*(~)*

1 Corinthians 15:58 ~

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

*(~)*

Chi gave an enthusiastic howl as she flipped through the air on her skateboard, sliding down the half pipe with one of Applejack's twins, accurately named Half Pipe.

The two went up and down, sideways and front-ways, while other younger ponies and humans used the other nearby ramps, and several others were jumping up and down a bouncy house. Chi came to a halt, hitting the tip of her board, which flipped and landed in her hand. She tucked it under her arm, removing her helmet, allowing her now longer blue hair to flap against the wind.

Chi remained the exact same height as she always had, but her features had become more mature, though the changes were subtle. Her proportions had become slightly more muscular, but it was hard to tell with her long hood jacket over her gray-blue shirt with a wolf's head imprinted on the front. She wore a pair of skinny blue jeans and orange-white converse shoes.

Half Pipe stopped right beside her, flipping in mid air to give her a high five. His sister, Sweet Gala arrived alongside Sunset Shimmer and Nova Nightshade's son, Eclipse. He was only three-years-old, but incredibly bright for his age, and the twins were now seven-years-old and already with their cutie marks, which they had gained about a year ago.

Half Pipe's was that of a skateboard, and Sweet Gala's was a caramel apple's. The young male Apple pony was destined to become a daring sports star, while his sister made the best sweet apple and pear treats the Apple's had ever tasted. Like her mother and aunt Sugar Belle, she was a master baker. Eclipse, in particular, was her biggest fan. She embodied the sweet feminine country grace as her late grandmother, Pear Butter/Buttercup.

"Looking good, Ya'll! How's about you cool down with some sweet Apple cinnamon cider smoothies?"

Half Pipe was already licking his lips. Next to Eclipse, Half Pipe was another one of Sweet Gala's fans. So young and already making profits with her deliciously creative deserts. She was also daring enough to try things that weren't normally found at her farm, hence why she spent a lot of time at Sugar Cube corner with Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake.

The fully grown twins worked at the place alongside their now elderly parents. Other times, Sweet Gala would spend at Pinkie and Cheese's Cafe.

She and Cookie Cream had grown especially close. Even if there was no definitive proof, even now, they were more than convinced their mothers shared the same blood in some way, evidence or no.

Half Pipe swooped in on his skateboard and took a sip of the smoothie, already his senses were doing a one eighty. "No unicorn magic could even compare to the magic you make with these smoothies, sis!"

Sweet Gala smiled in satisfaction as both her brother and Eclipse enjoyed their smoothies. Chi floated on by, taking one of her own, tossing a single bright shinny bit which landed flawlessly onto Sweet Gala's hoof.

The two twins had been debating for weeks on who's attraction should be presented at the Festival. Half Pipe believed everyone would have more fun with a skating rink, but Sweet Gala had already chosen the spot for her desert stand.

Chi, seeing the animosity, happily came up with the idea, and already it was becoming a success. Ponies came for the deserts to watch the skateboarding, or skateboarders came to cool off with some sweet drinks or snacks. The sugar only made them more amped up. Sure, a few did throw up, but they were too high on the adrenaline to even care! Besides, more empty stomachs meant more treats to sell. It was kind of a win win.

Chi happily ruffled the twin's hair simultaneously. "See, I told you. Even the most unlikely things can work out perfectly together." Her eyes darted towards her adopted nephew, who was already levitating the glass lid off of a cake that Sweet Gala was still finishing and was about to take a huge bite.

"Eclipse Solar Nightshade, don't even think about it!" Chi said, using his full name.

The little pony groaned sadly but complied and placed the lid back. Sweet Gala made him feel better by handing him one of the cupcakes she had finished. His favorite; minty-cotton candy frosting over a hot fudge brownie! It sounded gross, but the little half-spirit unicorn had a pretty endurable stomach. He chomped on it happily.

As for Cookie Cream Pie herself, the young party pony in training had also gained her cutie mark. Hers was a mixture of balloons, confetti and cupcakes. She was working alongside Hiro Sato, son of Bolin and Asami Sato, in blowing up balloons on the stage that Songbird Serenade would use for her performance.

