Is it all a Lie?by GoldenChaosChaptersLie? Please, Tell Me.For Dinner Tonight?Dinner With Old FriendsHelp From True FriendsLie? Please, Tell Me.Twilight sat alone in the castle gardens. She watched the water flicker as fish flapped their fins inside, swimming with their friends. Friends. Twilight doesn't know if she actually has any of those, now. The wedding, though ending fine, as it seemed, left some damage. The damage wasn't left in the buildings, but in the bonds of the six ponies known as the Elements of Harmony. Twilight looked up with her vibrant, purple eyes to the sky, and toppled back. The clouds were so puffy, and they didn't look as alone as Twilight thought she looked right now. Her friends, the ponies that knew her for years, didn't believe her on her suspicions. Why? Twilight didn't know the answer to that, but she had a good, long time before the train came and she had to leave and go back to her library. The last place she wanted to be was in Ponyville, after how betrayed Twilight felt because of her friends. Taking a moment to think, she thought on possibilities on why they wouldn't believe her. Maybe Twilight did something to upset them, and her eyes widened at the thought. What did she do? She rolled her eyes. Nothing? She hardly thought that was a reason to betray her. Maybe, they were never truly her friends. Maybe, they thought they couldn't trust Twilight, so they followed her, and happened to be the true Bearers anyway? Maybe, on that night when Nightmare Moon took over Equestria, Twilight sent a true, magical spark that made the elements appear, and they took on the Bearer Twilight told them to. Maybe she was the true bearer of all the elements. After all, Rainbow wasn't loyal, Pinkie wasn't so fun for her, Fluttershy wasn't kind to her during this, Applejack couldn't find the truth, though it was right in her face, and Rarity wasn't generous enough to give Twilight a few minutes to speak to her about this. In a flash, Twilight made a decision. She would stay in Canterlot, and find her old friends she left behind. Twilight brought a hoof to her face as she thought she missed Moondancer's party, for some false friends. Well, she had to tell her mentor and her friends of her decision. She should have made her unhappiness clearer before, as this would seem kind of sudden and bad for her to mention more. But, it had to be done, and it would be finished now. She sat up, and started making her way back to the castle. At the doors of the grand castle before her, Twilight took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. This was a moment she didn't look forward to. She had to be heard and that was all that mattered. She opened the doors, and she found Celestia and her friends, exchanging a final goodbye. Celestia's magenta gaze passed to her, and she smiled. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," said Celestia cheerfully. Twilight laughed nervously, and bowed quickly. "Princess, I have something to tell you," said Twilight, and her friends thought it was important, for the two of them, and they started to leave. "We'll see you at the train station!" exclaimed Rainbow, taking into the air, and Twilight's magenta aura stopped her. "I thought you guys would like to hear this too," said Twilight, a tinge of coldness in her voice. Her friends looked to her in confusion, as did Celestia. "Yes?" they said, concern etching into their voices as they noticed Twilight's tone. Twilight sighed. "I don't think we can be friends anymore," started Twilight, and a collective gasp went around. Rarity fainted dramatically, using her magic to summon her couch. "B-But why?" asked Fluttershy, tears forming in her eyes. "Twilight! Did we do something to be party poopers?" asked Pinkie. More cries of protest and sorrow cried out until Twilight raised a hoof, her eyes closed, so she wouldn't lose it. "Well, I guess you guys deserve an explanation," said Twilight. "You guess?!" shouted Rainbow, but a glare from Applejack made her fall silent, though she shot daggers from her magenta eyes at Twilight. "I know this may seem sudden, and I should have told you sooner," started Twilight. "But, I'm not coming back to Ponyville. When I was suspicious of the fake Princess Cadence, none of you bothered to listen." Her eyes sadly looked at Rarity. "Not even you, Rarity, was generous enough to give a few minutes of time for me to explain." Rarity, still on her couch, summoned a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, sniffing. "I know, I know, darling!" sobbed Rarity. "I should have listened. But please, still be our friend!" "It won't be the same without ya," said Applejack, sadly looking at Twilight. Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Well, you should have thought about that before you betrayed me!" snapped Twilight. She gasped. "I'm sorry for my outburst, but you guys should leave before you make it worse. "I refuse to leave!" growled Rainbow. "Until you can accept we were tricked." "So do Ah!" said Applejack, stomping her hoof on the ground. "Ya said ya forgave us. Was that a lie?" "I had to somehow break it to you, and I was put on the spot in front of hundreds of ponies!" retorted Twilight. They had forgotten about Celestia, who stood beside them. "Stop!" yelled Celestia. The one unicorn and the group of friends stopped glaring at each other, and glanced at Celestia. "Twilight, you may stay here while you recover. As for the rest of you," Her gaze passed over the five ponies, who looked down to the ground in shame. "Go back to Ponyville and let your frie-, excuse me, acquaintance recover." The five ponies hung their heads, and they left the castle, and Rainbow stole one last, vengeful glance at her. "I swear, if I see your traitorous face again," said Rainbow, turning around. "I won't hesitate to fight!" She stomped, and left a crack in the ground. "Rainbow! Ya will not!" scolded Applejack, and she dragged her out of the castle, Rainbow glaring until she was out of sight. Twilight sighed, tears welling in her eyes. Celestia's hoof was set on her shoulder. "My protege, I know this is hard," said Celestia. "But you will find new friends." "No I won't," replied Twilight. "I will make amends with my old ones before I moved to Ponyville." A thought came over her. "Spike! Where did he go?!" "If I remember, I saw him with