A Lonely Path

by JDeck306

Chapter 1: Solitary Departure

The Sun had not yet risen when Twilight slowly opened her eyes and sighed deeply, knowing she would not manage to fall asleep again, not before the rest of the World woke up in a few hours. She spent some time thinking about simply grabbing a book, and reading until sunrise, but she shook her head.

Instead, she got out of bed and washed her face, but when she returned to her room, she noticed the beautiful, cloudless, and starry night sky, and she decided to head out for a walk. Since she would soon be very busy, perhaps she should make this a routine, so she could take some time for herself.

Early in the morning, Ponyville Palace was dark and quiet, and Twilight did not make a sound as she wandered through its empty hallways towards the doors. Although the Castle had grown into her home, she still missed the Golden Oaks Library, and she loved to watch the new sapling grow in its place.

When she stepped outside, and felt the gentle breeze flow through her mane, a small smile grew upon her face, and she forgot about all her worries as she walked to wherever she wanted. Though the day she had long been dreading would arrive by sunrise, she had been preparing for its arrival as well.

As she walked through town, and listened to countless leaves fluttering in the wind, her smile only brightened, while her eyes welled up with tears. For the first time in many years, after travelling everywhere with her friends, she would head off on a quest by herself, and she was afraid to leave.

After a short walk, Twilight left town, and made it to a small hill, where she sat down in the cool grass, and quietly watched as the Moon and stars slowly drifted overhead. Luckily, knowing Luna and Celestia would stay after they stepped down, as Royal Advisers to the throne, put her mind at ease.

Still, even though it would be a few more months until that day, there was a lot she had to do, yet few were as important as her solitary journey. She would go home when the first light of the rising Sun hit the spire of Ponyville Palace, and showered the whole area in a beautiful array of colours.

At that moment, she heard the faint and familiar sound of the Apples harvesting the fruits from the orchard, so she headed to the farm after drying her tears. Twilight was so glad see at least one of her friends before she left that she called out to Applejack, who quickly rushed over to greet her.

Without an ounce of effort, AJ jumped over the fence to embrace Twilight, when she admitted that it was unusual to see her so early, so she asked her if she was all right. When Twilight merely looked down as a small smile grew on her face, AJ offered to bring her inside for something warm to drink.

In turn, AJ sweetly smiled as she gently took Twilight by her hoof, and led her back to their home, where she asked Twilight to take a seat on the couch. After she hung up her scarf, AJ went into the kitchen, and returned a moment later with tea for them both, and a paper bag of baked apple treats.

With a quiet sigh, Twilight politely thanked AJ for her hospitality and the bag of treats, to which she merely replied that it was the least she could do. It was never easy to leave your home behind, especially without friends or family by her side on such a journey, even for just a couple of days.

AJ warmly smiled as she looked at Big Mac and Applebloom in the orchard, before she said:

"I know how hard it is, sugarcube. I promise we'll be there when you leave, and when you return."

After Twilight thanked Applejack for her reassurance, she also turned around to look at Big Mac and Applebloom, while Applejack merely smiled as her eyes welled up with tears. When she started to cry a moment later, out of sight of her Siblings, Twilight took her hoof, and gently hugged her friend.

Holding back tears herself as Applejack cried into her shoulder, Twilight quietly promised her that she was there for her, just like the day when her facade broke. Out of all the townsfolk present at the funeral, not one Pony's face was left unstained after Applejack started to weep uncontrollably.

Eventually, when Applejack sat upright again, and looked at her all too familiar scarf, she let out a great sigh, and kindly thanked Twilight for letting her cry. In return, Twilight smiled warmly as she grabbed a few tissues for Applejack, and helped her to wipe all the tears off her stained face.

As the dark night sky slowly brightened over the horizon, after they had cleaned her face, Twilight finished her tea, and sweetly thanked Applejack for inviting her inside. Now, she added, she had to return to the Palace, have breakfast, and place everything she needed for her journey by the doors.

With a bittersweet smile on her face, Applejack walked Twilight to the door, promising her that she would be there to wave her goodbye before she left. But after she left, Applejack started to return the cups to the kitchen, when she saw the bag of baked treats she had given her still on the table.

Since she could not let Twilight leave without something to eat for on her way, Applejack picked up the bag of treats, put on her scarf, and ran after Twilight as quickly as she could. To her relief, after she took a shortcut through the apple orchard, she caught up to Twilight to give her the bag.

Before Twilight could apologise for forgetting the bag, Applejack said that she understood how busy she was, and wished her the best of luck in preparing what she needed. After AJ leapt back over the fence, she whistled to Big Mac and Applebloom, and asked them to reach out to all of their friends.

