It was a beautiful sunny morning in Ponyville. As Twilight Sparkle trotted down the town square she was pleased to see everypony smile and wave as they passed. Over the last years Ponyville had become the moral jewel of Equestria, ever since the Elements of Harmony had been taught to everypony there. And with Twilight and her friends here to lead by example no pony ever strayed from the path.
"Good morning Lyra!" She said to the cyan mare who was loved and accepted by all, no matter how strange or outlandish her obsession with these fictional 'humans' might be.
"What a pleasant day, I hope the farm is doing great." She said to the big red stallion as they passed each other, and he smiled and nodded back at her. "Eeyup!" He said in his ever joyful tone, pulling behind him a big cart filled with apples.
The morning went on like this, a smile and happy greeting she gave to everypony, and they gave one back. Twilight could not have asked for a better morning.
And then everything fell apart. Twilight gasped in shock and it only take a short moment for the ponies around her to notice her stunned expression. First they nervously glanced at Twilight, and then shifted their gaze to the target of Twilight's eyes.
There was all alone a pony sitting at a wooden table covered by a multicolored umbrella, her head down low to the table and no smile on her face. The pony was crying. Twilight could hardly believe it, but knew her duty as a good friend and hastily trotted over to the mare.
"Oh Cheerilee, what could have you so upset? Don't you know that laughter is a virtue to be shared among friends?"
Twilight spoke in a genuinely curious tone, it had been so long since she had seen a pony sad. Cheerilee froze at hearing the lavender Alicorn's words, for a moment just staring blankly at the table and then quickly shot her head up to look at the other mare, a forced smile now plastered on her face but she could not hide the wet lines the tears had left on her face.
"T..Twilight! I am sorry to h..have worried you. I am alright, really!"
It was obvious to Twilight that Cheerilee was not being truthful, and that shocked her once more. Honesty was after-all a virtue, too. The Alicorn shook her head and placed a hoof under her friends muzzle, lifting it and looking deep into her eyes.
"Cheerilee.. I am your friend! And you know what that means, I am proud and happy to help out my friends in need, always."
The earthpony's eyes were glazed over as she looked deep into those purple eyes, paralyzed as her brain tried to find words to reply. Twilight never stooped smiling at her friend, even though she was so deeply worried for her.
"I am going to help you, because you are my friend. We'll fix this problem and make you smile again and" for a moment her face became stern, but never not smiling "free you from lies too!"
Twilight's strange expression and the excitement in her voice send a wave of fear through Cheerliee's spine and she could not stop herself from glancing away from those cold eyes, instead looking around what had just a few moments ago been a pony filled street.
As she had expected it was now much emptier then before, and the only ponies that had stayed were all oblivious to their discussion.
They were all to busy being good friends, always smiling, always loyal, always honest, always kind and always generous . As Twilight's horn began to glow the earthpony tried to leap away from the Alicorn but found her body locked in place.
Twilight's smile had by now grown to be completely deranged and disproportionate, friendly and calming only in the eyes of a crazy purple friendship obsessed Alicorn. But who could blame her? One of the ponies she had trusted so deeply had betrayed her faith three times over. She shook her head and pulled her friend into a firm hug.
"Why would you try to run away? That is not very loyal... Cheerilee! I would almost worry you didn't even know the elements of Harmony... but you are my friend, that would be impossible! Maybe.. you just forgot? Do you need a little guidance?"
Her words were soft and filled with genuine disappointment, but also anger. Twilight placed her head to that of the earthpony and whispered softly as her horn began to glow brighter.
"But that is why I am here for you, to help you be a good, good friend too! To help you uphold the elements of Harmony with me. Doesn't that sound great? Friendship?"
Cheerilee did not have a chance to reply, the magical energy had no problem penetrating her skull and burned itself straight into her mind, for a moment her body twitched, and then it calmed, a happy and much more real looking smile spreading across her face.
It was a beautiful sunny morning in Ponyville. As Twilight Sparkle trotted down the town square she was pleased to see everypony smile and wave as they passed. And then she saw her good friend Cheerilee.
"Oh hello Cheerilee, I see you are doing much better today!" The princess of Friendship grinned with genuin glee as she saw her now smiling friend wave back at her. No more sadness, no more lies, no more disloyalty, and she was so much better off for it!
It was always another beautiful day in Ponyville, and everyone was happy all the time. No one ever lied, and loyalty was always upheld. Kindness was always expected and generously given. And magic... there was little about Ponyville that was not magical, in one way or another.
Twilight knew that Celestia was so proud of her, up in her Castle, up in Canerlot, always smiling.
