//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 // Story: Friendship Is Magic! ... Unless You Are a Human // by Huk //------------------------------// Twilight woke up to the sound of a few raindrops hitting the bedroom window. The moon was still on the horizon, trying to fight its way through the clouds, but the quickly fading silver glow indicated it was a losing battle. Another day, another unscheduled rain. Letting out a quiet groan, she dragged herself off the bed, and turned on the lights, flinched at the reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red and baggy from exhaustion, and her mane was one greasy, bedraggled mess – she looked more like a Manehattan’s homeless pony than a princess. Sixth day… The sixth day in a row she woke up like this. A few hours of unsteady slumber at best, if she even managed to fall asleep in the first place. Initially, she convinced herself it was because James, Kleiner and she worked day and night to replicate all the necessary medical equipment John would need. But that excuse wore thin after the third day when they had almost everything ready to go. After that, she tried finding herself something else to do, something to clear up her mind, something to distract her from the recent problems, something… to postpone the inevitable confrontation with Celestia. But no matter what she did, she couldn’t get the feeling of failure out of her head – it was like a splinter in her mind, slowly stripping her of sanity. Twilight took another glance at her reflection and let out a sigh. “I will do it today,” she said to herself, only to hear a loud gurgle coming from her stomach. “But first, some breakfast… or coffee.” Lighting her path with magic from her horn, Twilight was slowly walking towards the kitchen, trying to be quiet and not wake anyone. All that changed when about halfway through, she sniffed something in the air. Is that a… smoke? The kitchen! Her eyes widened, and she dashed towards the source – readying the fire extinguishing spell… “Jesus Christ!” Twilight froze, as she saw someone holding a large kitchen knife, standing maybe a meter away. “Good lord, you almost gave me a heart attack!” She realized it was John. “I’m… sorry, I thought we had a fire,” she said, her eyes still locked on the blade. “Are you… cooking?” “Well, since you don’t feed your prisoners, I…” He paused, realizing he was holding the knife in an aggressive manner. “Sorry your Highness, old habit,” he lowered the blade, but even so, Twilight took a step back, her eyes not leaving him even for a second. “You think I’m going to stab you, or something?” “No, I just… um—” “Please, don’t lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. I’ve seen that fear many times,” he threw the knife at the nearby cutting board, making it stuck. “Tell me, your Highness – how am I supposed to make this work when even you think I’m some mad slasher?” “I’m sorry, I didn’t—” “I know I messed up, I almost killed your friend, but Jesus Christ, I would never do that if I knew…” He let out a sigh, burying his face in his remaining hand. “This is pointless.” Twilight approached him with sadness clearly visible on her face. “I’m sorry… you are correct – for a moment there my heart skipped a beat. But, the last few days were so… stressful that my mind must have thought you’re going to throw that knife at my throat, or… something.” “Too many movies… or books, your Highness. In real combat, knife throwing is pretty much useless. Unless, of course, captain Cheesy is the one throwing – but an ordinary soldier? No way.” “But… you just threw it at the board.” “And, you think I learned that in the military?” Seeing her nod, John smiled and gently shook his head. “Nope… I learned that ‘deadly’ technique when I was working in the restaurant before the war.” “You were a cook?” “Yup... I almost became a chef actually, but then the war broke out and… here we are. Hold on for a second...” Using a big spoon, John stirred the sizzling mix of finely chopped vegetables on the frying pan for a few seconds. He took the spoon out, blew on it to cool it down and presented it to Twilight. “Try it and tell me what you think.” She hesitantly glanced at the ‘served’ dish. “I promise, it’s not poisoned… Well, not more than usual, anyway,” John said, with a smile. Twilight kept glancing at the spoon, unsure what to do. The last time James tried cooking something, it took her a week to get the stench out of the kitchen. That day she promised herself to never let him do anything more than some tea, or coffee. Expecting similar disaster, she reluctantly sniffed the dish, but to her surprise it didn’t stink – in fact, it smelled delicious! She decided to give it a try and licked the spoon. “Well…? How is it?” John said, nibbling his lower lip. After a few seconds of chewing in silence, Twilight’s eyes widened. “This is… good, like… really, really good! What is it?” “Just a little experiment of mine. I always liked trying new stuff. Does it need more pepper or salt?” Twilight licked her lips. “Hmm, maybe a pinch of pepper.” “Yeah, thought so,” he said, turning his attention back towards the sizzling dish. For