//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Can You See Me Now // by Marezinger Z //------------------------------// Twilight soared high above the area as she left town, heading for the Everfree forest. Her eyes darted around as she neared the edge of the dense tree line until she scouted a colorful tent about 3 miles out from the main road. Twilight circled the area, making sure there were no surprises hidden about before she landed at the campsite. The sound of her touchdown stirred noise from the tent and Twilight held a guarded stance as the flap opened. "Ah, Princess Twilight." Renaissance eyed her with a gentle smile. "How nice to finally meet you." "I wish I could feel the same." Twilight held an unblinking gaze on the unicorn. "Renaissance, I take it?" "Yes." She nodded, calmly approaching. "Stay back." Twilight warned. "I didn't ask you here to fight, Princess." Renaissance assured. "Honestly, it wouldn't even be a contest." "That sure of yourself?" "Not of myself, of you, Princess. I would have no chance against you." She admitted. Twilight's guard fell at the atypical response. "What?" "My magic has the ability to unlock great power in others." Renaissance began. "However, I cannot use it on myself. I exist only to help others." "Help?" Twilight asked harshly. "You call what you're doing help?" "Absolutely." She said plainly. "I have helped so many over the course of my travels." "You're crazy." "That's rather harsh, considering we've just met." Renaissance sighed. "You do not even know me." "You lured in our friends and family, gave them dangerous powers and turned them loose with their heads filled with whatever venomous ideology you carry." Twilight pointed her hoof at her. "I think I know enough." "Then you know nothing." Her eyes narrowed. "I expected better from the Princess of Friendship." "Really?" Twilight took a few steps closer. "Fine then, let's hear it. Tell me your reason for doing this and how it is possibly helping my friends; who are heading into a battle with each other as we speak." "Gladly." Renaissance sat. "First of all, I did not lure them; my magic led me to them. You see, my abilities are unique and that was something my father sought to take advantage of; I used to be just like those I've helped... voiceless and helplessly adrift in the tides of the world around me. I was denied a life, kept hidden and chained; only allowed to move and speak when my father permitted. I was made to use my magic to grant power to his wealthy friends in exchange for large sums of bits; but you see, I have no control over what powers are granted. The abilities my magic grants are based on the buried desires of those I imbue." Her light smile faded and she looked towards the ground. "One day, my magic turned a particularly cruel stallion into a destructive monster with no self control. He rampaged, killing my father and the others in the room at the time. I was badly injured, but somehow survived the encounter. The local guard were forced to fell the stallion and I was taken to the hospital and ultimately placed in the care of an orphanage." She raised her head once more, smile returning. "I was surrounded by others like myself and I discovered a new aspect of my magic; just as my magic plays off of the wills and desires of others I found out I could sense those wills through concentration. As I looked around at the other fillies and colts who were as alone as I, I could feel their want... their pain." "Empathetic attunement." Twilight spoke. "Typically, a unicorn's magic is directly tied to its thoughts and emotions; but yours is attuned to the thoughts and emotions of others. That's why your magic isn't capable of affecting you." "Precisely." Renaissance's smile widened. "Perhaps you are more capable of understanding than I thought." She stood. "I was spared a grisly fate and was reborn with a new purpose. I could seek out and be there for those whom society passed by; grant power and voice to those who truly needed it instead of those who greedily desired it... give them what they need to finally be seen." Twilight quietly absorbed the bizarre tale. "Your intentions may seem pure, but you're doing more harm than good." "Am I?" Renaissance cocked her head. "Had I not intervened in your 'friends' lives, they would still be quietly suffering while the world carried on without care. I was there to listen to what they wanted to say, see the pain they kept hidden." She pointed at Twilight. "They sat, surrounded by so called family and friends who claim to know them and yet failed