What's up, readers? It's VickyT36 here with another my little pony fanfic, enjoy!
Applejack hurried away from Sweet Apple Acres and towards Ponyville. As she ran, she was joined by Pinkie Pie.
"You got one too?" she asked her.
"Uh huh, right in the middle of my cake decorating." Pinkie explained.
The two were soon joined by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.
"You guys too?" Fluttershy wondered.
"Yep, it's been a while." Rainbow Dash answered.
The four then saw Rarity running up to them. "Oh my, you're all coming to?" she questioned.
"Looks like it." Applejack told her.
They ran through Ponyville, and towards Twilight's castle. They hurried inside, and went to the throne room, where Twilight and Spike were standing by the map.
"Girls, you were called too?" Twilight asked.
"Yep." they all replied, showing them their glowing cutie marks.
"So was I." Twilight informed, showing them her glowing mark.
"You don't suppose this is another one of Discord's glamor spells do you?" Rarity wondered.
"I don't think so. Look where the map's sending you." Spike informed.
They all looked at the map, and saw their cutie marks were floating around the Crystal Empire.
"It doesn't look like it's one of Discord's tricks." observed Pinkie.
"Well we better get to the Crystal Empire." declared Rainbow Dash.
"Keep an eye on things about here, Spike." Twilight instructed.
"Don't worry, I will." Spike promised.
And the Mane 6 left the castle, went to the train station, and boarded the next train to the Crystal Empire.
"I wonder what's going on in the Crystal Empire?" wondered Fluttershy.
"I'm sure it's nothin' we can't handle." Applejack assured.
"That's true, but all of us were called." Rarity piped up.
"Been a while since that happened." said Pinkie.
"Then it must require all our friendship knowledge." Twilight said.
Soon the train stopped at the Crystal Empire train station.
"All right now let's find us a friendship problem." Rainbow Dash declared.
"Silly Rainbow, you don't find a friendship problem, it finds you." Pinkie corrected.
"Well either way, we better get goin'." Applejack reminded.
And with that they went into the city. They scanned around, looking for anypony who seemed to be having a problem with their friends.
"See anything yet?" asked Twilight.
"Hmm, nothing yet." answered Fluttershy.
"I don't know about you guys but I'm getting a little thirsty." mentioned Rainbow Dash.
"I wouldn't mind a drink." added Rarity.
"Hey, look over there. A milkshake shop." Pinkie informed.
"What do you think, Twilight?" Fluttershy wondered.
"I suppose a milkshake wouldn't hurt."
And they all went in, and looked around. It was a nice little diner like restaurant with tables, chairs, booths, music, and a counter and kitchen. There were other ponies there, and they all looked amazed when they saw Princess Twilight Sparkle.
An earth pony stallion with a cream colored coat, brown mane, brown eyes, and a milkshake cutie mark working behind the counter looked shocked.
"Oh my goodness, honey, Princess Twilight Sparkle is here." he informed.
A mare with a white coat, gray mane, brown eyes, and an ice cream cutie mark came out from another room, and smiled.
"Your Highness, welcome to our humble shop. I'm Mrs. Cream and this is my husband, Mr. Cream." she greeted.
"Thanks, but there's no need for formalities. My friends and I are just here for some milkshakes." Twilight told the couple.
"Of course. We have a great menu." the stallion told.
The Mane 6 looked at the menu and placed their orders. Pinkie ordered a strawberry milkshake, Fluttershy got a peach shake, Rarity wanted a vanilla shake, Rainbow Dash got a rainbow shake, Applejack ordered an apple milkshake, and Twilight ordered a berry shake.
After getting them, they sat down at a table.
"How are the milkshakes?" asked Mr. Cream.
"They're very good." Fluttershy complimented.
"Oh, that means a lot." Mrs. Cream replied.
Just then the door opened, and some foals came in. Three fillies and one colt. One of the fillies, was white, had a brown mane, brown eyes, and a marshmallow cutie mark, another with a black coat, gray mane, blue eyes, and gemstone cutie mark, and the last filly was pink with a blue mane, purple eyes, and had a ribbon cutie mark.
And the colt was tan with a dark brown mane, brown eyes, and had a basketball cutie mark.
"Hi Mom, hi Dad." greeted the white filly.
"Hello, Marshmallow Cream. Milkshakes for you and your friends?" asked Mrs. Cream.
"You know it." replied the black filly.
"I'll get them whipped up." replied Mr. Cream.
The fillies then noticed the Princess of Friendship and her friends. They quickly surrounded them, wanting to talk, autographs, and pictures.
"Foals, please let the princess and her friends have their drinks in peace." Mr. Cream told them.
"It's okay, we don't mind the attention." Rainbow Dash told him.
"It's great to meet you, Your Highness." Marshmallow Cream told Twilight.
"It's nice to meet you two, Marshmallow Cream. Who're your friends?"
