> A Canterlot Wedding:  Aftermath
>  by Black Kyurem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue:  Dreams
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"You weren't there for me when I needed you most.  You all let me down."

"You wished to speak with me, Twilight Sparkle?"  Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle had met alone up in Canterlot Tower for a private discussion.

"Yes, Princess," said Twilight with concern.  "You see, I'm worried about the threat from the changelings."  Although the changelings along with their queen, Chrysalis, had been defeated during the royal wedding, no one could be certain where they were now or even if there were any stragglers remaining in Equestria.  Due to their ability to change into any pony they please, it was highly plausible that they could be lurking anywhere.  Also, due to all the power of love they absorbed during their time in Canterlot, they were now much stronger than even Princess Celestia herself and quite possibly the combined force of the Elements of Harmony.  One could imagine all the concern and uncertainty they had caused.

"What if there are still some left in Equestria?  Or what if the ones that were cast out come back?  How do we fight a foe that can look like any one of us?"  But Celestia just smiled.

"Oh, Twilight.  It's really very simple.  YOU DON'T!"  Celestia's horn and eyes suddenly glowed green.  Queen Chrysalis had returned and had been impersonating the Princess herself!  But then, Twilight suddenly woke up screaming in her bed in a cold sweat...
> Chapter 1: Unrest in Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Maybe they were never really my friends.  Maybe I never had any."





~ Day 1 ~

Morning soon came and Twilight stirred and groaned as she woke up.  She had a rough night owing to that nightmare, but she knew she had to get up and start the day.  Spike's bed was empty, meaning that for once he had gotten up before her.  Down on the first floor, Spike had already started on his daily chores and he seemed to be in a good mood, as he was humming to himself.  Twilight, still somewhat half-asleep, came down the stairs and Spike greeted her.

"Good morning, Twilight!" he said, but he inadvertently startled her.

"Oh... morning, Spike."

"Twilight?  Are you okay?" Spike asked her.  "You look like you didn't sleep well."

"I'm fine," she murmured.  "Just had a rough night."  Twilight initially believed that her nightmare meant nothing and that she could resume her day as usual.  But what she didn't realize at first is that posttraumatic emotions were beginning to creep up on her.  A week ago, her brother, Shining Armor, got married to her former foal-sitter, Cadance, and although it was a happy occasion, the night before the wedding had been anything but.  Now this had nothing to do with the nightmare, but there would soon be a connection.  As for Spike, he was not about to disregard Twilight passing off her being startled.  As her number one assistant, he wanted to make one hundred percent sure Twilight was fine with no hinges attached.  After all, they both had daily errands to run.

---

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia had just woken up in her own room, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Oh?  Come in."  One of her guards entered the room with a scroll.

"Message for the Princess," he said, and left her the letter before leaving.

"Thank you."  Celestia opened the letter and started reading through it.  She then gasped slightly.  "Dear Princess Celestia, I've been booked solid for appointments all day today again.  Many of your royal guards have been restless from aftershock and stress and civilians who have seen me are beginning to doubt your leadership capabilities."  She stopped reading, perplexed.  "Maybe their captain can restore order, but he returns from his honeymoon tomorrow afternoon.  Well, maybe I can help."  Celestia went through her castle to check up on her guards.  Indeed, many of them appeared to be on shaky grounds.  Her only conclusion was that they have been suffering from threat of injury as a result of the Changeling invasion last week.  Although the Changelings were gone, many ponies were in fact stressed out and on edge, believing that not only could they come back at any moment, but with their forces stronger than even the Princess herself, the Canterlot residents really were beginning to doubt their daytime leader.  As Celestia wandered the streets of Canterlot, she started to hear murmurs from her people, many of whom were casting sideways glances at her while whispering to others.  The Princess looked worried and uncertain.  The fact that she had been bested by Queen Chrysalis was beginning to haunt her as well.  What if the Changelings did return?  She would be no match for them and Canterlot would fall.  Was it just dumb luck that they survived their first bout?  Did the power of love between Shining Armor and Cadance that cast them out of Canterlot only make the Changelings even stronger?  Celestia shook her head vigorously to try to erase her worried thoughts and then flew back up to her balcony.

---

Out in the streets of Ponyville, Spike and Twilight were walking side by side.  Spike was looking over a list of things that needed to be tackled for the day, assuming that Twilight was up to the task.

"Our first stop is Sugarcube Corner," he declared.  "We're in charge of delivering those cupcakes for Cheerilee's class picnic, and...  Twilight?  Twilight?"  Spike could see Twilight's eyes nervously moving back and forth, eying each and every other pony in Ponyville with a worried expression as if slipping into paranoia again.  Spike hopped on Twilight's back, making her jump.  "It's me, Twilight!"

"Oh... sorry, Spike."

"What's going on, Twi?"

"Huh?  What are you talking about?"

"I see your eyes moving.  You look like Pinkie's gonna jump out and surprise you.  I thought you'd be used to that by now."  Twilight shook her head rapidly trying to clear her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, Spike.  I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Do you need more rest?  I can do your errands for you if you like."

"No, I'm fine, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Spike."  But Spike wasn't so sure about that.  Along the way to Sugarcube Corner, they passed by Applejack, who was running a stand selling a new product fresh from Sweet Apple Acres.  A few other ponies had already gathered round for samples.

"Howdy, Twilight!" called Applejack, which startled her a bit.

"Oh...  Good morning, Applejack!" said Twilight cheerfully.

"Heh, heh...  Sorry.  Didn't mean to startle ya."

"I'm fine.  So what business do you have today?"

"Check this out!" beamed Applejack.  "Only our newest product freshly made from Sweet Apple Acres - applesauce!  Made from the finest apples in all of Equestria.  We got plain and cinnamon!  And ah'm offering free samples to try before buyin' mah jars.  Care for a taste?"

"Sure, I'm game."  As expected, the applesauce sample was delicious.  After all, there was hardly a thing from Applejack's farm that ever went wrong.  Twilight knew Applejack's reputation was always at the top of her game with her fresh apples made into pies, cider, and other delectable treats.

"So, can ah put down a jar for ya?" asked Applejack.

"That's okay," said Twilight.  "Perhaps another time.  I've got errands to run, you know how it is."

"Sure do, Twi.  Always keepin' busy."  After Twilight left, Applejack decided to speak with Spike privately.  "Ya think something's up with her?"

"Yeah, but I'm keeping an eye on her," said Spike.  "All she told me was that she didn't sleep well or something."

"Oh.  Well, that happens to the best of us.  Ah'm sure she'll be just fine."

"Yeah, we sure wanna wish that," said Spike, walking away.  Now Applejack started to ponder if something really was up with Twilight.  Speaking of her, she arrived at the Sugarcube Corner to pick up Cheerilee's order.

"Hi, Twilight!" beamed Pinkie, bouncing up and down as always, but her greeting startled her too.  "Oh, did I scare you?  I do have that effect on ponies sometimes."  Now Twilight was glancing around the Sugarcube Corner, observing every pony and their daily lives.  In truth, she was worried nearly to the point of paranoia that any one of them could be a Changeling in disguise.  "Twilight?  Twilight?"  Pinkie then suddenly popped up in front of Twilight's face to get her attention saying, "Helloooo?"  This made Twilight freak out slightly, so Pinkie started to get the hint that something wasn't quite right with her.  "Is... something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh...  N-no.  Nothing's wrong."  Pinkie stared at her for a few seconds.

"Okey-dokey-lokey!" she said cheerfully and started happily trotting away.  "La, lala, lala, lala, lala..."

"You're not fooling anyone, Twilight," said Spike, looking slightly serious now.

"Huh?  What?"

"Something's wrong with you, and I think it's because you didn't get enough sleep.  Look, I'll take care of Cheerilee's order.  You should just go back to the library and rest.  Okay?"  Twilight's eyes moved around for a few seconds.

"Yeah, okay.  Thanks, Spike."

"No problem, Twi."  So while Spike set out to complete Twilight's errand for her, Twilight made her way back to the library, still occasionally glancing at other ponies.

"Maybe Spike's right," she said to herself.  "Maybe I just didn't get enough sleep."  Back in the library, Twilight crawled back into bed, hoping that she would be able to rest easier.  She sighed.  "What is the matter with me?  Why is it so hard to tell my friends these things?"  She then closed her eyes and fell asleep within a few minutes.

> Chapter 2:  Nightmares and Breakdowns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Did no one care about what could have happened to me?  Would it have mattered to them if I just disappeared?"





Twilight woke up in a cold, dark place.  It was in fact the same underground catacombs that Chrysalis had imprisoned her during the wedding.

"Where am I?"  She then gasped, recognizing the cavern layout.  "How did I get here?"  She then heard familiar laughter, coming from Chrysalis in the guise of Cadance once again.  Apparitions of her face started appearing everywhere around her.

"You can't tell your friends anything," she sneered.  "Because you can't trust them!  They can never understand you!  Instead, they betray you and leave you to writhe in your worries!"  An image of a Canterlot castle corridor appeared on one of the cave walls, showing her friends, including Spike, Princess Celestia, and Shining Armor, walking through the corridor, each of them looking annoyed save Spike for some reason.

"Come on, y'all," said Applejack.  "Forget about Twilight.  We've got a wedding to plan."

"Maybe she's not really our friend after all," sneered Rarity.

"Yeah, who needs her anyway?" grumbled Rainbow Dash.

"She's a party pooper!" grunted Pinkie Pie.

"I can't believe she was my most faithful student," spat Celestia.

"Hmph.  She's no sister of mine," snarled Shining Armor.  Chrysalis laughed maniacally as she turned back into her real form.

"No..." cried Twilight, starting to panic.  "No... please...  Don't leave me!  I need you!  Help me!  Somepony help me!  Please!"  The evil laughter of Chrysalis grew louder and louder and her shadow started to loom over her.  "HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!!"  As she screamed, she was then seen lying in her bed, having been caught in another nightmare.  Her eyes snapped open and she started breathing heavily, her forehead doused in cold sweat.  She then realized it was in the middle of the night, as her clock had a time of one in the morning.  "Whoa...  How long have I been sleeping?"

"Twilight?" muttered Spike.  Her scream woke him up.  "Are you all right?  What happened?"  Twilight pondered on her nightmare for a minute.

"Nothing," she said in a surprisingly half annoyed tone.  "Just another bad dream.  Go back to sleep, Spike."  She initially believed that if she told her friends about anything so far that they would just shrug it off like they had at the royal wedding.  But Spike was rather surprised that Twilight took his question a little hardly.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" he tried again.

"No," she grumbled.  Spike looked slightly downtrodden.

~ Day 2 ~

When Twilight woke up the next morning, she found that again Spike was out of bed before her.  She then got out of bed herself and trudged down the stairs, finding Spike dusting the bookshelves.

"Hey, Spike?"

"Yeah, Twi?"

"Um...  Sorry about last night.  I guess my nightmare was that bad and I just wanted to sleep."

"It's okay.  But are you sure it's nothing you can't tell me?  I'm your number one assistant, right?"

"Of course you are, Spike.  You mean everything to me.  I just don't know what's been going through my head lately."

"So that's a yes?"  But just then, there was a knock at the door.  "Oh, your friends are here."

"Huh?"

"I brought them here," said Spike, opening the door, and there they were.  Twilight was a bit stunned, still thinking that they could be Changelings in disguise for some reason.

"Good morning, Twilight," said Fluttershy in her usual soft-spoken voice.

"Spike told us you haven't been quite yourself yesterday," said Rainbow Dash.  "So he wanted us to drop by and see how you're doing."  Twilight looked annoyed, probably because she might not have slept well and her nightmares were giving her second thoughts about her friends.  Although the six of them were close, Twilight was under the impression that they were capable of turning their backs on her for trying to tell them any personal problems, which they had proved in the past.

"But I'm fine," she told them.  "It's none of your concern."  The other five were surprised to hear these words.

"What are ya sayin', Twi?" said Applejack.  "Of course it's our concern.  You're our friend.  We're all your friends."

