The Sacrifices We Make

by P0nies

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad
Length: 6045

With the knowledge of what lies behind shadows, are you better off to look away or embrace truth?

Knowledge and Happiness - two ideas that are so different yet alike in so many ways. With little knowledge of the true world around you, everything seems to be wonderful. But with the knowledge of what lies behind the shadows, are you better off to look away or embrace the truth behind it all?

Published 2012-07-01 14:14:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-07-01 14:14:02 UTC

Some for Another

Over the ages, one begins to learn that intelligence is more of a curse than a gift. You see the world as it is, beyond the smoke and mirrors. You see the horrors that engulf everything around you as others live their lives happily, filtering out the darkness of the real world, existing in a fairytale land. It's the ones who venture into the dark to find answers, to quench their curiosity... The ones who wish to discover that knowledge, and the happiness in these ponies... That is the rarest thing I know. – Princess Celestia

Over the town of Ponyville, the moon rested in the dark night sky, lighting the landscape in a beautiful aura, forcing the shadows back into hiding. Most ponies were asleep at this time, and judging by the position of the moon, it was at least midnight. Or at least that was what she thought, until she glanced over at her alarm clock, the faint green numbers pointing out that it was well past 3am. She thought about the night, about how beautiful it appeared to be through the eyes of every other pony. Twilight wanted to believe that it was a beautiful night, but she knew that it was anything but. The creatures that lurked in the dark could not be seen, but she knew that they were there, waiting for somepony to mistakenly walk by.

She looked down at her hooves, the travels of her past forever etched in them. The times she had learned, and the times she thought she was happy... when she believed there was such a thing. She closed her eyes tightly, a single tear leaking from the corner of her eye. The tear slowly made its way down the side of her face, darkening her violet fur where it made contact. It fell from her face, joining the tears in the wooden floor as it evaporated into the air. .

There was nothing left of happiness, or at least there wasn't any left that she knew of. It was all gone, the happiness she once had, taken by Discord. Now all that remains is the dark knowledge of what lay outside the safe borders of Equestria. The 'memories' that now plagued her mind were a constant reminder that nopony was safe in the ways that they all thought they were. It was all an illusion, and they were just playing a game of safety in numbers. That's all it ever really was, just a game. You play the game of life, and then you die. She knew this, but wished she didn’t. Death was always imminent, always plaguing the future.

She looked back out towards the dimly lit fields outside her home, giving her head a quick shake to clear her thoughts. A deep sigh escaped her lungs, and the pony stood and walked back over to her bed. It was a twin sized bed neatly made by Spike earlier in the day. He was still fast asleep, resting in his small basket on the other end of the loft. Twilight slowly levitated the books that rested on her bed and gently lay them on her nightstand, trying not to wake Spike from his peaceful slumber. She sat on the edge of her bed, the springs slightly squeaking as she sat on the mattress. Using her magic again, she lifted her purple sheets and comforter back, laying back and resting on the pillow. The comforter came down just as soft as it was lifted, nearly engulfing the unicorn, leaving only the head visible. She closed her eyes, the bedspread smelling of a calming lavender and chamomile, letting her mind slip away into the night.

The young unicorn started her night in a dreamless slumber, until the dark hours of the early morning. She had started to stir in her bed, thrashing around aimlessly. She stopped for a brief second to mumble, “Forget... Ever-everything...” Her horn started to glow in a purple aura, slowly getting brighter and illuminating her face. Her eyes became clenched shut, becoming tighter as the luminosity of the light had increased. She was holding her blanket to her chest, pulling it in as if it was there to comfort her pain, then the light subsided and her body went still. Her eyes were still closed, but they had relaxed to their natural position.

“...Forget...” she mumbled once again.

Twilight snapped up from beneath the sheets, breathing heavily, and her facial muscles expressing a look of worry. Her head snapped back and forth, looking around the room as if she was expecting it to be drastically different. To the comfort of her troubled mind, it was all the same. The curtains draped over the corners of the window, letting the cooling glow of Luna's moon flow in. Spike was still in his bed fast asleep, unaware of his foster sister's worries. It was all still covered in a dim blue glow, courtesy of the moon. The analog clock still ticked and ticked, a re-assurance to her mind that time was still here, and everything that she loved still existed.

