Your personal light bulb moment can come anytime. Are you ready to take personal responsibility for doing the work that has to be done?
~Unknown

"This is way too good to be true," Zipp muttered as she looked through the binoculars at the desolate-looking black castle made out of some kind of rough-looking rock, that looked incredibly pointy at the top.

Sunny held out her hoof and Zipp passed the binoculars to her. She looked through them, surprised to find it practically empty. "Where are all the changelings?"

"Maybe they knew we were coming and fled?" Misty asked hopefully.

"Doubt it," Hitch answered, narrowing his eyes. "They didn't exactly seem like the fleeing type."

"This is the place Amani said they were, right?" Zipp asked.

Suddenly, the five of them heard buzzing to their right. They quickly ducked down behind the rock they were hiding behind, keeping themselves out of sight. The five of them carefully peeked from behind the rock, to see a pony-like creature that was all black, with blue wings and eyes, Swiss–cheese legs, and sharp-looking fangs protruding out of its mouth. It flew past before disappearing out of sight and into the rocky castle-like structure.

"What is that?" Misty asked, not sure whether to be disgusted or terrified.

"Must be what changelings look like in their true form," Zipp deduced.

"But they're so… buggy," Izzy said, staring in the direction the changeling disappeared.

"I don't care how bug‐like they look. If Pipp is in there, then so will we. We are getting her out," Hitch said determinedly, glaring at the changeling hive. The rest of the ponies watched him with trepidation, not sure how far he'd be willing to go to save Pipp, and whether or not they'd be willing to go with him.

The five ponies slowly crept away from the changeling castle, back towards the clearing where Amani parted with them and they made camp. Now that they've seen the kingdom, they had to make some kind of plan as to how to get in and out without being noticed.

"I don't care what we have to do to get in there, but if Pipp's there then so are we," Hitch said once they made it back to the clearing.

"I know Hitch, but we can't just go in, guns blazing. That's how we'll all get captured," Sunny reasoned.

"Then we don't get captured!"

"Then we make. A. Plan," Sunny argued.

Hitch sighed heavily. "I don't care what plan we come up with, as long as it ends with us walking back home with six of us rather than five."

"And it will. We didn't travel all the way here just to turn back now," Zipp said with determination in her voice. "We're rescuing Pipp. But we're useless to her if we get ourselves captured too."

Izzy gasped her eyes widening. "Oh my hoofness! Oh, my hoofness! Idea! It's risky. And it's dangerous. And it might not work. But it might and I like those odds."

Izzy paused dramatically while the other ponies just looked at her confused.

"First, one quick question. Zipp, do you have a tracker on that pony drone of yours?"

The patrol changeling flew steadily into the changeling hive, making his way through the changing hallways to the throne room. He landed on the cold, hard, stone floor, bowing low to the queen sitting on the throne.

"The targets are within sight, Your Majesty," the patrol changeling said. "Should we go into phase two?"

Queen Vespula stared down at her subject, her evil grin growing as everything went according to plan. "Prepare yourselves for it, but do not engage. At least not until they're closer."

The drone nodded before flying off to pass the message to the general and the changeling army.

Queen Vespula chuckled as she stood from her throne and walked out of the room, up the stairs, and to the cell that held her three prisoners. Finally, generations of planning have come to an end and soon, their revenge will be complete. It was about time she enjoyed her reward.

Queen Vespula walked in to see three prisoners, one green earth pony with a light pink mane, a pink pegasus with a pink mane, and another pegasus, though, this one was light pink with a purple mane.

Pipp stood up, glaring at Queen Vespula. Her mane was a tangled mess and her crown was in the corner on the stone floor, and there were dark bags under her eyes. The princess of pop was a ragged mess, but there was still the light of hope in her eyes.

She stood in front of Posey and Windy protectively. "Let Posey and Windy go. You have no use for them here."

