Time moved on for Canterlot High School. It was the last day before Haygiving Break. A mixture of lax and anticipation filled the spirits of staff and students of CHS. It was that time of year where many ponies were fixated on the ever approaching Hearth's Warming break. It is the halfway mark of the school year and a chance for everypony to rest and recharge. Haygiving Break is the harbinger of this anticipation. It is a taste of what's to come.

Twilight Sparkle didn't seem excited like the other students. However, she didn't seem as gloomy as she used to be. As always Twilight kept up her high marks. She volunteered to answer questions in class and even worked well with classmates on a few group projects. It seemed as if Twilight was starting all over again with finding her way into a social life at school. She was a lot more cautious this time. She knew there wasn't going to be another friend like Sunset Shimmer. That reason, alone, kept her hesitant to make new friends. It didn't feel right to her. But she hasn't put a lot of effort into it, either. For now, Twilight mainly keeps to herself. She finds solace in reading and writing in a journal she's keeping for Sunset. She found that writing was helping her cope with Sunset's situation. She was hoping for the best for her.

It was lunchtime for Twilight's class. Today they were serving Haygiving special lunches to the students for free. The lunches included turkey for meat eaters and hay casserole for everypony else, green beans, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, and apple tarts for dessert. With the exception of the apple tarts, the lunch was disgusting to most ponies but nopony cared because it was free and it was the only way to get a tasty apple tart. It made the lunch worthwhile. Twilight walked up to the lunch line to grab a tray. However, she bumped into Fluttershy who was reaching for the same tray that she was. Twilight felt awkward. Fluttershy froze like a deer in headlights. She didn't know how to approach Twilight. Fluttershy thought about letting her have it and so she can go and to a table without her lunch. But Twilight smiled and let her have it instead.

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy said. "I mean, you were here first so I couldn't possibly-"

"It's okay," Twilight said. "I really don't mind at all! Here you go."

"Goodness, thank you, Twilight. You're still as kind as ever!"

"It's really no big deal," Twilight said as she grabbed the next tray. The two shared small talk about Dr. Discord's upcoming final. Twilight shared some useful insight on what would be covered. Twilight got what she wanted from the lunch line and found an empty lunch table to sit at. She expected to eat alone so she was surprised to see Fluttershy heading toward her table. Twilight's face lit up. She was actually excited to share lunch with Fluttershy, again. Before Fluttershy could get any closer to the table a whistle call was sounded. Fluttershy and Twilight looked in the direction the sound came from. It came from Rainbow Dash who was seated at a different table with Applejack and some other ponies. Fluttershy halted in the air where she was. She looked back at Twilight whose lit up expression slowly dimmed to a look of disappointment.

"It's okay," Twilight said to Fluttershy.

"Sorry," Fluttershy said as she floated toward her friends. She stopped mid air again before leaving Twilight's presence. She turned around to tell Twilight one more thing. "I hope you'll have a happy Haygiving Day."

"You too, Fluttershy."

Twilight watched Fluttershy leave to join her friends. Twilight sighed and took out a book and began reading it. It was an autobiography about K. Sombra, one of Equestria's contemporary and most gifted magic experts. Ever since Twilight was teleported by Sunset, she grew an interest on powerful magic spells. Twilight gained her alicorn status in middle school. As a younger student, Twilight would study advanced magic techniques. She was a prodigy. It was no surprise to everypony when Twilight became an alicorn when she shared her happy feelings with her family members at dinner one time. She was so happy to be around all of her family that she unleashed a pulse of magic that made everypony happy and as glad as she was. As far as she knew, nopony has ever recorded magic that could project one's emotions on another. However, she has since been able to replicate the spell.

K. Sombra could teleport himself halfway around the world without breaking a sweat. His teleportation magic skills were unlike most practitioners. He even knows ancient magic spells that were thought to be impossible to perform. He was a great pony but not without flaw. He became a bit of a pariah. He is known to use his magic irresponsibly. He has been to jail twice already and according to current events he was recently seen in a courtroom on trial for theft and trespassing. He sees himself as above the law, according to his book, but it looked as if this time he may be put away for good.

