The Magical Friendship Journey
Part 1
"Hurry up, Scoot!" Rainbow Dash shouted to the little Pegasus who was trying to drag a huge suitcase to a horse carriage with more suitcases on it. Beside the carriage were Rainbow Dash's friends and some of their families, and their pets. Big Macintosh was ready to pull the carriage. They were all going to a special camp in Whinnyconsin with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Only little fillies and colts that just got their cutie marks before a specific date could attend with their friends and families. The camp was only for three days, and then they were going to enjoy the rest of the week in Whinnyconsin, including the Whinnyconsin Wells. The CMC wanted to invite Babs Seed, but she was too busy in Manehattan to go. But first, they had to go to a pet hotel to drop off their pets. Applejack hired somepony to take care of the farm while they were gone. Twilight was worried about leaving her princess duties, but Celestia told her not to worry, and that she needed a vacation.
"You're too young to be going slow!" Granny Smith yelled. "Now, come on, or it'll be nightfall by the time you get here!"
"Geez Louise, Rainbow Dash!" said Scootaloo, who was not giving up. "What did you put in here, rocks?" This confused Pinkie Pie.
"Rocks?" She questioned. "Now that's silly. Why would anypony bring rocks on a trip? There'll be plenty of rocks where we're going."
Scootaloo finally got to the carriage, and lifted the suitcase onto it. She panted in exhaustion. She leaned onto the carriage.
"Scootaloo, are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked her friend.
"Yeah." Scootaloo answered. "I'm okay, but man! Why did I ever agree to carry Rainbow Dash's suitcase?"
"Because you wanted to help her out." Apple Bloom reminded her. "You really wanted to help." Scootaloo groaned.
"Yeah, but if only I knew how heavy it was, I wouldn't have agreed." She sighed. "Me and my big mouth."
"Well, you did kid." Rainbow Dash said. "And with that I thank you."
"Are you ready to go, lil' fillies?" Applejack asked the three youngsters. .
"YES!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shouted at once. Scootaloo was too tired to cheer.
"Alright!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Let's get this show on the road!"
"But first, we have to drop off our pets." Rarity said. "Camp isn't for civilized pets such as Opal." Opal mused.
"Right." And with that some of the ponies, and pets all hopped on the carriage, and the rest trotted off beside the vehicle. Spike hopped and rid on Twilight's back.
When they reached the pet hotel: GoldieFinch's Pet Paradise, the Mane Six went into the building with their sisters and pets. The others stayed behind.
"Hello?" Twilight called. "We're here to drop off our pets!" A purple pony with glasses then appeared. Her nametag read: GoldieFinch."
"Hello." She greeted them. "And how many critters will be staying with us, and for how long?"
"Six pets." Twilight replied. "for a week." GoldieFinch looked at the six pets and smiled.
"Okay." She gave each of the Mane Six clipboards and forms. "Before you go, fill out these forms so we can supply proper treatment for your pets." The Mane Six went to fill out the forms.
"Don't forget about the specific spot where Winona likes to be rubbed." Apple Bloom reminded her sister. Applejack smiled.
"Don't worry, Sugercube." She assured her. "I didn't forget about that." Winona barked, tail wagging.
"Okay," Twilight told GoldieFinch as she was done filling out the forms with the others. "We're all finished." GoldieFinch smiled as she took it.
"Perfect!" She said. "Now you can all say goodbye to your pets." She collected the clipboards and forms from the ponies. The Mane Six and sisters all looked at their pets.
"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle questioned her sister. "Opal will be all right, right?"
"Of course Opal will be all right." Rarity assured her. "Why wouldn't she?"
"Well, what if she'll miss us?"
"We'll miss her as well, as with our other friends with their other pets."
"I mean what if she really misses us? What if she misses us so much that she runs away from this place, and tries to find us? I saw a movie where three pets travel hundreds of miles to be reunited with their family."
"Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo told her. "That was just a movie based on a book written over fifty years ago. This is the real world."
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed. "We may all miss our pets, but Winona knows we're coming back for her." Apple Bloom looked at the collie. "Right, girl?" Winona barked.
"Wow, Rainbow!" Pinkie Pie said to her, who was trying hard not to cry. "You're taking this really well. Last time when you had to say goodbye to Tank, you almost made it so winter will never come." Rainbow Dash sniffed, wiping a tear away. She nodded.
"Yup." She said. "I'm already passed it."
"Good!" She then burst out crying while hugging Gummy. "Because I'm sure going to miss my Gummy-wummy!"
"Well, goodbye, Owlowiscious." Twilight told the owl. "Maybe I'll get a book as a souvenir, I'll read it to you." Spike rolled his eyes.
"You always want to buy a book when we go places!" The baby dragon said.
"Is the dragon one of the pets?" GoldieFinch wanted to know.
"Oh, no." Spike replied to her. "I'm going with them."
"Oh, well excuse me. All of your pets will be well taken care of."
"That's good to know." Twilight told her. ""We know all of our pets will be in loving hooves." GoldieFinch smiled. Ponies then came in. "These are some of the assistants. They'll take your pets, and take them outside. We'll see you in a week,"
"See ya!" All of the ponies and dragons said together.
