//------------------------------// // First to leap // Story: How many have you forgiven today? // by Sarcastic Brony //------------------------------// Twilight lets out a long sigh as she follows behind Spike as they walk around Canterlot. Her mind thinking about all that she’s done and what her plans were when she came to Canterlot. Before, it all was so clear to her. All she needed to do was gain Anon’s forgiveness. In her mind it was like a magic problem that could be solved. That with the right words and actions, she could get Anon to realise how sorry she was. Yet these new feelings have enlightened her. This is a road she must travel down and perhaps at the end she will find an answer. She worries if she can carry a weight like this for long. Anon has been doing it for over a year and it must’ve been hard for him. To keep walking the streets of Ponyville, acting as if nothing was wrong, all for the sake of his friends. He’s strong and yet Twilight knows how weak he must feel. To live with this burden day by day. It’s just one of many things he must carry. Twilight doesn’t want to think about the things her friends did but it’s a thought worth keeping in mind. He must be in so much pain... For once, Twilight feels as if she understands Anon and it’s painful to wonder if on the inside he’s in agony, looking for some way to lift all the burden on his shoulders. “Where was the place again?” Spike asks. Twilight snaps out of her darker thoughts as she notices Spike looking her way. “I think it’s a few stores down.” Twilight remarks. “Nice!” Spike says with excitement. Twilight takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. She just stepped hoof onto this road, she still has a long way to go. Anon is sitting beside Celestia as she talks to various ponies. His thoughts are currently thinking about other things at the moment. His luck is finally running out and it’s been a long time coming. This entire Twilight thing can’t be ignored anymore. Now that he’s back in the castle, he will be seeing her more often. Breakfast, lunch and even dinner. She may even show up at the royal bathhouse for all he knows. He’s being pushed into a corner with very few options to take. Leaving is out of the question. Before he became friends with the sisters, it would’ve been an easy choice. Now, the thought of leaving them, of being alone, fills him with a pain he’s never felt before. Anon looks over at Celestia as she smiles to her subject, her princess mask hiding the tired expression she feels. It’s odd how easily Anon can see this now. Then a thought comes to mind... Could he be the reason she’s so tired? Anon turns away from her as he peers off into the distance. The thought is disturbing but in many ways makes sense. The fact of the matter is, he’s never once asked her how she felt about the entire Twilight situation. While it’s true that he didn’t ask her to punish Twilight, he never did talk to her about how she felt during the trial. Celestia has been watching over Twilight for more years than Anon has known her. He remembers Celestia telling him how she hoped Twilight would drop the whole ‘Princess’ thing. Clearly they are close. Close enough that Celestia wanted to become friends with Twilight, to no longer be teacher and student. So what did she feel during that punishment? How does she feel now? It must’ve hurt her deeply and Anon’s the cause of that pain. Anon grits his teeth... He told them that he’d try to be a better friend but he’s failed again. His fear of Twilight has become toxic to his thoughts. The constant questions, worries and what ifs. Even when Celestia told him she was bringing Twilight to the castle, he couldn’t understand it. He felt betrayed in a way, even though deep down he knew Celestia was doing it for the right reasons. Because of his fears, he didn’t care what Celestia thought. All he knew was that he couldn’t be around Twilight. That he would be hurt eventually if she was around. Celestia accepted this and put herself through stress for his sake. Anon is angry at himself. He never wanted to hurt Celestia and yet now it’s abundantly clear to him that he has. Even if she doesn’t admit it, he knows he has. Anon looks up to see the pony that was speaking to Celestia walk out. Celestia looks over at Anon and gives him a genuine smile, not like the kind she gives her subjects. He doesn’t deserve her kindness or friendship. Not with what he’s done. “Anon?” Celestia notices that something is bothering Anon. “Are you doing alright?” This can’t go on forever. It hurts so much inside for Anon, far more than his fear of Twilight. He rests his hand on Celestia’s hoof, more to calm himself than anything else. Celestia would be ecstatic about something like this happening but can sense that something is troubling Anon deeply. “Tia, I have something important I want to ask you.” “I’m listening.” Anon takes a moment to steady his thoughts as he decides to get this over with. “Do you want me to forgive Twilight?” Silence. That’s all Anon hears. It feels as if time has slowed but no matter how much time has passed Celestia doesn’t say a word. So, he decides to lay it out on the table for her. “I never did ask you how you felt during that trial.” Anon states. “You’ve known Twilight for years and I never thought about how that affected you. I was afraid and because of that fear I’ve hurt you. I don’t know what to