> Royalty Before Family
>  by Willow NightSong24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Fights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning pipsqueaks!" Pipp exclaimed, wearing her social media smile as she livestreamed. "It's another glorious day" Pipp vocalized the last two words with her iconic singing voice. "here in Maretime Bay! So, I know I don't usually livestream at—" Pipp glanced at the clock on her phone. "8:30 in the morning because, let's face it, none of us are alive that early in the morning. But...I woke up to the best surprise in the world. My amazing cf here...Hitch, say hi," Pipp switched from selfie to the main camera, which was pointing at Hitch.

Hitch smiled awkwardly, slowly waving a hoof in greeting. "Heeeeyyyy...." He said slowly and awkwardly, chuckling nervously at the end. 

Pipp switched the camera back to selfie mode, internally cringing at Hitch's total lack of a camera persona, but on the outside, she was smiling more cheerfully than ever. 

"—Surprised me with....wait for it...drumroll..." Pipp switched the camera view again, but this time, it was facing her lap. "Breakfast in bed! That's right, pipsqueaks. Hitch woke up Mom knows when and cooked this amazing-looking breakfast!"

"With help from Sunny," Hitch interjected nervously, giving a wary chuckle. 

Pipp resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes. With a little help from Sunny. But you know what they say, pipsqueaks. It's the thought that counts. I hope all of y'all are out there right now, appreciating your sweethearts, because I sure am. And to all of you single pipsqueaks: don't stress about finding a special somepony right away. Don't be afraid to hold out until the right one comes because, let me tell you, it is so worth it. But also, don't hold back because you're scared they don't feel the same way or you're just scared in general. That almost happened with Hitch and me and it broke both of our hearts until my devious sister and the rest of our friends put together a scheme to trap us in a room until we confessed. Just...don't let it get to that point. #happilyinlove. Alright, I'm going to enjoy this delicious-looking breakfast in peace with my coltfriend. Pip pip hurray!" And with that, Pipp turned off the livestream. 

Outside the Crystal Brighthouse bedroom, Princess Pipp Petals and Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer could hear the echoing "pipp pipp hurray" from their friends downstairs, making the two of them blush. It was one thing to know millions of followers were watching her live streams about her romantic life, but it was completely different to know that despite living together, their friends wanted to know every juicy detail about their relationship, through every means possible. 

Hitch chuckled softly to himself, relieved that the livestream was over. He loved Pipp with all his heart, and he loved how invested she was in her pipsqueaks, which was only matched by how much Hitch was invested in his job as sheriff and the ponies he swore to protect. But...well...sometimes it felt like she was a little too invested. Of course, there was nothing wrong with her dedication, but sometimes it felt like he was dating her pipsqueaks rather than Pipp herself.

Despite being awkward in front of any camera—Hitch and Sunny's failed smoothie show as proof—he knew what he was getting himself into dating a social media star, just like Pipp knew what she was getting into dating a sheriff. It's just that, Hitch made compromises when it came to his job—getting off work early so he and Pipp could spend more time together, actually taking lunch breaks instead of skipping them like he used to do so they could eat lunch together, and completely switching off the sheriff part of his brain, or, at least, as much as possible, when he's off duty so when they spent time together, Pipp could feel like she's spending time with all of him. Before they started dating, it felt like Hitch was never off the job, even when he was technically off the clock. He'd always be examining for law-breakers, always keeping an eye for dangers. But, he learned how to turn that part of his brain off, for the most part. 

But, even after two years of dating, it felt like Pipp hadn't made any compromises when it came to her social media. She was still live streaming almost everything including date announcements, with the location tagged so when they got there, there was a whole crowd of pipsqueaks waiting for them, demanding autographs. Livestreaming bits and pieces of their dates, and posting some of the things Hitch told her about how much he loved her. Things he had preferred to keep private. A word Pipp didn't seem to completely understand.

That was the whole point of this breakfast-in-bed thing. Honestly, it was all Sunny's idea. Hitch had vented to his foalhood friend his concerns and frustrations and, ultimately, for advice. Hitch may be good at giving speeches, and may be a good listening ear, but he was in no way good at expressing himself. He had no idea where to even start in talking to Pipp. He didn't want to sound accusatory, or not accepting of her social media life. Or like he wanted her to give it up altogether. All he wanted from her was to dial it back a bit. A little less livestreams. Maybe not giving away the location of their next date until after the date is over. And not posting intimate things said between them. Was that really too much to ask for?

However, he felt as though mares were a landfield. Say one thing and they interpret it into something completely different, then they explode and you don't even know why they're exploding in the first place. Let's just say, Hitch has bought more than his fair share of apology bouquets in the last two years. So, to talk to a mare, he needed a mare. Which is why he went to Sunny. Sunny knew him best and would give him the exact help he needed.

Thus, that's where the breakfast in bed and the memorized talking points he rehearsed several times, as well as scripted responses to nearly every possible outcome came from.

He cleared his throat, trying to remember the opener Sunny told him to say, no ifs ands or buts about it. He took a deep breath and began the dreaded conversation, with a nervous smile, which Sunny didn't specifically say to leave in or out. 

"So, Pipp...that was a...great livestream. I'm sure a lot of pipsqueaks were watching." He thought back to Sunny's words. "It's perfect because it shows interest in the very thing you're asking her to dial back on. It shows that you care about it and that you're not asking out of ignorance, but genuine feeling."  He prayed Sunny was right.

"Eh," Pipp shrugged, taking a bite out of her pancake. "Most of them are either asleep still or at work. Well, except in Zephyr Heights. At my mother's request, they broadcast all my livestreams on every town TV. Just on the news channels though. Not every channel. Could you imagine getting your program interrupted every half hour for some pony's livestream?"

There. Sunny said to do small talk until he heard an opening. He tried asking what that might be, but all she said was that he'd know it when he heard it. Yeah, she was very specific, Hitch had thought to himself. But, he was certain that was the opening Sunny was talking about. He steeled himself, praying to any deity that would listen that he was right. 

"R-right, well, umm..." He cleared his throat again. "That's what I actually wanted to talk to you about..." He trailed off, unsure how to continue. 

"Shoot, I'm all ears," Pipp said, taking another bite of her pancakes.

"Yeah, umm..." Hitch sat down next to Pipp's bed. Remember the script, he thought to himself. "So, you know how I've been dialing back on sheriff duties so we can spend more...quality time together. I've been trying to prio—" Hitch stopped midsentence. Sunny told him specifically not to use the word prioritize, lest he sound as though he's accusing her of not prioritizing their relationship. He opened his mouth to correct himself, but he realized his new sentence was also off-limits. "Do not use the word effort either,", Sunny had told him. "Just make it sound like it's on you not her." 

Right. He could do that. Cause it was on him. Right? He felt as if...Bingo! That was a Sunny green word. Feel. Alright. Here goes nothing. "It's just that I feel like...umm...not to say that it's not important to you or them it's just that..."

"Oh, for unity's sake, Hitch, just spit it out," Pipp groaned. She still wasn't fully awake and this sweet gesture was starting to get ruined. 

"I just think you're on social media too much!" He said in a rush. He squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the worst. Even he knew he should not have warded it like that, without Sunny even having to tell him that.

"Excuse me? Please tell me you totally did not mean it as it came across." 

Hitch sighed. Okay, this was good. She was giving him a chance to redeem himself. "No. I did not. What I meant to say...what I've been trying to say is that...I understand how much your pipsqueaks mean to you and how important you are to them. It's just that...I feel that maybe you spend too much time worrying about them instead of focusing on us."

"Uhh...for real?"

Hitch looked at Pipp and by the expression on her face, he knew he messed up...again. So he stayed silent, refusing to say anything else to put him in deeper. Though, he probably should have, so at least he could attempt to swim out of deep water instead of letting himself drown in it. 

"Seriously? Hitch, you know how important my pipsqueaks are. It's not like I've been keeping it a secret. Since the moment we met, you knew how important they were and how much time I need to spend dedicated to them."

"I know, it's just that..." Hitch paused, not sure what to do. Finally, he decided to hell with the script. He can't get any deeper now. He might as well improvise. Besides, how bad at communication can he really be? "It's just that I'm the one who's been doing all the compromising and you haven't given up a thing."

"Are you seriously pulling that with me right now? I know how difficult it is for you to pull back from playing sheriff but I have a lot on my plate!"

Hitch stood up, anger now masking any worry he previously had. "Playing? Are you kidding me? If anypony's playing, it's you. I mean, you claim to have a full plate, but really, how much do you do all day? You play princess, look pretty, record some videos, and do makeovers all day. While I sheriff an entire town, which, might I add, has tripled in population overnight!"

"Yeah, like three years ago! Give me a break. And for your info, I don't just play princess, record some videos, and give makeovers! I run an entire beauty salon, by myself might I add. Have my own beauty line. Am a social media star. And, to top it all off, am a royal princess with royal duties!"

Hitch scoffed. "What royal duties! You're not even first in line for the throne! Zipp is! And she has way fewer royal duties than you claim to have. So, what possibly can keep the second-in-line princess so busy, she has her plate full!"

"Oh, you did not just go there!" 

Outside the bedroom, Sunny, Zip, Izzy, and Misty all cringed at Hitch's last words. When they heard Pipp yell and then Hitch yell back, they were...concerned about their friends' relationship and their wellbeing.

"Ouch, that last one had to hurt," Zipp whispered. 

