The early morning sun streamed through the window, its warming rays slowly rousing Twilight from her slumber. Shifting out from under the covers she slowly stretched out her legs, moaning in satisfaction when her back popped.
“Mmm... good morning, Spike,” Twilight mumbled. Rolling over to face Spike’s basket, she could only blink in confusion when she discovered it was empty.
“Spike?” Twilight called out again, slightly louder.
Sliding out of bed, Twilight crossed the room and poked her head out of the door, stopping in her tracks when she heard noises coming from downstairs. Tip-toeing quietly out of the bedroom, she approached the edge of the loft and glanced down into the library. Holding a forehoof to her muzzle, Twilight was barely able to restrain a laugh at the sight that awaited her.
In the middle of the library, clad in a frilly pink smock and wielding a large feather duster, was Spike. Humming a strangely familiar tune, he spun and twirled as he danced from shelf to shelf, cleaning along the way. Reaching the end of the row, Spike did a quick pirouette before planting his feet and bowing to an invisible crowd.
“Please, hold your applause,” Spike said, attempting to calm his cheering fans. “The show is just getting started.”
Unable to contain her mirth any longer Twilight fell over backward laughing, adding her applause to that of his ‘crowd’.
Startled by the unexpected applause, Spike dropped his duster and hopped back a step.
“T-Twilight, you’re awake,” Spike stammered, turning a fearful eye to the balcony. “What are you doing up so early?”
Taking a moment to recover, Twilight took a few deep breaths to calm herself before speaking.
“What am I doing up?” Twilight asked. “I should be the one asking you that.”
“Oh, well, uh…” Picking up the feather duster from where he had dropped it, Spike drummed his claws nervously on it as he held it in front of himself. “Just getting my chores done.”
“Is that what you call that?” Twilight smirked, causing Spike to flush in embarrassment. “But neither was it something to be ashamed of. That was very good, Spike, where did you learn that at?”
“Well, Rarity sometimes talks about how she used to do ballet when I’m over there helping her,” Spike explained, scuffing the floor with a foot, “so I read up on it in my free time, and practice when you’re out with your friends. I was hoping if I was good, I could impress Rarity with it.”
“I’m sure she’ll be very impressed,” Twilight giggled. “But you didn’t exactly answer my question. I asked why you were up so early, not what you were doing.”
“Well…” Spike hesitated for a moment. “The sound of somepony rooting around in the kitchen woke me up right around sunrise. I… kinda panicked ‘cus I thought it was you trying to cook again, so I came running downstairs and found Silvia making us breakfast.”
“And what was Silvia doing up so early?” Twilight asked, glaring at Spike for the jab at her cooking skills.
“She started working on the farm today,” Spike said. “She had to be there by sunrise, so she got up early to make us all breakfast.”
“Oh,” Twilight perked up, “Silvia made breakfast?”
“Yeah, she made omelets,” Spike said, licking his lips. “They were good, too. Loaded with peppers and flowers, a nice gem seasoning…”
“Oh, that does sound good,” Twilight agreed. “Is there any left?”
“No, I knew you weren’t going to be up for a while, so we split yours,” Spike said. “I can make you one, though. I’m almost done with my cleaning.”
“Already?” Twilight asked, eyes scanning the library in an attempt to find anything out of place. “It’s barely past nine o’clock.”
“Yeah, and I’ve been up since five,” Spike said. “I decided to get started on my chores early since I wasn’t gonna be able to get back to sleep.”
“Well, that was very responsible of you,” Twilight praised. “Breakfast sounds lovely as well, thank you, Spike. I’m going to go get cleaned up for the day first. I should be down shortly.”
Giving a thumbs up in response Spike returned to his cleaning with a bounce in his step, each sweep of the duster accented with a well-executed leap or spin.
Rolling her eyes at his antics, Twilight returned to her room to prepare herself for the day. A quick shower and a few grooming spells later, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for anything the day could throw at her. Descending from the loft, Twilight reached the kitchen just as Spike was placing a steaming plate of loaded scrambled eggs on the table.
“That was fast,” Spike said, the sound of Twilight’s hooves on the hardwood alerting him to her presence. “Coffee should be done in a minute.”
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said, taking a seat at the table. “I skipped my normal grooming routine and just used a few spells to straighten my mane and coat. I woke up a little later than I had intended, so I wanted to get as quick a start to my day as I could.”
Picking up a fork and knife in her magic, Twilight made quick work of dicing her scrambled eggs into smaller bits before popping some into her mouth, groaning in satisfaction at the explosion of flavor the fillings added.
“Mmm, this is great, Spike,” Twilight complimented. “Not that I’m complaining, but I thought you said you were making an omelet?”
“Well, I was going to, but the egg broke up when I tried to fold it over,” Spike said, frowning as he set a steaming cup of coffee down in front of Twilight. “I don’t understand it, I can make alfalfa gnocchis in a bechamel sauce that outclasses anything you can find at even the fanciest of Canterlot restaurants, yet I can’t fold an omelet.”
“Well, not everypony can be good at everything,” Twilight said, taking a deep whiff of her coffee before downing half the cup in one sip.
“Says Miss ‘Element of Magic’,” Spike grumbled to himself, taking his place at the sink to begin washing the dirty cookware.
“Hmm, what was that?” Twilight asked, looking up from the checklist she had laid out the night before.
“I said you seem like you’re in quite the hurry this morning,” Spike lied, motioning to the now empty plate and mug in front of Twilight. “You got something planned for this morning?”
“Yes, actually,” Twilight said, floating her plate and silverware over to Spike before refilling her coffee cup. “With Silvia being out of the house all day, Pinkie is going to be stopping by to get a ‘Welcome Home’ party set up for her.”
“And that required you to be up early, why?” Spike asked, placing the last of the morning's dishes on the drying rack. “Doesn’t she normally handle most everything when she throws a party?”
“Well, yes, but I wanted to make sure the library was properly organized before she shows up,” Twilight explained. “When Pinkie cleans up she tends to just stick things wherever they’ll fit, and I’d rather not spend my weekend completely reorganizing the library. Again.”
Quickly finishing off her second mug of coffee, Twilight filled her cup once more before standing from the table, the mug and her list floating beside her.