It turns out the black filly was named Onyx, the pink filly was Sparkle Glitter, and the colt was Quick Shot. The foals took a seat at a booth near them.
"Any idea what our friendship problem could be?" wondered Fluttershy.
"Not a clue, looks like we've got more looking to do." Twilight said.
"I think I may see one." mentioned Applejack quietly.
"Where?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Look at the kids."
They carefully glanced over at Marshmallow Cream and her friends.
"It was a good idea to come here, Marshmallow." complimented Sparkle Glitter.
"Yeah, I figured coming here after school was good idea."
"Plus, since you live here we can drop off our stuff with you." added Quick Shot.
The other three pulled some papers out of their saddlebags and gave them to Marshmallow Cream.
"Thanks for taking care of our homework for us." said Onyx.
"We'd do it ourselves, but we have lessons later." added Sparkle Glitter.
"It's no problem." Marshmallow Cream replied.
"They're making her do their homework?" whispered Pinkie.
"That doesn't seem like something friends should do." Rarity observed.
"Girls, I think we may just have found our friendship problem." Twilight informed.
"See you tomorrow, Marshmallow." Quick Shot told her, as he and the other two left.
"Bye, guys."
Before leaving, the Mane 6 went to speak to Marshmallow Cream.
"Hey, Marshmallow, can we talk to you for a minute?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You can just call me Princess Twilight."
"Okay, what is it?"
"Why are you doing your friends' homework?" Fluttershy wondered.
"They have after school activities, and wouldn't have time to do it."
"But it's their responsibility, not yours; darling." Rarity said.
"But it's what friends do. Help each other. Besides, I've done it before."
Marshmallow Cream went to get started on the homework, while the Mane 6 talked.
"This friend group doesn't seem right." Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah, perhaps we should go talk to Marshmallow's friends." thought Applejack.
"I'd also like to know why Marshmallow's doing all this." Pinkie mentioned.
So they made a plan. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie would go see Marshmallow's friends and talk to them, while Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack would talk to Marshmallow.
Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie left the shop, and looked for the foals.
"I'll get a view from the air." Rainbow Dash told them.
"Good idea." complimented Rarity.
Rainbow flew up into the sky, and searched around. Then she spotted them, but she heard something odd.
"Well now that we don't have to worry about our homework, let's head to the arcade." Quick Shot told the girls.
Rainbow went back to her friends, and told them what she heard.
"They're going to the arcade? While Marshmallow's doing their homework?" Pinkie asked.
"That certainly isn't fair." added Rarity.
"Come on, we better get to that arcade." Rainbow Dash urged.
And they all went in the direction of the foals.
Back with Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack they were getting some more information from Marshmallow.
"So Marshmallow how long have you been friends with Quick Shot, Sparkle Glitter, and Onyx?" asked Twilight.
"A couple of months, I met them on my first day of school, when my family moved here." Marshmallow explained.
She explained how she was nervous when she started school, and when she first came into the classroom, Quick Shot, Sparkle Glitter, and Onyx just stared at her. Then eventually they spoke to her and invited her to hang out with them.
"Have they ever done anything that makes you feel sad?" wondered Fluttershy.
"Well...there are times when they tease me." Marshmallow confessed.
"Tease you?" Applejack wanted clarified.
"Yeah, they saw my mane looks like marshmallow fluff, and that I may be drinking too many milkshakes. But they say they're just kidding."
The three mares looked at each other.
"And doing their homework for them?" Twilight mentioned.
"Well...they say I'm better at it. And they have their own important things to do."
"That ain't how friendship works, Marshmallow." Applejack told her.
Marshmallow Cream then got an unsure look on her face.
Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity followed the other foals to the arcade, and went inside.
"Now this is great." said Onyx.
"Yeah, we got free milkshakes and our homework's being taken care off." Quick Shot listed.
"Hanging out with that Marshmallow Cream was the best thing we've ever done." replied Sparkle Glitter.
They all laughed.
"Did you hear that?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"I most certainly did." Rarity said.
"And I heard that laughing, that's mean laughter if I've ever heard it. Which I have." Pinkie Pie informed.
"Shh, let's listen some more." Rainbow instructed.
"Remind me why are we hanging out with such a loser again?" asked Quick Shot.
"Because she's a nerd who happens to have parents who own a great place." Onyx told him.
"Yeah." agreed Sparkle Glitter.
The three couldn't believe their ears.
"They're just pretending to be friends with her just so they can get stuff." Pinkie said.
"Absolutely despicable." commented Rarity.
"These guys aren't the types of foals to be friends with." Rainbow Dash replied.
"I think Marshmallow should know what her friends are really like." mentioned Pinkie.
And they left the arcade and went back to the milkshake shop.
The Mane 6 met up outside, and discussed the situation.
"So Marshmallow's friends just flat out lied to her?" asked Applejack.
"Yep, they're all at the arcade." said Pinkie.
"And we overheard them saying they're only friends with Marshmallow Cream because she does their homework and get free milkshakes." Rarity added.
