//------------------------------// // Class Begins- First Meeting // Story: The Magnificent Six // by Paradise Oasis //------------------------------// "Excuse me, sir? Is this the way to Misty Mountain?" The teenage unicorn filly did not know her way around these mountains, and it showed in her naiveté in dealing with being so far away from home. She had accompanied one of the various caravans that made the dangerous journeys across Ponyland to deliver trade goods to get here, and the entire trip had been one of the most exciting experiences of her whole life! Everything in this part of Ponyland was strange and new to her, and she wasn't sure who to talk to, or who to ask for help. "Right up this pathway, miss," the unicorn guard at the base of the mountain whinnied, gesturing up the steep road behind him with his hoof. "If you are here for the gala, please wait with the other fillies at the outer gate." "Thank you very much, my good stallion." The pink unicorn bowed her head in respect, and then began trotting her way up the pathway. The eager young filly trotted along very quickly, not wanting to be late, and thereby offend her hostess. She may not be the bravest or strongest filly from Dream Valley, but if there was one thing Twilight Shine was, it was extremely punctual. From one of the minor noble houses of Dream Castle, Twilight Shine was a descendant of the legendary heroine, Twilight Sparkle. It was hoped by her parents that she would turn out to have her ancestor’s great magical talent. When her parents arranged for lessons with one of the finest magic tutors in the land, all she had been able to do was teleport from place to place by saying a pitiful, “I wish…I wish… I wish!” Deemed a family failure, the little pink filly was left to her own devices. She then spent most of her time reading books in the castle library, or staring at the evening stars in the nighttime sky. Climbing up the winding dirt and gravel road, Twilight cut a striking figure. With her purple-and-white streaked mane, the filly with the five-star cutie mark turned the heads of many young colts when she passed by, although the bookworm often failed to notice it. It wasn't long before Twilight made it to the top of the mountain's craggy peak, and gazed at the five other fillies already waiting there. "Hey, look girls! It's another filly here for the party!" Twilight suddenly found a white mass of feathers and a blonde mane in her face, and was pelted by a flurry of questions. "Ohmygosh, were you invited here, too? What's your name? My name's Surprise, and I'm from Hoofkaido! I'm a pony who loves jokes and surprising ponies! But the other ponies don't seem to like my special talent very much..." The crazed white Pegasus with the balloon cutie mark seemed to just ramble on and on, and Twilight simply trotted over to where the other fillies were standing. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, one of the other girls galloped up to greet her. "Oh, hello there!" A white unicorn with a purple mane trotted up to greet her. "You're here for the gala, aren't you? Hey wait a second... aren't you from Dream Valley, too?" "Why yes, I thought I recognized you!" The pink unicorn smiled. "My name is Twilight Shine, my mother works in the Dream Castle library." "I'm Glory, daughter of the castle dressmaker." The two fillies bowed politely to each other. "And I thought there was something bookish about you!" Twilight nodded, and then noticed a timid yellow earth pony over in one corner. She trotted over to the shy little filly, and tried to introduce herself. "Hello there! My name's Twilight Shine!" She extended a hoof to the shy filly with a pink mane. "What's your name? Did you come here for the party, as well?" Looking up at Twilight, the filly nervously extended a hoof. "M-my name is Poesy, and I'm here at the Princess’ invitation." “I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Posey!“ Twilight noticed the shy filly's flower cutie mark, and realized why she was named after a blossom. "So, which Ponyland community are you from?" "B-Bright Valley, though I don't go out much." The filly looked down again, gently tapping her hoof. "I'm sorry; I don't talk to other ponies that often, either." "It's all right Poesy," Twilight replied reassuringly. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine!" Twilight then looked over to the other earth filly- an orange one with a blonde mane and an apple cutie mark. She had seen this filly before, working as a seasonal laborer in the castle orchard, and coming and going from Dream Valley as she willed. "Say, are you a member of the Apple Family?" Twilight asked her. "I'm from House Twilight, myself! It's nice to meet a pony from another Harmony Clan." "My name's Applejack." The orange filly scowled at her. "And you'd do best not ta go around bein’ nosy, kid!" "Hey, ya don't need to be so grouchy, ya big meanie!" Surprise snorted, flying up towards Applejack. "She was just trying to be nice! You don't have to treat her like something ya scraped of the bottom of yer hoof!" "Pay no attention to that blond bimbo over there. She has a severe case of 'I-can't-shut-up-itis," a tough looking pink Pegasus