The rainbow dipped towards the Rainbow Waterfall, slowing slightly as it neared the landmark. Pink, yellow, and purple water flowed from it, and it looked a bit rough. But it was the only way to Butterfly Island, and time was of the essence.
"Brace yourself," Star Catcher said. The other ponies did so, and Lily Lightly squeezed her eyes shut, somewhat afraid.
The waterfall roared over their heads, but the falls were surprisingly gentle, and they were through them in an instant. The rainbow landed on the soft sand on the beach and vanished when everyone was safely in the ground.
"So this is Butterfly Island," Rarity said, looking around at the trees, ocean, and tropical flowers. "It's really pretty! I wish we had time to make a sand castle."
"Perhaps we can at the party—after this is over," Star Catcher suggested with a kind smile.
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Let's rescue our friends first. Then we can talk parties and fun."
"Where are they, Star Catcher," Lily Lightly asked, looking around with a hoof to her eyes.
"The last time I saw them they were at the center of the island, near the waterfall and pool. I could find them more quickly if I flew, but Starsong and Toola-Roola are likely looking for me. If I get caught…my friends…"
Star Catcher trailed off. She was worried and a little frightened, and her friends moved to hug her. She returned their hugs, but still seemed nervous.
"It'll be okay, Star Catcher. Friends stick together! We'll help you and the other pegasus ponies no matter what," Pinkie Pie said.
"Yeah! We could head to where you last saw them for now. If they're not there, we'll look somewhere else," Rarity said.
Star Catcher smiled and hugged her friends. "Thank you. I feel better now! Shall we get started?"
The others nodded, but Pinkie Pie shook her head. "Before we go…"
"Yes," Star Catcher said.
"There's a chance Starsong may sing again and try to control us like she did your friends," Pinkie Pie said quietly. "We should try and stop that from happening, if we can."
The ponies nodded and looked around. Then Rarity's eyes lit up as she spied a tropical flower with a long stem.
"Hey, maybe we could use some of these flowers as earmuffs!"
"That sounds great," Pinkie Pie said, moving to pick one. "Uh, they grow back, right?"
"They do," Star Catcher said, moving to put one on her head. Then she saw Rarity's flower earmuffs, and laughed. "We look funny!"
Pinkie Pie giggled. "We do! But hopefully it'll work."
Lily giggled as well, her horn lighting up. "I feel more confident now! Let's go find your friends!"
Star Catcher smiled, nodded, and led them through a clearing of trees. After walking for a few minutes, they stopped. The ponies could hear noises, muffled through the earmuffs.
"What's that," Lily whispered.
"Don't know. Let's get closer," Rarity said.
Slowly, they approached the source of the sounds. Peeking out from behind a tall, thick tree, the ponies saw the source—Starsong and Toola Roola were in front of the wooden cage, talking.
"Any sign of Star Catcher," Toola Roola asked.
"No. I searched the entire island! I have no idea where she went," Starsong said. "This could be bad, especially if my song wears off…"
"Well, she'll have to come here eventually. This is where her friends are," Toola said, wrinkling her nose at the word.
Starsong giggled. "Yeah, and then when she does, we can lock her up with the rest!"
"This isn't good," Lily Lightly whispered. "They know Star Catcher will be here!"
"Well, we can't give up," Rarity said. "When times are bad, friends help each other."
"Then let's go together," Pinkie Pie said with a smile and a wink. "I bet they won't expect all of us!"
Star Catcher nodded and motioned for them to gather together. As one, the ponies walked forward—and when the ponies in the cage caught sight of them, their eyes lit up. The butterflies chattered, excited, and Thistle Whistle gave a whistle of joy. It seemed the very sight of friends was enough to break the hypnosis, if only slightly.
Starsong and Toola Roola were shocked at this, and when they saw Star Catcher, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Lily Lightly, they backed away.
Starsong turned to her partner. "Do you have a Plan B?"
Toola Roola began to panic. "I—I gotta draw something, quick! But what?"
She looked across the island, at the sea and the rolling, butterfly-shaped clouds. An idea struck her.
"I know! A storm! It's going to be tricky, but—"
"Wait," Rarity cried. "Please don't make a storm!"
"Why not," Toola Roola asked.
"For one thing," Pinkie Pie began, "a storm is big and powerful. Something that huge could damage the whole island!"
From the cage, the pegasus ponies and butterflies murmured in agreement. "It could hurt our friends, too," added Baby Honolu-Loo.
