Royalty Before Family

by Willow NightSong24

Is There So Much Hate For The Ones We Love?

Zipp woke up to the alarm on her phone, waking her up extra early. She hated this. She slowly opened her eyes to see her bedroom in the Royal Palace of Zephyr Heights. Six months of waking up here and she still wasn't used to it.

Slowly, she wiped her bleary eyes with her hoof and got ready for the day. She then walked to the door of her royal chambers, kissed her hoof, and softly placed it on her sister's cheek on the photo by her door, like she did every morning.

She opened the door to find Misty already sitting outside of it like she did every morning. Zipp wondered how early Misty woke up to meet her here, since Zipp already woke up at 4:30 in the morning, and was out of her room by five.

"Morning," Zipp said, waiting in vain for a response.

The only one she got from Misty was a small, sad smile.

"So, how'd you sleep last night?" Zipp asked as they walked through the halls, on their way to the library.

Misty only shrugged, staring down at the ground. Zipp sighed heavily and didn't say another word until they got to the library. This wasn't the first time they'd been through this with similar results, but still, Zipp hoped that one of these mornings, Misty would say something.

That fateful night replayed through Zipp's mind:

---

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.

Silence filled the air as Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy looked at the shattered pieces of the crystals. Izzy closed her eyes and tried to lift the shattered pieces in hopes that, despite everything, her magic would work. Alas, her horn remained unlit and the pieces lay on the ground.

Sunny turned to Misty with wide panicked eyes. "What. Did. You. Just. Do!"

Misty opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She was silenced by the tidal wave of emotions she felt, emotions so strong, she thought they'd consume her. Anger. Shock. Confusion. Panic. Betrayal. All aimed at her. Every one of them, even Izzy, felt betrayed by her. Misty felt as though she would suffocate under it. As though the weight of all their emotions would crush her.

Zipp was by her side in an instant. She stood protectively by Misty's side, having her back until the end. "Don't blame Misty. This was my idea. I–"

"You were part of this too?!" Hitch asked incredulously, turning to face the two mares with accusation in his eyes.

"Just...hear us out. We knew–"

"Hear you out?! You took magic away! FOREVER! Why?! What would even..." Sunny stuttered a bit, completely at a loss for words. "Possess you to do something like this?! Now we can NEVER get magic back! Those crystals were...were everything! And you took them away!"

"Sunny, they weren't everything. It'll be okay," Misty reasoned, taking a step closer to the panicking Sunny.

"Yeah. We lived our whole lives without magic. We'll figure something out. We'll find a way–"

"Figure something out?! You mean, you're telling us...you don't have a plan?! You'd just...break the crystals and hope for the best?! That was your plan?!"

Zipp flinched at Hitch's words, knowing he basically hit a bullseye. "I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't let Sunny go with that changeling. There was a reason they wanted her and I wasn't about to find out. I...I needed some way to stall for time...I...I had to make Sunny useless to them...I'm sorry, but that was all I could think of." Zipp pleaded. "Please, just...try to understand..."

"Understand?! That was my decision to make, Zipp. I chose to go with that thing, but you just took that choice away! You're not the boss of me, Zipp. You can't just make decisions for everypony–"

"It wasn't just YOUR choice!!" Zipp yelled back. "This had to do with all of Equestria! You going to the changeling queen is exactly what she wants! She has a bigger plan and I don't know what it is yet, but I'll figure it out." Zipp shook her head, looking down at the ground. "We'll figure out another way to get Pipp back, we'll–"

"How?! You just took the only way we'd find Pipp! Didn't you think about the fact that if we let Sunny go with the changeling, we could follow them and save Pipp?" Hitch yelled.

"Yeah, I did. But we don't have the resources for that. We'd be going in blindly and...we might not come back. Equestria needs us and..."

"And what? Suddenly Pipp doesn't matter?"

Zipp closed her eyes, unable to look at Hitch as she answered his question. "No. She doesn't."

Everypony except for Misty gasped in shock at Zipp's words. Silence followed. Misty just stared at the ground, tears filling her eyes. Tears stung the back of Zipp's eyes, but she held them back. She had to be strong for her friends. She had to be...

---

Zipp felt a tap on her shoulder. She started, looking around and finding Misty with an apologetic look. Zipp sighed and smiled at Misty. She didn't realize she had zoned out at the entrance of the library. Zipp and Misty walked in, seeing a coffee and a smoothie sitting on the table by the entrance. Zipp grabbed the coffee while Misty grabbed her smoothie. It wasn't the same as the ones from Sunny's smoothie cart, but it still reminded her of Maretime Bay.

