G5 Adventures in Wish

Chapters

Training for the Final Battle, the Pep-Talk and the Tear-Jerking Farewell
The Final Battle (Part 2: This Wish Reprise and The Defeat of Magnifico)
Meeting Asha and Entering the Kingdom of Rosas
Asha's Interview Gone Wrong
This Wish/Meeting Star and Magnifico Learns the Truth
Allura's Story Starts to Come to Light, The Point of No Return and The Reveal
Wishes Stolen and Destroyed/Going Back to Set Things Right
Knowing What I Know Now and Allura's Reformation
The Final Fight (Part 1: Freeing the Wishes)
A Happy Ending in Rosas/New Reasons to Celebrate

Training for the Final Battle, the Pep-Talk and the Tear-Jerking Farewell

Sunny could never forget the horrific vision she received after she, the rest of the Mane 6 and Comet got back from Christmastown.

The battle… the fear that she felt for her friends and herself… Allura’s wicked laughter… the figure she and Twitch were with.

And the worst part was… she had no idea where they were or what they were planning in that moment.

Allura could gain enough power to jump to Equestria with just that one shard, and she would stop at nothing to claim the others they had collected.

That’s when Sunny seemed to get an idea-- Allura was no match for the Mane 6 when they all worked together as a team, so… maybe, if they got all their friends and families together to create one big mega-army, they would actually stand a chance if Allura and Twitch did find their way to Equestria to get the rest of the shards.

So it was settled.

Once the snow in Bridlewood melted a bit, training would begin for the biggest battle of their lives.

XXXXXXXX

Sunny and her friends looked over the field where the third training session of the day was taking place. After weeks of training, the citizens of Equestria improved in their fighting techniques, but to be able to defend themselves against Allura's ice army… they still had a long way to go. The problem was, the Mane 6 had no idea when Allura was going to strike next, or when their next Unity Quest mission would be.

Hitch turned to Sunny after a long moment of silence. “You think they'll be enough?”

Sunny swallowed nervously, the vision she had flashing through her mind. She didn't know how to answer that. So, instead, she settled for, “They have to be.”

XXXXXXXX

Back down in the training field, Jazz, Posey, Dahlia, Onyx, Dapple, Windy, Comet, Rufus, and Rocky were all taking a water break from sparing, the earth ponies using their earth pony magic against another team of earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi, to test both sides, and they were exhausted. It seemed as the weeks went by, these training sessions only got harder and harder.

That was when Windy noticed Comet seemed a little quieter than usual. “You okay, Comet?”

Comet snapped out of his daze, looking up at his newfound friends. “Oh, I-I'm fine. Just… nervous.”

“Oh, that's right,” Jazz said softly as a realization hit her. “You've faced Allura before, haven't you?”

Comet shivered just thinking about that time he and his fellow auroricorns were under Allura’s control, but nodded anyway. “Well, how did you get free of her?” Rufus asked. “Maybe it could help us with our fight against that overgrown housecat.”

Comet was about to answer when Onyx spoke in a cool, calm and collected tone. “Technically, he didn't. Because he's here now, preparing to face her.”

“Well, that just got dark,” Posey muttered, rolling her eyes at Onyx's choice of words. “Though, Onyx is right,” Comet agreed reluctantly, his gaze down at the forest floor. “We only put off the inevitable by not making sure that Allura was defeated properly.”

The rest of the group was silent after Comet's statement, their fear palpable. If Sunny and her friends couldn't defeat Allura permanently with the help of every auroricorn and the friends they made on their Unity Quest missions in the past, what chance did they have?

And how much were they willing to sacrifice for their home world before they ended up just like the auroricorns did before the Mane 6 came to their rescue?

It didn't take long before Dahlia tried to flash a hopeful smile. “Hey… Sunny and her friends haven't let us down yet, guys. We gotta trust them, don't we?”

“Yeah. I guess you're right,” Windy muttered, trying to keep the same hopeful attitude Sunny tried to encourage them to keep. Suddenly, a whistle sounded, grabbing the group's attention. “Alright, ponies. Break time's over,” Hitch called, with Sparky on his back and his friends following behind him. “Back on the field.”

“Sorry, Hitch,” Rufus apologized. “Just… trying to devise up a new strategy.”

“That's why we're here,” Zipp answered, her face stern. “Fighting Allura won't be easy. You need all the training you can get. Which is why we're gonna try a new exercise.”

“You're gonna break off in pairs,” Hitch explained, pacing in front of them. “Izzy, Sunny, and Pipp will join a pair, making it a group of three, to help you out and give you pointers. And each group will be fighting me, Zipp and Misty.”

The other ponies gasped, glancing at each other with wide eyes. “Uh… are you sure that's fair?” Posey asked with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, you six have WAY more experience than all of us combined. And I…”

“I know,” Misty interrupted, stepping forward with a gentle yet stern look on her face. “That's why each pair will have Sunny, Izzy, or Pipp. But… here's the real kicker, Posey… Allura won't fight fair. And she has a lot more experience than all of us, due to stories we've heard from flying leopards we've encountered on our missions and the ice beings she has the ability to create. You will be outnumbered, and she won't go easy. The point of this exercise is to be able to fight us three in pairs by the end of training. To teach you how to fight while outnumbered. Sunny, Pipp and Izzy are just training wheels.”

Posey gulped nervously. “Training wheels I hope we never have to take off…”

“Pipp? Do you have the group assignments?” Zipp asked her sister, who nodded and pulled a roll of paper out from under her wing. “Yep. Right here,” she said before facing the crowd of ponies. “Each pair will go one at a time. As you're waiting for your turn, you should be practicing. Not sitting around.”

“We will be switching up your pairs every round,” Sunny explained. “So you can learn to fight with anypony you're teamed up with as a team. The only way we'll win this fight is together.”

“Alright, ponies,” Hitch concluded sternly. “See Pipp to find out your partner and we'll begin. Any volunteers who want to go first?”

The entire group was silent, nopony even daring to raise a hoof. “Maybe we should… draw names from this hat?” Izzy lifted a hat up with her magic. “To make it fair and fun all at once! But uh… more serious than fun, though.”

“Good idea, Izzy,” Sunny reached into the hat, pulling out a name while Pipp pulled out a name of her own. “Posey, you and your partner will be going first. Which is…?”

Pipp squinted at her paper. “Uh… Onyx.”

Sunny turned back to Posey with a smile. “Since you two are going first, you can decide which one of us three you want on your team.”

“I say we get Sunny,” Posey whispered to Onyx. “She's the most formidable fighter, since she's an earth pony AND an alicorn.”

Onyx nodded. “Uh, okay.”

“We want Sunny,” Posey pointed at Sunny expectantly, and this made Sunny chuckle nervously. “Uh…okay. But… I'm not gonna use my alicorn form. This exercise is for you to learn how to fight while being outnumbered. You're not gonna learn anything if I do most of the fighting for you.”

Posey gulped nervously at this, but she and Onyx nodded with compliancy. Hesitantly, Posey and Onyx got into defensive positions, with Sunny by their side.

Hitch, Misty, and Zipp lined up across from them, wirh Sparky jumping off Hitch's back and waddling over to the Pippsqueaks and Violette, who were cheering on the side. “Thanks for letting us watch the combat practice, Pipp!” Seashell said with an enthusiastic smile. “Our parents probably would be worried out of their minds with us being here if they weren’t counting inventory.”

“Ah, well, you know… as long as you don't do any fighting… or you don't tell your parents…” Pipp added the last part in a mutter before she cleared her throat. “Look! I think they're starting!”

“Okay,” Zipp started as she faced Posey, Onyx and Sunny. “Remember, this may be only sparring practice, but this is supposed to imitate real life. We won't go easy on you, so don't go easy on us, okay?”

Posey and Onyx nodded before, with absolutely no warning, Hitch launched Zipp up into the air with a plant grown from earth pony magic. She flew into the air, curling her wings so she dove back to the ground with a crazy amount of speed. Posey panicked, stomping her hooves and creating a dome around her, Sunny and Onyx made of plants.

Immediately, however, Misty blasted a hole right through the plant dome, leaving a way for Hitch to use his earth pony magic to slither in a plant, intent on having it wrap around Posey. “Posey! Look out!” Sunny warned, stomping her hooves to block Posey from Hitch's attack. And once they were safe, Sunny decided to give the duo a little piece of advice. “Make a plan. Communicate! Take out the strongest first.”

“The strongest is Hitch, so… if we take him out, we can take Zipp and Misty easier,” Posey muttered. “But how do we take him out when his magic is so darn powerful?!”

Hitch pounded his hooves again, making a small plant tower for Misty to stand on, so she could fight with magic from above. Zipp was flying in speedy circles, trying to distract them. “Turn their strengths into weaknesses,” Sunny advised again. “Use it against them.”

Posey gasped upon getting an idea. “Divide and conquer,” she whispered before turning to Sunny and Onyx. “Two of us will take on Misty and Zipp, and while Hitch is distracted helping him, one of us takes him out.”

“Uh, I can take Hitch,” Onyx raised her hoof calmly. “I'll take Misty using my earth pony magic,” Posey volunteered. “That leaves Zipp to me,” Sunny finished. “And make sure to stick to the advice I gave you.”

“BREAK!!” the three of them shouted before springing into action.

Posey tried to capture Misty with her magic grown plants, but Misty would just blast them away with her magic. However, as Misty blasted at the plants, one slithered up behind her, capturing her. She yelped, catching Hitch's attention. He stopped his hooves, whacking Posey away with a plant of his own, allowing Misty to blast herself free.

“You can do it, Posey!” Sunny shouted over to her as she tried to grab Zipp with her earth pony grown vines. “Keep trying!”

“C'mon, Onyx,” Posey muttered to herself. “Any moment now. We can only keep Hitch distracted for much longer.”

Sunny finally caught the zooming Zipp, but Zipp began flying in circles over and over again, twisting the plant so much, it broke. Zipp flew off in a direction out of control, but recovered quickly. Hitch gave Zipp another boost in speed with his earth pony magic, somehow kicking the other team’s flank without taking a step.

However, this one small moment gave Onyx just the opportunity to step in.

She crept in the shadows of the trees, trying to remain out of sight until she was directly behind Hitch. “Down comes Sheriff Hitch…”

A magic lasso appeared and Onyx behan whirling it around in her magic before wrapping it around Hitch's hooves, knocking him to the ground. Onyx smiled triumphantly, but Hitch also smirked. The side of his hoof touched the ground and a plant grew behind Onyx, wrapping around her, immobilizing her.

Posey looked stunned at this. “Wha… how…? How did he do that?!”

“That’s the thing about these things, Pose,” Pipp smiled. “Always expect the unexpected.”

“Okay, let's pick the next team while you guys catch your breath,” Sunny said, panting slightly. “And while I catch mine.”

XXXXXXXX

The Mane 6 panted heavily as they walked into the Crystal Tea Room, Pipp, Izzy, and Sunny looking ragged from getting their flanks handed to them.

After two hours of the same exercises, the pairs yielded about the same results as Posey and Onyx. Hitch, Zipp, and Misty briefly wondered if they were going too hard on them, but Sunny's thought about the last time they faced Allura flashed through her mind, along with the vision, before she said that the only way to prepare them is to make it as similar as it'd be in battle.

Besides, Sunny wanted to get as much practice as possible fighting without her alicorn form. It could sometimes be unreliable, and she needed to be a valuable asset to the team whether she be an alicorn or an earth pony.

All of their muscles hurt and ached, but as soon as they walked in, they smelled a wonderful aroma that soothed their starving stomachs.

Pipp sighed wearily as they sat down at the bar. “I don’t know how the Guardians of Harmony did this all that time ago… facing stuff way worse than Allura, based off of Sunny's stories.”

“Me neither,” Izzy laid her head on the bar. “I'm exhausted.”

“Well, from what your dad's stories told you, Sunny, they didn't really use that much hoof to hoof combat, did they?” Zipp asked, turning to Sunny. “No, not really,” Sunny shook his head. “But we have to figure out our own way to fight if we're gonna protect Equestria from Allura and Twitch… despite whatever they're planning.”

That's when Alphabittle, Queen Haven, Grandma Figgy and Paradise came out from the underground bunker beneath the Tea Room, having heard ponies up above and wanted to come and greet them. “Ah, hey, kids,” Alphabittle said as he spotted the Mane 6. “How was training today?”

“...a lot...” Misty muttered, dropping her head. “Well, Misty, dear,” Paradise said as she rubbed the top of her daughter's head. “You and your friends can have dinner here if you want.”

Misty smiled up at her mother. “Thanks, Mom.”

“And I would love some of your marshmallow citrus crumblies, Granny,” Hitch sighed wearily. “Sparky too… poor guy needs the energy.”

“What did he do?” Zipp asked. “He stood on the sidelines and cheered with the…”

Zipp trailed off upon seeing Pipp's warning glare. “With the others.”

“Oh, of course, dears. I'll fix you a whole batch of cookies for you and your friends,” Grandma Figgy said before she got to work. But as Grandma Figgy got to baking, Queen Haven rubbed the top of Pipp's head with her hoof. “You poor darlings have been training so much since Sunny's vision, and I'm afraid you'll overwork yourselves if you're not careful.”

Zipp waved a dismissive hoof as Sunny patted Cloudpuff on the head. “We'll be fine. A little work out never hurt anypony.”

“Speak for yourself, Zipp,” Izzy responded, stretching her limbs before wincing. “I think I pulled something.”

“I can take a look at it for you, dear,” Grandma Figgy offered as she put the cookies in the oven. “I have an old earth pony remedy that works wonders.”

“Thanks, Grandma Figgy,” Izzy responded. She wanted to be polite and say she was okay, but honestly, a remedy sounded too good right now to pass up. “Haven's right, though,” Alphabittle pointed out, making the kids some chamomile tea. “If you tire yourselves out too much, by the time the final battle is here, you'll be too tuckered out to fight.”

“We're screwed either way if we're not ready,” Misty muttered. “Misty!” Paradise admonished. “Misty's right though.” Sunny agreed. “We barely beat Allura the first time we faced her, and that was with all that helpful. And even then, it was just temporary. We still had to face her and Twitch countless of other times, and we barely managed to stop her those times too. If we aren't prepared or good enough…”

Sunny trailed off, shuddering at the thought. “...we just don't want anypony getting hurt because of us,” Zipp said as her ears lowered slightly. “Opaline was one thing, but… as long as Allura has that one star shard, she could easily find a way to boost its power, she could get into Equestria at any given time and hold you all as hostage to surrender the rest of the star to her.”

“That's not even including her powers of persuasion. She wouldn't even need to hold you captive. She could just… make us give her the rest of the star without us even realizing it,” Hitch added, holding Sparky close. “I mean, she forced the auroricorns to think they were happy!” Izzy exclaimed. “How messed up is that? Who knows what else she could do with that persuasion magic.”

“Opaline had an army of dragons at her side. But Allura… she's like a one creature army on her own. Plus with those ice beings she makes…” Misty shivered, and after a moment of silence, Pipp nodded at her friends' statements. “...I guess we're more scared than we let on.”

“It sounds like you ponies have a lot on your shoulders,” Queen Haven observed sympathetically.

“We knew that it was a lot to let out on you guys, and we didn't wanna worry you,” Sunny admitted, looking embarrassed. “We're the Guardians of Equestria… we should be able to handle anything that comes our way, but… Allura… she's different.”

Alphabittle smiled at the earth pony mare gently, tilting her head back up so she could look at him. “Oh, Sunny. You united the pony kinds and you kids preach about friendship on all your adventures m, but don't you see? You can't handle everything alone. And it sounds like Princess Twilight didn't either. Didn't you say in the final battle, it took all of Equestria and creatures outside of it to defeat the villains?”

Sunny nodded at this question. “Yeah, but…you've already done so much…”

“We're parents,” Paradise interrupted gently. “Whether you tell us or not, we're gonna worry. It's our job. Nothing you do will ever change that.”

“But… what if we let ponies down?” Izzy asked the older ponjes softly. “What do we do when that happens?”

“You're always gonna let ponies down. It's a fact of life. But true friends won't care. They'll step up to help you, no matter what,” Alphabittle answered bluntly, but gently. “And after everything you ponies have done, I'd say you have quite a few true friends.”

Misty smiled softly at that. “I guess we really do.”

“When you can't do something all alone, lean on your friends to help,” Sunny muttered, repeating a lesson Hitch taught her during one of their adventures.

And it certainly was a good lesson to remember.

Grandma Figgy then pulled some cookies out of the oven. “Here you are, dears. They're all yours. And I'll get that remedy for you right now, Izzy.”

“Thanks, Grandma Figgy. You're the best,” Pipp said, reaching for a cookie. “Yeah. I wish you were my grandma. Hitch is lucky,” Zipp agreed. When Queen Haven cleared her throat, the two sisters paused. “Er…” Zipp started to say something, trying to figure out a way to backtrack.

However, Queen Haven just chuckled. “It's okay girls. I was just kidding with you. I understand that I'm not the best cook.”

“Yeah, but… we wouldn’t trade you for anything, Mom,” Zipp said softly. Queen Haven smiled and hugged her daughters… just before a glow caught her attention and caused her to gasp. “Darlings, look! Your cutie marks!”

The Mane 6 looked down to see their cutie marks glowing once again, and Zipp let out a sigh. “We better let everypony know we're leaving, just so they don't get worried. Come on.”

The Mane 6 and their families left the Crystal Tea Room… only to find Posey, Windy, Comet, Dahlia, Rufus… ALL of their friends from Equestria waiting for them… as if they had known they were going to leave the whole time.

Sunny had to take a minute to get ahold of herself. “W-What is all this?”

“Well, it's kind of hard to hide glowing cutie marks, isn't it?” Posey asked with a smirk.

“Plus, the portal over there was kind of a dead giveaway,” Comet added, adjusting his glasses and pointing at the portal at the end of the walkway.

“Anyways,” Jazz started, stepping in front of Posey and Comet. “We wanted to see you off and assure you we've got everything under control.”

“Good,” Hitch said with a smile. “Because I've composed a very detailed training regimen for this very situation.”

When everypony, including the rest of the Mane Six, stared at him, he shrugged. “What? I like to be prepared.”

After a moment, Hitch's full attention turned to Alphabittle. “The tapes are under the Tea Room counter.”

“Tapes? How many are there?” Alphabittle asked. “Enough to fill you in on current situations till we get back,” Hitch explained. “Trust me.”

As Hitch and Alphabittle spoke, the Pippsqueaks and Violette Rainbow came up and hugged Izzy Pipp tightly. “Please be careful out there, Pipp,” Peach Fizz begged. “You’re our hero…”

“We don't want anything to happen to you guys,” Violette agreed, looking frightened as she gazed up at Izzy. “You gotta promise you'll come back safe.”

Izzy paused, looking at Sunny for help. She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn't keep. But Sunny was internally panicking. They couldn't leave now. There was still so much to do. Allura could be back at any moment. Allura could come because the 6 weren't there. Attack Equestria when it was at its weakest.

Suddenly, Sunny felt a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up to see Misty's mom standing behind her, a soft smile on her face. “Remember what we talked about, Sunny,” she whispered. “You're not alone.”

Sunny took a deep breath, calming the storm inside her. Paradise was right. They weren't alone. This was why they held training in the first place.

“We'll do our best,” Sunny finally answered for Izzy. “Hoof to heart. We'd never leave Equestria defenseless.”

And none of it was a lie. Even if Sunny and her friends didn't come back, others would pick up what they started, and bear the mantel, just as Sunny and her friends did for the Guardians Of Harmony.

“Hitch… do you need us to watch Sparky?” Dahlia asked the earth pony stallion gently. “With Allura and Twitch still out there… we don't wanna take any chances.”

“What? No!” Hitch said defensively. “He's a baby dragon. Allura still being out there is exactly why he should come…”

“Hitch…” Zipp said softly. “He's more use here. If Allura attacks, he can change the tide of the battle. His transformation magic is powerful.”

“Yeah. Take our word for it,” Posey said to the sheriff gently. “He'll be safest here with us.”

Hitch whimpered a bit, before sighing, and giving Sparky to Dahlia. “Fine. You're right...” he muttered before he finally turned to the ponies. “But I swear if I get back and he's hurt…”

“We'll take good care of him, sheriff,” Posey assured.

“Yeah. How much trouble can he be?” Jazz added.

“That's what I said!” Izzy exclaimed, bouncing up and down.

Misty turned back to her parents and gave them one final hug. “If anything happens while we're gone, use the Marestream to find Spike and the dragons at the Isle of Scaly. They're our best bet in case things go wrong. And… please be careful.”

Paradise and Alphabittle nodded at this. And then, when all the farewells had been exchanged, the Mane 6 leapt into the portal before it closed, ready for what could be the biggest Unity Quest mission thus far…

…and possibly, one of their most dangerous.

Author's Note

This story will be co-written by the incredible, amazing Willow-- show her some love, people!

The Final Battle (Part 2: This Wish Reprise and The Defeat of Magnifico)

In our last chapter, we learned that Sunny, Dahlia, Queen Amaya and Allura had found no way to stop King Magnifico by stopping his magic, and no one could bring him back from his corrupted state.

However, Asha and Misty managed to lure King Magnifico far into the forest while their friends released the wishes, which brings us back to where we are now.

Let’s see if the Mane 6 can give the people of Rosas and their new friends the happy ending they deserve.

XXXXXXXX

During the high speed chase into the forest, Misty managed to look back and gasped when she saw the most heartwarming sight she had ever seen. “Asha, look!”

Asha managed to look back, and she saw what Misty was seeing-- the wishes had been released into the sky, causing her to laugh. “They did it!”

“All right, guys!” Misty cheered as she pumped a hoof excitedly. “I knew you could do it!”

But as the two were thrown off their guard, King Magnifico rammed into the cart, causing Asha and Misty to scream as they fell out of it and rolled onto the ground. Then, as the two struggled to get their bearings, the king stomped on Asha’s stick, breaking it in half. “No!”

“...stay behind me, Asha,” Misty warned, standing up and getting into a ready stance. “I’ll keep you safe for as long as I need to.”

Asha nodded at this as King Magnifico approached. “It doesn’t matter. You’re too late.”

“Asha…” the king began to say before he shifted into someone else… someone Asha thought she could trust before all this. “...Magnifico’s never too late.”

Misty stood in shock at this. “Simon?! But if you’re here and you were acting as the king… that means…”

Asha looked back at the castle with a horrified gasp, realizing her friends were in the utmost danger. “Star… come on, Misty!”

But the second Asha and Misty tried to get back to the castle, Simon stood in their way with a chuckle. “You really think you can take me?”

Misty flared up her horn to fight him, a look of determination in her gaze. “Bring it on.”

But before she could move, the brown bear from earlier pounced on Simon and knocked him to the ground, causing Simon to scream and Asha to rush to Simon’s horse. “Thanks, John!”

“Anytime, Asha!” the brown bear said as Asha and Misty raced off, leaving him to glare down at Simon, who backed up against the rocks in total terror. “Please don’t hurt me!”

“Ha!” John laughed as he began to back up into the bushes. “It’s not me you should be afraid of.”

And as John backed out of sight into the bushes, dozens upon dozens of bunnies appeared out of nowhere, causing Simon to scream in terror as he was quickly surrounded.

Asha wished that she didn't have to leave Simon like this, but then again, if they were going to get to their friends in time, they couldn't stop now.

XXXXXXXX

The rest of the Mane 6, Valentino, Queen Amaya, the rest of Asha’s friends, Allura and Twitch ran out of the castle to join the rest of the townspeople in watching Star guide the wishes up into the sky, happily laughing and celebrating amongst themselves. “See, Sunny? Everything’s gonna work out just fine,” Hitch reassured with a smile. “Star’s returning the wishes and Asha and Misty led Magnifico out of here. He won’t be back for a while.”

“You know… maybe you’re right, Hitch,” Sunny smiled faintly. “Maybe things really will work out in the end.”

“Uh… ponies?” Izzy gulped nervously, pointing up to the sky. “What’s that…?!”

As the ponies suddenly looked up, they saw green magic, seemingly coming from inside the tower, reaching up and surrounding Star and the wishes, causing the townfolk to gasp.

XXXXXXXX

“Asha, look!” Misty cried as she and Asha raced toward the castle at top speed. “He’s got the wishes and Star almost trapped!”

“Come on, Misty! HYAH!!” Asha shouted, causing her horse to speed up with Misty trying to keep up the pace.

XXXXXXXX

Star looked around in terror, trying to figure out where this magic was coming from when he looked down to see King Magnifico in the tower, using his staff to trap Star and the wishes in their place. “Heh-heh-heh-heh. Surprise.”

Star’s eyes narrowed in anger at what King Magnifico was doing before he tried to find a way out of the magic bubble, but assumingly, he was trapped. King Magnifico then proceeded to use his magic in order to make the floor of the tower rise so he could see the entire kingdom, causing the people to look on in fright and confusion. “Good evening, Rosas!”

The people of Rosas began to murmur in confusion as Allura spread her wings, feeling a growl rising from her throat. “It was a trick… Asha and Misty led away an imposter!”

“Aw, man…” Zipp groaned. “I should’ve known this would probably be too easy…”

“Wow, the stars are out tonight. Oh, except for you,” King Magnifico said to Star. “You’re trapped now, aren’t you?”

That’s when King Magnifico looked down from his perch, a sadistic grin on his face. “But you see, what can I say? I really, really don’t like being betrayed!”

The king used his staff on Star and the wishes, causing Star to whimper in pain as the people of Rosas let out gasps of horror. And then, deciding she couldn’t let this go on any longer, Queen Amaya took a bold initiative to stand up to her former husband. “It is you who betrays your people!”

“Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. I’ve had enough of you,” King Magnifico said before he blasted magic down at Queen Amaya, causing her to fall, and causing Safi, Dario Zipp and Sunny to catch her. “Your majesty!” Pipp gasped in terror. “Your little trick didn’t work, Amaya,” King Magnifico taunted his wife. “I still got what I wanted.”

But as King Magnifico glanced up again, he found that Star was trying his best to push one of the wishes out of the magic bubble. “What’s this?” the king questioned. “The wishes aren’t yours to free. They are mine!”

Then, using his magic, the king seemed to drain all the light from the orbs before slamming his scepter against the ground, causing the wishes to fall like lifeless rocks. “Now,” King Magnifico sneered, “bow down to your king!”

“STAR, GET AWAY FROM THERE!!!”

Everyone turned to see Asha and Misty quickly arriving, with Asha getting off the horse. Then, after putting Star in his own magic bubble, King Magnifico aimed his magic toward Asha and Misty, springing a fear in Sunny she didn’t even know she had. “NO!!”

The powerless earth pony mare raced toward Asha and Misty, and at the last moment, pushed Misty out of the way, only for her and Asha to still get grabbed by the king’s magic.

Misty gasped out of terror at seeing Sunny sacrifice herself for Misty's safety. “SUNNY!!!”

“ASHA!!” Dahlia screamed as Asha and Sunny were drug up to the king, trying to get themselves loose. “Well, hello to you and your little friend, Asha,” King Magnifico taunted the hopeful duo. “So glad you could join us. How’s the whole taking your wish into your own hands working out for you? Oh, wait.”

And with one quick movement of his wrist, King Magnifico sent Asha and Sunny to the ground, groaning in pain. “I don’t actually care,” he said to the duo, causing Sunny to growl. “It’s… it’s not too late, Magnifico. You can still turn this around and be the king everyone deserves!”

“...yeah, I’m going to take that as a no,” King Magnifico said rather bluntly before turning to the imprisoned Star. “Hello there. Let’s do this!”

Sunny and Asha grew horrified as they saw this. “STAR!!!”

And despite their best pleading glances, the king pulled Star into his staff, causing his green magic to be mixed with Star’s golden yellow glow. “NO!!!”

A bright flash caused Sunny’s friends and everyone else to shield their eyes from the light, and King Magnifico’s eyes gleamed with greed. “Yes…” he chuckled as Asha let out a whimper, with Sunny trying to protect her. Then, with a flourish, the king used his magic to make his face appear on all glass surfaces and mirrors in the city to further frighten the people, including Asha’s family, who had just arrived. “Mirrors, mirrors on the wall, who is the handsomest? Me!”

“No…” Sabino muttered before he and Sakina raced into the city. “I win,” King Magnifico smirked to the townspeople before he sighed and smiled at his staff. “Wishes really do come true.”

“Asha, no!” Sunny tried to stop Asha as she rushed forward and grabbed Magnifico’s staff in her hands. “You don’t deserve Star!” Asha shouted, trying to get the staff away from him. “I told you,” King Magnifico sneered, “I decide!”

With that, he used his staff to toss Sunny into Asha, sending them both to the ground before he thrashed them around a bit with a laugh.

After a few seconds of getting her bearings, Sunny looked at Asha with a pleading look. “Asha… try the stars again. They worked once, maybe it can send us more help!”

However, King Magnifico seemed to hear this and smirked, frightening Sunny further. “Oh! No, you don’t,” the king said before raising his staff to the sky. “There will be no wishing on stars ever again!”

“Look!” Misty pointed to the king and what he was doing. “He’s using that staff to cover the night sky with those storm clouds!”

And as the clouds covered the night sky completely, King Magnifico made one final decree. “In fact, there will be no more hope, no more dreams, and no escape.”

“NO!!” Sunny cried out in desperation, weakened from all the thrashing around and not having much energy left. “PLEASE!!!”

Magnifico only laughed at Sunny’s pathetic pleas. Bright, green magic flowed from his open palm and cascaded down the castle. Sunny and Asha could only watch in horror as the magic etched through the walls and towards the crowd of people. “No chance to rise up...”

The streams of dark magic swirled around the crowd. Spikes burst from the streams, cuffing anyone it touched by their wrists. “NO!” Sunny wailed as the magic practically imprisoned everyone to their spots. Not even the rest of the Mane 6 or Twitch were spared, for the corrupted streams wrapped around the ponies’ hooves.

Allura tried taking off to avoid the onslaught, but her wings were quickly encased in green. She dropped to the ground, only helping that she had barely gotten far to avoid injury. “Gah! Ugh...!!”

“No one to tell any tales,” the king continued. “No one to challenge me ever again!”

The queen, Dahlia, even Sabino and Sakina, who had shown up to help, were suddenly locked in place thanks to the magic. It etched over the entire castle like a parasitic plant, and there was no chance at stopping it. “This… this can’t be happening,” Sunny said weakly. “This can’t be the end.”

Asha tried to get back up, but the thrashing she received had taken a toll on her. King Magnifico turned to the pair, his eyes burning a twisted, emerald green. “You… are… nothing!”

He faced his staff at the girl and earth pony just as dark magic burst from its tip and violent wrapped around the pair sending them flying. Asha and Sunny tumbling against the floor, getting dangerously close to the tower’s edge.

After a moment, Sunny and Asha got their bearings and looked down at the townspeople. They were straining and struggling to break free from the magical grasp, but the hold was too strong. Not even Hitch and Zipp could find the strength to break free.

“Misty, don’t you still have your magic?” Pipp asked, grasping at straws. Misty grunted and strained to get her horn alight, only to realize that the magic had wrapped around her horn. “I don’t think so.”

Back on the tower, King Magnifico smirked at the fallen duo. “No amount of wishes or magic or stars beyond the sky are going to save you now.”

Asha and Sunny tried to get up, but they had been weakened too much by the king's brutal attacks. “This is the end,” Sunny said, tears dripping down her face as Asha remained silent, breathing heavily. She had one last idea in mind, but it required not just her or Sunny, but everyone in all of Rosas. “Not just yet.”

The down earth pony turned to her. “But, Asha, he has all the power of the wishes, including wishes that belong to me and my friends. He’s unstoppable.”

“Yes, listen to your little, pony friend, Asha,” King Magnifico cut in. “I’ve won.”

“….we… are… stars,” Asha whispered to herself before gaining just enough strength to do the unimaginable in that moment-- sing to the frightened townsfolk.

Asha: So I look at all the stars... just like me...
And I'm begging you... to see this as a sign--

“ASHA!!!” Sunny cried and the king grabbed her painfully in his magic before setting her back down. “You really need to learn to give up.”

Then, Sunny, with her breath shaking, decided to follow Asha’s lead, and looked down at her friends with pleading eyes.

Sunny: Cause I know that if you choose to stand beside me...

King Magnifico proceeded to lift Asha and Sunny off the ground, causing the duo to groan in pain as the king chuckled maliciously. But then... the king paused when he heard additional voices down below.

Izzy: We'll be greater than all his magic combined

Dahlia: So I make this wish

King Magnifico let Asha and Sunny crash to the ground before aiming his staff at Dahlia and Izzy. “SILENCE!!!”

Luckily, Queen Amaya and Allura were able to protect them from the blast just in the nick of time.

Izzy, Dahlia, Allura and Queen Amaya: So I make this wish

Teens and Ponies: So I make this wish
So I make this wish

Ensemble: To have something more for us than this!

King Magnifico screamed in frustration as the chests of the ponies, Allura, Twitch, Valentino, the queen and all the teens began to shine, but even with the king trying to shut their hopes and spirits down, the song still continued, hopes steadily rising as Sunny and Asha slowly regained their strength.

