It was late afternoon. The Ponyville sky was blue and clear.

Applejack looked into the sky as she pulled a cart towards the library. She hadn't seen Twilight in almost a week... she knew Rainbow Dash and Pinkie hadn't seen her either. The farm pony had a little something in her saddlebags for her librarian friend -- a coupon for a free apple pie along with the purchase of one small keg of cider. If that didn't excite the unicorn... she didn't know what would. In reality, she just wanted a chance to talk to Twilight, see how she was doing. She'd even come a bit out of her way for this.

Dismounting her cart, Applejack heard laughter in the distance. Activity had resumed in Ponyville fairly quick since the fire -- the day was warm, the streets were clean, yet she felt a cool breeze wafting past her. She approached the tree and gave a light knock at the door. It took a moment, but the knob finally turned...

Standing there was Twilight's dragon assistant, still wearing his heart-shaped pendant. Applejack noticed right off the bat the library was darker than normal, even for after hours, but paid it no mind...

"Well, howdy Spike!" the farm pony joyfully exclaimed, tipping her hat. "Is Twilight around? Been passin' out vouchers this mornin' with Big Mac to get a free pie along with a keg... thought she might be interested. Ya know, with Summer Cider Sales just 'round the corner, and all."

The drake licked his lips:

"She's upstairs." Spike putt up his hands, signifying the orange pony should stay put, as he turned away from the doorway. He started to run off. "I'll go get her for you!"

Spike quickly ran up the stairs, leaving the farm pony standing alone by the doorway. Applejack leaned in against the frame and sighed. It seemed odd that she wouldn't be invited in, but she wasn't there to stay more than a few minutes anyway, plus she didn't know what Twilight had planned for the rest of the day, so... she didn't want to intrude. Spike had once told her accidentally getting hit by a wall of books during Re-shelving Day one time was, well... one time too many.

Upstairs, Spike stood firmly at the edge of the top step and smiled.

Twilight sat at her desk in the dark, reading by the light from her window. From other conversations he'd already had with her about seeing her friends throughout the week... the dragon knew how this was already going to end.

"Hey Twilight?" Spike said quietly in her direction. He spoke a bit louder. "Um... Twilight?"

He waited a moment... then another. No response.

"A-hem.Twilight?" The drake chuckled nervously. "Applejack's here."

The unicorn glanced over at him, exhaling loudly:

"Tell her I'm busy!"

Twilight's loud, yet groggy response echoed throughout the library, waking up even Owlicious. Her grumpy nature nearly made the farm pony's jaw hit the floor. Taking a couple steps forward, Applejack removed her hat, calling out in the sweetest voice she could muster (despite the fact that she wanted to walk out the door having heard that):

"Hey, Twi... y'all right? It's been a while since we've seen ya around Ponyville."

"I'm fine, Applejack," Twilight replied in a hoarse voice, shutting her book and turning to Spike. "Just need to get a few things under control around here."

"Ah see..." The farm pony bit her lip. She wasn't nearly as good at breaking the ice as she wanted to think. "Come on down, Twilight, n' maybe I can help you with 'em! Heck, I've got a voucher for some free pie if you get some cider... figured you might be interested, seeing how good the farm is doin' now. Ya interested Twi? ... uh, Twilight? How 'bout it?"

A moment of silence passed. Applejack heard steps coming down the stairs... too light to be pony.

"Could you leave them with Spike? I'm busy right now."

Applejack shook her head as Spike came down the stairs. She didn't realize it, but she'd began idly looking around Twilight's home to make sure things still looked right. The farm pony let out a sigh... at least the downstairs was clean and well-organized... as always. She shook her head as the baby dragon approached:

"Oh, uh... sure thing Twilight!" Applejack went into her saddle bag and pulled out a small pink ticket. "Here ya go Spike!" The dragon took the voucher. "Me 'n Apple Bloom are gunna go give Pinkie and Rainbow one in a couple-a-hours. Heck, we might even give Rainbow two on account of Scootaloo 'n all... if'n that'll even work out with no Boutique. Anywho, AB's pretty excited, as Pinkie's gettin' out in about three days. If Twi's cool with it, maybe ya might wanna come along? Maybe she can come, too, if she likes."

