//------------------------------// // Bridlewood Legends // Story: Royalty Before Family // by Willow NightSong24 //------------------------------// Hitch Trailblazer walked into the sheriff's station wearily. He was not looking forward to having to deal with these mares. Once Hitch was able to restrain them, which was an effort in itself, they wouldn't stop arguing with each other and talking over each other to explain themselves to Hitch, desperate to make themselves heard. And after the morning he had, he did not have the patience to deal with them. "Sheriff Hitch! You can't keep me here! I'm the victim!" Sugar Moonlight whined from one of the cells. "Oh, give me a break," Lily responded with a roll of her eyes from the opposite cell. "You're anything but. You made your bed, it's about time you lay in it! We are sick and tired of your abuse! Yesterday was the last straw!" "What did I even do?! You just attacked me!" Sugar Moonlight asked desperately. "You know what you did." Was all Rosedust said from the same cell as Lily's. "QUIET!" Hitch yelled. He was not in the mood for useless bickering. His priority was finding Pipp, and anything that got in the way of that was completely useless. Hitch sighed, putting his hoof to his face, and squeezing his eyes shut. "Alright, look, this is how it's going to go. I'm going to interview you one at a time. If any of you interrupt or add your two cents while I'm interviewing another, I'll give you one warning and if it happens again, I'm keeping you in here for another night." "You can't do that! Not without an actual crime! That's police brutality!" Sugar Moonlight argued. "I can. For obstruction of justice. Interfering with criminal investigations." Sugar Moonlight scoffed but didn't say anything else, sitting back and crossing her hooves. Hitch sighed, relieved for the quiet, if not exactly peaceful. He then walked over to Lily and Rosedust's cell and opened it, deciding to start with Lily first. He walked her to his desk and sat her down on the chair, cuffing her hoof to the armrest. He then sat in the chair opposite her. That was when Sparky came running up and sat on the desk next to him, staring down at Lily with an adorable warning glare. Lily looked at Sparky nervously before looking back at Hitch, who couldn't help but chuckle at Sparky's antics. Hitch pulled out a tape recorder and pushed the record button, placing it down so that it was facing both Hitch and Lily. "Alright, I'm sure you know about my deputy, Sparky Sparkoroni. He'll be listening in, making sure everything goes smoothly." "But...he's a dragon," Lily said, twisting her mouth. "He's my little deputy!" Hitch argued. He turned to Sparky. "It's okay, little deputy, she didn't know what she was talking about." He cooed. Lily rolled her eyes and Hitch cleared his throat before continuing. "Anyway, I am interviewing you about the events that transpired yesterday, May 11 at about 9:45 am. Start with how this all started. What events led up to the fight with the other members of the Filly Four." Lily scoffed. "I have no beef with Rose. It's Sugar I have a problem with. Okay, so the other day, Sugar asked us to meet her at her house because she had some new choreography or whatever to show us. So, Rose and I get there and we knock on her door and, like, nopony answers. So, we're wondering what's going on, and like, Rosy and I are getting proper worried because, like, we thought something happened to her. So, after a while of knocking we let ourselves in because we know she keeps her door unlocked and we just wanted to make sure she was a–okay, you know?" "So, technically, you committed a B&E," Hitch responded dryly. "Well, yeah, but I mean it was a wellness check. I mean, what if something did happen? Like, it could've saved her life." Hitch raised an eyebrow. "Look. Do you want me to continue the story, or not?" Hitch gestured for Lily to continue. "Okay, so we, like, went into her house, and, like, she was super upset. Okay, I know we did go in without permission, but that was just to see if she was alright. But, like, she wasn't upset about that, which would be totally understandable if she was, but she wasn't. So anyway, Sugar started spouting all these horrible things and, like, calling us horrible names, and we had enough. Like, Sugar had always been pushy but this was, like, next level. She was calling us, like, lower than dirt. That's when our friendship, like, ended and it was the end of the Filly Four. And we told her this and that she best be careful who she insults next, 'cause she just may insult the wrong pony." "So, you beat her up to teach her a lesson?" "No! I wasn't finished. So yesterday morning, Sugar came to us and started acting all normal, like nothing happened. Actually, she asked us why we didn't come by the day before like she didn't know what she did." "I don't!" Sugar Moonlight exclaimed. "I didn't call you anything!" "Uh-huh. Sure. If