Celestia's Chosen Hero... is Carl?

by Joey JoJo Shabadoo


Part 11: A Demon, Born From Pure Hatred

“It all started, thousands of years ago… when the first unicorns discovered magic. Upon mastering this newfound ability, the techniques used to control magic made countless advancements, over time. Even so, there has always been one rule of magic, that remains ever prevalent, to this very day. Whenever a pony uses magic, they will always, unwittingly create an excess of Positive or Negative Magic.

Positive Magic is known to us today, as the Magic of Friendship and is born from the elements that create it, such as kindness and laughter. However, Negative Magic is created by more destructive and selfish feelings, such as greed or anger. These negative emotions act as the fuel that eventually gives birth to the being known as Mephisto.

The Negative Magic generated by all living beings flows into the depths of Tartarus. It festers and grows, feeding on the endless negativity we generate, building over the centuries. Soon, a consciousness forms, retaining the memories of all those who used magic for self-serving or heinous acts, until one day, roughly every thousand years, it awakens.

Whether it’s the actions of a mischievous child stealing sweets, or megalomaniacal world conquerors, all actions have the potential to create Negative Magic. It is not something that can be stopped, it is simply the natural order and once this consciousness has gathered enough power over the millennia, is it unleashed onto the world.

A being of pure magical energy, Mephisto roams the land searching for a host to possess, both for his own protection and to unleash his true powers. With his vast knowledge, amassed from those who's emotions he fed upon, he manipulates and provokes unsuspecting victims into committing horrible atrocities, spreading chaos and destruction wherever he goes.

There is no method to his madness, he simply spreads negativity across the world by any means necessary, with no greater purpose, other than the simple pleasure of watching as the world, that we worked so hard to build, crumbles around him. Completely incapable of empathy or love, he is simply a demon born from pure hatred.

And, one thousand years ago, this cycle began anew, and Mephisto returned.”

The castle fell silent as the ponies continued to listen to Celestia’s tale. Unis had returned, but didn’t say a word, he merely joined the others. Even Carl remained silent and attentive.

“Wait a minute, Princess.” Twilight suddenly asked. “Just to clarify, Mephisto wakes up every thousand years, when he feeds on enough Negative Magic, right?”

“That is correct.” Celestia answered.

“Then, how do we stop him?”

“A very good question. So long as magic and negative emotions exist, Mephisto can never truly be stopped.”

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

“To answer that, you must first understand the events that took place the last time Mephisto appeared.

When he awoke from his slumber, one thousand years ago, he began to reek havoc across Equestria, praying on the weaknesses of others, like he always had.

Through his influence, King Sombra became corrupted by dark magic. He convinced Discord into using his powers for world conquest. He informed Tirek of Equestria’s magic and in his final heinous act, he tempted my sister into becoming Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight turned to the Princess for confirmation. “Is that true, Luna?”

“Indeed.” Luna ashamedly answered. “My memories of that time are clouded, but hearing his voice again made them all too clear. When my jealousy and hatred for my sister reached its peak, he appeared before me. Once he possessed my body, I finally began to understand why so many others turned to the darkness.

It felt so comforting, to just let it all go and abandon my sense of justice. To give in to my own negativity. Once the deed was done, I was left to my own devices, with my newfound power. At first, it felt relieving, cathartic even, but in the end, I lost everything and was banished by my own sister.”

“So, let me get this straight.” Carl interrupted. “This Mephisto guy is some kind of puppet master that goes around messing with people’s heads in order to get them to do evil shit, because he’s the embodiment of all Negative Magic in the world?”

“To put it bluntly. Yes.” Celestia replied. “But, do not be fooled, he is no puppet master. He is merely the catalyst for disaster. Once he sets the events in motion, he merely sits back and watches as his actions snowball into utter chaos. He only interferes if he feels his own existence is at risk.”

“So, why the fuck didn’t you stop him before he did any of that shit?”

“I heard stories of Mephisto, but I had no idea if he actually existed. It was only after Luna’s banishment, that I realised the truth.”

“Then, how’d you beat him?”

