S7 E11: Not Asking for Trouble (What If?)
Pinkie Pie came racing through the front doors of Twilight's castle, eagerly looking for the young princess while shouting happily at the top of her lungs! "Twilight! Twilight! Where are you?!"
"I'm in here, Pinkie!" Twilight called from the throne room, getting up from her chair as the pink party pony came zooming in. "What is it? What's so important you had to tell me?"
Pinkie beamed happily. "Oh, it's the best news ever! You'll never guess what I just got!"
Just then, the throne room doors swung open, as Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity all came trotting in. Each having heard Pinkie's excited screams earlier. "Is everythin' okay? We heard a lot of shoutin' and 'Oh-my-gosh'in', and we weren't really sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing." Applejack asked.
"A good thing!" Pinkie declared, plopping down a scroll. "I just got the best news I could've ever received! Well, second best maybe, nothing tops my sister staying in Ponyville! I mean Ponyville adjacent, technically, but you get the idea."
Twilight picked up the scroll and read it aloud. "'To pink pony who lives with baked goods.'," The princess let out a small gasp! "It's from Prince Rutherford and the yaks! 'Yaks cordially invite pink pony to Yickslurbertfest. Come. Now. Signed, Prince Rutherford.'"
"Yours truly has been invited to Yakyakistan for their annual Yickslubertfest!" Pinkie proudly declared! "It's a dream come true!"
"Just one question if you don't mind my asking," Rarity spoke up. "What is Yickslurbertfest, exactly?"
"All I've been able to find is that it's a sacred yak holiday, but it's one that's very important to them," Twilight explained. "How did you get Prince Rutherford to invite you, Pinkie? There's no records of yaks ever inviting ponies to one of their holidays before."
Pinkie was all too eager to explain. "Once I learned about it from Rutherford, I subtly hinted for an invitation in my letters to him. They all went like this: 'May I please come to Yickslurbertfest? Pretty please? Pretty please? Pretty please? Pretty-pretty-pretty-pretty-pretty please?!' And after just my seventeenth scroll, I think he picked up on what I was putting down if you know what I mean." And then she started to giggle excitedly, while the rest of the ponies all exchanged various looks of confusion. They didn't know what to think of such an announcement.
Pinkie continued to giggle and prance as Twilight re-examined the scroll. "You know, we still don't know a lot about the yaks. So I think you should definitely go to Yickslurbertfest, Pinkie." Twilight encouraged, and the rest of her friends nodded.
"I won't let you down, Twilight!" Pinkie proudly declared as she stood up tall! "It's an honor to be the official friendship ambassador to the yaks!"
"Um, actually, that's not an official position." Twilight corrected.
"Yet," Pinkie corrected as she waved her hooves while moving backward. "You're the princess of friendship, Twilight," In a singsong voice she then added. "You can make it happen."
"Okay, you got it," Twilight declared. "Enjoy your new title."
"Ahem?" Pinkie commented with a stern glare. "You have to make it official, or it doesn't count!"
Twilight sighed but obeyed, pinning a ribbon on Pinkie. "Right. I, Princess Twilight, hereby make Pinkie Pie the official friendship ambassador to the yaks! May you serve with honor."
"This is officially," Pinkie began, then paused for a moment before she added. "The most exciting day of my life! Well, maybe the second most exciting, I mean that I went 'Gasp!' is pretty hard to top!" Then, looking around, she asked. "Say, where's Starlight? I thought she still lived with you."
"Oh, she's up in the Crystal Empire helping Sunburst with something," Twilight explained. "She won't be back til later today at the earliest. But I'll be sure to inform her what she's missed out on. Now you better get going, you don't wanna be late for Yickslurbertfest, do you?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Oh no no no, of course not! I'd better get going!" She dashed out of the castle as quickly as she had arrived, though not before shouting! "Don't worry, I promise I'll keep in touch!"
Soon, Pinkie (with Gummy in tow) was high in the sky in a hot air balloon. The very same balloon most ponies in Ponyville rented out whenever they needed a balloon ride of some sort. "Can you believe it, Gummy?! Me?! The first ever friendship ambassador to visit Yakyakistan!" Pinkie proudly declared.
Gummy just blinked.
