Finding Honesty

Chapters

A New Princess
An Honest Try
Unicorn Tech
Griffinstone
The Best Worst Day Ever

A New Princess

"It's right here." Hitch Trailblazer slammed the thick book of laws down on Sunny Starscout's dining room table and flipped it open to a bookmarked page.

"Be careful! The lighthouse could topple again!" said Izzy Moonbow, ducking to the floor with her head in her hooves.

"It's fine, Izzy. Sprout and Phyllis did a great job with the repairs," said Sunny, and she helped her unicorn friend to her hooves.

Izzy breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry. I still have nightmares about falling."

"Ugh, the Old Code," said Zipp Storm, wrinkling her muzzle in distaste as she examined the book. "Not what I'd call a fun surprise."

"Huh. I guess all the Tribes still follow it," said her sister Pipp Petals. "They say before the Old Code, royalty were above the law. Nowadays with all the public attention we get, we're more likely to get locked up than the ponies we govern."

"That's a pretty big exaggeration," retorted her sister. "Besides, you like the attention."

"...I have no response for that," said Pipp, pursing her lips.

Hitch cleared his throat and began to read. "Adult alicorns of sound mind who have not been found guilty of high crimes shall have full demesne over all lands settled by ponies..."

"Full demesne..." said Sunny, but her voice trailed off when she noticed the look of shock on the sisters' faces.

"Sunny! You're the Empress of all ponykind!" said Pipp, hopping up and down repeatedly to reach Sunny's eye level.

Sunny grabbed the book and swiveled so the words faced her. "What? There's no way. This is a joke."

"No joke. However, for reasons lost to time, alicorns can only legally be called 'Princess'," said Hitch.

"It doesn't matter what they call you! Even though Mom's a queen, this means you're her boss now," said Zipp. A brief look of concern quickly faded to a soft smile. "Y'know, normally I'd be worried about this, but I can't think of anypony I'd trust more to have that kind of power."

"Zipp's right, you deserve it! You earned royalty," said Pipp. "We were just born into it."

Izzy's eyes lit up and her hooves began to jitter against the floor. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh, you guys! I just realized! Three-fifths of us are princesses now! Are we all going to be princesses someday? Hitch, will you be the next princess?"

"At this point, I don't think it'd even faze me," said Hitch.

"Well, Hitch can have it. I don't want to be a ruler," said Sunny. "Can I abdicate? Or delay it indefinitely?"

Hitch shook his head. "Abdication has rules. You can delegate, but you can't abdicate entirely if you're the only alicorn," he explained. "Sunny, we can't delay this forever. Sprout's the one who brought this to my attention, since he knows the law forwards and backwards. I asked him to keep quiet, and I doubt anypony else knows, but it's only a matter of time before some historian catches on."

"Strange. I can't imagine Sprout wants Sunny to be in charge of the known world," said Zipp. "It's weird he would tell you..."

"He's a stickler for the rules," said Hitch, shrugging. "Which is fine by me, as long as he's not the one making them."

"Oh no. I need time to think about this before it happens! Maybe I could take a vacation, or..." said Sunny, and then her eyes widened. "That's perfect! The Summer Solstice is only a few days away. I've been meaning to ask you all something, and I almost forgot. Would you like to go on an adventure with me this weekend? Pleeeeeease say yes. I'm going to need all four of you there to make it work."

"Adventure! Are you kidding? Of course!" said Izzy, grinning.

"Oh, buck yes," said Zipp, raising her wings in a daring pose, which Pipp immediately photographed with her phone. "We're in."

"I'm not really the adventuring type, but I can already tell there's no way I'm getting out of this," said Hitch. "Why do you need us, though? I hope 'adventure' doesn't mean you're going to do something foolhardy and dangerous."

"Not dangerous, but we'll need to find Griffinstone, an ancient city of griffons," said Sunny. "Dad's stories suggested it wasn't far from here. There's a magic summoning circle there that only works once a year, on the Summer Solstice."

"Ooh! That's only a couple days from now," Izzy pointed out. "We'd better hurry."

"I don't think griffons exist anymore," said Hitch. "I mean, if they even did in the first place. Where is this city?"

"I don't know exactly. I was hoping one of our unicorn or pegasus friends might have an idea?" asked Sunny.

Pipp shrugged. "Never heard of it, and we can see pretty much everything from up in the sky."

"That'll be easy enough. We have a huge library in Bridlewood, my home village," said Izzy. "Old books and maps are easy to come by."

"Perfect!" said Sunny. "We can head there tonight to start the journey, but there's another problem we have to solve first and there isn't much time to spare. I think the five of us are the new Bearers of Harmony... but we're missing somepony."

Then Sunny Starscout told her friends about the legend of the Elements of Harmony.

An Honest Try

"Great idea, huh?" said Pipp, taking a picture of the table's banner as Izzy taped it in place. In large purple letters, it read:

HONESTY TRYOUTS FOR PIPPSQUEAKS!

"I'm not sure if ponies in Maretime Bay will know what 'Honesty tryouts' means, or 'Pippsqueaks' for that matter," said Sunny, seated behind the booth. "We only have a few hours to work a miracle, though, so I guess this is our best shot."

Deputy Sprout Cloverleaf walked up to the booth from behind, wearing a stern expression on his muzzle. "I overheard a group of fillies talking yesterday. Apparently that dumb princess show of yours has already infected earth ponies throughout Maretime Bay," he said.

"It's not dumb," said Zipp. "It's popular because my sister is interesting and beautiful. Not that you'd be an expert on either of those."

"Fine, whatever. Princess Pipp is awesome, everypony loves her, yadda yadda yadda. Like dealing with Hitch's fanbase isn't bad enough," said Sprout, rolling his eyes.

"I don't understand why you care about my fans," said Hitch. "It's not like I give them any more attention than I do you, and besides, I've never once seen you flirt with a mare."

"Fine, I'm not interested in flirting with any of those lousy mares who drool over you, but it'd be nice to have a snowball's chance in Tartarus if I did want to," Sprout grumbled. "Sunny, do you really have to do whatever this is right in front of the Sheriff's office?" He pointed sharply to the building behind him, frowning so deeply it looked like he was about to strain a muscle.

"It's just for one day, Deputy," said Hitch. "Relax."

"Hay, everypony! Come on up for tryouts!" shouted Izzy. There were only a few ponies walking around on a Friday afternoon. Those who bothered to glance at the booth simply continued walking.

Sprout snorted. "Hmph. I hope this is at least for a good cause, like a cultural exchange between earth ponies and pigeon—um, I mean pegasus ponies."

