The Worth of a SmileView OnlineTo Turn on a LightThe Worth of a SmilePinkie Pie smiled. It was fake. "Alright Everypony! Who's ready to play some PARTY GAMES?!" She reached over and grabbed some tails for pin the tail on the pony. Her audience stirred a little. A few ponies glanced up. Pinkie sighed. well who can blame them? she thought, after what they've seen...what I've seen. She blinked. The memories were clear in her mind. Battle. War. Death. She shook her head. These ponies don't need to be reminded of that, they get enough of that on the battlefield. She glanced at her cutie mark. 3 balloons. A party pony. She remembered a time when she could have enjoyed it. Not having to force her smiles and fake her cheers of delight. The thought made her want to cry. She blinked back tears and reapplied her smile. "Well okay," She grinned, "I'm going to be over here playing pin the tail on the pony and nopony's going to get to enjoy it with me." She trotted over to the tailless pony poster. "What's the point?" an unfamiliar brown stallion asked."How can you smile like that? This isn't a game. This is WAR." a few other ponies in the bar nodded their agreement. Pinkie recognized them. Who is this pony? "What's your name soldier?" She squealed with a false delight. "Sandwich" he replied, "Cheese Sandwich." "Well Cheese," She thought for a moment. "I don't know about you, but if I woke up every morning not knowing whether or not I would go to sleep the next night, I think I would try to be cheery all the time so that if I DO die, I'll die happy!" He scoffed. But Pinkie looked a little closer and could see. It was small, but, was that a smile? "SoooOOOOoooo! are you going to pin this tail or what!? Cheese sighed as he stood up, abandoning his drink. "Got nothing better to do." Pinkie grinned. Nopony had ever joined one of the party games before! She tried to get them to every night, but they all but seemed to have given up. What's the point if you might just die the next day anyway? "Anypony else wanna join?!" Reluctantly but miraculously, a few other ponies got up too. One or two of them were also smiling. Smiling awkwardly, as if they hadn't smiled in a long time and the feeling was foreign to them, but smiling nonetheless. Pinkie smiled. It wasn't fake. She had almost forgotten why she became a party pony in the first place. She remembered now as she watched the blindfolded ponies sheepishly giggle as they spun. A smile is worth more than any battle victory.
A Fair Few Bits.View OnlineTo Turn on a LightA Fair Few Bits.AppleJack bucked. It was apathetic. She watched as the apples thumped into the barrel. She sighed as she reached up with her arm to readjust her hairnet. She'd never gotten used to wearing the things. Applejack walked over and put the apple barrel into the cart. She sighed again as she hitched it to herself and started walking towards the barn. "Big Mac!" she shouted as she walked in, "I've got the apples! you got the- oh." she rounded a corner. Big mac was there with a dozen ready barrels of canned apples." "Eeyup" he replied with satisfaction. "oh," how does he always do that, so... optomistic all the time. Especially after applebloom... "well uh, they're outside." They walked out and slowly moved the fresh apples off the cart and into the canning room, and the canned apples outside and into the cart. She got hitched up again and ready for her journey. "Be careful." he said. Applejack got the message, the journey would only take the afternoon but in this broken kingdom, it could still be dangerous. She set off. AppleJack arrived at the marketplace, or the sorry excuse for a marketplace, of Dodge City a few hours later. She made her way over to where she usually sold her apples and a blue stallion with a tremendous under-bight stepped out of the shadows. "Who are you?" She inquired. "Where are the usual guys?" "They hired me. Also said a pony would be around soon to sell me some canned apples. That you?" He sounded excited. And he was... smiling? Dun' know how anypony can smile nowadays. There was a time when AppleJack could get excited and smile. She couldn't remember it very well. "Yah, that's me. Got a dozen barrels ready to be shipped out. I'll give 1 a barrel for the usual price of 50 bits." AppleJack could tell by the look on his face that he didn't like the price. She rolled her eyes and sighed. He's gonna try an' haggle. "50 bits? Come on ma'am. This is going to soldiers that are risking their lives... for the good of our kingdom. Can't you lower the price a little?" Ah knew it. "Sir," She leaned forward a little "umm what's yer name?" "Silver Shill" "Silver Shill," she leaned back, "this price has been lowered severely as it is. Ah know you can afford it cuz Ah've sold mah apples here countless times before, If Ah go any lower, I won't be able to afford teh can any more. Which Ah need teh can more fer, as you said, the good of the kingdom." She looked him in the eye. He seemed annoyed, but eventually agreed. They made the transaction and AppleJack prepared to leave. But stopped. "Silver?" He looked up from the barrel he was looking through."What?" "Don't sell that for twice the price yeh bought it." He looked ready to object. "Don' bother, Ah know you ponies do it. Tha's how yeh can always afford all mah barrels an' never seem to have a slow week. Don' sell em fer more money than you need, The ponies on the front need as many resources as possible. Cheat'n em could lose us the war." He looked frustrated, but reluctantly agreed. AppleJack smiled. Then started on her way AppleJack Bucked. It had passion. He probably won't even do what yah said, but at least he heard it, and maybe he'll think about it, She thought. She had forgotten how she earned the 3 appled cutie mark that she did, but she remembered now. A fair trade is much better than a few extra bits.
