//------------------------------// // Episode 2: "The End is Only the Beginning, Part 2" // Story: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 10 // by twilightsparkle3562 //------------------------------// … PREVIOUSLY ON MY LITTLE PONY ... Luster Dawn: "Why did we have to move out of Canterlot? With each time we were threatened, we still managed to survive. Or maybe mom and dad just want me to get my head out of the books and start making friends?" Moon Dusk: "But, it will be a good change when all is said and done." Twilight Sparkle: "I know Celestia said we were going to rule together, but it will still change!" Princess Celestia: "She's more than just a student, she's more than just a princess, she's…like a daughter to me. I've…I've been like a mother to her, Luna! And now, I'm just leaving her to fend for herself!" Twilight Velvet: "Well, I don't know…but, part of me can't help but think about your sister. I mean, it's nice that she is moving back to Canterlot, but…don't you think that maybe she still isn't ready to leave Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle: "BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM! You're too busy with MY coronation and the fact I am moving doesn't bother you ONE BIT!" … Applejack: "Twilight? What have we done?" Twilight Sparkle: "They don't care about my feelings, all they care about is my coronation. I don't want to leave Ponyville, I want to stay here and rule with my friends." Pinkie Pie: The coronation? Cancelled? Rarity: Change is good but… Starlight Glimmer: …it can't be forced. Fire Blaster: The school of friendship can teach more than you'll ever know. Princess Luna: We're taking you to Canterlot Hospital, Twilight. … "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" Theme Song … … Twilight gulped nervously as the doorknob to the doctor's office opened. She was so exhausted that she couldn't shake even if she wanted to. A few moments later, an older looking blue coated unicorn pony with a gust of wind for a cutie mark and a white mane and tail appeared. Approaching Twilight, he bent down at her level while her friends and family looked on. "Hello Twilight," He greeted, smiling at Twilight while talking in a warm, grandfatherly tone voice. "I'm Gentle Gust and I'm here to help you." "H..h..hi there." Twilight stammered, her voice filled with anxiety. "Shall we go in and talk things out?" Gentle Gust offered Nodding a yes, Twilight was helped out of the wheelchair and slowly walked into the office, her family and friends watching. Once inside the office Twilight lay down on a fainting couch, her face plastered to the ceiling. She was scared, she was frightened, she was emotionally unstable. In fact, Twilight didn't even notice another unicorn pony in the office, also elderly aged, but pink coated with a gentle breeze for a cutie mark. Not to mention a pair of moon shaped glasses over her eyes. "Twilight?" She asked in a grandmotherly voice, causing Twilight to turn nervously towards her. "It's okay. We're here to help you, sweetheart." "Why don't you…call me Princess Twilight?" Twilight asked while taking a raggedy breath. "To us, your title doesn't matter, " The elder mare chuckled. "I'm Gentle Breeze, and to me you are just plain Twilight Sparkle," Those words did little to comfort Twilight's anxieties. "Care for some hot coco?" Gentle Breeze offered the alicorn a cup of the warm beverage to which Twilight accepted. "It always makes me feel good when I have anxieties." At that moment, Gentle Gust came into the office and shut the door behind him. Sitting next to Gentle Breeze, the two elder ponies kept their eyes on the emotionally unstable princess now in their care. "Now, Twilight," Gentle Gust began, taking up a clipboard and quill in his aura. "The both of us want to make it very clear that we're here to help you. Anything that you wish to say is okay. We're here to listen. What we care most about is your well being and nothing else." Taking a deep and ragged breath, Twilight turned towards the two therapists. "Thank you. It feels nice having somepony to talk to who will actually listen. It's still all so much to take in. Defeating Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, moving out of the Castle of Friendship, leaving all of my friends in Ponyville behind. Why is it that all of this has to be hard?" Taking another sip of hot coco, Twilight struggled to find the words used to describe her situation. "Do you think," Gentle Breeze asked. "That the princesses announcing their retirement might have shocked you?" "It did, especially when I first heard the news," Twilight explained. "Because how was I supposed to know that I would just be thrust into the role of supreme ruler?! I wasn't born to be a princess, I never asked to a be princess! But, now that everything's happening all at once…" Suddenly, Twilight felt herself once again struggling to talk as tear again formed at the corner of her eyes. "It's like," she cried out suddenly. "Nopony really cares about my feelings. They all think that because I'm taking Celestia and Luna's place, everything's fine. They don't really care how much my life is going to change." Sensing that Twilight was about to cry, Gentle Breeze levitated a box of tissues for Twilight to use. "I'm sure that isn't true," Gentle Gust remarked, causing Twilight's left eye to twitch. "Your friends don't mean that." "THEY DO MEAN IT!" Twilight cried out again "I turned to them to ask if things were going to change, and they were all like: 'Twilight, get used to it because WE, DON'T, CARE!'" Sobbing once again, Twilight blew her nose. Only now did both Gentle Breeze and Gentle Gust realize what they were dealing with. … … Right outside, the pained cries of the Princess of Friendship were heard from the waiting room. Sitting shocked and dismayed, Twilight's family and friends couldn't believe what they were hearing. "Of course we care." Rarity gasped, her hoof placed on her face. "Yeah," Applejack