"Uh, right. It's a cultural exchange," said Hitch, and his tail jerked oddly to one side. It nearly smacked Izzy in the face, but she didn't flinch.

Sprout sighed dejectedly. "Hitch..."

Zipp glowered at the deputy. "It's for Sunny, okay? We need to locate the Bearer of Honesty for a quest we're about to go on. The Elements of Harmony are—"

"I know what they are," interrupted Sprout.

"Really?" said Sunny, unable to keep the surprise out of her voice. "How did you find out about them?"

Sprout quickly looked away from the herd and lowered his voice. "I used to hide outside the lighthouse and listen to your dad telling you stories," he admitted.

"Yikes! Major creep factor," said Pipp.

Hitch cocked his head. "You used to spy on Sunny when we were foals?"

"Look, it's..." Sprout began, then turned his head and noticed his mother Phyllis trotting toward them. "Uh, nevermind. I was a young colt, okay?"

"Water under the bridge," said Sunny, with a smile. "Anyway, Zipp is right about the quest. I'm sure we represent five of the Elements, and I know who is which, but we're missing Honesty."

"Sunny, be rational for once. Those stories were fun to listen to when we were foals, but they're just old legends. There's no such thing as the Elements, and even if there were, why would you expect to find Honesty in Maretime Bay of all places? Three of your friends aren't from anywhere near here—they're not even earth ponies!" said Sprout. "No offense."

"I'd say 'none taken', but why is being a pegasus offensive?" asked Zipp, raising a brow.

Sprout raised his hoof to his face and groaned. "Ugh. I didn't mean it like that, I swear. I feel like I'm trotting on eggshells with you... I mean, with such new diversity around me every time I step outside."

"It's okay, Sprout! And to answer your question, Honesty might not be here, but we still have to try," said Izzy. "What we learn on our mission could end up saving the world someday!"

"Yeah! Sunny's going to summon the ghost of an ancient alico—" began Pipp, then mumbled as her sister's hoof blocked her mouth.

Hitch slapped his forehead with a hoof. "Pipp, you weren't supposed to tell him that."

"Hitch! Why are you hiding the truth from me?" asked Sprout, as his mother stepped up beside him.

"Because I'm not Honesty? I'm Kindness," said Hitch, wearing a sheepish smile. "That's what Sunny says, at any rate."

"I'm Laughter!" added Izzy. "Talk about stereotyping, am I right?"

"It's not like I can stop you. If it isn't illegal, I'm not going to do anything except try to talk you out of being crazy again," said Sprout. "Not that it will do any good, of course."

"Gracious. Please tell me this is a joke," said Phyllis Cloverleaf, wincing as she rubbed her temple with a hoof. "I thought you had more horse sense in you, Hitch." Sweets, the Vice President of Engineering for CanterLogic, trotted up behind her boss with a clipboard in the crook of her leg.

"I'm not sure what you expect me to do, Phyllis. Have you ever tried changing Sunny's mind?" he replied. "I'm mainly going along to make sure everypony stays safe. I don't want anypony to end up hurt. Besides, I believe in Sunny."

Phyllis turned to Sunny. "As do I," she said, quickly blinking away an odd twitch in her eye. "You're a trustworthy pony, dear, but magic only returned a week ago. Couldn't you at least wait a few moons before summoning an ancient evil?"

"She's not evil! Twilight is one of the goodest—okay that might not be a word—ponies ever to have lived," said Sunny.

"If it wasn't a word, it is now! I am officially going to use 'goodest' at every opportunity," said Izzy. "This is the goodest idea I've ever had! Oops, I'm interrupting again. Go on."

"I think what Mom means is you might mess up whatever you're trying to do because nopony knows how magic works yet. We don't want to see you get hurt," said Sprout.

"Aww!" said Pipp, smiling as she rested her ankles on the table to prop up her head. "The Deputy cares about us."

"I'm sure he does," said Sweets, who then quickly blew a green gum bubble which popped onto her muzzle.

Sprout cleared his throat noisily. "Also, we don't want you to summon giant monsters that will destroy us all."

"Aww," said Zipp, her expression flat. "The Deputy cares about being crushed by monsters."

"I do care about you," said Sprout, nostrils flaring. "Ugh, that's it! Even if it's dangerous, I'm coming with you too."

Phyllis's eyes widened. "Sugarcube, we should talk about this..."

"Yes, talk to Mommy," said Zipp. "Preferably somewhere else."

"You don't have to prove anything to us, Sprout," said Sunny. "You've already made amends."

"Exactly. Hitch, could you kindly talk some sense into my son?" asked Phyllis.

"Your son listens to you more than he does me, and he's almost as stubborn as Sunny. I'm impressed by his bravery, though," said Hitch. "He's rarely this bold."

"I'm standing right here, guys," said Sprout, frowning. "Don't tease me in front of Mom."

"The other deputy can handle things for a single weekend. And I'm not teasing—" said Hitch, before Sunny interrupted him.

"It won't be dangerous! I'm not performing any magic. All we have to do is travel to Griffinstone. There's a place where Princess Twilight Sparkle will appear if we all stand together," said Sunny. "That's it! If anything, her guidance will help protect ponies from the effects of magic."

"Hay, I have an idea! Maybe we should talk to the pony who just walked up to our booth," said Izzy.

The herd turned to look at the beautiful young mare standing and waiting on the other side of the booth. She was a lavender earth pony with a candy-cane colored mane and tail and a crazy amount of cherry-red eye makeup. Her makeup and hair were peppered with glitter.

"Oh my gosh, you're so pretty," said Pipp. "I love your makeup!"

"Thank you! I'm here for the tryouts," said the mare. "I love your show, Princess, and I've always wanted to perform on the big screen."

"Princess Pipp, Sugar Moonlight is Maretime Bay's most popular model," said Phyllis. "I always use her to showcase my most valuable equipment."

"I can see why," said Zipp.

Pipp attempted to snap a candid shot, but Sugar instantly struck a pose.

"Let's not forget why we're here," said Sunny. "Sugar, would you consider yourself an honest pony?"

"The most honest ever!" she said, as one hoof nervously tapped the sidewalk. "Honest is good, right?"

"For what it's worth, I've never known her to misrepresent herself," said Phyllis.

"Nopony with a style this glamorous could possibly be dishonest! I think we've found her," said Izzy.

"This is ridiculous. She's the first pony to come up to the booth," Sprout pointed out. "How could she possibly be Honesty?"

"She's also the only pony to come to the booth," said Hitch, motioning around himself. "It has to be her. It's like, kismet."

Sugar squealed in excitement. "Yes! I can't wait to be on your show. But my name's Sugar Moonlight, not Kismet."