Twilight was never one to follow the news of celebrities of any sort but she heard that Sombra's book shared detailed information about how he performs some of his magic spells. Twilight wanted to see if his techniques would be of any use to her. Meanwhile, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were eating their lunch at another table. Instead of eating a the school's lunch she paid a local restaurant to cater a traditional Haygiving meal for her, Pinkie, and whoever else she allowed at her table. Rarity couldn't help but look at how lonely Twilight appeared. She had heard that Sunset Shimmer no longer attended CHS. At first Rarity didn't care. She was sure that wouldn't exactly affect her in any way. But when she saw that Twilight was alone she realized that she could seek her long awaited revenge on her.

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity called. "What would you think if you and I became friends with that Twinky Sparkles pony over there?"

Pinkie Pie looked up from eating an entire apple pie to locate a table where a fidgety pony was eating alone. "You want to be friends with him?" she said.

"No, darling, the purple one over there."

"Oh, that's Twilight Sparkle, silly! Wait, you want to be friends with her, now?"

"Why not? Look at her all alone, over there, reading that awful book like… like…"

"An egghead?"

"Exactly! One of those! Don't you think we ought to do something?"

"I think being her friend is a fantastic idea, Rarity! Wait a sec- this isn't one of those elaborate schemes in which you carry out your petty revenge on her by getting back at her at the party you're throwing this Friday, is it?"

"Of course not, silly," Rarity nervously stammered through. "What makes you say that?"

Pinkie Pie glared into Rarity's eyes to see if she was telling the truth. Her serious stint instilled a certain sense of stress. Rarity started to form sweat above her brow. It was clear she was lying.

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie Pie said as she grabbed Rarity and took her to Twilight.

Twilight was still reading her book. She was interrupted by a bump at her table. When Twilight put her book down to see what was going on, a pink pony welcomed her with a big smile on her face.

"Can I help you?" Twilight asked.

"Friiieeeennd," Pinkie said in a very creepy tone.

"Um…" Twilight said as she started to leave.

"Wait, Twilight," Rarity spoke from behind Pinkie Pie. "Allow me to expound upon my friend's… subtle request. You see, we couldn't help but notice you were alone and I thought somepony ought to give you some company. It's the day before Haygiving, you know."

"Listen, Rarity. I don't know what's going on but now that you're here I just wanted to say thanks for inviting me to your party but I don't think I'm going to come."

"Oh dear! How heartbreaking. How utterly disappointing. I was hoping you'd come as my special guest! I was really hoping that we'd get a chance to maybe become friends. I've heard about Sunset Shimmer."

Twilight's expression changed. She forgot that news like that could travel far and quickly. She didn't think something that was handled discreetly as Sunset's situation would reach the ears of Rarity.

"It's okay, dear," Rarity consoled. "I truly feel for the two of you. I hope things work out for her."

"Thanks," Twilight said. "It's been rough, you know? But my brother told me that progress was being made."

"That's right," Pinkie Pie said. "I almost forgot your brother was a detective!"

"And a rather handsome one, at that," Rarity added.

"I guess he is a handsome stallion," Twilight said. "He's engaged to the school counselor."

"Ooh la la!" Rarity said with a look that begged for more gossip. "I'm willing to bet you have a certain Mr. in your life, as well. Or maybe there's somepony you had your heart set for."

Twilight started to blush. The special somepony she thought of was Sunset Shimmer.

"Don't worry, love," Rarity continued. "That's a secret I'll let you keep." Rarity noticed the book Twilight was holding. She wanted to comment on it to probe her interests. "Is that that Sombra autobiography," she said. "I have his third wife's book. Fleur de Lis was Sombra's last wife and one of the most popular models in the world. Why, to have her model off anypony's fashion line is an absolute honor! Anything she wears turns to gold! Oh how lovely it would be to have her model an ensemble by yours truly! I would just die, darling!"

"Is that what you want to do?" Twilight asked. "Design clothes and stuff?"

"Why certainly," Rarity said. "I have a passion for fashion. And gem hunting."

"Gem hunting?"

