To the Flamespire!by Vivid SyntaxChapters1: Big Mistake2: Orientation3: Thundercrash4: Cleanup5: Stalling6: The Shadow of Regret7: Beware the Jungle’s Vines (Right, Up, Up, Right, Up, and then Left)1: Big MistakePonehenge shook. Ancient stone pillars creaked and sloughed off their moss. The earth threatened to open and swallow up all who lingered. Birds fled to the skies, cawing a warning to their brethren as the deep rumbling grew louder and louder. In the center of the stones, a rainbow-colored lantern shed a white-hot light. Zipp Storm gulped. "Yeah… This might have been a bad idea." An ear-splitting FWOOSH pierced the air, and Zipp was blinded by a rainbow of colors. She threw her wings up in front of her face, but it offered little protection. Pure, unfiltered magic rushed past her, through her, beating against her body like grains of fine sand that burned and soothed at the same time. Zipp could feel reality itself tearing around her, like her body was nowhere and everywhere at the same time. And just as suddenly, silence returned to Ponehenge. Zipp held her position, but she finally parted her wings when she heard a cough. A pony lay face-down in the middle of the standing stones, surrounded by earth that had been abraded of all its moss and grasses. Zipp took a tentative step forward. "Did it work? Are you… Twilight Sparkle?" The pony's face snapped up, and she rolled her eyes with a sneer. "Ugh! Why does everypony make that mistake?" She stood, stretched her legs, and brushed herself off. "Seriously. Pink and lavender: completely different colors." Zipp's wings drooped. "Uh, sorry! I was trying to contact Princess Twilight, but I'm not really great at unicorn magic.” She looked around, as if somepony could somehow fix the fact that she’d summoned the wrong pony. “I… think I screwed up a teensy bit." The unicorn took a deep breath and straightened up. Despite the magical journey, her purple and teal-streaked mane retained its bounce. Her face softened into a warm smile. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. These things happen." She shrugged. "A lot more often than you'd think, actually. Students get pretty ambitious once they learn a few spells.” Her eyes opened wide. “Oh! I'm Starlight Glimmer, but the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I mean that." Zipp shook off her confusion. "Hi. Yeah. I'm Zipp. And sorry to rush, but I need your help." She winced. "And I'm… also a princess. I really don't like playing that card, but to be honest, I'm kind of desperate right now." Starlight took a step forward. She raised an eyebrow. "Princess Zipp? I'm very sorry, but I haven't heard of you." She looked around and locked eyes on a gigantic metal box with wings, which sat several meters behind the pegasus. "Uh… what's that thing?" "Hm?" Zipp looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that's the Mare Stream. And no worries about not knowing who I am." She waved a hoof. "It's totally cool. I wasn't yet born in your time, anyway." Starlight's eyes went wide as plates. "Time!?" She arched her back like a cat and looked around. "No, no no no! Tell me I'm not–" It all clicked together: Ponehenge looking several thousand moons older, technology she'd never seen, and a princess she'd never heard of. Zipp turned her head. "Uh… you okay?" "Mirror!" Starlight ran in circles, screaming. "Mirror! I need a mirror right now!" She nearly bowled Zipp over in her panic. Zipp leapt into the air. "Woah! What's going on?" She bit her lower lip, trying to think. "Don't panic! Your mane still looks great!" "Mirror!!!" "Okay, fine!" With a hard flap, she flew to the Mare Stream and opened the door. "Bathroom, on the right." Starlight dashed in without saying another word. Zipp followed and saw Starlight standing before the mirror in a wide stance. "What are you–" "Quiet!" A vein bulged on Starlight's neck. She quickly shook it off. "Sorry! Old habits. But I need to focus." She twirled her head, and her horn sparkled with light. Starlight's cutie mark appeared in front of her like a hologram. "Woah…" Zipp landed, wide-eyed, as she watched Starlight weave a spell. “Is that… unicorn magic?” The light magically dimmed inside the Mare Stream as a spell circle appeared around the floating cutie mark. Starlight's voice echoed as the circle grew more complex with symbols that wove themselves out of nothing. "Futurum…" She was sweating and laser-focused on the runic enchantment, with her reflection just behind it. "Memoria…" Her voice echoed with unearthly strength. She reared back onto her hind hooves as she gathered power. "Oblitiarum!" She stomped her hooves, and the whole Mare Stream rocked as a magic blast shot from her horn. It passed through the magic circle, hit the mirror, and bounced back, striking Starlight in the face and knocking her back against the wall. "Wah!" She collapsed onto the ground with a groan, and the light inside returned to normal. "Ow…" Zipp rushed to her side and helped her up. "Holy ponies! What was that!?" Starlight rubbed her eyes. "Memory charm. A strong one." She shook out her mane. Zipp blinked rapidly. "You’re not making sense. Why do you need something like that?" Starlight shook out her mane. It still looked perfect. "Trust me, kid. You do not want to start messing with time. I need to make sure I don't remember any of this when I go home, or something might change history, and then you'd never exist." Zipp felt herself go rigid. "Yikes. Uh… thanks for watching out, I guess." "No problem." She held a hoof to her chest, took a deep breath, and extended her foreleg as she breathed out. Calmer, she asked, "So, what's so important that you needed to dabble in time magic to bring Twilight Sparkle here?" Zipp nodded. "Right. Yeah. I'm looking for my friends." Starlight cocked her head to the side. "That doesn't seem so bad." "They're…" Zipp kicked the floor and spoke very fast. "Kind of captured and being held hostage by a megalomaniac Alicorn with dark magic powers." Starlight nodded, and a small smile curled on her lips. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere." "Yeah." Zipp stood up straight, but the words felt like lead in her mouth. "Do you know anything about an alicorn named Opaline?" 2: OrientationStarlight shook her head. "Literally never heard of her." Zipp recoiled. "Wait, really?" "Yep! Really." Zipp’s wings flared up. "But she's an ancient, evil alicorn! She’s as old as Celestia and Luna! How have you not heard of her?" Starlight tapped her chin. "Well, we've had to deal with ancient evil changelings, centaurs, draconequui, and even a psychotic pony or two.” She shrugged casually. “I guess she just didn't come up." Zipp rubbed her temple. "At least you have experience, I guess." She groaned. “But if you don’t know anything about her, how are we going to get my friends back?” Starlight tenderly put a hoof on Zipp's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Zipp. We’ll figure it out." Zipp paused. She looked up, eyebrows raised. "Really? You're going to help me, just like that? You don't even know who my friends are or what's going on." Starlight nodded. "That's kind of how it works in Equestria, at least in my time. I'm… still learning about friendship, but I'm not one to turn away from a pony in need." She shrugged. "Besides, this doesn't sound that difficult, all things considered." Zipp recoiled. "Are you kidding? They're kidnapped!" "Like I said, I've seen worse.” Mumbling, she added, “Frankly, this might not even crack the top ten." Zipp’s mane stood on end, more than usual. "Old Equestria sounds terrifying!" "Eh, it's actually pretty great once you get past the world-ending threats that pop up every year or so. I'll tell you all about it later. Now, do you mind if we step out of this bathroom?” Zipp grimaced as she looked around and realized where they were. "Oh! Right. Let's go catch our breath before that memory spell gets me, too." She turned and led the way. They settled in the back of the Mare Stream. The red, plush bench seats were spotless as always, and cupholders seemed to be everywhere. Starlight even opened a secret compartment after accidently sitting on it, revealing cookies, crackers, and jars of chocolate and marshmallow fluff. "Oooh, snacks! Do you mind if I have a nibble?" Zipp looked at the box. It was full of Sunny's Super Special Sparky Snacks, made just for dragons, and it had a crayon-drawn dragon on the box courtesy of Izzy. Zipp grunted. "I'm not sure if those are fit for… You know what? Go for it. I've got too much else on my mind right now." "Great!" She bit onto the baked snack with such a crunch that it made Zipp's teeth rattle. Starlight didn't seem to mind. "So, let's get some details." She reclined in her seat. Zipp's neck felt hot. "Okay, this is starting to irk me." Starlight frowned. "I'm sorry. What's wrong?' "Don't you care!?" Zipp threw her hooves up. "I just ripped you out of your own time, told you about an evil alicorn kidnapping my friends, and you’re just so casual about it. Why are you so calm?" Starlight took a deep, slow breath. "Because one of us needs to be." Zipp went rigid, and her throat sealed shut. Starlight set the box down and faced Zipp directly. She spoke with gentle, even words. "You're right to be concerned, but I've learned from experience how easy it is to make rash decisions when we're stressed." "I'm not being rash!" Zipp snapped. "They're in danger!" "So it was responsible to take a magic artifact to a place of power and cast a spell you hardly knew anything about?" Zipp blushed and turned her head. "I did my research. I just… didn't have a lot of time." She shook her head. "The point is, Opaline kidnapped all my friends three days ago, and she has them trapped at the Flamespire." "Sounds ominous." "It is. It's this big mountain waaaaaay outside of Maretime Bay, and the top is on fire." Starlight raised an eyebrow. "So… a volcano?" "No, just a fire mountain." She raised it higher. "So a volcano." "No! Just… you'll see when we get there." Starlight nodded. "Right. And we can debrief on the way there. Any information you have about Opaline will be helpful." She tapped her chin. "Like, how did she manage to capture all your friends at once if–" "It doesn't matter!" Zipp snapped. Her wings flared out, and she scowled. She shook it off. "Sorry. It's… It's not important. We just have to get them back." Starlight narrowed her eyes at Zipp and turned her head. "I see." She stood and walked towards the front of the Mare Stream. Casually, perhaps too casually, she said, "Well, if it's not important, then we don't need to talk about it right now, right?" Zipp felt something fuzzy at the back of her mind, but it was washed out by a sudden feeling of relief. "Right. C'mon, I'll show you how this thing flies." 