Princess Sunshine, also known as Sunny, raced across the fields, her short golden hair streaming out behind her in the wind, her feet having long since discarded her heels, instead pounding across the ground bare.

She turned as she reached the river that marked the border Eldoria shared with Neolan. She could no longer see the castle, only the dark clouds in the sky, stretching only a mile away and fast approaching. Her only hope of saving the kingdom was escaping them and stopping the evil Lord Tamish.

She turned back to the river and carefully put a foot onto an algae-covered stone sticking out just above the surface. It felt slimy and gross, but she kept moving. Eventually, she made it across, and without falling too.

She sat for a moment to catch her breath, reaching into her small satchel to grab her late mother's book, which held her last memories of her mother and probably the last bit of Faire Magic in the world.

After a small yet heartfelt moment with her book, she hugged it to her chest and gently replaced it in the satchel. With a glance to the east, she took off running again, weaving in and out of trees and bushes, jumping over their fallen limbs and bulging roots.

She felt her heart beating in her chest and her blood pumping through her veins as she ran further and further away from Eldoria and the only home she'd ever known.

As the sun was setting, she found a small clearing just big enough to camp in for the night. The Foule Magic of the cloud probably wouldn't bother her, given her distance from Eldoria. She stood there, panting, for a moment, the reality of what had happened and what she'd done sinking in fully. She'd had only a few breaks throughout the day and spent every moment in terror that Tamish would find her, so she hadn't truly thought clearly since the night before.

She spent the next few days trying to get as far away from her home as possible, heading to a small town at the edge of the Great Chasm that she had only been to once, for that was where her wild Aunt Carol lived.

Finally, she reached the village, though in a state that no self-righteous princess would wish to ever find herself. Her hair was messy, her outfit ripped, torn, and soiled, and she hadn't showered properly in a week. Still, now that she'd made it, she'd have time to prepare before she confronted Tamish.

She stumbled towards the large cluster of buildings that made up the main part of the village as people rushed towards her, her Aunt Carol at the front.

Sunny collapsed into her aunt's arms, allowing herself to be carried into Carol's cottage.
One of her aunt's friends came over and the two busied themselves making food and tidying the house while Sunny slept. When she awoke, she was unsurprisingly quite hungry and gratefully drank the hot soup she was given.

Finally, after the commotion of her arrival died down, she told her aunt and her friend, Madison, as well as the village head, why she was there. She described the details of how Tamish had overthrown her family, how she'd barely escaped with her life, and her journey through the wilderness to get to the village only once.

The three sat in silence as they processed what she'd said. It was big news, not to be taken lightly. They also needed a solution quickly if they wanted to continue with their lives.
"Well," the village head said. "I will alert all citizens suitable to fight, and the village should know what is happening."

Before he could leave, however, Sunny stood up and stopped him.

"No," she said calmly. "None of us are strong enough to face him, for he uses Foule Magic, and the only way to stop it is--"

"Faire Magic," Madison interrupted. "And the last Faire Magic worker was the Queen."

"What about... your mother's book?" Carol questioned Sunny.

Sunny shook her head, her hands on her hips. "No, there's not enough to defeat him. Plus, I don't want to use one of my last memories as a weapon."

"Yes, but the people still need to know!" the village head responded, sounding exasperated.
"Then they'll want to fight, at the cost of innocent lives. And this village would become a target!" Sunny shot back. "No, we need a better plan."

"Well, then what do you propose?" Carol asked, crossing her arms

Sunny sat silently, for she had no plan. All her efforts until that moment had been to escape safely and bring news to her relatives.

Unbeknownst to any of the four, a pair of small ears listening in were just outside, in the hallway. The owner of the ears was Sunny's younger cousin, Katherine.

"Well, I don't know how to stop him, but the least we can do is not panic people. We have to find a source of Faire Magic, or else we don't stand a chance," Sunny finally said.

"You're right," Madison said with a shudder.

"Well, I know we don't truly have a plan, but we should all go; I have a feeling Sunny needs some rest," Carol said, winking at her niece.

Katherine, who'd had her ear pressed against the door, quietly ran out the front door, her softly padded socks making no sound on the floor. She disappeared out of sight as the door to the room opened and the three adults filed out, leaving Sunny alone in the bedroom.

Katherine waited outside, remaining unseen as everyone left the house, and then crept inside. She crept to the room where Sunny was, and pushed the door open, slipping inside.
Sunny looked up, surprised to see the nine-year-old.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked suspiciously. Katherine was known for being a prankster, and Sunny didn't have the energy for that right then.

"Listen, I'm not up to anything bad," Katherine said, knowing her reputation. "I was listening outside—"

Sunny started interrupting, but Katherine beat her to it.

"Yes, I know I wasn't supposed to and blah blah blah, but you need to listen!" Katherine said, stomping her foot for good measure. "I know how to defeat Tamish."

Hearing this, Sunny sat straight up, all anger forgotten.

