My Little Pony: One as a Family. "Trials of Friendship"

by SaburoDaimando

Arc 6-3: To Salvage a Birthday

To Salvage a Birthday

Night had fallen on the land of Canterlot. Buttercup, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Trixie, Cozy Glow, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Moondancer, Danged Spell and Kibitz were back in the Grand Foyer of the castle, waiting patiently. Their moods had soured since early ago and their hope began to dwindle.

“What a day,” Applejack said. “First Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Abigail and Spike go missing, then those hoodlums trashed Wanda’s Birthday party, and now Twilight and Ditzy Doo have gone missing.”

“And now we’re stuck here until Ditzy and Twilight are found,” Fluttershy said.

“Right now,” Buttercup said. “All Bright Mac can do with the Chancellor is to find where they went. But considering what happened with the Princesses, I fear they could be lost as well.”

“Of all the horrible possible things,” Rarity said in a dramatic tone. “This is THE…WORST…POSSIBLE…THING!”

Rarity pulled a nearby couch to her with her magic and jumped right on it, crying on the armrest. Everyone looked at Rarity with pity.

“A part of me just wants to do what Rarity did,” Danged Spell said.

“I’m with you on that,” Moondancer replied. “After what happened, I just want to cry on the couch of my own.”

“I knew I should have stopped them when I had the chance,” Cozy Glow said as she slammed her hoof on the floor. “But nooo. I had to let my hunger get the best of me.”

“Cozy,” Trixie said. “None of us are at fault. These things happen because they happen.”

“Say what?” Cozy Glow asked.

“I think what she means is that sometimes, bad things do happen even when we’ve done nothing wrong,” Starlight replied. “And we have to live with that. It may be out of our control, but I think we can prove to be stronger than what we’ve been going through.”

“Never thought to hear something optimistic from you, Glim Glam,” Sunburst said.

“No kidding,” Spell said as his tone began to lighten up. “Anything is better than being…Down in the Dumps. Get it?”

“DANGED SPELL!” Every youngling yelled before bursting into laughter.

“At least I got everyone to laugh,” Danged Spell said.

“By the way,” Pinkie Pie said. “Why are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna doing back in the ballroom?”

“Oh that is a secret,” Majordomo Kibitz said. “And I would advise you to wait here until everything is ready.”

“I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie said. “My Discord sense is tingling, and it’s not my legs falling asleep.”

“You’re right,” Applejack said. “I wonder what Celesti and Luna are planning.”

In the ruins of Wanda’s party within the ballroom, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood next to Eleanor Young, who observed the damage done to the food, the gifts, and just about everything else.

“So this is all that needs to be done for our daughter,” Eleanor Young said.

“Yes,” Princess Celestia said. “I know I wanted to do this myself. But you insisted on doing this.”

“I know,” Eleanor Young said. “After all you’ve done to keep my precious Wanda safe, this is the least I can do.”

“Is there anything we can do to help out?” Princess Luna asked.

“That won’t be necessary,” Eleanor Young said. “Wait in the Foyer, and I will work my magic.”

Celestia and Luna nodded as they turned around and walked towards the entrance of the ballroom. Eleanor Young held out her hands and hummed.

“Oh great magic of Evevanya,” Eleanor chanted. “You see that the party has fallen into decay. Restore this to its former self, and give my daughter a wonderful birthday.”

But at the walled bunker outside where the Bulldog fell asleep, Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Spike and Abigail looked down, depressed, and hungry. They looked like their energy had been sucked dry.

“I think that dog’s finally fell asleep,” Sunset said. “You wanna sneak out?”

“I don’t want to risk it,” Cadance said. “For some reason, that dog has a strong sense of some sort. It’s as if it could sense where we are.”

A single tear fell from Wanda’s eye. She tried to burst out crying, but she just slumped her hands down onto the floor.

“Too…tired…to…cry,” Wanda said.

“Wanda,” Cadance said. “Get some sleep. I think by tomorrow morning, that dog will have lost interest in us and we can make our escape.”

“Sleep…good” Wanda said before she fell asleep.

