Necessary Love

by Zurock

Chapter 12: Fractures

Everypony was left dazed by Twilight's question despite its tangible excitement. For a long while the words floated in the open air, pulsing with a hidden electricity which only seemed to affect Twilight herself, until at last it drilled deeply enough into one of her friends that a careful response came out.

"Wait, truly?" Rarity said, almost still unbelieving. "A tropical vacation... where?"

One by one the announcement sunk into the others. They all stepped closer, clustering around Twilight as they woke up eagerly to dreams of palm trees and coconut drinks.

James however did not approach. He merely folded his arms and tilted his head with suspicious interest.

Meanwhile the three young crusaders also became abuzz with an energy, but it fizzled short of perfect enthusiasm. Something told them that Twilight hadn't exactly been speaking to them.

Certain that each tidbit of a revelation she gave would only impress her friends further, Twilight was drunkenly indulgent. She let herself wander between vague and cheeky, willing to feed the others just enough to taunt their hunger.

"Oh, somewhere in the Carriaggean," she answered Rarity.

The Carriaggean!

All of the ponies (and ever faithful Spike) lit up immediately. In their eyes were endlessly orange sunsets. Beating in their ears were the soothing sounds of blue water slushing on the shore in a relaxing rhythm. Their winter shivers turned to tickling tingles as the salty sea air rushed over them.

It was one of those fabled places in Equestria; the kind of place where everypony knew somepony who had been there but actually finding somepony who had gone was mysteriously difficult.

Suddenly everypony started talking at once.

Twilight smirked as she picked out delicious bits and pieces from her friends' thrilled, rambling chatter.

"...—I've heard such lovely things about—..."

"...—the Wonderbolts do an annual tour across the islands—..."

"...—beach parties every night, with friends—..."

"...—I remember reading a book in the Canterlot library on—..."

"...—think there ain't never been an Apple who—..."

"...—there's some animals there who can't be found anywhere else in—..."

"...—and tossing coconuts, with friends—..."

"...—and my goodness, the culture! Have you seen any pictures of the—..."

"...—some of the fastest short distance fliers come from—..."

"...—fruit punch and ukuleles, with friends—..."

"...—even before we came to Ponyville I always wanted to go—..."

"...—maybe I could adopt one. Oh, that is, ah, if they let—..."

"...—all kinds'a fruits what I don't even know the right name for!—..."

"...—with friends—..."

"...—and there's—..."

"...—with friends!—..."

"...—don't they—..."

"...—with friends!!"

Pinkie Pie's outburst peaked with just enough height to take everypony out of their trances, leaving them all staring at her with raised brows.

"... Friends...?" the pink pony repeated, oblivious as to why all the excitement had ground to a halt.

"Sooo... we're all going to the Carriaggean?" Scootaloo deviously attempted to take advantage of the quiet interlude. She put on her most innocent and pleading smile, excessively so, and her two cohorts duplicated the expression; a three-pronged attack of filly adorableness.

But an ineffective one.

"No. I'm sorry, my little ponies," Twilight said, friendly, unfailingly polite, and not at all devoid of sympathy, "but you almost certainly can't come. I think you're just a little too young for such a trip, and I would need to get special permission from your parents, guardians, or other legally appointed caretakers."

The most unaware honesty came to her and she chuckled earnestly, "Besides, you have school! You wouldn't want to miss any school days for a little vacation like this!"

The spirits of the three crusaders' deflated.

"Oh. Of course we wouldn't want that," moaned Sweetie Belle.

"Hooray, school...," Apple Bloom chipped in dismally.

Applejack, wielding her sisterly might, stepped up to cut their complaints short.

"Alright, alright, you heard the pony," she said, giving the wooden floor a hard tap with her hoof. Her focus narrowed on her sibling, hoping to use the filly as example for the others, "Ain't nothing you can do 'bout it Apple Bloom, unless you really think you can convince Granny Smith to let ya miss out on that much schooling, and I wouldn't go getting your hopes up on that if I was you. Besides, the farmwork may be lighter in winter but they're gonna need ya if I go."

"Oh, but Applejack, you already got to go to Hamestown last time!" the sore filly groused.

"So? That was different!" her sister retorted, lifting her chin with authority. "We were doing the special business of the Princess, and don't go forgetting that we nearly got our hides tanned in the process. Now, this is gonna be a real vacation and I'm sorry but there'll be another time, Apple Bloom."

She expanded her uncompromising look to include the other fillies, and she stamped her hoof again.

"Now then, you already got to see your new friend off so it's time for y'all to clear out. Don't you ponies have somewhere to be, anyway?"

"Yeah...," Sweetie Belle replied, disappointed, and all of the crusaders lowered their heads in unison. "We've got some rescheduled, make-up crusading to do after what happened last weekend."

"Well, y'all don't want to be late. Go on. Git."

The farm pony scuddled them along with some light physical encouragement.

Recognizing their defeat, the three crusaders reluctantly waddled to the edge of the platform and stepped down, doing their best to still appear stalwart even if they were so downcast. Crusading waited for nopony, though. Pulling themselves together they managed to wish everypony a resent-free goodbye, and then they went racing off.

Applejack returned to her friends, giving a tickled shrug and a smirk.

"So, sugar cube," she said, bringing everything back to Twilight, "tell us more about this trip of yours."

Arms still folded, the only one who had stayed silent since the beginning, James finally spoke up, "It sounds like... you're taking us island hopping?"

"I apologize if I gave you that idea," Twilight replied evenly. She giggled, "I was just playing the prevaricator, hehe. In actual fact, we're only going to one particular island."

"Oh, where?!" Rarity beseeched her friend, gasping. She unloaded her ready-made dreams in a hasty prattle, "To Galloloupe? The way the native ponies dress there is said to be uniquely stunning! Oh, or maybe perhaps Hayti? There's a rich history on that island that I've heard ponies of great taste get absolutely lost in! Ooooh, or is it Pinto Rico? They say after experiencing the nightlife there, why, a pony is never the same again!"

"Nope, none of those," Twilight calmly asserted. Again she grew wily, and she revealed, "We're going to Isla Equufera."

"Isla Equufera?!" the others (except James) all gasped in unison, their faces coming up glowing.

An empty beat passed.

Turning to each other, suddenly saturated with confusion, they repeated together, "Isla Equufera??"

"I don't think I've ever heard of it...," Fluttershy mused softly.