Applejack still spoke loud enough to be heard by Twilight... but there was no response.

"Sure!" Spike said, rocking in his feet. "I'll talk to her again... she's probably still going to be too busy, though."

"It's worth a try, right?" Applejack smiled at the dragon, then spoke more quietly. "Look, Spike, Ah wasn't born yesterday. We've all been through a lot... so if Twilight needs some time to herself, that's fine by me." She put her hat back on. "Well, Ah've got plenty more vouchers to pass out, an' a delivery to make a few blocks away... when I'm out with Apple Bloom, I'll be sure to spin by."

"Thanks a bunch Applejack!"

Tipping her hat, the farm pony made for the exit, whipping around one final time before leaving Spike by himself in the library:

"No problem, Spike."

Applejack left, shutting the door behind herself. Outside she sighed again, shaking her head in the open air... knowing she could do nothing more than be there for her friend once she decided to come around.

Spike ran up stairs to see what Twilight was up to... and to make sure she was alright. She had spent most of the week upstairs, save running the library. He saw her, sitting alone in her room, in the dark... drawing the shades closed with magic. There was nothing on her desk now.

"Twilight... is there any thing I can do to help you?"

The unicorn looked up at Spike, her eyes shining in the darkness:

"No Spike... there's nothing you can help me with. I just need to sleep. Go with Applejack when she comes back... tell her I'm just too tired."

The dragon approached, wrapping both arms around the unicorn's barrel:

"Okay, Twilight."

She gave him light a kiss on the forehead.

"I'm glad I have you, bud."

"Me too, Twilight..." Spike let out a sigh. "Me too..."

A couple more days passed with Twilight in her room, alone... save coming downstairs to run the library. Spike had been trying to convince her to get out:

"Hey Twilight! Wanna go see Fluttershy? I heard her Prench poodles just gave birth to a new batch of puppies!"

"Oh, no thanks, Spike..." Twilight replied with a yawn. "I have a new archive coming in from Canterlot in an hour. One-hundred volumes that need to categorized. It's going to take a few hours and by then it'll be dark."

"Oh, I can do that," Spike said, confidently patting his chest. "I'll sign for it and everything. Trust me, it will be no trouble at all!"

Twilight smirked:

"You can go see the puppies. I've spent half the morning napping and need to do -something- productive, or else I'm going to start to fall behind."

"You can trust me, Twilight. What difference does it make if you do it or I do it? If we leave now, we can stop by the hospital and-"

"Spike, I am not going anywhere. One hundred volumes is just too much."

Spike kicked the floor, gritting his teeth. The kick caused a few books to wobble on their shelf:

"Fine, have it your way."

The dragon found his purple owner irritably shaking a hoof at him:

"Spike! What in the wide world of Equestria's gotten into you?

At least Twilight was less irritable than she had been the day before... Spike still found himself apologizing:

"Sorry, Twilight."

Twilight's sleep had been fairly erratic and her work was starting to suffer. Little did Spike know -- little did anypony know -- that, after the meeting... Twilight had been up for almost seventy-two hours straight. She was now regularly napping in an arm chair in the far corner of her library.

Spike didn't mind, though. There were days when Twilight was awake that she was of little use to the patrons... giving confusing instructions to adult ponies doing serious research and little fillies in search of books Miss Cheerilee had assigned them to do reports on. Luckily Spike was there to steer them all on the right path. Like his mentor, he was very hands off while directing the fillies... just there to help keep them from getting discouraged.

Fluttershy and Applejack had each stopped by a couple of times, mostly during the library's hours of operation, hoping to catch Twilight so they could actually talk to her face-to-face. Twilight would almost always be napping, however, and when she wasn't... she'd be about as bad as Applejack the time she needed help bucking apples on the farm but refused to ask for it. Every time they would come in to find her awake, they would always talk about the same upcoming events as if she didn't remember discussing them out the first time. Both of them finally gave up, but still stopped by any time they passed the library... together and alone.

"This ain't like her, Spike," Applejack said, while watching Fluttershy put a blanket over her hind legs. "She really don't look right,. Anything we can do?"

Spike just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know what's going on," he said. "She's been like this since visiting the hospital."