Abigail jumped onto Wanda’s lap and curled itself up before going to sleep. Spike walked up next to Wanda and sat right next to her before falling asleep as well. Sunset and Cadance looked at the three before they yawned.

“Yeah,” Sunset said. “It’s too bad Wanda couldn’t celebrate her birthday. Perhaps a belated birthday party will make up for it.”

“I’m hoping so as well,” Princess Cadance said. “If we get out.”

“But you did say once that dog is gone the next morning,” Sunset said. “That it should be safe to leave.”

“That’s what I believe will happen,” Princess Cadance replied. “But I heard legends about how some dogs wait out their prey. Thankfully, that’s just a bulldog. Though I am surprised why this one grew wings and a horn.”

“Me too,” Sunset said. “In fact, I wonder why anyone would own a bulldog that can grow wings and a horn.”

“I’ve never seen this species of bulldog before,” Princess Cadance said. “In fact, I wonder why it came here.”

“Well regardless,” Sunset said as she yawned. “I think we’ll find out more in the morning.”

Sunset walked up to Wanda young, parked herself next to her human sister and fell asleep.

“You’re right,” Cadance said with a yawn. “I’m hungry, but I feel too tired to worry about food.”

And thus, Princess Cadance curled up and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, out in the streets of Canterlot, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score landed nearby in an alleyway. The trio high hoofed each other and laughed out loud.

“We did it,” Hoops said. “We crashed that monkey’s birthday party.”

“We can only imagine the look on that chimp’s face when she comes home to a wrecked party,” Dumbbell said.

“Yeah,” Score said. “After our stunt at Coltsom and now this, it feels good to be hated.”

“Here’s to us,” Hoops said. “The Scrappies. Intentionally or not, being hated is the best thing ever.”

And with that, the three pegasi trio rolled onto their backs and laughed once again.

“So what do you think we should do next?” Score asked. “Ruin some guy’s dinner? Knock over some brat’s sandcastle? Dump mud on Magistrate Creme Dream?”

“The possibilities are endless,” Dumbbell said.

Suddenly, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score heard the sound of hooves running in the distance, causing the trio to jump up onto their four legs.

“Did you hear that?” Hoops said. “Sounds like we really got them steaming mad.”

“Let’s take a gander at it,” Score said.

Hoops, Dumbbell and Score slammed their backs against the wall and looked around the corner. They perked their ears up as the sound of gallop grew larger.

“Let’s hear what they have to say,” Dumbbell said.

As they put their ears closer to the edge, they overheard someone say “Come on, Ditzy. What if the Windigo’s Guild got their hooves on Spike?” This confused Hoops Dumbbell and Score.

“That doesn’t sound angry,” Score said.

Suddenly, they saw Twilight Sparkle and Ditzy Doo run past them. The trio fell down and landed on their four hooves, curious about the filly duo.

“That was Twilight Sparkle and that snowflake we picked on,” Dumbbell said.

“Oh yeah,” Hoop said. “What do you say we give them what’s coming?”

“Here here,” Dumbbell and Score chanted.

And so, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score ran after Ditzy Doo and Twilight Sparkle, all in the dead heat of the evening.

But meanwhile, in another part of town, Shining Armor ran as fast as he could, looking around for Twilight Sparkle. Behind him was Bright Mac and Chancellor Cinch, who struggled to catch up.

“Slow down,” Bright Mac yelled. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

“I can’t,” Shining Armor said. “I’m worried not just about Twilight, but also Spike and the others.”

“He’s right,” Chancellor Cinch yelled. “None of us knows where we can find the Princesses, or the other younglings.”

“I don’t care,” Shining Armor said. “I just want to make sure Twili’s not hurt.”

Shining Armor immediately jumped high into the air and leaped over a small group of three ponies, who looked up in shock and awe. Bright Mac and Chancellor Cinch paused and watched as Shining Armor landed on the ground and continued to run.

“I think Twilight Sparkle takes after her brother,” Bright Mac said.

“That’s my guess as well,” Chancellor Cinch replied.

