• Published 13th Aug 2013
  • 380 Views, 5 Comments

Helping - TwiwnB



Two stories about a pony who needed help and one who didn't, where once again, it's just important to not judge the pony by the book... or something similar to that.

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The one who needed help

“Is that the right house ?” Twilight asked Spike.

The dragon was trying to decipher a map, or more precisely, a plan of the city, and tried to look confident when he answered:

“Yes, sure, that must be it.”

Actually, he was slowly growing that feeling that he may have taken the wrong direction after the park, or altogether the wrong city plan. Still, he was way too proud to admit the error right on and preferred to try his luck and knew, if it so happened that he was wrong, that he could always blame Twilight for it in a way or another.

The purple alicorn, blindly trusted her assistant even if everything was telling her this wasn’t the official house of the former very proud general of the Equestrian army. She knocked on the door and, after a little wait, a stallion opened the door, who was definitely not the former general she had come to meet.

The stallion didn’t let her time to explain who she was or even ask if she was at the right address. Which means, in reality, already asking for the right address, trying to avoid blaming the poor map reading skills of Spike. And what the stallion said surprised Twilight a little.

“Your majesty?” the stallion first asked, realizing he had one of royal princesses right in front of him, at his door, entirely officially dressed up as if she was, and she was, on a mission. “What can I do… it’s such an honor… I mean…” he then tried to say, not knowing what would be a proper way to greet a princess, but suddenly stopped and asked, very straight forward: “It may sounds weird, but… would you by any chance have come to help me?”.

Twilight, hearing those words, looked at Spike, who looked at her in return stating with only his eyes that he had no idea and didn’t care either.

“No, I’m sorry.” replied Twilight, having to face the fact she was slowly getting late, which meant, was already really very late, thanks to a lot of circumstances. “I thought your house was that of the general Proud Mouth. Please excuse the mistake. Could you by any chance show us the right way to his house?”

The stallion laughed, for many reason, the first and probably most important one being that the house they were searching for was on the other side of the city, and obviously accepted to help. He asked for the plan and showed the route with more practical details to make sure they couldn’t get lost. He offered to accompany them, but Twilight declined, being already very embarrassed by the whole incident.

She thanked the stallion, said goodbye, and then, as the door shut behind her, she and Spike went their way to the house of the very important general they had been appointed to meet.

The alicorn and the dragon walked side to side in the streets of the city for a little while, not hurrying anymore due to the fact it was already too late to try and make for the lost time. And in some way, Twilight even enjoyed the idea of being late. Because she didn’t like the mission she had, she didn’t like that general, who had always bothered her brother, and Celestia didn’t seem to like the general either. She knew it was wrong for her to think that way, but sometimes, even the best of us want a break and take it when they see an opportunity. Here, she could honestly say she had tried being in time, but everything from the lost luggage to a certain dragon had turned wrong. The excuse was good enough.

And even more, that break was making her feel really good. It was like her mind got freed from all the stress and pressure it was usually under. She could finally think about other things. Other things she considered way more important than meeting some old boring general. Other very urgent matter that she should take care of... She decided to do what was right in her heart and began to trot a little to her destination.

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” said Twilight as the door opened, “And I’ve come to help.”

The stallion didn’t quite understand why the princess had come back to his home, but he welcomed her almost instinctively and offered her to come in, which she did immediately, followed by her assistant.

“So, what’s your name sir?” Twilight asked.

He actually needed a few seconds to remind himself of his own name. Because there was one of the royal princesses of Equestria, rulers of all things, the most powerful and benevolent being in the world, right there, in his living room.

“Sir, are you okay? Don’t worry, I’ve come to help.”

“Help me with what?” the stallion asked, completely lost about what was going on.

Do I have to explain it wasn’t the reaction Twilight had expected? But actually, she didn’t take it too badly. In her mind, she thought it was probably part of the problem. Maybe a memory disturbance or something in those lines.
She decided to begin right away.

“Just before, the first time we met, you asked me if I had come to help you, you remember?” Twilight asked the stallion, trying to wake him up.

“Oh, that…” the stallion suddenly understood, to Twilight satisfaction. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that, it was stupid, I shouldn’t have expected from you to have come especially for me. You are a princess, you have way more important things to do.”

“It’s quite alright.” Twilight replied. “It’s true I had come for another matter, but it’s all alright now. Here I am, ready to help. So just tell me what is wrong and I assure you I’ll try my best to make it right again.”

But to Twilight’s surprise, the stallion just looked down and stayed silent for a moment. This was disappointing. She had thought that her dedication to solve his problems would make him happy, or that he would show some sort of relief. But that stallion was just sighing in front of her. And more frustrating was the fact that he stated he wasn’t being sad about his problem. In fact, what he said was:

“I don’t have a problem.”

Now Twilight was disappointed, frustrated and confused all at the same time. She was back at square one, with the memory problematic. She had thought it would only take a little bit of time, but now, she was beginning to regret her rash decision to come back. This was going to take the whole day just to figure out what was wrong. And she couldn’t allow herself to make the general wait that long, as Spike was trying to remind her with big movements of his arms.

“You don’t have a problem?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t.” assured the stallion. “Sorry to have made you waste your time. I really am.”

“But you do remember having asked me for help, right?”

She knew her tone was sounding horribly aggressive at that moment and she was trying to simmer down, but the whole thing looked more and more ridiculous by the minute.

“Yes, and I’m sorry about that. Like I said, I should have known better.” the stallion answered, with sadness in his voice, betraying the fact he was totally aware of the princess’s anger and the fact he was the cause of it.

