It was a normal Friday afternoon in Maretime Bay. Sunny Starscout had just got back from another, normal day of school and finished all of her homework quickly. Not that Sunny enjoyed doing homework, but this particular assignment was on what made pegasi and unicorns such dangerous creatures. She was excited to have any chance to tell ponies the truth about them, that they are not dangerous, but could in fact be their friends.
Even if every time she did so, she got an F. At least she no longer got parent-teacher conferences - the school gave up on those when they realised Argyle was the cause of her ‘delusions’.
The time flew by and before Sunny even realised it, she had filled fifty pages, most of them admittedly with drawings of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns playing together. She also realised that it was well past time for dinner, and that her father, Argyle Starshine, had not returned from work yet.
Looking outside, she could see that it was raining. Deciding he must have been delayed because of that, Sunny quickly got to work preparing dinner for the both of them. He'd probably be very hungry and tired when he got back, so it was the least she could do.
Fifteen minutes passed, and the food was starting to smell good. She decided to add some of the spices her father liked, even if she didn't enjoy it as much. As she poured in the spices, a knock came at her door. "Oh, he's back!" Sunny leapt off of her stool and raced towards the door, opening it with a bright smile to greet her dad. But when the door opened, it was a mare standing before her.
"Oh, Aunt Phyllis?" She looked behind the mare to find there was nopony else with her. "Are you looking for Dad? He's not back yet, but you can come in if you'd like." She didn't care much for Phyllis, but she was one of her father's childhood friends, so she did her best to be polite around her. Looking back up at her face, Sunny noticed that Phyllis was frowning, and her face was wet, though Sunny couldn't tell if it was from the rain or… "What's wrong?"
Phyllis opened her mouth, but it was a few seconds before any words left it. "Sunny, your uh… Argyle, I mean, your dad, he was… You see, there was an incident and…" Her eyes darted around as she tried to explain what had happened to the filly, but as her eyes settled back on Sunny, who at this point was starting to look worried and nervous, she just couldn't.
Instead, Phyllis simply dropped her umbrella and stepped inside, crouching down so that she could wrap Sunny into an impromptu hug. Sunny was startled by the sudden display of affection, but when she thought about what Phyllis was struggling to say… about her father… her heart began to race. "W-Where's Dad?"
Phyllis held the filly tighter in response. "I'm sorry," were her only words as she could no longer hold back her tears. As she felt the older mare shaking in her hooves, the entire world seemed to come to a complete stop, as Sunny understood what it was that Phyllis was unable to say.
A knock at the door pulled Sunny from her thoughts. "Coming!" she sang as she put down her drawing equipment. She had to sidestep a puddle on the way to the door, sighing as she spotted another leak that needed fixing.
It had been two months since the day that magic had been restored. Sunny's home had been destroyed that day, but thanks to the efforts of everypony in town, it was starting to come along nicely; though there was still a ways to go, it was at least restored enough for her to move back in, after a month of living with Hitch.
Sunny placed a pan beneath the leak, adding one more item to the clutter that was spread out over her floor. The pony at the door knocked again, and Sunny hurried over. She stopped to adjust the crooked picture of herself and her father, which had been badly damaged in the incident, and then opened the door. It was dark and raining heavily outside, making it hard to tell who was there, but it seemed to be a large stallion. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"Well if it isn’t too much trouble, I was hoping you might allow me inside. This was my home too, after all."
Sunny gasped. She took a step back, allowing the stallion to enter into the light, his face now visible to the startled mare. "D-Dad?"
Argyle Starshine smiled down at his daughter, his fur and his mane soaked from the rain. "It's good to see you again, Sunny."
Sunny leapt forwards, hugging her father who gently held her back. The door was still open, letting in the cold and the rain, but she hadn't even noticed as her father's warmth overtook everything. She said nothing, choosing simply to enjoy this moment, wishing it could last forever.
Izzy hummed a chipper tune as she skipped her way through the town of Maretime Bay. "Morning, Perci! How ya doin', Swirl? Rob, mah main maaaaan!" By now, Izzy had become friends with many of the inhabitants of the town, having stayed there even after Zipp and Pipp returned to Zephyr Heights with their mother.
She still visited Bridlewood now-and-then, but she found a nice, cheap apartment with Hitch's help so that she could stay and help Sunny with repairing her home. Well, there was one other reason why she wanted to stay, too…
She and Sunny had grown close - very close - since that day. After everything had settled down, Sunny decided to show Izzy around the town properly, given her initial introduction was less-than-welcoming, even if the unicorn hadn't noticed at the time. Sunny showed her the sights, they watched the hottest new movie - Judgement Neigh - and visited Maretime Park, an amusement park with attractions mostly for younger foals, but Izzy enjoyed them just as much regardless.
The two continued to hang out together frequently, not just when they were working on the lighthouse together, and they decided to try dating after they realised how much they enjoyed each other's company. Now, they were officially marefriends, which at first bothered the citizens of Maretime Bay. Even if they were now happy to be friends with the pegasi and unicorns, forming relationships with them was still iffy… At least, it was until they saw how happy the two mares were.
Now, everypony was happy to support the two, and she’d even noticed some of the townsponies sharing curious glances with visitors from Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood.
As she travelled the path leading towards the lighthouse, she spouted Hitch and Sprout ahead. She picked up the pace to reach them. "Hi guys!"
"Morning, Izzy," Hitch said with a dazzling smile, the morning sun radiating off of his well-groomed mane and fur and making him shine.
"M'ning," Sprout replied in a low voice, and then let out a drawn-out yawn. His frazzled mane and unkempt coat were decidedly dimmer than Hitch's, and he grumbled every time the sun got into his eyes. "Stupid early morning. Why do I have to get up so early to fix Sunny's house? Since when was that part of our job?"
"It isn't," Hitch replied, "But the pony who caused the problem should help fix it, don't you think? Now who was that pony again?" Sprout simply grumbled in response. "Just be thankful Sunny didn't press charges against you. Besides, this is good exercise! Builds character."
"Awww, cheer up, Sprouty!" Izzy said, bopping Sprout with her flank as she skipped past him. "If we all work together, we'll finish in no time! And I've thought of a few songs while we work!"