"Gem hunting is really fun," Pinkie Pie shouted. "Rarity's horn can find gems hidden in the ground! Isn't that crazy? She's super good at it, too! She brings me along to help her dig them up."

"Really? That actually sounds fascinating. Do you use some sort of spell?"

"Not quite," Rarity said. "Finding gems is how I got my cutie mark. A spell I can turn off but my gem detection goes deeper than that."

"Get it?" Pinkie Pie said while poking Rarity with her elbow. "Deeper? Because gems form deep underground?"

Rarity wasn't amused by the joke but Twilight actually chuckled. Rarity saw this as her opportunity to seal the deal.

"You should come with us after school today," Rarity suggested. "I need a few more pieces of amethyst to complete my ensemble for my party."

Twilight hesitated before saying yes. She had given up on trying to make new friends but Twilight seemed to appreciate Rarity's enthusiasm in the arts. She was also beginning to enjoy the conversation they were having. It was also an opportunity for Twilight to experience a magic she's unfamiliar with. She couldn't resist something like that.

The three ponies decided to leave the cafeteria to enjoy the rest of their lunchtime in the empty art room. Rarity and Pinkie Pie like to go there to take naps or make out with temporary coltfriends. Rarity was especially pleased with Twilight tagging along. This was the initiation phase of her elaborate scheme to seek out her petty revenge. She wanted to lure Twilight into a false sense of security so she can make her strike. But for it to go along perfectly she had to fool Pinkie Pie as well. Rarity felt that she would ruin things if she let her in on her grand plan so she intentionally left her in the dark. Rarity didn't feel good about leaving her out but she felt that this was necessary.

Meanwhile Spike and his friends were also up to no good. Babs was still planning on crashing Rarity's party to sell pix pills. Spike was still uneasy about the whole thing. Babs called her gang to the locker rooms where she ran into Spike. Babs wanted to go over the plan one more time before they leave for break.

"Okay, boys listen up," Babs began. "Rover's brother said that he's goin' to let us sell 100 pills. He doesn't think we'll sell 'em all but that's exactly what we're gonna do. If we sell these at 20 a pop we'll make 2000 bits! That's 400 for the each of us!"

The Diamond dogs cheered at the sound of that. Spike was the only one silent.

"Spike, what's the matta, babes?"

"Well, I was thinking," Spike started. "What if we do this one job and then we never sell drugs again and maybe start doing something else?"

"No way, Spike. Rover's brother said that if we do a good job not only can we keep all the money but he'll give us more drugs to sell! We'll corner the market at CHS until we graduate as seniors! Tell me that doesn't sound kickass!"

"What does pix even do to you?" Spike asked. "This stuff isn't addictive, is it?"

"Spike, you're startin' to sound lame," Babs huffed. "Fine. Fido c'mere, boy."

Fido slowly stepped closer to Babs.

"Yeah, boss?" he said.

"Swallow this," Babs said as she gave Fido a pix pill. Fido hesitated before ingesting it. Each of them waited for the drug to take effect. They waited for 15 minutes but nothing happened. Fido still felt normal. Babs was starting to feel worried. She didn't want to embark on this endeavor if the drugs didn't work.

"Spike, I think you were on to something," Babs said as she plopped down on the floor in disappointment. "Who was I kidding? We ain't big time! We're chumps!"

Spike was starting to feel at ease. His stomach was no longer in knots. He sat next to her downtrodden marefriend to try and comfort her.15 more minutes passed and everypony decided they wanted to leave. Fido stood up from where he was sitting and took two steps before freezing in his tracks. He was feeling an unusual sensation from the bottom of his belly to the tips of his hears. His friends wondered what was wrong.

"Fido, you okay?" Rover asked.

"Me no think so," Fido said as he took another step and started laughing. "This feels funny!"

The drugs finally took effect. As Babs' happiness returned so did Spike's stomach knots. The operation was still a go. The gang cheered as Fido started dancing like he never danced before. Babs took out her phone and started to play rave music for him. She enjoyed watching him flail about and run into the walls. He fell over every 12 steps he took but he quickly got back up as if nothing happened. He was hurting himself and he didn't realize it. Spike was scared for him. He knew for sure he didn't want to be a part of this. He wanted to speak up.