"Hhmmmm...." Applejack stroked her chin, looking over at Fluttershy while pondering. "Something's up... just remind her tomorrow Pinkie gets out. Not that she looks up to doing much in terms of caring for her, but Pinkie would probably still wanna hear from her. You know Pinkie... she'll probably end up coming here if Twilight doesn't visit. Can ya do that?"

Spike stood up tall and saluted, causing the farm pony to chuckle under her breath.

"Well, alright then, Spike."

The farm pony and yellow pegasus left feeling confident Spike would let her know when she got up... and hopefully tomorrow, too.

... Spike did, in fact, let Twilight know what was going on the moment she got up. She smiled for the first time in a week hearing that Pinkie was getting out soon, but still didn't go to visit her despite having plenty of time that day.

It was the end of another day. Twilight had been awake forthe whole work day... somewhat productive, too. It was time for her to finally relax. She was starting to feel good about the day.

"You gotta drink something, Twilight," Spike said, fetching her some water from the kitchen sink after a day's work in the Library. "You look awful."

"I'll be alright, Spike," Twilight replied in a groggy voice, taking the water from her dragon assistant. "Thanks for your concern. I have to file these new magazines from Canterlot in the appropriate section, then I have to straighten up shelf G-J because that colt from Trottingham came in on his scooter twenty minutes ago and knocked into it, spilling half the contents, then I-"

Spike was beginning to realize he had seen this once before. Not again. Grasping his pendant tightly, he decided to put a stop to it right now:

"Twilight. I got this."

"But Spike, I need to-"

The drake put up both claws firmly and smiled:

"Trust me. I'm your number-one assistant for a reason, right?" He chuckled confidently. "I'll have it looking pretty as a picture within the hour."

Twilight sat back sighed and sighed, clumsily guzzling the water. When finished she wiped her mouth with an unkempt hoof.

"I'm going to take a walk, Spike," she said flatly, getting up. "Don't wait for me."

"Okay, Twilight."

As the tired unicorn slowly walked towards the exit, Spike kept his eyes on her. He'd already lost somepony dear to him and didn't want to see another unicorn go downhill. The dragon wanted to do something but, like before, she hadn't told him anything that was going on... she just looked tired. He'd made excuses for her at first, to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo... and the rest of their friends were kind enough to back him up, though they only saw her in passing; after all that had happened, each needed a week themselves, but Twilight needed it the most.

Out in Ponyville the air was cool and the streets were empty. Twilight sighed. It was mid-afternoon. She felt empty as she walked alone. All signs of the fire and cyclone -- save the blackened boutique -- were gone.

She saw Roseluck watering her garden down the street. The mare looked up and nodded politely as she passed. Twilight walked past with a blank expression. Roseluck shrugged.

The purple unicorn continued down the quiet street, until she finally ran into a familiar face... one she almost walked past, if it weren't for him saying hello:

"Hey Twilight!" exclaimed Mr. Cake. "Nice day, isn't it?"

The unicorn stopped and turned to him, noticing he had Gummy on a lead.

"Uh-huh," he said, cracking a smile. "Taking Gummy for a walk, huh?"

The stallion bit his lip when he looked into her eyes.

"Yup," he said, cheerfully. "Gummy needs his exercise... say, have you seen Pinkie today? I've been so busy I haven't been able to give her much time. Gotta prepare, you know what I mean?"

"I saw her, I think... just last week."

"Oh," Mr. Cake looked at the ground. "Well, she's getting out later this afternoon, and if I know Pinkie as well as I think I do, she's going to be really happy to see you. Trust me, she let us know you didn't come to see her much in the hospital."

Twilight lowered her head, slowly dragging her hoof against the ground:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cake... I-"

"Hey, there's no reason to apologize, Twilight." The stallion smiled comfortingly. "This has been a pretty trying time for all of us." The unicorn nodded, not looking up. "She's now up and about. Still a bit banged up, what with the bandages and all, but she's still Pinkie Pie."

Again, Twilight smiled hopefully.

"And Rainbow Dash? Do you know when she's getting out?"

Mr. Cake's comforting smile turned to a frown.

"Dash is... going to take a little while longer."

Twilight's smile drooped, and her breathing began to pick up as she realized she had no idea how any of her friends were doing, and would have had no idea still had she not run into Mr. Cake... even though most of this was starting to very sound familiar, like Spike and other friends might have told her bits and pieces before.

