My Little Pony - The Legend of Friendship

It was closing time for the Iron Hammer and both Star Twinkle and Steel Hammer were preparing to end their work for today.

Star Twinkle was pulling a cart full of tools, iron, wood and other heavy stuff which were clearly too heavy for him since it was hard for him to breath and his whole body was shaking in the process.

“You sure you can handle this?” Steel Hammer asked in concern.

“Yeah, no problem” Which was obviously not true.

"I mean it is no problem for me to stop my work for a second to help you”

"No! I'm all good. No need for that!” He insisted.

"If you say so...” He said with a disbelieving look on his face.

Eventually, Star Twinkle managed to pull the cart inside the workshop.

Letting out a huge breath of relief, his tiredness went away and turned into happiness and confidence after this painful exhausting experience.

"See? Told you I can do it!” He said proudly.

But looking at a shaking and exhausted Star Twinkle didn't seem to impress Steel Hammer.

"Then let's get the second cart in too.”

"Second cart?” He asked in confusion as if he misheard something.

Steel Hammer pointed whit his hoof at another cart outside of the workshop.

The content of the cart was the same as the last ones but for Star Twinkle, it looked like even heavier making his happiness completely disappear as he could only let out a huge sigh of frustration.

It was a quiet day in Ponyville, so Star Twinkle decided to spend some time with his friends after work.

He met Twilight and Pinkie Pie, who had a conversation, even though Pinkie was doing most of the talking.

Shortly after joining them, he noticed how the ground was shaking, wondering what it caused he looked around to find it out.

Rainbow Dash who noticed the shaking too, took a quick look in the distance.

She noticed how something got closer to Ponyville and the next thing she said was:

“STAMPEDE!”

Panic spread really quick, everypony hid in their houses to save themselves from the stampede.

Star Twinkle asked Rainbow Dash, what exactly was going on.

“There's a whole bunch of cows running in this direction!” She said

“Cows? Well then let's get out of here too” He proposed to Twilight and Pinkie Pie.

But all he saw, was Pinkie Pie who had way to much fun with the shaking ground.

“Hey! This makes my voice sound silly!” talking in a vibrating tone caused from the shaking.

“Pinkie Pie, are you crazy? Run!” Said Twilight, while also running away.

“We better get out too”

Star Twinkle grabbed Pinkie Pie and tried to drag her to safety, but then Rainbow Dash prompted everypony to take a look in the distance.

It was Applejack.

Everypony watched in relief how Applejack took care of the situation all on her own.

She managed to draw them away from Ponyville, saving the whole town from potential damage.

After the cows were “tamed” again, Applejack ran off in the distance, like it was just some normal routine for her.

Impressed by Applejack's heroic action everypony cheered for her before she walked out of sight.

One week has passed since then.

To thank Applejack for saving Ponyville everypony decided to throw a party in her honor.

Everypony helped to decorate Ponyville for the party, ranging from colorful ribbons to balloons, confetti and much more.

Everything was set and the only thing missing was the pony this party was dedicated to.

Even though Star Twinkle was not a fan of parties, he liked to help with the decoration since it was for Applejack, for who he was thankful as well.

He didn't mind as long as it is for somepony else.

Star Twinkle approached Twilight and Rarity who lifted a banner with an apple on it to the front of the town hall.

“Are we ready now?” He asked Twilight.

“I don't know, are we?” She asked Rarity

“Yes everything is ready” She proudly said.

“Then we just have to wait for Applejack,” Twilight said.

Everypony was now waiting in front of the town hall.

Twilight tried to give a speech in honor of Applejack but was constantly interrupted by somepony

and eventually gave up and let the mayor speak.

Twilight joined her friends who stood in the crowd listening to what the mayor said.

“I was preparing for this speech the whole day...” Twilight annoyingly said.

All the ponies who were interrupting Twilight mentioned that Applejack was going to help them in some way to the surprise of Star Twinkle, who knew that Applejack was a hard worker but he didn't realize how she even managed to help her friends after working the whole day on the farm.

“Applejack sure is somepony you can rely on, huh?” He said.

“Of course!” Pinkie said “She always helps out her friends when they need help. That's why everypony likes her”

“Yes...I guess she is,” He said, with a little smile on his face.