Not to Sound DullView OnlineTo Turn on a LightNot to Sound DullRarity Sewed. It was dull. The soldiers uniforms stacked up behind her ready to be worn. But that's just the thing about uniforms, Rarity thought as she absentmindedly moved her hooves, they're so... uniform. She sighed as she held up the finished uniform and snipped the loose threads. She used her magic to levitate it as she turned around to add it to the pile. She stopped, uniform floating beside her. Standing in the doorway a few feet from her was a tan earth pony with a blue mane. "The delivery isn't due, and it's hardly going to be ready, until next week," Rarity said as she folded and placed the finished uniform on the pile with her magic. She started preparing the next uniform. "What delivery?" The pony asked. "You mean your not the delivery pony?" Rarity looked up from her work. She was hardly used to getting visitors aside from the bumbling gray pegasus courier who always came to take her uniforms away to the soldiers. She had just assumed this visitor was a new mailpony. It wouldn't be the first time somepony had come on the wrong date. "I came looking for a job." The pony looked sheepish. "I can sew, and I really wanna help with the war effort." "A job?" The last thing I need is some random pony getting in my way. Rarity thought. "I really don't have time to train any new employees, and I barely have enough money to provide for myself, let alone pay somepony else." "Oh," the pony looked disappointed, "That's fine, I'll just be going then." She started to walk away. Rarity bit her lip. I really am starting to fall a little behind on this order though, and it would be nice to have some company in this dull place. She thought. "Wait." Rarity called out, "What's your name?" The pony stopped and turned around. "Coco Pommel" the pony replied. "Well Coco Pommel, there's an extra sewing machine in the back if you want to help me with this order." Rarity said. Coco smiled, then ran to the back to get the machine. She returned with it on her back and set it up as Rarity watched. Rarity then gave some quick instructions until Coco new what she was doing and they both went to work. Rarity sewed. It was pleasant. She glanced down at her 3 gem cutie mark, and though she couldn't very well put gems into soldiers uniforms, she still felt that it meant something to her. Helping somepony learn shines much brighter than being alone.
Friend or FoeView OnlineTo Turn on a LightFriend or FoeRainbow Dash flew. It was pointless. "Chaaaarrrge!!!" She shouted as she led her troops into battle. Many of them wouldn't return. Why even bother? she thought. We're losing this war. Why not surrender? At least we won't die that way... And yet her soldiers charged forward. And she led them. Her mechanical wing beating ferociously in time with her flesh one. They met ranks with the crystal army. Rainbow threw punches and kicks. Not even thinking, just doing. Ponies fell around her. She could see them. Falling. Dying. And then she saw him. He was rising into the air on black crystal pillars. Sombra. The reason for all the suffering. And Death. The hatred Rainbow Dash felt in that moment was unwavering. If she could just get to him. No. If she could just Kill him. She took off towards him. Other pegasi tried to get to him, but he just kept knocking them away. She didn't seem to notice. All she could think was how much she hated this stallion. She got closer... almost... "Spitfire!!" Huh? Rainbow Dash stopped in midair and turned around. There, on the ground. She saw two of her best fighters, an injured Soarin running through the battle to a helpless spitfire. One of the crystal slaves towering above her. Rainbow turned around. Some of her initial hatred had depleted. Soldiers upon soldiers kept trying to get to Sombra. He knocked them away easily as if swatting flies. If she had kept going, she probably would have gotten herself killed. She made her decision in an instant and charged towards Spitfire. She lifted her off of the ground. Most ponies would have killed the crystal pony that was about to kill her, but Rainbow tried to avoid killing when she could. These ponies were slaves after all. They landed a safe distance away from the battle. "You Saved me" Spitfire said "But why? You could have killed Sombra" "Soldier" Rainbow Dash Replied "If I had kept going forward, Sombra likely would have killed me." Spitfire nodded. She seemed intimidated. Rainbow used to look up to this pony. They both took off into the battle again. Rainbow Dash flew. It had purpose. She often forgot why she had the rainbow lightning bolt cutie mark that she did, but in that moment, she remembered with clarity. Flying to save an ally is much better than flying to kill a foe.