"How much longer?" she asked directly.

"At least a week... her burns are quite a bit more wide-spread. You know Dash... she can hardly sit still, and that's not good for time spent healing. But that wouldn't stop her from leaving today if it weren't for Scootaloo being in there with her."

Twilight nodded, slowly walking past Mr. Cake.

"I think I'm going to go see Pinkie then... let her know I still care."

Without saying good-bye, Twilight turned her back to the stallion. He stopped her dead in her tracks:

"Um.... Hey Twilight?"

She turned around, wide-eyed.

"Yes?"

Mr. Cake bit his lip:

"Can, I, uh... make an observation?"

Mr. Cake looked hopefully while Twilight stared at him, unblinkingly.

"Be my guest."

"One of the things me and the Mrs. keep telling Pinkie since we took her in is that she has to take care of herself first... You look like you could really use some sleep."

Twilight narrowed her eyes, turning her back again. She began to walk off.

"I'll be alright, Mr. Cake."

"Please, Twilight."

She stopped in her tracks again, gritting her teeth. She turned around and looked him right in the eyes. He grimaced at the hallow sight of the two bloot shot eyes staring at him.

"What is it?"

Mr. Cake sighed:

"Now, keep in mind I'm not telling you what to do... Pinkie's been through one heck of a roller coaster ride. Your friends and I have been telling her you need rest and that's why you haven't come. Please get just a little shut-eye before you go see her. Her mane's barely starting to look springy again... Heck, come by later this afternoon and by then we'll probably have cookies made!"

Despite being exhausted and devoid of much thought, Twilight genuinely smiled. She could see what he was trying to do.

"Um, okay! Will do, Mr. Cake."

Mr. Cake smiled back.

The two then went their separate ways, Mr. Cake glancing back to see that Twilight was walking slowly... still on a path away from the library. He shook his head, but continued on, focused on Gummy now.

Twilight found herself alone by the fountain, neither the hospital nor the library too terribly far away. She sighed, looking down at her reflection in the water:

"I do look terrible," she said, taking a seat on a bench.

This was the first time in about a week Twilight had been connected to herself like this, all it took was leaving her home for a brief while. She'd been shut-up (and staying shut up) for too long.

What to do, what to do...

The unicorn found herself leaning back.

Mr. Cake was right... I should get some sleep before I go see Pinkie. But, then again, every pony will be there and they'll either be settling her in or moving her out someplace else.

"Then you might be better off seeing her now, just to let her know you still care. Knowing Pinkie, her feelings are probably hurt by now... heck, I'd probably think a pony didn't care about me if she didn't come to see me after all this time."

Looking into the sky, Twilight winced, gently rubbing her eyes... feeling moisture brought on more by tiredness than despair.

That's an awful thing to say, Twilight. Of course you care! That's why you've been so busy.

"But then why am I falling so far behind?"

Twilight continued to look up. She rubbed her temples.

Focus, Twilight. FOCUS.

"I just need a moment to make up my mind about what I want to do... then everything will be okay." She laid back, continuing to stare up. "Everything is going to be... just fine."

The unicorn finally felt at peace.

"Um... Twilight?"

The unicorn's eyes popped open. She found herself staring up at Fluttershy.

"Wh- ... where am I?" she asked, slowly sitting up.

Fluttershy backed up and waited for Twilight to stretch out before answering. By the time she did, Twilight could see the sky had turned orange... it was approaching night.

"We've been looking all over for you," Fluttershy said softly. "Spike said you went out for a walk hours ago! We never thought to check by the fountain. Oh, my goodness... you must've fallen asleep. I bet you probably really needed it, though."

Rocking from side to side, Twilight popped her back... falling asleep on a bench wasn't very comfortable.

"Well, I've been here, Fluttershy," Twilight said, looking up at her yellow friend. She let out a sigh. "Other than being groggy, I do kinda feel a better now that I've gotten some rest."

The pegasus smiled.

"Pinkie's at home now... if you want to see her."

Twilight's mind flashed to Pinkie, and it stopped when she realized someone else might want to know where she is, too.