"Oh, but I do. How else will I lead your desperate friends into a trap?" Pipp opened her mouth to speak, but Queen Vespula rolled her eyes, interrupting her before she had a chance to talk. "Oh, save your breath. I just had to get one look at you so I could mirror you exactly. Don't want them coming in to save the right pony, now do we." Queen Vespula turned to leave but turned at Pipp's shocked look. "Oh, and… that's right. I've nearly forgotten. How silly of me. It's your three‐year anniversary. How sweet. That'll be fun. Anniversaries make our victims that much more desperate."

Queen Vespula chuckled as she left the prisoners' cell, her heart filling with glee. She could never understand why the citizens of Equestria didn't love revenge as much as she did. It felt fantastic.

Queen Vespula walked into her royal chambers, a maniacal grin on her face. She walked to her mirror, watching her reflection as green flames engulfed it and before her eyes, a pink pegasus with purple hair and a golden crown appeared. Her smile grew at the likeness.

As Queen Vespula began to sing, she realized it matched Pipp's voice perfectly, causing her to be elated:

🎵This day is going to be perfect.
The kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small.
All those friends will gather round,
Say how glad they are I'm found.
What they don't know is that I'll have fool them all🎵

Back in Pipp's cell, Pipp looked up at Posey and Windy with wide, desperate eyes, after learning that it would be her and Hitch's three-year anniversary and how such a meaningful day was going to be used against them. Tears filled her eyes as she sat on the mattress, looking down at the ground.

🎵This day should've been perfect.
The kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small.
But instead of having cake,
With all my friends to celebrate
I may never see my love at all🎵

Queen Vespula prepared herself, messing up the purple hair until it was messy and tangled as she flew around the room in an evil sort of dance, making herself look more and more like the disheveled Pipp in the cell.

🎵I could care less about the sheriff,
I won't partake in any cake.
Love? I'll be lying when I say:
That through any kind of weather
I'll want us to be together
The truth is I don't care for him at all.
No, I do not love that fool,
In my heart, there is no room.
But I still want him to be all mine🎵

Pipp ran around the room as she realized the love of her life was about to walk into a trap. She searched the cell inside, leaving no centimeter untouched, hoping to find some sort of way out, searching every stone, every nook and cranny.

🎵Must escape before it's too late,
Find a way to save the day.
Hope? I'll be lying if I say:
I don't fear that I may lose him,
To one who wants to use him,
Not care for love and cherish him each day.
For I love him like a tune
All my thoughts he does consume.
Oh, Hitch Trailblazer,
I'll be there very soon🎵

When Pipp looked up longingly, she saw the covered-up window that was high up in the cell. She gasped as she felt her whole being light up with a newfound hope. She looked at Posey and Windy who looked at each other and then back at her, giving Pipp determined nods.

Queen Vespula flew down the hallway to the throne room when she heard word that those ponies were getting closer. Her smile grew as it finally became time.

🎵Finally, the moment has arrived
For me, to take what should be mine🎵

Pipp spread her wings in an attempt to balance herself as she stood on Windy who was standing on Posey, Pipp raising her hoof higher in hopes of reaching the window, but coming up just short of it.

🎵Oh, if we don't escape
He'll end up falling for a fake.
Hitch Trailblaizer will be–🎵

Pipp fell, making Windy and Posey fall on each other as well when she heard her own voice echo throughout the room, but it wasn't she who said it. Rather, it was Queen Vespula, making Pipp shiver in fear.

🎵Mine. All mine🎵

"Izzy, no. Just no. It's way too risky." Zipp said with finality.

"But–"

"No. We're not doing it." Hitch interrupted. "Not even an option."

Izzy looked at Sunny and Misty, pleading for them to just listen, but it was useless. They just looked away. Izzy closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She thought back to what a unicorn once told her when she was young. Big ideas mean big responsibilities. You have to be ready to take responsibility for the work that has to be done. She'd take responsibility because this was the only plan they had.

"Well, do you ponies have any better ideas? Besides Hitch's just running in guns blazing and hoping for the best?"

"Yeah. Not that," Zipp answered.

"That's not a plan. That's a decision. One that's up to me to make," Izzy argued, looking at each one of her friends.

