My Little Pony (R:G5): Ponies Unite! (Book 1: A New Generation)

Misty was leaned forward against the basket, looking below at the ground. She got a little nervous. The last time she and her friend went on a hot air balloon ride, they nearly crashed into a tree. Had Lampwick not been there to get the fillies out in time, injuries and severe consequences would’ve follow suit.

Izzy took notice of Misty’s nervousness and asks, “Am I going too high for you?” The sky blue mare turns to look at her friend and shook her head no, trying to put up a brave face. Izzy shrugs and says, “Okay, but if you want, I can lower it a little.”

“Thanks, but I this is good enough.”

The lavender Unicorn nods as she adjusts the thruster and went to Misty’s side, letting out a sigh, “Isn’t the scenery beautiful?”

The sky blue Unicorn nodded in agreement as she leans against rim of the basket. “You’re very lucky, you know?”

“Excuse me?”

“Getting the chance to make friends outside of our race,” Misty explains her as she looks at her, “I mean, you’re practically the only Unicorn that was brave enough to venture out to the other tribes.” She shook her head with a chuckle, “How you’re braver than all of us, I’ll never know.”

“I could take you on another journey,” Izzy offers, making her foalhood friend look at her in shock, “Well, I figured that if you wanted to, there could be a lot of other places in Equestria that hasn’t been discovered yet.” She giggled before she continues, “Besides, you’ve been cooped up indoors most of the time, like as if rain was going to come pouring down. If you don’t want to, I understand.”

“No, I like the idea!” Misty tells her, almost rushed, “It’s just… Well, we’re going to get our magic back, but I’m… nervous.”

Izzy’s brow raised as she asks, “About what?”

“About how our magic will be used.” She explains, “I mean, it’s hard enough to live in a world without magic, but once we do get it back, what then? That psycho Alicorn is after your friend, and that paints us with huge targets on our backs once magic is returned to Equestria.”

Izzy understandingly nods and got herself lost in thought for a moment. True that once Aerovad has been dealt with, there will be other evil forces that would probably take the magic for themselves, or worse, use Sunny. “Then,” she proclaims, “We need to make sure that it never even happens.”

“How?”

“We work together in Unity, that’s how.” Izzy tells her, placing her forehoof on her friend’s shoulder, “Even if when things get scary, even when we have to journey through the unknown, we have each other to rely on.”

Misty nods and breathes a calm sigh, “You’re right. Thanks Izzy.”

“Hey, it’s not like I’m gonna go anywhere before our next call of our journey.” Izzy jokes, nudging Misty’s shoulder, making the two unicorns giggle.

As Zipp has been working on the thruster of the balloon, he heard Pipp say, “You know Zipp… I’ve been thinking.”

“For what? Your next performance once we get our flight back?” Zipp asks jokingly.

“Something of the sorts,” The pink mare shrugs with an unsure tone, something of which her brother caught on of as she continues, “I mean, we’re going to Sunny’s hometown where they’re bound to be the most stubborn race out of the three, but…” she sighs as she looks at him with worry, “What if this doesn’t work out? What if no matter how many times we try and convince them, they’ll keep saying no and turn everypony away?”

“Then we don’t give up,” The Pegasus Prince tells her, “We find a way to actually get them to listen. Plus, Sunny is counting on us to help her. You saw she wasn’t in control of her own magic. We need to give her support in every way we can.”

The young Pegasus mare sighs as she looked at him, “I know… but if we don’t, what then? We just go back home and pretend that it never happened? And just sit around our thrones and wait for a miracle?”

Zipp shook his head, “The three races have waiting too long for miracles. Keep them waiting, and everything that is up to this point would be all for nothing. Besides, if Sunny hadn’t shown up at our doorstep, we wouldn’t be closer as siblings.” He chuckled as he placed his forehoof on her shoulder, “Plus, how else am I supposed to pry you away from your phone.”

“Oh, har har.” Pipp rolled her eyes, a smile curves in on her lips. She exhales in thought as she says, “You’re right about Sunny though. If she’s indeed the one to reunite the three pony races and keep that peace, we need to be there for her.” Zipp smiles in turn, but that slowly fades to a frown as he looks away, rubbing his upper foreleg. The Pegasus Princess took notice. “What’s with the face?” She asked.