The floorboards squeaked as Twilight threw the covers off and made her way to the stairs, each board letting out a squeal as her weight was applied. Within the last few steps to the stairwell, Twilight looked back at Spike to make sure he was still asleep, unaware of the stack of books lying in her path. Her front hoof came in contact with the books, sending her tumbling over them and down the stairwell in a thundering crash. The noise generated by the falling as she fell was more than enough to wake the heaviest sleepers. Twilight landed at the bottom of the stairs, now at the base floor of her beloved library and buried under a large pile of books.

A purple snout peered out from under a book, followed by the head to which it was attached. It peered up towards the loft, awaiting a signal. Whether it would be a noise, or even the visual sight of a young dragon, Twilight wanted a sign of whether he was awake or not. If Spike knew of what Twilight had planned for tonight, then there would be no way he would allow her to leave the house.

“Yes, Rarity, this ice cream house is all yours...” Spike mumbled in his sleep, dreaming of his love once again.

“Oh, Spike,” Twilight sighed, a small smile forming upon her lips at the dragons long lost dreams.

With a heavy sigh, Twilight’s mind ventured back to the issue pressing on her mind. She tossed a few books aside, escaping from beneath them. Her pace was slow as she walked towards the bathroom, her head hanging low and eyes beginning to water. She flicked on the lights with a swift motion of her hoof, looking into the mirror with dreary eyes gazing back at her, filled with the knowledge of both the dark and the wonderfully beautiful. The handle of the sink became enveloped in the violet aura of Twilight's magic, letting the cold water flow freely into the bowl and down the drain. She took her hooves and let the water flow over them, cupping a small amount and splashing it onto her face. Using her hooves as a massaging tool, Twilight rubbed her cheeks in small circles, trying to calm her nerves.

No matter what she tried, from massaging to soaking in 'relaxing' bath salts didn’t help to calm her. It all seemed to just point out other things in her mind, reasons to worry about bath salts and the possibility of drowning in three feet of water. It all was there, and no matter how much she wanted to rid of the memories and knowledge of it all, she couldn't bring herself to do it. Had she erased her mind of what she knew, then it would be getting rid of what made her personality so unique. She was the one who knew it all, and most ponies took advantage of that. Asking questions, almost always getting an answer.

But there was also the ponies who asked her questions that she damn well knew the answer to, but all she had told them was “I don't know.” It baffled some that she didn't know, and some actually seemed like they knew she was telling a lie about it. The things she did, sometimes even what she said made her question her own mind at times. Why would she lie since the answer was resting on the tip of her tongue? Was it to protect the ponies from what she had an idea would trouble them?

She didn't know, at least she thought that she didn't. Her mind always seemed to baffle her, just as Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense had. But she had come to accept it, just as she accepted Pinkie's strange tactics. It was something that couldn't be studied, no matter what she did.

Twilight slammed a hoof down on the counter in frustration, a noticeably loud thud reverberating through the walls. She bit down on her lip, trying to think of an appropriate plan of action. Times like these made Twilight wonder what her mother would have done if she was in this situation. Her mind ventured back to when she was a child for a moment, her mother's words planting the seed of an idea in her mind.

A small, purple filly perched on the windowsill looked out into the evening light, the sun falling over the horizon. Strands of violet and magenta streaked across the sky, joined by a warming orange. There was much on the fillies mind, whether she should go and join the School for Gifted Unicorns, and possibly study under the Princess, or if she should stay with who she knew and live her life out in the only town she had ever came to know.

“Twilight, is something wrong dear?” a warm tone asked her child, pondering on why she had been staring out the window.

“Mommy,” Twilight replied, “I don't know what to do. I want to go and learn, but I really want to stay here with you!” The young filly ran over to her mother, jumping into her tight embrace.

“I can't tell you what to do here sweetie. That is your choice to make, because you need to do what makes you happy.”

“But they both make me happy!” Twilight whined, trying to urge her mother to give her an answer.

“You know I'd love to be able to tell you what to do, but I just can't. Do you know what I do when I can't make a decision?” Her mother asked, looking back at the filly who clung to her back.

Twilight looked up, thinking hard about her answer. “You eat cupcakes?” She asked with a bright smile on her face, hoping she had answered the question correctly.

“No,” she said with a slight chuckle, “I walk. I just go out, and go for a walk.”

“Oh...” Twilight countered, “but I like the cupcakes one better!”

