Flicker Light could feel his whole body shaking as he sobbed. He tried to get the tears to stop, but they wouldn’t leave him. Each and every moment was punctuated by a loud gasping sob as yet another tear streaked down his face and dripped into the slowly growing pool around his hooves.

He looked up, his bleary eyes scanning his empty theatre. He was alone. Everything was painfully silent. Even the yelling of ponies outside didn’t seem to reach his drooped ears as the streets of Coltifornia were flooded with rioting ponies.

His gaze finally landed on the slumped form of Swindle Gyp lying a few feet away. Flicker's heart seemed to stop in his chest as he stared unblinking at the unmoving form. He waited a few seconds, expecting Swindle’s chest to rise and fall, as if he was simply sleeping and not… not...

Flicker blinked back a few more tears as memories of the past few hours flashed through his mind. Griffin’s film, the riots, his fight with Shadow Silhouette and the rest of the cast and crew, and finally...

Swindle Gyp was dead. Shot for no reason other than to teach Flicker a lesson. As if by the flick of a switch, Flicker’s pain and sorrows were pushed aside to make room for rage.

He pushed himself up to his hooves, his whole body trembling not only with sorrow, but now with uncontrollable anger. He had wanted film to be more than just a sideshow attraction. He had wanted it to be seen by other ponies and zebras. He had wanted to elevate it to art. He had succeeded, and it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to him.

He screamed, storming across the empty amphitheater where his set remained. He raised his hooves, anger flaring through him.

“I didn’t want this!” He yelled out at the darkness of the theatre, his hooves slamming down and cracking a small chunk of the flimsy set. No pony answered save for the loud, resounding crack of his set as he shattered it. He whimpered, the broken set cutting at his hoof and drawing a small drizzle of blood. He reared up again, more and more rage filling him, only amplified by the pain. “I just wanted to follow my dreams!”

But dreams don't make bits and they defiantly don't make happy endings. Dreams only make fools out of the ponies that pursue them...

Once more, his hooves fell, more and more of the set shattering as he slammed down on it. He rose again, looming over the set. His nostrils flared and he fell, smashing the set apart again and again. Pieces of the fake lunar landscape crumbled around him, each fall of his hoof breaking apart another piece. With every chunk of the set that fell away, a small piece of Flicker’s dreams and aspirations began to crack and break with them.

The large model of the moon itself toppled from where it hung suspended from the ceiling, landing in front of him with a crash. He glared at the face of luna imprinted on the moon, his eyes wide and crazed.

Pangs of betrayal shot through him. His film was supposed to be about Celestia and Luna coming together, but that very same imagery was now being used to drive ponies and zebras apart. The Nightmare gang had twisted it. Warped it into something terrible.

Or maybe, he realized, he had been the one warping it the whole time. Maybe the Nightmare Gang was right. Maybe the mare on the moon really was a symbol of despair and intolerance. That there was no hope of the divides between ponies ever being mended. Perhaps he had simply had too much faith in pony kind...

He rose up again, his hoof bashing through the fake moon's surface. The thin material gave way, his hoof bursting directly through the eye of the mare of the moon. Where he had planned to have the rocket land, his hoof shattered.

Flicker staggered back, his head reeling with rage and pain. He looked over the set briefly, now a crumbling mess of broken plywood and plaster. His anger only escalated. It wasn’t enough.

He turned, his burning eyes landing on the large pile of film reels resting in the far corner of the room beside a projector. All of his fathers works, and of course, the unfinished piece that was his own film, ‘A Trip to Luna’s Moon’. The film that he now doubted ever would be.

He stumbled over, grabbing the first film on the pile. One of his fathers first works, ‘Workers Leaving a Factory’. He reefed the reel open and ripped out the film, scattering the 35mm film across the floor.

It still wasn’t enough.