Hiro had grown a few inches taller, now passing his sister and cousin by at least a head. He wore a sleeveless jacket with a short hight collar over a yellow green shirt with gray outlines and matching gray colored pants and a pair of dark gray and forest green sneakers. Around his wrists he wore a couple of dark green wrist bands.

Hiro tied a few of the already finished tying the already balloons to a pillar. They rose a few feet into the sky, stopping midway. Hiro shielded his eyes from the sun's rays as they shinned through. Several Pegasus ponies zoomed on by, clearing the skies of clouds.

From their instincts, today was meant to have good skies, so they were making it extra special to clear up a few clouds that covered the sky, since it was only partly clouded. They didn't control the weather completely like they used to, but they knew to which extent to intervene when necessary. So far, everything was looking perfect.

Cookie Cream blew into another ballon and formed it to look like Discord. The ballon then sprung a leak and zipped on away. Cookie Cream sprung at full gallop after it, running right past Chrysalis and three young pony/changeling hybrid children who were painting the mural of the stage.

Chrysalis's long yellow green hair was already smeared in paint and a few droplets landed on her colorful body, which didn't bother her in the slightest. Over the years, Chrysalis had grown more and more confident in her artistic talents to the point of making it her full time job as a freelance artist. Currently, she was commissioned to make a beautiful mural for Songbird Serenade's concert.

The image was rather abstract, but with the primary colors of all three words forming a stunning image which didn't have a specific theme, just a wild, beautiful mess of color in perfect synchronization, harmony and joy; just like the Festival itself.

Sadly, some of that paint from the nearby buckets were splattered all over the floor and the already dried up parts of the mural. The three changeling-pony creatures shielded one another as Cookie Cream came running along after the ballon.

"Whoa! Heads up, you guys! Out of control balloooooon!!" Cookie screamed as she ran, quickly followed by Hiro.

"Heads up, guys! Out of control fillyyyy!" Hiro shouted as he ran after the pony, careful not to cause anymore of a mess as she did.

Chrysalis wiped some still wet paint from her nose and chuckled. "That's not the only thing that's out of control, Hiro." she said with a knowing voice, observing the young boy as he ran off after Cookie Cream.

Each one carried characteristics of both changelings and ponies. They each had full heads of hair and wings that were pegasus-like in appearance. The feathers that began at the base of the wings were sparkly and solid, while the tips were transparent with the same sparkles. The top all had individual colored outlines. Their tails were all long and graceful looking and had eyes like Chrysalis; pony like with normal pupils, but the Scleras were of various colors instead of white.

The three of them were Fluttershy and Thorax's children. Three-year-old triplet changelings, but they behaved a couples years or so ahead of their age. Most likely a changeling trait among the youth.

The one currently growling in frustration was named Leo, because Fluttershy believed he would grow up to have the strength and heart of a mighty lion and protect his younger siblings. He had a coloring that matched his uncle Pharynx, with a similar personally to boot. His hair was also styled to look like a mow hawk and his eyes were aquamarine with a lighter colored sclera.

The second changeling, another male, gently patted his brother on the back. His hair was yellow green which faded to yellow at the tips. His was styled a bit like his uncle Zephyr's, but he didn't have his lazy personality. The only trait he did share was his more laid-back qualities. His coat coloring was similar to his father's and his eyes were the same plum coloring with a lighter shade on the sclera. He shared the same peace-keeping nature as his father and mother.

"There, there, Leo. Take in calm cleansing breaths. Anger never solves anything."

Leo only groaned, rolling his eyes so far they would have fallen right off his head. "Yeah well, your "zen" talk doesn't always help either, River."

The third one was the only female. Her entire body was pink with faded yellow and her hair was a stunning teal green with lighter shades at the tips and her eyes were a vibrant green. She resembled Fluttershy the most in appearance, but her personality was a mixture of both sides of her parents.

She had her mother's compassionate heart and patience, but also her assertiveness, which came in handy when dealing with her brothers, who could not be any more different if they were night and day incarnate.

Her name was Ivy, which was just as fitting. Ivy rolled her eyes at her brother's bickering--again-- and flew a few feet away to study the mural. Her ears dropped. "We've been working on this all morning! Now we have to start all over!"

"Not quite, Ivy." Chrysalis said, studying the incident herself. Her eyes narrowed intensely, the triplets could practically see the gears in her brain turning at top speed. A mischievous grin formed on her lips and a sparkle manifested in her eyes.

