MY LITTLE PONY: BRIDLEWOODSTOCK

Written by Gillian Berrow

Executive producers: Olivier Dumont, Randi Yaffa, Cort Lane

Story editing by Gillian Berrow

Supervising direction by Will Lau

Transcribed by Alan Back (ajback@yahoo.com)

Notes:                 Background song lyrics are in square brackets.

                When the special debuted in June 2023, Tony Fleecs was also credited as a writer.

                His name has since been removed.

                Any lines marked with one asterisk (*) are amplified by a sound system.

Prologue

(Opening shot: snap to a full moon in the star-speckled night sky, visible over a stretch of treetops. Tilt down through the foliage to ground level, where a small form marked by a pair of glowing eyes stirs in the shadows. It hops into view and chitters inquisitively—a unicorn-horned rabbit, marking the locale as somewhere in Bridlewood—before hopping away. Izzy Moonbow’s hooves step into view after it, followed by those of her friends; cut to the five on the move through the forest. Sparky Sparkeroni naps while riding on Hitch Trailblazer’s back.)

Pipp Petals: (teasingly) This is kinda spooky, isn’t it? (Hitch yelps at a rustle and bird cry.)

Hitch: No, not at all. (Sparky snores heartily.)

Sunny Starscout: (unnerved) Izzy, what are we doing in the middle of the Bridlewood Forest at night?

Izzy: (turning to face her) It’s a surprise! (All stop.) If I told you, you wouldn’t be surprised.

Zipp Storm: She does have a point there.

Izzy: You’re gonna love it! (touching her chest) Hoof to heart. (Face front.) Come on. It’s just up here. (All save Hitch move out.)

Pipp: Aw, yeah! (Zipp laughs.)

Hitch: Uh…

(He finally starts after the others. Profile close-up of Izzy, scanning the area as she goes and then stopping short with a beaming gasp; zoom out as each following pony collides with the one in front of him/her. Pipp tumbles to the ground, and Hitch rubs his head.)

Hitch: Oof! Ow. (Sparky stirs and rubs his eyes.)

Izzy: We’re here! (gesturing grandly ahead) Ta-daaaa!

(She has brought them to a clearing dotted with growths of crystals and plant life, none of which appear particularly remarkable. Long silence.)

Zipp: Uh, Izzy? Is something supposed to happen?

Izzy: (whispering) Hush.

(She trots a few paces ahead and hunkers down over a furled shoot, which unfolds to yield a flower with broad, vivid pink petals and a cluster of yellow filaments at its heart. The whole is glowing faintly, and other blossoms in the clearing light themselves up in like manner. The effect quickly spreads to the other types of flora, and the crystals gleam a cool blue as fat, glimmering bugs rise from the grass. Slow pan along the line of four visiting ponies, their minds well and truly blown.)

Sunny: Wow…

Pipp: Gorgeous!

Zipp: Awesome!

Hitch: What? (One of the insects flits past him and gets Sparky’s attention.)

Sunny: Wow. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life! This is amazing, Izzy!

(Her gentle prod at a pink flower causes it to pulse more brightly for a moment.)

Sunny: What is it?

Izzy: It’s called the Lumi-Bloom. Every moon season for one week only, all of the plants and stuff in this part of Bridlewood go all wild and glowy.

(Zipp is quick to deploy her magical magnifying glass and train it on a bug and plant. Cut to her perspective of it on the next line.)

Zipp: So it’s not just some sort of unicorn spell? (Back to her, stowing the glass.) Just a natural phenomenon?

Izzy: Yep. Do you like it? (An entranced Pipp lands in the fore.)

Pipp: Like it? (Eyes widen.) Do I like it? (hover-spinning to face Izzy) I love it! It makes me want to sing!

(And so she does, rising into the air and vocalizing a short line that attracts several bugs to form a slowly orbiting circle around her by the time she hits a final “yeah.” The others can only gape at the effect, Izzy’s jaw hanging full open.)

Pipp: Oh, my glow. (She lands; the insects scatter.) Did you guys just see that?

Zipp: Yeah! Huh. That was actually really cool.

Pipp: I have to do it again! (flying to Izzy, offering her cell phone) Quick! Get it on camera this time!

(The unicorn takes the device and lifts it to start recording; cut to its camera-eye perspective as Pipp gets into position. Instead of singing, she utters a sharp gasp.)

Pipp: Wait! (Back to Sunny/Hitch/Izzy; the phone is lowered.)

Hitch: What’s wrong? (Pipp takes it back.)

Pipp: I just had an even better idea! We can share this beautiful site with everypony if we bring them all here!

(As she speaks, she lifts it to her eye and the view shifts to its camera-eye perspective, panning slowly across the extensive Lumi-Bloom. Back to the group after she finishes.)

Izzy: Whoa. How are we going to do that? (Pipp slips the phone under a wing.)

Pipp: (twirling in place) By hosting the biggest and brightest musical festival that Equestria’s ever seen! Or heard. (This gives Izzy pause.)

Sunny: That sounds so magical! I love it!

Pipp: But Izzy said the Bloom only lasts a week, which means… (suddenly panicked) …we’re already running out of time! (She flies to the others…) We have to get started right now!

(…and off, with them following. Izzy, lagging behind, stops in her tracks at the sound of a low, distant, not-too-friendly chuckle.)

Izzy: Huh?

(The chuckle rises a few tones and takes on a cracked tone, but no source is immediately visible among the illuminated vegetable and mineral formations. She cocks her head, bewildered; cut to a long shot of her, visible through a gap in the foliage at ground level, only the central portion of the view in focus. A soft, sibilant voice matching the chuckle speaks up.)

Sibilant voice: Yes. Sing for us, ponies.

(Back to the unsettled unicorn, who glances back over her shoulder but sees only the twinkle of those glowing bugs among the trees. She hustles after her friends as that laughter asserts itself again.)

OPENING SEQUENCE

(“Netflix Presents” fades into view over the scene and away, after which the view fades to black that is immediately cut by a pair of roving spotlight beams that illuminate the title card. A rainbow shimmer plays across it from end to end, amid the halos cast by other lights.)

Act One

(Dissolve to a close-up of the tower portion of the Crystal Brighthouse and zoom out to frame the entire structure. Morning has come to Maretime Bay, and the Marestream—the flying RV that made its debut in Winter Wishday—stands parked on its patio to one side on the lawn. Inside, the camera pans across Pipp’s portion of the shared bedroom, to the sound of her humming, and stops on her working at her cluttered desk. The full trash can behind her and the scraps/balls of paper littering the area speak to the all-nighter she has pulled, and she wears a pair of red-framed eyeglasses while taking notes.)

Pipp: Hmmm…aha! (Cut to Izzy’s bed; she continues o.s.) Mmm-hmm.

(Its occupant sits up to shake off the last of a night’s sleep—stretch, yawn, smack lips, rub eyes—and spots the pegasus hard at it across the way.)

Pipp: Hm! (Izzy crosses to her.)

Izzy: Whatcha doing?  

Pipp: (flaring wings) Making my dreams come true! (removing glasses) Because if you can dream it, you can do it, Izzy.

(The recipient of this advice smiles from ear to ear, gasps, and darts around the desk to her.)

Izzy: I just dreamed that I crafted an entire sailboat out of tortilla chips!

Pipp: (gently pushing her back) See? I love that for you! (showing her notebook, clasping it to herself) And I love this for me! But if I want to make the Bridlewoodstock Music Festival happen— (Set it down, fly across room.) —I can’t waste a single minute. (stopping in the couch-lined common area) Everypony has to see the Lumi-Bloom before it’s over.

Izzy: It is pretty special, huh?

Pipp: (nudging her) Which is why I’m going to need help today.

(One quick flight later, she has wheeled in a rolling bulletin board covered with sketches, stickers, and music/band-related graphics. A large pink heart serves as backdrop.)

Pipp: We’ll have to bring in everything, and fast.

Izzy: Uh…

Pipp: Tents! Stages! Sound equipment! Decorations! And, of course… (singsong) …musicians!

(She cranks off an ecstatic squeal and giggle, but drops it with alarming speed.)

Pipp: Wait.

(Cut to the cause of her Mach One mood shift—Izzy, rooted to the floor with borderline terror.)

Pipp: (from o.s.) Why does your face look like that?

Izzy: Well…uh… (moving to board) …I don’t want to burst your excitement bubbles, but there is a little teensy-meensy problem with that particular spot. (forcing a grin) Um, maybe we should have the festival somewhere else.

(A gobsmacked Pipp settles slowly to the ground.)

Pipp: A problem?

Izzy: Um, it’s just that we—we unicorns think it’s kinda jinxie to sing or make any loud noises during the Lumi-Bloom because of the…

(“Jinxie” is punctuated by a moment’s side-to-side dance, as if warding one off. She then glances furtively from side to side before leaning in close and cupping a hoof to her mouth.)

Izzy: (whispering) …the Troggles!

(Pipp ix completely unfazed by this revelation.)

Pipp: Is that it? An old jinxie rumor? Pssssht! Ha! (Zoom in slowly on Izzy.)

Izzy: Uh, no, it’s not a rumor! There’s even a poem. It goes like this.

(She clears her throat and begins to recite in close-up. As she speaks, her visage is replaced by a series of construction-paper cutout images, dissolving to each of the first two and cutting abruptly to each one afterward. A horned silhouette whose glowing eyes are in the same positions as hers…a happy pink pig…a poof of smoke followed by the horned figure, colored purple and appearing as an amorphous apparition with a porcine snout…two singing unicorns…a twig snapping in two. Izzy’s words shift to voice over once the images start.)

Izzy: (raspy voice)                 Eyes of the monster, form of the pig.

                                Sing, laugh, or yell, step hoof on a twig!

(A dissolve replaces the broken bit of wood with the rearing creature, whose snarl she provides until an unconcerned Pipp pops up in the foreground. Behind her, the scene dissolves to the bedroom.)

Pipp: Izz, Izz, Izz, Izz, it’s going to be fine. (flying up to top of board) Once the unicorns hear the amazing music with the glowy sights, they won’t even remember that silly poem. It will be that life-changing. (Down again.) Trust me.

Izzy: (laughing tentatively) Yeah…I guess you could be right. I’ve never actually seen a Troggle.

(Pipp has taken advantage of the moment to scoop up some stickers from her desk.)

Pipp: See?

(She offers one to Izzy, who lets a smile across her face and floats it up—flower-shaped.)

Izzy: (with growing enthusiasm) Okay, let’s do it! Bridlewoodstock, here we come!

(Both mares add stickers to the board and giggle/chatter as she repositions one picture with her magic. Zoom out slowly and dissolve to the kitchen; Sunny deposits a plate stacked with pancakes on the island countertop and takes a seat. Zipp is already sitting here with one on her plate and drinking a smoothie; Izzy and Pipp join them in short order, the latter flying, wearing a saddlebag, and checking her phone.)

Sunny: Good morning! Breakfast? (Izzy gasps and levitates the top flapjack to herself.)

Izzy: Yes, please!

Pipp: Thanks, Sunny, but I’ve gotta fly. Too much to do! Emergency music festival planning meeting at Mane Melody later! Be there! (She zooms away.)

Sunny: (holding up a cup) At least take a smoothie to go!

(No dice; cut to Sunny and Izzy on their side of the island.)

Sunny: Wow. Who doesn’t have time for a smoothie? (Izzy chows down.)

Zipp: (from o.s.) A pony on a mission, that’s who.

(The two regard her across the counter as she takes a long pull and sighs contentedly.)

Zipp: Here we go. Everypony, brace yourselves for a wild week. Pegasi love music festivals. They’re kind of a big deal in Zephyr Heights. (Her perspective of the other two, slightly confounded.) Pipp has always wanted to plan one of her own—

(Back to her as she continues.)

Zipp: —so she must be feeling the pressure to make it perfect.

Sunny: What do you mean? (Izzy removes the pancake dangling from her mouth; Sunny sets her cup down.)

Izzy: She did stay up all night working.

Sunny: (leaning across countertop) Then we have to help her out.

(Zipp gives a confident nod, Izzy a much more hesitant one.)

Izzy: Uh-huh.

(But her scrap of a smile dissipates in the time it takes her to eat another bite. Cut to the exterior of Mane Melody, seen from across Mane Street, and zoom in slowly. On the start of the next line, the camera shifts to an overhead shot of the five friends inside, with Sparky riding on Hitch’s back, and slow zoom in. They are joined by Jazz Hooves and Rocky Riff, and Pipp has brought in her bulletin board with a few added embellishments. Izzy has done away with her breakfast, and Pipp is no longer wearing her saddlebag.)

Pipp: I want to lean into the Lumi-Bloom theme and go full “flower fest.”

(Cut to her approaching a wall mirror on which the corners of a photo frame have been marked off. When she stands in front of it and holds up her phone, a translucent crown of flowers appears on her reflection’s head. Evidently this mirror can serve as a magical trying-on station for new looks or accessories.)

Pipp: Flower crowns! Snack tents featuring edible flowers! (Cut to the others.)

Jazz: Where does the music part come in? (Back to Pipp, crossing to the board, on the following.)

Pipp: I am glad you asked, Jazz.

(A hoof lashes up toward a large flower at the center, cut from construction paper; close-up of this as it is yanked away. Underneath is a sheet of notebook paper displaying a quickly doodled picture of a stage set with flowery arches, with her giving a performance. Strings run from this page to the other items tacked up around the edges of the board. Zoom in slowly.)

Pipp: (from o.s.) The Mane Stage!

(Three-part gasp of surprise and delight from Hitch/Jazz/Rocky; the next two lines overlap.)

Hitch: Yeah!

Rocky: What bands are gonna play? (Hitch, Jazz, and Sparky nod approvingly.)

Pipp: That’s where you ponies come in.

(Those six words hit Sunny and Zipp like a two-by-four to the back of the head once the camera cuts to them.)

Zipp: How? We’re not a band.

Izzy: (smirking) Yet. (She waggles her eyebrows at the pair.)

Pipp: (from o.s., waving a foreleg into view) No, no, no. No. (Back to her.) No. I need you ponies to help me secure some amazing bands while I work on.,.. (Deep breath.) …everything else. I think we can get Electric Blue. (Hitch gasps softly in close-up.)

Hitch: The super-epic pegasus rock band?

Pipp: (from o.s.) Wow, Hitch! (Cut to her.) I didn’t know you were such a musical expert. (To him and Sunny.)

Hitch: (suavely) I know things. (Sunny giggles and rolls her eyes; back to Pipp on the following.)

Pipp: And I am dying to have the incredible new pop artist, Ruby Jubilee, perform. (Jazz holds up a tablet.)

Jazz: I love her.

(Close-up of the screen on these words. It displays a partial close-up of a bright pink pegasus mare, sporting a coy smile with one front hoof tucked thoughtfully under her chin. The mane is a chin-length tumble of tightly corkscrewed strands, violet fading to red at the ends, and a flower tinged with pale violet is tucked in at one ear. Just above each violet front hoof is a gold-edged pink bracelet set with a yellow/purple heart; part of a similar adornment encircles her neck, but cannot be seen in full due to the camera angle. Her eyes are brown under violet brows, and her wings are edged in violet/white feathers.)

Pipp: (from o.s.) Me too! (Cut to her, Jazz, and Rocky.) Everypony does. Her vocals are unreal, which is why she’s going to be hard to lock down on such short notice.

Izzy: But we have to try, right?

Pipp: Right! But we still need an incredible earth pony or unicorn band to round out the lineup. (to Jazz/Rocky) Any ideas?

(The two stylists put their brains to it, but Sunny beats them to the punch and waves a foreleg for attention.)

Sunny: I know, I know! (Gasp.) We could get… (stomping) …the Dreamlands! (Hitch gasps.)

Jazz: No way!

Sunny: They’re this really famous earth pony trio that I loved when I was younger.

(Wipe to an album spinning into view against a backdrop of bright geometric shapes, the sort of pattern prevalent in 1980s youth fashion. Its cover presents a picture frame containing the faces of three mares, rendered in the style of the My Little Pony cartoons from that era. Top left: pale green coat, blond mane accented by a magenta headband, bright blue eyes with blue-green shadow. Bottom center: pale blue-gray coat, messy deep pink mane secured with a blue band running behind the ears, pale blue-green eyes with two-tone pink/blue-green shadow, one small triangular earring. Center right: pale blue coat, deep blue mane tied in a ponytail with a deep pink bow, blue-violet eyes shadowed in the same hue as the bow.)

Sunny: (voice over) They practically invented the genre of girl group music.

(On the next words, the image shatters and the pieces fall away to return the action to the present.)

Jazz: But they haven’t performed in moons. How would we find them? (Zoom out to frame Hitch.)

Hitch: I have a connection. I know ponies—actually, my Grandma Figgy does. She used to bake for the lead singer, Minty.

(This bit of news sends Pipp into a hovering, squealing spin.)

Pipp: (singsong) This is all coming together like perfection! (normal tone) Rocky and Jazz, you’re on style duty. Zipp, you go get Electric Blue.

Zipp: You got it!

Pipp: Sunny and Hitch, find those Dreamlands. And, Izzy— (popping up to a hover) —you and I will convince Ruby Jubilee to dazzle us!

Izzy: Yeah!

Sunny: Okay!

Hitch: On it!

Jazz, Rocky: Yeah! (The meeting breaks up, Pipp rolling her board aside.)

Pipp: Do whatever you have to do. Just get those bands to come to Bridlewoodstock!

(Once all except for her and Izzy have left the building, she runs an eye over the mockup and taps a thoughtful hoof to her chin. Cut to a closed store entrance somewhere in Zephyr Heights; a few ponies have gathered by the display windows, most passing the time with their phones. Pan to bring Zipp into view in the fore, crouched down behind a trash can and with her high-tech visor propped on her forehead. Just as she starts to put her head out, a passerby slurps down the dregs of a soda and tosses the cup; it misses the can entirely but finds the covert operative’s noggin. She groans, picks it up, and disposes of it properly before settling the visor over her eyes and firing it up. Cut to her perspective, zooming in on the doors as they swing open to admit three pegasi onto the sidewalk. Murmurs of excitement ripple among the onlookers, one of whom lifts a camera to snap some photos. Two, Fretlock and Jam Donut, are stallions wearing sunglasses with sparkly purple frames and lightning-bolt projections at either end; their coats are roughly the same shade of light blue, with darker hues and purples present on manes/tails/hooves/wings. Fretlock, walking point, has the darker frames and a shock of near-white hair in his mane to match the “sock” markings on his legs; Jam, back to his left, has lighter frames and the same shock, but no socks. The third, Arpeggia, is a mare with a light violet coat and a sparkly, near-white patch on her chest in the shape of a lightning bolt; purple mane/tail, the former swept forward to nearly cover the right eye, with a matching sock in glittery dye on each leg; violet eyes with near-white shadow applied from lids to brows that match the mane.  Zipp stands up, breaking cover.)

Zipp: All right. How hard could this be?

(As she crosses the street, a few more pictures are taken and Arpeggia spreads her wings to reveal a cutie mark of a snare drum and pair of sticks. The feathers of all three are identical in their layered blue/white/purple coloration. Zipp addresses Fretlock, whose mark becomes visible as a microphone and white star.)

Zipp: Hey! (softly) Electric Blue?

Fretlock: Huh?

Zipp: Zipp.

Fretlock: Uh, who?

(Voicing a surprised little grunt at the lack of recognition, the Princess pulls off the visor and dons the sunglasses she used in Winter Wishday—one lens marked with a small lightning bolt.)

Zipp: Princess Zipp?

Fretlock: (smiling) Oh, hey, Princess. (More picture-taking.) How’s your sister?