with a lightning cutie mark snorted, flexing her wings. "Name's Firefly Dash, and I'm the best flyer Fort Rainbow Dash has ever seen. Danger is my middle name!" "Really? Are you sure it's not 'arrogant' or 'rude'?" Twilight snorted back. "'Cause that's how you sounded talking about that pegasus filly there!" "Oh yeah, well what do you know, ya dumb egghead!" Firefly snapped, scowling at the angry unicorn. "Bet you can't even levitate stuff without a book tellin' ya how!" "Hey you two, could you please not argue?" Glory whinnied, tossing her mane nonchalantly. "It's so crude, and unladylike!" Firefly boiled over. "Aw, shut up, little miss prissy!" the pegasus filly snapped. "It's also not ladylike for a filly to get herself all messy!" "Messy? What are you--" Suddenly, Firefly swished her wings along the ground, sending a bunch of mud flying all over the unicorn. "Aieeeee! I'm all dirty now!" "Hey, leave her alone, ya overgrown pegasus bully!" Applejack snorted, stamping her hoof and preparing to charge. "Oh, you wanna piece of me too, ya wingless dirt eater?" Firefly snorted steam out of her nostrils, and lowered her wings. "Bring it!" The two fillies plowed into each other- biting, snorting, and kicking up a dust cloud as they fought. It was then that Surprise noticed that Poesy was quivering over in the corner, praying that the violence would end. "Hey, you okay, Poesy?" Surprise flapped over, a look of concern on her face. "W-why do they have to be so mean, and fight with each other?" the yellow filly whimpered, tears coming out of her eyes. "I wanna go home!" "Aww don't worry about it, Posey! Everything will work out." She extended a hoof towards the yellow earth pony. "Here, give me your hoof, and everything will be all right!" "OK..." Posey gave a small smile, and touched the white Pegasus's hoof. It was then that a painful shock shot through the earth pony's body, accompanied by a shrill buzzing sound. "Aieeeeeeeeee!" Poesy shrieked, as every hair in her mane stuck out in a different direction. "Ha ha! I can't believe you fell for that!" Surprise giggled hysterically, pointing to the joy buzzer on her hoof. "What a total sucker!" Poesy collapsed to the ground, and started to cry. The yellow earth pony curled up in a fetal position, and covered her face with her tail. It was at that point that the gates to the citadel swung open and one of Cadance's armor-clad guards trotted out. "Excuse me, my dear young ladies!" The guard bowed deeply to the girls. "But the Princess is-" He suddenly looked up, and saw the disturbing image of six teenagers crying, trading insults, and fighting with each other. "-waiting for you." He finished with a sigh. .... The ballroom was decked out for a celebration, with streamers hanging from every column and decorations hanging on every wall. The tables were set with steaming trays of the finest foods in Ponyland. Guests from the upper echelons of Misty Mountain society were there, gossiping and partaking of the delicious meal that their beloved Princess had provided for them. At the head of the center table sat Cadance, sipping her tea delicately, and chatting with the ponies nearby. Flanking either side of her seat were the places set for the future harmony bearers, each place set with the mark of their ancestor's element. The princess looked to the three fillies seated on either side of her, and smiled. "So tell me, girls," Princess Cadance asked the six prospective harmony bearers, "What do you think of the gala I have thrown in your honor?" "Oh, it's amazing, Princess, really it is!" Firefly replied, her mouth stuffed with food. "The music is awesome, and the food is -BUUUURP!- great!" The Princess grimaced at the Element of Loyalty's poor manners, and tried not to notice as food dribbled out of her mouth. This is not what she had expected from Rainbow Dash's descendant. "Pay no attention to that uncouth barbarian, your highness," Glory said to the alicorn, batting her eyelashes. "We are truly honored and delighted that you invited us here, to your wonderful celebration!" "Why thank you, my dear!" The Princess beamed, pleased that the Element of Generosity was more like her predecessor. "I am pleased that you responded to the invitation I sent, young Sparkler." "What? Oh, no. My name is Glory, your highness," Glory replied with a giggle. "Sparkler is my older sister. She came down with the cutie pox, and my mother had me respond to the invitation in her place." "How... thoughtful of her," Cadance replied, hiding her disappointment. The princess had hoped to get the eldest sister, but she supposed the younger sister would have to do. "And what about you, good Poesy? Are you enjoying yourself?" "Well, ummm... that is..." Poesy fumbled for words nervously. "I-I am very happy you invited me, Princess Cadenza," she replied softly, "but you shouldn’t have gone to such trouble for such an insignificant little pony." It was at that point that a small mouse crawled across the table, right in front of Poesy and Glory's seats. "AIEEEEE! A RAT!" The yellow filly shrieked, hiding under the table. "EEEEEEK! SOMEBODY KILL IT!" Glory screamed, diving under after her. