The Town of Friendship

Twilight and the group’s shocked scream abounded throughout the empty streets of the formerly mighty Empire. It shattered what was left of the windows, and even caused some stones to crack. The figure that stood before them was coated in a thick cloak, with beady light purple eyes staring back at them out of a somewhat self-imposed darkness. They were frozen with fear, and Twilight felt as if her hooves had grown a sophisticated root system right then and there.

“W…what is that thing?” Applejack asked in a fright.

“Is it a pony?” Apple Bloom asked with her lip quivering, “i…it looks like it’s…about the…” she paused and gulped, “…same size.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of pony/Hydra hybrid!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “forced to cover its horrifying face up, because it could turn everypony it looks at to hardened stone!”

“D…don’t be ridiculous, R-r-rainbow!” Twilight stuttered, “H….Hydras don’t t-t-t-t-t-turn ponies to st-st-st-stone!”

“Even if all you say were true, I still wouldn’t believe it,” a mare’s voice suddenly spoke from beneath the cloak, “and I promise you I would never turn a pony to stone.”

The ghastly figure suddenly threw the cloak off its head, and there stood one of their fellow ponies. They all blushed, greatly embarrassed at the fact that they were so frightened of one of their own. The pony was light purple, with eyes that were happy and joyous. She had a mane of the same color, with a light aqua streak running through it. Twilight looked at her own streaked mane and instantly felt warmer around the newcomer. Something about similarities, I guess, she told herself, but…just how different are we?

“Hello, everypony!” The new one said happily, “I’m so sorry if I scared you, but you see, I have to keep this cloak on. Lilly’s guards patrol this area quite often, and I always ensure that I’m properly cloaked before I go out.”

“But…wouldn’t they just arrest you?” Dash asked, “I mean, it’s not all that difficult to tell what you are.”

“Oh, no? Weren’t you the one who called me a ‘pony/Hydra hybrid?’”

Dash backed away sheepishly and decided not to ask any more stupid questions or make any more reckless statements. She felt comfortable enough around the pony, once the cloak was removed, but there was something about her that just didn’t feel right. She was way too happy! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anypony as happy as her, Dash said to herself, I mean, does happiness like that still exist in Equestria?

Twilight stepped forward. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Rose Hoof, Applejack, her sister, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash.”

The new pony met Twilight and shook her hoof rapidly. “I’m Starlight Glimmer, and I’m so pleased to see that our message has spread!”

“Message?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! You said these were your friends, right?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, they’re my traveling companions, but I supposed you could call them my friends.”

Starlight’s eyes shone and her smile widened. “I just can’t believe that the Town of Friendship’s principles have gone out from here! We’re lucky to get two ponies by every six months, but five of you in one day?! This is truly astounding!”

Twilight broke into a smile of her own when she heard about the town. “You know of the Town of Friendship?”

“Know about it?! I founded it!” Starlight said.

“This is so wonderful!” Twilight exclaimed, “we’ve been traveling for three weeks straight from Canterlot, and we-“

“Canterlot?” Starlight asked, “you’re from Canterlot?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, “well, at least, Rose and I are. The Apple sisters are from Ponyville, and Dash is from Cloudsdale.”

Starlight became suspicious of the two ponies from Canterlot. In all the time she had been running the secretive town, she had never had ponies from Lilly’s capital come to try and learn about friendship. The timing of such an arrival was rather suspect, and she hoped to Celestia that they had not come as spies on behalf of the evil regime. She decided to keep a close eye on them until they were able to prove themselves as good friends. If they were truly spies and attempted to escape, she would simply stop them. Friendship must spread, she told herself, if Equestria is to survive.

“I see,” she said, “well, anyway, I invite all of you into my little village!”

With that, she turned and led the way out of The Crystal Empire and deep into the forest on the other side. She slashed her way through the trees until she came to a small hole in the ground. She dove down into it, and invited the others to do the same. Once inside, the ponies found that it was an incredibly cramped environment. Through some minor pushing and shoving, they were able to pop out behind Starlight and into something of a subterranean haven.

There were small homes built out of rocks and mud everywhere, and ponies moved back and forth between each one. They stopped and had talks with each other, and Twilight had never heard such a friendly and joyous noise. The sweet sound filled her ears, and she felt as though she would never, ever want to leave.

“Welcome, everypony,” Starlight said, “to our Town of Friendship!”

“Hey, everypony!” Somepony else suddenly shouted, “Starlight’s back!”

Suddenly, a small crowd began gathering around their leader. The ponies ranged in size and age, and Twilight realized that the town’s population was one of the most diverse she had ever seen. There were ponies there of all sizes, ages, and colors. You could tell where some of them were from by their accents. The Northern Equestrian ponies from Manehattan and Vanhoover tended to overemphasize certain fluctuations, and the Southern Equestrian ponies from Appleoosa, Ponyville, and towards the San Palomino Desert spoke with drawls and thick colloquialisms.

“Please!” Starlight said as the crowd silenced, “I want you to meet five new friends. This is Twilight Sparkle, Rose Hoof, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Rainbow Dash!”

“Applejack? Apple Bloom?” A stallion from the back spoke up.

“Yeah?” AJ asked before her eyes bugged out in recognition, “Braeburn?!”

“LITTLE COUSIN!” The stallion shouted with joy before racing up and knocking the Apple sisters over, “where the hay have you been?! We thought you were dead! Oh, it’s right nice to see y’all again!” He said rapidly.

Twilight smiled at the happy reunion, and then thought of her own brother. Oh, how she wished she were back in his loving embrace once again. She wanted nothing more than to be back by his side, just a filly and a colt facing the world together. Her mind put up portrait after portrait of the fun they used to have together, and tears formed in her eyes.

“Are you alright, Twilight?” Starlight asked.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, “I just…miss my brother. He was conscripted and taken to war. I don’t know whether or not he’s alive.”

Starlight realized the sincerity in Twilight’s eyes and tone, and her suspicions vanished. Nopony who wanted to commit evil against another pony would travel for three weeks straight, facing numerous obstacles, and then break down crying at the sight of a family stitched back together. She must’ve been through hell in Canterlot, she said to herself, but then again…haven’t we all?