"Hey Babs," Spike whispered.

"Wait, Spike," Babs said as she brought him out of the room they were in. Spike suspected that she wanted to speak in a quieter place. When they were alone Babs pushed Spike against a wall and started to make out with him. She used her tongue this time. This was Spike first tongue kiss and he liked it a lot.

"Something you wanna tell me, babes?" Babs asked between kisses.

"Um, what's all this for?" Spike asked in a muffled tone.

"Idunno. I'm excited I guess. Wanna touch my ass?"

Spike's heart pounded so hard that he was sure Babs could feel it. There was another feeling he was getting, as well, a quickly growing feeling in his little jeans. He tried his very hardest to hide it and keep it from poking her. But he was caught up in the moment and his will was slowly leaving him. This was a thought that ran across his little boy dragon mind a thousand times. What does Babs' ass feel like? He wondered. His claw slowly fell behind Babs. He touched it first as if he was testing for the temperature. Then his palm hugged the contours of her left cheek. Babs smiled and giggled. Then he squeezed his claws into her.

"Ouch," she yelped. "Watch it loverboy. That's a tender area!"

"Sorry," Spike said. "Guess I got excited, too."

"I think I can learn to like it," Babs said as she moved in close to Spike again. "Let's just make out."

Spike didn't have a say in the matter. Babs continued kissing him before he could say anything. In the back of his mind he was having an argument with himself. Spike knew he was doing everything he's not supposed to do. He kept telling himself that he should've been honest with Babs. He was disappointed in himself because he felt that he chickened out. But he was sure he wasn't going to get another chance to caress the derriere of another mare, at least not until he was Twilight's age, he thought. He just stood there tucking his male-hood between his legs while swallowing another pony's saliva.

Haygiving Day came the next day and with the new day came a new attitude for Twilight Sparkle. She actually enjoyed spending time with Rarity and Pinkie Pie. So much so that she agreed to join Rarity in attending the Haygiving parade in Downtown Canterlot. It was the first time she accepted somepony's invite to something since Sunset Shimmer left. Twilight was proud of herself for going out that morning. Rarity usually attends the parade with Pinkie Pie but she was spending Haygiving with her family in Rocky Orchard County. Rarity didn't feel like attending the parade alone so this worked in her favor. Unbeknownst to Twilight, this too was also apart of Rarity's plan to get Twilight to trust her more.

"I do appreciate you tagging along, Twilight," Rarity said. "Pinkie Pie and I have attended the Canterlot Haygiving Parade every year since we were fillies. It's tradition."

"No problem, Rarity," Twilight responded. "Thanks for the invite. Where is Pinkie Pie, by the way?"

"She's visiting family this year. I dropped her off at the train station last night. It's just gonna be the four of us at the dinner table this year."

"Wait, Pinkie Pie lives with you?"

"Why of course, darling," Rarity said as she and Twilight found some spots to watch the parade from. "Pinkie Pie comes from one traditional rock farm family. They're quite religious. I met Pinkie Pie in preschool. The poor thing traveled for miles to school on hoof everyday. We became friends and when she was old enough to experience Rockspringa she moved in with my family and me. Anything to get her out of those dreadful dresses. But I also enjoyed the company."

"That's really nice of you," Twilight said. "Your parents didn't mind at all?"

"Darling, Mommy and Daddy are hardly home anyway. We live in one of the most lavish mansions this side of Equestria. We could very easily house her whole family three times over!"

"That is amazing! You gave just a little bit to help a pony like her gain easier access to a good education. And you made a friend doing it. Pinkie Pie is very fortunate to have a friend like you."

"Oh dear, Twilight," Rarity said as she started to act as if she was crying. "You're going to cause my makeup to run. I must beg you to stop. Unless you want to go on and tell me how beautiful I am, too!"

The ponies laughed as continued their small talk. Rarity asked if Twilight wanted some hot cocoa and she agreed. Twilight stood up as if they were walking to a nearby coffee shop but Rarity asked a pony in a suit standing near them for two hot cocoas. It was then that Twilight began wondering how Rarity managed to acquire the seats. She noticed that their view was a little more than perfect to see the whole parade.