"For how much longer?" Twilight said without even thinking, but she realized what she said and covered her mouth.

"Darling, what are you talking about?" said Rarity.

"I-I'm sorry," stuttered Twilight.  "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Ah think you need help, sugar cube," said a worried Applejack.  "But that's why we're here.  You can tell us what's wrong.  That's what friends do."  But for some reason, this set something off inside Twilight's brain.

"Yeah?  How do I know you're not just gonna pass it off as nothing but a minor setback?  You're all good at that!"  Twilight's friends stared wide-eyed in surprise and their mouths hung open for a couple of seconds.  They then cast each other worried looks, as if remembering something unpleasant.

"But..." stammered Pinkie Pie.  "We know better now.  And we're not gonna mess anything up."  But this was the last straw for Twilight.  Her thoughts from the wedding rehearsal night finally got the better of her.

"You liar!" she shouted.  Everypony else gasped.  They could not believe what their closest friend just said.

"Twilight," said Spike.  "What's going on?  What's happening to you?"

"You weren't there for me when I needed you most," she snorted, still talking to her friends.  "You all let me down."

"Hey, wait a minute," Spike protested.  "I took your worries seriously-"

"You walked out on me," Twilight interrupted.  "And so did all of you.  So how can I trust you?"  Her friends didn't know how to answer that one, so they just looked at each other worriedly.

"Well, Twi," sighed Applejack.  "Since you put it that way... you can't!"  They then cast Twilight malicious looks and transformed into Changelings, frightening Twilight into a corner.

"No!  My friends... they're changelings!  They're coming to get me!  Spike, help me!  Don't leave me again!"

"Twilight, snap out of it!" said a highly concerned Spike.  "They're not changelings!"

"Yes they are!  Look at them!"  What Twilight saw was five Changelings steadily advancing on their prey.  What Spike saw was Twilight's friends, pleading with her to come to her senses and telling her "it's us".  Twilight was hallucinating.  "Get away from me!  Get away from me!"  One of the five Changelings sprang towards her and she screamed loudly.


"Twilight!!!"  All five of her friends shouted at once and she snapped back to her senses.  She was cowering in a corner, breathing fast, while her friends were huddling around her, worried as sin.

"It's us, Twilight!" said Applejack, greatly concerned.  Twilight now saw her five friends worried sick over her.  She realized that something was seriously wrong with her, but in her shaken state, she didn't know what to do about it.  And then, she began to cry and tears streamed down her face.  Her friends took pity on her and Applejack pulled her into a warm hug.  "It's okay, sugar cube.  It's okay."  She gently stroked Twilight's back.  "You're right.  We abandoned you once before, but it won't happen again.  Ah promise."

"I don't wanna be alone," Twilight sobbed, tears still pouring from her eyes.  "I don't wanna be alone...  It's too cold and dark...  Don't leave me...  Don't leave me..."  Spike, knowing full aware that there was definitely something not right with Twilight, headed upstairs quickly to write a letter to Princess Celestia.

"We're not gonna leave ya, Twi," assured Applejack.  "We're gonna help get ya through this.  Just stay strong for us."  When Spike came back downstairs, he came to Twilight's side along with her friends.

"Twilight, I think you should tell them about your nightmare," he suggested.  Twilight wiped her eyes with her hoof.

"Okay."  And she went over the chilling details of her nightmare from last night.



"Come on, y'all.  Forget about Twilight.  We've got a wedding to plan."
"Maybe she's not really our friend after all."
"Yeah, who needs her anyway?"
"She's a party pooper!"
"I can't believe she was my most faithful student."
"Hmph.  She's no sister of mine."



Twilight's friends were wide-eyed and stunned.  They could not believe what they had said in her nightmare.  It also reminded them of what they did to her on that terrible night.  Her brother had disowned her and instead of comforting her, they left her alone as if she deserved it.  Now they knew what Twilight's problem was, but there was still one question about it.

"But Twilight, darling," said Rarity.  "This was but a week ago.  And you were just fine during the real wedding.  Why now?"

"I don't know," murmured Twilight, tears still dripping from her face.  "I guess it just didn't hit me until now."

"Well, it doesn't matter," insisted Applejack.  "We're here for ya now and we're gonna help ya."  Just then, there was another knock at the door.  "Who could that be?"  Applejack went to answer the door and found Princess Celestia standing right outside.  "Whoa, nelly!  A-ah mean... Princess!"  She quickly bowed respectfully.  "What are ya doin' here?"

"I heard that Twilight Sparkle is... not feeling well.  So I came to visit her and see if there's anything I can do."

"She's right here, come on in."  Celestia then proceeded to approach her beloved student.

"Hello, Twilight," she said smiling.  "I came to see you."  But Twilight, suddenly remembering her first nightmare from two nights ago, let out a shriek as if Celestia was Queen Chrysalis in disguise and zoomed upstairs.

Everypony stared in shock and surprise, including Celestia.

"What in horses of Equestria was that about?" said Applejack.

"I have no idea," said Rainbow Dash.

"You think there's something she didn't tell us?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe," answered Fluttershy.

"I will talk to her," said Celestia.  When Twilight got upstairs, she zoomed up the staircase and dashed under the covers of her bed, shaking with fear and paranoia.  Eventually, Celestia's shadow hovered over the bed and Twilight nervously poked her head and hooves out.  "Twilight?"  Celestia got onto the bed.  "I think you need some comfort."  She reached out her hoof to stroke Twilight's mane, causing her to lower her head beneath the blanket, but she then felt Celestia gently stroke her mane and she came out.  Celestia smiled at her like a mother, but Twilight started to cry again, so she pulled her into a tender embrace.  "Shhh, shhh...  It's okay, Twilight Sparkle.  It's all right.  I'm here."

Meanwhile outside, a carriage pulled up to the front entrance of the library, driven by two of Celestia's guards.  Shining Armor and Cadance stepped outside the carriage.

"Twiley sure is gonna be surprised to see us," said Shining Armor.  Cadance giggled.  Back inside the library, Twilight's friends, including Spike, were all worried sick over the emotional stress Twilight was undergoing.

"How did this happen?" said Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe it really is our fault," said Fluttershy.

"Well, it doesn't matter," said Rarity.  "The important thing now is that we help Twilight instead of sitting around feeling sorry for ourselves."

"Coming from you?" said Rainbow Dash.  "That's a surprise."  And then there was yet another knock on the door.

"Again?" said Applejack.  "Who in tarnation is it this time?"  She opened the door and saw Shining Armor and Cadance standing there.  "Well, ah'll be!  Shining Armor!  Princess Cadance!"

"It's good to see you all again," said Shining Armor.  "We just got back from our honeymoon and we came by to visit Twiley as a surprise!"  Applejack looked distressed.

"Uh...  Ah think you'd better come inside.  We have some explainin' to do."  This did not sound good for Shining Armor and Cadance.  So they ended up listening to Twilight's friends explaining her situation, but they did not mention why Twilight might have been suffering because Cadance was technically not there that awful night.

"Oh, poor Twilight," said Cadance.

"We have to see her!" insisted Shining Armor.  "She needs me!  She needs all of us!"  So they all went upstairs and there they saw Celestia on Twilight's bed trying to comfort her most faithful student.  "Twiley!  Twiley, it's me!"  Celestia and Twilight took notice and Twilight certainly seemed surprised to see her brother and his wife.  Shining Armor rushed to the bed and pulled his sobbing sister into a hug.  "Cadance and I were hoping to surprise you on our way back to Canterlot.  But I'm so sorry we had to meet again like this."  Each of Twilight's friends gathered round the bed to be there for her.  Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance were each trying to comfort Twilight.

"Twilight?" asked Celestia.  "I think there's something you haven't told us yet.  Did you have a nightmare two nights ago?"

"Yes," Twilight whimpered.  "That night, I dreamt that the changeling queen was posing as... you, Princess."  Everypony else gasped in surprise.

"Me?  The queen was impersonating... me?"

"Hey, that explains why she freaked out from seeing the Princess," explained Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, poor Twilight," murmured Fluttershy.  "This is awful."

"This is our fault," said Applejack.  "Ah'm afraid we're all to blame for this."

"Why do you say that?" asked Cadance.  "You're all her good friends."

"Well, that's... part of the reason."

"Hey, why are you girls blaming yourselves?" asked Spike.  "Shining Armor's the one who kicked Twilight out of his wedding."  Applejack then smacked Spike lightly with her hoof.  "Ow!  What?!"  But Cadance could not believe what she just heard.

"What?!"  Cadance covered her mouth with her hoof.  Shining Armor looked extremely guilty, realizing the things he said on the night of the wedding rehearsal were his poorest choice of words in his whole life.  "But... but how?!  Twilight was present at our wedding!  She was best mare!"

"Well she wasn't going to be after the wedding rehearsal," said Spike, opening his big mouth again and getting another hoof smack from Applejack.  "Ow!  What?!"

"Shining Armor, what happened?!" demanded Cadance, rounding on him.  Shining Armor had no choice, but to tell her the details.



"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because you're evil!"
"Evil!  And if I don't stop you, you're gonna ruin my brother's life!"
"And you can forget about being my best mare.  In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't even show up to the wedding at all."
"C'mon, y'all.  Let's go check on the princess."
"You have a lot to think about."



Cadance was horrorstruck.  Tears even started to well up in her eyes.

"I... I... I-I... I... I don't believe what I'm hearing," she cried.  "I don't understand!  Why?!  Why did you do it?!"

"But..." Shining Armor tried to protest.  "None of us knew she wasn't you!"

"But did you honestly think you justified yourself by saying those monstrous words to her?!  Did you honestly think you were any better?!"  Everypony was now uncomfortable seeing Cadance looking hurt.  "I... I... I...  Shining Armor, I thought you loved me!"

"I do!"

"But you didn't love your own sister!  You were trying to put me in front of her!  She's your own family!  Your own flesh and blood!  No wonder she's hurt!  No wonder she had that nightmare!  Look what you've done to her!  You just made things worse that night!  And I thought you were all her friends!  What have you all become?"

"Cadance, please listen to me," said Celestia.  "That was then, and this is now.  And right now, we have to-"

"I don't wanna hear it, Aunt Celestia!" snapped Cadance.  "You think you can help Twilight when you're the ones who did this to her?!"

"We're just trying to correct our mistakes," said Rainbow Dash.

"You can't!" shouted Cadance.  "You just...can't!  You... you animals!"  Cadance suddenly raised her hoof and looked ready to slap Shining Armor in the face.  He braced himself, but Cadance just couldn't bring herself to hit her husband and instead ran out of the room crying.

"Cadance, wait!" called Shining Armor.  But she had already left the library in tears.  Now Shining Armor looked really sad.  "What have I done?"

"You know," said Rarity.  "I still don't get why Twilight was just fine at the wedding and she forgave us, but now this happens.  Why now, after a whole week?"

"I fear there may be one explanation," said Celestia.  "My guards have also been suffering from similar stress since the changelings invaded Canterlot.  And I too have had nightmares over having failed to protect my people.  But it seems that Twilight is suffering more."

"What are we gonna do, y'all?" asked Applejack.  Celestia raised her head and got off of Twilight's bed.

"We must bring her back to Canterlot."
> Chapter 3: Friendship Lessons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"No one ever understood me."





Things didn't look good.  Twilight's friends felt like they had betrayed her and Cadance had left the library in anguish.  Princess Celestia believed that the only way to help Twilight at this point would be to bring her back to Canterlot, her old home.

"If Twilight's going, we're all going," said Applejack.  "She needs us, more than ever."

"As Twilight's good friends, we can't keep failing her like this," said Rarity.

"We have to prove that we truly care for her," said Fluttershy.

"And understand her," added Pinkie Pie.

"Then it's settled," agreed Rainbow Dash.  "We're all going."

"Of course," said Celestia.  She then saw how sad Shining Armor was.  "Shining Armor, I will talk to Cadance."

"If you can find her," he said glumly.

"I will."  So Celestia left.  But as for Twilight herself, apparently she had fallen asleep in her bed.

