G5 Adventures in Wish

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.

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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.

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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.”

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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!