"I very much doubted any of you would have," Twilight stated with confidence. "It's a much smaller island than all the ones you named, Rarity. Both physically and in reputation." Her trickery collapsed at last now that the big reveal was out in the open, and she let her zeal take over, enthusiastically sharing, "But that doesn't make it any less interesting! The island was once home to a small civilization which we know very little about today! At some point the ponies and culture there disappeared from the historical record! There's no definitive clues as to how or why, but I've been reading up on the speculation–"

Rainbow Dash groaned, "Skip the history lesson, Twilight!"

Knocked off her ground but otherwise unoffended, the unicorn recentered her calm and then got to the point, "The meager population who live on the island now are only very recent arrivals; it's been free of ponies for a long time before that. It's not like the other islands which have larger, more entrenched populations."

"Oh dear...," Rarity whispered in worry. A trip for a reasonably large group of ponies to an unfamous destination with little in the way of civilization? She nervously questioned, "Twilight, darling... you didn't-... you didn't sign us up for... some form of... discount... island wildlife... safari excursion, did you? Being in a dirty jungle with all the-... and the-... ehhhhwww..." Her tongue came dangling out.

"No, not at all," Twilight answered. "The ponies who are there now have been building a new resort on the island; a fairly high class one too, designed for extra special getaways; not one built to cater to massive crowds of tourists but to smaller groups of ponies instead."

The news lifted the others out of their doubts. Each new detail may have been strange in ways, but Twilight made sure they all resonated excitedly.

She continued, "The resort is actually almost finished. It's not open yet, but they have served specially selected clients for awhile now. You know, as promotional trips." She raised a celebratory hoof to invite everypony in, and she crowed ecstatically, "We're going to be some of the few lucky ponies to experience it before it opens to the wider public!"

"Woah!" Rainbow Dash called out, rising over the others' similar exclamations. She in particular was delighted with curiosity, and she asked, "An exclusive trip? And... you said it was all-expense-paid, too? For eight ponies? How in Equestria did you manage to pull that off?"

The question made Twilight giddy. It was perhaps the detail she was the most eager to explain!

She almost had to restrain her shriek, "I won a contest!"

"Oh? Really?" asked Fluttershy.

"Uh-huh!" the unicorn replied, practically bouncing in unbreakable bliss. "The resort owners hosted a contest in Equinational Geographic magazine! The challenge was a very open, 'Write a 3000 or more word essay on what you think brings ponies closest together and how you want to see it change the world.'" Beaming with pride, she pressed her hoof against her chest, "I called the essay I composed: 'The Magic of Friendship: Utilizing the Power of Harmony to Bring Ponies Together in Common Cause, and Similar Miracles of Amiable Collaboration.' It was one of my lighter ones, I admit; only about three dozen pages."

Spike snapped his claws once.

"Hey, I remember! That's why you asked me to pull out all those books on Harmony and the philosophy of friendship that one day!"

"That's right!" Twilight laughed. And looking through amused hindsight, she shook her head and added, "I actually wasn't terribly interested in the prize they offered; it was the challenge statement which really grabbed me. I decided to write the essay for the hay of it, and once I had already written it I figured that I might as well submit it, even if I had no chance of winning the contest." She snickered, "Can you imagine my surprise when the news came back that I did?"

Almost all of the others happily cheered for her.

Except Rainbow Dash, for whom the news had turned her opinions around.

"They... chose a super-bookworm-thing like that as the winner?" she dubiously wondered.

"Yeah!" Twilight obliviously bowled over her friend's doubt. Incredible energy poured from her. "But that's not all! The original prize was actually a trip for only two ponies. (Something about a 'romantic getaway.' At least, I think that's what the contest details said...)"

Many eyebrows went up at the incongruous math: how does one squeeze eight individuals on a trip for two?

Twilight sensed their obvious confusion and cleared up, "Anyway, when I got the congratulations letter saying that I won, it also said that they were so impressed with my work that they would allow me to take AS MANY PONIES AS I WANTED with me on the trip! Isn't that incredible?!"

There were stunned reactions all around at the amazing case of double-luck. A contest victory and a bonus upgrade to the prize?

And again Rainbow Dash was the only one excluded. From under her silently ruffling wings came a quiet groan of thought.

James, more taken aback than outright awed, asked, "Really? Not that I'm doubting the quality of your essay but... they'd allow you to take a trainload of ponies just like that?"

"Well, I mean, they did qualify it somewhat," admitted Twilight. "They asked me to send them a short write-up of everypony I intended to bring along so that they'd know who was coming. And not just names I mean, but a little bit about everypony: details about your interests, what you all do for a living, the things you like, and so on."

The man realized, "Ah, that's what you were working on that one night: scribbling little synopses of all of us. That's what you had to get out in the mail."

"That's right," she acknowledged. "I wrote a summary of each of you, and one of myself as well since they asked for it. Eight total. I sent them all off last Saturday." She spread a big grin. "And sure enough... I checked the mail not long before we left the library this morning and a small package from the island was there... and inside was the eight tickets we'll need! We can all go!"

"Well, dear, I must say, this is such a stupendously lucky opportunity you've provided us!" Rarity commented gainly. "Though...," her voice dropped, "... I do have to wonder why they would request such details about us all?"

Twilight replied, "Aside from getting an accurate count of ponies? They said it was so that they could engineer a vacation specifically tailored to us and our interests. They want to craft a getaway so perfect for us that we'll never forget it for the rest of our lives!"

Again her friends' imaginations were spurred. A rejuvenating stay on a serene tropical island was already the stuff of dreams, but to overlay their own personal accouterments on top of that was truly heaven brought down to Equestria. Pictured in every head was a different perfection: well-dress ponies who waited on every whim, endless spreads of island treats, infinite families of adorable animals prancing everywhere, and more. But one thing was for certain in all of their minds:

A vacation sounded good.

A free vacation sounded better.

A free vacation built from the ground up, by hoof, especially for them, to fulfill their every desire before they even asked for it...

... That sounded fantastic.

Yet still Rainbow Dash only hummed, low and concerned.

She leaned sneakily towards Pinkie Pie and whispered sideways, "I dunno if I want to vacation on egghead island. I mean, it's run by ponies who think Twilight's yammering is super awesome. Also, what's up with needing biographies on us just to plan a little getaway trip? Vacation isn't hard!"

Reciprocating the stealthy whisper Pinkie Pie buzzed a rapid answer back, "Aw, it doesn't sound so bad, Rainbow Friend. Maybe they're just really super worried we won't be their friends and they want to be our friends so they asked Twilight for help with being our friends and Twilight told them smart things and if they're really good-friend ponies then they'll know what to do with what Twilight told them about being friends and then we'll all be friends instead of not being good-friend enough to do anything with what Twilight said cause they're bad-friend worthless bad-type awful ponies and other ponies are better than them."

Rainbow Dash blinked.

And then blinked again.

