A Vignette of Harmony

by Draxonos135

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sunset Shimmer, Main 7 (EqG), Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Slice of Life, Alternate Universe, Human, Anthology, Vignette Valencia, Equestria Girls
Length: 3207

Vignette learns about the Elements of Harmony.

There was no way Vignette was gonna stay out of the world of magic. She knew this as soon as she decided to stay with Applejack.

But if she has to learn about the magic world, she has to learn it with the first, most important concept: the Elements of Harmony.

And with Sunset and the Rainbooms' help, she might just do that.

Published 2020-11-23 19:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-11-23 19:40:01 UTC

#ElementofGenerosity

With the rest of the team now in the know about Vignette's desire to know about the Elements, they prepared to let her know what they knew about the Elements, with Sunset getting ready to give her a more detailed explanation.

But for now, she went to the next Element user; Rarity.

She walked to the Canterlot Boutique and knocked on its doors twice, getting ready to knock a third time when Rarity opened.

"Vignette, darling! What a surprise!" she chirped. "What brings you to the Canterlot Boutique?"

"I don't know where else to find you."

"Oh, right," Rarity giggled. "Well, come on in."

"So, Sunset told me you want to know about the Elements of Harmony?"

"If it gives me a basic idea on what I may deal with later on, I wanna know as much as possible."

"Well, the Elements themselves don't really play a big role in the magical misadventures Sunset and my friends normally go through," Rarity hummed. "But then again, they do give us the power to fight back against those same misadventures..."

"And that's actually what I'd like to know about the most," Vignette leaned forward. "How do you use the Elements?"

"We use them to transform into Pony hybrid forms, but that's for another day," Rarity waved her hand. "For now, wanna hear about my Element?"

"Oh! Let me try guessing it!" Vignette hummed in contemplation. "Fashion!"

Rarity laughed. "The Element of Fashion? Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, how can there be harmony if nobody looks good?"

Rarity giggled again. "That's a good guess, but it's something much more important: Generosity."

Vignette smiled. "Oh, I can actually see that being your Element?"

"Oh really?"

"You offered to help me with the Equestrialand Parade even while I was being the worst boss ever," Vignette argued. "Only someone with unmatched generosity would put up with that."

"I mean, I wouldn't really call you the worst boss ever. Annoying, sure, but worst? Nah." Rarity crossed her legs. "Besides, you give me way too much credit. I'm sure anybody would've done the same if they were in my position."

And then, Vignette's phone rang, prompting her to take it out.

"Oh, I thought you weren't using your phone, Vignette?"

"I've grown a bit more comfortable with it, and besides, not bringing your phone with you is practically... oh no."

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Oh no?"

"I'm running late to help Pinkie Pie with something," Vignette stood up and went to the door. "You mind if we stop here?"

Rarity's eyes widened, but she quickly regained her composure and shook her head.

"No, get going."

Vignette flashed a smile and a pair of thumbs up before she left the building, running to the horizon as Rarity watched her leave from the door.

#ElementofLoyalty

The job at the Sugarcube Corner took a lot longer than expected, so Vignette's quest to learn more about the Elements of Harmony was put on hold.

Today, she would try to learn about the remaining Elements: starting with everybody's favorite athletic girl.

"Hey there, Rainbow Dab!"

The rainbow-haired girl dropped what she was holding and turned to Vignette, snapping:

"DASH! Rainbow DASH! How do you keep forgetting my name when I remind you every other day!?"

"Well sorry, Rainbow, but as soon as I see you, the first thing that comes to mind is you dabbing," Vignette shook her head with a sheepish smile. "I just can't help it."

"Next time I face a monster by myself, I need to bring you along," Rainbow sighed. "Anyway, you wanna learn about the Elements, don't you? Let me cut to the chase: I hold the most awesome Element of them all! The Element of Loyalty!"

"Ooooh," Vignette raised an eyebrow. "And what's it about?"

"Loyalty's all about staying true to your beliefs, or in a less vague way, of trusting something or someone completely," Rainbow explained. "Think about this; Applejack was the first one of us who gave you a hand. If you had a chance, would you leave her for someone else?"

"N.I.A.M.Y.: Not In A Million Years!"

"Then by that logic, you're loyal to Applejack!"

"Oh, I see! I see!" Vignette said with a cheerful smile, clasping her hands as she added. "And how do you use it?"