"My show...? Oh, riiiiight," said Pipp, with a smile. "We'll, um... be doing a road trip through the wilderness this weekend, and see how things work out." For a moment, Pipp's feathers pulled in tight against her wings.

"Perfect! When do we start?" asked Sugar, eyes wide.

"Why don't you meet us at the lighthouse with your things?" said Sunny. "I'd like us to get to Izzy's village by nightfall, and we can take off as soon as you arrive."

"Fab! Back in a flash!" said Sugar, and she galloped off.

Sweets whispered something in Phyllis's ear, and Phyllis nodded before speaking. "Sprout, if I can't dissuade you from your 'quest', I'd like you to at least take Sweets with you to help out."

"That's not a bad idea. She made for a good secretary when I was... um, temporarily in charge," said Sprout.

"I have a doctorate in mechanical engineering," grumbled Sweets.

"It sounds like you're on a tight timetable, so run along," said Phyllis, shooing the herd with a hoof. "I'll have your booth taken down and close the Sheriff's office myself."

"Thanks, Phyllis," said Hitch. "Let's go, gang."

As the herd trotted off to Sunny's lighthouse, Sweets turned to her boss. "You don't really trust Sunny, do you?"

"About as far as I can throw her," said Phyllis, "and she's an earth pony, and I injured my back two days ago. I want you to watch after my son, obviously."

"Got it," said Sweets, nodding. She hoofed her CanterLogic badge to Phyllis, but kept on her collar and tie.

"And Sweets?"

"Yes?"

Phyllis narrowed her eyes. "Keep them honest."

Unicorn Tech

The Moon had just risen in the Heavens as the herd approached the secluded forest village of Bridlewood. Along the way, Sugar Moonlight repeatedly ran ahead of everypony else, then turned toward Pipp and pursed her lips as they approached her.

"I like our new friend! She's weird," said Izzy. "Plus, she has stylish saddlebags."

Zipp stopped flying circles overhead and touched down next to her sister. "Is our 'new friend' flirting with you?" she asked, while Sugar was up ahead of the herd.

"No, I'm pretty sure she thinks we're filming for the show, somehow. Wait, maybe I should be filming this?" said Pipp.

"I'd prefer we didn't," said Sunny. "I don't want to reveal details of what we're doing right now."

"That's probably for the best," said Hitch, trying and failing to shoo a bird who had been riding on his head for the past five minutes.

"Great, the new filly thinks she's on camera," said Sprout. "Aren't you at least going to tell Sugar about the Elements? Sunny only talks about the legend when she's way ahead of us."

"I'd rather not scare her off, if the only reason she's doing this is for her career," said Pipp.

Sweets turned her head toward the herd. "About that, do any of you actually believe those old legends about the Guardians of Harmony? I know Argyle was right about the return of magic, but summoning ghosts is pretty far-fetched."

"I used to doubt that any of those stories were real, but Sunny's made me a believer," said Hitch as a second bird landed on his withers. "Sometimes, things were just meant to be. It's kismet."

"Ugh. You know how much I hate that word," said Sprout. "Things don't happen for larger reasons. That's why bad things happen to good ponies, and vice versa."

"Things happened for reasons back when the Tree of Harmony controlled Equestria," said Sunny. "According to the legends, anyway."

"Using legends to justify legends isn't logical," said Sprout. "Besides, doesn't it bother any of you that you're using false pretenses to gain the cooperation of the Bearer of Honesty?" said Sprout.

"I don't think it matters. At least, I hope it doesn't. This is the only chance I have...." said Sunny, and then her ears folded slightly to the sides. "I mean, it's an important chance to learn about magic."

Sprout narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sunny, but said nothing.

"Eh, I don't think she'll catch on," said Zipp. "She doesn't seem too perceptive."

"She'd have to be pretty dense to miss it. I knew something was up the moment I saw Hitch's tell," said Sprout.

"My tell?" asked Hitch.

"Yeah. Whenever you lie, your tail jerks to the side," said Sprout. "It's super obvious."

Hitch's eyes widened. "So that's why I keep losing at poker."

"Smooth move, genius. Now he'll be able to beat you," said Zipp, with a grin.

Sprout laughed. "He'll end up replacing it with another one, just as obvious. Everypony has a tell. Which is good, because I'd earn a lot less if it weren't for our weekly game."

"You could just ask me for a raise," said Hitch. "Though I prefer losing to you at poker, because that way we get to socialize."

"Socialize with whom? We play poker alone—" said Sprout, but then Izzy jumped right in front of him.

"Do I have a tell?" she asked, grinning madly as she bounced up and down in place.

"Maybe you should try lying," suggested Sunny.

"Let's see. I know! I hate surprise parties," said Izzy. Her eyes fluttered, her ears flopped, her knee twitched, and her tail stood straight up.

"That... is the most obvious tell I've ever seen in my life," said Sprout, blinking a few times as though watching a mirage.

"Really? Ohmygosh! What was it?" asked Izzy.

"Guys, I'm waiting," called Sugar Moonlight, prompting the herd to pick up the pace. She was posing in front of the forest with treehouses visible behind her. "I think this angle is good. Princess Pipp?"

Pipp took a photo with her phone once they were a little closer. "Beautiful! But, um, the cameras are off at night," she said. "So you can relax a little."

Sugar's energy seemed to disappear almost immediately. "Thank goodness, I'm spent."

"What cameras?" asked Sunny, in a voice low enough Sugar wouldn't overhear.

"Sugar is an amazing showpony, but she's not exactly the sharpest bulb in the deck, if you follow," whispered Sweets.

Few ponies were outside their trees now that night had fallen, but one was tending to his garden. His horn was glowing as though he were trying to use magic. He stopped and waved at the herd as they passed.

"I guess the unicorns here aren't superstitious about magic anymore," said Sunny. "That's great."

"The unicorn carrot on his head was glowing," said Sugar Moonlight. "Is that healthy?"

Sprout looked over to Sweets and made a disturbing face. Sweets successfully stifled a giggle.

"I think that's normal, Sugar," said Pipp. "Don't worry too much about it."

"Awesome. One less thing to worry about," said Sugar.

"Sweets, why are you coming with us again?" asked Sunny.

"Uh, It's like Phyllis said. I'm just here to help with your adventure," she said, and immediately blew a gum bubble. It popped onto her muzzle and she quickly sucked it back into her mouth. Then she turned to Izzy. "You're Izzy Moonbow, is that right?"

"That's me!" she replied. "Last I checked, anyway."

"I've heard the story of your adventure, but I'm curious about the superstitions here," Sweets continued. "Sunny said you weren't superstitious like the rest of the unicorns in Bridlewood, but she didn't know why."