"Maybe we should just let her rest," insisted Fluttershy.  "She's been through an awful lot."

"Wait a second, y'all," said Applejack.  "Ah just thought of something."  The others looked at her.  "When she was cryin', she was sayin' somethin' about 'cold and dark'."

"But that's what it felt like for her when we stupidly ditched her!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, maybe," said Applejack.  "But ah think there's more to it than that.  Ya see, we didn't know what happened to her after we left.  Sure, she turned up at the wedding, but ah think anything coulda happened to her that night."

"Oh no!" said Fluttershy, realizing where Applejack was going.  "And the bride was a fake too!  What if she got hurt?  We wouldn't have been there to help her!"  Fluttershy started to come to tears.  "Oh, why did we do it?  Why?"  Again, Twilight's friends looked dispirited.  Meanwhile, Celestia found that Cadance hadn't gone too far at all.  In fact, she had been just outside the library, sobbing.

"Cadance, dear," said Celestia in an effort to comfort her.  "I know you're upset.  But you have to understand that we all feel terrible for what we did to Twilight and how this whole thing could have been avoided.  As Princess of Equestria, I felt that I failed in my duty.  If I had listened to Twilight, I could have taken precautions.  Instead, I let my own foolish judgment get in the way.  Twilight might have been mean, but she did not deserve to be treated like the way we treated her that night.  I'm sorry."  Cadance stopped crying, but she still looked annoyed.

"You're sorry," said Cadance.  "That's all you can say?"

"Yes."

"If only a simple apology could make everything right," grumbled Cadance.  "But because of you and everypony else, Twilight may never be the same again!  I used to foal-sit for her!  I loved her like a sister!  She is my sister!"  Celestia's ears had drooped, knowing this to be true.

"We're taking Twilight to Canterlot," she said.  "We can take the next train."  Cadance headed for the train station while Celestia hung back to wait for the others.  Back inside the library, Twilight was still seemingly sound asleep.

"Ah think we best just let her rest," said Applejack.  They started to leave, but then...

"No... no..."  The others turned around and saw Twilight tossing and turning.  She seemed to be having another nightmare.

"Oh, no!" said Applejack.  "Twi!"  They hurried over to the bed.

"No... no..." muttered Twilight in her sleep.  "Don't leave me...  Don't leave me!"

"Twiley!" said Shining Armor.  "Twiley, wake up!"  He touched her with his hoof, but for some reason, it made her thrash and scream.

"Don't let them get me!" she yelled.  "Don't let them get me!"  She was still asleep, but apparently stuck in her nightmare.

"Wake up, Twi!" said Applejack desperately, trying to shake her awake gently.  Soon all of her friends were talking at once trying to wake her up.


"Please wake up, Twilight," Fluttershy then said softly after everypony stopped talking, and ironically, Twilight snapped awake in a cold sweat breathing hardly.

"You okay, sugar cube?" said Applejack.  "You were tossin' and turnin' something fierce."

"Those nightmares are nasty!" said Pinkie Pie.  "But you're okay now!  Aren't you?"  But they saw more tears coming to Twilight's eyes and she starting crying again.

"This is terrible, y'all," said Applejack.

"We need to get her back to Canterlot," said Shining Armor.  "Come on, sis."  He got the still sobbing Twilight on his back and carried her out of the library, where Celestia was waiting for them.  "Where's Cadance?" he asked her.

"She's at the train station," she answered.

So everypony was on the train bound for Canterlot.  Cadance had shut herself off from the others in a separate compartment, while Shining Armor sat outside her door along with Celestia.

"There goes my marriage," he sighed.  "I thought we were gonna be so happy together."

"Don't worry," assured Celestia.  "I'm sure she'll come round... I hope..."

"That's very encouraging," said Shining Armor sarcastically.  Meanwhile, Twilight was sitting at a table with her friends.  Although she wasn't crying, she hadn't been saying a word either.  But the irises of her eyes had shrunk to quite a small size, so what her friends didn't know was that she had somehow slipped away from her normal consciousness.

"Gosh, she hasn't said a word since we boarded the train," said Applejack.

"Well, she hasn't been crying either," said Fluttershy.  That's when Spike got up on the table to talk with her.

"Hey, Twi," he said.  "Feeling any better?"


Twilight did not respond.  Her eyes were wide open and her shrunken irises barely budged back and forth.  "Twilight?  Twilight?!"

"Heyyyyyy, hello in there!"  Pinkie Pie suddenly stared into Twilight's face upside-down by sitting on top of the train seat and defying logic to stretch her neck.  But Twilight didn't get startled.  Her eyes didn't even move.

"Uh, Pinkie?" said Applejack.  "Ah think this might be a mite serious."  That's when Celestia and Shining Armor came to check up on Twilight.

"How is she?" Celestia asked.

"She hasn't said anything!" said Rainbow Dash, waving a hoof in front of her face.  "I think she's spaced out."  Celestia took a good look at Twilight's eyes and gasped in horror.

"Oh, no!" she cried.  "I think Twilight has gone into shock."  Everypony gasped.

"What does that mean?" asked Pinkie.  "Is she shocked?"

"It's worse.  I... I don't think she can hear us."

"Oh, Twilight, darling!" cried Rarity.  "Oh, I don't how much longer how I can go on like this consumed by guilt.  Of all the worst possible things that could happen, this is... the... worst... possible... thing!"  She then collapsed to the floor like the drama queen she always acted like.

"Twiley!"  Shining Armor took hold of Twilight's shoulders and spoke directly in her face, desperate to snap her out of her mentally unconscious state.  "No, this can't be happening!  Twiley!  Twiley, please!  I'm sorry!  I'm so sorry!  You're my sister, Twiley!  I love you!"  He suddenly sounded like he was going to cry himself as Twilight's friends looked on in worry and doubt.  "Please!  I didn't mean to hurt you!  Please!  Say something!  Anything!!"  Tears finally came to his eyes seeing his sister's eyes frozen wide open.  But then her mouth started moving slightly and she started to speak, albeit within her subconscious state.

"I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings. But when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful."

"Huh?"  Shining Armor was now puzzled.

"I learned that it's hard to accept when somepony you like wants to spend time with somepony who's not so nice. Though it's impossible to control who your friends hang out with, it is possible to control your own behavior. Just continue to be a good friend. In the end, the difference between a false friend and one who is true will surely come to light."

"What... what's happening to her?" Shining Armor asked desperately.

"I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship: I was so afraid of being thought of as a showoff that I was hiding a part of who I am. My friends helped me realize that it's okay to be proud of your talents, and there are times when it's appropriate to show them off... Especially when you're standing up for your friends."

"I'm not sure," answered Celestia.  "But, what she's saying is so familiar."

"Never lose faith in your friends. They can be an amazing source of strength, and can help you overcome even your greatest fears.  If you embrace each other's differences, you just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all..."

"I know what's she saying!" Celestia said suddenly.

"Never judge a book by its cover. Someone may look unusual, or funny, or scary. But you have to look past that and learn who they are inside. Real friends don't care what your "cover" is; It's the contents of a pony that count. And a good friend, like a good book, is something that will last forever."

"She's saying exactly what she's been writing to me in her reports about friendship," Celestia concluded.

"Sometimes the solution to your problems can come from where you least expect it. It's a good idea to stop and listen to your friends' opinions and perspectives...  With good friendship and teamwork, ponies can accomplish anything..."

"Well, why is she sayin' all this?" asked Applejack.  "What does it mean?"

"Sometimes, the thing you think will cause you to lose friends and feel left out can actually be the thing that helps you make your closest friends and realize how special you are..."

"I don't know," answered Celestia sadly.

"Being a good friend means being able to keep a secret, but you should never be afraid to share your true feelings with a good friend."

"Unless..." Celestia pondered.  "Maybe..."

"Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she's met them. If you're feeling lonely and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows, maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow."

"I think I get it," said Celestia.  "She must think that everything she's ever learned was never taken into account on the night of the wedding rehearsal, that they've all been defied."

"Always expect the best from your friends and never assume the worst. Rest assured that a good friend always has your best interests at heart."

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie exclaimed.  "I know that one!  She wrote that at my birthday party!"

"Yeah, but that was a lesson we should have embraced that night," said Applejack sadly.  "Because if we really had learned our lessons, we never would have assumed that Twilight was just acting up.  She was right the whole time... and we never listened to her.  Not once.  We just got suckered in by somepony who was nothin' but smoke and mirrors."  She came to tears.  "Oh, Twi...  Why did we ever doubt you?"

"Aw, it's not our fault," assured Pinkie.

"Yes it is, Pinkie!" snapped Applejack.  "All that we've ever been through has taught us nothin'."  Celestia looked surprised to hear this.  "Ah'm sorry, Princess," cried Applejack.  "We failed you.  Ah guess truthfully, we haven't learned a thing about true friendship.  And look at her."

"One of the best things you can do with friendship is to give it to others, and help them find it themselves..."

"We all failed, I'm afraid," said Celestia sadly.  "We all let her down... and we shouldn't have.  And now my own leadership is in question because of the changeling invasion a week ago.  I guess we're all about to pay twice for our mistakes."

"No!" cried Shining Armor.  "I can't accept this happening to Twilight!"  He then tried desperately again to snap his sister out of her state.  "Twiley!  Twiley, please!  Come back!  Come back to us!  We all love you!  And we're all sorry!  Please!  Just give us a chance to start over!  We'll do anything!  I'll do anything!"  That's when Twilight's irises started to expand and return to normal.  Twilight then gasped as if taking in a new breath of life as fresh new tears from her eyes rolled down her cheeks.  She then buried her eyes in her hooves and cried.

"Oh, Twi," murmured Applejack, rubbing Twilight's back gently.  "Just hang in there.  We're gonna help ya get through this.  Ah promise."

"Aw, Twilight," said Pinkie Pie.  "Just try to cheer up!  Look, I got you a treat!"  Pinkie then pulled out a red velvet cupcake with pink-colored frosting.  "I saved one of those cupcakes for you!"  Twilight took her hooves off her eyes to see the cupcake, but she still couldn't stop sobbing.  "Come on, Twilight.  You gotta eat something."  Pinkie helped place the cupcake in Twilight's hooves and although tears were still streaming down her wet face, she started taking bites of the delicious cupcake, still sobbing in between bites.  "It's good, isn't it?" said Pinkie, trying to be cheerful.  Twilight was still crying, but she nodded.  That's when Cadance finally showed up to check on Twilight herself.

"Cadance!"  Shining Armor was happy to see her, but Cadance only looked at him glumly before gently pulling Twilight into a warm hug.

"Shhh, shhh..." Cadance cooed.  "Everything's all right.  I'll be here for you, just like I was when you were a filly.  Remember when I would always tell you how special you were?  You still are.  You always will be."  Twilight cried on her shoulder.

> Chapter 4: Return to Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Why would my friends not take me seriously?  Am I really not that important to them?"





The train arrived at Canterlot and everypony got off at the station.  Shining Armor had to guide Twilight because she was still crying from all the stress she had suffered from.  Her tears dripped from her face onto the ground.

"I'm gonna take her home," said Shining Armor.  "I'm sure our parents will be glad to see her.  And... they must know about this."  Of course he knew that meant telling them those hurtful words he said to Twilight.  Even if it was but a week ago, the fact that what was said had been said would never go away.  Not only did his words hurt her, but her friends chose to turn their backs on her and even Celestia got mad at her.  But no one saw or heard what Twilight had been through shortly after being abandoned, so the post-event stress she was suffering from could have been worse than they thought.

"It's been a long time since you came home," said Spike, as he, Shining Armor, and Twilight were on their way.  "Come to think of it, I don't remember your old home at all."

"That's because you had only just hatched," Twilight wept.

"Aw, Twilight," said Spike, deeply saddened by Twilight speaking through tears.  Shining Armor brought Twilight to her old home along with Spike where her parents were living and knocked on the front door.  Twilight's parents answered it, but they were initially shocked upon seeing Twilight crying while rubbing her eyes with her hoof.