“Look…” He began, “about what happened back home-”

“Zipp,” The light pink mare cuts him off, “We’ve apologized and said our own peace. There isn’t anything further to apologize about.” She sighed a chuckle as she looks at him, “You know, I envy you sometimes.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean how much you care about following dad’s hoofsteps,” she explains to him, “Not even afraid to admit that we as Pegasi are wrong about the other tribes. Heck, if that psycho hadn’t shown up ruin the concert, I guess you and the others wouldn’t step up to him.”

Zipp sighed and said, “That’s what I want to talk about.” That caught his sister’s attention as he continues on, “At the concert, I… was kind of the reason why the performance was a mess.” Before Pipp could even get a word out from her mouth, he then says, “So, I want to make it up to by helping you for your next performance.”

The light pink Pegasus wise shocked. “Y-you…” she stutters, “You want to help out with my next concert?”

Zipp rubbed the back of his head as he goes on, “Well, I mean, it was my fault that this even happened in the first place, and besides, hearing you say that your favorite colors were the ones of my wing feathers, I’d figured you’d find inspiration for your next attire.”

His sister was speechless, her own brother wants to get involved with her next performance? She went up to him and gave him a hug as she said, “You have no idea how much you mean to me.” She backs herself a little to look at her brother as she then said, “You really don’t have to do that.”

“Well, I want to.” Zipp said, making his sister smile and went back in for another hug, making the white Pegasus return the embrace. “Love you Zipp.”

He chuckles, “Love you too Pipp.”

As Hitch scouts using his telescope, he collapsed it as he looks at his foalhood friend as he tells her, “We should be getting close to Maretime Bay.” She nods while she adjusts the thruster, but the sheriff could tell that there was something on her mind. “You okay?” He asks.

“Yeah.” She said plainly.

He said a brow and said, “I know that tone Sunny.” The apricot mare hung her head as she sat down on her haunches. Hitch sat next to her, placing his left foreleg around her shoulder and comforts her. She nuzzle hoof on his and her friend asks, “What’s wrong?”

Sunny looks at him and reflects a question of her own, “You think we can really convince the other Earth Ponies?”

“What made you ask that?”

“It doesn’t take a smart pony to know how stubborn they are. I mean, what are we going to do when we confront them?” She sighed before continuing, “I’m practically at fault for causing a division in Maretime Bay in the first place. If I wasn’t born with magic, if I wasn’t taught about ancient Equestria… if I wasn’t chosen… would my life be any different than this?”

Hitch shook his head as he tells her, “Sunny, don’t doubt yourself like I did years ago. You and your dad helped me realize that how powerful the magic of friendship is, and it can be again. You helped the other races realize the truth. You’re achieving something that Opaline and Aerovad thought would be impossible: reuniting the tribes and bring the magic of Equestria back. Heck, if Princess Twilight has faith in you, then so do us.”

“But I nearly choked the life out of somepony Hitch,” she tells him with worry in her eyes, “What kind of a leader am I that would cause harm to others?”

“Those alicorns may have hidden the truth from you,” he said as he sat in front of her, placing both of his front hooves on her shoulders, “But you are stronger than anypony ever realize. So Sunny, for once in your life, don’t ever lie to yourself, and don’t ever lose faith in yourself. You helped gain that realization, and you have me and your friends to back you up. It’s your time to truly tell the world how wrong they were from the lies they were told.” He pulls her in for a hug as he finishes saying, “We will never lose faith. We will never be broken. The six of us will show Equestria what Unity truly means to all ponykind.”

“And Sprout?” She asks him, “What about him?”

Hitch sighs as he shook his head. “It’s his choice if he wants to accept it or not.”

She understandingly nods as she then looks behind Hitch and to say, “Well… speaking of.” She got up and shout to the others, "We're getting close to Maretime Bay! Be ready for anything!"

"Way ahead of ya!" Izzy shouts back as she grabs a helmet, puts it on her head, and lowers the goggles onto her eyes, adjusting them for a second. Misty just rolls her eyes as the three hot air balloons began to descend towards the plaza, some of the Earth Ponies took notice, even seeing four other passengers on their respective balloons, they rushed inside buildings in fear, while some were took shocked to see not only the light purple Unicorn again, but a sky blue one, and two Pegasi.

"Yeesh, talk about a welcoming committee." Zipp said as he shook his ahead.