“Although Mephisto can never truly be erased from this world, that doesn’t mean he can’t be neutralised. As I said earlier, using magic under the influence of negative emotions produces Negative Magic. That is what Mephisto feeds on, but when magic is influenced by positive emotions, it creates Positive Magic, which is harnessed by the Elements of Harmony.”

“His weakness are the Elements of Harmony?” Twilight’s eyes suddenly lit up. For a brief moment , she nearly assumed the situation was hopeless.

“Indeed, when Mephisto rises from Tartarus, it is the Magic of Friendship that eventually cleanses him from this world, but even so, a thousand years later, a new Mephisto will rise, and the cycle of good versus evil repeats itself, once again.”

“Well, there’s no problem then! Me and my friends can use the Elements of Harmony to defeat him, right now!”

“I’m afraid that won’t be quite as…. simple, this time.”

“But, why not?”

Celestia started to sweat a little. “There were some… complications, last time he appeared.”

Carl could tell immediately that she was avoiding something and he didn’t hesitate to call her out on it. “What the hell did you do Celestia?”

“When I confronted Mephisto, after discovering what he did to, not just my sister, but to everyone in Equestria, I was livid. I wanted nothing more than to erase him from this world, but erasing him wouldn't undo the damage he caused. On top of that, it didn't matter how much power I had at my disposal, I knew he would eventually return and spread pain and suffering across Equestria all over again, and so, I foolishly tried to break the cycle.

Instead of destroying Mephisto, I used the Element’s powers to banish him back to Tartarus, imprisoning him. There, he could feed on as much Negative Magic as he wanted, but as long as the Magic of Friendship prevailed in Equestria, he’d never break free from his prison. He’d be trapped, for all eternity.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before I came to realise my own folly. I knew I wouldn’t be in control of the Elements forever, and the moment their ownership passed onto the next wielders, Mephisto’s seal would be broken. For this reason, I kept the Elements locked away, where they remained dormant ever since.

It wasn’t until my sister’s return, a thousand years later, that I finally decided to pass them on, which in turn, broke Mephisto’s seal. Having been feeding on Negative Magic during his imprisonment, Mephisto has become twice as powerful as he was ever supposed to be, which means, on their own, the Elements of Harmony cannot defeat him.”

“Well, that’s just fucking great!” Carl yelled. “So, the reason you dragged me into this world was to clean up a mess you made over a thousand years ago!?”

“Yes…”

“I… you… can’t just say that! Do you know how much shit has happened in my world during that time?! Entire civilisations were built and destroyed, generations of humans lived and died, you can’t even trace my family tree back that far into human history.

And you’re saying I’m the one who has to fight this thousand year old monster!? How the fuck am I supposed to do that!? I can only punch him in the face so many times, Celestia!”

“It is because you are not from this world, Carl!” Celestia argued, stomping her hoof in assertion. “I summoned you here, two days after Mephisto escaped Tartarus, meaning he had no knowledge of your existence, no memories to exploit. This blind spot will be of great use in defeating that monster.”

“You fucking what!?” Carl stopped for a moment to regain his composure, one of Celestia’s statements caught his attention. “... fine, but there's more going on here, what else are you planning, Celestia? Just tell me the truth.”

“I wish I could, but I cannot risk Mephisto learning of my plans. Please, you’ll just have to trust me.”

Carl stamped his hooves in frustration.

“Well?” Celestia asked. “Will you trust me, Carl?”

“Do I look like I have a choice…?”

Twilight was still unsure about Celestia’s explanation. “So, you’re saying that the Elements of Harmony are powerless against Mephisto, now?”

“Not necessarily, Mephisto has become extremely powerful having been feeding off of Negative Magic for twice as long as he normally should, but he'll always have one glaring weakness.

Without a physical body, he his powerless to defend himself against the Elements of Harmony and he knows this. If we can somehow prevent him from escaping after he is exorcised from somepony’s body, we can corner him and defeat him.”

“And you think Carl is somehow going to help you with that?”

“Definitely.”

For once, Twilight understood Carl’s frustration. How on earth was Celestia going to use him to defeat Mephisto? Even if he could exploit some kind of blind spot in his powers, that simply wasn’t enough to convince her.