replied, taking off her hat in solidarity. "But it seems like…we…were so caught up with the coronation that we…" "…Didn't really see that…" Rainbow Dash reluctantly added. "…She was nervous to begin with…" Fluttershy concluded, lowering her head in shame. They waited for Pinkie to say her piece, but the party pony seemed to be in such a state of shock that she didn't speak. "All we cared about was the Princess title, not the pony who carried the title!" Applejack groaned. Spike didn't say anything either, he instead just kept his head lowered to the floor. Even the princess were unusually reserved and not saying a word. … … "After all we'd been through together," Twilight cried, her tear filled eyes locked onto the ceiling. "Couldn't they have at least listened to me, put aside their excitement and just lent me a friendly ear? And don't even say that they were caught up in the moment, they knew that I was feeling this way and they chose to ignore it!" "Have you spoken to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about these feelings?"Gentle Breeze asked. "No! Never!" Twilight immediately protested as her wings shot out in shock! "Why is that?" Gentle Breeze curiously inquired. "Because then they wouldn't think that I'd be fit to rule Equestria," Twilight admitted as she started to hyper ventilate! "Their retirement would be delayed more, and I don't want that to happen to them because of me!" This caused the two elderly unicorns to exchange worried glances, then with a nod they looked back to the emotionally distraught Twilight. "I think we may have found the first problem, Twilight," Gentle Gust declared, taking his attention off of his notes. "I don't think that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would have been upset with you if you wanted time to prepare yourself for your coronation." "But I had to prepare myself!" Twilight replied, taking in ragged breaths. "The more I prepared myself, the quicker they would be focusing on their retirement." "Twilight," Gentle Breeze spoke up, glancing at the notes her partner had scribbled in. "Let me ask you a question. Have you ever considered yourself as a perfectionist?" "I did consider myself one, once," Twilight nearly gasped. Before she paused and took a deep breath. "But I've learned to let it go because I had to. My book borrowing record coming to an end, I gave up Trivia Trot, shall I go on? Being a supreme ruler means I could no longer have those things if it meant freaking out." "Both of us have to disagree with you on that, Twilight," Gentle Breeze shook her head. "It appears you feel that, because you are becoming supreme ruler of Equestria, you need to put so much pressure on yourself to the point that you are becoming more conflicted on how to live your life." "So, what are you saying?" Twilight asked nervously. "What are you suggesting that I should do?" "Twilight," Gentle Gust calmly explained. "From what we're hearing, we have every reason to believe that you might be forcing yourself to do the things that ponies expect of you. Not necessarily what you want to do." "That's because they are expecting me to do things, things that Celestia and Luna would do!" Twilight protested. "Even my friends feel that I should perform as they expect a princess to perform! Isn't it a part of protocol that I give up the life I'm living currently? I mean, I've already passed on leadership of my school to Starlight Glimmer and I'm already set to pass the Castle of Friendship onto her, and…" "Just a moment," Gentle Breeze interrupted in a calm voice, throwing up a hoof to silence Twilight. "Who told you that you had to move out of your castle?" "Isn't it tradition for the supreme ruler of Equestria to live in Canterlot and nowhere else?" Twilight questioned. But rather than reply Gentle Gust opened the door, looking out into the waiting room. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Twilight nervously waited for whoever was coming into join her therapy session. A few moments later, she felt a pair of wings touch each side of her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she saw Celestia and Luna sitting on each side of her. "I thank you for joining us, Princesses," Gentle Breeze acknowledged their presence. "It appears Twilight has expressed great concern about her impending coronation and your subsequent retirement, yes?" Celestia, looking sadly over at her most faithful student, reluctantly nodded. "As exciting as it is, both Luna and I can understand how challenging it's been for all of us, especially Twilight." Another small tear trickled down Twilight's face as she listened to her mentor say those words. "I must admit it's been scary for me too," Celestia added. "Just yesterday I was crying at the thought of seeing Twilight's throne in place of my sister and I's. Part of me wants to retire and part of me doesn't want to retire." "But you have to retire!" Twilight protested, looking at both Celestia and Luna. "Isn't that what you wanted? To retire and live in Silver Shoals in peace?" This caused the royal sisters' eyes to widen in shock, almost as if Twilight was forcing them out of their position! "Do you think that matters to us, Twilight Sparkle?" Luna gasped. "Sure we want to relax and be like normal ponies, but you are our main priority." "No I'm not!" Twilight hissed. "Yes, you are, Twilight. And don't you dare think otherwise!" Celestia sternly responded with a tone of voice she hadn't used on Twilight since her ones-versary forcing Twilight to look at her. "Luna and I feel now that even though you're becoming our successor, that doesn't mean we're to leave your side forever." Then she questioned her former student. "Do you remember the time we looked at possible places for Starlight, and how we discussed that no matter what happens, we will always need each other?" "Yes?" Twilight answered as memories of that event flashed back in her mind. "Well, we will need you just as much as you need us," Celestia