Pinkie noticed his smile and smiled right back at him.

“You should do that more often,” She said.

Confused by that sentence, Star Twinkle asked what she meant.

“Smiling of course,” She said, presenting him a smile as if she wanted to show how it is done.

“She's right,” Rarity said. ”You have a lovely smile and should show it more often.

Don't get me wrong but most of the time you look a little gloomy” She said, trying to make it sound a little more subtle.

Star Twinkle kinda knew what she meant.

He doesn't smile nearly as often as his friends even after he became friends with them.

He was wondering why. It's not because he was sad or because he lacked some sense of humor.

Before he realized, he found himself again in his own world of thoughts, ignoring his surroundings completely but he snapped out after realizing that his friends gave him some concerned looks.

“I think the mayor is finished now!” Trying to change the subject, he looked up to listen to the mayor.

“And so, with no further ado, it is my privilege to give the prize, Pony of Ponyville Award, to our beloved guest of honor, a pony of the utmost trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity. Ponyville's most capable and dependable friend: Applejack”

Everypony cheered to welcome Applejack, expecting her to be behind the curtain that the mayor opened, only to find out that she was nowhere to be found, leaving confusion in the crowd.

After a short awkward pause, Applejack did show up, working her way trough the crowd of ponies she approached the mayor to accept her award, which was a huge gold trophy.

It was quite obvious that Applejack was a little different than usual.

She had problems keeping her eyes open and she seemed to be a little disorientated.

Twilight tried to give her proper thanks in the name of Ponyville but Applejack stood just there barely listening to her and even fell asleep for a few seconds.

It was a pretty awkward situation and Applejack just left dragging the trophy behind her.

“Did anypony else think we overdid it with the decoration?” Star Twinkle said hinting at Applejack's rather short visit.

After Applejack left, everypony removed the decoration.

While Star Twinkle removed some ribbons strapped to a tree Twilight approached him asking him if he noticed Applejack's strange behavior.

It was quite obvious to him like it was for everypony else.

“Yes, you think she is alright?” Twilight asked in concern.

“I don't know,” He said calmly while in his head he was more likely thinking: it's not my problem but he couldn't just say that out loud in front of Twilight.

Applejack is a strong and independent pony, so she will probably be okay is what he thought.

Twilight was a little disappointed.

She wanted to hear things like: “Yes I am worried too” or “Yea we should help her”.

But Star Twinkle continued to remove the decoration almost like Twilight wasn't even there.

Twilight's determination to ask Applejack didn't seem to have changed so she decided to help her.

“We better go to Applejack and ask her what's wrong,” She said.

Star Twinkle thought he misheard something judging from his confused facial expression.

“We?” He said confused.

“Yes let's go,” she said, completely oblivious to Star Twinkles reaction.

“But I am not done here yet”

“I am pretty sure you can still do that later”

Twilight used her magic to drag Star Twinkle on his little tail behind her, much to his disapproval until he decided to follow her on his own.

They both made their way to the farm of Sweet Apple Acres , where Applejack usually did her apple bucking. Star Twinkle, as usual, felt kinda out of place.

He never liked being dragged into other ponies problems.

“There she is,” Twilight said while pointing at Applejack who seem to have problems kicking the apple trees.

“What on earth is that pony doing?” Twilight said.

Twilight tried to get her attention but Applejack felt asleep on the spot again.

But Twilight was persistent to wake her up and ask her why she behaves like this.

Applejack explained that it is Applebuck season, which is basically harvesting time on Sweet Apple acres, where they collect all apples from the trees to sell them.

Big Macintosh Applejack's big brother was injured so it was up to Applejack to gather all the apples on her own.

Twilight asked her if she wanted some help, but Applejack refused to say that she can handle it on her own and doesn't need anypony to help her.

She said she could to do it alone and Twilight saying that she couldn't do it only made her even more confident.

After an effortless talk, Applejack returned to her apple bucking while Twilight and Star Twinkle left the farm.

“So now we know why she was so tired,” Star Twinkle said.

“I can't believe that she is so stubborn. Why can't she just accept our help?

It would be much easier for her,” she explained.

Star Twinkle was listening to Twilight's words but he couldn't understand why she had the urge to help her that badly.

