The Elements of Equestria
Part 6
Twilight was awakened by a loud knocking on the Library's front door. The formerly slumbering unicorn cracked open her eyes and blearily looked out the window close to her bed in the loft. She had been surprised when she had received a box containing the Elements of Harmony from Princess Celestia the previous day. The studious unicorn had spent the remainder of the day writing frantic letters back and forth to the Princess asking why she had sent the Elements to the Library. Princess Celestia had responded with a statement of ownership, 'Since you six are the ones most suited currently to use them, you need to be used to having them in case they are needed again.' Twilight had been certain that her mentor had a greater meaning in the message and had spent almost all night trying to puzzle it out, which led to her current state. The sun hadn't even risen yet. Spike mumbled incoherently at the base of her bed then turned over and went back to sleep. Twilight grumbled quietly to herself and pulled back her blanket, 'Who would be visiting this early?' The studious unicorn blinked owlishly several times and tried to slip out of her bed. Her hooves betrayed her and she flopped out of bed onto the floor with a resounding thump. She vaguely heard somepony open the front door quietly.
"May I help you?" said a quiet stallion's voice.
Twilight recognized the voice,
"Lemon Lime?" she asked, voice sounding like a croak.
Another voice responded, it was a mare who sounded happy, jovial, and loud,
"Good morning! I'm here at the request of Princess Celestia. I'm supposed to meet with Twilight Sparkle in regard to taking care of some local animals."
"Please, keep your voice down. Twilight's still asleep, she had a long night. We weren't expecting you until morning, as in, after the sun comes up." Lemon Lime replied.
"Well the light was on, so I figured it would be alright. I'm sorry for disturbing you so early. Would you like me to come back later?" the mare asked.
"Yes please. Around nine-thirty would probably be good." Lemon Lime said.
"Alrighty then! I'll be back! See you later!" the mare responded.
Twilight heard the door close, and heard Lemon Lime quietly say,
"Hopefully I'll be done with breakfast by then."
Twilight crawled back into her bed, 'Breakfast? He's making breakfast this early? Oh forget it. I'm going back to sleep.'
***********************************************************************************
Sea Blue stirred in his bed and rolled over,
"Ouch! Daddy watch out!"
Sea Blue's eyes popped open, he sat up startled,
"Patch?" he asked, "Sweetie, what are you doing in my room? You know the rule, always knock and wait to be acknowledged. I thought we were past this."
Patch sat up, head drooping,
"I'm sorry," she mumbled sadly, "But I just wanted to spend as much time with you as I could, before you left. You already said you didn't know how long you would be gone."
Sea Blue felt bad, he nuzzled his daughter affectionately,
"Believe me Patch, I wish I didn't have to go, but I do. I don't want to be away from you either." he hugged his daughter closely; "You know I'll be thinking about you the whole time. Come on, let's make a big breakfast, then we can spend the whole day together. Wouldn't you like to see your new school? I heard your teacher is our next door neighbor. Would you like to meet her?"
"I guess so." Patch responded, still saddened.
"Come on, kiddo." Sea Blue said lifting Patch off his tall bed, "Whatever you want for breakfast, just name it."
Patch deeply contemplated the question while her father carried her downstairs,
"I liked Live Wire's cooking while we were on our way here. Can we go have breakfast with him and Twilight and Spike?"
Sea Blue smiled as he set his little daughter down at the base of the stairs,
"I don't know for sure, but it can't hurt to ask. I didn't realize you liked his cooking so much."
"Well, it sure beats yours Daddy. You always over spice everything and you put too much sugar in and you always leave it in the oven too long and . . .”
"Alright Patch," Sea Blue said laughing lightly, "I get the idea. Live Wire it is then."
Sea Blue pushed open the front door for his daughter and locked it behind himself,
"You know Patch; I'm really surprised you don't feel awkward around Live Wire, Dr. Mend, Big Macintosh, and Trooper."
