Every morning in the Golden Oak Library began the same way, and today was no exception. Princess Twilight Sparkle woke up, took a pill, waited fifteen minutes, then stepped out of bed with a smile on her face.
"It's time to face the day, Spike!" said Twilight, setting four on the floor.
"Mmph," said Spike, still asleep in his pet bed. "Why yes, Rarity. I'd love to share an ice cream and tourmaline sundae," he mumbled.
Twilight giggled. "Same old Spike. You're perfect the way you are—don't ever change," she said. She decided to let him sleep in today and headed downstairs for a cup of hot caramel truffle tea, her favorite blend. While brewing the tea, a familiar thump at the door announced Derpy's delivery of the Foal Free Press.
Opening the door, Twilight waved to Derpy up in the shimmering sky, then took the paper in for her morning tea. Daily rituals were important to Twilight. Sure, order was a little boring, but it was a warm-hearted, predictable sort of boring.
"I can live with a little order in my life," she said to herself, blowing steam from the top of her tea as she read the front page of the paper. "Let's see. 'Rainbow Dash bravely rescues kitten from tree' is obviously a Scootaloo article. You know, the paper's pretty interesting today. I think Ponyville's foals are improving their skills." Twilight reached over to a spare piece of paper and made a note.
She usually stopped at one cup of tea, but Twilight decided to have a second cup this morning. Her mornings didn't have to be that predictable, and things had been going her way lately. Over the past several months, Ponyville had cheered up substantially. Ponies were coming out of their houses more frequently and interacting with their neighbors. Things were starting to feel normal again.
Twilight picked up an old sheet of parchment she'd been using for a checklist, but there were so many erasures it had nearly been worn through. "Into the trash you go. It's about time I had a fresh one," she said. Summoning a clipboard, a piece of parchment, and a stick of graphite wrapped in wood, she wrote down the following items already scheduled:
(__) Visit Rarity at the Boutique to help with her dresses
(__) Have lunch with the Apple family at Sweet Apple Acres
(__) Attend Pinkie Pie's cake-eating competition to cheer on Rainbow Dash
(__) Check scrolls in the Tree Room
(__) Have dinner at the Hayburger with Fluttershy
(__) Quality time with Spike
(__) Fall asleep at precisely 10:45 pm
Twilight summoned a rubber eraser and a few more pieces of parchment for notes. She stuffed them in her saddlebags, and she strapped the bags to her barrel. With everything now in order, Twilight left the Library and trotted toward the Carousel Boutique.
"I can't wait to show you what I have prepared today, Twilight!" said Rarity, bubbling with excitement. "My hooves are crossed that you'll simply fall in love with these latest designs."
Twilight Sparkle frowned. "Well, keep in mind these aren't specifically for me, so it's not about what I like, Rarity. I'm just here to offer advice. I don't want to dictate the styles you come up with," she said.
"Of course you don't, dear. But your help is invaluable," she replied, and trotted behind a curtain. Twilight sat down and waited. Moments later, Rarity rolled out a large rack of clothing. It included a mixture of formal and informal wear for mares.
"I already like the variety," said Twilight. "It looks like you've got the entire color spectrum represented this time, except for the greens."
"Ah, yes. I can't really do green anymore," said Rarity. "With the glow outside, verdant hues look simply atrocious—and I prefer to focus on clothing that can be seen in public, you know. It's unfortunate, because Fluttershy looks so good in green, and green accents really bring out the blonde in Applejack's mane. Perhaps you could do something about the lighting?"
Sighing, Twilight shook her head. "We've discussed this before. I need to keep the shield around Ponyville for everypony's protection," she said.
The fashionista pursed her lips with a sour expression, then shrugged. "C'est la vie, I suppose. Here, let me get some of these dresses on forms and you can tell me what you think." Twilight watched as Rarity put some of the dresses up.
"Oh, I love the blue one," said Twilight, pointing to a tight-fit stretchy sequined outfit in cerulean and navy, with purple sashes along the back. "This is much better than anything you had last time. What is it for?"
"It's for professional dance," said Rarity, beaming proudly. "Someday I hope to sell in Manehattan, perhaps even for the shows! An impossible dream, no doubt..." Her voice trailed off, soft and sullen.
Twilight opened her mouth for a moment, then closed it and paused to think carefully before responding, "Dreams are very important, Rarity. They're an essential part of what makes us who we are. I believe you can do it. Don't give up hope."
