Silence.

Nopony spoke. Nopony moved. Sparkle’s breath came faintly and quickly behind her hoof. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Spike all stood stock still, not daring to breathe at all. It was as though Sparkle’s words were a vicious predator that would strike at whoever made the most noise. From where he had been cringing against the bookshelves, Spike looked at the ponies in the room with wide eyes. Leftover tears glistened down Rainbow Dash’s face, sparkling in the sunlight before falling to the floor. Fluttershy was stiff as a statue, body and wings pressed flat to the floorboards around her.

“Get. Out.”

It was Twilight who broke the silence. Her body was faintly trembling as everypony in the room turned to face her, but her gaze was steady. Spike shuddered upon hearing her voice speak in such a tone, and when Sparkle looked to Twilight, Sparkle recoiled. She saw her own face, warped into mask of rage. She saw her own eyes narrowed into a glare, lips curled back in a twisted snarl. She heard the snort of hot breath escaping her muzzle, and the sound of her hooves scraping across the rough wooden floor. She saw that she favored one eye when she glared, the right tight and narrowed, the left wide and intense in its gaze. She saw how her ears folded back, how her teeth ground together.

“I—” she stammered, taking a step backwards.

“Get OUT!” Twilight screamed. Her horn flared, its light seeming to flicker and hum with the sound of her voice. Glass shattered as the windows of the library blew outwards with the force of her shout. A white-and-purple aura surrounded Sparkle, hurtling her towards the library door. The door opened inwards, and so Sparkle instead hit it with a sickening crunch that Spike could only pray was splintering wood.

“Get out! Get out! Get out!” Twilight’s voice became a screech as the energy field that held Sparkle picked her up again. It was like a living thing in and of itself, some great monster that had Sparkle in its grasp and was determined to be rid of her, no matter what got in its way. Sparkle was still dazed from the first blow when she felt herself lifted off the ground, the light around her taking hold to try to hurl her from the library.

“Twilight, no!” Rainbow Dash leapt towards Twilight, trying to tackle her to the floor. As the two grappled, Twilight struggled to keep her gaze on Sparkle, but Rainbow Dash shoved her to the ground, and the monster that held Sparkle was blinded. Her body missed the door entirely, and instead she went flying across the room like a rock from a sling. She hit the bookshelf above Spike and tumbled to the floor in front of him, books and broken pieces of wood landing atop her.

“Fluttershy, help!” Spike called, as Twilight and Rainbow Dash struggled with each other on the floor. Spike was relieved to see that Sparkle was still intact. She was covered in bruises and a few cuts, but she was already starting to stumble to her hooves. Twilight wasn’t done with her yet, though. Whenever her grapple with Rainbow Dash brought an object into her sight, the luminescent monster would grab it and blindly hurl it in Sparkle’s direction. Books and fixtures rained around her as she tried to stand, and the table from the room’s center smashed the shelf just to her left to splinters.

“Fluttershy!” Spike called again, and this time, his voice snapped her out of her stunned inaction. She took wing, leaping towards Sparkle and grabbing the dazed pony under her forelegs. “The window!” Spike shouted, pointing to the open frame. Fluttershy put on a burst of speed with a powerful flap of her wings, carrying Sparkle out of the library and into Ponyville’s skies. Her hooves dragged against the wood on her way out, broken glass delivering mercifully small cuts.

On the floor, Twilight found a surge of strength, shoving Rainbow Dash clear off her. Twilight recovered in an instant, rolling to her hooves and leaping for the window. Her horn was still ablaze with light when she saw Fluttershy and Sparkle escaping, and for a moment, she almost acted. That beast of light and force she commanded stood ready to reach out and pluck Sparkle from Fluttershy’s grasp, letting her tumble to the hard earth below. Twilight knew that all she had to do was will it to be so, and she would be rid of Sparkle forever.

That knowledge saved Sparkle’s life, and made Twilight scream.

The crashes and shouts in the library had drawn the attention of a few nearby ponies, and the windows blowing out had drawn a small herd. When Twilight came to the window, their attention was already drawn to Fluttershy, flying away with Sparkle in her grip. Few saw Twilight look out, but all heard her. A rough-throated roar of pain and anger that set teeth on edge, made coats stand up on pony’s backs, and made the herd decide that, just maybe, this was none of their business.

Then, the light from her horn faded, the monster went away, and Twilight slumped to the floor.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash and Spike stood up. Twilight started to sob.

Neither of them moved to help her.

