Chapter 1: Truth and Lies
Sunny skated happily through Maretime Bay, a bright smile on her face as the sun shone down on the seaside village. With a small jump and a spin, she landed in front of her smoothie cart and started dragging it along.
“Good morning Dahlia! Morning Thunder!” She greeted the two with a smile, “Can I get you a smoothie? Fresh made ten minutes ago!”
“I’ll take one!” Thunder whinnied with a smile.
Sunny grabbed one with a hoof and tossed it to Thunder who grabbed it with a wing.
“Thanks Sunny!”
“No Problem!”
Sunny skated off, headed towards the Townsquare when she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Hey Sunny Bunny!” The cheerful voice shouted, “Sunny Bunny! Sunny Bunny!”
Izzy ducked in front of Sunny and the earth pony quickly stopped skating.
“Izzy! I almost hit you!”
“Sorry! I’ve just got big news! Zipp has something you’re really gonna need to see!
***
“They tried to catch you in this?” Sunny asked, looking at the glue-covered net that was tangled in Zipp’s feathers.
“Yeah,” Zipp said, “And they woulda got me too if Pipp wasn’t there to catch me. I own ya one, sis.”
“No you don’t, any pegasus in the sky would have saved you at that moment,” Pipp said.
“Doesn’t mean I don’t owe you one.”
Sunny studied the net as she pulled it off of Zipp.
“This sure isn’t Canterlogic technology,”
“And it’s nothing that the Unicorns could make either.” Izzy chimed in.
“That must mean…” Sunny gasped, “Another town? Where they haven’t been informed that Pegasi and Unicorns aren’t to be feared?”
“That was my guess,” Zipp said, pulling the last bit of mesh from between her feathers, “Ugh, I’m gonna have to wash the glue off.”
“If that’s true then we can’t just leave them in the dark!” Sunny stated, standing up her eyes gazing confidently out at the horizon, “We need to go help those ponies!”
“Yeah! And show them friendship!” Izzy chimed in.
“We should get Hitch, can’t leave any friends behind,” Sunny said.
“Isn’t he busy with sheriff work?” Zipp asked
Sunny thought for a moment then gently shook her head, “Oh, I’m sure he has time to spare.”
***
“How long will it take Sunny?” Hitch asked.
“We don’t know, but everything is calm right now and it seems things are fine.” Sunny responded.
“I guess you’re right, but why do you need me to come? Aren’t you four enough?”
“The group’s not complete without you Hitch.”
Hitch smiled, happy to be appreciated, “Alright, let’s get going.”
***
The five ponies stood in front of the town, yelling could be heard from within it.
“Either somepony else stumbled in, or they are panicking because of Zipp,” Pipp said.
“Sunny you should go see,” Zipp suggested.
“Alright,” Sunny said, stepping forward and towards the town, she headed into the square.
“Hey! What’s going on here?!” Sunny shouted.
Ponies looked up at her first anger and fear in their eyes, then calm. In the center of all the ponies was a Unicorn filly.
“They keep on shouting at me! I don’t know why! I’m an earth pony! I’ve lived here my whole life!” The filly said.
Sunny scanned over the town, “Why? Why yell at those who can be our friends? Why try to shoot my friend out of the sky? Everypony needs to calm down.”
“She’s a unicorn!” A pony in the crowd shouted.
“You think I am because of my horn right?!” The little filly said, voice growing desperate, “Well then I’ll prove I'm an earth pony!” She lifted her head to the sky and scraped her horn across the ground, breaking it off. She looked up to the crowd, tears in her eyes but trying to smile.
“Leave it be, it’s not a threat anymore,” A couple of ponies murmured as they began to walk away.
“Lily Sparkle!” The filly called out to a purple mare with a deep blue mane.
The mare looked at the filly with regret, then turned away. Sunny’s eyes slimmed and she stared angrily at the townsponies.
“HEY!” She shouted at the ponies, many of them looking over at her, “Get your flanks back over here this second!” She shouted.