"Izzy, if there's anything I learned through this whole ordeal, it's that nothing is just your decision. We're all in this together. What you decide affects everypony else." Sunny said softly.

"Believe me, I am thinking of everypony else. Look, we don't know where Pipp is and we can't just wander the halls in hopes we stumble upon her. This solves two dilemmas with one crystal. We can find out where they're keeping Pipp and it creates a distraction so you guys can sneak in."

"Fine, Izzy. You made your point. But if anypony should be the one to do it, it should be me, not you," Hitch argued.

Izzy shook her head. "No, Hitch. You're needed back in Equestria. You all are. Hitch, you're the sheriff of Maretime Bay. The ponies need you to keep order. Zipp, if something happens to Queen Haven, Zephyr Heights is going to be in chaos. Misty, same with Alphabittle. Whether you like it or not, you're Alphabittle's daughter. If something happens to him, the unicorns are going to look up to you for guidance, lest they go all jinxie again. And Sunny, you may not have the horn and wings, but you're still the alicorn. You brought the three pony kinds together. They need you to keep them united. I'm…I'm disposable."

"Izzy, you're not dis–" Misty started.

"In the face of all of Equestria, I am!" Izzy interrupted. "It's my plan, and if things blow up in our faces, I should be the one to take the fall." Izzy sighed. "Look, it might not come to that. I'm sure by next month, all six of us are going to be celebrating in Mane Melody. I mean, it took us a whole month to get here, it'll probably take the same amount of time to get back. But, Just in case it doesn't…I need you to promise me that if things go wrong, even in the slightest, I need you to promise me that you'll leave Pipp and me and get the heck out of dodge. Don't doom all of Equestria for us." As Izzy said this, she looked Zipp in the eye. "Promise me you'll get them out safely."

Zipp looked at Izzy with wide eyes. Was Izzy really asking her to abandon her? Abandon Pipp again? To fail not just her sister, but her best friend too? Zipp knew she had to promise that she'd get herself and the three other ponies out of there, but still, she refused.

"You can't really expect me to…I mean, you're…" Zipp racked her brain for an excuse as to why this was a stupid promise to make. "I'm just one pony! You can't expect me to force three grown ponies out of a situation they don't want to leave."

Izzy smiled softly to Zipp, her cutie mark softly glowing. "I'm sure you'll find a way. You just have to be a little creative." Izzy winked. "Anyway, I know you'll do what's needed to be done, no matter how hard it is."

Zipp closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "Fine. I promise."

"Say it," Izzy prodded.

Zipp clenched her jaw. "Izzy, you can't really–"

"Say it!"

Zipp squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears back. "I'll do my part…" Zipp paused, not ready to say it. Once she did, there was no going back.

"Zipp…no…" Hitch said, pleading with Zipp not to go through with it. Not to force them to turn back when their friends needed them most. When his marefriend needed him most. Begging her not to make that decision for him.

Zipp ignored her friends, knowing Izzy wouldn't stop until she said it, loath she was to admit it. She hated Izzy for making her do this. She had finally understood the saying that there's a fine line between love and hate. "Hoof…hoof to heart." Those words were like the final nail in Pipp's and Izzy's coffins.

"Thanks Zipp. I know that was hard for you." Izzy quickly changed the subject, moving on from such a depressing atmosphere. She hated seeing her friends so sad and all she wanted was for them to smile. "Okay! For this to work I'll need some Super Duper Dry Fast Paint. Purple color…" As Izzy continued, her cutie mark began to shine brighter before dimming back to normal.

"Zipp to Izzy, do you read me? Over," Zipp asked into her earpiece, which was connected to her spy gear, which luckily didn't need wifi or cell service to work. Though, it was best to test it.

Zipp held her breath. They already knew the tracker worked, so whether the earpiece worked or not, Izzy would still be going in. But at least if it worked, they'd have some kind of communication and they would have some kind of clue if Izzy was okay or not and if they took her to where Pipp was.

"Izzy to Zipp. I copy. Over." Izzy's voice could be heard in Zipp's earpiece.

