//------------------------------//
// What Did We Do Wrong? 
// Story: Christmas Makes a Human Rather Moody 
// by Heartland Picker 
//------------------------------//

Twilight and Pinkie were only mildly relieved to know that the school Hearth's Warming party went on without a hitch. The young alicorn was still too miffed at the guy who, in her eyes, deserved to wake up with the worst hangover of his life. Ben, I don't know what possessed you to act like that over the last couple of days, but you're getting an earful once you're in here. She was hoping that he wouldn't pass up the note she left on coffee table in the den. Rarity agreed that he belonged on the couch for his attitude the night before.

However, something was nagging at the back of her mind. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but something felt wrong about the whole thing. He's done some crazy things before, but last night he was exceptionally wild. What in Tartarus could have possessed him to act like such an asshole!? Was he gruff, yes. Was he a jerk? Only to an extent on a normal day. That didn't excuse his obnoxious behavior, especially with that dumb song that sounded like an insult aimed at Hearth's Warming. How dare he insult our most unifying holiday! I have half a mind to-

"Uh, Twilight? Should I come back later?"

She was startled out of her mental rant by her adoptive brother, Spike. He was only mildly perturbed by her angry expression, but still enough for Twilight to take notice. Her expression softened. "Um, sorry Spike. I'm just worked up from this whole deal with Ben's douchery over the last couple of days."

Spike was unfazed by this. It was at this point that Starlight had walked into the room. She heard enough to know what Twilight was getting at, thus she held her silence as she moved to brew a pot of coffee. God knew they were going to need it with how the night had turned out. Spike then said, "well, as long as you're not ranting at the moment, maybe you should read this scroll that came in the middle of the night. The outside noted that you should read it first thing this morning."

Twilight noticed that the scroll carried Luna's mark. Huh, I wonder what this is about. I haven't spoken with her for months. She proceeded to open the scroll and began to read:



Twilight:

You and the others Elements have become more acquainted with the human Benjamin Murdoch in recent times. I am aware of his recent behavior and that you and your friends might be upset with him. If you're speaking with him anytime today, please be gentle with him. His heart is in a delicate state as evidenced by his dreams. I will not speak of what I happened in his nightmare last night, but I will tell you that he is very troubled and in need of your support as Princess of Friendship. Please correspond if you have any further concerns after you have conversed.

-Princess Luna



Twilight's anger had dissipated the instant she read the bit regarding his troubles. "Oh dear Celestia."Is this why he was so drunk last night? Have I misjudged him? While she didn't realize it, Starlight had noticed the change in Twilight's demeanor. "Twilight, what's wrong?" she asked.

Twilight simply passed the letter on to Starlight, her gaze remaining unchanged. One quick glance and she had her hoof over her mouth with concern written all over her face. "I don't get it. He always said that he was used to working during the night. Why would he feel the need to lie to us?"

Twilight came out of her trance at that. "Starlight, you're aware of how stubborn he can be when talking about himself. Rarity suggested that we pair him up with a romantic partner shortly after his business was established. I suggested we ask him first, but Rarity reasonably argued that being subtle would be the best approach. I only agreed because either way, we just wanted to see him be happy, and any mare would be lucky to be with him."

Starlight then had a puzzled look. "Okay, that sounds reasonable. So what's the problem?"

Twilight then sighed. "It didn't seem to matter what we did. Our first attempt was a liquor tasting with the rest of the town along with a few ponies from the nearby settlements, but he kept his focus on the event. Any time that we tried to spark a conversation that might lure him into regular correspondence with another, he would simply shrug it off with saying he was behind on something. We tried other things like inviting him to dinner with friends while we disappeared, an Apple family hoedown, but he never would take the bait. 

"We'd just given up at that point, but after your drinking games incident mares started lining up for him all on their own. We figured that this would force the issue to resolve itself, but all he's been doing is blowing it off saying that he had work to do. However, we could tell he was lying to the point that he may be denying himself the magic beyond friendship that Rarity likes to talk about from time to time. We called him out for it, but he refused to talk to us about it. Every time that we asked him to consider it, he would immediately raise his voice with an absolute 'NO'.

"Shortly before Nightmare Night, it looked like he was starting to come around. I realized that I was wrong when he put a notice on his cabin that all visits should either be about business or community concerns. However, mares only became more adamant about seducing him, and things got ugly: he started to threaten them with excessive force if they didn't leave his property. He would show up from time to time asking for restraining orders just to get the message across. I told him that he was being dumb at that point and should just get over himself. He was getting lonely and I figured that an occasional visit from a mare wouldn't hurt him. When he left, he was downtrodden, just like-" Twilight then had the look of a deer in headlights.

This was a cause for alarm to Starlight. "Just like when, Twilight?"

Twilight then finished. "Just like when he realized he was never going home! Starlight, I had a hunch long before then that something else might be going on. The problem was there was no hard evidence to prove it. Rarity said his eyes scream for companionship, but that wasn't enough for us to intervene. That's when I figured it was a good idea to get Luna involved: she can get a better grasp of the situation from the dream realm. It's where the mind tends to be more truthful. We have to talk to him now!"

Starlight then telekinetically grabbed Twilight by the tail before she could rush off. "Twilight, I'm well aware that you're concerned about him, but there's one problem: he'll be in a bad mood if you wake him now. Remember, he was drinking heavily last night."

Twilight then blushed, realizing the implications. "Oh, right. He'll hate us for that. I am again reminded of why I made you a student counselor in the first place. So what do we do?"

Starlight then made a gentle smile. "First we'll need to fill a pitcher of water. If he really drank half a bottle of whiskey, then he's definitely dehydrated. We can head up to him, but we wait for him to wake on his own. It's like Princess Luna wrote: we need to be gentle with him. Forcing anything out of him would only make things worse. He needs us now more than ever."

Twilight relaxed, upon which the grip on her tail was released. "You're right. He won't open up if he's under pressure. Go ahead up I'll be right behind you."

Starlight nodded and disappeared. Twilight summoned an empty pitcher and filled it at the tap. After the pitcher was full, she took the opportunity to just walk up to Ben's room so she could contemplate what all of this could mean, considering the implications of his behavior. Did we set something off in his mind? Maybe he already had a serious girlfriend before he got here. Did he take it as an insult when we admitted to our matchmaking? The more she thought about it, the more she felt guilty for meddling in his personal affairs. Here I thought he was over the fact that he might never go home again, but is realizing further implications now. Now I feel terrible for going along with Rarity's approach. I should have just went ahead and asked him if he'd be okay with it.

Twilight didn't realize that she was approaching the guest room until she heard the man's snoring from outside. She set the pitcher of water on the bedside table and took a seat on the floor beside Starlight, who noticed Twilight's downcast eyes. Starlight then spoke. "Twilight, don't feel so glum. Sure, you mishandled the situation, but now's the time to set it right by getting to the bottom of this." Starlight had her own thoughts though. I'm more aware now that certain things take time to work out, but I hope this will help him. I just don't want him to be miserable for Hearth's Warming.

And thus, they waited. It wouldn't be too long though.