Tales Of Friendship

by Bluecatcinema

Deep Down

It was a bright and sunny Saturday in Ponyville. The Young Six had decided to take a trip to the lake just outside of town, and have some fun.

Sandbar was windsurfing on the water, swaying and speeding expertly over the currents.

"Woo-hoo!" He cheered.

Silverstream and Ocellus (in Seapony forms) were in the lake itself, playfully splashing each other. At the same time, Gallus and Smolder were flying above the lake, engaging in a friendly race.

"Try and keep up, slowpoke!" Smolder teased.

"Just takin' a break." Gallus shot back. "That's the thing you do with light exercise."

"I'm surprised you can fly that fast, with such a big head!" Smolder sniggered.

"Oh, it's on now!" Gallus narrowed his eyes.

Both flyers put their all into the last leg of their race. But in the end, Smolder managed to finish just ahead of Gallus.

"Oh... Yeah." Smolder said breathlessly. "This dragon's the tops...."

"I want... A rematch..." Gallus declared.

"Incoming!" Sandbar yelled. As he neared the shore, he pulled up on the sail, resulting in a spinning leap out of water, with a flawless landing.

"Sweet moves, Sandbar!" Smolder cheered. "You could teach some of the lavaboarders back home a few things."

"Not bad." Gallus lightly applauded.

"You're really good at this." Silverstream declared, as she and Ocellus joined him near the shore. "Sure you haven't got a little Seapony in you?"

"Nah." Sandbar chuckled as he maneuvered his board onto the lake shore. "I've just always been at home on the water. Ever since my folks brought me to Silver Shoals when I was little, I've loved the beach. I went on my first windsurfing session when I was six. I was a little nervous at first, but when I got out there, saw the blue skies and flowing waters... it all felt so righteous. And before I knew it, I'd gotten my Cutie Mark." He smiled as he indicated the three sea turtles on his flank. "Good times."

"That was a really nice story, Sandbar." Ocellus declared.

"I've heard worse." Gallus said coolly.

"Must be nice, knowing exactly what you're best at after a picture appears on your side." Smolder snarked."I know some dragons who could use hints like that."

"You ponies are so lucky." Silverstream agreed. "I'd love to have a fun little picture suddenly appear on my flank!"

"Every species has their own awesome traits." Sandbar said fairly.

"Yona would definitely agree." Gallus snarked. "'Yaks best at everything', right, Yona?"

While everycreature else had been having fun, Yona had been sitting on the shore, content to simply observe her friends, rather than join them in the lake herself. The young yak had never really felt at ease around water, and her nearly drowning during a certain field trip had done little to assuage that fear. Just standing close to a large body of water, like the lake, was enough to make her feel nervous. But she didn't want to disappoint her friends by staying behind.

"You okay, Yona?" Sandbar asked, taking note of his friend's self-imposed isolation.

"Yona okay." Yona said nervously.

"What are you doing over there?" Silverstream frowned. "Come and have some fun with rest of us!"

"Yona okay where she is." Yona shook her head.

"The water's not that cold, if that's what you're worried about." Silverstream smiled.

"I don't think that's the problem." Ocellus said knowingly.

"Ocellus right." Yona nodded. "Temperature not problem. Yona just... No like water much."

"After what happened on that crazy field trip, I don't blame ya." Gallus retorted.

"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of water myself." Smolder admitted. "Can't exactly breathe fire down there, y'know..."

"But friends can swim." Yona pointed out. "Yona not. Just being near water makes Yona... Scared."

"Maybe you could like the water more if you spent more time around it?" Ocellus suggested.

"W-what Ocellus mean?" Yona gulped.

"You could get used to the idea of being in the water by slowly reintroducing yourself to it." Ocellus told her.

"That's a great idea!" Silverstream smiled. "Come on, Yona, whattaya say?"

"Uh..." Yona cringed. "Yona not know..."

"Don't worry, Yona." Sandbar assured her. "We'll all be right here. And nocreature's going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. Okay?"

Yona looked at her friends, who all had supportive smiles on their faces.

"...Okay." She nodded. "But how will Yona do it?"

"Just take it one step at a time." Ocellus clarified. "Start by dipping a toe in there."

"A toe...?" Yona mused.

"Yep." Smolder nodded. "Simple and easy. Go for it."

Yona walked up to the shoreline. Tentatively, she dipped a single toe into the water.

"Silverstream right." She noted. "Water not that cold."

"Told ya." Silverstream grinned.

"Now for the next step." Sandbar urged. "Get all four hooves into the water. Think you can do that?"

"Yona try." Yona answered. With slow, deliberate steps, she moved forward, until all four of her hooves were submerged.

"There you go." Ocellus smiled. "How does it feel?"

Yona took a moment to assess the feeling of the water flowing through her toes, the squishy sand beneath.

"It feel... Okay." She answered.

"Can't argue with 'okay'." Gallus joked.

"Now, try going a little further, until you're about hip deep." Ocellus instructed.

