The Incident

On the balcony of the Crystal Brighthouse Sunny looked out into the distance. It has only been a week since that tragic day that took her friend away from her. She shed a tear as she mourned the loss of her friend, it was an innocent an cheery morning but it went wrong.

Her stomach hurt as she stood there. Wishing she could hear her laugh again. Or hear her voice once more. It was her fault, she just knew it.

1 Week ago

It was a nice, sunny morning. The four ponies were in the kitchen having breakfast, Izzy wasn’t around, she was out late last night so it was no surprise that she would wake up later. Or maybe she woke up earlier for whatever reason. Pipp was at the end of the table while Zipp, Sunny and Hich were at the sides, everyone sat down as they ate their cereal. What next was pretty unexpected, however, before they knew it Izzy was on the table yelling with excitement.

“Izzy! Your tail is in my cereal!” Shouted Pipp

“Guess what I found!” Izzy shouted, “Guess! Guess!”

“Whoa!” Zipp exclaimed as she pushed her bowel out the way of Izzy’s hooves as she jumped, “You’re uh... Excited?”

“Yeah Izzy...” Sunny added, “What’s the news?”

Izzy laughed, “I invited my cousin, River Flow over!” She said with excitement as she jumped off the table.

“That’s great, Izzy! When will she arrive?” Sunny asked.

River Flow’s a very good musician, she’s good with all kinds of instruments. Back before magic returned she simply played the triangle and took care of her alpaca herd. She sheared their wool and sold it for use for garments.

“She’s on her way now,” Izzy said with a smug face.

“Uh...” Hitch asked, knowing River never came to Maretine Bay before, “Does she know her way?”

“Well,” Izzy giggled,”This building is the first one you see when you approach the town, she shouldn’t have too much trouble.”

“Well, okay, so that’s what you’re excited about?” Zipp asked, “I feel like you’re hiding something.”

Izzy nodded and jumped up and down, “We found an ancient tower!” She shrieked suddenly. “She was looking for a runaway alpaca and found the tower! She told me about it during my visit in Bridlewood yesterday so I told her when I get home I’d tell all my friends!” She got more excited, “And we can go explore it!”

Sunny gasped with excitement as she looked with Izzy with awe, “Exploring an ancient building?” She asked with a huge smile, “Count me in!” Her mind was filled with joy. Thinking of all the possibilities of what could be inside! Maybe something about Twilight, or how magic vanished. Or anything!

“This sounds amazing, Izzy! I’m coming too!” Zipp also said loudly. Feeling a little interested herself.

Hitch chucked and crossed his hooves, “Suppose I’m coming too, it actually sounds kind of interesting,”

Everypony then looked at Pipp who was scrolling on her phone. “What about you, Pipp?” Asked Sunny, “Are you coming?”

“Yeah, or are you going to stay here?” Asked Zipp.

Pipp looked at them and thought for a moment. “I guess I could livestream it for my Pippsqueaks.”

“Then it’s settled,” Sunny stated, “I cant wait!” She squealed with excitement.

After about an hour went by there was a knock at the door. Everyone was seated on the couches, looking at the door, excited. Izzy skipped over and opened it for her cousin. Her cousin was a short light blue unicorn with purple eyes and a curly mane, not as curly or long as Izzy’s. River’s mane and tail was a ocean blue with lavander streaks, along with dark blue hooves. She also had a blue and lavender bandana around her neck.

“Hello,” She introduced herself.

“You must be River!” Exclaimed Hitch as he walked over to shake her hoof, “I’m Hitch, pleasure to meet you,”

River giggled and shook her head, “I know, Izzy told me a lot about you, it’s a pleasure to meet you all,”

“So, Izzy has told us that you found an old tower?” Sunny asked.

River nodded happily as she approached the chairs, “It’s true, Izzy told me how much you’d love to explore it, so I’m going to show you it, I hope it’s as good as you think.

Sunny nodded, “Im sure it is,”

“Let’s goooo!” Izzy screamed happily.

The five ponies were close to where Bridlewood resided, but instead of walking towards it they walked alongside it. “Uhm...” Hitch asked, unsure, “Isn’t Bridlewood that away?” He looked into the forest, the hidden crystals glowed making the outside looking magical.

“Yeah, but I found the tower out here,” She explained as she walked ahead.

Everyone noticed Sunny’s huge grin, she was so excited about this. Pipp took out her phone, “Hey Pipp- hey!? There’s no connection out here!” Pipp complained.

Zipp rolled her eyes, “I’m pretty sure we don’t need it, and hey, you can atleast film some of it for them, right?” She asked.

