“I’m starting to remember my experience in magic,” Scott Free said, as he, Starlight, Trixie and Sunburst galloped back to the mansion. “But my memory is still a little shaky...I don’t know if I can remember everything.”

“Here, take this,” Sunburst said, pulling a group of folded scrolls from under his cape and levitating it towards Scott. “These spells are fairly useful. Read them and see what you can remember.”

“Really? Thanks!” Scott beamed, eagerly taking the scrolls in his magic grasp.

“Why do you always keep these things with you?” Trixie wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow at the crystaller.

“Because we may need them, just like now?” Sunburst replied, smirking.

“Guys, look!” Starlight said as they arrived at the mansion, pointing at one of the windows. An orange light was visible, and it was moving towards Starlight’s, Sunburst’s and Trixie’s room. “We have to hurry!”

“I’ll enter the mansion from another window and see if they’ve noticed my absence yet,” Scott said, before leaving the trio of unicorns and heading to the other side of the mansion, while Starlight quickly levitated herself and her two friends back to their room.

“I’ll bring the Cocoon tonight, Scott. Be ready,” Starlight informed, before disappearing behind the window.

Cinnamon Rolls engulfed the door’s handle in her magic aura, slowly swinging it open, making sure to not make any noise. She peeked through the small gap she had created, and saw two bundles on the bed, covered in blankets. Curious where the third “bundle” was, she swung the door a little further until it hit something. She looked down, only to find Trixie lying on the floor in a weird position and snoring.

If this one is on the floor, then…, Cinnamon thought, shaking her head and groaning. Ugh, whatever! With that, she closed the door gently and trotted down the hall.

As soon as her hoofsteps’ sound became low, Starlight and Sunburst threw the blankets off of them and sat up in the bed, sighing in relief.

“Trixie, why did you insist on me and Sunburst sleeping on the bed?!” Starlight asked, her cheeks tainting red.

“Simple: it distracted Cinnamon Rolls and made her feel embarrassed, which made her leave quickly. My weird position also helped,” Trixie answered with a smirk, standing up. “Besides, I think—”

“Okay okay, I get it. Let’s focus on the matter at hoof,” Sunburst interrupted, stepping off the bed. “Starlight?”

“Yes, I...I’ll go bring the cocoon,” Starlight said nervously, trotting up to the window and placing a foreleg on its frame. After a few seconds of awkward silence, she let out a long, shaky sigh.

Exchanging looks with Trixie, Sunburst spoke, “Starlight, what’s wrong?”

“Why...why does this keep happening to me?! Why am I given the responsibility to save the world again?!” Starlight raised her voice slightly, trying her best not to let the witches hear her. “Everypony is depending on me. What if I fail them? And worst of all, I have to go bring some mysterious cocoon and face who knows what! I’m still tempted to just go and zap Shoreline out of existence and end this whole thing!” She lit her horn, starting her way to the door.

“Easy there!” Sunburst placed a hoof on Starlight’s shoulder to stop her. “We’ve already talked about this.”

“I know, but…,” Starlight sighed.. “...Sunburst, you told me that life would give me opportunities and it would be up to me whether to take them or not. I get to choose what I want to be, right?”

“Yes, it’s up to you whether to take the opportunities or not,” Sunburst replied firmly, adjusting his glasses. “But in the end you have to ask yourself: did you make the right decision? You were a hero when you saved everyone from Chrysalis, will you still feel like a hero if you go and fight Shoreline recklessly and let your anger control you, and possibly dooming us all?”

“Well it’s not like I saved everyone alone! And I still failed to reform Chrysalis. I started something good for once but I failed to finish it. And because of that, Chrysalis is still out there seeking revenge on me! Back then everypony was safe, but if I fail this time, we may all be doomed!”

“You weren’t alone when you defeated Chrysalis, and you aren’t alone now, either,” Trixie interrupted, a reassuring smile on her face. “We are here with you. As for Chrysalis, well, life gave her an opportunity and she didn’t take it. It wasn’t your fault.”

Starlight sighed, hanging her head down. “This whole situation is a mistake. Twilight should be in my place now. She would know how to solve everything, she always knows how to save the day.”

“Well, Twilight isn’t here now—” Trixie said, then moved her head closer to Sunburst and whispered a “and I’m not really complaining”, before turning to Starlight again. “—so are you going to wait for her to come, or are you going to step up and do what it takes just like when we dethroned Chrysalis together?!”

Starlight stared at Trixie’s wide, confident smile for a moment, letting her words sink in. Finally, she took a deep breath, holding her head high. “You know what? You’re right! Maybe I don’t like being a hero...yet, and it is very possible for me to fail, but I will definitely fail if I don’t try!”

“Exactly!” Trixie cheered, throwing her hoof in the air.

“Centaria was right, Starlight,” Sunburst spoke. “You’re a better pony than you give yourself credit, and you’re being incredibly harsh on yourself, but...but um...,” he stuttered, rubbing his chin.

“But what?” Starlight raised an eyebrow.

“Dang it, I forgot what I wanted to say!” Sunburst snapped, punching the air in frustration. “I should really study those speeches Princess Cadance gave me better!”