"So...I was going to look in the section about mythical creatures again. Just to see if there was anything I missed. You wanna come or..." Misty shook her head, walking away to the section she'd gone to every day for the past three weeks. Zipp sighed. "Go and read the atlases for the billionth time. Sounds like a plan."

Zipp rolled her eyes and walked to the Mythology section. She wanted to trust Misty, especially since Misty trusted her but...Misty knew that she wasn't just going to find a dot on the map labeled the changeling kingdom, right? It wasn't like ponies knew about changelings. The only pony who knew anything remotely about them was Argyle, and Zipp read through every single page.

Before Zipp and Misty left the Brighthouse, Sunny let Zipp take a picture of every page of Argyle's journal. Anything to find Pipp, she supposed. That was the only lead they had. That and the Bridlewood legend. Zipp studied that as hard as she could, but the only new info she got out of it was that the changelings didn't live inside of Equestria, which was already assumed, so it's not like that was anything new.

Zipp walked to a shelf and pulled out a book. She read the title: 'Pony Mythology of the Ancient World'. Well, she had no better place to start. She sat at a table closest to the shelf and flipped to the first page. As she read, her mind began to wander...

---

"Not important?! How...she's your SISTER! How...how can you say...?" Hitch trailed off, unable to believe what he just heard.

"It's not that she's not important. She is. She's one the most important things to me, but..." Zipp trailed off, not sure how to explain it without sounding heartless.

"She's not important enough," Hitch finished with a bitter tone to his voice.

"Compared to the fate of Equestria? To the fate of Zephyr Heights? No. She's not. Look, Hitch. I love her too. I really do. It–"

"Clearly you don't love her enough." Hitch bit out.

Zipp's heart was stabbed with guilt. Did she really make the right decision? Or was what Hitch said the truth? Did she not love Pipp enough? If she loved her more, would she have made the same decision? Or would she have risked the fate of Equestria for the slim chance of a successful rescue mission, only to fail and die in the process?

Zipp shook her head. She couldn't think like that. The deed was already done. There was no going back. All she could do now was hope she made the right decision and do whatever she could to find Pipp and bring her back...alive.

"Hitch, please. You're the sheriff of Maretime Bay. You understand, right? Would you really risk all of Maretime Bay's safety for the slim chance you could save Sparky?"

"Yes," Hitch replied without hesitation. "Yes, I would. Do you know why? Because when I say I love somepony more than life itself, I, unlike you, actually mean it!"

Zipp stumbled back. She knew her friends would be mad at her, but she thought that they'd at least let her explain. Anger brewed deep inside Zipp. She thought they were friends. She thought they cared. She thought they wouldn't turn on her when times got tough. But, clearly she was wrong.

"You're so worried about saving Pipp, but have you even once stopped and considered what she'd want?! Don't you think you're letting your love for Pipp blind you, just a bit? Don't you think Pipp would understand the decision I made and would want me to make the same decision?!"

"So...what? Now you're saying Pipp WANTS to be locked up in a cell in some changeling country as their prisoner?" Hitch shook his head incredulously. "You know, maybe you're the one letting your LACK of love for her blind you because if you really did love her, you wouldn't sentence her to rot in a dungeon for eternity!"

"At least if she's in a dungeon, SHE'S STILL ALIVE! Which means we still have a chance to save her!"

"The changelings may have been the ones to kidnap her, but it's your fault she's in hell right now!"

Misty took a deep breath and took a step between Zipp and Hitch. "Okay, maybe we should all take a deep breath and calm down before one of you says something you'll regret. We're all friends–"

"Oh, shut up, Misty. Like you're in the position to talk about friendship and rainbows when you just sentenced one of your friends to a life worse than death!" Hitch yelled, getting in Misty's face.

Misty backed up, squeezing her eyes shut. This was Hitch. Her friend. This wasn't Opaline. She didn't need to be afraid. Hitch was just confused and scared. He wanted to save Pipp. He wanted Pipp to be okay. He blamed himself for Pipp going missing, and he was just taking it out on Misty and Zipp. Right? He didn't mean anything he said.

Misty tried to get a read on his emotions, just to confirm what she hoped she already knew, but there were a million different emotions all in one place, combining into one huge cloud of paranoia, Misty had no way to discern them. She was overwhelmed with the emotions and as soon as she tapped into her gift, she mediately shied away. But, as always, the emotions didn't. They just stayed there, trying their best to crush her from their weight.