Zipp: She’s great. Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you.

(One mare, stunned by these words, slowly lowers her camera.)

Zipp: But it’s top secret. Can we…c…c… (behind a wing) …can we get out of here?

Fretlock: Yeah, I’m down with that. Hey, guys, let’s go!

(Zipp and the band lift off, sparking a massed rush to follow. Reaching a fountain, the three band members perch themselves at its edge and strike poses similar to those of the pegasus statues adorning it; the newshounds charge/fly past, none the wiser.)

Fretlock: Phew.

Zipp: (from o.s.) Hey!

(He glances upward, tilt up quickly to frame her on a very high balcony.)

Zipp: Up here!

(They fly up to her level and touch down.)

Zipp: (removing shades, tucking them under a wing) Pipp sent me to find you guys because she wants to invite you… (catching herself with a laugh) …we want to invite you to play at Bridlewoodstock!

(The last word is marked by a dramatic spreading of wings, but it leaves Fretlock unmoved.)

Fretlock: Uh, what’s that?

Zipp: It’s the very first music festival in Bridlewood. (fumbling for words) And it’s gonna be…so…uh…so…rockin’! Yeah!

Fretlock: Hmmm…

(He steps aside for a quick, whispered conference with Arpeggia and Jam. As Zipp awaits their verdict, her optimism starts to falter and she lets off a worried little moan. This sequence clearly picks out Jam’s cutie mark as a “Flying V” electric guitar surrounded by white sparkles.)

Zipp: So, uh… (Chuckle.) …what do you think?

Fretlock: We’re not sure.

Zipp: Maybe I didn’t explain right. So there’s a thing called the Lumi-Bloom, right? (looping through air) And all the plants and flowers and crystals glow, and it looks awesome. Imagine those visuals with one of your sets.

(As she continues, her confidence begins to falter and the camera cuts to/from a perplexed Fretlock.)

Zipp: I mean…really cool, a-a-and…and, uh…you’ll be the headliners! (Big hopeful grin.)

Fretlock: (smiling) Well, why didn’t you lead with that? Of course we’ll play!

Zipp: (relieved) Great!

(All her tension dissipates with the lungful of air she blows out. Cut to a long shot of Zephyr Heights Palace, zooming in slowly, then to an overhead shot of the throne room, its dais and thrones standing empty. Izzy and Pipp have arrived here; zoom in slowly as the latter paces fretfully.)

Pipp: I can’t believe we’re about to meet Ruby Jubilee! (Floor level; she flits in place.) This is our big chance to work with the newest, most talented chart topper! Do I look okay? (Izzy gasps.)

Izzy: Your sparkle is shining bright!

(Pipp squeals as Zoom enters, bows, and passes her an envelope. The guard then backs away, and Pipp gasps; on the next line, cut to her perspective. The flap is sealed with a sticker cut and colored as a heart-shaped ruby, on which a microphone is overlaid with a star at the end of its cord.)

Pipp: It’s got her cutie mark on it!

(A gasp floats down from Izzy; cut to both as the contents are extracted.)

Pipp: (reading) “Your Majesty, Princess Petals.” (Tiny funny happy noise.) That’s me! “Miss Ruby Jubilee sends her deepest regrets. She cannot join you today due to a case of…creative block”?!? (Sharp gasps from both mares.)

Izzy: Maybe we can help her. (Pipp slips the letter under a wing.)

Pipp: My thoughts exactly!

(They gallop for the doors. Cut to a closed pair, zooming in slowly to the sound of Izzy’s humming, then to her and Pipp seated in front of a vanity counter in the room on their other side. The unicorn is applying a bit of makeup to herself, while the pegasus is eyeing her phone. They are interrupted by the opening of one door and the entrance of Ruby Jubilee in the horseflesh. She wears the heart-marked bands on all four legs, and a similar ornament in pink and violet at her throat. Her cutie mark will never be visible long enough to see clearly, but occasional glimpses from here on in will roughly conform to the shape of the ruby/heart/microphone sticker on the note delivered to Pipp.)

Ruby: (taken aback) Princess Pipp?

Pipp: (crossing to her with Izzy, phone put away) Sorry to surprise you like this, but my friend Izzy and I got your note and we had to help.

Izzy: We’ve had creative block too. (whispering, winking) We get it.

(This shot reveals that Ruby’s tail is short and styled/colored to match her mane.)

Ruby: Oh, Princess, it’s just… (Groan; flop to haunches.) …awful! (Izzy and Pipp sit facing her.)

Pipp: What’s going on? You can talk to us.

Ruby: After the success of my debut singles, I’ve just been putting so much pressure on myself to top it [sic] with a new hit. (Sigh.) But how do you top a chart topper? (Flare wings for emphasis.)

Pipp: Ruby, you have no idea how much I understand what you’re going through.

Izzy: Me too! (clapping) But luckily, we have some tricks up our hooves to help.

Ruby: You do?

Pipp: Yes! (pulling out phone) First, try not to be inspired when you watch this.

(A screen tap brings up a freeze frame from the Bloom footage she shot during the prologue, prompting a soft gasp from Ruby.)

Ruby: My stars! That is the most magical site I’ve ever seen!

(Cut to a close-up of the screen during this line, the video now playing and panning slowly across the area.)

Ruby: It makes me think of… (singsong; her face brightens) …cli-ick!

(With a gasp, she soars over the visitors’ heads and zeroes in on a desk.)

Ruby: I need to write this idea down before I forget!

(A handy pencil and notebook are pressed into service for the task; Pipp has put the device away.)

Izzy: You’re already inspired!

Pipp: And it’s even better in real life! (flying across room, landing near Ruby) You have to see it, at the Bridlewoodstock Festival onstage!

Izzy: Will you perform for us?

Ruby: (with sudden reluctance) I-I don’t know.

Izzy: Wild rubies are in season in Bridlewood. You loooove rubies.

Ruby: (smiling again) Mmm—I really do.

Pipp: And…you’ll be the headliner!

Ruby: Wow! Okay. (Deep breath.) Now I’m really inspired. (Strike a pose.) I’ll do it!

(She struts away and o.s. with wings spread, the sound of a closing door marking her departure, and Izzy and Pipp trade a giggly high five in triumph. Cut to a long overhead shot of Sunny, Hitch, his grandmother Figgy, and Sparky gathered at a table outside a café on Mane Street. Zoom in slowly, then cut to a close-up of a compact disc in its case being held by Sunny—the Dreamlands’ album. The camera shifts to frame each speaker on the start of his/her line.)

Sunny: You sure we’ll find her here, Figgy?

Figgy: (laughing) Oh, yes. This is where Minty comes to do her weekly shop. I run into her all the time.

Hitch: You’re so cool, Granny!

Figgy: (laughing, pinching his cheek, poking him) So are you, Hitchie.

(Sunny breaks up the tender moment by gasping and pointing across the table.)

Sunny: Look! Over there!

(Cut to a long shot of a mare ambling along the block and zoom in quickly to a close-up. Yellow-green earth pony; magenta headband holding back a chin-length, pale blond mane that shades to green at the ends and has been dyed green at the back of her head; red/orange-striped sweatbands above all four brown hooves; blue eyes with violet shadow and green brows. During the following sequence, her tail will be seen with the same blond/green coloration as her mane.)

Figgy: (from o.s., gasping softly) That’s her, all right. (Back to the table.) But don’t dawdle now. Scoot!

(The two younger ponies and the dragon follow orders, Sunny scooping up her CD and Sparky clambering onto Hitch’s back. Close-up of Minty, who stops at the sound of a throat-clearing by the o.s. Sunny; zoom out to frame her and Hitch facing the singer.)

Sunny: Uh, excuse me. Are you Minty?

Minty: (suspiciously) Yes. Why?

Sunny:  I’m Sunny, and this is Hitch, and we’re big fans of yours. (rapid fire, holding up CD) And we wanted to know if maybe you would consider getting the group back together to play at our music festival this weekend? (Laugh.)

(This torrent of verbiage is accompanied by a cut to/from Minty’s properly puzzled countenance.)

Sunny: A-After all, coincidentally, it’s the anniversary of your very first hit single!

Hitch: Yeah! (Sparky echoes the sentiment.)

Sunny: Anniversaries should be celebrated, don’t you think? (Embarrassed laugh; she resumes at normal cadence.) Sorry. (Again.) Sometimes when I get nervous, I talk really fast.

Hitch: It’s true. She does.

Sunny: So, what do you think, Minty?

(Minty takes the CD from her hooves and eyes it ruefully.)

Minty: I don’t know. The Dreamlands broke up moons and moons ago. Even if I could convince Snuzzle and Blue Belle, we’re so out of practice.

Sunny: Oh, I-I know the perfect place you can practice! (clopping front hooves excitedly against street) It’s called Mane Melody, and it’s got a stage and everything!

Minty: Oh, it’s not just that. (She passes the CD back.)

Hitch: Then what is it?

Minty: Does anypony even care about our little girl group anymore? (Sunny packs it into her saddlebag.)

Sunny: Of course they do! You were the originals! You’re what started it all!

(The gloomy yellow-green face lights up at the sight of Figgy bringing over a picnic basket, her teeth locked around the handle.)

Minty: Figgy! (Who sets her burden down.)

 Figgy: I hope my grandson and his friend aren’t bothering you too much, but I told them I’d help convince you to give it a try. (Laugh.) It’d be so wonderful to see you girls singing together again.

(Cut to Minty on the end of this; she shoots a sly smile as the basket is held up.)

Minty: Is there a key lime pie in the deal? (Figgy immediately produces one.)

Figgy: Already baked it! (All laugh.)

Minty: Okay, then. I guess we’ll do it—as long as we’re not pushed aside at some little stage for old-timers while the flashy new acts play the Mane Stage. We have to make a splash if we’re making a comeback.

Sunny: You know what? I have an even better idea. The Dreamlands will be the headliners!

Minty: Let’s do it!

Sunny: Yes! (Sparky cheers.)

Hitch: Whoo! Yeah!

(Long shot of the front lawn of the Brighthouse, zooming in as Zipp flies and Sunny/Hitch/Izzy gallop toward the doors, then cut to Pipp working at the table near the fireplace at the back of the entrance hall inside. She is wearing her glasses and has set her bulletin board up within reach.)

Zipp: (from outside) Hey! (She bursts in through the doors.)

Pipp: Huh?  

Zipp: I talked to Electric Blue. (flying in; Sunny/Hitch/Sparky follow) They’re gonna do it.

Sunny: We convinced Minty to get the Dreamlands to play! (Squeal and spin; here comes Izzy.)

Izzy: And we got Ruby Jubilee! Which you knew already.

Pipp: Great work, everypony! I knew I could count on you. Now we just have to set up an entire festival. (Laugh.) Easy-peasy.

Act Two

(Cut to the upper end of a large crystal outcropping within Bridlewood and tilt down to ground level, where Sparky is amusing himself by tossing a pebble back and forth. The emergence of a horned rabbit prompts him to give up this activity and chase it, prompting a laugh from Hitch as he swerves away from the arriving crew. Sunny pushes a cart loaded with gear, Izzy is driving her Izzy Does It scooter and wearing a starry orange crash helmet, Pipp has done away with her glasses, and a flying Zipp is moving a wheeled cargo bin. During the next line, the camera cuts between Pipp and various unicorns in the area, who react with some bewilderment. The glow from the Bloom has faded away.)

Pipp: (loudly) Everypony get ready! The music is coming to town—the music festival, that is! It’s called Bridlewoodstock! (normal volume, to an elderly stallion) You’re gonna love it.

(She moves on, satisfied with the hype job, but stops short when one mare in a group of three speaks up with a pronounced stutter—not reproduced here. The other two are stallions.)

Stuttering mare: Loud music? During the Lumi-Bloom?

Pipp: Of course! Isn’t it the most beautiful thing you’ve ever witnessed? Now it will have a soundtrack!

Unicorn stallion 1: This is a very bad idea! (The other one cries out.)

Unicorn stallion 2: Count me out!

(All three peel out. During the following exchange, pan to Sunny and cut to/from a few rattled locals, one half-hunched behind a crystal formation and two others breaking into a gallop to get clear.)

Sunny: Ummm…is it just me, or do these unicorns seem kind of…

Zipp: …not into the idea?

Sunny: Yeah.

Zipp: They are definitely freaked out about something.

(The five ponies stop on the path, Pipp the most surprised at finding the prospective audience gone. It takes a moment for her brain to shift back into drive. The next line is marked by a cut to her perspective, panning from one area to another and seeing unicorns get out of sight any way they can, vocalizing their fright in assorted ways.)

Pipp: Soooo… (Chuckle.) …are there any amazing local Bridlewood musicians who would love to perform at the show?

(Her attention settles on Onyx and the bongo-playing stallion who has provided accompaniment for her poetry in the past. The latter, Dapple, has a gray-brown coat; a short, curly dark green mane/tail; light green eyes under black brows; a dark gold horn that lightens from base to tip; and a brown scarf.)

Pipp: Ooh! Onyx! (Back to her.) Dapple! (crossing to them) You two would be perfect additions to the lineup. (Laugh.) What do you say?

(Two stoic gazes fix themselves on her for a long moment before Onyx speaks.)

Onyx: No.

Pipp: Oh, well, then, pfft! That’s okay. You still have time to mull it over.

Dapple: Uh, we don’t need time.

Pipp: (gasping happily) You don’t?

Dapple: (gesturing to two peeking from behind a tree) Because we unicorns know better. You should never sing during a Lumi-Bloom because of the…

(His eyes flick back and forth; zoom in to a close-up.)

Dapple: (whispering) …Troggles!

(The onlookers gasp and dive out of sight; he starts to tap out a rhythm as a spotlight picks out Onyx and the sunlight instantly extinguishes itself.)

Onyx:                Eyes of the monster, form of the pig.

(A hoof snaps a twig.)

                Sing, laugh, or yell, step hoof on a twig.

(Two horned, glowing-eyed silhouettes drift in behind her.)

                Troggles appear, steal what’s to be.

(holding up a large ruby on one front hoof)

                No cure to be found past the red ruby.

(She makes it disappear with a swipe of the other foreleg, and Dapple stops playing as normal light levels resume.)

Pipp: Okay, I—I give up. What are these Troggle thingies?

Dapple: Legend says that the Troggles are mystical spirit monsters!

Stuttering mare: They only come out during the Bloom.

Unicorn stallion 3: And they steal things from you if you make any noise!

Dapple: But they can only work their spirit magic at night! (standing, advancing on Pipp) So beware of singing, or you’ll be cursed!

(He turns away, giving a view of his cutie mark—a pair of heart-shaped bongos—and goes into a side-to-side dance to ward off jinxies.)

Dapple: Bing-bong! Bing-bong!

(Those nearest to him join the chant and add their own gyrations.)

Pipp: Oh! Is that all?

(Her friends can only offer chagrined little laughs at her obtuseness. Cut to a 1980s-style animation of two coffee mugs drifting into view and clinking together; the contents slosh up as a black sheet, which drains away to yield a close-up of Pipp addressing the camera. As she speaks, the view shifts to present her on some of the screens mounted on building exterior walls in Zephyr Heights.)

Pipp: Come to the Bridlewoodstock Music Festival, and I, Princess Pipp—

(The Maretime Bay town square on the next words; ponies are watching on their phones.)

Pipp: —guarantee you the greatest sights your eyes have ever seen—

(The interior of the Crystal Tea Room, which Sunny and her friends visited during A New Generation. Alphabittle Blossomforth is on duty at the counter, behind which a flat-screen television has been installed on the wall and is broadcasting the message. The overall atmosphere is considerably more inviting and upbeat than in its original appearance: better lighting, more artwork hung up on display, and so on.)

Pipp: —and sounds your ears will ever hear.

(Cut to a studio whose backdrop depicts the two mugs seen a moment ago. She sits across from Dazzle Feather and Skye Silver at a coffee table, with a microphone in front of her, and gives a bright laugh as the camera zooms in slowly—a guest spot on the pair’s morning TV show.)

Pipp: Yes, that is correct. It’s called the Lumi-Bloom. And we’ll have the hottest musical acts in the industry—the Dreamlands, Electric Blue, and Ruby Jubilee!

(As she mentions each artist, a corresponding graphic appears next to her in the top right corner of the screen and then fades away: the Dreamlands album cover; a stylized, neon-accented picture of the members of Electric Blue, and the photo of Ruby that Jazz showed on her tablet in Act One. She bites back a laugh before continuing.)

Pipp: That’s Bridlewoodstock Music Festival, ’kay? In Bridlewood! Be there or, um… (flying across, hovering behind Dazzle/Skye) …you know what? Just be there, everypony!

(Cut to the Bridlewood clearing, now abuzz with construction and fabrication activity, and pan to follow her through it all.)

Pipp: Looking great, everypony! Take five.

(Izzy gestures to her from the open rear door of the Marestream, parked at the edge of the open ground. She has disposed of both her scooter and her helmet. An enormous striped blanket has been laid out on the dirt, along with a portable fire pit; propped up beside this is a bag of marshmallows, one of which has already been impaled on a skewer for toasting.)

Izzy: (singsong) Hel-loooo!

(Two stools appear from nowhere, and a table extends itself near them from the side of the vehicle, a pair of legs folding down to support the free end. A cloth is dropped onto this, followed by a book, a potted plant, and the Hope Lantern, and pillows land on the stools. Another, smaller stool is thrown out onto the blanket, followed by a folding seat, and the wing on this side extends itself and extrudes an awning strung with lights to provide shade. Last to emerge from the bodywork is a set of stereo speakers with a built-in radio. This entire sequence is accompanied by Izzy’s cheery singing/humming, and she hops out and perches on a stool by the fire pit. It is now lit, and more lights have been strung on the ground to mark a rough perimeter. Pipp instantly takes to the idea and flies over to grab a second seat, sighing blissfully, while Izzy floats up the bag and skewer, taking the first in hoof and letting the second heat up over the flames.)

Pipp: Home sweet Marestream. Thanks for setting it up. Isn’t luxury glamping the best?

(The marshmallow is levitated off its stick and chomped down.)

Izzy: I love to glamp. (Out comes another one, onto the skewer to cook; she becomes anxious.) It helps me forget about all my worries.

Pipp: Awww, what do you have to worry about?

Izzy: Uh… (forcing a smile) …want a toasted marshmallow?

(This one is sent across, and Pipp eagerly sets to, voicing a relaxed sigh once it has gone down the hatch.)

Pipp: You’re right. My worries have melted away.

Izzy: (laughing) Yes! Yeah! Me too!

(Her field extracts a third puffy treat and puts it on the skewer to heat up as she pulls in a deep, slightly ragged breath.)

Izzy: Me too.

(Cut to an extreme close-up of a patch of undergrowth and tilt up quickly to frame the tableau, seen from ground level and with only the central portion of the view in focus. Zoom in slowly; Sunny has now emerged from the rear door. The visual effect is the same as that seen in the prologue, when it was accompanied by the sibilant voice.)

Sunny: Uh, hey, Pipp?

(Hitch and Zipp step/fly out, Sparky on Hitch’s back; an animal noise is heard from a patch of rustling greenery, which Zipp is first to notice.)

Zipp: Huh? (She flies in for a closer look.) Uhhh… (Close-up.) Hmmm…

Pipp: (from o.s., gasping, agitated) Oh, no. What’s wrong now? (The Marestream; she hops off her stool as Zipp returns.) Did one of the bands back out?!?

Zipp: (touching down) No, nothing like that. It’s just—are you absolutely sure we should be having the festival here?

Pipp: Uh, why wouldn’t we? It’s literally gorgeous.