“But after walking through the library and looking over my checklist for today, it seems like you got most of the cleaning and organizing out of the way already,” Twilight said, giving Spike an affectionate pat on the head. “So all that leaves is the loft and the upstairs bathroom.”
“I’ll get started on the loft once I finish up in the sitting room,” Spike offered. “I’ve just gotta finish sweeping and wiping down the windows, then everything downstairs is done.”
“That’s ok, Spike, I can handle the upstairs,” Twilight said looking over her checklist. “Pinkie said she wasn’t coming over until after lunch time. She told the Cakes she’d stay to help them with their lunch rush.”
Lowering her list, Twilight gave Spike a knowing smirk. “If you want you can head over to Rarity’s once you finish the sitting room. She’s supposed to be distracting Silvia once she finishes up at the farm, so she’s going to need some help getting her orders out of the way so she doesn’t fall behind.”
“Rarity is falling behind?” Spike asked, a slight look of panic tainting hs features. “She isn’t going to lose the boutique, is she?”
“No, nothing like that, Spike,” Twilight assured him. “She was actually ahead when I spoke to her the other day, but I figured since we’ve finished up here so early, sending you over to help couldn’t hurt. I’d rather not risk inconveniencing anypony if we can help it.”
“Well, consider it done, then,” Spike said, giving Twilight a salute.
With their schedules for the day all planned out, the two of them went their separate ways to begin cleaning. It wasn’t long at all before Spike finished the sitting room, and after checking in with Twilight he was on his way to Rarity’s.
With Spike out of the house, Twilight was free to indulge in her own guilty pleasure. Taking a quick peek around the library to make sure she was truly alone, she trotted into her bedroom and used her magic to fish a trashy romance novel out of the box of more personal books she kept stored under her bed. Armed with her questionable literature, Twilight opened the book to the page she had bookmarked and returned to her cleaning, eyes never leaving the pages as her cleaning implements circled around her in a flurry of activity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was just past lunch time, and Twilight was munching on a sandwich while reading an old, worn looking book when a knocking came from the front door.
“It’s open!” Twilight shouted, eyes never leaving the pages of the book.
In response, the door was kicked open as a bright pink pony with a mane of cotton candy burst into the room, a small train of catering carts behind her.
“Hi, Twilight!” Pinkie cheered, pulling the carts through with a swing of her hips before kicking the door closed. “I’m here to set up for the ~party~!”
“You’re right on time,” Twilight said, eyes scanning the pages of the tome before her. “Feel free to set up anywhere downstairs, Spike and I already finished cleaning.”
“You’re supposed to clean after the party,” Pinkie giggled, “not before it.”
Noticing for the first time the book that held Twilight’s attention, Pinkie slowly crept up behind Twilight to see what it was she was reading.
“I know,” Twilight said, failing to notice that Pinkie was reading over her shoulder. “But last time you threw a party here things got put away in the wrong place, and Spike and I had to spend our entire weekend reorganizing the entire place.”
“What’cha readin’?” Pinkie asked, unable to get more than a few words in before Twilight moved on to the next page.
Letting out a yelp of surprise at the unexpected proximity of Pinkie’s voice, Twilight jumped off of the cushion she had been sitting on and spun to face her, accidentally tossing the book in the air in the process. Gasping in alarm, Twilight scrambled to place herself under the airborne tome, completely ignorant of Pinkie giggling at her antics. Catching the book in her aura as gently as she could, Twilight sighed in relief when the book remained intact after its impromptu flight lesson.
“Pinkie, don’t do that!” Twilight scolded, holding a hoof to her chest as she looked the book over for any damage.
“Do what?” Pinkie asked innocently, cocking her head to the side.
“Scare me like that!” Twilight said, gently placing the book on a nearby table after a closer inspection revealed no damage that wasn’t already present.
“Oh, I wasn’t trying to scare you,” Pinkie giggled, “I was just curious about what you were reading. Normally, the only books that can hold your attention like that are spellbooks from the Princess or one of those books you keep under your bed.”
“What books?” Twilight asked, face flushing as her eyes shifted side to side. “I don’t keep any books under my bed.”
“You know,” Pinkie said, “the ones with that mare that goes on an adventure, beats the bad guy, saves the stallion, and in the end they…”
“So, how’s setting up for the party going?” Twilight cut in, doing her best to change the subject. “We’ve got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it.”
“Oh, yeah, the party!” Pinkie said, hopping over to the train of carts. “I spent most of the morning baking, so I have most of the food done already. The Apples will be bringing the rest of the food when they get here. All that we have to do is hang up the decorations and mix the punch!”
“Well, we better get to work, then,” Twilight said, glancing at a nearby clock. “Going by the timeline that Applejack gave me, we have about four hours before Silvia will be done at the farm. That gives us plenty of time to get the decorations set up before we need to have the food stations prepared.”
“Or,” Pinkie interjected, slowly reaching behind her back, “we could use a certain little friend of mine to get it done in a jiffy. A certain cylindrical, sugar-powered, confetti launching friend that was made just for setting up parties.”
“Pinkie, no,” Twilight said, turning to face Pinkie. “I told you after what happened last time, no party canons in the library!”
“Aww, but that was an accident,” Pinkie pouted, “I just used too much ‘fun powder’ is all. I promise I have it loaded right this time.”
“The answer is still no,” Twilight said. “Spike was up all morning cleaning, and I’d hate to have his work ruined by another one of your miscalculations. And I still fail to see how a sugar-based propellant could cause that much damage.”
“Oh, that’s easy, silly. All you have to do is add an oxidizer,” Pinkie giggled. “What I do is mix some sugar with a bit of potassium nitrate and boom, fun powder.”
“Pinkie, that sounds dangerous,” Twilight said, taking a step back from her friend.
“It’s fine, Twilight,” Pinkie giggled, hopping over to the first of the carts. “I’m an expert in party science!”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Twilight mumbled.
Turning back to the nearest cart, Twilight used her magic to pull out strings of streamers, as well as a large folded banner. Sifting through the other carts, Twilight soon had a mass of confetti and streamers floating behind her, the banner laid off to the side.
“I’ll start on the high decoration since my magic makes it easier for me to reach, you go ahead and start low,” Twilight instructed. “We’ll hang the banner once we decide on where we’re setting up the food.”