"Don’t call me that,” Sprout said with a blush. “And why do we even need a lighthouse in Maretime Bay? When was the last time we ever actually used it?"
"It’s a symbol of our town. It’s been there since the town was founded."
"But we haven’t used it in a long time, have we?”
“Well, no, not really.”
“Then we don’t need it. Can’t Sunny just have a normal house?”
“It’s the principle of the thing.”
“Principle, schmincaple.”
“Don’t talk back to me like that. I will not hesitate to pull rank.”
Izzy giggled as she watched the two whilst walking backwards. "You two get along really well, huh?"
"Do not," both replied in unison.
“I’m jealous. You guys and Sunny have been friends since you were foals. I wish I had a friend like that.”
“Don’t you have any childhood friends back in Bridlewood?” Hitch asked.
Izzy shook her head, turning around to walk normally, and to hide her frown. “I was always different from the other unicorns there. I think, after I found that lantern, my sparkle just refused to ever turn off.”
“What lantern?” Sprout asked.
“Sunny wrote a letter, welcoming pegasi and unicorns to Maretime Bay,” Hitch explained. “Izzy’s the one that found it, and it’s the whole reason she visited in the first place.”
“I always imagined what kind of pony sent me that letter. Earth ponies were supposed to be so stupid that they couldn’t even spell their own names, but to me, that letter proved that wasn’t true. And if that was a lie, maybe everything else we thought about earth ponies was, too. So I decided one day that I’d visit, but until then, I had to keep it a secret from everypony else…”
“Because they’d try to stop you,” Hitch guessed.
“Nopony else in Bridlewood was interested in making friends, even with each other. I was so lonely… That was why, when I entered Maretime Bay and saw everypony running around, so energetic, having so much fun-”
“Fun?” Sprout asked.
“-It was like a whole new world! New friends I could play with, and share all my unicycling with! And there was Sunny, my first ever real friend…” A blush spread over Izzy’s face. “She didn’t smell like rotten sardines at all, and she definitely wasn’t ugly.”
Hitch rolled his eyes. “Heeeeere we go.”
Sprout gagged. “We get it, you two are dating. Spare us the corny, mushy stuff!”
Izzy laughed. “Awwww, okay.” The three reached the house, which currently boasted only the base of the lighthouse, barely reaching higher than the roof. Izzy knocked on the door, and it opened moments later, Sunny on the other side. “Morning Sunny!”
“Good morning, Izzy!” Sunny walked out and hugged Izzy, the two of them making a show of it and causing Hitch to look away, whilst Sprout simply rolled his eyes and groaned. “Hi guys! Thank you so much for coming out here so early!”
“Don’t mention it,” Hitch said. “It’s what friends do.”
“You sure you don’t want a smaller tower?” Sprout asked, earning a jab from Hitch. “I’m just saying, she should keep her options open!”
“I’ve got all the original blueprints, and I want the lighthouse built exactly the way it was before,” Sunny said.
“Ugh, fine…”
“So, should we get started right away?” Hitch asked, but Sunny shook her head.
“First, there’s somepony I want you all to meet. He’s inside right now. C’mon.”
The three exchanged glances as Sunny walked into the house, and then all followed her inside. As they entered, Hitch and Sprout gasped, whilst Izzy simply smiled at the blue-furred stallion standing before them.
“Izzy, this is my dad, Argyle Starshine,” Sunny said, and then turned to Argyle. “Dad, this is the mare I was telling you about.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Argyle said, approaching Izzy and offering a hoof.
The mare didn’t respond right away, staring into Argyle’s eyes with a puzzled look. “Oh. Uh, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Starshine. I’m Izzy!”
“Yes, Sunny told me all about you. Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter.”
Izzy simply giggled, turning to Izzy with a nervous look. “I’ve heard about you, too. I uh, heard you were… not here, anymore.”
“G-G-G-G-G-Ghost!” Sprout shouted, ducking behind Hitch. “It’s a ghost! I knew this old lighthouse was haunted!”
“He’s not a ghost, Sprout,” Hitch said, but his eyes looked less certain. “At least… I don’t think he is.”
“Guys, I know this must be… pretty confusing for everypony,” Sunny acknowledged.
“Little bit, yeah,” Hitch answered. “You had an open-casket funeral. We saw your body!”
Argyle stepped forwards. “I’ll explain everything, as I did with Sunny last night. That night, nopony actually died. The body that was found, was a fake that I had prepared. A very convincing fake.”
“You faked your death?” Hitch shook his head. “Why would you do something like that? Do you have any idea how sad Sunny was that night?!”
“A-And my mum, too!” Sprout shouted, coming out from behind Hitch. He glared at Argyle. “My mum couldn’t even work for two weeks after you died! I’ve never seen her that sad!”
“I’m sorry,” Argyle said, hanging his head. “I promise you, it was not a decision that I made lightly. But I had to do something. Without magic, Equestria would wither away and die.”
“You knew that Equestria had lost its magic?” Hitch asked.
Argyle nodded. “I also knew that the key to getting it back could not be found in Maretime Bay, but if ponies knew what I was up to, they would surely try to stop me. That was why I had to take such drastic measures, to ensure I could move about in secrecy.” Argyle sighed. “Unfortunately, during my search, I found myself lost in a deep, dark forest. I tried to return, but I could not find my way… Until one day, a brilliant rainbow shone in the sky. I could feel the magic returning to the land, and somehow, I just knew my little Sunny was responsible. I followed that light, and now, here I am.”
“He left to try to help Equestria,” Sunny said, looking up at her father with a proud smile on her face.
“Even if that’s the case,” Hitch began, “That doesn’t excuse what he did! Making us – you – think he was dead this whole time!”
“Out of everypony here, Sunny was the one I absolutely had to fool the most,” Argyle said, reaching down to stroke his daughter’s mane. “If I had simply disappeared, she would have surely come looking for me, don’t you think?”
Hitch opened his mouth, but then thought for a second. “I guess I can’t argue with you there.”
