Applejack could hardly contain her excitement! She was practically bouncing as she walked beside her parents, her hooves clicking along the cobblestone streets. She couldn’t wait to reach her final destination: school!

“There’s something not quite raight about ma and pa.” Applejack thought to herself. They looked… different somehow. But everything felt right and wonderful.

And she was so very excited to finally be going to school! She’d been working really hard on her reading at home with Mommy and Daddy. And she knew that schools were supposed to have lots of books for her to read! And other fillies and colts too! Maybe they’d like reading as much as she did? She sure hoped so!

“But I caint remember the last time I read sumthin other than the Farmer’s Almanac” Applejack thought, feeling more and more puzzled by the thoughts and feelings she was experiencing.

Daddy leaned over and nuzzled her mane lovingly as they stopped at the enormous wooden doors that lead into the kindergarten.

“Now Sweetie, this is your first day of school. So remember to behave, be polite to the teacher, and play nice with the other foals, okay? Mommy and I will be back to pick you up this afternoon, alright?”

Applejack nodded her head vigorously, body thrumming with excitement and eagerness. She looked over towards Mommy, who had been unnaturally silent all morning. For some reason she was sniffling into her hoof, and had tears in her eyes. It was almost like she was sad. But that made no sense, since this was such a happy day! Maybe Mommy was sick?

Well, she knew exactly what to do to make a sick pony feel better! It’s what Mommy and Daddy did to make HER feel better! She rushed to her mother and reached up to hug her around the neck.

“I love you Mommy.”

“I love you too Honey.” Her mother replied, her voice low and rough as she hugged her daughter close.

Rough voice? Lots of sniffling? Mommy was definitely sick. Applejack made a mental note to look for books on fixing sick ponies once she was in (squeee!) school!

Just to be safe, she gave Daddy a hug and an ‘I love you’ too before rushing away from her parents and into the building. She looked back one last time to smile and wave before skipping through the doors. She couldn’t wait to start learning new things! Maybe she’d even be able to use her horn soon!

“What? Horn? I ain’t got no horn!”

---

Applejack’s eyes shot up as she snapped awake. Slowly sitting up, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and glanced out the window. It would be some time before Princess Celestia raised the sun. But AJ knew from recent experience that she had little chance of returning to sleep.

“That was a mighty strange dream.” She mumbled to herself sleepily. It had seemed a lot more... solid than a normal dream. And oddly familiar. But it was certainly an improvement over what had been haunting her rest for the past few nights, so she was hardly going to complain.

“Might as well get up and get to work.“ AJ sighed as she quietly slipped out of bed, trying not to wake her family

---

Applejack smiled as she bucked another apple tree.

THUD! Plop. Plop. Plop.

The familiar sounds and actions of applebucking were a balm to her restless mind.

THUD! Plop. Plop. Plop.

There was something relaxing about the routine. The sense of pride and accomplishment.

THUD! Plop. Plop. Plop.

The stability and order of it.

THUD! Plop. Plop. Plop.

The lack of chaos and disarray…

THUD! Plop. Plop. Plop. “Waaaaah!” Thud.

Applejack pinched her muzzle as she stared down at the blue pegasus that she had just bucked out of her tree.

“Seriously RD? Sleepin in mah apple trees? Again?”

The rainbow maned speedster groaned and shook herself as she regained her hooves. “Awww, gimme a break AJ! I was tired, and you’ve got the comfiest trees in Equestria!"

“Well, I admit you look like you could use a nap sugarcube.” Applejack drawled, giving her friend a once over. The grin on Dash’s face did little to hide the bags under her eyes. A feature AJ suspected was mirrored on her own face. “May be you’re not the only pony who could use a nap. Or a good night’s sleep.”

Rainbow dash looked away, breaking eye contact. “You.. still having nightmares too?” She asked tentatively.

“Yup.” Neither mare met the other’s eyes. The truth was, all six of them had been having a bad time since Discord broke loose.

Everypony else in Ponyville had more or less snapped back to normal when the Elements of Harmony had undone Discord’s madness. But the Bearers themselves hadn’t come out unscathed. Maybe it was some odd quirk of the Elements, or maybe it was because Discord had lavished the six of them with extra attention. Whatever the reason, they’d all been suffering from some pretty unpleasant dreams over the past few nights.

Unpleasant enough that they’d all had at least one nocturnal visit from Princess Luna since then.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Might be getting better though. Last night’s dream weren’t nearly so bad as the rest. Just… strange. And not Discord strange neither.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah, same here.” She made an unpleasant face. “Though I almost wish it was just a nightmare.” AJ just raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and with an eye-roll Rainbow elaborated.

“Okay, it was weird. I dreamt I saw seeing Clousedale, but real far away and only out of the corner of my eye. I was on a train or something, and I couldn’t fly off to visit because I didn’t have any wings!” She huffed and crossed her forehooves, hovering a few inches off the ground as if to protest her dream-self’s lameness. “Instead I spent half the dream reading some egghead book about overlapping magical fields in the presence of unstable leylines or something. Ugh.” The blue furred pegasus stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Applejack rubbed her chin with her hoof. “You know, that sounds a bit like mah dream. I dreamt I was a little filly, and going ta school for the first time.”

