Twilight Sparkle sat in the sterile room, waiting for the doctor to come back. She fidgeted impatiently, as her eyes made their way to and from the window and the door, and then back again. It had been three days since her release from the infirmary and she had wanted things to get back to normal as soon as possible. Since it seemed unlikely that her friends were going to speak to her anytime soon, she decided to put her energy into something she believed to be more constructive: studying. Although she was forbidden to enter the Star Swirl the bearded wing (for obvious reasons), that was hardly the only library on the palace grounds. She had even gone back to her old quarters to see Spike. Their reunion was a tearful one, and they must have spent a good solid fifteen minutes just hugging one another. After that, though, it was back to business as usual for the unicorn and her assistant. She felt completely energized, and thanks to Spike’s little growth spurt, he seemed much more capable of keeping up with her, which overjoyed the unicorn immensely. Today’s session was bringing her down, however. Princess Luna had informed her that the unicorn was to have a session or two with a doctor to talk about her issues, and if given the clearance, she would be assimilated into the large group session with her fellow elements. Frankly, she didn’t see the point. They didn’t accept her, and probably never would. It would be too painful to be in a room with them talking about these things. However, this was still an order from Princess Luna, so she had to abide by it. Her thoughts were interrupted as the unicorn doctor re-entered the room.

“Hello, Ms. Sparkle. Are you ready to begin?” he asked politely.

“Yes,” she answered in turn.

“Very good. So, Ms. Sparkle, how have you been feeling?” he asked.

The former element of magic eyed the doctor curiously before answering. She was trying to assess whether or not his question was asked out of genuine concern, or if he was just trying to get information out of her. She decided to be open, since she could think of no real benefit for such a ruse.

“I’m feeling fantastic, really. I feel energized; I’m back to my studies. I even re-connected with Spike. So, yes, I’m fine,” she stated cheerfully.

The unicorn nodded and grunted in affirmation. He didn’t seem to be buying her exuberant display.

“Yes, well, that sounds great, Ms. Sparkle. Tell me, how does it feel to be back?” He inquired.

“I love being back here. I missed everyone so much,” she said.

“Ah. So, you were conscious even after you…passed on?” he prodded.

Twilight looked away nervously before she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, Ms. Sparkle, in order to move on from a traumatic experience, it is sometimes necessary to get out what happened in words,” the doctor countered.

Twilight looked up glaring at her fellow unicorn, “I don’t care! I’m not going to talk about that!” she seethed.

The doctor straightened up, clearing his throat. This was their first session, so he didn’t want to come off as prying. He decided it would be best to let it go and move onto something else.

“Ms. Sparkle, what can you tell me about how your relationships between you and the rest of the elements have changed? Have you spoken to them since your return?”

“Well, not really. I don’t think that they really want to talk to me,” she answered, looking down at the stone floor in front of them.

“Have you tried?” the doctor countered.

“N…No,” the unicorn mare said.

“What would you say to them, if you could, Ms. Sparkle?”

“W…well…I guess I would say that I’m so sorry for what happened and that I miss them very much. I… I just want things to be like the way they were before this whole thing started,” she said.

“Twilight, let us talk plainly for a moment. In life, one can never go backwards. Whether you want to or not, time and life move on. The only way for us to deal with the past is to do just that. Deal with it, and not revert to it. Have you told your friends that this is how you feel?” he said compassionately.

Twilight bit her lip nervously before answering, “No. I… I didn’t think they would want to hear from me.”

“Friendship is a two way street, Twilight. I’m sure they miss you too. Why don’t you go talk to them? See what they say,” he said.

The former element of magic looked around the room nervously. She knew that she would have to talk to her former friends eventually, but she needed to think about what to say. How would she even approach the conversation to begin with? She had too many thoughts and questions that she needed to work out.

“Ok. I…I’ll try. Thank you, doctor,” she said as she got up to leave.