Sunny groaned. "Ugh, Hitch and I went over the script multiple times to avoid this very thing. Why did he go off it?" 

"You guys made a script?" Zipp asked, not sure whether to be amused or concerned.

Sunny shrugged. "He's not the best at communicating and he was nervous. You know how much Hitch loves his plans."

"Well, at least we know it can't get much worse," Izzy said hopefully.

"Well, maybe if you weren't so dramatic all the time, you'd actually get stuff done and not be so incredibly busy that you have to make sacrifices in the first place! And yes, I'm talking Operation Glitterbomb, because that totally helped find Sparky!" 

Zipp looked at Izzy. "You were saying?" 

Izzy chuckled nervously, "I'll shut up now."

"Maybe one of us should go in there and diffuse the situation before it gets too much worse?" Misty suggested.

Zipp waved a dismissive hoof. "They'll sort it out. It's gotten worse and they sorted it out all by themselves before. They're grown ponies, I doubt they need us in there holding their hooves. Anyway, I always thought that intervening in other ponies' relationships was just asking for disaster."

"You claim to have so much on your plate, but you refuse to give yourself a break and dial back some on social media! Are you really that self-centered?!"

"You know more than anypony how much my pipsqueaks need me!"

"Oh, give me a break! They'll live if they don't see your face every five minutes. And if they're really that desperate, they can just watch your old videos on ponytube for a bit until they're satisfied!"

Pipp gasped. "How dare you. I don't even post ponytube videos!"

Sunny looked at Zipp. "And now?"

"And now I think Misty's right."

They stood there for a moment, as if unsure whether or not they should go in there. Zipp seemed to make up her mind when the fighting suddenly stopped. Worried that her sister physically hurt Hitch—her sister's wrath was not a force to be reckoned with—she slowly opened the door. All four mares widened their eyes in shock and their blushes could be seen from across the room.

Both Hitch and Pipp were glaring at the four mares, as though they were just waiting for them to open the door. "Enjoying the show?" Pipp asked sarcastically.

Zipp chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof. "We were just worried."

"We could hear you all the way downstairs. We were just wanting to see if you were okay." Sunny explained.

Pipp rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to say something, when she was interrupted by Hitch. "Oh, look, Pipp, more of your concerned fans, intruding on our relationship. How wonderful." Hitch stated flatly.

"Oh for the love of...you are so damn desperate!"

"Me? Desperate? That's rich." Hitch said with a scoff.

Pipp huffed. "Hitch, these are our friends. Who live here. They're not just 'concerned fans'. One of them is my sister for crying out loud!"

Hitch threw up his hooves in frustration. "That's it. I'm outta here. I got better things to do." He mumbled as he stomped out of the room.

"Good! Bout time! Go run along and play sheriff. I'm sure the world's going to end if you're five minutes late!"

"Not as late as you getting a life outside of social media!" Hitch hollered back before the five of them could hear the front door of the Brighthouse slamming shut.

Zipp, Sunny, Izzy, and Misty just stared after him in shock, wondering how in Equestria things escalated so quickly. It just felt like ten minutes ago, Pipp was live streaming about how wonderful of a coltfriend Hitch was and now they could barely stand to be in the same room. 

The four mares looked at each other as Pipp turned away from them and fell face first onto her bed, with tears in her eyes, Izzy scrambling to pull the breakfast tray out of the way with her magic before Pipp landed on it. Not that Pipp would've cared. She was just so angry and hurt. How could Hitch say all those horrible things? She thought he understood how important her pipsqueaks were to her. How could he say that she wasn't focused on their relationship? She had never been so committed to anything in her life. Didn't he know that? Why was he being such a jerk about this?

Zipp, Sunny, Izzy, and Misty all left the room so that they could discuss the next step for them. After some whispering and some agreement, they all left to do their assignments. Izzy and Zipp left to find Hitch while Sunny and Misty stayed to try and console Pipp's broken heart.

Sunny and Misty walked into the bedroom they shared, only to find Pipp still sobbing hopelessly in her pillow. Sunny and Misty both stared at each other, unsure of how to even begin. Misty shook her head, a clear signal that she was not going to start this conversation. Misty had no idea where to even start when it came to relationships. Spending a decade in Opaline's castle, not seeing another pony until a year ago made her a bit on the lacking side when it came to knowledge about romance, as in she knew absolutely nothing about it.

"Are you okay, Pipp?" Sunny asked, concern filling her voice.

"What do you think? You heard the whole thing. I think you can answer that." Pipp snapped back, making Sunny and Misty flinch.

"Yeah, sorry for eavesdropping. We shouldn't have done that." 

"We were genuinely concerned for you and Hitch," Misty added.

"I know Hitch said some things, some very hurtful things, which I will talk to him about later, but you know he never meant to intentionally hurt you. He was just...upset and...reactive. He loves you more than life itself." 

Pipp sighed, knowing Sunny was right. She turned onto her side, curling into a ball. "I know, I'm not mad about the things he said when the fight escalated...too much. I still totally expect an apology. It's just that...it's how this whole fight began that hurts me. I love my pipsqueaks, almost as much as I love him. Almost. And I just...thought he knew that." 

"He does, it's just that..." Sunny paused, unsure of how to continue, but luckily, Misty picked up where she left off.

"Hitch is no camera pony. Like me, he enjoys his privacy away from the public eye. I mean, you don't include me in your livestreams nearly as much as the others because you know I don't like the camera or the idea of millions of ponies watching my every move. Hitch is just asking for that same respect and consideration."

Pipp sighed again. She was right, of course. She should've been more considerate of Hitch and how uncomfortable the camera made him. He just seemed so willing and he hadn't said anything regarding it before. Perhaps that's why she was so caught off guard earlier. It just seemed to come out of nowhere.

Pipp looked at Misty again. She remembered all the times she struggled to speak up for herself, especially when it came to her friends, and while she was getting better at it, they still had to remember from time to time to stop and ask if Misty was actually enjoying whatever it is they're doing, or if she's just putting on a facade to make them happy. She struggled to put herself first sometimes.

Pipp realized Hitch was a lot like that. While he had no problem speaking up for himself, when it came to those absolutely closest to him—like Sparky, Sunny, and herself—he sometimes struggled to speak for himself about whether he was uncomfortable or not having the best of times, especially when he saw his loved ones having so much fun. Hitch sacrifices for the ones he loves, but sometimes he doesn't always understand when to stop sacrificing and think of himself for once until it's too late. Like now.

But also, this was partly Pipp's fault. She's known Hitch for almost three years now, two of those she spent dating him. She knew of his tendencies to oversacrifice. It's one of the things she loved most about him. The fact that he was willing to give anything and everything for those he loved. And while that seemed valiant and noble, and in some aspects it really was, it could also be very unhealthy. Pipp should've been more considerate, knowing he didn't like the spotlight, but tolerated it more when he was with her, and cut back a little on the livestreaming. And the geotagging. And the posting of intimate things said between them. Pipp was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and since dating Hitch, she's grown so much. However, this time, by the time she learned her lesson, it had already come to a head and both parties said things they regret. 

Pipp groaned, pressing her face against the pillow. "You're right. Ugh, I'm so stupid. And such a horrible marefriend." She sat up in sudden epiphany. "I need to go fix this. I need to make this right."

Pipp was about to get up when she felt Sunny's hoof on her shoulder. "Maybe you should wait. At least until both of you have slept on it. That was a pretty intense fight and it's still pretty fresh. Hitch might not be in the mood to talk right now or listen, going to him might make it worse, especially if you guys don't completely agree on something. You're all wound up and your adrenaline is pretty high right now. Maybe you should wait until both of you have had the chance to calm down and have the time to think things through." Sunny gave Pipp a warm smile. 

Pipp reluctantly sighed. "You're both right. Again. Thanks, girls. I really needed a good talking to. I just feel so bad about what I said and how we left things. We were just so hurtful—"

Suddenly, Pipp was interrupted when all three of them heard arguing outside. Sunny hurried to the window, only to stop in surprise when she saw that down the road from the Brighthouse, Windy, and Posey were...fighting? She thought they became really good friends after the whole Maretime Bay Day fiasco two years ago. Why were they arguing? And from the looks of it, it looked pretty intense too. 

"Sunny? What's going on out there?" Misty asked cautiously when Sunny just stared out the window.

Sunny shook her head, plastering a smile on her face. "Uh...probably nothing. It's just Windy and Posey arguing." Sunny almost said again, but that'd be a lie since Posey and Windy hardly ever argued. 

Pipp looked confused. "Really? I thought they were good friends or whatever."

Sunny shrugged. "Me too. It's fine Pipp, you can stay here," Sunny added when she saw Pipp starting to get out of bed. "I'm sure Misty and I can handle it. C'mon Misty. Let's see what this whole argument is about and sort it all out. I'm sure it's just all one big misunderstanding." 

Misty nodded and the two of them rushed out of the Brighthouse and down the road.





Zipp and Izzy ran down Main Street, trying to catch up with Hitch. They had finally spotted him when they turned a corner, and they raved to catch up. 

"Hitch...wait! It's your....friends!" Izzy yelled, out of breath as they hurried to catch up. Hitch had a pretty big headstart and he could walk pretty fast when he was upset. "We...just wanna...talk!" Izzy called out between panting breaths.

"Well, if it's about the almighty Princess Pipp, I have no interest in what you have to say!"