“And if I had told her what I intended to do, she definitely would have insisted on coming along with me. I couldn’t put her in that kind of danger.”
Sunny bit her lip. “I was upset when he told me the truth, but after everything that’s happened, and with how things are finally starting to improve here in Maretime Bay, I just couldn’t bring myself to be mad at him. Dad’s home again. Isn’t that enough?”
Hitch stared into Sunny’s eyes for a few seconds. “… If you’re happy with that, then… I guess we can just leave it there. But, you’ll need to come down to my office tomorrow to get this whole thing straightened out!”
Argyle laughed. “I will, and thank you for looking after my daughter in my absence. It was because the two of you were here that I could do what I did.”
“I’m so happy for you, Sunny,” Izzy said, approaching Sunny and wrapping a hoof around her shoulders. “I would do anything to see my folks again! You’re so lucky to have this chance.”
“Thanks.” Sunny gave Izzy a quick peck on the cheek. “Well then, now that everything’s been straightened-out, how about we all get right to work?”
“Hold on, Sunny,” Argyle said. “These fine ponies have come all this way so early to help us rebuild our home. I think the least we can do is offer them a little pick-me-up before we start?”
Sunny nodded. “Great idea! Hitch, you like milk in your coffee, right?”
“You know it!”
“Izzy-”
“SUGAR!” Izzy cheered. “Looooooots of it!”
“R-Right. And Sprout… chocolate milk?”
“Hey!”
“Oh, sorry. Warm chocolate milk.”
“That’s better, thank you!”
“Alright, be right back.”
“I’ll help you,” Argyle said, and the two of them entered the kitchen together.
“Well, he seems nice,” Izzy said with a smile.
“He was. Er, is,” Hitch confirmed. “Even when Sprout and I got Sunny in trouble, or gave her a hard time for her beliefs, he never got mad at us, even once.”
“What was it like when he… was gone?”
“Well, it was hard on Sunny, as you can probably imagine…”
Sunny stepped into her house, now feeling much bigger with the sudden absence of its owner. She slowly walked over to the workspace in the corner, where her father used to study and craft toys for her to play with.
Phyllis entered behind, taking a moment to adjust the crooked picture of Sunny and her father. Hitch and Sprout were right behind her, neither saying anything as they watched their friend staring at the tools Argyle used to do his work.
“Sunny?” Phyllis began. “You know, it’s awfully lonely for a filly your age to be living all on her own. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to stay at our house. I have a spare bedroom that I could…”
Sunny turned back around to face the others, and they were surprised to find that she was suddenly smiling. "It's okay. Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine here."
"Are you sure?" Phyllis asked. "You're still very young, it can be hard for a filly your age to be all alone."
"I won't be alone. Hitch and Sprout are still here. And besides, Dad used to come back late a lot so I'm already used to cooking and cleaning and stuff…" Phyllis still didn't seem sure. Hitch walked past her and approached Sunny, stopping to stare at her for a few seconds. "Uhhh… Hitch?"
Hitch reached out and hugged Sunny, surprising the filly. "You don't have to act strong, y'know?"
Sunny relaxed into the hug. "I know that, it's just… Dad wouldn't want me to be sad forever. And he cared so much about this place, I can't just leave it."
Phyllis sighed. "You're his daughter alright," she muttered. "… If you're sure, then I won't force you. But I'll come by now-and-then to make sure you're doing okay, and if you're not then-"
"You don't have to worry. I'll be just fine," Sunny assured.
Hitch pulled back and turned to Phyllis, now smiling as well. "I'll make sure she's eating properly. If it were up to her, she'd survive on nothing but smoothies."
"Hey!" Sunny pouted. She then looked back up at Phyllis, who still seemed nervous about the idea of leaving her on her own. "Trust me."
With a simple nod, Phyllis turned to leave, Hitch and Sprout following behind her as they said their goodbyes. As the door closed behind them and Sprout trotted on ahead, she and Hitch stopped for just a few seconds. Then, they heard gentle sobbing inside. Frowning, they continued on their way.
"Even though she was still hurting inside, she never showed it around others. She felt like she had to be strong so she could carry on her father's work. Guess she was right about that…"
Sunny and Argyle returned from the kitchen, the former carrying a tray with everypony’s drinks. “Sorry for the wait,” she said, stopping to hold her head.
“Are you okay?” Izzy asked, using her magic to levitate Hitch and Sprout’s drinks to them. “You look a little woozy.”
“I’m fine. Think I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Perhaps you should take it easy today, Sunny,” Argyle said, turning to the other three. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course it is. Sunny’s been working herself hard,” Hitch said. “We’ll take care of things today, you just rest up.”
“… Mm.” Sunny walked over to her bed in the corner of the room, yawning as she lay down onto it.
Hitch, Sprout and Izzy left the house to begin work, Izzy stopping for just a moment to look back over at Argyle. “What’s up?” Hitch asked.
“Well, I’m not sure… I didn’t wanna bring it up around Sunny, but Argyle…”
“Argyle?”
“His sparkle is… black…”
“… And that’s bad becaaaaause…”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “A black sparkle isn’t natural. It’s a bad sign…”
“Yeah, duh!” Sprout said, taking a drink of his chocolate milk. “By the way, what’s a sparkle?”
Izzy smiled. “A sparkle is something everypony has! It shines brighter the happier you are. Yours iiiiiis… pink!”
Sprout spit-out his milk, groaning. “Pink?! No way! You sure it’s not like, a cool, flamin’ red?”
Izzy shook her head. “Nope. Definitely a hot pink.” She turned to Hitch. “And yooooours is… gold!”
Hitch smiled. “Gold, huh? I like it! Just like the law!”
“Surprisingly easy to bend?” Izzy asked.
“What? No, because it’s perfect!”
“Hmmm, if you say so.”
“So what’s the deal with Argyle’s ‘sparkle’ being black, again?” Sprout asked.
"A black sparkle means that somepony is hurting. Hurting so bad that it’s all they can feel. All their happiness is just… gone."
"But Argyle didn't look like he was in any pain," Hitch said. "And besides, why would he be hurting after reuniting with Sunny?"