Twilight Sparkle stared at the door in front of her for what seemed like an eternity. After her talk with the doctor yesterday, she had been at least somewhat confident about what she should say to her friends, but she found that going through with it was a different story. The ornate palace door should be giving her a sense of awe at its beauty, but instead it was instilling a feeling of dread. After meticulously thinking about what she would say to each of her friends, she also decided the order in which she would visit them. She would start with whom she thought would be the easiest to talk to, but she also wanted to start fresh. She was already fairly confident about where Pinkie Pie stood on her return, so she could talk to her later. Applejack seemed to be the best pony to try first. She was the only one of her former friends to come and visit her when she was in the infirmary, so the unicorn thought that she could build on that with her former earth pony friend. Twilight gulped as she raised her right hoof, about to make contact with the door.

‘Well, here goes nothing,’ she thought to herself as she knocked lightly.

The unicorn thought she heard a voice say “Comin’!” among the sounds of shuffling and hoof steps, which were getting closer to her position. The door opened revealing a very confused Applejack.

“Tw…Twi? Wh…what are you doin’ here?” the earth pony asked nervously, as her eyes darted away from her former friend.

“Hi AJ. Can we…talk?” Twilight inquired sheepishly.

Applejack looked around uneasily. This was not a conversation that she was prepared to have. Even though she had a good idea where she stood on Twilight’s sudden reappearance, she was still working on turning her thoughts into words. She wasn’t quite sure what she wanted to say to Twilight yet. Finally, she looked back into the sad eyes of her former friend. That was all it took. She was still a member of the Apple family, and she couldn’t in good conscience turn away someone at her door with a look that melancholy. She was taught country hospitality from a young age, and those lessons ran deep. Closing her eyes and sighing in defeat, she turned around, walking further into her domicile.

“Sure. Come on in, Twi,” Applejack answered.

Twilight let out an almost inaudible sigh of her own as she walked in slowly behind the earth pony. The first part of her plan concluded, and with favorable results, she began speaking again, after she closed the door behind her.

“Thanks for agreeing to see me Applejack. I know you don’t have to talk to me, but I’m grateful that you allowed me to come in,” she said.

“Ok, Twi, that’s enough. If you’ve got somthin’ to say, then just say it,” the farm mare replied.

Applejack turned around with a serious look on her face. She was in no mood for formalities, despite the fact that she wasn’t ready to say what she wanted to yet.

Twilight Sparkle nodded and spoke again, “Applejack, I… I know I did terrible things. I just wanted to say, from the bottom of my heart, that I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything, and I hope that you can forgive me, even though I understand that you may never be able to. I’m not saying that I even deserve your forgiveness, but I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am for the things I did.”

Twilight closed her eyes as her head hung low. She had said what she came to say, and now it was her turn to listen. She honestly didn’t know what to expect, but the healing had to begin somewhere. The unicorn knew that she needed to be the one to take the first step, especially now that she was back. All that was left now was the waiting. After a few moments, she heard a sigh come from Applejack, and she opened her eyes to look at her former friend.

“Twilight, Ah know that yer sorry for what happened. But that don’t make it ok. Ya tried to kill us. Ah know that wasn’t yer intention, but with what that machine did to our pets…what YOU did to our pets… Twi, do you realize what you’ve put us through? Ya beat the hay outta us! Ya stuffed us in a contraption that was gonna scramble our atoms or somthin’! Ya threatened me…one o’ yer best friends. And…and not just me, but mah whole family! Ah was a wreck! I had screamin’ match after screamin’ match with mah brother, and Ah couldn’t even tell’em why out of fear that you were gonna come by like a thief in the night and melt his face off! Even though yer sorry, how can ya ask me to forgive you for all of that?” Applejack said.

Twilight lay on the ground with her front hooves covering her head. There were tears streaming down her face at hearing Applejack’s words. She was humiliated. She knew the earth pony was right.

“I know, AJ. I just…I don’t know what else to do! I want to make it better! I want everything to go back to the way it was before I ever opened up that stupid book, but I can’t! The only thing I can do is say I’m sorry, and beg for forgiveness. Please, Applejack, please forgive me. I’m so sorry!” Twilight Sparkle said in between sniffles.

