The small lake that rested just on the outskirts of Ponyville was, as per usual, an image of serene calm amidst the otherwise hectic life of the town. The still waters that glistened with the light of the sun overhead were always a pleasant sight, and as such it was no surprise that many would come here for a fun time during whatever day off they might have had. Such was the case today, as two of the students of the School of Friendship, Sandbar and Yona, were busying themselves with a friendly race against one another. Judging from the smiles they had upon their faces as they charged forward, they were clearly having a fun time doing this, and for a while it seemed as though there would be no clear winner, as both were neck-and-neck in this. But, towards the end, Sandbar just edged it out, crossing a crudely-drawn line in the sand at the end of their "race-track". After they'd both crossed it, the two youths laughed together, with Yona especially seeming pleased at having taken part.
"Racing fun! Let's do again!"
Chuckling, Sandbar was looking just a touch tired from his exertions, as his tone very much reflected.
"Maybe later. How about we just relax for a bit?"
Though a tiny bit disappointed, Yona nevertheless agreed to that, and so it was that the two of them started walking together along the shores of the beach, looking very much relaxed and at peace as they did so. However, while Yona seemed happy just having this slow little walk, she soon turned and saw that Sandbar was looking deep in thought over something. Not unhappy exactly, but it was obvious that something was on his mind, and Yona, being the curious type, couldn't help but ask about it.
"Friend Sandbar bothered by something?"
Looking to her, Sandbar quickly put on a smile.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just..."
His smile became a genuinely fond one.
"...I've got an old friend coming over to visit me next week. Comet Trail. We haven't seen each other since we were little colts, and...well...I'm looking forward to seeing him again."
Yona matched his smile, letting out a hearty laugh before responding.
"More friends is good! Hope you get happy with visit!"
Sandbar chuckled to that, nodding in agreement. But then, before either of them had a chance to say anything else to one another, they were interrupted by the sound of something zipping past them very quickly overhead. Looking up, they both saw that it was, naturally, one of their teachers. Rainbow Dash, who appeared to be right in the middle of one of her practice flying sessions, perhaps for the Wonderbolts. Yona was, naturally, amazed by this, while Sandbar, by contrast, was a little more thoughtful. As Yona watched her Professor do all sorts of flying manoeuvres, she then watched her zoom off at great speed, much to her delight.
Pony flying is great! Fast! Exciting! Fun!"
Sandbar nodded.
"Yeah...the pegasi are pretty great with that, aren't they?"
A small laugh escaped him, catching Yona's attention.
"Something funny?" she asked.
Sandbar shook his head.
"Oh, I was...I was just thinking of when me and Comet were colts together. Before he and his family moved to Canterlot, he'd always come to me with some kind of new magic trick he'd learned. His parents always encouraged him to try out his magic, and he always showed off to me to show what he could do."
A nostalgic look came to him.
"I was amazed by his magic. The way he made things float, the way he'd shoot rocks with some simple magical laser...it was all great stuff back then."
But then, his smile faltered. Not by much, but certainly enough to be noticed by Yona.
"Is...is friend Sandbar sad?"
Again, Sandbar shook his head.
"No, not sad exactly, but..."
Slowly, he looked around, as if worried somebody else might overhear them. And when he was certain there was nobody to hear, he sighed, taking a step forward.
"Look, Yona...sometimes...we earth ponies feel a bit...like we don't really do as much as the pegasi or unicorns."
Yona tilted her head, prompting Sandbar to continue explaining.
"It's just...unicorns can do all these amazing things with their magic. Make giant boulders float, teleport, turn one thing into another. And pegasi? Well, you just saw how impressive Professor Rainbow can be."
Yona nodded, but again, she kept quiet.
"And as for us? The earth ponies? What do we have compared to that?"
Thinking for a moment, Yona once more resumed her smile from earlier.
"Earth ponies good at growing things, remember? You all good farmers!"
Another sigh escaped Sandbar at that, and he gave a slow nod.