Pipp sighed and put her phone away, knowing she was right. She could record it and put in a video later.

The crumbling tower stood on a cliff on a hill, overlooking the woods Bridlewood was part of. The stone had mostly crumbled away, leaving a good chunk of the wooden inside visible. The wooden roof had a large hole in it. Vines and moss had almost covered the entire structure.

“Do you think this is safe?” Asked Hitch as soon as he noticed that it was literally on a cliff. He could feel himself tense a bit as he looked at it.

“Should be,” River explained, “My alpaca was in it,”

Sunny nodded, “Don’t worry Hitch, if anything happens then I have my alicorn powers,”

“No!” Hitch argued, “There is no way I’m letting you go in there! It’s too unsafe!”

“Hitch, we’ll be fine.” Assured Sunny.

Izzy nodded, “Yeah! It’ll be fun!”

Hitch stood in front of the entrance, only one of the old wooden door remained, the other was also barely there. “I will not let you in!” Hitch shouted, “I don’t want anypony getting hurt! So as long as I’m here I will not let anyone pass me!”

“Too late!” Zipp said playfully as she stood in the inside, she waved to Hitch. Obviously she had flown over him without him realising. Why was she so sneaky?

“Zipp!” Shouted Hitch, “Get back here, right now!” Izzy then just jumped over him “Izzy!” He yelled. Then Sunny gave him a bump as she walked past, followed by River. “Can you guys see how dangerous and unstable this tower is!” He claimed, “It could collapse any minute!” He then saw Pipp with them, filming her surround sings and talking to her Pippsqueaks, “Not you too...”

“C’mon Hitch,” Sunny smiles as she ventured with her head.

“Ugh...” Hitch groaned, “This better not collapse on us, Sunny...”

“Hitch, we’ll be fine,” Sunny reposted as she climbed up the cracked stone stairs.

Hitch gasped as soon as he heard Pipp squeal loudly behind him. “Pipp!” He cried out before he snd everyone sighed in relief. Seeing she was just really excited in an old, dusty photo of some sort. Showing a picture of a light yellow unicorn stallion and a light purple unicorn mare.

“Oh! Oh!” Sunny jumped down the stairs with a huge smile on her face. Jumping over. “That’s Sunburst and Starlight! I can tell you all about their feats on the next floor if you’d like!”

“I like the sounds of that.” Zipp shrugged with a smile.

There was not much on this floor. The shelves and books had mostly rotten away thanks to weather coming in. It was clear this place had gotten flooded often, it was musty down here. Hitch did not pay much attention to what Sunny was saying as she climbed the stairs. All he could think about was the creating of the floorboards in the room above. Clearly used to be the bedroom. Moss covering a lot of the place.

Who lived here and why did they leave so much stuff behind? You could see shelves, cupboards of accessories. There were books and papers thrown about. Why didn’t they take this stuff with them? Where they in a rush?

Hitch noticed Sunny grab a few things and put them in her bag.

“Sunny!” He exclaimed. Ignoring Pipp recording everything and Izzy taking what she could recycle into other things. Even warped wood, or a ruined guitar. He would have been excited to see what she’d turn this stuff into, if he wasn’t feeling so… Worried.

“What? Still scared?”

“No! That’s stealing!”

Sunny scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not stealing. It’s abandoned! For generations.” She puased. “How else do archeologists, museums and historicists get their stuff?”

“Uh…” Hitch paused. “Well, I don’t think you have a license to be doing this!”

“It’s fine, Hitch. My family used to do it.”

“Because they were allowed…”

“Enough arguing! Who knows what’s on the next floor!”

The next floor was dark, covered in spider webs, the windows having plants that blocked most the light. The floor creaked under them.

“Uh..” Hitch gulped. “This is the last floor, right?”

There was a pause as Sunny looked into a chest. Her phone shining some light so she could see. “If you are that scared, then sure. The top floor is the roof top anyway.”

“Thank goodness…” He sighed in relief as she dug through the chest. Her mane covered in spider webs. There were no dangerous spiders here. Well, not as they saw. There was water dripping from above, making drips as they dripped on the floor. The tower swayed a bit in the wind.

The silence was then interrupted by Pipp screaming and she flew to the stairs going down. “That’s enough of this room!” She screamed in fear as she whimpered and whined. Hitch had caught a glimpse of her, it was obvious she must have ended up walking into every web she could have possibly done.

Izzy was in the corner. Teleporting random stuff onto the ground outside the tower. Deeming what she could recycle into something else. Which was a lot. It seemed this room was used for storage. As there was all sorts of furniture, tools, pictures and whatever else scattered about.

