The next morning, I stood in the bathroom. It was already late, and the library would soon open. I had long since cleaned up the shards of the broken mirror, but the empty space on the wall, where my reflection once looked back at me, drew my gaze as if by some magnetic pull. Slowly, I ran a wide hairbrush through my mane. I think I was humming a cheerful melody.

How did the mirror even break? Had it fallen from the wall overnight? The thought was strangely comforting.

Suddenly, I noticed Spike. He stood still in the doorway, his small body almost timid as his eyes watched me with uncertainty.

“Spike,” I began softly, without looking at him. The brush continued gliding through my mane. “Do you know how the mirror got broken?”

He blinked, confused, and took a cautious step closer as though testing the tension in the air. “You don’t remember?” he asked, his voice unsure, scratching the back of his head. “Twilight... are you alright? Maybe we should send another letter to the Princess?”

I pulled the brush more firmly through my mane. A letter to the Princess? About a mirror? No, that was ridiculous. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. “Spike,” I said firmly, without taking my eyes off the empty spot on the wall, “we can’t bother the Princess with every little thing. Especially not a... broken mirror.”

Spike didn’t seem convinced. His eyes scanned me, filled with a mixture of worry and uncertainty. “Are you sure, Twilight?” he asked, his voice trembling slightly, almost pitifully.

I slowly turned to him and took a step closer. “Yes, Spike,” I said gently. “Can’t you see? I’m better than ever.” I smiled as I said it, but the smile didn’t feel like mine.

Even so, Spike flinched as if I’d yelled at him, and I felt my patience begin to fray. Why doesn’t he believe me? An awkward silence settled between us. Why is he looking at me like that? I wondered, feeling a prickling discomfort crawl up the back of my neck. Why does he look like he doesn’t trust me?

“Okay…” he mumbled finally, taking a step back. “If you say so, Twilight.”

I turned back to the empty space on the wall. The room suddenly felt colder. I noticed a particularly tight knot in my hair and tugged harder with the brush. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.

“Spike, please take care of the library today. I need to focus on my studies,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral. It was easier to give him tasks than to deal with his pitiful looks.

“Sure, Twilight,” he replied quietly, disappearing from the room a little too quickly.

I was left alone, the sound of his fading footsteps echoing in the distance. I think I heard him slam the library door shut. Where was he going?

A soft laugh escaped my lips as I set the brush down on the sink. Crazy. Everything was crazy. Ever since I came to Ponyville, my life had turned into one absurdity after another. Ever since those ponies barged into my life, nothing has been the same.

I left the bathroom and went downstairs to one of the bookshelves. Routine. That’s what I needed. I pulled a book from the shelf, glanced briefly at the title, only to immediately forget it. It didn’t matter. I opened it to a random page and began skimming the words.

Before... before, everything was simple. It was just me, Spike, and Celestia. My life was orderly, clear, and made sense. I always knew who I was, who I wanted to be, and where I stood. I put the book back on the shelf. But now… now everything’s different. These friendships that were forced on me... they’ve messed everything up. Were they the reason I was slowly losing control of everything?

I walked back upstairs. I couldn’t focus on reading right now. My heart pounded as I wandered aimlessly through the empty library. The silence felt oppressive. I sat down at my desk and reached for a pile of unopened letters, trying to distract myself while my thoughts continued to whirl.

The Princess... she believed these ponies could help me. But why? Why would she think that these ponies could help me better than she could? Celestia had always been there for me. But ever since she sent me here, everything had changed. She seemed to be distancing herself more and more.

I tore open a letter and read the first few lines before setting it aside. Focus. But it didn’t help. Why wasn’t she here?

And now... now even Spike was acting strangely. My most loyal companion, who had always been by my side. Since when has he been giving me those looks? Those pitiful, doubtful looks, as if I’m the problem. My hooves trembled as I opened the next letter. He’s been like this ever since he started whispering with the others.

