Purpose

Chapters

Chapter 3: Past - Dishonor
Chapter 4: Present - Purpose
Bonus Chapter: Future - Discovery
Chapter 1: Past - Betrayal
Chapter 2: Present - Guilt

Chapter 3: Past - Dishonor

“You don’t know anything about my wife, Father!!”

Star Collector stood defiantly in front of his father Alphabittle across the counter, refusing to back down. The grizzled unicorn stared back at his son with an intense glare. If looks could kill, then his expression would definitely be the one to do it.

The two stallions were having a standoff inside the Crystal Tea Room over the horrific scandal that had made local headlines around Bridlewood. During one of the traditional festivals, Star’s wife Moon Watcher had been unmasked as an earth pony and the village had been up in arms over it ever since. He had tried to defend her on multiple occasions, but it didn’t seem to matter. The other unicorns wanted him formally exiled and Alphabittle had immediately taken the case up with his son upon it being sent to him.

Star didn’t see why he needed to defend his marriage. He loved Moon for who she was and he disliked the notion that he had to only marry a unicorn among his tribe. They had met 6 years ago while he was taking a casual stroll in the forest and saved her from being eaten by a ferocious manticore. He had then personally disguised her and welcomed her into Bridlewood where he taught her all the traditions and customs of the town, the activities and rituals, and the dialect.

During this time, they had fallen in love and eventually got married, where they conceived a filly who they named Izzy Moonbow. Together, they raised her in an ideal and safe environment and soon enough, Moon had gotten pregnant with another foal. Star was over the lunar moon about this and young Izzy celebrated the fact that she was soon to have a little sister.

Star thought he could keep his family safe from persecution. He thought he could live a perfect life without anypony finding out what he had done.

However, he was wrong.

The other ponies were staring at them from all across the shop, momentarily putting aside what they were doing to watch the incoming spectacle. Nopony had ever been brave enough to challenge Alpabittle’s authority like this and win on top of it, so they were interested in seeing what would become of this familial scuffle.

“I know enough to tell you that we do not welcome earth ponies here!!” Alphabittle yelled at his son. “They are dangerous and you have put us all in mortal danger! Who knows what she could’ve been planning for two years straight?!”

“She’s not a monster!!” Star shot back. “I saved her life! I took care of her and nurtured her when she needed me! She told me that she doesn’t want to go back to Maretime Bay! She’s cut herself off from the other earth ponies! She’s one of us!!”

Alphabittle rolled his eyes. “Oh well, that explains everything now, doesn’t it?! No thought to what she could be doing behind your back or anything like that! You just trust her implicitly like a small filly would to a stranger!!”

“Father-“

“Star, no. Do you know how much you’ve jinxed us by inviting an earth pony into Bridlewood?! There’s a reason why we separated many moons ago! There is a reason why WE DON’T ASSOCIATE WITH THEM ANYMORE!!!!”

Star resisted the urge to apologize. Normally, he would do so if Alphabittle got this angry, but he chose not to this time. He knew Moon, and he was angry at his father for slandering the pony he loved simply due to her race. He didn’t know her, he didn’t want to know her. What did he know about finding true love?

“You don’t know her.” he stated angrily, stepping forward with his hoof in a defensive stance.

Alphabittle walked around the counter until he was in the same area as his son. Then he reared his hoof back and struck Star across the face as hard as he could, knocking him down to the ground.

The patrons gasped in horror as he did so. Never in their wildest imaginations did they ever think they would see their leader get physically violent. He was a grumpy stallion by nature, yes, but situations never escalated to the point where punches had to be thrown.

Star groaned and picked himself up, gritting his teeth from the pain. He stood up and faced his enraged father again.

Alphabittle’s eyes were full of pent-up fury that was barely concealed. “You’re a disgrace, son. You’ve brought dishonor onto the family!! You colluded with our enemies, made love with one of them, allowed her to give birth to a child with demon blood!!!!”

The crowd gasped again.

Star glared back at him. “It’s too late now. Both Moon and Izzy are members of this community. You’re really going to exile us and deny our child the future she deserves?! Deny our precious daughters lives due to situations beyond their control?! Let them grow up without parents to guide them, nurture them?! Love them?!!”

Alphabittle appeared to see some reason as his anger simmered a little bit, yet the authority he carried remained. “If you cared about that, then you shouldn’t’ve brought them into this world. Why didn’t you see this coming? You knew that your life with her could never last forever. Unicorns and earth ponies cannot be together. You know this. It was ingrained in you since birth!”

“I know,” Star replied. “But love can come from unexpected places. I love her, Father. She is my world. You cannot take her from me. If you want her, then you’re gonna have to kill me first.”

Alphabittle paced back and forth, his expression one of deep concern. “Oh no no no…My son is a traitor to his own kind…I don’t know what-This will reflect badly on my leadership of Bridlewood. Revolts will be inevitable…” He turned towards him again. “You’ve jinxed our family name, son!! Do you even realize what you’ve done?!”

“Do whatever you want with me,” Star told him firmly. “But please…leave my family out of this. They don’t deserve your wrath. Spare them and let them stay here.”

His father sighed deeply. “You know I cannot do that. We can’t have an earth pony living among us. The risk is far too great, and I’m not losing anything by banishing the curse on our lineage.”

“Then spare my daughters…please.”

Alphabittle shook his head over and over, putting his hoof to his head in some sort of prayer ritual. “Great Mother…forgive my son…H-he knows not what he’s done…the dishonor he’s brought on you…”

“Father…”

Finally, Alphabittle looked up at him one final time, tears brimming at the corner of his eyes. “Your new foal will not stay. Yet Izzy has already proven herself as a valuable member of our community, so she will. It is with great sadness and with a heavy heart…that I order your official banishment from Bridlewood.”

Star hung his head low, saying nothing.

“You will no longer be accepted into our tribe. You and Moon shall be cast out into the wilderness, forced to fend for yourselves without any food, water, or any means of survival. You may no longer return to our village, and if you even step one hoof here again, we shall have your head upon immediate entry. Henceforth, you are hereby stripped of your title as the Chief’s Son, and all responsibilities shall be lifted from you. You have one hour to prepare before I set the village upon you. You are no longer my son.”

Star nodded slowly, tears beginning to stream down his face as the reality of his situation became clear. “I understand…Alphabittle…”

Moon Watcher looked up, startled upon hearing the sound of the door slam open. She had been cradling her new foal in her hooves that she had delivered a couple hours ago beforehand. The baby was girl, a navy blue color with a tuft of blue and green hair. She still hadn’t decided on a name, electing to figure that out with her husband should he be able to sort out the situation.

She turned around and saw Star run inside as fast as he could, skidding to a halt upon seeing her with the foal. The two of them nuzzled each other for a solid minute before letting go.

“So…what happened at the Tea Room?” Moon asked, concerned. “Judging by that bruise, it doesn’t look like it went down all that well with ‘ol Daddio.”

Star shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. We’ve been exiled from Bridlewood and we have less than an hour to tell Izzy the news.”

Moon put her hoof to her mouth in horror. “Oh my poor Izzy. She’ll have to grow up without us. Why didn’t you request that she be taken with us, Star?”

“I asked Father to spare her and let her stay here,” Star replied. “I know it may seem harsh, but…a life here is better than one on the run. She deserves a future here. But first…” His expression changed from worry to a sad smile. “I wanna see the foal.”

Moon smiled back, revealing the small unicorn in her hooves. “Isn’t she adorable, Star? She shares a lot of my features!!”

Star chuckled. “So she’s momma’s girl then. Boy am I jealous. Have you decided on a name yet?”

“Still workshopping,” Moon admitted. “But…I was thinking something starting with the letter M, like my name!! Let’s see, we got Marcy…Minty…I don’t know, still haven’t figured it out yet.”

“Well you’ll have plenty of time to do that,” Star’s proud expression then changed back into a sad one as he stroked his new daughter’s head. “And she’ll have to grow up fast out there. It’s kill or be killed beyond Bridlewood.”

“Daddy?”

Both parents were interrupted from their conversation and turned to see an excited purple unicorn filly running down the stairs of the cottage with an excited smile on her face.

“Oh hey there, sweetie pie.” Star greeted her. “Guess what your mother just got for you today?”

Izzy looked confused, but then her eyes lit up with joy upon seeing the new foal. She gasped. “My little sister!!!! Eeeeeeeee!!!!” She ran over to her mother and snatched the foal away, holding and nuzzling it. “Ooooh!! I’m going to love you forever and ever!!!!”

Star and Moon both laughed at their daughter’s exuberant antics. They were happy for her, but also sad that her life was about to be uprooted beyond repair. They looked at each other worriedly and shifted uncomfortably in place.

Izzy looked at them, her expression changing to one of worry. “What’s wrong? Is she sick?”

Moon let out a deep sigh. “Sweetie…Daddy and I have to leave. And…we’re not coming back.”

And just like that, it was as if something had shattered within young Izzy that day, her entire life, worldview, and innocence gone with a snap. Her eyes filled with tears as she seemed to realize what was about to happen.

“No…” Izzy shook her head. “You’re lying! You’re not leaving, you can’t…” She sniffled, tears streaming down her face.

Moon walked towards her slowly. “Oh sweetie, it was not our choice. Alphabittle…he did this to us. You know we’d never intentionally abandon you.”

“What did I do, momma?!!” Izzy shrieked, burying her face in Moon’s hooves and sobbing uncontrollably. She stroked her daughter gently on the head, silently mourning with her.

Moon looked up at her husband again with tears of her own. “Somepony has to raise her. She’s too young to take care of herself. At least my baby will have me. Izzy will have nopony to be there for her…”

“Elder Flower.”

“What?”

“I stopped by her place before I came back here,” Star replied. “and told her about the situation…she’ll take Izzy in ‘till she’s old enough…”

“She agreed?”

Star nodded. “She always wanted a filly of her own who could share her love of history…”

Moon wiped her eyes, seemingly reassured by this news. She crouched down and looked the distraught Izzy in the eyes. “Sweetie, listen to me…I need you to be brave…you’re my brave filly. You need to be strong. This world is too cruel towards those who don’t fight back.”

“B-but I can’t…not without you…” Izzy sobbed. “I don’t know how to be brave…”

“I know, but you’ll have to learn fast,” Moon insisted. “You will have a hard time growing up as part earth pony. You will need to prove your loyalty to Bridlewood more than most…establish your place amongst the unicorn tribe.”

“B-b-but I need you, momma…”

“I’ll always be here with you, Izzy…No matter where you go, no matter where life takes you…I’ll always be with you. Right here.” She pointed towards the place where Izzy’s heart was. “You’ll never truly be without me…Your job now…is to bring honor to the family. Do you think you can do that, sweetie?”

Izzy sniffled. “I will, momma…I promise…W-when I grow up, I’ll stop at nothing to prove that earth ponies aren’t evil…I’ll find you one day, momma…I’ll bring you and Daddy home…”

Moon smiled sadly. “That’s my brave filly…no matter what happens to you in life…don’t ever lose that smile of yours…”

“I won’t, momma…”

Sensing her older sister’s distress, the foal began to cry as well and Moon had to sing her back to sleep. The two then embraced each other for what seemed like the last time. The hug lasted for about 3 minutes with both mother and daughter refusing to let go of one another. They both wanted to hold on to this moment for as long as they could, for they knew that they would never get this chance again.

All the while, Star watched this all go down in deep regret. It was at this point that he began to think that perhaps him being exiled wasn’t such a bad thing after all. He had helped to prop up a status quo built on persecution of other races regardless of the content of their character. He had been bred to lead a society filled with paranoia and distrust, and he wanted no part of it now.

At least once he was exiled, he would be freed from having to rule a village of deception and cruelty. The title of being the Chief’s Son meant nothing to him now, and he wasn’t sad to lose it. Alphabittle was a monster. He didn’t know what he was doing, yet he still acted like he knew everything. He knew nothing of the other races or who they were, yet he still managed to get between him and Moon.

He walked towards the window and looked outside. He saw a mob of unicorns gathering by the Tea Room, armed with pitchforks and knives. Alphabittle was giving a speech and slandering his name to the masses. All the while, Star could do nothing but wait for the inevitable.

He turned back towards his wife, who was still hugging Izzy and the foal. “They’re coming, Moon. We better get a head start if we’re to stay alive.”

Moon sighed, reluctantly letting Izzy go. The poor filly was still crying and shrieking and neither parent could do anything to tell her it was okay. She walked over to her husband and shut her eyes tight, praying to the heavens to spare their child of further heartache.

She opened her eyes again and looked at Izzy one last time, mouthing the words: I love you.

Izzy looked up, her eyes still red from crying. I love you too…

After saying their goodbye, Star and Moon headed outside of the cottage right in time to see a crowd of about fifty unicorns stampeding towards them with their weapons drawn. They wore angry expressions on their faces and some even began pelting stones and rocks at the couple as hard as they could.

At that, Star took off running with Moon following very close behind, the savage mob chasing them and chanting over and over to a sickening degree:

“TRAITORS!! TRAITORS!!! TRAITORS!!!! TRAITORS!!!”

The townsponies were on their tails with pitchforks and knives in their hooves and soon enough, fire had engulfed the forest as a result of how many were dropped. They chased after the couple with all the ferocity and anger of a pack of wolves. After all, they didn’t belong. He didn’t belong. After all, he was a traitor to his own kind. No unicorn would ever dare harbor an earth pony in his house for years, let alone marry her. It was unheard of.

Star and Moon ran through the forest as fast as they could, doing their best to evade the carnivorous townsfolk who only wanted their blood. It didn’t matter that they had already had a foal. Earth ponies were not allowed in Bridlewood and he knew this. Despite this, however, he had still chosen to betray his own kind by harboring one of their sworn enemies in his house. He had to suffer the consequences for his actions. It was either run or die.