"Oh, Twilight, honey!" her mother cried, taking her into an embrace.  "What happened?"

"It's a long story," answered Shining Armor.  "We should go inside."  Twilight was then in her old bedroom, sobbing on her bed.  Spike was also in tears, heartbroken over Twilight's condition.  She wiped more tears out of her eyes and then walked to her door to listen in on Shining Armor talking with their parents.

"I don't believe this," said the father, sounding exasperated.

"But why?" asked the mother, Twilight Velvet, practically in tears.  "Why would you even think of saying something so awful to your own sister?"

"Well, she was being mean," Shining Armor replied, though he knew it was not an excuse.  "We didn't know she was a fake.  She had us all fooled."

"In any case," said the father, a bit sternly now.  "I thought I once taught you that two wrongs never make a right.  Mean or not, fake bride or not, those words you said were very hurtful and quite possibly the meanest thing you've ever said to your sister so far.  You have brought shame to your family."

"I'm sorry, dad," said Shining Armor.  "Twilight was right.  I should have listened to her.  I put Cadance ahead of her when I shouldn't have.  I underestimated my own judgment.  I was wrong.  We were all wrong."  Twilight Velvet was tearing up, so she left the conversation to check up on her daughter.  "What else can I say?" said Shining Armor despairingly.  "What else can I do?"

"Nothing," the father sighed.  "What's done is done.  But... I'm at a loss, son."  Shining Armor lowered his head in shame.  Meanwhile, Twilight heard her mother coming to the door and stood back.  She came in and embraced her daughter.

"Oh, my little girl," Twilight Velvet cried.  "I'm so sorry."

"It's not his fault," said Twilight as the two went to sit on her bed.

"Oh, honey, yes it is."

"But that imposter fooled us all," Twilight insisted.

"She didn't fool you.  And besides, either way, your brother should not have said those things to you.  Didn't he hurt you?"

"Yes, mom," said Twilight, tearing up again.  "You're right.  I don't think I've been more hurt and lonely than that night."   She started to cry again.  "I was trying to protect him because I love him.  I would never want to ruin anything for him.  I don't know why he would ever think that about me."

"Oh, honey...  Don't cry.  Don't cry."

"I thought I lost everything that night.  My friends, my brother... my teacher...  Why would my friends not take me seriously?  Am I really not that important to them?  I'm scared, mom!"

"Come on, Twilight!" Spike begged.  "Don't say things like that!  Your friends love you!"

"Then why did they walk out on me when I needed them most?!" she cried.  Spike knew that he too had abandoned Twilight in her moment of need, so he could not answer her nor could he justify his mistake.  "When I first moved to Ponyville, I learned how wonderful it was to have friends for once in my life.  And now, after all this time, they could always choose to turn their backs on me again.  What if I find myself back where I started?  An egghead with no friends because of my silly, stupid studies!  I don't wanna be alone!  I can't!  I just can't!"  Twilight cried in her mother's warm embrace, both of them shedding tears.

"Twilight, honey, why don't you just get some sleep for now," she suggested.  "Your father has signed you up for a therapy session tomorrow.  I'm sure it will be just what you need."

"Okay."  Twilight crawled into bed and her mother, after looking back at her once more, left her alone to sleep with Spike by her side.  But that night, Twilight had the worst nightmare of all time...


She dreamt that the royal wedding and everything up until the reception was all but a blissful dream, and the real world was in fact ruled by Queen Chrysalis where everypony was imprisoned in cocoons having lived the same lie.  And as Chrysalis was preparing for her victims' final transmigration...

Twilight woke up shrieking at the top of her lungs in a cold sweat.  It was the middle of the night.  She was breathing heavily and her whole body was shaking and quivering with fear.  Spike, who had been sleeping with Twilight in her bed, had also woken up when Twilight screamed.

"Twilight!" he said.  "Are you all right?"

"I... I don't know," she murmured.  Spike looked worried.

"I think we're both gonna be glad when morning comes."  Spike dropped off to sleep in an instant.  But Twilight was still awake in the dead silence of the night.  Were these awful dreams trying to tell her something?  Perhaps Twilight was more worried about her friendship and had forgotten her first nightmare, which hinted that the Changelings could still be at large.  She needed her friends more than ever, but with all her afterthoughts regarding the wedding rehearsal night, she did not know who to turn to or trust for support and comfort.  She laid back down in her bed and cried herself to sleep.

~ Day 3 ~

Twilight was not feeling well when she woke up the next morning.  She had a knot in her stomach.  At around 8:30 in the morning, her mother knocked on the door.

"Twilight, honey?" she called.  "Are you up?"

"Yeah, I'm up," moaned Twilight.  Hearing her not sound so good, Twilight Velvet came into the bedroom and sat on the bed with her daughter.  Spike was seemingly still asleep.

"Do you need anything?  Are you okay, sweetie?"

"My tummy hurts."

"Oh, sweetheart.  You must be stressed out from everything.  Just take a few deep breaths and try to relax."  Twilight did so, and her mother stayed with her the whole time.  "Your therapy session begins at 1:30 this afternoon.  You'll be just fine, I know it."  Twilight managed to show a bit of a smile and then they shared a warm hug.  The uncomfortable feeling in her stomach even started to go away after a while.

"Mom?" Twilight then asked.

"Yes, dear?"

"You and dad weren't too hard on my brother, were you?"

"No, of course not.  We were disappointed with him, but your father was reasonable.  Your brother's too old to be punished, if that's what you're wondering.  And besides, you two are no longer under our jurisdiction anyway."

"Um, will you and dad come with me to my therapy session?"

"Of course we will, honey.  But I just want you to know that you'll probably be telling the therapist everything.  And since some things will be emotionally painful to talk about, it might make you cry.  But you'll feel a whole lot better when you're through."  Spike had his back turned to them, so while he appeared to be asleep, he actually wasn't.  There was a look of sadness on his baby dragon face because he felt sorry for Twilight.

> Chapter 5:  The Whole Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





So Twilight, her family and friends were all on their way to visit the therapist.  Hopefully, Twilight's therapy session would help her tremendously with her recent hard times.  After all, she had been so stressed out the past two days and everypony she knew had noticed.

"The therapist I'm taking you to is a former student who also attended my personal school just like you did, Twilight," said Celestia.  "She's about your age, but she's talented with magic spells that soothe ponies.  I'm sure she can help."  They all soon arrived at the therapist's office and they saw one of Celestia's guards leave.  He looked a little down, but quickly sprang into a salute upon seeing Shining Armor.

"C-Captain!  Sir!  Welcome back, sir!"

"Uh... carry on," said Shining Armor and the guard left.  That's when the therapist came out to see Twilight.

"Hello, Twilight Sparkle," she said sweetly.  "Remember me?  I first saw you at Princess Celestia's School for the Gifted Unicorns."  Twilight just looked confused.  "It's okay.  I didn't think you would.  We were just fillies."

"Sister!"  Princess Luna suddenly showed up.

"What is it, Luna?" asked Celestia.

"The citizens of Canterlot are restless.  The guards are stressed and unable to disperse them."

"Sweet Mother of Equestria!" said Applejack.  "That doesn't sound good!"

"What's going on?!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, I've heard the rumors too, Princess," said the therapist.

"Y-you have?" said Twilight.

"Mm-hm.  It all started four days after the royal wedding.  My first patient was a guard pony who was trying to cope with stress from the wedding events, which of course was the changeling invasion.  Soon after that, I got visits from several more guards and a day later, Canterlot civilians were coming for therapy sessions.  And I started to hear some of the strangest things they've said, particularly coming from the sophisticated ponies."  In a flashback sequence, ponies were explaining their troubles and worries to the therapist.

"I was wrapped up in this green cocoon," said a guard in a nervous wreck.  "I thought it was the end for me."

"Not even Celestia was able to protect us, and she didn't even see this coming," said Jet Set.  "But her student saw the signs and nopony listened to her!"

"Twilight Sparkle is her personal student and Celestia should have listened to her!" said Upper Crust.  "I think the smart pony would make a much better leader than our daytime mistress."

"This doesn't sound good," said a worried Celestia, back in the present day.  "What are the citizens saying now?"

"They want... they want a revolution," said Luna.  Everypony else gasped.  "They believe that since Twilight Sparkle was the only pony who saw the signs of the changeling invasion that she should replace you as leader of Equestria."

"So they wanna overthrow the Princess?!" said Rainbow Dash, aghast.  "The nerve of them!"

"This is the last thing Twilight Sparkle needs," said Celestia, now frustrated with this unfortunate turn of events.  "For starters, she's in no fit condition to take charge with all the stress she's been suffering from.  And second, while she may be a brilliant student, she lacks the proper wisdom needed to rule all of Equestria."

"What are you gonna do?" asked Applejack.  Celestia breathed heavily through her nostrils.

"I shall have to be patient," she said.  "Sister, I feel that I must talk some sense into these citizens."

"Forgive me for disagreeing with you, sister," said Luna.  "But the citizens might be up in arms if they see you here and now.  I fear you may be losing their trust."

"They have to know that Twilight Sparkle is not capable of becoming Equestria's leader, especially if it means replacing me."

"As you wish, sister."

"I will do what I can."  She then spoke to Twilight.  "I'm sorry, Twilight, but I'm afraid I can't wait around until your therapy session ends.  I must address my people and shed some light on this misunderstanding.  But I'll be back as soon as I can."  Twilight nodded and the two regal sisters took off.  The therapist then escorted Twilight into her office.

"I'm afraid all of you will have to wait outside," she said to Twilight's friends.  "Therapy sessions are personal and what Twilight and I will be discussing is liable to be classified.  But in any case, you all must swear to keep anything you hear a secret."

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" said Pinkie Pie and the others nodded in agreement.  And with that, the therapist went into her office and closed the door.  The others waited outside, realizing that Twilight's first therapy session could take at least an hour.

Inside the therapist's office, Twilight was sitting on a sofa in a resting position while the therapist was making preparations for their session.  Using her magic, she levitated a box of tissues, a wastebasket, and a small paper bag over to where Twilight was.

"Now Twilight," said the therapist, taking a seat in a chair near the sofa.  "I think it will help if you are able to tell me as much about your personal life as you can.  It's my job to keep whatever you tell me between ourselves, unless you wish me to tell your friends anything."

"Okay," murmured Twilight.

"Trust me, you'll feel a lot better about yourself if you start from the beginning."  She then used her magic to levitate a notepad with a pen to her and to hold it in front of her.  "I suggest you pick a point in your life that changed everything about you."

"Okay."

"Oh, and one more thing before we get started.  I noticed that your friends and family seemed really worried about you, so chances are they might listen in on us from time to time.  If you feel that it's going to bother you, I can ask them to leave.  Do you want me to tell them to leave?"

"No, it's okay."

"Very well.  So, Twilight, let's start from the beginning.  Tell me everything you remember if you can."