Twilight's mother laughed, and she took her child outside with her. Hopping off of her mother's back, Twilight looked up happily that her mother was here to help her learn how to make a good decision. It was always good to learn new things for the young filly, it kept her mind going and kept her out of the trouble that others had gotten into.

“And now... We walk.”

The two walked down the cobbled streets, their hooves clacking with each step. The cold air casually flowed through the streets, sending a chill down the spine of Twilight and her mother. They just walked in silence, each churning over their own matters in their minds. Stars began to pop out in the night sky, drawing pictures of legend as more came to be seen. They walked into the night, not glancing back or even having a general idea on where they were headed. Their minds took them where they needed to be as they walked through the streets, and eventually leading them back home.

Once they had made their rounds in the night and had returned home, Twilight looked to her mother with a question. “What were you thinking about tonight Mom?” She asked her, wondering why she had been so quiet during the walk.

She smiled, “Just thinking about what I'm going to do while you're gone.”

Twilight looked to her with a confused expression plastered on her face. “But... How... How did you know that I would want to go?”

“You are my little Twily, and I know you better than most anypony in Equestria. I knew you would want to go, but that was a decision you needed to make on your own. Just remember, I love you no matter where you are.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” Twilight said with a wide grin, cuddling up on her mother, spending what sweet time she had left before leaving to the School for Gifted Unicorns.

Opening her eyes, Twilight looked towards the front door, debating on whether or not she would actually go out and do what her mother used to do. Walk. It was something so simple, but yet it seemed so effective. And since she wasn't here to help Twilight, this would have to be a decision made on her own accord. She would do as her mother had once taught her once night; the simplicity of making your own decisions.

Twilight walked out of the bathroom, flicking the light off using her tail and making her way towards the front door, casually glancing up at the loft to make sure there wasn't a small purple dragon watching her. She opened the heavy wooden door, the hinges squeaking as it rotated on its hinges. Walking was one of the last things that Twilight had to remember her mother by, and even though Spike was considered her brother, it was something she wished to be kept sacred.

The door shut gingerly behind her with a small click. Spike could still be heard inside snoring, so she knew that what she wanted to be kept to herself, could be kept that way. I'll have to come up with an excuse... Twilight thought to herself, I think I'll just tell him that I... visited Pinkie's party! Yeah, that works just fine. She had a smug smile across her face at the scheme that she had just conjured, and lucky for her, it did seem like there was a party at SugarCube Corner based on the amount of light and music that seemed to be radiating from it.

She turned away, heading down the road that led out of Ponyville and into the dark that lay beyond. Her horn began to glow, illuminating her path as she walked. Twilight turned left, and she turned right. She turned left again and right a few times, ultimately making her lost in the end of it all. It became darker out, the moon seemed to fade, the road became smaller until it was reduced to a small, winding dirt path. Trees surrounded her, it was almost as if she had ventured into the Everfree Forest without actually realizing it. Just to be safe, Twilight stopped for just a moment and cast a small protective spell over her body. It would be enough to keep her safe from any creatures that lurked in the dark, many of which she was well aware of. If this was any normal time, then she would have hated to be in the Everfree, especially this late at night. But for her, this was no normal night.

She didn't care about where she went, or how she got there, she just knew that she needed to walk. It was what had solved her problems in the past before, so why wouldn't it work now? Twilight had ventured far from where anypony would ever dare to be, even in the mid-day sun. She was essentially sleepwalking; her mind told her body what to do, and while it was aware, it wasn't at the same time. A loud creaking sound came from below her feet, and Twilight snapped to attention. All around her was planks stretching forwards and back, some missing here or there. Rope kept them afloat over the ravine in which Twilight stood, the dark mist below welcoming anypony that should enter to meet their fate.

And laying directly in front of her, in the same position that it had been since the defeat of Nightmare Moon, was the ancient castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. The crumbling walls still stood just as they did, a faint glow being cast over it by Luna's full moon. The entire building did seem to be covered by more foliage since she had last been here, but that is to be expected when nopony visits somewhere for months. A slight breeze blew past Twilight, the rickety bridge swaying in the cold night wind. Boards began to creak beneath her feet, and Twilight became even more aware of where she was standing. Step by step, she made her way off the bridge; each step on the boards daring them to snap. Lucky for her, each she was able to make it across without any real incident.

She made her way towards the crumbling castle, entering the only room that had been left somewhat intact. The walls of the ballroom was covered in vines, spots where glass had once been replaced by the limbs of trees prodding through. On the far end of the room was the statue that had once held the orbs of the Elements of Harmony, bringing back memories of the day she realized what it had meant to have friends.

