So, I've just watched season 5 of Make Your Mark and it looks like some of the new details don't exactly fit in with what I have in this fanfic. Oh well! Enjoy the finale.

I do not own My Little Pony: Make Your Mark series or its characters. There is a scene based on the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series, which I also do not own.

Also, I've left an important message at the end of this chapter. It's vital that you read it!

"Become a full alicorn" Griffdora answered. "Right now, Sunny possess alicorn magic. But only when that magic becomes one with your very soul can you be a full alicorn. Once it does, you will be Opaline's equal."

Hitch stepped up with a concern look. "But, how can Sunny become a full alicorn?"

It was Zipp who answered. "I think I know how. In the book about alicorns in the ancient world, it says that a pony could only become a full alicorn after passing some sort of magical test."

"Brainy Pegasus right!" Prince Yan yelled. "Sunny Pony need to pass test to become alicorn pony."

"A test?" Pipp squealed. "How the hay does some pony study for a test like that?"

Izzy seemed less worried. "With hard work, preparation, and lots of chocolate!"

But Griffdora shook. "Actually, according to the ancient records, the test will find you, Sunny. There will come at one point soon where your element will be put to the test. Only if you overcome that challenge, will you find yourself in the Heavens of Harmony."

Remembering reading about the Heavens of Harmony from the alicorn book, Zipp continued for her. "Where only ponies chosen to be true alicorns enter. And after walking through, they will return to earth real alicorns."

The griffin smiled. "Very true. Once Sunny is blessed by the Heavens of Harmony and granted true alicorn status, she will become even more powerful than anypony alive today. Then, you will be able to defeat Opaline."

Misty was still confused. "But, how will Sunny know when the test finds her?"

"It's not too difficult when you take a look back at the other alicorns before you" Smokey answered with a confident tone. "The Princess of Friendship became an alicorn after she reversed a spell that saved all of her friends. The Princess of Love became an alicorn after teaching some evil pony how to love. The Princess of Equality became an alicorn after standing up for other creatures. So, we can assume that the Alicorn of Unity has to pass a test involving unity."

Sunny nodded. It did make sense that if she truly was the Alicorn of Unity, that the test she would eventually have to take to become a full alicorn would have to be on unity. But how? What sort of challenge could test her on unity? And how would she know when it happens? The more she thought about it, the more worried she became. If she didn't pass whatever test would eventually find its way to her, does that mean Opaline wins?

Before she had a chance to say anything more to the counsel, Duchess stood from her seat with a small pocket watch in her paws. "It's nearing sunset. It is time that we return to our citizens!"

Each of the other ten counsel members nodded.

But Zipp gave them each a doubtful look. "No, wait! You can't just leave us now. There are still so many questions we need answers to." She still wished to ask them about if they could come back to this secret hideout of the Sparkle Counsel. And if Opaline has stolen magic from other creatures, is there a way to take it away from her?

Summerflame sighed. "And we wish we can give them to you. But Duchess is right. We need to return to our subjects. Same as you all must return to Equestria."

"Yeah, dudes" Smokey added. "With Opaline still crazy for vengeance and power, who knows what dastardly plans she's been jotting down this very moment."

Even Misty agreed. "They're right. Opaline wants all the magic that Equestria has. And is determined to finish what she started all those moons ago."

"That is why you all must return to your home right away" Riversky spoke up. "If Opaline truly does regain her powers, no creature will be safe."

"Also why Sparkle Counsel must return to homes" Prince Yan added. "Must protect magic before Opaline finds homes!"

Hitch clinch onto Sparky tightly and gave every creature a determined stare. "Then we have to do the same." When his friends all looked at him weirdly, he explained. "If Opaline tried to take all the magic that the Allies of Equestria had, she may try to take the magic from the ponies of Equestria too. If she figures out how to take their magic, then not only will she be far more powerful…"

Zipp finished his sentence. "She'll might be able to use all that stolen magic to find all the other magical creatures and take their magic."

Catpilla spoke with a gentle voice. "As much as we really wish to help you all, we each have responsibilities to attend to with our kingdoms."

"Which is also why we have to stay hidden" Kong added. "Until Opaline is defeated, no other creature with magical abilities is safe."