you say so." Lily responded, even though it was clear by her sassy tone that she didn't really mean it. "Alright, enough," Hitch announced. "Sugar, this is your warning. Interrupt again and you'll be in there for another night. Do. Not. Test me. Do I make myself clear?" "Yeah, whatever you say, Sheriff." Sugar Moonlight grumbled, turning away from the pair. "Lily, don't antagonize the detained. Now. Continue your story." "Okay, so she acted like nothing happened, so Rosy and I turned around to leave, but she–" Suddenly, Hitch's phone dinged, and while he originally was going to ignore it, he realized it might be an update on Pipp. He looked at his phone, to which Lily scoffed, calling him rude, and read the text message he got from Zipp in the group text: Drop everthng and get 2 BH ASAP!!! Got big lead! "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm not stupid. The mission will get done. Tonight." "It better. If our queen finds out you went sloppy, you know what'll happen." "I know, you fool! The longer we talk about this, the more likely we'll get caught and our whole plan will fall to pieces. By this time tomorrow, Equestria will be vulnerable and ripe for the taking!" Nothing but silence filled the room once the recording was finished. The five ponies gathered around the kitchen counter all said nothing, just staring at the phone in shock. This was the third time playing it, at Misty's request. Still, though, nopony else even had the slightest idea of what to say in reaction to this. This was all...crazy and so unlike Pipp. Hell, it was even unlike Sprout! Zipp still couldn't believe her ears, and this was her fourth time hearing it! It was all just so much and it didn't even completely sink in yet that this was Pipp. Her sister. Talking about Equestria being vulnerable and ripe for the taking. Mentioning how breaking up with Hitch was fun! With Sprout no less! None of this made any sense. "Again," Misty said, staring at the phone, waiting for Zipp to press play. "Ugh, we heard this recording three times already. It's not like anything's changed. I mean, believe me, I was just as shocked as you were, but I don't really want to listen to my sister talking about taking over Equestria again." Zipp groaned. "Yeah, and I don't want to hear about how fun it was breaking up with me," Hitch said with a shiver, his heart cracking again. "I just can't believe Pipp would say something like this. With Sprout nonetheless. It makes no sense. That is so unlike both of them." Both Hitch and Zipp raised their eyebrows at Sunny. Sunny backtracked. "Okay, I know, Sprout tried to destroy everypony with his ponybot thing, but still, this sounds a little..." "Evil?" Izzy suggested. "End of the world?" Hitch added. "Too planned out?" "Yes!" Sunny said after Zipp's suggestion. "All of it. It all just seems way over Sprout's head. It's just so unbelievable." Sunny turned to Zipp. "And you're sure that's what you saw? Pipp and Sprout in the alleyway, planning on taking down Equestria?" Sunny couldn't believe what she was hearing. Pipp was one of her best friends. And she's known Sprout since foalhood. This sounded nothing like them. Sure, Sprout had an error in judgment when he tried to destroy the other pony races, but Sprout's changed since then. Kind of. He's not the same Sprout he was three years ago. And Sprout, even before the robot fiasco, would never dream about endangering his home. He loved Maretime Bay. That's what drove him to do what he did three years ago. So, why was Sprout talking about taking over Equestria? "Yep, the recording's right there if you need to hear it again–" "I do," Misty said, staring at the phone. When she got nothing but silence, Misty looked up to find all her friends staring at her. She blushed a bit, her ears barely flattening. "Please. Last time, I promise." Zipp rolled her eyes and pressed play. After a bit, Misty suddenly yelled. "There. Pause it!" Zipp did as Misty commanded before Misty told her to rewind a bit, to which Zipp complied. "Almost. Had to wait until I lost that nosy sister of hers before I could—" "There, did you hear that?" Misty asked, looking at them all with a triumphant smile. Zipp rolled her eyes. "Her calling me a nosy sister. Yeah, I think we all did." Misty shook her head. "No. Rewind it. Listen carefully to Pipp's wording after she calls Zipp nosy." With a heavy sigh, Zipp rewinded and they listened to it again, and that was when Hitch heard it. The word he heard caused hope to swell in his heart. He wanted to wear a smile as wide as Misty's. Because it told him that this wasn't his Pipp. He knew that since Misty told him she didn't feel anything in her heart, but with no other explanation, he began to doubt himself, and because of that, he began to feel guilty. He knew his Pipp, but maybe he didn't love her the way he should if he doubted her for even a moment. But that one word washed all the doubt away, though he'd never