Twilight looked towards the old resting place of the Elements, her eyes watering while her head softly looked towards the ground on which she stood. “I... don't know if I want to know anything anymore...”

A tear fell from the corner of her eye, falling towards the dirt covered tile flooring, a slight bloop coming from its encounter with the floor. Twilight looked up towards the old mounting of the elements, her eyes questioning it, asking for something to help her make a decision. It stared back at her lifelessly, even though she still looked at it as if it would give her help in some way. The night sky withheld anything it knew for Twilight, the starts twinkling in their normal fashion. Twilight pondered on what she should do, and after all it had taken her here for some reason. She gazed at the constellations that were strewn about, naming them off inside of her mind. There was one that nopony else would ever recognize, it was the Twilarian Constellation. It was a silly little joke that Twilight and her mother had made one night, but it eventually grew to be something more for Twilight.

During her years in the School for Gifted Unicorns, it was one of the few things that had helped keep her mind at ease. She would look up at it, and Twilight would know that her mother would be looking at it as well. The love that seemed to be held in the stars was always enough for her, no matter the issue. At least she knew she was loved. Sure, her friends loved her and all, but they had no idea of what she knew. The world was so much darker than they realized; it wasn't always so nice and sugar coated as it was now under Celestia's rule. There were times when the bodies of ponies littered the streets, and they just walked about them as if it was nothing new. Even to this day, just beyond the borders of Equestria, the dark lurked more than it ever had.

Ponies and griffons fought for land, some on either side never living past the age of six. Some died of starvation, some malnourishment, and others the simple lack of clean water. It was a terrible place outside of Equestria, and many ponies never learn about it in their lives. It's not that they decide not to learn about it, but it is more along the lines that they don't ever think about what happens outside of the great land of Equestria. They are not stupid by any means, but they don't care to venture into ideas. Ideas are what gets everything started. You can have an idea of what happens beyond, but then you become more curious about how it actually is.

That is when the ideas spoil the happiness that you know. Ponies would realize what it actually is like out there, and now that they have that knowledge it becomes hard to see the bright and happy that is occurring all around them. It's not so much of a choice to choose not to look at what is beyond, its just that most ponies never have that train of thought. It was comfortable where they lived, so why think about anywhere else?

Twilight lifted her mind from aimless thought, her mind falling deeper into the pit in which she had ventured as a young filly. Knowledge was always such an amazing thing to have, but at the same time it was just as much of a curse. Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight witnessed a small flash radiating from the other building across the way. There was no other pony out here, at least to her knowledge. It had to be important, why else would it have been there to shine for her? And nopony seemed to be following her, so it was highly illogical that it was any other pony. Trusting her gut decision, she gave way and decided to follow the path that destiny had laid out in front of her.

Twilight made her way through the dark, a heavy fog forming around her. It began to condense on her coat, Twilight tightening her muscles and quickly relaxing them. The water rolled off of her back, her muscles essentially flicking the condensed droplets to the ground. A doorway came into view as Twilight made her way towards the second structure. She stood over the threshold, looking into the foreboding structure. Looking in from the threshold, a large winding stone staircase twisted its way up to the topmost floor of the structure, where Nightmare Moon had been defeated once before.

She stepped into the ancient castle, closing her eyes as if something was going to come flying out at her. Twilight opened one eye, making sure that it was as safe as it had seemed. Opening the other eye next, she surveyed what she could, determining that it was as safe as it could be for an abandoned castle. Step after step, she slowly made her way up the stairs, reeling over what she was doing in her mind. After all, this was where Nightmare Moon had been defeated, and it was smack dab in the middle of the Everfree Forest. The stairs opened up to a room big enough to fit a fully grown dragon. A platform stretched from one far corner of the room to the other, resembling the ballroom that she had seen once at the Gala.

Twilight looked up, both happy and somewhat disappointed that she had a roof over her head once again. On the bright side, there was very little wind chill, but the thing that she missed most about not having a roof obstruct her vision was the stars. They were the very thing that helped Twilight make decisions. It may have helped her because it made her feel as if her mother was there, but in all honesty, Twilight didn't even know why it made her feel better. Yet another thing she had just come to accept just as she had accepted Pinkie's antics.

