The Town of Friendship

Over the next few days, Twilight and Rose made their way through the forest, grateful at leaving the horrors of Canterlot behind them. They each sang a song of freedom in their hearts as they passed the mighty trees that towered towards the endless expanse above. They felt as if all of their chains had been driven away and, even though they didn’t know if they would ever reach the Town of Friendship, or if it even existed, they each persevered.

For Rose, it was the chance at a new existence, and the continuation of a dream she had held since she was small. In the days leading up to Queen Lilly’s coup and the evil transformation of Equestria, she had discovered a love for writing. Unfortunately, Lilly’s backwards thinking squelched those kinds of opportunities and she was unable to write. All the books in Canterlot had been burned and replaced with the queen’s dastardly propaganda. “Your privacy is detrimental to progress,” Rose suddenly said out loud.

“What the hay does that mean?” Twilight asked, “it sounds like one of Lilly’s stupid slogans.”

“It is,” Rose said simply, “it was something I read on a poster thrown up in Canterlot about three days before the deposition occurred and Lilly took the throne.”

“How did it happen, anyway?”

“It was terrifying,” Rose said as her eyes widened at the blood stained memories, “my mother and father ran a small bakery in Canterlot. It did good business, and we were all very happy. But then, one day, Lilly, who was a small time pony politician from some backwater town in northern Equestria, began gaining steam with her speeches. She blamed every problem in Equestria on Celestia and Luna’s alleged alliance with Equestrian business, and she turned everypony against both us, and all the business owners. Soon, we were run out of our home, and our bakery was destroyed. Then I was separated from them and taken to Lilly’s court where I was thrown down and forced to bow. Then Lilly whipped me, just like she beat everypony who had disagreed with her speeches, even though I was just a filly. She tossed me into prison where I waited for the next 10 years. By the time I got out, I was old enough to work, and they sent me to the brothel to be a secretary. I wasn’t deemed pretty enough to be a worker.”

Twilight’s mouth had opened wider than ever before as Rose told her sad story. She couldn’t imagine somepony being so utterly cruel and vindictive as to beat a young filly near to death, throw her in prison for crimes she hadn’t committed, and then force her to work in a dank, smelly brothel for no money at all. She didn’t understand why Rose kept going, even though it seemed her life had no purpose. At least she had a reason: her brother. She didn’t realize Rose’s own dreams and wishes, but she might if she had understood friendship on a higher level.

“So…what keeps you going?” She asked.

“My love of the written word,” Rose said, “ever since I was small, I’ve loved books and reading.”

“Hey! I love books, too!” Twilight said, “I mean, I know they’re all about how the brave Queen Lilly rescued Equestria from certain doom, but they’re still fun!”

“Oh, Twilight,” Rose said as she smiled, “those books are dust compared to the magnificent treasures Canterlot’s library used to hold.”

“Really?” Twilight asked as her eyes lit up.

“Really,” Rose said, “books of adventures and daring, romance and friendship, history and knowledge…oh, the library had it all!”

The pink pony sighed as she trotted next to her purple friend, and Twilight was immediately drawn into that library. She could almost feel the pages of the books in her hooves as she turned them, desperate to find out what the next part had to offer. She could smell the aroma that accompanied them. For, as everypony who is truly in tune with the literary world knows, each book has a certain scent. She smiled in wonder as shelf after shelf was opened to her, and she drank in every single moment with a new sense of appreciation for reading and writing.

“It sounds wonderful,” she said before frowning as her fantasy dissipated, “but also impossible.”

“All things are possible when friends work together,” Rose said wisely, “I truly believe that.”

“I want to believe it,” the former prostitute responded, “but it just seems like a dream right now.” She stopped for a minute and gasped as her brother’s letter ran through her mind. A dream, Twilight said, keep the dream alive! I will, Shining Armor! I promise you!

“Rose, we need to keep dreaming!” She suddenly exclaimed.

“What do ya mean?”

“I mean, you and I need to keep these dreams alive! Shining Armor begged me to keep dreaming in one of his letters, and I promised I would! We are going to get to that town, and then we’re gonna bring Equestria back to the way it used to be!”

The two ponies smiled and nodded as they continued on the path northward. They had almost reached the edge of the forest, when Rose suddenly tripped and fell on some apples. “What the buck?” She asked in confusion as she looked around at the plethora of sweet treats on the ground. “I love a good apple, but out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“It is rather strange,” Twilight said, “but maybe we’ve just entered an apple grove.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You know full well that apple groves are only allowed on Lilly approved land!”

“If that’s the case, then why are there apple trees around us?” Twilight asked, pointing to the arborous growths surrounding them.

Rose’s mouth fell open at the sight, and she nearly jumped for joy. Apples were her favorite food, and now they had enough to where they could stock up for the long journey ahead. She was so excited that she lost her mind, dashed up to a tree and quickly bucked some apples off of it. “Twilight, we’ve hit the jackpot! We can get some of these apples and be set for the rest of our trip!”

“Rose, I don’t think these are free apples…”

“You’re darn right they ain’t free!” A voice suddenly said angrily. It was laced with the thick accent carried by ponies that lived in the southern part of Equestria, and Rose and Twilight turned to see an orange mare wearing a wide brimmed hat standing there. She didn’t look too pleased at the intrusion, and she snorted a bit.

“We’re awfully sorry,” Twilight said, “my friend was just-“

“Friend?” The orange one asked in awe, as her mood completely changed, “you’ve got a friend? A real friend?”

“Yeah, but don’t tell anypony. This is Rose Hoof, and I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“It’s mighty nice to meet y’all. I’m Applejack.”