warmly answered. "To this end, Luna and I feel that we shouldn't go to Silver Shoals." Twilight felt her hear sink at these words. "But…but...why?" "Your mental health is more important than us living in a retirement village," Luna firmly answered. "Besides, there will be other ponies that'll still need me in their lives, even though I'll be retiring." "I don't…I don't understand. What are you planning to do?" Twilight questioned in bewilderment. "Twilight, Luna and I have decided…" Celestia started to say as Twilight's eyes widened further. "That we are moving into the Castle of Friendship. If that's alright with you?" … … Starlight Glimmer stood nervously at the entrance of the School of Friendship, anticipating the arrival of her new school's new students. So much was going through her mind with her mentor and close friend in the hospital. "Okay Starlight," She whispered, briefly looking down at the magic bracelet she wore around her front right hoof. "You need to focus on your students right now. If Twilight needs you, the bracelet will go off." Just then, Sunburst came forward wearing a black bow tie around his neck. He too, could sense the anxiety that Starlight was harboring. "Any news about Twilight?" He asked. "No. In fact, part of me wants to be with Twilight right now," Starlight sighed. "But I can't. I need to be here." The conflict in Starlight's voice did nothing to make Sunburst feel at ease. "How was she last night?" He asked again, hoping for more details on Twilight's condition. "A mess," Starlight sighed further, glancing at her best friend. "An emotional mess…unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's a good thing we were all there for Twilight, but still…" "Look, Starlight," Sunburst interrupted. "If it makes you feel better, we can go to Canterlot and see Twilight after the student tours are done." Starlight couldn't help but smile at this suggestion, grateful that her best friend was watching our for her own well-being. ... At that moment, a familiar light pink coated hippogriff and light green coated changeling arrived on the scene. "Sorry we're late, Headmare Starlight," Silverstream gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Train had a minor delay. You know how it is. I hope no students showed up yet." "That's all right, Silverstream," Starlight reassured the hippogriff, trying to hide her feelings about Twilight. "Nocreature has showed up yet. But I, uh, don't know if either one of you heard about Twilight." "What about her?" Ocellus asked, hovering in front of Starlight. "Is her coronation still on? Everychangeling is looking forward to it finally happening." "As is everygriff!" Silverstream added. "It's going to be so amazing!" "I'm afraid it's not happening at the moment, Ocellus. Twilight's in the hospital." Starlight reluctantly confessed. The two female creatures let out a sharp gasp upon hearing this! "Why?! What happened?!" Ocellus cried in dismay, getting close to Starlight's face in a panic. "Is she sick?! Did we do something wrong?" "No you didn't," Sunburst reassured Ocellus, placing a hoof on her and causing her to gently land. "Twilight's mental health seems to have been damaged, possibly either by the Legion of Doom or the anticipation of her coronation. Either way, it's been postponed until further notice." "That's…that's awful!" Ocellus remarked, lowering her head in shame. "Is she…is Twilight going to be okay?" "What can we do?" Silverstream added with worry. "Should we notify the others? Is school going to be delayed?" "Twilight would want you all to be in school," Starlight firmly reassured the students. "The only thing you can do to help her, is by being good helpers and friends in our student tours today. Besides, I have this bracelet on that can go off at any moment to tell me if I need to see Twilight." "Isn't that the bracelet you once used in your guidance counselor duties?" Silverstream asked while pointing towards said bracelet. "Yes," Starlight confirmed with a nod. "Now come on. Your help will be needed today more than ever before." … … Luster Dawn followed her parents as she left her new home and proceeded towards the School of Friendship. It had only been one day since they'd moved from Canterlot to Ponyville and still there was a lot for the young unicorn to take in. "I must admit," Luster remarked as they walked past Ponyville's town hall. "Ponyville is a nice town." "We're glad to hear you say that, Luster," Moon Dusk smiled, grateful that her daughter had some respect for what they were trying to do for her. "I know it isn't easy and all, but you'll thank us in the end." "That's where Nightmare Moon reappeared!" Luster excitedly exclaimed, pointing towards the town hall. "And where Twilight and her friends first embarked on their first mission of friendship! See? I do have some knowledge of friendship." "Nice try, Luster. That's common knowledge to everypony by know." Fire Blaster chuckled, pulling her daughter along. Soon, they came across Lyra and Bonbon walking in the opposite direction. Luster couldn't help but notice the large ring that appeared on Bonbon's front left leg. "Wait a minute!" She exclaimed! "Didn't we see those two in the newspaper? And didn't one of them used to be in that agency Princess Celestia shut down?" "Come on, Luster. We can't be late! We don't have time for details like that." Fire Blaster scolded, sensing that his daughter was trying to stop her parents from taking her to the school. ... They arrived at the School of Friendship soon enough, alongside w several other students. Among them was a griffon flying next to a young, blue feathered griffon with an older looking griffon right behind them. Luster kept her eyes on the griffons, but didn't stop to notice a red coated earth pony stallion walking at the same speed. Bumping into him, they both fell to the ground. "Oh, uh, sorry, sorry!" Luster Dawn stuttered, realizing her error. "I didn't mean to…oh, you coming here too?" "Yeah, it's my