Flicker’s eyes landed on the still smouldering cigar that lay not all that far from Swindle’s slumped body. An unlit match lay next to it as well, clearly dropped by the mob boss when he had threatened to light Flicker’s theatre ablaze.

Flicker Light knew film could burn. He had seen it done before. It would be so easy…

He stumbled forwards, snatching up the cigar and match in his hooves. He turned back to the film reels, the match quickly flicking across the surface of his coat. His rough hide sparked against the match, and suddenly the tip of the match was dancing with firelight.

He took another step forwards, his hooves trembling, fire glinting in the darks of his eyes.

“Just Get rid of them,” Flicker growled to himself, his eyes transfixed on the pile of films he was about to burn. His father and Uncle's life’s work. He own life’s work. “All film’s done is ruin lives…” He raised the match, preparing to set the reels alight.

His eyes drifted away as he found himself no longer able to look at the reels. It felt easier that way, to destroy everything he had ever stood for. All he had to do was not look at it as they were consumed by the inferno.

Then he spotted the projector resting beside him. One film reel was still threaded into it, ready to be played. He wasn’t sure what compelled him to watch it, but the next thing he knew he was walking over and clicking the projector on.

There was a whirring noise as the projector flickered to life. An image shone out, playing across the ruins of his set. The ghostly image of Shadow danced across the screen, a nervous look across her blushing face as she readied herself for the shoot.

Flicker remembered this moment clearly. They had filmed this shortly after they got the camera back. A quick test to make sure everything looked good and was in working order. Popcorn had projected the image of the night sky behind Shadow, making it look like the dark blue pegasus was standing amongst the stars themselves.

Shadow stared out at Flicker Light through the projection, her wide eyes seemingly locking with his. He felt himself trembling as he stared back at her, as if she was looking at him through both the projection and time itself.

He saw Shadow’s mouth moving as she spoke something to him off camera. The footage was silent of course, but he could remember all the words. Unable to stop himself, Flicker began to speak the words aloud, his mouth seemingly moving on its own accord.

“Are you sure about this?”

“It’s okay Shadow, you’ll do great.”

“I’m kind of nervous.”

“It’s just Popcorn and I. You’ll be fine.”

“A-all right…”

The ghostly image of Shadow Silhouette began dancing across the screen again, the flickering image making her seem to glide through the magical dream-like void of space, illuminated by hundreds of glowing stars.

A moon slowly lowered from above Shadows head. The very same moon that Flicker had just destroyed.

Suddenly, Shadow appeared to be somewhere else, like she was dancing across the lunar surface of the moon.

“See, like magic. Dreams realized…” Flicker muttered to himself, his voice echoing the distant memory. “If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... this is where they're made.…”

Shadow finally stopped dancing and turned back to the camera, a small grin across her timid face.

Was that good? Flicker didn’t need to speak the words aloud anymore, they were planning within his mind just as surely as the image was playing across the wall.

It was magical…

Flicker looked back to the pile of reels, the lit match still smouldering in his hoof. Horror flashed through him and he quickly flicked the match aside, putting out the flame.

Tears continued to streak down his face as he slumped to the floor, his hooves wrapping around his collection of film reels.

“I’m going to make all of this right,” He whimpered, repeating his promise to Swindle Gyp. “I don’t know how, or where that will take me, but I have a dream, and that’s not something I’m going to let them take away.”

The loud sound of knocking on the door drew Rosemary's attention up from her book. She pulled herself out of her chair and trotted over to the doorway, glancing quickly through the peephole to see the pony standing outside.

She quickly pulled the door open as she spotted the tan, brown maned unicorn outside her apartment. “Flicker Light? What are you doing here? Come in,” She urged, moving aside for Flicker to stumbled into the apartment.

The rain outside had begun to pick up and the pouring raindrops could be heard pounding on the roof of the apartment, even through the floors above. Flicker had clearly walked to her apartment, his coat and mane drenched and slicked downwards. His mane was a mess and she could tell he had been crying from his red, puffy eyes.

