A Wilting Heart Flower
**Video buzzing**
Hi. What’s up my little ponies, Nathan here.
Now I know this looks weird right now, I’m shooting this in like, 5 in the morning at the everfree forest. But this is because I have a pretty interesting announcement for y’all regarding the channel. No one- Not even my friends, know this as of right now.
So what am I doing out in the woods early in the morning, you might ask?
Okay, so a week ago, I asked Twilight if she could teach me to do that portal setting up spell on command. Surprisingly, I learned it pretty quickly, and now I’m here to test something. I’ve recently been attracted to a new show, and I’m curious to know if their world exists. What you’re seeing now is going to be me trying to get to this other world. Twilight says the spell is very consistent, and portals won’t get disconnected, so I will be completely fine.
If anyone of you are watching this via a private link I’ve hidden in my most recent video, do not tell my friends about it until I say it’s okay to do so because I have not told them about my encounter with this new world, and I have a plan in mind that may bring forth an amazing change to this channel. Now, this idea is-
*trees shuffling*
”Nathan?”
Uh oh. Okay, gotta go. Bye!
**video ends**
**A Few Months Later.**
"Another video is done!"
I say triumphantly as I turn off the camera for my monthly Question-and-Answer video. This time, I was partnered along with Twilight to read comments and answer questions from the fans of our YouTube channel. There were weird questions that I skipped over, we had a few laughs, and thankfully they did not ask anything about my private life this time because, well, when you're a famous star in the modern world, everyone wants to know what you're like behind the screen.
I've invited the ponies to join in my videos from time to time for quite some time now. Despite the conspiracy of my fans in the past on the existence of the pony world, definitive evidence has finally been revealed from someone else. People quickly picked up on it, and when it really started going crazy, I decided that I'll put them in the video anyway given by the fact everyone can confirm all this was real.
My friends were pretty nervous about being on camera. They don't have our culture of sharing videos to one another in their world. But, I gave them time to settle in, and digest the feeling, letting them get used to the sensation that someone from a whole other world will soon be looking at what they do on camera.
So this led to quite the number of questions for my friends. But, as long it was not too private, they were happy to clear up all of that.
Now that Celestia and Luna retired, my friends weren't as free to make videos with me as much. It got kind of lonely. I do have other friends to turn to, but it just wasn't really the same. Even if they find time to record, it was... different. Why? Come on, they are now in charge of ruling a freaking kingdom. I get a little tense when making videos with them by my side. It just doesn’t seem natural- Despite I’ve collaborated with even Celestia and Luna before. I start to acknowledge they’d want to keep their dignity on check, and for one, that’s why they aren’t in a lot of my videos anymore, and two, they don’t want to do anything stupid to ruin their reputation on camera.
Especially Twilight.
Twilight has always- Always, been my best friend. She’s almost like my partner, per se. We’ve always been so close and sometimes cheesy with each other. But with her new task, she’s busy on a lot of other things. We’ve talked over it, and I was okay with it- I let her concentrate on what matters to her most- Her home. I wouldn’t say we are getting drifted apart, no. Whenever I feel like it, I’ll come over to visit, and we can have some fun chatting. We’re still good friends and we still mess with each other a lot.
But I felt lonely without her.
I wanted to find someone else. Someone that I can hang out with just like when I did with Twi- Something new to bring back innovation to the channel and let me explore new friendships.
I was tidying away the recording equipment when Twilight calls to me.
“Nathan?”
“What’s up?”
“I know you said to not bother asking, but...”
She scratches the ground with her hoof.
“What are you doing with that spell I gave you?”
I shrug.
“It’s nothing.”
“You never ask me to teach you to perform spells,” Twilight winked. “You have something in mind, come on. I’ve taught you how to control magic after I found out the for some reason, you had magic, but not a lot of spells.”
“Really, it’s nothing, Twilight.”
She comes close and nudges me with her muzzle, then leaning and nuzzling against me. I crouch a little so she can nuzzle my cheek.
“It’s for a personal purpose, you said. Tell me...”
“Hahaha, very funny.”
I slowly leave the room, giving her a wink.
“I’m off to do something. See ya, buddy.”
*door closes*
“You are hiding something, Nate... Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
************
**trees wooshing**
I run like the wind across the forest, trying to get as far from any of my friends as possible. I do not want them to see what I’m doing.
I get back to the open area I first set that portal up in, and, of course, set up the portal. I hold my hands out and channel magic, repeating a quote to initiate the spell. After a couple of times, a pink portal opened to another world. Glitter surrounded the edge of the portal, inside showing somewhere else far from Equestria.
I take a deep breath and stepped in.
On the other side, someone was waiting for me.
“*chuckles* You were late.”
