Tragedy

Twilight awoke from yet another nightmare in a sweat. Her dreams of Celestia had been getting worse recently. A single tear fell from her eye. "Oh Princess Celestia, why couldn't I have given my life? Instead, you..." She held back some tears and shook her head. "No. She wouldn't want you to feel like this, Twilight. Remember what she said, stay strong for her, stay strong." Twilight composed herself. She had tried hard, so very hard, to be strong in the face of it all. Some days were better than others but today was not one of them.

Twilight had been mostly helping Princess Luna with her duties since her return, and while she did her duty well, she felt uneasy during this time. Twilight and Luna were not close, and although Twilight was respected and liked in the castle, she had no one there she truly knew. Even Spike, her number-one assistant and friend, was no longer with her, as he had perished alongside Celestia.

Twilight got out of bed and walked up to the mirror. She looked at herself. She was a little bigger than she used to be. Her hair was longer and you could see small wrinkles forming from all the stress she had gone through. "Uhh... I look a mess. I wonder what Rarity would make of this?" She tried to force half a smile, but it soon faded. "Oh, I miss them all so much. I hope that my request works." Twilight closed her eyes and past visions of her and her close friends and their misadventures began to run through her mind. She flopped back on her bed.

"Hmm, Rarity is probably a top designer now. Her own fashion lines and chain of shops." Twilight smiled. "And Fluttershy, she probably runs a clinic or shelter for the animals." She smiled again. "Applejack must have expanded her family farm to bigger plots and is keeping Equestria fed." She grinned. "The Wonderbolts disbanded but I wouldn't put it past Rainbow to have formed her own, even more spectacular group!" She rolled her eyes and smiled again. "And Pinkie... well, she's probably being Pinkie Pie." She giggled. The clock chimed outside. Twilight got up again. It was time to go about her duties for today. She slowly opened the door made her way to see Luna.

The day consisted of the usual meetings and greetings. There were the usual documents to sign, nothing special. Twilight cleared her head and set about the tasks until the day was done and it was time to sleep again. She entered her room, gave a sigh and crawled into bed.

The next day, Twilight awoke and let out a scream. This time it wasn't a nightmare. She was shocked to see a black-robed pony at the hoof of her bed. She quickly glanced around the room, and noticed that this pony was the only one. Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked at the pony, finally realizing who it was. It was one of the royal scouts, and in her mouth was a letter.

"Do you not knock before entering a filly's room?" she angrily snapped. The figure just stood there. "Sigh, well I guess I should lock the door in future. Anyway, to what do I owe this visit?" she asked. The figure slowly made her way to the side of the bed and opened its mouth, plopping the letter in front of Twilight. Twilight looked down at the envelope. "I see..." her voice fading as she recognized the seal of the Royal Scribe imprinted on the parchment. Twilight's eyes lit up as she immediately tore into it and began reading its contents.

Dear Miss Twilight Sparkle,

I am happy to report that after an extensive search, the whereabouts of the ponies you listed have been discovered, all but one. As requested, we have delivered to each of the following, an invitation to meet with you. However, it must be noted that each had reservations to travelling to Canterlot. It was suggested by one 'Applejack' that a neutral meeting place would be of benefit to all for personal reasons. This information was passed along to all of the recipients. Of the four, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash all agreed to meet with you at the enclosed destination. The pony known as Fluttershy was unable to confirm and we regret to inform you that, as of yet, Pinkamena Diane Pie's whereabouts are unknown. We hope the information provided is sufficient.

Yours Sincerely,

Scribe Roseluck

Twilight looked up, dumbfounded for a moment. "They... found them! I don't believe it! No Pinkie, but... my friends..." Twilight began crying tears of happiness. She turned to the scout and smiled. "You will keep looking for Pinkie, right? Please tell me you will!" The scout nodded. Twilight hugged her. "Sorry for shouting at you," she said. The scout smiled and began to leave the room. "Oh wait, thank you so much for delivering this to me, I didn't catch your name though." Twilight paused awaiting a reply. The scout bumped into the doorframe before walking out.

"DeRpY," was all the scout said, in an unusual but cheery voice.

"Heh, thank you, Derpy, you made my morning so bright!" Twilight squeaked as she gave a big smile. She composed herself again, looking down at the letter's attached note. "A tavern. 'The Fabulous Serpent'? Hmm, I wonder why they couldn't come to Canterlot. Oh well, I guess they have their reasons." Twilight lept out of bed and immediately began to make arrangements.