A Trial of Secrets

Chapters

Sisters
May The Gods Have Mercy
120 Hours
Voices
The Restricted Section
Alicorns
Thousand Yard Stare
Checkmate
A New Mission

Sisters

Red magical lights flashed as a siren blared throughout the castle. The king knew this was going to happen, still though, he had hoped to have more time. He turned to the two young alicorn mares, who looked absolutely terrified, but still attempted to put on a brave face.

"Okay, Lulu, Tia. The time has come. You know what to do?" The alicorn king asked.

The eldest nodded, a white alicorn with a pink mane and a sun for a cutie mark, who was no more than fifteen. "Yes, Father. Go to the land of mortals, a land called Equestria."

The younger sister, who was no older than ten, continued where the other trailed off, her coat a grayish blue with a blue mane a shade lighter than her coat, her cutie mark a crescent moon. "There's an old sorcerer who's a friend of the family. Find him, and he'll take us in."

"Good girls." Suddenly, the three of them heard grunting and screaming down the hall, alerting the three alicorns of what little time they had left. "Okay. It's time to go."

"But…what about Linnie? We can't leave without her." Celestia said, wrapping a wing around her younger sister.

"Your sister will be fine." The alicorn king said. "The mortals need your help. Your uncle won't hurt her."

"But…can't she come with us? She's our sister, we can't leave her behind." Luna argued.

"She'll be safer here. She can't control her elemental power yet. She will accidentally harm the mortals and…who knows how they will react. She'll be okay here. Your uncle will not harm her."

Celestia and Luna looked at each other before sighing heavily. They had to trust their father. He loved all of them and only wanted the best for them. After another round of goodbyes, the two alicorn mares left through the secret tunnel in the castle, one that led to the city gates.

The alicorn king covered the entrance and turned to face the door just as the door burst open and he stared down at his brother…

°°°

"Lulu? Tia?" A magenta alicorn called as she flew into the room. This was the last room she had to search in the whole castle, and she hoped she wasn't too late. That they were still okay. "Lulu! Tia!"

"They're gone." A voice said behind her.

She turned around, charging her horn, glaring at the alicorn she once called family. "What have you done with them?!"

"Me?" The black alicorn asked slyly, a look of innocence plastered on his face. "I did nothing to them. They are my own blood. I'd never harm them. They left and left you behind."

Opaline shook her head. "No. No, they'd never leave me. They are my sisters! You're lying! Just like you lied to Father when you betrayed his trust!"

"Your father was weak! I did Skyros a favor by ending his miserable life!" The black alicorn with a white mane took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine. You don't believe me? See for yourself."

The black shadow alicorn teleported himself a hoof-held mirror, holding it up towards Opaline. For a moment, Opaline saw her reflection, but soon it rippled and she saw two young alicorns she recognized.

"Tia? Do you think Linnie is mad at us? For leaving her behind?" The younger alicorn asked, her voice young.

"I don't know, Luna. I hope not." Celestia muttered, her voice full of sorrow.

"Tia? Do you think Linnie hates us?" Luna asked, and from her sister's deep breath, it seemed as if Luna had been asking questions long before.

"I don't think so, Luna. She's our sister." Celestia tried to say sweetly, though her voice was strained.

"But, what if she does? What if–"

"Luna! I'm trying to concentrate on where we're going and I can't do that when you're asking me a million questions I don't know the answer to! I'm sure Linnie's fine…" Celestia's voice trailed off as her image disappeared and Opaline's reflection returned.

Tears filled Opaline's eyes as she stared at the mirror with a look that looked murderous, but for who she couldn't say.

"You're lying." She muttered, her breath growing hot. "You're lying…you're lying…you're lying…YOU'RE LYING!"

Suddenly, Opaline burst into flames, her wings and horn and hooves catching fire, as she screamed, her body lifting into the air. Tears streamed down her face as the room around her caught on fire. She broke into sobs, the fire swelling with each heave, as she curled up in a ball, surrounded by fire. She looked up at her uncle, the newest shadow king, to see a small smile of pride on his face.

"Oh! It is so good to be back!" Pipp groaned as the six ponies entered the Brighthouse. She took two steps before collapsing to the ground. "Oh, Brighthouse. How I've missed you so."

Zipp rolled her eyes, muttering, "Ever the drama princess." Though Zipp had to admit, it did feel good to be back home.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Sunny galloped into the Brighthouse. "Misty! Misty! Has anypony seen Misty? Misty!"

"Umm…I think I saw her around here somewhere." Zipp answered, glancing around and, sure enough, not seeing Misty. "Why?"

"I can't find her anywhere. Misty! Misty!" Sunny answered, sprinting around the Brighthouse, looking at any possible hiding spot, even though playing a random game of hide and seek wasn't something she'd do.

"Chill, Suns. I'm sure she's fine. She knows not to leave the Brighthouse without you. Besides, you have that protection spell Flurry gave you to cast around the Brighthouse."

Sunny bit her lip. "Yeah, I know. I just…I promised Flurry I wouldn't leave Misty's side when we left Maretime Bay. I guess I am being paronoid though." She said, still feeling uncertain when they all heard Misty scream.

"And so it begins…" Zipp muttered as they all hurried upstairs to find Misty on her bed, hugging Madame Taffytails, rocking back and forth.

Izzy and Pipp were by her side in an instant while Sunny, Hitch, and Zipp did a quick search of the room, looking for any signs of break-ins or anything else that could cause her to scream.

"Misty. Misty, what's wrong? Is everything okay?" Pipp asked, rubbing Misty's back.

Misty tried to block out the memories seeing it caused, but it was harder than she thought. Granted, at the moment, seeing one of those things never meant anything good, so she supposed she wasn't being a complete scaredy-pony. But she knew exactly what seeing one of those meant.

"I…I…I saw a rat." Misty stammered, her whole body shaking.

Zipp was confused. She's never known Misty to be screamish. Not like Pipp. "You screamed because you saw a rat?"

"Hey, rats can be proper scary!" Pipp argued. "Especially when they come out of nowhere!"

Misty looked up at Zipp, and the fear she saw in Misty's eyes, Zipp knew this wasn't an ordinary rat. "They know I'm here. The Skyronians…they know I'm here. They know where I sleep, they know the Brighthouse's weak spots, and who knows what else."

"You know all this…because of a rat?" Hitch asked, more than a little confused.

"Not…just…any rat…" Misty sighed, squeezing Madame Taffytail harder. "A magically created rat. Used specifically for spying on ponies. It's like Zipp sending her pony drone, but this one is made of magic…and is meant to try and blend in more. Though, I'm not sure how a pink, see-through rat blends in better than Zipp's pony drone. Or, in this case, blue."

"How do you know all this?" Sunny asked, stepping forward.

Misty swallowed, looking away from her friends. "Because Opaline made one. To sneak into the Brighthouse and learn more about Sunny's lantern. So she can take the Prisbeam it contained, without destroying magic by taking the Crystals."

"And now that's what the Skyronians are doing. " Zipp finished, causing Misty to nod. She turned to Sunny. "You might want to cast that protection spell now. We've been here for all of an hour, and already they've made their move."

Sunny nodded, but Hitch shook his head. "Wait. Hold up. We're not planning on keeping Misty from going to Skyros completely right? Cause that'll be a fool's mission."

Sunny shook her head. "No. We're just trying to keep her from being fillynapped in the middle of the night so we can all go to Skyros with her."

Misty was silent for a moment. No matter how many times her friends risked something for her, it always blew her away. She wondered if she'd ever get used to it. "You'd really go to Skyros with me? For…me?"

Izzy smiled. "Of course. You really think we'd let our friend go to some super crazy trial at some super scary kingdom without us?"

"I just thought that with Sunny by my side…you didn't really need to come…" Misty trailed off.

"Neigh way. If we're going to find a third alicorn in Skyros, we're going to need all hooves on deck." Pipp said firmly.

Misty didn't know where she would've been without friends like these. No. She knew exactly where she'd be. Defeated right along with Opaline. She knew that even if she didn't free them the day she got her cutie mark at Opaline's dark castle, they'd have found a way to free themselves. Because that was just who they were. And she was proud to be their friend.

"What about Queen Vespula?" Hitch asked. He still wasn't thrilled to be around the changeling queen, seeing as she killed his one true love, but anything to save his future stepsister-in-law. "She has the alicorn wings and horn and after everything she did, I'm sure she'd be happy to help out. Plus, seeing as Misty did help reform her…"

"I don't know, Hitch. She is a changeling," Sunny pointed out. "We don't know the kind of relationship the alicorns have with them. Especially since they've only reformed recently." Sunny paused. "Izzy and Hitch, search Maretime Bay. Look for anypony new or suspicious. I doubt they'll go around looking like alicorns. They'll probably have cloaked themselves with some kind of magic."

Hitch and Izzy nodded, and, wasting no time, ran out of the Brighthouse to search the streets.

Sunny turned to the three remaining ponies. "Pipp and Zipp, watch Misty. Just while I cast the protection spell and then join Hitch and Izzy." Then she teleported out of the room, trying to use any opportunity she could to practice her magic.

The three mares were silent for a moment before Misty spoke up. "You know…you ponies don't have to do all this. Not for me. Opaline has already hurt you ponies enough. If something happened to you…"

"Hey…we're sisters. That's what sisters do." Zipp said, interrupting Misty.

"But…what about your royalty before family motto?" Misty countered. "If something happened to you…where would that leave Zephyr Heights?"

Pipp waved a dismissive hoof. "That only applies if we have to choose the immediate safety between Zephyr Heights and our family. Like when you shattered the Unity Crystals and chose Equestria over me. Choosing me would've put all of Equestria in danger."

"Yeah. Besides, if something happens to us in Skyros, Zephyr Heights is declaring war, and I doubt the Skyronians want that."

Misty smiled at the two pegasi she already called family. "Thanks guys."

Zipp smiled back. "That's what sisters do."

There was another moment of silence. Misty loved these mares as though they really were her blood sisters. All she ever wanted besides a cutie mark was to know where she came from. Instead, she found her father, gained two of the best sisters she ever could've asked for, and found best friends who were practically her family. Misty smiled as she began to sing their song:

🎵Searchin' high, searchin' low,
Lookin' for a place I belong.🎵

Zipp walked over, standing next to the bed where Misty still sat.

🎵Searchin' wide, tryna find,
Something to make you feel less alone🎵

Pipp sang on Misty's other side before they all sang the chorus together…

🎵You know I heard it said,
Home is wherever you are.
And friendship is forever,
When you carry it in your heart!

And now I see I got you,
You know you got me too!
When we're together,
There's nothing that we cannot do!
And if your family can be the ones you choose,
I choose you, yeah I choose you🎵

Zipp climbed up on the bed, sitting next to Misty, who put her head on her shoulder.

🎵When you're up, when you're down,
No matter what I'll be by your side.🎵

🎵You and me, we're family.
We're sisters 'till the end of time.🎵

Pipp flew up into the air as she sang her part before, once again, they all sang the chorus together.

🎵You know I heard it said,
Home is wherever you are.
And friendship is forever,
When you carry it in your heart!

And now I see I got you,
You know you got me too!
When we're together,
There's nothing that we cannot do!
And if your family can be the ones you choose,
I choose you, yeah I choose you

I got you, you know you got me too!
When we're together,
There's nothing that we cannot do!
And if your family can be the ones you choose,
I choose you, yeah I choose you🎵

Pipp flew down, landing on the bed next to her sisters, and the three mares hugged as they all sang the last line…

🎵I choose you, yeah I choose you…🎵

"SUNNY! ZIPP! HELP!"

All of them woke up immediately upon hearing Misty scream, but it was Zipp who was the first to jump out of bed. She darted with her wings like a bullet to Misty's curtained room. Without even processing, without even pausing to look around, she threw herself at the shadowed figure who was holding Misty in its green magical aura.

It grunted as it fell to the ground, but it didn't make him drop Misty. He picked up Zipp and threw her through the curtain, causing her to knock it down and get wrapped up in it.

Sunny was next, her horn already charged. Sunny didn't know how the hell he got through the protection spell, but he wasn't leaving with Misty. The shadow figure stood up, turning to face Sunny. "Drop. My friend. Now! Or I blast you into next week." Sunny threatened, a laser beam spell at the ready.

"Why should I listen to a mortal like you?" The shadowed figure asked.

"Because I'm no mortal," Sunny said dangerously. The lights turned on, thanks to Izzy, and Sunny unfurled her wings, showing her alicornhood. "I'm an alicorn."

The alicorn standing by Misty's bed, who had a brown coat with green eyes and a white mane, along with two others, widened his eyes, before twisting his lips. "Aye. That you are. Which means you know this business don't include ya. This is a prisoner of Skyros. You'd do best to get outta our way."

"This does include me. I'm one of the alicorns who will back Misty."

The three alicorns were silent as they glanced at each other before the spokespony turned back to Sunny. "Got any more?"

"Yes. Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire. A born alicorn." Sunny answered.

"And?" At the alicorn's urging, Sunny remained silent, looking away. "Sorry, love, but you need three. You only got two. Which means this here mortal belongs to us."

"We demand an audience with the king," Pipp said, stepping forward.

"Why should we listen to a mortal, even if that mortal is a pretty little lady?"

"Because I'm not just any mortal. I'm Princess Pipp Trailblazer, Princess of Zephyr Heights, Element of Confidence, and defeater of Opaline Arcana."

"Defeater of Opaline Arcana, eh? You defeated Opaline Arcana?" Another alicorn asked.

"Well, we all kinda did. The six of us. It was kinda a group effort. Mostly. Actually, it was entirely a group effort." Hitch corrected with a shrug.

The three alicorns were silent for a moment before they sighed. "Fine. The alicorn can come with us."

"We all go. Or none of us do." Pipp said firmly, stepping forward.

"Sorry, Princess, but we ain't bringin' a bunch o' mortals with us, even if one of them mortals is a pretty princess." The brown alicorn said, causing Hitch to take a step closer to his wife.

"Yes. We are." Pipp hesitated, before deciding to take a HUGE risk. But if it was the only way… "Because whether or not you take us isn't the question. The question is how we get there and what we do once we do. Either you take us and this trial goes smoothly or you don't and we sneak into Skyros, take Misty, and come back to Equestria. Successfully."

"And what makes ya think you can do all that?"

"Because not only have we defeated Opaline Arcana, but we also defeated the Shadow Walkers, saved the Crystal Empire, and reformed the changelings. Sneaking into the alicorn land would be a breeze."

"Oi! That sounds like a threat!" The third alicorn said.

"It doesn't have to be," Pipp said simply.

The three alicorns remained silent, before one of them asked, "You defeated the Shadow Walkers?" When the five of them nodded, the alicorn whistled. "Goodness. Kudos to you. Even the Father of Monsters couldn't figure out how to do that. Not 'til Gusty the 'Great' took his magic usin' his own damn bell. The Shadow Walkers died along with his magic."

"So…do we got ourselves a deal?" Pipp asked, projecting fake confidence.

"You got confidence kid, I'll give ya that." The leader paused, as though thinking it over. "Aye. The king'll be interested in the lot of ya. We leave at dawn. Best be ready 'cause we're leavin' with or without ya, and we takin' this one with us."

The alicorn dropped Misty and she went crashing to the floor before teleporting out of the room, causing the six of them to breathe a sigh of relief. The six of them stood there in silence, staring at the place where the three alicorns stood, their hearts racing, their breath heavy.

Zipp, who had untangled herself from the curtain and rejoined her friends, turned to Pipp. "How'd you know that would work?"

Pipp smiled nervously. "Honestly? I had no clue. But with a little fake confidence, you can make almost anypony believe almost anything."

"Well, it worked. So, I guess it's good that we didn't unpack then. Cause we're going to Skyros."

"Let the adventure begin, I guess," Zipp muttered.

Author's Note

Whoo! The fifth story of the Pitch Saga has arrived! So excited for this one! Ive got big plans! :pinkiehappy:

I know it started off intense, but that seems to be the theme for these stories so…

I've been wanting to write a story about Sunny finding the alicorn land for a while, and I couldn't think of a way to make it just a random single, so why not make it part of this series. Plus, there are gonna be lots of opportunities for Hitch and Pipp to bond.

Okay, see you in the next chapter!

Hakuna Matata!

May The Gods Have Mercy

"Seashell…are you sure this is a good idea?" A blue pegasus filly asked as the three young ponies crept up to the Marestream that sat in front of the Brighthouse, which was in chaos.

"Why wouldn't it be?" The purple earth pony with a green mane asked.

"Umm…because it could be dangerous?" An orange unicorn answered, looking more than a little worried.

"Because we could get in the way?" Glory added, glancing around nervously.

"Because we could get in trouble," Peach Fizz continued.

"Or killed," Glory finished.

"Okay, all valid reasons," Seashell interrupted. This was sounding like more and more of a bad idea by the second, but she wouldn't let that deter her. She was tired of sitting on the sidelines. "But I mean come on! They got to see a Crystal kingdom! Crystal! And got to reform a whole different species! Doesn't that interest you a little? We have to go on at least one, and they'll hardly notice we're there. We'll just stand on the sidelines and…watch."

The two fillies were silent for a moment before sighing heavily. Their friend was right, they supposed. They always have wanted to go on one of the Guardians' adventures. It was now or never. If they were going to go on one of these adventures, they couldn't let fear hold them back. Fear would be their enemy.

Then a thought occurred to Peach Fizz. "How did you know they were going on an adventure, Seashell?"

Seashell froze, her eyes widening briefly. They were Pipps biggest fans and were often referred to as the Pippsqueaks, and would do anything for Pipp, but Seashell doubted stalking Pipp counted as 'anything'.

The truth of the matter was that she was hiding in the bushes outside the Brighthouse, hoping to catch them before they went on another adventure. Though she fell asleep in the middle of her watch, she woke up to the sounds of the six of them packing up the Marestream before the sun even came up and she knew she had to get her friends before it was too late.

"That's…not important," Seashell said. "Now, let's go! Before they leave without us."

The three fillies hurried to the Marestream, hoping to hide and be out of sight before the others boarded.

Back inside the Brighthouse, The Mane Six were trying to get everything packed and ready before dawn. The three alicorns lay on the couch or the floor, looking bored out of their minds. Hitch had a checklist and pen in his hoof and was currently trying to keep everything organized.

"Alright, Elements of Unity? Check. Food and provisions since we have no idea how long it's going to take to get to Skyros? Check. Sparky?" Hitch paused in his list, looking around. "Sparky? Sparky? Has anypony seen Sparky?"

"Chill, hun." Pipp flew up to Hitch, kissing his cheek. "I already beat you to it. I figured it would be way too early for him to be awake right now so I asked Misty if she could levitate him to the Marestream so he could sleep on the little bed I made him."

Hitch smiled lovingly at Pipp. "Thank you, honey. You really are amazing," Hitch said, leaning close to Pipp.

"I know," Pipp muttered, leaning closer still. "But it's nice to hear you say it anyway."

"Alright, split it up lovebirds," Zipp called, startling them apart. "Nopony wants to see that."

Hitch rolled his eyes before going back to the list. "Packed saddlebags? Check. Temporary sheriff fill-in? Check."

"Are ya done yet, lad? We don't got all day now." The leader of the three alicorns groaned.

"Oh, give the poor wee lad a break, Ice. He's just tryna find control in a situation he feels out of control in. That's all." The second alicorn voiced, waving a dismissive hoof.

"W-what?!" Hitch exclaimed, trying to process how he had just been psychoanalyzed by a complete stranger.

"Oh, none of us are in the mood for your psychological bull!" The leader, apparently named Ice, said.

"I'm just sayin', the lad don't know how to just live in the moment and just let things go the way they goin' to go. He's got himself a process, let 'im live it out."

Pipp snorted. "Yep. That sounds like my husband."

Hitch blinked, before his face turned red, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He didn't realize he was so easy to read. None of it was true, of course. Right? He knew how to live in the moment. He wasn't so uptight. Right? However, his wife was awfully quick to agree with the alicorn.

Well, whatever it was, he was going to prove this alicorn wrong.

He crumpled up the list and threw it behind him. He cringed as it hit the floor, going against all instincts to pick it up and throw it in the trash. "Well, we're all set. Let's get to the Marestream."

"Babe, are you sure? Maybe you should check the list again. And…aren't you going to pick up that litter?"

"Trust me, Pipp. We got it all. We're good." Hitch said, though, he wasn't entirely sure.

Pipp stared at him hesitantly, looking worried. She wondered what got into him so suddenly. He usually wasn't so…careless. But, nonetheless, she knew she had to trust him. So, she left with the rest of the ponies leaving the Brighthouse. Hitch stood there for a moment, a smile plastered on his face. When he was sure everypony was out, he ran to the list, uncrumpled it, and looked it over, making sure they really did have everything. When he was sure they did, he crumpled it back up again and threw it in the trash where it belonged.

"Oi! What kind of strange contraption is this?" Ice asked, inspecting the Marestream with squinted eyes and a hoof to his chin.

"That's the Marestream." Zipp filled in helpfully. "A friend of ours once described it as a self-flying carriage."

"A self-flying carriage, eh?" The second alicorn said skeptically, narrowing his eyes. "How does it work?"

"Hop in and I'll show you." Zipp offered, opening the door for her friends and three alicorns.

The alicorns hesitantly got on, Misty and her friends following. The three alicorns and Zipp sat in the cockpit, while the rest of them went to sit in silence in the cabin, completely unaware of the Pippsqueaks hiding behind the curtain around Misty's bed they put up for her when they went to the Crystal Empire. They hadn't even been home for a day and already they were leaving again.

"Shouldn't somepony contact Queen Haven and Alphabittle that we're leaving?" Sunny asked Pipp and Misty.

Pipp shrugged. "I put a note on the door for mom to find. I would've texted her, but she doesn't check her messages. Voice or text. Plus, I figured it will give us plenty of time to put some distance between us and them so Mom can't send Zoom and Thunder after us. After what happened in the Crystal Empire, I don't feel comfortable bringing them."

"And how will we know if she even gets the note? She might not even find it." Hitch pointed out.

"Oh, she will. If she doesn't hear from us for a while, she'll send Cloudpuff after us, and if he can't find us, she'll send Zoom and Thunder. They'll probably see the note. It's on the door of the Brighthouse. It's kind of hard to miss."

"Okay, so, which way are we going?" Zipp asked in the cockpit as she lifted the Marestream into the air.

"Whichever way you wish. It doesn't matter." Ice said.

"I'm sorry?" Zipp asked thoroughly confused.

"We ain't flyin' all the way to Skyros. That'd take weeks and weeks and I don't have that kind of patience. We're takin' ourselves a shortcut. You trust me?"

Zipp shrugged. "I don't know. You did try to fillynap my future stepsister in the middle of the night so…"

Ice rolled his eyes. "Just fly straight. As fast as you can."

Zipp did as she was told, a little hesitantly, but did nonetheless. As she flew, slowly gaining speed, the alicorn grabbed a small ring from his bag on the floor and put it on the dashboard. It spun itself in a circle, slowly at first before gaining so much speed, it looked like a blur.

Slowly, the ring began to glow before lifting into the air and shooting through the windshield, creating a big gaping hole, and making Zipp gasp. She turned to Ice with a glare, who simply shrugged with a small smile. The ring floated in front of them, stopping a good distance away. Zipp was tempted to slam on the breaks, but slowly, the ring grew bigger and bigger until the center was bigger than the Marestream.

Zipp looked at Ice who was sitting next to her, and he gave her a reassuring nod. Zipp took a deep breath to steady herself before staring determinedly out the window, flooring the gas pedal. She kept the steering wheel steady, aiming right for the middle of the ring. She said one last prayer before they darted through the ring.

Thunder whistled a tune as he and Zoom walked down the road that led to the Brighthouse. Before their last Unity Adventure, which is what the Guardians of Unity decided to start calling these adventures, to the Crystal Empire, it used to annoy Zoom, especially when she was trying to concentrate. But now…it just felt good to have her best friend by her side again.

"It's really good to have you back Thunder. Really." Zoom said, a smile on her face.

But, to be honest, she was worried about him. He just…wasn't the same pony he used to be. Granted, both of them were different after that adventure, but still, Zoom was worried. She tried to ask multiple times what he remembered during the time he was consumed, but he always said he didn't want to talk about it before quickly changing the subject entirely. It felt like he was trying to shut her out.

"It's good to be back. It still feels a little weird to see you and not see an enemy out to kill–" Thunder stopped immediately, looking away.

Zoom wanted so badly to know what Thunder was about to say, though he clearly didn't want her to know. "Out to kill what?"

But Thunder remained silent, just staring at the ground.

Zoom bit her lip before continuing. "Thunder, you know you can tell me anything. Whatever it is you thought about me…that wasn't you. I know that. I…just wanna know."

But Thunder just shook his head. "It's…it's nothing. I…I don't want to talk about it. Let's just…check in on the princesses like Queen Haven wants." And with that, Thunder sped up his walk to a trot, hurrying ahead of Zoom and effectively ending the conversation.

Zoom continued at her slow pace, wanting to give her friend the space he wanted. She just didn't understand why he didn't want to talk to her about this. They were best friends. Surely talking it out would be of some consolation to him.

"Uh…Zoom?" Thunder called, getting his patrol partner's attention. "You might want to come see this."

Zoom galloped to Thunder, seeing him standing at the Brighthouse door, a note in his hoof. Confused, she read the note over his shoulder, her eyes slowly widening in shock and fear.

"Oh no…Queen Haven's gonna kill us." She muttered fearfully.

Zipp gasped when they made it to the other side. Instead of the bright blue clear sky and the rolling hills outside Maretime Bay, they were in a sky full of white fluffy clouds. She slowly drove through them, gasping in amazement when she saw the kingdom atop the highest cliff she had ever seen.

Zipp pressed the button that turned on the intercom and began to speak, not taking her wide eyes off the kingdom on the cliff. "This is your pilot Zipp Storm speaking. I'm expecting clear skies and smooth conditions as we approach our destination. Please prepare yourself for a smooth landing in about half an hour."

The five ponies gasped as they looked at each other. "We're there already?" Misty asked with shock, her voice shaking.

Four of the ponies smiled brightly before rushing to the windows, gasping much as Zipp had upon seeing the kingdom that seemed to reflect the light of the rising sun.

Misty swallowed nervously, her heart racing. They were here. They were already at Skyros and it was far sooner than Misty expected. She was hoping it would take a couple of days to reach the alicorn land, a couple of weeks at best, but definitely not five minutes. Her stomach twisted in knots as the reality came crashing down on her. She somehow had to convince an alicorn king to give her and her friends time to look for a third alicorn that'll back Misty before her trial. And if she didn't…she may never leave this place. The thought terrified her.

Slowly, she stood up and walked over to her little curtained area with her bed. She just wanted to be alone to try and think things through. She used her magic to open the curtain and close it behind her, slowly looking up only to freeze and let out a startled yelp.

"Hi, Misty…" one of the three fillies greeted with a nervous smile and chuckle.

"What were you thinking?!" Hitch asked incredulously, pacing back and forth in front of the three filly Pippsqueaks, who stood in the center of the cabin.

"We're sorry, Sheriff Hitch. We just…wanted to come with you on an adventure. We were curious." Seashell apologized, looking down.

"It was all Seashell's idea," Glory blurted.

"Hey!" Seashell yelled, glaring at her friend. "You didn't have to agree to come!"

"I don't care whose idea it was, it was reckless and stupid!" Hitch yelled, still pacing back and forth.

"Why would you do something like this? Don't you understand how dangerous this all is?" Sunny asked, taking a step forward closer to the Pippsqueaks.

"If this is your way of trying to play hero…" Zipp started. As soon as she heard Misty call out that the Pippsqueaks were on board, she put the Marestream on autopilot to join her friends in the lecture.

"Oh no. Don't worry, you can do all the fighting and dangerous hero stuff. We just want to…tag along." Peach Fizz assured.

The six ponies were silent for a moment before Hitch said, "No." The Pippsqueaks' faces fell, but Hitch just shook his head. "Nope."

"Um…hate to be the bearer of bad news but um…do we really have a choice?" Pipp asked, looking at all her friends. "We just went through a portal that I'm pretty sure was a one-time use only. Which means if we're getting out of here, we need to go through Skyros first."

"We can always turn around and fly home the old-fashioned way," Hitch suggested.

"Ice said that would take weeks and weeks. I doubt that's an option. That's why we used the portal in the first place." Zipp pointed out.

Hitch groaned. Of course it would. Hitch told himself that there was no way he could've possibly known this would happen, but he still blamed himself. He should've checked the Marestream and should've done something to avoid this very thing. How could he be so careless as to let three filly stowaways sneak aboard the Marestream without him knowing until it was too late?

Suddenly, Ice poked his head into the cabin from the cockpit. "Pilot lass. We're approachin' Skyros. We'll be there soon." He paused, looking at the three fillies. "Oi! Where did those three come from?!"

"Umm…they kinda snuck onto the Marestream without our knowledge, Mr. Ice, sir," Misty answered in a shaky voice.

"They royalty?" The alicorn asked. The six ponies were silent, looking at each other. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw 'em overboard?"

The nine ponies were silent before Seashell blurted, "Because we're Pipp and Hitch's daughters!"

The sound of a pin dropping could be heard throughout the empty silence of the Marestream cabin. They all looked to the three fillies with confused expressions, the six friends wondering why Seashell would blurt something like that and the alicorn trying to add up the math. Even Seashell's friends were looking at her confused.

"Daughters? You look awfully young to be parents and they look awfully old to belong to ya."

"Yes. That always seems to come as quite the surprise when we tell ponies…" Hitch said, not taking his eyes off Seashell.

"We're…adopted. Pipp and Hitch adopted us shortly after their wedding. Right, Mom?" Seashell explained, looking to Pipp for backup.

Pipp froze when called…'mom'. She never expected to be called that at such a young age. Pipp was silent for a moment, reluctant to admit that it kinda felt a little nice to be called that. It warmed her heart a bit. Though, she certainly wasn't ready to have kids.

Fake kids however was a whole nother story. "Umm…yeah. These are our adopted daughters, Seashell, Peach Fizz, and Glory. They were supposed to stay in ZH with their…grandmother," Pipp could see her mother's reaction to being called a grandmother. If only she knew…

"Yes. They are quite the…hooful." Hitch added, not quite sure he understood the whole point of doing this.

Ice was silent for a moment before nodding. "Aye. Good reason. I'll be damned if I dragged Skyros into a war for harmin' royalty." He went back inside the cockpit, causing the group to sigh in relief before he poked his head back out again. "A bit o' advice though? A lie starts before ya tell it. Ya might wanna remember that before ya tell this to the king."

All their eyes widened as they looked toward alicorn, but he was already in the cockpit again. The six ponies and three fillies were silent following Ice's words, unsure as to how they should react to him knowing they were lying. Though to be fair, if the Skyronians saw the Pippsqueaks as another country's royalty, they'd be less likely to be harmed. Pretty brilliant thinking on Seashell's part, even if it wasn't intentional.

"Well, then. Go ahead and land us in Skyros…'Aunt' Zipp," Pipp said sarcastically, making Zipp cringe. She was not ready to be called aunt.

Zipp made her way to the cockpit, turning the Marestream off autopilot and steering it towards the city on the cliff. As she pulled in, Sunny and the rest of the ponies hurried to the windows to get a look at the legendary alicorn land, and when they did, they couldn't believe their very eyes.

Gold arches arched over the cobblestone streets. The kingdom wasn't just on one cliff, but on multiple, rocky ledges that climbed towards the sky. Well-kept staircases made of cobblestone connected these cliffs, making travel between them simple. Each cliff held what looked like entire towns that looked to be bigger than Maretime Bay, Bridlewood, and Zephyr Heights combined.

That's when they noticed the abstract differences between each of the cliffs. There were five of them in total. One cliff seemed to be lush with plant life, with a waterfall that spilled over one side of it, with water that seemed to sparkle in the light of the morning sun. Another cliff looked to be full of moss-covered rocks, the buildings made of stone, having an ancient beauty to them. Each cliff seemed to have its own personality to it, each beautiful in its own way.

In the middle of all the cliffs was a glorious city with spires reaching high into the sky. In its center stood a magnificent castle made of gold and marble, its towers higher than even the ones in Zephyr Heights. High walls surrounded the palace, with guards posted around its top.

Sunny gaped at the alicorn land in wonder, her mouth dropped open. She couldn't help but feel a certain connection to this place, like this was always meant to be her home. A hole she never even knew existed was being filled just by being here. She waited so long to find alicorns like herself, to know where alicorns came from, just to feel a little less alone in the world. Now she finally found an entire kingdom of them, only now she had to save her best friend from them.

None of them have ever seen anything so beautiful, so perfect. Even Pipp, the social media star, was in so much amazement that she forgot to pull out her phone to snap pictures. Even Misty's fear was temporarily set aside to marvel at the beauty. It almost seemed too perfect, too beautiful to be real. Not even the Crystal Empire could compare, and that was pretty special.

"Just pull in. Right there next to that gate." Ice said, pointing to a big golden gate in the wall. Zipp glanced at him before making a wide turn towards the palace.

"Wow. This place looks like a home for the ancient gods or something. Like…Mount Olymphoof." Misty muttered.

"It's so shiny and sparkly," Izzy marveled. "Like the Crystal Empire, but in a different way."

"Ancient gods?" Sunny asked, looking at Misty.

Misty nodded. "Yeah. The Skyronians worship a million different gods. There's a god for each thing. There's Donaos, the God of War, and his wife, Elra, the Goddess of Wisdom. There's Adite, Goddess of Order, and Romus, God of Chaos. They're one of the twin gods. Ghimnera, the goddess of fire. Opaline worshipped that one a lot."

"Wow," Sunny said with wide eyes, though her heart was a little heavy. Here she was an alicorn, and she knew next to nothing about alicorn culture. And Misty wasn't even an alicorn and she knew more than Sunny.

"Yeah. There's a god or goddess for, well, almost everything. Wind. Nature. Rain. Water. Peace. Love. Everything."

"How many are there?" Izzy asked, also intrigued.

"I'm not sure. Opaline never said." Misty answered with a thoughtful look.

"More than four hundred." One of the alicorns said as he walked into the cabin.

Sunny sighed, pulling herself away from the window. There was a whole world of herself she knew nothing about, and she wanted to learn all she could. But…she had to put Misty first. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to one of her best friends all because she was selfish and greedy.

Sunny turned to her friends. "Okay, when we meet the king, I don't think all of us should go. They don't like mortals, and I think bringing four plus Misty the first time we see the king won't work in our favor. We want him to get to know Misty first before he's focused on all the mortals she brought along with her."

"I think that's a good idea. I mean, Izzy coming to Maretime Bay for the first time was hard enough. I couldn't imagine if she brought four other unicorns with her."

"So, obviously, Misty and I will go," Sunny continued. "But…I think only one of you should come with. Just to represent the rest of you."

"I'll go," Hitch volunteered, stepping forward.

