Twilight Sparkle
Discord
Fluttershy
Spike
Moone Stromhest (Me/My internet alias)
Onpolyx (OC child one)
Ophelia (OC child two)
Anyxt (OC child three)
Salene (OC child four)
It is recommended for you to read this chapter in 'Night Mode'.
Chapter One: An Attempt at Comfort
Moone walked in to the map room where everyone was taking their breakfast. Fluttershy, Discord, Twilight, and Spike were already seated and chatting quietly. Twilight turned in Moone's direction to greet her, but stopped once she saw the state Moone was in.
The girl had bags under her eyes, heavier than the ones she originally had. She slouched and swayed as she walked, as if she weren't fully awake yet. Her hair was a mess, and her wings were now solid and dragging limply behind her on the floor, feathers sticking out at odd angles.
Twilight gasped in shock, drawing everyone's attention. "Moone, what happened to you? Are you feeling okay?"
"Yeah, I'm feeling alright. I had a rough night, that's all. A cup of coffee, some food and a good preening will have me good as new," said Moone. She waved her hand in Twilight's general direction, and put it on her hip soon afterwards. She stretched and yawned before rubbing her eyes, looking at Twilight. Her wings fluffed up and shook themselves out before coming to rest, folding neatly on her back. "So, what's for breakfast today?" she asked casually.
Twilight gave the girl another glance before levitating a plate of pancakes, orange juice and utensils to a place on the table. "We're having pancakes today. And you told me how young you are, a fifteen-year old should not have caffeine, no matter how much they think they need it," said Twilight.
The alicorn affixed Moone with a playful, but still stern glare. "Now, please sit down and eat your breakfast."
Moone looked around, but all of the thrones were too short for her to sit on. She considered sitting on the floor before Discord noticed her problem.
"Oh, it seems you're a bit too tall for these chairs. Here, let me get you one." Discord snapped his claws, making a chair tall enough for Moone to sit on appear. It landed on the floor in front of her, but it floated to the ceiling before she could touch it.
Fluttershy sighed and looked to Discord. "Discord, what did I say about summoning things for other ponies?" Fluttershy asked politely.
The draconequus looked down sullenly and grumbled, "To make sure that they didn't do anything chaotic."
"Very good. Please fix the chair, Discord." He did.
Moone knelt down and picked up the black feathers that had fallen, sticking them in her pocket to throw away later. She sat, settling down to enjoy her breakfast. A moment later, Twilight levitated over a cup of coffee, sweetened with honey and diluted with milk. The alicorn mumbled something about "maybe needing a pick-me-up" and "that this was the only time she could have coffee," but gave it to the teen anyways. Moone accepted it with a nod of her head, taking a sip.
Conversation started around the table, and everyone chimed in at one point or another. Strangely, Moone was mostly silent, looking at pieces of paper she had pulled from who-knows-where. Curiosity gnawing at him, Discord asked, "What is it you're looking at? Ooh, does it make a funny face or something?"
Moone looked up at the draconequus and chuckled. "No, they're drawings of my imaginary characters. I consider them my children, as they're the most developed ones I've thought of so far."
Discord perked up at this, starting to buzz with excitement. "What do they look like? Can they do anything chaotic?" Moone shook her head in a 'no' gesture, and handed him the drawings. "Be careful, I don't want the pencil smudged or the paper ripped. I've had these for a long time, so they're very fragile."
The draconequus nodded and took the offered drawings with a surprising amount of care. His eyes widened, and he showed them to Fluttershy, a small gasp coming from her mouth. "Twilight, Spike, come look at these!" They rushed to her side, Twilight taking the papers in her magic.
"Wow, these are amazing! And they're not even colored! Moone, did you draw these?" asked Spike excitedly.
Moone, embarrassed, flushed and nodded. "Yeah, I did. I've redrawn them a couple times, but those ones are my favorite and the originals." Twilight looked up at this. "Wait, you're telling me that these are the original versions? How old are they?" Moone looked down in thought.
"About two, maybe three years old? I drew them when I was thirteen. With some help, but it was mostly me. I started drawing around my thirteenth birthday too, so I didn't have a lot of skill then," she said. They gaped at her in astonishment. "Wh- Thirteen? You drew this when you were thirteen, and you had barely started drawing as well?!" Moone simply nodded. Twilight staggered to her throne and cradled her head in her hooves, muttering incomprehensible things under her breath. Discord got an idea.
"Say, what if I brought your characters to life?"