Sabino and Sakina: We've had generations of expectations
Wondering why, wondering when

Ensemble: We're past dipping our toes in
We know it’s do or die, it's sink or swim
We were all confusing your promises for protection
But we know what we'vе gotta do

Hope unchanging, with our wish held high
The way you'vе always taught us to

“No... no! NO!!!” King Magnifico cried out in anguish, seeing that Star was trying to break out of the staff, slamming his staff against the ground. “STOOOP!!!”

A green cloud began to cover the entire city of Rosas, and Sunny and Asha watched with anticipation and worry just before... the cloud faded away, a magical light emitting from the hearts of everyone in the city.

Ensemble: So I look out at the stars just like me
And throw caution to every warning sign

And so, as Sunny and Asha began to regain their lost strength and stand up, they too began to sing along with Asha’s family and their friends, old and new as they slowly broke free from their binds.

All: What we do in this moment is defining
And we can take it on if we align

Sunny and Asha: So I make this wish...

All: To have something more for us than this

“No!” King Magnifico said as the wishes began to rise up into the air and leave his body. “Those are my wishes!!”

All: So I make this wish
To have something more… for us than this!

King Magnifico’s staff changed from a sickly green to a bright golden as it quickly began to shake as the king desperately cling to it like a lifelong. Finally, Star burst from the staff in an explosion of light and sparkles. Relieved and happy to be freed, he turned to Magnifico with a knowing smirk.

Star rose up into the cloud-covered sky taking the wishes with him. Magnifico feebly extended his free hand out in a pitiful to grab so much as even one wish. “I think it's safe to say,” Sunny said with a smirk, “that it's over, King Magnifico!”

As if to sell the pony’s point home, dark magic seeped out from the staff and grabbed Magnifico’s arm like a pair of clawed hands. The king pulled back, but the magic was too strong as his arm was pulled into the staff. “NOOOOOOO!!!” he screamed as the magic violently pulled at his face and mouth. Finally, his head was forced inside the staff in a flash of dark magic. And then, just like that, it was over.

The staff clattered to the ground, truly signifying the king’s defeat.

And once it was over, Star flew up into the night sky and cleared away all the clouds, revealing the stars once again, which caused the people, Allura, Twitch and the remaining ponies to cheer out of victory.

Star used his inner magic in order to free the wishes from the orbs, and letting them float down to the city below. “Ohhh... Star!” Sunny sighed in relief. “Thank goodness you're okay!”

Star seemed to sense which wish was Sunny’s just by looking at her, and when he brought it over, Sunny’s eyes filled with joyful tears. “My wish! Thank you, Star... I... I never thought I was going to see this again.”

“Do you remember it now, Sunny?” Asha asked with a smile. “Your wish, I mean?”

“...I do,” Sunny said as she gazed at her wish with pride. “My wish was to always to be able to protect my friends and family from harm as the alicorn. And now... it can go back to where it belongs.”

Slowly, Sunny pushed her wish back into her chest, and as she did, her cutie mark began to return, as did her alicorn form, causing Sunny to giggle and smile. “Yeah-heh!”

Asha laughed and hugged Sunny close, and Star booped both of them on their noses before Sunny offered her back to Asha. “Come on, Asha... let's get down from here and get back to our friends. No doubt they'll wanna see us once they get their wishes back.”

XXXXXXXX

And so, one by one, Izzy, Hitch and the pegasus sisters found their wishes, and as they placed them back into their chests, they realized what their true wishes were:

Izzy remembered that she loved to create things because she wanted to see happiness blooming out in others.
Hitch remembered his duties as a sheriff, to protect and preserve the town he loved.
Pipp remembered that she wanted to be an inspiration to her followers.
And lastly, Zipp remembered that flying and doing cool tricks was her way of being a symbol of bravery to others.

And when their wishes were back in place, the ponies let out a collective sigh of relief as they felt their cutie marks and magic return to them. “Man,” said Zipp, “it feels good to be back to regular me again.”

“And now,” Pipp sighed, “I guess everything is gonna work out in the end.”

That’s when Misty noticed that Allura was still holding her wish in her paws, while Twitch already put his wish back in his chest. “Allura?” she called out. “What’s wrong?”

“I… I remember my wish now,” Allura sighed. “My… my wish was to reunite with my brother by any means necessary. What if… what if when I put it back in… the evil in me returns?”

“...look around, Allura,” Hitch said gently, gesturing to all the people around them. “Do these people look like they’re unhappy that their wishes are returning, no matter what they are?”

It was then that Allura truly looked around and realized that the people were excited, hopeful… happy to have their wishes back and hoping to try and make them come true. “I… I suppose you’re right, Hitch. All I have to do… is try.”

Allura put her wish back in her chest, her golden eyes shining in relief. “That… feels so much better. Doesn’t it, Twitch?”

“Uh-huh,” Twitch nodded. “Come on, let’s go find our friends,” said Zipp. “We’ve gotta check on Asha and Sunny after that whole ordeal.”

“I don’t think it’s gonna be very hard to find them,” Izzy said, pointing to Sakina and Sabino, with Sakina holding her wish in her hands. “There you are… oh, my beautiful wish…”

And no sooner than she put it back in her chest, Asha and Sunny approached, with Asha looking overjoyed. “Mama, you got your wish back!”

Sakina gasped as Asha rushed to hug her, Valentino and Sabino. “My baby!”

Sabino was just as overjoyed as the others raced to approach. “Asha!”

“Sunny!”

“You’re both okay!”

“We knew you could do it!”

“I’m so happy for you!”

Everyone gathered in a huge group hug, relieved that all of their struggles were finally over and that everything was back to normal.

Well… all except for one thing.

Simon slowly approached the group, looking defeated and guilty, and everyone seemed to tense a bit at seeing him. “Ugh… this guy,” Valentino sighed before gazing at Simon rather sternly. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

“...Asha… I’m sorry,” Simon said, trying his best not to cry from guilt. “I’m so sorry. I don’t expect you to forgive me. I was just so scared I’d have to live without… well… all of me. And I wanted so badly to believe in him.”

Queen Amaya nodded understandingly as she approached. “So did I.”

“In a way,” Sunny sighed, “we all did.”

“But,” Allura added, “it’s what we do after a mistake that truly counts.”

“Never trust a handsome face,” Gabo said, lifting up a banner of Magnifico before turning to Dario and Safi. “That’s why I hang out with you guys.”

“Awww… come here, you!” Dario said as he began to noogie Gabo on the head, causing the group to laugh… well, for a moment anyway.

The moment was soon cut off by banging, and then the sound of the king’s voice coming from nearby. “Hello? Hello? This is your king!”

“It… sounds like it’s coming from there,” Hitch said, pointing his hoof to the staff’s end that lay on the ground. And when she looked over, Queen Amaya gasped at seeing her now ex-husband trapped inside. “Oh, Amaya, thank goodness!” Magnifico said in relief. “Do you see what they’ve done to me?”

“Hmm…” Queen Amaya smirked. “Well, you do love mirrors.”

“This is not funny!” Magnifico barked. “Get me out of here at once!”

“...no.”

And as you can expect, this was not the answer Magnifico had wanted. “What?!” he exclaimed in shock. “After everything I’ve done for you, for Rosas, this is the thanks I get?!”

Swiftly, Queen Amaya picked up the staff tip and held it up. “This is the thanks you deserve,” she said before turning to a nearby guard and handing it to him. “Hang it on the wall… in the dungeon.”

“Please, no! The dungeon smells really bad!!” Magnifico wailed as he was slowly led away, and once he was gone, Asha hugged the queen around her neck before turning to the townsfolk. “Long live the queen!”

“Long live the queen!” the crowd soon began to chant. “Long live the queen!”

Now, as we leave the old behind us and go back to the new, you may be wondering… is this story done yet?

The answer… is no. Not yet, anyway.

We still have a heartwarming conclusion to get to, after all!

Meeting Asha and Entering the Kingdom of Rosas

The Mane 6 had to part with their loved ones and friends on several occasions to complete their Unity Quest missions, but… before the portal appeared, they had to exchange the most heart-wrenching goodbye yet.

They had no idea if and when they were going to be back, and it was hard for Sunny to leave Equestria when it seemed like there was so much to do.

Nevertheless, the Mane 6 were zipping off through a portal to who knows where, ready to find Allura and Twitch, get the final star shard and finally declare that Equestria would be safe.

But even they were wondering... would this mission take them to places they already knew and to people they already met and loved?

Or... would they be taken somewhere completely different?

Well... we're about to find out.

XXXXXXXX

“Once upon a time, there was a young man who believed there was nothing more important than a wish. Not just any wish, of course. The one that drives your heart. The one that makes you who you are.”

“But he also understood just how impossible it can be to make that wish come true. How easily dreams can be destroyed. And so, he set out to do something about it. He studied the magic of the world tirelessly and became a mighty sorcerer, able to protect from harm or ill will, any wish given to him, and for the good and the worthy, even grant that wish.”

“The sorcerer didn't know if the world would want his gift. But he and his loyal wife found the most perfect island deep in the Mediterranean Sea. And there, they built a kingdom like no other, where anyone, any family, no matter where they came from, were welcome.”

“And to their joy, people came, settled there from far and wide, gave their wish and appreciation for his protection, and with the very real hope it could one day be granted.”

“And everyone agrees there is no one more deserving…”

During the pause, a 17-year-old girl in a purple dress with black hair and brown eyes, named Asha, stuck a pin on her grandfather's shirt. “…than my grandfather.”

Asha's pet goat Valentino bleated in Asha's ear, making her wince. “A most loving…”

Another bleat. “…and handsome…”

Another bleat. Asha paused before saying in one breath, “…man who turns 100 years old today.”

Asha paused and they both looked at Valentino, who was standing on the case where they kept the plates and such. But he remained silent. Of course he did, now that Asha was done.

“Oh, that's it?” Asha asked, leaning against hand on the case. “Now you're done…”

Valentino bleated again, though, this time, Asha was sure it was to spite her, if his smile was anything to go by. “...talking.”

Asha's grandfather chuckled. “Valentino's never done talking.

Asha bent down so she was on the same level as Valentino. “If only we could understand you.”

Again, Valentino bleated, though it was probably in agreement. Suddenly, a woman in a pink dress, Asha's mother Sakina, burst through the door, carrying a basket of oranges. “The king has called a wish ceremony today!”

Asha gasped. “Oh. Oh. Oh! This is it!” she exclaimed. “No, it can't be a coincidence the king is calling a wish ceremony on your birthday!”

“Putt, putt, putt, and knock on wood,” Sabino said, knocking on the closest piece of wood. Asha put a hand on her grandfather's shoulder. “Tonight's your night, Saba. I can feel it.”

“Asha, let's bake a cake,” the woman suggested, stepping forward, but this caused Asha to inhale sharply. “Uh… no.”

“But I love cake,” Sabino said, looking heartbroken, like he was about to cry. “I… I mean I can't. I'm giving a tour and theeen…” Asha drew out the word, looking for an excuse. “Um… I'm helping… I'm helping Dahlia. Yeah, so eh…”

“Why'd you say it like that?” Sakina asked, walking up to her daughter and narrowing her eyes at her. “Like what?” Asha asked, trying to act chill, but not succeeding. “What are you up to?” her mother asked, already jumping to conclusions, and this made Asha even more nervous. “What makes you think I'm up to something?”

“Because I know your pauses,” Sakina said as though it were obvious. “I'm maturing. My pauses are changing,” Asha kissed her mother before rushing out the door, before she dug herself a deeper hole.

However, Sakina tried to get her daughter to hold on for a second. “Asha!”

“Can't talk now. Gonna be late,” Asha said in a rush, cutting off her mother. Suddenly, Valentino fell into Asha's arms and Asha grabbed the flag she took with her on her tours. “I'll see you at the wishing ceremony!”

And with that, Asha and Valentino were off to work once again.

XXXXXXXX

Sunny groaned as she stood up, her head feeling a little funny. She heard her friends groan around her as she looked around, hoping like crazy she recognized where they had landed.

However... she didn't. Though something about it did feel familiar. “Ugh, where are we?” Zipp asked, looking around as the other ponies got onto their feet after the wild portal ride. “No idea...” Izzy shook her head before deeply gasping. “But let's go find out!”

“Whoa, slow down there, Iz. We have no idea where we are. Maybe it's best if we just lay low for a bit before we make ourselves known,” Hitch suggested, putting a hoof in front of Izzy to stop her from skipping away.

“I just want to get this over with and get back to Equestria before Allura does...” Sunny muttered, surprising everypony. This wasn't like her. She was always willing to help any creature in need and then some and she enjoyed it. She didn't just want to ‘get it over with’.

Zipp sighed and put a hoof on Sunny's shoulder. “Look, I know you're worried about Equestria and all our friends there, but I agree with Hitch. We should just keep a low profile just to make sure it's safe, you know?”

Suddenly, the sound of a throat clearing could be heard behind them. They all turned around to see a girl, probably about 17 years old, standing behind them in a purple dress, a baby goat with a yellow shirt at her side. The girl was staring at the six ponies with wide eyes, not saying a word.

This led the ponies to immediately become nervous, worried they had frightened the girl out of her wits. “You were saying?” Pipp muttered sarcastically. “Um… hi there,” Misty waved at the girl and her pet goat. “We're sorry if we startled you. It's been a… pretty hectic time for us and we were just trying to wrap our heads around everything.”

Asha was quiet for a moment, her eyes still wide with shock. “I'm going crazy...” she muttered in a high-pitched whisper. “This is crazy.”

Izzy gasped, skipping up beside Asha. “I love crazy!” She said with a wide smile, making Asha chuckle nervously. “My point proven.”

“I take it wherever we are doesn’t have a lot of ponies,” Hitch whispered to Zipp, who nodded in agreement. “Yeah, which is kinda weird. A lot of places that we've been to are full of Equestrian creatures. Might wanna keep tabs on it.”

“Hey… maybe we started out on the wrong hoof,” Misty smiled gently. “Let’s start by introducing ourselves so we're not complete strangers. I'm Misty Brightdawn, and this is Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, her older sister Zipp Storm, Hitch Trailblazer and Sunny Starscout.”

The ponies in question waved to the girl and her goat with the best smiles they could muster. “Right. Um… I'm Asha and uh… this is Valentino,” Asha said after a moment with a smile that only had the smallest hint of nervousness. Valentino bleated in greeting, though Hitch heard a very deep voice say, “What's up?”

Pipp fluttered closer, shaking Asha's hand with her hoof. “It is so nice to meet you, Asha. And you too, Valentino. Let me just say… it is REALLY good to see a friendly, non-pony face after all this time.”

“Hey, Asha? Do you mind telling us where we are?” Zipp asked curiously. “None of this area looks familiar to us, and if we wanna get our mission underway, we'll need to get a layout of the land, if you know what I mean.”

“Oh, right! Of course. This is the kingdom of Rosas. It's pretty great here. I can show you around if…” Asha's eyes widened as she trailed off. “Oh no. The tour! I'm gonna be late!”

Valentino bleated with an urgent look on his face. “You're right! I'm already late!” Asha groaned out of frustration before she turned to the ponies. “It was uh… very nice to meet you all but I'm running late for something and I… cannot be late today of all days. So uh… I'll see you around.”

That's when Asha sprinted off with Valentino on her heels. “Uh… what just… happened?” Pipp asked, staring after Asha. “I don't know, but she sure was in a rush,” Hitch shrugged. “And I did hear something about a tour. Probably happening in the direction Asha ran off in.”

“Then let's go!” Sunny said before hurrying off to follow Asha. “If we get Asha to let us join the tour, we can find our mission faster and get home before anything bad happens!”

The other ponies looked at each other with a bit of worry before running off after Sunny, hoping to catch Asha before she got to town.

XXXXXXXX

After a few moments of running/flying through the ponies finally got down to the bridge at the entrance to Rosas, hiding in the bushes while waiting for Asha to come by. “Now what?” Hitch asked, keeping his voice low. “We're supposed to be keeping a low profile while we're here. We got lucky with Asha and Valentino, but others may not be as perceptive.”

“Who knows?” Izzy said with a shrug and a smile. “They all could be super friendly.”

“Well, we're not gonna learn anything when we're hiding in here,” Sunny said simply, before stepping out of the bushes as Asha came into her line of sight. “Sunny, wait!” Hitch whispered urgently. “Shouldn’t we discuss our next...?”

However, Sunny turned to him without a second for argument. “The longer we're here, the longer Equestria is vulnerable. We have to find our mission, complete it, find the star shard if we're able to and get home.”

Without thinking, Misty lit her horn, teleporting from the bushes in front of Sunny. “Sunny, wait just a second. I know you wanna get home and protect Equestria from Allura and Twitch. I do too, but--”

Suddenly... the sound of a gasp could be heard behind them. Both Sunny and Misty turned their heads with wide eyes to see themselves standing in front of a super shocked Asha, and nervous smiles grew on their faces.

Hitch let out a quiet sigh at this. “Guess the dragon's out of the bag now. Heh, see what I… I did there?”

Zipp rolled her eyes. “That didn't even make sense, Hitch. Besides, Asha already knows we exist.”

Zipp, Pipp, Hitch, and Izzy stepped out of the bush, with Zipp and Pipp hovering above them all and with Izzy levitating a charm bracelet in her magic, hoping to give it to Asha if they could truly trust her.

That's when Asha took a minute to compose herself before speaking again. “Whoa, okay. So, um… you guys can fly AND you can use magic?”

“Yeah,” Hitch nodded slowly. “Haven’t you ever seen magic being used before?”

“Well, no, not exactly,” Asha admitted. “You see, our ruler, King Magnifico? He’s a powerful sorcerer but…he's the only one allowed to use magic. If anyone else uses magic inside of Rosas…”

“...I take it something bad will happen?” Misty winced. “It kinda depends on the level of magic we’re talking about here,” Asha explained, pulling the group off to the side. “ If it's something like what you just did, teleportation… a couple of nights in the castle dungeons. If it's anything major… you and your family will be exiled.”

“Seriously?! We can’t NOT use our magic!” Pipp said defiantly. “We can't just waltz in there like everything's completely normal.”

“And honestly?” Zipp looked worried. “I don’t wanna know what the punishment for actually BEING a magical creature is.”

“But we can’t forget about our mission either!” Sunny protested. “We have to complete it and/or get that last shard from Allura or we’ll never get back to Equestria!”

“Okay… can someone back up for a second here?” Asha asked, completely confused. “What’s Equestria? Who’s Allura and what kind of mission are you referring to?”

Misty looked back at her friends with a smile. “Come on, guys… we can tell Asha. I mean, she’s barely freaked out about us and I think she might be able to help.”

“...well… maybe you’re right, Misty,” Zipp said before facing Asha and Valentino again. “Look… what we’re about to tell you has to stay between us right now. Do you both understand that?”

Asha and Valentino nodded, the latter bleating understandingly. “Okay, so… we’re from a world called Equestria where magic is pretty much the norm,” Pipp explained, scrolling through her phone as she spoke, “and we get summoned by the Unity Crystals in the Crystal Brighthouse to different worlds to defeat different bad guys and stuff.”

“But recently,” Zipp took over, “we’ve been having a lot of problems with a snow leopard named Allura and her sidekick Twitch. It’s been a race against time to get the shards of an enchanted star that will allow whoever possesses it to travel between worlds.”

“We have five shards, thank goodness, but Allura still has one, and we have no idea where she is,” Hitch stated. “So we need somewhere to stay until we can figure out our mission, figure out if Allura is here, get the shard back and make sure she never hurts Equestria or any of our friends again!”

After Hitch finished speaking, it took him a minute in order to catch his breath, leaving a tense silence immediately afterwards. “So… yeah,” Hitch nodded calmly. “You’re pretty much caught up with all the specifics.”

Asha was silent for a moment before she shook her head to clear it. “And here I thought Rosas was unique,” she muttered before turning to face the group again. “Well… Zipp, right? You're pretty spot on about one thing. “You can't let Magnífico know you're here. I'm not sure what he'd do to you if he found out you possessed magic and came from another world.”

Sunny sighed under her breath. “Great. Now what? This just made finding Allura, the shard AND our Unity Quest mission ten times harder than usual.”

“Well… I’ve been studying a spell in my spellbook that can let us be invisible,” Misty suggested. “I bet if we use it while we stay within the city, nopony will notice a thing.”

“There’s still the question of where we can stay, though,” Hitch frowned. “...well… you would need to be invisible around my family during the day,” Asha said thoughtfully, “but… we have a shack that you all could stay in until you do whatever it is you need to do.”

“Really?” Izzy asked excitedly. “You mean it?!”

“Sure,” Asha said with a smile. “Besides, I think Valentino’s taking a liking to Hitch already.”

Everyone looked at Hitch, who Valentino was glued to, and Hitch chuckled lightly at this. “I think that's because I'm the only one who can understand him.”

Asha gasped, her eyes wide at this. “You can understand him?!”

But before Hitch could answer this, they began to hear several voices from nearby.

“Uh… when is the tour starting?”

“We've been waiting forever!”

Asha's eyes widened. “The tour! I'm so behind. And I got that thing… with the king… okay, if you really wanna come with me, you better hide yourselves, quick!”

Misty nodded, turning to her friends. “Okay… so…uh… I've never really cast this spell before with so many ponies so… stay close to me and try to move as little as possible. Asha, we’re gonna need you to tell us if it worked.”

Misty's friends stepped closer to her, nearly touching. Misty closed her eyes, her horn lighting up. Suddenly, Asha's eyes widened as the six ponies disappeared. “It… it worked! It really worked!”

“Aw, yeah!” Zipp cheered, glad they found another way to complete their mission. “But...” Asha hesitated, “...I can still hear you.”

“Right, so, we gotta stay silent,” Sunny said absently. “And stay close to Misty. Since she's probably gonna have to cast the spell for a prolonged amount of time, we need to make things as easy as possible for her.”

Sunny quickly turned to Misty, surprised to still see her. “Tonight, you need to teach me the spell. That way, if you need a break, I can turn into my alicorn form and take over while you recharge. Does that sound okay?”

Misty nodded, but didn't say a word, trying to keep her focus on the spell. It wasn't the spell that was too difficult. It was actually a pretty moderate spell. But since she was doing it on five other ponies and herself, it was more than she expected.

Once she got used to it though, she guessed it would be easier. “Okay, Asha, you and Valentino lead the way,” Zipp said to the group's newfound ally, “and we'll be right behind you.”

Asha nodded before running to the bridge, the ponies walking behind, staggering a bit without making any sudden movements. “I'm here!” Asha yelled to the crowd gathering in front of the city gates, already out of breath. “I'm here… whew…just… just one second… let me catch my breath.”

Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face as she went into what she called 'tour guide mode'. “Hola, shalom, salam,” she greeted the crowd in a variety of different languages. “Everyone ready?”

The crowd seemed excited to finally get inside the city, and Sunny took a quiet breath and turned to her friends, all of them still cloaked from sight. “Remember, stay close to Asha and stay together-- we can’t risk the spell breaking.”

“But… we can still have fun, though… right?” Izzy asked hopefully. Sunny sighed and smiled at the purple unicorn. “Sure, Izzy. We always manage to complete our missions anyway we look at them, so… a little fun won’t hurt.”

That’s when the gates to Rosas opened, and Asha began to lead the crowd and the invisible ponies inside, all while singing a happy tune.

Asha: Welcome to Rosas
Come on, come this way
Where the greatest creations
Are all on display

There’s no other place
Just as full of surprise
Where your dreams and your reality can collide

You wanna dance on beat?
Or to have hair touch down to your feet?
Go to outer space?
Well, hey, you've come to the right place

Cause here in the city of Rosas
You can turn all your wanting to wishing
No "what-ifs" and no "wonders"

Oh here, in the city of Rosas
It's unlikely that you'll be unhappy
With so much to discover

A home for me, for you, and all of us
The city of Rosas

The Mane 6, like many people in the crowd, were impressed with the sight of the city and all it had to offer… and that’s when the ponies saw a large statue of who they believed to be King Magnifico.

Sunny squinted at the statue, feeling like she saw this man before. But unfortunately, she couldn't put her hoof on it, and this feeling gnawed away at her as Asha continued the tour and the song.

Asha: So like, we have this king named Magnifico
And he built Rosas many years ago
With lightning for hands
And eyes that can glow

No, no, no, I'm totally kidding!
But he is powerful

He’s just like us, with a twist

Female Tourist: And someone that I’d like to kiss

Asha: Oh dear
A magic swish, and there you have it
Poof, there’s your wish!

This line of the song caught Misty and the other ponies offguard, wondering how a king could have the kind of power to remove someone’s wish. But nevertheless, they followed the tour anyway, to see what else they could learn.

Asha: Ooh and hey, did I mention when you turn 18
You get to give your wish in a ceremony
And he keeps them safe, every wish he acquires
And once a month he grants someone's greatest desire

It could be you someday
Or my Saba Sabino’s, oh, I can’t wait!

Male Tourist: Does it hurt?

Boy Tourist: Do you cry?

Asha: Oh… no, and you won’t even miss it
When you say goodbye

But as Asha said this, a frightening memory soon soon began to resurface for one particular member of the group. “Or you can kiss getting a cutie mark goodbye!”

Misty's eyes squeezed her eyes shut as Opaline's voice rang through her head. That… hasn't happened in a while. But… now that she thought about it… why do the people of Rosas need to rely on this King Magnifico guy to make their wishes come true?

It almost reminded Misty of when she relied on Opaline to grant her wish for a cutie mark. It wasn't until she learned that nopony can give you a cutie mark in their early Unity Quest adventures that she stopped relying on Opaline.

Finally, she decided to ask her friends about this while trying to keep the spell in tact. “Uh… guys… don't you think this Magnífico guy sounds a little… I don't know… suspicious?”

“He sounds amazing!” Izzy exclaimed in a whisper, not hearing Misty. “Yeah. Using that magic of his to keep them safe? There's nothing worse than a broken dream,” Sunny added.

That was when Asha glanced right at them, a look in her eyes. And immediately Zipp realized what it was. “Uh... Misty? I think the spell is wavering...”

“But, don't you think it sounds a little like what Opaline did with me?” Misty asked, and the more she thought about Opaline, the more her spell wavered. Zipp connected the dots when Misty said that, and a little boy looked in their direction before looking around confused. “Misty,” she whispered. “Stop thinking about Opaline. It's messing with the spell.”

Misty nodded, focusing back on the song, putting Opaline out of her mind as the spell stabilized. And quickly enough, the song resumed, with Asha and many more residents of Rosas joining in.

Rosas and Chorus: Cause here in the city of Rosas
You can turn all your wanting to wishing
No "what-ifs" and no "wonders"

Oh here, in the city of Rosas
It's unlikely that you'll be unhappy
With so much to discover

A home for me, for you, and all of us
The city of Rosas

The song ended with the people cheering, and many other tourists surrounded Asha with questions of amazement. “Do you really forget your wish once you give it?” one of the newcomers asked, causing Asha to nod. “You forget without regret.”

“See, Misty. They don't even remember it's gone so they don't even know what they're missing. It's nothing like what Op…” Pipp trailed off when she saw Zipp's glare. “I mean... it's not like what happened to you.”

“I guess…” Misty muttered, still a little bit uneasy. Nevertheless, the ponies continued to listen in, trying to keep Misty calm and focused so she could keep the spell intact. “I want to meet the king!” another newcomer exclaimed. “You're in luck. There's a wish ceremony tonight,” Asha told them. You're welcome to stay and watch.”

The ponies gasped at the thought of seeing a wishing ceremony. “Oh,” Pipp said wistfully. “I'm sure the wishing ceremony is beautiful.”

“Yeah. It would be amazing to see someone's wish come true.” Sunny agreed. “I wish we had something like that growing up in Maretime Bay.”

Suddenly... Sunny got to thinking long and hard about this.

If Magnífico could grant wishes just like that… what if her wish was to keep Equestria safe? If he granted that… she wouldn't worry about Allura or any future villain anymore.

Equestria would be safe from all harm.

She could guarantee nopony else could get hurt.

She had to go to that wishing ceremony. She had to see King Magnífico. Maybe that's why they were sent here so close to their impending doom.

So that Magnífico could help save their home.

That’s when she led the others closer to Asha, speaking so quietly that only Asha and Valentino could hear. “Asha, do you think we can stick with you for a while? I have an idea as to what our mission is, but I’d feel better if we stuck with you guys until we know for sure.”

Asha smiled nervously, speaking through her lips so as to not give away her new friends’ location. “Uh… I-I mean… I'm not sure that's such a g-great idea…”

“Why not?” Zipp asked, already getting suspicious.

“Because,” she started, lowering her voice when she got a couple of odd looks, “next stop is the king.”

Suddenly, a bell tolling could be heard, and Asha knew she had to go and go now. She turned, whispering, “You can come if you want, but stay hidden. And please don't mess this up for me. This is really important to me.”

Asha ran off in the direction of the castle walls. The six ponies glanced at each other before hurrying off after her, hoping not to get caught using magic by the one person they knew would punish them for using it.

Asha's Interview Gone Wrong

The Mane 6 had landed for their latest mission in the kingdom of Rosas, where they met a 17-year-old tour guide named Asha and learned they had to remain invisible for a majority of their mission, due to the fact that no one except the king was allowed to use magic.

And, for some peculiar reason, Asha had a VERY important meeting with King Magnifico himself, and Sunny was sure that King Magnifico could help grant her wish of keeping Equestria safe from harm.

But Misty… she sensed that something was off, feeling the same as she did when Opaline manipulated her for her cutie mark.

Nevertheless, the Mane 6 stuck close to Asha and Valentino as they all headed for the castle, unsure of what was to come from this meeting with the ruler of Rosas.

XXXXXXXX

“Help me!” a voice called as it entered the kitchen, startling the woman with short black hair in a pink dress. The ponies froze for a moment in the doorway of the castle's kitchens, nervous that Asha was gonna rat them out. “Best friend and honorary doctor of all things rational, my interview is in one hour and I'm so nervous I think I'm going to explode,” Asha said as she quite literally power-walked in circles.

As one, all five ponies looked at Pipp. Feeling their stares, she looked up at her friends confused. “What?”

When they didn't say anything, it finally clicked. “Oh, come on. I do not act like that.”

She paused for a good minute before whispering. “What? I don't.”

Though, this part was with a bit of uncertainty. “Interview? What interview?” the woman asked with surprising calmness, though the ponies could tell she was trying, and failing, to hold back a smile.

“Dahlia?” Asha groaned with barely contained nerves.

“You mean the interview with our velvety sweet buttercream of a king,” Dahlia's smile seemed to grow with each moment.

However, this didn't seem to help Asha's nerves. “Oh, please don’t say it like that…”

Dahlia held up the spoon she was using to mix whatever was in the bowl. It looked like some kind of cookie dough to the ponies. “My best friend, the king's apprentice.”

“Izzy!” Hitch hissed in a whisper when he realized that Izzy was slowly sneaking towards the bowl, licking her lips. “What are you doing?!”

“Just one little lick...” Izzy whispered, inching closer to the bowl. “It smells soooo good.”

Izzy reached into the bowl while Dahlia was distracted, grabbed a tiny bit, but as she was lifting her hoof out, she accidentally knocked the bowl over. Everypony froze as Dahlia looked down, thoroughly confused. Misty put more energy into the spell, doing her best to keep them concealed.

“What the…?” Dahlia muttered. “D-Did you see that? The bowl just… knocked itself over…”

Suddenly, Asha was between Dahlia and the ponies, chuckling quite nervously. “D-Didn't you feel a small tremor? I certainly felt one. Maybe like… like a baby earthquake, you know. Umm… what were you saying?”

When Izzy rejoined her friends, they glared at her. Izzy shot them an apologetic smile but when she liked her hoof, her eyes lit up. “This is sooo good...”

“Izzy, we need to stay hidden,” Zipp scolded softly. “If someone catches us, we're sunk. Do you realize how serious this is?”

Izzy shrunk back and nodded, licking up the rest of the dough before the ponies went off to the rest of the side.

And seeing that the moment had passed, Asha felt her worries about her interview coming back to her immediately. “I’ll be famous. I have forgotten how to talk. I have no words. Is my mouth drooping? I feel like it’s drooping.”

She quickly did some mouth exercises before she quickly said, “Quick, ask me an interview question.”

“Okay, Asha, what's your weakness?” Dahlia asked calmly. “Weakness? Um… I get irrational when I'm nervous.” Asha answered, causing the ponies to look at Pipp with good-natured humor, who only chuckled nervously. “No,” Dahlia smiled at Asha. “You care too much.”

Asha blinked in surprise. “I do? Wait, Is that a weakness?”

“That's why it's perfect,” Dahlia answered smoothly. “You're welcome. Just relax. You're surrounded by friends.”

Dahlia took off a rag that was covering a baking sheet of freshly-baked cookies, making Izzy gasp. She was about to skip up to get one when Hitch quickly grabbed her to stop her, relieving the others. But man... did those cookies smell good. Izzy looked at them longingly, but controlled herself.

Some of the others, however, did not. One whiff of those cookies and everyone else in the kitchen stormed Dahlia and Asha, trying to get their hands on a cookie. “Wow…” Hitch whispered, impressed. “Those cookies must be as good as your smoothies, Sunny!”

“Yes. Yes they are...” Izzy said, longing for another cookie. “So yummy...”

Suddenly, Asha, who had her back turned to them, put her cookie behind her back, motioning for Izzy to come grab it before anyone saw. Izzy's face lit up and she skipped up softly, grabbed the cookie discreetly as Asha's friends were distracted, and split it six ways, one piece for each of her friends and herself.