Everything he had built for himself had come crashing down in an instant. Alphabittle wouldn’t have it. There was no trial, no jury, no verdict, no nothing.

Only death.

Moon held her newborn foal in her hooves as she raced with Star through the falling trees and flaming bushes. The screaming was intense as the crowd stampeded after them, chanting and hollering for she and Star’s execution. Her eyes were filled with fear as she struggled to keep up with her husband, clutching the baby tighter and tighter so as to not accidentally drop her in the ensuing scuffle.

Far behind the mob of ponies was none other than Izzy herself. She had run out of the house and chased desperately after her parents, begging them over and over not to leave her through sobs. She coughed and hacked as the fumes blew in her face, yet she still pressed forward. She couldn’t let the other unicorns do this. She had to be brave. She had to find them.

“Come back!!!” Izzy begged through sniffles and tears, sprinting as fast as her small hooves could take her. “Come back!! COME BACK!!!!!”

Eventually, the flames consumed the entire forest and the mob was gone, her parents along with them. She could no longer see them and they were lost to the fading sounds of screams and roaring fire. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing relentlessly once more as the fumes began to consume her entire being.

It wasn’t long before she began to feel tired and she passed out on the charred ground, letting the remaining mist and smoke engulf her whole.

The two forbidden lovers had been traveling for days. While they had successfully evaded the mob of unicorns, as they were too afraid of leaving Bridlewood to really put up a genuine effort, the stress of being on the run was beginning to take its toll on them. Their bodies ached all over and they longed for some rest.

Moon was the first to fall on the ground. She and Star were near a seemingly abandoned castle that stood tall and grand. It was an imposing structure and one that commanded authority. She would’ve used it for shelter, but she was too exhausted to move, and the building scared her.

“Is she safe?” was the first thing Star asked the moment he was sure that they were in the clear. He walked over to her, collapsing with exhaustion just as his wife had.

Moon nodded quickly. “Yes, she’s with me.” She held the foal in her hooves, stroking the tiny tuft of hair softly. “Oh my poor girl. My precious Misty.”

“That’s her name?” Star asked.

Moon nodded again. “The breeze is soft like her. When I look at her, I see a fog of evening mist after a long period of rain. It’s cold, but also soothing. Enemies can’t find you in mist as it’s too thick. She will be the cloud that blocks out the rampant paranoia of our tribes.”

Star felt tears come to his eyes. “That’s beautiful, honey. It fits perfectly. You know we have to leave her though. I can already sense Alphabittle and the townsponies coming to us. We have to leave her here.”

“No!” Moon cried, realizing at once what he was asking of her. “You cannot ask this! She’s a unicorn like the rest of them, she can live in Bridlewood!!!”

“They’ll never accept her,” Star countered. “They’ll call her worthless, they’ll call her a freak!! Do you really want this for her?! We can’t take her back to the village.”

Moon sighed. “When I breathed life into Misty, it was a promise of protection! I promised her no harm would come to her! YOU’RE TELLING ME TO ORPHAN HER!!!!”

“This will be better for her!!” Star yelled, “Alphabittle will never welcome us back and he won’t welcome her either!!” He looked her in the eyes. “Look, I got nothing. I got no plan. But I can protect our daughter, THAT I can do. We have to leave her. For her own protection.”

Moon began to weep softly at the prospect of leaving her first and only child. Sensing her mother’s heartbreak, the young Misty began to cry too.

Star held up his wife’s chin. “I know one thing. Wherever we go, this family is our fortress. She will be okay, Moon. She’ll grow up big and strong. She will…she will save Equestria and make us all proud. It won’t matter if she doesn’t know us. She’ll carry us within her wherever she goes. She’ll carry you inside her. We have to run.”

Moon sniffled, wiping her tears. “You’re right…it is best. I will be strong for her.”

As Star stood over her protectively, Moon got down and looked at her daughter one last time. “Now you listen to me, Misty. You’ve got your entire life to live. I need you with me, I need you to be strong. Strong heart, my little pony. Strong heart…Mommy loves you very much…”

Misty whimpered in response, reaching out with her tiny hooves to touch her mother. It seemed like even she knew this was the end.

After the small exchange, she stood up on all fours and took off with Star without looking back. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched Star’s right hoof. They didn’t know where they were going, but they would find a new place to live, far away from the persecution of their hometowns.

As he and Moon disappeared into the night, Star looked up uttered one last phrase into the starry canvas they called the sky, and one last prayer into the heavens:

“Goodbye, my daughter. Our hopes and dreams travel with you…”

Author's Note

Man this chapter was just heartbreaking to write. I…actually felt depressed for several hours after writing it due to how much this broke me. I don’t really have much to say other than, writing filly Izzy’s heartbreak and the whole exile thing was just too much for me. Let me know if you all enjoyed it and if you spot the big reveal. I think I might’ve just spoiled it right then and there in this chapter, but if you haven’t picked up on it yet, well…the next chapter will basically give it away. To those of you who have already called the reveal, let me know what you all think of this AU concept and whether or not it strengthens our core characters in your eyes.

As for me…I think I need the rest of the week off. See you all in the next chapter!

Chapter 4: Present - Purpose

Misty was awoken from her sleep by the sound of whimpering next to her, the dream she was currently having ripped away from her mind in an instant. She looked over to her right and saw Izzy softly crying, holding Señor Butterscotch close to her.

Wanting to comfort her, she reached out with a hoof and gently tapped Izzy’s own, alerting the other unicorn to her presence. Izzy’s eyes opened and she looked at Misty with tears in her eyes.

“Did I wake you…?” Izzy asked quietly.

Misty nodded slowly. “Yeah. Don’t worry about it though, it…wasn’t a good dream anyway. What’s wrong?”

Izzy took a shaky breath. “I dreamt about them, Misty…the day they abandoned me. I still remember it all…”

“Your parents?”

A short nod was all that she got in response.

Misty felt horrible. She had essentially forced Izzy to relive all that trauma by asking her about what her upbringing was like. It didn’t help that for some reason that she couldn’t pinpoint, she had the same vision as well. It was a bit fuzzier for her, but she could’ve sworn that she remembered being carried in a silver earth pony mare’s hooves while the Bridlewood Forest was on fire.

It felt strange to her that she and Izzy had the exact same dream at the same time, more so because Misty had never even thought about where she came from up until this point. Perhaps the lavender unicorn opening up about her past was what triggered the memory within both of them.

“I’m sorry…” Misty apologized. “I…I-I shouldn’t’ve brought it up. But since we’re on the topic, I…I had the exact same dream too, Izzy.”

Izzy seemed surprised at this. She sat up in bed and looked at her. “You had the same dream? But how? You weren’t there. You didn’t come from Bridlewood.”

“I must’ve,” Misty replied, sitting up as well. “It’s a bit blurry for me, but…I was there…being held by your Mom as a foal…there was fire erupting all around us and…she and your father barely got me out alive.”

“I…don’t understand…” Izzy shook her head, clearly confused. “The only foal that Mom was holding when she and Dad got chased out was my baby sister. Unless…” She shook her head, refusing to believe it.

Misty shared the same feelings as her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing either. It all made sense, but she wasn’t entirely sure just yet. “Izzy…your little sister. What was her name? Did it start with the letter M?”

“I did overhear Mom rattling off some names from my room…” Izzy admitted. “Some names included…” She scratched her head as she tried to remember. “I think I heard ‘Marky’ and ‘Minty’…I’m not sure which one came first though. Why?”

Misty took a deep breath as she braced to tell her. “Izzy, this is going to sound crazy, but…there’s something I have to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Misty threw the sheets off of her and climbed out of bed, motioning for Izzy to follow her. The other unicorn did so and trailed behind her until they were in the center of the room. Misty took a deep breath and looked at her squarely in the eyes.

“I remember all of it now,” Misty told her. “Our last day together as a family, the way we all hugged each other, the mob chasing us as we fled Bridlewood, your Mom holding me tight all throughout the ordeal…I remember it, Izzy.”

“Wait,” interrupted Izzy skeptically. “You can’t possibly remember all that. You couldn’t’ve been there with me unless you were…” She trailed off, her eyes widening with shock.

“Yes, Izzy,” Misty said, smiling happily for the first time in a long time. She couldn’t believe it either, but it was true. It was really true! It all made sense to her now. Fate had guided her towards this moment. It was destiny. “We were all there together. I was the foal that your Mom gave life to. I’m…your little sister!”

Izzy looked back at her in utter shock, eyes filling with tears. “I knew you looked familiar from the moment I met you…the color of your coat, the mane…but how?”

“Our parents left me outside of Opaline’s castle after traveling for days,” Misty explained, the memories flooding back to her. “That was where she found me and took me in…she raised me until I was old enough to be sent on missions. My mission to spy on you ponies was when I met you. I understand now. Fate let me survive that cold winter night when I wasn’t meant to, so it could one day reunite me with you. We were destined to reunite, Izzy. I’m home.”

Izzy wiped tears that were falling from her eyes. “I was feeling lonely since moving to Maretime Bay…I asked our gods for help one night.” She smiled, her first genuine smile in so long as well. “Misty…they sent me you!!”

With this news, the two unicorns ran towards each other as fast as they could and enveloped one another in a warm embrace, refusing to let go. Izzy wrapped her hooves around Misty and sobbed into her shoulder, overwhelmed with emotion upon realizing that the little sister she lost had been reunited with her the whole time, and she just didn’t know it. Misty shared in the moment as well. She wanted it to last forever and she didn’t want it to end. It was the first moment of pure happiness that she had experienced ever since Sunny’s betrayal. It was as if for once, all of the terrible events that had transpired throughout her entire life made sense and had led her to this moment.

Light began to shine in through the windows as the Sun began to rise above the horizon. The sunlight illuminated them both and burned away the darkness that had been with them the whole night. It lit up the bedroom with its gentle rays and cast a divine spotlight on the two sisters, giving their figures an almost ethereal look if seen from a distance. It was a magical moment. The sunlight was a representation of all their personal demons being banished in this one moment. It didn’t matter what happened next. They were together, they could take on anything.

In fact, it was said that if you looked closely enough at the two unicorns embracing in the holy light, you could almost make out the transparent spirits of Moon Watcher and Star Collector, the forbidden lovers, doing the exact same thing, standing over their children while doing so like watchful guardians.

The door then opened and Pipp walked through, intending to go back to bed. However, she stopped in her tracks upon seeing Misty and Izzy hugging each other. In her mind, she knew that she had most definitely missed something important, but she didn’t intend to pry just yet. She just watched them for a minute with tears in her eyes. Not even for a moment did she think to get her phone out and record, which would’ve been her natural instinct. This wasn’t content, and she knew this. This was a real moment to actually experience and live through. They deserved their space.

They deserved to have each other’s company.

Meanwhile, Hitch was watching the news with Grandma Figgy in the cottage. It was close to dawn and the reporters were detailing the latest attack that had befallen a previously unknown pony civilization by Sunny and Opaline. It was well known by this point that other towns did lie beyond Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights, but not much was known about them as these suburban offshoots mainly kept to themselves. When magic returned, various attempts were made to negotiate alliances, but the local chiefs rejected each one as they preferred isolationism.

However, now it seemed that the constant attacks were drafting these villages into war as the videos showed small armies of unicorns and earth ponies being ruthlessly slaughtered in droves by the two alicorns. Hitch watched with deep concern as the grainy footage kept cutting to Opaline tearing ponies to pieces with just a simple blast. She was unstoppable, her power and lust for vengeance unmatched.

Grandma Figgy turned towards her grandson. “We might want to change the channel now, Hitchie. Seems like this could be too upsetting for you.”

Hitch shook his head. “I’m the sheriff, it’s my job to stay informed, no matter how I may be feeling.”

“Yes,” Dazzle Feather spoke gravely. “The town of New Trottingham fought bravely. But they were no match for the might of the two alicorns. Chief Steelhead was reported dead as of a couple minutes ago, some reports say that he was found in a smoldering heap underneath a pile of rubble. Now whether or not Opaline or Sunny caused this was unknown, but it seems likely to be the work of the latter considering she was said to be at the scene when the hut collapsed.”

It was then that the footage cut to a clear view of Sunny in her alicorn form in the midst of all the chaos pushing the collapsing hut on top of the wounded earth pony stallion, and Hitch’s blood ran cold. His eyes widened as he watched this. He was not used to his childhood friend being this ruthless. Not even when she destroyed the Crystals did she show such callous disregard for the life of a fellow pony.

Her face was one of no emotion. She carried out Opaline’s orders like it was just another smoothie order. She showed no hesitation, no signs of stopping. Her eyes did not reflect any empathy, nor did it show any resemblance to the happy and positive pony she once was. The hut fell on top of Steelhead, exploding into a massive burst of flames that she just watched without moving an inch. It was like she had no choice in the matter, but she didn’t say a word to try and get out of it either.

“Oh Sunny…” Hitch whispered, shivering. “What have you done…?”

“If Argyle were to see her now,” Grandma Figgy replied, shaking her head. “He’d be so disappointed. It’s in times like these where I’m glad that he’s not around to witness the heartless monster his own daughter has become.”

Hitch turned towards her. “It’s more than that. I…don’t even recognize her like that. My Sunny would never…intentionally kill anypony.”

“Sometimes ponies change for the worse,” Grandma Figgy told him. “And it’s up to us to figure out how we reconcile that.” She began to walk away before being stopped by Hitch.

“Grandma,” he called after her. When she turned around, he continued. “I’m afraid I haven’t been…completely honest with you. There’s something else that’s been gnawing at me too, and it has to do with…what Sunny did.”