to bother taking that deeper look below their surfaces." "If they had said anything to any of us, we would have been there for them in a heartbeat." Twilight defended. "They felt they couldn't say anything." Renaissance countered. "Why do you think that is? Or did you ever stop to wonder how something like that could be?" She shook her head. "If not, then let me tell you. In this world there are ponies that stand out and ponies that do not; the lives of the ponies that stand out always overshadow the latter and they ever end up feeling that their thoughts and emotions just aren't as important. They lose their voice and live in fear that speaking up or out of turn will only make their lives even worse than they already feel they are." She gestured to Twilight. "You, as a Princess, as some pony so special the world itself reacts to your movements, have no idea what that feels like and hence have no ability to be there for ponies who suffer so." Twilight processed the accusation. "Maybe you're right." She finally managed. "My friends have all been hurt by this, hurt in the knowledge that those they cared about were in pain that they didn't know about. Even so, what you've done has placed them in a position where they have to hurt each other even more. The abilities you grant are unstable and you yourself have seen what can happen." "Very true." Renaissance nodded. "However, this conflict is necessary to complete their rebirth. This fight will be the cathartic finale that will either renew their bonds or bring them to an end." She laid her hoof to her chest. "I was placed in the same mortal moment and was given rebirth; if it is meant for them then they will survive as well." "And if not?" Twilight asked angrily. "You're willing to risk that?" "Is an empty life better than a meaningful death?" Renaissance asked. "It all depends on how we answer that question." "No life is empty, that's my answer." Twilight encased Renaissance in magic and anchored the bubble to the ground. "We'll save our friends, then I'm taking you to Princess Celestia." Twilight spread her wings and headed off after the others, Renaissance watching her off with the same quiet smile. Knowing that Zephyr, Marble and Snips already had a significant lead, Pinkie and the others had boarded the train in order to reach their destination as fast as possible. The ride was quiet and tense as they could do nothing but hope they'd intercept them before anything bad happened. Rushing past every pony to disembark, they sped out into the rural region and towards the Pie family farm. As the homestead came into view, Limestone's heart began to race even more as she saw her parents on the porch, face to face with the empowered trio. The could hear the conversation that was already in progress, the elders' faces astonished at the bold and angry voice of their typically silent daughter. "Marble!" Limestone shouted as they neared. "Here comes the cavalry." Zephyr chuckled as he looked back at the assembled friends. "Limestone." Marble turned to face them. "Stay out of this." "Forget it, sis." Limestone refuted. "I know you're hurting, I know you're angry, but there is no way we're letting you hurt mom and dad." "This needs to stop." Pinkie pleaded. "We can talk about this, as much as you need to; but no more fighting." "She's right, Zephyr." Fluttershy stepped in. "Last time we spoke, I saw a glimpse of what's going on inside you. Just calm down and let's go back home." "You keep talking like I'm out of control." Zephyr patted his chest. "I am in control, more than ever." "Yeah, this just shows how little you understand." Snips snorted. "But we get each other and we're sticking together." "If you want to try and keep us down." Marble reared back. "Then BRING IT ON!" The ground upheaved as she screamed into the dirt, sending every pony scattering. "We'll deal with sis!" Limestone shouted as she rallied her sisters. "Then leave Zephyr to us!" Rainbow Dash grabbed Fluttershy's foreleg and headed into the air. "C'mon, Rarity." Applejack headed around the debris. "Let's wrangle Snips." In the sky above the farm, Zephyr easily kept ahead of his pursuers, going so far as to fly backwards. "Really, sis? If Dash can't keep up, what chance do you have?" He asked mockingly. "I don't want to chase you Zephyr!" Fluttershy panted as she endeavored to keep up. "I want you to come to us!" "That would imply going back!" Zephyr called back. "I'm all about moving forward now!" "Zephyr!" Rainbow Dash pushed to gain on him. "You want to hear that you win, then fine! You