Loyalty, something she strived to be especially after the wedding and what she did to Twilight, who was her best friend next to Fluttershy. Only now she wasn’t so sure about that because Twilight seemed to want very little to do with them, and who could blame her. Rarity was probably the nicest to Twilight when they thought that she was Rose while Rainbow herself was probably the worse. She knew that the so called Rose wasn’t a changeling, her pendant would have warned her of it, but there was something about the cloaked pony she just didn’t trust.
Not that the others really trusted her a lot, who would trust a mysteriously cloaked pony anyways? It was suspicious, right? If only she actually tried actually looking and listening with her heart instead of her arrogance, then maybe all of this could have been avoided. She felt something deep in her heart telling her something was off about the pony, but in a good way…yet she suspected the worse as usual. She only agreed to train the filly to keep an eye out on Trixie and Rose to make sure they weren’t up to something.
“It will be okay, I’m sure she will come around.” Fluttershy said nuzzling Rainbow as the shared the bed in the pink maned pony’s cottage. Fluttershy didn’t mind flying and visiting clouds, but she preferred staying on the ground with her animal friends so Rainbow had moved in with her and helped with the animals some. Not a lot though, many of them didn’t really like how close she had gotten with Fluttershy and constantly let her know it. Who knew a group of squirrels could be so vicious with a pile of acorns?
“I really wish I knew for sure…we messed up Shy. I mean we really messed up.” Rainbow sighed, resting her head on her forelegs. “It’s our fault Twilight ran away and…that happened to her. I’m not so sure I even have the right to ask for forgiveness. If we only talked to her after the invasion, we might have avoided all of this.”
“I know she suffered a lot, but I don’t think she would change it if she could.” Fluttershy said, snuggling close to Rainbow Dash. “Have you seen how much she loves that little filly…it doesn’t matter where Summer came from, Twilight loves her very much.”
“Yeah, she is a great filly.” Rainbow Dash smiled, “I really wish I took training her more seriously instead of suspecting something was going on.”
“I warned you that you should have showed more kindness to them.” Fluttershy sighed, a little annoyed that Rainbow didn’t listen, yet unable to fault the pony. Unknown to others, Rainbow took guarding Ponyville very seriously and single hoofedly taken care of several threats to it from changelings. Defeating the ones who had plans for revenge while the sole one that just wanted to live peacefully was set up a place with Zecora. Rainbow sometimes worked herself to exhaustion when her pendant acted up to new threats. “I know how hard you work to protect us, Rainbow…and I love you for the thought, but you have to allow yourself some peace.”
“Maybe someday…” Rainbow sighed, “I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow and see what Twilight has to say when we go see her. I just hope she doesn’t change her mind about seeing us.”
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Pinkie Pie hummed to herself as she had the kitchen to herself and Discord. Once again she was dancing around, enjoying the weird feeling of being what Discord called human, but enjoying it was well as she held a large bowl to herself mixing the batter for a cake that she intended to give Twilight when they went to see her. It was so much easier doing it with hands than with hoofs, but she would miss being her pony self if she stayed human.
“So tell me again why you think it was your fault?” Discord asked, also in a human form as he watched her sway back and forth, a hungry look in his eyes. He, despite what others may think, truly loved this female. Yes he was the god of chaos, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a heart or needs. And this deliciously chaotic creature was probably his perfect match, though he did have to admit that he could have seen himself going for the timid lovable Fluttershy as well. Still, he was more than happy how things worked out and wouldn’t trade being with Pinkie for anything. Not that he could after giving an actual piece of himself to the pony making her not only his wife, but his eternal mate giving her immortality and a small piece of his power.
“It was my job to make ponies laugh, but instead of making Twilight laugh I made her cry when I turned my back on her. I didn’t take her seriously when she came rushing frantically into the rehearsal and look what happened because of it.” Pinkie sighed as she slowed in her dancing, the spoon also losing momentum.
“So it was your fault that destiny lead your friend to run away? For her to end up going to the wrong place at the wrong time to be hurt like she was? It was her fault that she had a wonderful little filly that…oh wait, isn’t that a good thing?” Discord asked, knowing when to be serious, but trying to get Pinkie to see that while yes they did hurt Twilight, it wasn’t exactly their fault for the fate that befell her. Well he knew that it was partly their fault as it could have all been avoided, but he wasn’t about to voice that right now and upset Pinkie Pie anymore than she was.
“Of course Summer is a good thing. I hope to have a wonderful little filly like her someday.” Pinkie said, giving a watery smile up to Discord who gently pulled the bowl out of her hands and backed her up into the counter.
“I think that it would be wonderful to have a filly like her to.” Discord said smiling, kissing Pinkie’s neck while holding her hips after sitting the bowl down. He suddenly lifter her and sat her on the counter where he looked up at her with a mischievous smirk as he decided this might be a good way to get her mind off of the depressing thoughts. “In fact, I think we should get started trying now.”