"Oh, that's right!" said Sunny. "I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"I used to be superstitious just like everypony else! They taught us all to do the bing-bong ritual in school," explained Izzy. "But once I became an adult, I just... stopped, I guess," said Izzy.

"Okay, but why?" said Sprout. "Did you want to be an outcast, or something?"

Izzy shrugged. "It wasn't fun anymore. Oh! here we are." Izzy stopped in front of the hollowed-out base of a gargantuan tree. A large sign in the shape of a teapot read: "CRYSTAL TEA ROOM". It was difficult to see in the darkness, even with the moon out. The crystals embedded in the lawn let off a pale glow, but it didn't help much.

"Where are all the lights in this village?" asked Sweets.

Izzy giggled. "Indoors, of course. We don't want to catch the forest on fire, silly!"

"She means electric lights, doofus," said Sprout. "It's like you don't have power out here."

"If they do, we didn't see it," said Pipp.

"We have a small amount of electronics, but the technology is mostly mousadillo based," said Izzy.

"Mouse-what?" said Sweets, looking incredulous.

Hitch held out his leg and cleared his throat. "Mouseadillo," he said, and a tiny armored rodent fell out of the tree into his open hoof, then smiled at the other ponies. Sprout scowled at the little fellow, who promptly squeaked, rolled into a ball, and bounced off into the grass.

"You didn't have to do that," said Zipp, frowning.

Sunny shook her head quickly, as though waking up. "Hitch, how in the world did you make that happen?" asked Sunny.

Hitch shrugged. "To be honest, I have no idea. I just figured it might work. Critters won't leave me alone, you know? How many birds am I up to, by the way?"

"You're at four, and one of them appears to be a barn owl," said Pipp, examining the tagalongs on Hitch's back. "That's probably what scared the little guy off, actually. Not that you aren't scary, Sprout."

"Thank you, Pipp," said Sprout. "Wait, that wasn't a compliment, was it?"

"It was! I thought you wanted to be scary?" said Pipp.

"Oh, he just does that to push people away so he won't have to fear rejection later," said Izzy. "At least, that's what Sunny told me."

"Izzy!" said Sunny.

"I'm very confused right now," said Sugar Moonlight. "But that's normal, so it's all good."

Suddenly, the door to the Crystal Tea Room swung open, and Alphabittle leaned his large head out of the building. "Sorry folks, we closed early tonight because... oh. It's you. What are you all doing here?"

"We're here to see the library!" said Izzy, smiling.

Alphabittle facehoofed. "Izzy, for the last time. My personal collection of artifacts is not a 'library'."

"Sure it is, see?" Izzy pulled out a library card from her saddlebags. Sunny glanced at it. It had clearly been written in crayon and laminated with what appeared to be several layers of Trotch tape.

"Forgery is a crime, Izzy," Sprout pointed out.

"Can I apply for one of these?" asked Sugar, looking at the card.

"Alphabittle, please ignore everypony but Sunny," requested Zipp.

"We're looking for the ancient city of Griffinstone," said Sunny. "Is there any chance you have a book or a map that could show us the way?"

"I do, but as I said, this isn't a library. You'll have to look elsewhere," said Alphabittle, and he leaned back in and prepared to shut the door.

"We'll get you a date with Mom," said Pipp.

"Who?"

"Queen Haven, our mother," said Pipp.

Alphabittle's forehead glistened with a few beads of sweat. "Uh, why would you think I'd want to date a pegasus mare?"

"Okay, fine. Sorry for bothering—" said Pipp, smirking.

"Deal," said Alphabittle. "Wait here." He closed the door.

"Ooh. This episode's a drama," said Sugar.

"Uh, just curious: does the Queen know about this?" asked Hitch.

"Pipp's safe. Mom clearly likes him," said Zipp. "She'll act peeved—pardon my Prench—but she'll go along with it."

"What makes you say that?" said Sunny.

"Remember? She risked her life to save him," said Zipp. Then she turned her head and stared daggers directly at Deputy Sprout Cloverleaf.

Sprout looked mortified. "Look, Zipp. I'm sorry. I never meant to put anypony in danger, especially not your mom. I know how important family is. I wasn't thinking straight that day," he said. "Please believe me."

"Sprout, it's okay," said Izzy, hugging him.

"Oh, we know you didn't mean to put Mom in danger," said Pipp, smiling. "It's okay, really!"

"Uh, right, we all forgive you. Just like Sunny says, water under the bridge," said Zipp. The muscles in her neck pulled taut, the curious reflex visible even in the dim lighting.

Alphabittle opened the door and hoofed an old, weathered tome to Sunny. "Hope you can read Old Ponish," he said.

"I can, actually!" said Sunny, beaming as she took the book and flipped through it.

Sugar Moonlight giggled. "Wow! What a nerd."

"Alphabittle?" asked Sweets, stepping forward from the herd. "My name is Sweets, and I'm an licenced engineer representing CanterLogic Industries. I was wondering why you don't have electric power in Bridlewood. According to the history books, unicorn society used to be the very apex of technology, so it's a bit of a surprise."

"Oh, that? Eh, superstition, I guess. I suppose it's time for an upgrade, though," he said. "I'm not sure how we'll go about it, exactly. We're still good with tech, but we're behind the times in materials and training."

Sweets turned to Sprout. "Sprout, I need to tell you something."

"Let me guess. You're actually here to keep me out of trouble," he said.

"Right, I figured that was transparent. Phyllis gave me explicit instructions, but I know your mother very well. She would want me to seize this opportunity for CanterLogic," she said. "I think she trusts Hitch enough to watch out for you and would prefer I stay here."

"Stay here?" asked Sprout.

"What's this about?" said Alphabittle.

"With your permission, I'd like to survey the area to determine the best way to supply power to your village without affecting the beautiful scenery," she said. "And admittedly, I'd love to see what makes your current technology tick."

"Seems like a decent proposal, but we're not paying for anything until we have something in writing," said Alphabittle.

"CanterLogic might be willing to do it for free, depending on the potential for an energy contract. I'll need more time to be sure," she said. "Is there a place around here where I can stay?"

"Oh! You can house-sit for me while we're out saving the world," said Izzy.

"That's very generous of you, Izzy," said Sweets.

"Aww. I thought I was Generosity," said Pipp.

"I'm sure you are, Pipp," said Sunny, her nose deep in the book as she flipped from page to page.

"Sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow, Sweets—or Doctor Sweets, I suppose. Just let me know if you need anything," said Alphabittle, and then he closed the door.

