//------------------------------//
// Path of Friendship (Twilight) 
// Story: Love's Light: Is it possible to love again? 
// by Phoenix Skyfire 
//------------------------------//

Authors Note: Wanted to warn you all now, the Chapter Titles as you noticed with this one will be different from this point on. Think of this as Phase 2 of "Love's Light: Is it Possible to Love Again?"


Chapter 6: Path of Friendship
Twilight

I turned over in my bed. Somepony was knocking on my door.

"Mi'lady? Are you awake?"Rose called through the door.

        “Yes, I am.” I said loud enough for Rose to hear me through the door, before using my magic to unlock it.

        As I climbed out of my bed,  Rose walked into the room, a small bag on her back.

        “Give me a few minutes to freshen up, Rose.” I said, walking into my bathroom to work through my daily routine.

Rose was waiting beside my desk when I came out of the bathroom.

“What did you bring with you?” I asked, walking closer to Rose.

“Your mail, mi’lady. I stopped and picked it up for you.” Rose said, dumping the contents of the bag onto the desk.

I stepped forward to take a look at what came in the mail till I noticed Rose reaching under her wing and pulling something out wrapped in paper, before placing it on the desk.

“What’s the gift for Rose?” I asked, wondering why she would bring me a gift.

“It’s not from me, mi’lady. It was with your mail.”

I sighed out loud before speaking, “Probably another love letter and worthless gift. I really get tired of these.” 

When Rose moved off to the side, I took a seat in front of my desk to sort through the mail.

After a few minutes of sorting and throwing away almost eighty-seven point eight two percent of the mail away without looking at it, due to it all being love letters. I looked at the gift debating on whether or not I should throw it away.

I sighed, pulling the gift closer. Seeing a note attached to it, I opened it up and looked at what it read.

Flowers for fragrance,
Parchment bound by leather,
A great cipher by a great stallion,

May you understand the back
of this.

I looked at the note confused. I expected a love letter, not something like this. I turned the letter over to see a jumble of numbers.

3-4-16                41-8-4          32-6-55
6-1-35                26-7-53        13-8-16
2-4-21                19-1-35        38-5-16
9-7-24                18-9-32        49-3-47
23-4-31              62-5-41        5-9-12
4-3-64


        I looked over the small note again to see if I missed anything, and did not.

        “Rose? This note says something about flowers, do you know what it might mean?” I asked.

        “Perhaps these lilacs? Sorry mi’lady, I forgot to tell you about them. But I placed them in a vase for you.”

        When I heard lilacs I immediately turned around, and saw three lilacs sitting in a small vase next to my bed. Why would they send lilacs to me? I turned my attention back to the gift on my desk.

        I turned back to my desk and slowly took off the wrapping paper. As the last of the paper fell off, I dropped the book that was inside it onto the desk shocked.

        ‘Somepony sent me a book? I've never had anyone send me a book since Shy died. I don’t understand.’ I thought to myself looking at the book.

        It was an old book I once used to help start my former student on the right path. ‘Road to Friendship’. As I stared at the book my mind flashed into the past.

                                = = = = LL:IPLA = = = =

        I opened the door to the library and walked inside, the smell of a wood fire filling the room. I turned my head and saw my student next to the fireplace, a book floating in her magic. I closed the door and walked over to her, to see what she was reading.


        Floating in her magic, was the first book I assigned her to read when I took her under my wing.


        “Why are you reading ‘Road to Friendship’ again?” I asked, curious.


        She turned to look at me with a smile on her face before speaking, “I was reading it again since it is the reason I have the friends I have today, and I remember when you basically shoved this book down my throat to read.”


        I giggled when I heard her say that.


        “And where would you be if I didn’t, as you say, ‘shove it down your throat’?” I asked sarcastically. 


        “Probably the same place you found me at,” she said, smiling at me. “Thank you again, Twilight. For giving me this chance.”


        “You don’t need to thank me. I did what I did because it was the right thing to do. You have turned out to be a great student.”

                                = = = = LL:IPLA = = = = 

        I looked down at the book, remembering my former student. At first she was arrogant, but over time I was able to break through to her and help her make friends. This book was what started it.

        I looked back at the note trying to understand what was written.

        ‘Flowers for fragrance would refer to the lilacs. Parchment bound by leather would refer to the book. What does ‘A great cipher by a great stallion’ refer to though?’ I thought to myself turning the note over again to look at the numbers.