I slammed my hoof down hard on the desk. What lies have they told him? My friends… no, these ponies, they’re trying to control me. That’s why they’ve been hovering around me since yesterday. Their concern is a facade, a ruse. Every time they come, every time they ask about my well-being, they just want to monitor me. Manipulate me.

I stood up abruptly and walked to the door, opening it only to slam it shut again. They want to keep me weak. Keep me away from Celestia. They don’t want me to be strong and independent.

I paced aimlessly through the room. Slowly, my thoughts began to find a clear direction. Focus. My gaze fell on a photo of me and my friends on my desk. A gift from Pinkie, if I remembered correctly. I grabbed it with my magic and floated it over to me. In the picture, the six of us looked so happy. Their smiles seemed so genuine. It was all a lie.

I laughed softly. Of course. How could I have been so blind? How did I not see it before? These friendships, these relationships, they’re meant to hold me back. Meant to keep me trapped here.

I set the picture frame back down on the desk with a dull thud. All I needed to do was distance myself from these ponies. Then everything would return to normal. Then I could go back to Canterlot, to Celestia’s side, and my life would have meaning again. Celestia would realize it was a mistake to send me here and love me again.

My smile slowly faded, replaced by a cold, cutting sensation in my chest. I needed to be careful. They could come at any moment, meddle again, try to control me. I had to keep them away.

I turned to the window. The sun was high in the sky. How long had I been trapped upstairs in my own thoughts? A sense of unease washed over me. I should probably check on the library. With determined steps, I marched down the stairs to the main room.

It was dark. Strange. The blinds were drawn, and the light was dim. A slight shiver ran down my spine. Someone must have done this. “Spike?” I called into the dim room.

Maybe he had returned and taken care of the library while I was... well, trapped in my own thoughts upstairs.

Suddenly, I heard a strange rustling from one of the corners. My heartbeat immediately quickened. What was that? My body tensed, my thoughts raced. Have they come back?

I paused and took a deep breath. Stay calm, Twilight. It was probably just Spike trying to play a silly prank. No need to panic. “Spike, if this is a prank, it’s not very funny,” I chided.

Carefully, I took another step forward. The rustling grew louder, followed by a muffled giggle. Spike? No, that didn’t sound like him. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest as if it were trying to escape.

And then...

“Surprise!”

Several ponies shouted from all around the room, accompanied by a sudden burst of bright colors. Balloons floated through the air, and Pinkie Pie practically bounced out of nowhere in front of me. Followed by my friends. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy... and behind them, even more ponies from the town, all with wide, beaming smiles on their faces.

I stared at them, my thoughts moving in slow motion as the scene unfolded before my eyes. What... was this?

“Hey, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie began, her voice full of her usual boundless energy. “I heard you’ve been sitting alone in the library, all sad and gloomy, and I thought,” she paused dramatically for breath, “you could use a little cheering up! And what’s more cheerful than a party with all your best friends in the whole world?”

My eyes drifted slowly from her to the balloons, to the confetti, to the treats scattered everywhere. They had decorated everything. Without asking me. In my library.

“Well? What do you think?” Pinkie asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she waited eagerly for my reaction. The others stood behind her, smiling, nodding, as if they already knew what I was going to say. What I should say.

My heart skipped a beat, then another. Everything inside me seemed to freeze as the image of this “surprise” cemented itself in my mind.

I blinked a few times and forced myself to smile. It felt wrong, like a mask that no longer fit. “You... you did all of this... without asking me?” My voice sounded rough, almost foreign, not as calm and controlled as I had intended. A strange burning sensation spread through my chest, hot and sharp.

“Of course!” Pinkie exclaimed with her usual exuberance, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “It was supposed to be a surprise!”

They had barged in here, without asking me. They had invaded my space, my last safe refuge. The only corner of this town where I still had control.

And now... they had taken that too. Without asking me.

The smile I had forced felt painful, like it was slicing across my face. “I... I see.” My voice trembled slightly, despite my efforts to keep it steady. But the anger rising within me could no longer be ignored. Why do they keep doing this?

Why do they intrude on everything?