Twilight began to cautiously walk across the room, not knowing what to expect. Eyes. It felt like there were everywhere, watching her every move and breath. She continued to walk towards the platform, making every step as quiet as she could have possibly made it. A low scraping sound came from behind her, and Twilight quickly turned to see who had been there. But when she turned, there was nopony there. She stopped for a moment, looking into the shadows for any sign of life. The longer she stared into their dark oblivion however, she became more paranoid. She kept hearing things, and she even thought at one point she saw a group of ponies right behind her. Twilight turned back around slowly, walking in the direction of the stage once more.

In the shadows that engulfed the path in front of her, Nightmare Moon was created from nothing, just as she had been during her defeat. Twilight curled back in fear, her eyes dilating and her breath becoming sporadic. She tried to scoot back, but she tripped on a loose tile. Nightmare Moon stepped closer to her, bringing her head down to Twilight's level and making direct eye contact.

“But... th-that's impossible! You were Luna... and we got rid of you!” Twilight stammered in fear.

“You remember me, good. But don't you just want to forget?” Nightmare Moon asked, a sly smile cracking across her lips.

Nightmare Moon lifted a hoof and brought it closer to Twilight's head until it made contact with her soft purple coat. At the touch, Twilight's eyes rolled back in her head as her mind went dark; her body transforming into a mere rag doll.

Twilight awoke from her unconscious slumber in a vast expanse of black; no color or noise anywhere, except for her irregular breathing. It was all black, with seemingly no escape. Twilight began to panic thinking that she was dead. Maybe she wasn't dead, but Nightmare Moon had taken control of her body and now all that was left of her was a soul floating in limbo. Her breathing began to slow to healthier pace as Twilight made sense of her current situation. Taking a tally of what had happened, she concluded that since Nightmare Moon had been destroyed when they returned Luna to her rightful state, it had to have been a memory of her. There wasn't any other logical way for her to be there. And the noises that she had been hearing, that could have just been her friends coming to help her during the battle with Nightmare Moon.

Her friends... They were everything to her. They were the world and everything it stood for. They were there when she needed to be set straight, when she was feeling down, and when she even just needed a good friend to talk to. They had always been there. They were truly her real friends even though others had claimed to be just as much, and often more, than they were.

“Forget...” a voice whispered throughout the black abyss.

Twilight darted her head around in fright, not wanting to know what lay beyond what she could see. But to forget... Twilight thought to herself, That would mean I wouldn't have them anymore. I don't want to lose them...

Twilight's mind was split, forgetting all that had ever made her miserable and sad, or keeping the ones that gave her occasional happiness. She just sat there, running over each scenario in her mind. If she forgot everything that made her miserable then she wouldn't have ever met the ponies that she proudly calls her friends. Without her knowledge on Nightmare Moon, she would have never predicted the return, and that would mean that she would have never come to the castle she remembers being in last. She wouldn't have ever met the other ponies, she wouldn't have studied under Celestia as a young filly. If she didn't ever strive for knowledge, then she wouldn’t have ever been in the current predicament: In an unknown place, trying to figure out what she needed to do.

On the other hand, if she lived with what she knew, then she would have the best friends that anypony could have ever asked for. Aside from knowing what was beyond the borders of Equestria and its gruesome history, plaguing her mind with every waking moment, she would be somewhat happy. She would have her friends there to comfort her, she would have aimless adventures of fun with them just because they could. It would be near perfect for her, except for the part where she still knew of the dark and death around her.

But what if it wasn't ever about her? What if she was just the gate-keeper of Ponyville? Twilight was the town librarian, and she had withheld information on a number of different times just because she thought their life would be easier if they didn't know. If they hadn't had Twilight there to tell them that she didn't know and that there was no documentation on that specific idea, then where would they be now? They could go and find what they want on their own, discovering what the world really is on their own accord. Or they could just accept that idea as it is and let it fade away in the recess of their minds.

Although more settling to look at it as if they would just forget about it, everypony would rather pursue the idea than just forget about it. It was just in their nature. Curiosity was in every living thing’s nature. No matter what you were, or where you live, you will always be curious, and that often leads to the acquisition of knowledge. Gaining knowledge isn't all bad, but when it gets to the point where the darkness of what lurks around you haunts every thought and step, then it becomes an issue to the bearer of knowledge.

Twilight huffed out a deep sigh. Why are decisions always so hard... she thought to herself.