"When I use it, I gain a pair of blue wings that give me the ability to fly!" Rainbow Dash chirped. "The sky becomes the limit at that moment, and I become the fastest thing alive!"

Vignette hummed. "You get wings because your counterpart is a Pegasus, right?"

Rainbow immediately leaned as close to Vignette as uncomfortably possible. "Did you meet her?!"

"No, I just connected the dots," Vignette backed away. "Pegasus are horses with wings, you gain wings, Rarity mentioned something about you using the Elements to turn into Pony hybrids, that stuff."

Rainbow hummed. "I see..."

"Well, I gotta get going; I promised Fluttershy I'd help her with something at the animal shelter."

"Wait, you're going to help someone?" Rainbow folded her arms and squinted her eyes. "Are you planning something, Vignette?"

"What? No, I'm just gonna help a friend of Applejack's and see if I make a little money at the side."

"Okay, I can't argue with that," Rainbow waved goodbye. "See ya, Vignette."

"Alright," Vignette left and waved goodbye. "Thanks again, Rainbow Dab."

"DAAAAAASH!"

#ElementofKindness

At the animal shelter, Fluttershy grabbed a bag of dog food handed by Angel Bunny, and put the food on a bowl that a small dog eagerly ate.
"Thanks, Angel," Fluttershy said as she stood up and turned around. "And thanks for helping me too, Vig-nette?!"

As soon as Fluttershy turned around, she saw Vignette covered in all sorts of bruised and scratches, one scratch in particular going over her left eye.

"Please tell me animals maul people as a sign of affection."

"Vignette, if that were the case, nature would be even darker than it already is."

Feeling sympathy, Angel hopped off Fluttershy's backpack and gave Vignette some bandages.

"Aww, thanks Rabbit."

"His name is Angel," Fluttershy clarified. "Also, he's a bunny. Anyway, thanks again for helping me with the animal shelter."

"No problem, I'm just happy somebody appreciates what I do," Vignette scratched her hair and took out a couple of twigs. "'Cause the animals here really don't."

"I don't know why they act so hostile all of a sudden, they're usually docile."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Vignette sighed. "Anyway, the Elements?"

"Right, well, I'll keep this short since we got a lot of work to do; my Element is Kindness."

"Ah, very fitting."

Fluttershy blushed. "Y-You think so?"

"Fluttershy, you were taking care of all these animals long before I entered the picture," Vignette remarked, pointing at the animals and narrowly avoiding having her fingers bit off by one of them.

"Anybody would do the same in my place."

"Nobody would be as beloved by them as you, though," Vignette chuckled. "I bet you could sing a little song and they'd all surround you."

"Nah, there's no way that'd work," Fluttershy laughed and waved her hand. "It only works on birds."

"Really?"

Fluttershy hummed a little tune, and spread her arms as a group of birds entered the shelter, landing on her arms and head as soon as she finished.

"Impressive; but can they lift you off the ground?"

"I'll put that to the test later," Fluttershy shook in place, driving the birds away. "For now, we got work to do."
Vignette sighed and grabbed a bag Angel handed her, following Fluttershy deeper into the shelter... until she asked:

"Hey, Fluttershy?"

"Yes, Vignette?"

"I haven't thought about this, and you might not even know the answer, but I gotta ask; how many Elements are there, anyway?"

"Well, I've heard of about six; Honesty, Generosity, Laughter, Loyalty, Kindness-"

"I've already seen those before-"

"-And Magic."

Vignette nearly dropped her bag in disbelief.

"Of course..."

#ElementofMagic

Vignette stood uneasily at the front door of Sunset's apartment.

Twilight, the supposed bearer of the last Element of Harmony, was staying with her for something, and it was the perfect chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Not literally, of course, that would be terrible, but you get the idea.

Eventually, Vignette knocked the door, and Sunset answered in the blink of an eye.

"Vignette! I was just waiting for you!"

Vignette raised an eyebrow. "But I thought you had a visit?"

"Twilight doesn't mind. Come in!"

Sunset grabbed Vignette and pulled her inside, closing the door just as Vignette scanned her surroundings.

Twilight was resting on Sunset's bed, while on Sunset's laptop, there was the title screen of something that caught Vignette's attention.

"Harmony Quest?"

"One of the most popular MMORPGS I've ever played, and also one of the most fun!" Sunset chirped. "You ever played it before?"

"What? No, I uh, just heard of it, I've never played it before. In my life," Vignette said in a wooden manner. "Anyway, the Elements?"