The sight made the farm mare’s heart break. She knew that Twilight had meant every word of what she said. She had to be honest with the unicorn. Twilight had to know the gravity of the things she did. Deep down, however, there was still a part of Applejack that missed her friend.

“Twilight, Ah know you weren’t yerself when you did all of those things. But all of the things ya did do started because of decisions you made, sugarcube, and those mistakes were yer fault, even if they snowballed into actions that weren’t. Ah need some time to think ‘bout all this. Ah don’t fully accept yer apology, but it’s a start, and Ah appreciate you comin’ here Twi. It took guts,” Applejack said.

Twilight got up, still crying, “Thanks, Applejack. I know this is hard for you, so I’ll give you some space. Just… thanks for listening.”

Twilight slowly turned and was out the door within moments. As she closed the door, she sighed.

‘Well, that went better than I expected. I half expected her to buck me into next week. Maybe she just needs some time,’ the unicorn thought to herself as she made her way down the hall to her next meeting.

Rainbow dash tossed and turned in her bed. She was incredibly restless. Ever since her “conversation” with Princess Luna, she had been grounded until the monarch of the night allowed for her to take to the skies once more. It was infuriating. The palace libraries didn’t even have a great collection of Daring Do books, which incensed her even more. How come the Princess didn’t get it? Flying was exactly how the rainbow-maned Pegasus dealt with her problems. The feeling of the air through her mane, the wind under her wings. It was the only time she truly felt like herself, and contrary to most other ponies’ opinion of her, that is when she did the most of her thinking and reflection. Even though the new arrangement had given her plenty of time to think, it took all of her energy to keep from going stir-crazy. Suddenly, a knock at the door snapped her back to reality. She sighed in exasperation.

‘Who the hay wants to bother me now?!?’ Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she got up and made her way to the door.

“Coming!” she said in a noticeably irritable tone.

Upon opening the door, she gasped at the sight of her former friend. Twilight’s frown deepened at the Pegasus’ reaction to seeing her.

“H…hello, Rainbow Dash. Can I come in?” Twilight asked tentatively.

Rainbow Dash scowled at the question, but her gaze softened as she looked at Twilight more closely. The Cloudsdale resident could see that Twilight had been crying.

“I…I don’t…, aw, hay, do what you want!” Rainbow Dash said in a huff.

She walked towards her bed and hopped on it, turning around to see Twilight slowly walk in behind her.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

For a few moments, there was silence. The two mares simply stared at each other, not knowing what to say, or even where to begin. Finally, Twilight spoke, trying to start the conversation.

“I…I just came here to tell you that I’m sorry. For everything. Everything I did and everything I said. I know that I hurt you and our friends more than words can describe, and I just wanted to let you know that I am so sorry,” the unicorn said.

“I outta knock you into next week, you know that?” Rainbow Dash replied.

The unicorn was surprised, but not completely shocked at the remark. She may have caused more physical damage to some other ponies, but she hurt Rainbow Dash’s core attribute: her pride.

“You hurt us, Twilight! Your friends! How…how could you do something like this? To us! We cared about you! Hay, we even fought side by side! I… I would have trusted you with my life! I DID trust you with my life! I would have done anything for you, and this is how you treat me?!? Treat us?!? I hope you aren’t expecting forgiveness from me, ‘cause it’s NOT happening! Now, get outta here, Twilight! I got nothing more to say to you!” The Pegasus said angrily.

“Rainbow, please, I’m so sorr…” Twilight began.

“Do you have a hearing problem?!? I don’t want to talk to you right now, Twilight! Just leave!” Rainbow Dash shouted heatedly.

Twilight’s head drooped as she walked towards the door. This was exactly what she was afraid of: her friends rejecting her, and not even being open to discussion. It hurt her more deeply since she knew she was to blame for their attitudes.

‘Maybe I can try again. Give Rainbow more time,’ Twilight thought to herself while walking down another corridor.