“What’s so weird about a dream like that?” Dash raised an eyebrow, leisurely flying around on her back.

“Ah dreamt I was going tah school in a big fancy city. And I was hoping they’d be able tah teach me tah use mah horn.” Applejack raised an eyebrow in return as Rainbow Dash ceased her circling flight.

“You know, both of our dreams sounds sorta like…” Dash began.

“Something Twilight would be doin?” Applejack finished.

The two mares shared a look.

“Ahm thinking we should go talk to the other girls, and see if they’ve been having weird dreams too.”

---

“Oh no! Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no…” Twilight rushed around the library at a gallop, repeating the words like a mantra. “SPIIIIKE! Where’s Mental Fortitude’s Amalgamated List of Mind Magic and its Effects?” She cried, desperately pulling books from the shelves and tossing them over her shoulder while the rest of her friends watched in shock.

“Sheesh Twilight, calm down and give me a second to look!” The little dragon complained, his arms already filled the books she’d already requested. Turning to face his surrogate sister, he yelped in shock at finding himself muzzle to muzzle with a madmare. The books in his arms went flying as he stumbled backwards, landing on his rump.

“We don’t have a second Spike!” Twilight’s eyelid twitched as she faced down her assistant. “This is serious!”

Spike tried to scoot away, swallowing hard. Somehow he’d failed to note the warning signs of a major Twilight Meltdown. They were all there. Huge, twitching, baggy eyes with tiny, pinprick pupils. Increasingly frazzled mane and tail, growing worse by the second. Twitching ears and tail along with a deranged, toothy grin. Clearly she had completed the full meltdown checklist.

And suddenly she was being pulled further and further away.

“Whoa there Twilight, hold yer horses.” Applejack mumbled around a mouthful of tail as she hauled the unicorn backwards.

“Yeah Twilight! There’s no need to be such a grumpy crazy-face just because we’re all having some funny dreams!” Pinkie said, using her hooves to contort her face into strange and silly expressions.

“Is.. Is everything okay Twilight?” Flutteryshy added in a whisper, staring nervously at her friend from behind her mane.

“N.. No! Everything is NOT okay!” Twilight shouted before seeming to deflate. She dropped down onto her rear and covered her face with her hooves.

“Well Darling, we can hardly help you solve the problem if you don’t tell us what it is, now can we?” Rarity wheedled, sliding up next to her fellow unicorn. Twilight just groaned.

“Don’t you see? Those aren’t just dreams, they’re memories! My memories! Which means I’ve potentially exposed all of you to mental contamination when I cast the spell to reverse your discordifications!” Twilight wailed.

Applejack just shrugged. “Well now Sugarcube, I dunno anything about mental contamination, but I sure caint see the harm of a few weird dreams. Especially if they’re replacing the nightmares we’ve been having.”

“It’s more than just a few weird dreams Applejack!” Twilight flailed her hooves in the air. “I mean, it might just be weird dreams! But I could go much deeper! Whole memories or thought processes! Why you... you could all start acting like me!”

“Well, while that is a worrisome possibility, I’m sure it’s not that bad darling!” Rarity replied delicately, patting a despondent Twilight on the shoulder.

“But it could be that bad! I just don’t know! I’m not a trained mind mage!” Twilight fretted, before taking a calming breath. “Which is why. .There’s only one thing left to do.”

Taking a deep breath, Twilight firmed her expression and turned towards her assistant. “Spike, take a letter.” She looked like she was about to face the hangmare.

“Dear Princess Celestia. I’m afraid that there may have been some unexpected side effects from my use of magic to disrupt Discord’s influence on my friends. All five are having….”

---

Twilight paced back and forth in front of the doors to the medical wing, the weight of the world resting on her shoulders.

Her panicked letter to the Princess had elicited a rapid sky chariot ride directly to the Diarchs. Once they arrived, Luna and Celestia had sequestered her friends in the medical wing in order to give each of them a thorough examination. That had been several hours ago, and Twilight was beginning to wear a hole in the floor.

So when the doors finally opened and Celestia stepped through, Twilight practically teleported in front of her mentor.

“Please tell me my friends are alright!” Twilight begged, looking up at the Princess with teary eyes.

Celestia just smiled and nuzzled the upset unicorn. “Your friends are just fine Twilight.” She murmured reassuringly before stepping aside to reveal the other five element bearers, smiling and unharmed.

Celestia watched with a gentle smile as the scene immediately descended into a group hug once Twilight’s friends saw her state.

“I’m so glad you’re all okay.” Twilight practically cried in relief. After allowing her friend’s warm words to comfort her, Twilight looked back up at Celestia.

“So you managed to fix the mental contamination I caused?” She asked hopefully.

“Not quite, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna replied, stepping forward beside her sister. “For there was no mental contamination to be removed.”