"For another," Lily Lightly said, "A storm makes everything dark! I don't know about you, but I'm glad my horns glows at night!" She giggled. "It's like having my own nightlight!"
"You're afraid of the dark too," Toola Roola asked. Lily nodded, and the earth pony smiled. "Wow! We have something in common!"
Then her face faltered. "But I know you're going to be in danger. That's part of the point."
"Yeah. And you'll never be able to free the pegasus ponies in a storm," Starsong added. "Toola, go for it!"
Toola Roola turned to a nearby tree and took out her brush, but Star Catcher flew forward and stopped her, eyes wide.
"Please don't! If you do you'll be in danger too!"
The artist blinked. She hadn't expected that response. "But it's our job to—"
"I know," Star Catcher said. "But think! If you make a storm you'll be swept up in it too. And if your brush goes missing there would be no way to stop it. Please, reconsider."
Toola Roola thought, and slowly nodded her head.
"Alright. But…why are you so worried about us?"
"Because that's what friends do," Star Catcher said simply.
At that word, the ponies' anger flared. "You're not our friends! You forgot us," Starsong yelled. "And we have to do what our Master tells us—stop you!"
Thistle Whistle let out a piercing whistle that caught their attention. "Quick, let's free the others," Rarity cried. The ponies nodded and ran for the cage,
Starsong turned to her partner, worried. "What do we do, Toola? We can't use your brush!"
"Uh…Um…Quick! Sing!"
Pinkie Pie was moments away from the cage door, ahead of the others—until Starsong began to sing. The earth pony stopped in her tracks, and the others gasped. Had the earmuffs failed to work?
Then she turned round and winked, setting her mouth to a neutral expression. Quickly, the others followed suit, and the ponies pretended to be under their control. Lily Lightly and Rarity moved in front of the Forgotten Ones, and Star Catcher faced the cage door.
Toola Roola and Starsong cheered. "All right! We did it!"
The artist blinked. "Um…Now what?"
"Um…I guess they go in the cage too? Hey, purple unicorn," Starsong ordered. "Open the cage!"
"Actually," Lily said, "my name's Lily Lightly. These are Star Catcher, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity."
Everyone stared, and Lily gasped as she realized what she said.
"Um…uh oh."
"She was faking! But how," Starsong cried, flying up in dismay then she spotted something attached to Lily's mane. "W-wait, her ears! She must have covered them!"
"We all did," Star Catcher said. "Your song can't affect us. So, will you please let my-"
"I'll fix that," Toola Roola said, drawing out her brush. Quickly, she began to paint grey lines on a nearby tree.
A sudden wind picked up, sweeping everyone's earmuffs off into the sky—except for Star Catcher, who chased hers and managed to put them back on.
But by the time she did, Starsong had begun to sing. And this time the ponies weren't faking being hypnotized. Their eyes were blank, with deep swirls, and they moved in unison.
Toola turned to Starsong.
"Now what?"
Starsong thought. "Not sure. M-my singing voice is starting to give…Hey, I know!"
She turned to the ponies, fluttering up and pointing at Star Catcher.
"Everyone! Catch her!"
Star Catcher flew some distance away from the others and landed on the beach.
"Scared," Toola Roola asked.
Star Catcher said nothing and waited. As her friends moved towards her, she made no attempt to run or fly away, and she didn't seem to be afraid like Toola Roola thought.
As Pinkie Pie moved forward, Star Catcher met her charge—and pulled her into a hug.
Both Pinkie Pie and Star Catcher began to glow with a warm, pink light that made the Forgotten Ones reel back, eyes closed tightly. Breaking free from the hug, Star Catcher saw that Pinkie Pie's eyes and demeanor were normal. The hypnosis had been broken.
"Star Catcher," she began, "I'm so sorry!"
"It's all right, Pinkie Pie. Our friendship is stronger than any spell," Star Catcher said with a warm smile.
She turned to Rarity, then Lily Lightly, and hugged each of them in turn. Each time, a warm light shone from their bodies that made Toola Roola and Starsong wince—and freed the ponies from the effects of the song.
"I'm sorry for giving us away," Lily said, head lowered. "I messed up."
"It's okay, Lily," Rarity said. "We forgive you!"
Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yeah! Friends forgive others' mistakes. And speaking of friends…"
Star Catcher turned and opened the cage door, freeing the pegasus ponies and the butterflies. The butterflies swooped around the ponies in joy, and nuzzled close against Star Catcher before trailing behind her.
"You saved us," Island Delight cried.