“Okay, let’s try this again.” Twilight said, while ignoring Spike who was trying to explain that they really didn’t have the time for that. “You asked me for help, but you don’t have a problem.”

The stallion nodded in shame. Not daring to speak anymore.

“But why did you ask me for help if you didn’t have a problem for me to solve?”

The question was hurting as she was telling it. Because it felt so stupid, going so much against any possible logic, that she began to think she was being made fun of. And her pride wasn’t taking the fact very lightly.

“I know I shouldn’t have asked.” the stallion tried to explain, “I was surprised, I didn’t expect to see you, I mean, a royal princess, right there, knocking at my door… I just thought you could have come to help me. It was stupid, I’m really sorry. Please forgive me.”

“But!” began Twilight, who didn’t know how to continue her “but” because there were just too many things she wanted to say and none seemed to make any sense. She was more than confused, but totally utterly lost in an ocean of idiocy.

She breathed. Heavily breathed. Turning her attention to Spike, who was still showing how much time they were losing, she made him understand that she was totally aware of the situation and was about to end it.

Then, she finally came to a calm enough state to try one last time to find out what was going on.

“You don’t know what you need help with?” Twilight asked the stallion.

He nodded, trying to hide his face as much as he was able to.

“Maybe you are unhappy in love. Or having trouble with your children… Would that be it?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m married with a wife I adore.” replied the stallion. “And our children are the light of my life.”

“Maybe you are struggling with money, barely able to pay everything.” Twilight tried again.

“I’m actually quite rich I fear. Never known poverty, neither ever did any member of my family or my relatives for all I know.”

“A sickness?” tried Twilight once more, incapable of letting go. “You or someone close to you could be sick?”

“I’ve been sick, about three month ago, but it wasn’t anything serious. By chance my family is doing really well too.”

“You do have a cutie mark…” acknowledged Twilight, still trying to find what the problem could be. “Is it a conflict with another pony? Do you feel in danger? Is there something you would want to accomplish that you are being prevented from?”

It wasn’t any of those. The stallion knew only friends around him, had always been granted every opportunity he could have wanted and was living in the middle of Equestria, probably the safest place to be period.

Twilight had to face the fact that this stallion was even more boring than the general she should have met a long time ago already. That this stallion might have asked for help was making no sense. And it would have taken very little effort to convince Twilight he actually had never asked for any at all.

“Spike?” Twilight said, without really asking anything.

“Yes?” answered the dragon, worried about how much time had been lost in that house.

“We aren’t needed here. We are going.”

She had said that with a lot of frustration in her voice, but also a little pinch of sadness. She hated the idea of giving up, or abandoning somepony who had asked for help, even if it she knew that this pony had no problem at all for her to solve. She could do nothing for him, so there was no point in her staying.

She comforted the stallion, explaining that he hadn’t done anything “wrong”, more to make sure she wouldn’t create the first problem he would have probably ever faced in his life than because she believed what she was saying, as she was still very frustrated, and then said goodbye, just before definitely leaving the house.

Once again, she found herself walking side by side with Spike in the middle of the streets in the search of the general’s house.
And after a little while, they eventually found it. They announced themselves, the general accepted to receive them, and in a sense, it could be argued that he had no saying there, and the princess and her assistant entered the general’s living room, where the old pony was waiting for them.

“I’m sorry to have made you wait so long, general.” said Twilight, actually ashamed of herself, for various reasons, and mostly just wanting to apologize about anything.

But the general just stayed there, silently, observing with a very calm and strangely gentle face. He seemed to be hearing and thinking all at the same time, as if there were two minds into that sole body. It was beginning to make sense that he had become the general of the whole army of Equestria. His eyes were saying how smart, cunning and most importantly, loyal and dedicated he had been and probably still was.

“You see, general…” continued Twilight, “I’ve met that stallion who had asked for help and I thought I had to help him. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have made you wait for so long.”

This time, the general answered, and his voice was sounding the same way as his eyes were looking. With so much interest, curiosity and the will to serve.

“Did you help that stallion?” he asked the princess, as it was just some small talk.

“I wanted to. But it appeared that he actually had no problem whatsoever.”

Twilight just caught on that she was answering the same way she would have done at an exam, which was weird as she was actually the general’s superior. But something in her mind told her it wasn’t going to hurt her to play the game.

“Nonsense.” replied the general, just stating his opinion, telling it with a tone that didn’t seem to even try to contradict what Twilight had said. “All ponies have problems.”

“This one didn’t seem to. I really tried to find one, but everything in his life seemed perfect.”

The general heard her out and took a little time to think about it. Then, he came a little closer to the princess and just said:

“That was very kind of you to try and help that pony. But I shouldn’t have expected less from a royal princess of Equestria. It has always been an honor to serve them, and now I wish I could serve you.”

Twilight blushed a little, but tried not to show it too much. Still, she was certain the general was genuine about his statement.

“Still, even if I’m persuaded you did really try everything you could, it is my opinion that nopony can exist without having any problem. They can ignore the problems they have, but they do have some anyway.”

Curious, Twilight asked why, in the general’s opinion, nopony couldn’t have any problem.

“Because having problems is what defines being alive. Or because being alive is what creates problems.”

Twilight tried to think about it, didn’t understand it and decided she would have her whole life to decide if it was making sense, if she wanted to agree about it or not and, if she would want to agree about it, what to do with it.

But she would have all the time of her own life to do that anyway. For the moment, she had another problem to solve and therefore, she forgot about the strange stallion and the whole adventure to go back to business.
As she should have done from the very beginning.
Or not.

THE END

Author's Note:

I wrote that story after a message from Twi-Guy. He may not be very satisfied with what came out of it, but... of well.