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Applejack let out a huge breath of relief when she loaded the last basket of apples into the barn for the day. They would be taken to the market tomorrow to sale, but her mind really wasn’t on that as usual. It was on the fact that Twilight had finally come home and wanted to see them tomorrow. Big Mac had already agreed to take care of things at the market so Applejack could go, but she had to admit she was scared.
She had promised to never take Twilight’s fears and worries for granted again, and she broke that promise to be with that fake Princess Cadence. Of course she apologized for it later, but even she realized it probably didn’t sound very sincere since she gave it when completely exhausted. She had always wondered if perhaps if she stayed with Twilight despite being more tired than after an apple bucking marathon, if things would have been turned out differently. If she stayed and talked instead of tiredly trudging after the others to see what could be salvaged from the kitchen for another wedding that didn’t even take place. Not that she was too upset about the cancellation when they found out Twilight was missing.
Now she had a chance to make things up to her, but she showed nothing but mistrust to them when finding out Trixie was involved. She still wasn’t too sure how Trixie and Twilight could be related despite knowing the facts, but they seemed to truly love each other so Applejack decided to let the past stay in the past and hope that they could become friends.
If that was even possible after everything that happened.
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Rarity sat at the small café across from the park where she watched little Summer running back and forth with Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Night Light and Twilight Velvet playing tag. It brought a smile to the white unicorn’s face as she sipped her tea, already knowing what Twilight was going to tell all of them tomorrow. In truth she really wished that it wasn’t going to happen, but after talking with Spike and Trixie about them changing their mind about needing the boutique for awhile, she couldn’t really blame them.
Thankfully neither the library nor the boutique was going to be left unattended though. Trixie said she would be happy to run it for her if Rarity still wanted the unicorn to when they returned, but until then Spike would take care of the library while Ruby attended the boutique. They made such a cute couple, though Ruby could be quite the little snarker. She was usually pretty funny though.
Since Twilight, or Rose, came back to Ponyville things had seemed to be a little livelier. And she had done something that no other pony could in giving Scootaloo a real chance at flying when the pony all but gave up on it. To see the smile and excitement replace the depression that often graced the young pegasus once again gave Rarity a renewed hope for the future when for awhile she was starting to lose it. Not that she would admit it to any pony.
It was too bad that after finding out Rose was actually Twilight that their lost friend was leaving again so soon, but who could blame her? With all the memories here and regaining memories of what…happened to her, a new setting would do wonders in helping her. She had promised to return though and Rarity believed that promise. Ponyville had become Twilight’s home, even calling out to her when the poor unicorn couldn’t even remember.
“More tea?” The waiter asked offering Rarity a refill that she smiled and nodded to.
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The following morning after packing up their things, and storing what they would be leaving behind in their trailer, Twilight stood in the now cleaned out room of the shop waiting for her friends. Despite wanting Trixie there with her for this, she sent her sister off with Summer so she could do this without Summer needing to witness anything. This was…going to be a little hard for her.
She was still angry at the ponies in her memories, the ponies who had turned their backs on her when she needed them. Yet the ponies she met since coming here, despite the trouble with Rainbow Dash, were vastly different from the ones in her memories. True, they shared a lot of similarities wit their old selves, but they had grown. Two of the biggest changes being Rarity and Rainbow Dash. Rarity running an orphanage and Rainbow Dash giving up on her dreams in order to protect the town she loved. Things that she couldn’t help but to respect.
These things made the decision she had come to much easier and yet harder at the same time. She agreed with her father though, holding grudges and anger in her heart would do nothing to help her. She wanted a fresh start, a chance to begin anew with no ghosts to haunt her and drag her down.
“We’re here darling.” Rarity cried out as the group of ponies accompanied by Discord in pony form with a cake box on his back came trotting in.
“We’re so happy you agreed to see us! I even made you a cake!” Pinkie Pie said happily, a little more bounce in her step than there had been recently.
“Well…I wanted to tell you all something. I know…we have some things between us. And…I hate to say this, but…I can’t forgive you for hurting me at the wedding.” Twilight said, hanging her head a little as they all gasped. Even Discord gasped, though Twilight was sure he was reading her surface thoughts and probably already knew what she had to say.
“B-But we’re really sorry.” Fluttershy said softly, her eyes tearing up.
“Please let me finish.” Twilight said, pressing on before she lost her courage to do this. “I…feel that Ponyville is my home, and I will be returning here in a few months. For now though, I’m taking Cadence up on her offer to get a change of scenery and…work through my memories with my dad’s help. As for all of you, I don’t know any of you…you…aren’t the ponies I remember. That’s why I can’t forgive you, I can’t forgive you because you aren’t those ponies any longer. You aren’t the ones who messed up and when I come back…I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you…if you will have me as a friend.”
“Of course we want you as a friend! You are one of the most awesome ponies I’ve ever met!” Rainbow Dash cried out, diving in to hug Twilight as the other, even Discord himself, surrounded her in a group hug.
The past was left in the past, and a new future was laid out in front of Twilight and she intended to make the best of it. It would be hard, nothing worthwhile was ever easy, but it could prove to be good starting over.