“Thank you… I didn’t know where else to go,” Flicker said, trying his best to dry himself off and hide his tears.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Rosemary asked, leading him into the living room and moving to start making a new pot of tea. “Don’t you have a place to stay?”

Flicker trembled, trying to force down the emotions that were bubbling inside of him. “I’ve been staying with Swindle Gyp. I… I can’t stay there anymore... I need a place to stay for a bit…”

“O-of course!” Rosemary exclaimed, her hooves quickly moving to pour the tea. “I did warn you about Swindle. That pony is no g-”

“He’s dead,” Flicker interrupted, another tremor racing through his body. He took a deep breath to try and steady himself. “The Nightmare gang killed him. The police are at the crime scene now, but they said they can’t do anything about it… not against the Nightmare gang.”

Smash!

The tea pot shattered, dropping to the floor as Rosemary abruptly raised her hooves to cover her mouth in shock. “O-oh my Celestia. Flicker, I’m so sorry… I-I had no idea… are… are you okay? Did they hurt you… is…”

“I’m… no. I’m not okay. But I think I can fix this… I hope I can fix this. I just need to clear my head and deal with some things first,” Flicker answered quickly, his voice filled with desperation. “I know you offered a few months ago, and you’ve been really kind to me, more than most people in this city anyway, so… Can I stay here? Not forever, just until I’ve figured everything out? Please?”

Rosemary nodded, bending down to sweep up the broken pieces of the tea pot. “Yes. Of course. If you need anything just ask.”

“Thank you,” Flicker said, giving a small nod of gratitude. “That really means a lot,” He turned, looking out the window at the street below. Across from him he saw the remains of the abandoned skyscraper and the government building in the distance. Down below, hundreds of ponies had gathered, a few protesting for pony kind to settle their differences peacefully, but most waving wooden bats and crudely painted signs of hatred.

Rosemary slowly approached behind him and looked down at the rioting mob below. “It’s sad, how easy it is for ponies to hate…” Her eyes wandered to a particularly rowdy group of ponies, screaming and bashing in windows with their bats. “How hard is it for us to simply love one another? Shouldn’t that be as simple as smiling?”

Flicker took a deep breath, averting his gaze, no longer able to bear looking at the devastation that film had concocted. He had brought this upon the zebras and ponies of Equestria. Perhaps not directly, but it was his fault all the same.

“Do you have a phonebook?” Flicker finally blurted, looking back at Rosemary. “I need to make a few calls.”

Rosemary gave him an interested look, but nodded. “In the kitchen, next to the phone.”

“Thanks again,” Flicker responded, moving into the kitchen and spotting the large book on the counter. He flipped it open and began skimming over the names. He paused as his eyes landed on a specific name he had not expected to see. Popcorn…

He’d make sure to deal with that later.

Flipping back a few more pages he found the number he was looking for and dialed it. He waited a second, listening to the phone ringing. After a second, there was a click and a voice spoke to him over the phone. “Operator, please patch me over to Flim and Flam.”

The door to Rosemary’s apartment was pulled open an hour later, this time making way for the two vest-wearing, yellow and red twins. Flim and Flam trotted into the apartment looking around, their eyes seemingly sweeping everything and checking over all of their values.

In unison, the two twins turned their heads to look at both Flicker and Rosemary who were still silently standing by the door watching them.

“Well Flicker my lad, it is a pleasure to see you again,” the pony Flicker was pretty sure was Flam said, stepping towards him and giving a charismatic smile. “It’s good to know you still understand how valuable we are as business partners, despite any, ahem… previous disagreements we might have had.”

“Yes indeed it is,” His brother agreed, a large smile across his muzzle. “Why with the new boom of cinema here in Coltifornia, I think now is the opportune moment to expand the Flicker Light theatre company. And who better than us! We're very glad that you understand that!”