"What do you mean?" she asked hesitantly.
"You said that you'd need Faire Magic to win, correct?" Katherine asked.

Sunny nodded, and Katherine continued.
"Well, there's one more creature that uses it, and I know how to get to them..."

Sunny stared at Katherine, dumbfounded. She recovered after a few moments and racked her mind for what such a creature could be. All her brain could come up with was the mythical creature of an alicorn, which didn't exist.

Her shoulders slumped as she realized her cousin had once again gotten the best of her. She cursed herself for believing Katherine, but she'd hoped so much that she could save her kingdom.

Katherine noticed the movement and redoubled her efforts, insisting that she wasn't pranking her cousin.

"Sunny, look at me. I promise that I'm not lying! Tell me, you thought of alicorns, did you not?" Katherine said, looking Sunny in the eyes.

Sunny nodded, still skeptical.

"I can prove they exist, but you'll have to trust me," Katherine said, grabbing Sunny by the wrist and dragging her towards the door. Sunny stumbled at the sudden movement but regained her footing, running to follow Katherine as she sprinted, weaving around buildings, plants, animals, and people.

Finally, after several minutes, they reached a small clearing just inside the forest opposite the Great Chasm.

Katherine held up a hand to stop Sunny, and Sunny stood, staring at the breathtaking scenery and the soft light shining through the leaves.

Katherine fumbled in her pocket to pull out a small whistle with various small objects tied to it. Sunny watched as she blew it, but instead of a loud, piercing note, the sound that came out was a soft, melodic tune.

The forest was silent for a few moments, then came the answering call of a soft whinny. The bushes rustled and out stepped a majestic alicorn, feathered wings folded by her sides, a spiraling horn jutting out from her head.

Katherine spoke softly and quietly, so as not to startle the creature. "Her name is Dewdrop."
Sunny gasped, in shock that such a creature existed, her heart filled with hope.

With the help of the alicorn, perhaps they could defeat Tamish once and for all.

After she recovered from the shock of having her world turned upside-down and new hope introduced, Sunny's first thought was to tell the village council about the discovery.

Sunny stepped forward and ran a hand lightly through the dazzling mare's mane. It was soft, and impossibly easy to comb through.

As Sunny took her hand away, Dewdrop tossed her head and snorted, ruffling her wings.

Sunny turned to Katherine, who was looking at and communicating with Dewdrop as one would with an old friend.

"We must tell the village about her!" Sunny said, grasping her cousin's hands in hers. "This changes everything!"

Katherine pulled away, but nodded, turning to Dewdrop and pressing her forehead against the alicorn's.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she pulled away and declared that Dewdrop had agreed and that they should head back to the village immediately.

Sunny readily agreed and turned to go back the way they had come, but Katherine stopped her and gestured to where Dewdrop had bowed down, wings spread so that the two girls could climb on.

"I think we'll fly there," Katherine said with a grin.

At that, they both clambered onto Dewdrop's back, and with a snort, Dewdrop spread her wings and took off, leaping into the air and brushing over the treetops. They soared through the air, both grinning widely with glee, and Dewdrop was enjoying herself too.

After a time that didn't seem long enough for any of them, they were at the cottage, and Dewdrop angled downwards, spiraling down to land lightly in the front yard, to the astonishment of Carol.

Much the same as Sunny, Carol gaped as she came to terms with the news, then a grin spread across her face. She squealed with glee in a child-like way, then rushed inside to fetch Madison, who had been tending to something inside.

Madison alerted the village head, who also gaped. All the while, Dewdrop stood calmly, waiting for everyone to settle. Sunny and Katherine both stroked her mane as the audience realized what her arrival meant for them, Eldoria, and the world.

"Well... this changes everything," Madison finally breathed, still staring at the breathtaking mare.

"With Dewdrop, I'm sure we can win this," Sunny said excitedly, scratching Dewdrop behind the ears, though having to stand on her tiptoes to do it.

"Yes, and we should set out as soon as possible," Carol said.

Everyone dispersed and began packing quickly, gathering again less than ten minutes later.

"One more thing..." Katherine said, raising her unique whistle again and blowing.

Not thirty seconds later, a male alicorn flew out from the clouds and landed.

"This is Thunder," Katherine said. "He's Dewdrop's mate."

Both alicorns bowed and everyone aside from the village head clambered onto one of them, Katherine and Sunny on Dewdrop and Madison and Carol on Thunder.

They ignored the village head's protest as the two alicorns took off to Eldoria and the confrontation with Tamish.

After six hours of travel, the alicorns brought them into Eldoria, only a mile away from the castle.

They landed to rest, as everyone was tired after riding all day.

The alicorns feasted on the short, lush grass and bushes just beyond the castle walls as their human companions sat eating and drinking, casting worried glances at the dark clouds overhead.

They rested for only ten minutes, then continued towards the castle, which was in sight at that point.

