RING RING RING RING
Finally.
It was a few moments after that bell rang that I came sprinting out out the building, with others following closely behind.
I had never been so happy to actually finish school, and go on holiday. What with Twilight and Josh and Lakeside, I knew this was going to be the best holiday ever. And probably the strangest holiday ever.
It was only a few minutes after midday, so I debated for a while whether to meet up with either Lydia or Josh and see if I could kill a few hours in town with them or whether just go straight home. No one would be home right now, so I would have plenty of unquestioned time with Twilight, to spend in the Barn or even in the house.
"Hey, Grace!"
I turned around, and saw Josh waving at me as he walked towards the gate, Jamie walking next to him.
I waved back, and he gestured for me to join him. I jogged over to him and waved at Jaime. "What's up?"
"We're going to town for a bit, and you don't look like you had any other plans - you're welcome to join," he said.
"Oh, cool. I'd love to, but," I said, smiling at him. I walked a bit closer to him and lowered my voice. "I'm just not sure how long I should leave Twilight completely alone, when I could be there with her," I added, quietly.
"I understand," he replied, at the same volume. He turned to Jaime. "Parents," he said, gesturing to me and rolling his eyes. He turned back to me and said, "Have fun, and hopefully I'll see you soon." He pushed his bag back on his shoulder, and walked towards the gate.
"Wait!" I found myself yelling. Both of them stopped and turned to me. "I'll come. What better way to start the holiday off?"
Josh smiled at me. "Great."
I joined them, walking in between them both, as we walked out of the gate.
"So," Jaime said. "How long have you been a brony?"
"Since September. Just before the start of Season 2. Which meant I got to watch it all on time as a brony. You?"
"About this time last year. Annoying, just after the Season 1 finale. But it meant I had pretty much the entire summer to persuade this guy to join in on the fun," he said, jokingly punching Josh's shoulder. "He sure was stubborn."
"Oh, please. It took you ages to tell me to watch it - you wanted to be a brony by yourself. You wanted all the girls to yourself, you dick."
"You still didn't want to watch it."
"That's because you said, and I quote, 'Hey Josh, you should watch this show about magical unicorns and friendship and shit.' What guy would say yes to that?"
We began walking down the hill and just talking in general. I hadn't really hung out with guys before, but it was great. Jaime especially wanted to know pretty much everything about me, but it was great. I felt...liked.
"Grace! Wait!"
I turned around, and found Lydia running towards me, with a few girls I recognised from our year behind her.
"Some of us are going to the cinema, and...we were wondering if you want to join us," she said, smiling.
I looked behind her, at all the smiling faces staring at me.
I knew exactly what Lydia was up to - she felt guilty about what I said earlier today, and this was her way of making up for and trying to make things better. You have to give her credit though - she works fast. But I wondered just how many of that group really wanted me to go with them.
Probably none.
"Oh, Lydia," I started. "That's so lovely. I would love to, but," I turned to Josh and Jaime. "Josh already invited me to go with him to town. I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's fine," she said, smiling at Josh and Jaime. I knew she would say that know, but she would be texting me later to find out everything. "I'll see you next month. For Lakeside!"
I turned back to Josh, who smiled and then said, "To town!"
Yes, Josh. To town.
***
"Grace?" I heard as I walked in. "Is that you?"
"Yeah."
I had spent a few hours in town with Josh and Jaime and then thought I should probably get back. My parents aren't usually strict about things like that (they like encouraging me to have as many friends as possible), but I didn't want to worry them - my dad does have a tendency to worry about certain things a bit too much. I mean he worries where I am after I've told him that I'm at Lydia's house, but doesn't seem to worry about his own clumsiness. I mean at all.
I walked into the kitchen to find my dad sitting at the kitchen table, with a sandwich on a plate in front of him.
"Ooh, sandwich," I said, reaching forward to take a slice. My dad hit my hand away.
"Hey! This is my sandwich, thank you very much. I made it for myself."
"Fine," I said, pulling up the chair next to him. I know my dad quite well - if I stay near enough to him, he'll give in. I will get my bit of sandwich. "So how was your day?"
"Brilliant. Made a sandwich. Yours?"
"Fantastic. Broke up for the Summer holidays."
"Sounds fantastic. So, what is Grace planning for this summer? You're not just going to sit inside all day like last year, are you?"
"Probably not," I said. To be honest, I hadn't really thought about what I wanted to do this summer, even before Twilight. The only plan I had was Lakeside. Other than that it was just 'do something involving Twilight'.
"So, what exactly are you planning?" he asked.
"No idea whatsoever," was my reply. I wasn't going to lie to him.
"Oh." We sat in silence for sometime, until he went, "Your grandma's coming tomorrow."
"Yeah, Mum mentioned it this morning in the car. I can't wait to see her."
"Yeah." More silence.
Then...
"Sandwich?"
"Don't mind if I do," I said, reaching over and taking a slice. "Hmm," I said, taking a bite. "Cheese."
"Yeah."
It seems like my dad and I can be quite awkward sometimes, but really, we don't have much to say. I quite like the silence and I know he does too. My dad is awesome and I love him - we don't have to talk all the time, because he knows me. My mum, on the hand, is a completely different story.
After a while, I stood up, and walked towards the back door. "I'm just going to the Barn for a bit."
"Ok," Dad said, standing up. "I should probably start packing. You writing hard now."
"What?"
"You know, writing all those award-winning novels and all that."
"Oh. Yeah." I quickly left before I could question any other cover story I told him.
When I got to the Barn, Twilight was waiting for me. I walked in, walked up to her and sat down next to her.
"Afternoon, Miss Sparkle," I said, smiling at her.
"Hello, Grace. Nice day at school?"
"Brilliant. Went into town with Josh afterwards - it was great. I haven't really done that before - go into town with friends."
"So, you're a bit like me then?"
I raised my eyebrow. "As great as you are, Twilight, I'm not sure how I, a human being, a hairless bipedal ape, am in the slightest bit like you, a purple magical talking unicorn pony."
