“I don’t even know where to start,” Twilight Sparkle sat in the basement lab of the Golden Oak Library, hooves raised above her typewriter. She knew she should be writing a report, but for now ‘Dear Princess Celestia’ sat alone at the top of the page. “This one’s been going on for months!”
“Longer than that,” Pinkie Pie shook her head, “Remember last year at harvest time, Applejack had us all chasing round because she thought Big Mac was a dopant? Did the whole harvest in one night?”
“Oh,” Twilight blinked, and realised that all the clues had been there, if they’d just known what to look for. “More than a year then, isn’t Applebuck Season next week?”
“I’ll have to make them some special cookies, to give her the energy to get out of hospital in time.”
“Was that somebody at the door?” Spike’s ears perked up, and he leapt from his perch on a high shelf and went to see who was visiting. He quickly found a folded letter slipped under the door at the top of the stairs, and picked it up to read the single word pencilled on the front. “Hey, Twilight! We’ve got a letter, says it’s a confession. Should I bring it down?”
“Of all the…” Twilight muttered, and then closed her eyes for an instant. A pink flash, and she was standing at the front door of the library.
“You should apologise in person,” she declaimed. “A letter says you don’t really mean it. And Applejack isn’t even here. You wanted to get this over with while she’s still in hospital, because you know she’ll be angrier than any of us?”
“Umm… I guess…” the voice that answered was quavering with nerves, maybe even as quiet as Fluttershy’s normal tone. But it wasn’t the voice Twilight had been expecting. She looked into the main room of the Library, where Apple Bloom had come almost far enough to make her escape.
“Come on. Would you like tea? We’re just about to write up my Dopant Report for Princess Celestia. Were you just delivering a letter, or is there something you need to apologise for?”
“I… kind of apologised already. But I caused trouble for you as well, so I think you should know the truth. I think we’re all coming clean with our secrets now, so… I just don’t want to tell AJ, I think she’d kill me.”
A few minutes later, there were six ponies sitting around the little table in the lab, and a baby dragon watching them from the top of a bookshelf. It wasn’t the usual six ponies, but almost the next best thing. And Apple Bloom could finally come clean about the secret that had been weighing on her mind for so long. She’d told Big Mac long ago, and he’d forgiven her. And just this morning she’d told Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who had understood her nerves. So now it was time to tell the only other ponies in town who would understand.
“In school, it’s super competitive. Everypony wants to be the best, and when Diamond Tiara announced her cute-ceañera, it was like the rest of us were second-class classmates. And we all wanted to get our cutie marks as soon as possible, right? We would have done anything, and it came back to bite us in the rump. But a week or two before, there was a different game that everypony wanted to jump on the bandwagon for, and I’m sure the grownups never knew about that one. Because we were stealing.”
“I think I know this story,” Rarity cut into the awkward silence, trying to keep any judgement out of her voice. “I heard something from one of my clients, who’d had to speak very sternly to her son. I considered asking Sweetie Belle about it at the time, but then I thought she wouldn’t get carried along with some colts’ game. Go on, you can tell us.”
“Well, Rumble had these magazines. He said he found them under his brother’s bed, and he was super embarrassed about them being there. It’s like, Rumble can do anything he wants, because as long as he knows the secret he can get his big brother to cover for him. He was the most popular colt in school for a while. And… a fair few colts went sneaking into their brothers’ rooms hoping to find something similar.
“So that’s the deal. I thought it would be like a game, something to joke about. I didn’t think Big Mac would have any books he was embarrassed about, and boy was I wrong there. But I also found this case full of Gaia Memories. It must have been when he’d just started, because there was some notes in there as well, the kind of ponies who might be tempted by each one. I knew it was a secret, I wasn’t sure if it was something I could use to get favours out of my brother, but I thought it was worth a try. So I took one, and that’s when he started locking his room. Then Scootaloo was getting so upset that she couldn’t fly yet, and we were all singled out by the kids who’d got their cutie marks, I didn’t know what it was going to do.”
She was almost crying now. Twilight didn’t know what to say, so it was down to Spike to be the wise one for once. He jumped down to offer Apple Bloom a hug, which seemed to comfort her without the need for words. Fluttershy and Rarity were the next to come around the table, starting a group hug that soon included all of them. As the huddle broke up, Apple Bloom could manage a weak smile.
“Thank you,” she said, “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I’d seen how much trouble Rumble got in when he actually shared somepony else’s secret. And it was family, I couldn’t hurt Big Mac if he said there was a reason it had to be secret. I had to keep it secret, that I hurt my friends so much. We’ve still got these scars…”
“They’ll heal,” Twilight offered what comfort she could. “Everypony does the wrong thing sometimes when they’re young. It’s how we learn. And your mistake wasn’t all bad. Because we know now that the Gaia Memory’s connector can change over time to look like a real cutie mark; and that it changes more quickly in the young. That might help us to recognise a dopant we would otherwise have dismissed. So… I know you feel bad, but remember there’s always a silver lining. And that true friends will always see the good in you.”
“No more secrets,” Apple Bloom promised, and that was enough to get a cheer from everypony.
“That could be the moral of the story,” Twilight said with a smile, “Now, I really need to get to writing this report. Maybe you can help me get the facts in order, make sure we’re not missing anything?” But before she even put hooves to keys, Spike gave a small belch of fire and a letter appeared in front of him.
“Oh no, the Princesses must be angry that my report is late!” Twilight went from calm to panic in zero seconds flat, “What does she say?”
“My faithful student…” Spike skimmed over the document, “… events to shape the future … diplomatic pressure … reveal what has been secret … a joining of … dawn of a new era … Huh‽”
“Spike?”
“You need to book a ticket to Canterlot to discuss some arrangements, it’s super vague. And clear a weekend in your calendar for the end of next month. I –” he was interrupted as Twilight’s magic snatched the scroll from his claws.
“Oh wow,” Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked down the letter. She realised she was babbling a little, but she was surprised enough that the words just had to come out “I’m not sure why it’s important or why she’s inviting us, she doesn’t even say who, but I think this is a wedding invitation!”