Taking the paint brush into her mouth, and flapping her beautiful transparent shimmering but-like wings, Chrysalis moved with all the grace of a butterfly, but with the speed of a wasp, using all of the outlines from the splattered paint that wasn't originally supposed to be there, picking up every other brush when needed, all without stoping. The triplets simply stood there observing. When Chrysalis was in the zone there was no stoping her.

Once she was done, Chryslais looked immensely satisfied with herself. Placing the paintbrush down on a white rag, she wiped her brows and stepped back a few feet, extending her hoof towards the mural.

The changeling triplets all stared in awe. Chrysalis managed to perfectly merge the unwanted splits of paint flawlessly into the mural, while adding more details that were small yet really tied the whole thing together.

"A true work from the heart." River said, placing his hoof over his chest. "You can feel the positive aura radiating from every brush stroke."

"It looks even better than before!" Ivy said, "But, um, you've got some paint on your… everywhere, actually."

Chrysalis looked down at herself, noticing the mess she had turned herself into. Rather than get upset, she laughed. "The mess is all part of the fun."

The three triplets agreed and hugged their Godmare, getting paint on themselves too. Chrysalis was always at her happiest when she was sharing love with others. It was so much more fulfilling than stealing it like she once did. Thanks to the Guardians of Harmony, she was free and she had a beautiful new life and family she wouldn't trade for anything.

The four of them were startled when they heard the sound of something bursting from behind the curtain. Chrysalis peeked in through. "Everything okay back there?"

A human hand, completely covered by a green glove, rose from a large mechanical object. It gave her a thumbs up.

"All good! Just a few kinks, but nothing major." the owner of the hand stood up, revealing herself to be Mai Sato, Bolin and Asami's youngest child and only daughter.

She wore a magenta colored shirt under a short sleeves high color gray-purple vest with crimson outlines. She wore dark gray crimson pants and dark gray boots with light crimson outlines, which were nearly pink. She also wore one of Applejack's old hats, which she had given the young Sato girl when she became the official New Element of Honesty.

Mai whipped her brow as she stood up. Despite her sweat, her raven hair still looked flawless. Beside her was her boyfriend, Lu Ten, great grandson of Lord Zuko and the nephew of President Iroh (who got re-elected). Unlike the rest of his Fire Nation family, he had Water Tribe genes on his father's side and was a waterbender. His blue eyes were beautiful and managed to merge well with his light skin tone and dark hair.

Lu Ten took out a geode stone, which glowed with electrical energy. Carefully, with his hand covered in a thick glove for protection, Lu Ten positioned it into place and closed the heart-shaped lid.

"Okay, geodes in place. Let's give it a try." Lu Ten took his own geode slate in hand and typed the screen, which would command the contraption to do its trick.

Chrysalis and the triplets watched from a safe distance. The older changeling instinctively keeping the kids close behind her as the two engineers worked their magic. The contraption lit up and started to rise, but stopped midway and nearly crashed. Thankfully, nothing was broken, it just shut off.

"Ye--Nnnno." Lu Ten blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "I noticed a few of the gears had come off so I got distracted working on those."

"And that's why you have me." Mai said as she started working on the fourth layer. He reached out her hand. "Screw me."

Chrysalis gasped and covered River's ears. "Mai! Watch that language, we have kids present!"

Lu Ten handed her the screwdriver and Mai finished in literally two seconds. She slapped the lid closed and stepped back. "Try it now."

Lu Ten repeated the process and, this time, the contraption worked flawlessly. The triplets all stared in awe. Mai loved it when ponies did that. It made all of her hard work feel truly magical.

The two engineers and changelings came out from behind the curtain. Mai landed on her feet at the bottom, where Nori was using her pearl magic to decorate the stage. The merpony hummed a happy tune as she adjusted the pearl into place, right in the center of the bow.

"Looking good, Nori." Mai complimented. "Of course, it might not get done 'til after the concert." she nodded her head to the rest of the stage's base… which had yet to be decorated. It was nearly noon and with how massive the stage was, and Nori insisting on doing the final decorations, who knows when it would get done.

"Mai, sweetie, anybody can do a "good" job. As head of the decorative committee, we are going for fabulous! And as my mom always says: Fabulous takes time."

