Chapter 1
It was applebuck season at Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack had just finished bucking the apples out of the last tree in the East Orchard for her little sister Apple Bloom to catch in a large half-barrel. It was always easier to have the small yellow earth pony catching the apples as they fell, rather than aiming the bucking to hit the large half-barrels on the ground. Now, the larger orange earth pony with the dirty blond mane and tail was extremely skilled at landing apples in the barrels, no matter where they were. It was more difficult and time-consuming to pick them up after, though.
“Did yer friends ever show up this mornin’, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked. “I ain't seen 'em yet.”
“Oh, they're here,” the red-maned pony reassured her older sister. “Sweetie Belle’s over helping Granny in the kitchen gettin’ everythin’ ready, and Scootaloo is over catchin’ apples for Big Mac. That looks like the last of the trees in this orchard, Sis. Let's move on.”
Applejack smiled. “Alright. But my buckin’ legs are complainin’ a touch, so I'm gonna take a few. I'll be there in a bit.” They were ahead of schedule this year, anyway. Apple Bloom happily trotted off.
Applejack's mind wandered as she leaned on the tree she'd just bucked. Still fresh in her mind was the surprisingly fun boat trip she'd shared with Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle not two weeks ago. It had been a nice break from the farm for a couple of days. But, seriously, who had ever heard of a Tri-horned Bunyip, let alone known that his favorite snack was cucumber? Applejack smiled again at the thought of her friend Twilight. That mare knew so many random facts about so many things, Applejack occasionally wondered if she really did know everything.
At that moment, her flank started ticklin’. It was an odd experience, sorta like she was havin’ leg cramps, but not as bad. She looked down, and her cutie mark was shining and doin’ funny things. She'd figured out a while ago what it meant. She trotted over to where Apple Bloom was getting ready for the next orchard just as Big Mac walked up, a large cart of apples trailing behind him.
Applejack's brother was bigger than she, and stronger, which was sayin’ quite a bit. Applejack had the strength of a few “normal” ponies, but she couldn't haul the loads Big Mac could. He may as well have been a Clydesdale. He had a thick red coat and yellow hooves.
“Hey, Big Mac, I was just gonna let y'all know I've got some 'friendship business’ at Twilight's,” Applejack said.
Big Mac glanced at her flank and said, “Eeyup.”
“Y'all should be alright if this takes a couple o’ days, right? I mean, y'all've got the Crusaders helpin’ an’ all.”
Again came the reply, “Eeyup.” His face was saying, “Just go already!”
“Alrighty, then. I'll stop back after I find out what's goin’ on.”
* * * * *
Twilight Sparkle had been staring confusedly at the map with such intent that she didn't hear the door open or Applejack walk in. The sound of the door slamming shut broke the purple alicorn from her thoughts and threw her mane into her face as her head bolted up in surprise. She quickly fixed the dark purple mane and looked around the room as she realized she hadn't noticed half her friends walk in the door.
They were her five best friends in all the wide world of Equestria. As an alicorn, Twilight had been made a Princess of Equestria - specifically, the Princess of Friendship. As such, she'd met and befriended many ponies and other creatures, but nopony held a candle to these five.
First there was Applejack, the most honest, hard-working pony she knew. Some ponies called her AJ for obvious reasons.
Then there was Rainbow Dash, three feet off the floor. To say she was “an athletic pegasus” would be a severe understatement. The azure Wonderbolt with the rainbow mane and tail was easily the strongest and fastest flyer in Ponyville, and quite possibly Equestria. She was always flying, regardless of where she was or what the situation was. To see her actually on the ground or floor was a rarity.
Speaking of Rarity, she was the fashionista. Twilight was so proud - and maybe a little jealous - of Rarity's business prowess. The white unicorn with the beautiful, ever-styled purple mane and tail was the owner and proprietor of not one, not even two, but three successful fashion boutiques across Equestria. If anypony that Twilight had met knew fashion, it was Rarity.
