The Children of the Mane Six

Chapters

A Royal Pain
Dashing into Teenage Years
Fire and Scales
The First Party
A Chaotic Life
A Victim and a Gamer

A Royal Pain

Twilight opened the door as Garnet and Emerald entered her castle. Her children, Flare and Violet, came to greet their friends. Flare is an alicorn with an orange coat, eyes the color of blue and purple mixed, and a blue mane. Violet is an alicorn with a light purple coat, light blue eyes, and a dark purple mane with streaks of blue in it. Violet grew a big smile when she saw Emerald.

“Mom taught me a new spell! I think you will love to learn it!” Violet remarked.

“Fun! I can’t wait to see what it is this time!” Emerald responded as Violet led her into the library. Violet is like her mother; she loves learning new spells and reading. After the two mares left, Flare grew a smile.

“Hey dude, I got a new game!” He didn’t even have to ask Garnet if he wanted to play because he was already racing upstairs. Flare is like Garnet; he loves video games, but is the only one who loves playing them. Sometimes his dad, Flash Sentry, will play with him, but Twilight is more interested in reading, and Violet thinks that she wouldn’t be a “proper princess” if she even touches a game controller. Flare turned on the machine and the two started playing. 2 hours passed, and Rarity came in the castle.

“Hello, Twilight! I came to pick up the kids,” Rarity said as she entered the door.

“Oh, hello Rarity!” Twilight remarked. “Garnet, Emerald, Rarity is here to pick you up!” The Princess of Friendship shouted. Garnet and Emerald came to the door with Flare and Violet, said bye and left. After they left, Violet gave Flare a look.

“I can’t believe you spend all the time with Garnet playing video games! I don’t think it’s very proper for a prince to play those things!” Violet remarked as Flare rolled his eyes. Twilight then gave Violet the look she gave her brother.

“Maybe Flare doesn’t want to act very proper. There is no reason he has to,” Twilight responded to her daughter’s bad attitude. Violet then strolled into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Twilight and Flare joined and waited until Flash finished cooking the dinner. The Pegasus put the food on the table, and everypony started to eat.

“Did you have fun with Garnet and Emerald?” Flash asked his two children. The two returned a nod and continued to eat. Twilight started talking about Spike, and how it’s been exactly twelve years since he moved away. She had been accustomed to the routine of visiting him when she wanted him to take a friendship letter. Flare listened with interest. Spike was an awesome dragon to hang with. He always joked around with Flare and even played video games with him. Violet soon finished eating and went to her room. Flare was about to do the same when Spike entered the door.

“Spike?” Twilight questioned. She saw that Spike had a smile and showed Twilight the letter. Twilight read it and smiled.

“Everypony! Princess Celestia is coming to visit Ponyville tomorrow!” Twilight remarked. Violet was soon right by her side with a smile. Celestia rarely visits Ponyville, but when she does, it is always a good time. Twilight hugged Spike and started asking him about his family life. She then looked down and saw cider. She smiled.

“Oh, yeah! I brought cider for all of you!” Spike remarked. He lives at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack and his children. Spike started telling a lot of stories about his children growing up, and how he and Applejack helped. He looked up to see a tear in Twilight’s eye. Spike cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“Sorry, Spike. It’s just that twelve years ago, you got married and moved to Sweet Apple Acres,” Spike then told Twilight that he will visit more, and Twilight hugged him. Spike left the castle, because it was already zap apple season. He was going to help prepare for when the zap apples are ready. He’s always had a lot of fun helping Granny Smith. It was also the kids’ first year that they were allowed to make the jam. After Twilight waved him goodbye, she told her children to go to bed. It was a big day tomorrow, after all, with Celestia coming. Violet didn’t waste any time darting up the stairs.

The sun was beaming on Violet’s head as she woke up. She quickly remembered to make herself look amazing. When she got out of her room, she saw her family in the front of the castle. She rushed outside to join them. They looked up and saw a golden chariot coming from the sky. It was Princess Celestia. She landed and walked over to the royal family.

“Hello, everypony. It’s nice to see you again,” Princess Celestia said.

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Twilight responded. They all walked around Ponyville, and Violet proudly showed off the new spells that she learned.

“Amazing, Princess Violet. You are definitely like your mother,” Celestia said as she looked at Twilight. Twilight laughed as they took Celestia to see all of Ponyville. They finally made it to Fluttershy’s cottage. Celestia stopped walking. She hadn’t seen her cottage for years, and it looked chaotic.

“What’s the matter, Celestia?” Twilight asked. Celestia pulled her eyes away from the cottage.

“Nothing, Twilight. It’s just that I forgot who lives with her now,” Celestia responded. Twilight was a little bit shocked. She thought Celestia will remember something like that. But, then again, she always has her hooves full with royal duties. Twilight knocked on the door and was greeted by Fluttershy.

“Oh, hello everypony. Hello Princess Celestia. Do you want to come in?” They then saw a duck with the tail of a rattlesnake fly out and heard laughter. Fluttershy then laughed as the five stepped in her cottage. They saw many of those same ducks flying around.

“Discord! Screwball! Zamtek! We have guests!” Fluttershy shouted. Discord then appeared with the kids.

“Hello,” Princess Celestia greeted. Discord then showed everypony around the house, and Screwball was talking to Violet the whole time. They were good friends and always have been. There were many twists and turns and colors. Celestia laughed.

