A New Generation

"Friends, loved ones, we are here today in honor of the late Granny Smith. She lived a long, prosperous life...."

The minister droned on as the audience silently sobbed. It's been an entire day since Granny Smith passed, and the Apple family had taken it pretty hard. Things weren't exactly the same at Sweet Apple Acres. Ever since Granny Smith peacefully died in her sleep, the Apple kids were deeply depressed. Apple Bloom took it the hardest out of all of them. She hadn't spoken for days when it happened. Her efficiency on the fields had slowed, too. As much as others tried to cheer her up those few days, Apple Bloom just couldn't bring herself to accept the death of her grandmother. But, after a while, Applejack finally moved on. Although she isn't quite completely better, she still knows Granny Smith is in a better place now.

Sobs continued to fill the atmosphere as members of the Apple family and their closest friends honored the life that Granny Smith lived. In the front row sat the Mane 6, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Applejack and Apple Bloom's friends comforted them as they shed tears. It was rough for them, too, as they had all shared the feelings the Apple family had. Sure, they didn't know Granny Smith as well as the Apple family did, but it was still depressing to see them like this. Pinkie Pie's hair even went straight from the melancholy mood.

"....And now a few words from two of Granny Smith's grandchildren: Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh.

The minister made way for the yellow pony and her older brother at the podium as they prepared their speech. Apple Bloom fumbled with her note cards before finding the first one.

"Granny Smith was the best darn relative and guardian we could ask for. Her stories always entertained us, she would always share her wisdom with us about buckin' apples, and she was always there when we needed her," Apple Bloom started.

"Eeyup," Big Mac continued. "But most of all, she was the most loving and caring grandmother there was."

"Granny Smith...," Apple Bloom started to tear up a bit, "...always made us smile one way or another....Ah remember when ah was just a filly and ah was helpin' Granny Smith harvest some zap apples. It was the very first time ah had such a great responsibility. Ah was kinda embarrassed at first, but then she told mah classmates and me the story of the foundin' of Ponyville." Apple Bloom's eyes became even more watery.

Just as she was about to continue, though, Big Mac burst into tears. Apple Bloom comforted him.

"It's alright, Big Mac," she said reassuringly. "Everything will be okay."

"I know," Big Mac sobbed. Apple Bloom handed him a tissue, and pretty soon, she started crying, too.

"Granny Smith lived a long life. She was funny and wise." Apple Bloom struggled to fight back the tears as she continued the speech. "She changed the lives of many and even played a part in the history of Ponyville. Without her, none of us would be where we are today. Granny Smith was one of the greatest ponies Big Mac and ah have ever known."

"Eeyup."

Apple Bloom and Big Mac finished their speech and let the minister back on the stage. Several other ponies presented their eulogies, and after the service ended, everypony headed to the feast.

The place was packed with Apple kin and their closest friends. At one table sat Applejack and Apple Bloom with the other two former Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Man, I'm really sorry this happened guys," Sweetie Belle chimed in after a moment of silence at the table.

"Don't fret, girls," Applejack told them. "Granny Smith lived a wonderful life. That's all that matters."

"Yeah, I know. But you guys just seemed so miserable since Granny Smith passed. Apple Bloom was especially hurt."

Apple Bloom blushed a little.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo answered, taking a bite from her meal. "I mean, you isolated yourself from every pony else for an entire week, and when we actually got you to hang out with us, you hardly said a word."

"Well, I guess I just wasn't feeling it. That's all."

"For an entire week?" Scootaloo reminded her.

"Oh, right."

Fluttershy timidly approached the table with an empty bowl on her back.

"Um...sorry to interrupt, but...we're out of food," she told them.

"Well, weren't Big Mac and Pinkie Pie supposed to be making sure we don't run out?" Applejack inquired.

"Yes, but...we're out of refills. Pinkie Pie ate them all. Please don't yell at me." Fluttershy retracted nervously out of fear of being accused.

"What?" Applejack boomed in surprise. She got up from her seat. "If y'all will excuse me, I need to speak with a certain pink pony." She left the table and entered the barn.

"Oh, no. Now I'm afraid Pinkie will be angry with me," Fluttershy fretted as she flew off after the farm pony.

The service finally ended, and as everypony left, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle headed to the woods behind Sweet Apple Acres. In the midst of all the trees, they found their old clubhouse.

"It's been a long time since we've been here," Sweetie Belle commented.

"Well, we hardly ever came here after getting our cutie marks," Apple Bloom reminded them. "Plus, we've hardly seen each other after finishing school."

"True. I haven't gotten time to myself since joining the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash has been workin' us harder lately for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"And I've been on the road for my latest tour," Sweetie Belle told the other two.

"Oh, yeah. ah think ah went to one of your concerts recently," Apple Bloom chimed in.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, after ah gathered all the bits to actually afford a ticket."

"Money really has been hard to come by at the farm hasn't it?" Scootaloo asked.

