> Mane 6: The Next Generation > by Dark Nightshade > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > New beginnings and new friends > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The blinds in a large bedroom were pulled, letting in sunlight that assaulted the girl sleeping on the bed inside it beside the window. "Mom!" She groaned, rolling over. Her groan was ignored. "Come on! Up and at 'em, Rory!" Twilight told her daughter. "Today is your first day at your new school and I will not have you showing up late!" Aurora put her pillow over her head. "Why couldn't I be born into a normal, boring family?" She groaned. "Now, is that anyway to talk as the daughter of a hero?" Twilight asked. "See? That's it right there. I don't want anyone knowing that you're my mom!" Aurora said, shooting up. Twilight looked hurt. "Well, why not?" "I don't know...." Aurora trailed. “It’s just, you saved the world like, a billion times and I don’t want anyone to expect me to follow in your footsteps.” She felt ashamed for saying that, but felt better when she felt her mother’s fingers raise her chin up. “You have a choice. You can be whoever you want to be. And if following in my footsteps is or, in this case, isn’t what you want to do, then thats fine. Just know I’ll love you no matter what.” Twilight told her. Aurora hugged her mother before smiling. “Okay, so in that case, can I go live with Uncle Spike?” “School, Aurora.” Twilight responded, sternly, albeit a little amused. “Aw, come on! Why not?” Aurora called after her as she left. "Because school and a good education are important. That's how I got to where I am today," her mom called back. She couldn’t help but smile. Maybe school wasn’t going to be as bad as she thought. She never thought she would be starting school in a new place again. She always thought she would stay at her old school, but Canterlot High seemed to be the perfect place for her. After all, it was where her mother and her friends had went. All her childhood she had heard stories of how Twilight and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra and Tirek, and then reformed Nightmare Moon and mostly reformed Discord. She had seen pictures of these women, but have never seen them in real life. Eventually her mother had stopped telling her such stories after she had asked what had happened to them. “We went our separate ways. I haven't seen them in years. I wonder what they’re all up to now...” Twilight had told her after she had asked. “Can't you call them, or something?” Aurora suggested. “It’s not that easy Rory. They probably have lives now and children of their own. Who knows what has happened to them since we were the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight shrugged. “Besides, I had to take on my responsibilities as a parent. You didn’t come with an instruction manual, you know. I had read every book on child care and still couldn’t understand you.” After that Aurora had tuned her mother out. Now, four years later, she wondered if her mother’s friend’s had had any children. And if they were her age. As she got up to get into the shower, something caught her eye. “Huh. Looks like mom left her headband from her school days in here. I wonder if it fits.” She said, sitting down at her vanity. She set the headband in her ebony hair, fixing it so that it looked right. It fit perfectly, pulling her hair back, giving her a much more mature look. She also realized she looked a lot like her mother than she thought. The only difference was the hair. Her mother’s was a strange purple, with purple and pink streaks running through it. Aurora’s was jet black and just as long as her mother’s, and had only a pink streak in it. She was puzzled to actually even notice the color. “This is hereditary?” she questioned, running the pink strands of hair through her fingers. Glancing at the clock beside her, Aurora gasped. “Crap! I’m gonna be late!” She jumped up quickly before skidding into the bathroom, leaving the headband on the vanity table. “Are you sure you'll be fine?” “Yes, Mom, I think I know how to navigate through high school. We do own a popular library, after all,” Aurora responded sarcastically. “Don’t use sarcasm with me. I know you got it from me but don’t use it.” Twilight scolded as her daughter got out the car. Aurora waved, signaling that it was her mother’s cue to leave. “Bye, mom!” She shouted, walking away. “Okay! Call me if you need anything!” Twilight called back before pulling off. Canterlot High was a lot different than her old school, that’s for sure. It seemed a lot bigger, and there were a lot more students than she thought there would be. That’s when she realized she truly was alone. But she didn’t mind, because to everyone she was just another student, another high school girl. She wasn't Aurora Estrella, daughter of hero Twilight Sparkle, she was just Aurora. She smiled. Today was going to be a good day. Walking through the halls, schedule in hand, Aurora soon figured out she was lost. She figured she would head to the office and ask for help. On the way there, she accidentally bumped into a girl in front of her. “Oh I’m so sor-” “Hi there!” The girl chirped. She was about the same height as Aurora, maybe an inch taller. Her pink hair fell down her shoulders in loose curls, her sky blue eyes shining with laughter. “Uh, hi.” Aurora responded. “I’m Cherri! Are you new here?!” She asked, looking Aurora over. Aurora just stared at her. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen or heard about someone with the exact personality and features. She couldn’t make out a clear picture, the stories her mother told her fuzzy, but she felt like she could barely remember that one of her mother’s friends used to act just like this. “Uh, yeah. You could say that.” She finally answered. “Sweet! So, I'm wondering why you look so familiar. Is your mom an Element of Harmony?” Cherri asked, rubbing her chin. “Ah, uh,” Aurora started. She really wanted to lie, but she knew her mother would disapprove of it. She sighed in defeat. After all, this Cherri girl was just one person. If she was truly willing to be her friend, then she would be able to keep the secret. “Yeah.” “Oh. My. Gosh. Mine is too! That must mean guessing by your hair, your mom is Twilight Sparkle!” Cherri bubbled, excitedly. Now the fuzzy picture in Aurora’s head was becoming clear. “Your mom’s name is Pinkie Pie, right?” Cherri nodded wildly. “Yep! The Element of Laughter! Gosh, I never thought I would meet another daughter of Harmony! This is so cool!” She gushed. "And wow, I never thought that I would meet her at the school I went to!" "Yeah, that was a pretty big coincidence," said Aurora. Just then there was a loud bang behind them and before they knew it, two girls were running at top speed towards them. One of them was tan, had dirty blonde hair that was tied up into a side ponytail, and a Stetson resting on top of her head. The other was just as tan, with shoulder length black hair that had rainbow tips at the ends. They looked to be the same height as Cherri and Aurora. “Stop cheatin’ Iris!” The blonde shouted, as they weaved through the throng of students entering the building. She was lagging behind, while the girl named Iris was sprinting ahead with ease. “I’m not cheating, Avalon! You just suck!” The slightly rainbow haired girl responded before turning back around to skid down a hallway. Avalon let out a groan before following after her. “Who were they?” Aurora asked. “Oh that’s Iris and Avalon.” Cherri answered for her. “They’re like, on every team at Canterlot High. They’re really good friends and super competitive too. Kinda like Applejack and Rainbow Dash.” That’s when another piece of the blurry picture in Aurora’s head became clearer. “They must be Applejack and Rainbow Dash’s daughters!” she said, thinking out loud. Cherri thought for a moment. “Yeah you could be right. But we should make sure later. Class is about to start and I don’t think you want to be late for Ms. Derpy’s class!” The pink haired girl grabbed her hand, and before Aurora knew it she was being dragged down the hall. Correction: Today was going to be one hell of a weird day. > Does this run in the family? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aurora said nothing as she was dragged into her first class. When she got there, she was relieved to see that the teacher wasn't there yet. Cherri pulled her down into a seat, that she realized was next to her. One of the girls from before, Iris, was on her other side, feet propped up and hands behind her head. Behind her was the other of the two, Avalon, who was glaring at Iris. In front of her was a tall, rather shrunken girl with light pink hair. She wore an oversized yellow hoodie, and a magenta beanie. Aurora tapped her. "Uh, hi. I'm Aurora. I'm new here. What's your name?" The girl stared at her in horror, starting to tremble with fright. "I'm, Faith." She whispered, panicking. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Aurora responded, feeling a strange sense of deja vu. As if she heard about the way this played out between two people before. "I'm Faith." She said a little louder now. Cherri giggled. "Faith is really shy. Don't mind her ‘Ror. She'll warm up to you sooner or later. " she assured her, patting her back. Aurora smiled. "Just like another person I used to hear about." Faith's ears perked up. She slowly turned around, as if she was being cautious about what she was about to say. "Y-You knew my mother?" she asked. Aurora smirked. "Not exactly. But my mom did." Faith looked a bit confused, looking from Aurora to Cherri before looking at the pink strands of hair in Aurora's hair. "Oh! I should have known! How could I be so unobservant!" Faith scolded herself. Aurora laughed. "It's okay, it took me a while too. Fluttershy was the one that actually reformed Discord, right?" Aurora asked. Just then, the late bell rung, and in walked the teacher. She was tall, and severely clumsy, nearly tripping over her own two feet and dropping all her books. As she places everything down, she turned to the class and smiled. “Hello!” She called