"Okay."  And Twilight began.  "It all started at the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot when I was a filly.  I witnessed Princess Celestia herself raise the sun with her magic.  I was so inspired that I began pouring my time into reading books and studying all kinds of magic.  My parents and my brother were the only ponies who ever understood me.  Oh, and of course my foal-sitter Cadance as well.  She knew I was special.  When I was enrolled at Princess Celestia's School for the Gifted Unicorns, the Princess herself made me the greatest offer in my life, to be her own personal protégé.  It was a dream come true!"  Twilight seemed to be happy to discuss this, and all the while she talked, the therapist was jotting down notes using her magic with relative ease.  "After years of studying magic, the Princess sent me to Ponyville to make some friends.  At first, I felt that my studies were far more important, but once I realized how wonderful friendship was, I couldn't have been happier.  So I moved into Ponyville to stay with my friends.  Oh, we had so many good times and adventures together.  Sometimes, we had problems, but we were able to understand them and overcome them, which made our friendships even stronger.  I felt that nothing would ever be able to drive us apart.  And then, after we had all been friends for so long, we were invited to the royal wedding of Canterlot."  Twilight's face started to drastically change at this point and the therapist sensed this.  "My brother was getting married to my former foal-sitter Cadance.  At first, I wasn't too happy because my brother was too busy to tell me in person, but I was happy again once I learned who he was marrying, and that he wanted me to be his best mare.  My task was to make sure everything went as planned, and I was only too happy to do so, but then when I met up with Cadance again, she didn't seem to remember me.  I didn't know this yet, but she was an imposter - Chrysalis, queen of the changelings.  I got suspicious and upset when the fake bride was treating my friends badly and when I saw her cast a spell on my brother, I concluded that she was evil.  I was right of course, but nopony believed me.  The imposter had tricked my friends by making them the new bridesmaids and also pulled a stunt to make it more convincing that she was Cadance."  Twilight then started to tear up and as she went on, her voice sounded more upset as she began talking through tears.  "My brother... then told me that the reason she was being mean was because she was simply stressed out because of the wedding and that she wanted it to be perfect.  When I tried to protect him... he only yelled at me...  He got so mad at me... he told me... I couldn't be his best mare anymore... and he didn't even want me to come to his wedding."  Twilight now started to cry, but the therapist continued to jot down notes.  It was hinted that Twilight's friends were in fact listening in on the other side of the door because they were all tearing up, likely out of guilt.  It wasn't too bad hearing Shining Armor punish Twilight the first time, but subsequent times made them realize it was quite harsh the way they all treated her.  Shining Armor was trying to refrain from crying with Cadance comforting him, but only Fluttershy was actually crying yet softly so nopony could hear her.  Twilight went on.  "My friends... didn't even care...  They just... walked away... like I deserved it...  Even the Princess was mad at me...  I felt useless...  And when I needed my friends more than ever, they were all gone..."  Tears poured down Twilight's face.  "I thought I lost everything that night," she wept.  "They broke my heart... and I never imagined they would do that to me."  As Twilight dabbed her eyes with a tissue and blew her nose, the therapist levitated the small paper bag in front of Twilight.

"Here, Twilight," she said, pausing from her note taking.  "Breathe through this."  And as Twilight did so, the therapist cast a magic spell on Twilight.  "This magic spell is supposed to soothe you.  Just relax."  The spell made Twilight breathe easy and she was then able to continue talking, but she still sounded very much choked up.  Twilight Velvet, having listened in on much of this, was now sobbing herself.

"The imposter came back and imprisoned me underground."  The therapist looked up from her notepad hearing this.  Twilight's friends soon realized this was the part of her story they never heard before, so they listened in, along with her family.  "When I woke up, I found myself laying on the cold ground.  I was trapped in a series of tunnels beneath the castle.  It was dark and I only had the light of my horn...  All of my hopes were gone...  So were my friends... and my brother...  I was tormented by the imposter...  I felt that no one would find me...  I felt that everything was lost!  It was like the worst moment in my life!"  Twilight had now been crying so much that her tears on the floor were being to form a small puddle.

"Breathe, Twilight," said the therapist gently.  So Twilight breathed into the small paper bag while the therapist casted more of her specialty magic on her to calm her down.  Despite being calmed by magic, Twilight still let out small sobs.  "Now, about these underground tunnels, I think it would be most helpful if a lot of ponies in Canterlot knew about them.  If you don't mind, I wish to pass this information on to Princess Celestia."

"O-of course," said Twilight.  So the therapist prepared a scroll to be delivered to Celestia.  She then handed the scroll to none other than the ditzy Muffins, whom she chose as her delivery pony.

"Muffins, take this scroll to Princess Celestia," said the therapist.  "It is vital that she gets this information."

"Will do!" said Muffins.  She exited the office and all of Twilight's friends saw her take off.

"Hey," said Rainbow Dash.  "Was that...?"





Meanwhile, a lot of ponies in Canterlot had gathered at the castle entrance creating a massive public outcry.  The guards at the entrance appeared to be too tired and stressed out to do anything, so they were unable to shoo everypony away.  Luna was trying to disperse the crowd, but no avail.

"Please, good citizens of Canterlot," she bellowed using her traditional Canterlot voice to make herself heard.  "As princess of the night, I command you all to leave!  Princess Celestia wishes to assure thou that our fair city will not fall into evil hooves!"

"The princess has failed!" shouted Golden Harvest, a background pony from the crowd.  "Twilight Sparkle was right all along!"

"We never should have believed in the princess!" shouted Time Turner, another background pony.  "She betrayed us!"

"Please!" begged Luna.  "She is not a traitor!  She wishes for our well-being!"

"Well, we don't feel safe with her watching over us!" shouted Shoeshine.

"Those changelings are all stronger than the princess!" shouted Lemon Hearts.  "And their queen is far too dangerous!"

"If they come back, who will protect us?" asked Twinkleshine.  "Our princess won't stand a chance!  And neither will we!"

"We want Twilight Sparkle!" demanded Lyra Heartstrings.  "She saw the signs of danger the first time!  She can lead us!"

"Yeah, we want Twilight!" shouted Minuette.

"Yeah!" agreed Sea Swirl.

"YEAH!" shouted Bulk Biceps.  And then the entire crowd started chanting "We want Twilight!" again and again.  Luna was dismayed, but that's when Celestia appeared by Luna's side, causing the crowd to stop chanting, but her appearance did start to make things worse.

"There she is!" shouted Cherry Berry, pointing with her hoof.

"She's got some nerve showing up," said Peachy Sweet.

"Please, good citizens," begged Celestia.  "I implore you to listen."

"Why should we listen to you?!" demanded Merry May.  "Your student knew everything and no one believed her!"

"Those changelings are still out there!" shouted Goldengrape.  "Twilight Sparkle is the only pony capable of leading us!  She can tell us what to do!"  Several ponies in the crowd agreed, saying "Yeah", including Bulk Biceps.

"YEAH!"  And so the crowd continued their chants of "We want Twilight!" once more.

"Citizens, listen..." Celestia tried to say.  "Please!"  But it was of no use.

"Citizens of Canterlot!" boomed Luna again, silencing the crowd, yet making Celestia wince.  "We implore thou!  Twilight Sparkle is indeed a noble, brave, and smart pony, and we are honored you think she is capable of leading you all.  But you must know and understand this!  Twilight Sparkle does not have the proper wisdom to rule all of Equestria!  We cannot allow such a heavy burden to fall on this young pony's shoulders!  If you wish to be rest assured, you must listen to Celestia and myself!"

"Oh, great!" shouted Noteworthy.  "Then we're done for!"

"This is insane!" shouted Junebug.  "We'll never be safe again!"  As the whole crowd started buzzing at once, Celestia looked aghast.  That's when Muffins finally showed up with the therapist's scroll.

"Mail for the princess!" she said, delivering the scroll and flying off.  Celestia quickly read through the scroll and looked surprised with its contents.

"Sister?  What is it?" asked Luna.

"The therapist has given us Twilight's description of the underground network of tunnels that run beneath Canterlot.  Luna, I have an idea."  And Celestia addressed the crowd once more.  "Citizens, I have received word of something that might help."  This got the crowd to be quiet again.  "Very few of us have known this before, but now we will all know about this.  My most faithful student has provided me with the location of a series of underground tunnels that run beneath Canterlot.  If there is ever a time and place, we can seek shelter beneath our city until any danger passes.  They will give us time to devise strategies and figure out how to overcome our troubles.  But you all must know this.  The land of Equestria thrives on the power of teamwork and the magic of friendship.  And we must all keep this in our hearts.  Only then can we truly keep all our troubles at bay.  We must come together as one in a unity of pony friends!  Equestria depends on it!  Equestria depends... on you!"

"YEAH!" shouted Bulk Biceps a third time, which was then followed by excited cheers from the crowd.

"Thank goodness, sister," said Luna with relief.  "I think we just prevented a rebellion."

"Let's hope so," said Celestia.  "I must go and check up on Twilight Sparkle.  See if you can keep this crowd under control."  Luna nodded and Celestia flew off.





Back with Twilight and the therapist, Twilight was now getting to the part about her three nightmares.

"But I found the real Cadance and we escaped the tunnels, so we were able to set things right.  And then a week later, the nightmares started."

"Can you describe your nightmares?" asked the therapist.

"Well, see...  The first time, I dreamt that the changeling queen had been impersonating Celestia when I discussed my worries about facing the changelings again.  My next nightmare was worse.  I dreamt I was shown a vision of my friends ditching me after my brother disowned me."



"Come on, y'all.  Forget about Twilight.  We've got a wedding to plan."
"Maybe she's not really our friend after all."
"Yeah, who needs her anyway?"
"She's a party pooper!"
"I can't believe she was my most faithful student."
"Hmph.  She's no sister of mine."



"Those words they said were so hurtful," Twilight cried.  "I wasn't sure if I could talk about my problems with them personally.  What if they would hurt me again?  What if they would just ignore my problems as if they were nothing serious?"

"Was the wedding rehearsal the first time they didn't take you seriously?"

"No," moaned Twilight, trying to hold back tears, but to no avail.  "One time I went ballistic worrying that I would be tardy for not writing a weekly letter about friendship to Princess Celestia on time.  My friends...  They... laughed... like it was nothing.  But this meant a lot to me... and they didn't even bother to help me."

"How long ago do you think this happened?"

"I don't know.  A month ago, maybe more."

"That's okay."  The therapist made a note of what Twilight had said about worrying over not being on time.  "Any other nightmares?"

"Yeah.  Last night, I dreamt that the wedding and reception was just a dream and in reality, we were all trapped in green cocoons about to be metamorphosed by the evil Queen Chrysalis.  I have no idea what that nightmare meant, but it was so scary...  I didn't know which would worry me more, either the changelings returning or my friends not being there for me when I realize how much I need them."  The therapist then finished taking down her notes.

"Hmm...  Well, Twilight, it does sound like you've been through an awful lot this past week.  What's happened is that you've trusted and loved your friends for so long, when something so unexpected like them deserting you comes up, it hurts you so much that it's liable to come back and haunt you.  Therefore, I can only conclude that what you are currently going through is a moderate case of what is called posttraumatic stress disorder."

"Huh?"
> Chapter 6:  Twilight's Trauma
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"I'm sorry, but I just can't go on like this with so much pain in my heart."





"You see, Twilight, posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD for short, is basically an anxiety condition that develops when somepony is exposed to psychological trauma.  This in turn is caused by experiencing something physically or emotionally disturbing.  Many of the guards I've had appointments with have been suffering from mild cases due to the changeling invasion, as they were either tied up and helpless or imprisoned in cocoons.  What they've suffered from is threat of physical injury, but in your case, it's fair to say that you've been suffering from emotional injury.
"The reason it is called 'posttraumatic' is because it develops anytime after the event has passed, be it weeks or months, which causes a memory relapse.  Twilight, apparently what happened on the night of the wedding rehearsal must have been strong enough to linger for those memories to come back a week later, so I can surmise this is your current condition.  You might have suffered from emotional trauma."

"What can I do?" asked a worried Twilight.

"Well," said the therapist.  "There are numerous solutions to your case, but you will have to be making a choice in the end.  Now tell me, do you remember anything happening to you after you first started experiencing a relapse of these memories?"

"Yeah, actually," said Twilight.  "I think I might have gone into shock during the train ride here a day ago.  My friends told me I was muttering all of my friendship lessons I ever wrote to Celestia."

"That sounds like a relatively mild case of acute stress reaction.  But it might have only been temporary."

"Will I ever be the same again?"

"Well, that will be based on your decision as to how you think you can overcome your condition.  Now, the effects of PTSD can last for at least a month, but there are ways they can have less of an impact on your life."

"What do you mean?"

"Basically, to make things easier, I am going to personally recommend two options for you.  You can return to Ponyville with your friends under the assumption that they will love, support, and care for you every possible moment they can no matter what happens.  However, your brain might be telling you that because they hurt and left you once when you needed them most and that twice in your life they failed to take your worries seriously, the lingering effects of PTSD will likely keep coming back and you'll continue to re-experience them in flashbacks or nightmares.  This may happen regardless of your choice, but who you have to comfort you will likely make the difference.  Or, your second option is to stay in Canterlot and return to your old life you used to have.  Only this time, with your acquired friendship skills, you'll be able to make a bunch of new friends and start over."