“Swindle is dead,” Flicker monotones back, his eyes scanning over the two twins for any signs of distress. The second the words left his mouth, both Flim and Flam went completely still, both of their wide eyes locked on him.

Flam worked his jaw, trying to figure out what to say. Instead, some strange moaning sound escaped his mouth.

“Swindle is…” Flim took a step back, his lanky legs wobbling as Flickers words hit him like a truck. “A-are you… are you sure…?”

Flicker gave a grim nod, slowly leading both of the colts to the couch and sitting them down. Cautiously, Flicker kneeled down before the two colts, his expression grim. Rosemary stood a few feet away, watching sadly. “I was there when it happened. He told me to look after you two, and I promised him that I would. I understand what it's like to lose somepony you love. I lost my dad a long time ago. I was probably about your age as well. I know we’ve had disagreements in the past, but if you two will let me, I’m here for you both.”

Flam gave a nod and looked away, hiding his face. Flicker spotted the first of many tears forming in the corners of the colt's eyes. “H-how did… how did it happen?” Flam finally managed to choke out, his voice shuddering.

“The Nightmare gang, they…” Flicker had to pause himself to maintain his composure. “They murdered him. Murdered him so that we could never make our film…”

“Because we stole the camera from you!” Flam spat, his face suddenly looking like he had been hit by a lighting bolt. “They killed him because we messed up!”

Flicker placed a hoof on his shoulder. “No. Nono. This had nothing to do with you. And I’m going to make sure that the ponies that did this get what’s coming to them.”

Flim looked up at him, revealing his tear stricken face. “Then what can we do to help?” Flam gave a nervous but enthusiastic nod in response to his brother's question.

Flicker furrowed his brow, uncertain. “There’s a lot that needs to be done. I’ll explain everything once our second guest arrives.”

“I’ll get you two some tea, how does that sound?” Rosemary asked gently, gesturing for Flim and Flam to follow her into the kitchen. Flicker wasn’t certain what she was making tea in since she just broke her tea pot.

Solemnly, Flim and Flam slowly followed Rosemary into the kitchen, leaving Flicker alone with his thoughts. He took another deep breath, trying to steady his heart rate. This was spiralling way out of control, he thought to himself. Film should never have been able to cause something like this…

There was another knock on the door, this one sounding timid and uncertain.

Flicker’s breath caught at the sound and he had to force himself to exhale to keep his emotions under control. Stealing himself, he trotted over to the door and opened it up.

Popcorn stood on the other side, her expression downcast and dark bags had formed under her eyes. Her curly red mane was a mess and she was soaked to the bone by the pouring rain outside.

She looked up at him, their eyes locking. There was a long moment of silence as they both stood there, not knowing what to say to each other.

“I, uh, came as soon as I got your call… I… I’m sorry, Flicker Light,” Popcorn finally said, taking a tentative step into the apartment. “I… I know this doesn’t excuse what I did, but for what it’s worth… I had no idea that they were going to kill anypony…”

Flicker took a shaky breath, keeping his eyes on the trembling mare. “Why did you do it? Why work for the Nightmare gang? Why spy on us?”

“When the Nightmare gang requests something from you, you don’t say no,” Popcorn replied, glancing behind her briefly as if expecting to see somepony behind her. “Ponies that disobey the Nightmare gang find themselves dead. You know that now just as well as me…”

Flicker nodded, moving aside slightly so she could move into the apartment proper. “I’m a slow learner,” Flicker admitted once Popcorn had made it inside. “I have a plan to try and fix everything. It’s a long shot, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get rid of all of the bad that's happened these last few hours, but… But I need to try. We need to try…”

Popcorn gave him a flat glare. “Have you not been listening to anything!? You can't fight against the Nightmare gang! You fight with them and you lose. That’s just how it works,” She looked away, her gaze drifting out the window and landing on the rioters in the street below. “They control the mayor, they control the police, heck, they even control all of the ponies down there now. What could you possibly hope to do that can even come close to stopping them.”