to the class, smiling innocently. Aurora saw that her eyes were a bit...out of place. “Can she see?” She whispered to Cherri, who was taking out her notebook. She shrugged. “Yeah. I think. If she can’t then she’s doing a good job of hiding it.” She giggled. Aurora shook her head and turned back towards the board. Ms. Derpy began calling out names for attendance, and when she got to her, she asked, “Oh, we have a new student?” Aurora reluctantly raised her hand and the teacher gave her a warm smile. “Oh! You’re Aurora then?” Aurora slowly nodded, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment. “Why don’t you come up and introduce yourself?” Ms. Derpy asked. Aurora got out of her seat, and shuffled to the front, gripping at the strings on her purple hoodie. “Ah, um. Hi. I’m Aurora Estrella, and I just transferred from Hoofington. And yeah, that’s it.” She nodded awkwardly before hastily returning to her seat. She never felt so embarrassed in her whole life. “It’s nice to meet you Aurora!” Ms. Derpy told her before turning around to face the dry erase board. She wrote an equation on the board and wrote the word “algebra” next to it. “Okay class, who can answer this for me?” Aurora’s hand shot up. “Thirty four, squared.” Ms. Derpy was a bit surprised. “Very good, Aurora. I haven't even taught the class that yet.” “Egghead.” Iris snickered. Aurora turned to face her. "Iris, is it? Hi, if it wasn't evidently clear, I just heard that. And I'd like to inform you that I'm nothing like my mother, and I'm pretty sure you're nothing like yours. So can we not repeat the past? I would love to befriend you without having to punch you in the lip first." She finished, smiling. Iris looked at her stunned before stuttering, "U-Uh, yeah, sure. Sorry." Avalon let out a laugh. "She sure shut you up, didn't she, Ris?" "Shut up, Avie." Iris grumbled. Cherri giggled. "You're a sarcastic one, aren't you?" Aurora shrugged. "It's about the only thing besides the hair that I inherited." The rest of the period was spent in silence as they had a pop quiz on algebraic formulas. Aurora of course, breezed through it with ease, while Iris looked like she wanted to kill herself. The bell rung, and the girls got up to hand in their papers. "I could tutor you, you know," Aurora said as they walked to their next class. "What?! No way! I don't need help from you!" Iris shouted. "Didn't Ms. Derpy say that if you didn't get at least a seventy on the next major test that she was going to fail you and make you take summer school?" Faith asked. "Plus, coach said if ya don't pick up yer grades, yer gonna be off the team all season long." Avalon added. Iris smacked her forehead. "Fine! Okay! Aurora, you can tutor me!" Aurora gave her a skeptical look. "Did you just use me as a last resort?" “Don’t flatter yourself.” Iris responded coldly, pushing passed her. She continued down the the hallway, not once glancing back at the girls. “What’s her deal?” Aurora asked, rolling her eyes. She had only just met Iris and could tell she was just as stubborn and prideful as her mother. Cherri shrugged. “Beats me. She’s been acting like this ever since Radiance joined the soccer team.” “Radiance?” Aurora repeated. Just then, a soccer ball whized past them, Aurora nearly dodging a hit to the face. Avalon caught it, smirking a bit. “Radi, you know that you can’t play soccer in the hallway. Yer mom would throw a fit.” She said, the smirk becoming wider. A girl in black skinny jeans and a soccer jersey ran up to them. She snorted, throwing some of her purple-green hair out of her face. “I would just love that.” She grinned, an oddly familiar Trans-Atlantic accent traced in her voice. She spoke with amusement, an equally mischievous smile on her face. “You’re mom loves to throw some tantrums. Especially about the way you dress.” Cherri told her, laughing a little. She had been there way too many times when Radiance’s mother lost her cool, whining like she was the teenager. “She wants me to wear these frilly dresses and ‘act like a lady’ but I don’t have time for that crap. I have games to win.” Radiance said, bouncing the soccer ball on her knee. Aurora was astounded. This was Rarity’s daughter? The Rarity? She thought since the other girls almost mirrored their mothers personality that Rarity’s daughter would too. But she was wrong, oh so completely wrong. And she couldn’t wait to tell her mother this. “Hi, I’m Aurora, daughter of Twilight Sparkle.” Aurora introduced, sticking her hand out for a shake. “Radiance, daughter of Rarity Belle.” Radiance responded, shaking it. “You’re Rarity’s daughter? I would’ve thought you would be a lot more...uh, like her. No offense.” Aurora told her, trying not to sound as surprised as she was. The girl in front of her scoffed. “I get that a lot. I may sound like her, but there is no way in hell I’m wearing some stupid dress and acting like I’m from Canterlot.” “You’re from Canterlot.” Faith corrected her. “Technically, no. My dad is. My mom’s from Ponyville.” Radiance corrected her back. “Speaking of my father,” she