Listening to all of these creatures' worries, the large lump inside Sunny felt like it had grown double in size. It was troubling her enough that all of Equestria depended on her. Now just about every creature with magical abilities expected her to save them by achieving what few ponies ever did. It had already stressed her enough that all of Equestria depended on her passing some alicorn test. Now she was told that just about every creature with magic was relying on her to become some hero that they'd been waiting hundreds of moons for. Oh, all of this was eating her up inside like termites to a wooden house.

That was when Griffdora gently wrapped her paws around one of Sunny's front hooves. "My dear, I speak for us all when I say that we truly wish to do whatever it takes to help you and your friends. However…"

Sunny already knew what she was about to say. "We know. You can't risk Opaline finding you or your citizens."

"Very true." The griffon's smile grew. "But, rest assure you, my friend. We do not plan on leaving you to face the challenge ahead alone."

Sunny and her friends gave the counsel a confused look. "What do you mean?" Zipp dared to ask, her head still so full of questions.

Griffdora turned to Riversky and gave her fello counsel member a head nod. The hippogriff swooped above them and out of the room. But quickly returned in no more than a second. With her was a very heavy brown book with the symbols of a purple star, pink butterflies, a rainbow in the shape of a lightening bolt with a cloud, three apples, blue diamonds, and bright colorful balloons. Riversky clumsily handed it to Zipp. But when she skimmed the pages, they were all blank. What was the deal giving them an unwritten book?

"This was one of the last relics that Twilight Sparkle entrusted the counsel to hold onto until the right pony would arrive" Griffdora explained as she showed them an exact copy of the book. She then began writing down in her book. And suddenly, the words We believe in you all began appearing on the first page of the book Zipp held. "When one writes in one of these books, it is copied onto the other. This way, we can stay in touch without Opaline finding out our location."

"Believe it or not, this technique was used to communicate with others even across different dimensions" Smokey added. "So it ought to work across oceans."

But Pipp gave them a weird glance. As amazing as this type of magic was, it did sound a lot similar to something they (she more than any pony) did constantly. "Haven't any of you heard of texting?"

From the confusion the counsel members gave, she assumed not. Geez, after this whole thing with Opaline was finished, she really needed to teach these creatures the usage of modern technology.

"Accordshy" Duchess was the next to speak. "Please, show our guests the way out. And do point them in the shorter path back to Equestria."

Accordshy stopped painting her nails white and grinned joyfully. "Yes, your canineness." She then poof herself to the six ponies. "Come now. I'll be your dudes' escort."

But Sunny wasn't ready to leave yet. "Wait! What if I fail that test? What if I'm not worthy of becoming a full alicorn? Does that mean Opaline wins?"

Every creature frowned with worry and was silent. It felt as if time had just stopped once Sunny spoke out her thoughts. Perhaps she should have kept her thoughts silence.

But then that silence was broken by an obnoxious laughter. It turned out to be coming from a giggling Accordshy. The draconequus was laughing so hard that her head literally fell off, which caused every creature else to give her annoyed looks. "What?" she asked as she screwed her head back on. "Don't tell me you great leader dudes expected that the pony you've been waiting so long for would be some sort of knight in shining armor ready for any challenges that awaited them without a single doubt." She mockingly poof herself into a knighted suit of armor. "Oh please, I may not have been that old when Twilight passed. But even I remember that she wasn't the perfect pony who could do no wrong. I mean, pops says that she was crazy about schedules, was a perfectionist at times, and went bonkers when overwhelmed with even the smallest situations."

The counsel members still looked annoyed. "And your point is?" Duchess asked with a frown.

Accordshy ate a cup full of tea and tossed away the plate. "My point is, regardless of the mistakes and faults that Twilight had, she still ended up becoming the princess that we've come to worship and respect. Why else did we name our counsel after her?"

"You're not a part of this counsel" Kong spoke with his arms crossed.

The giggling creature popped herself over to Sunny and gave her a suffocating hug. "My dear, dear little pony. I know that it's tough that the fate of all of Equestria as well as every other magical creature in the world rests on your shoulders." After releasing Sunny from her tight grip, Accordshy gently placed the young pony back on the ground and went on. "But, just like all of the leaders you see here, I believe that you're more than who you think you are."

Sunny gave her a doubtful look. "How are you so sure of that?"

