Sun Ray woke up to the sound of the blaring horn. She was staying at her Uncle Thunder Dash's house, and Sun Ray HATED his morning wake up routine. "WAKE UP KIDS, IT'S TIME FOR SCHOOL!" He yelled into Sun Ray’s eardrums.
Icy Breeze and Waterfall Mist, Thunder Dash's son and daughter, were in the beds next to her. Sun Ray always stayed the night at their place on the first day of school. "UGH!!!" Sun Ray, Icy, and Waterfall screamed, not wanting to wake up so early. This was the worst part of the school year, the wake-up routine - especially when it was Uncle Thunder, whose favorite phrase was “The early pony catches the hay.”
"It's time for your first day of school! START STRETCHING!"
They knew EXACTLY what to do. First, they stretched their wings, ran in place, and did 20 push-ups. Finally, it was breakfast time.
Sun Ray, Waterfall Mist, and Icy Breeze flew downstairs to find delicious first day of school waffles! Sun Ray’s five-year-old brother and sister were sitting at the table. Since they were so young, they didn’t have to do the morning workouts. Icy Breeze was starting fifth grade - Sun Ray and Waterfall were starting second grade, and Sun Ray’s siblings, Thunderstrike and Lightningstrike were starting kindergarten.
“Dad, why do we have to work-out every single morning?” Icy Breeze complained. Thunder Dash replied, “My mom used to make my sisters and I do an even worse morning wake-up routine. You three should be grateful that you don’t have to do 50 pushups!”
The three ponies all rolled their eyes and sat down at the table to start eating their waffles.
“Okay everypony, storytime!” Thunder Dash announced. “When I got married to Apple Blossom…”
“UGH!!” groaned the five kids. “You’ve told us this story a million times!” Icy said
“Well, you can hear it again.” Said Thunder.
“Anyways, When I got married to Apple Blossom, we wanted to move into a house. She HATED seeing me so upset that I couldn't live in Cloudsdale anymore, so she pleaded with Discord to give her wings, and he finally said, ‘Yes.’ This is why Apple Blossom has wings.”
The thought of going to a brand new school made Sun Ray excited (and a little nervous!). She had gone to the Cloudsdale school before, but her parents made her move to the Ponyville school to be with her cousins. Would she make new friends? Would she get a Cutie Mark? Would she get bullied? She had no idea what would happen this school year.
Sun Ray, Icy Breeze, Waterfall Mist, the twins, and Apple Blossom just landed at school. Sun Ray heard the bell ring. "Uh-Oh," She thought, "School's starting."
“Bye, Sun Ray! Bye, Waterfall! Bye Thunderstrike and Lightningstrike! I hope you two have an amazing first day of second grade. I’m going to go to my classroom now,” Apple Blossom said. Icy Breeze also said goodbye to them and then followed his mom to class. The twins flew to a different class.
Sun Ray followed her trotting cousin into the classroom. . Waterfall went over to a blue pegasus colt with a lime green mohawk standing next to a peach-colored earth filly with a gradient of lime and yellow hair. She noticed a giant pink bow in the back of her mane. Sun Ray didn’t want to look like she was following her cousin so she took a seat next to a pearly white filly with a pink and purple mane, with no cutie mark. "Oh my Celestia!" She thought. "Why does that filly have spiral eyes!? She looks like a freak!"
Sun Ray looked at the filly next to the white one. She was a normal red earth pony with a brown mane and tail and green eyes. She didn’t have a cutie mark, either.
She looked around the classroom and saw regular fillies and colts in their class, but no one took a second look at the filly with weird eyes. She wondered why no one cared that someone who looked so weird wasn’t noticed by everyone. She didn’t want to sit next to weird-looking ponies, so she looked for an open seat. She saw one in front of her by her cousin, Cinnamon Apple. She was about to get up and move next to him, but Mrs. Cheerilee came up and class started before she had a chance.