“You really made a big change to Fluttershy’s house, Discord,” Celestia remarked.

“Why would I be the ONLY one making changes? Screwball and Zamtek always help me whenever I want to be chaotic!” Celestia rolled her eyes. They then came to the exit of the cottage, said their goodbyes, and left. They then all went to Sweet Apple Acres to get some cider before Celestia left.

Soon, they came back to where Celestia parked her chariot. Celestia waved goodbye as she flew away. The whole family smiled. Violet then looked over at Twilight.

“Mom, was I a proper princess today?” She asked. Twilight then rolled her eyes and laughed. She then looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying around.

“I wonder how Rainbow is doing,” She questioned herself. The sun started setting as Twilight took everypony in the castle for dinner.

Dashing into Teenage Years

The sun rose over Ponyville, giving off a refreshing beam of light onto Rainbow Dash as she woke up. She stretched her wings, went over to her balcony, and dashed out. The wind pierced her rainbow mane as she flew towards the clouds. With a kick, a cloud vanished. In 10 seconds, she cleared the sky and landed. With a smile, she flew back to her home. When she walked in the front doorstep, she was greeted by her son, Firebolt.

“Mom, dad’s pancakes are disgusting!” He wailed. Firebolt was a Pegasus with a mix of red and blue in his mane, along with a blue coat. Rainbow Dash let out a chuckle and flew in the kitchen where her husband, Soarin’, was. The pancakes looked burnt. Her dark pink eyes darted to look at Soarin’.

“I’ll be cooking breakfast from now on,” Rainbow remarked with a smile. Soarin’ then smiled and went to play with the children. When a better breakfast was on the table, three pegasi sat down.

“Where’s Prism, Firebolt?” Rainbow asked her son. Almost suddenly, Prism darted down the stairs onto a seat. Prism had rainbow mane like her mom, and a very light blue coat. She then started chowing down on her food.

“Happy 13th birthday, Prism!” Rainbow remarked. Prism thanked her mother. She then stared down at her flank. Blank as always. Her head tilted down.

“I know you’ll get your cutie mark eventually,” Soarin’ reassured her.

“I hope so. Firebolt already has his, and he’s younger than me!” Prism responded, her voice growing sadder. Firebolt looked down at his special mark. It looked like a trail of fire going in a zig-zag direction. His talent is agility.

“He’s only younger than you by a few months. And besides, everypony gets their mark at different times,” Rainbow responded. Prism shook it off her mind and started talking about the party she was planning. Her friends were all coming over, and a lot of fun was planned.

The large clock in the house struck two-o-clock, and Prism rushed to the door. Her friends approached. As most of them ran into the house as a cluster, a light-yellow Pegasus with a golden mane named Golden Cloud stood alone. Golden’s only friend was Prism, because Golden was mean to everypony else. Prism walked in with her and greeted all of her other friends. Golden stood awkwardly in a corner, sipping her punch. One of Prism’s friends, Midnight, came to greet her. Golden just scowled. She pushed past Midnight up to Prism, who was talking to a purple unicorn with blue mane named Aqua Flash.

“Aren’t you going to talk to me?” Golden asked. Prism showed a confused expression. “Not you, Prism. Aqua, I was talking to you!” Golden remarked.

“We were only here for about a half an hour,” Aqua responded. Prism cringed. She knew for a while now that Golden wanted to be friends with Aqua, but whenever Aqua did something wrong, she would criticize her. Golden then started ranting about how Aqua never talked to her. Aqua rolled her eyes.

“You make me roll my eyes so far, I’m surprised they’re not stuck,” Aqua replied to Golden’s rant. Prism was surprised. Aqua had never been the type to talk back or insult. She was about to break up the two until Golden slapped Aqua across the face. Everypony grew silent, and Aqua looked furious. Prism’s party was going downhill. Suddenly, one of her other friends, Flame Flyer, harshly poked Golden right in the back. The yellow Pegasus turned to find an orange stallion with a dark-orange mane. Flame had a very angry expression.

“You’ve taken it too far, Golden. You have insulted me a number of times, and now you are hurting Aqua?! She never did anything!” The orange Pegasus remarked in anger. It was then Prism’s turn to speak.

“Flame is right. You have hurt all my friends, and I’m not taking that sitting down. If you really think insulting other ponies is way to get what you want, then don’t hang around any of us. Don’t hang around me.” Golden’s eyes widened. She then scowled again and left. Prism hung her head. Rainbow then flew over to her.

“Hey, it’s okay. I had to do the same thing with Gilda. I’ve already told you that story,” Rainbow remarked, comforting her daughter. Prism got a small smile on her face. She then went to get some more punch, and started talking to her friends again. Aqua walked over to Flame.

“Hey, why did you suddenly start talking back to Golden? You never have, even when she was really mean to you,” Aqua asked. Flame blushed a bright pink.

“Um… I just got really mad at her because she had done so many things in the past, you know?” Flame quickly responded. Prism walked over and gave Aqua a teasing look. Flame quickly changed the subject as Rainbow Dash announced that they were going to play sports outside. The ponies all rushed outside. They played many sports, and soon it was time for cake. After everypony finished their cake and all of the presents were unwrapped, it was time for the party to come to an end. Flame decided to walk Aqua to her house. Prism gave Aqua another look as the two walked off. Aqua gave Prism a funny expression as she walked off with Flame. One of Prism’s other friends, Starlight, came up to her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” The turquoise Pegasus with brown mane told Prism. The two had planned a flight together the next day. Starlight flew off, and Prism walked inside after all her friends left. Rainbow Dash smiled as Prism entered.