"Don't you think Spike should know I've been here the whole-"

Again, Fluttershy smiled... this time putting up a hoof.

"Spike is back at the library... don't worry about him. Though he got a little worried, Apple Bloom's there to keep him company. They're playing board games. I'll go tell him where you are, and what you're doing, and everything will be fine." Fluttershy gave a wink. "You can count on me, Twilight."

Twilight had heard similar things come out of Spike's mouth many times during the past week... it seemed hazy, but she could remember. She sighed. It was time to give some pony else the reins, and just go see her friend.

"Okay, Fluttershy." Twilight got up and stretched. "Have you seen Pinkie yet?"

"Uh-huh. She looks really good... she'll be happy to see you!"

"So everypony keeps telling me." Twilight smiled. "It'll be good to see her, too. Take care, Fluttershy."

"Take care, Twilight! Don't worry about Spike!"

Twilight turned back and waved to Fluttershy one final time before they both trotted off for their destinations.

Home... for Pinkie Pie that meant the Sugarcube Corner. It wasn't far off.

Twilight headed in the direction of the bakery, a good seven minute trot from where she was. Not that she noticed, but Roseluck was out again watering her garden... this time for the evening. That meant she'd been asleep for at least four hours.

Finally, Twilight made it to the Sugarcube Corner. The business was closed right now, not a light was on when it came to the bottom half of the bakery. She was surprised to see, of all ponies, Applejack exiting the building. It didn't seem the farm pony noticed her approach... despite her loud hooves, making a clip-clop, clip-clop sound, which she was hoping would draw her attention.

"Hey Applejack!" Twilight said, trying her best to sound cheerful. "How is she?"

Applejack made eye-contact with Twilight, who stopped a few steps short of her friend. Her pupils were tiny, and she was biting her lower lip... the farm pony looked somewhat pale.

"Don't tell me she's back at the hospital alre-"

"Pinkie?" Applejack hiccuped, almost rhetorically. "Oh, she's fine... just fine and dandy!"

Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"Is anything the matter?"

"Nope! Nothing at all..." Applejack sighed. "This has just been... a lot to take in. You know what Ah mean, Twilight?"

"Do I ever."

"Well, then. I'm, uh..." Applejack stretched her neck towards the Acres. "I'm gunna head home now, okay? Take care, Twilight!"

The unicorn smiled warmly.

"All right."

Even though she seemed to be in a bit of a hurry, as Twilight approached the door Applejack turned around and opened it for her.

"I'm just plum tuckered out," she said, giggling while motioning her friend inside. "And Twilight?"

The unicorn stopped midway through the door.

"Yeah, AJ?"

"I'm real glad we're all friends."

"Me too, AJ... Me too."

Twilight entered the bakery. The door slammed shut and she heard Applejack canter off.

Inside a few lights were on... enough to guide the mare up the stairs to her proper destination. Even in the semi-darkness, the place was welcoming... the walls glowing a faint, pinkish-purple. She stumbled when she reached the stairs... might have chipped a tooth if it weren't for them being carpeted, soft and plush.

Twilight heard the voices of Mr. and Mrs. Cake speaking over her approach, and stopped maybe seven feet from Pinkie's door. She held her breath when she caught a few words, not meaning to eavesdrop...

"You did the right thing, Pinkie," said Mr. Cake, softly. "We're very proud of you."

I know it... felt icky, dear," Mrs. Cake added, "but everypony will be better off now because of what you just did."

Twilight paused for a moment, debating whether or not this was a good time for her to visit. Now all she could hear was silence, but what she had heard made her feel a tiny bit uneasy. She heard Pinkie's individual breaths... tiny, labored, and sad.

Against her better judgement, Twilight pushed open Pinkie's door. Mr. and Mrs. cake were on either side of the earth pony's bed, Gummy resting on her head board. Pinkie's mane was fully deflated, tears in her eyes. Mrs. Cake was comforting her by rubbing her side, but Twilight could see it was doing little good... she was tucked in at least. The two made eye-contact and tears started streaming down Pinkie's face much more rapidly when she realized her friend was there.

"Pinkie..." Twilight smiled warmly. "What happened?"

"I'm so sorry, Twilight," Pinkie said quietly. "I Pinkie Promised and everything, but I couldn't help it. Not telling AJ felt so awful I didn't know what to do..."