win! We don't want to fight you! You're not a villain and you're not our enemy!" "Then what am I, Dash!" His aura increased and he suddenly flew at them, sending them in opposite directions as he careened between them. "It's kind of a big coincidence that all of the sudden you want to be civil!" "You're right." Rainbow Dash admitted as hovered before him. "And I'm sorry." "We both are." Fluttershy joined her. "You're my brother, the only one I have. I don't want you to resent me, I want to be there for you." She looked to him with sorrowful eyes. "All of us have realized that you three are right. Life has been changing so fast for all of us and it's affected you just as much as us; you're our family and friends and we're sorry that the things you've felt have gone unnoticed for so long. We admit that and want to make everything right, but at the same time you need to realize that whatever Renaissance did to you isn't helping, it's making it worse." "I'm confident in myself now." He said surely. "I used to need others to tell me I was worth something because I didn't believe that I was... but now I can see my own worth and that's only because of Renaissance. You call that making it worse?" "No, I call this overcorrection worse." Fluttershy held her hoof out to him. "What you three are doing now isn't creating a dialogue, it's revenge for the way you were treated. I know it feels good to tip the scale in the other direction, but that's not going to make things better in the long run." Zephyr's aura faded as he considered her synopsis. Down below, the Pie siblings fought to avoid their sister's sonic blasts. Their words were drowned out by her loud shouts and they were beginning to tire from the constant dodging. "This isn't getting us anywhere!" Limestone called. "Yes it is!" Maud noted through a huge leap. "How!?" Pinkie asked as she somersaulted away. "We can't keep this up!" Limestone galloped around the field. "Neither can she!" Maud pointed out. "Look!" She pointed at Marble; their sister's eyes were watering and her breath was labored due to the consecutive yells. "Tire her out so we can get close!" "Okay!" Pinkie whipped out a heavily frosted cupcake from her mane. "I only use these in emergencies." "A cupcake!" Limestone growled. "Really!?" "This is the sugar rush!" Pinkie proclaimed. "The sweetest, sugariest treat I've ever created! Great for when you need a boost of energy!" She swallowed the entire confection and her pupils immediately dilated. "Ooh!" She began bouncing in place. "Okay Marble! You want to play tag, let's play!" Limestone and Maud rested as Pinkie zoomed in with amazing speed. "This isn't a GAME!" Marble shouted at her but missed by a mile. "Stop PLAYING AROUND and TAKE ME SERIOUSLY!" The farm grounds began to shred as Marble panned around in an attempt to hit Pinkie. "I am, silly!" Pinkie said as she bounded about. "I'm super serious about helping you and getting the little sister we love back!" "I'm not your meek little sister ANYMORE!" Marble cried out. "I can TALK FOR MYSELF! Make my OWN CHOICES!" She began to huff erratically. "I'm done BEING IN YOUR SHADOWS!" "Marble!" Limestone braved re-entry into the battle. "We weren't trying to keep you down! We never saw you as less than the rest of us!" "LIAR!" Marble shrieked. "You might as well have chained me down! You never let me do ANYTHING! Never CARED ABOUT WHAT I WANTED!" "We didn't know what you wanted!" Maud explained as she jumped back in. "But we do now! You can tell us in your own voice and we'll listen to you!" "Yeah!" Pinkie hopped over her head, pulling her away from her sisters. "We're happy you're confident now, but you need to talk to us... not yell your head off!" "I..." Marble's head lowered as her voice began to give out. Across the way, Snips had grown to full size and was trying to stomp out Applejack and Rarity. While strong, his slow movements made it difficult to pin down the mares as they darted about his hooves. "Snips dear, not to sound judgmental but this isn't a healthy way to deal with your anger." Rarity galloped along his side. "It's working for me!" Snips bellowed as he scanned the ground. "Getting even isn't the same as making it right!" Applejack shouted up at him. "We want to help, but we can't if you keep trying to step on us!" "I've already been helped!" He noted. "Renaissance has given you a short term fix, not a long term solution." Rarity pointed out as she narrowly avoided his hoof. "This isn't working." Applejack scooped her up and ran to his back. "He won't listen to us." They looked up as Snips located them. "There you are." He grinned as he raised his hoof. "Snips!" Applebloom's voice sailed over the area. "Stop!" Snips angered at the all too familiar shout. "Why won't you just leave..." He turned to face her, pausing greatly as he saw Snails in their company. "Snails?" "Holy cow!" Snails skidded to halt. "They weren't kidding... you're huge!" "What are you doing here?" Snips wandered over and looked down at him. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo showed up at my training and told me what was happening." He sat before his friend as the girls snuck around to his back. "This isn't like you, pal." "What do you care?" He asked curtly. "All you care about now is Buckball." "Aw... that isn't true." Snails said simply. "You know that." "No I don't!" He shouted. "All you do now is blow me off. You're a popular Buckball star now, don't need to hang out with the loser anymore." Snails sighed at the realization of what Snips was feeling. "How come you never said anything?" He asked plainly. "I... what was I supposed to say?" Snips asked in return. "Me or Buckball? Pretty obvious choice huh?" "Yeah." Snails nodded with a smile. "You." "Huh?" Snips' aura waned. "You... you'd pick me over Buckball?" "Of course." Snails nodded. "Buckball is awesome, but not as awesome as my best friend." He nodded soundly. "I'm sorry though, I didn't mean to hurt you." Snips started to tear up. "Thanks..." He sniffled. "No problem, buddy." Snails waved. "I'll see you when you wake up." "When I..." He quickly looked down and noticed Applejack's lasso around his rear leg. "What the..." He looked back to see the girls yank the rope; he toppled forward, head rebounding off the granite covered ground. As he lapsed into unconsciousness he began to shrink back to normal size. Back in the air, Zephyr struggled with what to do as his sister's words made him waver. "I want to believe you, sis. I really do." He said apologetically. "But I'm scared that if I go back to being who I was.. then everything else will come back with it. I just can't take that chance." His aura returned. "Don't make us do this, Zephyr." Rainbow Dash readied herself. "If you two really mean what you say, then we have to." He shot up into the sky and rolled in the air, barreling back down at them. "Move, Shy!" Rainbow Dash pushed her back as he rocketed by. "Zephyr!" Fluttershy called after him. "Forget it, he wants this." Rainbow Dash flew in front of her. "We need to show him we mean what we say and the only way to do that is to beat him. I have an idea, but I need your help." "Okay." Fluttershy nodded. Rainbow Dash led her in another chase after her brother. They blazed the sky around the farm but remained in the same situation as last time, unable to fully catch up to her magically enhanced sibling. As they moved along, Rainbow Dash explained her idea and with Fluttershy on board she prepared herself. "Hey Zephyr!" Shouted. "Being fast is great isn't it! Makes you real good at running away!" "What!?" Zephyr looked back over his shoulder. "You heard me!" She continued. "As a Wonderbolt I fly towards a problem, not from it! If you have a problem with us then stallion up and do something about it!" Zephyr doubled back at the insult. "You asked for it, Dash!" He flew at her full speed. "Now!" Rainbow Dash locked hooves with Fluttershy and they flew up above his attack, beginning to spin together like a centrifuge. As Zephyr went past them, Fluttershy hurled Rainbow Dash at him, the built up momentum giving her just enough to make it up to him; she wrapped her hooves around him in a tight hug and held on with all her strength. "Hey!" Zephyr tried to pry her off. "Let go!" "No!" She grimaced. "I'm not letting you go this time!" "I can't stay in control... you're going to make us crash!" He said in a panic as they began to flop around. "Then I'll crash with you!" She pressed her cheek to his chest. "I owe you that much!" "Dash!" They began to fall from the sky and slammed through the side of the barn. The wood shattered as they went through one wall and out the other, hitting the ground hard and rolling across the rocky landscape. "Oh no!" Flutterhsy flew after them, landing roughly and stumbling to their side. "Dash! Zephyr!" She checked them both, finding them still breathing but unconscious. Marble's voice grew hoarse as her sisters continued to draw her fire in all directions. Her legs wobbled and vision grew hazy as her body reached the point of complete exhaustion. "I think she's out of gas." Limestone noted cautiously. "Marble!?" Pinkie