Both Starlight and Trixie face hoofed, making Sunburst turn red.

“It’s okay, Sunburst,” Starlight beamed, patting Sunburst on the shoulder. “I get what you wanted to say. Plus, I wouldn’t want you to pull a Twilight on me.” She punctuated her sentence by giving Sunburst a light bump on his shoulder. “Now if you would excuse me, I have a cocoon to acquire.” With that, she trotted back to the window and opened it.

“If anything happens, we’ll keep the witches busy,” Sunburst reassured.

Starlight placed both forelegs on the window’s frame, taking a deep breath as she prepared to leave. She turned around at the last moment, the fleeting nervous expression returning to her face. “Sunburst...if-if this is the last time we see each other, just know that—”

“This won’t be the last time we see each other!” Sunburst interrupted, placing a hoof on Starlight’s cheek and locking his eyes with hers. Time seemed to slow down as he stared at her uncertain turquoise eyes, hoping he could manage to make her retrieve her confident smile. “I trust you, and you should trust us.”

After what felt like it eternity, Starlight gave a teary smile, allowing Sunburst to take a sigh of relief knowing that he succeeded. And without saying any more words, the purple unicorn engulfed herself in magic and jumped out the window.

Sunburst let out a long sigh, as he slowly closed the window. A moment of awkward silence passed before he turned around, only to find a smiling-from-ear-to-ear Trixie. She gave a faint squeal, which faintly made Sunburst blush.

“D-don’t think too hard about it,” Sunburst said, trotting up to the room’s door. Carefully, he opened it, making sure to not cause any noise.

“Wait, what are you doing?” Trixie asked, reducing her voice to whispers now that the door was open.

“Improvising,” he replied, gulping, before taking one step outside the room.

“What the hay?!”

“Look, I must find Shoreline’s weapon and destroy it,” Sunburst explained. “Yes, I know Starlight is on her way to get the cocoon, but we don’t know what Shoreline might do, and she may go and use the weapon if she find out what Starlight was doing. Besides, even if Starlight succeeds, the existence of that weapon is still dangerous.”

“What if you blow our cover?”

“Don’t worry. If I find the mission impossible, I’ll stop and come back.”

“Well, if you insist…,” Trixie said, stepping away from the door. “I’m waiting here if anything goes wrong.”

“Good.” With that, Sunburst left the room, closing the door behind him as carefully as he had opened it.

Sunburst lit his horn with a faint flame, just enough for him to see his steps without alerting anyone who might be nearby. He arrived at the door of the room he had listened to the witches talking in earlier, but before he could step close to it, he heard hoofsteps coming closer and immediately hid behind a stand and extinguished his horn’s flame, the sheer darkness in the hallway making him almost impossible to see.

Shoreline finally stepped near the door, wearing a white bath cloth, her mane and coat dripping-wet. “Cloudy Night!” she called. “Where did you put my favorite shampoo?” No one answered. “Cloudy! My mane needs that shampoo terribly. Don’t get yourself grounded!”

“Ugh, it’s in the kitchen, mom!” Cloudy Night’s voice came from upstairs.

“Oh...wait, why the hay did you put a shampoo bottle in the kitchen?!”

“Umm...reasons?”

Shoreline groaned. She turned around and faced a door that was a few feet away from the one that Sunburst had tried to open. “What? Why is the basement’s door not locked?! Those stupid fillies!” She made her way to a stand nearby and pulled open one of its drawers, pulling a key out of it. She then proceeded to lock the padlock on the basement’s door. Finally, she put the key back in its place and went back the way she had come from.

When Shoreline disappeared, Sunburst let out a breath he had been holding. He stepped out of his hiding and was about to head to the door, but then he shifted his way to the stand where Shoreline had hid the key. Making a double take, he opened the drawer and retrieved the key, then made his way to the basement’s door, carefully unlocking it.

Sunburst’s curious mind overcame him. He swung the door slightly open and eyed the interior. before opening the door completely. He found himself standing at the top of a long staircase, with light bulbs on the walls on the stairs’ sides, though the bottom of the staircase was covered in darkness. Taking a last look around him, Sunburst stepped inside and swung the door back to its previous position. He started down the staircase, trying his best to not let the wood underneath make any loud noise.

“HHHHH!”

Sunburst gulped, frozen in his place upon hearing the blood-curdling sound when he was only a few steps away from the sheer darkness at the bottom of the staircase, his eyes wide open. A shiver ran down his spine and he felt his body going cold upon what he saw afterwards.

Something started to crawl up the stairs. It was pitch black, making it look as if the darkness had sprouted two limbs and placed them at the stairs. The creature continued to hiss, getting louder and louder. Sunburst finally managed to get his body to respond and take a step backwards, but just as he did so, the creature leapt at him, pinning him down.

“Food!” the creature hissed in a sickening tone.

“I don’t think so!” Sunburst managed to aim upwards and shoot a small fireball, striking the creature in the face.

“Agh!”The spooky being retreated, letting out a short cry of pain.