Zipp breathed a sigh of relief and she gave Sunny, Misty, and Hitch a nod. Hitch held Sparky close to him, refusing to let him go for any reason.

Izzy's voice was uncharacteristically serious. In truth, she was terrified. She was starting to regret this plan. Damn creativity. Why was it always coming up with great ideas? Couldn't somepony else come up with the idea for once?

Izzy waited with bated breath for Zipp's okay. She touched her mane for the mane accessory for comfort, only to remember she left it back at camp. If the changelings searched her, she didn't want them to take it away in case she'd never get it again. That meant everything to her, much like Misty's charm bracelet meant to Misty.

The picture that was in it was a picture none of her friends knew she had taken. She found that when it came to pictures, taking them when ponies weren't aware of it truly captured the magic and emotion of the moment. It was a picture of them all having a great time at the Crystal Tea Room, a couple of weeks after Opaline was defeated. Misty was experimenting with making different teas behind the counter like a mad scientist, with Sunny and Zipp hesitantly tasting them all, and Alphabittle assisting her in getting the ingredients she needed. Pipp was on the stage, giving a go at slam poetry with Onyx and Dapple teaching her, Pipp claiming that she made song poems all the time, how hard could slam poetry be? Though, she wasn't very good at it. Hitch and Queen Haven were sitting at the tables in front of the stage, encouraging Pipp when she failed and cheering her on the few times she succeeded. Sparky was on the table, drinking one of the successful new teas Misty was making. Zoom and Thunder were there too, and while their official reason for being there was to guard Queen Haven, since there were no clear dangers, they were enjoying watching Pipp's attempts at slam poetry, live streaming her successful attempts. Every time Izzy looked at it, she smiled.

She had made each of her friends one too. Misty already had hers, but the ones she made for Hitch, Zipp, Sunny, and Pipp were each in their own respective bags, though Pipp's was in Hitch's. She had put them in there before they left to come back to the changeling castle, just in case she didn't come back.

The thought terrified her, but she knew she didn't have a choice. If she didn't do everything she could to save Pipp, she'd never be able to live with herself. And, besides, how bad can a changeling prison really be? At least she'd be with Pipp. Hopefully.

"Alright Iz. How're things on you're end? Over." Izzy heard Zipp say through the small purple earpiece in her ear.

Izzy looked up from her hiding place behind a rather fat tree and watched the changelings on the side of the castle, patrolling back and forth, looking bored. They didn't seem to notice any of them yet, which was good. At least there'd be no surprises.

Izzy reached up and pushed the button on the earpiece. It wasn't conventional, having to push the button every time you wanted to be heard, but it was all Zipp had and it was better than nothing.

"Everything's hunky-dory over here. Nothing out of the uzhe. Over." Izzy took her hoof off the button.

"Alright. We're ready to go for launch in ten. Nine. Eight…"

Izzy felt her heart race. This was it. It was now or never. Izzy bit her lip as she summoned every ounce of her courage. If Zipp could stand up to an army of rampaging griffons, she could do this. She would do this.

"Seven. Six. Five…"

Hitch, Misty, and Sunny all bit their lip as Zipp counted down. The reality that they might never see their best friend again began to sink in and it made their entire bodies sag with dread.

"Four. Three. Two…"

Izzy crouched, ready to sprint as soon as she heard one. She knew she had to be sneaky, just to make it seem realistic, but she still had to cause some sort of distraction.

"One. We're go for launch. Over"

"Copy that. Over and out." She said before she crept up to the large, rocky, castle, crouching low.

She stayed far enough away to evade the notice of the patrolling bugs, but close enough so that she could see the perfect place for her infiltration. She examined the black stone walls, searching for any weak spots. Whenever a changeling would fly past, she'd duck behind a tree or a rock. She couldn't reveal herself until she was ready.

Finally, she saw one. A ledge, with multiple hoofholds. On the other side from where her friends were. Perfect. There were no windows or any form of entrance on this side of the castle, but that was fine. It wasn't like she needed one. She slowly crept up to it, keeping an eye out for any changelings.