Patch turned her head and looked at her father strangely,
"Why would I feel awkward? I love being the center of attention. Here I am, one little filly around all these grown-ups; everypony spoils me."
Sea Blue nearly tripped,
"Did I ever tell you; maybe you're a little too honest sweetie?"
"Daddy, you always say 'honesty is the best policy'. I'm just being honest. Isn't it a good thing to be honest?" Patch asked innocently.
"Well, of course it is. Don't get too used to the constant attention though." Sea Blue replied.
"I won't." Patch quipped, "I figured I was getting special treatment because we were moving. I didn't want to go, but I didn't have a choice, so I'm just enjoying it while it lasts."
Sea Blue shook his head,
"When did you get so grown up? What happened to the little filly I'm raising? I want my carefree, playful daughter back!" he whined playfully, stomping his hooves on the ground, throwing a mock temper tantrum.
Patch giggled,
"I'm right here Daddy. I'm just using my head like you taught me."
"So, what did you think of Sweetie Belle?" Sea Blue asked, changing the subject and suddenlt acting perfectly normal once again.
Patch perked up,
"I like her! She says there are two more fillies that don't have their cutie-marks either! They call themselves the Cutie-Mark Crusaders! Sweetie Belle said she'd ask the other two fillies if I can be a Cutie-Mark Crusader too!"
Sea Blue rolled the phrase around on his tongue for a moment,
"The Cutie-Mark Crusaders, huh? I don't know Patch; the name makes them sound a little rambunctious. I don't want you doing anything dangerous."
Patch hid a mischievous grin away from her father and batted her eyelashes innocently,
"Aww, come on Dad, please? How much trouble can four little fillies get into?"
"Well, I guess you're right. Sure, go for it."
Sea Blue had no idea exactly how much he would come to regret those words.
***********************************************************************************
Fluttershy was up with the sun, like always, feeding her animals. Her chickens were her only true source of income since she rarely charged for her veterinary skills. She quietly gathered the eggs from under her hens and held each one up to the light of the sun, looking carefully for any sign of fertilization. She had made that mistake once and only once, she had cried for over a week afterward. After examining each egg, she gently placed them in a linen lined wicker basket. The Cakes paid well for the hen-fruit and she needed the bits. She grew most of her own food, but having the bits was helpful for emergencies, which seemed to occur with disturbing frequency as of late. She had saved all the bits she earned as a model, and it was quite a substantial sum, but she knew every little bit helped. (Bad joke, I know.)
Most of the ponies in Ponyville thought she was poor, she certainly lived like it. What they didn't realize was that Fluttershy had all she needed and wasn't greedy. She was a simple mare with simple needs. She had her animals and her friends. The only thing she occasionally yearned for was companionship. Her animals were great company and Angel Bunny was as protective as anything she could ever need or even imagine for that matter, but she wanted somepony to talk to every day. Her friends were wonderful and she was grateful for them on a daily basis, but she had to travel for a fair distance to visit them.
She picked up the basket of eggs and headed off toward Ponyville to sell them to the Cakes, 'I wonder if Princess Celestia sent the veterinarian yet?' Fluttershy continued walking to Sugar Cube Corner, humming to herself all the way.
***********************************************************************************
Pinkie Pie's alarm clock rang out loudly in the upper room of Sugar Cube Corner. A bright pink hoof slowly snaked its way out from under the covers of a neon pink canopy bed and smashed the nightstand on either side of the offending noise-maker before slamming down against the top of the badly dented alarm bells. The clock stopped ringing and the hoof stretched out to grab vaguely at the drawer of the nightstand. The hoof pulled the drawer open and slunk inside, retrieving a hoof-full of multicolored marshmallows. The hoof ominously retracted back under the covers, to the sound of loud munching.