For several minutes, nopony made a sound. Spike looked between Rainbow Dash and Twilight, eyes wide and blank. Rainbow Dash looked only at Twilight, biting her lower lip, her body stiff and her wings tucked in tightly against her body. Twilight moved only when her chest rose and fell with the sound of her tears, her hooves over her head. From time to time, a book page would rustle, or a piece of glass would fall from a window frame and break. At the sound, she would whimper, curling her hooves in more tightly around herself.

Then, Spike was at her side, his little arms around her.

“I didn’t know, Twilight. I was just trying to—” Spike started, his voice trembling, but he was silenced by a gentle hoof. Twilight stifled her sobs and raised her head, her chest faintly quivering with intermittent sounds of grief. Her eyes were bloodshot and her coat was filled with tears, but she found a smile for Spike, and pulled him close.

“Shhh,” she cooed. “You’re a little dragon, Spike. You make mistakes. One day this will just be a story about how crazy things were when you were growing up.” Her voice was so quiet that he was almost whispering, her voice hoarse from her earlier shouting. “Just don’t let it hurt you. I couldn't bear it if you grew up unhappy because of something I did.” Her hoof stroked the dull spines that adorned his back, the material soft enough that it folded under her touch. “I forgive you, Spike. It wasn’t your fault.”

Spike didn’t say anything in reply to that, shivering faintly under Twilight’s hooves as his own eyes started to water. Before he could cry, she shushed him gently, a brush from her muzzle wiping his eyes clean. “There. No need to cry,” she whispered. “We’ve been through a lot together, and we’ll get through this. You know that, right?” She watched as Spike hesitated, and then gave a firm nod, reaching up to wipe at his eyes with the backs of his own claws.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m fine.” He drew himself up straight, forcing himself to take an even breath.

“Good.” She leaned over him, and kissed the top of his head. “Now go upstairs. Rainbow Dash and I need to talk. I’ll be right up. I promise.” A sharp pat from Twilight sent Spike trotting upstairs. He paused halfway up to look back at her, but she urged him on with a gesture, and eventually, the upstairs door shut.

Through it all, Rainbow Dash had said nothing, watching the pair with a wide-eyed, tight expression. She still said nothing as Twilight rose to face her, looking at her friend in silence.

“You stopped shooting off truths,” Twilight observed, reaching a hoof up to rub at her bloodshot eyes.

“I’m not sure what’s true right now, Twilight.” Rainbow Dash’s voice was stiff as she answered, and her body was much the same. She took a step back when Twilight moved forward, her eyes locked on the pony in front of her. “For a moment, I thought you really tried to kill one of my friends. But I know you. And you wouldn’t do that.” Rainbow Dash’s posture grew more tense the longer Twilight didn’t answer. Her wings were plastered to her side so tightly that she had to force them to relax, her eyes desperately seeking any sign from the unicorn in front of her. “R-right?”

Twilight lowered her head and her ears folded back. When she finally answered, her voice was quiet and rough. “If I disappeared tomorrow, would you hold a funeral?”

“No.” Rainbow Dash’s hoof rushed to her mouth, but she froze halfway through the action. She looked down at her own hoof with suddenly wider eyes, a horrified fascination at the words that were involuntarily spilling from her own mouth.

“Would you miss me, even with Sparkle still around?” She looked up, and though she had not advanced, Rainbow Dash leaned away.

“Maybe for a little while.” Her words emerged as a whine, a plea extracted by magic.

“Would you give her my name back?” Twilight demanded, her volume sinking as her tone hardened. Rainbow Dash quivered, as Twilight pressed her back with the faintest of gestures.

“Why are you doing this?” Rainbow Dash’s voice trembled, her wide eyes uncertain.

“Did you ever hear about two Starswirl the Beardeds? Did you think he tried so hard to destroy a spell this useful because of a little identity crisis?” Twilight’s gaze leveled, and she gently raised a hoof to point at the pegasus in front of her. “This story isn’t over yet, Rainbow Dash. You all keep acting like this is the happily ever after, but we’re still in the first act, and the big finale is a death scene.”

Though Twilight had neither moved nor raised her voice for the whole of their conversation, Rainbow Dash stepped away again, like she was being backed against a wall by some forceful advance. With such distance between them, and Twilight so quiet, she barely heard the unicorn speak. “Except. I don’t get to die. If I died, ponies would care. Ponies would miss me. Mom and Dad and Shining Armor and my friends would be sad. Who’s going to mourn when I’m gone? Even the Element of Loyalty isn’t going to shed a tear for me. I don’t die, Rainbow Dash. I just disappear.”