Grandma Figgy looked confused. “Well aside from the obvious, that being magic disappearing, she couldn’t’ve caused anything else to happen…could she?”

Hitch sighed. “Do you remember…when I came to you with my calculations…I thought Sunny’s betrayal would start a chain reaction that would…destroy all of Equestria?”

Grandma Figgy nodded solemnly. “I remember it well. What of it?”

Hitch stared back at her, a haunted look in his eyes as the memories began flooding back to him in droves. He couldn’t deny it any longer and the more he denied the truth, the more it ate away at him. He had to be honest with himself. He was scared.

“I believe she did…” he said fearfully, his voice trembling with terror.

Grandma Figgy walked away from him, but Hitch couldn’t hear her. All he could hear was the relentless stomping of hooves in his head that blocked out all rational thought. The words of Dazzle Feather from the television screen began to be jumbled up in his mind, becoming an incoherent mess that he could barely detect. His thoughts began to spiral out of control and the painful memories he had been trying to suppress flashed one after the other in quick succession.

He saw himself stepping in a pool of Sunny’s blood as he stopped at her bedside to comfort her, before that was followed up with the image of the Crystals on the floor, shattered into a million pieces beyond repair. Pegasi began to drop out of the sky in droves, some landing on the floor headfirst and breaking their skulls.

He stared into nothingness as the images just kept flashing through his mind. Suddenly, he was taken back to that infamous speech he gave, where the crowd ganged up on Zipp and Pipp, who barely managed to escape in time. He could still see the savage anger on their faces and the way they tore into the white pegasus, bashing her head hard against the ground and punching her multiple times across her body, before sending a blow directly through her chest and knocking the wind out of her. He could still see the way her body was bleeding all over and how they tossed her aside like a rag doll once they were done with her. He remembered pleading desperately for them to stop all throughout it all, but his words fell on deaf ears.

The scene shifted to Bridlewood slowly burning to the ground in flames as screaming residents ran for their lives into the forest before the scene shifted again to Sunny brandishing a sword and decapitating Onyx’s head off, showing it soon afterward to a distraught Alphabittle. The images then turned into premonitions as he saw Sunny mourning over the drained, lifeless body of Sparky laying discarded in the corner of Opaline’s Castle.

The last image he saw was of Opaline and Sunny standing on the top of their newly-created castle balcony, staring down at a large crowd of loyal ponies chanting their names and holding banners with their cutie marks in the center. A war in their name.

He then shut his eyes, unable to bear the pain any longer.

That morning, Misty walked through the town square, finally feeling good about getting out of the Brighthouse. Pipp has assured her that she would be fine, and the unicorn felt like taking a casual stroll anyways. It was the first sunny day that Maretime Bay had seen since magic died, and she wanted to maximize it before the clouds eventually took over once more.

She skipped through the sidewalk, humming happily to herself. Reuniting with Izzy the previous night had done wonders in helping to relieve the heavy burden she carried on herself. As she walked through the Maretime Bay streets, an intriguing sight to her right caught the corner of her eye.

It was of a light purple earth pony filly with a seagreen mane and tail complete with a pink bow, selling smoothies to a group of interested customers inside Sunny’s smoothie cart. Misty instantly recognized the girl as Seashell, one of Pipp’s most devoted fans that made up the Pippsqueaks. She had no idea that somepony had taken over Sunny’s business, let alone a pony so young, so she decided to check out the stand.

She walked over to it and got in line, waiting patiently until the other ponies had left before taking a step forward until she was face to face with the smiling filly.

“Good morning, Misty!!” Seashell greeted cheerfully. “What can I get you today? We got pineapple, regular, or…whatever you’d like!” Her expression changed to one of concern as she looked around the area. “Let’s see, where did I put that menu? Oh! There it is!” Her grin instantly returned upon snatching up the smoothie menu from the back counter and walking back over to explain each of the items.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Misty told her, shaking her head. “I’m not thirsty. I’m just wondering how you were able to buy out Sunny’s business. She told me that she only got to sell smoothies when she was at least twice your age.”

“To tell you the truth,” Seashell replied, her smile fading. “I’m not really selling them. And…I’m not really allowed to be in here anyway. I’m just trying to give back to the community like she did. If Daddy were to find out I was hijacking somepony else’s smoothie cart, he’d kill me.”

“So…you’re not selling them? You’re just…giving them away for free?” Misty asked, confused.

Seashell nodded. “Mhm! I know that a lot of ponies don’t have the time for fun, so I’m trying to ease their worries a bit by not having them worry about paying for these. And Sunny’s cart was sitting dormant, so it beats setting up my own stand by all means! Plus, I kinda needed something to do after…” She trailed off, looking down in sadness.

Misty understood, her heart breaking more and more for the poor girl. “After Glory and Peach Fizz left.”

Seashell’s silence was all she needed for an answer.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Seashell replied, her tone more upbeat. “One thing Sunny was really good at was making the most out of a bad situation. And in these times, I’m sure we could all afford to be more like her.”

“I’m not sure anypony else feels the same way though,” Misty said. “You seem to be the only pony doing something to combat the bad mood around here.”

“Well somepony’s gotta do it,” answered Seashell. “And if nopony else is going to take the first step and try to change things around here, then I don’t see why I can’t. Giving things to other ponies makes them smile, and in turn, they become your friends!”

“I wish life was that simple, Seashell,” Misty countered glumly. “I’m not sure everything can be solved just like that. You make it sound so easy.”

“Well you never know until you try, Misty,” Seashell encouraged her, reaching out with her hoof. “I may be too young to fully understand how the world works, but one thing I can do is offer something nice to others to distract them from their hard days. Like these smoothies! Here, I’ll give you two. It’s the Fellow-Pony-With-No-Cutie-Mark-Double Deal!”

Misty laughed. “Wow! Not sure if I can say that ten times fast! Thank you so much, Seashell!”

“No problem! So what’ll it be?”

“Well in that case, I think I’ll take a pearnana deluxe and her personal favorite, the Friendship Smoothie!”

Seashell’s eyes lit up with excitement. “That’s the best order I’ve been given all day!! Coming right up!” She went into the back in order to to process the smoothies.

It was at this point that more ponies were beginning to take notice of Seashell’s fledgling free smoothie empire and started to get in line, salivating at the prospect of getting some for themselves. The queue increased until it stretched a total of three blocks, the whole town uniting over their shared love of smoothies and soft drinks.

Misty could not believe her eyes. Seashell’s kindness and generosity was bringing the community together once again. The ponies in line were smiling widely, casually chatting along with one another, and seemed actually invested in the day. It seemed like the Maretime Bay of old was back for but the most fleeting of moments.

One pony taking the first step can bring together a whole nation. Misty realized mentally. She suddenly realized why Sunny chose making smoothies as a career choice. It seemed like not the most profitable venture on the surface, but the undeniable fact was that giving away to those in need was what really brought ponies together and inspired them to be better. Sunny had done that, and now other ponies were picking up where she had left off. Her impact had not been lost on them.

Seashell returned with the two smoothies, to which Misty thanked her and went on her way. The whole time she was walking back to the Brighthouse, she couldn’t help but think of the sweet filly and how she was taking the initiative when nopony else was. Her kindness alone was enough to get the town buzzing again. It made Misty wonder what she was doing, sitting around and feeling sorry for herself. Yes, she blamed herself for what happened, yet Seashell did the same and still found the courage to move past her grief and forge a bond with the ponies around her in an attempt to bring them back together.

And if a filly like Seashell at so young of an age could possess the maturity to deal with her problems in a positive way, then why couldn’t she? The question still remained on her mind the whole way home and she couldn’t shake it. Her friends were all either emotional wrecks or near death. She was the only one who could provide hope to them.

When she arrived at the Brighthouse, she saw Hitch standing alone in the main room, clutching Sparky’s blanket and holding it close to him.

“Hitch?” Misty called out, getting his attention.

Hitch turned to look at her, glaring upon seeing her face. “What do you want now?! Go away!”

“I brought home two smoothies,” Misty explained. “I know Sunny’s gone, but Seashell’s managing the place now. She gave me these for free. Hopefully they’ll make you feel better.” She handed them over to him.

Hitch took them in his hooves and looked at them sadly before looking back at her. “Thanks, Misty. That was…very nice of you.”

“You’re welcome. Do you know where Pipp is?”

The sheriff pointed towards the ramp. “Upstairs with Zipp. She hasn’t slept all night. Now please leave me alone.”

Misty nodded. “Of course.”

She headed up the ramp towards the bedrooms once more, intending to tell Pipp about what she experienced that day.

Zipp’s eyes opened.

Pipp looked up from the ground upon feeling the sheets move. To her astonishment and relief, she watched as her older sister slowly sat up in bed, removed the breathing tube from her mouth with her free hoof, and looked around the room in confusion. She couldn’t believe it. She blinked twice in order to make sure that she wasn’t imagining what was in front of her.

The impossible had come true. Despite everything the doctors had said for weeks, a miraculous feat had occurred. Fate had intervened and saved her life. It was a miracle. Without a shadow of a doubt, Zipp was alive and well.

“Z-Zipp?” Pipp stammered, her eyes wide in shock. “Y-you’re alive!”

“Pipp, is that you?” Zipp looked down at her from the top of the recovery bed. “Where am I? I was in the town square last I remember. Why’s there an IV in my hoof?”

Without answering the question, Pipp climbed on top of the bed as fast as she could and wrapped her sister in a massive bearhug. All the emotions she had been building up rushed to the surface and she sobbed into her shoulder uncontrollably, her grip getting tighter as she did so.

Zipp gently pushed Pipp off of her. “Whoa whoa whoa, steady there, sis. Everything still hurts, you know.” She smiled. “How much did I miss?”

“Um, what?!” Pipp demanded indignantly. “You mean to tell me that the first thing that you say once you wake up from a two-week long trauma-induced coma is ‘How much did I miss?’ No ‘I hope you weren’t worried about me’ or ‘Are you okay’ or anything like that?!”

“I guess that is important too,” Zipp admitted sheepishly. “You know me, I always want to assess what’s going on before anything else. But alright. I suppose I was being a little insensitive there, sorry. Were you really that worried about me, Pipp?”

“I mean, yeah!!” Pipp replied. “We did constant checkups, the doctor said you were gonna die multiple times, they were going to take you off life support, they couldn’t treat your injuries, I thought you were going to die, Zipp!!”

Zipp seemed to realize the gravity of the situation judging by her surprised reaction. “Oh…my. But I was only out for 30 minutes, right? I remember that my head was bashed against the pavement and that’s when I blanked out. It’s been two full weeks?!”

Pipp nodded. “Trust me, you’ve missed out on a lot. Can you walk?”

“Well, my hooves are numb from the lack of movement,” Zipp replied. “And there’s this stupid IV in my hoof. Could you help with that?”

“But Doctor Redcross will skin me alive if I-“ Pipp groaned, smiling playfully. “Ugh, fine. For you. What are sisters for?” In truth, she was so relieved to see that Zipp had survived that she didn’t care if she was violating any medical procedures. Any scolding would be worth it with her sister back by her side again.

She climbed up the side of the bed and began gently tugging at the tube with her mouth until it slid off. She covered the bleeding with her hooves and grabbed a first aid kit from the top of one of the operating machines left behind. She then proceeded to wrap the bandage around the wound until it was fully covered.

Zipp got down from the bed and stood on all four hooves, wobbling a little as she did so. “Gonna have to get used to not flying again. Where’s Misty? I need to talk to her. Poor girl’s probably blaming herself for everything.”

“She is,” Pipp answered. “She…hasn’t quite been herself lately. I think seeing you will lift a major burden off of her.”

Just then, the door burst open and none other than Misty ran in. She skidded to a halt upon seeing Zipp up and about, her mouth dropping open in utter bewilderment. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Hey, Misty.” Zipp greeted her. “‘Miss me?”

Misty ran over and hugged her tight as well, while trying to be as careful as possible while doing so. Never she been so happy to see somepony before in her entire life. They had all prepared for the worst, but despite everything, the plucky detective had survived her fatal encounter with the mob and was standing before them alive and well.

Once Misty let go, Zipp faced them both. “I feel like I’ve missed out on way too much. Can you both fill me in on the details? Don’t worry, I can take it.”

Pipp took a deep breath. “Right. So magic died, the ponies are all divided again, Opaline is on the loose, Sunny really has turned evil, Equestria is falling apart before our very eyes, Misty here has been blaming herself for everything that’s gone wrong, including what happened to you, Hitch has resorted to alcoholism and he got Izzy angry, so now the two won’t even talk with one another now, and…we’re pretty much lost on what to do.”

Zipp was at a loss for words for a full thirty seconds before she regained her composure. Her expression was one of pure disbelief. “Wow.”

“Also, I got some smoothies from Seashell.” Misty offered in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Pipp turned towards her. “Wait, Seashell owns Sunny’s smoothie shop now? That’s news to me, especially since she’s so young.”

“Well she doesn’t really own it, per se,” Misty corrected her. “It’s…more so she’s using it as a means to make ponies feel better and give back to the community like Sunny did.”

“So it’s essentially illegal ownership then.” Zipp deadpanned.

“Well…yes,” Misty agreed. “But Sunny isn’t here, is she? What she’s done is something that so many of us haven’t. She showed me that you can either choose to let a bad situation consume you, or you can make the most of out of it. A simple act of kindness can unite a whole nation.”

“So what are you suggesting we do?” Zipp asked. “I can tell by that tone of voice, you have something up your sleeve. What is it?”

“We need everypony in the same room,” Misty instructed them. “I have an idea, but you all have to go along with it.”

