FlameStar wants to learn friendship to help his lingering fear. Easier said than done.
FlameStar, the red unicorn who arrived in Ponyville had a lot of hijinks ever since he has arrived. After a meeting with Luna, the former ruler of the night, FlameStar decides to learn all there is about friendship before the Festival but its proven to be pretty difficult...
Last time, FlameStar, the protagonist with an odd Cutie Mark has arrived in Ponyville and has had great fun with his new friends. He had met the Princess of Friendship, had sweet pastries with Pinkie Pie, dank tea and cookies with Discord and Fluttershy, aided farmwork with Applejack, got a new vest and other accessories from Rarity and shared a blissful moment with Rainbow Dash. Last night, FlameStar had a nightmare involving his Cutie Mark. After some counseling with Luna, FlameStar was able to sleep peacefully. The next day, FlameStar got up bright and early. A bit too early cause Pinkie Pie went to see him.
"Good morning, FlameStar!" Pinkie yelled. "You ready for break--!" FlameStar was nowhere to be seen in his cart. "HEY!" Pinkie whined. FlameStar was in Canterlot. He had scheduled an appointment with Twilight.
FlameStar waited with Gallus, the Griffin who saved the magic in Equestria. He was now working full time as a royal guard.
"Now you wait here, man." Gallus said. He walked into the throne room. "Your majesty. He's here."
"Send him in, Gallus." FlameStar walked up to Twilight. Her royal adviser and friendship ambassador Spike was by her side.
"Your highness." FlameStar said respectfully.
"FlameStar, I'm your friend. No need to be so formal." Twilight said. "What brings you here?"
"Twilight, Luna saved me from a dream which grew into a nightmare." FlameStar explained.
"Really? What was it about?" She asked.
FlameStar sighed. "Its regarding my Cutie Mark..." he said. I haven't have the best experience with it.
"So you need to figure out who you are?" Spike asked.
"Nothing like that." FlameStar replied. "Luna said she had the same fear I did when she attended Nightmare Night for the first time."
"I remember that." Twilight said, " I helped her fit in. What did she tell you?"
"She said to make some friends." FlameStar said. "I thought it wouldn't help but it doesn't hurt to try."
"If friendship's your problem, you came to the right place." Spike assured.
"I hope so." FlameStar said nervously. "I've got under a week before the Festival. "How can I learn a good chunk of friendship?"
"Easy." Both Twilight and Spike said.
"You need to go back to Ponyville and find Starlight Glimmer." Twilight said. "She was my old pupil."
"Starlight Glimmer?" FlameStar asked.
"Starlight Glimmer." Spike said. "She lives at what Twilight used to call home. Before she became the ruler of Equestria."
"Which is?"
"The Castle of Friendship." Twilight answered. "She can help you take the next steps to friendship. Once you spoken with her, come back here."
"Sounds like a lot of back and forth." FlameStar groaned.
"It is so before you go, I'm gonna teach you teleportation." Twilight said. "Because you don't have Alicorn magic, this might be difficult."
FlameStar scoffed. "I'm down."
Twilight's horn glowed and she teleported off her throne and appeared at the front door.
"Now you try!" Twilight said. "Just focus on where you wanna go!"
"Ok..." FlameStar said. His horn glowed and he teleported away. He came back badly beaten up.
"Keep trying, FlameStar! You can do it!" Twilight encouraged. FlameStar's horn glowed again and he teleported next to Twilight!
"I did it!" FlameStar exclaimed. "I can teleport!"
"You sure can!" Twilight said. "Now you should go find Starlight.
"Right!" FlameStar said. "Um... which way was Ponyville?" Spike pointed to where Ponyville was. "Thanks." FlameStar said before teleporting away.
FlameStar reappeared near the castle Twilight said.
"Ok. This is the place." FlameStar remarked. "Let's hope someone doesn't jump me like last time." He goes up and knocks on the door. A yellow unicorn with an orange mane answered.
"Hello?" He said.
"Hi." FlameStar said. "I'm looking for somepony named Starlight Glimmer. I was told to find her here."
"She's inside." The unicorn said. "I'll take you to her." He took FlameStar to the "Throne room" of the castle where a purple unicorn was studying the map of Equestria.
