//------------------------------// // Act 4: Story's Over // Story: Friendship is Failure #6: Write a Wrong // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// ACT FOUR One week later, Stone was returning home from his early morning trash route, and when he checked his mailbox he found a response from a publishing company he had been rejected from earlier. “What’s this?” he wondered “…Probably another taunt or rejection notice.” but much to his surprise, it was a congratulatory message saying that they had sold a number of his books and the sales were really improving. Enclosed was also a paycheque, and for quite a handsome sum as well. Stone was surprised and couldn’t understand it in the least. “I didn’t submit any new books.” He galloped back into town, and what he saw astonished and confused him all the more. Many ponies were reading copies of his stories which had all previously been rejected. He also noticed that hardly any ponies were making fun of him or calling him names. With the exception of a few… those same two ponies from yesterday. “Way to see you finally taking someone else’s advice.” “Yeah, you couldn’t write a story on your own to save your life.” …And the two of them still tossed copies of his book in the trash, and went off. Stone, still confused by all this, took the books out of the garbage. They seemed exactly the same on the outside, except for one little bit of writing which read, “Edited by Princess Twilight Sparkle.” “What…? Edited…?” he snapped softly, and he felt compelled to sit quietly and read the stories and see what had been changed. By the time he finished… he was most outraged, so outraged that he threw the two books up high and fired a blast of magic from his horn, roasting the books to ashes, “…How could she do this to me?!” Stone grumbled to himself. Twilight and friends knew nothing about this as Twilight had been far too busy with the arrangements she had made over the past week. First she revisited one of publishing companies, and explained the situation, how she had edited Stone’s work, but more credit was to be given to him for coming up with the original concept, though she herself was entitled to a small percentage for her work as well. Once the company realized the improvements made-- on their specifications-- were very impressed, and published the works without hesitation. Twilight then arranged for the libraries and bookstores in Canterlot to shelve the books so the public could enjoy them, and much to her delight, many ponies couldn’t put the books down… They just kept reading with awe and amazement. Many even gave Stone better reviews, and a lot who teased him before didn’t tease him now. Starlight and Spike were impressed, “You really did help improve the reading industry, Twilight.” said Starlight. Twilight nodded and said, “And once Stone sees how much better these changes have made things and how ponies attitudes have changed, I’m sure he’ll be willing to open up, and maybe even give friendship a chance.” Spike merely gave a small grunt, “Not likely.” But Twilight didn’t ignore it this time, “And what is that supposed to mean?” “Look, I’m not saying you’re doing a bad thing, but do you actually think Stone will be willing to change his ways?” Starlight agreed, “I hate to say this, Twilight, but Spike could be right.” Twilight wanted to argue, but she suddenly began to feel maybe they were both right. She needed to see if Stone would really be willing to open up to every-pony. So she decided to make one final arrangement… She arranged for an autograph signing, and not just any signing. This was a chance for ponies to make amends with Stone, at least those who wanted to, and at one bit for an autograph the money would be donated to charity to help others as well, which would also look great for Stone’s reputation and would probably bring him more potential friends. So it was done… The next day, a large table was setup, and huge stacks of the books were piled for those who didn’t have any that they could buy for one-extra bit if they wanted an autograph. The lineups were already forming, and many ponies had their books ready to be signed while others had already purchased books to buy. Twilight was even asked by some to have her autograph too, since she worked on the book as well. She didn’t think it would be too much, but it would cost them one extra bit for the charity. There was just one thing missing though. “Where’s Stone Heart?” Twilight asked, “The signing will be starting soon.” “Well, the invitation was sent.” said Starlight. Spike looked around, and suddenly, “Hey, there he is.” They all saw him, casually walking down the road on one of his trash-pickups, and even didn’t even look the way of the signing. Twilight teleported right in front of Stone, frightening him softly, “What are