Sunny sighed. "I was actually thinking it should be Pipp. She was the one who convinced Ice to bring all of you along. She may be able to help convince the alicorn king."

"Where she goes, so do I," Hitch stated firmly, making it clear that there was no room for argument.

"Hitch, it's okay. I can–" Pipp started before Hitch interrupted.

"Pipp, I know you can take care of yourself. But, Pipp, I would feel a whole lot better if I could come with you…please?"

Pipp paused, about to say no. She was strong. She didn't need her husband as a bodyguard wherever she went. But…if she were being honest…it would make her feel a whole lot better too if he was by her side. They both had too many close calls for them to not stress about the other's safety.

So, Pipp nodded, kissing him on the cheeks, before she turned to Izzy. "Do you and Zipp mind watching the Pippsqueaks, since they clearly can't be trusted on their own?"

The Pippsqueaks chuckled nervously, blushing a bit. Izzy saluted Pipp. "I'd love to. I consistently dragonsit Sparky successfully. How hard can three little fillies be?"

"Thanks, Iz. You're a huge help." Hitch did feel better knowing the Pippsqueaks were in good hooves. He trusted Izzy's foalsitting abilities. Watching Sparky was ten times more work than any foal could be and she did it all the time. It was one last problem the four of them had to worry about.

"Starting our descent…" The nine ponies heard Zipp's voice say through the intercom.

They all glanced at each other, taking a deep breath. This is the moment they all dreaded since leaving the Crystal Empire. Misty's fate was in the hooves of an alicorn king they had never met and all they could do was hope for the best. Sunny had never felt so helpless.

"Halt! Who goes there!" A mare guard yelled, pointing the spear she was holding in her purple magic straight at them, causing the four ponies to freeze.

Ice, however, simply kept moving forward, a relaxed smile on his face. "Chill my lady. It's only me."

The mare in light blue crystalline armor that had a design all over it that looked like tide pools rolled her blue eyes that seemed to be the same shade as the clear blue sky above, scoffing distastefully. "Rocky Ice. What an…unpleasant surprise. I thought you'd come back yet again a failure."

Rocky Ice's smile only seemed to grow wider. "Oh, River, how it pains me so, your lack of faith."

River glanced at Misty before looking at Pipp and Hitch, her scowl deepening, before turning her ice-cold stare to Rocky Ice. "You were sent to retrieve one mortal, yet you come back with three. King Skotos will not be happy."

"Actually, I came back with eight." Rocky Ice corrected. "And believe me, King Skotos will want to see these mortals."

River was silent for a moment before she stepped aside, the palace gates opening behind her. "Fine. It is your head that is paying for it, not mine."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, little sister," Rocky said with ease. The others widened their eyes. That's his sister. But…she was so mean to him.

Without another word, Rocky Ice walked through the palace gates, entering a large courtyard, the four ponies entering behind him. Sunny noticed that River didn't even spare her a glance. Barely even acknowledged her existence. Sunny couldn't help but wonder why.

"Well, your sister's a barrel of laughs," Pipp muttered, a little bitterly.

"Oh, that's just Riverwatch being Riverwatch. She honestly has a heart of gold under all that armor."

"Must be pretty deep," Hitch mumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"You have no idea."

They crossed the courtyard which was dotted with alicorns in fancy clothes and jewelry. As the five ponies passed, four of them looked at the ground as they felt every eye gravitate towards them. Misty squeezed her eyes shut, on the verge of tears she was so terrified. She was right back where she started with Opaline, her fate in the hooves of a temperamental alicorn and there was nothing she could do but pray like hell for the best.

Misty was relieved when they finally crossed the courtyard, which seemed to take forever, and entered the palace through the huge double doors that were three times the size of normal ones.

When they entered the palace, their mouths dropped open and their eyes bugged out. The whole floor was made of marble with a red carpet with a golden frame lying the length of the grand hall. The marble walls had thin streaks of golden filigree, making mandala designs on the walls. Marble pillars stood every twenty feet, reaching high to the ceiling, which the ponies could hardly see. Between every pillar stood two guards, their bodies motionless, their faces impassive, their spears held in their magic, the butt of them against the floor, the pointed end up towards the ceiling.

Few servants could be seen, and when they caught sight of them, more specifically of the two alicorns, they scurried out of sight, leaving their task unfinished. Rocky Ice continued walking, barely sparing the beauties of the castle a glance. As they walked, guards that stood between the pillars joined the five ponies behind them, new guards replacing the old ones until they had a whole band of nearly twenty guards following them in perfect formation.

They walked through the halls, treasures being showcased on pedestals in each one. Finally, the five ponies and twenty-plus guard mob behind them arrived at another pair of great golden double doors, a beautiful design carved into them. Slowly, the two guards standing beside them opened the doors with their magic, revealing a grand throne room with a grand marble and golden throne.

Hesitantly, the group followed Rocky Ice, their hearts racing in anticipation. This was it. This was the moment they had all been dreading. Sunny was brought back in time to that moment in Queen Haven's throne room the first time she visited Zephyr Heights. It was just her and Izzy, standing in front of the three royals, with Zoom and Thunder escorting them. Yes, she was scared then, but she was nowhere as terrified as she was now. If anything, she was more frustrated and weary than scared. Now, however, her mouth was so dry, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to talk. Her heart raced and pounded so hard in her chest, she was sure every alicorn in the room could hear it. Her hooves quaked so much, she was surprised they hadn't given out from under her.

Sunny looked up at the black throne that seemed to contrast with the entire palace which seemed to be bathed in light, to see a black alicorn, taller than she had ever seen before with huge black wings. He was taller than Opaline, taller than Flurry Heart. His white mane draped down both sides of his neck with bangs that swept over his left eye. He wore a silver breastplate that had a bronze lining. From his shoulders hung a sweeping black cape. He had hard eyes and a tense jaw.

But there was something else about him. Something that only Misty could see. It was how shadows seemed to cling to the edges of his frame. How the fabric of his cape swirled and moved, the edges of it almost reaching. Grasping. It was so faint, so minor, Misty believed she was hallucinating the whole thing.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to clear her mind, and when she reopened them, the shadows were gone. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the whole thing was just her imagination getting the better of her.

At least, that's what she thought until a silver alicorn flew down from above, with a light silver mane that bordered on white. He landed on the side of the long red and black carpet, between the throne and the guests.

He cleared his throat before announcing, "Presenting His Grace, King Skotos Malum, first of his name, King of Skyros, Lord of all alicorns, Protector of the Elements, and the King of Shadows. Bow before his might and may he judge you with Elra's wisdom and may he lead with Cerdon's mercy and Onreus's strength. Long may he reign."

"Long may he reign," the guards behind them echoed.

Author's Note

Phew…second chapter is done. Yes…Skyronian religion is based off old Greek mythology and Skotos title is based of the Game of Thrones title for the king of the seven kingdoms.

Fun fact…Skotos is the Greek word for darkness and Malum is the Latin word for evil. So his name translates to Dark Evil. Hmm…I wonder who the villian is… :applejackunsure:

I've decided to run a poll. Feel free to answer it in the comment section.

If Pipp and Hitch were to have a baby, what do you think it would be? A pegasus or an earth pony?

Can't wait to see your answers…

Hakuna Matata!

120 Hours

"Come, Starswirl. Tis a party." A white alicorn said as she walked into the study towards the old sorcerer, who was sitting at a desk with a scroll, quill, and ink. "Put down that musty hat for a change and enjoy yourself. Tis a new day in Equestria after all."

"Yes. It is a new day, with new responsibilities to attend to. One simply doesn't have time to just enjoy oneself."

Celestia smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "You take yourself much too seriously. What could you possibly be doing that cannot wait until the morn?"

"Well, this diplomacy letter outlining potential trade agreements with the griffins of Gryffindor to start with," Starswirl replied. "It may be your coronation, Celestia, but your rule has only just begun. It is time you learned that such responsibility leaves little time for leisurely activities."

"Exactly. Which is why I must enjoy it now, while I still can. Come, your friends are waiting for you."

"Friends?" Starswirl asked.

"You know? Rockhoof. Mistmane. Somnebula." Celestia reminded.

"We are allies," Starswirl corrected. "A team that aids Equestria when it is in grave danger. We tolerate each other's presence despite our…diverse backgrounds. And we hold mutual respect for one another."

Celestia smiled slyly. "Oh, come. Admit it. You like them. And you do make a really good team."

"Yes. Perhaps I do enjoy their company. But Stigian only just brought us together. We have yet to defeat the Sirens. We have weakened them, but they are still out there. We must prepare. Yet another thing we must do as soon as time permits."

Celestia's smile grew mischievous. "I had a feeling you would say that."

Suddenly, a blue alicorn flew around the corner, a big bright smile on her face. "Starswirl, thou must taste these delectable treats! And the music! We have never heard anything like it! It is simply magnificent! Come, Starswirl! We would not be having such a party if it weren't for thee!" And with that, Luna flew back out of the study and back to the party, a giddy smile on her face.

"You know me too well, you know," Starswirl said, turning to face Celestia.

"As in I know you could never say no to Lulu? Maybe?" Celestia smiled before pushing Starswirl towards the party with her head. "Well, go on. She's waiting for you." Suddenly, Starswirl's hat was engulfed in a yellow aura. "And what did I say about this musty hat? Throw it off and go dance!"

Starswirl was about to protest when Luna poked her head from around the corner. "Aren't thou coming?"

Celestia smiled warmly. "Worry not, Starswirl. I'll finish up your diplomacy letter."

"Very well. Let us go child. I shall blow the citizens of Equestria away with my ghastly dancing abilities." He announced before he and Luna left.

Celestia chuckled to herself before she looked over the letter. As she read it to herself, she heard a pony clear his throat. She turned to see a unicorn stallion with a black coat with a subtle sheen of violet and a black mane.

She smiled kindly. "Raven Feather. I hadn't expected to see you. Are you here for the diplomacy letter? I'm afraid it isn't quite finished yet. Starswirl was…distracted. But I swear it will be finished momentarily."

Raven Feather shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. That is not why I'm here. You have a visitor. A unicorn mare."

"Clover? Let me guess. She was in the study researching the Sirens. I swear, that mare is as bad as her mentor. Tell her there will be no talk of Sirens tonight. It's my coronation, and I have the feeling I won't have a chance to have fun like this until it's Luna's turn–"

"Apologies for the interruption, Your Majesty, but it isn't Clover the Clever. It is not a mare we have ever seen before, Your Majesty, but she claims to know you and you her, however, she refuses to give her name."

Celestia nodded and both the alicorn and the advisor left the study to head to the grand hall of the castle. There, surrounded by guards was a unicorn in a black cloak, its hood over its head, hiding its identity.

Celestia stopped a good distance away, watching the figure. She didn't know very many mortals, she hadn't had the chance. Magic lessons took up most of her and Luna's time.

"Who are you?" Celestia asked. "Take down your hood and reveal yourself."

Slowly, the pony raised a magenta hoof and slowly pulled the hood back, an emotionless look on the magenta mare's face, causing Celestia to gasp, before the mare spoke. "Hello, sister."

"Long may he reign," All the guards echoed, bowing low.

The entire room was silent as the four ponies just stared up at the king in fear. The announcer cleared his throat, glaring at the four ponies. Three of them widened their eyes when his meaning became clear. They chuckled nervously before bowing low.

"Long may he reign," Three of them muttered.

But Misty just continued to stand, staring up at the Shadow King, looking him in the eyes as though challenging him, despite all her instincts telling her to do what he said. She spent her whole life bowing and scraping to an alicorn. She would not do so again until he proved he deserved it.

After a few minutes of silence, the alicorn just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Mortals. They don't fear us anymore. It's as though they have forgotten us immortals. They used to fear us and love us. Quite pathetic really."

'The citizens of Equestria should fear and love their immortal rulers. And they will, because, soon, I'll give them reason to.'

Misty squeezed her eyes shut against Opaline's sudden voice. It's been a while since she heard Opaline's voice in her head like that. The last time she heard her voice like that, well, that she could remember, was right after the changeling version of Pipp broke up with Hitch last year. She wondered why she heard it now of all times. Was it just because of the similarities of what the two alicorns said? Or was something deeper going on?

"Misty?" Sunny asked in a whisper.

Misty opened her eyes, startled, looking around. All her friends were watching her with concern. She blushed and flattened her ears staring at the ground.

"Are you doing alright?" Sunny continued when she saw she had Misty's attention.

Misty just nodded and tuned back into the king, who was currently scowling at Rocky Ice.

"Commander, I ask you to return with one mortal and you return with three."

"Eight, actually, Your Grace." Rocky Ice corrected. "The other five are waitin' outside the castle gates."

"Ser Ice, you are the commander of the king's guard because of your sister. Any mistake reflects badly, not only on you but on her as well."

"Aye, I know, Your Grace, but if you could just–" Rocky Ice started, but was interrupted by King Skotos.

"You know bringing mortals here is dangerous and that they are not allowed to step hoof in Skyros unless I command it. Did I command that more than one mortal can visit?"

"No, but–" Rocky started, only to be interrupted once again.

"That's right. I did not. And yet you brought it upon yourself to do so. Because you believe you know better than your own king?!"

"No, Your Grace, I don't, it's just that–"

"So it was simply stupidity then. What if these mortals were to bring Skyros to ruin? It would be because of your incompetence! You have put us all in danger for no rea–"

"We defeated Opaline Arcana!"

Everypony in the room fell silent as their gazes fell on Pipp, who was smiling sheepishly. The entire throne room was silent for only a couple of moments, but it felt like hours. Pipp blushed, flattening her ears, before chuckling nervously.

"I'm sorry?" the king asked, staring at the pink pegasus.

"Umm…I'm sorry, I–" Pipp started, but the king interrupted again.

"You did…what?" He asked, his expression full of shock and disbelief.

"Defeated Opaline Arcana, Your Grace." Sunny stepped forward, bowing low before standing up and looking at him. She figured it was better if she did the talking from now on before things got worse. "That's why he brought us, Your Grace. He honestly thought you'd want to meet us."

King Skotos sighed heavily. "Yes, I suppose you were right to. Well, I thank you. We will be in your debt. You have done us a great service. Now, seeing as only one alicorn has come to vouch for the mortal, I'm afraid–"

"Two, Your Grace. Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire has agreed to second Misty Brightdawn." At King Skotos' confused look, Sunny clarified. "The mortal in question, Your Grace."

"Yes. But that is still not three." King Skotos said firmly.

"We may have a third, but we're not sure." Sunny paused, before continuing. "Queen Vespula."

"Is she an alicorn?" The king asked.

"Yes, Your Grace. Well, kind of. She has the horn and wings, but…she's a changeling."

"Ba! Those insects change sides like their skin. Only a fool would trust a changeling."

"But, we trust the changelings, Your Grace. We trust them with our lives." Sunny defended.

"Speak for yourselves," Hitch muttered.

"Then you're all bloody fools." King Skotos gestured with his head towards Hitch. "Except that one, ironically."

"Hard to trust the creature who killed your wife." Hitch muttered bitterly.

His mouth twisted as he thought about Queen Vespula. He'd never tell a soul this, Sunny and Pipp would be so disappointed in him, but he still hated Queen Vespula. He hated her more than any creature, even Opaline. Sure, Opaline hurt his friends and hurt Sparky, but she never killed him, even if that was her intention. Vespula actually full on killed the love of his life. And for that, he'd never forgive her. He meant what he said that day, in the changeling hive, when Pipp was still gone. That if it weren't for Pipp, and him wanting to be the stallion she fell in love with, he would've killed her long ago.

He still remembered every moment of Pipp's death. It was weird. So much had happened that day, and he hardly remembered anything else. He barely remembered Izzy's distraction. He barely remembered fighting the changeling guards that were guarding Izzy and Queen Vespula posing as Pipp. He could barely recall the battle in the throne room or being captured again. Being reunited with Pipp or the second battle. Getting the Elements of Unity. It was all a blur to him. Like some movie he watched as a foal and could barely remember any of it because it had been years since he watched it.

But from the moment Pipp jumped in front of that magic beam until she took her last breath, he remembered every little detail. The smell of burning flesh and hair as it filled the throne room. The smoke rising from Pipp's body. Her screams as the blast electrocuted her. He even remembered the number of times Zipp pleaded no in a whisper to herself. One hundred times in the thirty seconds she was in that blast. He remembered the painful sensation he felt when he flew through the blast to save her. The way his own body seized up painfully in the five seconds he was in it.

He remembered how she looked. The way her body shivered and shook as if she was freezing to death when her body was hot in his hooves. How her voice sounded like she had been coughing nonstop all day. How when she took her last breath, when he lost her, how it was so painful for him, losing the love of his life, that he actually felt it physically.

And then…nothing. It was all a blur again, just like before. For as long as he remembered those few moments, he would never forgive that creature. His heart would hate that creature. And no matter how long he lived, whether that be a thousand years or a million or a day, he'd never forget.

And he wanted so badly to forget…

The throne room was silent following Hitch's words. Finally, King Skotos spoke. "I'm…sorry for your loss. That mustn't have been easy."

Hitch snorted. That was the understatement of the millennium. Not easy? Try impossible.

"But," The Shadow King continued. "It seems you moved on alright if the matching wedding rings are any indication."

Hitch tensed, his jaw clenching. He'd never move on if something happened to Pipp. To his little songbird.

"Actually, Your Grace, I'm the wife she killed," Pipp spoke up when she felt Hitch's body tense.

She didn't remember much about her death. Unlike Hitch, it was a blur to her. There were only certain things she could truly remember, a few moments that stuck out to her. She…remembered seeing the beam being fired toward Jewel and Morphis, the changeling friends who were the first to reform. Morphis was the only kind one to her while she was imprisoned. They had become friends, even before that day in the throne room when they had received the Elements of Unity. And Jewel was a changeling he loved like a sister. Granted, they were all his siblings, but Jewel was the only one he felt that sisterly connection with.

She didn't remember jumping in front of them. The next thing she could remember was Hitch, singing to her. Realizing that the voice she heard while singing the song she sang about not appreciating Hitch when he was right in front of her wasn't her imagination. It really was his voice. And then…she remembered a bright golden light and then turning her head to look at a sobbing Hitch. That's it.

"You mean to tell me," King Skotos asked, his eyes wide. "You crossed the veil and returned?"

Pipp simply nodded, having a feeling this veil he was talking about was death.

King Skotos was silent for a moment, before asking, "Why have you come then? What is it you ask of me?"

Sunny breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed more open, and more receptive. "Time, Your Grace. That's all. We already have two alicorns that'll back Misty. We just need one more. Just…allow us a little bit of time to find a third alicorn. Please."

Skotos sighed heavily. "Which one of you is Misty Brightdawn?"

Misty stepped forward, her head hanging, trying her best to hide her face in her mane, like she tried to do so often when she lived with Opaline. Despite her bout of courage moments ago in refusing to bow, it seemed as if she suddenly lost it. Her fate was in this king's hooves. She was at his mercy, and there was nothing she could do, just like with Opaline.

Skotos nodded slowly. "Ah, yes. The mare who refused to bow. Tell me, Miss Brightdawn. Why did you?"

Misty swallowed. "Because, Your Grace, I spent my whole life bowing and scraping at Opaline's hooves and all she did in return was abuse, torment me, and make me feel worthless. I won't give somepony that power over me again until they prove that they won't take advantage of it for their own selfish gain, like Opaline tried to do."

A small smile appeared on King Skotos' face. "That is exactly why I took the throne. I refused to bow at another's hooves again." He paused, as though debating something, before turning to the married couple. "You." He pointed with his hoof to the pegasus. "How long were you dead?"

Pipp opened her mouth to say she had no idea, but Hitch answered in her place. He'd never forget the miracle the Elements gave him. "Two hours, Your Grace."

Skotos twisted his lips in thought. He muttered something that sounded like numbers before announcing, "I'll give you one hundred and twenty hours to find your third alicorn. That is five days. Consider this our payment to you for defeating Opaline. I believe that is more than generous."

"Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you, Your Grace. You won't regret it." Sunny smiled brightly, her insides sagging with relief.

"I better not. Because if I do, so will you." King Skotos sighed before looking around. "Where is that damn son of mine. Useless piece of…" He turned to a guard. "Where is the Prince?"

But the guard only shrugged, still standing there.

Skotos grit his teeth. "I don't pay you to stand around all day! Go find him!" He yelled, pointing a hoof towards the doors.

The guard bowed before scurrying off.

Skotos sighed before he leaned back on his throne, muttering, "I swear, I'm paying idiots to protect me." He turned to the four ponies. "Rocky Ice will escort you to meet with the rest of your friends. There, my son will meet you and escort you to your chambers and discuss the ground rules."

"Wait. Did you say chambers?" Pipp asked, flying up. "You mean we're not staying in a dirty old dungeon. Oh, thank every Skyronian god." Pipp fell back in the air as though fainting, lowering herself to the ground.

Sunny stepped in front of Pipp with a nervous smile. "Ignore her, Your Grace. We'd be happy with any accommodations you'd make for us. We are more than grateful for your leniency." Sunny said, bowing before the five of them left.

Sunny and Misty glanced at each other, the same thought going through their heads. They just hoped it would be enough.

"Well?" Zipp asked the second the four ponies stepped onto the Marestream.

Sparky was awake and was currently painting with the three filly Pippsqueaks under Izzy's supervision. Pipp and Hitch smiled at each other before going back to watching the scene, smiles on their faces, Pipp's head on Hitch's shoulder.

"We have one hundred and twenty hours to find an alicorn…" Sunny started to explain it all to Zipp.

As she did, however, Sparky noticed the couple and waddled up to them, holding a piece of paper. He gurgled, handing it to Hitch, who smiled as he took it. He looked down at Sparky's painting and smiled. It was a crude drawing of the three of them, Pipp, Hitch, and Sparky, in front of the Sheriff's Station. He showed it to Pipp, who smiled warmly at the picture. When they looked closer, they saw a fourth figure. A little earth pony foal. It had Hitch's mane and Pipp's coat, obviously a little colt, but the meaning was clear.

Sparky waddled back over to the table, grabbing another paper to begin painting again. Pipp and Hitch looked at each other. They planned to wait until Sparky was a little older before they added to their family. At least until he was out of his toddler years. Dealing with a newborn foal and a baby dragon with the mind of a toddler and transformation dragon fire would've been…a lot.

Not to mention Hitch's job as sheriff taking up so much of his time, and Pipp being busy with Mane Melody, her own beauty line, and her royal duties. Now was not the right time to have kids. Pipp also wanted to at least wait until Jazz and Rocky, her employees and very good friends, were confident enough to run the salon on their own until, essentially, she was just the figurehead. She loved Mane Melody, and she loved working there and running it, and the customers, but…she also wanted to start a family with Hitch. If she was going to be the kind of mother she wanted to be, she needed to lessen her plate.

But, she wasn't the only one making sacrifices. While asking Hitch to turn in his badge was like asking Pipp to give up her social media or her singing completely, he was going to sacrifice something. His duties and time. His ultimate plan was to hire a deputy and train them as sheriff, so when they began trying, he would only work every other day, and the days he wasn't, the deputy would be acting sheriff. He already had a temporary pony in mind.

No, they were far from ready to have kids, but the thought that Sparky wanted to have a little brother or sister meant the world to them.

Suddenly, the ten of them heard somepony clear their throat. They all looked up, even little Sparky, to see a white alicorn with a light blueish purple mane and a bandana that was a shade darker than his mane around his neck. There was something peculiar about him though. While his entire coat was without a single blemish, the typical white as snow thing, except for his cutie mark which was a moon inside a blue five-pointed star, there was a blue spot that was also a shade darker than his mane, though it was a lot more blue in shade, over his right eye, and only his right eye. His left eye lacked it completely.

The ponies and baby dragon stared uncomprehendingly at the white alicorn stallion, unsure as to who he was. The alicorn just had a small, smug smile on his face as he leaned against the wall, a bit flirtatiously dare they say.

"Ah, I see you don't recognize me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Prince Winter Moon of Skyros." The alicorn introduced himself helpfully. "I am to escort you lovely mares to your chambers." Prince Winter Moon wriggled his eyebrows incentively.

Hitch stepped forward, next to Pipp. "Um, excuse me, but one of those 'lovely mares' is my wife."

"Oh yes, I mean no disrespect. As for the others…" He trailed off, putting on his most charming smile.

"Excuse me?" Zipp asked, looking disgusted. The others just looked confused.

"You will enjoy, I guarantee. All mares enjoy the company of Prince Winter Moon." He stated proudly.

Izzy, Misty, and Sunny just looked at each other, Sunny raising an eyebrow, Misty and Izzy looking uncomfortable.

Zipp shook her head, growing frustrated. "Look buster, we're not here to hook up. We're here to help our friend, and we only have five days to do so, so if we could just hurry this along…"

"Of course." Winter Moon smiled charmingly. "This way. The servants will get your things." Winter Moon stepped aside. "After you, ladies."

Uncomfortable, Sunny, Zipp, Misty, Izzy, and Pipp walked out of the Marestream. Hitch put Sparky on his back and allowed the Pippsqueaks to exit before him. He eyed Winter Moon down as he left the Marestream, before Winter teleported in front of the group, next to Sunny.

As they walked through the beautiful palace, a thought came to Sunny. Here she was, wanting to do everything she could to help Misty, but she knew nothing about Skyronian law. She needed to do some research and get herself educated about it so she could actually help Misty.

"Umm…Your Grace?" Sunny asked hesitantly.

"My Lord. I'm not king." Winter Moon smiled charmingly again. "Yet. But you can just call me Winter."

"Right. Winter. Is there a library here? I was hoping to do some research on Skyronian law."

"We do. Maybe I could help you…if you know what I mean."

Sunny took a step back when she realized Winter Moon was leaning in fairly close. She had also realized they stopped walking. Sunny blushed and her heart raced, but she wasn't fooled. Sunny knew he did this with all the mares he deemed good-looking.

Sunny cleared her throat and gestured for Winter to continue walking. Winter shrugged before doing so, not speaking another word until they reached their destination.

However as they walked, Misty heard something down one of the hallways they passed. Misty paused looking down it. The thing she heard…it almost sounded like…foals' laughter? It had an echo effect, like they were all in a cave.

Misty stood there for a moment, staring down the empty dark hallway, but she didn't hear anything else. Just silence. After another moment of staring, she sighed, shaking her head before catching up with the others.

"My father wants you in one room," Winter Moon started as they approached more big double doors. "That way, you'll be easier to keep an eye on in case something happens. Don't worry, he made plenty of accommodations." Then, he opened the doors.

They all gasped as they saw the room. It was huge. As big as the throne room, if not bigger. There were six beds, though one of them was like three beds combined. The Pippsqueaks ran to that one, all flopping themselves onto it, and sighing as though they were in heaven. Hitch and Pipp chose a bed close to the Pippsqueaks', putting their saddlebags atop it. The rest then dispersed, each choosing their own bed. Misty chose the one next to Sunny, feeling safer the closer she was to her, while Zipp chose the one next to Misty's, and Izzy was next to Pipp and Hitch on the other side of the room.

"Everything you'll need has been provided for. There are four bathrooms and each of you has a closet and a nightstand. There are three desks and plenty of room. Now, my father did make a few conditions. You are not to leave this room without a guard or myself. And you are forbidden from wandering about the castle, unless the dining room for meals, if you wish, or the library to…research."

"So…we're prisoners?" Zipp asked bitterly.

"Trust me, we do not treat prisoners like this. You are honored guests we don't exactly trust, okay? Well, if that'll be all…?" He leaned closer to Izzy, who was closest to the door. She leaned back, clearly uncomfortable. "Holler if you need me."

With that, he teleported out of the room, the door magically closing behind him. The ponies were silent for a moment before Zipp spoke. "Well, he's a real charmer," she muttered sarcastically.

"Alright, here's the plan." Sunny walked to the middle of the room, not wanting to waste a second. "Hitch and Zipp, you two are coming with me to this library to research Skyronian law. Pipp, Izzy, and Misty, you go out into the towns, and try to find some alicorn willing to hear you out."

"Not that I don't think you'd be a lot of help researching, but I think you should go with the three of them," Zipp suggested

"W-what?" Sunny asked. "B-but, I'm the alicorn. I need–"

"Exactly," Zipp interrupted. "You're an alicorn. Izzy and Pipp are really good convincing ponies to do something, but it won't matter if they don't listen to begin with. Sunny, you're an alicorn. You can get their attention long enough for Pipp and Izzy to sell it. You can get them to listen. Then, Misty'll win them over."

"But…it'll just be the two of you…" Sunny argued weakly.

Hitch waved a dismissive hoof. "Nah. We'll have the Pippsqueaks and Sparky. And while they know nothing about law and research, I'm sure there'll be ways they could help. Besides, Zipp's right. We can spend all five days trying to convince an alicorn to back Misty, but none of it will matter if they don't listen. They'll only listen to their own kind."

"And as much as I hate that guy, you should ask Winter to go with. He knows his way around here and, well, having their prince with you might make them more open to listening." Zipp suggested.

Sunny sighed, relenting. "Okay. I'll go get Winter and ask him to come. But you tell me everything you learn about Skyronian law."

"We'll even take notes for you to read," Hitch promised.

"Actually, you might want to wait until tomorrow," Peach Fizz called.

The six ponies turned to see the three Pippsqueaks standing at one of the grand windows. They all joined the three fillies, only to gasp. The sun had already almost completely set. How was that possible?

"I…I don't understand. We just got here." Sunny began to panic as she stared out the window. "We left at dawn, right?"

Zipp nodded. "Yep. The sun was just peaking over the horizon."

"Then how is it already late evening?!" Izzy asked, looking at her friends, hoping they may have an answer.

"I…I don't know." Sunny hurried to the doors of their chamber, peeking her head out at the two guards posted there. "Hi, kind sirs. I have a quick question. You see, when we left Equestria, it was dawn. But now it's late evening here. Mind telling me why that is when it took us five minutes to get here through a portal thingy?"

"Aye. Time zones, lass. Your dawn is our evenin'." One of the guards informed helpfully.

Sunny smiled. "Thanks." She closed the door to their room. "Time zones apparently. Their evening is our dawn."

Misty yawned. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. It's been a tiring day, and it hasn't even been a full one. Plus," she yawned again. "I barely got any sleep last night."

"I don't think any of us did." Hitch agreed.

"I already set my timer for ninety-nine hours." When all the ponies looked at her, she shrugged. "It wouldn't go any higher than that."

All the ponies chuckled as they readied themselves for the task ahead of them, praying they could succeed.

"…oh, and Lulu's gotten so big, you wouldn't believe it. She's no longer the little ten-year-old that left Skyros four years ago," Celestia explained giddily as she and Opaline walked through the gardens of the newly built castle in the Everfree Forest. "Though, she's gotten into the strange habit of saying thou and thee and whatnot. Starswirl and I have no idea where she got that habit from. I mean, I'm sure she'll grow out of it soon. Oh, Linnie, it's so good to have you back. You have no idea how much we have missed you." Celestia gasped, her smile growing. "Wait until Starswirl meets you. He'll be beside himself. You should have seen his face when Lulu and I raised the sun and moon for him for the first time. He looked like he was about to faint, though with surprise or relief we could not tell. Seeing a fire alicorn, he won't know what–"

"I'm not staying, Tia," Opaline muttered, looking away.

Celestia stopped walking, looking at Opaline with a concerned look. "W-what? What do you mean? Of course you're staying."

"No, Tia. I just came to visit. To make sure you were doing okay. And it seems you're…doing fine."

"What? No! You can't go back. Not…not while that…monster is still king."

"He's not a monster," Opaline argued. "He…he helped me control my elemental power. He's…he's been…good to me."

"He murdered our father!" Celestia yelled.

"And yet, you left me behind with him!" Opaline threw back. There was a moment of silence as Opaline could feel her skin growing hot. She took a few calming breaths to calm herself down. Conceal it. Don't feel it. Don't let it show.

"Linnie, I…we…" Celestia started, but Opaline looked up at her with blank eyes.

"It's okay, Tia. I understand. Father…Father was right. The mortals needed you two. You were the special ones, the golden ponies. Everypony's favorites while I…I was just in the background, with a father who feared me."

Opaline clenched her jaw, feeling the anger and hate welling up in her. But she quickly swallowed it down. No, that wasn't true. All Uncle Skotos did was lie. It wasn't true. She just had to keep telling herself that. That he was trying to turn her against her sisters.

"What? No, that's…that's not true." Celestia said, appalled that her sister would think about herself in such a horrible way. "Father loved all three of us equally."

Opaline sighed, looking away. "Look, Tia. I just…I just wanted to make sure you're okay. And now that I know you are…I really ought to be going now." Opaline turned away, tears filling her eyes.

"Linnie, wait–" Celestia started, but Opaline already flew into the air. She seemed to throw something ahead of herself before flying forward and disappearing out of thin air.

Celestia stared after her little sister, tears filling her eyes. Something was different about her Linnie. She knew it. She just…didn't know what. But something deep inside told her she wouldn't see her little sister again.

Author's Note

Alright…chapter 3…done.

This took a little longer cause I spent the last couple of days sick, and I was binge-watching Harry Potter…

Alright, I've got a challenge for you. I based Winter Moon and his personality off of a Disney character. No, I won't narrow it down for you because next chapter, it will be pretty clear. But, before the story comes to an end, see if you can guess which Disney character he's based off of. Just a little something for you to think about.

See you in the next chapter.

F.Y.I: You might also want to ask yourself…how long did it really take Winter Moon, Sunny, and their friends to get to their chambers from the time they left the throne room? And don't worry, there aren't any time skips besides the one between leaving the throne room and arriving at the Marestream. And, how detailed was Rocky Ice when he said there were only eight ponies? And then look over the description of the chamber.

Something doesn't add up… :rainbowderp:

Voices

Misty sat up with a gasp, her heart racing. She looked around the dark bedchambers as she panted for breath. Her mind was foggy at first, but soon it was swimming with questions. What was that? She would've brushed it off as just a dream but…it felt like more than that. Like…a memory? Like the dreams she had about the day she was fillynapped. But…that didn't make any sense. That wasn't…that couldn't have been a memory. At least…not hers.

For one, she had no idea who that white alicorn was. The one Opaline kept calling Tia. Was that…was that her sister? But…Opaline didn't have any sisters…did she?

Misty thought back to the words Opaline told this Tia. About how Tia and another were the golden ponies, everypony's favorites. While Opaline was left behind. It sounded familiar. Like she heard Opaline say those words before…

Misty looked down at her flank to see her cutie mark glowing. So, it was more than just a dream. She looked at the two beds next to her to see them both empty. She looked around the dark rooms to see everypony still asleep, Izzy snoring loudly. That was when she heard faint voices coming from the curtained balcony. Misty got out of bed and began walking towards the balcony, planning on revealing herself when she heard her name.

She peeked around the entrance to the balcony to see Sunny and Zipp, looking over the railing to the city beyond the castle walls. She quickly moved her head back, leaning against the wall to hear them better without being noticed.