"Yeah, that's what we're all taught. Unicorns wield magic, pegasi aid the weather, and the earth ponies tend to the earth."
But then, a frown came to him.
"But tell me this. How many earth ponies around here do you know of who actually do farming?"
Yona blinked to that, then started to think on the question.
"Well...there's Applejack, and...um..."
Her confidence began to leave her as she thought harder on that.
"...Applejack's...family?"
Sandbar nodded.
"Exactly. We earth ponies are best at that, and yet most of us don't actually do that one thing. The rest of the time, we're just...just...ordinary."
Slowly, he sat down at the edge of the lake nearby, looking to its waters.
"Look...I'm happy being who I am...and I know I've had a good life that I'd never trade for anything, but...when I think of all the amazing things other types of ponies have been able to do, I just..."
He looked down to the ground.
"...I don't know."
Silence fell over the two youths, and Yona looked to her friend with clear surprise upon her face. After all, Sandbar was known as perhaps the most easy-going of all of their friends, so to see him this upset over something was quite a shock to her. How long had he felt this way? Like he was somehow lesser than other kinds of ponies? Did other earth ponies feel this way perhaps? All these questions and more worked their way through Yona's head, and she very much looked like she wanted to say something to cheer her colleague up. And so, slowly but surely, a smile crept onto her lips and she reached forward, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. This caught his attention, and as he looked to her, she began to speak in her usual cheery way.
“Fluttershy no need for flight when caring for animals, yes?”
Sandbar, a little taken aback by her sudden cheeriness, fumbled for a bit before replying.
“Um...I guess not?”
Yona nodded.
“Pinkie no need earth pony talents to make big party, yes?”
Sandbar nodded back.
“Sure.”
“And Rarity no need magic to make pretty dresses.”
Sandbar sighed.
“Okay...I see where you’re going with this.”
Yona’s smile widened.
“Friend Sandbar may think being earth pony is no good...but that not true! Ponies do great things no matter what kind they are! Same too for Yaks!”
She pounded her chest briefly, taking on a look of pride.
“We Yaks no fly like Dragons, and we no have magic like Hippogriffs or Changelings...but we strong and fierce! We no need those things to be happy with who we are! Never have done!”
She slapped her hoof down on Sandbar’s shoulder, which, unbeknownst to her, was so strong a gesture that it almost dislocated it. But Sandbar, while trying his best to hide the grimace from that pain, nevertheless put on a smile for her benefit as she carried on speaking to him.
“Sandbar special without wings or horn! Sandbar special because he is good pony! No need magic or flying to be good pony, or good friend”
Then, much to Sandbar’s slight horror, Yona embraced him, hugging him tightly and looking very much satisfied with her pep talk.
“Sandbar no feel sad! Sandbar can do amazing things too! So no need for sad, friend Sandbar!”
The young stallion, naturally, was simply having a hard time breathing right now, but, as Yona finally released him, giving him a chance to catch his breath, he looked to her. He saw the honesty and earnestness she had as she’d said all of that, and deep down, he knew she was right. Slowly, he gave her a more genuine smile than before, and in return for earlier, he gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Yona. I...I guess I just needed to hear that from a friend.”
Yona practically beamed at that.
“Friends help each other! Lift each other up!”
Then, as if to emphasise her point, she grabbed hold of him and, with her extraordinary Yak strength, lifted him over her head.
“See? Lifting friends up!”
Together, the two youths shared a laugh, and as Yona finally let Sandbar down again, he sighed, giving her a warm look.
“You know, Yona...I’m pretty happy you’re my friend.”
Yona was obviously happy to hear that, and gave a short nod to her friend’s words.
“Yona happy to have Sandbar as friend too! And me looking forward to seeing his friend, Comet!”
Sandbar’s own smile widened.
“Yeah...I can’t wait to introduce you all to him.”
He looked out to the lake, another nostalgic look coming to him.
“It’ll be good to have him back.”