"Thank you Twilight," said Rarity, suddenly perking up with a bright smile. "Now, what do you think of the red cocktail dress...?" She motioned along the back of the garment with a flourish of her hoof. The dress was simple, with an unusually large collar and stripe running down one side. Most of the dress was crimson velvet, but there was a lighter rose-colored ruching at the edges in charmeuse, and the collar and stripe were a reddish-orange satin.
"Hmm. To be honest, I think you might not like how there are three different hues from the same color family together."
"That is true; I do not. And why is that the case?" asked Rarity, as though quizzing her guest on her own fashion sense.
"Because it seems like an accident," said Twilight Sparkle. "The hues are too close to one another, so it looks like the trims are off-color by mistake."
"Correct! As such, this dress is merely a sample of the design: I need to find fabrics in the right color before I can complete the outfit as intended."
Twilight cleared her throat and tapped one hoof against the base of her chair. "Actually, I have a critique on the design as well," she said. "I think the collar and stripe are very interesting, but do you think they might be a little too bold and unusual for casual wear in today's market?"
Rarity paused and looked at the outfit. "My goodness. You know, I do believe you're right. This might work in Canterlot, but my sensibilities may have drifted a touch too avant-garde for Ponyville fashion. I need to go back to the drawing board entirely with this design." Rarity narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips together.
"You don't need to take it so personally, Rarity," said Twilight. "We're working on this together, and I like being a second pair of eyes to help you with your art."
Smiling warmly, Rarity looked directly into Twilight's eyes. "You're a good friend, Twilight, and so generous with your time."
"Generous? I learned from the best," said Twilight. "Now let's see what's next."
After critiquing a wide array of dresses, Twilight left the Carousel Boutique and began a leisurely trot toward Sweet Apple Acres. She tried not to ruminate on Rarity's dream of designing for Manehattan plays, but the idea still occupied her thoughts. Of course Twilight knew there was nothing she could do about the situation. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
As she jogged into the countryside, Twilight continued her habit of self-talk. "I'm about fifteen minutes behind schedule, but I'm sure Applejack won't start without me—" she said to herself, then stopped dead in her tracks.
Against the backdrop of the iridescent magenta sky drifted a thick, black smoke. "Oh no," she said, then immediately set into a full gallop. As she approached the farm, it became obvious that the Apple barn was on fire.
Overhead, Rainbow Dash rushed stormclouds into place to fight the fire. Twilight raced up to where Applejack was standing, took a few deep breaths to recover from her run, then materialized a gigantic amount of water over the barn, dousing the entire thing in an enormous splash.
"Way to go, Twilight!" Dash called out. Seconds later, she landed next to her with a loud thump. "I mean, I had it pretty much under control, but the faster we put that blaze out, the better."
"Eeyup. Without you two it would have barned to the ground," said Applejack, maintaining a straight face. Twilight groaned and shook her head.
"That pun was terrible, Applejack, and making jokes about a disaster is a bad idea in general," she chided, making a mental note of her friend's inappropriate use of humor. "How did this even happen?"
"Don't rightly know. Probably a lantern got left on and fell," said Applejack. "None of the cattle were inside when it happened, which is lucky because they'd probably have stampeded and made a bigger mess of things."
"That's not what I meant," said Twilight, with a deep sigh. By this time, Apple Bloom had cantered over to join the herd.
"It's okay Twilight," said Apple Bloom. "We can raise us a new barn in no time. It's just wood and hay, nothin' important."
"That's all well and good, but this isn't supposed to happen, girls! I don't understand. The last time your barn burned down I made absolutely certain it would be fireproof," said Twilight.
"Nopony's perfect," said Rainbow Dash, with a shrug. "I guess something just went wrong."
"The process isn't supposed to 'go wrong'," grumbled Twilight.
"It don't matter, Twilight. Bad stuff happens, and that's life," said Applejack. "All things considered, this ain't even that bad, y'know? Nothin' in the barn was irreplaceable, and barn-raisin' is a fun way to spend time with kin. It's Summer, so we ain't even in a rush to get her back up," she said.
"I'm grateful there's a silver lining, but I don't want bad things to occur in Ponyville at all. I'll need some time to puzzle out what happened here," said Twilight. "I'll probably head to the eating competition early and have a snack there instead of sharing lunch with you here, if that's alright."