"You're right, Gummy!" Pinkie realized. "This trip has to be perfect! After all, we're not just visiting as friends. We're on official friendship ambassador business! And just like I showed the yaks all our Equestrian customs and traditions, now it's the yaks' turn to do the same for me. I don't wanna seem rude or disrespectful, there's too much at stake. Ooh, just thinking about it has me all nervcited! I need a way to relax!"
Gummy blinked again.
"Great idea, Gummy!" Pinkie happily replied. "What would I ever do without you?! A road game will be just the thing to take my mind off my troubles! I'll go first," And she cleared her throat. "Okay. I spy with my official friendship eye something that is blue!"
Gummy said nothing for the entire trip, but Pinkie didn't mind. If she knew Gummy, he was probably deep in thought about a million different things, and thus had no time to really think about what his owner might have spied.
At last, the balloon landed on the outskirts of Yakyakistan in the Frozen North, touching down lightly in the snow. "We're here!" Pinkie declared, as she jumped out of the basket and tied the balloon firmly to the ground so it wouldn't float away. "Oh, and by the way, Gummy, the answer was sky. I win!"
Gummy didn't reply, there was a long pause.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that was a hard one. But it's okay, what counts is taking part," Pinkie declared to the baby alligator. "You're the best official friendship travel companion ever! Now come on, let's go see Prince Rutherford! I'm looking forward to seeing what Yickslurbertfest is all about."
Bouncing her way through the large drifts of snow, the pink party pony soon reached the gates of Yakyakistan. But when she did, she saw something was not right.
Last time she'd been here, the mare clearly recalled there being a large, bustling village made of huts built out of sticks and straw. But now everything seemed to be covered in snow, without a trace of civilization anywhere. Had Yakyakistan come under attack somehow? Were the yaks maybe in the middle of relocating to a better location?
Or maybe Pinkie herself had accidentally landed in the wrong place? She knew she should've been paying more attention, a gust of wind probably blew the balloon off course!
"I don't know how we got mixed up like this. I could've sworn Yakyakistan was right here," Pinkie said out loud. "Come on, Gummy. Let's get back up in the air and see if we can't find the real Yakyakistan. Just hope they don't start the festivities without us."
But before the party pony had a chance to do so, the gates swung open and a loud, gruff voice shouted out! "Pink pony!"
Pinkie spun around! Sure enough, she found herself looking right into the unmistakeable presence of Prince Rutherford himself. "Prince Rutherford?" She greeted in an unsure tone. "Am I in the right place? I thought Yakyakistan was around here."
"Yakyakistan is around here, pink pony in right place," Prince Rutherford explained. "Apologies for confusion."
"But if this is Yakyakistan, why is it all covered in snow and ice?" Pinkie wondered aloud. "I know for sure there were huts the last time I was here."
Prince Rutherford sighed. "Yaks careless while celebrating Yickslurbertfest, yaks stomp too loud," He explained in an unhappy tone of voice, completely with a slouchy posture. "Stomping cause avalanche, bury entire village in snow."
Pinkie became alarmed upon hearing this, her blue eyes grew enormously wide! "Oh no, that's horrible! Why didn't you say something, sooner?! I'll go get help, the Crystal Empire's not far from here!"
But Rutherford stomped a hoof and protested! "No. Yaks no need ponies help. Yaks deal with avalanches before, much worse than this. Yaks dig our way out eventually, Yickslubertfest will go on!"
"You sure? It's no trouble at all if I just get a few Crystal Ponies to come and dig you out," Pinkie said to Rutherford. "It won't even take an hour, and it'll be like that avalanche never even happened."
Rutherford shook his head. "Yaks pride themselves on being independent. Yaks never need to rely on others for help. Avalanche builds character, makes horns grow. Yaks will dig our way out! And pink pony can either wait with yaks and celebrate Yickslubertfest with yaks, or leave and never come back to Yakyakistan again. Pink pony must decide soon."
"But-" Pinkie began.
Rutherford interrupted loudly! "Those are rules! Pink pony must respect yak culture! Yaks no tolerate ponies disrespecting yaks! If pink pony not like the way yaks live, pink pony can leave."