I felt something wet hit my hooves. Only then did I notice that I was crying. Tears. When had that happened? My body trembled, and I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

“Why?” My voice was barely more than a whisper, brittle and weak. I slowly lifted my gaze and looked directly at Pinkie Pie. Her eyes still sparkled with joy, but I could see confusion flickering across her face.

“W-Why...?” I repeated, but my voice cracked as though the lump in my throat was swallowing the words before they could fully form. The tears continued to flow, soaking my fur.

Why are they doing this? The question echoed in my mind, growing louder, more suffocating. My eyes locked onto Pinkie’s, who stared back at me in disbelief, helpless. She didn’t understand.

She looked at me with a crooked smile, which slowly, almost painfully, disappeared. “Twilight?” she stammered, her voice now much quieter, as if she didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this reaction. “What do you mean? We just wanted to…”

But I barely listened. Her words sounded distant, as if they were coming through a thick fog. Why can’t they just leave me alone? Why won’t they give me any space?

“Why…” My voice began to tremble, and my chest tightened painfully. “Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I think I screamed the last part. The echo of my own words seemed to hang in the air, and suddenly the atmosphere became heavier, more suffocating.

“Twilight…” Pinkie now looked at me uncertainly, her eyes full of confusion. “We just wanted to make you smile... if you’d only let us cheer you up...”

“Cheer me up?” My voice cut through the room, louder and sharper than I’d intended. My whole body began to shake as the anger and frustration surged inside me. This doesn’t cheer me up. It felt like I could explode. My teeth clenched, and I glared at Pinkie. She had dared. The other ponies in the room stepped back, their eyes full of pity and reproach. Of course.

“What were you thinking?” My voice dripped with contempt. “You’ve taken away my last safe place!” I paused, letting the words hang in the air. Or did you even think, you stupid pony?

Pinkie flinched slightly, and I could see my words hit her. Her ears flattened against her head, and her once bouncy mane seemed to lose its volume. A shadow passed over her face, but she clung desperately to her cheerfulness. “We thought… if we threw a party, maybe you could…” She trailed off when she saw the tears in my eyes. “It was supposed to be fun, Twilight.”

“Fun?” A harsh, desperate laugh escaped my throat, but it sounded more like a choked sob. Fun. I stepped closer to Pinkie, and with each step, the room seemed to grow smaller. “You think this is fun?”

My voice broke as the anger and disappointment overwhelmed me. “You… you really think this is for me? The only ones having fun here are you!” I could feel my breathing quicken, my chest aching. “If you really cared about my happiness... you’d leave me alone.”

The last word was barely more than a whisper, but it hung in the air like a judgment. The room fell silent, even Pinkie had nothing more to say.

I paused, the words almost slipping away from me, but I felt I had to continue. My voice nearly broke with fury. “You’ll see… you’ll all see why you should have just left me alone.”

In my mind’s eye, an image flashed. Pinkie Pie, drenched in blood, her once bright pink fur soaked in red. Her blood. She lay on the ground, crying, screaming in pain, while I stood over her. My magic gripped a knife, the blade at her throat. She begged for mercy, but there was nothing inside me but cold emptiness. I grinned madly. One simple pull, and it would all be over. Finally, silence.

My heart raced, my body tensed. The fantasy felt so real that I could almost feel the knife slicing through her flesh, hear the silence of the library broken by her muffled screams.

No. I recoiled from myself. My body flinched as if I had just awoken from a dream… No, a nightmare. What am I doing? What… am I thinking?

Panic overwhelmed me, the images blurred before my eyes, and without thinking, I focused on the only escape I could see. With one last desperate thought, I let my magic flare and teleported away.

The room vanished in a blinding flash, and the screams and chaos echoing in my head fell silent at once.

Author's Note

Well look why has the pink one brought these ponies to my home
"You should have been a better friend"
Why can't you just leave me alone
"If you would let us throw a party we would put on quite a show!"
You're gonna see why you should just leave me alone

I wish the chapter was longer. Well, tomorrow will probably be the next chapter with the title “Princess”. I hope you're as excited as I am.

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