#aj very kindly listened to me explain this idea but it is a whole lot

[mokutone]

inuzuka kid for an idea i had a long time ago

[kryativelogos]

The Young Six's Elements

Hi hello! Since MLP G5 is coming out soon, I thought it’d be fun to explore and discuss the Young Six’s elements from G4! This may or may not be long based on how you look at it. I would also say spoilers but guys, this show ended nearly 3 years ago.

Let’s get something right off the bat, these elements will be different from the Mane 6′s for two reasons: (1) the Pillars had different elements from the Mane 6 which leads me to believe they are stemmed from one another but not 100% identical and (2) that based on the colors from S8E26 when they pulled out the artifacts, Gallus isn’t- magical, not in the old-fashioned way that Twilight or Starswirl is at least. So I will be coming up with “new” elements that encompass the Young Six’s character while staying true to their predecessors. I also want to focus on the idea that each of these groups had an underlying goal, the Pillars were protecting a ‘primitive’ time for ponies, while the Mane Six were focusing on relationships between ponies and later extending out to other species. I want to believe that the Young Six’s goal would be to strengthen relationships between different species and unifying them under friendship based on how they’re all different species themselves and are connected to the rulers somehow.

Gallus - Guidance Gallus glowed purple, which means he is most closely related to Twilight (Magic) and Starswirl (Sorcery). Which might not make much sense here since again, while he is considered a magical creature, most creatures in the MLP universe are considered as such (and honestly the definition of what is and isn’t a magical creature is a completely different discussion all on it’s own). But because Twilight’s strongest magic is ✨The Magic of Friendship✨ I’m going to run with that. In S8E22 Gallus’ fear was being closed in / tight spaces, which I personally believe this to be physically closed in but also metaphorically closed off from people around him. In S8E15 Gallus explains that there really isn’t much of a family at home and that he really believes he found his family in the Young Six. So I picture him as both the leader of the Young Six because of Twilight’s and Starswirl’s own status of their groups and also that he values family the most. I want to also add that in the future (S9E26), he also becomes a guard for Twilight’s Kingdom. I believe that because of this, Gallus is basically ‘the head of the family.’ He is the supporter, the protector, and therefore is the one that would want to guide and help others around him to the best of his abilities. He even showed this while helping Silverstream conquer her own fears in S8E22. Gallus is the element of Guidance because while every-creature is capable of learning and making mistakes on their own, having someone there to help and just support them is always something nice.

Ocellus - Inspiration Ocellus glowed white, therefore closest to Mistmane (Beauty) and Rarity (Generosity). Ocellus’ fear (S8E22) was being feared again - as a species - and being “ugly and hideous” because she looked like Queen Chrysalis. However, the beauty Mistmane represents is not skin-deep, it’s the beauty within a person and Ocellus learns to love herself as a ‘reformed’ changeling - you can see this in S8E1 when she tries to pretend to be a dragon and pony to blend in and learning to just be herself and share her talent to help in the best way possible (see S8E2 + E9 at least). Her generosity comes from her love of learning and studying, giving her time and love to help the other students study and share the information she learns with others (S8E22). I see this as almost being a mentor or tutor, and giving your time for others is the greatest form of generosity in my opinion. This is why I believe Ocellus’ element would be Inspiration because as a changeling she is inspiring others through teachings and also sharing her past with others, and potentially shapeshifting into other creatures to show them all what they can be.

Silverstream - Curiosity I think Silverstream’s might just be the easiest one to explain. She shares characteristics of Laughter (Pinkie Pie) and Hope (Somnambula). Silverstream's past involves the Storm King and hid all her life underwater, so the problem here is she doesn't know anything above the water until the King's defeat (see MLP: the Movie). So when she is above the surface, she's constantly interested in everything (see S8E22 where she gets excited over plumbing) and wants to learn about everything. She gets excited over everything (see S8E2 for excitement over stairs) and this is a really good tie into laughter as part of her core characterization. Hope is also a really indicator for Silverstream because she and the rest of the hippogriffs really believed that staying underwater was the safest way to keep from the Storm King's rule. It wasn't until his defeat did the hippogriffs ever had a sense of hope of being able to live back on land. Curiosity is Silverstream's element because of her desire to learn.