“Great party?” Rainbow asked.

“For the most part, yes. It was great!” Prism responded. She then thought about Golden Cloud. Golden would probably give Prism grief about the party. She cringed, but then shook it off. She thought about a great thought. Two of her friends were becoming closer, from what she could see. She then smelled the food in the kitchen. It was dinner. Firebolt started talking about how his team won a game of soccer. He started jabbering about how great of a goalie he was. Soarin’ gave a small chuckle. After dinner, Prism headed up to her room. She got into bed and closed her eyes heavily. She was then in a deep sleep.

Prism woke up excitedly. She was happy that she got to go flying with Starlight in an hour. She got ready and saw Rainbow fly through the door. Prism then walked into the kitchen to get breakfast. Before she knew it, she had to fly to the park to meet Starlight. She said her goodbyes and flew out. She saw Starlight flying in the park. Starlight’s cutie mark, a cloud with a wing inside, was brightly showing. Prism flew over.

“Hey Prism!” Starlight called out to her friend. Prism waved back and soon was next to her.

“What do you want to do, Star?” Prism asked. Starlight pondered, and then she suggested a race. The two flew around Ponyville, and Starlight made it back to the park first.

“That was close, Prism!” Starlight remarked. Prism nodded her head. She then got a determined face.

“Let’s race again, Starlight. I suddenly got a huge burst of energy!” Prism exclaimed. Starlight nodded as the two flew off to find a good place. Prism wanted something straight.

She thought she couldn’t fly as fast while having to avoid things. The two found the perfect place and took off. Prism suddenly gained incredible speed, and finished 5 seconds before Starlight. She was amazed. Prism never had enough speed to beat her.

“Wow, Prism! I didn’t know you were so fast! You are definitely like your parents!” Starlight remarked.

“Thanks! I guess I’m great when flying straight!” Prism answered. Starlight then saw a small flash.

“Prism! You’re cutie mark!” Starlight remarked. Prism then looked at her flank. Her mark looked like bullets zooming. Prism was really excited. The two flew around some more, and then Prism dashed home. She kicked open the door, proudly revealing her special mark. Rainbow and Soarin’ embraced their gleeful daughter. The whole family flew around and had fun for the rest of the day. After the kids went to bed, Soarin’ approached Rainbow Dash.

“Do you want to go on a midnight flight?” He asked.

“Always,” Rainbow responded. The two took off, flying around. They flew above Sweet Apple Acres.

“I hope Spike is treating Applejack well,” Rainbow said in a teasing manner. Soarin’ chuckled as the two flew off into the distance.

Fire and Scales

Spike arose with the sunlight bouncing off of his purple and green scales. He looked beside him to find an empty space. He figured his wife, Applejack, was probably already bucking apples. Spike was slowly getting ready. While he was shining his scales, he heard his daughter, Sweet Tree, screaming. He ran downstairs to find his daughter running over to him. Sweet Tree was a green earth pony with brownish mane and a sweet tone of red in her eyes. As Spike looked around, he saw his son, Scales. Scales looked like a mix of Spike and Applejack. He was a pony, but with some scales, claws, and fangs. He looked terrifying, but the family knew he wasn’t dangerous.

“Dad! Scales is breathing FIRE!” Sweet Tree remarked. Spike was wide-eyed. His son was now actually becoming quite dangerous. The purple dragon walked up to his son.

“When did you learn how to breathe fire?” Spike asked his son.

“I’m not sure, dad. I woke up this morning feeling really warm, and then I blew some fire,” Scales responded. He then looked over at Sweet Tree, who was sitting on the steps in fear. “Come on, Sweet Tree! It’s not like you haven’t seen fire before!” Scales remarked to her sister.

“Yes, but it is kind of shocking to see my own brother breathe fire!” The green pony responded. Applejack came into the barn as her daughter responded to Scales.

“What in tarnation?” She asked confused. Spike ran over to her.

“Scales is breathing fire!” He said. Applejack got a really surprised expression.

“Scales? Is breathing fire?!?!?” She asked in shock. Spike nodded his head. “Well, I guess I should’ve expected it. You are his father, after all,” Applejack responded, pointing at Spike.

“True. But what should we do now, AJ? It is weird that he is gaining the powers to breathe fire just now,” Spike asked his wife. He then looked at the clock. Applejack then hurriedly zipped shut Sweet Tree’s saddlebag and put it on her daughter.

“It’s time to go to school, Sweet Tree!” Applejack said while looking down at her daughter.

“What about Scales? Are you really letting him stay home?” Sweet Tree responded. Applejack gave a warm chuckle.

“Naw, sugar cube. We are just taking him to the doctors to get examined,” The orange earth pony responded. “I’m not sure how long this will take and what will happen, so he may not be goin’ to school.”

“Yeah!” Scales yelled. Applejack then laughed and shoved Sweet Tree out the door. Sweet Tree waved goodbye and walked to school. As she walked on the path through the orchard, she saw many beautiful, shiny apples hanging on the trees. Birds chirped and flew around the trees. She took in the sights until she was out of her family’s orchard. Soon, she was at the steps to go into school. She saw all of her friends walking in and decided to catch up with them.

Sweet Tree was sitting at her desk working when someone next to her tapped her on the shoulder.