"Uh... did you get hit on the head or something?"

Pinkie Pie, alive with a dead, glassy stare, clarified her rambling only with a chipper, "Maybe other ponies are better than them at friends."

All of the optimism flowed into Twilight. With each passing second she saw them becoming more enamored with it in every way.

She raised her voice to gather their attention and said, "It sure sounds like everypony is interested! Personally I think that, with all we've been through over the past few months, a trip away to an island resort will be a great thing for us! We can all take the time to just relax and let go of everything that's been bothering us!"

She stretched her hoof out before herself, into the open space between everypony. It called out to the others, ready to receive all who would join it in solidarity.

"So, I'll say again: who here is up for an all-expense-paid tropical vacation?"

The first to join was Spike, who immediately slapped his claw up against her hoof.

"Yeah! It sounds awesome!"

Smiling glances passed between Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. They were quick to shout encouraging acknowledgments also before they stepped forward and threw their hooves in.

Pinkie Pie followed right after them, held back by only the fainest delay. When she joined she also gave an indistinguishably off-kilter cry of, "Yay! Friend me in!"

It was a surprise to all of them that neither James nor Rainbow Dash came forward. Both remained held back even when the knot of hooves jiggled in invitation.

The man was preoccupied with thought; that much was visible to everypony. One arm was folded across his chest, and meanwhile his other hand moved between rubbing his chin and tapping the gift medallion which now hung upon his neck.

Rainbow Dash was more difficult to read, mostly because she instead appeared far more conflicted. Avoiding an unawesome waste of time was always a priority, but she felt a lot of queasy nervousness for shooting down a suggestion all of her friends seemed to be so enthusiastically into.

Attention turned towards her first, but she spoke up before anypony could level guilty questions at her.

"Uh... I think everypony knows I appreciate chilling as much as the next pony... but... I don't know if-"

"Oh, confound it, Rainbow!" yelled an aggravated Applejack. "Why are you so much trouble lately?! Can't you see we're all on board already?"

"Hey!" the pegasus stiffened up and defended herself, "I just don't see the point of going to nerd central to do some snoozing! I mean, what are they going to know about how I like to chillax? Besides-"

The farm pony spat out the hoarsest groan ever hurled from a horse. If it wasn't one thing it was another!

However, she knew of one way she could convince Rainbow Dash to come along. Unfortunately, as a side effect her particular method would also feed her friend's already substantial hunger for rivalry; a bad habit she was loathe to reinforce, especially lately. But still, Twilight had so generously arranged this incredible trip for everypony; for one of her friends to miss it would have been such a shame...

Ugh...

Best to just get it over with quickly...

Swallowing her reservations and hardly covering over the mountain of regret in her voice, Applejack falsely challenged her reluctant companion, "Hey, Rainbow. I dare you to come along with-"

"I'M IN!" cried Rainbow Dash, swooping forwards and pounding her hoof into her friends'. She confidently sneered at Applejack, "Just you wait! Once we're on that island we'll see who's the awesomest pony!"

Applejack tossed her eyes away with a rolling sigh.

Focus shifted towards the still-thinking man, and Twilight called to him warily, "... James?"

He stirred, and his hand came off his chin.

"Well...," he spoke very deliberately, sharing his mind with all of them, "... it's not like I'm thinking about not going. It's just-... Hm... I don't know if I'm ready..."

His head swayed from side to side at an uneven pace, rocking with his undecided thoughts. One of his legs bent, holding him up at a tilt.

"I mean, it's been a little while since I've done anything like this. And what I mean is, like-... The last time, my good friends and I... we didn't go to an island or anything but we drove to the shore, and we..."

He trailed off.

A nauseous discoloration bled into the corners of his vision. Vipers of nervousness slid across his skin, leaving behind uncomfortable itches wherever they roamed. He remembered well those good old times, and perhaps that was the problem: too much joy in those short few days of close company with his truest friends; too much happiness in a time where there had been nothing in the world but him, them, and the friendships they had built with each other over many long years.

How could this new trip have possibly compared to—

From the very back of his mind all the way to the front, young laughter came echoing up. The giggles weren't in his own voice. Then came reverberating clops, punching down on soft earth with vivacious energy, pouncing here and prancing there, every joyful step a clap of applause. A bright smile showered light upon more recent memories: building birdhouses together, sounding sweet songs while fiddling with instruments in the park, the sight of rosy cheeks warm with love even in the fresh winter cold while playing in the snow at Sweet Apple Acres.

A thousand moments each with a thousand little touches of a thousand beautiful things. All tied back to one adorable filly.

The carefree laughter he still heard, filled with love, teased him. What a silly he was being for considering staying behind!

Suddenly James came forward with a smile.

"Yeah. Let's do it."

He hand came up and he threw it over the gathered hooves (and claw), holding back no eagerness in joining.

There was a strange jostling from the pile of appendages as his hand came down upon it, but it wasn't from any force of the man's. When his palm had come down, Pinkie Pie had quickly withdrawn her hoof and reinserted it below everypony else's, putting her at the very bottom; buffering the others between her and James.

The unusual move didn't escape Twilight's notice.

But it wasn't the time or place to say anything.

"Alright!" Twilight gleefully announced, moving past it. "I'm so glad that you're all in for it! I think we're going to have a lot of fun! I don't think accepting the original prize would have been nearly as great as taking all of my friends along!"

Everypony spoke in solidarity, and they broke up their unified huddle.

Twilight continued, "Great! We won't be leaving until next weekend, so you have all of next week to make any arrangements for while we're away. Thanks so much, everypony!"

"Oh, no, thank you, Twilight. This is so very nice of you," Fluttershy countered.

The others, of course, unanimously spoke their agreement.

"Welp," Applejack politely articulated after everything had settled into an easy stillness, "sounds like we're going be having ourselves a doggone good time later. As for today though... I got places to be, so... thanks again, Twi! I'll catch you ponies another time!"

With a farewell tip of her hat, and equal goodbyes from most of her friends, she began trotting off.

Rainbow Dash took to the air and drifted swiftly after her.

"Woah, hey, Applejack, wait up!" the pegasus hounded the departing farm pony; the latter developed a sore grimace in response. "Where are you heading? Maybe we could make a race out of it? I bet that I-"

"Great apples almighty!" Applejack squawked. "Give it a rest, Rainbow! I got things to do!"

They only continued snipping at each other as they wandered away.

"So, darling, I can't tell you what perfect timing this is!" Rarity expressed to Twilight, lively electricity dancing in her eyes. "I was just telling everypony about how I could really use a vacation now that my dresses are finished. Why, knowing now that we're going to be leaving for a spectacular island resort where we'll be treated like princesses... it makes me want to head right back to the boutique and take care of shipping all the orders this instant so that I'll be ready to go at a moment's notice!"