"I–I was just...just trying to help, I–"

"I think you helped enough," Sunny said, glaring daggers a Misty.

Misty stumbled back, shocked. "W–what?"

Sunny rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't act stupid with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Zipp may have been in on it, but ultimately, it was your hooves that shattered the crystals and killed magic forever."

"Sunny I...I..."

"You what? Either talk Misty, or don't say anything AT ALL!"

---

Zipp felt a tap on her shoulder. She sat up, her eyes heavy. She turned to see Misty standing behind her, a worried expression on her face. Zipp sighed and nodded, assuring her that everything was okay.

"I'm fine. I must've dosed off." Zipp yawned and stretched. How long had she been asleep? "Did you find something?"

Misty hesitated but shook her head. Zipp sighed in defeat. How were they ever going to find anything about the changelings? How did Argyle find so much info and yet they couldn't find a thing? Zipp and Misty had already tried going to Bridlewood, to see if any of the other unicorns knew anything else about the legend, but they came up empty–hoofed. They tried asking other unicorns to tell them the legend they heard it growing up–well, Zipp asked, while Misty stood by silently–in hopes that maybe different versions or variations had more information to offer, but they were all the same.

Misty pointed at Zipp's phone. Confused, she picked it up and gasped when she saw the time. It was already seven in the morning?! They just got here. They had two hours before breakfast to research, so where did that time go? Zipp noticed her still full cup of coffee. Right. She 'dosed off'. She didn't realize how long she slept though.

"Breakfast. Right." Zipp muttered.

Zipp and Misty both left the library, Misty trailing Zipp like a shadow. That's actually what the guards and servants took to calling Misty in the six months they'd been here. Zipp's shadow. She went everywhere Zipp went, as though she were scared that if she left Zipp's side, Zipp would leave her too.

Zipp noticed Misty had a book on her back. "You checked out a book I see. Got a new lead?" Zipp asked, trying to start some sort of conversation.

Misty shrugged, looking down. Her typical response.

Zipp decided to try again one more time. She looked at the title of the book: 'The Sun, The Moon, and The Stars: The Complete Guide To Astrology'. "Sooo...if you didn't find a lead, I take it you like astrology."

Again, Misty simply shrugged, balancing the book carefully on her back. It looked pretty thick, something that'd take a while to read. Zipp racked her brain, trying to find some way to keep the conversation going if that's what you could call this.

"You know, I've always been interested in astrology," Zipp hoped Misty couldn't hear the lie. She'd try anything to get her to talk. "I guess I just never got around to studying it. Maybe you could share a couple of fun Facts with me sometime?"

There. Misty had to respond to that. Zipp finally trapped her. Why didn't she think of something like this sooner?

However, Misty simply shrugged and continued walking in silence. Zipp sighed and gave up, though, she knew she'd try again later that day. She always did.

Anger boiled in Zipp. How could Sunny be so careless with her words? Didn't she understand the impact they left? Didn't they understand how horrible they made Misty feel? How sensitive Misty was. Zipp clenched her jaw as memories continued to flit through her head.

---

"Leave her alone, Sunny!" Zipp yelled, standing in front of Misty protectively.

"Like you're any better..."

As Zipp, Sunny, and Hitch continued fighting, Misty realized that Izzy hadn't said a thing through this whole argument. Maybe Izzy understood. Misty slowly crept up to Izzy, fully expecting her to be hit with a bunch of anger, but she got nothing. Izzy just stayed quiet, leaning against the balcony, her face resting on her hoof, lying on the railing, staring down at the shattered remains of the crystals.

"Izzy?" Misty asked. "Izzy, are you okay?"

Izzy said nothing in return.

Misty swallowed and sat down next to Izzy, not sure what to say. "You're not mad at me too? Are you? Please, just try to understand. I didn't want to hurt anypony. I just...I...I didn't want anypony getting hurt."

"You say that, but don't you see? Somepony did get hurt. Pipp. And, you hurt all of us. Maybe not physically, but you broke our hearts, Misty. Both you and Zipp."

"Izzy..."

"Just leave me alone..." Izzy said, turning away from Misty. When Misty just continued to sit there, Izzy whispered in a pleading voice. "Please?"

Misty stood up, stumbling back, tears running down her face. Izzy didn't raise her voice, nor did she accuse Misty of being heartless like Sunny and Hitch did, but it was her words that hurt the most. All Misty wanted to do was fix what she had broken. She didn't want to hurt her friends, but by trying to keep them safe, she hurt them in a way she couldn't heal. She hurt them in the place it hurt the most.