"Fabulous takes forever!" Chi said, having floated on by while they were talking. The Apple twins and Eclipse accompanied her. "But someone with supper speed…"

A gust of wind made Nori and Mai's hairs go up in a straight line, following in the direction from which Chi had just sprung towards. She zipped all around the stage, placing the bows and pearls on the sides without thinking much about where they would end up.

In her rush, she made a surprised Hiro spin around on his axis, just when he finally caught Cookie Cream, who had a still un-inflated ballon. The speed from Chi caused it to inflate the ballon a little too much. Cookie still holding onto the string and Hiro holding onto her, now being literally dragged off by the now much larger ballon.

Chi came to a stop, her bangs over her eyes which she styled off and struck a confident pose. "…can get it done in four seconds flat! Faster if I was in my wolf form."

Nori had her jaw dropped in astonishment. Though, not the good kind. The merpony let out a high pitched scream that could easily blow off anyone's ears had she done it even louder. The merpony was a skilled singer, so her vocals range was indeed powerful.

"Aaaah! Nono, oh no! Don't you dare, Chi!" Nori extended her hood, ears pressed back in frustration at seeing the half hazard way the bows and pearls had been placed. The ribbons weren't even tried properly and pearls kept falling off.

"If you were raised in a barn, maybe!" Nori quickly covered her mouth and blushed. "Um, no offense you guys."

Sweet Gala only shrugged it off. "None taken. Especially since we weren't "raised" in a barn. Our family just happens to have a barn. Where we were born." The words sunk in as she continued, "And… spent most of our early childhood...

"Sis, let's face it. We were raised in a barn." Half Pipe said, wrapping his hoof around her in a half hug. "And dog on proud of it!"

Applejack came in pulling a wooden cart with Apple Cider drinks. She was accompanied by her husband, Double Diamond and the rest of the Mane Six. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, each with their respected husbands. Kombu, Cheese Sandwich, Thorax and Soarin.

Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Sunset Shimmer and Nova Nightshade were also present. Rainbow Dash and Soarin's daughter Fire Fly flapped her little wings. She was at least four-years-old and was still lacking her cutie mark, but she had more patience than her mother so she wasn't too bothered by it.

Rarity looked at the stage and fought back the urge to squeal in distraught. "Oh, um, the decorations look… lovely, Nori."

"This 'masterpiece' wasn't me." Nori said, eyes narrowed at a certain wisp who was just about to take a sip of her Apple Cider. Her entire body turned a yellow color in embarrassment.

Rarity affectionately lifted Nori's chin up with her hoof. "Don't fret, my precious pearl." using her magic, Rarity levitated each of the pearls in place and fixed the bows in record time. Her many years of designing have given her a keen eye in which she could flawlessly position something even faster than she could before.

"Wow! Thanks, Mom!" Nori hugged the unicorn, while Kombu ruffled his daughter's mane, accidentally moving her seashell hair clip. Rarity magically put it back in place.

After dating for a while, Nori's mute father Kombu and Rarity finally married. Having lost her mother at a very young age, Nori immediately warmed up to the unicorn as if it were destined they would become a family.

Tragically, Rarity had nearly given up the possibility of having a family one day upon her discovery that she was barren. She could never have fouls of her own, but meeting Nori reminded her that even if she wasn't her biological daughter, that didn't mean they couldn't be the family they had always desired. The waterbending unicorn seemed to fit flawlessly into the family of the widowed merpony father and charming merpony daughter. Rarity had seen many beautiful things in her lifetime, but the love that radiated from her new family was more precious and shinned brighter than any gemstone of pearl found in the deepest ocean.

Asami and Bolin arrived as well, with Asami herself already with a cup of cider in hand. Much like Rainbow Dash, she could never get enough of this stuff.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Little Eclipse galloped ahead to greet his parents. "Aunty Chi did a one eighty with her skateboard! She says she's gonna teach me!"

Chi shrugged it off. "Relax, not until he's older. Wisps's honor." Nova decided to let it slide. After all, a wisp's honor is unbreakable. "Thanks for the help, Rainbow Dash."

"Skies all clear and ready for the festival!" the rainbow haired pegasus said with a salute and then zipped on by to grab more Apple Cider from Applejack.