"Uh-huh. Ah even had to work extra hours to make ends meet. And now that Granny Smith's gone, things sure are gon' be tougher."

"Well, you have been running that place all by yourself. It must be really difficult to get things done without any help."

"Don't worry about me. Ah've been runnin' this place for a while now, so ah'm pretty used to this kinda stuff."

"Are you sure?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Things can happen unexpectedly. What if you can't keep the store open for much longer this time?"

"Well, ah always have the farm to look forward to if things go wrong."

"If you say so."

"So, anyway...," Scootaloo chimed in. She waited until she had their attention. "Wanna check out the old treehouse before heading back?"

"Sure, why not?" Apple Bloom responded.

"I guess," Sweetie Belle replied. "I have about half an hour before heading back to Applewood. Neon Lights expects to see me in the studio tomorrow, and I need the rest I can get."

The three of them entered the dilapidated structure and reminisced about the crazy ideas that spawned from this childhood hangout.

Princess Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth with a concerned look on her face. She mumbled something to herself, so deep in thought that she hardly noticed Spike enter the room with a pile of books.

"Uh, I have the books you wanted me to bring you."

Twilight levitated the books one by one in her direction. She eyed each cover, hoping one of them was a title she'd find useful.

"No...no...no!" Twilight exclaimed. "None of these are what I'm looking for!"

"Um...."

Twilight looked in Spike's direction.

"What is it, Spike?" He could tell Twilight was starting to get a bit ticked off at this point.

"Well, I was just wondering...exactly what are you looking for?"

"I've already told you a million times, I need something that'll help me find out what's been going on lately with these unusual magic outages throughout Equestria."

"Magic outages?" Spike inquired.

"Strange things have been going on lately. Unicorns have been unable to use their magic for some reason."

"No pony here seems to have lost their magic," Spike pointed out. "Are you sure it's not a coincidence?"

"It can't be a coincidence, Spike. It's happened almost everywhere in Equestria." She turned away from Spike to look through the bookshelves of the castle's library for anything that could help. "Well, at least everywhere but Ponyville, apparently." She continued looking through the shelves, she finally found something that peeked her interest.

"Hmmm...Magical Conundrums and Disasters." Twilight opened the book, suddenly interested in what was inside. She started reading aloud:

A unicorn or alicorn can often experience a loss of power. Sometimes, it may be temporary, but sometimes it may last for longer periods of time. The longest period of time one can lose their magic is about two months.

Sometimes, such loss of magic could occur to an entire population. Such widespread loss of magic may result from a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

• Contamination of food

• Magical curse

• Interruption in the magical network

"Interruption in the magical network?" Twilight commented. "I don't think I've heard of that." She flipped the pages in search of some other mention of magical networks. "That's odd. There's no other mention of it in here."

She set the book back on the shelf and searched the nonfiction section under 'M', hoping she'd find something on magical networks.

"That's odd. There seems to be nothing here on magical networks." She then turned to Spike. "Spike, I'll need you to take a letter."

Spike pulled out a quill pen and piece of parchment from the nearest desk. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Dear Princess Celestia...." Twilight thought for a moment what to write. After deciding on what to tell Celestia, she continued. "I was recently doing some research on the recent power outages throughout Equestria when I came across something about magical networks. I'm hoping that maybe you can shed some light on the subject. Your Faithful Student, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Spike rolled up the parchment and sent it off to the princess with his magic fire breath.

"Alright. The letter has been sent." But instead of the relieved expression Spike had hoped for, Twilight still paced across the floor, anticipating some sort of response soon. "Uh, are you alright, Twi?"

"Of course I'm not, Spike!" Twilight blurted out. "What if this 'magical network' thing ends up destroying Equestria as we know it? Oh boy. This is so nerve-racking."

Just then, Spike let out a belch followed by a burst of flames and a letter from none other than Princess Celestia. Twilight levitated it in a hurry and opened it. Her eyes rapidly shifted from left to right, reading the message and even mumbling.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Throughout recent years, ponies have come up with convenient ways to use their magic from greater distances. This made it easier for unicorns and alicorns to perform tasks from another location and communicate with other ponies. I hope this answers your question on magical networks.

As for your concern with the interferences in the magical network, I'm thinking the Elements of Harmony will be able to solve this problem. You'll need to contact your friends in order to find out who's behind all these magic outages. Good luck in your endeavors, and hopefully, you'll be able to save the day once again.

Yours Truly,

Princess Celestia

"The Elements of Harmony?" Twilight said in complete shock. She flipped the parchment, wondering if there was something she had missed. "But I don't understand. The Elements of Harmony are what created this castle in the first place? Exactly how are we supposed to use them?"

"Well, even without the Elements, we'll at least be able to find Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy easily," Spike explained. "They still live in Ponyville, after all."

"In that case, if we wanna find them, we better get started right away." Twilight got her saddlebag and headed out the door with Spike right behind her.