"You must be an important pony," Twilight said.

"What makes you say that?" Rarity asked as her and Twilight's cocoa arrived. "Ooh, be careful, darling. This is imported cocoa from South Equestria. It's absolutely divine but it stains."

"I've never been treated like this before at a parade."

"Perhaps it's because you never been to a parade where you got to sit next to one of the costume designers."

"You designed the costumes?"

"Well only for four floats this year. I usually do about seven but school has been cruel to my free time this year. Such is life for a senior, I suppose. Ooh, it looks like you're gonna see the first one, now!"

Rarity and Twilight watched a colorful peacock themed float come by. Ponies trotted alongside the float. They danced and waved to the crowds. Their peacock costumes caught the eye of eveypony in the crowds. Twilight was very impressed that a pony like Rarity could design such elaborate costumes and for a local parade, no less.

"If you like these darling, you should come by my place after this," Rarity suggested. "We didn't get off to good start, you and I, but I have been dying to put you in one of my designs since the moment I saw you. Your figure and color just gives me oodles of ideas."

"Really? Rarity, I'd be honored to wear one of your dresses. I don't know how I could repay you but I'll find a way."

"Please, darling, I only ask that you wear it to my party this weekend. That is unless you're still set on not coming."

Twilight agreed to come to the party and model Rarity's dress. Rarity considered it a win for her either way. She was still trying to get back at Twilight but she couldn't give up a chance to put Twilight in one of her designs. It was true that she wanted to design a dress for Twilight. Rarity liked her mane and her eye color. She had the ideal shade of pink fabric for her. Rarity had nothing else better to do today. Her parents were still on the way home from several meet-and-greets and she had a kitchen of chefs preparing their Haygiving feast. Considering that her friend Pinkie was away, she wouldn't mind keeping herself busy with something she loves doing, even if it means designing a dress for her enemy.

After the parade Rarity drove Twilight to her home in Trotting Hills in Old Canterlot. Old Canterlot used to be the industrial district decades ago. There were many factories there that used to mass-produce cars. But as time went by the factories closed and many were either torn down or left to rot. But some rich ponies moved in and restored the whole district and renamed it Trotting Hills. Rarity's grandparents were one of the first developers to move in and purchase property. Rarity's home is actually the entire East wing of a partially restored factory. It was massive in size. It appeared rustic, yet modern. It still retained its gray walls and large windows and it also retained the vine vegetation the building acquired over the years. It accented the grey colors very well.

Twilight couldn't see how a small family would need a home that big. As they pulled into the driveway they came to a wall. Twilight wondered why Rarity stopped but didn't park. She wondered what she was waiting for.

"Don't worry, darling," Rarity said. "I'm just waiting for the garage door to open."

Suddenly the ground began to sink. Rarity stopped her car on a platform. The platform was an elevator that brings cars to an underground garage. Twilight never seen anything like it before. She was beginning to wonder who Rarity's family really was. When the elevator stopped Rarity was able to move again. Twilight was wide eyed by all of the expensive vehicles. Most of them were restored older cars. Twilight suspected that some of them had to be left over cars from the factory. After Rarity parked her car she and Twilight took an elevator up to the main foyer. Like the outside the inside was rustic but had many subtle reminders of chicness and modernity. Twilight caught a glimpse of the kitchen and saw a small staff of ponies working on the dinner. Everywhere Twilight looked she saw expensive art, expensive furnishings, and expensive appliances. Twilight just had to ask what it is that her family does. She felt that if she was going to meet somepony important she should at least be warned.

"Your parents must be very important ponies," Twilight commented. "This really is a very lavish home, if you don't mind me saying."

"Well, Mommy's an interior designer and Daddy's an architect," Rarity said. "You may have heard of him. He designed the Diamond Towers in Manehatten."

"I'm afraid I don't follow architecture. Maybe my mother's heard of him. She's a realtor."

