Even though our land has suffered many years, I will never give up hope.
Fluttershy, a Pegasus with the power to control earth and plants, and Pinkie Pie, an earth pony who has no known powers, were walking around the outskirts of their pony village. The two of them have been best friends their whole life, despite being very different. Pinkie can be envious of how Fluttershy has powers and she doesn’t, but she still tries to get along.
“Fluttershy, where are we going? Somewhere fun?” Pinkie Pie said, smiling like she always does.
Fluttershy looked at her friend “To the nearby town, they have apple trees there. Our town is running a bit low on food, I figured we should help, right, Pinkie?”
“Of course!” Pinkie agreed “But can’t you grow your own apple trees?”
Fluttershy shook her head “I can only control trees and flowers that already exist, I can’t create ones out of thin air.” Fluttershy gently stomped her hoof, and a flower that was right next to her grew taller “I don’t like using my power much, especially around you, it just makes me feel like a showoff...”
“You’re not a showoff! You’re just using your gift!” Pinkie looked closely at Fluttershy “We both have our own talents! I make ponies laugh and have fun, and you make flowers bloom stronger than before! You can even control rocks! Someday you should help out at my family’s rock farm!”
“No, I wouldn’t want to work at the rock farm. I’d much rather be somewhere with flowers and trees.” Fluttershy replied, as she looked up at a nearby tree “I’ve always wanted to be a tree...”
Pinkie looked at her friend and laughed “Well I’m sure someday you’ll find what you want to do in life! Let’s keep on going, the town is nearby, right?”
After about ten minutes of walking, they were in the next town, Celestial.
“It’s been so long since I’ve been in Celestial!” Pinkie Pie smiled as she looked up at the statue that is in front of the village “That town is so beautiful, but I’ve always wondered who this statue is of.”
“It’s of Celestia, the pony this town is named after!” a voice behind them said,
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie turned around. There was a pony who was orange with a yellow mane tied up in a braid. Her cutie mark was three apples, two of them were red and the other was green with a dark triangle in the center.
“I’m Applejack! I work ‘round these parts” she had a country accent “What’cha come ‘ere for?”
Fluttershy spoke first, but her voice was quiet “I’m Fluttershy, and this here is my friend Pinkie Pie” she pointed over to Pinkie “Our village is running short on food, we were hoping to be able to find some apples here.”
Applejack smiled “Sure, sugarcube! Follow me, I run an apple farm ‘round here, you can take as many as ‘cha like! Well, as long as ya don’t take all of them” she laughed a bit “C’mon!” She trotted over into the main part of the town, and Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie walked behind her slowly.
“Wow! Applejack seems really friendly!” Pinkie Pie said to Fluttershy “Letting us have as many apples from her farm as we like!”
“I get a bit nervous taking things from ponies we don’t know very well” Fluttershy quietly said “It just makes me feel like we’re stealing it from them... or something.”
Applejack turned around, and looked at the two ponies “Don’t ‘cha worry! We have plenty, you taking some won’t cause much of a probl’m at all! We’re glad to help anyone around here, especially with the war that’s been going on.” Pinkie Pie looked down sadly “Oh, I’m sorry for mentioning that! I know it’s a sore subject, I should’ve thought before saying it to y’all.”
Pinkie sighed “It’s okay, it’s just that my sisters have gone out to help in the war. I haven’t seen them for awhile.” Her curly mane went flat “Don’t worry about me though! I’m fine! Heheheh!”
“Alright” Applejack replied.
As the three of them were walking through the town, Applejack kept on greeting many of the ponies around them. “G’day, there! How are ‘cha kids doin’?” “Lily, you’re flowers look lovely today!” “Happy twentieth birthday!” “You look great in that hat!” It’s as if everyone in this town was very close. But somehow the two of them had never met Applejack before, maybe she moved in recently?
When they finally got to the farm, Fluttershy noticed Applejack’s cutie mark and gasped “You’re an earthbender!”
Pinkie looked at Fluttershy “How can you tell?”