“Why should we?” One of the ponies asked, “You aren’t the boss of us.”
“In the name of Twilight Sparkle just listen for a second!” Sunny shouted.
“In the name of Applejack don’t mention that Unicorn in our town!” One townspony shouted back.
“For Twilight's sake! My goodness, you are stubborn.” Sunny snorted, clicking the back of her front hooves together. In a spark of light her magical wings and horn appeared, she flapped her wings lifting herself in the air, “Listen to me ponies!” She shouted gesturing for her friends to step forward. And they did, Zipp and Pipp flying to Sunny’s side holding Izzy and Hitch in their hooves.
A couple of ponies pointed and one pulled out a slingshot, “Get the Earth Pony away from those creatures,” They said, gesturing to Hitch.
“What!? No thanks! I’ll stay with my friends!” Hitch said crossing his front hooves angrily.
“Hey, Hitch?” Zipp said, “could you maybe not move, it's already hard enough to fly while holding somepony.”
“Oops, sorry Zipp,” Hitch said, scratching his head with a single hoof nervously.
“Hitch that’s still movement,” Zipp said, readjusting.
“You wanna talk about- umph, movement Zipp?” Pipp asked, bobbing up and down as Izzy squirmed around in her hooves, “Izzy doesn’t know what the word still means.”
“I do!” Izzy said, “I just like moving!” She said, then stuck a single hoof in her mane and pulled out a fake horn, “Here Hitch, they don’t like Unicorns,” She said handing it to the Stallion as Pipp struggled to stay in the air.
Hitch stuck the horn in his mane, “There see, I’m a Unicorn now, and I’m staying with my friends.”
The earth ponies stared at him like he’d gone crazy.
“Don’t bother with that one he’s clearly gone mad, but that’s something we can fix, get the ones with wings first,” one said.
Sunny landed on the ground and her friends did as well. She walked up to the townsponies, and they took multiple steps back.
“What do you want from us!?” One of them yelled.
Sunny sat down and pulled her journal out of her bag, “I just want to talk.” She said, her wings and horn fading, “But to do that I need your attention.”
A tall mare walked forward and loomed over her, “Who are you?” She asked.
“I am Sunny Starscout of Maretime Bay,” She said, standing up and holding out a hoof. The pony shook it.
“Hello, Miss Starscout. Welcome to Appleton Village,” The pony said, “I am Jazz Apple Jam.”
“Nice to meet you,” Sunny said, “These are my friends, she said turning around to find Izzy Pipp, and Zipp being held down by multiple ponies, “Hey!” She shouted, “Let go of them!”
The ponies shook their heads and carried the three into the crowd. Jazz Apple turned Sunny to face her again.
“Miss Starscout, do you know what happened between the three pony breeds.”
Sunny looked at the Pony, anger in her eyes at first, then a glint of curiosity, “N-no, I just know that we were all once friends,” Sunny said, a small part of her intrigued.
“We have the real history here, and it is true, Unicorns Pegasi and Earth Ponies were once great friends.” Jazz Apple said, starting to lead Sunny through the town.
“And they can be again,” Sunny said.
“I wish that were true, but the reason we split apart all leads back to a harmful thing, that can never be forgiven.”
“What do you mean?”
“I assume you know the tales of ancient Equestria, the legends of Celestia, Luna, Discord, Cadence, and Princess Sparkle?”
“I do.”
“Well, this is the one no one has told you,” The pony said, leading Sunny into a museum, she pointed at a mural that showed Twilight happy with her friends, “Twilight Sparkle and her friends were very close, and they ruled ancient Equestria together for many years. Her friends all represented different elements that made up harmony. Kindness, Laughter, Magic, Loyalty, Generosity, and the ever-important Honesty.”
“I know, they were the Guardians of Friendship.”
“Yes, but it didn’t last,” Jazz said, leading Sunny to another mural, this one was cracked and worn, “behind the backs of her friends Twilight decided to create the Unity crystals. The issue was to store magic, you must gain it, and to do so she gathered magic secretly from the ponies of Equestria.”
