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

by SaburoDaimando

Arc 15-8: An Apple's Responsibility

An Apple’s Responsibility

It was an early morning in the Golden Land. The birds chirped loudly to celebrate the dawn of a new day. But inside the Ruby Library, a nervous Applejack looked down at her video tablet, where Bright Mac, Buttercup and Granny Smith looked up at her.

“So you’re telling me that the refugee crisis from La Maresa has gotten worse?” Applejack said.

“We’re afraid so,” Bright Mac said. “The snowstorm is starting to grow bigger in La Maresa and nearly everyone has abandoned the town.”

“What’s more,” Buttercup said, “Is that more snowstorms are starting to materialize across Equestria. Ponies are marching from across the nation to take shelter in Canterlot.”

“Applejack,” Granny Smith said. “I know you’re worried about us, and I know I’m worried about our apple trees. But what matters is that you’re safe in Golden Land. You don’t need to worry about us.”

In a fit of anger, Applejack slammed her hooves on the table.

“Worry about you all?” Applejack yelled. “You’re working as hard as possible to make sure the ponies there are alright, and I feel like I’m just lounging her like a lazy sloth on a boring day.”

“Applejack,” Granny Smith said. “You’re safe over at the Golden Land. You should relax and unwind for the moment. We’ll be fine.”

“I beg to differ, Granny,” Applejack said. “And I’m sorry to have to not fulfill this wish. But I’m afraid my mind is made up. I’m coming back to Canterlot to help out.”

“Applejack,” Buttercup said. “You don’t need to do this.”

“I’m sorry, ma,” Applejack said. “But I can’t stay here like a selfish pony while you’re all trying to help those refugees out.”

“I hope it wasn’t going to come to this,” Bright Mac sighed. “But if you wish to help out, let Princess Celestia and the others know about this. We’ll meet you at the portal entrance.”

Applejack nodded back to her folks before the screen disappeared in a blink. As Applejack placed the screen part of the tablet down on the tablet, Moondancer appeared behind the apple filly and walked up to her.

“I heard a loud sound of a bang on the table,” Moondancer said. “What happened?”

“I’m afraid I can’t stay here,” Applejack said. “I need to go back and help out the ponies of La Maresa. Contact Princess Celestia and let her know. I’m going to go pack up.”

“Go back?” Moondancer said. “But didn’t your parents tell you not to worry?”

“And they told me again not to worry,” Applejack said as she got out of her chair and picked up her video tablet. “But I’m afraid I can’t sit back and let them suffer. I’m helping out, regardless if they like it or not.”

As Applejack walked out the vicinity, Moondancer stood there with a worried look on her face.

“Poor Applejack,” Moondancer said. “The others will be upset once I tell them all about this. But they’ll understand why.”

But nearby, Applejack walked down towards another room where Princess Celestia slept, when she ran into Rarity, knocking both ponies down. Applejack shook her head and looked at Rarity, who got herself up and dusted herself off.

“Rarity,” Applejack said. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I overheard what you said, Applejack,” Rarity said. “It’s true, isn’t it?”

“It is,” Applejack said. “I have to go back and help my parents out.”

“After all they said not to worry?” Rarity replied.

“Yes,” Applejack replied. “Even against their own wishes. I can’t stand by and let them suffer. I need to help them out.”

Rarity let out a sigh and said “Then I don’t suppose you want some help.”

“Help?” Applejack said. “Rarity, are you saying you want to come with me?”

“Yes,” Rarity nodded. “I’ve also become a bit worried about my own parents, and with Sweetie Belle. Furthermore, the more I heard you worry about your own parents, the more I wish I could also help out. So I was wondering if I could…”

“You don’t need to say anything,” Applejack interrupted, placing her hoof on Rarity’s forehead. “If you want to pitch in and help out, I’m not gonna stop you.”

“Thanks,” Rarity said. “Now come on. Let’s go talk with Princess Celestia together.”

Applejack nodded before she and Rarity walked towards the room where Princess Celestia slept.