Rarity last," replied Celestia. The door slammed open on cue, Spike arrived with bloodshot eyes. He pointed at Twilight, gasping for breath as if he ran a far distance. "W-Why, Twilight?" asked Spike. "Why d-d-did you break your friendships? Rarity treated me l-like... I didn't matter." Twilight rushed over to him. "I'm so sorry that this happened!" exclaimed Twilight. "I-I forgot about you for a moment. Come here." She hugged Spike tightly, while he sobbed into her fur. "We will have our old friends. Moondancer and the others." Spike sniffed and looked up to her in surprise. "Really?" asked Spike. "Yes," replied Twilight, smiling down sadly. For Dinner Tonight?Celestia walked with Twilight to show her the place Twilight would be staying in. Many ponies, surprised to see Celestia on the streets, bowed down, and Twilight, Spike, and Celestia had no issues trying to get to Twilight's home. Twilight gasped as her old library shadowed over her. "I-It's my old library," said Twilight quietly. Celestia smiled and nodded. "Welcome to your home," said Celestia warmly. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" yelled Twilight, and she hugged Celestia warmly. Spike cleared his throat, and Twilight turned pink, and she laughed. She coughed and started over. "I mean, thank you, Princess." She bowed. Celestia laughed, and waved her hoof. "Oh, no need for such formalities!" exclaimed Celestia, and Twilight looked up to her, bewildered. "Call me Celestia, Twilight." "Okay. Pri- er, Celestia," replied Twilight. Celestia gave her another smile. "Well, get settled in," said Celestia. "I have some important matters to tend to." She raised her wings, and took off, flying back to the castle, leaving Twilight and Spike to their new/old home. "Wow, never thought I'd ever see this dusty place again," said Spike. "Me neither," replied Twilight. She stood tall. "Well, let's get the place cleaned up, and we will find our old friends!" Spike groaned, and they went inside. Nopony was inside, unsurprisingly. "Huh, nopony bothered to look at these books," said Spike, picking a particularly dirty book up, and wiped his claw across it. It read, 'Album of Canterlot'. Twilight gasped, and she snatched it from Spike's claws. "This should have the pictures of our old friends!" exclaimed Twilight. She opened the book, and a familiar unicorn with yellow fur and a blue mane with bright pink eyes shone out in a picture, Lemon Hearts. "Isn't that Lemon Hearts?" asked Spike. His eyes widened as he saw a white unicorn with a light pink mane. "Twinkleshine! Look!" Twilight smiled. "Yeah, and there's Minuette," said Twilight, a blush coming across her face as she saw the blue unicorn, who she remembered used to be her old crush. Long ago, as fillies, Twilight had found Minuette as attractive. She didn't know why, but she did. The day they met, it was at Twinkleshine's birthday party, and Minuette had her mane especially shiny, and Twilight found how much she had related her her. Back in the present, she shook her head. Twilight no longer had a crush on Minuette, but she still brought good memories back. "No, really! There's Twinkleshine!" exclaimed Spike, pointing at the window. Twilight rushed to the window, and shoved Spike, who fell to the ground. Twilight smiled in glee, and the door opened. Twinkleshine walked in, and Twilight rushed up to her. "Oh my Celestia!" cried Twinkleshine, eyes wide in surprise. "Twinkleshine! It's been too long!" exclaimed Twilight. Twinkleshine's eyes widened, and she smiled widely, hugging Twilight. "Twilight! It certainly has!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and I were wondering where you disappeared to! A trip to Ponyville. Lyra told us all about it." "Lyra was there?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, she moved to Ponyville with her marefriend, Bon Bon," replied Twinkleshine. "We visited a lot, but we saw you with new friends so we didn't speak to you." Twilight's ears lay flat on her head. "O-Oh," Twilight's voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I forgot about you guys after Celestia sent me to Ponyville. I met new, nice friends and I guess they distracted me." Twinkleshine waved her hoof. "Oh, it's fine," she replied. "How are your new friends now, anyway?" "We're not friends anymore," replied Twilight, and Twinkleshine opened her mouth. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Too soon." She sighed sadly, scratching her hoof on the ground. "I found out they weren't really my friends, and I decided to stay here." "Well, I'm glad you're here," replied Twinkleshine. "Moondancer was pretty upset, though. But, she still talks to us, but less. Maybe we can all have dinner tonight and catch up!" Twilight smiled. "You would do that?" asked Twilight. Spike came over. "Oh sorry I didn't say anything sooner," said Spike, glaring at Twilight. "But somepony knocked me out when she found out one of her friends was coming." Twilight raised an eyebrow as a question came to mind. "Why did you even come here, anyway?" asked Twilight, and Twinkleshine smiled. "To read the books, of course!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "They're so interesting, though I don't know what half of them are talking about." Twilight giggled. "They're pretty advanced," said Twilight. "What's your favorite?" She leaned over, nudging her. "There's one in my mind I've been dying to talk to somepony about." Twinkleshine smiled. "Sorry, but I have to go tell Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Moondancer about you being here," said Twinkleshine. "See you at dinner tonight! We will surprise you, around six. We will stop here." She waved, and exited the library. Twilight smiled widely, and turned to Spike. "Amazing!" exclaimed Twilight. "Finally, we can have our old friends back." Spike sighed. Twilight's face filled with concern, and she walked over to him. Spike held a picture of Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity together. "I miss them," murmured Spike, and Twilight fought rage inside. "Well, you won't soon," she said, and she turned away, looking into her library. Dinner With Old FriendsTwilight nervously stood before the mirror. She used her horn to levitate a hair spray and spray her mane, making it shinier. Spike came in, and he gasped, and started laughing. "You remind me of