Pinkie Pie was so full of… whatever it was that Pinkie was always full of, that she bubbled out, “I'M SO EXCITED!! All six of us, going on another adventure! This is -” she was suddenly on the very high ceiling - “ROOF-TASTIC!!!” The pink earth pony was always energetic, but she seemed to be breaking records today. She was bouncing up and down in place on her hooves, somehow back among her fellow ponies.
“... I'm sure it is, Pinkie,” Twilight responded as she looked for Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was sitting in her chair with a worried look on her face. Fluttershy had long been known for her friendliness and special way with other critters, from bears to bunnies to manticores, but she was usually terribly shy around other ponies; and from what Twilight had gathered from Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy was the bold one in her family.
“But we have a friendship problem to solve,” Twilight said, continuing her previous thought. “Though I don't remember knowing that there were ponies living that far up these mountains.”
Rainbow, who'd been looking at where the six cutie marks were circling over the luminescent map of Equestria, flew over next to Fluttershy and said spookily, “I heard from somepony that there are ghosts on top of Foal Mountain!” Fluttershy's eyes went wide and her face said she just wanted to go home.
“Now, Rainbow, there are no ghosts on top of Foal Mountain,” Twilight scolded. “At least, I don't think so.”
Fluttershy's face would have been more expressive, had it been visible. However, it was currently hiding with the rest of Fluttershy behind her chair. Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow, who just shrugged.
“It does seem as though we shall find out, however,” piped in Rarity as she admired the map on the purple crystal table.
“It seems like it!” added Spike excitedly.
Twilight chuckled and patted her baby dragon buddy. “Sorry, Spike, but I think you're staying home this time,” she said apologetically.
“But… what if Princess Celestia has to contact you in the middle of the quest?!” he suggested.
“The Princess and I have other ways of communicating, but thank you for your concern,” she offered kindly. “Besides, she never has before.” She snuggled him for a moment and went back to the task at hoof.
* * * * *
Applejack had packed and said her goodbyes, in the kitchen and out in the orchards, before meeting Twilight and the others at the train station. It was an overnight trip, because the map hadn't called them until the middle of the afternoon.
Pinkie was still as full of energy as ever. Rarity was gussied up, looking like she was going to walk Fashion Row or something. True to form, Dash had pulled a cloud over and was snoozing on it while she waited. When the train finally arrived, everypony boarded and got comfortable.
It was an uneventful ride. The train went smoothly over the tracks and all of the ponies slept soundly in the sleeper car. The train arrived at their stop near the foot of Foal Mountain on time.
As Applejack hopped off the train with her friends, she looked at the mountain. She could only see one trail up, which didn't look bad.
They started up. Twilight led the way, with Rainbow Dash flying behind, followed by Applejack, with Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity behind. The trail had a few rocks in it, but it was mostly soft dirt.
About a quarter of the way up, the trail changed from soft dirt to shale. The small, flat rocks slid all over each other, making it difficult for Applejack to walk without slipping unless she was extremely careful. It didn't help that the trail had narrowed to just wide enough for one pony to get through at a time.
Pinkie had been chatting the whole time, and Applejack had been steadily losing her patience. Applejack could normally handle Pinkie's non-stop jibber-jabbering - she was Pinkie, after all - but about three quarters of the way up, she lost it. “Nopony cares about whatev’r it is ye’r prattlin’ on about, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack blurted.
Pinkie, with a very shocked look on her face, stopped dead in her tracks. Fluttershy, not expecting the sudden stop, ran straight into Pinkie's hindquarters, causing rocks to fall a long ways down. Rarity had seen the commotion and managed to stop before she caused anypony to fall.
Rainbow Dash was apparently feeling like a devil's advocate, because she looked down at Applejack with a hurt look on her face and said, “I was enjoying the conversation, thank you!”
