If I Could Love Again...

by Petalled

Intermission: Catching Up With Old Friends

Twilight fell face flat on her pillow after a long day recreating a party for her old friend that she had missed out on all those years ago.

''Well, that was exhausting,'' she mumbled once she got her face off her pillow.

''You know it isn't over yet,'' Spike said, holding a quill and checklist in his claws. ''We still need to rekindle with Lyra Heartstrings who actually moved to Ponyville on the same day as us.''

This caused Twilight to have her head perk up.

''How could I have not noticed?'' she said in a low whisper.

''Probably because you were too into the whole Nightmare Moon event and you thought that 'the fate of Equestria did not rest on you making friends'?''

Twilight gave him a death stare that failed to eat away at his impassive expression. However, she figured he was right and a sense of guilt somehow clung to her chain of emotions.

''You're right...'' she slowly said, jumping off the bed. ''Pack your bags, Spike. We're going back to Ponyville.'' She paused. ''After saying goodbye to my friends that is.''

Spike looked at the night sky out the window. ''Now?''

---

Twilight and Spike headed off to the train station the next morning after saying their goodbyes to their friends promising them that they will come to visit them soon, Spike had doubts about that.

The train screeched to a halt, Twilight and Spike making their way onto the moving platform when the conductor announced his line. Spike had noticed how forlorn and quiet Twilight had been during the whole ride, never getting her eyes out the window.

When they finally reached, they got off the train and Twilight turned to Spike who still had the checklist in his claws. ''Well?'' she pressed on.

''Let's see.'' Spike skimmed through the checklist. ''I've visited Lyra Heartstrings a few times but I'm not sure if she's moved. I heard that she and Bon Bon have recently got engaged.''

''Well, let's go to her initial house first and we'll see.'' Already, as if on cue, Twilight was on her way while levitating the checklist in her view to see what the location is.

They tried navigating it down using the checklist's description and they were soon met up with a house with a pineapple tree on the side. Twilight and Spike made their way over to the door and gently knocked on it a few times, later revealing an old mare.

''Yes?'' she said at first, then shifted her vision and gasped. ''Princess Twilight!''

Twilight grinned sheepishly. ''Yes, hello. Sorry to interrupt, but do you by any chance know where Lyra Heartstrings live? Didn't she use to live here?''

''Oh, yes she did but recently she's been engaged to that Bon Bon mare and they moved somewhere else. Eh, still in town that is. Let me just jog my memory a bit.''

It took a while for the mare to remember but Twilight and Spike were patient.

''Ah, yes! They live just around there.'' She pointed a hoof in the direction. ''A yellow house with a white fence embroidered around.''

''Thank you!'' Twilight said before walking in the direction alongside Spike. They turned around a corner and noticed a house the old mare had perfectly described.

When Spike walked up to the door, he noticed that Twilight was still standing by the gate.

''Come on, Twilight.''

''I don't know, Spike. What if she doesn't want to see me? And it would be ridiculous if I came to visit her after so many years not knowing she lived in the same town as me.''

''Look, Twi. It's up to her to react. If she reacts indignantly, then it would be understandable. But if she reacts understanding, then she's a keeper I tell you.''

Twilight took a breath. ''Okay. Let's do this.''

Spike knocked on the door and the two of them waited for a couple of seconds. Nothing at first until the door slowly opened, Twilight's nervous state increasing by tenfold. Spike was about to compose her until a mint-coated unicorn came out the door.

''Twilight?'' they said. ''Sorry, that's Princess Twilight now. Eh, what are you doing here?''

Twilight tried putting up with a smile. ''Long time no see, Lyra! Mind if we come in to catch up?''

''Uh...'' Lyra's neck inched slightly backward, looking over her shoulder.

''Who is there, pumpkin?'' came a voice where a buttermilk-coated earth pony with a candy-colored mane came from behind Lyra Heartstrings. Unlike her fiance, she burst out, ''Princess Twilight!''

Twilight meekly waved. ''Hi.''

''Oh, my gosh. Please come in. I'll get the tea ready.'' Bon Bon went back inside and so did Lyra, Twilight and Spike could've sworn they had heard a sneer coming from the mint-coated unicorn.

Settling themselves in the living room, Bon Bon came with a tray of cookies and tea, setting it down on the table in front of them. Twilight used her magic to pick it up while Spike picked it up using his claws.

Bon Bon sat opposite them. ''So why the sudden visit, princess?''

''Just wanted to meet up with an old friend,'' Twilight replied with a smile as she looked from Lyra to Bon Bon.

''Oh, that's right. Lyra mentioned the two of you were close in Princess Celestia's school.''

''And I heard the two of you recently got engaged.'' Twilight beamed. ''Congratulations!''

Bon Bon giggled. ''Thanks!'' She nudged her fiance. ''Honey?''

Lyra's foreleg was on top of the other, then she snapped out of it. ''Hm? Oh, yes. Thanks.''

Twilight's smile wavered and silence settled in between the three mares and dragon until Bon Bon cleared her throat and spoke back up. ''So that bugbear sure was a hoof full, huh?''

