Chapter 2

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the city where the school called Canterlot High School was set. A few months had passed since the 'incident' during the Far Formal Dance. None of the students talked about it between each other much, or the police or homeland security, mainly due to their loyalty to Twilight and everything she did for them and the fact that no one would believe them if they told them anyways. Still, some talked and whispered about it, wondering if there really was magic out there and if Twilight would ever return.

A long bus drove down the streets of the city till it reached an old antique shop right nearby a fancy looking boutique. Several passengers got off the bus and walked off, including six children, a ten-year old boy named Tommy, an eleven year old girl named Mary, a twelve year old boy named Felix who had to walk on crutches and braces, a overweight nine-year old Latino boy Gabe, an eight-year African-American girl named Darla and a thirteen-year old Asian-American boy named Koji.

They all stood in front of the old antique store, which had a large glass window for them to see through and had the name of the store written on it. The red paint on it was all dried up and was starting to peel, it looked like it hadn't been visited in years.

"So… why are we visiting this place again?" Gabe asked, adjusting his red cap which covered his short black hair.

"Because, we need a gift for Darla's parents for all they've done for us," Tommy replied. "You know how much they like old antiques,"

Koji pushed up his large round glasses in front of his light blue eyes and nodded. "Agreed. A gift that fits within their category would be a most logical choice," he said.

"Hey everybody, don't forget; I may be the only one related to them but their your parents too," Darla reminded the other kids. "We're a family, now and forever,"

"Maybe legally, biologically we're not," Gabe retorted. "Unlike you the rest of us are just a bunch of former street kids who all lost their folks and were lucky enough to be adopted by a family who live in a brownstone, nothing more,"

"Now let's just go in and find a present already,"

Gabe walked ahead and entered the store, the door made a ringing sound as he entered due to a bronze bell above it. Darla looked down, hurt by Gabe's words but Mary put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Don't let Gabe get you," Mary told her, looking at the eight year old with her kind blue eyes. "You know what he's like,"

Felix nodded in agreement, his light blue eyes shining. "Yeah, and doesn't really mean it, he's still having a hard time accepting the fact that his real parents are gone,"

Tommy sighed. "Aren't we all?"

The other kids lowered heads in sadness, as they remembered the fond but short times they each had with their biological parents before they were either killed or taken away and before they were even adopted by Darla's parents. The five remaining kids then enter the antique store.

The door once again made a jingling sound as they each enter. All six of them gazed around the old store. It was dark, had a creaky, old wooden floor, multiple cobwebs in the corners of the room and gave off a very creepy vibe that unnerved some of the children. There were several old antiques placed all over the establishment, things like old clocks, old books, decorative items, old toys and even an old purple mirror which seemed to sparkle, a bit. Not that any of them noticed.

"Hello? Hello!" Tommy called out, expecting the owner to show up and greet them but all he got was a faint echo.

"It appears the owner is on break," Koji stated.

Gabe blew on a old golden shield set against the wall, blowing away all the dust that was gathered on it. He coughed as some of the dust got in his lungs causing him to blow it away in annoyance.

"Boy, and I thought the hobo's around Yancy Street were old!" Gabe remarked.

"Gabe, focus!" Mary told him. "We need to find something that Mr. and Mrs. Marsh will like,"

Felix kneeled down a bit and looked through the glass of an old hourglass with had a small crack in it. "Like what? All this stuff is ancient, even for them,"

"You know… you don't have to call them Mr. and Mrs. Marsh," Darla reminded them. "You can always call them by their real names… or even… 'Mom' and 'Dad',"

"Negative," Koji replied as he flipped through the pages of an old book.

"Why not?" Darla questioned.

"Because it feels weird, duh," Gabe responded picking up what appeared to be some kind of spear which immediately broke in half as he lifted it up, much to his disappointment and annoyance.

Tommy reached up one of the shelves to get a better look at the small clay statues on top. "But don't worry Dar, we're getting there," he assured her.

"Yeah, we all just need time," Mary added.

Just then, Toby finally noticed the sparkling mirror set against the wall on the edge of the store. As he began to walk over to it, passing by several creepy masks as he went by his foster siblings had struck up another conversation.

"Hey, did you hear about what happened at Canterlot High a few months ago? They said something about magic and demons and ponies!"

"Preposterous, Darla darling! All that talk is nothing more than a bunch of teenage delinquents telling false stories to intrigue themselves,"

"Yeah, besides everyone knows there's no such thing as magic!"

"I don't know, I hear they're still rebuilding the part of the school that was blown up apparently,"

"Well, at least we're safe here,"

Tommy stood in front of the mirror with wide, curious eyes. In front of him he saw only a reflection of himself; a boy of average height with short black hair and wearing a red hoodie over a yellow shirt. He only sees something else in the mirror that made him lean closer to it but Gabe interrupts him.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, just checking out the mirror," Tommy replied. "I thought I saw something,"

The other kids looked closely at the mirror as well.

"Interesting," Koji remarked. "I have not seen a mirror like this before…"

"Hey, maybe we should get Mr. and Mrs…" Mary started to say but a glance from Darla made her reassess her statement. "I mean… Jerry and Naomi, maybe we should get them this, it's just their type,"

"But it's a mirror," Gabe pointed out.

"So?" Felix inquired innocently.

"Why get them a mirror? All it's good for is admiring your own reflection," he said.

"Like you do every morning?" Mary questioned, raising a brow, which made Gabe give her an annoyed glare.

"Well I say we give it to them!" Darla declared.

"All in favor?" Tommy asked as he, Koji, Felix, Mary and Darla all raised their hands, Gabe flooded his frustrated.

"Five against one, the math is definitely not in your favor amigo," Koji smirked.

"Ugh, fine…" Gabe grumbled.

Tommy grunted as he lifted the mirror off the wall, the others helped him lift it up as well.

"Don't worry Gabe, it'll be fine!" Tommy assured him. "I mean, what could go wrong from buying a mirror?"

As they made their way to the counter with the strange mirror the reflective surface of said mirror began to sparkle and radiate with a dim magical energy.