"I mean, with friends." Oh. I still can't believe I didn't think of that. I was quite slow that day. "Believe it or not, I didn't get friends until I was into my twenties. Growing up, it just didn't seem important. I had friends - don't get me wrong - but mainly just my parents and my brother, and later on, I suppose Princess Celestia. But once I got them, I really didn't want to let them go. I love them dearly - Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, even Pinkie Pie. Not to mention Spike." She sighed.
"You miss them, don't you."
She nodded. I put my hand on her mane, trying to comfort her. In retrospect, it was probably a bit condescending, since I accidentally stroked her a bit.
But it didn't seem to affect her. She just sighed again, looking down at her hooves.
"Tell me about them," I said. Twilight turned and looked up at me. "Tell me all about your friends - I want to know. Little anecdotes you have, their personalities, anything."
Twilight looked at me for a while, not really reacting, then all of a sudden laughed, cleared her throat and began. "I should probably start with Spike, considering I met him first. It was back when I was a filly, before I even had my cutie mark, and my parents had just enrolled me in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. But, in order to get in, I had to pass an entrance exam. I am good at exams, and even then exams didn't frighten me, but that exam sealed the fate of my entire future and of my greatest dream. It was time for the entrance exam to, and I was just about to flunk my test. I had a dragon's egg and my test was to hatch it, but I couldn't. I tried and tried, but in vain. I just could not do it. I turned to the examiners and I said, "I'm sorry I wasted your time." My heart was broken - this was everything I had dreamed of and I had failed, when suddenly an explosion caused my magic to go out of control. The egg not only hatched but I also cause the baby dragon to grow into a full-sized one, started levitating the examiners and also turned my parents into cacti.
"I was completely out of control, then suddenly, I felt a hoof rest on my shoulder. I turned to see Princess Celestia staring at me, her eyes looking so calm but still so wise. Suddenly, I felt myself calm down and my magic eased off. Everything turned back to normal - the dragon became a baby again, the examiners fell back to the floor, and my parents returned to their usual equine selves. I lay on the floor, completely overwhelmed by what I had just done. When suddenly the princess spoke. "Twilight Sparkle," she said. I was terrified - I thought she was going to punish me for destroying part of her castle. I immediately apologised, but she stopped me. She told me that she had never before seen raw talent such as mine. She then asked me to be her personal protégé at the school. I accepted and was ecstatic! Not only had I gotten into the school of my dreams, I was also going to be taught by the princess herself. But the day got even better - Celestia herself pointed it out to me, but I had also gotten my cutie mark. I jumped for joy, and my parents were thrilled. I got home, told my brother the good news, and then went to bed.
"The next day, I woke to the sound of my parents calling me downstairs. I ran down to find my mom, my dad and my brother all surrounding the kitchen table. I looked down to see a letter addressed to me. I open it and read it aloud.
"Dear Twilight Sparkle, it said.
Congratulations on your entry into my school. I am sure you will enjoy it here greatly, and I am willing to bet a million bits that you will come out of it as one of the best unicorns in Equestria for magical ability.
It is never too early to start your lessons, and seeing your capability for myself yesterday, I would like to start as soon as possible. At the start of next week, you may come to the castle, and we may start your studies immediately.
When you reach the castle, present this letter to one of the guards, and he will show you the way to my chambers.
Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, Princess of the Sun and Day."
"How did you remember all that?" I interjected.
"Photographic memory. Also it was such a big moment - of course I'm going to remember exactly what the letter said."
"Anyway, back to story."
"Yes," Twilight continued. "I read the letter, and my parents were 'so proud to their little Twilight' and Shining Armour - my brother - he ruffled my mane, saying, "Knew you'd do it."
"The next day, we arrived at the castle, me being weighed down by my saddle bags completely full of quills and parchment. It was my mother and father, and Shining Armour tagged along too. We got the castle gates, where one of the guards stopped us. We immediately showed him the letter, and he looked at it, then smiled.
""So you're the lucky filly the Princess has been talking about?" he said. I nodded, shyly, and the guard grinned at me.
"Follow me," he said. He turned around and began walking into the castle. I remember seeing this amazing decor - the windows telling tales from Equestria's past, the pure gold detailing on the walls, the sparkling marble flooring. I saw it everyday for years afterwards, but even now, it still does amaze me. It wasn't long before we got to a large door, with two large suns on them - one on each. The guard knocked on the door, and stepped back. We heard a voice say, "Come in," and the guard opened the door for me to step inside. I stepped in a took my first glimpse at a sight I would see hundreds, maybe even thousands, of times again.
"Inside, Celestia herself sat in the middle of the room. She was levitating a piece of parchment and a quill, writing some important letter. At the time, I thought it was to some foreign leader somewhere, like Saddle Arabia or perhaps from even further away."
"Wait," I interrupted. "Saddle Arabia?"
"Err...yes. Why, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," I said, smiling. "Carry on."
Twilight gave me a weird look, rolled her eyes, and continued. "She lowered the letter down and turned towards me. "Ahh, good morning Twilight Sparkle. Ready?" I stood there, on the spot, not really sure what I should do. Celestia just looked at me and laughed. "You have no need to be afraid of me, Twilight. You can be sure of that." I turned to my parents, who nodded and gestured for me to go. Celestia turned to my parents. "You can be sure that Twilight will be safe here in my care. Don't worry - I shall send the royal carriage to take her home at the end of the day." My parents nodded, and began backing away. Until, that is, they saw Shining Armour, just staring at the guard who accompanied us in complete awe.
""Shining!" my dad shouted. "Come on." Shining looked over at our father, sighed and began walking towards them. Until something stopped him.
"Celestia stood up, and walked over to him and whispered something in his ear. His eyes suddenly widened, and he nodded enthusiastically. She turned to my parents and said, "Would it be ok if Shining Armour stayed here with his sister? I can guarantee that nothing at all will happen to them - they shall definitely be safe here with me." My parents looked at each other, then my mother turned to the Princess and said, "Of course, Princess." They left after that, leaving me, Shining and Celestia.