do but this is all I can offer.” Anon locks eye with Celestia. “Just for you, Tia... If you ask me, I will forgive Twilight.” Anon sits there, eyes locked with Celestia. She looks shocked as she sits there in silence. There’s nothing else for Anon to say, so he sits there and waits. For Celestia, everything sinks in for her. Her shock falls to a smile as she closes her eyes. Anon is always carrying so many worries. Even now, he can only think about how his choices have affected her. Perhaps that’s why she loves him so much. She does the only thing that comes natural for her. She leans over and pulls Anon to her chest, wrapping her wings around him. “It must be tiring to burden yourself so much.” Celestia speaks softly. “I’m sure we both know the feeling.” Anon states. “I do. It almost becomes routine after a while. Just another thing to add to the list.” Celestia looks down at Anon as he looks up at her. “Though recently, you’ve helped lift some of that weight.” Anon looks a bit confused but Celestia continues. “I know it’s hard for oneself to see their own accomplishments but you’ve done many things to help me and my sister. Even if you can’t see it, just having you by my side is enough to ease my pain.” “But what abou-” Celestia rests a wing tip on his lips. “I would never ask you to forgive Twilight if it wasn’t your choice.” Celestia lets out a bit of a sad sigh. “I will admit, some of the things you said is true. It hurt me deeply to punish Twilight.” Anon tries to look away but she brings him back to facing her. “Because I failed her as a teacher and in turn that failure hurt you.” “But I don’t blame you for that.” Anon says. “There was no way you could’ve know something like that would’ve happened.” Celestia can only smile at his words as she nuzzles him. “You are right but she is my student and I have neglected things to help her grow as a pony. Because of this, I find the need to teach her, to help her understand. Perhaps one day you will forgive her but I wouldn’t want it to be something you force.” She stops nuzzling him and rests a hoof on his chest. “It must come from here and nowhere else.” Anon can’t look away from Celestia’s eyes. Why does he feel so much love and understanding when he looks at her? It’s almost as if he can do no wrong and that everything he says has so much meaning to her. He doesn’t deserve a friend like her. Yet, to not have her would be far too painful for him to imagine. So, with a long sigh of defeat, he simply accepts what is happening. “I don’t know what to say.” Anon admits. “Don’t worry. Nothing else needs to be said.” Anon may not have words to say but he decides to just hold onto her tightly. Where words fail him, he can only hope she understands how much he appreciates her. Luna took notice of her captains mood last night and decided now was as good time as any to pay her a visit to make sure she is doing alright. It’s been awhile since Luna stepped hoof into the barracks. As soon as she does all of the knights within take immediate notice of who is standing there. Many of them quickly stop what they are doing so that they can solute their princess. It’s sad for her to admit that she doesn’t recognise many faces here. Thestrals are very rare and few are within her ranks. Taking a look around she notices varying ponies and even races. It seems Blossom has expanded the knights. It’s comforting for Luna to see that Blossom has been hard at work for all these years. “At ease.” Luna speaks to everyone facing her. Without another word they relax. Luna came here for a reason, so she walks over to her captain's door and enters inside. She finds Blossom behind a large stack of papers. Her ears perk up but she never looks away from her work. “Morning princess. Any reason you’ve decided to stop by?” She asks, moving her signed paper to one stack and getting a fresh one from another. “Just a few things that concern me.” Luna closes the door behind her. Blossom sets her quill down to properly face Luna. “Is it about Anon?” Luna shakes her head. “Not today. I’ve actually come to see how you’re doing. You were acting a bit down last night.” Seems Luna is as perceptive as ever. Not that Blossom is surprised. “Was lost in thought, Princess. It won’t affect how well I protect Anon.” Luna walks over and takes a seat. “I know that and no need for the formalities, Blossom. It’s just us after all.” Blossom drops her airs and relaxes a bit. She even rotates her head some to ease the stiffness in her neck from all the paperwork. “Just seeing everyone there brought up some old memories.” Blossom answers. Luna understand what Blossom is speaking of. She was there when her partner became sick and was there when he passed away. Luna can never forget the cries of her captain as she clung onto her mate while he lay on his deathbed. It’s one of the few things that haunts her to this very day. Not to mention that is was only weeks after when Nightmare Moon took over. It must’ve been hard on Blossom. “How was he?” Luna asks somberly. Blossom lets out a sigh. “A bit dirty but I cleaned him up and set flowers out. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t visited him in awhile.” “I know I offered it before but I could cast a cleansing spell to keep things clean.” Blossom shakes her head. “No, thank you. Going back actually helped a bit. I’ll be sure to visit more often.” “That’s good to hear.” “Enough of this sad stuff. How about you? You seem to have a lot on your mind.” Luna doesn’t wish to press if Blossom wants to change the subject. “Well, there’s plenty to think about with Anon.” Blossom rolls her eyes. “Spare me the details, I’ve got work to do.” “Come now. Allow a mare to indulge a little, Blossom.” “I swear you’re like a mare in heat.” Luna feels a blush grow on her muzzle. “He makes me feel like that.” Blossom just shakes her head. “Can’t you talk to your sister about this stuff?” “She and Anon are busy at the moment. You’re the only pony I’ve got. Just a few minutes. Please?” Blossom looks at Luna with an unamused look. “Fine.” “Good! So, what do you like about Anon?” “Really? I don’t like him that way, Luna.” “That doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate something about him.” Blossom takes a moment to think. “I guess I like how straightforward he is.” Luna nods. “Yes! I too adore that about him!” “Yet, he also knows when to bend the truth for his friends.” “He is selfless in that regard.” “So, um... What do you like about him?” “Mmm?” Luna raises a brow at Blossom. “Well, I happened to see what I liked last night as we bathed.” Luna covers the huge blush on her face as she starts giggling. Blossom can only sit there in awe of what she sees. Never in her life has she seen Luna act like this before. She must really be in love with the guy for her to practically turn into a school filly with a crush. “Oh, just thinking about it makes me wa-” “Alright, few minutes are up!” Blossom shouts with her face now covered in a blush as she gets up from her seat and pushes Luna out. “I swear just the thought makes me quiver in antici-” Blossom slams the door to her office shut. That mare is seriously going to fall into her heat is she keeps those thoughts up. Still, Blossom can’t stop herself from smiling some. A small chuckle leaving her as she walks back over to her desk. It’s nice to see her princess look as happy as she is. She deserves it. Twilight and Spike both enter into Anon’s store. She’s surprised to see how many different species of customers he has, each group talking amongst themselves as they enjoy whatever they’ve purchased. Spike is already walking to the front register but Twilight peers around the room, checking to see if she recognises anypony. So far she doesn’t. She steps further into the store and follows Spike. He’s looking through the glass display with a large smile. Twilight looks the items over as well. Everything she sees looks familiar and yet also different. She wonders what could possibly be different about Anon’s candy? It’s enough to draw a crowd and is priced affordably too. Compared to the shops around Canterlot, this is practically a steal. “Welcome.” A voice calls out. Twilight looks up from the display and comes face to face with Lyra. However, her gaze is vacant, as if she’s staring past Twilight. Twilight can feel her heart start to race. She knew that his friends worked here, she was prepared for the looks but this isn’t what she expected. “What would you like?” Lyra asks in a monotone voice. “Can I have the triple chocolate cookie?” Spike asks. Lyra doesn’t say anything as she brings up his order. She then looks up and makes eye contact with Twilight. That distant look still there. “You?” There’s something wrong here. That much Twilight can sense. She can only speculate it has something to do with Anon. Maybe they had a falling out? Twilight shakes her head. It’s none of her business. “I’ll have the gummy worms.” Twilight says after glancing at one of the more exotic items. “Very well.” Lyra packs their order and sets it onto the counter. Twilight pays the bits and takes the bag from Lyra. Lyra doesn’t even say anything as she walks into the kitchen. “Did Lyra seem a bit strange?” Spike asks. “She’s probably tired from all these customers.” Twilight lies. Spike nods. “There are a lot of creatures here. So where to now?” Twilight looks up to a clock on the wall. She feels the fur on her body stand on end. It’s almost time for her to meet with Luna. “We should head back to the castle. It’s almost time for my training.” “Ugh, fine.” As Twilight walks, Spike fishes out his cookie and takes a large bite. His eye light up as he looks over at Twilight. “This is really good!” As they walk towards the castle, Twilight decides to pull one of the gummy worms from the bag and pop it into her mouth. Her eyes widen as she experiences something she’s never had before. The flavor and texture was so unique and oddly satisfying. “Whoa... Are they really that good?” Spike asks. Twilight looks over at Spike and notices that her vision is a bit blurry. She brings up a hoof to her eyes and feels her fur become damp. Why is she crying? For many reasons. When she ate that candy, it made her realise that she knows nothing about Anon. All those times they talked, nothing of it was about him. She just wanted to know about his people and their technology. Even as she heard the rumors about him in Ponyville. She didn’t care. Brushing it off as nothing and continuing her work as usual. Never did she think that he could make something so sweet and delicate. Yet, when she tasted that candy... She felt as if she found something. Faint as it may be, she feels some hope return. She looks down at Spike. “Who knew Anon made such great things?” “Yeah, we should stop by more often!” “I’d like