Were anypony standing in the room, here is how the next few seconds would play out. You would hear the ominous sound of a disembodied heartbeat. It would start off softly and gradually grow louder. The camera would zoom in to the canopy bed slowly while the heart beat grew louder and louder. You would see the pink hoof reach out a second time and procure a second hoof-full of marshmallows then drag them back under the covers, once again to the sound of loud munching. Suddenly the covers would explode upward, as a high-pitched squeal rang out loudly. A bright pink blur would shoot out from under the covers and streak down the stairs leaving a pink ribbon-trail behind it. The bed covers would land perfectly, already flat and straight, while a pair of pink hooves trailed back up the stairs and grabbed a toothless baby alligator from where it slumbered next to the bed, unseen until this moment. That is, if anypony had been in the room watching.
Pinkie Pie had a new treat waiting for her this morning. She had gone shopping and had discovered something new the previous day. She had been so excited she had bought a full bag of the 'mix' and the machine to go with it. She had read the instructions the previous night, after Mr. and Mrs. Cake had left for the day, so they had no idea what the pink pony had acquired.
Pinkie Pie carried Gummy around on her back talking to the little reptile,
"As soon as the espresso’s done, we'll go see Twilight and Spike and Live Wire and Dashie and Trooper and Rarity and Sea Blue and Patch and Big Mac and Applejack and Fluttershy and Dr. Mendie so we can get ready for our next adventure! Aren't you excited Gummy! . . . "
May Celestia curse the fool who sold Pinkie Pie an espresso machine.
*********************************************************************************
Dr. Mend always kept his windows open so the sun could wake him. It was an old habit and it always worked for him. His house was a very modest little thing, barely big enough for a bachelor stallion living by himself. He had a ten-pace by ten-pace bedroom with a tiny closet, one mirror, and not a single decoration on any of the walls. He had a tiny kitchenette with a mini-fridge, a sink, and a single range burner for cooking. His bathroom was likewise miniscule with barely enough room to turn around. He had a front room, of sorts. It was, like his bedroom, ten-paces by ten-paces with a single couch and coffee table. The entire house was sterile white and utterly devoid of any sort of decorations whatsoever. Mend had always hated his house; even though he could never admit it to himself until he came back from Canterlot.
"How did I ever live here?" he asked himself out loud.
The stirrings of a voice from the deep, dark recesses of his mind prompted Mend to race to the kitchenette and nearly lunge for a small orange pill bottle he purposely left on the counter. He washed the pill down with a long series of gulps of water, straight from the faucet of his sink. He pulled his head out of the sink and turned off the faucet.
"Whew," he said greatly relieved, "Can't let that happen. Your mistake Mother, not mine. Now breakfast."
The older medical pony opened the door of his mini-fridge and his face fell,
"Drat. I need to go shopping. I wonder if Live Wire is making breakfast yet? I'm sure he'll have some leftovers, if not, I'll just grab something from Sugar Cube Corner."
The notion that he spoke to himself had bothered him at first, but Sea Blue had assured him it was perfectly alright. Dr. Mend replayed his psychologist’s answer in his mind, 'It's O.K. to talk to yourself, it's even O.K. to answer yourself. The problems begin when you get into an argument with yourself over an answer and have to buy yourself dinner to make peace with yourself at a fast-food joint because you know you're a cheap date.' Dr. Mend chuckled at his friend's explanation and decided to head on over to the Library.
***********************************************************************************
Applejack and Big Macintosh were up and about as the first rays of the sun peeked up over the horizon. To their surprise, Caramel was already awake and had done almost half the chores before they even managed to get out the front door. They joined him and together they finished the chores in half the normal time. They headed inside for the morning meeting and breakfast and sat around the table.
Big Macintosh set a pot of oatmeal on the range then made the three some hot chocolate and distributed the steaming mugs as he sat down,
"What do we have to do today?"
Applejack spoke up first,
"What time is Zecora supposed to get here?"
Caramel almost choked on his cocoa,
"Zecora?" he asked.
"Ayup." Big Macintosh replied.
Applejack eyed Caramel suspiciously,
"Is that goin' to be a problem Caramel?"