added, turning back to Aurora, “Do you know any guys with green hair?” Aurora’s face stayed neutral, but on the inside she was screaming. Spike? Her uncle Spike? Had a daughter with Rarity? That her mother didn’t know about?! Impossible! Her mother always talks to him! Just the other day Aurora herself was telling him all about her new school! But...something did seem off. At the mention of the rest of the members of The Elements of Harmony, his voice suddenly became less enthusiastic. “Oh, our old high school?” He had asked. “Yeah! Where you, mom, and the girls went! Maybe I’ll be able to meet their kids! Isn't that cool?!” Aurora had told him excitedly, twirling around the living room with the cordless phone. There was a brief pause, and she for sure thought he had hung up. Then: “Yeah. That’s pretty cool.” He sounded deflated, as if he was remembering something cumbersome and tiring. After that he change the subject, then asked to speak to Twilight. At first it bugged her, but then Aurora thought nothing of it. Until now. “Why such a specific question?” Aurora responded, her voice almost shaking. She couldn’t believe it. One of these girls could be her cousin. “Mom said my dad had green hair. Also your mom has a brother with green hair. At least that’s what my mom said.” Radiance replied, rubbing her chin. Okay, now things were getting really freaky. “I- uh, well, you see-” The late bell rang, literally saving Aurora from a severely awkward moment. “Can we pick up on this later? I really don’t want to be late for any of my classes.” Aurora told her quickly, thanking the stars above that she didn’t have to try and explain something she knew nothing about. Radiance nodded, then turned on her heel and continued down the hallway. Avalon shook her head as they watched her leave. “My Ma said that yer mama’s brother just up and disappeared after they all stopped crime fightin’.” Faith nodded. “My mom said the same thing. She said that Radiance's mom was pregnant all of a sudden after he left.” Cherri nodded also. “I remember my mom said she threw a baby shower for everyone except Rarity. I wonder why?” She wondered out loud, squinting in thought. The gears were turning in Aurora’s head and her heart was leaping through her chest. All the signs were there. Sudden uprooting. Mysterious pregnancy. The green hair. Come to think of it, Spike being Radiance’s father would explain her tomboyish behavior. Aurora shook her head clear. No, she wouldn’t say a word of this. At least not until she got home. Her mother should know. But if they all went their separate ways and haven’t contacted each other in years, there’s a possibility that she didn’t. And that scared Aurora. Because that meant her uncle was hiding a very deep dark secret. “Yo! ‘Rory!” She heard Avalon call, snapping her back into reality. She realized that she had been staring into space and that the other girls had begun to walk to their next class. “You coming?” Cherri asked, looking a little worried. Aurora realized that she must’ve looked really crazy staring at nothing like that. Aurora ran to catch up to them. “Yeah, sure,” she responded as they turned down the hall. As they walked, a shiver ran down her spine. Whatever was happening wasn’t just a coincidence, and she felt like there was more to the reason why she was here. She just couldn’t quite put her finger on it. > How? Why? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later on that day, after school had ended and Aurora had gotten home, Twilight started asking questions. "So, how was school? Did you meet anyone you like? Do you have any friends?" she rapidly asked. "Woah, mom, slow down! First of all, school was good, second of all, yeah, there are some cool people there, and third of all, and this might shock you, so sit down, but I meet the daughters of the other Elements of Harmony!" Aurora said, rather exited. Her mom's jaw dropped. "The rest of the Elements of Harmony are here? And there daughters go to the same school as you?" Twilight asked, rather shocked. "Yeah, I know, right?" Aurora asked excitedly. Twilight was looking a lot different then Aurora thought she would. Specifically, worried. "Uh, mom, are you ok?" Aurora asked. "Uh, yeah, sorry. It's just that you were right, this is shocking. What a big coincidence. Almost too much of a coincidence," said Twilight, worriedly. "What? Ok, mom, I know that being an Element of Harmony bearer has probably made you paranoid, but I don't think anything bad is going to happen," Aurora said. "Fluttershy's daughter is ok, right?" Twilight asked. "Uh, yeah, why?" Aurora asked. "Keep her safe. Fluttershy was able to, in a sense, control animals, and she was able to befriend Discord," Twilight said. "Um, ok. Mom, I really don't think anything bad is going to happen, ok?" Aurora said. "I used to say that a lot before bad stuff happened," Twilight muttered. "Just be on your guard for anything unusual, ok?" "You mean like Uncle Spike possible having a baby with Rarity?" Aurora asked. "What?" asked Twilight, caught completely off guard by