“Opaline, Opaline!!”
Misty ran through the dark corridors of the castle at a speed that would have made even the fastest of pegasi jealous. She had a huge smile on her face as she did so, feelings of accomplishment and excitement encasing her entire being. She couldn’t wait to show the dark alicorn her latest accomplishment and she knew that this was the day Opaline would finally be proud of her.
It had taken a long time and so many sleepless nights of elaborate planning. She had to scale the walls of the Crystal Brighthouse, evade the prying eyes of that meddlesome pegasus Zipp, who always seemed to have it out for her. She had to creep around each room carefully, making sure none of the other ponies woke up. She had to sing him back to sleep after he almost started crying and ruining everything.
But despite all that, in spite of all the odds that plagued her that very night, Misty had finally done it. She had finally successfully dragonnapped Sparky Sparkeroni, the one source of the most potent magic in Equestria, and the very creature whose absence rendered Opaline powerless to take back what was hers.
So Misty ran with Sparky in hoof and she admired how much of a heavy sleeper the baby dragon turned out to be the whole way there. In spite of all her shouting and cheering, he didn’t wake up once. Not even as her hooves made loud clip clop sounds on the floor did he even stir.
Perhaps she was a good singer after all.
As she neared the throne room, she felt a brief twinge of remorse for what was inevitably going to happen in the morning. Her friends…no, those meddlesome ponies would discover Sparky missing in the morning and go into a panic. But deep down, she promised herself that she would return him once his magic was drained. Once she got her cutie mark and Opaline finally realized how much she truly needed her, Misty would return Sparky and explain everything. Even if she had to spend nights in Hitch’s sheriff office locked in a jail cell, she would do the right thing.
After all, she didn’t have to worry about staying there long term. Opaline would soon come and bail her out, remarking on how much she frequently got herself into trouble. They would laugh over it and once Opaline took her rightful place on the throne, Misty would become a princess too! She would be showered with all the love and attention in the world and she would finally feel like she belonged somewhere.
Family was a weird concept for Misty. After all, she barely knew hers. Opaline’s had found her when she was a small filly and raised her in the Dark Castle for most of her life. The alicorn was the only mother Misty ever knew in her whole life. She wasn’t the best as she yelled at her a lot and ordered her around, but for all she knew, that was just how family was. For all she knew, parents yelled at their foals all the time and put them down.
So then why did she desire for anything more? It was a strange paradox that she never got. She always desired the affection of Opaline, but she didn’t even know what that felt like. The only taste she got of what was considered a “normal life” was with those other five ponies. For some reason, the way they treated each other felt different to how she was treated on a daily basis. They would smile, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. They would tell stories and sing songs together. It felt like bliss.
Of course, she knew that those ponies were the enemy. No matter how nicely they treated her, it didn’t matter. No matter how kind Izzy was to her, it didn’t matter. The fact that Pipp stuck up for her and took the blame didn’t matter. The only pony who mattered was Opaline and helping out with her plan. She had fun at the Brighthouse, but it was time to fulfill her destiny and take her place beside the one true Queen.
Her one true family.
With a determined smile and a regained resolve, she pushed open the doors to the throne room, feeling the cold air around her cheer her on as she stepped purposefully into the chamber. The cold, stuffy air of the throne room used to scare her, but now it was a companion. It was her cheerleader, egging her on with every step she took.
This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life.
“Hey, Opaline!” Misty called out, “Look what I found!”
The dark purple alicorn breathed a heavy sigh of exasperation upon hearing her dimwitted henchpony’s voice. Opaline was an imposing figure and all who she commanded took her seriously before she was defeated and sealed away from Equestria by Princess Twilight Sparkle. She stepped from her throne towards the blue unicorn like an exhausted mother would when dealing with a small foal, her deep blue eyes narrowing down at her subordinate.
“Misty,” Opaline lectured her, “If you’re going to make an entrance, at least make it subtle. You know I would rather not see you. This better be important information or I will not hear it. I have no time for your silly antics.”
Misty grinned. “Well, are you ready to see the surprise of your life? It did take me a while as I did have to draw up some secret battle plans, buuuuuuuuuut-“
“JUST GET ON WITH IT, MISTY!!!!”
Picking up Sparky from her back, Misty held up the baby dragon for Opaline to see, beaming from ear to ear. “Presenting, your ultimate salvation!!”