"This definitely isn't good." Twilight declared.
"It certainly isn't very kind." Fluttershy piped up.
"We need to tell Marshmallow Cream." Rainbow Dash informed.
"We better tread lightly, girls." Twilight instructed.
"It's going to be hard to tell a filly her friends aren't really her friends."
They all agreed and went to talk to Marshmallow Cream.
Inside they all sat down at one of the tables.
"Marshmallow Cream, we have to talk to you about your friends." Twilight said.
"What about them?" asked Marshmallow.
"Well, there's no easy way to say this but...they don't really like you." Applejack informed.
"What?"
"We saw them ourselves. They don't have any lessons, they're at the arcade." Rainbow Dash informed.
"No, that's not true."
"Sorry, we saw them ourselves." Pinkie added.
Marshmallow looked truly saddened.
"We're sorry to have to tell you this." comforted Fluttershy.
"I guess I always had a feeling they weren't really my friends. They make fun of me, I don't like doing their homework all the time, and they're not really that nice."
"Now darling, we can't tell you what to do. But these aren't the kinds of foals you should be friends with." Rarity told.
"But how did this happen?" Marshmallow wanted to know.
"It's called toxic friendship." Twilight explained.
"Toxic friendship?" the others asked.
"Yes, it when ponies who are supposed to be friends don't act like true friends. It includes bad teasing, forcing each other to do things you don't want to do, lying."
"Sounds awful." Pinkie said.
"Yes, it does." agreed Marshmallow.
"So Marshmallow, do you know what you should do next?" Applejack asked.
Marshmallow Cream took a deep breath, then answered.
"Yes, but could you all go with me?"
"Of course." answered Rainbow.
After telling her parents where they were going, they went to the arcade.
Once there, Marshmallow went up to her "friends", while the Mane 6 stayed behind.
"Guys." she said.
Onyx, Quick Shot, and Sparkle Glitter turned around and looked at her in shock.
"Marshmallow, what are you doing here?" asked Sparkle Glitter.
"I could ask you guys the same thing. You said you had lessons."
"Well...we finished them already." Quick Shot told.
"Well if you're finished already, then you can do your own homework."
And she threw their school stuff on the floor.
"But you're better at it." Onyx tried to persuade.
"No. And I don't think we can be friends anymore."
"Come on, Marshmallow you know we're your friends."
"If you were really my friends you wouldn't make me do your homework, or make fun of me. And I'm tired of it." Marshmallow told firmly.
Then the three began to get upset.
"Fine, we didn't really like you anyway." snapped Sparkle Glitter.
"Yeah, good luck finding new friends." added Quick Shot.
"You'll need it loser." snarked Onyx.
And they all left. Marshmallow Cream just stood there, and the Mane 6 slowly approached her.
"Marshmallow Cream, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked gently.
Marshmallow looked back at them with a sad face.
"I know it hurts, Marshmallow, but it was for the best." Twilight told her.
"But, but how am I gonna find new friends?" she wanted to know.
"Everpony has the ability to make friends." Rainbow Dash said.
"Yep." agreed Applejack.
"But what if I get stuck in another toxic friendship?"
"You should look for these qualities when looking for friends." started Twilight.
"You should feel happy around them." Pinkie told.
"They're honest with ya." Applejack added.
"True friends will be loyal." Rainbow Dash instructed.
"They'll also be generous." Rarity mentioned.
"And they're kind." Fluttershy said.
"That's the magic of true friendship." Twilight finished.
Marshmallow Cream looked up at the Mane 6. They all gave her encouraging looks and smiles. She managed to give a small smile back. Then she looked curious.
"Your cutie marks are glowing."
The Mane 6 looked at their flanks, and indeed their cutie marks were glowing.
"Looks like we accomplished our mission." declared Twilight.
Before leaving, Marshmallow told the Mane 6 that she would take their advice on finding better friends. They were glad to hear that, and caught the train back to Ponyville.
About a week or so later, Twilight received a letter; it was from Marshmallow Cream. She gathered her friends, and together they read it.
"What does it say?" Rainbow Dash wanted to know.
"Dear, Princess Twilight and friends, I'm happy to say I've found some real friends. I met them at school, and they seem legit. We're interested in the same things, they seem really nice, and I think they could really be true friends. I also wanted to thank you again for getting me out of that toxic friend group. Looking at them now, Onyx, Quick Shot, and Sparkle Glitter aren't very nice foals. I'm glad I'm not part of that group anymore. Thank you again, Marshmallow Cream." Twilight read.
"And look, she even sent us a picture with them." observed Fluttershy.
It was true, along with the letter was a photograph of Marshmallow Cream and two other foals.
"I'm so happy for her." squealed Pinkie.
"So am I, Pinkie." agreed Rarity.
"Glad we were able to help her." mentioned Applejack.
"Yeah, nopony deserves to have bad friends." added Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, there's so much in the magic of friendship." declared Twilight.
The End