“What is that?” The filly asked, pointing at Sweet Tree’s stomach. Sweet Tree looked down to find something reflecting the morning sun. They were scales. She gawked, confused about how she grew scales overnight! Well, her brother was somehow able to breathe fire this morning. She then remembered that she was only born 6 hours before her brother. Maybe this sort of thing happens around teenage years for dragon-pony hybrids? She wasn’t sure. Class went on as usual, and Sweet Tree took whatever moment she could to look down at her shiny scales.

The doctor examined Scales in many different ways. He looked down his throat, checked his pulse, his ears, everything that would normally be in a normal check-up.

“I’m sorry, you two, but I cannot seem to find out what the problem is,” The doctor remarked, looking all over Scales’ body again. “It is strange that he can suddenly breathe fire. Well, you two are the first dragon-pony marriage, so maybe your kids will be a little different from normal children.” Spike and Applejack agreed to the doctor’s statement. As Scales jumped off the chair, the doctor checked his temperature again. It was still normal.

“I wish you good luck!” The doctor remarked to the three. They waved goodbye as Spike checked the time.

“It’s only 10:30, Scales. You should probably go to school,” Spike told his son. Scales grunted as he walked into the orchard. He walked into the barn, grabbed his saddlebag, and was off to school. By the time he got there, it was already lunch time.

“Scales, why are you here so late?” Cheerilee asked her nephew. Cheerilee was married to Big Macintosh, so she was part of the apple family.

“Sorry, Aunt Cheerilee. I had to go to the doctor’s. I can breathe fire now!” Scales responded. Cheerilee was amazed.

“Oh, goodness! I guess one of Spike’s children had to inherit his ability to breathe fire. By the way, your sister has a little patch of scales on her stomach. I don’t know why, but she does!” Cheerilee responded. Scales was surprised. He thought that his sister would never inherit anything from Spike. He then went into the cafeteria, bought lunch and sat down next to his friends. He then started talking about how he could breathe fire. Soon, it was time for everypony to go out to recess. Scales walked outside to find many classmates swarming around him.

“We want to see you breathe fire!” One of them shouted. Scales then got a small grin on his face. Sweet Tree rolled her eyes. She knew what his fire looked like; for she was petrified by it just this morning.

“Alright, everypony, step away!” Scales cautioned. The ponies backed up as Scales inhaled. He blew out, and green flames came hurdling out of his mouth. His classmates watched in awe as the fire slowly deceased. They all then started clapping and giving praise to Scales. Meanwhile, Sweet Tree was sitting on the swings alone. All of her friends wanted to see her brother breathe fire. After the lonely recess finished, it was time for class to start again.

Sweet Tree and Scales waved goodbye to their aunt as they walked out of school.

“Hey, where are those scales I’ve been hearing about?” Scales asked. Sweet Tree then sat down and pointed at a little patch on the inside of her stomach. Sure enough, they were scales. “Cool!” Scales remarked as he continued to walk home. The two soon came to the entrance of the barn.

“How was school today?” Applejack asked her children. Sweet Tree was about to tell her mom about her scales when her brother cut her off.

“Everypony, even Aunt Cheerilee, loved my ability to breathe fire! They all watched me at recess!” Scales responded, obviously proud of himself. Spike then came over to the kids.

“Why wouldn’t they watch you? You are the first pony with that ability!” Spike remarked, grinning at his son. Sweet Tree finally got her chance to speak.

“Mom, dad, I have a patch of scales on my stomach,” Sweet Tree said, showing them the scales. Applejack and Spike’s jaws dropped.

“Well, I guess you had to inherit something from me!” Spike responded. Applejack was still amazed, but then smiled. The rest of the night went normally, but included Spike giving a lecture to his son about when to use his fire power and when to not. As the sun was setting, Applejack and Spike tucked their kids in. They then walked downstairs to the table together to get a small snack before bed.

“We still have these cupcakes that Pinkie gave us at her last party,” Spike said, showing Applejack the two cupcakes. She and Spike both took one and started eating, talking about their day. Applejack then looked at her cupcake and thought about Pinkie Pie.

“Gee, I wonder how Pinkie’s doin’,” Applejack said. Spike nodded as he stuffed his face in his cupcake. Applejack laughed, which of course caused Spike to laugh. The two’s laughter rang through the stillness of Luna’s night. Applejack looked outside and then saw two shooting stars. She smiled. She knew her kids were changing, but she also knew that they will forever be part of her family.

The First Party

Cherry Pop, a pinkish-red earth pony with a light-yellow mane and turquoise eyes, was sitting at a small desk in the classroom working on her assignment. But she couldn’t focus. She was thinking of a certain stallion on the other side of the classroom. His name was Illusion Splash. Tomorrow was his birthday, and Cherry knew she could throw one heck of a party for him. She smiled at the idea and finished up her work. After class was over, she met up with her sister, Chocolate Dip. Chocolate Dip was a brown earth pony with the same color mane as her sister and blue eyes. Chocolate waved to Cherry as she came over. The two walked out of the school together and were soon on the sidewalk to their home.

“Hey, Chocolate! I have an amazing idea for tomorrow! I know you, mom, and dad would totally love it!” Cherry said excitedly. Chocolate giggled, which of course caused a confused look from Cherry.

“I suppose it’s just a coincidence that Illusion’s birthday is tomorrow, huh?” Chocolate said, giving her sister a teasing look. Cherry blushed a deep red, which wasn’t very noticeable on her light red coat.