"I'll be staying here today," said Rainbow Dash. "I hate to bail on a contest, but I wasn't scheduled to judge it like you are, Twilight. I was just one of the competitors, and there are at least three others. Helping AJ fix stuff here is more important."
"Thank you kindly, Rainbow," said Applejack. "Twilight, between the three of us and Mac, we should be fine. You go on to the contest, okay? If we need us some more help, we'll send word."
Dash flew around Twilight and stopped in front of her before she could leave. "Oh! Before you go, Twi—I wanted to ask you something. Have you seen that therapist yet?"
Twilight bristled. "No. There's nothing wrong with me," she said, and stepped to the side. "I'm just stressed. I've been up to a lot lately."
Applejack shook her head. "Now we both know that ain't true, sugarcube. You really should see that feller Fluttershy referred you to. I'm sure he can get to the root of whatever it is that's affecting you."
Twilight nodded, turned around, and trotted away. She wasn't about to tell her friends, but the darkening smoke swirling overhead precisely matched how she felt on the inside.
The cake-eating competition was held outside Town Hall. Twilight Sparkle's role as the judge was to determine the approximate proportion of cake the contestants didn't eat, since much of the food would end up in their manes, pelts, and on the ground. That proportion was figured into the scoring to determine the winner.
Twilight sat down at the table reserved for her, which was positioned to the side of the main stage where the contestants sat. The contestants for today's competition were Sweetie Belle, Lyra Heartstrings, and... Fluttershy?
"Fluttershy? What are you doing here?" called Twilight.
"I... I don't know," said Fluttershy. "I must have signed up without realizing it? Oh, dear. I certainly hope I don't disappoint you all."
Twilight raised a brow, then pulled out a piece of paper and made a note.
Pinkie approached the judge's table with a serving tray. Before the competition could begin, Twilight needed to test the density of the cakes being used in the contest. This meant she had to personally sample each dessert.
"This is the best thing about being the judge, isn't it?" giggled Pinkie Pie, as she set three delicious-looking cakes in front of Twilight.
Twilight smiled, and felt her spirits lift. Pinkie's mood was infectious, as always. "That's certainly true! But it's a serious part of the competition, too."
Pinkie Pie made a silly-looking 'serious face', and Twilight laughed.
The first cake was a lemon pound cake with a spongy, golden-brown crust. Twilight took a bite of the chewy confection and nodded. "Mmm. This one's very good, Pinkie Pie. I think the interior could be a little more moist, though. Can you remember that for next time?"
"Sure can! Consider the recipe modified."
The second offering was a delectable-looking chocolate cheesecake. "Pinkie, this is stretching the rules a little," said Twilight. "Cheesecake is technically a tart—that is, an open-faced pie—not a cake."
Pinkie whispered. "Shh! Don't tell Rainbow Dash! She hates pies!"
Twilight clucked her tongue. "I was pretty sure you didn't know that... ah, nevermind," she said. "It doesn't matter. Cheesecake is so unusual, it isn't anything like the pies Rainbow hates. I don't think it applies. Besides, she isn't here today."
As if on cue, Rainbow Dash zoomed in and landed on stage, taking her seat. "Okay! I'm here. We can start now," she said.
"Rainbow Dash? Doesn't Applejack still need your help?" asked Twilight, furrowing her brow.
"Nope. We're all done."
"Done already? With the entire barn? That's impossible!"
"Well, I guess not, because it's done. Relax, Twi, the barn is fine. The smoke's all gone now too," said Rainbow Dash.
"Ugh," said Twilight, and on her paper she made a separate note about consistency.
"Hay, Fluttershy! I'm sorry I have to beat you today," said Dash. "I'm not planning to go easy on the rest of you, either."
"It's okay, Rainbow Dash," said Fluttershy, "I don't mind losing when it's to a friend."
"Oh, you're all going down," said Lyra, with a giggle. "I'm practically a cake-eating machine."
"It's true," Bon Bon shouted from the front of the crowd. "Every time I cook one, I rarely get more than a slice."
"I'm just here for the free cake," admitted Sweetie Belle. "I don't even care if I win, but I'll do my best. Competing is fun!"
"Go, Sweetie Belle!" shouted Rarity from the audience. She was wearing a rain slicker and holding an umbrella, apparently in case cake ended up flying into the crowd. This possibility seemed remote, given that Rarity was standing far in the back of the assembled herd.