The two of them had paused in their chat, and for a moment, Misty thought they caught her when Zipp spoke.

"Hey Sunny…" Zipp paused before continuing. She spoke in a quiet whisper, as though not to wake up everypony in the room, but Misty could still hear every word. "What if…what if we can't find a third alicorn to back Misty? What do we do then?"

"We will," Sunny said firmly, but from the tone of her voice, it sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Zipp.

"Yeah but…what if we don't…" Zipp repeated, quieter, with more fear.

"I…I don't know, Zipp. I'm not sure if there's anything we could do. Not without putting all of Equestria in danger."

Zipp was silent for a moment before speaking again, getting more and more upset with each word. "You seriously can't expect me to just leave her here! Sunny, she's my sister. I am not abandoning another sister to just…sit in a dungeon with no hope of ever escaping! I won't! Not again! I don't care if Equestria burns for it! I'm not making the same mistake I did with Pipp!"

Misty gasped, stumbling back. Tears filled her eyes, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was touched by Zipp's words or terrified by them. Zipp really wouldn't let Equestria burn just to…to save her…would she? That…that wasn't what Misty wanted. She didn't want to be the reason for Equestria's downfall. That's the whole reason she left Opaline to begin with. Because she didn't want to hurt anypony else.

Misty crept back up to the balcony door, the edges of the sun just peeking over the horizon. "Zipp…" Sunny started after a long moment of silence. "You…you don't really mean that…do you? About…about Equestria, I mean."

"I…I don't know," Zipp answered, but both Misty and Sunny caught that it wasn't a flat-out no.

Misty took a deep breath before finally revealing herself. Choosing any of them over Equestria wasn't an option. They all sacrificed too much to keep Equestria safe to let it suffer now.

"Don't," Misty said firmly.

Sunny and Zipp jumped, startled upon hearing Misty's voice. They turned around, and, sure enough, there was Misty, standing tall and firm, a determined and passionate look on her face. Zipp and Sunny looked at each other. They weren't sure of the last time they saw that look on Misty's face if they ever had before.

"Misty…what…what are–" Sunny started, but stopped when Misty didn't even spare Sunny a glance. She kept her gaze firmly on Zipp.

"If it comes down to it, Zipp, don't choose me over Equestria. I'm not worth it. None of us are."

"Misty…I…what…" Zipp started, at a loss for words.

"No…Zipp, you know that, deep down, having me shatter the Unity Crystals was the right call. You know choosing Royalty over Family was what had to be done, even if nopony else did at the time. I know you feel like you've made a mistake, but you didn't. Pipp wasn't there to tell you ahead of time what she wanted, even though we both already knew, deep down. But I am. And I'm telling you that if it comes down to it, choose Equestria over me. Don't choose Family over Royalty. Because…if you do…Zipp, everything we've gone through…everything we sacrificed…Pipp dying, reforming the changelings, defeating Opaline, defeating the Shadow Walkers…everything Princess Twilight and Flurry Heart and Luster Dawn all sacrificed to keep Equestria full of light and hope…it will all be for naught. None of it will matter. The sacrifices…they'll be for nothing. And Zipp…don't do that. Don't make it all worthless. Not for me. Not for any of us." Misty paused before continuing. "Promise me."

Zipp bit her lip. She hated the thought of yet again abandoning another sister, but she knew Misty was right. If she chose Misty over Equestria, it would make everypony's sacrifices to keep Equestria safe completely worthless. And she didn't have that right.

"Yeah. Fine. Sure." Zipp muttered dismissively. At Misty's expression, Zipp sighed. "Yeah. Alright. I promise. Hoof to heart."

Sunny stepped between them, shaking her head. "Whoa, guys, chill. We…we don't even know if it'll come to that. It probably won't." Sunny was silent for a moment before turning to Misty. "We didn't wake you up…did we?"

Misty shook her head. "No…" She paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "I…I had a dream. About Opaline."

"Oh, Misty. I didn't even think about everything being here would rehash…" Sunny started, but Misty shook her head.

"No. It…it wasn't a memory. I mean, it was but…it wasn't mine." Misty looked Zipp and Sunny in the eye. "It was Opaline's. Before she went evil."

Sunny and Zipp were silent, looking at Misty with wide eyes. Before she went evil? To be honest, they didn't even realize there was a such thing. Opaline had been evil for so long…it was hard to think of a time when she wasn't. It was difficult to imagine…but it made them wonder. Was there really a time when Opaline wasn't evil? And if so…what happened?

"Wait…before. You don't mean…how do you know all this?" Zipp asked, too confused and dumbfounded to speak properly.

"I…I don't know. I…I think I had a vision. It wasn't much but…Opaline most definitely wasn't evil. I know there was this alicorn. Opaline called her Tia "

Sunny froze. "Did you just say…Tia?" Misty nodded. "This alicorn wouldn't happen to have a white coat and a pink mane…would she?"

Misty blinked. "Uh…y-yeah. How…how did you know that?"

Sunny sighed. "Remember back in the Crystal Empire when we were forced to face our greatest fears by the Spirit of Harmony so we could defeat the Shadow Walkers?" Misty and Zipp nodded. "And…remember when you ponies found me at the edge of town, almost ready to leave?" Again, another nod. "Did you ponies happen to see the alicorn I was with?" Misty's eyes widened as she began to connect the dots. "She also went by the name Tia."

"Whoa whoa whoa." Zipp interrupted, waving both of her hooves. "Slow down." Zipp sighed, looking at Misty. "In all the years you lived with Opaline, did she ever tell you anything about her past?"

Misty gasped as she finally remembered where she heard the words Opaline told Tia about being special. Opaline's words rang through her head. How could she not see it? She only heard that story a million times over again. She practically memorized it.

'When I was growing up in Skyros, they were the "golden ponies". The favorites. Everypony loved them, but I saw through their act. They thought they were so great 'cause they had the whole sun and moon thing going. Please. I had something much better. I was an alicorn of fire. Of power, of strength! And because of that, I had to prove I was not to be underestimated. They'd learn I was not only the wrong pony to push around, but I would be so much more. I would live up to my elemental duty.'

Misty squeezed her eyes shut. Damn it. What were their names? The golden ponies? Sun and moon. Sun and moon. Moon. Luna! Luna and Celestia! Celestia! Celestia was Tia, Misty could feel it deep down. She paused. But…that would mean…if the ponies from the memory were sisters then…Celestia and Luna were Opaline's sisters. But…that didn't make sense. From the scene Opaline always played in the pool in her castle, it was as though Celestia and Luna wanted nothing to do with Opaline. But…the Tia in the memory didn't seem like that at all. It seemed like she genuinely loved and cared for Opaline.

But…Misty felt like she heard those two names before, though she couldn't put her hoof on it.

"Misty? Did you figure something out?" Zipp asked.

"Maybe…hey, do the names Celestia and Luna mean anything to you?" Misty asked.

The two of them thought hard. They sounded familiar but…

Sunny's eyes widened as she gasped. "Yeah! They were the first bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Flurry Heart told us, remember?"

Zipp smiled. "That's right. I remember now. Flurry mentioned Celestia had to banish her sister Luna to the moon because she turned into Nightmare Moon."

Misty's ears flattened as her eyes widened. "Oh…well…that complicates things a bit."

"What…how?" Sunny asked, confused.

"Well…umm…you see…in my vision…it seemed as though…as though Celestia and Opaline were sisters. They said something about 'our' father." Misty said, air quoting the word 'our' with her front two hooves. "And if that's true, so were Luna and Opaline."

"Are you saying…Opaline could've been the reason Luna turned evil?" Zipp asked, her eyes widening.

"I…I don't know. Maybe. We don't even know why Luna turned into Nightmare Moon in the first place. It could be totally unrelated. But…in order to understand what the hell happened…there's only two ponies in this day in age that would know anything about it and that we can trust with our lives."

"Flurry Heart and Luster Dawn!" Sunny exclaimed. Misty nodded. "But…how can we ask them? Short of going to the Crystal Empire I mean."

"Yeah, it's not like Flurry or Luster have phones," Zipp added.

"Leave that to me. Flurry Heart taught me a spell that I can use to send her letters, should I ever need to call her to Skyros or need her help. Besides…there's one more pony I want to ask them about." Misty paused but quickly clarified when she saw Sunny's and Zipp's confused looks. "A pony named Starswirl. He apparently knew Luna and Celestia, but I don't think he knew about Opaline. Though, that's all I know about him."

"Misty? Zipp? Where are you?" The three of them heard Pipp call out.

Zipp sighed. "Okay, Misty, you send that letter. I don't think we should tell the others just yet. Not until we get a reply from Flurry and Luster. This is all hypothetical and we don't even know if any of it is true. We should just…stick to the original plan. While I'm in the library, I'll see if I can find anything on Celestia, Luna, or Opaline."

"That's a good idea. I agree. Misty and I, along with Izzy and Pipp will go to the towns as planned to find an alicorn. And, hopefully, everything works out all right for once." Sunny added, feeling like she jinxed it just by saying that.

Misty nodded, not missing the fact that she didn't get the chance to tell them about the monstrous king that killed Opaline's, Celestia's, and Luna's father. Misty's heart filled with dread as a thought entered her head. What if that monster was still king?

Misty shook her head. That was…they had enough to worry about. But…something deeper was going on here. Something much deeper. Misty could feel it. But, she just didn't know how deep this really went. She just knew this was only the beginning.

Sunny hung her head. They've been at this for two hours and had no luck. Sunny couldn't even keep track of the number of alicorns they spoke with. Though, speaking was a bit of a stretch. In truth, only a hooful actually heard them out. As soon as Sunny said the words "help" and "mortal" in the same sentence, they turned their rich noses up at them, to put it mildly.

Ugh, she really didn't like nobility sometimes.

Not that Winter Moon's been all that helpful. All he's been doing was walking beside them, leading them to snobbish nobility and flirting with the four mares, despite one of them being married. He really was starting to get on her nerves, and that was saying something.

She just hoped Hitch and Zipp were having better luck.

"Hey, wait," Pipp called, causing Sunny to lift her head. "What's down that way?" She asked.

Sunny looked around to see they were standing at a fork in the road. One path, the one Winter was trying to lead them down, was more upper-class nobility, while the other looked like the more…common side of town. It was down this path Pipp was pointing.

Winter waved a dismissive hoof. "That's just where the common folk live. They won't be of any use to us."

Sunny, Izzy, and Misty all looked at each other. They were all "common folk" before they became the Guardians of Unity. They didn't know how to talk to rich nobles, but they did know regular run-of-the-mill ponies.

The four mares unanimously agreed and began walking down the "common folk" path, despite Winter's protests. As they walked down the street, everything looked so glum and sad. Alicorns were grumpy and mean towards each other. Foals didn't run and play in the streets but sat and moped. It reminded them so much of when they first visited Bridlewood, before they united pony kind.

"This place is so sad," Pipp said, her heart getting heavier.

They arrived at a square when Izzy was struck by an idea. A brilliant, awesome-tastic idea. She gasped, knowing she just had to do what she could to cheer this place up. To bring laughter wherever she went.

She turned to her friends. "Alright, ponies. I've got an idea that'll turn this place around. You with me?"

Sunny nodded. "Of course we are, Izzy."

"Plus," Pipp added with a shrug, "if we do this for them, maybe they'll help us in return."

"Okay, here's the plan. Sunny, I want you to build an awesome smoothie stand and start making those amazing smoothies of yours. They always brought smiles to the ponies of Maretime Bay, why not here? And take Winter with you." Izzy turned to Pipp. "Pipp, I want you to find a band to play lively music in the square to brighten things up." She turned to the last pony who didn't have a job. "Misty, you're with me."

"What are we gonna do?" Misty asked, a little nervous.

"We're the decorating committee. Ready?" All of them, except Prince Winter Moon, nodded. "Let's move out, ponies, and get these sparkles shining bright!"

They dispersed, and as they did, they began to sing their work song. Sunny, who always kept a portable blender in the Marestream, sent Winter to get some building supplies so they could build the smoothie stand together while she went to retrieve said blender and some extra fruit she kept stored away.

🎵Just a little touch-up.
Just a little paint.
And we'll be done in no time.🎵

"Hey, this is looking great," Izzy commented when she saw Misty's decorations.

🎵Cause they say many hooves,
And the work gets lighter.
And working with your friends,
Will make the whole day brighter.

Gonna work work work.
Got so much to do.
Well, I don't mind the work,
'Cause I get to work with you

Gonna work, work, work,
Make our dreams come true.
'Cause when we work together,
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do🎵

"We got–" Sunny started before they could move on with their song when she froze. As they sang, she retrieved the blender and fruit and was already heading back to the place where she and Winter agreed to meet up, but when she got there, she could feel herself growing frustrated.

Winter was sitting off to the side while not too far away, a group of alicorns were begrudgingly building the stand. This was the opposite of what Izzy had planned. This was supposed to be a gift to them alicorns brought by the five of them. Not a gift that the alicorns had to slave away for. Otherwise, it defeated the whole purpose.

"Winter…" Sunny started, a warning in her voice. "What's this?"

Winter looked up at her. "Oh, well, you ponies wanted a smoothie stand, here it is."

Sunny sighed. "Yeah, but we were supposed to do it ourselves. With our own four hooves."

"Why would we do that when we can have others do it for us?"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Serves me right for trusting a rich prince. The only way to get what you want in life is through hard work." She sighed, turning away from Winter, and began moving towards the workers.

"Hard work?" Winter asked with a small chuckle, standing up and hurrying after Sunny. "Why…why would a princess need to work hard?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm not a princess. I sell smoothies in Maretime Bay." Sunny responded as though it were no big deal.

Winter sighed, shaking his head. "Of course you're not. I should've known you were the exception."

Sunny stopped, turning to face Winter, clearly offended. "Exception? Wait…should've known? What is that supposed to mean?"

Winter shrugged. "Nothing. Just that out of every alicorn in your land, you're the only one who isn't a princess."

"Out of what? Two?" Sunny asked, thinking of Flurry and Twilight.

"Try six. Counting Opaline." Winter corrected. "Guess the lucky seventh is the exception."

Sunny rolled her eyes and continued to the workers, dismissing them and promising they'll be compensated. She then picked up a hammer and a piece of wood with her magic, setting it in place before picking up some nails to hammer in.

Winter sighed heavily. "Fine, if you insist." Suddenly, a lyre appeared in his magic, and, before playing, he said, "Music to work by."

As he played, Sunny accidentally hammered the nail wrong, and it bent. She sighed heavily. "I could use a little help."

Winter paused in his music, looking up at Sunny. "Oh! I will play a little louder." Winter began to play his lyre louder and more upbeat.

Sunny sighed. "How about a little less picking and a little more–" Sunny stopped when she realized there was no point. She sighed heavily before returning to her work. The colt annoyed her more than Sprout, and that was saying something.

"Hiya Sunny–" Izzy started, but stopped when she caught sight of Sunny's smoothie stand. "Whoa, nice work, Sunny."

It was impressive, and while it wasn't the quality of her cart back at home, seeing as she only had two hours so far and limited supplies, it was pretty good. It looked like a good ol' fashioned selling cart, with three wheels and a cloth roof overhead in case it rained. Sunny's portable blender was on top of it, with a shelf below it holding the cups, straws, lids, napkins, and other such supplies. Sunny had also taken the portable fridge out of the Marestream, which was solar-powered if there wasn't an outlet nearby, to use to hold her fruits and veggies. Sunny was currently painting pictures of fruits and smoothing cups around her cart, and she was about halfway done. It really was something.

"Wow, Sunny," Pipp said as she saw the cart, approaching Sunny next to Izzy. "I didn't know you could build something like that."

Sunny shrugged. "Yeah. My dad taught me a few things. He used to build things in his free time, like that lantern he made for me that Izzy restored. Plus, when I first got my smoothie cart back in Maretime Bay, it was pretty broken down. Hitch and I restored it together and he taught me everything else I know."

"Hey, where's Prince Winter? I thought he was supposed to be helping." Misty asked.

"I am helping," A voice called.

The three mares turned to see Winter sitting on a bench close by, playing a lyre with his magic.

"He thinks playing music and watching others work is helping," Sunny muttered bitterly. "Even though he promised that if we needed anything, all we had to do was holler!" Sunny said bitterly, yelling the last part at Winter.

"Hey, you said you needed help, I helped. Besides, I made that promise to a beautiful princess, not a cranky waitress." Winter said dismissively.

"I am not a waitress! And just because I'm an alicorn in Equestria, doesn't mean I'm a princess!"

Winter scoffed. "Clearly."

Sunny clenched her jaw, glaring at Winter Moon. Izzy was suddenly in front of her, looking her in the eye. "Sunny. Sunny, look at me. Clear skies. Clear skies. Clear…skies."

Sunny took a deep breath, repeating "clear skies" in her head over and over. She sighed before opening her eyes. What was wrong with her? She wasn't usually this quick to get frustrated. Something about Winter Moon and his attitude just set her teeth on edge.

"Better?" Izzy asked when she felt Sunny's body relax.

Sunny nodded, a small smile on her face. "Loads. Thanks Iz."

"No problemo. Alright, ready to get this thing started?"

Not one alicorn came to get a smoothie. As the band Pipp put together played in the background, not one alicorn danced to the music. They didn't even seem to notice the decorations Misty and Izzy worked so hard to put up. It was just as sad and depressing as it was when they first got here.

"Now what?" Sunny asked.

Winter was silent for a moment before he answered, "Watch and learn, Princess," before teleporting away.

"Ugh! I'm not a princess!" Sunny called, but she knew he couldn't hear her.

Suddenly, Prince Winter Moon was in the middle of the square, high in the sky. The alicorns gasped as they saw their prince in the sky. His horn lit up and a small silver white glowing ball appeared and entered his throat. When he spoke, it was like he was speaking into a microphone.

"Come one, come all! Free and delicious smoothies are being served just for you! Music is being played in the square for you to dance to! Browse the wares of your fellow peers! Enjoy yourselves!"

Misty and Sunny, who were the only ones at the smoothie stand, glanced at each other as Winter Moon came flying back. They waited for a moment, but nothing happened.

"Cute…" Sunny started, crossing her hooves. "But it's not gonna…" She continued, only for Winter to hold up a hoof. He was leaning against the counter, his back to the crowd.

Suddenly, he pointed his hoof behind him with a smug smile, and Sunny and Misty saw an alicorn appear. They were so focused on Winter, they didn't even see him coming. "I'd like one smoothie, please. The free smoothies are still available right?"

Sunny suddenly brightened. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. What kind would you like…?" Sunny said, quickly grabbing fruits as the alicorn said them.

The crowd grew bigger as more and more alicorns gathered around, wanting a smoothie. The music grew more lively as ponies danced in the square. It was like the entire square transformed into something beautiful. It was like night and day, Misty thought with a small smile.

As soon as she thought that, Misty heard foal's laughter echo around her, just like in the castle. She glanced around but was about to brush it off as alicorn fillies playing when she heard something else.

"Give that back, Tia!"

"Gotta catch me first, Linnie!"

Misty froze as she heard the voices echo around her. There was that name again. Tia. Misty looked in the direction she heard the voices, her ears piqued. She heard more laughter. She hesitated, staring in the direction she heard the voices and laughter from, down an alleyway across the street. She bit her lower lip, internally debating what to do when she made her decision.

"Hey, Sunny?" She called, not taking her eyes off the alleyway.

"Yeah, Misty?" Sunny answered, keeping up with all the smoothie orders, completely oblivious to Misty's behavior and the voices she was hearing

"I gotta go somewhere real quick. I'll be right back." Misty answered before running off.

"O-okay, but, wait! Take Winter with you. It's not like he's any real help he–" Sunny stopped when she turned around and saw Misty was gone. She looked at Winter, who was sitting beside the smoothie stand. "Where did she go?"

Winter shrugged. "She left right after she said she'd be back."

"And you didn't think to stop her?!" Sunny asked, glaring at Winter, feeling her frustration grow again.

Again, Winter shrugged. "You said I wasn't very helpful. So, I decided to show you what not helpful actually looked like."

Sunny dropped her head on the counter, groaning.

Misty ran down the alleyway, trying to keep up with the flash of magenta and white she kept seeing and the voices that seemed to taunt her with each step she took. The alleyway deposited her into another square with another throng of ponies.

She panted heavily, glancing around, not seeing anything resembling the ghostly colors she saw earlier. She was about to turn around and go back when her ear twitched. There it was again.

"Tia! That's mine!"

"Catch me if you can!"

Misty saw a flash of white, and, with no hesitation, she sprinted off in that direction. She pushed through the crowd of alicorns, the laughter and arguing ringing in her head. She was so focused on the two fillies, that Misty didn't even notice her cutie mark glowing.

She tried to keep them in sight, but they stayed just on the edge of it. However, whenever she got held up or bumped into an alicorn, they'd stayed just at the edges of her vision, like they wanted Misty to follow them, even if they didn't know it.

Suddenly, Misty skidded to a stop when she saw the two fillies, much more clearly now, standing in front of a moss-covered stone staircase. However, instead of just two, there were now three. Two of them she recognized. The white alicorn from her dream and Opaline, though much much younger versions. The third alicorn was blue with a cerulean mane. The three figures were see-through, as if they were ghosts, but it felt like they were more than that. Like…this really happened.

The scene was paused, as though waiting for Misty to catch up, and resumed when she could see it clearly.

"Ha! Got you, Tia!" The blue alicorn, who looked to be the youngest, said as she jumped in front of Tia.

"Luna! You ruined it!" Tia accused, pouting.

"Ah, do not be a sore loser, Tia." the young Opaline said, as she joined Luna's side.

Suddenly, an unrecognizable alicorn jumped from behind the two fillies, startling all three of them. The unrecognizable one looked to be a few years older than all three of them, around thirteen or fourteen, and he had a mean smirk on his face.

"Losers!" He yelled as he jumped from behind.

All three fillies let out a startled scream, but only one had a magical reaction. As Opaline screamed, clearly startled, fire burst out of her. Tia was able to react in time and so was the bully, and they jumped out of the way, but Luna wasn't fast enough. She got burned by Opaline's fire.

The poor scream little Luna let out, it broke Misty's heart. And the look on Opaline's face, it was a look Misty had never seen before on Opaline. Fear. Regret. Guilt.

"Oh gods. Luna! Luna, I'm so sorry, I–" Opaline hurried towards Luna, but Luna flinched and shied away, making Opaline stop in her tracks.

The bully looked at Opaline with disgust and then at the burnt Luna. "Freak!" He called before flying away.

Tia stared at the crying and hurt blue filly alicorn, before glancing at Opaline. "I'm gonna go get help. You stay here with Luna." Then Tia ran off, sprinting right through Misty, making her gasp.

Suddenly, the whole scene disappeared and Misty was alone. She looked around, wanting to figure out why the two fillies led her here when she looked at the ground and saw a small pony doll that was slowly burning from a magenta-colored fire. Misty picked it up with her magic, surprised to see it float up in her coral aura. She watched as it slowly burned into nothing but ashes, which blew away in the wind, and nothing remained of the three alicorn fillies.

Misty sighed heavily, looking around before gasping. There was a stone archway that was carved to look like flames. Unlit torches lined the staircase. But…everything looked black and…burnt. What…what was this place?

"Misty!" A voice called behind her. A voice she knew. Izzy.

Misty turned around to see Sunny, Pipp, Izzy, and Prince Winter running towards her, a look of fear on the three mares' faces.

As soon as Sunny got to Misty, she enveloped her in a tight hug, not even giving Misty a chance to process anything. They stayed like that for a long moment, Sunny panting in relief. When they separated, Izzy and Pipp took their turns to hug Misty, though these were much quicker and less intrusive.

"Misty, what in Equestria would possess you to run off like that?" Sunny asked, her voice full of worry.

"Hear you out?! You took magic away! FOREVER! Why?! What would even..." Sunny stuttered a bit, completely at a loss for words. "Possess you to do something like this?! Now we can NEVER get magic back! Those crystals were...were everything! And you took them away!"

Misty gasped as those words rang through her head. She stumbled back, squeezing her eyes shut, and shaking her head. Where the hell did that memory come from? She hadn't thought of that moment in a year. She moved on from that. They all had. They forgave her and Zipp. She and Zipp forgave them. It was all in the past, and it was supposed to stay like that.

So why was it bubbling to the surface now?

"Misty…?" Izzy asked, concern written all over her face. "Are you okay?"

"You say that, but don't you see? Somepony did get hurt. Pipp. And, you hurt all of us. Maybe not physically, but you broke our hearts, Misty. Both you and Zipp."

Misty blinked. Where the hell was this coming from? She hadn't thought about that in forever. She glanced at her friends and Winter Moon, stopping when she saw the look on the prince's face. He was concentrating hard on Misty, like she was all he could focus on. His stare, it was making Misty uncomfortable while, at the same time, drawing her in.

"Don't bother apologizing again. We don't want to hear it."

Sunny noticed Misty's behavior and followed her gaze to Winter. "Winter, is something wrong?"

Winter blinked, but he looked at Sunny with his most charming smile. "Everything's fantastic, Princess. But, it's nice to know you worry about me, love."

Sunny scowled. "It wasn't you I was worried about. And I'm not a princess. How many times do I have to tell you?"

Misty shook her head. It was relieving to hear Sunny's voice and not hear something hurtful she said in the past. But why was she hearing that at all? And why did it suddenly stop? And did it have anything to do with Winter concentrating on her? Misty decided it was better to just move on for now. Right now, her plate was full enough as it was.

She turned around and looked back up at the arch and the staircase. Not a single alicorn came from it nor entered. The land and town around them were deserted and empty.

The other three seemed to notice where they were and gasped. "What is this place?" Pipp asked.

Winter was silent for a moment, glancing at Sunny, who was staring up at the arch, before answering. "The Fire Lands. It's where the fire alicorns live. Or, they used to."

"What…what happened?" Sunny asked, walking up to the arch, and putting a hoof on one of its blackened spots.

Winter shrugged, looking away from the arch and out into the sky around the cliffs. "Opaline happened."

The Restricted Section

"Here you go, Aunt Z," Seashell said as she put another book on the desk.

"Don't call me that," Zipp muttered as she read the current book she was studying.

Seashell cleared her throat, making Zipp look up. She nodded her head to the side.

Zipp looked in that direction to see a guard watching them, before sighing. Right. "Sorry, Seashell. I just didn't realize it was…you." Zipp said, not sure why they were keeping up this charade when it was clear they were lying.

"It's okay," Seashell assured with a shrug. She paused, biting her lip, before asking, "Hey, Aunt Z? Why are you looking at books about history if you're researching Skyronian law?"

"Because," Zipp answered absently, going back to reading her book. "Maybe there was a similar case in the past that could help us with Misty's"

"Oh," Seashell said, nodding.

Suddenly, the two of them heard Hitch yell and Sparky giggling before the two of them ran passed, Sparky blowing dragon fire.

"Hey, uh…Seashell. Why don't you and your…sisters help with uh…your brother so that your…dad can do more research than parenting." That was the weirdest sentence she ever said.

Seashell nodded and ran off, gathering her friends and chasing after Hitch and Sparky. Zipp knew the Pippsqueaks were only doing their best to help, but right now, Zipp really needed to concentrate. She gave up on trying to find anything about Skyronian law. Not for lack of information, but lack of understanding. She didn't know anything about law, and it was a waste of time trying to figure it out.

So, instead, she turned her attention to looking for information about Opaline, Celestia, and Luna, without much luck. Much to Zipp's surprise, she couldn't find out much. Just that King Aeroblade of the Skylands, the king before Skotos, married Queen Ocean Rose of the Riverlands, and had three daughters, Celestia, Luna, and Opaline Arcana. When Celestia, who was the eldest, was five, Opaline was three, and Luna was a newborn, their mother, Ocean Rose was killed by mortals. King Aeroblade was then killed by his brother-in-law, King Skotos, ten years later, and Skotos had remained in power ever since.

It was apparently a tradition since alicorns lived so long. If an alicorn can kill both royal rulers, they become the ruler of Skyros. Though, of course, there were rules. Well, one rule. They can't kill their own blood kin. So if a son wanted to rule, he'd have to wait until somepony killed his father, then kill the alicorn that murdered his father, and he's King.

Pretty barbaric if you asked Zipp. They seriously couldn't think of a better way to distribute ruling power for immortals? But, apparently, it was how they made sure the strong remained in power. Because their motto is strong ruler, strong kingdom.

Zipp sighed, closing her book. That wasn't really much to go on. It only confirmed what they already suspected. It didn't answer any of their questions. Why did Opaline turn evil? Was she responsible for Luna turning evil? If so, why? Why did she hate her sisters so much?

Zipp had Misty text her everything she could remember about the dream. Of course, the dream itself also wasn't much to go on, but it was more than what she found. Of course, it also only added more questions. Why did Celestia and Luna have to leave Opaline behind? Why did the mortals need them?

Zipp opened the book Seashell just gave her, but one scan through and she knew it would be just as helpful as the others. She groaned, dropping her head on the table. Why couldn't answers to great mysteries just fall into a pony's lap for once? Why did everything need to be so damn hard to find?

Zipp slammed the book closed, getting up to fly around the library in hopes of finding something useful. As she flew, searching shelves, she came upon a dead end. Well, kind of a dead end. It was an iron gate that went as high as the ceiling, with a thick chain and lock to bar access. There was a sign that said 'Authorized Personel Only'. Normally, she'd be considered authorized but, well, seeing as she wasn't a princess here by any stretch of the imagination, in fact, she was seen as an enemy, she'd be the last pony to have access.

But she needed to get in there. That might be the only place in the whole library that might remotely have answers. But this place was Skyros. Land of the alicorns for thousands of years. They'd have complicated magic and spells guarding that gate. Not just some measly lock and chain. She needed somepony equally gifted at magic and knowledgeable, as well as have the creativity to think outside the box to break in. Or, ponies.

"Aunt Z?" Zipp heard from behind her.

She turned around, gasping, before sighing in relief. "Peach. It's just you."

"Is everything okay? Why are you staring at that gate thingy?" The orange unicorn filly asked, tilting her head.

"Umm…no reason…" Zipp said absently as a thought began to form in her head. The Pippsqueaks were able to bypass all six ponies and three alicorns by sneaking onto the Marestream and hitching a ride to Skyros, all without any of them noticing. Maybe the Pippsqueaks could be useful after all.

"Hey, Peach? How would you and your friends like to help out?" Zipp asked.

Peach Fizz's face brightened at that, nodding quickly with a huge smile on her face.

"No. Nuh-uh. Bad idea. Just no. Why would you even consider something like that?" Sunny said as soon as Zipp brought up the idea. "Have you lost your mind?"

It was night in Skyros and while everypony was asleep, Misty, Zipp, and Sunny were talking in one of the bathrooms with the door shut so they wouldn't wake anypony up as they talked more in-depth about Misty's dream and what it could mean, and potential information it could've revealed about Opaline's past. Zipp was now more curious than ever after hearing what happened in the town square.

Misty didn't tell them about how she happened upon the entrance to the Fire Lands, but that was the last question on everypony's mind. The first question was what the hell did Opaline do? After Winter's ominous statement about how the fire alicorns used to live there until Opaline happened, he walked away and refused to say anything else. The four mares bombarded him with questions, but his lips were sealed, which, of course, only made them that much more desperate to know.

"Sunny, I combed through as many books as I could for hours while you were selling smoothies. Nothing. I looked through books about Skyronian history, alicorns, and genealogy. Nothing. They are the king's nieces and the three alicorns are barely mentioned. Information about the king's brother is easier to find and he's dead!" Zipp argued, trying to convince Sunny this was a good idea, though even she questioned it a bit. But she just had to know why. Had to have her questions answered.

"Okay, so, instead of questioning other alicorns, castle staff, or even the King, you jump straight to breaking into the restricted section."

"Yeah, that'd work, but if the king wanted it to be public knowledge, he wouldn't put it in the restricted section."

"Okay, but did you ever stop to think how this helps Misty? We don't need any more complications. Our priority is to help Misty, not make things worse for her. The last thing we need is to get on the king's bad side."

"Yeah, but aren't you the least bit curious? I mean, what did Opaline do to the rest of the fire alicorns? Why does she hate her sisters? Did Opaline make Luna go evil? Why did her sisters leave Opaline behind? Why–"

"Of course I'm curious! But I'm putting my own curiosities aside for Misty's sake! We don't need to do this! We shouldn't!"

"Actually…I think we do," Misty spoke up for the first time.

Sunny and Zipp looked at Misty confused. Sunny was the first to speak. "You think we should? What…what do you mean? Do you know what that'll do? How this could make this worse for you if we're caught?"

Misty sighed. "No. I don't think we should. But, I think I need to." Misty paused, taking a deep breath, before continuing. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think there's something here that wants me to know about Opaline's past. Something is giving me access to Opaline's memories."

The two mares were silent for a moment before Zipp shrugged. "Eh, doesn't actually sound all that crazy."

"Yeah. We've faced crazier. But…why do you think that? You only saw one memory." Sunny added.

Misty looked away. "I actually saw two."

Sunny and Zipp gasped, their eyes widening. "And when were you planning on telling us?" Zipp asked. "And why haven't you already?"

"I wasn't meaning to keep it from you. Honest. It just happened. It's what led me to the entrance to the Fire Lands. I didn't think it was right to bring it up in front of the others and Winter. Plus…there's something else."

Sunny sighed. Of course there was. There was always something else. "What?"

"Back when you, Izzy, Pipp, and Winter found me…I started hearing some of my own memories. But…bad ones. I started getting flashes of…that night."

Sunny blinked. "That night? What night?"

Misty sighed, looking down. "The night I destroyed the Unity Crystals. I even started getting flashbacks of the day I got my cutie mark, but…only the bad moments."

Zipp was…well, she didn't quite know the word for it. Confused? Guilty? Both? They were all best friends, Zipp, Misty, and Pipp were going to be sisters, but…they all still had their regrets. One of Zipp's biggest regrets was turning her back on Misty so quickly when she dragonapped Sparky. She should've heard Misty out, and not been so quick to jump to conclusions.

Sunny looked away, guilt welling up in her. She regretted the things she said in that fight on the roof of the Brighthouse. She'd spend her whole life making it up to Misty. Both she and Zipp. She'd never forgive herself. She was…she was just so scared for both Misty and Pipp. Sunny had missed her chance to trade herself for Pipp and because of it, Pipp was going to be captured by the ruthless changelings for who knew how long. And without magic, Sunny wouldn't be the alicorn. And if she wasn't the alicorn, she couldn't be there for Misty when Skyros came to take her. She thought she was going to lose two of her best friends, from just a single action. But still, it was no excuse. It'd be her biggest regret for the rest of her life.

"I…I don't know why I thought of those moments but…I…I think it has something to do with Winter," Misty continued, dread building up in her. "I don't have a whole lot of evidence but…when you got his attention off of me, I…I didn't have any more flashbacks. They stopped. Just like that."