"Yona can do that." Yona nodded, feeling just a hair more confident. The young yak walked forward a little further, until her legs had vanished beneath the water. "Yona did it!"

"You sure did!" Silverstream chuckled.

"Okay, now this next one is a little trickier." Sandbar declared. "But also one of the most crucial parts. You have to put your head under the water."

"U-under water?" Yona cringed.

"There's nothing to it." Gallus smiled.

"Yeah." Silverstream agreed. "Just go like this!" She stuck her head under for a few seconds, then raised it up again. "See? Easy!"

"Okay..." Yona said nervously. Trembling, she lowered her head, slowly nearing the water.

"You can do it, Yona." Ocellus encouraged her.

"Go for it!" Smiled added.

"You're almost there..." Sandbar smiled.

Yona's chin dipped into the water, followed by her mouth. But as her nose neared the surface, the young yak lost her nerve.

"Noooo!" She leapt backwards, creating a wave that splashed her friends. "Yona no can do it!"

"Now she tells us." Gallus snarked, taking a moment to spit some water out of his beak.

"Yona sorry." Yona apologized, as she trudged back on land. "Yona let friends down."

"You didn't let us down." Sandbar assured her.

"At least you tried." Ocellus added.

"And you got super-close." Silverstream added. "That's something, right?"

"There's always next time." Gallus pointed out.

"Maybe..." Yona sighed. "But for now, Yona stay on shore and dry off."

"Mind if I join you?" Smolder offered. "All this being supportive has worn me out."

"And you're not the only one who needs to dry off." Gallus snarked.

"Yona no mind." Yona smiled, glad that her friends weren't holding her failure against her.

"Cool." Sandbar nodded. "I think I'll get in some more windsurfing practice."

"Ocellus, wanna explore the bottom of the lake?" Silverstream offered. "You never know, we might find some treasure!"

"Okay!" Ocellus grinned.

The two currently-Seaponies dived under the water, while Sandbar returned to his board. Yona, Gallus and Smolder lay back on the shore,enjoying the remaining morning sun.

Some time later, Sandbar was practicing his turns when Silverstream's head popped up in front of him.

"Whoa!" Sandbar yelped, stopping just in time.

"Sandbar, guess what we found!" Silverstream grinned, as Ocellus popped up alongside her.

"What?" Sandbar asked.

"There's this really neat little cave just a ways away at the bottom of the lake." Silverstream revealed. "We're gonna go check it out."

"Cool." Sandbar smiled. "Mind if I come with?"

"I don't know..." Ocellus frowned. "It's pretty deep.."

"Don't worry." Sandbar declared. "I can hold my breath long enough for a quick look."

"Okay." Si!verstream smiled. "Then let's go!"

"It's this way." Ocellus urged.

Pausing only to Don a protective visor, Sandbar dived into the water. He kept his head above the surface as he followed them to the location of the cave, then dived down after them.

Down below, they reached the cave. It was filled with multicoloured stones that gleamed a bright phosphorescence.

'Wow...' Sandbar thought.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Silverstream grinned.

"It's beautiful." Ocellus gaped in wonder.

As the two transformed creatures moved further into the cave, Silverstream caught her tail in some lake weed growing out the ceiling.

"Oh, great." She groaned. She grabbed hold of her tail and pulled. "Come on...!"

"Silverstream, maybe you shouldn't-" Ocellus said warningly.

Before Ocellus could finish, Silverstream's efforts resulted in the weed, and a chunk of the cave ceiling, coming loose.

"Got it!" Silverstream grinned.

Her jubilation lasted only a second, before an ominous rumbling sound emitted from above.

"Uh-oh." Ocellus cringed.

An entire section of the cave ceiling collapsed. Showing remarkable reaction time, Ocellus lunged at Silverstream, getting them both out of harm's way. Sandbar, who had been in the process of resurfacing, turned back to see the rubble blocking the entrance.

'Guys!' He thought, horrified.

As Sandbar dived downward, Silverstream's snout poked out of a gap in the rubble.

"Sandbar!" She called. "We're okay! Well, aside from the whole 'trapped' thing..."

"Get help!" Ocellus yelled through another, smaller gap.

Sandbar headed back to the surface.

Inside what was left of the cave, Silverstream turned to Ocellus.

"...Wait, can't you just change into something that can move these rocks?" She asked.

"Not really." Ocellus retorted. "Anything strong enough to move those rocks would be too big for this cave. I'd end up squishing you. And none of those creatures can breathe underwater."

"Oh, right..." Silverstream admitted Ocellus's point.

Meanwhile, Sandbar's head breached the surface of the lake, and he swam back down to find the others.

Yona, Smolder and Yona were still sitting on the beach. Gallus and Smolder were lazing about, while Yona had her head bowed regretfully, still dwelling on her failure.

"Silverstream and Ocellus are in trouble!" Sandbar yelled, taking off his visor as he got back on shore.

"Say what?" Gallus frowned.

"What happened?" Smolder asked.