"Right, you're probably anxious about that," Sunset clasped her hands. "Well, brace yourself, Vignette! I'm gonna tell you about the last Element of Harmony! The Element of-"

"Magic, yes, I know," Vignette waved her hand. "Please, just give me a quick recap about it so I can go home."

Twilight stood up and stretched. "Did learning about the other Elements tire you?"

"That, and the fact that Magic appears in my doorstep once again," Vignette rubbed her forehead. "I don't know why, but the idea of Magic being one of the Elements completely escaped me."

"Right, I forgot you really don't like Magic," Sunset folded her arms and frowned. "But, it's okay, I understand how you feel."

"You do?"

"Magic can be used for good things, and for bad things," Sunset raised her head. "It all falls down to who gets it and what they use it for."

"Actually, now that I remember," Vignette snapped her fingers. "You made a joke about becoming a demon once. Did that happen because of the Elements?"

Sunset eyed Twilight, whose response was blunt:

"Now's the best chance you'll ever get to tell Vignette about it."

Sunset sat on her bed, and Vignette soon followed.

"Remember Princess Twilight? Before her, I was the student of Princess Celestia, and when I discovered she had obtained everything that I didn't, I was overcome with so much jealousy, that I stole her crown, which contained the Element of Magic."

Vignette scratched her chin. "So the gem on her crown... is the Element of Magic?"

Sunset nodded, and continued. "During a moment of desperation, I put on the crown, and the Element of Magic overwhelmed me so much, I turned into a monster. It was one of the most painful things I've ever experience, at least until the Camp Everfree incident."

"So, an Element of Harmony caused havoc," Vignette rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised it's the Element of Magic?"

"Putting on the Element, though, wasn't the only reason I turned into a demon," Sunset lowered her head and took a deep breath. "When I put it on, all I had on my mind was that I wanted power. That I wanted to become a Princess. That I deserved those things. And in pursuing those things, I threw away what Magic was really about and well... let's just say it didn't like that."

"Magic itself isn't evil, Vignette," Twilight said, Sunset nodding in agreement. "It's the people who use it wrong that are evil."

"I know what you're trying to say, but my only experiences with Magic paint it in a negative light," Vignette crossed her arms and looked elsewhere. "I mean, this first experience, I was at fault, I'll be blunt with that. But the second experience, with the Pony of Shadows? That was a wild ride, and not of the fun kind."

"I see, and I understand what you mean," Sunset put a hand on Vignette's shoulder. "But we insist Magic isn't evil, Vignette. Keep your mind open, and you might come to like it eventually."

"Eventually..." Vignette repeated with a frown.

Twilight was quick to intercept, "Hey, you spoke with the other girls, right? Did their answers help you?"

"Yeah, and in fact, I don't doubt their Elements one bit. It's Magic somehow being part of friendship that puzzles me, and not just because I don't like it."

Sunset smiled. "Well, keep hanging around with us, and you'll get to see it soon enough."

"See what, exactly?"

"How friendship is magic," Sunset replied with a cheerful smile. "Anyway, until then, wanna play some videogames?"

"You don't mind?"

"Nah, it's fine," Twilight waved her hand. "I was growing tired of beating Sunset anyway."

"Uh, excuse me?" Sunset shot a look at Twilight. "I'm the one who always beats you."

"Yeah, in your dreams," Twilight adjusted her glasses. "But I always win in reality."

Vignette looked at the duo. "You sure you want me to stay? You seem to have a fine dynamic by yourselves."

Twilight and Sunset exchanged looks, laughed out loud, and grabbed Vignette's arms, dragging her towards them as Sunset began setting up the videogame.

Friendship is magic... that was something Vignette had to see for herself.

Author's Note

Okay, kind of a sudden ending, but an ending nonetheless.

I was planning to have one more chapter to cover Sunset's hypothetical Element, but I decided to scrap it to keep the story simple.

Anyway, that's another Vignetteverse story done. And hopefully, this one might stay canon XD

That's all from me today, though. Draxonos135, flying away.

#ElementofHonesty

"You wanna learn about the Elements of Harmony?"

Applejack posed that question to Vignette, who twiddled her fingers as she explained:

"Well, I thought about it, and you said it yourself; if I'm going to stay with you, I need to get prepared for magical mishaps. And if I have to expect that, isn't it just fair that I get to know about the main magical artifacts that deal with it? Especially since apparently one of those things turned Sunset into a demon?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "And where did you get that idea?"