“How do you know I like him?” Cherry said, making Chocolate giggle again.

“Well, it is pretty obvious, Cherry. Whenever he shows off his tricks at school, you are always the first one to want to watch him. Not to mention that you blush every time you look at him. Pretty obvious!” Chocolate responded, making Cherry give her a look. “Now, what were you going to do that you think I would like so much?”

“I’ll tell you, mom, and dad at the same time! It would be a surprise till then!” Cherry gleefully responded to her sister. The two eventually reached their home, Sugarcube Corner. Their parents, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, were standing outside, waiting for their children to come home. The two party ponies waved at their children as they came up to the front step. A huge smile was plastered on Cherry Pop’s face.

“I have something superbly dupery awesome to tell you when we get inside!” Cherry exclaimed, making Pinkie Pie grow a smile.

“Ooh! Did you get your cutie mark?!” Pinkie asked excitedly. Cherry Pop just shook her head.

“No, mom. It’s not my cutie mark,” Cherry exclaimed to her mother. Pinkie thought again.

“Did you discover a new flavor of ice cream? What about cake? Did you share your sister’s amazing chocolate with the school?” Pinkie asked.

“I share my chocolate with all my friends already. And no, if anypony was going to hand out my chocolate to the whole school, it would be me,” Chocolate replied, looking at her cutie mark, which was a bowl with chocolate.

“No mom, it’s not any of those ideas,” Cherry responded. Once the four stepped inside the door, Cherry exclaimed what she was thinking.

“I am going to host my first party tomorrow!” She said. Pinkie and Cheese got huge smiles on their faces.

“That is going to be one great party! We will defiantly help you. We are, of course, the super-duper party ponies!” Cheese Sandwich responded, looking back to Pinkie. Pinkie laughed and suddenly got a stricter look on her face. She walked over to Cherry and looked her straight in the eye.

“The main rule of parties is to make sure everyone is having fun. They are not all fun and games. Parties are serious work! You have to Pinkie Promise: cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye; that you will try to make this party the best party EVER for the guests!” Pinkie explained to her daughter. She then got a smile on her face.

“Who is the party for, anyway?” Pinkie asked. Cheese Sandwich nodded his head and Chocolate gave a teasing look. Cherry then found herself blushing. She never thought it would be hard to tell her parents about Illusion.

“The party is for one of my classmate’s birthday that is tomorrow. His name… is Illusion Splash,” Cherry responded. Pinkie got a confused expression on her face.

“Is he your friend? I’ve never heard about him!” Pinkie asked, obviously very curious.

“Well, he doesn’t know me too well…”

“But are you friends?”

“I don’t think so…”

“I think I know what that means!” Pinkie concluded. Cherry looked at her mother, confused.

“You like him, don’t you?” Pinkie responded, giving Cherry a teasing look.

“Um… maybe?” Cherry responded. Pinkie got another smile on her face.

“Don’t you worry, Cherry! Cheese and I will help you to make this an amazing party for the stallion you love!” Pinkie responded.

“I’m not in love with him!” Cherry replied harshly, making Pinkie Pie giggle.

“Oh well. This is still going to be one amazing party!” Pinkie responded as she made her way into the kitchen to make dinner.

“If you’re going to host an amazing party, you should start planning!” Cheese recommended to his daughter. Cherry nodded and quickly dashed up to her room.

As dinner was being placed on the table, Cherry came bounding down the stairs with a list in her hoofs. She sat down at the table, looking over the piece of paper over and over again.

“What-ya have, there?” Pinkie asked her daughter. Cherry grew a small smile.

“This is my list of what activities are going to be in the party!” Cherry explained. She handed it over to Pinkie Pie.

“Wow! This looks like it will be fun! I think your special stallion will love it!” Pinkie responded. Cherry just rolled her eyes. She knew she would receive a lot of teasing from her mother. After dinner finished, Cheese and Pinkie helped Cherry get things set up for the party. Chocolate Dip was making her one of a kind chocolate. She was making sure that there would be enough chocolate to fit in the chocolate fountain. The four ponies worked until bedtime. When they were finished, Cherry took a second to admire her work. She knew Illusion would love it. She then climbed the stairs and got into bed. She was soon sound asleep, dreaming about the party that would come the next day.

When the sun rose, Cherry got up, packed her bag, and grabbed the invitation. She then exited the door with Chocolate.

“So… are you nervous about asking Illusion?” Chocolate asked her sister.

“Well, maybe a little nervous. Do you think I should have invited some of his other friends? I only invited him, not anypony else,” Cherry responded, hoping to receive encouraging words from her sister.

“I think it will be fine with just him, even though it may be a little awkward. But if you did invite his other friends, you won’t be able to talk to him nearly as much,” Chocolate responded. Cherry nodded her head in agreement as they approached the school building.

When they were in the classroom, they saw many ponies wishing Illusion a happy birthday. Cherry suddenly got very nervous. She knew she had to give him the invitation. Her family put a lot of work into the party, and she didn’t want to let them down. Cherry walked through the crowd of ponies and up to Illusion.

“Um… hi, Illusion…” Cherry greeted with shyness in her voice.

“Hi Cherry! Is that for me?” Illusion responded while pointing at the invitation. Cherry quickly nodded and gave it to him.