Spike leapt at the opportunity, offering, "Oh! Need any help?"

"Why Spike!" the refined unicorn was thrown back with mild, yet delighted, astonishment. "You have really woken up a perfect gentlecolt this morning! I'd more than welcome the assistance."

"I could help too... if you need...," James suddenly spoke up. His tone was more insistent than generous; an inadequate request more than a free proposal.

"I do appreciate the offer, and you've been quite the help already through this whole task, so there is no undue amount of thanks which I could express," Rarity said to him gently. However, a shadow of condolence fell over her. Careful and courteous, she let him down, "But... I don't think I should need more than Spike to carefully package a good number of dresses. Thank you anyway."

"... Are you sure...?" the man asked vainly.

His almost do-or-die attitude about it wasn't invisible to the dressmaker, however she saw it as only a compassionate quirk of character. He probably acted the same towards all of their mutual friends, she imagined, though she had never actually heard as such from them. In any case, she thought it worse to humor him with a false hope.

"I don't think your assistance would help things along in this case; too many cooks in the kitchen, you understand. But again, thank you for the offer."

He said no more and gave only a doleful nod. It came more like enduring a wound than surrendering to a friend's decision.

"Well," Rarity bowed, "ta-ta then, my friends. Come along, Spike."

After more goodbyes were traded, lady and dragon began to leave. But Rarity had hardly gotten a few steps out when her memory hit her hard: she had made a promise, just earlier.

Wheeling about, she asked, "Fluttershy, dear, would you like to come pick up your dress now?"

"Oh!" the pegasus piped up, herself just reminded of the generous promise. "Coming, Rarity. Goodbye, Twilight. Goodbye, James." Wings out, she lifted off and kept gentle pace with the others as they all left.

It seemed to Twilight that the day was being returned to her more personal affairs, and most immediate on her mind was the particular case of friends-in-need involving a certain man and a certain pink pony. She turned to the only company she had left on the station platform.

"Alright, now that it's just the three of us... Pinkie, why don't you-... Pinkie Pie...?"

There were frozen drops of waters dripping from the icicles in perfect time, together playing a soft percussive melody on the wood below. There were clumps of crushed snow all around, kicked aside by the many hooves passing through, their exact positions the echoes of the early morning departures. There were streaks of smoothed ice running along the floorboards like claw marks, frozen logs asleep where the sun hadn't managed to yet wake them and roll them away.

But there was no Pinkie Pie.

The unicorn stood alone on the station platform with James.

"Must've pranced off already while the others were talking," the man suggested casually, hardly giving his attention to the matter.

"I... suppose...," Twilight tentatively accepted. Her mouth contorted into a leery frown and she murmured, "But so silently? Without even saying anything? How... strange..."

"'Strange'?" James looked back at her with a gaze askew in amusement. "So... normal for Pinkie Pie then?"

What a comment! So quickly deployed, cloaked in uncaring sympathy, and so... bizarrely disingenuous.

The unicorn didn't supply an answer except to stare at him oddly before she swept her eyes back across the empty platform. None of this felt good.

Already James was beyond the topic, instead idly pulling on the cuffs of his gloves to tighten their fit.

"I'm going to head back to the library. Decompress a little, I guess. It's been quite a week," he informed Twilight. When she didn't immediately respond he only shrugged and started to walk off on his own, leaving her to her own business. "Later, then."

Many empty moments passed. The unicorn kept her pondering gaze roaming across the platform, searching for answers. Her eyes passed from ice to snow to wood and back again. All of them were the colors of winter... but there was no pink.

Had the missing pony really run away without a word?

"James! Wait!"

Twilight turned and cantered up alongside the man before she slowed to match his pace.

"James... about Pinkie Pie..."

Her words breezed right past him, no different than the frosty air sliding off his warm vest.

He cocked his head towards her, smiling congenially at her decision to join him for the walk back, and as if she hadn't said anything at all he began a new conversation with her, "So! Tropical vacation in winter, huh? Sounds like we're going to have to do a good distance of traveling."

The unicorn staggered, blindsided by his unassailable reaction, but was fast to recover her pace. She didn't leer at him in quite a normal way, though. His strange and forceful behavior bothered her, but it also moved her enough to choose patience, at least for the time being. She would carry along with him until a better moment to bring up Pinkie Pie would present itself.

"Oh! Uh... No," she replied, maneuvering her way into informal parlance. "Not so much. We could get out to Isla Equufera in just under a day: a train to Baltimare and then a cruise down to the island. Though... the cruise ship departs in the morning so we'll be staying overnight in Baltimare anyway."

"What? How could we get far enough south to escape the winter weather in such a short-"

His palm struck his face as he nodded and chuckled all at once.

Of course! It was so obvious!

"The pegasi, right?" he guessed.

"That's right," confirmed Twilight, easily amused by his continued unfamiliarity with scheduled seasons. (Though, as evidenced, he was getting better about it.) "Just like our weather crews brought winter here, they keep it from going there. It's good business for most island resorts to maintain summer weather all year round."

"And always winter at the ski resorts, et cetera, et cetera," he lightheartedly demonstrated his mastery of the lesson. "That's really convenient for them. 'Acts of God,' indeed."

His stride then stiffened as he worked his way through a chain of silent thoughts, and it ended with him chuckling to himself. It was an odd laugh, too: not fully humorous, somewhat marveled, and even slightly disappointed.

When Twilight gave him a curious look, he shared his mind, "Sometimes I think that... the more magic you ponies put into the world, the more magic you're actually taking away from the world."

"That's completely self-contradictory," Twilight pointed out, "and not to mention senseless."

"Of course you would say that, Miss Magic Horn," James ribbed her.

A sly, giddy look snuck onto her, revealing that she hadn't actually confused his literal words with his intended meaning.

"We've talked about this kind of thing before," she reminded him. "There's a difference between magic and 'not knowing how something works.'"

"Maybe not knowing exactly how it works is part of the magic," he prattled in return, waving a comically defiant hand and twiddling his frivolous fingers.

"That's ridiculous!" the unicorn laughed. Her lecture didn't rob her of a smile, "Magic may be a complicated subject with many interconnected layers of understanding required to fully grasp even some relatively simple concepts surrounding it, and the inherent pseudo-intelligent nature behind it only increases the difficulty in studying it—but!—it is completely testable, and predictable. In sufficiently controlled environments, anyway. Ultimately, magic is a science just like any other."