---

Zipp and Misty arrived at the dining hall, opening the doors to see Queen Haven at the head and Alphabittle next to her.

The first time Alphabittle came to visit Zephyr Heights about two weeks after magic disappeared, Zipp had felt hopeful. If anypony could get through to Misty, it was her long lost father.

Of course, Alphabittle had come to check on Misty as soon as he felt magic disappear. It took him a couple of hours to reach Maretime Bay, and when he got there, Sunny, Hitch, and Izzy had told him that Zipp and Misty had gone to go stay in Zephyr Heights. They told him the whole story, about how Pipp went missing, the changelings and their deal, and how Misty, with the support of Zipp, had shattered the crystals, destroying magic.

If it were anypony else, he would've been furious and demanded that their head be delivered to him on a silver platter. But this was Misty they were talking about. His daughter. He knew she wouldn't have done this without a valid reason. Without some sort of knowledge, the rest of them failed to see. When he went to Zephyr Heights from Maretime Bay that day, he didn't ask her about it. She had already looked traumatized enough. But he still wanted answers.

So, two weeks later, he visited Zephyr Heights again...

---

Alphabittle walked into the massive grand entrance. He was always amazed by the sheer size and beauty of this place. It was so unlike Bridlewood, so modern. While the unicorns always tried to integrate themselves into nature as much as they could, Zephyr Heights was the place with all the newest tech. All up to date best whatever.

He was surprised to see Zipp was the one who greeted him and not Queen Haven. Alphabittle's relationship with Queen Haven's daughters was always...tedious, even after he started dating Queen Haven. Since the girls found out Misty was his daughter, he found that they were opening up more.

And then magic disappeared. He hasn't seen much of Zipp since that day, and he's seen even less of Misty. That's why he was here. He wanted to check in with his daughter and see if she was okay. He may not admit it out loud, but he was scared for Misty. She hadn't talked or come to see him at all in the last two weeks, even when she and Zipp visited Bridlewood. He was incredibly worried about her.

His worry only increased when he saw the grim look on Zipp's face. He had rushed up to her, wondering what happened to his sweet Misty Wisty.

"Zipp!" Alphabittle exclaimed. "Is everything okay? Did something happen?" His mind went to the worst possibility, the darkest place it could go and he was suddenly back when Misty was fillynapped, and he was powerless to protect his own daughter.

"Everything's...fine. Nothing's happened since...that day..." Zipp trailed off, not sure how to tell Alphabittle this.

"Hey," Alphabittle put a hoof under Zipp's chin and forced her to look up into his kind eyes. "It's okay. You can tell me. She's my kid, and I know you're here, looking out for her. I know you're doing everything you can."

Zipp sighed, stepped back, and looked down at the ground. "Misty hasn't said a word since that day. It's really starting to worry me. No matter what I say or do, she'll just nod, shake her head, or shrug. Nothing works. I ask her what's wrong, but she shakes her head with this...sad smile. That's why I'm meeting you here. When I heard you were visiting, I thought that maybe you'd be able to do...something. Get some sort of verbal reaction out of her."

Alphabittle sighed, knowing his little filly needed him. He nodded at Zipp, who happily led him to Misty's room, desperate to do anything to help Misty.

Zipp left once she showed him the door, wanting to give them their privacy. Alphabittle stood before Misty's door for a while before he got the courage to finally knock.

There was no response.

Alphabittle knocked again.

Silence.

Finally, the door opened, and on the other side was Misty Brightdawn herself. When she saw her father, her eyes widened a bit before she turned away. She walked further into her room and sat on her bed, leaving the door wide open, an obvious invitation to come in.

Alphabittle hesitated before walking in. "Hey, kiddo. Pretty sweet digs you got here, huh?"

Misty just shrugged, staring down at her hooves.

"So...Zipp told me you haven't said a word in two weeks. Are you going for a world record or something, 'cause, I think you got it."

Misty just remained still, not moving.

Alphabittle cleared his throat. At this point, he knew small talk was pointless, so he decided to get right to the reason he was there. He had scripted a whole speech, knowing exactly where he wanted the conversation to go. It had been years since he was a dad, and this was as new territory as it was for Misty. He didn't want to mess up, not like he did with their father-daughter day. But as he watched his daughter, he realized his speech wasn't going to cut it.

He had written it anticipating a completely different Misty. But just as he got used to that Misty, a brand new one was being presented to him. He didn't know how to handle his daughter anymore...again. He was completely blind. He knew how impactful words were from experience. He understood how influential they could be. He didn't want to mess her up more than she already was.