forgive himself for doubting in the first place and he'd never doubt again, and he'd spend the rest of his life making it up to her. "I hear it," He said with a small laugh. "I hear it!" He exclaimed, tears filling his eyes. Tears of happiness that this wasn't his Pipp. That Pipp would never belittle him so much. That his Pipp loved him. Truly loved him. He never thought he'd be so happy to hear one word. "W–what? Hear what?" Zipp asked, looking between Misty and Hitch. She looked at Sunny and Izzy, but they looked just as confused. "What did you hear?" "Hers. That thing wearing Pipp's skin said hers." Hitch said happily, his whole being flooding with relief. Sunny looked at Misty, confused. "Hers?" "In the recording. Pipp's voice said 'That nosy sister of hers.'" Misty explained, replaying that sentence so they could hear it. "Which means..." "That's truly not Pipp," Zipp whispered in relief. "Even though we have no idea what it is, it's not Pipp." Zipp felt massively relieved. They all did. It meant that the horrible things they thought their friends were doing, they weren't actually doing. They were doppelgangers. Zipp had to admit that she felt a little apprehensive. Her detective mind kept telling her something her heart didn't want to hear. Something that the logical part of her heart was starting to listen to. With no concrete evidence besides odd behavior and an empath's word, it was unlikely that this Pipp wasn't really their Pipp. Especially since none of them could come up with some logical theories to the contrary. A massive weight was lifted off Zipp's chest knowing that this wasn't their Pipp. But, another thought came to mind. "So...if this isn't our Pipp...who is it? And where is ours?" The heavy silence in the room was back as every one of their minds went to dark places. Nopony knew how to answer those questions. Hitch hugged Sparky, the thought of losing him after Pipp being too much to bear. He wouldn't let Sparky out of his sight until they found out answers and saved Pipp. If Pipp was hurt or worse...he didn't know what he'd do. All he knew was that it wouldn't be pretty. Zipp tried to keep her mind from going into dark corners, but she couldn't seem to stop it. Images of Pipp lying on that hospital bed all those years ago kept flashing through her head, but this time, instead of her waking up, the heart monitors flat line. Zipp pictured being able to save Pipp, but she was unconscious in a coma from her injuries. She pictured staring at the heart monitor for days, watching it get weaker and weaker until it was a constant long beep. She pictured being escorted out by nurses as doctors tried to resuscitate her, only to fail. She pictured doctors coming to her and her mother, telling her that her daughter, her sister, didn't make it. She pictured burying her in the ground, her mother sobbing into Zipp's shoulder. She pictured saving Pipp too late. Sunny's vision was worse. She pictured Pipp dead, but that wasn't where it stopped. She pictured Pipp's and Sprouts's evil twins going through whatever mission they planned and Sunny being unable to stop it in time. She pictured magic disappearing and ponykind separating. All the hard work they accomplished crumbling right before her very eyes. Her father's dream being destroyed. And there was nothing she could do about it. But for Izzy, it was much worse. For a few blissful moments, her mind didn't connect the dots. And then it did and her heart stopped. In Izzy's mind, every Bridlewood legend was true. First the toggles, now this? What else was true, just waiting in the darkness, waiting to strike when they were the least suspecting? All of Izzy's foal hood fears were suddenly true, alive in the flesh and blood. Monsters under the bed were real, and there was nothing Izzy could do but wait for the next one to strike. "Oh no," Izzy muttered, her eyes wide with fear. Everypony looked at her, and upon seeing Izzy's face, Hitch's heart stopped. "What is it Izzy," Hitch asked cautiously, not sure if he wanted to know the answer, but if it gave him a chance at finding Pipp, he knew he had to. "Umm...I'm not sure if it's related, but umm..." Izzy took a deep breath, deciding it be better to just get it out. "There's an old Bridlewood legend about shapeshifters called the Blue Eyes That Feed and it could be what Pipp was fillynapped by but their dangerous and nopony knows where they live," Izzy said, all in one breath. Zipp opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again, her brain trying to process what Izzy said. She was about to brush it off as simply unicorn superstition, but after the troggle incident at the Bridlewoodstock Music Festival, Zipp learned that every legend is born from truth. And since it was the only lead they had that could explain who took Pipp and what was taking her place, she decided to give it a shot. Zipp sighed. "Alright. Let's hear it." Izzy looked surprised. "R–really? You