It's been been three weeks since Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia's most faithful student, rose to the status of a Princess, and Equestria has settled down with it's new princess very nicely. However the same can't be said for Princess Twilight Sparkle...After all princesses usually have years of schooling and lessons on how to act like a princess, and she's been spending the last nine weeks catching up on all the mannerisms and politics, to put it simply, she's trying to take on being a princess all at once, and it's not going well.

"Princess Twilight didn't Princess Celestia give you the rest of the month off?"

She's been pushing herself too hard, every bit of down time she gets she uses it to study study study. She's burning the candle on both ends and its taking its toll on her. She's got bags under her eyes, her mane and tail are a mess, her wings are all ruffled, and no matter how many times Celestia tells her to take a break and put all her study materials away she just doesn't listen!

"Yes she did, and that's why I using this time to catch up on how greet foreign ambassadors, now come on Golden let's go over this again."

That's why I was hired -er I mean re-hired, my name is Golden Silence, and before I moved back to Canterlot, I was up in the Equestrian Highlands perfecting sound spells. Oringinally I was Celestia's Personal Bard, but most of the time I took on the role of her advisor and assistant more than I did her personal jukebox. However that was years ago, I've returned now because Celestia called in a favor and asked me to help Twilight ease into her position as The Princess of the Magic of Friendship as her personal bard.

"Princess there will be time for this later, need I remind you that you promised Rarity that you would join her and Fluttershy for a day at the spa tomorrow? Shouldn't you be packing for your trip to ponyville?"

"Oh my gosh you're right! Oh how could I have forgotten? Oh I have to go get ready, we'll pick up on this when I come back tomorrow!"

...I have to say not much has changed since I've come back, just like then, I'm still doing the job of royal advisor when I should be singing epics of heroes and tales of sorrow. Though I shouldn't complain, after all Twilight needs it. She reminds me so much of Silver Clef, always eager to learn, but wants everything to be immediate despite things like this take time, regardless if you spend four nights straight with your nose in a book.

Twilight raced out of the room to go pack, leaving me to clean up the mess she left behind. As soon as Twilight was out of hearing range I sighed and got to work picking up all the books she left scattered about her study, using my magic I stacked the book neatly in the corner of the study, after all knowing her if I put them back on the shelves she would never be able to find them and then she'd really freak. After I had finished cleaning up the rest of the study I made my way down the hall to Twilight's personal chamber. Twilight was only planning to spend a couple hours in Ponyville and I couldn't let that happen, Twilight's friends are my best shot at getting her nose out of those books and having some fun, so I have to make sure she spends as much time as possible with them and away from her study.

It was a short walk from Twilight's study to her room and from the sounds of crashing and things shattering, it was safe to say Twilight was in there "getting ready" for her trip to Ponyville. I didn't bother knocking and just went right on in and just as I thought, she was "getting ready" by trying to stuff as many books as she could into her saddle bags. I groaned inwardly and I shook my head, she's just like Celestia when I was her bard, just instead of hoof buzzards and whoppie cushions, she has books. Using my levitation spell, I pulled every book out of her saddle bag and then teleported them back to her study. Twilight's eyes widened with horror and thus began to scourge through the room in search of her books.

"Oh where did they go!?" Twilight shouted as she fliped her bed over using her magic. Her eyes scanning the floor frantically for her books.

"Princess...!"

"They have to be here somewhere...!"

"Princess Twilight!"

"Oh god if I don't find them I'll be the laughing stock of all the-"

"I teleported them!"

Twilight froze and slowly turned to face me, anger etched in her tired eyes. "You what?" she said through gritted teeth. I sighed and locked the door using my magic, this was going to be ugly.

"Princess Twilight I teleported them back to study with the rest of your study material-" and no sooner did those words leave my lips did she try to run through the door back to her study, unfortunately for her the door was locked and kept lock with my signature golden aura. Twilight glared daggers at me and pointed her hoof to the lock. "Unlock this door Silence." She seethed.

"No." was my only reply before I went about cleaning her room, it was quite the job, made even tougher by the fact that Twilight had her hoofs crossed and wearing a face that said "I'm not helping you."

I flipped her bed back over, threw her broken mirror into the trash and picked everything off the ground and back to its rightful place; and all the while Twilight just glared at me, Princess of the Magic of Friendship indeed. Once the room was clean I turned to Twilight and picked up her brush up from off the study.

"Open this door, now." She repeated, venom dripped from her voice but again my reply was "No."

I levitated the brush to her hair and started running it through her mane and tail, making sure to get all the knots out of them and making sure they were as neat as could be; all the while, Twilight just glared.

After I was satisfied with my work on her mane and tail, I put the brush back on her vanity and got to work pruning her feathers; Again Twilight just glared, but made no protest against my actions, thankfully she was too angry to realize I was wayyyy too close for comfort.

All in all she looked good, just as a princess should -uh, minus the glare...

"Open. The. Door." Twilight was breathing heavily and it was apparent that if my answer was again no, she'd make me regret it. I didn't answer, I just picked up her crown from her vanity and placed it softly on her head, then the soft click of the door unlocking filled both our ears and in a puff of smoke, Twilight was gone, sprinting down to the study, leaving the job of packing to me...

Twilight ran to the study as fast as she could. The NERVE on Golden! Not only did he teleport her books without her permission, but he even had the gull to lock the door to keep her away from them! Then he made her wait all that time just so he could...

Then it hit her.