that. "Yeah, I think Uncle Spike ended up getting Rarity pregnant. All Radiance could say about her dad was that he had green hair. Uncle Spike has green hair. Do you know anything?" Aurora asked. "Noooo," Twilight said guiltily. "Mom, your poker face is showing," Aurora said. "Really? Dang it! Ok, fine, yes I knew it was Spike that got Rarity pregnant. So what is their kids name?" Twilight asked "Radiance, and how could you not tell me this?" Aurora asked. "Sorry, but since Spike saved the Crystal Empire a couple of times, he kind of became a target, and he didn't want anyone to target his family," Twilight said. "You mean like you?" Aurora asked. "Kind of. I'm able to summon my Element. Spike just has a couple of supernatural attacks," said Twilight. "Supernatural powers? What supernatural powers?" Aurora asked. "Well, it's kind of complicated, but somehow he got the powers of a parallel him," said Twilight. "What do you mean, a parallel him?" Aurora asked. "Well, you remember the horse statue outside the school?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, why?" Aurora asked. "That is a portal to parallel worlds," said Twilight. "Do you know how hard that is to believe?" asked Aurora. "That's what I thought at first too, but when I turned into a magic addicted she-demon, that changed." "Um, what?" Aurora asked. "Don't ask. You don't want to know," said Twilight. "Interestingly, that also kind of created all the problems that we faced." "What? Never mind, how could you not tell me some of this?" asked Aurora, starting to get a bit pissed off. "Because it's complicated and hard to believe. And I wanted to protect you. If you tried to absorb the magic like I had, you might not have survived. Also, you might have created more problems, and you're to young to take on the power of my Element." "What do you mean, too young?" "Exactly that. You're too young, and mostly likely can't cant control the power correctly." "Most likely?! What if I was able to control it on the level that you could?" "That takes a long time of practice, and besid-" suddenly, an explosion cut Twilight off and blew a hole in the wall. "What the?" yelled Aurora. What emerged from the settling dust was a creature that shouldn't have existed. It was humanoid, had a donkey-like head, mismatched weird horns, mismatched wings, a horse hoof, what looked like a dragon foot, a lion's paw, and an eagle's arm, all attached to a long brown torso. "Discord?! What are you doing out of Equestria?" Twilight yelled. "I may have failed to take over Equestria, but this world will be mine!" Discord yelled. "Mom, what's happening?" Aurora yelled, starting to freak out. "Nothing I can't handle!" Twilight yelled. "Don't be so sure about that," yelled Discord. "Any last words?" "Yeah, it's in my room!" Twilight yelled as she tackled Discord, just as he snapped and they both disappeared. > The Element of Magic > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mom?" Aurora squeaked. Discord and Twilight had just simple disappeared. What did mom mean by that? What's in her room? Aurora thought. She looked at the slightly damaged stairs. They looked safe enough. She put her foot on the first step and tested it. It was safe. She started to climb, pausing at every squeak. Finally, she got to Twilight's room. She was wondering what she was looking for when a female sounding voice said "What happened? You're not Twilight." Aurora tried to find where it came from, but gave up after about a minute. "Who are you?" the voice asked. "M-my name is Aurora," she said nervously. "You're Twilight's daughter, right?" it asked. "Yes, why?" Aurora asked nervously. "You're the next in line. Nice to meet you. So, something happened. It sounded like an explosion, and someone that sounded like Discord. What was it, and where's Twilight?" "Uh, there was an explosion, and it was Discord. How do you know him? He was from some place called Equestria," said Aurora, nervous to the voices reaction. "I'm linked to all the Elements, including ones in other universes. That's how I know him. And there was an explosion, and Twilight isn't the one to be telling me this? Why do I have a bad felling about what your about to say?" it asked. "Yeah, Discord kidnapped her," Aurora said, afraid about what would happen next. "What?!?!" it yelled. "Why did she not summon me?" "I don't know, but she told me something was in here, and I think it was you. Where are you, and what do I call you?" Aurora asked. "I'm under the floor. Just flip that switch. And call me Magic," Magic said. Aurora flipped the switch nearest her, which activated the lights. "No, it's the switch next to it," Magic said. "Thank you," Aurora said as she flipped it. There was some clicking, and then the floor started opening up. A glass tube on a metal floor rouse out of the floor. It had a purple outfit with a cool looking helmet in it. It also had a purple cape, and purple and pink gloves. It also had a purple crystal star just above the crotch. Aurora stared, her jaw open in amazement. "Wow," she said. "Yeah, the outfit