Hitch: Um, but you heard what Onyx said earlier about the legend, right? (Izzy gasps and drops her skewer, really not at ease.)

Izzy: With the Troggles? Um… (Hustle to Pipp.) …why? Have you seen anything…Troggle-y?

Pipp: (rising to a hover) Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about. (Twirl to show off the work in progress.) Besides, look at this place already! Everything is coming together like the harmonies on my last single.

(“Harmonies” is sung. Now she gasps and darts back to the unicorn, grinning widely.)

Pipp: Izzy, is that what I think it is?

Izzy: (smiling) If you think it’s my flower crown booth— (singsong) —then ye-e-es! (normal tone) Want a sneaky peek?

Pipp: Yeah, I do! (herding Sunny/Hitch/Zipp/Sparky toward fire pit; Sparky jumps off Hitch’s back) And I want all of you to stay here in our amazing Marestream and relax. (flying off; Izzy follows) Toast some marshmallows!

(A mug has been added to the table, and an acoustic guitar is propped up by the free end. Sparky toddles to the open bag…)

Zipp: Should we do something to stop all this?

(…and fishes out a marshmallow, which becomes a butterfly when he sneezes on it. He coos in awe as it flutters away.)

Hitch: I don’t know. Things do look fine, at least.

Sunny: And we worked so hard to get the bands to agree to play—oh, which reminds me! I have to go!

(She dives back into the cabin, a brief clatter is heard from inside, and she bounds out wearing her roller skates and crash helmet.)

Sunny: Minty invited me to watch the Dreamlands’ dress rehearsal back home, and I’m pretty excited about it. (rolling away) See you ponies later!

(Her high-speed departure does nothing to disturb Sparky, who has fallen asleep cuddling a fresh marshmallow. Hitch and Zipp are left around the fire pit.)

Zipp: I don’t really want to ruin Pipp’s festival, but…are you still feeling uneasy about those strange unicorn warnings too?

Hitch: Actually, yes.

Zipp: (smirking) You know what I think this calls for?

Hitch: (with slight unease) An investigation?

Zipp: (nodding) Boom. (Visor on.) You got it. Come on!

(Cut to a long overhead shot of Mane Melody and zoom in slowly as a squeal of feedback rings out and a mare’s frustrated groan is heard. Inside, three mares are crowded onto the stage, with Minty on the far left. The colors of the other two give them away as her two former bandmates, based on the cover of Sunny’s album. In the center is the blue-gray one, Snuzzle, whose voice was just heard; on the right is the blue one, Blue Belle. They appear largely as they did back in the day, with a few modifications as follows. Snuzzle: blue/yellow eyeshadow, pink/white-striped sweatbands on all four legs, beaded necklace, white hooves. Blue: white headband in addition to her bow, now purple rather than pink; pink/white/striped sweatbands on the forelegs, solid pink on the hinds; gray hooves. Both of these are earth ponies, with eyebrows that match their manes. Each mare has her own microphone that matches her particular color scheme, on a gold-plated stand. Snuzzle’s face broadcasts fear and worry, Blue’s a high level of disdain. The cutie marks of these two can be discerned as clusters of small hearts and stars, respectively.)

Snuzzle: This isn’t working, Minty!

Blue: Snuzzle is right. (Scoff.) Why did we agree to this anyway? We’re washed up.

Minty: No, we’re not!

Snuzzle: They’re going to laugh at us.

Minty: We just need to run it a few more times. (nudging her mic) Come on. Let’s just try it again, from the top. (into mic, amplified, counting off tempo) And one, two, a-one, two, three…

(The camera zooms out on this last to put Jazz and Rocky in the fore, looking on. An out-of-breath Sunny skates into the salon and addresses them as a peppy backing track starts up.)

Sunny: Sorry I’m late. I came straight from Bridlewood.

Jazz: Sunny! So glad you’re here.

Rocky: (shaking head) This is not going well.

(Up on the stage, Blue thumps a hip into Snuzzle, who in turn knocks against Minty.)

Snuzzle: Hey! Watch where you’re going!

Blue: You’re in my way!

Minty: Stop it, you two! (The argument continues under the following five lines.)

Sunny: (to Jazz/Rocky) Has it been like this the whole time?

Rocky: As soon as they walked in the door.

Jazz: They can’t agree on anything!

Rocky: And they haven’t even made it through their whole song once. (Cut to Sunny on this last word.)

Sunny: Maybe I can fix this.

(The two stylists trade unconvinced looks before the music abruptly stops and Blue rounds on the other two. Sunny approaches cautiously, now carrying her skates and helmet.)

Blue: That’s it! I’m done! (She storms off.)

Snuzzle: Fine! (Ditto; Sunny dumps her gear on a chair.)

Sunny: Uhhh… (smiling broadly) …Minty! Looking fresh! How is everything going?

Minty: Oh, Sunny, don’t act like you didn’t just see that. It’s a disaster! The dance moves are off, our looks are dated, and— (Snuzzle rejoins her onstage.)

Snuzzle: —we can’t agree on what song to perform! (Blue, facing the wall in a chair, glares back over her shoulder.)

Minty: Blue Belle thinks we should try and update our sound to appeal to a younger audience. But that’s not so easy. I think this might be a no-go for the Dreamlands. Sorry, Sunny.

Sunny: Hey, wait! Don’t give up. (Blue swivels toward her.) And don’t try to change yourselves. Your classic sounds are what everypony loves about you. You just have to do what you do best, and you’re gonna rock that stage

(Minty pivots far enough during the previous exchange to show a scatter of clover blossoms as her cutie mark. During Sunny’s last line, the camera shifts to Minty and Snuzzle, who begin to smile, and then frames the entire tableau as Blue returns to her mic in much better spirits than when she left it. Once Sunny finishes, her cutie mark flares brightly and the Dreamlands gasp in unison as theirs do the same.)

Dreamlands: Yeah!

(Cut to a close-up of Hitch and Zipp, framed from the chest down and walking slowly side by side; the pegasus has her phone tucked under a wing. Tilt up to their faces as she pulls it out, no longer wearing her visor; Sparky is riding shotgun with Hitch.)

Hitch, Zipp: Hmmm…

(Nothing going on here except for a crystal outcrop being polished by a unicorn stallion. Next two lines overlap.)

Hitch: Huh.

Zipp: Hmmm. (Hitch accosts him.)

Unicorn stallion 4: Huh?

Hitch: What can you tell us about Troggles?

(Now Zipp moves in, unfolding her phone and getting it ready to record—and throwing the interview subject for a hard loop.)

Unicorn stallion 4: Troggles? Where?

 (He gallops off, screaming; the two investigators groan to themselves. Three foals, enjoying a board game at a playground, find themselves the next targets for questioning.)

Zipp: Hey, uh, do you ponies know that jinxie poem? (The foals’ perspective; she preps her phone again.) About the Tro— (A small hoof is clapped over her mouth.)

Filly voice 1: Shhh!

(Cut to them; the speaker is the only one of the three wearing a turtleneck collar.)

Unicorn filly: Yeah, but…I-I don’t want to say it!

(They bail out, leaving the game untouched; Zipp snaps her phone shut.)

Hitch: What?!

(Another stallion levitates a watering can and pauses in his gardening.)

Unicorn stallion 5: Yeah, I mean, like, what is a Troggle anyway, you know?

Hitch: Um…

(Zipp sighs wearily at this dead end, but deploys her phone, and Sparky nods off.)

Unicorn stallion 5: Like, when you think about it, what is anything?

(Zipp stows her rig and groans out her disgust as he gets back to work, and she and Hitch walk off.)

Zipp: (sighing) I think I’ve come to a conclusion.

Hitch: Well?

Zipp: The results are inconclusive. (Groan.) I can’t tell if these monster spirit things are real, or just another piece of spooky unicorn lore!

(Two locals overhear her rant and promptly bail out.)

Hitch: Me neither. But I think we need to talk to Pipp again, before it’s too late. (Sparky yawns.)

Zipp: (thoughtfully) Mmm-hmm.

(They and Sparky enter the festival site, now adorned with a small flock of vividly colored butterfly statues. Pipp stands near one, having dyed her wings/legs/tail and donned a crown of flowers.)

Pipp: Hey, ponies!

(Close-up of the three, the camera angled to frame Pipp from behind and to one side. Now glitter can be seen in her mane and a necklace at her throat, and the furled feathers are colored to resemble butterfly wings.)

Zipp: We want to talk to you about something.

(Head-on shot of the pink pegasus, now wearing brightly hued eyeshadow; she pulls in an excited little gasp.)

Pipp: W-Wait. Have you seen the Mane Stage yet? (About-face, she stifles a laugh.) Come look first!

(She lifts off to lead them to this particular area, under construction. It is backed by three broad arches, each built to resemble a folded blue/purple flower bloom, and a secondary stage stands to either side. Pipp lands on the front edge, and Sparky climbs off Hitch’s back; now a pearl bracelet is visible on one foreleg.)

Hitch: Wow, Pipp. That looks really cool.

Pipp: Don’t you love the rubies?

(She points out the loose and crated gemstones scattered across the ground, including a healthy share of the named type. Sparky grabs and licks one, clearly liking the taste; on the next line, cut to the Princess.)

Pipp: I had them locally harvested from Bridlewood in honor of Ruby Jubilee’s big performance! (Giggle.) I’m just so thrilled with how everything is coming together with no snags at all!

Zipp: (scratching chin) Well, about that. There’s kind of a snag that we wanted to discuss.

Earth pony stallion: Uh, Princess Pipp? We need you at Artist Tent Setup. (Loud crash from o.s.) Please?

Pipp: Be right there! (to Hitch/Zipp) Thanks for stopping by! (She flies off after the worker.)

Zipp: (to Hitch) Am I the only one who is worried about all this Troggle stuff? (pointing to stage) Look! There are even unicorns on board with the festival now!

(Cut to one such mare on the end of this. Some supplies fall off the cart she is pushing, prompting both her and a nearby stallion to start audibly in surprise and throw jittery glances around themselves. Hitch just smiles.)

Hitch: (putting foreleg across Zipp’s shoulders) Then maybe you are just trying to dig up trouble where there isn’t any. (She smiles.)

Zipp: You’re right. Maybe sometimes… (Sigh.) …there just isn’t any mystery to solve.

Hitch: And that’s okay.

Zipp: You know what? I’m gonna try and have fun tomorrow. Lean into the whole music festival experience, for my sister. (Hitch nods.)

Hitch: Me too.

(A giggling Sparky digs a ruby out of the pile by the stage, blows fire onto it, and stares popeyed as it turns into a beach ball and bounces away. He can only whimper disconsolately at having lost his snack. Dissolve to a slow zoom out from a stretch of Bridlewood treetops, then to the fully decked-out site at sundown. Pipp is hovering at the entrance to welcome in a throng of cheering ponies; behind her, the Mane Stage has been further accented with full-length video screens hung in the arches, dark blue and displaying sparkles and glowing mushrooms. Speakers have been installed on the side stages, and each arch is topped by a giant yellow flower with a pink center. The front walls of all three sections have been liberally decorated with rubies and punched up with clusters of plants in other bright colors.)

Pipp: Welcome to Bridlewoodstock, everypony!

(The crowd pours in past an apprehensive Hitch and Zipp, with Sparky riding in his usual spot. Zoom in slowly on them; glowing accessories and flower accents are present in abundance.)

Hitch: This is all gonna be okay, right? Even after all the stuff those unicorns said?

Zipp: I really hope so.

(They enter the grounds, as do Jazz and Rocky—both wearing mocked-up glasses fashioned from glow-sticks. Jazz has fashioned a unicorn horn for herself in like manner. As a carousel decorated with spread-winged pegasus figures rotates slowly in the background, Alphabittle exerts his magic to pour a cup of tea for a customer at a cart he has set up. A unicorn mare plies hers to settle a flower crown on an earth pony colt’s head, pleasing him so much that he twirls in place. Elsewhere, a pegasus stallion bags up a customer’s food order so she can carry it off and make room for the next one in line.)

Hitch: (from o.s.) Pipp really pulled things together fast, huh? (Cut to him and Zipp.)

Zipp: Heh. That’s my little sister for you. When she wants something, she will make it happen.

Hitch: Well, I’m impressed. This place looks awesome!

(Cut to a slow pan across said place as he finishes, then back to the pair.)

Hitch: Very floral.

Zipp: Yeah. It does. All right, I’ll admit it. I am a little excited. (giddily) And I can’t wait to see Electric Blue headline the show!

(She trots toward the Mane Stage, not seeing the mildly confounded look that takes root on his face.)

Hitch: Huh. I thought the Dreamlands were headlining the show. (He starts after her; she stops and points toward Izzy, at one tent/booth in a cluster.)

Zipp: Hey, look! There’s Izzy’s booth!

(They close in on it. Cut to a close-up of a stand as a wreath is dropped onto it in time with the o.s. unicorn’s upbeat humming. Hooves reach into view to tweak it just so, and the camera shifts to frame Izzy’s face. She has received a festival-themed image upgrade, including flower-shaped novelty sunglasses and rainbow streaks dyed into her mane. For the moment, she has her back to the booth entrance and the approaching Hitch/Zipp.)

Zipp: Hey, Izz. (Who gasps.) What’s all this?

(A longer shot picks out the extent of her wares, some on shelves and others suspended from hooks. She swivels to face them and a line of three cushions been set out on the ground.)

Izzy: The Flower Vacation Station! (fading out, as if echoing) Station, station,… (normal volume) It’s so much fun, it’s almost making me forget about how super-jinxie this all is.

(On these last few words, her voice drops a quavery whisper and she pulls off her shades. She recovers her smile just as abruptly.)

Izzy: Take a seat.

Hitch: Okay! (He steps in.)

Zipp: (to Izzy) Wait. What did you just say, Izzy?

(The proprietor pays no mind, having donned her eyewear again; she hums brightly while selecting a few blossoms from her stock of materials. Hitch parks it on a cushion; cut to the line as Sparky claims one and Zipp takes the third with a grumble.)

Izzy: (from o.s.) Ahh, ooh!

(A quick turn to suss them both out, and she returns to her crafting. Hooves and scraps fly almost too fast to follow with the naked eye, and she offers up a mass of crowns with a bubbly giggle. Hitch and Sparky each get one tossed neatly onto their noggins, but the one for Zipp gets caught on her upswept mane and winds up hanging down over her face. She pulls it away.)

Zipp: How did you just— (Izzy whips over to them.)

Izzy: Wait! (winking) There’s more!

(She puts a hoof to her mouth, pops off a shrill whistle, and giggles. Jazz and Rocky arrive at ludicrous speed, the earth pony toting a basket of cosmetics and the pegasus with a mane brush held by its handle in his teeth. Zipp can only boggle at their presence before the stylists ply their trade, brushing powder onto the white face and daubing twinkly polish onto the silver hooves. Hitch gets powder tossed across his visage, causing him to cough, and Sparky gets a bright pink fireball painted around one eye and a vivid bandana/flower/glow-stick headdress tied into place. The glitter flies fast and furious, both applied by hoof and sprayed over Zipp’s tail from a can; a feathered earring is clamped onto her ear, near the flowers now tucked into the mane, another bloom is added to Sparky’s rig, and a fringed collar decorated with lightning bolts is fastened around the pegasus’ neck. By the time the makeovers end, two ponies and one dragon have been properly kitted out for the festivities, including plenty of new mane/tail/hoof/eye coloration, floral and glow-stick touches, necklaces, and funky lenses—and even a little pair of headphones for Sparky.)

Hitch: Yeah! (Sparky coos approvingly.)

Izzy: Wooow. (Jazz and Rocky zip in to either side of her.) Now you’re really festival-ready!

(Jazz holds up a small mirror so Zipp can inspect herself, eliciting an appreciative laugh.)

Hitch: Yeah, we are!

(The little dragon burbles his way up onto the Sheriff’s back, where he will stay until/unless otherwise noted, and Hitch and Zipp set off.)

Zipp: Thanks, Izzy!

Izzy: (waving) You’re welcome, have fun, and don’t let the Troggles bite!

(Her giggle peters out and gets the pair to turn back toward her.)

Zipp: What was that?

Izzy: (forcing a grin, turning away, tapping front hooves together) Um, just some silly old jinxie saying, nothing to worry about. (Deep breath.) Probably.

(She pivots back to them with a big smile and wave.)

Izzy: Okay, catch you later!

Hitch: (to Zipp) Who’s hungry? I’m starving! (He starts away.)

Zipp: Huh?

(Ground-level view of them, seen through a gap in the foliage at the edge of the site with only the center in focus. The sibilant voice heard at the end of the prologue speaks up, establishing that this shot and the two previous ones like it have been from the speaker’s point of view.)

Sibilant voice: Hungry…hungry… (Cut to Zipp.)

Zipp: (thoughtfully) Mmm-hmm.

(The cracked chuckle that accompanied the voice cuts through the background noise, softly but distinctly.)

Zipp: (to Hitch) Did you just hear that?

Hitch: Come on! Let’s get some snacks! Whoo!

(The detective follows him away, her mind far from settled. Cut to an extreme close-up of an order of fries dropping into a cardboard carton, then to a pan along a food vendor’s counter as it is set in line with many others. The unicorn in charge floats one up to an earth pony customer to carry away; she licks her lips in anticipation as the camera zooms out, and the next pony in line—a unicorn colt—picks up a serving in his magic. The camera pans away from the stand and along the sizable line of hungry festival goers, stopping on Hitch/Zipp/Sparky at its very end. The athletic mare sighs and groans out her impatience.)

Zipp: This is taking forever! What are we in line for again?

Hitch: Fries! (softly, conspiratorially) With dipping sauces. (Sparky coos eagerly.)

Zipp: Oh, yeah. Huh. That does sound pretty delicious.

(Hitch watches a couple of crispy spuds being dunked into a cup of sauce with an almost indecent level of expectation.)

Hitch: Mmm…dipping sauces.

(His line-mate just grunts in puzzlement over the strong response. A dissolve shifts them a few spots ahead in the queue, marked by her grumble; another such transition, and they are still farther up to the tune of her groan. Now, though, they are one place back from the counter.)

Hitch: Yay! Zipp, we’re almost there!

(Pipp flies into view in a full-on tizzy, coming within an ace of colliding with them.)

Pipp: There you two are! (Hitch/Zipp yell in surprise.) Ah, thank hoofness! I’ve been looking everywhere! You look amazing, by the way.

(But that appraisal does not stop her from bulldozing both of them away, leaving nothing behind but their confused shouts. They slide a stop some distance farther off, sending up a cloud of dust.)

Zipp: What the hay, Pipp? (Who lands.)

Pipp: I’m sorry, but this is a festival emergency! Come with me!  

(She gallops off, followed by Zipp; Hitch hangs back to stare longingly at an order of fries being floated and consumed by a passing unicorn.)

Hitch: But…but…dipping sauces!

(Pipp flies back to drag him away, his shriek hanging in the air. She is first to reach the Marestream, the others trotting up at a more leisurely pace.)

Pipp: I don’t want to alarm you, but this is bad! Like, epically bad!

Zipp: Does this have to do with the unicorn legend? We’ve been worried about that too.

Hitch: (nodding) Mmm-hmm.

Zipp: And so has Izzy, even if she won’t admit it. (Cut to Pipp, completely lost.)

Pipp: Huh? (Back to Hitch/Zipp on the start of the next line.)

Hitch: We didn’t want to upset you, but…you can be sure that Zipp and I will do whatever we can to minimize damage and help shut things down before it’s too late.

Pipp: What? Why would you do that?

Zipp: Because of the Troggles?

Pipp: Okay, I have no idea what you two are talking about— (flaring wings) —but we actually do have a serious problem on our hooves here!

