For Gallus01 I hope you like it :D

+*+ YONA +*+

     Yona had gone out to take a stroll in the Everfree Forest. Granted, it wasn't the most appealing place to take a stroll in, but she found the forest particularly interesting and she just couldn't resist going out to check it.

     She had found it odd that when she woke up, Smolder was being more temperamental than usual, Silverstream became more silent, which caused Gallus to fill the void of silence with chatter.

    Strangely enough, Zecora and Ocellus were also gone and she supposed that the Zebra just went with the Changeling to finally practice her magic and defeat Aura Light once and for all.

Yona was quite comforted with the thought that they were out practicing now. She had really wanted Aura Light defeated. Everything was getting quite stressful.

Everyday, she would wake up to wondering when she'll be able to go to the School of Friendship again, before realising that the real question to be asked was whether she'd be able to go to the School of Friendship.

Usually, she'd go and try to find a way to calm herself down and relieve herself with all her anxieties, but all the ways she would do that was with Professor Rarity.

Yona frowned, as she remembered her professor was off on a Friendship Mission. She had no idea when she would come back. More the reason to defeat Aura Light sooner. Maybe they were warned to not go back to the School of Friendship because of the rhino.

Maybe they need help and Headmare Starlight Glimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle were still busy with the elephant, or rhino, in the room. Maybe they had already come back from their Friendship Mission and stayed at the School of Friendship, not bothering to reach out to her and her friends.

   Yona frowned as she thought of it, steering clear of a partcularly large patch of Poison Joke. Maybe this whole thing was a poison joke. She shook her head. A spell gone wrong was never a joke.

    Maybe Rarity and the others were looking for ways to defeat Aura Light. She would be really grateful if they were, but she couldn't be too sure. She hoped Ocellus was having better luck.

    She felt her hoof connect to a root that was above ground and was unable to stop herself as she tripped and fell. She stood up, glad that most of her fat protected her and all she felt was a soft ache.

Then Yona heard a low growling sound, but it didn't seem to come anywhere near her. It seemed to be coming from a long way to her left. She raised her eyebrow and scrunched up her face in confusion, before succumbing to the temptation and followed after it.

After a while, she could smell it. The foul smell of the Timberwolves, but there was also a voice speaking, much fainter than the growls of the wolves.

It was a low voice, and it reminded her of Princess Luna. She shook her head. There was no way the princess would be here. She retired, but what if that Pony in trouble was actually her?

    Yona inched slowly but surely towards the sound, and the Pony in trouble was whimpering. The Yak somehow made it just a few metres behind the nearest Timberwolf even with her clumsiness and tripping tendancies.

   Then she rammed the Timberwolf in front of her. She found herself standing in a clearing, and the Pony in danger was indeed Princess Luna. She wondered what she was doing in here and why she couldn't save herself but she pushed that thought aside as another Timberwolf came at them.

Yona managed to smash it into a million pieces of wood and sticks again this time, but they re-formed quickly. Shr gritted her teeth, looking at Princess Luna, who was just watching the seen with terror in her eyes, exactly unlike herself. "Can't Princess do anything?"

"Oh, yeah?" The Alicorn was caught off-guard and her eyes grew wide as she realised she also had a horn. She focused on teleporting them to the Castle of the Two Sisters.

The Yak was mid-leap by the time the princess finally muttered something and wondered why she was much more informal than she usually is, but then shook her head and focused on the Timberwolf before her.

    Then she was blinded by a bright burst of magic and landed on the ground where grass was just barely growing, not enough to cushion her, and so she groaned when she made impact.

    Her face took the direct hit, especially her right cheek, and she held it as she sat down, hating at how much it hurt. She wondered if there was a broken bone, or her teeth just being b****es again.

"Need help?" Princess Luna asked as she took a step towards Yona, her dark blue colours contrasting starkly with the background, and she wondered once again why the princess was being so casual.