"I don't know," Izzy replied. "Actually, I've only ever seen a black sparkle one other time soooo, I don’t really know much about it. But that pony was definitely in pain."
"Well, maybe it’s different this time," Hitch suggested. "Maybe he's just feeling guilty over letting Sunny think he was dead all this time. That would make sense, right?"
“Mayyyyyybe, but…” Izzy sighed. “Yeah, I’m probably just overthinking it. C’mon, let’s give this lighthouse one big glow-up!”
The three worked hard into the afternoon, during which time Argyle would occasionally come out to help out or offer refreshments, before dipping back inside to check on Sunny.
"Isn't that a bit much?" Sprout asked as Argyle retreated back inside for the thirteenth time in the past hour. "He said she was just tired. Why does he need to keep checking on her?"
"This coming from the guy who wouldn't leave his mother's side when he had a cold?" Hitch grinned. "It is a bit much, but trust me, I've seen my share of overprotective parents."
"I think it's sweet," Izzy said. "You can tell he really cares. And let me tell ya, if he wasn't doing it, I would!"
"Well, we should probably stop soon," Hitch said, wiping his brow as he stopped to admire the progress they had made. "Sprout and I have to get down to the sheriff's station soon."
"I think I'll stay a liiiiitle longer," Izzy said, using her magic to gather more materials. "The faster we finish, the sooner Sunny can stop working herself so hard."
"Just don't work yourself too hard," Hitch said as he and Sprout began to climb down from the roof. "And say goodbye to Argyle and Sunny for us!"
"Kayyyyy!" Izzy waved as her two friends left, and then turned back to her work. She found one of the weak spots in the roof that was responsible for the leaks the house was experiencing, and used her magic to remove the tiles there so that she could repatch it.
As she was just about to start, she noticed a green glow coming from under the hole. She put down her tools and leaned down, trying to see where the glow was coming from, but as she poked her head into the hole, the glow suddenly stopped.
"Huh, well that was weird," Izzy said as she sat back up, before simply shrugging and resuming her work. After a couple more hours, she decided to call it a day. She had managed to repair all of the leaky spots on the roof, at least.
Climbing down, Izzy entered the house to update Sunny, only to find that Sunny was fast asleep in her bed. “She was more tired than I thought,” Argyle explained, quietly. “Poor thing. It would be best not to disturb her.”
Izzy was sad that she couldn’t spend the rest of the day with Sunny, but she understood. “I’ll be back tomorrow then,” she said, receiving a warm smile from the stallion. Turning back to the sleeping Sunny, she waved a hoof. “See ya tomorrow, Sunny. Sleep tight.”
Izzy turned and left the house, trying to shake away the concerns she had regarding Argyle’s black sparkle… and the fact that Sunny’s sparkle had just seemed dimmer than normal.
Izzy arrived at the lighthouse the following morning, using her magic to haul many more supplies. She spotted Sunny and Argyle up on the roof of the house and felt relieved. Sunny seemed to be doing okay, her sparkle as bright as ever. Argyle's sparkle was… still black. But at least he seemed to be enjoying his father-daughter time, and he seemed perfectly happy. She really was overthinking it, after all.
"Morning, Sunny!" she greeted as she climbed up onto the roof.
"Morning, Izzy," Sunny replied, only briefly stopping her work to greet her friend. "Hitch and Sprout not coming today?"
"Nah. Hitch said they've got loooooots of paperwork piled up back at the office."
"Oh. Is that right?" Sunny huffed and turned back to her work. "Oh well, at least one of your cared enough to come."
Izzy stared at the back of Sunny's head, eyebrow raised. "Um, you know it's not like that, right? They really, really wanted to help but-"
"But they have more important things than me, I get it. Well, I bet Sprout's happy. I know he was only forced to be here."
"I know he complains, but he's still your friend, right? I bet deep down he actually cares a lot."
Sunny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Hey, can you pass me those planks over there?" Sunny gestured her hoof towards a pile of wooden planks nearby. Izzy passed them over with her magic. "Thanks."
"Yoooooou're welcome!" Izzy said, jumping over to Sunny's side. She saw that Sunny was frowning. "So, you feeling better after yesterday?"
"Oh, yeah. A quick rest did me wonders."
"Glad to hear it! So I was thinking, after we're done here today, we should go into town and see a movie together." Izzy lidded her eyes and leaned-in, whispering, "I hear there's a pretty romantic movie that's got some good reviews."
"Sorry Izzy, but I'd really rather focus on rebuilding the lighthouse for now," Sunny said, pushing Izzy back before getting back to her work.
"Oh… Then, how about we just grab a quick bite to eat and-"
"Izzy, can you just… let me concentrate on what I'm-" Sunny flinched, dropping her hammer and reaching up to hold her head.
"Sunny? Are you okay?"
Argyle walked over, putting a hoof to Sunny's head. "Hmmm, maybe you'd better take some medicine. We'll be right back."
"Want me to-"
"Just look after things up here," Argyle said as he led his daughter down off the roof.
"O-Okay…" Izzy picked up Sunny's hammer and continued where she had left off. A good ten minutes passed before Izzy realised that the two had still not returned yet. Starting to worry, she put the hammer down and trotted over to the ladder. "Maybe I'd better check on them." Before she could descend, a pair of orange hooves entered her view, and Sunny climbed back onto the roof, looking better than she did earlier. "Oh! You feeling better now?"
Sunny nodded, but as Izzy got a good look at her face, she could see that Sunny seemed to have bags under her eyes, and she seemed to be in a daze as she walked, swaying slightly. Argyle came up after her. "She took some medicine. I suggested she get some rest but she insisted on coming back up here."
Izzy approached Sunny. "You should listen to your dad, Sunny. You don't look too good. You could hurt yourself or-"
"I said I'm fine," Sunny said, snatching her hammer from Izzy's magic and resuming her work. "Besides, this lighthouse isn't gonna build itself, and apparently I can't rely on Hitch or Sprout anymore."
Izzy gasped. "Of course you can rely on them. They're our friends! And… you're not acting like yourself right now…"
"What? Who are you to decide if I'm acting like myself or not? You hardly even know me!"
