//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Kindness // Story: Shattered Harmony Part 1 - The Call // by Phazon_Corrupted_Unicorn //------------------------------// Amant stretched, groaning as he did so. He smiled at the sun as it peeked through his windows, then climbed out of bed and moved to the door, shaking his mane as he did so. He reached a hoof out and rested it on the doorknob. He opened the door and strode out into the bright, morning light. He felt the warmth of the sun beat down on his fur and he sighed. He bounced along the road, heading for the construction site when he froze. A cold breeze blew over him, sending a shiver up his spine, and he felt like he was being watched. He narrowed his eyes as he glanced around. Not seeing anypony out in the open, he directed his attention to the shadows that clung to the trees around him. He didn’t see anything and was about to keep walking when he was bowled over by a pink bolt. He grunted and tried to twist away, but found his assailant’s grasp to be too strong. He stared up at the pony and saw that it was a dark pink Earth Pony with a mane like a curtain. Her dark blue eyes drilled into his as she stared down at him, then smiled. “Good, I got the right one,” she said, her voice low and thick. She sat back and let him get up. He backed away from the mare. She smiled at him, a smile that made him think of a serial killer, and shook a hoof. “Tsk tsk tsk, you don’t want to do that. I’ve got a bit of information that you might want to know about the Element of Kindness.” Amant blinked in surprise and his ears perked up in interest. “What about her?” he asked cautiously. “Just that she and the other four are at Princess Twilight’s castle today. It seems like Discord brought back an old friend. The Princess has canceled court today and she’s called her five friends,” the mare said, standing up and strolling past him, “which means I should be getting along. Can’t wait to see what that Chaotic being has brought in to help us now.” “Wait!” Amant shouted, and the mare paused, turning back to look at him. She raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” “Who are you?” “I’m just somepony that knows a lot about what’s going on,” she replied, continuing to walk down the lane until she turned a corner and vanished from view. “Wait!” Amant yelled louder, running down the lane and around the corner, only to bowl right into a pink obstacle. They rolled for a bit until he felt the obstacle bounce off him and land a few hooves away. He flipped over and settled into a chase position, only to stop and blink. Pinkie Pie shook her head. “Whoa,” she said, her eyes all dizzy, “that was a doozy. But I don’t think that was the doozy I was supposed to have. Oh, hi Amant! Glad I could finally meet up with you!” “That’s great Pinkie,” Amant stated, stopping her before she could go off into another mind numbing rave, “did you see a dark pink mare come around this corner?” Pinkie sat back and thought for a bit. “Nope,” she said finally, “I’ve only seen you. Although I don’t know what I’m doing out here. I usually just sleepwalk to the fridge and eat some cupcakes, especially the rainbow frosted ones. Those are the best…” She started to drool as her mind wandered. “Thanks Pinkie,” Amant turned and headed back down the road. “Oh, hey! Where are you going?” Pinkie asked, snapping out of her imagination and rushing up behind him. “I’m heading to Princess Twilight’s castle,” he replied, “something about the other Elements being there.” “Ooo, so you’ve heard about the new pony that’s come to Ponyville?” Pinkie said, bouncing along. “New pony?” “Oh, so I guess you haven’t! Discord brought a friend of Twilight’s from the other world back through the swirly portal. I got a letter about it this morning,” Pinkie said, then stopped and brought a hoof to her chin, “come to think about it, that was about the time I fell asleep. Funny, I had plenty of sweets this morning, and got plenty of rest. Why would I fall asleep after waking up? Huh.” She shrugged, then bounced down the lane. Amant stared after her, then just shook his head and followed the hyperactive mare. : : : Amant stared up at the crystal tower. He’d only seen it from afar, never from right in front of it. It seemed to soar above his head, shining in the sunlight of late morning and throwing sparkles of light across the surrounding area. He jumped back as the golden doors swung open noiselessly to reveal Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. The five mares moved forward and smiled as they saw him. Sweetie Belle smiled wide as she caught his gaze, while Scootaloo