventually stopped scowling. It cocked it’s head and after a moment stepped to one side.

Sunny carefully lowered her hoofs and looked down at the ground, taking a submissive and nonthreatening posture. Sugar gasped and carefully copied. 

The Nirik watched closely before finally gesturing with a hoof that they should continue. With silent nods, the pair carefully did so. 

However, as they walked, they could hear something behind them. Therefore, after getting to where it was normally okay to start talking. Sunny raised her head and risked glancing back over the cart. She gasped as she spotted the same Nirik following them. 

She immediately dropped her head again and indicated to Sugar they needed to remain silent. Sugar sighed and nodded understandingly. It seemed they’d had their only warning.


The Nirik continued to follow them for the rest of that morning. However, as the sun reached its highest point and the day was at its hottest, it disappeared.

It was Sugar who spotted they were alone again. Sighing with relief she couldn’t help smirking as she looked at Sunny. “That was close. It felt just like the time Miss Butterscotch found us passing notes.”

“Oh no, Miss Butterscotch only kept us back for an hour,” Sunny gasped. “That felt like we were walking on eggshells all day.”

They fell silent again as they passed another watchtower. Once they were clear, Sugar sighed as she looked at Sunny worriedly. “So, if you needed to. Do you think you could get away?”

“Why?” Sunny gasped. “I...I don’t want to leave you here.”

“Sunny, it’s boiling hot today,” Sugar groaned. “I...I can see your rainbow stripes starting to show through.”

“R...Really?”

“Yeah, on your fringe and where your bridle is pushing your mane down. You’re coat, it’s glistening too. I wouldn’t be surprised if the black is running off by the end of today.”

Sunny frowned and looked worried as they neared the central incline.







The day had been sweltering and, as Sugar predicted, the dye in Sunny’s coat had started running. By the time they entered the hut, it had completely disappeared from her back and her normal orange coat was showing through. Her sides weren’t much better, the dye was running down them in long streaks.

Sunny groaned in dismay; she’d hoped it would be cooler inside the hut but, if anything, it felt hotter. “O...Okay, nopony touch me. If you do, you’re going to get black hoofs.”

“More like grey, Sunny,” Sprout gasped. “It’s like you’ve got half the quarry stuck to you.”

“You don’t look much better,” Sugar frowned.

“Yeah, we’re all filthy,” Sprout sighed as he looked at himself. “What I would give for a nice shower.”

“Problem is, I look like a dirty orange pony,” Sunny groaned. “I’m supposed to be dirty black.”

“Sunny, seriously, could you get away?” Sugar asked worriedly. “If they recognised you, I mean?”

Sunny closed her eyes and grimaced. “I...I don’t know. I don’t know when I could try. We’re attached to carts most of the time. Besides, I don’t want to leave all of you!”


Suddenly, there was a scraping and grunting sound from the tunnel. Sprout hurried over and moved the mat. Then, the concrete plug started moving upwards, accompanied by a grunt.

“L...Little help,” Skysurf grunted.

“I’m here,” Sprout informed. “Lift it up more and then I can move it clear.”

Skysurf groaned as she pushed the plug harder. Finally, it was high enough for Sprout to push it and help her move it clear. Finally, Skysurf gasped with relief as Sprout pulled her from the hole. 

“I thought you’d have moved that already?” she frowned. “What with one of you having magic and all.”

“I’m sorry, Skysurf,” Sunny sighed. “I daren’t activate my powers. I’ve got a bit of a problem.”

Skysurf gawped as she saw the state Sunny was in. “Oh, okay. I guess you’re normally orange then.”

“Yeah, she is,” Sugar answered. “The fake cutie mark is holding up though. Izzy’s done a good job there.”

“I think my wings might make it worse,” Sunny admitted. “I don’t want to rub them on it. Is it cooler in the tunnel?”

“It is,” Skysurf nodded. “Why?”

“Because I need to cool down to let the dye set again,” Sunny explained. “I can’t even lay down like this.”

“Get in,” Skysurf nodded. “I’ll try helping with my wings. They’re clipped so I can barely fly but I should still be able to help you cool down.”


When they arrived, both Thymus and Giselle found a Sunny-shaped blockage in the tunnel. However, she soon moved to one side to allow them into the hut. 

Skysurf continued blowing cooling air down onto Sunny as they all gathered around the hole, surveying the situation. 

“Yeah, that’s going to be an issue,” Giselle frowned with concern. “It’s been getting hotter and hotter hasn’t it.”

“It’s likely to get even hotter yet,” Skysurf sighed. “The weather here comes in waves. It gets hotter and hotter, then there’s a huge rainstorm before it gets cool again.”

“Which means if the heat doesn’t make you sweat it off, the rain will remove it,” Thymus sighed.

“You’re probably best off staying down there tonight,” Giselle suggested. “If you’re up here the heat will make you sweat again.”

Tentatively, Sunny placed a hoof on her coat. She sighed with relief as she found it was dry.  “Well, it’s set so I’m coming up now. I’m going to message my friend, Misty. You won’t be able to hear, but I’ll relay what she says.”




 


Aboard the Marestream, Pipp froze as she suddenly felt a vibration. She whisked out her phone and gasped as she saw several notifications.

She unlocked it and frowned, whatever signal she had somehow received had already gone but a group of text messages had come through. As she read them, her eyes widened and she gasped. Then, she looked around for Misty. “Misty! Misty, you’ve got to see these.”

Misty blinked with confusion as she looked up from the spellbook she’d been studying. Pipp trotted over, holding her phone out so Misty could see.




Zoom
Your Highness, letting you know that we found Strawberry Sunflash safe and well. We ensured nopony saw the embarrassing slogans and escorted her to your mother.






Zoom
Messages below from Strawberry. Her Majesty needs to learn how to text!





Zoom
Thank you for asking your mother to send the Guards to find me. I don’t know what I would have done. I hope all goes well and you are all successful.





Zoom
Misty, I am so sorry. I should have listened to you, but I was my usual arrogant pig-headed self. I failed you completely. I hope you can forgive me, and I’ll be able to see you again soon.




“Can we reply?” Misty asked hopefully.

Pipp sighed and shook her head. “There’s no signal now. Honestly, I think we’re super lucky to have received these.”

Misty sighed and looked down sadly. “At least we know she’s okay.” 

“Why are you so worried about her, Misty?” Pipp asked. “From what I’ve seen, she’s an arrogant pony who just wants to use you.”

Misty sighed and looked seriously at Pipp. “Yes, she’s the most arrogant pony I’ve ever met. More than Opaline even. But, unlike Opaline, Strawberry has a softer side. I’ve seen it. She can and does care, deep down.”

“Fair enough,” Pipp smiled as she placed a reassuring hoof on Misty’s shoulder. “Like you said, at least we know she’s okay and Zoom will know the messages have been received.”

“So, she’ll know too,” Misty grinned. “That’s good.”


Suddenly, Misty gasped as she felt a tingling sensation in her horn. “The messaging spell! It’s Sunny!”

“W...Well go to the cockpit and answer it there,” Pipp gasped. “Then you can relay it to all of us.”







What follows is a transcript of the messages. At either end, the two ponies relayed what was said to their relevant groups.


“Misty? It’s Sunny. I’ve got everycreature with me, so I’ll relay what you say to them.”

“I hear you, Sunny. I’m in the cockpit of the Marestream with the others so I’ll do the same. We’re following the airship right now!”

“Misty, that’s brilliant news! We’re all so relieved to hear that. Have you any idea how long before you’re here?”

“Zipp has no clue. Feather Breeze says it varies. She doesn’t know why, just that sometimes it takes longer.”