Rar-" he stopped, cringing, and Twilight looked over to him, to see tears in the corners of his eyes. Her hooves wrapped around him in a warm hug. "I know you miss them," said Twilight. "But we can make amends with our old friends and have a nice life here." Spike sniffed, and smiled at her. A knock on the door sounded, and Twilight dropped Spike. "Oh! They're here!" She rushed to the door, and opened it. Outside were Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine. Lemon Hearts gave her a nervous smile while Minuette frowned. "Hello, Twilight!" exclaimed Lemon, shaking her hoof hard. "It's been so long!" Twilight glanced nervously at Minuette, as the blue unicorn glared. "I'm sorry, but, care to explain why you've been gone for so long without telling us?" asked Minuette, and Twilight's ears lay flat on her head. "Oh..." Twilight's voice cracked slightly. "Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to help with preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon came back and I decided to stay with my friends... They distracted me and I forgot about you all. I'm sorry." Minuette gave her a long, forgiving look. "I understand," sighed Minuette. "I just hope it doesn't happen again." "Me neither!" exclaimed Lemon Hearts. "Remember all the fun times we had?" "Yeah," laughed Twilight. "Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Twinkleshine. "Let's go to dinner!" Twilight frowned. "What about Moondancer?" asked Twilight. "Oh! I nearly forgot," said Twinkleshine. "She is running a bit late. Ever since you left, she confined herself to one library all day and night to study spells." Twilight flushed as she remembered she forgot about Moondancer's party. "Oh no," groaned Twilight. "I hope Moondancer isn't too mad about the time I skipped her party." "But I am," snapped a voice from behind. Whipping around, Twilight came face to face with a cream unicorn with a red mane. "Moondancer!" exclaimed Twilight, her happiness taking over to worry as she hugged Moondancer. Scowling, Moondancer shoved her off, leaving an awestruck Twilight on the ground. "Why would you hug me, after abandoning me?! All of us?!" shouted Moondancer, her hoof pointing to the others. "I-I'm sorry," said Twilight. "Let me expla-" "No!" cut off Moondancer. "I don't want to hear your excuses. The day you forgot the one time I let myself open up to society, I was broken! I thought you could help me, but no, friends don't matter to Twilight Sparkle!" Moondancer put her back to Twilight, and the three others helplessly watched as they fought. "Please, I'm sorry, but important things came across that day," said Twilight. "More important than your best friend?" asked Moondancer coldly. "Yes, regretfully," replied Twilight, hanging her head shamefully. "Nightmare Moon returned and I had to gather the true Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and save Equestria." "Well, you could have come back instead of waiting three years," reminded Moondancer, turning to face Twilight. "I could have," admitted Twilight. "But my old friends were so amazing I forgot about my true friends. I'm sorry. I'm no longer friends with them though." Moondancer took a moment to think, and scowled. "I suppose I'll give you a chance," said Moondancer, and before Twilight could hug her, she continued,"But take it slow. It's going to be some time before I forgive you." Twilight nodded sadly. "I understand," replied Twilight, and Spike glared in the background. They arrived in the area where all the finest restaurants in Canterlot lay. Twilight looked around, mouth watering as she saw all the places. "Where are we going?" asked Twilight. Twinkleshine smiled. "There is this place named the 'Tasty Treat' and it just opened two weeks ago, and Lemon Hearts went there, and she said the food was wonderful, even though not many ponies came to eat there," replied Twinkleshine, pointing to a small restaurant that had exotic decor. "I hope you don't mind there isn't any hooves from Zesty," said Lemon Hearts. "Ah, it's fine," replied Twilight, waving her hoof dismissively. They went inside, andan amazing smell filled Twilight's nostrils. She sighed blissfully. "Ah! Customers!" exclaimed a mare with a foreign accent. "Father! Take their orders and I will get the ingredients out. Thank you all for coming! My name is Saffron Masala, and I will be cooking your food." Saffron was an orange unicorn with sharp ears and a poofy, deep purple mane. "Hello!" replied Twinkleshine. "My friend says your food is great," said Twilight. She licked her lips. "It sure does smell nice!" Saffron giggled. A pudgy, older stallion emerged from a door, supposedly the kitchen. "Really? Customers?" asked the stallion, eyes wide. "Well, that's... great!" He smiled. "Well, my name is Coriander Cumen. What do you want to eat?" "Give us all the best thing you have!" exclaimed Minuette, and she glanced to her friends. "Dinner's on me!" The others cheered happily, excluding Moondancer as she glared at Twilight, watching her every move. "Will do," replied Coriander, and he walked into the kitchen, and silence followed. All the mares stared, expecting Twilight to say something. She turned pink, and cleared her throat. "So, what's been happening while I was gone?" asked Twilight. Moondancer looked away. The others glanced to each other, and smiled. "We became pretty good friends of Princess Cadence," replied Minuette. "I bet you figured since we were her bridesmaids until Chrysalis hypnotized us," added Lemon. Twilight laughed nervously, once again turning pink. "I was too stressed to realize you guys were her bridesmaids, sorry," replied Twilight, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "It's fine," replied Twinkleshine. "We saw that you were making sure the wedding was organized." She giggled. "That's always been a hobby of yours." "Well, while you were gone, I was upset, locked in my house," cut in Moondancer coldly. Twilight frowned, ears flat on her head. "I'm sorry, once again," said Twilight, looking to the table, examining it, pretending to be interested. "Alright," replied Moondancer, turning to Spike, murmuring something to him. Twinkleshine cleared her throat. "So, can you tell us about your friends?" asked Twinkleshine, and the other two turned to face her, eyes shining in wonder. Twilight growled, but her next