“But... How is that possible? They’ve all been having those dreams…” Twilight asked.

“Yes, but twas not contamination. Thou cast quite a spell, Twilight Sparkle. I doubt it would work were you not so close to your friends. Thou did not force contamination upon them, but merely offered of yourself to those in need, and allowed them to partake of your memories.”

“So, did that make sense to anypony?” Rainbow asked, looking consumed.

“Ooooh! Ooooh! Let me explain!” Pinkie Pie shouted eagerly, stuffing a cupcake into Luna’s mouth, preempting the alicorn.

“See, Twilight’s memories were like yummy cupcakes filled with love! She thought she shoved them into our brains, like that!” She gestured at Luna, whose surprised expression had changed to delight as she chewed.

“Now Twilight is worried that she might have force fed us super spicy cupcakes that might make us sick! But she didn’t do that at all!” The party pony enthused. “Instead she laid out a huuuuge spread with all sorts of delicious cakes and muffins and snacks! And then she offered them up to us when our insides were all scrambled and wonky and hungry for love!” She giggled, hooves rubbing her stomach.

“So Twilight didn’t force us to eat anything! We just picked out our favorite bits ourselves, and ate until out mental tummies were filled and we weren’t cranky anymore!”

Luna swallowed and licked her lips. “Mmmrr.. Crinkleberry.” She cleared her throat. “Ahem. An.. Unorthodox description. But accurate.”

“But if that’s the case, why are we having these dreams?” Rainbow questioned.

“Silly Dashie! Nopony just eats their favorites at a buffet! You gotta try other stuff that looks good! Though some of it turns out to be old and a bit stale. So you get a tummy ache and end up tasting it days later and…”

Applejack stuffed a hoof in her mouth. “I think we get it Sugarcube.”

“But, you and Luna fixed it and removed those memories, right Princess?” Twilight asked hopefully.

Celestia sighed. “I’m afraid not Twilight. Removing them would be both difficult and dangerous.”

“Indeed, the best we could do was strengthen those memories, and tie them to their dreams, which shall be clearer and more vivid. Being viewed thusly, the fragments of memory shall be excised safely and naturally, and haunt the Bearer’s no more.”

“So, we’re all going to be dreaming Twilight’s memories?” Fluttershy asked quietly, voice filled with worry.

“Unfortunately, yes.” Celestia nodded. Twilight just whimpered, covering her face with her hooves.

“Oh, this is going to be soooo embarrassing.”

---

Fluttershy dreamt .

This time she knew she was dreaming. Specifically, she was dreaming that she was Twilight Sparkle. It was a very strange situation for the shy pegasus. In some ways, everything around her felt so real. The sights, the sounds, the thoughts and emotions were all so much more solid than a normal dream. But at the same time there was a feeling that the world was… incomplete. As if nothing really existed outside of the little bubble of what she could see and hear.

What was even stranger was the fact that she was Twilight Sparkle. She was thinking Twilight Sparkle’s thoughts, and feeling Twilight Sparkle’s feelings. At least, on one level she was. On another level she was still herself, still Fluttershy, with all her own thoughts and dreams and emotions. Able to think and feel, but not act.

“I suppose this is what happens when you combine a memory and a dream.” Fluttershy thought to herself. “Oh, I do so hope nothing embarrassing happens. I’d feel terrible if I saw anything Twilight wouldn’t want known.” She fretted.

At the moment, Twilight Sparkle was sitting in her first grade classroom during recesses, nose deep in a book. The little filly was completely engrossed in the written words before her, almost to the exclusion of the outside world.

Twilight had always liked books. It wasn’t until she began school that she learned to truly love them though. Learned to dive into them and immerse herself in the worlds they created.

“Awwwww…even as a foal Twilight loved learning.” Fluttershy giggled to herself. There were no mirrors nearby, but she was certain that she must have been an adorable little filly.

The low buzz of conversation flowed over and around Twilight, but she managed to ignore it and focus on the written words. Mostly.

“……. loser…”

“… total egghead….”

“… she has no friends… teacher’s pet…”

“Wha… what?” Fluttershy thought to herself. This felt... This felt terribly familiar. Listening to the snide little comments the other foals made behind Twilight’s back, the yellow pegasus felt the urge to curl up in a ball and hope she could disappear. An emotion shared by Twilight, but one she failed to act upon.

Instead, the purple unicorn focused more intently on her book. Trying hard to ignore what was going on around her. Trying to focus solely on paper and ink and wonderful, wonderful knowledge. Shining Armor had told her that responding to bullies just gave them the attention they were seeking. And her Big Brother Best Friend Forever was never wrong.

W.. wait? Twilight has a BROTHER?”
Twilight Sparkle had always liked books. But she came to love them when she realized that they never picked on her. Or laughed at her for using big words. Or rolled their eyes when she raised her hoof in class to answer a question. Or whispered behind her back. Or right in front of her.

Books were wonderful. And if she tried hard enough, she could lose herself in the worlds they created. She could lose track of time, and of where she was and what she was doing. She could even lose track of the ponies around her, and their cruel words and actions.