"I was talking with Rarity and Sunset while we were at the place Sunset worked at, and she made a quip about it." Vignette shrugged. "Neither she nor Rarity gave me the context behind the joke, though."

"Well, you don't need to know the context, but I guess you should at least know about the Elements," Applejack scratched her chin, and smiled. "I'll need t' call Sunset t' tell her 'bout this, but I can tell you 'bout my Element!"

"Which is?"

"Honesty!"

Vignette blinked twice.

"The Element of Honesty represents the need for honesty in friendships; if people weren't even a little bit honest with their friends, or even themselves, a lot of problems could arise," Applejack folded her arms. "Of course, going the opposite way and being far too honest is even worse."

"So, for there to be harmony," Vignette recapped. "One has to be honest; not so little that they feel insincere, but not so much that they hurt people's feelings. Is that the idea?"

"Yeah, pretty much!"

"And how does it even work? Does it give you the ability to see through any lies or something?"

"The Elements supposedly only work when used in unison, and even then, my own use of it is limited to super strength. If you wanna know how they work, Sunset's the girl for ya," Applejack stood up and took out her phone. "Which reminds me, I should go give Sunset that call. I'll be back soon, 'kay, Vignette?"

"Sure."

Applejack left just as she began typing the numbers, leaving Vignette to think about the information.

She, at the very least, knew she could've used being a little bit more honest before...

Author's Note

I suddenly got this idea when I realized it's difficult to live in the house of a known magic user without wanting to know more about it.

Even if Vignette still doesn't like magic, it's in her best interest to know more about it, or at least the Elements.

And also, one of those Elements turned Sunset into a demon. That sounds like something that need explaining XD

Anyway, I won't return until the end of this short anthology, so enjoy the chapters! :)

#ElementofLaughter

Vignette spun into the Sugarcube Corner, and stopped at the corner, where Pinkie Pie watched her as she now sported a uniform similar to hers, and saluted:

"Private Vignette, ready for action, ma'am!"

Pinkie Pie, true to herself, laughed out loud. "Vignette, we're a bakery, not the army. Chill out."

Vignette loosened, blushing while twiddling her fingers. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Pinkie Pie opened the counter. "Follow me, I'll take you to the kitchen."

Vignette followed, the counter loudly closing itself as soon as she was on the other side.

Slightly startled, Vignette shrugged it off and continued on her way, eventually reaching the kitchen.

"Okay, this is what we're gonna do;" Pinkie Pie wrapped her arm around Vignette's shoulder and pulled her towards her. "I'm gonna bake the cupcakes, and you're going to decorate them. I need you to give each batch an unique look, think you can do it?"

Vignette wrapped her arm in Pinkie Pie's shoulder in return, startling the pink girl. "Y.C.C.O.M."

"Great! I mean, I don't speak acronym, but I'll assume what you said was a good thing!"

And so, the duo got to work.

"Oh, and by the way, about the talk about the Elements-"

"We're kinda, you know, working right now, Pinkie Pie," Vignette replied. "We don't need to talk about that right now if you don't want to."

"Nah, it's okay, it gets boring here when it gets too quiet," Pinkie Pie shrugged as she took out a batch of cupcakes. "Anyway, my Element is Laughter!"

"Laughter?" Vignette repeated. "So Applejack's Honesty, and Rarity's Generosity, and while I get how those two relate to Harmony, how does Laughter help at all?"

"We're, it's more like a catch-all term: Think of it more as the Element of Joy, or Fun, or Happiness!"

"Oh, now it makes sense."

"Yeah, everything in life needs joy, but not just any joy: genuine joy."

Vignette hummed, then got an idea as Pinkie Pie continued:

"If you're not really happy, but are forcing yourself to look like it, you'll end up making yourself feel worse! And if you feel truly happy, you can even spread it to everyone around you! And when everybody's happy, you get the wonderful sight of a smile on their face!"

"Like this?"

Pinkie Pie turned to Vignette, and saw she had drawn a smiley face with frosting, adorning each cupcake with the same joyful smile.

"Yeah, that's it!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Go put that batch at the counter, I'll keep making the cupcakes!"

Vignette nodded and walked back to the counter, and as she placed the cupcakes there, a group of children approached them and looked at them, flashing amazed smiles.

And a smile soon formed on Vignette's face as well... until the kids tried to steal the cupcakes.

"Hey! Don't steal the merchandise!"