“She says she wanted to do it alone so just let her,” he said.

Twilight gave Star Twinkle a mean look.

She couldn't understand why Star Twinkle thought that things are okay as they were right now.

“If she continues to work alone, then she maybe hurt herself or even worse.”

“But we can't just force her to accept our help,” he said.

“We are Applejack's friends. And friends should support each other,” she insisted.

“She would ask us if she wanted help,” at least that's what HE would do if he wanted help.

Twilight continued to give him a mean look, eventually getting a little angry at his words.

“What is wrong with you Star Twinkle?”

“What?” He asked in surprise.

“Back then when we faced Nightmare Moon you didn't hesitate to help us but now it's like you don't even care”

He didn't give an answer to that although there were numerous things that Star Twinkle could say at this point, for example, he did hesitate and he wasn't even sure why he helped them in the first place.

And it was true that he didn't care about Applejack's problem because he thinks that things are gonna be okay.

Twilight makes him look like he is the one who is in the wrong all this time.

But from Star Twinkles point of view, she is the one who should tone it down a little.

“You said that we are Applejack's friends and Applejack thinks of us as friends too, so if she doesn't want to bother us asking for help then so be it”

That sentence confused Twilight because she just realized that Star Twinkle didn't even understand the problem.

“It's not because she doesn't want to bother us its because she is too stubborn to accept help, she thinks she has to prove something”

“Whatever,” he said in an uncaring way, making Twilight even angrier.

“Ugh! There is no point talking with you! I am going home now”

Twilight's patience was at its limit so she left.

Seeing that she could not convince Star Twinkle to see the problem.

She gave him a disappointing look as she walked away from him but he didn't seem to notice because he already walked away.

After helping to remove the rest of the decoration for Applejack's “Party” Star Twinkle decided to go home as well.

He laid on his bed lost in thoughts as always, thinking about Twilight's words.

“If Applejack thinks of us as friends, then she would ask us for help but she doesn't so she doesn't want to bother us with that...right?” He asked to himself.

“She didn't hesitate to help us with the stampede, so she won't hesitate to ask us if she needs help...right?” He repeated to himself in various ways, believing that it was true.

He closed his eyes while thinking about the situation over and over again until he eventually fell asleep.

He always feels tired after discussions like this.

He had a strange dream.

There were no images, there was only a voice that he didn't recognize.

But for some reason, it also felt familiar.

“I don't need help....

I can do this on my own...

I don't want...

Yes, that's exactly why...

Because...”

Suddenly a familiar shaking woke him up from his dream.

He panicked for a second due to the surprise until he heard something from outside.

“STAMPEDE!”

It was Rainbow Dash who alerted everypony once again from an upcoming stampede.

Star Twinkle was surprised to hear this word again and looked out of his window.

“Cows again? Or something worse? Like..like...........?” But he got his answer by looking down on the ground.

“Bunnies?” Surprised by the sight of a bunch of bunnies running trough the town Star Twinkles fear quickly vanished.

After the “Stampede” Star Twinkle was walking around in town to ask how exactly it came to this.

He asked Fluttershy, who was trying to calm down the bunnies.

She said that Applejack tried to help her with the bunnies but things seemed to have escalated a little.

He also talked to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash who asked her for help earlier this day. They all seem to have encountered some problems as well.

“I better go to Applejack to ask her about all that.”

Star Twinkle went to Sweet Apple Acres to look for Applejack, expecting to see her doing some apple bucking again.

But to his surprise, he found her unconscious next to Twilight and a red stallion with an orange mane.

The stallion was Applejack's big brother Big Macintosh. Star Twinkle did meet him on one or two occasions when he was doing some work on the farm.

He didn't talk much and Star Twinkle wasn't bothered by that but it made it hard to judge his character.

He thought Big Macintosh was okay, though.

But the pony he didn't want to see right now, because of their last conversation was Twilight, who still had a mean look on her face when looking at Star Twinkle.

“What are you doing here?” She said while almost sounding bored to talk with Star Twinkle.

“And now I regret coming here” He mumbled to himself, so nopony could hear it.

Twilight looked at Applejack in concern who was still unconscious.