While the three Apple Siblings rushed around, Twilight headed home, now carrying her bag of treats, when the Sun shone on the spire of the Castle, and lit up the area with countless colours. In turn, Twilight stopped walking to admire its beauty, and took some time to listen to the World waking up.

It had been some time since she last watched the Sun rise, but no matter how much she read about it or how often she saw it, she would never stop loving the view. As the first Ponies left their homes to start their day, Twilight got up to fly home, never noticing the Apples stopping by her friends.

When Twilight stepped through the doors to the Palace, she noticed the wonderful scent of breakfast being made, and found Spike in the kitchen preparing all sorts of goodies. He only realised she was there when she cleared her throat, and he happily wished her a good morning, standing at eye level.

In an instant, Spike could tell that Twilight had been crying, but he just smiled gently as he told her that he would call her downstairs in a little while when breakfast was done. Without uttering a word, Twilight slowly nodded to her lifelong friend, and turned away, when Spike asked her to wait.

As soon as she saw Spike open his arms, she deeply embraced him, and exhaled shakily, when he said:

"You'll be all right. We'll all be all right. I promise. You can do this..."

The two stood in their embrace in the kitchen for some time, as Spike would not let go of Twilight, nor would she let go of him, until she felt her eyes well up again. In turn, Twilight put her wings in front of her face, thanked Spike for his kindness, and told him that she would be back upstairs.

Although Spike wanted to tell Twilight so much, that he was there for her, or that he would go with her wherever she went, or that he treasured their friendship over everything else, he said nothing. Instead, he just smiled warmly, and just sweetly told her to take her time as she left the kitchen.

When Twilight made it to her room, she sat down in front of the mirror, and smiled as she looked at all the pictures around her reflection. But her smile was accompanied by tears, which streamed down her face faster as her smile grew brighter, until she turned away before she broke down completely.

Eventually, when Twilight managed to compose herself again, she took a deep breath, and grabbed her satchel, in which she carefully packed the last few items from her desk. But although she picked up almost everything with her magic, some items were so delicate, she only held these with her hooves.

After Twilight placed the satchel over her back, she went over the route on her map, while just out of sight, a familiar blue Pegasus hovered outside, before she flew away. Back downstairs, Spike had finished cleaning the kitchen, and was serving breakfast, when he heard somebody tap on the window.

When Spike opened the window, Rainbow Dash slowly appeared, and quietly greeted him, before she let him know that everyone would meet them by the train station after breakfast. In turn, Spike thanked Rainbow for telling him, since he knew for a fact Twilight would greatly appreciate their presence.

With a quick nod, Rainbow flew off, moments before Twilight appeared in the kitchen, where she took off her satchel, and carefully placed it on her lap. But although Spike saw how red Twilight's eyes were, he knew how much she already had to deal with, so he just served breakfast, and said nothing.

To his great relief, soon after Twilight started eating, her face lit up, and she smiled again, and she sweetly thanked Spike for breakfast, and for all of his support in this tough time. So much had changed so quickly, yet he was always there to help, and she could never thank him enough for this.

As a small smile grew upon Spike's face, he nodded to Twilight, and reached out his claw for her to hold. In turn, as Twilight laid her hoof in Spike's claw, while keeping a close eye on her satchel, he told her that after all she had done for him and countless others, it was the least he could do.

But despite the warm and sweet smile on the face of his closest friend, which put his mind at ease, Spike worried about Twilight. Too well did he remember how often she sacrificed herself for others, and how much she had helped him in the most challenging moments in his life, without any complaint.

And now, Twilight was heading on what Spike knew would be the most difficult journey she would ever face, all alone, no matter how many times her friends insisted they join her? After he finished his breakfast, Spike sighed, and discreetly dried his tears, when Twilight slowly got up from her seat.

But before Twilight left the kitchen, Spike gently took her hoof with his other claw, and said:

"I know you don't want anybody else to join. But would you please promise me you'll stay in touch?"

It had taken Twilight a long time to prepare everything for her journey, and every step of the way, her friends said that they would be glad to join her. But no matter how dearly Twilight wanted them to come along, even if it was just so they were there, she had to turn down their offer every time.

Although Twilight knew they all meant it well, and that they were just concerned, she knew that she could only do this by herself. So now, to hear Spike finally tell her that he understood she needed to do this alone, Twilight smiled warmly, and promised she would send a message whenever she could.

When Spike let go of her hoof, Twilight wished him well, and said goodbye as she headed towards the doors, until he reminded her of her bag of treats. As she carefully packed it in her satchel, Spike sweetly offered to join her to the station, as he thought it was polite to wave to her as she left.