Yona - Courage Yona is honest (AJ) and strong (Rockhoof), we didn't even need to know her elemental predecessors to know that. However, while her development as a character really isn't all that deep, we do see a softer side is S8E22 and S9E7. In S8E22, Yona can be seen terrified of spiders, but instead of just conquering her fear by smashing the spiders, she takes that extra step to befriend them instead, asking them for help to get out of her current situation. In S9E7, Yona is worried about embarrassing Sand Bar at a dance (I can't remember the name of the event sorry). She goes out of her way to learn everything 'the pony way' so she can fit in better. While this whole thing makes sense, it strips away Yona's identity of being a yak and that the dance was adapted to suit all creature. It takes real courage to step out of your comfort zone to change for someone, but also more so to just be yourself. Seeing that in Yona in both scenarios and also seeing how she can admit that she's scared of flying/falling (S8E1/2?) takes real courage. Because of her honesty, I think she wouldn't be afraid to speak her mind - or hesitate - and in that sense can also be quite courageous especially if it's something they don't want to hear (see basically every episode where there are consequences to not telling the truth). It takes courage to step out of the comfort zone and I think Yona really encompasses this idea.

Smolder - Integrity You may be wondering: Yona and Smolder have their elements backwards! Not quite, and here's why: Smolder's elemental predecessors are Flash Magnus (Bravery) and Rainbow Dash (Loyalty). I think it was a fun addition how her element is strongly tied to dragons (see S7E16) since the beginning and it's a nice touch. Smolder is the roughest of all six members and while she shares a lot of personality traits with Rainbow Dash (like being cool) she's also very honest with herself. In S8E22, Smolder's fear isn't really a fear and more of a wake-up call to herself. She likes cutesy things. She admits it and even joins the cheerleading team which is considered a more feminine sport (S9E15). I think it's really interesting how she also evokes characters to be more true to themselves such as Garble (S9E9) and even Rainbow Dash (S9E15). With these ideas in mind, I think Smolder's element is integrity for the sole reason that she is just really good at making people realize that there is no reason not to be true to yourself. She sees how other creatures perceive dragons, and does her best to allow characters like Spike and Garble be the dragons they want to be (liking pony-things like sewing and pillows S2E21 and S9E9 for Spike and slam poetry for Garble S9E9). How these tie to her predecessors is as such: it's brave to be yourself in a world (or in this case, species) that may not appreciate the full you, and it takes a loyalty to stand by your side while you admit to yourself who you truly are.

Sand Bar - Patience Finally, we have Sand Bar. Sand Bar was the hardest and yet easiest of the six to come up with an element. He has the least character development and also not a lot of personality aside from being very chill and being a really good ally to the other creatures. Because of this, I think he is the element of patience. His predecessors are Healing (Meadow Brook) and Kindness (Fluttershy), and both are key in being patient. This pony took his time with the other creatures, sharing his culture and making them feel welcome. He went out of his way to find Yona and listened to her, making her feel better by letting her know how he felt (S9E7). It was interesting to see the juxtaposition between Yona and Sand Bar, since Yona is very impulsive while Sand Bar is a 'go-with-the-flow' type pony and this just confirmed the idea that he is very patient, especially if he [romantically] likes Yona of all creatures. Aside from that though, there isn't many other eps I can reference that can support this decision. FINAL THOUGHTS--- So with everything said and explained, overall I think these elements are really necessary for both friendships but also could be helpful for them to be ambassadors or something along those lines to their kingdoms or go around helping stop feuds among kingdoms. The idea that these elements could be used to stop evil through artifacts is also something that could be further explored into although there's not much I could look into since there wasn't much information about all of them to begin with. One final thing, this is all just my interpretation and obviously can be up for debate, I only ask that if you do want to counter or even bring more evidence to the table that you do it kindly. I thought about this for a long time and tried my best to provide references as much as possible, so please respect that! Other than that, thank you for reading up to this point, I hope you enjoyed it and maybe sparked some conversations!

