Twilight pulled her tired and chilled limbs inside the wagon, shivering as she pulled a thick, heavy wool blanket around herself to block out the cold. She gestured to Spike, who was being set down by Fluttershy, pulling the dragon into the blanket with her.
The alicorn trembled before letting out a sneeze, shivering violently before looking down at her number one assistant.
"Honestly, I should have let you stay in Ponyville; this was no environment to bring you into... I'm sorry I was so irresponsible." Twilight frowned, wishing there had been a way to halt the avalanche without burning out her magic. "I should have expected something like this to happen."
Spike coughed into his claw before waving off Twilight, sinking into her chest as he clung to her for warmth, "Don't worry about it, Twilight, I knew the risks, and I took them. After all, I've been through worse."
He'd sneeze a puff of fire before slipping between Twilight's legs, snapping the blanket shut like a curtain. Twilight wrapped a hoof around the young drake, cringing slightly at the sensation of cold scales against her fur.
"You couldn't have known that the village would be buried in snow, Twilight, don't be silly!" Pinkie jumped inside, throwing another blanket over the pair, "You're not psychic... are you?"
"You should just focus on getting warm right now, don't blame yourself, Twilight," Fluttershy smiled gently, patting her on the shoulder.
"You're right, I guess..." The princess sighed, "Well, how goes the excavation? I hope the yaks are all okay..."
"The excavation is fine, the yaks are making quick work of the snow, and Iron Clad and his stallions are helping with the clean-up. Thanks to you, Twilight, you saved Yakyakistan from being destroyed." smiled Applejack.
The mare quickly trotted over to a small kettle of scalding hot tea before she carefully prepared a cup of tea for Twilight, "Take pride in your victory, sugar cube. You did the best you could."
"I don't know about that; Fluttershy and Rainbow should get some credit; they warned the Yaks to stay away from the village," Twilight shrugged, smiling softly, "I'm just glad everycreature is alright."
Rarity quickly wrapped another massive wool quilt over Twilight before handing the alicorn some of their rations. Hardtack…
"By all accounts, this went about as well as it could go with that Starlight Glimmer ruffian on our tail," Rarity hissed at the mention of Starlight, "I wouldn't be surprised if she was the one to bust up your leg."
Taking the hardtack, the alicorn squinted a moment before gently trying to bite it. Finding it too hard to chew, she stuck it in her mouth to hopefully soften it with her saliva, before taking a sip of her tea.
At the mention of Starlight, Twilight coughed and managed to chew some of the hardtack, swallowing it down with some effort.
"Actually... she saved me."
"Whaaaaaaat?" Rainbow Dash crossed her arms. "Did you hit your head on the way down or something?"
"Rainbow, don't be rude," Fluttershy gently chided her.
"We actually... talked down there, and she listened to me. It was surreal, but I think we might have come to an understanding?" Twilight gave an awkward shrug, "It's strange. She sort of just... gave up when she heard her old village was sending us letters. I think she really cared about that town and its ponies..."
"Wait, wait, I'm confused; she did all of this for her village, and she's just gonna quit now that she knows it's fine?" Applejack was utterly dumbfounded, "I think this might be a ploy."
Rarity nodded, "Perhaps Applejack is right; we have her cornered. This act of kindness might be part of a greater strategy to destroy you. I mean, she stalked us across Equestria and The Crystal Empire; I highly doubt she'll stop because of nostalgia and some good news about the town she clearly didn't care about."
"If she really wanted to hurt me, she had the opportunity down there," Twilight nodded her head in the direction of the canyon, "I had my leg trapped under some debris, but I think she was just... so angry. She asked me why we had done it... helped her village."
"She really didn't see what we did as helping; she thought we went there intending to ruin everything. I know it's crazy, but... she thought she was doing the right thing, at least, with her village, and when it was gone... she just wanted to hurt me, I guess, in the way that I hurt her."
"I mean, if she took you guys away from me, I think I'd be pretty angry too," Twilight chuckled softly.