outburst was interrupted by Coriander, as he brought six bowls out. He gave them each to every mare. Twilight looked down at it, and licked her lips. The smell was very tempting, and you could see in the soup all of the good ingredients, mixed perfectly and a warm steam crept out of the bowl. Using the spoon given to her, she dipped it in, and tasted the contents of the soup. The flavors danced in her mouth, and she gasped. "Is it too hot?" asked Saffron as she walked out, a worried expression on her face. Twilight shook her head. "It's the best thing I've ever tasted!" exclaimed Twilight. The other mares looked to her excitedly, and then tasted the food themselves. Murmuring to one another in happiness, they ate more. Soon, they were done with their dinner. "Coriander, Saffron, I will be sure to come back!" exclaimed Minuette, sighing blissfully. "That's the best food I've ever tasted!" The both of them smiled, leaning to each other. "Well, a father and daughter are the best team!" gloated Coriander. The mares waved goodbye, with the exception of Moondancer, and headed home. Spike glared at Twilight, who was confused. "On the way, you said something about her forgiving you," scowled Spike. "If she can eventually forgive you, why can't you forgive our friends?!" "Their betrayal is different!" snapped Twilight. "So, I had to leave without telling my friends, but that was on Celestia's orders! They ignored me completely, with no orders at all from anypony! They didn't care about my worries and suspicions, while I cared about our real friends' opinions! So, our problem is completely different!" Spike glared at her. "You mean your problem," said Spike slowly, and he sighed. "I've spoken to Rarity before she left. I'm moving in with her." Twilight gasped. "W-W-What? You can't! I-I own you!" exclaimed Twilight, grabbing Spike's shoulders. "Well, not own you, but you know what I mean! You're like my little brother, and I have full custody of you!" Spike shook his head, and pushed her off him. "I may not look like it, and you've forgotten, but I'm sixteen. I'm the legal age to move in with any adult, friend or family," replied Spike. Twilight felt a tear trickle down her cheeks. "N-No! I won't let you!" protested Twilight. "I'm sorry, but losing one friend is better than losing five," replied Spike, tears in the corners of his eyes. "I hope that one day we will all be friends again." Twilight stopped, watching Spike, sobbing, as he hurried away. Help From True FriendsTwinkleshine took notice to how Twilight kept herself shut in the library she lived in now. Gathering Minuette and Lemon Hearts, she started out to the library. The three friends stopped as they heard sobbing coming from inside. Twinkleshine nervously stepped forward, and knocked on the door. "Twilight? Spike?" called Twinkleshine. "DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" screamed a familiar, yet pained voice inside. The three friends looked worriedly to one another, and Minuette kicked the door. "I will fix that door later!" started Minuette, looking sheepishly to the door on the ground. The sobs stopped, and they saw Twilight with bloodshot eyes. "What happened?" "And where's Spike?" asked Lemon Hearts. "He's... He's gone," sighed Twilight, tears streaming from her eyes yet again. "I-Is he dead?" stammered Lemon, and Twinkleshine nudged her angrily in the arm. "N-No," replied Twilight, and the three sighed in relief. "He left to Ponyville and basically told me that we're not friends anymore. He said keeping five friends and losing one is better than the other way around." Twinkleshine looked at her sadly, and came over and gave her friend a long, caring hug. "It will be alright, Twilight," soothed Twinkleshine. Twilight sniffed. "We will be here for you." Twilight smiled softly. "Th-Thank you," said Twilight. "I'm sorry, here I am sobbing. Now I know how it feels to be abandoned by a friend." The three exchanged glances. "Well, for us, it wasn't that painful!" exclaimed MInuette. "Yeah, we were used to that kind of thing from you," said Lemon, and she covered her mouth, wondering if she said the wrong thing. The other two glared at her, and Twilight giggled. "I'm glad I didn't upset you guys... too badly like I am," smiled Twilight. "I need to pull myself together." "Want to go on a walk and clear your mind?" asked Lemon Hearts. "Tell us what happened with your friends. Talking things out with somepony always makes me feel better!" Twilight smiled and nodded. So, they started to walk out the doors, and they took in the fresh air surrounding them. Twilight sighed in content. "Well, here is the story," said Twilight. "So, I noticed something was wrong with Princess Cadence, and I caught her hypnotizing my brother, and when I told my friends, they didn't believe me as Chrysalis had told Shining Armor to tell them that it was for his 'headaches'. So, they abandoned me, as did Princess Celestia, thinking I was angry that my brother was to be married. Then Chrysalis locked me below Canterlot, and I found the real Cadence, and we escaped. So, after it all, the wedding took place and after it, I told my friends we would no longer be friends as they weren't good enough friends to take me seriously." Twilight sighed, looking sadly to the ground. "Oh, that makes a lot of sense," said Twinkleshine. "But why aren't you mad at Princess Celestia?" asked Minuette. Twilight blushed. "Uh," stammered Twilight. "I... I..." "Oh! You have a crush on Princess Celestia!" exclaimed Lemon, and Twilight turned brighter than crimson. The three giggled. "No offense, but how did this happen?" asked Minuette, giggling. Twilight blushed. "Well, when I was first accepted into the school for Gifted Unicorns, I thought that Princess Celestia was very pretty. The past few years, I've found her more attractive. She also has a very kind, caring, and accepting soul that I admire everyday." "Tell her!" exclaimed Twinkleshine, and Twilight paled. "I couldn't!" sputtered Twilight. "Yes you can!" taunted Lemon. "Tell her! Tell her!" chanted Minuette, and the other two friends chanted along. "Tell her! Tell her! Tell her!" Twilight fell to the ground, covering her ears. "Fine! Fine, I will tell Princess Celestia when I can!" sighed Twilight, face hot. "Good luck!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "Here, let's go home. It seems this walk has been good for you." Twilight nodded in agreement.