And the pink party pony just stood there in the snow, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to get help, it was what ponies did. But at the same time, she was now an official friendship ambassador, and that meant she had to respect how yaks functioned. She hadn't liked it when the yaks insisted on getting their way in Equestria or they destroyed everything they deemed "imperfect". Was she about to do the same to them?
The more the mare thought about it, it seemed like Rutherford wasn't bothered by the avalanche. And if what he said was true and they'd dealt with worse and survived, surely the yaks could indeed dig their way out. Sure, it might take longer than it would've with help, but maybe this was a lesson in patience for the yaks, to learn that good things did indeed come to those willing to wait.
Reluctantly, the party pony looked the yak prince in the eyes and told him. "Hey, as long as there's a Yickslubertfest to celebrate, I don't mind. But how do you guys plan to celebrate when there's nothing but snow all around?"
"Yaks stomp of course! That's what Yickslubertfest is all about!" Prince Rutherford happily explained. "Stomping relaxes yaks."
"Ooh, really?!" Pinkie exclaimed. "And all this time, I thought you guys stomped only when you got upset or something. I'm learning so much already."
"And pink pony will learn so much more once she takes part in Yickslubertfest," Rutherford smiled. "Come, pink pony. Yakyakistan and Yickslubertfest await."
Upon arriving in the heart of Yakyakistan itself, Pinkie discovered that despite the avalanche having buried all the huts, that hadn't stopped the yaks. Some of them were hard at work, digging away the large drifts of snow with their bare hooves.
And others, for whatever reason, were stomping about like there was no tomorrow. Something that Pinkie found most odd.
"What's with all this stomping? I thought Yickslubertfest was going on." Pinkie questioned Rutherford.
Rutherford laughed. "Pink pony not understand. This is Yickslubertfest! Yaks get together and stomp around! Yaks destroy all the old stuff to make way for the new stuff, useless sticks and hay bales that yaks no longer need, or old sticks and hay when yaks feel like redecorating," Then he added. "And yaks not just use Yickslubertfest for destruction. Yaks also tells stories around campfire, listen to music in music hut, and enjoy delicious yak cooking and yak treats made from ancient yak recipes. For now though, all yaks can do is stomp, but we stomp for long as we need to until Yakyakistan digs out of avalanche. Pink pony is welcome to observe the digging."
"Actually, I was hoping you'd let me be part of Yickslubertfest," Pinkie pleaded. "Stomping and smashing sounds like fun. Maybe not as fun as a party, but still fun."
"Rutherford hoped pink pony would say that," Rutherford declared with a smile and clapped his hooves. "Make room for pink pony. Pink pony honored guest who wishes to participate in fun of Yickslubertfest. Let the destruction begin!"
The yaks all began stomping about, destroying small twigs and the occasional bigger stick. Pinkie needed no incentive to join in. She hopped over to a nearby stick that no one else had touched, and started smashing it, taking great care not to get splinters in her hooves! "This is fun! If this is what Yickslubertfest is like, I need to ask to come to it more often." The party pony thought, resuming her stomping while forgetting all about the avalanche and the yaks still digging their way out of the snow.
But all of a sudden, Prince Rutherford cried out! "Stop!" All the yaks ceased their stomping, and an ominous silence filled the air. Rutherford then approached Pinkie and declared. "Pink pony had better check self before wreck self. That is century old twig of tradition, passed down from generation to generation. Yaks not allowed to destroy it."
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" Pinkie profusely apologized. "Um... maybe I can p-put it back together!" Gathering up the pieces of the stick with her hooves, the party pony tried to hastily reassemble it as best she could. "Uh... tada?!" She nervously declared, presenting the repaired stick to Rutherford. It crumbled apart a second later.
However, instead of shouting at Pinkie, Rutherford smile and laughed. "Yak kidding! There is no such thing as century old stick, yaks not keep such a thing. Yak got Pinkie good. Horn bump!" He exchanged the gesture with a fellow yak.
A sigh of relief escaped the party pony's lips. She then went back to stomping on the twig, satisfied with the knowledge that the prince was a prankster at heart, just like her.
The stomping and destroying went on for quite a while, during which time the few yaks not participating slowly but surely made progress in digging away at the drifts of snow. It seemed like they were going to dig themselves out entirely in less than a day.