“Okay, we understand. Who’s Feather Breeze?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s the biggest news I have for you. She’s our new friend, I sort of rescued her…. Oh, haybiscuits, this is going to get complicated. I’ll try to tell you one thing at a time.”

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“So, Allura has an ability. She uses her purr to control the minds of others.”

“Okay, that sounds ominous.”

“The purr affects some creatures more than others. With you and your friends, she’ll have to be close for it to work. Like right next to you.”

“Right, okay. So, is everycreature different? Or does it depend on what you are?”

“Depends on what creature you are. Like the Aroracorns, they’re stuck in a trance. They believe everything is different to what it actually is.”

“Sprout says that explains a lot.”

“The biggest thing is the Nirik. They’re prisoners, Sunny, just like you all are. Allura is controlling their minds with her purr.”

“That…That’s awful. So, Feather Breeze is a Nirik?”

“Yes and no, Feather Breeze is a Kirin. But Kirin turn into Nirik when they’re angry. When they’re Kirin, Allura’s purr affects them less.”

“Okay, we see where this is going. They’re all trapped as Nirik then?”

“Yes, all the Nirik are wearing collars that stop them from changing back into Kirin.”

“So Allura keeps her control of them.”

“Exactly. Sunny, they’re trapped in their own minds. They have a series of instructions and can only obey them. They have no free will.”

“Misty, the Kirin aren’t the only ones with collars. The Changelings have them too, theirs stop them being able to use their abilities.”

“Zipp wants to know if they’re the only ones. Are there others?”

“Yes, there are, hold on... So, the list we have is. The Nirik, Changelings, Yak and Diamond Dogs. They all wear collars.”

“Zipp says the collars could be the key to rescuing all of you. Thing is, I kind of broke the one we have, getting it off Feather Breeze.”

“So does Zipp need one?”

“She says yes, as many as you could get.”

“Okay, Skysurf says she’s seen where they could be stored.”

“Good, Hitch says don’t do anything reckless.”

“Well, I’ll try... We’ll see if there’s anything we can do without getting in trouble.”

“Keep an eye out for speakers too. Feather Breeze says the purr is sent through the Airship on speakers. She doesn’t know how that works.”

“Thymus says he’s seen speakers at the digging sites.”

“Okay, all of you stay safe. We’re coming. When we arrive, we’ll coordinate and hopefully rescue everycreature, together.”

“Thank you, everypony. We’re all really grateful.”







Sunny sighed as she signed off the final message. She looked around at the worried faces of the gathered creatures.

“You didn’t say anything about your disguise,” Sugar frowned.

“I didn’t want to worry them,” Sunny admitted. “They’re coming as fast as the airship allows them to.”

Thymus looked thoughtful. “I suppose there isn’t much they can do about it currently. Once they are closer, then let them know. They need to be aware getting you out is a priority.”

“Yeah, maybe Misty could come and teleport you,” Sprout smiled.

Sunny blinked and looked confused. “Why should I be a priority?”

“Because we don’t know what will happen to you if Allura gets her claws on you,” Giselle responded. “Look, I like you, Starscout. You’ve got lots of guts sticking around like this. If I were you, I’d be jetting off ASAP. But you’re not, you’re staying here and helping.”

Sunny looked around, all the creatures were either nodding or smiling in confirmation. Many of the other ponies in the hut were doing the same.

“So, getting collars and the like,” Giselle smirked. “Where did you see them, Skysurf?”

“One of the watchtowers. A Diamond Dog’s collar got damaged. A Nirik went into a watchtower and returned with a replacement.”

“You want to get into a watchtower?” Sunny gasped. “How?”

“I don’t know,” Skysurf admitted. “First, we need information. Like how to slip away from our Nirik guards.” She sighed as she spotted Giselle’s excited expression. “Don’t get any ideas, Giselle. Just identify if there’s any loopholes we can exploit.”

“I’ve got a few ideas,” Giselle smiled as she crossed her forelegs. “I was stuck in confinement after my airship escape attempt. I only got a proper look at things today. I’ll review again tomorrow then check in tomorrow night.”

“Can it be any watchtower?” Sprout asked. 

“Yeah, they might keep spares in all of them,” Sunny pointed out. “At least for the Nirik.”

“Could be worth trying to get into an easier one first,” Thymus agreed. “One that has fewer creatures around it.”

“Then we’ll keep an eye on which are less occupied,” Sprout smiled.

“We’ll take it carefully,” Sunny agreed. “Gather as much information we can and then we’ll plan how to do it.”

“Right, so is it time for food?” Sugar asked as a low-toned beeping sounded. “No, not that food!”

Thymus suddenly gasped. “Actually, that gives me an idea to help Sunny. Open the second hole and bring some of the porridge.”


Despite feeling confused, Sunny used her magic to move the mat and open the second hole.

Meanwhile, Sugar was more than happy to offer some of her porridge. “Here, what are you going to do? Cover her with it?”

“Well nearly, throw it in the hole,” Thymus instructed. 

Sugar did so and Thymus started kneading the food into the grey soil. However, it wasn’t long before he frowned. “I need more, the runnier the better.”

“I’ve got it,” Sunny smiled. 

She walked over to Sugar’s bowl, picking a large amount of the food up in her levitation before heading back to Thymus.

“Excellent,” Thymus said as Sunny brought it near the hole. “Hold it there and I’ll take as much as I need from it.”

Sunny waited and held the porridge whilst Thymus worked. Soon, he’d created a runny paste using the porridge and soil.

“I know this sounds awful,” he admitted. “But if we rub this onto your coat where the dye is failing it will cover your natural colour.”

“And will look like I’m dirty,” Sunny smiled before grimacing. “Yeah, it looks awful but if it stops me from getting identified then I’ve got little choice.”

With a nod, Thymus got to work again, slowly rubbing the paste into Sunny’s coat. She dismissed her powers as the others all started assisting too.

After picking up a hoof full, Sugar couldn’t help giving the concoction a sniff. “Well, at least it doesn’t smell.”

“Honestly, I think we all reek as it is,” Sprout laughed.


Eventually, all the areas of Sunny’s coat that had been orange were disguised again. She now looked like she was an especially dirty black pony.

“Thank you, everycreature,” Sunny said thankfully.

“No problem,” Sugar smiled. “Just so long that slop in there doesn’t taint the Apples.”

They all couldn’t help laughing as Sugar proceeded to grow an apple tree. However, as Sunny tucked into her apple, she had no idea that their efforts to conceal her would all be in vain.
> Chapter Fifteen – Pony Wash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following morning, the Ponies all lined up and waited for the Nirik to inspect them. However, as the Nirik entered the hut, it became clear that there were twice as many as usual. 

As the Nirik worked their way down the lines of Ponies, they checked their bridles and harnesses as normal. However, the extra Nirik started attaching leads to their bridles, connecting each pony to those next to them.

Sunny gasped as a lead from Sprout was attached to her bridle, under her chin. Then, a second lead was attached to the back of her head. The other end of which was attached to Sugar.


It wasn’t long before all the ponies had been leashed together into one long line. A Nirik took the leash from the pony at the front and began leading them from the hut.

Sunny couldn’t help feeling worried as she followed Sprout outside. She tried to look around, but it was difficult with the leash pulling at her. However, from what she could see, nothing seemed out of place.


The Nirik led them through the quarry, down the narrow paths between the levels. Eventually, they walked towards the buildings at the very bottom of the quarry.

Sunny spotted Sprout glancing behind him. He looked as anxious as she felt, and she couldn’t help worrying about her disguise. Thymus and the others had done a good job patching it up. However, her mind raced, was this happening because it had been failing yesterday?