Immediately, the two kicked dust into the air and ran off after Shining Armor, who continued to run as fast as possible.

“Shining Armor,” Bright Mac yelled. “Don’t overdo it. What if you put too much strain on yourself?”

“I know what you’re thinking,” Shining yelled. “But I care more about Twilight’s well-being, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

“You’re not thinking clearly,” Chancellor Cinch yelled. “You’re going to get yourself hurt or even worse.”

“I can handle it,” Shining Armor yelled.

Shining Armor slid a bit near an alleyway as he turned left and ran down the street. Chancellor Cinch was quick to turn left and follow from behind. But when Bright Mac tried to turn, he tripped and rolled down the alleyway. The screams he made from the blunder caused Shining Armor and Chancellor Cinch to pause instantly.

“That sounded like Bright Mac,” Shining Armor said.

“We better go check up on him,” Chancellor Cinch nodded.

Shining Armor and Chancellor Cinch turned around and walked towards the alleyway. When they looked down, they saw Bright Mac lying down on his stomach with a couple of trash cans piled onto his legs. Shining Armor walked up to Bright Mac with a horrified look on his face.

“Bright Mac,” Shining Armor said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Bright Mac said. “Just a scratch and all.”

But when Bright Mac tried to pick himself up, he screamed really loud before falling down onto the pavement. Shining Armor and Chancellor Cinch looked at the garbage cans that pinned Mac’s legs down.

“Come,” Chancellor Cinch said. “We must help him.”

Shining Armor nodded with a solemn look on his face as he and Chancellor Cinch used their magic to lift up the garbage cans that pinned Bright Mac’s legs down. After they set them back up, Shining Armor looked down at Bright Mac’s left leg, and gasped at what he saw.

“Bright Mac,” Shining Armor said. “Your knee. It looks red.”

Bright Mac turned onto his back and attempted to look up at his knee. He attempted to move it, only to wince in pain.

“Dag nabit,” Bright Mac said. “I can’t move.”

Chancellor Cinch walked up to Bright Mac before turning to Shining Armor and said “I’ll look after Bright Mac. Go find Twilight and the others.”

“No,” Shining Armor said. “It’s my fault he broke his knee. If I wasn’t so reckless, none of this would have happened.”

“What’s past is past,” Chancellor Cinch said. “You go find Twilight Sparkle and…”

“I’ll look after Bright Mac,” Shining Armor said. “After my carelessness got him hurt, I should take responsibility and look after him. You go find Twili and the Princesses.”

Cinch tried to speak up. But she froze before she could say anything as she looked at Shining Armor pulling a wooden beam out from a trash can along with some rope, cut the beam down to a reasonable size and tied it up to Bright Mac’s broken leg.

“Very well,” Cinch said in a somber tone. “I’ll go find them.”

Cinch turned around and ran off in the opposite direction, turning right before running down the street of Canterlot. Bright Mac looked up at Shining Armor.

“You should have gone with her,” Bright Mac said. “And let me stay behind. I would have slowed you down.”

“I know,” Shining Armor said. “But I feel responsible for my recklessness. And while I am disappointed in what Twilight did, she will be more disappointed in me.”

“I understand,” Bright Mac said. “But still, I worry for Twilight and for Ditzy Doo, along with the Princesses and their companions. I can only hope that Cinch can find them in time.”

“So do I,” Shining Armor said. “So do I.”

Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle was running as fast as she could, with Ditzy Doo sprinting right behind her. The purple filly looked left and right, nervously searching as hard as she could. Little do the two know, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score were following right behind them.

“Twilight,” Ditzy cried. “Slow down. I can’t keep up.”

“No time,” Twilight said. “I need to find out where the others are and hope that Spike is okay.”

“But what about the others back at the castle?” Ditzy yelled. “And what about your parents?”

“What would they say if Spike was no longer here?” Twilight said. “After all, they did give Princess Celestia their approval for Wanda to look after her.”

“But I don’t think it’s a good idea to just run off like this,” Ditzy said. “It’s not good.”

As Ditzy ran as fast as she could after Twilight, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score chased after her.