        ‘Wait. Cipher. A code! These numbers must be a cipher to understand something. But what kind of cipher is it?’

        I looked over the note and the numbers one last time before I understood. 

        ‘A Starswirl Cipher. A great cipher by a great stallion. Why did I not see that?’ I berated myself.

        I opened my desk and pulled out a piece of parchment, hoping to decode this cipher.

        “Mi’lady? Are you okay?” Rose asked from behind me. “What did you get?”

        “Its a book and Starswirl Cipher.” I replied, without looking up from the parchment, note and book while pulling a quill and ink over.

        “A Starswirl Cipher?” I heard Rose whistle. “That fan must be good, you rarely see ponies now a days make one. You think it’s connected to the book?”

        “The cipher was on the back of the note with the book. So it’s a high possibility.” My head shot up thinking about what Rose just said, and turned to look at her. “You know what a Starswirl Cipher is?”

        I saw Rose over by the fireplace, throwing a few logs in for the next time it was lit as she spoke.

        “I do mi’lady. I heard about it when I was young, and found out what it was. Though it has been years since I’ve seen one.”

        I turned my head back to the parchment to work on the cipher.

        I followed the cipher, flipping through pages in the book and counting words. First finding the right page. Then the right paragraph, followed by the word.

        Friendship. The first word of the cipher. A word that had not been on my mind in a long time. 

        As I continued to work on the cipher, I noticed Rose busying herself with moving a few things around, near my bed and the fireplace. 

        After a couple of minutes of working, I finished the cipher. I had read what I had wrote on the parchment, my magic staggering before dropping the quill.

        Friendship will always remain,
        Even in the darkest moments.
        Remember these words.
                Yours Truly,
                        Secret Admirer.

        A book about friendship, and a note about friendship. Whoever this ‘Secret Admirer’ was, they sure knew how to pull me into the past. I started to think about my former student again.

        ‘Perhaps I should visit her?’ I thought to myself.

        I looked down at the note one last time, before deciding I would visit my former student.

“Rose.”

“Yes mi’lady?” she answered, looking over at me while placing my bedsheets back onto the bed.

“I’m going to be heading out for just a little bit. You go ahead and enjoy the rest of the day,” I told her, walking to my bedroom door to head out.

“As you wish, mi’lady.” 

I smiled at Rose as I headed out the door and down the hallway. After I had walked down the stairs and to the front door of the castle, I headed for Wisdom’s Empyrean that lies just inside the castle gates.

Passing by a flowerbed, I plucked a single tulip for my student.

I saw two guards standing outside Wisdom’s Empyrean and greeted them as I passed by, heading inside. Within Wisdom’s Empyrean, I took in the sight of all the graves of Archmages past. I walked down one lane of graves, looking at the statues that adorned each one, so everypony could see what they had looked like. 

The most well known Archmage was one pony I looked up to from the time I was a little filly. Starswirl the Bearded. One of the greatest Archmages Equestria has ever known. He was my idol and, even to this day, I always try to ask myself “What would he do?”

I passed by Starswirl’s grave, bowing my head in respect, heading for a different grave.

After passing the graves of many Archmage’s, I finally reached the one I wanted and sat down before it. I looked up to see my student’s face carved into the statue.

Looking down at me was my former student in the robes that her wife had hoof stitched for her.

“It’s good to see you again. I hope you can forgive this old mare for not visiting more often,” I said, looking at the statue. “I know its been a long time since I last visited, and I’m sorry about that.”

I looked up into my students eyes.

“I remember the day you came to me, asking me to be your teacher. You were so nervous, but I couldn’t find out what was bothering you at first,” I looked up into the statue’s eyes. “To say I was shocked to hear that was an understatement.” As I finished speaking, memories of the past flowed into my mind.

                                = = = = LL:IPLA = = = =

I was laying down underneath a tree at the park, as I read a book. I had invited my friends to come for a picnic but sadly, none of them could make it.


I was only there for half an hour before a light colored mare trotted up to me. 


“Hey Twilight, how are you?” 


I looked up and smiled, setting my book to the side. I got up and gave her a hug.


“I didn’t know you were in town this week. When did you get here?” I asked, after releasing the hug.

“I only just got into town a couple of minutes ago.” the unicorn mare said.