Still, Celestia was the only person with any real knowledge of Mephisto at all. If anyone could come up with a strategy to defeat him, it was her. Despite Twilight’s frustrating lack of understanding, she still chose to put her trust in her life-long mentor.

“Hey!” Carl raised his hoof. “One more question!”

“Yes, Carl?” Celestia answered.

“What the fuck are these Element things you keep talking about?”

“You mean the Elements of Harmony?”

“Yeah, are they, like, weapons or magic or something…?”

“I won’t go into their history, but essentially, they are magical jewels, that when brought together, have the power to vanquish any and all evil from their target.”

“But, they can’t kill Mephisto?”

“So long as he is protected by a host, no, they cannot.”

“But, they destroy evil, though?”

“Yes, that is their purpose.”

Carl was slightly baffled by this claim. “Isn't evil subjective?”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, you can’t just decide if something’s good or evil. What one person might see as evil, another might not. How do these stones determine what’s considered good or evil?”

“Oh my, getting into specifics are we? Put simply, it is the wielder’s own beliefs and morals that determine what the Elements can and can't destroy.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Carl decided not to harp on the issue any further, lest it turn into a pretentious philosophical debate. “Twilight and her friends are the ones wielding them now, right?”

“Indeed, each one of them represents a different Element.”

“Really?” Carl examined Twilight’s friends for a moment. “What’s Pinkie’s element, ADHD?”

“Surely you must have figured them out by now. After all, you have already experienced them.”

“Experienced what now?”

“Rainbow Dash’s loyalty, Rarity’s generosity, Fluttershy’s kindness, Applejack’s honesty and Pinkie Pie’s laughter. These are the elements that bring harmony and friendship.”

Carl thought back on his interactions with Twilight’s friends and how they behaved. Ever since he arrived in Equestria, there was always something strange about the way these ponies treated him, that he couldn’t quite put his metaphorical finger on, but after learning of their elements, it started to make a little more sense to him.

“Are you feeling alright, Carl?” Celestia asked. “You look puzzled.”

“Yeah.... what the hell is Twinkie’s Element?”

“The Element of Magic, the spark of power that appears when the other elements are gathered together.”

“So, it has nothing to do with friendship on its own? Guess that explains why she’s such a bitch, then.”

“Ha, ha.” Twilight wasn’t even surprised Carl stooped that low for a cheap jab. “Just try not to get caught in the crossfire when we do use the Elements, you might accidentally get obliterated.”

“Shit, can that happen?”

A hearty chuckle escaped Celestia’s mouth. “Oh, Carl, don’t be so silly. Worst case scenario, you might be turned to stone.”

“I’ll just make a mental note to stay the hell out of Twinkle’s way the next time she uses her gay friendship powers, then.”

There was a brief silence as everyone took their time to digest the information they just received.

“I apologise.” Celestia spoke. “I imagine that was a lot to take in all at once.”

“Not really.” Carl replied. “Evil demon dude from hell or whatever, feeds on negativity and blows shit up because he’s evil and we have to stop him. Seems pretty straightforward to me.”

“Yes, well. Hopefully, fighting him will be just as straightforward.”

“Speaking of which, when are we supposed to fight him?”

“With the Sacred Shield having just been stolen, I have a strong feeling Mephisto will set his plans into motion within the next 24 hours.”

“And what is he planning?”

“I can’t go into specifics, but what I can say is that he will most likely try to find a way to negate his weakness to the Elements of Harmony. He may be resistant to them now, but his protection won’t last forever. Even if we fail, sooner or later, someone else wielding the Elements will catch him off-guard and destroy him.”

“So, we’re just playing the waiting game, are we?" Carl's head ached trying to process everything he learned, but despite being given so much information at once, he still didn't understand what Celestia nor Mephisto were really planning. His irritation had finally reached it's peak. "Fuck this, I’m out of here.”

Carl stormed off, towards the exit, confusing Celestia.

“Carl, you’re free to stay here in the castle as long as you want. You don’t have to leave.”