But just when some of the huts started to become accessible, there came a loud rumble, and shock waves shook the ground (courtesy of the stomping yaks). All of a sudden, the huge mounds of snow that had been built up around the huts, gave way! The huts were buried again under the snow, though fortunately no one was hurt.
Rutherford quickly sized up the situation. "Yaks stop destroying! Yickslubertfest must be put on hold!" He called out. "Too much noise cause snow to slide downhill. Yaks not be able to dig their way out and participate."
A few of the yaks grumbled, but most obeyed the command without question.
"Perhaps now it might be a good idea to get some help?" Pinkie suggested to the prince. "It's gonna take even longer to dig through all that fresh snow, and it's getting late."
Rutherford protested! "Pink pony was told before, yaks no need help! This is but temporary setback."
"Seems like quite the big temporary setback to me," Pinkie commented, observing the yaks now frantically trying to dig away the snow, only for more snow to slip down every time they did so. "You look like you're in over your head."
"Maybe to pink pony, but not to yak," Rutherford declared with a snort. "And what yak says goes! If pink pony is too impatient to wait for Yickslubertfest to resume, pink pony can just leave and never return! Yaks celebrate Yickslubertfest with or without pink pony's participation!"
"But what about heat? You guys need a fire, and I don't see a ton of sticks, or anywhere to really set up a pit," Pinkie protested. "Are you just gonna sleep on the snow?"
Rutherford nodded. "Yaks used to roughing it and surviving without heat. Yaks fur keep them warm. Pink pony's concern is appreciated, but not necessary. Yaks always prepared. Or does pink pony think yaks need help because yaks can't do things on own?"
"No no no, I don't think at all! I'm an official friendship ambassador!" Pinkie firmly protested, flailing her hooves. "It's just... usually when something like this happens in Equestria, we ask for help. That's kind of what friendship is about, helping others."
Rutherford only snorted. "But pink pony also said that friendship about respecting differences and showing what makes your world yours. And in yak world, yaks no need help of ponies or any other species. Yaks always survive on own. Avalanches stop Yickslubertfest before, but yaks always persevere and endure. This avalanche be no different."
"But-" Pinkie began.
"No buts! Rutherford made his bed, and now he shall sleep in it! Yak recommends pink pony do the same if she wishes to stay!" Rutherford declared quite firmly, clearing away a spot in the snow just big enough for him to fit. "Yak tired, going to sleep. Yak prince shall see pink pony in morning, assuming pink pony is willing to stay."
"If only there was some way to get these stubborn yaks to admit they need help," Pinkie thought to herself. "If only Applejack or Rainbow Dash were here, they'd know how to fight stubborn with stubborn. But if they did that, that wouldn't be very 'friendship ambassadory' of them. And I'm the official friendship ambassador. What am I supposed to do?"
Unable to come up with an answer, the pink party pony went unhappily to sleep.
But next morning, Pinkie awoke to learn that things were no better. Some of the yaks were still trying to dig the snow drifts away, but most of them seemed to just be sitting there and doing nothing. Soon, Pinkie knew why. A chorus of loud rumbles could be heard amidst the silence of the snow.
Even the children were starting to grow hungry. "What was yak?" A boy yak questioned.
Clutching her tummy, a girl yak answered. "Yak stomach rumbles. Yak hungry."
"Shhh! Prince yak will hear yak! Yak will get in trouble!" The boy yak warned.
The girl yak shook her head. "But snow worse than yak ever seen! Yak not sure yak can wait for snow to melt!"
"Yak know. Yak hungry, too. But prince yak say yaks must be patient." The boy yak insisted.
Having overheard this conversation, Pinkie gasped! If children were starving, the situation was a lot worse than she'd imagined! "Gummy, did you hear that? They can't make it work! These children are starving, they can't hold out until all the snow goes away!" She then groaned. "Curse that Prince Rutherford, why must he be so stubborn? What right has he to make these children suffer for his own pride? If Twilight and the others knew what was going on, they would be here to help in a pony's heartbeat, they'd clear away the snow in no time at all! We have to somehow convince Prince Rutherford that asking for help is totally okay. Will you help me, Gummy, please?"