"How exciting!" Rarity clapped her hooves in excitement. "You simply must put me in touch with her, darling. I'll be in the market for my own place after high school and the pink one will be coming with me."

"Oh, are your parents kicking you out or something," Twilight joked.

"Quite the contrary. They want me to stay and go to school. Come to my room, darling. I'll tell you all about it."

Rarity led Twilight upstairs. The hallways were stark and clean. As they walked down one of the halls Twilight could tell that the rooms were probably offices. One part of the hallway had a large built in aquarium right in the wall with tropical fish in it. They reached a door that had a miniature waterfall next to it. Rarity took her keys and unlocked it. Twilight was amazed by her room. It was like a small apartment. She had her own kitchen, her own living room with a state of the art home entertainment system, her own bathroom, and her own bedroom. They added an extra room to this part of the building just for Pinkie Pie. It's adjacent to Rarity's room.

After Rarity got comfortable she opened a door that led to another flight of stairs. She led Twilight up the steps to her workshop, where she designs and seam her dresses and make jewelry. Her workshop was a little messy. Compared to the rest of her elaborate living quarters, her workshop appears to be the most frequently occupied. There was a trashcan that was overflowing with balled up papers next to a work desk. Rarity sat at the desk and began looking for something amongst a stack of papers full of designs.

Twilight took this time to walk around and look at some of Rarity's completed couture. Ponyquins modeled her dresses and each were more stunning than the last. There was a black dress that reminded her of Principal Luna. Twilight wandered if she was the inspiration for it. It was beautiful with its silk fabrics and shimmering accents that glitter like stars in the night. It even had a hat with a veil. Twilight really liked it but couldn't imagine wearing anything like it. She then noticed a large tackboard with several pieces of jewelry on it. Twilight was captivated by them. One piece that caught her eye was a necklace with a ruby and diamond charm. She never seen a ruby that was so clear and cut they way it was. It was like looking through a kaleidoscope of reds.

"Did you make all of these?" Twilight asked.

"Why yes, I did, darling," Rarity said as she continued to rummage through her designs. "I used a metal bending spell and an old gem cutting spell my grandmother showed me."

"These are beautiful."

"Thank you, dear. It's how I make my living. I sell my jewelry through my website."

"How much is this ruby one. I wouldn't mind purchasing it right now, if you don't mind."

"For you, I'll let you have it for 800 bits."

"Oh. Nevermind then."

"That ruby is very much a real ruby, darling," Rarity said with a chuckle. "That necklace was appraised 1200 bits. A pony needs to eat! But you can have the pink diamond earrings. It'll be part of your ensemble, anyway. Ah here it is!"

Rarity found her designs for Twilight's dress. She showed Twilight an elegant pink and white evening gown. It was ravishing but a bit too much for a high school house party.

"I won't be able to dance well in that," Twilight said. "But I really like it. It's gorgeous."

"It goes well with your mane, darling," Rarity complemented. "But what I envisioned for you is to take this and make it more fun and sexy, like what I did for Pinkie Pie at the beginning of the year."

Twilight agreed with her adjustments to the design. Rarity then immediately took out her glasses and measuring tape and began sizing Twilight. After she got her measurements she went to her desk again and pressed a button on a small machine. It was an intercom. She ordered one of the chefs from the kitchen to bring up two glasses of wine. Twilight interjected and wondered how she was getting home. It was getting late for her and she had her own family to spend Haygiving dinner with. But Rarity arranged a ride for her as well. Rarity wanted to get to work right away on Twilight's dress. But part of her routine requires a drink of blueberry wine. She begged Twilight to stay long enough to try it but Twilight was afraid that one drink would turn into more and Twilight didn't want to go home with alcohol on her breath. Rarity didn't want to push her too much so she agreed to let Twilight go home for the day. She urged Twilight to call her the next morning to check the status of her dress.

A driver pony was waiting downstairs for Twilight. He took her home in an expensive black car. Twilight remembers seeing politicians ride in similar cars. The windows were tinted black to keep the passenger away from the world they're passing by. Twilight couldn't help but feel important when she sat on the heated black leather seats. There was even a glass of water on ice waiting for her. Twilight enjoyed the ride home as she daydreamed about living a lavish life like her new friend.