the first time in a while, Twilight put on a gentle smile on her face. Perhaps it was the delicious aroma in the air, or maybe she just needed some small talk. Whatever it was, she felt good for the first time in days. Levitating a spoon with her magic, she tried to get some more food from the pan. “Hey, not ready yet!” John said, blocking her attempt. “Just a tiny bite…” “No!” John made a very intimidating-looking face. “I have a spoon and I’m not afraid to use it!” After a moment of exchanging glances, Twilight smiled. “You remind me of my mom. She never allows snatching food from the pan, either.” “Then I’m in good company,” He said with a smile, turning back towards the stove. “Um, did you do the dishes, too?” Twilight said, and John nodded. “Why?” “I needed to get my mind off things, and when I got here for a snack, I saw this pile of dirty dishes and… well, you can guess the rest. Nothing like some good old physical work to clear your head,” Twilight glanced at him with mouth slightly agape. “Did I say something wrong?” “No, it’s just… you sounded like Applejack. I can see now, what James meant,” John gave her a confused expression. “Never mind… Well, at least Spike’s going to be delighted when he wakes up, washing dishes is his chore—” A loud gurgle coming from her stomach interrupted her. John cocked his head, scanning her blushing figure from top to bottom. “When was the last time you ate a decent meal, your Highness?” “Um, a day or two…” John’s left eyebrow arched, his eyes not leaving her for a second. “OK, maybe four… or five. Look, the last few days were a bit crazy. We were working day and night to get the medical ward ready for you—” “Ah, so it’s my fault?” “What? No—” “Sure, blame the alien… Before I know it, I’ll be in jail for the attempted assassination of one of the princesses!” “I said it’s not—” “At least, let me take my own pillow!” Twilight arched her eyebrow. “You’re joking.” “Well, hopefully,” John said with a smile. “That said, I do feel kind of guilty anyway… I will make sure you get a decent breakfast today. But, it needs another ten minutes.” Twilight didn’t protest, on the contrary, as more and more of the pleasant smell filled her lungs, she had to keep herself from drooling. “I… accept. But, how about some coffee then?” “Mixing coffee and veggies? Bad idea, but I think I saw some tea here somewhere… Please take a seat, your Highness and I—” Twilight crumpled up her face. “Did I say something wrong again?” “No, it’s just… I’m not used to being addressed by my title. Twilight will suffice.” “OK then… Twilight. Please take a seat.” Twilight watched as John started preparing two cups of tea, shaking his head and cursing under his breath – his mind still trying to use the other limb that wasn’t there anymore. “Let me help you with that—” “No!” John yelled, his sudden outburst made Twilight flinch. “Sorry, I shouldn’t shout, but… no, thank you, I’ll manage on my own...” He let out a dark chuckle. “You know, it’s funny. Back on Earth, I had a disabled cousin, and until now, I could never understand why he got angry when someone offered to help. This feeling of being patronized is… horrible.” “I didn’t mean it like that, I just… never been around crippled—” John’s left eyebrow arched. “I mean… disabled!” He cocked his head, still gazing at her. “I mean… Ugh, I’m not helping the situation am I?” “No, but don’t worry about it. Been there, done that,” John smiled, moving the tray with both cups, onto the table, taking a seat in front of her. “Look, um… A few days ago I… said some things I shouldn’t have… I know you were just trying to help, I’m sorry.” Twilight expression changed, her smile replaced by blankness. For a moment the awkward silence filled the air, occasionally interrupted only by the sounds of the boiling food. Finally, Twilight shook her head and sighed. “Some help I was… I should have kept my mouth shut then, and later when the… incident happened.” “Yeah, about that… You haven’t talked with her yet, have you?” “Why? Are you going to send Rainbow Dash to prison if I haven’t?” John smiled gently. “Nah. For me, that case is closed, but you guys really need to talk this out before it’s too late… I realize we don’t know each other very well, but something tells me, I’m the reason behind this feud, am I right?” Twilight nodded, sipping her tea. “Well then, perhaps you could explain to me what happened, and we could go talk with her together? I realize, I’m just forty-two, and you are probably eight-hundred, but—” “W-what?!” Twilight said with a shocked expression, almost choking on her tea. “Um, no disrespect intended…” John bit his lip. “Five-hundred…?” “I’m twenty-four!” John stared at the alicorn with mouth agape, his mind suddenly lacking any meaningful words to say anything. It took him a few seconds to regain some composure. “I’m going to kill Gastovski! That bastard told me that Celestia is over a thousand years old, so I assumed her daughter would be a little younger.” “Daughter?!” “… sister?” Twilight chuckled. “We are not related. Celestia is… was my mentor and yes, she and Luna are both twelve-hundred something.” “Um, this is… confusing,” John