“This.. this is…” Fluttershy sniffled mentally, wanting to do nothing as much as she wanted to hug her friend cry. But she couldn’t. Because she was Twilight Sparkle. And Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sad.

Twilight Sparkle had a book in her hooves, a world of knowledge and adventure to lose herself in, and the rest of recess to do so with.

Twilight Sparkle was happy.

---

Pinkie Pie dreamt.

It wasn’t like most of her dreams, which were filled with noise and colors and parties and all sorts of things. It was, comparatively, a rather tame and boring dream. At least as far as Pinkie Pie dreams went.

But that was okay, because she as dreaming/remembering that she was Twilight Sparkle, one of her bestest best friends in the whole world! Which was really strange, because she was thinking Twilight Sparkle thoughts at the same time she was thinking Pinkie Pie thoughts, and feeling Twilight Sparkle feelings at the same time as Pinkie Pie feelings.

But it was also kind of exciting! Because maybe she’d learn something new about her friend! Something she could throw her a party about! Maybe she should start planning a “We Learned Neat Things About a Friend” party when she woke up!

And that brought up another reason to be excited!

Because Twilight Sparkle was super excited! She was going to have a party! A birthday party! In just three days she would be turning four years old! And Mommy and Daddy were standing in front of her, having just told her she could invite anypony she wanted!

“Oooooh! A party! A party! Yay!” Pinkie Pie was doing joyous mental cartwheels. Her mood aligned perfectly with Twilight’s, who was hopping up and down excitedly.

“So, who do you want to invite to your party Honey?” Mommy asked with a smile.

Twilight paused her jumping, putting a hoof to her chin as she thought deeply, a serious look on her face. She was utterly oblivious to her parent’s efforts to not laugh t her adorable expression.

“Oooooh! Invite me! Invite me! I’ll come to your party! Only… We don’t know each other yet.” Pinkie deflated at that sad thought. “Well then, I guess I can always throw her a ‘Sorry I Missed Your Fourth Birthday Party’ Party when I wake up!” That thought immediately perked Pinkie back up.

Finally, Twilight nodded firmly.

“I wanna invite you and Daddy.” She said confidently. “And Shiny. And.. And Cadance!” She nodded firmly and with conviction.

Mommy and Daddy smiled down at her as she finished her list. But they didn’t say anything for several seconds. Was there something wrong with who she wanted to invite?

“Um… Is that… Is that everypony you want to invite Sweetheart?” Daddy asked tentatively.

“WHAAAAAT? No, of course not!” Pinkie mentally crossed her forelegs and nodded her head. “For a filly’s fourth birthday party four people is just the start! She’s gonna invite everybody she knows! And half of Canterlot too! And maybe the Princesses! Only Luna’s still on the moon… And does Twilight know Celestia yet? And how would you even send invitations to the moon? I bet Nightmare Moon would have been a lot nicer if she’d gotten some party invitations while she was on the moon…”

“Um, yes?” Twilight frowned, confused at the sad and concerned looks Mommy and Daddy were passing between each other. Had she done something wrong?

Were they unhappy because she wanted to invite Cadance? They couldn’t be upset about that, could they? Everypony loved Cadance! She was the best foalsitter in the world! Mommy and Daddy always seemed happy when she visited. So did Shining Armor. Even if her Big Brother Best Friend Forever had started to act a bit weird around her.

Pinkie gasped. “Whhhaaat? Nopony should only have one friend to invite to their birthday party!” It was unthinkable!

Twilight’s ears drooped as she looked between her parents. “Did.. Did I do something wrong?” She asked sadly.

“No, no! We’re perfectly happy with the ponies you want to invite Honey.” Mommy reassured her. “We were just hoping you might have some more friends you’d want to invite too.” Daddy nodded his head in agreement, but Twilight was just puzzled.

“Why would I need anypony else?” She asked curiously, tilting her head sideways.

Twilight thought that Mommy and Daddy still looked sad, even though they were smiling at her. But then they reached forward to hug her and tell her they loved her, and those thoughts slipped away, replaced by the feeling of warmth and love.

The little purple unicorn was perfectly happy. She was going to turn four, she was going to have a great party, and she was going to have all her family and friend(s) there! This was going to be the best birthday party ever!

Underneath it all, Pinkie Pie whimpered, sniffling and teary eyed at the very idea that a wonderful little filly like Twilight had nopony else to invite to her birthday party.

Then another thought crossed her mind. “Wait? Twilight had a BROTHER?”

“Huh. Who’d a thunk it?”

---

Rainbow Dash dreamt.

She was dreaming that she was Twilight Sparkle. And she didn’t like it. Not because of the lack of wings and stunt flying. Nor because she was being bombarded with (ugh!) books and reading and other egghead stuff.

No, she didn’t like it because she was dreaming that she was Twilight Spakle, and Twilight Sparkle was maybe six years old and currently laying in her bed quietly crying into her pillow.