“Either way its good to see you again. My duties as High Lady keeps me away a lot sometimes, so we don't get to see each other as often as we’d like.” I said smiling at her. “Would you like to join me for a small picnic? I brought enough for extra.”


“I’d like that.” she said smiling at me, though the tone in her voice was strange.


We spoke as we ate our food, enjoying each others company. All through our conversations though I would notice her eyes moving back and forth, a clear sign she was nervous, but of what? I decided to finally speak up.


“Is there something wrong? You look a little tense. You know if there’s anything I can do to help you, I will.” I said softly, hoping to coax out a response.


“Sorry, I’m just really nervous is all.” 


“Why are you nervous though? I don’t understand.”


“I really wanted to talk to you about something, I’m just not sure how to.”


I smiled at her and placed a hoof on her shoulder for comfort.


“You can talk to me about anything. I’ll always listen and be here for you,” I said, continuing to smile at her.


She smiled back at me before taking several deep breaths, to help get her nerves together, I guess.


“I met a pony that I believed would lead me to become powerful. I thought I would be able to do anything with her at my side. I was proud to be at her side. But then, I screwed it all up. I became arrogant and full of myself. I felt I was missing something, but I didn’t know what. I figured out with the help of somepony special what I was missing,” she looked me in the eyes smiling brightly. “You were the special pony who helped me. You have helped me so much Twilight. You helped me get my life back on track. For that I can never thank you enough.”


“You don't have to thank me.” I replied, blushing lightly.


“But I do. If it wasn’t for you, I would still be that lonely pony you met all those years ago,” she looked down at the ground, most likely thinking about the past. “I screwed up in the past, but I don’t want to make another mistake like that again. I want to ask you. Will you, High Lady Twilight Sparkle, take me as your student? Let me learn from you, so I won’t screw up again.” she finished, bowing down to me.


I took a step back, taken aback from what she had said. And from what she had asked of me. Was I really the right pony to help her? Princess Celestia taught me all I know, but was I ready to pass that knowledge on to another? It was hard for me to decide what to do, but at the same time an easy one. Here was a pony... no, a friend, who was asking for my help, so she wouldn’t fall back onto the wrong path again. What kind of friend would I be if I turned her down? 


Before I could do anything she stood up and turned away from me before speaking.


“Nevermind Twilight. It was stupid for me to ask that of you. After everything I put you and your friends through.”


I stepped forward, turning her around and looked into her light blue eyes.


“I don’t know if I’m the right pony to show you the way, but I will do everything I can to help you. And I would be more than happy to call you my student.” I told her, smiling.


I saw her eyes widen as I finished speaking, before she wrapped her hooves around me, giving me a hug. 


“Thank you. I promise, I won’t let you down,” she smirked before adding, “my lady.”


I wrapped my hooves around her and returned the hug before speaking.


“Please don't call me that,” I groaned, before adding, “Even if you are my student, you are still my friend.”


“As you wish, Twilight.” she said bowing.


I facehooved before speaking, “No. No no no. Do not bow to me, Sunset.”

                                = = = = LL:IPLA = = = =

“That first day, I warned you I was not going to be easy on you just because you were my friend. You took everything I threw at you and more. Every assignment you passed with flying colors. I was so proud to call you my student,” I said, looking up at the statue of Archmage Sunset Shimmer. “I was even more proud that one special Hearth Warming Day. We all had a get together to spend some time together when you said you had a announcement to make. You told us that last night you had become the happiest pony in equestria, when you had proposed to your marefriend and she had said yes.”

My eyes traveled down the statue to the inscription upon the podium it sat. 

Archmage Sunset Shimmer,
Greatest Archmage of our Time
Aspired to bring True Peace to 
Equestria. With great hardship,
she achieved her goal.
With the support of her wife
she brought many of the races
together in alliance.
 
I shook my head, “When you told us she had said yes, I was shocked. I didn’t think you were ready for that stage yet, but you proved me wrong. You and Rarity were so happy together. Whenever the two of you had time to spare, you spent it in each others presence. I was so proud of you when you found love.” I said, looking back up at the statue.

I stared at the statue, remembering some of her achievements as Archmage.

Time passed by with fleeting memories, as I took notice of the sun starting to set. 

“Thank you for the company Sunset, I’ll try to visit again.” I said, smiling up at my student, placing the tulip next to the statue.

I turned around and headed back for my room. It was time I read that book once again.