It took a while to gather up Hitch and Izzy as the latter was hiding out in the storage closet by herself and the former didn’t want anypony’s company, but they were eventually coaxed out once told that Zipp was alive. The four ponies gathered in the main room of the Crystal Brighthouse. Hitch seemed exhausted from the lack of sleep, yet he still stood at attention despite that. Izzy refused to make any sort of eye contact with him whatsoever, clearly still mad at him for threatening to press charges against Misty the previous night.

Misty stood in front of her friends, pacing back and forth as she told them what she had been through earlier that day. She knew that they were all on edge and not in the best mood for a discussion like this, but she felt like it was important. She knew in her heart that they could do more for the ponies around them and she was going to tell them whether they wanted to hear it or not.

“Seashell was able to bring an entire community together by herself,” Misty explained. “just by being selfless and having a kind heart. She went through the loss of two best friends and still found the courage to go on. That’s what we should’ve been doing from the start. We should’ve been setting an example for others, inspiring them.”

“What good would that do?” Hitch questioned. “We’re not Sunny. We’re not naturally gifted orators like her. Nopony can inspire hope like she can.”

“I second that,” Zipp agreed. “We bet it all on her. Everypony took a leap of faith that night and trusted her implicitly. Look at what happened. Whatever chance we might’ve had of stopping Opaline died with her betrayal.”

“I know,” Misty replied. “She meant everything to everyone, certainly a lot more than anypony else in the world. But we’re not nothing without her. We can’t let our grief over her consume us.”

“Misty, what are our options?!” Pipp demanded. “The last time we tried doing something, we neglected Sunny to the point where she turned on us. Everywhere we go, we just make things worse!”

“That’s not true!” Misty argued. “Pipp, you guys brought back magic! You all helped earth ponies manage theirs, and your actions brought ponies together! If anypony can inspire hope within the citizens of Maretime Bay again, it’s us!”

“Misty…” Izzy stepped forward cautiously. “I admire your determination, but…what are we in comparison to them? We couldn’t even save our own friend, let alone an entire nation. We can’t do anything. And we’re certainly not shining examples to the community, not anymore.”

Misty turned towards her. “We can either let what Sunny did consume us whole, or we can use what she taught us to inspire others in this time. We can do these things, because she was everypony’s hero. She taught us so much.”

Hitch nodded slowly. “I miss her. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what she would be saying to me right now if she was here. It’s part of the reason why I blamed you for everything…even though I know I shouldn’t’ve.”

“I know you miss him. And Seashell did tell me that the one thing Sunny was good at was making the best out of a bad situation,” Misty told him, sighing deeply. Her expression then changed from one of simple determination to solid conviction. She knew full well what she was about to say would shock them, but she didn’t care. “I can let my past define me, or I can take the first step.”

The others gasped.

“Misty, no!” Izzy cried.

“You can’t be thinking what I think you’re thinking,” Zipp added, shaking her head, her voice trembling with fear. “You’re not-“

“We’re the last hope that Equestria has!” Misty interrupted sternly, silencing the pegasus instantly. She then turned towards Hitch, staring him directly in the eyes. “Call it in.”

Upon realizing what she was asking him to do, he gulped.

“…a hero,” Hitch spoke to the assembled crowd of ponies in front of the sheriff’s station. He stood behind his podium, trying his best to invoke authority to the scared populace. Misty and Zipp were standing right next to him for support. On the walls was a large portrait of Sunny Starscout that hung down from above. “Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed. She was also…my childhood friend.”

The crowd let out a large gasp of shock as they took this in. Many began to shout and scream at him in anger, cursing him for once allying himself with such a criminal. That was the exact reaction that he and his friends were hoping for, as it was in the following sentence that he announced his official resignation from office. He was giving up his position as sheriff in order to go after Sunny.

Soon after the speech, his office was stormed by an angry group of ponies who hated the orange earth pony mare. They tore down all of his awards and ripped any calendars with his picture on it to shreds. Within hours, he was officially exiled in all but law from the town. Though he was sad about it, Misty let him know that this was necessary. This needed to happen. The townsponies needed to see a leader that was willing to lose everything he loved in order to fight for what he believed in. In her eyes, the truth wasn’t enough. Sometimes, ponies needed more. In these trying times, they deserved to have their faith in somepony else rewarded.

His financial assets were ceased and burned in a bonfire that night. The ponies danced and paraded around it while holding up protest signs with Sunny’s face crossed out. While the town went mad, Izzy managed to recruit Windy and Jazz in order to help with refueling the Marestream in order to prepare it for the mission.

As they worked tirelessly on getting it restored to proper order, Hitch stood outside with Misty, sadly watching the town he grew up in descend into madness. She was there with him the whole time, assuring him that everything would be okay in the end. It was then that they were greeted by an unusual visitor.

“Hey, what are you doing, Hitch?!” came the voice of none other than Sprout Cloverleaf. The red stallion came running up the hill towards the front of the Brighthouse. He had clearly had a close encounter with them as cuts and scratches were all over his body. “What’s up with you?! I thought you’d be trying to calm that mob, not fuel it!”

“I’m leaving, Sprout.” Hitch replied tiredly. “I’ve resigned.”

Sprout was flabbergasted. “But how-I-what?! Resigned?! This isn’t like you!”

Hitch smiled sadly. “I know you’re gonna miss me constantly ordering you around near the construction site, but this is for the best.”

“We’re gonna get her back, Sprout,” Misty clarified. “The world needs Sunny, and so do we.”

Windy emerged from the inside of the Marestream. “Alright, the ship is patched and will be ready to fly by morning.”

“Thanks, Windy.” Misty thanked her politely. “We couldn’t’ve done it without you two.” She turned back towards Sprout. “This is what must be done. For her sake. Because she is our friend…

…A beacon of hope…Sunny is out there somewhere…

…and it’s time to bring her home…”

Author's Note

Whoo!! That’s a wrap! Well, not really as there’s a post credits scene, but we’ll get to that. We got a lot to unpack here. First of all, the reveal that Misty is Izzy’s little sister. Yeah, you’re either going to love or hate this twist based on how you perceive these two characters and their bond. For this series at least, it was the natural next step for them and I had this reveal in the bag long before it was even revealed that Alphabittle was Misty’s father. So I always had this reveal sort of planned out since Forgiven’s extended cut dropped, and it was a joy to slowly build up to. I wanted this to be the sort of thing that gets Misty happy again as she’s finally found her family, and that segways us to the conversation between she and Seashell. I actually found writing this bit quite interesting, and I bet you all weren’t expecting the moral of this story to come from her. Turns out that the new mane style for Misty wasn’t the only aspect of Chapter 5 that I took for this story. I really liked how Seashell was given actual character in “Cutie Blossom Bash,” so I decided to incorporate her into the story and have her be the one to give Misty advice. And it worked for sure as it seems like these two can really relate to one another. I figured if Hasbro wasn’t going to give Misty an episode with the Pippsqueaks, then I would, and I’m so glad I did. I intentionally wrote the conversation so that there’s a lot of analysis that can be taken from it, and you all can share your thoughts on it in the comments below.

Finally, yes, I did take heavy inspiration from The Dark Knight’s ending for this finisher. What can I say? You thought that I only took inspiration from Zack Snyder for this universe? I think you can say that with some of the references and the way I play with time here that Christopher Nolan also played a part in inspiring the way I structure this universe as the events jump forward and backwards between time.

See you all in the post-credits scene!

Bonus Chapter: Future - Discovery

7 Months Later….

The cave walls slid open and a red fully-grown dragon walked inside of it, groaning audibly. He had a blue crystal in his claws that was delivering some sort of message. An hour ago, Dragon Lord Spike had asked him to decipher who was behind it as the image resolution of the speaker was so blurry that nobody could make it out.

He had accepted his task, of course, but that didn’t mean that he was happy about it by any means. In his mind, he had better things to do with his life than to waste his time deciphering messages from foreign nations. Unfortunately, his job as the official scribe meant that he had to do it whether he wanted to or not.

He walked towards the end of the cave, where a large supercomputer stood with many videos running all at once. This was the way that the dragons could keep watch over all of Equestria and gather information from them without anypony from the land knowing. Many other dragons stood behind the keyboard, all typing at once and scouring different locales.

“Hey,” the dragon called out to his peers. “I got the crystal.”

A female pink dragon turned around upon hearing his voice. “Lava! There you are. How are you doing? I realize we didn’t get to talk much this week considering our tasks.”

Lava blushed, but quickly shook his head to get rid of the feeling. “I’m…fine, Blaize. Just doing the job as always. Here’s the crystal. The speaker delivering the message looks like a pony, but none that any of the history books have shown us.” He handed her the crystal, which she took.

“Maybe they’ve evolved.” a tan dragon called Tumble off-handedly commented. Upon receiving glares from the others, he shrunk back in embarrassment. “What? It could happen. You know, how ponies from the Celestia-Era had their cutie marks on one side removed in exchange for new-“

“Okay,” Blaize interrupted, putting out her other claw in order to stop him. “We…don’t need to go into that again, history buff.”

Tumble rolled his eyes.

“I don’t get why this message is so important to Spike,” Lava told them. “I mean, so what if we haven’t gotten any contact from ponies in hundreds of moons? This could be nothing.”

“So everything!” a blue dragon with purple scales from the far right exclaimed. “Do you know what this could mean? They could be requiring our assistance for some impending disaster!”

Blaize scoffed. “You mean like the time Princess Twilight still tried to ask for our help after unleashing her racist apprentice on us? Yeah, never again, purple head.”

“Only one way to find out, I guess.” Lava said, shrugging.

Blaize plugged the crystal into the outlet and watched the message slowly load onto the screen. The video then popped up, showing the barely recognizable image of a pony speaking into a computer. “Hello, is this thing working? Hi, my name is…pp…m…asking for your help.”

The dragons all facepalmed, after which they slammed their heads face first into the table in frustration, groaning loudly.

“Seriously?!” The blue dragon raged. “For this?! We get a crystal recording and it’s glitchy?! What the heck does ‘my name is pp’ even mean?!”

“Besides the obvious.” Tumble joked with a dirty smile. He was promptly smacked upside the head by his colleague after saying that.

“It seemed to start glitching at the pony’s name,” Blaize reasoned. “I figure if we all blow our dragon fire at it, we can increase the video’s resolution.”

“You think?” Lava asked skeptically.

“How should I know? Let’s give it a go just to be sure.”

All five dragons proceeded to take a deep breath before unleashing their fire at the supercomputer monitor. The combined force began increasing the resolution as the pixels began to rearrange themselves in real time. The video cleared up and soon the pony speaking was fully visible.

“…Our magic does make us different,” the pony spoke, her voice more clear. “And that’s something we should embrace…both in ourselves and in others. Our powers let us be the best versions of ourselves…”

Lava opened his eyes and gasped upon looking at the screen. “I…I-I don’t believe it. Spike was right. That’s a…that’s a…”

“It’s a…” Tumble added, his eyes wide in shock. “It’s…”

“…a pegasus…” Blaize finished in amazement.

TO BE CONCLUDED

Author's Note

After watching “Lavarynth,” and with the knowledge that the dragons will play a part in “Secrets of Starlight,” I just had to write this post-credits chapter. Who is the mystery pegasus? Well, I think you can narrow it down to at least two suspects. Not spoiling who it is though as that’s for Redeemed to answer. You’re welcome to theorize on who it is though, and I’ll grade your replies based on how accurate they are to the truth. The message itself was actually taken from the IDW Discord comic. Readers of Issues 1-10 will definitely recognize the snippets I took without a shadow of a doubt. And no before anyone says anything, the mystery pegasus is not Fluttershy this time around. But who is it? Well, that’s the fun about post-credits scenes. You just gotta wait for answers!

We’re now onto the final chapter of this overarching narrative! Thank you all so much for all your support so far. This series really helped me grow so much, and…I’m really going to miss it. Find out next time how everything pays off only on The Misty Saga!!

Listen to the full soundtrack on LunarMusicVEVO: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLs0PCVjJEPHdiSe-p6KPUV8qwhU9ALdDJ&si=pP1oN8kCQazh8DaP

Chapter 1: Past - Betrayal

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way…

All I wanted was to be their friend…not be the one to drive them apart…

I just wanted to make up for my mistakes, to finally have somepony to be there for me…the care I always longed for, but never got…

My whole life…all I’ve ever known was cruelty…and I inflicted it upon them in the worst way imaginable.

My whole existence is a curse…I was never meant to be here…I was never meant to be with them.

I thought I would have a different life…

I thought…I would be a different pony…but fate, or should I say she….had other plans for me…”

“YOU FAILED TO RETRIEVE THAT DRAGON AGAIN?!!!” Opaline roared, stomping her hooves on the ground in a furious rage.

Misty cowered before the pony she thought of as her mother, bracing for the inevitable scolding she was about to receive. Why couldn’t she do anything right?

It was late evening at the castle and Misty had just gotten home from another failed attempt to steal Sparky from under the noses of her friends. By now, she was used to her constant failure. It used to upset her more, but by now, the outcomes of her missions were starting to come predictable.

She had gotten so close to finally getting the baby dragon, but Hitch had been up that night and took him to the station without a second thought. She knew full well that he did not have the awareness to suspect her, yet he was still on his guard nonetheless. It was obvious that the prospect of losing Sparky spooked him, especially after that one time she had hidden him in the closet. She had sent her friends into a panic that day, and she still regretted inflicting that kind of emotional distress on to them.

Yet she still pressed on, as she knew that it was all worth it. It didn’t matter what bridges she burned in the process. It didn’t matter how many times she had to drag herself through the mud and come out empty hoofed. It didn’t matter how many times she had to put herself on the line and risk her own life to steal Sparky. As long as she got her cutie mark, that was the only thing that mattered. Or was it?

