Swatteam and the Potato

by _Rainbow_Swag_

Looking Deeper

It was a cold autumn afternoon, and Swatteam1013 had gotten up early this morning, eager to finish his chores in time to take a walk to the Ponyville Library. He couldn't remember the last time he had woken up that early. He quickly and sloppily finished his chores, put on his coat, and made his way out of Pinkie Pie's room and down the steps of Sugarcube Corner, making sure to say good morning to Mr. and Mrs. Cake as they served pony after pony their delicious pastries and sweets.

Swat stepped out the door and into the chilly streets of Ponyville. He sternly made his way toward the library. There was someone he needed to talk to.

As Swatteam walked through the busy streets on that cold afternoon, he thought harder than he had ever thought in his life. Today was the day he had to make a decision: Pinkie Pie or the potato. Tonight, Pinkie was going on a trip to Canterlot with her friends, and if he didn't choose by then she might meet some rich unicorn and forget all about him.

Soon, Swat was standing in front of the Ponyville Library. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Then he stepped through the door. Twilight was snuggled on a chair, reading a book and drinking hot chocolate. She looked up at him and smiled warmly. Swatteam closed the door behind him and walked forward.

"Um, hi Twilight..."

"Hello, Swatteam. What brings you here? Do you want to rent a book? What kind of book do you want? We have books about all sorts of things! SPIKE!"

The green baby dragon ran into the room, stood up straight, and saluted. "Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

"Actually," Swat stopped Twilight before she got out of her chair. "I'm not looking for a book. I came here to ask you for some advice."

Twilight's ears perked up. "A friendship problem?"

"Not exactly..."

Spike was still in his soldier's stance.

"At ease, Spike." Twilight told him. "Get Swatteam here some hot chocolate, please."

"Aye, aye, captain!"

"With two marshmallows," Swat smiled at Spike. "Please."

Spike nodded his head and ran out of the room.

"Now, take a seat and tell me about this problem you're having." Twilight sounded concerned.

Swat took a seat by the fire. "It's nothing, really. Just a mare problem I... I mean a friend of mine is having." Swat patted himself on the back for such a clever save.

Twilight smiled. "Ah, romance. A stallion's biggest weakness. What's the problem? Do you want to break up with her?"

"No, not at all!" Swat replied. "It's just that there's someone else. He has strong feelings for both of them, but he has to choose one. What should he do?"

As Spike brought Swatteam his hot chocolate (with only one marshmallow, to Swat's dissapointment), Twilight pondered this a moment, then responded sternly. "It seems you do have a problem here."

"You mean my friend," Swat corrected.

"Sure. Now, a decision like this takes time to come to. One does not simply flip a bit. You need to ask yourself this: what kind of relationship do you want, and who will most likely give that to you?"

Swat paused. What kind of relationship did he want? Well, he would love to date someone like him: talkative, funny, always having a good time. He wanted someone who would listen to him, and take his problems seriously. He wanted someone who wasn't only a great partner, but also a great friend.

"Now I want you to do this," Twilight waited a while for Swat to think about the first question. "Balance the pros and cons of each mare being your partner. Who is a better match for you. You are always building on your reputation, Swatteam, always. Everything you do builds on your character. With every decision you make, you must ask yourself this: Is this really me? What will this do for me?"

Swat thought for a moment, but it didn't take long for him to come to a final decision. He knew who he wanted. He had knew since the beginning...

"Thanks for the hot cocoa, Twilight." Swat was saying as he opened the door in a hurry. "And I really owe you for what you did for me today."

Twilight smiled. "You'll make the right choice. I know you will."

And, as Swat ran out into the cold and closed the door behind him, and Spike went back to dusting shelves, Twilight looked back down at her book, and took another sip of her hot, hot chocolate on that cold, cold autumn day.