They climbed onto the readied alicorns, feeling the steady flap of their wings as they rose higher and higher, heading towards the looming castle in the distance.

Once they reached it, they hovered for a minute, surprised and saddened at how the once grand building of peace and love had become a depressing wasteland of hatred. Everything about it seemed darker, amplified by the great cloud of magic above.

Finally, Sunny took a deep breath and called out as loud as she could.

"Lord Tamish! Your time as ruler is over!" she yelled, projecting her voice as much as possible. "Come out and face us!"

She waited in mounting terror, though she kept a straight face, if only for the sake of her cousin.

Finally, a figure in a dark hooded cloak holding a long wooden staff stepped out onto a great balcony that had once belonged to the king and queen.

"Face me all you want, but you shall lose," Tamish said, his voice thundering. The few wildlife that had been around scampered and scurried away, leaving the only remaining people Tamish, Katherine, Sunny, Madison, Carol, and the alicorns.

"Well, you may be surprised!" Katherine shouted, rising on Dewdrop's back where she'd sat behind Sunny, her smaller frame wobbling on the airborne mare. "We can defeat you and we will!" Saying this, she pumped her fist into the air, showing an enormous amount of courage and defiance for her young age, which could easily be mistaken for naivety.

"Then so be it," Tamish responded confidently. Then, faster than they could blink, he whipped his staff above his head and summoned a great strike of lightning, creating a cloud of dust and light that temporarily blinded them all.

When everything had cleared, they saw him standing not on the balcony, as they had thought, but on the back of a gigantic dragon, staff clutched in his right hand, a ball of burning red light in his left.

He hurled the ball at them, forcing them to separate. Tamish used this to his advantage, and, before they could strike back, conjured another red ball, using his dragon's fire to blast it straight at Thunder, Carol, and Madison, causing them to fall from the sky.

"Mom!" screamed Katherine, as Sunny yelled simultaneously, "Auntie!"

Tamish, having taken care of who he had realized were the 'extras', turned to Dewdrop and unleashed another red ball.

However, since she'd had time to prepare, Dewdrop's horn shined a majestic purple and a glowing creamy force field conjured around them, deflecting the ball without strain.

In turn, Dewdrop launched an attack of her own, transforming the field into a six-pointed star that she launched towards Tamish and his mount with a loud whinny.

However, it just glanced off the tough scales of the dragon, and Tamish cackled as a grin spread across his face. "You shall never defeat me!" he cried, launching ball after ball at them.
Dewdrop was quick and dodged the first before making another shield.

Katherine and Sunny glanced at each other, sharing a look that communicated both of them realized they wouldn't win as they were going. Dewdrop was getting more and more exhausted with each attack, and though she was still going strong, she wouldn't be if the current situation continued.

Katherine climbed over Sunny, placed her hands on Dewdrop's head around her horn, and motioned for Sunny to do the same.
Sunny did, and she felt the soft warmth of the magic Dewdrop was working.

"Grandma always used to say that each of us had magic within," Katherine muttered hopefully. "If she was right, now would be a great time to use it!"

At that, they closed their eyes and reached deep inside them. Dewdrop, sensing what they were doing, let down the shield and flew high, then channeled her magic to join with the magic of the two girls.

The flapping of her wings provided a rhythmic pulsing for the pent-up energy, and as the three swirled together, a new magic was born.

Together, they channeled the magic through themselves and out through Dewdrop's horn.
A blinding white beam raced towards Tamish and his dragon, more powerful than even the Foule Magic the enemies were using.

It collided with them, creating an explosion like lightning, except this time, when the residue cleared, the bodies of Tamish and his dragon lay motionless on the ground.

Dewdrop landed, followed by Thunder, who'd recovered his passengers during the climax of the battle.

Sunny slowly walked towards the bodies, followed by Katherine, each wondering one thing. Were they really dead?

Sunny prodded Tamish carefully with her toe and met no resistance. She nodded to her comrades and climbed back onto Dewdrop with Katherine.

Thunder aimed his horn at the bodies, and in a whoosh of light, they turned to dust and were flung away by the light breeze. The sky gradually cleared, shining the sun onto the castle, courtyard, and village for the first time in days.

Then, slowly, a door creaked open in the village and a head peeked out. Then another. And another. The residents of the village emerged from their houses, curious what was going on, why there was light, the same question in their heads as had been in Sunny and Katherine's.
Sunny watched curiously, then stepped forward to address them.

"Citizens of Eldoria, spread this message wide! We have banished Tamish, the lord of evil! I will protect you from this day forward, aided by my relatives and friends!"

The people cheered as Dewdrop walked up behind her, slowly transforming Sunny's soiled dress into a magnificent gown fit for a true queen.

Sunny turned around and knelt to hug Katherine, Carol, Madison, Thunder, and Dewdrop, with whom she couldn't have done it without.

She smiled as she realized they were all heroes and that they'd vanquished the evil from their kingdom for good.

•~<| The End |>~•