"Replace my old friends?" said Twilight.  "I... I could never do that to them.  I know they feel bad enough as it is."

"I'm not saying to replace them, Twilight.  I'm just saying that any new friends who welcome you with open arms would be assuredly able to provide you with fresh, new comfort that you may possibly need as long as PTSD continues to linger.  You don't have to say goodbye to your old friends.  You could still stay in touch with them, but chances are you might not find yourself hanging out with them the way you have been."

"I... I can't."

"And I'm certainly not going to recommend one option or another.  I am simply listing both aspects of them so you can decide what might be best for you.  Either way, you will be needing many more therapy sessions with me.  Now I'm sure that deep down in some subconscious level, you still trust your friends with your life."

"Mm-hm."

"But keep in mind that the way they treated you that night was completely uncalled for and it certainly didn't justify your own actions.  Therefore, you may end up instinctively not seeing your friends the same way again.  I suggest you think this through carefully, Twilight.  It may affect how you recover, but either way, the emotional scars left in your heart are liable to be around for life, but this may only cause you to feel down from time to time.  Nothing a good friend can't fix, I'm sure."  As the therapist talked, Twilight was still shedding tears and wiping her eyes with a tissue.  There was now a small puddle of her tears on the floor near the sofa.  "Would you like your parents to come in and see you now?" the therapist asked.

"Yes, please," murmured Twilight.

"Very well.  Oh, and is it okay if I discuss your condition with your friends as well as tell them about your options?"

"Okay."

"As you wish."  Back outside the therapist's office, Celestia had rejoined Twilight's friends and family and after what seemed like hours, the door opened and the therapist stepped out.

"How is she?" asked Twilight Velvet immediately.

"She's okay, but... she's still crying," answered the therapist.  "You can go in and see her, but her friends will have to wait for now."  Hearing this, Twilight's parents dashed into the office where they saw Twilight wiping her leaking eyes with a tissue while lying on the sofa.  The tear puddle showed her parents that she had cried quite a bit just discussing what could have been the most heartbreaking moment of her life.

"Twilight, my baby!"  Twilight Velvet hurried over and hugged her daughter tightly and Twilight's father joined in for a group hug.

"Mom!  Dad!" Twilight cried.  Back outside the office, Twilight's friends were about to hear of Twilight's condition.

"Please tell us that Twilight will be all right," begged Cadance.

"There's no way I can put what I'm about to say to you delicately," the therapist warned.  "So here it is.  Twilight Sparkle has been suffering from emotional trauma."

"That doesn't sound good," said Applejack worriedly.

"What's happened is that her fears of the changelings returning has doubled up with her worries over her friendship with all of you breaking apart."

"We're not gonna let that happen!" said Applejack.  "We all have a special connection to each other.  Ah know it!"

"Yes, but what happened to her on the night of the wedding rehearsal apparently left her emotionally devastated," said the therapist.  "And it has left behind some scars."  Fluttershy buried her face in her long mane and whimpered.

"It's okay, Fluttershy," assured Rainbow Dash.  "Twilight will be fine."

"But how can I go on living with myself when I'm consumed with guilt?" cried Fluttershy.

"Now Fluttershy, darling," said Rarity. "There's no need for that kind of talk.  We're all responsible and... we're truly sorry.  If only a royal wedding didn't have to be such a hassle..."

"So... is there anythin' we need to know?" asked Applejack.

"Well," said the therapist.  "Twilight has developed a moderate case of posttraumatic stress disorder."  Everyone gasped.

"It's just as I feared," said Celestia.  "That's exactly the condition that many of my guards have been suffering from.

"Well, their cases were relatively mild.  They've mainly been traumatized by threat of physical injury as a result of the changeling invasion.  Many of the guards had been either tied up or imprisoned in cocoons nearly facing metamorphosis.  Twilight on the other hand has been suffering from emotional injury, which takes a lot longer to heal.  Her heart broke that night."

"And I think being imprisoned in those underground tunnels didn't help," added Celestia.

"Underground tunnels?" said Applejack.  "Wait a sec...  That must be what Twilight meant by 'cold and dark'!"

"Exactly," said the therapist.

"And very few knew about them until just a few moments ago," said Celestia.  "I addressed my people with reports of their existence and they are relieved for the time being.  Now that everypony knows about them, we'll be able to take more decisive action should something serious happen."

"But what about Twilight?" asked Pinkie Pie.  "Is there any cure for... posttraumatic what-now?"

"You can call it PTSD for short," said the therapist.  "And there's no medicinal cure for it, but there are ways that Twilight can overcome it.  However, given all that has happened to her, it will not be easy."

"What can we do?" asked Applejack.  "We'll do anythin'!"

"Well, as a start, I don't mean to come down hard when I say this, but you can all start by being even better friends."

"You can count on that!"

"Right!" agreed Rainbow Dash.  "If something's up with her, we'll be sure to get the facts first!"

"We should never have assumed our dear Twilight was only trying to spoil the wedding," said Rarity.  "She was trying to protect her brother!  We all saw how well that turned out."

"Is there anything else?" asked Pinkie.

"Twilight will also have to come back for subsequent therapy sessions.  Now while PTSD itself will likely last for at least a month, she will still have to keep coming back for more therapy routines afterwards.  Whether she comes back once a week, or month, or even annually, will depend on her current condition."

"But what about the scars in her heart?" asked Fluttershy.  "Will they heal too?"

"Hmm...  That I can't say for certain.  But let me put it to you in a way you might understand.  Let's say you have a window, and it breaks into pieces.  What's your first impulse?"

"Ah'd get mahself a new window," replied Applejack.

"Yes, in the literal sense that would work," said the therapist, as if she expected that answer.  "But in figurative terms, let's say the window represents friendship.  If this kind of window breaks, it means that a pony has been emotionally damaged by his or her friends somehow.  In this case, two options are presented.  The window can either be fixed, and let's pretend that it can, or the pony could still get a new window.  Now, what do you think would happen if there was a new window this time?  Do you see where I'm going?"

"Uh... ah reckon," said Applejack sadly.

"If the pony got a new window, that would mean starting over from scratch, making new friends..."

"And forgetting old friends..." cried Fluttershy.

"Uh, not necessarily," said the therapist.  "You see, if Twilight got a new window, she would still likely keep in touch with you, but she just wouldn't be hanging out with you and such."

"What about me?" asked Spike.  "I'm her number one assistant."

"And I'm her brother," added Shining Armor.

"Yes, I know," said the therapist.  "But you have to be aware that anypony who took part in smashing Twilight's window counts.  And... forgive me, Princess, but that includes you too.  And pretty much everypony here..."  She then turned to Cadance.  "Except you."

"So... if Twilight starts over..." said Spike, starting to cry.  "That means... I can't be her assistant anymore?"

"I wouldn't be able to spend family time with her?" asked Shining Armor, visibly upset.

"And I wouldn't be able to have some personal time with her?" asked Celestia.

"I'm not sure," answered the therapist.  "But in a worst-case scenario, it's possible.  And this may not have to be."

"Hey, wait!" Pinkie pointed out.  "Twilight should have already fixed her window, as you put it.  Remember?"

"Well, yes, technically," the therapist responded.  "So that means all the pieces have been put back into place.  But what usually happens when you fix a broken window?  That's right, the cracks are still there to show that the window has been broken once.  In other words, when Twilight was abandoned that night, it happened and there was no turning back.  So these cracks represent her emotional scars left behind.  This means should Twilight choose to return to Ponyville with all of you, she may recover from PTSD overtime and your friendship will likely be as strong as ever, but the scars in her heart are liable to still exist.  And they may very well be there... for as long as she lives."  Everypony gasped upon hearing this.

"You mean... for the rest of her life?" asked Fluttershy tearfully.

"It's highly likely," answered the therapist.  Fluttershy burst into tears.

"Does that mean that our Twilight will never be the same again?" asked Applejack.

"Well, she has become more emotionally fragile as of now," answered the therapist.  Shining Armor broke down.

"This is all because of me," he moaned.  "I hadn't seen her in so long, she was only trying to protect me, and this is how I repaid her, by scarring her for life."  Cadance tried her best to comfort him.  Meanwhile, in the therapist's office, Twilight had been crying her eyes out having told her parents of her condition and needed the small paper bag to breathe into again.

"Just try to relax," said her father.  "Take nice deep breaths.  You'll be fine."  But once Twilight was done, her eyes suddenly spun around and she flopped down onto the sofa and fainted.

"There's still hope for Twilight," Cadance assured Shining Armor.  "Sure she may not be the same again, but her friends have resolved to be better.  We should too."  That's when they heard Twilight Velvet cry from inside the therapist's office.

"Excuse me," said the therapist, going back in.  Everyone then listened in and this is what they heard.  "It's alright, she just fainted.  She'll wake up in a second."  Now everypony felt even worse.

"Twilight... fainted..." moaned Applejack.

"I can't take this anymore," said Shining Armor.  He then addressed Princess Celestia.  "Princess, I'm resigning as captain of the royal guards."  The others were surprised to hear this, but Celestia nodded.

"I accept," she said.  "As a matter of fact, I think it is for the best.  As you know, Princess Cadance must return to her duties as ruler of the Crystal Empire soon.  As her husband, I am certain you will accept your new duty to rule by her side as prince."

"I'm not going anywhere until Twilight is fine," Shining Armor protested.

"I understand."  The therapist came out of her office.

"Is Twilight okay?" Shining Armor asked urgently.

"She's fine," said the therapist.  "She's just waking up."  Everypony let out a sigh of relief.  "So, are you ready to go see her?"

"Of course," said Applejack.

"Very well, but remember that as her good friends, you must be prepared to accept whatever decision she makes."  They all nodded.  The therapist went into her office.  "Twilight?  Are you ready to see your friends?"

"Mm-hm," Twilight nodded.  The therapist then addressed Twilight's friends just outside.  "She's ready to see you."  Everypony else slowly entered the therapist's office.

> Chapter 7: Goodbye, Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"I guess things will never be the same between us ever again."





Twilight's face was tear-stained and her friends took notice of a puddle near the sofa, to which they surmised was a result of her crying quite a bit.  They all felt sad with her, as they should never have been fooled by that wicked phony pretending to be Cadance.

"I suggest you see her one at a time," said the therapist.  Cadance came to Twilight and hugged her.  So did Twilight's parents.

"Twilight," said Cadance.  "I had a nightmare too while I was on my honeymoon.  It was because I had been imprisoned in those tunnels so long and it came back to haunt me.  But your brother was able to comfort me and I felt much better."

"No matter what choice you make, we will always love you, sweetheart," Twilight Velvet assured.  So Twilight's parents and Cadance stepped aside to allow Twilight's friends to see her and say what they want.  Applejack stepped forward first.

On the willows, there
We hung up our lives
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth

"Twilight?"  Applejack looked into Twilight's eyes, but she only looked back at her, the sorrow in her eyes plainly visible.  "Oh, Twi...  Ah'm so sorry.  Ah know we made this happen, but... we never meant for it to happen.  Ah wish this never had to happen.  Twilight, you're the best friend anypony could ask for...  But ah reckon... we all failed to realize your intentions that night.  Ah don't know what was in our heads to make us think you were bein'...  No, ah can't say it.  Ah know you're hurtin', sugar, but... ah'm hurt too.  We all are.  But... ah guess if you wanna start a new life... because of us... then... it's what we deserve.  And ah understand.  But... ah'm sorry...  We're all sorry that we couldn't be better friends.  Here..."  Applejack removed her hat and put it on Twilight's head, surprising her.  "Keep it, sugar cube," she said with a teary smile.  "Ah can always get another hat... but ah can't get another you."  She then shared a big hug with Twilight and afterwards, she started to walk back to the others, but looked back at her.  "Goodbye, Twilight."

"Well said, Applejack," said Celestia.  Fluttershy went next.

