Princess, Professor, friend. What more could a pony ask for?

Ten years have gone since she met her first true friends, and Twilight Sparkle has begun to find the past weighing upon her. She always knew that her friends would begin to drift apart with time; she understood that those endless Ponyville summers must end one day. Still, even though Twilight has accomplished her dreams, something is keeping her rooted in the past.

But the bustling, decadent nights in Canterlot are made for sharing secrets, and tonight, an old friend is waiting for her among the crowds. Could a familiar face and a guiding hoof be enough to lighten the young princess's burden?

Enormous thanks to the amazing Shadowsreached for proofreading and editing. The epic cover painting was created by CosmicUnicorn.

Rarity discovers an old tradition involving the exchange of felt dolls as a sign of affection. This sparks a brilliant plan to play matchmaker with her friends, and between herself and Twilight.

But brilliant plans never go as expected, do they?

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Cover art by Acceleron
Chapter art by Ratofdrawn, Sketchyjackie, Dunnstar and fatalerror328!

Today is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s 500th birthday, and her most faithful student, an earth pony with a familiar name, can’t wait to celebrate!

Notes:
- Cover art by ErinKarsath, used with permission. Check out her DeviantArt page.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse, and you can find the sequel here.
- Many thanks to my faithful Pre-Reader and all around super-duper best pony, Blood Lord. Go read his story, too!
- This was written during the season 3 hiatus of MLP:FiM.