"Hello, fillies and colts!" She said. "Welcome to your first day of second grade! We have a new student this year. My very own grandniece, Sun Ray Dash!" Everypony turned and looked at her. She started sweating and shrunk back in her seat.
“Um… H-hi, everypony… I’m Sun Ray…” She stammered. Everypony turned back over to the teacher who started to hand out worksheets. When Sun Ray got hers she saw that it was just some fun puzzles like word search and dot to dots. She figured that it was like this because it was the first day of school. She got out her pencil from her saddlebag and started working on the fun activities.
About 30 minutes later the teacher let the students roam around the classroom to talk to each other and Sun Ray walked over to Cinnamon Apple, who was talking with an orange earth pony with a red mane. She tapped on his shoulder and he turned around.
“Hey, Sun Ray! It’s so cool that we’re in the same class now!” He said, with his southern accent. Sun Ray always liked that she was related to the apple family. She loved their silly accents and the delicious cider and pies and other treats they made all the time.
“Yeah! It’s awesome!” She responded. They hugged for a few seconds and started talking about some random things. Then the recess bell rang! Sun Ray loved recess but she had never experienced it on land before. She flew outside and found Waterfall talking to the peach-colored earth filly from before. Waterfall turned around and said, “Hey, Sun Ray! This is my friend, Violet Sparkle.” Sun Ray shook hooves with Violet and replied, “Hi, Violet. My name is Sun Ray Dash.” Violet smiled and said, “Nice to meet you!” The three fillies were playing with a ball for a little bit when Sun Ray noticed the white filly and the red filly playing alone.
“I wonder why the red filly is playing with her. She has spiral eyes like a freak!” Sun Ray thought. But she wanted to go introduce herself so the red filly wouldn’t have to play with that pony with the creepy eyes. Sun Ray flew over to the two fillies and they looked scared that somepony was approaching them.
“Hi, I’m Sun Ray, what’s your name?” She asked, facing the red filly and ignoring the white one. The filly looked nervous and replied, “Oh, umm… My name is Fluffball and this is Jany.” Sun Ray looked at Jany who was smiling, but Sun Ray scowled and turned back to Fluffball.
“Fluffball do you want to play with me and my friend Violet Sparkle and my cousin Waterfall?” Sun Ray asked. Fluffball still looked nervous. “Well… Umm… I want to play with Jany. She’s my only friend and she is my cousin.” Sun Ray’s eyes widened.
“Your COUSIN!? But… You two look nothing alike! And… and she has freak eyes!” Fluffball and Jany both gasped. Jany started sobbing her eyes out.
Fluffball yelled, “How dare you speak to my cousin that way!? She was born that way and she is special because of it! Her father and aunt have the same eyes as her because of their amazing chaotic powers!”
Sun Ray realized she shouldn't have said those mean words. “I’m sorry, Jany. I shouldn’t have said that” She said. Jany looked up at her.
“I forgive you,” Jany replied. Sun Ray held out her hoof. “Friends?” She asked. Jany smiled and shook her hoof.
“Friends,” She reassured. The three fillies were playing for the rest of recess until it was time to go inside.
When school was over, the fillies and colts were waiting for their parents to pick them up. Thunderstrike and Lightningstrike found their sister, who was talking to her two new friends. Then something appeared out of nowhere.
“Grandpa Discord!” Fluffball and Jany yelled and they ran over to him. As they were hugging Sun Ray asked, “That’s your grandpa!?”
“Yeah!” Jany replied. Sun Ray had never actually seen the Lord of Chaos before. He looked pretty scary and was hard to get used to, and her brother and sister looked terrified and they hid behind Sun Ray.
“Sun Ray, do you wanna go to my house with me and Fluffball?” Her house is right next to mine. Well, mine isn’t exactly a house, it’s a castle.” Sun Ray’s eyes widened.
“You live in a castle!?” She exclaimed. Jany nodded. “Yeah! But I have to ask my mom first.” A few minutes later a cyan pegasus with lime-green eyes and a rainbow mane flew down to them.
