//------------------------------//
// Arc 16-5: Reflections of the Heart 
// Story: My Little Pony: One as a Family.  "Trials of Friendship" 
// by SaburoDaimando 
//------------------------------//


	Reflections of the Heart



The city of Canterlot was completely empty with the exception of the snow that fell atop the city.  Houses were empty of any life, be it pony, dragon, human, or otherwise.  Many goods that once decorated the front windows were gone.  Doors were locked.  The central capitol  of Equestria was as eerily as a ghost town.
But up in the skies, the Windigos took flight, covering the land under a blanket of bone-cold snow.  One of them landed on the buildings before transforming back into Coldnelius Snap, who observed the city below.
“Strange,” Coldnelius Snap said. “The entire land has been frozen solid in preparation for its path to eternal cold.  And yet, not a single soul remains.”
Coldnelius Snap looked around the perimeter of the city.  His view gets more and more puzzled, seeing no signs of anyone around.  His eyes glowed brightly as he scanned the interior of the houses that dot the city, plus the various buildings that represent the commerce.  
“Stranger and stranger,” Coldnelius Snap said.  “It’s as if they weren’t there anymore.”
Coldnelius Snap turned his attention towards the castle before scanning the interior.  Though the doors were wide open and the winter snow poured in, there was not a single soul.
“Not even the castle has a single pony that’s suffering through the cold,” Coldnelius Snap said.  “How can I expect to make the ponies of Equestria suffer, if there are no ponies?”
But as he scanned the castle, his eyes caught an archway at the bottom of the palace.  His smile cracked once more.
“Now I get it,” Coldnelius Snap said.  “An ancient ground bridge portal.  And no doubt that crystal used to triangulate the destination has a safeguard that prevents me from going through.  But if I were to figure out how to bypass the safeguards, then I can enter the portal and spread eternal winter to where they are.  And soon, they will suffer their icy cold deaths.  For Queen Icelina.”
With that, Coldnelius Snap transformed into a windigo and flew towards the castle doors with a loud howl into the air.

Meanwhile, back in the Golden Land, Golden Lace was walking alongside Bright Mac, Cozy Glow and Juniper Montage through the valley.  Juniper had her phone out, recording every footage of her surroundings.  However, it seems Lace had a look of curiosity on her face.
“So I heard about what was happening at Canterlot,” Golden Lace said.  “But that still doesn’t explain why you came to me by yourself.”
“Well ma is helping Wanda and Sunset out with the refugees,” Bright Mac said.  “Buttercup is looking after the foals, and Big Mac is helping out with the soup kitchen with Shining Armor and Danged Spell.  So I decided I wanted to be the one to give you that surprise.”
“Ooooh,” Cozy Glow said.  “What kind of surprise is it?”
“That’s what I want to know,” Golden Lace said.  “Especially with all the ponies in Equestria pouring into the Golden Land.”
Juniper Montage immediately pointed on Lace’s shoulder and said “Hey Lace.  Isn’t that your daddy in front of you?”
Golden Lace looked in front of her while Bright Mac had a smug smirk on his face.  Silver Banks walked up to the duo with a warm smile on his face.
“Daddy?” Golden Lace said.  “You made it?”
“I would have been here later,” Silver Banks said.  “But Princess Celestia was helping her daughters save some refugees, and I figured I’d go with her just so I could get away from that winter blizzard.  But most importantly, to be with you once more, my daughter.”
Golden Lace’s eyes began to tear up.  She wiped them off her eyes before she jumped up and gave her father a big hug.
“I was hoping you would make it,” Golden Lace cried.  “At least you’re safe from that snowstorm.”
“I don’t know why winter has gotten worse,” Silver Banks said.  “But at least we’re all safe from whatever is going on out there.”
But as Golden Lace held her father closely, Cozy Glow, Juniper Montage and Bright Mac just looked on while Juniper recorded.
“Guess Mr Banks has had a change of heart,” Juniper Montage said.