Opaline gasped. “That dragon!! How ever did you do it, Misty?”
“Been a long time coming, I know,” Misty explained, “But I finally pulled it off last night! You will not believe how elaborate the stunt was. There was the blueprinting, the sneaking around, singing the dragon a lullaby, more sneaking around, and finally, my daring escape! I barely made it out alive!”
Misty was so proud of herself that she didn’t even notice the fact that Opaline wasn’t even paying attention to her. She had taken Sparky, who was just beginning to wake up, and started to bounce the dragon around from hoof to hoof like a ball. Sparky cooed and gurgled in response. She smiled evilly and held him up with her magic.
“You brilliant filly,” Opaline congratulated her, “I am so proud of you. You’ve given me the means to which I can finally exact my revenge on Sunny Starscout and her friends. And finally take their magic.”
Misty never thought that she’d hear those words in her life. She swallowed back tears of joy as she did not want to seem weak in front of Opaline. Not now. Not when this was her moment of triumph. Instead she smiled shyly as this was the only way she could contain her emotions. When Opaline set Sparky down on the floor, Misty started bouncing up and down in anticipation despite the fact that she wanted to contain her emotions just a second ago. She couldn’t help it. She was just so excited and nervous at the same time.
“Soooooooo, what does this mean? What does this mean? Cutie mark time? I mean, there’s no rush of course, but if we could do that, that would be great, you know. You know?” Misty had to admit, she was terrible at keeping her emotions in check.
Opaline glanced at her. “Yes, yes. I suppose you have earned it. After all, this was what I wanted from you. Our invasion shall begin at dawn!! Come here, Misty. Let me see what I can do.”
Eagerly, Misty ran up to where Opaline was standing, skidding to a halt mere inches away in order to avoid crashing into her and ruining the moment.
Opaline put her hoof up in thought. “Now let’s see…ah! I got it. Hold still, Misty. You’ll feel a brief pinch and that’s it.”
“Oooooooooh, it’s finally happening! IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING!!” Misty exclaimed with unfiltered enthusiasm. She stood where she was obediently as Opaline’s horn began to glow light purple. She shut her eyes tight, imagining the places she could go and what her cutie mark might be. She wasn’t skilled at many things, but maybe the spell would magically make her good at something? She didn’t know. She thought of a mouse as she got attached to the one that Opaline used to spy on the ponies, or maybe a tiara as representative of her status as Opaline’s number #1 assistant. She thought of a dragon symbol as she was got along well with Sparky. Or maybe a music note as she sang Sparky to sleep. No, a bird. Birds were graceful. No, a tree! Trees looked nice and a palm tree would look good on her, she thought.
After a couple seconds, she could no longer hear the sounds of Opaline’s horn. She opened her eyes, checked her flank, and saw…
Nothing.
She checked the other side of her flank and still...
Nothing.
“I…don’t understand,” Misty was trying to comprehend the situation. This was supposed to be it! This was supposed to be the moment she got her cutie mark! This was supposed to be the moment she would be normal! What was going on?
Opaline stood there with a cruel smirk on her face, watching her check every inch of her body several times. “Cutie marks only go on flanks, Misty. There’s no need to check your forehead.”
“But…but…” Misty shook her head. “You told me that I could finally have my cutie mark! Does it…take a while to appear?”
Opaline rolled her eyes. “Yes, it takes 48 hours, I CAN’T GIVE YOU YOUR CUTIE MARK, MISTY!!!”
With those words, Misty felt the entire world collapse in on her, the one thing she had hoped for her entire life disappearing like breath on a mirror. Opaline had lied? No, she would never do that. She wouldn’t. She valued her, she loved her! Sure, she was a bit cruel at times, but that was because she wanted what was best for her, right? Right?!!
“You…what…?”
“Cutie marks are meant to be earned, Misty,” Opaline told her, “I don’t know why you did not receive one during your many escapades outside the palace, but nopony can give you a cutie mark.”
“But…you told me-“
Opaline cackled heartily. “And you believed that?! You’re even dumber than I thought you were! I thought eventually you would realize the truth and never bring it up again, but clearly you did not. It’s no wonder I was able to manipulate you with that in the first place.”