Later that morning, within the Emerald Woods as the sun rose upward, everyone was up from their sleeping bags and were chatty amongst each other. Some were rolling up their sleeping bags while others started to fold up the tables and chairs. Shining Armor inspected the remains of the campfire area, ensuring that no fire would start up again. But Princess Cadance was speaking to Princess Celestia on the video tablet, with a concerned look on her face.

“So Applejack desires to return to Canterlot,” Princess Cadance said.

“Not just desire,” Princess Celestia said. “The refugee crisis from La Maresa is starting to get worse. Although her parents and Granny Smith insisted that she stay and enjoy herself, Applejack chose to end her vacation early to help with the refugees.”

“I’m not surprised by this revelation,” Princess Cadance said. “Her grandmother instilled a lot of morals into her life, which includes the idea that hard work pays off in the end. But on the other hand, Applejack cares a lot for her family, and for the ponies of La Maresa. That must explain why she chose to go back.”

“And I take it you’re only going to be out of the forest just so you and the others will say their good-byes to Applejack,” Princess Celestia said.

But before Princess Cadance could say anything, Rainbow Dash flew up in front of her and looked down at Princess Celestia on the video tablet.

“You think I’m gonna let that apple farmer leave on her own?” Rainbow Dash said. “She and I may have had our differences, but I still care alot for her. In fact, I don’t think she should go back to Canterlot alone.”

“Rainbow,” Princess Cadance said.

“It’s okay,” Princess Celestia replied. “Though I did have a talk with Chancellor Cinch, and right now, she said that neither Princess Luna nor I are needed at the moment. But I don’t think there’s anything for you to worry about, Rainbow Dash.”

“Horse apples,” Rainbow Dash said, pounding her hoof on the ground. “If Applejack goes back, so will I. She’ll need all the help she can get.”

“Rainbow,” Princess Cadance said. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m sure,” Rainbow Dash said. “If I want to be the best of the best, I’ve gotta put my hoof forward and help out.”

“It’s a difficult task, Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said. “Rarity told me that she also wants to help Applejack out. But if you are up for it, then come by the Golden Palace.”

Rainbow Dash turned towards Spitfire, who stood by with an eager look on her face.

“I take it you want to help out,” Rainbow Dash said.

“I do,” Spitfire said. “I also assume that Captain Airazor was able to assemble as many Wonderbolts as possible. Therefore, I wish to join up and help out in any way possible.”

Rainbow Dash smiled before holding her hoof out. Spitfire reached out and bumped Rainbow Dash’s hoof with her own. Princess Cadance smiled at the duo before turning back towards the video tablet with Princess Celestia on it.

“You heard what they said, mother?” Princess Cadance said.

“Loud and clear,” Princess Celestia said. “It’s going to be hard to have four fillies return to Canterlot to help out with the refugees from La Maresa. But the fact that they’re willing to help out says alot about their character, and I’m proud of that. I will await your arrival today.”

“And we will be arriving,” Princess Cadance said. “Cadance out.”

Princess Celestia nodded at Princess Cadance before she disappeared from the video tablet. As Princess Cadance placed her tablet into her saddlebag, she looked up at Juniper Montage, who sat there depressed.

“What’s wrong with Juniper?” Princess Cadance asked.

“She wanted to do a movie of some sort with everyone in it,” Shining Armor said. “But after news broke out about Applejack leaving, her chance just slipped away completely.”

“Go talk to her before we head out,” Princess Cadance said. “See if we can cheer her up.”

“Gotcha,” Shining Armor said.

Shining Armor walked up to Juniper Montage and placed his hoof on her shoulder. Juniper slowly turned towards Shining, her depressed look still visible.

“I know you’re disappointed that you can’t shoot that movie with a small group of us heading back to Canterlot.”

“It’s not fair,” Juniper said. “I wanted to at least do a movie about all of us enjoying our time here at the Golden Land. But with four fillies heading back to Canterlot, it feels…empty.”

“Then why not improvise?” Shining Armor asked. “Create a movie about the friends we still have during our time at the Golden Land?”

“But it wouldn’t feel right,” Juniper replied. “Leaving out Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, Rarity and Applejack. I don’t want them to feel left out.”