"Celestia called the guard over, and said to him, "Golden Arrow, would you mind looking after Shining Armour here. I hear he has ambitions of joining your guard."
"Golden Arrow, who turned out to be Captain of the Royal Guard - something Shining has not forgotten to this day - agreed and my brother went with him, his face taken over by his grin. It was brilliant - just as my dream was starting to come true, so was his. After that day, as soon as he became old enough, he joined the Royal Guard, and when the time came for Golden Arrow to retire, he was made Captain at the request of both Celestia and Golden Arrow. His proudest day.
"As soon as he left, I turned to Celestia, who smiled at me, turned, and began walking towards a door at the back of the room. She turned back to me and gestured for me to follow, so I galloped towards her. She took me into another room - darker than the main one and with a slightly mysterious aura. I was intrigued and wanted to know exactly why she had brought me here.
"The princess walked into the middle of the room, turning towards me once she reached the middle. "I have something I would like to give you," she said. I walked up to her, excited. She turned around, facing a table that I had only just noticed, covered with a cloth. She lifted up the cloth with her magic, and instead of looking to see what was underneath, I was so amazed at seeing Celestia herself's magic being used directly in front of me. It wasn't anything amazing, but for a filly whose greatest dream what to be just like her, it was amazing.
""Twilight," she said, focusing my attention back on what it was supposed to be on. I looked towards the table and gasped. On top of the table was a small dragon, no bigger than a baby. It lay on a small pile of blankets, fast asleep. I walked closer to the table, completely in awe. I had only seen a dragon once before - during my exam the week before.
""Wait a minute," I said. "Is this...?" Celestia nodded. "Yes, this is the dragon you hatched last week. The very same one." She walked over to the other side of the table. "You see, dragons have an extraordinary communication ability - if a certain spell is cast upon them, the letters can be sent to that dragon. When dragons use a certain flame, objects that are caught in that flame, most likely letters, can be transported to other places. Once a spell has been casted upon that dragon, letters that are caught will automatically be sent to whomever cast the spell." And of course, that was what she had done. She wanted us to have the ability to send each other letters magically, without the need to using a mail-mare or any kind of pony messenger. This plan enabled us to immediately send and receive letters from one another, with no effort at all.
"So, I'm sure you can guess, this dragon was Spike. And he has been with me ever since the Princess gave him to me. He started off as really just something to help with communicating with the Princess, but he ended up being more than that. Unlike me, he would talk to the ponies I grew up with, becoming friends with them, to an extent. But even so, he always had time for me, no matter what. Before I moved to Ponyville, as I was growing up, I had only two real friends. One being Shining Armour - my BBBFF. The other, Spike. I don't know what I would have done without him all these years."
All throughout this, I was smiling. I knew the first half of the story - there was an episode where Twilight told the Cutie Mark Crusaders that story - but it was wonderful hearing the rest. I'm probably the only person - well, human, really - who knows that. And it was an amazing feeling.
"What about the others? Like, Rainbow Dash. I think you said. Something like that," I said, trying so very hard not to smile.
"I met the others all on the same day. It all started a few years ago. Two days before the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration. I was in Canterlot, with Spike, in the royal library, which was conveniently right next to my house. I had been doing some light reading - I had had a lot of time on my hands, what with being on holiday and all, so thought I could at least do some extra studying. You don't get to be the Princess' personal protégée by just sitting around, playing. No, it takes work and effort, and I put everything into keeping my status as the Princess' faithful student, even if it meant not having any friends.
"I had picked up a book that I hadn't read before, so took it to one of my favourite reading spots. It told a tale of two royal sisters who came to a disagreement of sorts. One was a Princess of the Day and the Sun, the other of the Night and Moon. The Night princess realised that her subjects would play and have fun during her sister's day, but would sleep through and ignore her night. It started to get to the pony, and eventually she refused to raise her moon to give way for the sun. Her sister tried reasoning with her, but it was no use. In fact, the hatred for her sister had engulfed the once quiet pony, and she became a monster, run on her hatred. She became Nightmare Moon."
I sat listening to this, in awe. On the outside, I just looked interested and intrigued, but the fangirl in me was squeeing, quite loudly. Of course I had heard this story before - I had watched the first episode many times while trying to introduce others to the fandom - but it was completely different hearing coming out of Twilight's mouth in person. I smiled, thinking of how every brony in the world would kill to be in my position. But, I wasn't taking it for granted - oh no, I knew that I would never forget this moment for as long as I lived.
"Her sister," Twilight continued, "torn between fear for her subjects and love for her sister, did not know what to do. Eventually, she felt she had no choice but to get rid of the menace that used to be her sister. Using the power of the Elements of Harmony, she banished her beloved sister ironically on her favourite place - her moon. After this, she herself took over her sister's role, raising and lowering both the Sun and the Moon. Her sister became something of legend - the Mare in the Moon - until eventually she was thought to be nothing more than an old ponies' tale.
"As I read this, I came across the term 'Elements of Harmony' and became intrigued. I had heard of them before, but I could not remember exactly where, or why. I became curious, so I ran towards the library in search of more books on the topic. I found Spike inside, and immediately asked for his help to find a book which I knew would have more on the topic. He found it, and looked up Elements of Harmony inside. It led me to the entry for Mare in the Moon - a myth from olden pony times. The myth was about a powerful pony, who wanted to rule Equestria with eternal night. She was defeated by the Elements of Harmony, and imprisoned in the moon, where, the legend has it, that on the longest day of the 1000th year after her imprisonment, the stars will aid her escape and she will bring about night-time eternal.
"I immediately ordered Spike to take a letter to the Princess, warning her of the danger. After a few...communication difficulties, we finally had the letter ready. Of course, I wanted to send it immediately, but Spike thought otherwise. He said that the Princess was busy with the Summer Sun Celebration, and would have time to deal with this. But I reminded him that this year would be the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration - meaning that if the legend was true, that would be the day that Nightmare Moon escaped.