They all said their farewells to their pets one final time, and then all left.
The assistants then all led the pets outside, where many other pets were. They then left them to play.
The pets all tried to make friends, but the other animals didn't even look at them. This made all of the Mane Six's pets sad.
As nightfall fell, they still didn't make any friends.
"Don't fret, guys." Owlowiscious reassured them as they all got ready for bed. "It only has been half of a day. I'm sure we'll all make friends tomorrow."
"What's the point?" Tank asked with a yawn. "We'll all be out of here in a week, and we don't know about them. I say we don't make any friends, so we don't have to say goodbye, and our hearts won't be broken. I don't want another Rainbow Dash episode."
"And frankly, I don't care if we make any friends." Opal said, and stretched and yawned. "That way, I can get a lot of beauty sleep."
"But, friends will make it more of a fun time!" Winona put in. "If we don't make friends, we won't have much fun. The week will just be plain boring." Gummy rolled his eyes.
"And if Pinkie were here," He spoke. "She wouldn't survive; she lives on fun!"
"Let's all just go to bed." Owlowiscious told them all. "And whatever happens tomorrow, happens." The pets all agreed. They got themselves comfortable, yawned, and fell asleep.
The next day, the pets again tried to make friends, and again with no luck.
"I don't get it." Winona said. "We are all friendly, so why does no animal want to talk to us?" Angel shrugged.
"Not everyone is friendly." He said. "That includes animals." Winona whimpered.
"But, I don't want the week to be boring." She began wagging her tail. "I want it to be fun!" Angel then went off. Owlowiscious noticed this.
"Angel, where are you going?" He wanted to know. Angel rolled a big ball over to them.
"We don't need friends to have fun." He said to all of them. "We can make our own fun! I say we roll this ball to each other; who's with me?"
"If it means having fun, then count me in!" Winona said.
"I'm game." Tank added. The other pets agreed.
"Okay!" Angel said with a nod. "Here it comes!" He backed up, and kicked the ball to Tank. Tank kicked it to Opal, who was licking her paw.
"Come on, Opal!" The bunny urged the Persian. "You can lick yourself later. Opal sighed.
"Oh, alright!" She said. "If you insist." She kicked the ball to Winona, who kicked it to Gummy. The ball went from animal to animal.
After they played with the ball they played various versions of tag, and Hide And Seek. Though they were having fun, Winona hoped that some animals, or at least one animal would join them, but no animal came.
"Owlowiscious?" Winona went over to the owl by the window that night when all of the other pets were sleeping. He was looking at the round moon in the night sky. The owl looked at her. "Will we make any friends?"
"Perhaps." Owlowiscious replied. "Perhaps not. But whatever happens, you got to have faith, and patience. If not, you got to take matters into your own paws. If you can't make any friends, do what Angel said, and make your own fun. We're not here very long after all." Winona smiled.
"Thanks, Owlowiscious! You're very wise." And with that, the dog went back to her spot, did some circles, and fell fast asleep.
The next morning, Winona awoke and saw some Guinea pigs playing with a soft soccer ball with each other. One of them tripped, and fell to the floor. The other tripped over his friend, and then they both laughed and laughed. Owlowiscious, who saw this, flew over to the sad dog.
"You miss not having other friends?" Owlowiscious guessed. Winona sighed.
"You know it." She told him. "It's not like I don't like hanging around with you and our other friends, believe me, I do. But, I can hang with you guys anytime I want, but I want other friends too. Friends who I may not see again, if you know what I mean."
"I know exactly what you mean, Winona. And I'm proud of you for wanting to make new friends, even though it means not seeing them again. And friends don't really leave, they stay forever in your memories."
"That's true." Winona agreed. She frowned again. "Still, I wish I can make them, and be like those Guinea pigs."
"You will, Winona." The owl then flew off. Winona sighed again, and went to from animal to animal.
"I just don't get it, Angel." Winona said to the bunny that night. "I've been nice, and I still don't have friends."
"Why don't you stop trying so hard, and just have fun with the friends you already have?" Angel suggested. "And who knows? Maybe a pet will join us when they see how much fun we're having."
"You're right, Angel!" Winona agreed. "I've been trying so hard to make friends, that I almost forgot to have fun with the ones I already have."
"That's the spirit, Winona! We can play tomorrow."
"Right; I'll be having so much fun that I'll lose track of time, and Applejack and the others will be here before we know it!"
"Or they might never come." A voice spoke. Winona and Angel were confused. Who said that? They looked around and saw a Chinchilla. Winona smiled.
"Hello! I'm Winona, and this is Angel."
"I'm Chance." Winona was then confused.
"What did you mean by our owners never coming back?"
"I've been here for weeks, and my owners were due back a week ago, and they're a no-show." Winona gasped.
"Oh, I'm so sorry; that's terrible." She looked at Angel. "That won't happen with us, right Angel? Our owners will come back, right?"
"Of course they'll come back!" Angel said to the dog. "They won't forget about us." Winona smiled with a tail wag. "Your owners must have a good reason to why they're not here yet." Chance shrugged.