[amberjade-rhodes]

Hard Conversations | AJ + Bryce

WHEN: 27 March 2021

LOCATION: AJ’s dealer’s apartment, undisclosed off-campus location

NB: Not having seen each other since returning from their camping trip last weekend, AJ runs into Bryce at her dealer’s apartment late one evening. It leads to an argument between the two of them that neither are fully equipped to process or deal with.

@brycecortez

Amber-Jade wasn't stupid. She knew that something was wrong with Bryce, yet she knew better than to pry or push for details that he wasn't ready to share. AJ had organised a week's worth of meals and had left them on his doorstep, along with a card to let him know that he could always reach out if he needed her, and was just hoping that she would hear from her boyfriend soon. His sudden absence from her life, in conjunction with the usual issues that she dealt with on a daily basis, was enough to send her running to her dealer's house; intending on buying whatever the dealer was willing to give her a discount on. Her eyes widened slightly when she walked in and saw Bryce already there, clearly in the middle of buying shit himself. A master at avoiding difficult situations, AJ fully intended to just turn and leave; only for that plan to be ruined when the dealer greeted her instead. /"Damn AJ, what a pleasant surprise. You're in luck, babe. I've got a special on ecstasy, cocaine and weed -- sale ends tonight and is only for people that walk in here looking that damn fine"/

To think that Bryce had already been two weeks deep into his relapse was beyond him. And yet, it was as if he never stopped. Everything had gotten so out of control in his mind, that the only way for him to possibly sleep or even be able to think straight was through drugs. Even then, he was barely functional. It had only been a week since he last saw his girlfriend, and a week was all it took for him to begin to let himself go. He stopped going to class, stop attending work, and was barely even trying to survive at this point. He washed himself up a bit before heading over to his dealers house; a guy he barely knew, but that his classmate told him was decent enough until the guy off located further from campus got back to town. He had just accepted the bags of coke, handing the man his money when he heard someone walk in. He didn’t bother to look before the other man announced Amber-Jade’s entrance, and Bryce could immediately feel his skin begin to burn up. His eyes raised in shock at how the man addressed her, his eyes darting back and forth between his girlfriend and the drug dealer. He took a moment to process before snapping, turning around and pushing the other male roughly against the wall. “What did you just fucking say?” He snapped, his voice coming out sharply as he spat out the words. “Listen to me here, she’s not the one to be fucking with, you hear me? If I even hear that you’re talking to her, looking at her, let alone dealing to her I will come back here and beat the shit out of you and anyone else that’s here.” He said coldly as anger took over his body. He looked at the man with stern, cold eyes to make sure he understood before letting go. Turning around, he began walking towards the exit. “You shouldn’t be here.” He said to his girlfriend as he walked past her to go outside.

Amber-Jade hadn't expected to run into her boyfriend whilst at her dealer's apartment. Whilst Bryce did know about the fact that she engaged in recreational drug use, theoretically having that knowledge and then seeing the realities of it were two completely separate things. As the dealer didn't know about the connection between the two customers who were currently in his apartment, he unintentionally made it worse by hitting on her; Bryce immediately seeing red and pushing the guy against the wall. "Bryce, stop!" AJ cried out, not wanting this situation to escalate any further. She was worried that a loud altercation could result in the police being called, which would result in the two of them getting busted for possession. Neither of them needed that right now and even though this was the first time that she had seen him in a week, it was immediately evident to her that he wasn't okay. Honestly, he looked the worst that she had ever seen him. "It's not worth it, okay? It's just a comment. He's not going to do anything to me. If he even tried, I'd knock him flat on his ass", she said as she crossed the room intending to separate the two of them; only for Bryce to let go and walk away; throwing one parting shot over his shoulder. AJ quickly apologised for causing a scene and then followed him, jogging to catch up with him. "You're literally here for the exact same thing as me, Bryce. Why is it okay for you and not okay for me?" she challenged once she had reached him.