She put a hoof on her earpiece, pushing the button. Zipp demanded that if they went through with this, she'd need to keep frequent updates and check-ins. "Izzy to Zipp. I'm in position. Get ready to move. Over."

In her earpiece, she heard static before, "Zipp to Izzy. Roger that, Iz. Got a lock on your location. Over."

Izzy was just about to start climbing the ledge when she heard Zipp's voice again.

"Hey, Iz?"

Izzy pressed the button. "Go ahead."

"Just…please be careful. Remember, we're celebrating at Mane Melody next month. Pipp's going to treat us all to custom spa treatments. Promise you'll come back?"

Izzy paused. That wasn't a promise she could make because she didn't know if it was a promise she could keep. So instead, she said, "Roger that, Zipp. Over."

Zipp didn't say anything, but before Izzy took her hoof off the button, she muttered. "Hoof to heart." Then she said louder. "Over and out."

Izzy let go of the button, and not hearing anything else coming through, she took a deep breath and began to climb. This would have been so much easier with magic. At least then she'd be able to help lift her body with a levitation spell. But everypony knew the chances of them coming out of this alive with no magic was unlikely, but they still had to try. They always had to try. And besides, what kind of dangerous mission would it be if it were easy?

She grunted as she climbed, sweat dripping off of her from the heat. She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled herself up to keep the sweat from dripping into her eyes. She huffed and panted from the exertion, but she persevered. She would not give up. She could not. She came way too far to turn back now. At least now she can say she tried rock climbing and at least now she knew she would not want to do this ever again in her life.

Just when she thought she couldn't go any further, she saw a small crevice just big enough to squeeze into and rest without having to cling on for dear life. She still had to hold onto the rocky face to keep from falling to her death, but at least she could let herself rest.

She climbed into the small crevice and let her body relax, just a little, still scared that if she fully relaxed, she'd fall to her death. She gasped for breath as she looked down, seeing the ground that was about eighty feet below her. She dropped her head back, wiping her face with one hoof while the other clung to the wall, and then waited.

She only had to wait for about five minutes before she saw a lone patrol changeling. Perfect. He'd have to call for backup. She put a hoof to her earpiece, pushing the button before speaking. "Izzy to Zipp, do you copy?"

There was a moment where all she heard was static before she heard Misty's voice coming through. "Misty to Izzy, I copy."

Izzy widened her eyes. "Where's Zipp?" Izzy asked in a whisper.

"Refueling. We're all taking turns charging ourselves up before we head out. Zipp's here. Stand by."

Izzy waited before she heard: "Zipp to Izzy, do you copy."

"Yeah, I copy. How long has it been?"

"Not long. Only about fifteen minutes. That was Misty's polite way of saying I had to use the restroom. Update?"

Izzy nodded, and then remembering Zipp couldn't see her, she quickly said, "Affirmative. I got a lock on the target. Initiating phase two."

"Copy. Over and out."

Izzy took a deep breath. Alright. All she had to do was make it seem realistic. She sighed. Talk about putting her acting skills to the test.

Taking another deep breath, she began climbing, this time however more sloppily. She purposefully slipped, making a couple of pebbles fall off the wall to the ground below. She yelped, trying to seem quiet, but just loud enough for the changeling to hear.

It worked like a crystal charm. The changeling looked up, gasped, and called for backup, initiating phase two.

From the entrance of the changeling hive, the four ponies heard a changeling call for backup from behind the huge black structure. Six of the eight changelings responded to the distress call, leaving two to guard the entrance and prevent exactly what the four ponies were attempting to do.

Zipp sighed heavily as she racked her brain for something when her gaze passed over two stones. Getting a rather clichéd idea, she threw the stones a good distance away one at a time. The changelings hissed and one went to investigate while the other stood guard.

Zipp thought, desperate for something. Izzy's distraction wouldn't last much longer and they needed to be inside the hive by the time Izzy was apprehended, otherwise, their whole plan would go to shit.

Glancing at the three other ponies, she whispered, "Follow me," before creeping out of their hiding place.

