Bittersweet Trails

It was a rather noisy affair, and that was just how Pinkie liked it.

She gazed with wonder-filled eyes at the area in front of her, taking in the crowds of ponies making their way into temporary, low-set tents for fun events. The very light blanket of snow was almost like a cloud beneath her hooves, and the chill of the air was only just cold enough to perk her up, but not quite enough to make her shiver.

Pinkie Pie turned to the unicorn beside her, and beamed. "Wow, Twilight!" she said. "This is the best party I've ever seen from you! How'd you do it?"

Twilight resisted the impulse to correct her on the 'party' bit, and smiled back. "Oh, it's nothing really." she told the pink mare. "Just a little thought and organization. But I have to ask...where's that pony you were talking about bringing?"

Pinkie's expression quickly became ambivalent. "He, uh...kinda' bailed. He said something about...a family reunion! Yeah, that's it!"

Twilight frowned. "This doesn't bode well, Pinkie. You do know why this festival exists, right?" she asked.

"Kinda'." The earth pony shrugged.

The lavender mare simply raised a hoof towards the ongoing festival. "Take a look."

Pinkie did indeed take another look. Upon closer expecting, there seemed to be ponies traveling in whole packs-twos, fours, and sixes even. The pairs seemed to be most occurrent, though there seemed to be no real purpose to them.

It was only when she caught sight of a certain two mares that she began furrowing her brow, as if in deep concentration of thought. "Is that...Dashie? And Applejack? Ooh, they're here too!"

Twilight immediately hushed the pink pony with a hoof to the lips, and the pink pony simply stared out from behind it.

As the two mares watched, the pegasus lightly punched the farmpony on the shoulder, appearing to be laughing. The orange mare appeared to say a few words, and the rainbow maned flier immediately stopped.

"Hey, what are they..." Pinkie's eyes widened. "...doing..."

"I know, I know." said Twilight, smiling slightly. "I found it hard to believe myself. Believe it or not, they started dating just three days ago."

"So that's where those 2 were!" said Pinkie, watching as the two ponies pulled away from each other. A quick glance over from Rainbow caused the pegasus to jolt at the sight of the two. She did a double take, before pointing at Twilight, and mouthing, Her?!

Or perhaps it was 'You?!'. I never was that good at long distance lip reading...

"Do you see now, Pinkie?" asked Twilight. "That's why I asked if you'd brought somepony. It's more or less crucial to the night."

"Yep!" chirped Pinkie. "But that doesn't mean we still can't have fun! Come on, let's see what fun stuff there is!"

As the pink pony quickly pulled her into the crowded festival grounds, the lavender mare began to protest. "Pinkie, these events are strictly for..."

As faces of startled ponies flashed past her, a thought made her stop mid-sentence. If she wants to begin the whole plan by herself, fine. Let her.

Twilight finally felt herself come to a halt, and took in her surroundings. A gentle canopy of bright pink rested above the two ponies, and the unicorn was beginning to suppose that Pinkie had chosen this tent merely because it resembled her own hue.

"Welcome to the Beautiful Br-" A voice from behind her cut off almost as soon as it started. "Twilight? is that you?"

Twilight Sparkle turned to face the exclaimer, before nearly giving a start herself. The white unicorn in front of her had nearly a perfect 'o' of an expression, and an eyebrow raised so high as if it were trying to leave its place on her face.

The scholar looked hurriedly around, making sure that the pink mare was thoroughly occupied. As she seemed to be marveling at a large selection of colorful beads and strings, Twilight found it safe to continue. "Rarity," she said, leaning closer to the white unicorn. "I appreciate your volunteer work here, and I know that you're supposed to generally keep minimal interaction with other ponies, but if you could make a small exception-"

"Oh, I understand completely, Twilight!" interrupted the fashionesta. "Leave it to me, all right? I believe I have it under control."

Twilight Sparkle smiled at the eager violet maned pony in front of her. "Thank you, Rarity. This means a lot to me."

"Right then, you know the routine, dear."