Bryce stuffed the drugs into his pocket as he stormed out of the house. The last thing he needed was to bring more attention to himself that he already has. He wasn’t proud of his relapse, and the last thing he wanted was to get busted and viewed as another troubled vet that went down the drain. He was just about to reach his truck when he heard his girlfriends voice. “Did you not hear what the hell he said to you?” He asked, his voice showing his shock as he turned around to face her. “Or do you let every guy talk to you like that?”

Amber-Jade sighed softly when she heard Bryce's retort. His first sentence seemed angry about the situation itself, yet the second sentence was very clearly directed at her. "Of course I heard what he said, Bryce. I've literally heard shit like that every single day since I was about 13 or 14. If I shoved every guy up against the wall and threatened them for saying shit like that, I certainly wouldn't be where I am today", AJ told him. "I understand that you're upset but /please/ don't talk to me like that. I'm not privileged like most of the students here, alright? Sometimes I do let comments like that slide because it's easier, okay? You have no idea what would happen to me if I called out that shit every single time, no idea". As a half-Jamaican woman from a low socioeconomic background, she had seen the worst of society; and she knew full well that certain people wouldn't respond kindly to her rejecting them. She had learned to bite her tongue in certain situations. Rather than getting into the truck with Bryce, she made her way over to the nearest bus stop and sat down on the bench; waiting for the next bus to arrive.

Bryce was still trying to process what just happened moments ago. He typically wasn’t the insecure type, but with the comment on top of everything else...well, it was safe to say he had a short fuse. “I get it Amber, but I thought we were on the same page here with the whole committed relationship thing.” He simply stated, but not long before she walked away from him. His eyes darted between his truck and the nearest bus stop, debating on what he should do in that moment. Ultimately, he walked after her. “I’m not letting you take the bus this late.” He said quietly as he approached her, his arms crossed over his chest. “I can drive you home.”

Amber-Jade stared at him in surprise when he made the comment about the two of them being in a committed relationship. "So a guy makes a comment that objectifies me and suddenly you're questioning my commitment to you?" AJ questioned, her voice breaking slightly. Her quick retreat to the bus stop was so that Bryce wouldn't see the fact that she was quickly becoming emotional; not wanting to be vulnerable around him when he was like that. Instead, he followed her and insisted on driving her home. "It's fine, Bryce. I'll text you when I get home, okay? It's obvious that you're going through something right now and I really want to be there for you but you're doing your best to push me away. I haven't seen you in a week and the very first time that I do see you, you question our entire relationship. Committing to you wasn't a decision I made lightly and you know that. I've given you pieces of me that I always swore I would never give to /anyone/ and a couple of sleazy comments from a random dealer doesn't change that".

“Would you have stopped it if I weren’t there? Because I don’t think you would appreciate seeing random girls making it obvious they want to fuck me right in front of you.” Bryce stated back. He immediately swallowed his words as Amber stormed off, and as he found himself chasing after her. He looked down at the foggy street as she spoke, not being able to make eye contact with the brunette as she spoke. “Is this just a random drug dealer for you though?” He asked quietly before looking back at her. “Look, you don’t have to talk to me for the rest of the night, but at least let you take you home...or wherever you’re going. It’s late.”