“Okie doki, Twily,” Pinkie cheered.
With their jobs assigned, the two set to work decorating the library. The hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it wasn’t long before a knocking at the door signaled the arrival of another friend.
“Come in!” Twilight shouted, too busy hanging streamers to answer the door.
With a bang and a rush of displaced air, a multicolored blur rushed into the library and skidded to a halt in the middle of the room. Shielding her face from the sudden burst of wind, Twilight was dismayed to see that almost half the decorations she had hung up were now laying in a pile on the far side of the room.
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight yelled, turning to scold her friend. “What do you think you’re doing.”
“Word around town is Pinke was throwing a party in the library tonight,” Rainbow said, polishing a forehoof on her chest, “and you can’t have a party without the coolest pony in town. I didn’t see an invitation in my mailbox, so it must have gotten lost. Figured I’d head over here now so I don’t miss the action.”
“That’s because you weren’t invited,” Pinkie sang, hopping to and fro as she rehung the torn down decorations.
“What do you mean, I wasn’t invited?” Rainbow groused. “Why not?”
“Because the pony this party is for doesn’t like large groups of ponies, so I only invited her friends,” Pinkie explained.
“So? I’m your friend, why couldn’t you invite me too?” Rainbow asked.
“Because silly,” Pinkie giggled. “If I invited you ‘cause you were my friend, then I’d have to invite everypony. And that would kinda defeat the purpose of keeping the guest list small.”
“Can we just forget about the invitation for a minute and focus on this mess you made?” Twilight interjected. “It took us hours to put this stuff up, and you just came in and took it down like it was nothing! We’ll never get it all back up in time.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Twi,” Rainbow said, eyes shifting back and forth nervously. “Look, let’s just forget about the whole ‘invitation’ thing. It’s fine, really. I already had plans tonight, anyway, so if you’ll excuse me I’m just gonna…”
Realizing what Rainbow was doing, Twilight quickly grabbed her in her magic before she could flee.
“Oh no,” Twilight said, levitating Rainbow over to face her. “You want an invitation, you’ve got one. You’re going to stay here and help us put all the decorations you tore down back up.”
“Do I have to?” Rainbow pouted, crossing her forelegs over her chest.
“Yes, you have to,” came Twilight’s sharp response. “It’s bad enough when you fly in here and wreck the library when Spike and I are cleaning up, but I won’t have you flying in here and wrecking the party Pinkie has been planning all week.”
“Oh, alright,” Rainbow conceded. “What do you need me to do?”
“You can start,” Twilight said, floating the balled up mass of multicolored paper over to Rainbow, “by untangling all these streamers your little stunt knocked down.”
“But Twi,” Rainbow groaned, “why can’t you just do that with your magic? Wouldn’t it be so much easier?”
“Because I’m not the one that tangled them up,” Twilight shot back. “Just try not to pull on them too hard. I may have enchanted them for durability, but the streamers are still paper.”
With one final groan, Rainbow set to work untangling the ball of streamers as Twilight rehung them. With their combined efforts, along with Pinkie pitching in once she finished up her tasks, it wasn’t long before they had all the decorations rehung. When five o’clock rolled around, the Apples showed up bearing plenty of apple-based treats; treats that were swiftly routed to the food tables, where Pinkie stood guard, protecting the delicious treats from the rainbow menace.
Shortly after the arrival of the Apples, the guest started trickling in, and it wasn’t long before the last guest had arrived.
“Alright, looks like everypony is present and accounted for,” Twilight said, eyes scanning the mingling guests as she checked ponies off the guest list. “We sent the Crusaders to get Rarity and Silvia a few minutes ago, so they’re the only ones missing.”
“Right, so does that mean we can start eating yet?” Rainbow asked, reaching for a cupcake on a nearby table.
“We already told you, not until Silvia arrives,” Twilight said, rolling up the scroll and swatting Dashes foreleg with it.
“But Pinkie is eating one,” Rainbow whimpered, pointing at the happily munching party pony.
“Oh, this isn’t one of the party cupcakes,” Pinkie said through a mouthful of sweets, “this is one of the spare cupcakes I keep around in case of cupcake emergencies!”
“Aww, can I have one?” Rainbow asked, mouth watering at the sight of Pinkie’s half-eaten cupcake.
“Nope!” Pinkie tossed the last of the cupcake into her mouth. “This was my last one.”
“Hey, everypony, I see them!” Caramel called out from his position by the window.
“Ohh, she’s here. I’m so excited!” Pinkie squealed. “Quickly, places, everypony!”
All of the ponies present group up in front of the door, the banner acting as a silhouette to anypony walking through the door. Several tense minutes passed, and just when everypony was starting to believe that Caramel had been mistaken the sound of the doorknob turning made everypony go silent. Ever so slowly the door swung open to reveal an apprehensive looking Silvia, with Rarity and the Crusaders flanking her. Upon seeing the small group she had waiting for her, her nervousness turned into joy as she stepped into the room. She hardly got more than a step into the room, however, before a pink rocket launched across the room and swept her into its embrace.
“Oh, Silvie, It’s so great to see you again!” Pinkie squealed. “I missed you so, so, so, so much!”
“I missed you too, Pinkie,” Silvia said, returning the hug.
Leaning out of the embrace slightly, Silvia’s eyes watered as she looked around the room at all the ponies that had gathered to welcome her.
“I missed all of you,” Silvia sniffed, attempting to blink away the moisture in her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, we missed you too,” Rainbow Dash’s scratchy voice chimed in, giving Silvia a cocky smirk. With a flap of her wings, she launched herself over the crowd and flew over to Silvia. Hooking a foreleg under one of Silvia’s, she pulled her out of Pinkie’s grasp and over to a table full of cakes, pies, and other snacks. “Now hurry up and dig in, we’re all hungry, but Pinkie said we had to wait for you before we could eat.”
Taking one last look around the room, Silvia grabbed the closest cupcake and popped it into her mouth, her happy munching acting as a signal to the gathered ponies that the party had started.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Twilight Sparkle sat alone in the corner of the library, quietly eating her assorted cakes and pies as she observed Silvia mingling with the party guests. So engrossed in her observations was she, that she failed to notice another pony had approached her until they spoke.