that.” With everything Twilight has been feeling, she feels prepared for whatever lies ahead. Celestia and Anon walk down the streets of Canterlot towards a specific ponies home. She looks in the corner of her eye and notices that Anon is still deep in thought. What he asked earlier has also taken a good part of her mind. Anon would really forgive Twilight if she asked him? The notion almost flies in the face of what she knows about him. Not that he’s selfish but that he’s rather adamant in what he believe is right and wrong. Though she meant what she said. She would never force him to forgive Twilight if that was his choice. However, her mind does wander to other things. If she were to tell him that she loved him and wanted to be with him... Would he agree? The idea doesn’t fill Celestia with joy as she would hope but instead she worries. Would he says yes because he too loves her or would he only agree because he believes it would make her happy? As much as she wants to be with him, just like with Twilight, she doesn’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t believe in. Celestia’s heart winces some. She never expected this to be easy but now she will have to consider if Anon’s reciprocation is due to mutual love or his sense of loyalty. Perhaps being upfront when the time comes would prove fruitful? Celestia shakes her head. There’s no reason to bother thinking about that now. There are many things she would like to plan before popping the question to him. Right now, she just wants to ensure that Anon is following what his heart says. “So where are we headed?” Anon asks bringing Celestia from her thoughts. “Fancy Pant’s home. He will be the coordinator for this years Wonder festival.” “Wonder festival?” Anon asks with a raised brow. Celestia nods. “It only happens once every ten years. Ponies and creatures from all around push themselves to the limits in various challenges. Medals are given out and our judges are no other than the Wonderbolts themselves.” “Sounds like the olympics.” “What’s that?” “Human version.” Anon answers simply enough. “Well, you’ll have to tell me all about it when we’re alone.” “I guess. So, other than medals do the contestants get anything else?” “That’s up to the judges. Sometimes contestants are accepted into the Wonderbolts. I’ve even taken in a few to join the Royal guard. There are endless possibilities. As for anything official, no, just the medals.” “That’s cool.” Celestia finds they are already at Fancy Pant’s home. She walks up to the front door but before she can even knock the door opens wide. “Good to see you, Princess!” Fancy Pants says with a smile. “Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.” “It’s no trouble at all!” He then looks over to see Anon. “Oh and I see you’ve brought this young fellow. What was it again?” He rubs his chin in thought. “Anon! Yes, I do remember you. Now, I’m positive we’ve never officially introduced ourselves.” Fancy extends his hoof. “Fancy Pants the third.” Anon takes his hoof and gives it a shake. “Anon the human.” “Where are my manners!” Fancy moves from the doorway. “Please, come in. We have much to discuss about the upcoming event.” Celestia looks down at Anon and gives him a smile while gesturing her head for him to step in first. He just shrugs and walks ahead of her. Celestia hopes that this event will be something Anon will enjoy. Twilight is standing before the library. Spike is by her side as she takes one last breath before stepping inside. Waiting for her is Princess Luna. She’s using her magic to place large stacks of books onto the table where Twilight studies. She pauses and turns over to Twilight. She looks between her and Spike for a moment before staring directly at Twilight. “Take a seat.” Luna speaks calmly. Twilight doesn’t say anything as she walks over and sits before the table. Luna pulls a book from the stack and places it in front of Twilight. “Read.” Twilight is a bit confused. Besides her direct nature, she can’t sense any hatred coming from Luna. It’s as if she’s actually here to teach her. Twilight takes the book and opens to the first page. She’s surprised to find it’s the tale of the two sisters. Confused, she looks up at Luna. “Um... What does this have to do with my studies?” Luna raises a brow. “Isn’t it obvious?” Twilight shakes her head no. “Nightmare Moon was undoubtedly evil but there was a reason why she did what she did... Figure out why and perhaps you will enlighten yourself.” “Understand... Nightmare Moon?” Twilight is almost baffled by the suggestion. “Is that too difficult a task? Should we start from the basics?” Luna floats over a foals book on feelings. “Perhaps this is more your speed?” Alright, that hurt... She looks back up to Luna. “No... Just give me some time.” “You have until I return to come up with an answer.” Luna walks towards the door but stops as she looks down at Spike. “Come with me, Twilight must do this alone.” “Oh, uh... Ok?” He follows behind Luna as they both enter into the hall and leave Twilight alone. He continues to follow her as she walks somewhere he isn’t familiar with. “So, where are we going?” Luna stops once she’s far enough. She looks down at Spike, almost with a pitying look just before she steels herself over. “Spike, I have something I need to tell you.” “Anything, Princess.” “I think it’s time someone told you why Twilight had to leave Ponyville.”