Rainbow Dash backed away until her tail brushed the wall, feeling pinned to the spot by that gaze. She didn’t know what to do, or what to say, frozen like a pony in a cockatrice’s stare. But in a strange twist of fate, the potion that had so far undermined her came to her rescue, words rising unbidden to her throat. “That was jealous and cruel, Twilight.” Her words caught Twilight off guard, the unicorn’s head rising sharply. “I haven’t seen this side of you before, and I don’t like it.”

“I…” For a moment, her mouth moved but made no sound as she struggled for words. Her accusative hoof returned to the ground, and slowly, her gaze sunk as well. “I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry. You can just... go.” She turned to head upstairs, a hoof meeting the stairwell. “I should go take care of Spike.” Her voice sank steadily as she walked, and it was a barely audible whisper as she muttered, “He’s probably so scared.”

The door at the top of the stairs opened and then shut. Several minutes later, Rainbow Dash turned and flew away.

The bell above the door of Carousel Boutique chimed as it swung open. Rarity was in her showroom, working on one small part of a very large order, but she heard the door open. She also heard the steady beat of pegasus wings and the sound of hooves moving against the floor, and inferred from that that she had two new arrivals. She turned with a sweeping gesture, ready to greet any potential customers with courtesy and flair. “Hello! Welcome to Carousel—oh my goodness!”

Rarity almost fainted with shock when she saw Fluttershy drag Sparkle inside. The unicorn’s body and face were a mass of blackening bruises, her coat was dotted with congealed blood, and the cuts on her hooves left a trail across the boutique’s floor. Her eyes were half open, aware but stunned. Fluttershy was clearly straining to keep her off the floor, and once inside, quickly moved to lay her across one of Rarity’s divans. “I didn’t know what to do,” she stammered. “I had to run away and I was panicked and the hospital was so far away—”

“Stop the bleeding,” Rarity ordered, tossing a roll of snow-white fabric to Fluttershy. In her opinion, the loss of the beautiful raw material was a loss to all fabulosity, but other things were more important. One-of-a-kind silky weave turned crimson as both ponies worked fast to wrap it around Sparkle’s hooves and hold it against her forehead, applying pressure to bandage her cuts. “I’ll run to the hospital. Keep an eye on her and—”

“No hospitals!” Sparkle’s voice was slurred, the unicorn still disoriented and stunned. Her horn glowed as she shut her eyes, the light traveling down from its base to envelop her body. Sparkle winced with the effort, drawing breath in with a sharp hiss of pain. The light grew brighter, and as it surrounded her, bruises disappeared, and the crimson flow from her hooves halted. A loud snap could be heard from her ribs, and Sparkle cried out in pain as something there set and mended itself. As the strain from the spell grew worse, it threatened to cause her more distress than her injuries, and she soon collapsed against the couch. The glow faded entirely, and though she looked better for it, it left many injuries behind. “No hospitals,” she repeated, letting her head fall to the divan. “I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, no.” Fluttershy tucked her wings in by her side as she landed next to Rarity. Her voice was quiet, but she pressed on without hesitation. “You’re hurt. Even if your magic helped, you need a doctor.”

“Do you want Twilight to go to jail for this?” Sparkle’s voice was strained, and she lacked the energy to raise it, but her words were no longer slurred. Fluttershy stepped back with surprise at the question, Rarity giving her a sharp, alarmed look. Neither of them answered, and so Sparkle repeated herself. “No hospitals. I just need some time to rest.”

“I just—” Sparkle drew a breath, a long pause hanging between her words, “—need some time.”

A silence hung in the wake of her words. Fluttershy bit her lower lip, looking between Sparkle and Rarity uncertainly. Rarity was stone-faced for a moment, her eyes traveling over Sparkle. She waited until she was sure that Sparkle’s breathing was even, and then pursed her lips, mulling the matter over. It was the better part of a minute before she spoke. “Come with me, Fluttershy,” she said, turning towards the back of the shop.

Quietly, the two walked out of the room. Rarity took one more careful glance at Sparkle before shutting the door to the front of the shop, turning a pointed stare at Fluttershy. “Explain,” she demanded. Fluttershy started to tremble under Rarity’s stare, but Rarity would have none of it, shushing her with a curt, “Fluttershy, there is no time for you to panic. I need you to keep calm and tell me what happened.”

“It’s all my fault.” A whine escaped Fluttershy as she spoke, but Rarity did not let it distract her.