“Alright, everypony! Back to your seats! We need to start class!” Cheerilee remarked. Cherry sat down next to Chocolate and started unpacking her saddlebag. As class started, she wondered if Illusion would want to come. She then remembered making the invitation last night. It wasn’t a formal invitation. It was a coupon for delicious treats at Sugarcube Corner; only good today. She made sure to make it as much of a surprise as possible.

As the final bell rang, Illusion came up to Cherry’s desk.

“Thanks for the coupon, Cherry. Sugarcube Corner always makes the best treats!”

Cherry blushed as she responded. “No problem, Illusion! And happy birthday!” Illusion smiled in her direction and walked out of the classroom. Cherry then made sure she rushed home. She knew she would have to get to Sugarcube Corner before he does.

Cherry bolted through the door and found her parents waiting. Chocolate came in shortly after.

“Did he say if he wanted to come for “treats” or not?” Cheese asked his daughter.

“Yes, he thanked me. Well, I’m pretty sure he’s coming,” Cherry responded.

“Alright, everypony! Let’s make this party a blast!” Pinkie remarked. Everypony agreed as they took turns keeping a watch out for Illusion. An hour passed before Cherry suddenly got really happy.

“Everypony! Illusion’s coming!” Cherry exclaimed. Chocolate, Pinkie, and Cheese got in their hiding places as Cherry stood by the door. Soon, the door was opened as Illusion stood in the doorway. He looked around confused.

“Hey Cherry, why are the lights off?” He asked. Before he could say another word, three ponies jumped out of hiding.

“SURPRISE!!” The three shouted. Illusion jumped. He then was given a cupcake by Pinkie Pie.

“Happy birthday! I’m guessing your name is Illusion Splash. I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie greeted.

“And I’m Cheese Sandwich!” Cheese chimed in. Illusion was very confused.

“You threw me a party?” Illusion asked.

“Well, it was Cherry’s idea, but we helped with the process!” Pinkie responded. Illusion looked back at Cherry and smiled.

“Thanks, Cherry. This is awesome!”

“No problem, Illusion!” Cherry responded, slightly blushing. The rest of the party was a blast for the five. They played great party games and stuffed their faces into cake and

chocolate. After four hours of partying, it was time for Illusion to go home.

“Thanks for the party! That was a blast!” Illusion said, looking directly into Cherry Pop’s turquoise eyes. He then ran up to hug her; almost not aware of what he was doing. Cherry returned the hug to the stallion that she adored. They pulled apart and waved goodbye.

“See you in school, Cherry!” He said as he walked away. Chocolate nudged her sister in the shoulder and gave her a teasing look. Cherry just rolled her eyes as Chocolate walked up the stairs to get ready for bed.

“That was a great party! But you need to get to bed, Cherry!” Cheese told his daughter. Cherry nodded and bounded up the stairs.

After the kids were asleep, Cheese and Pinkie had cupcakes outside. While they were eating, they saw a bird with the head of a frog pass by. Pinkie Pie started to laugh.

“That looks hilarious! Discord must have created that chaotic little creature!” Pinkie remarked, still laughing. Cheese Sandwich started laughing as well. The bird then flew around Ponyville, and Pinkie watched it fly away. She then thought about Fluttershy and her life with Discord. She always wondered what her lifestyle was like. Pinkie finished her cupcake and went inside. When she stepped through the door, she started laughing uncontrollably again. She couldn’t stop thinking about that strange bird.

A Chaotic Life

The sun shone through the window and into the chaotic house. The floor that was the color of green, purple, blue, and many other colors reflected Celestia’s sunlight. A pink pony with purple and white mane with unusual spiral eyes walked down the stairs to breakfast. When she entered the kitchen, she saw her family, Discord, Fluttershy, and Zamtek, already eating breakfast. Fluttershy noticed her daughter walk into the kitchen.

“Good morning, Screwball. Did you sleep well?” Fluttershy asked her daughter. Screwball rubbed her eyes and used her chaotic magic to levitate a glass of orange juice to her mouth.

“Good morning. And yes,” Screwball replied, now putting some food in her mouth. She looked over and saw her younger brother, Zamtek, trying to use a lot of chaotic magic. Zamtek looked like a mix of a draconequus and a pony, had a brown coat with pink mane, and had eyes that resembled Discord’s.

“Now, Zamtek, make sure that your chaotic powers are controlled. If they are not controlled, bad things will happen,” Discord informed his son. Zamtek looked over at Discord.

“Like when you took over Equestria?” Zamtek asked.

“Yes, like when I took over Equestria,” Discord responded in a saddened voice. He did not wish to remember the times in the past. The times where everypony thought he was a monster. He shook those memories off his mind and continued eating.

“Screwy, don’t forget you’re going to Sugarcube Corner with Sweet Tree after school!” Fluttershy informed her daughter. Screwball nodded her head.

“How could I forget? Sweet Tree and I have been excited to go all week!” Screwball replied. Fluttershy then looked at the clock.

“Oh my! It’s time to go!” Fluttershy stated, quickly throwing the kids their saddlebags. Discord opened the door and let the kids out of the house.

“Bye, mom! Bye, dad!” Screwball and Zamtek said as they left. Discord and Fluttershy waved back at them as they saw them leave.

When they got to the school, they saw their friends walking in and caught up with them. Screwball ran up to Sweet Tree.

“Hey, Screwball!” Sweet Tree greeted.

“Hey!” Screwball responded. The two started talking until Cheerilee silenced the classroom.