don't think it's just unicorn superstition? You really wanna hear it?" Zipp shrugged. "Why not? It's the only lead we have at the moment. If the troggles are true, what else could be?" "And I'd do anything to find Pipp. Even if it means chasing after some mythical monster based on an old superstitious unicorn legend." Hitch added, feeling a small sense of renewed hope enter his heart. "I think I know that one," Misty spoke up. At the confused look from her friends, she clarified. "I asked Alphabittle to share some old Bridlewood legends with me. I wanted to get to know where I came from better," Misty shivered. "That was one of them." Izzy was next to Misty at a moment's notice. "Ooh, will you tell it with me?" "I don't know, Iz. I only heard it once and I don't know-" "But you remember the words?" "Well, yeah. They're kind of hard to forget. In a legend that chilling. Though, the way they tell it doesn't lessen the chill factor." Misty's words made the other three ponies shiver in fear. What kind of legend was this? "Please! It'll make this easier for me to tell it. PLEASE!" Izzy begged. Misty sighed and rolled her eyes and Izzy knew she won. "Fine. But you will teach me that empath shield." Izzy nodded and they began to tell the tale, alternating each verse: "Caution, weary traveler, For the flash of green, And the blue eyes that feed!" "Across the border, O'er the mountains. In a forest with no trees, And a lake with no water, Watch out for the blue eyes that feed." "With a glance in thy mind and a flash of green, The one thy love the most appears before thee." "But caution, weary traveler, for it is not so. They are a shape-shifter of old. Using thy love as a weapon rather than strength, They drain thee, until thou art as empty as he." "Watch out, weary traveler, for the flash of green, And don't run into the blue eyes that feed. "For they stalk at night every full moon, Looking for those weary travelers, such as you. For in the light of a full moon, it is easier To disguise the glint in their eyes when they lie, As nothing but the reflection of the Moonlight. For in the dark or the day, They have no fools on which to prey. Caution, weary traveler, For the flash of green, And the blue eyes that feed." Hitch, Zipp, and Sunny didn't know what to make of this Briddlewood legend. It certainly sounded ominous though. What were the blue eyes that fed? What did they feed on? However, they knew they had to decode it. Something in their gut told them this was who they were after. This is who fillynapped Pipp and took her place. "Shapeshifters of old?" Zipp asked, trying to connect any pieces. "You mean, Ancient Equestria?" Izzy shrugged while Misty said, "We don't know. The legend didn't exactly come with footnotes. We assume so." Zipp looked at the rest of her friends, but they looked just as confused. Except for Sunny. She, in particular, looked deep in thought. Hitch seemed to notice this too. "Whatcha thinking about, Sunny?" "Shapeshifter of old. Shapeshifter of old," Sunny mumbled to herself before her eyes widened. "Shapeshifters of old!" Sunny exclaimed. "Yeah, I think we got that." Zipp deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. "No. My father's research!" Sunny then jumped up and ran up the ramp. The rest of her friends looked at each other confused until it finally clicked for Zipp. She widened her eyes, similar to what Sunny had done. Sunny ran to her bed in their shared bedroom, looking through the drawers on her nightstand until she found a thick small, brown leather journal with a six-pointed star, filled to the brim with notes about Ancient Equestria. She grabbed it and ran downstairs, an excited look on her face. "What's that?" Misty asked when she noticed the journal in Sunny's hoof. Sunny set the book down on the dining table and began flipping through it, the rest of her friends gathering around her. "My father used to research Ancient Equestria. In the time of Twilight Sparkle. He dreamed of ponykind being reunited and he knew that there was a way to bring back magic." Sunny explained. "After he died, I read this hundreds of times, trying to find a way to bring ponykind back together. I remember reading about creatures similar to the one in Izzy's legend." Sunny continued flipping until she found the page she was looking for. "Ah–ha! There. Changelings. It says here that they were Equestria's enemy until King Thorax went into power. The ruler before him, Queen Chrysalis, was dethroned by Twilight Sparkle's pupil, a great and powerful magician, the Lord of Chaos, and King Thorax. After that, changelings integrated themselves into pony civilization. After that...nothing else is known about them." Sunny's friends looked over her shoulder to look at the page Sunny was reading from. There was a short descriptive paragraph about them which Sunny read and a short list of bullet points underneath. There was a page number next to Queen Chrysalis' name. Sunny