Slowly and quietly, the four ponies and baby dragon crept towards the entrance, always staying in the one guard's blind spots. They quickly slipped passed him and through the entrance one at a time, jumping behind four stone pillars to wait.

As the ponies waited, Misty watched as the wall in front of her began to open up until there was a hole large enough for a pony to fit through. She looked at her friends. Zipp was too busy staring at her tablet for movement from Izzy, Sunny had her eyes closed as she guided Hitch through deep calming breaths to calm him down, doing the same thing herself. Only Sparky seemed to notice, looking back at Misty with a worried expression that mirrored what Misty was feeling.

Misty bent down and peeked through the hole to find an entire maze of passageways full of changelings just going about their daily lives, completely unaware of the pony intruders. Misty's eyes widened, only to fully bug out as the hole closed five minutes later. Misty peeked from behind the pillar to see the wall across from her open a brand new pony-sized hole to a whole new network of hallways just as another one diagonal of it closed. Fear began to grip Misty. Oh no. Oh no no no.

Just as Misty was about to go into a full-blown panic attack, she heard two beeps from Zipp's tablet and Zipp whispering, "She's on the move."

Misty ducked back behind her pillar. Zipp slowly peeked her head from around hers just in time to see Izzy being dragged in by four changelings, and from the looks of it, she was putting up a pretty good fight.

Two more changelings from deeper within the hive came to assist and the six changelings lifted her off the ground and carried her through a hole that worked as a doorway. Zipp then stared down at her tablet and watched Izzy's tracker zig-zagged throughout the hive. Finally, it came to a stop, but still, Zipp waited.

Until she heard Izzy say through her own earpiece: Izzy to Zipp. Do you copy? Over."

Zipp breathed a sigh of relief. "Zipp to Izzy," She said as she pressed the button. "Yeah, I copy. You good? Over."

"Besides a couple of bruises, I'm just peachy. They put me in a cell next to Pipp's. Well, more like threw me. You know, I've always wondered what it was like to be thrown. Not something I'd do again. Over."

"Izzy, focus. How's Pipp doing?" Zipp asked, to which Hitch seemed to lean closer.

"Not very good. She's unconscious. You need to hurry."

"We're on our way. Over and out." Zipp said, cutting communication. Zipp looked up to see Hitch staring up at her with expectant eyes. Zipp was about to tell him what Izzy said but then realized that if she did, he'd be a mess. He'd go into a situation without thinking it through desperate to help Pipp, getting them all captured. Zipp sighed.

"She's fine," Zipp lied, hoping it wasn't too far from the truth. "Let's just hurry."

Zipp and the other three ponies hurried from behind the pillars and to the entryway they saw the changelings take Izzy, only for it to close just before they stepped through. Zipp and Hitch ran into the now completely solid wall, Sunny and Misty skidding to a stop just in time.

Zipp and Hitch took a step back, staring at the wall in shock. On the wall to their right, another hole opened up, just big enough for three ponies to walk through side by side.

Zipp pressed the button on her earpiece. "Zipp to Izzy, do you copy? Over." She said flatly.

"Izzy to Zipp. I copy. Over."

Zipp sighed. "This is going to take a while. Over."

An hour later, the four ponies came to yet another staircase, leading down into the dark unknown. Zipp looked down at her tablet. They were really close to Izzy, finally. Zipp breathed a sigh of relief.

It took them longer than they thought to navigate the maze of hallways. Zipp couldn't even make a map to show where they've been because the damn walls kept changing. Before they began their journey to navigate the changeling hive, Zipp had given the other three ponies earpieces, testing them, just in case they got separated.

But, after many failed tries and frustrated bucks and kicks when they came to a dead end that wasn't there two seconds ago, they finally made it to the top of the staircase to what Zipp assumed the dungeons.

Slowly, the four ponies crept down the stairs. Zipp almost got her flashlight, but if there was an ambush, Zipp didn't want to alert them of their presence. All four ponies held their breath as they descended. When they reached the bottom, they were relieved to see nothing greet them.