is pretty cool looking, but the true power is in me, aka, the gem," Magic said. Aurora raised her eyebrow. "Your a purple gem?" she asked in disbelief. "I know. Don't doubt my power," Magic said. "So, put the suit on, and we can start training you." "Um, ok," Aurora said. "Am I supposed to take my clothes off, or does that thing go on over my clothes?" "You can do both, but it's more comfortable if you take them off, ok?" "Um, ok," Aurora said as she started taking them off. When that was done, she took the outfit off of its mannequin, and started to put it on. "By the way, be prepared for a massive power surge, and when you take it off, be prepared for a power drain," Magic said. "Thanks for the heads up," Aurora said as she slipped the cape and gloves on. Just before she put the helmet on she asked "By the way, how does this all fit?" "The suit is fashioned from magic. It will fit anyone who descended from the original wearer, aka Twilight," Magic said. "That makes a surprising amount of sense," Aurora said as she slipped the helmet on. As soon as she had it completely on, there was a massive power surge. "Wow, that was massive," said Aurora. "I did warn you," Magic said. "By the way, look in the mirror." "What mirror?" Aurora asked. "The one behind you," she said. Aurora turned around, and sure enough, there was a mirror behind her. "Was that there before?" Aurora asked. "No. I made it appear so you could see what you look like with this on. So, what do you think?" Magic asked. Aurora looked herself over in the mirror. "I look pretty good. Man, this is really comfortable," she said. "Thanks. I try my hardest," Magic said. "What? Oh yeah, this is magic made," Aurora said. "So, where are we going to train?" "The training room, of course," Magic said. "We have a training room?" Aurora asked. "Of course. It's how Twilight stayed in shape. Not just physically, but with my powers, too," Magic said. "Oh. That makes sense. Now, lets train, I just sensed the vibrations from an explosion near Kindness." > The Element of Kindness > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Faith started nearing home, she knew something was different, which made her nervous. What's happening? Is mom trying to give me a surprise party for not calling to come home on the first day? she wondered. She mentally kicked herself. Come on, mom knows I don't like being surprise.[/i Then she realized there was the slight smell of smoke in the air, at which point she started running to the house. She opened the door, afraid of what she might see, but instead saw her mom airing the room out with a fan. The smoke was coming from a small slightly burned cake. "Uh, mom, what's going on?" Faith asked. Fluttershy turned around, definitely surprised. "Oh, you're back. Sorry about the smoke, I was trying to make a cake for you surviving the first day of school," Fluttershy said. "Um, a cake? I know I didn't call home at all, but don't you think you're overdoing it just a little? I did the same last year and you made some cupcakes, not that I'm complaining," Faith said. There was a brief look of annoyance on her mom's face, but only for a second. "So, did you meet anyone? Like, maybe, the other daughters of the Elements of Harmony?" Fluttershy asked. Faith started to get the uneasy feeling back. "Why so specific?" she asked. "Just answer it!" Fluttershy said, almost yelling. Just then, the door opened behind Faith, and in walked Fluttershy. "Oh, Faith, you're home early," she said before she saw the other Fluttershy. They both stared, and after a couple of seconds, the one with the cake grinned evilly. "So are you!" she yelled, before being engulfed with green flames. 5 seconds later, it died down to reveal a weird, black bug like pony with wings and a horn, covered with holes. Before anyone could react, it grabbed the real Fluttershy, and raced out of the house, making a hole in the wall. Fluttershy was screaming something, but Faith couldn't hear what she was saying. It sounded like she was telling her to go to Fluttershy's bedroom. Strangely, that was pretty much what her plan was in the first place, except she was going to hide there. She started climbing the stairs, pausing every time there was a squeak. She finally got to her moms room, and was started to wonder what to do, when a very gruff sounding man said "What happened? There was an explosion, and something happened to Fluttershy!" Faith squeaked, and tried to find the source of the voice. "Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kindness. And who are you? There's something familiar about you," the voice named Kindness said. "I-I'm Faith!" squeaked Faith. "Faith. Wait, you're Fluttershy's daughter! I knew there was something familiar about you!" Kindness said. "Really? Where are you, by the way?" Faith asked. "Flick the switch right behind you. The one to the left," Kindness said. "Oh, thank you," Faith said as she flipped the left switch. The floorboards opened up, and a glass tube on a silver floor began to rise from it. In the glass tube, there was a cool looking