Dash was never all that comfortable with showing her emotions. She had a competitive streak a mile wide, and she had always believed that you should never let anypony see your sweat or see you cry. Watching one of her best friends silently crying her eyes out felt… disloyal. Like she was spying on her. And what was worse was that she was feeling what Twilight was feeling. Thinking what she was thinking.

And that made her want to cry too.

Twilight Sparkle sobbed quietly into her pillow, her mind revisiting the trials of the past days and weeks. This morning had been particularly bad.

Twilight loved books and learning. But, though she was ashamed to admit it, she did not love school. The other fillies and colts had never been particularly kind to her. And as they had grown older, their cruel words had only struck deeper.

But that might not matter for much longer! Mom and Dad had told her that they had signed her up for Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns! Only the best and brightest got in! Surely things would be different there, right?

But there was a catch. There was an entrance exam for the school. A really, really, really hard one from what she had heard. And she was determined to be ready for it! No matter what!

And so Twilight had filled the last two weeks with nothing but research and studying! Her teacher didn’t mind. She’d more or less assigned the purple filly to independent study months ago.

But just because the teacher left her alone didn’t mean that everpony else did.

She had been in the middle of revising her notes during lunch when three of the biggest bullies in class descended upon on. By now Twilight had become a master at tuning out the taunts and insults of her tormentors. But for once they hadn’t stopped there. Tired of being ignored, the bullies had… had…

They had stolen her notes! And then.. then they.. they dumped them in the toilet! And then the paper was all wet, and she didn’t know a spell to dry them without setting them on fire, and the ink had run anyway, and they had been in the toilet! Two weeks of notes and research and revision gone! And the test was just three days away and what if the answer to a question on the test had been in her notes and she didn’t remember it now and failed the test and mom and dad would be so embarrassed and she’d be sent back to class or maybe Magic Kindergarten…

As her thoughts spiraled downwards and rambled incoherently, Twilight sobbed quietly into her pillow, not wanting anypony to see how upset she was.

Rainbow Dash cringed at the scene she was experiencing. “Poor egghead. I guess I never appreciated just how important this stuff is to her. And those bullies! Grrrrr! Why, if I ever get my hooves on ‘em…!”

A sudden knock at the door had Twilight sitting up and quickly wiping her face dry before answering with a quavering voice.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Shiny! Can I come in?” Came the reply.

Twilight eeped and hurriedly ran her hooves through her mane, trying to fix her bedraggled appearance before opening the door with her magic and allowing a tall white teenaged unicorn stallion into her room.

“Hey there LSBFF!” Shining Armor smiled happily at his sister. The smile slid off his face however as he took in his sister’s appearance. “I something wrong Twily?” He asked seriously, his eyes narrowing.

Twilight opened her mouth, preparing to tell her brother about her horrible day…

“Wait a minute… Twilight has a BROTHER?”
When a thought occurred to her. If she told Shining about what those bullies had done to her… Well, her BBBFF had always been very protective of her. He’d probably run off to confront those bullies. He might even give them a good thrashing for what they’d done to her!

“Oh yeah! Twilight’s got an awesome big brother! You tell him Twilight, and let him clean their clocks!” Rainbow eagerly advised.

The thought of those bullies getting bullied themselves was nice. But… Twilight knew just how much Shiny wanted to be a Royal Guard. It was his dream to join their ranks. And they only accepted the best. The most honest, loyal, capable, and virtuous.

And she rather suspected that they’d accept the sort of stallion that beat up foals half his age. Even if they really, really, really deserved it. Twilight loved her BBBFF too much to let him do something that might ruin his chances with the guard. No matter how much she wanted to see those bullies get their due.

And so Twilight closed her mouth without a word, instead rushing forward to hug her brother tightly.

“…” Rainbow Dash felt lower than dirt. She’d been so focused on Twilight getting even with those bullies that she hadn’t even considered potential consequences. Unlike Twilight. It was just like her friend to put the needs of other’s ahead of her own.

“Twily?” Shining asked worriedly.

“It’s nothing BBBFF. I’m just scared about the test.” She mumbled into his chest, hugging him tighter. Shining Armor patted her mane with a smile.

“Trust me Twily, you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re going to do great.” He whispered back, returning her hug. “But I think that you need a break from all this studying. How about we go get some ice cream, huh?”

Twilight perked right up and giggled. “Okay Shiny!” She nodded vigorously.

“Just don’t tell mom and dad that I let you have ice cream for lunch, okay?” Shiny whispered conspiratorially as he led his little sister out of the room.

Rainbow Dash sniffled as she experienced the memory unfold, refusing to cry, even in the sanctity of her own mind and dreams.

---

Rarity dreamt.

She was dreaming, and she was enjoying it! Because this was a departure from her more recent dreams in two ways: First, there was no sign of Discord in this particular dream (a definite plus!) and secondly, she was dreaming that she was her close friend Twilight Sparkle, which, while undeniably odd, was by no means bad. But it was the similarities to her normal dreams that were most comforting.

She was in an elegant castle.

She was surrounded by high society and nobility.