3: ThundercrashStarlight's tail wagged like a puppy's as the Mare Stream sailed through the sky. "This is SO much easier than flying myself!" Zipp cocked an eyebrow. "You can fly?" "Sort of. Here, watch." Her horn glowed, and she deftly levitated herself into the air. Of course, at that exact moment, they hit turbulence, and Starlight flew into the ceiling with a "Gah!" before slamming back to the floor. Zipp chuckled. "Oooooh yeah, the Mare Stream is a lot easier than that. You okay?" "I'm fine," Starlight groaned as she got up on her hooves. "Not the first time I've made an embarrassing mistake." She cast a glance at Zipp, and her voice took on the slightest edge. "Happens to all of us, right?" Zipp flushed. "Uh, yeah! Totally." She stared straight ahead and frowned as she piloted their craft. Starlight paused. When nothing else came, she looked out the window. "These clouds are getting darker. I think we're heading into a storm." "That's no storm. Opaline knows about the Mare Stream, and we think she's using her magic to keep us away." Starlight's eyes widened. "She's got a perpetual weather control spell?" She nibbled her lip in thought. "Wow, that would take a lot of focus. Maybe she's using a magic circle or two, but still, the sheer number of gems needed for the spell matrices would be huge, and that's only for the moisture in the air, which…" She caught sight of Zipp, who looked dumbfounded. "Basically, she's really powerful." "That's what I've been saying! She’s wah!” The Mare Stream shook again as a peal of thunder roared right on top of them, and a white light flashed as lighting struck the Mare Stream. Starlight gasped. “What was that?” Zipp snorted. “You know how to fly, but you don’t know what lightning is!?” “No! I mean, I do, but there’s something else. Look again!” Zipp turned forward again. “I don’t see anything. It’s getting darker!” All of a sudden, the Mare Stream tossed in the sky as lightning struck it again. Zipp winced at the intensely bright light. “There!” Starlight shouted, barely able to keep on her hooves. “The afterimage!” Zipp shook her head and winced in pain, but she focused and closed her eyes. As she looked deeply at the darkness, something did stand out to her. Instead of a uniform wash of color from her over-exposed eyes, she saw a twisted, skeletal shape, clear as day. “Is that… a pony?” “Windigo!” Starlight screamed. The Mare Stream shook and threw the ponies to the wall as three more lightning strikes connected with them, each more powerful than the last. Zipp scrambled to her hooves as the Mare Stream plummeted. “What are those things?” “Spirits! They feed on negative energy! I don’t know why they’re here, but we need to find someplace safe.” With one flap, Zipp dashed to the steering wheel and grunted hard as she pulled up, desperately trying to right the Mare Stream. “It’s not leveling out!” Wind tore at the sides of the ship, lightning streaked all around them. Starlight crouched down and focused. “I’ll help! “ She focused her magic, and the Mare Stream became enveloped in her magic glow. It pulled up just a little further, out of its nose dive but still heading towards the dense forest below. “It’s not enough!” Zipp’s hooves shook on the steering wheel. “W-what do I do!?” “Your call, Zipp!” Zipp froze. “Zipp?” Zipp didn’t move. Her jaw hung open, and her eyes were wide. Her grip on the steering wheel loosened, and her forelegs hung slack at her sides. She stopped breathing. The only thing she could see were flashes of memories in her mind’s eye. The halls of the castle in Zephyr Heights. Broken glass. Sunny, gone. Dark fire everywhere. She could still hear Hitch’s last words. ‘Your call, Zipp!’ “Zipp!” Zipp stumbled as Starlight shoved her aside and grabbed onto the steering wheel. Alarms blared and red lights flashed on every display. Starlight leaned back with all her weight, trying to pull the Mare Stream up, all while her magical aura flickered and failed on the Mare Stream. Zipp sat on the ground, shaking, with her hooves to her temples. “No. No. Not again. Not again. Not again!” Sweat poured from Starlight’s forehead as her magical spell broke, and a bolt of lighting flew across the sky above them. The trees below grew closer and closer. “Hold on!” Starlight shouted as the steering wheel broke free of her grip. Zipp remained stuck in place. Her joints felt like they were made of welded metal. Starlight gasped and tossed her head around as detritus flew all around the Mare Stream. “Think, Starlight, think!” The alarms grew louder, and the ship lurched forward, launching the snacks from the back towards the front compartment. Just as the first nose of the Mare Stream brushed against the leaves of the tall trees, Starlight gasped, “Marshmallow fluff!” as her horn flared with new intensity. The last thing Zipp saw was an exploding jar and a rapidly growing mass of white goo. 4: CleanupThe Mare Stream lay still on the forest floor. Its wings were bent, and the front windshield was cracked. The entire inside seemed to be full of some kind of white, fluffy goop. Behind and above it was a large hole in an otherwise thick canopy, and above that, skeletal horses made of pure lightning raced back into the sky above. The forest grew silent. A moment later, there was a small creak, and the door of the Mare Stream burst open, spilling thousands of gallons marshmallow fluff onto the green forest floor. After a beat, two figures, like frosty snowponies, breached the thick mess and sucked in huge gasps of air. “What was that?” Zipp shouted as she struggled to stand in the chest-high fluff. She wiped the marshmallow from her eyes with limited success. “This stuff is everywhere!” “Hey, it was the best I could do!” Starlight licked some fluff from her lips. “It was this or try to teleport us at high speeds, and you do not want to know all the ways that something like that can go wrong.” Zipp growled. “Ugh! Fine, but did you have to be so messy?” She stepped onto the grass and tried to spread her wings, but they were too heavy for her muscles to lift. “I can’t fly like this! I’m going to be preening myself all night just to even start getting back to normal.” Starlight shook her body, hoping to throw some of the fluff off. It didn’t work. “Well, what about you? You–” She stopped herself and swallowed her words. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Zipp scowled. “What about what now?” Starlight gave herself another moment. “We can talk later. We need to figure out a way to clean up. I can undo the growth spell on most of the marshmallow fluff, but nothing that’s touching us.” “C’mon, why not?” Starlight sighed. “Too risky. Just trust me on this.” Zipp growled again as she looked over the Mare Stream. “Gr… Fine. Let’s just get this over with and reevaluate where we’re at.” The two mares dove back into the marshmallow fluff. They scooped as much as they could out of the Mare Stream and onto the forest floor. Hours later, and after chasing off some bunnies and squirrels that appreciated the rare treat, Starlight banished most of what was left back to its original size. They collapsed on the ground outside the Mare Stream, sweaty and with a thin layer of puffy sugar still clinging to their coats. Zipp panted, “Good enough, for now.” Starlight groaned next to her. “Yeah… Yeah…” She wiped her forehead, but that just smeared more marshmallow on her. “Ew…” They caught their breath as the storm continued to rumble above them, and the sky began to go dark. Zipp turned her head. “So… I looked at the controls. The Mare Stream is all jammed up, even after we got the fluff out.” “Did one of the mechanisms break? I assumed it ran on magic.” Zipp grit her teeth. “It does! The Mare Stream shouldn’t be able to break like this. It doesn’t make sense!” “Maybe the magic ran out? What kind of magic does it run on?” Zipp pursed her lips. An owl hooted in the distance. “Something with friendship, I assume?” Zipp pursed her lips harder. “So it seems like something is in the way of the–” “I get it, okay! I’m a bad friend.” Lying on her back, she buried her face in her hooves. Starlight turned her head and frowned. “Nopony’s saying that, Zipp. You’re not a bad friend.” “Yes! I am! All my friends got captured, and I didn’t. If I was a better friend, I would have saved them!” Starlight rolled onto her side. “Sounds like a classic case of survivor’s guilt.” Zipp’s eyes flashed with fire. “They survived, too! Don’t say that!” Starlight held up a hoof. “Sorry, bad choice of words. What I meant was, it sounds like you’re feeling guilty for something that wasn’t your fault.” Zipp felt her skin prickle. Starlight continued. “Nopony could have predicted what Opaline was going to do. It sounds like she surprised you, and if she’s got Windigos, then she’s very well prepared. You couldn’t have known.” Zipp’s teeth chattered as she stared up into the sky. The clouds broke above her. The first few stars winked into existence, and Zipp blinked away the water in her eyes so they wouldn’t be so blurry. Starlight felt heavy all of a sudden. The cool air felt colder, and she saw Zipp begin to shake. “Zipp?” Zipp’s mind reeled. Memories dashed at the edges of her perception. Misty’s warning. The plan. Those black crystals. Every movement, everypony counting on her, and everything going wrong. Starlight scooted closer. “Zipp, what’s on your–” “What did you say those were called?” Zipp blurted out without looking at Starlight. Her body was stiff. “Windigos? What are they? How do we beat them?” Starlight’s frown deepened. “Zipp, I don’t think we–” “I-I-I need to know! So we can figure out how to get around them! What are they? What are their weaknesses.” Starlight’s shoulders slumped. She thought back to all the ponies that had sought her counseling over the years. This wasn’t new territory: it wasn’t uncommon for creatures in distress to hide their feelings like this, especially ponies. As she looked over Zipp again, though, she was reminded of a porcelain doll. Whatever Zipp had, she had it deep, and it wouldn’t do to force anything out of her. Starlight swallowed and spoke as gently as she could. “They’re spirits that feed on negative energy. I suppose if the Mare Stream is powered by positive energy, that would be one reason to try and destroy it. Or…” Zipp finally turned her head towards Starlight. “Or what?” Starlight nodded. “Or one of us attracted them.” Zipp’s gaze fell to the dirt. “Have you…” She barely spoke above a whisper. “Have you fought them before?” “Not personally, no. I only know them from folk tales. Usually, they take the form of winter spirits, since they can feed off of ponies’ cold feelings towards one another.” Zipp’s head tilted to the side. She rolled onto her stomach. “But we weren’t being cold. If anything, we were getting heated with each other.” “Right. I imagine they took the form of lightning because of another emotion. If I had to guess…” She looked Zipp up and down again. “Maybe fear?” With a forced laugh, Zipp tensed. “Haha. Well, yeah! It’s really scary flying in a storm, right?” Starlight shook her head. “I don’t think that was it. They seemed really strong to be going off of simple fears like that.” Zipp hung her head. “Zipp,” Starlight asked softly. “What made you so afraid up there?” The images cycled through Zipp’s head again, but she shook them off. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “I know it’s uncomfortable, but talking these things through really does help.” Zipp’s wings drooped at her sides. She frowned up at Starlight. “I…” Starlight could see Zipp wrestling with herself to pull more out of herself, but she sighed and finally said, “I can’t. Not tonight. Let’s get some rest.” She hoisted herself to her hooves and walked towards the Mare Stream. “Hopefully the shower still works.” Starlight stood up. “It’s okay if you’re not ready yet, Zipp, but if something’s bothering you, you’ve got a friend here who’s willing to listen.” Zipp paused without looking back. “Thanks.” She trudged back into the Mare Stream. With a last glance at the stars, Starlight followed her inside to get cleaned up. 5: StallingOpaline stroked the Dragonfire Stone and laughed. "Hm-hm-hm! To think it would be so easy to recapture this little dragon. Revenge really is best served hot. Hahaha!" A trail of green, sparkly smoke drifted into the stone from a cage a few feet away, inside which sat a baby dragon. "Y-you're right, Opaline," Misty stuttered. The Flamespire always seemed so much bigger and more menacing than Opaline's regular castle. "And soon, all his power will be yours." "Indeed it shall," Opaline mused, walking to the cage. Inside, Sparky slapped his belly and laughed. "Heehee! Goo!" He wiggled his fingers in front of him. Opaline raised an eyebrow. "Though he seems rather… unbothered by having his very life force siphoned from him." Misty perked up. "Oh! Uh… Well, maybe he's just… happy his power is being used properly?" "Hmph. Perhaps, but I must admit that his lack of suffering is a bit disappointing." Misty shrugged and pointed to a set of separated cages on the opposite side of the room. "At least those ponies seem like they're suffering." "Ple-he-he-he-hease!" Hitch Trailblazer wailed, forelegs spread wide as he slammed himself into the side of his pony-sized anti-magic cage. Tears flowed from his face as he rattled the bars and butted them with his head. "He's just!" Slam! "A!" Slam! "Baby!" SLAM! "It'll be okay, Hitch!" Sunny shouted from her own cage, which was divided from her friends'. A crystal collar clung tightly to her neck. "We'll get out of here and save Sparky soon." "YOUUUUUU!!!" Hitch shouted, pointing a hoof at Opaline. "You shall not escape the hooves of JUSTICE!!!" From her own cage, Pipp slapped herself in the face with a hoof. Izzy merely giggled. Opaline held her head high and slowly stepped up to Hitch's cage. "And you will watch every last drop of magic get drained from your precious baby, right in front of you." She stuck her nose right up to Hitch. "And there's nothing you can do to stop it." Hitch strained to keep an angry face, but he quickly collapsed and threw his hooves to his eyes, bawling. He rolled around on the floor. "It's not fa-ha-hair!" Opaline sneered. "That's the most pathetic display I've ever seen." She smiled. "I quite like it. Misty, make a mural of these pathetic ponies. I'm going to go take a wicked bath with some wicked bath bombs to celebrate my victory." She moved towards the door. Misty scratched at her mane. "I, uh, don't know how to make a mural, Opaline." "I didn't ask." She walked out the door and slammed it behind her. The room went silent. And the ponies sighed in relief. Sunny smiled. "Nice work, Misty. That bought us a lot of time." Misty blushed. "Aw, it was all Hitch." "Don't sell yourself short, Misty," Hitch said as he kipped up onto his hooves. "Although, not to brag, but I did play the biggest Billy goat gruff in our foal school play." He made a sweeping bow. Pipp grumbled. "Might have oversold it just a touch." Hitch gasped. "Plebeian!" Misty walked over to the dragon stone, reached under it, and turned off the smoke machine and vacuum hidden beneath it. "I'm just glad Sparky's okay. Good job with the fake siphon, Izzy." Izzy bounced in her cage. "There's nothing you can't accomplish with creativity and a LOT of glitter." Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that glitter, anyway?" "Pfft, silly. I ALWAYS have glitter!" Pipp groaned. "Ugh, can we just get out and stretch a little?" Misty hung her head. "Sorry, Pipp. Opaline saw what happened last time. These cages are doubly secure. They've got magic locks, metal locks, and some locks I've never even heard of. Oh! I can get you some snacks, though." She retrieved some hidden snacks from below the table and carried them to Pipp's cage. Pipp reached for the snacks. "You're a lifesaver, Misty. Thank–" The door flew open and Opaline burst in, hovering a dozen small orbs around her. "Misty! I can't find my wicked bath bombs. All I have is evil, nefarious, impious, profane, iniquitous, and… What are you doing?" Misty, wide-eyed, looked between her snack and Pipp's outreached hoof. "Uh… Just… torturing the prisoners, Opaline." She stared at Pipp. Pipp rolled her eyes, then dropped to the floor and grasped at the snacks that were just out of reach. "WHY oh WHY are you being, like, sooooo totally cruel? I'm starving!" Hitch mumbled, "Now who's overacting?" Sunny shushed him. Opaline harrumphed. "Fine. I'll find it myself. At least you're doing something worthwhile." She turned and left again. After another breath, Misty groaned. "I'm not sure how long we can keep this up. It's already been three days." Sunny rested against her cage. "Don't lose hope, everypony. I'm sure Zipp will come for us soon." Pipp whimpered. “Yeah, but… where could she be?” 6: The Shadow of Regret Zipp threw her party dress off into a heap, where it was quickly trampled by a fleeing guest. The Zephyr Heights Rotunda was full of screams. In a panic, Zipp looked around, but Sunny wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Ahahahaha! Really, Princess?” Opaline cackled. A plume of fire enveloped her, and the spears thrown by the guards incinerated before they could find purchase. “Didn’t you think I’d see this coming? I am a villain, after all.” Zipp’s heart beat so loud that it nearly drowned out the shouts of the guards. She leapt into the air and surveyed the scene. The Ascension Banquet was in shambles. The guards were easily outmatched, Hitch was scrambling to get Sparky to safety, and Pipp was ensnared in a sphere of fire. At least Izzy was having fun silently bouncing around inside her anti-magic bubble. Swallowing her fear, Zipp hovered in front of Opaline. “Y-you won’t get away with this!” “Hm-hm-hm!” Opaline flared her horn, and another bubble formed around Pipp, followed by more for Hitch and Sparky. “You’re joking. After all, you’re the one who was trying to get away with something.” Opaline swooped in closer, her face right up to Zipp. “How does it feel to be such a complete, utter failure, My Queen?” Zipp was stunned. She could barely keep her wings flapping, and in Opaline’s eyes, she saw her own reflection surrounded by an all-consuming fire. Her mouth opened, but no words could escape. Opaline smirked. “Come now, Your Highness. Silence in the face of a superior is terribly uncouth.” From inside her bubble, Pipp shouted in a muted voice, “Zipp! What do we do?” Hitch echoed her. “You’ve got this, Zipp! Just tell us what you need!” Zipp’s eyes darted around again: her trapped friends, Opaline, the destruction in the royal palace, the screams of all the guests… and it was all her fault. “I… I…” Opaline grimaced. “Yes, Your Highness, what will you do?” Cold panic gripped Zipp’s heart. She felt like iron chains had grabbed onto her and were squeezing tighter and tighter. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. What could she do? All the while, her friends called out, “Zipp! Zipp!” “Zipp! Zipp, wake up!” “AH!!!” Zipp leapt up in a cold sweat and flew directly upwards, bumping her head on the ceiling of the Mare Stream. “Ow!” Panicked, she tried to fly outside, but in her haze, she bumped into a window like a bird. “Dang it!” Starlight recoiled from the sound of the impact. “That one looked like it hurt.” She forced herself to relax. “It’s okay, Zipp. You can breathe. You’re safe.” “It’s not okay!” Zipp snapped. When Starlight flinched, Zipp finally found her bearings and drifted down to the floor. “Sorry, Starlight.” She shook her head and rubbed her temple. “It was… I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Starlight nodded. “Forgiven.” Something about that word was like a punch to Zipp’s gut. “You looked like you were having a nightmare.” “Yeah, it was… It was bad.” “Do you wanna tell me about it? It might make you feel better.” “I… really don’t want to revisit it if I can avoid it.” Starlight sat down, and she floated a mug to Zipp with her magic. “Take it from me, Zipp. You won’t stop having those bad dreams until you face them.” Her head hung low, Zipp said, “I don’t think tea is going to help me solve this.” “Tea? Are you kidding?” Starlight floated her own mug over and took a giant gulp. “This is the blackest coffee I could make. These benches are fine for flying, but they are not good beds.” Zipp laughed and finally grabbed the mug. She inhaled the strong coffee scent, and it helped bring her back to reality. She noticed where they were: inside the Mare Stream, safe like Starlight had said they were, far away from the ruined halls of the palace. The coffee was already only warm, and she wondered how long she’d slept in. She took a deep quaff of the thick liquid then said, “Thanks, Starlight.” “No problem. I made some French toast if you’d like. No point trying to face the world on an empty stomach.” “I’d love some.” The two of them chatted over breakfast. To Zipp’s relief, Starlight was much more interested in the types of kites that they flew in Zephyr Heights than she was in the dream, at least for the moment. The more Zipp relaxed and ate her breakfast, the more she realized exactly how tightly she had been wound. It occurred to her that she hadn’t taken a quiet moment like this since Opaline’s attack. “Huh.” “What is it, Zipp?” Starlight wiped some orange juice from her lips. “It’s just… I’m thinking about the attack. And it’s awful, and I wish I wasn’t, but it’s not as scary right now for whatever reason.” “I make very good French toast.” “Ha! Yeah, you do.” She looked out the window at a damaged tree. From this angle, it looked eerily like a broken pillar in the palace. “It was bad, Starlight.” “It sounds like it. What happened?” “It was the Ascension Banquet. See, mom, Queen Haven—sorry, did I mention I’m a princess?” “Briefly, yes.” Zipp cocked her head. “You… seem really chill about it?” Starlight smirked. “Kid, I’ve been around the block a few times. It feels like I run into a new princess with just about every change of the season.” “Got it. Well, I’m a princess, too, but I don’t really like talking about it, but mom does, and she really, really wants me to start thinking about my future as queen, and that means all these traditions, and—” “Breathe, Zipp.” Zipp took a breath. “Thanks. So yeah, there’s this tradition called the Ascension Banquet. It’s supposed to represent the start of my journey to the throne. It’s my first real princess duty in years, and… it went really, really badly.” Starlight paused to give the statement room. “If it’s any consolation,” she started cautiously. “...getting attacked by a megalomaniac at a royal function was pretty par for the course in my day.” Shaking her head, Zipp chuckled. “Old Equestria still sounds nuts.” “But that’s the villains for you. I know you feel bad about what happened, Zipp, but you have to remember: Opaline is the one that did this. It isn’t your fault.” Zipp drooped, and she felt like a boulder had been dropped on her back. “You can’t control what somepony else does, and you couldn’t have known that Opaline was going to attack that day. It’s not even your responsibility, anyway. That’s what the guards are for.” The weight piled up on Zipp. The guards, the guests, everyone had been counting on her. It had all gone so wrong. Her thoughts spiraled. “Zipp, you’re shaking.” Zipp felt the quiver in her wings, so she took a deep breath and downed the rest of her coffee. With the bitter flavor in her mouth, she looked Starlight in the eye. “It was my fault, Starlight. That’s why I need to fix this.” Starlight let Zipp’s words hang in the air for a moment longer. “We’ll fix it together, Zipp.” After a pause, Starlight sighed. “But I can’t force you to talk about it. Let’s get packed up and ready to go.” “Yeah,” Zipp mumbled. They took stock of the materials in the Mare Stream. There were enough snacks and water to last several days, and between them, they could carry about six saddlebags’ worth of supplies. Outside, Zipp flew up and surveyed the landscape, but the Windigos were still crashing through the clouds above. In the distance, she saw it: the Flamespire, a tall, thin rock structure in the distance, glowing with red heat and with a distressing, purple flame spewing from the castle located at the very top. Zipp shuddered and gulped, and she heard the rumbling above that signaled the Windigos had spotted her. She quickly swooped back down as Starlight made room for two mugs. “Do you really need to bring those?” Starlight smiled. “Listen, you don’t want to see me in the mornings without my coffee, in the afternoons without my tea, or at night without my cocoa.” Zipp laughed. “The stories always said that Rarity was the high-maintenance once.” “Hey, this isn’t high-maintenance! At