“I highly doubt that,” she said. “Start from the beginning.”

“They were having problems, I mean. Spike said they were having problems. But it’s not his fault. I agreed with him! And they weren't talking about it with each other. We just wanted them to work things out.” Fluttershy couldn't meet Rarity’s gaze, and her eyes went to the floor. “We found a recipe for a truth potion. We thought it would just make them be honest with each other! But then Rainbow Dash got some by mistake, and she started saying every truth that came into her head. Terrible things, about her personal life and the Wonderbolts and what she was afraid of. I wanted to warn Sparkle. I tried!”

“I believe you, dear.” Rarity reached a hoof out to pat Fluttershy’s shoulder. “And let me guess. Sparkle drank it and said something that provoked Twilight?” Fluttershy gave a weak nod, relieved at not having to speak. “What exactly did she say?”

“She... she said she wished Twilight would just disappear.” Fluttershy whimpered and Rarity sighed, shaking her head at the news.

“Well, that would certainly explain why Sparkle doesn't want Twilight to get in any trouble.” Rarity paused, gaze going to the floor as she gently bit her lip in thought. “But we can’t simply pretend this didn’t happen.”

“How can you be so calm?” Fluttershy asked. Rarity raised her head, giving her a wan smile in return.

“Dear, a scant few minutes ago, I thought that one of my friends was about to die on my couch. I’m terrified.” Rarity drew a shaking breath, but after a moment, raised her head and straightened up. “But panicking now won’t help anyone.” The words emerged firm, a release of breath not far behind them. “I’ll go get Applejack. She’ll know what to do. Can you watch Sparkle? Make sure she’s okay and get her to the hospital if anything happens?”

“I...” Fluttershy said, before forcing herself to nod. “Yes. Yes, I’ll take care of her.”

“Good!” Rarity turned towards the main room, and after a few moments of making sure Fluttershy knew where everything was, left by the front door at a gallop, headed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Alone with Sparkle, Fluttershy moved towards the divan and sat beside it. She was unsure if Sparkle was resting or asleep, and after a moment of rapidly growing worry, she reached over. The sharp touch of a hoof made Sparkle’s ears flick, and when Fluttershy reached out and pulled her eyelid open, her pupils contracted sharply with surprise.

“Fluttershy?” she asked, squeezing her eyes shut and pulling away from the pegasus’s touch. Her voice was quiet and weak, but alert.

“I was checking if you had a concussion.” She lowered her hoof to the ground, tone soothing as she attentively watched Sparkle’s still form.

“I’ll be fine. Healing magic just takes—” Sparkle trailed off, a long pause hanging before she finished “—a lot out of you.”

For a time, nopony said anything. Sparkle lapsed in and out of awareness on the couch. Fluttershy watched Sparkle, and occasionally glanced at the clock, wondering when Rarity would be back. In her mind, she estimated the time it would take her to find Applejack and return. Again and again she did the math, each time with a new set of assumptions that gave her hope that Rarity could return at any second. She imagined that Applejack would be found at the market or on the road, and would rush back to the boutique, knowing just what to do. So deep was her daydream that she started when Sparkle interrupted it.

“I wish I could hate her.” Sparkle’s words sharply brought Fluttershy back to awareness, and she looked down at her friend with wide eyes. Sparkle didn’t even seem to be wholly awake, her eyes still shut and her breathing slow and regular. But her voice no longer needed the aid of her conscious mind to find expression, alchemy pulling pure and unvarnished truth from her throat. “Sometimes I worry. Does it make me a bad pony—to wish I could hate?”

Fluttershy had no answer, silent and frozen as she watched Sparkle with stiff eyes. But Sparkle seemed to need no answer, continuing steadily, as if she were just talking to herself. “If I hated her, I could think this was all her fault. That she was evil and wanted me to suffer. But I know better. She doesn't need to mean me any harm. She ruins my life just by existing.”

Fluttershy was frozen with indecision. Sparkle’s eyes were still closed, and her body was relaxed beyond her mouth. An oddly golden puddle of drool was forming on the pillow below her head, and her breath gave off the distinctive smell of cider. For a moment, Fluttershy considered covering Sparkle’s mouth, but the more Sparkle spoke, the more curiosity bound her to inaction.

“I hate being called Sparkle. I’m Twilight. My parents called me that, my brother called me that, my friends called me that. But now that’s her. Now my brother ruffles her hair and calls her Twily. Now I see my friends reminiscing about our adventures with some other pony. Ponies don’t want me anymore. They just want ‘one of them.’” Her words emerged as a bitter torrent, but her expression never changed.