"This all looks amazing!" Sunset said. "I bet Songbird Serenade's going to love it."

"I still can't believe you kids managed to book her for the festival." Fluttershy said. She now wore her hair in a slightly loosened hair bun, decorated with flowers and a crystal necklace around her neck, reminiscent of the stones changelings wore around their necks. Since her marriage to Thorax, she was now technically the new queen of the changelings.

Nopony would have guessed that the sweet, humble, down-to-earth Fluttershy would one day become an actual Queen. Then again, there was a time where ponies were once terrified of changelings, and now here they were living in harmony, forming friendships and families.

"I hear she's almost impossible to get." Thorax said, while his two sons sat on his back.

"Lucky for us, her agent is Applejack's old camp friend, Countess Coloratura." Mai said, taking two cups of cider. One for her and one for Lu Ten.

"Lu Ten and I just finished the last piece. Believe me, it's going to blow Songbird's last three concerts out of the water!"

"Ha, ha! That's my girl!" Bolin gave his daughter a massive bear hug. Mai didn't feel even the tiniest bit embarrassed knowing her boyfriend was present. One of the many things they had in common was the fact they both had equally affectionate and embarrassing parents.

While the others were conversing, Iris, Akari and Gallant Steed walked on by. Iris had the list of things on her geo-slate, fingers tracing over the screen, while somehow managing to still be aware of what was in front of her.

Since it was said that the kids would be in charge of the Day of Harmony Celebration this year, Starlight Glimmer couldn't gush enough about how proud she was. Understandable, seeing as she was a long since reformed villain and her own was now an official Element of Harmony.

"So, how did it go with the others?" Starlight asked eagerly, literally galloping in place and squealing with excitement. "Did they like your presentation? Were you standing straight? You did fix your bangs before, did you?"

"I'm sorry, it's just, I still can't believe my baby boy is in charge of the Friendship Festival! I'm so proud!" Starlight wrapped her hooves around Gallant Steed, squeezing the life of out him.

"Honey, don't break him." Sunburst said, gently getting his wife to let go of the boy.

"Seriously, how did it go with Aunt Korra?" Mai asked, enthusiastically slapping her cousin's shoulder. "Did they like your idea?"

"I bet they loved it!" Hiro called out as he came on by--more like dragged by-- across the stage while holding onto Cookie Cream, who was still holding onto the balloon.

Iris rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, not exactly." she turned her eyes down to Akari, who's ears were still dropped. "They think we can make today perfect without their magic."

"And they are absolutely right, darling." Rarity said, standing alongside her aquatic family. "This festival was your idea and we know you kids are up for the task!" As she was speaking, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich managed to pull Hiro and Cookie back down to earth.

"You sure? There's still a lot to do, and a lot can happen." Akari said. Her normally cool-under pressure persona was quickly wavering.

First, that one guy caused trouble and they had no idea where he went, then the others rejected their idea--which, to be fair, was a pretty tall order anyways--and there was still the rest of festival to think about. If things went just as "smoothly" as her encounter with those political figures and that reporter, there's no telling what else could go wrong.

"What if Songbird Serenade hates the stage?! Or nobody makes a new friend today?! And if we failed the festival, then what does that say about us?!"

Akari was surprised when Pinkie Pie came in and grabbed her face, literally pressing their noses together. "Akari, look at me! This is the biggest, most important assignment you have ever been given! This mission, The Friendship Festival, will define who you are as the Elements of Harmony! Who you are as a Princess of Friendship! The pressure is intense! It's almost too much for any single pony to handle! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"How is this helping, Pinkie?" Rainbow asked. The pink pony paused and happily hopped away, still smiling.

"My point is, despite all of that, you've got nothing to worry about." Pinkie Pie said, ruffling Cookie's hair. "You kids have each other, and most importantly, you have all of us! Your mentors and family!"

Easier said than done. All the others seemed to be more at ease about this whole thing, even Iris seemed to have things well at hand when meeting with important guests, but Akari… for the first time, she felt really out of her element. If she messed up, then they would all mess up.

Bolin, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich got everyone into a massive group hug, nearly crushing Iris and Akari in the process, but they could still feel all of the love that came with the embrace.