“Sorry! I was recording, Alright? Now, where are the others?”
“Botanical Garden. Come on, let’s go.”
****Back in Equestria.****
“*groans* I don’t understand!!”
Twilight lets out a huge sigh, thumping her head on her work desk.
“*sigh* What secret is he hiding...? He never does this... I don’t get it...”
**door opens**
“Princess Twilight?”
“Oh! Celestia!”
Now that Twilight has the throne, Celestia technically doesn’t need to be here. But, Twilight wanted her and Luna to stay to mentor her and help her when even a pony like her is in a pinch. She is inexperienced at ruling a kingdom, after all.
“Are you alright?” Celestia asks, putting a hoof under Twilight’s head.
She sighs. “I’m okay, Celestia. There’s just something I’ve been thinking about.”
Twilight’s ears droop down. Celestia extends a wing to comfort her.
“Come, we can take a walk around and you can tell me about your problems.”
**************
“Oh? You taught him a spell and he won’t tell you what for?”
Twilight nods.
“I just don’t understand. We are such good friends and there was no secret about each other we don’t know. In fact... Why is he hiding this secret, anyway? I always keep an open mind about what he says.”
“There is no law saying friends have to tell each other everything. You do realize that.”
“But Celestia, this isn’t a normal case.”
“Oh?”
“We are talking about the portal spell. It allows him to go to a whole other world... Just like how I met him. What if...”
Twilight gasps.
“What if he’s doing the same thing!?”
She bolts away, and Celestia couldn’t even react to her leaving.
“Twilight, wait!”
Normal POV.
Twilight teleports all the way back to Ponyville. She recalled seeing Nathan in the everfree forest doing something a few months ago, and since then, he seems to be always going there for whatever reason. She once asked him about it, and he always answered that it was to explore and get some fresh air.
But she knows- It wasn’t. And his cover was about to be blown.
She dashes into the forest to find him and see what he’s up to. She searches around for most likely half an hour until she finally finds what she’s looking for.
The portal.
“When the spell was triggered... Until the person closes it with a spell, it won’t close,” Twilight giggles to herself. “Nice try, Nate, you careless buddy. Now...”
To hide, she uses an invisibility spell.
“Let me see just what you are hiding, that you won’t tell me...”
In The Other World.
Normal POV.
Twilight enters into a world she's never seen before.
Well, she has, actually. It feels just like Nathan’s place- Human society. Nothing special. She was in a pretty peaceful and quiet neighborhood, and since she's invisible, she can have a little walk around to see what this world- That he has been escaping to for quite some time, really is.
Along the way, she notices something. The people she encounters spoke in a language she didn't understand. Judging by their accent, she assumed it to be Japanese, but she won't be so sure. She has dug into learning the different languages humans speak, though only to distinguish where she is located in the world if, say, something like this happens and she wants to investigate and ends up somewhere's she's never been.
The choice of clothing of some of the locals doesn't seem to lie, either. "Why would he come here?" Twilight thought.
As she continues down the path, using her magic to track Nathan down, she ends up stopping in front of a pristine structure. It seems to be some kind of greenhouse, albeit with the interesting exterior design. Most of the two-story building was half- transparent, considering the walls are pretty much all windows.
Then she hears some laughter and a familiar voice.
"Haha, aww, you little buddies are super cute!"
Twilight gasps. After making sure the invisible spell is working, she pressed her face to the glass to get a closer look.
**********
Nathan’s POV.
“I still can’t believe you girls are so charmed about me when I say I’m a fan.”
“Oh come on, it’s completely fine! We’ve met people from other worlds a number of times...”
I give a laugh. I was sitting at a round table, with four other teenage girls. We’re chatting about the little things of life and despite it’s been a few months since we’ve met, I still have things I know about them to reveal. With a few nifty spells Twilight had taught me, I learned how to understand my new friends, and to me, they’re speaking in English instead of Japanese, and I could speak in English, and they’ll magically understand me back as my words are translated the other way round.
Two of the girls were around 8th grade-ish. The one on my left was Tsubomi, a girl with Magenta hair tied into twin-tails with flower-shaped accessories. She’s donning a long pink shirt and blue shorts since it was summer. The one on my right, who was the one that just replied to me- She’s Erika. She wears a sky blue dress and deep blue leggings that reached past her knees. A little blue bow can be found in front of the heart, and the bow’s center was coincidentally a yellow heart, too. She had wavy navy blue hair and was the shortest (and youngest) one, barely reaching the shoulder of the tallest of the four.