scratched his head. “On the bright side, that makes me almost twice older than you, so… Do you want to share the story?” Twilight gave him an unsure look. “I promise to be objective.” “John… if I tell you – you’ll hate me…” “I doubt that very much… and I’ll find out sooner or later anyway, so… Come on, get it off your chest.” Twilight glanced him in the eye and sighed. She knew he was right, she needed to get that splinter out of her mind, and that was the only way to do it. Here goes nothing... She took another sip of her tea, and told him everything – about her reaction to the incident, about the royal pardon – every single detail. “—and then she sent both of us, away – we haven’t talked after that. She locked herself in her room, working on papers Luna was sending her every day, and I locked myself in the lab,” Twilight took another sip of her tea. “Truth be told, we were both avoiding each other.” “Um… let me get this straight… You aren’t talking to each other, because you stood up for your friend?” “I did that in the heat of the moment! I was out of line, I know that now... Please, forgive me.” John shook his head, and for a second sat with his mouth agape. He was about to say something, but at the very moment, Celestia entered the kitchen. *** “Good morning John… Twilight,” Celestia said, with an indifferent expression, levitating some papers. “Hmm, what is that smell?” “Stench of hypocrisy…” John cold remark made her tilt her head in confusion. “Oh, you mean the breakfast… Sorry, I got them confused—” Twilight abruptly stood up, almost spilling her tea in the process. “I think, I left some experiment running in the lab—” “Twilight, you postponed this long enough. She is here, you are here – talk!” John stood up and went to the stove. “I would leave you alone, but someone needs to take care of breakfast.” Levitating a cup of tea in her magic, Celestia took a seat at the table and Twilight joined her a second later. For a moment they sat in silence, avoiding each other’s gaze and glancing indifferently at their teas. “I… don’t know what to say except… I’m sorry,” Twilight let out a sigh. “I should have known better.” “Quite right Twilight, you should have…” Celestia’s answer was cold, almost formal. “I believe you are sorry, but frankly I am starting to have second thoughts about what is happening to you lately.” “What do you mean?” “You are rushing things. I noticed that for the first time when we were in Saddle Arabia and you received the message that Fluttershy was sick.” “But… she landed in a hospital with a high fever! I had to come…” “I understand your sentiment, but as a princess, you do not have the luxury to be at your friend’s every whim.” Celestia took a sip of her tea and sighed. “Then there was the incident with the wild settlers… Tell me, did you jump straight to the legal approach because you thought it was the best way?” “Yes…” “There was no other reason?” “No… why?” With a disappointed expression, Celestia levitated something out of the stack of documents. When Twilight glanced at the piece of paper, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened. “Celestia… I… can explain.” “What do you want to explain, Twilight? That you just lied to me? That you rushed through the important and delicate negotiations because you were planning a special birthday party for Spike?” Celestia shook her head. “Mrs. Cake came here with the bill while you were occupied. She did not want Spike to know that the party was planned and then canceled, so she gave it to me instead. If she hadn’t come here, would you have told me?” Twilight locked her eyes on the middle of the table, avoiding Celestia’s gaze. “He worked so hard lately, I just wanted to make it special for once…” “And of course, there is the matter of your reaction to the incident involving… your other friend.” Twilight silently buried herself in her hooves. She wanted this nightmare to end already, but it was only beginning. “After careful consideration, I came to the conclusion that you should be relieved of your princess duties for the time being.” “W-what?!” Twilight gasped in shock, this wasn’t part of her checklist. “Y-you want to degrade me?!” “No, Twilight you misunderstood—” “Please don’t do this! I… I will work twice as hard! I will not let anything distract me from my duties this time, I swear!” “Twilight, this is not a punishment. You will still be the Princess of Friendship, but your duties will be limited to friendship problems only. Think about it, you will have more time to spend with your friends and more time to gain the necessary experience—” A loud rattle of the lid hitting the frying pan with force suddenly cut her off. Celestia turned to see John gaping at her with an angry expression on his face. “Oh, I’m sorry… Did I break your concentration?” He said, in a sarcastic tone. “Please, stay away from this.” “Kind of hard to stay away, when you are doing the exact opposite of what I asked you to. Can’t you see, you’re hurting her?” “This is the last thing I want to do.” “Then, you have a very funny way of fixing this whole mess.” “Once she gains enough experience, she will return to her other