Fluttershy stood on her balcony overlooking the palace grounds. Her eyes were closed as she strained to hear the subtle chirping of the birds in the distance. She frowned as she remembered her habitat back in Ponyville. She missed all of her animals very much, but she knew she was in no shape to take of them right now. She was so deeply affected by what happened that it haunted her every day. Sleep was no escape. Nightmares plagued her night after night. There were certain sights from that night that she may never be able to get out of her head, and that pained her greatly. All she ever wanted to do was take care of animals. When she first arrived in Canterlot for treatment, the only thing that she remotely looked forward to was seeing some of the animals in the Canterlot gardens. It seems fate had denied her even that small comfort. It was worse than when she had attended the Grand Galloping Gala. Back then, she had been her usual kind self, until the very end of the evening, and they ran away from her even then. Now, fear permeated her being like sweat through pores, frightening the animals here even more than before. It was heartbreaking for her. Her eyes opened as she heard a faint knocking at her door inside. She slowly walked over the door, still deep in thought. When she opened the door, the sight of Twilight Sparkle made her yelp and scurry away from the doorway.

“Wh…what are you doing here?!?” the Pegasus stammered.

“Fluttershy, please, I just want to talk to you, nothing more. Can…can I come in?” Twilight asked softly.

Fluttershy’s chest was pounding, and her breathing became labored. She quickly ran for the bathroom, slamming the door shut, locking it. The yellow mare put her back against the door, trying desperately to get her breathing under control, just like the doctors taught her. After a few seconds, she began to calm down slightly, until a voice from the other side made her freeze instantly.

“Fluttershy, please, just listen! I realized that since I came back, I never said that I’m sorry for everything that I did! I just came to apologize!” Twilight shouted through the door.

“Go away! I don’t want you here!” Fluttershy answered as she began curling into a ball on the cold bathroom floor.

“Fluttershy, please! It’s me! The real me! I’m normal again! There’s no reason to hide from me!” the unicorn shouted back.

“No reason?!? NO REASON?!? YOU WERE DEAD, TWILIGHT! I SAW YOU DIE A FEW FEET FROM ME! I’VE TAKEN CARE OF ANIMALS MY WHOLE LIFE, I’VE SEEN MY SHARE OF DEATH, AND DEAD THINGS DON’T APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR ALIVE AND WELL! I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE! GO AWAY! I DON’T WANT YOU HERE!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Fluttershy, I just wanted to let you know I’m sorry for everything that I did!” Twilight yelled again.

“I DON’T CARE! GO AWAY! I’M SCARED OF YOU!” the yellow pegasus screamed as tears began to stream down her face.

Twilight just stopped. She didn’t think her heart could break even more, but with those words, her world shattered. Fluttershy said that she was scared of her. She was terrified of her former friend’s very existence. She couldn’t take it, as her legs gave out as she rested her muzzle against the door. She began sobbing quietly. The unicorn was finally coming to the realization that things could never go back to the way they were. Even though her logical mind had already made that determination, an emotional heartstring held on to some hope that she could make amends and that everything could go back to the way things were. With Fluttershy’s last statement, however, that hope evaporated. She had lost her friends. The five mares closest to her. Of all of them, only one accepted her. It was over. She wouldn’t want to scare Fluttershy even more than she had already.

“I… I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Fluttershy. I’ll…I’ll leave now,” she said in between sniffles.

Fluttershy felt horrible. Even through the door, she could hear the unicorn’s faint sobs. Fluttershy was the embodiment of kindness, and although she was scared out of her mind when the new Twilight was around her, she couldn’t help feel guilty for making another pony cry.

‘Maybe I should apologize. I can’t now, but maybe if I give it more time, I’ll… I’ll be able to talk to her. Oh, Twilight, I’m sorry!’ the animal lover thought to herself as she hugged herself into a tighter ball.

Rarity wore a soft smile as she stretched her limbs and back. She sighed deeply as she turned over in her bed. She frowned as she saw the spot next to her was empty.

“Darling? Where are you? Are you still here?” she called out.

Suddenly, a stallion appeared by the bathroom door. He was a bit disheveled, and quite exasperated.