As if on cue, Ms. Cloverleaf noticed Sunny and Hitch exiting their balloon, and she is outraged. Both Earth Ponies took notice the angry mare, then at each other. "You got this Sunny." he whispers to her. She nods and took a deep breath of her own.

Everfree Forest

As Princess Twilight reappeared to this cursed forest, she couldn't remember the last time she went here, only the first. The time when and her friends traversed through to stop Nightmare Moon. The forest seemed eerily quiet than she remembered. If only Pinkie Pie could be here to sing that song… how did it go again?

She shook her head for now and placed the seed Gaialum had given her. Quite a ironic place to plant it as this forest was created by a chaotic being… it’s way past time that this forest was given it’s opposite. She digged a small hole, placed the seed, and covered it back up with the soil.

“At least the forest’s creatures will warm up to you.” She sighed with a sad smile. She ignites her horn and teleported away from the Everfree, returning to her mission at hoof.

Maretime Bay

“Sunny Starscout, what is the meaning of this?!” Phyllis asked completely outraged, “I sent a sheriff out after you, and-”

“Hitch went looking out for me,” Sunny corrects her, and proceeds to cut Ms. Cloverleaf again, “And you have been cutting me off for long enough! So now, it’s my turn, so for once in your lives, Stop! Talking!” Everyone, except for her friends, was taken completely off guard by the apricot mare’s outburst. She calms down a bit before continuing on, “Ms. Cloverleaf, I’ve brought my friends here with me, because we discovered the truth behind the segregation of the three races.”

“Ha! What truth?” Sprout laughs mockingly, “And pray tell-”

“I said stop talking!” Sunny snaps at the red stallion, “I’ll deal with you later.” She turns back to the light peach pink mare as she resumes, “The cause was by two Alicorns, Opaline and Aerovad. They’ve done huge damage to everypony, causing generations of fear to invoke our lives. It’s time that we stop allowing this fear to be our every day norm.”

Ms. Cloverleaf sighs and shook her head, “Sunny, I know you take up much of your father, but if he were here right now, he would want you to live a normal life.”

“What, live a life of fear?” Zipp asked as he stood next to the apricot Earth Pony, “Living in constant fear of one another has been the normal life for everypony, and look how well that ended up!”

“What are you talking about?” Sprout asked.

“Sending that psycho Alicorn after us for starters!” Izzy answers him, stepping up to him, “You could’ve steered him away from our location, but noooo!!! You chose to be a coward and told him where Sunny and I were!”

“Hey, I was grabbed by the throat and hung in the air by that maniac, what was I suppose to do?!” Sunny just looks at Sprout very disappointed and upset. “What?” He asked her.

“You led that maniac to where I was so he could KILL ME!!!” She had him pinned up the brick wall, her dark red wings and horn reappeared, “The same maniac you gave info to that killed my dad years ago!”

“Wait, what?!”

“And now because of you, you put everypony else in danger! What you did is unforgivable.”

“Hold up, reverse!” Sprout said, raising his forehooves in defense, “That green Alicorn guy. He killed your-?”

“CAN THE CHILD COME OUT TO PLAY?!” They heard from the skies as a barrage of wispy green arrows whizzing towards everypony. All of the Earth Ponies moved out of the way and look up at the sky, the laugh sent a shiver down Sunny’s spine confirming the worst. Aerovad has followed them.

“Scatter!” Zipp shouts, and like rats, the ponies ran in different directions.

Fortunately for them, Aerovad wasn’t going after them… unfortunately for Sunny, that is who the green Alicorn is going after. Placing his shots at the apricot mare, he noticed how much faster she was going. That’s not possible! the Alicorn thought to himself, She shouldn’t gain more speed like this… unless… the Crystals. They’re giving her more power!

As she ducked through other alleyways and paths, trying to shake away from insane green Alicorn, Sunny kept looking back from time to time, seeing if she at least slowed him down, or trying to lose his line of sight. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t get away from him. As she tried to move out of the way from one of Aerovad's blast, she lost her footing and onto her side.

The green Alicorn glides to the ground and comes to a stop, slowly stalking him like a wolf ready to pounce. "You have nowhere left to run freak." He snarled with a grin, "No matter where you go, or what you'll do, I will always achieve my victory..." His horn glows brightly as he pulls out the dagger from it's sheathe as he the exclaims, "AND THAT IS HERE AND NOW!!!"

