So, here it is! A sequel to Devastation! YEAH! Celebrate among yourselves.
Just as a warning, though, this will get heavy fast. This is just a cutsie beginning chapter...
The night was dominated by storms.
Every three seconds, thunder rolled out, and a burst of lightning accompanied it with a flash that lit up every house in Equestria. Foals were scared, grabbing to blankets and wailing for their mothers, and even the strongest stallions were concerned by the shadows and overwhelming sense of darkness. It was officially a day to be inside, a day to cuddle up by the fire and drink apple cider and tell stories of things that were happy and filled with light; none of the stories of monsters and sirens and kelpies and changelings would do any good to soothe the fearful hearts of ponies and alike throughout the land.
On that particular night, Fluttershy, her pink hair falling over her eyes, was kissing Vinyl Scratch lightly on the mouth while rain poured down on their rooftop. This weekend, they had decided to stay in Ponyville rather than Canterlot due to the rising fame of both of them. Fame was a difficult thing to deal with, especially under circumstances whereas the fame was growing swiftly despite any attempts to stop it. A few months before, Fluttershy herself had killed the beast that had threatened to rape and pillage the souls of many innocent mares, including the Princess Celestia herself. This caused an immediate outbreak of a Flutter-fan club, most of whom which were either crazed paparazzo wannabes or desperate insecure fillies in need of a role model. The role model part was a little bit more than nice; there were times, after all, when Fluttershy was greeted by a sweet, innocent little filly who asked in a stammer for nothing but a hug. Those were the times that made the fame more bearable and less of a burden.
On the other hand, Vinyl Scratch's fans were mainly of the other class; loud, disruptive ponies with nothing better to do than blare her CDs on their radios and dance in ways that most of Canterlot saw as horrible. It didn't matter, though, because there was a constant flow of money from music sales, which was nice, and the fans were quite sweet, sometimes sending roses of many colors to their adored star, other times CDs containing their own mix tapes. There was a following of the insecure, too, and they were the female musicians that had been oppressed for the longest; Sweetie Belle, for example, sent in her tape of scales, and then before one knew it, she had her cutie mark for being an excellent opera singer.
Apple Bloom had received her cutie mark as well; a tiny hammer and nail decorated her thigh. She had shown excellency at construction and was now submitting her first designs for a new wing for the palace in Canterlot. Scootaloo, though, hadn't gotten a cutie mark; of course, she still couldn't really fly yet. It was a bit pathetic.
Thunder cracked, and Fluttershy stopped daydreaming and stood up. "What's wrong?" asked Vinyl, her blue mane ruffled from the pillows. "Or, should I say, is there something wrong?"
"No," said Fluttershy, biting her lower lip. "I…I just have this very strange feeling that something is going to happen."
"Happen?" asked Vinyl, sitting up in their bed. "Like Pinkie sense?"
"No…more like…well…I don't know, really. It just feels so…de ja vu, for lack of better wording."
"Mhm," said Vinyl, yawning and falling back on her pillow. "Whatever. It's probably nothing."
But a few miles away, Rarity sat up in bed and stared out of the window. "Spike," she said, "I think something is going to happen soon."
And in Discord's castle, Applejack's house, and Spitfire's manor, the other elements of harmony stood up, stopped what they were doing, and said the exact same words, all with the exception of Twilight Sparkle. They could've just brushed it off and said that it was nothing, but something—perhaps the connection between them—forced them to take the next train to Canterlot.
.:.
The storm had not yet passed when Pinkie Pie arrived.
Life with Discord had started to take its toll on her. She looked a little thinner, a little taller, and not so pink anymore. She hid this, though, underneath a thick coat, and ran into the palace through the main entrance, ignoring the shortness of breath it brought on.
"Pinkie Pie?" asked a familiar voice, and she saw Rarity standing next to Spike, who had grown several inches taller and had darkened in hue. "Oh, darling, I didn't expect to see you here."
"I don't know," said Pinkie Pie. Her brain was fuzzy. "Is anyone else here?"
"I am," said Applejack, who was wearing a strangely thick coat. "Y'all seen Dashy and 'Shy?"
"Present," said Rainbow Dash, flying in. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," said Fluttershy, trotting in with Vinyl Scratch. "Where's Twilight?"
The ponies stared at each other. It took a moment for things to click, but when they did, they all dashed up to Princess Luna's wing.
.:.
"She's adorable, Twilight," said Rarity, bending over her friend's shoulder and gazing at the newborn filly. "How did you manage to have such a cute foal?"
Twilight smiled weakly and nuzzled her baby. "I have no idea, Rarity," she said honestly, staring lovingly at the filly. "But you have to admit, she's pretty sweet for a newborn."
The filly was a dark shade of purple, almost indigo, and had silky tufts of what would eventually become a pinkish-yellowish-white mane. There was a tiny horn, and better yet, tiny wings. Each of the ponies was taking turns staring at her and cooing.
"I think your filly has convinced me to have a baby," said Applejack in a daze, sitting down quickly. "Or, well, maybe not. What're you going to name her?"
"Something star-related," said Princess Luna, emerging from behind. She nuzzled the tiny foal and gently kissed her on the forehead. "Maybe Astra, after my mother?"
"I…I like Andromeda," said Twilight quietly, kissing her. "Or maybe Cassiopeia."
"Firefly?" offered Fluttershy. "It is really cute."
"Firefly it is," said Luna, kissing her daughter again. "What a filly she'll be…"
The storm had passed.
