True Yak's Kiss

Chapters

Act I
Act II
Act III

Act I

"Gather around, listeners! Let me tell you all a very special story that is sure to tug at your heartstrings and bring tears to your eyes. Whether those tears will be those of joy or sadness. . . well. . . you'll find out in good time. . ."

"This is the story of a young creature who believed that in order to win the approval of another, she had to change what, and therefore, who she was. This is a belief that has been held by many a creature throughout time. However, no creature that held to this believe ever found happiness. Why? Because to hide or change one's own identity just to please someone else is foolishness, as that other creature clearly doesn't have the first creature's best interests at heart. At the same time, those who truly do care would be turned away by the sight of their friend twisting and corrupting their identity, and thus would their friendship die."

"This is the tale of a young creature who learned this lesson the hard way. . . It is a tale of love."

Once upon a time, there was a young yak named Yona who went to Princess Twilight Sparkle's School of Friendship. Her five best friends were- oh, you all already know all of the details, don't you? Well then, let's move on then.

One day, Princess Twilight announced that an old Ponyville tradition, the Fetlock Fete, was coming to the School of Friendship as the Amnity Ball. It would be a dance for creatures of all kinds. There would be a potluck dinner, as well as the Pony Pal Contest, where an award would be given to best dance couple in the ball.

Much to Yona's surprise, her friend Sandbar asked for her to be his pony pal for the ball. Yona wasn't sure that she could do this, seeing as she was a yak, not a pony. However, Sandbar insisted that they should be partners for the dance, and promised that they would have fun together.

And so, driven by a warm feeling in her heart, Yona decided that she would do whatever it took to be the best pony pal ever for Sandbar.

First, Yona went to Rarity so she could learn how to speak and dress like a pony.

Then, Yona went to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy to learn how to dance like a pony.

Last, Yona went to Pinkie Pie and Applejack to learn how to make food like a pony.

Unfortunately, Yona pretty much failed at every attempt. No matter how hard the yak tried, she simply could not become a good enough pony. And so, the young yak wandered off at the edge of the lake and stared sadly at her reflection. She was certain that she would let Sandbar down at the dance, and he would hate her for the rest of her life.

. . . A little melodramatic, but who's gonna fault her for it?

Yona sighed as she poked her reflection's nose with her right forehoof.

"Yona wishes that she were a good pony," she said sadly.

As her reflection was distorted by the ripples, it suddenly warped and twisted into the face of a certain handsome draconequus.

"Boo," he said.

Yona gasped and jumped backwards as Discord slowly rose out of the water, a grin on his face and his hands clasped behind his back.

"So, you wish you were a pony, do you?" Discord asked as he eyed the yak.

Yona stared up at Discord, then nodded, "Um, yes. Yona want to be good pony pal for Sandbar. . ." She then eyed Discord suspiciously and asked, "Why Discord interested? Why Discord spying on Yona?"

Discord quickly took off the pair of night vision goggles he was suddenly wearing and tossed them over his shoulder. "Spying? Me?" Discord said incredulously, "Why, what would ever give you such an idea! I was just going for a relaxing swim when I noticed a poor Yakyakistanian that was down on her luck. A poor Yakyakistanian that I am willing to help."

Discord teleported to Yona's side, wearing a trench coat, hat, and glasses as he whispered to her, "Don't worry, girl. I got you."

Yona fearfully stepped away from him and said loudly, "What Discord want from Yona? Is Discord going to send another monster after Yona like last time he was at School of Friendship?"

Discord's getup vanished and he shook his head and said, "Oh, no-no-no-no-no! Perish the thought, my dear Yona! Those days are over. Right now, I'm here to help you. You see, I can very easily make this The Best Night Ever for you and Sandbar."

"How Discord do that?" Yona asked.

"By turning you into a pony, of course," Discord replied as if it were obvious.

Yona's eyes widened, and she said, "Really?"

"Of course!" Discord said, and made a large mirror appear and held it in front of the yak.

Yona looked into the mirror, and to her amazement, looking back at her was a pony that vaguely resembled her.

"Just think of it," Discord said in her ear, "You'll look like a pony, talk like a pony, dance like a pony, and act like a pony. You'll be the perfect pony pal for Sandbar, and the two of you will win the Pony Pal Contest for sure!"

Yona shook Discord out of her ear, and he rolled onto the ground and promptly grew back to his normal size. He then snapped his fingers, and the mirror disappeared. Yona turned to look up at the smiling draconequus.

"Will Discord really do that for Yona?" she asked hopefully.

"I sure will!" Discord said with a smile, "But first, we have to discuss the subject of payment."

Yona's hopefully gaze fell slightly. "Oh. . . well, Yona doesn't-."

"I'm not asking much," Discord said as he leaned on a golden trident he was suddenly holding, "Just a token really, a trifle! What I want from you is. . ." Discord leaned in close to Yona and said with a wicked smile, ". . .Your voice."

Yona's eyes widened with alarm. "Yona's voice! But why-!"

Discord suddenly burst out laughing as the golden trident exploded into confetti. "Oh-hahahahaha! The look on your face! Priceless!" he said as he wiped a tear of mirth from his eye, "Of course I'm not gonna take away your voice! Hahahaha!"

Discord calmed down a bit and said, "But, seriously, I really don't need or want anything from you in return. Sure, the old Discord might have made you his personal court jester for all eternity or something . . ."

Discord reached out and seemingly pulled an invisible window shade up in the fabric of time and space, revealing a scene of another Discord dressed as a king and riding a unicycle after a Celestia and Luna who were dressed as clowns. He the pulled the shade back down and the bizarre scene disappeared.

". . . but, now I'm the new, improved, reformed Discord! Besides, I'm sure Fluttershy would want me to do this for free. That's how Kindness works, after all. So!"

Discord flicked his lion paw, and a scroll materialized in it, and he unrolled it. the scroll was long enough to reach from Discord's middle down to Yona's eyelevel. Discord then snapped the fingers of his eagle claw, and a pad of ink appeared next to the bottom of the scroll.

"All you have to do is put your legally binding hoofprint onto this contract, and as soon as you step through those doors and into the Amnity Ball. . . POOF! You will not only become a pony, but the perfect pony pal for dear old Sandbar! I'll even throw in a dress of Rarity's standards, a few accessories, a better understanding of Ponish, and lucky pot for that potluck dinner thing. So, do we have a deal?"

Yona stared at the scroll, her mind reeling from this opportunity granted to her. However, she was still conflicted. She truly neither liked nor fully trusted the Discord after everything he did when he showed up at the School of Friendship just to make things difficult for Starlight Glimmer, her favorite Guidance Counselor. But then she started to remember all of those failed attempts to act more like a pony. Yona recalled Rarity struggling to get her to speak properly, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy failing to keep Yona from tripping over her own hooves as Angel Bunny mocked her, and Pinkie Pie and Applejack struggling to get Yona to combined ingredients in other ways besides smashing them.

Then, Yona recalled Sandbar. She remembered how he had asked her to be his pony pal. She remembered how eager he was to get her to dance with him. She remembered that warm feeling she felt in her heart, and then she realized that it wasn't a memory. She was feeling it again, right then and there.

Yona smashed the ink pad with her right forehoof, and then she smacked the ink coated hoof right onto the space marked X on the contract.

Act II

The night of the Amity Ball had arrived, and the ballroom was already filling up with students excited for the night's festivities.

"Hello, everycreature!" said Spike into a microphone hooked up to the turntables he was stationed at. In addition to the suit he was wearing, he also wore a large, comical dragon head around his real one. "I'm your DJ, Scales-n-Tail, spinning your favorite tunes all night long! So welcome to the Fetlock Fet— I mean, the Amity Ball!"

The students all cheered in excitement, and they began socializing and talking about the dance, the potluck, and who may win the Pony Pal Contest.

Meanwhile, closer to the entrance, a group of five friends were waiting.

Gallus looked around a bit and remarked, "I'm just glad I'm here with you guys. Least I'm not the only non-pony in the crowd."

Sandbar, sporting a simple blue bowtie, smiled and said, "You're not still worried about that, are you? Like Headmare Twilight said, this is a dance for everycreature. There's no pony pressure."

Gallus, Ocellus, and Smolder chuckled at that.

Ocellus smiled and said, "You should've told Yona that."

Sandbar blinked and said, "Uh, what do you mean?"