scowled when he looked at her. “Hey Amant!” Apple Bloom cheered, waving at him which helped him relax. He smiled back at her and she tilted her hat down slightly to shade her eyes from the sun. He walked up the drawbridge to her. “Come to see Sunset?” she asked and he raised an eyebrow. “Sunset?” he inquired. “Yeah, she’s somepony that’s come through the portal thing that my sister always talks about,” Sweetie Belle stated, “she got here last night.” Amant nodded as he felt something deep within guide him toward the door beyond the five mares. He stepped around the mares and headed toward the entrance hall. The five mares glanced at each other, then shrugged and followed him. Amant walked down the carpeted hall and he paused at two, golden doors. He pressed a hoof to it and small sparks shot from his hoof into the door. He yanked his hoof back as the doors swung open silently, revealing a hallway decorated with crystal windows that sparkled with color as the light shone through them. As Amant slowly walked down the hall, he glanced at each window. Each one was filled with different symbols. A trio of apple, a trio of balloons and a red, yellow, and blue thunderbolt lancing out of a white cloud adorned the windows to his left, while the windows on his right held a trio of butterflies, a trio of blue gems, and a star burst with five white stars arranged around it. He looked away as his attention was pulled to the doors at the opposite end of the hall. These doors were golden like the rest, but in them were embedded gems carved to look like the windows. Though, as he studied them, there was something off about them. It was almost as if they were set lower than they were supposed to be. He raised a hoof to trace the trio of butterflies and glanced at the other five. He ran his hoof in a circle, touching each one. Then he noticed something at the top of the circle. Where there was a blank space at the bottom, like the artist had purposefully vacated that area, the top area had a wider space. He measured with his hoof and found that there were two, empty spaces at the top of the circle. He placed his hoof at the point where another group of symbols could fit at the bottom, then yanked it away as the doors swung open like the previous set had. Beyond the doors was a large chamber, similar to the council chamber back in the Empire. But, unlike the council chamber, this one only held six thrones, each one spaced equidistant around a circle carved on the ground. A six pointed star glistened on the circle, each point resting under a throne, and upon each of the six thrones bore a mare. Amant recognized Applejack sitting on her crystal throne with an apple-shaped gem embedded into the crown of it. She saw him and smiled, then turned back to the mare sitting in the middle of the star. This mare, Amant guessed, must be Sunset. She was a Unicorn, her horn poking through her red and yellow mane and her soft, orange coat contrasted nicely with the red and yellow sun that she bore on her flank. She seemed like the kind of pony that would be full of confidence and power, but at this point she only seemed like she wanted to cower. She held her head up, but her tail twitched occasionally and Amant could see her adjust her front hooves as she sat there, enduring the gaze of six mares, each one on a throne. One of the mares, a purple Alicorn with a purple, magenta, and dark blue mane, looked up as he stepped into the room. He caught a flash of irritation, then it vanished as quickly as it had come. “To what do I own this visit?” she asked, her voice ringing with authority. “Your highness,” Amant said, bowing his head, “I was unaware that you were busy. I had received word that Princess Twilight Sparkle had received a long time friend from another world. I also felt the need to visit with this friend. It appears that I have come at the wrong time.” He started to back away, but stopped when the Alicorn stepped down from her throne. “And who was it that told you this?” she asked. “It was a dark pink Earth Pony, your highness.” He kept his head down, so as not to look her in the eye, so he missed the glance that the Alicorn shared with Pinkie Pie, who sat across the room from her. “And why would you want to come see her?” the Alicorn asked. “Oh, come now!” A voice rang through the chamber, causing the five mares behind him to jump, as well as the Alicorn. “Discord! Show yourself!” the Alicorn shouted. Amant looked up to see a lion’s paw pop out of her ear, followed by an arm, and eventually an entire creature made of mismatched body parts. The creature cackled and floated in the air above the