"That's not true…"
"Listen, I'm trying to work here, so if you've just come here to play around or ask me out on a date, then just go! I don't need this right now!"
Izzy took a step back, tears welling in her eyes. She wasn't sure how to respond, and before she had enough time to think, Argyle stepped between her and Sunny. "Maybe it's best if you just leave this to us," he said. "Sunny doesn't seem to want any company right now. You're just upsetting her by being here."
Izzy craned her head to look past Argyle. "Sunny?" Sunny didn't respond. "Sunny, please, I just-" Izzy stopped. Sunny's sparkle was growing darker, and the other mare was completely ignoring her. "… A-Alright, I'll go. But if you need any help or… anything, p-please-"
"Don't worry about it," Argyle said, nudging Izzy towards the ladder. "I'll be here for her."
“Right…” Izzy hung her head as she began to climb down the ladder, stopping just for a moment to spare Sunny one last, pleading look. The mare didn’t even bother to glance in her direction, and Izzy simply continued to climb down.
"Ugh! Finally!" Sprout sighed as he slumped down onto his desk. "I thought that was never gonna end!"
"Tell me about it," Hitch said, yawning as he filed the last of the paperwork away. "Who would've thought completely rebuilding the town would be such a big job?"
"I don't get why we even need to rebuild the town. Everything was fine as it was."
"Because Unicorn Containment Traps and Anti-Pegasus Sprout-a-pults do not give the impression that unicorns and pegasi are welcome here."
"Still think we should've kept the tanks."
"What are we ever going to need tanks for?"
"I dunno! They're just cool!"
"Well, yeah, they are. But they also make us look like scared ponies ready to jump at the chance of war at a moment's notice."
"I wonder if my mum can get one of 'em for me? I bet it'd be great for picking up mares."
Hitch rolled his eyes. "You can't pick up mares in a tank, Sprout."
"You can't, I bet I can! Anyway, can we break for lunch yet?"
Hitch glanced at the nearby clock. "Yeah, guess we should eat now, before the rest of the forms comes in."
Sprout's ear fell. "What do you mean, 'the rest of the forms'?"
As the two stepped outside, they heard somepony calling them, and found Izzy running down the street, a worried look on her face. She explained to them what had happened at the lighthouse, and how both Sunny and Argyle seemed to be acting strange.
"Are you sure you didn't say or do anything to upset her?" Hitch asked, and Izzy shook her head. "I just can't imagine Sunny acting like that for no reason, even if she was under the weather."
"Maybe she's pregnant," Sprout suggested. "My dad said that's how my mum acted when she was pregnant. You two have been going out for a few months now. Have you… y'know…"
"Sprout, we don't need to hearing about our friends'… affairs!" He gave an exasperated sigh. "Besides, they're both mares?"
"But Izzy's a unicorn! She has magic, so I bet it's possible!"
"That's…" Hitch paused for a moment, and then turned to Izzy. "Is that possible?"
Izzy hummed. "I dunno. All I've been able to do is lift stuff and make cool rave effects."
"Anyway, I highly doubt that's the case. Something must be eating away at her, just a question of what."
"Well, why don't we ask her?" Sprout said, and pointed to Sunny, who was walking down the street, swaying slightly and groaning. She bought a smoothie from a cart, and then sat down at a table across the street to drink.
"She looks so tired," Izzy said, watching Sunny with a concerned gaze. "And her beautiful sparkle is now so…"
Hitch nudged Izzy. "Go talk to her."
Izzy looked down, shifting her hooves nervously. "But she told me to leave her alone. What if I make her upset again?"
"She's not working right now. I'm sure you'll be okay."
"Hey, Sunny!" Sprout called out, and the two noticed he was already halfway across the street, walking towards the mare.
Sunny rolled her eyes as she saw Sprout approaching. “Oh great, you. Don't you have some 'important' deputy duties, like picking up a chocolate wrapper somepony dropped, or scrubbing Hitch's boots? Or I dunno, destroying somepony’s home?"
"… Uh, s-so how are the smoothies?"
"Sprout, just… Let me be clear, okay? You're annoying. You annoy me. And I don't have the energy to deal with you right now, so just stop talking to me and go back home to 'Mummy' before she grounds you for staying out so late!"
Sprout stared silently for a few seconds, and then simply nodded his head and turned around, walking back over to Hitch and Izzy. "She seems normal to me."
Izzy was dumbfounded. "How was that normal?!"
"Sunny and Sprout used to fight a lot, particularly when we were teens," Hitch explained. "It wasn't uncommon for her to snap like that, but that was a long time ago. It's definitely weird to see her like that now. By the way, you didn't cry this time! Good job!"
Sprout blushed and glared at Hitch. "I-I never cried! I just sometimes got, y'know, water in my eyes…"
"Sooooooo you agree something is up with Sunny, right?" Izzy asked, and Hitch nodded. "The Sunny I know is too nice to truly get mad at anypony, and her sparkle's supposed to be way brighter than it is now."
The three watched as Argyle approached Sunny, saying something that they couldn't hear. Sunny simply nodded and climbed out of her seat, holding a hoof to her head as she walked back in the direction of the lighthouse. Argyle turned to face the three, staring at them for a few seconds, before following after his daughter.
"Okay, that was weird," Sprout admitted. "I mean, he was always weird, but not creepy weird."
"His sparkle turned pitch-black while he was looking at us," Izzy said, "And Sunny's got even darker just now! We have to do something!"
"Like what?" Hitch asked. "Go up to Sunny and tell her that her father is acting suspicious, and may be up to something sinister? That won't go over well, especially without evidence."
Izzy frowned. "But I have to do something… Maybe I can just… talk to her. I know she told me to leave her alone but, maybe if I just remind her how much she means to me, to all of us…"
"You think that'll work?"
"I'll try it! Because I'm… scared that I'm losing her…" With that, Izzy turned and ran off towards the lighthouse.
"Izzy, wait!" Hitch called, but she didn't stop or even slow down. With a sigh, he turned to Sprout. "Don't suppose you have any ideas?"
"Build a giant robot?”