Speaking of her, she’s Yuri- the eldest out of them all, at 17 and at around 11th grade. Her long purple locks reached all the way down to her waist, while part of her forelocks was held in place with an azure barrette. She wore a pink blouse under a light lavender jacket, with blue leggings and white shoes. The fourth girl- She’s Itsuki, and she was her school’s former Student Council President. Yes, this makes the fact she’s just an eighth grader a little surprising. She had short, light brown hair that reached halfway down her neck. She wore a yellow dress with orange edges and a printed ribbon. She also wore blue pants beneath it.
All of them look fantastic. When I showed up a few months ago, they were near and were absolutely shocked as they found me. I had to explain a lot of things, and my first encounter with them was very awkward. Nonetheless, Erika’s excitement to make a new friend caught on and, well, the rest is history. I didn’t want my friends back in ponydom knowing this, and I remember telling all the funny lies to cover my plan. We would all meet up and chat like we’re doing now. And despite I’m 24- Way older than Yuri, they seemed to have no objection to meeting a fan.
But I’m a special fan, I still remember saying that to them when they asked me why I like them so much once.
We chat, we giggle, making me feel like I’m a kid again. It feels... Oddly satisfying. Twilight and her friends did it once for me, and here I am again, experiencing the same feeling. Probably the most childish thing I’ve done since I’ve met the girls is the fact I always- Always can’t resist playing with their companions- Three of the most adorable fairies in the whole wide world. They were like little dolls- And I’ve never seen anything like them- So unique that I can’t describe! Their white fluffy ears and white body make them the perfect little ones for nuzzling. They all were pretty similar, albeit one of them was younger and a bit of a baby. There’s a pink one- Chypre, a blue one- Coffret, and the baby one was orange- Potpourri, their colors indicated by various of their traits or accessories like a scarf or their bow or an ornament.
I could rant about your looks all day, I once told the little ones.
Sorry, where was I? Right.
“It still feels awkward that I’m gushing over four teenage girls who can turn into the most powerful type of heroines that saved the world,” I say.
The girls giggle.
“You said it yourself,” Tsubomi laughs, then whispers, ”Maybe the fact we’re the Precure attracted you.”
“Yeah! I can’t recount how many times we saw boys talking about us!” Erika says.
“And just because you’re a boy, doesn’t mean you can’t like girlish things,” Itsuki adds. “Just like me when I realized it thanks to Erika and Tsubomi. I mean, I’m a girl who used to pretend to be a boy and all that, but now I’m fine with showing this side of me.”
I shrug. “Makes sense. *sigh*”
Yuri shoots me a curious look. “What’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Erika shuffles close to nudge me. “Come on, what are friends for?”
I chuckle.
“W-Well... I’m just...” I lost my words in a second. So, a bit of silence occurred, before I thought of something else. “Hey, you know what? I suddenly have an idea.”
“Oh?” They all ask.
“I’m not sure if this is your cup of tea, but you know how people like going on social media and sharing videos of themselves doing stuff? I have a channel on YouTube and it’ll be awesome to make a video with you all. Sounds cool?”
I didn’t see it, but Twilight’s jaw drops open as soon as I said that.
“Yeah, sure!” Tsubomi replies. “You girls?”
“Oh, count me in!” Erika giggles.
“I don’t see why not,” Itsuki says, “Just to embrace my casual side more.”
“Yuri?”
She smiles- something that’s actually pretty rare. “Well, since my friends are in, I wouldn’t want to miss out.”
“Great! You girls are just the best.”
“So! What are we gonna record videos about?”
“Anything will do, Erika! Wanna plan? And I’ll record with y’all when you’re good?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Itsuki nods.
“Sure. As long as we don’t do anything crazy, I’ll be fine.”
“*giggles* Yuri, let’s have some fun together, come on!” Erika giggles.
We all have a good laugh.
************
Normal POV.
Twilight, sitting outside, heard most of the things they said. She can only watch in disbelief- Her best friend, attracted by another group of characters from another world? She slops to the ground, her eyes wide open, trying to process what’s happening in front of her.
Nathan, as her best friend, have been lying to her- Sneaking away to a world of another show.
She trusted him. He was her kind’s ally from Earth. He was her closest friend- Arguably a romantic partner, even. And he’s now hanging out with new friends. This fact sent her some pretty devastating thoughts of what he thought about her. Twilight leans on the glass wall, breathing.
“How could he...?”
For a moment, she couldn’t control herself, sending herself into a spiral of misconceptions.
”You ponies don’t care about me anymore...”
“I know you’re a ruler now. But you promised we will still be just as close...”
“I’m finding some other people to turn to.”
“Someone who’s there for me to have fun with whenever I wish.”
“Someone to record with me, a new spotlight on the channel.”
“Someone... Who cares about me enough to be my friend.”
