The Stranger

"Come on, guys!" twelve year old Elizabeth yelled to her two best friends Dahlia and Autumn as they were galloping towards Autumn's home.

Her light yellow hair was flowing in the wind like the ocean as she galloped. Elizabeth tried to flap her wings to gain some speed but as she got up a little from the ground, she then fell and groaned in pain. Autumn and Dahlia then galloped past her really fast and laughed.

"Come on, slowpoke!" Dahlia yelled as she laughed.

Elizabeth growled then caught up to them and as she got in front of them, she tried to fly again but the same result happened. The trio managed to get to Autumn's house and they were panting heavily and Dahlia collapsed on her stomach.

"What have you three fillies been up to?" a mare's voice was heard as the door opened.

Autumn looked up at her aunt Jocelyn then galloped up to her and gave her a tight hug.

"We were just racing back here after school." Autumn replied in a breathless voice.

"Do you have any homework?" Jocelyn asked turning to the other two fillies who had collapsed on the ground.

"No we didn't get any." Dahlia said as she tried to get her breath back.

"Can we have a sleepover here tonight, Jocelyn?" Elizabeth asked with her pleading dark blue eyes.

Jocelyn nodded her head slowly and the three fillies squealed in delight and galloped into the house.

Svetlana opened her stall and organised all the gems and jewellery into different sections on the stall with her magic.

"Hey, Svetlana!" a voice was heard and she turned around to see one of her friends Jocelyn galloping up to her.

"Do you need anything, Jocelyn?" Svetlana asked as she moved an emerald necklace next to a ruby necklace.

"Not really, I just wanted you to tell Sven and Magnus that their daughters are having a sleepover at my house with Autumn, so they don't get worried about them." Jocelyn said as she whipped her red mane from her face.

Svetlana nodded slowly then counted some of the gems that were piled up. Jocelyn said thank you to her then galloped off.

Valentina turned the open and closed sign of her karaoke and bakery place and went back behind the counter to check on the cakes she had made.

"Ah, still look good when I made them this morning." Valentina said as she used her magic to pick up one of the cakes and inspected it for a moment. The cake had to be perfect so she wouldn't get a complaint from the inspector about ponies being sick. She put the cake back then started humming a song while she was getting her cookbook full of delicious cakes that made her mouth water. She turned the pages to which cake to bake until the bell above the door rang. She put down the book and walked over to the counter and saw one of her best friends, Colleen or Cole as she was sometimes called. "Hello, Cole, what can I do for you?"

"I'm hungry for a cake and would you be able to make a grape cake?"

"Sure, just wait here and I'll go make it right now!"

Valentina trotted back to the kitchen and turned the cookbook pages to find the recipe but couldn't find it anywhere. She looked through the other cookbooks and got the same result. She panicked at how she didn't know about the grape cake recipe. She usually knew all the cake recipes but why didn't she know this one? Valentina trotted up to Colleen who had a confused look.

"I don't know how to make a grape cake but you can come back when I've figured it out." Valentina said in a nervous voice.

"No problem, I'll just get one from the other bakery that isn't far from here." Colleen said then she walked out of the door.

"Who could I ask for the grape cake recipe?" Valentina wondered to herself.

None of her other friends at home knew about baking and she was the only one who did. What could she do?

Olga was sitting in her adoptive niece Colette's room, watching her improving her magic. Olga decided to teach her on how to improve it because she didn't want to use hers to hurt her niece after what she had did to her little sister Sasha a year and a half ago but it got the worse result of all. She also truly missed her adoptive sister Monique who was adopted at ten and was then taken away seven years later by her brother Axel. Olga then found out that Monique had married a stallion called Viktor from Donraine (a spoof of Ukraine with the Ukrainian horse breed Russian Don).

Monique then had twins Helena and Suzette a year later then the next year had Colette. It was until some months ago that Olga found out that Monique had died from an illness that she felt shock and sadness.

"Very good, Colette, keep it up." Olga said clopping her hooves together.

Colette smiled then walked to the door, she opened it and looked around to see if anypony was around. Olga understood what it was like to feel different and to hide what you really are because you don't want anypony to start hating you for what you are. Colette then trotted out of the room but forgot to close the door. Olga used her magic to close the door then she got out of her seat and looked out the window. If she revealed what she truly was to everyone, would they tell her to go back to Prassia or would they accept her no matter what she was?