“Hi, mom! Can I go to my friend, Jany’s house?” She asked. Her mom looked at Jany, Fluffball, and Discord. She flew over to Discord saying, “Uncle Discord! I haven’t seen you in ages!” She hugged him and he replied, “Prism! Are these your kids?”
“Yep! These are my youngest kids, Thunderstrike Dash and Lightningstrike Dash. I named them after my brother and sister. This is my oldest kid, Sun Ray Dash. Her mane kinda looks like Fluttershy’s, huh?” Discord looked at Sun Ray. “Yeah, it actually kind of does!”
“Uncle!? You’re related to him!? Wait… If you’re related to him, that means I am, too, and it also means that I’m related to Fluffball and Jany!” Sun Ray yelled. Prism and Discord laughed.
“Sorry Sun Ray, but he isn’t actually my uncle. My mom and his wife are best friends so that’s why I call him uncle. But you can go to their house, though!”
“Yay!” Sun Ray replied.
Discord teleported himself and the three fillies to the Castle of Chaos. Sun Ray stood in the house and looked around in awe. The floor was checkered in pink and purple, and the walls were chaos. Sideways fireplaces, upside down stairs, and so much more.
“Wow, you live here!?” Sun Ray turned to Jany who giggled and nodded. Sun Ray was still astonished.
“Do you wanna see my room?” Jany asked. Sun Ray nodded and then was suddenly teleported into a new room.
“GAH!” Sun Ray yelped. She still wasn’t used to all this teleportation. She looked around the new room she was in and saw a bed with purple blankets and a pink pillow. There were plushies and toys everywhere. There was also a huge box in the corner that had a label “BOX OF PRANKS” Sun Ray had never seen a room this colorful before and not made of clouds.
All of the rooms Sun Ray had seen before had been made of clouds since she lived in cloudsdale. She hadn’t actually expected to see any pegasi at her new school except for her cousin Waterfall, but she saw two pegasi colts. She wondered if they lived in cloudsdale, as well.
“Sun Ray,” Fluffball started, “Umm… Do you want to see what I actually look like?” She asked.
“What do you mean?” Sun Ray was confused. Suddenly, a bright green light flashed and fluffball looked different. She was light purple now, with fluffy teal and white hair. She had green spiral eyes and small fangs. She also had really weird looking wings, like a bug’s but with holes in them.
“What… Are you?” Sun Ray asked.
“I’m part changeling. But since I’m related to grandpa Discord, that’s why I have swirly eyes like Jany. My mom and her dad are grandpa Discord’s kids! And my mommy is half pony half draconequus, and my daddy is half pony half changeling. Even though he looks full changeling, since he is a royal changeling it means he has a pony dad. Also, he’s a different kind of reformed changeling. He doesn’t look all colorful and stuff, like King Thorax,” Fluffball happily responded.
“Woah… That is SO COOL!!” Sun Ray yelled. Jany and Fluffball exchanged a relieved look.
“Wait... Why were you disguised all day? Can’t you just be yourself?” Fluffball frowned and replied, “Well… don’t you remember what you said to Jany this morning? Both of us thought you were going to be the second bully in our class.” Sun Ray still felt terrible about how she had treated Jany.
“I don’t know why I said that this morning. I saw you and just didn’t like you because I thought you didn’t look normal, but then I realized that even though you have swirly eyes, you’re still normal! Everyone has their own unique features and abilities! Heck, everyone is so unique they get a cutie mark.” Fluffball and Jany both smiled.
“Actually... The three of us don’t even have our cutie marks,” Jany noticed.
“Yeah, I guess we don’t,” Sun Ray said, “Wait, I just remembered something! My mom used to be in a group she told me about called The Cutie Mark Crusaders! She and five of her friends were the second generation of the CMC. Maybe we can be the next group! CMC: The Third Generation!”
“Yeah! Actually, I think I remember my Aunt Gemstone telling me about that, too! She was in it, too! That means all of us are related to them!”
The three fillies jumped up and yelled, “Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!!”