"Augh... what? Where am I?"
"Yer home, sugarcube. Y'all collapsed downstairs after ya read that letter."
"Oh sweet Celestia, that letter! There are more of those!"
A sense of urgency overcame her, throwing her out of the bed, only to be restrained by a blue hoof.
"Hold it, you can't go anywhere, not after reading one blacked out for five whole hours."
"I was out for FIVE HOURS?!"
"Calm down, dear, I know the letters in that box will mean a lot to you, but you need to be careful. You gave your parents the biggest fright when you fell - they were worried that they were about to lose you as well!"
Her breathing slowly returning to normal, Twilight was able to relax her muscles, eventually slipping back into a more comfortable resting position in her bed. Her mind wasn't one of utter chaos, nor were her thoughts flying around at a mile a minute. She simply wanted to read the rest of those letters, to know what had happened.
"And before you ask, nopony else has seen those letters. You dropped the first one you read, and after he brought you up here, put them back in the box, and closed the box, and put the box on the table next to you. We didn't see anything else."
"Promise!"
A deep sigh escaped Twilight's mouth. It had been a long few days, and to say that it was a rollercoaster of emotions would have been like saying that the Discord episode was a minor annoyance. Easing her eyes closed, she collapsed down into the pillows.
"Thanks for bringing me up here, I guess. It's just... the same worries about him keep resurfacing. I need to read those letters."
"We know, but you also need to rest. One cannot simply continuously go about their business, or they would simply drop! Even when I am 'in the zone', I need to take breaks now and again, otherwise the quality of my dresses would suffer. You must be kind to yourself, darling."
"She's right, you know. No amount of cake or soda or confetti can stop you being tired! In fact, being tired and worn out is one of the few things parties are bad for!"
With a second sigh of dejection, Twilight simply acknowledged the fact that her friends were right, and let the tiredness creep in.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, it's time for dinner!"
"...Huh? Pinkie Pie, what do you mean, 'dinner'?"
"You fell asleep, silly billy! It's seven in the evening."
"SEVEN?!"
"Hold your hoofsies, Twilight, there's no rush. You've been as tired as Gummy after he gets back from the dentist! Don't worry, there's still plenty of time! Just take it easy! Or, as they say in Japan, "yukkuri shiteitte ne"!"
"'Ja-pan'? Where is that?"
"Oops, forget I said anything! Let's go eat!"

The meal was uneventful. Light conversation was made, and the mood seemed to settle to what it was before the tragic incident itself occured.
"Well, buttercup, tomorrow's the public's day of grievance. You don't have to be there if you don't want to."
"No, I'll go."
There were a multitude of reasons for her answer. Twilight knew as well as her parents did that even keeping a straight face tomorrow was going to be unreasonably difficult, but there was too much she needed to accomplish. No doubt she could gleam some more insight from others. While most people saw him as just a public figure, it was as good as she was going to get - anything more than what she currently knew would be helpful.
"It'll be hard, but I've got to. For his sake and mine."
A simple nod was returned to her. It was questionable whether or not they understood, but her parents simply allowed her as she pleased - times of hardship require a little trust.
"Will this be the last event?"
"I'm afraid not, Fluttershy. Public condolences last for two days, and then the day after is the actual burial, open only to family, friends, and invitation. Of course the five of you will all be there. After that, you can go home on the evening after. Of course, unless Twilight wants to stay a little longer?"
"I'm not sure yet. I don't want to hold you guys back, so if you want to go home first, feel free. I can handle recuperation fine."
"Oh absolutely not! We are staying as long as you are, dear. We came with you and we refuse to leave without you. If you need any more help we will give it!"
"Darn tootin'!"
"Yeah what they said!"
"There's no convincing you, is there?"
Six heads shook themselves.
"Very well. I'll try my best to stick through it, but I should be fine to go home soon. I'll let you know if I need anything."
Levitating the various bits and pieces off the table, Moondancer took the opportunity to spend a bit more time with her daughter.