Twilight clutches her head, slowly turning into insane mode from all the thoughts, like when she panicked when she receives the news she’ll inherit the throne, or that one time she wanted to turn her reports in during the nick of time. She couldn’t believe I was doing this as a friend and thought I thought they aren’t worthy.
She was immediately fuelled with jealousy.
*Cries*
**Bangs on glass**
“Huh?” Coffret turns to the sound.
“What was that sound desuka?” Chypre asks.
They all didn’t even to listen to that- Their ears all perked up when they heard the sound.
“How rude deshu~!” Potpourri squeaks.
The girls look to each other in confusion. Nathan just stands there, going into deep thought, curious and puzzled.
**Back In Equestria.**
Nathan’s POV.
I return to Equestria during the evening. But, as soon as I returned to the Friendship Castle, someone awaits me.
"Luna?" I ask the one before me.
Luna shows a bit of a frown on her face.
"Y-You're home late."
"Oh? Sorry. I was doing something with my friends back home."
Luna shakes her head.
"Nathan, I... I'm curious about something. Twilight isn't doing very well."
"What kind?"
"Insanity."
"Eh?" I ask. "What do you mean, she turned insane?"
"Well, not exactly diagnosis bad, but basically she might've... gone a little off. I don't even know what she's blabbering about, but Twilight does seem to be very mad about something related to you."
I gasp.
"H-How did you know...?"
"I was there. I hear Twilight crying in her room, mentioning things about you."
Then, I remember. I recall the bang on the wall of the Botanical Garden an hour or two ago when I was hanging out with my friends. The fact we saw hardly anybody at all, despite our reaction being almost simultaneous, was another point of suspicion.
And then, it clicked.
"*gasp* Oh no..."
"Huh?"
"L-Luna... Can you do me a favor and teleport me there right now?"
"I don't know if she wants to see you, though."
"Please? Or... Maybe I'll explain all this to you and Tia?"
Luna shrugs. "You can tell me."
***************
When I knocked, Twilight didn't answer me.
I could tell- She saw everything and heard everything I said to them. I am pretty sensitive, so I could tell my words pierced her heart in an unintended way. She was yelling from inside, telling us to leave and let her be. But I never meant to do that. Sure, I've bonded with them the same way, so what? I just wanted some new friends and explore. I, from months ago, did not expect this at all.
I couldn't sleep that night.
Now that Twilight is a leader, I worry if she had the misconception I was making new friends behind their back, they would think I'm leaving her and her friends that I loved so much. She's already jealous, and I can see that through her actions. I have no idea what kind of things she'll do, now that she has absolute power- being the Princess of Friendship, somepony who hates any form of betrayal against the subject... If she was misled by my intention, who knows what she will do?
Originally, I only did this so I could get company when my pony buddies are busy. When my friend introduced me to the show they were in, I was hooked. They were perfect- Pretty, cheerful and strong, just like Twilight and her friends. I had no intention to break apart my bond with the ponies, however. Yeah, I'm crazy into the four now, I'm spending a lot of time with them and we have a great time. That's just what friends do.
I just don't understand what's on Twilight's mind.
So, feeling a little helpless and nervous, I finally spilled the one thing my new friends have yet to know.
*************
"Say what now?"
Erika asks me as we walk around town, just to hang out. Itsuki and Yuri weren't there, but Tsubomi came since, well, she's best friends with Erika, after all. I sigh. I don't want them to get involved in the confusion about me knowing about a whole other world besides planet Earth that even they don't know about, even though they've crossed paths with people like them from other worlds.
I try to describe what that world is like to the two. They seem to be very fascinated, but I can tell they were trying to keep their composure as I said it in a moody manner.
"Indeed," I reply. "I am from Earth, per se. It's a long story, how I met up with the ponies from another world, that I'll tell you all later. Point is, they found out about the fact I'm sneaking over here to this world."
Tsubomi and Erika exchange a glance.
"What's the problem with that?" Tsubomi asks, tilting her head.
"I know! We should totally meet your friends from there!" Erika exclaims. "We're all from a world beyond yours, it's awesome when we meet people from other worlds, as long they aren't like... *gags*"
"Desert Apostles?" I fill in the blanks.
"Yeah, they stirred up quite the trouble before. Glad they're gone now."
"Well, Tsubomi, Erika, the reason why I'm so nervous about telling you all this... *sigh* Is because... I-I don't want them to think like I'm abandoning them."
“Why would they think that?” Erika asks.
“Well, you see, I’m kind of a big deal back in the pony world Equestria. I’m kind of their ally from Earth. To be honest, I always felt like being loyal to the show they’re in in the past was the reason why I sympathize with them so much. I’ve always been loyal to them. My Little Pony is the show I’ve loved for years on end, even after their version ended.”
“And then, you girls came along.”