“… How would that help?!”
Sprout shrugged, and Hitch simply gave an exasperated sigh.
Izzy knocked on the door, politely at first. Then, after a few seconds passed with no response, she knocked a little harder. When there was still no response a few seconds later, she prepared to pound the door, but then it suddenly opened, a very annoyed-looking Argyle staring down at her. "What?"
Izzy put on her best smile. "I’m here to see Sunny!"
Argyle rolled his eyes and sighed. "You'll have to come back another time. She's not feeling well."
"She's not?" Izzy asked, her ears drooping as she tried to look past Argyle. He shifted to block her view. "Where is she? What's wrong? It's not serious is it? Maybe I should come in and be by her side-"
"She'll be fine," Argyle said. "She just needs her rest, which she can't get if you keep bothering her!" Argyle slammed the door, leaving Izzy startled and confused.
"I tried knocking again but he just ignored me," Izzy explained, "And then after that, I tried going round the house to look in through the windows, but they'd all been covered-up!"
Hitch furrowed his brow. "That's… concerning. Something strange is definitely happening here, but it'd be bad to move before knowing what exactly."
"We can't wait!" Izzy said, shifting on-the-spot nervously. "Every second that passes, Sunny's sparkle could be getting darker and darker!"
"This calls for drastic action. I've got a plan."
Hitch knocked on the door, and a few seconds later, a very exasperated-looking Argyle answered. "Oh, hi! Is Sunny in?" Hitch asked.
"She's resting," Argyle said, not even attempting to hide the annoyance in his tone. "She's not feeling well."
Hitch tried to look past Argyle, who moved his body to stop him from peering inside. He had to hold himself back from pushing past the stallion. "Is she okay? I can come in and help if you-"
"No. Your concern is more than enough, just leave it to me. I'll see to it that she gets better." Hitch was about to object but Argyle stopped him. "She can't get her rest if you ponies keep disturbing her."
"… I understand. Could you just return this book I borrowed from her, then?" Hitch reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a large book, handing it over to Argyle. The stallion took it and then slammed the door without another word.
Turning, Hitch trotted down the path, meeting up with Sprout and Izzy further down. The two were hidden behind a bush, an open laptop at their hooves on the ground. "Did it work?" Izzy asked.
"It worked," Hitch confirmed, picking up the laptop. "There was a camera in that book. Once he's put it down, we'll be able to see what's going on in there."
"And this isn't breaking the law?" Izzy asked with a smirk.
Hitch laughed sheepishly. "Well, like I said, drastic action."
"This is cool! It's like we're spies!" Sprout said, attempting to take the laptop only to be waved away. "We need codenames. I'll be Brussel, Hitch can be-"
Hitch shushed Sprout as he and Izzy watched the video. They could see Argyle approaching Sunny, who was lying in bed, seemingly asleep. He stopped and simply stared at her for a while. He seemed to be speaking, but there was no audio. Then, green flames swirled out from his forehead, revealing a black, jagged horn.
The three gasped as Argyle then pointed that horn down at Sunny, and a dark, green aura shot out, striking Sunny's forehead.
"SUNNY!" Izzy screamed, and began galloping back towards the lighthouse.
"Deputy, let's go!" Hitch ordered, putting his laptop away. He and Sprout chased after Izzy, overtaking her and reaching the lighthouse first. They stood by the door and turned around, readying their hind legs. "On three! One, two, THREE!"
The two bucked the door together, creating a loud bang, but ultimately achieving nothing other than hurting their own legs. "OWWWWWW OWOWOWOW!" Sprout rolled onto the ground, clutching his legs as he cried in pain.
Hitch managed to remain standing, but danced-in-place as he tried to hide the pain. "That looked way easier in the movies!" Izzy ran past the two stallions, stopping to turn around. "Izzy, don't-"
Izzy bucked the door, causing it to fly off of its hinges and crash into the far wall. "SUNNY!"
"… D-Deputy, let's go!"
"Officer down…"
Hitch rolled his eyes and helped Sprout to his hooves, carrying him inside. There, they found Izzy growling at a startled Argyle, looking ready to pounce. "Get your hooves off of her! Or magic or, whatever!"
Argyle furrowed his brow. "You dare break into my house and-"
"Give it up," Hitch said. "Whoever you are, you're not Argyle. The Argyle we knew would never hurt his daughter the way you have! Not to mention, we can see your horn."
'Argyle' gasped, reaching up to find his horn was still visible. "Who are you?!" Sprout demanded, stumbling as he climbed back onto his own hooves. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way!" Sprout flinched as 'Argyle' turned to look at him. "But uh, the easy way would really be best for everypony, y'know?"
"I don't care who you are," Izzy said, tears starting to well in her eyes. "What have you done to Sunny?!"
'Argyle' looked between the three ponies confronting him, and then sighed. "Very well. I'll tell you everything." Suddenly, green flames erupted around the pony, and his form began to change.
As the flames went away, they revealed a pony-like creature the likes of which none of them had ever seen. A black body riddled with holes and with not a hint of fur; bug-like wings and eyes; the jagged black horn that they had seen earlier; and a dark-green, saggy mane hanging loosely over the creature's head.
"I am a changeling," the creature said in a feminine voice. "My name is Amber."
"A changeling?" Hitch asked. "J-Just what the hay is that?"
"We are creatures who survive by feeding off of feelings of love. Long ago, our species thrived in this land. Friendship and harmony meant that there was no shortage of love, and we could co-exist alongside the ponies of Equestria. But when that all ended, our kind began to dwindle. Love became harder to find, and even worse, we lacked the magic to change our forms!
"Our numbers shrank rapidly, and what few of us survived did so barely." Amber hung her head. "My mother passed last year, and you are now looking at the last surviving changeling in Equestria."
"The last one?" Izzy asked, her anger giving way to sympathy. "But magic is back now, and everypony's getting along again! So you should be able to…"
"Yes. That day, a miracle occurred, and I felt magic return to my body. With my newfound ability to take whatever shape I want, I could easily fit into one of your societies and survive by harvesting love from my surroundings. But… it wouldn’t be enough."
