"So," Florina started, swallowing a mouthful of waffle, "today, you're going to learn something."
June sighed. "Don't I do that at school?"
"You would, but today's a Saturday. Weekends are for extra-curriculars, and this is one." She slid a notebook across the table, blank save for a hastily-scribbled schedule on the front cover.
June caught it, reading it over. "To do; visit training sessions, get groceries, make lunch, talk to Spectrum, make dinner, settle any arguments, sleep." She glanced up at her mentor. "This doesn't seem to have anything to do with me."
"Wrong again!" Florina gestured towards the empty table, evidence of breakfasting earlier scattered about. "I let you sleep in so that you wouldn't be bothered by the others, but we're going to visit them while they're training. You're going to train with them."
Red June almost choked on a mouthful of waffle. "But I'm not one of them!"
"Every Elemental can learn small portions of other Elements. Our personal Earth training will go on later, but for now, you get to dabble." She quickly downed her drink - it appeared to be cider - and stood up. "Now, we're going to visit Sun Glimmer, Shady Daze and Bee Bop at the park, along with their mentors, Silverwing, Night Shade and Fiddlesticks. You're going to learn just what a properly trained Elemental can do; oh, and some of our graduates will be there too!"
-----
Florina led Red June past all the exciting things like the ice cream vendor - a teal Unicorn who had been referred to as 'Sherbet' as Florina called back a hello - the fountains and the hoofball field to a small grove of trees on the edge of the park.
As the shade enveloped them, Red June noticed the small group of ponies lounging around. Some of them she recognized; the blue-gray coated Shady Daze, blue Unicorn Sun Glimmer and a second blue filly who she had yet to learn the name of, along with their mentors.
Red June followed as Florina officially introduced them. Beside Shady Daze was a dark blue mare with a navy mane and tail, a Unicorn who had come from Canterlot to aid in training Ponyville's high concentration of Elementals; Sun Glimmer's mentor was a tan-coated, gray-maned Pegasus colt named Silverwing, who was currently altering the patterns of light the leaves were casting on the grass; Fiddlesticks was the filly's - Bee Bop, she learned - mentor in Sound, relaxing against a tree with one hoof on a small leather case.
The other two mares with them were not mentoring or in training; Florina explained that they had 'graduated' from their apprenticeships and chosen to use their Elemental talent elsewhere. The green-coated Unicorn, Lyra Heartstrings, was once a Sound apprentice, and she had one of her favourite instruments with her. The second mare, a gray Earth mare with bright purple eyes, was another Sound graduate, her instrument alongside her as well.
"Unlike the other Elementals, which can control their powers with their bodies, most Sound Elementals need a focus object that can help them channel their energy. Sound, like Fire, is a very passionate Element, and it takes a strong pony to channel their energy through their vocal chords instead of a separate focus," Florina summarized, sitting down in the cool grass. "Octavia chose the cello, Lyra chose the harp, and Fiddlesticks chose the fiddle. Bee Bop has yet to decide."
"I like singing!" The filly commented, hopping up, "I really think I can do it!"
"Now, Bop, you have to relax." Fiddlesticks muttered, sighing. "Your Element will do you no good if you get too frantic to focus."
"Sorry." The yellow-maned Pegasus dipped her head, still smiling. "Can we start now that June's here?"
The Sound mentor rolled her eyes, but nodded. Lyra and Octavia set to unpacking their instruments, and the other mentors and apprentices perked up.
"June," Florina whispered, "these are all common songs, so you should know the words. Sing along if you think you can, but don't overshadow Bop. She's been having some difficulties lately."
Red June nodded, trotting over to the other apprentices. A small cacophony set up as the three instrumentalists made sure their tuning was right, and then the gentle hush followed.
Bee Bop puffed out her chest, wings fluttering, as Fiddlesticks started into a basic tune; the Heart Carol. The other two instruments joined in, an odd but melodic combination.
"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts, as long as it burns we cannot drift apart!"