Flicker let out a deep sigh. “You’re right. I don’t have anything that can stop all that. I’m not cut out to deal with politics and intrigue. I’m not a politician, nor a police officer or a crime fighter or even a pony with any real power. But I am a pony. We’re all ponies. And I believe that every pony that tries to stand up to hate will make the world just a little bit of a better place,” Flicker let a smug grin sneak across his face. It was somewhat forced, but it was still there. “Besides, the Nightmare gang’s plan that started all of this was just a twisted version of my own plan anyway. Who better to stop them than the pony they used to start this in the first place.”

Popcorn stared at him for a long moment, her jaw hanging open ever so slightly. “You’re crazy, you know that?” she sighed, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof. “Alright, I’ll help you. I figure I owe you a lot anyway… after what I did… After Swindle... What do you need?”

Rosemary walked out of the kitchen, Flim and Flam clutching two mugs of tea in their magic. “Sign us up as well,” The twins spoke together, their eyes distant but determined. “We’ll do whatever it takes.”

“We need to get the cast and crew back together,” Flicker started, turning so that he was facing everyone. “We won’t be able to do much without them. Round them up and gather them at the theatre.”

Flim and Flam gave quick salutes, their downcast faces growing small smiles. “You can count on us.”

“Ready brother of mine?”

“Never more so than today brother!”

Popcorn gave him a worried look, one of her eyebrows raising. “A-are you sure… I don’t know if I can face them all after everything I’ve done…”

Flicker put a hoof on her shoulder and nodded. “You faced me, didn’t you. If you can do that, then something tells me you got what it takes.”

“And what about you?” Rosemary asked, looking towards Flicker Light. “What are you going to do?”

Flicker took a long, deep breath before slowly exhaling. His body trembled slightly, but he did his best to hide his fear. “There’s one other pony we’re going to need. You won’t be able to find her. She doesn’t have a place to stay…” He took another deep breath in, this time he had a lot more trouble breathing out. “I need to make one more thing right…”

Flicker Light found Shadow Silhouette on the roof of the FlickerLight Theatre, overlooking the dreary, overcast streets below.

She was sitting atop the roof, her mane matted to the sides of her face as the heavy rain poured down atop her. She was crying, though her tears had long since been hidden by the rain.

“I thought I’d find you here,” Flicker said slowly, his eyes coming to a rest on Shadow’s hunched over form.

“I couldn’t think of anywhere else to go…” She said quietly, her voice barely audible. She tilted her head slightly, looking back at Flicker Light with one of her large, sad eyes. “Are you here to try and get me to work on the movie again?”

Flicker hesitated. “Yes… but there’s something I think we need to deal with first,” he trotted over and slowly sat down beside her, looking out at the surrounding streets of Coltifornia. It seemed oddly peaceful up here, despite the pouring rain and the rioting mobs. Flicker took another moment to ready himself before continuing. “I’m… I’m sorry I yelled at you. I shouldn’t have said any of those things. I was just angry and…” He dropped his head and looked down at his hooves, droplets of rain dripping from his mane and rolling down his face. “I didn’t mean any of it. I’m truly sorry...”

Shadow looked away, her gaze drifting to the entrance to the theatre below them. The police had come and gone, leaving no traces of ever even being there. “I saw the police arrive…” Shadow finally stated, not bothering to answer his apology. Her voice sounded distant. “I… I was worried, so I snuck into the theatre to see what was happening and I saw… I… I saw S-” Her voice hitched as a memory of the slumped body laying on the theatre floor flashed through her mind. “Swindle… he’s dead, isn’t he…?”

Flicker forced his own gaze away this time, looking up at the rain as it pounded down on them. “Yeah…” His dry voice wavered, unsure of what else to say.