“Twilight would never do that, it makes no sense.”
“I haven’t told you why yet. You see, Twilight fell in love, but the pony she fell for was sick, without the magic of an Alicorn they wouldn’t last.”
Sunny stared at the mural, a dark blue unicorn laying in the bed surrounded by clouds of darkness sat at the center. “She could just give them some of her magic couldn’t she?”
“Perhaps, but Twilight herself was not as strong as many Alicorns of the past. So she took the magic, but eventually, ponies began to notice, and as they noticed they began to blame each other. They would never suspect their princess, none of them would. None but Applejack, she discovered Twilight's secret and called her out. But it was too late, and even if the ponies wanted to be friends they knew they could be no longer. Twilight was the key to the friendship, and thus they went their separate ways. And that is how it has been for generations since.”
“But what happened to Twilight?” Sunny asked.
“Some say she still lives on with her lover, others believe she passed long ago. But either way, the citizens of Appleton want nothing to do with it.”
“Twilight wouldn’t lie!” Sunny defended her idol.
“Even the mighty can falter miss Starscout, she was bound to fall to darkness over time, whether from this or something else.”
Sunny set a hoof against the mural, it was cold, and made of stone.
At that moment Hitch ran into the building, “Sunny!” he shouted I got Izzy Pipp and Zipp! Let’s go!”
Sunny turned not moving for a second then ran towards him. The ponies made it back to the town entrance. The little unicorn filly they had seen before still sat there.
Sunny looked over to the filly and beckoned her friends to speak to her alongside her.
“Hey, little filly, are you okay?” Sunny asked.
The filly turned to Sunny and her friends, looking at Izzy she squeaked, “AH! A Uni- oh, wait, I’m one of those.” The filly said solemnly, “You’re an earth pony, why don’t you run from me?”
“Because I’m friends with a Unicorn and two pegasi. This is Izzy-”
“Hiya!” Izzy interrupted.
“Hitch,” Sunny said gesturing to the stallion. Hitch waved.
“Zipp.”
“Heyo,” Zipp said.
“And Pipp.”
“Hi there.” Pipp waved with a smile.
“My friends. And I’m Sunny, what’s your name?” Sunny asked
“I’m Fallen Starshine, but you can just call me Star.” The filly responded.
“Alright, hi Star, come with us, we’ll bring you somewhere safe.”
“I can see you’re nervous,” Izzy said softly, sitting beside Star, “But we’re here to help you, and spread the magic of friendship and love to your town.”
“Magic?”
“Yeah, magic! Physical magic like spells and flight is cool, but the real magic is everypony coming together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah! Really! When we all come together in harmony we create magic that spreads far and wide!”
“All the ponies in my town hate magic, they make weapons and devices to ward off Unicorns and Pegasi.”
“Surely it must've been them who shot me down then,” Zipp said.
“Oh, that was you!? I’m so sorry! I shot that net. Are you okay?” Star said, worry sparkling in her eyes.
“I’m fine, Pipp caught me so the only hurt came from washing the glue off my feathers.”
“Everypony in Applewood hates Unicorns and Pegasi, We were celebrating shooting you down when the hat I always wear fell off. I didn’t know why Lily Sparkle always had me keep it on before, but now…”
“Who is that Lily Sparkle, did she know you were a Unicorn?” Sunny asked.
“I can’t imagine she didn’t, but I don’t know why she never kicked me out until today.”
“Maybe she sees that Unicorns and Pegasi are friends like we do!” Izzy chimed.
“But then why would she leave me now?” Star asked.
“Sometimes ponies do things they’ll regret when surrounded by ponies they want to stay on the good side of. It doesn’t justify what she did, but it might be why she did it.” Hitch said.
“But Lily Sparkle’s like an older sister to me! She’s the only family I have,” Star whinnied, “She’s defended my actions before, why would she abandon me now?”