Red June snorted in surprise at the filly's voice; it was incredibly resounding, striking something deep that she didn't know she had. She didn't know exactly what it was, either, but the way the filly's voice melded with the instruments was too perfect to keep her fretting.
"Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few, laughter and singing will see us through!"
June muttered out a soft 'see us through' with the other foals.
"We are a circle of pony friends, a circle of friends we'll be to the very end!"
The instruments fell silent as Bee Bop yelped in surprise. She spun excitedly, grinning at her flank. A small lyre, similar to the one on Lyra's flank, glittered softly as it set in. "I got my Cutie Mark!"
The others set in with a round of gentle applause and congratulations. Red June backed up into the shadow of the trees, flattening her ears against the world.
"You're nothing but a freak."
"Stay away from me!"
"Are you alright?"
Red June yelped as she snapped out of her daydream, calming down enough to recognize Shady Daze. The colt's blue-banded navy mane hung over one eye as he recoiled.
"I'm fine." June muttered.
"You... you know, she's the first of us to get a Cutie Mark." He seemed to struggle with small talk, so she didn't interrupt, "most of us have been here for a while. but we never seem to get our Cutie Marks in our Elements. At least, not in our normal practices."
"Bee Bop just did."
He frowned, "I know that! But we've done hundreds of these practices, and she only got her Mark now. She needs an ensemble, not just a partner. Most of us are like that."
"How do you practice? Making shadow demons or something?"
Shady went quiet, scuffing at the ground.
The two sat in awkward silence.
Shady Daze stood up, trotting towards his mentor. "I guess I'll see you at dinner."
"Same."
Florina trotted over, ushering Red back the way they had came. "Sorry you only got to join in with Sound, but Night says Shady's kind of out of it, and Silverwing needs them to train his Element, so they can't do anything today. Looks like we'll be cutting our visits down to the studio, and then I can do everything else on my own."
"The studio?"
"Well, maybe I'll drag you along for the groceries."
-----
"Spectrum!"
Red June wormed around Florina's legs as the mare held the door open. The hallway they had entered looked as if some insane cloud had vomited rainbows in a very artistic and not-at-all-tacky way all over. Spectrum stepped out from a door down the hall, yellow paint flecking his gray mane.
"Florina, June! You're running late!"
"Of course we are!" Florina shouted back, closing the door. "Have you even met me?!"
"Good point." He laughed, waving them in. "Come on! I decided the den needed a makeover."
Red June trailed Florina as the mare led her down the hall, past Spectrum, and into the small room that he had indicated. It was a earth-toned room, dull browns and reds, and a stuffed bookshelf lined one wall. Small pieces of paper were stuck to the other one, which Spectrum quickly moved in front of before she could see what they contained.
"You see, June, not all Elementals can do such flashy things like fire and earth. Color Elementals are very subtle, most of the time, like Sound." He nodded to the room. "This room has looked like this since I moved her, and I figured I should change it up at some point."
"Don'cha have to cover all the furniture to keep from messin' it up?"
"Most of the time," he agreed. "But I can control my powers well enough. The paint I'm wearing is from a different project."
Florina rolled her eyes. "She's not your apprentice."
"I suppose not." He sighed, lifting a hoof. A dark pigment began gathering around his hoof, shimmering like magic but slick like water, and he shivered as it began dripping. Without further ceremony, he stomped his hoof on the ground. The room changed from brown and burgundy to sky blue and white in a flash.
Red June gaped at the room, the transformation having taken mere moments. The atmosphere of the room had changed completely; instead of seeming small and homely, it was large and bright, calm and welcoming.
Spectrum scuffed his hoof on the carpet, the remaining liquid paling to a matching white as it left his fur. "And that," he concluded, "is the power of Color."
Florina grinned down at her apprentice. "So, are you ready to embrace your power?"
-----
A dark olive pony hissed as she saw the foal nodding. The window grew over with vines as her anger grew, and she backed away from the house. "One day," she mare growled to herself, "I'll show her what it really means to be powerful."
The ground opened up, and she was gone.