least I’m not bringing a fainting couch with me.” “Did she seriously do that?” “More than she would ever admit.” Starlight strapped the first bag to herself. “So, what’s the situation with air travel?” “No go, but we aren’t far. I think we can get to the Flamespire in a couple days, tops.” “No time like the present!” Starlight grabbed her other bags and walked where Zipp indicated. “We’ll get through this together, Zipp. Let’s go.” Zipp attached her own saddlebags as Starlight walked ahead, and she gave one long, last look at the Mare Stream, broken and dark in the middle of the jungle. Her heart felt heavy, and to herself, she said, “Don’t worry, everypony. I’ll make this right. Starlight will have a plan.” “You coming, Zipp?” “Right behind you!” The two of them headed into the depths of the jungle, and as they disappeared into the trees, Starlight asked, “So, know any good traveling songs?” “No, but I bet you do.” Starlight beamed. “Right you are! And a one, and a two…” 7: Beware the Jungle’s Vines (Right, Up, Up, Right, Up, and then Left)It had been over a day since the two of them had abandoned the Mare Stream. Starlight panted. “Hoo! Let me tell you, after years in academia, you forget how to watch for twisting tree roots every step. Yeesh!” Zipp remained focused, her head on a swivel. Her eyes scanned every tree from trunk to top, looking for any sign of danger. Her head throbbed, but each needle of pain only increased her focus. “No time to slow down, Starlight. We can break out of the jungle in a few hours if we keep up the pace.” She wiped the sweat from her brow without breaking her stride. “Sorry, Zipp, but I need some water.” She sat down and pulled out her canteen. “Just a little further!” Zipp pivoted and trotted a few steps back. “If we can push through a little longer, then maybe we can get through the day with one less break.” Starlight sucked down her water quickly and wiped her mouth. “Being early won’t do us any good if we’re exhausted, Zipp. From everything you’ve said, we’ll need to be at our best to face Opaline.” “But my friends are suffering! Or worse!” Zipp was in the air, and her eyebrows were knit. “We can’t slow down!” “Your tenacity is admirable, Zipp.” Starlight’s voice was stiffer, and she calmly stowed her canteen. “But we need to be ready when we get to the Flamespire.” “I don’t even know what ‘tenacity’ means!” She threw her hooves up. “Can we please just go already?” Standing tall, Starlight recited like a school teacher, “Tenacity means that you never give up. And it’s–” “Well I’d love a little more tenacity from the whole team. Let’s go!” She turned, landed, and walked back towards their goal. Starlight tensed, but she reminded herself of the stakes from Zipp’s perspective. She took a deep breath and followed despite her aching hooves. They traveled in silence, save for the occasional grunt from Starlight or the low rumble of a growl from Zipp. Even under the shade of the dense canopy, the air was oppressively hot and wet. Vines draped down, slapping their faces as they tried to move through, and with every fourth step, they needed to readjust their hooves to keep from falling. Half an hour later, Zipp grunted. “The trees are getting thicker. We haven’t heard any Windegos in a while, so I’m going to fly up and get an aerial view. There might be a faster route.” Before Starlight could reply, Zipp flapped her wings and ascended through the twisting branches. She took rough, deep breaths and tried to focus. “Chill out, Zipp. Snapping at Starlight isn’t going to get us anywhere.” She broke through the tops of the trees with her head and felt a hot wind behind her. “Besides, the Flamespire can’t be… far?” Her view was full of endless trees with no mountains in sight. “Wait… what?” Her wings hitched up, and she looked left and right, but there were nothing but trees. “No… No, this isn’t happening!” Her hooves flew to her cheeks, and her teeth ground together. “No way no way NO WAY!!!” Another hot wind buffeted her sweaty mane, and she looked behind her to see… the Flamespire far behind her. “How in Equestria have we been going backwards!?” Zipp dove down into the jungle. “Starlight, stop! We’re going the wrong way! We’ve probably lost—” Her hooves hit the jungle loam, and nothing but her own voice echoed in the trees. “Starlight?” There was nopony in sight. Worse, when Zipp looked around at the jungle floor, she couldn’t find any hoofprints despite the moist earth. No branches were broken, no stray purple hairs were caught on twigs, and the smell of black coffee that she’d gotten used to was completely gone. “I’m… alone?” Her rear end hit the dirt, and her jaw sagged as she stared at nothing. Zipp’s breathing stopped. Large white feathers brushed against the dirty jungle floor. A small rattling caught her attention, but she realized it was just her teeth chattering as her jaw quivered. Her eyes burned. “I lost another pony.” Zipp blinked, and the world was blurry. Her heart rate and breathing picked up. “Because she was following my…. My plan…” Zipp shook, and she was dizzy. “I have to find her. I have to find her!” She bolted towards the sky, not caring about the scratches and bruises from the branches of the trees, and she emerged from the canopy. “Starlight? Starlight!” Zipp shook her head as, once again, the Flamespire was in a completely different direction from what she was expecting, and the warm air buffeted the side of her face. She saw the tower: glowing with malevolence and taunting her, and yet, there was something so tempting about it. She grit her teeth. A nagging itch bothered the back of her mind. “Starlight knows to meet me there, right?” With each heartbeat, she could feel her brain rationalizing away what she knew was right. “I probably wouldn’t be able to find her anyway. This jungle is practically made to turn you around.” She felt almost possessed by her frustrations and the desire for a simple answer, and she looked again at the Flamespire. “We’re close. She’ll be okay.” Zipp took off for the Flamespire, flapping hard against the wind that didn’t let up. She was already exhausted from their days of hiking in the jungle, but she told herself, “No. Don’t quit. This is my fault, and I will fix it, and no stupid wind is going to stop me from saving all of them.” Zipp flew onward, but with every flap of her wings, the wind blowing her away from the Flamespire grew stronger. It never let up, and whenever she faltered, she lost ground against the force of the gale. Gritting her teeth, she ducked into the canopy for water, only to find that her canteen had been damaged and had leaked dry. Tears fought their way to her eyes, but Zipp fought just as hard. “No!” she yelled before taking off again into the impossibly strong wind. After half an hour against a wall of wind, she was close. Just two hundred feet separated her from the clearing at the base of the Flamespire, but the canopy was so thick that she wasn’t able to climb down through it. “Grr…” She strained and strained, trying to make progress, but it took all her flapping to keep from going backwards. Dust bit at her face, and as she winced and turned away, she saw something a half mile behind her. It was a bright, lavender light, pulsing below the canopy. At that distance, it was easy to miss, but it could only mean one thing. “Starlight!” Zipp’s heart felt lighter. …but only until she realized how far back Starlight was. She looked at the Flamespire, so close, and she swooped down to the treetops. The hurricane-force winds kept up, and she clutched to the branches, looking between the Flamespire and the beacon of light behind her. “Starlight, I’m so close!” she shouted. “Why did you have to get lost!?” Zipp faced the Flamespire and tried to crawl closer. She climbed on the trees like ropes, grasping at each one as the hot wind burned at her eyeballs. “I’ll come back for you, Starlight, but I have to save my friends!” Another few inches, and her muscles were on fire. “I can’t give up! I can’t!” But she cast another glance at the flashing light, and the weight of her decision settled onto her back. Zipp could barely hear herself think over the roaring of the wind, but she stared back at Starlight’s signal. “I’m… leaving her behind.” Zipp looked back and forth between the light and the Flamespire, as opposite as hope and despair. Her goal was right there, and she would be able to save her friends. “But… I’d have to abandon another one in the process. Is it really worth it?” Zipp paused. And she considered. And she thought of what her friends would want her to do. “No. It’s not.” As much as it pained her, she let her forelegs go slack and she spread her wings. She was ripped from the tree and tossed into the air like a kite in a tornado, thrown backwards by the intense wind. She blinked away a tear as she watched the Flamespire grow further and further away. Softly, she said, “I promise, guys, I’m coming.” With a twist of her body, Zipp righted herself and flew away from the spire. The wind was manageable as she got further from the tower, and as she neared the glow, she found a hole in the canopy and dipped below the leaves. She came to a running landing and dashed through the trees. “Starlight! I’m here! Are you okay?” She rushed forward, nearing a break in the trees and a small clearing. “I’m sorry I left you! I thought I could make it there faster myself, but it wasn’t worth it! I want us both to make it to—” She burst through the trees towards the light, where she saw Starlight… …smiling and standing at the base of the Flamespire. Zipp’s eyes were the size of the Mare Stream. “We’re here!?” “Mm-hm!” Starlight mumbled brightly. “I’m glad you found your way. I was starting to get worried. Zipp looked back behind her at the jungle, then to Starlight, the spire, and every which way. “What? How? Huh? What? …Huh!?” Starlight laughed. “Magus Melody’s Mystifying Maze.” She floated her canteen over towards Zipp, who took it. Zipp collapsed on the ground. “Okay, you’re definitely making that up.” She opened the canteen, and it hit her how sweaty she had gotten during her flight. As she quaffed the water, she realized the wind was completely gone in the rocky clearing around the spire. “Nope! It’s an old spell, but it doesn’t see a lot of use, since it’s only really good for being left alone.” She nodded at Zipp. “I actually have you to thank. When you flew upwards, I saw the world around me spin just a little as you peeked through the trees. When you didn’t come back, I realized there was something going on, so I walked backwards and realized the trees had changed places.” Zipp took a deep breath and sat up. “You walked backwards?” “Yep! And it only took about ten minutes to get here. That’s how the maze works: you have to go the opposite direction of where you want.” Zipp’s head hurt. “That seems… really dangerous.” “It’s even more nefarious than that.” Starlight’s voice had darkened. “The maze works both ways. It doesn't just keep ponies out. It also keeps them in.” Zipp’s ears flattened. “So if somepony escaped from Opaline and tried to run away…” “...then they’d find themselves back in this clearing before long. Exactly.” Zipp looked up at the imposing tower made of black rock. “Just how powerful is she?” Starlight forced a smile. “The good news is: there’s no way Opaline is doing all of this herself. I’m guessing the Flamespire it a place of power in and of itself.” She pointed a hoof at it. “I mean, seriously, just look at that thing! Black obsidian, eternal fire, nothing alive within a hundred feet of it. It practically screams ‘ancient, evil artifact.’” Zipp felt her resolve begin to rebuild itself. “And we’re going to climb it.” She looked at Starlight and smiled. “But not until we’re rested and ready.” Starlight nodded back at her, and she retrieved some rations from her bag.