duties.” “Ah, I see… So you want her to gain experience, by… not allowing her to participate in any situation that would give her the experience…?” John let out a chuckle. “Where do you politicians get such brilliant ideas...” Celestia stood up, turning towards him with wings spread, horn glowing and gaze cold as ice. “For someone who just recently arrived, you are getting involved with things you do not understand, dear sir. That is something I do not appreciate, nor do I enjoy your sense of humor.” “Trying to intimidate me? Really? Sorry, but after nearly ten years of war, there is nothing left in me to scare. You are going to get a piece of my mind, whether you like it or not,” he said with a smile, that turned into a long chuckle. “Care to share the joke with the rest of us?” “The joke is… you, your Highness, and the fact that you don’t see it is even a bigger one.” “Another thing I do not appreciate is being called names, mister. You better have a good explanation for what you just said.” “Here you go,” he inhaled deeply, and expression on his face became hollow. “Ever since I arrived here, you did everything in your power to convince me to... basically, let go of my old life. And yet, you can’t let go of the fact that your student here, stood for her friend instead of some stranger?” Celestia opened her mouth and squinted her eyes in surprise. “Yes, before you entered Twilight told me what happened… You call her the ‘Princess of Friendship’… Now, I have no idea what that means, but… I would expect someone with such title to stand up for a friend… and you want to punish her for it?” “Your situation and Twilight’s are on a completely different level.” “Yes, they are… my situation is FUBAR no matter what I do, but hers is messed up only because you don’t want to accept her apology and the fact that people make mistakes!” Twilight teleported between them trying to settle things. “Please, both of you calm down—” “No, Twilight! Sorry, but I’ve had enough of Mrs. Self-righteous over here! She is acting like a moron, and someone needs to tell her that!” “I… What?!” Celestia’s left eye arched, her stoic demeanor was starting to break. “Even my patience has limits, mister – and right now you are testing it!” “Likewise!” Twilight took a step back, her eyes glancing between John and Celestia – both of them staring at each other with rage in their eyes, and no sign of letting go. This is not good… “You are as stubborn and persistent as James…” Celestia said with a small smile back on her face. “You appear to believe in what you are saying and I can respect that, but you have no clue what is at stake here.” “You’re also missing an important clue – let me give you a hint… what does the atomic number of chromium, pure gold and Twilight have in common?” Celestia cocked her head. “Really? Twilight, how about you?” “Um… The atomic number of chromium is twenty-four… and pure gold has… twenty-four carats and… I’m twenty-four years old…?” “I still do not understand.” “Oh, for the love of…” John rolled his eyes. “Let me repeat that for you... She is twenty-four! Not two thousand, four hundred; not two hundred and forty – twenty-four! You never made a mistake when you were that young?” “I…” Celestia froze as her past suddenly open behind her like a dam and flood her with memories. She looked away, trying to fight her body, but the involuntary nibbling on her lower lip and an embarrassed smile on her face made her look like a child caught telling a lie. Her blushing cheeks were just the icing on the cake. “Something tells me you weren’t exactly an angel back then,” John said with a smirk. “No, I was not… Still—” “Still, what? Someone was hard on you in the past, and now you want some payback?” “What? No!” “So you’re one of those ‘all or nothing’ teachers that always wants perfection?” “No!” “Then why?! Why are you so hard on her? How can you blame her for—” Suddenly, John stopped, scanning Celestia from top to bottom. With her mouth slightly agape, she glanced at Twilight, then back at him, only to lock her eyes onto the ground in silence a moment later. “You aren’t really blaming her are you?” John said, but Celestia kept staring at the floor. “I don’t understand.” “She’s not blaming you, Twilight. She’s blaming herself… Right, Princess?” Celestia smiled bitterly. “It would appear, you are a better judge of character than I anticipated…” “I don’t understand…” Twilight said. “I’m the one at fault here. I’m the one who failed you—” She was cut off, by a gentle touch of Celestia’s wing to her muzzle. “No, Twilight… You never failed me. It was my own arrogance that forced you into a position you were not prepared for yet… I was the one who rushed things in the first place, and now you are paying the price.” “That’s not true. I was the one who completed the spell, remember?” “Twilight, from the first day I met you, I knew you were destined for greatness, but I could have waited a few more years before sending you that cursed scroll… With Sunset, I tried to take it slow and it ended in disaster, and with you I tried to move things too fast…” Celestia sighed, shaking her head. “Maybe, I am just a poor teacher…” “Nonsense! You’re