"So you've told me on several occasions," the man gladly sighed. He used a finger to trace along some of the crystals on his medallion, pulsing with darkness. "But, you know, for all the magical experiments you've shown me or had me help out with as part of my ongoing living-in-Equestria experience, I don't really think I've actually learned all that much about magic."

"That's not true at all," Twilight merrily rebuffed him. "I've noticed that you've definitely picked up on a few things, and that's better than can be said by some ponies! Some ponies go their whole lives without ever learning ANYTHING about magic. That doesn't mean they live without it, but they just sort of unwittingly collect everything related to it under a banner of 'familiar experience' and never bother to think about it or understand it. As far as I'm concerned... for being a magicless being who has lived here only a few months and has had only some rudimentary magic lessons that weren't anywhere close to formal study... I think you've done rather well."

It was a rather glowing assessment for how little he felt he actually understood of magic. Still, his curiosity was piqued, and he asked, "What about it exactly do you think I've gotten an okay hold of?"

"I've always been impressed with how you can very quickly pick up on the subtler influences magic has upon things. Deliberate spells are usually flashy and easy to discern, but there are many understated effects magic has on ponies and the world around us that are often not so obvious. You've been pretty observant there, keenly noting some hard to catch things, unprompted. For example: pegasus flight."

"Hm? Oh, well, that one seemed obvious," James shrugged. "Simple physics: those wings weren't going to hold them up on their own. So there has to be something else that lets them fly like they do."

"But that's what I mean: that's a good observation! You'd be amazed at how many unstudied ponies wouldn't pick up on that!"

"I guess," he nodded, trying to accept her compliment. "Seems a little amateur though. I mean, it goes right back to what we were saying: 'Oh, I don't get it, so it must be magic!' That's not strong, deductive reasoning."

"I didn't say that it was," the unicorn chuckled, "but it does show good knack for scrutiny and some attention to detail."

She took her thoughts to the sky for an extended moment before she came back down with another example.

"How about this: earth ponies have a magical connection to the land. It's even less perceptible than pegasi magic, yet you've made some startlingly accurate guesses about it before, all without any leads or specific direction by me. That's some impressive perception."

"Alright...," the man again made an effort to accept her words on faith. "I still don't 'get' magic, though."

It didn't seem like giving another example of his commendable instincts would help illustrate anything. Merely she tried to give a helpful conclusion, "Well... I think you have a really good intuition as far as the more hidden workings of magic go, even if some of the bigger pictures and more specific intricacies might elude you."

After pondering for a moment he agreed with her decision to leave things at that.

"Thanks," he said, loose and direct.

Once they talking ceased, the cold quiet of a winter Saturday retook Ponyville. Many of the residents must have preferred to experience the snowy streets through their frosted windows, for everything outside their warm homes was empty except for the two friends. With nothing to interrupt them they walked along to a harmonized beat: two-step, four-clop, each coming down with unique and tranquil crunches into the thin layer of snow.

It was peaceful.

And the easy silence convinced Twilight that she now had her chance. She cleared her throat softly.

"So... James... About Pinkie-"

Suddenly the man halted. His eyes became disturbed, and he let them fall to the ground. His tense fingers clasps over his mouth, nearly clawing into his lip. Before long a muffled vulgarity snuck out of his mouth and into his waiting hand.

"What? What's wrong?" the unicorn asked. She came to an immediate stop also, spinning to face him. It was her hope that something specifically pink had taken a hard hold of his thoughts.

But the next noise to come out of him was a burning sigh, billowing wet and misty in the chilly air. The hot anger lit up his skin, melting the cold color off of his exposed face. However his rage was mostly undirected; he had nothing to launch it at and so just brought a leg up only to strike the ground with his heel, sounding off an unsettling clap.

At last looking back at his friend he spat in futility, "I don't have any summer clothes! We're heading into a hot climate and I don't have any summer clothes!"

He shivered, and he swore again under his breath.

Admittedly Twilight was very disappointed. It wasn't just that he had apparently no consideration for the serious matter about Pinkie Pie which she had hoped would come up, but that the concern he had come out so fiercely with was so small and unimportant.

As much as her reply was a pillar of advice it also was a grinding pestle of frustration, "It's not a big deal. You can just ask Rarity to make you some. She'd be glad to, and now that she's essentially finished her dresses she would easily have the time to."

"I don't want to ask Rarity for more clothes!"

The reaction, almost venomous with hostility, caused the unicorn to jump back. He had so unnecessarily bellowed into her face, though not at her per se; the anger was again very impotent, wanting a target it couldn't possibly hit. That she was the victim of his abrupt loss of composure had been no intention of his.

He attempted an apology immediately, bringing up his hand and waving the undue harshness away with remorse. There was still a bit too much fire in his mouth to speak any sorrow so he drew in a cold breath to smother the flame, slathering the winter around with his tongue. It still wasn't enough though, so he only explained his explosion to Twilight in a short, uneven statement.

"She's... given me enough as it is."

"James..."

The name carried a troubled gravity. Twilight had been badly startled, was shaky and uncertain underneath her intact exterior, and was fighting off a rising tide of panic. But in the few months her new friend had been around she had better learned some of his intricacies and discovered healthier ways around them.

When he didn't immediately acknowledge her she tightened every muscle in her body and called his name again. Finally it grabbed him and he made eye contact.

"You need to calm down," she pressed into him compassionately.

"Right...," he rasped, and he started to manage his breathing carefully. His fingers squeezed into a fist, as hard as he could endure the pain, and he flexed it again and again, trying to choke the life out of his tension. After many, many simmering moments, with the unicorn patiently waiting, he was able to expel most of his irrational anger in a single, fuming breath which got carried away on a cold winter breeze.

Though the most potent part of his anger had been safely released he was still gnawed at by ravenous frustration. He didn't hold back from sharing it with Twilight, storming less like roaring thunder now and more like the heavy patter of oppressive rain.

"Again and again Rarity has given me things for free, without accepting the slightest repayment. I mean... ALL of my clothes, she made. She has NEVER accepted money for them. I tried! After I started getting a stipend I tried to pay her the bits she was owed and she just wouldn't have it!"

His leg came up for another stomp but this time he had the control to bring it gently back down.

"Okay...," Twilight hummed, collecting her thoughts.

Unfortunately, once again, Pinkie Pie would have to wait. This sounded like quite a serious friendship matter to the man, and if it was on his mind now then it was better to tackle it immediately.

Though, things were beginning to feel excessively unfair to her pink friend...

Carefully she reviewed what he had said, breaking it down in her mind and going over it piece by piece. His statements had entirely sensible content, yet how exactly it had aroused his agitation escaped her.