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash, hat lowered over her face. She dropped her head, hoofed the trail - making pieces of shale slip off the side of the mountain and all the way down - and snorted. “Says the one flyin’ up the mountain!” she snapped. “Ye’r not even fightin’ the slick rocks like the rest’v us!”
“Do you know how much harder it is to fly when the air’s this thin?! No, you don't! 'Cause you don't have wings!” came Rainbow Dash’s reply.
“Them's fightin’ words.” Applejack's legs were tensing up.
“Now, girls!” interrupted Rarity from her position behind Fluttershy, as snowflakes started to appear around the group. “Now is not the time to be fighting! We're nearly to the top of the mountain, and we're supposed to be solving somepony else’s friendship problem, not our own!”
“Yeah!” interjected Pinkie with a big grin on her face.
“Rarity's right,” Twilight said in a motherly tone. “We all just need to calm down. Let's take a breather; it's been a long hike.”
Sighs were heard from all over the group, some of relief and others of frustration. Everypony sat down where they'd stood - or in Rainbow Dash's case, where she'd hovered. They were high enough up on the mountain that there were no trees, so seeing Dash on the trail wasn't as surprising as it might have been.
Applejack couldn't see Twilight's face, but she didn't use the “mother tone” unless she was real worried. Rarity looked… “incensed” was a word she'd use. Pinkie enjoyed arguing. She thought it was fun. AJ had to chuckle as she watched Dash, rather annoyed, leap up to avoid falling after shaking the snow off her coat and wings. Fluttershy was still recovering, and looked sad and worried on top of it.
Applejack groaned as another rock slipped out from under her. Now they were going to have to fight the building snow, too. She sighed in resignation. Rarity and Twilight were right. They all just needed to calm down.
After a few moments, Twilight stood up and shook the snow off her coat. “Okay, let's get going again,” she almost commanded. Everypony quietly followed suit.
* * * * *
Twilight breathed a sigh of relief when she crested a hill and saw a small village near the top of the mountain, apparently just above the edge of the snowcap from the current weather conditions. She wasn't sure what had gotten into everypony, but she was worried by how on edge they'd been the past hour or so. Maybe it was the snowstorm in the early autumn. Maybe it was the thin mountain air. Regardless, something felt off.
As they neared the village, Twilight could hear relief coming from all her friends behind her. The village looked odd. No two buildings seemed alike. Most of the village was on a fairly steep incline, and the buildings had been built with that in mind, but some were dug into the incline while others relied on stilts to keep them level. Still others had a combination of the two. Also, each building seemed built of completely different material from those around it. There was also a very prominent hut at the highest point, about half a mile from the near end of the village.
There weren't many ponies out and about, presumably because of the weather. There was one unicorn stallion outside a brick house on stilts doing… something with his horn. A very dark, almost black aura surrounded his horn, but Twilight couldn't see anything being directly affected.
She unfolded her wings regally and warily approached the purplish-gray stallion, who had a royal blue mane with a sea-green highlight. She looked for his cutie mark, but he was wearing some sort of long robe that obscured it.
“Hello, sir, I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and these are my friends,” she said cautiously. “We've been sent here to solve a friendship problem.” When the stallion didn't respond or even move, she ventured, “What is it you're doing, exactly?”
The stallion finally stopped what he'd been doing, the magic aura fading from his horn. He looked at Twilight and her friends with what began as a look of disgust, presumably at being disturbed. As he took in the pony he was seeing, however, Twilight could see his mind working as something clicked for him. “What did you say?” he asked.
She was perturbed, but responded. “I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. These are my friends. We've been sent here to-”
“So you're who she wanted to meet,” the stallion said, recognition flashing across his eyes. “Wait here,” he said, and he was off at a gallop, a cloud of snow and dust flying behind him.
Twilight looked to her friends with a mixture of confusion and hope. That hope was dashed when she saw that all five - including Pinkie - were as speechless as she.