“Shhh! Do you want to get me into trouble with the Princess?!?” he said as gave the unicorn a worried look.

Rarity gave him a playful gaze as she regained her smile. Their relationship had started a few months ago. He was one of the night guards assigned to her wing of the palace. At first, it had started as nothing more than simple flirting. She would give him a simple glance or a wink as she would pass him in the halls on her way back to her room. Flirting gave her a small respite from her reasons for being at the castle in the first place. It allowed her to be in a situation that she controlled, and it was something the unicorn had desperately needed since coming to the palace and loosing that control over her life. After a few small conversations with the stallion, it was obvious that they had a connection, even if it was just a carnal one. She had so much pent up tension, and she needed release. This handsome stallion didn’t need too much coaxing, since; after all, Rarity was a beautiful mare. One night, Rarity had simply come to him during his rounds and said that she was scared to be alone after a nightmare. He was easy to find, since he had begun taking a little extra time on his rounds to be close to her room. Once the mare got him into her domicile, the rest was history. He was quite the willing partner, despite his military discipline and the fact that such a situation was obviously taboo. In fact, the taboo nature of the liaison is what excited Rarity the most. She found the fact that they had to sneak around quite exhilarating and romantic. She giggled at the stallion’s reaction.

“My apologies. It just surprised me when I awoke to see that you weren’t there is all,” she said softly, while getting out of bed.

The stallion could not help but smile as he watched Rarity saunter over to him. Even when just getting out of bed, she still maintained her beauty and grace. Once she was in front of him, she placed a kiss on his lips passionately. The stallion broke the kiss after a few seconds, and began to speak.

“As much as I would love to stay, and believe me, I’d LOVE to stay, I really should get going,” he whispered into her ear.

Rarity pouted slightly, but she knew he was right. He was a royal soldier, and he did have duties to attend. A smile soon replaced her pout. His sense of honor and duty was one of the things that made him so attractive in her eyes. It would hardly be lady-like to keep him from his occupation, no matter how much she may have wanted him to stay. She walked back over to the bed before speaking again.

“I do hope you can visit me again soon, darling,” she said as she hopped back on her bed, turning to see him leave.

As the stallion opened the door, he turned his head one last time to drink in his lover’s beauty. The look she was giving him was driving him crazy. It didn’t help that she sprawled herself across her covers in a rather comely position. Never in his life had he wanted to disobey an order so badly.

“I have this shift again two days from now. I could come back then,” he said.

“I’ll be waiting, my dear. I have some other…things… I’d like to try with you, if you’re up for a little…experimentation, that is,” Rarity said in the sultriest voice she could muster.

“Your wish is my command,” the stallion answered while putting on his helmet.

As he turned to leave, he gasped at the sight in front of him. He felt his stomach tie in knots. He had been so careful. How could this be happening? He backed away slightly, as Rarity perked up from her position to see what startled her lover. She gasped as well when she saw what the royal guard has seen. Standing in the doorway, right in front of them was Twilight Sparkle. Her face was beet red, as she stood motionless, her eyes wide. This was Rarity’s worst fear. Considering the recent history between the two unicorns, she loathed the idea of Twilight having something to lord over her. For a few moments, no one said a thing. The silence only added to the tension, as the seconds ticked by. Finally, Twilight Sparkle tried to speak.

“Oh…um…hello, sir. I… I just wanted to speak to Rarity for a moment,” she stammered.

“Oh, of course!” The stallion said in his most professional voice, clearing his throat.

“Miss Rarity, if you no longer require my assistance, I need to get back to my duties,” he said, turning towards the other unicorn.

Rarity’s jaw worked up and down slightly, but for a few moments, nothing came out. Finally, she shook her head, snapping herself back to reality as she began to play along.

“Yes, thank you for your…help…sir. I’m fine now, you may go,” she said as plainly as she could.