first time here," The stallion replied, helping Luster to her feet. "Wanted to come here last year, but was wait listed. I'm Cherry Tomato from Mustangia. What's your name?" Luster felt somewhat awkward. "I'm…I'm Luster Dawn, from Canterlot." "Did you move here or…?" Cherry Tomato asked. "We moved here yesterday," Luster Dawn remarked, trying to turn around towards her parents who were silently urging her to talk more. "My parents back there wanted a…change of scenery." "Yeah, so you say," Cherry commented. "Anyways, care for me to walk you in? Headmare Starlight and Vice Headstallion Sunburst are going to be giving us a tour of the school pretty soon. You don't wanna miss that." For a moment, Luster didn't want to move, but she had little choice in the matter. "Um, sure. Lead on." And she allowed herself to be escorted towards the school. "She's taking the first step, Moon Dusk," Fire Blaster smiled. "Let's just hope there's more steps to come." "I hope so too, honey. Nothing would make both of us happy than to see our daughter thrive in friendship as well as magic." Moon Dusk added. And with their daughter now appearing to be in good hooves, Moon Dusk and Fire Blaster left and turned back towards Ponyville proper. … ... … Twilight couldn't believe what she had just heard come out of her mentor's mouth. "You're moving in…with me?" She stammered. "How? I mean, there isn't enough room the castle for more ponies than myself, Spike and Starlight." "Just because we aren't ruling Equestria any longer doesn't mean that we no longer care about you, Twilight. We'll make it work," Luna explained. "It also helps me too, Twilight," Celestia added. "Ever since I saw our thrones being replaced with yours, I had anxiety, fear of what will happen once you take Luna and I's place. You're more than just a student, you're like a daughter to me, Twilight, and that will never go away!" For the first time since her ordeal began, Twilight produced a tear filled smile as she buried her face into her mentor's chest. "Well," Gentle Gust sighed, happy with what he and his partner were seeing. "It appears to me that we helped you make the first big step, Twilight. Now, it appears to me like we need you to take the next big step." Twilight couldn't help but feel slightly bothered at what was about to take place next. ... Meanwhile, back in the waiting room, Twilight Velvet and her daughter's friends all continued to wait anxiously for any news or other developments. "They've been in there for a while," Applejack commented as she paced back and forth nervously. "I hope Twi's all right." "Don't we all?" Rainbow Dash sighed. "I just hope we all get a chance to tell Twilight how we really feel about this whole coronation thing. We're all scared too to an extent, aren't we?" "Even I'm scared." Twilight Velvet confessed, immediately catching the attention of her daughter's friends. "Really, Mrs. Sparkle?" Fluttershy asked, looking over towards Twilight's mother. "But aren't you happy for Twilight?" "Of course, I'm happy for Twilight," Velvet sighed. "But, she's still my daughter and I can't help but worry greatly about her mental health. When I learned that Celestia and Luna were retiring and passing leadership onto Twilight, I was scared greatly." None of Twilight's friends knew what to make of it, but like good friends, they listened. "But, why? Weren't you scared when Shining Armor became Prince of the Crystal Empire?" Rarity asked Velvet. "I was scared for him too. It's part of being a mom to worry about your children, especially when they grow up and move out," Velvet explained. "But over time I learned to conquer my fears. Twilight is different because she and I…we have a deep connection that is unbreakable. Part of me doesn't even want the coronation to go on either, because I fear that Twilight and I will drift apart as a result of her duties. I barely even see Shining Armor anymore because of his royal duties in the Crystal Empire, not to mention his responsibilities as a dad." "We're scared too, Mrs. Sparkle," Rarity commented, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "Yet it appears that we were using our friend's coronation to cover our true feelings. We don't want Twilight to leave Ponyville either. She belongs in Ponyville, with us! It doesn't matter whether she becomes Princess of Equestria or Friendship or whatever!" "Yeah, who will be there for us when the next baddie comes to turn our world upside down?!" Pinkie Pie burst out. "Or will be there for us when we each have our own personal crises?" Fluttershy pondered. "And I don't want to lose one of my flying buddies!" Rainbow Dash declared. "Then we have to tell Twi how we all feel!" Applejack declared, stomping her hoof down. "I don't know about you, but I'm not goin' through with the coronation unless our friend stays in Ponyville with us in some way!" "But she'll still have to spend some time in Canterlot, it's the law," Spike reminded everyone. "Still, even I don't want to leave Ponyville now that I think about. I mean, how else am I going to keep having guys nights with Big Mac and Discord? It's hard enough as it is with Big Mac being married to Sugar Belle." At that moment, the door to the office opened and out stepped Gentle Breeze. "What happened, doctor?" Twilight Velvet asked, looking at the mare with the rest of the Twilight's friends by her side. "How is my daughter?" "Well, we're pleased to say that Twilight is making a little progress," Gentle Breeze anwsered, removing her glasses and rubbing her eyes with one of her front hooves. "But, it's still going to take some time until her anxieties are fully under control." At that moment, Night Light, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence rushed into the room with Flurry Heart in tow. "Vel, what's happening?!" Night Light panted, hugging his wife. "Where's Twilight?" Before Twilight Velvet could say a word though, Night Light dashed into the office and immediately caught Twilight's