Zipp rolled her eyes. "Oh enough of this..." She muttered to herself before spreading her big wings and lifting off into the air. She whizzed down the street and landed in front of him with a glare of her own. "Would you put your pride aside for two seconds and listen?"

Izzy finally caught up to them, now that Hitch was no longer power trotting. "Hey...guys...." Izzy greeted between heavy pants. "Hold on a sec...just need to catch my breath. Just continue, I'll catch up." 

Hitch rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He walked around Zipp and continued power trotting. But Zipp, using her wings, was faster than him and she was in front of Hitch again in an instant.

"Ugh, dammit Hitch! You're going to listen whether you want to or not!" Zipp yelled, panting from anger. 

Zipp got nothing but silence in response. This caught her off guard. Instead of arguing with her, he just stood there staring at her. Finally, when it was clear she wasn't going to say anything, he finally spoke. "Well, go on. I don't have all day. I do have a town to run." 

Zipp was surprised and thoroughly confused, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Shaking her head to clear its confusion, she sighed. "Look, Hitch. We understand where you're coming from. Trust me. I hate too when Pipp livestreams everything." 

"I wouldn't exactly say I hate it since hate is a strong word, but it's a lot of pressure." 

Zipp blinked. She had almost forgotten Izzy was there. At least until the lavender unicorn spoke up. She felt bad for what she was about to tell Izzy, but surely she would understand. The only reason she was going to share it with Hitch was because he was Pipp's coltfriend. One she had been dating for two years, longer than anypony Pipp dated before. Their relationship had gone through thick and thin, and the villains they faced persisted in trying to exploit it as a weakness. Zipp was not going to let their relationship end from a simple misunderstanding when it lived through a fire alicorn, an evil persuasion cat, and royal life. 

But at the same time, it was only to Hitch that she was entrusting this information. She didn't even know if Pipp wanted to keep quiet about it, Zipp couldn't imagine why she would, but nonetheless, it was not for Zipp to decide. This happened to Pipp and therefore, it was her decision of who, outside of Hitch, she wanted to know. 

Zipp took a deep breath. "Izzy...do you think you could give Hitch and me a second alone?" 

Izzy's face was instantly crestfallen, making Zipp feel guilty. "W-why?" Izzy asked.

"It's not you...it's just...I'm about to share sensitive information with Hitch. Information I'm not sure Pipp wants out there. Heck, she'll probably kill me for telling Hitch, but he needs to know."

Izzy's face instantly brightened. "Oh, okay. I shall leave you two alone." Izzy gasped. "I can start on Hitch's patrol on the streets. You know, so you guys have more time and Hitch isn't getting all stressy." 

Before Hitch could protest, Izzy was off in a heartbeat, leaving a floundering Hitch and smug Zipp behind. After grappling with what Izzy just said, Hitch glared at Zipp's smug smile. Well, there went his excuse to cut this conversation short. 

Zipp went to a bench that sat outside a hardware store and motioned for Hotch to follow. At first, he didn't, content to stubbornly stay standing where he was, but after a glare from Zipp, he finally joined her with an irritated sigh, knowing she would not relent until he did what she wanted. 

After a moment of silence, Zipp was the first to break it. "Look Hitch, I understand where you're coming from. We all do. But, in return, you need to understand where Pipp is coming from." 

Hitch rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it," He said flatly. "The pipsqueaks are important to her. I know. The ponies of Maretime Bay are important to me too, but you don't see me choosing them over my marefriend."

Zipp sighed, hoping Pipp would forgive her for this. "It's more than that though," Zipp started. "They're not just fans, Hitch, they're her family." 

Hitch gave Zipp a flat look, clearly not falling for any of what Zipp was saying.

"Yeah, I know. If you told me that back when she started doing social media, I'd have the same reaction. But... not anymore." 

Zipp paused, gathering her nerves. She had faced evil fire alicorns, angry mobs of unicorns and pegasi, evil snow cats, possible jail time, and a ginormous gaping black hole opening up in the middle of Maretime Bay, but nothing scared her more than those three weeks. It made her value the time she had with her sister even more, even though it was not always evident. Not a lot scared Zipp, excluding Pipp's scare tactics, but Zipp was never more scared than she was in those ominous weeks. 

Zipp sighed, preparing herself to unhash the whole thing. "When Pipp and I were foals, Mom was very strict when it came to what age we'd start having royal duties. Yes, we were royals, but Mom wanted us to have a foalhood before the stress of royal life changed us. But, Pipp and I are two years apart, which means, I was starting royal training before she was. And let me tell you, royal training takes up so much of your day. My first year, I wasn't as busy, but the second, it hit Pipp hard. I was busy 90% of the day, and when the day was over, all I wanted was to go to sleep. 

"Despite how...outgoing Pipp can be, we didn't have friends growing up. When Mom let us out of the castle, we always had to have at least one guard with us. Which, can sometimes be a little annoying when trying to make friends at twelve years old. Not to mention, Pipp and I are royals. Meaning it's hard to find genuine friends who don't want to be our friends just for the benefit. Pipp and I were all we had growing up, but then suddenly...Pipp didn't have me. I was too busy to be there for her like she needed me to and as a result, she began to feel incredibly lonely and depressed."

Zipp took a deep breath, knowing the hard part was coming. "Then mom let her download Clip Trot on her phone. After seeing so many live streams and seeing the love other influences got, she wanted to try it for herself. So, she made her first livestream. And then another. And then another and so on. She was an online sensation. She had fans for the miles. Whenever we spent time together, she'd gloat about how adoring and kind they were, and how they seemed to support her. I just told her they were superficial fans and as soon as she went out of style, she'd probably never hear from 95% of them again. Obviously, she didn't believe me. She insisted they loved her and that they'd do anything for her. I didn't believe it, but I relented for her sake, thinking she'd find out the truth soon enough."

Zipp sighed but persevered. "Then she got sick." At this Hitch gasped, looking concerned. "No no, it wasn't anything like cancer or anything like that. It was just pneumonia, but...it hit her hard. She was, for the most part, A-symptomatic, with only minor symptoms we overlooked as being a cold or the flu. And then, one day, during one of her livestreams, she collapsed. I happened to have a small window of free time and was watching it, just to see what the fuss was about. As soon as I saw her collapse, I dropped everything and ran as fast as I could to her room. When I got there, there was a group of guards and medics already there. She had been alone when she was filming, but most of her fans were watching and the guards got numerous reports from the citizens that Pipp collapsed. I had never been so grateful for them as I was at that moment. Not even when they saved us from that cave on portrait day.

"Turns out, she had walking pneumonia, but there was a complication and it caused respiratory failure, meaning she couldn't breathe without a ventilator. Part of it was because her body couldn't fight it properly, some immune system disorder thing, but it was minor. A big part was because it went untreated. Symptoms we mistook for a cold or the flu were actually pneumonia. I sat by her bedside every day, praying she'd get better. 

"After a week of not posting anything, I thought for sure her fans would move on and slowly flu in a different direction. But, to my surprise, the opposite happened. Every day, Pipp relieved gift upon gift upon gift. During the time when citizens could come to Mom about concerns they had, she got bombarded with fan after fan asking how Pipp was doing, if she was okay, and just any form of update. Mom finally had me start a social media account titled Pipp's Progress, where every day, I'd write a post updating whoever followed every day. Most of the time, I ended up writing the same as yesterday, but in just a few days, the account had thousands of followers. When gifts would come in, the return name would always say a loyal pipsqueak. Her fans had given themselves that name while she was in a coma. That was when I realized, her fans aren't just her fans. They're her family. Because whenever they need her, she's there for them without fail and when she needs them, they're there for her in return. That's the definition of family. Being there for each other no matter what."

Hitch was silent for a long time after Zipp's story. Yes, Hitch knew that Pipp's pipsqueaks were important to her, but he hadn't realized the length of their importance. He had failed to realize that they not only needed her, but she needed them. He felt immense guilt well up inside him. He couldn't believe he had called her self-centered and how much he minimized her life on social media, reducing it to just recording a couple of videos. He didn't understand the extent to which they played a role in her life. Acting as though they meant nothing when in all reality, they meant everything. 

Hitch groaned, dropping his head back as though he was looking at the heavens. "Oh my...I'm such an idiot. And a jerk. I'm an idiotic jerk." 

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself. There was no way you could've known."

"Ugh, but I should've let her explain. Or I should've asked, like a good coltfriend. Instead, I lashed out at her and accused her of being self-centered and melodramatic."

"Yeah, you could've. And you did." Zupp replied smoothly, causing Hitch to groan again.

Hitch's eyes widened. "I've got to go apologize and beg for her forgiveness for being so insensitive!" Hitch said as he started to stand up when he felt Zipp's hoof stop him.

"Whoa, slow down there, Casanova. You both just came out of a heated argument. You both need time to calm down before you go perform any grand gestures."

Hitch just sat back down, knowing Zipp was right when he heard a voice frantically calling his name. Both he and Zipp looked around desperate for the source of the voice when they saw Izzy running towards them with a frantic look on her face. 

Both he and Hitch stood up, their concerned expressions turning into flat-out panic at seeing a scratch on Izzy's cheek. It was a small one, it barely broke the skin, but it was still there nonetheless and her frantic energy just added to the worry.

"Izzy! What happened? Are you okay? Who cut your cheek?" Hitch asked in a barrage of questions as soon as Izzy was in hearing range.

