It was not every day that Twilight Sparkle found herself able to host a tea party with all of her friends. At least, it wasn’t every day that her mother entertained visitors and forgot to put away the fine porcelain. The filly carted it off to her room and arranged her various toys around the little pink table, which the tea set would inevitably be relocated to.

After glancing at a nearby book, Feng Shui for Eggheads, she attempted to move the vase of fake flowers to the upper-left corner of the table. Failing that, given that no amount of exotic interior design research could put a proper corner onto a circular table, she put the plastic petunias into the centre since that looked nice, if nothing else.

She took a step back to examine her work, nodded in self-agreement, then proceeded to pour tea for each of her friends. It had long since gone cold, but her guests tended to not complain about such things.

“Is everypony enjoying themselves?” she asked. A chorus of approval made its way ‘round the table.

“Hmm, yes, qee-wite dee-lightful, dear,” replied Madam Frillyfrocks. She was old and weathered, but her bright eyes still shone with a proper lady’s wisdom and some less-proper wit. “Do give your mother my cooom-pliments. I see her skill hasn’t dulled over the yee-ars.”

Ser Charley snapped off a stiff salute, his old joints softly squeaking. “Positively spiffing, young master! While I must admit a strong black coffee would be my preference, a drop of leaf juice now and then can certainly warm the spirits up. Why, this reminds me of the time master Shining and I made a daring escape from the ‘Very Boring Adult Party of Doom’, as he called it.” He coughed. “Not that I minded it, but to my master I shall be loyal to the ends of Equestria.”

“Ohh, you chose, like, the best tea, Twilight! It’s so totally tasty and, best of all, it’s low in those icky calories,” Mareibu Racey chirped as her smooth, glossy coat caught the light. She nickered while brushing a hoof through her mane. “Cadence used to always have these lovely tea parties, too, but yours are even better!”

Twilight beamed. “Thanks, everypony!” She turned to look at the last member of their group. “Are you enjoying it, Smarty Pants?”

A grey ear perked at the sound of its owner's name. Smarty Pants looked around the table, then took out a notebook and quill and began to scribble. A few seconds later she presented it. This is fun, it read, but where’s Raggedy Ran?

Twilight looked at the corner of the room, where a patchwork doll sat in silence. Its legs were wrapped in red-and-white stockings that ended where black shoes began. A white apron hung on her waist, partially hiding the blue dress underneath. A red mane made from yarn hung limply from her head. Black eyes stared at nothing and a dull smile was etched permanently onto her face.

“She didn't want to play today,” Twilight answered after a long silence.

Smarty Pants wrote another note. She didn't want to play with us, or you didn't want to play with her?

Twilight opened her mouth to give a reply, only to feel it die in the back of her throat. Murmurs passed between the other three while Smarty just stared.

The filly was saved by a knock on her door. “Twilight Sparkle, did you take the tea set again?” Even with it muffled by the door, Twilight knew her mother's voice.

She pushed back from the table, muttered, “Please excuse me,” and trotted over to the door. The feeling of Smarty's gaze on her didn't lift until she had opened the door to let her mother in.

Her mother walked into the room and sighed. Her horn lit up and the collection of cups, saucers and kettle floated into the air. “Twilight, I know you like to have these little parties, but this is a very delicate set.” Madam Fillyfrocks took to the air as well. “Not to mention what would happen if you spilled any tea on your great-grandmother's doll. It's not for playing with.” She looked into its glass eyes for a moment, the distorted reflection in them making her look impossibly younger, then sent it out the door. “Not anymore, at least.”

Twilight drew a circle on the floor with a hoof. “Sorry, mom...”

Her mother bent down and nuzzled her. “It's okay, sweetie. I'm not mad. I know you're not trying to make a mess, it's just that your magic isn't good enough to safely carry these yet.” Plastic cups flew over to the table before being set down in front of each guest, minus the now-vacant chair where Madam Frillyfrocks had been sitting. “Until then, you can use these ones.”

Pouting, Twilight said, “They aren't pretty and they taste funny.” She stuck out her tongue. “And not the good kind of funny that makes me laugh.” She gave her mother an imploring look. “Could you teach me to be good enough at magic so that I can use the nice stuff?”

She chuckled. “Of course, Twilight. In fact, would you like to start now?”

“Would I?” she shouted.

“I'll take that as a yes. Come with me to the living room and we can make space for practicing.” She turned down the hallway.

“Okay, just let me say goodbye to my friends.” She turned around. “I'm going to go practice magic now, everypony. I'll see you later.” The group said goodbye or, in Smarty Pants’ case, wrote it.