Tsubomi, confused, asks, “Oh? Did we... Do something wrong?”
“No, absolutely not. I think it’s natural I start loving another franchise, the one you girls are in. My friend introduced me to you all, and I was hooked. I adored your series- The adventures, the art style, the awesome characters... Everything. Just like I was a year ago, I so desperately wish that I could meet you, Tsubomi. And you too, Erika, and of course Itsuki and Yuri.”
“But now I’m worried. I’ve spent so much time with the ponies- So much passion poured into doing things related to them and being friends with them, that I thought... If I was to suddenly switch over to caring more about you guys, maybe... Maybe they’ll get the wrong idea. My friend Princess Twilight already did.”
“You told us before that you wanted to find and make more friends to keep you company when your friends couldn’t, right?” Tsubomi asks.
“Mhmm, since my friend now rules a whole kingdom.”
“Well, I don’t think you need to worry, Nathan,” She continues. “Friendships aren’t limited to any one kind of people. And you can love whatever franchise you want, but loving one doesn’t stop you from loving others, right? The four of us really like having you as a friend. Timid, but playful and kind. Haha, just like me when I was younger. I’m shy and introverted back then. But now... Friendships with my three best friends really brought out the best in me.”
Erika giggles and pats my shoulder. “You know what? As I said, I’m sure they’re all in for making some new friends from a whole other world again. *whispers* We could also show them we’re the Precure since that’s why you like us. By the way, what do the ponies look like? I would love to meet them if they’re cute. I mean, I always love cute creatures like my fairy Coffret, could we maybe-“
“Erika!” Tsubomi giggles, slapping a hand over her mouth.
“Sorry, Okay? Anyway! The point is! There’s no reason to fear for your conflicting loyalty towards us or them. For one, if you really love the ponies over us, it’s fine! We won’t be mad. And plus, we’re all your friends, and we all care about you.”
I smile.
“Th-Thanks for understanding, but...” I blush. “I’m not sure if Twilight will have the same opinion...”
“Sure she will! If she really is this Princess of Friendship you’re talking about, there’s no reason for her to feel betrayed,” Tsubomi replies.
“Really?”
“Of course!” They both say, winking.
“Hahaha, awwww. You know, I find you girls far cuter than what I see from pony sometimes.”
We all laugh.
***************
*portal woosh*
“Whoa... H-Hey, Twilight.”
The moment I return, I see Twilight in a definitely-not-Fine-But-pretending-to-be-fine State. Her mane is messed up, she’s carrying an innocent but forced smile, and she seems to be very intent on looking at me.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
“Mmmm, Nothing~” Twilight hums, nuzzling against me.
“H-Hey, that tickles, come on,” I say.
Her muzzle soon presses against my nose, and I let out a hideous blush, looking at her smile and focussed eyes.
“Nathan... How much exactly do you like us ponies?”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Uh... Very very much, no?”
“Uh huhhhh....” She says, awkwardly stretching out the syllables, “Reeeeeeeally?”
“Y-Yeah, What?”
I temporarily pull back and I was going to leave the room to do something else, but Twilight decides to reel me back over with magic. I become entrapped in a tight embrace with her two front hooves.
“*giggles* I’m having a rough day... Can you hug me?”
“Uhhh, the hay, Twi?”
“Hm?”
I turn to hug her.
“H-Hey, What’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing... I just suddenly feel depressed...”
I play with her mane a little as she squeezes tighter.
“You are really affectionate, huh...”
“Oh, because I’m your best friend, am I not?”
I want to let go, but Twilight would not let me out.
“Twi? Can you let go now?”
She shakes her head, nuzzling her muzzle against me as she did so.
“Stay, my friend...”
“Wh-Wha?”
“You know why I’m asking this...”
I make a confused face. “I have no idea what you’re talking about...?”
“Don’t you lie!” Twilight cried, a tear leaking out. “You’re hanging out with another group of friends!”
“Ohhhhhh, that? What’s the problem?”
I try to finagle my way out of the hug.
“Let me go!”
“Only if you admit that you love us more than them!”
“What do you mean!? I always loved you girls...”
I am absolutely mind-boggled at this point, I don’t even care, I just fling her off. But, unexpectedly, she just tackles me right on her bed. I don’t want to, but I struggle. I don’t even know what she’s so mad about.
“Nathan... All that stuff I heard... You’re trying to replace me and the ponies or something?”
“What? No!”
“You sound like you want to.”
“I’m not.”
“Nate, I thought you liked our show- And that’s always been a fact. Now you’re going to like some other franchise out of nowhere? You know, when I found you sneaking out that morning... I wondered what you’ve been doing, so secretive you have to do it when nopony knows. All the excuses are made clear- So you’ll rather hang out with them?”