"Huh?" Izzy put a hoof to her cheek, as though just noticing it was there, her breath heavy from running. "Oh...that? That's nothing."

"That's not nothing, Izzy," Zipp insisted, looking at her with worry. Upon closer inspection, she could see she was sporting the beginnings of a bruise on the same cheek. "A bruise is forming. What in the hay happened? Why are you hurt? Who hurt you? And where is everypony?" Zipp asked, just now noticing the completely empty streets. 

It wasn't uncommon for the streets to be slow, especially during bad weather, but Sunny skies were expected all day and it was ten in the morning. There should at least be some ponies out. But the streets were completely deserted, not a soul in sight, which was only seen during horrible, hurricane-like storms, which was definitely not the case. 

"That's why...I came to...get you," Izzy said in between pants. She paused for a moment, catching her breath, before continuing. "There's a fight. At town square."

"A fight?" Zipp asked, worried and concerned.

"Yeah. It's bad and it's gotten physical." Izzy pointed at her cheek. "That's probably where I got this. C'mon! They need sheriff intervention. I'll explain on the way there," Izzy said before running off in the direction of town square.
> Nothing But An Empty Shell
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hitch was surprised by the sight that greeted the three ponies at the town square. Izzy debriefed them on the whole situation but it was worse than he imagined. There was a huge crowd, at least half the Maretime Bay populace. Hitch and his friends had to fight their way through just to get to the center. By the time he got there, he was surprised to see three ponies fighting, despite Izzy warning him ahead of time. He was even more surprised to see that they weren't just anypony. They were the Filly Four! It looked as though it was a two-on-one fight. 

For a moment, he just stood there in shock, not sure how to react. He hasn't seen a hoof-to-hoof fight like this in a long time. Sure, there were always minor fights when a pony or two drank a little too much after work, but nothing like this. For one, they were all sober. He could tell by their movements and the stability of their voices when they threw insults at each other. For another, these mares were supposed to be friends, but at the moment, they looked anything but.

He finally sprang into action when he saw Zipp start to rush in. He quickly held out a hoof, shaking his head sternly at her confused look. Situations such as these had to be handled delicately, with a certain procedure, to avoid lawsuits. While it was highly unlikely that somepony in Maretime Bay would file one, it wasn't impossible, or even unheard of. It was bad enough that Izzy tried to physically break up this fight in his name. This means he'd have to report the bruise and the scratch, aka a whole lot of paperwork. 

He quickly galloped up to the three fighting mares, all of which were trying to grab each other's manes to tear them out. Suddenly, Sugar Moonlight threw a hoof and it landed on Lily's nose. She stumbled back in shock, putting a hoof under her muzzle. Blood was already starting to run from it. From Hitch's angle, it looked like it was broken. Lily's shock was quickly replaced by rage as she charged at Sugar Moonlight with a scream. 

Hitch realized that the first three steps of protocol were moot as soon as Sugar Moonlight threw that punch and Lilly retaliated. He sprang into action, his natural sheriff persona shining through.

He growled, looking over his shoulder as he ran towards the fighting mares. "Zipp! I need back—WHOA!" He was interrupted when his hoof landed on an empty smoothie cup and he fell on his face.

Zipp was by him in an instant, helping him back up to his hooves. That was when he noticed the litter all over the ground. Empty smoothie cups, pieces of discarded newspapers, empty plastic cups, and...an empty cardboard box? Hitch shook his head in disgust. What was up with these ponies? Seriously? 

"Zipp! I need help restraining the mares!" He yelled over the jeering or cheering crowd, depending on which pony's side they were on. Zipp nodded once in agreement, her face one of determination. "Izzy! I need you to pick up all this litter! When you're done, help Zipp and me!"

"Aye-aye, Sheriff!" Izzy responded, saluting him before picking up the litter with her magic. 

He then turned to the crowd. "AND IF I SEE ANY OF YOU BY THE TIME I RESTRAIN THESE MARES, I'M ARRESTING YOU FOR VANDALISM AND ASSAULT!!!!" He yelled to the crowd, which was instantly silenced. 

He turned to the fighting mares who were still surprisingly at it—what in the hay could they be fighting about?—and rushed into the fray, with Zipp by his side.





Back at the Crystal Brighthouse, Misty and Pipp sat at the counter at the edge of the kitchen on stools, Sunny running every which way making a special meal for all of them. It was almost dinner time and both mares wanted to help, but Misty learned from experience that even if you could get Sunny to accept your help, she'd still do everything with you just standing there, without her even realizing it. Besides, Misty was starting to get worried about what happened when Izzy and Zipp talked to Hitch. Shouldn't they be back by now? What was taking them so long? Could they not find Hitch? Was Hitch not listening? 

Misty could tell Sunny was getting a little worried as well. Her face was slowly getting more concerned as the minutes ticked by, and though she was trying to hide it, she wasn't doing a very good job. Not that Misty blamed her.

Perhaps they'd be less concerned if they went into town today, but after resolving the fight between Windy and Posey, which took a whole thirty minutes, Pipp didn't feel like leaving the Brighthouse today, so both Sunny and Misty decided to stay with her to make sure she was okay. They tried to cheer her up through some of her favorite various activities—karaoke, makeovers, styling each others' manes—and while they got her to smile about halfway through karaoke, and even fall to the floor laughing, she still seemed a bit down. Like, she wouldn't be completely herself until she made up with Hitch the next day.

The kitchen was completely silent until one of them broke it.

"Hey, Misty? Do you know where Zipp and Izzy are? They're usually back by now." Pipp asked as though echoing the other two mares' thoughts. 

Misty's eyes widened briefly before she answered, "N–no! I–I don't. I mean, I know where they went b–but I don't know why they're not back yet. It is really weird, isn't it? I–I mean, I didn't notice until you said something. Th–they should've b–been back by now, right?" Misty said, trying her best to answer without lying, while at the same time not sounding suspicious. She nailed the first part but completely failed the second.

"Right..." Pipp trailed off, letting Misty know that she knew something was up. "So...where did you say they went again?" Pipp asked, narrowing her eyes at Misty.

"Uhh..." Misty racked her brain for an excuse but came up short. She was never good at lying. 

"The supermarket," Sunny answered for Misty, saving her. "We were running low on groceries. Right, Misty?" 

"Umm...yeah. Right." Misty answered, wondering what excuse they'll use when Izzy and Zipp don't come back with groceries. 

As though on cue, the door to the Brighthouse opened, and in walked a disheveled-looking Zipp and Izzy, dragging their hooves. Upon seeing them, Misty and Pipp widened their eyes. Sunny had her back turned as she was cutting up some vegetables, but at hearing the door open, she turned to greet the two mares, her eyes widening upon seeing them. Both their manes' looked a mess and they looked exhausted. Izzy had a shallow cut on her cheek, it barely broke the skin, and below it was a bruise. Zipp was also sporting a bruise on her side. 

"Oh my hoofness! Zipp! Izzy! What happened to you?" Sunny asked, rushing to their sides. 

"Yeah, you looked like you got in a fight, and lost. That must've been some grocery run." Pipp observed, narrowing her eyes at the two mares. Pipp had a little of her sister in her when it came to mysteries.

Zipp looked momentarily confused, but seeing Misty's warning look, instantly remembered. With all the ensuing chaos, Zipp had completely forgotten about the fight this morning. "Uh...yeah, well, we were going to the supermarket..." Zipp started before Sunny interrupted. 

"Did you not make it?" Sunny asked in a panicked tone. At Pipp's confused look, Sunny nervously chuckled. "I needed some...umm...fruit. For tonight's dessert. Pineapple upside-down cake. We're all out."

"Can't you just grow some with your earth pony flora magic?" Pipp asked, clearly not believing Sunny. Sunny's nervous smile only grew. 

"We made it there, but there was word of a fight. We had most of the groceries, but we heard word of it while we were in line for the checkout. We dropped everything and ran there."

Sunny and Misty both breathed a sigh of relief, interpreting that as Zipp and Izzy were able to talk to Hitch, but were interrupted near the end. Well, as long as he heard the majority of it.

Then, something Zipp said seemed to sink in and Sunny widened her eyes. "Wait, a fight? Who was in a fight?" 

"And did you just now stop it?" Pipp asked, wondering if they stopped the fight this morning, why are they back so late?

"Yeah. Between the Filly Four. It got pretty physical and there were some injuries." Zipp glanced at Izzy's cheek. "Clearly. Hitch needed backup. We stopped the fight and arrested the mares hours ago, but Hitch had to process them in, report their injuries, as well as ours, and had us tell him our version of what happened for the report. It took a while because he had to arrest more than the Filly Four. The weird thing was that there was a crowd and they were getting really riled up. Hitch told them to either leave or he'd arrest them and a couple chose to stay, believing it to be an empty threat."

"He couldn't really arrest them, could he? At least without an actual crime?" Misty asked.

"He charged them with vandalism and assault. Apparently, the crowd was throwing trash at the Filly Four while they were fighting? I know, it was weird." 

"I just don't understand why they were fighting though. They're all friends." Izzy spoke for the first time, looking more than a little disheveled. She actually started to look really sad.

"Friends fight all the time, Iz. It's no big deal." Pipp comforted. 

"Yeah, but, this wasn't just a normal fight. Sugar Moonlight actually broke Lilly's nose. It was bad."