"Okay, back to the sweets," said Twilight. She took a mouthful of the cheesecake and closed her eyes, savoring the texture. "Wow. Oh, this one is incredible," she said. "Don't change a thing, Pinkie. No, wait... There's a tiny bit of grit in the crust from the lemon zest, so grind that up more. Very nice work."
"Thanks!" said Pinkie Pie, beaming with pride.
The last cake was a firm, dark tan with drizzled white icing. "What kind of cake is this one? I don't remember seeing it before."
"Oh, this is a new one! It's a dark molasses and wine gingerbread cake," said Pinkie Pie.
"Ooh!" said Twilight. "Very interesting. I think we're getting somewhere now..."
Taking a bite of the cake, Twilight winced. It tasted like sour sawdust, and she barely managed to avoid spitting it out. It even burned a little going down her esophagus. "Oh my Stars," she said, gagging.
"That good, huh?" said Pinkie, bouncing in place as she grinned from ear to ear.
Twilight shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm sorry Pinkie, this one really needs to be revised. Wine is supposed to evaporate when you cook it, and is that pepper I taste? I'll help you try to salvage the recipe later," said Twilight. "Still, this was a very creative idea, and much better than your last attempt."
"I know, I'm still super-sorry about yesterday. Who knew my marbled glue crumble cake recipe would turn out to be such a disaster?" said Pinkie.
Twilight rolled her eyes, then sat back and watched as Pinkie started the competition.
Mayor Mare greeted Twilight Sparkle as she entered Town Hall. "You're here for the basement, Twilight?" she asked. "You're a few minutes late today."
Twilight nodded. "We started on time, but the contest ran a little long."
"May I ask who won? I was busy with work at the time," said the Mayor.
"Fluttershy, believe it or not," said Twilight. "I've never seen a pony eat so voraciously in my life. I guess she'll just order a drink when we have dinner at the Hayburger later tonight."
Mayor Mare chuckled. "That must have been a sight to see. Anyway, I'll leave you to it." She walked back into her office as Twilight unlatched the trap door leading into the basement chamber.
Down the ladder Twilight went, with only her horn to light the way. She jumped down the final few rungs and landed on the hard concrete below. Behind her was a curved, barren wall of concrete. In front of her stood a wall of solid steel. A door-shaped impression lay in steel wall, with a small hole in the center of it.
Twilight Sparkle lined up her horn with the hole and inserted it, temporarily shrouding herself in darkness. A 'click' sounded, and after she removed her horn, the doorway opened. She walked inside and shut the door behind her.
The Tree Room was brightly lit by a cool white fluorescent light hanging overhead, casting an ambient glow that reflected off of the shiny interior walls. Rarity would hate it here, thought Twilight. The lighting was stark and unmerciful toward everything it touched, highlighting every little flaw in Twilight's pelt. But it could find no flaws in the Tree of Harmony, which sat in the middle of the room.
A circle of bare earth in the center of the floor was the only part of this room not surrounded by steel, and in it stood the Tree and its Elements. Connected to the crystalline tree were thin silver filaments, and the other ends of those filaments were attached to scrolls that rested upon several rows of shelves lining the walls.
"Let's see Pinkie's," said Twilight, levitating a scroll over to her. The paper was colored fuchsia, and its rear side was emblazoned with Pinkie Pie's cutie mark. As Twilight unfurled the paper, she could see teeny-tiny hatch-marks twisting and changing across its surface.
Twilight nodded her head several times. "Great, lots of activity. This has to be a good sign. I'm impressed by how quickly things are changing," she mumbled to herself, puzzling over the wriggling little chicken scratches. "I still wish I had any hope of interpreting these Subcon scrolls. I know it's recursively impossible to fully interpret them, but maybe in a millennium or two I'll develop some kind of intuition for it. For now, I'll just have to settle for the Cons."