“Twilight, what are you trying to say?”
She lets go.
“I’m saying that I suspect that just because we, and especially I, am now ruling over a nation, and can’t record with you and have fun with you... Just because of that, you’ve decided to find a ‘replacement’ for us!”
“What the- What!?”
Twilight cries.
“It’s not like I don’t care about you, Nathan... I really wanted to hang out with you too... And now you found someone else? Have you forgotten about me?”
“N-No, I-“
“Whatever, I just don’t want to talk to you, until you cancel the portal connection with their world. I know I mean so much to you, and the same for you to me... I love you, but... I just can’t imagine you finding new best friends!”
She runs out the door.
“Twilight!”
I drop to the floor. I’m shocked- She has never spoken to me like that before-
Why am I rhyming so much? Hold on, let me try that again.
I fall to my knees. Why did she just speak to me like that? She’s never said things like that in the past. She always tried to understand me and what I want to say before voicing her opinions. And now she just rushes out the door, completely ignoring me!
My head dips down as I hear a woosh behind me.
“Nathan-San?”
It was a fairy’s voice. A cute one, in fact. Then came two more.
“What happened desuka?” Chypre asks, flying in front of me.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Coffret follows.
Potpourri comes over to nuzzle me, hoping that will make me feel better.
“Feel any better deshu?”
“No, Potpourri... Thanks, but I don’t think your trick on Itsuki will work on me.”
“Hate to say it, but he has a point.”
I turn my head to find Itsuki and the others coming from the portal. I sigh and get up, holding her fairy.
“Let me fill you girls in...”
***************
Normal POV.
Twilight sits on a hilltop, looking over Ponyville, to get a better state of mind.
The sun sets, making way for a peaceful evening and about to enter the night. Usually, Nathan would be here to accompany Twilight to watch- We used to do that all the time. He would ruffle his friend’s mane, as she tickles his sides, making them giggle to no end.
But she has no room in her heart for negotiation tonight.
She’s confused, disappointed, and jealous all at the same time. She thought he found new friends and she thought he didn’t care about them, evident from how often he started going to their world in the past few months, and lesser times actually spent with her and her friends. She just didn’t want him, such a special and symbolic person in their world, going off to having ties with another show that aimed at the exact same fanbase, carried about the same message, and with the similarly lovable characters like hers does.
”Why must you leave just because we don’t seem to find you anymore?” She ponders. ”We always cared for you... And now you’ll leave us to please another show and their characters?”
From a distance, a certain fairy uses her magic powers behind the princess.
“Her heart flower is the Yellow Rose desu...” Chypre states.
“I didn’t know ponies had heart flowers,” Coffret says, “Oh no... And it’s wilting desu...”
“The yellow rose stands for Friendship and Joy,” Potpourri adds, then letting out a frown. “How sad deshu... She thought Nathan-san forgot about her...”
The one accompanying the three motions for them to lay low as she steps near Twilight.
“Excuse me, are you Princess Twilight?”
Twilight turns- To Find a human girl she recognizes. She immediately turns back.
“Yes, what do you want from me now?”
Yuri doesn’t reply and silently sits down right next to the princess.
“You are Yuri, one of Nathan’s new friends, right?”
Yuri nods. “Tsukikage Yuri. Now, I heard from Nathan, he said you’re not doing very well?”
Twilight nods.
“I know you’re a good friend of his. And... I wish to help. Could you tell me-“
“You took him away...”
Yuri hesitates.
“*chuckles* Yeah, Nathan’s happier with you all, no?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
The pony sighs.
“When I first met Nate, he is this cool, awesome guy that my friends and I loved hanging out with. He’s from a whole other world, and we wanted to know more about him so much. We always chat and play together, and even record some of his videos as well. I don’t think Nathan and I have had a single fight. We love each other so much, we’re pretty much a couple. I hoped that he would stay forever, just like how he loved the show years ago, and never forgot about us even when it ended, again, several years ago.”
“*sigh* But then... You all came along.”
Yuri was a little surprised by her sudden change in tone.
“Someone who he admired more than us... When I became the ruler of my nation, my friends and I were, indeed, very busy and didn’t have much time to do our own things, especially for me. I feel like all this kinda is my fault... If I spent more time with Nathan, he might realize how much I care for him... And now he’s finding you girls to replace us in the videos he’ll make on his channel. I just... Don’t want him to forget me. And at this rate, he will at some point... I just can’t bear to lose against you girls- Losing him, who has meant so much to me.”
Twilight curls into a ball and starts sighing and slowly crying. Yuri hesitates, before putting out a hand to comfort her.