"Zipp to Izzy. We made it."

"Really? You got past the guards already. Wow, you guys work silently."

Guards? All four ponies widened their eyes when they heard what Izzy said, turning around to see over fifty changeling guards approaching them with wicked smiles.

Zipp quickly put her tablet down as all the ponies got into defensive stances. The changelings charged, turning into the ponies in an attempt to confuse them. The ponies put up a valiant fight, taking out changeling after changeling. Sparky puffed out dragon fire left and right, transforming changelings into inanimate objects.

He got to Misty, but before he could blow fire at her, she quickly looked at Hitch, who was currently bucking another changeling. He paused when the changeling fell unconscious and looked Misty in the eye.

"Hitch, it's me! Please don't blast me! I'm the real Misty Brightdawn!"

No shimmer. As Sparky moved on, Zipp was currently in a locked battle with four other changelings that looked like each of her four friends. She bucked and punched, but, eventually, the changelings were able to grab hold of her limbs.

However, they were quickly knocked out. Zipp turned around to see Sunny with a good-sized rock. Zipp smiled gratefully at Sunny before moving on to help Hitch out with his barrage of changelings.

Misty just finished her attack on a Pipp-looking changeling when she looked up to see a changeling that was shapeshifted into herself trying to sneak up on Sunny from behind "Sunny!" Misty yelled, already charging at the changeling.

By the time Sunny turned around, Misty had already tackled the changeling to the ground and the both of them rolled around, wrestling, trying to gain any advantage they could, pulling each other's manes and punching each other in the muzzle.

Sunny stood by helplessly, looking at the both of them with wide fear-filled eyes. She grabbed her rock, only to realize that with them wrestling back and forth, Sunny had no idea which was which.

"Sunny! What are you doing just standing there? Get the changeling!" Zipp yelled, wrestling a changeling that looked like Hitch.

"I-I can't! I don't know which one's the real Misty!" Sunny yelled, watching them desperately, hoping to find some clue as to which one was the changeling. But since they were locked in a wrestling match, Sunny couldn't see their eyes long enough to see the glint.

"I'm the…the real…Mi–AUGH!" One of the Misties tried to say before she was punched in the face.

"LIAR!" The other Misty screamed.

"I–I don't…I can't…give me some kind of hint!" Sunny yelled desperately.

"I'm the real Misty!" One of them yelled.

"Ugh! No, I a–" The other one started before taking a hoof to the gut.

Sunny looked back and forth between them, unsure as to what to do, when one of the Misties cried out, "If you can't figure out which one's which, just knock us both out! Focus on saving Pipp!"

Sunny slammed the rock on the other Misty's head, knocking her out, without hesitation. The real Misty stood up, wobbling a bit. Sunny held out a hoof to steady her, which Misty gratefully accepted. She wiped her face, a bruise already forming and one of her eyes already turning black.

"How…how did you know?" Misty asked once she caught her breath, looking at Sunny confused.

Sunny smiled at Misty. "A changeling wouldn't have been so willing to voluntarily sacrifice themselves so quickly to save another pony. If I was in your position, I would've done the same."

Misty smiled back at Sunny warmly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Zipp rushed to Misty when she was sure all the changelings were knocked out or turned into inanimate objects, quickly inspecting her.

"Oh my hoofness! Misty! Are you okay? When Sunny said she couldn't tell you apart, I was so worried. Are you…you?"

Misty nodded, looking Zipp in the eye. "I'm me. I'm Misty Brightdawn."

"Guys! Guys, are you okay! Hello? Sunny? Misty? Anypony?!" Izzy called desperately from the fourth cell down.

Misty, Zipp, Sunny, and Hitch all turned to the door of the fourth cell. "It's fine, Izzy. We're okay. We just…we had a close call. But everything's going to be fine. Except for the fact that we're all going to be feeling real sore tomorrow." Zipp said with a small smile.

Sunny chuckled a bit. "Yeah. You could say that again."

"Thank the moons." Izzy said relieved.