Twilight replaced Pinkie's scroll and retrieved one of dozens marked by her own cutie mark. Like all of the Con scrolls, this one was in her hornwriting. It read like a page of notes:
* Increase Ponyville shield permeability to light to ~~28.0%~~ 28.5%
* Double the dream barrier
* Add temporal dream barrier against alicorn dream magic
* Double temporal dream barrier
* Make buildings and contents fireproof except for lights, cooking tools, and food
* Add fourth-dimensional dream barrier
* Increase jackalope frequency near Fluttershy to 0.04%
* Add fifth-dimensional dream barrier tuned to Princess Luna's aura
* Increase material shipments into Ponyville to ~~5250 kg/day~~ 5500 kg/day
* ~~Make deer sapient again~~
* Strengthen physical barrier against alicorn mana blasts to ~~98.2%~~ ~~98.5%~~ 98.8%
* Reduce growth rate of apple trees to 0.31% maximal
* Prevent ~~natural~~ earthquakes from affecting Ponyville using inertial dampeners
* Block hyperbolic symmetry-breaking for all dream barriers
Twilight paused in thought. "It's been a while since the last entry, but indirect adjustments still aren't doing the job," she said, then carefully reviewed her notes. She then added the following lines to the scroll:
* Increase temporal consistency between events so archetypes can't be two places at once
* Force artificial emotion to linger in archetypes consistent with episodic memory
* Detective mode: freeze time in areas the moment a disaster occurs if avatar not present
* Reduce memory of glutamate flavor profiles to 95%
"I'll need to start another scroll soon," said Twilight, frowning. She levitated the scroll back into place, then approached the tree itself.
Kneeling, Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes and focused her mind. Reaching forward with her horn, she made contact with the cyan colored Element of Laughter. After a brief moment of concentration, the Element dimmed ever-so-slightly. Then she stood back up.
"I have to figure out how to stop my friends from prying, but I can't risk dimming Honesty again. Half the town ended up with friendship problems the last time I went below sixty percent," she whispered. "Maybe if I just tell them how important it is to me that they stop trying to analyze me... or if I could learn to fake being happy better than this..."
She took the scroll back from the wall, and added one final entry:
* Daily pill: decrease serotonin reuptake by 3%, increase opiate receptor blocking by 1.8%
Pinkie Pie rollerskated over to the table where Fluttershy and Twilight were seated. "Welcome to the Hayburger, friends! Are you hungry for some nummerific foodstuffs?"
"Oh, yes please!" said Fluttershy, with a giggle.
Twilight Sparkle facehoofed and made another note on paper about consistency. "I'm not even going to raise the issue."
"What issue?" asked Pinkie, cocking her head cutely to one side.
"Nothing, Pinkie," said Twilight, and she forced a smile. "Yes, I'm starved. I'll have a hayburger with extra lettuce and fescue, and lots of ketchup, please. Onion rings on the side, and an iced tea."
"Twilight, you always get exactly the same thing! Don't you want to try something new?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"No, I don't want to," said Twilight, frowning. "Look, it's very simple. A hayburger with extra lettuce and fescue is the best thing on the menu. There's no reason to get something that isn't the best."
"I think Pinkie is just a little concerned about your neophobia, Twilight," said Fluttershy.
"Ugh, I'm not neophobic, okay? I'm not afraid of trying something new, I just have no reason to deviate from what is objectively the best. That's why I eat here every day, and it's why I have the same kind of tea every morning," she said, gritting her teeth. "This is as good as it gets! I don't need anything to change in my life when it's perfect already! Why can't anypony understand that simple concept?"
Pinkie looked nervously left and right. "Okaaaaay, hayburger with extra lettuce and fescue it is! Ahem. Fluttershy?"
"Oh, I'd really appreciate a cheeseburger with feta, and the standard toppings," she replied. "And a cola, um, if it's not too much trouble."
"No trouble at all. Order up!" said Pinkie Pie. Twilight momentarily thought about correcting her on the restaurant lingo, but decided it would be a waste of time. Pinkie skated off to the kitchen.
"So, Fluttershy. How are your animals doing?" asked Twilight.
"They're still a little... off," said Fluttershy. "Angel Bunny is very kind and polite to the other animals, which isn't at all like him."
"I don't see why that's bad. Don't you want him to be happy all the time?"
Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Twilight, there's more to life than being happy."
Twilight Sparkle wrinkled her muzzle up as though she'd just taken another bite of Pinkie's terrible gingerbread cake. "That doesn't make any sense, Fluttershy."
"Of course it does, silly. We learn and grow from our failures, and sadness helps us to appreciate being happy."
Twilight snorted. "Now that is a common example of fallacious thinking. The only ponies who say things like that are sad ponies trying to justify being sad because they have no choice. It's a common defense mechanism to keep cognitive dissonance down so a pony can live their life even when they're totally miserable," argued Twilight, wearing a deep-set frown. "I mean, consider that whole 'death is a part of life' garbage. That's only a saying because ponies accept death as inevitable, and they desperately need to feel okay about a hopeless situation. If they hadn't given up on the possibility of living forever, they would see death for what it is: a disease that needs to be cured, not accepted."
