Princess Dinky's Letters: Struggling

Pumpkin Cake was in tears. She, her twin brother Pound Cake and their friend Lily Waterfall had read Princess Dinky's letter, and it was far more upsetting than the first one. It had been a few days now and Pumpkin was still upset. The thought of Twilight Sparkle, of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, being that cruel... No. It was impossible. It was almost impossible, except, except, except it had happened. Somehow, that wonderful, gentle, loving alicorn who ruled with friendship and hated tyranny had become a tyrant herself.

Whenever her parents asked why she was upset, she could not say a word. Her lips would be sealed shut by magic and no sound could escape them. She would just shake her head, and Pound Cake would lie swiftly and say that she was just feeling down and didn't want to discuss it.
"You know, you can always talk to us," Mr. Cake would say. He worried deeply about Pumpkin's mental health because she had a vitamin D deficiency.
"Yes," Pumpkin would lie. The Carrying Curse that Twilight had cast meant that there was only one way to tell other ponies the protected secret: through writing. Of course, their parents didn't know this.

After four days, however, Pumpkin realised that crying was pointless if there were only three other ponies that she could speak to about this, not including Princess Twilight Sparkle. She knew that she had to speak to her mentor, Dinky, though, even if that was only through writing.
"Psst! Pound!" she hissed one morning from her bed.
Pound Cake rolled over in his bed and groaned quietly, "What is it Pumpkin?! The monster under the wardrobe doesn't exist. Get back to sleep."
"I want to write to Princess Dinky about..." Her lips were sealed shut. Their parents were getting up. They were outside the bedroom, close enough to hear.
Pound sat up and nodded. The safest place to go would be Lily's home.

After breakfast, the Cake Twins raced along the side of the lake and went into the Everfree Forest for a while. Lily Waterfall may have been a filly, but she chose to live alone. She had been turned into a statue for over a hundred years and had only been freed a year ago. The Cake Twins had become friends with her almost from the moment they met her. She had realised that she had no living relatives, and that her parents could never be replaced, so she lived in a cave in a cliff face, surrounded by the woodland. There was a waterfall at this cliff face, which she enjoyed watching.

When the twins reached Lily's home, she let them in, knowing by the looks on their faces that they wanted to talk about the letters. They had both of Dinky's letters here, and a copy of the reply to the first letter.
"So," said Lily quietly, "I'm guessing that you want to send a reply."
Pumpkin nodded. "I fell that we need to. I've spent four days crying and now I want to talk about it. You two, Princess Dinky and Princess Twilight are practically the only ponies that I can say anything to. I'm sick of Mum and Dad giving me that resigned look of sadness. They think that my vitamin D deficiency is making me a bit sensitive. Maybe it is. What do you think?"
"No. It's not your deficiency, although sitting in the sun would help a bit. It's a perfectly normal reaction to some shocking news. You've cried about it, and that's what some ponies do. Pound sulks."
"No I don't!" Pound snapped.
"You do," said Pumpkin, giggling.
"Exactly," continued Lily, ignoring the glares that Pound Cake was giving her. "Your reaction is to stay on your own and shed a few tears while the news sinks in, then talk about it a few days later. Pound's reaction is to sulk, but he will never cry. My reaction is to get angry. All three of those are perfectly normal for ponies. Most ponies, though, eventually feel the need to share their feelings with others. I think we all need to write back to Princess Dinky."

Lily made her way to the back of the cave, where a torch in a metal bracket burned. She opened a small chest and used her unicorn magic to pull out some lined paper, a quill and a pot of blue ink. Still carrying the items from the chest, she walked back to the mouth of the cave where the twins were sat. They drafted a letter, then wrote it out properly and sealed it. They walked back to Ponyville in silence, thinking about what other atrocities committed during the rebellion the rest of Equestria were not aware of.

When they reached the nearest mailbox, Derpy Hooves was there. She was an alicorn, but had refused to be a princess, saying that she had been treated like any other member of the community her whole life and did not want to be treated like royalty, even if she was. The only special treatment she had received was a new surgery to stop her eyes from drifting to the sides for less money than normal, and the abolition of the nickname "Derpy Hooves." She was now referred to by her actual name, Ditzy Doo. She was still just a pegasus mare who worked for the mail service.
"Hey Ditzy, for your daughter," said Lily as they approached her. She smiled, said a quiet, "Thank you," put the letter in her satchel and flew off in the direction of the hidden Ponyville Castle. The three young ponies returned to their homes, thinking about what they had written.

Dear Princess Dinky,

We are writing to you because we have read your recent letter and wish to speak to you about it, even if that is only through writing.

We have all accepted what that letter said about your friend, although there were a few tears along the way. However, we would still like to know the whole story. We have been taught at school about the conditions that ponies had to live in. We know what you have told us so far. However, we do not know about the other events that led to Equestria's freedom.

It is fine if you do not want to tell us about it, because sometimes the past is too painful to think about. However, if you do want to talk to somepony, we are here.
Your three faithful students,
Pumpkin Cake, Pound Cake and Lily Waterfall.