//------------------------------// // Xavier Breakthrough Project, Day 5: Laughter // Story: Days in the Mind of One that is Great and Powerful // by The REAL Mister Pkmn //------------------------------// Trixie’s anxiety over her ever-looming second date with Gearbox was somehow just enough in control to not affect her schoolwork too much. Sure, she had kinda figured out the venue at this point through some research (hey, nobody said she couldn’t have a bookish side), but the idea of going to one of the fanciest places in the city was pretty nerve-wracking in and of itself. But, she knew that worrying about it needlessly would do her no good. So, she kept it out of mind for the rest of the school day. Just as things were wrapping up, however, she thought she saw an anthro go behind the school. She followed, just to be certain, and hid herself. What she saw was unexpected, to say the least. Maestro was facing away from a female pegasus anthro Trixie had never seen before. Her fur was a burgundy yellow, and her hair and tail were sunset orange. Trixie couldn’t make out her eyes for her venue, but when she spoke up, Trixie could tell her eyes were probably as pleading as her voice. “But Josephus~! I’m an anthro now, like you! Why can’t we get back together?” Trixie saw that Maestro was rather mad when he spoke up, judging by how his fur was darkening. “For the last time, Bridget!” When Maestro wheeled around to face “Bridget”, his eyes had taken on a darker hue than normal, and had separate colors; the left now dark green, the right now dark blue. His pupils were slitted again, and his angry glare spoke volumes. “It won’t work out between us! I don't like you anymore! Not after I found out how you were using me! Now unless you want to unleash a cacophony of pain upon yourself, I suggest you drop it! Permanently.” He then clutched his head as his colors went back to normal, and managed an angry look at the frightened anthro. “Leave.” The girl complied, running off with her purple eyes full of tears. Maestro was breathing heavily, and leaned his back against the wall. “Fibbersnitz. I was hoping she wouldn’t show up…” He trailed a hand through his hair, and whispered to himself. “So anger is the trigger, huh? Just gotta keep that in check, then.” Trixie wasn’t exactly certain of what to make of what had just happened, so she decided to leave the area, and maybe talk it over with Maestro later. Xavier was waiting, once again. Pinkie, Cheryl, and Amanda had stepped up to the plate this time. Amanda decided to start things off her way. “Humor is a good way for people to relax and open up to each other, but only when the time is right.” Irritated a little, Xavier huffed. “And how does one know the right time, huh? Or do you just guess?” Pinkie then continued from there. “No, silly! You gotta pay attention to the mood. Laughter is only as effective as the serious moment it disrupts. It’s just nice to have a little breather!” Rolling his eyes, Xavier sounded frustrated. “So it’s not effective at any other time? Then what’s the point? Why bother?” Cheryl then added her opinion. “Because the moments that you laugh alongside your friends will be moments that you cherish, no matter how much time has passed. All of us have a moment that we wish to share with you.” Cheryl decided to go first, motioning to herself. “A particular moment I cherish is back when I first met Regina and the others, before we included Trixie in our group.” She smiled. “We were out camping, and telling funny stories about ourselves. A moment that I will always hold close to my heart.” Pinkie giggled, and shared a little story as well. “My fondest memory with the girls is back before any of us anthrofied, we tried baking together! Needless to say, Kurt and Matt butted heads, and the ensuing competition got batter everywhere! We all had a good laugh about that, even Harry.” Noticing her cue, Amanda shared a story of her own. “I remember back when I first met Reina. She was a bit awkward around me, as well as the others. That was until I sung a cheery song for her. It got her giggling, and seeing her open up was truly a wonderful sight.” She then looked towards Xavier, and pressed the advantage. “Have you and Maestro ever had a time where you enjoyed a joke or a moment where you did something or said something that made you laugh?” For a long moment, Xavier paused. It had been unexpected for them to give examples from their pasts, and now they wanted him to do the same? He knew what their goal in doing this was, and yet… He couldn’t stop himself. He smiled in reminiscence. “Heh. Oh, it was one of our pranks on those that had picked on me in the past. Nothing too groundbreaking, just some simple prank you’d see kids pull on each other. Completely harmless. But the looks on those brats’ faces… priceless.” He shook his head, and frowned. “But, that was the past. I know what you’re trying to do here, but it’s not going to work.” He looked to