“I’ve thought about getting rid of her. It would be so easy. One spell and she’s gone. Everypony would think it was natural. They don’t know any better. But then I remember her scream, and I realize I’m fantasizing about murdering another pony, and I just feel sick.” Fluttershy stepped back faintly, and though she knew she should be covering Sparkle’s mouth, or her own ears, she couldn't help but listen. It didn’t take long for her to lean in, closer and closer to Sparkle.

“I’ll never kill her. I couldn’t. I’m a good pony, and that means letting her stay, and bearing that burden, for as long as she lives. I created her, and I’ll take responsibility for my mistakes.” Sparkle’s face twitched, and an ear with it, batting down behind her head.

“She’s just so ugly.” Sparkle opened her eyes, matching Fluttershy’s gaze. “I don’t look like that, do I?”

“You’re awake.” Fluttershy drew in a sharp breath. She had drawn closer and closer to Sparkle during her monologue, straining her ears to hear the unicorn’s quiet words. When Sparkle suddenly opened her eyes, they were almost nose to nose, and Fluttershy lept back in shock. “I—uh. Why... why didn’t you cover your mouth?”

“It felt good to tell somepony. Anypony. I’m so sorry to burden you with that, Fluttershy.” Sparkle shut her eyes. “That was so selfish of me.”

With her eyes shut, Sparkle could not see Fluttershy move. She just heard her wings rustle, and then felt her touch, the pegasus’s hooves wrapping around her. Fluttershy gently lifted Sparkle from the couch, mindful of her bruises as she pulled the unicorn into a close hug. They held that position for some time as Fluttershy figured out what to say, Sparkle resting her head against Fluttershy’s shoulder. Fluttershy comforted her in silence, holding her close and letting her rest there. After several minutes, she knew what to say, and finally spoke.

“I forgive you, Twilight.” Sparkle went stiff at the use of her old name. Fluttershy leaned back to look her in the eye, supporting her head with a hoof. “I wish you had told me sooner instead of letting all this bitterness build up inside you, but I know you meant well. You’re a good pony.”

“Fluttershy...” Sparkle started, but as she struggled to find the words, Fluttershy shushed her gently.

“You need to rest now.” She gently lowered Sparkle back to the divan, tucking the pillow in under her head. “When you’re better, all your friends will be there to help you. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

“I don’t deserve friends like you, Fluttershy,” Sparkle murmured, but Fluttershy shook her head. After a moment, she found a cloth from the floor and wiped away the last traces of the potion and pony drool from where they had fallen to the couch.

“That’s not true.”

It would be unfair to say that Applejack didn’t welcome Rainbow Dash’s visits—she was always happy to see a friend. It was just that when Rainbow Dash visited, Applejack hoped it was to nap in the apple trees. The most likely alternative was that something on the farm was about to explode.

Today though, she seemed different. She was waiting by the barn instead of flying circles to pass the time. She didn’t have a cloud with her, and even at a distance, Applejack could tell her mood was dark. Her wings were out, but slumped, and her gaze was turned to the ground. Her expression was sullen, but her body was agitated, finding neither rest nor direction. She was pacing back and forth when Applejack returned to the barn with a cart of apples in tow. Applejack knew that her approach must have been audible, but Rainbow Dash didn’t look up to greet her until they were almost face-to-face.

“Uh... howdy there, RD.” Applejack slowly took off the harness that rested over her shoulders, keeping an uncertain gaze on the pegasus before her. It wasn’t like Rainbow Dash to let the conversation hang, and so when she didn’t immediately answer, Applejack’s tone grew more concerned. “Somethin’ wrong? Ya look mighty miserable.”

“I...” Rainbow Dash met Applejack’s gaze, but only for a moment, turning to pace an angry circuit between Applejack, the trees, and the side of the road. “I need your advice.”

“Oookay,” Applejack agreed, as she followed Rainbow Dash with her eyes. “What’s got ya in a twist?”

“I messed up.” Rainbow Dash growled in frustration, delivering a sharp and angry kick to the trunk of one of the trees. Its branches shuddered with the impact, those few apples that Applejack had not already harvested raining down around Rainbow Dash. “Something was wrong with a friend, and I didn’t notice. I could have helped them, but I didn’t do anything, and now...” Rainbow Dash drew a slow breath as if to calm herself, but it emerged as an angry yell, the pegasus delivering a series of three sharp kicks to the tree behind her. Each one struck the wood head-on, until bark splintered and sap adorned Rainbow Dash’s hooves.