The cookie melted in their mouths, putting them in bliss. “They're almost better than Grandma Figgy's cookies,” Hitch sighed, but when everypony looked at him in bewilderment, he shrugged. “What? I said almost.”

Izzy held out a piece to Misty who shook her head, concentrating on the spell. She wanted it, but she didn't think she could eat it right now.

And while the ponies ate their cookies, Asha continued to converse with her friends. “Oh, right,” said a short boy named Gabo, “your interview with the king. Hey, look at me. Don't worry. We'll be there for you when you fail.”

“Well, he's a real confidence booster,” Pipp muttered, causing Izzy to nod in agreement. “Gabo,” the woman with dark skin and a blue dress, named Hal, scolded softly. “Oh, there are the cookies!” a boy with a green shirt and a purple hat, named Dario, exclaimed as he pushed through his friends to grab a cookie off the sheet. “Oh, Safi sneezed on those,” Dahlia warned, but the man didn't seem fazed. He wrapped an arm around his friend who seemed to be allergic to lemon. “Oh, thanks,” he said before taking a big bite out of the contaminated cookie, making everyone and pony twist their mouths in disgust.

I mean, come on-- Izzy did some weird stuff in her time, but it never escalated to that kind of level. “Anyway,” said Gabo, trying to get that moment out of his mind, “I don’t blame you for trying to cheat the system.”

Asha looked taken aback by this claim. “What? I'm not trying to cheat at anything.”

“Come on,” Gabo said, clearly not believing Asha. “Everyone knows the racket. The King's apprentices get their wishes granted. And usually their family's wishes, too.”

Asha was about to speak when Dahlia interrupted her. “Not always.”

There was a moment they paused, shaking their heads to agree with Dahlia when seemed to realize something. “Maybe always.”

Sunny gasped, her eyes widening at this. If Asha got that position, maybe King Magnífico would be more open to granting her wish and saving their home!

They had to go to that interview and help Asha where they could. “Wait, isn't your Saba turning 100 today and still waiting?” Gabo pointed out. “What's a Saba?” Hitch whispered to Sunny, who shrugged, concentrating on what Asha and her friends were talkikg about. “Ignore him,” Dahlia said, but Gabo began waving his fingers, gaining their attention again. “Bah-bah-bah-bah-bah! Not to mention the fact that you're also turning 18.”

“Happy birthday!” Dario exclaimed. “In a few months…” Gabo finished. “Not today. And when you give your wish to the king, you don't wanna have to end up like Simon here, do you?”

He then gestured to a larger teenage boy, resting his head on the nearby table, and Simon wearily lifted his head when he heard bis name. “Huh? What's wrong with Simon here?”

“What isn't wrong with him is the better question…” Pipp muttered under her breath. “Pipp!” Zipp scolded in a whisper, causing Pipp to shrug. “Sorry, sis, but you gotta be honest during certain missions.”

“It's… I don't know… you're kind of boring now,” Gabo stated to Simon bluntly. “No offense.”

“Have I become boring?” Simon asked, looking as though he would cry. “Do… do you all think that?”

There was a moment of silence before Safi pretended to sneeze as Asha shook her head. “No, not boring. Just…”

“Calmer,” Dahlia finished when Asha trailed off. “Oh…” Simon muttered, still looking like he would cry. “Oh, Simon, don't worry. You're still you, and I bet you'll get your wish granted really soon,” Asha soothed, making the ponies wonder what really happened to a person when King Magnífico took that person's wish.

After a moment, the Mane 6 turned to each other to discuss their next move. “Maybe only one of us should go with Asha to her interview,” Zipp said as she studied Misty. “It looks like Misty's struggling with the spell.”

“It's not the spell itself. It's casting it on so many moving bodies for such a long time,” Misty corrected. “Still though. I agree with Zipp,” Hitch continued. “If you're gonna see the king, you can't take any chances.”

“I'll go. That way, if something happens, I can magic us out of there,” Sunny volunteered, the rest agreeing with a shrug. “But what about the rest of us?” Pipp asked. “Misty can't cast the spell on us if she isn't here with us.”

“I could help with that,” Hitch suddenly heard Valentino say in his deep voice.

Hitch looked at Valentino, a little startled. “Really? You know a place that we could hide in while Sunny and Misty go to Asha's interview?”

Valentino nodded before walking away. All of them looked at Hitch before he said, “Valentino wants us to follow him.”

“I'll make sure no one sees you leave,” Misty whispered. “We'll see you as soon as we can.”

The four ponies nodded before following Valentino out, opening the door as Queen Amaya, the beautiful and caring wife to King Magnifico himself, was about to walk in. Misty and Sunny tried to cough quietly, wondering where all the sudden flour in the air came from. Valentino and the four ponies snuck away behind the queen and out of sight, while everyone in the kitchen bowed and addressed her.

That's when Queen Amaya turned to look at Asha with a regal smile. “Asha, the King is ready for you.”

And honestly? Asha wasn't sure whether to be nervous or terrified by this news. “Now? Am I late? I thought I…”

“You're fine,” Queen Amaya reassured. “The last interview…”

Behind the queen, a door opened and a man came running out sobbing. “IT WAS A DISASTER!!!!”

And just like that, he had run off. “Finished early,” the queen said simply. “Shall we?”

Misty and Sunny glanced at each other nervously... the king had to be a pretty harsh critic for the last contender for the position to run out sobbing.

On the other hand, Asha tried to keep herself calm, taking deep breaths and trying to remember who she was doing this for… her family. She couldn’t let them down. “Oh, okay, I'm ready,” Asha said before turning around to her friend, whispering, “I am so not ready.”

Dahlia smiled comfortingly. “You're fine. Just don't touch anything. Don't forget to curtsy, and tell him I love him.”

Asha was nodding until she heard the last part. “What?”

“I'm kidding,” Dahlia said quickly. “Do not tell him that.”

“Great. Thank you. Thank you so much,” Asha said as she followed the queen out. And after they had finally left, Sunny turned to Misty. “You ready?”

Misty nodded before they both followed Asha out of the kitchen.

“Bye! Don't get your hopes up!” Gabo called after them before he got glared at by the rest of Asha's friends.

XXXXXXXX

“The apprentice should always keep the fire going because the king likes his tea hot,” Queen Amaya explained as she, Asha and the two ponies (still cloaked out of sight) climbed up the long flight of stairs. Asha nodded, trying to remember everything. She was not gonna mess up, especially since the queen herself was giving her pointers on how to succeed. “He also likes to talk. Quite a bit. Feel free to just listen.”

“Oh, I'm a good listener,” Asha said, wanting to show as much as possible that she was up to par. “Some items might seem strange,” Queen Amaya continued. “But why a sorcerer needs what a sorcerer needs is not your concern.”

“Right.”

“And, above all, do not expect to see the wishes. Don't even ask.”

“You can see wishes?” Misty whispered, mystified as Sunny shrugged slightly. “Yes, ma'am,” Asha said, mentally memorizing everything the queen had said. Her eyes widened when she realized how that sounded. “I mean, I won't, Your Majesty.”

“I'm rooting for you, Asha,” Amaya said as they stood outside a pair of double doors, and Asha's heart warmed knowing she had the queen's support. “You are?”

Amaya nodded, and while Asha was more than grateful, she wondered what set her apart from the others. “Thank you, ma'am. But… why?”

“Well, I see the way you look out for others. It's clear how much you love this kingdom and its people.”

Sunny and Misty smiled at that, proud of their new friend. From what they've already seen of her, she was bound to get the apprentice position.

And they were gonna support her all the way.

Asha took a deep breath before pushing open the doors to where the king was, and before the door closed, Misty and Sunny galloped inside after her, eager to see the king for themselves… and potentially see the wishes that Queen Amaya had mentioned before.

Misty and Sunny both sighed in relief when they made it through in time without giving themselves away, but when they looked up, they froze, their chests constricting in fear, their eyes wide.

Here they were so worried about Equestria, they never considered the possibility it would be here.

The final battle.

A part of Sunny was relieved. If she was here, she couldn't hurt anypony else. But also, she and her friends were sorely unprepared to fight a final battle with ice beings and a persuasive winged snow leopard, along with her rabbit sidekick.

And you may be wondering while I'm saying this, right?

Well, as it turns out, Allura was laying down on a plush pillow off in a far-off corner of the room, and Twitch was curled up under her wing.

Thank goodness the duo weren't able to see past Misty's invisibility spell, so Misty and Sunny were safe… at least, for now.

They slowly approached Asha, with Allura and Twitch asleep. Sunny nodded at Misty, and with a deep breath, she unveiled them.

Asha gasped upon seeing them. “What… I can see you guys now! But… where are the rest of you?”

“Valentino took them somewhere safe,” Sunny filled in with a whisper, and after she nodded, Asha caught sight of Misty, who looked really pale. “Are you okay?”

Misty nodded discreetly. “I'm fine. We just revealed ourselves to warn you.”

“Yeah,” Sunny continued. “Remember that snow leopard, Allura, and her sidekick, Twitch, we told you about earlier?”

Sunny nodded her head towards the sleeping pair. “That's them. Be careful. Don't trust them. They are evil and horrible creatures who only want to rule over everything.”

Asha looked over toward Allura and Twitch, seeing the star shard around Allura’s neck. “Is that the shard you told me about?”

“It is, but don't try and grab it from her. She's really protective of those shards and won't hesitate to use her magic,” Misty whispered. “We'll be cloaked and waiting here if we need to swoop in.”

Asha nodded, looking around the room, keeping an eye on Allura, reading some of the book titles to herself.

Fire Magic... The History of Spells... it was all so intriguing. Even Misty was impressed by the vast collection, since she only one spellbook back home.

That was when Asha caught sight of a huge book, one that seemed to draw her in. It was in a glass case, with symbols written around it. Something about those symbols felt familiar.

But before she could get closer, a tall, handsome tan-skinned man with pale blue eyes and gray hair, along with clothes with the colors of white and gold and wearing beige poulaine loafer turn shoes, came over quickly to stop her. “No no, no no. Asha, that book is forbidden.”

Misty gasped, quickly cloaking herself and Sunny and they backed out of the way before they were spotted by the king, who was just as handsome as his statue depicted. And at the sound of Magnífico's voice, Allura and Twitch woke up. “Oh, hi. I was just, um…” Asha put a hand on the glass, but as soon as she did, magical electricity began crackling around the glass, startling Asha, making her shriek in surprise. “What's happening?!”

“Well, I put a spell on the… on the glass,” Magnífico explained with a small smile of amusement. Even Allura and Twitch chuckled a bit. “Well, I just thought the etchings were pretty,” Asha said as she tried to swat away the etchings that had somehow come to life. Invisible, Sunny tried to help her, but to no avail, for the etchings continued to assault Asha.

“Yes,” the king continued, “but the book… the book is dangerous.”

“Ow! Then why have it?” Asha asked as she struggled with the etchings. “A king must be prepared for everything. Hold on.” He said as he approached Asha. But Asha continued to swat and bat at the etchings, losing a shoe in the process. “Hold still, hold still.” Magnífico demanded with a small chuckle. He grabbed hold of the etchings and threw them at the glass and just like that, everything was back to normal.

That was when Sunny finally got a good look of Magnífico and her jaw dropped. That's why the statue was so familiar. She'd seen this man before.

The vision flashed through her mind. This man… he was helping Allura. That's why Allura and Twitch were here.

Sunny's heart stopped as a realization came to her. She… she couldn't ask Magnífico for help. If he was working for Allura, er…with Allura, the less he knew about Equestria, the better.

But still, not only would Sunny and her friends haven't to deal with Allura's ice army, but now they'd have to deal with a powerful sorcerer with a dangerous book too? This was just getting worse and worse, wasn't it?

King Magnífico sighed heavily after the incident with the etchings. “A bit of exercise.”

But a second or two later, the King froze when he saw Asha. Confused, Misty and Sunny followed his gaze to see Asha still swatting, but since the etchings were now gone, she was batting at empty air. “Um, Asha?” the king looked at her. “Are you okay?”

“No, I…” Asha trailed off when she realized the fool she was making of herself, swatting at empty air. “I‐I mean, yes.”

Asha crossed her arms in front of her, plastering on a nervous smile. “And I understand if you want me to leave and never show my face again.”

“Yes,” Sunny muttered pleadingly, her voice a quiet whisper. “Please. He's not safe.”

“Sunny? What… what are you talking about?” Misty asked, her voice as quiet as Sunny's, but Sunny didn't answer, continuing her observations of the scene in front of them. “Oh please, let's not overreact. You're here. You've certainly got my attention,” King Magnífico said, brushing off Asha's worry as Allura and Twitch came forward. “I'd like to introduce you to Allura. The newest member of the king's council… and her sidekick, Twitch.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Allura said in that seductive voice of hers, holding out her paw. “I must say, out of all the applicants, you are my favorite.”

Asha remembered what Sunny and Misty told her about Allura and Twitch, but then again… the snow leopard was being rather friendly, and the king seemed to trust her for whatever reason, so… it wouldn’t hurt to be polite back. “Thank you,” Asha said with a slight tremor, taking Allura's paw and shaking it. “That means a lot to hear you say that.”

“Well, go ahead. Tell me why you think you should be my apprentice,” King Magnífico said, walking around his study while Allura and Twitch sat nearby, observing Asha carefully. “Okay, well…” Asha slid in behind Magnífico, saying the first thing that came to mind. “I care too much.”

Sunny slapped her hoof on her face at this, realizing Asha's nerves were starting to escalate. “Okay, that's interesting,” King Magnífico said, a bit confused to this response. “It's my weakness,” Asha amended, making Sunny groan softly. “Figured I might as well get through all the bad stuff right up front.”

“Fair enough. And your strengths?” Allura asked, an eyebrow raised. “Glad you asked,” Asha said before trying to make herself look less… nervous. “I’m a quick learner and a hard worker, and I help well. Heh heh… and I’m young, so I’m malleable, but not too young so that I’m too malleable. Oh, and I like to draw!”

Asha pulled out a notebook, grabbing the corner of the pages and flipping through them, showing an animal running in place. “Is this anything?”

“Um… what am I looking at?” Allura asked, squinting at it, leaving Asha to explain. “It's a goat. It's hopping!”

Twitch oohed and ahhed at the sight of the little goat hopping as Asha flipped the pages, clapping his paws in amazement. “You're too easily impressed, you know that?” Allura muttered to Twitch with a ghost of a smile, causing Twitch to stop clapping and merely nod to Asha, causing her to slightly giggle. “That is a… unique talent,” King Magnífico said before turning to Allura. “Do we call that a talent?”

“Oh, well, it’s just something my father taught me,” Asha said with a slight shrug. That's when King Magnifico hummed in thought. “I think I remember your father.”

Asha looked at him in awe. “Really?”

The king nodded to this remark. “He was a philosopher, wasn’t he? Always talking about the stars.”

Asha looked at one of the pages in her notebook with a sort of... sad smile. “We used to climb that tree on the high ridge, where it becomes just you and the stars. You know, he'd say, ‘The stars are there to guide us, to inspire us, to remind us to believe in the possibility’.”

Misty watched as Asha talked about her father, and her eyes wandered to Allura, and she couldn’t help but blink when she saw the look on Allura's face the more Asha talked about her father. She couldn't read it, but it was different from the evil look Misty was so used to seeing on her. Was it longing? Something else? Misty couldn't tell. And, honestly, Misty didn't know what to think about it.

It was… strange.

Eventually, Misty turned her attention back to Asha, and her smile was becoming much sadder than it was before. “Well, even when he was sick, he’d take me out at night to dream. All I dreamed about was him getting better.”

“How…” Allura cleared her throat, blinking rapidly as Twitch patted her paw soothingly. “How old were you when he passed?”

“Twelve,” Asha answered, not taking her eyes off the page in her notebook. “That's not fair, is it?” King Magnífico asked, also seeming touched by her story, and there was a slight pause before Magnífico continued. “When I was young, I too suffered great loss.”

Misty and Sunny spared each other a glance to this. “I… I didn't know that,” Asha stammered, confused, but her sympathy soon won out. “I'm sorry.”

“My entire family. Our lands were destroyed by selfish, greedy thieves. Hmm, if only I'd known magic then…” King Magnífico took a deep breath before continuing. “You see, I founded this kingdom so there would be a place where everyone is safe. Asha, no one should ever have to see their dreams destroyed before their eyes.”

“No one should have to live their life feeling the pain of that loss every day,” Asha agreed. “And that's why I do what I do,” King Magnífico said, and this caused Asha to nod. “And that's why I want to work for you.”

Sunny swallowed, at a loss for what to do. King Magnífico… he seemed so amazing. He seemed like he cared for the people of Rosas. Really cared for them, like Sunny cared for the ponies of Equestria. But… he was working with Allura. But, maybe he was working with her without truly knowing who she was. Or maybe he was under her spell.

Sunny couldn't imagine this man just being evil. There had to be an explanation for this. There just had to be. “Come with me,” King Magnífico said after a moment of silence. He walked away, and for a moment, Asha just stood there, confused, before quickly following him. Misty and Sunny followed closely behind, hurrying past Allura and Twitch, when Twitch caught something peculiar.

A strange, yet familiar, scent. But it wasn't Asha or the king... it was... something else. And it was really close.

Magnífico opened a set of double doors without even touching them. They all walked into a room with beakers and tubes, as though there was scientific testing going on inside. “You're one of the very few I have ever invited in here,” King Magnifico spoke. “But if I'm to trust you, I need to know you understand just how important they are.”

“They?” Asha asked, causing King Magnífico to look upward toward the ceiling. “The wishes of Rosas.”

Sunny and Misty looked up and gasped in amazement. They were in a domed room, but it wasn’t the room that made them gasp in utter awe. It was the hundreds of blue orbs that floated in the air above them like beautiful crystalline stars.

But something about them… something about them called to Sunny. It was like… she looked at them and she somehow saw the essence of every living creature who had a wish up there. It was like she could hear their unanimous heart beating as one, and yet, they were a million little hearts that were so delicate… so precious. It was like their fragility made her stronger somehow, made her more determined to protect them with everything she had.

Like, if she failed, she didn’t just fail as an alicorn or a Guardian. She failed as a pony. She failed as a creature with her own beating heart. Like her sole reason for existing was to protect these precious bundles of joy.

Even Allura and Twitch were amazed by what was above them, their villainous thoughts pushed aside as they took in the wonder of the wishes. The presence of peace that filled every creature in the room was almost overwhelming, in its own way.

Misty looked down at Sunny's flank when something caught the corner of her eye and she gasped when she saw Sunny's cutie mark glowing. The soft, golden outline of Sunny's alicorn form began to appear, but only just that, as if they refused to fully form.

King Magnifico chuckled at Allura, Twitch and Asha’s reactions to the wishes, since he couldn’t see Sunny and Misty. “You can feel them already, can’t you?”

“They are… everything,” Asha muttered in complete awe before realizing what she had said. “Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“No, no, that’s it,” King Magnifico said with a smile. “They are everything.”

Sunny couldn’t help but agree with this statement. That was the exact way to describe them. Everything. They were the embodiment of life. They were the embodiment of happiness. They were the embodiment of love.

“Even I never expected these small, delicate wishes to be so… alive,” Allura said as an orb floated past her. “As if they have a livelihood all their own.”

Magnifico chuckled as some of the floating orbs came down and floated just above his palms. “Yes. You see,” Magnifico explained, “people think wishes are just ideas. But no, no, they are a part of your heart. The very best part.”

That’s when Magnifico turned his attention to the wishes around him, before softly starting to sing.

King Magnifico: If happiness was a tangible thing
It would be you
If you'd have told me
The feeling you'd bring

I'd think it untrue
And people search for a wonder like you
All of their lives
You still amaze me after all this time

You pull me in like some kind of wind
Mesmerized by the hold I'm in
Leave you here, I don't wanna
I wanna

Promise as one does
I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms
I, I will protect you at all costs
At all costs

Tears came to Sunny’s eyes as the orbs floated around them, overwhelmed by the pure joy that emanated from each and every one of them. Suddenly, Misty watched as Sunny’s alicorn form burst to life in a flash of beautiful gold as she felt the need to protect them at all costs grow stronger and stronger.

Asha: What's pain when I look at you?
No way I could explain you
Even if I tried to, I'll never dream like I used to do
If someone tried to hurt you, I don't

See how that could happen
I'd fight for you in ways you can't imagine
Felt this? No, I haven't, I hope
It would be all right to stay right here beside you

Asha and King Magnifico: And promise as one does
I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms
I, I will protect you at all costs
At all costs

If you're ever feeling like you're lost
I'll come find you
Man all fronts
There's no ocean I won't swim across

To be right by you
And not just once
Here and now, I swear on my response
I'll remind you

And promise as one does
I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms
I, I will protect you at all costs
At all costs

After King Magnifico and Asha sang the bridge of the chorus, for a small, peaceful moment, everything was muted for Sunny. As though the world was talking through a pillow or a wall.

Sunny’s cutie mark began to glow as she flew into the air, causing Misty to panic as she put in more and more energy in keeping Sunny and herself out of sight, but it was much harder with Sunny moving around. Sunny, however, was completely oblivious to her friend’s struggle and couldn’t help but join with her own words, her cutie mark magic keeping her voice silent to the wrong ears.

Sunny: Nothing prepared me for what you would do
But I'll make sure you come true
Just as he'd want me to

Sunny, Asha and King Magnifico: And promise as one does
I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms
I, I will protect you at all costs
At all costs

If you're ever feeling like you're lost
I'll come find you
Man all fronts
There's no ocean I won't swim across

To be right by you
And not just once
Here and now, I swear on my response
I'll remind you

And promise as one does
I, I will protect you at all costs
Keep you safe here in my arms
I, I will protect you at all costs
At all costs

As the song came to an end, Misty couldn’t put any more energy into the spell. Her eyes flickered open and closed before she put one more burst of energy into the spell and fell to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Sunny suddenly became visible in the air and when Asha looked up and right at her, Sunny’s own eyes widened. “Oh no…”

She looked down to see Misty on the floor unconscious and her own heart raced in fear. She flew down to her friend, lit her alicorn horn, and quickly teleported out of the room, thinking of Hitch so that she and Misty both would appear where he was.

As the two of them disappeared, the flash of gold caught another’s eye... Twitch.

He turned his head, but didn’t see anyone there. He narrowed his eyes, sure of what he saw.

XXXXXXXX

“Ugh, how much longer can that interview take?” Pipp groaned as she, Hitch, Zipp and Izzy waited in the large closet for Asha, Sunny and Misty to return. “They’ve been gone forever!”

“Pipp?” Zipp looked at her sister in surprise. “It’s only been 10 minutes.”

“I have to agree with Pipp. When I interviewed for the sheriff position,” Hitch said, “I only had a short five minute interview. This one… seems to be taking ages.”

Zipp looked at Hitch with a raised eyebrow. “Your cutie mark is a shield with a star. I think it’s pretty obvious what you’re supposed to do in life.”

Suddenly, a flash of gold caught them offguard, and the others looked surprised to see Sunny in her alicorn form, carrying an unconscious Misty in her magic. “Sunny! Misty!” Zipp cried. “What happened?!”

“I-I think she put too much power into keeping the spell going,” Sunny said as she landed with Misty. “She must’ve got knocked out!”

“But how?! Sure, she seemed tired when you guys left, but she still looked alright. How could she decline so quickly?!” Hitch asked, confused. Sunny looked away, her ears flattening against her head in shame. “I…I think that might be my fault. I forgot to stay as still as possible and close to her and I think she passed out from trying to extend the spell to me.”

“Oh, Sunny… it’s gonna be okay,” Izzy said gently, trying to comfort Sunny as best she could. “She’s gonna wake up soon, right, Hitchie-Poo?”

“Yeah. I think,” Hitch immediately took charge, having medical experience from his training to be sheriff. “She’s sweating. She needs something to eat and drink for energy when she wakes up. And we need to lay her on her back. Keep her legs slightly elevated, and she should wake up any second.”

“Come on, Misty…” Pipp whispered. “Come back to us…”

“Zipp, I need your maximum sneakiness on hoof here,” Hitch said. “Do you remember the way back to the kitchens?”

When Zipp nodded, Hitch continued his instructions. “Alright, I need you to sneak back in there and not get caught and get Misty something to eat and drink. Remember this above all else-- don’t. Get. Caught.”

Zipp nodded and snuck out of the closet without further hesitation. Slowly, Misty opened her eyes, groaning groggily. She tried to sit up, but Hitch gently pushed her back down. “Hey, you’re okay. You’re alright. Just stay laying down, alright? Don’t sit up yet.”

“W-W-What happened…?” Misty asked. “I-Is Sunny…?”

“I’m okay, Misty,” Sunny said gently. “I’m sorry I caused you to get so tired. I guess… I couldn’t control my emotions and I kinda got out of hoof.”

“I-It’s okay… Sunny…” Misty said wearily, feeling dizzy and tired. “You… you were beautiful… up there with… all those wishes. With… with your cutie mark… glowing.”

“Wishes?” Hitch looked bewildered. “You mean… you saw the wishes that Asha mentioned on the tour?”

Sunny nodded. “Yeah. Oh, you should’ve seen them Hitch! They were so beautiful and… and alive.”

“Alive?” Pipp asked in confusion. “How can wishes be alive?”

“I don’t know, but they were. Oh, they were SO beautiful,” Sunny said. “They were the epitome of happiness and love and… and seeing them I felt nothing but… peace. It was like every dream… your every fantasy came true.”

“That sounds so… dreamy…” Izzy sighed happily.

Zipp flew back into the closet with an apple and a glass of water. “Oh, good, Misty-- you’re up!” she sighed in relief. “Here, eat and drink. It’ll help you get your strength back.”

“But what about Asha?” Misty groaned, still looking worried but not as tired as before. “A-Allura… Twitch…”

“Hold up,” Pipp held up a hoof. “W-What’s that about old furball and her rabbit sidekick?”

“Oh my gosh! I almost forgot!” Sunny gasped. “Somehow, she managed to worm her and Twitch into the castle, and she’s up there with Asha, King Magnifico and the wishes!”

The rest of them gasped in surprise as they suddenly feared for Asha’s safety.

XXXXXXXX

“You know, Asha,” said King Magnifico after a moment, “I would love to see someone wish to be the best apprentice a mighty sorcerer has ever had. What do you say?”

Asha stared down at the wish she was holding, her beautiful Saba’s wish, but she remained silent. “Asha?” King Magnifico prompted when Asha didn’t say anything. “Dear?” Allura called out to her, looking rather confused and suspicious. “What are you looking at?”

“It’s my Saba Sabino’s wish,” Asha muttered lovingly. “It’s his birthday today and he’s 100 years old.”

Allura tilted her head and approached, eyeing the small wish with curiosity. “That’s… impressive. My grandfather never lived to be that old. But then again… I only met him one time.”

Twitch sighed sympathetically and placed his paw on Allura’s leg, trying to comfort her.

“Your Majesty,” Asha began again, turning to the king, “um… would you maybe consider granting his wish tonight?”

King Magnifico looked at Asha with a little smirk. “Well, that was fast, wasn’t it?” he chuckled. “You know, most people wait a few months, even a year, before they start asking me for things.”

Asha felt her face heat up in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I did not mean to…”

“No, no, it’s okay, it’s okay,” the king reassured. “Here, let me see the wish.”

Asha gave Magnifico the wish and the king studied it for a few moments. And after a moment, Allura let forth a sliver of a smile. “It truly is a beautiful wish.”

“Beautiful…” the king agreed with a nod before he became more stern after a moment. “But unfortunately, it’s too dangerous.”

Asha looked at him in confusion, as did Allura and Twitch. “Dangerous?”

“Your Saba longs to create something to inspire the next generation,” the king explained. “Great wish but too vague. Create what? A rebellious mob, perhaps? To inspire them to… to do what? Uh, destroy Rosas, maybe?”

“My Saba would never do anything to hurt anyone,” Asha said firmly.

“You think you know that,” King Magnifico countered with a shrug. “I know that,” Asha argued, glaring at Magnifico.

“Well, you’re young. You don’t know anything really,” the king said as he threw the wish up into the air and with a wave of his hand, the rest of the wishes floated up back to the ceiling high in the room. Everything suddenly felt… emptier and… duller than it had before. “Whereas it is my responsibility,” King Magnifico continued, “to only grant the wishes I am sure are good for Rosas.”

“So,” Asha started, looking up at all the wishes above them, “most of these wishes will never be granted?”

King Magnifico was at his table, pouring in liquids and making something that looked like some kind of potion. “Yet, I still protect them like all the others.”

“Can’t you just… give them back instead?” Asha asked, thinking of how much her friend Simon changed after Magnifico took his wish.

“Excuse me?” the king asked, freezing at her suggestion. Allura and Twitch watched the tension build silently, not sure what to think.

“The wishes you’re not gonna grant, you could just give them back,” Asha repeated, wondering why that was such a ridiculous suggestion.

It sounded completely fair and understandable to Asha.

Why was Magnifico so weird about it?

Allura hummed in thought. “Forgive me for interrupting, but I don’t believe that’s how the king’s laws work.”

“Well, I don’t know,” Asha shrugged innocently, “but I was just thinking that maybe… the people could just pursue them themselves and if they really are dangerous, they can… be stopped. But if they’re not--”

“You’ve completely missed the point,” King Magnifico interrupted, his voice growing more and more frustrated as he added more and more things to the cauldron. “People come here because they know they can’t make their own dreams come true. The journey is too hard. Too unfair. They give their wishes to me-- willingly. And I make it so they forget their worries.”

“You make it so they forget the most beautiful part of themselves,” Asha argued, putting her hands to her chest. “And they don’t know what they’re missing. But you do.”

Asha began taking steps towards Magnifico. “And I do. And it’s not fair.”

And by this point, Asha was on the verge of tears. “My Saba is good. The people of Rosas are good. And they deserve more than--”

“I DECIDE WHAT EVERYONE DESERVES!” King Magnifico snapped, startling even Allura and Twitch. Twitch scurried behind Allura and Allura stood in front of him protectively, not sure how Magnifico would react, having her gift ready.

It didn’t take long for Queen Amaya to come into the room, having heard the shout of her husband. “Mi rey?” she called out, trying to hide her concern. “Sorry to interrupt, but it’s time for the ceremony.”

“Is it, my love?” Magnífico asked with a smile, changing moods like one would change clothes. He looked back at Asha with a warm smile, as though nothing happened, but there was a small warning deep in his eyes that made Asha's breath catch. “Hmm… seat Asha with you on the main stage.”

Asha's eyes widened momentarily and she turned to the queen. “Oh, no. No, no. It's okay,” She quickly tried to deny, no longer feeling comfortable around Magnífico, but the King turned back to her, stopping her. “I insist,” King Magnifico said firmly, in a tone that made it very clear to those who were in the room when the fight happened that there was no room for discussion. That Asha was going to sit on that stage and that was that.

King Magnífico walked away, leaving Asha to internally panic.

She didn't know what was going to happen at that ceremony, but she knew it DEFINITELY wasn't going to be good.

XXXXXXXX

“Do you think we should go check on Asha?” Hitch asked as Sunny paced nervously in front of the door. “It’s been a really long time, and with Allura and Twitch up there with her…”

“Not until Misty’s strength is back up,” Zipp said firmly. “She needs all the strength she can to cast that spell over us so we’re out of sight.”

“How are you, Misty?” Pipp asked in concern. “Do you feel okay?”

Misty nodded with a smile. “I feel a lot better after a little rest and some food. But… Izzy? Sunny? I’ll need more help to cast the spell going forward, so if we need to split up, we have more around to keep the spell going.”

Sunny nodded. “Most definitely. But first, we have to learn the spell. Do you think you can teach us without actually doing it?”

“I… I think so. But… it's not easy and takes a lot of concentration,” Misty replied, her voice already stronger. “Better hurry,” Hitch said as he listened to something in the hallway. “I think I hear someone coming!”

Misty nodded, sitting up a bit more, turning to face Izzy and Sunny. “Okay…first close your eyes. Calm your emotions. Focus. Find your center. Channel your magic.”

Sunny and Izzy did as they were told. It took a little bit, and a whole lot of breathing, but soon, they were able to calm their emotions and find their center. Sunny realized that she couldn't think about her worries for Equestria, or Allura, or anything else that worried her. She began to realize why talking about Opaline made Misty's spell falter.

“Now, open your eyes and look at your surroundings. Imagine them being the only thing you see. Imagine yourself disappearing in a sea of nothing…”

“Better hurry,” Hitch warned. “Those footsteps are getting closer.”

“You are nothing. Your friends are nothing. The only things that exist are your surroundings. You are no more. Sunny does not exist. Izzy does not exist. Just a sea of nothing.”

Suddenly, Izzy and Sunny disappeared, not able to be seen by their friends. Zipp, Pipp, and Hitch gasped while Misty smiled proudly, though it was small and weak. But it was most definitely there.

Izzy and Sunny tried not to get too excited, keeping their emotions calm and still, trying their best to stay focused, though it wasn't easy.

Misty then took this chance to teach them how to extend the spell to others. “Now, imagine those thoughts extended to the rest of us. Izzy, you focus on Pipp and Zipp. Sunny, focus on me and Hitch. We are nothing. We are no more. We do not exist. We are just a sea of nothingness.”

