//------------------------------// // Act 3: Disaster for Dinner // Story: Friendship is Failure #12- Amending Hearth's Warming // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// ACT THREE The next night, the eve before Hearth’s Warming Eve, Twilight’s mother cooked up one of her best feasts for the dinner to work, “I still think you’re pushing this too far.” she said to Twilight, but Twilight insisted, “Mom, I’ve explained all this, we’re trying to show Helper we want to be friends and he doesn’t have to be so cold with us.” Her father didn’t look any better, if anything he was more nervous than any-pony else was. “Hey, come on, Dad.” Shining Armor said “Maybe it will work out okay.” His father sighed, “I hope so.” Soon, everything was set, and the table was spread out. “Here he comes.” Spike said. “Okay, this is it.” said Twilight, and she went downstairs with Spike to welcome their guest in, while the parents were quivering nervously. Shining Armor and Cadance felt worried about them. Downstairs, Twilight and Spike opened the door to the castle, “Good evening, Helper Soul. Glad you could make it.” Twilight said politely. Spike stood alongside her smiling, but Helper didn’t exactly seem too thrilled. “If you don’t mind, can we skip with all this pleasantries? I had a hard time getting here.” he motioned at his leg dolly. “Sorry about that.” said Twilight, “Won’t you please come upstairs?” “But I just came to drop off the policy here for you to review.” “I’d just rather talk about it upstairs. Please follow me.” “You better do as she says.” Spike whispered to Helper, which only further aroused his suspicions, but he complied and followed Twilight upstairs. When they arrived in the main gathering room, “What is all this?” he asked as he looked at the well spread table, “I didn’t agree to any dinner arrangements.” Twilight didn’t respond and instead, clapped her hoofs for the rest of the family to come out and sit at the table, including her parents. Helper cringed angrily, “I knew it!” he snapped “I knew this was some sort of ulterior plot to get me to talk to you all! I’m out of here!” “No, no!” Twilight snapped, and she used her magic to halt his dolly so it got stuck and couldn’t move, “Look, I’m sorry I deceived you, but I really do want to take this insurance deal, and more than that I want to get to know you. You were a friend of my father, and I want you to see you don’t have to be scared or angry with us.” Night Light looked at Helper sincerely, “Helper, please, I want this, and want you to get to know my family.” “Please, Helper…” added Velvet “We did all this just for you and it is Hearth’s Warming time.” Helper shuddered in anger, but he decided to stay, “The only reason I am staying is for the insurance deal; nothing more!” Twilight grinned; at least he agreed to stay. Still, as Helper sat himself down, everyone noticed that his flank was blank; he had No Cutie Mark. “I thought you said he had one?” Spike whispered to Night Light. “He does, or at least he did.” Night replied softly “I know he earned one, I helped him earn it.” Soon, everyone sat down to the lovely dinner. They family seemed to get along well as they all talked and shared a few jokes and laughed, but Helper did not seem to eager to make conversation. “So, what else have you been doing with yourself?” Shining Armor asked to break the ice. Helper didn’t even look up form hi plate at him and simple answered, “Selling insurance.” A moment of silence fell, “Okay, anything else?” asked Cadance. “Nope…” “So, that’s all you ever do; sell insurance?” “It’s all I actually can do.” Helper replied hinting at his leg "There's not much I can do with this! So I could only take calm and quiet jobs, and this was the best I could do. ...Speaking of which." He then handed Twilight the policy, “Look over it, and if you want it, just sign on the dotted line.” He was hoping she would hurry up so he could leave, which everyone else seemed to note. Twilight began to fret inside. Things were not going as well as she had hoped, and she motioned to her parents to say something. “So… um…” Velvet said as she tried to find words, “How’s your mother doing?” Helper only cringed and looked a mix of furious and miserable, “She’s dead!” All the others gawked in shock, “Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that.” Night Light said trying to show compassion, but Helper looked at him crossly and sneered softly, “She’s been dead for over twenty years!” Night Light looked more shocked than ever, “I… I didn’t know.” “Of course you wouldn’t know! I didn’t want you or any-pony else to know.” “I’m just trying to show compassion!” “Who’s asking you to try?!” Flurry Heart began to fuss and cry in her highchair, “Oh, see what you two have done now!” Cadance scolded as she comforted her baby. Helper snuffed and didn’t even bother to apologize. “I’ve had enough!” and he pushed himself away from the table and planned to leave. “Wait!” Twilight snapped, and she teleported right in front of the doors blocking him off. “What is with you?” she asked sternly, “I put together this entire event so you and my father could make amends!” “Aha! So you admit it!” said Helper, “I should’ve known you’d try a stunt like this!” Shining Armor was growing cross now, “Hey, pal, don’t you go talking to my sister like that! All we were trying to do is help you, and just because you’re upset with our father is no reason for you to hate on us too.” “Ha!” scoffed Helper “If only you really knew.” “Really knew what?” asked Twilight, but before Helper could say another word, Flurry Heart, still fussing and fidgeting in her little tantrum, threw her rattle at the table, knocking over the candelabra, which launched a single candle straight at Helper. “No!” Night Light shouted, and quickly used his magic to stop the candle in midair before it hit. Everyone sighed in huge relief, but Flurry Heart, in her tantrum fidgets, fired a huge blast of magic from her horn that hit a wheel of the dolly, breaking it off and the dolly slammed down hard on the floor. “YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAOW!!!” Helper shouted as his leg ached severely from the force of the impact! “Flurry!” snapped Cadance. “THAT DOES IT!!!” thundered Helper, and he dragged himself and his busted dolly right through the doors. Twilight tried to help him, but he brushed her off, “Leave me alone! ALL OF YOU!!!” and he continued to painfully drag himself to the elevator, riding it down to the main floor and he left the castle, dragging himself across the snow. Twilight hung her head low, feeling hurt and upset. Her brother comforted her. Velvet cried softly that the dinner was ruined, and Night Light… he slowly knelt down to the floor, hung his head to face the tiles as painful tears streaked down his face. “He… hates… me!” he cried softly “He really… really hates me!” he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He was too hurt; too upset… he began to weep softly, which everyone hated to see. It broke all their hearts as well, and they all huddled around him, holding him tightly. Shining Armor then looked out the window, and even from where he stood, he could see the tracks in the snow that Helper had left behind. His rage boiled up inside of him, and he just took off in a fiery huff. “Bro!” cried Twilight. “Shining Armor…!” Cadance called, but he had already dashed out the door and was galloping furiously along the grass. “No one hurts my family like this and gets away with it!” he thundered to himself “I’m going to get to the bottom of this once and for all!”