“What?” He laughed. “I’m not staying here with you assholes, I need some goddamn air. Call me when you need me, for whatever...”

And with that, Carl immediately left the building, with no further comment.

“That was odd.” Fluttershy pondered. “I thought he’d like staying in the castle. I mean, he basically gets to live like royalty here.”

“Indeed.” Rarity agreed. “He was a filthy mess when he stumbled into my home and now that he has a whole castle to stay in, he suddenly wants to go back outside? Honestly, I’ll never understand that man.”

Celestia took immediate action into investigating Carl's hasty departure. “Twilight, I want you to go with him.”

“What?” She cried. “Why do I have to go?”

“I know you and Carl have had… issues with each other, but as the Princess of Friendship, I think this will be a perfect learning experience for you.”

“I maybe the Princess of Friendship, but even I’m aware that there are some ponies out there you can’t always befriend.”

“True, but can you honestly say that about Carl?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

“Well, at the very least, could you make sure he stays out of trouble?”

“Fine… I’ll watch him from a distance.” Twilight flew out the castle, leaving her friends behind, to mull over the situation.

“Uh, Princess.” Applejack asked. “Are you sure you don’t need any of us to go with her?”

“Twilight and Carl are both far too stubborn to bond while we’re breathing down their necks. I believe they’ll come to an understanding if we simply leave the two of them alone.”

As Twilight flew towards the main gate of the castle, she spotted Carl, already causing a scene.

“For fuck’s sake, just let me through the gate!” He yelled.

“Sir, I’m sorry.” The guard informed. “But, we must do the necessary security checks before you leave.”

“Check what!? I’m fucking naked! What could I possibly be hiding!?”

“I-I don’t know. That’s why we perform the checks, s-sir.”

“God, and what is with all the stuttering!? I’ve seen fat mall cops more intimidating than you!”

“I-I’m sorry, sir…”

“Don’t apologise, you fucking idiot!”

“That’s enough, Carl!” Twilight intervened, landing in front of him. “Can’t you see you’re making him uncomfortable?”

“Well, maybe he should grow a pair.”

“Grow a pair of what? What are you talking about?”

“Forget it, just… just make them open the gate, already...”

To avoid any further harassment, Twilight instructed the guard to open the gate, informing them that Carl was a special guest at the castle.

“What are you so crabby about, anyway?” Twilight asked as they headed for the city. “The guard was just doing his job. In case you forgot, Mephisto was here earlier. You had no justifiable reason for yelling at him like that.”

“I-… I’m just hungry, okay?”

“You’re always hungry.”

“That’s because I spend most of my time being bossed around by you!”

“Well, if you're gonna be a whiny baby, I guess I can take you to that restaurant Pinkie told you about. Maybe that will help you get over your little temper tantrum.”

“As long as I don't have to eat those fucking flowers, again.”

Twilight escorted Carl through the streets of Canterlot, down an obscure alleyway, where a quaint little restaurant, known as the Tasty Treat was situated. Unfortunately for Twilight, there was an unexpected snag in her plan.

“What do you mean you’re closed!?” Twilight asked.

Despite her cries, the owner, remained adamant on his stance. “My apologies, Princess, but it is getting late and we desperately need to clean up after a very busy day. Please come back tomorrow.”

“But, how am I supposed to feed this idiot, now? Can’t you let us in, please?”

“Oh no. We’ve already turned the stoves off and it is getting late. Please, come back tomorrow.”

“Can't you do it, as a special favour to a Princess?”

“Princess or not, I’ve already made up my mind. We’re closed, come back tomorrow.”

With that, the owner slammed the door shut, foiling Twilight’s plans, while Carl snickered behind her. “Hey, I like that guy.”

“Shut up, Carl.”

“So, what now, Twizzle Pop?”

“I don’t know. What were you planning on doing?”

“Look for a bar to drown my miseries in.”

“Why?”

“It’ll make me feel more at home.”

“‘Feel more at home’, huh?” Twilight thought to herself. “Well, bars aren’t really my thing, but I think there’s one nearby we can go to.”

“Really? I wasn't sure they even existed in this world. Let’s go, already.”