So, he did the only thing he could do. He went by fatherly instinct. "You know, kid, I'm not upset with you."

Finally, he got the first real reaction out of his daughter. Misty looked up at him, wide-eyed.

"Yep. Your friends told me everything that happened that day."

Misty flinched at the mention of her friends, which Alphabittle noticed.

"I know you got in a massive fight with them. When I visited them, they were still pretty upset. But, y'know, Izzy's been coming to Bridlewood more often. Every time she does, she comes by the Crystal Tea Room, and asks me how you're doing."

Misty looked down at her hooves again, using her mane to hide the tear streaming down her face.

Alphabittle sighed. "Kid, I know your friends were pretty upset, and if it were anypony else, I'd be just as upset. But, I know you, Misty. I know you wouldn't do it without a valid reason. Your friends...they just don't understand why. They're just...confused. We all know there's a reason behind it, we just wanna know what that reason is."

Misty remained quiet, looking down at her hooves.

"I wanna know. Just please...tell me. I'll understand. I'm your dad, that's what I'm here for, kid. Please."

Again, nothing.

"Please...I'm begging you. I just want to help. I just want to make things alright. You can talk to me. No judgment, no criticism. Heck, I won't even give you advice if you don't want it. I just want to know what's up. I just want to be here for my little filly."

Misty only turned her head away, tears filling her eyes.

Tears filled Alphabittle's eyes. He wanted to help, truly he did, but he just didn't know how. He wanted to do...something, he just didn't know what that something was until his little filly talked to him, but her lips were sealed shut.

Alphabittle sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of his daughter. "Well, I guess that's it then. I won't stop visiting you, even if you don't want to talk. And if you ever change your mind, just say my name and I'll be here in an instant, kid. I promise...."

---

Misty walked into the dining hall, sitting by her father. This was new. This was progress.

Alphabittle had a sly smile on his face. "Morning...Misty Wisty."

Misty playfully glared at him with a smile on her face. She didn't talk, but this was still progress. She was more interactive than she was five months ago. He couldn't help but smile warmly back at her.

Queen Haven cleared her throat. She didn't want to bring this up, but she knew she had to. At least this way, she knew it was all at once with everypony in the same room.

"Zipp. Misty..." Queen Haven sighed, her eyes tearing up like they did every time she thought of her youngest daughter. She knew her heart would never heal. "There's...there's something I want to speak to you girls about."

Zipp swallowed. "Sure, Mom. You know you can talk to us about anything."

Queen Haven sighed. "Girls, tomorrow is...is Maretime Bay Day."

Both Zipp and Misty dropped their forks as one, the sound of their forks clanking against their half-eaten plates the only sound filling the room. Zipp looked at Queen Haven with wide eyes, while Misty just stared at her plate, her whole body frozen and trembling.

The holiday couldn't help but remind everypony of Pipp. In the past three Maretime Bay Days, Pipp had been so heavily involved. She put 110% into this event, just like she did everything else in her life. She really loved Maretime Bay Day. It was one of her favorite holidays because it celebrated the place she felt most at home. It felt wrong having Maretime Bay Day without Pipp. Almost as wrong as having Maretime Bay Day, without Maretime Bay.

Queen Haven took another deep breath. "And...there dedicating it to Pipp's memory."

"What?!" Zipp exclaimed, slamming her hooves on the table, making Misty flinch. "Memory?! You make it sound like everypony already thinks she's dead!"

"Zipp, dear. You know that's not what I meant. It's just that...it's been six months with no word from those...changelings or Pipp herself. The possibility of her coming home is...unlikely."

"She's coming home. I'm going to bring her home. Misty and I have been working tirelessly to look for answers and I–"

"Zipp, you've scoured that library from top to bottom for six months now. You've interviewed nearly every unicorn about that old legend, including Alphabittle, plus you've read everything you could in that journal from Sunny multiple times. If there was something to find, you would've found it by now. Eventually dear, we need to find a way to move on. For our subjects. We...we need to do what's best for them."

"That's how we got into this mess in the first place! That's why I destroyed magic and sentenced Pipp to a life in some dungeon!' Zipp yelled back.

"And from what you told me, you made the right decision. The changelings were after our magic, and in order to keep ponykind from being their feeding ground, you destroyed magic so then we'd be useless to them. I understand and you made the best decision you could in the circumstances you were in. These are just the consequences of them. Both you and your sister had known the possibility of having to choose your subjects over your family at some point in your life, I made sure of that. I'm sorry Zipp, but that is how it is."