In reality, Misty wasn’t sure. Sure, she could lie to herself and say that she was happy doing these missions. However, she knew full well that wasn’t the case. She hated her missions for Opaline, and it wasn’t due to any lazy reason. She had been raised to be attentive and diligent. No, it was because she had been given something more. Those ponies that she had been sent to spy on were actually nice to her. They cared about her and showed her true kindness when she had none. They showed her what it was like to belong, and they never bossed or ordered her around. They never yelled at her and made her feel miserable all the time. In contrast to Opaline, they actually treated her like family.

It occurred to her that she loved hanging out with her newfound friends more so than doing missions for Opaline. She had become more sloppy and come home later and later, much to the alicorn’s growing anger. And now, here she was. After another failed attempt at stealing Sparky, she was facing Opaline’s wrath the way she always did.

Every single time.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry, O-Opaline,” Misty apologized, stammering on her words. “I-I w-w-would’ve d-done it h-had I-I n-not b-been-“

“BEEN WHAT?!! WHAT?!!” Opaline demanded, getting close to her face. “I SENT YOU TO DO ONE THING!!! ONE THING!!!! WHY IS GETTING THAT PUNY LITTLE LIZARD SO DIFFICULT FOR YOU?!!!”

“Because Hitch nearly found me out!!!!!” Misty cried. “Opaline, please understand!! Our cover was almost blown-“

“You think I care?!” Opaline shot back. “You know, I thought I’d actually have somepony useful. All you do is talk to those puny ponies like you’re friends with them or something!! Did I ever say that you’re allowed to make friends?!!”

“N-n-no, I-“

“I know what you’ve been doing, Misty. Don’t try and fool me!!”

Misty was taken aback by that statement. She thought that she might’ve misheard, maybe even thought it was her mind playing tricks on her. But the reality of the situation was clear as day. Opaline knew. She knew the whole time and was leading her on into thinking she didn’t know.

In that moment, she felt more scared than she had ever felt in her life. She could feel her heart sinking into the deepest trenches of the ocean at the realization and what it meant. Questions began racing through her mind and she searched for anything to say that would refute the sentiment. How did she know about this? Why did she never say anything? She never told her about it, yet Opaline somehow still knew. And that raised the biggest question of all.

How much did Opaline know about the time she had been spending with her friends?

“H-how did you-“

“It was easy to tell,” Opaline stated, smirking deviously, making Misty back away a few steps. “The way you always walk into the castle so happy and jovial. I don’t recall it being from any other source. And why is it that you talk about what you do with them so positively? That time at the sleepover was a dead giveaway. And let’s not even get into the fact that I’ve been spying on you through the compact mirror in order to make sure you were doing your job right.”

Misty had nothing to say to defend herself. She knew it was true and that she would one day have to face the fact that she was slacking off at her job. She didn’t think it would be now, however. She thought she wouldn’t have to come clean until after she got the job done. She didn’t…

“And here I thought you were loyal to me. Don’t you want your cutie mark, Misty?”

“I do!!” Misty insisted. “Please, Opaline! I didn’t know any better, I just-“

“What?!” Opaline asked her angrily. “You thought that making friends would help you?! You thought making friends would make you less of a societal reject than you already are?!! Give me a break. As long as you have no cutie mark and no status in life, nopony will want to be around you.”

Misty glanced at her cutie mark sadly for a brief moment, then she hung her head low in shame. It wasn’t fair that she could never prove herself to Opaline, no matter how hard she tried.

“I will never…” Misty sniffled, wiping her tears away hurriedly. “…be good enough for you…will I? Why can’t you ever be proud of me for at least trying my best…?”

Opaline’s eyes narrowed and she turned away. She stared at the ceiling in deep, solemn contemplation before responding in a quiet manner: “Because she never was…”

“She?”

Opaline snapped her attention back to her, blazing with pent-up anger and rage. “YOU KNOW WHO I’M TALKING ABOUT, MISTY!!!! DON’T BE STUPID!!!!!”

“I’m sorry!!” Misty apologized quickly, her eyes wide with fear. “Please!! I genuinely don’t know!! Forget I ever said anything…”

Opaline sighed with exasperation, staring down her subordinate with pent-up fury that she barely could keep contained. “You really think that these ponies ever loved you?”

“Well…they treated me nicely-“

“You call constantly speaking for you and never trusting a single thing you say ‘treating you nicely?’ They were never your friends, Misty. In fact, I’ve seen where that kind of blind trust leads you. I know what happens when you put too much faith in ponies you don’t know.”

“But they always told me that they care unlike you!” Misty protested angrily. She could feel her emotions rising as Opaline slandered her friends like that. She never let her true feelings out before, but it was clear that the alicorn knew the truth anyway, so she had nothing to lose by saying it. “They made me feel happy in a way you never did! They showed me a life beyond this castle! And at least they didn’t promise to give me something that they had no intentions of giving me!!”

Opaline’s eyes seethed with rage as she walked closer towards Misty. “You think I’m lying about giving you a cutie mark, don’t you?!”

Misty took a cautious step forward. “W-well, it seems that no matter what I do, you…never give me my cutie mark. You never seem to think it’s enough. You even told me a while back that I wasn’t enough.”

“Because you aren’t.”

Misty felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at that. She blinked back the sudden rush of further tears, so she would not look weak in front of Opaline. She wouldn’t cry, crying was for cowards. Emotions weren’t for sharing. She didn’t have emotions. She didn’t-

“At the rate you’re currently going, you’ll never earn it.” Opaline elaborated, turning away and walking back towards her throne. “I don’t reward half-hearted attempts. If you want me to go out of my way and give you something you should’ve naturally received as a filly, then you need to show me that you deserve it.”

“Even though I tried my best?”

“Intentions don’t matter to me,” answered Opaline. “Results do. You will have a place with me in my future empire, but only if you earn it. From what I’ve learned growing up, the only way you’ll truly prove yourself is if you’re willing to risk everything to do so. You’re letting yourself be brainwashed by Sunny Starscout and her friends. That is preventing you from succeeding. You need to cut yourself off from them. They won’t miss you, especially that detective girl. She doesn’t even want you around. So why stay with them and annoy her further?”

“Because the others like me,” Misty said. “I-I mean, Izzy likes me, but-“

“Does she like you for you or only due to the fact that you’re a unicorn?”

“I-“

“You don’t have the answer, do you?”

“N-no!! I do, I-“

“THEN WHAT IS IT?!!”

“I…” Tears began streaming down Misty’s face and this time, she didn’t wipe them away. “I don’t know…”

“Exactly. And does that pegasus like you? Or does she only see you as a means to get information out of? When has she ever told you that she valued you as a friend?”

Misty had no words.

“Or Sunny Starscout, the supposed kindest pony of them all. When has she ever stopped to think about what you want instead of forcing things upon you?”

Again, Misty had no words. She only whimpered, feeling her entire world crumble before her very eyes the more the Fire Alicorn interrogated her. She couldn’t take it. It was too much for her to comprehend. The truth was that she didn’t know her friends all that well. She had only spent a limited amount of time with them. They could’ve been just using her for all she knew. But they wouldn’t do that…right?

“My point has been proven,” Opaline said triumphantly, appearing to take pride in watching her break down. She walked back towards her again. “Now you see it, don’t you? They don’t love you, not the way I do. Remember who took you in as a little filly, who took care of you and raised you. I know you better than you know yourself. And only I can make you whole.”

“But…” Misty looked up at her with a look of pure desperation, tears staining her cheeks. “What will it take? Please…I just want to know…”

“All it takes is getting that dragon to me and cutting ties with your friends,” Opaline told her sadistically. “You have nothing to gain from them. That other unicorn only cares about what you are. That pegasus wants nothing more than to see you gone judging by the way she constantly questions you. The rest of them only tolerate your existence. In contrast, you have everything to gain by fulfilling my one request. Once that dragon is in my possession, you’ll get your cutie mark, simple as that.”

Misty sighed deeply. “Then I’ll do it…I’ll put in all my effort this time, I promise! But…they’ll hate me for it.”

“Let them. You don’t need them to be happy. All you need is the tender care of your mother, Princess Misty.”

Princess. It was that one word that intrigued her the most. If she did this, then she would finally be respected by everypony. She could afford to lose the perceived generosity of five ponies if that meant she would receive the adoration of the millions she would soon rule. She would finally be happy and content if she just fulfilled this one task.

With that, she wiped her tears away once more and stared back at Opaline with a determined expression. “Don’t worry, Opaline! I will not fail you this time, I promise. Tonight, I’ll get your dragon no matter what the cost!”

“You better,” said Opaline darkly. “Because if you fail me again, Misty…don’t bother coming back to the castle. See if your ‘friends’ will be there for you when you have nothing left to offer them. This is your last chance.”

Later that night, Misty lay in her small dog bed and eyed the picture of she and her friends next to her. This would be the last time they would be together and she knew it. Once she fully committed to the mission, there would be no going back. She had the means of improving her life, and she was not going to waste it. She was going to fulfill the destiny and become the pony she was always meant to be.

Yet why did it still feel a bit wrong? She knew her friends didn’t care about her by this point, but when she looked at the photo, she couldn’t help but have some doubts. She was smiling in it, they were all having fun. Did she really want to throw all that away all for a meaninglessness symbol on her flank? She didn’t even know if Opaline would even keep her promise. So what if she was a blank flank for the rest of her life? So what if her friends were just lying to her too? She was happier with them. She could afford to pretend for the rest of her life and enjoy a life of delusion rather than face the cold hard truth.

She didn’t need to throw all her perceived friendships away for this…did she? She had the chance to back out now and tell Opaline to suck it. But at the same time, what if Opaline was telling the truth? What if she threw away the only chance for her to be special all for some unattainable fantasy? Her life with the alicorn was all she ever knew. She wouldn’t even be alive if it wasn’t for Opaline discovering her and taking her in. She owed everything to her, and she couldn’t take such a chance.

She was risking it all and she knew it. But what other choice did she have? The truth was, she didn’t have any. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It was either she committed to carrying out the deed for Opaline or she spent the rest of her life out in the world alone. She had never felt more helpless in her life as the reality set in that she would be forced to choose between two lives.

She sat up and took the portrait in her hooves, firmly grasping it and staring longingly at it for about a minute. That picture had always represented what she believed to be true happiness, yet she didn’t even know what that was anymore. She shed a single tear, which landed on the spot right where she was positioned. Sniffling, she held it up close to her face and fully took in what she was about to do, the pain and suffering she was about to bring, all for the slim chance of finally being loved by the pony who raised her.

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I…?” she asked it through sobs. “I don’t know if any of you really care…nor do I even know if Opaline does either…” She set the portrait down on her pillow. “Why is doing the right thing so hard…?”

The Misty in the portrait stared back at her, forever frozen in that eternal smile next to the other ponies. It couldn’t say anything back, nor give her any advice. It didn’t console her, nor did it condemn her. It simply was.

“What is my purpose…?” she pleaded. “Please tell me…”

Again, the Misty in the portrait didn’t respond, simply staring back at her with that big, fake smile. It was that smile that truly irked her, for it was a life she knew that she could never have. It was a facade that masked the abuse she had been suffering through for years. She had done everything for Opaline for well over a decade, yet her efforts weren’t enough. Shewasn’t enough. And she would never be until she could prove that she was actually useful and get that dragon.

Her own thoughts were echoing Opaline’s words to her now. She could feel the last remnants of joy slipping away as the beautiful lie began to be replaced by the life she really lived. She never had any chance with them. She wasn’t like them, and she never would be. It was clear to her now that her friends were just leading her on. After all, why would they have any reason to love an abnormal orphan like her? She wasn’t special. She didn’t have anything to offer them. The only reason why they ever accepted her was because of the things she lied to them about.

They would never accept her if she told them the truth.

With reluctant resolve, she turned away from the photo and looked out the window. As she gazed out into the wasteland below, she turned her thoughts away from friendship and love and towards loyalty and obedience. She had a job to do. This was necessary.

“My name is Misty…” she whispered quietly. “My name is all I have. My life is my servitude. My dreams are my reality. Her victory is my defeat…”

She then turned back to the photo behind her and picked it up one last time. Following one last sad expression and with steady resolve, she threw it onto the ground, where it shattered upon impact into a thousand shards of broken glass.

The area around the Crystal Brighthouse was silent under the light of the full moon. There were no ponies out and about around the area. No owls were hooting nor crickets chirping. Not even the occasional bat could be heard flying around at this time.

It was as if nature itself knew about the tragedy that what was about to befall this peaceful town in just a few short moments.

Inside, Misty ate dinner with Sunny and her friends in the kitchen. The earth pony had cooked up a large pepperoni pizza with cheese, one of her favorite recipes to make. As she consumed the food, Misty savored each and every last bite, fully taking in the experience of being with them one last time. She knew that her time with these ponies was coming to an end, and she barely said anything to them during the experience. The reason for this was because she didn’t want to become too attached to them once again and falter in her mission.

Not that they seemed to mind. They didn’t ask where she was nor where she went to in every day. It was like her whereabouts didn’t even matter to them. The fact that none of them showed any sort of concern was of great sadness to her. She began to think that Opaline might’ve been right the whole time. They were all lost in their own conversations and none paid her any mind. Izzy did glance at her at one point, but the moment of attention was fleeting as Pipp grabbed her attention right back faster than a millisecond.

So Misty sat at the other end without anypony to talk to, a fitting last night with the ponies she once trusted. By this point, she was convinced that they didn’t care about her after all and she felt her heart grow heavier with sadness with each passing moment. It was like she didn’t belong anywhere.

Finally, it was time for bed. As Misty prepared to head upstairs to the bedrooms, she was suddenly halted in her tracks by a lavender hoof touching her back. She turned, startled, only to see Izzy behind her with a concerned look on her face.