As she followed her mother to the living room, Twilight heard her say, “It's good to see you being so nice to them, Twilight. I had imaginary friends when I was your age, too.”

Twilight 's head leaned to one side. “Imaginary?”

---

Magic practice was hard. Twilight Sparkle had thought it would only be a few days, a week at the most, before she would be allowed to use the tea set. So when her mother had told her after a week of hour-long practices that it would be months, even years, before she was good enough to carry it, she had spent the rest of the day in her room. The ceiling, she found, was a good thing to just lie down and stare at. She thought about how she'd be as old and wrinkly as Grandma Twinkle before she could use the nice tea set. Grandma Twinkle didn't even like tea! She rolled over to look at the toy box, upon which Charley, Mareibu and Smarty were sitting.

“Stiff upper lip there, Twilight! You're a bright young lass,” Ser Charley encouraged, as if reading her mind. “Master Shining never faltered in his quest to break into your almost-but-not-quite-impenetrable book fort, after all!”

Mareibu nodded in agreement. “That's, like, super true. You just need to keep working and you'll definitely learn how to soon enough. I bet you'll only have, like, a few grey hairs in your mane and not even wrinkles yet!” Mareibu had never been the best at giving encouragement, but she always tried.

Smarty Pants wrote in her book. Maybe there's a way you can practice, even when your mom is busy?

Ser Charley clapped his hooves together, making a quiet ringing sound. “Capital idea, old bean! Why, these old joints could probably stand you using them for levitation practice.”

“Oh yeah, that's an awesome idea, Smarty Pants!” Mareibu said. “And perhaps Cadence could help while she’s foalsitting you, too.”

Twilight bit her hoof as she thought. “Those make sense, but how would I learn about new magic stuff without mom?”

More writing. Maybe you could borrow some books from the library?

“Indubitably. A reader of the highest order, she is,” Ser Charley said before quietly adding, “Assuming she doesn’t build another castle with them. I should be quite content to never see all thirty volumes of Encyclopedia Bitannica displayed in a defensive formation again.”

Mareibu gasped. “Why, I don't think there's anything Twilight likes more than reading!”

Except talking and playing with her friends at a tea party, right?

“Of course, Smarty.” She beamed. “After all, I'm doing this so that we can have more of them.

We don't need the fancy tea set, Twilight, Smarty replied. We're all happy to just be with you. The other two echoed the sentiment.

“Oh, I know. But it's just not the same.” Twilight hopped off the bed. “It won't be long, though. With mom, Cadence and you all helping to teach me and books to study from, I'll be a great magic user in no time!” She made her way across the room. “I'm going to go ask dad if he can take me to the library. Wish me luck.”

The trio did so as the door closed behind her. Then they fell silent.

---

The sun began to set, Twilight sighing happily as she watched. To her, this time was the best, and not just because it matched her name. It was when Canterlot's hustle and bustle quieted down and the city’s music would wind its merry way through the streets. The dusk sky lit the horizon up as if it was on fire, its embers going on to ignite the strings of lamps across the city in a spider's web made by candles. Most of all, though, she liked to watch Princess Celestia end the day and raise the moon. Sometimes, when she was lucky, a bird of fire would fly over the castle, casting long shadows, before landing beside the princess.

Twilight hoped she would get to talk to the princess one day, if only for a minute, and watch her raise the sun from that same balcony.

The sun finished its descent and the Mare in the Moon took its place in the sky, staring down at all of Equestria from her throne high above.

A polite cough drew her attention back to the task at hoof. Fireflies darted around in a lantern hanging from the vaulted roof, lighting the page of questions from Basics of magic that Smarty, Charley and Mareibu were quizzing Twilight on.

What is the fourth law of magic-based manipulation? said the page Smarty Pants was holding up.

“That magic is... er... its power is multiplied many times over when helped by multiple sources? Wait, that's not right... Oh, ponyfeathers.”

Mareibu looked at the back of the Smarty's card. “That's, like, the sixth, but it's good you remembered that one since it's super-duper important!”

Ser Charley grunted his approval. “Indeed. Camaraderie is mystical, after all.”

“I suppose it is, but I won't need help.” Twilight puffed out her chest. “I'll be the best unicorn mage in all of Equestria, so good that I'll be able to make my own fancy tea sets with a flick of my horn, all by myself!”

Twilight felt something tickle her exposed stomach. Looking down, she saw Smarty Pants pulling back her quill and brandish a new page.

But we'll still be with you, just in case you do need some help, right?