''Likewise,'' Twilight agreed, setting her teacup down. ''Thanks to you. We wouldn't have done it without y—''

''Oh, give me a break.'' Lyra set her forehooves down. ''Don't act like you care, princess.''

Bon Bon gasped. ''Lyra! That's not very nice!''

''Not very nice?'' Lyra repeated. ''You should have seen how little miss princess here used to be and maybe then you can see what's 'not very nice'.''

Oh boy. Spike turned to Twilight, who didn't look at him back and instead pawed at the floor.

''You're right,'' Twilight said quietly. ''I was an awful friend. I've never acknowledged my friends, especially you, back in school. When Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to make some friends, I didn't even see you had come to Ponyville that day too. And which is why I am here, to make it up to you guys.''

Lyra's stoic expression shifted.

''I know that what I've done, what I didn't do, cannot be forgiven but I'm only asking for you is for us to start afresh.'' Twilight looked up to see Lyra's face. ''I'm asking for your acceptance.''

Lyra did not know what to say; she had felt bad about the way she had acted but it was only understandable. Still, she should have handled things differently, more sensibly.

''I'm sorry, princess,'' Bon Bon said. ''This isn't normally like her.''

''It's fine, and by the way, you don't have to keep calling me that. Just call me Twilight.''

''Sure thing... Twilight.'' Bon Bon gave a smile.

''I—'' Lyra choked. ''I'm sorry.''

''No.'' Twilight shook her head. ''You shouldn't be the one to be sorry. I am.''

Lyra's eyes started to leak as she made sniffing noises, Twilight made her way over to sit down next to her and drape a wing across her back.

''I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry,'' Lyra kept on saying.

''No. Stop. I'm sorry.'' Twilight started to drop tears too yet continued to compose her old friend.

Lyra put her face in the princess' coat, none of them caring if tears were being strained against each other.

---

From then on, Twilight and Spike continued to meet up with their friends only this time Twilight engaged in their hangouts instead of engaging in a book.

Laughter was being heard from Twilight's library, and Bon Bon asked, ''that really happened?''

''Uh huh,'' Minuette replied as she giggled. ''I still remember.''

Lemon Hearts rolled her eyes. ''I thought I told you we never spoke of that again.''

Twilight laughed but her laughter was shortlived when she glanced around the room. She noticed all these happy faces but she still thought it wasn't enough.

There was Moondancer, Minuette, Twinkle Shine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra Heartstrings, Amethyst Star, and even Bon Bon, but there was still one more left.

When everyone continued talking with each other, Spike noticed Twilight slowly making her way over to a table in the corner where a journal lay. Her horn lit up as she brought a quill over to her and sat down.

Dear Sunset,

I don't know what you're doing at this time, but it would be really nice if you stopped by.

Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle

They weren't even friends anymore, in fact, they were something even beyond that but Twilight thought it had sounded appropriate to go with just 'friend' at this moment.

She turned back and joined her circle of friends.

However, the mirror shivered much to everyone's attention and Sunset Shimmer came rolling out.

''Ow...''

Everyone gasped. They all stared at the yellow unicorn for a long time.

''Oh, yeah,'' Twilight remembered.

Sunset got up from the ground once she recovered and she looked around to see everyone staring at her, but not just that, she noticed that all of them were her friends from kindergarten. Well, except one.

''Hey.''

''Sunset!'' they all exclaimed as they each got up from their seats and rushed up to Sunset for a long-time hug.

''We missed you.''

''We thought you hated us.''

''We really need to catch you up.''

''No need,'' Sunset interfered with their questions. ''Twilight already has.''

''Twilight!''

''And you didn't tell us?'' Twinkle Shine said, hurt.

''We've been friends with her longer than you.''

''Sorry, girls. Sunset and I met on a rainy day and truth be told I've kinda forgotten about you all.''

Minuette sighed. ''Yeah, we understand.'' She pulled Sunset in with a hoof around her shoulder. ''But I guess you need to catch us up, Sunset.''

''Oh, sure, totally.''

A few minutes later of Sunset explaining what happened with them not around, and they all burst into a collective set of ''oohs'' and ''aahs''.

''So you and Twilight, huh?'' Twinkle asked, smirking at the two.

''Gee, and here we thought Twilight would either end up with Princesses Celestia or Cadence,'' said Minuette.

Twilight gasped. ''Sunset! You told them?''

''Err, yeah... after Celestia had told me.'' Sunset shrunk in her seat as Twilight scowled at her.

But then Twilight's scowl melted. ''Oh well. I suppose it is karma for not acknowledging you lot.''

''And haven't you all realized that you all have been leaving me out?''

They all turned around to face Spike.

''Gee. Sorry, Spike,'' said Minuette. ''I guess we were all catching Sunset and Twilight up.''

Spike rolled his eyes, his arms crossed. ''I was the friend one, not Twilight.''

''True and we're sorry; we didn't mean to, Spike.''

''Well, anyway, shouldn't we also invite Shining and Cadence along? As they were a part of our school year.''

While everyone was more than happy, Sunset grimaced. ''Uh, maybe another time, Spike.''

---