“Ya doin’ alright over here, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, causing Twilight to jolt in response.
“Oh, Applejack, I’m doing fine,” Twilight answered. “Why do you ask?”
“‘Cus ya’ve been sittin’ over here since the party started lookin’ awful suspicious like,” Applejack said. “Ah just wanted tah make sure everything was alright.”
“Everything’s fine, Applejack, thank you for asking. It’s just…” Twilight sighed, “I have so many unanswered questions about Silvia. Whenever I ask somepony else about her they tell me to ask her, and when I ask her she usually just deflects, or changes the subject.”
“Well,” Applejack said, rubbing the back of her head, “Silvia’s a private mare. She has her secrets, yes, but if ya take the time ta befriend her, instead a’ creepin’ around behind her back tryin’ ta study her, I’m sure she’d be more’n happy ta tell ya.”
“I am not creeping around, I’m just…” Twilight started.
“Goin’ around town, stickin’ yer nose in her business n’ askin’ everypony fer answers ta questions she won’t answer,” Applejack cut her off, giving Twilight a flat stare. “Look, as yer friend, ya can trust me when Ah say ya can trust her.”
“How can you tell, though?” Twilight asked. “I thought you hated liars. How can you say you trust her when she’s keeping secrets from you?”
“Because everypony has their secrets,” Applejack said. “You have yers, Ah have mine, n’ Ah’m sure tha princesses have more’n a’ fair share a’ their own. So long as those secrets are nothin’ that can hurt mah family, then she has every right ta keep ‘em. Fer as long as Ah’ve known the mare, she’s given me no reason ta think anything she’s hidin’ could hurt me ‘r mine, so as far as Ah’m concerned, what she’s hidin’ really ain’t none a’ mah business.”
Twilight sunk back in her seat, a look of deep concentration on her face as she considered Applejack’s words. The two sat quietly, Applejack busying herself with a plate of food and Twilight lost in her thoughts, but it wasn’t long before the silence was broken by the approach of a third pony.
“Applejack, darling, there you are,” Rarity said, trotting over to the table with a stern glare focused on Applejack. “You know, I would have really appreciated a bit of warning.”
“A bit a’ warnin’ ‘bout what?” Applejack asked.
“About sending all of the Crusaders to get us!” Rarity said. “You know that Scootaloo has never met Silvia before, and she saw her without her cloak! She was asking Silvia about her back on the way over here.”
“What’s wrong with Silvia’s back?” Twilight asked, having been listening in.
“Oh, Twilight,” Rarity jumped in surprise, just noticing her. “Well, you see… the thing is… I mean, she…”
“What Rarity is tryin’ ta say,” Applejack cut in, “is that it ain’t really her place ta say nothin’. Ah already told ya she wears that cloak fer a reason, if’n ya wanna know why so bad, go make friends with ‘er.”
“But I…” Twilight said, before admitting defeat and sitting back in her seat, grumbling to herself. “So where is Fluttershy at? With how alike the two are, I’m surprised they aren’t friends.”
“You know, I would have thought the same thing,” Rarity said, “but the two of them just never got along.”
“There’s somepony that Fluttershy doesn’t get along with?” Twilight asked, eyes widening slightly in surprise.
“Says her animals ‘re all wary a’ Silvia, ‘n that she makes her feel restless when she’s ‘round.” Applejack explained. “Even said she caught Silvia hissin’ at Angel.”
“Hissing?” Twilight asked. “I can understand getting upset with Angel, he can be a bit of a hoof full at times, but hissing? What kind of pony hisses?”
“We all think she was jus’ overreactin’ a bit,” Applejack said. “‘N Ah don’t see what she means ‘bout the animals. None a’ tha critters we got back on tha farm ‘re scared a’ her, ‘n fact Winona seems ta love her.”
“I’ll admit that Opal tends to disappear when she’s around, and I was quite… intimidated by Silvia the first few times that I met her, “ Rarity admitted, “but Opal does that when most anypony comes over, and Silvia is such a sweet mare once you get to know her. I often laugh at myself when I remember I was ever afraid of such a kind, fragile, young mare.”
“Well, Spike seems to get along with her pretty well,” Twilight said, watching as him and Silvia conversed with a pair of pegasi sisters she recognized from the weather team. “And Owlowiscious seems indifferent towards her. But I can’t help but feel like she’s hiding things like there’s something about her she isn’t telling anypony, and I don’t like that.”
“Ya know, nopony owes ya their life story just cus ya ask,” Applejack said, giving Twilight a flat look, “but she’d prolly tell ya if ya took the time ta talk ta her. So how ‘bout instead a’ sittin’ over here grillin’ us ‘bout her, ya go ‘n talk, make friends with ‘er.”
“I agree, Twilight,” Rarity said, “I think the two of you would get along wonderfully if you were to take the time to get to know her.”
“Everypony keeps saying that,” Twilight said, furrowing her brow, “but I still can’t help but feel there’s something off about her.”
“If’n ya don’t trust ‘er, then why’s she still stayin’ with ya?” Applejack asked. “Ah already told ya that if her stayin’ here was a problem, we’d be plenty happy ta put ‘er up at tha farm.”
“I can’t just kick her out,” Twilight said. “I already promised her she could stay here until she found her own place. Plus…”
“You just want to be able to keep an eye on her, don’t you?” Rarity said, giving Twilight a knowing look.
“Maybe,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, “it’s just… something is telling me not to trust her. Plus, I found these books when I was cleaning out the storage room. They look like old hoofwritten history books, but they contradict a lot of things I was taught in school. I’m pretty sure they’re hers.”
“So, what’s wrong with hanging on to a few old history books?” Rarity asked.
“They’re all wrong, half of the historical events in them that aren’t made up blatantly lie to make Equestria, and the princesses, look bad,” Twilight said. “In fact, one of them claimed that Luna practiced dark magic!”
“While Ah can’t say nothin’ one way ‘r another ‘bout Princess Luna, just because the history is different, don’t mean it’s a lie,” Applejack said. “In case ya didn’t know, Silvia grew up outside a’ Equestria. They mighta had a different point a’ view on certain events, bein’ on tha outside.”