“Hey,” Izzy asked gently. “Are you okay? You seemed kinda out of it at the table.”

Oh now you care? How convenient. Misty shook her head, not letting her thoughts distract her. “I’m fine. I’m just…heading up to bed.”

Izzy nodded. “You know you’re valued here, right? We care about you. You’re our friend. Don’t…ever forget that.”

“What brought that up?” Misty inquired, confused.

“Zipp told me about how she made up with you back at the library,” Izzy replied. “Some of the things she reported you saying…concerned me a bit. Don’t ever feel like you don’t have a place just because you don’t have a cutie mark, alright? I once thought I was alone too. And then I found Sunny and the others. So I learned that it’s never too late to find those that love you.”

Misty felt her heart warm again, even if it was just for a few seconds. She took in the moment as she knew it would be her last. “Did you…know I was feeling lonely back there?”

“I did,” Izzy affirmed gently. “And I wanted to talk to you, I really did. But Pipp was too busy yammering about her new potion line. I didn’t contaminate it this time, I promise!”

Misty laughed. “I know you didn’t.” But her smile instantly faded as the reality of her situation set in once more. “Izzy…I know what I have to do tonight. I can’t tell you what it is, but…I don’t feel good about it. And…I’m not sure I have the strength to pull it off.”

Izzy smiled back at her. “Hey, don’t talk like that. I know you do. Whatever it is, you’ll get through it just fine! You know what I always say about us unicorns, we-“

“…never stop persevering.” Misty finished, remembering what the other unicorn had told her before. “But…I don’t understand. How’s this relevant to my situation?”

“Elder Flower always told me this saying,” Izzy explained. “As a filly, she practically raised me after…well, after my parents were chased out of Bridlewood following some scandal. We don’t really have any orphanages, so she’s practically the mother to everypony. She told me this whenever I was feeling down. It’s the oldest saying, dating back to several generations of unicorns.”

“Not every problem has a solution though…”

“True,” Izzy agreed. “But certain problems do have solutions. And there’s nothing broken that we can’t fix together.” She placed a comforting hoof on Misty’s shoulder. “I can tell you’ve been through a lot. Your sparkle is very dim. You’re doubting yourself.”

Misty sniffled, nodding back. “I can’t do this, Izzy. You won’t think of me the same after this. You’ll hate me!” She felt tears rush to her eyes again.

“Shhhh…” Izzy soothed her, looking at her in the eyes. “Look, I don’t know what you’re planning on doing, but whatever it is…I won’t hate you, okay? You have nothing to worry about.”

Misty looked up from the ground and faced her. “Really? You…promise you won’t hate me after tonight?”

“I promise,” Izzy promised her. “I don’t know what you’re gonna do, but…I’ll never stop being your friend.” She yawned. “I have to go sleepies now. Goodnight, Misty, and…thank you for giving me somepony to confide in…”

At that, the lavender unicorn skipped merrily upstairs to her room, humming softly to herself. That was the last time Misty would ever see her under carefree circumstances.

Once all the lights were off and she was alone, Misty stood by the ramp in deep thought. At this point, she felt more conflicted than ever before. What was she to do? She knew that she had to get back to Opaline by a certain time, so it was either now or never. She had to make a choice and stick with it.

She doesn’t even care whether you leave or stay. The cynical part of her mind returned. It’s time you show that unicorn that you’re more than just a mouthpiece for her own problems.

But she actually showed genuine love there! I can’t- Misty mentally argued.

Do you want to impress Opaline or not? You heard her. If you don’t get Sparky, then she’s not welcoming you back. You’ll be left on the streets alone once more, all because you thought you knew better than your own mother!

“No!!” Misty cried out loud. “I don’t want-“ She instantly put her hoof to her mouth before she could finish her sentence. She didn’t want to awake her friends and alert them to her attempt. She had only one shot at this. There was no more time for doubt.

She had to get the job done whether she wanted to or not.

So she headed outside and searched for the most effective way inside that wouldn’t disturb any of the other ponies. She knew that just going up the ramp would arose suspicion since the floor tended to creak when anyone headed up. Her best attempt was silently climbing through an open window and evading suspicion.

She climbed the walls of the Brighthouse and upon reaching the window to the bedroom, she found it miraculously unlocked. Sunny usually left the two windows open to let air in while they slept, so that provided the perfect cover for her to get in.

But right as she was about to reach the window, her hooves began to slip and she grabbed on to the nearest ledge for dear life, gritting her teeth as she hoisted herself up and onto the window. It was there where she gently crept inside. She didn’t know whether Sparky would be in the room, considering he mostly slept with Hitch at the station.

Thankfully, he was. The sheriff had brought him over that night, thinking nothing would go wrong and gave him his own little bed to sleep on beside him. Misty slowly walked over towards him, fear on every inch of her face, until she was face to face with the elusive baby dragon himself, his small frame sleeping soundly and occasionally burping out magic bubbles.

She stood over him, resisting the urge to pet him and wake him up. She had to stay stoic and calm. She couldn’t afford to be defeated by his cuteness. Not this time, at least. Once she was done with him, she would take him right back.

Unfortunately for her, it was around this time that Sparky began stirring, sensing another presence in front of him. He opened his eyes and saw her. His expression changed from confusion to terror and he was moments away from crying up a storm and ruining everything.

“No no!!” Misty exclaimed fearfully, but quieted her voice upon seeing Hitch stir. “Sparky, shhhhhh…it’s me. You wanna, um….hear a lullaby?” What in the name of might was she doing? She couldn’t sing…could she? Well, she was about to find out.

In response, Sparky gurgled happily and clapped his claws. Misty sighed and began softly singing the only lullaby Opaline had ever sang to her as a filly. “🎵Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head…hush now…quiet now, it’s time to go to bed…🎵” She cringed at herself for stumbling over the last few lyrics, but it was apparently enough.

Sparky’s eyes slowly closed and he was asleep faster than he had woken up. Misty breathed a sigh of relief and scooped him up in her hooves. It was at that moment that it finally registered to her that she had finally done it! She had 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 rightfully hers.

Now if she could only get out of the building without being caught…

She began walking slowly past all of her friends’ bedsides as carefully as she could. However, just as she was about to walk out the door, she skidded to a halt upon seeing Izzy’s bedside. The poor unicorn had treated her better than anypony else when she first came into town, and she was about to break her heart.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she gazed upon the sleeping unicorn. This was it. She was about to lose everything. All of those memories that she spent with those ponies, even if they weren’t genuine…gone in a snap. They would shame her, condemn her. They would never forgive her if she went through with what she did.

For a moment, she felt like putting Sparky back and accepting her punishment of being disowned. This wasn’t worth it. She didn’t have the willpower to go through with this. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t break Izzy’s heart like that. Not after everything she did and the conversation they had earlier.

But she also knew that she had gone too far to back out now. She had Sparky in her hooves. They wouldn’t believe her if she tried to explain herself. All they would see is their little companion being abducted by somepony they trusted. She couldn’t stop now even if she wanted to. She had already resigned herself to the consequences of her decision, and she could not turn back.

She was no longer their friend. She was their enemy. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t say one final goodbye.

“Thank you for believing in me, Izzy…” Misty murmured through tears, feeling her heart break with each word spoken. “Goodbye…”

And with that, without a second thought, she hurriedly slammed the door behind her and sprinted down the ramp with Sparky in her hooves. She could sense the adrenaline rushing through her and her heart pounding as she raced towards the double doors, telling herself over and over: “Stay strong, Misty…”

With tremendous effort, she burst through the doors and ran outside, feeling the cool night air assault her face. The wind blew her mane back and the Moon shone right above her. She had done it. At long last, she had Sparky! The realization that she had finally succeeded after all this time reinvigorated her and she began running more quickly. A big smile lit up her face and she clutched Sparky tight as she ran faster and faster.

Once she was far enough from town, she began shouting to the heavens about her victory, feeling all of the doubt she had built up wash away like a tidal wave.

“I-I did it!” Misty exclaimed. “I finally have Sparky! I FINALLY HAVE SPARKY!!!! WHOOOOO!!!!” She couldn’t contain it anymore. She was so happy! Now this was what true fulfillment looked like. She couldn’t wait to tell Opaline the news. Oh the alicorn would be so proud of her! She would shower her with praise and tell her how much she loved her. She would tell her how proud she was of her.

Surprisingly, Sparky slept through all of it, not even stirring despite being in earshot of her loud yelling. He just continued to lightly snore as she took victory lap after victory lap, jumping and prancing at random intervals.

After dancing around one final time, she ran off into the horizon and towards the direction of the castle, all the while shouting Opaline’s name.

Author's Note

And the Saga is back, baby!! Let’s go!! This story was originally meant to be a simple one-shot prequel that would’ve ended with this chapter, but I decided to expand it into its own narrative story after many people wanted to see what happened after The Fall of Opaline. We’ll get there when we do, but I want to talk about this chapter for a bit.

One of the big curiosities for many of you going into Worthless probably was: How did Misty steal Sparky? I mean, I answered the question via description, but y’all know the oldest rule of storytelling, which is show, don’t tell. I’ve always been curious about writing a story about the heist itself and what led up to it as a sort of companion piece to Worthless, but with the narrative of the Misty Saga getting more and more complex with each entry, that kind of simpler story fell to the wayside quite a bit as I was much more interested in telling this Tolkien-esque epic narrative leading up to and showing the final battle against Opaline. But I finally got down to writing it and with “Missing The Mark” kinda unintentionally adapting my work in Make Your Mark Chapter 4, I figured now would be the perfect time to finally write this chapter.

I hope you all enjoyed and I made sure to read Worthless as carefully as possible in order to keep the continuity on point one year later. Still got three more chapters to go, but hang in there. You’re gonna love what comes next. See you all soon!

Chapter 2: Present - Guilt

“Misty?”

Misty snapped to attention upon hearing her name called. She opened her eyes and looked around the room until her gaze settled upon Jazz Hooves hovering over her with a concerned expression on her face. She didn’t know how long she had been daydreaming about the event that changed her life forever, but she knew that she had to have been out for a long time.

She was in Mane Melody getting her mane done. and her remaining friends were waiting for her in their own lounge chairs. They were both staring at her as well and equally as concerned for her, that much she could tell. It had been two weeks since Sunny had betrayed the ponies of Equestria and joined the side of Opaline and everypony since then had been on edge.

Fillies no longer played in the streets, earth ponies no longer practiced their magic. Unicorns stopped carrying groceries or helping out with construction. The pegasi no longer flew through the skies, creating beautiful weather for their grounded brethren to enjoy and savor. It was as if life itself had ceased to exist.

For many, it felt like faster than when they had gotten their proper way of living back, it had been taken away from them in the most cruel manner possible. Just when they had gotten used to having magic back in their lives, it was stolen from them once again without warning by somepony they once trusted. It wasn’t fair, yet there was nothing they could do.

They hadn’t seen the signs, the warnings. They never paid her any mind, nor respected her in any capacity. They never showed her any love or given her any sort of positive acknowledgment. Instead, they saw fit to demean her for years and even resorted to beating her up when all she wanted was to share her passions with them. She had given everything for them and they gave her nothing in return. It was only a matter of time before she snapped and turned on them.

Yet that didn’t make the betrayal any less painful, nor any less devastating. It had come out of nowhere and Sunny had taken everything from them. As a result, the ponies began to blame each other for causing the event and it ended in the earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns all deciding to split off once again and return to a life of isolation. It was an expected outcome, but one that rendered over two years of progress completely null and void. All because they had pushed a mare too far.

Following magic being destroyed, all of the unicorns and pegasi had fled back to their hometowns, no longer trusting one another. It was a mass exodus that Hitch had the uncomfortable job of witnessing and it was made clear that the other tribes would never trust a pony not from their ranks again. They had seen what happened when one mare was given control of the hearts of many, and they weren’t about to be fooled into believing that unity was possible ever again. Many months worth of progress was undone in an instant. The shops were closed, the curriculum changed. Earth pony magic was no longer celebrated and practiced. Traditions and customs were no longer shared between the towns and all travel was banned at the central level. The ponies embraced an isolationist mindset once again, and it was like Sunny had never come and fixed anything.

And the worst part was that Misty blamed herself for all of it. She knew that she should’ve paid more attention to Sunny and been there for her when the others wouldn’t, yet she had been too distracted with finding out the truth about the past to realize what was going on until it was too late. She never forgave herself for letting the earth pony turn, and she vowed that she would never ever do so.

After all, it was because of her that Zipp was now crippled and stuck in a coma with Pipp watching over her constantly. She didn’t help when she was supposed to. She chose to flee and let the two sisters be beaten up by the angry mob of ponies. Now, Zipp was on life support and the doctors weren’t giving any favorable updates.

Although she had officially lost count of how many times that she had gone through the blaming game in her head, she still did it. For some reason, shaming herself in this manner felt right. It was what she was used to. Whenever she had failed on one of her missions, she would always receive the full extent of Opaline’s wrath. It was always her fault. She was never allowed to protest or complain. She was never allowed to argue with Opaline and whenever she did, she would either be beaten or grounded for hours without any food or water. In that time, she had become used to blaming herself for everything that went wrong. As a result, that was how it stayed.

Friendship was still something that she was struggling with as it didn’t come naturally to her. She had always been used to keeping secrets from everyone. It was only when Zipp had given her a good shake at the Manesquerade Ball that she had come clean about not having a cutie mark, yet she didn’t reveal anything else about herself. How could she? For months, she had dreaded that inevitable day that Sunny and the other ponies found about her and once that day came, she did not expect to be given a second chance.

