Evening had fallen at Camp Everfree, and Twilight and Sunset arrived first.
"Huh," Sunset said as she sat down. "We must be early. I would've figured-"
A rainbow blur shot past Sunset, blowing wind in her hair and causing the fire to billow.
"Hey guys!" Rainbow sat down.
Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes as Fluttershy walked past.
Applejack was the next to arrive.
"Any word from Rarity, AJ," Rainbow asked.
Applejack smiled. "Don't ya worry. She'll be along shortly."
Pinkie giggled as she skipped towards the fire with a bunch of twigs wrapped in a blue and pink piece of paper. "Ooooh, yeah! Gonna get my 'mallow on!" She reached into her hair and pulled out a rather large bag of marshmallows.
"Pinkie," Twilight said. "Why not wait until Rarity gets here?"
Pinkie blinked, then smiled. "Good point. Wouldn't be right if one of us was missing out on the action."
"You guys thinking she'll try to pull another grand entrance," Rainbow asked with a grin.
Applejack laughed. "Wouldn't surprise me."
"I heard that," Rarity said from a few feet away.
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "No flashy, showy fanfare this time?" She gave a mocking gasp. "Who are you and what have you done with Rarity?!"
Rarity rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Oh, please, darling. I'm not about to waste my six foot red carpet by getting dirt on it."
"Your what now," Twilight asked flatly.
Rarity blinked. "Never you mind, Twilight." She took out a stick with a purple rubber handle and pink tassel with a white bead on it. "It's marshmallow time," she trilled.
"You said it," Pinkie chirped as she opened the bag of marshmallows, then passed them out to everyone.
Twilight looked around herself and sighed happily.
Pinkie had made a bouquet of marshmallows and held them over the fire. Fluttershy and Spike were laughing while Rarity grunted in frustration over her marshmallow being burnt.
Applejack chuckled and took out her phone. "Looks like a keeper to me," she said.
Twilight took notice of Applejack's intent, then smiled genuinely.
"Yup," Applejack said with a satisfied nod as she looked at the photo. "Definitely a keeper."
Twilight watched as Rainbow sped off, then returned almost immediately with her guitar. She began playing it, and Twilight closed her eyes as a feeling of gratitude began to wash over herself. This sense of inner peace would not have been possible without the encouragement and support of the six young women gathered around the fire with her! She felt moved.
"Applejack... Rainbow Dash... Pinkie Pie... Rarity... Fluttershy... Sunset Shimmer..."
Each of Twilight's friends looked at her.
"I just want to thank all of you for freeing me from Midnight Sparkle. And more than that... for giving me a new outlook on life. Even with my family's constant love and support, I felt lonely." Twilight laughed a soft yet mirthless laugh. "The thought that someone outside of my usual circle of comfort would care about me hadn't occurred to me."
The girls were all listening intently.
"You six have no idea how drastically my life has changed..." A lump formed in Twilight's throat. "A-And it's changed for the better... because of all of you. So many doors have opened for me. So many possibilities that I hadn't even considered. More happiness to share... more fun to have..." She sniffled. "Without all of you... w-who knows what kind of dark place I'd be in right now? I... I love you all!"
Everyone came over to Twilight and hugged her, and she broke. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as she cried softly in the embrace, reveling in the warmth and friendship of it all. For the first time in recent memory, she felt as though she could take on anything!
Twilight sniffled one last time as she finished crying, and the girls all smiled at her warmly as the hug was broken.
"We all love you too, Sugarcube." Applejack grinned.
"You're one of us," Rainbow said. "We stick together no matter what!"
"Indeed," Rarity said. "If you ever need help, do not hesitate to call on us."
"We'll do everything we can for you," Fluttershy said.
"And we won't stop until you smile," Pinkie said, punctuating her sentence with the firing of a portable party cannon hidden in her hair.
"Twilight," Sunset said softly as she put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm so glad we could make such a positive impact on your life." She gestured to the rest of the girls. "It means a lot to us, coming from you."
Words of agreement rang out.
Sunset smiled. "Rainbow, can I borrow your guitar for a sec?"
"You bet," Rainbow said as she gave it to Sunset.
Sunset tuned it slightly, then began to play a tune and sang.
As dawn shines on us every morn,
The fire of friendship is reborn.
And all the friendships we have made,
We cherish in every way.
Loyalty binds us and makes us strong,
Honesty shows that we belong,
And kindness shared will unite us through each day.
The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart!
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few
Laughter and singing will see us through.
We are a circle of true, true friends!
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!
Though the winter brings all its cold and storm,
The glow in our hearts keeps us warm!
The friends we now call our family,
Will always see us through!
Loyalty binds us and makes us strong,
Honesty shows that we belong,
And kindness shared will unite us through each day.
The fire of friendship lives in our hearts,
As long as it burns, we cannot drift apart!
Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few.
Laughter and singing will see us through
We are a circle of true, true friends
A circle of friends we'll be to the very end!
Rarity shed a tear. "Goodness, darling, that was simply marvelous!"
Sunset blushed slightly. "It's basically an Equestrian Christmas carol. I had to modify it a bit because... you know... we're not all ponies."
Pinkie blinked. "Christmas? It's not even winter."
Everyone laughed together.
How lucky was Twilight to have such an amazing group of friends? She would spend the rest of her evening hanging out, and that night she fell asleep with a big smile.