“Silver Banks was only that angry just to impress his wife and make himself look tough,” Bright Mac stated.  “But deep on the inside, he has a real heart of gold and a true care for his daughter.  Can’t say the same for Gold Banks, who was more of a despicable monster.”
“Nor my own mother,” Cozy Glow said.
“Hey Cozy,” Juniper asked, pointing the camera phone at Cozy Glow.  “Didn’t you have a father of your own?”
“I never got to meet my own father,” Cozy Glow said in a depressed tone.  “From what I heard from Majesty, he died prior to my own birth.  But it was unclear how he died.  Even though my sister always loved to heckle me and make my life miserable, she was in the dark about his fate.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Juniper said.
“You don’t need to be,” Cozy Glow said.  “Both my sister and my mother have it in against me for who knows what.  But at least I have my own safe space thanks to Princess Celestia.”
“You sure do,” Juniper said before Cozy Glow glomped onto her, causing them both to giggle before Juniper dropped her phone on the ground.

Meanwhile, inside the Golden Palace, Pinkie Pie was in the kitchen preparing as many baked goods as possible.  Mrs Cup Cake was helping Pinkie Pie out, alongside a thin stallion with a slightly wide jaw, a light brilliant amber coat with light brilliant orange freckles, a light brilliant orange mane and tail, and three cakes for his cutie mark.
“How are the preparations, Mr Carrot Cake?” Pinkie Pie asked as she pulled a prepared cake out of the oven.
“It’s hard work,” Mr Cake said as he frosted another cake.  “Even with all these refugees.  But we’re making sure they do eat cake while they’re here.”
As Pinkie Pie placed another cake on the counter, she said “Well just because they’re far away from their home doesn’t mean they shouldn’t leave behind the good stuff that is La Maresa.”
“And you’re right, Pinkie,” Mrs Cake said as she placed a pan full of cake batter on the counter.  “It was also great for Princess Celestia to donate all these ingredients to make the cakes.  Not to mention the apples given to us by the Apple family.”
Pinkie Pie opened the oven before grabbing the cake batter pan and placing it inside before shutting the oven door once more.
“Not to mention she has at least three ovens for this place,” Pinkie Pie said.  “Makes the cake baking so much more streamlined.”
“If your parents saw what you were doing,” Mr Carrot Cake said, “They would be proud of you.  In fact, your mother Cloudy Quartz enjoyed the lava cake that you made for her.”
“Never underestimate my mother’s vicious appetite,” Pinkie Pie said.  “She once chugged down a lava soup that some dragons offered her.”
“Wait,” Mrs Cake said. “Dragons?  Lava Soup?”  Wouldn’t that burn a hole in her stomach and everywhere else?”
“Nah,” Pinkie Pie said. “I’ve seen her bathe in lava before.  Stuff’s like water to her.”
Mr and Mrs Cake both looked at each other as if they had gone nuts. But before they could say a word, Mr Carrot Cake felt a tug on his apron.  He looked down to his right to see Wanda, Sunset, Abigail and Granny Smith look up at him.  Granny Smith had a cart connected to a yoke that surrounded her waist.
“Excuse me,” Wanda said.  “We came here to deliver the cakes to the refugees.”
“Wanda,” Mrs Cake said.  “I was hoping to finally get to see you.  It was a shame I only got a glimpse of you at the fair.”
“Well she’s been busy since returning to Canterlot,” Granny Smith explained.  “Far too busy if you ask me.”
“Well since you brought that cart,” Mr Carrot Cake said as he placed the cakes atop the cart, “This will make our lives much easier.  That way, we can focus more on baking.”
“Too bad I can’t help out with you all,” Wanda said.  “Especially with the refugees hunkering down here.”
“Well you’re doing us a big favor,” Mrs. Cup Cake said.  “And like my husband said, without your help, we would have had to carry the cakes to the refugees ourselves.  So it’s something to be proud of.”