Zipp gaped at Misty with wide eyes. "Holy shit." She looked between Sunny and Misty. "This could be like…a whole conspiracy going on. We have to get into that restricted section."

Misty sighed, nodding. "I hate to say it, but I agree. Something deeper is going on here in Skyros. I don't know what, but I'm pretty sure it goes beyond me being brought here because I may or may not know Skyronian secrets."

Sunny looked away. "Yeah. It seems you're right." Sunny reluctantly admitted. "But there's got to be a better way than involving the Pippsqueaks."

"Maybe we don't need to. Maybe…maybe we just need something else. Some way to go unnoticed." Misty thought out loud, an idea coming to her. "There's a spell I've been learning. It'll allow us to pass the guards unnoticed. But…you might not like it."

"Whatever it takes." Zipp took a deep breath. "Ready for another library heist, Misty?" Zipp asked, thinking of the time when she, Misty, Pipp, and Hitch broke into Flurry Heart's secret room in the Research Hall back in the Crystal Empire.

Sunny, Zipp, and Misty entered the library, peeking inside the dark room. They glanced around, before quickly entering, closing the door behind them. Neither Sunny nor Misty used magic yet. They didn't want the guards to sound the alarm before Misty could get to them.

The three mares snuck to the back of the library, trying to make sure they kept themselves hidden from sight by hiding behind bookshelves. Once the guards were in sight, two of the mares turned their eyes to Misty.

Misty gulped nervously before lighting her horn in a coral magical aura and whispering the words, "Fiducia Compelus."

Two coral balls slowly floated out of Misty's horn and towards the two guards. Each ball landed on a guard's forehead, stunning them for a moment. Misty held her breath as she watched the two guards. Coral magic swirled around the guards as their eyes went wide and their pupils and irises turned into pinpricks.

"Dude, what happened? I thought you said you could get them to let us in."

"I can," Misty answered, not even glancing at Zipp. "But Fiducia needs a trigger."

She took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to stand in front of the guards. The other two weren't sure this was right, but they trusted Misty with their lives. So, with only the briefest hesitation, the two mares got up and followed her.

Misty's horn lit up again, but this time, her eyes turned white. "Ponies! Hear my voice and listen!" Misty's voice echoed, startling both Sunny and Zipp. They never heard Misty so…commanding.

The two guards blinked, their pupils still pinpricks, their irises faded. Misty took a deep breath, her heart racing. "Guards. Remove any enchantment that'll keep us out and open the gates."

The guards, with no hesitation, began to light their horns and remove the enchantments. Misty sighed in relief as it felt like everything was going right. Suddenly, the iron gates opened and the guards stepped aside. Sunny, Zipp, and Misty glanced at each other before slowly stepping inside, all without being harmed, much to their relief.

Misty turned to the guards. "Stay here. Don't let anypony enter."

The guards nodded silently and the three mares slowly walked further into the restricted section. Misty and Sunny tried using their horns to help light the way, but they realized they couldn't use magic. So, all three mares pulled out their phones to use the flashlight on them, dispersing to cover more ground faster.

Suddenly, Misty saw a flash of…purple? Not Opaline's magenta, but purple. She glanced around before following it. She walked down the aisle, glancing at book titles. Again, she saw another flash of purple with pink turning down another aisle. Slowly, hesitantly, she followed it. Suddenly, it seemed to disappear.

Misty glanced around, not sure what it was it wanted her to see. Misty leaned into the bookshelf on one side, carefully reading the book titles. That was when she saw it. She wasn't sure why, but that book seemed to stick out to her. Shadow Fang and the Search For The Missing Idol.

Misty looked at it, confused. It didn't look like anything special. Heck, it didn't even look like anything that belonged in the restricted section. It looked like a standard adventure novel. Why would this of all books be here?

She shrugged, and was about to put it back on the shelf when she saw a flash of purple encircle its spine, there one second, gone the next. Misty paused, the book halfway to the shelf. She brought the book towards her, confused. Why would…whatever it was, want her to find it?

Misty clenched her jaw, her heart and mind racing, about to open the book when Zipp came flying around the corner of one of the end bookshelves, stopping her. Misty looked up, surprised to see a panicked look on Zipp's face. "We got a problem."

Misty followed Zipp towards the entrance, ducking behind a bookshelf where Sunny was also hiding. Misty peeked around the bookshelf to see Prince Winter himself standing at the entrance, accompanied by two guards. Misty gasped, hiding her head back behind the bookshelf, but, unable to keep from looking for long, peeked her head back around the corner.

"They're under some kind of enchantment, my lord." A guard said, studying the two guards that were staring blankly ahead, their pupils and irises pinpricks, but they were doing exactly what Misty commanded. They were blocking the entrance.

Prince Winter was standing in front of the iron gate, his gaze impassive, but he was studying the guards as well. Misty, Sunny, and Zipp stayed behind a bookshelf, watching the whole thing with nervous trepidation, their breaths held, their hearts stopped.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Teleport us out of here." Zipp whispered to Sunny and Misty.

"We can't. Unicorn magic doesn't work here in the restricted section. Remember?" Misty responded, watching the prince and the four guards intently.

"Fiducia Compelus." Prince Winter said without much emotion. "A weak spell."

"You don't suppose it was one of the mortals…do you?" One of the guards asked.

Prince Winter shook his head. "I don't believe so, no. This was the third attempt to break into the restricted section. The first two happened before they arrived. This happened to be the only successful one. They may be weak, but I do not take them as stupid. Saving their friend is their top priority. They would not dare do anything to sabotage it."

Zipp scowled. Glad to know they proved him wrong.

"Let's hurry up and check this place. I wish to get this over with. I have better things to do." Winter said, causing Sunny to roll her eyes.

Suddenly, Winter and the two guards entered the restricted section, their horns charged. The three mares' eyes widened in fear, but they breathed a sigh of relief when the king went in the opposite direction, only for their hearts to stop when one of the guards walked right in their direction.

Zipp, thinking on her hooves, picked up a book and threw it across the library, making a clattering noise. The guard looked in that direction, before quickly hurrying off to it. They all breathed a sigh of relief before making a beeline for the exit while trying to stay hidden. As soon as they cleared the iron gates, Misty teleported the three of them out of there.

The three mares appeared in a flash of coral in one of the bathrooms in their bedchambers. They collapsed to the floor, their breaths heavy with both fear and relief. They panted as they all stared up at the ceiling, knowing this call was a close one.

As they recovered from the scare, Misty picked up the book she had gotten from it, staring at the title and the picture. She was sure that there had to be more to this book than the cover indicated. Otherwise, why would it be in the restricted section?

But, still, she just stared at it, as though she was scared to open it and learn the secrets it contained. That was the whole reason she was here, right? That was the reason she was in this mess. Because the Skyronian King thought that Misty knew secrets that could bring Skyros to ruin. By opening this book, by reading it…she'd no longer be innocent of what she was accused of. She'd really know dangerous secrets.

But…whatever was here, whatever force was leading her, clearly wanted her to know. It needed her to know. Know what, Misty wasn't sure, but she'd know it once she learned it.

"Is that from the restricted section? Did you find something?" Zipp asked when she noticed Misty holding a book up with her magic.

"I…I don't know…" Misty muttered, not looking away from the book.

"Was it that 'something' that led you to that book?" Sunny asked, her head tilted.

"Yeah…I…I think so…" Misty answered, thinking of the purple figure that led her to it.

Zipp tilted her head, trying to read the title on the spine. "Shadow Fang and the Search For The Missing Idol? What's so special about that book?" Zipp asked, thoroughly confused.

"Maybe the cover is a trick? To hide what's really inside and throw ponies off?" Sunny suggested.

"That's possible. But…it kinda sticks out in the restricted section though…doesn't it?" Zipp wondered aloud.

"Would you have given it a second look?" Sunny asked, proving her point.

"That's fair." Zipp turned to the blue unicorn. "Well…what are you waiting for? Open it." Zipp urged, waving her hooves towards Misty.

"I…I don't know…" Misty muttered, her voice full of doubt.

She bit her lip, her ears flattening. She wanted to know what was in this book. She wanted to know so badly. But whatever it was…King Skotos wanted to keep it hidden. She knew that much. Once she opened it, once she read the pages inside, she may be stuck here for the rest of her life. And worse, if her friends discovered what was on these pages…

"What do you mean you don't know? Didn't you say that something wanted you to find this?" Zipp asked.

"Yeah, that's the whole reason why we broke into the restricted section in the first place, remember," Sunny added.

"Yes, I know but…once I read these pages, once we do…and if King Skotos found out…we may never get back to Equestria."

"But…Misty, there's a good chance King Skotos won't find out." Zipp argued.

"But if he does?" Then a thought came to Misty. "Equestria needs us…but…Equestria doesn't need all of us." Misty paused. "Obviously, there's something here that wants me to know something. And I don't think it'll stop until I know. I'm already on trial for supposedly knowing dangerous secrets about Skyros. There's already a good chance I won't return. But…the same can't be said for you. You can still go back to Equestria."

"What…what are you saying, Misty?" Zipp asked, fear evident in her voice.

"I'm saying that if anypony should read these pages, it's me. As long as you're in the dark, you're safe."

"But…Misty…what about you? If you read that…you'll be stuck here." Sunny pointed out.

Misty sighed. "I know."

Zipp shook her head. "No. Forget whatever that thing wants you to know. It isn't worth it. It isn't worth the risk. Whatever it is, we don't need to know it. You don't need to know it. We've survived in Equestria for this long without it, we don't need to know now. I'll leave you behind if I have no choice because I made a promise. But don't make that choice for me if you don't have to."

Misty looked away. She had to, though. She knew she did. She needed to know what that thing was trying to show her. It was…important, she could feel it. She didn't know how she knew or why it was important, but she just did. She thought back to the Opaline in her vision. She was so emotionless. So…broken. Misty thought back to the words Opaline said.

"He's not a monster…"

"He's…he's been…good to me."

Those words were a lie, Misty knew it. She lived with Opaline nearly her whole life. Opaline was a pretty good liar when she wanted to be, but it was clear from the tone of her voice that she didn't want to be. That she was forced to lie, because if she didn't, there'd be major consequences. But, still…Opaline was hoping her sister would hear the lie and come save her. But seeing as how Celestia just let Opaline fly away, Misty knew she didn't. There was something so much deeper in Opaline's past, and Misty would never forgive herself if she didn't figure it out. If she failed to see the pony behind the monster once again.

But that didn't mean she needed to condemn her friends to the same fate. She couldn't trap her friends here, not when Equestria needed them most. She couldn't put Equestria in unnecessary harm. Not like she did when she was working for Opaline. She couldn't do that to Equestria again.

"I…do. I'm sorry, but…I can't just leave and pretend none of this is happening. Something bad, something really bad happened to Opaline and I need to know what. I owe it to her."

"Misty, you don't owe that monster anything," Zipp said firmly.

"She's not a monster!" Misty argued. "I…I know that now."

"But, Misty, she tried to steal magic. She took our cutie marks. She…she took you captive for ten years. You can't seriously think–"

"Zipp, if your mother suddenly went evil, and you had a chance to know why…wouldn't you risk everything to take that chance?" Misty sighed, looking away. "I know Opaline isn't my real mother, but…I don't know who my mother is or was and Alphabittle refuses to talk about her. Opaline, on the other hoof…raised me. And since I don't even know who my mother is…Opaline's been more of a mother to me than she has. Granted, a horrible one but…"

Zipp sighed. She understood where Misty was coming from. Kind of. She understood that if the roles were reversed, and it was Zipp's mom they were talking about, Zipp would make the same decision as Misty, even if Zipp knew they couldn't help her mother.

"Look, he may not find out. But if he does…we don't need to give him a reason to keep you all here."

Sunny and Zipp were silent. They didn't like it, but they understood why Misty would need to read it.

Sunny sighed. "Tell you what, Misty. Give us another two days. If we still can't find an alicorn by then, go ahead and read the book. But…if we can…" Sunny sighed, putting a hoof on Misty's shoulder. "Misty, you and I both know Equestria needs you just as much as it needs us. You know that the Elements of Unity won't work without all of us together. If you really need to know, then it's your choice. We can't stop you. But…please…just think about Equestria. Think about us."

Misty nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Two days. I…I won't read it until then." She muttered, putting the book down. She stared at it for a bit, trying her best to resist the temptation.

"Well, on that note, we should probably head to bed. We don't have all that long until our 120 hours are up and we should really get some rest. We'll have another long day ahead of us tomorrow." Sunny said with a sigh.

Zipp nodded, and together, the two of them stood up and walked to the door. "You coming, Misty?" Zipp asked when she realized Misty was still sitting on the bathroom floor.

"Huh?" Misty asked, seeming startled, looking up at her friends. "Y-yeah. I'll…I'll be right there…just…just give me a minute."

Sunny and Zipp hesitated but eventually complied. They left the bathroom, leaving Misty alone. A glint of purple flashed across the book, making Misty all the more tempted to read what was inside it. But…she couldn't. She had a promise to keep with her friends.

Sighing, she stood up and left the bathroom, holding the book with her magic. She slid it under her bed before climbing under her covers and laying her head on her pillow. Slowly, softly, she closed her eyes, but as she slowly fell asleep, she heard two words in a mare's voice she thought sounded vaguely familiar. A voice she only heard once just two weeks ago…

Help me…

Author's Note

The fifth chapter is finished. This chapter was a little more difficult, but I think it turned out alright.

See if you can guess who the voice belongs to.

Also, on a separate note, I've decided to rename the Pitch Saga. I don't think its original name fits anymore because the series isn't just focusing on Pipp and Hitch and their relationship, but also on the rest of the Mane 6. So, I decided to rename the series Heroism, Family, and Friendship.

Also, since I decided to continue the series indefinitely, I've decided to make a group called Heroism, Family, and Friendship. Just a group to keep track of all the stories that are in the series in order, plus, recently, I've been getting PMs for ideas from multiple people, so, I thought, the group would be a great place for you to drop those ideas for future stories in the series, if you have any. Plus, I'll also separate stories into different folders by genres as well as the main folder, when more stories come out. And who knows? I may or may not drop some sneak peeks of upcoming chapters in the forum. You never know.

See you in the next chapter. Or in the new group.

Hakuna Matata!

Link to the Heroism, Family, and Friendship group ⬇

https://www.fimfiction.net/group/218224/heroism-family-and-friendship

Alicorns

Opaline sighed heavily as she walked the streets of Skyros, alicorns scurrying out of the way and running away from her, clearly afraid. She twisted her lips in disdain, all but numb to it.

🎵They say I'm a monster.
They say I'm a bully.
If that's how they paint me,
Well, they never knew me.🎵

Opaline took off into the air, flying in circles over Skyros before flying to the window of her bedroom, her face and voice devoid of emotion. Mostly. The sound of her voice had the slightest bit of pain to it.

🎵Spent my life on the outside looking in.
Can't remember what it feels like.
Now I must do what I can to survive.
My home no longer fits right.🎵

Opaline landed on the floor of her bedroom, picking up a small pony doll with her magic that looked just like the one from that day all those years ago.

🎵I would've done it all so differently.
Been home when you left me.
Now he only thinks the worst of me.
Oh well.🎵

Opaline flew to the bathroom of her bedchambers, after also picking up a thumbtack. She then pushed in a tile with her hoof and a secret door opened. She flew down the wrapping staircase in the darkness.

🎵He won't stop til he makes a monster out of me.
He has his mind made up, but he still can't see,
That everything I do is to find my way back to you.🎵

She landed before a map that was hung up by thumbtacks on the wall. She lit a lantern with her fire magic, revealing another thumbtack on a place called the Everfree Forest. She put the new thumbtack on another part of the map not too far away and labeled it Canterlot.

🎵Tryna find my way right back to you.
Find my way right back to you.
Tryna find my way right back to you.🎵

Opaline turned to a collection of pictures she kept on a desk, all of them either having Celestia, Luna, or both. Sometimes they'd have Opaline in them, sometimes they wouldn't. She picked one up with her magic and stared at it.

🎵Spent my life making ponies afraid.
Never welcomed, they ran away.
Always made to wander near the edge,
In the distance I'm afraid.

I would've done it all so differently.
Been home when you left me.
Now he only thinks the worst of me.
I'm used to it.🎵

Opaline set the picture down before walking towards something on the other side.

🎵He won't stop til he makes a monster out of me.
He has his mind made up, but he still can't see,
That everything I do is to find my way back to you.
Tryna find my way right back to you.🎵

She then picked up a book, one she kept down here in case the glamour spell wasn't enough. One with the cover of one of her favorite adventure books, when she still read them.

🎵They say I'm a monster.
They say I'm a bully.
If that's how they paint me,
Well, they never knew me.🎵

"Misty," a voice said before Misty felt hooves shake her. "Misty."

Misty's eyes snapped open, surprised to find them a little damp. She looked up to see Pipp looking down at her, a worried expression on her face. Misty blinked, trying to refamiliarize herself with her surroundings.

"Misty? Are you okay?" Pip asked when she saw Misty reorient herself. "You were tossing and turning and saying Opaline and…were you having a nightmare?"

Misty slowly sat up, her mind a mess of questions. It happened. For the second night in a row, it happened. She had another vision, another memory. But…what was it about? Words rang through her head.

"He won't stop, til he makes a monster out of me."

Monster…

"He's…he's not a monster. He…he helped me control my elemental power. He's…he's been…good to me."

King…

"What? No! You can't go back. Not…not while that…monster is still king."

Skotos…

"I didn't find out too much. Just that King Aeroblade had three daughters and was killed by his brother-in-law so that he could be king and he's been king ever since."

"He murdered our father!"

"And yet, you left me behind with him!"

Misty's breath was heavy as the room suddenly felt smaller, as she tried to process all the information she had, and the dots her mind was beginning to connect.

Suddenly, a letter appeared in front of Misty, dropping on top of her blankets on her bed. Great. Now what?

Misty picked it up with her magic and looked at the seal, seeing a crystalline heart in its middle, causing her to gasp. She unfurled it, scanning over the letter, her eyes widening in surprise.

"W-what is it?" Pipp asked. "Who's that letter from? What…what's it say?"

Misty's eyes widened further, if that were even possible, as her face turned red and her ears flattened. Oh no…Hitch was gonna kill them.

"Pipp…we need to talk. Get Hitch and Izzy. Zipp, Sunny, and I need to tell you some stuff, and…you're not going to like it."

"Ugh, what'd my sister do now?" Pipp groaned as she walked away from Misty's bed to get Hitch and Izzy.

"Wait wait wait. Hold up…slow down," Pipp interrupted during Misty's part of the storytelling, waving her hooves. They had just explained everything Misty, Zipp, and Sunny had been learning on the side while also searching for the third alicorn, but clearly, the three of them were thoroughly confused. "Start over, like…much slower."

Misty took a deep breath. "During our first night here…I had a vision…of Opaline's memory…from before she went evil."

"Before she was evil…? Like…she wasn't always evil?" Pipp asked.

"Just evil for the past two thousand years?" Hitch added.

"Remember, alicorns are immortal. So, their concept of time is way different than ours. Our lifetimes are like…a blip in theirs."

"Ours," Zipp corrected.

Sunny blinked, looking at Zipp. "W-what?"

"'Your lifetimes are like a blip in ours'. You're an alicorn, which makes you immortal too. Remember?" Hitch explained with a sympathetic look on his face.

Sunny blinked, completely silent. She…she hadn't even thought about that. The thought…the possibility…no…the reality that she would outlive her friends one day…it never crossed her mind. But now that Hitch and Zipp mentioned it…it felt like a blaring fact…so obvious…how could she not see it before? She'd have to watch…all her best friends…her family…die before her eyes…just like she had to watch her father die all those years ago. But…unlike her father…there were no what-ifs. With her father…if Sunny had just gotten home earlier…if she hadn't left the lighthouse that day…if she had just been there for him when she wasn't…he might still be alive today.

But…her friends…the only family she had left…their deaths were inevitable. She couldn't stop them, delay them. Death was coming for them all, and there was nothing she could do about it. But…instead of being able to join them someday…she'd live on…for all eternity…alone.

Flurry Heart flashed through her mind. Would…would she end up like…her? So cold and hard to protect herself from getting hurt. It suddenly made sense why Skyronian alicorns tried to separate themselves from mortals. At least, one of the reasons. Because, inevitably, heartbreakingly, it would always end in goodbyes. Every relationship an alicorn ever made with a mortal…would end in a permanent goodbye. How did Flurry do it? Losing both her parents, her best friends, her aunt, and honorary aunts and uncles. Everypony she ever knew, was ever close to…gone. She even lost Luster for a time. For a thousand years. How did she…survive that?

Duty. That's how. Flurry Heart had a duty to protect her kingdom and her subjects for eternity. She set aside her own needs for the good of her kingdom. No matter how many ponies she lost, she had to keep going. She couldn't let her kingdom suffer the same grief. Was that why every alicorn that lived in Equestria was a ruler? To help themselves deal with the constant loss they underwent? To keep themselves from dying by their own hoof just to make the pain end?

Sunny looked up at Pipp and Hitch. Falling in love with a mortal was out of the question. Sunny thought to when Pipp died in that changeling throne room. She thought back to how Hitch reacted when he lost her. He was…he wasn't himself. Even Sunny didn't recognize him. But even then…he had that small ball of hope that one day, he'd be reunited with the love of his life.

But…Sunny didn't have that hope. Tears filled her eyes as another thought came to mind. She'd…she'd never see her father again. The thought of one day, decades down the road, she'd one day be reunited with him helped her get past her grief of losing him. But…that day he died…she didn't realize she lost him…not just for fifty, or sixty, or seventy years…but she lost him…forever.

"Sunny?" Izzy asked, her voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Sunny looked up at her friends, all of them watching her with worried expressions. Sunny blinked back her tears, swallowing and clearing her throat. They had bigger things to worry about than the far future. They had much bigger problems. She just had…to set aside her feelings and focus on the problem at hoof.

Sunny plastered on a small smile, but it wasn't fooling anypony. "Yeah. I'm great." Hitch opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Seriously, I'm fine. If that's all the questions you have about Opaline not being evil…"

"I think it was more than just not being evil." Misty thought out loud. "I…I think she was…normal. At least when she was a filly." Misty looked at Zipp. "I…I think she was a lot like you and Pipp with her own sisters."

"Right…Opaline has sisters…this…Celestia and Luna…? Do we even know who those ponies are?" Hitch asked, momentarily forgetting Sunny's odd behavior.

"Well…we know they were the first bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Sunny shrugged.

"That's why we sent the letter to Flurry Heart. Plus…remember when Flurry was telling us about the Elements of Harmony and she mentioned how after defeating Discord, Luna went evil…well, seeing as both of Celestia's sisters went evil…"

"You wanted to know more about why Luna went evil." Pipp finished.

"Basically, yeah. Which is this letter. Well, it's her response." Misty held up the letter with her magic.

"Well then, go on." Zipp urged, her fly pad already out, ready to take notes.

Misty took a deep breath before unfurling the letter. She cleared her throat before reading…

"'Dear, Misty. We hope all is well in Skyros. Flurry and I wish you the best of luck in finding a third alicorn. Just know we'd be there to help if we could, but things are so busy here, that taking a break is out of the question. Which is why I'm writing the letter and not Flurs. She's still busy and it's currently nine at night. Who knew restoring a kingdom that has been asleep for a thousand years would be so much work? Not to worry though. When the time comes, Flurry will be there in Skyros in a wingbeat.

"'In regards to your questions, I'm afraid we can't answer them all. Try to understand, upon hearing your theory that Opaline may be Celestia's and Luna's sister was quite a shock to us, to say the least. We only believed they had one sister. Each other. We always believed they were a duo, balancing each other out as Night and Day, like Yin and Yang. To know that there was a third…

"'However, we can answer some. When Celestia and Luna came from Skyros two millennia ago, it was a real blessing. You see, the unicorn council could no longer raise the sun and moon on their own, so when they came with their gifts, they saved our flanks. Since then, until Princess Twilight's reign, they ruled Equestria. For a thousand years.

"'For your question about Nightmare Moon, only Celestia and Luna know the details, but I can give you the gist. Every day, when Celestia raised the sun, ponies would play and dance in her day, but when Luna raised the moon, they all went to sleep and shunned her beautiful night sky. She grew jealous and eventually turned on her sister, turning into Nightmare Moon and forcing Celestia to banish her to the moon. It was prophesied that Nightmare Moon would return on the longest day of the thousandth year. When she did, however, Princess Twilight and her friends turned her back into Princess Luna.

"'And, finally, regarding your question about a stallion named Starswirl, I believe you are talking about Starswirl the Bearded, one of the greatest sorcerers in history and the only unicorn who could successfully create a time travel spell from the ground up. He was a Pillar, and I believe Flurs told you about them. It was he who found the sun and moon princesses and trained them in their magic.

"'We hope this information helps in terms of your research, and we wish you the best of luck. Sincerely, Luster Dawn.'"

"Well, that wasn't…exactly helpful…" Zipp muttered.

"Yeah. Who in the hay is this Celestia that everypony's jealous of her?" Pipp answered, a bitterness to her tone.

"Yeah…it was about as helpful as that book we found in the restricted section," Sunny muttered. When everypony remained silent after what she said, she looked up to find Hitch staring at her with wide eyes. Her own eyes widened in response, but this was in fear. "Oh no."

"You did what?!" Hitch exclaimed, his eyes bugging out.

"We needed to get information…" Zipp started to explain but stopped when Hitch turned to Sunny.

"Sunny, I expected…" Hitch paused, before shrugging. "Actually, this sounds exactly like something you'd do."

Sunny blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Hitch shrugged again. "Nothing. Just that you're impulsive and you don't always think things through."

"Impu…impul…I'm not impulsive!" Sunny sputtered, clearly offended. "I…I think things through. I–"

"Sunny, you left Maretime Bay for the first time with a unicorn you've known for ten minutes to go to enemy territory and to ask their queen if they knew why their other enemies lost their magic. And then you were surprised when they arrested your flank on the spot!"

Sunny was silent following Hitch's words, at a loss for words to contradict them. It sounded like a good idea at the time, but…said like that…not so much…

"Well, on the bright side," Izzy said with a bright smile. "That unicorn you knew for ten minutes ended up being your best friend…"

"Zipp, I…" Hitch shook his head, turning to Misty. "Misty, I expected better of you. This isn't like you!" Hitch scolded.

"When you go from criminal to the most responsible. " Zipp muttered sarcastically as Misty swallowed nervously.

But then she gasped as something Sunny said made her eyes widen. Yeah…it was about as helpful as that book we found in the restricted section. That book. She saw it again. But not here. The past. She saw it in that dream she had about Opaline. What was it that Opaline had thought to herself? She kept it in that secret room in case the glamour spell wasn't enough. Which means…

"The book…" Misty muttered. "It wasn't just an adventure book. It…it belonged to Opaline, not Skotos. Sunny was right. It was a glamour spell!" Misty's smile grew as she began to connect the pieces.

"Wait…why haven't you read the book before?" Izzy asked, tilting her head.

Reluctantly, the three of them explained why it may not be the best idea to open that book. By doing so, it could trap them all here permanently, especially since Misty was already on trial here for potentially knowing Skyronian secrets. The only reason they were going through with the three-alicorn route was because she honestly didn't know anything. Zipp was also able to learn that according to Skyronian law, if three alicorns vouched for a mortal, and it turned out that the mortal lied and really did know secrets that could bring ruin to Skyros, not only would the mortal be held responsible, but so would the three alicorns, and they'd be executed for treason. It's why finding a third alicorn was so hard. None of them wanted to die for a mortal.

As soon as Misty opened that book and read what was inside, the three alicorns would be risking their lives for a lie and that wasn't right. Even though Sunny and Flurry already volunteered for Misty, they'd be okay until they made their official statement during the trial. If Misty opened that book and learned of the secrets it contained, Sunny and Flurry would still be spared. If she didn't tell anypony, nopony else would be held responsible.

When they finished explaining, the three ponies were silent, staring at Zipp, Misty, and Sunny with wide eyes. Misty bit her lip, looking away, knowing exactly what their response would be.

Hitch's next words only confirmed it. "Whoa. Are you sure investigating Opaline's past is really a good idea? I mean, Opaline's gone now. Learning about her past will do nothing now but doom you."

Before Misty could say another word, Pipp was already speaking. "I gotta agree with Hitch. Even if you did learn about some tragic past she had…it wouldn't change anything. You gotta live in the here and now. Are you really willing to risk your life for an evil mare who's already been defeated?"

"Yeah. Opaline may not have always been evil, but she's definitely evil now."

"Izzy's right. I mean, if raising a pony's greatest fear to life with nonexistent shadow monsters isn't evil, I don't know what is." Zipp added.

"Yeah. Let's just focus on finding that third alicorn so we can go home and leave this whole thing behind us. Okay?" Sunny finished, putting a hoof on Misty's shoulder.

Misty hesitated, biting her lip, before reluctantly nodding. She had a horrible feeling in her gut. A feeling that told her this went far beyond just Opaline. That they were all here, exactly where somepony wanted them. That somepony was moving them around like pieces on a chessboard. She tried to brush it off as Opaline paranoia, but that feeling just wouldn't go away. There was more to this than they were seeing, she just knew it. She just didn't know what, but she hoped that she was wrong.

Lively music played in the square as the group of ponies arrived in the same area they tried yesterday. Though yesterday was focused on just making them happy, so that, maybe, today, the alicorns would be more open to help, just like they helped the alicorns. Though, Sunny thought, maybe they should spend a little more time getting to know them and vice versa before they tried asking for anything. Just to greaten their chances.

Pipp gasped as she saw the square and group of alicorns dancing. "Oh my hoofness!" She quickly turned to Hitch, a pleading sparkle in her eyes. "Please please please dance with me!" She begged.

Hitch smiled softly down at the mare he loved. "Yeah. Alright. Only for you, birdie."

He then turned to one of his friends, only to see that Zipp was already in the air, racing some pegasi. Misty was walking around the booths with Izzy, oohing and ahhing at all the wares. He quickly turned to Sunny, relieved to see he caught her just in time before she hurried off to the smoothie cart that was still set up.

"Sunny! Mind watching Sparky and the Pippsqueaks for a bit while Pipp and I dance a little?" Hitch asked.

"Uh…" Sunny glanced at her smoothie cart before turning back to Hitch with a smile. "Yeah. Sure. Go have fun."

Hitch smiled gratefully before being pulled to the center of the square by Pipp. Sunny giggled as Sparky tried to scurry off to Sunny's smoothie cart. Sunny quickly grabbed him with her magic and set him on Winter's back, much to his surprise.

"Good idea, Sparky. We should all have smoothies." Sunny turned to the Pippsqueaks. "Let me guess. Pipp's usual?" The Pippsqueaks nodded with wide smiles. "Alright. Hey, Winter. Mind watching Sparky and the Pippsqueaks while I go make us all smoothies?"

"Oh, I don't…I'm not–" Winter started with wide eyes before Sunny interrupted.

"Great. Thanks!" She exclaimed before skipping off. Winter may have gotten under her nerves a bit yesterday, but her philosophy was that everypony deserved a fresh start with every new morning. Of course, there were exceptions to every rule, but it remained true with most ponies.

She hurried off to the smoothie cart, not trusting Winter to watch the four children on his own for long, quickly putting together six smoothies. One alicorn special for Sparky. Three strawberry ripples for the Pippsqueaks. Sunny paused, thinking about what Winter might like. Hmm…she made two more alicorn specials, one for herself, and one for Winter.

As she walked out of her smoothie cart, the six smoothies in her magic, she paused when she saw something, her eyes widening, her heart warming, a small smile on her face. She saw Winter, but instead of chaos, she saw the Pippsqueaks squealing as they tried to find somewhere to quickly hide, while Sparky sat on Winter's back, his baby claws over his eyes, and Winter sitting, his hooves over his own eyes, as he counted down from twenty. They were playing hide and seek. Once Winter was done counting, he walked around the square, and despite the obvious hiding places the Pippsqueaks chose, he made it seem like it was difficult to find them, following Sparky's suggestions even when it was clear Sparky was trying to throw him off, playfully scolding him for not playing fair when there was no sign of the Pippsqueaks, causing the baby dragon to laugh hysterically. Especially when Winter began falling for the same joke.

Sunny just watched the prince play with the fillies and baby dragon, a small smile that slowly grew on her face, chuckling when the Pippsqueaks would purposefully trip him when their hide-and-seek game turned into a game of tag. She could spend all day watching him play with the fillies and baby dragon. Soon, other alicorn foals began to play with the rest of them, running around and laughing when Winter would accidentally trip and fall, which would make Sunny chuckle softly too. He almost reminded Sunny of her own father and how he'd play with her when she was a filly.

Sunny's eyes widened in surprise, her face suddenly blushing a deep red, her heart racing. Did…did she just…compare this pompous prince with…her kind, gentle-hearted father? But as she watched him, she realized that this was a completely different Winter. She was so used to the flirtatious, lazy-seeming prince, that she almost didn't recognize this…fun loving alicorn before her.

That was when he noticed her and shrugged, his arrogant smile back on. But after seeing the softer side of him, she could almost see past it now, unlike yesterday.

He walked over to her, that arrogant smile still on his face. "Well, looks like you can be helpful after all," Sunny said with a sly smile. "It seems you've even got yourself a gift."

Winter shrugged. "Eh. I've always been good with foals. Though, it's not something my father would call a 'gift'. Let alone helpful." There was a bit of bitterness in his tone.

Sunny smiled, handing him the smoothie. "How about when Hitch and Pipp are finished, you can take me on a little tour?"

Winter seemed to think about it for a moment before shrugging and agreeing. He then took a sip of his smoothie and his eyes widened. "Dear gods above! Did you make this?" He asked, turning to Sunny.

Sunny nodded, a little nervous. She couldn't tell from his expression if it was good or not. "Y-yeah."

"This is wonderful. Truly, one of the best things I've ever tasted, and I've tasted a lot."

"R-really?" Sunny asked hopefully, a smile growing, pride growing in her chest.

"Why, of course. As Prince, I am constantly taste-testing nearly every dish made in the castle. Plus, I've got to go to other restaurants in the city as it's important to get involved in the kingdom you rule in and–" Winter stopped when he saw the look on Sunny's face. "Oh, you meant about that. Yes. It really is one of the best things I have ever tasted. You have a real knack for these. However do you make them?"

Sunny's smile grew challenging. "I can show you if you want."

Winter's eyes widened momentarily, as though in panic. "Oh, I…I don't think that's–"

"Oh, come on. Quit being such a scaredy pony," Sunny said, grabbing Winter's hoof and pulling him to her smoothie cart just as Pipp and Hitch finished their dance and were watching Sparky and the Pippsqueaks.

"I'll have you know–" He started, but stopped when Sunny gave him an apron. Hesitantly, he grabbed it with his magic and tried to put it on. With a little bit of maneuvering, he was able to figure it out.

"Okay, we are gonna start with something simple. Pearnana delights."

