The Town of Friendship

The next morning, Twilight rolled off her pallet and slowly got to her hooves. Her aching muscles cried out for more rest, but she knew that she had to push through it. Some part of her was aware of the complete and utter failure of even the basic function of sleep to ease her troubles, but she ignored it. She had become desensitized to the pain and she now accepted it as just another part of everyday life. A life filled with sorrow, she told herself, but a life just the same.

Even so, her soul screamed from within, begging her to explore other options. But her mind quickly squelched this longing as she realized that she didn’t have any other options. She despised every aspect of this life. It was complete and utter hell. She slept on the floor, and their facilities weren’t exactly up to par. There was no air conditioning or heat in the brothel, so they were at the mercy of the elements.

As part of her plan to cause Equestrian society to “progress,” Queen Lilly had removed the control of the weather from Cloudsdale and given it to herself. She used it as a mass torture device, driving the nation’s misery up and its morale straight into the dirt. During the summer, it was unbearably hot and humid with little rain, and the winter brought disastrous thunderstorms and howling wind. Lilly would also throw in a blizzard for good measure. Every day, the ponies would get a new weather report in their local newspaper that had been written up by the evil queen, and every day, they became worse.

So Twilight dealt with the sweat that poured off her brow as she made ready for the day. She put her mane up in a rather attractive style, and gave herself an alluring look in the mirror. She sighed as she realized that her own beauty was both a blessing and a curse when it came to this line of work. On the one hoof, she was able to attract many ponies and cause them to give in to their inner lust. Thus, she was able to make money and avoid being punished by the queen. On the other hoof, she hated everything about it. She remembered when her mother and father had first taught her about sexual matters, and she thought it was rather beautiful. A mare and a stallion pledge themselves to each other through marriage and celebrate it by mutual consummation. It was a complete showing of love and admiration between the two, and she found it to be special.

But now that she was doing it all the time, it had lost its vigor and mystery. It still felt amazing in the moment, but after she was finished, she felt incredibly dirty. She wanted to make friends with the ponies she met, but she realized the impossibility of that notion, not only because of the legality of friendship, but because of her own self-confidence. Her determination was bottled up within her, and she was extremely nervous about allowing it to escape. I’m just a pony, she told herself as she trotted down the stairs towards the front door, how in Equestria am I supposed to make a difference?

She passed by Rose’s desk, where her only friend motioned to her with a hoof. Twilight slowly crept over, trying to make it appear as if it wasn’t important. “What is it, Rose?” She asked, “you know we can’t be seen speaking with each other!”

“I know, so I’ll make it quick,” Rose said, “tonight, when you get back, meet me in your room. I’ve got some news to share with you.”

Twilight gave the secretary an odd look, but nodded and trotted out to the streets to begin her day of pleasing ponies who paid her for it. But when she got there, her mind was filled with Rose and what the important news might be. She couldn’t unravel the look that Rose had given her. It was just as mysterious as it was filled with anxiety. What could it mean? Twilight asked herself, I mean, it’s like no look she’s given me before! We’ve been friends for a while now, and I thought I knew her like a book. I guess I don’t…

Over the next twelve hours, she slept with fifteen more ponies, ranging from a rather handsome stallion to a pretty mare who Twilight would never have pegged for being interested in that kind of thing. Her body was racked with pain by the time she got finished, and once again, she crawled back into the brothel and sat her small bag of earnings on Rose’s desk. Her friend took a look at the bag and silently got up and helped her back up the stairs to her room. Once there, she shut the door and allowed Twilight to sit on her pallet.

“What a day…” Twilight panted, “…I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

“You may not have to,” Rose said.

Twilight’s ears perked up a bit. “What do you mean?”

“You know how I keep up with some of the underground friendship networks in Equestria?” Rose asked. When Twilight nodded, she continued. “Well, I’ve heard whispers and rumors floating around in those groups about a town that teaches friendship!”

“A town that teaches friendship?” Twilight asked, “oh, come on, Rose. Queen Lilly would’ve knocked that out ages ago. She would’ve smelled that like a well-trained bloodhound and sent one of her purges to destroy it. Nothing gets past her.”

“That’s just it, Twi, it has managed to get by her! Whoever leads the town is using some type of cloak to shield the town from sight.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Come on, Rose. You know that nopony in Equestria knows that level of magic.”

Rose gave Twilight a look. “You would,” she said simply, “I mean, after all, your cutie mark is magic, isn’t it?”

“Cutie marks have no bearing on a pony’s destiny,” Twilight said as she regurgitated one of Queen Lilly’s mass deceptions, “that’s what we were all taught in school.”

“That’s what Lilly wants you to believe,” Rose said, “but remember, I’m older than you. I was a young filly when Celestia and Luna were deposed and Lilly took over. I know the true meaning of cutie marks, and the true meaning of friendship.”

Twilight smiled as she thought of the stories her parents had told her about the old rulers. She remembered how her mother’s face lit up when she told her the story of how Princess Celestia had personally sent her some money to help with an operation she was supposed to have. She remembered how her father spoke fondly of Luna’s assistance in their dreams and how she would turn nightmares into joyous and amazing experiences.

“Wait,” Twilight said as her face turned pensive, “if you know the true meaning of friendship, then why can’t you just tell me right here?”

“It’s too risky, even in here,” Rose said, “we’re being extremely bold by daring to meet and speak of it at all. But I needed to tell you, and I believe you would benefit from a journey to this town of friendship.”

“It sounds so wonderful,” Twilight said, “but it also sounds completely impossible. Have you dug up a location for this town?”

Rose nodded, “it’s in the far northeast, beyond the old Crystal Empire. They say that a pony will find it only if they walk the truest of paths.”

“The truest of paths?”

“The one that will guide their hearts and minds into the tenants of friendship. They also say that the Elements of Harmony light the way towards this town.”

“The Elements of Harmony?” Twilight asked, “but I thought they were only an old pony tale!”

“In Lilly’s eyes and the eyes of everypony who’s accepted this miserable lifestyle, they are. But in the eyes of everypony who truly believes in the power and magnitude of friendship, they are very real. Twilight, you need to get to this town. If you can, you just might make a difference in this world after all.”