Author's Note

Sooo... okay, if I can be honest, I didn't have anything interesting to do for this one. I promise the next chapter will be a bit more interesting, so hope you're still with me on this one.

Enjoy it, regardless!

Balance

Adagio and her sisters closed up the audition room, after finally going through every person who auditioned. Quite a lot of people came by, and thankfully, the girls had found a select few that made them very happy.

"Okay, so everyone's been notified, we have their email addresses, I say we're making good progress," Adagio remarked.

"Yep!"

"Well, its certainly a lot smoother than I thought," Aria smiled.

"What did you think was gonna happen?" Sonata asked.

"Every one of them would crash and burn," Aria deadpanned. "Glad to see my expectations have been subverted."

"But, just a quick check to see if we have everyone correctly," Adagio said, looking at her clipboard.

Heroes Selected:
Inferno, adult male, 32 years
Blizzard, adult female, 31 years old
Tox, teenager, 16 years of age
Phantom, adult male, 34 years
Tombstone, adult male, 37 years old.

"...And last but not least," Adagio said, writing it down on the clipboard, "Sliverstream, young freshmen, 12 years old."

"WHAT!?"

All of their heads turned and they let out a collective groan of annoyance. Cat Girl was there, yet again.

"You wouldn't say yes to me, but you put a 12-year-old in your team!?"

"Yes," Adagio said, playing it straight.

"But... WHY!?"

Adagio grinned. "Because, 1, she's young with tons of energy. 2, she's got a lot of optimism and a positive attitude, that's something I like to see. 3, she doesn't reek of desperation."

Cat Girl was appalled.

"No, I can't stand for this! Why, why wouldn't you let me in!?"

Adagio sneered. "You've harassed us 4 times already, your breath is disgusting, you show no professionalism, you have no superpowers whatsoever, and also," Adagio flipped her open resume over to a page, "You lied in your resume."

"Just because I'm--"

"We're serious in our line of work. And by the way, as I've said before," Adagio got right up in Cat Girl's face, cringing at her disgusting breath. "I'm the sexy one. Not you!"

Cat Girl hissed, imitating a cat perfectly. "You'll all be sorry, I promise you, I will be a great--Agh, hey, stop that!"

Aria was holding a spray bottle and was spraying a ton of water at Cat Girl's face.

"Bad kitty! Down!"

Cat Girl hissed at Aria, and flinched in pain. She whimpered, feeling the hot sting of the towel striking her back.

"Back! Back foul creature! Back to the pit from where you came!" Sonata said, shooing her away.

Hissing some more, Cat Girl picked up her feet (in heels) and ran away from the sirens who continued to sneer at her. They had just about enough of her antics, and it was really starting to get on their nerves.

"Well, either way, I can't wait to tell the girls!" Adagio beamed. "I have a feeling in just a few days, we'll turn them from regular people in famous superheroes!"

Silence. A mute of the senses and surroundings around. It was all that Lyra needed to practice her balance.

"Good, Lyra. Ignore all that's around you, and focus only on finding your inner peace."

"Um, one question though, mom?"

"Yes, Lyra?"

"Why are you having me keeping my balance on just a sword?"

Lyra's entire body was up in the air, with one hand on her sword's handle. And the sword was the only thing keeping her up. Lyra's mother, Saku, was watching her practice.

"It is a move that had been passed down by my mother, and her mother before that, and her mother before that. With this form, you will--"

"-WHOA, AH!" Lyra lost her balance and fell right on her back, her face slamming into the sand in the pit.

"--Fall and hurt yourself."

Lyra groaned into the sand. "This is impossible! How am I supposed to keep my entire balanced on a sword!?"

"Nothing is impossible, Lyra. Only if you give up, is it truly impossible," Lyra's mother instructed. "You will master it, one day. I am sure of it."

The doorbell rung, making her turn her head.

"Oh, must be the rest of your friends."

Lyra pulled her face up, and she climbed out of the pit that she fell in. Brushing herself off, she walked out of the training room, ready to greet her friends.

Saku opened up the door, and on the other side was the rest of Lyra's friends, including their parents. Everyone was invited for a family get-together. While the girls would be working on school work, the parents would just hang out, chat, and then prepare dinner.

"Konichiwa," Saku bowed.

"Konichiwa to you too," Bronze Weld, Amy's father replied. He shook her hand, giving a smile. "Very nice to see you again."

"Very nice to see you too, as well as you all. Please, come in," Saku nodded, inviting everyone inside.

As soon as everyone went inside, the girls immediately dashed for Lyra's room.

"We'll just be working for a bit, then we'll take a break!" Trixie called out, looking to her mom.