“OK, class, it’s time to get started and… SCALES! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT BREATHING FIRE IN THE CLASSROOM?” Cheerilee confronted.

“Sorry, Aunt Cheerilee. I won’t do it again,” Scales responded. Sweet Tree rolled her eyes. The school day went normally, and soon it was time to leave school. Screwball walked over to Sweet Tree with a smile plastered on her face.

“Ready to go eat some yummy food?” Screwball asked.

“Yeah!” Sweet Tree responded to her friend. The two walked up to Sugarcube Corner, and it looked crowded. Screwball suddenly got a jolt of weird energy as the two walked inside.

“Hey, Sweet Tree, do you want a table all to ourselves with nopony else around?” Screwball asked. Before Sweet Tree could answer, there was suddenly a new passage to a room. Screwball had used her magic to create it. When she opened the door, Screwball and Sweet Tree’s favorite things lined the walls.

“Are you sure you’re allowed to be doing this?” Sweet Tree asked her friend.

“Of course, as long as I put everything back the way it was before. My dad will be so proud of me!” Screwball responded as she made her way out of the room to stand in line.

“The line’s really long, Screwball. Let’s just wait in the room for it to die down a little,” Sweet Tree remarked. Screwball then got an idea. She transformed herself and Sweet Tree into royal guards.

“WHAT THE HAY, SCREWBALL?!” Sweet Tree asked her friend who was giggling.

“Just follow my lead. We’ll be at the front of the line in no time,” Screwball whispered to her friend. She then made her voice as deep as she could.

“We are a few of Celestia’s royal guards, and were given permission by Princess Celestia herself to get food instantly,” Screwball said, sounding as convincing as she can. All of the ponies stepped off to the side as the two “guards” passed. They walked up, ordered, and then went into the room, where Screwball took the disguises off herself and Sweet Tree.

“Why did you do that just so we can cut in line?” Sweet Tree asked, a little bit bothered by her friend’s childish instincts. Screwball rolled her eyes.

“You said the line was long, ST. So I did what you wanted, which was to get food faster,” Screwball explained. Sweet Tree just nodded and ate her pastry. Suddenly, Screwball started creating random mixes of creatures, which of course made Sweet Tree laugh. She kept creating and creating the chaotic creatures. The two were laughing so hard that they didn’t even realize a few escaped. They heard shrieks from the other room, and soon somepony burst through the door, carrying the escaped creatures. It was Cherry Pop.

“Screwball? I should’ve known it was you! Cool room, by the way,” Cherry greeted her friend.

“Hey, Cherry! Do you want to get some treats and eat with us?” Screwball asked. Cherry shook her head.

“Sorry, Screwball, but you have to get rid of this room and the animals. It was my parent’s instructions. I’m sorry, Screwball,” Cherry instructed her friend. Screwball rolled her eyes as she got rid of her chaotic creations.

“What’s the worst that could have happened?” Screwball asked as she stepped out of the room. Her eyes widened as she saw many things destroyed. Cherry gave her friend a look. “The tyranna-ocerous got out, didn’t it?” Screwball asked. She then was surprised to see Discord at the doorway. She quickly used her chaotic powers to clean everything up. Discord was soon at eye level with his daughter.

“You got a lot of explaining to do, young lady. Say goodbye to your friends,” Discord instructed. Screwball waved goodbye as Discord walked her home.

“WHAT in Equestria was THAT?” Discord asked his daughter.

“I used some chaotic magic, and it kind-of got out of hoof…”

“I had that conversation with your brother this morning for a reason! I mean it when I say your powers shouldn’t get out of control!”

“They weren’t out of control!”

“Yes, they were! Well, maybe not totally out of control, but chaos magic is something you don’t take for granted!” Screwball hung her head low.

“I’m sorry, dad. I won’t do it again,” Screwball responded. Discord sighed.

“Look, I’m not trying to tell you to not use your powers. I just don’t want you to fall into the fate that I once did. That’s why I’ve been defensive over your powers. You’re allowed to have a little fun once in a while, but don’t go overboard. Understand?” Discord explained. Screwball nodded her head.

“Oh… is everything alright?” Fluttershy asked as she walked into the room.

“Yes, we’re fine. Screwball just used some chaotic magic at Sugarcube Corner,” Discord responded to his wife. Fluttershy nodded her head.

“By the way, I invited everypony and their kids over for dinner tonight! If that’s okay with you, Discord,” Fluttershy informed. Discord nodded his head.

“Yes, dear, I’m fine with that.” Fluttershy smiled at Discord’s comment and got the dinner table ready.

The rest of the Mane Six and their families came through the door. All the kids met up and talked, while the six friends found each other. The husbands all talked to each other, and soon the whole room exploded with chatter.

“Alright, everypony, dinner time!” Fluttershy announced as they all sat at the long, chaotic table to eat. Pinkie’s family had an eating contest with Rainbow Dash’s family. Pinkie’s won, of course. Rarity informed her kids not to eat like they were eating when at an event. Garnet rolled his eyes at his mother’s comment. After dinner finished, they all sat outside together to see the moon rise. After it was raised, Twilight took a deep breath.

“Wow, we sure have come a long way, haven’t we?” Everypony nodded their heads. The Mane Six started thinking of all the great adventures they had, and all the adventures that are left to come, for them and their families to face together.