But before Wanda could say anything, she heard a crash nearby with the sound of colts groaning.  Wanda, Sunset and Granny Smith turned to their left to see Snips and Snails on the floor with a tray full of food tipped over.
“Again,” Granny Smith said, placing her hoof over her face.  “I thought we assigned them easier tasks.  I’m going to have a word with my son over this.”
“Don’t worry Granny Smith,” Sunset Shimmer said with an enthusiastic smile.  “I got this.”
Sunset Shimmer walked up to Snips and Snails, who were struggling to get themselves back up.
“You two alright?” Sunset asked.
“No,” Snips said.  “It was bad enough that we had to help out with the food back at Canterlot, and now we have to do it again here.”
“I thought we were going to look after the foals again,” Snails said.  “But instead, we got caught up with this.”
“Tell you what,” Sunset said as she lit her horn up.  “How about I give you both a hoof?”
With her magic, Sunset Shimmer picked up the tipped over cart and got it back on its four wheels.  She picked each food off the ground, removing any traces of dust and dirt on it before placing it back on the cart.  For some of the foods that were badly damaged, Sunset picked each one up and used her magic to reassemble it back to its original form.  Both Snips and Snails stared at her in amazement.
“Wow,” Snips said.  “You can do that with your horn?”
“Of course I can,” Sunset said.  “After all, we’re unicorns.”
“Too bad we can’t do anything like that,” Snails said.  “Every time I try to do something like that, it always explodes in my face.”
“Yeah,” Snips said.  “That’s the worst thing about our magic.”
“Then while we make this delivery,” Sunset Shimmer said,   “I can teach you both a few pointers.”
“You really can?” Snails asked.
“Of course,” Sunset said. “After all, that’s what friends are for.”
As Sunset Shimmer led Snips and Snails down the hall, Wanda, Granny Smith, Abigail, Pinkie Pie, Mr and Mrs Cake starred in amusement.
“Well that’s my sister for ya,” Wanda said.  “She takes after mommy.”
“No kidding,” Granny Smith giggled.  “No wonder she’ll go out of her way to help out other ponies.”
“Oh speaking of which,” Wanda said, “We better get those cakes to the refugees, pronto.”
“Roger that,” Granny Smith said.
Granny Smith pulled the cart with cakes atop along with Wanda and Abigail by her side, with Pinkie Pie, Carrot Cake and Cup Cake watching from afar.
“Hey Wanda,” Pinkie Pie said.  “You keep smiling for those refugees, no matter what happens.”
“I will,” Wanda waved.
“Cake,” Abigail meowed, waving at Pinkie Pie.
As Wanda, Abigail and Granny Smith walked away, Cup Cake wiped a tear from her eye in pride.
“Aren’t you glad to have a friend like Wanda?” Cup Cake asked.
“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said.  “Sure she’s doing this during our staycation here in the Golden Land.  But it’s the thought that counts.”
“I could do it blindfolded and the results would still be the same,” Carrot Cake said, causing Pinkie Pie and Cup Cake to laugh out loud.
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, honey,” Cup Cake said.  “You’ll end up causing a catastrophe.”
“Maybe I would,” Carrot Cake giggled.  “Maybe I would.”

Meanwhile, outside on a makeshift stage, Trixie stood on top with Starlight Glimmer and the Dazzling sisters by her side.  Off the stage, some of the refugees gathered around with Hoops, Dumbbell, Score, Karen the Bulldog, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, Danged Spell, Sunburst and Moondancer joining in the audience.
“Gather around, all ye from Equestria, and watch the work of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!” Trixie yelled.  “I will bring to you wonders that will dazzle your eyes.”
Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk danced together, singing and chanting “Be amazed by the wonders of magic.  Without its mystics, our lives would have been tragic.”
As the members of the audience clapped, a smug look formed on Hoops’ face, only for Rainbow Dash to turn towards the colt.
“Don’t even think about it,” Rainbow Dash said. 
