A filly Twilight Sparkle stared—deadpan—into the pages of an open book. The foal completely ignored the presence of her unicorn friends at a schoolyard bench—all five of whom were frozen in time and smiling brilliantly at the camera, including a tiny bookworm in thick-rimmed glasses.
An adult's lavender hoof brushed over the photograph's glass frame, wiping clean a swath of dust. Twilight Sparkle slowly sighed, and the wings at her side coiled even tighter as she continued staring at the group image.
"...this is all very simple, actually!" Starlight Glimmer's voice echoed off the crystalline walls of a spacious library. Far behind Twilight, the gifted unicorn levitated half-a-dozen notepads and ledgers off a work desk. "The Royal Accountants from Canterlot have made the allowable budget lent from the Royal Sisters perfectly clear. There's even a byline detailing estimated tax inflation for the relocation of enchanted minerals from province to province!"
Ponyville – Twilight Sparkle's Castle – Royal Library
Starlight Glimmer floated another document before her squinting eyes. Her nose scrunched in contemplation... and her fuzzy ears twitched as she poured over the data in her mind.
"Looks like Canterlot's representatives weren't the only helpful ponies. This letter? Sent from the Crystal Empire a week ago?" Starlight glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "Captain Shining Armor—your brother—has given a detailed list of over twenty officers that he's willing to lend to the new Ponyville Royal Guard! Talk about some snazzy experience for free, am I right?!"
"He could use all the help he needs right now," Twilight Sparkle muttered, eyes glued to the old picture frame. "Once he and Cadance solve the yak problem, I'll have to write him a letter back asking for a revised list."
"Twilight, that's not the point." Starlight stacked the documents on top of one another. "You've got ponies from all over Equestria—both royal and not—who are willing to help you establish regal order here in your new palace! There's barely any labor on your end to perform! Y'know... I came over here thinking that crunching the numbers to make this whole upgrade work would take a week." Starlight trotted over with a smile. "But... heheh... being the 'Princess of Friendship' wins you lots of allies. It seems that your acquaintances all over Equestria have practically done half the work for you. At least when it comes to gathering the resources necessary."
"Uh huh..." Twilight sighed again, and then was silent.
Starlight Glimmer craned her neck. Standing behind Twilight, the unicorn cleared her voice and said, "Twilight, if I might ask a... somewhat forward question...?"
"Sure, Starlight. Ask anything," Twilight muttered.
Starlight raised an eyebrow. "Do you regret being the Princess of Friendship?"
Upon hearing that, Twilight finally snapped out of her funk. She spun around with a look of shock... even disgust. "Not at all! Ever since I came to Ponyville, I've worked day in and day out to learn all I can about friendship! Every month of every year has been an intense trial of finding new and more improved ways of maintaining harmony!"
"Yeah... but..." Starlight leaned back, wincing. "...do you even hear yourself?"
"Erm... yes?"
"It's just... you make it sound like such a chore... being a 'friendship prodigy' or whatnot." Starlight shrugged. "No lies. I've found doing 'friendship lessons' under your tutelage to be pretty stressful. But... y'know... that's because of me and my past mistakes, and we've been over that. And yet... never once did I stop to think just how tough it must be to be the grandmommy of it all." She smiled crookedly. "Friendship Emissary Extraordinaire, that is."
"Mmmmfff..." Twilight rubbed the back of her neck, gazing aside. "Don't rub it in."
Starlight blinked.
With a gulp, Twilight bore a fragile smile to reassure her. "I don't regret for a second what I've experienced to get here... the achievements that I've made... or even the... s-sacrifices."
Starlight Glimmer leaned back on her haunches and pronounced the inevitable word: "However..."
Twilight bit her lip. "However..." With a sad expression, she turned to gaze at the photo in her grasp. "...I miss the days when making friends... and improving relationships was... was..."
Starlight smiled. "Fun?"
"...I was going to say 'simple,' but I suppose 'fun' works as well." Twilight sighed. "Maybe you're right, Starlight. Perhaps I don't have too much work cut out for me here at the Castle. But... I just detest any little thing that gets in the way of me being... me."
"Funny." Starlight brushed her bangs aside. "And here I thought that 'you being you' meant hanging out by yourself and organizing things." She winked. "If that was the case, all of this preparation for royal guards and servants would be completely done by now."
"I suppose... in a way... part of me wants to sabotage myself," Twilight muttered. "As if that will somehow make everything collapse and just leave me with the likes of Applejack... Fluttershy... Pinkie Pie..." Twilight giggled breathily to herself. "Friends both new... and old..."
"There's nothing wrong with that, Twilight." Starlight cocked her head aside. "Is there?"
"But..." Twilight fidgeted, her wings stretching and unstretching. "...I've become so much more than what I used to be. I want to hang out with my friends more. It's what got me to where I am at the moment, after all. But... if I shirk my duties as Princess, then I will be letting all of Ponyville down... and all of Equestria for that matter."