ponies. “Did you miss me, Twilight? I missed you,” the creature, Discord, Amant assumed due to the glare that the Alicorn was giving him. “It’s very lonely being encased in stone, yeah yeah. I get it, Discord. You say that every time you’re gone for a long time.” The Alicorn rubbed her temples as if trying to fight off a headache. “But that’s our normal greeting,” Discord looked hurt, sticking out his bottom lip and slithering around the throne bearing a butter yellow Pegasus mare. He winked at her and she smiled back at him, then he turned his attention back to the Alicorn, “you of all ponies should love routine?” “Enough! Why are you here?” He snapped his fingers and Trixie appeared in the room, dazed by the sudden teleportation. “Because I want to introduce you all to the seven ponies that are going to help you save Equestria!” Each pony in the room gasped and stared at the mismatched creature. “W-what are you talking about?” the Alicorn asked. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, surely you’ve read enough books to know what I’m talking about?” Discord asked, then stared at all the stunned faces. He laughed, leaping back into the air, then vanished with the snap of his fingers, filling the ceiling with a large, pink cloud. “Go back to the beginning, go read a history book. Go back to the tree, go take a look!” his voice echoed through the chamber as the cloud vanished with a pop and jellybeans rained down on the inhabitants of the room. Princess Twilight just sat there as jellybeans fell from the sky and grumbled about Gods of Chaos and not making sense. Finally she snapped back to reality. “Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy, go to the Tree of Harmony. That must be the tree he’s talking about.” The three mares nodded and ran out of the room. Twilight turned to the other two mares sitting on thrones, “Rarity and Pinkie Pie will help me…” She paused as Amant turned to follow the three mares out the chamber. She furrowed her brow and lit her horn, slamming the doors closed. “Where do you think you’re going?” she growled and Amant glanced over his shoulder at her, “Discord said something about you seven ponies are going to help us save Equestria.” “That’s correct,” Amant replied, lighting his horn and throwing the doors open. Twilight gasped as her aura vanished, “and that means I need to be about my business.” He started to walk down the hall when two guards stepped forward and crossed spears in front of him. “Her highness told you to stay put,” one growled. Amant raised an eyebrow, then snapped both spears with his magic. “She is no princess to me, the Empire does not recognize her,” he said. A flash of light and Twilight stood in front of him, obscuring his path. He smirked up at her while she glared down at him. “You are going to go back into that room and we are going to figure out what Discord meant,” she growled, her wings spread. “No, I’m not,” Amant said, sidestepping her and walking past, “like I said, the Empire does not recognize you as a princess. And besides I took no orders from anypony in the Empire, and I’m not going to take orders from you.” Pain shot through his side and he rolled several hooves before stopping at the wall. He turned to glare at Twilight with her hoof raised. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna gave me Ponyville as the beginning of my realm, that means each and every pony within its boundaries is under my rule,” she stated, slowly walking toward him as he stood up, “that includes you.” She punctuated the last word by slamming a hoof into the ground, cracking the crystal floor. “No, that doesn’t.” Twilight gritted her teeth, then threw him with her magic, slamming him into a pillar. She suspended him from the ground, with her magic around his body.”What is wrong with you?” she whispered, a fire in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Princess?” Amant growled, his horn lighting and blasting Twilight back, “what’s wrong!? What’s wrong is that I’ve just spent the past few days in a backwater town in Equestria, dealing with you country bumpkins and your stupid morals! I came here because I have to, because if I don’t, the entire world we stand on will vanish within half a year. Equestria will be no more, and all you ponies care about is making bits and spreading friendship! The Empire has orchestrated events to bring us to this point, and all you want to do is ignore the very danger that will destroy everything you work toward! I’m sitting here, trying to make you all see sense by helping the Elements because I was asked to by Princess Luna! Now excuse me if I don’t care about