Silverstream, who had immediately gone after the snacks, and held a plate of said snacks in her claws, said, "Didn't you hear? Our teachers have been helping her get ready for the dance! She's been taking lessons." She then ate a potato chip as she shot Sandbar a knowing look.

Smolder nodded and added, "She's gone full pony for the dance."

Gallus pulled Sandbar's bowtie and said with a smirk, "All for you."

The bowtie snapped back, staggering Sandbar slightly, and he asked, "For me? Why?"

Gallus pointed at the pony's attire and said, "The same reason why you're the only guy wearing a bowtie."

Sandbar looked down at his bowtie and said, "Well, I thought Yona would appreciate it."

"Oh, really?" Gallus said, still wearing a satisfied smirk.

Sandbar huffed and said, "What are you guys getting at, anyway?"

"You and Yona, that's what," Smolder said as she stood with her arms folded.

Silverstream chewed and swallowed, and then said happily, "You two look so cute together!"

Sandbar's eyes widened, and his cheeks immediately turned red. "Wha-what!?" he gasped.

Ocellus smiled sweetly at Sandbar and said, "You don't have to be embarrassed, Sandbar. Having a crush on somecreature nice is a good thing!"

Sandbar's legs were starting to tremble as he stammered out, "N-n-no! We're not. . . uh. . ."

Smolder eyed Sandbar suspiciously and asked, "What are you denying it for? You literally asked her out."

Sandbar pointed a forehoof and Smolder and said, "Oh yeah? Well, you asked Gallus out! So I guess that means you've got a crush on him!"

Much to Sandbar's dismay, Smolder was totally unfazed by this argument. "You were right there. Didn't you hear how I was all like, 'I've got nothing better to do.' It was more directed at all of you guys than to just Gallus. I just asked to see if he was gonna show up too."

"And for the record," Gallus cut in, "I'm more interested in the dinner."

"Me too!" Silverstream chimed in.

"Anyway," Smolder said loudly to regain command of the conversation, "The fact is that out of four eligible girls in the group, you picked Yona." Smolder then gaze Sandbar a sultry look and said, "Heh. I bet that right before you asked her, you had this nervous goofy smile on your face, right."

"Yeah. . . I mean no!" Sandbar corrected quickly, only to pause as he blinked his eyes owlishly, "Well. . . I. . ." Sandbar then let out a sigh and said, "I just. . . There's just something about Yona. Maybe it's how she's big and strong and loves to smash stuff, but is still the sweetest creature I've ever met."

A smile then crossed his lips as he continued, "And behind her Yakyakistain accent, she's really smart. Wise even. I mean, if it hadn't been for her, we'd have never been able to fix the Tree of Harmony. And-."

Sandbar paused for a moment, and his blush returned as he looked nervously away from his friends.

Silverstream landed next to the pony and said kindly, "We really are happy for you, Sandbar,"

Gallus nodded and said, "Sure thing. It's not like we'd do something stupid like make fun of you for liking Yona or something."

Smolder raised a claw and said, "But we might tease you about it if you take to long to just spit it out and let Yona know."

Sandbar could feel the support his friends were giving. He even had it in him to quietly chuckle at Smolder's remark. "Thanks, you guys," he finally said, "You know, I've kinda had feelings for Yona for a while. I guess it helped that Yona is more down to earth, like me. The feelings were small at first, but they were there."

"Oh, I know," Ocellus said nonchalantly.

Sandbar stared at her and asked, "You did?"

"I could smell it," Ocellus replied.

"Smell it?" Sandbar echoed.

"Changeling," Ocellus said with a deadpanned expression.

"Ohh," Sandbar said.

"Ahem," a voice suddenly said from behind Sandbar.

Sandbar turned around to see who it was, and he was greatly surprised by what, or rather, who he saw. It was a light-brown coated Earth Pony about his size. She had a dark-brown mane, which was braided and tied up on each side with silver bows, and tail, more simply held together by a scrunchie on the end. The young pony girl wore a large, flowing green dress with a dark-green in the middle adorned with a turquoise flower. The pony also wore a pair of pearl earrings and wore long fake eyelashes along with a lot of turquoise eyeshadow. On top of everything, her left foreleg was a bejeweled lucky pot.

"It is a very pleasurable night for this soiree, is it not, Sandbar?" the pony said as she enunciated every word.

Sandbar blinked at the strange pony and said, "Uh. . . yeah?"

The pony nodded and said, "Quite. Oh, I do hope I make a good pony pal for you."

Sandbar was caught of guard by this. "Hang on, what-?"

"I have been eagerly awaiting this dance since the moment it was announced. It is so marvelous that I can finally partake in this event," the pony said, an innocent eagerness working her way into her otherwise carefully measured tone, "Now, if you would give me a moment to drop off my lucky pot, we can partake in the challenge that is the Pony Pal Contest."

As the pony walked off towards the table where the lucky pots were placed, Sandbar turned towards his friends and asked, "Who the hay is she?"

"No clue," Gallus remarked.

Silverstream frowned and said, "Why is she trying to be your pony pal? Doesn't she know you're taken."

Sandbar shrugged and said, "I guess not. I don't know."

Ocellus sniffed, and then frowned he said, "Hmm. Well, she really wants to dance with you. Apparently."

"Yeah. . ." Sandbar said, a pensive look on his face.

"What's the problem!" Smolder said impatiently, "Just tell her that you're taken! End of story!"

Sandbar shook his head, clearly agitated by the situation, and said, "I can't do that! I mean, I just, ugh! I don't know, it's like something inside of me is telling me to dance with her!"

"WHAT!?" the group said in shock.

Sandbar quickly turned to check on the strange pony. To his relief, the pony was still trying to find a place on the crowed table to put her lucky pot.

Sandbar turned back to his friends and said, "Look, I can explain . . . . . . . no, I can't. Ugh! Look, when I looked at her, and I saw how excited she was for this dance. . . I don't know, something about her voice. The way she said how much she wanted to join in. I don't want to make anycreature sad or disappointed."

Gallus rolled his eyes and said, "In other words, you're way too nice for your own good."

"Yeah? Maybe? I don't know," Sandbar moaned, "Look, it's just something about that pony, okay."

"What about Yona?" Smolder asked, although it sounded more like a demand.

Sandbar looked around nervously, and he said, "Well, she isn't here yet. From what you guys told me earlier, she probably got nervous about not being pony enough and is doing some last minute practicing. I think I'll have one quick dance with that pony over there, then I'll explain to her that I'm waiting for a friend who agreed to be my pony pal earlier. That should satisfy her."

"Sandbar, are you crazy?" Smolder asked incredulously, "Listen to yourself! You're making a plan to dance with some other random girl while the girl you were supposed to dance with isn't around."

Sandbar stomped his hooves in frustration and shot back, "You think I don't realize that? You think I don't feel wrong inside about doing this? I have no idea what's wrong with me! I wanted to dance with Yona, and I still want to dance with Yona. If anycreature else came up to me, I'd tell them that! But when I looked at that pony I got a whole bunch of weird, mixed up signals. She just looks so weirdly familiar and different at the same time and-."

"Oh, dearest Sandbar! Are you ready for our dance?"

Sandbar turned around to see the pony approaching him. Sandbar could hear the sound of Smolder driving her fist into the opposite palm behind him, and he swallowed the lump in his throat and replied to the young pony.

"Er, yeah. Sure am. Just one dance," Sandbar said with a forced looking smile.

Yona couldn't be more happy with the results of her deal with Discord. Just as the draconequus had said, the moment she stepped into the ball room, she had been transformed into a pony; complete with proper enunciation, a gorgeous dress, fine accessories, and a beautiful lucky pot. Which is why she couldn't fathom why Sandbar didn't seem all that happy with her. Hearing him mention that he wanted 'just one dance' confused Yona even more. Stranger still, she could've sworn that the rest of her friends were giving her some very odd looks. Smolder actually looked a bit angry for some reason.

Yona was about to ask Sandbar what was the matter when the sound of microphone feedback ended any conversation they were about to have.

"Welcome, everycreature, to our school's first annual Amity Ball!" Twilight said on the microphone, "For those of you who've never attended a Fetlock Fete, we can't wait to show you some of our fun traditions on this special night!"

After everyone cheered, Twilight turned to the purple dragon and said, "So, Spike-."

"Uh, Scales-n-Tail?"

"Uh, right. Scales-n-Tail. Let's get this party started!"