"Do you think it could've been related to what happened this morning?" Misty asked.

"This morning? What do you mean? Wait, are you talking about Pipp and Hitch's fight?" Zipp asked, making Pipp flinch just at the mention of it. Misty put a comforting hoof on Pipp's shoulder.

"No," Sunny explained, speaking to Zipp. "Something different. Down the road from the Brighthouse, we heard Windy and Posey arguing and it got really heated. It was just a misunderstanding, but if Misty and I hadn't intervened when we did, it might've actually come to blows." Sunny turned to Misty to answer her question. "And, I don't see how. Posey and Windy barely know the Filly Four and they weren't even in town when it happened. They were here." Sunny turned back to Zipp. "Do you know why the Filly Four were fighting?"

Zipp shook her head. "No. Hitch said he'd question them tomorrow once they've all had a chance to cool down. Though, from the looks of it, Lily and Rosedust were ganging up on Sugar Moonlight."

"Posey and Windy were fighting? I thought they were best friends. Why?" Izzy asked, almost desperately. 

"Izzy, it's fine. It was just a misunderstanding, that's all. Windy thought Posey said something mean to her the other day, and today, Posey was acting as if nothing happened. Windy got upset and they started fighting. Turns out, Posey didn't say anything mean at all and Windey misunderstood. Everything's fine now."

Izzy nodded, though she still looked pretty worried and concerned like she didn't really believe Sunny. Though, she had no reason not to.





Pipp stared at the ceiling in the dark, lying in her bed. Pipp could hear Izzy's snores and the soft breathing of Sunny, Zipp, and Misty, telling her she was the only one awake. She just couldn't sleep. She hated leaving things the way they were between her and Hitch. She didn't want them to go to bed fighting. But, Hitch was at the sheriff's station with Sparky. What was she going to do? Roam the streets of Maretime Bay in the dark all the way to the sheriff's station, wake up Hitch, and talk to him while he's bleary-eyed and tired? She didn't want to admit it, but all the fights that happened today and their intensity had her a little worried. But at the same time, she loved Hitch, and she felt incredibly guilty. Hitch would do anything for her. Wasn't it time she returned the gesture?

Her decision made, Pipp sat up and got out of bed, glancing around to make sure her friends and sister were really asleep. She softly crept through the room, flew once she was at the ramp since it creaked a bit, and quietly left the Brighthouse, making sure to not make a sound. Once she was outside, she landed and galloped to town, running as fast as she could. She had to apologize to Hitch before it was too late.

"Pipp!" 

Pipp skidded to a stop. She was halfway to the sheriff's station, but she heard somepony call her name from her right. It almost sounded like her sister. But that was impossible. She saw Zipp in bed, sleeping. Right?

She glanced around cautiously, her guard up. She didn't say a word, in case she was mistaken and it was somepony who wanted to hurt her. Maybe they were trying to lure her into a trap.

"Pipp! Over here!" She heard the voice call again. 

She looked diagonally to her right and gasped. Zipp was slowly walking towards her out of the shadows. She smiled in relief upon seeing her. "Oh, Zipp. Thank hoofness it's just you. You scared me." 

"Of course it's me. Who else could it be?" Zipp asked. 

"I don't know. You're right. I guess the recent fights got me on edge."

Zipp seemed to nod in understanding. "Same here. I can't stop thinking about what Misty said. What if the fights were related? I couldn't sleep, so I came here to investigate. I actually found something when I heard you coming. Follow me, it's over here." And with that, Zipp ran off in the direction of an alleyway. 

Pipp hesitated, having the smallest moment of doubt, wondering if she should really follow. She shook her head. What was her problem? Of course she should. This was her sister. What was going to happen?

Pipp ran after Zipp, entering the alleyway. She saw her standing at the end of it, crouching down as though trying to get a better look at something. When she heard her, Zipp stood up and turned around, beckoning her sister to come closer. Pipp complied, slowly and a little hesitantly. She did not like being in this alleyway. 

Suddenly, she saw the shadow of a pony behind her from the full moon above. She quickly turned around and saw Posey, standing at the entrance. Her guard was instantly up. She took a step back towards Zipp, feeling safer the closer she was to her older sister.

"Oh, Posey, what are you doing out here? Is this about the fight you had with Windy earlier?" Pipp asked. She knew something was wrong, but she didn't know what. She had to stall Posey long enough so she and Zipp could find out.

She glanced at her sister, only to notice something was wrong. Finally, she realized what it was. Zipp didn't have her spy gear. Whenever she did an investigation, Zipp always wore the spy gear Izzy made her. Pipp put her back to the wall so she could keep an eye on both Zipp and Posey. She didn't know what was happening, but she could spot an ambush a mile away. 

"Alright you two, what's happening? You're really starting to freak me out," Pipp said, her voice trembling. 

The last thing she saw was small grins appear on Posey and Zipp's faces before she felt something land on her back and the world went black.





Hitched hurried to the Crystal Brighthouse, a bouquet of two dozen flowers–candytuffs, mock orange flowers, orange lilies, yellow carnations, and white poppies–in his mouth. He had texted Pipp earlier, to see if she wanted to meet somewhere, but when she didn't respond, he knew she was still pissed at him. He wanted to apologize for being such a jerk and make everything alright before it was too late.

When he got to the Brighthouse, he burst through the doors without even knocking, knowing they were always unlocked. When he got in, he was about to run up the ramp to the mares' shared bedroom when he skidded to a stop. He saw Zipp, Izzy, Sunny, and Misty all standing at the entrance of the kitchen with confused expressions. 

Momentarily overcome with curiosity, he walked up to the entrance to see what all the buzz was about. He pushed through the bewildered mares, his eyes widening when he saw Pipp sitting on the countertop, snapping selfie after selfie after selfie. She'd then type something on her phone and then she giggled. She didn't even seem to notice him.

"Pipp?" He asked, his voice muffled by the flowers in his mouth. He quickly took them out and held them in his hoof. 

She looked up at him and an irritated expression consumed her features. "Oh right. You," she said as though she forgot about him, before going back to typing on her phone.

"Look, Pipp. I know you're still upset with me, but—"

"I'm not," Pipp interrupted, not looking up from her phone.

"Y–you're not? Didn't you get my texts?" Hitch asked in shock.

Pipp nodded. "Yep."

"Then why didn't you answer?" Hitch asked, feeling like he was now playing twenty questions.

"Didn't feel like it. I had better things to do," Pipp answered with a shrug.

Hitch stood there in shock, his mouth hanging open. This mare before him may have Pipp's body, but she was not acting like the Pipp he fell in love with. The Pipp he saw in that throne room three years ago, singing that song was passionate and caring. She loved the ponies around her. And she was not this insensitive or unfeeling.

He stared at her for a bit, before shaking his head, what she was saying and the possible explanation for it going over him. He simply interpreted it as her still being upset with him, despite what she said.

"R–right, well, about last night..." He took a deep breath and held out the flowers. "I've had some time to think and—"

"Me too," Pipp said, snapping another string of selfies. 

"Y–you did?" He asked, not sure what else to say.

"Hmhmm and you were right."

"I–I was?" Hitch asked again, feeling as though he was playing twenty questions...again.

Pipp groaned. "Are you going to repeat everything I say? Yes, you were right. We are too different–"

"I said that?"

Pipp rolled her eyes. "In so many words. The point is, you were right. We are way too different and so not compatible with each other."

Hitch felt his heart crack. "W–what are you saying?"

Finally, Pipp looked up from her phone, glaring at Hitch. "Do I need to spell it out for you? It. Is. Over. You and me? We're no longer a thing. Consider this the end of our relationship."

Hitch's heart shattered, and he swore everypony in the room could hear it. It sounded just like glass breaking. The four mares in the entryway looked at Pipp in shock. It wasn't just the fact that Pipp broke up with Hitch that shocked them to the core, which was utterly shocking in itself but it was the cold and calloused way she said it that shook them. Almost as if she almost enjoyed shattering Hitch's heart into a million pieces. 

Hitch just stared at Pipp in shock, wide-eyed. Sunny, Misty, and Izzy all stared at Zipp, as though she might know the answer. Feeling their stares, she looked back at them, shrugging and shaking her head, obviously just as confused.

Honestly, Pipp had been acting odd all morning, but this just completely came out of left field. For all of them. Yesterday, Pipp seemed so sad after fighting with Hitch, and after Misty and Sunny talked to her, she seemed desperate to make things right. Now, she was just breaking up with him like she was talking about the weather. It made no damn sense. To any of them.

Hitch was completely dumbfounded, not to mention heartbroken. "Y–you're...what you...how...WHY?!" Hitch finally yelled when what Pipp said finally sunk in, making everypony who was watching flinch, except for Pipp. She was so remorseless, it didn't make sense to anypony. 

Her eyes widened a bit as though realizing something before looking a bit crestfallen. "Oh, trust me, Hitchiepoo, this is hard for me too." Hitchiepoo?! Pipp has never called him Hitchiepoo. At Hitch's shocked silence, she rolled her eyes, her crestfallen face...well falling. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you didn't see this coming." At his remained silence, she chuckled bitterly, before clearing her throat and looking sad again. "Look, Hitch. It was never going to work between us. Alright? I'm a princess. I can't be fooling around with lowly earth pony sheriffs. I mean, it's bad enough Zipp is playing detective over here and doing all the hard work of investigations instead of making somepony else do it for her."