The princess' horn glowed in a relatively light shade of blue and soon, the pain in her cheek diminished greatly. The only problem was that the rest of her body was overcome with fatigue. She groaned.

"Huh. I guess that didn't work," the Alicorn said with a surprised face, placing a thoughtful hoof on her cheek. She tried to smile. "At least it will heal a lot faster now!"

    "Why Princess Luna informal?" Yona asked as she struggled to stand up, finally expressing the thought in her mind. She winced. Each movement felt like it required a lot of energy.

    Princess Luna gave her a sweet but knowing smile and was enveloped shortly by a cocoon and before the Yak could react a specific light blue Changeling emerged from the chrysalis.

     "Ocellus?" the Yak asked as her eyes widened and her jaw met the floor. She couldn't get any more words to exit her mouth so she just sat there with her mouth agape.

"Hi..." Ocellus said as she smiled, rubbing her hoof sheepishly. Yona's eyes were still wide and she had no idea what to do, but she felt a heavy tug at her heart.

She knew that she really wished the Changeling would go out and practice to defeat Aura Light, but now that it finally happened, she had no idea what to think.

Guilt made her feel like heart weighed fifty times more than it should have. She shook her head. She should've never said that to Ocellus. This was her friend who would heal her, who would always get her out of trouble.

   The first few tears started falling from her eyes, sliding down her face before dropping from her chin into the grass below, which would cause a new life.

    Ocellus was one of the best friends she could ever receive. She was something she wished she had back in Yakyakistan, and she hated how she was so risky with her. She should've never toyed with their friendship.

   "Yona?" Ocellus said in her soothing voice, sitting next to her on the short grass, hugging her with one of her hooves.

    And they stayed like that until the sun fell.

+*+

     Yona was grateful that Ocellus had forgiven her. Everything felt the way it was before, except that everything was totally different now. She didn't know what was it.

    Maybe it was the way that the sun still rose and feel each day, with Zecora coming to deliver some news. Maybe it was because her friends were still chatting happily wigh each other.

     Maybe it was because their breakfast was so delicious that she really wouldn't mind if she had it everyday. Maybe because it was much colder in the Everfree Forest, it reminded her of home.

    She sighed as she stopped staring outside the window sill and looked at her friends gathered in a circle. She took her spot in it and gave a smile, earning another one from the rest of them. At least that never changed.

There were also a lot of things that had changed, sadly. She was in Zecora's hut, and not at the School of Friendship where she could have possibly gotten a spa treatment with Rarity.

She also missed hearing the mare's soothing voice, and the delectable treats she would have for them. She also missed the hot water of the jacuzzi that she would just jump right into, nevermind that she was a Yak and preferred colder climates.

    Yona frowned as she heard the first few drops of rain fall outside the Everfree Forest. She wasn't really a big fan of rain, and whenever she'd ever get caught in a storm, Rarity would always be there to help her dry off and feel like herself again.

    She turned towards their friends. They seemed to have a distant look in their eyes, or maybe she was imagining it. Whatever. It felt like they weren't there, not really.

     It felt like her friends were a million miles away. It felt like her professor was a million miles away. She really hoped it didn't have to be like that, but there was nothing she could do but sit down and think about it.

From the corner of her eye, Yona spotted a pen and paper nestled in a noon in Zecora's hut. She looked at her friends beside her. They were chatting gleefully and didn't seem to pay much attention to the Yak.

She shrugged as she stood up and began walking towards the pen and paper, picking the pen up with her hoof. She didn't have the best hoofwriting, and she was very out of practice, but she supposed it would have to do.

     Yona started writing her letter to Professor Rarity, which mainly composed of 'Come back' and 'I miss you's, but scattered throughout the letter. She didn't really specify the address, neither. It was not like Starlight gave any specific locations. Just some random unexplored place.

    She sighed, hoping it would be enough for the mail pony. She wondered whether Zecora even had a mail box, but she swept the thought aside, deciding to go somewhere near if the hut didn't have one.

