“The train for Ponyville leaves in 5 minutes!” a voice bellowed across the station. The platform was filled with various creatures, the tingle of laughter fresh in the air. Hugs were being exchanged, goodbyes being said. As the final call for a train sounded, puffy columns of smoke were released into the air, almost stifling the joyful -and for some, longing,- cries that came from inside the transport.
A small group was standing in the middle of the station, and it would be untrue to say that they were not getting noticed. Whispers passed from the ears of one creature to the next, but for the most part the crowd ignored the land’s heroes and Equestria's newest ruler.
“I wish you didn't have to go,” a forlorn voice said. Twilight sighed as she eyed the crowd rapidly shifting.
“Ah know sugar-cube,” a southern voice piped up. “But ah reckon that a month’ll pass lickety split.”
“I don’t know about that,” Twilight answered. “We've been friends for so long and well…” she broke off, suddenly feeling rather silly. Fortunately for the princess, her friends knew what she was thinking.
“You’re worried we’ll drift apart,” Fluttershy gently said. Twilight nodded, eyes glued on the ground. She knew that she was being worried for nothing and that their friendship would last for moons to come. It wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. Still, she felt a strange anxiety that just didn’t want to leave.
The pegasus moved closer to Twilight. “Things will change, but our friendships will remain strong no matter how difficult things become,” she said firmly.
Pinkie Pie bounced forward. “Yeah Twi, a moon will probably feel like a single day! You’ll barely notice how much time is passing when you're busy ruling.” Pinkie stopped bouncing and stood still on the spot. She placed her hoof to her chin, seemingly lost in thought. “You know, next time I wouldn’t be surprised if you were this tall-” She jumped up and stretched out her hoof, which reached above the heads of her friends. “-and had a super sparkly, flowing mane!”
Twilight didn’t think that she would get much taller anytime soon, considering she had already grown a bit when she first became an alicorn. She even had her doubts about getting a mane like Celestia’s. Still, not much was known about alicorns, and as far as pony-kind had known their had only ever been five, so anything was possible.
“Perhaps,” she said to Pinkie, not in the mood to argue.
“Even if we don’t see each other in a while,” Rarity put in. “It’s all the more reason for us to make these meetings of ours simply splendid.”
Spike flew to Twilight’s side and placed his claw on her shoulder comfortingly. “You’ll be an amazing ruler Twilight.”
“Not to mention,” Rarity gushed. “The crown looks simply fabulous on you!”
Twilight felt a warm fuzzy feeling erupt inside her, canceling out the fear that had threatened to overwhelm her and lunged forward, wrapping her friends in a hug.
“Aw, Twi,” Rainbow Dash said in a voice that she tried to make sound like a grumble. She didn’t want to admit it, but the rainbow-maned pegasus could feel herself becoming slightly emotional. From Rainbow Dash’s point of view though, she had had enough crying for now.
The friends’ hug lasted for a minute before each of them relinquished their grip. Twilight wiped a few tears from her eyes as she pulled back. “You’d better get going,” she told her friends. They nodded and turned around to face the train in front of them.
“I suppose if I really miss you, I’ll still have the memory book.” Twilight smiled and teleported a book into the air in front of her. “You really don't know how much this means to me.”
“Glad you like it,” Spikes voice came from the side. “We worked hard on that thing.”
Twilight smiled and said warmly, “No doubt about it.”
“Final call for Ponyville!”
“That’s us,” Applejack said. “Everypony ready?”
A chorus of affirmation rang out among the group. “Goodbye girls, see you all next month!” Twilight said.
From her side, Spike waved. “We’ll miss you!”
“I’m gonna write to you all the time! You don’t need to worry about missing anything, Pinkie Pie’s got it all under control!”
“You promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. See? Now you know it’s true. Because-”
“No one breaks a pinkie promise!” a group of voices rang out. Pinkie Pie looked around at her friends.
“We do know each other well!”
Twilight laughed as she watched her friends board the train. She knew she was going to miss them dearly but if there was one thing that the last few weeks had taught her, it was that their friendship could stand anything that was thrown their way.
As the doors of the train slammed closed, Twilight moved closer to Spike. The two of them watched as a column of smoke rose into the air, before the sound of the trains grinding on the tracks filled the station. The calls “Bye Twilight, Bye Spike!” could be heard over the noise.
"Twilight?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you think's gonna change?"
Twilight looked at the train as it departed the station. She thought she heard her name being called but couldn't be sure. Eventually the train began to gather speed. After a minute she caught a final glimpse of the train turning a corner, before it vanished from view completely.
“I don’t know Spike,” she answered her number one assistant. “But I can say that no matter the challenge we can push through it-”
“-Together.”
Twilight and Spike moved through the crowd and off the platform. The Princess of Friendship allowed a tear to run down her cheek. Not from sadness, but joy.
As Twilight moved her gaze upwards towards the sky she let a small smile form.
Things would change, and so would their friendships. But they would never, ever, be broken.