“Come on, boys,” Hoops said. “We’re getting close to that snowflake of a pegasi.”

“Call me crazy,” Score said. “But those two don’t notice us.”

“Yeah,” Dumbbell said. “I hate to say it, but they seem worried about something else.”

“Knock it off, you two,” Hoops said. “Focus on the snowflakes.”

“But we’re being serious, bro,” Dumbbell said. “Why do you think those two are running like mad and not taking notice of the three of us?”

“Now that I think about it,” Hoops said. “They aren’t acting in fear of us.”

“You think they’ll lead us to the monkey and her sisters?” Dumbbell said.

“Oh I’m counting on it,” Hoops said with a devilish grin.

“Yeah,” Score said. “As a matter of fact, I…”

Suddenly, Score tripped over a piece of the pavement and flew uncontrollably in the air. Hoops and Dumbbell looked behind them and saw an out-of-control Score spin towards them.

“NO YOU FOOL!” Hoops yelled. “NOT HERE!”

WIth a loud smack, Score hit Hoops and Dumbbell and they continued tumbling along together down the street, tangled up in a ball shape. Hoops and Dumbbell rolled down the street as they glared at Score.

“Nice going, Score,” Hoops said in a sarcastic tone. “Now we’re out of control.”

“What?” Score said in a nervous tone. “I didn’t realize that the pavement was broken.”

Hoops, Dumbbell and Score tumbled out of control down the street and after Ditzy Doo and Twilight Sparkle, who paid no attention to the danger behind them. As a matter of fact, Ditzy Doo struggled to catch up to Twilight.

“Twilight,” Ditzy Doo said. “You’re not thinking clearly.”

“Not while Spike is out there,” Twilight said.

“But what about the others back at the castle?” Ditzy asked. “Surely they must be having pizza and cake right about now.”

“I’m not in the mood for cake,” Twilight said. “I want to see Spike again.”

But the only thing that came out of Ditzy’s mouth was a big “OOOF!” Twilight’s eyes shrunk down, her ears flopped downward and she lifted her head up.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Twilight said to herself.

Twilight turned her head around and saw Ditzy Doo along with Hoops, Dumbbell and Score tangled up in a ball tumbling towards her. All four pegasi looked extremely scared as they rolled closer and closer towards the unicorn filly.

“GET US OUT OF HERE!” Hoops screamed.

“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!” Dumbbell yelled.

“I WISH WE WEREN’T MEANIES TOWARDS MOMMY!” Score whined.

“DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME, TWILIGHT,” Ditzy hollered. “RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

Twilight Sparkle ran as fast as she could before letting out a loud scream.

Meanwhile, inside the wall bunker, Wanda Young, Sunset Shimmer, Princess Cadance, Spike and Abigail were fast asleep, worn out from the day. But the peace ended the moment Twilight Sparkle’s scream went off, waking everyone up.

“Uggh,” Wanda said. “Mommy? Is that you?”

“No wait,” Cadance said. “That sounded like Twilight.”

“You think she’s close by?” Sunset asked.

But before they could answer, the front door smashed open as Twilight Sparkle, Ditzy Doo, Hoop, Dumbbell and Score crashed inside and hit the wall, coming to a complete stop. Princess Cadance, Sunset Shimmer, Wanda Young, Abigail Albright and Spike the Dragon all gasped in horror.

“Twilight,” Princess Cadance said. “Are you alright?”

Twilight pulled herself out from the others and got up on her four hooves. Princess Cadance picked her up and gave her a big hug.

“Princess Cadance,” Twilight said. “Is Spike here?”

“He’s here, Twilight,” Sunset said. “And he’s safe.”

Spike the Dragon walked up to Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle and said “Twili?”

“Spike,” Twilight said as her eyes began to tear up. “You’re alright.”

Wanda picked up Spike and flew her to Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle. Cadance opened her arms up, allowing Wanda to position Spike next to Twilight, who proceeded to hug the baby dragon.

“Oh Spike,” Twilight said as she snuggled her dragon. “I was so worried. I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Twili,” Spike said.