"Sunburst?" She asked. "Who is that unicorn?"
"He was told to see you." Sunburst said.
"Oh... you must be FlameStar." The unicorn remarked. "Starlight Glimmer. I'm the manager of this castle and headmare of The School of Friendship."
"Nice to meet you Starlight and Sunburst." FlameStar said. "I take it Twilight told you I was coming?"
"Yep." Starlight answered. "So, you want to learn friendship huh?"
"Yeah. Ever since my meeting with Luna, ive been thinking about doing it." FlameStar recapped.
"Well, have we got something for you." Sunburst assured. "You can attend the School of Friendship!" FlameStar's pupils shrunk at the word "school"
"Did I hear you right?" FlameStar asked sounding very upset. "School?!"
"That won't be a problem will it?" Starlight asked.
FlameStar spoke through clenched teeth. "Oh... not a problem at all..."
"Don't lie." Starlight said. "Its plain on your face. You don't like the idea."
Sunburst chimed in. "The princess said you wanted to learn all there is about friendship before the Festival at the end of the week. Well we cant say that the school idea would help."
"Yeah." FlameStar said. "Didn't Twilight said it'll take more than one semester to learn everything about friendship?"
"She did." Starlight answered. "So when she wrote to me, she said you only wanted to learn a good chunk of friendship."
"Well... I'm not sure how that's gonna work..." FlameStar groaned.
Just when FlameStar was about to give up, his cutie mark started to glow.
"Woah... I know what this means!" Sunburst said excitedly.
"What what?" FlameStar asked confused. "What does it mean?"
A depiction of FlameStar's cutie mark descended onto the map. His cutie mark began to circle the Crystal Mountains.
"Wait..." FlameStar said. "If we're in Ponyville, then why is my cutie mark circling the Crystal Mountains?"
"Because you're going to the Crystal Empire to solve a friendship problem!" Starlight said gleefully. "This is a perfect opportunity to help you learn about friendship!"
"Rainbow Dash told me about friendship quests!" FlameStar exclaimed. "I never thought I'd go on one!"
"Well here's your chance, FlameStar" Sunburst said.
"The Crystal Mountains." FlameStar thought. "Maybe this quest can address my fear..."
Last time, our hero, FlameStar came to Canterlot and met Princess Twilight Sparkle. She took him to Ponyville where he wanted to go. There he met the Defenders of Equestria and befriended them. That evening, he had a nightmare about ponies fearing him and his mark. Just before FlameStar was gonna be affected, Luna, the former ruler of the night appeared and comforted him. She told him how to address his fear: by making more friends. FlameStar decides to learn all there is to know about friendship. He then decided to meet Twilight the next day and In that same day, he meets Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer, the Vice Headstallion and Headmare of the School of Friendship. Seeing there was no way for FlameStar to learn friendship before the Festival, The Cutie Map calls him on a friendship quest to the Crystal Mountains. What's next for our fine young unicorn?
As FlameStar arrived at the Crystal Empire, he couldn't help but think about his encounter with Luna.
"I don't understand." FlameStar sighed. "I thought I moved on from that...." FlameStar just sighed again feeling pretty down and low. He walked around trying to find a friendship problem. "So... Starlight told me that the problem will come to me." FlameStar remarked. He then looked at the castle up ahead. "So maybe I should visit the castle but I'll be doing it on purpose rather than accident..." he chuckled mischievously.
About a few minutes later, he finds his way to the castle. The guards stop him from moving any further.
"HALT!" one guard yelled.
"Why are you trying to enter the Crystal Castle?" the other guard asked.
"I'm here on an official friendship quest." FlameStar responded. "The map called me to The Crystal Empire."
"Its ok sirs." a pink alicorn assured.
The guards nodded. "Very well then. Entrance be granted."
"Thank you" FlameStar said.
"My Crystaller, Sunburst told me to be on the lookout for a red unicorn from Ponyville." she explained. "I'm Princess Cadence."
"I'm FlameStar, your majesty"
"Nice to meet you FlameStar. Come up inside. I'd like you to meet the rest of the rulers." She then teleported away. FlameStar followed suit.
FlameStar and Cadence reappeared in the castle throne room where a unicorn was waiting.