Maestro. “I still won’t forgive you. We had something great- and you tossed it away. Because you were afraid. And I don’t associate with cowards.” He then turned, and left. Everyone was devastated. Thus far, nothing had worked! Tyra, Micaela, Bethany, Rae, Ashley, Kim, Diana, Flora, Valerie, Carmen, Rarity, Patricia, Cheryl, Pinkie, and Amanda were concerned- They’d failed, and there wasn’t much they could do about it. But, their attention was drawn to Maestro as he stood to his full height. “Listen up. This isn’t over just yet. You may have fallen short the first time around, but you must pull yourselves together for next time. As for me, I must get ready.” Pulling out his phone, he called a number. “Yeah, D? I’ve got a favor to ask…” He then walked off on his own. Xavier didn't get too far before a green flash of light and a fist belonging to a human sized anthro mouse slammed into his face.  He fell on his backside from the blow.  She reached down and hauled him to his feet and said in American English, “YOU ARE A BLASTED HYPOCRITE!!!!!  YOU SAID YOU DON’T ABIDE COWARDS, THEN STAY AWAY FROM MIRRORS BECAUSE I’M LOOKING AT ONE! “YOU CLAIM TO  HAVE YOUR HAND SLAPPED AWAY WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING FOR FRIENDS AND YOU GAVE UP ON FRIENDSHIPS.  WELL I GOT NEWS FOR YOU UNTIL I CAME HERE I WAS IN A SIMILAR SITUATION.  I MAKE FRIENDS,  THEN EITHER I HAD A MAGIC SURGE OR SOMEONE I HAD TICKED OFF WOULD TRY TO USE THEM AGAINST ME AND AFTER IT WAS OVER, THEY WOULD ABANDON ME. “WHEN I CAME TO PERTH I HAD THREE SURGES.  ONE TELEPORTED ME, TWO CHANGED THE SIBLINGS OF TWO OF MY NEW FRIENDS AND BROUGHT SOMEMOUSE FROM ANOTHER WORLD HERE.  IF IT WASN’T FOR RARITY AND HER FRIENDS I WOULD’VE PROBABLY FOUND TO GET MYSELF  KILLED.”  The mouse took a deep breath  calmed herself down a bit and added,  “the world is currently a dark place but that makes friendship even more a treasure.”  then she was gone in another flash of green light. Xavier growled, and punched a nearby tree with his fist. What did that mouse know? He had more going on than that back then. It wasn’t just the rotten people he’d found himself surrounded by as he reached out, nor was it just out of spite for Josephus. He may never have had friends used against him, but he knew what darkness lay in the hearts of others. He always had been ostracized, not only because of his lack of a last name. Once the friends he did have back in the day found out what he’d hidden, well… things went sour from there. Some part of him was glad that Josephus never found out, that their friendship ended the way it had. He pulled out the crystal gravestone again. It emminated energy, similar to the energies he’d felt when he was young. The whispers called him, as they had during those times back when he was still reaching out. He clenched his fist around the crystal. It would be easy to just break it now, to just let it end. Maybe, the whispers would finally leave. But, as usual, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This object… No matter how angry he got, he could never get rid of it. It felt like the only thing in the world he could trust. He pocketed it, and took a look at the tree he’d punched. He grimaced at the decay that spread from the impact. He thought he’d reigned that in by now, but it seemed that he couldn’t be trusted to touch something while angry. It used to be much worse, a reason he’d always worn gloves as a child. But, he supposed that, like the whispers, this was a part of him that he’d never truly escape. He shook his head. It was time to go. Ashley blinked at the sight of the human-sized mouse who was Alex chewing out Xavier.  “We need to keep our distance from him, but keep an eye out for anyone, or anypony who may try to lead him down the wrong path.  It’s gonna be up ta him whether or not he accepts these lessons.  As mah Granny Smith says, “Ya can lead a pony to the cider through, but ya cannot force him or her t’ drink from it.” Shaking her head, Trixie voiced her disagreement. “Distancing ourselves from him may be part of the reason why this hasn’t worked so far. Has any of us tried to reach out to him outside the lessons, aside from Maestro?” As she looked at the others, she noticed the guilt in their faces. “I thought as much. I may be guilty of the same, but next time I see him, I’m going to try to reach out, and I urge you guys to do the same. It may take a while to see the effects, but I believe that it might just save us a lot of hassle in the long run.” She then took a look at a watch she was wearing. Surprised at the time, she excused herself, and went home. Ashley sighed, “Ah reckon we need t’ talk with Alex about what she did.  There’s better ways to solve conflicts other than just up and decking someone or somepony.” While the rest of them did agree, most of them had dinner waiting at home to get to, so they decided to leave that conversation for another day, and went their separate ways, for now.