“Well, of cour—”

The sound of hushed talking creeped its way in from the hallway. Her thought interrupted, Twilight edged up to the door to listen in.

“She's still just a filly, dear. I know she's eager, but we should let Twilight move at her own pace.” It was a smooth voice, almost melodic. Twilight easily identified it as her mother's.

A deep baritone, definitely her father's, answered. “I realize that but her potential is... it's phenomenal! The mana tests she did last month were off the charts!”

“Dear, she can barely lift a book.”

“And chances are, if she throws her heart into it, she'll be able to carry the whole library. Listen, I know mana tests aren't the best measuring stick, but it's a good start. If we encourage her enough she might even be able to get into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.”

Twilight bit back a gasp and pressed up against the door, her ear and cheek almost mapping the grain patterns as the rubbed the wood.

There was a long pause, which Mareibu filled with fantasising about how many good-looking stallions there had to be at the school. A gruff “Harummph” from Ser Charley ended that.

Finally, Twilight's mother said, “You really think so?”

“Honey, I know so. Our little Twilight is growing up to be a great unicorn, just like her brother.”

“That's the other thing, dear. It's a boarding school. If she's accepted, well, we won't have either of them in the house. You know how I was when Shining left to join the Royal Guard Cadets...”

A quiet ting came from Ser Charley as he saluted. “The lad does his Princess and Country proud. I'm honoured to have been a part of the young stallion's rearing.”

“She's still in Canterlot, only half an hour's canter away. We can easily visit her, and besides, she'll have to leave the nest eventually. It's for the best, really. She can get used to being independent while still living nearby. Remember how many letters Shining sent when he went to train in Stalliongrad? I think he was getting frequent-sender discounts by the end.” A quiet, shared laugh sounded.

“Yes, I remember.” A short pause, then her mother whinnied. “Okay, you've convinced me, but the decision is still up to Twilight. If she says no, that's it. Is that clear?”

“Of course, dear. Clear as crystal.” It was the practiced response of a husband caged in marriage and tamed by their wife.

Hoofsteps drew closer as Twilight realized her parents were about to come in. She scrambled backwards and practically leaped onto her stool, just barely managing to look like she was reading a book when the door cracked open. “Twilight, your father and I want to talk to you about something.”

Smothering an excited squeal, she put on a broken mask of ignorance and responded, “What is it, mother?”

Her parents walked into the room, the firefly lamp illuminating her mother's light-grey coat and white-and-violet mane, while her father blended into the room's purple wallpaper a little better thanks to his blue coat and darker mane.

Her father took the initiative. “Twilight, with how much you've been studying and improving your magic, we were thinking that—”

“IwouldlovetogotoPrincessCelestia'sSchoolforGiftedUnicornsyou'rethebestparentseverI'msohappy!”

An instant later Twilight realized they hadn't actually asked her yet. She let out a quiet meep and shoved a hoof into her mouth.

Silence reigned with its awkward—but no less iron—hoof. Her parents exchanged amused looks after a few seconds. “I think she was listening in on us, dear,” her mother said.

“I do believe so, honey.”

The filly tapped her hooves together, managing to spread her spit and a fleck of lettuce that had stuck between her teeth during supper from the one to the other. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I just heard you talking and when you mentioned Princess Celestia's school I got really really excited andIjustcouldn't— ”

Her father gently put a hoof to her muzzle. “Woah there, little missy.” Seeing her relax, the stallion said, “We're not mad. In fact...” He sent his wife a knowing smile. “...I think you just saved us some time, is all. You really want to go?”

Twilight's face almost blurred from how quickly she was bobbing her head.

Her mother moved up beside her. “Twilight, you do realize this is going to be a lot of work, right? The school is nothing like what we've practiced together. You'll have to study every day.”

Her father tapped her on the shoulder. “I thought you said no convincing her to change her mind,” he whispered from the corner of his mouth.

“I said you couldn't tell her to go if she said she didn't want to.” She grinned wickedly. “I never said[/i] I couldn't intervene.”

“Blast it all. Never deal with a mare, that was what my old stallion told me.” Despite his words, a thin smile was perched on his face.

Sensing that their not-so private exchange was done, Twilight answered. “That's okay, mom!” She held up her book. “I like studying, see? I've been reading every day, and my friends have been helping too!” Her face scrunched up, Twilight's horn lit up and floated Smarty, Charley and Mareibu over. She let them fall onto her lap, then looked up and smiled. “They said I did a really good job lifting them.”