“See? If we had helped her none of this would have happened” She explained.

“Oh, so you knew that there would be a mass poisoning and bunny stampede as a result” He jokingly said but Twilight wasn't really in the mood for jokes at the moment.

“Look at that,” She said while pointing to a huge field of apple trees.

“She passed out after seeing how much work there is left” She explained.

Star Twinkle was more than surprised to see THAT many apple trees left after Applejack's hard work.

“Do you still think she should do it on her own?” Twilight asked.

“...No” He said accepting that Twilight was right.

“But I still think that she should ask us if she needs help or at least not refuse our help.

I don't know why she doesn't want to accept our help but if she is our friend then she should at least let us help her. I don't feel comfortable helping somepony who doesn't want my help,” he explained

Twilight kinda understood what he was getting at, even though she didn't approve of it.

But she didn't want to argue with him anymore so she gave him an understanding look.

Meanwhile, Applejack woke up, so Twilight rushed to her side to confirm that she was alright.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, hi Twitwinkle and Starsparkle”

“Wow she is really messed up,” he said, resulting Twilight to give him a mean look once again.

“Sorry,” he said noticing that it was inappropriate.

“Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family ways. You're always there to help anypony in need, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you.” Twilight said

“Yes but we can't help anypony who doesn't want our help, so let us please help if not for your sake, then at least for ours,” Star Twinkle said.

Applejack looked at how many apple trees there were left and realized that it was too much, so she swallowed her pride and accepted their help.

Twilight and Star Twinkle let out a sigh of relief and both lent a hoof to Applejack, helping her up.

Star Twinkle, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy all ended up helping Applejack with the apple trees and work was almost done at the end of the day.

Applejack prepared some drinks for her friends, so they stopped work and all gathered around her.

“How about y'all take a little break? I got some fine apple juice waitin' for ya!”

“Uh! Apple juice!” Pinkie excitingly said.

Applejack realized that she was acting a bit stubborn and thanked her friends for their help.

While they all drank a little apple juice spike offered them some rather unhealthy looking muffins.

They all were disgusted even by the look of them.

Star Twinkle came to the conclusion that those may be the muffins Applejack helped to make, so he didn't even thought one second to taste one of them.

Eventually, the work was done at the end of the day and they all went home.

Star Twinkle was exhausted but he also felt good for helping Applejack.

But he didn't know if it was because he liked to help out his friend or if it was because he felt like repaying Applejack for saving the town from the stampede.

At that night, he once again had that strange dream.

Once again there were no pictures, there was only a voice that he didn't recognize.

“I don't need help....

I can do this on my own...

I don't want you to get involved with this...

Yes, that's exactly why...

Because were friends...”

But Star Twinkle slept quietly through the night without interruptions and without waking up from this dream.

He was thinking about this dream on the next day but didn't know what to make out of it.

It was later this day and he almost finished his work at the Iron Hammer.

Once again he had to pull a cart full of tools, iron and wood inside of the workshop.

He was struggling because it was heavy as usual and Steel Hammer noticed that...as usual but he didn't say anything, knowing that Star Twinkle would give him the usual answer.

But then he heard something that completely surprised him.

“You know...that cart sure is heavy” Star Twinkle indirectly implied.

“Yes, so?” Steel Hammer said not knowing what Star Twinkle was getting at.

“I mean...it would go along much easier if somepony would help me...you know?” He said still trying to be a little subtle about it.

Steel Hammer was slowly getting what Star Twinkle tried to say, even though he was surprised to hear it from HIM.

But he didn't say anything and helped him without hesitation even smiling at him like he wanted to say: I am proud of you.

Star Twinkle didn't know how to react to this and just continued to on the cart, which was now much easier to pull.

Star Twinkle continued his work while thinking about the events from yesterday.

He felt that the dream he had last night was somehow connected to the situation.

But why? He thought.

“If somepony is offering you his help , then it's not because they think you can't do it on your own?” He mumbled to himself.

“Or do they want to help you because they want to make it easier for you?”

He didn't want to think too much about it but that was easier than he thought.

While he still thought about all this, he eventually stopped at the end of the day and didn't worry about it too much.

Since thinking about all those things would just ruin his days in Ponyville

At least that's what he thought...