"Because, you have the one thing that Twilight had that made her the powerful alicorn we knew her as." She used her magic to showcase the heart shaped locket that the breezies gave Sunny not long ago. Oh my, she'd completely forgotten that she kept it around her neck this entire time! "Remember what that breezie who gave you that pretty thing told you. 'No pony is alone who has friends.' And it looks like you got yourself a pretty good bunch of friends there."

Sunny wasn't surprised to hear that her friends were the best she could have ever hoped for. That was something she had no doubt about. However, she was concern about another matter in regards to Accordshy's comment. "Um, how do you know about this locket that the breezies gave me?"

As Accordshy was guiltily grinning in silence and staring at the ceiling, Summerflame stared at the locket in awe. "Zair, doesn't that heart look familiar?"

The zebra nodded with her eyes widen in shock. "By my sight, no doubt it's Starlight's."

Zipp's ears rang. Putting her record button on her phone on, she flew to the kirin and zebra. "Wait, say that again. Just who is Starlight?"

It was the hippogriff who answered. "I'm afraid that we do not know much about her. Some records of ancient times were lost when Opaline rosed. Those that survived only mention that Starlight was one of Twilight Sparkle's closest friends."

"A dear one at that" Griffdora added. "And one of those say that on the first anniversary of Twilight's ruling as leader of Equestria, Starlight had presented her with that locket as a symbol of their friendship."

Sunny touched her locket in awe. "You mean, this belonged to Twilight?"

Zipp continued recording. "Wait, the locket is suppose to symbolize hope?" The more answers these leaders gave her, the more questions she had. Like if the locket was a gift to Twilight, how did the breezie ended up with it? And why did they give it to Sunny? What was the deal with it? All of these facts made her wonder.

They made Misty wonder too. "But if the locket represents hope, why did Starlight give it to Twilight to symbolize their friendship?"

Riversky's smile grew. "You see, Starlight's heart was once filled with a darkness few can escape from. The same darkness that affected Gem Fire. Then when Twilight encountered her, the princess managed to save Starlight by giving her the one thing that could rid her of the darkness within, her friendship. By doing so, the darkness inside Starlight's heart was vanquished. And the two ponies ended up being the best of friends."

"So Twilight saved Starlight from a darken heart?" Pipp questioned. "That's sounds so sweet. Oh, sweet enough to make a song out of it!" She took out her phone and began jotting down lyrics for a new song.

"More so" Riversky continued. "Twilight gave Starlight hope when she desperately needed it."

Griffdora gazed upon the locket with glee. "And hope is what that locket is said to symbolize. As does the pony who wears it." She gave Sunny and proud smile. "We can only assume that the breezies had faith that you are the pony who will bring hope to Equestria."

"As Sunny pony has done for all counsel leaders" Prince Yan added as a tear slip down his cheek.

Izzy wrapped her hoof around Sunny's shoulder. "That's our Sunny for ya. Brings ponies hope wherever she goes."

Sunny's heart was filled with joy. She always did her best to bring hope to all. Now, every creature was saying that she succeeded. Maybe they were right. Maybe she was able to defeat Opaline. All she needed was to never lose sight of hope.

That's when Duchess grumbled. "Need I remind you all that we'd best be returning to our citizens."

"Oh, yeah" Smokey agreed. "Better head back to the other dragons before they decide to do more reckless lava surfing without me."

"Before you go" Hitch ran up to the dragon, looking heart broken. "I'd like you to take Sparky with you. Opaline will be after him again and…" He tried his best not to cry. "Well, he deserves to be with his own kind. So…" His eyes became small waterfalls. "It's for the best!" He held Sparky up to her, but poor little Sparky refused to let go of him.

Smokey grinned. "Look, you're right about one thing. Opaline will be after him. But she'll be after all of us. This little guy's not goin'a be any safer with me or the other dragons. Plus, it doesn't seem that he wants to leave you." Sparky hugged Hitch's neck. "Look, the fact that you're willing to do something that would break your heart just to keep him safe proves that you would do anything for him. Taking that into consideration, I believe that the best place for him is anywhere with you."

Oh thank Equestria! Hitch wouldn't have to say goodbye to his little guy after all. The dragon lord said so herself. He cradled his dragon tightly, now knowing that they would be together forever.

"Arg, now that you maties' dragon business be taken care of" Captain Perry spoke as he drew his sword. "We'd best be heading back to our lands!"