Spike gave an eager smile as he announced, "Oh, yeah, party ponies! It's time to raise the roof and stomp your hoof for the traditional first dance of the night, the Pony Cotillion!"

As classical music began to play, Yona said eagerly, "Ah yes. I know this one very well, indeed."

"Oh, really?" Sandbar remarked awkwardly.

"Indeed! Green, black, then step back. Shall we?" she said as she presented a forehoof to Sandbar.

Sandbar took the light brown hoof, and the pair made their way onto the dance floor as their friends watched from afar.

Smolder scowled at the young pony girl and said, "I don't trust her."

Gallus nodded and said, "Yeah. . . there's something fishy about her."

Silverstream gasped and said, "You mean you think she's a hippogriff?! I thought I was the only one at this school?!"

Ocellus shook her head and said, "No, it's an expression. Like, 'there's other fish in the sea.'"

Silverstream tilted her head in confusion and said, "But that's just a fact. Of course there are other fish in the sea. I've seen them."

"Never mind," Ocellus said with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Yona and Sandbar were dancing along with the other ponies.

"A very skilled dancer, am I not?" Yona said.

"Er, yeah, sure," Sandbar remarked nervously as he looked around the room anxiously.

Yona frowned at this. "Why is Sandbar not looking at Yona? Isn't Yona perfect pony pal?" she thought to herself.

Sandbar finally did look her in the eye long enough to say, "You really are a pretty good dancer."

Yona's smile returned, and she said, "Indeed. Surely we will win the Pony Pal Contest together."

Alarm returned to Sandbar's eyes, and he quickly said, "No, no. I'm sorry, but that's not gonna happen."

Now it was Yona's turn to appear alarmed. "Why not?" she asked, "Am I not the most perfect pony pal you could ask for?"

"Time to shake things up a little!" Spike announced after the previous song ended, "That's right, everycreature! It's the Pony Prance!"

Up-tempo pop music began to play, and Sandbar began to back away from Yona, still looking around nervously. "Okay, that's enough," Sandbar said strongly, "Now, I think you should know-."

"No!" Yona shouted as she grabbed Sandbar's right forehoof, "I do so love the Pony Prance!"

"Well, I don't!" Sandbar argued as he tried to pull away, "And besides-."

"You and I are the perfect pony pals!" Yona said as she continued pulling on Sandbar's leg, "This is the night for pony pals to dance together!"

"You're NOT my pony pal!" Sandbar suddenly shouted.

Yona gasped and let go of Sandbar's leg. He had still been pulling at the time, and so, he stumbled backwards and off of the dance floor, falling on his rump a few feet away.

As the other ponies continued dancing, oblivious to the drama unfolding nearby, Yona ran forward towards Sandbar and said, "Oh my goodness! Are you okay, Sandbar?"

Yona reached out a hoof towards him, but Sandbar slapped it away and said with an aggravated look in his eyes, "What is your problem, anyway! You think you can just walk over to some random pony and insist that he's your dance partner? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I already have a dance partner. She might be running a little late, but she's still my dance partner. She's Yona the yak, and I like her a whole lot better than you."

Yona's jaw dropped as everything suddenly slid into place at once. "Sandbar. . . doesn't know it's Yona?" she thought to herself in amazement.

When Yona finally found her voice, she stammered out, "But. . why-."

"Why do I like Yona better?" Sandbar interrupted as he stood back up, "I don't know. Maybe it's because she's honest with herself and with others. Maybe it's because she listens to what others say. Maybe it's because she's not superficial and vain and conceited. Maybe it's because she's down to earth and doesn't put on airs like some snooty Canterlot noble."

Yona felt herself begin to sweat. Things were going really bad really fast. What was supposed to have been The Best Night Ever was quickly turning into The Worst Night Ever, and Yona was too flustered and panicked at the moment to fathom why, even as Sandbar was unknowingly giving her some very flattering compliments.

"But. . . but. . . Pony pal should be pony. . . not yak-," Yona stammered out, only to be interrupted by Sandbar once again.

"I don't care about that!" he said impatiently, "I asked Yona because she's the best Yona I know. I like her just the way she is: Yona the yak. I'm not sure what you have. . . against. . . yaks. . ." Sandbar's eyes widened as a horrible realization seemed to come over him.

"Sandbar?" Yona asked nervously.

"You. . ." he said slowly, then he glared at her and said, "You're the reason why Yona hasn't shown up yet. You wanted to get her out of the way so you could dance with me."

Yona's eyes widened in horror. "What!? No! I-."

"What mean things did you tell her!?" Sandbar demanded, looking more angry than Yona or pretty much anyone else, had ever seen him be. The Earth Pony scrapped at the ground with his right forehoof as he got down into a charging position. "Where is she!?" he demanded.

At that moment, the pop music stopped, and Spike spoke up again, "Yo! If you thought that number was hot, you ain't heard nothing yet! It's time for one of Sapphire Shore's catchiest tunes! It's Timber!"

Harmonica music starting playing, backed by a very catchy thumping beat. As the music played, Yona took a step back from the now furious Sandbar. Then, as if things weren't bad enough for her, she suddenly noticed that the rest of her friends were gathered in front of her.

Wisps of smoke were coming out of Smolder's nose as she said, "I knew it! I knew she was bad news!"

Silverstream scowled at the yak turned pony and said, "How dare you pick on Yona!"

Gallus cracked his knuckles and said, "You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

"Ditto," Ocellus said with a nod.

As the creatures all eyed the pony that was Yona with unpleasant glances, Sapphire Shore's singing voice began to fill the room.

It's going down, I'm yelling timber
You better move, you better dance
Let's make a night, you will remember
I'll be the one, you won't forget

Sandbar took a step forwards towards the trembling young pony and said, "Well, whatever your name is? Are you gonna tell us where Yona is?"

The transfigured Yona stood face to face with her friends, all of them furious with her. Sapphire Shore's singing filled the room as five pairs of angry eyes stared Yona down.

Hoooo-oo-oo! (Timber)
Hoo-oo-oo-oo! (Timber)
Hoo-oo-oo! Hoo-oo! Ho-oo-oo-oo! (It's going down)

"I. . . I. . . I. . ." Yona stammered out, deeply disturbed by the fact that her friends were looking at her this way, with eyes filled contempt and distrust, as if they were looking at somecreature who was a complete stranger to them.

Hoooo-oo-oo! (Timber)
Hoo-oo-oo-oo! (Timber)
Hoo-oo-oo! Hoo-oo! Ho-oo-oo! It's going down!

Long past the point where she could think clearly, Yona did the only thing she could think off: she turned and ran.

I'm yelling timber

"GET HER!" Smolder roared, and the group of five furious friends took off after the fleeing pony as the song continued to play.

You better move, you better dance
Let's make a night, you will remember
I'll be the one, you won't forget

The other students were too caught up in both each other and the awesome music that was playing to pay any mind to the either the fleeing brown pony or the group of five pursuing her.

It's going down (It's going down!), I'm yelling timber
You better move (You better move!), you better dance (You better dance!)
Let's make a night, you will remember
I'll be the one, you won't forget (You won't forget!)

At the moment, Yona was actually a bit thankful for her pony form, as it allowed her to slip through the crowd of dancing ponies without bowling them over like, well, a charging yak. Unfortunately for her, four of the creatures chasing her could fly right over the crowd.

Ohhhh-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh-oh! (It's going down)

One of the dancing ponies kicker her leg out, tripping up Sandbar and sending him falling flat on his face.

"Sandbar!" Ocellus cried out, and she dived down to assist him as the others continued after the fleeing pony girl. However, her attempt to help her friend caused her to get sent down to the floor when a particularly energetic dancer kicked back his right hind leg, catching Ocellus in the fetlock. It was like pressing a button that caused the Changeling's legs to buckle.

Ohhhh-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh! It's going doooown!

"GOTCHA!" shouted Smolder as she dived towards Yona.

I'm yelling timber

Yona heard the dragon coming, and she quickly dived to the side as Smolder flew into right into a table, This overturned a bowl of punch right onto the dragon's head.

You better move, you better dance
Let's make a night, you will remember
I'll be the one, you won't forget

"Sorry!" Yona shouted behind her as she ran off across the room and right towards a wall. "Uh-oh," she practically whimpered, and she turned around to see Gallus and Silverstream flying her way.

The brown pony gulped as two pairs of outstretched talons reached out at her. At the last possible moment, Yona performed a kind of double split, going flat on her stomach as a the pair of griffs collided with both each other and the wall.