The unlucky Earth pony waved his hooves in front of himself,
"No! No not at all. I'm just surprised is all. I wouldn't have expected her to be willing to do this. I don't know her very well, but she seems to like her solitude. What did you say to make her agree to help?"
"Alls Ah did was ask her nicely and offer her a place to stay while we're gone." Big Macintosh explained.
"Um, Big Mac?" Applejack prodded, "Does Granny Smith know Zecora's commin' to stay at the farm?"
"Ayup." her brother responded.
"When did ya tell her?" Applejack was not convinced.
"When we got home from Twilight's last night." Big Mac informed his inquisitive sister.
"And she was okay with that?" Applejack asked.
"Ayup. Said she knew a Zebra family once a long time ago. Said they was some o' the nicest folks a pony could meet, even if they did talk awful funny." Big Macintosh said.
The tell-tale sound of bubbling oatmeal alerted the three Earth ponies that breakfast was ready. They ate their breakfast in silence, as farmers are apt to do. Caramel collected the bowls and began the dishes while Applejack and Big Macintosh finished their cocoa.
"Well then, Ah guess we should be headin' over to Twilight's here soon. If Zecora gets here before we get back, Ah want you to be real nice to her Caramel. She's benden' over backwards for us here. Get to know her some and give her a tour of the farm so she knows her way 'round. Yall two are goin' to be runnin' Sweet Apple Acres while Big Mac and Ah are gone. Ya hear?" Applejack said authoritatively.
Caramel turned his head away from the sink and nodded,
"Sure thing Applejack."
"We'd best get goin' now Big Macintosh." Applejack said rising from her seat.
"Ayup."
***********************************************************************************
Rarity sat quietly with Sweetie Belle at their kitchen table sipping tea,
"I have to go to the Library for a meeting today. I have to go away for a little while here soon and I want you be on your best behavior for Cheerilee while I'm gone. Do you have your things packed yet?" she asked.
Sweetie Belle didn't answer her,
"Sweetie Belle, did you hear me?"
Sweetie Belle looked up slowly from her tea, her little face was sad,
"I'm going to miss you Rarity." she said, voice cracking.
"Sweetie Belle darling, it's not as if I'm never coming back. I'll just be gone for a little while. I have to go make sure Valiant's going to be alright. We owe him a great deal. He did save your life. I don’t know what I would have done had I lost you in that fire.” Rarity stated. “Valiant is a friend and you do what you can to make sure a friend is alright, you would do the same for Applebloom or Scootaloo wouldn’t you?” She asked.
“Of course I would, they’re my best friends!” Sweetie Belle gushed.
“Speaking of friends did you talk to them about Patch?”
“No not yet,” she said innocently shuffling her hooves, ”I want them to meet her first. Scootaloo will probably think her missing eye is cool. I like Patch and I think the others will too. Though I hope her eye freaks out Silverspoon and Diamond Tiara.” said Sweetie Belle with a hint of a mischievous smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.
“Sweetie Belle! As funny as you might think it is, do you think it right to use Patch like that? It’s not a very polite thing to do to a new friend darling.” Rarity chastened.
“I know.” Sweetie Belle replied bowing her head. “I still think it will be funny.” Sweetie thought.
“Well let’s go Sweetie Belle, come along, we both have things to do.” Rarity said as she got up from her seat and washed their tea cups.
*****************************************************************
In the skies above Ponyville:
“Ah me, I never would have gotten to used to the blasted cloud house anyway, we are just leaving again.” Trooper started looking around the sky, "Hmm, where to get breakfast?"
The sight of a thin trail of smoke emanating from the chimney of the Library gave him an idea. Trooper licked his lips remembering Lemon Lime's cooking, 'Not much to debate there. Live Wire makes a mean spot of breakers. Looks like the Library is where I shall find my morning repast.' Trooper flew off toward the Library thinking, 'I do so hate to mooch off everypony like this. I will have to look into finding some manner of employment. I certainly cannot spend the rest of my life asking a friend whenever I need to find a place to tuck in.'