"So dear, what have you been up to while in Ponyville?"
"Well... I've taken over the library, so that also kinda makes me librarian-in-residence. In the meantime, I've still been working with Princess Celestia, researching specifically the magic of friendship."
"By the looks of things you don't need to do any more research - you've got five of the best friends any mare could ask for!"
"I know, I'm grateful for that. If anything, it's the new things they're always teaching me. For instance now, they've put aside everything to come with me, and they're willing to stay with me and help me through, even in the darkest times. It means so much to me."
"Your friends are your real strength. You'll get through this, I'm sure of it."
A mother's embrace is sometimes the most comforting. Warm and familiar, silent but protecting. It was without question that there were still trials to overcome, but Twilight knew full well what was coming, and she was also safe in the knowledge that there were people around to support and protect her.
"Now, what say we get some ice cream?"

Trotting up the stairs, Twilight took care to not wake her friends, who had already fallen asleep. Her and her mother's ice cream and movie marathon lasted into the late hours of the evening. Taking the utmost care, even with the door, Twilight sneaked into her room and threw herself onto her bed. Finally feeling better about everything, her moments of happiness were overshadowed by a dark brown box resting on her bedside table. Twilight felt some draw from the box, asking her to open it and inspect its contents. She'd already had a large number of late nights over the course of this ordeal, and it would be unwise to have anymore. Of course, considering she'd been asleep for a large portion of the day, and so tiredness was not an issue. With a sense of reluctancy, yet a sense of necessity, she opened the box and lit a candle.
"That's the first one, let's put that aside..."
Bringing the second letter of the series to her nose, she began to read, her mind more open than ever before, ready to accept anything from these letters than from any book she'd ever read.

Dear Twilight Sparkle

How are you, dear sister? Keeping up with your studies, I hope? Knowing you, you're probably dying to try out some of the higher-level magic you've been researching about, but trust me - it's a lot more complex than it seems! I'm sure that even though you don't see a point, Princess Celestia is teaching you what you need to know for a reason. She just has her ways of knowing these things. In any case, speaking of the Princess, I may be coming by the castle soon. Apparantly the Princess has an urgent summons for all nine of the Praetorian Guard. I'm not too sure what it's about, but if I'm lucky I might be able to stay a while and see you. If so, meet me at Pony Joe's?

My life has been pretty eventful so far. You've probably heard by now about how Particle Flare and I held back the invasion on Mareodin. If I'm honest, I simply set up some defense magic and stalled for time while Particle Flare came up with a solution. I mean sure, I was the one who casted the spell, but that's only because Flare doesn't have very good control over ice magic, which is what seriously screws up some machines. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but I did what I had to, and I suppose I'm proud of it. Sometimes though, I just wish I were a bit more normal. People treat me kinda weird, you know?

Like, how am I supposed to know that I shouldn't be talking to homeless ponies? They're just like us, aren't they? A little hard on luck, sure, but still living beings. Similarly, while I was in Mareodin, there was the hugest rate of poverty I've ever seen. There were entire families unable to feed themselves. It was terrible. I know Princess Celestia tries her best to maintain order, balance, and a fair system, but isn't there something that other ponies - or at least I - could do about this? It's quite depressing really.

In less dark and grim news, Rapier Slim claims that the years are catching up with him. Can you believe that pony is almost 40 years old? He doesn't look a week older than I! Perhaps that says more about me than it does about him? Haha. In any case, a lot of the group are saying that it's likely he'll choose me as the new Captain. Imagine that! Me! Barely graduated the Academy, not an alicorn, and already there's chance that I'll be promoted to the highest position in the armed forces! I cannot believe it! I just really hope it doesn't affect too much. I'm trying to be less bureaucratic as it is - walking amongst the people, trying to socialize and be a regular person. It doesn't help that people want my autograph left, right, and centre though, heh.

In any case, things look like they're going to continue to pick up. I can only hope that your life is following an equally joyful path. I cannot wait to see you, as I miss you so.

Love from your brother,

Frost Nexus.