It's going down (It's going down!), I'm yelling timber
You better move, you better dance (You better dance!)
Let's make a night (Let's make a night!), you will remember
I'll be the one (I'll be the one!), you won't forget (You won't forget!)

"Yona glad ponies have long, skinny legs," Yona thought to herself as she quickly got back up and ran towards the door.

Woah-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh! Hey!
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh-oh! (It's going down)

"Ow! Silver, get off my tail!"

"I can't! You're standing on my wing!"

Ohhhh-ohh-ohh! OHH!
Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh! (Timber)
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh-oh! (It's going down)

"Sorry, friends!" Yona cried out again as she dashed right out of the building.

Smolder grunted as she tugged the punch bowl off of her head. After placing it back down on the table, she looked around and saw Ocellus and Sandbar making their way off of the dance floor. She then turned to see Silverstream and Gallus lying in a heap against the wall.

Woah-ohh-ohh! (Timber!)
Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh! Come on!
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh-oh! (It's going down)

"She got away! SHE GOT AWAY!" Smolder shouted in a rage as she stomped her feet angrily.

(It's going down!) Ohhhh-ohh-ohh! (Timber!)
(You won't forget!) Woah-ohh-ohh-ohh!
Woah-ohh-ohh! Ohhh-ohh! Ohh-oh-oh-oh! (Timber)

Yona found herself running to the only place she could think off. The only place where she could find the solution to her problem. The only one who could get her out of the mess she was currently in.

It didn't take her long to arrive at the lake, and once she was there, she shouted as loudly as she could, "DISCORD! DISCORD! I NEED HELP!"

"Shhhhh!"

Yona turned to see Discord relaxing in a reclining throne on the lake side, holding a fishing pole in his lion paw.

"Will you please keep it down. You're scaring the fish," Discord warned softly as he reeled in the line with his eagle claw. Discord then pulled the pole up, revealing a white fish, two green fish, a red fish, and a blue fish all on his line.

Yona stared at the fish for a moment, then she shook off her confusion and said, "Discord, please! You need to change me back into a yak! Quick!"

Discord stared at Yona in disbelief. "You want me to-? You're saying-?" Discord shook his head with bewilderment, then he turned to the fish on his line and said, "Take five, fellas."

The fish all jumped back into the lake, and Discord made his fishing pole disappear as he got up from his reclining throne and approached the yak turned pony. "I must say that I'm utterly befuddled!" he said, "You made it quite clear that you absolutely had to be a pony for Sandbar."

Yona shook her head and said, "I was wrong. Sandbar didn't want some pony. She wanted me. She wanted Yona. I didn't need to change anything. Sandbar. . ." Yona paused, and a smile crept onto her face as she continued, "Sandbar liked me just the way I was. I didn't have to change the way I looked, or acted, or spoke."

Yona then visibly winced and said, "Ugh! You know, I hate the way my voice sounds right now. It doesn't have the good yak sound to it. It's so boring and bland and ordinary! And too many words too! Pony tongue is too complicated!"

Yona then got back on track and said, "Anyways, Sandbar wouldn't have wanted me to change, and I ended up changing so much that my friends didn't recognize me! They all think I made the real Yona leave and was trying to steal Sandbar from her, I mean me, I mean Yona, I mean the real- oh whatever! I. . . I just. . ."

Yona took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm herself. Then she smiled and said, "I've learned my lesson. I shouldn't try to be something I'm not. So, I'm ready to be a yak again now."

As Yona smiled up at Discord, the draconequus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm. . ." he said slowly, then he flicked his lion paw and the contract that Yona had stamped reappeared. Discord then put on a pair of monocles and read through the scroll. "Well, what a revolting development this is," he said, "For you see, according to this contract, the transformation you underwent is meant to be . . . permanent."

Yona's smile fell instantly, and her face went slightly pale as her heart turned to ice. ". . . What?" she squeaked out.

Discord nodded and said in a casual tone of voice, "You know. Perpetual. Everlasting. Immutable. Invariable. Set in stone. For keeps."

"FOREVER!" Pinkie Pie shouted as she suddenly surface from the lake while wearing a snorkel mask. She then silently sank back down under the water.

Yona stared blankly at where Pinkie had been for a moment, then her head snapped back at Discord and she shouted, "You never told me that I'd be like this forever!"

Discord shrugged and said, "I didn't have to. It was written right here in the contract. It's not my fault that you didn't read it."

Tears filled Yona's eyes as she whined, "But my friends! They don't know who I am! They all hate me! I can't lose my friends! I can't lose Sandbar!"

Discord didn't even look at Yona as his eyes moved up and down the contract, and he replied, "Sheesh! No need to cry. There's a very simple escape clause if you really want out of this contract so badly."

Yona's eyes were now filled with hope, and she immediately perked up and said urgently, "Escape clause? Escape? Yes! How do I escape?!"

Discord rolled up the contract and took off his monocles as he addressed the transfigured yak before him. "As I said, it's very simple. First, I turn you back into a yak for no more than one hour. At then end of that hour, you turn back into a pony. However, during that one-hour window, a 'true love's kiss' from Sandbar will rend the contract null and void. Simple."

Yona's eyes widened, and her checks turned red. "Wh-what? A kiss? From Sandbar? But. . .but. . ."

"You just told me that he liked you just the way you were," Discord said, "And didn't he get pretty steamed when he thought you were trying to keep him and his precious yak apart?"

Yona looked down at the ground and said, "Yes. . . but I'm not sure if Sandbar likes me that much."

Snap!

Yona looked up, and saw to her amazement that she was suddenly back in the School of Friendship, and it was broad daylight. But what really surprised was the sight of her old self, her yak self, studying the Pony Pal Contest trophy.

The first thought that came to Yona's head was how much she missed her horns, not to mention the rest of her old body. The second thought was that confusion as to what exactly was going on her.

"Turn around," said Discord's voice.

Without really thinking, Yona obeyed, and he saw Sandbar stepping forward. However, something seemed off about him. For one thing, the Earth Pony seemed oddly nervous in a way that Yona had trouble describing.

Sandbar stared at the floor for the briefest of moments, and then he stepped forward wearing and awkward smile and rosy blush on his cheeks. "Hey, Yona, want to be my pony pal? We can enter the contest together," he said.

Sandbar's blush remained as he gave the most nervous smile ever. At this point, Yona realized that she was somehow seeing something that happened in the past.

"But Yona yak. Yona not pony."

"So?"

"Pony, pony, more pony."

"Aw, that's just a poster. Come on! It'll be tons of fun together. Promise."

". . .Okay. Yona go with Sandbar."

Sandbar actually let out a little gasp of surprise, almost as if he had been expecting rejection. But then he immediately smiled joyfully and shook Yona's hoof. "Great!" he said, "I'll get the tickets. See you later!"

Yona watched as Sandbar walked backwards excitedly as he waved goodbye while blushing again. Then he kicked his hind legs with glee as he pranced off to get the tickets as like he had said. At this point, Yona's mind was reeling at this point. By seeing this event play out before her in retrospect, and from a slightly different angle, Yona was noticing many things about Sandbar that she hadn't noticed before. What's more, the warm feeling in her heart was glowing even stronger than the first time she had felt it.

Snap!

Yona suddenly found herself back at the lake with Discord.

"Okay, Yona. Let me level with you," Discord said, now suddenly reclining on a beach blanket beside her so that they were eye level with each other. He then held a love heart made of glass in the palm of his lion paw and said, "Once upon a time, I didn't believe in love." Discord made a fist with his paw, crushing the glass love heart within. "But then, two ponies, and a certain dragon, proved me wrong." Discord opened his paw, and the glass had reformed into a crystal sculpture of Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle embracing. "So, now, seeing as how great I am at everything I try, it makes sense that I would be a love expert. I know the symptoms, and we've both seen them in Sandbar. . . and in you. When I said this escape clause was simple, I meant it. One hour is plenty of time to stoke the flames of romance enough to get that kiss. And you're at a dance! It's practically a requirement! Haven't you ever read a cheesy romance novel or watched a cheesy romantic comedy?"

Discord snapped his eagle claw, and the sculpture of Big Mac and Sugar Belle turned into one of Sandbar and Yona. Discord placed the sculpture on the ground and gently patted Yona on the back with his paw. "Trust me, Yona, you got this!" Discord said with a genuine smile.