"Pearnana?" Winter asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a cross between a pear and a banana. Okay, so, first you're gonna cut up these pearnanas." Sunny handed him a knife, a cutting board, and a couple of odd-looking banana-shaped fruits that looked an awful lot like pears.

"Cut the pearanas?" He asked hesitantly, grabbing the knife, cutting board, and fruit.

"Pearnanas." Sunny corrected.

Winter nodded, staring at the fruit hesitantly. He's never been asked to…cut anything before.

"Are you cutting?" Sunny asked as she prepared the blender and other ingredients.

"Yeah, relax." Winter picked up the knife and began cutting, cutting the first slice excruciatingly slowly. He stopped halfway, sighing heavily as though he were exhausted before continuing. "One."

Sunny turned, smiling and shaking her head. She never met anypony with such an aversion to work before. Even Pipp wasn't nearly as bad, though she was a bit reluctant to get her hooves dirty.

"Step aside, Mister." Sunny said as she grabbed the knife from his magic with her hoof." Watch," she twirled the knife in her hoof, grabbing the pearnana, "and learn."

Sunny cut the pearnana in perfect slices with impressive speed and expert efficiency. Winter watched her with wide eyes, thoroughly impressed. This mare…he's never met anypony like her. She really was something.

She then grabbed another pearnana and gave it to Winter, putting the knife in his hoof when he tried to pick it up with his magic. She put her hoof over his and slowly guided it through the first couple of cuts before slowly letting go and letting him do it on his own.

"You know, I've…I've never done anything like this before," Winter admitted, not sure why he suddenly felt embarrassed about it when he never had before.

"Really?" Sunny asked with mock surprise as she grabbed the cut pearnana pieces and put them in the blender.

Winter chuckled. "Alright. But…when you live in a castle, everything is done for you. All the time. They dress you. They feed you. They…they brush your teeth."

"Oh, poor baby," Sunny teased, shaking her head.

"I admit, it was a charmed life, but…I guess I didn't learn a bunch of stuff along the way. And…I guess…as prince…all eyes were on me." Winter finished cutting his pearnana and moved the cutting board to the side, sitting down in front of the counter. "If I tried anything, ponies expected me to succeed. My…father expected me to succeed…I guess I was so scared of letting them down, of failing, I…I guess I never really tried. But…yesterday when…when you needed help," Winter put his face on his hoof, a lost look on his face. "It made me realize, I don't know how to do anything."

Sunny paused mid-motion putting the ice in the blender, her eyes widening. His fear was so much like her own. She worried so much about failing, that she didn't even know it was her greatest fear until her own Elemental test. She was just so worried about letting others down, that they'd think of her like they thought of her when she was a filly. A fool with ridiculous dreams that would never come true because not only did she not have what it took, but they were also impossible.

Sunny turned to look at Winter, who was staring down at the pearnanas he cut with a storm of emotions in his eye. She looked down at the pearnanas he cut, which were messy like a toddler cut them, but she smiled reassuringly anyway.

"Well, hey. You got the makings of a decent fruit cutter." She complimented as she picked up the cut pearnanas with her magic.

"Oh? You think so?" Winter asked, perking up.

Sunny nodded. "Yeah. Keep practicing and I just might hire you as my co-smoothie maker."

"Really?" Winter asked hopefully.

"No," Sunny answered after a moment, a small smile on her face.

"Aw, c'mon!" He exclaimed in mock disappointment, making Sunny chuckle. "What was that? That…that was below the alicorn belt." Sunny burst out laughing, Winter joining in as they both continued to make their pearnana smoothie.

As they made it, a song began to play in the background, a slow one. As they finished the smoothie, they both couldn't ignore the beautiful lyrics. Sunny glanced at Winter, who'd glance at her as well.

Je t'adore. "I adore you." Winter suddenly said. Je t'aime… "I love you." At Sunny's thoroughly confused look, he clarified. "I'm just translating. You seemed interested in the song. It's old Skyronian."

Sunny nodded slowly, looking away from Winter. Winter smiled softly before grabbing Sunny's hoof and leading her out of the cart, positioning them for a dance. Sunny's eyes widened as she realized his intention. "Oh, I don't dance." She said, pulling away.

He tried again, but she only just pulled away, walking back towards the smoothie cart. "I've never danced before. Not…not like that."

Winter smiled softly. And here he thought she was rejecting him. He walked over to her, grabbing her hoof again. "If I can cut fruit, you can slow dance."

Slowly, Winter began gliding them around the smoothie cart in circles. She was a little uncertain at first, but she soon got the hang of it. She smiled, surprised to see herself slow dancing. She's never been asked to dance before by a colt, let alone a prince. Her cutie mark slowly began to glow as the trumpet slowly ended the song.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Sunny said, looking away from Winter.

"Sorry?" Winter asked, surprised. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Sunny shifted uncomfortably. That wasn't…entirely true, but that wasn't what she was apologizing for right now. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I wasn't myself."

"Yesterday? Sunny, you were great," Winter countered, still so confused.

"No. I built up this horrible image of you yesterday and I was wrong. My father always told me to find the best in everypony but I just saw the worst in you. And for that, I'm sorry. You are a really good pony."

Winter swallowed, looking away, guilt welling up in him. Good was the last thing he'd use to describe himself. And maybe Sunny's image of him wasn't wrong. He's witnessed some horrible things in his past…and he's done a horrible thing to Sunny's friend, even though Sunny's been nothing but nice to him. And he was keeping a horrible secret.

"Sunny! Sunny!" Pipp exclaimed, flying up to Sunny and Winter, interrupting the moment. She skidded to a stop when she saw them together. Her eyes widened briefly, and, seeing her look, the two of them quickly separated at least six feet away from each other, if not more.

"Oh…am I…interrupting anything?" Pipp asked slyly, a hinting tone in her voice.

"Uh…n-no…definitely n-not," Sunny answered, a little too quickly for it to be believable.

"Uh-huh…" she said, making it clear she didn't believe them. She knew that look. It was a look she saw in Hitch's eyes whenever he looked at her. She shook her head, letting it go. They had bigger things to worry about. "Right. Well, Sunny, we have a problem. Like, a big one."

"What do you mean?" Sunny asked, confused.

"Umm…well…a couple of alicorns were asking why we were here, and we were trying to find some excuse that didn't mention finding a third alicorn for Misty like you said right? But then Izzy blurted it out and now it's absolute chaos. Come on."

Sunny and Winter followed Pipp to the other side of the huge square, gasping when they saw the huge crowd gathered around Misty, Izzy, and Zipp. Hitch was off to the side, watching a worried Sparky and Pippsqueaks, a worried expression of his own on his face. Sunny guessed he was on filly/dragonsitting duty.

Most of the alicorns in the crowd were speaking all at once and Sunny couldn't hear anything specific, but a few phrases did stand out to her…

Mortals! Tryna bribe us!

Why should we trust you?

Get outta here! We don't want you here!

Enough of this. These were her friends and these alicorns were out of line. Sunny was about to intervene when, suddenly, Misty stepped forward, staring at the crowd bravely. She stepped in front of Zipp and Izzy and addressed the crowd.

"You're all right! Well, except for the bribing." The crowd silenced upon hearing Misty speak, surprised by what she was saying. "You don't know me. And I've given you no reason to trust me, let alone risk your lives for me. So…the least I can do is…is to be honest with you all…about everything. The good. The bad. All of it. I need to show you me."

Misty took a deep breath before singing:

🎵I'm here to show you who I am.
The mare I tried so hard to find.
There's more to me than my past.
And now I feel my stars align!🎵

Misty smiled, getting lost in her song. Inspired, the pianist in the band began to play a soft melody that went with Misty's song.

🎵For I had believed what I was sold.
I did all the things I was told.
But all that has changed and I am bold,
Cause I know…🎵

As Misty got into the chorus, belting out the notes from her very soul, the rest of the band joined in, creating a beautiful symphony with her song.

🎵That I am just a pony,
I make mistakes from time to time!
But now I know the real me,
I put my heart out on the line!
And let the magic in my heart stay true,
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.
And let the magic in my heart stay true,
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.
Just like the magic inside of you.🎵

As Misty sang, the magenta and coral butterfly on her flank began to glow brightly, making all the alicorns gasp in amazement.

🎵And now I see those colors right before my eyes.
I hear my voice so clearly and I know that it is right!

She thought I was weak, but I am strong.
She sold me the world, but she was wrong!
And now that I'm back, I still belong,
Cause I know!🎵

As Misty began to sing the chorus again, the alicorns in the crowd joined in, including Misty's five friends. Winter was surprised. He's never seen anything like this, an entire town square, joining in on something a mortal started. It was impressive and amazing. Misty's cutie mark shone so brightly, it was nearly blinding, but still, everypony sang. And over it all, Misty's voice could still be heard.

🎵That we are all just ponies,
We make mistakes from time to time!
But as long as we know the real us,
We'll put our hearts on the line!
So that the magic in our hearts stay true,
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.
So that the magic in our hearts stay true,
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa.🎵

The rest of the crowd silenced as the song died down until it was just Misty singing the final lines solo again:

🎵Cause there is magic inside of you.
There is magic inside of you.🎵

Silence permeated the air following Misty's song and her eyes widened as she realized what she had done. Her face blushed a crimson red and her ears flattened, her heart racing in fear. She'd never sung in front of anypony before and now she could feel her stage fright start to set in again. She wanted to run, but she somehow couldn't make her hooves move.

Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder and she looked back to see Izzy with her hoof on Misty's shoulder, smiling softly at her, Zipp doing the same beside Izzy. Misty looked around to see looks of pride on all of her friends' faces. She smiled softly, feeling her racing and pounding heart calm. All of her friends were so proud of Misty. She had come such a long way and had grown so much from the pony Izzy first met in the town square of Maretime Bay the day she invited Misty to a traditional unicorn sleepover. And the pony she's become was so beautiful.

Suddenly, an alicorn, a light blue alicorn with a blue and white mane stepped up, looking shy, but also not backing down. She looked at Misty with an expression full of kindness and empathy.

"You're right, blue unicorn. Everypony makes mistakes. But as long as we stay ourselves and the magic in our hearts stays true, we all deserve a second chance when we make mistakes. Including you. I will stand for you."

Misty's eyes widened, along with the other five ponies. Izzy gasped dramatically beside Misty, putting a hoof to her mouth.

Misty just stared wide-eyed at the blue alicorn. "R-really?" She asked, unable to believe it.

When the blue alicorn simply smiled and nodded, Pipp squealed. "Oh, my hoofness! Neigh way!" She exclaimed, happiness filling her.

"Do you know what this means, Misty!" Hitch cheered with a wide smile of his own. "You have three alicorns to vouch for you! You're gonna be okay!"

"I…I can't believe it…" Misty muttered, her eyes still wide.

"I can escort the alicorn to the castle and we can have the trial as soon as tomorrow," Winter whispered to Sunny. "You said you had another alicorn at your disposal? We can send guards to wherever she is and bring her back."

"Yes. Of…of course! Thank you, Winter! Um…Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire. I can give you more if–"

"I think we can find her," Winter said with a small smile on his face.

Sunny squealed and hugged Winter before joining her friends in their cheering and celebrating, relief falling over the whole group. Except for two. Misty wanted to be as happy as her friends, but for some reason, she couldn't. There was still something teasing the edge of her mind, making her stomach sick with dread.

She looked over at Zipp to see her a little on guard too. She could see that Zipp wasn't celebrating as much as the others were like something was holding her back as well.

Misty prayed she was wrong, but she had the feeling this was only the beginning…

Author's Note

Alright…another chapter done.

Sorry this took so long. As I said in my blog post, there's something else that currently requires my focus and will probably take up 75% of my writing time soon, so updating might be a bit slower.

I'm so happy with this chapter. I've enjoyed writing Misty and her character growth throughout the series and I feel like this story has really shown the progress she's made and how much she's blossomed. I knew I wanted her to sing the "The Magic Inside" since the Magic In Us story, but I just didn't know when it would be a good time. But I feel like putting it here was perfect.

Also, as for who Winter is based off of, I used another one of his Disney character's scenes. Hint: if you can figure out the song Winter and Sunny danced to, you'll figure out the character he's based off of.

Well, see you in the next chapter! :twilightsmile:

Hakuna Matata

Thousand Yard Stare

Warning:

The following contains content some viewers may find disturbing.

Viewer discretion is advised.

"Alright…we should get to bed. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." Sunny said with a small smile.

After spending the rest of the day celebrating in the town square, they finally made it back to the castle and were standing in the grand hall. There weren't any guards with them, nor was Winter. He said he had to go so he could send guards to retrieve Flurry Heart and tell his father about tomorrow's trial. He said that as long as they head straight for their room, they should be fine.

"Finally. We're gonna go home. I never want to go on another adventure for as long as I live." Pipp added.

"Oh, birdie, it's not that bad." Hitch comforted, putting a hoof around Pipp. When Pipp gave him a look, he quickly backtracked. "Okay, so maybe I'm more than happy and relieved that we're going home. I mean, can you blame me? Do you know how close we've come to dying on so many occasions?"

"Look alive, ponies," Zipp reminded. "It's not over yet. We still have to make it through tomorrow first. It's entirely possible that something could go wrong at the last minute. Something always does."

Izzy was next to Zipp in an instant. "Oh, Zipp. You're being jinxie. Skotos sent guards to the Crystal Empire to get Flurry Heart, we have an alicorn that'll back Misty and we have Sunny."

"Izzy's right, Zipp." Hitch agreed. "I doubt King Skotos wants us here longer than necessary."

"Though, maybe his son wants a certain alicorn to stay a little longer, huh? Huh?" Pipp said with a small smile, playfully nudging Sunny with her elbow, making Sunny blush.

"But…" Zipp started but stopped at Hitch's stern look.

"Zipp, Sunny's right. We should really get some rest. Even if something were to go wrong, we'll be better prepared if we got some rest first."

Zipp sighed, looking away from her friends. That was when she noticed Misty hadn't said a word. She had a look of unease on her face like something was making her nervous, or, dare Zipp say, scared even.

"Alright," Sunny said with a yawn. "Off to bed." Pipp, Hitch, Izzy, and Sunny all began to walk to their rooms when Sunny noticed Misty didn't move. "Misty?"

Misty looked up, seeming startled. "W-what?" Misty asked.

"We're all going to bed. You comin'?" Izzy asked, watching Misty with a worried expression.

"Umm…yeah…I'll…I'll be right there…I just…need a moment." Misty muttered, hoping not to worry her friends too much.

"Are…are you sure that's a good idea? Winter did say he wanted us to go straight to our rooms…"

Zipp waved a hoof. "I'll stay with her. We'll make up some excuse or other if we run into any trouble."

Sunny nodded, still looking a little uneasy, but she let it go. "Um…alright…I'll just uh…wait up for you. Just to uh…make sure you're okay. 'Night."

Sunny walked away and the two mares sat in silence for a bit. Truth was, Zipp wanted to grill…er…gently ask Misty what was wrong. However, Zipp always did tend to get out of hoof when it came to her questions.

Zipp sighed, glancing around before asking, "You feel it too, huh?"

Misty's eyes widened, but she tried to play it off. She didn't want to worry her friends. "F-feel w-what?"

"That something isn't right. That something isn't adding up. We just…don't know what it is yet." Misty was silent, not wanting to lie to Zipp, but also not wanting to worry her more. "It's okay, Misty. You can tell me."

Misty was silent for another moment or two, biting her lower lip before diving into it…

🎵I didn't want to be a burden,
But I get the feeling we are all just pawns.
Something else is just pulling at our strings,
And I get the sense that it's not something friendly.🎵

Misty stood up, her stomach a ball of dread, and began walking in the direction of their room, but soon turned left when she should've gone straight. There was something she needed to do, somewhere she needed to go, but she couldn't help but get a bad feeling about this. Zipp hesitated before slowly following behind.

Misty continued to sing…

🎵Like a bug, my skin is crawling.
I get the feeling something's wrong.
There's more to this than we are seeing.
But way down deep inside I hope I'm wrong.🎵

Zipp clenched her jaw as she slowly followed Misty through the maze of passageways and up flights of stairs. She knew exactly how Misty felt. She's been having the same feeling. It's why she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

🎵As the Element of Courage,
I should be immune to chills and petty frights.
But my detective instincts have been tingling like crazy.
Skotos Malum is not all he appears to be.

Like a bug, my skin is crawling.
I get the feeling something's wrong.
There's more to this than we are seeing.
But way down deep inside I hope I'm wrong.🎵

Suddenly, Misty gasped as she saw a flash of purple down the hall, turning right at the end of it, the same flash she saw in the restricted section, but this time, the figure of a pony was more apparent. "D-did you see that?" She asked Zipp, pointing down the hall.

"See what?" Zipp asked, glancing around nervously.

"I thought I saw…" she trailed off as she heard the voice again. The same voice that she heard right before she fell asleep the night before. It even said the same thing. Help me.

"You thought you saw what?" Zipp asked when it was clear Misty wasn't going to continue. "Misty?"

Misty swallowed, before continuing down the hall, turning in the same direction of the purple flash.

🎵Never before in my wildest dreaming,
Have I felt so strong that things aren't right…🎵

Zipp couldn't help but agree…

🎵Like somepony out there has been deceiving,
And lying to the Guardians that unite 🎵

Finally, they reached another set of stairs that seemed to reach up into one the of towers. Misty swallowed as she looked up at it.

Misty took a deep breath. "Something wants me to go up there."

Zipp was silent for a moment. "You sure it's not that puppet master you spoke of earlier?"

Misty clenched her jaw. She couldn't answer that. So, instead, she walked down the dark hallway, Zipp following reluctantly. As they walked down it, they began to sing their chorus together, coming to a door and stopping just before it.

🎵Like a bug our skins are crawling.
We get the feeling something's wrong.
There's more to this than we are seeing.
But way down deep inside, we hope we're wrong.🎵

As they reached the end of their song and walked through the door at the top of the tower, which opened to a balcony, they saw a shadowy figure standing on the balcony railing, before it just walked off into the empty air and the next thing they could remember was screaming.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Zipp muttered, her voice trembling.

"Hey, babe?" Hitch said as the four of them walked down the hall to their room. Hitch glanced behind himself to see Sunny lingering behind everypony, her head hanging. Hitch wanted to talk to her, wanted to see what was wrong. And, to be honest, he wanted to check in with her after what happened this morning. "I need to go talk to Sunny real quick."

Pipp smiled before kissing Hitch on the cheek. "Go ahead. Make sure she's okay."

Hitch smiled down at Pipp before slowing to a stop, waiting for Sunny to catch up with him, while Pipp, Izzy, and the Pippsqueaks continued walking, Sparky on Pipp's back. Sunny walked right past him, seeming lost in her own world. Hitch walked beside her, looking at her with concern in his eyes.

"Sunny? Is everything okay?" He asked.

Sunny seemed startled for a moment, looking up at him, before sighing heavily. That was…a complicated question. But, then again, wasn't it always?

"I'll…I'll be fine…" Sunny muttered, looking straight ahead.

"This doesn't have anything to do with what happened this morning, does it? When Zipp and I corrected you about our differing lifespans?" When Sunny looked up at him with surprise, Hitch just chuckled. "Sunny, we grew up together. I know when something's bothering you, and, most of the time, I can figure out what. What's wrong? Do you not want to live forever?" As Hitch said this, he added a tone of mock awe to his voice.

"No. Not if it means I have to spend it alone. Without all of you. Without my dad." Sunny paused before continuing. "Hitch, a long time ago, you told me you were the only real friend I had left in Maretime Bay."

"Sunny, I said a lot of things…a lot of things I didn't mean and a lot of things I was wrong about–"

"I know, but…you were right about that. Before Izzy came to Maretime Bay, you were the only friend I had. I…I remember when it was like that. When I only had you. It was…it was hard. But…one day…I'm gonna go back to being like that." Sunny chuckled bitterly. "It's ironic really. I spent all that time as a filly trying to make friends with other kinds when in the end, I'll end up just like I did as a filly. No matter how many friends I make."

Hitch could feel his heart cracking hearing Sunny say those things. This wasn't like her. She made friends wherever she went. She…she worked so hard to accomplish her dreams. Was she really gonna let something like immortality tear her dreams down? And what made it worse was that…Hitch knew exactly where Sunny was coming from. If he had to live his life always outliving his friends, he didn't know how many times he could say goodbye before he stopped saying hello altogether.

But Sunny wasn't Hitch. She was the embodiment of hope. She just didn't give up because she didn't want to say goodbye.

Suddenly, Sunny stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide and a quiet gasp escaping her lips. "Sunny?" Hitch asked, confused.

He looked up to see a white alicorn standing beside the door to their room, playing a lyre. Hitch couldn't decide if it was to impress anypony, or if it was just to pass the time. Hitch looked back at Sunny to see a small blush on her cheeks.

"Sunny?" Hitch asked again, leaning into her. "You good?"

Sunny's eyes widened briefly before she cleared her throat. "Y-yeah, I-I'm fine. Just…wasn't expecting to see Winter here, that's…that's all."

"Hey, I know you and Winter have been getting along today and all but… just be careful with him, alright? He's the king's son."

Sunny blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just that…only a fool would trust the king. We still don't know what happened to Opaline in the time between when her sisters left Skyros and Opaline was banished. Alright? We just…need to be careful until we can get out of here, you know?"

Sunny sighed, nodding. Hitch, of course, was right. They were all walking on eggshells until they could successfully clear Misty's name. They had to be on guard and watch where they stepped.

Sunny took a deep breath before walking up to Winter. When Winter saw her, he quickly stood up, a small smile on his face. But it wasn't that arrogant smile Sunny was so used to seeing. This one seemed genuine. But there was a sad edge to it. A sorrowful gleam in his eye. One Winter seemed to try so hard to hide.

When Sunny and Hitch approached Winter, Hitch quickly excused himself, walking into the room to join his friends and his wife. When he told them Winter was waiting for Sunny, they all quickly put their ear to the door in a desperate attempt to overhear the two alicorns.

"Hey," Sunny said, obviously a little shy, looking up at Winter before looking away. "I…I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well, I did everything rather quickly. Quicker than I intended. I have all this empty time before I go to bed now and I have no idea what to do with it. And then I remembered," Winter leaned in a little closer to Sunny. "I promised you a tour."

"Oh, well, umm…I…uh…" Sunny stammered, swallowing.

Her heart was racing and pounding so hard, she thought it would beat right out of her chest. She didn't understand why she was having this reaction. Sure, they had a great day today. And sure, she'd consider Winter her friend, despite not knowing him for long. But, then again, she knew Izzy for not nearly as long as she knew Winter when she considered Izzy her friend. But…this? She had no idea where this was coming from. Especially considering how yesterday, she couldn't stand his flank.

"Cat's got your tongue?" Winter asked with his usual sly and arrogant smile, though this one lacked his usual finesse.

"I…well…I was trying to say it's okay. Plans change. I still had a lot of fun with you." Sunny sighed when she was done, relieved to finally get that out of the way.

"Well…I wish to have more fun, Princess." Winter said, holding out his hoof. "There is something I'd like to show you. If you'll let me…"

Sunny hesitated, staring at Winter's hoof. Winter stayed completely silent, letting Sunny make this decision without any sway. Sunny bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons before finally taking his hoof. What was the worst that could happen anyway?

As they walked away, Sunny made sure to say, "And I'm not a princess."

"No. But you ought to be." Winter muttered, a charming smile on his face, but it looked a little strained like there was more to that statement than just the words suggested.

The two of them walked down a maze of hallways and stairs before coming to a stop in front of a beautiful tapestry. A tapestry Sunny has seen before. Back in Opaline's lair. She gasped, staring up at it. Even though she'd seen it before, it was still something beautiful.

"I've…I've seen this tapestry before…" Sunny muttered looking up.

"You have?" Winter asked, a tad surprised. "Well, do you know the story woven into it?" Sunny shook her head, not taking her eyes off of it. Winter stepped up to Sunny, as he began to explain. "Well, this tapestry is about the first alicorns. We alicorns believe we're descended from the gods and goddesses of the four elements. The mountains represent earth alicorns. The clouds represent air alicorns. And the water represents water alicorns." Winter paused, allowing Sunny time to soak it in before continuing. "Some say it's a prophecy. That one day, a savior, one that thinks themselves no better than the rest, that's why they're not spotlighted, will come and save Skyros."

"Where's fire?" Sunny asked, confused. "You mentioned earth, water, and air, but what about fire?"

Winter had a small smile on his face. "That's where the prophecy part comes into play. Originally, we assumed it was just prejudice. Way back when…when this tapestry was created, alicorns were separated by element. One element didn't like the others. But…it never really sat right with historians because the other elements are equally represented. It wasn't until the fire alicorns went extinct that we started to believe it was a prophecy."

Sunny studied the tapestry, something she wasn't able to do too much at Opaline's castle. That was when she noticed something odd. "Winter, look. That…that alicorn looks a little like me." Sunny observed, pointing a hoof at an orange alicorn mare with a magenta and purple mane.

Winter seemed to squint at the alicorn Sunny was pointing at. "It does, doesn't it." Winter shrugged. "It's probably just a coincidence. This is all alicorn lore, mind you. I just figured you'd appreciate learning a little more about alicorn culture."

Sunny smiled softly, looking at Winter. "I do. Thank you."

"It was my pleasure, Princess." Winter bowed his head.

Sunny smiled as she realized this was the first time Winter called her Princess, and it didn't grate on her nerves. They were about to walk away, Winter looking surprisingly relieved when Sunny's cutie mark began to glow. Then, the tapestry itself also began to glow and the alicorns on it began to move, and the stars combined into an image of a golden six-pointed star with all the alicorns surrounding it. Just like it did at Opaline's dark castle.

"Whoa. Winter, look!" Sunny exclaimed. "It did this before too. When I saw it at Opaline's dark castle. The Starscout crest!" She turned to Winter. "Do you know why it–" Sunny stopped when she saw the look on Winter's face. His face was turned away, a look of sorrow and regret on it. "Winter? Are…are you okay?"

Winter opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. He wanted to tell Sunny everything. This mare, this one-of-a-kind mare, made him feel things nopony else has made him feel. And only after two days of knowing each other, not counting the first day. He didn't want to see her get hurt. But…could he really turn on him after everything? Could he really make thousands of years of work all for nothing? Plus, going against him could make everything worse.

Winter didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, he didn't have to. As he was grappling with what to say, an alarm overhead began blaring. They heard shouting and somepony saying it was in the courtyard.

"Sunny…maybe…maybe you should go back to your room," Winter muttered, looking away from Sunny.

"What? Why? Do you know what happened?" Sunny asked, confused.

"I…it just can't be anything good, that's all." Was all Winter said.

"Not good? You're going to have to do better than that cause, trust me, I've seen my fair share of not good." Sunny argued. "I'm coming with."

"Even if I say no, you're just gonna follow me anyway, aren't you?" When Sunny hesitated, not sure how to answer that, Winter just shook his head. "Whatever. Let's go."

Zipp and Misty stared at the balcony in utter shock. Without thinking, Zipp ran to the edge of the balcony, her eyes wide, only to stumble back from what she saw. Blood. There was so much blood. Zipp could barely see the body against the backdrop of dark red.

Zipp's breath grew heavy as the air around them suddenly grew smaller, more suffocating. Zipp grew dizzy as her mind grew hazy and her vision began to blur. That did not just happen. That did not just happen. That alicorn did not just…

Zipp heard voices that snapped her out of her internal panic. "You four! Check the tower! You three, stay with the deceased while I get a medic! The rest of you, secure the perimeter! If this is a murder, the murderer is not getting away!"

Shit. Zipp stood up on shaky hooves, stumbling towards Misty, her whole body shaking like the vibration mode on her phone. Zipp paused when she saw Misty's stare. It was blank and emotionless. It would almost look like Misty was focusing on something far, far away if her gaze was actually focused. Her gaze was completely blank.

Zipp approached Misty, the urgency of the situation not lost on her. Misty's eyes didn't even move. It was like Misty didn't even notice Zipp existed. "Misty. Misty, look at me."

But Misty just kept her glassy gaze where the alicorn stood on the railing just moments ago. Misty didn't even twitch. Her gaze remained unfocused, as though completely unaware of anything around her. As though Misty just went bye-bye and left this shell of a body behind.

"Misty. Misty, come on. No, no, no, no. After everything we've been through. now you go into shock?" Zipp asked in an exasperated tone, but of course, Zipp got no response. Not even an eye blink or a glance in her direction. "Misty. Come on. We need to get out of here. Now. If we're caught up here, none of us are going home. Not Sunny, not Hitch, not Izzy or Pipp. Not you or me. Nopony. They're going to arrest us on the spot if they don't kill us first. Misty, I need you to teleport us out of here. Please."

But Misty just continued to stare straight ahead.

Ears ringing. Heart racing. Heart pounding. Mouth dry. Stomach twisting. Body shaking. Then…a voice. A quiet voice, but it was there. Another voice was heard. Urging Misty to do something. Misty couldn't understand it. It was like…the voice was trying to speak to her through glass. But the other voice…Misty could hear it clearly as it echoed through her mind.

"Misty…Misty…Misty…"

"Misty! Can you hear me? We need to leave now. You need to teleport us out of here."

"Misty…Misty…You're in danger…danger…danger…"

"Misty, look at me. Come on snap out of it. Dammit Misty, look at me!"

"Misty…Misty…You need to go…go…Equestria is in danger…danger…"

"Misty, we have to go. Now! Misty! We're running out of time. Snap out of it! Please!"

"Misty…Misty…You must stop him…stop him before it's too late…late…late…"

Suddenly, Misty felt something stir. Something deep inside her. Suddenly, her horn lit a bright coral, and Zipp smiled, her insides sagging with relief. Suddenly, the two mares appeared in the chambers of the castle in a flash of coral, where their friends were getting ready for bed.

"About time. We were getting worried something ha–" Pipp started, but stopped when she saw the looks on her sisters' faces. "What the hell happened to you two?!"

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, worrying the ponies further. "Zipp. What did you do?!"

"Why do you think I did something?" Zipp asked, clearly offended.

"Um…guys…" Izzy started before Pipp could answer. "Something's wrong with Misty. She's not moving. She won't even look at me."

"Here, let me look at her," Hitch said as he sat in front of Misty, looking into her eyes and gauging her reaction time.

Zipp twisted her lips. "Since when are you a medical expert?"

Pipp rolled her eyes, answering for Hitch so he could concentrate on Misty. "Ugh. Don't you know anything? As sheriff, he needs to be prepared for any situation a pony may need help in. Including medical knowledge that goes beyond basic first aid. At least enough to keep a victim alive until medics can get there."

"Shell shock…" Hitch muttered after a moment. He turned to Zipp. "How long has she been like this?"

"I…I don't know. A…a few minutes, I-I think." Zipp stammered.

Hitch nodded before standing up and putting a hoof around Misty's neck. "Misty, can you hear me? You're alright, okay? Everything will be okay. It's over." He slowly guided Misty to her bed, before she fainted, leaning against him for support. "Whoa." He muttered, stumbling back a bit, trying to support his own weight plus Misty's. "Hey, Iz. A little help?"

Izzy nodded and hurried over, using her magic to help pick up Misty. Once Misty was comfortably settled, Hitch turned to Zipp. "Now. I need some explanations."

Zipp nodded, still seeming a bit out of it. "I uh…yeah…um…n-not here though…" she stammered, looking at Izzy and Misty. Izzy stayed by Misty's side, refusing to move from it.

Hitch and Pipp nodded before they both entered one of the bathrooms. As soon as the door was closed, Zipp broke down. "I knew this would happen! I knew it! But did you guys listen? No! You all called me crazy! Now look! We're in deep fucking shit! Fuck!" Zipp was hyperventilating now at this point. She raised her hoof, punching the wall.

Pipp and Hitch looked at each other, each seeing the fear clearly in the other's eyes. They've never seen Zipp act like this before. They knew not much scared the element bearer of courage, but right now, they could tell Zipp was terrified to the bone.

"Zipp. Please. Just try to calm down and explain what happened." Hitch said calmly, approaching Zipp with a raised hoof like one would approach a wounded animal.

"Calm down? Calm DOWN?! YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN AFTER SEEING THAT SHIT!" Zipp snapped, glaring at Hitch with fire in her eyes.

Hitch backed up, clearly not stupid enough to provoke Zipp when she was like this. As for his wife though…she slowly walked up to her sister, an open and terrified look on her face. Hitch tried to stop her, but when she looked back at him, she had a look that said: "Trust me". Hitch swallowed, backing up a bit, and nodding.

Pipp tentatively walked up to Zipp, holding her breath. "Sis…just…take some deep breaths…"

Zipp turned to face her sister, getting in her face. "Deep breaths?! Take your deep breaths, and SHOVE THEM UP YOUR ASS!"

Hitch was between Zipp and Pipp in an instant, glaring daggers at Zipp and standing protectively in front of Pipp, who had flinched back and was now hiding behind Hitch. This was…Zipp had never yelled at her like that before. Ever. What happened?

"Zephyrina Storm!" Hitch yelled. Yelling at him was one thing. Yelling at her sister was one thing. Getting in his wife's face and yelling like that, scaring her to death was a whole nother. Hitch never used Zipp's full name before, and it stunned her for a minute. "You need to calm the fuck down! I know you've seen…something…but whatever it is, it doesn't warrant this kind of behavior! This isn't you!"

"Oh yeah? Then you go and watch a pony KILL THEMSELVES and see how you react, Mr. Perfect!"

The room was silent following Zipp's words, the two ponies staring at her with wide eyes. Did they…did they just hear her right? Did she just say…Pipp blinked, stumbling back with wide eyes. Hitch just stared at her uncomprehendingly.

"Did you just say…" Hitch trailed off, unable to say it himself.

"And that's not even the worst part…" Zipp said softly, suddenly calming down, scaring the two ponies even more.

Misty's eyes snapped open to find herself standing in front of the Crystal Brighthouse. How…how did she get here? The last thing Misty could remember was celebrating in the town square. Everything after that was completely blank. Misty looked around, hoping to find some kind of answer, but found that she and the Brighthouse were on a floating island in a sea of light blue with white dots, and an ethereal feeling to the entire atmosphere, only raising more questions.

Misty swallowed nervously before walking up to the door and opening it slowly. "H-hello?" She asked, looking around, wondering if she was alone. The entire Brighthouse was eerily quiet, except for the ticking of a single clock, giving the whole place a doctor's or some other kind of office feel.

As Misty looked around, she realized this place was different than she remembered. There were more…movies than she remembered being in the Brighthouse. More books. More shelves. She approached one of the shelves, reading the titles on some of the DVDs. Stealing Sparky…Getting My Cutie Mark…Zippercoaster…Finding My Dad…Finding Rainbows…My Cutie Blossom Bash…Swirlpool Starlight…

"They're memories," a familiar voice said behind her.