“Well at least,” Wanda said. “Twilight’s with us.”

Immediately, Ditzy Doo pulled herself away from Hoops, Dumbbell and Score and walked up to Wanda and Sunset.

“Ditzy?” Sunset said. “Why are you here?”

“Well,” Ditzy Doo said. “After Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy failed to find you, Twilight decided to go look for you and especially Spike, and I decided to follow her.”

“That was pretty reckless, Ditzy,” Wanda said. “But at least you cared about us.”

Abigail walked up to Ditzy, extended her paw out and said “Friend.”

Ditzy smiled back and said “Friend” before shaking Abigail’s paw.

Hoops, Dumbbell and Score got up and shook their heads before opening their eyes. They looked at Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Abigail and Spike embracing each other.

“Oh yuck,” Hoops said. “We went from that debacle to this mushy mess.”

“Yeah,” Dumbbell said. “I think I’m about ready to take a hike.”

Score looked to his left and began to freak out. He frantically tapped Hoops’s shoulder.

“Hey guys,” Score said. “What has wings, an alicorn horn, looks like a bulldog, and has sharp teeth?”

Hoops and Dumbbell looked to their left to see the bulldog look down at the trio, snarling with its teeth fully bare.

“That’s an Alicorn Bulldog,” Hoops said as he began to shiver. “Legends say that its power rivals that of an alicorn, and they’re ten times more ferocious than a pitbull, an orthos or even a cerberus.”

Dumbbell turned to the girls and yelled out “HEY YOU SNOWFLAKES! YOU GOT A DOGGONE PROBLEM HERE!”

Those words caught the attention of Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Twilight, Ditzy, Abigail and Spike. They looked at the remains of the front door, and their faces began to turn red in horror. Immediately, turned to see the face of the alicorn bulldog.

“Oh no,” Wanda said. “When you crashed in here, you destroyed the front door.”

“I’ve heard about Alicorn Bulldogs,” Twilight said as she looked scared. “They say they’re the most vicious creatures in Equestria.”

Princess Cadance turned to Hoops, Dumbbell and Score and yelled out “I don’t care about the fact that you three trashed a prison. All I can say is get over here if you value your lives.”

Hoops, Dumbbell and Score wasted no time running up to a nearby table as Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Twilight, Ditzy, Spike and Abigail climbed up. But as they all stood on the table, Score slipped and fell to the ground.

“SCORE,” Hoops yelled.

The Alicorn Bulldog ran inside, barking wildly as it ran towards the entire group. Score hid behind a chair as Princess Cadance shot a blast of magic at the dog, knocking it aside.

“Score,” Hoops yelled. “Go get help. We’re all in big trouble.”

Score nodded and ran towards the front door. But before he could reach it, the Alicorn Bulldog leaped from the center of the room and landed right in front of the entrance, glaring down at Score with teeth bare.

“Nice doggie,” Score said with a nervous tone. “Please don’t eat me. I taste terrible.”

Score backed up as the alicorn bulldog marched right towards him. Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Twilight, Ditzy, Abigail, Spike, Hoops and Dumbbell watched helplessly as Score crawled up to the table leg and held on tightly.

“We’re in big trouble now,” Wanda cried. “First I miss my birthday, and now we’re all going to be dog chow.”

“I’m in no position to disagree, monkey,” Hoops cried. “In fact, I wish we all weren’t in this predicament.”

Everyone watched helplessly as the bulldog hovered over Score and opened its big mouth.

To Be Continued in…

A Birthday Party Ever After

Author's Note:

I actually wanted to end this part on a lighter note. But I thought about it and wanted to end it on an even worse note: Wanda, Sunset, Cadance, Spike, Abigail, Twilight, Ditzy/Derpy, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score at the mercy of the Alicorn Bulldog. And to think, the Pegasi Trio were responsible for the destruction of the Coltsom Juvenile Detention Facility in the previous Arc.

I will promise you this: The next part will finally lead to a happy ending. But you will question how the Pegasi Trio AKA The Scrappies will have their part of the story resolved.