Sunburst quickly jumped back to his hooves, his heart beating so fast he felt like it would burst out of his chest. He took several steps up the stairs, creating a safe distance between him and whatever was down in the basement. He noticed that the creature had a metal collar around its neck that was tied to a chain, obviously to leash it. Then his eyes adjusted to the sight as they reached the creature’s face…

“C...Chrysalis?!” Sunburst almost yelled, utter shock all over his face upon seeing the Ex-Queen of the Changelings herself leashed like a wild critter.

“Chrysalis!” Shoreline's voice came from upstairs in a sarcastic sing-song tone. “Stay quiet, please. We have guests and they are sleeping now. Don’t make me silence you myself.”

Chrysalis gritted her teeth, groaning. She was doing her best to keep her angry roar inside, so much that her face looked as if it would explode.

Once it was clear that no one was coming to check for the noise, Chrysalis spoke. “You? What the hay are you doing here?!”

“I was about to ask you the same question,” Sunburst replied, scowling, trying his best not to look scared. “How did the dethroned queen of the bugs end up like...this?”

“Watch your tongue, vermin!” Chrysalis snapped back.

“Hush, don’t want Shoreline to come over, do we?” Sunburst said sarcastically.

“You will pay for this!” Chrysalis growled in anger.

“Yeah, considering your centuries-long life, I’m sure this is at least the millionth time you’ve said this to somepony and failed.”

Chrysalis groaned. “What, you came all the way to this place just to make fun of me?!”

“Nah,” Sunburst replied. “It’s a long story. In short, Starlight found out about this place and we came to solve whatever problem it might be suffering, and surprise surprise, we found that Shoreline was the biggest problem around here!”

“So Starlight Glimmer is here, huh?” Chrysalis paced, a wicked smirk forming on her lips.

“Don’t even think about it!” Sunburst threatened, igniting his horn.

“Easy, big boy. It’s not like I can do anything now.” Chrysalis grabbed the chain and raised it to show it to Sunburst. “This thing around my neck is enchanted. It weakens my magic significantly.”

“I told you why I came here. Now tell me your story,” Sunburst demanded.

Chrysalis sighed. “After I...flew away—”

“Escaped,” Sunburst corrected.

“Shut up and listen!” Chrysalis snarled. “So I flew away not even knowing where I was heading, and I stumbled upon this place. I found Shoreline Whisper and her daughters, but I had no idea that Unicorns had a magic boost here so…,”

“So of course you tried to feed on them,” Sunburst stated a matter of fact, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, you can see clearly how that ended.” Chrysalis threw the chain in the air again.

“How come Scott Free never told us about this?”

“As I remember, he was at the other side of Jinjabannera when that happened, and Shoreline and her daughters never told him about me.”

“Well, good to know that you’re contained here away from Equestria.” Sunburst turned around, about to start up the stairs. “Now excuse me, I have a weapon to steal.”

“Wait!”

“What?”

“Do you think it’s that easy?” Chrysalis chuckled.

“Of course?” Sunburst replied, his face giving away the fact that he was unsure. “Starlight is on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation, this will end tonight.” He took a step up the stairs.

“The Cocoon is useless right now!”

Sunburst stopped, turning to face Chrysalis again. “You know about it?”

“I told you it wasn’t that easy! You think just because you sport big glasses and a fancy cape it means you’re smart? Hah!”

“Enlighten me.” He replied flatly.

“Shoreline didn’t keep me here without a reason. She forced me to help her create the necklace, which is her weapon, since she had been struggling with its creation for so long. She knew about the Cocoon but didn’t know how to acquire it. She placed a curse on the necklace...an enchantment linked to the Cocoon's location. As long as that curse is on the weapon, the Cocoon cannot be used. Not only that, but direct contact between anypony and the Cocoon will result in it exploding, and the one touching it will obviously get…” Chrysalis placed a foreleg on her neck and made a slow slashing motion, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes backwards.

Sunburst’s eyes widened in shock, a drop of sweat running down his forehead. He suddenly felt his heart beating faster. “You’re lying!”

“Keep telling yourself that until your precious friend meets her doom, and your whole plan to save the day fails miserably.”

Sunburst gritted his teeth, hanging his head down.

“Don’t think too hard about it, foal. You have to release me. You need my help. I helped Shoreline and I know how to disable the curse.” She stood tall, looking more like a queen than ever. At the same time, her stance was casual- she knew she had him.

“N-No!” Sunburst snapped. “You’re a threat to all of Equestria!”

“And so is Shoreline. Equestria is doomed anyway, whether it’s me or Shoreline who does it. At least if you release me, Equestria’s doom will be delayed, and Starlight Glimmer will unfortunately get to see another sunrise.” Chrysalis grinned wickedly, enjoying how she had destroyed the unicorn’s confidence.

Sunburst grunted, thinking about the limited choices he had, but he knew deep inside that there was no other way.

“Tick tock, Mister Crystaller! You don’t have much time!” Chrysalis teased.

Sunburst let out a short growl, shooting a beam of fire. Chrysalis closed her eyes, before hearing the sound of metal hitting the floor. She looked down to find that it was the collar, now broken and lying on the ground.

“Finally, I’m free!” Chrysalis cheered in triumph.