Everyone in the room snapped their head to look at Discord. Twilight opened her mouth, a firm 'no' on her lips when a shaky voice cut her off. "You... You can do that?" Moone stuttered, an excited and mildly scared look on her face. It looked as if she couldn't believe what the draconequus had said. He nodded, and handed her the drawings. She stuck them back in who-knows-where.
"I'll have to look in your mind to get them right, but yes, I can do that." Discord grinned. Moone looked at the alicorn in the room and murmured as cutely as she could, "Please, Miss Twilight? Can he please bring them to life?"
Every living being in the room who wasn't Discord or Moone suddenly came down with a chronic case of 'Squee!!'. Even the draconequus had to look away and take a breath. Moone stopped using the 'cute face' and waited for them to gather their wits.
Twilight, who had almost fainted on her throne, pulled herself up and assented. "Sure, he can. But let's go to the entrance hall for this." Moone cheered, and her wings gave an excited flap. She hovered in the air a moment before landing on the ground and running out of the room. The others followed her, excited to meet the real versions of Moone's drawings.
Later, in the entrance hall...
Moone had allowed Discord to go through her mind and gather all the information he could on her characters. Now, She stood with Spike, Twilight, and Fluttershy in a loose semi-circle behind the draconequus. "Well? Are we ready?" he asked.
A chorus of confirmations came from behind him. "Alrighty, here we go!" He snapped his paw.
Four beings appeared in the air in front of him, and limply fell to the floor. They looked to be about the same age as Moone, if not older. Moone gasped in shock, her hands flying to her mouth.
"They're exactly like I imagined them..." she whispered.
One of them began to wake up, and everycreature gathered held their breath. A female, with an undercut and hair covering one eye, looked up at them and stiffened. Her hair had cream streaks in it, and her eyes were a chocolate brown. She wore light make-up and had silver ball stud earrings. She rose to a crouch, showing her purple turtleneck sweater, jeans and moccasins. After looking around and spotting the others, she crawled over to one, a male, and shook him awake. She murmured something under her breath, and the other sat up. She went and woke the others, speaking to each of them in low tones. She clutched the other female, a blonde, in a hug. The other male, a light brunette, looked to the first and nodded.
The first male rose, taking a protective stance in front of where the other three were huddled. He wore a faded grey hoodie and jeans. He had bags under his visible eye, as the other one was covered with hair; it had cream streaks in it like the first female did, and he had the same earrings. Unlike the first female, his eyes were amber. His hair was a moderate length, about the same as Moone's. He wore black combat boots, and they were worn from use. His sleeves were pushed partway up his forearms and a few hairbands were gathered on his wrists.
He spoke, his voice low and curt. "Who are you, and why are we here?" His actions reminded Twilight of Moone, and she hoped he didn't snap like Moone had. The first female called out, her voice soft and smooth. It carried a note of anxiety in it. "Please, brother, be careful." Her brother's fingers twitched to signal he had heard her.
Moone stepped forward, a disbelieving look on her face. "You... You're here. You're here and alive and breathing and here." Her voice was shaky, and it expressed an emotion none of them could define. The male tensed even further, demanding, "How do you know us?!"
The winged girl sighed. "Onyx, I created you. I thought of you, your sister, your past, and who you've met. I breathed life into your character, and I did the same for all of you. I know about the incident, and I know that you're extremely protective of your sister and that she has a bubbly personality. I know that Anyxt is like a Golden Retriever puppy and that Salene is a little innocent cinnamon roll. I know you, all of you."
She brought her hands to rest over her heart, and she smiled. "You're basically my children, how could I not?"
Onyx, or so he was called, sat on the floor, trying to absorb all of that information. His sister, extracting herself from the cuddle pile behind him, turned to Moone. "So, you're like our mom? Cool! Also, What's your name?" she asked.
Moone grinned and nodded. "Yes, Opal, I'm kind of your mother. My name is Moone Stromhest, and it's a pleasure to finally meet all of you." She looked down at Onyx, and glanced up at Opal. "I think you might wanna fix your older brother, though." Opal looked down at Onyx, and in a voice almost void of emotion, said, "Onpolyx?" He bolted up and to her side before she could continue speaking.
Behind Moone, the others were gaping at the scene. Spike was the first to recover, and excitedly skipped up to Onyx. "Why are you named after a gem?" Onpolyx flinched so badly he almost fell. Twilight called the little dragon back with a wave of her hoof, and asked, "What are your names?"