Shadow looked back at him, her eyes wide and brimmed with a new wave of tears. “I never would have thought that he would… I… Flicker, how did this all get so bad? We just wanted to make a movie… now there are riots all across Equestria and a pony is dead and we’re…” She paused and averted her eyes, looking almost ashamed. “We’re not what I thought we might be… We really messed things up, didn’t we…?”

“I really messed things up,” Flicker corrected, shuffling a little closer to her. “And I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to fix all of this bad, but I’m going to try… I’m going to start with you…”

Shadow raised an eyebrow at him, slightly confused. “What do you mean?”

Taking a deep breath and pushing down the butterflies in his stomach, Flicker forced himself to continue. “Shadow, you’re probably the best thing to happen to me in a long time. When we last spoke, I said I wished I hadn’t been spending as much time with you. That I cared more about making my movie… I couldn’t have been more wrong. I wouldn’t give up a moment we’ve spent together. Not for anything.”

“Not even your movie?”

Flicker sighed almost blissfully. “Not even my movie.”

Shadow blushed slightly, looking down at her crossed hooves. “I shouldn’t have gotten angry like I did at you. I knew you were upset and hurting because of what Griffin did, but I…” She sighed and leaned back, her eyes filling with a distant look. “What an idiot I was to say that you only ever think about your movies, after everything you’ve done for me. You gave me a place to work, a place to stay, friendships like I’ve never had... You’ve helped me more these last two months than anypony has in my whole life. I owe you a lot Flicker, and when you finally needed me, I just got angry and ran away… I’m sorry too.”

Flicker shook his head. “You don’t owe me anything. All I ask is that you give me one more chance to make it up to you. I know I messed up, but I swear, never again.”

Shadow grinned back at him in response. She shuffled a little closer to him herself and wrapped a wing over his withers. “I’ll give you another chance if you can give me another chance.”

Flicker felt a smile creep onto his own face despite himself. “Thank you,” He pulled his head a little closer, nuzzling her neck slightly. Her coat was warm and soothing, starkly contrasting the chilling winds and rain,“Maybe when this is all done we can go get lunch sometime?”

“Don’t we usually do that?”

Flicker flushed. “Uh… like as a… um… like as a date…” Shadow blinked at him, her expression clearly surprised. Flicker felt his whole face grow hot. He scratched at the back of his neck awkwardly, backpedaling with his words. “Oh, uh… This probably wasn’t the best time, was it… I-I mean we just got back together and everything's been going crazy with the riots and the mob and Swindle, and and and… I’m just going to shut up now. Sorry. Forget I said anything…” He quickly silenced himself, putting a hoof over his muzzle.

Shadow chuckled, though her face was red as well. “Yeah. I’d like that too.”

“Like… um… like the date or…”

“Yes the date you big dork!” Shadow smacked him lightly across the top of his head with her wing. “Then maybe we could go on a few dates afterwards… If you want.”

Flicker could feel his smile grow a little. “I’d like that, yeah.”

Both of their eyes locked and Flicker could feel his breath stop. The gap between them was suddenly very close and he could feel her soft breath across his face. Shadow’s eyes closed as their heads slowly moved closer. Everything suddenly seemed to go quiet save for the pounding of his heart in his chest and the pounding of rain thundering against the rooftop like drums.

Then the feeling of Shadow’s breath across his face stopped and Flicker realized that they were both holding their breath in anticipation for what they knew was about to come.

“Uh… Shadow?”

“Mmhmm?”

“Can I… um…”

“Mmhmm.”

“Are you, um… are you sure?”

“Celestia damn it Flicker, just kiss me already.”

Shadow leaned forwards and placed her lips against his before Flicker could properly respond. His eyes widened in surprise for a second before they began to drift closed as he allowed himself to melt into the kiss. Warmth seemed to spread across his body, seemingly warding off the chilling rain that drenched his coat.