"Has anypony ever told you that you stress too much?" Starlight remarked.
"Nnnngh..." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Has anypony happened to mention that rain is wet?"
Silence filled the library as Starlight fumbled for words. Scrunching her muzzle, she ended up leaning forward so she could gaze at the picture frame in the princess' grasp. "Are these the 'old friends' you alluded to?"
"Yeah..." Twilight let loose a bitter-sweet chuckle. "Hard to tell that the antisocial little filly with a book would someday become a 'Princess of Friendship,' huh?"
Starlight pointed. "That filly with the glasses doesn't look too thrilled to be in that shot, either."
"Yes, well, Moondancer at least had the decency to look up and smile."
"So that's Moondancer?" Starlight remarked.
Twilight blinked at her. "You... heard of her?"
"Spike told me all about her," Starlight said with a smile. "Including the time you went back to Canterlot to make amends."
Twilight's muzzle hung agape.
"Was... I not supposed to know about that?" Starlight asked.
"No. It's fine. I guess." Twilight chuckled aside. "You and that little dragon hang out a lot more than I thought."
"Can't help it." Starlight shrugged. "He's adorable when he's... him." She brushed her bangs aside, smiling. "Anyways, I think it was pretty swell."
"Hmmm?"
"You... going back to check on your old friends," Starlight said. "Seems like you did a lot of good for Moondancer."
"I only wish I had done it sooner..."
"Twilight..." Starlight sighed. "...you did exactly what you're longing to do now." She narrowed her eyes. "You went out and just... connected with loved ones. Isn't that the essence of being the Princess of Friendship?"
"It's the essence of being a good friend..."
"Exactly! And I bet it felt totally refreshing." Starlight's cheeks turned slightly rosy. "Just like... h-how I finally reconnected with Sunburst. It's... it's a good thing, Twilight." She gulped. "It cleanses the soul."
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" Twilight smiled at the picture frame. "Can't believe there was a time when I didn't give a second thought to being with my foalhood friends."
"But you're all back together now... right?" Starlight leaned forward. "At least... that's how Spike words it."
"And he couldn't be more right!" Twilight's wingtips fluttered at the thought. "I go and visit Canterlot at least once a month to chat over coffee and doughnuts. We hang out at Joe's... you know, in the Market District?"
Starlight shrugged with a helpless smirk. "Can't say that I'm too familiar with Canterlot's sights and sounds."
"Doesn't matter." Twilight brushed the rest of the dust off of the picture frame. "Fact is... we've become like old friends again. And it's... so nice hearing about their lives: Moondancer's research projects... Twinkleshine's career... Minuette's extended family... Lemon Hearts and that novel that she's working on." Twilight bore a happy sigh for once. "They're all doing so well. It... makes me proud."
"Yeah?" Starlight blinked. "What about the fifth one?"
Twilight stood in silence. She pivoted her head until she blinked stupidly at the other mare. "Buh?"
"There's... uh..." Starlight pointed at the picture frame. "...five unicorns in that pic." Her smile twitched. "Besides you. So... uh... what about her?"
Twilight's lips pursed. "Who? You mean Lyra Heartstrings?"
"Sure. Why not."
Twilight glanced at the frame again. Her ears twitched. "Oh! She's... uhm... she's doing well too... I guess..."
"You mean you don't know?"
"Well, she doesn't... exactly live in Canterlot anymore. So she's... never present at our little doughnut luncheons each month..." Twilight tongued the inside of her muzzle. "...funny. I never thought twice about it. Minuette and Lemon Hearts say that Lyra's doing fine for herself these days. I guess I-I just... took their word for it."
"So... you connected with the rest of your old filly-friends but not with this 'Lyra?'"
"I... guess so..."
"Well, where is she living these days?"
"Ponyville," Twilight said. "She lives on Faust Lane, I think. Rooms with the local confectioner—"
Starlight Glimmer barked: "You mean she's been living in Ponyville all this time and you haven't reconnected?!"
"St-Starlight!" Twilight grimaced, her body shrinking inward. "N-not so loud!" She gulped. "This castle echoes like you wouldn't believe..."
Starlight chuckled breathily. "You really do want to sabotage yourself, don't you?" A dull smirk. "Honestly, though, don't you think that this is it?"
"That this is what?"
"An opportunity!" Starlight exclaimed. "To refresh yourself again! I dunno about you, but Lyra sounds like the kind of pony who could use a friend—"
"She's pretty close to a mare named Bon Bon, actually—"
"I mean an old friend, Twilight! You've reconnected with the rest of them, didn't you?! Why not complete the circle! I'm sure Lyra would be flattered. And you?" Starlight winked. "I just know that you'll feel better."
"But... but..." Twilight shuddered, gazing around the library. "I have so many things to do to fully prepare this castle. So much organizing..."