costume. It had a cool looking helmet with what looked like butterfly wings and green stained visor. Most of the costume was yellow, with a light blue near the top with a pink butterfly in the center (and a bit below) of the neck. There weren't any sleeves, but the matching yellow gloves would cover most of them anyway. There was another pink crystal butterfly just above the crotch. "Wow," said Faith. "Yeah, it look's pretty cool, right?" said Kindness. "Yeah. You're surprisingly kind, too. When you first spoke, I thought there was someone else that was going to kidnap me. Sorry," Faith said. "It's ok. And I chose this voice because you can find kindness in anyone, even if they sound scary," Kindness said. "That makes sense. So, what should I do with the costume and where are you?" Faith asked. "Put the costume on, and I am the crystal butterfly," Kindness said. Faith looked startled. "I'm supposed to put it on? And how are you alive?" she asked. "I'm magic, ok? I am the Element of Kindness. Your mom's Element. And don't worry, it's ok to put it on, you are the next in line," Kindness said. "Really? Wow. What do you mean, I'm the next in line?" she asked. "Only people that are descended from the original can wear the suit and harness my power," Kindness said. "Oh, wow," said Faith. she started taking her clothes off, and after that, started putting the costume on. About halfway thru, Kindness said, "By the way, prepare yourself for a pretty big power surge." "Oh, thanks for the heads up!" said Faith. As soon as she lowered the helmet on, there was the power surge. "Oh, wow, that was pretty big," she said as she steadied herself. "So, what now?" "We train! Oh, wait, I'm getting a transmission from Magic," Kindness said. "Who's Magic?" Faith asked. "I'm Magic. You're ok, right? I can't sense Fluttershy, so who's in the suit? Twilight's gone, and I have her daughter, Aurora," Magic peppered. "Hi," said Aurora. "Aurora? Something happened to your mom too?" Faith asked. "Faith? You're already harnessing Kindness? That was fast," Aurora said. "Faith? That's the daughter of Fluttershy, right?" Magic asked. "Yes. Also, Faith, before you ask, yes, the Elements go by the trait that they represent," said Kindness. "Ok, thank you," Faith said. > The Element of Laughter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cheri bounced back to Sugarcube Corner. She was going to need to throw a party for the new girl, Aurora, and another party for the fact that all of the kids of the original Elements of Harmony were going to the same school. She was going to need a lot of supplies and she needed to get it all prepared soon, and if she took to long, then Aurora would no longer be considered as a "new" student. She opened the door and entered. "Hey mom, I'm home!" she yelled. There was some movement behind the counter, and what sounded like whispering. Suddenly, Pinkie's head popped up from behind it. "Hey Cheri!" she said. "Is there someone else behind the counter? Oh god, you're not having sex with a customer again, are you?" Cheri gasped. Pinkie started blushing. "No! And it wasn't like that!" Pinkie said. "Yeah, that's what you always say. Anyway, is there someone behind the counter? I'm pretty sure I heard whispering," Cheri said. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright light, and a centaur with weird horns and a beard appeared in front of Cheri holding Pinkie. "Oh my god, he's so cute!" Cheri screamed. "What?!?! I AM NOT CUTE! I am the bringer of destruction!" he yelled. "Do you have a name, 'bringer of destruction'?" Cheri giggled. "I am Tirek! I am your destruction!" Tirek yelled. There was another flash of light, and he disappeared. "Wow, that escalated quickly," Cheri said. She turned to the stairs and stared at them. "I feel like I should go to mom's room and flip a switch," she said. So thats exactly what she did. When the switch was flipped, a section of the floor retracted, and a metal container started rising. The suit that it had inside was pink and blue, and had a blue stone that looked like a ballon just above the crotch. "Who's there? What happened?" a female sounding voice that came from the suit asked. "Oh wow, you can talk?" Pinkie asked. "Of course I can! I'm magic!" it said. "Wait a minute, you're Laughter, aren't you?" Cheri asked. "Um, yes, actually. How did you know that?" Laughter asked. "I think I've heard mom talking to you," Cheri said. "Wait, 'mom'? You're Cheri?" Laughter asked. "Yes. Has mom told you about me?" Cheri asked. "Yes, she has told me quiet a bit about you. We could go places with our pranking and various other skills," Laughter said. "Anyway, you should probably put the suit on, ok? I can tell that Pinkie has been kidnapped, and isn't here. However, some kind of powerful magic is stopping me from telling where she is." "You can do that?" Cheri asked as she started taking her clothes off. "Yes. Oh wait, I'm getting a message from Magic and Kindness," Laughter said as Cheri put the helmet on. A picture appeared in the top right corner of the