Lie? Please, Tell Me.Twilight sat alone in the castle gardens. She watched the water flicker as fish flapped their fins inside, swimming with their friends. Friends. Twilight doesn't know if she actually has any of those, now. The wedding, though ending fine, as it seemed, left some damage. The damage wasn't left in the buildings, but in the bonds of the six ponies known as the Elements of Harmony. Twilight looked up with her vibrant, purple eyes to the sky, and toppled back. The clouds were so puffy, and they didn't look as alone as Twilight thought she looked right now. Her friends, the ponies that knew her for years, didn't believe her on her suspicions. Why? Twilight didn't know the answer to that, but she had a good, long time before the train came and she had to leave and go back to her library. The last place she wanted to be was in Ponyville, after how betrayed Twilight felt because of her friends. Taking a moment to think, she thought on possibilities on why they wouldn't believe her. Maybe Twilight did something to upset them, and her eyes widened at the thought. What did she do? She rolled her eyes. Nothing? She hardly thought that was a reason to betray her. Maybe, they were never truly her friends. Maybe, they thought they couldn't trust Twilight, so they followed her, and happened to be the true Bearers anyway? Maybe, on that night when Nightmare Moon took over Equestria, Twilight sent a true, magical spark that made the elements appear, and they took on the Bearer Twilight told them to. Maybe she was the true bearer of all the elements. After all, Rainbow wasn't loyal, Pinkie wasn't so fun for her, Fluttershy wasn't kind to her during this, Applejack couldn't find the truth, though it was right in her face, and Rarity wasn't generous enough to give Twilight a few minutes to speak to her about this. In a flash, Twilight made a decision. She would stay in Canterlot, and find her old friends she left behind. Twilight brought a hoof to her face as she thought she missed Moondancer's party, for some false friends. Well, she had to tell her mentor and her friends of her decision. She should have made her unhappiness clearer before, as this would seem kind of sudden and bad for her to mention more. But, it had to be done, and it would be finished now. She sat up, and started making her way back to the castle. At the doors of the grand castle before her, Twilight took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. This was a moment she didn't look forward to. She had to be heard and that was all that mattered. She opened the doors, and she found Celestia and her friends, exchanging a final goodbye. Celestia's magenta gaze passed to her, and she smiled. "Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student," said Celestia cheerfully. Twilight laughed nervously, and bowed quickly. "Princess, I have something to tell you," said Twilight, and her friends thought it was important, for the two of them, and they started to leave. "We'll see you at the train station!" exclaimed Rainbow, taking into the air, and Twilight's magenta aura stopped her. "I thought you guys would like to hear this too," said Twilight, a tinge of coldness in her voice. Her friends looked to her in confusion, as did Celestia. "Yes?" they said, concern etching into their voices as they noticed Twilight's tone. Twilight sighed. "I don't think we can be friends anymore," started Twilight, and a collective gasp went around. Rarity fainted dramatically, using her magic to summon her couch. "B-But why?" asked Fluttershy, tears forming in her eyes. "Twilight! Did we do something to be party poopers?" asked Pinkie. More cries of protest and sorrow cried out until Twilight raised a hoof, her eyes closed, so she wouldn't lose it. "Well, I guess you guys deserve an explanation," said Twilight. "You guess?!" shouted Rainbow, but a glare from Applejack made her fall silent, though she shot daggers from her magenta eyes at Twilight. "I know this may seem sudden, and I should have told you sooner," started Twilight. "But, I'm not coming back to Ponyville. When I was suspicious of the fake Princess Cadence, none of you bothered to listen." Her eyes sadly looked at Rarity. "Not even you, Rarity, was generous enough to give a few minutes of time for me to explain." Rarity, still on her couch, summoned a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes, sniffing. "I know, I know, darling!" sobbed Rarity. "I should have listened. But please, still be our friend!" "It won't be the same without ya," said Applejack, sadly looking at Twilight. Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Well, you should have thought about that before you betrayed me!" snapped Twilight. She gasped. "I'm sorry for my outburst, but you guys should leave before you make it worse. "I refuse to leave!" growled Rainbow. "Until you can accept we were tricked." "So do Ah!" said Applejack, stomping her hoof on the ground. "Ya said ya forgave us. Was that a lie?" "I had to somehow break it to you, and I was put on the spot in front of hundreds of ponies!" retorted Twilight. They had forgotten about Celestia, who stood beside them. "Stop!" yelled Celestia. The one unicorn and the group of friends stopped glaring at each other, and glanced at Celestia. "Twilight, you may stay here while you recover. As for the rest of you," Her gaze passed over the five ponies, who looked down to the ground in shame. "Go back to Ponyville and let your frie-, excuse me, acquaintance recover." The five ponies hung their heads, and they left the castle, and Rainbow stole one last, vengeful glance at her. "I swear, if I see your traitorous face again," said Rainbow, turning around. "I won't hesitate to fight!" She stomped, and left a crack in the ground. "Rainbow! Ya will not!" scolded Applejack, and she dragged her out of the castle, Rainbow glaring until she was out of sight. Twilight sighed, tears welling in her eyes. Celestia's hoof was set on her shoulder. "My protege, I know this is hard," said Celestia. "But you will find new friends." "No I won't," replied Twilight. "I will make amends with my old ones before I moved to Ponyville." A thought came over her. "Spike! Where did he go?!" "If I remember, I saw him with Rarity last," replied Celestia. The door slammed open on cue, Spike arrived with bloodshot eyes. He pointed at Twilight, gasping for breath as if he ran a far distance. "W-Why, Twilight?" asked Spike. "Why d-d-did you break your friendships? Rarity treated me l-like... I didn't matter." Twilight rushed over to him. "I'm so sorry that this happened!" exclaimed Twilight. "I-I forgot about you for a moment. Come here." She hugged Spike tightly, while he sobbed into her fur. "We will have our old friends. Moondancer and the others." Spike sniffed and looked up to her in surprise. "Really?" asked Spike. "Yes," replied Twilight, smiling down sadly.