1: Big MistakePonehenge shook. Ancient stone pillars creaked and sloughed off their moss. The earth threatened to open and swallow up all who lingered. Birds fled to the skies, cawing a warning to their brethren as the deep rumbling grew louder and louder. In the center of the stones, a rainbow-colored lantern shed a white-hot light. Zipp Storm gulped. "Yeah… This might have been a bad idea." An ear-splitting FWOOSH pierced the air, and Zipp was blinded by a rainbow of colors. She threw her wings up in front of her face, but it offered little protection. Pure, unfiltered magic rushed past her, through her, beating against her body like grains of fine sand that burned and soothed at the same time. Zipp could feel reality itself tearing around her, like her body was nowhere and everywhere at the same time. And just as suddenly, silence returned to Ponehenge. Zipp held her position, but she finally parted her wings when she heard a cough. A pony lay face-down in the middle of the standing stones, surrounded by earth that had been abraded of all its moss and grasses. Zipp took a tentative step forward. "Did it work? Are you… Twilight Sparkle?" The pony's face snapped up, and she rolled her eyes with a sneer. "Ugh! Why does everypony make that mistake?" She stood, stretched her legs, and brushed herself off. "Seriously. Pink and lavender: completely different colors." Zipp's wings drooped. "Uh, sorry! I was trying to contact Princess Twilight, but I'm not really great at unicorn magic.” She looked around, as if somepony could somehow fix the fact that she’d summoned the wrong pony. “I… think I screwed up a teensy bit." The unicorn took a deep breath and straightened up. Despite the magical journey, her purple and teal-streaked mane retained its bounce. Her face softened into a warm smile. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. These things happen." She shrugged. "A lot more often than you'd think, actually. Students get pretty ambitious once they learn a few spells.” Her eyes opened wide. “Oh! I'm Starlight Glimmer, but the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I mean that." Zipp shook off her confusion. "Hi. Yeah. I'm Zipp. And sorry to rush, but I need your help." She winced. "And I'm… also a princess. I really don't like playing that card, but to be honest, I'm kind of desperate right now." Starlight took a step forward. She raised an eyebrow. "Princess Zipp? I'm very sorry, but I haven't heard of you." She looked around and locked eyes on a gigantic metal box with wings, which sat several meters behind the pegasus. "Uh… what's that thing?" "Hm?" Zipp looked over her shoulder. "Oh, that's the Mare Stream. And no worries about not knowing who I am." She waved a hoof. "It's totally cool. I wasn't yet born in your time, anyway." Starlight's eyes went wide as plates. "Time!?" She arched her back like a cat and looked around. "No, no no no! Tell me I'm not–" It all clicked together: Ponehenge looking several thousand moons older, technology she'd never seen, and a princess she'd never heard of. Zipp turned her head. "Uh… you okay?" "Mirror!" Starlight ran in circles, screaming. "Mirror! I need a mirror right now!" She nearly bowled Zipp over in her panic. Zipp leapt into the air. "Woah! What's going on?" She bit her lower lip, trying to think. "Don't panic! Your mane still looks great!" "Mirror!!!" "Okay, fine!" With a hard flap, she flew to the Mare Stream and opened the door. "Bathroom, on the right." Starlight dashed in without saying another word. Zipp followed and saw Starlight standing before the mirror in a wide stance. "What are you–" "Quiet!" A vein bulged on Starlight's neck. She quickly shook it off. "Sorry! Old habits. But I need to focus." She twirled her head, and her horn sparkled with light. Starlight's cutie mark appeared in front of her like a hologram. "Woah…" Zipp landed, wide-eyed, as she watched Starlight weave a spell. “Is that… unicorn magic?” The light magically dimmed inside the Mare Stream as a spell circle appeared around the floating cutie mark. Starlight's voice echoed as the circle grew more complex with symbols that wove themselves out of nothing. "Futurum…" She was sweating and laser-focused on the runic enchantment, with her reflection just behind it. "Memoria…" Her voice echoed with unearthly strength. She reared back onto her hind hooves as she gathered power. "Oblitiarum!" She stomped her hooves, and the whole Mare Stream rocked as a magic blast shot from her horn. It passed through the magic circle, hit the mirror, and bounced back, striking Starlight in the face and knocking her back against the wall. "Wah!" She collapsed onto the ground with a groan, and the light inside returned to normal. "Ow…" Zipp rushed to her side and helped her up. "Holy ponies! What was that!?" Starlight rubbed her eyes. "Memory charm. A strong one." She shook out her mane. Zipp blinked rapidly. "You’re not making sense. Why do you need something like that?" Starlight shook out her mane. It still looked perfect. "Trust me, kid. You do not want to start messing with time. I need to make sure I don't remember any of this when I go home, or something might change history, and then you'd never exist." Zipp felt herself go rigid. "Yikes. Uh… thanks for watching out, I guess." "No problem." She held a hoof to her chest, took a deep breath, and extended her foreleg as she breathed out. Calmer, she asked, "So, what's so important that you needed to dabble in time magic to bring Twilight Sparkle here?" Zipp nodded. "Right. Yeah. I'm looking for my friends." Starlight cocked her head to the side. "That doesn't seem so bad." "They're…" Zipp kicked the floor and spoke very fast. "Kind of captured and being held hostage by a megalomaniac Alicorn with dark magic powers." Starlight nodded, and a small smile curled on her lips. "Okay, now we're getting somewhere." "Yeah." Zipp stood up straight, but the words felt like lead in her mouth. "Do you know anything about an alicorn named Opaline?"
2: OrientationStarlight shook her head. "Literally never heard of her." Zipp recoiled. "Wait, really?" "Yep! Really." Zipp’s wings flared up. "But she's an ancient, evil alicorn! She’s as old as Celestia and Luna! How have you not heard of her?" Starlight tapped her chin. "Well, we've had to deal with ancient evil changelings, centaurs, draconequui, and even a psychotic pony or two.” She shrugged casually. “I guess she just didn't come up." Zipp rubbed her temple. "At least you have experience, I guess." She groaned. “But if you don’t know anything about her, how are we going to get my friends back?” Starlight tenderly put a hoof on Zipp's shoulder. "It'll be okay, Zipp. We’ll figure it out." Zipp paused. She looked up, eyebrows raised. "Really? You're going to help me, just like that? You don't even know who my friends are or what's going on." Starlight nodded. "That's kind of how it works in Equestria, at least in my time. I'm… still learning about friendship, but I'm not one to turn away from a pony in need." She shrugged. "Besides, this doesn't sound that difficult, all things considered." Zipp recoiled. "Are you kidding? They're kidnapped!" "Like I said, I've seen worse.” Mumbling, she added, “Frankly, this might not even crack the top ten." Zipp’s mane stood on end, more than usual. "Old Equestria sounds terrifying!" "Eh, it's actually pretty great once you get past the world-ending threats that pop up every year or so. I'll tell you all about it later. Now, do you mind if we step out of this bathroom?” Zipp grimaced as she looked around and realized where they were. "Oh! Right. Let's go catch our breath before that memory spell gets me, too." She turned and led the way. They settled in the back of the Mare Stream. The red, plush bench seats were spotless as always, and cupholders seemed to be everywhere. Starlight even opened a secret compartment after accidently sitting on it, revealing cookies, crackers, and jars of chocolate and marshmallow fluff. "Oooh, snacks! Do you mind if I have a nibble?" Zipp looked at the box. It was full of Sunny's Super Special Sparky Snacks, made just for dragons, and it had a crayon-drawn dragon on the box courtesy of Izzy. Zipp grunted. "I'm not sure if those are fit for… You know what? Go for it. I've got too much else on my mind right now." "Great!" She bit onto the baked snack with such a crunch that it made Zipp's teeth rattle. Starlight didn't seem to mind. "So, let's get some details." She reclined in her seat. Zipp's neck felt hot. "Okay, this is starting to irk me." Starlight frowned. "I'm sorry. What's wrong?' "Don't you care!?" Zipp threw her hooves up. "I just ripped you out of your own time, told you about an evil alicorn kidnapping my friends, and you’re just so casual about it. Why are you so calm?" Starlight took a deep, slow breath. "Because one of us needs to be." Zipp went rigid, and her throat sealed shut. Starlight set the box down and faced Zipp directly. She spoke with gentle, even words. "You're right to be concerned, but I've learned from experience how easy it is to make rash decisions when we're stressed." "I'm not being rash!" Zipp snapped. "They're in danger!" "So it was responsible to take a magic artifact to a place of power and cast a spell you hardly knew anything about?" Zipp blushed and turned her head. "I did my research. I just… didn't have a lot of time." She shook her head. "The point is, Opaline kidnapped all my friends three days ago, and she has them trapped at the Flamespire." "Sounds ominous." "It is. It's this big mountain waaaaaay outside of Maretime Bay, and the top is on fire." Starlight raised an eyebrow. "So… a volcano?" "No, just a fire mountain." She raised it higher. "So a volcano." "No! Just… you'll see when we get there." Starlight nodded. "Right. And we can debrief on the way there. Any information you have about Opaline will be helpful." She tapped her chin. "Like, how did she manage to capture all your friends at once if–" "It doesn't matter!" Zipp snapped. Her wings flared out, and she scowled. She shook it off. "Sorry. It's… It's not important. We just have to get them back." Starlight narrowed her eyes at Zipp and turned her head. "I see." She stood and walked towards the front of the Mare Stream. Casually, perhaps too casually, she said, "Well, if it's not important, then we don't need to talk about it right now, right?" Zipp felt something fuzzy at the back of her mind, but it was washed out by a sudden feeling of relief. "Right. C'mon, I'll show you how this thing flies."