“That triangle on the green apple! It is the symbol of an earthbender!” Fluttershy smiled.
Applejack smiled too “I could tell you were one too, but I didn’t say anything. There’s not many Pegasus earthbenders, it’s really interesting to see one.”
“Everyone around me is a bender, yet I have no bending at all” Pinkie said quietly “I always feel like I’m missing out.” No one listened to what Pinkie Pie said though, since Applejack and Fluttershy were talking and laughing together and they couldn’t hear what Pinkie said.
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“Applejack, your family is so nice! Thank you so much for giving us extra supplies!” Pinkie Pie told Applejack as they were about to leave her farm.
“No probl’m, Pinkie!” Applejack replied cheerfully “We love helping out ponies in need.”
Aside from letting Pinkie and Fluttershy have apples, Applejack and her family gave them two apple pies, some carrots, apple cider, and some apple seeds to plant their own trees, along with a cart to carry everything.
“We better get going, Pinkie!” Fluttershy said, looking over at the sun “It’s getting late, and we don’t want to try navigating through the forest at night. It’s much harder to see around.”
“Wow, Fluttershy, you’re right! We were here almost all day!” Pinkie Pie said in a very surprised voice “Well, goodbye Applejack! We will come visit again soon! Or soon-ish!” Pinkie giggled.
Applejack waved to them as they left “Ya’ll are free to come back any time! Goodbye!”
As Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were walking through the forest, the sun began to set rapidly.
“Argh! I can barely see a thing now!” Pinkie Pie complained “You were right, we probably should have left earlier!”
Fluttershy looked at her friend “It’s okay Pinkie, we were having so much fun the time passed so quickly. We should be fine, I know this forest like the back of my hoof.”
Pinkie smiled a little in response “I trust you, Fluttershy! I know we won’t get lost! At least, I hope so!”
Craaaaaaack
"Ah!" the two ponies screamed in unison.
"Pinkie, do you have any idea what that sound was?" Fluttershy said, very worried.
Pinkie shook her head "No, but it could have just been a branch, right?"
Craaaaaaack
"There it is again!" Fluttershy was even more worried now. "I think it came from over there!" Fluttershy pointed her hoof out.
Craaaaaaack
Suddenly, the ground in front of them split open.
"What is going on!" Fluttershy screamed.
"I don't know!" Pinkie Pie replied, also screaming "C..could it be your earthbending?"
"I..I..I don't know!" Fluttershy was now trembling in fear "H..h..elp!!!"
The ground split open even more. It seemed the more the two ponies got worried, the more it opened. Something could be seen on the inside of the hole.
"Wait! Is that a pony!" Pinkie said, shocked, looking down "Yes! I think... I think there is!"
A sleeping pony could just barely be seen. They appeared to be frozen, and unable to move.
"I have to go help!" Fluttershy shouted, as she lifted up her wings.
"Fluttershy, what are you about to do!" right after Pinkie Pie said that, Fluttershy had flew down to the hole in the ground "FLUTTERSHY!!! BE CAREFUL!!!!
Pinkie yelled down to Fluttershy, a sense of worry in her voice.
Inside, Fluttershy got a closer look at the pony. They were a pale purple, with dark purple hair. Their cutie mark was a star. "Alright, let's try this..." Fluttershy held onto the pony, and tried to fly out of the hole, but couldn't go very far.
"Okay, Fluttershy... This is a time I need to use my power..." Fluttershy said to herself "I can do this. I can do this! I CAN DO THIS!"
Fluttershy closed her eyes and thought very hard, picturing the ground around her moving. Then, she spread out her wings very far and then closed them back in very hard and fast. The earth shifted a bit. She repeated this more and more, using her wings to bend the ground. Suddenly, Fluttershy saw a light ahead.
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"Hello there!" Pinkie Pie said, looking down at the pony Fluttershy had rescued.
After many hours, the pony finally opened up her eyes.
"Where am I....?" the pony said "This looks nothing like my kingdom..." and then, fell asleep again.