“Okay okay,” Hoops said, pushing the bag of tomatoes aside with his leg.  “I won’t sabotage the event.”
“Though I’ll say this,” Sunburst said.  “I do find the Dazzlings’ singing to be rather enchanting.”
“Yeah,” Danged Spell said.  “I don’t know how they do it.  But the way they sing is so…enchanting.”
On stage, Trixie laid Starlight Glimmer flat on the table.  She took a few steps back and held her arms in the air.
“And now,” Trixie said.  “Without using any magic from my horn, watch as my assistant levitates into the air.”
Everyone in the audience stared right at Starlight Glimmer for a moment before the filly lifted into the air without any form of support.  Trixie pulled out a hoop from behind the table and passed it around Starlight.   The audience was awed by Trixie’s spectacle.
“How does she do it?” Danged Spell asked.
“That’s a secret only Trixie knows,” Fluttershy giggled.  “None of us La Maresians will speak about it.”
“No seriously,” Danged Spell said.  “How does she pull it off without any form of magic?”
“Our lips are sealed, Spell,” Rainbow Dash said.
As Starlight Glimmer slowly levitated down to the surface of the table, Trixie bowed to the audience, who cheered the filly’s act.
“And now for my next trick,” Trixie said as she pulled a saw out from behind the table, “I will cut a pony in half, and I will need a volunteer.”
With a smug look on his face, Hoops raised his hoof in the air, catching Trixie’s attention.
“You there,” Trixie said, pointing to Hoops.  “Come on up.”
Hoops trotted towards the stage and jumped up with his smirk not disappearing while Starlight sat up and watched the smug pegasus colt land onto the stage.  Trixie brought out a box atop a wheeled table and opened it up.
“And now, for your enjoyment,” Trixie said, “The volunteer will jump into the box and I will saw it in half.”
“Oh sure,” Hoops said in a sarcastic tone.  “Go ahead and split me into two pieces.  It will be great entertainment.”
Hoops jumped into the open box and laid down with his head and legs sticking out, his smug smile still showing.  Trixie closed the box and held her saw in the air.
“Feast your eyes on the magical powers of the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!” Trixie yelled as she placed the saw on top of the middle of the box.
Trixie cut the box in half with the saw as Hoops snickered in silence.  Once the box was cut in half, Trixie separated the two and showed the inner pieces, causing the crowd to cheer.
“Oh no you don’t,” Hoops said as he jumped out of the box completely whole.  “Don’t cheer for her, you dolts.  She’s a phony.”
Hoops jumped up and down, chanting and ranting against Trixie.  But as he jumped, his upper torso bounced up from his lower torso as if it were split in half.  Hoops looked down with a shocked look on his face.
“How,” Hoops said.  “How does she do it?”
“Oops,” Trixie said with a smug grin on her face.  “Almost forgot.”
With a spark of her horn, Trixie zapped Hoops’ torso with a blast of magic.  Afterwards, Hoops jumped up a bit without his upper half separating from his lower half.  Hoops breathed a sigh of relief before glaring at Trixie.
“I’ll get you for this, Trixie,” Hoops said.  “Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday.”
Hoops marched off the stage as the crowd cheered, which included Dumbbell and Score.  Trixie stood there laughing as Starlight got off her table and clapped for her friend.
“That my friends,” Trixie said,  “Is the mysterious powers of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!  And I have my father, the legendary Jackpot, to thank me for teaching me these skills.  I only wish he was here to see it.”
But back in the audience, the younglings cheered for Trixie and Starlight as Hoops marched behind them in disgust.  He glared at Dumbbell and Score, who were also cheering the two.
“I feel like the odd pony out,” Hoops said in disgust.
But as the younglings cheered, Sunburst looked down at Karen the Bulldog with an uneasy look on his face.
“By the way,” Sunburst said.  “Why is this alicorn bulldog with us right now?”