the best teacher anyone can hope for!” “Am I? There are so many things I am ashamed of, things you will not find in any history books, things… I would do differently if I had a chance. I just thought, that with me as your guide, I may be able to shield you from some of the pain I had to endure.” John smiled. “Your Highness, with all due respect, but… that’s not possible. Making mistakes sucks, but it allows us to evolve… Frankly, what you want to do is even worse than that royal pardon which Twilight wanted to use to get her friend out of trouble.” “How so?” “Imagine… an overprotective parent that doesn’t allow her kids to play outside, because they may catch a cold, or get hit by a car, or… something. The goal is noble, but… in the end, those poor children will have to learn those lessons, the hard way – without parent’s support. From my perspective, this is what you’re trying to do right now... Believe me, it won’t work.” For a moment, Celestia sat in silence, pondering – her eyes were darting between John, Twilight and the crystal floor. Finally, after a few seconds, she closed her eyes and let out a deep, slow sigh. “I think, you are correct… Please, tell me – knowing the situation… what approach would you propose?” “Simple: allow her to be who she is and support her. Berate her if necessary, but let her live her life, let her make mistakes. Step in only if and when she’ll need guidance on how to learn from her mistakes.” “And do you think she learned her lesson this time, or should I step in?” John smiled. “I think you both learned your lesson, your Highness.” With a deadpan expression on her face, Celestia glanced coldly at John, arching her left eyebrow, but let out a quiet chuckle a second later. “Yes, it would appear that even an old mare like me can learn new tricks…” She let out a sigh. “Twilight… I—” Before she could finish, Twilight threw her wing around her in a tight embrace, burying her muzzle in Celestia’s chest – Celestia replied by cuddling her closer. Both alicorns, stayed like that for a moment, letting some tears of joy to wet their coats. “That’s better…” John said, quickly wiping a tear that formed in his own eye. “You guys look so cute in that pose…” Both alicorns shot him an irritated glance. “Scary… but still cute. You know… you could have done that a few days ago.” “Apparently, we needed a chaperone… Thank you for giving me the piece of your mind, John – I needed that. You are quite a philosopher.” “Me? I’m just a simple guy. Now, Gastovski when he gets drunk… That’s a real philosopher.” “Of course he is…” “Hey! I’m serious – he always picks a subject on something he likes, and you can’t shut him up. Haven’t you ever talked with him when he was tanked?” “I did a few times,” Twilight interjected. “But, he either talks about something morbid or… um… makes some nasty comments.” “About me, I presume?” Celestia said, getting a nod from Twilight in return. “That is why I try not to talk with him when he is… indisposed.” “Sounds to me that he really likes you, Princess,” John let out a chuckle. “He only makes nasty comments about things he likes.” “Hrmph… well, at least he did not try to grab me by the flank yet – unlike certain other… individual.” Twilight smile as John arched his left eyebrow at Celestia’s remark. “This isn’t going away anytime soon, is it?” “Dear sir! You shall be forever remembered as the human who ‘accidentally’ grabbed the royal flank! Just think about it… A thousand years from now, ponies all over Equestria will be asking themselves ‘Who was this… John? What kind of relationship did he have with the Princess? Was it really an accident?’ – I am especially looking to read some papers on that last part.” “I can see why Gastovski likes you so much—” John said with a smile but was interrupted by a loud ding coming from the stove. “Ah, breakfast! Finally!” He turned around, going towards the steaming pan. “Um, Twilight, about that little help you offered earlier, is it still valid?” “Of course!” Before John could say anything else, Twilight levitated the food from the pan to the plates and placed them on the table. “Um… I just wanted to ask you to hold the pan for me, but I guess that will work too…” Twilight quickly jumped in her seat, her mouth almost drooling again. Celestia waited for John to join them, but he just stood near the stove with an unsure expression on his face. “Afraid to take a seat near me?” Celestia said with a smile. “I promise not to bite.” “I just thought… Is it appropriate for me to eat with you, guys? I mean, you are royalty, so…” “Oh, for the love of… Get your butt seated on the stool!” Celestia facehoofed, pointing at the seat to her left. “You know, sometimes I think that being a royal and a leper must have much in common, with everypony fearing to be near us and all…” John put on a sheepish smile and sat down. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like… that…?” Celestia cocked her head, looking at the confused human. Following his gaze, she glanced to her right, only to see Twilight pushing a spoon after spoon of the breakfast up her smiling mouth – her cheeks already bulging from the excess of food. It took a few seconds of silence for Twilight to realize she is being watched by the ‘crowd.’ With her eyes darting between smirking John and Celestia, she quickly swallowed the food and put on a sheepish smile. “He, he… sorry about that,” she said, as her cheeks grew warm. “But it’s just, sooo good… One of the best things I ever ate!” “I’m glad you like it…” He glanced at Celestia. “Well, one of you, anyway… Not hungry, Princess?” Celestia glanced at the mix of veggies on her plate and bit her lower lip. “Um… I am more of a fruit mare, I am afraid.” “More like a cake mare…” “Twilight!” “What? Did I lie?” Twilight let out a snicker, seeing a little angry frown on Celestia’s face. “Seriously, Celestia, try it! It tastes like heaven!” With a sigh, Celestia levitated the fork up to her muzzle and took a bite, her eyes widening immediately. “All right, I have to admit, this must be the best mix of vegetables I tasted in a while…” she took a sip of her tea and flinched. “Ugh… but this tea is just awful.” “Damn, and I thought it was just me!” John said. Cocking her head, Twilight took a sip. “Um… seems fine to me – you don’t like it?” “Honestly, it’s like a mixture of grapefruit and battery acid.” “But… James likes it.” “You are talking about a guy who literally drinks denaturant mixed with bleach!” “Well, he said it helps keep his nano-systems clean…” “Twilight, he drank that stuff even before they changed him!” John let out a chuckle. “I didn’t say anything about the tea because I thought this is what you guys drink around here.” “Heavens no!” Celestia said, pushing the cup away. “I will introduce you to some real tea on the Royal Summit.” John squinted his eyes. “Um… the what?” “It is a sort of a gala for Equestria’s royalty and nobility, I would like you to attend. I know James will.” “He will never come – he hates parties,” Twilight said. “Oh, I can assure you, he will, and Luna will as well… Can you believe he almost helped her get away from it?” “W-what? You know about that?!” “Yes! Luna accidentally sent me their entire plan of—” Suddenly, Celestia paused and glanced at her former student squinting her eyes. “You sounded almost like if you knew all along about this little… scheme.” Twilight had her muzzle deep down in her teacup. Her eyes were wide and darting erratically from left to right, and her cheeks were on fire. She looked like a filly caught with her hooves in a cookie jar. The only response was a frantic shake of her head. “I see… So, if I ask Luna if there were a third… conspirator,” Celestia put on a wicked smile, arching her eyebrow. “I will not hear your name, will I? What do you think, John?” “I think… five,” John said, making Celestia cock her head. “Four, three, two—” A loud gasp filled the air as Twilight let out the breath she was holding, greedily inhaling the oxygen a second later. “Busted!” “I… can explain…?” Twilight said, with a sheepish smile, gasping for air. “As entertaining as that would be, I think I heard enough,” Celestia said, her expression regal and formal again. “Let me just make one thing clear – the summit is going to happen, even if Tirek escapes Tartarus, Discord turns Canterlot upside down, and Chrysalis invades it, at the same time. And I will be there, Luna will be there along Mr. Grand conspirator Gastovski, Cadance will be there and YOU – my dear former student – will also be there. Do I make myself clear?” “… perfectly,” Twilight said with an audible gulp. “I am glad we understand each other,” just like that, Celestia’s expression transformed back to her usual, gentle smile. “What about you John? Will you attend?” “Well, since you made it sound like so much fun…” John snickered, but immediately, his expression changed from happy to blank. “I… don’t know.” “It is not as bad as it sounds—” “It’s not that I… I just don’t think this is going to work…” Celestia cocked her head. “Please tell me you are not saying, what I think you are saying…” She got no reply, John just stared motionless at the food in front of him, swirling it gently with a spoon. “I must say, I am at a loss here… After what happened with Rainbow Dash I thought you were slowly getting through those… morbid thoughts.” “I was… until I almost got my teeth knocked out at the end. That gave me a new perspective on things…” “Please, do not let that one incident get you down. Applejack was out of line.” “No, she wasn’t... We both know, she had every right to react the way she did. If I were in her place, and it was my Lilian instead of Apple Bloom, I would have done the same… or worse.” “Hrmph, interesting…” “What is?” “Your hypocrisy,” John cocked his head at her remark, waiting for some explanation. “Yes, hypocrisy John, you heard me correctly… A few minutes ago, you were lecturing me on how important it is to forgive others. What about forgiving yourself?” “It’s not the same.” “How so? Rainbow Dash almost cost you your life, not to mention your arm, and yet you forgave her… Frankly, I have serious doubts if my ponies would be so lenient on her if they were in your place.” “Again, it’s not the same! I did what I did because she learned from her mistake—” “And you have