Her mother smiled wanly at the display, while her father seemed almost concerned. “Twilight,” he began, “that's another thing you're going to have to learn if you want to succeed in school.”

She blinked. “What is?”

Sighing, her father knelt down and picked up Mareibu Racey. “Twilight, this is a toy.” Mareibu was surrounded by a purple aura and began to dance in the air. “You can play with it, make things with it, imagine with it, even.” Suddenly, Mareibu froze. “But it doesn't talk. You can pretend it's talking, but you need to understand that it can't actually talk” He put it back onto the desk. “School is going to take up a lot of your time, and you're going to need to become more mature to manage it. That means no more talking to toys.”

Twilight found herself unable to look her father in the eyes, instead seeking her mother's comfort. All she found was a sad look. Staring at the ground, she asked, “But... there will still be time for tea parties so that I can visit my friends, right daddy?" She forced herself to match his gaze. "...Right?”

“I don't think so, Twilight. You're going to be busy, very busy.”

Inside, she felt like something had cracked, like the chip on one of her mother's nice porcelain cups.

She didn't let it break any more. “Then... Then I guess I'll just have to study hard, super hard. Then I can get ahead so that there is time for a tea party.” Her eyes grew hard and steel filled her voice. “I want to do this.”

She felt herself pulled into an embrace. “There's my girl. Come on, I think this deserves a celebration. Donut Joe's, Twilight?”

She cheered, worries forgotten in the anticipation of sugar-frosted rings and hot cocoa, with plenty of extra marshmallows. “Oh, yes please, daddy!”

She felt herself being picked up and landed on her father's back. “Well then, let's get going!”

As they walked out of the room, she waved goodbye to her friends. Smarty returned it, while Charley made his regular salute.

The Mareibu Racey figure stood still, the plastic threads that made up its mane tangled and frizzed.

---

Mythixa Mysterium sat open underneath Twilight's head, its pages damp with saliva as she snored. Countless notes poked out from its pages, while Smarty Pant's notebook was fresh out, the only paper on its bindings’ leftover scraps that hadn't been torn free cleanly. A tower of books stretched to the sky and came up short, its contents going from Arcana Zenoa to Zebra Alchemy.

A cup of milk sat nearby, beside it a piece of paper that said Half-full or half-empty? Must test further. Note: Avoid spilling.

Twilight snored as her head rolled over to begin the process of soaking a new page.

Something slunk into her room, its steps but whispers on the wind. Eyes watched her from the gloom as their owner crept ever closer, never wavering from their goal. It licked its chops, already tasting victory. Rearing up, it prepared itself.

And struck.

Twilight Sparkle never stood a chance.

“Noogie noogie noogie!”

Twilight's shout of surprise swiftly turned to mad giggles as her brother, Shining Armor, mussed up her mane with a hoof. “Did'ja miss me, Twily? Say yes or I won't stop until you're as bald as a purple rock.”

“haha!-Yes, I-hah!-missed you, Shin-hehe!” The cruel and unusual greeting ended, leaving Twilight to gather herself. She noticed that some milk had splashed onto the table, which made her feel strangely sad, but at least her book tower was still standing.

A sly-looking Shining Armor jumped onto her bed and set himself down. “So, I hear you're going to be attending the old PC-S for GUs.”

Brushing her wild mane into something not-quite approaching presentable, she replied with, “Yep! I'm going to be the best magician in all of Equestria, just you wait and see!”

Shining lounged on the bed. “Oh, yeah, for sure. I can totally see you being the best magic-casting mare.”

Twilight clambered up onto the bed. “What do you mean, 'mare'? I'm going to be the best, period.” Her horn sparked and sent off a tiny firework. “See?”

He clapped slowly. “Hmm, not bad. Still, nothing compared to what your big bro can do.”

She huffed. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

His horn lit up with a pink glow, then everything went pink.

“Hey, what'd you do?” she shouted, her voice echoing a thousand times.

Shining casually brushed his coat with a hoof. “Why, I just did a little shield magic, is all.” He picked up the ball Twilight had found herself in, then gave it a roll on the floor. “Fun, yes?”

Twilight was too busy trying to get the world to stop spinning to reply.

The colt laughed as he watched his dazed sister wobble in the bottom of the ball. “Maybe I should take you back to camp, say you’re my pet gerbil. You’re a good fit for one of those balls, after all.”

Fighting the urge to taste her milk a second time, Twilight glared daggers at him. “I’m not some pet, Shiny!”

“Are you sure? I’d make you a really nice pen, with a wheel to run in and everything.”