“But one of them claimed that some ponies attempted to assassinate Princess Celestia,” Twilight insisted, “and I don’t remember reading about that in any of my history books.”
“Regardless of the differences in the history books you’ve read,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes, “I don’t think it’s fair to Silvia for you to judge her based on her education and upbringing. In fact, I do believe that until you actually take the time to talk to her and get to know her, I am done with this conversation.”
Standing from her seat Rarity turned her nose up slightly as she walked away, approaching a gray pegasus mare and a brown earth pony stallion that had been talking to Mayor Mare.
“Ah gotta agree with Rares on this one,” Applejack said, standing from her own seat. “Y’all have a few things in common. Ah think ya might like the mare if ya took the time ta get ta know ‘er.”
Returning to the party, Applejack stopped to greet the group that Rarity had joined before making her way to the food table. Left alone with her thoughts, Twilight sat shifting restlessly in her seat for a few minutes before her nerves got the better of her. Rising with a groan, Twilight stood from her seat and joined the party as well, choosing to approach Silvia as she finished a conversation with a group of three earth pony mares.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“Oh, Silvia, it’s so great to see you!” A voice squealed from behind Silvia.
Jumping in surprise, Silvia turned to face the speaker, but before she could see who it was she was enveloped in a bone crushing hug as the mystery pony glomped her. Not expecting the sudden contact, Silvia fell back on her haunches and prepared to push the pony off of herself, but instead returned the hug when she realized who it was.
“Derpy! It’s great to see you, too!” Silvia said. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been doing good,” Derpy said. Stepping out of the hug, she turned and waved a brown earth pony that had been chuckling at the exchange over. “I’m sure you remember Time Turner, right? He keeps the clocktower running on time, owns a small shop that he sells timepieces out of on the side.”
“I can’t say I do, but it’s nice to meet you regardless,” Silvia said, shaking hooves with Time Turner.
“Wonderful to meet you as well,” Turner said, bowing his head slightly in greeting. “My dear Derpy has been talking about you all day. She was quite excited to hear you were back in town.”
“‘Your dear Derpy’?” Silvia said, giving Derpy a look.
“Oh, well,” Derpy flushed, “Time Turner is my fiance.”
“Oh my gosh, you’re engaged?!” Silvia asked, pulling Derpy into another hug. “Congratulations! When did this happen?”
“He proposed to me last spring,” Derpy said, putting a wing over Turner’s back. “We haven’t decided on a date for the wedding yet, but you’re totally invited.”
“I look forward to it,” Silvia said.
“You better,” Derpy threatened playfully. “So how about you, any special somepony in your life? I know a certain red stallion you’ve had your eye on is still single.”
“Oh, no, nopony for me,” Silvia said, cheeks taking on a rosy hue, “I just got back, and I’m still trying to get settled into my own place…”
“Why not?” Derpy asked. “It’s not like Mac doesn’t have a nice big place with plenty of room.”
“Alright, that’s enough teasing dear,” Turner said, giving Derpy a playful bump with his hips. “Why don’t we leave her alone to cool down a bit, hmm? I see a few mares that are hanging around just waiting for their turn to speak to the guest of honor.”
“Oh, ok,” Derpy pouted, “I suppose we can give somepony else a turn talking to her. It was great to see you again, Silvia! I’ll make sure an invite gets to you when we decide on a date.”
“Indeed, it was wonderful meeting you again,” Turner inclined his head towards Silvia. “I look forward to our next meeting.”
Their goodbyes said, Derpy and Time Turner headed to the food table, leaving Silvia alone. Noticing their chance to corner the guest of honor, three earth pony mares were quick to take the couple’s place in talking to Silvia.
“Silvia, it’s great to see you!” The center of the three, a yellow mare with a curly orange mane, said.
“Berry, Carrot, Bon Bon! It’s great to see you, too!” Silvia said, exchanging hugs with each mare.
“It’s been so long,” Bon Bon said, “and you left so suddenly. When Twilight moved in, none of us were sure you were coming back.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that,” Silvia apologized. “My Gran Gran got really sick, and when my parents wrote me, they weren’t sure she was going to make it.”
“Oh, no, that’s perfectly understandable,” Berry spoke up. “We were just worried is all. You disappear with barely a word to anypony, and the only ponies who did know you were leaving only knew that it had something to do with a sick relative.”
“Yeah…” Silvia bashfully rubbed the back of her neck with a foreleg, “it’s a long walk, so when I got the letter I just threw what I could fit in my saddlebags in, along with some supplies, and left right away. Applejack only knew because I ran into her on the way to the Mayor’s office.”
“Aw, that’s terrible,” Berry’s face fell. “How did things turn out with your grandmother?”
“Quite well, actually,” Silvia said, “she made a full recovery.”
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Carrot said. “How did your family take everything? I know when my grandmother got sick a few years back, everypony in the family was absolutely beside themselves with worry.”
“Actually, I don’t think any of us were too worried,” Silvia said. “Once we got over the initial shock of her falling ill so suddenly, we were all confident she would pull through. She’s a fighter, she wouldn’t let a little thing like getting sick take her before she was ready.”
“But enough of this morbid talk,” Silvia said, attempting to change the subject, “how have your families been?”
“Pina and I are doing great,” Berry said, “she started school this year, and she was so excited to make some new friends. Her and Derpy’s daughter, Dinky, are getting along quite well.”
“That’s great,” Silvia said, “Dinky is such a little cutie. Where are they anyways?”
“They’re at home with Barley,” Berry answered. “He offered to stay home and watch them so that we could all come here tonight and not have to worry.”
“That was nice of him,” Silvia said, “you make sure you thank him and tell him I said ‘hello’ when you get home.”
“So how about yourself?” Silvia asked, turning to face Carrot. “Are you and Noteworthy still seeing each other?”
“Actually, we are,” Carrot said, lifting her foreleg to show off a gold, gem studded bracelet she was wearing. “We’ve been married for almost a year now.”
“Congratulations!” Silvia cheered, giving Carrot another hug. “Where is Noteworthy, anyways? I expected to see him here.”
“Oh he’s here,” Carrot rolled her eyes, “he bumped into Caramel, and the two of them wandered off to talk about stallion things.”