And she was involved in (squee!) fashion!

Twilight Sparkle was beyond excited! Today was her first day as the personal student of Princess Celestia herself! It was an effort not to jump up and down in excitement. But Twilight resisted the urge. Instead she looked herself over in the mirror of her new bedroom. She wanted everything to be perfect when she met the Princess for her first lesson!

“Ooooh, Twilight was SO adorable at this age! I wish I could take a picture!” Rarity giggled to herself. “And that little ensemble… So darling!” She mentally clapped her hooves together in excitement.

It was so rare to see her friend dress up like this! Rarity wouldn’t quite say that her friend had an aversion to fashion, but she did show a certain reluctance to dress up unless the situation required it.

Twilight looked over her reflection with a critical eye. Mom and Dad had helped her pick out her outfit, and even Shining Armor had agreed that she looked cute in it. Not that her brother had much fashion sense.

“Whaaaaaat? Twilight has a BROTHER?”

Her outfit was simple, but well made. The dress was a lovely shade of blue that complimented her coat as it draped over her back, covering her barrel. The edge was trimmed with white lace, and the body had a few small white stars sewn onto it. Her look was completed by a white star shaped hairpin, which Twilight carefully adjusted to stand out just so.

“Well, the style is a touch dated, but we are in the past, are we not? But the fabric is good quality, as is the stitching. And that color sets her eyes off wonderfully! And I just adore the hair pin!” Rarity’s excitement and pleasure at her appearance perfectly matched Twilight’s own emotions. “Oh Darling, why don’t you ever show this side of yourself on our little outings?”

With one last glance at the mirror, Twilight giggled and hurried out the door. She was meeting the Princess in small study the other side of the castle, and she didn’t want to be late! With her head held high, a skip in her step, and a song in her heart, she began making her journey.

Canterlot Castle’s halls were never truly empty, and this time of day was no exception. Every citizen and servant she passed received a smile and a nod from the excited filly, and almost of them reciprocated. But they were not the only ones she passed, for there were a fair number of nobles gracing the castle with their presence.

Twilight didn’t really understand the nobility. She knew they were important, but nopony had really explained why to her. But clearly Princess Celestia thought they were important, since she kept them around her all the time! Though it was strange how they tried to pretend the servants didn’t exist. Her own greetings were more or less ignored. But clearly they noticed her as she passed, since muted conversations often followed in her wake.

And Twilight Sparkle had excellent hearing as a filly.

“So that’s the silly little thing the Princess has taken in? How droll.”

“Yes. How pitifully plebian. And did you see that outfit? Ha.”

“Well, look on the bright side. Once the poor filly fails her studies and is brushed aside, the precedent of Celestia taking a student will mean my brilliant little Blueblood will be able to fill that role.”

“Why that, that, that harridan!” Rarity seethed. “As if that beastly son of her could hold a candle to dear Twilight!”

Twilight’s ears began to droop, her tail hanging a lower as she continued down the hall, out of sight and sound of the two noble mares. But there were plenty of hallways left to traverse to her first lesson. And plenty more nobles to pass on the way.

“Hmph. How sad that they’re allowing such rabble into the castle. And that outfit! Is she trying to say she’s a rising star since her Highness has briefly deigned to notice her? How tacky.”

“Oh, give the filly a break Jet Set. She’s just a foal. It’s her Sire and Dam that should know better.”

“I suppose you’re right my dear. If anything we should take pity her. Shooting stars burn out so quickly after all.”

“… And you sir are a pathetic excuse for a stallion! That mustache went out of style when Celestia was a foal! And your wife’s seamstress clearly despises her! There can be no other explanation for the way that ensemble emphasizes her expansive gut and thick pasterns! The fact that she can’t see that just proves that she’s blind to both fashion and the talents of an incredible unicorn such as Twilight!” Rarity may have been spending too much time in the company of Spike, for ire was positively draconic. She was practically breathing fire as she shouted into her mindscape.

Twilight picked up her pace a bit, trying to put some distance between herself and the low, whispered laughter behind her. But for each set of curled lips and half-whispered insults she left behind, another appeared before her.

By the time she reached the door to the study, Twilight’s good cheer had long since evaporated. It was a far more somber little pony that stopped before that suddenly intimidating doorway, her ears and tail lowered and her hooves shaky.

Maybe… Maybe she’d been wrong about the dress?

“Oh darling, don’t you even think like that!” Rarity admonished.

After all, the nobles were important ponies, right? And clearly they knew something she didn’t. So tomorrow… Tomorrow she wouldn’t wear it. It was okay, really. It was kind of itchy anyway. And… And the hairpin was probably a bit too much. Even if Mom said it had been passed down from her granddam.

And.. and she wouldn’t have time to dress up anyway. Not if all those Nobles seemed to think she was going to fail as Celestia student! There was no way she was going to let that happen! She wouldn’t disappoint her family, or the Princess! She’d give it everything she had!

Forcing herself to stand tall and confident, the little filly knocked on the door to her destiny.