flipped to that page and read aloud. "The last known major battle Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends faced was against three formidable foes: Queen Chrysalis, former queen of the changeling race, a magic-eating centaur, and another past pupil of Princess Twilight's. It is said that their powers were enhanced by a mysterious artifact simply known as Grogar's Bell. Not much is known about this ancient artifact except it's named after its creator Grogar, Father of Monsters, and can give its beholder infinite power. These three villains managed to separate ponykind, but Princess Twilight and her friends were able to defeat these foes, turning them into stone, with the aid of changelings, yaks, dragons, and other species, restoring harmony to Equestria once again..." Pipp's cell door opened and in walked Queen Vespula, a triumphant smile on her face. Two black creatures with blue eyes that resembled ponies but also looked nothing like them followed her. But it wasn't them that had Pipp's heart racing. It was the manic and triumphant smile that was spread across Queen Vespula's face. The look on her face meant something terrible, Pipp knew it. Pipp jumped off of the mattress, facing the changeling queen with a glare of her own. Queen Vespula just laughed at Pipp's attempt at bravery. Everything was going to plan, and nothing could stop them now. "Oh, don't look at me like that," Queen Vespula said in a mock pout. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. If everything goes the way I want it, you'll be going home soon." Pipp swallowed nervously. It couldn't be that simple. "What do you mean?" Pipp tried to keep the tremor out of her voice, but it still shone through. Queen Vespula laughed again. "I'm going to make a trade with your useless friends. The alicorn, for you." Pipp's heart stopped, at first thinking Queen Vespula's plan was really going to work. Sunny had the type of personality that wouldn't hesitate to switch places for the safety of her friends. That is until Pipp remembered the pact their mother made her and Zipp make. Royalty before family. That was when she knew Queen Vespula's plan wasn't going to work. "This isn't going to work, Vespula!" Pipp shouted in confidence. "Oh, yeah. Tell me, why is that?" Pipp quickly racked her brain for a lie, finding one easily. When it came to improvisation, years in front of the camera made Pipp a natural. "Because after my friends make your stupid deal and follow your drones here, they're going to raid this place like no tomorrow!" Vespula chuckled. "And what makes you think they can do all that?" "Because we're the flippin' Guardians of Unity!" Queen Vespula rolled her eyes at Pipp's bravado. "Bring the prisoner to the throne for the delivery. And prepare our–" Queen Vespula paused to look at Pipp with a smile before continuing, never taking her eyes off of Pipp. "Special room. We're going to have a true princess coming to visit." As the changeling drones roughly grabbed Pipp and roughly led her to the throne room, Pipp wondered what Zipp had planned. She had no idea what her sister was going to do, but she knew Zipp wasn't going to go through with the deal. Zipp woke up to the blaring alarm and flashing red light. She sat up in bed, already seeing the others jumping out of bed, and running into the elevator that led to the crystals at the top of the Brighthouse. Without hesitating, she followed her friends, her heart racing and adrenaline pumping through her veins. For hours earlier that day, the five ponies combed through Argyle's journal, front to back, multiple times, trying to find any more information that they could possibly find on changelings. After coming up short four hours later, they discussed the next matter of importance. The changeling version of Pipp and Sprout's, who they decided to call Petals and Cloverleaf for convenience, mission that Petals said was going to be done tonight. After two hours of discussions, the only progress they made in figuring it out was that it probably had something to do with the Unity Crystals. So, Zipp and Izzy got to work. By the end of the day, they put motion detectors with alarms around the Unity Crystals. If anypony went to the balcony that night, the motion detectors would sense it and the alarm would go off. For some extra insurance, Izzy and Zipp put up flashing red lightbulbs that were connected to the motion detectors in the bedroom. When the alarm went off, so would the lights. By the time the elevator opened on the Brighthouse balcony, they were surprised by the sight they saw, despite expecting it. It threw their mind for a mini whirlwind before they remembered that this wasn't really Pipp standing by the Unity Crystals, holding the pegasus crystal with the other two on the ground but rather a changeling. It still messed with their minds a bit though. Petals rolled her eyes. "About time. Sheesh." Petals put the pegasus crystal