Misty gasped and turned around, her eyes wide with panic. A panic that seemed to somehow ease a bit seeing the alicorn behind her. Which was odd, because Misty didn't recognize this alicorn. She had a violet coat with a dark sapphire blue mane with moderate purple and raspberry-colored streaks. She wasn't all that much taller than Misty, despite being an alicorn. In fact, she was shorter than Opaline.

This alicorn looked familiar, but she didn't know why. Just as she thought this, the TV turned itself on, and playing on it was a scene Misty recognized.

Suddenly, a pink light caught the corner of Zipp's eyes. She looked up and gasped, getting the others' attention. They all looked up to see an astral purple alicorn with a deep purple mane with pink striped highlights, who sparkled like she was made of a million tiny diamonds. The alicorn was just a couple of inches taller than them, the height difference barely noticeable.

They all recognized the purple alicorn, she was only the entire reason they were even united in the first place and the reason Opaline couldn't get ahold of the Unity Crystals all those years ago, but there was something off about her. It was just the fine details that didn't sit quite right with them, though they didn't know why. The intervals of when she blinked were a little too far apart. Her pupils were a little too shrunken. Her stare a little too blank. Her body a little too stiff.

Misty gasped. She remembered that moment. It was after they all passed their Elemental tests, but the portal back was already gone. That was when the Spirit of Harmony appeared in the form of Princess Twilight. But, this Twilight looked different. Less like a projection and more like a…real being?

As Misty thought this, the astral Twilight popped up next to her like she was being blasted on a projection screen, as though it was for Misty to compare. Misty flinched, backing up as the astral Twilight disappeared. Okay, this was getting weird.

Suddenly, Misty heard the sound of…scratching? Misty looked around to see a podium in the corner where two bookshelves meet, an open book floating above it, a quill scratching notes inside it. Misty narrowed her eyes at it.

"You're thoughts…" The purple alicorn said. "That's what it's writing down. Every thought you think is written down."

Misty turned to the purple alicorn, thoroughly confused.

She just smiled. "The DVD cases, or, so you call them, are your memories. Each movie is a memory of the day." She pointed to a bookshelf closest to the door, which was currently being filled with cases, but there were some gaps. "Those are today's memories. The gaps are suppressed memories. The rest of them in this room are memories you remember most. The rest are in long term."

"W-where am I? Who are you? What happened? What's going on?" Misty asked, feeling her panic grow. She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the chaos that grew with her panic. As her panic grew, the scratching of the quill increased. Flashes of memories tried to worm themselves into her brain, but she tried her best to block them out.

Suddenly, Misty heard something. Something familiar.

"Say cheese!"

"And then to the left. And to the left. And pah pah pah. You got it, Misty!"

Misty turned to see the TV on again, playing another memory. But this time, it was of the projector video Misty's friends put together for her of all their fun times together. Tears filled her eyes as she watched it, feeling herself calm down.

"What? What? Is there something on my face?"

"Hey, Misty!"

Other voices played all around her, voices that weren't from the video, but still happy all the same. Ones that still made her smile.

"You didn't think we'd let you face your fears alone, did you?"

"Misty, you're the goodest pony I know…"

"The Crystal Brighthouse is exactly where you're meant to be. It's your special place!"

"The deeds of your past, are nothing compared to the wonders of your future!"

Misty wiped away tears, the storm inside her completely calm. She smiled softly to herself, putting a hoof to her chest, but just before she closed her eyes, she saw the charm bracelet Izzy made for her. Suddenly, Misty could hear Izzy's voice.

"When you see Misty, do you think you could give her this charm bracelet I made for her? It has the cutie marks of her new friends on it."

"My friends always helped me when I started…twilighting…I figured your friends could help you too."

Misty turned around to see Twilight standing by the TV, a DVD case in her magic, a small smile on her face. "You're…you're the real Twilight…aren't you?" Twilight simply nodded. "And…you're the voice I've been hearing, too?" Again, Twilight nodded, her face growing grim. "How…how is that…why do you need my help?"

"It's a long story. But before you can help anypony… there's something you need to do."

Sunny and Winter crept up to the courtyard, hiding behind bushes. The courtyard was crowded, and the two of them could barely see a thing. Alicorns were shouting, others were murmuring, and guards were trying to hold the physically reactive ones back. None of them could be understood.

Suddenly, a male alicorn came sprinting into the courtyard, a panicked expression on his face. "Jonech! Jonech!" A group of guards stopped him from running past the line of fearful alicorns, but he kept shouting, trying to get past them. "Ger jonech! Ger jonech! Ol dem jonech!"

Sunny didn't recognize the language at all. She turned to Winter, who looked pale. He swallowed before translating. "My…my wife. My wife." His voice tremored and he swallowed again before translating. "That's my wife. That's my wife. What happened to my wife?"

Sunny softly closed her eyes, tears filling them. But she had to know. Something told her she had to know. She could now hear the stallion yelling at the top of his lungs. A cry to the heavens Sunny recognized all too well. "Rán! Vo! Hg ñerol Rán!"

Sunny didn't need Winter to translate for her to know the gist of what he was saying, but he translated anyway. "Rán. No! My beautiful Rán."

"Lo su remers es merl?!"

"Why are the gods so cruel?"

"Der fi meko! Der fi meko! Ler hg Rán!"

"Take me instead. Take me instead. Not my Rán."

"Stop," Sunny whispered, unable to hear anymore. "Please. Just…stop."

The stallion collapsed on the ground and continued to sob, yelling out more words Sunny couldn't understand, but Winter did as Sunny asked, and stopped. Honestly, he seemed all too happy to stop. Sunny looked away, taking a deep breath, before moving out of the bush, and making her way around the crowd, trying to find a space so she could see. She needed to see. She didn't know why, but she just needed to.

Winter tried to stop her, but Sunny didn't listen. She continued to circle the crowd until she found a gap. When she saw the dead alicorn, she gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth, and stumbling back. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to swallow the lump that tried to escape her throat. All her hopes dashed away, just like that. All their hard work, all for naught. It was all over. It took them three days to find one. And they only had two left.

Sunny collapsed on the ground, her breath heavy, tears spilling from her eyes. That alicorn was their last hope. And now she was just…gone. Even if there was another alicorn that'd vouch for Misty…they wouldn't now. Alicorns apparently were as superstitious as unicorns. The death of an alicorn who volunteered to vouch for a mortal? Sunny wouldn't be able to blame them.

The culmination of this on top of her struggle with her immortality, weight the past three nights, just after they got back from an emotional trip to the Crystal Empire was too much and Sunny broke. She began sobbing helplessly in her hooves, finally letting weeks of hardships out.

Winter sat down by Sunny's side. He put a hoof on her back, patting her awkwardly. He's never had to comfort a pony. Especially one he hurt. He may not have done the deed, but it was just as much his fault as it was–

Winter's thoughts stopped when he felt a head push against his chest. He looked down to see Sunny, burying her head into him, sobbing into his chest. Hesitantly, he wrapped his hooves around her, putting his face in her mane. He held her like that, his own eyes tearing up.

But as Sunny cried into him, his resolve grew. He needed to fix this. He had to. He just…didn't know how.

"What is this place?" Misty asked, confused. "And what do you need me to do?"

"We're in your mind right now. But that's not important. Equestria is in danger. And so is Skyros. Only the Guardians of Unity can save both kingdoms."

"In danger of what? And…and how? What…what do I do?" Misty asked, her panic building.

"You need to set me free. But to do that, you need to know the truth. As you just experienced, memories have power. I've shown you all I can of Opaline's story, but there's still so much you don't know."

Tears filled Misty's eyes. Tears of frustration. She wanted to understand. She wanted to know. Princess Twilight came to her and told her important information, and already she was messing up by not understanding.

"But…how do I know? How do I understand?" She asked desperately.

"By this," Twilight said, holding up a small golden key, the handle of it in the shape of a butterfly. "Find the door this key goes to, and once you do, you'll know what to do."

Misty sighed wearily, as the key appeared on a chain around her neck.

Twilight smiled wryly. "I know. Another door hunt. But…I don't know where this door is or what it looks like. I only know what's on the other side. As do you."

Misty had a million and one questions, but as her mind began to race, the Brighthouse around them began to shake. "What's happening?!" Misty asked, her mind panicking again.

"You're waking up. We've run out of time. One more thing Misty Brightdawn, listen closely and do not forget: this is a game of chess. Each move must be strategized and carefully planned out. Every outcome must be considered before a move is made. There is still one piece that has yet to choose black or white. Once he makes his move though, it will change the tide of the game. You must be ready for him to choose against you. But if he chooses you, it will not be without mistakes. You must defend him. Not let the others cast him out. For you may win a battle against him, but you will not win a battle without him."

Misty's eyes widened at the last sentence, her mind an utter mess, literally and figuratively. The shaking increased, but Misty still had so many questions. She couldn't wake up now.

"B-but what does that mean?! Who is it?! How…how will we know?! What do I do once I learn the truth about Opaline's past?!"

"Trust yourself, Misty Brightdawn. I do. And trust your friends. You are in for the fight of your lives and you will need them more than you know. Do not despair, for I am with you."

And just like that, everything went black before Misty snapped her eyes open with a huge gasp, as though she had been deprived of air, her mind full of questions and few answers.

Author's Note

Ok…that was the darkest chapter I have ever written and will probably be the darkest I will ever write. I did not intend for it to get so damn dark. Makes me question my own sanity :pinkiecrazy:

Also, the song I used was Suspicions by Magpiepony

Alright, I know you have a lot of questions and…I have a lot of answers…none of which I will share with you. You will just have to wait mwahaha!

https://m.

(Don't forget to hit up the group Heroism, Family, and Friendship for sneak peeks and other inside/behind the scenes content!)

Checkmate

Sunny burst through the door to their bed-chambers, her breath heavy. "Guys! Something horrible just happened! Something really, really–" Sunny paused when she saw the state of the room.

Misty was lying on her side on her bed, out cold. Izzy was sitting next to her, a worried expression on her face. The Pippsqueaks were huddled on the bed they shared. And Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp were nowhere to be found. What had she missed?

"What…what happened?" Sunny asked her shock and confusion, as well as fear and grief palpable.

Izzy looked at her with eyes that were a storm of emotions. "Something horrible." She said simply.

Izzy was an empath, though she was a different one from Misty, who was an emotional empath. Izzy has always been able to see another pony's sparkle, claiming her to be claircognizant, also known as an intuitive empath. When she was a foal, it was very hard for her to control it, to not be overwhelmed by all the colors that surrounded everypony she knew. But, there were a few other empaths that helped her get through it, specifically Elderflower. She was known as a medium or psychic empath. When she was a filly, she had struggled with the voices of ponies past. She was able to teach Izzy how to build a shield around herself, so now, she'd only see a pony's sparkle when she wanted to. She can turn it on and off like a remote. After that, the colors of different ponies became beautiful and were much of the inspiration she'd use for her creativity.

After Elderflower helped her, Izzy vowed she'd help other empaths any way she could. She learned how to hide her emotions from other empaths, using a blanket of pure joy, so when an empath saw her sparkle or felt her emotions, they'd feel nothing but pure happiness. That way, they wouldn't get bombarded with bad emotions if they interacted with her. The empaths would be able to tell it was a farce, but it didn't matter. As long as it helped them.

But right now, Izzy was feeling so many emotions, so much grief and fear from what she overheard, there was no way she could control them. She never imagined in her life that she'd end up here. Mourning for an alicorn she didn't know, but was the only hope she had to save her first unicorn friend in Maretime Bay. It was a miracle she wasn't crying her eyes out yet. But she had to be strong for the Pippsqueaks. They were scared out of their minds right now. And she had to keep watch over Misty. She could at least do that much, even if there wasn't much else she could do.

"What…what's wrong with Misty?" Sunny gasped. "She's…she's not hurt…is she?"

Izzy shook her head. "No. She just fainted. Hitch said it's shell shock."

Sunny had so many questions. Sunny knew a little about shell shock from Hitch. Ponies got it when they experienced a very traumatic event. It made Sunny wonder what it was she experienced. And then a thought hit her. Did...did Misty see...what happened?

Sunny swallowed nervously as she asked a different question that came to mind. "Uh...where are Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp anyway?"

Suddenly, Sunny heard yelling coming from one of the bathrooms. It sounded like...Zipp? "I say we go now! Take Misty and leave!"

"Have you lost your mind?!" A voice that sounded like Hitch's yelled.

"Have you lost yours?! You really think what happened was some tragic accident?! Skotos had something to do with it, I know it?!"

"What proof do you have Zipp?! You can't just barge into the throne room and accuse the king of killing his own subject?! And that's if you're even right!" Sunny heard Pipp's voice yell, confirming Sunny's theory.

Sunny swallowed nervously. She had a feeling she knew what they were talking about, and from the look on Izzy's face, it's been going on for quite a while.

"How long?" Sunny asked.

"About an hour. Somepony needs to go in there and diffuse them I know but…to be honest…I'm a little scared to. Plus, Hitch wanted me to tell him the moment Misty wakes up and I need to watch the Pippsqueaks and Sparky. It's not much, but it's something."

Sunny sighed, steeling herself before walking towards the door. She grabbed the handle of the door with her magic and opened it, stepping inside the bathroom before closing the door behind her. The three ponies didn't even notice her presence, let alone acknowledge it.

"I'm just saying, you don't think things through! You never have! You've always just jumped to conclusions instead of stopping for a moment and thinking things through!" Hitch yelled.

"Guys," Sunny said calmly, though even she had to admit it was a bit quiet.

"Oh yeah? Give me one example," Zipp challenged.

"Guys!" Sunny said a little louder, though it still wasn't loud enough.

Oh, I don't know. Maybe my concert when you got Mom arrested! Or when you cornered Misty at Mane Melody! Or when your damn sunglasses went missing! Or do you want more recent examples? Like when you broke into the restricted section? Or when you started wandering the castle when King Skotos specifically told you not to?" Pipp countered, clearly at the end of her wits.

"And why do you think that is?! Because he's clearly hiding something!" Zipp yelled back.

"Oh yes. That must be it," Pipp said sarcastically. "Never mind that we're foreigners he doesn't trust. It must be because he's hiding something. After all, that's the only possible reason he doesn't want us wondering about his home that could hold the secret to bringing down his kingdom. Yep."

"GUYS!" Sunny yelled at the top of her lungs, silencing all three ponies.

When Hitch caught sight of Sunny, he gasped. Without wasting a second, he marched right up to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. As he hugged her, Sunny could feel his whole body shaking and his heart racing and Sunny had a feeling it wasn't from anger. He was worried about her.

"Sunny. Thank hoofness you're okay. Something happened. Something really bad…" Hitch started, reluctantly separating from Sunny.

"I know," Sunny said, her heart heavy. She looked away, blinking back tears. "I…I saw it."

"You saw it happen too?" Zipp asked, her eyes wide.

Sunny was startled by this. "W-what? No, we…we just saw the body…wait, too? Did…did one of you see it?"

"We?" Zipp asked, not answering Sunny's question.

"Yeah. Winter and I. He was showing me this…you know what? Doesn't matter. What…why did you say too? Which one of you saw it?"

Zipp sighed before answering. "Misty and I did. We were…we were on the same balcony. We…we watched her…walk off…" Zipp's voice broke as she trailed off, unable to continue.

"That's why Misty was in shell shock…" Sunny muttered. At everypony's confused look, she clarified. "I saw Misty passed out on her bed so Izzy kinda filled me in." Sunny sighed, looking back at Zipp. "Zipp, I know you want to save Misty. But…remember what she told us during our first night here?" When Zip remained silent, Sunny continued. "I know you remember the promise you made to her."

"Promise? What promise?" Pipp asked, feeling as though she missed something.

But before any of them could answer, Izzy burst through the bathroom door, a smile on her face. "Misty's awake! She's awake!"

The four ponies gasped, rushing out of the bathroom, and getting stuck in the doorway. Sunny teleported them all to the other side, immediately turning her attention to Misty. The ponies froze, however upon seeing her look and tears streaming down her face.

When she heard them, she looked up at her friends with a weighted look. "We…we need to talk."

The five ponies looked at each other nervously. That never meant anything good.

"I'm sorry, you talked to who?" Zipp asked in disbelief, the same time Sunny asked incredulously, "You talked to Twilight Sparkle?!"

Misty nodded her head, looking down. She had just told her friends everything she saw when she was unconscious. They were all sitting on the floor in their room in a circle, a magical bubble of silence around them so the Pippsqueaks could try and get some sort of sleep. And so they wouldn't overhear.

But as Misty explained everything, she began to realize how little she really knew. Twilight gave her way more questions than answers. Really, Twilight didn't give her any answers. Just confirmed what Misty already knew. That there was something deeper here going on and that somehow, they were all pawns in a bigger game.

"H-how?" Sunny asked, still in shock.

"I…I don't know. She just said that both Equestria and Skyros are in danger and we are the only ones who can save both kingdoms."

"…by setting her…free…" Zipp said carefully, as though treading through dangerous waters. Misty nodded. "But…I don't understand. Flurry said that when Twilight made the Unity Crystals, she lost her alicornhood. She died. She…how is she still alive?"

"I don't know…" Misty muttered, looking away.

"Okay…well, do you know what this danger is that's threatening both of our kingdoms? Is it Skotos or…something else?" Hitch asked, desperate to glean some kind of useful information.

"I…I don't know." Misty said with a sigh, beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the information they didn't know.

"Right. So this key…what does it go to? I mean, I know you don't know what door it goes to, but do you know what's on the other side?" Sunny asked.

"According to Twilight, yes. But…" Misty started, only to trail off.

"According to you, you don't." Misty nodded when Pipp finished where she left off. "So…why is this room thing so important? And what do you do when you find it? And what does this key have to do with Opaline's story? And why is it so important?"

"And this riddle. 'For you may win a battle against him, but you will not win a battle without him?' What does that mean? And a battle against who?" Zipp asked. "Are you sure Twilight didn't say anything else about this 'him' than that?"

"And where do we even begin looking for this door?" Sunny continued. "Do you know where it is at least?"

"I don't know!" Misty snapped, overwhelmed with all the information they didn't know. "I don't know, okay. Twilight didn't tell me much. I told you everything she told me."

That was a lie, of course. Misty didn't tell them about the piece that had yet to choose his side. Or about how Twilight told Misty to defend him at all costs to her friends if he chose their side. Or the fact that it wouldn't be without mistakes. But it wasn't like Misty wanted to hide these things from her friends. But…Misty just had a feeling that it'd best not to tell them right now.

"So…I'm assuming finding that third alicorn is no longer a priority…" Izzy muttered.

The room was silent after that. Misty couldn't remember witnessing…what she and Zipp witnessed, and for that, Misty was glad. She didn't know what she'd do if she remembered it. The last thing she remembered was she and her friends walking back to the castle. The next thing she remembered was standing outside the Brighthouse which was apparently her mind. Everything in between was nonexistent.

But that wasn't the only reason why the rest of them were silent. In all honesty, they had no idea how to answer that. They weren't even sure it mattered in light of Twilight's warning. It was probably the last thing they should be worrying about.

But at the same time…what if they didn't solve Twilight's clues before their five days were up? Then what? What would happen to Misty? To them? Would they even be able to continue trying to piece together what Twilight was trying to tell them? Or would they be forced out of Skyros, forced to leave Misty behind?

This was all so much. They all barely had time to process the suicide before they were slammed with this. None of it made any sense. No matter which way they spun it. Why would Rán volunteer to vouch for Misty, when she'd just commit suicide that night? And if it wasn't her choice, why would someone do that? Who'd have the motive? Who'd want to sabotage Misty? If it was the king, why send them on this wild goose chase to begin with? If he didn't want her to succeed, why give her the five days? And even if somepony forced her, how? Nopony else besides Zipp and Misty was on that tower. So, how did they do it? Mind control? Was there a spell for mind control? But even then, why suicide? Why not just force her to change her mind? Why kill her like that?

It just didn't add up. There were too many holes for it to make sense.

That was when Misty gasped as a thought came to her. She did know where to look for that door. She's known this whole time, even if she didn't know it. Her mind flashed back to their first day here.

"The hallway," she muttered to herself, catching all of their attention.

"What hallway?" Zipp asked, confused.

"On our first day here, I heard foals laughter. I think...I think that's where the door to this key is." Misty held up the key she took off from around her neck.

"But...I thought you said Twilight didn't know where the door was or...or what it looked like." Zipp pointed out.

"Yeah. Didn't you say she was the one responsible for all of your visions and gut feelings?" Hitch added.

"I...I don't think that was Twilight. And neither was that foal's laughter I heard the other day while in the town square after we decorated for the alicorns. I think...I think the ghosts of the past also want me to learn the truth." Misty said in thought as her mind slowly began to come to its conclusion.

Izzy gasped dramatically. "Ghosts?! Like real-life ghosts?!"

"I don't think that's what Misty means. It's just a figure of speech, Iz. Kinda like the saying: the past has a way of revealing itself," Sunny clarified but then realized she spoke for Misty when she had no idea if that's what Misty actually meant. "I mean, that is what you meant? Right?"

Misty nodded. "Yeah. I think so. We just need a way to get to that hallway. I'm thinking tonight. Like Sunny, Zipp, and I did when we broke into the restricted section. Maybe it could just be the three of us again."

"Nope. Bad idea," Hitch said firmly, shaking his head.

Zipp rolled her eyes. "What would you recommend, Sheriff? Asking King Skotos to give us a tour of it first?"

Hitch twisted his lips at Zipp before turning to the rest of them. "No. I think we should all go. All six of us."

The room was silent again, this time following Hitch's words. Was he serious? All six of them? He surely couldn't mean that. This was a heist after all. A mission in which they couldn't get caught. Bringing the whole band of them would surely jeopardize the mission rather than help.

"What? Should we bring the Pippsqueaks too? Maybe Sparky?" Zipp asked sarcastically.

Hitch rolled his eyes. "Hear me out, okay? Since coming to Skyros, when was the only time Misty would have a vision?"

Sunny's eyes widened. "Oh," She said as it started to make sense to her.

"Yeah. Exactly. And out of all of us, she's the most skilled when it comes to magic. So if we were to run into trouble, she'd be our best bet of getting out without anypony getting hurt. And if she's unconscious, she's vulnerable, which means..."

"The whole team's vulnerable," Pipp muttered, finishing Hitch's thoughts. Hitch just nodded in response.

"Okay, then. It's already almost five in the morning, so we'll wait until--" Misty started, only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

Sunny glanced at her friends before standing up and letting down the bubble of silence before slowly walking past the sleeping Pippsqueaks and Sparky, and heading to the door. She took a deep breath before opening it, gasping at the white alicorn she saw there. He had a downtrodden expression, but his face seemed to light up a little once he saw her.

Misty, curious, let down her empathetic shield, wanting to get a read on Winter's emotions. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, it was just that...she didn't want any surprises. She wanted to keep her friend safe, and she could feel her friend falling for him, even if she didn't realize it herself. She closed her eyes, delving into his emotions.

The first emotion she could feel was guilt. So much guilt that weighed heavy on his soul. Misty was confused. Why was he feeling so guilty? She shook her head, moving on to the next biggest emotion she felt. Love. He felt...love towards Sunny. Not quite the everlasting true love. Not like that. His feelings for her were still just beginning to develop. But...he felt a certain attraction towards her that Misty couldn't explain. She didn't even think Winter could explain it. But it was there.

The final emotion she felt was fear. He was afraid. He was afraid of many things, but he was most afraid of this attraction he felt towards her. He's never felt anything like it and that's what scared him the most. He kept a wall up to protect himself and somehow, in a matter of three days, she broke through them. How she did that, he had no idea. But he couldn't ignore the fact that she did.

And while she couldn't forget the immense guilt he felt, which definitely had her radar up, she knew of the internal war that was raging inside him. But all she could hope for was that this war ended with his feelings for Sunny winning in the end and not the opposite.

Then Twilight's words rang through her head. There is still one piece that has yet to choose black or white. Once he makes his move though, it will change the tide of the game. You must be ready for him to choose against you. But if he chooses you, it will not be without mistakes. You must defend him. Not let the others cast him out. For you may win a battle against him, but you will not win a battle without him.

Was…was Winter the piece Twilight was talking about? Was he the one who had yet to choose a side? Misty was at a loss. She wanted to warn her friend…but at the same time…if she did…she might stunt their growing attraction towards each other. She could doom them all by saying something. Or by not saying something. Why couldn't answers just come easy for once?

Winter sighed, looking incredibly nervous. "Um…hey, Princess…I uh…I wanted to uh…ask you something…"

Sunny tilted her head. "Yeah. Sure. What is it?"

"Well, uh…I know my timing is uh…bad but…uh…I…I figured you could use the distraction. Well, uh…there's…there's this party tonight…well…it's more like a ball…it's thrown every year in the castle and…uh…I was wondering if…if you'd like to go…with me…?"

Sunny's eyes bugged out, her shock clear. Clearly, she was caught off guard. She considered Winter a friend, but she wasn't sure of the reaction she'd get towards him. But it made her wonder…did he feel the same way towards her?

"Y-you want to go with me…l-like as a d-date?" Sunny stammered, her eyes still wide.

Winter shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. Only if you want to of course."

Sunny smiled, feeling her heart raced and warm. She was about to say yes when she realized what she and her friends were planning on doing tonight. As Hitch said, all six of them were needed, but Sunny was probably needed the most due to her being an alicorn. She wanted to go with him, but they needed to find this unknown danger first. That was the priority.

She was about to open her mouth to say no when she was suddenly pulled back by cerulean blue magic. As she was pulled back, Pipp was in front of Winter with a polite smile on her face. "She'd love to go with you. What time will you stop by to pick her up?"

Winter blinked, confused. "Uh…eight?"

"Perfect. See you then!" Pipp said before closing the door and turning to her friend, who had a shocked and confused look on her face.

"What…what was that?" Sunny asked, looking at her friends who all had excited looks on their faces.

"You are totally going on that date." Pipp sang with an excited glint in her eye.

"What?! B-but…I can't go. I…what about tonight? Remember what Hitch just said like…five minutes ago. You…you need me." Sunny countered though she couldn't hide the blush in her cheeks.

Zipp smirked. Even she seemed excited. "Yeah. We need you to act like everything is normal and we didn't just receive an ominous warning from Princess Twilight. We can't let them get suspicious."

"But--" Sunny started, trying her best to protest when Hitch interrupted.

"I think she's just nervous because this'll be her first-ever date." Hitch teased with a smile.

Sunny's eyes widened and her blush could be seen for miles but Pipp gasped dramatically. She grabbed both sides of Sunny's face and leaned in, her eyes wide in shock. "You've NEVER been on a date before?" She practically screeched, her voice cutting out.

Sunny shook her head. "Before we brought back magic, Hitch was my only real friend. Nopony else wanted anything to do with me. After that...stallions would just ask me when I was in my alicorn form. I obviously turned them down since they were clearly only asking because I was an alicorn. After I became a permanent alicorn, nopony asked me. Like they were too scared to ask. Like I'd blow them into a million pieces if they said the wrong thing."

"Oh my hoofness! Neigh way! Okay. No question. You are going out on this date if it is the last thing you do." Pipp said, crossing her hooves, the tone of her voice making it clear there was no room for argument.

"Okay. If...if you insist. But uh...I have no idea how to get ready for a date." Sunny admitted, her blush becoming a little deeper.

"That's okay," Pipp said with a dismissive hoof. "Izzy, Misty, and I will help you out."

"Uh...Pipp...I don't know how to get ready for a date either." Misty pointed out. "I've never been on one before."

"Yeah, but you can still help," Pipp said dismissively. "And we are going to work on that in the near future, okay?" She turned back to Sunny. "But, for now, we are gonna focus on you. Oooh, I can't wait!"

"Ugh, are you serious?" Pipp groaned as she, Sunny, Izzy, and Misty walked down the town square with the shops. "Not one shop accepted our service. I've never been kicked out of so many shops before."

They had spent the past two hours searching for a dress. It was only eight in the morning, but most of the boutiques were already open. However, whenever the four of them would enter and start browsing the wares, they were immediately kicked out. It was like none of the shop owners wanted them near their stores. It was so different from yesterday when they celebrated together. A complete 180.

"They almost seemed scared of us," Misty muttered, pursing her lips.

"I don't understand why. We had a lot of super fun yesterday," Izzy whined, confused.

Suddenly, the four of them heard a whispered "Pssst" to their right. Confused, they stopped, looking around. Not a lot of alicorns were strolling around at this time of day, so the streets were pretty empty. But still, they didn't see anypony who could've made that sound. The few alicorns who were in the streets seemed content with just ignoring them.

Suddenly, they heard it again, but this time, they saw a shadowed figure poking her head out of one of the shops, before quickly pulling it back in. Confused, the four mares looked at each other, making no move to approach the shop. As they watched the shop carefully, the shadowed figure poked its head out again and waved urgently for them to come.

Confused, the ponies walked up the the shop wearily. Slowly, Sunny opened the brown and gold door, peeking her head in. The store was dark, but it was filled to the brim with fabrics and other clothing materials. The four mares stepped inside, looking around. There were two big tables, each with a sewing machine. One table was neat and organized, with fabric sorted by color, the spools of thread neatly set up on shelves behind it. The other table was a mess, with fabrics all over the place, completely disorganized. Mannequins were set up around, some wearing outfits, others naked.

Suddenly, lights turned on and the four mares saw a silver-grey alicorn with a dark blue, light blue, and pink sparkling mane. The four mares gasped, a little startled. That was when Misty saw movement in the corner of her eye. She turned to see a white mare with a two-toned aqua and blue mane. Something was odd about this mare. Her gaze was so...intense.

"Uh...what's going on?" Sunny asked with a nervous smile.

"So sorry for all the secrecy. You must understand the need for us to stay on the down low so we don't spoil things. We just saw you wandering around the shops and every alicorn was kicking you out so we were wondering if you needed help and we noticed all the shops you were looking in were boutiques so maybe it's something we can help you with." The silver alicorn said in a rush, only taking a breath when she was finished.

Three of the mares looked at each other, confused, but Izzy only smiled brightly. "Aw, thank you. That's so sweet. You see, Sunny here," Izzy put a hoof around Sunny's neck. "Is going on her very first date with the prince and she needs a super beautiful dress for tonight!" Izzy exclaimed.

The silver alicorn gasped. "A date with the prince?! You are gonna need something super duper special indeed! I'm thinking purple with orange accents and--"

"Whoa whoa, slow down," Pipp interrupted, waving her hooves. "What in the hay is going on here? Who are you two?"

"And do you know why everypony was rejecting us?" Sunny asked.

Finally, the silver alicorn seemed to calm a bit after Sunny's question. "Um...we all heard about what happened to Rán. You know, the alicorn that agreed to vouch for your friend. Alicorns are super superstitious you see, so having her die the night she agreed to vouch for your friend...they all think you're cursed. So they try to steer clear."

The three mares blinked, a little shocked, but they couldn't exactly say they were surprised. They already knew alicorns were superstitious, so that was nothing new. They were just more surprised by the fact that the news got out so quickly. It just happened a couple of hours ago. Surely they would've waited a little longer. But, they supposed word traveled fast.

The silver alicorn perked up again though, clearly hoping to move on from the subject. "Oh, how silly of me! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Amaya and this is my sister, Kai." Amaya gestured to the white alicorn who was watching them closely. "She doesn't really talk much. But she's super happy you're here too. Now, let's get to work! We have much to do! Eeek! I'm so excited for you!"

Hitch heard a knock on the door as he paced the room, hearing Pipp giggling as she helped Sunny finish getting ready. He stopped, turning to face the door, before taking a deep breath. It was almost time.

He walked up, grabbed the handle, and opened it, revealing Prince Winter in a tux, holding a bouquet in magic. He smiled at Hitch, and it had a bit of a nervous touch to it.

Hitch sighed, turning to the bathroom the mares were in. "Sunny! He's here!"

"Hold on! She's not ready yet!" Pipp's voice called back before Hitch heard more giggling.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Hitch spoke. "So…this ball…what's it for?"

"Just some uh…charity event," Winter answered simply.

"Oh, yes. Sunny loves charity events and causes." Hitch paused another moment of awkward silence passing between them. "So…what time will you have her back by?"

Winter's eyes widened slightly in nervous surprise. "O-oh, I didn't realize there was a…uh…curfew?"

Hitch shook his head. "No. No curfew. I'm not her dad. Just…curious. Sunny means a lot to me. I just want to make sure she'll be okay."

"I'll take good care of her, Sheriff. You needn't worry." Winter said firmly.

"Good. I hope not." Hitch answered, a little bit of a warning in his tone.

Meanwhile, Sunny was pacing the length of the bathroom, her nerves obviously a fraying wreck. Pipp was trying to get Sunny to sit back down so she could finish her hair, but that didn't appear to be happening anytime soon.

"Oh, what if I screw things up? What if I say something stupid and he doesn't like me anymore? What if we're dancing and I accidentally step on his hooves and he looks at me and he's like 'You're so clumsy Sunny and I don't want anything to do with you anymore and I–I–I–"

"Sunny! Chill!" Zipp yelled, surprised by how nervous and scared Sunny was. "You are working yourself into a panic attack."

"I'm sorry," Sunny apologized, stopping in her pacing, only to resume it again. "It's just that I've never been on a date before. I don't know how they go I-I don't know how to waltz. What if...what if I make a fool of myself? What if everypony just starts laughing at me and I--I--I--"

"Sunny. Just be yourself. Look at me." Sunny looked at Pipp, her face full of fear. "Repeat after me. I am strong!"

"I am...strong?" Sunny said hesitantly. When Pipp gave her a look, she said it again more confidently. "I am strong!"

"I am confident!" Pipp continued.

"I am confident!" Sunny repeated. Without Pipp's prompting, she continued on her own. "I am the alicorn!" Sunny yelled, with feeling. Sunny sighed, feeling more relaxed. "Yeah. You're right, Pipp. I can do this."

Sunny started to walk out of the door, but Pipp quickly stopped her. "Ah ah ah! I've got to finish your hair! Then you'll be ready!" Pipp sang the last sentence as she sat Sunny down.

Back in the main room, as Winter and Hitch had their awkward conversation, Misty sat on her bed, watching Winter carefully. Her heart raced as her hooves began to sweat. Something about the night didn't sit right with Misty. Something about it felt foreboding like this was the night they should be the most worried. Even Izzy felt it. She sat on the other end of Misty's bed, looking down at the ground, a lot more sullen than usual. The two unicorns couldn't explain it, but they felt as though this was the last time things were going to go somewhat smoothly for them in a long while. Like once they left their room, something bad was going to happen.

They couldn't explain it though. It was like...there was something in the air. Misty wanted to voice her concerns, but she was just worried she was being paranoid. She didn't want to worry her friends for no reason. Izzy looked up at Misty, a small smile on her face that she meant to be reassuring, but really just looked sad. Misty tried to return it, but she didn't fare much better either.

"Hey, Misty?" Izzy muttered quietly, not wanting Hitch to overhear and get him worried. Misty looked up at Izzy questioningly. "If...if things don't go as planned, I...I just want you to know that...you're my best best friend. I mean, Pipp, Zipp, Hitch, they're my best friends, but you and Sunny...you ponies are like my sisters. You two are my favorites."