With a solemn nod, Twilight accepted Spike's offer, and together, they made their way through town, but neither of the two said a word, as there was little they had not already talked about. The only thing that Twilight did not know was that their friends were waiting for them at the train station.

As they walked past the growing sapling, Twilight stopped for a moment to look at the town in which she had lived for so long, and she smiled, but sighed deeply, too. Though she would return in a few days, soon enough, she would have to leave Ponyville behind, and all the memories she made with it.

As she started to well up, Twilight could console still herself with the knowledge that it would be a little while before she had to leave. In turn, she hastened herself to the station, as she wanted to come back quickly, and spend as much time as she could with her friends and Family in Ponyville.

But when the train station appeared in the distance, Twilight's hopes to leave quietly were dashed, as she saw that a massive crowd of her friends had gathered on the platform. But just as she slowed down and stopped, Spike walked up to her, wearing a gentle smile, and gestured for her to continue.

With a racing heart, Twilight waved to her friends as she slowly headed towards the platform, where she anticipated with dread to have to reassure everyone she was all right. But the loud clamour she expected never arose, as everyone just smiled to her in silence as she passed by them to the train.

After she opened the door to the train cabin, Twilight took but one step inside, before she started to get choked up, and felt tears streaming down her face. It felt wrong to leave on her own without talking to her friends, so she turned around, and made no effort to hide her tears as she ran back.

Mere moments later, Twilight deeply embraced her friends with her wings, and quietly cried out that she could not do it, to which she just heard Applejack quietly tell her she would be all right. All she needed to know was that they were here for her, no matter what, just like they always had been.

Every single one of her friends on the platform agreed with Applejack, however tough it was to hold in their tears. When the train conductor blew his whistle, Twilight got up, but Applejack would not let go of her, not until she had sweetly dried her friend's tears with a knowing smile on her face.

Twilight smiled warmly, and, as she gave them all a gentle forehead kiss, whispered to her friends:

"Thank you..."

And with her heart now put at ease, she waved goodbye, and boarded the train.

To her relief, Twilight saw few other beings on the train when she boarded, and despite her status, and fame throughout all of Equestria, nobody was at all unnerved by her presence. Even the youngest Foals she saw only sweetly smiled to her, and waved as she passed by, to whom she nodded in return.

When she found a quiet cabin to sit in, Twilight gently took off her satchel, and placed it between her legs as she sat down, just before the train started to move. In turn, with one hoof on her bag, Twilight opened the window to lean outside, and waved at her friends, who all waved back in return.

The station faded into the distance not long after the train picked up speed, so Twilight let out a sigh, and closed the window after she returned inside. For the first time in ages, her friends were not by her side, and as she travelled ever further away, she worried about what could come to pass.

If her ascension to the throne of Equestria required her to move to Canterlot, what would happen to their friendship? Would it survive the test of time, or would it wither? If she could only reliably reach out to them by letter, how long would it take for them not to reply to her messages any more?

But even though countless unfounded fears and doubts flooded her mind and overwhelmed her thoughts, Twilight did not listen. Instead, she carefully reached into her satchel, grabbed one of the treats from the bag Applejack gave her, and when she took one bite, she felt all of her worries fade away.

The smile on her face brightened once again, as the delicious pastry instantly reminded Twilight of everything she held dear: her home, her Family, and her friends. She felt comfortable, warm, and at ease, as if everyone she loved was sitting right next to her, and she had never left their embrace.

In turn, Twilight sighed quietly, yet contently, as she leaned back in her seat, and made a note to thank Applejack for the treats when she returned. She could not understand how a single bite helped her to feel like she was still at home, nor could she explain how glad she was to have it with her.

With her mind now reassured and unburdened by worry or doubt, and plenty of pastries left, Twilight placed the paper bag back in her satchel, and closed her eyes. Though her journey would be terribly exhausting and long, she felt at peace, knowing she did not need to worry about anything back home.

Since the School was safe in Starlight's hooves, Spike was watching over the Palace in her absence, and her friends were nearby, if they needed a helping hoof, there was nothing they could not solve. It gave Twilight enough peace of mind that she nearly fell asleep, when she remembered her satchel.

Fortunately, her bag was still safely on her lap when she startled awake, just as the train started to slow down for the next station. But though there was plenty of space for her to put her satchel, Twilight held on to it a little more tightly, as she would not dare to let it fall, or topple over.

There were only a couple of stations along her Northbound journey, but apart from Canterlot, all of these were small and far apart, and Twilight knew the train would not get crowded anytime soon. The train stopped a few moments later, and the doors opened for a hoofful of passengers headed her way.

At that moment, an older Stallion entered, wearing a too familiar tiredness in his remaining eye...

Comments

[Princess_Twilight]

I find this really cool! Reading the next chapter now!