When Twilight arrived in front of her house she was greeted by a familiar sight. A pony was sitting on her porch smoking a cigarette. It was her father, Night Light. Twilight was only expecting to have dinner with her brothers, her mother, and sister-in-law. She didn't know they were having a guest. It did explain why her mother went through the trouble of getting her hooves polished and her mane styled.

"Dad?" Twilight said. "Oh my gosh, what are you doing here!"

"Hey there, sweetie," Night Light said as he put out his cigarette to give her daughter a hug. "I didn't think I'd see you popping out of a car like that for another five to ten years! What does a pony have to do to ride in one of those things?"

"Oh that's just my friend's driver. She's kind of rich. Actually, I think she's very rich."

"Neat!"

"Dad, I'm really happy to see you, here."

"I'm happy to see you, too, Twilight. I know things have been hard on you kids ever since the divorce. I'm really sorry about that. I must've caused you a lot of pain."

"Dad,... it has been a difficult adjustment. So much has happened since we moved away."

"I heard you've been having some trouble at school. Is everything okay now?"

Twilight hesitated to tell her father about Sunset Shimmer. She thought it wasn't a good moment to bring up something like that. She was also unsure of how he would take it. She even thought about lying to him but she learned the hard way that lying wouldn't help.

"Everything will be okay with me," Twilight said slightly above a whisper. "I've had some trouble with a friend but she moved away. I guess I'm still waiting for that chapter to finish in my life."

"I understand, sweetie," Night Light said to Twilight as they both sat on the porch. "Were you two close?"

"Yeah. She was the only one at school I truly could connect with. But she got in trouble and had to move away. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. I felt really alone for a while. But I think I'm starting to feel less like that."

"Well, you should. No matter what, you'll always have family to connect with. Speaking of which, we were gonna announce this at dinner but I'll spoil you with some good news. Your mom and I are getting back together. I'll be moving in sometime before Heath's Warming."

Twilight gasped and embraced her father, welcoming him back home.

"I can't believe this," she exclaimed. "How did this all happen?"

"Your mother didn't tell you we've been, sort of, video dating?"

"No!"

"Yeah, we have been for about a month. I've told her that I've got my drinking under control and a raise at work since then! She was really proud of the progress I've made so, one talk lead to another and, well, here we are!"

"Daddy, I'm so proud of you, too!"

"I've couldn't have done it without you, sweetie. Remember when you became an alicorn? I was so proud of you. You made us all so happy to be together. I think about it everyday. I was touched that being with your family brought that power out of you. Togetherness is such a powerful force, isn't it? But that thought alone is what made me want to do better for myself. I thought that if we can't be together anymore than maybe I could show you that our family stays strong no matter what. I didn't think it would bring me back to you but that only proves that I was right. Our family is strong. Stronger than ever, even."

Twilight shed a tear of joy. She was moved by her father's words and actually believed that things were going to get better for the Sparkle family. But she began to think about how cruel she was to her brother Spike and her mother. The thought of her lashing out at them made her feel ashamed. She broke down in tears.

"What's the matter sweetie," Night Light asked?

"I've been so mean to Mom and Spike," Twilight cried. "I was selfish and immature and when they tried to help me when I needed it I just shut them out."

"I heard about that, as well. Twilight, you're a teenager. I'm pretty sure that all comes with the title. Your mother was the same way."

"Really?"

"Definitely. But even her family learned to see passed it and they adore her. Just like we adore you. I bet you they don't even remember any of your angsty fits."

"Maybe," Twilight said as she let her father wipe away her tears. "But I think I should apologize anyway."

"Look at my little filly," Night Light said. "Being all mature and stuff like a grown up. I'm so proud of you."

The two hugged and decided to go inside to get out of the cold weather. Little did they know that Twilight's cutie mark was reacting to something. By the time Twilight stood up it began to lose its glow. It was a strange phenomenon that neither Twilight nor her father noticed. They only were focused on spending the rest of Haygiving Day with the rest of the family.

Author's Note

Happy Thanksgiving Everypony!