attention. "Oh my baby! My baby girl!" He whispered, while Celestia, Luna and Gentle Gust looked on as they watched father and daughter embrace. A few moments later, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence followed suit. "Twiley, how are you?" Shining Armor asked, his protective big brother mentality taking over again. "We all came as soon as we got Spike's message!" "It's okay, Twilight. We're here for you, all of us are." Cadence added, whispering in a gentle voice. Moments later, Flurry Heart also came on the scene, greatly worried about her aunt as she embraced Twilight. After a few good minutes though, they all backed away to give Twilight some space. Gentle Breeze then turned to Twilight's friends. "All right," she said to Twilight's friends. "Twilight has said that she's willing to see each of you one at a time. Gentle Gust and I have somewhat convinced her that the next step should be to clear the air of any tension between you and her. Now, who wishes to go first?" ... … … Twilight's five friends each felt their hearts drop. For the first time they would each individually face their troubled friend, and each would confess what Twilight's impending coronation really meant to them. There was nowhere left to hide. "Twilight wants…to talk to us?" Applejack nervously asked as a small part of her hoped it wouldn't be the case. "She is willing to talk to you individually," Gentle Breeze answered. "It's for the best if it's done one at a time." Looking back towards her fellow ponies, Applejack sensed that she would be the first to face Twilight. "Look, Ms. Gentle Breeze," The farm pony sighed. "I'll go first. I've always the been the one to try to talk sense into Twilight. I'm sure she can hear me out on this one." Gesturing her into the office, Gentle Breeze directed Applejack towards Twilight, her back faced away from her friends with Celestia and Luna sitting on each side of her. Twilight could still hear the hoofbeats of one of her friends coming towards her. Lifting her head up, she turned to look at Applejack, whose face was filled with regret and sadness. "Hi, Twi," Applejack greeted, trying to smile. "I, uh, wanted to…apologize." Looking into Twilight's red tear-stained eyes, Applejack anxiously waited for what seemed to come her way. "I know this is a big change for you and all, but… how should I put this? I couldn't bear the thought of you not bein' there in my life and my family's life, too. I mean, you've always been the pony who's been there for me and my family. Apple Bloom always looked up to you, along with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle of course, and they still want you to be there for them. Even if you are a supreme ruler of Equestria, my family and I are still goin' to need you in our lives. Do I want things to change?" Taking her hat off, Applejack placed it on Twilight's head. "Not really, because Ponyville needs its Princess of Friendship where she belongs. And I need my friend just as much, sugarcube." Placing her hoof on Twilight's chin, Applejack smiled weakly at Twilight, leaving Twilight in turn to smile weakly back before walking away. The next pony to go up to Twilight was Fluttershy, who struggled to hold back her own emotions as she tried to figure out what to say to Twilight. Up until that moment, her main priority had been training her animals for the coronation. "Twilight," She said, taking a deep breath. "Look, like Applejack said, it's been a big change for you and for all of us. But…but…" However, Fluttershy lost control of her emotions at that moment as tears began forming down her face. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEAVE PONYVILLE!" she sobbed, throwing herself onto Twilight. "YOU BELONG HERE…WITH US! I NEED YOU! MY ANIMALS NEED YOU! WE ALL NEED YOU! OUR LIVES WON'T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU!" Unable to say any more, Fluttershy tearfully left the room, escorted by Gentle Gust. Taking a gulp, Rarity was the next to go forward, a handkerchief held in her magic aura as tears were flowing down her face. The overly dramatic unicorn couldn't help but feel guilty over putting Twilight's coronation gown over her friend's overall feelings and anxieties. "Twilight," Rarity spoke, dabbing her eyes with the handkerchief. "I'm just as guilty of ignoring your feelings as the rest of us are. I'm beginning to realize that all of the fittings for your coronation gown are nothing more than irrelevant because the gown isn't important. It's the pony who'll be wearing it that I care about. I may have the dreams and aspirations of expanding my boutiques to accommodate every creature, but none of that matters right now. What matters is your health and your peace of mind, and I 've been ignoring it. If you can forgive me, I promise to put your mental health first and foremost, darling." Lightly sobbing Rarity walked away from Twilight, leaving Pinkie Pie as the next pony to go up. The pony who normally had a smile on her face instead was frowning and her normally curly mane and tail had deflated. "Twilight?" Pinkie asked, her eyes welling up with tears. "Hey, it's me, Pinkie Pie. The pony who always brought a smile to your face. I…I don't know if you can hear me, but your coronation isn't as fun anymore to me because you are so sad. I know you'll be happy to hear that. But you should also know I've taken up Trivia Trot again and…well, I'm going to need a partner for it. And, my parties are still going to need Twilight Sparkle in order for them to be really great. I need you to help me put a smile on my own face because…because…" Losing control of herself, Pinkie thrusted upon Twilight and sobbed loudly. It took a few minutes before the pink pony had to be helped out of the office. Standing in the doorway, Rainbow Dash realized that she was going to be the last to face Twilight. However, there was another pony who needed to say her peace to Twilight as well. A pony who was currently not with the