"But Twilight, death really is..." started Fluttershy, then her eyes met Twilight's and she sighed. "Well... if you say so. Anyway, Angel's been acting so strangely, I'm worried he might have a concussion or some other kind of trauma. I'm going to take him in to see the vet as soon as they open tomorrow."
Shaking her head, Twilight waved her hoof in a dismissive gesture. "I'm sure he's fine. I'll take a look at him later if you want. If his personality is really that important to you, I should be able to fix it."
"Personality...? Oh, that reminds me! I've been meaning to talk to you about something important."
Twilight took a deep, cleansing breath. "I'm all ears, provided you're not about to bring up how I'm feeling, your miraculous therapist, or what I like to eat," she said.
"Oh, not at all. I have something else to ask you," said Fluttershy. "Twilight, I really, really, really would like you to release Discord. I'll beg on my knees if I need to." Without waiting for a response, she stepped out of her chair and kneeled on the floor.
"Fluttershy! We've been over this before," said Twilight, nearly shouting. Seeing her friend cringe, Twilight lowered her volume. "I'm sorry, this... this topic is just so stressful for me. The last time we let him out, he refused to play nice. He tried to destroy all of Ponyville! Do you want all of Ponyville to be destroyed?"
"Well... no... but if I could just talk to him, maybe..." said Fluttershy, as Twilight used her telekinesis to force her back up into a standing position.
"You? Talk to him?" Twilight shook her head. "Look, I know you don't understand this, but that's no different than me talking—"
Fluttershy looked Twilight dead in the eyes with a gaze so intent for a brief moment Twilight worried it was The Stare. "But I do understand, Twilight. We all do." The entire restaurant went dead silent, and all heads at once turned to stare at Twilight. Pinkie Pie waited a moment, dropped an empty tray, then giggled—but stared along with everypony else.
"Horse apples, Fluttershy! Sleep populous until next cycle," shouted Twilight, her horn blazing bright magenta. With that magic directive, everypony fell unconscious, many still standing upright. With nopony balancing them, several trays and other objects simply crashed to the floor.
Twilight grabbed an iced tea from somepony else's table and stormed out the door.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" said Twilight. The draconequus statue standing behind the Golden Oak Library said nothing in return. Twilight Sparkle sat at its base and pet the scales of an unconscious Spike by her side.
"I wonder what Spike was doing here. Talking to you, I guess? I hate it when these conversations go on without my knowledge. I have no way of knowing what he was saying. I probably don't want to know what he was saying," said Twilight. "I'm so sorry, Discord. I'm sorry I had to do this to you, but I can't let you stop me from my pursuit. If it's any consolation, I'm still suffering."
Twilight sniffled and wiped a tear from one eye with a fetlock. "It's just not fair. It seems life can't ever be perfect, no matter how simple I design the equation. I'm not about to give up, but every day it's like this—no matter how hard I try to keep things on track, it always breaks from the familiar."
She glanced upward to the statue, who looked down at her with the same mournful stare he always had on his frozen face. Discord hadn't appeared surprised or angry the moment his face turned to stone. The only emotion etched into his rocky features was disappointment. This only made Twilight feel worse, and while she knew that was probably his intent, that fact did nothing to ameliorate her guilt.
"What I want is so basic, it shouldn't be this elusive. I wish I could ask you for advice, but I can't risk letting you out again," she said. "I mean, obviously I'll let you out eventually. It's a statistical certainty. But I need to beat this stupid thing first. All I want is to be happy again. Then, maybe I can talk to you and the others."
Twilight leaned tiredly against Spike's warm body and yawned. She quickly fell asleep, holding him close in her legs.
Once again Princess Twilight Sparkle woke up in her bed at the Golden Oak Library, took a pill, waited fifteen minutes, then stepped out of bed with a look of horror on her face.
"Wait... how did I get back to my bed?" she asked, looking around. Spike was asleep in his pet bed, as always. That was to be expected, due to the morning reset. But the reset couldn't have moved Twilight's body. That was physically impossible.
"Sleepwalking? That's the only answer. I must have come here in my sleep, but I haven't been a somnambulist since I was seven..."