back in the rainbow Prisbeam and the other two lifted around it, fitting into place. The ponies on the balcony could feel their magic return, a warm light that seemed to lift their dark souls. "If I had actually been wanting to destroy the crystals, they'd all would've been destroyed by now, and I would've had time to get away. Seriously, you guys need to work on your timing." "So, why didn't you?" Zipp asked. Those Unity Crystals were the most vulnerable part of them. If somepony wanted to weaken them, breaking those Unity Crystals would be the fastest way to do it. Magic would disappear faster than it came, and they'd be defenseless. So...why didn't the changeling destroy them? Petals rolled her eyes again, lifting her front hoof in front of her to look at it. "Umm...duh. Because without your magic you're useless to us. Jeez, I thought you lot knew about changelings. You guys are dumber than I thought." Zipp tucked that bit of information away for later, knowing it'd be useful. Suddenly, something occurred to Hitch, making his blood boil. "This was all a set-up, wasn't it?!" Hitch yelled in anger. "You wanted us to be suspicious and you wanted Zipp to overhear your conversation! You wanted to be discovered! Didn't you?!" "Well, duh. Did you really think we were such horrible actors after generations of changelings watched you ponies century after boring century? Seriously, you guys are denser than concrete. No, I just removed the damn crystal to get your attention. I have a message for you. From the queen of the changelings, Queen Vespula. She wants to make a deal." "If you wanted to make a deal, why not just come to us and say something? Why jump through all these hoops of pretending to accidentally be discovered and leaving clues for us to find?" "Uh...where's the fun in that?" Petals said as though it were obvious. "It was hilarious seeing you run around questioning yourselves, thinking you were going crazy after seeing your friend brutally break up with the sheriff. You guys should've seen yourselves. Hi. Larious." Petals laughed, one born of insanity. "Where's Pipp?!" Hitch asked, charging at Petals in a whirlwind of fury, only to have both Sunny and Zipp grab him to stop him. "What did you do to her, you MONSTER?!!!" Petals rolled her eyes. "Chill, Sheriff. I assure you, she's unharmed. For the most part. Maybe a bump on the head when we hit her a little too hard knocking her out," Petals said with a malicious smile. Sunny and Zipp saw through her attempts at antagonizing Hitch, but Hitch did not. His breath grew hot and his muscles tensed, ready to spring himself at the changeling once more. The only thing that stopped him was Sunny and Zipp's hold on him tightening. "Anyway, that's why I'm here. I'm going to make this quick. I don't want to be in this stupid pink body longer than I have to. Our queen wants to make a deal: The alicorn for the princess." The only response the changeling got was silence. Until Sunny finally said something. "Let me get this straight. If I go with you..." Sunny trailed off. "You'll release Pipp?" Hitch finished, to which Petals only nodded, clearly irritated. Hitch didn't know what to think. Yes, he wanted Pipp rescued at all costs, but at the cost of his foalhood friend? His best friend? Could he really do that? Could he gain a marefriend just to lose somepony he thought of as a sister? It was almost as bad as asking him to trade Sparky for Pipp. Almost. He knew the answer to that one without hesitating. He'd choose Sparky any day. But, could he choose between the two mares he loved the most in the world? It was an impossible choice. The fact that he was even considering this made him feel like a terrible friend to Sunny, but he loved Pipp. He loved Pipp more than life itself. Sunny was an alicorn. She could handle herself in a hostile situation. She already had for years in Maretime Bay before ponykind reunited and after her father died. She'd been an outcast, a nobody, facing judgment, possible jail time, humiliation, and scorn, all without being an alicorn. And while he knew better than to underestimate Pipp, she was more vulnerable than Sunny was. She handled less in her life than Sunny did. Hitch didn't know how much longer Pipp would last. Sunny tried to think of the pros and cons but realized there was never really a choice. The choice was already made for her. Yes, she was the alicorn, but it wasn't like she was exactly needed. She had already fulfilled her destiny uniting the pony kinds. Her friends could handle Allura by themselves. Equestria could defend themselves, especially now that they had magic. Magic would keep them together. And, best case scenario, she'd have her magic. She was the alicorn. She could find a way to escape. But, maybe, Pipp could not. She already fulfilled everything she could in life. If she could sacrifice herself to save her friend, knowing Equestria would be safe, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Zipp