group. … … With the new students and their parents and guardians gathered in the lobby, Starlight took a deep breath and attempted to put Twilight's problems in the back of her mind. "On behalf of Princess Twilight Sparkle," she began. "I would like to welcome you all to the School of Friendship, where you will learn everything that there is to know about friendship in Equestria and beyond. Now, the purpose today is to show you around the school, meet some of our veteran students, and when all is said and done, you'll get an understanding of what's in store for you all." Watching from the gathered crowd, Luster Dawn noticed the look of concern on Starlight's face. "She looks worried," She whispered to Cherry Tomato. "Is this normal?" "Well, she is the new headmare, so it's understandable." Cherry Tomato whispered back. "Now, two of our students, Ocellus and Silverstream, will assist us in leading you around the school," Starlight continued. "If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask them. Ocellus, Silverstream, if you please." "Hi there, everycreature!" Silverstream chirped, hovering over the crowd. "Ready to see what the School of Friendship is all about?!" "Follow us and remember to keep up." Ocellus instructed as the crowd followed them. As they walked off, Luster Dawn again noticed the worry on Starlight's face. It was clear there was more to what was going on than Starlight was letting on. Once the crowd of new students were on their way, Starlight nervously looked down at the bracelet, waiting for it to go off. It stayed silent. "Come on, come on," Starlight murmured, stomping her hoof down in frustration. "I can't take this any longer! I need to be there for Twilight, but this stupid bracelet won't work!" "We can't worry about Twilight now," Sunburst advised. "She would want you to do this. Besides, there are more tours to be conducted today." "Easy for you to say," Starlight bitterly remarked. "How else do you think we should be coping with this? I mean, how else do you think that…?" Letting out a sharp groan, Starlight left the lobby, returned to her office and sat down behind her desk for a brief moment. Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out a present she'd been working on for some time. "Is that the present you're going to give Twilight?" Sunburst asked, pointing to the book. "For her coronation?" "Yeah," Starlight sighed, placing the book down on her desk for Sunburst to look at. "It's a book, Sunburst. A book of memories that Twilight would look back on if she missed living in Ponyville. Guess this book won't be appropriate to give her now." "I wouldn't say that, Starlight. I mean, maybe it will make her feel better." Sunburst suggested. "This isn't just an ordinary illness, Sunburst," Starlight sighed, taking the book back. "This is her mental health and something that should never be taken lightly. Sure, my mental health was scarred when you went to Canterlot, but I learned to accept it over time. This is different." "Still, I would think about maybe giving this to her now," Sunburst advised. "It might be the best medicine you can give Twilight. She was there for you when I couldn't be, it might be time to return the favor." Suddenly, Starlight felt a vibration and noticed her bracelet was going off! "Oh, thank goodness!" She gasped and quickly shouted. "Sunburst, you're in charge until I get back!" Taking the book into her aura, Starlight quickly disappeared from view! … … … With most of her fellow mares having said their peace, Rainbow Dash took an enormous gulp and headed into the office. The Wonderbolt felt nothing short of feeling like she was betraying a close friend with had happened recently, and not just any friend. "Hey, Twilight," Rainbow Dash whispered, looking at her friend with a remorseful look on her face. "I…I know you've been hearing about this a lot, but I certainly speak for everypony when I say that…I need you here with me. I mean, you've been the pony who inspired me to become a leader and a good role model to ponies like Scootaloo. I may be the element of loyalty, but if I was in your situation, I would stay by your side no matter what," Pausing for a bit Rainbow Dash continued. "I've been taught that Wonderbolts look out for each other, Twilight. But at the moment when you needed for me to look out for you, I didn't do so. You may not be a Wonderbolt, Twilight, and you may be a princess, but you're also my friend and fellow flying buddy! And I'll never turn my back on you again!" Holding back her sadness, Rainbow Dash walked away as Twilight continued to process her friends' comments and concerns. They all seemed sincere, but where they just playing along to try to make her feel better? Having heard everything that had transpired, meanwhile, Shining Armor made his way around to his little sister and bent down to her level. "Twily?" He asked. "I want you to know that Cadence, Flurry and myself each put the well-being of ourselves and our subjects first and foremost. We have your utmost support and we will be there for you always and forever." At that moment, Cadence and Flurry Heart joined Shining Armor in front of Twilight. "Shining Armor's right, Twilight," Cadence added. "You are an inspiration to us, and Flurry Heart wants nothing more than to spend time with her favorite aunt." Lightly touching her aunt's tear stained face, Flurry babbled quietly with a distressed look on her face. "And just remember two things," Shining Armor offered. "You are the best little sister best friend forever and you are and always will be…my best mare." All Twilight could do was look briefly at Shining Armor, almost as if to acknowledge that what he was saying to her was indeed true. … … At that moment, Starlight Glimmer teleported into the waiting room, having already seen the light sobbing that Twilight's friends were producing. "How is she?" Starlight gently asked. "She won't even talk to us, she's so hurt!" Fluttershy balled, dabbing her face with a