“If you did that I would tell everypony about how scared you are of bugs.” She put her hooves to her face and made a mock scream. “Ewww, a spiderrrr. I only wish I had been a good big brother to my sister so that she would save me with her awesome magic!”

He made a devilish smile that stretched from ear-to-ear. “Oh, well then, maybe I’d tell them about how you wouldn’t even eat spaghetti since you thought it was made from snakes when you were younger.”

She crossed her hooves in defiance. “I’m not afraid of them anymore.”

“Oh, really? Well...” He leaned down and made a show of looking for any other ponies listening in. “...maybe I’ll tell everypony about why I used to call you ‘Twilight Tinkle’.”

Twilight gasped. “You wouldn’t!” she cried.

He stole a look at the bed. “I mean, the sheets felt dry, but I bet you already washed them.”

If there was one thing a big brother had to learn, it was when they carried a joke too far, and the filly’s face looking like it had turned into an overripe plum was all the hint he needed. “But I wouldn’t, because that’s not what a Big Brother Best Friend Forever should do, hey?” He winked, then looked up, something seeming to have caught his eye. “Heh, you still have Ser Charley?” He trotted over and lifted the soldier with his magic.

With some difficulty and a few choice words she had learned from Mythixa’s section on goblin curses, Twilight managed to roll her ball over. “Of course! He always likes to talk about you.”

“How could I not talk about our grand quests? Why, one of these days I shall fill an entire bookshelf with our epics. No, two bookshelves!” Ser Charley vowed.

“I bet he likes to talk about a lot of things. Did I ever tell you about our last great adventure, Twily?”

“Oh, you haven’t! Could you please tell me that one, Shiny? You always tell the best stories, and Ser Charley only ever talks about the ones you’ve already told me.” She sat down, making the ball-shield wobble.

“My memory isn’t quite as sharp as my blade, you know.”

Shining grinned. “It was right before I gave him to you when I went to the Royal Guard Cadets.” He swept his hoof through the air. “Our quest was simple, to save a fair maiden, except that there was one little complication...” He leaned forward and bared his teeth. “There was a mighty dragon guarding her! With fangs longer than a pony and sharper than any sword, scales that could deflect even the mightiest of blows, and fiery breath hotter than a volcano, it was an impossible task to defeat it. Even the greatest of heroes quaked in their horseshoes at the sight of it.”

Twilight uncovered one of her eyes. “But then, how did you save her?”

Shining struck a pose. “As I said, the greatest of heroes couldn’t do it, but we weren’t the greatest, we were the best.”

The filly looked at him with half-lidded eyes. “Don’t those mean the same thing?”

“Oh, pish-posh,” Ser Charley said. “One does not focus on the trivialities of Equestrian semantics when duelling a dragon. Unless, of course, it happens to be one that can only be bested by literacy, but those are rather rare.”

“And so,” Shining said, ignoring her, “we ventured into the creature’s lair. It was a fierce and bloody struggle and it almost seemed like we had lost. I was gripped in its terrible claws that had obviously never touched soap, staring down its gaping maw filled with cavity-ridden teeth, as it prepared to swallow me in one gulp after cooking me with its breath! But then Ser Charley, who the dragon had thought defeated, struck a mortal blow with a magic sword taken from the dragon’s horde, cutting its—”

“Ugh, Shiny, I don’t want to hear about all that gross, nasty colt stuff.”

Ser Charley was shocked. “Why, that is simply the nature of war, young master! Beasts always have terrible hygiene,” he stated matter-of-factly.

Shining, however, just smirked. “Hey, I was going easy on those details. I didn’t mention how the dragon had terrible gas and farted whenever it breathed fire, did I?”

“Ewwwww.”

“A dragon with indigestion is a thing to be feared, let me tell you!” Ser Charley added.

“Anyways, after the dragon was defeated, we rescued the princess and thought our adventure to be over. However, the princess’ aunt, leader of their country, saw my bravery and asked if I would join her as a knight. Of course, how could I refuse?”

“Indeed, one does not turn down an offer from the ruler for anything,” Ser Charley said. “Or... anyone.” His eyes closed.

Shining looked through the window at Canterlot castle. “To join her knights, though, I would have to train harder than ever before, as well as grow and learn. The first thing I learned was that as great of an ally and friend as he had been, Ser Charley wouldn’t be able to accompany me.” He put the old soldier down on desk. “I had pretended to be a knight long enough, and it was then I decided to truly become one.”

Something tightened in Twilight’s chest. “But... but what happened to Ser Charley? He’s here right now!” She reached out and touched the side of the ball, causing it to shatter into a million tiny fragments. Wisps of pink magic floated and twisted around her as she snatched the tin figurine, its paint red with rust and dented from play. “See? Come on, Charley, say something!”