“Sometimes you trust ponies, and they break that trust,” Izzy said, setting a hoof gently on Star’s shoulder, “It stings, I know, but you can’t choose which ponies will be kind to you, just hope you choose to befriend the nice ones,” Izzy said, looking at Sunny, eyes glowing gently, a smile on her face.
“Don’t give up hope Star!” Pipp said.
“Yeah! We’re not giving up on your town, we can teach them friendship!” Zipp said.
“We can teach them love,” Sunny said.”
“And we can help you,” Hitch said, looking Star in the eyes.
Star looked up at the ponies that surrounded her, still holding her broken horn with a single hoof, “You’d really do that all for me?” She asked.
“Really,” Sunny said, “But first let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 2: Friendship Never Ends
Sunny and her friends stepped into Maretime bay, Star following at their tail, she was nervous, looking at the townsponies with fear, but they waved at her and a little unicorn filly trotted up beside her.
“Hi, there! You must be new! I’m Jinx!” She said, holding out a hoof in greeting.
“I’m Star,” Star said nervously.
“Well welcome to Maretime Bay, Star!” Jinx said, “Not to be rude, but what happened to your horn? Did somepony hurt you? Are you alright?”
“Oh uh, well,” Star slowed her trot a little, getting nervous, Izzy darted back and trotted beside her and Jinx.
“There was an incident in her town, but she’s gonna be okay. She's tough,” Izzy said to Jinx, smiling at Star.
Star smiled back, she liked Izzy, she was sweet and kind but also willing to speak up.
“Yeah,” Star said.
“Does it hurt, I really hope it doesn’t, that would feel just awful,” Jinx said.
“Not anymore, it did when it happened, but it’s okay now,” Star said.
“Well that’s good, I won’t prod you with any other questions, you’re with Sunny so I’m sure you’re busy,” Jinx said, trotting off to hang out with her friends.
Star continued walking until the six of them reached the Crystal Bright House. Sunny turned around, she looked distressed.
“Sunny? Are you alright?” Izzy asked, taking a step forward.
Sunny sat down, “I-I’m not sure,” She said, “After we started running I wasn’t thinking about what the mayor of that town said, but now it’s the only thing in my mind.”
“What did she say Sunny?” Zipp asked.
“Well…” Sunny began. She explained to her friends all that Jazz Apple had told her.
“Don’t be foolish Sunny, you know those are lies,” Hitch said.
“But the mural, I felt it, it was real, it depicted exactly what she said.”
“Okay and, even if it is true, which I doubt, are you really gonna let one fallen idol let you give up on your message?” Hitch asked.
“Hitch, everything I’ve done, everything I’ve said, all of it was because of her,” Sunny said, “If I’ve been following a false idol, a fake, a-a villain this whole time… then what does that make me?”
“A pony who wanted the best for the world, and did what she thought was right,” Zipp said.
“What if everything I did, or said, or tried was wrong? What if I’ve been following the goals of the villain this whole time?”
“It doesn’t matter what you did you did it out of love and friendship,” Pipp said.
“Yeah Sunny! If what you did was wrong, then why did magic return when you did it?” Izzy said.
“Because Twilight made the Unity crystals Izzy!” Sunny said, tears in her eyes, “I’m an Alicorn creation of her mistakes.”
Izzy took a small step forward, “Sunny…”
“Guys please just go help Star get settled in to stay here for a bit, I need some time to think. I’ll be in my room if you need me,” Sunny said, getting up and walking inside the Bright House.
Izzy watched Sunny go with sadness in her eyes, she turned to Hitch, “Do you think she’ll be alright?” She asked.
“I hope so,” He said, “C’mon Star, let's get you situated.”
***
Sunny sat in her room, tears in her eyes as she stared at the figurines that sat on the floor in front of her. Her father had carved them just for her. They were made of wood, with acrylic paint giving them their color. She picked up twilight with a single hoof.
“Surely not, you wouldn’t princess… would you?” She sighed, gently setting the figure on the ground and opening the blinds of her room with her mouth. She stared out at the seaside town she called home.
