This story is a sequel to Arcane Shadow (extended)

Ten years is quite a long time to wait for some action in the form of delivering beat-downs. For this time, harmony has remained unaffected, unaltered, unchanged. It's just perfect. Humans, ponies, Gryphons and dragons...even the Changelings have found this harmony thanks to the efforts of the Mane Six and eight brave adventurers who stopped at nothing to right the wrong. To think the eight have settled down and had families after so long of battling wicked demons and demented gods of all things!

Those ten years have proven them quite worthy of the luxurious life of Equestria--with a few added obstacles throughout. What are those obstacles, you ask?

Children. Really needy children. And this is their tale, for all five share one story.

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The sequel of sorts to Arcane Shadow. It will be labeled everyone as my first attempt at an everyone-rated story. Criticism is advised and strongly cherished. Dark things are applied but is said in a way that doesn't evoke the teen rating shenanigans. '---' is used to indicate changes in time (i.e, flashbacks); '~~~~~' is used to indicate some time later/at another place later; and '=====' is used for change in perspective. Story remains third-person, however.

EDIT: Removed the Cheerilee tag because she doesn't play that big a role.