Trooper flew in low over the various homes in Ponyville and caught sight of a rooster-trail of dust heading off toward Canterlot, 'Huh? Is that Rainbow Dash?' he pondered, 'No she would be flying. I wonder who that is?' He flew up high and used his right fore hoof to shield his eyes, squinting, 'Odd. For a moment there I thought I saw a flash of pink. Oh well, breakfast waits for nopony.' he thought as he swooped down for a landing in front of the Library.
***********************************************************************************
Rainbow Dash snorted loudly and turned over in her bed. She opened her eyes and squinted out her window. The sun had just risen. While the multi-hued pegasus was definitively not an early riser, she knew there was much that had to be done and subsequently decided to try to force her still sleepy body out of bed. She grunted and groaned and fussed around under the cloud blanket then finally managed to slip her left hind hoof out from under the covers. Her hoof met the soft and fluffy but solid cloud which made up her floor. She eased her other hind hoof out and slowly rocked her weight off the bed and onto her floor with a plush whomping sound. The floor being made of cloud, like her bed, was just as comfortable. Rainbow Dash had to fight to keep from falling back to sleep on her floor.
She shakily rose to her hooves and head-butted the door of her room open. She attempted to descend the stairs but in her groggy state she overbalanced and rolled down the stairs. Rainbow Dash lay at the base of the stairs for a few moments before righting herself, it took a couple of attempts. She plodded over to her front door and managed to find the handle after four failed attempts. She walked out over her porch and simply stepped off the edge.
The feeling of freefall brought her instantly awake. She opened her wings and glided for a minute before shaking her head and dashing off toward Ponyville. Rainbow Dash saw Applejack and Big Macintosh on the road to Ponyville and swooped in over them.
"Applejack, Big Mac, can I talk to you guys for a minute?" Rainbow called from the air above the two Earth ponies.
“You get another speedin’ ticket sugar cube?” Apple Jack said playfully.
“Are you ever going to leave me alone about that AJ?” Rainbow Dash asked the farm pony.
“Nah, it's too much fun messin’ with ya about it” Applejack replied still smiling.
"I've never been traveling before and um . . . Well, I kind of don't know what I should bring. I don't even own a pair of saddle bags." Rainbow Dash admitted.
***********************************************************************************
Valiant woke up as soon as the first rays of Celestia's sun crept through the foliage of the trees. The mystery of the statues had haunted his dreams. He crawled out of the tent and looked the macabre display across the stream. The statues hadn't moved, but their life-like appearance was accentuated in the early morning light, even if they were still lying down on the ground. Valiant was still full from his dinner the previous night, so he decided to get going on the mystery of the statues.
He hopped across the stream and took another look at the lost art. In the brighter light he could make out even more details. Every follicle of fur was clearly identifiable, the detail was positively mind-boggling. One thing he hadn't realized was that the statues hadn't worn with age. The stone looked like it had only just been carved. He walked around the statues and carefully examined each one in turn. One particular depiction caught his eye. A single statue lay on the ground, but it looked like it was meant to be there. The creature depicted was lying on its back, the contents of its strange saddle bags seeming to have been in the process of falling out as if it had been frozen in the middle of landing on the ground. Valiant stepped toward this statue for a better look.
His right fore hoof caught against something next to the statue. Valiant lowered his head and nosed away the dirt revealing a badly worn, but thickly rimmed, small porcelain bowl. Valiant picked up the bowl with his teeth and set it on top of the statue. He nosed away the remainder of the dirt and took a good long look at the bowl, 'Maybe this belonged to the artist who carved the statues. I wonder if the artist's signature is on it somewhere?'