Suddenly, to the four of them, Izzy and Sunny could be seen. Without Asha there to tell them it worked, they had no idea if Sunny and Izzy accidentally stopped casting the spell, or if it really did extend.

They swallowed nervously as the handle to the doorknob turned and realized they had to trust the spell worked. Especially Sunny and Izzy. Because if they allowed themselves to doubt, it would mess up the spell, if it was even cast in the first place. No. It was. They had to trust that it was.

Asha peeked her head inside, trying to find the ponies. “Sunny? Hitch? Guys?”

“Asha? Can you see us?” Zipp asked. When Asha shook her head, Izzy and Sunny let their excitement get the best of them and suddenly, Asha could see them all. When she looked right at them, Sunny realized their mistake. “Oops. I… guess we need to work on that.”

“Are you okay, Asha?” Izzy asked. “Did Allura get you?”

“No, I’m fine,” Asha said, “but… we’re heading to the wish ceremony now. You guys should probably head out to the stage.”

Pipp and Sunny's eyes widened, though for very different reasons. “Stage?!” Pipp exclaimed with a huge smile.

“S-Stage?!” Sunny also said at the same time, but her voice trembled in fear. “In front of all those people? I-I don't think Izzy and I are ready… if we mess up… everyone will know we exist. Magnífico… Asha, you said…”

Sunny stopped when she felt a hoof on her shoulder, realizing it was Hitch. “Hey. It's okay. Misty's feeling a bit better and Izzy will take some of us while you take the other. It won't be nearly as hard as it was with Misty.”

“He’s right, Sunny,” Zipp nodded. “We’ll be fine. Just put us under the spell again and we’ll follow Asha. We have to figure out what Allura’s planning.”

Sunny sighed and nodded, realizing they were right. They had to at least try.

So, Sunny and Izzy put the ponies under the invisibility spell again and cautiously followed Asha out of the closet.

XXXXXXXX

A trumpet fanfare played as the crowd gathered around the stage, all of them cheering and laughing in joy and anticipation. The crowd grew louder as Magnífico jumped on stage and magic sparkles over the crowd, as they danced in the air, making the crowd go wild. “Are you ready, Rosas?!”

Asha sat by the queen, who looked calm and serene, while Asha was scared stiff, and looked it too. The ponies were right next to her, and since no one seemed to notice them, it was safe to say the spell worked.

Sunny kept her eyes closed, trying to ignore the sound of the crowd, keeping her emotions in check. But she knew Allura was there, and it made her heart race in fear. A fear she had to keep buried unless she wanted to doom her friends.

Allura, on the other hand, sat on the other side of the stage with Twitch, her mind… seemingly somewhere else before she snapped to attention and looked at King Magnifico addressing his subjects. “Another beautiful night in my kingdom,” the king said. “So good to see you. Good to be seen. First things first. We have two new citizens ready to give their wishes.”

Two people, a young couple as it seemed, walked up onto the stage, looking nervous and excited at the same time. “Helena, Estaban,” the king continued, “You're going to be very happy here, I promise you. Now make a wish and hold it in your heart.”

As Helena and Estaban closed their eyes and made their wish. Misty watched with sad eyes as she watched a golden light come out of the chests of the couple. It was like she was seeing something… die inside of them. And the expressions on their faces, it reminded her so much of her own expression when she served Opaline.

That longing. That knowledge that your dreams, your wish, was entirely in someone else's hands, and there was nothing you could do but hope you made them happy enough so they wouldn't break it. That… dependence on them.

It was the same dependence Misty had with Opaline. She wasn't certain about how things worked here in Rosas, but she knew that kind of dependence wasn't right. It didn't give them freedom. It made them captives.

Asha, however, felt like her eyes were opened for the very first time. Her whole life, she watched people give their wishes with wonder, counting down the days until she turned eighteen, and she'd be standing where the couple was, happily giving her wish.

But now… now it felt different.

Like they were losing the part of them that made them… them. And knowing that wish would probably never be granted, only made it that much harder.

Allura and Twitch watched this from their side of the stage, and needless to say… they were enamored. “Oh my, Twitch…” Allura said in a soft tone. “I wouldn’t have believed such a thing would be possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”

Twitch nodded by her side, his eyes wide, not taking his eyes off the couple and Magnífico. “It's a real weight off, isn't it?” King Magnifico asked with a smile as the couple stared longingly at their wishes. He glanced at Asha and she gulped nervously, clearly reading his look.

Zipp saw it too, and instantly knew something was very wrong. “Forget without regret. Whoo!” the man cheered. That's when King Magnifico turned back to the rest of the crowd, a smile forming on his face. “Okay then, who is ready to have their wish granted?”

The crowd cheered loudly in celebration, practically jumping over themselves to be seen by the king. Asha bit her lip, knowing this couldn’t end well. “Which one do you think the king will pick?” Izzy whispered in excitement. “I don't know,” Zipp shook her head. “Maybe it'll be Asha's grandfather!”

Asha shook her head, hearing every word that the ponies were saying. “No. I blew that chance. If it even had a chance to begin with.”

The ponies looked at each other, confused. They could all hear the slight resentment in her tone and the way her voice shook with a little bit of fear. What could have happened during her interview?

They turned their attention back to the king, who silenced the crowd for a moment so he could speak. “I have been challenged today to take a chance and try something new,” the king said as he turned back to Asha. “Thank you, Asha.”

Pipp pranced in place with a silent giggle, feeling that this was going to be Asha’s big moment.

Only Misty and Sunny noticed the way she seemed to squirm uncomfortably in her seat, the way she tried to get smaller, as though that would keep her from being noticed by anyone in the crowd. The way she wouldn’t look at anyone.

Sunny and Misty glanced at each other, each with nervous and worried expressions while the rest of their friends smiled in anticipation, happy to see their newest friend’s dream come true.

That's when the king continued to give his speech to the overly-excited crowd. “And it is with clarity and an open heart full of love that I grant today’s wish to someone who has very patiently waited long enough.”

Pipp couldn’t conceal her squeal of excitement as they watched with wide eyes for a beautiful wish to be granted. “It’s gotta be Sabino! It has to be!”

“Sania Osman!”

The ponies' faces fell as the name sunk in. A woman in a blue dress exclaimed excitedly, hurrying up to the stage. They were… confused. After everything, they were so certain…

As Magnífico granted Sonia's wish, the ponies looked at Asha questioningly, who was almost on the verge of tears. “Asha?” Zipp whispered in concern. “What's going on?”

“Yeah, I thought your grandfather was a shoe in to have his wish granted,” Hitch said in confusion. “Magnifico certainly made it seem that way. What happened?” Pipp added. But Asha remained quiet, turning her face away from the Equestrians.

The ponies were about to ask what was wrong again, but that’s when they saw a shadow fall over them. They quickly clamped their mouths shut, looking up to see King Magnifico staring down at Asha with a distasteful look. “Obviously, I will not be offering you the position as my apprentice,” he said, and the look on his face, plus his tone… were almost… patronizing. “But… but don’t worry. I will still protect your Saba’s wish and your mother’s… forever.”

He walked away, leaving Asha and the ponies alone. The ponies looked at each other, the way he said forever obviously meaning more context than they were given. They looked at Asha, who had a look of absolute devastation plastered onto her face.

The Mane 6 had no idea what was going on, but they knew one thing.

Rosas was definitely not the happy place it appeared to be.

Author's Note

Wow, this is definitely one of the longest chapters I've ever done for a story-- I owe Willow everything for her help!

This Wish/Meeting Star and Magnifico Learns the Truth

This day could have gone so much better.

Allura and Twitch were in Rosas and had somehow gotten the king to include them on his court, Asha lost her chance at being King Magnifico’s apprentice and for some reason… King Magnifico was going to keep the wishes of Asha’s family and probably never grant them.

And it was pretty easy to see that Asha and her family, including little goat Valentino, left the scene with heavy hearts, leaving the Mane 6 to follow.

Sunny figured that Asha might need some friends nearby, so she and the Mane 6 followed them back to their home, where Asha discreetly promised them that she would bring back some food before she and her family went inside.

But, little did the ponies know that the events of the wish ceremony were going to set off a chain reaction they could only dream of.

XXXXXXXX

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Zipp said as she paced in front of her friends while Asha and her family prepared their dinner. “Asha is perfectly qualified to be Magnifico’s apprentice-- a little nervous, maybe, but… she was perfectly qualified, nonetheless!”

“Do you think Allura did something to Magnifico?” Misty asked in worry. “To make him not give Asha the position?”

Hitch growled at this. “I wouldn’t put anything past that overgrown furball.”

“What do you think, Sunny?” Zipp asked. “Do you think Allura had a paw in this somehow?”

However, Sunny wasn’t paying attention… she was staring constantly inside the window of the house, watching Asha and her family with sad eyes. “Sunny?” Pipp looked confused. “You okay?”

“...they all just look so down,” Sunny frowned, gazing at Asha and her family. “Come look.”

The five other ponies gathered around Sunny and looked into the window, where Asha and her family were sitting inside, having dinner. “I just don’t understand. Why crush her hopes… like that?” Zipp asked, feeling her ears flatten against the side of her head. “Making it seem like he would get his wish granted, it was just so…”

“Cruel,” Misty finished when Zipp trailed off. Everypony looked at her, confused, but Misty just watched Asha and her family with sadness. “It was cruel. Opaline sometimes did the same with me.”

“When she manipulated you for a cutie mark?” Izzy looked at Misty with a sad gaze.

Misty nodded. “I remember there was this one time… I failed to get Sparky… I was so scared to admit it, and when I did… I was just bracing for the worst. But… there was a moment when she didn’t react. I truly thought she was handling it better than I thought she would. I started to relax, even growing hopeful that maybe she’d let that failure go. I should’ve known better. As soon as I began to smile a bit, she began yelling at me at the top of her lungs, using her magic to trap me in my room, taking me off guard. She claims she was saving her breath to yell at me, but I know it was just another manipulation tactic. So, I, or in this case, Asha, would know who was really in charge. It’s one thing to know someone’s in charge, but to know that they’re in charge of how you feel, having such control over your emotions, is something else entirely.”

The rest of them remained quiet following Misty’s words, looking back through the window where they all looked so sad. They began to wonder what Misty really went through with Opaline, and if Asha was going through the same thing.

After a moment, the ponies managed to hear the conversation at the dinner table more fluidly. Sabino sighed, picking up the teapot. “Come now. We don’t waste food.”

“You’re right, Saba,” Sakina said. “We should be looking at the bright side.”

Sakina then turned to her daughter. “Asha, you got to the final few being considered for the most prestigious position in the kingdom. And, Saba, there’s always next time.”

“Cheers to that,” Sabino said, raising his own cup to clink against his daughter’s, both of them chuckling merrily.

But Asha couldn’t pretend to be happy. Not when she knew that Sabino’s wish would never be granted. And, now, because of her, neither would her mother’s.

She couldn’t promote this false hope King Magnifico had installed in them... or the false hope he installed in all the people of Rosas. “Asha?” Sakina asked when she noticed her daughter was silent. Asha sighed before finally speaking. “Saba, I need to tell you something.”

“I don’t think… um… your wish…” Asha paused. Jeez, she couldn’t do this. She couldn’t crush his hopes. Not like this. She just couldn’t. But she had to. “...will ever be granted.”

“What?” Sabino asked at the same time Asha’s mother turned to her, confused. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“Because the King told me so,” Asha admitted, looking at the people she loved most in the world. “He said it’s too dangerous to grant.”

“My wish… is dangerous?” Sabino asked, looking confused and devastated. He had never had a malicious thought… towards anyone or anything. How could his wish be… dangerous?

The six ponies glanced at each other, confused. Sure, they’ve never formally met Sabino, but seeing him from afar, they couldn’t imagine his wish being… dangerous. “No. That’s the thing. I don’t think it is at all,” Asha said, smiling when she remembered how beautiful it was. “You… you saw it?” Sakina asked with wide eyes, and this caused Asha to nod. “I did. And you should know what it is…”

“No. No. Don’t say anything,” Sabino said firmly, making it clear he didn’t want to know. “But it’s so, so beautiful,” Asha said, her heart instantly warming just thinking about it. “Well,” Sabino said, “clearly Magnifico feels otherwise, so…”

“Saba, what gives him the right to decide?” Asha countered, almost pleadingly. “He… he is the King,” Sabino answered, almost looking as though it pained him to say that. “He has made everything possible for us.”

Asha began to stand up at this. “If you had seen them, if you had felt them like I did, you would understand. It’s not just yours, Saba. There are so many wondrous, powerful wishes that will never be granted just floating there… helpless--”

“Sit down, calm down,” Asha’s mother said, worried about the thoughts going through her daughter’s head. What she was saying, suggesting, it was treason. “I can’t!” Asha protested. “I can’t just sit here with you, Saba, knowing your incredible wish and not tell you--”

“Then don’t,” Sabino said firmly, stopping Asha from her rant. “W-What?” Asha asked, confused. “You are excused from the table,” Sabino explained, not looking at his granddaughter, confusing her even more. “Saba?”

Finally, Sabino looked up at Asha, and the look in his eye made her flinch. “Why? Why would you want me to know a wish that can never be?”

“But… I didn’t… but it’s your wish!” Asha argued, knowing her grandfather was right, but she didn't want to admit it. “Are you trying to break my heart, child?!” Sabino stood up from the table, trying, hoping, to get through his granddaughter who had a heart that was sometimes just too big. “No… No… I would never, ever try…” Asha sat back down, the tears she spent almost all day trying to hold back finally breaking through.

They all looked at Sunny, and from the look in her eyes, they knew she agreed with Asha. That the wishes didn’t have the right to be up there, alone and helpless. Sunny just wished that the rest of her friends saw them like she, Asha and Misty had. Then they’d understand.

Suddenly, Asha ran out of the house and the ponies quickly scurried away when they saw her mother following, quickly hiding out of sight. Sunny hesitated for only a moment before running after her. Her friends called out to her in whispers and tried to stop her, but she ignored them, hurrying after the crying Asha.

XXXXXXXX

Asha ran for quite a ways, panting and trying to get ahold of herself, but… hurting her grandfather was the last thing she wanted to do. She stopped, nearly tripping, grasping on a tree to help keep her on her feet.

Now what was she going to do? “Asha!” cried a sudden voice. “Asha, where are you?!”

Then there was the sound of footsteps-- er, hoofsteps, approaching her from behind, and it was revealed to be Sunny, looking concerned for the group's newfound friend as Valentino came in right behind her. “Asha? Are… you okay?”

“H-How much of that did you guys hear?” Asha asked, sniffling her tears away.

“Long enough,” Sunny said with a solemn frown. “The king… really thinks your Saba’s wish is… dangerous?”

“It’s not. It’s really…” Asha sighed, trailing off for a moment before sighing and starting to sing.

Asha: Isn't truth supposed to set you free?
Well why do I feel so weighed down by it?

Sunny and Valentino immediately followed behind Asha as she continued her song.

Asha: If I could show them everything we've seen
Open their eyes to all the lies, then
Then would they change their minds like I did?

But when I speak they tell, “Sit down”
But how can I when I've already started running?

Oh this where we've been
But it's not where we belong
And I may be young, but I know I'm not wrong...

So I look up at the stars to guide me
And throw caution to every warning sign
If knowing what it could be is what drives me
Then let me be the first to stand in line

So I make this wish
To have something more for us than this

Then, Sunny decided to go ahead and join in, feeling inspired by Asha’s hopeful words.

Sunny: So I make this wish
To have something more for us than this

Asha and Sunny: Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah, ah
More than this, oh, whoa, whoa, ah

Sunny, deciding to sing her own verse, continued.

Sunny: All my life, I felt there was something bigger, though,
I did what I was told when someone told me “no”.
Now I've got all of this freedom in my bones
But I've still got lid on so it doesn't overflow

Cause I've got reservations and hesitations
On where I should even begin
I'm past dipping my hooves in
But I'm not, no, I'm not past diving in

If I could just be pointed in any given direction
On where to go and what to do
My legs are shaking but my head's held high

Suddenly, Sunny stopped as she saw her father. He was in a glowing golden light, watching her with the biggest, most compassionate smile, just like he always had. Asha saw her father too, but his back was towards her. The younger Asha sat next to them as they both looked up at the sky. Tears came to both of their eyes as they stared at their fathers, both of them holding back a sob.

Asha and Sunny: The way you always taught me to

Then, Asha ran toward the tree on the ridge, knowing what she had to do, with Sunny following behind and Valentino trailing behind them.

Asha: So I look up at the stars to guide me
And throw caution to every warning sign

Sunny: I’m sure there will be challenges that find us
But we can take them on one at a time

By this time, Sunny, Asha and Valentino had reached the tree on the ridge, looking up to the stars above.

Asha and Sunny: So, we make this wish
To have something more for us than this
So we make this wish
To have something more for us than this.

Asha closed her eyes as Sunny regained her alicorn form, flying around above her. Wind blew around them as Sunny’s cutie mark began to glow brightly.

Asha and Sunny: Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah, ah
More than this, oh, whoa, whoa, ah

So we make this wish
To have something more for us than this

Suddenly, a bright golden light came from the biggest and brightest star from the sky. It was truly something neither Asha nor Sunny had ever seen before. It blinded them, but it blinded them in warmth, if that were even possible.

That light seemed to wash right over Asha's house, and the rest of the ponies felt it first hoof.

Misty gasped as soon as the light had passed over the house. “What was that?!”

“I don’t know, but we oughta check Asha and Sunny and make sure they’re okay. Something tells me that Asha and the king didn’t leave on good terms, and with Allura and Twitch still out there…” Hitch trailed off, not even wanting to go to that possibility. They all ran in the direction their friends went, hoping they were okay.

XXXXXXXX

Turns out, it wasn't just Asha, Valentino and the ponies who felt and saw this strange light.

In fact, all of Rosas saw and felt it.

It was a golden light of love, one that had every visitor scrambling to their windows to see what the cause was.

And unfortunately, King Magnifico, Allura and Twitch saw this golden light as well. “What’s happening?” King Magnifico wondered as he, Allura and Twitch watched the strange occurrence-- even the wishes were starting to move rather strangely... something they had never done before. “Oh, no no no...”

Allura snarled as the golden light seemed to pass. She’s felt this kind of… magic before. And if it wasn’t Magnifico, she had a feeling that she knew who it was from.

But before she could say anything, Queen Amaya walked in. “Mi rey, oh, you spoil us with your magic. Whatever that was, it was marvelous.”

“I didn’t do it,” King Magnifico muttered, staring up at the wishes. Queen Amaya looked stunned at this. “What?”

“And,” said King Magnifico, “it effected my wishes.”

The king continued to stare at the wishes for a moment. Any other magic was forbidden in Rosas for this very reason. Was it some sort of warning? “I believe I have just been threatened.”

“You most certainly have, Your Majesty,” Allura said, stepping up with Twitch by her side. “And I have a feeling I know who it was by.”

Queen Amaya looked at Allura, confused. “Who would dare threaten the king in this manner?”

Twitch giggled sinisterly, rubbing his front paws together.

‘Creatures who mean to bring you harm, Your Majesty,” Allura explained, beginning to use her powers of purrsuasion without the king and queen realizing it. “Creatures who mean to bring down everything you built. I’ve felt that magic before. This is their magic.”

Queen Amaya was even more confused by this statement. “I… don’t understand. That magic, it was wonderful. It felt so… wonderful. How could something that felt so nice… be so bad?”

“Don’t be fooled by appearances, love,” King Magnifico turned to his wife. “If these creatures mean to do Rosas harm… mean to do me harm, they must be taken care of.”

He turned back to Allura. “Tell me everything you know about these… creatures.”

Allura nodded and, with a smirk, began her explanation. “They come from a faraway land called Equestria…”

XXXXXXXX

“Come on, ponies, pick up the pace!” Zipp said as she, her sister and the rest of the Mane 6 galloped through the forest in search of Valentino, Sunny and Asha. “We need to find the others and make sure whatever that light was didn’t bring anything dangerous with it!”

Izzy panted tiredly, not used to running at this pace. “I… just hope… Sunny is okay!”

“Wait a sec, look!” Misty said, pointing to Asha, Sunny and Valentino coming down from the tree where Asha and Sunny had made their wish. “There they are!”

“Whoa, ha!” Sunny exclaimed to Asha as they walked along, not noticing Valentino was being left behind. “What was that?”

“Are you girls okay?” Hitch asked as the rest of the Mane 6 approached. “There was this really bright flash of light, and…”

“You guys felt it too?” Asha asked the other ponies, who nodded in agreement. “Wasn’t it wonderful? It… it was electric.”

“It was joy and… and hope…” Sunny continued, the biggest smile on her face.

“And possibility and wonder…” Asha continued, “...inside the most loving light. Wait... can light be loving?”

Sunny shrugged. “That one was,” she said before she turned to her friends. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but…”

That was when she noticed her friends weren’t paying attention to her and Asha.

Instead, they were looking behind them, at Valentino jumping around, chasing something that was golden, though it was moving around so fast, they couldn’t tell what it was. However, when Asha and Sunny turned around, Valentino was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the same golden light zoomed past the six ponies and Asha, startling them, with Valentino right on its tail. Asha called after Valentino and ran after him, the six ponies following close behind. The golden light streaked through Asha’s barn and straight into the clothesline, getting caught in a red garment that was hanging from it.

The garment fell from the clothesline, the golden light still caught in the garment. Asha and the ponies skidded to a stop, cautiously approaching it with curiosity and a little fear. “W-What is that thing?” Pipp asked with a slight tremble. “It’s not an alien, is it?” Hitch dove behind Zipp. “I hate aliens!!”

“It’s creepy, that’s for sure,” Asha answered, staring at the garment intently. Suddenly, the garment floated up with the golden light inside, making it look like it was standing up on its own.

It suddenly moved towards Asha, leaning in close to her before bending down before a teeny tiny golden finger reached out and tapped Asha on the nose. “That… does NOT look like an alien,” Misty said silently. The golden light then flew off, and, on pure reaction, tried to grab the light by grabbing the garment. The light got caught on the clothing, but still flew off, tearing it apart by the thread.

It flew off, but Asha refused to let go, stumbling along behind it. “Come on, guys!” Zipp called to her friends. “Let’s go!”

As the ponies gave chase once again, Asha tried to pull the light thing closer to her using the thread that connected them like a lasso, but the light seemed surprisingly stronger than Asha and the string was pulled out of her hands. “Try and surround it, guys!” Sunny shouted to her friends. “Make sure it doesn’t get away!”

Her friends nodded and followed it head first through the brush it went through without hesitation. However, once they did, they skidded to a stop, their mouths gaping open. They stared up in surprise when they saw the golden light flying back and forth, the red string getting caught in the trees as though the light was purposefully trying to decorate the tree branches with the red string.

Suddenly, the golden light finally stopped and turned its big eyes to the Mane 6 and Asha, dropping the ball of red yarn it had in its… fingers? Points? Paws? Honestly, even Zipp didn’t know what to call them.

None of the others could believe their own eyes.

It was almost like they were looking at... a star.

Asha stumbled back a step, looking at the star with wide eyes. “Um… okay.”

Suddenly, the golden star zoomed towards Asha, startling her and causing her to yelp. Sunny was in alicorn form in an instant, charging her horn, ready to blast it if it hurt Asha. She wasn’t going to take any chances with all this other stuff going on.

However, the star just floated before her, slowly floating closer, a big smile on its small face. Asha leaned back, clearly uncomfortable and thoroughly confused before she chuckled nervously, holding her hands between herself and the star.

When Asha tried to duck under and behind the star, the star just slowly turned around, the smile plastered unfalteringly on its face. It squeaked softly as it danced around Asha. “Ho-ho there…” Asha said, greeting the small being as calmly as she could. “Uh… that has to be the craziest thing we've seen so far on these missions,” Pipp said to her friends taking a picture of the creature. “Uh… whatever it is, I guess.”

Suddenly, the star flew around Asha, coming back up with a small pocketbook. “Huh? Wait, what are you doing?” Asha asked, feeling around her pockets as though to confirm it was really gone, which it was.

She seemed to realize what just happened, as though a delayed reaction, when she whirled around and grabbed the small book that the star-shaped creature was holding. “That is private!”

The creature, once again, was surprisingly strong as Asha seemed to have to wrestle the book out of the star creature’s grip.

Once she did, her own momentum from pulling was used against her and she accidentally hit herself in the forehead with it. “What is it?” Zipp muttered, pulling out her FlyPad as the star flew above Valentino and picked up his long ears, pulling Valentino to his back hooves in the process. “It kind of looks like… a star?” Hitch muttered, narrowing his eyes at it curiously as it flew away, following a pink butterfly. “That’s… that’s impossible,” Sunny said firmly, glancing up at Asha. “I mean, I know we wished on a star just a few minutes ago… but…”

“No,” Asha finished when Sunny trailed off, as the star came back to float in front of her. However, the star nodded, reaching out toward her with one of its tiny points. “Yes?” Asha asked hesitantly, reaching out with her finger to touch the star’s point.

Misty approached the star with her own curiosity, gazing at it with eyes wide. “Hey there, little fella… where in the world did you come from?”

The star turned before Asha could touch its point, bouncing off of Misty’s nose, spreading gold light around, some landing on a group of purple mushrooms that were at the base of a nearby tree.

But that wasn't even the weirdest thing to happen.

As the golden dust began to shower on the mushrooms, they actually started… yawning and coming to life!

Asha, Valentino, and the rest of the ponies slowly approached the yawning, living, mushrooms with wide eyes. “This is crazy,” Asha muttered in shock. “We love crazy!” the mushrooms exclaimed. “Me too!” Izzy agreed with a huge smile, not as surprised as the rest of her friends. “Who knew mushrooms liked the same things I do, right, ponies?”

Pipp nodded slowly to this. “Uh, sure thing, Iz. Sure thing.”

“Oh! I’m seeing things,” Asha muttered, her eyes wide, not quite believing this. If it shocked the six magical talking ponies, surely this was… crazy? “Well, if you're seeing things, then so are we…” Zipp muttered. Suddenly, the star flew away, with Valentino immediately following it. The star and Valentino seemed to communicate, and Hitch heard exactly what Valentino was saying. “Uh… Asha,” the earth pony sheriff said rather nervously, “Valentino and the star…”

Asha looked up to see the star above Valentino, the star dropping its light over Valentino, the same light that made the purple mushrooms talk, and Valentino had his mouth open, willingly ingesting it. “Whoa, what are you doing?” Asha asked as she rushed over to Valentino. “Valentino, don’t eat that!”

Asha tried to redirect the stream of golden light away from Valentino, but soon, he closed his mouth and swallowed.

There was a tense moment of silence when Asha and the six ponies stared at the goat, waiting to see what the magic would do.

Valentino bleated, then looked confused as though that wasn’t the sound he was supposed to make. The ponies were confused. “Uh… Hitch? What in the hay is going on?” Pipp asked, not taking her eyes off Valentino. “What did that magic do?”

“It was more what it didn’t do,” Hitch said, using his special kind of earth pony magic to try to listen to what Valentino was saying as the little goat bleated once again. “Apparently it’s not doing what it was supposed…”

That was when the star touched the top of Valentino’s head, sparks of golden light floating for a moment where they touched.

There was one tense and suspenseful moment as everyone seemed to lean in closer to Valentino. “It didn’t work,” Valentino then accused, looking at the star. “When does the magic happen?”

There was a beat of silence before Pipp screamed, catching the others offguard. This couldn't be happening, could it?

As for the others, their eyes went wide as Valentino himself seemed to realize what had just occurred. “Oh, something definitely happened,” Sunny muttered, staring at Valentino in complete surprise, but Valentino wasn’t finished. “I’m talking! I am talking! Ha! Who knew my voice would be this low?”

Suddenly, Star flew away, spreading his magic to surrounding flowers and animals joyously. As the magic touched them, they began to chatter happily. Zipp was on top of them in less than a second.

“Okay, uh… we have a few thousand questions. Starting with… how was Asha and Sunny able to connect with a star all the way across the sky and ending with…”

“How is any of this possible?!” Pipp interrupted her sister dramatically, putting her hooves on her head, her eyes still wide with disbelief.

“Just relax,” a small, gray bunny said with a dismissive wave of its paw. “To all your questions, there is one very simple answer.”

“Which is…?” Asha asked, not believing she was asking a bunny something. Just then, a brown squirrel climbed up a tree next to Asha. “Well, think about it. We’re no different, you and me. We are all…”

“Overwhelmed?” Asha asked, her brain somehow not comprehending what in the hay was going on. Is this what it was like to be Hitch? Or, have his powers at least? This caused the bunny to giggle rather slightly. “And completely entirely made of the very same, very special thing, which is…”

“Hope?” Sunny asked, trying to take a gander at it. The animals sighed heavily, making it clear that her answer was wrong. The squirrel climbed onto Asha’s shoulder, perching herself there. “Let’s just try this another way…”

And before anyone else could realize it, another rousing song began with the forest animals taking the lead.

Squirrel: Have you ever wondered why you look up at the sky for answers?
Or why flowers in the wind are effortless and eloquent dancers?
Or what forms the rings in the trees?
Turns a pine from a seed?

“Um… photosynthesis?” Izzy asked with a shrug, causing the animals to sigh heavily again. “What? It’s true.”

Grandmother Tree: What's passed down generationally

Male Tree: To you?

Baby Tree: And to me

“Genetics,” Hitch answered casually, though the forces of nature simply ignored him.

Owl: And why our eyes all look like microscopic galaxies?
Have you ever wondered why you look up at the sky for answers?

Star flew up to the sky, spinning around himself before exploding light across the sky as the animals continued singing.

Animals: Well, you don’t have to look too hard.
We’re here for all your question marks.
If you’re try’na figure out just who you are...

“Don’t look far,” a chipmunk said in a normal voice as Asha passed them and was twirled around by the animals.

Animals: In the sky, and your front yard
In your heart and in the scars
If you really wanna know just who you are

That’s when Asha was caught in the paws of a massive brown bear named John, much to her bewilderment. “You’re a star!” John then exclaimed before going off into the forest. “Yes!”

Male Rabbit: Boom! Did we just blow your mind?

Pipp: Oh, yeah!

Valentino: Well, I’ve known the entire time

Female Rabbit: When it comes to the universe, we're all shareholders

Rabbits: Get that through your system!

Hitch: Solar!

Turtle: See, we're all just little nebulae in a nursery
From supernovas now, we've grown into our history
We're taking why's right out of mystery, closure
Now we're taking in

Turtle and Rabbits: All the star exposure!

Mice: We eat the leaves and they eat the sun

Valentino: See that's where all the balls of gas come from

“Ugh, Valentino!” Zipp groaned in disgust. “That is SO not where that kind of gas comes from!”

Mushrooms: Hey, you still look like you’re
Hanging on by a strand

Squirrel and Mushrooms: But if you just the mushrooms
Then you’ll soon understand

“So your dust is my dust?” Valentino asked as Star floated closer to him and Asha. “Fantastic!”

Animals: WHOO!!!

That’s when a herd of deer rushed by, scooping Asha and Valentino onto their backs while the Mane 6 ran alongside them.

Animals: Well, you don’t have to look too hard
It's all around and not too far
If you're try'na figure out just who you are

Male Deer: You’re a star!

Animals: Do you know you're a work of art?
Even in the deepest dark
If you really wanna know just who you are

Valentino: I’m a star!

Grandfather Tree: Here's a little fun allegory

Grandmother Tree: That gets me excitatory

Mother Raccoon: This might sink in in the morning

Racoons: We are our own origin story

Grandmother Quail: If I'm explaining this poorly
Well, I'll let Star do it for me

Mother Quail: It’s all quite revelatory

Baby Quails: We are our own origin story

That’s when the Mane 6 and Asha began to understand what the animals were trying to tell them, and the Mane 6 felt so inspired that they too began to sing alongside the animals.

Mane 6 and Animals: You don't have to look too hard
It's all around and not too far
If you try'na figure out just who you are

Asha: You’re a star!

Mane 6 and Animals: No matter where you end or start
We're all each other's counterparts
If you really wanna know just who you are

Asha: I’m a star!

Mane 6: WHOO!!!

Baby Rabbit: Ooh, I’m a star

Male Deer: Watch out, world, here I are

Animals: Hey, hey

Porcupine: You know who's lookin' sharp?

Owls: Who?

Turtle: Me! I’m a star

Animals: Whoo!

Deer: Ooh, you’re a star!

Animals: Watch out world here you are!
Hey, hey

John: You know who's lookin' sharp?

Owls: Who?

Animals: You! You’re a star!

When the song was over, the animals chatted happily with each other, predators and prey alike before dispersing.

“Whoa-ho! That was… incredible!” Sunny said to her friends as the remaining animals ventured off.

“My father said that we were connected to the stars,” Asha continued. “That's why when Sunny and I …wished, you came. For us. For… me…”

“Hey, star creature thing,” Zipp said, flying close to the star with narrowed eyes, her detective instincts taking over. She wanted to learn all she could about this thing that came from the sky out of seemingly nowhere. “Do you grant wishes? You know, the whole ‘star light, star bright, I wish I may, I wish I might’ thing and all that? Or, do you not have that power? And, why are you here anyway? I mean, I know because of Sunny's and Asha’s wishes, but they're like… two creatures out of a million universes. Why them? What's your real reason…”

“Okay Zipp. No need to give the star the third degree,” Pipp said, pulling her sister away. “Yeah. I mean, he's new here. Maybe we oughta give him a moment to adjust before we bombard him with questions,” Misty added. “I definitely know how nerve wracking it can be to be in a strange place.”