Zipp: (dryly) More serious than ancient ghost monsters?

Pipp: Yes! So two of our major musical acts, Electric Blue and Ruby Jubilee, are here!

Hitch: That’s a good thing, though, right?

Pipp: (very snarky) Uh, it would be if they didn’t both think they’re the headliner! (distraught) I just don’t understand how this mix-up happened!

(The subtle upward twitch of Zipp’s eyebrows gives away her dawning comprehension.)

Zipp: (sheepishly) Ohhh! I may have had something to do with that. Whoopsies?

Pipp: (incensed) Zephyrina! What did you do?!?

Zipp: Hey, I was just trying to help you out. Electric Blue were on the fence about performing, so I, uh…sweetened the deal by promising some stuff?

Pipp: (flaring wings) Like I said, this is epically bad! (Sob.) What are we gonna do?

Hitch: We’ll just have to tell them the truth about what happened. I’m sure they’ll understand.

Pipp: No, no, no, no, no, no, no! You do not tell a musician that they’ve been demoted from headliner! You just don’t. (She paces—on ground, then in air—and gets increasingly worked up.) Maybe they can double-headline. Is that a thing? That’s not a thing, is it? But it could be, if we make it one. Yeah, yeah! That could work. And then—and then we’ll still have plenty of other bands to go on first and open for them, like the Dreamlands!

(The latter part of this verbal tsunami is marked by a brief cut to/from a very concerned Hitch and Zipp. She finishes by landing to stare them down point-blank.)

Pipp: Are they here yet? Where’s Sunny?

Sunny: (from o.s.) Right here!

(She walks up, having garbed up similar to the others and leading the Dreamlands.)

Sunny: And your headliners have arrived! (gesturing) Here they are!

(Zoom in on the proudly smiling trio, then cut to a close-up of Minty and pan to each in turn.)

Minty: Hey, everypony!

Blue: We are really excited to be headlining a show after all this time!

Snuzzle: Thank you so much for this! We feel so special!

(Hitch and Zipp trade frantic looks and then turn to Pipp, whose eyes widen as every connection in her brain overloads at once—trading up from double- to triple-booked. She can manage only a vacant, twitchy-eyed little laugh, her face frozen in a lopsided parody of a grin.)

Act Three

(Cut to a row of three closed tents whose fabric patterns mark them as belonging to the three acts, and zoom in slowly on the center one—the Dreamlands’. Laughter is heard from within, along with Pipp’s ever-so-slightly unsteady voice; on the start of the following line, cut to the Maretime Bay crew inside.)

Pipp: On behalf of the royal family of Zephyr Heights— (tapping hooves together nervously) —and the, um, uh…Friendship Fellowship of the Unity Crystals— (hovering) —we are so honored that you have graced us with your talents this fine evening, at this celebration of the music.

(The middle portion of this rather long-winded speech is marked by a brief cut to/from the three singers, sitting in chairs swiveled to face away from vanity mirrors and showing a fair bit of unease.)

Minty: (smiling) So are we!

Snuzzle: We weren’t even sure we could perform together anymore, let alone headline a festival.

Pipp: (fidgeting) Yes, yes, well, please, get comfortable as you warm your vocal cords and prepare for your grand performance. (laughing) Do let us know if you require anything else. We shall check in on you later, hmmm?

(She drifts out of the tent, followed by the rest of the gang and leaving the three performers to trade perplexed stares.)

Minty: Why was she talking like that?

Blue: (shrugging) Um, royals are fancy?

(Outside, Pipp very nearly crumples to the ground as a shaky, distressed moan bursts from her throat. Zoom in slowly on the pink mare, her nerves strung far too tight for her own good.)

Pipp: Before you say anything, I know that I was just acting totally weird in there.

Zipp: As long as you know.

Pipp: I just panicked! But it’s okay. We will come up with a plan and fast! But for now, all we have to do is keep the bands separated until the show. (Laugh.) We have time to figure it out.

Izzy: Um, not to burst any more of your bubbles, but not really.

(Eyes are cast toward the heavens, the camera tilting up on the next line.)

Sunny: It is almost dusk. (Back to Izzy.)

Izzy: If you want the full effect of the Lumi-Bloom, we gotta get started. (hastily, worried) Plus, the sooner we start the show, the less chance of any, uh… (tapping hooves together) …unwanted visitors showing up.

Pipp: Okay! I’m not going to let anything ruin this! Not Troggies, diva musicians, or the sun setting!

Zipp: You’re sounding pretty weird again, sis.

Pipp: (flaring wings) I KNOW!! What’s even weirder is triple headliners! We gotta fix this and convince one of the groups to open!

(Cut to Electric Blue in their tent, which is laid out similarly to the Dreamlands’. Arpeggia and Jam sit in two of the chairs, the mare twirling/tapping a pair of drumsticks, while Fretlock stands facing the camera. During the next line, the camera shifts back and forth between them and Zipp, who is inside and accompanied by Sunny and Pipp.)

Zipp: So in conclusion, when you really think about it, opening the show is actually way better than going last because you’ll be the first band in history to rock out to the visuals of the Bloom!

(She needs a few seconds to catch her breath after this spiel, during which Fretlock regards her quizzically and trades glances with his bandmates. There follows a little more fiddling with the sticks before he speaks up with a smile.)

Fretlock: All right. You got it.

Sunny: (to Zipp) Hey, that was a great speech.

(The winged orator lets all the air out of her lungs in one relieved burst. Now Izzy, at her booth, is adding a few floral touches to Blue’s mane while Jazz powders Minty’s cheek. The yellow-green mare has a cluster of blooms clipped to one ear and has traded her original headband for a blue one with pink and green stripes, and both she and Blue are wearing sleeveless, brightly colored/patterned leotards.)

Hitch: (sidling up to her) So you know what I was thinking? “Who wants to go last when everypony is too tired to sing and dance along?”

(A longer shot on the end of this query frames all three members, Hitch, Izzy, Jazz, and Rocky. Snuzzle is in a leotard as well and has flowers in her mane, and the sweatbands on the trio’s hooves have been swapped out for loose-fitting fabric cuffs in coordinating styles.)

Hitch: Really, “being first up is the perfect place to be” is what I always say.

(He chuckles gamely, but lets it fizzle out when the others fail to take it up.)

Minty: Hmmm…you know… (Hitch tries again; she smiles.) …you have a really good point, Hitch.

Snuzzle: I think so too.

Blue: Let’s do it! Let’s go on first!

Hitch: Phew.

(Cut to Ruby, seated in a chair within her tent to do a bit of light reading. She gasps happily and drops it once Pipp pushes the flaps aside and enters.)

Ruby: Princess Pipp! (Laugh.) I wanted to talk to you—

Pipp: (forcefully, flaring wings) Okay, Ruby! It’s all set. You are the star of the whole night! Our magnificent headliner on our stunning ruby stage!

Ruby: Actually, I was kinda hoping you wouldn’t mind if I’d go on first instead?

(This request jams Pipp’s mental machinery so solidly that she can offer nothing but a couple of stupid blinks at first.)

Pipp: What?

Ruby: I love to sing during sunset, and it matches the exact vibe of the song you and Izzy inspired me to write.

(With a giggle, she swivels her chair to face the vanity mirror. Zoom in slowly on a gobsmacked Pipp.)

Pipp: (laughing shakily) Oh! So you want to go first now?

(Her face twists in an almighty grimace—skunked again. Outside, ponies begin to gravitate toward the Mane Stage, Pipp hanging back.)

Pipp: So now we have three openers— (flaring wings angrily) —and nopony who wants to be a headliner?!

Hitch: (from o.s.) Yep.

(Pan quickly to him and the rest of the gang standing in front of the band tents.)

Hitch: That’s the situation. Mmm-hmm.

Pipp: (on verge of tears) This just keeps on getting worse! (Zoom in slowly on Zipp.)

Zipp: Not to point out the obvious or anything, but, uh… (Clear throat.) …aren’t you a major pop star? A frequent headliner? A singer who loves attenti—

(Back and forth between the two sisters on this last, ending on the younger.)

Pipp: Oh! Right! Yes! I am! I suppose I can perform, if everypony insists.

(The other four equines express their support for this proposal in a variety of ways.)

Pipp: Okay, then, I’ll do it.

Izzy: Woo-hoo! The show is saved!

(Zoom in to an extreme close-up of her face and narrowing eyes.)

Izzy: (under her breath.) Maybe.

(Those eyes flick back and forth behind the tinted lenses before Pipp turns her focus to the gathering crowd.)

Pipp: All right! Let’s get this show started right now!

(Sunny, Hitch, and Zipp make a mad dash for the Mane Stage, but Izzy hangs back.)

Izzy: Hey, Pipp?

Pipp: What’s wrong now?

Izzy: My tummy feels like it’s full of butterflies. I’m still kinda nervous that the Troggles might show up.

Pipp: No, no. That’s just pre-show jitters.

Izzy: It is?

Pipp: Don’t worry. Everypony gets them, even me. (Chuckle.) Just go trot it off.

Izzy: (smiling tentatively) Okay. (She does so, singing tunelessly.)

Pipp: Phew!

(A short distance behind her, two bluish specters fade into view, displaying the glowing eyes and pig snouts that figured in the poem earlier recited by both Izzy and Onyx. The Troggles have stubby, undefined forelimbs and round faces in a darker hue than their bodies, which end at the “waist” in showers of sparks. The horns seen in their earlier silhouettes are attached to helmets, which also have a small stem rising from the crown, and a thin band runs around each forehead. One of them voices that cracked cackle, and both disappear just before Pipp can turn her head toward the source.)

Pipp: Huh.

(She walks off. Dissolve to the treetops in the blue of evening and tilt down to frame the Lumi-Bloom taking full effect in the plants and crystals. As foals gambol merrily beneath a cloud of glowing bugs, Figgy makes her way across the grounds. More spots gleam to the marvel of passersby, including Toots and Sweets, and Pipp sighs contentedly at the sight of an enthusiastic audience from her vantage point at the rear of the Mane Stage. Her friends gather at its front edge, and she moves front and center with her white/gold lucky microphone in hoof.)

* Pipp: Welcome, everypony, to Bridlewoodstock!

(Spotlights blaze on overhead to accentuate the greeting, and the audience proceeds to whoop in reply. Exactly none of them notices a Troggle manifesting in the background.)

* Pipp: Please give a glowy warm welcome to our first artist—the one, the only Ruby Jubilee!

(A vertical liftoff carries her o.s. and exposes the other pink pegasus standing a bit farther back with head lowered. The wings spread as a spotlight picks her out and the cheers intensify by a decibel or twenty, accompanied by a chant of “Ruby! Ruby! Ruby!” from somewhere in the crowd. Ruby whips a mic of her own from beneath a wing and speaks into it as the video screens behind her shift to a pattern of tumbling rubies.)

* Ruby: Are you ready to get this pony party started? (Cut to Sunny/Hitch/Zipp; she continues o.s.) Don’t be afraid to sing along!

Light, staccato synthesizer melody with stoptime bass drum, brisk 4 (E major)

Ruby:                        [Iconic, iconic]

Bass synth, drums in

                        Oh, tell me, can you hear that rocking sound?

                        Oh, oh, oh-h

(She pops up to a hover as the crowd eats it up and the speakers pulse.)

                        If you listen, you can hear it coming ’round

                        Oh, oh, oh-h

(Izzy and Pipp join the crowd.)

                        Yeah, we’re moving to a brand-new beat, oh, oh-h-h

                        Oh, oh, oh-h

(lifting off to a slow twirl)

                        And you can see us dancing in the street

                        Oh, oh, oh-h

(flying over crowd)

                        So call your favorite bestie and bring ’em along

                        ’Cause we’re moving and we’re shaking to our favorite song, oh, oh

(More Troggles appear in the bushes, the camera shifting briefly to their center-focus perspective.)

                        Yeah, it’s always in style

(spoken in rhythm)         Yeah, it’s always in style

(The groove continues among Sunny and company.)

(sung)                        Iconic, ooh, yeah, you know it’s magic

                        Iconic, ooh, yeah, you know it’s classic

                        Iconic, when we are together

(Ruby returns to stage level.)

                        Iconic, yeah, we are forever

                        Iconic, yeah, we are forever

(A phone is lifted overhead to record video, but a “no service” graphic flashes on the screen. Cut to the user, one of a pair of puzzled pegasi who have both just had their tech go bad on them. Pipp lands nearby, laughing.)

Pipp: Oh, don’t bother. The service out here is nonexistent. In Bridlewood, it’s more about forest streams than streaming, you know? Be in the now, ponies. Forget those phonies.

(So they put the electronics away and start bobbing their heads to the beat as she clears off.)

Ruby:                                Yeah, you can see them moving, young and old, oh, oh-h-h

                                Oh, oh, oh-h

(Glory, Peach Fizz, and Seashell move to the beat.)

                                Dancing together, yeah, they feel it in their soul

                                Oh, oh, oh-h

(Squealing and laughing, the young unicorn climbs on her friends’ backs to see better.)

                                We’re with all of our friends, yeah, we’re singing along

                                To the sparkle and the magic of our favorite song, oh, oh

                                ’Cause they’re always in style [in style]

(spoken in rhythm, winking)         Oh, yeah!

(sung)                                Iconic, ooh, yeah, you know it’s magic

                                Iconic, ooh, yeah, you know it’s classic

(Troggles appear in a shrub; Sparky is first to notice their movement among the dancing ponies.)

                                Iconic, when we are together

                                Iconic, yeah, we are forever

                                Iconic, yeah, we are forever

(He gabbles urgently and tugs at Hitch’s mane, but goes unnoticed, and a Troggle’s-eye camera shot closes in on Ruby.)

                                It’s magic, it’s magic

                                It’s magic

(One rises to her level.)

                                Iconic, iconic

                                Iconic

Song ends abruptly in a feedback whine

Ruby: (voice cracking badly)         Ico—

(The word dies in her throat and her eyes pop in undiluted shock; the festival-goers gasp, and her second attempt to continue the song is equally fruitless.)

Sunny: What’s happening?

Hitch: Technical difficulties?

Pipp: Oh, no! Her mic cut out!

(So has her voice, which can now barely husk out any sound at all.)

Zipp: Oh, no.

(As Ruby tries desperately to get even one intelligible word out of her mouth, a glowing yellow orb appears at her throat and a Troggle rises behind her. She wheels to face it, but can produce only the faintest croak before the light pulls away from her and is snatched up. A unicorn mare in the crowd is so stunned by the attack that she lets a fry drop from her mouth before gasping sharply and hurling the rest of her order aside.)

Fry-eating mare: TROGGLES!!

(A full-scale panic breaks out in record time as the creatures swarm onto the grounds. Ponies are swiftly set upon and their voices confiscated.)

Mare voice: Oh, no!

Filly voice 2: Help!

Mare voice: Oh! Oh, no!

(The stallion Hitch and Zipp interviewed while he was tending his garden in Act Two gallops for his life, but soon finds himself cornered against a tree. The pursuing Troggle lances a tendril of its energy toward him.)

Unicorn stallion 5: No way, dude! Don’t take my voi—

(The end of that word is choked off as it extracts his power of speech; he can only reach helplessly toward the Troggle as it absorbs the prize into itself. Sunny and company stand untouched amid the bedlam, the camera zooming in on Pipp.)

Zipp: Uh-oh. (Gasp from Sunny; cry from Hitch; gasp from Pipp.)

Izzy: Uh-oh.

Pipp: But…but…the show!

(Hitch and Zipp trade a quick nod from their spots on either side of Sunny and circle to face the others.)

Zipp: Come on, ponies! We gotta stop this!

Sunny: Yes, but first we need a plan!

(Izzy thinks very hard for a silent moment, then begins to recite with gesticulations that leave the others at a loss.)

Izzy:                Eyes of the monster, form of the pig!

                Sing, laugh, or yell, step hoof on a twig!

(Cut the flummoxed Sheriff and detective.)

(from o.s.)        Troggles appear, steal what’s to be.

(leaning toward them; cut to Zipp’s perspective as she finishes)

                No cure to be found past the red ruby!

Zipp: (waving her off, over last words) Izzy, we don’t have time for poems right now!

(Cut to her on this line; an idea stampedes through her little gray cells.)

Zipp: Wait. Did you basically just say that rubies can defeat the Troggles?

(Pipp and Sunny swivel to fix Izzy with two dumbfounded pairs of eyes.)

Izzy: Huh. I guess I did!

(Behind them, Ruby swings her microphone wildly in a futile effort to fend off a pair of advancing Troggles. The thing slips from her grasp and clatters onto the Mane Stage, a decorative ruby popping loose from the housing. One of her attackers greedily scoops up the gem with a hiss, absorbs it, and vanishes in a cloud of dark blue smoke as Zipp watches incredulously.)

Zipp: (to herself) Whaaa…? (aloud, pointing toward Mane Stage) Everypony, grab those rubies!

(Cut to the ones decorating the front wall and zoom in as she speaks. The other four latch onto some of the largest stones and heave mightily with hooves and magic, but cannot even budge a single one of them.)

Hitch: (between pulls) They’re…really stuck on there!

Izzy: That’s because we used extra strength super-duper ruby glue!

Pipp: (sobbing) Why did we do that?

(She loses her grip and tumbles backward with a yell; now Sparky jumps off Hitch’s back and has a try, blowing fire onto a ruby and turning it into a balloon. He moans sadly at his inability to help, and the thing fails to lift Sunny’s spirits as it drifts up past her and away. A fresh round of screams informs her that the Troggles are now having a field day all over the site.)

Sunny: (to herself) Come on. My friends need my help!

(She closes her eyes and dips her head, concentrating fiercely; her magic horn and wings flicker fitfully on and off, then snap solidly into being. Her saddlebag and all trace of her festival wear vanish as she bounds joyfully into the air.)

Sunny: (laughing) Yeah! (She gains altitude.) Everypony away from the stage!

(Once her cheering friends have done so, Hitch scooping up Sparky, she pulls her head back as far as it will go and snaps it forward, horn glowing like molten steel. A hemispherical wave of force blasts outward from it and slams into the Mane Stage, smashing dozens of rubies loose, and she repeats the strike to get some more. One clatters down at Zipp’s hooves.)

Zipp: Everypony! Catch a ruby!

(Sunny hammers the structure for a third time, and Pipp leaps up to snag a gem on the fly.)

Pipp: Aha! (Close-up of one being caught by Hitch.)

Hitch: (from o.s., laughing) Yeah!

(A giggling Izzy snaps one out of the air with her teeth, and Zipp makes a diving catch worthy of any good baseball outfielder.)

Zipp: (laughing) Yay!

(Sparky is on Hitch’s back now. These four trade knowing looks and raise their rubies high; each one comes alive with a brilliant white light, and one Troggle after another abandons the hunt and zeroes in with an avaricious hiss. The stones are snatched away one by one; cut to a Troggle as it absorbs is new find and disappears, returning a nearby earth pony mare’s voice.)

Earth pony mare: Hello? (Ecstatic gasp.) Hello? Oh, my voice is back!

(The two pegasi who had tried to record Ruby’s set gasp at the mare’s recovery, smile/nod firmly, and each let fly with a ruby; both find their marks, and the Troggle recipients take them in and poof away. The voices they return belong to two earth pony fillies, one of whom gasps in delight at her instant recovery, and they begin pegging rubies at the encroachers. Other attendees are quick to scoop and throw; the stones rattle to the ground and are claimed, and the Troggles surrender their stolen voices and are gone, one after another. Cut to an extreme close-up of a ruby being taken off an upraised hoof; only after this Troggle has evaporated does the camera zoom out to frame a cowering Ruby fully, her voice settling back where it belongs. She spins up to full height and spreads her wings on the following.)