watched Sunny and knew by the expression on her face when she made her decision, which was the opposite of what Zipp was hoping for. Yes, she loved her sister, and she wanted to save her so badly, but the words her mother taught them from the time they were old enough to understand words rang through her head. Royalty before family. Zipp was a princess before she was a sister. She couldn't let Sunny give herself up. While the deal looked decent on the outside, there was more to it than met the eye, Zipp knew it. If this queen of the changelings wanted Sunny, but let them keep their magic, there was something more here. They just needed to stall long enough to figure it out. But Zipp knew that even if Zipp flat-out refused their deal, Sunny would sneak off in the middle of the night to find Petals and agree to the deal behind her friends' backs. Especially since she thought it was the right thing to do. Which means, that in order to stall for time, Zipp needed to make Sunny useless to them. But how to do that when she didn't even know what they wanted Sunny for was harder to figure out. That was when something Petals said earlier rang through her head: "Because without your magic you're useless to us." Zipp's eyes widened. They wanted to steal their magic. She didn't know how they planned to do it, but in order for it to happen, they needed the Unity Crystals intact. Which means if magic didn't exist, if the Unity Crystals weren't safe, their entire plan was moot. Zipp had an idea on how to stall for time, but if she were to do this, she could destroy Equestria as they knew it. She just had to have a whole lot of faith that her friendships with her friends and the friendships that had formed over the past three years were strong enough to shine a beacon for the rest of Equestria. It was either that or become the feeding ground for a bunch of blue-eyed bugs. Zipp looked around, wondering if any of her friends had come to a similar conclusion. She could tell by their expressions that none of them had. None of them except for Misty. Misty was looking directly at Zipp, a knowing look in her eyes that told her Misty knew exactly what Zipp was thinking. Misty knew about their "Royalty Before Family" motto/pact since it was a very real possibility that Alphabittle was going to marry Queen Haven and Misty was going to become a princess of the pegasi. Zipp and Pipp were excited to have another sister join the family, even if they weren't thrilled about their mother marrying another stallion, and couldn't wait to start princess training. So, they didn't. They started with the same thing their mother first taught them. Royalty before family. Misty wanted there to be another option, some other solution for this, but Misty knew there wasn't. She was just glad that Zipp was thinking the same thing as her. She didn't want to have to be the one who did it. She had already hurt her friends enough. She didn't want to hurt them anymore in any way, but if their friends ganged up on Zipp, she'd have Zipp's back until the end. She'd support Zipp, even if their friends didn't. "Tick. Tock. I'm getting impatient. If you don't make a decision soon, I'll make it for you. And trust me, you won't like the answer." Petals said. Misty took a deep breath, taking a step closer to her other friends so that she was sort of in between them and the crystals. At first, Zipp thought this was Misty's way of saying she didn't support Zipp's decision, which surprised Zipp with how much it hurt, but then Misty barely tilted her head to the Unity Crystals and Zipp realized that because Misty moved, Zipp now had a clear path to the crystals. But, as though subconsciously reading the two mares' minds, Petals stepped closer, blocking Zipp's clear path to the crystals. She looked at Misty and saw that she had the perfect path to the Unity Crystals. Zipp stared at Misty who stared back, silently pleading her with her eyes to do what Zipp couldn't. At first, Misty shook her head, but after a few more moments of silent pleading, Misty nodded, softly closing her eyes, a tear streaming down her face as she prepared to lose the friends she just gained. At least she'll have Zipp's friendship after all this. At least that was certain. Zipp made one more silent plea, but this time, it was for a sister she hoped, despite being miles away, would do the impossible and read her mind, hearing this begged apology, knowing she might very possibly never see her sister again. 