The bar was close to the restaurant district, although Carl could never tell, given that every building in the city looked like it’s own small palace. However, the building they eventually came to looked far more dingy and run-down than anything else in Canterlot.

Twilight read the sign, hanging from the front door. “The Dingy Den... huh, appropriate name.”

“Sounds like my kind of place.” Carl immediately threw the door open and just as he expected, the room was dimly lit, with creatures of questionable looks and backgrounds, all moping around tables, chugging beverages with reckless abandon.

Carl took a deep breath. “You smell that? Smells like home.”

Twilight gagged. “Smells like a toilet.”

As they headed over to the counter, the depressing atmosphere made Twilight uneasy. The patrons all stared at her, questioning why a Princess would ever visit their forgotten little hole, ostracised by Canterlot’s upper-class.

“Hey, barkeep.” Carl announced.

“Y-Yes, sir?” The smartly dressed pony replied, flustered by the Princess’ presence.

“You guys do food, right?”

“Um, sometimes we do hay fries.”

“Sometimes? Hey, Princess, get a load of this joker.”

Twilight had no idea what was going on, but she gave the barkeep one look and he immediately took Carl’s order. “Yes, hay fries. Right away, sir.”

“I’m starting to get the feeling I don’t belong here.” Twilight nervously expressed.

“Nonsense, you’re my ticket to free shit.”

“Carl, you can’t just abuse my status as a Princess like that.”

“Don't be such a killjoy… and where the hell’s my drink!?”

“Y-yes sir?” A second bartender pony quickly appeared to take his order.

“Yeah, you got any whiskey?”

“Whiskey…? What’s whiskey?”

“Wh-what?” Carl stuttered in disbelief. “You don’t have whiskey?”

“I-I’m afraid not, sir.”

“Well, what about beer?”

“Beer? What’s that?”

“You don’t have beer or whiskey!? How am I supposed to get shitfaced!? What kind of crappy bar is this!? You must have something alcoholic!”

“A-alcoholic…? What’s that sir?”

“ARGH!” Carl’s screams of anguish echoed throughout the bar, drawing the attention and concern of the other patrons.

“I-is he okay?”

“Um, I think he's just having a bit of culture shock.” Twilight answered.

Carl’s screaming eventually came to a halt, once he slammed his head into the counter.

“No alcohol? Then, what the fuck kind of wine was Rarity drinking?” He mumbled to himself.

“Carl, why don’t we just get some cider?”

“Yeah… sure… fine…” He sighed.

The bartender soon arrived with a plate of hay fries and two mugs of frothy cider. Carl wasted no time stuffing his face, he didn’t care that they tasted like burnt wheat, he was hungry and was prepared to eat anything.

He chugged down the mug of cider and to no surprise, it tasted merely of glorified apple juice. No punch, no alcohol, just apples.

“Feeling better?” Twilight asked, taking a more conservative approach to sipping her drink.

“No.”

“Ugh… well, at the very least, do you feel a little more ‘at home’?”

“This place smells like shit and I feel like one of these guys might stab me in the alleyway outside, so I guess it’s close enough.”

“F-for the record, Princess. We haven’t had any recent stabbings.” The bartender corrected.

Twilight scanned around the room. In the shadows, she could make out the silhouettes of ponies and other creatures chatting around tables, playing pool or just observing her from afar. She wasn’t sure why Carl would ever come to a place like this. It wasn’t like he had any interest in socialising with anyone.

“So, what do we do now?” Twilight asked him.

“Nothing.”

“What? You mean you’re just going to sit there?”

“Yep.”

“You’re not going to talk to anypony? Maybe play a game of pool?”

“Nope.”

Twilight sighed as boredom quickly set in. She almost hoped Carl would get into trouble, at least that would be more entertaining than nothing. She swiveled her hoof around the rim of her mug as she waited for something, anything to happen.

“Carl? You aren’t just doing this to spite me, are you?”

He thought for a moment. “Now, why would I do a thing like that?”

“You are!” She stamped her hoof on the counter. “You’re seriously going to just sit there, in complete silence, just to mess with me.”

Carl didn’t reply.