Shining Armor hugged his sister. “Twilight, he’s not going to answer.”

“But why? Why won’t he? He was just talking to me!”

“Because he’s just a toy, Twilight. I grew out of him. Now you have to, too.”

---

Twilight felt so light she thought she was going to sprout wings like a pegasus. She had fallen into a funk when Ser Charley had stopped talking to her, but it had soon been replaced by the ever-growing desire to learn. She read book after book, until they had practically become a fifth wall in her room. Now, after all of the work she had done, she could only say two words.

“I passed! I passed!” she shouted at a grey stallion that made the mistake of getting too close to the ecstatic filly. He shuffled away, occasionally tripping over his own hooves as he looked back to make sure she wasn’t stalking him.

Cadence’s apology for Twilight temporarily deafening him hung in the air. She looked torn between chiding her or joining in, Twilight’s joy being more infectious than the feather flu.

She settled on a compromise of the two. “Twilight, I know you’re excited, but I think you’re... surprising some of the other ponies with how loud you are.” A wave of ducks took off from a nearby pond, quaking in annoyance. Cadence just barely managed to sidestep a fish one of them tried to dive-bomb her with.

Twilight blushed, her eyes following the fish as it jumped and floundered its way back to the water. “Oh, I’m sorry, Caddee. It’s just, Princess Celestia herself made me her personal propo... proton... proteh... student! Can you believe it? She said I’ll even get to raise that dragon I hatched!”

The alicorn helped the trout reach its goal with a magic nudge. She grimaced after realizing she had put a little too much power into it, her final count of skips on the water being seven. The fish, for its part, was dazed but glad enough to be home. Turning around, she replied, “If any unicorn deserved it, Twilight, it was you. You really put everything you had into studying.”

Twilight’s hoof scratched at the ground. “Yeah, everything.” The moment took over again. “Anyways, we’d better get back to my house so that I can begin packing. I’m starting tomorrow and I definitely don’t want to be late!”

As they neared the Sparkle estate, Twilight said, “When do you think mom and dad will be done doing all that paper stuff?”

Cadence looked up at the castle. “Not for a while, which is why they asked me to foalsit you.”

Twilight nodded as she flipped over a rock to reveal a hidden key. “Caddy, is this... is this going to be the last time you’re going to foalsit me?”

Cadence took the key and unlocked the door. “Probably, but that’s because you’re going to become a great magician, Twilight.” She smiled. “Ponies that can tame dragons don’t need a foalsitter, I think.” She entered the house, Twilight a half-step behind her. “And we’ll both be in the castle, so it’s not like we can’t visit each other.”

“Oh, of course! That’ll be fun,” she replied as they wiped the dirt from their hooves onto a mat. “Anyways, I’d better get started on packing.” She began to climb the stairs.

“If you need any help, don’t be afraid to ask,” Cadence called as she trotted towards the kitchen.

“Okay!” she yelled back. With a spring in her step, Twilight went into her room and pulled out a suitcase from the closet.

A half-hour later, she examined the result, which was a mound of books, scrolls, an astronomy set, winter clothes, and a very-tightly sealed cup of milk. “Hmm, I think I’m missing something…” she announced to the empty room. “Oh yeah!”

Twilight bounded over to the desk where Smarty Pants was sitting. “Smarty, I got accepted! I’m going to be the Princess’ student and everything!”

Slowly, the doll turned its head up to look at her.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”

An empty notebook and dry quill were waved at her, both having been used by Twilight during her study binges.

“Oh, I forgot to replace your stuff, didn’t I? Just give me a second and I’ll—”

“Don’t bother,” said an unfamiliar voice, rough and scratchy, as if its owner had never used it before.

Twilight’s ears swivelled. “Huh, who said that?”

“It’s me, Smarty Pants.”

Twilight looked down, her face awash with surprise and confusion. “But… Smarty, you don’t talk!”

“Before, maybe. Before you used up all of my notes and ink. Now I can’t write, so I have to talk.” There was an edge to her voice. “Remember the last time I wrote to you? How I used my last piece of paper and drops of ink? I asked you to replace them. You promised you would, but you never did.”

“Well, uh, I, I meant to, but I just got so focused on studying—”

“That you forgot your promise,” Smarty finished for her. “You left me to collect dust, just like you did with everyone else.”

“H-hey, that’s not true!” Twilight sputtered.