googles. "Aurora? Faith? Wait, have both of your moms been kidnapped to?" Cheri asked as she started posting on the rest of the suit. "Um, yes actually. I'm guessing the same has happened with you too, right?" Aurora asked. "Yep!" Cheri said. "So, what do you guys need? Where are you?" Laughter asked. We're still at the houses where we were hidden. Currently the girls are training, and you should do that to," Magic said. "Wait who was that?" Cheri asked. "Each suit has a personality. You saw that stone that's just above the crotch, right? That's us. However, we can commandeer the suit if you fall unconscious or if you start misusing the suit," Friendship said. "Oh, ok, that makes sense. So, training, huh? Is there a training room or something like that?" Cheri asked. "Yes, let me show you," Laughter said as she started commandeering the suit. > The Element of Loyalty > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iris walked home, thinking about the new girl, Aurora. Why does Aurora seem familiar? She seems to be like Twilight though, since she's dyed her hair like her and is smart. What a minute, maybe she's the daughter of Twilight! Actually, I don't doubt it. Both were eggheads, and both have that streak in their hair. She turned and saw her house. It was above a successful gym that Rainbow Dash owned, and the gym was pretty popular. She entered the gym and turned towards the stairs that led to their home. As she walked up, she could hear punches being thrown. Mom must be training again. Rainbow Dash would often be training for something when Iris came home, not that she minded. But then she started hearing yelling. "Mom? Are you ok?" Iris asked. "Yes! This guy is going down!" she yelled. "What guy?" Iris asked as she opened the door to her mom's room. What she saw answered her question. Rainbow Dash was punching a guy in some kind of costume that looked like it was made of different body parts of various mythical animals. "You hired a guy to box with?" Iris asked. "Nope! This was completely unexpected!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Why is he in that ridiculous costume?" Iris asked. "This is not a costume!" he yelled. "Ah, screw this!" he said as he snapped his fingers and he and Rainbow Dash disappeared. "What the? What, is this some kind of prank that you and Pinkie set up?" Iris asked aloud. Maybe one of these switches are supposed to make holograms, she thought as she started flicking switches. As she hit one of them, the floor started moving, and a glass container started rising. The container had a costume different shades of blue, had a cool helmet, and had a crystal red lightning bolt. "Wow. What is this?" Iris asked aloud. "Did you just call me 'what'?!" a female sounding voice yelled. The voice seemed to be coming from the costume. "Um, what are you?" asked Iris. "Are you Iris?" asked the voice. "Yes. Why? How do you know my name?" Iris asked. "Your mom has told me a lot about you," the voice said. "Wait, you know my mom?" asked Iris. "Yes! I'm Loyalty!" Loyalty said. "Oh wow, really? I actually expected a bit more," Iris said. "Really? Whatever. Oh, wait, I'm getting a transmission from some of the others!" Loyalty said. "What?" Iris asked when Loyalty started talking to what appeared to be no one. "Who are you talking to?" Iris asked. "Hang on a second. Iris, I'm talking to some of the others!" Loyalty said. "What others?" Iris asked. "The other Elements of Harmony! I would advise you start getting changed. Wait, where's Honesty and Generosity?" Loyalty asked as Iris started taking her clothes off. "Oh. Ok, I'll put her on know," Loyalty said as she projected the others on to the wall. "Hi Iris!" Cherri called, snickering a little bit. "Laughter, can you take a photo?" "Yes," another voice snickering as well. "Wait you can see me?" Iris asked. "Yes," said Loyalty. Iris screamed. "Not yet!" she yelled at Loyalty. "Ok! I'll turn it off! You'll be able to see them again when you put on the helmet," said Loyalty. Iris quickly put the costume on, just in case Loyalty decided to project the others again. When she put the helmet on, she asked Cherri "Did you actually get a picture of that?" "Yes. Don't worry, I'm not going to use it to blackmail you or anything. By the way, nice boobs," Cherri said. "Ok, You better not! So, what exactly's happening? This is all a prank that Pinkie has planned, right?" Iris asked. "No, she would have told me if she was planning to prank us," Cherri said. "So, is Iris going to need to train?" asked a voice. "Who was that?" asked Iris. "Magic. So, is she?" asked Magic. "She's probably going to need a bit of training," Loyalty. "So wait, all the costumes have personalities?" Iris asked. "Technically, it's the stones above the crotch that are alive," said Magic. "Oh. That makes some sense," said Iris. "So, training for what?" "The powers that come with these costumes," said the voice that had spoken with Cherri, the one called Laughter. "These things have powers?" asked Iris. "Of course!" said Magic. "Well then, lets get started!" said Iris excitedly.