“Yes, you are, but...” Sunburst said, before trotting down to Chrysalis and holding her by the shoulders. “But if you even touch a fur from Starlight or try anything fishy, just know that you’re surrounded by magically enhanced unicorns.” He punctuated his sentence by lighting his horn up, pushing Chrysalis against the wall.

“Hold your horses, tough guy,” Chrysalis said calmly, dusting her shoulders. “Right now I’m much more interested in taking down Shoreline than I am in hurting you pathetic marefriend.”

“She’s...not...my…” Sunburst stuttered, tempted to shout at the arrogant queen.

“Yeah yeah, say whatever you want.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “I think you’re forgetting that I’m a Changeling and I know love energy when I see it.” A childish grin crossed her face.

Sunburst placed a hoof on Chrysalis’ shoulder, scowling. “Save the chit chat for later! You have a weapon to disable.”

“Follow me,” Chrysalis sighed, trotting up the stairs with Sunburst following suit.

As soon as the two reached the top of the staircase, Chrysalis forced Sunburst to stay behind the door and almost closed it.

“What are you doing?!” Sunburst asked, trying to push the door open.

“Just wait there for a moment, would you?!” Chrysalis replied, before switching her appearance to Shoreline’s.

A moment later, Cinnamon Rolls emerged from one of the nearby hallway.

“Oh, mom? You’re done from the bathroom already?” Cinnamon asked, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

“Of course!” the disguised queen said, smiling. “What do you want now?”

“Uh, nothing. You know how I get this sudden hunger at night.” Cinnamon trotted past Chrysalis. “I’ll just get a snack.”

“Alright, but don’t eat everything in the kitchen like you did last week!” Chrysalis called with a smirk.

“Ugh, you’ll never let me live it down, will you?!” Cinnamon muttered, before making her way to the kitchen.

When she was gone, Sunburst finally emerged from behind the basement’s door. “I see you’ve done your homework regarding this family,” he said, flashing Chrysalis an almost-admiring smile.

“I always do my homework,” Chrysalis chuckled, holding her nose in the air.

“Of course, that’s why your plans always work,” Sunburst muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“I heard that!”

“You were supposed to hear it!”

“You’re actually making me consider giving up on taking Shoreline down and take you down instead.” Chrysalis made her way to the door next to the basement’s, followed by Sunburst. She opened it slowly, revealing a long table, a group of chairs and a great closet with multiple doors.

Sunburst hid behind the open door just in case, while Chrysalis proceeded to the closet. One of the doors had a complicated lock on it. She engulfed it with her magic, and it was open in only a few seconds. She pulled out a black box from inside and opened it, revealing an oversized, grey, embellished necklace, its center consisting of a small white oval shape with bat-like wings.

“You know, I have to admit that your...‘camouflage’ is impressive,” suddenly, Shoreline’s voice came from the door. Chrysalis closed her eyes and turned around slowly, inhaling deeply. “But no matter what you do, you can’t replicate my beautiful mane.” She took the towel off her head, letting her mane wave in the air.

Chrysalis face hoofed, letting out a long groan of annoyance. “You mean I can’t replicate how annoying you are. Here, this form is much better,” she said, switching back to her original appearance.

Shoreline chuckled. “What baffles me the most is how you managed to escape.”

“Oh, I got help from one of my enemy's’ friend. Starlight Glimmer to be precise.”

Sunburst facehoofed whispering a “No!”

“Wait, Starlight...Glimmer?!” Shoreline widened her eyes, gritting her teeth as realization hit her. “I knew it! I knew she looked familiar! She had her mother’s eyes, her magic, and she was as pathetic as her!”

“Well, I agree that she’s pathetic,” Chrysalis said, levitating the necklace out of its box. “But unfortunately, I made a truce, and now my primary objective is to destroy this toy of yours.”

Shoreline charged her horn with dark magic, creating a black tentacle that stretched towards Chrysalis in flash speed and grabbed her by the neck. “I was planning to release you after testing the weapon,” she growled, her eyes starting to tint crimson. “But you have proven to be much more bugging than I had expected!”

“Y-Your jokes are bad and you should feel bad!” Chrysalis shouted, slicing the tentacle with a magic beam.

Shoreline reacted quickly, striking Chrysalis in the face with another tentacle then using it to retrieve the necklace, placing it on her neck.

“Hey!”

Before Shoreline could react, she was struck on the side by a fireball, making her roll on the ground only once.

“Nice try.” Shoreline smirked. “But it takes more than cheap fireworks to hurt me. Now look how you ruined mane! I’ve just finished my bath!” She used a dark tentacle to strike Sunburst on the side so forcefully, sending him flying through the wooden wall and into the hallway.

“Whisper!”

Shoreline turned back to Chrysalis, only to find a gigantic table flying straight into her face. The table sent her out of the room, digging a hole in the hallway’s wall with her.

Chrysalis rushed out of the room, pushing Sunburst to stand up. “Get up, vermin, we barely started!” she teased.

“I’m fine!” Sunburst said through his teeth, standing up and pushing Chrysalis’ hoof off him.

“Hey!” Sunburst and Chrysalis heard a voice calling, and soon Scott Free appeared. “What happened? Did Starlight get the cocoon?” he said, before his eyes met Chrysalis. “Whoa! What is that?!”