The stallion bowed quickly and turned to Twilight Sparkle. He nodded towards her, and briskly started to make his way down the hallway. Rarity got out of bed and walked towards the doorway. The awkwardness of the moment was so deep; it could be cut with a knife. Twilight thought for a few moments about what she saw. She was one of the smartest mares in all of Equestria, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened. After thinking about it for a few moments, the unicorn decided to ignore what she saw and move on to her real reason for being here. She had already caused enough pain, and didn’t want to cause any more no matter how inadvertently. She cleared her throat as she began to speak.

“Rarity, can we talk for a few min…” was all she was able to get out before her fellow unicorn got nose to nose with her.

“Listen, and listen well, Twilight Sparkle! Do not ever…I repeat…EVER share what you have just seen with another soul, or else! Do I make myself clear?!?” Rarity seethed.

Twilight sighed at the threat. This wasn’t what she was here for.

“Rarity what you do on your own time is none of my business. I just wanted to talk to you. I never said I’m sorry, and I just wanted to…”

Again, the unicorn was interrupted, this time by the door being slammed in her face. She was taken aback by the action. Clearly, Rarity did not want to hear what she had to say. However, unlike with the rest of the elements, she felt a different sensation: Anger. It could be due to their “argument” from last week, but the rudeness that Rarity displayed just now made her seethe. She began to walk away, thinking about what had just transpired. Suddenly, rage began to displace her sadness and melancholy. She decided to explore these new feelings further, and soon began to form a different take on the whole situation. After dwelling on it, the conclusions she reached began to infuriate her. After she reached her room, she entered and hopped onto her bed, still thinking about what had just transpired. She could feel the bitterness well up inside her. Perhaps the doctor was right. She needed to get these feelings out. Princess Luna had come by early this morning and informed her that the unicorn would be taking part in tomorrow’s group session. The princess wanted to accelerate the healing process for all of the elements of harmony, and she believed that putting them in the same room would eventually lead to them all opening up with each other, and moving past the events that transpired over six months ago. However, with her new take on the events, Twilight believed that the princess might regret her decision to include her in the group discussion. She had some things on her mind, and she was going to communicate them no matter what anyone said. That was her last thought before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Princess Luna sat in silence along with the other elements of harmony in one of the many lounge areas within the palace walls. Each one of them was reluctant to attend these sessions for various reasons, but still did so since it was the princess’s orders. Before starting today’s session, Luna had informed them that Twilight Sparkle would be joining them for the first time. To say most of them were less than thrilled would be an understatement. Rarity and Rainbow Dash both wore scowls, showing their obvious displeasure at the development. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both looked nervous. They could not tell what was going to happen, as the mixture could become volatile. Fluttershy looked like she was about to hyperventilate, but out of respect for the princess, did her best to quell her reaction. The creaking of the door snapped them all out of their thoughts as they looked up to see Twilight Sparkle enter the room. The purple unicorn slowly made her way towards the group, and as she got closer, the princess of the night began to study her. What made her curious was the look that Twilight wore on her face. She looked angry, which caught Luna off guard. Ever since her return, she had a gloomy air about her. Sadness seemed to surround her, but now she seemed to hold an aggressive stance.

‘I will have to tread carefully. Who knows what could be going on inside her mind,’ the lunar princess thought to herself.

“Greetings, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for joining us today,” Luna said with a forced smile.

Twilight huffed and nodded her acknowledgement towards the princess before taking a seat next to Pinkie Pie. They were in a circle, each facing one another. Twilight eyed them each carefully, her glare never leaving her face. Rainbow Dash and Rarity returned the dirty look, while Fluttershy fidgeted, trying not to make eye contact. Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked at each other after assessing their former friend. They seemed confused by the scowl she wore.

“Well, let us begin then. I want everyone to know that this is a safe place to let out your feelings. No one here will judge you, nor hurt you for expressing yourself. This includes you, Twilight Sparkle,” the princess announced.

Twilight huffed again, turning her head away from Luna. It was loud enough for everyone in attendance to hear.

“Yes, well then, does anyone have anything they’d like to share?” The moon princess asked.