Sunny put the book into her saddlebags. "I think Griffinstone is only a few hours from here at a canter, thank goodness. We need to get there before Sunset tomorrow. Maybe we should hike through the night?"

"Sunny, we're not getting anywhere without some rest," said Hitch. "Let's sleep at Izzy's place, assuming she can put us up for the night again."

"Yes! Beauty sleep," said Sugar. "I need lots of that."

"Slumber party!" said Izzy, doing a cartwheel.

"No parties, Izzy. We need to leave early in the morning," said Sprout. "That way we'll have plenty of time to be disappointed when the rest of you realize that Griffinstone is a creative fib parents tell their foals to get them to go to sleep."

"You spoilsport," said Izzy, sticking out her tongue.

Griffinstone

"The successors to the Guardians of Harmony—I don't know what they were called, they weren't as famous—included a griffin," lectured Sunny, as the herd continued climbing up the shallow side of the mountain.

"Have I mentioned how great it is that we get a nonconsensual history lesson while trying not to fall to our deaths?" said Sprout, wincing as he crept low to the ground.

"It's okay, Sprout, there's no place to fall to," said Hitch. "This side of the mountain is just a shallow slope."

"For the last time, I don't like heights," said Sprout. "It doesn't matter if I can fall, I can feel my ears popping which tells me earth ponies were not meant to be this far from sea level."

"This is the weirdest television show I've ever been on," said Sugar Moonlight, clumsily tripping on rocks every now and then.

Zipp swooped down and hovered next to Sprout. "If anypony falls, I'll be there to catch them—even you, dweeb. Bearer of Loyalty, after all."

"Anyway, the griffin was the Bearer of Magic, like me, which is weird because griffins aren't particularly magical. He was also the Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot and the Emissary to Griffonstone. Oh, and some sources say he could shoot lasers out of his eyes, but that might have been a historical embellishment."

"Are you going to be okay, Sprout?" asked Izzy. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"I'm an earth pony, Izzy. I weigh five times what you do," said Sprout. "I appreciate everypony's support, but at this point I wish I'd stayed back at the station, even if I have to look at that stupid Hitch calendar all day long."

"It was for charity," said Hitch. "I didn't mean for it to be that sexy."

"Well, that doesn't make it any less frustrating to look at," said Sprout.

Hitch furrowed his brow. "Sprout, you're the one who hung it up in our office," he pointed out. "Just like the calendar I did last year..."

"Technicalities!" bellowed Sprout.

"Guys! I think this might be it," said Izzy, motioning from a rock outcropping just overhead.

Pipp Petals drifted down from above. "I'm not sure Izzy's right. It just looks like a flat, empty plain," she said.

The herd reached the summit, and it was just as Pipp had said. The rocks here were strangely broken and there was no vegetation, but no obvious signs of a city, either. Above them, the Sun drifted close to the horizon.

"I'm sorry, Sunny," said Sprout. "I tried my best to prepare you all for the inevitable disappointment."

"But the book says this is the place," said Sunny, pulling out the book and flipping through it.

Sugar Moonlight sat down against a large stone and took some deep breaths. "I've walked down the runway a thousand times, but this is way more exercise than I'm used to."

"I think this is a statue," said Zipp, examining the stone.

"I'm not a statue. Wait, are we doing improv now?" asked Sugar.

"You're not being filmed, Sugar. I'm talking about this stone behind you," said Zipp. the stone had a vaguely anthropomorphic shape to it, but had been weathered smooth over time.

Sunny returned the book to her backpack. "Wow. I guess this is Griffinstone after all," she said. "I wonder what happened here."

"Who knows? It's been ages," said Pipp.

"I'll canter around and see if I can find anything like what Sunny described," said Hitch.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean about not being filmed?" asked Sugar.

Pipp winced. "Well... we're actually here to perform a ritual! We were hoping you were the Bearer of Honesty. But I'd still like to have you on my show sometime."

"Oh. I don't know anything about that," said Sugar. "I just said I was honest because I thought it's what you wanted to hear. I'm pretty good at lying like that."

Sunny cringed. "Argh! We were so close," she moaned.

"It's okay, Sunny. We know where this place is now, and we can come back next year!" said Izzy.

"I don't want to wait another year to... to do this," she whispered, trembling. "It's been too long already..."

"What's going on?" said Zipp, landing next to Sunny.

"Guys! I think I found something!" Hitch shouted in the distance.

"I'll just hang out here until you guys are ready to head back," said Sugar, not budging from her seat.

"Yeesh," said Sprout, frowning as he followed the rest of the herd to where Hitch was standing.

"I think this place used to be a castle. See the pillars?" he pointed out, then looked at Sunny. "Sunny, what's wrong?"

"That jerk you recruited isn't Honesty," said Sprout, before Sunny could respond. "I knew she was a liar. I should have been more direct about it... not that any of this was real to begin with."

"This wasn't a bad trip. We can come back next year, Sunny. Cheer up!" said Pipp.

"It's not that. Guys... I don't know who Honesty is, but it certainly isn't me. I haven't been truthful with you about why I wanted to do this," said Sunny. "I'm really sorry."

"You're going to feel bad until you spill it," said Sprout, "so get on with it."

"Be nice to her," said Zipp, frowning.

"I... I was hoping I could bring my father back," said Sunny. Everypony fell deathly silent.

Sprout Cloverleaf broke the lull. "Why didn't you just tell us, Sunny? We would have helped you in a heartbeat."

"Of course we would!" said Izzy. "That would be the goodest possible reason to help you!"

"But... dragging you all this way. It was so selfish of me," said Sunny, pouting.

"We can't all be Generosity," said Pipp. "Sorry, that was a bad attempt at a joke. Seriously, we don't care. We love you, Sunny. Helping is what friends do, and we know how much your father meant to you."

"Are these runes etched into the stone?" asked Pipp as she dusted the stone flooring with her wings. There were six clear impressions set in the floor, each with a separate sigil.

"It's real," said Hitch. "Wow."

Sunny sniffed and wiped her eyes with a forelock, then trotted over to examine Pipp's finding. "I think she's right. Let's see... this one looks like three turtles?"

"Animals? Must be mine," said Hitch, walking over to it.

"I think that's coincidental, but since it resembles a standard cutie mark I think you're right that it's Kindness," said Sunny. "Let's see... the one that looks like a bug should be Generosity."

"Eww," said Pipp, but she walked onto it anyway.

"The one with the large wings and royal symbol should be Magic, which is mine, and the flame must be Loyalty," she continued.

"On it," said Zipp, landing on the sigil. "Literally."

"The other two look like a fish with wings, and something that resembles a giant mop," said Sprout.