Sure enough, Discord's words had a positive effect on Yona. She knew it now, the warm feeling in her heart was love for Sandbar, although she hadn't realized it until recently. But even before, Yona felt attracted to Sandbar from the moment they first met, and he had brought in all of those cupcakes. And later on, Yona was the only one who was entirely sure that Sandbar hadn't truly betrayed them to join Chancellor Neighsay. And now, she had gone to extreme lengths just so she could be 'good enough' for Sandbar.

It was clear to Yona now, she was in love with Sandbar, and it appeared that Sandbar at the very least really, really like her. What's more, Sandbar was now the only one who could save her from herself.

"I'll do the escape clause," Yona said confidently.

"Splendid!" Discord said, and he snapped his eagle claw.

Author's Note

Kesha- Timber (Audio) Without Pitbull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNshwgnBsk

I also have to admit that the idea to have Timber play during a chase scene wasn't really my own. I actually got it from a video by Nando v Movies, namely Nando Pitches Ant-Man and The Wasp 2. I just felt I had to be honest about that. Plus, he's a great YouTuber with awesome content.

Act III

Shoop-bee-doo!
Shoop-shoop-bee-doo!

As the happy, peppy tune played, the teaching staff of the School of Friendship were gathered around a newly filled punchbowl, discussing the recent events they had observed.

"I must say, I didn't really expect things to play out like this," Rarity said rather somberly, "Even after Yona struggled at our lessons, she came back looking very confident and excited to partake in the Amity Ball."

Applejack nodded and said, "Darn tootin', she was. Ah don't understand why Yona didn't even bother to show up."

Rainbow Dash huffed and said, "What I don't understand is why that pony tried to steal Yona's partner. Ugh! It makes me so mad! Why aren't we out looking for those two?"

Fluttershy put a forehoof on Dash's shoulder and said calmly, "No. Yona will be here soon."

Pinkie Pie nodded and said, "She sure will! And we don't have to worry about that pony either. Trust me!"

Twilight gave the Fluttershy and Pinkie a skeptical look and said, "I don't like staying out of things like this. That pony upset some of our students, and I'm worried about Yona."

Fluttershy just smiled pleasantly and said, "It'll be fine. Be patient. Everything will work out, I promise."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie said gleefully as she went through all the motions.

Dash eyed the pair suspiciously and asked, "What do you know that we don't know?"

Fluttershy stood firm but friendly as she replied, "I know its frustrating, but I-," Fluttershy gave Pinkie an uncertain look and continued, "-and Pinkie, somehow, know what's going to happen, and it'll be good."

As Dash simply pouted, Twilight let out a sigh and said, "We all trust you, girls. But I really hope you let us in on the secret after this is all over."

"We will," Fluttershy replied.

Starlight gave a curt nod and remarked, "And I really think I should have a little chat with that trouble making pony, student to Guidance Counselor."

"If that dang pony is even a student here," Applejack remarked.

"And that was Call Upon The Sea Ponies!" Spike announced, "A song that expresses the two headed duality that is the culture of Mount Aris! Go ahead and rest those legs, everycreature. Scales-n-Tail will be back in a bit!"

As the rest of the students stepped off the dance floor to grab some refreshments or just converse with each other, Sandbar and four of his best friends were gathered together around a table. None of the five were in very high spirits at the moment. After the failed attempt at catching the mystery pony, the gang had regrouped in order to rest for a moment after the minor bruises they had received.

Smolder glared at Silverstream as she chowed down on a plate of fried onion rings. "I'm surprised you didn't get up and dance. It was a song from your culture, after all."

Silverstream chewed, shrugged, and swallowed. "I have other priorities," she replied simply, "Besides, how can I enjoy myself when Yona's missing in action!"

Sandbar nodded and said seriously, tension evident in his voice, "Right. Now that we've all calmed down a bit, I think it's time we put together a search party to find Yona before she misses the Amity Ball completely."

"Yona is here!" a loud voice called out.

Everycreature turned to see their favorite Yak running into the room and headed their way.

"Yona!" Sandbar said with his voice thick with joy and relief, and he wasted no time running towards her.

The pony and yak ended up in a warm hug. Yona's hugs were infamous for being bone crushers, but this time, Yona was being a bit more gentle than she usually was. However, Sandbar was hugging the yak with all his might, which didn't quite match the full strength of one of Yona's infamous hugs, but no matter.

The hug eventually ended, and Sandbar pulled back to look at Yona and say, "I'm so glad you're here, Yona. I was getting worried. We were all about to head out and search for you."

Yona averted her eyes in shame and said, "Yona sorry for making friends worry. Yona shouldn't have-."

"Hold it right there, Yona," Sandbar said strongly, although he was still smiling at her, "Don't you apologize for anything. You didn't do anything wrong."

Smolder stepped up and said, "Yeah! It was all that rotten pony's fault! Trying to steal your partner like that! Just wait till I get my claws on her!"

Yona laughed nervously and said, "Oh, Smolder should forget it. Yona and friends probably never see that pony again."

Sandbar's expression suddenly became that of concern as he asked her, "Yona. . . what exactly did that pony say to you to make you almost decide to not come?"

Yona's nervousness increased, and her eyes darted around as she said slowly, "Oh. . . the pony . . . She. . .Well. . . Pony thought that good pony pal had to be a pony. Yona not pony, so-."

In a rather bold move, Sandbar held Yona's forehoof in his own and said, "Yona, it doesn't really matter that you aren't a pony. You're the best Yona I know. That's why I asked you to the dance. I never wanted you to be anything other than what you are. My friend, Yona, the yak."

At the moment, the pair were actually quite close to one another, and this wreaked havoc with their thoughts and emotions.

"Sandbar is so close. . . Should Yona try. . .No! Too soon! . . But the time. . . But Yona can't force 'true love kiss'. . ."

"Heh. Wonder what would happen if I- No! Bad Sandbar! You were raised better than that! But I do like her. . . Maybe later. . . Yeah, when she's more comfortable and happier. . ."

The moment between the two creatures was suddenly interrupted by Spike, who had returned to the turn tables with gusto. "Time to get back up on that dance floor, everycreature! Scales-n-Tail is back to send out a tune straight from the Dragon Lands! A ceremonial song that's finally been allowed to be recorded on vinyl, courtesy of Dragon Lord Ember. Get ready to hear Thunder!"

Smolder's eyes widened at this. "Oh, no way! I loved it whenever the older dragons would perform this song back home!" she said excitedly, then she turned to Gallus and smiled. "Well?" she asked him coyly.

Gallus seemed to briefly consider Smolder's clear request. Then he grinned and said, "Eh, why not?"

Sandbar gave a shy grin to Yona and asked, "So, what do you say? May I have this dance? With you?"

Yona grinned from ear to ear and nodded, and the pair stepped onto the dance floor behind Gallus and Smolder. Meanwhile, Silverstream was halfway through her plate of onion rings as Ocellus sat next to her and said eagerly, "Ohh! A song from the Dragon Lands! This should be interesting!"

"Alright, everycreature. There's no real 'dance' to go with this song, so just move slowly to the beat and stomp whenever it seems right," Spike said, "Let's do this!"

Smolder turned to face her griffon partner and said, "Yeah, what he said. But trust, the beat just gets inside you. It's incredible!"

Gallus flashed a smile and said, "Heh. Alright, now you got me excited. This song better deliver."

Meanwhile, Yona was smiling eagerly as she said, "Yona like stomping!"

"Sounds fun to me too!" Sandbar replied with pleasure.

As the needle touched down on the recently written vinyl, the sound of drumming and stomping created a subtle beat that backed the voice of a male dragon whose singing was actually more reminiscent of chanting. Nevertheless, it was an catchy and rather empowering beat.

Just a young drake, with a strong shout
Now I'm unbound, and my foes rout
I was seeking, of bigger things and
I will leave my old skin behind
Leave my home now, my scales blister
Have a stench, have my molt, now my stone skin does shatter
Now I hunger
My voice whispered, but now it thunders

The creatures on the dance floor stepped back and forth and front in back in a box-like shape as they couldn't help but bob around with the beat. Things only got better when the song intensified as more voices of dragons started chanting.

Thunder, thunder
Thunder, thun-, thunder
Thun-thun-thunder, thunder, thunder
Thunder, thun-, thunder
Thun-thun-thunder, thunder

Thunder, feel the thunder
(Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!)
Whisper, then it thunders
Thunder, feel the thunder
(Stomp-stomp! Stomp! Stomp!)
Whisper, then it thunders
Thunder, thunder
Thunder

Smolder actually let out an excited whoop during this part, and it was very well deserved by the song. Mostly everycreature was enjoying the song, and the dance that it instilled in them.