your orders. I’m doing what is best for the world, not for you!” And with that, he picked Twilight up and threw her back into the chamber, slamming her into her throne. Then he turned and stormed out, heading after Applejack, Rainbow, and Fluttershy. : : : Apple Bloom watched him go. The longer she waited, the stronger the urge to run after him became. Finally she could hold back no more. She dashed down the hall and out into the sunlight as her friends cried out after her. She glanced around as she exited the castle, looking for where Amant went. She caught sight of him stomping down the path and she ran after him. As she crept closer, she could hear him muttering to himself. She slowed down a few hooves behind him and matched his speed. She didn’t know what to say to him, so she just watched him walk. She found her eyes skimming over his coat, coming to rest on his flank. It wasn’t as muscular as other flanks she’d seen, but it was shapely. She could see the muscles move while he walked, his mane dancing in the slight breeze as it blew around his horn. The breeze bombarded her with his scent, sweet like a rose, but soft like feathers. She smiled as she remembered the few times she’d been at the site, working, and had caught him looking at her. For some reason it made her warmer, her face would flush and she would find herself spending a bit more time in the morning getting ready whenever she went to the site. She flipped her tail once, trying to cool herself off as she walked, finding herself growing warm. Thoughts of him standing next to her as they would watch the sun set, then kissing her as the moon rose. Finally she would lead him like a puppy dog back to the farmhouse and into her bedroom where he would… “What are you-?” Amant’s voice broke her out of her thought process and snapped her back to the present, but not before she walked straight into him and knocked him over. She let out a cry of surprise and fell on top of him. She closed her eyes and gasped, only to find her mouth covered with something else. Whatever it was, it was soft and tender and slightly squishy. She cracked her eyes open a sliver to see a dark shape beneath her. She opened them wider to come eye to eye with Amant, her mouth pressed against his. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what she was doing and she tried to stand up, only to have Amant’s forelegs wrap around her barrel and pull her close, their mouths connecting again. This time, she felt something slippery poke at her lips and she gasped involuntarily, parting them. The slippery thing darted in and danced around her mouth, she realizing it was Amant’s tongue. She moaned as she felt herself growing warm at his dominance. She pulled away, only to have him follow her. They ended up falling over again, this time Apple Bloom was on bottom. She let out a heated gasp as her back hit the ground, finding her mouth and tongue waging a war that she was losing. A small part of her wanted to just give in, to give up and let him be the victor. She let out another moan as he pulled back and she stared up at him, his mane shining in the sunlight and his dark eyes obscured by shadows but she could tell he was staring into her eyes. She panted heavily as he stood over her and moaned at his loss. She craned her neck forward and kissed his neck. She could feel the moan that came up through his throat until it leaked out into the world. He growled softly and she squirmed, pressing up against his hind legs. She felt her body get cold and hot at the same time and she wrapped her hind legs around his barrel, panting. “Why?” she gasped, “why did you leave?” She kissed down his neck, reaching a hoof up to run it through his mane. She felt his body get stiff and he reached up with his hooves and pushed her off him. She blinked in surprise, then shrank under the simmering glare he gave her. “Why?” he whispered, “because I’m trying to accomplish my mission and nopony seems to care about that. All I’ve seen you ponies care about are bits and friendship. None of that is going to matter if I can’t finish my mission.” Sparks fell from his horn, green trickles of light that fell onto her mane and made it tingle. “I need to succeed, otherwise there won’t be an Equestria to worry about. If the world isn’t ready in six months, the Shardbreaker will return and there won’t be anything we could do to stop him.” A small heart blossomed from his horn, green laced with black fire, and gently rested on her forehead. It sat there for a few seconds, warming her, until it sank into her skin. It filled her entire body with heat, different from the furnace she