The tower swayed again and a loud noise was made.

“I don’t think we should be staying here much longer!” Hitch called out. No one noticing Izzy going up the stairs to check for anything else useable.

There was the sounds of crumbling soon after. The sounds of jumping snd thumping upstairs were followed by a crack in the wall. Not going unnoticed by Zipp as more cracks appeared. The building began to shake.

“We have to get out, now!”

Sunny was already in her alicorn magic as everyone raced for the stairs, racing down as fast as their legs allowed them. Sunny getting the idea of carrying everyone in her magic, so they could all go at a much faster speed. Making it out only seconds before the whole thing collapsed. Smoke covering everything for miles.

Everyone looked at the cliff that once held the tower, it was all gone. Sunny stared at it in fear as she released every pony from her magic. It took her a while to process what had just happened. “You okay, Sunny?” Zipp asked.

“I-I’m fine, is everypony else okay?”

River nodded, Pipp put her phone away, “I am, and I’m sure my Pippsqueaks will be happy that we are okay.”

Zipp looked around, as she flapped some dust from her wings, “So am I...” She noticed somepony was missing, “Hey, where’s Izzy?”

“Izzy?” Hitch asked, also noticing her absences.

“She’s not here!” Freaked out Pipp.

Sunny looked at the open space the cliff was once, “She-“

Zipp looked at the same place and hurried to the edge, “Did she make it out?” She asked everyone who only shrugged in response. She looked don into the large drop, water could be heard but not seen, “Izzy!?” Sunny jumped doown into the darkness with her alicorn magic. She flew to all the debris in the water as fast as she could, Zipp and Pipp soon joined her.

It didn’t take long for Pipp’s scream to shake everyone to the core. The three flyers froze in horror as they saw Izzy. Face down in the water. Blood leaking out.

“Izzy!” Cried Sunny, checking for a pulse. Jumping into the water and running over, tears in her eyes as she reached for her. “Izzy!” She held onto her cold, limp body, her heart racing as her guts ached. Zipp by herself checking for a pulse.

“She-she-“ Zipp had tears in her eyes as she stood in the water. Avoiding the blood that was floating towards her. “She’s got a pulse!”

Sunny gasped. A feeling in her heart, hope. She grabbed Izzy and flew up at a speed higher than she had ever done before. She was like a rocket, racing thought the sky. Izzy in her arms, leaking blood onto her orange fur. She raced towards the hospital in Zephyr Heights. They were better skilled at injuries like this. She had a better chance there.

Sunny’s friends found her in the waiting room half an hour later. Heart still racing and tears streaking from her eyes. She was heavy with guilt as Hitch sat next to her.

“She’s gonna be okay, Sunny.” Hitch rubbed her back as Sunny tried to speak. She was hyperventilating and hadn’t even noticed Zipp and Pipp on the other side of her.

“Pl-please be okay.” She chocked, tears running down her face. Hitch’s attempts at comforting her not doing much as she stuttered and shook in place. She could hardly breath.

“She’s the strongest unicorn we know!” Zipp exclaimed. “I know she will make it.” Pipp was besides her, crying her heart out. Waiting for any news at all.

Soon, their answers came. A doctor walked out the room with a glum expression. Eyeing Sunny with a sad expression, noticing she was steal trying to wipe blood herself as she sat there, crying loudly.

“Are you the friends of Izzy Moonbow?”

“Y-yes!” Zipp exclaimed.

“How is she!?” Pipp exclaimed. “Pl-please tell me she’ll be okay!?”

There was a long pause as everyone froze and shakingly looked at her. The doctor did not know how to put it. But she had to say it.

“I’m sorry… Despite our best efforts. She had… Passed away.”

Everyone felt their hearts shatter that moment. Zipp felt tears run down her face as she held her hooves to her mouth. Using a wing to comfort her sister who was screaming and crying on this being a cruel joke. Or the doctors were mistaken. Hitch felt broken as he looked at Sunny. Who was looked absolutely distaught. She was trying to speak but kept choking on her tears.

“I-Izzy.” She tried to speak but it only came on in sobs as she screamed. Sobbing out into her hooves as Hitch tried his best to comfort her. Zipp was now hugging Pipp tight as she cried loudly into her chest.

She was… Gone.

Present

Sunny sighed as tears rolled down her cheeks. Zipp approached her, ears down. “Hey Sunny… It’s time for the funeral…”

“It is?” She asked before sighing. “I’ll be right there.”

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