Ruby: (singing)        Iconic, whoa, oh, oh-h                (Joyful giggle.)

Hitch: It worked!

(Sunny touches down, her horn/wings winking out, and gets a hug from Izzy as Pipp sighs with deepest relief.)

Pipp: Oh, thank hoofness!

(She ascends to the Mane Stage and takes up her counterpart’s dropped microphone, setting off a mild whine of feedback. Zoom in slowly.)

* Pipp: Uh, is this thing on? (Nervous laugh.) Wow. So I-I just want to say that I’m sorry.

(Cut to Toots and Sweets attending to a fallen pony; all three react with confused grunts.)

* Pipp: (from o.s.) To everypony—  (Back to her.) —but especially to the residents of Bridlewood. (Ponies peek out from hiding places as she continues o.s.) This forest is your home, and you know it best. You tried to warn me—

(Alphabittle and the stuttering unicorn mare approach; back to Pipp on the start of the following.)

* Pipp: —but I didn’t want to listen to you—or to my friends—  (To them; she continues o.s.) —who only wanted to help make my dream of this festival come true.

(Sunny has now regained her saddlebag and festival wear. Back to Pipp; zoom in slowly.)

* Pipp: I guess I just got so focused on planning the perfect Bridlewoodstock Festival that I forgot to consider Bridlewood, and all of the history that comes along with it. (Cut to Izzy; she continues o.s.) Even the jinxie stuff.

(The unicorn gives her an understanding smile; back to the Princess.)

* Pipp: But I know better now. And I want to thank you all for coming to the first—and last— (Ruby gasps softly.) —Bridlewoodstock. (voice breaking) The festival is over!

(She throws down the mic, generating a feedback squeal, and begins to trudge away.)

Unicorn stallion 5: (from o.s.) What?

(Pipp freezes, thunderstruck; cut to him in the crowd.)

Unicorn stallion 5: Don’t stop it now!

Unicorn stallion 6: This is the most fun we’ve ever had during the Lumi-Bloom!

Unicorn stallion 7: Now that the Troggles are gone, we’re not scared anymore!

Unicorn mare: We want more music!

(The sentiment is quickly affirmed by others, and Pipp’s downcast face brightens at the thought of being able to pull this thing off after all.)

Pipp: What do you think, Ruby?

Ruby: (giggling) I think the fans have spoken.

Pipp: (sliding over to her) Then the show must go on.

(She lifts Ruby’s mic to her mouth.)

* Pipp: What are we waiting for? Start the music!

Light synth/percussion vamp, double-time feel, moderate 4 (D major)

(Dissolve from the loudly happy crowd to the full moon in the night sky and tilt down to the two pegasi at center stage. Pipp has returned Ruby’s mic and recovered her lucky one.)

* Pipp: We have more incredible acts coming up!

* Ruby: Please welcome…ELECTRIC BLUUUUE!!

(Pan quickly to one of the side stages and zoom in slowly as the name is spoken. The pegasus trio is here, spotlights/footlights flicking on to illuminate them fully—Arpeggia/Fretlock/Jam with drum kit, electric guitar, and bass guitar at the ready, respectively. Cheers ring out from all sections of the audience.)

* Fretlock: How’s everypony doing tonight? I’m Fretlock!

(He plays a quick riff; cut to Jam.)

* Fretlock: (from o.s.) There’s Jam Donut on the bass…

Bass guitar in

(The speakers get a quick low-register workout; pan to Arpeggia.)

* Fretlock: (from o.s.) …and there’s Arpeggia on drums!

Drums in

(A percussive rhythm begins to form up; back to him.)

* Fretlock: And we are Electric Blue! Whoo!

Backing synth chords in

(The entire Maretime Bay contingent, sans Pipp still onstage, makes its collective approval known with great volume.)

* Pipp: And here to join us are our very special guests…

* Ruby: …the original girl group…

* Pipp: …the ones who started it all…

(Pan quickly to the other side stage, where the Dreamlands stand in shadow and poised at their respective microphones.)

* Pipp, Ruby: (from o.s.) …the Dreamlands!

(Lights on; strike poses; get an equally fervent reaction from the audience.)

Dreamlands: (shouted in rhythm)        Awww, hey

(sung)                                        Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

(shouted over previous)                Put your hooves up, put your hooves up

                                        Hey!

(sung)                                        Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

 (shouted over previous)                Put your hooves up, put your hooves up

Electric guitar in

Pipp:                                Generations coming together

(Ruby giggles.)

                                Celebration, dancing and laughter

(Glory, Peach, and Seashell jump as high as they can for a better view; Ruby laughs and throws up her forelegs, the crowd responding in kind.)

                                This is a call to you from all walks of life

                                Lift up your hooves now, under the starlight

(Electric Blue’s instruments are put through their paces.)

                                There’s music, rainbows for hundreds of miles

Dreamlands:                        Me and my ponies never go out of style

(Pipp and Ruby twirl at center stage as the three old-school performers each raise a front hoof and touch them together.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                We don’t hang our heads when things get too hard

                                We put our hooves together

(Two unicorns fire up their horns to hoist up the fillies for a clear line of sight.)

                                ’Cause we’re forever friends, making our mark

                                And putting hooves together

Silence for three beats, then a drum fill for one before music resumes

Minty:                                All-new places, the lengths that we’ve gone to

(A beach ball bounces among the sea of waving forelegs.)

                                New-found faces, the friendships that grew

Blue:                                This is a call to you from all walks of life

Snuzzle:                        Lift up your hooves now, under the starlight

(Tilt up to the full moon as multicolored spotlights play into the night sky; down below, Sunny and company keep their groove thing going.)

Pipp:                                There’s magic rainbows for hundreds of miles

Dreamlands:                        Me and my ponies never go out of style

Hold last note over two beats of silence and resumption of music

(Pipp and Ruby lift off, corkscrewing around each other.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                We don’t hang our heads when things get too hard

                                We put our hooves together

Pipp, Ruby: (over previous lines) Woo-hoo!

(Laughing, they descend to the Mane Stage.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                ’Cause we’re forever friends, making our mark

                                And putting hooves together

(The two pegasi extend a front hoof to each other and press them together as Sunny and company revel in the sonic bliss.)

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                We put our hooves together

(Electric Blue continues to jam.)

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                And put our hooves together

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

(Ruby giggles at the audience’s energy level.)

Instrumentation drops back

Minty:                                If it ever feels like there’s something out to get you [out to get you]

Snuzzle:                        Or if it ever feels like you’re wasting time [Oh-h-h-h-h]

Blue:                                Yeah, we come galloping from across Equestria

(Pipp leaps over Ruby’s head and lands on her other side.)

Pipp:                                You just reach out and touch your hooves to mine

(They touch hooves again, the camera briefly tilting up to follow a fireworks launch into the sky.)

Hold last note over four beats of silence, then a four-beat drum fill

Full instrumentation in (E major)

(The rockets burst into a vivid display of pyrotechnic glee and the crowd goes wild all over again.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                We don’t hang our heads when things get too hard

                                We put our hooves together

(Pipp and Ruby drop from midair down to the Mane Stage.)

                                ’Cause we’re forever friends, making our mark

                                And putting hooves together

(Fretlock flips his guitar upside down and begins to play it left-hoofed.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh] Oh-h [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                Put our hooves together, oh-h

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                Put our hooves together

(The sky fills with a profusion of colors from the spotlights and fireworks, and Pipp and Ruby dance at center stage.)

Pipp, Dreamlands:                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

                                Put our hooves together, oh-h

                                [Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh]

(Pipp and Ruby drift upward from the stage in a slow circle.)

Pipp:                                Putting hooves together

Song ends

(Zoom out from the multitude of equines cheering at the top of their lungs and tilt up through the firework/spotlight extravaganza to stop on the full moon, then fade to black.)

TOP REMODEL

Written by Leore Berris

Executive producers: Olivier Dumont, Randi Yaffa, Cort Lane

Story editing by Gillian Berrow

Supervising direction by Will Lau

Directed by Randi Rodrigues

Transcribed by Alan Back (ajback@yahoo.com)

Prologue

(Opening shot: a long shot of the Canterlogic factory, seen from the base of the hill on which it stands during the day. Zoom in slowly, then cut to the upper reaches of the production floor and tilt down to frame Sunny Starscout and her friends entering. The heavy equipment and stores of materials have been removed, leaving scatters of boxes and detritus in the silent facility, and the only major light source is from the elevated windows. Hitch Trailblazer wears a saddle fitted with a pair of open-topped panniers, one of which is occupied by Sparky Sparkeroni. Of the six, Pipp Petals is the only one who seems completely at ease.)

Sunny: (laughing nervously) Hey, Pipp? Remind me why we are in here again?

Izzy Moonbow: Yeah, not that it isn’t totally cool to be in a freaky empty building, but it is kinda freaky… (small voice) …and empty.

(The camera jumps back in three steps, timed with the echoes of her last word, and stops on a long overhead shot of the group before cutting back to them.)

Izzy: (gasping) See? I didn’t even mean to do that!

Pipp: But that’s why I love it! It’s thrilling! (eerily, hovering briefly) Can’t you just feel the spo-o-oky energy in here?

Hitch: No, not at all.

(A sudden burst of static unnerves him enough to bring up a cry of panic, which is swiftly answered by Sunny/Izzy/Pipp. However, Zipp Storm just directs a smirk toward the floor.)

Zipp: Huh.

(She finds the source lying at her hooves—an old radio—and picks it up.)

Zipp: Huh.

(It is tossed aside, falling silent as it clatters across the floor; in close-up, Hitch directs a shaky chuckle in Sparky’s direction to bolster the little dragon’s spirits.)

Hitch: This is ridiculous. (He scoops Sparky into a foreleg, tightly enough to elicit squirms of discomfort.) I’ve been inside Canterlogic millions of times. There’s nothing to be afraid of. (Laugh from the o.s. Sunny; cut to her and Zipp.)

Sunny: I think Pipp disagrees.

(Pan quickly to the pink pop star, who has taken to rooting through a box and quickly turns up a poster depicting a pegasus as a menacing, glowing-eyed silhouette. She yelps in shock, but quickly shifts into a laugh and lifts off, having found one of the company’s old bits of anti-pegasus propaganda dating back to A New Generation. Cut to Sunny and Zipp on the following.)

Zipp: Well, Pipp has always had a love of spooky things. She once convinced our mom that an entire wing of the castle was being haunted by royal ghosts. Mom still trots the long way around it. (Sunny laughs; Pipp dangles her head into view from above.)

Pipp: (dramatically) Imagine what kind of terrors lurk in all these mysterious corners! (She hoists herself up and o.s.)

Sunny: I can’t believe we haven’t thought about this old factory since Sprout and his family closed it down.

(Which would explain the removal of the giant replica of Phyllis Cloverleaf’s eyeglasses from the roof, as first seen in “Growing Pains.” Pan quickly to Izzy, who extracts a cassette tape from a box with an excited gasp.)

Izzy: There’s so much space in this place! (fading out as if an echo; zoom in by steps to a close-up) Place…place…place… (grinning, normal volume) That time, it was me.

(Pan quickly back to all others except Pipp.)

Hitch: It’s like we all just forgot it existed. (The missing mare, now airborne, swoops into view with a huge gasp.)

Pipp: What if we forgot about it because the ghosts wanted us to? (Laugh.) I have shivers. (Off she goes.)

Zipp: Here we go again.

Hitch: (pacing) This is just an old building made of bricks and concrete. Besides, even if it weren’t, I’m not afraid of no ghosts!

(One rear hoof stomps the floor on this last word, scaring a rat out of its hiding place so that it scampers across behind him. The resulting clatter startles him into a gasp and two fearful yells, the latter of which leaves him cringing away from this new terror with tight-shut eyes.)

Hitch: What was that? (Izzy and a giggling Pipp cross to him as he risks a peek.)

Pipp: Not afraid, huh?

(Snap to black.)

OPENING THEME

Act One

(Cut from the title card directly to a close-up of Hitch’s nervous countenance and tilt down in time with his chuckle to frame Sparky fidgeting in his grip.)

Hitch: Uh… (Sunny/Pipp/Zipp continue to explore.)

Zipp: Hmmm…

Hitch: …how are you all so calm? (Pan slightly to frame Izzy standing alongside and wearing a strained grin.)

Izzy: Oh, I’m not. This is just my nervous smile. It looks a lot like my happy smile, and also my unhappy smile.

(She forces out a laugh and crosses to the other mares.)

Zipp: Hmmm…now that Canterlogic is gone, what’s gonna happen to this building? (Izzy brightens in a flash.)

Izzy: Wouldn’t it be super if it became something so fun-tastic that everypony wanted to hang out here?

Sunny: Izzy’s right!

Izzy: (serenely) I am. (Her brain skips a track.) Wait. I am?

Sunny: Yes! We should turn this old factory into something new for the whole community!

Izzy: This can be the biggest uni-cycling project I’ve ever done! (gesturing grandly) And you ponies can help! (Giddy squeal.)

Zipp: Yeah, it does have potential. (rising to a hover) Maybe we can turn this place into an indoor skate park.

Izzy: (gasping, hooves to temples) Whoa. (Pipp flies up past them.)

Pipp: Or a theater-slash-concert hall!

Izzy: Now we’re talking! (singing) Or singing.

(She hops in place, more tiny funny happy noises escaping her throat, as Hitch crosses to her with Sparky walking alongside.)

Hitch: Or a community center for official town hall meetings?

Izzy: (somewhat deflated) Oh. Or that.

(On the start of the next line, cut to Sunny and the royal sisters touching down next to her.)

Sunny: These are all great ideas and I love them! (Gasp.) But how about we ask the townsponies too? That way, our new space will be exactly what everypony wants!

Pipp: Brill idea, Sunny! And while you two do that, Hitch, Zipp, and I will clear the building of all its ghosties and spirits, et cetera. Really cleanse the energies, you know?

Sunny: Perfect! (She and Izzy head off.)

Izzy: Let’s ask Toots! Oh, and Dahlia! Oh, oh, and Windy!

Hitch: (to Pipp/Zipp) Uh, I don’t know if I can help you right now. Sparky is really fussy.

(A quick pan to Sparky puts the lie to these words, as he is sitting off to one side and burbling placidly to himself.)

Pipp: (not buying it) Mmm-hmm.

Hitch: And I’ve got a lot of official Sheriff business to get back to. Paperwork, you know? But, uh, maybe Zipp—

Zipp: (as Sparky returns to Hitch’s side) Sorry, but I’m so close to cracking Twilight Sparkle’s message. I’ve gotta focus my attention on that. (teasingly, lifting off, circling around Hitch) Have fun. Don’t let the ghosties getcha.

(She peels out with a chuckle, leaving him to voice an apprehensive little moan that Sparky echoes.)

Pipp: You know, if I had to guess, I’d say that spooky scary ghosts haunting it up in here is totally against regulation. (Last word singsong; then a smirk.) Right?

Hitch: (confidence returning) You make a good point. As Sheriff, I can’t allow that! (He strides away.)

Pipp: Mmm-hmm!

(As she follows, the camera cuts to just behind a stack of boxes and rises slightly to frame them at a distance—perhaps presenting the perspective of an as-yet-unseen observer. Pipp’s cheerful humming serves as a counterpoint to Hitch’s mildly fed-up grumble, with Sparky riding in one of the latter’s panniers. After a few moments, the camera drops behind the boxes to black out the screen.)

(Snap to the front entrance of the Crystal Brighthouse, seen from a short distance down the walk. Tilt down slowly as Zipp arcs into view and lands on the doorstep, cell phone in hoof, then cut to her. The camera angle is such that the phone screen is not in view.)

Zipp: (sitting) Okay, Twilight. Let’s hear it again. (Screen tap.)

Voice of Twilight Sparkle: —but the spell is broken. You are exposed to the world once again. You must watch out— (Static.) —before she— (Again.)

(Only the middle portion of this fragment is accompanied by a view of her holographic image on the screen—this is a portion of the message that the Unity Crystals played back in “Growing Pains.” On the last few words, the camera cuts to frame Misty eavesdropping on the pegasus from behind a tree that stands off to one side of the doorstep. She gets herself out of the latter’s sight with an incredulous gasp.)

Misty: Is that her? Twilight Sparkle from Opaline’s stories?

(Peering out from around the opposite side of the broad trunk, she deploys her own phone to get some footage of Zipp’s ruminations.)

Voice of Twilight: —but the spell is broken. (Cut to her on Zipp’s screen.) You are exposed to the world once again. You must watch out for o— (Glitch.) —ine before she— (Again.)

Zipp: (impatiently) Before what? What were you trying to warn us about? (Groan; tuck phone under a wing.) I still can’t believe that’s all I was able to record.

(She enters the Brighthouse without noticing Misty, who stops recording with her phone and ducks behind the tree.)

Misty: Opaline has to know about this!

(She hustles away. Cut to a long shot of Opaline’s castle under its perpetually gloomy sky and zoom in slowly.)

Voice of Twilight: You must watch out— (Static.) —before she— (Again.)

(During this line, cut to the big boss in her throne room, glaring down at Misty’s phone.)

Opaline: So, that nasty little Twilight Sparkle enchanted those crystals with a secret message, did she?

(The second half of this line is marked by a ground-level close-up of her rear hooves, one of which stamps the floor as Misty observes timidly from a few steps back. The camera then cuts back to Opaline.)

Opaline: (tossing phone over shoulder) What else did she reveal?

Misty: (fumbling it away to the floor, then scooping it up) Uh, I don’t know. Zipp said that’s all she recorded, though, so maybe there was more?

Opaline: (rounding on her) Of course there was more!

(Now a front hoof strikes the floor, kindling a small ball of pale blue/violet fire.)

Opaline: Time is running out before that Zipp pony pieces things together!

(Close-up of the flames on the end of this; they wink out as she finishes. Now she utters a loud, frustrated groan and pivots away.)

Opaline: I need the rest of that dragon fire!

Misty: What if we didn’t steal Sparky?

Opaline: (dumbfounded) What did you just say?

Misty: (hastily) I-I-I just mean…i-it’s just that…well, what if—

Opaline: Spit it out!

Misty: Ugh! Twilight said that she put all of her magic into the Crystals. What if we just steal those instead? (Laugh.) Yeah! (under her breath) Crystals don’t run away or burp fire.

(The Unity Crystals, that is. Misty is recalling her botched attempt to swipe Sparky in “Have You Seen This Dragon?”)

Opaline: (mockingly) Oh, that’s a great idea!

Misty: Really?

Opaline: No, not really. We can’t just steal the Crystals— (Both turn toward the floor pool.) —now that I know what they truly are. Conduits.

Misty: Huh?

(On the end of this exchange, cut to them and their reflection at the edge.)

Opaline: Long ago, Twilight Sparkle channeled all the magic in Equestria into those crystals and enchanted them.

(During this line, the view dissolves to a dimly lit silhouette of this selfsame winged unicorn against a backdrop of blue/purple auroras and Opaline’s words shift to voice over. Zoom in on the figure, a heart of bright pink light kindling at the tip of the horn and expanding outward, then dissolve to the three Crystals describing a tight circle and then snapping together. A rainbow-hued shock wave radiates outward from the assembly. An identically colored beam shines upward from the Unicorn Crystal and fans out to fill the screen.)

Opaline: (voice over) Stealing them now— (Her silhouette looms over the Crystals.) —before I’m strong enough, could destroy the Pris-Beam— (They spark and sputter; jagged cracks spread over the screen.) —the very source of magic that I want to possess!