called out. "Can we stop now!? This isn't fun!" "It isn't... supposed... to be..." Marble huffed. "Why won't... you... go down?" "Because that would mean we gave up on you." Limestone explained. "And we'll never do that." "We love you, Marble." Pinkie gave her a tired smile. "We're sorry we made you doubt that." Maud noticed Marble's aura finally beginning to subside. "No matter how much our lives change, we'll always be sisters. Nothing is ever going to change that, not even this." Marble began to cry as she staggered in place. "You don't get to just say sorry." "We know." Pinkie nodded. "Things need to change and they will. Pinkie Promise." Marble glanced over at Pinkie, a gray blur forming in her peripheral; she quickly looked back and let out a dull grunt as Maud's hoof landed in her stomach. She looked up at her sister with fading consciousness to see her smiling. "Pie promise." Maud nodded as she grabbed ahold of her collapsing sister. Twilight arrived on the scene after the battle was over and used her magic to bubble up the trio. She took them and her friends to Canterlot general to have their injuries treated; she also contacted Princess Celestia, informed her of the situation and asked that she come and use her magic to remove the enchantments placed on their friends. Fluttershy took the time to return home and tell her parents the whole story of what had happened and Applejack returned to the castle to let Spike, Sugar Belle and Big Mac know that all was well. Once the situation was under control, Twilight traveled back to the makeshift campsite to collect Renaissance; her heart jumping as she found her magical bubble as well as the mare gone. "That's impossible." Twilight swooped down and landed. "How in Equestria did she get out?" Her head whipped towards the tent as a pair of unicorns stepped out. They halted at the sight of the Princess and quickly raised their hooves in innocence. "P... Princess Twilight?" One of them spoke. "We aren't stealing anything... she said we could have what we wanted." "She?" Twilight eyed them. "Did you let that unicorn out?" "Yes." The other nodded. "We met her the other day in the reagent shop and got to know her a little. She asked us to meet her here today and we found her trapped. She said she accidentally trapped herself while practicing a spell so we let her out." "Where is she?" Twilight quickly asked. "Oh, she left." The first answered. "Said she needed to keep on her way and that we could help ourselves to anything useful she had in her tent. That's the truth, we swear." Twilight punched the ground. "She set this up knowing I'd trap her." "Huh?" The unicorns looked to each other in confusion. "Nothing." Twilight shook her head and returned to the sky, doubling back towards the hospital. Zephyr was the first to wake. His eyes struggled to open as he made out a series of shapes around him. "Wh...where am I?" He asked. "You're in the hospital." Fluttershy quickly laid her hoof on his. "Sis?" He forced his eyes open, gasping as he finally made out the other forms. "Mom... dad?" "Yes, we're here son." His father stepped around the bed. "Oh, you had us so worried." His mother smiled in relief. "Fluttershy told us everything." "She... she did?" He quickly looked over at her. "Of course." Fluttershy nodded as she took his hoof. "Zephyr, I'm so sorry." "So are we." His mother rubbed his cheek. "When your sister told us what you had said and how you truly felt, we realized that we failed to look deeper too." "Wh...no..." Zephyr shook his head. "I'm the one who's sorry. I was just... so angry, and everything Renaissance said made so much sense and... I... I didn't mean those things I said." "Zephyr." Fluttershy stopped him. "You did mean them... and that's okay." She assured. "You had so much inside of you and you felt that you couldn't tell any pony, not even your own family. That isn't right." "Fluttershy is right." His father nodded. "I'm ashamed to admit that at a certain point we simply accepted how you were acting as who you were." "If you can't talk to us, then who can you talk to." His mother continued. "We're not angry with you, sweetie. We're just glad you're okay." Zephyr looked up into her comforting eyes and started to cry. "I'm sorry... sorry I'm such a mess." "Oh honey." His mother leaned across the bed and hugged him as he sobbed. "The hard part is over. You can talk to us as much as you need to about whatever you want to; don't ever feel like you or what you have to say doesn't matter." Fluttershy too began to cry as she watched