“And that’s okay,” Rainbow Dash said, flying up to Juniper. “We don’t need to be a part of your movie just to make it special. In fact, I may ask someone back at Canterlot to record us helping out. It’s going to be hard, but we can make it work.”

“But Rainbow,” Juniper said, only for Rainbow Dash to place her hoof on Juniper’s mouth.

“Trust me on this one,” Rainbow Dash said. “We can make it work and it will be way past cool.”

Juniper came to a stop. She looked up at Rainbow Dash before turning towards Shining Armor, who nodded back at her.

“Alright,” Juniper said. “I’ll do it.”

“That’s the spirit,” Rainbow Dash said. “Keep that and you will go sky high.”

“Rainbow Dash.” the other younglings yelled out before bursting into laughter. Rainbow Dash just looked around and blushed with embarrassment.

“Okay,” Rainbow Dash said. “I think I may have caught Danged Spell’s use of puns.”

“Puns aside,” Golden Lace said as she walked up to Rainbow Dash and Juniper Montage with her laughter subsiding. “Thanks for helping out to reassure Juniper.”

“No sweat,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Truth be told,” Golden Lace said. “I didn’t know how to help out Juniper because I was never in that kind of scenario before.”

“I know,” Rainbow Dash said. “Considering that you’re still new to the friendship thing, we can help you out. Heck, even Pinkie Pie is also here to help out.”

“And that’s a darn fact,” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing towards Golden Lace. “No matter what happens, we’re here to help you on how to be a friend, and being perfect examples of the magic of friendship. After all, there is more to us than meets the eye.”

Golden Lace just laughed as she gave Juniper a hoof bump and said “Without you guys, or even Queen Novo, I still would have been as mean-spirited as my mother.”

As Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Golden Lace and Juniper Montage laughed together, Princess Cadance walked up to Shining Armor, who had a big smile on his face.

“It’s going to be sad to see four fillies return to Canterlot to help with the refugees,” Princess Cadance said.

“It is,” Shining Armor said. “But we have to make the most of it. In fact, if the worst comes to worse, I’ll head back and help out, any way possible.”

“The times are getting harder,” Princess Cadance said. “But as long as we stick together, we can get through them.”

Later that day, outside of the Golden Palace at the portal archway, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood by with Wanda Young, Sunset Shimmer, Abigail Albright, Applejack and Rarity by their side. Princess Celestia had her saddlebag on her back with her video tablet tucked inside. Nearby, Argyle Starshine stood by, with his saddlebags on his back. Behind him, Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Moondancer, Danged Spell and Cozy Glow stood at the ready to say good-bye. Princess Cadance marched on in with Rainbow Dash and Spitfire by her side, and with Shining Armor, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Trixie, Golden Lace, Juniper Montage, Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk and Ditzy Doo following from behind. The moment the group came up, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire ran up to Applejack and Rarity, eager but also worried.

“So this is it,” Wanda said. “Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire are going back home?”

“Not really,” Princess Celestia explained. “Applejack is going back to Canterlot to help out with refugees of La Maresa. Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire are choosing to help out.”

“Does that mean,” Wanda cried. “We won’t see them for a while?”

“A while may be shorter than you realize,” Princess Celestia explained. “They may be back a lot sooner than expected. But for now, we should choose to respect their wishes.”

“It’s still odd that four of us are leaving back for Canterlot,” Sunset said. “Even after her own parents said she could stay with us.”

“Sometimes, the easy choices aren’t exactly the best,” Princess Luna said. “We all choose these decisions not just for ourselves, but for the sake of others. These choices show who we are as individuals.”

Wanda and Abigail walked up to Applejack, who, alongside Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, stood ready to await the portal opening.

“You gonna be alright?” Wanda asked.

“I will,” Applejack said. “I’m a tough pony, and this isn’t the first time I had to step away from loved ones.”

“Not the first time?” Wanda asked.