"I'm guessing you found the pony?" The unicorn asked.
"I'm guessing you're her... husband?" FlameStar said unsure.
"Shining Armor." He said. "I rule alongside Cadence and peace was upheld for a long time."
"I see."
"We have a daughter who is training to be our successor one day."
"I would like to meet her."
FlameStar went with Cadence and Shining Armor to Flurry's room
"So if I fire that one and make dad do twice the work--" the pony hears a knock on her door. "EHH...Come in!" FlameStar and the others arrive. "Oh... hey mom hey dad. Who is he?" th pony asked.
"This is FlameStar. He was sent here by your aunt." Cadence answered.
"Is there any problems between your friends?" FlameStar asked.
"Not that I can recall."
"Well... Starlight did say the problem will come to me."
"Sorry, little pony."
Not too long later, FlameStar wandered through the castle wondering about his problem.
"I don't understand... why would the map call me? And what problem do I need to solve?" Before he cogo deeper into his thoughts, he heard a smoke alarm!"
"Help! Somepony!!"
"Somepony's in trouble!" FlameStar rushed to where the smoke came from. The smoke came from the kitchen and someone forgot to take out some lasagna.
"You need to leave now!" One chef pony said. FlameStar studied the fire.
"... No." FlameStar said before walking toward the blaze. The chef pony tried to stop FlameStar.
"You don't understand, Kid! That could burn the castle down!"
"Unhand my hoof, sir. I'll take care of this." FlameStar said. He then closed his eyes and his cutie mark animated itself burning.
"Obey me, Fire..." FlameStar chanted. "Obey and go out." In seconds, the fire vanished.
"How did you do it?!"
"Shh..." FlameStar remarked. His cutie mark stopped animating. "You saw nothing here... what happened?"
"Danny forgot to close the oven... AGAIN. That's the 3rd time this week"
"Does it bother you that your friend does that?"
"Yes!" The chef said. FlameStar was happy.
"My Friendship Problem!" FlameStar exclaimed. "You can count on me!"
About a few hours later, the 2 cooks made amends and FlameStar's cutie mark glowed again.
"Mission accomplished. That was a bit too easy though..." FlameStar pondered. "My first Friendship Adventure was so very easy that I feel like I was set up..." This assaulted FlameStar on his way back to Canterlot.
FlameStar arrived at Canterlot Castle where the Council of Friendship was meeting.
"FlameStar! Welcome back!" Twilight greeted.
"Heya." FlameStar responded. "Sorry it took so long I was--"
"In the Crystal Empire because you were called by the map, couldn't find the problem, stopped a raging inferno, resolved the problem and came back here thinking it was too easy?!" Pinkie said.
"Pinkie, I don't think that's what happened." Applejack replied.
"Nope. She's spot on." FlameStar answered. He then turned to Pinkie. "How'd you know though?"
"Just a hunch."
"Well, I'm glad to see your first friendship problem was a success." Twilight said.
"Isn't the map connected to some power source?" FlameStar asked.
"The Tree of Harmony." Twilight answered. "The map is connected to the tree and it chooses the problems." Just then a sparkly version of Twilight appeared.
"It is true" the sparkly Twilight said.
"Is this some kind of joke?" FlameStar asked.
"If it is, it's a lame one." Pinkie said.
"Rest assured. It is no joke. I am the Tree of Harmony."
"That is so AWESOME!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Listen FlameStar. One day, you will have to carry out a big task for Equestria. One that could change everything." The Tree explained. "That's why I sent you on that quest. To help you harness the power of your cutie mark."
"Twilight did say something about your cutie mark, FlameStar." Fluttershy remarked. "You had a nightmare about it and Luna gave you counseling and that got you interested in friendship."
"Yeah... so... Why would you send me on that quest then, Tree of Harmony?"
"You must face your fear of your mark."
"Fear? What fear?" Twilight asked.
"I... I don't wanna talk about it! Yeesh." FlameStar said.
"Face your fear, FlameStar!" The tree bellowed. "FACE IT!" not to long after, the Tree of harmony Twilight dissapeared.
"FlameStar? What's going on..?" Twilight asked. FlameStar was worried.