(Zoom in and fade to black to the sound of shattering glass, then fade in to the reflections of Opaline and Misty in the pool surface.)

Opaline: You were willing to risk that? (Cut to Misty on the end of this.)

Misty: No, o-of course not! (laughing nervously) It was a terrible idea. B-But, um, uh, what’s a conduit?

Opaline: An element.

(Getting no response beyond a couple of bemused blinks, she uncorks a contempt-soaked groan.)

Opaline: A crystal that’s protected by a very complex spell containing… (Shudder.) …unity magic. (pacing) The only thing that could possibly drain the Crystals permanently is an equal magical power. (Cut to Misty.)

Misty: Like an alicorn’s? (To Opaline on the next words.)

Opaline: (spreading wings; blue flame washes over them) A fire alicorn. And for that, there’s only one thing I need.

(Cut to Misty on the end of this; she swallows hard, clearly not relishing the next stop on this train of thought.)

Misty: A baby dragon?

Opaline: Don’t fail me again.

(She folds her wings and strides imperiously out of the room; cut to one very rattled underling and zoom in slowly.)

Act Two

(Cut to a stretch of Mane Street, where Izzy has parked her Izzy Does It scooter and is frantically rooting around in its cargo bay. Sunny sits nearby, taking notes on her phone, and Dahlia, Toots, and Windy watch as items are flung every which way. Zoom in slowly.)

Izzy: Oh, I know I’ve got that somewhere! (Gasp.) Is it under the macaroni?

(She straightens up, holding a small potted cactus and showing the “crafty sash” she fashioned in “Izzy Does It” slung across her chest.)

Izzy: Aha!

Toots: (to Sunny) There should definitely be balloons. (Izzy stows the plant and resumes her search.) I love balloons.

Izzy: Okay!

(A moment ducked out of sight, the sound of inflating rubber, and her magic sends a bunch of them floating overhead.)

Dahlia: Oh, and a glitter banner! We’ve got to have a glitter banner!

Windy: Yeah, that too!

Izzy: Okay! (She levitates two shaker cans.)

Toots: And an art gallery with a painting of everypony in Maretime Bay.

Izzy: (confusedly) Okay…

(She glances toward Sunny and receives an equally perplexed shrug in reply, then returns to digging through her gear. Varied art supplies are soon hoisted up in her aura as the three spectators take their leave.)

Sunny: (pacing, checking notes) Lots of color, no color. Extra space for dancing and a cool pony statue in every corner. Rainbow ribbons, no ribbons, and only blue ribbons. Balloons, a glitter banner, and a painting of everypony in Maretime Bay, and that’s just the décor category!

(The camera cuts back and forth between her and Izzy during this line—the latter moaning wearily at first and magically pulling out more supplies, then groaning with the effort and wearing splotches of paint and glitter all over her body. By the time Sunny stops for breath and turns to Izzy, the unicorn has plopped her haunches dazedly onto the roadbed.)

Sunny: Do we have all that? We do, right?

Izzy: I…think so? (Sunny packs her phone away.)

Sunny: (laughing shakily, nudging Izzy to get her upright) Wow, the townsponies sure want a lot of different things.

Izzy: Yeah, and they don’t always go together.

(She shakes herself clean, letting all the bits and bobs clatter down around her. During the next line, cut to a close-up of Sunny’s hooves and tilt up to her face.)

Izzy: Maybe there’s just too many ideas to—

Sunny: —make it work?

Izzy: (gasping happily, nodding) Uh-huh!

Sunny: But we’ve got to take everypony’s idea into consideration. (pacing) After all, we’re all part of the community. (picking up a spatula) Everypony should have an equal say and be able to enjoy the new space, right?

(The utensil is set down as two shaken green eyes turn back to Izzy.)

Sunny: Right?

Izzy: (nodding, with a strained grin and laugh) Right.

(Cut to the interior of the factory, the camera positioned at floor level and framing Hitch and Pipp in a long shot as they continue their survey. Sparky is still riding in one of Hitch’s panniers. Fluorescent light fixtures sputter fitfully in their half-broken wall mounts as the three duck under a tumbled scaffolding and pull up short before another one still upright. Hitch voices an unhappy moan, but Pipp gasps in excitement and flies to one of its upper platforms, finding a metal skullcap topped by an antenna—an Anti-Mindreading Hat from the product line debuted by Canterlogic in A New Generation.)

Pipp: (picking it up, landing by Hitch/Sparky) Ooh! Remember when you thought these would protect you from scary, brain-melting unicorn mind rays? (quietly ominous tone) Spo-o-oky. (full volume, lunging at them) BOO!

(The stallion voices a cry, while the youngster whimpers and huddles down as far into the pannier as he can.)

Hitch: Great. (Sparky clambers out for a cuddle.) Just what we need. More scary thoughts.

(He sits down as a metallic clatter is heard in the distance; a longer shot discloses the cause—a rat scurrying among the litter. The sight frightens Hitch into holding Sparky so tight that the scaly scamp begins sputtering for breath. Pipp has now put the Anti-Mindreading Hat aside.)

Pipp: Maybe you could loosen your grip on the baby dragon a bit.

(Once her words sink in fully, he does so with a gasp and Sparky is able to cycle air through his lungs at full capacity.)

Hitch: I just, you know, don’t want anypony taking Sparky. The last time he went missing was even scarier than this creepy building.

(Sparky chooses this moment to burp up a mote of fire, which bursts apart into sparks before Hitch’s eyes.)

Hitch: (dryly) Let’s keep moving.

(They do so, taking no notice of a pony’s head that rises from behind a rampart of leftovers to stare intently after them. Zoom in on the shadowy, green-eyed figure, then cut to the exterior of the factory and tilt down to the front entrance in time with the next line. Sunny and Izzy have ridden up here on the latter’s scooter and parked, their crash helmets hanging off the fender.)

Sunny: All right. (jumping off) Are you ready for the biggest uni-cycling project ever?

Izzy: I sure am! (vacillating) I think? I hope so. (with new confidence) No, I am! I’ve decided.

Sunny: Sure, there are a ton of ideas, and sure, not all of them go together, and sure, this is a lot— (Very shaky laugh.) —but I know we can do it. (Cut to Izzy on the end of this.)

Izzy: (suddenly scared) I think I agree. (She hops off.)

Voice of Posey: Hey.

(The orange and pinkish-violet mares stop short as the yellow one steps into view from behind the scooter’s cargo hold.)

Posey: I heard you’re redesigning the old factory. Can I add my two bits real quick?

Sunny: Sure. What’s one more idea? (Izzy giggles, trying to calm herself.)

Posey: Perfect! (Rocky Riff swoops down and lands behind her.) So I was thinking flowers.

Rocky: (overlapping her last word) I have an amazing idea too!

(Izzy sputters and flinches away from these two, glances off to one side as if to judge whether she can safely bail out that way, but finds the path cut off by a pair of just-arrived stallions. Hyperventilation sets in as she turns in yet another direction.)

Glory: (suddenly hovering in her face) A dance studio!

Peach Fizz: (galloping up) Laser tag arena?

Izzy: Uh… (Laugh; Seashell shows up.)

Seashell: A science lab could be cool.  

(Cut to Sunny/Izzy’s perspective of the newcomers, shifting from one group of expectantly smiling faces to another.)

Izzy: Uhhhh… (Unsteady giggle from Sunny.)

(The next shot is that of the two aspiring designers backing slowly away, Sunny carrying her phone.)

Sunny: Um…

(Izzy giggles and swallows hard, perhaps fighting every instinct to turn and bolt. Cut to Hitch, Pipp, and Sparky in another junk-choked stretch of the factory; Hitch carries Sparky, while Pipp bounds and flaps her way through the space with gusto to check out anything and everything she can pick up.)

Pipp: (singsong) I am loving this! (normal tone, landing, circling Hitch/Sparky) It’s just like in the Spooky Stables series when Esmeralda Ghoulington searches for the old Whinny Mansion looking for her great-grandpony’s spirit! (over-enunciating) It is bone-chilling.

Hitch: (high-strung, clutching Sparky more tightly) I must have missed that one.

Pipp: Neigh way! You have to read it. Esmeralda thinks she found her great-grandpony’s ghost, and then BAM!

(Accompanied by a clap that causes him to drop the infant and yell out in fright.)

Pipp: It’s actually her great-great-grandpony’s ghost!

(She follows up this revelation with a gasp and spooky, foreleg-waving moan, which is met by a cheerful bit of gabbling from below her level. Cut to Sparky, now free of his guardian’s grip and blithely picking out a path among the detritus.)

Hitch: (racing after him, scooping him up) That’s okay, Sparky! I’ll keep you safe!

(He slings the dragon into a pannier and sets off around a corner with Pipp, the camera zooming out as a long shadow falls across the floor and extends toward them. From here, cut to the upper portion of the front entrance, where an assortment of tools and materials is floating in Izzy’s field. They begin to shift position as a clamor of voices asserts itself and the camera tilts down, framing an overhead shot of Sunny, Izzy, and the front edge of a crowd on the start of the following. The earth pony has her phone out to take notes as fast as she can tap the screen.)

Sunny: Oh! Uh…yes, no problem…sure. (Laugh.)

(Her perspective of one knot of ponies during this last, then cut to a slow zoom in on Izzy.)

Izzy: Uh…uh… (Strained giggle; Sunny’s perspective again.)

Sunny: Of course! Heh. No worries.

(Cut to her and zoom in slowly as her mental machinery starts to pop a rivet or two under the sudden load. She takes a moment to gather herself before speaking again.)

Sunny: Okay, got it, thank you! (The crowd clears out.)

Departing filly: Woo-hoo! (Cut to Sunny.)

Sunny: (wiping forehead) Phew!

(A loud thud and groan are heard from the o.s. Izzy; zoom out to frame the exhausted unicorn, sprawled on the concrete with her horn unlit. The items she was levitating have been shifted out of view.)

Izzy: I better hurry up and get to uni-cycling.

Sunny: (putting phone away) Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.

(Izzy stands up just before a pointed throat-clearing is heard. Sunny gets out a stunned gasp as the mares turn their attention toward the doors, the camera zooming in to pick out Mayflower and an elderly unicorn stallion standing here. Both are smiling, Mayflower adding a wave for good measure as if to say, “Our turn!”)

Sunny: (to Izzy) You go ahead. I’ll catch up.

(Cut to a close-up of a flickering wall light in the factory.)

Hitch: (from o.s.) Did it get darker in here? (Pan/tilt down to frame him, carrying Sparky, and Pipp.) I feel like it got darker in here. (He sets Sparky atop a crate.) Where’s a unicorn with a glowing horn when you need one?

Pipp: Maybe we need to try talking to them.

Hitch: Uh, not so sure that’s—

Pipp: (loudly, hamming it up, to the room at large) Come on out, you spooky spirits!

Hitch: (now sitting) Uh…

Pipp: We are only here to help! If you are here, give us a sign!

(Comes now a mighty rumpus from somewhere very close by; a stack of crates collapses as the red-coated figure of Sprout Cloverleaf hurls itself into view toward the trio. All three equines scream in terror as the stallion who would have been Emperor barrels into his former boss; cut to an extreme close-up of Hitch’s cringing face and zoom out to reveal that he is holding an equally freaked-out Sprout in his forelegs.)

Hitch: Sprout?!?

Pipp: Sprout?  (Sparky just laughs himself silly.)

Sprout: What was that?!

(Cut to Izzy nearby, lying amid a scatter of drum kit parts—evidently she caused the noise by knocking them over. She is now wearing both her sash and the crafting glasses she used in “Izzy Does It.”)

Izzy: Oopsies. (setting them upright with her magic, standing, lighting horn) Gotta remember to turn this thing on before I trot in the dark. Duh!

(Long pause.)

Pipp: Ghosts?

Hitch: (disgustedly) Sprout! (Who is unceremoniously dumped to the floor and stands up.) What are you doing here?

Sprout: I saw you ponies going to the factory, and I figured since it was my family business, I should make sure that you don’t mess anything up.

(So he was the one trailing them and watching from the shadows. Cut briefly to Hitch and Pipp on this line, the latter sighing wearily, then back as he finishes.)

Hitch: That we don’t mess anything up?

Pipp: Yeah, you’re the one who crashed a giant robot pony into Sunny’s lighthouse!

Sprout: (forcing a laugh) I thought we all agreed to move past that?

Pipp: (not buying it) Mmm-hmm.

Hitch: (picking Sparky up once he hops off the crate) Plus, I don’t think we could mess this place up more than it already is.

Sprout: Yeah! (Cut to him and Hitch, who puts Sparky back on the crate.) What happened in here?

Pipp: (from o.s.) It’s… (Cut to her; next word reverberates ominously.) …haunted!

(She throws in her best deranged cackle as lights flash fitfully across her countenance, then swiftly resumes her normal tone.)

Pipp: But don’t worry. Sunny and Izzy have big plans to make this place a-ma-zing. We just have to un-spook it first. (dejectedly) Awww, unless it was just you. (Moan.)

Hitch: (sighing) Okay, I’ll admit it. For a second there, I thought this place was haunted. But it was just you this whole…

(His brain seizes with undiluted terror in a split second, pupils constricting nearly to pinpoints as he aims a hoof down the way.)

Hitch: …TIIIIME!!

(Pipp whirls to see as both stallions pull in a shrieking gasp. Cut to a slow tilt up the height of a mechanical behemoth, seen only in silhouette and taking the vaguest shape of a humanoid. Rattles and clatters emanate from it as small winged shapes scurry along the limbs…Pipp cries out and shields her face with a hoof…and now the lights come up fully to expose it as nothing more than a mélange of scrounged junk being used as a jungle gym by the rats seen earlier. Cut to Izzy, who has found a circuit breaker panel and thrown a switch to brighten the place up. She has extinguished her horn.)

Izzy: (prancing in place) Oh, hey, the lights work!

(The others just gape at the airborne rodents as they shift pieces here and there.)

Hitch: Huh. (crossing to them) Uh…hmph! (They scatter.) Um… (Sparky voices his own puzzlement.)

Sprout: My factory’s been infested with rats?

Pipp: Awww, why couldn’t it have been ghosties?

(Cut to the exterior of the Brighthouse, zooming in slowly, then dissolve to Zipp at her desk in the group’s shared bedroom.)

Zipp: I remember that Twilight said that she put all the magic in the Crystals and the “blank.” So there’s something else with her magic in it! Right?

(Voicing an annoyed groan, she picks up a book from a chair and flips a few pages before retrieving her phone.)

Zipp: (dictating) “Case update. Been studying Crystals for days, but I’m still confused.”

(The book and phone are set down; now she flips open her laptop.)

Zipp: “And I can’t crack this protection spell thing either.”

(Close-up of the now-closed volume on her desk, panning slowly across the cover. It is the storybook that she borrowed from Hitch’s Grandma Figgy during Winter Wishday.)

Zipp: (from o.s., tapping keys) “If I could, maybe I could protect the Crystals—” (Back to her.) “—and us—from this evil force.”  (Clear throat; tap one temple.) Think, Zipp, think. (Close the laptop; pace the floor.) Okay. What I do know is that unicorns now have the ability to cast spells. So I…

(A brainstorm strikes under the upswept mane; she wheels back to her desk with a gasp and scoops up her phone.)

Zipp: (dictating) “Must find a unicorn who’d be willing to do some scientific experiments on spellcasting.”

(On the next line, cut to her perspective of the map/notes/sketches tacked up on the wall beneath her raised bed, then back to her; zoom in slowly during both shots.)

Zipp: (groaning softly) “I’m getting closer. I can feel it! Once I crack the case, nopony will be able to steal anything from us ever again.”

(This last sentence is punctuated by an extreme close-up of her cutie mark, which flares up in a burst of brilliant sparkles, followed by her exit. Cut to an extreme close-up of a tennis ball with a crystal horn and fabric/button snout attached; two googly eyes are quickly stuck on, and the camera zooms out slightly to frame this creation. The ball is balanced atop an upside-down, flower-decorated mug, with a scarf wrapped around the “neck”; two short brown pigtails protrude from its rear surface, and a wad of pinkish fluff is stuck on top. A cut to behind this dummy picks out Misty as its creator; she has been working on it in her bedroom within Opaline’s castle, and she addresses it.)

Misty: I feel pretty silly talking to a unicorn made of junk, but I just have to have somepony to talk to about Opaline. (It offers no response; camera tracks slowly around it and her.) You see, she wants me to steal Sparky, and I really, really don’t want to. I tried that already, and it did not go well.

(It maintains its silence; now she sits down to face it at eye level.)

Misty: What do you think I should do?

(Still no answer; she heaves a deep sigh.)

Act Three

(Cut to the exterior of the factory, zooming in slowly, then to a very preoccupied Sunny pacing the floor inside and eyeing her phone.)

Izzy: (from o.s.) Oh! Ah…

(The earth pony stops short with a gasp; cut to the unicorn hard at work. Surrounding her is a wild profusion of furniture, artwork, diversions, and decorations with no discernible unifying theme, making the area look as if all of Maretime Bay had decided to hold a massive garage sale. Tools and supplies float every which way in her field.)

Izzy: …uh, and we need this…glitter…and lots of, uh…

(Back to Sunny on the end of this; she has just enough time to get out a startled yelp and dodge a very large pair of scissors coming her way.)

Izzy: …uh… (out of breath, gesturing weakly) …uh, ta-da? (Deflated chuckle.)

(Cut to a slow pan through the disorganized expanse as she finishes, a page falling loose from the pin-up calendar of Hitch that was tacked up on his office wall during A New Generation. Sunny can manage only a strained laugh and grimace at this degree of chaos that would have earned an approving nod from Discord.)

(Elsewhere, Hitch and Pipp are chasing the flying rats back and forth as Sparky watches from his ringside seat on a crate. He soon jumps down to get in on the action; now Sprout goes after a couple, but hits his head on a low scaffolding and goes to the floor. Another one scurries along a platform edge and takes flight.)

Pipp: (ducking it and another one) Remember when all the animals were in the Brighthouse?

Hitch: Yeah! (He dives for one but misses.)

Pipp: (catching one in a pot, slamming the lid on) And we couldn’t get them to leave?

Hitch: (grabbing at one) Yeah?

(Referring to the events of “The Cutie Mark Mix-Up.” He darts after it, while Pipp screams at being beset by others and accidentally kicks over the pot to free its occupant. Hitch throws himself into a slide across the floor, knocking boxes aside but failing to make any captures, and winds up face to face with her.)

Pipp: (lightly) Oh, I don’t have a solution. But this is exactly like that!

(Two rats use the Sheriff’s head as a jumping-off point, fraying his very last good nerve; he stands up.)

Hitch: Okay, that’s enough! No more Mr. Nice Sheriff! (advancing to face the rats) Listen up, little buddies. (sitting) You’re going to have to leave and go back home to Zephyr Heights! (beseechingly) Puh-leeeease?

(Two of them hold a squeaky little conversation; he stands and moves a bit closer, softening his tone considerably.)

Hitch: I know, I know. (sitting) It’s just that we’re trying to turn this into a cool new space for the community— (One flies past; Sparky chases another.) —and it’s hard to do that with all of you hanging out in here.

Sprout: Yeah! (Hitch moves aside to make space for him.) And you’ve really ratted the place up, too. How about you scram? (Disdainful squeaks.) Was that a yes?

Hitch: It was…not. (Moans from Pipp and Sprout; he stands and inches closer as the rats continue.) He says that they were bored in Zephyr Heights, but this place has got lots of cool things they can play with.

(Now he leans in very close and cocks an ear so as not to miss a syllable.)

Hitch: Uh-huh? (One does a loop-the-loop.) They…they need entertainment!