Eventually, they were led towards one of the buildings and were ushered inside. They went through a set of double doors and found themselves in a pen inside the building. 

Above them, a circular walkway was suspended from the ceiling. Multiple Nirik walked around this and kept a watchful eye on those in the pen below.

Above that, the roof of the building had a set of skylights. All were slid open to allow fresh air in as the day got hotter. However, all but one of these were fitted with a set of bars.

Ahead there was a gate in the pen which led to a narrow corridor made of metal. In the walls of the corridor, there were what looked like small jet nozzles. They were positioned randomly and appeared to be pointing in different directions. 

The floor of the corridor was also metal, shaped and angled so that water would flow into the multiple drains that were set into it. 

At the far end, there was a doorway out of the building. Above the corridor, there was a belt suspended from the walls. Attached to this belt there was a set of hooks.

Above that, to one side, there was another walkway suspended from the ceiling. It intersected with the circular walkway and ran down to the far end of the building. There was an opening to the area outside when it reached the wall.


Sunny looked around worriedly as the doors behind them were closed. She didn’t like the look of this at all. 

Sugar nudged her and indicated with her eyes toward the open skylight. Sunny frowned; she knew what Sugar meant but she wasn’t so sure. She looked around at the Nirik and tried to weigh her options.


However, any options disappeared as Allura flew in through the skylight. She landed on the walkway above the corridor and walked toward the pen. On her back, there was a small greyish-blue rabbit.

“Welcome Ponies,” Allura grinned as she paced back and forth. “Ordinarily, I don’t get involved unless creatures are misbehaving. But today I make an exception. You have all been working very hard, so have been chosen to be the first to use Twitch’s new masterpiece.

“Twitch knows how unbearably hot it gets in the quarry. Pulling carts is dusty work and that dust gets stuck to you. He convinced me that you need relief from it. You and all the creatures need an opportunity to be cleaned besides the rain. You all have him to thank for this.”

Twitch started hopping around on Allura’s back and made grumbling squeaking noises. Allura growled and spun her head around at him angrily. “Yes, yes, yes. Stop your jumping you idiot, I’ll tell them.”

She turned back to the ponies and smiled. “Twitch wants you to know the water used to clean you is fresh. It’s not dirty used water, it’s taken from the lake. He also insisted it’s filtered before being put back. 

“Also, if you talk within this building you will not be punished. Nirik! Situation Ninety-Nine!”

The Nirik all stood to attention as Twitch jumped from Allura’s back and ran along the walkway above the corridor. He stopped a few times and looked over the edge of the walkway, seemingly checking things.

Eventually, he reached a control panel at the very end of the walkway. Just before the door out of the building. He immediately began pressing buttons. Smiling as suddenly there was a loud noise as a set of pumps spooled up.

As the noise settled into a loud humming, water began shooting out of the nozzles. It clattered off the metal walls, making a loud drumming noise. It was soon very clear why they were allowed to talk, there was no way the Nirik would know if they did.


Twitch pressed another button on the control panel and the belt with the hooks began moving. He looked around, checking all was well before he pulled a leaver. 

The gate opened and Allura nodded towards the Nirik that was still standing at the front of the line of Ponies. It walked forward, pulling the leash and ensuring the Ponies followed.


Sunny looked at Sprout and Sugar. Their worried expressions told her all she needed to know. She looked around, even without the leashes, she could see no way of escaping the building. 

When the Nirik reached the gate, it attached the leash it was holding to one of the belt hooks as it passed. The pony at the front of the line gasped as they were pulled into the corridor. 

As each Pony arrived at the gate, the Nirik removed the leash from the back of their head. It then attached this to a hook on the conveyor. One by one, the Ponies were pulled into the corridors.

Sugar gulped as she moved closer to Sunny. “Your disguise won’t survive that,” she hissed. “They’ll find you out, you need to get away.”

“I can’t,” Sunny whispered back. “There’s too many watching us and Allura is right there. You heard what Misty said about her.”

Sugar looked up at Allura and gasped. Her eyes were watching the ponies intently. Suddenly, she spread her wings and took off, flying out through the same skylight that she’d entered through. However, after she’d done so, a set of metal bars slid down into position like all the others.

“She knows,” Sugar said worriedly. “Allura knows you’re here. She just doesn’t know which of us is you.”

“Well, there’s only one way out now,” Sunny breathed. “I’m getting washed, the same as you are.”

“You should fly away when you’ve gone through,” Sugar advised.

“No, she’ll be ready for that,” Sprout warned. “Hide among the rest of us.” 

Sunny said nothing more, she could only anxiously await her turn.


All too soon, Sunny’s turn arrived. She couldn’t help gulping as her leash was attached to the belt. Then, she grunted as the leash went taught and she was pulled into the metal corridor.

As the first jets hit her, Sunny couldn’t help squeaking with surprise. Water hit her from all directions as she was forcefully pulled along. Thankfully, the water wasn’t freezing cold, it had been heated to a temperate temperature.

Suddenly, two jets of water hit her in the face, one from either side. She squeaked with surprise, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to pull back from them. However, the leash pulled her forward, keeping her head up and in the full force of the jets. She sputtered and coughed as she was forced through the wall of water.

Below, the water that ran off her was a thick black as the dye in her coat was washed out. It left streaks all along the floor as it was washed into the drains.

Above, Twitch’s eyes widened as he watched the dirty black pony that had entered turn into a clean orange one. Thumping a hind paw on the walkway multiple times, he hurried out of the doorway.


Sunny gasped and spluttered as she finally emerged from the corridor and out of the building. Another Nirik was waiting for her and detached the leash from both the belt and her bridle. Placing it on a rack with all the others. 

Sunny immediately ran forward to join the other Ponies in the centre of another fenced area. She hurried into the middle of them before looking down and confirming what she already knew. Her disguise was completely gone. 

She gulped, her normal coat and mane colours were clear to see as was her normal cutie mark. Suddenly, she felt somepony put their muzzle in her ear. 

“She’s watching,” Sprout murmured.

Sunny looked at him before looking around the pen. Around the upper edge of the fencing, there was yet another raised walkway. It intersected with the one that ran through the building.

There was yet more Nirik that stood and watched them intently upon this. However, Allura was also there, standing directly opposite the building.


Allura scanned the ever-increasing crowd of ponies with a keen eye. On her back, Twitch was hopping up and down. Squeaking and grumbling as he pulled at her ear and pointed into the crowd of ponies.

“Will. You. Stop that!” Allura growled angrily. “I know what you said, you idiot. You’re so annoying! Go look after your machine.”

Twitch gasped and gave Allura a look of hurt and dismay. Then, he hopped down and crossly squeaked at her. He waved a dismissive paw in her direction as he walked along the walkway and back toward the building.

Allura rolled her eyes and resumed carefully watching the ponies. 


Meanwhile, Sunny stood with Sprout and Sugar as they tried not to be noticed. They were amongst the largest grouping of ponies possible and looked everywhere other than toward Allura.

However, as she looked around, Sunny suddenly realised all the other ponies kept looking at her. They were only glances, but they were doing it far too often for her liking.

Everypony was on edge too, apart from not talking there was a feeling of apprehension in the air. One that Sunny knew was due to her disguise being removed. They were all waiting for her to make a move.

Suddenly, Sprout put his muzzle in her ear again. “This isn’t good, she’s looking straight at you,” he hissed. “You need to go.”

Sunny gulped and risked looking up at Allura.


Allura’s piercing stare met Sunny’s eyes and caused her heart to skip a beat. Her eyes widened and she couldn’t help staring back at Allura in shock. 