"We were further down the lake, exploring this neat little cave, when there was a rockslide." Sandbar summarised. "Now Silverstream and Ocellus are stuck in the cave, and need help getting out."

"Say no more." Smolder said boldly. "This situation calls for a little dragon strength. Lead the way."

"We're coming too." Gallus declared.

"We are?" Yona cringed.

"For emotional support, right?" Gallus urged.

"Right." Yona nodded.

Sandbar led them over the lake shore, to just above the point of the cave in.

"They're right below us." Sandbar stated.

"I got this." Smolder flexed her dragon muscles.

After taking a moment to stretch, Smolder dived into the water. Moving straight down, she spotted the pile of rocks, and swam toward it. She grabbed one of the larger rocks, knowing that removing it would cause some of the other rocks to tumble, possibly giving Silverstream and Ocellus a chance to escape. She tried to lift it, but found it was heavier than it appeared. Redoubling her efforts, she pushed herself to her limit.

Just as the rock started to budge, Smolder felt a burning pain in her chest; she was running out of air. She had no choice but to return to the surface while she still could.

On the lake shore, the others had a brief moment of hope when Smolder surfaced, one that was snuffed when they realized she was alone.

"I- kaff! Couldn't budge it!" Smolder wheezed. "Not before I needed to catch my breath!"

"Not good." Gallus frowned.

"What are we gonna do?" Sandbar frowned.

"Maybe we should get help?" Smolder suggested.

"We can't just leave them down there!" Gallus protested.

"Then what do you suggest?" Smolder scowled.

"Maybe we could try using some tree branches as levers to move the rocks." Gallus offered.

"Right, because flimsy wood can do what dragon muscle can't." Smolder said dismissively.

"At least I'm thinking!" Gallus snarled.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Smolder growled.

"Quit it, guys!" Sandbar scolded them. "This isn't helping! We need to get our friends out of there, now!"

"But how?" Smolder pressed.

Yona gazed at the water she feared so much. Knowing her friends were trapped down there, that they needed help, spurred something inside her. She came to a decision.

"Yona go." She said solemnly.

"Say what?" Gallus frowned.

"Yona go down there." Yona declared. "Use yak strength to move rocks."

"Did I miss something?" Smolder gaped. "Aren't you still afraid of the water?"

"Yes." Yona nodded. "But Yona afraid of losing friends more. Besides, Yona know from experience that she sinks fast, means Yona can get down there quick So Yona..." She gulped. "...Go in water."

"You won't be going alone." Sandbar pledged.

"Not without us." Gallus nodded.

"No way I'm letting you guys have all the fun." Smolder grinned.

"Yona thank you all." Yona smiled. "Now we save friends."

"Here." Sandbar passed her his visor. "I think you'll need this more than me."

Yona accepted the gift, and put the visor on. It was a tight fit, but she knew comfort was a secondary concern at the moment.

The friends stood on the edge of the lake bed. Sharing a nod, they dived into the waters together.

Even with the visor, Yona struggled to keep her eyes open and her fear under control, as the suffocating water was all around her. Fortunately, her friends stayed close, guiding her to the rockslide.

After Smolder pointed out the rock that needed to be moved, she, Gallus and Sandbar grabbed hold of the rock. At the same time, Yona thrust her horns under the rock, and together, she and her friends lifted the rock. With the largest of their fellows out of the way, enough of the other rocks tumbled down that a gap was formed, big enough for Ocellus and Silverstream to escape.

After a moment of surprise at seeing Yona in the water, Ocellus and Silverstream grabbed hold of her, and aided the others in carrying her up to the surface.

"Huahhh!" Yona gasped for air as they finally reached the shore.

"Great... work... Yona." Gallus wheezed, his lungs similarly taxed by the experience.

"You did it!" Sandbar cheered.

"You went in the water!" Ocellus beamed.

"More importantly, you saved us!" Silverstream added.

"Yona no do it alone." Yona said humbly. "Friends all work together."

"I'd say you made the biggest contribution, though." Smolder pointed out.

The six friends returned to the shore, Ocellus and Silverstream reverting back to their Changeling and Hippogriff forms.

"You faced your fear." Sandbar told Yona. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

"Mmm-hmm." Yona nodded proudly.

"Hey, the day's not over yet." Silverstream declared. "We could go for another swim, if you're up for it."

"No thanks." Yona shook her head. "Yona had enough of water for one day."

"That makes two of us." Ocellus agreed.

"Water still not Yona's favorite thing." Yona admitted. "But if friends in trouble, Yona no let fear stop her."

"That's the spirit, Yona." Sandbar smiled proudly.

"How about we give the lake a break, and get us some lunch?" Gallus suggested.

"I can get behind that." Smolder nodded. "Heroics always make me hungry."

As the Young Six departed from the lake, Yona looked back at its waters. The uneasy, nervous feeling she had around water, while not gone completely, had diminished significantly.

'Maybe one day, feeling will be gone for good.' Yona thought. 'With friends' help, anything possible...'

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[SuperSonicHeroes]

Sometimes the best motivation to face a fear is to help a friend.