Zipp stood up. "No! I refuse to believe that! I won't! And if you want me to go to that stupid memorial thing, forget it! I'm not going! I won't go somewhere that celebrates her death when she's not even dead! And you shouldn't want to either! And shame on you for wanting to!" And with that, Zipp ran out of the room.

"Zephyrina Storm, you come back here right now! I'm not finished with you!" Queen Haven said, raising her voice for the first time.

"I'm finished!" Zipp yelled back before slamming the doors shut behind her.

The room was silent for a moment. Misty glanced at Queen Haven before running after Zipp. Misty had an idea of where she would've gone. Misty ran out into the castle courtyard and past her together tree before arriving in front of Pipp's Cutie Blossom Bash Tree to see Zipp sitting on the bench before it. She was staring down at her phone when Misty could hear voices.

"Mom! Mom! Look at me!"

"If I sing to the tree, Mom, will it grow faster?"

"Oh, there's an idea! Let's try, shall we?"

🎵oooh, make your mark
It's your spark
You cutie mark
Ohhh yeah🎵

"Mom, that was the song I sang when I got my cutie mark!"

"I know baby. It's amazing."

"Well, it was inspired by my big sister, who's just as amazing!"

Zipp felt a hoof tap her shoulder. She turned around and saw Misty standing behind her. She sighed heavily, stopping the video she was watching of her and Pipp. Misty sat on the bench beside her, staring at Pipp's Cutie Mark Tree. The two of them sat in silence for a long moment, just staring at the tree.

"I just...can't go back..." Zipp finally said after a couple of minutes of silence.

Misty didn't say anything, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Maretime Bay.

"I promised myself that I wouldn't go back until I found answers. Until I knew where to find Pipp...I just...I..." Zipp trailed off.

Zipp struggled with being vulnerable in front of other ponies. The only pony she was truly vulnerable in front of was Pipp. Misty remained silent, as though knowing that saying anything would keep Zipp from speaking her heart. Stop her from getting things off her chest.

Zipp took a deep breath. "I just...can't help but think...maybe I made the wrong decision that day. I...what if...what if I let Sunng go with the changelings? Would we be able to save Pipp and make it back to Equestria safely,...or what if it destroyed Equestria? With those crystals destroyed, with magic gone, we're useless to the changelings. It gets them off our back. But...I can't help but think...what if Pipp really is gone? Forever? What if...what if we can't find her?" Tears filled Zipp's eyes. "What if mom's right? We combed through that library left and right. We searched Bridlewood for more info. We...we looked everywhere. What if all this really is fruitless? And the worst part of it: what if Hitch was right?"

Misty said nothing, just staring at Pipp's tree. To Zipp, it just felt like she was talking to herself, like sitting next to her was nothing but a ghost.

"What if I really didn't love her enough? I'm her big sister! I'm supposed to protect her! But instead, I made her life a LIVING HELL!"

Misty flinched a bit but otherwise didn't move. She didn't put her hoof on Zipp's shoulder. She didn't tell Zipp useless words in an attempt to make her feel better. All she did was sit there quietly and motionless, letting Zipp get all this out.

"I'm a horrible sister. I put the fate of ponies I don't even know above my own little sister! Hitch was right, it's all my fault. I thought I was doing what was right, but I...I was wrong and now Pipp is paying the price for it!"

Misty opened her mouth to say something, but her friends' words rang through her head:

"Oh, shut up, Misty. Like you're in the position to talk about friendship and rainbows when you just sentenced one of your friends to a life worse than death!"

"I think you helped enough."

"Zipp may have been in on it, but ultimately, it was your hooves that shattered the crystals and killed magic forever."

"You what? Either talk Misty, or don't say anything AT ALL!"

"You say that, but don't you see? Somepony did get hurt. Pipp. And, you hurt all of us. Maybe not physically, but you broke our hearts, Misty"

"Just leave me alone. Please?"

Misty sighed, closing her mouth. It was better if she didn't say anything at all.

But she could show Zipp something. Something that could give her hope.

She stood up from the bench, tapping Zipp's shoulder, gesturing her to follow. Zipp complied with a sigh. Misty may not talk anymore, but it was still pretty hard to say no to her.

Zipp followed Misty back to the library, where they were just a half hour ago. Misty led Zipp to the geography section, where her work table was still a mess, with books, papers, and pens scattered all around the desk. Zipp wondered what in the hay Misty was up to.