not? Are you saying you are still willing to attack and eat my ponies?” “W-what?! No! But—” “But what? The way I see it, you learned your lesson, just like Rainbow did,” Celestia shrugged. “What do you want me to do? Put you in jail? Would that ease your conscience?” “You have the right…” John murmured. “Quoting you, dear sir: ‘It’s not about my rights! It’s about what’s right and wrong,’ and right now, I do not understand why you cannot let it go. There was no harm done, Applejack is fine, you say you will not do it again nor would you do it in the first place if you knew then what you know now. So, what is the problem?” John kept gaping at the plate, swirling the untouched food for a few more seconds, before letting out a slow deep sigh and shaking his head. Celestia noticed his eyes were getting glassy. “You really don’t get it, do you? Apple Bloom, that’s the ‘problem’… She is one of only a few ponies that gave me a chance out there… How do you think she’ll react when she finds out what happened that night? How will she react when she learns that all this time, she was kind to a monster that almost killed her sister?!” The dam broke and John buried his face in his hand, sniffling loudly as the tears of anguish started flowing down his cheeks like a flood. “Just a few hours ago, I had a dream – I was back in that forest, hunting her, chasing her, pinning her to the damn tree… I… finished her off, only to hear this terrifying scream from behind… It was Apple Bloom, she watched as I butchered her sister!” He violently shook his head, his lips and chin trembling. “I can’t get that image out of my head…” Celestia extended her left wing, placing it on John’s shoulder. “It sounds horrifying, but it was just a nightmare.” “If Gastovski were there literally two seconds later, it would have been a reality…” “And if Rainbow Dash struck you a little harder, you would be dead… But neither of those things happened,” Celestia sighed. “I am not saying you should forget about that incident, but you need to forgive yourself and move on because otherwise, the guilt it is going to eat you from the inside out.” “Ah… wisdom of the immortal goddess… Who is the philosopher now?” Celestia smiled. “Wisdom… from personal experience, actually… Do you know about what happened between my sister and me?” John shook his head. “Well then, allow me to tell you a little story…” For the next ten minutes, Celestia told him about Luna, Nightmare Moon, how she sent her away for the thousand years, and how James received similar treatment. John listened carefully, not interrupting her even once. “So now that you heard it all, would you agree that I have at least some idea about what you are going through?” Celestia said and smiled gently. “You are not the only one making serious mistakes.” “Um… I probably shouldn’t ask that, but... when you blasted your sister to the moon... How did you handle the guilt?” “Denial, anger, bargaining… I went through all five stages, just like any person would. In the end, it landed me in a psychiatric ward.” “Did it help?” “No… Due to my pride and stubbornness, I delayed it for months… When I was finally admitted, I was in such state of mind that the therapy only made it worse… much worse. It all culminated with an… incident involving one of my doctors and me,” Celestia inhaled slowly with her eyes closed. “I would prefer to not go into the details on that one, but, let us just say that a few days later, after a conversation with a very smart pony, I reached the turning point and finally started to let go. If it was not for him, I do not know what would have happened.” “May I ask who was it?” Twilight interjected. “One of your assistants?” Celestia smiled. “No, his name was Keen Sweeper, he was an earth pony working in the hospital as a janitor,” Twilight squinted her eyes and tilted her head, making Celestia chuckle gently. “She looks surprised does she not?” “I would say, shocked…” John smiled. “Damn, that face! I wish I had my camera.” Twilight jerked her head a second later, regaining her composure. “That is pretty surprising... A janitor?! What could he possibly say? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” “If I recall, it was something like: ‘Would you kindly move yer fat flank off the bed so I can clean this pigsty?” “Something tells me you made a face similar to what Twilight did a moment ago,” John said. “You got that right! I was… dumbstruck, I threaten him, made some magic show, but… he was like: ‘You wanna impress me? Use some of that mumbo-jumbo to clean yer filthy flank! You look like a pig and stink even worse!’” Celestia glanced Twilight and chuckled – Princess of Friendship was sitting frozen with mouth agape, letting out some squeaking sounds of disbelief. “Let us say, that after a few more insults, I barked out something, but let him stay to clean the room… And since he was the first pony I have seen in days… soon, we engaged in some small talk.” “Small talk?” “Yes, Twilight, small talk. I realize how silly it may seem, but it was exactly what I needed back then, to talk about the weather, food, anything other than my duty to Equestria, or how Equestria needed