felt. It was like a warm blanket, comforting and gentle. As Apple Bloom gazed up into Amant’s eyes, he didn’t seem so off anymore. She’d never really thought about it before, but there had been something weird about him, but it seemed to vanish like fog in the sunlight as she watched him. Amant stepped back and helped her up, then he turned away from her to stare at the Everfree Forest. “My mission needs to succeed,” he said softly, “I need to see how much each of the Element Bearers knows and understands about their elements and the others. Otherwise we won’t be able to do anything. Not even the strongest armies can stand against the Shardbreaker. The last time he came here, he shattered Harmony, but was stopped by a single, white Alicorn.” “How do you know this?” Apple Bloom asked, watching him. “We have books in the Empire that nopony has even heard of, much less read for over a thousand years,” he stated, glancing at her, his eyes now warm, “books that have been lost to the outside world, beyond the lands you ponies refer to as the Badlands. We watch and study, guided by the Creator. We guide the events of the nations around us. We were there when the Crystal Empire vanished. We witnessed the fall of the Creator to the Betrayer. We even watched for the night that the Creator would return. We have played each nation like a game, directing their hand, hoof, or claw to this very moment. The other nations are being prepared, it is only Equestria that is lacking. I have made it my personal goal to get this nation ready. I have to start with the Elements. They are the nation’s greatest weapons and defense. The Creator has spent her time wisely, preparing her soldiers and technicians throughout her banishment. The Cannon is almost ready. In six months, when everything comes to a head, we will deal the final blow to the Shardbreaker, healing this world and guiding it into a new age of prosperity and safety. The nations will combine against Him, uniting under one flag.” “What can I do to help?” the question was out of her mouth before Apple Bloom could think. He turned to look at her, a smile on his face and a fire in his eyes. “Keep doing what you’re doing,” he said, “we need a base outside the Empire. You’re helping to build it. Just get it done as soon as possible, then we can both move on to more important matters.” Apple Bloom nodded, then turned to walk back to the site, a spring in her step. “Wait!” Amant’s cry made her pause and turn to look at him. “Yes?” “What tree? Discord mentioned a tree, where would a special tree be?” “Everfree Forest, Ah’ve heard mah sister talk about the Tree o’ Harmony, located close to the old castle where they fought Nightmare Moon.” Amant smiled at her and she felt a wave of heat pass through her, causing a smile to erupt onto her own face. They both nodded, then turned and ran in opposite directions. Apple Bloom headed for the site, eager to finish Amant’s house, while Amant ran toward the large forest that lined one side of the town. As Apple Bloom ran as fast as her hooves could carry her down the path, she flashed by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle who were running up the path after her. They skidded to a halt, then watched their anxious friend run off, a slight whiff of something sweet chasing after her. The two mares sniffed and both came to the realization of the scent at the same time. Sweetie Belle sighed, smiling at the idea, then trotted after Apple Bloom. Scootaloo burned with anger. She spun around and spied the dark figure of Amant far off in the distance. Her eyes danced with a fire in them and she took off running, fully intending to make this stallion pay for what he’d done to Apple Bloom. : : : Amant hurried down the path, heading for the Everfree Forest. He ran around a house, only to see Applejack and the two Pegasi emerge from the forest. He assumed the rainbow maned Pegasus was Rainbow Dash, so the other one, who was currently shivering in fright and trying to hide behind her mane, must be Fluttershy. He trotted closer, trying to catch his breath, until the three mares caught sight of him. Applejack smiled and waved, while Rainbow looked him up and down and Fluttershy started to shake even more. “Hello, Applejack!” he shouted as he came within hearing distance. “Heya, Amant,” Applejack replied, smiling at him, “what’s up? Need me ta answer any more questions?” He smiled. “Nah,” he said, “you’ve helped me out more than you’ll know. Actually I hope you will find out how much you’ve helped me and Equestria. But no, I’ve come here to ask either of your Pegasus friends a few