"That's how Rarity is," she stated pointedly. "She's a very giving individual, and if she's generously giving to you again and again then that's simply because she wants to. I'm sorry James, I just don't see what the problem is?"

"Ugh."

The thick fuzz of his glove scratched against his hair as he rolled his hand over his head, and his teeth ground together while he tried to pick out the right way to describe his feelings. When the words finally came to him he leaned down towards the unicorn and said, "Generosity is one thing; she really is amazing like that. But if I'm just expecting her to fill my needs whenever I have a problem, that's NOT generosity. That's me taking advantage of her."

The links snapped together in Twilight's head.

"But you're not taking advantage of her," she responded. "As you've just demonstrated, you're very clearly aware of all that she has done for you and you're lamenting that she does it at a cost to herself. That's not exactly an exploitive mindset; there's no foul intention there."

"What does it matter what I intend?" he bounced his shoulders in a powerless way, feeling very disconnected from her argument. "If I'm cackling like a villain or if I'm sitting there feeling sorry for myself... it doesn't matter! I don't need to have the intent to have the effect. It's still happening over and over again! That's exploiting her generosity."

"What? No, that's not-"

It was like his frustration was infectious. Many times before the back-and-forth in their disagreements had sometimes been a little rocky, but by Star Swirl's beard had some of his heat-of-the-moment remarks sounded so unbelievable. And right now this last one of his might have set a record for his most absurd assertion. She actually had to push her own ire down, and she reminded herself that this wasn't any different from the many philosophical battles they had fought before for mere recreation. The only thing that made this different was how closely it involved Rarity, their mutual, personal friend.

Focused, nicking the buds of her more troublesome emotions before they sprouted, and minding her manners, she insisted gently, "It's not like that. There's no crime of abuse here. Every time Rarity is choosing to help you, that is a gift she has decided on her own to give to you."

"That's not the part I have a problem with," James attempted to explain again. His patience was ramshackle but intact. "She is incredibly selfless, altruistic, and magnanimous; and it makes her amazing. The problem I have is that: regardless of ANYTHING I've tried to do, I'm STILL leaning on her again and again and again."

He desired to pound the street another time, but Twilight's kind caution had planted itself deep. He lightly kicked aside some snow.

"Anything I've tried, nothing's changed," he complained. "I've offered to give her the bits she's owed; she doesn't take it. She refuses to. Almost like I can't hire her; I have to get it for free."

He held up one of his hands, covered as it was in a simple and elegantly designed glove. Snatching the cuff, he roughly peeled the glove off and dangled the inside-out item in front of the unicorn.

"I showed up the other day and she caught wind of the fact that I didn't have anything to keep my hands warm, so she made these on the spot! Even when I asked her not to! 'Don't be ridiculous,' she said."

He reversed the glove back into its proper orientation and wound it onto his hand, jerking it with unnecessary force, and he lamented, "Practically the only thing I haven't tried is just outright demanding that she stop with all the generosity. Like, just vehemently rejecting anything she tries to give me. And I don't do that because then I'd still be the bad guy! Instead of exploitation, I'd be insulting. Insulting both her and her generosity."

The cold air had made his lips dry and cracked, and all his constrained shouting had exposed his mouth to the same parched sensation. He took a moment to drag some swish some spit around before he squeezed a hard swallow down his throat.

"It's such an uneven friendship, Twilight."

"So that's what all this relentless volunteering to help Rarity has been about," the unicorn realized at last, taking significant note of his final, illuminating statement. "You're trying to find a way to balance things out."

"Yeah, I guess," the man said. "She's earned it."

Put bluntly, Twilight did not quite agree with his take on the situation, but she made no contrary utterance of that. It would be better, she thought, to contextualize any such remark with a strong foundation in the ideals she truly believed in. That way there wasn't any room for misinterpretation.

"Well, in that case," she said, intentionally shooting to sound friendly and supportive, "you don't need to feel so upset. You're doing great! Rarity has told me herself how appreciative she is of all the help you've given her lately."

A glance of doubt came from the man. Not one which labeled her a liar, but one which didn't believe his deeds were as grand as she supposed.

Twilight easily read his expression, and she moved on to revealing her truer thoughts with the hope that he was ready to hear them as she intended.

"I think that... this is more about how you feel, and much less about Rarity's generosity."

Something nasty came into James' stare, though it was more woundedness than hostility.

"I don't mean anything dismissive by that!" the unicorn stressed quickly. "Let me explain: you want to give back to her, saying that she's earned a reward, but that's not what generosity is! Rarity didn't help you out of some expectation of future recompense. She gave out of her heart, because she wanted to, and that was the end of it. It's all on your side! If you've never spoken of this to her before, then she doesn't even know that you feel this way."

"Fine," the man barely accepted, "but still, if the situation doesn't change-"

"Listen," she gently demanded his attention. Her magic then swept off the small clumps of the snow which had gotten caught on his boots during his tantrum. An invisible hand tugged upon his reapplied glove, correcting it so that it sat more snuggly. Happily she said to him, "There's nothing wrong with you wanting to give back to her. That's great, in fact! When generosity inspires generosity in a friendship; what could be more wonderful?"

Her fuzzy warmth faded behind some steely wisdom.

"But you're so worked up about it, and that's not good. You're getting too absorbed in trying to make the friendship feel balanced that you're losing sight of the meaning of generosity itself. Rarity is glad to give to you. I think you need to get yourself to a place where you're simply just as glad to give to her also."

Anger didn't pour from the man this time, or even any heated frustration. He continued to stand sore and sour, but otherwise he only silently let his eyes play in the snowy street.

Seeing this cooler reaction, Twilight sought to move forward. She asked, "Have you ever sat down and talked with her about your feelings?"

Weary, he indecisively shook his head; not 'no,' but almost certainly not 'yes.'

"Like I said, it's been kind of mentioned: telling her she doesn't have to do these things for me, offering to pay her back-"

"But directly!" Twilight begged. "Have you ever come straight out and told her how uncomfortable you are with accepting all her gifts?"

The blunt beating trickled into James. He twisted his head to the side, turned up a sagging palm, and dryly replied, "Not really, no. I think she'd be hurt or insulted if I did."

"Ugh," the unicorn groaned. Her eyelids snapped shut and she clawed at her temple with her hoof. Loudly she lamented, "Why, lately, has everypony been having problems just talking openly to each other?"

Pinkie Pie... Applejack... And now him...

"What?" the man croaked.

"Nevermind. Maybe we can discuss that in a little bit," she sighed. On a open window sill in her mind she set the thought aside; somewhere it hopefully wouldn't be forgotten.