Amber walked forwards, startling Sprout and prompting Hitch to ready himself for a fight. She stopped, and shifted aside the rug beneath her hooves. There was a loose floorboard beneath it, and as she pulled it up, Izzy and Hitch gasped at what they saw.
"Are those-" Hitch began, and Amber nodded.
"These are my eggs. My children." She reached down and gently lifted one of them, offering it to Hitch. He held it. "Can you feel how cold it is? Just soaking up the ambient love around me is enough for myself, but for my children to hatch, they require something more. A source of love so powerful, it could even accept the world as its friend."
"So that's why you're after Sunny," Hitch surmised. "She was the one brought friendship back to Equestria."
"Her love will be what saves my children. Deny me that, and you will be driving my race to extinction."
"But what happens to Sunny? She's already fallen ill because of you. What happens if you keep draining her love like this?"
"… It is regrettable, but once I am finished with her, she will be unable to love again. Everyone and everything will mean nothing to her, and she will live the remainder of her life empty and alone."
Izzy shook her head. "No… You can't do that to her…"
Amber turned to Izzy, a pleading look in her eyes. "It brings me no joy to do so, but she will live. If I don’t do this, my children will die, and my race will end with me!"
Izzy tried to respond, but her voice caught in her throat. She turned to Sunny, tears streaming down her cheeks, and then back to Hitch and Sprout, hoping they would have some kind of answer.
"… Can you wait?" Hitch asked. "Please, give us some time. I have an idea, and if it works, nopony will have to be sacrificed."
"… I can offer you to the end of today, but no more. My children have waited long enough, and if they do not hatch soon, they may never."
"End of today? That's more than enough." Hitch turned to Sprout. "Deputy, you're with me." He turned to Izzy. "I could use your help as well, but if you'd rather wait her with Sunny, I understand."
Izzy turned to Sunny, who groaned as she shifted in her bed. "I will not do anything further to her until your allotted time has passed," Amber said to Izzy. "I know it may not mean much, but you have my word."
Izzy stared into Amber's eyes. “You really don’t wanna hurt Sunny at all, do you? But you feel like you have no choice. That’s why your sparkle is black…”
“If you are unable to provide another way, then I will have to take the love that I need from her. And I will fight you, if you try to stop me. But… I do hope that whatever you have planned will work, so that it does not come to that.”
Izzy wiped away her tears and nodded. "Alright. We’ll be right back." The three of them left the lighthouse, running back towards Maretime Bay. "So what's the plan?"
"Go to as many houses as possible and tell ponies to gather in front of Canterlogic! I'll explain everything there!"
Amber watched as Sunny slept peacefully in her bed, looking better already after no longer having her love forcefully stolen from her. And yet, if Hitch's promise proved to be empty, she knew that she would have no choice… "Poor thing. Still so young, and in such a bleak world, you remained ever-optimistic, despite the resistance you met. It is thanks to you that my race has a chance to survive, and yet… your love is the only one powerful enough to save my children. I am grateful to you, for bringing magic back to our land, and I wish it did not have to be this way. But as a mother, there is nothing more important to me than my children. Even if I must become a monster, I’ll-"
Knocking on the door broke Amber from her thoughts. She left Sunny and answered the door, finding Hitch, Sprout and Izzy standing there, each of them looking exhausted and dishevelled. "S-Sorry that, took so long," Hitch said. "C-Come outs-side. We have… the answer to your p-problem."
Amber was sceptical, but the ponies seemed to have run themselves ragged for her. As a courtesy, she followed them outside, only to find what appeared to be the entire town waiting for her. A chill passed down her spine, yet as she took a closer look, she found that none of them were brandishing any weapons, nor did they appear angry or afraid. They did seem uncertain, though.
"Everypony!" Izzy shouted drawing everyone's attention. "This is Amber! She's our new friend! I know she might look scary, but she's actually really nice!"
Hitch took a deep, soothing breath, and straightened himself out. "As I explained earlier, she is in trouble, and she needs all of our help! She is a changeling, and changelings need love in order to survive!"
Amber watched with amazement as the two ponies she had earlier treated so awfully were now defending her. However, as she realised what they were doing, she could only shake her head and sigh. "It's useless. Look at me. Do you really think they will accept me so easily?" She noticed Sprout walking past her, carrying her eggs on his back. "Stop!"
"It's okay," Izzy said with a reassuring smile. She used her magic to gently place the eggs down into a large basket.
"These are her children," Hitch told everypony, "But because they do not have enough love, they are unable to hatch! We can change that. It wasn't long ago that unicorns and pegasi were our enemies, but we accepted them, and we can do the same now! We can extend the hoof of friendship, and play our part in making the world a better place! Sunny has already shouldered this burden on her own, and now it's our turn!"
The townspeople muttered, exchanging uncertain glances with each other. As Amber watched, she released a heavy sigh. Of course they weren't going to be so easily swayed. How could they? Changelings were monsters. Monsters that fooled you and fed off of your love. Who could accept that as their friend?
"Uh, Miss?"
Amber gasped. A small, unicorn colt had stepped forwards, looking up at her with a sad expression on his face. "I dunno if it'll help, but your kids can 'ave some of my love."
An earth pony filly and a pegasus colt joined him, nodding their heads. "I'll help, too!" the filly said.
"A changeling friend will mean we can have even teams!" the pegasus colt said, prompting his friends to laugh.
Then, some more ponies stepped forwards. They were followed by more ponies, and soon, the entire town was joining in, smiling warmly at the changeling as they offered to help however they could.
"How about it?" Hitch asked. "Will an entire town's love be enough? If we all pitch in, Sunny won't have to take the burden all by herself."
Amber's lips quivered and her heart raced. She began to cry as she looked over the gathered ponies, some looking down at her eggs with sympathetic gazes. "Yes," she said, her lips curling into a smile. "With this, my children will have all the love they'll ever need… Thank you. Truly, thank you!"
Amber approached the foals who had first stepped forwards, and lowered her head. A gentle, green glow enveloped her horn, and then the children. The townsponies gasped, but Hitch raised a hoof, assuring them it would be okay. As the glow faded, the children assured everypony they didn't feel a thing.