"We sent the letter, and I got a reply immediately. Spike read it out aloud, as I walked around the library."
"What did it say?" I asked, even though I knew all too well.
"She...didn't believe me. Well, she made out that she didn't. She said that I should 'stop reading those dusty old books'. She went on to talk about how she admires my dedication and enthusiasm to my studies, but I had to stop. There was more to a young pony's life than studying, so to show me that, she sent me to Ponyville, that year's host for the Summer Sun Celebration. I was to oversee the preparations, and, as an extra mission, to make some friends.
"Of course, I was not happy at this. I of course would do my duty to the Princess, and do what she asked, overseeing all the preparations, but I felt that friends were not important. I would spend all my free time finding out more about Nightmare Moon, as I felt that the fate of Equestria did not rest with me making friends.
"When we landed in Ponyville, I was not in a good mood. Spike was determined that I should do everything the Princess instructed me to do, especially making friends. He had insisted on reading the end of that letter during the carriage ride to Ponyville. And of course it was him who insisted I tried talking to some of the ponies who lived there. Just my luck that the first pony I met was Pinkie Pie. But I had told him that I would do what the Princess asked as my royal duty, but then run to where I was staying - at the Ponyville Library - and do research on the myth behind the Elements and the Mare in the Moon.
"First on my list was to check on food. That meant Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack. The first time I saw her she was right in the middle of her apple bucking routine. I was a bit shocked at first, but then approached her, a bit defeated though. I introduced myself, and told her why I was there. She immediately took my hoof and shook it, introducing herself. I was again shocked at her upfrontness, but retained my composure once more. She asked if I wanted to taste some of the food, and I said yes, hoping it wouldn't take too long. That was when she brought out the entire family. It just so happened to also be the day of the Apple Family Reunion, so pretty much her entire family was there. It was shocking. Extremely. It felt far too rude to leave, so I was forced to stay and eat everything I was offered. Meaning I ended up with an awful stomach ache.
"The next pony I met was Rainbow Dash." I perked up at hearing this. As much as I love the Mane Six, Rainbow Dash is my favourite, as I told Josh earlier. And hearing about Rainbow meeting Twilight from her own mouth was an amazing prospect. "Spike was reading off the list, informing me that Rainbow Dash was in fact in charge of the weather team. And on that cue, Rainbow, of course flew straight into me almost at full speed, sending me straight into a mud puddle. Head first.
"Of course, she apologised, but then decided to try and make things right. She grabbed a rain cloud, and began jumping on it to make the rain fall directly on me. But of course, she overdid it and I was soaking. She looked down, saw her mistake and again tried to fix it. Using her 'own patented Rainblow Dry', she flew around me extremely fast, hoping that the fast moving air would dry me off. And it did. Just ended up completely ruining my mane at the same time.
""Don't thank me - you're quite welcome," Rainbow said, landing in front me. She opened her eyes, and was stunned for a few moments at the sight of my mane all tangled up and making me almost twice as tall than usual. Then she and Spike both burst into laughter.
""Let me guess - you're Rainbow Dash," I said, not particularly happy with this situtation. She immediately jumped up at the sound of her own name. "The one and only! Why? You heard of me?" she said. I told that yes, I had heard of her - heard that she was the one that was supposed to be clearing the sky, which at the moment had not been done. Obviously.
""Oh, that," she said, flying back up to her cloud. "I'll do it in a jiffy." This was not going the way I wanted it to. I had wanted to get this list checked off with quickly and get to the library as soon as I possibly could. I couldn't check the weather off if Rainbow Dash had not cleared the sky like she was supposed to. But then I heard a little more from her.
""Right after I'm done training."
""Training?" I asked. I was quite intrigued. She replied that she was training for the Wonderbolts - the fastest flyers in Equestria. They were due to perform at the celebration afterwards, and she was going to show them exactly what she could do, hoping they'd let her in. I was surprised - almost every pegasi foal dreams of joining the Wonderbolts, but most grow out of it when they realise that they aren't meant for that. I told her that I knew that the Wonderbolts would never accept a pegasi that couldn't keep the sky clear for only one day.
""I could clear this sky in 10 seconds flat," she retaliated. I narrowed my eyes and gave her a little smirk. "Prove it."
"Immediately, she jumped into action. Whizzing around the sky like a bullet! It was incredible. Finally, she finished, landing on the bridge in front of us. "See, 10 seconds flat. I'd never leave Ponyville hanging." She looked over at Spike and I, and we were both amazed, our mouths hanging in complete shock. She started laughing, and flew over to me. "You're a laugh, Twilight Sparkle. I can't wait to hang out some more." And with that she sped off.
"After that we made our way to the Town Hall, where the ceremony would first start, in order to check on the decorations. As Spike and I walked in, we admired the beautiful decorations that had already been put up. Well, I was - Spike had eyes for something else. Or somepony else. On the other end of the hall stood a white unicorn mare, and it was this mare that was making Spike swoon. It was quite funny watching him actually.
""Out of my hair? What about your hair?" she exclaimed. And she began pushing me towards the exit, on the way to her boutique. I shouted to Spike for help, but no luck - he was in a dreamy daze. As soon as we were inside, she immediately set to cleaning up the mess Rainbow had made with my mane. But she didn't stop there - oh no, she then put me in all sorts of different outfits.
""Go on, my dear. You were telling me where you're from," Rarity said, adjusting my outfit once more. I say adjusting - she was actually suffocating me.
""I've...been sent...from...Canterlot...to-" I struggled to say as my lungs collapsed. But as soon as I had said the word 'Canterlot', I felt Rarity let go, causing me to go flying forward, as she gasped.
""Canterlot?!" she exclaimed. Turns out that was the wrong thing to say. "Oh, I am so envious! The glamour, the sophistication! I have always dreamed of living there! I can't wait to hear all about it!" She ran out soon after that looking for some rubies to decorate my outfit with, and I took that as my queue to run out before she started dying my coat a completely new colour.