Gummy let out a low gurgle, which Pinkie interpreted as a yes.
"Thank you!" The pink party pony eagerly replied. "And see? Asking you to help wasn't hard at all. We make a great team you and I. What would I ever do without a friend like you?"
Pinkie bounced away to find Prince Rutherford. It didn't take long, the prince was lightly digging away at some snow near what Pinkie could only assume was the leader's hut.
"Prince Rutherford! Prince Rutherford!" Pinkie shouted, trying to get the prince's attention.
Rutherford spun around. "Pink pony have something she wishes to say to yak?"
Pinkie nodded. "You bet I do! I just overheard some children complaining, they're starving, and so are the other yaks! They can't wait until the snow melts!" She firmly told Rutherford. "You have to let me go and get help! My friends in Ponyville could clear away this snow in a heartbeat!"
But Rutherford snorted and turned his head. "Bah! Ponies are not to meddle in the affairs of yaks, ponies keep noses where they belong, out of yaks' business! Yaks no need help, yaks fine on our own!"
"But the children are starving!" Pinkie firmly protested!
"Unfortunate, but now is time to build character," Rutherford coldly replied. "Other yaks will teach yak children how to hunt and survive on own. Yak children learn not to depend on others to help them out. Pink pony welcome to observe hunting, so long as pink pony does not intervene."
"But Rutherford-" Pinkie began.
Rutherford slammed his hooves down and yelled! "Yak told pink pony once, yak tell pink pony again! Yaks don't ask for help!"
"Darn it all!" Pinkie complained, kicking the ground with her hooves. "Why do you have to be so stubborn and uncooperative? Asking for help isn't always a bad thing. Why can't you see that? I just don't understand why—"
"Pink pony wish to understand why yaks no depend on others, and no accept help from others?" The yak prince remarked, stomping over to the pink pony. "Fine, yak tell pink pony. And then pink pony understand," A hint of sadness seemed to be adopted by the prince as he explained. "Once when yak was little, before yak became yak prince, yak stomped on ground too hard. Ground give way beneath yak and yak fall into deep hole. Yak wait on family and friends to come rescue yak, but yak family and friends never come. Eventually, yak climb out on his own. Yak survived without help, so yak learn never to depend on help from others. Others never come through for yak, so yak not let them have chance to disappoint him."
Pinkie found herself taken aback by the prince's story, the pink party pony had never imagined she would hear such a thing from the yak prince.
"Now pink pony understand?" Rutherford remarked with a snort. "When yak sought help from others, they never helped yak. So yak not repeat mistake, once yak became prince, yak tell other yaks his story. Yaks listen, yaks agree."
"I'm sorry to hear your family and friends never came to your rescue when you fell down that hole," Pinkie apologized to Rutherford. "But maybe there was a reason for that? Maybe they didn't know you'd fallen, or maybe they thought you hadn't survived your fall? Did you ever ask them if they knew where you were?"
Rutherford just remarked. "What difference does it make? The point is, yak learn other yaks cannot be trusted to help in time of need. So yak learn not to accept help from others, the only way yaks survive is on their own."
"Well it's fine if you think that way, you stubborn prince!" Pinkie snapped, looking the prince square in the eyes! "But you can't possibly tell me you think all the yaks should think the same way! Children are starving because of you! If there was ever a time to admit you're wrong and accept help, this would be it! If anything happens to those children because they're starving, it'll be your fault! Not even you would want that, right?!"
"Yak already told pink pony, yaks will teach their children to hunt! All yaks will survive without help from others!" Prince Rutherford shouted back in protest! "Is clear now that pink pony does not understand yaks at all. Honorary yak status rescinded! Bang!" He turned his back to his guest and declared. "Pretend there is door! I just slammed it!"
"Fine! Be stubborn for all I care!" Pinkie shouted back. She then turned to Gummy. "Come on, Gummy. Let's go home, Twilight and the others will want to hear about this."
The balloon ride back to Ponyville passed mostly in silence, aside from Pinkie thinking in her mind. "Those yaks are so darn stubborn! They refuse to ask for help, even though they clearly need it! Well just let them wait, this official friendship ambassador is gonna take matters into her own hooves! I'll show them! Show them that it's not a bad thing to accept help when you have no other options!"