Long before I met you,” Applejack said. “I chose to journey to Manehattan in order to find my calling. My parents, Granny Smith and Big Mac were supportive of my choice to live with Uncle and Aunt Orange, wanting to live a glamorous life. But truth be told, I didn’t care for the life there. It felt different from being a good-old country gal, and I missed the life of the farm. But when I saw that rainbow that emerged from La Maresa, I realized that where my true calling was: Sweet Apple Acres and home sweet home. So I said my good-byes to the Oranges and came back home, where my family welcomed my return.”

“Wow,” Wanda said. “So it’s not the first time you had to make a difficult decision?”

“Not only that,” Applejack said. “But by realizing what my destiny was, I earned my cutie mark. But it was rather ironic that I found out it was Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom that inspired me to come home.”

“Well it was nothing,” Rainbow Dash said before turning to Wanda. “That being said, I’m still sorry that my Sonic Rainbooms have caused you to wince in pain. If only there was a way to get you to enjoy them without having to suffer.”

“It’s okay,” Wanda said. “But I still don’t know why the Rainboom causes pain in my head.”

“One day,” Rainbow Dash said, “I’ll figure out a way to get you to enjoy the Rainbooms without having to suffer. I promise you that.”

Rainbow Dash held her hoof out towards Wanda, who swung her arm back before placing her hand on Rainbow’s hoof, gripping it tight. The two smiled and nodded before Wanda released her grip.

But nearby, Princess Celestia felt a buzz in her saddlebag. She used her magic to pull out her video tablet and turned it on, where Bright Mac and Buttercup’s image appeared.

“Are you in position?” Princess Celestia asked.

“We are,” Buttercup said. “And we’re waiting for the portal to open up.”

“Then that’s my cue,” Princess Celestia said. “Stand by for the opening of the ground bridge portal.”

Princess Celestia placed the video tablet back into her saddlebag as the image of Bright Mac and Buttercup disappeared. She powered up her alicorn horn, forming a spark on top before firing off a beam of magic at the power crystal connected to the portal archway. The crystal glowed brightly and fired off a blast of magic, creating a wormhole around the archway.

“Well,” Rarity said. “This is it. All we have to do is wait for Bright Mac and Buttercup.”

Moments after the portal opened up completely, Bright Mac and Buttercup stepped out of the wormhole and onto the ground of the Golden Land. They looked up in amazement of the environment before looking down at Applejack.

“You ready to go back to Canterlot, champ?” Bright Mac asked.

“Not just me,” Applejack said. “Rarity, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash wish to join us in returning to Canterlot.”

Spitfire walked up to the apple parents and said “I heard about what’s going on in Canterlot, with the refugees of La Maresa having to stay at the castle for the moment because of the snowstorm. Therefore, I have chosen to join Airazor in helping out in any way possible.”

“Very well,” Buttercup said. “I’ll inform Airazor of your decision to return to Canterlot.”

Bright Mac looked up at Princess Celestia and said “Thanks for looking after my daughter for the time being.”

“It was my honor, Bright Mac,” Princess Celestia said. “Especially after all those times you gave my daughters a reason to smile.”

Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy walked up next to Wanda and Sunset. Their smiles, despite a sense of pride in them, hid a bit of sorrow for their four friends.

“Promise me you’ll come back after the refugee crisis is over.” Wanda said.

“I promise,” Applejack said.

“You promise to be stronger than anything the winter storm will put out?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Are you kidding me,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I’m the fastest thing alive, I’m the toughest pony to ever live, and I’m way past cool.”

“We are going to miss you for the moment,” Fluttershy said.

“It may be for the moment,” Rarity said. “But it will feel like a long time. Be a tough girl for all of us.”

“So what will Airazor say once she finds out you want to pitch in?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“She’ll understand why,” Spitfire said. “Considering the mess Equestria is in with all this snow.”

Immediately, Wanda, Applejack, Sunset, Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy all reached over and gave each other a hug. Wanda and Pinkie were quick to shed a tear, knowing that Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire had to go.

“Well,” Wanda said, dropping her arms down from the hug. “Guess this is it. You hang in there.”

“We will, Wanda,” Applejack assured. “We will.”

Spitfire turned towards Bright Mac and Buttercup before she said “We’re ready to return to Canterlot.”