“Caramel is here, too? I need to make sure I talk to him, then, so I can ask him to make me some shoes for work.” Silvia sat down and rubbed her hooves together. “One day on the farm and my hooves are sore already.”
“I’m sure he'll be more than happy to help,” Bon Bon said, “he already does shoes for the rest of the Apples, so he already knows exactly what you’ll need.”
“I’ll let him know you’re looking for him when I go steal my husband back,” Carrot offered.
“I’d appreciate that, thanks. And how about you?” Silvia asked, turning to the last member of the group. “Still living by yourself above your candy shop?”
“Not alone, no,” Bon Bon said, a light smile on her face. “A friend I met on one of my trips to Canterlot moved in with me.”
“Oh don’t be coy, she’s more than just your friend,” Carrot teased. “It’s quite romantic, actually. She met this mare when she was in Canterlot visiting her folks. The two hit it off quite nicely, from what she says, so they decided to become pen pals. Fast forward a few years, and her pen pal from the big city just shows up on her doorstep one day.”
“Really?” Silvia asked. “Just like that?”
“Well, not exactly like that,” Bon Bon mumbled, face flushing. “We had started joking about getting a place together for a while. She had moved from Fillydelphia to attend Celestia’s School, and apparently when she graduated her entire group of friends fell apart. With nothing and no one to tie her down up there, she up and packed her bags and hopped on the next train here.”
“See, isn’t that just romantic?” Carrot swooned.
“More like immature, if you ask me.” Berry rolled her eyes. “Not saying Bon Bon would ever do this, but how did she know Bonnie wasn’t just some mare that was stringing her along. For all she knew, she could have ended up stuck here with no bits and no place to stay.”
“As if anypony here would be so cruel as to leave a poor mare out in the cold,” Carret argued.
“Is this really the best time to argue about this, girls?” Bon Bon asked. “We’re here to welcome Silvia home, not argue about my love life.”
“I suppose not,” Berry admitted. Noticing another pony approaching from the far side of the room, she gathered up her friends and started ushering them away. “Well, it looks like we’ve taken up enough of your time. It seems we have another guest coming over that would like to speak with you.”
Turning around, Silvia noticed that Twilight had left the table she parked herself at at the beginning of the night and that she was making a bee-line straight for her. Upon being noticed she paused in her stride, seeming to hesitate for a moment before shoring herself up and continuing with renewed vigor.
“Alright, well, you girls enjoy the rest of your night then,” Silvia said, waving to her retreating friends. “Maybe you can stop back over once I finish greeting the rest of my guests?”
“Of course we will! If Twilight gets to be too much for you, just wave us over and we’ll come save you,” Carrot joked. “For now, however, I’m going to go find my husband, and let Caramel know you wished to speak with him.”
“Thanks,” Silvia said, giving one last wave before turning to face the oncoming purple unicorn with a nervous smile on her face.
Noticing she had Silvia’s full attention, Twilight faltered once more before coming to a stop in of her. Sitting on her haunches, Twilight’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times before snapping shut. The two sat staring awkwardly at each other, and just when Silvia prepared to break the silence herself, Twilight finally spoke up.
“So, this is a nice little party,” Twilight said, looking around the room. Realizing that she might have misspoken, her eyes widened as she attempted to correct herself. “Not that there’s anything wrong with a small party. A smaller gathering like this is so much more personal than just packing the whole town into a room full of cake.
“N-not that there’s anything wrong with Pinkie’s normal parties,” Twilight stammered nervously, once again sticking her hoof in her mouth, “it’s just… it’s quite obvious you went with quality over quantity. Not that that’s a problem, I know I’d rather have my six close friends than twenty ponies I barely know, but…”
“I just… let me start over,” Twilight said. Pausing for a moment, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself before continuing. “I wanted to come and say I was sorry.”
“For what?” Silvia asked, tilting her head in confusion. “You gave me a place to stay, and haven’t asked for anything in return.”
“I know,” Twilight said, “but I haven’t exactly been the nicest of ponies the past few days, and… my reasons behind letting you stay might not have been as pure as I lead you to believe.”
“What do you mean?” Silvia said. “You and Spike have been wonderful hosts.”
“That’s all been Spike,” Twilight admitted. “He’s just been crediting me so to make me look better.”
“But how does that make you ‘not the nicest of ponies’?” Silvia asked. “I know you’re busy with your studies, and keeping the library running.”
“Because I told him to stop,” Twilight said, lowering her head and pinning her ears back as moisture began to form in the corners of her eyes. “I told Spike to stop being so nice to you, ended up getting into a bit of an argument with him over it... I didn’t trust you because I don’t know anything about you.”
“Oh…” Silvia pinned her ears back. “If you’re that uncomfortable with me staying here, Applejack said…”
“No!” Twilight jumped to her hooves, cutting Silvia off. “No, no, no, it’s not that. In fact, I wanted you to stay here so I could keep an eye on you.”
Sinking back to her haunches, Twilight’s entire body seemed to sag as she returned to staring at the floor.
“But that was wrong of me,” Twilight admitted, “and my friends have spent all week letting me know so.”
“But I wanted to fix that tonight,” Twilight said, perking back up. “I’m done with the suspicion, and the sneaking around behind your back.”
Sitting up as straight as she could, Twilight lowered her head in submission.
“If you will allow it,” Twilight said, not once looking up, “I’d like to be friends, and get to know the real you.”
Silvia sat, brow scrunched in confusion as she thought over everything Twilight had just told her.
’She seems sincere,’ Silvia thought, ’but she did just admit to not trusting me. Yet, in the same breath, she also told me she wants to be friends. What changed?’
Twilight waited patiently, head held low, for Silvia to answer. After minutes of silence, she assumed the worst and prepared to turn to leave. However, her retreat was stopped when Silvia finally responded.
“Why?” Silvia asked, her single word question hanging in the air. “Why do you suddenly want to be friends, when you just admitted you don’t like me.”
“I never said I didn’t like you,” Twilight answered, “just the opposite, actually. I just… I knew so little about you, and nopony I talked to seemed to be able to answer any of the questions I had. More often than not, they told me to just ask you.”