“Oh didn’t we tell you?” Fluttershy said as she rubbed Karen on the back of her ear.  “Wanda, myself and the rest of us were able to tame Karen.  Turns out, she was starving.”
“Who knew?” Moondancer said.  “The poor thing needed food.  Though that means her owner treated her horribly.”
“You know,” Spitfire said.  “Captain Airazor told me about rumors of an illegal monster-fighting venue deep within the underground portions of Equestria.  They often treat their own contestants like that just to get them to fight viciously.”
“That’s horrible,” Fluttershy said as she stomped her hoof on the ground.  “I’ve read about how some horrible ponies would resort to that.  How come they can get away with that schtick?”
“Honestly, even I don’t know,” Sunburst said.  “It’s already illegal.  But no one, not even Princess Celestia, nor the Chancellor, knows about the underground monster fights.”
The words were quick to catch Hoops, Dumbbell and Score’s attention.
“What’s this about underground monster fights?” Score asked.
“It’s what they said,” Hoops said.  “And personally, I think it’s cowardly and disturbing.  Putting monsters into fights for their own amusement and money.  We may be rebels, but this is one thing we should never do.  Agreed?”
Dumbbell and Score placed their hooves out and said “Agreed.”

Meanwhile, back at the Ruby Library, Twilight Sparkle and Spike the Dragon sat next to Princess Celestia, who had some parts of her body patched up.  Princess Luna had Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo by her side as they all looked up at the moon princess giggling.
“That was some blizzard,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “Just glad you’re alright.”
“Oh I am,” Princess Celestia said.  “I got myself hurt, but I can survive worse.”
“Dunno how Wanda is dealing with the fact that she has to help those refugees,” Twilight said as Spike rubbed his head up on Twilight’s nuzzle.
“I would worry more about Granny Smith after Wanda had to come down on her for neglecting the foals that she was supposed to look after,” Princess Celestia said.  “After all, she takes after the Chancellor.”
“Really funny, sis,” Luna said in a sarcastic, yet amused, tone.
“Well when Wanda is exposed to the tone of Chancellor Cinch,” Celestia joked, “It often resorts to her being harsh.  Then again, I may have had a hoof in teaching Cinch how to be harsh.”
“That might explain, considering you were her foster mother,” Twilight giggled.
Suddenly, Diamond Tiara crawled up to Twilight Sparkle and touched her on the nose with a giggle on her face.  Twilight looked down at Diamond Tiara as Spike crawled up to the foal.
“Now why do you want my attention, Diamond Tiara?” Twilight asked.
As Diamond Tiara giggled, Spike sat next to the foal with a smile on his face.
“Friend?” Spike asked, holding his hand out.
Diamond Tiara looked down at his hand with a confused look on her face.
“Friend means someone who has a strong bond with another,” Twilight said.  “After all, Friendship is Magic.”
Diamond Tiara looked down at Spike’s hand before placing her hoof on it.  She looked up at Spike and nodded.
“Twilight,” Luna said.  “Looks like you’re becoming a surrogate mother in your own right.”
“Wait,” Twilight said.  “Me a mother?  I only see Spike as a little brother.  Why would I want to be a mother?”
Luna giggled before she said “I’m only messing with you.”  Those words were enough to cause Celestia to laugh.
“With all the refugees pouring into the Golden Land,” Celestia said, “I think we need all the means of keeping a positive attitude going on.  After all, if we can ride out this blizzard, we should be alright.”
As Celestia and Luna laughed, they noticed Argyle Starshine, Sunlight Starscout and Bright-Eyes Starshine nearby looking down at a book with an inkpot nearby.  Twilight got up and walked over to the three adult ponies.
“I see you’re curious about Argyle Starshine,” Celestia said.
“In a way,” Twilight said.  “But I’m also glad he brought his family with him.  It's a shame that his father died before I could meet him.”
“It is,” Luna said.  “Argyle cared a lot about his father as much as the rest of his family.  The fact that he couldn’t attend his funeral says a whole lot.”