“It’s going to be tough,” Buttercup said. “But I know you all are tough ponies on the inside.”

With that, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack and Spitfire all walked through the portal, disappearing completely. Bright Mac turned towards Princess Celestia.

“Chancellor Cinch is going to speak with you in a moment,” Bright Mac said. “She’ll talk to you about the refugee crisis from La Maresa. Till then, we’ll see you later.”

“You take care,” Princess Celestia said. “And don’t worry, she’ll understand what I have to say.”

Bright Mac tipped his head to Princess Celestia before he and Buttercup walked through the portal and disappeared. Once both ponies were gone, the wormhole shrunk down and vanished without a trace.

“Guess they’re gone,” Cozy Glow sighed. “Four ponies returned to Canterlot while we remained here in the Golden Land.”

“You look like you wanted to help out, Cozy Glow,” Princess Cadance said. “Maybe if the situation gets worse, we’ll think of something for you to do.”

Suddenly, Princess Cadance heard the sound of a pony clearing her throat. She turned to the other side, where Starlight Glimmer looked up at her.

“Miss Cadance,” Starlight said. “I know I’m afraid of pigs, but I wanna give the whole camping out thing a second go after hearing how you all enjoyed your time there.”

“Well we’re going back into the woods later today,” Princess Cadance said. “So with Rainbow Dash and Spitfire gone, I think we can work something out.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said, walking up to Starlight Glimmer “We’ll try to put up some kind of barrier so those nasty pigs won’t bother you at night.”

“Great,” Starlight said. “Adagio Dazzle told me of what you all were doing on our way here.”

“And we would like to try out this so-called Library Slumber Party,” Adagio Dazzle said. “I heard Starlight had a blast while staying with the rest of the crew.”

“Maybe I could make some tacos while we’re there,” Sonata Dusk said. “There’s a new recipe I want to try out.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Princess Luna said. “But now Princess Cadance will have even less ponies to camp out for the night.”

“Leave that to us,” Wanda said, walking up to Starlight Glimmer with Sunset Shimmer and Abigail Albright right next to her. “We’d like to go camping out for the night at the Emerald Woods.”

“Yeah,” Sunset Shimmer said. “Just like old times, and even bring Abigail in to show them out we camp out.”

“Camping,” Abigail cheered.

Danged Spell immediately walked up to Wanda, Sunset and Starlight with a smug look on his face.

“Well you two aren’t going with Starlight without me,” Danged Spell said. “If any mean little pig tries to make Starlight cry, I’ll huff, and I’ll puff and I’LL BLOW THEM AWAY!”

“DANGED SPELL!” The younglings all shouted before bursting into laughter.

Danged Spell stood there with a smirk on his face before he said “I love being a big bad wolf.”

As the younglings were laughing, Princess Celestia felt a buzz go off in her saddlebag. Once again, she pulled out the video tablet, where Chancellor Cinch’s image popped up.

“Chancellor,” Princess Celestia said. “Have Applejack and her friends arrived?”

“They have,” Chancellor Cinch said. “And it seems Applejack is eager to get started.”

“She cares a lot about hard work,” Princess Celestia said. “And she prefers to take her time to get the work done to show how well her work pays off.”

“She does,” Chancellor Cinch said. “But right now, I am keeping my eye on the refugee crisis from La Maresa. The Worst case scenario is that you may have to cut your time there short to address it.”

“Actually,” Princess Celestia said. “If more ponies keep pouring in, I may have to do the unthinkable.”

“You’re not thinking about turning the Golden Land into a refugee camp,” Chancellor Cinch replied.

“I’m not going to let a single pony suffer because of this snowstorm,” Princess Celestia explained. “If there is no more room in the castle, then I may consider letting them into this place. That way, they can ride out the storm in the safety of the Golden Land.”

“We’ll talk about it should that time come,” Chancellor Cinch said. “In the meantime, go enjoy your moment with your daughters and their friends, and I’ll update you with the snowstorm.”