Luckily, as the brown Yak just exited the hug, she immediately spotted the mail box. Her eyes widened in surprise. She knew she wanted a mail box, but she didn't expect it to actually be there.

Yona actually couldn't recall seeing a mail box the previous times she had visited Zecora. This must had been recent, maybe after she heard news of the Yak and her friends coming.

She took tentative steps towards the mail box, as if it might disappear any moment if she made the wring move. She actually couldn't believe it was there.

In a few more steps, she had reached its side and successfully placed the envelope in the box that said 'To be delivered' The Yak supposed this was since there wasn't any post office that was particularly near here.

    Yona peeked at the folded piece of paper one last time in the mail box before turning away and entering Zecora's hut once more. She didn't know what to do now. She stayed standing at the doorstep for quite a long time now, turning and opening the door every few minutes to check if anything had happened.

    Perhaps she was a little to excited at the thought of having communication with Rarity again. Maybe too hopeful as well. Who knows if the mare would actually receive her letter. She tried not to think about that.

For the next few days, Yona had started writing more and more letters. At first, it was just a few greetings and saying that she really missed her professor, but as the time went on, the letters got longer and longer, and she would spend more and more time just in the corner of Zecora's hut, writing and writing letters to a mare who could probably never answer.

    Each time, the Yak would pour her out heart on the pages of each letter, expressing all her thoughts down in ink. On some days, she would just write a few pages, while on some, she could reach a dozen.

     Whenever someone tried to peel Yona away from writing the letters, the young Yak would snap at them before returning to her letter-writing, and Zecora and her friends left her alone after that.

     The Yak found out that she really loved writing letters. With each word, it felt like a burden was being lifted off her chest, and once she placed the pen down, everything came crashing back to her again.

When the night fell, Yona would immediately set down her quill and placed them to the side, before immediately going to her hammock and slept. She didn't bother to eat dinner, and ate her breakfast and lunch as she wrote. She paid no mind to her friends, and they paid no mind to her.

The Yak was quite satisfied with her life. She figured she could do this everyday. It would be one of the only lives that would leave a contented smile on her face for the whole day.

+*+

     Yona opened her eyes the exact same way she did for the past weeks. She swung her hooves over her hammock the same way as well. The esrly morning walk to the mail box was such a routine for her that she could do it without much conciousness, and that was the exact state she was in that morning.

     She walked towards the mail box, mostly lifeless. She expected to find what she usually did every single morning. Nothing. But her eyes widened as she saw that life didn't give her the same fate.

    She tried to calm her racing heart down, telling herself that maybe she dropped the letter in the wrong box yesterday, or that the letter was for someone else.

With trembling hooves, she reached into the mail box, pulling the envelope out. This wasn't from her. This had an envelope, and the envelope felt delicate.

Yona flipped the envelope and the first thing she caught was her name. Her eyes widened as her heart started to pick up its pace again. She read the rest of the words on the envelope and found out that it was actually from Professor Rarity.

She couldn't help but give a small smile to that. She had imagined this happening so much for the past few weeks that it had felt like a memory. Now that she was actually face-to-face with it, she didn't really have any clue what to do.

    She did what any other creature in her position would do. She opened the envelope. Her hooves were still trembling as she broughg out the folded piece of paper inside and began reading it.

Hello, Yona.

     It is I, your Professor Rarity! I have to admit your hoofwriting has gotten quite better within the past few week. Yes, I have read every single one of your letters now. It was quite a lot.

    I understand that you're going through a tough time as of the moment. I am currently residing back in Ponyville now, in my Carousel Boutique. Everyday, I would meet up with your headmare to discuss about the situation, so don't you worry your little yak mane about it.

    If the situation becomes suitable for this, I could go on a trot and head over to you and your friends and Zecora's hut, but as of now I'll have to stay here and help.

     What I want you to do is keep being that generous and supportive Yak you are. Times are tough, but I know you can be there for your friends. I really miss you, too.