“But…the spell,” Misty tried, “You told me it was a simple pinch and that’s it. You knew the spell-“
“I made that up, Misty,” replied Opaline, “It’s very easy to pretend to cast a spell. Just light up your horn and stop one second later. And your eyes were closed so you didn’t even see me do it. You’re so naïve.”
Misty took several steps back, trying to wrap her head around what she was hearing. The entire reason she did anything for Opaline was a lie. Everything she ever believed was a lie. She felt tears come to her eyes again, but this time, they weren’t tears of joy, but of sadness. She wasn’t getting her cutie mark. She would never be special. She was never special.
Opaline scoffed. “Oh please, don’t tell me you’re about to cry. If you’re going to do it, do it in your room. You knew this was coming since the moment I first promised you.”
Misty blinked back tears. “I…did everything for you…”
Opaline cocked her head. “Yes, and?”
“I DID EVERYTHING FOR YOU!!!!” Misty shouted at the top of her lungs. She had never felt so betrayed in her life. In fact, she had never felt betrayal before. She had been played the entire time and there was nothing she could do about it. For so many years, she had devoted her life to Opaline’s cause, pushing away any doubts she might’ve had because in her mind, helping the pony she came to call her mother was all that mattered. However, in the end, it was all a lie. She felt the air around her constrict her more than normal, her thoughts turning into a jumbled mess as anger replaced all rational reasoning.
Opaline was stunned into silence for a moment. She had never heard Misty raise her voice before. She was always so soft-spoken and docile. But now before her stood a pony letting out all the emotions she had built up for her entire life.
“Misty, listen-“
“NO!! I DEVOTED MY LIFE TO HELPING YOU!!” Misty screamed. “YOU TOLD ME I COULD BE SPECIAL, YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU COULD MAKE ME SPECIAL!!!! YOU TOLD ME YOU WOULD MAKE ME FEEL LIKE I BELONGED SOMEWHERE BECAUSE I HAVE NO FAMILY!!! I CAME TO THINK OF YOU AS MY MOTHER!!!!”
“Misty, you should’ve known-“ Opaline began to say.
“I SHOULD’VE KNOWN WHAT?!!” Misty shot back, tears pouring out of her eyes, “I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING, MY LIFE, MY ALLEGIANCE, MY LOVE, AND YOU DON’T EVEN CARE!!! YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT ME, DO YOU?!! YOU NEVER LOVED ME!!!!”
“You think I ever cared about an insignificant little screwup like you?!!” Opaline yelled back at her, “You thought I actually loved you?!! How can anypony ever love you, Misty?!! You’ve been nothing but a thorn in my side since the moment I met you! I only kept you around so I could use you further when I should’ve disposed of you a long time ago!!!!”
Misty stopped yelling, once again stunned by the sheer ruthlessness that Opaline displayed. She looked down in shame, her ears flattened against her head. “So…it’s true, isn’t it? You never loved me…”
Opaline shook her head. “No Misty, I didn’t. I never did. I only saw you as a means to get what I want. And now, I have it. If I have to thank you for one thing, it’s that.”
Misty lifted her head up, her face once again displaying a look of anger. “Well, you don’t get to use me anymore. And you don’t get to have SPARKY EITHER!!!”
“Misty!!” Opaline yelled out, but it was too late as Misty dashed up and grabbed Sparky with her hooves, tossing the baby dragon onto her back. She made an attempt to run, but was immediately picked up in a purple magic bubble. She struggled as she was brought up close to Opaline’s face.
“Now you listen to me, Misty!!! I AM IN CONTROL!!! I CONTROL YOU!!! I CONTROL WHAT HAPPENS TO WORTHLESS BRATS LIKE YOU!!!”
She reared her head back and with a loud yell, she threw Misty as hard as she could against the wall. She crashed into it, falling to the floor with a sickening crunch to her bones.
Misty looked up in fear as Opaline approached her and began beating her over and over with her hooves. She sobbed as the alicorn delivered blow after blow to every part of her body. By the time Opaline was finished, Misty was reduced to a cowering, sobbing wreck. She curled up as her injuries began to bleed out, staining the ground.
“Tell me how sorry you are, Misty!! TELL ME YOUR LOYALTY IS TO ME!!!!!” Opaline yelled at her.
Mustering up all the strength she could, Misty slowly stood up and with one final glance at Sparky, ran out of the castle as fast as she could. She didn’t even know if Opaline was chasing her or not, but she dared not to look back. Her hooves were aching all over as she felt several bones had been shattered, but she prayed hard that she wouldn’t fall.