“Yes, but I'm just thinking maybe we should find out his true intentions before he screws us all over. I mean, we know nothing…”

As Zipp continued to drone on and on about how this star could be a threat, the star flipped upside down, watching Zipp's mouth move. He smiled as he shot golden light on her chin, making two eyes and a mustache that quickly disappeared.

The ponies watching her as she talked couldn't suppress their chuckles, at least, not successfully, confusing the pegasus mare. “W-What? What are you guys laughing at?”

“Nothing,” Sunny answered, shaking her head. “All I know is that… Asha and I… we wished for more for Asha’s family, and the people of Rosas, and… Equestria.”

That got Star’s attention, and he flipped rightside up again, looking concerned. Asha seemed to read the look on his face. “Oh, no, no, no, no. Not in, like, a selfish way. I just want their wishes to have a chance.”

The star looked confused, as did the other ponies. “Asha, you… never really told us what happened in there, other than Magnifico not giving Asha the position and Allura and Twitch being here,” Hitch said gently. “And what was that about your grandfather's wish being dangerous?”

Asha sighed heavily at this. “After Sunny poofed herself and Misty out of the tower, I asked the king to grant my saba's wish. He said it was beautiful, but… dangerous and that he only grants the wishes he's sure is good for Rosas.”

That's when she pulled out her journal and showed the group the picture of the wishes she had drawn on her way home. “Look, see, King Magnifico has their wishes in the castle… captured in these ball-like, bubbly things that are very beautiful… but very locked up. And he'll never give them back.”

Izzy looked stunned at that. “What?! That is SO not nice!”

“But why would he never give them back if he's not gonna grant them?” Pipp looked entirely confused. “And what does Allura have to do with all this?”

The star looked at the ponies in confusion, unaware of who Allura was at the time. But Asha answered this before the ponies could explain. “I don’t know. She… she was just there.”

Suddenly, the star started zooming around, picking up the yarn he strung through the trees as decoration. The star moved so fast, the ponies, Asha, and Valentino couldn’t keep track of him. Just then, the star stopped at a clearing in the trees that gave a perfect view of the castle, circling the castle that looked so small from this distance, leaving a circle of golden light. “Yes, that’s the castle,” Asha said, uncertain as to what the star was saying. Pipp and Izzy looked at Hitch, but he just shrugged, shaking his head.

The star then flew to Asha and dropped the ball of yarn in Asha’s hand. Sunny got it first. “You mean, we take them back ourselves?” she asked, not sure if she was understanding the star right, causing the star to nod.

“But wait a second,” Hitch pointed out as he quickly grabbed the ball of yarn from Asha. “Wouldn’t that be stealing? That's kind of a serious thing, you know. I should know. I AM a sheriff, you know!”

“Well, technically, those wishes… they don’t belong to him,” Misty said with a thoughtful expression. “They belong to the people who made them. So, does it count as stealing if you’re stealing something that’s already stolen to give it back to the pony… er… person it was stolen from?”

“Uh… yes! If it’s stolen, you file a report and the authorities will jump through the proper legal hoops to get it back!” Hitch answered, clearly not happy with the idea of stealing. “And if the thief is the authority?” Zipp countered, stumping Hitch. “I’m totally for it,” Pipp said, raising a hoof with a smile. “Keeping a person’s wish even though he’s clearly not gonna grant it is so wrong.”

“Maybe… maybe we should just… vote for it. Yeah,” Hitch said, desperate to talk his friends out of what he knew would be a colossal mistake. “Good idea, Hitch,” Sunny agreed with a smile. “All those in favor, raise your hoof… or hand… or… point?”

Everyone, except for Hitch, raised their hand, point or hoof, making Hitch groan. “Please, Hitch? We can’t do this without you,” Sunny pleaded to her foalhood friend with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster. “But we will if we have to,” Zipp interrupted, hovering in the air, crossing her hooves. At everyone’s look, she chucked nervously and quickly amended. “But, uh… we really don’t want to.”

Hitch sighed, heavily, hesitating before finally answering. He couldn’t let his friends do this without him. “Alright, fine. But don’t say I didn’t warn…”

Hitch was cut off by the sudden hug Sunny was giving him, causing him to chuckle lightly. “Alright, alright. Don’t get all sappy on me just yet. After all, we still need a plaaaan!”

Hitch drew the last word out as Sunny grabbed his hoof and dragged him in the direction Star zoomed off in, the rest of their friends hesitating slightly before following behind.

Valentino dropped from the tree branch he was sitting on, wanting to catch up with his friends, falling on his head.

And after a moment, the baby goat quickly jumped to his hooves. “Ha-ha! Meant to do that,” he announced before galloping after them. “I'm coming!”

As he quickly ran off after the others, the smallest purple mushroom called after them. “Bye-bye!”

Now our heroes had their mission... and needless to say... it was not going to be easy.

Allura's Story Starts to Come to Light, The Point of No Return and The Reveal

Author's Note

Word to the wise... this chapter is gonna get emotional pretty fast, and it'll probably be one of the longest chapters so far.

All of this background info was thought up by me and the AMAZING Willow Nightsong, please give them your love!

Allura's Story Starts to Come to Light, The Point of No Return and The Reveal

Sunny, Misty, Hitch, Pipp, Zipp and Izzy honestly couldn’t believe the events that had been happening in the kingdom of Rosas recently.

Not only were Allura and Twitch in Rosas, but Asha told the ponies that she learned that King Magnifico was hoarding the wishes his subjects made for himself, and he wasn’t going to grant most of them.

Sunny and Asha made a wish on a star that summoned a little being that the group was going to call Star for now, because it seemed fitting, and they now had a plan.

Despite Hitch’s initial hesitation, the group was going to find their way back into the castle and get the wishes belonging to Asha’s family back.

But, heh... this was going to be a lot easier said than done, believe me.

Now… let’s get back to our story so we can figure out what happens next.

XXXXXXXX

Allura and Twitch sat in the tallest tower of the castle, where all the wishes were kept, and Allura kept her eyes over the entire kingdom of Rosas.

She knew good and well that the happiness that golden light brought a few moments ago could only mean one thing.

Sunny Starscout and her putrid pony friends were here… ready to take the FINAL shard and rebuild the star, the one thing she needed to reunite with her brother after so many years.

The winged snow leopard sighed, looking at the star shard that hung around her neck, putting her paw on it, deep in thought. “My dear brother… it’s been so long since we were banished from our colony… by our own subjects, no less. You, banished to some unknown world beyond, and me, suffering in Starlight Ridge until those… ponies banished Twitch and me.”

Twitch sighed and put his paw on Allura’s as she sighed again. “Besides… only you knew the real… me…”

XXXXXXXX

“Come on, Alterro! Try and keep up!” a tiny Allura shouted in glee as she and her brother raced through the forest to get back to their colony before the sun set. “Father’s gonna kill us if we’re late!”

Alterro was probably Allura’s best friend in the whole world when she was a cub. He had a light purple coat with slightly darker spots with a mane of dark purple with streaks of red, orange and yellow with wings feathers of the same three colors, not to mention light red eyes to match, and his cutie mark was a flame, a contrast to her own icy powers.

Alterro panted tiredly as he chased his sister through the forest. “Allura, slow down! You know it takes me a minute to get up to full speed!”

Allura rolled her eyes. Her brother never wasn’t as good at the physical stuff like she was. He was smart though, she’d give him that. He was smarter than she was, but he also was pretty chill when it came to… well, just about everything.

Suddenly, though, Allura skidded to a stop when she saw a familiar figure at the edge of the treeline. It was their father.

Allura’s heart stopped. They couldn’t be in trouble... it wasn't even dark yet.

They still had time to play, even though it wasn't a LOT of time.

However, when she saw the expression on his face of dark blue fur, her heart stopped again before racing in panic. “Father…?” she asked hesitantly as Alterro skidded to a stop beside her. “What’s… what’s wrong?”

Their father was silent for a moment, a look of anger and… something else on his face. His black mane with dark blue highlights was rather messy, which contrasted with how he was usually neat and tidy, no matter what was going on in their quiet kingdom.

He always told them one important thing... whatever they were feeling on the inside, don’t let it show on the outside.

And that meant whatever was going on had to be bad news. “Come with me,” Allura and Alterro's father said to his children sternly. “Now!”

He paused when Allura and Alterro didn’t move. “It’s your mother.”

Allura and Alterro glanced at each other with wide eyes before running after him, their hearts racing. They knew their mother’s health was declining, but… she seemed fine when they left the palace early that morning to play in the forest.

It was their day off from royal training today and they wanted to take advantage of it. Did things really decline so quickly? If they had only known, they never would’ve left the palace.

They finally reached the top of the cliff where their grand home sat after what seemed like forever, and Allura and Alterro burst inside, rushing through the palace doors and rushing to their parents' chambers, where their mother rested.

Allura and Alterro's father, known far and wide as the powerful King Nekro, stopped outside the chamber doors, and he didn’t look at any of his cubs... almost as if he was trying to not show emotion at all. “Go now. Say goodbye to your mother before she goes to meet Parisa.”

Alterro gasped, horrified upon hearing his father’s words, almost refusing to believe such a claim. “No… no, that’s not… she was fine when we left! She was okay…!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me, boy!” Nekro yelled, interrupting his son. “Or you can stay out here, and your sister can say her goodbyes without you! Is that what you want, boy?!”

Alterro swallowed his words, shaking fearfully at this loud tone. Allura swallowed the lump in her throat, remaining silent. Sure, her father was strict, but he’s never seen this side of him before. Threatening to keep Alterro from seeing their mother in her final moments for raising his voice… it seemed... unnatural, even for King Nekro.

After a few more moments of silence, Nekro nodded his head to the door, giving Allura and Alterro permission to open the door and say goodbye to their beloved mother and Leopardia's beloved queen. “We can go in together,” Allura whispered to her brother. “So we don’t feel so afraid… okay?”

Alterro nodded rather stiffly at this. “Okay… thanks, Allura.”

With a deep breath, Allura and Alterro opened the big double doors together, grabbing each other’s paws after they did so. They cautiously walked in, afraid of what they’d see, but were surprised when they saw what they didn’t expect.

They expected their mother to look different. They weren’t sure how, but just… different. But… she looked like she always did. Those same kind, loving green eyes... her warm and tender smile.

The only thing that was different was the way her white and light-purple fur seemed duller somehow… and her entire body seemed weighed down and weak.

She could barely keep her beautiful green eyes open, but as soon as she caught sight of her beautiful cubs, she didn’t look like she was dying. She looked like she did every other day… all except for her insanely shallow breathing. “Allura… Alterro…” she smiled as the cubs slowly came into the room. “Did you enjoy your day playing in the forest?”

“Y-Yes,” Alterro said softly. “But if we knew that you were this sick, we would’ve come back sooner.”

“Do you need us to get you anything?” Allura asked, hopping up onto the bed. “I can make some ice if you need to cool down… o-or Alterro can warm you up with his new fire spell! We’ve been working so hard, and…”

Queen Felicia chuckled, which ended in a cough. “Oh, you two have always been so… so thoughtful. Promise me… promise me you’ll never lose that… that side of you. Especially towards… each other. The two of you… you have a special bond. One… that cannot be easily broken or… or replaced. Don’t… don’t lose sight of that or each other.”

Allura tried to hold back her tears to this. “We… we promise.”

“Mom…” Alterro sniffled, rubbing up against her. “Please don’t go…”

“We’re gonna miss you so much… Father is too…” Allura agreed softly. Felicia smiled softly as she tried to keep some of her strength up for this final farewell. “I… will never leave you. The Great Leopard Spirit may take my soul, but I will not run in her great fields. I’ll… I’ll always be right…”

Felicia lifted a paw, putting it on Alterro’s chest for a moment before moving it to Allura’s. “...right here. Never… forget that. And that is where I’ll be until we… meet again.”

Allura and Alterro fought back tears as they purred against their mother for what seemed like the final time. This was it… sickness was finally taking her after so long.

As they hugged their mother, Allura spoke up once more. “I… I love you, Mom. I love you so much…”

However, the only response she got was silence. “M-Mom?”

Again, only silence. “Mom, come on!” Allura pleaded. “This isn’t funny!”

Allura and Alterro sat up, looking at their mother, whose eyes were closed and had a soft smile on her face. But her chest had stopped moving.

Queen Felicia... after all that time suffering... was gone.

Immediately, Allura began sobbing, collapsing on their mother’s still body. Tears streamed down Alterro’s face, but he tried to remain strong for his sister. He gathered her up and held Allura as she cried in her brother’s fur, slowly rocking her back and forth as he stared at his beautiful mother’s unmoving body, before softly closing his eyes, a few more tears falling silently down his face before they stopped.

It was then that King Nekro entered the room to find his children sitting before his mate’s still body. “F-Father, she… she’s gone,” Alterro muttered softly. “...I know. May Parisa bless her soul,” Nekro muttered emotionlessly before clearing his throat. “Come, both of you. The funeral will be arranged in a few days, but you two need to focus on your lessons.”

Allura looked confused as she and her brother approached him. “But… Father, what lessons? W-We weren’t scheduled to have anymore today.”

“Oh… but there are new lessons,” Nekro said, a twisted grin forming onto his face. “MY lessons… to shape you into the rulers you were DESTINED to be.”

XXXXXXXX

Allura rubbed her eyes with her paw to get rid of the tears starting to form. She hadn’t thought about that day in… a long time. Not since she and her brother were banished and separated.

It was not long after that day that both twins learned that it was better if they just sealed their emotions away and never let them back in again. That way, they didn’t get hurt.

Finally, she took a deep breath. “It all went downhill from the moment I lost my mother, Twitch, but… those are stories for another time.”

Allura and Twitch are startled out of their reverie by the sounds of Magnifico muttering to himself, the type of muttering that reminded them of a mad creature. Suddenly, they heard him yell, “Why is there NOTHING!” before he threw the book he was reading into the fire.

Allura and Twitch stood up, leaving the room of wishes to the study outside just as Queen Amaya entered the room. King Magnifico had been combing through every single book he had for the past hour since Allura told him of the ponies and Equestria, trying to find any spell that could’ve made that magic, but he found nothing. “Mi rey, what has happened here?” Queen Amaya asked as she gave the study a once over. Books were strewn all over the floor, papers with half written notes messily filled the desk, and ink jars were tipped over, soaking the papers with black ink.

Needless to say... this room was a complete mess. “I was just about to ask the same thing,” Allura told the queen while King Magnífico began pacing back and forth. “I don't know what we're dealing with apart from what Allura told me and these books are useless!”

“Just breathe…” Queen Amaya started, hoping to calm him down, but King Magnífico groaned. “Do not tell me to breathe,” he said as he turned to his wife, pointing to the tapestry that told how he lost everything all that time ago. “Everything… everything I do is to make sure that never happens again.”

A thought began to form in his head. A dangerous thought, and... if he was being quite honest, his only thought. “And when you're threatened, you do not breathe. You focus.”

He walked to the glass case that held the book. A book he promised he'd never use. But desperate times called for desperate measures. And this was a desperate time indeed.

Allura hummed in thought as she eyed this mysterious book with unbridled interest. “I’ve never seen a book that radiated with such… power before.”

Twitch hid behind Allura's leg, and Allura could've sworn she felt him shaking. “Twitch, what has gotten into you?”

Was he… scared of the book. That wasn't like him. “To summon such light,” King Magnífico continued, “would demand a spell so powerful…”

He lifted his hand, removing the protection spell and opening the glass case. Queen Amaya was by his side in an instant, fear radiating off of her. “No, you yourself say: ‘Forbidden magic is not the way’.”

Allura smirked, walking up next to him, and for the first time since they met, Twitch did not follow her. “But, a king must be always prepared to do anything to protect his kingdom,” Allura said, using her powers of purrsuasion as she spoke. However, Queen Amaya was firm in what she was telling her husband. “First, you must protect yourself.”

“That’s what I'm doing!” King Magnifico said to his wife sternly. “Not like this. We know nothing of these pages. You command great magic. But with this book… I fear it commanding you,” Queen Amaya stated. “Please, put that book down. If you want answers about the light… I suggest you look to your people. They love you.”

King Magnifico had to agree with this. “I know.”

“They would do anything for you.”

“Of course they would.”

“You are their handsomest, most beloved king.”

King Magnifico felt a smile come onto his face at the last remark. “You're right. I am a handsome king.”

Twitch felt a gag underneath his breath at this… was all romance this… lovey-dovey? If it was, he never wanted to find a rabbit girlfriend.

Allura, on the other hand, was growling in frustration that Queen Amaya’s concern for her husband's sanity was overriding her purrsuation magic. No matter… she would make the king see things her way soon enough.

King Magnifico put the book back in the glass case and sealed it. “Oh, my love, excellent advice. Rosas is so lucky to have you. As am I.”

Allura sighed to herself as she watched King Magnifico and Queen Amaya leave the room, realizing that if she was going to have a formidable ally on her side, she was going to have to step it up. “Come along, Twitch… let's see if we can find those ponies. If they're here, we're sure to find them.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Asha, Valentino and the ponies were heading into the city with Star to see if they could get back the wishes of Asha’s family…

..which was going to be a lot easier said than done.

Asha was keeping Star in a tiny burlap sack while they were walking, and Misty, Izzy and Sunny were using the invisibility spell on the Mane 6 to keep them hidden from sight.

However, the way Star was wiggling, it would be clear that he would give them ALL away, whether that was his intention or not. “Can you stop squiggling, please?” Asha whispered into the bag. “You’re drawing attention!”

“Technically, so are you,” Hitch whispered, noticing the people around them glancing at Asha strangely, “talking into a bag like that.”

Asha then realized that Hitch was right, smiling nervously at the people around them. “Hi, hello,” she greeted nervously. “You know, I’m just gonna…”

And with that, Asha and the ponies ran off with Valentino in pursuit, hoping to get away from prying eyes before their cover was blown. “How exactly are we gonna get the wishes back, Asha?” Zipp asked. “There are a million guards around here and it’s not gonna be easy to sneak past the king AND Allura and Twitch!”

“Don’t worry,” Asha reassured as the group neared the castle. “I think my friends might be able to help us with that part. I just… REALLY hope they don’t freak out.”

They finally made it into the lower sections of the castle, but they quickly had to duck out of sight when they saw a shadow in the corridors. Turns out, it was Simon, who yawned and proceeded to walk on once he didn’t see anything. “Okay,” Sunny muttered, “we’re gonna need a place to hide until Asha tells her friends about all this.”

“I think there’s a storage room not far down the hall,” Misty said, trying to keep the spell intact. “If we can get there, I can release the invisibility spell.”

“Uh, yeah, sounds great,” said Asha, “but we need to go go go!”

And as soon as the group saw that the coast was clear, they ran into the storage room, which was surprisingly full of chickens, hay and other things, and the ponies sighed as Misty released the spell over them.

That was far too close for comfort.

Asha opened the bag and looked down at Star. “You can come out now.”

However, when Star flew out of the bag, it strutted in mid-air, wearing a pair of pajamas made from the purple yarn it was playing with earlier. “OMP, that is so CUTE!!” Pipp said as she took a few pictures. “Strut your stuff, Starry! Strut your stuff!”

“Wait a minute,” Hitch blinked. “Is he wearing… pajamas?”

Valentino climbed onto Asha’s shoulder with a smile. “Thank you… I feel seen.”

“Okay…, focus,” Asha muttered as Valentino got down off of her shoulder. “I need to talk to Dahlia.”

“Right,” Misty nodded. “There has to be a way to sneak into the king’s study.”

However, Star and Izzy made a lot of noise while they were exploring the storage room and seeing what they could find, only making Zipp sigh wearily. “Without anyone knowing we’re here, remember, Iz?”

“Oh, uh… right, right!” Izzy remembered their mission, trying to be cool, calm and collected. “Totally remembered that our mission is at stake if we don’t pull this off.”

“Yes, yes, I’m way ahead of you,” Valentino said, balancing a basket that Star had dropped on his head. “Star and these horses may alarm the masses.”

“Uh, yeah,” Hitch nodded. “A lot like a talking goat.”

Valentino looked at him in surprise. “What?”

“Hitch is right, Valentino,” Asha agreed. “Which is why you’re all staying here.”

“With the chickens?!” Valentino asked, stunned as Star squealed, looking rather suspicious and disgusted by the chickens themselves. “Did you see what just came out of that one’s…”

“I’ll be right back,” Asha said to the group as she began to leave the storage room. “Guys, keep Valentino and Star as quiet as you can.”

“Will do,” Sunny said sincerely. “Please… be careful, Asha.”

Asha only gave a slight nod before closing the door, leaving the group alone.

“So… what are we gonna do while Asha’s gone?” Pipp asked. “I mean, she can’t honestly expect us to stay here without entertainment.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Zipp said to her sister, pulling out her FlyPad. “But for now… let’s focus on the mission ahead.”

XXXXXXXX

Asha left the storage closet and crept closer toward her kitchen, where all of her friends were having a conversation about the light that the entire kingdom had seen the night before. “Come on, even you have to admit, Gabo,” said Hal with a cheerful smile on her face. “That light last night felt amazing!”

However, Gabo still felt rather suspicious. “It was probably a curse.”

Then, Dahlia brought a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven, much to the others’ delight. “COOKIES!!”

“No! This batch is for the king and his new members of his council!” Dahlia said sternly. “That rabbit… Twitch, I think? He really has a sweet tooth.”

That’s when Dario approached with a big, goofy grin on his face. “A squirrel just said ‘good morning’ to me.”

Asha froze at this… one of the animals that Star had given magic to spoke to Dario? That could blow their cover all together! However, Gabo seemed reluctant to believe it. “I have no response to that.”

“I didn’t either. Right?” Dario asked, looking at the others. “I mean, what do you say to a squirrel?”

Asha took a rather deep breath and let a smile grace her face. This was it… she was finally gonna talk to her friends.

Suddenly, as she took a step further into the kitchen, she heard a noise coming from the storage room, causing Asha to gasp and freeze… and this caused her friends to look at her.

To save her cover, Asha kicked over a stack of pots and pans. “Oh! I really have to watch where I’m going.”

“You touch ‘em,” said Gabo, “you wash ‘em.”

“It was an accident.”

Gabo yelped at the sudden voice, discovering Bazeema had somehow popped in out of nowhere. “How? How do you always do that?”

Bazeema only smiled nervously, chuckling coyly as Dahlia approached Asha, who was picking up the pots and pans from her supposed… mishap. “Hey, how are you and your poor Saba this morning?”

“Um… coping,” Asha answered in half-truth before clearing her throat. “And curious. How do the kitchens get food up to the king?”

Dahlia seemed a bit bewildered as to why Asha would ask her such a question. “Oh, um, the formal servers bring his meals to the dining room.”

Suddenly, Asha could have sworn she heard Sunny’s voice calling out after a whooshing star. “Star, sit! Heel! Do… anything besides that!”

Asha chuckled nervously, trying to make everything like it was normal. “So, what about when the king eats in his study? Who brings it then?”

“Well, his study is off-limits,” Dahlia said before clearing her throat and letting through a little smirk. “Details are known to only a select few.”

Asha’s eyes lit up hopefully. “Including you?”

“No comment.”

“Ladies,” Valentino said loudly from inside the storage room, “please!”

“Who is in there?” Dahlia wondered before Asha propped up against the wall. “I don’t hear anything,” she denied before getting back on the matter at hand. “Dahlia, if you know a secret way into the King’s study, you have to tell me.”

“Why?” Dahlia asked, a little more than concerned for Asha’s strange behavior. “What is going on with you?”

But before Asha could explain, she noticed Safi heading toward the storage room, and immediately panicked. “Whoa! Wait, wait, wait, wait!” she said, running in front of Safi and blocking the door. “What are you doing?”

“I… I gotta collect eggs,” Safi explained casually. “No! I mean… let me,” Asha offered, trying to not blow her cover. “I’ll do it for you.”

“Nah, that’s okay, Asha…”

“But your allergies!” Asha argued. “All that sneezing. That can’t be good for you.”

Safi gave Asha a heartbroken look at this. “Are you trying to take the chickens away from me?”

“You know Safi loves those chickens,” Bazeema said softly as Safi hugged the egg basket tight. “I do…”

That’s when Asha began to get bombarded with questions of confusion from her friends.

“Are you okay, Asha?”

“Something’s up with you…”

“What are you hiding?”

“Oh!” Asha blocked the door quickly. “Nothing!”

“Life is to be lived!” Valentino shouted once more. “And nobody!” Asha quickly fibbed, but this didn’t stop the questions from pouring in.

“What is going on in there?”

“Why are you all sweaty?”

“You can tell us anything.”

That’s when Gabo began to get really riled up. “Move or we break the door down!”

“No, no, no, no. Fine! Fine!” Asha took a deep breath before beginning her explanation. “Yesterday morning, while I was on my way to give the tour to the newcomers, I made some… interesting new friends. They were in Rosas for a mission all their own, so invited them to stay, but they had to hide so no one would know they were here… especially the new members of the king’s council.”

“You mean that cat and bunny?” Dahlia looked concerned. “Why?”

“Well, that’s hard to explain on its own,” Asha admitted. “But then… last night… after everything had happened… me and one of those new friends made a wish… on a star.”

The others stared at Asha in confusion and bewilderment, while Gabo was the only one to speak up. “What are you, five?”

Asha braced herself as she prepared to open the door. “And the star… answered.”

It was at that moment that Asha opened the door, and all the teens witnessed something completely out of the ordinary.

Chickens bawking and dancing as if they were singing a joyous tune, Pipp and Valentino conducting them all and the other ponies trying to keep the peace as much as they could.

Needless to say, Asha’s friends were stunned and shocked at what they were seeing.

“All right, that’s it, ladies!” Pipp said enthusiastically. “Your wings may not be able to fly, but your voices caaaaaaaaan!!!”

Sunny gasped upon noticing Asha and her friends entering the room. “Asha, we are SO sorry about this! Pipp was getting restless and we tried to stop her, but uh…”

“As you can see,” Zipp sighed wearily, “my sister trots to the beat of her own drum.”

The chickens continued to bawk and dance, and even Izzy found herself tapping her hoof to the beat of the music, giggling to herself. “I don’t see what’s so bad about this, it’s actually fun!”

“Izzy!” Hitch scolded. “Not the right time!”

“Okay, ladies!” Valentino shouted. “Big finish!”

For the big finish, some of the chickens launched eggs into the air and two more chickens caught them while all the bawking and dancing ceased as soon as Star flew in and struck a pose along with Pipp.

“Whew, mama!” Pipp said in excitement. “That is so going on my PonyGram feed later!”

That’s when she noticed her friends glancing at her. “What?” Pipp looked confused. “What are you all staring at?”

Then, Pipp finally took notice that Asha’s friends had entered the room with them, and while her eyes widened her heart dropped in pure fright. “Uh… oopsie…?”

Star smiled and flew right up to them, but Asha's friends just stared at him in amazement. Safi inhaled sharply to sneeze, before Dahlia quickly put a finger under his nose to stop it. “Asha? Are they…?” Zipp began to say. before Asha cut them off as they gaped at the talking ponies.

They didn't know which one was crazier, the flying star or the magically talking ponies. “Star? Ponies?” Asha took the opportunity to introduce her old friends to her magical new friends. “These are my friends.”

Seeing that Star was already flying around Asha’s friends to get a better look at them, this gave the ponies the initiative to approach and introduce themselves properly. “Hi. Um…it’s nice to meet you. I'm Sunny,” Sunny said cautiously before then pointing at each respective pony as she said their names. “And this is Hitch, Pipp, her sister Zipp, Izzy and Misty.”

“This is all just objectively impossible,” Dahlia said as Star flew around them, tapping their noses with his point and making them all chuckle and feel good inside.

In fact, all six of the ponies were enjoying the hoofshakes and rubs they were getting from Asha's friends, finally feeling somewhat at ease.

Even Simon smiled a bit when Star came to him and booped him on the nose, but then, Star suddenly looked sad, and seeing something so full of love and joy sad broke all of their hearts. “What? Why am I making you sad?” Simon asked Star in concern. Suddenly, Asha seemed to figure it out. “Oh… Simon’s 18,” she told Star. “He’s already given his wish to the king.”

“Oh…I can't remember what I lost,” Simon responded as Star flew away.

“That sounds… really sad,” Pipp said in concern to her friends. “It just… doesn’t sound right.”

“You’re right, Pipp, it doesn’t,” Sunny whispered. “But remember, keep your opinions to yourself for right now.”

However, Star flew back but this time with a ball of yarn, shaped into a small heart. Simon reached up and grabbed it when he suddenly heard a voice hiss in a tight whisper, “Don't accept it!”

Everyone turned to see Gabo hiding behind bales of hay and chickens. Seeing an opportunity, Star flew right up to Gabo, who panicked and began running around the room with Star chasing him. “Ooh! This looks fun!” Izzy exclaimed before joining the chase. “Izzy! Wait!” Hitch started, but Izzy was already off. “No! Stay away! No, no, no, no!” Gabo said with a shriek as he tried to avoid Star and the hyperactive unicorn. “Am I the only one who realizes this is gonna end very badly?!”

“Well, not necessarily,” Zipp said with a raised eyebrow, “as long as everyone keeps quiet about Star, and well… us for that matter.”

“Magic is forbidden by anyone other than Magnifico,” Gabo said with shrieks added in as he held up a stool to keep Izzy and Star away from him, “who is also the only one authorized to grant wishes!”

“Self-authorized,” Misty stated firmly while taking a step forward, making it clear what her stance was. “Wait. Does Star grant wishes?” Simon asked in a voice with so little hope, but there was hope in it, which was more than they heard in his voice since his wish was taken. “Well… no, not technically,” Hitch said with a slight wince. “But,” Asha quickly added, “I think it wants to help me and Sunny pursue ours.”

“Like a fairy godmother!” Dario said with a smile. “Wait,” Dahlia looked at Sunny in surprise. “You’re the friend Asha mentioned that she made that wish with?”

“Uh, yeah,” Sunny chuckled nervously. “Guilty as charged, I guess.”

“Life is not a fairytale!” Gabo cried as he tried to avoid Izzy and Star, but Izzy grabbed him in a tight hug from behind. So to protect himself further, Gabo grabbed a chicken and held it up, allowing Star to tap the chicken's beak with his point and give the chicken the power of flight. “Whoa,” Zipp blinked up at the flying chicken. “Even I didn’t see that coming.”

“...what did you wish for?” Gabo asked Asha and Sunny with a look that spelled irritation and anger. “No-- you know what?”

Gabo then put his hands over his ears and babbled, causing the ponies to wince. “Don’t tell us. I want no part of this.”

“Wow…” Pipp deadpanned. “He’s a real charmer, isn’t he?”

Suddenly, before any of the ponies could tell Pipp to be quiet, a fanfare rang throughout the castle, and this caused everyone to remain alert.

“That’s the king’s call to assemble,” Bazeema said. “We better go.”

“Guys… we need to have you promise us something really important,” Sunny said with urgency in her voice. “Please… Magnifico, Allura and Twitch can’t know about us or Star.”

“And we promise,” Asha pleaded, “mine and Sunny’s wishes won’t harm or affect any of you. Or Rosas.”

“...that’s a big promise, Asha,” Simon said solemnly. “Especially since part of it comes from magic, talking ponies.”

“But we trust you,” Hal added with a reassuring smile. “Right, Bazeem… where’d she go?”

When the others looked around, they discovered that Bazeema had completely vanished, and this left Gabo completely stunned in himself. “How does she do that?”

“Hey, don't look at me,” Misty said, raising her hooves. “She must've snuck off without us knowing.”

“Speaking of which... you guys better get going,” Zipp said, “before you get in trouble with the king and his supposed council.”

Asha turned to the ponies. “You think Misty's well enough to do the spell?”

Misty nodded, feeling less stressed and more at ease now that she didn't have to shoulder the burden alone. “Yep. Luckily, since Izzy and Sunny can do the spell now, we just have to do the spell on ourselves and one other.”

“Don’t worry,” Hal reassured with a smile as the rest of the teens (all except Dahlia) headed toward the door to head to the assembly. “We won’t tell anyone, Asha.”

“Right…” Dario nodded. “About the chickens.”

“Or your little talking pony friends,” Safi agreed, patting Izzy on the head as they headed out. “We got you. Right, Gabo?”

“...I don’t squeal,” Gabo said simply before closing the doors behind him, leaving the ponies, Asha, Valentino, Star and Dahlia alone. However, not long after they had left for the assembly, Dahlia turned to Asha and the ponies in suspicion, looking more toward Asha than anyone else. “What are you not telling me?”

“Uh-oh…” Hitch looked nervous at this. “Asha might be in a little bit of trouble here…”

“It’s okay, Hitch,” Asha reassured before facing her best friend. “Yesterday, I kind of challenged the king.”

“What?!” Dahlia asked in shock, leaving Asha to shrug. “It’s, uh… complicated.”

Dahlia waited for Asha to continue her explanation for all this. “And…?”

“Dahlia…” Sunny began to say with the most sincerity that she could muster. “...what would you do if you found out the wishes of those you love with all your heart will never be granted?”

“...what is she talking about?” Dahlia looked at Asha in concern. “Does she mean… your Saba’s wish?”