"Alright. We'll call you girls when dinner's ready,"

Trixie grinned and rushed off with the others. Once they went into Lyra's room, everyone immediately picked a place to work. Lyra just kicked back on her bed, adjusting the pillows to support her back.

"So, what are we working on first?" Octavia asked, sitting on a cushion.

"Well, I thought maybe we could study for the biology test next week?" Vinyl offered.

"Oh, I don't want to..." Octavia whined. "Its so boring, and complicated, and its just ugh...."

"You know we'll have to study either way," Vinyl crossed her arms.

"Oh fine... lets just get this over with," Octavia moaned.

As everyone opened up their textbooks, Trixie felt a soft buzz in her pocket. Pulling out her phone, she giggled seeing the text in front of her.

"Adagio still can't figure out how to text," Trixie shook her head. "But I think I can read what she sent me. She said... 'found some new supers, now I'm exhausted'..."

"Did she say who made it?" Bon Bon asked.

"Um, no. But she's wants to know if maybe we could come over to their place on Friday afternoon so we could all meet the new guys."

"Tell her depends on what homework we'll have to do," Lyra replied.

"Okay," Trixie said, eyes focused on the screen as she texted back.

"Just hope the new guys will be strong enough to protect an entire city," Octavia said, shaking her head, sounding unsure.

"I'm positive they will. Just need to give them time," Vinyl smiled.

"Maybe. Just tell them not to die instantly when they go out on their first mission," Amethyst deadpanned.

In the family room, everyone was happily sipping drinks and talking to one another. All around were happy smiles. No worry, no stress, nothing.

"It is very nice to see you all again," Saku said.

"Very nice to see you too," Sunflower replied, nodding to the Japanese woman across from her. "Especially you, Trebleclef,
Soprano."

Vinyl's mom and dad nodded back.

"How have you two been?" Saku asked.

"Very well, thank you," Trebleclef replied. "What about you, Metal Jazz?"

Octavia's mother smirked. "Still alive, I can't safely say that, mate."

"What about you, Haiku?"

Bon Bon's mother simply raised her cup in response, as if to say, 'yes'.

"Good, good."

"Can I just say how wonderful it is that our children are all friends once again?" Saku stated.

"Oh yes, very wonderful indeed. I'm happy Octavia is friends with Vinyl once again," Metal Jazz replied, sipping her cup.

"Same here," Soprano replied, raising a cup to her answer. "Though I am curious, how exactly did they make up? That part still bothers me."

"Oh, she hasn't told you? It's those three new students they have school," Saku riposted, "Something rather magical about those three brought them back."

"Wait, is it those three who sing together? The girls with the red jewels around their necks?"

"Yeah, I've seen those girls," Bronze replied. "They're the ones."

"Very strange, they are," Trebleclef expressed. "Don't get me wrong, they seem like nice children from the few times I've seen them but there seems to be something quite... off about them."

"They're just being themselves, I'm positive there's nothing wrong. I mean, yeah, to be fair, they had to deal with that Sunset Shimmer girl in their first week, but they're still standing, I say that makes them strong," Bronze replied.

"Says the man who's daughter ran away after being--"

"--Don't even go there, Haiku," Bronze sneered. "I don't want to even think about that."

"Oh," Haiku halted, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset."

"No, you're fine. Its just... its hard to talk about, you know?"

"I'm afraid none of us do, but we can be respectful and leave that topic alone," Saku replied.

"Thank you."

A tranquil pause was emitted, and everyone had dropped dead silent. What could they say? What to talk about now?

"So, um, Bronze, if you don't mind me asking, where does Amethyst get her 1980s obsession?" Metal quiered.

"Oh, that... well," Bronze chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, when she got older, I got her hooked onto some of my favorite cartoons when I was a little kid. After some time, she started getting into some music, and then before you know it, you suddenly have a teenage daughter who's wearing shoulder pads and parachute pants."

Everyone at the table chuckled a bit.

"But I don't know, but suddenly she stopped wearing it. Now, I don't have a problem with it, but it seems a little out of nowhere she would suddenly give it up."

"She's not self-conscious about her look, is she?" Soprano asked.

"No, that's the other thing, she could care less about what others think about her fashion style, but it just seems a little... a little weird, is all I'm saying. Its like, she doesn't want anyone in public to see her with that anymore..."

Metal Jazz and Saku gave deranged looks to the single father.

"What?"

"So, you find that odd, but not the fact that she's now wearing her hair in a mullet?"

"Hey, if she likes it, its fine, that's all I'm saying," Bronze shrugged.

"Well, if you all don't mind, I wish to propse a small toast," Sunflower announced. She raised her glass up with a tender smile. "To everyone being friends again!"

"Here, here!" Everyone cheered.

A clink of the glass, and a sip of their drinks, and so the rest of their wonderful evening commenced.