On the willows, there
We hung up our lives
For our captors there
Required
Of us songs
And our tormentor's mirth

Fluttershy could hardly speak a word to Twilight nor could she bring herself to look at Twilight's tear-stained face.  And when she did, she burst into dramatic sobs.

"Oh, why did I have to represent the Element of Kindness," she wept.  "I should have stayed with you that night.  Why did I ever walk out on you?  How can you be so forgiving?!"  Twilight didn't answer, as if she didn't have the gall to even speak.  Still crying, Fluttershy was still able to share a hug with Twilight.  She then walked back to the others, leaving Pinkie Pie to go next.  And even she looked sorrowful as she approached Twilight.

"Hey, Pinkie," murmured Twilight, hardly able to smile.

"I'm sorry too, Twilight," cried Pinkie.  "We all should have known you better than to just crash a party.  Now that I think about it, it's like we didn't know you at all!  It was stupid!  We were stupid!  Oh, I wish I could cheer everyone up, but... even I don't feel like it right now.  But at least we all get to be sad together, right?"  Twilight held back more tears and nodded.  Pinkie then shared a hug with Twilight and went back to the others.  Rarity was next.

Saying
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion

"Oh, Twilight, darling," Rarity cried.  "How thoughtless I was to think ill of you.  I... I...  Oh, I was... evil!"  She choked back tears.  "If only we had been more sensitive...  Well... if this is how things are, then... this is it.  Twilight, you've been the best friend we could ask for, but we failed to be the best of friends to you.  We'll be sad to not have you as a part of us, but... we deserve it.  And don't try to tell us otherwise.  We have to accept the consequences of our mistakes.  But we are so sorry... and if this is goodbye, we just want you to know."  Rarity shared a hug with Twilight and then went back to the others.  Rainbow Dash came next.

Sing us one
Of the songs of Zion
But how can we sing?
Sing the Lord's songs?
In a foreign land?

"Twilight?" murmured Rainbow Dash, trying to hold back tears.  "I'm sorry," she cried.  "We should have been at least twenty percent better friends.  We grew closer and stronger so much since the day I crashed into you and messed up your mane with my rain-blow dry.  I know what it's like to feel like you've lost your friends.  I felt it when you all played the part of ol' Mare Do Well.  That same night, I almost sacrificed myself to save all of you and I swore I'd never turn my back on any of you, no matter what you did to me.  I'll feel alone without you, but... I guess I'll just have to live with that... for what I've done..."  Rainbow shared a hug with Twilight and went back to the others.

Now it was Spike's turn.  After all, he had also chosen not to stay with Twilight on the night of the wedding rehearsal.  Since no one was there to comfort her that night, Spike also felt just as bad as Twilight's friends.  And he was Twilight's number one assistant!

"Twilight?"  Spike was feeling pretty awful.  He jumped on the sofa next to her.  "We've been through everything together.  I remember always being there for you and helping you through hard times.  I took care of you once when you were sick.  I comforted you that night in Ponyville when you got homesick.  No matter what happened, we would always be friends."  He paused.  "But then I blew it, didn't I?"  Spike then started to cry.  "Wh-what's gonna happen to us?  I feel like I've lost you already... and I don't want to!"

"Oh, Spike..." Twilight murmured.  They shared a big hug, both of them shedding tears.  After Spike went back to the others, Princess Celestia herself then came forward.

"Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student," she spoke softly.  "I feel that it's my fault for putting you through so much.  And I know you've learned so many valuable lessons... but... what happened that night... didn't have to happen."  Celestia even started to choke back tears now.  "I should have trusted you...  After all these years... you've never let me down... and now I feel like it's costing me my own reputation.  I was able to ease my people, but I fear that I'm not out of the woods yet.  But Twilight... I'll never, ever be able to find another student like you.  You were like a daughter to me... every moment I had you by my side..."  As they hugged, Twilight heard Celestia crying, which surprised her at first.  When Celestia went back to stand by the others, it was finally Shining Armor's turn.

"Aw, Twiley," he said to her.  "I... I can't even begin to tell you how bad I feel... 'cause I started it...  But... you really are my best mare.  I resigned as captain of the guards just now."  Twilight was shocked.

"But... you didn't have to...  It was your dream."

"My dream would have meant nothing without you in my life.  Besides, now that Cadance and I are married, I've become prince of the Crystal Empire.  But I want to make sure that you're okay before I return with her.  You're everything to me, Twiley.  Never forget that."  They shared a big hug and then all of Twilight's friends left the therapist's office.

On the willows, there
We hung up our lives

"I know it's hard, Twilight," said the therapist.  "But remember that you never truly have to say goodbye.  Whatever your decision is, I hope that it will be best for you."  Twilight nodded.



Meanwhile, her friends were waiting outside the office, when the door finally opened and Twilight came out of the office along with her parents and the therapist.  Twilight had reached a decision and she approached Celestia.  She then looked back at her parents and the therapist, each of whom nodded assuredly.  Twilight then looked back up at Celestia.

"I wish to stay in Canterlot," she said decisively.  Twilight's friends, Celestia, and Shining Armor looked dismayed upon hearing this.  Pinkie's mane and tail even went straight instead of being curly as usual.  Fluttershy wept quietly.  Twilight's parents came to their daughter.

"Let's go home," said her father.  "You've had a long day."

"Get some rest, Twilight," said the therapist.  "We'll have another therapy session tomorrow morning."  Twilight nodded and her parents led her away.
> Chapter 8: Morning of Farewells
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Perhaps friendship is something that can never truly be fully exploited."





~ Day 4 ~

Twilight woke up the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed.  Spike was still asleep.

"Spike?" she said.  "Spike...  C'mon, Spike.  Up and at 'em."

"Not now, mommy," Spike muttered, as if still sleeping.  "Just five more minutes."  Twilight giggled.

"Spike..."  She gently prodded him awake.  Spike noticed Twilight seemingly cheery again.

"You seem to be okay," said Spike, happy to see Twilight in a good mood.

"Yep.  I slept well last night."

"No more nightmares?"

"Not this time.  I may have them every now and then, but it's nice to know I have somepony I can trust.  Speaking of which, my next therapy session begins in an hour."

"You know, Twi," said Spike.  "With all these studies you've devoted your life to, I'm surprised you never had these therapy sessions much sooner.  You could have been way less stressed.  Or did you... not have time for them?"  Twilight giggled again.

"You could say that," said Twilight.  As she got ready to start the day, she took notice of Applejack's hat she had hung over her bed.  Twilight's mood changed to somewhat sad and she sighed, but ultimately tried not to let it bother her.

Later that morning, all five of Twilight's friends were at the Canterlot train station, ready to return to Ponyville.  They were all very sad, assuming that Twilight was not coming back with them.  Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance were preparing to see them off.  Pinkie Pie's mane and tail were still straight and she was slightly discolored, Applejack didn't have her hat, Fluttershy was in tears, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash just looked distressed.

"I can't believe this is happening," cried Pinkie.

"It...just...won't be the same Ponyville without her," said Rarity.

"Ah guess maybe we should have known this was comin'," said Applejack.

"Yeah, but... it's still sad," said Rainbow Dash.  Fluttershy just wept.  The train doors opened and Applejack looked back one last time and sighed.  But just as they were about to board the train...

"You girls weren't gonna go without me, were you?" said Twilight from behind, wearing Applejack's hat.  The others were surprised to see her standing there along with Spike, her parents, and the therapist.  Twilight approached her friends.  "I'm ready to go home."  Their faces all lit up hearing this, as they knew it meant that Twilight made her final decision.  She had decided to return to Ponyville.  "I know it might be hard for me, knowing that I might feel down every now and then for the rest of my life, but I think it would be even harder for me to start a whole new friendship."  Pinkie Pie's mane and tail returned to normal instantly and she jumped on top of Twilight, pinning her to the ground with joy.

"Twilight's staying!  Twilight's staying!" she squealed, pulling Twilight into a hug.  "I'm so happy!"

"Ah think we all are," said Applejack.  Fluttershy cried tears of joy and gave Twilight a squeeze.  Rarity nuzzled her and Rainbow Dash gave her a clap on the back.

"Good to have you back, Twilight," said Rainbow.  "We missed ya."  Twilight's parents then hugged their daughter and Spike jumped on Twilight's back.  Twilight then gave Applejack her hat back.

"Here.  It looks better on you anyway."  Applejack had no words to describe her happiness.  She just shed tears of joy instead and hugged her.  Then the therapist approached Twilight.

"You'll be okay, then?" she asked.  Twilight nodded.

"I will.  I'll come back next week for my next therapy session."

"That's good.  After that, we can discuss how often you'd like us to meet.  Now I suggest you take things easy for this month.  If you ever feel exhausted or overwhelmed, you should stop whatever it is you're doing and get some rest.  And if you're ever feeling depressed or anything, make sure your friends know so they can help you."

"Thank you so much, Gentle Soul... for everything you've done for me."

"It was my pleasure, Twilight Sparkle."  And they shared a hug.  "I'll see you next week."  Twilight then went to her brother and smiled.

"I'm sorry I worried you so much," said Twilight.

"I'm just so glad you're feeling better," said Shining Armor.  "Twiley, no matter where we go, I'll always be your big brother best friend forever."

"That's forever," said Twilight, coming to tears of joy and hugging him.  And with that, Twilight and her friends boarded the train for the ride home to Ponyville.

> Epilogue:  True Friendship is Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"There's always a difference between friends and true friends."





~ Day 5 ~

Twilight was happy to wake up in the Ponyville library.  A brand new day was dawning and she could feel it.  But she noticed that once again, Spike had gotten up before her, so she went downstairs.

"Hey, Twilight," said Spike.  "Your friends are waiting for you at the Sugarcube Corner.  Come on, let's go!"  When Twilight and Spike arrived...

"Surprise!!" all of her friends suddenly shouted.  Pinkie Pie had set up yet another fabulous party!

"You're the best, Twilight!" said Pinkie Pie.  "This party's just for you!"  Twilight was touched.

"You didn't have to do this," she said.

"Aw, of course we did!" said Pinkie.  "We're so glad you're here to stay!"  Twilight came to tears of joy.  Later that afternoon, she was back in the library, looking happily out of the upstairs window near her bed.

"Spike," she said.  "Take down a letter."

"You got it, Twi!" said Spike.

"Dear Princess Celestia..."  And as Twilight narrated her latest letter, she was seen going around Ponyville interacting with other ponies and resuming her daily lifestyle.

"These past few days may have been miserable for me, but it taught me one of the greatest lessons about friendship I could ever hope to know."  Twilight is seen partying at the Sugarcube Corner with her friends, along with Mr. and Mrs. Cake and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Friendship is such a wonderful thing, but it can be easy to break apart and hard to put the pieces back together.  However, being there for each other no matter what happens can always make a pony feel rest assured, even if it takes being overwhelmed to get somepony to notice your problems."  Twilight is at Sweet Apple Acres sampling Applejack's applesauce.  She then buys one jar for two bits.  Spike is then seen greedily guzzling some applesauce right out of a jar, which makes Twilight and Applejack laugh.  Spike, with applesauce on his face, laughs too.

"It is said that sometimes when friends do so many good things that when they do one bad thing, they're showing their true colors.  But I learned that this is never the case, especially when friends are truly sorry for their mistakes.  And although there's always one or two things that just can't be agreed on, differences make our friendship so much stronger as long as we learn to embrace them and discover what us ponies are truly made of."  Twilight is having a picnic with Cheerilee, Fluttershy, Big Macintosh, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.  At one point, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh are talking, when the Cutie Mark Crusaders suddenly nestle in Fluttershy's mane, making them both laugh.


"I still feel down every now and then.  Just thinking about bad times we've had makes me sad, and sometimes I just wish that they never happened because of how much they hurt.  But I know this.  My best friends will always be there for me... to love me... to comfort me... to show me how much they truly care for me.  And they make me happy."  Twilight is seen feeling sad in the library, which is likely stemming from the lingering effects of PTSD, and Spike notices.  He then gets Twilight to notice that all five of her friends have come for a visit to cheer her up.  They all cuddle up and share a group hug.  Even Spike joins in.