Before Chrysalis could speak, Sunburst answered. “This is the ‘dreadful thing’ that has been residing in the basement.”

“Wait, you are the...pffft!” Scott let out a short laugh.

“I don’t think we told you a joke,” Chrysalis deadpanned.

“Not really, but I expected something...well, scarier. Way scarier,” Scott chuckled. “My silly imagination!”

One of Chrysalis’ eyes began to twitch in anger. “SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO I AM!”

-oOo-

Starlight finally arrived at the location Centaria had described: a gravestone. Well, not an actual gravestone if this was indeed what Starlight was looking for. She had brought her saddle bag from Trixie’s carriage, which contained a bottle of water, just in case

This must be it, she thought, trotting up to the stone. A gravestone in the middle of nowhere. The thing was covered in weeds and snow. She stretched a foreleg and cleaned the stone as much as she could, then squinted her eyes to read the text written on it:

You will not make it.

“What?!” Starlight exclaimed, rubbing her eyes clear before taking a second look. She sighed in relief when she found nothing of what she thought she had read, only some scribbles in a language she didn’t understand. Phew! Dang it, I must keep it together! I kinda need my sanity to save the day, she thought, rubbing her temples.

Starlight took a step back. Taking a deep breath, she lit her horn and aimed for the stone. “Educant interiorem daemonia”, as she recited the spell, the earth underneath her began to shake, then the stone retracted to under the ground and a building rose in it’s place. It was a short, wide, circular stone structure, almost like an arena, and it had many small windows. When it was fully emerged, it opened a gate in front of Starlight.

“Oh....kay then,” Starlight said as her shock subsided. Hesitantly, she stepped into the building . There were many pillars and rocks inside, and right in the center was a stone table with a white object placed on it. Starlight squinted her eyes from afar and noticed that the object was a cocoon.

“This must be it!” Starlight perked up, trotting towards the cocoon. Her happiness was toned down slightly as she remembered what Centaria had told her. “I wonder what ‘obstacle’ Centaria was talking about. I see nothing here.”

“In sameness, there is peace. Exceptionalism is a lie.”

Starlight froze in her place, afraid of even looking back. It was her own voice, but it sounded different, as if it was coming from a speaker. Gulping, Starlight finally worked up the courage to look back. There were four speakers placed at the entrance of the building, even though she could swear she hadn’t seen them when she had entered.

“Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality as your special talent.”

“Be your best by never being your best.”

“No...no, no, no!” Starlight trotted backward, ears folded back to try and block the sound, as the speakers continued to play the sentences she had created herself. She kept trotting back until she hit something. Startled, she jumped away, dropping her jaw in shock at what she saw, or who she saw.

Standing there was Starlight herself, but her mane was different, her Cutie Mark had been replaced with an equal mark, and she was carrying the Staff of Sameness with her magic.

“No, you’re not real! You can’t be real!” Starlight yelled at her copy.

“Oh yeah?” Starlight’s copy said in a wicked tone. A magic blade emerged between the Staff’s branches, before the ‘evil’ Starlight swung it in Starlight’s direction.

Starlight dodged her copy’s attack, but the clone quickly swung the blade again. Starlight felt a sharp pain in her ear and took several steps away, letting out a loud yelp. She looked up and rubbed her left ear in pain, widening her eyes at the sight of a deep cut in it.

“You still think I’m not real?” the copy asked, smirking.

Starlight glared, igniting her horn. She charged forward and fired a beam, which the copy avoided, swinging her blade again. Starlight conjured a magic shield and blocked the attack, then used the shield to deflect the blade and strike the copy in the face, knocking her to the ground.

“It doesn’t have to end this way, Starlight,” the copy said, as she and Starlight circled each other. “Why did you abandon your equality project? We were so close to achieving true friendship for all of Equestria! But you easily gave in for that deceptive Twilight Sparkle!” The copy spat Twilight’s name.

“No, I wasn’t close; I was wrong! I was wrong my whole life! And what I was seeking wasn’t friendship; I was a seeking a disaster!” Starlight replied taut, firing another beam at the copy, which she barely managed to block with her blade.

“Were you?” the copy asked, her grin widening.

Starlight’s eyes widened, shaking her head. “Your game is not working! I will defeat you and take the Cocoon, and it will be the last time I ever see you!” She charged at the copy, conjuring a sword of magic.

“Keep telling yourself that!” the clone said, preparing her blade for the duel.

-oOo-

A red beam of magic cut through the large table stabbed into the wall, and Shoreline jumped from the hole she had been buried in, almost no damage visible on her.

“So, Miss Glimmer is on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation?” Shoreline asked with a wicked grin, slowly trotting to stand in front of Chrysalis, Sunburst and Scott. “I’m sure it will be very disappointing when that thing blows up in her face. Not for her; she won’t feel anything, but the disappointment will be yours.”

Sunburst gritted his teeth, rage building up inside him, until it broke out. “ENOUGH!” he lit his horn and swooped at Shoreline like a comet, leaving a trail of flame behind him and sending the two of them breaking through the mansion’s main door. They landed at the snow outside, pushing away a group of Dragon Butterflies. The ball of two unicorns rolled on the ground twice, before Sunburst dug one hind leg into the snow and used the momentum to throw Shoreline at a rock nearby. The two then stood up, panting.