However, in spite of kidnapping and potentially killing one of their own, they did give her another chance and that was something she still didn’t understand. Why did they still trust her? She had repaid their generosity by failing to save the only pony who brought them all together in the first place. She vowed that she would never forgive herself for it. For all she was concerned, she deserved to rot in the deepest and darkest dungeons. She deserved to be beaten up and stabbed to death with a knife. She didn’t deserve to live. She couldn’t do anything right. She couldn’t save anypony she loved. She was nothing but a failure who was somehow allowed to exist by the powers that be.

In her mind, she deserved to be shamed and scolded relentlessly for what happened. She didn’t understand why her friends weren’t mad at her more. What was their problem? Why didn’t they despise her for letting their closest friend fall to the dark side, as well as condemning one of their other friends to death? It was these questions that constantly plagued her and kept her up all night, even in spite of her trying to make them go away.

In an effort to get her to feel better, Hitch and Izzy had taken her to Mane Melody earlier in the morning to get a new makeover. Jazz had been about ready to close up shop for good, but fortunately, Hitch had managed to persuade her to stay open for them at least. Nopony was in any good spirits and Misty had drifted off during the procedure, lost in her endless grief and trauma.

“W-what happened?” Misty inquired curiously, now fully aware and cognizant of where she was and what she was doing here.

“You’ve been off in your own world for about 40 minutes,” Jazz explained. “Rocky and I got your mane done about 15 minutes ago and we’ve basically been waiting for you to come to ever since. Check it out!” She held up a mirror to the unicorn’s face.

Misty stared at her reflection blankly. Her mane had been spray painted with red and purple dye, a sharp contrast to her usual colors. Instead of pale and ordinary, her hair was now more bright and flamboyant. She did think the new style was beautiful, but she didn’t know how to express her thoughts into words, so she simply thanked Jazz and walked over to her friends.

“Now that’s what I call a glow up!” Izzy complimented. “You look amazing!”

“I gotta second that,” Hitch agreed. “Jazz has really outdone herself this time. And this is without Pipp around for ideas.”

“It looks…fine enough, I guess,” Misty stated flatly. “I don’t know, it doesn’t really make me feel any different. I’m still the same pony I was when I let magic die.”

Izzy and Hitch’s faces fell at that and looked at each other with bewilderment. It was clear that they were counting on this mane makeover to finally be the thing to cheer her up.

“Ooookay…” Izzy said awkwardly. “Soooo…what else do you wanna do?”

“Go home.” Misty answered bitterly. When her friends opened their mouths to protest, she cut them off. “Guys, please. I didn’t agree to this at all and you’re dragging me across town for nothing. I just want to be there for Pipp. You know, before I’m responsible for another friend falling to Opaline’s manipulations. We’re going home.”

Hitch sighed with exasperation. “Misty, this trip was for you!! I spent my hard-earned money on paying for that-“ He facehoofed. “Ugh, fine. Have it your way.” He stood up and began walking towards the salon doors. “Let’s go, Izzy.”

Izzy stood up and walked beside Misty. “Misty, I-I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you. You’re not in the right headspace to do this sort of stuff.”

“Don’t bother.” Misty snapped back. “You already helped plenty.” Upon the other unicorn looking down in sadness, she instantly felt regret for what she had just said. “Izzy, I’m sorry, I-“

“It’s okay…” Izzy looked back at her, eyes brimming with tears. “This was just my way of trying to distract myself as well. I don’t know, I just wanted us to have fun in the midst of all this.”

“How can we have fun with Maretime Bay in total chaos?!” Misty demanded. “Look around! Everything is gone because of me!! I don’t need to see more of what I ruined!”

“I-I know, I-Forget it, just know I’m sorry for pushing you.”

“It’s alright. I’m sorry for snapping at you. You didn’t deserve that.”

Izzy didn’t respond to that and Misty began to worry that she might’ve hurt her feelings beyond repair. The two walked in silence behind Hitch through the streets of the desolate neighborhood for several minutes.

It was said that even the most peaceful of nights could be deceiving, for no matter how comforting that the light of the full Moon may seem at certain times, something sinister always lurked in the areas where its embrace did not reach. It was the darkness that they feared, the shadows of phantoms that once lived. The night was home to these poor wandering souls and many tales had been regaled about their existence. For generations, ponies had always been taught from an early age to fear the nighttime and never go out during it due to fear of kidnapping and murder. Not a single foal dared to disobey orders from their parents and risk their lives. Who would blame them? They knew better. In a time of uncertainty, nothing could be trusted and superstition was at an all time high.

The once bustling suburban town of Maretime Bay was eerily and abnormally quiet this time of night, the only discernible sound present being the gentle breeze that blew softly through the empty and desolate streets. There were no owls hooting or crickets chirping, nor any lighthearted casual chatter from ponies heading home late from work.

The lampposts had all been switched off and not a single one lit the dark alleyways. Smoothie cups and popcorn bags littered the sidewalks in every direction, having been left there without any thought to pick them up. They lay there in a haphazard mess, forgotten in a pitiful state, never to be picked up or thought about again. A discarded, torn up newspaper blew through the wind and landed on the dirty streets in a sprawled open manner, the main headline reading in bold letters:

MAGIC GONE! EARTH-SHATTERING BETRAYAL FROM ACTIVIST RESIDENT SUNNY STARSCOUT LEAVES ALL PONIES ONCE AGAIN WITHOUT THEIR MAGICAL ABILITIES.

Magic gone. Those words still rang true for everypony in town and was the main reason why things no longer felt the same. And many doubted that things ever would feel the same considering everything that had happened. Those newspapers and their dreadful headlines were nothing more than a painful reminder of everything that had been lost and would never get back.

The Crystal Brighthouse still sat at the edge of town in all of its glory, though now a shell of its former self. It was no longer the centerpiece of all magic in Equestria, no longer the headquarters of friendship and harmony. The Unity Crystals were no longer safe and protected, powering the land through the combined powers of all three tribes. The rainbow prisbeam no longer shot out of the roof and blanketed the sky with its protective shield.

In this decrepit state, it could’ve been mistaken for a normal lighthouse with a slightly different structure and no one would’ve been any the wiser. Since Sunny’s absence, nopony else had bothered to regularly tend to it. The paint on the walls were beginning to chip and the windows had been haphazardly left open. The stained glass displays were beginning to show their age and now looked much more faded than before. Nothing about this place screamed harmony or unity the way it used to.

It just wasn’t the same.

The three ponies walked up to the door and slowly creaked it open to reveal the inside and it wasn’t looking much better. The lights inside were flickering on and off and accumulating dust bunnies littered the corners. There was no activity to speak of happening in any of the main rooms, no cheerful voice greeting them and relaying her newest idea. What was once the vibrant, positive hub for the new protectors of Equestria was now a dirty drain shammed over with the blood of the innocent.

Misty could feel her heart breaking the more she walked. This is what her actions caused. This was what her presence with these ponies had led to. They all would’ve been happy if it wasn’t for her. Why did she go back to them after stealing Sparky? Why did she let them house her? Bond with her? It was because of her that Maretime Bay was now a shell of its former self.

She had let this all happen and she would never forgive herself.

She walked upstairs past her friends, not even bothering to tell them where she was going. She was still angry at them for taking her across town and away from Pipp. The poor pop star pegasus was in a similar vulnerable position and at risk of falling to the dark side as well. Misty knew that couldn’t afford to be away from her too long and despite that, her friends had tried to put her above the pony who really needed it. Hadn’t they learned anything?

Upon reaching the bedroom, Misty slammed the doors open and walked inside, skidding to a halt once she saw Pipp sobbing by her sister’s bedside. Zipp was hooked up to a recovery bed with a breathing tube on her mouth. Scars and cuts were all over her face and she had an IV in one of her hooves. Her eyes were closed and her mane was a disheveled mess.

Misty still could not believe that this near-death patient was the same headstrong pegasus that had given her so much grief many months ago. She felt sick to her stomach and she didn’t know what to do. The old feeling of helplessness began engulfing her once more and she felt like dropping to her knees and crying as well.

But she knew deep down that was not what Pipp needed at the moment. She needed a friend to be there for her. So she stepped up towards where the pegasus was and tapped her on the shoulder.

Pipp turned, startled at the touch. “Stay back!! I have a-“ She calmed down upon seeing Misty. “Oh, Misty. It’s just you.”

“I’m here, Pipp,” Misty assured her profusely. “I’ll always be here for you, I promise. Don’t ever forget that…”

“Thanks…” Pipp thanked her. “You don’t need to assure me. I know you’ll do that.” She wiped her tears away. “How was the makeover? You look pretty fancy with that new hairdo. Sorry I couldn’t be there to see it.”

“Don’t worry about it. You need to be here when Zipp wakes up.”

“You mean if she does.” Pipp retorted bitterly, sighing. “Doctor Redcross came by earlier while you guys were away. He says that there’s a one in eight chance of her surviving her injuries. I’ll take what I can get at this point.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. That’s…not a good ratio.”

“You think?”

“It looks like a shot in the dark. When’s the next checkup?”

“Tomorrow. He said he wants to come by daily now. If she continues to slip…she…” Pipp’s eyes welled up with tears. “…he said that he’ll take her off life support. I tried to protest, but…he said it’s not worth prolonging her suffering like that.”

Misty gasped. She felt tears of her own come and she let them stream down her cheeks. “I’m sorry…This is…this is all my fault, Pipp. I should’ve been there to stop the crowd from attacking you two. If I had just intervened-“

“No,” Pipp shook her head. “No, Misty. You couldn’t’ve done anything. We shouldn’t’ve even been there at the speech to begin with. It was a tense situation and the blame’s entirely on me for insisting on attending. Zipp tried to stop me.”

“But I was the one who caused this situation to begin with!!” Misty cried. “What do you and the others not see?! If I’d just never shown up at your door, then Sunny would still be with you! Zipp would still be living her life! It’s because of me all this happened!!”

“No it wasn’t,” Pipp replied firmly. “Sunny was going to be beaten up anyway. That witch Sugar Moonlight…I can’t believe I even idolized the Filly Four. They’re monsters. My point is, there was nothing you could’ve done. We should’ve been there for our friend when the town struck, not you. The blame is on us.”

“But I still could’ve not stolen Sparky…” Misty said quietly, sighing deeply to herself. She walked over and stroked Zipp’s face gently. “The only reason why we’re in this mess to begin with is because I stole Sparky that night and let him get hurt. I took him when I had no reason to. I let Opaline twist my mind until I believed you all were the bad guys. I watched him be drained, all the life sucked out of him…” She shivered. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s dead.”

“Let’s…try not to think about that.”

“But it could be true!” Misty insisted. “All we’ve been doing is wasting our time with battle plan after battle plan and it’s because of that Sunny turned evil! If you guys just saved Sparky right after I took him, then we wouldn’t have to worry about anything. It’s because of my stupid recovery that you guys were set back! It’s because I couldn’t get over my past that we neglected Sunny! It’s because of my negligence that we couldn’t stop her from shattering the Crystals! Everything that’s ever happened…is my fault. You can’t deny it, Pipp.”

Pipp looked crestfallen at that. “You couldn’t’ve known…what Opaline was planning.”

“But I did…” Misty argued, a haunted look in her eyes. “I knew the whole time…but I just wasn’t entirely sure. But now I know. Looking back, it was obvious she was going to go after Sunny. After all, what was the point of me infiltrating the Filly Four many months back? What was the point of the compact mirror? The conversations? Sunny was never just the means to get her to the goal. Sunny was the goal. She wanted to control her from the very beginning. She wanted a true apprentice to rule alongside her. She never wanted a pathetic unicorn like me with nothing to offer, no cutie mark, no magic. No, what she really wanted from the start…” She trailed off, realizing at once the horrible truth that had been eluding her for quite some time.

“…was?” prodded Pipp cautiously.

“…was an alicorn.” Misty finished darkly. She could sense the air in the room grow colder around them at that last statement, the same atmosphere as the castle she grew up in. Thunder boomed outside and the wind began to blow stronger. It was almost as if Opaline was somehow watching them from afar.

“No…” Pipp realized, her eyes going wide with horror.

“If she could control the pony who brought back magic,” Misty explained, her body shaking all over from fear. “Then she could control all of Equestria and the lands beyond.”

Meanwhile, Hitch and Izzy were sitting together in the kitchen room, waiting for Misty and Pipp to return from upstairs and give them an update on Zipp’s condition. They had waited patiently for about 45 minutes for either of the distressed ponies to come down the ramp to no avail and they were starting to get concerned.

Finally, when no update came again, Hitch stood up from his chair and headed towards the front doors of the Brighthouse without wasting any time. He was fed up with waiting for the two of them and he had his own life to take care of.

“Where are you going, Hitch?” Izzy asked curiously, noticing this action. “You know we can’t be out after a certain curfew. Opaline and Sunny will be hunting for us come midnight.”

“I’m heading over to Grandma Figgy’s,” Hitch told her. When she tried to protest, he silenced her with a hoof. “Look, it’s the only thing I can do right now. I have to cool off. Misty really gave me a migraine back there.”

“Are you mad at her for ordering us to head home?” inquired Izzy worriedly.

“Yes, I am!” Hitch shouted furiously. “That ungrateful brat. We tried giving her some leisure time to help distract her from what happened with Sunny, and what does she say?!” He held up his hooves to use as air quotes. “‘Waaa, I didn’t agree to this at all! Take me home, waaa!’ Dammit!!” He slammed them on the ground right afterwards. “What does it take for her to be happy?! A trip to the Moon?!”

Izzy flinched from the gesture. “Oh…well, go easy on her, Hitch. You know everything that’s happened so far has been rough on her. She just needs time to realize that Sunny’s turn wasn’t her fault.”