There was no melodrama in Rarity’s tears. “Poor little Twilight…”

---

Applejack dreamt.

She particularly comfortable with her dream. Because she was dreaming she was Twilight Sparkle. But she WASN’T Twilight Sparkle, and as such dreaming that she was felt an awful lot like lying. But she was thinking Twilight’s thoughts, and feeling her feelings, and there wasn’t much she could do about it except go along with it.

And at least it wasn’t a bad dream. As a matter of fact, Twilight was feeling pretty happy.

Twilight Sparkle was feeling pretty happy. She was happy because she was headed towards the Canterlot Library! Which contained two things that could make her happy! The first was books, always her first love. And the second was her two new friends!

She’d been Princess Celestia’s personal student for over a year now. And while things had eben a bit.. rough at the beginning, it felt like she had finally turned the corner! Sure, all the Nobles had turned their noses up at her when she first arrived, but that was starting to change! At least they were returning her greetings when she saw them in the hallways.

And, of course, she was learning so much from Princess Celestia! It was hard work, trying to keep up with her teacher. But she refused to let the Princess or her family down! No matter the test or challenge, Twilight refused to fail! No matter how much work she had to put in!

“Well, certainly can’t fault Twilight’s work ethic, even a little filly.” AJ thought to herself with a smile. “Girl woulda fit in just fine with the Apple Family.”

Sure, the princess kept making comments about fillies needing at least eight hours of sleep a night. But clearly finishing the lessons the princess gave her was more important than sleep! And she did just fine on five hours of sleep a night!

“Yup.” AJ thought to herself with a mental facehoof. “She’d fit raight in with the family.”

But that was neither here nor there! The Princess had given her the day off! (Well, insisted she take the day off really. And then two colts had asked her if she wanted to be their friend and play with them this afternoon!

Of course Twilight said yes! She was ecstatic! She’d never really had friends her own age before, so Beige Nostrils and Positive Affirmation would be her first! Well, Shining Armor was her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, but he was family and quite a few years older, so he didn’t quite count.

Applejack blinked. “Whaaaaaat? Twilight has a BROTHER?”

Her two new friends had even asked her what she wanted to do when they met up! And when she had tentatively suggested going to the library, both of them had agreed with her! It was like a dream come true! Other ponies who wanted to be her friend and who liked going to the library and loved reading and…and… and she was just so happy and excited!

Applejack might have been feeling what Twilight was feeling, but she was still Applejack. And Applejack had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

And so Twilight Sparkle practically skipped down the road as she headed towards the library.

Of course, once she reached the library, she slowed down to a respectable (and nearly silent) walk. After all, it was rude to make noise in a library! And once inside the little purple unicorn slipped between the rows of books like a fish slipping into the sea. Eschewing the normal pathways, Twilight took a shortcut through the shelves towards the desk she had asked her new friends to meet her at. She knew she was a bit early, but that was better than being tardy.

Coming up towards the study area from behind, Twilight smiled and slowed her steps as she heard voices.

“… know exactly what you mean. I mean, seriously? Meeting in a library? For fun? What is wrong with this filly?” Positive Affirmation groaned.

“And I bet she’s going to want to spend all afternoon buried in these dumb books.” Beige Nostrils sighed. “And we’re going to have to at least pretend to follow along if we want to make friends with her. This is going to suck.”

“Well, my dad said to do whatever I have to do to make friends with her.”

“My mom said the same thing. She said that since Sparklebutt has lasted this long as Celestia’s student, she might be here to stay. And that means she might have the Princess’s ear when she grows up.” Beige Nostrils shared his parent’s wisdom with a sigh. “So it’s important to make friends and network with her and other important ponies.”

“Network? What does commoner fishing equipment have to do with anything?” Positive Affirmation asked, puzzled.

“How should I know? Now be quiet while we wait for Sparklebutt to show up so we can all be bored to tears.”

Silence once again descended on the library. But only because Twilight Sparkle was an expert at masking the sound of crying.

“Aw, Sugarcube. You really didn’t deserve that.” Applejack thought gently. “Them two-faced varmints on the other hoof, they deserve a good bucking!” She growled.

“And their parents too I reckon! For raising the little weasels to be so.. weasley!”

Out of sight of the table, hidden by a wall of her beloved books, Twilight Sparkle sat on her plot, her head down and ear flat, fighting back tears. It felt like somepony had shoved a dull knife right into her heart, and split it into two.

She had hoped that things would be different when she left public school. Well, they were different. Just not better. Twilight was thinking that she preferred the way things were back in elementary school. Sure, none of the other foals had liked her. But at least they had been honest about it!

Well, there was only one thing to do now. She’d calmly walk right over to those two colts. She’d stand right in front of them. And then she’d tell them…

That she had an important project to work on for Celestia, so she wouldn’t be able to play with them today.

It wouldn’t even be a lie! She just wouldn’t mention that the project wasn’t due for another two weeks.

Then she could go back to her studies and her books. Books that had never lied to her or betrayed her.

Applejack lowered her head and sighed. “I swear Sugarcube, ain’t a one of them weasels that deserves ta be around you.”