"Of course" Sunny spoke. "We'd hate to keep any of you here longer than you need."

"Before we leave you though" Riversky flew to Zipp. "Your determination to solve so many mysteries and find answers to questions in order to help your friends shows fine loyalty. And that is a great trait one can have. For one's loyalty to the creatures they care about shows selflessness and fine spirit." Zipp felt so touched that she couldn't help but blush.

"As does kindness" Smokey told Hitch. "And from what I've witnessed of you dude, the amount of care you have towards Sparky shows that your heart is filled with all that. And the kindness you show towards other creatures reflects who you are and how your friends see you. Never lose sight of what's in your heart." Hitch, still cradling Sparky, was so moved that he shed a tear.

"Yan next to speak!" Prince Yan gave Izzy a stern look. "Funny Unicorn bright and filled with laughter. Laughter is what ponies always need. For world without laughter, world without happiness or joy. Both that Funny Unicorn brings to all." Awe, what a nice thing for the prince yak to say. Izzy wished she had one of her craft projects to give him to say thanks.

It was so touching that Pipp had to take a selfie to memorialize this sweet moment. She even had Catpella make kissy faces with her in the shot. The leader of the changlings giggled "thank you for including me. A very generous act of you. And one's generosity is tied to their good heart, as does to what they bring to their friends." Oh, Pipp was even more touched that she took several more selfies.

Summerflame turned to Misty with a serious expression. "As for you, young unicorn" she gently lifted Misty's chin up to face her. "I can see in your eyes that you've struggled with speaking the truth in the past. My guess is that it's mostly due to a bad influence." Misty sighed. Opaline had that way of making her do things she was uncomfortable doing, including lying to the ponies she cared about. But then the kirin grinned. "Honesty can be hard sometimes. But it's always the right thing when with friends. That's what makes a friendship possible." Now that comment she knew was true and she made a promise to herself to honor it.

Just then, Accordshy's mouth suddenly fell off of her face and right against Sunny's ear. "Pops told me that Twilight put something inside that locket of yours. Something that might be of use to you."

What? As if this locket had enough surprising details about it already. Now there's said to be something inside that she needed? Or was Accordshy just pulling one of her tricks? It was hard to tell whether this draconequus was being serious or not.

"Sorry that we have to leave you like this" Kong spoke up as he risen from his seat. "But we have faith that you will all succeed in stopping Opaline."

"Remember our advice to all of you" Summerflame spoke.

"Use them well" Catpella added while in the form of Pipp while taking one final selfie with the younger pegasus princess.

"Never forget Sparkle Counsel words" Prince Yan stomped his hoof.

"Or about us" Smokey said as she gave Sparky a goodbye pat on the head.

"And learn from the mistakes of the past" Riversky flew lower.

"So that you may sail into a finer future!" Captain Perry yelled.

Duchess bowed at Sunny. "We wish you best of luck. And please do contact us soon. We would enjoy hearing from you all again."

Zair gave Sunny a smile. "Little pony whose heart's so bright, I know you will do what is right."

Griffdora was the last of the counsel to say goodbye. "We will all meet again, my friends. I know it. But for now, heed these words." She turned to Sunny. "Sunny Starscout, I knew the moment I witnessed your bright spirit and hopefulness that you are the pony who Twilight believed would restore the world Opaline has broken. And I know you can become a true alicorn. Just look for the magic that surrounds you." And just like that, she and the rest of the counsel went their separate ways, disappearing as they each walked through different tunnels.

As the six ponies, one dragon and draconequus poof back up to the surface of Choasville and were making their way back to the Marestream, all of them were stunned by what had just happened.

"Well, at least we've answered a lot of questions" Pipp attempted to lighten the mood as they dodged the oranged juiced rain.

But it wasn't working for Hitch. "Yeah, we've found out that Opaline was an earth pony who went crazy over all the magic that she stole, which caused all other magical creatures to go into hiding. And now Sunny has to pass some test to make her an all mighty alicorn so that she can stop Opaline from doing it all over again."

"It wasn't all bad though" Izzy tried to show some positivity. "We've finally figured out what happened to make all ponies separate all those moons ago."

