Twilight paced about the library anxiously, waiting for any news. It was as if a clock was ticking in the back of her mind–almost like the threat of Nightmare Moon looming all over again.
Trixie had insisted she be allowed to "handle things". At her urging, they had all gone their separate ways. For Twilight, that had meant returning to the library, to pack her things and reflect on the nightmarish ordeal behind them.
"Um, Twilight?" Spike interrupted. "You okay? You've been out of it all morning."
Twilight turned to face Spike. "Oh, sorry," she said. "I guess I've just had my mind on something..."
"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked.
"...no, I'm not," Twilight responded morosely. "But it's going to happen, so I'd better get ready. It's not like it's the end of the world or anything."
There was a knock on the door of the makeshift bedroom, and Twilight shifted her attention to it. "Come in," she called.
Blossomforth poked her head inside, grinning ear-to-ear. "Hey, Twilight!" she said with a remarkable lilt. "Everypony's heading for Central Park, you better hurry—" Her face fell slightly as she saw the look on Twilight's. "I mean, you know... it'll be fun?" she offered.
Twilight bowed her head. "Thanks, Blossomforth. I'll be right there." Slowly, Blossomforth nodded and stepped out into the entrance, waiting for Twilight to join her. Together, with Spike perched on Twilight's back, they trotted down the stairs and toward the park.
~#~#~#~
Trixie was waiting for them at the entrance to Central Park with a grin that could be seen from a mile away, a small crowd of eager ponies gathered before her. Nearer the front, many of the attendees had even more eager colts or fillies atop their heads. Twilight carefully made her way toward the showpony.
"Good of you to join us," Trixie announced. "Trixie has finished all the preparations, as only Trixie could have done!"
"What are you talking about...?" Twilight began, only to be interrupted by the rumbling of a motor.
A few motorized platforms rolled toward her, towering and brilliantly decorated. "Once Mayor Tux approved my plan, getting everything together was foal's play," Trixie commented smugly. "And now, may I present to you, Princess Celestia... and Princess Luna!"
The alicorns alit suddenly on the lead platform, upon which two thrones were situated. They waved, grinning, as the crowd cheered.
"We're on the second float," Trixie added.
After a second, the thought ticked into Twilight's mind. "What? You mean me? I don't need any parades, I just—"
"You just saved the world," Trixie said. "Today is as much about celebrating you as the Princesses."
"She's right, you know," said a voice beside Twilight. She turned her head to see Daring Do step out of the crowd. "You're too modest. A little exposure will be good for you."
Orange Sherbet and Octavia moved to stand beside Daring. Twilight looked around at the five. They were all nodding encouragingly. Octavia gave a small bow, gesturing with a smile to Twilight.
There was a long pause, and then Twilight smiled as well. "Thank you all," she said quietly. "For being here."
With that she turned and climbed onto the second float. Blossomforth giggled happily before fluttering after her. Daring Do offered a hoof to help the earth ponies up, before settling into place herself. Once the rest were all in position, Trixie gave her grandest stage bow to the assembled ponies, cast a smokescreen, and leapt up as well.
"And with that, we commence!" Trixie declared. The floats began moving, rolling out of the park and down the street as the lively music commenced.
~#~#~#~
They chatted happily as they passed cheering crowds along the road. Every so often, one of them caught Twilight looking uneasy, and asked what was wrong. In response, she would shake herself out of it and smile again.
The procession passed through Equines Square, accompanied by deafening cheers. Confetti streamed down from above as throngs of delighted ponies gathered to watch. Tiny fireworks burst around the floats, igniting the paper to burn in a rainbow of brilliant hues for a fraction of a second before it extinguished itself and blew away. All of Manehattan had turned out to see this.
Ahead on the first float, Celestia had moved her seat behind Luna's. The smaller princess looked stunned by the reactions of the ponies, and reassured by her sister's gentle hoof on her shoulder. As Luna raised a hoof to wave meekly to the crowd, a bouquet fell directly into it. She looked at it for a moment, then up into the crowd to find the thrower, a young colt bouncing excitedly as he cheered at the top of his voice. She smiled and blew a kiss to the colt, who cheered even harder, his parents now having a little difficulty keeping him from leaping straight onto the float.
The six behind them fell silent for a moment, their attention drawn to the simple gesture. "Well, there's another Princess now," Twilight observed. "I guess that's something I'm gonna have to adjust for."
"Who cares if there's another Princess?" Spike replied with a shrug. "Two, three, as long as they're good at what they do—and they are—then I say the more the merrier."
"That's all well and good," Trixie said flatly, "but four is right out."
~#~#~#~
"So," said Daring, idly stirring her milkshake, "now that we've done... all this, what's next? You know... now that we're heroes, and everything?"
The cafe was quiet, the late morning sun providing a soft light. The other patrons seemed to keep their distance, looking upon the princess at the head of the table with reverent awe.
"Well," Sherbet mused, "I had been thinking of a feast—"
Trixie cleared her throat, prompting Sherbet to glare at her. "I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, will soon embark on a cross-Equestria tour, displaying the powers that only the Element of Magic could harness!"
The rest of the party stared at her for a moment before Daring jabbed a hoof in her direction. "You know, this probably qualifies as pointing out the obvious, but your Element is Laughter. I hope you're not planning to say otherwise..." She gave Trixie a warning look.
Trixie flushed slightly. "Uh, slip of the tongue, I meant..." She glanced around the table. "Oh, yes, you'll all come with me, of course! It'll be the greatest show in Equestria!"
Daring's expression softened slightly and she nodded. "Well, okay, I guess we could do that sometime. Blossom?" Her eyes shifted to the other pegasus. "How about you?"
"Oh, I don't know," Blossomforth said, "I'm a simple mare, with simple dreams. I don't need to do anything big just because of something like this. I'll be content with just, oh, a park named after me..."
Octavia rolled her eyes. "'Thy modesty's a candle to thy merit,'" she said. "I intend to do the same thing I have always done, play my cello. Though perhaps now I will have a bigger audience."
"I certainly hope so," Sherbet added. "Your music has always been inspirational. The more ponies hear it, the better."
Octavia blushed, then looked to Twilight. "And what are you going to—?"
Twilight looked away, and Octavia silenced herself. The earth pony set a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, her look inquiring where she couldn't speak.
"...I'm going to go back to Canterlot," Twilight said, a slight chill in her voice. "I was only here for the Celebration. Now that it's over..." She trailed off.
Celestia, concerned by the shift in her pupil's demeanor, leaned closer. "Is something bothering you, my faithful student?" she asked.
"...Princess," Twilight replied, "before you sent me here, I never cared about friends at all. Now I finally know what I was missing, and I have to just... give it up..." As she spoke, she didn't look at her mentor. Rather, her eyes fell on each of her friends in turn. Auntie was carefully attempting to mute her troubled expression; Daring looked almost scared; Octavia still gave Twilight that gently concerned look; Blossomforth had actually teared up slightly. Trixie looked hurt, until Twilight looked directly at her, when she promptly turned her head and tried to pretend it was no big deal.
There was a moment of silence now. Celestia surveyed the group. She lowered her head in thought for a moment, then chuckled quietly.
"Spike," she said, "take a letter..."