3: ThundercrashStarlight's tail wagged like a puppy's as the Mare Stream sailed through the sky. "This is SO much easier than flying myself!" Zipp cocked an eyebrow. "You can fly?" "Sort of. Here, watch." Her horn glowed, and she deftly levitated herself into the air. Of course, at that exact moment, they hit turbulence, and Starlight flew into the ceiling with a "Gah!" before slamming back to the floor. Zipp chuckled. "Oooooh yeah, the Mare Stream is a lot easier than that. You okay?" "I'm fine," Starlight groaned as she got up on her hooves. "Not the first time I've made an embarrassing mistake." She cast a glance at Zipp, and her voice took on the slightest edge. "Happens to all of us, right?" Zipp flushed. "Uh, yeah! Totally." She stared straight ahead and frowned as she piloted their craft. Starlight paused. When nothing else came, she looked out the window. "These clouds are getting darker. I think we're heading into a storm." "That's no storm. Opaline knows about the Mare Stream, and we think she's using her magic to keep us away." Starlight's eyes widened. "She's got a perpetual weather control spell?" She nibbled her lip in thought. "Wow, that would take a lot of focus. Maybe she's using a magic circle or two, but still, the sheer number of gems needed for the spell matrices would be huge, and that's only for the moisture in the air, which…" She caught sight of Zipp, who looked dumbfounded. "Basically, she's really powerful." "That's what I've been saying! She’s wah!” The Mare Stream shook again as a peal of thunder roared right on top of them, and a white light flashed as lighting struck the Mare Stream. Starlight gasped. “What was that?” Zipp snorted. “You know how to fly, but you don’t know what lightning is!?” “No! I mean, I do, but there’s something else. Look again!” Zipp turned forward again. “I don’t see anything. It’s getting darker!” All of a sudden, the Mare Stream tossed in the sky as lightning struck it again. Zipp winced at the intensely bright light. “There!” Starlight shouted, barely able to keep on her hooves. “The afterimage!” Zipp shook her head and winced in pain, but she focused and closed her eyes. As she looked deeply at the darkness, something did stand out to her. Instead of a uniform wash of color from her over-exposed eyes, she saw a twisted, skeletal shape, clear as day. “Is that… a pony?” “Windigo!” Starlight screamed. The Mare Stream shook and threw the ponies to the wall as three more lightning strikes connected with them, each more powerful than the last. Zipp scrambled to her hooves as the Mare Stream plummeted. “What are those things?” “Spirits! They feed on negative energy! I don’t know why they’re here, but we need to find someplace safe.” With one flap, Zipp dashed to the steering wheel and grunted hard as she pulled up, desperately trying to right the Mare Stream. “It’s not leveling out!” Wind tore at the sides of the ship, lightning streaked all around them. Starlight crouched down and focused. “I’ll help! “ She focused her magic, and the Mare Stream became enveloped in her magic glow. It pulled up just a little further, out of its nose dive but still heading towards the dense forest below. “It’s not enough!” Zipp’s hooves shook on the steering wheel. “W-what do I do!?” “Your call, Zipp!” Zipp froze. “Zipp?” Zipp didn’t move. Her jaw hung open, and her eyes were wide. Her grip on the steering wheel loosened, and her forelegs hung slack at her sides. She stopped breathing. The only thing she could see were flashes of memories in her mind’s eye. The halls of the castle in Zephyr Heights. Broken glass. Sunny, gone. Dark fire everywhere. She could still hear Hitch’s last words. ‘Your call, Zipp!’ “Zipp!” Zipp stumbled as Starlight shoved her aside and grabbed onto the steering wheel. Alarms blared and red lights flashed on every display. Starlight leaned back with all her weight, trying to pull the Mare Stream up, all while her magical aura flickered and failed on the Mare Stream. Zipp sat on the ground, shaking, with her hooves to her temples. “No. No. Not again. Not again. Not again!” Sweat poured from Starlight’s forehead as her magical spell broke, and a bolt of lighting flew across the sky above them. The trees below grew closer and closer. “Hold on!” Starlight shouted as the steering wheel broke free of her grip. Zipp remained stuck in place. Her joints felt like they were made of welded metal. Starlight gasped and tossed her head around as detritus flew all around the Mare Stream. “Think, Starlight, think!” The alarms grew louder, and the ship lurched forward, launching the snacks from the back towards the front compartment. Just as the first nose of the Mare Stream brushed against the leaves of the tall trees, Starlight gasped, “Marshmallow fluff!” as her horn flared with new intensity. The last thing Zipp saw was an exploding jar and a rapidly growing mass of white goo.
4: CleanupThe Mare Stream lay still on the forest floor. Its wings were bent, and the front windshield was cracked. The entire inside seemed to be full of some kind of white, fluffy goop. Behind and above it was a large hole in an otherwise thick canopy, and above that, skeletal horses made of pure lightning raced back into the sky above. The forest grew silent. A moment later, there was a small creak, and the door of the Mare Stream burst open, spilling thousands of gallons marshmallow fluff onto the green forest floor. After a beat, two figures, like frosty snowponies, breached the thick mess and sucked in huge gasps of air. “What was that?” Zipp shouted as she struggled to stand in the chest-high fluff. She wiped the marshmallow from her eyes with limited success. “This stuff is everywhere!” “Hey, it was the best I could do!” Starlight licked some fluff from her lips. “It was this or try to teleport us at high speeds, and you do not want to know all the ways that something like that can go wrong.” Zipp growled. “Ugh! Fine, but did you have to be so messy?” She stepped onto the grass and tried to spread her wings, but they were too heavy for her muscles to lift. “I can’t fly like this! I’m going to be preening myself all night just to even start getting back to normal.” Starlight shook her body, hoping to throw some of the fluff off. It didn’t work. “Well, what about you? You–” She stopped herself and swallowed her words. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Zipp scowled. “What about what now?” Starlight gave herself another moment. “We can talk later. We need to figure out a way to clean up. I can undo the growth spell on most of the marshmallow fluff, but nothing that’s touching us.” “C’mon, why not?” Starlight sighed. “Too risky. Just trust me on this.” Zipp growled again as she looked over the Mare Stream. “Gr… Fine. Let’s just get this over with and reevaluate where we’re at.” The two mares dove back into the marshmallow fluff. They scooped as much as they could out of the Mare Stream and onto the forest floor. Hours later, and after chasing off some bunnies and squirrels that appreciated the rare treat, Starlight banished most of what was left back to its original size. They collapsed on the ground outside the Mare Stream, sweaty and with a thin layer of puffy sugar still clinging to their coats. Zipp panted, “Good enough, for now.” Starlight groaned next to her. “Yeah… Yeah…” She wiped her forehead, but that just smeared more marshmallow on her. “Ew…” They caught their breath as the storm continued to rumble above them, and the sky began to go dark. Zipp turned her head. “So… I looked at the controls. The Mare Stream is all jammed up, even after we got the fluff out.” “Did one of the mechanisms break? I assumed it ran on magic.” Zipp grit her teeth. “It does! The Mare Stream shouldn’t be able to break like this. It doesn’t make sense!” “Maybe the magic ran out? What kind of magic does it run on?” Zipp pursed her lips. An owl hooted in the distance. “Something with friendship, I assume?” Zipp pursed her lips harder. “So it seems like something is in the way of the–” “I get it, okay! I’m a bad friend.” Lying on her back, she buried her face in her hooves. Starlight turned her head and frowned. “Nopony’s saying that, Zipp. You’re not a bad friend.” “Yes! I am! All my friends got captured, and I didn’t. If I was a better friend, I would have saved them!” Starlight rolled onto her side. “Sounds like a classic case of survivor’s guilt.” Zipp’s eyes flashed with fire. “They survived, too! Don’t say that!” Starlight held up a hoof. “Sorry, bad choice of words. What I meant was, it sounds like you’re feeling guilty for something that wasn’t your fault.” Zipp felt her skin prickle. Starlight continued. “Nopony could have predicted what Opaline was going to do. It sounds like she surprised you, and if she’s got Windigos, then she’s very well prepared. You couldn’t have known.” Zipp’s teeth chattered as she stared up into the sky. The clouds broke above her. The first few stars winked into existence, and Zipp blinked away the water in her eyes so they wouldn’t be so blurry. Starlight felt heavy all of a sudden. The cool air felt colder, and she saw Zipp begin to shake. “Zipp?” Zipp’s mind reeled. Memories dashed at the edges of her perception. Misty’s warning. The plan. Those black crystals. Every movement, everypony counting on her, and everything going wrong. Starlight scooted closer. “Zipp, what’s on your–” “What did you say those were called?” Zipp blurted out without looking at Starlight. Her body was stiff. “Windigos? What are they? How do we beat them?” Starlight’s frown deepened. “Zipp, I don’t think we–” “I-I-I need to know! So we can figure out how to get around them! What are they? What are their weaknesses.” Starlight’s shoulders slumped. She thought back to all the ponies that had sought her counseling over the years. This wasn’t new territory: it wasn’t uncommon for creatures in distress to hide their feelings like this, especially ponies. As she looked over Zipp again, though, she was reminded of a porcelain doll. Whatever Zipp had, she had it deep, and it wouldn’t do to force anything out of her. Starlight swallowed and spoke as gently as she could. “They’re spirits that feed on negative energy. I suppose if the Mare Stream is powered by positive energy, that would be one reason to try and destroy it. Or…” Zipp finally turned her head towards Starlight. “Or what?” Starlight nodded. “Or one of us attracted them.” Zipp’s gaze fell to the dirt. “Have you…” She barely spoke above a whisper. “Have you fought them before?” “Not personally, no. I only know them from folk tales. Usually, they take the form of winter spirits, since they can feed off of ponies’ cold feelings towards one another.” Zipp’s head tilted to the side. She rolled onto her stomach. “But we weren’t being cold. If anything, we were getting heated with each other.” “Right. I imagine they took the form of lightning because of another emotion. If I had to guess…” She looked Zipp up and down again. “Maybe fear?” With a forced laugh, Zipp tensed. “Haha. Well, yeah! It’s really scary flying in a storm, right?” Starlight shook her head. “I don’t think that was it. They seemed really strong to be going off of simple fears like that.” Zipp hung her head. “Zipp,” Starlight asked softly. “What made you so afraid up there?” The images cycled through Zipp’s head again, but she shook them off. “I don’t want to talk about it.” “I know it’s uncomfortable, but talking these things through really does help.” Zipp’s wings drooped at her sides. She frowned up at Starlight. “I…” Starlight could see Zipp wrestling with herself to pull more out of herself, but she sighed and finally said, “I can’t. Not tonight. Let’s get some rest.” She hoisted herself to her hooves and walked towards the Mare Stream. “Hopefully the shower still works.” Starlight stood up. “It’s okay if you’re not ready yet, Zipp, but if something’s bothering you, you’ve got a friend here who’s willing to listen.” Zipp paused without looking back. “Thanks.” She trudged back into the Mare Stream. With a last glance at the stars, Starlight followed her inside to get cleaned up.
