The Queen's form shimmered, changed, and Gusty appeared in her mother's place. "Because I already have."
Angelina
let her mouth drop open. She sank slowly to the ground, and blacked out.
~*~
Gusty looked down, knees trembling. "I did what I had to do. I couldn't let you do what you were planning on doing. We were once very good friends. Once. That's why I did it. I knew she'd listen to only one Pony, though impossible. Her mother. She died when Angelina was only seventeen, certainly not ready to become Queen. We got in a huge fight that night, and we never spoke again. Until Baby Gusty came along. Then things went downhill. I can't. . . I can't really explain."
"But what will happen now?" Planethopper asked warily.
Gusty shook her head. "I don't know. I can't guarantee that whatever I did worked. Nobody will ever except her, I'm afraid. Unless she did something out of the ordinary, like saving a Pony's life or something. The damage has been done. She's going to be scared. You might not ever see her again. She might go completely over the edge, I don't know. There's so many things that could happen. . ."
A curious look crept across her face.
"What is it Gusty?" Starhopper asked.
Her eyes swooped around in circles, swayed back and forth, looked up and down. She looked up again, then over to Star Castle. "You know, if you think about it. . . Angelina is a hero."
Planethopper screwed up her face. "What the heck are you talking about? She's no hero."
Gusty looked around again, and a small smile replaced her curious look. "Yes, she is. She freed the Sparkles from their captivity. Though she took the wrong way of doing it, she is a hero to all Sparkles."
She winked at them, and disappeared.
Powder appeared in her place.
"Aah! Powder! Don't do that!" Planethopper screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Sorry!" she screamed back. She paused to peer at Angelina's crumpled form. "What do you want to do?"
Before she could speak, the kids stepped into the small clearing in pairs, Glider with North Star and Gwendamere with Baby Gusty.
"Don't do it Mommy."
"Yeah Starhopper, don't."
"Please."
"Please don't, Starhopper."
They all had spoken. Glider trotted over to Powder. "Don't let them do it. If you are who my friends tell me you are, then you won't take Angelina to Flurry to be put in a crystal."
It all made sense, now that she knew that Powder was his mother. She knew Glider was not really Ponybride and Steamer's son, but the thought never really occurred to her that Powder could be his mother. . .
She shook the thought away. More important things were at stake. She looked over to her sister. "Hoppy, I have an idea. Gusty trusts us to do the right decision. And I know what that right decision is now."
Planethopper pursed her lips tight. Starhopper could tell she didn't want to talk about it. Not at the moment, anyway.
She looked over at Squeaks, who was cowering behind Merey's hind feet. "Call the Rainbow back Squeaks. We don't need it. Powder, take the Locket back to Baby Lickety-Split. Kids, go back to the Village. I'll be back later. Planethopper, go to Dream Valley and get all of the Ambassadors to get all of the Sparkles here. Is everyone's instructions clear?"
They nodded.
Starhopper knelt beside her mother, and used her magic to get to the castle.
Flurry stood proudly against the wall, admiring a dozen or so shiny crystals, all containing witches.
"What would you like me to do Starhopper?" she asked.
She hesitated. "Do you know how to make somebody fall into a deep, deep sleep?"
Flurry nodded. "Would you like me to put her in one? Takes but only a few seconds, and it would easy to waken her."
Tears were forming in Starhopper's eyes, but she would not let them fall. "Yes, that is what I'd like you to do. If the Sparkles can forgive my mother, and she comes out of this all right - "
"Wait!" Flurry interrupted. "Perhaps there is something else that can be done, too! It may be possible to rid her of all the evil. But I'll need some help. I'll have to get the Moochik. He'll know what to do." She gulped. "Hopefully. He's gotten really forgetful."
"The who?"
"Don't tell me you've never heard of the Moochik! Oh wait, it's not the Moochik you want to see, it's um, uh, no, maybe, shoot! My thought wave just broke. Hmm, I'm thinking. . ." Flurry mumbled.
Starhopper tapped her hoof impatiently.
"Ummm, let's see. . . I think. . ."
"Hurry up! I think I'll find that Moochik person by myself!"
"Wait don't go! I remember! Find the Ponies of Echo Glen. It's a fairly new settlement. I visited it before they put me in the central tower, only so I could learn more information about them. Their are several kinds of Ponies I had never seen before, but mainly familiar kinds. There was a Pony named Alchemy there. Seek her out. A Pony from Rainbow Glade told her about the Ambassadors and all and how Angelina became rotten. I guess one of the Ambassadors had just visited Rainbow Glade. Well, back to Alchemy. She told me if she could find her, Angelina, she could get the evil out of her easily. I got back to the to the Valley, but so did Lightning Speed and Cool Breeze, and I was. . . well, you know. I suggest you go there now," she rattled off, finally taking a breath.
Starhopper gave her a small bow. "Thank you! Thank you very much!"
She then used her magic to
leave Grundleland, and find Alchemy.
~*~
A light pink Pegasus with light yellow hair glided over to her. "Hello. You must be Starhopper, Queen of the Sparkle Ponies. I am Lillia. Why have you come to Echo Glen?" she asked in a lilting voice.
Starhopper took a deep breath. "I must see Alchemy."
She smiled. "Right this way, follow me!" she cried joyously.
Lillia flew over to a blue tent, which was decorated with purple, pink, orange, green and gold stitching, and landed. Two vibrant green Newborn twins guarded the entrance. "Meet the twins: Mina and Gina. Mina's on the left, Gina's on the right. You can tell them apart by how their symbols are flipped."
"You may see the High Priestess now, Your Highness," Gina said with a nod.
Starhopper ducked inside the tent. A pink Pegasus with pink hair sat in the middle of the tent.
"Hello. You must be Starhopper. I was told about you and the Ambassadors. You are here about your mother, though," she said quietly.
She dropped her mouth open. "How - Why - How does everyone know who I am? And how do you know I'm here about my mother?"
Alchemy smiled. "News travels fast in a small community, and I could only guess. Flurry told you, didn't she? Had to be her. No problem with that, hope she isn't sweating over anything."
Starhopper blinked a couple times, letting everything sink in. "I - I was told by Flurry that you could -"
"Easily get the evil out of your mother?" she finished.
Why does it seem that I'm being interrupted a lot today? Do they not wish to hear me speak or something?! I know! It's all a conspiracy. No, even better. This day is not real. It's a dream. A simple dream. Oh man, that would be nice! "Ah, yes. Can you?"
Alchemy snorted. "Yes, or I wouldn't have told Flurry that. Now back to your mother. She needs to be unconscious. I her into a deep sleep if you want."
Relief flooded all over Starhopper's
body. "Yes. I'll take you to Grundleland now."
~*~
Angelina had been put into a deep sleep, and when she woke up, she would hopefully be rid of all evil. Alchemy had said a prayer. That was all. Angelina would have to get rid of the evil herself, and also hopefully, she already had.
Now Planethopper stared out into the horde of Sparkle Ponies, their fallen kingdom behind them. She and her sister stood on the seashore, about to address the Ponies.
"If they can forgive Mother, then perhaps she can forgive herself," her sister whispered softly.
Planethopper just stared further out, past the Ponies, past the castle and the mountains, looking, searching. But for what? I know I'm looking for something, but what? I trust my instincts, but what am I looking for?
She
looked back into the crowd, and she saw Gwenavere, Gwendamere, Gusty, Baby
Gusty, and North Star appear at the far edge of the crowd. There they
are. That's what I was looking for. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, let's hope everything goes all right. . .
~*~
~*~