Shoreline’s daughters came out of the mansion, rushing to their mother’s side. Chrysalis and Scott soon followed Sunburst.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Cloudy asked, placing a foreleg on Shoreline’s shoulder.

“What the hey is happening?!” Cinnamon exclaimed. “And why is the Big Bug free?”

“Hey!” Chrysalis snapped.

Shoreline faced Sunburst, eyes blazing with rage and horn alight, before releasing a powerful, continuous beam at the trio.

In the last moment, a blue figure stood in front of them, holding two purple, circular magic shields with six-pointed stars spinning inside them, using one of the shields to block Shoreline’s attack.

“Trixie?!” Sunburst said in shock as Shoreline’s attack faded. “What are—”

“Improvising!” Trixie interrupted, before throwing one of her shields at Shoreline with all her might. The shield hit Shoreline square in the face and reflected upwards. The sand-colored mare only gained a small bruise under her left eye, and she was as angry as ever. "Oh come on! That's not fair! Are you an X-Mare or something?!"

Shoreline responded with a blast of magic, which the group in front of her barely managed to avoid. But when Trixie dodged, she found herself side to side with Chrysalis.

"Ah!" Trixie screamed, jumping to Sunburst side and hugging his foreleg. "I forgot to ask you: what is she doing here?!"

"The blue vermin is here too?" Chrysalis groaned in annoyance.

"Don't worry, Trixie," Sunburst reassured. "She's on our side for now."

Cloudy Night charged at Scott, shooting a beam of blue magic. The magical deer dodged, using his magic to create a small, circular portal to his side, which Cloudy ran right into. An identical portal opened up right above Cinnamon Rolls, and Cloudy fell from it, colliding with her sister painfully.

"Ugh, see?" Cinnamon said, pushing her sister off her. "You're so fat that our enemies use you to try and smash me!"

"Says the mare who ate everything in the kitchen last week!" Cloudy shot back, dusting her grey coat.

"How was that possible?!” Shoreline asked Scott, her face showing shock. Did you—"

"Remember?" Scott completed the question. "Yes, I remember everything. And this time, I'm stronger”—he nodded towards the trio standing beside him—”and have friends."

The yellow mare huffed. "We're wasting our time here," she said to her daughters.

"Wait, where's the purple one?" Cinnamon asked as she counted her enemies, rubbing her chin.

"Turns out she's the long lost daughter of Glimmer," Shoreline answered, gaining a gasp from her daughters. "And now she's on her way to get the Cocoon of Liberation. But don't worry, she will fail, and we are going to use the weapon now."

"Are you sure, mom?" Cloudy whispered to her mother. "I thought you were supposed to do some final touches or something?"

"The weapon is fine!" Shoreline replied taut, facing the way to the castle. "We have to move now."

“I must go and stop Starlight before she touches the Cocoon!” Sunburst said to Trixie.

“Wait, why?” Trixie raised her eyebrow.

“Yeah, and what did Shoreline mean when she said that the Cocoon would blow up in Starlight’s face?” Scott added, causing Trixie to look at him with wide eyes.

“Chrysalis will explain to you. I must go now. Don’t follow me, just try to slow down Shoreline!” With that, Sunburst galloped away.

Shoreline was about to leave when she saw Sunburst leaving his friends. She smirked, before giving out a whistle. “Boys! Take him down, please,” she called.

The eyes of the spooky masks inside the castle glowed, then three of them floated away from the wall: one of a great phoenix, one of a bull, and one of a tiger. An aura of light formed magic-made bodies for the masks, before they rushed out of the mansion.

"I knew these things were evil!" Trixie exclaimed at the sight of the living masks, before attempting to go after Sunburst.

"Where do you think you're going?" Chrysalis blocked Trixie's way. She pointed at Shoreline and her daughters, who were on their way to the castle. "Do you want me and that deer thing to face three enhanced unicorns with no unicorns on our side?! “ She smirked. “Looks like you won’t be as useless as you appear.”

"But...but..." Trixie hesitated, shaking her head between Chrysalis and the chased Sunburst.

"If Shoreline gets to the castle first, we're all doomed!" Chrysalis yelled. "Don't worry, your friend can handle those things."

"How do you know?" Trixie inquired harshly.

Chrysalis chuckled, her lips forming a smirk. "Because if there's one thing I've learned about love in my long life, it's that it takes more than living artifacts to stop it."

Trixie paused for a moment, staring in confusion at Chrysalis as the latter smiled in Sunburst's direction. For a moment, Trixie could swear that Chrysalis was smiling genuinely, but the queen quickly turned to her and scolded, "What are you waiting for?!"

"Okay okay! Just a moment." Trixie shook her head, teleporting to her carriage. She pulled out her saddle bag and placed it on her back, then teleported back to Chrysalis, rubbing her head. "Dang it! Even with a magic boost, I still have trouble teleporting."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Let's go already!" she yelled, before she, Trixie and Scott quickly took off after Shoreline.

Scott soon galloped to Trixie's side. "Jump on my back," he said.