Yona stomped the ground heard at the appropriate points, and if anything, this seemed to help keep everycreature else on the dancefloor in time to the music. But that was no real concern of Yona, because she was focused on the pony she was dancing with. Seeing the excited look on his face whenever they paused to stomp their hooves made her heart flutter a little. The way Sandbar was having so much fun being with her specifically made Yona happy enough to temporarily forget about the time-limited mission she was on.

Sandbar was very much enjoying himself as he silently admired Yona's movements. He could feel her strength whenever she stomped the ground, and he was slightly spellbound by her rhythm. "You're good at this, Yona," he remarked.

Yona blushed a bit and said, "Sandbar is good too."

"Well, I don't think I'd have fun dancing with anycreature but you," Sandbar said boldly, wearing the same smile he had on when he first asked Yona to be his dance partner.

Yona's smile combined with the deep blush on her face made her cuter than ever.

The continued for a while longer, repeating once with more stomping, and then ending on one last chorus. After the music stopped, the dancers took a moment to speak with one another.

"Alright, I gotta admit," Gallus said, "That was pretty cool."

"I know, right!" Smolder said giddily, "I love that song. So many dragons love that song!"

While the dragon and griffon were looking rather invigorated from the song as they walked back to the table where Ocellus and Silverstream were sitting, Yona and Sandbar were simply standing across from each other looking shyer than they've ever been.

"So. . ." Sandbar said slowly as her nervously looked Yona in her eyes, "Was I right? Are we having fun? I mean, are you having fun. . . dancing with me?"

At this moment, Yona recalled the requirements for the escape clause, and this was combined with the warm feeling in her heart as she felt Sandbar smiling at her. Yona took a soft breath and said, "Yes. . . Yona having fun with Sandbar. Yona likes. . . the dance a lot."

Sandbar just nodded, "Good. I'm glad-."

"Yona happy Sandbar asked her!" Yona said suddenly in burst of emotion, but then she shrank back a bit and said a bit more calmly, "Yona means. . .did Sandbar mean it when he said he only wanted to dance with Yona?"

Sandbar nodded his head, still smiling nervously, "Sure, Yona. I wouldn't ask anycreature else."

Yona was visibly touched by this, and it emboldened her enough to step forward a bit.

"Yona thinks. . . Sandbar really does love Yona. . .Maybe now Sandbar will kiss Yona?"

"She likes me. . . I think. . . I hope. . .Oh wow, I'm so close to just telling her."

Yona closed her eyes for a moment, then she looked at Sandbar and said, "Yona wonders-."

"It's time to go from the hot, volcanic lands of the dragons to the cold, snowy lands of the yaks!" Spike announced, "DJ Scales-n-Tail is gonna take you there! Everycreature join in for. . . the Yakyakistan Stomp!

Yona's eyes widened with surprise. She hadn't expected her homeland's traditional dance to be played at what she'd assumed would be a pony dance. However, it occurred to her that they had played a dragon song, and possibly other creatures songs, while she'd been away from the dance.

Sandbar nodded his head and said, "Well Yona, I guess I'll just follow your lead."

"Sandbar want to dance yak dance?" Yona said in amazement.

"Sure I do," Sandbar replied, "It looked like fun when you did it a while back. That's what I like about you, Yona. You're not afraid to have a good time."

While Yona was annoyed that their moment had been interrupted, it made her happy to hear that Sandbar wanted to do a yak dance with her. Also, she couldn't exactly say no to him, not that she even wanted to say no. So, she nodded eagerly.

Fast paced Middle Eastern music began to play, and it was music that was very familiar to Yona's ears. Before long, everycreature in the room was jumping and stomping around, laughing at the wild and energetic dance they were performing. Even Silverstream and Ocellus joined. At first glance, it all would appear to be sweet, delicious, utter chaos to the average observer. However, as it went on, it appeared to be more organized chaos, but wonderful chaos nonetheless.

Even as students and faculty alike joined in the hopping and bopping of the Yakyakistan Stomp, Yona and Sandbar remained relatively close together. They stomped in a circle around each other, laughing and cheering throughout the dancing. Occasionally, they would twirl around in mid-jump, and then do a quick hock-bump. This was really something, as Yona was actually being careful so she didn't send Sandbar flying across the room. Every once in a while, the pair's eyes would meet, and they would suddenly both get a surge of energy to keep going. What's more, their energy appeared to be infectious, and everycreature found themselves dancing even more. The inspired movements of the yak and pony were so in sync that it downright inspired the other dancers. It also helped that the Yakyakistan Stomp had no rigid order, and was just plain fun.

After a while of this, everycreature finally had enough of the Yakyakistan Stomp, and it was time for a well earned break. Sure enough, the six friends reunited at their table to catch their breath after the fun, and all of them were smiling.

"I gotta say," Smolder said, "That was a close second to Thunder."

Ocellus smiled at Yona and said, "That was so great, Yona! That was the most fun dance of the night!"

Yona nodded with pride and said, "Yona knows Yakyakistan Stomp is best dance! But Yona didn't know it would be at dance."

"It's the Amnity Ball, Yona," Ocellus replied, "Headmare Twilight wanted this to be for all creatures, so it makes sense that she'd get music from other lands too."

As Ocellus spoke, Sandbar slowly moved closer to Yona. He then nervously touched Yona's right forehoof and said, "Well, I'm sure glad Spike played it. We sure were the best dancers out there, weren't we Yona?"

Yona turned to look at the pony, and the two of them immediately blushed. Gallus and Smolder nudged each other and snickered a bi, while Ocellus "d'awwed" softly at the sight.

"Weren't you wondering about something earlier?" Sandbar remarked.

This reminded Yona of her current situation, and her diminishing time limit, and a bit of panic shot through her. However, she pushed it away and gave Sandbar a nod, "Yes. Yona-."

"It's Lucky Pot time!" Silverstream shouted as she flew back over to the group after silently leaving them a moment ago. She also held a piece of cake on plate in her claw.

Gallus gave the hippogriff an odd look and said, "Uh, Silverstream? We didn't bring any Lucky Pots."

Oblivious of the frustrated glare Yona was giving her, Silverstream laughed and said, "Aw, don't worry about it! Headmare Twilight said there's plenty of food for everycreature! Come on! That last dance burned off all of the food I've already eaten!"

As Silverstream flew off, Gallus shrugged and said, "Ehh. I guess I am hungry after that crazy yak dance. Besides, this whole thing had me at 'dinner'."

Smolder nodded and said, "Sure. Let's see what they've got."

Yona was fuming, and internally screaming. She had been so close to opening her heart to Sandbar, but another interruption had ruined things.

As her friends went over to the Lucky Pot table, Sandbar took Yona by the forehoof and said, "Well, Yona. Let's get something to eat."

Yona smiled and said, "Okay. Yona and Sandbar have dinner."

There certainly was a wide variety of foods to chose from, with how all the pony students had brought in Lucky Pots. From sides, to entrees, to deserts; it was a veritable smorgasbord. Everycreature was able to put together a plate of food that satisfied them. Although Smolder complained about how the pot of the strange pony from earlier seemed to have disappeared, preventing her from setting it on fire.

The large group socialized and ate, giving complements to the pony responsible for the Lucky Pot they liked the most. Even Yona, distracted as she was, couldn't help but enjoy this sampling of pony foods.

Smolder had a big smile on her face as she said, "Awww yeah, now this is what I'm talking about! You gotta try this, Ocellus!"

The Changeling took a spoonful of the curry the dragon was eating, and her eyes became wide and watery as she immediately cried out loudly, "Ow-ow-ow-ow! That's too spicy!"

As Ocellus levitated over a glass pitcher of water and gulped it down, Smolder appeared legitimately regretful as she said, "Oh. . . yeah. . .Sorry about that. . . Forgot that dragons have a stronger tolerance to spice. . ."

"Yeah, I think I'll stick with these corn fritters," Gallus remarked as he eyed Smolder's plate suspiciously.

"Me too!" Silverstream chimed in, "They're almost as good as my mom's kelp fritters!"