“Whoa there!” Applejack stepped up towards Rainbow Dash, raising a hoof to the pegasus’s shoulder. “Who is this about, RD? What happened?”

“I don’t know what to do, Applejack! I’m the Element of Loyalty. I’m always supposed to be there for my friends!” Rainbow Dash’s tone was strained, but her gaze never met Applejack’s. Instead, the pegasus kept her eyes towards the ground, beating at the earth with a hoof. “But now my friends are fighting because I was an idiot and thought everything was okay and everything’s wrong!”

“RD!” Applejack insisted, raising her voice as she squeezed the pegasus’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t answer at first, and after a moment, shrugged Applejack’s hoof away. “You wouldn't understand, but... if one of your friends did something bad... Something really bad, but you know why they did it, and they aren't a bad pony. They were just in a really bad place...” She kept her gaze to the ground, still not able to meet Applejack’s gaze. “I don’t know what to do.”

Applejack hesitated, only starting to grasp just how serious things were. Her mouth twisted into a frown as she considered pressing Rainbow Dash for details again, but after a moment, she spoke. “You just gotta come clean about these things, RD. If your friend had her reasons, other ponies will understand.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. Applejack started to reach out to her again, but was interrupted by a call in the distance.

“Applejack!?” Rarity’s voice echoed about the orchard. Applejack turned her head and quickly saw Rarity. She was galloping towards Sweet Apple Acres, obviously distressed, and it didn’t take Applejack long to connect the two events.

“RD, do you know—” she started, but when she turned back to where Rainbow Dash had been standing a moment ago, there was nopony there. In the sky, she could see a streak of blue moving away, already distant. “Rainbow Dash! Come back here!” she called, but the retreating pegasus did not turn around. Applejack watched her for a moment before stomping her hoof to the earth with a growl of, “Horsefeathers!”

“Applejack!” Rarity called again. She galloped forward until she was almost directly behind Applejack, and only then did she try to stop. She slid sharply with the force of her deceleration, her hooves digging grooves in the earth as she came to rest next to the earth pony. “Applejack, oh thank Celestia I found you!” Rarity’s breath came in pants, and she had to pause before she could speak again. When she did, the words came quickly, almost slurring together with their haste.

“Twilight and Sparkle had a fight. No, a brawl! Poor Sparkle was beaten bloody and only barely escaped. She’s in the boutique now, but she insists we not involve the authorities. I—”

“—don’t know what to do,” Applejack finished for Rarity, with a heavy sigh. She set her teeth on edge, focusing her mind on the problem and her gaze on Rarity. “Sparkle’s okay?”

“Yes, for now. She cast some sort of spell on herself that seems to have healed the worst of the damage.” Rarity turned back down the road, and Applejack trotted after her. Side by side, the two moved back towards Ponyville, Applejack's gaze locked ahead. Rarity looked at her with growing concern as Applejack moved in silence. “Fluttershy is watching her.”

“What started it?” Applejack asked, eyes towards Ponyville as she moved at a brisk trot.

“I wasn’t there, but Fluttershy explained that Sparkle drank a truth potion and started saying things that... might have been better unsaid. Apparently, this culminated with her admitting she wished Twilight would just disappear.” The two trotted in silence for a time, Rarity only growing more worried. It seeped into her tone when she spoke, her hesitance increasingly obvious. “I... was thinking that... well, Twilight lost her temper, certainly! But given the circumstances, perhaps—”

“If Twilight beat Sparkle bad enough to get you runnin’ here in a panic, we gotta get the Princess involved, Rarity. Bein’ provoked is one thing, attackin’ a pony is another,” Applejack spoke, her words sharp. “But,” her tone softened, “Twi ain’t a bad pony, and she ain’t violent neither.” For a moment, the two ran alongside in silence. “Maybe there’s more to this.”

Rarity nodded, and the two ran the rest of the way to Ponyville in silence.

Spike was asleep, but Twilight was sure he wouldn’t rest for long. His exhaustion was brought on by stress, and his sleep was fitful. Twilight had comforted him, told him that everything would be alright, and shared stories from when they were younger until his panic had subsided. She told him things she couldn't know and made promises she couldn't keep, until finally, he nodded off. She left him upstairs, tucked into his bed, and then quietly made her way back down.