For Dinner Tonight?Celestia walked with Twilight to show her the place Twilight would be staying in. Many ponies, surprised to see Celestia on the streets, bowed down, and Twilight, Spike, and Celestia had no issues trying to get to Twilight's home. Twilight gasped as her old library shadowed over her. "I-It's my old library," said Twilight quietly. Celestia smiled and nodded. "Welcome to your home," said Celestia warmly. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" yelled Twilight, and she hugged Celestia warmly. Spike cleared his throat, and Twilight turned pink, and she laughed. She coughed and started over. "I mean, thank you, Princess." She bowed. Celestia laughed, and waved her hoof. "Oh, no need for such formalities!" exclaimed Celestia, and Twilight looked up to her, bewildered. "Call me Celestia, Twilight." "Okay. Pri- er, Celestia," replied Twilight. Celestia gave her another smile. "Well, get settled in," said Celestia. "I have some important matters to tend to." She raised her wings, and took off, flying back to the castle, leaving Twilight and Spike to their new/old home. "Wow, never thought I'd ever see this dusty place again," said Spike. "Me neither," replied Twilight. She stood tall. "Well, let's get the place cleaned up, and we will find our old friends!" Spike groaned, and they went inside. Nopony was inside, unsurprisingly. "Huh, nopony bothered to look at these books," said Spike, picking a particularly dirty book up, and wiped his claw across it. It read, 'Album of Canterlot'. Twilight gasped, and she snatched it from Spike's claws. "This should have the pictures of our old friends!" exclaimed Twilight. She opened the book, and a familiar unicorn with yellow fur and a blue mane with bright pink eyes shone out in a picture, Lemon Hearts. "Isn't that Lemon Hearts?" asked Spike. His eyes widened as he saw a white unicorn with a light pink mane. "Twinkleshine! Look!" Twilight smiled. "Yeah, and there's Minuette," said Twilight, a blush coming across her face as she saw the blue unicorn, who she remembered used to be her old crush. Long ago, as fillies, Twilight had found Minuette as attractive. She didn't know why, but she did. The day they met, it was at Twinkleshine's birthday party, and Minuette had her mane especially shiny, and Twilight found how much she had related her her. Back in the present, she shook her head. Twilight no longer had a crush on Minuette, but she still brought good memories back. "No, really! There's Twinkleshine!" exclaimed Spike, pointing at the window. Twilight rushed to the window, and shoved Spike, who fell to the ground. Twilight smiled in glee, and the door opened. Twinkleshine walked in, and Twilight rushed up to her. "Oh my Celestia!" cried Twinkleshine, eyes wide in surprise. "Twinkleshine! It's been too long!" exclaimed Twilight. Twinkleshine's eyes widened, and she smiled widely, hugging Twilight. "Twilight! It certainly has!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and I were wondering where you disappeared to! A trip to Ponyville. Lyra told us all about it." "Lyra was there?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, she moved to Ponyville with her marefriend, Bon Bon," replied Twinkleshine. "We visited a lot, but we saw you with new friends so we didn't speak to you." Twilight's ears lay flat on her head. "O-Oh," Twilight's voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I forgot about you guys after Celestia sent me to Ponyville. I met new, nice friends and I guess they distracted me." Twinkleshine waved her hoof. "Oh, it's fine," she replied. "How are your new friends now, anyway?" "We're not friends anymore," replied Twilight, and Twinkleshine opened her mouth. "I don't want to talk about it right now. Too soon." She sighed sadly, scratching her hoof on the ground. "I found out they weren't really my friends, and I decided to stay here." "Well, I'm glad you're here," replied Twinkleshine. "Moondancer was pretty upset, though. But, she still talks to us, but less. Maybe we can all have dinner tonight and catch up!" Twilight smiled. "You would do that?" asked Twilight. Spike came over. "Oh sorry I didn't say anything sooner," said Spike, glaring at Twilight. "But somepony knocked me out when she found out one of her friends was coming." Twilight raised an eyebrow as a question came to mind. "Why did you even come here, anyway?" asked Twilight, and Twinkleshine smiled. "To read the books, of course!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "They're so interesting, though I don't know what half of them are talking about." Twilight giggled. "They're pretty advanced," said Twilight. "What's your favorite?" She leaned over, nudging her. "There's one in my mind I've been dying to talk to somepony about." Twinkleshine smiled. "Sorry, but I have to go tell Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Moondancer about you being here," said Twinkleshine. "See you at dinner tonight! We will surprise you, around six. We will stop here." She waved, and exited the library. Twilight smiled widely, and turned to Spike. "Amazing!" exclaimed Twilight. "Finally, we can have our old friends back." Spike sighed. Twilight's face filled with concern, and she walked over to him. Spike held a picture of Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity together. "I miss them," murmured Spike, and Twilight fought rage inside. "Well, you won't soon," she said, and she turned away, looking into her library.