5: StallingOpaline stroked the Dragonfire Stone and laughed. "Hm-hm-hm! To think it would be so easy to recapture this little dragon. Revenge really is best served hot. Hahaha!" A trail of green, sparkly smoke drifted into the stone from a cage a few feet away, inside which sat a baby dragon. "Y-you're right, Opaline," Misty stuttered. The Flamespire always seemed so much bigger and more menacing than Opaline's regular castle. "And soon, all his power will be yours." "Indeed it shall," Opaline mused, walking to the cage. Inside, Sparky slapped his belly and laughed. "Heehee! Goo!" He wiggled his fingers in front of him. Opaline raised an eyebrow. "Though he seems rather… unbothered by having his very life force siphoned from him." Misty perked up. "Oh! Uh… Well, maybe he's just… happy his power is being used properly?" "Hmph. Perhaps, but I must admit that his lack of suffering is a bit disappointing." Misty shrugged and pointed to a set of separated cages on the opposite side of the room. "At least those ponies seem like they're suffering." "Ple-he-he-he-hease!" Hitch Trailblazer wailed, forelegs spread wide as he slammed himself into the side of his pony-sized anti-magic cage. Tears flowed from his face as he rattled the bars and butted them with his head. "He's just!" Slam! "A!" Slam! "Baby!" SLAM! "It'll be okay, Hitch!" Sunny shouted from her own cage, which was divided from her friends'. A crystal collar clung tightly to her neck. "We'll get out of here and save Sparky soon." "YOUUUUUU!!!" Hitch shouted, pointing a hoof at Opaline. "You shall not escape the hooves of JUSTICE!!!" From her own cage, Pipp slapped herself in the face with a hoof. Izzy merely giggled. Opaline held her head high and slowly stepped up to Hitch's cage. "And you will watch every last drop of magic get drained from your precious baby, right in front of you." She stuck her nose right up to Hitch. "And there's nothing you can do to stop it." Hitch strained to keep an angry face, but he quickly collapsed and threw his hooves to his eyes, bawling. He rolled around on the floor. "It's not fa-ha-hair!" Opaline sneered. "That's the most pathetic display I've ever seen." She smiled. "I quite like it. Misty, make a mural of these pathetic ponies. I'm going to go take a wicked bath with some wicked bath bombs to celebrate my victory." She moved towards the door. Misty scratched at her mane. "I, uh, don't know how to make a mural, Opaline." "I didn't ask." She walked out the door and slammed it behind her. The room went silent. And the ponies sighed in relief. Sunny smiled. "Nice work, Misty. That bought us a lot of time." Misty blushed. "Aw, it was all Hitch." "Don't sell yourself short, Misty," Hitch said as he kipped up onto his hooves. "Although, not to brag, but I did play the biggest Billy goat gruff in our foal school play." He made a sweeping bow. Pipp grumbled. "Might have oversold it just a touch." Hitch gasped. "Plebeian!" Misty walked over to the dragon stone, reached under it, and turned off the smoke machine and vacuum hidden beneath it. "I'm just glad Sparky's okay. Good job with the fake siphon, Izzy." Izzy bounced in her cage. "There's nothing you can't accomplish with creativity and a LOT of glitter." Sunny raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get that glitter, anyway?" "Pfft, silly. I ALWAYS have glitter!" Pipp groaned. "Ugh, can we just get out and stretch a little?" Misty hung her head. "Sorry, Pipp. Opaline saw what happened last time. These cages are doubly secure. They've got magic locks, metal locks, and some locks I've never even heard of. Oh! I can get you some snacks, though." She retrieved some hidden snacks from below the table and carried them to Pipp's cage. Pipp reached for the snacks. "You're a lifesaver, Misty. Thank–" The door flew open and Opaline burst in, hovering a dozen small orbs around her. "Misty! I can't find my wicked bath bombs. All I have is evil, nefarious, impious, profane, iniquitous, and… What are you doing?" Misty, wide-eyed, looked between her snack and Pipp's outreached hoof. "Uh… Just… torturing the prisoners, Opaline." She stared at Pipp. Pipp rolled her eyes, then dropped to the floor and grasped at the snacks that were just out of reach. "WHY oh WHY are you being, like, sooooo totally cruel? I'm starving!" Hitch mumbled, "Now who's overacting?" Sunny shushed him. Opaline harrumphed. "Fine. I'll find it myself. At least you're doing something worthwhile." She turned and left again. After another breath, Misty groaned. "I'm not sure how long we can keep this up. It's already been three days." Sunny rested against her cage. "Don't lose hope, everypony. I'm sure Zipp will come for us soon." Pipp whimpered. “Yeah, but… where could she be?”
6: The Shadow of Regret Zipp threw her party dress off into a heap, where it was quickly trampled by a fleeing guest. The Zephyr Heights Rotunda was full of screams. In a panic, Zipp looked around, but Sunny wasn’t anywhere to be seen. “Ahahahaha! Really, Princess?” Opaline cackled. A plume of fire enveloped her, and the spears thrown by the guards incinerated before they could find purchase. “Didn’t you think I’d see this coming? I am a villain, after all.” Zipp’s heart beat so loud that it nearly drowned out the shouts of the guards. She leapt into the air and surveyed the scene. The Ascension Banquet was in shambles. The guards were easily outmatched, Hitch was scrambling to get Sparky to safety, and Pipp was ensnared in a sphere of fire. At least Izzy was having fun silently bouncing around inside her anti-magic bubble. Swallowing her fear, Zipp hovered in front of Opaline. “Y-you won’t get away with this!” “Hm-hm-hm!” Opaline flared her horn, and another bubble formed around Pipp, followed by more for Hitch and Sparky. “You’re joking. After all, you’re the one who was trying to get away with something.” Opaline swooped in closer, her face right up to Zipp. “How does it feel to be such a complete, utter failure, My Queen?” Zipp was stunned. She could barely keep her wings flapping, and in Opaline’s eyes, she saw her own reflection surrounded by an all-consuming fire. Her mouth opened, but no words could escape. Opaline smirked. “Come now, Your Highness. Silence in the face of a superior is terribly uncouth.” From inside her bubble, Pipp shouted in a muted voice, “Zipp! What do we do?” Hitch echoed her. “You’ve got this, Zipp! Just tell us what you need!” Zipp’s eyes darted around again: her trapped friends, Opaline, the destruction in the royal palace, the screams of all the guests… and it was all her fault. “I… I…” Opaline grimaced. “Yes, Your Highness, what will you do?” Cold panic gripped Zipp’s heart. She felt like iron chains had grabbed onto her and were squeezing tighter and tighter. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. What could she do? All the while, her friends called out, “Zipp! Zipp!” “Zipp! Zipp, wake up!” “AH!!!” Zipp leapt up in a cold sweat and flew directly upwards, bumping her head on the ceiling of the Mare Stream. “Ow!” Panicked, she tried to fly outside, but in her haze, she bumped into a window like a bird. “Dang it!” Starlight recoiled from the sound of the impact. “That one looked like it hurt.” She forced herself to relax. “It’s okay, Zipp. You can breathe. You’re safe.” “It’s not okay!” Zipp snapped. When Starlight flinched, Zipp finally found her bearings and drifted down to the floor. “Sorry, Starlight.” She shook her head and rubbed her temple. “It was… I shouldn’t have yelled at you.” Starlight nodded. “Forgiven.” Something about that word was like a punch to Zipp’s gut. “You looked like you were having a nightmare.” “Yeah, it was… It was bad.” “Do you wanna tell me about it? It might make you feel better.” “I… really don’t want to revisit it if I can avoid it.” Starlight sat down, and she floated a mug to Zipp with her magic. “Take it from me, Zipp. You won’t stop having those bad dreams until you face them.” Her head hung low, Zipp said, “I don’t think tea is going to help me solve this.” “Tea? Are you kidding?” Starlight floated her own mug over and took a giant gulp. “This is the blackest coffee I could make. These benches are fine for flying, but they are not good beds.” Zipp laughed and finally grabbed the mug. She inhaled the strong coffee scent, and it helped bring her back to reality. She noticed where they were: inside the Mare Stream, safe like Starlight had said they were, far away from the ruined halls of the palace. The coffee was already only warm, and she wondered how long she’d slept in. She took a deep quaff of the thick liquid then said, “Thanks, Starlight.” “No problem. I made some French toast if you’d like. No point trying to face the world on an empty stomach.” “I’d love some.” The two of them chatted over breakfast. To Zipp’s relief, Starlight was much more interested in the types of kites that they flew in Zephyr Heights than she was in the dream, at least for the moment. The more Zipp relaxed and ate her breakfast, the more she realized exactly how tightly she had been wound. It occurred to her that she hadn’t taken a quiet moment like this since Opaline’s attack. “Huh.” “What is it, Zipp?” Starlight wiped some orange juice from her lips. “It’s just… I’m thinking about the attack. And it’s awful, and I wish I wasn’t, but it’s not as scary right now for whatever reason.” “I make very good French toast.” “Ha! Yeah, you do.” She looked out the window at a damaged tree. From this angle, it looked eerily like a broken pillar in the palace. “It was bad, Starlight.” “It sounds like it. What happened?” “It was the Ascension Banquet. See, mom, Queen Haven—sorry, did I mention I’m a princess?” “Briefly, yes.” Zipp cocked her head. “You… seem really chill about it?” Starlight smirked. “Kid, I’ve been around the block a few times. It feels like I run into a new princess with just about every change of the season.” “Got it. Well, I’m a princess, too, but I don’t really like talking about it, but mom does, and she really, really wants me to start thinking about my future as queen, and that means all these traditions, and—” “Breathe, Zipp.” Zipp took a breath. “Thanks. So yeah, there’s this tradition called the Ascension Banquet. It’s supposed to represent the start of my journey to the throne. It’s my first real princess duty in years, and… it went really, really badly.” Starlight paused to give the statement room. “If it’s any consolation,” she started cautiously. “...getting attacked by a megalomaniac at a royal function was pretty par for the course in my day.” Shaking her head, Zipp chuckled. “Old Equestria still sounds nuts.” “But that’s the villains for you. I know you feel bad about what happened, Zipp, but you have to remember: Opaline is the one that did this. It isn’t your fault.” Zipp drooped, and she felt like a boulder had been dropped on her back. “You can’t control what somepony else does, and you couldn’t have known that Opaline was going to attack that day. It’s not even your responsibility, anyway. That’s what the guards are for.” The weight piled up on Zipp. The guards, the guests, everyone had been counting on her. It had all gone so wrong. Her thoughts spiraled. “Zipp, you’re shaking.” Zipp felt the quiver in her wings, so she took a deep breath and downed the rest of her coffee. With the bitter flavor in her mouth, she looked Starlight in the eye. “It was my fault, Starlight. That’s why I need to fix this.” Starlight let Zipp’s words hang in the air for a moment longer. “We’ll fix it together, Zipp.” After a pause, Starlight sighed. “But I can’t force you to talk about it. Let’s get packed up and ready to go.” “Yeah,” Zipp mumbled. They took stock of the materials in the Mare Stream. There were enough snacks and water to last several days, and between them, they could carry about six saddlebags’ worth of supplies. Outside, Zipp flew up and surveyed the landscape, but the Windigos were still crashing through the clouds above. In the distance, she saw it: the Flamespire, a tall, thin rock structure in the distance, glowing with red heat and with a distressing, purple flame spewing from the castle located at the very top. Zipp shuddered and gulped, and she heard the rumbling above that signaled the Windigos had spotted her. She quickly swooped back down as Starlight made room for two mugs. “Do you really need to bring those?” Starlight smiled. “Listen, you don’t want to see me in the mornings without my coffee, in the afternoons without my tea, or at night without my cocoa.” Zipp laughed. “The stories always said that Rarity was the high-maintenance once.” “Hey, this isn’t high-maintenance! At least I’m not bringing a fainting couch with me.” “Did she seriously do that?” “More than she would ever admit.” Starlight strapped the first bag to herself. “So, what’s the situation with air travel?” “No go, but we aren’t far. I think we can get to the Flamespire in a couple days, tops.” “No time like the present!” Starlight grabbed her other bags and walked where Zipp indicated. “We’ll get through this together, Zipp. Let’s go.” Zipp attached her own saddlebags as Starlight walked ahead, and she gave one long, last look at the Mare Stream, broken and dark in the middle of the jungle. Her heart felt heavy, and to herself, she said, “Don’t worry, everypony. I’ll make this right. Starlight will have a plan.” “You coming, Zipp?” “Right behind you!” The two of them headed into the depths of the jungle, and as they disappeared into the trees, Starlight asked, “So, know any good traveling songs?” “No, but I bet you do.” Starlight beamed. “Right you are! And a one, and a two…”
