Walking up to Princess Twilight's library felt like the longest walk in the world to me. I had no idea what to expect out of this interview and I could only just wonder who other than Twilight was going to get the most emotional. Yes, Celestia, Luna and Cadence were thrown into Tartarus like garbage, but Twilight suffered much worse: in addition to losing her library, she also witnessed her friends being used as leverage for her to give up the alicorn magic that Tirek so desired.
"Here is the library," Spike said as he led to the doorway. "Just remember that Twilight is still getting over losing the Golden Oak Library and…"
"I am aware, buddy," I interrupted, not wanting to hear what Spike had to say about how Twilight was feeling. "I promise you that I will be careful when asking my questions. Trust me, I may be a reporter, but I have my limits."
Spike nodded and allowed me to walk into the library. There were the four princesses of Equestria, all sitting on a sofa and waiting for me to arrive. Looking at their faces, I could tell that they were in emotional pain and distress. Tirek was a dangerous creature and to me, even though I had not yet admitted it, they were in my view at least, the most victimized by Tirek's actions.
"Your highnesses," I said, bowing before them. "I am Hot Scoop, the reporter from the Equestrian Journal assigned to interview you about the events with Tirek. Now, before I start the interview, I want you to know that if at any time you wish to not answer certain questions, please let me know."
"No, I want you to ask whatever questions you may have," said Twilight, firmly in a sharp tone. "This is a very difficult time for all of us and we need to release whatever tensions we may have."
"Very well," I said, sitting in the chair across from the princesses. "But, I must say that you are probably thinking that I am one of those insensitive reporters who doesn't care about the well-being of the celebrities we are interviewing. Well, I am not like that. I have my limits and boundaries."
I sat there and expected to hear an answer from the princesses, but instead, I got a completely different answer from Princess Luna.
"Ask us whatever questions you have for us, young colt," said the Princess of the Night. "We are prepared to answer whatever you wish to ask of us."
…
I then looked down at my notebook containing my questions for each of the princesses, mostly for Twilight. Much like going to get your blood drawn at the doctors, I decided to just ask Twilight's questions first and get them out of the way, preparing myself for whatever came my way.
"This first question is for you, Princess Twilight," I said. "How do you feel about becoming the Princess of Friendship?"
"Honored to say the least," replied Twilight, briefly looking down at the ground. "But it seems just so sudden and quick at the same time. I knew that I was going to face a test much like when I became an alicorn princess in the first place, but it was nothing like this."
"We all must face challenges, Twilight," remarked Celestia. "These kinds of challenges are not to bring you down, but rather to make you stronger. Myself, Luna and Cadence knew that you weren't going to defeat Tirek with magic alone."
"I think that Princess Celestia has a point, Twilight," I interjected. "I may be just a reporter, but I am not in this for the money. My job is to benefit Equestria with news that provide lessons that other ponies can take to heart. What your new position holds will open so many doors for you and allow you to teach lessons that you have never taught before."
Twilight silently nodded as she absorbed all the information that she was being given by me and her mentor.
"Now then, I'm going to ask this question and I know that it is a very difficult question to ask," I said, looking back down at the notebook containing my questions. "But, do you miss living in the Golden Oak Library?"
Almost immediately, I saw Twilight's eyes welling up with tears and for a moment, I couldn't help but wonder if I just screwed up this interview.
"What have I done?" I thought. "Way to go, Hot Scoop. You just went and made a princess cry, you idiot. And not just any princess, but the Princess of Friendship."
Grabbing a tissue, I handed it to Twilight, who dabbed her eyes with it while Celestia draped one of her giant wings around Twilight's back, pulling her close.
"Do I miss the Golden Oak Library?" Twilight cried, in between light sobs. "Of course I miss it. When I saw it destroyed, I couldn't help but feel like I had lost everything that made me who I am today. There were so many important items in the library that are just irreplaceable, Hot Scoop."
"I could just only imagine the horrors," I sighed in a sympathetic voice. "Believe me, if I was in your shoes, I would feel the exact same way."
"But, its not just the things in there," Twilight cried as she continued dabbing her tear filled eyes with the tissue. "The Golden Oak Library…was the first home I ever lived in. It was where I had my fondest memories, both good and bad. The Golden Oak Library was the place where I solved Starswirl's spell and became an alicorn princess. I didn't ask for this, Hot Scoop. If I wanted to be the Princess of Friendship, I could have solved another spell of Starswirl's, not take on a magic-obsessed monster!"
As Twilight spoke through her cries, I couldn't help but think of my interview with Tirek. He was the true cause in all of this. Sure, Discord did betray Equestria and is partially to blame for this. But, Tirek was the instigator and he showed no remorse or regret for what he had done.
"Princess Twilight," I sighed. "I know what you are probably thinking right now. You probably think I am being insensitive to you by asking you these questions…"
"You aren't being insensitive," reassured Princess Cadence. "This is Twilight and us releasing our emotions that have been built up inside of us for a long time. We were just like Twilight, Hot Scoop. However, unlike her, we were at the mercy of Tirek as well. We had our freedoms stolen from us along with our magic and for a moment, I couldn't help but think we would never get out of this alive."
For a moment, I couldn't help but wonder what I was going to do. Here I was, in front of the four alicorn princesses and one of them, sobbing her heart out over losing her home and possessions. I felt powerless to help in any way and one might wonder if I could find a way to correct this interview before it would get out of hand…