Rainbow Dash, along with Soarin and Fire Fly, took Chi to the skies. The wisp in turn took Iris's hand, who had dragged Akari alongside her. The rainbow pegasus ad her family bursted through the clouds, allowing in the sunlight.

Chi spun around in mid air alongside Fire Fly, ruffling her mane and more of the Wonderbolts and Airbenders came swooping in, bursting through the clouds, clearing everything around them.

Akari was just about to comment on the one cloud the ponies and airbenders had missed, only to get dragged again by Iris, who in turn was dragged by Chi who led them back down to the festival, while Rainbow Dash and her family got back to work.

Chi went off to return with Rainbow and the other pegasus and airbenders, leaving Iris and Akari to walk across Canterlot, greeting everyone attending the festival. They walked past Zecora and her potion stand, even spotting Bulk Biceps playing a few strong-man games. They also were photo ambushed by Photo Finish. They worried the picture turned out horribly, only to be surprised when they saw that the flamboyant pony somehow managed to make them look… well, fabulous!

Akari flew by Vinyl Scratch's DJ booth, scratching a record for effect. The white pony smiled and decided to use it for her next song. Iris and Akari flew on, landing nearby Gallant Steed, who was strolling through a petting zoo, hosted by the changelings, petting a few canines and cats along his way, with Akari walking beside him.

Fluttershy, Thorax and their kids were near the birds, who sang along to the music, and Beary the Bear gave Gallant Steed and Akari a massive bear hug, making Iris laugh.

Apple Bloom blew a feather off before it landed on her pie. She and more relatives of the Apple Family lined up for Iris, Akari and Mai to inspect the meals for the banquet. The airbenders also had their own meals, with Varrick and his family helping with setting up the tables, lights and even the entertainment, each one with their own geo-slates to keep tabs on everything.

Applejack tapped Mai in the back, which accidentally caused her to burp, after having eaten an apple tart, and she accidentally set fire to her own list. She only laughed it off and went back to using her geo-slate. She was more of a tech-gal after all.

Mai then had Sweet Gala taste a large chocolate stew. The little pony cringed. It didn't taste right and proceed to pour more sugar into it. She handed it to Iris, who tasted it. She gave her a great big hug. It tasted perfect!

Back with the stage, Rarity galloped while levitating heart-shaped gemstones, adorned with strings of pearls hanging from them onto the stage. They had a harmonious blend of purples, blues and greens that reminded her of the ocean. With some golds to add that extra spark.

Nori belted it out. Something she always did when she was happy and proceeded to use her pearls to add the finishing touches to the center piece at the top of the stage.

Chrysalis flew on by, hanging the decoration in place and flew off, flying alongside other changelings, all of which smiled and happily welcomed her.

She landed near her friend, Juniper Moon, hugging her from behind and placing a flower in her hair, while high hoofing various other guests she had come to know. She even poked her head into one of the cutouts of various villains, one of which was her former villain self, but she did so with laughter as Photo Finish shot the image with her camera.

Chrysalis spun around Kuvira, who was chatting with Adagio, Sonata and Aria. She hugged her roommate/mentor.

From above, Akari and Iris observed each and every one of their friends staying true to their respected Elements. They were so in sync it was like nothing could tear down their spirits. Iris flew right beside her, listening to her friend's concerns.

Compassionately, Iris led Akari across the river, waving to a few more guests and gazing at their reflections in the surface of the waters. Iris traced her hand over it as they went over a bridge, seeing Tahno and his nephew Akio along with Moondancer, waving their way.

Iris and Akari spun around in perfect sync, their wings rising up along with their hopes. Iris was just as nervous as Akari, but she had faith in her friends, and that was enough for her. Akari knew she should do the same. After all, they were the Elements for a reason. This was their moment to show the world what they could really do.

Pinkie Pie and her family, wearing exercise gear, stirred the cake batter in a giant bowl, using a giant whisk as an exercise bike. Cheese and Cookie were in the zone, as was Pinkie as she sang.

Pinkie spotted Hiro, using his explosion powers to light up Trixie's firework display, creating a dazzling show in the air.

Shortly afterwards, Hiro was standing on a wagon, which was already pilled up with materials as Pinkie Pie pulled on it, tossing materials his way, which Hiro stocked on top the already comedically tall mountain.