'I'm so sorry, Pipp. Please, forgive me.' "We made our decision," Zipp finally said, gaining the attention of the changeling. Everypony looked at Zipp in surprise, except for Misty, who recognized the distraction for what it was, and slowly crept closer to the Unity Crystals, hoping not to get caught by the changelings, or her friends before the deed was done. "But, first, can I give you a piece of advice?" Petals rolled her eyes. "I don't need advice from a puny pony." "Oh, come on. Who's it going to hurt? Anyway, it may be the most important thing you've heard." Petals rolled her eyes, curiosity overtaking her. "Fine. Let's hear it." Zipp smirked. "Next time you're looking to make a deal, don't reveal your greatest weakness. Misty! NOW!" All eyes turned to Misty, who was already at the Unity Crystals and had her hoof in the air. At Zipp's signal, she quickly grabbed them, ran to the edge of the Brighthouse, and threw them over the balcony. Everypony gasped and ran to the balcony in hopes of stopping the crystals before they hit the ground. However, they were too late. By the time they got there, the crystals had already shattered and wore nothing but a million pieces on the ground. Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy looked at the shattered pieces in shock, unable to believe what really happened. Their best friends, Misty and Zipp had just taken the magic away from Equestria forever. All of them, even earth pony Hitch, could feel the magic leaving them in a sudden whoosh of cold air. Suddenly, they felt empty inside like they had nothing left to give, just like they had before Sunny brought magic back. Sunny suddenly felt incomplete. Even though her alicorn parts were invisible ninety percent of the time, she could still feel them. She knew they'd always be there whenever she needed them. Now they were truly gone, not just invisible. And suddenly she felt as if a part of her was missing. She didn't just feel like an earth pony like she had before. She felt like her horn and wings had been ripped off and she was bound to be in complete forever. The changeling looked back at Misty and Zipp with fury in her eyes. "Don't you have any idea what you've done, you fools?! I hope you're happy because you're never going to see your sister again." And with that, the changeling flew off. "Ugh! Where is that foolish drone," Queen Vespula groaned as she paced the throne room. Pipp watched the changeling queen with bated breath. She couldn't keep her anxiety from spiking. She knew Zipp would do anything to prevent the deal from taking place, despite Sunny's insistence to the contrary. She just hoped that Zipp doing anything would prove to be enough. Suddenly, the drone came flying in, slowly. Both Pipp and Queen Vespula awaited for the next pony to come, Pipp with fear and Vespula with anticipation, but nopony came in. Queen Vespula turned to her drone, fury written all over her face. The changeling flinched, fear overtaking its features. "Where. Is. The. ALICORN?!" Queen Vespula yelled in the changeling's face. The changeling gulped, bowing low. "Our plans failed, Your Highness." Pipp breathed a sigh of relief. Zipp had done it. She had really done it. She stopped Queen Vespula's plan to take over Equestria. Pipp knew how hard it was for Zipp to choose their subjects over her little sister, but that was the price of being a princess, and both sisters knew it. "Did they refuse the deal?" All the changeling did was shake his head. "Well? Speak!? DON'T MAKE ME ASK TWENTY QUESTIONS, YOU FOOL!" "T-they d-des-stroyed m-magic, y-your m-maj-jesty." The drone stuttered out. The silence that followed was deafening. That was the most unexpected answer the changeling could've given. They destroy magic? Pipp knew that her sister would come up with some sort of plan to keep Equestria safe but...this?! This was...this was...a bit...extreme. What would drive Zipp to destroy magic? How?! "What?" Was all the queen asked in response. "W-well, t-the prisoner's sister f-found out that we w-were a-after their m-magic s-so she a-and the b-blue unicorn p-put together a plan, s-somehow. The s-sister d-distracted me while the b-blue unicorn...s-she...s-she..." "She what?!" "S-she sh-shattered the crystals." Pipp stared at the changeling with wide eyes. Blue unicorn? M-Misty...? Sh-she...Pipp couldn't believe her ears. Misty was the one who shattered the crystals? Suddenly, Pipp felt that much better. Sure, she was here, stuck in a changeling kingdom as a prisoner, probably about to die, but she knew Misty would be a good replacement. Yes, she probably couldn't satisfy the pipsqueaks, and the pipsqueaks would get radio silence from Pipp until they learned what happened and yes, they deserved so much better than that after being there for her for all those years, but that was just one aspect of her royal life. Misty has proven herself to be kind, and loyal, and she just proved herself brave. She'd make the perfect princess, even if she did lack confidence. Even though Pipp faced certain death, she couldn't help but boast triumphantly. "Ha! I told you! You're planning was never going to work!" Queen Vespula roared, turning to Pipp. "You'll never get away with this, you hear me!" "Guess what? We already did!" Pipp responded. A malicious smile grew on Queen Vespula's face. "Well then, I guess you'll never see the light of day again."