The awkward silence that followed only added to the mounting tension in the room. Suddenly each element of harmony could not make eye contact with the princess and began staring at the floor. This was the first time they were all together in well over six months. After the incident, none of them thought they would ever all be in the same room together again. After a few more moments, Pinkie Pie slowly raised a hoof. The princess thanked the stars that at least one of them would be able to get the ball rolling. With a bit more enthusiasm then intended, Princess Luna pointed at Pinkie Pie and gave her permission to speak. The pink party mare cleared her throat as she stood up to address her friends.

“W…well, I just wanted to say that… I think it’s great that Twilight is back. I… I really missed her, and I’m glad she’s back with us,” Pinkie Pie said sheepishly.

“Well said, Pinkie Pie. Anyone else?” Princess Luna asked.

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that, Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash uttered in a mocking tone.

Pinkie Pie backed away, a look of confusion plastered on her face.

“Wh…what do you mean, Dashie?” She inquired nervously.

“Are you really so desperate for friends, that you would be nice to somepony who tried to KILL YOU?!?” The Cloudsdale resident said angrily.

Twilight Sparkle’s eyes narrowed at the young flyers comment, but decided not to say anything just yet. She tried to calm herself, but found it hard after the next barrage of statements.

“Honestly, Pinkie Pie! Rainbow Dash is right! How could you possibly take that thing’s side over your friends! She hurt us! What possible reason could you have for wanting to be friends with her?!?” Rarity exclaimed.

“I…I don’t…I just…” the pink earth pony stammered.

“I don’t have to take this! I’m leaving!” Twilight erupted, as she slowly began stomping away.

Princess Luna would have called her back, but was so surprised by the action, and it took her a few moments to get her bearings. She honestly did not see this coming. She stood to say something before things got out of control, but Rainbow Dash cut her off.

“Wait a sec…are…ARE YOU ACTUALLY ANGRY WITH US?!?” Rainbow Dash screamed at her former friend.

“As a matter of fact, I am! I’m angry with all of you, with the exception of Pinkie Pie!” Twilight yelled in retaliation.

Rainbow Dash was seething as she quickly trotted over to Twilight Sparkle. Twilight stood her ground however, meeting the mare with a scowl as she approached. If the Pegasus wasn’t so distracted by her anger, she would have been impressed.

“WHO THE HAY TO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!? YOU TRIED TO KILL US! WHAT POSSIBLE REASON COULD YOU HAVE TO BE ANGRY WITH US?!?” Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs.

“I DIDN’T TRY TO KILL YOU! I WAS BECOMING A DIFFERENT CREATURE!!! MY DNA, THE LITERAL FIBER OF WHO I WAS, WAS TWISTED INTO SOMETHING ELSE! AND WHERE WERE YOU, HUH?!? WHERE WERE ANY OF YOU?!? I WAS SLOWLY GOING INSANE, AND MY FRIENDS WEREN’T EVEN AROUND TO HELP ME!” Twilight screamed back.

“YOU THREATENED US! WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!? WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO HURT US! YOU DID HURT US! WHAT ABOUT AJ’S FAMILY, HUH?!? YOU THREATENED TO HURT THEM!” Rainbow dash exclaimed.

“OH, PLEASE! I WAS A MARE WHO COULDN’T EVEN LEAVE MY HOUSE DURING THE DAYLIGHT FOR FEAR OF BEING FOUND OUT! THERE WAS PLENTY OF TIME FOR YOU ALL TO DO SOMETHING! THE ONLY THING STOPPING YOU FROM COMING IN WAS A RENOVATIONS SIGN ON THE DOOR! YOU COULD HAVE COME IN AND SEEN THE STATE I WAS IN, BUT YOU DIDN’T! NONE OF YOU DID, AND YOU HAD THE AUDACITY TO CALL YOURSELVES MY FRIENDS!” Twilight retorted.

“MAKE UP ALL THE EXCUSES YOU WANT, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS YOU HURT US! AND WHILE YOU WERE TAKING A DIRTNAP, THE REST OF US HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS NIGHTMARE THAT YOU PUT US THROUGH! IT’S NOT LIKE YOU SUFFERED AFTER YOU KICKED THE BUCKET, BUT WE DID AND WE STILL ARE THANKS TO YOU!” the rainbow-maned mare screamed.