“Go check up on him,” Celestia said.  “I think he needs all the comfort in the world, even with his mother and sister back by his side.”
Twilight nodded to Celestia and Luna before walking up to Argyle Starshine, who was showing the inside of his book to Sunlight Starscout and Bright-Eyes Starshine.
“Excuse me,” Twilight said.
“Twilight,” Argyle Starshine said.  “I was hoping you would notice my journal.”
“I’ve been noticing it for quite a while,” Twilight said.  “And you’ve been writing about your tales here at the Golden Land.”
“Oh he has,” Sunlight Starscout said. “All those times he spent with you all, following his departure from Daisy Joy Tech.  You all had a wonderful time here.”
“Well even with this refugee crisis,” Twilight said,  “We’re still having a wonderful time.  And I’m glad of that.”
“Oooh,” Bright-Eyes said.  “I bet you like writing about your own tales.”
“Well,” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.  “In a way, I do.  But I’m not one who shares my own tales to others.  I tend to be shy about that.”
Argyle Starshine just laughed before he positioned the book in front of Twilight Sparkle.
“Then tell you what, Miss Sparkle,” Argyle said.  “How about you write a page into my book?”
“Me?” Twilight said. 
“Go right ahead,” Argyle replied, nudging the inkpot with the quill in it to Twilight.  “You have a blank page to tell your tale to the future of Equestria.  The pen is yours.”
Twilight took a deep breath before she used her magic to lift the quill from the inkwell and placed it on the page of the paper.
“My name is Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight wrote.  “I am a student of Princess Celestia at the School for Gifted Unicorns.  When we came here to the Golden Land, we came to relax and unwind.  Many friends who accompanied me included Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst from Sire’s Hollow, Moondancer from Cape Coltnaveral, Danged Spell from Lio Lani, and Celestia’s own adopted children: Sunset Shimmer and the human Wanda Young.  We’ve been good friends since we first met.”
Twilight Sparkle dipped the quill into the inkwell before placing it back on the page.
“But even with the refugees pouring in from La Maresa and Canterlot,” Twilight wrote, “We continue to be in good spirits.  With help from our new friends like Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Trixie and Ditzy Doo, we keep all of the refugees in good spirits so they have a reason to be happy in these tough times.  After all, Princess Celestia taught us to be friendly to those who need it, through Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty and Laughter.  They’re all magical elements that are binding by a spark that keeps us united together.  For there is more to our friendship….than meets the eye.”
As Twilight placed the quill back into the inkwell, Argyle looked down at the page and smiled.
“This page you wrote represents your true self, Twilight Sparkle,” Argyle Starshine said.  “It’s what tells our tale to the ponies around Equestria.  It’s what keeps us united as one.”
“It does?” Twilight asked.
“Yes,” Argyle Starshine said.  “Never lose sight of the friendships you created.  For they will keep us united and strong.”
“I won’t,” Twilight said.  “Promise.”
Nearby, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna watched with a smile on their face while Spike, Diamond Tiara, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggled.
“Maybe we should have Wanda write a page in Argyle’s journal,” Luna said.
“Agreed,” Celestia said.  “But right now, we should rest up.  For as long as the portal to Canterlot remains closed, we should be safe.”

But at the ground bridge portal outside, the portal started to form on the inside of the archway.  It grew bigger and bigger until it filled up the archway.  Immediately, windigos popped out from the portal and flew up into the air.   Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Chancellor Cinch watched from afar as the Windigos poured out from the portal and flew upwards into the sky.
“I don’t like where this is going,” Shining Armor said.
“How is it that the Windigos are able to figure out the portal and get into the Golden Land?” Princess Cadance said in a shock.
“The scenario has gotten worse than I expected,” Chancellor Cinch said.  “We must warn Princess Celestia about this.”
Princess Cadance and Shining Armor nodded before they and Chancellor Cinch ran towards the Ruby Library in a hurry.


	To Be Continued in…


	A Warm Embrace