"Yeah, because of Opaline" Misty glumly said. "I've always suspected that she was behind why unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies stopped trusting each other long ago. Now that I know she really was responsible for it…"

Zipp put her hoof gently on her shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. What Opaline did before is in the past. Neither you, nor I, nor any of us are at fault. But from what I've learned from our little field trip here is that we can still help fix what was messed up all those moons ago." The juice rain finally stopped once they were within reach of the Marestream.

Sunny couldn't have agreed more with her friend. "Zipp's right. As hard as the truth about the past is, it does teach us not to repeat the same mistakes made long ago. And that starts with restoring what Opaline broke. Now that I know that the only way of protecting Equestria and keeping all other magical creatures safe is to stop Opaline, I'm more determined than ever to doing so."

All of her friends gave her proud glances. "And we'll be by your side every step of the way" Zipp said as she flew above her.

"Yeah" her sister agreed. "You can count on us to do whatever is needed to help."

"It's what friends are for" Hitch added as Sparky rode on his back. "We support one another."

Misty nodded as she walked besides Sunny. "And if the Sparkle Counsel was right about one thing, it's that you're the pony who has the power to stop Opaline. I believe in you, Sunny."

"That includes us all!" Izzy shouted. "Whether in hail storms, hurricanes or orange juice rain, we'll follow you wherever you may go. And nothing, not even the sparkliest of sparkles can ever keep us apart."

Sunny was touched. "Thanks, you guys. Really, I wouldn't have gotten this far without any of you. Truth be told, I was starting to lose hope. But you've all brought it back to me. I can't thank you enough for sticking with me this far. And even though I'm still worried about what the future may hold, I know that I can face whatever it throws as long as I have you all by my side."

In that moment, all six ponies' cutie marks lit and their powers seeped into Sunny's locket. All of them, even Accordshy watched in awe as it floated above them. With all their powers combined, the heart unlocked itself and floated back into Sunny's hoof.

Accordshy leaned against Sunny so close that her muzzle touched the little pony's ear. "Perhaps you ought to look inside."

As much as she wished to have a few more moments to take in what just happened, Sunny was intrigued as to what could be inside and why Accordshy thought it was of use to her. Could it be a key to somewhere magical? A clue to another mystery? What if it was just a long lost photo from ancient times? Then again, Griffdora told her to look for the magic that surrounded her. Could whatever was inside this locket hold the key to that magic? Only one way to find out. She stared down at the opened locket to find something the she never would have guessed. Something that no pony had heard in many moons.

Inside the locket, Sunny saw only a single carved message: "Friendship is Magic."

The End

Well, hoped that you've enjoyed our journey and that you're satisfied with the ending. Please review what you think of this MLP fanfic and let me know your thoughts as to what you believe will happen to our little pony heroes next. Will Sunny pass her test and become a true alicorn? What do you think her alicorn test will be like? Please comment!

P.S. I've recently read an article about the kakapo, a green parrot that inhabits the lands of New Zealand. These birds once lived throughout this southeastern island of the Pacific and are found no where else in the world. However, their flightless and slow nature makes them easy victims to feral cats, rats and stoats that were introduced to their home by settlers. Luckily for them, they have the protection of New Zealand's Native Maori tribe and conservation rangers. They are working to eradicate invasive species, establish predator-free habitats and breeding programs, and have even successfully helped to boost kakapo populations. Had it not been for these amazing people, these beautiful endemic birds would have gone extinct by now. If working together saved the kakapo from extinction, then who says it's too late to save other species that are at critical risk of extinction? Right now, there are species such as the Florida Panther, Sumatran Rhino, Vaquita, Red Wolf, Tristan Albatross, Abutilon Menziesii and so many more whose populations are decreasing. If their numbers continue to fall, we can lose them forever. And even if you don't care about these creatures, think about the creatures you do care about. Because what happens to one species affects others. Ecosystems are like pyramids. If one block is removed, the entire structure collapses. Therefore, if we were to lose one species, then several others will fall apart as well. So if we wish to save every species that share our planet, we must act now. Even if you aren't a zoologist or a biologist or someone high in the government, you can still make a difference. You can make your home environment friendly, use less water and electricity, stop consuming large amounts of meat, recycle, or you can help to educate others about endangered species so that more people will want to help them. The possibilities are endless. And even just a few viewers read this message, I hope that at least one of you will care enough to help save these creatures before we lose them forever.

We can save endangered species. All it takes is for us to do our part, hoof to heart.