"I guess I understand why you feel the way you do," she said, bringing her attention back to the issue with Rarity, "but I really think you're making it out to be more troublesome than it actually is. If you can approach Rarity in a truthful and open way then I think you two can work everything out so that nopony feels insulted or in the wrong. Maybe that's something you can use the vacation for? Once all the distractions are gone you might have an easier time speaking with her."

Her voice came down, staying friendly and gentle, but getting its weight low so that it was ready for battle.

"In the mean time though... you really should get some suitable clothes for this trip. Please? Just ask her politely about making you a set. It'll be alright. She'll be more than pleased to help."

And James, to his credit, had listened without making one contrary motion with his body or one dismissive flaunt with his eyes. When she had finished he slowly drew his arms up over his chest, jostling his new medallion, and he folded them tight in consideration. He did his best to show his friend's opinion the weight it deserved, but the effort had his feet shuffling his place, his fingers twitching, and his nose breathing out a sticky, moist heat.

"... No...," he said eventually, speaking low and quiet.

Suddenly he began to walk again, carrying on down the road without Twilight. The shock of his escape attempt caused her to stumble as she scrambled to pick up after him, but his wasn't a pleasant walk home anymore. The man's steps had grown larger and faster.

"No. No, I'm not going to bother her with this," he repeated his denial as soon as he sensed that Twilight was still following him. "If I can't even things out with her then, for now, the best thing I can do is avoid situations where she'll feel the need to help me out and dig me deeper into debt. That's how I'll spare her. What she doesn't know won't hurt her."

"But-," the unicorn began.

"I'll just... wear my autumn clothes for the trip," he countered her objection before she had even gotten out the first word.

Trailing behind him with too much difficulty, Twilight's horn shimmered. With a poof and a flash she appeared in front of him, and she planted a hoof into his stomach to bring him to a stop.

"No, James. With the heat there you'll be too warm in those clothes."

"Oh no, too warm," he mocked her concern. Then, deadly serious, "I'll deal with it."

He tried to push forwards, but her leg didn't yield and her hoof dug deeper into his belly. She likewise pushed back with her pleas.

"It's a vacation! It's supposed to be time off to relax. You can't just be sweating and panting the whole time!"

"That's my problem! I'll deal with it!"

He extracted her hoof by force and then moved to one side to get around her, but she only shifted as well. Once more she barred his path, jabbing her hoof again in him.

"There's more to it than that! Rarity will notice that you're uncomfortable and she'll quickly realize that it's because your clothes are too heavy! She's not going to blame you for not asking; she's going to blame herself for not having had the foresight to make you something more suitable! Then she'll be uncomfortable for the trip too!"

Again the man gripped her leg to yank it away, but he stopped mid-pull.

She was right.

Of course, Twilight Sparkle was right again.

That was exactly how Rarity would react.

The 'bad guy' never wins, huh?

He let her hoof go and it dropped softly onto the street.

"Then-... then..."

Fruitlessly he struggled to come up with an alternative; any alternative, no matter how reasonable or ridiculous.

"... I'll just... go pick up some light clothing somewhere else."

Quickly he scanned up and down the street in an impromptu search, as if he expected luck to have stopped them before the perfect storefront. Naturally he had no such fortune; the district was entirely residential. Yet he twisted his head further about anyway, pulling a pain into his neck, all in a pointless effort to peer through the buildings themselves for some impossible solution.

"Where?" Twilight asked rhetorically, pointing out what he already knew but wasn't accepting. "Nopony makes clothes in your size and form. Actually, Rarity's the only pony in all of Equestria who even has your measurements."

Every corner of herself she could find she fluffed with compassionate softness, taking away the sharp edges. A shake came to her head. A sigh fled from her lips.

"James, please," she begged, "just ask her. It's not a big deal."

He tensed.

But there wasn't an angry reaction. When he pulled himself tightly in it wasn't as a bomb about to explode, but a shriveling under sad, tired hopelessness. His labored breathing was from being so long trapped under an oppressive pile of generosity from which he had exhausted himself failing to claw an escape. The dry, cold air might have been the only thing that kept any tears from forming in the thin crack of his nearly-shut eyelids.

Reluctant, sore, sorrowful, and without a word, he surrendered and very dimly nodded his head.

Twilight made sure to bring forward all of her sincerest humility.

"Thank you."

Again he acknowledged without saying a thing, only weakly nodding. Then, without another word between them, they began walking down the street again, traveling side by side.

The long silence started to ripen into discomfort.

"It'll be fine," the unicorn softly spoke up, trying to shoo away the awkward air. "You have a real need right now, so ask her for help. Just remember to keep an eye out for a chance to open up to her, and it'll work out. I promise."

"Hmm...," the man leaked the agitated noise. "... Maybe you're right. Right that... it's more me than anything. But... that doesn't matter."

She peeked suspiciously at him.

"Something has to change regardless," James warned her, returning her look. "Because if I keep having to fall back on her charity despite my best efforts... well, all that really says is that I'm a terrible friend for her."

It was the precise wording of his statement which got to Twilight. A blade, perfectly crafted to slice into her; not that he had intended such. The wound stung sharply.

And, moreover, the echo of the pain forced her to recall the item she had set aside.

"James...?" she addressed him, her voice very far away.

"Hm?" Her specific tone created a caution in the man.

"Can I talk to you about Pinkie Pie?"

He halted. It was short enough that he skid an inch on the crumbs of snow and ice below his feet. He looked away. One hand, implacable, thumped lightly on his thigh again and again. He shrank. A weight crushed him.

It all made clear to Twilight that, when she had earlier tried to broach the subject, he hadn't somehow missed her words. He had dodged them; ignored them.

A small spear pricked her in the back of her worried mind.

"Did you get the chance to talk to Pinkie on Thursday?" she inquired, not quite managing a neutral tone. "About... you know... everything we discussed?"

An aching, lonely moment passed before any reply came from the man, and when he spoke his tone was bone-dry.

"Yeah... I spoke with her."

Subtle, slight, quiet; the answer hit Twilight like a hard, loud slap. It wasn't merely the chill girding his response which made her hair stand on end; it was that, whatever he had done, she already knew the final result:

Pinkie Pie hadn't behaved today as if things had been resolved.

The caught spear twisted and drove, wedging itself deeper.

"Really?" she hiccuped. Her whole body leaned in, almost aggressive in its inquisitiveness, and she pounded out friendly demands, "How did it go? What did she say?"

"It was really quick," he shook his head helplessly and tossed a hand with casual disregard. "She said everything's fine."

"What?!"

For some reason her yelp had real striking force, like a hammer missing the nail and cracking the wood. She only recognized her own unintended aggression too late when he immediately struck her right back in retaliation, complaining bitterly as he threw up his hands.