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Surprise laughed hysterically, falling back out of her chair. "That was a riot! I can't believe you fell for that SURPRISE!" The white Pegasus rolled around on the floor, laughing like a maniac. The rodent ran back to Surprise, who gave it a piece of cheese. "As promised, here's your reward," she giggled. Princess Cadance winced, as all eyes turned on the embarrassing scene. It was then that the pink unicorn filly seated nearby finally spoke up. "Excuse me, Aunt Cadance?" Twilight suddenly spoke up. "Why exactly did you summon us all here?" "Wait... did you just call me aunt?" Cadance asked, puzzled. "Of course I did! You married Shining Armor, whose sister I'm a direct descendant of. That makes you my great aunt, thirty-two generations removed," Twilight replied, stamping her hoof. "When I heard you had invited me here, I did some research in the genealogy books in the Dream Valley Library!" "I see..." Cadance replied. As she looked at this bright young filly, the alicorn princess couldn't believe how much she reminded her of Twilight Sparkle. Oh, she had seen many, many fillies that looked like the harmony bearer of magic over the years. But the eagerness in her eyes, the way she carried herself... "That was very clever of you, Twilight Shine," Cadance told the young unicorn with a smile. "And I believe it is indeed time that you all found out what you are doing here," the alicorn agreed. Princess Cadance then stood up and faced all of her subjects seated in the room. She made a motion to the royal herald standing in the corner, who blew on his horn, signaling for everyone in the room to be silent. "Honorable ladies and gentlecolts." Cadance said to the assembled guests, trying her best to sound like her Aunt Celestia. “I want to thank you all for attending this festive occasion. We are honored here by the six young fillies most directly descended from the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony!" Several of the ponies present applauded, while the Harmony descendants each reacted in their own way. "Huh, so that's what this is about!" Firefly snorted. "I always did think it was cool I was related to Rainbow Dash!" "Oh, this is simply divine!" Glory whinnied, tossing her mane. "Mother always knew our elegance and sophistication would remind the nobility of our ancestor's service to the kingdom! Oh, Sparkler, you would be so jealous right now!" "What a Harmony Bearer? Is this some kind of game?" Surprise asked. "Do I have to hide? Oh, I know! I wanna be it!” “All these ponies… cheering for me… Oh my!” Poesy started to quiver nervously, and began looking for someplace to hide. Applejack just sat there silently, continuing to watch all of the proceedings with disinterest. “I have decided to take all of them on as my personal students, and train them to be the best fillies they can be,” Cadance announced. “It is my hope, that I can personally train these bright young ponies to live up to the legacy of their ancestors, and be the great heroines that Ponyland needs in these troubled times!” As the audience continued to clap and cheer, Twilight Shine looked up at Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Her ancestor, Twilight Sparkle, had found recognition as the student of Princess Celestia. Now, here was Celestia’s niece, offering her and these other descendants of the six Harmony Bearers an opportunity to make something of themselves. From the decorations on the backs of their chairs, and the Princess’s careful wording, Twilight deduced that the Princess was hoping to train them to be the next keepers of the Elements of Harmony. But as she looked over the assembled group of fillies, Twilight wondered if this was really going to work. A bully, a lunatic, a prissy pony, a silent filly, and an equine who was afraid of her own shadow. Would these six fillies, herself included, ever be proper harmony material? And more importantly for the harmony bearers… Could they even be friends? … Far, far away from the peak of Misty Mountain, someone else was watching the proceedings, and was not at all pleased. The Volcano of Gloom was situated at the far end of Dream Valley, on the border with the kingdom of Blarkland. An ominous sight, the mighty mountain was always spewing out spurts of lava, ash and pumice high into the air. All the ponies of the valley avoided that evil place, as it was known to be home to a nasty coven of witches, called the Order of Gloom. It was within this mountain that a foul old creature watched the ponies through a crystal ball with disgust. Not an equine herself, the old crone hated to see the ponies have such hope for the future. Then again, she hated to see anybody have hope for the future! Cast out from her own race for practicing the dark arts, this monster had no room for friendship or love in her wicked heart. She reveled in the suffering of others, and basked in their misery. To see the ponies even have a glimmer of hope for the future… Well, that was too much for this old hag to bear. This matter would need more watching… And she should make some preparations, as well. “Reeka! Draggle! Get in here this instant!” the old figure dressed in rags roared. “I have a job for you!”