"Yeah..." Starlight droned, her eyebrows straight. "Because you've done such a bang-up job of it so far." She smiled and gestured with a hoof. "How about this, Twilight. Let's do some much-needed teamwork."
"Teamwork?"
"Princess Celestia has her servants and accountants, right? Princess Luna has her loyal battalion of sarosian guards? Why don't you... settle for having a secretary?"
Twilight stared at her for several seconds before eventually blurting: "You?"
"Why not?!" Starlight Glimmer shrugged. "I'm good at organizing too! Besides... being around you? Pffft... it's been hard not to improve by osmosis!"
"Starlight, I can't ask you to do such a thing..."
"Why not?"
"Because you're my friend! You're no... s-servant!"
"It's precisely because I'm a friend that you should let me have this opportunity... and that you should give yourself this opportunity!" Starlight took a deep breath, holding a hoof over her heart. "Please... Twilight. You've... helped me in more ways than you know. Now, let me help you by trying to release some of the pressure. I'll focus on the inner workings of this... crystal castle stuff. And you? You get to do that voodoo that you do so well!" She giggled. "Platonic horse voodoo. Sound cool?"
"But... what if it gets to be too much for a single unicorn to handle, Starlight?"
"Pffft..." Starlight rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that you enslave me, Twilight. We can work on this stuff together... but on your own time. And when you're busy doing friendship or ambassadorial princess stuff, I'll get Spike to help me! Besides, the little guy should be crazy happy to have somepony lending him a hoof."
"I... have been wanting to find ways to equally distribute the work load around here," Twilight mused. "I just... never thought it would be so..."
"Simple?"
"Yeah..."
"I know you're not one to do 'simple,' Twilight. But let's embrace it together, shall we? After all, Ponyville's changing. Equestria's changing. Your Castle is changing... so let's change with it too!" Starlight smiled. "And it starts with you getting the friendship train back on track. So... how about giving Lyra a visit sometime this week? Maybe tomorrow?"
"Yeah..." Twilight murmured again. "Wait... no..." She placed the picture frame down and lifted up on briskly flapping wings. "Not tomorrow... today!"
"Even better!"
"I'll fly on over to Lyra and Bon Bon's place... ring the doorbell... and say 'hi' to a long-lost friend!" Twilight beamed. "I'll tell her all about my adventures... and then catch her up on Minuette and Moondancer and all the rest!"
"Heehee... that's the spirit!"
"I'll find out any friendship problems that she might have and—with all the skills that I've honed since becoming a princess—I'll assist her and her every need!" She stifled a giggle as her tail flicked. "I just might even introduce her to Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and the other girls! Squee! Oh thank you, Starlight! This will be fantastic!"
"Mmmmmmm..." Twilight Sparkle tap-tap-tap-tapped her hoof against the front stoop to the house. "Ohhhhhh... this is horrible."
Anxiously, she reached in and pressed the doorbell for the ninth consecutive time.
Ponyville – Residential District – 485 Faust Lane – Outside the Front Door
Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing-donnnnnnnng!
She leaned back and resumed tapping her hoof.
She breathed in and breathed out.
She looked all around as the shadows of trees, bushes, and mailboxes disappeared under the noonday sun. Insects buzzed in the air and birds chirped from the treetops.
But there was no movement from inside the house—not even the sound of trotting hooves from beyond the front door.
"Of all the times for Lyra not to be at home." Twilight squirmed. "What... d-does she do for a living, anyways?" Her ears twitched—one after another—as she thought out loud. "According to Lemon Hearts, she got her cutie mark while doing a music ensemble for school. Maybe... m-maybe she's a concert harpist?" A beat. Twilight beamed. "Or a teacher! Ooooooh... I would love to lend my books on music theory to her! I bet she'd be beside herself with joy and—"
A dark cloud hung over Twilight's muzzle. She paled, stumbling backward while gasping at a horrified thought.
"...or what if Lyra moved out of town?! Have I gotten that ignorant? So many months of doing friendship adventures all across Equestria... and one of my former best friends just moves out from under my nose!"
She bonked herself in the head several times, squealing beneath her breath. A few seconds passed, and she took a deep breath while stretching her forelimb in a way taught to her by a certain sister-in-law.
"Just... be calm... it's okay... you came here to relax and be friendly... just like Starlight advised you to. Lyra is simply... busy with things. That's all. If nothing else, I could always try and check on—"
The Princess gasped, ears perking up.
"Of course! The Candy shop! If anypony knows where Lyra is, it'll be Bon Bon!"
Ponyville Downtown - Bon Bon's Bountiful Bakes – Outside Front Door
A bold sign dangled on the inside of the window.
It read: "Closed."
Twilight's features drooped as she stood limply before the locked entrance.
"Well that's..." She gulped. "...distressing."
With a sullen breath, the alicorn shuffled around, squinting off into the distance.
"Barely past noon, too." Her lavender brow furrowed. "Just what could Bon Bon be up to at this hour?"