The past is always greener on the other side...

A wish fulfillment

"So incredible..." The tall oriental mare muttered in awe,  as she trotted up towards the palace at the center of Ponyville. Celebration Castle... once the home of the great Princess Twilight Sparkle, the castle was the largest and most impressive structure in the entire town. Having been remodeled again and again since it was first built, the pink castle surrounded by a moat bore little resemblance to it's original appearance in the age of the Princess of friendship. But Even as girly and frilly as it had become, the mere sight of the four-towered palace was still enough of a sight to fill Kimono with a sense of wonder.

"Pinkie and the others should be waiting for me inside." Kimono thought aloud, slowly trotting her way through the well-decorated castle. Books filled shelves scattered all throughout the castle, and vases filled with all kinds of flowers stood on every surface. The two main towers outside were topped by ornate decorations- the left tower topped by a giant crystal rainbow, and the right tower topped by a large hot air balloon (tradition said that it had once been her balloon). The main hall was all painted in a bright purple, with mirrors and drapes hanging on ever wall. Kimono was staring up into the yellow dome with a crystal chandelier, what another pony finally came trotting down the stairs for her.

"Kimono? The council will see you now."  Pinkie Pie called out from the top of the steps. "We've almost come to a decision about what you wanted."

"Wonderful." The oriental mare replied, trotting over to the stairs. "Please Pinkie, do lead the way."

...

"Now, Storybelle darling... are you sure this is what she wants?" Rainbow Dash asked, almost hesitantly. "We are messing with something here, that I really don't know if we can put it back into the box once we let it out."

"That's what she said, Rainbow. I'm sorry to report." The librarian mare replied with a sigh. "I tried to convince her that this was her home, and we were her friends. But I think she's just been pushed past the breaking point."

There were six of them. sitting in council. That was the way it had been since the time of the princess of friendship, who set up the first ruling council in the form of the harmony bearers. Nowadays, the council consisted of five elected members and the mayor. The throne of the princess sat vacant at the head of the table, empty since the house of Twilight departed for Unicornia over a century earlier. It was Ponyville prophecy that a new princess would one day be chosen by a magical flower, but for now it fell to these mares to run things in place of a royal sovereign.

"I really think it's a bad idea to open the vault, yes yes yes." Razaroo interjected, shaking her mane in disapproval. "If it turns out she doesn't like it in there, we could lose our wisest pony in the land, forever."

"But what right do we have to hold her back, darling?" Rainbow pointed out, looking around at the other mares present. "Is it right of us to keep Kimono here, if she's really that unhappy?"

"Perhaps it would be best for one of us to go to old Ponyville with her." Skywishes added, looking over towards the door, and seeing Pinkie Pie bringing Kimono into the room. "Just to make sure she'll be safe in there."

"Hello, ladies. Good to see all of you again." Kimono addressed the council, ignoring formalities and getting straight to the point in her excitement. "I don't mean to interrupt, but what's this I hear about being able to go back to the harmony bearer's Ponyville?"

The six mares merely shot nervous glances at each other, before Flitter Flutter finally stood up, and spoke.

"Well, the truth is, Kimono, there actually may be a way for you to visit Ponyville during the age of friendship." The yellow mare with a pink mane sighed, adjusting her spectacles with her hoof. "You see... before her death, Princess Twilight saw that her Ponyville was slowly disappearing, and she wanted to create a way for her hometown to survive, the way she remembered it."

"So according to the books, Twilight Sparkle created a sealed room, filled with a portion the essences of every pony in Ponyville." Storybelle continued, as Kimono's eyes were going wider with each word. "She used some of the most powerful magic in the land, to fill this vault with a snapshot in time, preserving  the Harmony Bearers in their heyday."

"The vault is still down there, Kimono. Deep underneath the castle." Skywishes finished. "And after Storybelle looked at the books, we think we can open it."

"A way to go back, and meet the harmony bearers..." Kimono sputtered out, still in disbelief over everything she had heard. "Why... why hadn't anyone ever told me about this?"

"We only recently learned about this, Kimmy, yes yes yes. When Storybelle found it in the old books" Razaroo cautioned, shaking her head. "We know very little about what's in there, or what effect the magic will have on any pony who goes in there."

"Kimono, are you sure this is what you want?" Pinkie Pie asked cautiously, trying to get the purple pony to consider her options. "You know you have a lot of friends here in this town, ponies who love you and care about you. Are you really sure you want to leave it all behind?"

The wise and soft-spoken Kimono that all of ponydom knows now, would've considered Pinkie Pie's words. But this was a much younger Kimono, who was not yet the wisest pony in the land. So the words were out of her mouth before she even knew it.

"Yes, please!" The mare replied eagerly, a big grin upon her face. "I really want to go!"

...

All of the ponies of the council had gathered before the great vault door, to see of their dear friend who was departing on a grand adventure, Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged, as two breezies moved  to open the circular bronze door.

"Now, take care of yourself, Kimono!" Mare Flitter warned, as the massive vault door swung open, and a blazing gold light shone forth from within. "And if you are unhappy in any way, please come back to us!"

"We'll miss you, Kimmy!" Pinkie Pie added, as she hugged the other mare. "Please come back soon!"

There were other well-wishings and words of farewell,  but Kimono did not stick around to hear them. The promise of a new and better Ponyville, free of the childlike ignorance that plagued the current town of the present day, Kimono looked forward to a sane town of equines she could finally talk to.

"At long last, I'll finally be amongst other ponies like myself!" The mare whinnied with glee, as she hopped directly  into the light eminating from the vault. "At long last, things are finally going to go my way!"