“Isn’t it?” Smarty accused. “You said you were doing all of this so that we could have a tea party and now you’re going off to some school, leaving us behind like a bunch of junk.”

Twilight felt her cheeks getting hot. “It’s not ‘some school’! It’s Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and I’m the Princess’ personal student. You… you should be happy for me!”

Smarty jabbed forward with the quill like a sword while holding her notepad as if it were a shield. “Happy? Happy? You’re abandoning us, Twilight! We were your friends! Why should we be ‘happy’ that you don’t think you need us anymore? Remember when you told Raggedy Ran that you’d always hold her while going to sleep? Perhaps you’ve forgotten about your promise to Madam Frillyfrocks that you would take care of her until she could be passed on to your own filly? How about telling Mareibu Racey that you would comb her hair every day? Or when you vowed to Ser Charley that you would always be there at his side to fight with him?”

The quill slid from Smarty’s grip and tumbled over the edge of the desk. “What… what about your promise that you would never leave me behind?”

“But Smarty, I’m not going to leave you behind. I’m going to take you to school with me.”

The notepad bounced off of Twilight’s snout while Smarty quivered with rage. “You don’t get it, Twilight! We’re all a part of you!” She beat her chest. “Right here, this is where we’re from, why can’t you understand that?”

Twilight rubbed her nose and muttered something under her breath.

Smarty leaned forward. “What did you just say, Twilight?”

Twilight glared at her. “I said, you’re not real. You’re just a part of my imagination.”

Smarty Pants took a step back. “Twilight Sparkle. Take that back. Say you’re sorry.”

The unicorn turned her snout up. “No,” she said simply.

Smarty turned and sat down with her back towards Twilight. “If you don’t say you’re sorry, I’ll never speak to you again.”

“No.”

The word echoed through the room in booming silence, and Twilight Sparkle suddenly felt very, very alone.

She waited for an answer. She didn’t know how long it was, but it felt like an eternity to her. Finally, she said, “Smarty, are you there?”

The plushie sat, unmoving. It was a dull grey, knitted together by threads that had begun to fray, while its mane was only a few pieces of thick, grey string. She bumped it with a hoof and watched as it flopped over limply, a pair of dull plastic eyes looking back at her.

She shook it. “Smarty, answer me!”

It hung in her grip without so much as a twitch.

Twilight put the thing on the floor, her horn glowing. “Smarty Pants, if you don’t say something, I’ll make you!”

It did nothing.

Purple magic burned through the air and hit the plushie dead-on, sending it flying into the wall. Huffing, Twilight approached it with a triumphant look. “There, I bet you wish you’d listened now, don’t you?”

The color drained from her face when she saw what she had done. Stuffing was spilling from a hole on its arm, the bottom where the beam had struck was burned and both of the eyes were missing. “S-Smarty?” She nudged it with her nose. “Oh no… what, what have I done?”

Twilight began to frantically search through her room, trying to see through the swirl of colors her watering eyes had made. “The Egghead’s Guide to the Utilization of Textual Obfuscation, Starswirl’s Theory on Relatives, How to Train Your Komodo Dragon in Thirty Days or Your Money Back? No no no no NO!” She collapsed, her chest heaving as she tried to breath. “I’ve s-spent all this time studying and n-none of these d-dumb books can fix Smarty Pants!”

She gasped. “Cadence! Cadence can fix this!” Twilight grabbed Smarty Pants in her mouth and ran down the stairs two at a time. The taste of fibre and something burnt filled her mouth as she skidded across the tiles.

She found her foalsitter in the kitchen, reading a book. Twilight spat up Smarty onto the book and let a torrent of words flow. “CadenceIwaspackingmystuffandtalkedtoSmartyPantsbutshewasreallymadatmefornotspendingtimewithherandherfriendssoshestoppedtalkingtomeandIgotreallymad and I hurt Smarty Pants and I don’t know how to fix herrr!” Tears were running down her face freely, but she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was Smarty Pants.

Cadence took one look at it and said, “Don’t worry, Twilight, I can help. Does your mother have a sewing set?” She followed the filly’s pointing hoof to the storage room, where she found a bag of old material and some needles.

As she began to cut off pieces to use, Cadence asked, “Okay, Twilight. I want you to tell me what happened slowly. The whole story. Do you think you can do that?”

Twilight nodded.

“Good. You just explain things as best as you can and I’ll focus on fixing up Smarty Pants here.”



It was nearly an hour later when Cadence finished threading the last patch on to cover the hole on Smarty’s arm. Her eyes had been replaced by a pair of buttons, one blue, the other pink, while an old blue curtain with white polka-dots had been cut up to make shorts for Smarty, covering the burn marks.