you doing?” he asked. “I should ask you the same thing…” snapped Twilight and she motioned over at the signing that was about to begin… except he still wasn’t present. “Oh, that…” he said with sarcasm, “Yeah… Thanks, but no way!” He tried to move his wagon past her, but she popped up right in front of him no matter where he went. “You’re beginning to really make me mad, you know.” he said to her “I know what you did to my books, and frankly it makes me sick!” “What?!” snapped Twilight. Before Stone could answer her, a small slab of mud splattered on his front hoofs, a few splat’s from the impact landed on Twilight too. It was those same two ponies from before who had thrown the mud at Stone, and they didn’t even care that they hit Princess Twilight either, they just laughed like a couple of hyenas and slapped each other a high-hoof. “Did you see that?” “Yeah, we got him good.” Twilight glared furiously at the two ponies. “You two have an awful lot of nerve to have done that.” she scolded them, but the two ponies only laughed at her even more. “What is wrong with you two?!” “Nothing’s wrong with us.” said one of the ponies “We just love to make fun of ponies. It’s fun and it’s funny.” “Yeah, it doesn’t matter if you or Stone became the nicest ponies in Equestria; we’d still make fun of you.” said the other. They tried to run, but Twilight having lost her patience, used her magic to encase them in a magical dome, figuring they both needed serious reprimanding for taking pride in hurting other ponies’ feelings like a joke. Sadly, Stone was still unmoved by her gesture. “You see, Princess…?” he sneered at her “You can change my story is written, but you can’t change the way I think, how I feel, or what happened to me in the past! Just as you can’t change how every-pony else feels or behaves either!” Twilight’s features hardened, “I cannot believe you, Stone Heart!” she scolded “I try to help you get your life going in a better direction, and this is how you thank me?!” “Thank you?” scoffed Stone “I told you before… I didn’t want your help! The help you gave was not the help that I wanted. You turned my characters into things I hate. I do not want to be praised for things like that, no matter how many like them!  Besides, you haven’t changed any-pony at all!” Twilight could not believe this was happening at all, “But look at them all! They like your stories now.” “Well I don’t…” snapped Stone! His shouting caught the attention of every-pony waiting in line for him to arrive, and they couldn’t believe what he was saying. “You all heard me!” he shouted as he approached them “I don’t like what these characters have become. I don’t like the way they are behaving, what they are doing. And as for all of you… you only like the stories now because they have all the things YOU like in it! Well, I don’t like them, and I don’t like all of you for the way you treated me and my original stories earlier! I was writing about certain points of reality, and I was trying to make you all realize things don’t always work the way you want them too, but I guess that’s not ever going to happen.” He paused and then turned to face the big stack of edited stories he despised, “So you can keep your shallowness as well as your messed up ideas about friendship, moving on and positive endings…” he grabbed his wagon, and poised it straight at the piles of books, “…But these ridiculous stories… will never see the light of day again!” He gave his wagon a huge shove sending it bolting straight at the piles, and Twilight and Starlight had no time to try and stop it with their magic! The many ponies in the crowd ran for cover as the wagon CRASHED right through the piles, smashing and breaking all the books to bits! Twilight and her friends watched in absolute horror! Twilight was so incredibly horrified and livid she couldn’t find any words to say, but Stone did as he approached her, “Consider this a real eye-opener and a message… …You Lose!” So many ponies gawked in horror at the way he had just snapped at the Princess like that, but no one did anything to even try to stand up to him; too afraid of what else he was capable of doing in his present state of fury! Stone decided to ultimately leave Canterlot altogether and move someplace else where he was not known too well and try to make a fresher start; without friends, without ponies poking at him, and most importantly, no nosey ponies trying to force their views on him and get him to change his ways over things he hated! “Oh, and one last thing…” Stone said as he used his magic levitate his uncashed-in cheque “Use that to cover the damages as well as go to your charity. I don’t want it. Not knowing it came from those horrible books!” Then he was gone, and Twilight felt a mixture of anger, embarrassment, but above all she felt crushed!