"The final thing to check was the music. It wasn't long before we found Fluttershy and her birds. The yellow pegasus mare was of course practising for the big day with her birds. But, there was one that sounded ever so slightly off.
"She immediately stopped them, and flew up to the bird. " Excuse me, sir? I mean, no offence, but your rhythm is just a teeny, tiny bit off." The bird nodded and she flew back down, ready to start up the choir again.
""Hello!" I said, taking advantage of the break to announce myself. She screamed, and the entire choir flew away in fright. Leaving Spike by the bushes, I walked up closer to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten your birds. I'm just here to check up on the music and it's sounding beautiful. I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?"
"She instantly looked down at the ground and mumbled something. "Sorry, what was that?" I said. This time, it was even quieter. "Didn't quite catch that." She crouched down and began squeaking, exactly like a scared little animal would.
"I had no idea what to do - I thought I was bad with ponies, but this was something completely different. I looked up and saw that one by one her birds were coming back. "Well," I said, slightly relieved. "It looks like your birds are back, so I guess everything's in order. Keep up the good work!"
"I walked back over to Spike, when suddenly I heard somepony yell, "A baby dragon!" Suddenly, that same pony charged straight into me, knocking me a few feet away. I looked over, still sprawled out on the floor and saw Fluttershy staring at Spike excitedly. "Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's so cute!"
""Well, well, well..." Spike said, looking directly at me.
""Oh my, he talks. I didn't know dragons could talk. That's just so incredibly wonderful, I just don't even know what to say!"
""Well, in that case we'd better be going," I said, lifting him up on to my back, and started to walk away. "Wait, wait!" I heard behind me. Fluttershy had followed us. "What's his name?"
""I'm Spike."
""Hi Spike, I'm Fluttershy. Wow, a talking dragon! And what do dragons talk about?" She sounded absolutely amazed. "Well, what do you wanna know?" Spike said, turning to face her. "Absolutely everything," was the answer.
"My instant thought was 'Oh Sweet Celestia, please no.' But of course, with that encouragement, how could Spike say no? He started telling her the story of his life - the entire story.
"It was only when we finally got to the library that he had finally finished. "Do you want to hear about to today?" I heard. "Oh, how did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep," I quickly said.
""No I don't-" Spike started, but he didn't get a chance to finish, since I threw him off my back. "Aww, wook at dat," I said, lowering my head down to his level. "He's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle bawance!"
"Fluttershy immediately swooped down, picked him up and flew him inside. "Poor thing, you simply must get into bed."
"Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, good night!" I quickly pushed her out and slammed the door shut. I turn around and made out Spike quite close by in the darkness. "Rude much?"
"Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?"
"Suddenly the light turned on, and we froze at the sight of probably every single pony in Ponyville surrounding us. "SURPRISE!" they shouted. We both stood there, completely shocked for while, especially me. All I had wanted all day was to just go home and read up on the legend, and here I find a crowd of ponies, most of which I had never seen before, crowded into the room. And if it wasn't bad enough, a pink earth pony jumped in front of us, yelling, "Surprise!"
""Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya?" Pinkie said, pretty much bouncing about the place. "Yes," I said. "Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be quiet."
""Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, boring! You see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all GASP, remember? You see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville! And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, then I had an idea, and that's why I went GASP! I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!"
"That was a bit too much for me, and I immediately stopped drinking. But because this wasn't any kind of soda I had ever tasted before. Turns out it was actually hot sauce, and I had just drank a glass of it. That, and on top of the hot sauce thing, caused me to lose it, and I ran upstairs into my room and slammed the door shut.
"That was how I met them all, but as you can tell, we weren't exactly what you would call 'friends' on that first day. They may have thought that, but I thought exactly the opposite."
"But why?" I said. I was actually curious - I had seen the first two episodes so many times and I knew the stories off by heart, but there was a single moment when Twilight wanted them to be her friends, and everything she thought previously changed. "I mean, now you talk about them as if you couldn't bear to be without them. How could you have been so against having friends then?"
Twilight sat there for a while, thinking. "I...it's...For me, my magic was everything. After Celestia accepted me into her school, I finally had the chance to do everything I had hoped and dreamed to do, and I didn't want to let her down. And so I put everything into concentrating on my studies, and other things became either not as important or distractions. I couldn't afford to have those risks."
"Hmm... carry on."
Twilight smiled at me. "I spent that entire night lying on my bed, furious. One thing I wanted - to have some time to research the Elements and Nightmare Moon by myself - and all this 'friend-making' had kept me from that. I didn't want friends. I didn't need friends. I had my books and my ambitions - that was all I required. But no - I couldn't even have a few minutes of silence to myself.
"I heard the door open and sat up to see Spike walking in, with a lampshade on his head of all things. He asked me to come and join the party, which I point blank refused. It was late, I was tired and I hadn't done anything I had hoped to do so far. "But Twilight, it's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the Princess raise the sun! You really should lighten up, Twilight. It's a party!" And he left.
"I lay back down, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what he had said. He was a baby dragon and here he was telling what to do! I was more than twice his age! I looked out of the window, looking up directly at the moon, as I recited the legend. "I hope that the Princess was right...I hope it is just an old ponies tale."
"Soon after that, Spike called, saying the celebration was about to start. We all made our way to the Town Hall, where Princess Celestia was due to appear any minute. Usually, whenever I watch Celestia at the Summer Sun Celebration, I'm reminded of my first Sun Celebration, the one that inspired me to start up magic. But today, nothing of the sort popped into my head - I was terrified, and worried. Looking around, I could see that nopony else had read the signs like I had - they were all smiling laughing, staring the necks to catch the first glimpse of the Princess. It was just me.
"On the stage, I saw a grey pony walk on and address the town. I guessed this was the mayor of Ponyville, and was correct. "Fillies and gentlecolts," she said. "As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration! In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honour to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria...Princess Celestia!"
"The music started and the curtains were pulled apart to reveal...nothing. Completely empty. The Princess was gone."