Twin brothers, Sven and Magnus were sitting at the lake where Sven took Colette for a walk for the first time but it turned into a picnic instead. Annamarie had also come along to keep Magnus some company since she didn't have any painting jobs to do. Magnus used his magic to make a little of the water from the lake to turn into the shape of a heart and he decided it was a good joke to land it on her head. She squealed then she pushed him into the lake. Magnus chuckled and used his magic to levitate her and throw her into the water. Annamarie coughed and spluttered then gave him a glare then splashed him repeatedly with her hooves. Magnus then splashed her back and the two started laughing and holding each other.

Sven looked at them and smiled, he wished Colette was around to keep them company but she said that she was just going to spend some time with Olga. He also wondered why she was afraid and panicky each time she used her magic even to levitate different objects. At her age, it seemed impossible for anypony to have the sort of strength in magic but was that why she was scared and panicky everytime somepony noticed her?

"Hey Sven, Magnus!"

Annamarie and Magnus stopped splashing each other to turn to see who had called to them. Svetlana trotted to them, giving them a grin and whipping her mane away from her face.

"What is it, Svet?" Magnus said as he climbed out of the water and shook himself dry, also getting a little water on Svetlana.

"Magnus, I just got my mane done this morning when I woke up!" Svetlana complained as she was checking her mane with a mirror she carried around with her all the time. "Anyway, I just needed to tell you that Dahlia and Elizabeth will be having a sleepover at Jocelyn's home with Autumn."

"That's fine, Svetlana, they are both twelve years old and very independent. We can't always be there for them all the time." Sven said smiling at the younger mare.

She smiled at them, put away her mirror then trotted off.

Hugo was sitting on one of the chairs at the clinic he worked in alongside Annabel on some days. He was using his magic to levitate a medical book in front of him and turned the pages. He had to learn something new someday and if something terrible was going to happen.

"Hey, Hugo!"

Hugo turned around to see his older brother Jordan trot into the clinic and he gave his younger brother a tight hug, making Hugo drop his book on the floor.

"Jordan, you're... crushing me...!"

Hugo was struggling to breathe and he managed to push his brother gently off him.

"I'm so sorry, you know that I'm your brother and I love you very much and can't bear to lose you like our father and stepfather." Jordan said scruffing Hugo's hair with his hoof.

"Aren't you supposed to be guarding right now, all around town and maybe the entire country?" Hugo asked, using his magic to put the book away on the shelf.

"I checked a little while ago and nothing dangerous appears to be happening and we have the usual visitors coming from other towns like..." Jordan then stopped and gave a frustrated sigh. "Jocelyn."

Hugo knew why Jordan never like mentioning her. They had broken up a few years back after an argument and he had tried to get her back since but she still refused.

"Hugo, Hugo, do you need help with anything?" a young mare's voice was heard and they both turned around. They saw Annabel standing there until she looked at Jordan then she widened her eyes. Annabel was from Hoovestralia (a spoof of Australia) and had been living in Coltland for some months. She appeared very nervous and shy around Jordan and it was suspected she had a crush on him and he also on her. She wore blue rounded glasses and had a orange coat and light brown hair. "I see you don't need any help so I'll see you later!"

She then galloped off and the brothers looked at each other in confusion.

"I think she's really into you." Hugo said, stifling a laugh.

Jordan then tried not to laugh as well then rolled his eyes.

The entire herd of friends including Elena and Duncan gathered round outside Valentina's bakery and sat down together. Colette was looking scared, nervous and shaky, even when she was asked why, she replied that she was probably just cold even though it was spring but it was possible since Coltland was in one of the cold parts of the world. They then turned to see a jet black pony walk past them, he gave them glares then looked away from them. He had no cutie mark which was odd. Colette shook even more and Sven tried to calm her down but it didn't seem to work.

"Everypony of Coltland!" the jet black pony announced on a soapbox and everypony gathered round. "I've come all the way from far away to bring you some news! I'm taking over your country!"

Everypony gasped with horror even Dahlia and Elizabeth were as they huddled close to Autumn and Jocelyn.

"I knew this was going to happen..." Colette said in fear then she galloped off with a little crying.

The herd of friends looked at each other in question, concern and confusion. What was wrong with her? What did she mean that she knew what was going to happen? They asked those questions to each other but they all had no idea.

"Let's go confront her gently about it and let's not be harsh to her. She's still a young one but not as young as Elizabeth, Autumn, Dahlia, Madeleine or Thaddeus but she is a year younger than Annabel." Olga said in concern and the friends galloped off together on their way home.