Upon arriving back in Ponyville, Pinkie went straight to Twilight's castle and told all her friends about her time with the yaks. She made sure not to skip out on the details over how she and Rutherford had come to blows.
"Then Prince Rutherford said, ''Bang! Pretend there is door! I just slammed it!" Pinkie narrated, imitating Rutherford's voice.
"Pinkie Pie-" Twilight began.
"So then pink pony said, 'Fine! Be stubborn for all I care!'" Pinkie went on in a high pitched tone of voice. "With my honorary yak status revoked, I had no choice but to come back here."
"This is serious, Pinkie! We have to help the yaks." Twilight declared.
Pinkie didn't seem to notice what Twilight had just said, as she finished her little speech with. "So in conclusion, we have to help the yaks!"
Twilight was more than a little confused by this. "Huh? But that's what I just..." She began.
But Applejack quickly silenced any will the princess had to protest. "Just go with it, sugarcube. Otherwise we'll be here all day."
Twilight sighed, but managed to sincerely smile. "Great idea, Pinkie. We'll be happy to help the yaks. This is what friendship is all about after all."
"I've always wondered what Yakyakistan was like," Starlight commented. "Guess I got back from the Crystal Empire just in time," Then she added. "Clearing away snow should be easy peasy."
"It's an avalanche, so there'll be a lot of it." Twilight cautioned to Starlight.
"Nothing I can't handle!" Starlight boasted, flexing her muscles a bit. "Besides, I need the exercise."
Applejack then chimed in. "If those yaks are starvin', I'll be sure to bring plenty of apples. This season's batch are extra juicy."
"And I shall provide the yaks with Equestria's finest textiles. They'll be silky and warm with hints of gold to complement their horns—" Rarity began.
But Pinkie cut her off and protested. "Stop! We can't bring the yaks any pony stuff!"
"Why not?" Fluttershy asked.
"The yaks are very proud. If we bring them pony stuff, they're gonna feel insulted," Pinkie explained to the others. "We're only going there to clear away the snow, that's it. It's like they say: 'You can lead a yak to water, but you better not let him know you're doing it.'"
"Uh, nopony actually says that, do they?" Rainbow wondered aloud. No one bothered to answer, they all just shrugged it off.
"Very well then," Twilight replied with a nod. "This'll be an official covert friendship mission. The yaks won't even know we're there."
Pinkie smiled. "Great! Now come on, the yaks need our help!"
The seven ponies arrived in Yakyakistan in the middle of the night, all the yaks were sound asleep and snoring away.
"Remember, girls," Pinkie whispered. "You're just clearing away the snow, nothing else. I don't like having to do this behind Rutherford's back, but he leaves me no choice. I draw the line at letting children starve."
Throughout the night and into the wee hours of morning, the ponies all worked together to clear away the snow and ensure that the village was as it had been before the avalanche.
By the time they had finished, the sun was beginning to rise.
Applejack wiped the sweat from her brows as she declared. "Hoo-wee! Helpin' to fix an entire yak village sure takes a lot outta ya."
"I'll say, I wasn't expecting that much snow," Starlight added. "I'm exhausted. I don't think I'll be going anywhere or doing anything for the next few days, thank you very much. Though, I have to ask, Pinkie. Why didn't you just go to the Crystal Empire instead? It's a lot closer."
"You girls would understand better than Shining Armor and Cadence, they'd send in an entire guard unit to clean up Yakyakistan," Pinkie explained. "Rutherford would never get over that."
"Alright. Well, we'd better get out of here before anyone spots us," Twilight whispered. "What about you, Pinkie? You're still the official friendship ambassador to Yakyakistan, and Yickslubertfest will surely be back on when Rutherford sees the village has been cleared of snow."
"Maybe I'll stay for a little while, assuming Rutherford doesn't find out about any of this," Pinkie whispered in reply. "And if he does, well he can take it up with me. I'm the one who dragged you girls into this."
"You didn't drag us into anything, Pinkie. We agreed to help." Fluttershy protested.
Pinkie nodded. "I know that, and so do all of you. But if Prince Grumpypants finds out, it needs to look like it was all my doing and nopony else's. If he's gonna be mad with someone, he's gonna be mad with me and me alone."