Zipp's mouth dropped to the floor in complete shock. "W-what d-did you just say?!" Zipp said in shock at the same time Hitch said, "Lowly?!"

"I'm just saying, since Zipp obviously doesn't care about her subjects, I have to. Which means I need a good public image. It was fun while it lasted, but now I need to start thinking about my subjects. Which means finding somepony with a higher stature. But, don't worry. I'm sure you'll find somepony just as amazing on your level. Try Sunny. You'd make a beautiful couple. Or even Misty. I mean, she is a unicorn, but you guys are on similar authority levels with her being the daughter of the practically leader of Briddlewood and you being a sheriff."

Both Misty and Sunny looked at each other with wide eyes. "What?!" They both said, both of them suddenly blushing at the thought of dating their best friend's coltfriend. Or, ex-coltfriend now.

"Now, I have some very important...duties to do. If you'll excuse me..." Pipp trailed off as she flew out of the kitchen. 

On her way out, she accidentally bumped into Misty, making the blue unicorn gasp with wide eyes, stopping her breath and her heart. Misty just stared at the floor, her eyes wide, trying to remember how to breathe.

There was a moment of silence before Zipp said, "You all saw that, right? I wasn't the only one?"

Sunny glared at Zipp. "Can't you try to be a little more sensitive than your sister was?"

"What?" Sunny tilted her head towards Hitch and Zipp's eyes momentarily widened. "Oh. Oops."

Sunny slowly walked up to Hitch, as though approaching a wounded animal. He was still standing where he was, looking at the countertop where Pipp had sat, dumbfounded. His mind was blank, sure that this whole thing was a dream. Small tears gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Hitch...are you okay?"

"She...she broke up...with me...." Hitch said, his mouth dry, his eyes wide. Finally, he seemed to process what she said. "That's...that's not my Pipp. My Pipp would never be so heartless. That...thing may have Pipp's skin, but she's not Pipp." Hitch looked at Sunny with pleading eyes. 

Sunny sighed helplessly, not knowing where to even begin. She knew something wasn't right. Something was horribly wrong with Pipp. And she'd find out what it was. But it wasn't like she could tell that to Hitch. If she did, he'd only freak out. Sunny thought back to Operation: Glitterbomb. She knew the second time Sparky went missing, he was able to keep his worry in check, but that was also because they just thought Sparky was playing hide and seek again. And by the time Misty told them somepony had dragon‐napped him, she told them she knew where he was. Sunny could only imagine what would happen if Hitch had actually thought he went missing again and didn't know where he was. Or if he found out something was horribly wrong with Pipp and didn't know what.

But at the same time, it was the lack of communication that made finding Sparky the first time so impossible. Because they were so uncoordinated, because they didn't communicate with each other, the only thing they accomplished was getting in each other's way. If anything, they're mostly the reason for Operation: Glitterbomb. It was because Hitch saw how their "investigations" were only bringing them backward and not forward that he felt he needed to take things into his own hooves. If there was something wrong with Pipp–which there clearly was–then the only way they were going to find out what it was and how to help was by being open and honest with each other, that way, they could coordinate and do this right. 

"Let's not get drastic here. She's still Pipp, but there's obviously something wrong." Sunny said, hoping that'd be enough to spring Hitch into sheriff action and not intense disguised superhero action. 

Zipp shook her head. "No." She shook her head harder, her eyes still reflecting disbelief. "No, that's not my sister. My sister would never be so heartless and mean and self–centered."

"But, who else could it be? That was obviously Pipp. I mean, she looked like Pipp, she sounded like Pipp..." Izzy trailed off. Those were the only two things that were Pipp. Everything else was wrong. 

"But, my sister would never act like that!" Zipp argued.

"Izzy's right, Zipp. Who else could it be? I love Pipp, but...who could have her skin and voice so seamlessly, and yet not be her to the point where she's a completely different pony? It doesn't make any—"

Sunny was interrupted when Izzy said, turning to look at Misty, "What was that, Misty?"

Misty was still looking at the floor, wide-eyed, her whole body still trembling. "Hitch and Zipp are right." Misty looked up with wide fear-filled eyes. Ones that nopony could argue with, even if they wanted to. "That's not our Pipp."

"H–how are you so sure Misty?" Sunny asked, knowing what the finality meant in Misty's voice. 

"Because our Pipp is so passionate and vibrant. When she feels emotions, she feels them strongly. So strongly, I'm surprised they don't consume her. But, this Pipp, she felt nothing. No happiness. No love. No anger. No hatred. Nothing. The Pipp that just broke up with Hitch? She was nothing but an empty shell."
> A Heart So Cold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yes! Power!" Opaline announced as she flew into the air, causing a ring of fire magic to form and disappear.

Misty quickly moved to the root of the together tree by the entrance of the throne room. She knew that when Opaline got like this, she was as unstable and unpredictable as her emotions. Suddenly, the fire in Opaline's wings went out and she slowly floated to the ground. Misty's heart stopped, not just knowing Opaline was unhappy but feeling her unhappiness.

"More! I need MORE!" Opaline yelled. "Then I can finally finish what I started all those moons ago with Twilight Sparkle and gain control over ALL magic. The way alicorns were MEANT TO!" Opaline looked at Misty with crazed eyes as she slowly walked towards her one step at a time. Misty huddled closer to the root, shaking as she got blasted with hatred, anger, and insanity like she never had before. It chilled her to the core. But, surprisingly, none of it was aimed toward Misty, yet. It was all towards Twilight Sparkle and Sunny and her friends. "No more of this unity and equality stuff! The citizens of Equestria should fear and love their immortal rulers!" 

Opaline was right in front of Misty, who crouched down in a half bow, waiting for Opaline to go off on her when she didn't. Instead Opaline turned around, back to her reflective pool. "And they will, because soon, I'll give them a reason to."

Misty, feeling brave, stepped away from the tree root. She had felt Opaline's anger and hatred, but this whole time, it wasn't aimed at Misty. It was aimed at their enemies, which Misty could understand. Ponies hated their enemies, right? 

"And you'll give me a cutie mark?" Misty asked hopefully.

Opaline turned around to face her and Misty realized she was wrong. She was so very wrong. The hatred and anger Misty felt before was nothing compared to the hatred, anger, and complete disregard for Misty's wellbeing. In fact, it felt like Opaline didn't care about Misty at all, as long as she got what she wanted. Misty was just a means to an end for her. 

"THAT measly drop of dragon fire wasn't enough! YOU won't be enough, Misty. Not until you can prove you're actually USEFUL and get. THAT! DRAGON!!!"

Opaline walked away, leaving Misty with her ears flattened and her head hanging. She's never been more afraid of Opaline than she was at that moment. She took a couple of steps back, just wanting to get away from Opaline and her emotions. 

Opaline walked back to the reflective pool and in front of Opaline was a live view of the Crystal Brighthouse. "I'm coming for you little ponies," Opaline said sinisterly. "Especially you, Sunny Starscout."

Misty slowly walked out of the throne room when she was sure Opaline didn't have any need for her at that moment and walked to her room, her soul feeling lighter and lighter the farther and farther she was away from Opaline, but her heart didn't feel better. 

She hated how strong Opaline's emotions were. She didn't understand why she felt Opaline's emotions, but she knew it was immobilizing. It made her fear Opaline that much more. 

Misty went to her bed and collapsed on top of it. "For somepony made of fire, I've never met a heart so cold," Misty muttered to herself, before breaking down into tears. She never felt so unwanted and so much of a burden in her life.





"An empty shell?" Sunny asked, not sure what Misty could possibly mean. Did she mean that Pipp was a robot? Or that Pipp's mind was not there? Those were impossible, but it wasn't like they'd never seen the impossible before. "What do you mean?"

"And how do you know how Pipp feels?" Zipp asked, almost accusingly, almost glaring at Misty. Misty's ears flattened and she bit her bottom lip. She knew Zipp wasn't really mad at her. Misty could feel her fear, confusion, and worry for her sister all causing her reaction. Still, though, it reminded her a little of Opaline's actions, even though Zipp was nothing like Opaline.

"What aren't you telling us, Misty? What are you hiding from us?" Hitch said accusingly, glaring at Misty. Misty knew that Hitch just wanted somepony to blame, somepony he could interrogate for answers about Pipp's strange behavior, and Misty was the closest one who seemed to have answers. 

"I...umm...I..." Misty trailed off, unable to think or even function with Sunny, Zipp, and Hitch all staring at her with a mix of accusation and fear, even though she knew none of it was aimed at her. Not truly. 

"Whoa, guys. Give Misty some space. She's not the enemy here," Izzy jumped in, standing between Misty and the three other ponies. 

Sunny sighed, trying to reign back her emotions. Suddenly, she felt guilty for allowing herself to go there. To think that Misty betrayed them again when she was nothing but a friend. A friend who's proven time and time again that she's on their side and she would never abandon them, even when times got tough. Misty was loyal to the end. 

"Izzy's right guys," Sunny agreed, sighing. She looked at Misty. "We're sorry, Misty. We're just worried about Pipp." Sunny looked to Zipp and Hitch. "Right, guys?"

Zipp and Hitch both seemed to realize what they were doing and Misty could feel their immense guilt radiate off of them. Misty thought they had nothing to feel guilty for. It was fair they first thought that Misty was hiding something from them because she was. Sort of. Feeling other ponies' emotions was just a normal thing for her because she'd had that ability her whole life. It just got stronger after she got her cutie mark. 