Misty led her to the desk and handed Zipp a piece of paper. Zipp looked down at it and saw that it was the Bridlewood legend. Confused, Zipp looked up at Misty, who handed her a note:

' Originally, I didn't say anything, because it was just a rough theory with no concrete evidence, but you seemed pretty down in the dumps, so, I thought I'd fill you in on everything I found the last couple of weeks. I wanted to wait a little longer, just to do a little more research in case I was wrong, but, what have we got to lose, right?'

Zipp looked up at Misty, thoroughly confused. "You've been looking at atlases and astrology books for the past couple of weeks? What? Did you find the location on a map somewhere in some long-forgotten book somewhere?"

The look on Misty's face told her she was on the right line. After six months of spending almost every waking moment with a silent Misty, Zipp was pretty good at reading her. She could read Misty like a book.

Zipp gasped. "Wait? You really found them?"

Misty tilted her head from side to side, in a maybe gesture.

Misty then pulled out a map and opened it. It was of Equestria and the lands just beyond it. She then pointed at the words on the legend and then a mountain range just outside Equestria.

Zipp read the words Misty pointed to:

Across the border,
O'er the mountains.

Zipp rolled her eyes, her hope dimming a bit. "I know, Misty. But the land over the mountains is vast. They could be anywhere."

Misty gave a reassuring smile, pointing at another phrase on the legend, which Zipp also read:

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.

Zipp looked up at Misty and found that as she read, Misty had pulled out a book and was already flipping to a page. Upon closer inspection, Zipp realized that it was the same book Misty was carrying earlier.

Misty turned the book towards Zipp and pointed her hoof to a paragraph, which Zipp promptly read aloud. "Umm...near the end of the era of Twilight Sparkle, also known as the end of Equestria's Golden Years, Twilight, in preparation for magic failing, cast a spell that set the sun and moon on a constant course. However, the sun and the moon were not made to ride along set courses. When magic failed, the spell malfunctioned, causing the world, the sun, and the moon to rotate around each other in a complicated pattern, as shown in the image below."

Zipp looked at the indicated image, but she couldn't make sense of all the dotted lines and non-dotted lines. She looked up at Misty, knowing she missed something–why else would Misty be showing her this–but not exactly sure what it was she was missing.

Misty gestured for her to continue reading, so she did. "Because of this, some lands outside Equestria have a constant full moon and multiple lunar eclipses. Because the phases of the moon affect the tides and plant life, among other things, it would seem that in these areas, nature seems out of whack. And while it's not confirmed, pony drones have located these areas and have even given us enough images to roughly sketch these phenomenon territories."

Zipp looked up at Misty with a confused look once she got to the end of the section, not sure what it was Misty wanted her to find and how this related to where the changeling kingdom was.

Misty then grabbed the paper with the legend on it and pointed to a certain line, which Zipp then read to herself.

Misty then grabbed the paper with the legend on it and pointed to a certain line, which Zipp then read to herself.

In a forest with no trees,
And a lake with no water.

Zipp looked up at Misty again, thoroughly confused. Misty then rolled her eyes, circled the word tide, and put a question mark next to it with a pencil. Zipp looked at Misty and then the word, not sure what she meant.

"What? You want me to tell you the meaning of a tide, or something?" Zipp asked, to which Misty nodded. Zipp rolled her eyes. "I think you know what that means, Misty. You don't need me to-"

Misty pointed at the word with her hoof again, though this time in frustration and with a huff. Zipp was confused. She's never seen this side of Misty. She knew she was missing something, and her detective instincts were tingling, but she just couldn't place it.

"Okay..." Zipp said slowly, confused. "A tide is a movement of water caused by-"

Misty stopped her, pointing at the part of the legend Zipp just read, but at a specific line. Where it said a lake with no...

Zipp paused in her thoughts, the pieces finally clicking. Hope swelled in Zipp, but she was worried about it being a dead end. About it not being enough.

At that thought, Zipp's hope punctured like a popped balloon.

"It's progress, but...that could be anywhere. We don't know where these places are and even if we do find them, it could take months, and that's-"

Misty stopped Zipp with a hoof and a small smirk. She then pointed to the section Zipp read in the Astrology book. Zipp read where Misty pointed:

' And while it's not confirmed, pony drones have located these areas and have even given us enough images to roughly sketch these phenomenon territories.'

Zipp's eyes widened as realization struck her. "No..."

Misty nodded with a triumphant smile. Yes she seemed to say one hundred times over.