"Well, hopefully it won't come to that," Twilight replied to Pinkie. "Now come on, let's get out of here before—"
But just then the calm of the early morning was broken by Prince Rutherford calling out. "Oh, pink pony!"
Pinkie let out a nervous gasp. "Uh-oh, looks like he caught onto us!" She quickly whispered to her friends. "Just play it cool, and remember what I told you."
A moment later, Prince Rutherford appeared before the ponies. His expression was hard to read, but he didn't appear to be in a particularly good mood. "When pink pony left, yak village was still covered in snow. Yet now pink pony shows up with friends, and suddenly snow all gone," He spoke quite sternly to Pinkie. "Does pink pony have something she wishes to confess to yaks?"
Pinkie nodded and stepped forward. "I roped my friends into cleaning up the village for you while you were all asleep last night. I'm sorry, but you left me with no other choice. I couldn't let those children starve because of you."
"Yak sees now," Rutherford acknowledged. "Pink pony decided to help yaks after all, and without yaks even asking. But why would pink pony do that? Pink pony knows yaks too stubborn to accept help, yaks always survive on their own."
"It's like I said, Rutherford, sometimes asking for help isn't a bad thing," Pinkie explained. "You yaks are prideful, I get that. It's great that you've lived for so long on your own with no help from anyone else, and it's great that you're willing to tough it out when things go bad. But sometimes you have to admit that there are situations you can't overcome on your own. There are times when you have to accept that others helping you isn't such a bad thing. My Granny Pie used to say: 'It takes a strong pony to endure hardships all on their own. But it takes an even stronger pony to admit when they need help.'"
"So, pink pony wish to question prince's leadership? Is that it?" Rutherford snorted. "If so, then pink pony can leave, and never come back to Yakyakistan."
Pinkie shook her head. "I wasn't trying to question your leadership, you're a great yak prince, Rutherford," She then explained. "But a leader shouldn't force his subjects to starve because he doesn't want to admit he needs help. If you want to tough out an avalanche and dig your way out on your own, fine. But don't drag others into your struggle. If they want to wait it out with you on their own, they're welcome. But you didn't give them a choice, you forced them to wait with you until the snow melted. Maybe in yak culture that's a respectable trait, but it's not something I can agree with."
Everyone let out a gasp! Pinkie appeared to have just questioned yak culture and Rutherford's beliefs!
But to the surprise of the ponies, Rutherford spoke (after a moment of silence). "Pink pony makes a good point. Prince was stubborn and short-sighted. Prince should not have forced others to starve with him. Yak prince should have accepted help when it was given to him. Maybe all this is so yak prince can learn that accepting help can be okay in certain situations. Pink pony is truly a friend of yaks, the best kind of friend. One that can reign in even the most stubborn of yaks when yak gets too big for his horns. Speaking of horns, pink pony is officially honorary yak!" He held up a hoof and motioned for two yaks to come forward with a massive chest, resting inside it was a pair of yak horns.
The yaks all cheered, as the horns were placed on Pinke's forehead. "Yippee! My own honorary yak horns! Now I can officially horn-bump!" Pinkie proudly cheered and attempted to do just that. But when she horn bumped Rutherford, she lost her balance and fell in the snow with a light thud.
Pinkie struggled to get back up. "Yeah... You know, Rutherford, this is a little heavy for my small pony head. I don't think they make yak horns in pony sizes."
With a chuckle, Applejack asked. "Need some help with that, Pinkie Pie?"
In her best yak voice, Pinkie protested. "Pink pony no need apple pony's help!" Then in her normal voice she giggled, snorted, and added. "Just kidding! Pink pony got apple pony good!"
Everyone laughed, before Pinkie commented. "Seriously though, this is heavy." And she fell back into the snow with a thud.
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Again, very good reasoning behind the re-write. So many points quite well taken. Anyway, the exchanges, characterizations, action and general wrap-up were quite well done as well the reference to another future re-write.
I also really like the idea of stretching out "A Royal Problem" to a two-parter (which would give a good reason to cut out "Secrets and Pies" entirely without stretching "Shadow Play" out to a three-parter (even if THAT would have worked too) .
Anyway, on to the next chapter.