“That’s right, Sunny Starscout!” Allura grinned deviously. “I know who you are! I know all about your abilities too. Trust me, make this easier on yourself and come willingly. Escape. Is! IMPOSSIBLE!”

Sunny gulped and she took a step backwards in shock. She glanced around at the others and realised they were all watching her. They were all waiting for her to make her move, to make her decision. Her heart was pounding as she spotted Sugar. 

Sugar calmly looked back at Sunny’s horrified expression. She glanced to the sky and silently mouthed ‘go’.

That was all Sunny needed to break the deadlock in her mind. Bending her legs she jumped into the air as high as she could. Her powers activated with a flash and her wings gave a powerful flap. She shot skywards as fast as she could.

“NIRIK! Situation Zero!” Allura roared. “Target the orange Alicorn!”

From their positions on the raised walkway, the Nirik all began firing beams at Sunny. However, her shield activated, and they bounced harmlessly off of it.


Meanwhile, Sunny gasped, her mind went blank, and she didn’t know what to do. Her horn glowed as she started the messaging spell. 

“MISTY! My cover has been blown! Allura knows all about my powers. I’m trying to escape! I don’t…”

Sunny’s eyes suddenly widened. She stopped flying away and started hovering as beams continued to impact her shield. She looked down towards the group of ponies below and spotted Sprout and Sugar. Her heart sank as she realised, she was leaving them behind.

“…M...Misty. I don’t know what to do! I...I can’t leave…”

That was all Sunny managed as Allura suddenly slammed into her shield with all four paws. Pushing off, she sent Sunny flying out of control.


Crying out in surprise, Sunny went tumbling through the air, her shield failing as she lost concentration. Suddenly, Allura grabbed hold of her, grasping her tightly with her paws from behind.

Sunny tried to kick out with her hoofs as the pair tumbled toward the ground. However, she couldn’t reach Allura as she clung to her back. Her wings were caught under Allura’s legs too, making them useless.

Allura used her wings and body weight to put them into a fast spin. Sunny cried out as her world spun and she desperately tried to escape Allura’s clutches. However, the spinning took its toll, and she was soon completely disoriented.


Allura meanwhile knew exactly what she was doing. As the ground came to meet them, she rolled them along it. As a result, the impact was significantly reduced and neither of them got hurt. 

Then, Allura skilfully used her body weight to ensure that, when they stopped, she was on top of Sunny. She placed a paw on top of Sunny’s head and pushed it into the ground. Pinning her down so she couldn’t get away.

“G…Get off of me,” Sunny grunted. “You…You win, I’ll come quietly.”

Allura sneered as she put her mouth to Sunny’s ear. “No, you made your choice already.”

With that, she began to purr.


Sunny gasped and her eyes widened as Allura’s purr infected her mind. It felt like it was penetrating right into her very soul. Her eyes flashed and her expression went completely blank. Her muscles all relaxed and she stopped struggling, lying limply on the floor.

Knowing she had Sunny under her spell, Allura slowly stood up. All the while, ensuring her purring was still aimed directly into Sunny’s ear.



From the pen, Sprout, Sugar, and all the other ponies could only watch as Sunny slowly stood up. Then, she started walking away with Allura right beside her, still purring away into her ear.

As they disappeared, Sprout and Sugar looked at each other worriedly.







Aboard the Marestream, they also had their own situation that morning.

Zipp groaned as she tried to focus her tired bloodshot eyes on the instruments. It started getting harder and harder for her to keep her eyes open. Eventually, her eyes began closing and opening repeatedly, her head nodding forward each time they closed. 

Hitch entered the cockpit and gasped as he saw Zipp’s head fall forward onto the steering wheel. She inadvertently pushed it forward, putting the Marestream into a steep nosedive.

“ZIPP!” Hitch shouted as he hurried forward. 

“Huh, wassat?” Zipp groaned as she was woken up. 

Her eyes shot open as she realised what had happened. She immediately began pulling back on the controls as Hitch grabbed them too. Together, they hauled the Marestream out of the screaming nosedive.

Zipp gasped as she checked the instruments and brought the Marestream back on course. Sighing with relief as she saw they were still tracking the airship.

Hitch meanwhile sat down panting, looking at Zipp with a confused expression. “Zipp, have you been up all night?”

“Y...Yeah,” Zipp admitted before yawning.

Hitch gawped. “I thought you said you could use the autopilot?”

“Autopilot...w…wouldn’t lock onto the t…tracking signal,” Zipp yawned. 

“Okay, then you need to be relieved,” Hitch frowned as he got up and moved forward.

“B...But... You’ve only flown o...once,” Zipp yawned. 

“Which is better than you falling asleep and making us tumble out the sky,” Hitch argued.

Zipp blinked blearily again and nodded. She moved to one side, allowing Hitch to take the controls before letting go. Then she gestured to a display on the instrument panel and started pointing things out.

“F...Follow the green marker. Keep it within the two yellow lines. Keep the numbers here between a hundred and a hundred and fifty. Lower and we’re too close and could be spotted. Higher and we’ll lose the tracking signal.”

“Got it,” Hitch said confidently. “I remember your instructions from last time too. Keep her steady.”

“Wings level, nose up,” Zipp added wearily. “OH! And the number here is the altitude of the airship. Keep ours higher.”

“Got it,” Hitch nodded.

Zipp sighed wearily and turned around to find the others had appeared behind her. 

“Come on, sleepy Zippy,” Izzy grinned. “Let’s get you to beddy byes.”

“Yeah, come on, Sis,” Pipp smiled as she let Zipp rest on her. “You’re pushing yourself too hard. You should have woken us up last night.”


Feather Breeze was clinging fearfully to Misty as they both watched Zipp being escorted by Izzy and Pipp into the rear compartment. 

“W…W….What happened?” Feather Breeze trembled. 

“Zipp stayed up all night,” Hitch explained. “She should have told us she needed to rest.”

“O…Oh,” Feather Breeze said understandingly. “S…So the flying didn’t do that to her?”

“Well, it sort of did,” Misty admitted. “But only because she should have taken a break.”

“We’ll swap over from now on,” Hitch advised. “It’s okay, Feather Breeze. We’re not going to crash, honest. It’ll be smoother from now on.”

Feather Breeze frowned still shaking slightly as she held onto Misty. 


Suddenly, Misty’s eyes widened in shock. “S...Sunny’s messaging!”

“What? Now? How?” Hitch gasped.

Misty didn’t respond, her horn glowed as she activated the messaging spell and listened to the message as it played in her head. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in shock and horror.

“SUNNY?!... SUNNY?!...” Misty cried. “What’s happened? Are you okay?... SUNNY!”

Misty gasped as her horn stopped glowing, tears welling in her eyes.

“Misty?” Feather Breeze said fearfully.

“Misty?” Hitch blinked as he tried to concentrate on two things at once. “Speak to us, what’s happening?”

Misty gasped as tears ran down her face. Feather Breeze gasped and hugged her comfortingly. 

“S...Somethings happened to Sunny,” Misty sniffed. “Her message, it was all rushed and broken up. She said something about her cover being blown, her powers and Allura.”

“But how would Allura even know about her?” Hitch frowned before gasping as he looked back at the instruments. 

Misty and Feather Breeze cried out in surprise as Hitch put the Marestream into a tight turn to bring it back onto course behind the airship.

“Sorry, just getting used to following something,” he explained.

“Allura knowing, that’s likely my fault too,” Feather Breeze said sorrowfully. “I didn’t just collect creatures. I collected intelligence too. I remember taking Newspapers from your city.”