"The fish is definitely Laughter," said Sunny. "The mop must be Honesty, by process of elimination."

"Fish are hilarious!" said Izzy, pronking over to the sigil.

"Maybe five will be enough?" said Hitch. "Go on, stand on yours, Sunny."

"I can go tie up Sugar Cutestupid and drop her on the sixth one," offered Sprout. "That has to be worth something."

"Wait, I have an idea," said Sunny. She pulled a bunch of small figurines from her saddlebags. "Here, this is the Guardian of Honesty. Maybe this will work as a stand-in." The figure looked like a small orange-colored pony wearing a Steedson hat.

"Do you carry those with you everywhere?" said Sprout.

"Mostly," said Sunny, putting the other five back into her bag. She set the small figurine onto the sigil. "I'm only doing this because I'm desperate, though. I know it can't work."

"It was still worth the effort," said Zipp. "I'd be glad to do it all over next year, once we find Honesty."

"I don't know if it will work then. This year is also a special astral alignment that only happens once every millennium," said Sunny. "I wish we could have found Honesty. It's not normal to be without an Element. It should have been somepony we all knew well."

"Like somepony who figured prominently in the movie, who had a notable speaking and singing role?" said Izzy.

"Uh... what movie?" asked Pipp.

"Er, what I meant to say is it would be somepony who cares about following rules and doing things the right way without cutting corners," said Izzy. "It's kind of weird it isn't Hitch, since he's a Sheriff."

"What was the Guardian of Honesty like, Sunny?" asked Hitch. "Tell us about her, and maybe her spirit can guide us."

"Hitch, please don't do this to Sunny," said Sprout, sitting down away from the sigils. "She's already suffering."

"No, it's okay, I like talking about her," said Sunny. "Applejack was a red double-pearl—which means her coat was yellow-orange like Hitch's, except without the white points—and she had a blonde mane and tail, exactly like Sprout's."

Sprout sighed. "We can see that on the doll."

"It's an action figure," corrected Sunny. "Anyway, AJ's whole family were apple colors. Her little sister was a lemonsilla double-pearl with a bloody mane and tail, and her big brother was a bloody liver chestnut with a honey mane and tail."

Sprout's ears perked up. "He was? Go figure. I'm a bloody liver chestnut, but I hate saying it out loud because ponies always think 'bloody liver' is a cuss. My coat color is super rare these days. I've never met an earth pony with a red this bright outside of my extended family. I know because we get together for huge family reunions every year," said Sprout. He narrowed his eyes and grinned smugly at Hitch. "You jelly for my coat?"

Hitch shrugged. "A little, sure. It's a very attractive coat."

Sprout was just sitting on the ground, but he nearly toppled over. "Your tail didn't twitch..." he mumbled.

"It's funny you'd mention that, Sprout," said Sunny, her brow furrowing as she turned her attention directly toward him. "Family was very important to Applejack, and she appreciated familiarity. She often called her family and close friends 'sugarcube', and... huh."

Sprout snorted and giggled with his eyes closed. "Pfft! Mom still calls me that," he said, then opened his eyes to see everypony staring at him with a look of shock, except Izzy, who looked puzzled. "Um, guys? Why are you all staring at me? Did something mess up my mane?"

"No. Nope, nuh-uh, never. There's just no way," said Zipp, shaking her head.

"It has to be him," said Hitch, and his face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. "Everything fits! I mean, here we all are, just before Sunset! Kismet, guys, kismet!"

"I don't get it," said Sprout. "Seriously, let me in on the joke. I've always been honest with you guys."

Izzy suddenly gasped and planted her hooves over her mouth, then leaped over to pronk merrily around Sprout, ending her antics by yanking him directly into a tight hug. "It's you!" she shouted too close to his ear, as Sprout wrestled his way free.

"Be careful! You could put my eye out with that thing," he said, holding a hoof over his ear. "Not to mention my ear with your screaming. What has gotten into all of you?"

An awkward pause followed, then Pipp said in a matter-of-fact voice, "Sprout. You're the Bearer of Honesty." She looked around at her friends. "We were gonna tell him, right?"

"What?! That... that's impossible!" said Sprout, backing away with his ears flattened. "There's no such thing as the Elements of Harmony, and... I'm not a good guy! I'm the bad guy!"

"True friendship never closes a door forever," said Sunny, smiling. Her eyes were glistening.

"But I tried to hurt all of you! Listen to reason. Pipp, Zipp... I nearly killed your mom when she risked her life to save Alphabittle! She's a hero. You're all heroes. I destroyed an ancient landmark that Sunny lives in! I ruined memories of her father! I'm... I'm garbage," he said.

"No, you're not. You made a big mistake, but you're our friend," said Hitch. "And we love you. Come stand on the mop," said Hitch. "Once you're feeling okay, I mean. I don't want to rush you."

"Rush me?" said Sprout, sniffling. He rubbed his cheeks with a hoof and noticed they were wet. "Oh. That's... that's different," he said.

"We don't have time, Sprout. Hurry up!" said Zipp. "Let's get this over with so at least we can say we tried everything to help Sunny."

Sprout nodded and quickly cantered over to the sigil. As soon as he set hoof on it, five of the six sigils began to glow: pink, purple, magenta, orange, and cyan.

"See, I knew it wasn't me... wait. Why is mine glowing?" asked Sprout.

Everypony turned to look at Zipp Storm. "Oh. Something's wrong with mine," she said. "What'd I do?"

"The sigils didn't start glowing until all six of us were on them. You have to be Loyalty," said Pipp. "You're literally the most loyal pony I've ever met in my life, though I'm admittedly kind of biased."

"Maybe the floor needs to be cleaned off better?" suggested Hitch.

"Or maybe... maybe I'm not Loyalty," whispered Zipp. "Maybe Sunny will miss her one chance to save her father... and it's all my fault."

"No. Don't say that, that's ridiculous," said Sprout. "There's no way you aren't Loyalty. You're amazing, Zipp."

"I don't understand," said Sunny. "When the six friends who hold the Elements unite on this special day, the magic should happen."

"Guys, think of something! The Sun is setting," said Izzy.

"Friends..." said Zipp, then she looked directly across from her. "Sprout."

"Um, yeah?" said Sprout.

Zipp sighed. "I should have done this a long time ago," she said. "Sprout, I forgive you for what you almost did to Mom." Then her back relaxed as though a great weight had fallen from it.

The sigil beneath Zipp lit blazed a bright red color, and the ground began to tremble.

"Woo-hoo!" shouted Izzy.

"Should we be terrified?" asked Sprout. "Let's pretend I'm asking that for a friend."

"It's the Tree of Harmony, don't worry," said Sunny. "I mean, I think it is."