Then, Twilight heard a cough. She ran to the railing to see the intruder. Standing below her was Flurry Heart, levitating what looked like a light brown blob of liquid.
Flurry teleported up to the landing. "Hay Auntie," said Flurry, with a shy smile. "I took the liberty of making a cup—I hope you don't mind."
Twilight's horn blazed, and her face contorted in anger. "How?"
"How did I get in? You didn't make it easy," said Flurry Heart, idly churning the steaming sphere of liquid in different directions on antipodal sides. If Twilight didn't know Flurry as well as she did, she'd have suspected the alicorn were showboating. "You're not going to hurt me, are you Aunt Twily?"
Twilight Sparkle paused in thought for a moment, then cancelled the mana surge. "Horsefeathers, Flurry Heart! Coming into Ponyville is a bigger invasion of my privacy than Luna peeping in on my dreams!"
"I understand, Twilight. I don't intend to see anything that happens with your archetypes while I'm here," said Flurry, turning and walking back down the stairs as Twilight followed her heels. "But this sort of 'invasion' is the only way any of us are able to communicate with you. You've walled yourself off from all of us. It's been years, Auntie." Flurry Heart took a large sip of tea through an invisible straw of magical force.
"Seventy-three years, eight months, three days, and roughly twenty-seven minutes. By the old clock, that is. I don't care about the new one."
"Oh, the new clock isn't that different. Days are only a little longer now, so you're off by about two months."
"I don't care how similar it is. It's 1002 Anno Solequus in here, and it always will be," said Twilight.
Flurry Heart sighed. "Twilight, do you even wonder why we tried to stop you from doing this experiment?"
"You want the Elements back," said Twilight, taking a seat by the central table. "That's what this is about, isn't it?"
Flurry shook her head. "We don't care about the Elements. We have no use for them anymore, because our combined powers are strong enough to do anything they can do," she said. "We do, however, care about you. And as much as I hate to admit it, we care about the stoned guy out back, too. We miss you both, Auntie."
"You know, it's funny. You'd expect conversations with other ponies to be unpredictable, but you're no more real to me than Spike up there," said Twilight, pointing up to the landing. "I honestly can't tell the difference. For all I know, you could be just another part of my imagination. You're maybe a little too intelligent and self-consistent to be false, but it's only a matter of time before I have that figured out."
"If you truly couldn't tell the difference, I suspect you wouldn't look like Tartarus right now. And you do, Twily," said Flurry Heart, with a grimace. "I can tell you're hurting. We're all worried. The longer you stay in here, the sadder you seem to get."
Twilight sighed. "I'm just so close! It's always just one tiny thing here or there that isn't quite right. I don't understand. Mistakes and disasters keep slipping in. I know I'm not crazy. I'm actually psychologically healthy aside from the depression... this failure is something deeper. It's something inherent to everypony's brain, Flurry. I don't understand pony psychology well enough to fix it yet."
"But why shut us out? Why not let us in to play the game with you? Yes, we think it's a mistake, but we're not trying to control your life."
"It isn't real if you're here. You aren't part of the memory, and the memory is what I want to live. If I could get there, I would be happy again. I wouldn't need to remember the future anymore."
"I don't think you mean that, Auntie," said Flurry, her eyes misty. "But I suspect things won't go right here until you open up to us. Willingly, I mean, not with me breaking and entering," she said, motioning around herself.
"I won't give up."
"Would it really be so bad to be among your sisters again?"
"I would have to give up first. I won't do it. I'm this close to the... to the perfect life..." said Twilight, her voice trailing off. She shut her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, then became distracted by a knocking sound. "What? Who the hay is that?" she asked, then walked to the front door. Opening it, Twilight saw her five closest friends standing there.
"Intervention. Right now," said Applejack.
"Wow. Okay, looks like you're busy. I should leave," said Flurry Heart.
"No! Please, don't leave me! I'll stop them—"
"I'm not sure you should. Look, Auntie. I'm not going to try to visit you again for a very long time. I'm just here to tell you that we love you, and we miss you. It's up to you to come out of your shell someday," she said. "I know it's just a question of time, but we'd prefer it to be sooner, so it will be easier to help you adjust. We have a long time ahead of us. Please don't dream away any more of it without somepony to share it with."
"I'm not alone!" yelled Twilight, but even though she shouted it, it sounded more like a question.