Hitch scoffed. “Hmph, you think? We’ve given her weeks. How much longer do you want me to go easy on her before I have to tell her to stop being rude?!”

Izzy stood up and walked over towards him. “She’s not like other ponies. She’s never had a normal life and from what I’ve seen, her emotions are…more raw than most. She doesn’t have the self-restraint that most of us do. Please don’t be hard on her. She’s had enough of that already.”

“With the amount of times you defend her, I’m starting to think that you should be her mother or something.” Hitch spat before grabbing his sheriff’s badge off of one of his jackets on the coat hanger. “You have fun with her. I’m actually going to enjoy my life.”

As he reached for the door handle, he was stopped by Izzy’s hoof on his shoulder. He glared at the concerned unicorn. “What do you want now?!”

“You can’t tell Misty to get over her past,” Izzy stated sternly. “Considering that the entire reason Sunny turned evil to begin with was because you couldn’t get over yours. I know you’re blaming yourself for her fall as well.”

Hitch flicked her hoof off of him. “Yeah? Well at least I’m not taking my anger out on my friends, the only ponies generous enough to give her A HOME TO BEGIN WITH!!”

Izzy said nothing, only standing there with a look of disappointment.

“You should tell her to watch her mouth. I could’ve very easily thrown her in prison for what she did to Sparky and I still can.” Hitch threatened. “I have the grounds to charge her.”

“You wouldn’t do that. You know how I’d feel.”

“I don’t care. At the end of the day, I’m the sheriff, not you.”

With that, he stormed outside and slammed the doors in her face, making it clear that their conversation was effectively over.

The Marestream flew at a rapid pace through the night sky in the direction of Grandma Figgy’s cottage. The engines let out a loud roaring sound as the airship traversed throughout the starry canvas it called its domain.

In the two weeks following magic being destroyed, the Marestream had been outfitted to run on actual fuel instead of the lantern’s power and it now has an actual engine to go with it. This was to ensure that no matter what happened, they would always be able to travel between places on it.

Hitch sat in the pilot’s seat with a couple of apple ciders in two opposite cup holders, which he periodically drank in order to numb his anger while listening to “Something In The Way” by Marevana. He had left the Brighthouse as just the thought of Misty’s attitude earlier infuriated him. He knew she was grieving, but how could she speak to them like that when all they were doing was something nice for her?! He and Izzy had gone out of their ways to bribe Jazz to keep Mane Melody open and this was how the unicorn repaid them.

He knew that he shouldn’t blame her, but he had no one else to project his own insecurities onto. If he was to be honest with himself, Izzy was right. He had no right to tell Misty what she could or couldn’t do considering that he still could not get over his own personal demons. He just didn’t know what to do, and his mind was still fixated on how he inadvertently helped contribute to Sunny’s downfall by not trusting her. If he had just told her how much she was truly valued, then perhaps things could’ve been different and she still would’ve been around today.

The problem was that he could never admit just how much he truly blamed himself for Sunny’s fall. Through his training to become sheriff of Maretime Bay, he learned that leaders weren’t meant to show emotions to others. Emotions weren’t for sharing. You had to be calm, stoic, emotionless. You had to carry out the position with grace and humility, never allow yourself to feel as that rendered you susceptible to the temptations of criminals.

Yet he had broken that rule so many times with Sunny. He had let her off the hook so many times and it had resulted in her being right the whole time. So why couldn’t he do the same with Misty? Yes, she was acting quite nippy, but that didn’t mean that he had to be harsh to her back, especially when she didn’t deserve it.

Here he was now, a broken down, drunken alcoholic mess listening to melodramatic music on the radio. He had used to be so much stronger and his classes as a colt had always warned him against drinking. He remembered swearing to the officer in charge of the lecture to never ever touch alcohol nor cider. But he had nothing else to help free him from the amount of pent-up anger and sadness he felt. He had no one to talk to, no one to confide in about his worries. He was truly a lone stallion trapped in a broken world.

Sunny would know exactly what to say to me right about now. His grief over his childhood friend was consuming his entire being. He knew exactly how Misty felt, and he knew exactly what she was going through, if not more so. He knew what it was like to make mistakes and have to suffer the consequences for them. If only he could learn to open up to either of his friends about how he was feelings.

Oh who was he kidding? He could never share his feelings with anypony in public. The town needed him now more than ever. The rest of his friends were either broken wrecks or near death. He had to be the leader that they desrved. He was their last hope for survival in a post-apocalyptic world. He could never tell them how terrified he truly was.

After all, if he ever allowed himself to falter, then everypony else would surely follow suit. There was no escape for the sheriff. He was the final line of defense. He could never allow himself to be indecisive, nor to try and live a normal life. He’d seen where that had gotten him. But there was one pony he could be open with in private besides Sunny, and that was his Grandma Figgy.

He took the cup of cider out of the cupholder and drank it whole, feeling the taste soothe his tastebuds. His mind relaxed and he focused on driving to his destination.

The Marestream eventually arrived at a familiar cottage in the far outskirts of Maretime Bay. The wheels came down and it touched down on the tall grass. Hitch stepped out and stumbled to the door. The effects of the cider were beginning to kick in and his mind felt fuzzy.

He rescued out with his hoof and knocked on the door. At first, there was no answer for about a minute. Then he heard the sound of the doorknob turning and door slowly opened to reveal none other than Grandma Figgy herself.

“Oh my Hitchie!!” Grandma Figgy exclaimed. “I’m so glad you’ve come to see me!! What’s the occasion?”

“Just need some rest, Grandma Figgy…” Hitch murmured. “And to lay off the booze.” He began to wobble and struggled to stay on his hooves.

Grandma Figgy shook her head disapprovingly. “Have those D.A.R.E classes taught you nothing, dear?” She sighed. “Come inside, come inside. I’ll prepare some proper drinks.”

Hitch came inside and got settled on the living room sofa while Grandma Figgy prepared glasses of water and tea. He knew the elder mare was disappointed in him, but what could he say? How could he explain how helpless he had been feeling? The truth was, he didn’t know how.

Upon Grandma Figgy delivering a plate of hot tea, Hitch swallowed it up immediately, feeling the pure taste wash away the horrible after effects of the alcoholic cider in his system. His mind began to clear up and he felt a lot better.

“Thanks, Grandma,” Hitch thanked him. “To tell you the truth…I haven’t been feeling like myself lately. Since magic died…we’ve all been a bit on edge.”

“I know that, dear,” Grandma Figgy replied with concern in her voice. “But is that any reason to start resorting to alcoholism? You know what Officer Greenhorn said about that. If drugs make you want to take a lick-“

“-then they can also make you want to get sick.” Hitch finished. “I know, but…losing Sunny really hit me hard and to tell you the truth, I don’t know what I’m even doing. I’ve tried to put on a brave face and pretend like everything will be fine, but the more I try and bury my emotions, the more bridges I burn. And I can’t admit my insecurities. Not when the whole world could burn down at any moment.”

“It’s hard being the pillar of a community,” Grandma Figgy told him. “Your father used to confide in me a lot about how hard being sheriff was. He always said that it was a struggle to mask your emotions in times of crisis, but you should never close yourself off from those closest to you.”

“But what if being too close to them gets them hurt?” Hitch asked helplessly. “I let my concern for Sunny’s well-being drive her away. What if the same thing happens to Misty? Or Pipp because she’s grieving over whether Zipp will survive? I can’t let their emotions get to them, just as I can’t let my emotions get to me. Not now.”

“Emotions are not the problem, Hitchie,” explained Grandma Figgy firmly. “It all comes down to how you manage them. Cutting yourself off from your feelings will not make things any better, nor will it help to run away from your problems like this. We’re all ponies and we all have our own insecurities. You can share them with me.”

Hitch let out a deep sigh. “Every night…ever since magic was destroyed, I’ve been…tormented by those painful memories in my sleep. I can still see the hurt in Sunny’s eyes, the betrayal…the fever, the rage, the feeling of…powerlessness. It was exactly how she felt when Argyle died, yet instead of being there for her when she needed it this time, I neglected her to focus on Misty.”

“You know Misty needed the support.”

“Yes, but now we’re all on the brink of collapsing!” Hitch snapped, his eyes filled with terror. “Any one of us could be next! Opaline could be lurking around every corner now that she’s free! Who’s to say that she’s not watching us right now?!”

“That’s ridiculous,” Grandma Figgy retorted. “She probably doesn’t care about us puny little ponies anyway now that she has what she wants.”

“I can’t be too sure.” Hitch answered, looking out the window into the nothingness beyond. “I really can’t be sure of anything anymore…”

CLAP!!!!

Misty’s eyes snapped open upon hearing the sound of lightning striking the roof of the Brighthouse above her. She shot up in bed, throwing the covers off of her and ran to the window, thinking that Opaline had finally found them. She was prepared to wake Pipp up from her sleep, but she chose not to upon seeing nothing outside.

She silently cursed herself for being scared of a small lightning strike and prepared to head back to bed when the doors to the bedroom opened and in walked a disheveled, exhausted looking Izzy. Her mane looked frazzled and she was sporting a sad expression on her face.

Misty turned around to greet her. “Oh hi, Izzy. I…thought you were sleeping. Why are you up so late?”

“Why are you?” was the dispirited craftsmare’s response.

“I got scared by a lightning strike…” Misty admitted. “I know, it’s stupid. But…I’ve always been afraid of thunderstorms. Opaline told me once that they were a sign from the heavens that I wasn’t doing my job right. You’d be surprised as to what filly me could believe at that age.”

“I can relate,” Izzy replied. “Back in Bridlewood, the elders call them jinxie storms, meaning that if it isn’t forecasted and it just happens on a whim, that means we got the gods angry and they cast some sort of curse on us. I honestly wouldn’t rule it out at this point.”

Misty closed the window and walked over to her. “I see. Izzy, this may seem out of left field, but…do you remember your parents? Your real parents?”

Izzy seemed confused. “What brought that up?”

“I…” Misty was struggling for the right words to say. In reality, she was just intrigued to know more about her friend’s home life before moving to Maretime Bay. “I don’t know, was just…curious.”

“Well,” Izzy explained. “I do remember a bit about my parents…it’s a bit fuzzy, but…their names were Star Collector and Moon Watcher. They were forced out of Bridlewood when I was very little. Mom was…revealed to be an earth pony and Alphabittle gave Dad an ultimatum. Either leave her or be…exiled from Bridlewood.”

“Oh…” Misty couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How could somepony try and break apart a couple who loved each other like that? It made her angry inside, but also sad for Izzy.

“Then that evening,” Izzy continued, her eyes welling up with tears. “They told me the unfortunate news. They were going to leave me behind as they thought I would have a better future in town than on the run…I gave them one final hug before…Alphabittle set the village on them. I still remember seeing the pitchforks, the knives, and the anger of the crowd…That was the last time I ever saw them alive.”

“I’m sorry…”

“I grew up…never truly knowing them,” Izzy finished sadly. “But even as I grew older, I knew that I had lost two ponies that would’ve been there for me if circumstances were different. They never…got to see me grow into the pony I am now. That kind of loss cuts deep through the heart, even though you try and bury it under a mountain of smiles and laughs…”

Misty reached out with her hoof and put it on Izzy’s shoulder. “Maybe…maybe it happened for a reason. Maybe fate…set you on that path so you could meet Sunny and the others and…help save the world. Sometimes when dealing with hard situations, I tend to think they happen…for a reason. You’re here now, you’re telling me this.”

“It’s not worth it…” Izzy said, shaking her head. “I would’ve been better off a normal pony, never having to endure the evils of the world…but, all things considered, I suppose I wouldn’t’ve been as happy. But it doesn’t matter now, does it? My first friend ever is gone…” She looked down to the ground in sadness.

“Why don’t…” Misty suggested. “Why don’t you sleep with me tonight? We’ll sleep together. That’ll make you feel better.”

Izzy lifted her head up at that. “R-really? You’d…do that for me?”

Misty nodded. “It’s the least I can do after…you know…snapping at you earlier today. You didn’t deserve that.”

“You know I don’t blame you for that, Misty.” Izzy said softly. “It was Hitch and I’s fault for thinking you needed to get out. You just wanted to be there for Pipp, I get that. I just wish…that I could have that same chance…to travel back in time and tell Sunny just how much we love her.”

“Maybe one day you’ll get that chance, Izzy. Don’t give up…”

As the two unicorns climbed into bed, lightning struck once again and rain started to pour down onto the ground outside. This time however, Misty wasn’t afraid. She had somepony there to protect her, and she wasn’t afraid of any silly thunderstorm.

It took a while, but after snuggling up back to back with Izzy, Misty’s eyes grew heavy and she yawned before falling into a deep sleep.

Author's Note

And I finally got around to writing this chapter…a whole 3 months later. Yes, I’m a fat slob, don’t judge me. By this point, Make Your Mark Chapter 5 has come out, and we were officially introduced to red and purple-maned Misty Brightdawn. So in an attempt to keep the continuity on point once again, I’ve borrowed this aspect from canon, which is why the chapter opens with it. This is probably the only aspect I’ve borrowed from the Chapter as I have my own story planned in regards to Misty’s backstory. What it will be, I won’t spoil, but pay attention to she and Izzy’s sections throughout. That’s the only thing I will say in regards to the reveal in this story.

Now onto Hitch’s section, it’s interesting writing a broken-down version of him. I didn’t think I’d be able to pull off the whole Logan-esque deconstruction, but I think I might’ve managed. As I’m Looking Out For You is canon to this universe, I think you’ll understand what he’s going through a lot more and how much Sunny really means to him if you read that story. It’s not required, but you know…context might be important to some of you, so just throwin’ this out there. I hope y’all enjoyed and I also hope that this wasn’t too depressing of a chapter for you.

Now onto the next chapter…