Dinner With Old FriendsTwilight nervously stood before the mirror. She used her horn to levitate a hair spray and spray her mane, making it shinier. Spike came in, and he gasped, and started laughing. "You remind me of Rar-" he stopped, cringing, and Twilight looked over to him, to see tears in the corners of his eyes. Her hooves wrapped around him in a warm hug. "I know you miss them," said Twilight. "But we can make amends with our old friends and have a nice life here." Spike sniffed, and smiled at her. A knock on the door sounded, and Twilight dropped Spike. "Oh! They're here!" She rushed to the door, and opened it. Outside were Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine. Lemon Hearts gave her a nervous smile while Minuette frowned. "Hello, Twilight!" exclaimed Lemon, shaking her hoof hard. "It's been so long!" Twilight glanced nervously at Minuette, as the blue unicorn glared. "I'm sorry, but, care to explain why you've been gone for so long without telling us?" asked Minuette, and Twilight's ears lay flat on her head. "Oh..." Twilight's voice cracked slightly. "Princess Celestia sent me to Ponyville to help with preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration when Nightmare Moon came back and I decided to stay with my friends... They distracted me and I forgot about you all. I'm sorry." Minuette gave her a long, forgiving look. "I understand," sighed Minuette. "I just hope it doesn't happen again." "Me neither!" exclaimed Lemon Hearts. "Remember all the fun times we had?" "Yeah," laughed Twilight. "Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Twinkleshine. "Let's go to dinner!" Twilight frowned. "What about Moondancer?" asked Twilight. "Oh! I nearly forgot," said Twinkleshine. "She is running a bit late. Ever since you left, she confined herself to one library all day and night to study spells." Twilight flushed as she remembered she forgot about Moondancer's party. "Oh no," groaned Twilight. "I hope Moondancer isn't too mad about the time I skipped her party." "But I am," snapped a voice from behind. Whipping around, Twilight came face to face with a cream unicorn with a red mane. "Moondancer!" exclaimed Twilight, her happiness taking over to worry as she hugged Moondancer. Scowling, Moondancer shoved her off, leaving an awestruck Twilight on the ground. "Why would you hug me, after abandoning me?! All of us?!" shouted Moondancer, her hoof pointing to the others. "I-I'm sorry," said Twilight. "Let me expla-" "No!" cut off Moondancer. "I don't want to hear your excuses. The day you forgot the one time I let myself open up to society, I was broken! I thought you could help me, but no, friends don't matter to Twilight Sparkle!" Moondancer put her back to Twilight, and the three others helplessly watched as they fought. "Please, I'm sorry, but important things came across that day," said Twilight. "More important than your best friend?" asked Moondancer coldly. "Yes, regretfully," replied Twilight, hanging her head shamefully. "Nightmare Moon returned and I had to gather the true Bearers of the Elements of Harmony and save Equestria." "Well, you could have come back instead of waiting three years," reminded Moondancer, turning to face Twilight. "I could have," admitted Twilight. "But my old friends were so amazing I forgot about my true friends. I'm sorry. I'm no longer friends with them though." Moondancer took a moment to think, and scowled. "I suppose I'll give you a chance," said Moondancer, and before Twilight could hug her, she continued,"But take it slow. It's going to be some time before I forgive you." Twilight nodded sadly. "I understand," replied Twilight, and Spike glared in the background. They arrived in the area where all the finest restaurants in Canterlot lay. Twilight looked around, mouth watering as she saw all the places. "Where are we going?" asked Twilight. Twinkleshine smiled. "There is this place named the 'Tasty Treat' and it just opened two weeks ago, and Lemon Hearts went there, and she said the food was wonderful, even though not many ponies came to eat there," replied Twinkleshine, pointing to a small restaurant that had exotic decor. "I hope you don't mind there isn't any hooves from Zesty," said Lemon Hearts. "Ah, it's fine," replied Twilight, waving her hoof dismissively. They went inside, andan amazing smell filled Twilight's nostrils. She sighed blissfully. "Ah! Customers!" exclaimed a mare with a foreign accent. "Father! Take their orders and I will get the ingredients out. Thank you all for coming! My name is Saffron Masala, and I will be cooking your food." Saffron was an orange unicorn with sharp ears and a poofy, deep purple mane. "Hello!" replied Twinkleshine. "My friend says your food is great," said Twilight. She licked her lips. "It sure does smell nice!" Saffron giggled. A pudgy, older stallion emerged from a door, supposedly the kitchen. "Really? Customers?" asked the stallion, eyes wide. "Well, that's... great!" He smiled. "Well, my name is Coriander Cumen. What do you want to eat?" "Give us all the best thing you have!" exclaimed Minuette, and she glanced to her friends. "Dinner's on me!" The others cheered happily, excluding Moondancer as she glared at Twilight, watching her every move. "Will do," replied Coriander, and he walked into the kitchen, and silence followed. All the mares stared, expecting Twilight to say something. She turned pink, and cleared her throat. "So, what's been happening while I was gone?" asked Twilight. Moondancer looked away. The others glanced to each other, and smiled. "We became pretty good friends of Princess Cadence," replied Minuette. "I bet you figured since we were her bridesmaids until Chrysalis hypnotized us," added Lemon. Twilight laughed nervously, once again turning pink. "I was too stressed to realize you guys were her bridesmaids, sorry," replied Twilight, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. "It's fine," replied Twinkleshine. "We saw that you were making sure the wedding was organized." She giggled. "That's always been a hobby of yours." "Well, while you were gone, I was upset, locked in my house," cut in Moondancer coldly. Twilight frowned, ears flat on her head. "I'm sorry, once again," said Twilight, looking to the table, examining it, pretending to be interested. "Alright," replied Moondancer, turning to Spike, murmuring something to him. Twinkleshine cleared her throat. "So, can you tell us about your friends?" asked Twinkleshine, and the other two turned to face her, eyes shining in wonder. Twilight growled, but her next outburst was interrupted by Coriander, as he brought