me, or how I need to be strong for the good of the nation. Keen Sweeper did not care about any of those, he treated me like a normal mare. Soon, we became friends, and that allowed me to slowly start the healing process and forgive myself – at least to a point.” “And you think that making friends is going to help me too?” John let out a sigh. “Still, when Apple Bloom finds out, she is going to hate me… How can I make peace with her sister, after what happened?” “Hmm, now that you mention it, Applejack has been acting strange lately,” Twilight said. John rolled his eyes. “Yes, when someone almost kills you, you may be a little nervous around him.” “Even before you showed up, she has become easily irritable, blowing problems out of proportion, getting angry about minor things – stuff like that...” Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. “I think, it started when the new weather ponies took over after Rainbow Dash and her team. They started causing havoc with the rain. AJ has been on edge ever since...” “Hrmph… perhaps you should add ‘train new weather team’ to your friend’s punishment list.” “Actually, that may not be a bad idea… If the weather problems would stop, Applejack would probably relax as well. I’ll talk to Spitfire about it.” “I think there is more…” Celestia interjected. “The day John arrived, I saw Applejack talking to Legal Beagle.” “Who is that?” “He is a lawyer from Canterlot, that works for the nobility… I do not know what exactly transpired, but I do recall Applejack saying that… she will not be able to deliver some goods on time. She seemed pretty stressed about it.” “You think that’s significant?” “Legal does not work for just anypony, Twilight. His services are very expensive… If Applejack is dealing with someone who can afford him, then yes, I think it may be significant.” “Hmm, that doesn’t sound good…” Twilight said. “I’ll try to talk with her tomorrow, maybe there really is more going on than meets the eye.” “Even assuming that I’m not the reason behind your friend’s stress… you really believe she’ll forgive me? I doubt it…” John shook his head. Twilight smiled. “You don’t know her. Applejack is an easygoing mare, and it’s not the first time her life was in danger,” John cocked his head. “Let’s just say we had our share of adventures, and she is now friends with most of the former bad guys.” “The truth is, you and Applejack share a lot of traits – compassion being one of them,” Celestia smiled. “I believe that if you talk to each other, she will forgive you. And if she will, Apple Bloom will as well. Twilight and I, may try to arrange you a meeting.” John glanced at the floor in silence and shrugged his shoulders a moment later. “Ah, what the hell, not that I have much to lose anyway,” he smiled. “Sorry for the whole, crybaby scene… As for that gala... I’ll go – I want to see what’ll Gastovski do, he hates parties.” “He should have thought of that before. Now, he will find out what I do to people plotting against me,” she turned to Twilight, “and their co-conspirators.” “Didn’t we just establish that we should forgive others the mistakes they made…?” Twilight said. “Yes… After they learn to never make them again, and frankly, I have a feeling that did not happen yet...” Celestia struck a thinking pose. “Now, if I were to – for example – deny somepony the access to the Canterlot library for a month and confiscate all the books from her castle…” Twilight’s eyes shot wide. “You are not serious… right?” She glanced at Celestia to see a wicked smile forming on her face. “Right?!” Celestia added an arched eyebrow in response. “Please! Anything, but that!” John cocked his head. “Seriously? So much fuss over some silly books?” Slowly, Twilight’s gaze turned in his direction. The expression on her face was blank, but intimidating at the same time. With her eyebrow twitching and grinding her teeth, she let out an angry snort. “Some silly books…” Her glare intensified, sending shivers up his spine. “Some silly books?!” “My, my… now you have done it, John,” Celestia said with a chuckle. “She does not like when someone insult books.” “Can we just pretend I didn’t say that…?” “Silly… books…” Twilight grumbled through clenched teeth, her gaze still fixed upon him. “Um… A little help?” He said to Celestia, but she shrugged with a smile. The door to the kitchen burst open at that moment, and James walked inside with a grin on his face. “Good morning!” His grin widened. “What a lovely day, wouldn’t you say… Um, why is Twilight trying to murder John with her gaze?” “He said ‘silly books.’” James flinched. “Auch… Twi, give it a rest, he didn’t know books are your fetish.” “They’re not my fetish!” “Whatever you say, miss, ‘I prefer books,’” James smirked. “You seem to be in a good mood today, boss,” John said, finally free from Twilight’s gaze. “What was it? Good night’s sleep? Good bm, or did you kill someone?” “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. Celestia, I’ll need your services later today… And no, for once that’s not an innuendo.” “Somehow… that makes me feel nervous…” Celestia said, only to see James shooting her a wicked smile. “Very nervous...”