questions.” “Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering in midair and folding her arms, “what kind of questions? Want to know why I’m so awesome?” She struck a pose as Applejack sighed. “If there anything like the questions he asked me,” she said, yanking on Rainbow’s tail with a hoof, “then they ain’t about your ‘awesomeness’, as ya’ll like ta call it. It’s about yer Element o’ Harmony.” “Oh yeah! Loyalty!” Rainbow said, puffing out her chest, “you ain’t gonna find anypony more loyal than me! And Fluttershy here is the kindest pony you could find!” She swooped down and hugged Fluttershy, who gave out an almost silent yelp. She flinched away from Amant’s gaze as she tried, as far as he could tell, to hide her entire body behind her pink mane. He gave her a warming smile, which she returned shyly. “Now, what I’d like to know is-” Amant began to say before being plowed into the ground by something about his size. He blinked the dust out of his eyes as he stared up at the livid face of Scootaloo. “Lying, rotten stallion!” she bellowed at him, making his ears ring, before raising up and slamming a hoof into the side of his head, disorienting him. “She’s my friend!” she shouted with another hoof to the head in emphasis. “She’s your foremare!” she screamed, battering his head against the ground. “And you took advantage of her!!” She wrapped her hooves around his neck, raised him up off the ground, then slammed his head against a rock jutting out from the ground. His head pounded with each hit. He flung up his hooves in defense but found them batted away before the assault continued. “Scootaloo!” Rainbow shouted, wrapping her hooves around Scootaloo’s barrel and lifting her into the air as she squirmed to get free, her hooves still swinging, “what is wrong with you?” “He took advantage of Apple Bloom!” she shouted, jabbing a hoof at the stunned and bruised stallion. The declaration made Rainbow pause, almost losing hold of the squirming mare. Applejack glared down at Amant, who lay in the dirt as he nursed his bruised head. “Is this true?” she said, venom dripping from her words. “No it’s not! I swear!” Amant defended. “Then why does she smell like it?” Scootaloo bellowed. “I don’t know!” Amant shouted back, his throat starting to get hoarse from all the shouting he’d done, “she came onto me! She kissed me! I don’t have time for foolishness! I’m here for a specific reason and knocking up a dirt pony is not it!” He yelped as Applejack smacked his cheek as hard as she could. “Don’t ever let me catch you saying that to anypony, ever,” she growled, her accent gone, “If I find out that this is true, you will find yourself a very dead stallion. Got that?” Amant was sure that if looks could kill, he’d be dead three times over from the looks he was getting from Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo. “Um, maybe we should listen to Amant tell us what happened?” Fluttershy squeaked from behind her mane, then yelped as everypony’s attention turned to her, “I mean, isn’t there always two sides to a story? Maybe we should hear his.” Applejack took a deep breath, then let it out. Her glare softened slightly as she turned back to Amant. “She’s right, ya know,” she said, her accent returning, “let’s hear what Amant has ta say.” Scootaloo huffed but didn’t do more than glare at the stallion, as Rainbow set her down, ready to hold her if she decided to attack Amant again. Amant shuffled away from the orange mare, nursing his head with a hoof. He glanced at Applejack and Rainbow, each one glaring at him, then at Fluttershy and nodded his thanks. She smiled at him, brushing aside a strand of mane from her face and sitting down next to Rainbow. “I was walking out of the castle, heading to meet up with you three,” Amant stated, slowly. He glanced at Scootaloo and shrank from her glare. Mares were scary, he decided, then continued, “she came down the lane, I heard her but I didn’t care too much about it. She drew closer and I turned around to ask her what she wanted. When I did, we,” he paused and glanced at the four mares, “well, we kissed.” “What!?” Applejack shouted. “It was an accident!” Amant defended, holding up his hooves to ward off any more strikes, but Applejack seemed to be more surprised than angry. He continued, “I’m not going to lie, I liked it.” Scootaloo gave a snort. “I did! What stallion doesn’t like to kiss a mare, much less an attactive one?” He swallowed as he met Scootaloo’s death glare again, shrinking in stature. “I mean, it all happened so fast that I don’t know what all happened. One minute our lips met and the next I was filled with this feeling of warmth” “That was when