"The Tree hasn't been around for millennia," said Pipp, but just then an enormous crystal tendril sprouted up from between the six friends, stone spraying outward as everypony tried to protect themselves with their legs. The tip of the tendril held a crystal flower which blossomed, pointing downwards.

Then, what looked like a hologram of Twilight Sparkle appeared beneath the flower. "Greetings, Bearers of the Elements," said the ghostly vision.

Izzy gasped. "Ohmygosh! It's the ghost of Starlight Glimmer!"

"Twilight Sparkle," corrected Hitch.

"Eh, same diff," said Izzy.

"Please tell me I don't ever have to do anything like this again," said Sprout.

"Too late! You're a hero," said Pipp. "This is like our bread and butter now."

"Guys, quiet," said Zipp. "Let Sunny do the talking."

Sunny stepped off of her sigil without thinking, but the image didn't fade. She knelt in front of the other alicorn, and her friends followed suit. "Thank you for coming here, Tw—um, P-princess Twilight Spackle. Sparkle. I, um, I'm a little n-nervous."

"You must be Sunny Starscout," said the image. "However, I am not Princess Twilight Sparkle. I am merely an avatar of the Tree of Harmony."

Sunny stood up. "Oh. Oh, that's... okay," she said, softly.

"Hay, Tree! Can you bring her dad back?" shouted Izzy.

"Shh!" said Sprout, then he paused. "Good question, though."

"I can, however, summon Twilight Sparkle for you," said the Tree.

"You can? Yes! Yes, do that, please!" said Sunny.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle will be with you shortly," said the Tree, and then the image disappeared and the light from the sigils faded.

"Nuts. I hope it didn't break because of Sunset," said Pipp.

"I'm not worried," said Hitch, smiling. "This is Sunny we're talking about."

"It's all of us we're talking about," said Zipp, and she smiled over at Sprout, who hoofed nervously at the mop.

"Weird. I think this shape is like a big shaggy dog with horns or something," he said, changing the subject.

A loud sound of magic accompanied a magenta flash, and right there between them all was Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. She stood taller than Alphabittle and looked more majestic than the Sunset behind her. Her mane and tail seemed like they were made of the sky itself, flowing without a single hair out of place and shimmering in all the dusky hues of the early night sky. Little bright streaks like tiny meteors shot through her magical mantle, and it waved in the air as though she were underwater despite the complete lack of a breeze.

All six friends immediately fell to the floor and groveled.

"My little ponies, please rise," said Twilight Sparkle. "I'm a person, not a deity."

"That's what you say," mumbled Hitch.

"You must be Sunny Starscout, the new Bearer of Magic," said Twilight, smiling down at Sunny. "I'm afraid your name is the only one I remember from Star Swirl's predictions, but I can definitely sense the Elements within your friends."

"P-princess, I, um, the Princess and Twi," she stammered. "Talk. Dad."

"Call me Twilight," she offered. "Just think of me... like a normal pony with a fancy manestyle, if that helps."

"That's going to be hard," said Sunny. "Thank you so much for coming to meet with us."

"Did we really raise you from the dead?" asked Izzy, smiling brightly.

"Hello, Laughter," said Twilight, smiling. "No, I'm afraid this is more of a time travel thing. Much less dramatic, though my time here is limited. This is the furthest I've ever traveled into the future, and the trip is straining even my constitution."

"Time travel? Pretty nerdy," said Sprout, who then covered his mouth. "Oops."

"You must be Honesty," said Twilight, and then she winked at him. "I'm certain you're Applejack's distant descendant, as well. You look almost exactly like her brother."

"Heh. That was an easy call," said Hitch.

She looked over at Hitch. "Kindness, are you aware you have a family of opossums clinging to your leg?"

Hitch looked down. "I wasn't, but I am now. Don't worry, this is normal."

"Loyalty and Generosity, my goodness. Are you related?" asked Twilight.

"Sisters!" said Zipp, spreading her wings.

"And princesses," said Pipp, "though not the special kind like Sunny."

"You're all special," said Twilight. "I can tell you have a lot of adventures and lessons in store for you. It brings back centuries of memories—a little overwhelming, to be honest."

"She always knows just what to say," mumbled Sprout.

"Did you invite me here to introduce yourselves, or is there something I can do for you while I'm here?" asked Twilight.

"Ask her, Sunny!" urged Pipp.

"Prin—I mean, Twilight. I was hoping... I was hoping I could see my father," said Sunny.

"Do you know where he is?" asked Twilight. "It's difficult for me to cast spells this far away from my normal timestream."

"He's... in the ground. I was hoping you could return him to life," said Sunny. "Please, please. I'll give anything. You can take my life in place of his, if you need to."

"Sunny! Don't say that!" said Zipp.

Twilight's face fell. "Oh, my little pony. If only I could grant your wish, I surely would, but not even the Magic of Friendship can return those who have passed on," she said, reaching out to gently pet her successor's mane. "If it helps ease the pain, his consciousness filters on to other lives..."

"I know the theory, he studied you his entire life," said Sunny, wiping her eyes as fresh tears formed. "I knew there was almost no chance, but I had to try. I..."

Twilight sighed. "I'm an alicorn, and so are you. Loss is a part of our existence, but the pain of loss is proportional to the love you feel. You must have loved him very, very much."

"You have no idea. I never got to say goodbye the way I wanted to," she said. "The worst of it is, he seemed to know he was about to die. He tried to wrap everything up in a nice little bow, but I couldn't accept it."

Twilight looked skyward as though in deep thought, then smiled slightly. "Sunny, I may not be able to return him to you, but if you want to speak with him one last time I may be able to help," she offered.

The Best Worst Day Ever

This time the magenta burst seemed to cover the entire world. Sunny Starscout was standing with Princess Twilight Sparkle just outside her home. When Sunny looked down at herself, she appeared translucent, like a ghost. Night had already fallen, and there were a few lights on in the building.

"You live in a lighthouse? What a perfect metaphor for the one to return Harmony to Equestria," whispered Twilight, smiling. "I've made us invisible. We can pass through walls as well. It's best if we interact as minimally with the past as... oh."

Sunny was crouched on the ground, holding her hoof over her mouth in nausea. "That... that was not a fun trip," she said, standing on shaky legs. "S-sorry."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I forgot how much of a toll this would take on your body, even though you're an alicorn," whispered Twilight. "I think you're younger than I was when I transcended, though not as young as my sister Cadance. It's recent, yes?"

Sunny nodded. "Yeah. It happened as soon as I returned magic to ponykind."

"I assume your father helped. How many generations did it take your family?" asked Twilight.

