Friends Tll the End

by Mystic Sunrise

First Day In a New Town

Pearl groaned as she flopped onto her bed. "Oh, I hate moving days. At least I got everything unpacked. Dad would never let me hear the end of it if I didn't."

Her mother chuckled from the doorway. "That he would not, Pearl. But he has been the lead shore man for many years now for a reason. He did not get there just on his good looks alone."

Pearl gagged, before sighing. "Any idea when he's joining us? It still doesn't feel right to split us all up like this."

Cirrus shook her head sadly. "I don't know, honey. This assignment with Hippogriffia is taking far longer than we thought it would."

Pearl rolled her eyes. "I didn't think Queen Novo was that stubborn. She didn't seem that bad the last time I was there. Needed to lighten up a bit, but I guess being a new mom does that to everyone."

Cirrus giggled as she ruffled Pearl's mane, much to her daughter's annoyance. "And we are proud of it, honey. You'll understand it when you become a mother yourself."

Pearl gagged. "Gah! As if! I'm way too young to be thinking about mushy stuff like that. And I don't even know anypony in Ponyville. At least in Baltimare, Amber was good-looking. You know. For a girl. Here? I gotta start all over again."

Cirrus nodded. Pearl and her gang of friends were as tightly bound as they came, each looking out for the other. An attack on one was an attack on all of them.

Pearl shook her head as she looked out her window, which offered an excellent view of Ponyville, and the Imperial Palace beyond. You couldn't go anywhere in Ponyville and not see it in fact. The noonday sun glinted off the gold of the Lion's Gate, and if she squinted, Pearl could just see the Eternity Gate.

For some strange reason, Pearl felt drawn to it all, as if she belonged there, standing side by side with the empress as one of her Exarchs. Which was stupid of course. You couldn't just join them as far as everyone was concerned. Hell, no one even knew how the Five had been chosen at all.

Empress Cosmos was notoriously tight-lipped about this subject in particular. But the feeling would not leave Pearl alone all the same.

Cirrus shook her head after a moment. "Why don't you get out and enjoy the fresh air, Pearl? Staying inside all day will do you no good, and who knows? You might make a new friend while you're at it?"

Pearl snorted as she stood and stretched. "Yeah right, Mom. It can't be that easy. Not with my luck. But I do need to get out. School starts in a few days, and then I'll never have enough time to do anything."

Cirrus rolled her eyes as Pearl zoomed out the open window. Oh, why couldn't Pearl have ever taken her lessons on being a lady seriously?

---

With no idea of where anything was in Ponyville, Pearl just let the wind take her where it wished. Off in the distance, she could see the lights of the mining settlement on Mount Canterhorn. A place she was glad she didn't live if the stories were true.

Finally plopping herself down on a cloud, Pearl sighed as she overlooked the city below. From here, she could see all the way to the horizon. There was Sweet Apple Acres, Sugarcube Corner, Golden Oaks Library, and off in the distance, smoke rose from the train station as a train pulled in.

Pearl giggled. "Okay. Ponyville definitely looks better than Baltimare does at least. Still can't beat the view of Eternitie's Crossing though. And ponies can choke on it if they don't like it."

She giggled, remembering all the times she had told one pony or another the same exact thing. Sure, it had gotten her into more trouble than she cared to remember, but Pearl had never cared what others thought of her opinions. Let the weak-minded care. Her? Who needed others to tell her how awesome she was?

Pearl knew it, and so did her best friends. Friends that felt as if they were on the moon now, she sniffed, as she lay her head on the cloud. Oh, why did they have to move? She wasn't ready to leave that life behind. Her friends...

"Nobody ever asked me how I felt about it," Pearl sniffed as her eyes fell on the Rose River. For a second, she swore she saw a dragon's face in the water, watching her before it vanished. She chalked it up to her imagination though as tried to dry her tears.

How long she lay on the cloud, Pearl didn't know as she closed her eyes for only a moment. She just needed a break is all. She was not sleeping. Especially on a cloud of all things.