“When dad taught me about you I could only see the idol I looked up to. I guess I forgot that even princesses aren’t without their flaws,” Sunny sighed, staring at the backs of her front hooves, they were a little chipped. If she used her Alicorn form too much in a short amount of time she might bleed.
“Was this a warning, that all things that seem great have a dark side?” she wondered aloud.
“Not a warning, but rather a reminder not to take good things for granted,” Sunny heard a voice behind her say.
She turned, finding nothing but her figurines, “Who said that?!” She asked, looking around the room.
“Down here!” Another voice said.
Sunny then looked down at her figurines, they had moved. She looked at them closer.
“There you go Sugarcube.” Applejack spoke.
“Aah!” Sunny squeaked in surprise, jumping up.
“Woah Woah Woah! Calm down Starscout!” Rainbow Dash said, flying up to her, “We’re here to help you!”
“But-But! Your toys! How-what!?”
Twilight flew up to Sunny, “Sunny Starscout do you forget that you returned magic to Equestria. I and my friends are too far away to reach you, but I’ve cast a spell that will let us help you.”
“You’re Alive!?”
“Yes Darling, but it's a heavy price to pay,” Rarity said, still standing on the ground.
“We chose to stay alive to preserve magic within ourselves!” Pinkie Pie said.
“It was a hard decision but we knew it would allow us to stay together and help Equestria, and thus we chose this,” Twilight said.
Sunny trotted around the room, whinnying with amazement, “Wow wow wow! I can’t believe I actually get to meet you!”
“Not so upset now are ya Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“Well, how could I be? If you’re all still friends, then that means that Jazz Apple lied,” Sunny said.
“You should never trust an Apple who doesn’t trust other ponies.” Applejack said.
Sunny picked Rarity Pinkie and Applejack off the ground and set them on her windowsill, Fluttershy gently fluttered up to join them as Twilight and Rainbow landed.
“What do I do ponies?” Sunny asked, looking down at her idols.
“You need to find us, they will only believe Applejack,” Twilight said.
“Do you know the way from here? Sunny asked.
“Not really, but bring your Unicorn friends, she can sense ponies' magic. She just calls it their sparkle,” Twilight responded.
“But wait, she could sense it before we had magic,” Sunny said.
“Some magic is permanent, and even if the breeds separated, base magic remains in every pony, it’s what keeps you alive,” Twilight said.
“So magic wasn’t gone, just held back by a lack of friendship?”
“Held back by a lack of harmony between ponies,” Twilight said.
“Alright, so I need to bring Izzy if I want to find you?”
“You got it Sugarcube,” Applejack said with a smile.
Sunny grabbed her bag and opened it up, holding it close to the small ponies, “Alright then, hop in everypony,” She whinnied.
“Ride, in there?” Rarity asked with concern.
“Rarity, calm down Sugarcube,” Applejack said, holding the bag open, “Look, it’s nice, clean, and tidy in there.”
Rarity sighed with relief and the six ponies got into the bag. Sunny gently put the bag on and left the flap open.
“Alright ponies, get situated, cause we’re going,” Sunny whinnied, trotting out of her room and over to the door of Izzys room. A hoofcrafted sign on the door read, “Welcome to Izzy’s Hollow, a bit of Bridlewood in Maretime Bay” Sunny knocked on the door.
“Izzy!” She called, “I need your help, it’s something super important.”
“Just a second Sunny!” Izzy called from within, some tussling was heard and the sound of scattered papers sounded off the walls. Izzy opened the door, “What do ya need Sunny?” Izzy asked, she looked frazzled, her hair an unkempt mess strewn with flowers, “Oh and don’t mind my hair,” She said, noticing that Sunny was staring, “I tried to do flowerbraiding, but I’m pretty sure you can tell it didn’t turn out too well,” She said with a giggle, “So again, what can I do for ya?”
“You know that special little trick of your’s, the one with ponies’ sparkles?”
“Yeah? Would you like to know something about it?”
“Actually, I need your help.”