7: Beware the Jungle’s Vines (Right, Up, Up, Right, Up, and then Left)It had been over a day since the two of them had abandoned the Mare Stream. Starlight panted. “Hoo! Let me tell you, after years in academia, you forget how to watch for twisting tree roots every step. Yeesh!” Zipp remained focused, her head on a swivel. Her eyes scanned every tree from trunk to top, looking for any sign of danger. Her head throbbed, but each needle of pain only increased her focus. “No time to slow down, Starlight. We can break out of the jungle in a few hours if we keep up the pace.” She wiped the sweat from her brow without breaking her stride. “Sorry, Zipp, but I need some water.” She sat down and pulled out her canteen. “Just a little further!” Zipp pivoted and trotted a few steps back. “If we can push through a little longer, then maybe we can get through the day with one less break.” Starlight sucked down her water quickly and wiped her mouth. “Being early won’t do us any good if we’re exhausted, Zipp. From everything you’ve said, we’ll need to be at our best to face Opaline.” “But my friends are suffering! Or worse!” Zipp was in the air, and her eyebrows were knit. “We can’t slow down!” “Your tenacity is admirable, Zipp.” Starlight’s voice was stiffer, and she calmly stowed her canteen. “But we need to be ready when we get to the Flamespire.” “I don’t even know what ‘tenacity’ means!” She threw her hooves up. “Can we please just go already?” Standing tall, Starlight recited like a school teacher, “Tenacity means that you never give up. And it’s–” “Well I’d love a little more tenacity from the whole team. Let’s go!” She turned, landed, and walked back towards their goal. Starlight tensed, but she reminded herself of the stakes from Zipp’s perspective. She took a deep breath and followed despite her aching hooves. They traveled in silence, save for the occasional grunt from Starlight or the low rumble of a growl from Zipp. Even under the shade of the dense canopy, the air was oppressively hot and wet. Vines draped down, slapping their faces as they tried to move through, and with every fourth step, they needed to readjust their hooves to keep from falling. Half an hour later, Zipp grunted. “The trees are getting thicker. We haven’t heard any Windegos in a while, so I’m going to fly up and get an aerial view. There might be a faster route.” Before Starlight could reply, Zipp flapped her wings and ascended through the twisting branches. She took rough, deep breaths and tried to focus. “Chill out, Zipp. Snapping at Starlight isn’t going to get us anywhere.” She broke through the tops of the trees with her head and felt a hot wind behind her. “Besides, the Flamespire can’t be… far?” Her view was full of endless trees with no mountains in sight. “Wait… what?” Her wings hitched up, and she looked left and right, but there were nothing but trees. “No… No, this isn’t happening!” Her hooves flew to her cheeks, and her teeth ground together. “No way no way NO WAY!!!” Another hot wind buffeted her sweaty mane, and she looked behind her to see… the Flamespire far behind her. “How in Equestria have we been going backwards!?” Zipp dove down into the jungle. “Starlight, stop! We’re going the wrong way! We’ve probably lost—” Her hooves hit the jungle loam, and nothing but her own voice echoed in the trees. “Starlight?” There was nopony in sight. Worse, when Zipp looked around at the jungle floor, she couldn’t find any hoofprints despite the moist earth. No branches were broken, no stray purple hairs were caught on twigs, and the smell of black coffee that she’d gotten used to was completely gone. “I’m… alone?” Her rear end hit the dirt, and her jaw sagged as she stared at nothing. Zipp’s breathing stopped. Large white feathers brushed against the dirty jungle floor. A small rattling caught her attention, but she realized it was just her teeth chattering as her jaw quivered. Her eyes burned. “I lost another pony.” Zipp blinked, and the world was blurry. Her heart rate and breathing picked up. “Because she was following my…. My plan…” Zipp shook, and she was dizzy. “I have to find her. I have to find her!” She bolted towards the sky, not caring about the scratches and bruises from the branches of the trees, and she emerged from the canopy. “Starlight? Starlight!” Zipp shook her head as, once again, the Flamespire was in a completely different direction from what she was expecting, and the warm air buffeted the side of her face. She saw the tower: glowing with malevolence and taunting her, and yet, there was something so tempting about it. She grit her teeth. A nagging itch bothered the back of her mind. “Starlight knows to meet me there, right?” With each heartbeat, she could feel her brain rationalizing away what she knew was right. “I probably wouldn’t be able to find her anyway. This jungle is practically made to turn you around.” She felt almost possessed by her frustrations and the desire for a simple answer, and she looked again at the Flamespire. “We’re close. She’ll be okay.” Zipp took off for the Flamespire, flapping hard against the wind that didn’t let up. She was already exhausted from their days of hiking in the jungle, but she told herself, “No. Don’t quit. This is my fault, and I will fix it, and no stupid wind is going to stop me from saving all of them.” Zipp flew onward, but with every flap of her wings, the wind blowing her away from the Flamespire grew stronger. It never let up, and whenever she faltered, she lost ground against the force of the gale. Gritting her teeth, she ducked into the canopy for water, only to find that her canteen had been damaged and had leaked dry. Tears fought their way to her eyes, but Zipp fought just as hard. “No!” she yelled before taking off again into the impossibly strong wind. After half an hour against a wall of wind, she was close. Just two hundred feet separated her from the clearing at the base of the Flamespire, but the canopy was so thick that she wasn’t able to climb down through it. “Grr…” She strained and strained, trying to make progress, but it took all her flapping to keep from going backwards. Dust bit at her face, and as she winced and turned away, she saw something a half mile behind her. It was a bright, lavender light, pulsing below the canopy. At that distance, it was easy to miss, but it could only mean one thing. “Starlight!” Zipp’s heart felt lighter. …but only until she realized how far back Starlight was. She looked at the Flamespire, so close, and she swooped down to the treetops. The hurricane-force winds kept up, and she clutched to the branches, looking between the Flamespire and the beacon of light behind her. “Starlight, I’m so close!” she shouted. “Why did you have to get lost!?” Zipp faced the Flamespire and tried to crawl closer. She climbed on the trees like ropes, grasping at each one as the hot wind burned at her eyeballs. “I’ll come back for you, Starlight, but I have to save my friends!” Another few inches, and her muscles were on fire. “I can’t give up! I can’t!” But she cast another glance at the flashing light, and the weight of her decision settled onto her back. Zipp could barely hear herself think over the roaring of the wind, but she stared back at Starlight’s signal. “I’m… leaving her behind.” Zipp looked back and forth between the light and the Flamespire, as opposite as hope and despair. Her goal was right there, and she would be able to save her friends. “But… I’d have to abandon another one in the process. Is it really worth it?” Zipp paused. And she considered. And she thought of what her friends would want her to do. “No. It’s not.” As much as it pained her, she let her forelegs go slack and she spread her wings. She was ripped from the tree and tossed into the air like a kite in a tornado, thrown backwards by the intense wind. She blinked away a tear as she watched the Flamespire grow further and further away. Softly, she said, “I promise, guys, I’m coming.” With a twist of her body, Zipp righted herself and flew away from the spire. The wind was manageable as she got further from the tower, and as she neared the glow, she found a hole in the canopy and dipped below the leaves. She came to a running landing and dashed through the trees. “Starlight! I’m here! Are you okay?” She rushed forward, nearing a break in the trees and a small clearing. “I’m sorry I left you! I thought I could make it there faster myself, but it wasn’t worth it! I want us both to make it to—” She burst through the trees towards the light, where she saw Starlight… …smiling and standing at the base of the Flamespire. Zipp’s eyes were the size of the Mare Stream. “We’re here!?” “Mm-hm!” Starlight mumbled brightly. “I’m glad you found your way. I was starting to get worried. Zipp looked back behind her at the jungle, then to Starlight, the spire, and every which way. “What? How? Huh? What? …Huh!?” Starlight laughed. “Magus Melody’s Mystifying Maze.” She floated her canteen over towards Zipp, who took it. Zipp collapsed on the ground. “Okay, you’re definitely making that up.” She opened the canteen, and it hit her how sweaty she had gotten during her flight. As she quaffed the water, she realized the wind was completely gone in the rocky clearing around the spire. “Nope! It’s an old spell, but it doesn’t see a lot of use, since it’s only really good for being left alone.” She nodded at Zipp. “I actually have you to thank. When you flew upwards, I saw the world around me spin just a little as you peeked through the trees. When you didn’t come back, I realized there was something going on, so I walked backwards and realized the trees had changed places.” Zipp took a deep breath and sat up. “You walked backwards?” “Yep! And it only took about ten minutes to get here. That’s how the maze works: you have to go the opposite direction of where you want.” Zipp’s head hurt. “That seems… really dangerous.” “It’s even more nefarious than that.” Starlight’s voice had darkened. “The maze works both ways. It doesn't just keep ponies out. It also keeps them in.” Zipp’s ears flattened. “So if somepony escaped from Opaline and tried to run away…” “...then they’d find themselves back in this clearing before long. Exactly.” Zipp looked up at the imposing tower made of black rock. “Just how powerful is she?” Starlight forced a smile. “The good news is: there’s no way Opaline is doing all of this herself. I’m guessing the Flamespire it a place of power in and of itself.” She pointed a hoof at it. “I mean, seriously, just look at that thing! Black obsidian, eternal fire, nothing alive within a hundred feet of it. It practically screams ‘ancient, evil artifact.’” Zipp felt her resolve begin to rebuild itself. “And we’re going to climb it.” She looked at Starlight and smiled. “But not until we’re rested and ready.” Starlight nodded back at her, and she retrieved some rations from her bag.