Lots of love,
Professor Rarity

Yona didn't really know what to do, but by the end of the letter she was smiling really widely. Her professor had read her letters. Her professor was safe, only a few kilometres away. They were working on the Aura Light situation. Progessor Rarity could be on her way here any moment.

She was happy. Everything she could have ever possibly wished for the past few weeks had come true. She was very greatful for this miracle. She didn't know how things could get any better.

    She went back inside Zecora's hut with a wide smile on her face, and she saw that some of her friends were glaring at her, especially Smolder who was already sitting down on her usual spot. Gallus just gave an intense side-eye and Silverstream didn't even bother looking at the Yak, while Ocellus ignored her existance altogether.

     Yona furrowed her eyebrows, wondering where this cold attitude came from. What did she do wrong? All she did was grab a letter that was meant for her. There was no way they could be jealous. That would be stupid.

The Yak sat down in a secluded cranny in Zecora's home and unfolded the letter again, revealing her professor's crisp handwriting. She re-read the letter, over and over again, and after each time, her heart seemed to get heavier and heavier.

She didn't know why this was happening. She was supposed to be happy. She got her letter answered, but why is it as she read the last paragraph that the world seemed to spin around her?

    What I want you to do is keep being that generous and supportive Yak you are. Times are tough, but I know you can be there for your friends.

    She kept re-reading and re-reading that part, and after each time, she was starting to understand what had been happening. She was too reliant on Rarity. She had fully dedicated the past few weeks to writing letters to her and her alone.

     Guilt suddenly hit Yona like a crushing wave. She had been disregarding her friends for such a long time now. No wonder they all hate her. She could've — no, she should have — sought help from her friends and seek guidance from them.

If she really knew her friends like her own mind, she would've done it, and she took great pride in knowing her friends well. She should've remembered she would never find anycreature as trusting or as kind. They were the best thing in her lives, and she should've been grateful for having great friends.

Yona dropped the paper in her hooves, letting it elgantly drift towards the floor. She should've have even written any letter to Rarity. All she needed was right here. They would definitely listen to her problems and help her.

Yona hated herself for that. She kicked the letter Rarity had sent her with her hoof, throwing a glare at it, then turned her head to the empty spot at her right, staring at the pattern of the wood in the ground.

     She wondered what to do now. She really wanted to be on speaking terms with her friends again, but she didn't know how. She had shunned them for such a long time that she knew it was going to get awkward if she decided to talk to them again.

    Yona took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. She did what any other creature in her place would do right now. She walked towards the circle where her friends had gathered around and took her spot in it.

"Hi," Yona said in a loud voice, causing some echoes to bounce back at her, and she wished those echoes belonged to her friends right now. She felt so lifeless, sitting among such lively creatures. Or they were lively, until she joined in.

"Hi," she said again with her eyes widening as she faked a smile on her face, and she wished that smile was real. She looked at her friends, wondering when they'd speak up again.

    "Hello..." Ocellus said in a small voice, for the first time recognising the Yak's existence. The Changeling looked up for a brief moment that must have only lasted one or two seconds, a small smile on her face, before looking at the ground.

    Smolder cringed and she let out an angry sigh as her shoulders tensed up. She shook her head and stood up, facing the Yak, glaring at her as she angrily gestured to the Changeling. "Do you know what you did to Ocellus? Huh?"

Yona was quite taken aback. She never expected any of her actions to have such a negative impact on all of them, but for some reason that was how it always happened.

Her eyes grew wide as she leaned back just a bit, with her mouth open in worry. She didn't really know what she did to Ocellus, and she hoped it wasn't too bad.

"When you two went home last time, she told me that she thought everything was sorted out! That you were fine! That she was fine! That we were all fine! But then you started to ignore are friendship and continue writing letters to whoever you were writing to! Do we not f***ing exist?!"

Yona felt guilty for thinking this, but she did hope they didn't exist.