"What?! Are you sure?" Trixie questioned.

"Trust me, I'm fast," Scott answered. "Plus, it will give you a great position to strike them."

Not wasting any more time, Trixie leaped to Scott's back. The deer then burst into a sprint, almost knocking Trixie off his back.

"Whoa! Easy!" Trixie yelled, holding on to Scott's neck. Though she was scared, she couldn't hide the excitement as the cold wind pushed against her face, making her cloak flap behind her.

Chrysalis was flying not so far above, shooting beams in Shoreline's way. The witches then moved close to each other, lighting up their horns.

"They're going to teleport!" Scott warned.

"Not under my watch!" Trixie exclaimed confidently. She balanced herself on her hind hooves, conjuring two circular shields in her forelegs. Aiming carefully, she launched one of the shields, striking Cinnamon Rolls on the back of her head and cancelling the teleportation. "Bingo!"

"Ow!" Cinnamon yelled in pain, almost tumbling forward.

Cloudy Night turned her head back and fired a beam, hitting the ground in Scott's way. The beam didn't cause an explosion, but instead created a huge icicle.

Reacting quickly, Scott fired a blast at the icicle and shattered it mere inches before the collision.

"Whoo! Nice one, brother!" Trixie cheered, cracking a big smile on Scott's face.

Cloudy glared, ready to fire again, but a green blast landing to her side distracted her. She quickly jumped to the side to avoid yet another one.

"You wretched bug!" Cloudy cursed,her face folded into an expression of rage.

Chrysalis lowered her altitude and flew close to Scott, still shooting at the witches. "You remind me of someone," she said.

"Really?" Scott raised an eyebrow.

"Yes: a horrible traitor who I hate more than death itself!"

Scott deadpanned. "That's funny, you remind me of something I love."

"Oh yeah?" Chrysalis said, eyes half-closed, an arrogant smile on her face.

"Yes: something called 'cheese'," Scott shot back.

"How dare you!" she hissed, her smile quickly replaced with a glare.

"Haha, try your best! Bugs are the last thing that can scare me," Scott chuckled.

"You will pay for this! You all will...one day," Chrysalis cursed under her breath, aware that that ‘one day’ wasn’t soon, if it existed at all.

Sunburst heard the weird noise and turned his head back, and almost didn’t believe what he saw. He was being chased by three creatures made of magical auras, and their faces were spooky masks he was sure he had seen the mansion. He quickly jumped to the side to avoid a blast of magic thrown by the phoenix. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his flank as he was thrown off balance and fell on the ground face first. The momentum of his speed made him roll, but he managed to stand up again, turning to face what had attacked him.

Standing there was the bull, kicking snow with its foreleg. Sunburst was quickly distracted by the tiger charging at him. As the tiger lunged, Sunburst rolled to the side and released a fire ball, striking the magical creature in the side. Sunburst didn’t have time to celebrate his successful counter attack as the bull stomped its foreleg on his body, pinning him to the ground. He attempted to stand up, but the tiger came and placed a paw on his head, covering his horn. The phoenix then hovered close, preparing a blast to strike the helpless unicorn with.

Sunburst squirmed, but to no avail. The weight of the two monsters pushing against him was too painful. He faced the horizon in front of him, and could make out the sight of a small building.

“Starlight…I’m sorry,” Sunburst muttered, closing his eyes as tears began to roll down his cheeks. He regretted that he had stopped Starlight from talking when she had wondered if that would be the last time they would see each other. What a fool I was! He thought. What do I know?! I couldn’t see the future, yet I so arrogantly assumed that I would see her again. I’m sorry, Starlight, that was indeed the last time we see each other...

We trust you, and you should trust us. Remembering what he had said to Starlight, he opened his eyes wide, a newfound determination burning in them. He felt a sudden strength in his body, sudden rage, as if flames were blazing inside him—and for all he knew, there could actually be flames inside him. “No…” he gritted his teeth, slowly lifting his head up. “No…” He then began to rise to his hooves, using all his might to push the two monsters’ limbs upwards. “NO!”

The flame inside him finally broke out. A magical shock wave emitted from him, knocking the tiger and the bull several feet away. Sunburst’s body glowed golden as if it was burning, and his mane and tail turned into flame.

“Congratulations, freaks! You managed to make me angry!” Sunburst yelled, standing on his hind legs. “Do even know how hard it is to make me angry? Now you know! Do you know what will happen to you because you made me angry? You willknow very soon!”

Terrified, the phoenix released its magic blast. Sunburst held his forelegs out, pushing against the big ball of magic. He groaned, the blast pushing him back several feet, before he used his forelegs to redirect the attack at the tiger. The monster didn’t stand a chance, as the blast turned it to ash.

The phoenix widened it’s eyes, gaping its beak in shock, something Sunburst didn’t know was possible giving its solid face.

The bull charged at Sunburst, and the latter held it by its horns, slowing it down to a halt. As the bull continued pushing, Sunburst pulled one of his forelegs back, forming a dense fireball in it. The crystaller then released the ball into the bull’s mouth, which caused it to explode instantly.