“Aren’t you, Carl?”

Still no reply, but a smug grin slowly grew across his face.

“Carl!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Carl cracked up, embarrassing Twilight, who already felt horribly out of place, already. “I can’t believe you got worked up over that. I wasn’t even trying.”

Flustered, Twilight couldn’t even bare to look at him she was so embarrassed. “You’re such a…. a meanie.”

“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘asshole’.”

“Yeah, like I’d ever stoop to using your language.”

“Come on, just say it.”

“What?”

“I want to hear you say it. Call me an asshole.”

“No way. It’s offensive to donkeys.”

“Fuck the donkeys, just say it.”

“I refuse.”

“God, you’re such a prude.”

“I’m a Princess, Carl. I can’t just go around insulting ponies, even if they ask me to.”

Carl gave up, he didn’t feel like wasting any more of his time on Twilight when he could be using that time for more drinking. He ordered another cider, even if it wasn’t doing anything for him, it was better than nothing.

After chugging away at his second drink, a sudden thought popped into his head. “Say... why did you follow me out here?”

“Just wanted to keep you out of trouble, is all. I can’t imagine how you planned on getting food when you don’t even have any money.”

“Well, obviously I wasn't planning on buying it.”

“And that’s exactly why I followed you.”

“Did Celestia put you up to this?”

“Uh… maybe… Is there a problem with that?”

“Not at all. So, if I sat here drinking until the break of dawn and beyond, you’d be stuck here watching me the whole time?”

“You wouldn’t dare do something that stupid.”

“I’ve done stupider.”

“You really are a lost cause.”

“Yep, completely lost. This bar is the first familiar place I’ve seen since I got here. Well, that and the bowling alley, but that didn’t go so well. Apparently putting holes in the walls is ‘a violation of public safety’.”

“How the heck did you manage to do that?”

“I kicked them real fucking hard.”

“You’re such a… an idiot.”

There was another awkward lull in the conversation, as Twilight desperately required a break from Carl’s stupidity. Meanwhile, Carl downed his third drink, hoping he’d start to at least feel a little tipsy, but sadly, he was more sober than a Mormon with a milkshake.

Twilight’s boredom became aggravating, she wanted nothing more than to return to the castle, to be with her friends, but here she was, stuck babysitting a fully gown stallion in a musky, forgotten tavern.

She soon mustered up the nerve to speak with him, again. “I can’t believe you’re seriously going to just sit here all night drinking cider.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t left yet.”

“There’s no way I’m leaving you here alone, you’ll just do something stupid.”

“You’re pretty cranky for someone who gets to spend their entire night doing nothing.”

“Nothing is the last thing I want to be doing right now. We could be preparing for when Mephisto shows up again, or getting some much needed rest after narrowly avoiding disaster in Ponyville.

But, no. You’d rather sit here all night and drink cider until you’re sick of it and then drink more cider anyway, just to spite me, because you… are nothing... but a… a... stubborn child!”

“That’s the plan.”

“Carl, why are you doing this? You have an entire castle you can lounge around and drink cider in, why would you come all the way out here?”

“I told you, I feel more at home here.”

“But, you didn’t even know this place existed until I told you about it. What the heck is going on in that head of yours?”

Twilight recalled Carl’s behaviour when they arrived in Canterlot, as she tried to pinpoint the moment it changed, from passive aggressive to suddenly abrasive. What caused him to leave the castle despite having nowhere to go?

That’s when it finally dawned on her, what triggered Carl’s sudden change.

She turned to him, as he sipped away at the last of his drink and in a moment of clarity, bluntly asked. “You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“What?” He laughed.

“You’re scared… that you might not be able to beat Mephisto.”

“What the hell gave you that idea?”

“The way you confronted the Princess. At first, I thought you were just angry, as usual, but now that I think about it, you were actually worried. I mean, one miscalculation on the her part and you could die.”

“And how is that weird? I think anyone who’s going to be used as a pawn to fight some monster, wants to make sure they don’t die in the process.”

“It isn’t weird. It’s perfectly understandable.”

“Being worried isn’t the same as being scared, Twinkle.”