The kiss lasted far shorter than Flicker would have liked and he soon found them pulling away from each other once again. Flicker blinked a few times, trying to get his bearings. He reached up with a hoof and closed his mouth when he realized it was still hanging open. Shadow giggled slightly at his reaction.

“I, uh… I think I love you Shadow,” Flicker said, his head still trying to process the kiss.

Shadow blushed and tried to hide her face behind her wing, though she didn’t do a very good job. “I love you too.”

Their serendipity was interrupted by the loud shattering of glass from across the street. Their eyes raised, making out the sight of a few ponies wielding anti zebra signs throwing rocks through a store front. A few ponies cheered as the windows shattered, others screamed loudly as the zebra shopkeeper inside ran for safety.

Flicker straightened up, his face suddenly losing it’s bliss and once more hardening. “Come on. We need to get through these next couple of days first.”

Shadow nodded, pushing herself up to stand beside him. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to finish the movie. I promised Swindle I would, and I’m going to make sure I keep it. But this time I’m gonna try and do better,” Flicker responded, his eyes still locked on the shattered store window. Slowly, he turned and faced Shadow, his face a mask of worry and determination. “Popcorn and the Flim Flam brothers are gathering everypony down below. I can’t force you to join the film again, but if you want, the position is always open for you.”

Shadow looked up at him for a long moment before finally nodding. “Yeah. Yes. Of course I will.”

Flicker gave her a thankful smile before turning. “Then come on. We need to finish this…”

All eyes turned to glare at Flicker Light as he and Shadow trotted into the room.

Popcorn and the Flim Flam brothers had managed to round everypony up and convince them to return to the theatre, but making them stay seemed like it was taking a lot more work. One of the grips gave Flicker an angry stare as he strode forwards.

Shadow gave Flicker a small, comforting squeeze with her wing before pulling away and letting Flicker approach the small group of angry ponies and zebras.

“Flicker. What do you hope to do here?” The actress for Celestia asked, taking a step forward as if to speak for the group. “The film is done. It’s through. I’m sorry, but even if we all agreed to work on the project again after what you’ve done, we just got news that our funding has been cut,” She gestured to the broken set behind her. “We have no bits, the set is destroyed and if what Popcorn is telling us is true, then Swindle is dead and the Nightmare Gang wants to shut us down. It’s over.”

“I know,” Flicker started, trying his best to build up what little courage he had inside of him. “Things got bad. Really bad. And I messed up. I shouldn’t have said the things that I did to you. Any of you. And if all of you decide to leave right now after all that’s happened, I understand. But I need to say something to you all first.”

Flickers eyes moved away from the cast and crew for a moment, landing on the broken moon prop that he had smashed in. He stared at it for a long moment, as if expecting it to tell him something or give him some sort of a sign. But it didn’t. The symbol had been broken and now it was nothing more than a broken piece of plasterboard.

He returned his gaze to the group, his whole body stiff. “I’m sorry about what I said. I was angry and hurting and wasn’t thinking properly, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I still said it. I treated all of you badly. Like labour. That was wrong. I might have made this production a reality, but it's all of you that keeps it working. I’m lost without you. All of you. And if I never see any of you again after today, I just want you all to know that you all mean a lot to me. More than I can express through words. That we were like a family, back before things got…” He stopped, the sound of a bullet ringing through his ears and the image of Swindle Gyp collapsing to the ground filling his mind. “I wish I had seen that sooner. Before it was too late. I’m not asking for forgiveness. Only that you understand just how much you’re all worth. If not to me, then to all of Equestria.”

The actress for Celestia gave a long sigh. She looked back, her eyes looking over the rest of the ponies as they all seemed to share a silent conversation. After a second, they seemed to come to a consensus and the actress turned back to face him. “Flicker, this place meant a lot to us as well. You were always so kind and creative. We all looked up to you in a way I suppose. I guess that’s why what you said hurt so much,” She paused, letting that sink in. “But you're right as well. We're like a family, all of us. We’re here for you now, if you’re willing to make things right.”