“So that’s what you meant when you said you were ‘sneaking around behind my back’?” Silvia asked, getting a nod from Twilight in response. “Why didn’t you just ask me, then?”
“Well…” Twilight hesitated for a moment. “At first it was because I wanted to get a little background on you so that when I went to talk to you I’d have a few common points of interest we could discuss to break the ice.”
“I’m still pretty new to the whole ‘friendship’ thing,” Twilight said, bashfully rubbing the back of her head with a forehoof. “I figured if I did a bit of studying before approaching you, that it would make things easier. But the more I asked around, the more I realized how little ponies actually knew about you.”
“I’m ashamed to admit that at that point, I became a bit suspicious about you,” Twilight admitted, sagging again. “With how little I could find on you, and with how adamant the ponies that did know you were on keeping your secrets, I may have jumped to a few conclusions.”
“What kind of conclusions?” Silvia asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Well,” Twilight blushed, “did you happen to hear about the changeling invasion a few months ago?”
“The what?” Silvia asked.
“Changelings,” Twilight repeated. “Shapeshifting creatures that feed off the love of others, if their Queen is to be believed. They invaded during my brother’s wedding, with the Queen posing as the bride to get close enough to my brother to drop city's defenses.”
“And you thought I was one of these ‘changelings’?” Silvia asked.
“Well, I’d considered it…” Twilight admitted. “I kinda did play a hoof in stopping the invasion, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if Queen Chrysalis sent somepony after me.”
“Why would she want to get close to your brother?” Silvia asked, motioning for Twilight to follow her over to a set of nearby cushions gathered around a table. “And what did you do to warrant their queen sending somepony after you?”
“My brother is the captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard,” Twilight said, taking a seat across from Silvia. “Did I not mention that before?”
“No, you didn’t,” Silvia said, “you didn’t even mention that you had a brother.”
“Well, this is the longest conversation we’ve had all week,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, “so I suppose that makes sense.”
Using her magic, Twilight floated two glasses of punch over from the nearby snack table. Placing one cup in front of herself, she offered the other to Silvia.
“How about yourself?” Twilight asked. “Any siblings of your own?”
“Twelve,” Silvia said, ignoring Twilight’s spit take as she took the offered punch, “Ten older, two younger. Only a few of them were left in the house when I moved out.”
“You have twelve siblings?!” Twilight gaped in amazement. “And I thought the Apple family was large.”
“Yeah,” Silvia giggled, “that’s why I feel so at home around them. We have very similar family dynamics. I just wish our house was as big as theirs.”
“I’m having trouble picturing a family with twelve foals fitting in a house the size of Applejack’s,” Twilight balked, “and you’re saying your’s was smaller?”
“Mhmm,” Silvia said as she sipped her punch, “only had two bedrooms, not counting my parent’s room.”
“I’m guessing privacy didn’t really exist in your household?” Twilight asked.
“Not really, no,” Silvia admitted. “The colts got their own room, and us fillies shared a room. That’s why I was so confused when I woke up sharing the bed with somepony.”
“I take it ‘Rose’ is one of your siblings, then?” Twilight asked.
“Youngest sister,” Silvia confirmed. “Her name is Roseblade, She’s thirteen now, but when we were younger she used to curl up with me when she had nightmares. Without my glasses on, I could almost mistake you for her, and with having just been home, well…”
“You understandably mistook me for one of your siblings,” Twilight smiled, finishing Silvia’s sentence.
“Heh, yeah,” Silvia giggled. “I do still want to apologize about that, by the way. I’m sure it must have made you very uncomfortable waking up like that.”
“Oh, you don’t have to apologize, it was all just one big misunderstanding. Besides,” Twilight’s face flushed slightly, “it was actually kind of nice.”
“Oh,” Silvia said, her face taking on a red hue of its own, “is, uhh… is there anything else you wanted to ask about? You did say you had a few questions for me.”
“Oh, yes, actually there is,” Twilight said, taking the offered change of subject. “I wanted to ask you about a book I found when I was cleaning out the storage room.”
“Wha… what book would that be?” Silvia asked, noticeably tensing up.
“It looked like some old history book,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes slightly at Silvia’s sudden nervousness. “What kind of book did you think I found?”
“Oh, you found one of my old history books?” Silvia sighed in relief. “For a minute there, I thought maybe I left one of my old diaries laying around. I tend to write a lot of… private things in those.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked, her suspicion morphing to mirth. “Private things pertaining to a certain large red stallion you’ve got a crush on?”
“Wha-what?!” Silvia squeaked, her blush returning full force. “Who told you about that?”
“You just did,” Twilight giggled. “I’d had my suspicions from the way you were checking him out all night, but your reaction just confirmed them.”
“I have not been checking him out all night,” Silvia pouted.
“Yes, you have,” Twilight teased. “Every time you weren’t actively talking to somepony, your eyes would always wander over to where he was sitting.”
“And how would you know,” Silvia asked, smirking slightly, “unless you were checking me out?”
“I was doing no such thing!” Twilight sputtered. “I was simply keeping an eye on you.”
“‘Cus that sounds so much better, right?” Silvia teased back.
“You know what I meant,” Twilight giggled, picking up one of the nearby cushions and tossing it playfully at Silvia.
“Anyways,” Silvia stifled another giggle. “If it’s the book I think it is, you probably found a box containing quite a few, all hoof written?”
“That’s correct,” Twilight nodded. “Although, I’ve only looked at the one so far. I hope you don’t mind?”
“Not at all,” Silvia said. “The books are there to be read. I just kept them stored because, well… most ponies didn’t agree with what was written in them.”
“I could see why,” Twilight said. “According to the one I was reading, Princess Luna was a dark magic user, and Princess Celestia survived an assassination attempt. Our history books say nothing about either of those things.”
“I noticed when I looked through some of the books that were already here,” Silvia said. “It’s one of the reasons I kept them hidden. I didn’t want to upset anypony.”
“Where did you get books like those, anyways?” Twilight asked. “They look ancient, and they were hoof written, but they are also in excellent condition, considering their age.”
“They’re my Gran Gran’s,” Silvia said. “She used them to homeschool most everypony in our house when we were growing up. She gave me copies to take with, ‘so I wouldn’t forget’.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked, knitting her brow in confusion.
