G5 Adventures in Wish

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.