"Way to go," Coconut Grove said, doing a loop-the-loop in joy.
"You're all our heroes," said Silver Glow.
"Thank you so much, everyone," Star Catcher began. "But I couldn't have done it without help from my dear friends."
The ponies all cheered, but stopped when they saw Toola Roola and Starsong, looking glum.
"Um, what do we do about Toola Roola and Starsong," Thistle Whistle asked. "S-should we let them go free after all they did?"
Star Catcher thought. "Well…"
The Forgotten Ones winced.
"Yes."
"What!? Why," Toola Roola and Starsong cried in unison.
"Yeah, why," Thistle Whistle said. "They were really—"she whistled—" mean to us!"
Star Catcher nodded. "I forgive them. There's room in my heart for every pony, Thistle Whistle—and they shall never be forgotten again."
Starsong and Toola Roola were moved to tears. "Y-you'll really let us go home?" Starsong asked, voice quivering.
"Really. We have no intention of keeping you here—but please, don't harm anything else."
"But that's just it," Toola Roola sighed. "We did—no. I did."
At that, Star Catcher looked concerned. "What do you mean?"
"Um…Uh…"
Toola Roola began to cry. "I was the one who brought winter to Breezie Blossom. It was my brush and my painting. It was even my idea! I'm sorry…"
Pinkie Pie stepped forward, her tone serious, but still kind. "You saw what happened to the Breezies, right, Toola Roola?"
She nodded.
"Well…If you feel bad about it, you can always fix it! If a pony makes a mistake, she learns from it," Pinkie Pie continued.
"I-I can't! The Master wouldn't allow it. But…"
"But what," Lily Lightly asked.
"Well…I'll think about it," Toola Roola said. "I promise."
"I feel bad about controlling you all," Starsong admitted. "I remember, back when we were remembered, how I used to sing and have everyone sing along. I-I sort of miss those days," she said quietly.
"Well, there's always a song in Ponyville or Breezie Blossom," Pinkie Pie said.
"Same with Unicornia! We love to sing," Lily Lightly said.
"You've heard our music on Butterfly Island," Star Catcher said with a smile.
"I, uh, I'll think about what you said too. Come on, Toola," Starsong said.
She turned to leave, motioning for Toola Roola to follow her—but Baby Honolu-Loo's voice stopped them both.
"Wait, friends," she called, fluttering forward.
In her front hooves, the baby pony held out two flowers, one red and one green.
"For you," she said, offering one to each of them.
"…Thank you," the Forgotten Ones whispered together.
Toola Roola took the red flower and Starsong the green one, putting them in their manes—and they left Butterfly Island quietly, without a single act of mischief.
"I sure hope they think about things," Pinkie Pie said.
"Me too," said Thistle Whistle, sounding moved. "They seemed so sad! I-I hope somehow we can be friends. Even if they are scary sometimes."
"I do as well. But right now we have to help Pinkie Pie and her friends in Ponyville," Star Catcher said. "Would anyone like to come along? It may be scary…"
Baby Honolu-Loo stepped forward. "Can I come," she asked, fluttering up—and dropping onto the soft sand.
"Maybe when things are peaceful," Star Catcher said with a smile.
She turned to the others. "Thistle Whistle, would you like to come? You were right about Toola Roola and Starsong. We could use your ideas and advice."
Thistle Whistle gulped, but when she spoke, she was serious. "W-well, I've been to Ponyville before, and whatever scary thing is there, it can't be worse than clouds."
She paused, letting out a nervous whistle.
"Please tell me it isn't clouds."
"It isn't clouds," Pinkie Pie said. "But it is a pony and a drago—"
Thistle Whistle smiled. "As long as it isn't clouds I don't mind! Let's go! Uh, how will we get to Ponyville? Star Catcher and I can't carry all three of you…"
"We'll help," said Coconut Grove. "Island Delight and I can help carry our friends to Ponyville! It's the least we can do for saving us!"
"Thanks again," added Cloud Climber. "The next time you come to Butterfly Island, we'll have a party like no other!"
"I can't wait to be there," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. Hopping onto Thistle Whistle, she waited as Lily Lightly and Rarity went with Coconut Grove, and Island Delight. Star Catcher flew in front, leading the way.
"Good luck out there," called the pegasus ponies.
"Thank you! I'll be back soon," Star Catcher called back.
The pegasus ponies took off, and Pinkie Pie smiled and waved—but inside, she was thinking about what to do next.
They would all need luck when they reached Ponyville.