Princess Celestia let out a sigh as Chancellor Cinch’s image disappeared from the video tablet. She placed the tablet back in her saddlebag before turning towards the younglings.

“Come,” Princess Celestia said. “Let’s continue our time here in the Golden Land.”

Every remaining youngling, including Spike and Abigail, gathered around Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as they, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor made their way back to the Golden Palace. But Shining Armor turned towards Argyle Starshine, who stood there next to the portal archway pulling out his book, quill and inkwell.

“Mr Starshine,” Shining Armor said. “Aren’t you coming back?”

“Go on without me,” Argyle Starshine said. “There is something important that I have to write before I lose sight of it.”

Shining Armor nodded reluctantly before he followed the rest of the group back towards the castle, leaving Argyle Starshine to dip his quill into the inkwell before opening his book and placing the quill’s tip on the page.

“The easiest decision is not always the best decision we make,” Argyle wrote. “Sometimes, it feels good to get our important commitments out of the way so that we have less of a means to worry. Sometimes, we take the easy path because we do not want to deal with stress, tension or even conflict. But sometimes, even going down that path is not a good idea, as we tend to make a lot of errors in our choices. And sometimes, we end up making a horrible decision that we will come to regret in our future.”

Argyle dipped the pen back into the inkwell and placed the tip onto the page once more.

“But even the hardest decisions aren’t so easy to decide once and for all,” Argyle wrote. “We sometimes fall back and think about our decision that we’re left with. Is it a good idea or a bad idea? What will the consequences be for our choices? What are the uncertain elements that go into our decision making? But in the end, it’s not the results of the choice we make that matters, it is how we think about the consequences of our actions. Something we all must keep in mind when we have choices to make.”

Meanwhile, in the city of Canterlot, snow started to fall at a brisk pace. Inside a familiar wall bunker, Hoops, Dumbbell and Score looked down at a video tablet of their own, where they saw the faces of Rolling Thunder, Short Fuse, Flim and Flam hiding out in some kind of train car.

“It’s a shame the path to Canterlot was blocked off because of those changelings before this winter storm picked up,” Rolling Thunder said. “We missed you three.”

“We missed you as well,” Hoops said. “But just as the blockage was cleared up, old stallion winter decided to make our lives miserable.”

“I hate winter,” Short Fuse said. “It’s so miserable and boring.”

“Shhh,” Rolling Thunder hushed. “Not so loud. The conductor will hear us if you scream.”

“So how long until you guys arrive in Canterlot?” Dumbbell asked.

“Only an hour,” Flim explained. “A darn shame that we had to leave the Coltsom Detention Facility because of the winds.”

“We’ll wait for you all at the train station today,” Hoops said. “Just hang in there until then.”

“Roger that,” Rolling Thunder said. “We’ll see you later.”

Once the image of Rolling Thunder, Short Fuse, Flim and Flam disappeared, Hoops set the video tablet on the table.

“Just when we were going to be bad again,” Score said. “This mess had to happen.”

“Though I was surprised that Princess Wanda gave us one of her tablets,” Dumbbell said.

“She knows who we’re communicating with,” Hoops said. “And right now, I want to at least see their faces once more. After all that time away from Coltsom, I’ll be glad to see those four once more.”

“We all will,” Score explained. “And no winter storm is gonna keep us separated again.”

As Hoops, Dumbbell and Score hunkered down in the wall bunker, the snow around Canterlot fell even further and the winds began to pick up. High within the sky, windigos appear out of nowhere, howling loudly as they gallop through the open air.

To Be Continued in…

Arc 16: Shelter from the Windigos Winds

Refugess from La Maresa

Author's Note:

The ending of this arc was a decision I had to make. I chose to end it on Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire returning to Canterlot to help out with the La Maresa Refugee crisis. But I can assure you that it will get worse in the coming arc.

Furthermore, I have hinted at what the next arc will be about. And originally, I wanted to set this in Canterlot. But after much thought(And wanting to expand a bit more into the Golden Land), I chose to set most of the next arc in the same place as this one.

Anyway, this marks the end of Arc 15. Arc 16 is coming up, and it will start with Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire helping out the refugees.