He yells and lunges towards the apricot mare, and she looks away... but the attack never came as she heard somepony scream in pain. She looks to only see that somepony else took the blow for her, whom of which she didn't expect. Lying on the floor in front of her, yowling in pain was Sprout, clenching his right eye.

"Really?" Aerovad asked plainly, "You would forsake your life for this abomination?"

The red stallion got up weakly as he looks at the tyrant Alicorn and said, "Not an abomination..." he looks at her, with a look of regret on his face as he said, "A friend." Sunny looks at him in shock as she sees him giving a weak smile.

He was then ragdolled aside by Aerovad's magic, throwing him to a wall of one of the buildings.

"Sprout!" Sunny cries.

"I tire of you mortals insolence!" Aerovad yells in a rage, his horn glows brighter as a huge barrage of wispy like arrow floated from the heavens. "If you will not step aside, then all mortals will die!" He then casts them down with a wrathful shout.

Sunny could see the arrows hurling down towards everypony... she doesn't know what to do. Around her rushed thinking, she could try and use her powers, but how? She doesn't fully understand how to control them... yet if she doesn't try now, then she and her friends are doomed. Closing her eyes, she focuses on the magic within her, trying to think deeply on how she could trigger it... and then... she sees it... no... him. Her father, and the words they live by, "We'll do our part, hoof to heart."

She opens her eyes and a golden hue surrounds her irises, her horn and wings, now regaining their golden hue once again, she casts a huge barrage of stars towards the arrow, taking their every shot. Now turning her attention towards Aerovad, who was stunned to see her power unfold, she knocks him back with an energy ball, sending him flying toward to a forest.

As her horn and wings disappear, she collapses from exhaustion and looks at the direction where Sprout got himself launched. “S-Sprout?” She asked half tired, half worried. She weakly picked herself up and hurries to the red stallion. As she got to him, she gasps in shock at the sight of Sprout’s condition. A slash over his right with dark, visible vains. The stallion weakly opened his eyes, with his right eye now having tint of a sick green. “Sprout!” She exclaims, rushing to his side, lifting his head up.

He pants as he looks at her, pained and exhausted, he asks, “… It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Sprout, just hang on!” Sunny tells him, cupping his face, “W-we’re gonna get help, okay?”

“Sunny, I…” He moaned, placing his right forehoof on her shoulder, “I’m sorry… I’m not… a good friend…” his grip on her was slipping as he exhales, “I… never was…” he tilted his head to the side unconscious.

“Sprout! Stay with me!” Sunny begged, she then turns to looks at Ms. Cloverleaf and Izzy and she shout, “HELP!!!”

Canterlot Castle

As Twilight entered the throne room, she could only look around the ruined room with nostalgia and sorrow. She and her friends inspired her subjects to spread the message of friendship, including her future pupil... a shame she wasn't chosen to be her successor as the visions had foretold her.

But now wasn't the time to reminisce on the past, she went her old throne, walked behind it and used a spell to cast a bright pillar of cyan and indigo light, a beam shot towards the sky. As she stares at the light for a few seconds, she went to the front of her throne, she took a seat as she said to herself, "Now, all that is left to do is wait for him to come." She closed her eyes and said quietly, "My friends... please be here with me... lend me your strength."

As he landed roughly on the patch of open grass, he weakly got himself back up once again and snarls at himself. “Defeat… AGAIN?!?!?! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!?!” The rage that swirled within Aerovad like a hurricane made from pure hatred has taken hold of his focus and his magic. “Every mortals are all fools!! They’ll now think of her as their champion! They will pay for not heeding my warning!” He then looked at the heaven and bellows out, “YOU THINK YOU HAVE WON FATHER!? YOU THINK YOU COULD GET RID OF ME?! THE ALICORN OF THE WIND?! I WILL DESTORY HER, THEN YOU!!!”

All of a sudden, a huge pillar of light shot up towards the skies.

He found this quite odd. That pillar of light seems to be coming from... A animal like growl emanated from his throat, he knows who shot that light. It's the same mare who defeated him centuries ago. "Twilight..." He snarled as flew as fast as he could towards Canterlot. It was way past time that they finished what they started, here and now.