“There’s bound to be news about Sunny in those,” Hitch realised. “She opened a museum not so long ago and it made the front page.”

“Sunny sounded so scared,” Misty sniffed. “She said something about not knowing what to do. Then the message cut out.”

“I’m so sorry,” Feather Breeze said as tears welled in her eyes. “This is all my fault.”

“We don’t know that,” Misty reasoned. “You weren’t in control of your own actions.”

“But...But that means nothing,” Feather Breeze argued. “I know what I did. I regret it all so much.”

“I regret a lot of what I did in the past too,” Misty admitted. “But what I did, I did because I wanted to.” 

She sighed and placed a hoof on Feather Breeze’s supportively. “I was taken away when I was small. Whisked away from everypony I knew by an evil pony called Opaline. She was all I knew for so long. I wanted her to be pleased with me so much that I did everything I could for her.”

Misty sighed looking down sadly as she rubbed Feather Breeze’s hoof reassuringly. “Opaline used me, she made me do so many bad things. Things I could have just said no to doing.

“Now, I’ve got wonderful friends who’ve forgiven me. They helped me understand what Opaline was doing. That I didn’t have to do what she was saying. Together, we defeated Opaline. They became my family and then helped me find my dad. 

“You were forced to do what you did against your will. You couldn’t say no. You couldn’t change your mind. You had no choice. I’ve come to terms with what I did in my past. It doesn’t define me; I make my own future. You can too.”

Feather Breeze smiled. “Thank you, Misty. I...I need to come to terms with what happened to me too.”

“First step is rescuing everycreature,” Hitch said with determination. “Whatever’s happened to Sunny, we’ll help her too.”
> Chapter Sixteen – Confinement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After their wash, the Ponies were put back to work. They all went through the rest of the day in a state of shock and uncertainty.


That evening, after the door to their hut was closed and locked, there was pandemonium as they all started talking and shouting at once. Everypony was in a state of panic as they made their fears and feelings known after a day of keeping silent.

Sugar gasped and looked worriedly at Sprout. They both looked at the door before urgently turning back to the others.

“Hey. Hey! It’s okay!” Sprout shouted. “Quiet. Quiet everypony.”

“We don’t want the Nirik back in here,” Sugar added. “It...It’ll be okay.”

“How do you know that?” one of the others asked. 

“Yeah,” another added. “Sunnys gone. We’ve no hope now.”

Sprout and Sugar shared a look of dismay.

“You seriously think we have no hope?” Sugar goggled. “Just because she’s the Element of Hope doesn’t mean we literally have none.”

“What would Sunny tell you?” Sprout added. “We’ve still got further than we have in ages. Her friends are on their way, and we’ve got our alliance friends.”

“Exactly, it’ll be fine,” Sugar added. “Whatever Allura’s done to Sunny will be nothing compared to what her friends do to Allura when they get here.”

The others all looked at each other. They still felt worried, but they knew Sprout and Sugar were correct. There was still hope.


Suddenly, they heard a knocking sound coming from the tunnel. Both Sprout and Sugar hurried over and moved the mat. Then, they helped Thymus remove the concrete.

As he emerged from the hole, Thymus looked around worriedly. “I saw Allura escorting an orange pony. I...” he paused, sighed and looked at them with a sad understanding expression. “Ah, I see. Sunny is no longer among us.”

“We all got washed this morning,” Sugar sighed.

“She should have tried to escape,” another voice said.

They turned around and saw that Giselle was emerging from the hole, quickly followed by Skysurf.

“She tried to escape, Giselle,” Sprout defended. “Allura stopped her.”

Sugar groaned and looked down. “Apart from when she hesitated. I saw her looking back at us. I could tell, she didn’t want to leave us.”

“Well, she’ll likely be in high-security confinement,” Giselle frowned. “It’s down on level one, there’s no way we’ll get her out.”

“Why?” Skysurf asked. “What makes it high security?”

“It's a group of small huts surrounded by a fence. Each hut is not only securely locked but the fence is guarded too,” Giselle explained. “Inside her hut, she’ll be locked in a cage. I expect they'll have classed her as a high threat. So, she’ll have other, well, obstacles too.”

“Yeah, we get the picture,” Sprout sighed.

“We’ll just have to leave helping her to her friends,” Sugar responded. “They’re the Guardians of Unity, they won’t leave her. All is not lost.”

Skysurf nodded and sighed. “This is a setback, but I agree, all is not lost.”

“Agreed, so our task is still to get into a watchtower,” Thymus reminded. “Regrettably, I can’t see how I will help. Changelings are continuously watched and monitored by Nirik.”

“Well, there’s an opportunity for us,” Giselle grinned. “After we've dug out the ore, Griffons and Hippogriffs fly it to the nearest incline. I’ve found a blind spot on one of the routes we can exploit.”

“But they track us,” Skysurf frowned.

“Yeah, and I’m up for testing that tomorrow,” Giselle smirked. “I’ll land in the blind spot and time how long it takes before they send a patrol to investigate. I’ll act like I’m fatigued.”

Sprout frowned unsurely. “How’s that going to stop you getting in trouble?”

“It happens all the time,” Skysurf admitted. “Our wings have been clipped to limit our range. We often end up having to stop.”

“Clipped?” Sugar frowned.

Skysurf spread her wings and pointed to her primary flight feathers. “They’ve trimmed these right back. They don’t generate anywhere near as much lift as they should.”

“It’s not permanent,” Giselle reassured. “We’ll eventually grow new feathers, and these naturally fall out.”

“But until they do, we have to work way harder to fly,” Skysurf explained. "For example, we can't glide."

“Okay, you test your loophole tomorrow,  Giselle,” Thymus nodded. “Sprout, Sugar, any idea which tower we should try to access?”

“It wasn’t a normal day, was it?” Sugar sighed.

Sprout shook his head. “The towers all had extra Nirik. Hopefully tomorrow things will have calmed down. Giselle, where’s your loophole exactly? We’ll check the towers around there.”

“Ah yes, that would make sense,” Thymus admitted. “No sense saying we should access one on the opposite side of the quarry.”

They continued to plan long into the evening, determined that by the time Sunny’s friends arrived, they would have some collars to give them.







Elsewhere, Sunny groaned, her mind was full of fog. It wasn’t helped by her blurry vision which wouldn’t clear no matter how much she blinked. Her body was numb which made it feel like she was floating.

She’d felt like this for hours. However, finally, the brain fog was clearing, and she was slowly getting some feeling back. The first thing she noticed was a strange metallic taste in her mouth.

She realised it was something in her mouth, between her teeth and pressing down on her tongue. Her face felt strange too, like something was hugging it. She groaned again and noticed it sounded muffled. 

As she continued to blink, her vision was starting to slowly clear, and she realised she was lying down. Then, she felt a tightness on her back but couldn’t work out what it was.


Finally, everything that had been swimming around in her head came into focus. Her vision cleared and Sunny gasped as she saw she was laying on a mat within a cage. 

She tried to move but her forehoofs felt restricted. She looked and gasped again; they were locked together by grey metal shackles. There was a short chain between them which she hoped would mean she’d still be able to walk.

She awkwardly pushed herself into a sitting position. Blinking worriedly as she spotted something strange.

Slowly she brought her conjoined hoofs to her face. Gasping as she felt a metal muzzle, covering her mouth and nose. She quickly realised that what was in her mouth must be part of the muzzle.

She felt around her head, the bridle she had been wearing was gone. Instead, there was a new bridle with wider straps which held the muzzle in place.  


Then, as she felt around, her hoof caught something. Looking upwards, her eyes widened. 

My horn? How is it... Wait! 

She remembered the tightness on her back and looked around. Her wings were still there too.