“I DID SUFFER! MORE THAN YOU KNOW!” Twilight shouted turning away from the face of her former friend.

With that statement, the argument stopped. Twilight started openly sobbing, as the rest of the ponies stood up and made their way over to Twilight. Even Fluttershy’s fear had extinguished at the unicorn’s statement.

“What do you mean, Twilight Sparkle?” Princess Luna inquired.

“Do I really have to spell it out for you?” Twilight asked rhetorically, sniffling between words.

“Twi?” Applejack said as she put a hoof on her former friend’s shoulder.

“I was the disembodied spirit of an insane hybrid monster who hurt her friends and tortured another pony! Where did you think I went?!? Magical happy land?!?”

Everyone’s eyes went wide. They exchanged worried looks as Princess Luna spoke up again.

“Twilight. Where did you go when you died?” she asked quietly.

“I…I…I WAS SENT TO TARTARUS!” the unicorn exploded, as she turned to hug Applejack.

Applejack could not help but return the embrace, especially after such a statement. Twilight continued as her emotions flowed freely.

“The…the demons chased me… all the time, and when they would corner me, they would rip me apart. It… it was like having all four of your hooves ripped off of your body, but…you can’t die…you…you’re already dead. Everything just grows back for them to do it again, over and over and over. I wished for the pain to stop, but there was no release, no mercy for me. They…they enjoyed watching me suffer,” she stammered through her tears.

Suddenly, she remembered her anger as she pushed Applejack off her.

“So don’t you dare say that I didn’t pay for the bad decision I made! I paid more dearly than any of you could imagine!” she seethed as she slowly made her way out of the room.

There was silence. Not even Princess Luna made an attempt to stop Twilight from leaving. She needed to talk to her sister about this.

“Today’s session is over. Please go back to your quarters and rest,” Princess Luna said in soft tone.

The remaining elements obeyed as they slowly made their way to their rooms, none of them saying a word or making eye contact as they did.

She had been tossing and turning for hours. It had been a whole day since the group meeting with her former friends. She was still angry with them, but now something else was wrong. She wasn’t sure if it was the anger at first, but she couldn’t fall asleep no matter what she did. She felt electrified, with energy surging through her. Normally she would enjoy such a sensation. Extra energy meant that she could get more studying done. The feelings pulsing through her loins however, made it rather difficult to concentrate. She moaned and bit her lip as she tried to think about something else, but these urges were driving her crazy. She had tried to use her ability to examine and quantify to understand what she was feeling, but she was having trouble describing it to herself. She wanted to “win” was the best way she could put it. She wanted to dominate. To control, and then be satisfied. After hours of craving release, she finally decided on a course of action, albeit made under a state of such duress, it was hardly pondered for very long. She didn’t care, though. She needed what she needed and right now quelling the fire in her nether regions was of paramount importance. She quickly got out of bed and raced down the dark halls of the palace.

Rarity woke up to thunderous knocking. She stirred slowly, making her way to the door.

‘It’s 2AM! Who in Equestria could that be?!?” she thought to herself as she opened the door.

Her eyes narrowed, as she shook off any excess tiredness she felt at the sight of the unicorn before her. Even after Twilight’s admissions at the meeting, Rarity still did not come anywhere close to forgiving her former friend.

“What do you want, Twilight?!?” the unicorn spat.

Her answer came in the form of a hoof striking flat against her muzzle sending her tumbling into her bedpost. She quickly shook off the cobwebs, and gazed at the doorway in surprise. She had no idea Twilight was that strong. The former element of magic slowly entered the room and closed the door behind her, as she offered an answer to Rarity’s question while wearing a twisted smile on her face.

“Round two.”

-

Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so late. I’m from the northeast and I’ve been dealing with Hurricane Sandy for awhile. Everything is pretty much back to normal for me, and I’m grateful and lucky for that. A lot of other people are still reeling from the aftermath up here. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!