This went on for a while, and Yona's mind was working overtime. She knew that she had to get a kiss from Sandbar soon, and she also knew that they liked each other, but did they truly love each other? And how could she make it happen without forcing it or making things too awkward? Asking Sandbar directly was out of the question, so how would she do it before it was too late?

Luckily, Yona's mental turmoil was interrupted by a gentle poke in her side. She turned to Sandbar, who silently beckoned her to follow her towards the front door. Mystified, Yona silently followed him, and before long the pair were out in front of the building in relative peace and privacy.

"Yeah, I could tell that we've been getting interrupted a lot in there," Sandbar said as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his right forehoof. Then he put his hoof back down and gave the yak his full attention. "So. . . you wanted to ask me something or say something or. . ."

Sandbar's voice trailed of, and he smiled rather lamely at the yak. Yona, realizing it was now or never, took a deep breath, let it out, and said, "Yona wonders. . .what does Sandbar really think of Yona?"

Sandbar breathed in sharply,and his pupils dilated a bit. He managed to quickly compose himself, however, and he said, "Well, Yona. I guess I should've seen this coming. And, we've known each other for the better part of a year. So. . ." Sandbar closed his eyes, and his breathing became rather heavy, which worried Yona a bit. But then, Sandbar stepped forward so his face was rather close to Yona's, and he opened his eyes and said, "I really like you, Yona. A lot. And. . . I guess I love you, if you're okay with that? I mean, ugh I'm so stupid- I love you, Yona. That's. . . that's the. . .truth."

Yona felt like her heart was on fire, but in a good way. It was like the fire that would warm up a yak after they had spent all day pushing through a might snowstorm that seemed to freeze the very air around them. The look of shock on her face quickly became that of intense joy. "Yona love Sandbar too!" she said, her voice almost squeaking with glee.

Sandbar's eyes widened, and he took in the super happy look on Yona's face. He bit his lip as sweat beaded on his head. Then he shut his eyes tightly and said, "Yona I. . . No, I can't do this. You deserve better."

Yona was taken aback by this. "What Sandbar mean?"

With shame in his voice, Sandbar hung his head and said, "I don't know what I was thinking. I . . . when that other pony showed up, I don't know. I guess I felt sorry for her at first. She wanted a dance, and I thought I could. . . give her just one dance?"

Sandbar groaned as he opened his eyes and lifted his head back up to look at Yona. "I must have been crazy. I mean, I totally told her off when she tried getting another dance with me. But I never should have waited as long as I did. I should've looked for you right away."

Sandbar turned away and said, "What I did was totally messed up. I still don't know why I went along with it, but it doesn't matter. I'm sorry, Yona."

The Earth Pony barely took three steps back towards the door when Yona cried out, "Wait!"

Sandbar turned to find himself nearly nose to nose with Yona.

"Yona don't care about that!" the yak cried, "Yona knows Sandbar cares about Yona! That's all that matters!"

"But, I-," Sandbar said weakly, surprised by Yona's sudden intensity.

"Sandbar just. . . has really good heart," Yona said with certainty, "That what Yona love about Sandbar. And Yona knows Sandbar did not like other pony. Sandbar did right thing in the end. Yona believes what Sandbar say, and Yona understands. Yona has faith in Sandbar. He is only one Yona wants or ever will want! Ever!"

Yona spoke those words with as much love and conviction as she could muster, and all of that emotion easily got through to Sandbar. With his heart pounding, the happiest smile imaginable graced Sandbar's face, and he soon found himself leaning in closer to Yona. The yak closed her eyes expectantly. She knew what was coming. This was it. Everything was going to be just fine- no, better than fine.

". . . Yona? . . . Wha-. . . What happened to you?"

"No. . .no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!"

Yona opened her eyes and saw that Sandbar had backed away, and had a look of utter shock and disbelief on his face. Pure dread gripped Yona's heart as she slowly looked down, not wanting to look but knowing she had no choice. All it took was one look at her legs to confirm her worst fears. She wasn't wearing the dress, makeup, or accessories; even the bows holding up her braids were their proper color; but nevertheless, Yona was an Earth Pony once again.

Yona let out a wail of utter sorrow and anguish, causing Sandbar to back away further.

"Yona!?" he cried out desperately, "What's going on? Why are-?"

"YONA IS FOOLISH AND DUMB AND STUPID!" she exclaimed, too upset to notice or care that he yak accent and manner of speaking was unchanged. Slightly out of breathe from her shout, she huffed and puffed as she said with tears in her eyes, "Yona tried to change, now friends hate Yona! And Yona stuck like this forever!"

Sandbar carefully took a step towards her. "Hey, hey, hey," he said calmly, "Calm down. Whatever's going on, maybe we can-."

"Yona want to be alone!" she said tearfully, and she promptly turned and ran, leaving Sandbar staring after her in utter shock at what had just happened.

"SHE was that weird pony the whole time!" cried the voice of Smolder.

Sandbar turned to see that his four friends were standing in the doorway. The four of them had noticed Yona and Sandbar leaving, and decided to quietly sneak after them and watch what they were sure was going to be a romantic moment between the pony and yak. Naturally, they were just as shocked as Sandbar when they saw what had happened.

"Apparently so," Ocellus said in answer to Smolder's question, "Seems pretty obvious now. That is, now that she's not wearing that dress and makeup."

Silverstream was working herself up into a tizzy as hovered from side to side, her eyes darting around nervously. "Oh my gosh! This is crazy! This is terrible!"

"How did she even turn herself into a pony, anyway!?" Gallus asked incredulously.

"What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO!?" Silverstream exclaimed.

Sandbar looked at his friends, then turned to look in the direction where Yona ran off. Then he nodded resolutely and said, "I don't know how much of this we can fix. . . but that's not gonna stop me from trying." Then he ran off after the yak turned pony.

Yona had fled all the way to the Treehouse of Harmony, and had stumbled partially blinded by tears over to one of the balconies. She rested her chin on the railing as she looked out into the distance and sang to herself miserably.

"Yona sad...
Yona sing sad song...
Sad Yona..."

A bird suddenly landed on the railing nearby. It twittered a little before flying off once again.

The pony sighed and said, "Yona no blame bird. Yona no want to be around Yona either." She closed her eyes and continued singing.

Yona sad...
Yona sing sad song...

"Yona?"

Yona gasped and turned around to see Sandbar standing behind her. She sniffled and said, "How Sandbar find Yona?"

"I know you pretty well by now," Sandbar said quietly, "I figured you'd come here."

Yona turned away from him and said, "Why Sandbar even here? Sandbar hates Yona as a pony. All Yona's friends hate pony Yona."

Sandbar shook his head and said, "No, Yona. That's not true."

Yona turned to glare at Sandbar and said, "Really? Sandbar, why all Yona's friends chase pony Yona?"

"Because we didn't know it was you," Sandbar explained, "You were wearing all that stuff, and you didn't even sound like your real self. And you were talking about how a pony would be a better dance partner than a yak. We all thought that you were some pony that thought she was better than Yona."

Yona hung her head and said, "But now that Yona is pony. . . Yona is worse."

Sandbar gently lifted Yona's chin with his right forehoof and said, "No, Yona. That's not it at all. Don't you see? Back then, you looked like and were acting like someone else. You weren't being Yona. Right now, you might look like a pony, but inside, you're still Yona, and that's all that matters."

Yona blinked her eyes and said one simply word, "Really?"

Sandbar nodded and smiled, "Really. I'm not sure how you managed to do this to yourself, or if we can change you back or not, but even if we can't, I and the others will always be your friends. . . and I'll still love you, Yona. Just keep being yourself. Pony, yak, whatever. I know this must be hard for you, but I promise you, Yona, that you'll have all the help in the world to get through this. Your body might have changed, but your heart will always be the same. You'll always be the Yona I know and love."

At that moment, Yona finally felt as though everything would be alright. Even though she had been changed so dramatically, knowing that her friends were still with her, and that Sandbar still cared for her, made her feel much better than she thought she'd ever be able to be after her ordeal. And as she stood looking into Sandbar's eyes, Yona actually began to feel. . . happy.

After that, the two ponies found themselves leaning in towards each other. Sandbar's forehoof gently stroked Yona's chin, and the pair proceeded to kiss. As the young couple kissed, eyes closed as they were both deep in their truest love for each other, a strange magical breeze began to whip up around the pair. There was then a bright light and grew around the pair. Then, the light ballooned out in a shockwave, and it faded.

Sandbar opened in his eyes, and he gasped and said, "Yona. . . You're. . . you!"