Putting on some goggles, Hiro and the Pie/Cheese family got to work in building something. Something Hiro was sure would wow everyone.

Pegasus ponies cleared the last of the clouds and confetti and balloons surround the plaza. Ponies, humans and spirits danced and sang together. Iris and her friends stood on top of the stage, all seven of them (eight including Chrysalis), while the older Elements, Asami and Bolin stood at the end of the stage, smiling and singing proudly at their kids.

Akari outstretched her wings, really getting into the song, but she was completely unaware of the massive party cannon right behind her. Before anyone could warn her, the cannon shot out confetti and a massive cake of buttercream and pink frosting. The came came shooting faster than a speeding pegasus and was about to make its landing.

In the time it took for her to react, a single layer of cake fell on her. Followed by another, then another, and another. Five layers were stacked on top of her creating a massively tall ice cream cake… which quickly dissolved into a large cold blanket of frosting across the plaza. Guests weren't sure if to feel concerned or to laugh, while others stepped back, not wanting to ruin their shoes or clean feet. Even a couple dragons stepped back, though a couple others licked the frosting with their fingers.

Akari's head popped out, dripping with pink frosting, looking on in confusion. Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich were the only ones to call out their daughter's name.

Cookie popped her head out from the cannon's opening. "Oopsie! Guess the easy bake confetti cake cannon needs a little bit more fine tuning."

Akari was just about to get off, only to have a candle land on her horn. She blew off the small flame, but her wish didn't come true. She was still drenched in frosting.

The crowd began to murmur and gasp, but not because of Akari's condition, but about the beautiful, buttercream colored pegasus pony that had just arrived, along with two security unicorns, both wearing black suits, headpieces and glasses.

Nori was already trotting in place, her ruby eyes the size of a large pearl. "Oh… my… barracuda! It's Songbird Serenade!"

The pony was exactly as she looked in her posters, with her lemon yellow and midnight colored bangs that covered her eyes and matching tail. She wore a black shirt with yellow buttons and a large pink bow behind her head. Her cutie mark was that of a cloud with rainbow hearts raining down from it.

Beside her was an older looking Coloratura, wearing a beautiful black dress and her mane styled into a side bun with perfect curls gracing the sides of her face.

"Hiya. I'm lookin' for the people in charge?" Songbird Serenade said. Photo Finish swooped in, taking various photos. Songbird, being a profecional, struck various poses like it was the most natural thing in the world. She didn't flinch once.

"Uh, Songbird Serenade?" Akari walked right out of the cake and cleaned herself off.

"That's us!" Nori swooped in, almost as fast as Chi using her super speed. Her voice was more high pitched than she had expected. "I mean, we're the charges! I mean-in charge! We're the ones in charge! It's such an honor to meet you! I'm Nori Poseidonia." The rest of the Guardians approached her, and Nori introduced them one by one.

"That's Gallant Steed, Hiro and Mai Sato, Chi the wisp, Princess Avatar Iris, and Princess Akari. We're the Guardians of Harmony, and let me just say we couldn't be happier to have you here! We're all big fans of your work."

Even though her eyes were covered, Akari could already feel the pony's gaze staring down at her. Nori herself was looking a bit embarrassed, though she knew it wasn't Akari's fault. "Um, a pleasure, Miss Serenade. Please forgive the mess." Akari laughed nervously as she wiped the frosting off with her hoof. "I'm usually not so…" she stopped when she accidentally wiped the said frosting onto Songbird's shirt.

"Caked in cake?" The pegasus singer laughed good-heartedly. She had done some wild performances in the past, so this was actually kind of adorable. Too bad Akari didn't share the same sentiment.

"You have visual on buttercream?" One of Songbird's pony agents asked his companion through the earpiece… who was standing right next to him.

"Visual confirmed. Go for cleanup." The second agent replied and cleaned the frosting right off. Coloratura rolled her eyes. Some things in show business never change.

The two friends hugged, happy to be reunited. Sweet Gala and Half Pipe ran up to greet her. Despite her humiliating introduction to the famous singer, Akari was a little bit more relaxed. At least, with Songbird here, they could continue with finishing up with the festival.

The Little Pony legend: The Guardians of Harmony

by MaggiesHeartLove

We Got This!