“No, but running away and hiding in a dingy bar where you can drink all your problems away, sure sounds like being scared to me.”

“I’m not scared.” Carl asserted, slamming his mug on the counter.

“Okay…” Twilight dropped her accusation for the time being, but she wasn’t finished yet. “M-maybe you’re not scared, or maybe you are… but, I know one thing for certain.”

“That you’re an idiot?”

“That… I’m scared."

Twilight's sudden change in tone caught Carl's attention.

"When I first met Mephisto in that supermarket yesterday and saw the look of pure malice in his eyes, I was terrified. Not just for myself, but for the ponies around me. All I could think about was doing everything I could to protect them from that horrible monster.

During that battle, I did everything I could to fight back, but nothing I did worked. My magic had no effect at all. It felt like everything I worked for, to get to this point, meant nothing to him and I couldn’t bare the thought of what might have happened if he turned his attention to the defenceless townsponies.

After that encounter and even now, I can’t stop thinking about when he’ll strike next, and whether we’ll be able to stop him this time.”

“Is there a point to all this?”

“I doubt you even care, but my point is this: You’re not alone, Carl. Me, my friends, Celestia and Luna. We’re all just as scared... or worried... or whatever you want to call it.”

“Alright. You don't have to get all sappy on me.”

“Well, get used to it. It’s practically my job.”

“I've got a question for you. Do you really believe Celestia’s plan is even going to work, or if she even has one to begin with?”

“I can’t say for certain, she’s always been cryptic like this, but I think so.”

“But, how the hell can you say that? For all we know she could be talking out her ass.”

“Because I trust her.”

“But how? How can you trust her so blindly like that?”

Twilight paused for a moment, it was a perfectly reasonable question that she never really thought about herself, but it didn’t take her long to come to a conclusion.

“Well... there was this one time, when I sent the Princess a letter, warning her about the return of Nightmare Moon. I was worried that the thousand year old prophecy I recently read about, was about to be fulfilled and that Equestria would soon be threatened by an eternal night. You want to know how she responded?”

“How?”

“She just told me: ‘You must stop reading those dusty old books, Twilight.’ followed by an order to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville and make some friends.”

Carl was genuinely baffled, it sounded like the same nonsensical orders Celestia spouted to him when he first arrived in Equestria.

“I didn’t get it.” Twilight continued. “Equestria could have been, and eventually was on the precipice of disaster and yet, all she asked was for me to make some friends. It was so strange. Little did I know, that on that fateful day, my life would change forever.

The ponies you met earlier, my closest friends. I met all of them that day. Together we trekked through the Everfree Forest, found the abandoned castle, re-discovered the Elements of Harmony and defeated Nightmare Moon. All without Celestia ever needing to tell us anything.

After that, me and my friends were inseparable. We went on all kinds of adventures and I even became an alicorn princess myself, and to think, all that started from a silly letter the Princess sent, simply asking me to make friends.”

Carl was fascinated by her story, even with all this information, he still didn’t even come close to understanding Celestia’s mindset.

“Carl, I’m not going to sit here and tell you to blindly trust the Princess, it wouldn’t be right, but no matter what, I’ll always trust in her judgement. Whether it’s making new friends, or putting up with a jerk like you.

She’s proven time and again, that she always has Equestria’s best interests at heart and that the Magic of Friendship will always prevail, as long as we believe in it.”

“You really trust her that much?”

“I do.” Twilight smiled. “You can call it stupid as much you want, but you can never break a bond this strong with petty insults.”

Carl got up from his stool. “Alright... let’s get the fuck out of here, already.”

“You mean we’re going back to the castle?”

“Well, where else can we go at this time?”

“You mean you’re ready to help us?”

“I don’t have a choice, remember? Even so, I’d rather die fighting Mephisto under the Princess’ guidance, than sit around waiting for him in this dump.”

“Thank you, Carl.”

“Shut up, let’s just go already…”

Before they could leave the bar, Carl stopped Twilight in her tracks. “Wait, I’ve got something urgent to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Could you take me to a bathroom? I drank way too much fucking cider.”