"Me too; I'd get pink with anger!" Pinkie piped up.
"Pinkie, you're already pink," Rainbow rolled her eyes.
"I know!" beamed Pinkie.
"I'm not saying I trust her, but... I think I'm willing to give her a chance if she wants to take it. She said she wanted to stay with the yaks, but she could always change her mind." Twilight sighed softly.
Spike peaked his head from the layers of thick blankets, "Good riddance, I'd leave things well enough alone and encourage her to stay up in the mountains." He sniffled for a moment before he sneezed.
Rarity gasped, "We need a medic! Twilight, you have clearly hit your head too hard to even consider giving Starlight a chance! She hurt Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo; she destroyed your house, hurt your brother, and burned The Crystal City down!"
"How in Equestria could you give HER a second chance!?" shrieked Rarity.
"Calm down, Rarity," huffed Applejack, "If a creature of pure chaos like Discord can go from terrorizing Ponyville to becoming its sole protector in our absence. Who's to say Starlight Glimmer can't be redeemed either?"
"Did that changeling replace Applejack?" joked Spike.
"I'm serious, y'all; I think we should put our faith in Twilight; after all, aren't we all her friends?" Applejack said accusingly, attempting to strong-arm everypony into an agreement.
Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shared a look before shrugging.
"I trust Twilight's judgment," Rainbow shrugged, "But I'm keeping an eye on her."
Rarity rolled her eyes, "Feh! Of course, I trust Twilight; I just don't trust that brute is all."
Spike sneezed as he nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I don't see why not. Besides, her changeling friend is really nice!!" Pinkie smiled widely, "He and I talked; all he wants to do is make friends!"
Fluttershy cocked a brow, "Really?"
"Yup!" nodded the mare.
"I know that Starlight Glimmer did a lot of awful things, but I think when we get angry, we lose sight of what's really important. Of course, if Starlight chooses to come back with us, she's going to face punishment. I don't think I can stop that, even as a princess." Twilight sighed, "And to be fair, she didn't really hurt the fillies, and the spell on them was easy to break. And... I wasn't really attached to that castle, no offense. It was just too big for me. But my brother and the Crystal City... I won't forget that."
The frigid, icy chill that clung to everypony's chest would suddenly dissipate entirely; in fact, it was starting to get relatively warm…hot even. Spike reveled in the warmth as he yawned, slipping out from Twilight's grasp and stretched.
"Who turned up the thermostat?"
The sun's bright light would encompass the entire village, shining brightly through every crevice or crack in the wagon. It was almost blinding.
Twilight jumped up immediately, recognizing the magical aura that was approaching them, "Celestia!"
Stumbling out of the cart, Twilight ran up to greet the mare, unable to feel the cold winds' lick against the sun's warmth.
The sun shined brightly on Yakyakistan, the massive orb just barely peeking over the mountains as Twilight and the group approached the alicorn.
Celestia smiled as she hugged Twilight, embracing the alicorn with her front leg, "Twilight, Spike had sent his letter, and I knew I had to come help."
"Thank you so much; we really needed the help," Twilight smiled, returning the embrace, "And good work Spike."
"Phew, finally, I was wondering when she was gonna show up!" Pinkie Pie jumped out, landing beside the alicorn princess.
"You think she's gonna melt the snow or move it?" Rainbow asked.
"You'll see, now then….how about we clean up this mess?" Celestia trotted over a few feet from the group as she knelt down, spreading her massive wings before quickly taking flight. Jetting toward the massive burning sun before snapping forward.
Facing the city, she'd spread her wings as a golden aura burned brightly around her as the alicorn rose the sun past the mountain peaks. It was so close as if the sun was almost touching the mountains it rose above.
The snow would thaw in seconds before the water evaporated moments later. Yaks and ponies would stare at the powerful display of magic before Celestia, with a flick of her head, lowered the sun again as the moon took its place.
The alicorn landed in front of Twilight, letting out a small huff, "There, that should allow you to continue your expedition without much issue, yes?"