Once she was out of the castle, Misty lay on the grass, finally surrendering to her injuries as darkness enveloped her and she felt nothing.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
The Crystal Brighthouse was in a chaotic frenzy the very next day. Once Hitch had discovered that Sparky was missing, he immediately ordered a search for him. He paced all around the room as Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp checked every corner.
They checked under the bed. Still no sign of their beloved dragon. Sunny checked underneath the nightstand. No Sparky.
No matter where they checked, there was no sign of Sparky anywhere. The only piece of evidence they had was his special blanket that got left behind, which Zipp was examining closely.
“Maybe Sparky went downstairs,” Sunny suggested, “That’s always a possibility.”
“I agree with Sunny,” Zipp set the blanket down. “I scanned some of his DNA on the blanket, but he’s definitely not in here.”
Hitch nodded. “You’re right. We should probably check down in the closet or something. Let’s go, troops!”
They headed downstairs and checked all over the place. Again, Sparky wasn’t there.
“I think we might be…out of luck,” Pipp stated, “Just don’t go all capey and growly again. That was weird.”
Hitch shook his head. “Don’t worry, I won’t. But I will not rest until I find him. I’ll order a full town search. Sunny, you want to come help me?”
Sunny nodded. “Of course. I want to find him as much as you do. You all keep searching. Zipp, I need your detective skills on overdrive.”
“You got it, Sunny,” affirmed Zipp, “We won’t stop checking every inch of this place. If all else fails, I’ll go around town as I did for the lantern.”
Hitch opened the doors to go outside only to be greeted by none other than his former deputy-turned-war criminal Sprout Cloverleaf. He was carrying an unconscious Misty in his hooves.
“Sprout!” Hitch was surprised to see him. “You’re here! And you found…Misty?”
“Some medical ponies found her just outside of Maretime Bay,” Sprout explained, “She was bleeding all over and looked like she got a severe concussion. They asked me to take her to you first as you’re the sheriff, not me.” He said the last sentence with a hint of bitterness in his voice.
Hitch picked up on it immediately. “Ah you know why that is, don’t you, Sprout? Give her to me. I’ll put her upstairs. Sunny, get me some towels to wipe off the blood. She’s still bleeding out.”
Sunny nodded again and headed back inside only to appear moments later with some towels. “Thank you, Sprout. We’ll take it from here.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————————
Misty was jolted awake by a stinging sensation in her right hoof. She fluttered her eyes open and saw the ponies she had met standing over her with looks of concern on their faces. Izzy in particular seemed the most concerned and looked like she had been crying. She instantly brightened up upon seeing that she was okay.
“Misty!! Oh thank goodness! I didn’t want to lose my only unicorn friend!!” Izzy exclaimed, “Come here, you!” She leaned in for a hug, but was stopped by Hitch.
“Hold up,” Hitch advised her, “She’s very weak. We just applied the bandages, remember? The last thing we want is for her to be broken again.”
“What happened?” Sunny asked. “Misty, are you okay?”
Misty shook her head, tears coming to her eyes again. “No…I’m not. I’m so sorry! This is all my fault!!”
“All your fault?” Zipp inquired, “What are you talking about?”
“The lantern, Sparky going missing, all of it!” Misty admitted. “My last name isn’t Brightdawn, I didn’t come from Bridlewood, and I took Sparky, I did all that to finally get my cutie mark and be somepony special for once!!”
Izzy had a hurt expression on her face as she processed all of this. “What are you saying, Misty? You lied? About everything?”
“Yes!” Misty let it all spill out. She didn’t care what they thought of her or what they did to her in response. She just wanted to die. “That’s why I didn’t know the words to your sleepover song and why I was so nervous around all of you! I worked for Opaline! She has Sparky now and it’s all my fault! I’m sorry.”
“So my suspicions were correct,” Zipp realized. “I was right to not trust you. I never should’ve doubted my instincts.”
“Now hold on,” Sunny interjected, “There’s gotta be more going on here. Misty, you mentioned you worked for Opaline, the pony Princess Twilight Sparkle told us about in her message. Why’d you stop? And above all, why are you telling us all this now?”