“She’s very adamant about preserving the past,” Silvia explained. “She thinks the books you can get in stores are rubbish because they’ve been edited. These books were all written by my ancestors, so she likes to insist they are all the true, unfiltered history.”
“While I can respect your Gran Gran’s ideals,” Twilight said, “I don’t think Celestia would allow books in her school if they weren't truthful.”
“Unless she’s the one that edited them,” Silvia mumbled.
“What was that?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“Oh, nothing,” Silvia lied, “I was just wondering if you had any other questions.”
“Well, I do have one,” Twilight said, looking unsure of herself, “but…”
“But what?” Silvia asked, trying to coax the question from Twilight. “I promise I won’t be upset by whatever you ask if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Well,” Twilight paused to bite her lip for a moment before continuing,” I was just curious about why I’ve never seen you without your cloak. Applejack told me you wear it for a reason, but wouldn’t tell me why, and I overheard Rarity saying something about your back.”
“Oh,” Silvia sat back, grasping nervously at the clasp.
“It’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to tell me,” Twilight said, noticing Silvia’s nervousness. “In fact, I shouldn’t have even asked. Rarity told me you got upset when Scootaloo asked, so I should have known not to ask.”
“No, it’s fine, really,” Silvia insisted. “It was just a bit unexpected, is all.”
Taking a moment to calm herself, Silvia unclasped her cloak. She paused to look around the room and, after a moment’s hesitation, slowly slid it off and draped it over her side of the table.
“Everypony else here has seen it besides you and Spike,” Silvia said.
“What… is it?” Twilight asked, staring with a look somewhere between horror and fascination plastered on her face. “Is it a scar?”
“No, it’s not a scar,” Silvia giggled, turning to give Twilight a better view of her back. “I was born with it.”
“So it’s a birthmark?” Twilight asked. Standing, she moved around the table to get a better look, pausing with a forehoof held out. “May I?”
Getting a nod in response, Twilight gently placed her hoof on Silvia’s back.
’Odd, the hair is thick and rigid, almost like the bristles of a brush,’ Twilight thought, running her hoof along Silvia’s back, ’and the skin underneath… it almost feels like scales in a few places.’
“Have you ever had anypony look at this?” Twilight asked.
“No, it’s never bothered me,” Silvia answered, “so I never really saw the point in wasting bits going somepony, just so they could try and sell me some skin care products.”
“Don’t let Rarity hear you say that,” Twilight giggled, returning to her seat. “If she heard you use the words ‘waste of bits’ and ‘personal care products’ in the same sentence, she’d probably sit you down for a multiple hour lecture on ‘how important it is for a mare to always look as prim and proper as equinely possible.’”
“Oh, I know,” Silvia laughed, “I get that lecture every time I go in to get my cloak patched. She tries to get me to go to the spa with her so that the ‘pony pampering experts’ can look me over, but honestly, I don’t see the point in it. My back has never caused me any pain or discomfort. Most it’s ever done is drawn more attention than I’m comfortable with, but that’s why Gran Gran gave me my cloak.”
“The cloak was a present from your Gran Gran?” Twilight asked.
“Sure was,” Silvia answered. Picking up the cloak, she carefully folded it before handing it to Twilight.
“She stitched it herself,” Silvia said. “Although, at this point, I believe it’s more Rarity’s work than my grandmothers. But it still has Gran Gran’s pendant on the clasp, so it’s still special to me.”
Taking the cloak gently in her magic Twilight unfurled it and carefully looked it over, paying special attention to the pendant affixed to the clasp. The pendant itself was a fairly plain piece of gold jewelry, barely larger than a bit. On the face of the pendant rested a long, elegantly curving horn flanked by a set of dragonfly wings.
“I can tell Rarity used that spell she asked me to find for her to patch it,” Twilight said, horn flaring slightly as she subtly scanned the pendant. “It’s got quite a bit of her magic clinging to it still. This design on the pendant is interesting, too. Did you say it was your grandmother’s?”
“That’s right,” Silvia said. “It’s not a family crest or anything, but I’m pretty sure it has some type of special meaning to my family. I’ve seen it in quite a few different places back home.”
“It’s definitely beautiful, I’ll give your Gran Gran that,” Twilight said. “Although, I can’t help but feel like I’ve seen this design somewhere.”
“You might have seen it in one of my Gran Gran’s books,” Silvia suggested. “I know it pops up once or twice in them.”
“It’s possible,” Twilight said, scrunching up her face in concentration. ’But I know I saw that mark somewhere else, before I met Silvia.’
Giving the cloak one final discrete scan as she folded it back up, she floated it back over to Silvia and set it on the table in front of her.
“Regardless of where I’ve seen the pendant before, thank you for taking the time to sit down and talk with me,” Twilight said, bowing her head slightly in gratitude. “I know we didn’t get off to the best start, but I really appreciate the second chance.”
“It was no big deal,” Silvia said, “I just, well… there were so many ponies talking about how nice you were, I figured they couldn’t all be wrong.”
“Still, you gave me another chance when you really didn’t have to,” Twilight said, giving Silvia a friendly smile. “A lot of ponies wouldn’t do that.”
“Most ponies don’t share a home and group of friends with the pony they don’t get along with,” Silvia joked.
Stand from her seat, Silvia took a moment to stretch before balancing her still folded cloak on her back.
“Well, I had a lovely time talking with you, and I hope we can sit down and do it again sometime soon,” Silvia said, “but I still have a few ponies to talk to before things start winding down.”
“Oh, of course!” Twilight said, hopping up from her seat. “I didn’t mean to monopolize your time.”
“It’s fine Twilight, I enjoyed talking to you,” Silvia said, stifling a yawn, “but like I said, I’ve got a few ponies I still need to talk to before things start winding down.”
“I suppose I should try and socialize a bit, as well,” Twilight said. “If I spend longer sitting back here by myself, Pinkie might think I’m pouting.”
“A pony pouting at a Pinkie party?” Silvia giggled. “She’d never allow it.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Twilight laughed.
With a final round of goodbyes, the two went their separate ways, with Silvia approaching Applejack and Caramel, and Twilight attempting to make conversation with Rainbow Dash and a pair of pegasi mares from the weather team.