It was this part when even I started to get worried. The way Twilight told the story, it was as if I had never heard it before. I was extremely worried all of a sudden, even though I knew everything would be absolutely fine in the end. I even found myself at this point holding my hand up to my mouth in shock.
"The entire room gasped and began muttering nervously as they searched for their beloved Princess. I started panicking - I knew exactly what was happening. Then Pinkie Pie gasped, and the entire room turned to look at the stage. There, coming out from behind the curtains, was some mysterious black smoke. "Oh no," I said. My worst fears were coming true.
"Suddenly a pure black alicorn appeared out of the mist, the mist becoming her mane, with a splash of dark purple on her flank as part of a crescent cutie mark. A periwinkle headdress was covering most of her face, but her eyes - those sharp, teal slits - still shone brightly. She looked around the room and smiled. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious sun-loving faces."
"Suddenly, somepony called out. "What did you do with our princess?!" I turned and saw Rainbow, trying her hardest to fly towards her, but Applejack had a strong hold on her tail and was not letting her. Nightmare laughed. "Am I not royal enough for you? Do you not know who I am?"
""Ooh, Hokey Smokes? How about Queen Meanie? Oh, Black Snooty, Black Snoo-" Pinkie started, until Applejack shoved an apple cupcake in her mouth to shut her up.
"Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"
""I did," I shouted. "You're the Mare in the Moon. Nightmare Moon!"
""Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."
""You're here to...to..." I couldn't bring myself to carry on. She laughed. "Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!" She raised her horn, laughing manically, causing her misty mane to soar up and bolts of lightning struck down around her. The mayor called for the guards to seize her, but of course her magic was too much for them. As they lay on the ground, completely dazed, she turned back into her smoke form and flew out of the town hall.
"I ran straight back to the library, focused on finding out more about the Elements. I instantly put Spike to bed - the poor thing had completely tired himself out - and ran around the library looking for the book I wanted, when suddenly I was ambushed. I turned to see Rainbow Dash staring at me accusingly. She had seen me running from the town hall, and had followed me, hoping to find out exactly what was going on. Suddenly, they were all there - Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity - and they were all looking to me for answers. So I told them what I knew - the prediction of Nightmare Moon's return, how the Elements were our only hope of stopping her and getting our Princess back. "But I don't know what they are, where to find them...I don't even know what they do!"
""'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide'," we heard. We turned to find Pinkie standing by the bookcase, staring in. I ran over, and saw the book I had been searching for. "How did you find that?!" I exclaimed.
""It was under E!" It hit me then that I forgot to check to see if the library had some form of alphabetically system.
""There are six Elements of Harmony," I read. "But only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the Royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now The Everfree Forest."
"They were not too thrilled with entering the Everfree Forest. It was different to anything that they were used to - the clouds moved by themselves and the animals don't need anypony to take care of them. Creepy. So I turned to them and I said that they did not need to come any further with me. This was a problem that I was fine with sorting out myself. I didn't need or want anypony to join me, especially if we were going into a dark creepy forest. But of course, they still carried on.
"We all walked through the Everfree Forest, on our way to the castle, each one of us quite scared. Well, not all of us. You see, Rainbow Dash thought it would be a good idea to scare us a little on our way. I had just asked them if any of them had ever been in here before, and as Applejack was explaining how the forest works differently to the rest of Equestria, Rainbow slowly flew towards us through the mist. "Nopony knows," she said, eerily. "Why? Because everypony who comes in here never comes out!" she ended dramatically. And at that exact moment, the rocks beneath us suddenly gave way, sending me, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity sliding down the cliff-face. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy swooped in, picking up those they could carry - Rainbow saving Pinkie and Fluttershy Rarity
""Applejack!" I screamed. She held my hooves tight, looking for a way to help. "What do I do?"
"She looked down at me and said, "Let go."
""Are you crazy?" I screamed. Here I was, clinging on to the edge of a crumbling cliff face, and here she was, telling me to drop down to my doom. "No, I ain't" she said calmly, then promised that I would be safe. But of course, I didn't believe her - how could I? I was terrified, and I knew that if I didn't act now, I was going to die.
""What I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth." I looked at her, her face looking so trustworthy and I believed her. So I let go.
"I fell for a bit, screaming as I flew to the ground, then suddenly I felt two pairs of hooves around me, holding me up. I opened my eyes and saw both Rainbow and Fluttershy holding me from opposite sides, slowly lowering me to the ground. As soon as we landed, I looked back toward the cliff, where I saw Applejack climbing down by jumping from rock to rock. I found myself smiling for what must have been one of the first times that day.
"We began walking again, making sure we didn't walk over any more cliffs. But just as we were about to walk through between some trees, a manticore jumped out. A manticore is a wild creature native to Equestria, with the body of a-"
"Yeah, I know what a manticore is," I said. I certainly knew my mythology well enough to know what a manticore, and it seemed unnecessary to make Twilight explain what it was.
"Oh, do you have manticores here?"
"Err...no. Not really."
"Oh, ok." Twilight wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. So she just carried on. "The manticore jumped out, and began roaring and charging at us. We needed to get past it, so we all started attacking it ourselves. Rarity was first, strangely, charging at the manticore. Until the manticore roared so loudly that it ruined her mane. As it chased Rarity, Applejack landed on its head, attempting to use her rodeo skills to subdue him. That didn't end well for her - the manticore launched her off its back, sending her flying. Rainbow took her chance, flying around it a high speed, until the manticore stuck its tail out, knocking out of the air, hitting the ground in front of us. I knew then it was my turn, but I wasn't going to be alone. All the girls followed my lead, as I charged at the creature. All except Fluttershy.
""WAIT!" she cried, jumping in front of us. Everypony stopped and watched as Fluttershy slowly walked towards the manticore. "Shhh... It's okay. Oh, you poor, poor little baby," she said, softly. In its paw was a thorn, stuck firmly in. It all made sense now - why the manticore attacked us for no reason. "Now this might hurt for just a second," she said, warning him before bending down and pulling the thorn out. The manticore suddenly roared at her, causing us all to shout and prepare to defend her. But just as suddenly, the manticore began licking her, obviously thanking her. We all stood in complete awe and shock, until the manticore let her go and we could carry on.