Misty then pulled out a paper map and opened it, showing Zipp the part circled in red. It was pretty big, but small compared to the rest of the world. It was an ancient map, but still, it was there.

Misty pointed to a part labeled Forest of Leota and Dryland Cove. Zipp thought back to the legend. 'In a forest with no trees and a lake with no water...'

Zipp stared at the map in shock, not wanting to believe it, but couldn't help but believe it. By the heavens above, Misty had done it. She had actually done it. She found Pipp. Well, not Pipp, but the area where the changelings live, which is where Pipp would be. A smile began to slowly grow on Zipp's face as tears came to her eyes like earlier, but these were tears of joy, not sadness. Hope, not despair. Zipp felt the most hopeful she had felt in six months. They had a place to start looking. They could find Pipp. They had a destination. They had hope. Misty gave Zipp hope when she thought there was none.

Zipp chuckled softly, still staring at the map with disbelief. She began crying, tears running down her face. The stress and the worry and fear she had kept in for half a year finally came bursting out. All the emotions she felt that she had brushed away so they wouldn't keep her from finding an answer came exploding out of her now that she knew she wouldn't have to search anymore. They had a place, now they needed to get there. Zipp fulfilled her promise to her friends and herself.

Zipp laughed triumphantly through the tears. "Misty! You're a genius! You did it. You actually did it! I can't believe you did it!"

Zipp hugged Misty as tight as she could, catching Misty off guard. Hesitantly, Misty wrapped her hooved around Zipp, who squeezed tight, laughing and crying all at the same time. Zipp was so filled with hope and joy that she couldn't contain it. She wouldn't. She hadn't felt like this in what felt like years. That she could do it. That she could finally be the big sister she should've been. The big sister she promised to be.

Zipp and Misty finally separated after what felt like hours, with Zipp wiping away tears with her hoof, with a smile. "Misty, pack your bags. We're finally going back to Maretime Bay."

Author's Note:

Whew...alright...that was another hard emotional chapter to write...(currently wondering why I willingly put myself through this sadness torture )

Anyway, if you couldn't already figure out from the title, this chapter is inspired by my favorite song "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" by Kate Bush.

I was recently watching Teen Titans (OG 2004: The only version I will recognize) for like the tenth time, and I was watching the infamous Terra Arc and how one misunderstanding and some harsh words could lead to a catastrophic end and I realized that it's important to know that harsh words you say to a person not only hurts the person they're aimed at, but also the people who love that person. They don't want to see their loved ones in pain. And since most of us tend to bottle up that pain, our loved ones, especially our parents (90% of parents), want to help, but they don't know how, and they feel helpless and hurt because they can't help the one person they dedicated their lives to help.

It also demonstrates how impactful words can be and how much of an effect they can have on those around us. Words are so easy to throw around carelessly, but so impossible to take back.

So, yeah, I know this chapter is solely based on Misty and Zipp and while I'd consider it a filler episode, I think it's a pretty important one. Not just because of its message, but because we get to see Misty and Zipp grow as future step-sisters.

Alright, guys, that's all for this chapter. Just remember to keep your words positive and don't say anything that intentionally hurts another person, because, well, I can't say it better than Kate Bush: 'You don't wanna hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies.'

Also, after that much sadness, I had to end the episode on a positive note. I do love Misty, so I don't want to throw too much at her.

Hakuna Matata

Comments

[Flamewarrior02]

Well, who knew Earth Ponies could be such ###############?

OK, that was a little harsh given the circumstances, but seeing as Misty was almost silenced and Zipp went through mental suffering, I hold my right to shame Sunny and Hitch (maybe also Izzy) until I hear some apologies.

Edit: So after some thinking, I decided to start the shaming now. It has been 6 months and the ponies that “didn’t love” Pipp are the ones working tirelessly to save her. Boy do I need some good humbling next time and soon, because my hate is probably unhealthy RN

[Willow NightSong24]

11939170
Yeah, it's easy to take our anger and fear out on those closest to us because, maybe deep down, we know that if their truly our friends, they'll forgive us. Maybe not always if we keep crossing lines, but for the most part, they will.

[Flamewarrior02]

11939230
Well, until proven otherwise consider that line crossed.

Like I say: Never Forget, Never Forgive.

Okay, that’s not actually a motto I live by, but you get my point that as a supporter for the future queen my loyalties prevent me from feeling any sympathy for Sunny and Hitch for the time being

[Elias Villalba]

Zipp y misty son verdaderas hermanas 🤧, espero que pipp este bien