Twilight lay alone in her bed, reminiscing about the past she'd never relive. She had been a hero--a force for good who'd blasted away Nightmare Moon, and turned Discord, the god of chaos, into stone. The bond she'd shared with her friends had once been so powerful that it'd fueled a weapon capable of vanquishing such ancient terrors. But now, that bond was no more special than that of the countless other friendships in Equestria. And she had no one to blame but herself.
She was the one responsible for causing the Elements to leave, and she didn't even have the guts to tell her own friends the truth. And now, Spike was mad at her for covering up the reason. Not that she blamed him for feeling that way.
"They're your friends," Spike had said, shooting her a glare. "If you don't tell them then who will? You're the only pony who knows."
"How can I?" Twilight said, looking away in shame. "What am I supposed to say? 'Sorry, guys, for possibly dooming Equestria. I hope you all don't hate me for this.'"
"What part of 'they're your friends' did you miss? They'll forgive you. I know they will. What you did was completely understandable."
Twilight winced as memories of Shining Armor's wedding swirled through her thoughts. When she'd suspected Princess Cadence of not acting like herself, she'd thought her friends would support her, but instead Chrysalis' act had fooled everyone, her friends included. Her friends had considered her a fool until Chrysalis revealed herself to everyone, and because of that Twilight had let go of her friends. Not all at once, or even entirely, but the bond she shared with them had diminished due to their lack of faith in her judgement at such a crucial moment. If they'd chosen to go against her then, why wouldn't they do so again? Thoughts such as these had taken over Twilight's mind, causing her to lose faith in her friendship until it was no longer enough to power the Elements.
Twilight wanted to hate herself for driving the Elements away, but could she really be blamed for how she felt about her friends? After all, she was right about Cadence. She'd been right about everything. It was her friends' fault for not believing in her. If they'd trusted her, as true friends should, then they could've defeated Chrysalis before her Changeling force had destroyed Shining Armor's barrier, and the Elements would still be with them.
Perhaps it was best to forget the past, as it was unchangeable. Spike had told her that the Elements might return if she learned to believe in her friends again, but deep down Twilight knew that would never happen. She loved her friends, and always would, but from now on she'd keep them at an emotional distance. And perhaps it was wise for them to keep her at a distance also.
The only hope she had was that the next six bearers would be better than her. Whether they'd be ponies, yaks, or even Changelings, she would teach them to cherish their friends instead of doubt them. Now the only thing left was to find these bearers. Perhaps Princess Celestia had an idea on how to find them? After all, she'd found Twilight and her friends, at least back when they'd been worthy.