"Yeah. Sorry, Misty," Zipp finally said, looking down. 

"Yeah, sorry. We're just worried about Pipp." Hitch continued. 

Misty gave them a weak smile, before looking down. "I know. You have nothing to apologize for. I built my bed when I betrayed you once before. Now I just gotta lay in it. I should have thought of the consequences that would come from stealing Sparky before I did it."

Sunny walked up to Misty, setting a hoof on Misty's shoulder. Upon contact, Misty could feel a blast of guilt, pity, anger, blame, and at the bottom of it all insecurity. Guilt for making Misty feel like they blamed her and that they haven't forgiven her for everything when, in reality, they did. Guilt for turning their back on Misty instead of listening to her when they first found out Misty betrayed them and that it took Misty freeing them and helping save Sparky for them to forgive her when it was clear Misty was already sorry and felt guilty before then. 

Pity for Misty that when something goes wrong, she's the first to blame herself and for how insecure Misty felt about herself. Anger at Opaline that she made Misty like this, for treating her so horribly all those years that it changed who Misty was on the inside. Blame for not being a good enough friend to realize the abuse Misty was going through at the hooves of Opaline and not worrying about her enough when she'd disappear for days without being heard from. Perhaps if she did, she would've been able to talk to Misty before she stole Sparky. And finally, insecurity. Questioning whether or not she was even a good friend because she couldn't see the trouble Misty was in. Because even after a year, Misty blamed herself for everything. If she was a better friend, she could give Misty enough confidence and security to know that it wasn't her fault. To know that Misty could come to her about anything and they'd still accept her.

Misty tensed up against the barrage of emotions she felt emanating from Sunny from that small physical contact. Misty felt a stab of hurt go through Sunny before Sunny pulled her hoof away. Misty's friends knew that she didn't like ponies touching her, but they just assumed it was because of Opaline. Misty felt guilty for hurting Sunny, and even more guilty that she was glad Sunny wasn't touching her. Misty already struggled to deal with her own emotions. She didn't want to add others' to the mix.

"Misty, you know we don't blame you," Sunny started, her voice full of sympathy. 

"And we already forgive you," Hitch continued, walking closer to her.

"And we don't hold it against you," Zipp added, stepping closer to Misty as well. 

"So don't hold it against yourself, okay?" Izzy finished before giving Misty a big hug, followed by the rest of them. 

Izzy's emotions were overpowered by all the others, who were so much stronger at that point. For some reason, Izzy's emotions were so much harder to read. Izzy always knew how to keep her emotions in check better than the others, and whenever Izzy touched Misty, it was so brief that all Misty felt was pure joy before she would pull away, but Misty knew it was only covering other emotions that Misty couldn't see. 

Soon, they all pulled away, looking at Misty with small smiles. "Now," Sunny started after a moment of silence. "Let's try this again. What do you mean Pipp was an empty shell?"

"And how is it that you know how Pipp feels?" Zipp asked with a lot less accusation.

Misty sighed. "I'm not sure how to explain it. All I know is that I can feel other ponies' emotions. I can feel them like they're my own. I started feeling Opaline's when I was little. I don't remember being able to feel them before. I don't know why or how, but sometimes, I just get flooded with emotions that aren't mine. Sometimes they come with memories or thoughts, sometimes they don't, though, they only did when I got my cutie mark. That's when the feelings got..." Misty shivered. "Stronger."

Zipp gasped as she connected the dots. "Oh, my hoofness. Misty, I think you're an empath!" Zipp exclaimed.

"That'd make sense," Sunny agreed. "It'd explain why she doesn't like to be in crowded places and why she likes her alone time."

Misty was lost now. There was a name for her ability? She always thought she was a freak because of it, but from her friends' emotions, she felt better about it. But still, she had no idea what they were talking about. "What's an empath?"

"An empath is somepony who can feel what others are feeling. They're also known to feel on a deeper level and take on the feelings of others, whether that be emotionally or physically." Hitch explained helpfully. "Some stronger empaths can actually manipulate others' emotions, though, there are not many ponies who can do that."

Zipp gasped, a smile appearing on her face. "Can you tell what I'm thinking?!" 

"Umm...it doesn't work like that..." Misty explained. "Unless they're really strong, I can't feel what others are feeling unless I touch them, then anything's available. It also depends on how close I am to the pony. If I really know them and am super close to them, I get a round-the-clock broadcast of their emotions. For strangers, they have to be really strong or I have to be touching them. And I don't always get thoughts and memories with those emotions as well."

"So when Pipp bumped into you earlier..." Hitch started, the dots connecting. 

"I felt nothing but an empty void." Misty finished. 

"So you think maybe she was burying her feelings?" Sunny asked. "Maybe that's why you couldn't feel them?"

Misty shook her head. "When ponies are burying their emotions, I can still kind of feel them, especially when I touch them, but they're muted. Like..." Misty paused, trying to figure out how to word it. 

"Like looking through a foggy glass," Izzy stated, rather than questioned, speaking for the first time since Misty admitted to being an empath.

"Yeah, exactly." Misty paused, took a deep breath, and looked Hitch in the eyes so that he could see the honesty in them. "Hitch, yesterday after your fight with Pipp, she was really hurt. She thought that you didn't understand her at all. But, after Sunny and I talked with her, she felt really guilty. She felt like the worst marefriend in the world for not being more considerate and not asking you before if you were even comfortable with all the attention on your relationship. She just wanted to make things right before she lost you. She didn't want to lose you, for any reason. Especially if that reason was her being inconsiderate. She loved you, Hitch. She loved you more than life itself. And breaking up with you was never even an option. 

"If anything, it's Sunny and I's fault that she didn't make things right yesterday. She wanted to go right away but we told her that you two needed some time to cool off. If she did what she wanted in the first place, none of this would have happened." Tears gathered at the corners of Misty's eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking down at the ground. "I'm so sorry, Hitch. This is all our fault. If we had just stayed out of your relationship like Zipp said, none of this would've happened." 

Hitch's heart warmed at the thought that Pipp still loved him. That the Pipp who was so heartless, who broke up with him as if talking about the weather wasn't really Pipp. That breaking up with him wasn't an option, and that she actually feared he'd break up with her. That she actually loved him. He could feel the pieces of his heart slowly coming back together, the cracks in his heart slowly mending. 

Hitch smiled softly at Misty. "Thank you, Misty." Misty looked up at him with shock. "Had you not talked to her, you would not have known that she wanted to apologize and make things right. That she didn't want to break up with me. And for that, thank you."

Misty gave a small nod and softly gave a small smile in return.

"And that also means...I was right...that wasn't Pipp..." Hitch concluded, earning a nod from Misty.

"Well, then...if that wasn't Pipp...who was that?" Sunny asked, giving voice to the question on everypony's mind. 

Hitch didn't know and didn't care. If they hurt Pipp in any way, they were going to have bigger problems. They messed with the wrong pony and if they thought they were going to get away with what they did to Pipp, they were dead wrong. Hitch was going to find out what happened to Pipp, fix it, then hurt the ponies who hurt Pipp. Hitch could feel the anger rising in him, his heart racing in anticipation of finding the ponies who hurt Pipp.

"Whoever it is, they're going to pay! Just wait until I get my hooves on them!"

Hitch began to walk to the doors of the Brighthouse, intent on finding this doppelganger when Sunny put her hoof in front of him. "Wow. Hold on there, Batpony. First, we need to figure out what is wrong with Pipp before we confront her."

"And how do you expect we do that without confronting her?" Hitch asked, just wanting to find Pipp ASAPP—as soon as pony possible.

"I can trail her," Zipp suggested. 

"Perfect, I'll come with," Hitch said, all too happy to finally be doing something to find Pipp. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her.

But, Sunny stopped him yet again. "No, Hitch. You need to go to the station." Hitch was about to protest when Sunny interrupted. "You need to interview the Filly Four. I have a feeling the fights yesterday may be related. It's just too...coincidental to be random. If they are, we need to figure out the similarities and the connection and maybe that might give us a clue as to what's wrong with Pipp." 

Hitch sighed before nodding. As much as he hated to admit it, Sunny was right. If the fights yesterday were in any way related, then they needed to figure out the connection and figure out how to use it to help Pipp. 

"Alright. Zipp, you trail Pipp. Go everywhere she goes but don't let her catch you. We need to keep all this on the down low. If she finds out that we're on to her, it may scare away whoever is behind this before we get a chance to confront them and fix whatever it is they've done. Misty and Izzy, you go search Mane Melody. We may find a clue there. But be discreet about it. We can't have Jazz and Rocky telling Pipp what we're doing. I'll check her things in the bedroom. There might be something there. We'll meet back here tonight and explain what we've found."

All of them nodded before they dispersed. Misty and Izzy left the Brighthouse. Misty was worried, but it looked like Izzy had something on her mind. Like, she wanted to say something, but she didn't know how. 

In truth, Izzy was feeling guilty. While empaths, or any variations of such, were not very common in Bridlewood, they weren't exactly rare either. Many famous unicorns in history were known to be powerful empaths. Izzy has always been able to see another pony's sparkle, claiming her to be claircognizant, also known as an intuitive empath. When she was a foal, it was very hard for her to control it, to not be overwhelmed by all the colors that surrounded everypony she knew. But, there were a few other empaths that helped her get through it, specifically Elderflower. She was known as a medium or psychic empath. When she was a filly, she had struggled with the voices of ponies past. She was able to teach Izzy how to build a shield around herself, so now, she'd only see a pony's sparkle when she wanted to. She can turn it on and off like a remote. After that, the colors of different ponies became beautiful and were much of the inspiration she'd use for her creativity. 