From the two-person cuddle pile, the blonde answered. "My name is Salene, and I'm fifteen." She wore a sweater as well, along with knee-length shorts, converse, and a blue beanie. Her eyes were a light blue, and she wore a sapphire pendant. Her hair was straight and almost reached to the small of her back. Beside her, the brunette chimed, "I'm Anyxt, and I'm sixteen." He wore a plain t-shirt, an open jacket on top of it. He also had jeans and converse. His eyes were a light green, and his hair was combed down in a neat yet still messy style.
Onyx looked to Opal, and asker her to introduce them in a way only siblings could. "I'm Ophelia, but my nickname is Opal. This is my older brother Onpolyx, and his nickname is Onyx. I'm fifteen, and he's sixteen." she said. Moone nodded, and as Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike went up to the group to ask questions, she turned to Discord.
"Thank you. Thank you, so much," said Moone. "You're welcome," said Discord. He laughed at himself then, he was turning into such a softie.
The group spent the day settling into the castle. The siblings shared a room, and Anyxt and Salene got their own rooms. Discord and Fluttershy went back to the latter's cottage. Twilight called Moone before she turned in for the night, wanting to talk to her.
"It looks like whatever you and the others are wearing is all the clothes you have, and you might need some spares," said the alicorn. Moone cocked her head. "Can't we just ask Discord to fabricate some for us?" she asked.
"If you wanna risk singing or flying clothes, then yes," Moone winced, "Or you can go to the human world and do some shopping there." said Twilight.
Moone smiled, and said, "I think the girls and I need a bonding shopping trip. I'll go see if they're still awake and talk to them about it. Is it okay if they come with me?" Twilight nodded, and gave her a warning. "Sunset Shimmer, a friend of mine in the human world, says it's winter over there. There's also a bit of drama going on, but if you're careful you should be able to avoid it."
Twilight levitated over a paper and pen, dipping the pen into ink and starting to write. "Also, you might need to attend some of the classes at Canterlot High School while you're in the human world, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll write a letter to Principal Celestia to ask if you can stay with her while you're over there."
Moone excused herself then, leaving Twilight to write in peace. She made her way to the siblings' room, opening the door and standing in the doorway. Ophelia and Onpolyx were sitting on one bed, idly staring at the ceiling or making random jokes and comments. Moone cleared her throat, attracting their attention. "Opal, girls meeting in Salene's room. Wanna come?" she asked.
Opal stood up and came to the door, moving her hand in a 'lead the way' gesture. Moone looked over her shoulder and added, "Onyx, if you get lonely waiting for your sister just go cuddle with your boyfriend. I'm sure he won't mind." Opal sniggered and Onyx sputtered indignantly, blushing profusely. The door closed on his protests, and the two teens left to Salene's room. Opal knocked on the door gently, waiting for a 'come in' before opening the door. Salene was leaning against the headboard of her bed, shoes discarded on the floor.
"We're holding a girls meeting. Mind if we do it in here?" Ophelia said. "Not at all," Salene replied.
They settled down, Moone on the floor and Opal leaning against the bed. Salene stayed on the bed, shifting to sit cross-legged. "So, we need to get some clothes. We only have what we're wearing right now, and sleeping in jeans, wearing the same thing over again and possibly having to occasionally go commando isn't gonna cut it."
Opal and Salene winced at the thought.
"Twilight said we could go to the human world to buy some clothes! And before you ask, I'm guessing the 'human world' is a parallel dimension or something similar." said the winged teen.
The two other girls shared a glance before smirking and saying in unison, "Girls night out?"
Moone took a moment to process that, then gained the same evil look they had. It was a look only women could wear when they are at their most devious. (You know the one, you've seen it.)
She smirked along with the other girls. "Girls night out." Cheers erupted in the room, and a few more minutes were spent hashing out the details. Moone stood, about to go to her room. "Well, I think it's time we head to bed. Opal, are you comin'?"
Opal blushed, muttering something under her breath. Salene looked up, smiling apologetically at Moone. "I think she wants to stay a little longer." Moone nodded.
"Enjoy your cuddle time, lovebirds!~" she teased. Opal gasped, and Moone ran away laughing from her embarrassed screaming. She checked on the sibling's room, seeing that Onpolyx wasn't there. 'He must've gone to Anyxt's room,' thought Moone. She went to her own room, settling down in her bed. Today had been a fun day, and she was tired. She fell asleep to the sounds of hushed giggling down the hall and quiet footsteps of teen sneaking back to their room.