A light appeared on the edge of the horizon, the luminosity gradually growing with every waking moment. Twilight stood and looked towards it, squinting her eyes as to try and see into the origin of the light. There was no success in her attempts, but it continued to grow brighter, burning her eyes even behind closed eyelids. It continued to grow until it engulfed her entire body, dissipating back into the dark from which it came.

Twilight opened her eyes, looking back into the darkness. The silhouettes of ponies gradually came into view as her eyes adjusted to the minimalistic light conditions of the room she resided in. There were six distinctive pony silhouettes laid out in front of her, about the same size of Twilight and all of her friends, with a much larger outline of a pony towering in front of them, hair blowing in the nonexistent wind. With a sudden rush, color came back to the scene in front of her and the room materialized all around her.

She was back in the ballroom, looking onto Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and herself, Nightmare Moon staring menacingly down upon them. It was just as she had remembered it, the night of Nightmare Moon's takeover. Her friends were all here to help her, The Twilight of memory speaking.

“It was a different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends.”

Twilight's mouth drooped open, the feelings that ran through her heart that night coming back in full force; the safety and love that she felt hammering her heart to the point that it exploded. She stood in awe, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized how obvious the answer had been all along. It had always been so obvious, she had just never chosen to give it a second glance. The scene played in front of her time after time as if it was on a repeat track. Each time that it played the feelings sunk deeper into her mind, regret slowly building up inside of her. The dam that held the tears back in her eyes broke open, releasing a torrent of tears as she fell down to her hooves, curling into the fetal position.

How could I have been so stupid? she asked herself, letting the torrent of tears flow onto her hooves.

The cold sensation of a pebble covered tile began to sprout up over Twilight's body, who was still curled up in the fetal position crying. The tile chilled Twilight to the bone, sending wave after wave of chill through her body. She parted her hoof slightly, expecting to see the face of Nightmare Moon standing above her once again, but she was all wrong. There was nothing but an empty room with a crying mare laying in the middle of it. Twilight tucked her hoof back into her body, crying at her sheer stupidity. She had thought at one point that she wanted to forget about all the darkness in the world, but who would she be if she let those down around her, not only her friends but also every other pony who asked her for information? How could she be so selfish to think that she was more important than everypony else who she had talked to? Twilight thought of herself as no more than a self-righteous mare, just as bad as that show off Trixie.

“I-I'm just as bad a-as Trixie...” Twilight mumbled under her sobs, increasingly glowing as she placed more blame for her thoughts on her mind.

“Well, Twilight, ya'll area a lot better than that no good Trixie pony!” Applejack said to her with a loving glance. “Honestly.”

Twilight parted her hooves to look out at the voice to see her friends staring her down with loving gaze. “No! No I'm not, and you guys are just another hallucination due to a chemical imbalance – OW!”

“Dear, get over yourself! That ruffian was nothing but trouble, and you will always be better than that pony,” Rarity sang to her, flipping her hair back over her ears. “I do hope a pinch is enough to convince you that we are real.”

“And listen here, Twilight,” Applejack said while waving a hoof to the ponies gathered around her, “We all care for ya, no matter what. Don't ya ever hesitate should ya ever need somethin'. Understand?”

The other ponies smiled and hummed a unison of “Yup!” and “Sure will be!” and Rarity exclaiming, “Every single time darling!” With a smile across her face, Twilight looked up at her friends, glad that they were here to keep her happy even in the hardest times. But there was one thing that she couldn't help but wonder, was how they found her and knew that she was here.

“Yes... But how did you guys know I was here?” she asked, her red eyes looking up at them quizzically.

“Well... to be honest with ya, Spike told us you left and headed off to tha Everfree all by your lonesome, and he wanted to be sure that you were safe. Gotta give him credit, Twi', he cares for ya more than you may realize,” Applejack told her with a bright smile on her face.

“I'm so glad you guys are my best friends, I have no idea what I would ever do without you. You really taught me something today about loving those who are close.” Twilight told them.

They all looked towards Twilight with a look of confusion on their face. “Uh, we did?”

Twilight looked at them with a smile on her face, and the tears on her face completely dry. “Yes, you did. You taught me that anything that is worth keeping in this world is worth a little sacrifice, no matter how big or small it may be.”

Thanks to these guys for bearing with me and editing out all of the little things.

Airstream, Irateam, TyrellTheDragon, HNNNNNGHHH, Razza, and UnforgivenGamer221.