"What do you want, Twilight? I tried! I told her that you spoke to me, and about what, and I asked her if there was something bothering her. And"—he snorted, so supremely fed up with it all—"she just did her airhead giggly-smile, called me silly, and told me to keep helping Poppy mix the batter. And that was that. Barely spoke a word to her for the rest of the day after that, because she wouldn't let me; she was hellbent on Poppy and I getting those cookies baked."

He tossed his hands again, disposing of the matter once and for all.

Further plunged the spear, ripping open the gaping wound.

Twilight jumped back horrified, and she panted her way through fast deductions to herself.

"She-... she must have been... too nervous to talk to you openly... There must have been something-... something frightening her confidence... Maybe because Poppy was there...?"

She snapped back and instructed the man forcefully, "James, you need to try again and-"

"I did my part already!" he erupted. It was a fury drained of energy, lacking willpower. "I tried, Twilight."

"But-"

"I tried!" he repeated for a third time.

Suddenly his hand, still drumming in agitation against his thigh, came down in a final, exceptionally hard blow.

"At this point, if there is something wrong... then isn't the problem with her? I tried. You talk to her."

'If there is something wrong'?

'IF'?

Is that actually what he had said?

How?

How could he not care?

"Maybe it's even nothing," James suggested with the most idle, detached, thoughtless regard. "Caught up in one of her quirky spells or whatever. Being a nut."

He shrugged dismissively.

"You know how she is."

There was a sharp, stabbing pain as the spear impaled all the way through her mind, leaving it hoisted wet and bleeding in the open air.

Offended far beyond her normal boundaries she stomped she roared, "Yes. Yes, I DO know how she is. Because she's my friend!"

But the regret for her outburst was instantaneous, especially once she saw the reaction in his face. Whether woundedness or sour indignation, he had undoubtedly picked up on the very subtle assault she had slipped in: she knew Pinkie Pie because she was a friend, and inversely he didn't know Pinkie Pie because he-...

What a disgusting thing to have said to anypony.

"James...," she tried to apologize.

"Look! I don't 'get' Pinkie Pie, okay?!" he suddenly confessed loudly.

It was a long-bubbling pot finally getting the last burst of heat it had needed to boil over; so obvious in hindsight. There was too much sadness in him to say he was merely upset; too much unconstrained fury to say he was simply angry; too much disorientation to call him only confused. Things he had before chained up because anypony should have, he unleashed.

"She's got a scary amount of energy and... at first I thought it was all just an act... like, a weird affection she adopts, but... she really is like that all the time. So... good for her and everything, I guess? But-... but... I-... I don't know. I don't 'get' her."

Then, in a snap decision, he began retreating again, starting down the road once more. This time Twilight was able to quickly copy his pace and stay alongside him.

"I tried though, alright?" James yet again insisted. "I did what I promised you and... she wasn't any different about it. So, I guess that means-..."

A few stubs of words followed but they crumbled into silence.

Twilight said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about what I-"

"God!" he interrupted, screaming it out while he jabbed his knuckles into his temples. "Poppy's gone for all of five seconds and already everything has turned into-"

He had a choice word ready, but he didn't use it. Instead his quivering hands traced in front of him a large pile of something foul, and then he blew it up with a mimed explosion.

"James-," the unicorn tried again.

"Twilight! You-... you're not-..."

He grabbed a hard hold of himself, and a slight clarity settled upon him. At least enough to steer him away from carelessly diving into dangerous territory.

Through his broken calm he said tiredly, "I know you're just... really concerned about something and you're only trying to do the right thing. I don't want to... blame you or anything for that. But... for me... I can't-..."

One more breath was all he could take, and it was long and horrendously heavy.

"I can't," he concluded, and he begged, "Not right now, please? Can we just... not do this right now?"

This was a serious issue! It shouldn't be left to wait! Pinkie Pie was devastated!

But the man really did appear to be under enormous strain, for reasons unclear to Twilight. He was still only a bare few months out from his permanent, involuntary trans-dimensional relocation; the weights, even if they were easing, were still piled up on his shoulders. Could she have pressed on him more or would that snap him?

She was trying to call him 'friend' too, after all; something she could still do even if standing against him, but even so she had to make her opposing stands with real sympathy. Hadn't she already burdened him once earlier by binding him with the promise of requesting new summer clothes from Rarity despite all of his stern reservations? And he had acceded to her there.

She swallowed.

Mirroring his earlier concession to her, her head came down and weakly nodded.

He returned no verbal thanks, but his own nod had a gentle appreciation present.

They walked. It was a mournful, slow march for such a shivering and bright morning.

Step, clop clop, step, clop clop. And on and on for a silent time.

Twilight suddenly spoke up in one last lament, though she didn't betray any prior intentions. She was only honestly commenting on her feelings.

"I know that haste makes waste, and maybe trying to act now might be too reckless and make things worse... but I don't feel very comfortable letting something like this just sit."

James didn't misinterpret her in any fashion.

"Well... like you said," he mumbled with a strange little light—perhaps a dim hope, "maybe this is what the vacation's for, yeah?"

Comments

[JBL]

James needs to get laid.

[Kenny]

This resort makes me suspicious.

Changeling Trap confirmed.

[Truthseeker]

I can see the confusion James is having with Pinkie. I used to have the same issue with some of my loved ones. They were always too busy or too involved in something to give what I wanted: a straight and honest answer with serious thought. If I had to guess I would say that Pinkie brushed off what James said because Poppy was around and she didn't want to risk bringing the mood down, she can be sensitive like that. For James, it probably took a monumental effort just to broach the subject (because of how uncomfortable Pinkie makes him) and Poppy being there was likely the only reason he was able to work up the courage to do so. This is a dill-y of a pickle. I feel sorry for both of them in this case. There is no villain and no hero, just two individuals who want to work out the situation but cannot seem to do so. Sad face. I REALLY want to see this rectified!

[amiamera]

5557304
This was my thought after 5 seconds. "They're asking for backgrounds on a deserted island where no one but the staff will be there? Why that's the perfect place to replace people."
If this vacation goes as planned or only has interpersonal drama without either changelings or the island being used for some vague, doomish ritual, I will be shocked.

[Amethyst Blade]

John really need to get a bitch slap...then get laid...

[Shadowblade019]

The fuck up m.c. has mind problems.

[DerpTape]

This got heavy quickly.

[KvAT]

They got it all wrong. They're trying to ponify James' perception on friendship while James is trying to humanify the mane 6's view of friendship.

You do not work on human friendship, you ease into it carefully as to not ripple the still waters into chaos.