Twilight's eyes, which had been relaxed and accepting, grew big:

"Pinkie Pie, you didn't..."

Pinkie stared at the wall as she nodded her head, unable to look Twilight in the eye.

"I did. We were all alone and I just kept thinking about it, and thinking about it. So I started crying and AJ asked me what was wrong, and I..."

The purple mare gritted her teeth, looking down at the sad pink earth pony in bed. She was no longer listening, she felt a roar in her ear. For a while she had been thinking about doing what Pinkie had just done... and even though Pinkie had actually done it, it still felt wrong. Really wrong. Before Twilight could even approach, Mrs. Cake quickly moved to the foot of the bed, blocking her path... protecting her protégé.

"Now Twilight... before you say anything you might regret, I want to let you know that me and Carrot put her up to it." Mr. Cake stood by his wife's side. "So, if you're going to blame anypony for this, blame us."

"We came in here to comfort her when we heard her crying," explained Mr. Cake.

Twilight's face contorted into an unpleasant grimace. She continued to look past the Cakes at Pinkie... who took a sudden interest in her bedspread.

"I came to see how you're doing," Twilight said calmly, continuing to stare directly at her friend....she let out a sigh. Even though she wanted to, Twilight just couldn't stay mad. "I'm glad you look like you're doing better than you were in the hospital."

Feeling Twilight's eyes on her, and hearing the shift in Twilight's general tone, Pinkie pulled back the covers revealing that she had small patches where her coat was missing, but she was starting to look like Pinkie Pie... completely unbandaged, nearly recovered. She still had a shorter mane, but that would grow in time. The secrets she had shared, however, would never come back.

"I'm sorry," Pinkie whimpered. "Twilight, I'm so very, very sorry..."

Twilight Sparkle looked up at the two Cakes. They looked at each other quizzically, then back at her. Hesitantly, they moved to either side, allowing Twilight to get closer to her friend. She sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her hooves:

"Pinkie, I know you're sorry," she said, taking a hoof and putting it to her friend's chin, gently pulling it so the two were making eye-contact. "I forgive you... but Rainbow Dash might not. That secret was pretty important to her."

That was the last thing Pinkie need to hear. Mr. and Mrs. Cake looked at each other, then Mrs. Cake spoke up:

"Twilight, she's been through an awful lot. You know she knows she's done wrong... she just wanted to ask Applejack for help."

"She wanted the problem to go away," added Mr. Cake. "She didn't want to hurt anypony."

"Or lose anypony forever," added Pinkie quietly. "Twilight, I'm-"

"Pinkie, it's okay." Twilight beamed a genuine smile at her friend. "What's done is done. We just have to hope for the best now... Did Applejack say she'll be able to do anything? Maybe give Rainbow a place to stay for a while?"

Pinkie remained quiet, biting her lip... so Mr. Cake spoke for her:

"Um... Applejack practically turned white when Pinkie told her what happened. It was probably too much for her to process, given everything else that's been going on."

"Imagine hearing your friend gave up her home so you could continue to run your business..." The Cakes looked at each other, then down at Pinkie. "And pass it on to a younger generation. All she said was she was going home to think about all this. That's really all she can do."

"Well, whatever happens, Pinkie," Twilight said. "I'm glad we're all friends."

Pinkie looked up, smiling.

"Me, too, Twilight... me too."

Smiling, Twilight got up, reached down and gave Pinkie a hug. Both mares let out a sigh, but each for a different reason. Pinkie was happy that Twilight still wanted to be her friend, Applejack, too (or so it seemed)... Twilight's reason wasn't so clear:

One less thing for me to have to worry about... I'm glad for that.

Author's Notes:

]This is one of those parts I wrote out entirely and decided it didn't work, then I rewrote it, decided I liked it better... let it sit, changed a few things around, rewrote it after I had some new ideas, went back and ended up making a fusion out of three drafts. That's not a bad thing, but cripes can it get messy ^^

This is the longest part to a story I've ever written. I wonder at times if taking the story in this direction was not a good idea, as in the long run I could have written things differently. It wouldn't have the same impact in the end, but... I'm overall happy with it.

Hope you guys have enjoyed reading this story as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you :)