One-by-one, Amber harvested just a little love from each of the townsponies, offering it to her children. Eventually, Izzy could feel that one of the eggs had grown warm, and then another. Eventually, the eggs began to shake, and after Amber had finished taking love from everypony in Maretime Bay, the first egg began to hatch.
As the shell broke open, the creature that emerged looked very different from Amber. It had a glorious, shining blue body, and its horn was curved, not jagged. It lacked the holes that Amber had, and its wings looked far more beautiful.
"What's going on?" Hitch asked as another egg hatched, and the creature that emerged looked much the same, except that its body was green instead of blue.
"That is how my people used to look, back when the ponies of Equestria were friends," Amber said, her eyes beginning to droop. She gave a long yawn and rubbed her eye. "That's our true appearance… I'm so happy…"
The final egg hatched, and there were now ten little changeling babies sitting in that basket, gazing up curiously at the gathered townsponies. The three foals who had first stepped forwards approached and stared at the hatchlings in awe, and the unicorn colt reached out a hoof to one. It grasped his hoof and tried to gnaw on it, prompting him to laugh. "They're so cute!"
Chatter began to rise amongst the townsponies as they took turns observing and welcoming the new-born changelings. Amber let out another yawn, and then lay down on the grass, resting her head on her hooves. "Everypony… thank you."
Hitch turned to her. "Hey, are you okay?"
"I am… so tired… My job is done now, so I am going to rest."
"Do you want me to carry you inside?"
"Please… take care of… my young…"
Hitch's ears drooped. "H-Hey, what do you mean by that? You're gonna wake up, right?" Amber gave no response, she simply stared up at Hitch, clearly struggling to keep her eyes open. "Do you need more love? I don't mind giving a little more, if that's the case. C'mon, you can't just… leave like this!"
By now, everypony had seen what was going on, and silence fell as they watched curiously. "I have… been fighting it for… so long… I need… rest… now…" Amber's eyes closed, and her head promptly fell into her hooves.
Hitch gasped, racing to her side and placing a hoof to her neck. He could feel nothing. Turning to Izzy and Sprout, he solemnly shook his head.
"No way…" somepony from the crowd said.
"Mummy? What just happened?"
"I-Is she really…"
The changelings in the basket collectively began to cry. Some of the mares in the crowd instinctively moved to the basket, lifting the babies and attempting to console them.
Hitch motioned to Sprout, who walked to the other side of Amber and helped him lift her up. "We should at least give her a proper burial…" Izzy's eyes turned to the lighthouse, and then she looked back to the fallen Amber. Hitch noticed the conflicted look in her eyes. "You should stay at Sunny's side. She might wake up soon, and she'll need somepony to fill her in on what's happened."
Izzy nodded, and raced inside the lighthouse. She found Sunny still laying in her bed, looking far more peaceful than she did earlier. Sitting by her side, Izzy sniffed and wiped away her tears quickly, putting on her best smile. She didn't want Sunny to wake up to her crying, after all.
"Boy, you sure missed a lot, sleepyhead," Izzy giggled, reaching out and moving a few strands of Sunny's hair aside. "Hey, y'know what? Everypony in town's really changed thanks to you. You're a really good influence on them." Izzy sniffed. "They all did their best for Amber, even though she's not an earth pony." She sniffed again. "Even though she's so scary-looking, and she hurt you… She was really nice, and they all accepted her as their friend…"
Izzy brought her hooves to her face as she cried. Sunny stirred, her eyes slowly opening and drifting over to her marefriend. "Iz… zy?" She sat up, giving Izzy a concerned look, and then reached out and held her. Izzy said nothing, she simply returned the hug and cried into Sunny's shoulder.
The following day, Sunny was feeling much better. Izzy had explained everything that happened, including ‘Argyle’s’ true identity. It was a shock to the mare, and she wasn’t sure how to respond to what she had been told.
Despite her mixed feelings, Sunny attended the funeral for Amber with everypony else in the town. They all mourned the loss of their new friend, and Mayor Morning Glory announced plans for a new orphanage that would take in the baby changelings, and raise them as citizens of Maretime Bay.
Following the service, Sunny returned to her home without saying anything. She sat on the cliff’s edge just outside of the lighthouse, staring out over the calming ocean. Izzy and Hitch sat to either side of her, with Sprout standing nearby, shifting about awkwardly until Hitch motioned for him to stop.
The silence was eventually broken as Sunny sniffed, wiping tears forming in her eyes. "Do you think, if I had noticed something sooner… maybe I could have done something to save her?"
Hitch shook his head. "Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault.”
“But I believed her so easily. My dad, suddenly alive? Like you said, we saw the body! I should’ve seen right through it.”
“Anypony in your position would have wanted to believe it. Even I… Even I believed it, because I wanted it to be true so much."
“She was gonna hurt you, but you still feel sorry for her?" Sprout asked.
"Sprout-" Hitch began.
"I… I know what she did was bad and… the thought of losing everypony I love scares me." Sunny felt Izzy's hoof on her own and looked up to her marefriend, smiling. "But she was doing it for the sake of somepony she loved. I can't think badly of her because of that… And, Dad always taught me the importance of forgiving…" Sunny choked back a sob, hanging her head.
"You alright?" Hitch asked.
"I… I don't want to think badly of her, but… but at the same time, I can't help but be little… angry… Because now, it feels like… like I've lost my dad twice…"
Izzy and Hitch quickly wrapped their hooves around Sunny, enveloping their friend in a comforting hug. Hitch turned to Sprout, who was darting his eyes around nervously. "You too," he mouthed.
Sprout sighed and approached Sunny, reaching out a hoof and tapping her on the shoulder. Sunny grabbed his hoof and pulled him into the group hug, and Sprout, although flustered at first, calmed down as he heard Sunny's crying right beside him.
Author's Note
The 10k word count was a bit tight here, would've liked to have paced things a bit better, but I still had fun writing this.
Also,
Mayor Morning Glory
- BOOM! There's your Gen 1/2/3 pony!
(No but seriously I had no idea how to include that one 
)