Asha nodded to this claim with a heavy sigh. “And, thanks to me, my mother’s.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Misty said. “We’re here to help Asha get their wishes, so she can give them back to them.”

“You’re here to steal from the king?” Dahlia asked in shock. “It’s not stealing,” Asha answered simply as Star floated closer. “The wishes don’t belong to him.”

“And you can't just ask Magnífico for them back?” Dahlia asked, hoping to stay as logical as possible, but Asha only sighed, looking away. “I think I've ruined my chances of asking Magnifico for anything.”

That was when Zipp stepped up, hovering in the air, getting Dahlia's attention. “Besides, even if she didn't, it wouldn't work.”

Dahlia looked back at the ponies, confused. “What do you mean?”

The ponies looked at Asha as though in silent questioning. “It's okay guys,” Asha reassured. “You can trust her. She's my best friend.”

Sunny sighed, looking down before looking right at Dahlia. "Allura and Twitch, the new members of the king’s council? They’re both evil. Really evil.”

“Allura wants all the shards of this magical star,” Misty continued. “We don't know why but… we have five of them. But she has one.”

“And she will do anything to get her greedy paws on them. Even if it means having the king hold Asha's family's wishes over her as leverage,” Hitch continued.

“But…she can't make the king do anything. Magnifico wouldn't do something like that…” Dahlia looked at Asha. “Would he?”

“Maybe not alone,” Pipp said, gaining Dahlia's attention. “But that's what makes Allura so dangerous. She can make a being do anything she wants by her voice alone. Without even her victims realizing it.”

“Which means she could make Magnifico do anything,” Zipp concluded. “So… you have to remember this,” Sunny said sternly. “If either Allura or the king makes a drastic move… not only could our world of Equestria be in danger, but Rosas could be at stake too.”

Dahlia seemed to think long and hard about this. She may have just met these ponies today, but she’s known Asha for as long as she could remember. And if Asha trusted the words of these ponies then… what did she truly have to lose?

So, against her better judgment, she led the group back into the kitchen and approached a small dumbwaiter in the wall. “This is how we get food to the king’s study.”

“Dahlia… this is genius!” Zipp exclaimed as Asha giggled and hugged Dahlia tightly. “Now we can get into the king’s study and get the wishes without him ever noticing!”

“But… there’s not a whole lot of room in there,” Hitch observed. “How are we all gonna get up there without being seen?”

“Uh… two things you’re forgetting, Hitch,” Izzy smiled. “One… we can do that nifty invisibility spell Misty taught us to keep invisible if we need to!”

“And two,” Pipp said with a smile as she unfurled her wings, “we have these puppies!”

“Great-- we'll meet each other in the tower,” Sunny said, shifting into alicorn form and putting herself, Zipp and Pipp under the invisibility spell before they flew off.

Misty closed her eyes, putting herself and Hitch under the spell. Izzy also did the same with herself before they climbed into the the dumb waiter. It was a tight fit, but Asha and Star were able to fit inside, though it was like playing Tetra.

However, Valentino just jumped in, landing on Asha and knocking the wind out of her. “A new way to climb! Backing up!” he said rather musically as he backed up into Asha, somehow putting his but in her face. "Are you sure about this?" Dahlia asked, still very nervous about the whole situation. “Allura and Magnifico could come back at any time.”

“And that's why you're gonna stall them,” Asha said quickly, pushing Valentino's butt out of her face. “Please and thank you, best friend ever?”

“How is she supposed to stall a king and a vicious, evil snow leopard?” Hitch's voice asked, though his body was nowhere to be seen, to which Dahlia quickly agreed. “You'll think of something,” Asha assured, before pulling the door down. “You're a genius!”

“Okay, guys... let's do this!” Misty whispered to the others. “Eh, move it, Valentino!” Hitch grunted as he tried to reach the pulley. “Asha and I have to pull the rope thing!”

“And we ride!!” Valentino shouted as the dumbwaiter began to go up, but immediately realizing an error he had made. “I’m sorry, that was right in your ears.”

XXXXXXXX

The fanfare continued to sound as Dahlia made her way outside to the assembly, where people were continuing to talk about the light that had passed through the night before.

Only a few moments later, King Magnifico, Queen Amaya, Allura and Twitch came onto the stage, and King Magnifico tried to get everyone’s attention. “Quiet, quiet, quiet!” he said, causing the crowd to hush. “I know you are all wondering about that little light last night…”

This caused the crowd to cheer before Allura continued for the king. “A light that he did not command or condone!”

The cheering subsided immediately, and the crowd looked at one another, murmuring in confusion. “Allura,” King Magnifico said to the winged snow leopard, “why don’t you take the lead and explain what went on last night?”

“Thank you, sire,” Allura bowed, letting Twitch off her back before she came forward, lightly using her magic of persuasion on the crowd. “That light you all saw was magic, though it was quite clumsy and amateurish. And I am aware that magic in this kingdom is STRICTLY forbidden by anyone other than your beloved king. They used magic to put you all at risk!”

The crowd gasped at this. “But don’t worry, they are no match for me,” King Magnifico interrupted. “And though I have my own suspects, I assure you,” Allura said to the crowd, spreading her wings darkly, “when they are caught, they will be punished… severely.”

Dahlia looked up at the tower worriedly. “Asha…” she muttered. “Whatever you and those ponies do next, you better do it fast…”

XXXXXXXX

“You are awfully slow at this,” Valentino told Hitch and Asha as they slowly made their way to the king’s study in the dumbwaiter.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Hitch whispered. “You try and make it into the king’s study in an extremely tiny dumbwaiter!”

“Shh!” Asha said to Hitch, upon hearing a tiny, jingling bell outside the door. “I think we’re here!”

“Adventure awaits right outside this door!” Valentino added. “Yeah, let’s go!” Izzy said and tried to open the door, but she found it particularly hard to open. “Uh-oh… uh, ponies, I think the door might be stuck.”

“Stuck?! Oh, great!” Misty sighed. “Sunny, Pipp and Zipp need us to open the window for them so they can get in! Now what are we gonna do?!”

“I’ll ram it!” Valentino offered before head-butting the door, only for him to groan out in pain. “It hurts without horns.”

That’s when Star seemed to get an idea, sticking one of his points out from a small crack underneath the door and shooting tiny wisps of magic out of it. “What are you doing?” Asha asked Star in a whisper. “I think he’s trying to get the door unstuck,” Misty said, “so we can get out.”

“Okay, but uh, Star? Please be careful,” Hitch said gently. “We do NOT wanna get in trouble for messing up the king’s study.”

Star tried to hit the lock on the door with as much precision as he could, but his blasts seemed to start going all over the place, hitting various objects… including a magnifying glass, which let the light pour through it and catch a paper on fire.

But after a moment, Star finally got the door unlocked, much to the group’s delight. “Yes!”

Unfortunately, after Asha opened it, everyone gasped upon seeing the king’s desk on fire. “NO!!!”

That’s when Misty heard pecking at the window, letting her know that Sunny and the pegaus sisters were outside and waiting to be let in “Quick, Hitch!” Misty cried. “Get Sunny and the sisters inside! We gotta put the fire out before anyone sees!”

XXXXXXXX

Unfortunately, Dahlia saw the glow of the flames from down at the assembly, where King Magnifico was finishing his speech to the people of his kingdom. “Rosas needs you. Any information would be most helpful. And I know you will never, ever let me down. Thank you.”

The crowd began to cheer as the king nodded to Allura and prepared to take his leave, and Dahlia knew that if she didn’t say or do something fast, all their friends would be in HUGE trouble. “Allura, your majesty, wait!” she called, stopping the duo in their tracks and causing many people to mutter in confusion. “Um…”

“Yes?” Allura raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

“Ahem. Okay… hi, hi. Uh…” Dahlia seemed really nervous in that moment, but she was determined to not let Asha down. “Hi, I’m Dahlia. I make your Magnifico cookies.”

Allura seemed suspicious of such a thing, but King Magnifico smiled and brought himself forward. “Fantastic. What can I do for you, Dahlia?”

“Oh, thank you for asking,” Dahlia chuckled. “You said any information would be helpful. But pragmatically speaking, what qualifies? Evidentiary? How about circumstantial? First hand? Ooh, second hand?”

“What about hunches?” asked a man enthusiastically. “Oooh, sure,” Dahlia nodded. “How about hunches?”

Allura sighed heavily at this… what was this girl trying to do, put them all to sleep? “Yes, yes,” she finally said. “ Any information about who or what caused the light would be helpful. So, yes, hunch. Hunch away.”

“Technically speaking, Miss Allura,” said a woman from the crowd respectfully, “you and the king said it was amateur magic, but how come you don’t know how they did it?”

King Magnifico looked stunned at this. “What?”

“Oh, um…” Allura looked to Twitch for an answer, “Well, it’s…”

“Perhaps you could define amateur?” Dahlia requested.

“This is about what you know,” Allura said defensively. “The king and I both know that this is about your safety, and most importantly, the safety of your wishes.”

Simon raised his hand from the crowd. “Um, do you mean our wishes aren’t safe?”

“Of course they’re safe!” Dahlia said with a nervous chuckle, knowing that if this situation didn’t deescalate fast, this was going to get a lot worse.

XXXXXXXX

Asha, Valentino, Star and the ponies worked together as fast as they could to get rid of the fire by pouring water over the king’s desk and fanning away the flames with their wings and whatever else they had handy, and hiding all burnt evidence in the dumbwaiter to take down with them.

“Phew…” Zipp sighed out of fear. “I sure hope he didn’t need those.”

“This only proves how powerful Star's magic is,” Misty said cautiously. “We have to keep him safe from Magnifico and Allura at all costs.”

“But first things first,” said Sunny, “the wishes. Come on!”

The rest of the Mane 6 followed Asha and Sunny toward a large wall on the other side of the study, but luckily, Asha knew what was really behind it. “That’s actually a door, and Magnifico waved his hand and it just…”

But when Asha waved her hand in front of the door, it never moved. “Okay, how about this?” said Sunny, moving her hoof a certain way, but the door still didn’t move. “Nothing? Wow… this door is tough to crack.”

“How about… this?!” Izzy jumped up and waved her hooves. “Or this?” Pipp struck a pose… make that several poses. “Or… maybe this? Oooh, this is a good one!”

Fortunately, Star was able to wiggle one of his points and the door opened automatically. “All right!” Zipp high-hoofed Hitch. “Teamwork!”

“Okay, let’s get the wishes,” said Sunny, “and get out of here before anything else goes wrong!”

“Come on, guys,” said Misty to Izzy, Hitch and the sisters. “You’re gonna love this.”

Hitch, Izzy, Pipp and Zipp followed Asha, Valentino, Star, Misty and Sunny inside the room, and needless to say, their eyes went wide at all the floating wishes above them, unsure of what to say, but… they were DEFINITELY sure of how to feel.

“Wow… you were right, Sunny,” Zipp muttered. “They really are beautiful…”

“I… I don’t even have the words or the hashtag to describe this,” Pipp shook her head, taking a picture of the wishes. “It’s just… incredible!”

Star, on the other hand, was having a lot of fun flying alongside the wishes, seeing what they were and imagining how many people would love to have their wishes back, in order to make them come true someday.

“Star,” said Asha worriedly from the floor, “I’m glad you are having fun, but you have to focus. Please… you, Sunny and the pegasus sisters need to find my Saba’s and mother’s wishes as fast as you can!”

“We can do that!” Zipp said, unfurling her wings before looking up. “But uh… t-that’s a LOT of wishes to cover.”

Sunny sighed when she saw the mass multitude of wishes above them, realizing Zipp was right. “Luckily, we have Dahlia covering for us, so we have plenty of time to search. I just hope she can keep it up for a little while longer.”

XXXXXXX

Back at the assembly, the townspeople were starting to ask more and more questions about the wishes, and Allura could sense King Magnifico’s anger growing steadily, knowing this could be crucial in her own plans.

“How do we know our wishes are safe?” a woman asked. “We never see them.”

“Why can’t we see them?” another woman asked in the same manner. “Why is that a rule?”

“Why can’t we remember them?” asked the man from before, causing Dahlia to quickly step in. “One question at a time.”

“Since we’re asking,” said another man, “what if we want to change our wish?”

“Good point,” said another woman. “Wishes can change!”

“All right, all right, all of you! Calm down!” Allura tried to keep order under control. “Let’s form a line, everyone will get a turn.”

“You know what’d comfort us?” asked another man. “Another wish ceremony.”

“Yeah!” said another man enthusiastically. “It would make us all feel so much better!”

“Please, Your Majesty!”

“We could do it now!”

“No! Not now!” Dahlia yelped out of panic. “Bad timing!”

However, it didn’t help the situation when the townspeople began to chant. “Wishes, wishes, wishes, wishes…!”

Queen Amaya could also sense the anger in her husband growing stronger, just by looking at him. It was only going to be a matter of time before he did something drastic… exactly what Allura was hoping he would do.

Finally… King Magnifico snapped. “SILENCE!!!!”

Almost immediately, the crowd fell silent. “Is that all you can think about?” King Magnifico scolded. “A wish-granting ceremony?!”

“You know…” Allura said quietly, beginning to use her purrsuasion magic more and more. “...a wish-granting ceremony might be just what these people need to do your bidding. Offer them a reward for anyone who can identify the culprit/culprits… make their loyalty in you rebuild, stronger than ever before. Do it, your majesty… do it for Rosas.”

The king’s eyes flashed as he slowly fell under Allura’s trance, and after a moment, sighed. “Fine. Whoever identifies the traitor, your wish will be granted!”

“What…?” Simon muttered as the rest of the crowd cheered… except for Asha’s friends. If they identified Asha and her new friends as the traitors… they would probably never be forgiven.

However, Allura had one final thing to add. “But hear this! Anyone who helps the traitor, anyone who lets King Magnifico down, your wish will never be granted!”

The crowd let out a stunned gasp at this, and King Magnifico and Allura began to leave. “Wait!” Dahlia cried. “Your Majesty!”

“Enough!” King Magnifico silenced her as he and Allura left, with Queen Amaya and Twitch following behind.

XXXXXXXX

Once he, his wife and Allura and Twitch were inside the castle, King Magnifico let out a growl out of frustration. “How brazenly they question me!”

“They only question you,” Queen Amaya tried to reassure her husband, “because you make them feel safe enough to do so.”

“Queen Amaya, please forgive me, but it does seem like King Magnifico has a point,” Allura said with a smirk. “If they dare question his power, he should have a right to be angry.”

“Finally! At least someone understands me,” King Magnifico huffed in anger. “Allura and I will be up with the wishes. Disturb us with nothing but good news.”

“Keep the queen… company, Twitch,” Allura said softly. “We won’t be long.”

Twitch gave a little salute before Allura followed the angered king up the grand staircase, but along the way, King Magnifico felt the need to sing out of frustration.

King Magnifico: I can't help it if mirrors love my face
It's genetics!
Yeah, I got these genes from outer space!

Peep the name, I'm magnificent!
I put the "I" in omnipotent!
I'm passionate, I'm not petulant
Someone praise me for my benevolence!

Allura did her best to not follow behind as King Magnifico conjured illusions with his magic to go along with his song.

King Magnífico: (Just look!)

I'd give the clothes off Benito's back
If you really needed that
I'd be the first one to volunteer Henry!
If your home were to crumble
Or if you were in trouble!

I let you live here for free
And I don't even charge you rent!
I clean up all your messes
And I'm always there when you need to vent!

I give and give and give and give
You'd think they'd all be content
And all I really want is just a little respect

And this is the thanks I get?!

Allura yowled in fright as King Magnifico kicked away the suits of armor that were lined along the hall, but soon composed herself when she followed him further up the stairs.

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

XXXXXXX

Back in the study, Star managed to find the orb with Sabino’s wish inside, much to the joy of the others. However… the celebration was short-lived, because after Asha got her grandfather’s wish, Sunny heard King Magnifico and Allura coming, causing the group to dash into hiding.

As Allura followed Magnifico, she began to feel uncomfortable. She's persuaded creatures before, and to persuade them, she had to learn to be good at reading their emotions. What makes them change? She developed the ability to predict how they react. Otherwise things could get… messy.

But it felt like Allura couldn't read Magnífico. Well, she could, but she couldnt predict him. He was like a caged animal ready to react and Allura couldn't seem to figure out what. Looking back, the should've been the first sign that things couldn't end well, but still, Allura wanted to believe she had the situation under control. But… she didn't have him under control.

The winged snow leopard shook her head. No. She wouldn't think about that.

Allura quickly focused back on Magnífico, who was looking at his reflection on the wall, which seemed to be its own being more than a reflection.

Mirror Magnífico: You look so brilliant

King Magnifico: Oh, that's the least you could say
There's more, admit it

King Magnífico turned around, his back facing the wall, and eight more reflections appeared, each adding their own compliments one at a time.

Mirror Magnífico #1: You're cute

Mirror Magnífico #2: And strong

Mirror Magnífico #3: And bold

Mirror Magnífico #4: And brave

The song paused as all the Magníficos looked at Allura expectantly. Her eyes widened briefly as she was caught off guard. She hated being caught off guard. She needed to get this situation under control. “Maybe,” she suggested beginning to use her purrsuasion on him, “you should just calm--”

But to her surprise, they didnt work as he turned around and opened the door to the wishes, waving his hand dismissively at Allura, causing her to panic. They always worked. Well, except for… no. They always worked.

King Magnifico: (Whatever)

See this kingdom, I built it up
And you still complain? Ungrateful much

Asha and Valentino swallowed nervously as King Magnífico walked right past them. Their faces could still be seen through the beakers on the desk they were hiding behind, but King Magnifico was so caught up in himself that he didn't notice them.

The ponies stood in plain sight, putting more concentration into the spell than ever before. They stood off to the side of the room while Magnífico swirled the wishes around him. Misty and Izzy kept their eyes closed, hoping to keep their fear from bubbling up while Sunny watched with wide eyes as she witnessed Magnífico begin to crack.

But that was when Sunny noticed something else too. She noticed Allura who genuinely looked concerned, but she tried her best to hide it. But Sunny could see a little bit of fear in her eyes. It startled her so much that the spell flickered. When Misty saw Sunny flickering, she whispered Sunny's name.

Sunny blinked before also closing her eyes, concentrating on keeping her emotions in check. Even though Misty, Izzy, and Sunny had their eyes closed, they trusted their friends to tell them if they were in danger or needed to react.

King Magnifico: Hmm, are you sure that you're not the prob?
I'd love to see you try and do my job!

I granted fourteen wishes last year
C'mon, that's a high percent
And now you're questioning your king?
The disrespect I just underwent

You know I always got your back
Yeah, really though, it's no sweat
Since the day you were born and the day that we met

As King Magnífico sang, Asha and Valentino crawled out of the room with Sabino's wish. The ponies held their breath, but the king was too wrapped up in himself to even notice, and Allura was watching him with a tense expression.

King Magnifico began to swirl the wishes around, growing more and more angry. Allura took a step back, her own fear growing as he began to remind her of someone else. Someone she worked so hard to forget.

Hitch, Pipp, and Zipp watched with shocked eyes, unable to move. They couldn't help but feel fear for the wishes. He was being so careless with them, so reckless.

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: This is the thanks I get?!

As King Magnífico sang the chorus, his eyes caught something. Something bad.

And surprisingly, he didn't spot the Mane 6 and their friends yet.

Curiously and out of fright, Allura followed his gaze and her heart stopped. This was bad.

Sure, she was all for it earlier. An hour ago even. But a lot could happen in an hour and it did. He seemed completely off the rails now. She couldn't control him and that's what scared her most.

The only creatures who got hurt when one was in control was only those that one wanted to hurt. She just prayed that the one creature she still had in her life wouldn't get hurt from this mad king.

Before Allura could blink twice, King Magnifico grabbed the book from the glass case, set it on the table and opened it, where Allura could feel the dark power of the book in the air, causing her fur to stand on end.

King Magnifico: I didn't wanna do this
I swore I'd never do this
But I'm hypnotized by how these pages flip
Cause I refuse to have my power stripped

A potion? A spell? A summon? A curse?
Anything to make that light reverse!
To this book I don't wanna be tethered, but
Desperate times call for desperate measures

Green light surrounded Magnífico as the light in the room seemed to dim. Tears filled Misty's eyes as she tried to hold her fear back.

She couldn't fail the spell. She couldn't fail her friends. But it was getting increasingly harder for all of them.

Suddenly, Misty felt a hoof on hers. She looked down to see a white hoof softly touching her charm bracelet. She looked up at Zipp to see a kind and reassuring smile on her face, telling her not to be worried. Misty nodded, and felt herself strengthen, making the spell easier.

Suddenly, King Magnifico shook his head. “Where was I?” he asked himself, but Allura remained quiet out of fear as he suddenly remembered where he was in the song. “Oh yeah.”

King Magnifico: There's a traitor in this town
And still I remain unbent
Come out now, explain yourself
I'm sure it's all just an accident!

That’s when the king approached the window, seeing the townspeople murmur amongst themselves, trying to figure out who the traitor was.

King Magnifico: Well, whoever finds them first
Now, that's a wish well spent
Honestly, keeping you safe
Should be worth every cent

And this is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: And this is the thanks I get?!

Chorus: Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

King Magnifico: And this is the thanks I get?!

King Magnifico was destroying every illusion of the townspeople he created, further frightening our heroes, causing them to scramble to the dumbwaiter and the open window while Allura and the king were distracted.

Finally... King Magnifico's anger and greed seemed to exceed levels that the ponies could ever imagine, just with one blast of magic.

King Magnifico: OHHH, THIS IS THE THANKS I GET?!!!

And finally... at long last, the song was over.

The Mane 6, Asha, Valentino and Star shuddered as Asha closed the dumbwaiter and Sunny and the pegasus sisters flew out of the open window.

Allura, however, remained frozen in place, unable to get rid of the images that flowed through her mind… images she hadn’t thought of in such a long time.

XXXXXXXX

“No, no, NO! You idiotic cubs!”

Allura and Alterro’s father had been screeching orders at them ever since target practice started a half an hour after breakfast, a few days after their mother had passed away.

For some reason, King Nekro wanted his children to know how to fight without mercy, and if they didn’t do what he said or didn’t do it EXACTLY right, they were severely punished.

“S-Sorry, Father…” Alterro mumbled in fright. “Mom… she said that…”

“Your mother is GONE!” King Nekro screeched. “Mention her name again and you both will be stripped of your privileges!”

“W-Why are you doing this?” Allura tried to hold back a sob. “We… we’ve been working so hard!”

“...working hard isn’t enough,” the cubs’ father spat. “We have to make sure others listen to our rules and respect us as they should. If they don’t… then they die without mercy. That’s something I hope you and your brother learn when you start leading Leopardia, Allura. After all… your mother isn’t here to protect you now.”

XXXXXXXX

Allura shook her head as soon as a gentle paw touched hers, and looked down to see Twitch looking at her with concern. “I… I’m fine, Twitch,” she said, trying to compose herself. “Just… a bit out of it, I suppose.”

“Come, Allura! Come!” King Magnifico said as he held the book close to him. “I have just the place for us to work.”

With the wave of his hand, a secret staircase opened up under the floor, and King Magnifico began to move down the staircase, with Allura and Twitch following behind.

But deep down in her heart, Allura knew that whatever was going to happen next… it wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Not even for her and Twitch.

Wishes Stolen and Destroyed/Going Back to Set Things Right

If you thought things couldn’t get worse for Sunny and her Equestrian friends… it did.

While they were able to sneak inside the castle and get Sabino’s wish back from King Magnifico’s study, the unthinkable happened-- the king’s anger and greed caused him to turn to the ways of forbidden magic, and he was out to get whichever traitor summoned the great light from the sky…

…which the ponies knew was Star.

On the other side, Allura seemed to be remembering things about her past that seemed almost too much to bear-- losing her mother to a terrible sickness, her abusive father that forced his ways onto his cubs… being separated from her brother for the crimes they committed against their people many years after their own father had died…

…and even she was beginning to think that Magnifico was starting to lose his marbles, so to speak.

Could this mean that Allura is finally going to switch to the side of right?

And what would King Magnifico do if he found out about Star and the Mane 6?

Well… that’s what we’re about to find out.

XXXXXXXX

Not long after Asha, Valentino, the ponies and Star left the castle with Sabino’s wish, they raced right home, where Asha revealed Star and the ponies to her mother and grandfather, and revealed that Valentino could talk thanks to Star’s magic.

Needless to say… it took a little while for Sakina and Sabino to try and comprehend what they were seeing and hearing.

Nevertheless, they welcomed the ponies and Star with open arms, despite the scary circumstances, and even came to accept that Valentino now could speak.

“I was not afraid, Sakina,” Valentino reassured Asha’s mother as he began to climb the cabinets with precision and grace. “Because, like all goats, I believe the greater the challenge we are willing to face, the greater the life we live.”

Izzy and Hitch yelped as they caught the plates that fell as Valentino climbed the cabinet, eventually sighing in relief alongside Sakina, who helped Valentino down while Izzy and Hitch put the plates back.

At the same time, Zipp came outside from doing a patrol, shutting the door behind her and locking it. “I don’t see anything out of the ordinary outside,” she told the others. “We’ll be safe here for now.”

“That’s a relief,” Pipp sighed. “I was getting ready to start blogging about our terrifying experiences, but… I think I’ll save that for another time.”

“Good call, Pippster,” Izzy said, patting Pipp’s shoulder with her hoof. “Good call.”

Asha, on the other hand, sat on the floor with her grandfather, Misty and Sunny, and Ashe held Sabino’s wish in her hands. “Saba…” she began, handing her grandfather’s wish to him. “I know you said you didn’t want to know a wish that could never be. But now, you can make it be.”

Sabino looked at the glowing wish in his hands with happiness and remembrance in his gaze. “It’s so simple…” he muttered. “So pure.”

“Asha,” Sakina began as she sat down next to her daughter, “I know you think you and your friends have done a good thing, but…”

“I should never have given Magnifico my wish,” Sabino interrupted his daughter-in-law, continuing to stare longingly at his wish. “This… this belongs to me.”

Sabino placed the orb with his wish inside against his chest and gently pushed it in, causing his chest to glow as the others stared in awe, a part of Sabino somehow being restored once his wish was back. “Saba…” Sakina smiled with happiness. After a moment, Sabino laughed joyously. “Oh, Asha, I may never actually inspire anybody,” he said, “but thanks to you and your little friends, at least I have the chance to try.”

“Hey… your granddaughter has been so open and welcoming to us,” Misty said, smiling at Sabino and at Asha. “Getting your wish back is the least we can do.”

Asha glanced at her mother when this was said. “We’re going to go back for your wish next, Mama.”

“I’m all for it,” Zipp said rather boldly before shuddering. “I, uh… just hope we don’t run into King Magnifico and Allura anytime soon… right, Sunny?”

However… when she turned to look at Sunny, she found that the apricot-colored earth pony mare was deep in thought, having seen Allura’s fear when King Magnifico’s sanity began to decline. “Sunny?” Asha said in concern, snapping Sunny out of her trance. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Asha,” Sunny nodded solemnly. “I guess… I’m just thinking about Allura.”

“That creepy cat?” Pipp scoffed. “Why would you wanna think about her? Unless you’re thinking about how we’re gonna kick her butt next time we face her-- those thoughts are valid.”

“Well, yeah, there’s that,” Sunny said with a shrug, “but… didn’t anypony else think that Allura looked kinda… scared when she was with King Magnifico? Like… she was afraid of what he was becoming?”

Hitch hummed, tapping his hoof with his chin. “Now that you mention it… yeah. I guess she did look kinda out of sorts.”

“But didn’t you say that she was a vicious, unruly monster who deserves no justice whatsoever?” Valentino asked bluntly.

“Valentino!” Asha scolded. “Language!”

“Honestly… I'm not sure what to think of her anymore,” Sunny said, gazing at the wide, open world outside the window. “At first, I did think she was a monster, but… what happened today and what happened at B.O.O.T.S Laboratory with our Bikini Bottom pals… I think we jumped to a lot of conclusions about her without really understanding WHY she was doing all of these things.”

Izzy looked at her in confusion. “Really?”

“I'm not so sure about that, Sunny,” Zipp said in suspicion. “My instincts are 95% right at times, and she could have been faking that fear in order for us to let out guard down, and so she can try and take the star shards from us.”

“Either way, with Allura still potentially working with Magnifico,” Misty spoke seriously to her friends, “we need to be super careful when we go back for Sakina's wish.”

But that’s when the unthinkable happened.

The door suddenly flew open, causing the candles lighting the cottage to suddenly go out. The Mane 6 gasped before Izzy and Misty used the spell to make them go invisible, and Valentino hid Star in a yarn basket in the corner.

And who was at the cottage seemed to make the situation that much worse.

King Magnifico was standing in the doorway with Allura and Twitch, and while the king glanced maliciously at Asha and her family, Allura and Twitch seemed to be putting on brave faces.

“That’s right, Asha. You’ve been turned in,” said the king as they entered the cottage. “Where are they? Where is the star?”

“And where are the ponies?” Allura asked, trying to regain her shaking confidence. “We know they’re here!”

Pipp gasped quietly under the cover of the invisibility spell. “How did they know we were here?!”

“And how did they know about Star?!” Hitch asked in quiet panic. “I don’t know, but we don’t have time to find out!” Zipp whispered back. “Stay quiet!”

As the ponies tried to calm themselves, Sabino boldly stood up to the king as he got closer. “There is nothing here for you!”

King Magnifico ignored Asha’s grandfather and looked her dead in the eye, as if he could see right through her. “How did you do it, huh? What sorcery did you use?”

“I know NO sorcery,” Asha said boldly. “Oh, you must know some form of it,” Allura scoffed. “You and those meddlesome ponies ripped a star from the sky to use it to steal from your king!”

“He was never going to grant my Saba’s wish, Allura!” Asha shouted back in defiance. “And he deserves to have it back. They ALL deserve…”

“I told you,” King Magnifico interrupted bitterly, “I decide what everyone deserves.”

But while she and her friends were in hiding, Misty could see what Sunny meant before-- Allura was trying to hide it, but even SHE could see that Allura was growing more and more uncomfortable around the king, and Twitch was beyond nervous.

That made her wonder… what if Sunny was right? What if Allura could be reformed?

Suddenly, Sakina took a step forward to try and clear the air. “Please, Your Majesty. I don't know what ponies are around here, but, I assure you, my daughter just made a mistake. She won’t do it again.”

“Oh, I know she won’t,” King Magnifico said before glancing at Allura, who began to reach for something under her wing. “Does this feel familiar, Sakina?”

Sakina gasped as Allura held a wish orb in her paw, feeling the magic radiating off of it. “My wish…”

“Yes…” King Magnifico said as Allura slowly handed the wish over. “Your wish that you gave to me for safekeeping, because we all know what happens to wishes out in this… this real world. They get… crushed.”

“Wait…” Izzy felt her fear growing. “W-What does that mean…?”

But before any of the ponies could question this, King Magnifico gripped Sakina’s wish tighter and tighter in his hands until… it shattered, its energy flowing into him.

As for Sakina, she felt something terrible enter her heart, a sense of dread and sadness, almost, and gasped, trying to get a handle on herself. “Mama?!” Asha looked stunned. “Sakina!” Sabino exclaimed. “No!”

The ponies each gasped out of horror-- did that just happen or were they just imagining things?

As Sabino and Asha tried to help Sakina, Allura and Twitch backed up out of pure fear upon seeing the energy of the wish being absorbed by the king, whose eyes glowed green in response. “What is this…?” he asked just before the wish was absorbed completely, causing him to smile wickedly. “What a gift. All this time, I’ve protected the wishes not knowing the power they yield. I feel as if I can do… anything…”

But before King Magnifico could further advance on Asha and her family, a yarn ball hit him and Allura upside their heads, causing them to turn and see Star floating out of the yarn basket, glaring angrily at them.

Allura gasped softly, her golden eyes widening in awe. “The star… an actual star, living and breathing on its own…”

But while Allura and Twitch were filled with awe, King Magnifico’s eyes glazed over with nothing except pure jealousy and intent. “I must have it!”

“Oh no you don’t, Magnifico!”

The sound of Sunny’s voice caught everyone offguard, and before anyone could blink, the Mane 6 appeared in front of Star, glaring in anger and hatred. “If you wanna hurt Star,” Zipp declared, “you’re gonna have to get through us first!”

“Aha!” Allura shouted, her gaze narrowing slightly. “The equine culprits reveal themselves at last.”

“Please, both of you, it doesn’t have to be like this!” Hitch protested. “There’s still a way to fix things!”

“Hitch is right,” Misty said. “Neither of you have to be on the dark side-- there’s still time to make things right!”

“Just look at you…” the king mumbled, taking in the sight of the ponies as he ignored their desperate pleas. “Powerful magic radiates off of your bones, your horns, your… everything! Just imagine the power I could have if I took YOUR wishes.”

“Magnifico, wait a moment!” Allura said, getting in front of him. “I thought you told me that I could do whatever I wanted to those meddlesome ponies if you could keep your kingdom in line!”

“Silence, Allura! I am the king of Rosas, I decide what everyone deserves!” King Magnifico snapped in her face before smirking back at the ponies. “Now… come to me, pony wishes…”

“Split up! Scatter!” Sunny shouted. “Make sure they don’t grab us!”