"He helped, sure, but it all took about... three days, I think?" said Sunny.

"Three days?!" said Twilight, a little too loudly, then she lowered her voice. "You united the Tribes after centuries of strife in only a few days? Wow! Talk about earning your wings and horn."

"Well, my friends helped," said Sunny. "Honesty was the bad guy, actually, but he got better."

"I'm sure AJ would have loved that story," said Twilight, and the expression on her face grew wistful.

"Twilight, when exactly are we?" whispered Sunny, looking around.

"Due to my weakened magic, I had to anchor us to the timeline by choosing a window near to a large emotional event. I think this is the night your father... it's the last night you spent with him," she whispered back.

"I... right," said Sunny, swallowing a mouthful of air. "Okay, if we walk very quietly through that part of the building, we'll be in his room. He's very ill... I don't suppose there's anything you can do to prevent him from dying?"

Twilight shivered momentarily, then shook her head. "It's too difficult. I don't have my full powers this far from where I live, and it's taking all my energy just to maintain our invisibility. Plus, dangers in messing with the timeline..."

"Right, I understand. Um, Twilight?"

"Yes, Sunny?"

"Thank you for doing this," said Sunny, smiling sadly.

Twilight smiled back. "Let's go see this wonderful stallion of yours."

They walked through the wall into his room. Argyle Starshine was lying in bed. He coughed a few times into a dirty handkerchief smeared with red.

In front of him was Sunny Starscout, but not the invisible one. This Sunny was a foal of around fifteen years of age.

"So I think tomorrow we should try the new vitamin cocktail Phyllis came up with. I know it isn't scientific, but it can't hurt—" she said, then stopped talking as she noticed her father looking around the room. He sniffed at the air and his brow pulled low as though searching for something he couldn't see.

"Dad?" said Sunny.

"Oh. I'm sorry, dear," said Argyle. "Sunny, listen to me. I have something very important to tell you."

"Sure, Dad. Everything you say is important, though. What is it?"

"I love you, daughter, and... I won't always be here for you, you know. There's a reason I've made plans for your early emancipation—"

"Don't be ridiculous!" said little Sunny, and her hoof trembled against the bedpost. "You, you'll be fine, worrywart. You have to be fine, you're my Dad."

"Sunny, please," said Argyle, and he coughed again.

"I need to find that medical textbook. I wanted to show you something," said the filly. "I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she turned and trotted out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Twilight Sparkle looked down at the Sunny who had traveled with her. Her face was streaked with tears, but she stood tall. The sniffling sound was unavoidable, however.

"Who is it?" said Argyle. "I believe in the old legends, but even I'm skeptical of the specter of Death."

With a flash, Sunny and Twilight appeared before Argyle. Sunny leaned over the bed and held him, and she cried.

Twilight Sparkle wiped her eyes as well. "I asked your daughter if she wanted a spell to keep her from crying," she said softly, "but when she said 'no' I figured it wouldn't be fair for me to cast it only on myself. Oh, sorry. I'm Twilight Sparkle, pleased to meet you."

Argyle wasn't crying. He smiled and petted his daughter's mane until she was able to lift herself from the bed and wipe her eyes. "Oh, I know who you are, Princess. Argyle Starshine at your service, though I hope you'll forgive me for not rising," he said. "Sunny! Are you... an alicorn?" he said, with a gasp.

She nodded. "Y-yeah," she said. "I united the Tribes and brought magic back, about... four years from now."

Argyle chuckled softly, and then shed a few tears himself. "Of course you did. And here I thought I couldn't be more proud of you. How foolish of me," he said. "It really is my time, isn't it?"

Sunny nodded. "I come back in a few minutes and when I find you..." she said, and sighed. "It was so hard, Daddy! It isn't fair. You were the best of all of us, and... you just... left. This was the saddest day of my life, and I'm sure it always will be."

"I didn't mean to abandon you, love," he said. "I'm so sorry. You know I fought like Tartarus to stay here with you, but I'm just a pony. I only had so much to give."

"It isn't your fault," said Twilight. "But I assume we don't have much time. I brought Sunny here so she could speak with you before... you know."

"I hope this isn't reopening old wounds," said Argyle. "But I never dreamed I'd see the Guardian of Magic herself before passing on. This is the second best gift I could have imagined, next to seeing how much you've grown. How could I ask for more?" He coughed again, wincing.

"Thank you for everything, Dad," said Sunny. "You're a part of me, you know? You're the reason I have these," she said, spreading her wings. "It's so hard to let go, but you were right about Twilight's theory."

"I look forward to my next adventure, then. And someday, eons from now, spending time with you again," he said, and coughed. "I wish it didn't hurt so much, though! Dying isn't any fun."

"This might be an unethical suggestion, but... I can make it painless for you," whispered Twilight. "Sunny?"

Sunny nodded. "Is that okay, Dad?"

Argyle smiled. "Sure. Let's end this iteration on a high note," he said, then reached his hoof out to Sunny. "I'm sorry this was the saddest day of your life, Sunny, because it was the happiest day of mine."

Sunny Starscout reappeared in the ruins of Griffinstone without Twilight Sparkle. She was lying on the floor, cheeks wet, and gasping for breath.

"Sunny?" asked Izzy, gently lifting her to her hooves.

Sunny's face looked terrible, but she was smiling. "Let's go home," she said, as the entire group hugged her tight.

"Ugh. I had no desire to get pulled into a group hug," said Sprout, as his muzzle wrinkled up oddly, his pupils dilated, and his eyes moved rapidly from side to side.

"We should probably go help Sugar," said Zipp. "She's been complaining about her head being stuck in a crack for the past ten minutes."

"I'm actually starting to feel bad for her," said Pipp.

"Yeah, probably should have done something about that," said Hitch. "We just didn't want to leave the area while you were away. Oh, and Sprout?"

"Yes, Sheriff Hitch?" said Sprout, standing at attention.

"At ease, Deputy. Would you like to catch a viewing of the Director's Cut of Horns with me this Tuesday night? Apparently they re-cut it as a comedy to make it more 'pony correct'," said Hitch.

"Ugh, 'pony correctness', this is all your fault, Sunny... Wait, you want to watch it with me? Uh, sure, I like doing stuff with you," said Sprout, quickly looking down at his hooves.

"Great! It's a date, then," said Hitch, smiling.

Sunny Starscout giggled through the tears and smiled at Sprout Cloverleaf, who bore a confused expression on his muzzle. He leaned in to whisper to Izzy. "Did you just hear that exchange between Hitch and me?" he quietly asked.

"Sure did! What about it?" she whispered back.

"What the buck just happened?"