Sprout: (to rats) That’s it! This is my building, and you are all getting evicted!

(He charges after them, but they get their wings in gear to stay ahead. The pursuit disappears around a corner; he trots back into view after a moment and blows out a satisfied breath, only for four rats to flit up behind him.)

Sprout: Huh?

(They are swiftly gathered up and thrown back, but he has barely enough time to exhale before they return to continue the battle. Critters pelt themselves into and around the back of his head, one of them meeting his yell of revulsion with a hearty Bronx cheer, and he voices a growl of rising frustration as Pipp giggles and Hitch smirks.)

(Cut to a bunch of balloons anchored to an upper-level railing which has been hung with sparkly pink bunting. Shaker cans, held by Izzy’s aura, rise into view to dispense more glitter as her contented singing drifts up; zoom out to frame her standing on a statue’s pedestal, orchestrating an entire row of them as Sunny paces uneasily past, having tucked her phone away.)

Izzy: Too much glitter? (Scoff.) Who am I kidding? There can never be enough glitter.

Sunny: I don’t know what to do, Izzy. I’ve made so many promises to the community— (sitting) —but I can’t keep them all.

Izzy: Huh. (She jumps down and stops pouring.) Whenever I used to feel super-duper-overwhelmed, I used to go talk to the oldest pony in Bridlewood, Elderflower.

(Deep breath; close eyes and raise front hooves as if meditating; light the horn.)

Izzy: And now I will share with you her wise sagebrush advice.

(On this line, cut to a flower wreath on the floor as she floats it up, then to her as she settles it on her head and removes her glasses.)

Izzy: (old crone’s voice, half-squinching one eye shut) “You can’t please everypony, Izzy! Sometimes being a leader means making the tough decisions, Izzy! You, Izzy, must take everypony’s opinion under your hoof and then make the final call, Izzy!”

(Off with the wreath; on with the specs as she reverts to her normal tone.)

Izzy: Just change the “Izzy” part to a “Sunny” part.

Sunny: (smiling) Yeah, I figured. (Zoom in slowly.)

Izzy: You only got into this situation because you care so much. That means you’re gonna make the very best decision you can.

Sunny: (standing) You really think so?

Izzy: (extending a foreleg, touching hoof to her own chest) Hoof to heart.

Sunny: (circling in place) You’re right, and I think I know just the way to make this the perfect space for everypony!

(Elsewhere, Hitch, Pipp, and Sprout peek up from behind a row of crates. The rats still have their “stronghold” a few feet ahead, and Sparky is sitting on a box and playing with one.)

Pipp: (out of breath) We need to change our strategy.

Hitch: What do you got?

Pipp: (instantly perking up, jumping on a crate) Ooh, I know!

Minimal synthesizer/percussion line, fast 4 (G major)

To the tune of her song in “Izzy Does It”

Pipp:                        All you need is your beat, all you need is your beat

                        Whoa, whoa, oh, yeah

                        And all you need is your beat

(shouted in rhythm)        Come on, yeah, come on!

(sung)                        All you need is your—

Song ends abruptly in a snarl of radio static

(The rats pay very little mind to the impromptu performance, instead moving items around in their junk tower and gathering up stray nuts—the fastening type, that is. The static that cuts her off is coming from the old receiver that Zipp threw aside in the prologue, which one rat is trying to tune for any bit of decent reception. Sparky laughs and coos over the one that has gone to sleep nearly in his lap and a second that hovers for a little petting of its own.)

(On the start of the next line, cut to an indignant Pipp jumping over the crates to stare down the winged squatters while Hitch and Sprout take a more sedate route.)

Pipp: Okay, what gives? Everypony loves that song.

(Close-up of a couple of rats as she finishes, with Hitch hunkering down to catch everything that is said, then his perspective of them. Back to the group as he speaks.)

Hitch: He says they’ve heard that song a bajillion times before. (To Pipp on this last, ears popping up and face going slack with shock.)

Pipp: (over his words) What?!? (The group again as Hitch continues.)

Hitch: They play that all over the big screens in Zephyr Heights. And then she said— (high-pitched) “Right? Like, every single day!” (normal tone) And then he said—

Pipp: Okay, okay, I get it!

(She grumbles sullenly to herself. Cut to a close-up of Zipp, now up in the lantern room of the Brighthouse. Her image is tinged by the Crystals’ Pris-Beam; zoom out to frame them directly in front of her. She is not carrying her phone.)

Zipp: If the Crystals hold that much magic— (pacing) —then the pony that wants them must be able to handle a lot of magic themselves. That must mean this pony is really powerful, with unique powers.

(A sharp gasp as a connection snaps together in her mind.)

Zipp: Like Sunny! Like a-a-an alicorn! (Smile and scoff.) Alicorns. (Pull out phone to dictate.) “Alicorns must be the key!”

(Cut to a close-up of the Crystals on this last, zooming in slowly, then to Sunny checking her phone as she walks through the poorly redecorated factory. A nimble duck and hop allow her to avoid an oncoming pair of scissors and ball of yarn.)

Sunny: Huh. (pointing) Let’s remove that… (A statue on a pedestal; Izzy levitates it.)

Izzy: On it!  (It is flung into a corner.)

Sunny: (indicating a potted hedge shaped like Pipp’s head) …mmm-hmm, and definitely that.

Izzy: Poof! Begone! (She pushes it away.)

(Now Sunny turns her eye to a framed painting of Sprout and his mother Phyllis, leaning against a wall.)

Sunny: (laughing) And definitely, definitely that.

Izzy: (levitating it away) You got it!

(She hums to herself while hauling it off, and a satisfied smile comes across Sunny’s face. Back in the combat zone, Sprout has hunched down all the way to the floor, intently watching one particular rat. He hurls himself across the opening to snatch it up, but it skitters away before he can lay a hoof on it.)

Sprout: So, hear me out…

(Cut to several, enjoying their makeshift playground; zoom out to frame all three ponies as he continues and stands up.)

Sprout: …what if we just let the rats stay, huh? (Next two lines overlap.)

Hitch: That’s against code!

Pipp: What?! No way!

Sprout: Okay, then—idea number two. (cheerfully, trotting away) I leave! Good luck!

(The remaining two voice a unison groan of supreme frustration at having been left so completely in the lurch. Their respective pitches slowly drop off, landing in a decent two-part harmony that the rats quickly mimic in a higher register. Inspiration strikes.)

Pipp: Aha!

(She and Hitch repeat the performance and elicit the same response.)

Hitch: Are you thinking what I am?

Pipp: Oh, I sure hope so.

Light acoustic guitar/synth/percussion melody, moderate 4 (C major)

Pipp:                                Making a plan

Hitch:                                Lending a hand

(The rats begin to really pay attention.)

                                Helping a friend is nice

(Hitch joins in on the last word of the preceding line; next he tosses her up into a hover.)

Hitch:                                Work together

Pipp:                                Two manes are better

(Rodent heads bob to the beat; Hitch floats past, a bunch of balloons tied to his midsection, and Pipp hops up from the floor to hitch a ride.)

Hitch, Pipp:                        Finding new ways to fly

Background vocal harmonies in

(Sparky burps a cloud of sparkly smoke; next he and the ponies strut their stuff, Hitch having ditched his balloons.)

Pipp:                                With a little bit of confidence

Hitch: (spoken in rhythm)        And a little bit of kindness

A cappella

(Sparky whoops as they toss him upward, a couple of rats taking wing to describe an arc around him, before he lands on Hitch’s back and twirls on the saddle.)

Hitch, Pipp:                        We can make it fun to do

All instruments in, with added drums

(The rats flock from their hiding places as all three prance/fly along the unoccupied stretch of floor. A quick tap at one light fixture turns most of the bulbs blue and throws spots of light all over the walls.)

Hitch, Pipp:                        Work together

                                Make it better

                                Working smarter with each other

(Critters begin to gather up junk, one striking a bolt against a tin can for a drum, and are led out the front entrance. The day has advanced into late afternoon.)

                                Work together

                                Make it better

A cappella

(The horseshoe/shield and crown/note cutie marks flare brightly in turn.)

Hitch, Pipp:                        We are stronger with each other

Original instrumentation in; harmonies out

(As Hitch and Pipp lead the procession down the hill and along Mane Street, they and some onlookers add “this way” gestures.)

Hitch, Pipp: (spoken in rhythm)                Work, work, let’s unite

                                                Everypony shining bright

                                                Work, work, work it out

                                                Everypony shout it loud

Song ends

(At a final ushering wave from Pipp, the rats swarm past the outskirts and along a path marked with a sign pointing the way to Zephyr Heights.)

Hitch, Pipp: We did it!

(Close-up of two, who have hung back to deliver some parting words; cut to Hitch/Pipp/Sparky on the next line.)

Hitch: He says, “Thank you for that exciting new song.” It really invigorated them, and now they’re excited to find fun things to do at home in Zephyr Heights. (The rats fly up to his eye level and speak a bit more.) She said they’re sorry if they insulted your song; they love it. They just needed something new. (They flit away.)

Pipp: (cooing happily) Awww, I knew they loved it. Everypony does.

(Cut to a long shot of the factory, at whose front entrance Sunny and her friends have gathered. Night has fallen, and a new ornament has been added to the rooftop—a sign styled as the Crystals superimposed on a rainbow, the center circular portion enclosing a right-pointing “play” arrow as seen on media playback equipment. Zoom in slowly, then cut to just inside the entrance and continue the zoom. A smaller copy of the graphic, split down the middle, forms the handles for the new transparent glass front doors; Sunny and Izzy are just inside, while the others, Sprout, and Sparky are waiting beyond the portal. Sparky rides on the back of Hitch, who has shucked his saddle/pannier rig. The two working mares let out a tired but wholly satisfied sigh, trade a high five, and slide the doors open to let the others in—Sprout wearing a considerably more dour expression than the rest of the group. Sunny and Zipp are no longer carrying their phones, and Izzy has shed her glasses and sash.)

(First to greet the eye is an area set up as a small television/film soundstage, followed by a slow pan through a lounge area. Off in one corner are a couple of lighted makeup mirror vanities. The overall color scheme is one of soothing blues and purples; normal lighting has been restored, and the junk has been fully cleared away. Sparky burbles his amazement as a laughing Sunny and Izzy gallop over to him, Hitch, and Sprout; cut to a slow pan across all six ponies and one dragon.)

Zipp: Yes!

Pipp: Whoa…

Hitch: Wow… (Sparky gabbles, awestruck.)

Sunny: (twirling in place; her magic horn/wings appear and her saddlebag vanishes) Welcome to Canterlove Studios!

Izzy: A place where everypony can come hang out and create cool stuff! (Toss a pinch of glitter into the air.) Yay! (Cut back and forth between Pipp and Sunny.)

Pipp: Ooh, we could put on a play!

Sunny: You could!

Pipp: (hovering, clapping) Or shoot a music video!

Sunny: Why not?

Hitch: (from o.s.) Or… (Cut to him.) …have a really big community meeting where we discuss new rules and guidelines!

(Pipp lands again as this idea swiftly evaporates every last bit of both sisters’ good cheer, but Sunny and Izzy keep theirs.)

Sunny: (leaping toward them) Sky’s the limit!

Sprout: (crossing to them) I gotta admit, I like what you did with the place. It’s pretty impressive. And, technically… (smugly, leaning into Sunny’s/Izzy’s faces) …it is still mine! Boo-yah!

(He prances a circle around them and then departs, cackling wildly with every step and leaving two thoroughly flummoxed mares in his wake.)

Izzy: Is that true?

Sunny: (shaking head, gesturing around herself) No way. It belongs to all of us now.

(Laughing, she and Izzy find Zipp fooling around with a dolly-mounted movie camera, Sparky running about, and Pipp hovering alongside Hitch to reprise their earlier song.)

Hitch, Pipp: (Hitch singing falsetto)                 Work together

                                                Make it better

                                                Working smarter with each other

(The next two lines are spoken over them.)

Sunny: We really did make this place shine, didn’t we?

Izzy: We sure did. (tossing glitter) Boo-yah!

(Zipp rolls the camera over to them as the camera zooms out slowly.)

(Cut to a worked-up Misty in her bedroom, pacing and addressing the unicorn dummy she built in Act Two.)

Misty: And that is why Opaline can’t stand strawberry smoothies, even though they’re absolutely the most delicious smoothies in the world!

(She flops to the ground next to her bed, heaves a sigh from the bottom of her lungs, and pulls herself up to face the inanimate conversation partner. Her next words are delivered in a rather calmer tone.)

Misty: So, Madame Taffytail, what do you say now?

(Close up of it.)

Misty: (from o.s., turning it to face forward, old woman’s voice with British accent) Oh, I say you better try again! (To her again.) Go get that dragon and finally make Opaline proud of you!

(Back to it on this last, then cut to frame both.)

Misty: (own voice) Really? (To it; she continues o.s. in the old voice.) You need that cutie mark. (Her again; own voice.) Even if it means upsetting Sunny and the others?

(Madame Taffytail has no immediate “response,” but one eye starts to come loose in close-up. Back to Misty as she continues.)

Misty: You’re right. (setting eye back in place) They already have each other— (Stand; turn to window) —and their cutie marks. (resolutely) I’m going to get me that dragon. No games this time.

(The slightest bit of uncertainty steals across her face as she reaches back to her bed and shifts its pillow aside, exposing a crude picture of Sparky. Zoom in slowly and fade to black.)

THE JINXIE GAMES

Written by Tony Fleecs

Executive producers: Olivier Dumont, Randi Yaffa, Cort Lane

Story editing by Gillian Berrow

Supervising direction by Will Lau

Transcribed by Alan Back (ajback@yahoo.com)

Note:                Except where indicated, all ponies appearing in Bridlewood during this episode

                are unicorns.

Prologue

(Opening shot: a long shot of the Maretime Bay coastline during the day. Zoom in slowly and cut to the sign mounted atop Sunny Starscout’s mobile smoothie stand. A tilt down frames her putting an order together behind the counter, while Pipp Petals paces out front, voicing uneasy little moans and glancing around herself. Zipp Storm sits off to one side to check her cell phone, resting on the pavement before her, and in due time Pipp pulls hers out for a quick peek. Whatever she sees is enough to bring a groan of anguish as she tucks it away again.)

Sunny: Okay!

(Her side of the counter, the camera aimed just over it at the sisters. Zoom out slowly.)

Sunny: (from o.s., setting three cups into view) A Protein Power Punch for Zipp, Fruity Colada for Pipp, and for Her Royal Fly-ness…

(Each takes note of the drink she has requested, Zipp setting her phone aside; after Sunny plunks down the third one, cut to frame the entire group.)

Sunny: …the usual. (Zipp collects hers and has a pull.) A Green Monster with extra greens, hold the monster. (Pause.) Hey, where is your mom, anyway? (Pipp’s phone beeps; she pulls it out and instantly brightens.)

Pipp: Oh, she sent a text! She says…

(Her perspective of the screen, which displays a rendition of the face of Queen Haven’s dog Cloudpuff—winking with tongue stuck out.)

Pipp: (bewildered) …huh. Dog emoji. (The group again.)

Sunny: What does that mean? (Pipp stows her phone.)

Zipp: Mom’s terrible at texting. Last week, she sent me a text that just said, “Don’t.”

Pipp: But she never misses Mother-Daughter Brunch! (pulling phone out) And now she’s sending us cryptic messages?

(Cut to Zipp on this last as it is thrust toward her, then zoom out to frame Pipp as she continues and pulls it back.)

Pipp: It can only mean one thing. She’s been pony-napped!

(A beat of silence is followed by hearty laughter from the elder sibling and the drink-slinger, and the high-strung performer relaxes and joins in after a moment.)

Pipp: You’re right. That sounded less silly in my head.

Hitch Trailblazer: (from o.s., a short distance away) Pony-napped?!

Pipp: Huh?

(Here comes the Sheriff, hopping awkwardly on his hind legs and balancing a chunk of crystal by bouncing it on the end of his nose. Sweatbands encircle all four legs just above the hooves.)

Hitch: Never fear! Hitch is here!

(Sparky Sparkeroni jogs up behind him, wearing a band around his forehead.)

Zipp: Slow your roll! Or, uh, slow your hop, buddy. It’s no big deal. Mom just didn’t show up for our monthly brunch.

Pipp: (worked up, showing Hitch her phone) But she did send us this dog emoji!

Hitch: Sorry! Can’t—see—while—bouncing! (Sunny steps out for a better look.)

Zipp: Yeah, I’m gonna need some context for what all of this is, Hitch.

Hitch: (standing, removing crystal) I’m training for Forest Critter Field Day!

Sunny: What’s that?

(A shrill blast from a referee’s whistle cuts her off. Zoom out quickly to frame the entire group and the stand, on top of which Izzy Moonbow is now perched, wearing a pair of sunglasses and blowing the thing. She lets it drop to dangle from a lanyard around her neck in close-up, showing a small crystal heart on the lower outer corner of one lens.)

Izzy: That’s a hop stoppage penalty! Yooou’rrrre…OUT!

(Zoom in to an extreme close-up of her madly grinning face, then cut to Hitch and Sparky. Now that both have come to rest, gold shields and a green fireball can be seen on their respective sweatbands.)

Hitch: What? That’s not in the rules.

Izzy: (jumping down, shades falling off) Uh, yes, it is. (They plop onto her head, behind her horn.) Right here!

(A hardback book of some thickness is produced from nowhere and held open for his perusal.)

Izzy: In the Forest Critter Field Day Manual, page four-oh-three.

Sunny: What’s Forest Critter Field Day? (Izzy gasps sharply, packs the manual away, and whirls to face her.)

Izzy: It’s only the greatest ancient unicorn tradition there is! (dramatically) Every fourth purple moon, all the ponies in Bridlewood gather for a day of thrilling events and games! (to Sunny, Hitch, Zipp in turn) Games! Games! Games! (Hitch goes back to hopping and bouncing his crystal.)

Zipp: What game is this? Bounce Around?

Izzy: No, that’s later. Hitch is training for the Bunny Hop Relay. (He stops and catches the chunk.)

Hitch: You bunny-hop through an obstacle course while balancing a crystal— (Toss; catch on other front hoof; “jump” it around.) —then pass the crystal to your critter, who has to hop over hurdles to the finish line. I’m teaming up with Sparky.

(Pan/tilt down quickly from him to the little guy, who blabbers his agreement. A moment later, Hitch has the crystal on his nose and is back up on his hind legs.)

Hitch: Sparky! Catch!

(He lets fly; it comes down neatly on Sparky’s own schnozz and is flipped upward, followed by a burst of flame that turns it into a banana peel, which lands neatly on the tip of Izzy’s horn.)

Izzy: Hmm. That’s a crystal droppage penalty! You’re out!

(Zoom in to an extreme close-up as she blows her whistle, then snap to black.)

OPENING THEME

Act One

(Cut from the title card directly to an overhead shot of the group, Zipp returning her now-empty cup to the counter. Zoom in slowly to the tune of another whistle blast, then cut to Hitch and Sparky.)

Hitch: Wait. Who’s out? Me or Sparky?

Izzy: You’re both out! You dropped your crystal and Sparky isn’t even a critter! He’s a baby!

(Cut to said baby on this last, having removed his headband to gnaw on it, as a hoof is thrust toward him. He does not seem particularly troubled over this disqualification.)

Hitch: But—but—

Izzy: (pulling out/opening manual) Look. (reading) “Every pony contestant must compete with a critter. No baby dragons.” (Cut to Hitch on the next line.)

Hitch: There’s no way it says that. (It is pushed toward him; he reads and all the fire goes out of him.) Oh. Wow, it does say that. (Izzy closes and withdraws it.) Well, now I need a new partner! What kind of critter should I compete with?