tissue. "We can't live without her, Starlight!" "Yeah, she needs to stay in Ponyville!" Pinkie Pie added. "But at this point I don't know if she believes us when we tell her that!" Taking a deep breath, Starlight turned towards the office door, holding the present for Twilight in her aura. Stepping into the office, she immediately caught the attention of Gentle Gust and Gentle Breeze. "Who are you?" Gentle Gust asked the unfamiliar unicorn now in the room. "I'm Starlight Glimmer," Starlight firmly answered. "Twilight's former student and current headmare of the School of Friendship." "Starlight," Luna stammered. "Aren't you supposed to be…?" "Sunburst is in charge. This is more important right now," Starlight firmly delcared. Walking around the couch, Starlight looked down at Twilight forlornly, feeling nothing but sympathy for her former teacher and friend. "Why…are you here?" Twilight whispered, suddenly looking up at Starlight. "You should be at the school greeting the students, Starlight." "Do you think that matters right now, Twilight?" Starlight countered. "You are what's important right now. Look, I know you passed the castle and the school onto me, but did you think that I wanted to take the castle from you? It's your home!" "No it's not. It's yours now," Twilight croaked. "I belong in Canterlot, regardless of what you all say." Starlight then began to think back to when she was awarded the pink heart of courage. She hadn't been ready to leave Ponyville then and still wasn't ready to leave Ponyville now. In Starlight's mind, Twilight seemed to be going through the same situation. "Twilight, I don't think you're ready to leave Ponyville, at least not full time. Sure, Canterlot may be where you'll do most of your ruling, but you don't have to live there forever. The castle is your home and that is where your heart is. Go with whatever your heart desires, not with what your status desires." Taking another deep breath, Starlight passed her present onto Twilight, hoping that the feelings she once experienced was what Twilight would experience too. "I was planning to give this to you at your coronation," she explained, trying to echo what Twilight said to her at one time. "It was meant to be a 'Going Away' present, but it's now an 'I'm So Glad You're Staying' present." Taking the book in her aura, Twilight pulled off the wrapping and opened it, revealing to be photographic memories of Twilight and her friends over the years since she'd met them. "Starlight," Twilight cried, looking through the pages. "You didn't have to…" "I had to do it!" Starlight interrupted. "We all felt the same way: Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, all of us. And if you're ever feeling down like you are now, just open this and it will be a reminder of how we all came together. How we all started something grand." Taking the book to her chest, Twilight produced a small tear-filled smile and embraced Starlight tightly. "I just hope it makes you feel better, Twilight." Starlight said as Gentle Gust came forward and looked down at the book, showing it to Gentle Breeze. "It's a very nice book, Starlight," Gentle Gust commented, looking through the pages. "All the memories of your adventures with your friends, Twilight. All carefully preserved." Twilight said nothing, instead resting her head on Celestia's side while Luna stroked her frazzled mane gently. "So now what do we do?" Spike asked. "Well, we certainly made a lot of progress," Gentle Gust explained, as Spike flew over to Twilight's side. "However, it might be best, Twilight, if you stay overnight so we can monitor your sleep and ultimately come up with a diagnosis of your condition in the morning." This made Twilight look surprised at what she just heard. … … With Starlight Glimmer gone, Luster Dawn and her fellow arriving students continued their tour around the School of Friendship. However, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on with all that was happening. "Hey," she whispered to Cherry Tomato. "Haven't you noticed something odd is going on here?" "What do you mean, odd?" He whispered back. "Is there anything about this school you don't think is odd?" "No, not the school," She whispered. "Didn't you look at Headmare Starlight's face as she was talking to us? It's almost as if her mind was on something else." This caused Cherry Tomato to stop Luster Dawn and himself from walking with the rest of the group. "Didn't you hear the news about Princess Twilight?" He asked. "She's in the hospital." Luster Dawn felt herself sink upon hearing the news. The pony she had come to idolize was incapacitated. "Why?" "Something to do with her mental health," Cherry explained. "All I can tell you is that the coronation has been postponed until she is better both mentally and physically." It was then that Luster Dawn got an idea. "Listen, Cherry, I need your help," She said, much to Cherry Tomato's confusion. "I need you to cover for me." "What? Er, you're playing hooky?" Cherry blinked in surprise. "What if Vice Headstallion Sunburst sees you leave?" "School's not in session yet," Luster answered. "I'm going to see my idol and wish her a speedy recovery. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Just explain that I needed to take care of something important." Activating her magic, Luster Dawn attempted to teleport away, but was stopped by Cherry Tomato. "Wait!" He said, holding Luster down. "If you're going, I'm going with you." "No, you stay here and cover for me!" Luster protested. "Besides, I just met you." Cherry Tomato did not back down, however. "If there's one thing I learned from the Friendship Journal," He whispered to Luster. "It's that you look out for the pony you care about." "When was that even in the journal?" Luster Dawn hissed. "It's not, I just made it up!" Cherry Tomato confessed. Hearing this, Luster Dawn couldn't help but wonder why this young colt would tell such a blatant lie. Nevertheless, she activated her magic and using a teleportation spell, she transported herself and Cherry Tomato into Canterlot General Hospital. Illuminating a light from her horn, Luster Dawn took notice of the dark surroundings she and Cherry Tomato were in, looking at the boxes of medical equipment that surrounded them. "I wanted us to be transported directly to Princess Twilight." "Well, I don't think Princess Twilight is in here," Cherry Tomato grunted. "Guess we'd better start looking, even though we really should be…" Before he could say another word, Cherry Tomato was hastily silenced with a glare from Luster Dawn. "Okay, I'm shutting up." He whimpered, much to Luster Dawn's chagrin. Quietly opening the closet door, Luster looked around to see if any doctors or nurses were in the vicinity. "Coast is clear," She whispered before pulling out two coconuts. "Now I'm going to find Princess Twilight. If there's anypony coming you make this noise to warn me, or make whoever's coming think that there's somepony else walking down this hallway." Taking the coconuts, Cherry Tomato proceeded to bang them together, only for Luster to silence him once more. "Not now!" She whispered. "Just be on the lookout, alright?" Leaving Cherry Tomato alone, Luster Dawn casted an invisibility spell on herself and proceeded to look for Twilight. In another part of the hospital, Twilight look up at her two therapists. "Are you sure about all of this?" "In our opinion," Gentle Breeze answered, taking off her glasses and rubbing them with a cloth. "We feel that your mental health isn't well enough for you to go back to your castle yet. We need to at least hold you overnight for observation and see if we can make more progress tomorrow. Is there anything that's been boxed up there yet?" "Well, most of our stuff is already boxed up," Spike remarked. "All my Power Ponies comics, Twilight's things, you name it." "We're both going to recommend that only things of significant importance to Twilight be unpacked and placed where they belong," Gentle Gust advised. "And those that are not of significant importance to Twilight be sent to her royal quarters in Canterlot. The first thing that must be done right now is create a stable environment for Twilight." "And if it helps," Gentle Breeze added. "Work through the process together, because whatever pain you all feel will go away when you're working together on something." "Well, we'll take your suggestion into account," Spike declared while rubbing the back of his neck. "Now that you mention it, it'll be nice that we can move back and forth between Ponyville and Canterlot." Just then, Gentle Gust pressed a button and spoke into a speaker that was on his desk. "Prepare a room for a patient in our office," he said. "Twilight Sparkle will be staying the night. And have a phlebotomist come to my office for a blood sample." "Wait, what's going on?" Twilight blinked in surprise. "We're just going to take some blood, Twilight." Gentle Breeze explained. Twilight attempted to react, but her exhaustion prevented her from doing so. "Blood?!" "It's just part of the admittance process here at the hospital, Twilight," Gentle Gust instructed. "We do this with all our patients." "But she can't stand having blood drawn!" Shining Armor protested, causing everypony to give him an awkward glare. "What? Even as a filly she couldn't bear to let doctors place the needle in her. It was always a struggle for her to get her shots or get any blood work done." "B.B.B.F.F, please," Twilight whispered as she laid down on her back at once. "Let them do what they need to do. It'll hurt, but it can't be worse than what I just went through yesterday." Just then, a phlebotomist pony walked into the room with a butterfly needle and a medical tube. Sitting down next to Twilight, the phlebotomist got to work on getting the blood sample that was needed. "Now, we're just going to search for a vein, Twilight." The mare explained in a calming voice, while she tied a tourniquet around Twilight's foreleg and felt for a vein as Twilight Velvet held her daughter's hoof. "We're all right here for you, Twilight. You can do it!" Celestia declared while she and Luna watched a cotton swab be placed on Twilight's foreleg. With her eyes locked onto the ceiling, Twilight prepared for the incoming pinch of the needle. "Just a small pinch," the phlebotomist said as Twilight felt the needle go into her. "The worst part's done, honey. Just relax now, our brave princess." For several minutes, the blood was drawn out of Twilight's body. Then as quickly as it began, the needle was taken out and the phlebotomist bandaged the puncture area and left. "What's gonna happen now?" Night Light asked. "Well, like we said, we'll keep her overnight and monitor her sleep patterns," Gentle Gust answered, before turning his attention back to Twilight. "As we speak, we have a royal suite in the hospital that is being prepared for you, Twilight.", Twilight weakly chuckled as the orderlies brought the wheelchair back in. Celestia and Luna carefully levitated Twilight onto the wheelchair with their magic, and then very carefully the orderlies wheeled Twilight out of the office. As she was being wheeled away, Twilight looked at her concerned friends. "I love you all," she whispered, having begun to realize what her friends were really feeling about the whole coronation buzz. "We love you too, Twilight. Get well soon," Fluttershy whimpered as she and everypony else all watched Twilight being pushed to her "royal suite." After Twilight left, Celestia began to think to herself on what needed to be done next. "Luna," she whispered to her sister in an almost hushed voice. "I think that there's only thing that needs to be done." Almost immediately, Luna began to think exactly what Celestia was thinking. "You don't mean…?" she whispered. "Yes, the time has come for my final decree as princess, Luna." Celestia explained. Realization slowly sunk in for Luna, as she knew exactly what was about to happen. … TO BE CONTINUED