Twilight and the girls watched in awe; the Princess of Friendship reminded of the first time she had ever seen Celestia in the flesh-- the Summer Sun Celebration when she was a filly in Canterlot. She couldn't help the childlike smile that came to her lips.
"That was amazing, Princ– Celestia!" Twilight grinned.
"Oh, bravo, Celestia, bravo," clapped Discord, who was now behind the group of ponies leaning against the portal he had created, "You raised the sun, not like you don't do that every day."
"Hey, what are you doing here?!" Rainbow pointed conspiratorially at the draconequus, "Shouldn't you be at home taking care of things? You have been taking care of the weather, right?"
"Ooh, yeah, how's Gummy doing? I know he was supposed to do some business in Appleloosa, but he should have come back by now!" Pinkie bounced up.
"Discord!" Fluttershy ran up, giving him a quick hug, "How is everything? How are Angel and the other animals? Tell me everything I've missed!"
Discord hugged Fluttershy before rolling his eyes at Rainbow Dash, "Oh, please don't get your feathers in a twist. I'm only here to deliver Celestia; what did you think her chariot of four Pegasi could carry her and arrive in less than a day?"
"Are you calling the Princess fat?!" Rainbow snapped back. Discord said nothing, only giving Rainbow a cock-eye expression and a playful smile.
"Rainbow! Don't be so rude! Princess Celestia has a lovely figure!" Fluttershy chided.
From behind the draconequus, two animals came out of the portal. A little white ball of fur, nearly blending into the snow, jumped into Fluttershy's hooves, nuzzling under her chin.
"Angel!!" Fluttershy squealed, holding the bunny tight. "Oh, how I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too!" The rabbit replied. Fluttershy didn't seem to notice that he was speaking in Ponish.
"Discord!" Twilight snapped. The other animal that had left the portal landed on the princess' shoulder, hooting gently, "Wha– Owlicious?!"
"I know, it's bizarre. It's good to see you, Twilight." Owlicious replied. Twilight simply blinked.
Discord sighed at the sight of his assistants hopping slash flying through the portal he had created, "This wasn't part of our agreement, Angel bunny; I said you could explore the Crystal City under my supervision, not– oh, who am I kidding." he sighed in defeat.
"It's a long story; let's just say I gave these two rascals the ability to speak to help with my daily errands…" smirked Discord.
Fluttershy turned to Discord, "Well, so long as it's helping Ponyville and not hurting anycreature." Looking down at Angel, she smiled. "I don't know why I didn't ask you to do that anyways; Angel has always wanted more creatures to talk to."
"Really? Ya think?" Angel cocked a brow.
Celestia sighed, "Surprisingly, this has been for Ponyville's benefit, it seems. Thank you for your assistance, Discord."
"I assure you, we've been doing quite well, even under Discord's supervision." Owlicious nodded, "Everything has been kept to schedule; the draconequus has been remarkably... cooperative."
"Well, I suppose it makes sense; Owlicious has always been a great assistant." Twilight rubbed her chin before glancing over at Spike. "Err, my second great assistant."
Spike waved off Twilight before looking over to Owlicious, "Well, at least I can finally understand the guy…."
"Hoo?" Owlicious cocked his head at the dragon before smirking.
Discord would bow, "The pleasure is all mine, nothing like helping your good friends." he'd give Fluttershy another snug squeeze before looking over to Twilight, "So how did that little stint with Starlight go?"
Celestia looked over to her fellow alicorn, "This wasn't another act of violence from that unicorn, was it? Now that I am here, I can finally put an end to her tyranny."
"No, Princess, it was actually a celebration. The yaks fired a cannon for it, but the sound itself caused an avalanche. She and I managed to stop the avalanche, but Starlight was the one who truly saved the village. And... she even saved me. We talked and... I think we've come to an understanding. But I know she still has to face punishment for what she's done... if she returns to Equestria." Twilight rubbed her hoof. "I know it's kind of confusing, but... it's the truth."