“I would have rolled my eyes at him and told that I was taken, which is what I do every single time someone hits on me", Amber-Jade informed him. "You're right, I wouldn't like it if someone hit on you while I was standing right there. That doesn't mean that I would have questioned your commitment to me, though; and I certainly wouldn't have shoved the woman against the nearest wall and threatened her. I know that someone hitting on you doesn't suggest that you want to cheat on me", she told him. "If you must know, Joey is my usual drug dealer. This guy is my back-up option for when Joey isn't available so when he didn't answer my text tonight, I came here", she explained. "Why are you here anyway? What are you using and when did you start?" In the past, the most that Bryce did when around her was smoke a couple of joints. "You don't get it, do you? I'm stupidly in love with you, Bryce. Falling in love with you was absolutely terrifying because it officially gave you all this power over me but I took the chance anyway because I can't imagine not having you in my life and now? Now you haven't spoken to me in a week and you question my commitment to you and it feels an awful lot like you're getting ready to leave me. If that's your plan, can you please just do it already and put me out of my misery?" As she spoke, her eyes welled with tears and although she frantically tried to blink them away, a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks instead.

“Alright, I’ll just stay quiet next time.” Bryce conceded, dropping the topic. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally. The man truly didn’t mean to be rude, or for his girlfriend to see this side of him, but he couldn’t find the mental capacity to put on that facade that he was okay, not anymore. “It’s nothing new for me. It doesn’t matter.” He quickly shrugged off the questions. He wasn’t proud of his relapse, as his sobriety was always the one thing that seemed to give him some purpose. He only got into smoking weed again a few weeks ago, and even that was bad for him. The man was officially risking everything with his drug use. “Do you really want to do this right here, right now? Can we not?” He asked, almost pleading. Bryce was never good at talking about hard things, especially when he wasn’t comfortable. “I’m not breaking up with you, unless if you want me to. But you’re not the only one that goes through shit that other people wouldn’t understand, Amber.”

"I won't go back to his place again, okay? If Joey isn't available, I'll just wait". Although she didn't necessarily agree with the way that he reacted to the situation, she didn't want to do anything that would make him angry or upset so she wouldn't have any further interactions with the guy. She just nodded when he dismissed her questions; whilst she wanted the answers, she knew that pushing Bryce wouldn't get her the answers that she was after and it would likely just push him further away. He clearly wasn't ready to talk about it. "Right, we don't need to do this". AJ could feel her walls rebuilding -- she had gotten raw and vulnerable with him; only for Bryce to question her commitment to him, avoid the questions she had posed, and shut down the conversation that she was trying to have. His final remark, about her not being the only one that goes through shit that other people wouldn't understand, did truly cut her and only served to further reinforce those boundaries and walls. "Go home, Bryce. I have no intention of getting in your truck with you right now and giving you more opportunities to take shots at me".

"You can do whatever you want. Doesn’t matter to me.” Bryce said with a shrug. He wished he could say he didn’t know how things between them exploded like this, but he knew exactly what it was. This was him ruining everything good in his life because he couldn’t talk about his feelings, once again. But it was way too late to back down now, as he was already in too deep. “Right. Fine, I’ll go. Feel free to go back in there and get your drugs once I’m gone, and do whatever the hell you want to do.” With that, he turned on his heels and walked back to his truck. He climbed inside and took out the bag of coke from the pocket of his sweatpants. Opening the small baggie, he put a finger in there and gathered some of contents of the drug, enough to cover the tip of his finger; sniffing it quickly and turning on the car. Not thinking twice about it, he put the vehicle into drive before speeding off.

The whole situation had escalated so quickly and AJ really had no idea how to deescalate it. The version of Bryce that was standing in front of her really didn't seem to like her all that much; it was like he wanted to pick fault with everything she did. She understood the behaviour enough to know that it was a defence mechanism and a survival strategy but that didn't mean that it hurt any less; especially when she had no idea just what was actually going on in Bryce's life. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest as he left, his comments sounding a hell of a lot like a breakup. Tears steadily burned down her cheeks as she watched him pull away at a high speed, not having been brave enough to ask whether their relationship was over; or make any sort of returning argument, knowing that it would just escalate the situation even further.