The ponies split off in several different directions, prompting King Magnifico, Allura and Twitch to try and grab them while Star retreated over to Asha and her family to stay out of harm’s way.

Izzy and Misty were able to go out of sight rather easily, but Hitch, Zipp, Pipp and Sunny were having a hard time trying their best not to get captured.

That’s when Allura finally had enough, using her icy magic to bind Sunny’s hooves together, causing her to scream and fall to the floor, trying to get loose. “Hey!”

Izzy gasped and removed the spell over herself at this. “Sunny!”

“Hang on!” Zipp cried. “We’re coming!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Allura cried and summoned more ice magic, binding the hooves of Hitch, Izzy and the pegasus sisters in one swoop. “Sunny, guys! No!” Asha cried and tried to rush to them, but Allura snarled at her to keep her in her place. “Stay back, Asha,” the snow leopard warned with a solemn look on her face. “This isn’t your fight any longer.”

“Now…” said King Magnifico as he approached the five ponies that had been captured. “Where were we?”

“No!” Sunny said desperately as she tried to get free. “Please!”

King Magnifico placed his hands on Sunny and Izzy’s chest despite their desperate pleas, and a golden light spread through their chests. Izzy and Sunny strained and tried to hold onto their wishes as tightly as they could, but even then, they couldn’t hold onto them any longer, and their wishes appeared in orbs in King Magnifico’s hands, causing him to smirk. “Perfect…”

“Sunny! Izzy!” Pipp gasped in shock. “Your cutie marks! T-They’re gone!”

“What?!” Sunny looked down at her flank and realized Pipp was right-- their cutie marks had vanished alongside their wishes, causing her to shakingly gasp. “No…”

As Sunny and Izzy tried their best to recover, King Magnifico proceeded to remove the wishes from Pipp and Zipp, leaving them exhausted, tired and cutie mark-less. However… as King Magnifico finished taking Hitch’s wish, taking his cutie mark as well, Allura noticed something was off. “Magnifico… there were six ponies here but you only got five wishes. Where’s the other unicorn?!”

It took Sunny and the others a moment, but they realized that Allura was right-- Misty was the only one of them not captured.

But before anyone could try and find Misty, she appeared in front of her friends, looking at the king almost pleadingly. “King Magnifico… please… give my friends their wishes back. They need to remember who they are and who they stand for,” she said softly. “Without those wishes… they can’t.”

“Does it look like I care, little unicorn?” King Magnifico scoffed. “These wishes will provide me with even more power than even you can imagine in your rinky dink horn of yours.”

“Misty, get out of here! Save yourself while you can!” Hitch said. “You can’t lose your wish too!”

“...no, Hitch. I’m not leaving you,” Misty told her friends with certainty. “He can do his worst, but I’m not leaving you all behind.”

Allura paused and looked at Misty with a bit of surprise, but also… admiration? It almost… reminded her of how confident she was when she was a cub.

However, King Magnifico merely smirked at her. “If that’s what you want…”

Misty yelped out of surprise as the king pushed his hand onto her chest and tried to feel for her wish so he could pull it out, but after a moment… he pulled his hand back in confusion. “What?”

Once again, the king tried to feel for Misty’s wish, but for the second time, he felt nothing. “What kind of deception is this? WHERE IS YOUR WISH?!”

“It’s not there,” Misty said with certainty in her solemn look. “Because… I never had one.”

“Misty?” Asha looked stunned, as did the others. “What do you mean you don’t have a wish? Everyone has one.”

“...not me,” Misty said. “If you’ve lived your whole life with a fire alicorn who wanted nothing but unbridled power, you would have wished every day for a chance to escape, to finally earn your cutie mark, to make a better life for yourself. Well… I did. But then, I escaped from Opaline on my own, got my cutie mark by helping my friends and then… I made a better life for myself all on my own.”

At this, she glanced at her friends, who smiled softly as she turned to King Magnifico and Allura and Twitch again. “So… now you know. I don’t have a wish because all my wishes have already been fulfilled. So that means… I’m immune to your power.”

King Magnifico growled in frustration, his eyes burning with fury. “Allura, freeze her solid!”

“Y-Yes, your highness,” Allura bowed her head. “As you wish.”

Seeing that Misty was in danger, Asha made a bold decision and pushed a heavy bookshelf right onto the villains, trapping them. “Let’s go!” Asha exclaimed as Sabino helped Sakina to her feet, and as Misty helped the other ponies. “Now!”

“Can you guys stand?” Misty asked her friends urgently. “How are you feeling?”

“Forget about us!” Zipp said as she and the others finally stood. “Let’s get Asha and her family outta here!”

Misty and Valentino did their best to help the downed ponies out through the door. Asha and Sabino held Sakina by the hands as they carefully led her out. Unfortunately, two royal guards were there to cut them off. “Aw, nuts!” Izzy whined. “Now what do we do?!”

However, the guards were more distracted by Star, who zipped out into the open.

“What is that?!”

“Hey!”

But as the ponies felt their fear slowly rising, Star was the one to take action. He zipped around the two guardsmen, entangling them in the yarn, and the guards, now out of balance, tipped and fell onto the ground before they squirmed, trying to get free. "Is this yarn?" one of them asked incredulously. “Hurry!” Sabino urged. “Hurry!”

“How are we going to get away?” Zipp asked with worry. “There's no way we'll be able to outrun the king or Allura with Sakina so weak and a lot of us ponies without our powers!”

“Look!” Sunny said, pointing to three horses standing not far from the house. “Maybe those horses can give us a lift!”

“Come on!” Asha said. “We don’t have time to waste!”

Valentino galloped up to the three waiting horses. "From one domesticated animal to another... help us!"

And the shock of everyone, the guards horses enthusiastically neighed in agreement and lowered to their knees to help Asha and her family onto their backs. “Careful,” Pipp warned. “That's it, Sakina. Hold on,” Sabino helped his daughter-in-law onto the waiting horse. “Can you guys still run?” Asha turned to the Mane 6. “Argh… I think so,” Sunny said. “We may not have our magic or our wishes anymore, but we're not completely helpless.”

“Speak for yourself…” Zipp mumbled before trying to get herself off the ground. “So much for an airborne escape.”

“How will I ever do my freestyle, flying livestreams?!” Zipp’s younger sister wailed. “The Pippsqueaks love those!”

“There are more trying issues than your publicity,” Valentino fruitlessly tried climbing up one of the palace horses. “Besides, it might do you some good to get some blood pumping in your legs instead of your wings.”

“Hurry up!” Misty cried as Asha got onto one of the horses. “Come on!”

Once Asha and her family were safely aboard, the horses took off into the starry night with the Mane 6 following directly behind. While being smaller ponies, they were able to keep up, much to their adrenalin-fueled relief.

“Wow,” Hitch commented. “Those horses are fast!”

“Yeah, and apparently, so are we!” Pipp panted, causing Zipp to giggle to herself. “Heh, that's surprising considering you have the stubbiest legs.”

Pipp glared at her older sister in rebuttal. “Oh, you want to talk about detrimental body proportions, Ms. Stilt-Legs?”

“Girls, enough arguing!” Sunny hollered. “Have you forgotten we're being hunted down by Magnifico and Allura?”

“We have their guard horses, though,” Izzy pointed out. “No way they'll catch up to us now! Though, Allura can fly.”

The escaping group raced through the thin, dank forest, with Star being their only source of light. However, they quickly ran into another big problem. As the horses and ponies broke through the tree line, the group found themselves face-to-face with the Mediterranean Sea and came to a stop beyond the shore.

“We’ve run out of land!” Misty said in worry. “Now what?!” Pipp screeched. “Any minute Allura or King Magnifico well show up, and then we'll be toast for sure!”

Asha looked around the vast shoreline, hoping anything around could be of any help. The only thing around was a handful of small rowboats sitting close to the shore. “There’s a boat! Hurry!”

She tapped to horse's shoulder, directing it over to the parked boat, causing the other horses and the ponies to follow. Once at the parked boat, Asha disembarked her horse and helped her grandfather and mother off of theirs. “Go, return to your stables!” Valentino urged the horses. “If anyone asks… play dumb.”

The two armored equines turned to each other and nodded in affirmation with each other as the Mane 6 hurriedly got into the boat with Asha and her family. “Not a very big boat,” Zipp groaned. “But, it'll have to do,” Sabino said, helping Sakina onto one of the wooden seats. “I say we head for the islet,” Valentino proposed. “It's closest. We can hide there.”

“What other choice do we have?” Sunny asked rhetorically, though she sounded more depressed than anything. “Any other place we run the risk of getting caught.”

Hitch sighed with a nod to this. “Wouldn't surprise me if they already have wanted posters of us all over the city.”

“WHAT!?” Pipp shrieked. “I can't be seen as a criminal! What would my… my… what were they called again?”

“Pipp, we’re not criminals,” Izzy said gently. “This is all just a big misunderstanding.”

Asha strained to get the boat going, struggling to move the heavy wooden oars through the water. Star, thinking quickly, zipped around the wooden oars, enchanting them with his magic so that they could row on their own.

Asha sighed gratefully to this. “Thank you.”

And so, there they were, out in the calm, open sea. The star-filled night sky reflected off the water's glassy surface, only to be interrupted by the oar's rippling intrusion. “Mama…?” Asha turned to her mother in concern. “My heart knows this feeling,” Sakina put her hand over her chest. “This is grief.”

“Grief…?” Hitch looked confused. “Why would you be feeling grief?”

Misty's expression diminished into a somber realization. “Her wish is gone. Without it, all her hope and motivation are taken along with it. It's like she doesn't have the energy to do anything. It's all emptiness.”

“So…” Zipp looked worried. “Her drive is just… gone?”

Misty nodded somberly. “I… I guess I kinda understand the feeling,” Pipp sighed, pulling out her phone from under her wing and staring blankly at it. “I… I have my phone, but… I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do with it.”

“Me too…” Hitch sighed. “I don’t even remember what I stood for. Without my wish…”

“...we’re all empty inside too,” Sunny said with a soft sniffle. “We’re just… shells of what we used to be.”

“Ohh…” Asha lowered her head in shame. “I didn't mean for this to happen.” “I know, baby,” Sakina held her daughter's hand. “I was foolish,” Asha continued, “to think I could change anything. I should never have wished.”

“N-No, Asha, this isn't your fault,” Sunny said in an attempt to comfort her friend. “You couldn't have known any of this would happen.”

Asha looked at the once-confident earth pony mare with sad eyes. “I was the one that cause everything to fall apart, Sunny, and you and your friends got caught up in it. Now we're wanted criminals.”

Izzy felt her ears lower at this. “Asha…”

Star shook his head empathetically. He held Asha's chin and turned head back to face the others. She looked at the living star, who shook his head again, trying to tell Asha that this wasn't her fault. “It's true,” the young girl said sadly. “My wish ruined everything for my family. And now everyone at Rosas is at risk because of me.”

Star fell into an even greater sense of sadness and sympathy. “Oh, Asha…” Sakina whispered, “...no…”

“You wished for a better future for everyone, Asha,” Pipp said gently. “That's probably the nicest, most selfless thing to ever wish for. It exposed King Magnifico as the self-imposing monster he is. You're not in the wrong for things the king did.”

“Pipp’s right,” Zipp sighed. “Everyone is at risk… because of Magnifico and Allura.”

“Our dear Rosas,” Sabino whispered. “Your father's heart would break for what we now know.”

“And to make matters worse,” said Sunny, “the king will only grow stronger with every wish he absorbs.”

“Wishes…” Misty agreed, “...that will never get granted.”

Asha looked to the mountainous city as a whipping mist carpeted Rosas's outskirts. The city's castle towered over all the other miniscule buildings. Asha knew that the king was going to take advantage of the wishes' powers and, therefore, taking advantage of all the people of Rosas.

Eventually, Zipp spoke up again. “Are we really just going to run away when people's futures are at risk? We can't just let Magnifico and Allura get away with this.”

“But we can’t do anything,” Sakina sighed. “Misty is the only one of you with magic left, and she can’t do it on her own.”

Asha remained silent to this. A bunch of thoughts were racing in her head, but it all accumulated into one thing; she had to fix this.

Asha noticed Star looking up at her, a perplexed look on his face. It appeared he was trying to read her expression to get an idea of what she was thinking. “I know what you’re thinking,” Asha said to Star, “cause I’m thinking it too.”

Star smiled and nodded. Asha sucked in a breath. This was going to be tough to break to her mother and grandfather, but this needed to be done. “I love you both very much.”

Sabino looked at her in confusion. “What is going on?”

“When you get to the islet…”

“Asha?”

“...stay hidden from view.”

“What’s going on?” Sakina asked, leaving Asha to sigh. “I have to stop him.”

“No!” Sakina cried. “It’s too dangerous!” Sabino warned. “Dangerous or not, someone has to do something,” Sunny said. “We're with you, Asha.”

“If you get caught, who knows what Magnifico will do to you all,” Sakina tried to dissuade them. “And if we just run away, he'll do unspeakable things with his new power,” Zipp added. “Zipp is right. I started this-- I have to finish it..." Asha said, hugging her family. “...for everyone.”

Sunny put a hoof on Asha’s shoulder. “We'll do this together, Asha. You're not going in this alone.”

“Technically, she isn't,” Valentino spoke up. “She has both me and the star.”

Zipp was about to say something snide, but Izzy cut in first. "The more the merrier."

That's when Asha pulled out of the emrbace and jumped headfirst into the water.

“Asha!”

“No!”

“I cannot swim!” Valentino sighed as he leapt into the water after Asha. Pipp's expression quickly soured upon realizing what she and others had to do. “Ugh, seriously? And here I was happily thinking I wasn't getting wet today…”

“Stop worrying about yourself and get in the water!” Zipp said to her younger sister before diving in, and soon after, the younger pegasus sister let out a whining groan before begrudgingly taking the dive. “WHA!! It’s cold!!”

Valentino held onto Asha's head, while Star hovered over the group as they swam toward shore. "Perfect," the baby goat grinned. "Shark!"

“What?!”

“Where?!”

“Take the goat, not me!”

“EEK!!!”

“No, no. I have not seen a shark,” Valentino said, sensing that the group was in panic mode. “I'm just practicing.”

“...a little warning would’ve been nice,” Pipp fumed. “You know, Valentino, what are you going to do when we confront Magnifico?” Zipp asked. “Ram his ankles?”

“Zipp, my good fellow, I can do a lot more than that,” Valentino said proudly. “Of course, it's not a whole lot. I am only three weeks old, after all.”

“We know!” the ponies said in exasperation before they kept swimming toward shore.

Their mission was soon clear-- they had only one chance to fix this, and in doing such… they had one chance to save Rosas and stop Allura and Twitch once and for all.

Knowing What I Know Now and Allura's Reformation

Things have escalated to a whole other scale, if you all may remember.

Sakina’s wish had been destroyed, fueling King Magnifico’s dark power so much, he was able to extract the wishes from Sunny, Hitch, Pipp, Zipp and Izzy, leaving Misty (the only pony to not have a wish) immune to the king’s dark power.

After escaping and leaving Asha’s mother and grandfather to sail toward the islet, Asha, Valentino, Star and the Mane 6 swam back toward Rosas to try and deal with King Magnifico’s reign of terror and get the final star shard back from Allura.

And hopefully… they will succeed without many other problems.

XXXXXXXX

And try as he might, he couldn’t get Allura and Twitch to stick around.

Nevertheless, he was determined to keep his search going. “To harness a star…” the king muttered before flipping the page, revealing a staff that made his eyes light up in greed. “Ooh, a staff. A staff of such power, even the night will bow to my command.”

With a malicious chuckle, King Magnifico immediately got to work putting ingredients into the cauldron for the completion of the staff. “One branch of mountain ash bathed in Tollen’s potion. Molten iron for strength, copper for a strike. And most important, the power cast from the innocent hearts of three.”

The king made three wishes float over to him, and these three wishes belonged to some of the people who had questioned him in the assembly earlier that day. “You dared to question me and all that I do for you. You don’t deserve to be granted,” the king said to the wishes before bringing them closer and clutching them tighter. “But, through me, you may serve a greater purpose.”

Then… King Magnifico smashed all three wishes, causing them to shatter, and causing the people they belonged to sudden grief that they couldn’t explain.

King Magnifico’s eyes glowed with an eerie green light as he cackled, grabbing the branch and sticking it inside the potion. “Yes… yes!!”

Within a matter of a seconds, the branch turned into a long, elegant-looking staff with a diamond tip at the end of it that looked like it had little mirrors on each side-- perfect for a king who thought of nothing except for himself.

Not long after the staff was completed, Allura and Twitch led Queen Amaya down into the study, all three of them looking worried and frightened.

“Allura, Twitch, Amaya, darling! Come, come! You’re just in time to meet my new toy!” King Magnifico said, slamming his staff upon the ground and feeling the power it radiated. “Now, that is power. Am I glowing? I feel as if I am. Yes?”

“...do you see what I mean, your highness?” Allura said, trying to keep her feelings under control. “He’s… lost his mind, quite frankly.”

Queen Amaya never thought she would see her husband in such a manner, and like Allura and Twitch, it truly scared her. “How could you? You know the ways of forbidden magic are…”

“Unappreciated, much like I am by my own people. By that girl,” King Magnifico said bitterly. “She did this. She and those little pony friends of hers pulled a star from the sky to destroy everything I’ve built!”

“Asha…?” Queen Amaya seemed unsure of what to believe by this point. “No, she only wanted her family’s wishes back.”

Suddenly… Queen Amaya gasped and froze when King Magnifico held the staff out at her threateningly. “Do you side with the traitor, Amaya?”

“...no. No,” Queen Amaya said quickly. “You know I would never side with a traitor of Rosas. I have believed in you from the moment we met. We built this kingdom together. There is nothing more important than that.”

It seemed to take a moment for King Magnifico to believe this, but when he did, a cheerful smile overtook his face. “Wonderful.”

Allura sighed in relief. “But… your majesty, there is… something I wish to ask of you,” she said cautiously, despite Twitch trying to stop her. “When you took those five ponies’ wishes, it contained most of their magic. We agreed when Twitch and I first came to you, we would share their magic if we ever were to get ahold of it, yes?”

“...did I, though?” King Magnifico asked. “I don’t remember making that sort of promise.”

“But… you did,” Allura protested, getting in his path as he began to leave. “If you give them to me now, I can charge this star shard just enough to open a portal and find my brother, so we can…”

“I told Asha and I told you before, you ungrateful cat! I decide what everyone deserves!” King Magnifico said, causing Allura to back into a wall with Twitch. “And since you seem to care more about your brother than serving your only ally…”

“He is my brother!” Allura snapped in retaliation, much like she had with her father many years ago. “I love him! He is all the family I have! You… you are nothing but a tyrant!”

“...a tyrant? Is that what you think?” King Magnifico asked after a moment, causing Allura to cover her mouth with her paw. “Well… then I suppose a tyrant might do this!”

The king pointed his scepter at Allura and Twitch, glowing with a wicked green light and causing both Allura and Twitch to groan in pain as both their wishes were painfully removed, causing Allura’s cutie mark to disappear and both of them to fall to the ground, weak.

Queen Amaya gasped at this behavior, and King Magnifico sighed in pleasure. “Perfect… two more to add to my collection. Now, my dear Amaya, let’s go set the stage,” he said to his wife with a cheerful grin. “I’m on the hunt!”

Queen Amaya watched her husband leave for a few moments before she turned to Allura and Twitch. “Are you two all right?”

“...my wish… my wish is gone…” Allura said quietly. “I… I can’t even remember what it was, and I…”

“Just… stay down here and rest for now,” Queen Amaya said, rubbing Allura’s mane in comfort. “I’ll update you once we find something out.”

That was when Queen Amaya took her leave, causing Twitch to come up and put his paw on Allura’s face in comfort, as if asking if she was really all right.

Allura sighed heavily. “I feel so empty, Twitch. Like… all of my joys, my efforts of being carefree… are gone forever. Your wish was taken too, and… that’s the last thing I wanted. Maybe… maybe those ponies were right. Maybe… I have become a monster… just like… him…”

Twitch knew that Allura was referring to her father… the worst snow leopard she had ever known, in that statement, and immediately tried to comfort her as silent tears stroked down her furry cheeks.

She was alone, powerless, in this world run by a mad man, and there was probably nothing that she could do to stop this nightmare from ending.

Or… was there something that she could do?

XXXXXXX

By this time, the city and toward the castle, where a large assembly of people were gathering for a wish ceremony celebrating the one who had revealed Asha and the ponies as the suspects responsible for the crime.

Once they were safely hidden at the back of the crowd, Valentino peeked his head out from underneath Asha’s dress. “You know, all of this is just a bump in the road. A gigantically, humongous bump.”

“Gee, Valentino,” Hitch rolled his eyes quietly. “No kidding.”

“Everyone, focus,” Misty said firmly. “We have to find Dahlia and the others, right, Asha?”

“Right,” Asha nodded. “They’re the only ones we can trust right now.”

Valentino looked at the large crowd, trying to spot Dahlia and the others, but only shook his head in response. “All I see are feet.”

“If I had my alicorn form,” Sunny sighed, “I could’ve flown up and spotted them by now. But... I don't even remember how to turn into an alicorn to begin with.”

“Don’t worry, Sunny… everything is gonna be fine,” Misty tried to reassure. “At least… I hope it will be.”

XXXXXXXX

“Look at these poor people!” said one the heralds, bringing three whose wishes had been destroyed up onto the stage. “Asha and her Equestrian friends stole and destroyed their wishes. She and those… those mules must pay!”

Not too far away from the stage, Dahlia and the other teens had gathered, all except for Simon, and Safi eventually spoke up with worry. “They say Asha’s family’s gone missing.”

Gabo merely scoffed and crossed his arms. “I bet those horses killed them.”

“I don’t know, Gabo, Sunny and her friends don’t seem like that kind of type,” Dahlia frowned. “But… then again… this whole thing feels… wrong.”

But as the crowd cheered, Queen Amaya sat herself down in her throne, looking worried for various reasons, but Izzy seemed to sense it as something else. “The queen looks… scared.”

“Maybe she’s finally seen her husband for the psychopath he is,” Zipp crossed her hooves. “Or maybe it’s Allura’s doing.”

“I don’t think so, Zipp,” Hitch frowned. “The queen’s frightened nature seems pretty genuine to me.”

“If we could get her on our side,” Asha said, “maybe she might know a way to take Magnifico down.”

“Yeah, that’s all well and good,” said Pipp, “but how do we talk to her without being seen by anyone else?”

But upon seeing a mouse sneaking around for food nearby, Asha glanced at Star with a sly little smirk. “I think we’re thinking the same thing… again,” she said, just before Star started to zip over to the mouse to get its attention. “W-W-Wait, discreetly!” Zipp whispered scoldingly. “We do NOT wanna get caught!”

And so, donning a yarn mustache, Star began to cautiously sneak over to the mouse while the Mane 6 and Asha continued to watch the assembly, staying as out of sight as they possibly could. “You are all probably wondering why you are here,” said the king to the unsuspecting crowd. “Yes, there’s a savage teenager running around with a star, destroying wishes. But… guess who bravely came forward and identified her confidants. Give a big cheer for Simon O’Donohue!”

A spotlight immediately fell on Simon on the stage, causing Dahlia, Safi, Hal, Gabo, Bazeema and Dario to gasp in shock.

But no one could be more shocked than Asha herself. “...Simon…?”

“Simon did this?!” Pipp scoffed in disbelief before crossing her hooves. “The nerve of the sleepy guy!”

King Magnifico chuckled as the cheering began to subside. “I know, I know! Tell me, I was as surprised as you all. Our sleepy little Simon here. No need to be nervous, Simon,” the king said as he brought Simon further out onto the stage. “Be proud! Show us your joy!”

“Are you sure your little mouse-sized plan is gonna work, Asha?” Hitch asked. “I mean, without my animal communication powers…”

“Don’t worry, Hitch,” Asha reassured quietly. “Star and I have that taken care of.”

XXXXXXXX

Queen Amaya sat on her throne, watching the assembly when she felt something crawl onto her shoulder and whisper in her ear. “Your Majesty!”

The queen then glanced over and saw a talking mouse perched on her shoulder, causing her to freeze up within moments. “Oh, my…”

“I know, a talking mouse, but don’t panic. I’m very clean, and I have an important message for you,” the mouse said politely before clearing its throat and speaking. “You once said, ‘Generosity is the true essence of Rosas’. I can see your fear, but Rosas needs your help now. Love, Asha and the Equestrian ponies.”

The mouse then chuckled. “The love part was my idea,” she admitted. “Okay… bye.”

And with that, the little mouse scurried away, leaving the queen to contemplate with what had just been said.

Maybe Asha and the Equestrians were right. Maybe… her husband wasn’t as pure as she thought she was.

XXXXXXXX

Once Asha had gotten confirmation from the mouse that the queen had gotten her message, she and the ponies turned back to the assembly, which was honestly getting pretty nerve-wracking, knowing the king's true, wicked intentions. “So, my dear Simon, are you ready to see your wish?”

King Magnifico brought out the orb with Simon’s wish inside, causing Simon to gasp in recognition. “To be the king’s most valiant, courageous, and loyal knight!”

Gabo crossed his arms within the crowd. “Just not a loyal friend…”

That’s when King Magnifico smiled, tossed the wish into the air and gripped onto his staff. “It is my great pleasure to grant you your heart’s desire.”

The crowd gasped in awe as Simon was lifted up into the air with the king's magic, his normal clothing becoming armor while gaining a shield and a sword in the process. But... that's where the real enchantment of the wish-granting began.

After a moment, Simon began to groan in pain, as if he was fighting back some wickedly dark magic, and after a moment, the king pulled him down hard, and after a few moments, Simon stood up, his expression dark and his eyes glowing as he held his sword up to the sky. “LONG LIVE THE KING!!!”

The crowd cheered, not suspecting anything while the other teens, Asha, Valentino, Star and the Mane 6 looked on in horror.

Simon had just become a pawn in the king’s game, and now, they could ALL potentially be at risk.

Zipp noticed Bazeema sneaking the rest of the teens away from the assembly, and immediately pointed this out to her friends. “Where are they going?”

“Come on!” Asha whispered. “Let’s follow them before they get too far away!”

And as Asha and the Mane 6 followed the other teens’ shadows away from the assembly, King Magnifico turned to Simon with a chuckle. “Oh, isn’t that wonderful?”

“There are six more traitors, Your Majesty,” Simon bellowed for all to hear. “Dahlia, Gabo, Dario, Safi, Hal and Bazeema!”

“Find them,” King Magnifico urged the people of Rosas, “so they may pay for their betrayal. Find Asha and her horse lackies, so you may be rewarded. But most importantly, find me that star, so I will have the power to grant all of your wishes!”

The crowd cheered wildly at this, not knowing that they too were pawns in the king’s evil plan to get his revenge on Asha and the ponies and pawns in order to finally get Star in his clutches.

XXXXXXXX

“Come on, this way!” Zipp whispered to her friends as they crept through the city streets, following the shadows of the other teens. “I think they went down this way!”

“That’s what you said the last two turns!” Pipp said to her sister in exasperation. “I really don’t wanna get caught and thrown into a dungeon!”

But as they turned a corner, they realized there was nothing there-- no door that the others could have gone into. Asha looked around in confusion, clearly bewildered by losing them so suddenly. “It’s a dead end.”

“There has to be something here,” Hitch said before groaning, frustrated. “If I could only remember my wish, maybe I could use that to get us out of this!”

“Hitch… I know this is frustrating, but… believe me when I say… you guys still can protect us. Protect Rosas,” Misty said gently. “I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but you all have something to offer. You're all smart and brave and kind. I've seen you. Any of you would do anything to help your fellow pony, with or without your wish at work.”

“Well, yeah, but our cutie marks and wishes made us who we really are,” Pipp said with a frown. “Without them… we’re nothing.”

“Well… yes, your wishes and your cutie marks are special,” Misty said softly, “but… I do know that… somewhere deep inside you, there’s a reminder of your true selves, whether you wanna see it or not. And I know we can do this. Now… help me look for a clue that might point to where Dahlia and the others went.”

“Well, it may be a dead end,” Valentino said as he saw some wood perched on the wall, “but it’s a dead end with unsanded mahogany!”

Valentino began to rub his butt on the wooden boards, feeling very relaxed and content when all of a sudden, the wood fell down, revealing a hidden entrance within the palace walls. “Oh,” Asha blinked in surprise. “Good find, Valentino.”

Valentino smiled proudly. “My butt found it.”

“Ugh… when you say it, it sounds SO wrong,” Pipp gagged before the group began to cautiously enter, unsure of what they would find in this closed-off space that their other friends must have gone into.

XXXXXXXX

As it turned out, Bazeema had led the other teens to a secret, comforting space within the lower parts of the castle that only she knew of…

…and where she would be sure they would not be found. “Whoa!” said Dario in amazement as they looked around. “So, this is where you go when you sneak off, huh, Bazeema?”

“Thanks for keeping it all to yourself,” Gabo scoffed. “Introverts deserve sanctuary,” Bazeema said simply, causing Hal to chuckle and smile. “I’m happy for you.”

“We’re safe here,” Bazeema then assured, but then, Gabo had to interrupt with his pessimistic attitude. “No, we’re not safe anywhere. We’re fugitives, thanks to Asha and those horses she came in with.”

“We may have just met those ponies this morning, but I believe they’re not capable of this. Come to think of it… this doesn’t sound like Asha at all,” Dahlia frowned. “She said she just wanted her family to have their wishes back.”

Gabo shot her a look. “And you believed her?!”

“It’s the truth, Gabo.”

Asha and the ponies, along with Valentino, appeared in the doorway of the room, causing many of them to duck behind Dahlia for safety. “Oh! Hi, Asha. Hi, horses,” Dario said absent-mindedly before Gabo pulled him behind Dahlia. “Please,” Dahlia begged, “say you didn’t destroy those peoples’ wishes.”

“Of course she didn’t,” Zipp said bluntly. “It was Magnifico! He destroyed Asha’s mother’s wish too!”

Gabo scoffed at the white pegasus princess in disbelief. “Likely story…”

“Listen, Gabo, I know you don’t wanna believe us, but it’s the truth. King Magnifico… is a monster, quite frankly,” Misty said sternly. “He destroyed Sakina’s wish, just like he did for those people, and he took my friends’ wishes too, along with their magic!”

“Wait,” Hal stopped the conversation, eyes wide. “What?”

“It’s true,” Sunny said as she, Izzy, Hitch and the pegasus sisters showcased their blank flanks. This caused the teens to glance at each other in concern before Sunny continued. “Misty is the only one immune to his power cause she doesn’t have a wish. He and Allura could be gaining power as we speak and we need to stop them before its too late.”

“Well… we didn’t see Allura or her bunny at the ceremony, but… the king was acting awfully… awfully…” Safi said as he felt the urge to sneeze. “Awful,” Bazeema answered for him, covering his nose so he wouldn’t sneeze. “Simon,” Dahlia added sadly, “looked like he was in pain.”

“Yeah,” Gabo rolled his eyes. “Right before he snitched on us.”

Safi then let out a sneeze before looking toward the others, worried as ever. “We’re doomed…”

That was when Asha made an affirmative decision in her mind, her eyes narrowing. “Not if we fight.”

She looked to Star, Valentino and the ponies, who nodded before shutting all of the windows so they wouldn’t be heard, just before a rousing song began.

Misty: You’ve been deceived
Magnifico is not the man he claims to be

Sunny: He’s more vicious than I could have ever comprehended

Asha: When we made a wish and Star came down
This is not what we expected
Or intended
But now that it’s happened, we don’t regret it

Zipp: Cause now we’ve seen him show his true colors
In shades of green

Asha: Saying that your wishes aren't safe because of me and
That's a lie lie lie lie
And I know we can’t do this on our own and…

Sunny: If it’s not us, then who and when?

Pipp: If we don’t fight, they know they win
Not allowed

Hitch and Izzy: Knowing what I know now

Sunny: The lengths they’ll go, there’s no amount

Asha: I won’t sit back
Watch this play out
That's my vow

Mane 6 and Asha: Knowing what I know now

As the song progressed, the teens began to have a different change of heart, slowly beginning to realize what Asha and her friends were trying to warn them off.

That’s when Dahlia decided to make the first move for their independence and freedom, encouraging others to stand beside her.

Dahlia: Get up yah!
Know I'm not the only one that's

All: Yeah!

Dahlia: Fed up

All: Yeah!

Dario: Wait til' they hear our feet go dun dun dun dun

All: Yeah!

Hal: I don't think he's prepared for what's coming

All: A revolution hit the ground running!

And now that all of them were in on Asha and the ponies’ fight for justice, they began to piece together a lookalike of the castle out of old junk they had down in that room, all while the song continued.

Asha and Sunny: If there's one thing he can't keep down

All: Uh-huh

Asha, Sunny, Dahlia and Hitch: It’s us and the strength we’ve found
It’s too loud

All: Loud!

Misty: Knowing what we know now

All: Knowing what we know now

Gabo: And who, who knows if we’ll succeed?

All: But we

Pipp and Hal: Won’t stop and we won’t retreat
Or turn round

All: Round

Mane 6 and Asha: Knowing what we know now

All: Knowing what we know now

Teens: Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo
Hoo-ha-hoo-ha-hoo-ha
Hoo (Hoo-hoo)

Safi: Can he tell what we're becomin'

Dario: Hear it in the way we’re drummin’

Bazeema: I was sweet, but now I’m somethin’ else

Mane 6: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Dario: Ain't it nice of us to drop in

Hal: To take what's ours to take it back in

Gabo: He thinks we’re nothing

Asha: But we’re something else

All: YEAH!!