""How did you know about the thorn?" I asked her. "I didn't. Sometimes, you just need to be shown a little kindness," she said, walking past me.
"We then began making our way through the thick part of the forest towards the castle. Rarity was complaining about the mud when suddenly it got very quick and we found ourselves suddenly in pitch black darkness. We were determined to keep going, so slowly made our way through the trees in the dark, until suddenly each of us found ourselves face to face with monsters!
"We all screamed and froze on the spot, completely unable to move. As we sat cowering in the semi-darkness, I caught sight of Pinkie. Instead of being completely terrified like the rest of us, she stood making faces at them and laughing. I yelled for her to run away. She just laughed and said, "Oh girls, don't you see?" Then she burst into song. "Tell me she's not..." I said.
""She is," Rarity said, simply."
"Sing it," I said, a stupid grin on my face. I could imagine nothing better than hearing Twilight Sparkle sing 'Giggle at the Ghosties' live. But she had other ideas.
"No."
"Pleaseeee?"
"No."
"Pretty pleaseeeeeeeee?"
"You're starting to sound like her. No."
"Fine."
"The story behind the song was that when she was that when Pinkie was young, she got scared a lot, until her grandma taught her to laugh in the face of danger and fright. But with that song, she made every single one of us laugh so hard we were rolling about on the forest floor.
"We continued on, still laughing, knowing that we were getting closer and closer. Suddenly we came to a river, and we halted to a stop. The water was rushing very fast and it was impossible for us to cross. We had no idea what we were going to do about crossing, but then we heard some wailing closeby. We walked around the corner, and found a purple sea serpent with a ginger mane crying in the water, his tail splashing about in the water. We slowly approached him to find out what was wrong.
""Excuse me, sir," I asked him. "Why are you crying?" The sea serpent said, "Well, I don't know. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved moustache clean off, and now I look simply horrid!" He threw himself into the water, crying again, splashing us with a wave of water.
"Rainbow Dash looked completely shocked. "That's what all the fuss is about?" Applejack said, not entirely sure what to make of the situation. Rarity gave them both an evil look. "Why, of course it is," she said, walking up to him. "How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales."
"The serpent sniffed. "I know."
""And your expertly coiffed mane."
""Oh, I know, I know."
""Your fabulous manicure."
""It's so true!"
"Rarity sighed. "All ruined without your beautiful moustache."
""It's true, I'm hideous!" he yelled, hiding his face with his arms.
"Rarity's eyes narrowed. "I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulousity go uncorrected!" With that, she ripped out one of the serpent's scales. He shouted in pain, but then soon turned back to see what Rarity was up to. We all watched as Rarity lifted the scale with her magic and brought it swiftly down, slicing her tail off. She lifted the cut off tail and raised it to the remains of the sea serpent's moustache, attaching it to it.
"The serpent looked at it and his face lit up. "My moustache!" I immediately walked up to Rarity, shocked that she did such a thing to her beautiful tail. But she wasn't worried - she was more concerned about the happiness of the serpent.
"I turned to the water noticing that the waves had stopped, allowing us to cross. I began walking across, when suddenly something emerged from underneath me. I looked and the serpent had swam underneath us and emerged, creating a bridge for us to cross. So we all jumped across him, and carried on our quest.
"We walked on a little further when I caught sight of some ruins on the other side of a bridge. "There it is!" I shouted. I was over the moon and began galloping towards it. I turned back and saw the others running after me, but as I turned back, my hoof, which was supposed to land on the bridge, was suddenly landing on nothing. I stopped running, as I started falling down and was pulled back up by Rainbow. "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?" she said, smiling.
"The others soon drew up along the edge of the cliff, all looking down the cliff towards the remains of the broken bridge. "Now what?" Pinkie said. Rainbow opened her wings, gesturing to them. She jumped into the air, as PInkie said, "Oh yeah." She flew down, just past the clouds, and flew back up, carrying the fallen bridge.
"Rainbow landed on the other side, just about to tie the bridge for us to cross, when something stopped her. She heard a voice - barely a whisper at first, but then seemed to get closer and louder.
""We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flyer in Equestria."
"Rainbow was confused. "Who?" she asked.
""Why, you, of course."
""Really?! I mean, oh yeah, me. Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would ya? Because I've been trying to get into that group for like, ever."
""No, Rainbow Dash. We want you to join us, The Shadowbolts."
"Out of the shadows came 3 pegasi, dressed similarly to the Wonderbolts, but instead of the Wonderbolts' signature electric blue uniforms, these were dressed in a dark purple version of the uniform - so dark, it was almost black. The pegasus mare in the middle started talking again. "We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria, but first, we need a captain. The most magnificent...swiftest...bravest flyer in all the land."
"The shadowy pegasus flew up to her ear and whispered, "We need... you."
"WOOHOO! Sign me up." Obviously, I wasn't there to hear all this, but Rainbow Dash swears that this is exactly what happened. Thinking that they were trying to get her to join them, she was probably telling the truth. "Just let me tie this bridge real quick and then we have a deal."
""No!" the mare shouted, running towards her. "It's them or us."
Meanwhile, we all stood on the other side, getting quite anxious. Eventually, I called out to her, hoping that she was ok. I looked over towards where Rainbow was, and saw 3 pegasi talking to her. I instantly guessed what they were up to, and immedately started shouting over to Rainbow."Rainbow! Don't listen to them!" But as I shouted, the clouds suddenly grew thick and we lost sight of her completely, and I didn't know if she had even heard me.
"Rainbow stood, not sure what to do. On one side was her friends, ponies who were depending on her. But on the other, her greatest dream was about to come true. She was stuck. Finally, she said, "You."
"The shadowbolt smiled, until she heard Rainbow finish. "Thank you. For the offer, I mean. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no." And with that she tied the bridge up and flew off towards us.