Phyllis held her son’s hoof closely to her chest, hoping and praying whatever god or miracle there is that her little colt will fight whatever is infecting him. But, to her dismay, the doctor that is looking over him shook his head as he said, “It’s already reached his brain ma’am. I’m sorry, but we’re too late…”

“Oh…” she moans in sadness, “My baby…” she began to sob uncontrollably, all the while Sunny and the other Champions of Unity could only look on helpless.

The apricot mare was hesitant to join the grieving mother’s side. She knew all too well what it is like to lose a relative who you have held closely to. She went to her and sat behind her, letting out depressing sigh. “Ms. Cloverleaf?” She asks, catching the light peach pink mare’s attention, “I’m really sorry… for all of this. I didn’t wanted your son to get involved. Neither you or anypony else… I want to make it up to you… but I know no matter what I’ll do, I know… I know you’ll just blame me like you and everypony else does.”

Ms. Cloverleaf didn’t know what think or say to her. She could just yell at her, but what good would that do? She wasn't to blame for her son's death, it was that Alicorn. Sprout was only doing what was right... the only thing he did right. She sighs as she shook her head, "You remind me too much of your father Sunny."

Sunny looked at her surprised at first. Why would she? She’s been the oddball of the town, and now, here she is, staring at one of the ponies that despised her, on the hospital bed, clinging on for their dear life. She looks at Sprout, who was beginning to stir weakly awake.

Ms. Cloverleaf tries to offer comfort, “Sweetheart, the doctor’s doing everything they-”

“Mom,” Sprout stops her, “I’m old enough to know how real fairytales end. You don’t need to sugarcoat it.”

The light peach pink mare sighs, “I’m sorry honey…”

“Not your fault…” he said reassuringly, he then looks at the apricot Earth Pony, who was expecting to be at the center of the blame, but instead she heard, “And it wasn’t yours either.” Sunny looked at him surprised, and was going to ask him, but he cuts her off, “Look… from how I and everypony here treated you and your dad… it wasn’t fair. We took you for granted, and it was the biggest mistake we ever made.” Tears were streaming down the young mare’s face, holding onto the stallion’s forehoof as he continues, “I know I’m not a good friend to you… but for what it’s worth… I’m grateful to know you."

Sunny wiped away her tears and gave him a sad smile. "I will make it up to you and your mom," she tells him, gripping on to his hoof tightly, "I promise."

The red stallion shook his head as he tells her, "Getting the tribes to reunite would be good enough." This caught both mares by surprise as he continues, "That's what your dad wants, right? Well... go on then. Go make his dream come true and kick that psychotic Alicorn's butt for the both of us."

Sunny looked at his mother, who just sighs and tells her, "Go on. I'll keep him company until he passes."

If there was anything more Sunny could've done to prevent this tragedy from happening, she would in a heartbeat. She would've traded her life with his... but even if she did, would Sprout even appreciate her had she taken the blow? It was a question she kept tossing around as she left the hospital room.

Outside, her friends were waiting patiently, that was until they noticed the beam of light shot towards the sky. "Um, are beams of light in dark storms a good thing?" Pipp asked nervously.

Upon noticing the light, Sunny made her conclusion, "Princess Twilight. She going to face off Aerovad!"

The others looked at her in shock. "Well, what are we doing standing around like a bunch of prairie dogs?" Zipp tells them, "We got to go help her!"

"How?" Hitch asks him, "That light that the Princess created is too far away to even get to her!"

Sunny thought about it, then it made her face dread with nervousness of her own. Izzy took notice and asked, "You got something Sunny?"

"Well..." Sunny trails off, "I could try to... teleport us there?"

"WHAT?!" Everyone asked in shock, leading to Hitch telling, "Sunny, we don't know how your powers even work!"

"Well, there's always a first time for everything." Sunny giggled nervously, but clears her throat, "Besides, if I think about Princess Twilight, my teleportation could takes to her."

"Would that even be possible?" Misty asks.

"Well, we're running out of time and options at this point," Zipp tells her, then at Sunny, "We'll circle up and you'll work your magic."

The apricot mare nods as the other circle around her, latching onto each other's forelegs. Sunny focuses the magic within her, summoning her Alicorn wings and horn. "Okay then," She mutters, "Here it goes..." Now focusing on the image of what her mentor looks like, a swirl of gold dust, started to pick up, swirling around herself and her friends, who looked in amazement and surprise. As the gold matter and dust enveloped them, a puff of golden yellow smoke expels out, leaving nothing behind.