She had just finished cleaning the broken glass from the library when Rainbow Dash returned. Free of any dangerous shards, the library’s windows looked bare, like they had been intended to be open to the elements all along. For once, instead of bursting into the library, Rainbow Dash hovered outside and carefully picked her way in through one of the now-open windows. Once inside, she landed, Twilight turning to regard her with tired eyes.

“Be careful,” she urged, levitating the bag she had used to collect the pieces of broken glass into the trash. Her gaze turned away from Rainbow Dash, and went back to watching her work. “I might have missed a few pieces.”

Rainbow Dash’s wings were ruffled, her feathers faintly askew from stress. Her mane was more wild than usual, and there were faint lines under her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when Twilight turned away from her, but paused. Her jaw shut, and the distinctive clack of teeth knocking together could be briefly heard.

“You’re not spitting out truths anymore,” Twilight observed, but instead of answering, Rainbow Dash spread her wings. A brief flap lifted her into the air, and she landed in front of Twilight, facing her. Twilight backed up a half-step in surprise, her gaze meeting Rainbow Dash’s. At first, Rainbow Dash didn’t say anything, and Twilight grew increasingly unnerved as the pegasus watched her.

“What am I supposed to do, Twilight?” she asked after several seconds had passed. Her tone was strained, her eyes locked on Twilight’s face. “I didn’t... you and Sparkle made up! You were getting along. Pinkie Pie threw a party! I thought that made everything better.” Her voice trembled, but surged with anger as she yelled, “Then you made me say those horrible things!”

Twilight flinched at Rainbow Dash’s accusation like the pegasus had actually struck her, but Rainbow Dash wasn’t finished. “Now I don’t... I went to Applejack for help, but I couldn't tell her what I told you. How could I admit I didn’t care what happened to a friend, huh!?” Her wings flared when she shouted, and Twilight shrunk back from her. Rainbow Dash hesitated, watching Twilight flinch away, seeing the faint trembling in her own hooves. After a moment, Rainbow Dash stepped away, forcing her wings to fold again.

“I don’t know what to do, Twilight. I messed up, but I don’t know how to make it better. I did something awful to a friend because I thought things would just go back to like they were, and... and I can’t go to anyone for help because I’d have to say what I did and...” Slowly, she lowered her gaze to the floor. “Tell me how to make it okay.”

“It’s—” Twilight stammered. “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash.” She reached out a hoof to the other pony’s shoulder. “I know you didn’t really mean it—”

“Stop lying!” Rainbow Dash shoved Twilight’s hoof from her shoulder. A sharp beat of her wings lifted her off the ground, letting her stare fix on Twilight from above. Her eyes were narrowed and her voice was raised, but Twilight could see the hints of tears forming, and there was more than just anger in those words. “You lied to all of us. You lied to Sparkle and lied to me and told us everything was okay when it wasn’t okay at all!” She struck forward with a hoof, as though to beat the ground for emphasis, but her hoof passed only through empty space. “And it’s not okay now. I meant every word. Every awful word!”

Twilight struggled to find a response, her eyes wide as she looked up at Rainbow Dash. “I don’t—” She flinched and backed away, like the truth was being painfully extracted in a more literal sense. “I don’t think things will ever be better, Rainbow Dash.”

“Why not? Why can’t the magic of friendship save us this time?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking down at Twilight, hurt and confused.

But Twilight had no answer.

“Oh thank goodness,” Fluttershy said with relief when she heard the knock at the door. Sparkle was resting soundly, but Fluttershy’s worry had only been growing. She was sure that Applejack and Rarity would know what to do, and so she all but galloped to the door to yank it open. The door flew open in a rush of motion.

Fluttershy froze.

“Um,” Twilight muttered, Rainbow Dash standing beside her. “Is Sparkle here?”

“Stay back!” Fluttershy’s wings flared out to either side to block the doorway, as if Twilight were about about to try to barge past her. Her hooves dug against the wood, and she forced her eyes into a glare. The faintest tremble of fright betrayed the truth she so valiantly attempted to conceal, but she pressed on anyway. “I’m taking care of Sparkle and I won’t let you hurt her!”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash tried to interrupt, as Twilight shrank back under the verbal assault. Fluttershy showed no signs of having heard her, pressing on with sharp words.

“Rarity and Applejack will be here soon and I don’t know how you could hurt a pony like that! It was awful!” Fluttershy pressed. Rainbow Dash put a hoof around Twilight to stop her from backing any further away, the unicorn taking courage from her friend’s touch. “I’ll use The Stare on you! Don’t think I wo—”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash snapped. Fluttershy abruptly fell silent, her eyes wide. “She’s only here to talk. Talk.”

