//------------------------------// // Mission Debrief // Story: Alcohol, College, and the Elements of Harmony // by TroWolf15 //------------------------------// “Alright, what we all doin’ here anyhow? Dis better be important,” Applejack asked no one in particular. Five of the Elements of Harmony were standing around on the first floor of Twilight’s house; waiting for none other than Twilight herself. “It’s the Princess. She wants to speak with all of you,” Spike responded with reserved optimism. He just wanted to stay home and be lazy, but now he can’t have that – much to his dismay. “Why does she want to talk to all of us? Twilight's her student, not us!” whined Rainbow Dash, hovering just a few feet above the ground. “I don’t know! Ask the Princess that when we get there!” Spike retorted back at her, slightly annoyed. “Oh please, can we knock off this frivolous nonsense? We should be honored that we are going to Canterlot!” Rarity chimed in, “We are going to be in the presence of ROYALTY! And ponies of CLASS! Ahh I just can’t wait!” She began to get lost in her fantasy of being a Canterlot pony. At that moment, Twilight came down with a suitcase floating in front of her. “Hey everypony, you all ready?” she asked enthusiastically. They all cheered in agreement and off they went! *One train ride and a few hours of foolishness later* “We’re here!” shouted Twilight in pure joy at the prospect of meeting up with her teacher, the Princess of Equestria. She practically sprinted out the train and towards the castle. “Hold up there, Twilight!” shouted Applejack as she hurried to catch up . “Oh, Twilight, please wait!” half-shouted Fluttershy. “Ohhh a race! You’re on!!” giggled Pinkie as she shot off at her top speed, Rainbow following suit. They reached Celestia’s castle, just as the sun was beginning to set. It was silhouetted against the orange sky with a few fluffy clouds in the background. It gave it a calm feeling, one of complete zen. The seven of them walked towards the front gate, where two guards stood with spears in hoof. “HALT! Who goes there?” asked one the guards, his expression solid stone, emotionless. “Twilight Sparkle, her assistant, and the Elements of Harmony. The Princess has requested our presence immediately,” responded Twilight, confident they will let her in. “Very well. Please proceed,” said the other guard. They moved out of the way and allowed the seven of them to enter the castle. They soon entered the throne room where Celestia awaited. Twilight ran ahead of the others to greet her teacher. “Princess Celestia! We came as soon as I got the letter! What’s the new assignment you have for me?” she asked with great optimism, grabbing a hold of a notebook and quill to take notes. “Ah Twilight, my star pupil. I’m glad you were able to make it on such short notice,” Celestia smiled at her student, and then to the other Elements of Harmony, “but this assignment isn’t one where you can go research in the library. This is more of a hands-on assignment.” “What do you mean, Princess?” asked Twilight. “Sit down, girls and Spike. This may take a while,” said the Princess, the others listened and got comfortable. “Girls, you are all aware of your powers, your capabilities here in this world, being the Elements of Harmony.” The girls all nodded in agreement, “and as that makes you powerful, you still have much to learn when it comes to your spiritual side, and your leadership skills.” The girls all looked perplexed at those words… “Leadership” “Girls, I want you all to know that I am creating borders within Equestria; different regions, if you will, and I want a pony to lead each region, one who I find is worthy of being a leader, who is strong both mentally, emotionally, and physically. I have put much thought into it, and have decided I want you girls, the Elements of Harmony, to be the leaders of these new regions.” And with this the girls all were shocked. They were completely taken off-guard at the responsibility the Princess was bestowing upon them. “I can think of no better candidates for the job and I believe with your girls’ friendship; it can lead to a greater relationship between all parts of Equestria,” added Celestia. “Wow, Princess, I don’t know what to say,” Twilight said, fumbling her words. “This is all just so sudden and I—” “—will not be taking over these regions just yet. This is where the assignment I told you about becomes relevant,” Celestia interrupted. “My assignment to you girls is that I would send you to a whole new world, one of a different species. Where you will become that species. You will learn how to adapt to their way of life and live a completely different life.” The girls’ jaws hit the floor. They couldn’t believe all that was being said. They just sat there, taken aback by the situation, letting Celestia continue. “Not only will you learn to adapt to a new lifestyle; you must become friends with all those around you. You will need to learn a new lifestyle and adapt to your surroundings. This assignment will show me and prepare you for your future responsibility as leaders in Equestria. That is, if you choose to accept this responsibility.” She paused for a bit to let it sink in to the girls’ and Spike’s heads. It was a lot of information for them to take at once and she knew that. There just wasn’t a way to say it without saying it all. “If you want I can give you time to think this over. I know this is very sudden and if you want to talk to each other about it; you can,” Celestia reassured them; trying not to add pressure to them. “Celestia,” Twilight spoke up, “I want to thank you for even considering us for this unbelievable task and, with that, I accept the challenge. I will be honored to represent Equestria in another world,” she said confidently. “Count me in, too, Princess!” AJ added. “Me too!!” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “Uhm, yes, I will,” Fluttershy said reluctantly. “OOKKAAYY Princess, I will!!” Pinkie shouted in excitement. “A chance to become royalty? Oh how could I EVER pass up the opportunity?” Rarity sang in her posh voice. “Excellent,” Celestia said happily. She walked towards the section of wall behind her throne and motioned for the girls to follow. They got up and crowded around her and Celestia’s horn soon lit up a dim light. Suddenly, the wall in front of them opened to reveal a staircase going down. “Okay everyone, follow me,” Celestia said as she started to descend the stairs. “So, the creatures on this planet are called humans and that is what you will be,” she began a debrief of sorts to the girls, so they wouldn’t be terribly confused upon arrival. “They are taller than us, and walk on two legs, instead of all fours. They will look much different than us, so be prepared for that alone, but the most important thing to understand is that they live very differently.” “How so, Princess?” Twilight asked in a studious manner. “Different. Unfortunately, I don’t know many details except that they can range from being extraordinarily mean to having incredibly kind hearts. This is another perk of you all going: we will learn more about another intelligent form of life.” “This sounds so cool!! I can’t wait to test out my flying in a new world!” Dash said excitedly. “Oh, I’m sorry to inform you girls that you won’t be able to fly or do magic while you are over there. The humans don’t have that capability.” “Aww, really? That stinks…” Dash suddenly became extremely depressed at hearing that news. “No magic? How do they do anything without flying or magic?” Twilight asked. “I wish I could tell you girls all you need to know, but unfortunately I can’t. Starswirl, who had contact with them, had left very poor notes on them and I never had much of a chance to observe them myself.” “Did you—” AJ began to ask before Celestia cut in. “Yes, I did go to their planet. I went to make sure you were all prepared and had something to get settled into when you get there. This brings us to our next topic: your names and what you will be doing.” At this point, they reached the bottom of the stairwell and went through the door waiting for them at the bottom. They entered the room to find a raised dais in the middle – like it was made for a ritual of sorts. The dark alicorn was waiting in the room for everyone to arrive. “Ah, Luna, glad to see you here, my sister,” Celestia said as she approached her little sister. “You as well, Celestia. How much do they know about their assignment?” she asked, loud enough for everyone to hear. “All but their new names and how they will be living there,” Celestia responded. “Ah, may I?” asked Luna, motioning towards the girls. Celestia gave her a small nod and a smile. “Girls, as you are aware, you will be learning about the humans and how to adapt in a new world, but you will need good disguises and stories if you are to fit in with these humans,” Luna addressed them in a mix of her royal voice and casual voice. “You will be what they call, ‘College Students’ in one of the top schools in their world. You will be taking part in higher learning in this school, as well as learning their basic way of life.” “WE GET TO BE AT A SCHOOL LEARNING ON TOP OF WHAT WE WILL LEARN ABOUT A NEW SPECIES!?” Twilight was just overflowing with excitement now. “Yes, Twilight, you will,” Luna replied with a smile. “As for names: you need something different. Your names here won’t fit in with the names they have there. Twilight, you will be Tanya Harold.” “Alright,” Twilight responded with a nod. “Rainbow Dash, you will be Rachel Sweet,” said Luna. “Aww, that sounds so lame! Can’t it be cooler?” whined Rainbow. “No, it is already ‘cool’,” Luna responded, to which Rainbow just gave a huff. “Pinkie Pie, your name will be Patricia Hinds.” “WWEEEEEEE!!!” Pinkie just twirled around hearing her name. “Rarity, your new name shall be Renée Dubois” “Oh, what a lovely sounding name. Thank you Princess Luna!” Rarity sang to the princess. “Fluttershy, you shall be known as Florence Maye” “Oh, well that sounds, nice…” Fluttershy teetered off as she finished that sentence. “And Applejack, your name will be Addison Lily” “Alllrriight, I can dig that name!” AJ said with confidence. “And finally, Spike. You will also be in the same grade as your friends and you will need a name too,” Luna told him. “I will!? Aha alright! Sweet! What’s my new name, Princess Luna?” he asked in pure joy and adrenaline. Luna giggled at his excitement at being included. “Spike, your name will be Spencer Gates.” “Alright! I love it! Thank you, Princess Luna!” He jumped for joy, a grin as wide as his face. “You will all be from Eugene, Oregon, in the country known as the United States and you are all friends from high school. Are there any other questions before we begin the teleportation?” Celestia asked. “Yeah, how long do we have to be there?” Rainbow asked. “Excellent question. You will be there for 5 years. You will enter this school as first years. It is a five-year school. You just need to all graduate from it and you will return home. We will be watching over you from time to time,” Celestia told them, hoping they wouldn’t back down at the last second. None of them did and it pleased her to see this. “Okay, well then Luna: let’s get started. Goodbye girls, we will see you soon,” Celestia said with a smile and a tear. The girls and Spike waved goodbye to the royal sisters. The sisters stood side by side as their horns lit up and turned the whole room white. With a flash and a bang, there were only two left in the room.