Sunny: (raising a foreleg) Ooh! A-A dog! (Zipp gazes skyward, shading her eyes.)

Pipp: (eyeing phone) I know, but why did she text a dog?

Zipp: (thoughtfully) Mmm-hmm.

(Over the rooftops, and from the general direction that she and Sunny have both indicated, a tiny speck has risen into view. Zoom in quickly to a close-up, revealing it as Cloudpuff with a scroll clutched in all four stubby legs.)

Hitch: (from o.s.) Aha! (He yips and descends to the group.)

Pipp: Ohhhh! (She puts her phone away.)

Zipp: Mom sent Cloudpuff? With a note? (hoof to forehead) Mom, just learn how to text!

(She grabs for the scroll, but the pooch backs up with a couple of indignant barks and flies off.)

Pipp: (taking wing to pursue) Cloudy, wait!

Hitch: Look at that dog go! He’s so fast! (Gasp; an idea strikes and he grins slyly.) Which is perfect.

(By this time, the midair chase has nearly reached the Crystal Brighthouse, Zipp has cleared out, and Sunny and Izzy are galloping to catch up. Another gasp escapes the stallion’s lips as he realizes he is being left behind, so he hefts Sparky onto his back and throws his hooves into gear. Cut to just inside the entrance hall as the doors are bashed open by the two sisters.)

Zipp: Cloudpuff?

(Izzy is next to arrive, sliding to a stop on her haunches and followed closely by Sunny. The unicorn still has her sunglasses and whistle, but has shed the banana peel from her horn. A yip from o.s.; cut to Cloudpuff hovering near the Critter Corner. Zipp tries to scoop him up, but he darts away and avoids Pipp’s grabbing hooves as well, while a winded Hitch plods over the threshold to translate his barking.)

Hitch: (crossing to him in close-up; overly formal tone) He says, “Dearest Princesses, I bring to you a message from your dear mother—” (bowing; Sparky slides off his back) “—Her Royal Majesty, Queen Haven of Zephyr Heights—” (Cut to an irked Pipp/Zipp on the following.)

Pipp: Get to it, Puff!

(He barks a bit more, and Hitch resumes his normal manner of speaking when the camera returns to him.)

Hitch: Cloudpuff says that before he delivers his message— (formal tone) —he first requires a meal of the finest— (To Zipp on the following.)

Zipp: Oh, for hoofness’ sakes!

(On a counter in the Critter Corner is an open box of treats—identified as Snackerdoodles in “The Cutie Mark Mix-Up”—with a few lying loose close by. She takes one of these and tosses it to Cloudpuff, who drops the scroll for her to catch; he needs a couple of tries to get his jaws firmly clamped on the snack, after which he flies off and she opens the scroll.)

Zipp: (reading) “My darlings: It is with deepest regret that I must postpone today’s Mother-Daughter Brunch.” (Pipp flies over for a look.)

Pipp: Hmm?

Zipp: “Some very important state business has come up—” (Shocked gasp from the younger sister.) “—and cannot wait.”

(Cut to Sunny, watching from a distance; Izzy crosses to her.)

Zipp: (from o.s.) “Let’s reschedule for another time that’s more inconvenient for you both.”

Izzy: (under the previous) Hmm…huh.

(Back to Zipp, who gently shoves a rattled Pipp back.)

Zipp: “With love, Mother.” (She rolls up the scroll.)

Sunny: Um…did she mean to say “more convenient”?

Pipp, Zipp: (sighing heavily) No. (Pipp lands, then Zipp.)

Pipp: Mom takes royal meetings all the time. But our special brunch is special! (hovering) And she loves brunch!

(An idea races through her mind, and she touches down again with a gasp and whips over to Zipp.)

Pipp: (whispering) I think maybe she has been pony-napped.

Zipp: (dismissively) Come on.

Pipp: (opening scroll) Look at the bottom!

(Her perspective of the document, tilting down quickly past the written lines to stop on the bottom end, which displays, in red ink…)

Pipp: A cute little heart? (The sisters again.) When has she ever drawn a cute little heart on a note before?

Zipp: (stroking chin) Hmm…you know what? That is suspicious.

(Her phone is swiftly extracted and unfolded, and she snaps a picture and zooms in on the heart. The individual paper fibers and the imperfections in the ink can now be clearly seen.)

Zipp: (to the o.s. Hitch) What do you make of all this, Sheriff?

(Both siblings’ faces register surprise before the camera cuts to Hitch, his attention taken up by an examination of Cloudpuff, who has finished off his treat. Sparky watches from the floor, now wearing his headband again.)

Hitch: (distractedly) Make of what? (Pipp whirls to him.)

Pipp: What else?! (He straightens up.) Cryptic messages and cute little hearts? Something sinister is ahoof. (hyperventilating; zoom in slowly) Maybe…Mom’s being held hostage somewhere…all alone…with no brunch to eat?!? (Zoom out; Zipp, her phone stashed, pats Pipp on the back.)

Zipp: Okay, I think somepony’s being over-dramatic. But something is definitely up with her. Hmm.

(She steps over to Hitch, who is now checking Cloudpuff’s teeth with the aid of a tongue depressor.)

Zipp: Could you help us figure it out?

Hitch: I will help you. And I know just where we should look for her first.

(Cut to a clearing within Bridlewood that has been stripped of grass and turned into an athletic competition field. A couple of participants and their animal teammates are warming up, the former wearing numbered placards on their flanks; behind them are a stage and ramps fashioned from vines, tree roots, and a single massive stump. A table has been placed up here, at which Dazzle and Skye—the pegasus mare and stallion news anchors seen in A New Generation, respectively—are seated with a microphone before them. Pan across the clearing and past a multitude of other contenders, and stop on the group leisurely walking/flying along a banner-marked path toward a registration table. Sparky is riding on Sunny’s back.)

Hitch: Aw, yeah!

Pipp: Hitch, the Queen of Zephyr Heights is not being held captive at the Bridlewood Forest Critter Field Day!

Hitch: But you never know. It’s as good a place to start our search as any. (leading the others past her) Come on, Puffy. Let’s go register.

(The pink Princess slumps sullenly in midair as Hitch reaches the table and signs a sheet on a clipboard. The stallion on duty here is Jasper, who lost his crystal collection to Alphabittle Blossomforth in A New Generation. Medium brown coat with lighter shade on the belly; short, wavy, dark gray-purple mane/tail, the former covering the right eye; an exposed blue-gray left eye beneath a dark brown brow with a notch at the outer end; dark green hooves; medium blue horn fading to white at its tip. As Hitch turns away, the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of his midsection, the motion exposing a 5 placard now affixed to his other flank.)

Jasper: (from o.s.) Now don’t lose this. (Zoom out.)

Hitch: (laughing) Yeah!

(Jasper tries to put a yellow-trimmed purple cap on Cloudpuff, but the furball wants none of it and flutters away with a yip before Hitch sidles up.)

Hitch: Hey, uh…you haven’t seen any pegasus queens around here, have you?

(All he gets for this inquiry is a very funny look and a good view of the other stallion’s departing back. He is thrown off for a beat, but smiles/hums to himself and turns to the others, now on/near a set of bleachers. Sparky is not with them.)

Hitch: (to Pipp/Zipp) Well, guess you two were right. (Cloudpuff is now wearing the cap, also marked 5.) She’s not here— (Pipp crosses to him.) —but I’m sure your mom is just fine. She’s probably somewhere enjoying brunch right now.

(He and Cloudpuff set off across the grounds, but Pipp voices an exasperated huff and flies to cut them off.)

Pipp: Without me? (Scoff.) She could never!

Hitch: (circling around her) But hey, now that we’re here, now you can cheer me and Cloudpuff on in the first event! (Pipp groans; Zipp flies over to the pair.)

Zipp: Come on, Pipp. (ushering her away) Let’s go watch some weird sports.

(The two reinstall themselves on the bleachers, to either side of Sparky who has returned, and the younger uncorks a petulant whine that trails off into a groan. Izzy hops on at their end.)

Izzy: Or you can help me give out the trophies.

Sunny: I’ll help, Izzy! All these new unicorn traditions are so fascinating. (climbing onto bleachers alongside her) I’d love to get an inside look.

Izzy: (squealing joyfully, jumping off) Wait until you ponies see it! (posh accent) The Field Day games are so élégant! (walking off) Beautiful! Majestic!

(A soccer ball bounces past the bleachers, with a pony in hot pursuit who kicks up enough dust to induce a coughing spasm in Pipp.)

Pipp: (dryly) Majestic.

Act Two

(Cut to the exterior of the Brighthouse and tilt down from its upper reaches to frame Misty at the foot of the path leading up to it. She lets go with a Force Five sigh and begins an unhappy trudge toward the closed front doors; cut to just inside as she pushes one open and peeks in.)

Misty: Hel-loooo?

(Her perspective, panning slowly across the front hall.)

Misty: Is anypony home? (Back to her; she steps in.) Sunny? (Move toward fireplace.) Izzy?

(A click from somewhere below the bottom edge of the screen where her hoof has landed, and a stallion voice shatters the quiet.)

Stallion voice: Stay right where you are!

(Misty gasps as the camera tracks quickly around her to show that she is facing the television set above the fireplace, which is airing an on-location news broadcast from Bridlewood. Dazzle and Skye are on camera and at the onstage table, and Skye—whose voice was just heard—is speaking.)

Skye: You don’t want to miss a minute of our Bridlewood Forest Critter Field Day coverage!

(The intruding unicorn gasps sharply upon discovering that she has turned it on by stepping on the remote control. Groaning, she throws herself onto the nearest couch.)

Misty: This sneaking-around stuff is stressful. I wish there was another way for a pony to get a cutie mark. (She looks around herself and smiles.) Guess they’re not here, though.

(She wastes no time in making herself comfortable. Back to the TV on the next line; zoom in slowly.)

Skye: Next up, it’s Push Over!

(Cut to the competition site, where Hitch/Cloudpuff are facing down another entrant and his stubby rabbit teammate. A second such confrontation is taking place a few feet away. Sunny and Izzy are observing, the latter floating her manual of rules open at eye level, and a pegasus TV camera operator has his lens trained on the scene. Zoom in slowly and cut to a closer shot as Cloudpuff barks at his opposite number; he and Hitch are facing off against team #6.)

Sunny: (to Izzy) So the point of the game is…you push somepony over?

Izzy: Right! Or they push you over.

Hitch: You just push? Is there a starting bell or a score? Do we flip a bit to see who goes first? Or do I just…

(At the slightest nudge from his hoof, the unicorn opponent keels over sideways.)

Izzy: (jumping to him, manual and a trophy in her field) Right! Winner!

(Now wearing her sunglasses, she passes the cup across—and Hitch is thunderstruck to see it go to the collapsed stallion, who laughs as he scoops it up with a foreleg.)

Hitch: Wait! Him?!? That makes no sense.

(A slap from the bunny’s ear is enough to send Cloudpuff to the ground; now Izzy hunches down over the pair.)

Izzy: Another winner!

(She levitates a smaller trophy down to the rabbit, which hops and chirps in place and does nothing whatsoever to relieve Hitch’s utter lack of comprehension.)

Hitch: (scratching head) Whaaaat?

(Cut to a close-up of one of the paths snaking through Bridlewood and tilt up to frame Pipp and Zipp walking along it.)

Pipp: It’s hard to focus on these games when all I can think about is Mom.

Zipp: I’m sure she’s fine.

Pipp: Yeah, but I’m not sure! You’re a detective. (Both stop.) Can’t you start a real investigation or something?

(She throws her sister the best piteous whine she can cook up with no notice, to which said sister responds by pulling out her phone with a sigh and a humoring smile.)

Zipp: (dictating) “New entry. The Case of the Missing Mother.”

Pipp: (flaring wings, trotting in place, singing) Ye-e-e-es! (She gasps as they resume their walk.) We should question that grumpy old Alphabittle at the tea room. He knows all the Bridlewood gossip.

(The muffled sound of an older mare’s laughter freezes them both in their tracks. A cut to behind them and slow zoom in reveals that they are only a few paces from the source—the Crystal Tea Room. The doors are closed, and the steaming wooden teapot sign that advertised the name of the place has been replaced with one that only shows a crystal formation. Recall that the original sign fell while Sunny and company were making their hasty escape after winning the Unicorn Crystal.)

Pipp: (gasping) That laugh! That’s Mom’s laugh!

Zipp: Uh, no, it’s not. (to her phone) FlyPad, play Queen Haven laughing.

(The device plays an audio clip of the winged monarch’s laughter, sounding similar to that just heard but at a higher pitch and slightly different tone.)

Zipp: That’s Mom’s laugh.

Pipp: No, that’s the phony laugh she does in public.

(Another muffled peal of mirth rings across the space, the camera zooming in slowly on the stained-glass doors, and Zipp stows her FlyPad.)

Pipp: That’s Mom’s real laugh!

(The two hit the gas; cut to just inside the entrance as they burst in, Pipp flying and Zipp galloping. They flap/slide to a halt after a few yards, Pipp aiming an accusatory hoof toward the camera.)

Pipp: Aha!

(Zoom out quickly to put Alphabittle and Haven in the foreground, gazing dreamily at each other across the counter and each holding one of the other’s front hooves. Cut to them.)

Zipp: (from o.s.) Mom? (She snaps to with a gasp and pulls her leg back.) What are you doing here?

Haven: Um… (Embarrassed little sound; all four again.) 

Pipp: (to Haven, whispering) Blink twice if you’re being held hostage.

Haven: (stammering) Girls! This is Alphabittle, and…this is his tea room. Alphabittle, these are my daughters, the Princesses Pipp and Zipp.

Zipp: (needled) We know him! But why are you guys hanging out together?

Pipp: And why didn’t you show up for brunch?

Alphabittle: If you two are hungry, we got a great brunch here. Right, Haven?

Haven: (staring into his eyes again) Mmm-hmm.

Pipp: (pulling in a long gasp) Hitch was right! (touching down) You brunched without us! (She and Zipp take seats at the counter.)

Haven: Didn’t you get my message? (A kettle starts to sing; Alphabittle turns to mind it.) Didn’t Cloudpuff look so sweet with his little scroll? Sure, it was a little cryptic, but you girls do love decoding things.

(The stocky unicorn brings a pot to the royal family with his magic.)

Alphabittle: Would you two like some tea? (Zipp leans into his face.)

Zipp: We’re having a family discussion! Can you please give us a minute? (He turns away…)

Haven: Girls! That was very rude! (…and back again, polishing a cup.)

Zipp: Like bailing on a brunch date?

Haven: (scoffing, but smiling) Darlings, I told you that something important came up.

(Cut to her. Pipp’s phone is thrust into her face; on the next line, cut to the indignant younger daughter pointing emphatically at it. The screen shows a clip of the #6 rabbit knocking Cloudpuff down in the Push Over event.)

Pipp: This is important?

Izzy: (floating small trophy down to it) Winner!

Haven: (scoffing, pushing phone away) This Field Day is a special occasion for the unicorns, and now that the pegasus [sic] and unicorns are… (becoming distracted by Alphabittle’s movements; pan slowly to follow him) …reuniting, well, it’s—it’s important that we have, uh…ambassadors to…uh, w-when they… (Pipp has now stashed her phone.)

Pipp: What are you saying?

(All three pegasi step away from the counter; Haven takes a deep breath before continuing.)

Haven: I’m here in an official capacity! (turning back, seating herself) Now if you don’t mind, Alphie and I were discussing… (smiling at him, propping chin on front hooves) …official negotiations?

(Pipp and Zipp back slowly and uneasily away from the scene, smiles frozen on both faces.)

Pipp: Um…

Zipp: Yeah. We’re gonna…go outside now. (She gallops for the exit.)

Pipp: Hmph.

(She does not move until Zipp reaches into view and yanks her bodily away. There is the sound of a slamming door and jingling bell; cut to the pair just outside, where Pipp expresses her opinion more fully in the form of a disgusted retch.)

Pipp: Did she just call him Alphie?

(Dissolve to a long shot of the Brighthouse, tilting down slowly toward ground level, then cut to Misty stepping off the bottom end of one ramp in the entrance hall so she can pace the floor.)

Misty: So, the dragon’s not here, and I still can’t get up the elevator. There’s gotta be something I can take to her. I can’t show up empty-hooved again, or… (She stops near the fireplace and looks around.) …wait!

(She spots a trunk tucked into the overhang formed where one ramp meets the floor, crosses to it, and extracts it with no small effort. Snap to black, which wipes quickly upward in time with a latch being released to frame her wondering face—the camera has shifted to inside the trunk. She gasps and smiles in triumph; cut to her perspective of the contents and zoom in slowly. What she has found is a trove of items associated with the five friends’ past adventures.)

Misty: Bingo. (Back to her.) If I can’t bring Opaline their dragon, maybe I can bring her their memories. (Extract a thick book.) Maybe there’s magic in them.

(A close-up picks this item out as a photo album with Sunny’s picture on the front cover. Its first page holds a photo of her, Izzy, Pipp, and Zipp smiling in various ordinary and silly ways for the camera. Behind Misty, Dazzle and Skye continue their liver coverage on TV; zoom in on the next two lines, the focus shifting to the screen.)

Dazzle: Now what event is this we’re watching, Skye?

Skye: Well, Dazzle, I’m glad you asked. This isn’t an event at all.

(A cut fills the entire screen with a broadcast image of a competitor and his armadillo teammate hopping from side to side. A few repetitions of “bing-bong” are heard under the next two lines.)

Skye: (voice over) What the unicorns are doing here is called a jinxie dance.

(Pan quickly to others likewise as Hitch watches, gobsmacked.)

Skye: (voice over) This is an interesting ritual that they sometimes perform—

Hitch: Huh? (He chuckles weakly and backs away.)

Skye: (voice over) —to un-jinx themselves if they’re confronted with anything magical.

(These last few words are accompanied by a cut back to him and Dazzle at their microphone—seen directly, not as part of the broadcast.)

Skye: They believe magic may bring them bad luck.

Dazzle: Aren’t unicorns themselves magical?

Skye: Oh, yes.

(Broadcast image of the bleachers, where Sunny and her other three friends have seated themselves to watch a mare do the dance. Zoom in slowly.)

Skye: (voice over) But as we know, they didn’t have access to their unicorn magic for many thousands of moons.

(Back to the TV in the Brighthouse, which shows Dazzle and Skye again.)

Dazzle: Fascinating, Skye. Truly superstitious.

Skye: And stay tuned after the Games, tonight at eight. The ZBS True Zephyr Story—The Royal Family. (Cut to Misty ransacking the trunk; he is heard from the TV under her frustrated groan.) Check back in with our favorite high-flying sovereigns.

(Back to the TV. During the next words, the view dissolves to a slow tilt down along the height of a stylized image of Haven and her daughters, who stand to either side with their heads turned outward. The image is tinted blue, except for a gold portion forming the shape of a crown that touches one eye of each mare, and an exclamation point with a feather worked into its upper bar is at the top right corner—a station identifier. Once the dissolve occurs, Dazzle delivers the rest of the line as a voice over.)

Dazzle: The young Princesses may have flown the nest at the palace now, but royal bonds are keeping this family closer than ever.

(Dissolve to the sisters on the scene and in the same pose, peeking out from around opposite sides of a tree trunk. They step out fully, grim determination stenciled across every square inch of both faces, and hunker down behind a nearby crystal formation as Alphabittle’s soft chuckle drifts across. He and Haven emerge from the Crystal Tea Room, the doors closing to ring the bell, and amble smilingly along the path.)

Pipp: This is even worse than I feared.