Yona opened her eyes, and she looked down at herself. Her eyes went wide, and then she raised a forehoof to touch one of her horns. Then a big grin spread across her face, and she began to literally tremble with glee. She laughed out loud as she hugged Sandbar tightly. "Yona is so happy, Sandbar!" she cried out joyously.

At that moment, there was the sound of clapping and stomping applause from somewhere below. Yona let go of Sandbar, and the two of them looked out over the balcony railing to see that their friends were gathered together down in front of the Treehouse of Harmony.

Silverstream flew up to the balcony and cheered, "Congratulations, you two!"

The other three flew up to join the hippogriff, all happy and smiling. Of course, the smiles of Gallus and Smolder were a little cockier than that of Silverstream and Ocellus.

Ocellus breathed in and sighed contentedly, "Ahh. Nothing is better than true love."

Smolder smirked and said, "Heh. Well, you guys can fall in love if you want. I'd rather fall in a pile of gems!"

Gallus rolled his eyes and said, "Riiiight. Anyway, looks like you two got a fairy tale ending."

Sandbar chuckled and said, "Heh. Yeah, I guess we did. But I can't help but wonder why a kiss was what broke the spell."

Suddenly, a sheet of paper, very familiar to Yona, rolled down in between her and Sandbar.

"Why, it's clearly written here as a secondary escape clause."

Everyone looked up to see Discord lying on the ceiling as he held to top of the contract with his eagle claw.

"'Should Sandbar come across Yona after the transformation into a pony has become permanent, and he is fully aware of her true identity but maintains feelings for her regardless, true love's kiss will allow Yona to permanently take on the form she prefers,'" the draconequus quoted from the document.

Sandbar huffed and said, "Of course Discord was behind all of this chaos."

Yona looked up at Discord indignantly and said, "Discord never mentioned second escape."

Discord shrugged as the contract rolled back up into his claw and disappeared. "It's like I said before, I didn't have to. If you're gonna sign something, read the thing first. Sheesh!" he said as he stood up on the ceiling, then flipped right-side up and floated down to the floor, "Anyway, no harm done, right? The day is saved thanks to the power of love. Just like the blue cat-birb said, you got your fairy tale ending. Thanks to me. You're welcome!"

Discord then put a tall, thin, black tap hat on his head, and then he held out his eagle claw as it became shrouded in blue fire. "And if any of you crazy kids need to make any other deals, you let me know. But for now, I know we'll meet again, some sunny day!"

Discord laughed as he snapped his claw, vanishing in a flash as his laughter echoed throughout the Treehouse before finally fading away.

The group was silent for an uncomfortable moment, then Smolder remarked, " . . . I really don't like that guy."

Suddenly, Yona began chuckling. "Is okay!" she said, "Yona just glad everything end happy!"

Sandbar smiled and said, "Me too, Yona. It might not have gone the way we would've liked, but I guess things did work out in the end." After he said this, Sandbar was struck by a sudden realization, and he said quickly, "Wait, this isn't the end. The Amity Ball isn't over yet. How about it, Yona. Shall we go back to the dance?"

Yona replied by giving Sandbar a quick kiss and then smiling bashfully. Sandbar smiled back in return and said, "Heh. That's a neat way to 'yes'."

When the six creatures reentered the ballroom, they saw their teachers all gathered around Fluttershy, who appeared to be explaining something to them. The yellow Pegasus spotted the group and said, "Oh! They're back."

Twilight's friends all turned to the students as she walked over towards the pair up in front. "Yona. Sandbar. We would like to present you with this."

The pair gasped as Twilight held up the Pony Pal prize trophy with her magic. However, the trophy had been modified so that instead of depicted two ponies dancing together, it now depicted a pony and yak dancing together.

"No way! The Pony Pal prize!" Sandbar said in amazement.

Twilight smiled and said, "From now on, it's the annual Amity Ball Award for Friendship!"

"No pony-ness required," Applejack said with a nod.

Rainbow Dash nodded as well and said, "We all decided you and Yona totally earned this."

Rarity looked at the two with pride and said, "Your actions tonight exemplify the true meaning of friendship."

"Congratulations, you two!" Twilight declared.

Everycreature in the ballroom cheered and applauded for the lucky couple. However, during all this, Sandbar leaned over to Yona and spoke into her ear, "Trophy or no trophy, I'm just happy I have you, Yona."

Yona was just about to burst with joy as Sandbar planted a soft kiss on her cheek, the feeling in her heart now like a roaring blaze.

"Get ready, everycreature, because it's time for the last dance of the Amity Ball!" Spike announced, "But it won't be Scales-n-Tail who's gonna play the music for ya. Oh no. It's special guest time! Get ready for the one, the only, Coloratura!"

Students stomped their hooves and cheered as the famous musical star stepped out from the wings and made her way to a piano that had been moved next to the DJ turntables. Coloratura smiled and waved at the crowd, and she said, "Thank you, thank you. It's my pleasure to be here. Really, it is. This ball, this school, it all has a mission that I truly believe in with all my heart: spreading friendship throughout the world. No matter what we look like, what we can and can't do, or even what race we are; we are all just as capable of sharing the magic of friendship. So, it is an honor for me the close out the Amity Ball with the song The Search Is Over."

Sandbar held Yona's forehoof in his own as he led her out onto the dancefloor along with the other students who wished to dance. Amazingly, Yona didn't feel nervous at all about dancing. Her heart was too warm and filled with love for any of that.

Coloratura sat at the piano, and she began to play a slow melody filled with heart. Then, the talented mare began to sing, her Cutie Mark shining as she put her own heart into the song.

How can I convince you,
what you see is real?
Who am I to blame you,
for doubting what you feel?
I was always reachin',
you were just a friend I knew
I took for granted
the friend I have in you

The song had a simple beat that made it easy for the students to dance slowly to it. Sandbar and Yona had their eyes fixated on each other as they moved in a box step almost instinctively.

"Sandbar always liked Yona the way she was. . . Why didn't Yona see it before?"

"I really should have just told her that I liked her as she was right when I asked her. . .She's so amazing, she deserved to know that right away."

I was living for a dream,
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world,
That was just my style
Now I look into your eyes
I can see forever,
The search is over
You were with me all the while

Sandbar felt the lyrics move through him, almost as if they were speaking directly to him. "Yona really is the only one for me," he thought to himself as he admired the rosy cheeked, smiling face of the yak before him. As they continued to dance, Coloratura's singing and piano playing became a bit more passionate as it continued.

Can we last forever?
Will we fall apart?
At times it's so confusing,
these questions of the heart
You followed me through changes,
and patiently you'd wait
Till I came to my senses,
through some miracle of fate

"Yona is SO glad she came to her senses," the young yak thought to herself as she and Sandbar subconsciously leaned in closer to one another, "Yona also glad Sandbar understood why she changed. . . and still loved her. . ."

The song then reached the pinnacle of heart, spirit, and passion as Coloratura brought it to its conclusion.

I was living for a dream
Loving for a moment
Taking on the world
That was just my style
Then I touched your hoof
I could hear you whisper
The search is over
Love was right before. . . . my eyes

"Yona. . . I love you."

"Love you, Sandbar."

"And thus, Yona the yak learned a valuable lesson. No creature should have to completely change what or who they are to win the approval of another. A true lover, or a true friend, will like the other creature just the way they are."

"Umm, you have an. . . interesting way of helping others, Discord."

"What? It worked out alright, so what's the problem. Sandbar was totally gonna kiss her, pony or not, so what's the problem?"

"Well, after you let me know it was safe to let my friends in on it, they weren't exactly happy with it."

"Aww, come on, Fluttershy! All's well that ends well, right?"

"What the-? How did you keep getting into Chaosville like this?!"

"First of all I would like to make one thing perfectly clear."

"Yes?"

"I never explain anything!"

"Excuse me!? I'M the one who makes all the pop cultural references from other worlds here! Not you!"

"Oh dear. Here we go again. I just hope it's not as bad as the time they threw different colored ink all over the place."

The End

Thunder- dragon race song
Yakyakistan Stomp
Ra Ra sings "The Search is Over" by survivor

Author's Note

Super Ponybeat — Call Upon the Seaponies (EuroSHOOBEDOO Mix) by Eurobeat Brony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUw_ij8-xNU

Thunder- Imagine Dragons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFhs7WVvuXk

The Search is Over- Survivor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LoHpjYG0fI