The sounds of arguing woke her with a snort as Pearl rubbed her eyes irritably. "Can't a pony get five minutes of peace and quiet?" She grumbled as she looked down to see what all the fuss was about.

Below, a group of fillies and colts surrounded a lone unicorn filly. It was too far away to hear what was being said, but from the way they were all gesturing, it was not a pleasant conversation it seemed, and that got Pearl's blood boiling, as she took flight downwards.

As she came closer, Pearl began to pick out what was going on. "I don't get what the empress sees in you, runt. You're nothing," one colt sneered, as he pushed the lavender unicorn filly into the mud, earning laughs and jeers from his cronies.

The filly tried to stand but was immediately pushed back down again by another filly. "Please," she begged, "I don't understand. What did I do wrong?"

"Exist," another one of the group said. "You act all high and mighty just because your brother is in the Royal Guard, and your foalsitter is Crown Princess of the Crystal Empire. Time to knock you down a notch."

Pearl ground her teeth. Oh, that was it! She had no idea of what was going on, or who the unicorn filly was, but nopony got bullied while she was around. "Hey, assholes!"

The leader turned around in confusion, just as Pearl's hoof connected with his most private parts. He crumpled to the ground like wet paper as Pearl stood over the unicorn filly, who looked on in awe. "Didn't your parents ever teach you not to pick on others? Or do you gutter slime not even know your parents?"

The group growled. "Buzz off, feather brain. This is none of your business," one filly said.

Pearl snorted. "Really. That's the best you've got? At least try to insult me next time. Maybe this wasn't my business. But it is now. So buzz off, or the next pony loses any chance of ever having kids. Got it?"

Before anypony could respond, however, another voice broke in. "And just what is going on here?"

Everyone froze solid as Amber Blister landed amongst the group. The Exarch eyed everyone but seemed to hold the bullies in special contempt. "I go out for a flight to clear my head, and this is what I get? A group of ponies picking on someone smaller than them?"

"She started it," one tried to argue, pointing an accusing hoof at Pearl.

Amber snorted. "Oh, it's not like he didn't have it coming." She smirked at the confused looks she was getting. "Oh, yes. I saw everything that happened. You should've hit him harder," she winked at Pearl, who blushed, while the filly next to her giggled.

This seemed to take the wind out of the bullies' sails as they exchanged glances as Amber towered over them. "Now. I suggest you lot go home and think about what you've done. Cosmos will hear about this. Don't make this worse for yourselves."

That was all the group needed to hear as they scrammed. one being sure to grab the leader who was still whimpering on the ground. Amber nodded proudly as they vanished from sight. "Just what I needed today," she grumbled. "You'd think they know better."

Pearl watched them go with a snort. "Guess somethings never change no matter what town or city it is."

Amber nodded. "No. That was a nice punch though. Ivy would've been jealous for sure."

Pearl tried not to let what she was doing overwhelm her. Who would have thought she would ever be talking to an Exarch? And her favorite as well? Amber was everything Pearl wanted to be. Tough, and took crap from nopony.

As the older Pegasus took off, Pearl finally looked over at the filly she had saved. Aside from being covered in mud, she didn't look any worse for wear. "You okay?" She asked, holding the filly up as she coughed.

The unicorn nodded. "Yes, and thank you. You shouldn't have done that though. You don't know me."

Pearl snorted. "Like hell, I shouldn't have done something. Nopony gets bullied when I'm around. I don't care if we don't know each other. Some of my best friends were ponies I helped get away from bullies." She extended a hoof and smiled. "I'm Pearl Rose by the way."

The unicorn smiled as well, before taking the hoof. "Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."

Comments

[Pete100]

Twilight is already in ponyville? Interesting and Strange

[Mystic Sunrise]

11631064
Oh dude. So much about this Equestria is different from canon 😜.

[Pete100]

11631120
Really? Interesting

[Mystic Sunrise]

11631121
Notice the lack of certain character tags, the fact that Equestria is ruled by an empress, or Ponyville is the capitol. More will b revealed in time of course 😊.

[Pete100]

11631129
I actually did notice that. The lack of a celestia and luna tag didn’t go unnoticed.