Clearing his vision of dust, Sunburst turned his attention to the phoenix, glaring fiercely. The phoenix didn’t even bother; it waved its wings in defense and quickly flew back to the mansion.

Sunburst dropped on four hooves, taking greedy gasps of air. His fur turned back to normal and his mane and tail stopped burning. Surprisingly, his cloak and glasses hadn’t been affected by the flames.

“Whoo,” Sunburst let out a long sigh, his rage fading quickly. He still felt pain in his flank and his back was strained. “That was...something.” He shook his head, before continuing his way to Starlight.

Starlight’s magic sword clashed against her copy’s blade one more time before it gave in, flying out of her magic grasp. The copy swung her blade again, but Starlight managed to strike her in the face with a zap of magic, forcing her to take several steps back.

Panting, Starlight took the chance and charged at her clone, shooting a great blast. The copy quickly rolled out of the attack’s way, leaving the blast to create a crater on the floor, a floor that was now full of craters. The copy fired a beam, which Starlight countered with a magic shield, but the impact created a blinding light. The copy took advantage and tackled Starlight to the ground, bringing her blade down on her.

Starlight barely managed to hold the blade with her magic mere millimeters away from her face.

“It’s over, Starlight,” the copy hissed, an insane, devilish smile on her face.

“No!” Starlight groaned, struggling to hold the blade back. “That’s enough!” Her horn blazed blindingly, creating a huge magical explosion, shooting a beam through the building’s roof and destroying most of the structure’s interior inside.

Sunburst saw the explosion as he drew near to the building, and his heart skipped a beat. “No…” he muttered, eyes wide in disbelief. “Am I....am I too late?!” he yelled, rushing towards his target.

Starlight slowly rose to her hooves, shaking her head clear of dust. “Boy was this crazy!” she said to herself, letting out a long breath. “All I needed to make this day complete was to beat the living tar out of myself...literally!” There was no sign of her copy, to which she felt relieved. She searched the place for the cocoon, and finally found it lying on the ground between the debris. “There you are! Now time to end this madness.” She trotted up to it and stretched her foreleg to wipe the dust off the relic.

“STOP!”

Before Starlight could turn around to see the source of the shout, she was thrown into the ground. She was about to fight back, but a short glimpse made her recognize who had tackled her.

“Sunburst?! What the hay?!” Starlight exclaimed, pushing the crystaller off her and standing up.

“Starlight! You’re alive!” Sunburst placed a foreleg on her cheek to make sure she was real, then wrapped his forelegs around her tightly.

“Yes...I am...why are you trying to kill me?!” Starlight choked out.

“Oh, um, sorry!” Sunburst let his friend go, his cheeks crimson. “What in Equestria happened in this place?”

Starlight sighed. “Long story, and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Are you serious? What about you ear? You look like you were in a battle!”

“You don’t say!” Starlight deadpanned. “You still didn’t explain why you are here, and why did you pin me to the ground?”

“Because the Cocoon would explode if you touch it.”

“What?!”

“It’s a...long story, too. I’ll explain on the way; our cover was blown and Shoreline and her daughters are now heading to the castle to use the weapon!”

“Oh no!” Starlight placed a hoof on her head.

“I hope Scott, Trixie and Chrysalis managed to slow them down.”

“Yeah—wait, CHRYSALIS?!” Starlight jerked her head back.

“Well...she’s on our side now.”

“You mean you managed to reform her?!” Starlight perked up.

“Not really. I told you it was a long story. Now come on, we have to hurry up. Carry the Cocoon with your magic, and don’t touch it!”

Starlight obliged, engulfing the cocoon in her magic aura and tucking it into her saddle bag. As the two unicorns exited the building, they were met with three familiar, butterfly-like creatures.

“Hey, look who’s here,” Brick said, nudging Harvest. “Your ‘angel’,” he mocked, gaining a groan from the white Flutterbreeze.

“You guys are in a terrible state,” the purple female Flutterbreeze said. “You need any help?”

“Thanks, but we’re go—”

“Actually…” Starlight interrupted her friend, a new idea popping into her mind. “Yes, we need help!”

“Starlight?” Sunburst whispered, tilting his head. “How can they help us?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” she turned to face the Flutterbreezes. “We need your help in a dangerous mission to rid this land of the tyranny of Shoreline Whisper.”

“Um, I’m not usually the one for adventure, but I’m ready to do this for you!” Harvest said, standing on Starlight’s shoulder.

“Same thing with me, darling,” the purple one said, winking at Sunburst, which gained her a death glare from Starlight. “By the way, you can call me Lavender.”

“Eh, what’s in it for me?” Brick asked, folding two upper limbs across his chest.

“Trixie is in danger, too?” Starlight replied, a cocky grin on her face.

Brick quickly locked his nose with Starlight’s, yelling, “I’m game!”

“What are you doing, Starlight?” Sunburst wondered aloud. “Wait, don’t say—”

“Improvising!” Starlight answered quickly.

“Damn it!”

A few minutes after the group of unicorns and Flutterbreezes left, a pile of debris inside the circular building shook, Starlight’s copy emerging from underneath it, her coat dirty and her eyes radiating anger.

Author's Note

Chrysalis's scene in the basement might be inspired by a scene in a certain video game...