"I'm glad that I got to learn so much about friendship and how much of a difference it made in my life.  And although my friends have been so nice to me, more than ever before, it's actually good to see that some things in Ponyville haven't changed.  I certainly wouldn't change a thing.  I'm happy.  And even though I can't be with everyone I love all the time, I don't think I'll ever feel alone again."  Twilight and her friends, including Spike, are all having a picnic together.  They then see the Cutie Mark Crusaders running past them wearing their capes that Sweetie Belle made, off to try and find their special talents for the umpteenth time.  Twilight just smiles seeing this.  The six friends then share another group hug.

"Always, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."  Back in the library, Twilight finished narrating her letter and Spike sent it off using his special delivery dragon breath.  The green smoke flew out the library towards Canterlot in the distance.


THE END

> Chapter 8A: Morning of Farewells
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Perhaps friendship is something that can never truly be fully exploited."





~ Day 4 ~

Twilight woke up the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed.  Spike was still asleep.

"Spike?" she said.  "Spike...  C'mon, Spike.  Up and at 'em."

"Not now, mommy," Spike muttered, as if still sleeping.  "Just five more minutes."  Twilight giggled.

"Spike..."  She gently prodded him awake.  Spike noticed Twilight seemingly cheery again.

"You seem to be okay," said Spike, happy to see Twilight in a good mood.

"Yep.  I slept well last night."

"No more nightmares?"

"Not this time.  I may have them every now and then, but it's nice to know I have somepony I can trust.  Speaking of which, my next therapy session begins in an hour."

"You know, Twi," said Spike.  "With all these studies you've devoted your life to, I'm surprised you never had these therapy sessions much sooner.  You could have been way less stressed.  Or did you... not have time for them?"  Twilight giggled again.

"You could say that," said Twilight.  As she got ready to start the day, she took notice of Applejack's hat she had hung over her bed.  Twilight's mood changed to somewhat sad and she sighed, but ultimately tried not to let it bother her.

Later that morning, all five of Twilight's friends were at the Canterlot train station, ready to return to Ponyville.  They were all very sad, assuming that Twilight was not coming back with them.  Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance were preparing to see them off.  Pinkie Pie's mane and tail were still straight and she was slightly discolored, Applejack didn't have her hat, Fluttershy was in tears, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash just looked distressed.

"I can't believe this is happening," cried Pinkie.

"It...just...won't be the same Ponyville without her," said Rarity.

"Ah guess maybe we should have known this was comin'," said Applejack.

"Yeah, but... it's still sad," said Rainbow Dash.  Fluttershy just wept.  The train doors opened and Applejack looked back one last time and sighed.  But just as they were about to board the train...

"You girls didn't think I wasn't gonna say goodbye, did you?" said Twilight from behind.  The others were surprised to see her standing there along with Spike, her parents, and the therapist.  Twilight approached her friends.  "You know... this doesn't have to be the end.  In spite of everything, I won't forget you.  At least each one of you taught me something about friendship.  But right now... I just want my old life back."

"Ah understand, sugarcube," said Applejack.  "But... do ya think... you could come back at least to visit us?  And just say hello?"

"Yeah... sure.  You may have let me down... but that doesn't mean I should."  Twilight and Applejack shared a hug.  Soon, Twilight's friends were on board the train as it departed and they all waved to Twilight until they were out of sight.  Then the therapist approached Twilight.

"You'll be okay, then?" she asked.  Twilight nodded.

"I will.  I'll come back next week for my next therapy session."

"That's good.  After that, we can discuss how often you'd like us to meet.  Now I suggest you take things easy for this month.  If you ever feel exhausted or overwhelmed, you should stop whatever it is you're doing and get some rest.  And if you're ever feeling depressed or anything, make sure your friends know so they can help you."

"Thank you so much, Gentle Soul... for everything you've done for me."

"It was my pleasure, Twilight Sparkle."  And they shared a hug.  "I'll see you next week."  Twilight then went to her brother and smiled.

"I'm sorry I worried you so much," said Twilight.

"I'm just so glad you're feeling better," said Shining Armor.  "Twiley, no matter where we go, I'll always be your big brother best friend forever."

"That's forever," said Twilight, coming to tears of joy and hugging him.

"You know, it's funny," Spike suddenly said.

"Hmm?" said Twilight.  "What is?"

"You know, you used to be famous for being such a bad friend."

"What are you talking about?  What about my good friends here in Canterlot?" Twilight then gasped.  "That's it!  That's how I can start over!  I still have my old Canterlot friends!  They can help me!  But do you really think that they think I'm a bad friend?!  I've been away too long!"

"Why don't you look at it this way?" said Celestia.  "You can tell them that you know what it's like to be hurt and you can all come together and share your feelings."

"I hope it works," said Twilight.  "As you are my witness, I will not be friendless ever again!"
> Epilogue: There's No School Like Old School
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"There's always a difference between friends and true friends."





Twilight came to Minuette's house first and knocked on the door.  "These ponies have probably been suffering ever since I left," she said.  "They're probably wondering why their supposed friend would treat them so badly!"  Minuette answered the door.  "Minuette?"

"Twilight Sparkle!" laughed Minuette.  "You old so-and-so!  What are you doing here?  I mean, I know you're here all the time, but you never come to see me.  Hey!  I just had the greatest idea!  You wanna go see Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine?"

"Of course!" replied Twilight.  "My old friends!"

"It'll be great!" Minuette giggled.  "Come on!"  Soon, Twilight and Minuette got together with Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine and all four ponies along with Spike were sitting at a table enjoying some refreshments.

"To think," said Minuette.  "Our old friend Lyra, myself, and Twinkleshine were thrown out of the wedding all because we just wanted to meet Canterlot royalty!  How bonkers is that?!"

"Tell me about it!" said Twinkleshine.  "That was some shindig!"

"You remember our old friend, Lyra, right?" Minuette giggled.  "She lives in Ponyville too.  We're always over there visiting her.  Or she's coming over here!  We've thought about asking you to join us from time to time, but we just sorta figured you'd moved on."

"Oh..." murmured Twilight.  "Well... about that.  You see..."  She sighed.  "I came to apologize."

"For what?" asked Minuette.

"Before I left Canterlot, I didn't really appreciate my friends," Twilight confessed.  "And that's because I didn't know how important friendship was.  But I've learned so much since I moved to Ponyville.  I learned what it means to be a good friend and that I certainly wasn't one to the three of you.  So for all the pain I caused you, I am truly sorry."  But her three friends just looked at her like she had two heads, or grew an extra horn for that matter, and just giggled.

"Oh, come on, Twilight!" said Minuette.  "Sure, it might've stung a little bit when you ran off to Ponyville without saying goodbye, but it's not like we weren't used to that from you!"

"Yeah," agreed Twinkleshine.  "We didn't take it personally."

"But it's really good to see you now," said Lemon Hearts.  And then Twilight remembered.

"Hey, whatever happened to Moon Dancer?" she asked.  "You know, our other friend."

"Yeah, I always liked her," said Minuette.  "We just sort of lost touch after you left."

~ Day 7 ~

"Come on, Twilight!" Spike sighed.  "We've been watching her for three days!  Library, house, library, house.  That's it!"

"Nopony looks at her or says hello or even gives her a smile," said Twilight.  "It's like she doesn't even exist.  Was she always like this?"

"Well, she always was a little shy," answered Minuette.  "But for a while there, she was really starting to come out of her shell.  Remember when she threw that party?  Oh, right.  I think you might've been busy that day.  We thought she finally might be letting her guard down a little with that party.  We invited her out a few times after that.  But she was always too busy studying.  So, eventually, we just stopped asking."

"I had no idea that party was so important to her.  I'm gonna go talk to her."  So Twilight gathered her courage and approached Moon Dancer while she was heading for the Canterlot library.  "Moon Dancer?"  The young recluse turned her head and saw Twilight Sparkle, her old friend from years ago, but pretended not to know her.

"What do you want?" she said.  "I have a lot of studying to do."

"It's me, Twilight Sparkle!  I'm here with all your old friends!"

"Oh... it's you."  Moon Dancer turned away.  "Sorry, but I don't do friendship anymore.  It just doesn't work for me."

"I know," said Twilight.  "And I think it's my fault.  Back when we were in school together, you invited me to a party.  I was so focused on my studies that I didn't show up."

"Big deal!"

"It was a big deal. And now that I realize how important friendship is, I'd like for us to start over.  Please, don't let my mistake be the reason you can't be friends with anypony else."  Moon Dancer ignored Twilight, so she tried again.  "Please!  I know what it's like to be hurt!"  This stopped Moon Dancer and Twilight went on.  "I did learn so much about friendship while I was living in Ponyville, but my friends, the ones who first taught me... they hurt me in the end.  And I--"

"Well, now you see why friendship isn't worth my time, don't you?" snarled Moon Dancer.  "You take big risks, but in the end, it just comes crashing down on you!  I never wanted to let myself be hurt like that again!"

"Neither do I," agreed Twilight.  "And it doesn't have to be that way.  I'm here to stay in Canterlot now.  I want my old life back... and I want you back too."

"We were your friends then and we'd be honored to be your friends now," said Minuette, joining in.

"Minuette?" said Moon Dancer.  And soon Twilight's other friends showed up too, including Lyra from Ponyville.  "Lemon Hearts...  Twinkleshine...  Lyra...  You're all here."

"You've got a lot of friends, Moon Dancer," said Minuette.

"I'm sorry, Moon Dancer.  Seeing how my actions affected you is one of the worst feelings I've ever had.  I've missed so much since I left Canterlot and after what I went through at that royal wedding, I think me staying here in Canterlot and catching up on old times is the right thing for me to do."  Moon Dancer was touched by the genuine affection of her friends and wiped away a single tear.

"Thank you, Twilight," she sniffled.  "I never realized how much I needed to hear that."

"Um, Moon Dancer?" said Spike.  "It got kinda banged up, but here's a little something I wanted to give you back at your first party."  Spike handed her a somewhat wrinkled present and she opened in.  Inside was a photo of the original Mane 6, consisting of her, Twilight, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and Lyra.  Moon Dancer was moved to tears.

"Friends forever?" said Twilight.

"Friends forever!" Moon Dancer agreed, the two old friends sharing a warm hug.  "Gee, I'd better get myself fixed up.  I look awful!"






After Moon Dancer got herself tidied up, the six friends of Canterlot went out to dinner that night.  And while waiting for their orders, Twilight quickly dashed off a letter to Princess Celestia.

"Dear Princess Celestia, these past few days may have been miserable for me, but it taught me one of the greatest lessons about friendship I could ever hope to know.  Friendship is such a wonderful thing, but it can be easy to break apart and hard to put the pieces back together.  However, being there for each other no matter what happens can always make a pony feel rest assured, even if it takes being overwhelmed to get somepony to notice your problems.  It is said that sometimes when friends do so many good things that when they do one bad thing, they're showing their true colors.  But I learned that this is never the case, especially when friends are truly sorry for their mistakes.  And although there's always one or two things that just can't be agreed on, differences make our friendship so much stronger as long as we learn to embrace them and discover what us ponies are truly made of.  I still feel down every now and then.  Just thinking about bad times we've had makes me sad, and sometimes I just wish that they never happened because of how much they hurt.  But I know this.  My good friends will always be there for me... to love me... to comfort me... to show me how much they truly care for me.  And they make me happy.  I'm glad that I got to learn so much about friendship and how much of a difference it made in my life.  I'm happy.  And even though I can't be with everyone I love all the time, I don't think I'll ever feel alone again.  Always, your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

"Hey," said Moon Dancer to Twilight.  "You know something?"

"What?" said Twilight.

"You've still gotta teach me that Hayscartes technique!"

"Deal!"  Twilight laughed.  She then looked out of a window towards the evening sky and smiled.  Visionary images of her Ponyville friends appeared in the stars.


THE END