Valiant turned the bowl over and examined the bottom. He could just barely make out some letters on the bottom. The words were in Ancient Equestrian, but Valiant could understand a little of the archaic language, 'To punish and enslave.' Valiant raised a hoof and scratched his head, 'That doesn't make any sense. What pony would write that? Wait a minute. To punish and enslave, to punish and enslave. I know I've heard that before.' Valiant wracked his brain, repeating the phrase over and over until it clicked, 'To punish and enslave! That was on one of the old tablets the archeologists in Haysburg uncovered. There was more to the quote, 'To punish and enslave, the strong will rule the weak. From the cradle to the grave, their lives are ours to keep.' The archeologists said it was even older than our earliest histories. I'll admit the rhyme isn't particularly good and it's dark, but if these statues are that o . . .' Valiant trailed off as something on the statue before him caught his eye.
The contents of the statue's strange bags held a second, identical bowl. The bottom was clearly visible in the light. The words, 'To punish and enslave.' were clearly visible on the bottom, even more visible than on the bowl Valiant had found. He realized the two bowls were utterly identical, 'Why would this creature have an identical bowl? The writing is in Ancient Equestrian . . . unless . . . ' Valiant quickly began searching the other statues for any sign of more writing. A second statue had an inscription etched into the side of its shield. The words were in Ancient Equestrian, 'For the glory of the Diamond Dog Empire.'
Valiant couldn't understand it, the inscriptions made no sense. He wandered back to the first statue he uncovered and examined it again, specifically the kopesh. The blade had chips in it almost as if it had been struck against something else metallic. Valiant just couldn't figure out the purpose of the statues. He scuffed his right hind hoof against the ground. Instead of striking soft dirt and loam, his hoof clunked against something else solid.
Valiant turned around and used his hooves to dig around the new object and clear off the top. He uncovered a stone plaque written in Ancient Equestrian, 'Here on this patch of ground, lay the first enemies to fall to the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Peace. These are the petrified remains of the 'Dirge Hounds' a military force of the Diamond Dog Empire. These cruel beings are forever encased in stone as a reminder to all to respect the ponies of Equestria. For their vile massacre of two-hundred helpless ponies, may they never know their final rest.'
Valiant's mouth went dry,
"Dear Goddesses." he whispered.
Valiant looked out over the gathering of frozen 'Diamond Dogs' and felt his legs turn to jelly, 'I'm not staying here another minute!' he turned tail and leapt back across the stream. Valiant had never broken camp so quickly, but he was loathe to stay around what was, effectively, the dead bodies of a band of murderers. He was on the move again in less than an hour.
***********************************************************************************
Lemon Lime was overwhelmed. Instead of two ponies and a baby dragon to feed, he suddenly had nine ponies and a baby dragon. Fortunately Applejack and Big Macintosh had already had breakfast and nopony had seen Pinkie Pie all morning. The poor yellow unicorn had cooked himself into a state of exhaustion. Lemon Lime lay on the floor of the kitchen listening to the sounds of chewing emanating from the main room. Lemon Lime smiled weakly and groaned, trying to push himself into a standing position.
A pink blur suddenly burst through the door of the Library and made a complete circuit of the ponies enjoying their breakfasts. Each surprised face received a millisecond’s long 'good morning' then the blur left back out the door, the door slamming closed behind it. The entire scene took less than half a second to play out.
"Ah smell coffee. Hey Live Wire, did you make coffee?" Applejack asked sniffing the air.
"No, sorry. I didn't." Lemon Lime panted on the kitchen floor, "I think that was Pinkie. She's the one that smelled like . . . " Lemon Lime's voice trailed off and his pupils shrunk to pinpoints as he slowly said, "Like coffee."
The statement lingered in the air, causing the entire Library to lapse into silence while the implications set in. As one, the entire group surged to their hooves and stampeded toward the front door yelling, "PINKIE!"
Twilight took charge,
"Applejack, Big Macintosh, get your lassos! Rarity, Sea Blue, Lemon Lime, and I can contain her with our magic . . . I hope! Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Trooper you fly up and tell us where she is!"
Dr. Mend broke in,
"I'll have a sedative ready when you bring her in!"
LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I know the previous chapter was quite badly done, but I make no apologies. I was busy preparing for my wedding when I wrote that. I am back now and I will continue writing the story that most of you seem to like so much. Special thanks to the real life Trooper (you know who you are) for writing Trooper's part in this chapter. To his sister, Kyra, for writing the scene with Rarity and Sweetie Belle. To 'Warmaster99' for taking care of editing the chapters. And finally to Double Mallow for posting the two previous chapters on E.Q.D. while I was on my Honeymoon in Disney World with my new (beautiful, sweet, loving, caring, sexy . . . ect.) wife. A particularly special thanks goes out to the brony known as Kroqgar for mentioning my story in the author's notes of his own story (who I will freely admit is a writer who is obviously very skilled at descriptions). Dude, call me. Seriously, we need to talk.
I have had several people ask about art for the story. I am a HORRIBLE artist. I can only hope that some wonderful and generous person is willing to contribute for free (Applebloom, I’m looking hopefully in your direction). The other question has been 'What do Valiant, Dr. Mend, Live Wire, Sea Blue and Trooper's voices sound like?' Some have even asked for character bios and personality diagrams . . . O.K. I'll do my best.
If I had to go with actors for the voices, I would say:
Trooper sounds like Andy Milder. (Mild British accent, never uses words like 'can't' or 'won't')
Valiant sounds like Jude Law. (No accent, generally soft-spoken)
Dr. Mend sounds like Topher Grace. (Very intense and serious)
Sea Blue sounds like Dane Cook. (With less foul language and not nearly so loud)
Live Wire sounds like Russell Brand. (No accent and speaks nearly as quickly as John Moschitta Jr.)
For bio/personality diagrams:
Trooper: A 25 year old pegasus pony. He is well mannered and well spoken. He is also outgoing and friendly if excitable and often very dramatic. He has a habit of putting his hoof in his mouth (sometimes all four) but generally has a good sense of humor. He is somewhat difficulty to offend except about certain topics, the foremost being his lack of a cutie-mark, which grates him constantly. Trooper is the bearer of the Element of Perseverance.
Valiant: A 25 year old pegasus pony who lost his wings helping a bear. He is a passionate pony who is willing to sacrifice anything to help others. His passionate nature, which he still has very little control over, has caused him to make some poor (if extremely brave) decisions. He is friendly but has a tendency toward depression and self-loathing, which he is constantly battling. His special talent is for creating potions and salves of all kinds. He is the bearer of the Element of Hope.
Dr. Mend: A 35-ish Earth pony who looks like he is in his mid 50s. He is a very serious stallion with a no-nonsense attitude and a bit of a short temper. He is both protective and caring, but that side of him generally remains hidden behind his taciturn exterior. He is often seen as being aloof and coldly professional, but those who take the time to get to know him realize he is simply a contemplative, blunt, introvert a.k.a. 'an asshole with a heart of gold'. His special talent is in the field of medicine. He is the bearer of the Element of Forgiveness.
Sea Blue: A 22 year old unicorn pony. He is a playful and good-natured stallion who is very nearly impossible to offend. He is a counselor and is a veritable rock of good sense. He is extremely well attuned to the way others act and is one of those few who can utilize both logic and intuition. He can almost tell what another pony is thinking simply by observing the way they act and carry themselves. His one weakness is his daughter Patch, whom he loves with all his soul and can never seem to say 'no' to. His special talent is for psychology. He is the bearer of the Element of Discernment.
Lemon Lime (Live Wire): A 20 year old unicorn pony. He is afflicted with a mental condition which causes his mind to work four times faster than that of an ordinary pony. He is generally thought to be a skilled cook and has a particular penchant for making somewhat extravagant breakfasts. He is friendly and exuberant but speaks nearly as quickly as an auctioneer, a fact that has caused him to be a social pariah and until recently, he literally had no friends. Despite his seemingly hyperactive exterior he is a very patient pony and also has a keen, calculating mind which in a way (due to his condition) rivals that of Twilight Sparkle. He is also somewhat sensitive but is likewise forgiving. His special talent is for physical therapy. He is the bearer of the Element of Patience.