“So…” Cadence said, looking at the assembly of Madam Frillyfrocks, Mareibu Racey, Ser Charley and Smarty Pants that Twilight had convened. “Just so I know I’m understanding you correctly, you think that the only way to grow up and be good enough at school is to not have any imaginary friends?”

“Um… yes.”

Cadence chuckled. Seeing Twilight’s face, she said, “Don’t worry, I’m not laughing at you, just how, well, silly that is. Twilight, I would like you to meet a good friend of mine.” She pulled a doll from her saddlebag that would have looked like a princess, with its long, frilly dress and crown, were it not for the hard determination in its eyes.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Not ‘what is it’, Twilight, ‘who is it’.” She lowered it to Twilight’s level. “This is Princess Rose, so named because while she may be beautiful, she also has some nasty thorns. Before Shining Armor went to join the Cadets, we would play pretend with each other, him with Ser Charley, and I with Princess Rose.”

“Cadence knows how to pick a winner,” Princess Rose said with a devious glint in her eyes.

Twilight blinked. “Wait, you’re—”

“No interrupting, kiddo.”

Cadence smiled and sighed. “I remember our last playdate together, the day before he left. He’d just gotten a new dragon toy and decided Rose would be the perfect damsel in distress. Of course, Rose didn’t think too kindly of that. During the final battle, Ser Charley was wounded and Shining was about to meet his fate.”

Rose snorted. “Or at least, as much as a pony could when faced by a five-inch tall plastic dragon.”

“Anyways, Rose was quite tired of waiting for her bumbling rescuers to be eaten and decided to take things into her own hooves. She found an enchanted sword and gave it to Ser Charley, healing him. Then, she taunted the dragon with insults about its mother and smell to distract it long enough for Ser Charley to strike it down.”

“My favorite was the one about its flatulence problem,” Rose added.

Twilight scratched her head. “I don’t remember Shining saying anything about the princess helping when he told me that story.”

“Oh, he would never admit to needing help from a mare.” She smirked. “Your brother is far too proud for that. But I’m getting distracted, aren’t I, Ser Charley?”

“Just a tad, my princess,” he replied.

Twilight’s mouth hung open. “What? But… but Ser Charley hasn’t said anything in a month!”

“He’s always been the strong silent type. Isn’t that right, Charley?”

Ser Charley dragged his hoof along the floor. “I must admit that no one has ever convicted me of having a loose tongue.”

Cadence took out a brush and gave Mareibu Racey a quick comb-over. “The same can’t be said about you though,” she joked.

Mareibu brushed stray hair away. “…Maybe,” she replied, smiling at her measured response. “I’ve missed you, Cadence. Twilight is super nice and she has the best taste in tea, but she doesn’t brush my mane nearly as often as I would like.”

Twilight stared, trying to grasp what was happening. “But… how are you doing this, Cadence?” she asked.

The alicorn draped a wing over Twilight and said, “It’s really quite easy, Twilight. All you need to do is believe.” She floated Madam Frillyfrocks over. “Just ask her how she’s been.”

Twilight looked at the old and battered heirloom. Its velvet coat was rough and patched, the dress stained and stretched. Then she thought about how that didn’t matter, that the Madam Frillyfrocks she knew was proper and refined and—

“And an eex-cellent conversationalist,” the old doll finished. “How have you bee-n, dear?”

“…Good?” Twilight answered unevenly.

“Most agree-able.” She looked around. “I do believe we’re stee-ll missing one member of our little group, though.”

Twilight picked up Smarty Pants. “I… I don’t think I can bring Smarty back, though. I said some really mean things and what I did afterwards…” She held Smarty to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut.

Cadence put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I think, Twilight, you should start with an apology.”

The unicorn sniffed and nodded. “Smarty, I’m not sure if you can ever forgive me, but I’m so, so sorry about what I did. I promise, I’ll never, ever let ink run dry or leave your notepad without paper. Even if you really meant that you’d never talk to me again, I don’t care. I… I just want you back.”

Twilight felt something poke her chest. She opened her eyes.

Smarty Pants waved timidly.

“Smarty!” she squealed as she hugged her friend.

Cadence floated an old notebook and a pencil from her bag. “Here, I think she might want these.”

Twilight gave them to Smarty, who wasted no time writing a note comprised of two simple words.

Tea party?



It was not every day that Twilight Sparkle found herself able to host a tea party with all of her friends. But, when she thought about it, that was what made them so special.