“Your Highness,” Yuri says, “We never meant to do such a thing as to take him away from you. Friendships are not limited to anyone in any world. Nathan can like us, but he can still be in love with you girls too. He’s a great friend- And we feel so lucky to have him as a friend, even though he’s much older than us. You all should be glad too, that he’s willing to extend his hands of friendship to you all.”
“Friends ultimately have their own things to do. Duties to fulfill. And over time, it’s easy to be so caught up in what you’re doing yourself that you forgot about the ones around you. But when you really think about your friends during these times, you’ll find just how much you miss them, how much you care, and how much you want to see them. Nathan’s been telling us about this recently, and I think that without a doubt, he yearns for your care and friendship proved to him.”
Twilight stops crying and finally looks at her.
“But... But I really do love him as a friend...”
“You understand the importance of friendship, don’t you? If you both can understand each other, and know what each other is going through, he’ll understand just how much you cared about him. He is kind of misled by the fact you haven’t been hanging out a lot with him like you used to. Now, he knows that he is wrong to think that way.”
“Yuri-san is Right!”
The two turn, to find Tsubomi, Erika, and Itsuki, all with their fairy partners.
“Nathan really cares about you, your highness!” Tsubomi says, with a hint of passion.
“Onegai! He doesn’t want to see you mad!”
That was weird. I’ll change it...
“Please! He doesn’t want to see you mad!” Erika begs.
“Nathan-San is really sorry about all this. Please give him a chance!” Itsuki says, bowing.
Twilight gasps and a frown can be seen on her face. It was then Nathan finally steps into the scene. He walks slowly towards her, then crouching down to talk to her.
She turns away.
"Nathan, I..."
He sits down and pats her head from behind.
"Twilight, you feel any better now?"
"*sniff* Stop comforting me..."
"Why?"
"I said a bunch of meaningless words to you... I was being selfish... I was being naive..."
He chuckles. "What are you saying to yourself, Twi?"
"*sniff* Don't you... Hate me? For mistaking your feelings about us? I never really knew you felt so... Lonely, when we took on our new roles. So when I found out you were going to another world, I instantly thought you were trying to make new friends to replace us. I feared that if you did, which you kinda ended up doing... You'll..."
*Sobs*
"You wouldn't want to hang out with us anymore..."
He stays silent and just hugs her. Twilight tries to pull away.
"I've always cared about you. No matter how busy I was. You're always on my mind, and I always hoped that I could see you and we can have some fun, away from the stress of my work. I'm sorry I acted that way last night, yelling at how you don't care about us and pay more attention to them. I shouldn't have been preventing you to make new friends, but to encourage that. I just... Got the wrong idea."
He ruffled her mane, making her giggle at the familiar touch.
“You apologize too much,” He laughs, “I was not mad at you, Twilight, but rather confused at what you were saying, nothing more. You’re on my mind too. You know, my new friends... This new show I’m into... When I got into it, I knew at once by using the spell you used to reach out to me, I’ll be able to meet them. So I did exactly that. My intention, if you haven’t figured it out already, was only to simply make some new friends and see what new things about friendship I can find by being friends with other people- Different cultures, different style, and different personalities.”
“I don’t blame you for misunderstanding. I had this thought too- That you’ll think I am abandoning you all for them. But the truth is that I am certainly not. You’re still my best friends, and they’re friends of mine too- That’s just how it is, and it wouldn’t change. ’Make new Friends, but keep the old,’ am I right?”
He gives a cute wink.
“*chuckles* Thanks, buddy.”
“You’re so welcome, Twi.”
They have a nuzzle before letting go, and standing back up.
“So!” He says, clapping his hands, “You girls! Wanna introduce yourselves?”
They all shrug. Not even a minute after they finished, the group hears a yell.
“Twilight!!!!”
She turns a few times before she sees her assistant fly over.
“Spike! What’s the rush?”
“Th-th-th-th-The Changelings!”
“Huh? Aren’t they-”
“Chrysalis! Invasion! Defense! NOW!”
Twilight and Nathan gasp.
“She did WHAT now!?” She yells. “Did she start a civil war!?”
Spike nods vigorously. That’s when Nathan had a brilliant idea.
“Girls?”
“Yes?” The group of seven replies.
“Huge favor? Please?”
“What’s the matter desuka?” Coffret asks.
He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself and structure together on how to explain all this in the shortest time possible.
“*quickly* Okay, the pony world has this hostile race called the changelings led by Queen Chrysalis, who has now defeated the ruler of the good changelings in a sudden civil war and is now apparently about to attack the rest of Equestria. Capiche?”
The teenagers eyeball each other.
“*groan* Precure. NOW.”
“Ohhhhhhh!” They all giggle.
“Sure thing!” Tsubomi replies. “We haven’t done this in a while, and we’re eager to get back into it!”