Celestia paused as she pressed her hoof to her chin, "Hm…I will relay this information to Cadance and Shining Armor. There is nothing we can do for Starlight's crimes against the Crystal Empire beyond levying a suggestion….I will do my best to handle the….politics surrounding a pardon."
"Oh, you're leaving so soon? Well.. thank you for helping us, Celestia." Twilight gave the princess a smile. "And, uh, good luck with the... politics."
"See ya later, Celly!" Pinkie waved a hoof gleefully. "I hate to see you go, but I love watching you leave!"
"Pinkie, do you even know what you're saying?" Rainbow sighed, shaking her head.
Celestia would trot over to Discord, "Whenever you are ready, my goodcreature."
"Oh, well, you stay safe," Fluttershy murmured.
Discord quickly snapped Owlicious and Angel Bunny into his claws. Fluttershy flinched as the rabbit was taken from her hooves. Owlicious grumbled in complaint.
"Oh, and before I forget… Here's a gift for you, Twilight," Discord winked before a letter appeared, gently hitting the alicorn on the head, "Farewell!" he'd quickly seal the portal.
"A present? Wha–" Twilight let out a noise of surprise. "Hey!"
"Oooh, ooh, open it, open it!!" Pinkie jumped up and down excitedly.
"Pinkie, it's just a letter."
"So?! Let's see what it is!"
It was a set of letters:
"Dear Princess Twilight, Today I learned you can't bend and tear the fabric of reality to care for animals in a neat and orderly fashion. Instead, you have to groom, feed, and take care of them properly. Who knew? Sincerely, your faithful friend, Discord."
"Dear Princess Twilight, you ever wonder why so many ponies look so… similar to one another? Plenty of earth ponies, unicorns, etc., share similar mane styles and even colors to one another. Oh, and I learned that Princess Celestia's insatiable hunger for sweets can be used as a way to bond with the common ponyfolk. Love Discord."
"Dear Princess Twilight, so hypothetically speaking, asking for a friend here. Is it so wrong to rip a hole, in reality, to throw away the trash? I mean, the trash is being sent to another universe! Who cares!? Yours truly Discord…."
This was only three out of the fifty letters somehow stored in a single scroll. It defied all logic, physics, and sense.
Twilight couldn't help the amused, if confused, smile on her lips, looking up at her friends. "It looks like Discord's been writing letters."
"Really?! Wow, just like you used to!" Pinkie grinned, "Maybe he wants to become your student!"
"Pfft, please, he's just joking around. He doesn't take that stuff seriously," Rainbow rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
"Why don't you just give him a chance? It's obvious he's learning..." Fluttershy murmured.
Applejack sighed, "I'm just glad we're all okay, and everything turned out alright in the end…."
Rarity nodded, "Yes, I guess it wasn't so bad after all. Do you think we solved the friendship problem?"
Spike scoffed, "You kidding? Yakyakistan is reconnected with the world, Starlight Glimmer is out of the picture, and Twilight made friends with the Yak Prince. I think this calls for a celebration."
"Yaks incline to agree with dragon!" boomed Rutherford as he trotted over, "Yaks are in debt to pony princess and pony teacher! As Prince of all of Yak Clans and Yakyakistan! I declare ponies and yaks friends for all time!"
The yaks would stamp their hooves in agreement, "LET THE YICKSLUBERFEST CELEBRATIONS CONTINUE! FOR PONY FRIENDS!"
The whole village would erupt in excited stamping and cheering as the crowds would erupt in praise for Twilight and Starlight. Echoing their names throughout the town.
Twilight blushed, unsure of all of the attention, "Let's not forget the Yaks and Ponies that worked together to dig each other out; this is a celebration for both of our kind and all of their accomplishments!"
There was another round of stamping and cheering, Twilight sighing in relief.
"I think we have solved the Friendship Problem... I just hope that Starlight can solve her own problems as well..." mumbled Twilight.