“Because she lied…” Misty said, wiping her tears with her free hoof, “She lied to me for years. I did all this because she told me that she could make me special, that only through her could I be special. I’m sorry about everything. Especially you, Izzy…Please don’t be mad at me…”
Izzy took a few deep breaths, swallowing back her own tears. “I-I…I don’t blame you, Misty. I-I just need some time…” With that, she trotted out of the main room, sniffling.
Sunny started to go after her, but Hitch stopped her. “Don’t. Let her deal with this news alone. She’ll be more ready to talk later.”
“I see now…” Misty whispered, “I threw all my potential friendships and opportunities away for what? For something I was never going to get no matter how hard I worked? Opaline was right. I really am worthless. Nopony can be that stupid except for me…”
“No,” Sunny out her hoof gently on Misty’s shoulder. “Misty, you fell into the wrong crowd. You were raised to believe what you were doing was right. Nopony faults you for that. You’re not worthless. You were manipulated and groomed. Opaline was behind everything, including the mirror me thing. I feel played too.”
“Wait, it happened to you too? What did she tell you?” asked Misty.
“She told me that being an alicorn was the only way I would ever be listened to by the ponies of Maretime Bay,” Sunny said sadly, fighting back tears of her own. “She told me that only through her could I be special. Looks like we’re not so different, you and I.” She faced Hitch, an expression of anger there. “I’m going to smash that mirror. Enchantment, my flank.”
“Sunny, we could use it to find Opaline,” Zipp countered, “You can smash it after we get Sparky back, but right now, we need all the resources we can get.”
Sunny calmed down. “Fine. But if that damned alicorn dares to contact me again, I will do it. Nopony can stop me.”
“Oh we believe you, Sunny,” Hitch said, “We believe you. Just try to hold onto it until this is done.”
They all faced Misty, a mutual look of understanding present as they looked at her. They were angry, but unlike Opaline’s rage, this anger felt contained and there was empathy mixed in there as well.
“You’ve been through a lot,” Hitch stated, “So I will not punish you as I did Sprout if that’s what you’re wondering. You will stay here and work with us to help find Sparky. Afterwards…you may choose your own path. You can stay here and be one of us, or strike out on your own and find your own destiny.”
Misty nodded slowly. “Thank you…I don’t deserve your kindness, nor do I think I ever will…”
“Everypony deserves a second chance if they’re willing to repent,” Sunny added, “I understand where you’re coming from, Misty, more than most. We will find Sparky. We’ll rescue him. And then, we’re gonna kick that alicorn’s flank.”
“You belong here, Misty,” Zipp finished. “We’ll give you the life you deserve. But first, rest up and recover. When you’re ready, the real work begins.”
It was there, on that bed, in that very bedroom, that Misty realized that she did have a purpose. She was not worthless. Did she really mess up and potentially doomed Equestria? Yes. But she was willing to give it her all to correct that mistake. No matter what. It would take a long time to mend the trust she broke, but ultimately, this was her mess that she had to correct. She would mend the broken scars, no matter how much time they took to heal.
She was no longer the scared, broken, and abused young mare who left Sparky in the clutches of the evil tyrant Opaline the other night. She was Misty Brightdawn. She was somepony.
And she was going to save Equestria or die trying.
Author's Note
Yeeeeaaah, that got pretty dark, didn’t it? Ultimately, this is how I perceive this encounter going down if we look at it from a realistic standpoint. The relationship between Opaline and Misty is obviously abusive and toxic and I cannot commend the writing staff enough for daring to put this kind of dynamic in G5. It’s one of the reasons I love Chapter 2 so much as it’s not afraid to tackle real serious issues that FIM did not tackle in its first season due to it still trying to find its footing. Obviously in the actual show, this revelation will definitely be much more toned down for young audiences, but the point still stands. Misty is a character with so much potential and I wanted to write some sort of a resolution to this story arc of hers and how I think this plotline would play out.
Whether you all are okay with my tendencies to go dark and gritty with nearly everything I write remains to be seen, but I think it fits here at least. There is literally no way I can see from a realistic standpoint that Opaline would not perform this act of physical abuse on Misty as she’s always seen the timid unicorn as nothing but a useless subordinate that she can crush the moment she steps out of line. I just hope the show writers do it justice.
Anyways, feel free to leave feedback on what you think and you know me: If this story does well, a sequel will be on the way as the stage has already been set. This only the beginning of the Misty Saga. Thanks! 