Erika pounded her chest with a fist. “Just leave it to us! This should be no problem!”
“Don’t underestimate the changelings,” Twilight says in a serious tone. “They can shapeshift into different things at their own will- a perfect way of distraction.”
Yuri nods. “She is right. We may have beaten hundreds of Sunackies from the Desert Apostles before, and I’m willing to bet there are going to be many of them. There’s no room for being cocky.”
“Right,” Itsuki agrees, “The worst thing you can do is to underestimate your opponent.”
“Well! What are we waiting for desu!?” Chypre cries.
“We need to get there now desu!” Coffret follows.
Twilight raises an eyebrow.
“Uhhh... Nate?”
“Yes?”
“Did the... Whatever those things are...” She points at the fairies.
“Yep. They talk.”
“Okay... And how are they supposed to-”
“I know, the group doesn’t look powerful, but trust me, you will see. No need to bring the Royal Guard.”
“What!?”
Potpourri makes an unamused face and squishes against Twilight’s muzzle.
“How dare you underestimate my dear Itsuki deshu!”
“Ahhhhh! Get her off of me!”
The fairy bangs her little stubby hands on the Alicorn’s horn before Itsuki pulls her away. The rest of them give a short laugh or a smile, before returning to the matter at hand.
“Right! Then let’s get this party rolling!” Erika says enthusiastically, putting her hand in the center of the group.
The other three were quick to do the same, then throwing their hands into the air.
****************
Nathan’s POV.
Twilight called her other friends over to assist the defense on our way to the new changeling kingdom. It looks like they are tucked in for the night early- The perfect time for a sudden attack. But, rather than initiating the attack right away, we thought it would be much safer for the sun to come out, and lure the changelings out. If we attack the moment we arrived, it would much more difficult to infiltrate into the base as the entirety of the changelings would heavily guard the passages to the throne room.
So what we did was set up a temporary camp and wait out the night. Our friends arrived a little later. The fairies agreed to get up early and raise an ear for any abnormalities.
Our plan was extremely simple. As the girls will transform into the legendary heroines, the Precure, I knew they will have no trouble handling the front line. Therefore, the plan is that they will attack first to plow right through the major defenses. Given Chrysalis’ impatience to attack, Spike predicted she will likely send in almost the entirety of the horde, only to fall right into our defense trap. Once the situation slowly becomes manageable, Twilight and her friends will come out to aid the fight, pushing the rest of the horde back under control. With this distraction, the Precures will rush straight to the throne room, with Spike and I to lead the way and detect any other hostilities inside the base. We then split, so I can free the innocent changelings that have been captured alive, while the Precure attack.
That wasn’t simple at all, but you guys want it that way, so fine.
*****************
“Tsubomi!”
“Erika!”
“Itsuki!”
The three girls wake up at an instant.
“They’re here?”
“Yes deshu!” The fairies alert.
They quickly call me up and the rest of the gang.
“How in the world are we supposed to defend when we just woke up?” Starlight asks.
I smile. “Yuri, do you have the heart pot?
“Right here,” She replies, holding up a glass pot filled with colorful objects that look like candies. “Are you trying to find a heart seed?”
“Yep! Which one is the seed that gives you energy again?”
Potpourri grabs the pot and takes a look.
“Let me see deshu... Aha! Found it!”
“One of you, heart perfume!”
“Right here!” Tsubomi says, holding her Heart Perfume up.
The heart perfume is a pale, elongated spray-like object. The base is a very pale variant of the Cures' theme color with a vine design and either side. A thickly ornate gold plate is on the middle, lined in a dark variant of the Cures' color. At the middle is a large hole for the Heart Seed. On top is a gold, leafy shape with a small hole on it. A similar hole is also on the white rosebud on top of it.
Twilight’s eyes open up in curiosity. “What’s it do?”
“It can be used with the heart seeds from their heart pot to give us different additional powers,” I explain, inserting a magenta heart seed into the slot. “This one is the saintly perfume- One spray is the key- So let’s go all out!”
As soon as I give the ponies a spray of the perfume, they immediately got their mojo back.
“Haha, woo! I feel much more in the zone now!” Rainbow Dash says with enthusiasm.
Pinkie giggles, admiring the glitter effect. “Oooooh! Pretty!”
The others giggle.
“Seriously, Pinkie?” Applejack asks, “These powers are so cool, and you’re admirin’ the glitter?”
“These perfumes are also the key to helping the girls transform,” I explain further. “We just need their Precure seeds.”
“So where are they?” Twilight asks.
“Leave it to us deshu!” Potpourri replies.
“Alright then,” I say. “You girls, have fun!”
“Will do!” They all reply.
