dictated

[checklist]

I hope that everypony's learned a valuable lesson from this.

I'm not talking about how cruel the castle is, either, or even how it can and will alter your memories on a whim. Although both of those are unavoidably true, I'm talking about the real lesson.

Family.

The castle chose to make everypony related so that they could be family. But it doesn't need to do that. Family can be, and is, more than being related to somepony else. Family is about a bond. It's a bond of trust, of companionship, and of love. As long as you share that bond with somepony, you can call them family.

The [ there's a small pause as she keeps herself form saying "ponies" ] people that you choose to spend time with, the ones you care for, they're your family. You don't need to be related by blood. If they watch out for you, if they offer you a shoulder to cry on, an ear when you have troubles, if they love you for who you are... that's family.

I have a wonderful group of friends that I'm proud to call my family. I have an assistant that I can't imagine living without, and I happily consider him to be my little brother. And I don't need a castle to tell me that.

Comments

dictated;

[gottaknockhard]

[Spike came away from that trip with a horrible gut-pounding dread from memories that he's barely had time to wrap his head around. So of course Twilight's message is the first he sees when he checks the journal to find out if that was real or if the last month was some very long, very bad dream. You can practically hear his crushing disappointment as that hope dies.

Some people just aren't made for pep talks.]

As long as we all learned something.

dictated;

[checklist]

I would hope somepony takes away something positive from it.

dictated;

[gottaknockhard]

Yeah, sure.

[Not him, but whatever. His life...]

dictated;

[checklist]

You're Spike, right?

dictated;

[gottaknockhard]

[A pause -- he hates to admit that to someone who tried to crush him with a mountain of books. If he didn't think she could tell anyway.]

That's me.

dictated;

[checklist]

Your memories were affected, I'm assuming.

dictated;

[gottaknockhard]

At least I wasn't alone.

[persequor]

Shut up.

dictated;

[checklist]

[ Sigh. ]

I understand that some of you are less than happy about what the castle did. And with good reason; having your memories tampered with is only going to hurt everypony in the end.

dictated;

[persequor]

And you're not helping.

dictated;

[checklist]

I'm not trying to invalidate what happened. I'm trying to criticize the castle for being so... heavy-hoofed. Heavy-hoofed and, in the end, wrong about it.

[ ......She doesn't really get that Arya's trigger is family. Welp. ]

dictated;

[persequor]

Just like you.

dictated;

[checklist]

....So you think the castle is right?

dictated;

[persequor]

For a pony, you're really bird brained. [ She tears the page out of her journal. ]

[huffythedragon]

[TWILIGHT HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH]

I'm sorry I freaked out at you. I couldn't live without you, either.

[checklist]

Oh, Spike. You don't have anything to be sorry for.

[ She loves you too Spike. ]

[huffythedragon]

Yes I do, I seriously freaked out big time and tried to find you guys bridles. And I know how much you hate bridles.

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

[Lovely speech, twi. Except that she's so embarrassed by what happened she's not really hearing it all.]

... I'm going to hide in my room for a while.

dictated;

[checklist]

Fluttershy!

[ GOOD. Twilight has important questions. ]

You're not really engaged, are you?

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

Nooo! Of course not! Oh, this is so embarrassing...

dictated;

[checklist]

Okay. Okay, good. I was a little worried.... especially since I couldn't talk to you about it.

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

I can't believe I forgot all of you... that I forgot what it was like to be a pony...

dictated;

[checklist]

That was pretty weird to deal with.

But at least you still got to talk with everypony.

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

I just want to forget it all ever happened...

dictated;

[checklist]

Unfortunately, I don't think the castle's memory alterations work that way.

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

Well, i'm never going to talk about it again...

dictated;

[checklist]

I don't know if you can avoid talking about it forever. [ That's a pretty unhealthy way to deal with your issues, you know. ]

dictated;

[3_butterflies]

[I FORGOT MY FRIENDS, FAMILY, PAST, AND I WAS ENGAGED TO ADACHI. HOW WAS THAT HEALTHY.]

Then what should I do...?

[thebutz]

Yeah that's definitely true! My bro is totally always my bro.

[He means Nick of course. And maybe Edgey.]

[checklist]

Yes! Yes, exactly. [ Somepony who gets it. ]

dictated and filtered ;

[sawadeertoday]

[ Excuse her while she snorts at this speech. She can't just ignore it- it sparks a slight anger and frustration, because she didn't want to be given a dumb illusion about dumb human emotions. ]

A valuable lesson. Of course.

[ A totally sarcastic tone. ]

dictated and filtered ;

[checklist]

I think it is. But the castle didn't do a very good job of teaching it.

dictated and filtered ;

[sawadeertoday]

I'll say. I'm not exactly willing to start believing in the goodness of friendship and love after that stupid week.

They're useless, anyway.

dictated and filtered ;

[checklist]

Oh, no, that's not true at all! Love and friendship are very important, very powerful.

The castle is just... not the best teacher for those sorts of things.

dictated and filtered ;

[sawadeertoday]

[ A sigh. ] Really.

And how are they powerful, exactly?

dictated and filtered ;

[checklist]

Feelings are powerful, and the feelings that come from love, acceptance, harmony, and friendship are the most powerful of all. The magic of friendship has literally saved the world, you know.

dictated and filtered ;

[sawadeertoday]

The magic of friendship. [ There are so many things wrong with that sentence. If only because she is a cold-hearted, former AI of a facility with no morals. ]

Emotions are powerful, unfortunately. They tend to cloud logical decisions.

[wilder]

[Hey Twilight? Have the sound of the journal being thrown across the room, slamming against a wall and closing shut as it hits the ground]

[Yeah sorry, family is a touchy subject here]

[checklist]

[ .....Is it Arya again? :| ]

[vengefully]

If it was supposed to be a lesson it was a pointless one.

[ectobabble]

You're absolutely right, Twilight! ... Geez, and my family here just keeps gettin' bigger and bigger, too ...

... even if I still don't know what the deal was with that suit.

[asaraindrop]

Family's always important. [ It always has been, all she has to do is look at Katniss to know that after what she did (and she's always known it)

But as for what happened? She doesn't know what to think about it. She has family, but they felt like family too. It's... hard ]