However, she couldn’t move them. There was a series of straps pulled around them, holding them closed against her back. Much like those she’d seen some of the Hippogriffs wearing.

Sunny frowned with confusion before trying to dismiss her powers. However, nothing happened, her horn and wings didn’t disappear. 

What? Why can't I... I don't understand... She gasped as realisation hit her. A...Allura, she must have done something! Can I even use magic? 

Desperately, she tried to use the messaging spell. The muzzle would stop her speaking, but she thought Misty must have tried responding. However, again, nothing happened.

Sunny’s eyes widened in horror. She tried using magic again, this time levitation. Again, nothing.

No, nonono... I can’t... Why can’t I... 

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled for breath and started trembling slightly.

Closing her eyes, she forced herself to take deeper breaths. Breathing slowly in and out through her nose.

That did the trick as she slowly started to feel calmer. Finally, she looked around and started taking notice of what else was around her.


Sunny’s cage was inside a small hut. The walls of this were all grey metal. It had a dark concrete floor and a white suspended ceiling. There were six square cages inside the hut and all the others were empty, Sunny was the only occupant.

The cages were arranged in two rows of three. Sunny’s was the middle of one of these rows. Therefore, one side of her cage was the metal-clad wall of the hut. Meanwhile, the cages on either side were in the corners of the hut, so two of their sides were walls.

Along one wall there were three alcoves, one within each cage. In each alcove, there were two bowls, like in the main hut. However, between the bowls, there was also a small groove. 

The sides of the cages, which were not walls, were formed of open metal bars. The side opposite the wall with the alcoves had a cage door.

The cage doors led to a central aisle, the other side of which were the final three cages. Mirror images of those on Sunny’s side of the hut.

At one end of the aisle, there was a sturdy metal door. At the other end, there’s what appeared to be a control panel which was secured behind a glass cover. There were no windows at all, all the light being provided by a series of lights set in the ceiling. 


Sunny let out a deep breath, she carefully got to her hoofs to try walking. Whilst the chain on the shackles was short, she found she still could slowly. She walked around in a circle before moving towards and investigating the bowls.

So? How am I supposed to eat with this contraption stuck to my face? She frowned.


Suddenly, there was a loud clunk from the door that made Sunny’s eyes widen in surprise. It was quickly followed by another and then a loud clicking sound of gears being turned.

Sunny frowned and turned towards the door as it slowly opened. Then, her eyes widened again as Allura entered with Twitch standing on her back.

“Ah, you’re up and about,” Allura grinned. “Had time to take stock of your situation? Trust me, you weren’t going anywhere before and certainly aren’t now.”

Sunny’s eyes narrowed as Allura came to a stop before her cage. Twitch jumped off and ran toward the control panel. He released the cover and then started pushing buttons.

However, Sunny’s eyes were on Allura as she stared back defiantly. 

“Oh, is that the fire of hope that burns within you?” Allura sneered. “How lovely, we’ll see how long that lasts. It was so good of you to participate in our experiments earlier. Twitch assures me we’re ready to start accepting your Unicorn and Pegasus friends now. Did you have any questions?”

Sunny frowned and grunted before sitting down and pointing indignantly at the muzzle with a hoof.

Allura laughed as she looked towards Twitch. He pressed a button before giving a thumbs-up.

“Turn around, Starscout,” Allura smirked.

Sunny blinked before looking back at the alcove and the bowls. Above the small groove, there was now a green LED shining brightly.

“When the light is green, put your nose in the port,” Allura instructed.

Sunny looked back at Allura and narrowed her eyes again, unsure if she should trust her. Allura said nothing, she just smiled and waited.

With a sigh of resignation, Sunny got up and walked over towards the bowls. With a final sigh, she pushed the muzzle into the port.

There was a click as the muzzle locked into position. A feeling of mild panic suddenly shot through Sunny as she realised it was stuck. 

However, there was another click as the LED turned yellow. Sunny felt instant relief as the muzzle released from the bridle and she was able to pull her face away from it.

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Allura cooed.

Scowling, Sunny spun around towards Allura accusingly. “What have you done to my magic?!” 

“We’ve isolated it,” Allura smiled. “Isn’t that right, Twitch?”

Twitch folded his forelegs before nodding and making an 'uh-huh' sound.

“Despite his looks, Twitch is very clever,” Allura explained. “He’s specially designed your bridle and muzzle to keep you in check. Don’t even think of trying to break them, you won’t like the result. Now we can use them on all ponies, no matter what kind.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “Wait. What do you mean, no matter what kind?”

“I already told you,” Allura grinned. “Thanks to your help, I can now recruit Unicorn and Pegasus ponies. I’ll need their help too if I’m to achieve my goal.”

Sunny sat down as her heart sank. “What goal?”

“Getting the Arora Ore of course,” Allura grinned. “Once it’s refined, Arora Ore is my ticket home. I need it to power the portal.” She smiled sweetly. “Any more questions?”

Sunny blinked, looking down as she processed the information. “Where’s home? Why do you need a portal to get there?”

“Home for Twitch and I is another realm,” Allura answered. “Somewhere completely different to this one.”

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “Do you mean the human world?”

Allura laughed. “My, my, and here I thought you Ponies were naive. I’m impressed you even know of another realm. My home is not amongst the humans, but I do need to go there.”

Sunny frowned and cocked her head with interest. She was about to respond when, suddenly, Twitch began squeaking angrily and stomping a hind foot on the ground.

“You’re right, Twitch,” Allura smirked. “That is enough questions for now.”

Twitch jumped around and pressed another button on the control panel. Sunny gasped as she heard a buzzer behind her and looked around in confusion.

“That means it’s time to put your beauty mask back on,” Allura grinned.

“Why would I do that?”

“Oh, I think you're about to find out,” Allura smirked deviously.

Sunny gasped as she suddenly felt a pain in the back of her head. She leaned forward, placing a hoof behind her head and found there was a small box attached to the bridle.

“Ah, there’s your punishment,” Allura grinned deviously. “You know what to do. If you missed the buzzer, you’ll spot the light.”

Sunny blinked and looked back to the muzzle. The LED above it had turned red.

Suddenly, Sunny cried out as she felt the pain again. “What is that?!”

“Just a mild electrical shock,” Allura smirked evilly. “They’ll get more powerful and frequent. You know what to do.”

Sunny grimaced. Then with her eyes wide and panting with shock she got up and moved back towards the muzzle. She gritted her teeth and shook her head as she was shocked again. Then, scowling with reluctance, she pushed her nose and mouth back into the muzzle.

She closed her eyes, there was a click as the muzzle locked back into place on the bridle. Then a second click as it released from the port. 

With the muzzle now firmly locked back into place, Sunny pulled her head back from the port. Then, she opened her eyes and turned around to look at Allura with an almighty scowl.

“Oh, don’t look like that,” Allura smirked before purring. “Just remember, you had a choice! Just remember, you didn’t have to!”

Sunny’s eyes widened as they flashed for a second. Thoughts suddenly forced their way into her mind. I have a choice... I didn’t have to...

She twitched, shaking her head as she blinked with confusion. Wait? What?

Allura smirked as Twitch jumped onto her back.

“If you behave yourself, you’ll be rewarded with sustenance,” Allura said before she purred. “Just remember, you have control.”

Sunny’s eyes flashed again, and she flinched. Another thought forced its way into her mind. I have control.

She shook her head in confusion, closing her eyes. 

No, that’s not right, she argued. I had to! I didn’t have a choice. I don’t have control here.

Sunny gasped as she suddenly heard the door closing and looked up to see Allura and Twitch had already left. As she heard the door being locked, she blinked with confusion and sat down again. 