A Victim and a Gamer

The doorbell rung as Rarity and Fancy Pant’s children came home from school. Rarity went to the door to greet them, but only found their son, Garnet, at the doorway. Garnet is a unicorn that has a coat that looks like a mixture of white and red, a blue mane the color of his father’s, and blue eyes to match his mother.

“Garnet, where’s Emerald? You two always return at the same time,” Rarity said as she looked everywhere for her daughter. Garnet turned around.

“I thought she was right behind me, mom. Wait, there she is!” Garnet pointed out. Rarity saw a unicorn with a mint green coat, purple mane, and blue eyes. It was Emerald. She was staring at the ground and moving very slowly to the front door.

“Why are you in such a bad mood, Emerald?” Rarity asked as the green unicorn approached the front door. Emerald just grunted and pouted upstairs to her room. Rarity looked at Garnet and raised an eyebrow.

“No, I don’t know why she’s upset,” Garnet remarked. Rarity nodded and the two went inside. Fancy Pants happened to notice Emerald coming up the stairs, so he went into her room to greet her.

“How was your day, Emerald?” Fancy Pants questioned. His smile turned into a frown when he realized his daughter was crying. “Emerald?” He said again. Emerald finally looked up as Fancy Pants came to her bed. Rarity came in the room at this time and walked over to the two.

“I was bullied by a few kids in my class,” Emerald said with a sob. At this point, Rarity entered the room.

“Why would you be bullied, darling?” Rarity questioned as she stroked Emerald’s hair.

“Well, I’m one of the only ones in my class without a cutie mark, and they accuse me of being snobbish just because I have fancy parents,” Emerald responded. Rarity looked down with sadness as she told her daughter encouraging words, and what to do the next time she was bullied. Meanwhile, Garnet was in his room playing video games.

“Yeah! Just a few more levels till the final boss!” He shouted. Garnet was the only one in the household interested in video games, so he had a system in his room. He heard a knock on the door and Fancy Pants walked in. Garnet paused his game.

“What?” Garnet asked his father.

“How was your day?” Fancy Pants asked.

“Good. Hey dad, do you think I should try out for the basketball team? My friends say I’m awesome whenever we play at recess!” Garnet responded, a smile growing on his face.

“Well, if you want to. I’ve never been much of a sports fan, but I would be fine if you are,” Fancy Pants responded. The smile got larger on Garnet’s face. “Dinner’s in an hour, so come down then!” Fancy said as he shut the door. Rarity exited Emerald’s room and started to make dinner.

Garnet came down on time for dinner, and found everyone at the table. He pulled up a seat next to his father and started eating.

“Garnet! Don’t just chow down into your food! Eat it properly,” Rarity demanded. Garnet rolled his eyes and used his magic to levitate his food into his mouth. Fancy Pants started talking about his job, and Garnet ate silently. He knew that he couldn’t interrupt his father, especially because he was criticized for not eating the proper way. He excused himself from the table when he was done and went upstairs. After a few hours of gaming, he got tired, and before he knew it, he fell asleep on the controller.

He woke up the next morning, and a guilt wave suddenly hit him.

“HOMEWORK!” He shouted. He looked at the clock, and realized it was two minutes until he had to leave. He heard Emerald getting ready, and he zoomed to get his mane brushed, but realized he got up too late to have breakfast at the table. It was a family rule stating if he or Emerald got up after breakfast, they would have to eat the leftovers on the way to school. He groaned as he realized he will have to eat while walking. When he came out of his room, Rarity gave him the leftovers of the breakfast and his saddlebag. Emerald opened the door and held it for his brother, as he walked out of the door eating breakfast. He stuffed the food in his mouth, and swallowed.

“The homework last night was hard! It took me about an hour! What about you?” Emerald asked. Garnet bit his lip.

“Umm... I didn’t do it. I fell asleep,” Garnet responded. Emerald rolled her eyes. She replied back with a harsher tone, changing the subject.

“Did you know that YOUR friends bullied ME!!!!!? Why me! What did I do?” Emerald snapped, now glaring at her brother. Garnet was shocked. He never knew his friends to bully anypony.

“Sorry, sis. I didn’t realize they were. If they try to bully you again, call me over,” He replied to his sister. Emerald just stared at the ground. When they got on the steps to go into the school, two ponies started throwing insults at Emerald. They must have not noticed Garnet coming behind her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked harshly. The two that were supposedly his friends were shocked. “You heard me. Stop picking on my sister!” One of the bullies raised an eyebrow.

“I never thought you would be such a softie, Garnet. It probably comes from that family of yours.” Garnet never felt so enraged. He took Emerald in the building while he heard the two laughing at the insult. He then reported the two to Cheerilee, who was shocked. She had a talk with them outside, so class didn’t start until later. Garnet talked to his real friends, and Cheerilee soon came in. It was a normal school day, except Garnet didn’t have his homework when Cheerilee came around to check. She gave him a zero and checked the other student’s homework. Garnet and Emerald got home after school and saw their parents.

“How was school today?” Rarity asked the two. Garnet was the first to respond.

“I reported the bullies. They insulted our whole family,” He said with softness. Rarity smiled.

“Thank you, Garnet. Hopefully they wouldn’t hurt anypony else. And I wanted to tell you that Twilight invited you two over there to hang out with her kids,” Rarity said with a grin. The two gave Rarity their saddlebags and raced to Twilight’s castle. Rarity went upstairs to make a new dress and smiled. She knew that Garnet and Emerald were almost teens, but they would still have a nice and generous heart their whole life.