"Don't worry, Iz. We'll have you outta there in a sec. We just gotta get through verification first."

"Don't worry about me! Just get Pipp!"

All of their eyes widened. In all of the ensuing chaos and the scare with Misty, they had all forgotten about Pipp. Hitch tried to run to one of the cell doors next to Izzy, trying to figure out where Pipp was, but Zipp stopped him, making him wait until they got through all of their verifications, just in case. They couldn't be too careful here.

Finally, they all finished, quickly asking Izzy which cell Pipp was in. As soon as Izzy said the third one, Hitch was the first one there, opening the door before any of them could react. When he saw Pipp, his heart stopped. He froze, just staring at the still and prone form in front of him. He didn't want to believe it was Pipp. His Pipp. His little songbird. But it was clearly her. Her coat. Her mane. Hitch's eyes filled with tears as he hurried to Pipp's bruised and battered form. He quickly gathered her up in his arms. Her body was still warm. That was good.

The others got to the doorway and gasped upon seeing Pipp's unconscious form. All three mares put a hoof to their mouths as they stared at Pipp and Hitch with wide eyes. Sparky went to go comfort Hitch when he saw Pipp and stopped.

"Pipp? Pipp, can you hear me? Pipp! Pipp say something! Please!" A sob began to lodge in his throat. "Please…"

Hitch bundled Pipp in his hooves as tight as he could, holding her against his body as though his very embrace could heal her. He buried his face in her mane, tears running down his face.

"H–Hitch…?"

Hitch gasped, pulling Pipp away. Pipp blinked up at him with those beautiful green eyes. Hitch's whole body warmed as the realization struck him. Pipp, his Pipp, was going to be okay. She was going to make it.

"Issat really you?" Pipp slurred blearily.

Hitch nodded frantically, a grin stretching across his face overcome with relief. "Yes. Yes, it is. It's me. I'm here. You don't need to worry. I'm right here."

Pipp smiled. It was trembling and weak, but it was there. "Good…I…I've been wanting to…" Pipp slowly blinked, closing her eyes as though it was hard to stay awake. "I'm so…so sorry. I was so mean…and…incon…incons…" Tears ran down Pipp's face.

Hitch embraced Pipp tightly, holding her close to him. "Pipp. You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, I was the jerk. I should've asked you why your pipsqueaks were so important."

"I've missed you so much," Pipp sobbed into Hitch's shoulder. "Moons, I've missed you so much. I…I thought I was never going to see you again."

"I missed you too. But it's okay. I'm here now. I'm here and I'm never going to leave you again."

"Good…"

As Pipp sobbed into Hitch's coat, Zipp, Misty, and Sunny all wiped away tears. They all wanted to make sure Pipp was okay, but they knew she and Hitch were having a moment. One that had been delayed for seven months. So, instead of ruining this heartfelt moment, they all watched with teary eyes and small smiles, glad to see their favorite couple reunited.

That is until Pipp's sobs seemed to change. Hitch couldn't tell since it was muffled by his shoulder, but he could've sworn it sounded like laughing. But, Hitch knew that couldn't be right. Still, the hair on his back stood up and he suddenly grew tense.

The three mares saw Hitch's suddenly rigid body and looked at the pair confused. Zipp and Misty looked around the room in hopes of finding whatever it was that made Hitch tense, while Sunny watched Pipp closely, also noticing the change in her demeanor, though it was so subtle she couldn't place her hoof on it. She just knew that something was suddenly very wrong.

"P–Pipp…?" Sunny and Hitch asked hesitantly at the same time, their thoughts on similar wavelengths.

Pipp chuckled a little before whispering quietly in his ear, "Think again, love.…"

Author's Note

You know when you're tearing up at your own scene even tho you know how it ends, because you're listening to sad music from YouTube and it's 2 in the morning. Yeah, no, me neither

Anywho, personally, this was my favorite chapter to write in the whole trilogy. I had it planned for a while and I'm so excited to publish it. I think it turned out pretty good.

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. And keep an eye out for the next chapter.

Happy Monday!

Hakuna Matata!