six bowls out. He gave them each to every mare. Twilight looked down at it, and licked her lips. The smell was very tempting, and you could see in the soup all of the good ingredients, mixed perfectly and a warm steam crept out of the bowl. Using the spoon given to her, she dipped it in, and tasted the contents of the soup. The flavors danced in her mouth, and she gasped. "Is it too hot?" asked Saffron as she walked out, a worried expression on her face. Twilight shook her head. "It's the best thing I've ever tasted!" exclaimed Twilight. The other mares looked to her excitedly, and then tasted the food themselves. Murmuring to one another in happiness, they ate more. Soon, they were done with their dinner. "Coriander, Saffron, I will be sure to come back!" exclaimed Minuette, sighing blissfully. "That's the best food I've ever tasted!" The both of them smiled, leaning to each other. "Well, a father and daughter are the best team!" gloated Coriander. The mares waved goodbye, with the exception of Moondancer, and headed home. Spike glared at Twilight, who was confused. "On the way, you said something about her forgiving you," scowled Spike. "If she can eventually forgive you, why can't you forgive our friends?!" "Their betrayal is different!" snapped Twilight. "So, I had to leave without telling my friends, but that was on Celestia's orders! They ignored me completely, with no orders at all from anypony! They didn't care about my worries and suspicions, while I cared about our real friends' opinions! So, our problem is completely different!" Spike glared at her. "You mean your problem," said Spike slowly, and he sighed. "I've spoken to Rarity before she left. I'm moving in with her." Twilight gasped. "W-W-What? You can't! I-I own you!" exclaimed Twilight, grabbing Spike's shoulders. "Well, not own you, but you know what I mean! You're like my little brother, and I have full custody of you!" Spike shook his head, and pushed her off him. "I may not look like it, and you've forgotten, but I'm sixteen. I'm the legal age to move in with any adult, friend or family," replied Spike. Twilight felt a tear trickle down her cheeks. "N-No! I won't let you!" protested Twilight. "I'm sorry, but losing one friend is better than losing five," replied Spike, tears in the corners of his eyes. "I hope that one day we will all be friends again." Twilight stopped, watching Spike, sobbing, as he hurried away.
Help From True FriendsTwinkleshine took notice to how Twilight kept herself shut in the library she lived in now. Gathering Minuette and Lemon Hearts, she started out to the library. The three friends stopped as they heard sobbing coming from inside. Twinkleshine nervously stepped forward, and knocked on the door. "Twilight? Spike?" called Twinkleshine. "DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" screamed a familiar, yet pained voice inside. The three friends looked worriedly to one another, and Minuette kicked the door. "I will fix that door later!" started Minuette, looking sheepishly to the door on the ground. The sobs stopped, and they saw Twilight with bloodshot eyes. "What happened?" "And where's Spike?" asked Lemon Hearts. "He's... He's gone," sighed Twilight, tears streaming from her eyes yet again. "I-Is he dead?" stammered Lemon, and Twinkleshine nudged her angrily in the arm. "N-No," replied Twilight, and the three sighed in relief. "He left to Ponyville and basically told me that we're not friends anymore. He said keeping five friends and losing one is better than the other way around." Twinkleshine looked at her sadly, and came over and gave her friend a long, caring hug. "It will be alright, Twilight," soothed Twinkleshine. Twilight sniffed. "We will be here for you." Twilight smiled softly. "Th-Thank you," said Twilight. "I'm sorry, here I am sobbing. Now I know how it feels to be abandoned by a friend." The three exchanged glances. "Well, for us, it wasn't that painful!" exclaimed MInuette. "Yeah, we were used to that kind of thing from you," said Lemon, and she covered her mouth, wondering if she said the wrong thing. The other two glared at her, and Twilight giggled. "I'm glad I didn't upset you guys... too badly like I am," smiled Twilight. "I need to pull myself together." "Want to go on a walk and clear your mind?" asked Lemon Hearts. "Tell us what happened with your friends. Talking things out with somepony always makes me feel better!" Twilight smiled and nodded. So, they started to walk out the doors, and they took in the fresh air surrounding them. Twilight sighed in content. "Well, here is the story," said Twilight. "So, I noticed something was wrong with Princess Cadence, and I caught her hypnotizing my brother, and when I told my friends, they didn't believe me as Chrysalis had told Shining Armor to tell them that it was for his 'headaches'. So, they abandoned me, as did Princess Celestia, thinking I was angry that my brother was to be married. Then Chrysalis locked me below Canterlot, and I found the real Cadence, and we escaped. So, after it all, the wedding took place and after it, I told my friends we would no longer be friends as they weren't good enough friends to take me seriously." Twilight sighed, looking sadly to the ground. "Oh, that makes a lot of sense," said Twinkleshine. "But why aren't you mad at Princess Celestia?" asked Minuette. Twilight blushed. "Uh," stammered Twilight. "I... I..." "Oh! You have a crush on Princess Celestia!" exclaimed Lemon, and Twilight turned brighter than crimson. The three giggled. "No offense, but how did this happen?" asked Minuette, giggling. Twilight blushed. "Well, when I was first accepted into the school for Gifted Unicorns, I thought that Princess Celestia was very pretty. The past few years, I've found her more attractive. She also has a very kind, caring, and accepting soul that I admire everyday." "Tell her!" exclaimed Twinkleshine, and Twilight paled. "I couldn't!" sputtered Twilight. "Yes you can!" taunted Lemon. "Tell her! Tell her!" chanted Minuette, and the other two friends chanted along. "Tell her! Tell her! Tell her!" Twilight fell to the ground, covering her ears. "Fine! Fine, I will tell Princess Celestia when I can!" sighed Twilight, face hot. "Good luck!" exclaimed Twinkleshine. "Here, let's go home. It seems this walk has been good for you." Twilight nodded in agreement.