Flicker’s drooped ears perked up in shock. “Y-you… Really?”

“Really,” The camera pony stated, taking a step forwards himself to stand next to the Celestia look alike. “We’re with you till the end. Family sticks together, even when one of them messes up.”

"You do realize that this will put you all in danger with the Nightmare Gang," Flicker insisted, his thoughts reeling. "They've already killed one. There's nothing to say they won't kill again. I don't want to put you all in danger over this."

“All of Equestria is in danger right now because of those menaces and their puppet Griffin. Not just us," One of the other actors countered, stepping up as well. "Things got worse than we ever imagined they would, and I’ll be darned if we just walk away when you need us most.”

“But there's still a problem. We don't have a set anymore,” Popcorn pointed out, her eyes looking over the smashed stage props. “And without funding, I don’t know how we hope to achieve anything.”

Flicker forced his surprised gaze away from the cast to look at the broken set. He let a long, built up sigh escape his muzzle. “We’ll rebuild it. This isn’t about making a movie anymore. This is about standing up to what’s right. Brutes have taken the world's stage. They’ve shown ponies a way, but not the way they should be going. D.W. Griffin’s Birth of an Empire destroyed the floodgates and filled the streets of Coltifornia with hate. But we’re not going to let the flood wash over us. We’re going to try and mend it.”

“How?” Shadow asked, her eyes trailing out the window where a few more rioters were running past the theatre, signs waving and faces filled with rage. “What can we do to stop this much hate?”

Flicker could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he started speaking, a new resolve washing over him. “Griffin and the Nightmare gang used film to open the way for intolerance. We’re going to try and use film to close it. We probably won’t be able to stop everything, something tells me Equestria is going to be feeling the ripples of what Griffin has done for years to come. Honestly, I doubt all of this hate will ever go away for good, but we can try to slow it down! We can fight their fire with fire of our own. We might not be politicians, but we're filmmakers. We're artist and actors and designers. Those titles mean more than just paint on a canvas or ghostly images across a screen. We're revolutionaries. We're the ponies that show the world a different way. A better way...

Flicker marched forward, hopping up on top of the broken down set. He stood before them, his voice rising with each and every word. "We'll make the movie about coming together. About mending the schism between us! About standing up to hatred and intolerance! It doesn’t matter that the set is gone. We’ll build a new one. We’ll strip parts off the walls to build it if we must. If we run out of that, we’ll use paper or cardboard. We still have a camera. We still have each other. What else could we possibly need outside of that? We just need to show the world that together we can overcome anything!”

The actress for Celestia smirked, flipping her mane slightly. “I’ll go get into costume.”

“I’ll get to work on rebuilding!” One of the Set dec pitched in.

“So will I!”

One by one, each member of the cast and crew added to the hubbub, preparing themselves for the undertaking to come. They’re faces stern and determined, yet with a growing sense of pride and joy. They were all together now, ready to take on the world as one.

If only the rest of Equestria could learn that lesson. That it is better to be together than apart. That violence was never the way. That love is far stronger than hatred.

That friendship was magic...

Flicker stood up prouder, his heart filling with more and more confidence as the cast and crew rallied around him. Shadow flapped her wings and landed beside him, her expression beaming. “We only have forty eight hours until the election! Forty eight hours to finish A Trip to Luna’s Moon! That’s not a lot of time, but if we all work together, nothing can stop us from standing up for what is right,” Flickers voice lowered and he looked back at the broken face of the moon. The Mare on the Moon seemed to be looking back at him again, but this time she seemed to be smiling, ready to come back home. Ready to join the divide, even across the far reaches of space. “The Nightmare Gang has no idea what’s coming for them…”

Author's Note

What's this? Only one chapter left?

I decided to change the rating to Teen. I figured murder and hate crimes were probably a little much for the E rating.

Hope you enjoyed and have a great day .