But, Misty didn't have an Elderflower to teach her and guide her. She had to navigate herself through a mess of emotions. Emotional empaths were rare, even in Bridlewood, and Izzy had never actually met one. But there were stories, and every empath who doesn't know how to control their powers has the same symptoms. But for some reason, Izzy didn't notice when she should have, especially because she went through something similar. She'd always just brushed it off as another result of living with Opaline when if she'd just thought about it, she'd realize the real meaning of Misty's behavior.

After Elderflower helped her, Izzy vowed she'd help other empaths any way she could. She learned how to hide her emotions from other empaths, using a blanket of pure joy, so when an empath saw her sparkle or felt her emotions, they'd feel nothing but pure happiness. That way, they wouldn't get bombarded with bad emotions if they interacted with her. The empaths would be able to tell it was a farce, but it didn't matter. As long as it helped them. Izzy hoped that while she failed to realize Misty was an empath, she could at least help in that way. 

Izzy sighed heavily. "Hey, Misty?" Misty slowed down, realizing that Izzy was behind her, seemingly lost in her own world. "I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."

"For what?" Misty asked, looking confused.

"I should've known you were an empath. Unicorns are known for it and...I should've seen what you were."

"Oh, Izzy," Misty stopped walking, putting a hoof under Izzy's chin, forcing her to look up at Misty. "There's no way you could've known. I didn't tell anypony. There's nothing to apologize for."

"But there is," Izzy countered. "I'm an empath too. I should've seen the signs. They were so similar to when I was learning how to cope with mine. And, I've seen other foals struggle in trying to cope with theirs."

"But, Izzy, I'm not a filly–"

"That doesn't matter!" Izzy argued. "The behavior was still the same!" Izzy sighed when she saw Misty flinch at her sudden outburst. "I understand how overwhelming and difficult it all is. I understand how hard it is not to let others influence you when you get an inside look into their heart. And I could've helped you deal with it. I had an old pro help me and I could've been that for you. But, instead, I let your past with Opaline explain why you were so quiet and didn't like to be around a lot of ponies and why you didn't like to be touched, even though I went through something similar. So, for that, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Izzy. Nopony is perfect. And my past with Opaline does complicate things. That doesn't mean you should beat yourself up over it. I didn't even know I was an empath until a couple minutes ago, and I'm the one living with it. It's okay though. I've learned to live with it. And while it's not a perfect life, and it can often be overwhelming, I'm okay. Because I have friends who'll be there for me when it does." 

Izzy nodded in response, though, she still didn't fully forgive herself for being so blind to what Misty was.

"So...you're an empath too? You can feel another pony's emotions?"

Izzy shook her head. "No. I mean, yes I'm an empath but no, I can't feel emotions. I can see another pony's luminescence."

"Lumi–what?" Misty asked, never hearing that word before. 

"Luminescence. You know, your sparkle. Yours is..." Izzy trailed off as she narrowed her eyes, turning her empath power on with her imaginary remote. "Indigo," Izzy said with a nod, smiling at Misty, turning her power off again. 

"Huh?" Misty looked down at herself, wondering what it was Izzy was seeing. Indigo? What did that mean? And how did Izzy know?

"And the happier you are, the brighter it shines!" Izzy said with a smile that could light the world. "You know, I can show you how to build a shield around yourself..."





Pipp groaned as she slowly gained consciousness, her head pounding with the beat of her heart. She slowly opened her eyes, expecting bright light to blind her and make her massive headache worse, but, surprisingly, she opened her eyes to darkness. 

Then the events of last night came to her mind and she quickly sat up. She looked around to see if she could find a clue as to where she was, but all she could see was that she was in a room with black stone walls and a single mattress. The only notable thing about this room was the green slime in random places. It looked like old green mucus, which made Pipp's stomach turn. She would have to avoid that at all costs. 

Pipp stood up, surprised to see that her hooves weren't chained. That was a good sign, right? She stood on wobbly hooves, the world tilting for a moment before she felt stable. She walked to a big metal door that looked heavy. She reached for the knob, not the least bit surprised to find it locked. She groaned and looked around again, noticing a window high in the wall. She flapped her wings, flying up to the window. It was just big enough for her to stick her head out, but that was about it. 

Looking out the window, she looked at what she guessed was supposed to be a forest, but there were hardly any trees, and the ones that were there were dead-looking. She looked down and saw that she was high up, at least ten stories. She pulled her head out when she heard the clip cloping of hooves. Her heart racing, Pipp flew to the bed and laid down as she was before, pretending to still be knocked out. If they thought she was unconscious, perhaps they'd talk about important information, thinking she couldn't hear. Information she could use. 

Her ears twitched when she heard the click of a door unlocking, realizing it was her door, as it slowly opened. She knew that if Zipp was here, she'd charge the intruder with a battle cry and attempt to tackle them by taking them by surprise, but she wasn't as brave as her sister nor was she as strong or athletic. So she continued to lay there, keeping her breath even, making sure to not even twitch a muscle.  

The door closed behind the intruder and the lock slipped into place. She heard a sinister laugh fill the room, bouncing off the walls and echoing into Pipp's ears. Pipp didn't react, keeping her eyes closed. She hated being at this kind of disadvantage, not being able to see the intruder and what their next move would be, but she told herself this was for the best. That eavesdropping could be the thing that saves her life. 

"I must commend you for your convincing charade but I am aware that you are awake. The guards informed me they heard you trying to open the door and my guards would never lie to me." A mare's voice said. 

Ugh, she was never known for her stealth, mostly because she didn't have much. Deciding to drop the act, Pipp opened her eyes and charged at the mare, not even pausing to assess the situation or see that the mare had a horn. Suddenly, Pipp was stopped by a green magical aura, and before she knew it, Pipp was flung into the far wall. 

"I wouldn't try that, either. It won't get you far besides injuring yourself. And if you're unconscious, my subjects can't feed," The mare said, licking her forked tongue along her lips in anticipation.

Pipp shivered at the thought of something else feeding on her. Just one look at the mare and she knew she wasn't a pony, but somehow, she was an alicorn. She didn't know what or who she was, but she got the feeling this thing wasn't holding her ransom for some money. There was something more sinister going on and Pipp had the feeling she should be very afraid, not just for herself but for her friends. 

"Who are you?" Pipp asked wearily. 

"I am Queen Vespula, queen of the changelings. The greatest race in the world!" 

Pipp rolled her eyes. "Must not be that great if I've never heard of you. And anyway, it doesn't matter because my friends are going to find me, and defeat you and whatever evil scheme you're planning."

Queen Vespula chuckled sinisterly, a manic grin on her face. "My dear, your friends aren't even aware you have gone missing, let alone that you are being held prisoner in the changeling kingdom! And once I capture Sunny Starscout and the rest of your friends, nothing will stop me from taking over your puny little kingdom and letting my changelings feed on you pathetic little ponies for all eternity!" 

As Queen Vespula laughed maniacally, Pipp swallowed nervously, wondering how in Equestria she was going to get herself out of this mess. 





Zipp was beginning to get frustrated. She was beginning to think this whole trailing thing was a bust. Pipp was doing all the normal things Pipp did, and apart from being way more superficial and self–centered than usual, there was nothing really out of the ordinary. She hoped the others were having better luck. 

That is until Zipp saw something that blew her mind. Pipp was entering an alleyway with Sprout! Pipp never talked to Sprout. Not after he tried to kill her, Zipp, their mom, and the rest of the pegasi. Not that Zipp could blame her. Zipp never talked to Sprout either. Which made what Pipp was doing all that more strange. 

Zipp flew over the alleyway, landing on a balcony above them, just in ears reach. She pulled out her phone, pressed the record button, and slowly lowered it to a windowsill closer to them. She then waited for them to speak, hoping her phone would catch every word. 

"How is your mission going? Is everything in place?" Sprout asked, a malicious grin on his face. Zipp first thought that maybe Sprout was blackmailing Pipp into doing his dirty work, but when Zipp looked at Pipp, she knew that wasn't the case.

"Almost. Had to wait until I lost that nosy sister of hers before I could set the final piece. These ponies are so gullible. They believed every word I told them. Even had a little fun with that sheriff. It seems these ponies are still just as dumb as they were before, even after a millennium." Pipp said with a snicker. 

"Be careful. You know what our queen said. Don't underestimate them. Have your fun, but make sure it doesn't get in the way of the mission. That comes first. The queen will be furious if we fail. Again!" Sprout hissed. 

Zipp was confused. What queen was Pipp and Sprout talking about? The only queen in Equestria was their mother, and Queen Haven would never send Sprout on a mission. She wouldn't even be caught orchestrating a mission this sinister sounding. And what did he mean by "again"? Did they try this before? Whatever this was? And what did Pipp mean by ponies being as gullible as they were a millennium ago? She wasn't even there that long ago. And did she think breaking up with Hitch was fun?! What in the hay was going on?! She felt like reality as she knew it was breaking down around her.

Pipp rolled her eyes. "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." Sprout warned.

"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!"
> Bridlewood Legends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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."
> 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."