Rainbow Dash’s shout had focused Fluttershy’s attention, and Fluttershy could now see details she had missed before. She could see that Rainbow Dash’s eyes were bloodshot from crying. She could see the way Twilight was flinching under the impact of her words, and that Rainbow Dash’s hoof was all that stopped her from fleeing outright. She could see the expression on Twilight’s face, the shame in her eyes, and when she met Twilight’s gaze, Twilight looked down.

“I...” Fluttershy momentarily hesitated as she looked between Rainbow Dash and Twilight, but she soon recovered her protective stance. “I don’t think I can let you in.” Her voice was not as harsh as it had been before, but her resolution remained the master of her fear, and she stood firm.

“I just want to tell her I’m sorry,” Twilight mumbled, looking towards Fluttershy’s hooves. “I just want to tell her why I did it.” For a moment, nopony spoke. “Please.”

Fluttershy neither moved nor spoke, and silence quickly supplanted the conversation. It was Rainbow Dash who broke it again, raising her voice to Fluttershy. “Fluttershy! This is Twilight. If she wanted to get past you, you couldn't stop her! And besides—” she hesitated for a moment, trying to find the words “—she just wants to try and... fix things. Like we always do.” Rainbow Dash swallowed and Fluttershy looked increasingly nervous, but neither moved. “Are you the Element of Kindness or not!?” Rainbow Dash burst out, tone fraying as she ran short of ideas.

Slowly, Fluttershy tucked her wings in against her body, Twilight hesitantly looking up. The protective glare in Fluttershy’s eyes made her try to draw away again, but Rainbow Dash held her firm.

“I’ll be right beside her,” Fluttershy said quietly, eyes still narrow. “And if she asks, or if I think you’re making her uncomfortable, you leave. Got that?”

“Got that.” Twilight murmured. Fluttershy stepped backwards and out of the way, letting Twilight and Rainbow Dash into the boutique.

Fluttershy had drawn the blinds so that sunlight would not disturb Sparkle’s sleep, casting the inside of the boutique into a gloom. Cracks of light shone from under the curtains and around their edges, drawing long boxes of light along the floor. Sparkle was still resting, and the other three ponies fell into a hush when they entered. The shadowy illumination and the lack of sound, save for the wind outside, gave the room a strangely abandoned feel, even though it was both inhabited and furnished.

Twilight couldn't help but wonder why Sparkle had not awoken at the sound of the confrontation by the door. A glance at Sparkle’s still form almost sent Twilight fleeing back outside, but Rainbow Dash’s reassuring squeeze sent her forward. The three split up, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy going behind the couch, Twilight sitting on her haunches in front of it.

“Why isn’t she waking up?” Twilight asked, leaning in to look closely at her counterpart. “She didn’t hit her head or...”

“No, I checked.” Fluttershy assured. “She cast some sort of healing spell on herself earlier that she said took a lot out of her. She’s been in and out of consciousness since.”

Twilight nodded and leaned in closer to Sparkle. She hesitated for a moment, letting her eyes travel over her counterpart’s face, but then she completed her approach. A nod of her head brought the tips of their horns together, and a faint purple spark jumped between them.

Light flowed from one to the other, pulses of energy traveling up Twilight’s horn and then down Sparkle’s. Sparkle’s remaining wounds started to fade, like they were nothing more than an aberration of sight, to be lost when one blinked them away. Twilight began to look more spent, Sparkle more invigorated, and the energy flowing between them began to slow. Each mote of light, each pulse of energy, was further from the one before it than the previous had been.

Finally, one shining point traveled up Twilight’s horn, passed between them, went partway down Sparkle’s, and paused. It reversed its course, until it came to rest precisely between them, where it faded away into the air. Each seemed as tired as the other, each as strained. Rainbow Dash bit her lip when she saw how their frazzled manes had tangled the same way. One was tousled by violence, the other by sobbing, but somehow, each hair had bent just the same way, in just the same order—one on the right, one on the left.

Even split between two unicorns, the miraculous healing of wounds was no minor feat of magic. Sparkle stirred faintly, but still did not raise her head, and above her, Twilight yawned widely. “She’ll be fine,” Twilight assured Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “I just...” Twilight’s head sunk the last half-inch to rest on the couch next to Sparkle’s. “...need some time.”

Her eyes fluttered for a moment, and then, closed.