She looked down at her hoofs and pulled on the shackles. Then she flexed her wings as much as the straps allowed. 

She closed her eyes as she felt a huge void opening within her stomach. The same one she’d had when she had been on the airship but far, far deeper. She felt her heart sink into the void as her eyes widened with realisation. 

I can’t do anything now. I can’t contact Misty. I can’t help the others. She closed her eyes and hunched over. Why didn’t I listen to Zipp and Hitch? I never thought something like this could happen. I’m completely helpless!

She took a deep breath as she opened her eyes, scowling with determination. No! I’m helpless now but there is still hope! My friends are coming and they'll rescue me.
> Chapter Seventeen – Sinking Sunny
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following morning, Sunny was glad the light on the port turned green, allowing her to remove the muzzle. As food was dispensed, she grimaced at the grey, lumpy, sloppy porridge before she reluctantly started eating.

She’d had an awful night’s sleep. Her predicament had made it hard to get comfortable. Not that the hard mat made it any easier. At least the lights were turned off.

Somehow, the food was worse than what she’d been fed in the main hut. She struggled through it as fast as she could. Assuming she’d be in trouble if she didn’t finish it.


The buzzer from the muzzle suddenly sounded, making Sunny gasp. She looked at the food in dismay, she was only just over halfway through. “No! It’s not time yet!” she exclaimed. “The rule is I have to eat it all!”

She flinched and cried out as she felt a pain in the back of her head. Her eyes widened; she knew the shocks would get worse if she didn’t put the muzzle back on. Therefore, she reluctantly moved to do so.

However, a thought forced its way into her mind. I have a choice... 

She stopped, blinking with confusion. “Wait, do I have a choice?”

She grimaced and grunted as she was shocked again. “What am I thinking? There’s no choice here, I have to put it back on!”

I have control... she stopped again. She looked at the muzzle, the food, the water and then back at the muzzle. 

“Aaah!" she cried as she was shocked again. "I don’t have a choice!” 

Sunny desperately thrust her nose into the muzzle. A few clicks later, she pulled away from the port with the muzzle locked in place.

I didn’t have to... What? No! I couldn’t keep getting shocked!

She sat down and looked at the ground with confusion.

I have a choice... What? No! I don’t have a choice here!

Her head suddenly twitched involuntarily. 

I have control... What? No, I don’t! I’ve no control here! 

She closed her eyes tightly and shook her head violently.

Why do I keep thinking these things? I had to! I have no control! I have no choice! I...  I...

Her eyes widened as she looked down at her shackled hoofs. She brought them to her face and felt the muzzle, locked in place. She looked at her back and flexed her wings as much as the straps would allow them to.

She gasped as a feeling of helplessness suddenly overtook her. The void in her stomach made itself known again as she gulped and stared blankly at the ground.


There was a loud clunk from the door, followed by a second and a series of clicks. However, it barely registered with Sunny that it was being opened. 

She finally turned around as she heard snarling behind her. Her eyes widened as she saw three Nirik standing outside the cage.  One was standing at the cage door whilst the other two on either side were holding chains in their levitation.

As her eyes darted between them, they snarled as their fiery manes flared.

Why are they here? I have control... Aaah! No, I don’t! They do! What’s with the chains?

A feeling of dread welled within her as the middle Nirik indicated she should come closer. Gulping, Sunny slowly did as instructed and walked towards the Nirik.

As she neared the cage door, the Nirik stopped snarling. The middle Nirik’s horn glowed, and it grabbed Sunny’s muzzle with its levitation. Sunny emitted a muffled squeak and closed her eyes. Then, the other two Nirik swiftly attached the end of the chains to the bridle, on either side of her head.

Sunny gasped as she was let go. I don’t understand, what are these for?

Even if she could speak, she knew the Nirik couldn’t. Suddenly, she remembered what Misty had told her about them. She wondered if the Kirin inside even knew what was happening.

The two Nirik attached the other end of the chains to the bars on either side of the door. Sunny blinked as she realised her mobility within the cage was now reduced. 

Wait? What’s going on? What are they doing to me? 

As her anxiety over the situation increased, two of the stray thoughts were pushed to the forefront of her mind again. 

I have control... How?! How do I have control here?!

I have a choice... No! They’re doing this to me!

She closed her eyes and fought back the thoughts, shaking her head as she stepped backwards. I have NO control here! I have NO choice of what’s happening to me! 

Sunny gasped and her eyes widened as the two chains went taught. She looked worriedly at the Nirik, they had stopped snarling and didn’t appear worried over Sunny’s reaction. Wait, are they leaving me like this?!


Sunny got her answer as the middle Nirik moved towards the control panel. It pressed a flaming hoof on a reader and a small part of the glass panel opened. Revealing six leavers and buttons.

The two Nirik on either side of the cage door pressed on panels on the floor. Then, the Nirik at the panel pulled one of the leavers.

Sunny blinked as the door of her cage emitted a loud clunk before sliding upwards. The two Nirik calmly walked into the cage, stooping under the chains. 

Sunny gasped as they both started checking her over. Ensuring everything was still secure and appeared to be comfortable.

Then, one checked her bowls and emitted a grunt towards the third Nirik at the control panel. The Nirik in question grunted back and pressed one of the buttons. Sunny couldn’t see, but she could hear a slurping sound as the remaining food and water were removed from the bowls.

The two Nirik then stood alongside Sunny and detached the chains from the cage. They grabbed them in their mouths before they led her from the cage and towards the door of the hut.

Oh? Are they taking me for a walk? Or, are they putting me to work?


Sunny blinked with surprise as she exited the hut into the bright sunlight. She couldn’t bring a hoof to shield them due to the shackles. The Nirik didn’t stop walking and she gasped as she was pulled onwards by the chains. 

She risked glancing around. The hut she’d been in was part of a small group.

Giselle said about high-security confinement. She remembered. They must have a hut for each kind of troublemaker.

She wasn’t led far until they reached a one-pony cart. Sunny frowned as she was attached to it. 

Ah okay, they are putting me to work! Are they going to escort me all day?

After hitching her to the cart. The Nirik continued to lead Sunny, two in front holding the chains with the third following behind.

They neared a gate in a fence that had two Nirik stood either side of it. They opened the gate as the group approached, allowing them to walk through.

I bet I couldn’t get through there on my own. That fence must go around the high-security huts.


They reached the bottom of an incline where there was a large pile of rock. Stood being loaded by a small group of Diamond Dogs was a large twin axle cart pulled by two Yak.

Those Diamond Dogs have shackles too. This must be the worksite for troublemakers. Wait, what are my escorts doing?

Sunny could only watch as the Nirik attached the end of the chains to the back corners of the Yak's cart. Forming a V shape from Sunny’s head.

Okay, I’m going to be stuck following the Yak then... Wait! Her eyes widened in realisation. I’m not even going to be able to steer myself!

Whilst the Diamond Dogs loaded her cart. The Nirik took one final look at her. They checked the chains were secure and the shackles weren’t too tight before walking off toward the nearest watchtower. 

Oh, okay. No more... WOAH!

Sunny was yanked from her thoughts as the chains went taught. The Yak walked forward, and Sunny almost fell over as her conjoined hoofs struggled to keep up with the sudden movement. 


As she followed the Yak, Sunny realised she had a problem. She was walking as fast as the shackles would allow her to. However, the chains from the cart remained taught. If the Yak moved faster, she wouldn’t be able to keep up.

Suddenly she heard a voice. “Is Pony okay back there?” one of the Yak said.