"She landed on the other side, and the clouds parted, letting us all cross. "See," she said, flying past me. "I'd never leave my friends hanging!"
"We had finally arrived at the castle of the Royal Pony Sisters and we walked into the main hall of the ruins. In the middle of hall stood a great statue holding the Elements of Harmony. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up and brought them down. We realised that there were only five of the six here, and I remembered about what the book said. "When the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed." I had an idea of what that meant, but I wasn't completely sure. I told everypony to stand back, as I started casting the spell, but Applejack told everypony to leave, so I could have total concentration.
"As I put all my might into my spell, I heard a noise. I opened my eyes to see the Elements swirling around in a purple whirlwind. I yelled in surprise, and as I heard the others running towards me, I jumped into the whirlwind as it disappeared.
"When I reappeared, it took a few seconds for my sight to readjust. I looked up and gasped as I saw Nightmare Moon herself standing on the other side of the room, on a stone pedastal, with the Elements hovering around her.
"I didn't know what to do, so I did the only thing that I thought would be most likely to work. I charged at Nightmare, my horn glowing. She couldn't believe that I would actually try something like this, but nevertheless she did the same. My horn glowed brighter and brighter as we drew closer, until finally I performed my spell, teleporting me to the Elements.
"Nightmare looked around and finally saw me as I appeared by the Elements. I quickly lowered my head to create a spark spell, and tried as hard as I could to perform it. Nightmare turned into her cloud form and zoomed over towards me, and as she returned to her pony form, the Element started glowing, and a spark went from Element to Element, until finally it hit me, sending me flying backwards.
"I sat up, looking over towards the Elements and Nightmare. Nightmare looked down, at the glowing Elements, horrified. But suddenly, they stopped glowing and sparking. I was shocked. The sixth element was still nowhere to be seen. Nightmare Moon laughed and stomped hard on the ground, causing all the Elements to shatter.
"As I watched the shattered pieces fall to the ground, I felt my own dreams shatter. My last hope had been ruined and now I would never again see Celestia, never again see the Sun, or Celestia raising the Sun at the Summer Sun Celebration. "You little foal!" she exclaimed. "Thinking you could defeat me! Now you will never see your princess or your Sun. The night will last forever!"
"Suddenly, I heard voices. I turned around and saw the shadows of Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, Flutttershy and Rarity calling for me, coming up the stairs. As I saw them, a sudden realisation hit me and I gasped.
"It was then that I realised what everything meant, and exactly what I had to do. I looked directly at Nightmare Moon. "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!"
"Nightmare's face dropped as she saw the other appear behind me. Suddenly, the shattered pieces of Elements started hovering in mid-air. Nightmare looked at them in shock. "What?"
"I turned to look at them individually. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of loyalty!" As I spoke, the shattered pieces of Element flew over to the ponies, circling them. "The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us."
"Nightmare Moon looked terrified, but then a sudden realisation gave her some relief. "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"
""But it did!" I continued, a smile forming on my face. "A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends!" Suddenly, there was a flash of light and an Element appeared, floating down towards me. "You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!" I raised my horn towards the incoming Element, and as I did so, the pieces circling my friends suddenly flew together, forming necklaces in the exact shape of their respective cutie marks. The final Element floated down to just above my head, where it transformed into a beautiful tiara, which gently landed on my head.
"We all floated up in the air, and drew closer and closer together. Suddenly, we were engulfed in a bright light and a rainbow suddenly burst out heading straight towards Nightmare Moon. "NOOO! Nooo!" I heard her shout.
"I can't really remember much after that. When we all awoke, it was still dark, but Nightmare was nowhere to be seen. Instead a small navy blue pony lay in her place. But we didn't notice her at first. We were to engrossed with our brand new necklaces. "I thought you were spouting a lot of hooey, " Applejack said. "But I guess we really do represent the Elements." Suddenly, a voice spoke. "Indeed you do." We looked to the east, where we suddenly saw a golden light, and as the Sun rose in the sky, our Princess appeared before us. "Twilight Sparkle," she said, smiling at me. "My faithful student. I knew you could do it." I looked at her in confusion and she explained. She had seen the signs of Nightmare Moon's return and she knew that I was the one to the magical ability to defeat her. But of course, I could not do so until I made some friends, something that I had not yet done at all.
""Now if only another will as well," she ended. She turned to the pony lying on the floor right where Nightmare had been standing. "Princess Luna," she said. The pony's eyes opened in an instant. "It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister. Will you accept my friendship?" We all stood, in suspense as to what the reply would be.
""I'm so sorry!" Luna ran to Celestia, in tears. "I missed you so much, big sister!" Both Luna and Celestia stood, embracing each other, tears streaming down their faces.
"After that, we all went back to Ponyville, where we were greeted by crowds of celebrating ponies, including Spike. It was then that I remember that I would soon have to return to Canterlot. I couldn't believe it - right when I had finally made friends I had to leave them. But Celestia had other ideas. She announced that I was now going to study the magic of friendship in Ponyville, and I was overjoyed. Since then, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity and I have been the closest of friends."
Twilight was silent for a moment. I understood why - she was reminiscing. It must seem so long ago to her, especially since she had been away from them for so long. I thought she might start crying herself, and I put my hand on her back in comfort. She looked up and smiled at me.
"My friends are the best friends I could ever hope to have - they are true, true friends. Applejack can be as stubborn as a mule sometimes, but her heart is always good. Rarity is...for lack of a better word dramatic, but always knows how to make things better. Rainbow is... definitely a hot-head, but her dreams inspire all of us, and I know they will come true one day. And Pinkie...well, she's Pinkie. But I wouldn't ask for them to be any different. Not even Pinkie Pie."
"Twilight," I said, once she had finished. "You are one amazing storyteller. I could never tell a story like that."
"Oh, it's easy. Why don't you try? Tell me about your friends."
I was a bit stuck.
"I...I don't really have any-"
"Nonsense. You have Josh. And you mentioned a Lydia. And, of course, you have me."
I looked at Twilight and smiled.
"Yeah, I do have you."