you took advantage of her, you dirtbag!” Scootaloo shouted, springing forward to tackle him, but was stopped when Rainbow grabbed her tail. “No, I didn’t,” he demanded, stomping a hoof on the ground, “all I did was kiss her and run off!” “When we saw her after that,” Scootaloo stated, pointing a hoof at Amant, “she smelt like sex! And she was all giddy!” “Well, I don’t know why!” Amant shouted at the mare, his anger rising, “all I did was kiss her! If she did something after that, it’s not my fault!” Scootaloo broke free from Rainbow’s grip and slammed a hoof into Amant’s muzzle, knocking him backward. That was it, Amant decided. He was tired of ponies demanding things of him that he couldn’t give. He was tired of telling the truth and being hated for it. He lit his horn and threw Scootaloo off him and into Rainbow. “You stupid mare!” he shouted, knocking the other two mares back with the volume of his voice, “all I’m trying to do is save this pathetic little town! I’m here to help you and all you can do is harass me about stupid stuff that I didn’t even do! I’m sick and tired of it. If I could, I would go home and never look at this useless country ever again! I would have it burned off our maps! Scoured from the memories of our children! Erased from the history books! But no, I have to deal with your crap every day! I’m not here even a single day when I get some pony wanting to throw a party for me! Leave me all alone!” And with that, he vanished in a flash of green fire that singed the ground where he’d stood. The four mares sat there, stunned at the display. Scootaloo huffed. “Stupid stallion,” she muttered, “I’m trying to protect Apple Bloom as a friend. That means saving her from jerks like you, who just use a mare, then throw her away.” She stood up and shook her coat, then turned and strode off. Rainbow looked at Fluttershy and Applejack. “I’m going after her,” she said, “I’ll help her calm down.” She flapped her wings and took off after the angry mare. Applejack watched her friend go and shook her head. “Ah hope it ain’t true,” she said, “Amant’s a good guy, just maybe he likes ta be alone. Ah can honor tha’.” She turned and headed toward Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy watched her two friends leave. A tear ran down her cheek. She hated to see ponies angry at each other. She hated to see ponies not willing to work things out even more. If there was anything she could do, maybe she could help in the little way she could. She smiled softly to herself, then turned and headed to her cottage. She left her home a few minutes after arriving, carrying a basket full of treats, complete with a fresh apple pie. She trotted down the path, heading to where Applejack had stated Amant was living. She got there after a while and raised a hoof to knock on the door. “I’m tired of ponies.” The voice made Fluttershy freeze. Amant was in there, but it seemed like he was busy. She debated whether or not to follow through with her plan. She wanted to help, but she didn’t want to be a bother. Before she could make up her mind, the door opened and Amant stood there, surprise on his face at the sight of her. “Fluttershy?” he asked, “what are you doing here?” “Oh, um, nothing,” she said, turning around, “I can see you’re busy so I’ll come back later.” She was stopped by the handle of her basket, which she carried in her mouth, being enveloped with green magic and levitated toward the stallion. He popped open the basket and inhaled the sweet scent of cinnamon and spices. “Apple pie?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, yes!” Fluttershy said, flapping her wings a few times as she leaped into the air with a smile, “whenever I’m sad, I like to bake sweets.” A shadow flashed across his face at the mention of sweets and he looked like he was about to give the basket back. Then he thought better of it and levitated it inside. “Would you like to come in?” he asked, “I understand it’s customary to offer guests some refreshments.” “Um, yes, I would love to come inside,” Fluttershy said, landing and following Amant into the small hotel room. She looked around, then lifted up the other side of the basket upon not seeing any dishes, or even a kitchen for that matter. She pulled out a yellow blanket with her cutie mark in the center and laid it out on the bed. She pulled out two plates and forks, along with a knife. She set them to one side and reached in to pull out the apple pie. She smiled as a wave of smell hit her, then she rested the pie on the blanket with a towel underneath it. She raised the knife and slid it into the flaky crust, releasing the smell of