“Yak hope so,” the second Yak added. “If too fast, tell Yak. Yak have to be careful due to collar.”

Sunny grunted with realisation. Wait, I can’t tell you!

Sadly, the Yak didn’t realise Sunny was unable to respond.

“Why Pony no speak?” the first Yak grumbled.

Sunny’s eyes widened. Because I can’t!

“Maybe Pony is scared of Yak,” the second sighed. “Pony not seen Yak before.”

“No, Pony ignored Yak,” the first Yak sighed. “Yak hope Pony okay.”

With that, the two Yak fell silent again as they continued pulling the loaded cart.


Sunny grunted as she struggled to keep pace. Then she twitched as, once again, the thoughts forced themselves to the front of her mind. 

I have control... What? No! I don’t have any control at all! I can barely stop myself from being pulled over!

I have a choice... Why am I thinking this?! I’ve got NO choice here! None at ALL! 

I didn’t have to... Wait! I… I didn’t have to be here! I could have listened to Zipp and Hitch!

Her eyes widened as she felt the chasm in her stomach again. I…I can’t… This is… Please, somepony, stop this.... Help me.







Elsewhere, Feather Breeze sat mesmerised as she looked out the cockpit of the Marestream. It was a beautiful day; the sky was a deep shade of blue and the few clouds around were light and fluffy. They seemed to float gracefully past as the Marestream made a sweeping turn following the Airship.

Pipp smiled as she sat beside her. “You see, it’s not so bad.”

“It...It’s not,” Feather Breeze gasped. “This is far better than the Airship. Seeing why we rock really helps.”

Zipp smiled as she levelled the wings. “Yeah, it’s how the Marestream turns,” she explained. “Putting the nose up makes us climb. Putting it down makes us descend.”

“And you do that by moving the wheel thing,” Feather Breeze said understandingly as she pointed.

"Exactly," Zipp grinned.

“Like when she fell asleep on it," Pipp smirked. "That made us go down."

Zipp rolled her eyes. “Har, har, Sis. Don’t worry, that won’t be happening again.”

“The Airship was always shaking,” Feather Breeze remembered. “I hated it because I could never find out why. This has been so smooth though. After the falling asleep incident that is.”

“Keeping it smooth is all down to the pilot,” Zipp grinned. “The Marestream can be fast and agile too. The airship has some pretty big propellers to power it along. At a guess, they’ll be the cause of the vibration.”

“So, what powers us along?” Feather Breeze asked. 

“We’re using Prisbeam Power,” Zipp winked.

“Pr? Pris? What?” Feather Breeze blinked.

“This,” Pipp pointed to the lantern on the console. “This lantern contains a little bit of the Prisbeam energy which is given off by the Unity Crystals.”

“The Prisbeam is how the Crystals distribute magic to everypony,” Zipp smiled. “It allows me and Pipp to fly. Misty and Izzy to use their horns and Hitch to use his plant growing magic.”

“And Sunny to use her powers,” Pipp smiled. “Here, I’ll show you.”

Pipp whipped out her phone and opened the gallery. After a minute of flipping through, she found a photo of Sunny with her powers active. Her wings were spread wide, and she had a beaming smile on her face.

Feather Breeze gasped as she looked at the photo. “And this is your friend who we need to rescue?”

Pipp nodded. “Yep, she was taken from the city.”

“But how?” Feather Breeze frowned. “The instructions were no horns, no wings. She has both.”

“Yeah, she can turn her horn and wings off,” Pipp explained as she flipped to another photo.

Feather Breeze gasped as she looked at the image of Sunny without her powers. She was in her smoothie cart, grinning as she passed Misty a smoothie.

“We don’t have the best record when it comes to Ponies being bait,” Zipp sighed. “Two attempts and both times the pony has ended up being captured.”

“So, what are we going to do when we get to the quarry?” Feather Breeze asked worriedly. “I’ve been thinking about it and I’m worried. I’m worried I will turn into a Nirik and get taken over by the purr.”

“That won’t happen,” Pipp said reassuringly. “We won’t let it.”

“But you can’t stop it,” Feather Breeze sighed. “I start feeling angry thinking about the quarry, Pipp. All my friends and family are trapped there. I suppress it because I don’t think turning into a fiery monster would be a good thing to do right now. But I don’t think I’ll be able to when I’m in the quarry.”

“You won’t be in the quarry,” Zipp responded. “At least not straight away. First, we need to gather information. As much as possible. Then we’ll form a plan and part of that will be making sure you don’t get taken over by the purr again.”

“I don’t know how I can help with any of that,” Feather Breeze sighed.

“Well, do you know all these Situation numbers?” Zipp asked. 

“Yeah, I do,” Feather Breeze frowned. “They’re etched into my memory, along with the instructions each one contains.”

“Then that’s going to be a massive help,” Zipp grinned. “We’ll find somewhere we can safely observe. Our camp needs to be a ways off from it though.”

“Then, if you feel angry you can come back to the camp and let it out,” Pipp gasped. 

Feather Breeze smiled and nodded. “That reminds me of something. An old story that has been passed down generations of Kirin...”







Sunny couldn’t help feeling relieved when the Nirik eventually came and unhitched her from the back of the Yak’s cart. 

The day had been sweltering and she’d had no respite from it. Water had been provided at the central incline where they unloaded. But with the muzzle locked in place, Sunny had been unable to drink it. Even though she’d tried.

Worse of all were the stray thoughts. They kept coming back, over and over and reminding herself they weren't true was getting to her. It was a continual reminder of just how dire her situation had now become. She’d tried ignoring them, but then they just kept repeating.


Allura smiled maliciously as she flew above the quarry and spotted Sunny being led into the confinement area by the Nirik. Sunny was looking down with sorrow-filled eyes as she tiredly trudged along.

Allura banked around and landed directly in front of the group. She held up a paw to bring the Nirik to a stop. 

Sunny gulped before narrowing her eyes, looking up at Allura with an accusing scowl.

“I see you’ve still got some fire,” Allura smirked before she purred. “Just remember, there's no escape! Just remember, I'll capture your friends!”

Sunny’s eyes widened as they flashed for a second. She flinched and shook her head as new thoughts forced their way into her mind. There's no escape… She'll capture my friends...

Allura grinned deviously as she watched Sunny’s reaction. “Let’s see how long your hope lasts. From what I can see, you’ve had a miserable day and they’re never going to change.”

With that, Allura turned back to the Nirik. “Nirik! Continue.”

The Nirik all nodded as Allura spread her wings and flew away. Sunny blinked with confusion as she felt the chains going taught and she was ushered forward.


When they arrived back at the hut, Sunny found the process of putting her back in the cage was the reverse of taking her out. There wasn't a moment that she was able to move freely until the cage door was firmly closed.

After the Nirik had left, Sunny groaned as she sat down. Suddenly, her eyes widened as the thoughts that tormented her pushed through again.

I have a choice... No, not again! No, I don’t! I don’t have any choice here.

I have control... No. I have no control at all! I can’t decide anything for myself!

I didn’t have to... She grimaced and closed her eyes. I… I…. I didn’t have to play bait. I should have listened. Why didn't I listen?!

There's no escape…  Her eyes widened as she looked around the cage. I… I can’t…. I really can’t! I can't escape! I’m completely helpless and it’s all my own fault! 

She closed her eyes tightly as she began to tremble.

She'll capture my friends...  Her eyes shot open in panic. T...They're coming and she...she'll... NO! Nonono! I can't warn them! They're going to all end up like me!

She closed her eyes again as she hunched over, struggling to breathe with her heart pounding in her ears. 

No! No, please! Please, I… I can’t… Please, somepony, anypony, help!