Misty smiled warmly at that, tears filling her eyes. "You too, Iz. You and Zipp."

"R-really?" Izzy asked, perking up.

"Yeah. Izzy, if it weren't for you, I probably would still be serving Opaline. You saved me, Izzy. I owe you my life for that."

Izzy smiled before the two unicorns hugged. Suddenly, they heard the sound of a door opening and they separated, turning towards the sound to see Pipp flying out of the bathroom, a big smile on her face. She gestured dramatically towards the open door she just walked out of, clearing her throat and getting everypony's attention.

"Presenting...Sunny Starscout!" She announced before the alicorn also walked out of the bathroom.

They all gasped when they saw Sunny. She lacked her usual blue bag and instead wore a beautiful dress. Her dress was a beautiful, flowing gown with a purple bodice and a flowing orange and purple skirt. The bodice was cinched at the waist with an orange band, and the skirt was adorned with a pattern of black stars. The dress was made of a sheer fabric, and it had a flowing, ethereal quality. Sunny's mane was in a beautiful braided bun, with bangs framing her face. There was a small crown on her head. It wasn't her Element of Unity, but was adorned with stars that were similar to the ones on her dress, though these were orange.

Sunny smiled, a small blush blooming on her cheeks. Winter stared at her with his mouth hanging open. He's never seen a mare so beautiful. He didn't understand how he could fall so effortlessly for a mare he'd only known for less than a week, for only a few days really, but he knew he was hopelessly in love with her. It was stupid, but it was the truth. He didn't understand it but isn't that what they always say about love anyway?

"Wow. You look...you look..." Winter stammered a blush of his own growing. He couldn't finish his sentence, but it was like Sunny knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"Thank you." She muttered, her grin ear to ear.

That was when he seemed to remember the bouquet in his magic and he quickly tried to right himself again. "I...uh...these...these are f-for you." He gave the bouquet to Sunny, who grabbed them with her own magic.

"Aw...thanks," Sunny said, her heart racing in response. She wasn't sure, either, how this stallion won her heart so soon, but there was no denying it anymore. Was it love at first sight? Sunny wasn't sure, but she knew she somehow had strong feelings towards this alicorn, and, somehow, she knew that he had feelings for her back.

Winter held out a hoof, bowing formally. "Shall we, Princess?"

Sunny smiled, giving the bouquet to Pipp to put in a vase, before grabbing Winter's hoof. Together, they walked out of the bed chambers to head to the ballroom. Little did they know that that would be the last time some of them saw their alicorn best friend in a long while.

There was a flash of coral and five little ponies appeared before a dark hallway. Misty gulped as she recognized the hallway from her first day here. She wasn't sure how she could distinguish this hallway from the others, but it was just a feeling deep in her gut. She just...knew it.

"Okay, ponies. That door could be anywhere. Split up and try to find a door that's locked. Mark it so once we go through all the doors, Misty can try each on with her key."

The rest of the four ponies nodded before they split up down the hall. Misty went from door to door, trying her key on all the ones she knew were locked. The key didn't fit in any of the locks. After the tenth door, she began to lose hope that maybe she was wrong after all when she heard Izzy call out.

"Guys! I think I found it!" She exclaimed.

Confused, the four ponies ran in the direction they heard Izzy's voice and skidded to a stop when they saw their friend standing outside a magenta door with teal-ish-green flames carved into it. Misty gulped. She could guess who this room belonged to. It wasn't that far of a stretch to make that assumption.

From everypony's uncomfortable expressions as well, they had jumped to the same conclusions.

"Izzy. What makes you think this room is the one?" Zipp asked, gesturing to the door.

"Because I saw the silhouette of a butterfly fly this way and I followed it and it landed on this door right here."

Misty shrugged. "Sounds as good a reason as any."

Misty picked up the key with her magic and put it in the lock. Misty gasped as the key slid into place. She turned it and all five ponies heard the lock give. Taking a deep breath, Misty grabbed the handle with her magic. Her heart raced. She had the feeling that once she opened this door, there was no going back. But she also knew that she had no choice but to go forward. Not really.

The handle turned, albeit reluctantly, and slowly the door creaked open, as though it hadn't been opened in years. The room was dark inside, but Misty could smell the dust that had been stirred up just by opening the door.

The five ponies glanced at each other nervously before slowly stepping into the dark, dusty room, softly closing and locking the door behind them.

"Wow," Sunny said as she marveled at the gala as she and Winter walked into the ballroom. "It's all so…fancy."

Alicorns in fancy ball gowns or tuxes either mingled, ate delectable snacks from the fancy-looking food table, or danced a complicated waltz to the beat of the orchestral music that played in the background. A song Sunny didn't recognize was playing in the background. It all looked so...formal, Sunny felt out of place.

"Well, it is a royal ball," Winter whispered back as he led Sunny into the ballroom.

The two of them mingled, keeping to themselves and getting to know each other. They laughed as Sunny shared her stories from her foalhood and her crazy adventures with her friends. Winter listened with open ears, wanting to learn everything he could about the mare he loved. Sunny droned on and on, but Winter listened with piqued interest, showing no signs of boredom or irritation, which only encouraged Sunny to share more of herself with him. He seemed interested in learning every part of her. The good, the bad, the ordinary earth pony, and the powerful alicorn. She felt accepted in a way she only did with her friends. It was...refreshing.

After an hour of talking, a beautiful piano song began to play, and soon a violin joined in, and then other instruments from the orchestra. "Oh, I love this song. Dance with me." Winter said eagerly, holding out his hoof for Sunny's.

"I...I don't know, I--" Sunny stammered, not wanting to make a fool of herself.

"Come on. You got this, Princess. I won't let you fall. I promise."

Sunny looked up at Winter and his face was so open, so promising, so trusting, she couldn't help but believe him. Believe him, not just when it came to dancing, but to life itself. Believe that he wouldn't let her fall, no matter what came in life. So, with a deep breath, Sunny took Winter's hoof and together they entered the dance floor. They bowed before Winter took Sunny's hoof, and hovered in the air with the rest of the alicorns.

"This is how alicorns waltz." He whispered.

Sunny nodded before hovering in the air as well. Winter put a hoof around her waist and held one of her hooves in the air and they twirled in circles in a simple waltz with the rest of the alicorn couples. As they danced, a singer on stage began to sing lyrics to the song the orchestra was playing.

🎵I've waited a hundred years,
But I'd wait a million more for you...🎵

The two of them glided through the air, looking into each other's eyes. Neither of them had felt more at peace than they did at that moment. Neither of them understood the chemistry between them, but they decided not to question it. Neither of them could deny it, it was as obvious as an elephant in a room.

As they danced, one of the lines stood out to Winter:

🎵If I had only seen how you smile when you blush.
Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough,
I would have known what I was living for all along...🎵

Winter smiled as he thought of the way Sunny curled her lip when she was making her smoothies. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would've thought this song was written for you, Princess."

Sunny's eyes widened as her blush could be seen for miles as she was caught off guard. "W-what?"

Winter's eyes widened slightly as what he said sank in. He tried to backtrack, as though trying to mend what he said. "I-I mean, just that this song is beautiful and...and you're beautiful and...I-I mean–"

Sunny smiled and in a rare bout of courage, she leaned in and kissed him. She could feel her insides melt as they grew warm with pleasure, her heart racing and pounding in her chest, her mind growing hazy. All that existed was herself and Winter, and the beautiful music that played in the background.

🎵I surrender who I've been for who you are.
For nothing makes me stronger than,
Your fragile heart...🎵

However, Winter had a completely different experience. Not only was he experiencing everything Sunny was, but as their kiss became a memory in her mind, he could see their kiss from her perspective. It was a magical moment that he could not put into words, to know what their kiss was like in the one he loved most's perspective.

But it only made guilt well up in him further. If he told her what he'd done, what he was a part of, she'd never forgive him. He'd lose her forever. He...he didn't want that. He wanted her to be his forever, but after the way he betrayed her, he knew that would never happen.

Slowly, the two of them separated, staring into each other's eyes for a long moment before the two of them continued to dance, the song slowly coming to an end in the background.

As it ended, the two of them descended to the ground, their hearts full of love. But Winter knew what he needed to do. It pained him, but he didn't have a choice. If his father's plan worked, she was going to find out and he was going to lose her anyway. He might as well keep his loyalty to his father to keep from being alone.

"Let's get out of here. I want to show you something." Winter suggested, still holding Sunny's hoof.

Sunny nodded before he led them out of the ballroom, leaving the party and its fancy alicorns behind.

This room...it was familiar. Misty stood just inside the dark room, her eyes wide with surprise. She's seen this room before. Her mind thought back to the vision she had the other night. Slowly, silently, she walked to the bed with the small pony doll. The same one that was in the vision outside the fire alicorn territory. She picked it up and looked at it, just as Opaline did in her vision.

"Misty? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Hitch asked, concern filling his voice.

"I...I've seen this room before," Misty muttered, her eyes wide as pieces began falling into place.

"How?" Zipp asked, thoroughly confused. Then it seemed to click for her too. "In a vision. You've seen this room in a vision."

Misty nodded as she realized that Twilight was right. Misty did know what to do now that she was here. Without another word, she walked into the bed chamber's bathroom, closed her eyes, and thought back to the vision she had when Opaline opened the same secret door she was trying to open.

She pushed the same tile Opaline had pushed over two thousand years ago and slowly, the wall opened up, revealing a secret passageway. Misty took a deep breath, slowly walking down the staircase. Misty's friends glanced at each other before following her into the dark unknown, leaving the door open behind them.

As Misty slowly descended, she could feel herself growing dizzy, her mind growing hazy. Her vision blurred as she came closer to the bottom, and she became unsteady on her hooves. On the second to last step, she tripped on her own hooves and went flying onto the floor below, but instead of landing there, she fell through a gaping black hole that opened up below.

Misty fell through a black endless void, a million images she didn't understand crowding her mind, fighting for attention until they became a mess of color and figures. A few images stood out to her, but they didn't make any sense. A million different and broken sentences filled her ears, all said by a million different ponies that overlapped each other until they became as indistinguishable as the images.

Misty flailed, hoping to grab onto anything that could stop her fall, but all her hooves caught was empty air. She tried to squeeze her eyes shut, but that did nothing to stop the barrage of images that plagued her mind. In fact, it only seemed to make them worse. She tried to cover her ears with her hooves, but the voices still somehow wormed their way into her head. Misty could feel her stomach grow sick and she felt as though she would throw up.

Suddenly, the air was forced out of Misty's lungs as she crashed into solid ground. She lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath. The voices and images stopped, and she smiled as she closed her eyes and reveled in the silence and the dark emptiness of having her mind in her control again. Her breath was heavy, her body sweaty as she tried to calm her twisting stomach.

"We meet again, Misty Brightdawn," A voice Misty recognized said.

Misty's eyes snapped open and looked up to find a familiar purple alicorn standing in front of her, looking down at her. Misty scrambled to her hooves, her heart racing. "P-Princess T-Twilight!" Misty exclaimed, her mind still a mess from the chaotic experience she just had.

Twilight smiled softly, her expression compassionate and kind. "No need to worry, Misty. I understand how…overwhelming that must have felt. But we cannot choose how magic makes things happen. We can only choose when we use it."

Misty looked around, finally starting to get a read on her surroundings. They were in a sea of light blue, just like she saw outside the Crystal Brighthouse when she was with Twilight in her mind. The two of them were standing on a path of little white lights that looked like stars. Misty marveled at the scenery, thinking how beautiful and otherworldly it looked.

"Where are we?" Misty asked, not taking her eyes off the scenery.

"A place neither here nor there. A place one often goes to dream."

"The dream realm?" Misty asked, remembering what Flurry Heart said about certain ponies having the ability to travel through dreams by entering the dream realm.

"Yes, that is one word for it. But one can do so much more here than simply dream. Think of it…like your subconscious. Now, come along. You have much to learn."

Twilight walked away down the path. Misty hesitated only briefly before hurrying after her. The two of them walked through a glowing white door, and just like that, their surroundings changed.

Red magical lights flashed as a siren blared somewhere outside the room they were in. A black alicorn with a white mane and a crown on his head turned to the two young alicorn mares, who looked absolutely terrified, but still attempted to put on a brave face.

"Who are those ponies?" Misty asked in a whisper, as though worried that if she spoke any louder, they'd be caught.

"King Aeroblade, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna," Twilight explained in a normal volume voice. "This is the night Opaline's sisters left Skyros."

"Where's Opaline?" Misty asked, glancing around the room, but seeing no sign of her.

"King Aeroblade suspected of his brother-in-law's treason for a long time coming. He knew this night was coming, and he knew he couldn't send Opaline to Equestria with her sisters, so he sent her to do errands to get her out of the castle to protect her."

Misty swallowed nervously before turning back to the scene before her.

"Okay, Lulu, Tia. The time has come. You know what to do?" The alicorn king asked.

The eldest nodded, a white alicorn with a pink mane and a sun for a cutie mark, who was no more than fifteen. Misty guessed that this was Celestia. "Yes, Father. Go to the land of mortals, a land called Equestria."

"Good girls." Suddenly, Misty heard grunting and screaming down the hall, alerting the three alicorns and two bystanders of what little time they had left. "Okay. It's time to go."

"But…what about Linnie? We can't leave without her." Celestia said, wrapping a wing around her younger sister. Misty knew who Linnie was. She remembered hearing Celestia say the name before during another vision.

"Your sister will be fine," King Aeroblade said. "The mortals need your help. Your uncle won't hurt her."

"But…can't she come with us? She's our sister, we can't leave her behind." Luna argued.

"She'll be safer here. She can't control her elemental power yet. She will accidentally harm the mortals and…who knows how they will react. She'll be okay here. Your uncle will not harm her."

Celestia and Luna looked at each other before sighing heavily. After another round of goodbyes, the two alicorn mares left through the secret tunnel in the castle.

The alicorn king covered the entrance and turned to face the door just as the door burst open and he stared down at the newcomer with a determined expression. The scene shifted before Misty could see who was at the door.

They were in the same room, but the visitor was now gone and King Aeroblade lay on the floor, dead. Misty blinked back tears as she saw the dead body, the blood soaking the floor underneath. The most blood was on the chest as it matted and tangled the fur. Nopony else was in the room with them.

"Lulu? Tia?" A voice called before Misty saw a magenta alicorn fly into the room. She gasped as she recognized this alicorn. Opaline. "Lulu! Tia!"

Opaline gasped when she saw her father dead on the floor. She sobbed as she rubbed her hoof along his face, softly closing his eyes with a gentle delicacy. She blinked as though trying to hold back the tears, though she failed, before she stood back up again, glancing around. "Lulu! Tia!" She cried, her voice seeming to hold back a sob.

"They're gone." A voice said behind her.

Both Opaline and Misty turned around, Opaline charging her horn, glaring at the alicorn in the doorway, while Misty looked with nervous trepidation and morbid curiosity. Misty gasped when she recognized the alicorn standing in the doorway. Zipp…she was right. She was right the whole time.

"What have you done with them?!" Opaline yelled, her voice thick with emotion. Misty had never heard so much emotion come from Opaline than she had in this scene alone.

"Me?" King Skotos asked slyly, a look of innocence plastered on his face, though there was no true sympathy or any emotion really to his voice. It was all a facade. One Opaline didn't look to believe for a moment. "I did nothing to them. They are my own blood. I'd never harm them. They left and left you behind."

Opaline shook her head. "No. No, they'd never leave me. They are my sisters! You're lying! Just like you lied to Father when you betrayed his trust!"

"Your father was weak! I did Skyros a favor by ending his miserable life!" Skotos snapped, the first true emotion Misty heard in his voice. He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Fine. You don't believe me? See for yourself."

The black shadow alicorn teleported himself a hoof-held mirror, holding it up towards Opaline. For a moment, Opaline saw her reflection, but soon it rippled and both she and Misty saw two young alicorns they recognized.

"Tia? Do you think Linnie is mad at us? For leaving her behind?" Luna asked, her voice young.

"I don't know, Luna. I hope not." Celestia muttered, her voice full of sorrow.

"Tia? Do you think Linnie hates us?" Luna asked, and from her sister's deep breath, it seemed as if Luna had been asking questions long before.

"I don't think so, Luna. She's our sister." Celestia tried to say sweetly, though her voice was strained.

"But, what if she does? What if–"

"Luna! I'm trying to concentrate on where we're going and I can't do that when you're asking me a million questions I don't know the answer to! I'm sure Linnie's fine…" Celestia's voice trailed off as her image disappeared and Opaline's reflection returned. Misty swallowed back tears as she felt her heart hurt for Opaline. Nopony deserved to go through what she was going through. Nopony.

Tears filled Opaline's eyes as she stared at the mirror with a look that looked murderous, but for whom Misty couldn't say.

"You're lying," Opaline muttered, her breath growing hot. "You're lying…you're lying…you're lying…YOU'RE LYING!"

Suddenly, Opaline burst into flames, her wings, horn, and hooves catching fire, as she screamed, her body lifting into the air, making Misty flinch and take a couple of steps back. Tears streamed down Opaline's face as the room around her caught on fire. Misty could feel the heat of the flames, but the flames seemed to burn right through she and Twilight, not even touching the two mares.

Opaline broke into sobs, the fire swelling with each heave, as she curled up in a ball, surrounded by fire. She looked up at her uncle, the newest shadow king, and when Misty followed her gaze, she saw a small smile of pride on his face.

The scene around them disappeared, Misty's eyes wide and full of tears. She and Twilight stood there in silence for a moment before Twilight finally said, "Come, there is more for you to see," before turning and walking away, Misty reluctantly following close behind.

'I'm the last real friend you got in this town...you really want to lose me too?'

Sunny stopped in her tracks, squeezing her eyes shut against Hitch's sudden voice in her head. She and Winter were currently walking through the royal gardens, which had Sunny oohing and aahing at almost everything. The royal gardens really were marvelous. There were plants, flowers, and even fruit Sunny had never seen before. As they walked, Winter had gotten her to talk about the community garden she started back in Maretime Bay. Winter was listening intently as she dragged on and on about it, seeming interested in every word.

And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard Hitch's voice say that. She had no idea why she was suddenly hearing his voice, having that memory. She hadn't thought of that day in a long time. Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true. More like she hadn't thought of the first half of that day in a long time. The half before Izzy came to town. It was like that day was split in half for her. It was one of the best days of her life, but the first half happened to be one of the worst.

'Oh, we don't, do we? How do you suggest that we defend ourselves? With hugs and cupcakes?'

"Sunny?" A voice asked, startling her out of her reverie.

Sunny shook her head and looked up at Winter, who was watching her with an intense yet concerned expression. She realized she had stopped talking mid-sentence and stopped walking altogether, just staring at the ground. She cleared her throat, trying to refocus her mind. "I'm uh...I'm fine. Just uh...lost in thought...I guess."

'Sunny! You're just embarrassing yourself!'

'It's quite sad, really.'

Sunny squeezed her eyes shut against the barrage of sudden memories, memories she hadn't thought about in forever. Where were these coming from? But then Sunny remembered–

'I can't keep associating with somepony who breaks every rule and causes chaos wherever she goes!'

She remembered...Hitch? No. No, it wasn't Hitch. Something...something to do with...Misty? Yes, Misty. Something she said...

'All of that...pony unity stuff was just a foal's bedtime story made up by your dad. Like it or not, this is the way it is. And always will be.'

No. No, that...that wasn't it. Why couldn't she remember? And yet, she was thinking of memories she didn't want to think about. What...what was wrong with her?

'Dad? Dad?! Oh my…Dad! Dad, wake up! Dad! DAD!'

Tears filled her eyes as that memory began to replay in her head. She buried it, and swore to never think back to that moment in her life again. It would do her no good. She needed to think of the present, not the past. And yet, without her consent, that memory was harassing her. Her knees felt weak as she very nearly collapsed under all the weight of her sorrow and grief.

'Somepony! Help me! It's my Dad! He won't wake up! Somepony…anypony! Why won't anypony help me?! HELP! PLEASE!'

Tears filled and overflowed Sunny's eyes like the floodgates themselves were opening. It was the weirdest thing. One minute, she's fine, and the next, she's experiencing that day all over again, the feelings of fear, sorrow, and every other feeling that came with that day included. It didn't make sense and all Sunny wanted was for it to stop. Sunny begged her mind to just stop, but it wasn't under her command anymore. It had an agenda of its own, and Sunny had no idea what that agenda was.

'Sunny? Sunny, I'm so sorry. I know it doesn't help but...Argyle...he's...he's in a bett--'

Suddenly, the memory stopped as Sunny struggled to hold back a sob. Suddenly, all the emotions were gone as though blown away by a merciful wind. Sunny swallowed the lump in her throat, wiping away tears. Her heart raced and her mind was a mess of questions, but that could wait.

Sunny looked up at Winter to apologize for her…sudden sweep of emotions when she paused upon seeing the look on his face. It was pained, sorrowful, and regretful? He looked as though he were on the verge of tears himself. Sunny was confused. Did...did he see her memories too? Why...why did he look so broken?

"Go." He muttered before Sunny could ask anything, turning his head away from her.

"W-what?" Sunny asked, confused, stumbling back a step. First, he kisses her, then she's practically sobbing at his hooves, and now he's telling her to leave without even asking if she was okay? That...that didn't make sense. What…what the hell was going on?

"Go. Get your friends, leave Skyros, and never look back. You don't belong here, Sunny, and the longer you stay, the more you and your friends are in danger."

Sunny stumbled back, confused. What...what was he talking about? Sure, Sunny knew both kingdoms were in danger from some unknown threat from Twilight's warning but...she couldn't just leave. And the way he said it...it just didn't sit right with her.

Suddenly, Winter flew up into the sky, turning back to say, "I'd heed my warning if I were you. Before it's too late," before flying away without another word. Sunny stared after him, her heart cracking, before sobbing into her hooves, releasing all the pent up emotions that blasted her in the last five minutes.

"Come, Starswirl. Tis a party." A white alicorn said as she walked into the study towards the old sorcerer, who was sitting at a desk with a scroll, quill, and ink.

Misty and Twilight had walked through another door and were now in what looked like a study with an alicorn Misty now knew without a doubt was Celestia and a silver unicorn with a white mane and beard with a dark blue hat that was decorated with stars and bells around the rim, which Misty believed to be Starswirl.

Celestia looked older than she had in the first memory Misty saw her in. She still had the white coat and pink mane, but she was taller and her features looked more mature. But she still had the youthful look of innocence about her that she had before.

"Put down that musty hat for a change and enjoy yourself. Tis a new day in Equestria after all," She continued as she approached Starswirl with a wide smile.

"Yes. It is a new day, with new responsibilities to attend to. One simply doesn't have time to just enjoy oneself." The old stallion said, not taking his eyes off the paper scroll he was looking over.

Celestia smiled, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "You take yourself much too seriously. What could you possibly be doing that cannot wait until the morn?"

"Coronation?" Misty asked, looking at Twilight. "Didn't they just get there?"

"No, Misty," Twilight answered. "This is five years later. The royal sisters have been training under Starswirl the Bearded and now Celestia is old enough and ready to rule Equestria. This is her coronation."

"What about Luna?"

"Luna was not yet old enough. She was still only a teenager, with a teenager's mind. She was not yet ready for such a responsibility. Her coronation will not come for yet a few years."

Misty nodded in understanding before turning back to the scene before her.

"You know? Rockhoof. Mistmane. Somnebula." Celestia was saying. Misty guessed she missed some things as she and Twilight were talking. She had no idea who those ponies were, but she assumed that wasn't important.

"We are allies," Starswirl said with finality. "A team that aids Equestria when it is in grave danger. We tolerate each other's presence despite our…diverse backgrounds. And we hold mutual respect for one another."

Celestia smiled slyly. "Oh, come. Admit it. You like them. And you do make a really good team."

"Yes. Perhaps I do enjoy their company," Starswirl admitted. "But Stigian only just brought us together. We have yet to defeat the Sirens. We have weakened them, but they are still out there. We must prepare. Yet another thing we must do as soon as time permits."

Celestia's smile grew mischievous. "I had a feeling you would say that."

Suddenly, a blue alicorn Misty barely recognized flew around the corner, a big bright smile on her face. She had grown so much since Misty last saw her, so different from the ten-year-old little filly that left Skyros. Misty only recognized her through her mane and coat color.

"Starswirl," the young alicorn said excitedly. "Thou must taste these delectable treats! And the music! We have never heard anything like it! It is simply magnificent! Come, Starswirl! We would not be having such a party if it weren't for thee!" And with that, Luna flew back out of the study and back to the party, a giddy smile on her face.

"You know me too well, you know," Starswirl said, turning to face Celestia.

Starswirl was about to protest when Luna poked her head from around the corner. "Aren't thou coming?"

Celestia smiled warmly. "Worry not, Starswirl. I'll finish up your diplomacy letter."

"Very well. Let us go child. I shall blow the citizens of Equestria away with my ghastly dancing abilities." He announced before he and Luna left.

Celestia chuckled to herself before she looked over the letter. As she read it to herself, Misty saw a pony she didn't recognize enter the study. He was a unicorn stallion with a black coat with a subtle sheen of violet and a black mane. He cleared his throat, startling Celestia, who turned to face him.

Raven Feather shook his head. "No, Your Majesty. That is not why I'm here. You have a visitor. A unicorn mare."

Celestia nodded and both the alicorn and the advisor left the study to head to the grand hall of the castle. Misty stayed where she was, expecting the scene to shift again, but Twilight followed the two ponies without another word. Misty quickly followed her, not wanting to get left behind so she could get lost in a foreign castle. When they arrived, Misty saw that surrounded by guards was a unicorn in a black cloak, its hood over its head, hiding its identity.

Celestia stopped a good distance away, watching the figure. She didn't know very many mortals, she hadn't had the chance. Magic lessons took up most of her and Luna's time.

"Who are you?" Celestia asked. "Take down your hood and reveal yourself."

Slowly, the pony raised a magenta hoof and slowly pulled the hood back, an emotionless look on the magenta mare's face, causing Celestia to gasp, before the mare spoke. "Hello, sister."

Misty gasped as she recognized the alicorn once again. Opaline. But while before, Opaline's face was so full of emotion, now it was just blank. A mask to cover up her true feelings.

Before the two mares could say another word, the scene froze and with a single hooftap from Twilight, the world seemed to turn in circles, making Misty feel sick. As the world turned around them, Twilight spoke, though Misty struggled to focus on her words as she tried to keep from throwing up. Misty was surprised when the floor beneath them began to actually move and Misty struggled to keep her balance.

"In the five years that Celestia and Luna were training under Starswirl the Bearded to be rulers of Equestria, Opaline remained in Skyros, under King Skotos's care, learning her own lessons."

Suddenly, the world stopped spinning in circles and Misty fell off her hooves from the sudden lack of movement. She groaned, slowly standing back up on shaky hooves, her mind and head dizzy. The world continued to spin in her eyes but in a different way. She squeezed them shut, shaking her head before opening them to study the new scene around them.

"Again!" A voice commanded, making Misty jump.

She looked around to see Opaline standing in the middle of an arena, her face devoid of emotion, huffing heavily before lighting her horn in a purple flame-like aura, seeming to cast a spell. She squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing as she struggled to cast the spell. Soon, however, her horn gave out and her body seemed to sag with exhaustion.

"Pathetic," a voice hissed, making Opaline flinch. Misty widened her eyes, completely caught off guard. She'd never seen Opaline flinch in her life.

Misty looked around to see at the top of the arena seating was King Skotos, walking around the top of the arena in slow, easy strides, watching Opaline with a skeptical eye. Misty cowered under Skotos's judging eyes, even though she was positive that Skotos couldn't see them. Opaline, however, kept her eyes to the ground in a show of submissiveness, but she was glaring at the dirt beneath her hooves, her mouth twisted in a scowl.

"No wonder your father chose your sisters to go to Equestria and left you behind. Because you weren't good enough. Because you couldn't prove yourself and show that you were strong and actually useful."

Misty swallowed, Opaline's own words playing in her head. 'THAT measly drop of dragon fire wasn't enough. And YOU won't be enough, Misty! Not until you can prove that you're actually USEFUL and get! THAT! DRAGON!' They sounded so similar to the words Skotos just said.

"That wasn't why," Opaline muttered with such hate, that it surprised Misty. Sure, she'd seen Opaline hateful loads of times, it was basically her default emotion, but not like this. This was different. Stronger.

"Oh?" Skotos asked as though he were curious. "Then tell me? What was the reason? Since you think you know so much."

Opaline faltered as she searched for a reason. "I…I…um…"

"I'm waiting!" Skotos snapped, making Opaline flinch. "I dont have all evening!"

"I…I…I" Opaline stammered, her expression of panic clear.

"Well?!" Skotos yelled, leaning down toward the ground where Opaline was.

"I don't know!" Opaline snapped, tears filling her eyes. She began to break down. "I don't…know."

Skotos twisted his lips in distaste, scoffing in disappointment. "They abandoned you because they thought they were better than you just because they could raise the sun and moon. And from your performance today, I'd say they were right. They are better than you'll ever be unless you straighten up your act and actually do something more than a ten-year-old filly can!" Skotos paused, watching as Opaline hung her head, tears falling down her face and onto the dirt beneath her. "And wipe away your tears. What have I told you? Emotions are a weakness because they make you lose control of your powers. And when you aren't in control of your powers, you can't control your actions, and that makes you weak."

The scene froze as Skotos walked away, while Misty stared with open-mouthed shock at Opaline. She had no idea. No clue. Opaline was being treated the same way Opaline treated Misty. Tears filled Misty's eyes.

But before Misty could fully register everything she just saw, Twilight tapped her hoof and the world spun again. Misty struggled once again to stay on her hooves and keep her balance as the floor also spun.

When it stopped, Misty fell off her hooves again. She stood up, panting heavily, trying to keep her stomach still. "Please…warn me…next time…you do that," Misty said, but Twilight remained silent.

Suddenly, Misty heard voices and she looked up, gasping. She remembered this scene. She had seen it before in a vision. "I've seen this before," Misty muttered.

"…oh, and Lulu's gotten so big, you wouldn't believe it. She's no longer the little ten-year-old that left Skyros four years ago," Celestia explained giddily as she and Opaline walked through the gardens of the castle from earlier. "Though, she's gotten into the strange habit of saying thou and thee and whatnot. Starswirl and I have no idea where she got that habit from. I mean, I'm sure she'll grow out of it soon. Oh, Linnie, it's so good to have you back. You have no idea how much we have missed you." Celestia gasped, her smile growing. "Wait until Starswirl meets you. He'll be beside himself. You should have seen his face when Lulu and I raised the sun and moon for him for the first time. He looked like he was about to faint, though with surprise or relief we could not tell. Seeing a fire alicorn, he won't know what–"

"I'm not staying, Tia," Opaline muttered, looking away.

Celestia stopped walking, looking at Opaline with a concerned look. "W-what? What do you mean? Of course you're staying."

"No, Tia. I just came to visit. To make sure you were doing okay. And it seems you're…doing fine."

Even though Misty'd seen this before, it was like she was looking at it with a whole new pair of eyes. Before, she knew nothing. The only thing she knew was that Opaline was in it. Now, somehow, in the span of a few minutes, she knew Opaline's true motives. She knew what Opaline was really doing there. She wanted to see if what her uncle said was true. She wanted to prove to herself that he was lying, just like he always did.

"What? No!" Celestia argued adamantly. "You can't go back. Not…not while that…monster is still king."

"He's not a monster," Opaline argued. "He…he helped me control my elemental power. He's…he's been…good to me."

Misty then understood why Opaline defended Skotos so fiercely. It made sense. It was why Misty was so loyal to Opaline for such a long time. Because…Skotos raised her. She could barely remember her own father. If Skotos was truly a monster…did that make her one too?

"He murdered our father!" Celestia yelled.

"And yet, you left me behind with him!" Opaline threw back. There was a moment of silence as Misty felt Opaline's skin grow hot. Opaline took a few calming breaths to calm herself down.

"Linnie, I…we…" Celestia started, but Opaline looked up at her with blank eyes.

Opaline clenched her jaw, and Misty could sense the anger and hate welling up in her. But as quickly as it rose, it quickly died down.

"What? No, that's…that's not true." Celestia said, sounding appalled that her sister would think about herself in such a horrible way. "Father loved all three of us equally."

"Linnie, wait–" Celestia started, but Opaline already flew into the air. She seemed to throw something ahead of herself before flying forward and disappearing out of thin air.

Celestia stared after her little sister, tears filling her eyes. The scene disappeared and once again, Twilight and Misty were left alone again. Misty turned to Twilight, confused, but Twilight's face lost all traces of sympathy and compassion and instead was numb, blank, and even a little cold. Misty was confused.

"Um...Princess Twilight? What does this have to do with saving Skyros and Equestria?" Misty asked.

But Twilight just remained silent before tapping her hoof again as the scene changed. Misty gasped as the new scene came into focus. Misty knew this couldn't possibly be a scene from the past because standing in the throne room were King Skotos Malum, Prince Winter Moon, and her friend, Sunny Starscout.

Sunny walked back into the castle, her head hanging, confused, dejected, and hurt. She didn't know what the hell just happened. One minute, she was happily in love, the next, she remembered memories she hadn't thought about in years, and then Winter told her to leave Skyros before it was too late. What did all of that mean? What was Winter not telling her?

Sunny yelped when she accidentally ran into another pony. She was so busy looking at the ground, she wasn't watching where she was going. She looked up to see an alicorn guard standing in front of her, glaring down at her. Sunny gasped. She knew this guard. River Watch. Rocky Ice's sister.

Sunny tried to put on her most charming smile, but River was unamused. "I'm so sorry, River. I--I wasn't watching where I was going and--"

Sunny stopped when River Watch lowered her spear and pointed it at Sunny. Sunny started, staring at it dumbly before looking up at River Watch. "Turn around and walk."

Sunny blinked, sure this was some kind of mistake, but since she wasn't the one holding a huge spear in her hooves, she decided to comply, sure that this whole misunderstanding would be cleared up soon. She did as she was told, walking down the maze of hallways and walking where River Watch told her to walk without argument. They walked through a familiar pair of double doors and into the throne room. Sunny breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Winter standing next to his father's throne, King Skotos sitting atop it. He would get this whole misunderstanding cleared up. She knew it.

King Skotos stood up and smiled, but his smile was cold, callous, and calculating, causing Sunny to shiver. River Watch stopped Sunny a few yards away from the throne before walking out and leaving the throne room. "Miss Sunny Starscout. How wonderful of you to join us. We have waited oh so long for this moment."

Sunny swallowed nervously, a bad feeling churning in her gut. She glanced at Winter, who refused to look at her. She couldn't read the expression on his face, but she had the feeling this wouldn't end well. "Uh...what is this all about?" Sunny asked, her guard up.