"Could be. But, if that's the case, why didn't anybody tell me?" Angel shrugged.
"Okay, pets!" GoldieFinch called. "Sleepy time!" Animals began to go to their nap spots.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you." Angel said to Chance. "But, I'm sure your owners didn't forget about you. Heck, maybe they might come as soon as you open your eyes tomorrow." Chance sighed.
"Maybe." Angel began to leave.
"Goodnight, Chance!" Winona said to the Chinchilla. "Hopefully your family will come soon!" She left after the hopping bunny. Chance sighed again.
"Hope, so kid. Because I don't think I have any hope left in me." He then went off to bed.
Winona couldn't sleep that night. So, the dog woke up, and went to the window and looked up at the moon.
"Oh, Applejack," She said to herself. "Will you remember me?" And with that, the dog began to sing.
"When I came to your home," She began. "I didn't feel alone.
Right away I liked everyone.
They liked me too.
I was no longer alone.
Everything we've been through.
Every time we played.
The good and bad.
In thunderstorms, and other frightening times, you showed me how not to be afraid.
But now that you are away.
I fear things aren't okay.
I want you to remember
I still want to be a family member.
Don't forget me.
You all fill me with glee
I want to forever be in your heart.
I don't want us to drift apart.
So, Apple family, please remember me.
I want to be in your loving hooves again.
Now that we're apart, it has given me grave pain.
Don't you forget me.
Oh, don't you ever.
Don't forget me.
"They'll remember you." Owlowiscious spoke. Winona was startled. She never knew that Owlowiscious was behind her.
"Owlowiscious, I didn't see you. How long were you there?"
"I heard the entire song. Now listen, I know you're worried that our owners will forget all about us,"
"Well, that was the gist of the song."
"But, that's not the case. They all are our loving owners. They would never leave us."
"Well, what about Chance? What about his family? They left him."
"I don't think so, Winona. Chance's family might have a good reason to why they're not back yet."
"That's what Angel said."
"Angel's a smart bunny. Don't let what some other pet said beat you up, kid. You need to have faith. Wait a week, and they'll be back. I'm sure of it. Now, get some sleep."
"I'll try." With that, Winona was off.
"Winona." GoldieFinch told her. Winona went to her, and wagged her tail. GoldieFinch frowned. Winona cocked her head in confusion? What was she so sad about? GoldieFinch then looked directly in Winona's eyes, and took a deep breath. "Your family is not coming back for you." Terror was in Winona's eyes as she gaped. She felt as if her heart was breaking in a million pieces. "They no longer love you, and you are just too expensive for them. I'm sorry."
"Told you!" Chance said as he passed by.
Winona awoke with a start. It was just a dream, a bad dream. She didn't want it to be true. She had to hear otherwise for herself, not from a dream and a chinchilla. And she didn't want to wait, she wanted to hear it ASAP!
She was then determined. She knew what she was going to do. She was going to go to her family. She yawned, and laid back down. She'll do it in the morning. She went to sleep.
In the morning, she awoke before anyone else was awake, even Owlowiscious was asleep. She headed towards the doggie door.
"Where are you going?" A voice asked with a yawn. Winona looked to see where the voice was coming from. It was Gummy.
"Oh, Gummy." She said to the tiny alligator. "Sorry if I woke you."
"That's okay. Now, again, where are you going?"
"I'm going to our owners. I've been told that they might have left me here forever, as well as you and our other friends. I know it can't be true, but I'm going, just to be sure."
"Do you want us to come with you?"
"No, I'll be alright. Thanks!" And with that, the dog went off. Gummy just shrugged, and went back to sleep.
"Where's Winona?" Opal asked when all of the animals were up. She looked all around. "I haven't seen her all morning."
"Strange." Angel said. "Neither have I."
"I haven't seen her either." Tank put in. The animals all looked at Owlowiscious who just shrugged.
"I may be wise." The owl replied. "But even an owl doesn't have all the answers. I haven't seen her since last night." The pets all sighed, thinking what could have happened to their dear friend.
"She went off to see her family." Gummy said at last, breaking the silence. They all looked at him, wanting to know more. "She's convinced that her family has left her, and doesn't love her anymore. She left to see if that was true. The same might be for us, too." Gummy was then getting angry glares.
"Gummy," Angel spoke. "Why didn't you tell us that earlier?"
"Didn't ask." He replied.
"Kind of crucial information." Opal said. "Don't you think?" Gummy just blinked.
"Maybe." He then looked ashamed. "Sorry. I should've told you guys earlier. I should've stopped her when I had the chance."
"Don't beat yourself up over this, Gummy. I forgive you, and now we have to go to find her." Angel said. The pets were all confused.
"Wait, all of us?" Opal questioned.
"Well, I'm going. You can stay here if you want." He looked at the others. "How about you guys?"
"The path might be dangerous." Owlowiscious stated. "You might need assistance. I'll go with you."
"Which is why, me, your friend is going to help too." Tank added.
"I guess I'll go too." Gummy said. Opal sighed.
"I'll go too." She put in. "I got nothing better to do." Angel smiled.
"Thanks, guys!" He then was determined. "Let's go." And with that, they were off.