---

Twilight Sparkle dreamt.

Though calling it a dream might have been a bit of a misclassification. As with far too many of her recent nighttime excursions, this one could more accurately be called a nightmare. Once again she found herself standing alone, staring at the backs of her friends as they abandoned her. Friends who were hardly recognizable due to the changes that had been wrought upon them. There was one thing that made this little nightmare different from the previous evenings however.

This time it wasn’t Discord’s fault. It was hers.

In desperation Twilight charged after her friends, trying to catch up with them. Calling out to them. Promising to fix things if they’d just come back. Her hooves hammered on the stone path as she ran.

CLOP. CLOP. CLOP.

But no matter how hard she ran, they drew further and further away.

CLOP. CLOP. CLOP.

The sound of her hooves rang in her ears, louder and louder. Something was wrong. Something was…

Twilight Sparkle woke up.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Somepony was hammering on her door.

A sleepy glance at the clock told Twilight that it was Too-Damned-Early O’clock. Which meant whoever was banging on her door must have a very good reason to be up.

Which meant it was probably an emergency. Which meant…

Her friends might be in trouble!

“Coming!” Twilight shouted as she teleported. She went from laying prone on her bed to standing before her front door in a literal flash, and had the door yanked open in her magic in a figurative flash. At which point she was confronted by the sober visages of all five of her best friends standing in a half circle before her.

“Girls? What’s going on? What’s wrong?” Twilight demanded, voice rising in pitch as increasingly horrible scenarios ran through her head.

Which was why she was completely unprepared to be dogpiled by her five closest friends, all of whom were hugging her and bawling their eyes out, and babbling apologies and commiserations.

There was only one possible response to this.

“What?”


A few hours later found Twilight sitting across from her friends in the main room of her library, sipping a cup of tea as each finished recounting the night’s events. All of her friends bore sad or somber expressions. They had all seemed so sad and sympathetic during their recitals. Very sympathetic. Edging right over into pity.

Twilight rubbed her muzzle and sighed

“Girls, I am really, truly touched by your concern. I mean that.” Her cheeks flushed. “I’m also a bit embarrassed that you saw all of that. I’m sorry you had to go through such unpleasant memories. But you’re taking those memories way too seriously!”

“But darling! Those nobles were so horrible to you!” Rarity delicately sniffed into a handkerchief.

“And y’all can’t tell me that having them colts treat ya like that didn’t have no effect on ya!” Applejack added.

“We’re your friends Twilight” Fluteryshy spoke softly. “I know remembering things like that can be sad, but you can talk to us about them. That is, if you want to.” Her voice trailed off to a whisper.

Twilight just eye-rolled. “Girls, I never told you about those things because they’re not important!”

“Come off it Twilight! Even I know that traumatic foalhood stuff like that shapes who you are later!” Rainbow snorted, crossing her hooves.

“Well, yeah. I suppose you’re right.” Twilight replied thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. “But that’s true for everypony! I’m sure all of you girls have memories like that too.” The other element bearers glanced away, each considering their own foalhoods.

“Plus you girls only saw a few unpleasant events. I had plenty of happy memories of being a foal too!” She smiled, recalling her first copy of Starswirl the Bearded’s Biography. “And anyway, it’s not like I spend all my time dwelling on those old memories. I hardly even remembered half of them until you girls brought them back up! I couldn’t imagine spending my days mulling over past slights and insults. Living like that would just be… unbearably sad.” She shuddered at the very thought.

“Well I must say, it’s very generous of you to offer forgiveness like that Twilight.” Rarity smiled.

Twilight just shrugged. “I guess you just have a different perspective on these things once you become an adult. Those things were pretty terrible for filly Twilight, but I’m not a filly anymore.” She smiled at the other Element bearers. “I’m a full grown mare! I have a beautiful home, a wonderful job, and the best friends a pony could ever ask for.”

There was a moment of silence. And then an enormous squee of joy as Pinkie somehow wrapped the entire group in an enormous hug

“YAY! Twilight’s not sad and we’re all great friends! This calls for a PARTY!”

Twilight giggled from within the press of bodies. “If you say so Pinky. But first, I think this calls for a friendship letter to the Princess!”

“Oooh, good idea! I can’t wait to find out what lessons we’ll learn tonight!” Pinkie enthused.

“Tonight? What do ya mean, tonight Sugarcube?” AJ raised an eyebrow.

“Silly Applejack! What kind of pony visits a huuuuuge dessert table and only samples one new thing?” She asked.

“You mean… more egghead dreams tonight?” Rainbow gasped.

Twilight just groaned and massaged her temples. “Girls, don’t take this the wrong way but… If there are no more questions, I’d really like to try to get some more sleep.”

“Oh, darling, there is one last thing we are all curious about.” The girls all shared a look before focusing on Twilight.

“Oh?”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US YOU HAD A BROTHER?” came the unanimous shout.

Twilight’s cheeks flushed as she shrugged in embarrassment.

“Um… Oops?”