'If you'll step this way and sit right down on this couch, I'll be with you momentarily! I'll just take your 'special somepony', and have them pick out what they think suits you best!' The unicorn followed the incredibly utopian introduction speech that was drilled into her head, by taking a seat on a small couch lined with red cushioning. It felt nice and soft, and it closely resembled the one that the white mare would often faint into when she was suitably surprised.

It was only a few seconds before she froze, cocking an ear to the world outside. It was completely silent, except for a few hushed cries. What is going on?

Twilight strained her hearing, attempting to hear over the rather distracting chatter of Pinkie Pie. A soft, dignified accent spoke out among the silence. It couldn't have been Rarity, because not only was she going through the general routine with Pinkie, but her voice never sounded quite so...motherly.

"Excuse me, miss, but would you have happened to have seen a certain 'Twilight Sparkle'?"

The purple unicorn rose from the couch, now intrigued. She trotted to the entrance of the tent just as soon as the other, unknown pony gave a response. "Why, I think a pink blur dragged her into the tent right there."

Twilight gasped as she peeked around the corner of the makeshift entrance. There was a tall, slender figure that she knew all too well. If the golden tiara nor the flowing semi-translucent mane was indication enough, it was definitely the royal stature that gave it away.

Her heart filled with warmth. "Princess Celestia!" she cried, stepping out from the pink canvas to perform a quick bow. "What are you doing here at my humble little festival?"

"Ah, hello, my faithful student." said Celestia. Her face remained strangely expressionless. "I'm afraid I am not here on very good news. You are needed in Canterlot immediately."

Almost as if on cue, both Rarity and Pinkie popped out silently behind her. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who were off to the rear of the princess, each gave the other an uneasy glance.

"What? Why?" asked the purple unicorn. "Is it something that can wait?"

"Absolutely not, Twilight." commanded the alicorn. "I'm afraid it is of grave importance. You are needed as a replacement for your brother, as Captain of the Royal Guard."

Twilight could feel her heart pounding harder as she swallowed nervously. "Is he sick? Is there not another pony more suited to the job?"

"I've looked at your medical records, Twilight, and you're in perfect physical condition, at least by average standards." The princess sighed, as the unicorn noted that she seemed to look every bit of her multi-century age. "There are ponies more suited to the job, but your brother specifically asked for you to take his place, as you are the only one who could come anywhere close to performing a shield of the magnitude that he has done."

"But...I'll be back, right? And...he's OK?"

Princess Celestia sighed, taking her student's gaze and averting herself from it. She gazed into the distance, refusing to meet the scholar's eyes. Perhaps this was so because of the few tears that pervaded her expression, as she wished not for her most faithful student to see her teacher sorrowful.

"I'm afraid you only have one day to say your goodbyes, Twilight Sparkle..." whispered the princess. "You will not be returning to Ponyville for a long time..."

"What?" cried the unicorn, abruptly leaping back. She felt tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, gently prickling her with bits of heat. "Surely we can work something out! I have my friends to be with, and I'm learning every day, and it's just-"

"Perhaps it is time you learned the most important lesson of friendship, Twilight..." said Celestia, turning to face the lavender mare. "While friendship lasts a lifetime...that isn't to say that you'll stay with them forever, either."

"But me and Pinkie-"

"And I'm afraid there is no easy way to say this, Twilight Sparkle, and I send my deepest condolences. But...there is no hope for your brother recovering."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry, Twilight..." said the princess. "...but Shining Armor...

...was killed in action yesterday..."

Words could not describe the thoughts that ran through the purple mare's head as the final words sank in. "No...no...no..." It was as if she were a broken record, doomed to repeat the same message for eternity. "No...I...he..."

The strain of two shocking events in a row were too much for her to take. The unicorn felt her knees buckle, and her eyes slowly rolling back into her head. The vague, distant shouts of concerned ponies calling her name were just about as clear as a memory from decades past.

As she fell backwards, she vaguely felt her fall cushioned by a sudden...thing. She didn't really care what it was, but as she slipped slowly into the welcoming arms of unconsciousness, she realized one thing...

...it smelled like mint.