Twilight made it to her study but instead of going straight to her books, she went to the mirror in the opposite corner of the study. She took a good look in the mirror and gasped as she looked upon herself...her mane was perfect, her crown rightfully on her head and her wings pruned and clean. The only thing that let you know she hadn't slept in a while was the bags under her eyes.

Twilight's anger was washed away and replaced with guilt as she looked upon herself in the mirror, Golden had cleaned her up, made her look just like a princess. She turned to the pile of books in the corner and then to the study, just like her it was practically perfect...

He cleaned her room too...and all she did was glare at him over some books...

Tears started to well up in Twilight's eyes, she felt horrible.

She was so focused on becoming a princess she hadn't noticed just how much stress she was putting on everpony else. All her friends...Princess Celestia...Golden...

Twilight sat down by the mirror and started to cry as she looked to the books in the corner, Golden was her BARD not her royal assistant! Yet, here he was, cleaning up after her, dealing with her! She was here in Canterlot because she wanted to study all the material she could so she could help her former mentor rule Equestria...but what about her friends? When was the last time she sent them a letter, said hi to them?

"About 5 weeks ago...when I was re-hired."

Twilight turned to Golden Silence, who had a saddle bag in his magical grasp. He put it infront of Twilight and then pulled out a tissue and started wiping her tears. Twilight's face lit up a bright red, no colt had ever gotten this close to her except her brother, and even then she never let her brother prune her wings...

Twilight stiffened up upon the realization that Golden had infact PRUNED HER WINGS.

"W-why have you been helping me?" Twilight stammered out as Golden Silence finished drying her tears. "You're my bard not my Assistant..." Golden just chuckled and nuzzled Twilight.

"Twilight I've asked myself that time and again since I came back to Canterlot. I did the same stuff for Celestia back when I was her bard...honestly I hate doing this kind of stuff, picking up a pony's mess for a living just isn't for me."

"Then why-"

Golden placed a sound barrier around them and pulled out two pictures from Twilight's saddle bag, one was very old...while the other was brand new. The old picture was a sepia picture taken when Golden was in his prime, he was standing beside Celestia, who had her fore-hoofs around him in a hug, her head resting atop his head, her smile shining above all else. The other picture was from the day Twilight had met him, her friends were visiting that day, all of them scrunched together so they could get everyone in the shot, but Golden wasn't in the picture...

Twilight scanned the picture and noticed something to the edge, Princess Celestia was pulling somepony into the shot, it was...Golden!

"I don't clean up after anypony for a living Twilight...I never have. I'm a royal bard not your royal assistant."

"But...I don't need a Bard."

"That's right you don't, niether did Celestia when she hired me all that time ago, but there is a reason she kept me around...and why she asked me to come back. I just can't believe I didn't see it untill now."

Twilight tilted her head to the side and put on a look that was filled with confusion, a look that begged Golden to go on and explain.

"She keeps me around because I'm her friend first, and her bard second...so sure, you don't need a BARD, but you do need a friend. That's why she asked me to come back, because she knew if anypony could get you to remember the importance of friendship, it would be her best friend, one that has stayed by her side through all these years, and never once complained. Did you know she gave me the gift of immortality? I watched as my family died around me, but I always looked the same every day...It was a selfish thing to do and when she realized the gravity of the situation I was in, she too was crying just as you were a second ago; and just like I did for you, I did for her then, I wiped her tears and let her know it was alright. She asked me why didn't I just up and leave."

"And what did you tell her?"

"Friends stand by friends through thick and thin, and if she needed me to stay by her side and keep her sane for the rest of her life, that was what I would do. Twilight I've been gone only a few years, and yet she and I have missed each other more than either of us expected... I know your friends miss you too so please for the love of friendship would you stop all this studying and go home? You have a whole life time to become co-ruler of Equestria so there's no need to rush."

Twilight smiled and picked up her saddle bag, it felt like a wieght had just been lifted. Twilight got up and started making her way back to her room with Golden right behind her, their walk back to her room was silent but that silence brought her comfort. Eventually they did make it back to her room, and Twilight turned to Golden Silence. Despite his immortality, his eyes gave off his age, she now saw the pain of being alone in the world, the pain she would one day have as well but at the same time she saw the comfort those eyes held.

"How does it feel being immortal?"

"Don't you know? You're immortal too remember?"

"Yeah, but my friends and family are still alive...I just want to know: does it still hurt?"

Golden Silence smiled and walked into Twilight's room and opened the door to her balcony, motioning her to follow him outside. Once they were both outside Golden Silence pointed to the tower to their left and the tower to their right. It was sundown and Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were raising the moon and setting the sun, respectively.

"Yes Twilight It still hurts knowing that I'll out-live just about everypony in this castle... That pain will never leave no matter how long you live but I still have my memories of them, and as long as I have that, in a sense my friends and family are still alive in my heart; see?

Golden's horn began to glow and Images of his family and friends began to take shape from his golden aura onto the balcony.

Twilight's eyes began to glow in wonder as she looked upon Golden's family.

"Besides I still have one friend-" Golden turned to Twilight and winked at her, "-Or should I say two friends who I know will always be by my side, no matter what year it is."

Twilight smiled, as did Golden as he made his way to the door. He paused momentarily by the door, "Have a wonderful night Twilight, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight to you too Golden...oh and Golden!"

"Hm?"

"Thank you...for everything."

"Hey don't mention it, after all what are friends for?"