Flurry swallowed the rest of the ball of tea in a single gulp, then dematerialized into a beam of light. The beam shot through the wall in the direction of Town Hall, with a downward tilt.
Twilight gasped. "That's it! She used the space under the Tree to get into..."
"Twilight, we're coming in," said Fluttershy, shoving Twilight aside as she and the rest of her friends entered the library.
Spike walked down the stairs, yawning. "We're doing this, aren't we?" he asked.
"No! No, we are not doing this. I'll turn Honesty off if I have to!" shouted Twilight.
"You wouldn't dare," said Applejack, scowling.
Twilight frowned. "Fine. I just... I don't understand how this keeps happening. The Tree is supposed to interface with my thoughts, and you keep bringing things up you're not supposed to—"
"Twi, you can't hide from yourself," said Rainbow Dash. "And we should know, because we're you."
"Enough of this," growled Twilight Sparkle. "End active sector of simulation."
Twilight's six friends immediately disappeared. Twilight stood on shaky legs and panted softly for about a minute.
She finally spoke, "Thank Cel—"
"I'm afraid that's not going to cut it, darling," sounded Rarity's voice. It seemed to come from all around the library.
"What?! How...? Where are you?" said Twilight. "This is impossible!"
"Ooooohhhh! Am I a ghost?" said Pinkie's voice.
"Pinkie, um, I think you're just here because you're a part of Twilight's mind," said Fluttershy.
"We're where we've always been, hon," said Applejack's voice. "Right up here in your noggin. We don't need no fancy simulation to tell you what's what."
"I'm going insane," said Twilight. She sat down on the wooden floor, defeated. "I've finally cracked."
"Insane might be a strong word, Twi," said Dash's voice. "I'm pretty sure having a conversation in your head isn't any more nuts than what you've been doing for the past forever-or-so."
"What do you want from me?" asked Twilight, gripping the sides of her head with her forehooves.
"We want you to finally listen to us, Twilight," said Fluttershy. "You know what you need to do."
"But I don't want to lose this! I'm so close!"
"Lose what? You're miserable," said Rarity.
Pinkie's voice giggled. "I want to see you smile again Twilight! I mean, for real. The world out there isn't all that bad."
"It's terrible. There's nothing left but a grey waste..."
"And four good friends to spend another several million years with, any way you like—five, if you count Discord," said Spike's voice. "That's five real friends. Not a bad deal, if you ask me."
"It's not perfect! It's not what I want. This, this is what I want," said Twilight. "I can't live here when I'm thinking about the world outside. I can't have this and them at the same time. It isn't real here if I can remember!"
"Life ain't perfect, Twi. But it's those imperfections that make it worthwhile," said Applejack. "Even mighty big imperfections, like a blank slate of a world with six magical souls left in it. You and your sisters and Discord can go play pretend together, and you can face facts together too. I know you can do it."
Rarity's voice added, "Indeed. Now go do what you must."
"Wait, are you going away?" asked Twilight. "I... I need you here with me. You were the best of everything. This introduction to Friendship was the best time of my life!"
"It was," said Spike. "That's why it's so special. Now it's time for something new."
"And we're not going anywhere. For better or worse, we're stuck up here with you Twilight," said Dash.
"We'll always be here silly!" said Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, absolutely," said Fluttershy. "Now won't you let Discord out?"
"He has to hate me. I would hate me. I do hate me," said Twilight. "What can I possibly do?"
Twilight waited several minutes, but the voices had left her.
With the Element of Magic on her tiara and the other five Elements draped across her chest, Twilight Sparkle walked up to the statue and knelt. She took a long moment before speaking.
"I'm sorry. I know you're going to torment me the moment I break you free, and I deserve it. Maybe I even want it to happen," she said. "But this needs to be done, and I should have done it ages ago."
The Elements fizzled and sputtered at first, but then Twilight closed her eyes tightly and focused on that first set of best friends she'd made in Ponyville, so many countless eons ago. Their honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and laughter... all of it flowing through her, erasing her doubts and strengthening her core. The warm light of Friendship filled her body, twisting into an impossibly brilliant rainbow, arcing upwards and smashing down onto the statue.
Twilight didn't bother to watch. She just kept her eyes closed and her head lowered as the tears came rolling down.
The next thing she felt was the arid air of the grey wastes, but she didn't notice it. Her senses were dominated by another experience, one once upon a time as familiar to her as grass: the first true hug she'd had in decades.