cinnamon and apples, before cutting two slices of the pit and placing each one on a plate. She handed one to Amant, with a fork, who took it with a smile. “Now, what happened?” she asked, softly. “I’ve told you what happened,” Amant replied. She nodded. “You’ve told us what happened with Apple Bloom, but not why you’re so angry.” She took a bite out of the pie, letting the flavor wash over her tongue and eliciting a squeak of joy from her. Amant set down his pie, untouched, then looked up at Fluttershy. “You want to hear the whole story?” he asked. She nodded. “The best way to decide who to side with is to know both sides of the story.” Amant took a deep breath, then began to explain everything that had happened that day, even going back as far as when he first got to Ponyville and the trouble he’d had with the construction crew. When he finished, the pie was almost all gone, and both ponies were beginning to smile. “So all that happened over the past few days,” Fluttershy confirmed and Amant nodded. “But,” she continued, “does that really mean that you should be mean to others, just because of what’s happened in the past?” The question caught Amant off guard and he sat there for a time, pondering on it. “Kindness is more than being nice to ponies who are nice to you,” Fluttershy stated, placing a hoof underneath Amant’s chin and turning his face to look at her, “it’s all about being nice to ponies. It doesn’t matter if they’re nice to you. I’ve been pushed around a lot since moving here to Ponyville, and I’ve stood up for myself a few times, but I always try to be nice to everypony, because you never know if a smile could brighten up somepony’s day. They might be looking at you to cheer them up and they might not even know it.” “So you’re saying I should be a doormat?” Amant snapped, and Fluttershy shook her head. “No, of course not,” she said, “I’m a doormat. What you should be is nice to everypony, no matter what. Be a friend to your enemies. Give a gift to ponies that hate you. Extend the hoof of friendship to those who would wish your downfall. That’s what I’m saying.” “Seems Kindness is the hardest Element to emulate,” Amant stated. “Not really. All the Elements are difficult, depending on who you are. Sometimes it’s hard to keep laughing, sometimes it’s hard to tell the truth. But each time you do it, it becomes easier. I may understand the Elements and what they are, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy for me. I hate being in the spotlight, like Pinkie Pie. But laughter requires some focus to be on yourself,” Fluttershy explained, “I’m extremely shy, always have been, but that means that I need to work extra hard on Laughter, and even on Honesty. Telling the truth, no matter what may happen, is easy to recite, but when it comes down to actually hurting ponies’ feelings it takes a great amount of Loyalty and courage. Standing for your friends’ ideals is made that much harder when you might be missing out on fun. Making ponies smile, no matter what’s going on, is easy, except when you might end up hurting other ponies’ feelings. Being nice comes naturally to me, but there still needs to be times when I’m kind to myself. I can’t just give things away, expecting nothing in return, and ignore the friendships I’ve made with ponies. Friendship is the most powerful magic in the world, but it’s without any strength if the Elements that it’s built on aren’t there.” “And what of Love and Tolerance?” “Those may come naturally to others, and even me, but they are what makes true friendships stronger. Loving somepony, despite their mistakes and faults through Tolerance, is just a stronger form of Friendship,” Fluttershy stated, reaching down for another piece of pie and taking a bite out of it. “Thank you Fluttershy,” Amant replied, scraping his plate and setting it down on the bed, “you’ve helped me out a lot. Maybe there is something to Kindness.” “Just do your best,” Fluttershy said, “it’ll become better the longer you work on it. And the first thing I would suggest doing is talking to Twilight or Scootaloo. It seems like they had some misunderstandings about you. You’d better start there. Or at least, that would be my suggestion.” She smiled at him, then packed up the basket and walked to the door. She closed it as she left, leaving Amant sitting on the bed, pondering. He fell backward, giving out a yelp as his bump landed on his pillow. He rubbed it gently with a hoof. “I suppose I should go talk to Scootaloo in the morning,” he said, dropping his hoof back down. He relaxed into the mattress, letting go of his troubles and worries as he drifted off to sleep.