But it was at that moment that Queen Amaya stepped into the room, her face solemn. “Uh-oh…” Izzy gulped. “You think we might have been doing that a little… too loud?”

Suddenly, as the others began to worry that their efforts would be in vain… Queen Amaya slammed the door shut and began to join in!

Queen Amaya: I’ve seen too many
Bad things that I can’t keep count

All: He loves

Queen Amaya: One thing more than himself
His crown

All: Crown

Queen Amaya: Knowing what I know now

All: Knowing what I know now

Queen Amaya: The good in him
I’ve watched it melt

All: I was

Queen Amaya: Fooled by the love I felt
So profound

Teens: Ahhh

Queen Amaya: Knowing what I know

Asha: I know

Dahlia: I know

Mane 6: We know now

All: Knowing what we know now!

And with that said, the song was over and finished. Delighted to know that the queen was on their side, Star immediately floated over and booped her nose with one of his points. “Oh!” Queen Amaya said in surprise. “Hi.”

“Your Majesty?” Asha looked to her queen with a courteous smile. “This is Star, Sunny, Hitch, Misty, Izzy, Zipp and Pipp.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, your highness,” Sunny bowed to the queen, causing her friends to bow in response. “Officially, of course.”

“Oh… you are all extraordinary,” Queen Amaya booped Star, causing him to laugh before rubbing Izzy on top of her mane, causing her to smile before the queen’s expression fell from happy to quite serious. “You need to know, Magnifico has embraced a most corrupt magic. He is intent on capturing Star. He wants to take all of Star's energy for himself.”

“But if he takes Star's magic, he'll be unstoppable!” Zipp frowned. “We can't let that happen!”

“Then Star needs to leave, like, right now,” Gabo said urgently. “No, no!” Valentino immediately rejected the thought. “If anyone’s leaving, it’s gonna be you.”

“Weirdness aside, Valentino has a point, Gabo,” Misty said. “Just like me and my friends can't go home until our mission is over, Star won’t go until those wishes are free.”

Hal turned to Asha and the ponies hopefully. “Does that mean you have a plan?”

“...of course we have a plan,” Asha smiled at her friends with confidence. “Just gather around and listen close.”

Asha gathered the other teens around to fill them in on the plan, but after a moment, Zipp turned to Queen Amaya with a question in mind. “Safi said he didn’t see Allura and Twitch at the ceremony, your highness. They’re probably working with Magnifico in order to fuel the last star shard with the magic of those peoples’ wishes, right?”

Queen Amaya sighed sadly. “I don’t know how to tell you this, Zipp, but I don't believe that Allura and my husband will be intertwined with one another any longer.”

“Huh?” Hitch looked at the queen in confusion. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” Queen Amaya began, “the thing is…”

“I'm rather powerless at the moment.”

Everyone yelped at the sound of Allura’s voice, and they turned to see Allura and Twitch trudging into the room, their heads hung low and their eyes filled with guilt and shame.

However… Zipp wasn't one to be fooled by this behavior. “You both have some nerve, you know that?” she asked angrily. “Coming in here, telling us you're powerless to gain our trust so you can backstab us, charge the last star shard and take over Equestria?! Paradise may have had a chance at being reformed, Allura… but not--”

“Zipp, stop!” Sunny stopped the white pegasus from speaking further. “I… know how we can know for sure if she's telling the truth. Misty, you’re the only one of us with magic, so… can you…?”

Misty didn’t have to think twice, so she nodded and approached Allura and Twitch before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “I might seem a little quiet, but my strength is very real. When my cutie mark comes to life, my heart helps me feel!”

As her cutie mark and horn lit up with bright light, Misty began to use her magic to look through Allura’s memories, and saw… a lot, quite frankly.

The day she and Alterro were born…

…the day their mother died…

…days and days on end of their father's endless abuse…

…the day that Allura and Alterro got separated…

…the day Allura met Twitch in Starlight Ridge shortly afterwards…

…and then, all the events that happened up until this very moment in time.

After a moment, the magic faded, and Misty looked to a guilty Allura with sympathy in her gaze. “The king… took your wish too… didn’t he?”

“...he did. I want to remember what it was, but… I… I can't stop thinking about the pain I've caused to all those creatures over the past year,” Allura said as she looked down at the stone floor. “I… was angry, for reasons I can't remember, but I do remember how many I hurt with my villainy. I… I don't want to be like that anymore. Twitch… he's all I have left and his wish was taken just like mine.”

“It’s true,” Queen Amaya said to the stunned group. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“...I don't expect to be forgiven, but… can you get back Twitch’s wish for me? Please?” Allura begged the ponies desperately. “That’s… that's all I really need. If he's happy, I suppose I'll be happy too.”

Star squeaked and floated over to Allura, causing Twitch to back up out of worry and hide behind a nearby barrel. Allura lifted her head just in time to see Star boop her nose with one of his points. “Oh. Um… hello.”

“Aww, come here, cutie little bunny!” Hal said as she picked Twitch up off the ground and hugged him tight. “Ooh, you and just the cutest, wootest little bunny-wunny I've ever seen!”

Twitch, at first, became rather uncomfortable with the non-stop hugging, but after a moment, sighed contently and nuzzled into Hal's embrace.

It was at that moment that Asha approached Allura and rubbed her mane. “All I know of what you did in the past is from Sunny’s stories. But… if Misty really saw what she saw, and believes you deserve a second chance… we'll help you AND Twitch get your wishes back.”

Allura looked at her, stunned. “R-Really?”

“Of course we will. Sometimes, ponies… and non-ponies… make mistakes,” Sunny agreed with a soft smile. “But it’s what we do on the inside that counts. Right, guys?”

Hitch looked at Allura for a moment before eventually smiling. “Sure.”

“I'm willing to believe it,” Pipp shrugged. “Besides, that bully of a king overtook you as a villain a long time ago.”

“Welcome to the team, Allura-Bura!” Izzy cheered. “You too, Twitchy-Witchy!”

Zipp, however, took the longest to answer, eyeing Allura and Twitch with suspicion, but what broke her glare… was Star. The star-shaped creature booped the white pegasus on the nose, causing him to look at her expectantly.

And after a moment of staring, Zipp sighed and looked at Allura and Twitch again. “I… guess if the others trust you, then… maybe I should to. But make one wrong move…”

“Thank you… thank you, all of you,” Allura said gratefully. “We won’t let you down, will we, Twitch?”

Twitch immediately shook his head to this. “Uh-uh.”

“Then let's get you guys caught up on the plan,” Asha said with a welcoming smile. “The sooner we get this ball rolling… the better of Rosas might be.”

But before anything could be said… Allura gave her star shard to Misty, who looked at her in surprise. “Please, take it. I… don't really have a need for it anymore, not if I don't know what my wish is, anyway.”

Misty took the star shard with grateful eyes as she and the ponies spared glances of surprise and warmth.

Maybe there was hope for Allura to be reformed after all.

The Final Fight (Part 1: Freeing the Wishes)

It seemed as if one of the Mane 6's biggest hassles was becoming a distant memory… Allura and Twitch’s evil was seemingly over.

They were turning… to the side of good!

Even if it took King Magnifico taking their wishes in order to make it happen.

The Mane 6 and everyone else were willing to put the past behind them and accept the fact that Allura and Alterro deserved a second chance… even after they got everyone’s wishes out of the castle.

But will Asha, the ponies and all their allies save the day before it's too late?

That's something we're just going to have to see for ourselves.

XXXXXXXX

A little while after the plan was discussed, King Magnifico was down in his study, inspecting more wishes and crushing them to absorb their power. “Oh! Fantasyland in the sky, huh? How about Neverland?” he asked, crushing another wish before moving onto another one. “The perfect nanny for your horrible children? Poppin’ this one!”

King Magnifico laughed once more as he shattered another wish. “Oh! True love, how sweet,” he said before crushing another wish with his bare hands. “So much for true love!”

With each wish he shattered, King Magnifico could feel his power growing stronger and stronger, and once he absorbed the wishes of the ponies, Allura and Twitch… there would be no telling what he might do.

Suddenly, Queen Amaya’s voice was heard as she came down the stairs to meet him. “Mi rey!” she exclaimed. “Asha, Star and one of the ponies have been spotted in the forest.”

King Magnifico raised an eyebrow to this. “Is that so? How fortunate.”

“Shall we gather the citizens, so they can see you capture them?” Queen Amaya asked with a shaky breath. “Oh, we’ve been gathering them a lot lately, don’t you think?” King Magnifico asked before he chuckled to himself. “Oh, I’m kidding! Sound the trumpets, Amaya. I’ll bring back the girl and the star, and soon, those ponies will soon follow! By the way, what happened to Allura and her rabbit?”

“Oh, they’re… resting in one of the palace rooms,” Queen Amaya lied. “I wanted there to be no suspicion.”

“Very good, very good,” King Magnifico smirked before he began to go up the stairs and out of the tower. “Now… I have a hunt to get over with.”

Once the king had left, the queen went over to the dumbwaiter, where all the teens (except Asha), Valentino and all the ponies (except Misty) were hiding while Allura and Twitch came out from under a table. “Okay,” said the queen, opening the dumbwaiter. “We must work quickly!”

“And quietly!” Valentino shouted before his mouth was covered.

Zipp sighed as she tried to wiggle loose from the tight dumbwaiter. “Couldn’t some of us have stayed with Asha and Misty while they try and lure Magnifico away?”

“Misty’s the only one with her powers right now, remember?” Hitch asked. “She’s got a better chance at protecting Asha than we do.”

“All right then… Twitch, you stay with the nice ponies and help them,” Allura said to her sidekick, who saluted happily in response before she turned to Sunny with a serious look in her eye. “Sunny, you and Dahlia can join me and the queen downstairs. If that book corrupted Magnifico to begin with, then it’s our best bet at finding our answer to defeating him.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Asha, Misty and Star were waiting out in the forest for King Magnifico to arrive, ready to exact the next part of the plan. “Misty and I will lead Magnifico as far away as possible,” Asha told Star. “And as soon as he leaves the castle,” Misty added, “you go help the others free the wishes.”

Star, in his worry, clung himself to Asha’s face, causing her to sigh with a smile. “I know, okay?” she chuckled. “I’m worried too. But don’t worry… I’ll have Misty with me, remember?”

Suddenly, Star zipped off, looking around for something, much to Misty’s confusion. “W-W-Wait a second, where are you going?”

After a moment, Star returned with a small stick, which he gave to Asha. “Oh. A stick,” Asha commented before Star made the stick light up with his magic. “Okay… what do I do with this?”

“Hmm…” Misty tilted her head in thought. “Maybe you should try… waving it around?”

“Okay,” Asha shrugged, “but what would that…?”

Suddenly, as she waved it, a spark of golden magic came out of the stick and hit an apple in a nearby tree, causing it to grow massively and fall to the ground. “Ha ha! Now you have your own source of magic!” Misty told Asha before smiling gratefully at Star. “Thank you!”

Suddenly, the sound of a horse whinnying caught Misty’s ears. “That’s the king… he’s coming this way!”

“You have to go!” Asha urged Star. “Go now!”

Now that Star had flown out of sight, Asha held the stick firmly in her hands. “Okay. I can do this.”

But as she held the stick up, expecting it to do magic, it did absolutely nothing. “Wha… seriously?” Misty asked in exasperation. “Come on…” Asha muttered, trying to get something out of the stick at least. “Come on, come on, come on, pl…”

Suddenly, as Asha pounded the stick, a spark of magic came out, startling Asha and Misty as a firework illuminated the sky, signaling King Magnifico to their possible location. “Okay… I guess that’s one way to kick things off!” Misty sighed. “Come on!”

“Good luck, Asha and Misty!” a baby mushroom shouted as Asha and Misty ran for the hills.

XXXXXXXX

King Magnifico was riding his horse toward the forest when he caught sight of the firework, knowing wherever it had ignited, Asha and one of those ponies would be close by. “Challenge accepted.”

And with that, he rode off, excited for the hunt ahead.

XXXXXXXX

“Trust me, guys-- when you see these wishes,” Hitch said to the teens (except Dahlia) as they headed into the study, “your minds are going to officially be blown.”

“Okay, Twitch… open her up for us,” Zipp invited, causing the rabbit to move his paws in a specific way, opening the doors to the study. Once they were inside, the remaining teens oohed and awwed in delight. “Through the heart,” Dario said wisely, “we understand the world.”

The others glanced at him weirdly, not expecting that from him… at least until Dario spotted some potions brewing on the table nearby. “Ooh, look, hot drinks!”

“Uh-uh-uh-uh,” Gabo said, pulling him away just as Star arrived on the scene. “Star, you’re here!” Pipp said in relief. “Thank goodness,” Safi sighed. “This is it, everyone,” Hal told the others excitedly. “First we open the roof, and then Star returns the wishes.”

“The queen said,” explained Safi, “we need to look for giant pulleys.”

That’s when Valentino climbed to the upper level of the study, pointing his hoof to some giant pulleys that opened the tower roof. “Maybe… these pulleys?”

“Valentino, you’re brilliant!” Zipp exclaimed. “Now… without wings, getting up there might be a bit of a challenge.”

“Well, I have a solution for that-- start climbing!” Valentino exclaimed. “As my mother always says, ‘If someone falls, leave them’!”

“No, buddy, we’re not doing that,” Gabo dismissed the idea. “You can come back ’cause I… I hate heights.”

Star shook his head indignantly at Gabo’s resistance. So, he decided to take matters into his own stubby hands. He zipped over to the library area and doused the bookshelves in his magic. Dozens of books flew from the shelves and started surrounding the gang of heroes. “Whoa, uh, hey!” Hitch shouted. “What’s going on?!”

One by one, each of the Asha’s friends and ponies had a book slide under their feet and hooves, propelling them into the air. “Oh, nice,” Dario said. “And away we go!” Bazeema giggled. “Uh, is this even safe?” Pipp teetered from side to side, trying to stay balanced on the book. “What makes it any different from flying?” Zipp asked playfully. “Speaking of which, we’re flying again! Oh, how I missed this.”

“Nice resourcefulness, Star,” Izzy said with a smile as the motley group of friends flew higher and higher amongst the glowing wishes. It like being it outer space amongst the stars. “Oh, this is high,” Gabo grasped his book tight, but didn't complain further as they made it to the pulleys at last.

XXXXXXXX

While Asha’s friends were having the time of their lives, King Magnifico was in the hunt for Asha and Misty. He pulled his horse back, ordering to stop, and with a whinny, the horse skid to a halt.

That was when King Magnifico spotted a golden glow deep within the shrubs and trees, and an arrogant smirk spread across his face before he directed his horse to chase after the glow. Through the vegetation, the twisted king found himself in a small clearing. Again, his horse stopped and Magnifico looked around for any sign golden glow.

Standing just a few feet away, Asha and Misty hid behind a large bush, with Asha holding her makeshift wand tightly. “Ready for this?” Misty whispered, causing Asha to nod. “Let’s do this.”

And then, Asha brandished her wand in the opposite direction. However, the spell bounced off a tree and whizzed right back over the two girls before it bounced off several more trees like a ping pong ball, startling the horse and catching Magnifico’s attention. The spell then hit the bush, causing it to separate and slide away, revealing the hiding girl and unicorn.

And as the three stared at one another for a few moments, an awkward half-smile etched its way on Asha’s face. “We really should’ve given you time to practice with that,” Misty said sheepishly, just as arrogance was replaced with maliciousness as Magnifico smirked, letting out a predatory growl. “RUN!!!” Misty and Asha screamed, taking off just before Magnifico began to follow.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Queen Amaya, Dahlia, Sunny, and Allura down in the king’s study to put a stop to Magnifico. “Here, obsidian oil for protection, from the pages,” Amaya poured a bottle of the liquid on Dahlia’s hands. “From the pages?” Sunny looked confused. “From what I’ve learned,” said Queen Amaya with a frown, “these books are so corrupt with dark magic that even so much as touching the paper can influence you.”

“Mast stuff,” Allura gawked. “No kidding,” Dahlia adjusted her glasses. “This reads like a recipe book for the foul and the savage.”

“Look for anything on how to break his staff, bind his magic or at the very least… break the hold it has on him,” the queen instructed. “We’ll do whatever it takes, your majesty,” Sunny assured. “Although I get the feeling he’s beyond saving or redemption,” Allura said bluntly just before Dahlia began searching the pages for any solution to put a stop to the power-hungry leader.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Asha and Misty were sprinting through the forest as fast as they possibly could to get away from King Magnifico, but it was harder when King Magnifico had a horse and Asha and Misty only had their six combined feet.

That’s when they got closer and closer to Asha’s house, and Misty saw a cart they could use to get away a lot faster. “Quick, Asha! Get into that cart! Hurry!”

Asha and Misty immediately scrambled into the cart, which got it rolling down the hill and through the forest again, but King Magnifico was still gaining on them. When she saw this, Asha tried to use the stick and its magic again, but she caused a dress to appear on a nearby tree, causing bewilderment to spread through her. “I don’t get this thing at all!”

“Neither do I, but at least we have some sort of backup magic source!” Misty said as she tried to distract King Magnifico’s horse with magic blasts. “I sure hope the others free the wishes soon…”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the castle, the others strained and pulled as hard as they possibly could to try and open the roof so the wishes could be returned, but no matter how hard they pulled, they would eventually lose their grip and the roof would go closed again.

“It’s no use!” Zipp strained as she and Safi struggled to pull. “It won’t move!”

“I’m trying my hardest!” exclaimed Hal. “Hey, Dario! Buddy!” Gabo called to Dario, who was tangled up in his pulley rope. “It’s called a pulley for a reason!”

“This is no time for riddles!” Dario said in exasperation. “Come on, it’s as obvious as my baby beard!” Valentino said as he got on Gabo’s head. “You must pull together. On my count. One… two… nine zillyboo.”

“Huh?” Twitch looked at Valentino in bewilderment. “Twenty alphabet!” Valentino continued, much to Pipp and Gabo’s frustration. “Wait, what?!”

Valentino sighed in exasperation at this. “I-I can’t count.”

“NOW!!” Hal cried, causing the group to begin pulling again. “That’s it!” Valentino encouraged. “Give it all you’ve got!”

But even with all of them working together, they were still struggling to pull the pulleys, causing them all to fall back in exhaustion, wondering how else they were going to pull this off.

XXXXXXXX

Down below, Queen Amaya, Dahlia, Sunny and Allura weren’t having much luck in their assignment either. “Oh, he’s become practically untouchable,” the queen sighed sadly. “No metal can break his staff. No spell can bind his magic.”

“And, no one can bring him back from this,” Sunny said before turning to the book once more. “Embrace forbidden magic just once… and you commit to it for eternity.”

Allura let out a heavy sigh. “Sounds very familiar… doesn’t it, Sunny?”

“Allura, you’re not like Magnifico by any means. You actually have remorse for what you’ve done,” said Dahlia comfortingly. “He doesn’t.”

“Let’s just hope Asha and Misty have lured Magnifico far enough away from here,” said Sunny, “and let’s hope that the others have gotten the wishes free by now.”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the woods, King Magnifico was gaining on Asha and Misty a lot faster than he was before, even with Misty’s magic blasts trying to keep him at bay. But, things started to get worse when Asha saw they were heading toward a cliff wall… and a deer, and they weren’t able to turn in a different direction! “I can’t turn, I can’t turn, I can’t turn!”

“Whoa, I can’t stop staring…” the deer said, completely enchanted by the stick’s magical light. “Oh, come on!” Misty sighed. “Work for us already, stick!”

Asha smacked the stick against the cart, causing it to magically come to life, lose its wheels and instantly gain legs, making it able to crawl up the side of the cliff, much to the girls’ relief, but they knew that since King Magnifico was going to go around the side of the cliff to get back to the chase, their safety wouldn’t last long.

“Come on, guys, focus!” Hitch cried out. “We need more weight or we’re never gonna get this roof open!”

After a hum of thought and glancing down at the ground level again, Valentino seemed to get another idea. “Well… it’s not falling if you jump!”

“But we need to jump at the same time,” Zipp added, “otherwise this will never work!”

“Come on, Gabo, we have to try!” Izzy said with a pleading look. “Please…?”

Seeing the desperate looks on the others’ faces, Gabo frustratingly growled before getting onto the side of the banister. “Oh, all right!” he cried out. “FOR ROSAS!!!”

“Jump!” Hal cried. “Everyone!”

“CANNONBALL!!!”

“I’M GONNA DIE!!!”

And in complete unison, everyone jumped from the banister onto the second level down onto the ground level, and once they were safely on the ground, they were able to open the roof all the way. “Ha ha ha! We did it!” Zipp cheered. “All right, Star! Do your thing!”

That’s when Star nodded and gave a salute before flying upward toward the sky, guiding all the wishes out of the tower and into the open night sky, much to the delight of the group. “Come on!” Pipp shouted to the other ponies in excitement. “Let’s grab Sunny and the others so they can see this!”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the other people of Rosas were seeing the wishes suddenly be released, and needless to say, they were filled with a sense of pure awe.

“Are those our wishes?”

“They must be.”

“Oh, the wishes are free!”

XXXXXXXX

Back on the islet, Sabino and Sakina had just docked when they saw the wishes being released into the sky, much to Sabino’s delight. “The wishes… Asha and her friends are freeing them!”

Sakina sighed in relief. “Our girl…”

“Come on!” Sabino grabbed the oars and started rowing again. “Saba,” Sakina spoke, “you’re 100 years old.”

“But my will is strong. Yeah-ha!” Sabino cheered before he started rowing again, hoping to get to Rosas in time for all the wishes to be returned to their rightful owners.

But would it truly be that easy? Or would there still be one final battle ahead of our heroes before this story could be closed.

A Happy Ending in Rosas/New Reasons to Celebrate

At long last, the fight against King Magnifico was finally over-- the wishes were returned, Queen Amaya was now in charge, and Allura and Twitch were on the side of good for good this time.

Everything seemed like it was going to be perfect.

But just in case, the Mane 6 wanted to stick around for a little while longer and help the kingdom rebuild after so many years of Magnifico’s manipulation.

And they would soon be very glad they did.

XXXXXXXX

Later in the day, many hours after the fight with King Magnifico had ended, the townsfolk were all gathered in the square, happily chatting about how excited they were about their new life and were finally able to trash talk their old king.

“We never needed Magnifico.”

“Magnifico, Schmagnifico.”

“Excuse us!” Zipp exclaimed as she, Sunny and Asha led a woman through the crowd in order to find the queen. “Coming through!”

“This way, this way. She’s just over here,” Asha said as Queen Amaya came into view with Twitch, Allura and a young man dressed in nothing but green. “Queen Amaya!” Sunny called as they approached. “We found her!”

“Your Majesty!” the woman curtsied in excitement. “I hear you long to fly,” said the queen to the woman, who nodded, and then Queen Amaya gestured to the young man next to her. “Well, Peter here wants to build a flying machine.”

“Hi,” Peter greeted with a smile. “You two should work together,” Queen Amaya suggested as she guided them away. “Let me know how I can help.”

Asha sighed as Star approached the group, with Asha smiling from ear to ear. “I can’t believe it’s been like this all morning! So many people wanting to break from the old rules and start forging their own paths.”

“And it’s not just the young people,” Hitch said with a chuckle as he walked over with Misty. “Your Saba is really getting his groove on, Asha.”

Turns out, Hitch wasn’t wrong-- Sabino was in the middle of a large crowd, playing a stringed instrument with Izzy and Pipp dancing right in the middle of it. “I’m just getting started!” Sabino couldn’t help but smile at his granddaughter from afar.

And after a moment, Asha smiled again. “This is more than I could have ever dreamed possible.”

“I dream,” Valentino then interrupted, “of a utopian metropolis where all mammals are equal, and wear clothes!”

“Well,” said Sunny, “you’d enjoy Equestria then, Valentino! If we ever figure out this whole magic star business, we might be able to bring you guys there for a visit someday.”

Suddenly, Star seemed to get an idea before he flew off, leaving Asha to look around, bewildered. “Wait. Where’d you go?”

“Oh, there he is!” Misty said as Star quickly flew back to the group with the stick King Magnifico/Simon in disguise had broken, causing Asha to wince slightly. “Ooh. I know. I’m sorry I broke it.”

Of course, Star didn’t seem to mind, and with his magic, he repaired the stick like new, but also turned it into a dazzling wand, causing those around the group, including Asha’s friends, to gasp and stare in awe… Gabo especially. “W-W-W-W-Wait, is that a magic wand?”

“Uh, thank you, but no thank you,” Asha said politely, feeling the weight of the gift already sinking in. “I am no good with magic. I mean, I put a dress on a tree.”

“I will take it for her,” Gabo began to say before Dahlia grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away. “Uh-uh,” she said with a smile. “It’s for Asha.”

“Come on, Asha, take it already!” Pipp said excitedly. “A moment like this doesn’t come too often, you know.”

“But what am I supposed to do with it?” Asha asked. “Be our fairy godmother. I mean, what else?” Dario spoke as if it were obvious, causing Asha to snort in disbelief. “No, I couldn't do that.”

But by the looks that the ponies, her friends, her family and Star were giving her, this made Asha begin to second guess her own thoughts. “I… could?”

“There’s an old saying in Equestria that I think you might relate to,” Zipp said gently, putting the wand into Asha’s hand. “You’ll never know how high you can soar until you lift off the ground. Come on, Asha… after all you've done for us and for Rosas… you deserve it. Right, Star?”

Star chirped in agreement, and began flying around Asha, causing her to giggle as her hair and dress became adorned with white sparkles. “Thank you!”

Twitch babbled in excitement, his eyes glittering in awe, which Hitch translated with a happy giggle. “Twitch wants you to try that new wand out.”

“Well… okay,” Asha said before accidentally pointing the wand at one of Safi's chickens, causing her to grow to giant size. “Sorry!”

“Clara!” Safi hugged the chicken as she laid a giant egg, which fell right on top of Gabo. “And you wonder why I’m grumpy!”

This led Pipp to giggle, taking a picture for her socials before she put her phone away. “I’m sure she’ll work on it with Star, right?”

However, when Star's expression fell to a rather sad frown, Asha felt a sense of sadness wash over her as well. “Oh, no. I know you too well now. You’re going soon, aren’t you?” she asked Star gently. “So you can be there for others to wish upon.”

Valentino let out a soft groan as his eyes welled up with tears. “I will miss you…!!!” he said as he began to sob. “Oh, my voice is really high when I cry!”

“Aw, Valentino…” Misty said, wiping Valentino's eyes as Asha picked up her goat companion. “Well, soon doesn’t mean tonight.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Valentino said in relief. “That was just too much for me. I am only three weeks old, after all.”

Sabino sighed as the rest of the group gathered around. “Oh, my dear ponies… Star, how can we ever thank you?”

Sunny chuckled warmly to this. “That’s easy… just keep wishing.”

Suddenly, as Star flew around the group, causing them to laugh, a very familiar portal opened up nearby, causing Allura to look at the ponies in anticipation. “I take it that's our lift back to Equestria.”

“That’s it all right,” Zipp sighed. “We… better get going before the portal closes. After all, we do have a star to get back to Equestria where it'll be safe.”

“Wait! Before you go…” said Hal as the teens brought several gift-wrapped packages into view. “...we have some parting gifts for all of you, to remember us and Rosas by.”

“Izzy… I think you might wanna use this in your crafts,” Asha said, handing Izzy a circular wrapped package. “A little something from Star himself.”

Izzy gasped and immediately unwrapped the package, her eyes lighting up in excitement. “This is the yarn Star was playing with earlier! Oh, I know just what craft I wanna use this for!”

Next, Dahlia handed Hitch a large batch of cookies. “Here, Hitch… this is something for you and that cute baby dragon of yours to share when you get back.”

Hitch sighed knowingly with a smile. “These are probably gonna give him an unlimited sugar rush, but… thanks, Dahlia. Sparky is gonna love these, and so am I,” he said gratefully. “And look! They're even shaped like our cutie marks!”

Sabino chuckled and gave Pipp a small tambourine. “Here, princess… so a little piece of the music of Rosas can go with you wherever you go.”

Pipp gasped excitedly and shook the tambourine with supreme enthusiasm. “Thanks, Sabino! As soon as I get home, I'm using this in a new song!”

That was when Queen Amaya stepped up to Misty with a book in her hands. “This was one of Magnifico’s old spellbooks before he… was corrupted by the dark magic,” she said, giving the book to Misty. “I'd like for you to have it, as a way to remember there’s always good magic in the world outside of yours.”

Misty sighed warmly, holding the book in her hooves with gratitude in her gaze. “Thank you, Queen Amaya. It’s like you know me inside and out, despite us only meeting last night.”

Seeing that Zipp was next to get her gift, Gabo sighed and reluctantly handed a new magnifying glass to her. “I… managed to find this at a market stall last week. Since you seem to be so good at the detective thing… I thought you might like it.”

Zipp smiled at the gesture and tucked the magnifying glass under her wing. “Thanks, Gabo. You may be pessimistic at times, but… underneath that hard layer of doubt… you've got a pretty good heart.”

Gabo shot her a little look. “I'm going to pretend I didn't hear the pessimistic part, but… thanks.”

Bazeema was next, wrapping a friendship bracelet around Allura’s paw before putting a smaller, matching one on Twitch’s paw. “I know we haven't been friends for very long, but… I thought you both deserved something to remember Rosas by.”

Allura looked at the bracelet in surprise. “Wow… thank you. I… I don't know what to say.”

Then lastly came Asha, who took a deep breath before handing a small book to Sunny… a book that Sunny seemed to recognize. “Asha… t-this is your journal with all the pictures you've drawn! I couldn't possibly take this away from you.”

Asha put her hand on Sunny’s hoof. “You wouldn’t be taking it from me, Sunny. I'm giving it to you. My dad would have wanted me to. Besides… this way, we'll be hopeful heroes forever… right?”

Sunny smiled fondly at this. “Yeah… I guess so,” Sunny said before hugging Asha tightly. “Thanks, Asha… for everything.”

“Come on, Sunny!” Hitch called as the group headed toward the shimmering portal. “We gotta get home before the portal closes!”

And so, with one another quick hug around Asha’s neck, Sunny galloped after her friends and into the portal before it closed, leaving the magical kingdom of Rosas behind.

XXXXXXXX

“...and then,” Pipp began to conclude the story that they were telling to their friends and loved ones after the Mane 6, Allura and Twitch got back to Equestria, “King Winterbolt was totally drug into his staff for all eternity, prompting Queen Amaya to become the SOUL matriarch of the kingdom of Rosas, where wishes, from now on… are guaranteed to come true.”

“As for Allura and Twitch,” Sunny continued as she spared a glance at the snow leopard and rabbit standing behind them, “we hope all of you will give them a second chance, because I know if we do… Equestria may just be a little bit safer from now on.”

After the applause ended after a few minutes, Posey spoke up with an impressed smile. “I gotta admit, I would NEVER have believed a story like that if it came from anyone other than you ponies. Not in a million years!”

“So… are we really safe now?” Comet asked hopefully. “We're… not gonna have anymore trouble in Equestria anytime soon?”

“Well… we're not gonna promise anything,” Misty said after a moment, “but… for the time being, we ARE safe, so… I think it would be okay if we finally started celebrating.”

“Hold on just a minute, Tea,” Alphabittle said to his daughter. “There’s one last thing I need to take care of… and… it involves you too, Haven.”

Queen Haven looked at him in surprise. “Me?”

Then, before anyone could speak up in confusion, Alphabittle bowed down to Queen Haven, with a small, delicate box in his magic aura. “Haven… I know our pony species have had their trials over the past 1000 years or so, and even now, we have challenges to face. But I know that with you by my side… we can do anything. So… I have one question to ask you.”

Alphabittle opened the box he was holding, revealing a delicate hoof ring, causing Queen Haven to gasp, completely stunned while Pipp, Paradise Moonray, Misty and Zipp held their breath in anticipation. “...Queen Haven of Zephyr Heights,” Alphabittle began, “...would you do me the greatest honor and be my wife?”

It took a few moments before Queen Haven responded, tears filling her eyes as she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes… yes, Alphie! Yes!!”

The entire crowd broke into cheers as Alphabittle and Queen Haven nuzzled each other tenderly, their cutie marks sending fireworks exploding into the night sky. And after the fireworks settled down, Paradise turned to the large crowd of ponies, Allura and Twitch. “Well, I say that this isn't just a welcome celebration for Allura and Twitch, but an engagement celebration as well!”

And so, the party that night went down in the memory books at one of the best parties that the Mane 6 had ever been to… even Allura and Twitch were finally letting loose and enjoying themselves.

But… little did they know that their Unity Quests were far from over.

That's right… there are new missions to be had, new friends to meet, new worlds to explore… and you won't believe it now, but many different twists and turns will shake the lives of the Mane 6 forever…

…but like most people say these days, those are stories for another time.

Author's Note

I wanna take this time to thank Willow and Indywriter Productions for helping me with this story, even when times got tough... and I mean really tough.

I could never have gotten all the way to a potential fourth season without your support.

Stay tuned for the first story of season 4, guys... and get ready for a new era of adventure that'll knock your socks off!