Skotos's smile grew wide and manic. Sunny took a cautious step back. "Why, this is all about you, don't you see? This whole trip, everything was to lead up to this very moment."

"W-what are you talking about?" Sunny turned to Winter, her voice trembling a bit from fear. "Winter? What is he talking about?"

"Oh, you still think he's on your side. How sweet," Skotos said mockingly. "He's been helping me the whole time."

"H-helping you? I...I don't understand. Helping you do what?"

"Steal your soul, of course!" Skotos announced with much vigor, his body shaking with ecstasy, as though he had been awaiting this moment for a long time.

Sunny's eyes widened, confused. Where the hell was this coming from? What the hell did he mean? "Steal my what?"

Skotos rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I thought you'd have more information by now. You see, I never cared a flying feather about your useless unicorn friend. I know my niece didn't tell her any information that could bring Skyros to ruin. I raised her better than that. This whole time, this was about you."

"M-me? B-but Spike...he...he said..." Sunny stammered, her mind searching for some plausible explanation.

Skotos rolled his eyes. "A simple shape-shifting spell and voila. I suddenly look like the leader of the dragons."

Sunny's eyes widened as she started to understand what Skotos was saying. "That...that was...was you? And...and the letter to Flurry Heart...?"

"Was me as well. Actually, it was written by Winter, but it was my idea." Skotos walked down the stairs of the dais that held his throne as he explained. "You see, Sunny Starscout, this whole thing...everything from the moment 'Spike' warned you, from the moment you came back to Maretime Bay, was just an elaborate ruse to put your guard down and get you here. So I can finish what my lovely niece failed to do what I sent her to do."

"O-Opaline? But...but you banished her...you..." Sunny stammered, her mind whirling from everything Skotos was telling her.

Skotos scoffed. "Wow. You mortals really are gullible. That was a farce. She was never banished. I sent her to Equestria to take over. But, as I should've known, she failed to do so. The first time she failed, I put together a master plan of my own. A... fail-safe, you can call it...a way to gain more magic..."

"He waited for me to perish," Twilight explained, her face full of sorrow.

Misty was full-blown panicking now. She knew her friend was in danger, hearing what Skotos told her, but before she could warn Sunny to get the hell outta there, her surroundings disappeared and she and Twilight were back in the dream realm. She turned to Twilight, her stomach in knots from dread.

"When I did, he used a spell to tether my soul to his. He believed that since I was the Element of Magic if he absorbed my soul, he'd gain my power. But, little did he know that for each bearer, a small part of their soul is tethered to their Element, to help the next bearer. So when he tethered my soul to him, it was too late. I had already perished, so the part of my soul that was connected to my Element, the very part he needed, was already awaiting to be reincarnated into the next worthy pony. So...in order to gain the full power of the Element of Magic..."

"He has to absorb Sunny's soul while she's still alive..." Misty muttered. Then something else Skotos said rang through her head. 'This whole trip, everything was to lead up to this very moment.' Misty's eyes widened as she began to understand. Chess. Twilight said this was all a game of chess. And now…now they were in checkmate. "This is a trap. Me learning the truth, it was to immobilize me. This...you...you trapped me! You distracted me by my desire to learn the truth! Winter he...he asked Sunny to the dance to...to get her alone. And me and my friends would be distracted learning the...how...how could you?! You...you tricked us! WHY?!" Misty yelled, suddenly feeling like a huge fool for falling for Twilight's trap. For walking into her own demise and letting her friends follow.

Twilight looked away, finally looking guilty. "I had no choice. My soul is tethered to his. It belongs to him now. But I was able to sneak in the key to defeating Skotos without him knowing. It was before we met again in the dream realm. If you think back, and with a little help from your friends, you'll figure it out."

"How the hell am I supposed to believe you?! How can I believe anything you say?!" Misty could feel her anger rising. "You...you hurt my friend! A pony who was nothing but loyal to you her whole life!"

"I am truly sorry. None of this was willingly," Twilight's eyes filled with tears, but Misty was too angry to care. "Believe me, I tried to resist him. But it was no use. His magic was much too strong."

"Let me go," Misty said in a dangerously low voice. "Let me GO! NOW!"

"I can't do that. Not until it's done."

"You have to! I have to help my friends! Zipp, a-and Izzy! I...I have to--"

"I'm afraid it's too late for them," Twilight said simply and Misty's heart stopped. Too late? What did she mean it was too late?! She looked up, praying with everything she had that her friends would be okay. That against all odds, they'll still win.

Zipp paced the length of the secret room, praying Misty was okay. She had been unconscious for nearly an hour now. When she passed out, Izzy was luckily quick enough to grab her with her magic before she hit her head on the floor, and she was now lying down on the table filled with papers. All of them were blank, of course, which meant there was some kind of enchantment on them. Unfortunately, they only had one unicorn, and Izzy had no idea the spell to use to remove cloaking enchantments.

As Zipp paced, she heard something. She froze and looked at her friends. She could tell by the way Hitch tensed that he heard something too. "You guys heard that...right?" Zipp asked, her voice trembling.

Hitch nodded. "It sounded like...pounding?"

Suddenly, they all heard a bang and the sound of hooves running directly above them. "Shit! We've been caught."

Zipp ran up the staircase without thinking, slamming the door shut just in time before the guards could enter. She put her entire body weight against the door, flapping her wings to keep the door closed against the guards that kept ramming their bodies against it. It was a losing battle, but she wasn't about to give up.

Hitch turned to Izzy. "Quick! Teleport us out of here!"

"I-I can't! Not so many full-grown ponies at once. My...my magic isn't strong enough!" Izzy yelled, shaking her head, her panic rising.

Pipp hesitated for only a second, but when she heard Zipp grunt, she knew she couldn't abandon her sister. "Izzy, teleport yourself and Misty back to our room. You should be able to teleport Sparky and the Pippsqueaks because their smaller. Teleport yourselves somewhere safe, out of here, and get some help! Hitch, come with me! We're gonna buy them some time!"

"W-what? But...but I can't leave you! And...and what about Sunny?!" Izzy yelled, tears filling her eyes.

"You can and you will! Misty is the only one who knows the truth. She can't be caught!" Hitch yelled as he and Pipp ran up the stairs and pushed themselves against the door to keep it closed.

"And...we're just going to have to...trust that Sunny can...take care of...herself!" Pipp added, grunting as she put all of her weight against the door. "Go! Just get out of here!"

Izzy was silent for a moment, unsure of what to do. "What are you doing?!" Zipp yelled before all three of them yelled, "Go!"

Izzy smiled softly at her friends, touched by their sacrifice. "I won't forget you!" Izzy yelled.

"GO!" All three ponies yelled again, springing Izzy into action. She hurried next to the unconscious Misty and held her hoof before lighting her horn and disappearing in a flash of cerulean.

Sunny stared in shock at Skotos as his words sank in. No. She wouldn't believe it. This...this wasn't possible. He...he had to be lying. Sunny shook her head, stumbling back in fear. "No...no...this...that can't be true. It can't be!"

Skotos smiled villainously. The smile looked so much like Opaline's, it made Sunny's stomach twist in fear. "Oh, but it is. Prepare to meet your fate, Sunny Starscout."

Skotos's horn lit up in black aura and Sunny lit her horn moments before Skotos blasted Sunny with a huge bout of black magic. When it disappeared, Sunny was still standing with a purple shield around her. The shield then flickered out of view as Skotos charged Sunny, knocking her to the floor, Skotos standing atop her. She tried to struggle out of his grip, but his hoof atop her was too strong. She looked at Winter pleadingly, but Winter looked so conflicted like he didn't know what to do, she knew he'd be no help. She was on her own then.

"Pathetic. Even as the Element of Magic reincarnated, you still couldn't beat me. Though, that's only because you don't know how to control it. How to wield it."

Suddenly, Skotos lifted Sunny in his black magic. She tried to fight out of his grip, but he was much too strong. And she didn't know how to use her magic like Misty did. Sunny watched in fear as his magic suddenly turned orange and an orange ball appeared at the top of it. Suddenly, an orange and purple stream of magic was being sucked out of her. Sunny screamed as it felt like a part of her was being painfully ripped out of her. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks as her body seized in pain. She screamed as Skotos slowly sucked all of the magic out of her.

Slowly, Sunny's eye color dimmed until it was a faded greyish green rather than her usual bright grass green color. Her cutie mark, a pink star with a blue-green trail and two smaller stars on either side faded until her flank was blank. Skotos closed his eyes, breathing in as he felt himself absorb all of Sunny's magic.

He smiled maliciously at Sunny as he opened his newly black eyes. "It's a shame really. Maybe if you knew how to use your magic, you may have been able to defeat me." He paused, as though thinking it over, before seeming to come to a decision. "Nah"

His horn lit up again, this time to cast a different spell that would take Sunny's soul, when a light blue blast of magic hit him, throwing him across the room. Sunny, who was still in Skotos's magic flew across the room, farther than Skotos himself, and crashed to the ground, rolling a bit. She landed in an unconscious heap and for a few moments, the world was completely still, as though waiting for her to get back up, like she always did, time and time and time again. But she didn't. She just lay on her side, completely unconscious, barely even breathing.

"Sunny!" A voice called, but they got no response. "Sunny!" They called again, but still, the alicorn was completely motionless. "SUNNY!"

Sunny started to come to, and she felt hooves pick her up. She opened her eyes, but they were half-lidded, as though it was impossible to open them all the way. When she saw the pony before her, her body tensed. "Get...get a...way..." She fell as she fainted, landing in the pony's hooves. The crown she was wearing for the ball fell off her head and clanked against the stone floor, echoing louder than a hoard of rampaging elephants in the silence of the throne room.

"Give her to me," Skotos yelled, charging his horn and marching towards them.

Winter hesitated before picking Sunny up in his magic and softly setting her on his back. He jumped out of the way, avoiding his father's grasp, while trying to keep Sunny on his back.

"Son! Give her to me! Now!" Skotos demanded, charging his horn.

"No! I have had enough, you deranged stallion. Don't get used to having all that power. I will stop you if it's the last thing I do!" Winter yelled, charging his own horn. And with that, Winter, Prince of Skyros, and Sunny, the Element of Hope, vanished from the throne room in a burst of light blue magic.

Author's Note

Oh...My...Dear...God above! That was a long chapter. This thing took me three days to write and that was with me writing most of the day! That's not even including editing! My fingers hurt from all that typing. :twilightoops:

So, the reason this chapter is so long is because I wanted to whip this out as the pre-story finale, so then there's only one chapter left, and I'll be done with this story. The reason for that is because, as we make more progress, the revival is taking up more and more of my time, meaning I have less and less for writing. As well as other…writing obligations. SO…I wanted to get this story completed before the revival takes up most of my free time (and by most, I mean 90% percent of it). So, there will be one more normal-length chapter, and by normal I mean not 15000 plus words and the story will be complete. :raritywink:

So, keep an eye out for the next chapter because it will be out in the next couple of days. What will happen to Pipp, Zipp, and Hitch? Will Sunny wake up? Will Misty get herself free from her own mind? What was the mysterious book from the restricted section? Will Sunny and her friends be able to stop Skotos before he tries to take Equestria?

Well, you'll just have to wait to find out. See you in the next chapter :twilightsmile: . I can tell you now that all of Winter's betrayal has yet to be admitted. Oops.

And yes, I did use a scene from Stranger Things

A New Mission

Three Days Later...

Winter sat on the dirt floor of the cave, his back against the wall next to the bed the unconscious Sunny was sleeping on. He stared at her sleeping face, holding back tears once again. How could he be so foolish? How could he let his father hurt her so badly? He'd never forgive himself for the state he put her in. For the betrayal he made. For the way he hurt her and her friends.

Sunny had yet to wake up, and he feared that she never would. But she was alive, and as long as she was alive, there was still hope. Right? Gods, he just wished she'd wake up already.

Suddenly, Winter heard hoofsteps, snapping him out of his self-loathing. He snapped his head up, his eyes wide in panic. He saw two shadowed figures stepping in and in a panic, he quickly grabbed Sunny and hid behind a rock, leaning down. The hoofsteps grew closer and closer when Winter heard a voice he recognized.

"Sunny?!" Was that...Izzy? Winter peeked from behind the rock he was hiding behind. There, he saw Izzy and an exhausted-looking Misty leaning against her friend. "Are you sure she's here?"

Misty nodded wearily. "Yeah. According to the location spell."

"I still think you should've let me cast the spell. You don't look so–"

Suddenly, a coral blast hit the rock Winter and Sunny were hiding behind, breaking the top of the rock into a million little pieces. Winter ducked, shielding Sunny's body with his own.

After a moment of nothing happening, Winter cautiously poked his head out from behind the rock, and what he saw sent shivers down his spine. Misty was standing on her own, though she looked weak. She was panting heavily and glaring daggers at him, her horn charged and Izzy standing fearfully behind her.

However, as soon as she saw him, she de-charged her horn and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked confused and nervous. Izzy, however, had a huge smile on her face. She bounced up to him, hugging him tightly.

"Winter! Thank hoofness you're okay!" She exclaimed, hugging him, making him as confused as ever. Did they not know what he did?

"What…what's going on?" He asked. Then another thought came to mind. "How…how are you here?"

"Oh. Uh…" Izzy looked away, tears welling up in her eyes.

Misty spoke, her hooves trembling and slowly bending. Izzy caught on, and stood next to her, allowing Misty to lean against her. "Zipp heard guards ambushing us when we were in Opaline's room. Pipp and Hitch told Izzy to teleport herself and me out of there while Pipp, Zipp, and Hitch held them back. Izzy couldn't teleport all of us and I was trapped in my own mind thanks to Twilight. The bastard."

"Misty!" Izzy admonished. "You know she didn't have a choice!"

"I know, I know! It's just that…how could I have been so stupid! I should have been there! I should've known. Instead, I let her lead me into a trap and I blindly followed her like…like a lamb to the damn slaughter."

Winter looked away, guilt welling up in him. All these innocent ponies were blaming themselves when, in reality, it was his fault.

Misty continued her story. "She teleported us back to our room and was packing a quick back of essentials when I finally got free of my own mind. But, I was weak. Escaping my own mind took a lot of power and being in there for so long drained a lot of my energy. So, I couldn't be of much use in saving the rest of our friends. So, we ran. Izzy teleported the Pippsqueaks and herself to a friend's boutique while I teleported myself there. We hid there for a bit before hoping to find Sunny. I cast a locator spell to find her but...it doesn't seem to have worked."

Winter looked away, squeezing his eyes shut. "It did. She's here. But...I don't understand." Winter looked at Izzy and Misty. "How are you not mad at me?"

"Misty told me...everything she knew. I can't say I was happy to hear what she said, but seeing you here now with Sunny, I know you would never do anything to hurt her." Izzy said with a small and reassuring smile.

"Still though, we would like to know--" Misty started, only to be interrupted by a gasp from Izzy.

Her eyes had caught sight of the ground beside the rock Winter was hiding behind and she had gasped at what she saw peeking from behind it. It was Sunny's head, her eyes closed. She ran to Sunny, her mind panicking. She stared at her chest to see it barely moving. Izzy breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive.

"What's wrong with Sunny?" Izzy asked, her voice shaking.

"My father used a very dangerous spell on her to get to her magic. I was able to stop him before he used another spell to steal Sunny's soul but...I'm scared I was too late..." Winter's voice broke as he squeezed his eyes shut again.

As Winter was explaining, Misty walked up to Sunny, inspecting her closely. "Tirek's spell." She muttered.

"Tirek's what?" Izzy asked, looking at both Misty and Winter.

"A spell Tirek uses to drain a pony of their magic. A dangerous spell, one that's very difficult for a pony to cast. The only ones known to cast it are alicorns."

Izzy gasped. "Ooh! I know this old Bridlewood tea that's been known to restore unicorn energy and strength for centuries." Izzy's face fell. "But…I'm not sure any of the ingredients are here."

"You needn't worry about that. Just…tell me what they look like in great detail and I can manifest them with my magic." Winter suggested, willing to do anything to help Sunny.

"Uh, Izzy? Misty? Are you still alive in there? Is it okay to come in now?" A voice asked, making Misty and Izzy's eyes widen.

"Oops. Forgot about them." Misty turned to the entrance of the cave. "Yeah, girls. Come on in. We'll be staying here for a bit."

With that, three fillies walked in, one of them with a baby dragon on their back. When they caught sight of Winter, they gasped, but otherwise remained silent.

Izzy and Winter got to work while Misty tried to make Sunny as comfortable as possible on the mattress Winter manifested for her when he first got here three days ago and the three Pippsqueaks watched Sparky. Izzy began brewing the tea as Winter made the ingredients with his magic, both of them making another batch for Misty.

Soon the tea was finished and ready for Sunny to drink. Izzy picked up the cup with her magic, and, while Winter held her head back, Izzy poured the drink down Sunny's throat with her magic. They waited a little bit, watching her closely when her breathing got a little stronger. All three ponies breathed a sigh of relief, thankful it worked.

"We'll give her this tea three times a day. Even after she wakes up. At least until her strength is fully restored, even if it's without her magic." Izzy suggested, sitting down next to the bed.

Winter began pacing the length of the cave, and when the Pippsqueaks watched curiously, Misty gave them a look that had them quickly starting their own conversations with each other. They all made a deal before they left that if the Pippsqueaks and Sparky were to come, they had to do everything Misty and Izzy told them to do without argument.

Misty turned back to Winter, and both she and Izzy watched as he paced back and forth while he vented his frustrations and anger toward himself. "This is…all my fault."

"Winter…" Izzy started but was interrupted.

"No! It's all on me. I'm the one who went behind her back. I'm the one who manipulated her memories. I'm the one–"

"Wait, manipulate memories? You can do that?" Misty asked, confused.

"Yes. Each type of alicorn can influence the mind in different ways. Fire alicorns can lure and haze the mind, almost having a hypnotizing effect. Water alicorns can influence the tide of emotions, earth alicorns can form attachments where there weren't some and influence ones still there, while air alicorns can make memories come and go like the breeze. Make ponies think about or not think about any given memory they may have. The practice of influencing one's mind was banned by the king before my uncle, and, while my father hasn't unbanned it…he still encouraged me and my cousin to practice it."

Misty gasped. "So that's why I started thinking of memories I didn't want to think about. That was you." That was when Misty realized what she said and she instantly felt guilty. He was already beating himself up over it enough. She didn't need to add fuel to the fire, so to speak.

"Ugh! What's wrong with me? I'm so sorry!" Winter exclaimed, making it clear how guilty he felt. He sighed, looking at Sunny's unconscious body. "It's my fault Sunny is hurt. And I have no idea if she'll ever recover. And I will never forgive myself for it. What I wouldn't give to see her laugh and smile. To see her beautiful eyes again. To taste one of her amazing smoothies. Her contagious joy. And instead, I blew it! Because I couldn't stand up to my own damn father!" Winter's expression grew determined. "I have to fix this. I have to stop him. Because…if I don't…I don't know what I'll do."

"Stop it," Misty said firmly, standing up and putting her own cup of tea down. She was already looking a little stronger.

"W-what?" Winter asked, thoroughly confused.

"I said stop it. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It isn't going to help us now." Misty walked up to Winter, not quite glaring, but her expression was hard, determined.

"B-but…it's my fault…" Winter countered.

"Yes. Okay, you made some mistakes. And yes, what you did was wrong. But in the end, you did what was right. And let me tell you, what your father did, wasn't your fault. Yes, you may have helped him, but ultimately, he's his own pony who knows right from wrong. It was his choice to go all evil, and it was his choice to hurt Sunny and doom the whole world. But sitting here, blaming yourself isn't gonna change a thing. If anything, it'll make things worse. We can stop Skotos, but only if we all work together."

"Are you sure about that though? Look at us." Izzy gestured to the lot of them, who all looked tired and weak. "Skotos is almost at full charge. He has all of Sunny's magic. All he needs is her soul. And he has three of our friends. Can we really stand up and beat him? We can't even use the Elements of Unity. Not with just three of us."

Misty sighed, dropping her head. Izzy was right of course. Going to face Skotos now would only be giving him exactly what he wanted. It'd be stupid, foolish, and reckless. Then something Twilight said rang through her head.

'I was able to sneak in the key to defeating Skotos without him knowing. It was before we met again in the dream realm. If you think back, and with a little help from your friends, you'll figure it out.'

Misty closed her eyes, thinking back to when she first fell through that black hole thing on the floor. The mess of images and voices. It hurt her head just thinking about it, but she forced herself to anyway. That was when she gasped. She remembered that some images stood out to her. Specific ones.

"Hey…uh…I might have something. During my trip to learn the truth, in the beginning, I saw a lot of images and heard a lot of voices. But Twilight said that in that mess of images, she left clues. I couldn't remember any of them, but a few stood out to me. One was of an exodus of a bunch of alicorns. Does that sound useful?"

Winter's eyes widened as realization seemed to strike him. "That's it! Misty, you're a genius! Why didn't I think of that?"

"I…am…?" Misty asked, confused.

"The fire alicorns! We can get the fire alicorns to help us!"

"I thought Opaline did something to them." Izzy pointed out, confused as well.

"That's just what my father wanted you to think. But my father exiled them."

"Do you know where they are, Winter?" Misty asked, feeling herself growing hopeful.

"Yeah. I do. But so does Skotos. But the Fire Alicorns rebelled and put an invisububble around their land, a lot like what Twilight did, so Skotos couldn't see inside. We'll be safe there."

"Then that's what we'll do. When Sunny wakes up and regains her strength, we'll head out and search for the Fire Alicorns."

"No…no…stop…" Sunny muttered as she began to squirm. She was still in the castle, still having her magic stolen from her. She was still screaming in pain as her nightmares made her relive the scene. That was when she sat up, her eyes snapping open as she screamed, "NO!"

She panted heavily, looking around. Where…where was she? It…it looked like she was in a cave of some sort. She gasped immediately as she grabbed her chest with her hoof. It hurt there…so much. She looked down at it to see a massive already-formed bruise along it. It was tender to the touch.

Tears came to her eyes as she remembered what happened in the throne room. She could feel it…the way it was missing from her. Like a big part of who she was was just…missing. It was like she was no longer herself without it. He took more than just her magic. He took a piece of her.

Sunny looked down at her cutie mark. Or, rather, she looked at her blank flank. Her heart hurt just seeing it, but it hurt even more just thinking about…

She shook her head. No. She wouldn't think about him. Not now. Not ever. He was a player, a villain, and she played into his horrible game. But, she knew this much. She would make him pay.

Suddenly, Sunny heard baby sounds, like cooing and gurgling. Sunny looked up to see Sparky waddling out of the cave…wall? Must be some enchantment thing Misty set up. Which must mean…her friends are okay. Sunny breathed a sigh of relief. Thank hoofness her friends were alright. She should've known they'd be okay. They always were.

When Sparky caught sight of Sunny, he gasped and his little face brightened up in a big smile. He waddled up to her, trying to climb onto her mattress, but he was a little too small. Sunny went to pick him up with her magic, only to remember she didn't have any. She grabbed him with her hooves and hugged him closely.

"Oh, thank moons you're okay. I'm not sure how Hitch would've reacted if something happened to you." She muttered into his ear, hugging him tightly. She'd never been so happy to see the baby dragon.

Then, Sunny heard arguing. "I can't believe you lost him, Seashell!"

"I didn't lose him! It was your turn to watch him Peach Fizz!"

"No, it wasn't! I was supposed to help Izzy make the tea!"

"No! I was so I can help Izzy grow the ingredients for the tea with my earth pony magic so Misty and–"

The arguing stopped as two fillies also walked out of the cave wall. They both froze as they caught sight of her, their eyes wide with…well, Sunny couldn't tell. But, soon, they both gasped with huge smiles as they ran to Sunny.

"Sunny!" Seashell exclaimed, a huge smile on her face. "You're okay!"

"Sunny, here. Izzy said you need to drink this as soon as you wake up. It'll help you regain your strength," Peach Fizz said as she picked up a teapot and a mug with her magic, carefully pouring the tea into the mug and handing it to Sunny, who grabbed it with her magic. "It's a special Bridlewood brew. We've been feeding it to you for the past two days, three times a day, and now you're awake!"

"I've been out for two days?" Sunny asked wearily as she felt her head pound. She took a sip of the tea, and while it didn't taste the best, it did soothe her massive headache.

"Well, actually, you've been out for five," Seashell admitted a bit reluctantly.

"Where are our friends? Are…are they here?" Sunny asked weakly.

Seashell and Peach Fizz looked at each other. "Well, uh…no," Peach Fizz answered. "They…they were captured by King Skotos. I mean, Izzy and Misty weren't. They're right here. But…"

When they saw Sunny begin to panic, Seashell quickly amended, "B-but don't worry, we have a plan."

"Well, pieces of a plan," Peach Fizz added.

"Yeah. More like one step, b-but it's something!" Seashell continued.

"Yeah, we're going to find the exiled fire alicorns!" Peach Fizz finished. "And they'll help us defeat Skotos."

"Hopefully," Seashell muttered, earning a nod from Peach Fizz.

"Right, well, where's–" Sunny started, only to stop when she heard yet another voice she recognized.

Seashell! Peach Fizz! I thought we told you to stay behind the false–" Izzy gasped dramatically when she saw Sunny. "SUNNY!" She exclaimed in pure and utter joy.

She bounded up to Sunny and wrapped her in a tight embrace, making Sunny spill her tea. Sunny would've warned her to be careful, but Sunny didn't care. She was just happy her friend was okay. Sunny squeezed Izzy tightly, burying her face in her friend's mane.

After a long moment of hugging, the two friends reluctantly separated. Sunny looked behind Izzy to see Misty waiting patiently. Sunny smiled, reaching a hoof out in invitation. Misty didn't waste a moment, hurrying over to hug Sunny tightly. Thank goodness she was okay.

"Alright. I think I got the protective wards all set up now. And we have a new batch of tea brewing on the stove and–"

Sunny gasped when she recognized that voice. She pushed Misty away, her eyes wide with disbelief. But her shocked gaze quickly turned to anger and rage. How dare he show his face here? How dare he waltz back in here like he belonged here? How dare he come back to take the rest of her friends?! Over her damn dead body!

Winter gasped upon seeing Sunny, his eyes lighting up. "Princess! You're awake!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT YOU LYING PIECE OF SHIT!" Sunny turned to her friends, who had shocked expressions and were shocked speechless. They've never seen such fire, such hate, in their friend's eyes. "What is he doing here?! Do you have any idea what he's done?!"

"He saved your life, Sunny. Misty and I, we…we had to leave you behind but…Winter…he brought you here."

Sunny scoffed, crossing her hooves. "Saved my life my hoof. What happened, Your Highness? Came back as your father's fail-safe?"

"What are you…ohh…" Winter's eyes widened in understanding as he remembered. He had been so worried about Sunny that he very nearly forgot.

"Yeah. That." Sunny turned back to Winter with a look of murder in her eyes. "You told your father everything about me! You influenced my memories! You…you betrayed me!"

"Wait, Sunny, it's not like that–" Winter tried to explain, but Sunny wouldn't hear of it. She didn't want to hear it.

"Oh, so he didn't have you send that letter to Flurry Heart about bringing Misty to Skyros as bait?"

"Well, yes, he did but–"

"And he didn't ask you to spy on me?!"

"He did, but Sunny, just try to understand–"

"And you didn't tell him that part of Twilight's soul was reincarnated into ME?!" Sunny was growing angrier and angrier with each word. "And you DIDN'T just invite me to THAT PARTY TO GET ME ALONE?!" Tears filled Sunny's eyes as she felt her heartbreak. "AND YOU DIDN'T JUST STAND BY WHILE YOUR FATHER DRAINED ME OF ALL OF MY MAGIC?!" She was practically screeching now, scaring the Pippsqueaks. Misty told them to go behind the fake wall and wait there and they happily complied.

"Sunny…I'm so sorry, I didn't realize–"

"I knew it! You did betray me! What a relief! So glad we got that cleared up!"

"Sunny, please! Just…just let me explain–"

"WHY?! So you can tell me more of your damn LIES?! I thought you were my friend! I thought that maybe…just maybe we had a connection! That maybe you felt the same way!"

"Sunny, I do. You–"

"But…I was wrong. Dead wrong, I guess, which is ironic because, hey, I almost DIED!"

"Sunny, please. You were my first friend. I…I love you," Winter pleaded softly, tears of his own filling his eyes.

"Oh yeah?! I thought I did too! But that was just you influencing my emotions too, right?! Making me think I loved you?!"

"What? No, I would never–"

"Oh, save me your BULLSHIT!" Sunny was now standing up, pushing past him towards the cave exit.

"Sunny, wait! You can't leave!" Misty called out.

"NO! I won't be in the same room er…cave or whatever as HIM!"

"Sunny, it's not safe. My father is still looking for you." Winter warned, his expression and tone full of concern.

"I don't CARE! As long as I'm away from YOU!" Sunny yelled, bolting towards the exit. Before any of them could say another word, Sunny was long gone and the three ponies were silent.

"That went well..." Winter muttered after a moment, looking after the way Sunny left.

There was a moment of silence before Winter walked out of the cave. Misty and Izzy tried to protest, but he just ignored them, continuing after the love of his life. He stopped for a moment, not sure where to even begin looking. So, he just started walking, hoping to just...stumble upon her.

Sunny ran through the woods that surrounded the cave, tears streaming down her face. She was an idiot. She was a damn idiot! She barely knew him for three days and she thought it was true love at first sight? So stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

She skidded to a stop before a river, sniffling and crying. Why? Why was she so quick to befriend somepony who would just betray her later? It was Misty all over again. Why did she keep trusting the wrong ponies? Why didn't she learn her lesson?

🎵Don't know why…I did it…🎵 Sunny began to sing, though it was more of a broken sob than a song.

🎵Don't know why…I gave…in.
Now my heart…is breaking…
I won't be made a fool again!

I thought he…was honest…
When I looked into his eyes…
But look at where…that's got me…
It all…has been…a lie.🎵

There was a moment of silence as Sunny sobbed into her hooves. She was so stupid! Why was she crying over a stallion she barely knew? Why was she having such strong feelings towards him?

Suddenly, she heard the sound of another singing voice, this one in a familiar tune.

🎵If I had only felt the warmth within your touch…
If I had only seen how you smile when you blush…🎵

Sunny stood up, ready to bolt again, but she was just too tired. But it wasn't just exhaustion that stopped her. It was something else. Something she couldn't explain.

🎵Or how you curl your lip when you concentrate enough,
Oh, I would've known, what I was living for…all along.
What I've been living for.🎵

Slowly, Sunny turned around, glaring at him. He obviously wouldn't stop until she did something, but…then she thought…did she want him to stop?

🎵I surrender who I've been,
To who you are.
Nothing makes me stronger than,
Your fragile heart.
If I had only felt how it feels to be yours,
Well, I would've known,
What I've been living for…all along.🎵

Sunny was silent for a moment, her breath heavy, her eyes burning from tears. She could tell he was truly sorry for what he had done. And she wanted to forgive him. She wanted to forgive him so badly. She wanted to move on and pretend this never happened. But she couldn't. She just...couldn't. Not while her magic was still gone. Not while her flank was still blank. Not while her friends were captured by his father. Not while these constant reminders existed day in and day out.

"I'm so sorry, Pr–I mean, Sunny. Really, I am. I was…such a coward. I should've stood up to my father before it got this bad. I was just…scared. Everything was happening so…quickly. I…I couldn't wrap my mind around it and…but that's no excuse. I'm…I'm so, so, sorry."

"I…I believe you," Sunny said after a long moment. Winter grew hopeful, but Sunny's next words dashed those hopes away. "But…Winter, I can't forgive you. Not…not yet anyway." Sunny looked Winter dead in the eye so Winter could see the full extent of the pain she was feeling. "Winter, you invaded my memories, my life. Things I never wanted anypony else to see. And not only that, but you influenced them. You made me relive my worst ones. You made me relive the day my dad died. The very worst day of my life. A day…I never wished to ever think about again. You forced me to be bare to you without my consent. Without even my knowledge. You hurt me. You betrayed my trust. You betrayed me in ways I didn't even think were possible. And you hurt me in the worst way possible. They were my memories! It was my life! And you controlled them like they were nothing but strings on a puppet. You did that not only to me, but you did it to Misty! Misty! The sweetest pony I know, who has already been through so much! How could you?! How could you do that?! To her?! To me?! I thought you were MY FRIEND! But...friends don't do this! FRIENDS DON'T RAPE THEIR FRIEND'S MIND!" A sob was building in Sunny's throat again, but she quickly tried to wipe away the tears, but it was moot. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. "So...no. I can't forgive you, Winter. I...I can barely look at you."

And with that, Sunny walked away, back to the cave. Winter stood there for a moment, his heart a broken mess of pain. Because Sunny was right. She was completely right. He crossed so many lines that he couldn't uncross that night at the dance. He went too far by miles upon miles by doing what he did. He didn't even deserve Sunny.

So, after everything, Winter got down on his knees and yelled! He yelled at the heavens, he yelled at his father, he yelled at himself. He yelled until his voice was raw.

He didn't deserve this mare and yet, he needed to fix what he could.

Sunny sighed, continuing her way to the cave when she couldn't hear Winter's yells anymore.

Sunny walked into the cave, wiping tears away. Her friends watched her with concerned looks, but she could see the question they tried so hard to hide.

"Yeah, he'll be here in a moment. He just…needed some time alone too." Sunny muttered. "So, uh...what's the plan?"

"Well, we can't face Skotos now. Misty's strength is almost completely regained but...she's still a little weak. And you..." Izzy trailed off, looking away. "Even if we were all at full strength, we wouldn't be able to face an army of alicorns on our own. We need an army."

"So, we're going to go get ourselves one," Misty finished.

"The fire alicorns," Sunny stated dully. At her friends' confused looks, she clarified. "The Pippsqueaks. They filled me in. Kinda."

Izzy handed Sunny a cup of tea with her magic. "Here. Drink this. Tonight, we'll head out. On a whole new mission. This is so exciting!"

Misty looked determinedly out the entrance of the cave, her friends behind her. "And this time...we won't fail…"

Author's Note

Alright! A Trial of Secrets is over. The story continues in the sequel Skyfall. I know there are still many questions, and they will be answered in the next story. I might release a trailer of it in the Heroism, Family, and Friendship group, so keep an eye out.

Also, I may release a short about Flurry Heart and Luster Dawn. It'll only be like one chapter, but, I don't know, we'll see. I got the beginnings of an idea but we'll see where it goes.

It might take awhile for the next story to come out because I'll be working tirelessly on the revival, and that'll come first, so, I'll try and write it in my extra time, but it might be a bit. Thus the trailer. So yeah, keep an eye out.

Also, the song I used is "Turning Page" by Sleeping At Last and the other one was "Most Chaotically Reprise" by DisneyFanatic2364

And since we're at the end of the story, here's the answer: Winter was originally based on Prince Naveen from Princess and the Frog. Congrats to those who got it right!

Hakuna Matata