her family come together in a way she hadn't seen in a long time. "Awww." Pinkie watched the scene from her vantage at Marble's bedside. "Hey, look." Limestone slapped her shoulder and pointed to the bed. "She's waking up." Maud noted. Marble opened her eyes to the sight of Pinkie's enourmous grin. "Pinkie?" She muttered in a rasp. "About time, sleepy head." Pinkie patted the top of her head. "We were starting to think you'd never wake up." Marble's head panned around. "Limestone... Maud..." "How ya feeling, slugger?" Limestone asked. "My... throat hurts..." She whispered. "The doctor said your vocal chords are enflamed." Maud informed. "You'll be okay once it subsides." She laid her hoof atop hers. "Sorry for the gut punch." Marble saw the bandages on their bodies. "I did that?" "We're fine." Pinkie waved it off. "I get banged up like this all the time when the girls and I are on a mission." "I... I'm sorry..." Marble managed. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just..." "Easy." Limestone calmed her. "You've got nothing to apologize for; we're the ones who are sorry." "Yeah." Pinkie nodded. "You were hurting and we weren't there." "Life has been moving faster than we're used to these last few years." Maud carried on. "We didn't mean to make you feel abandoned." "I'm sorry too, Marble." Limestone's head lowered. "Pinkie left home, then Maud... mom and dad started to get older; it was a lot of pressure on me knowing that the farm was resting more and more on my shoulders. I started treating you like a farm hand instead of a sister and I'm so sorry for doing that to you." A rare tear left her eye and fell onto Marble. "I was only trying to do what was best, trying to hold everything together; and I dragged you down that road with me without even asking how you felt or what you wanted." She tilted her head to look into her sister's eyes. "That farm is not your responsibility. You need to live the life you want and from now on, I'm going to make sure you get to." Marble's eyes spilled over with tears as Limestone hugged her. Maud stepped away and left the room, returning soon with more visitors. The sisters moved aside as their parents took a spot beside the bed. "Mom, dad." Mable looked up at them shamefully. "You came?" "Of course, my daughter." Igneous set his hoof to her head. "What happened was quite a shock, but your sisters have explained all." "I'm sorry." Marble said meekly. "I said so many horrible things." Cloudy looked down at her, stern eyes turning soft as she rested her hoof on her chest. "My little Marble. I often forget that you girls are not from the same cloth as your father and I. I always did what I could to offer what comforts we could afford on our farm and yet I failed to offer comfort where you needed it most." She patted above her heart. "In here." A deep sigh left her. "You found the comfort that you should have been able to find in me in this Renaissance. That fact alone speaks much; I am sorry for being so blind to the hurt and weight you carried inside." "And we are sorry for placing the burden of our farm onto you." Igneous continued. "While at first it was difficult to watch our daughters leave, we soon saw how great they were able to become." He looked to Limestone. "You as well, you have worked so hard to ensure the prosperity of our home. You have both done more than enough. We want you to have the same freedom to grow that your sisters claimed; so we've decided to reorganize and take on outside help to work the farm." "What?" Limestone asked in shock. "You two are free to live your lives as you wish." Cloudy explained. "The burden of the farm will no longer be yours. I wish to be your mother again, not your employer." She removed her glasses as her eyes teared. "Thank you." Marble smiled as she reached up to them. They each took one of her hooves as their daughters gathered around them. Across the way, in the third bed, Snails smiled as he noticed Snips finally coming around as well. "Hey buddy." Snails grinned down at him. "Snails?" Snips glanced over to see Applejack and the CMC at his opposite side. "What happened." "You got bonked on the head." Snails noted. "It was a pretty big fall considering... you know, how big you were." "How do you feel?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Lousy." He admitted. "But not because of the fall." "It's okay." Applebloom assured. "So do we." She stood on her hind legs and rested her forelegs on the bedside. "I'm sorry I was being so hard on you. You needed a friend, not a guidance counselor; and I'm sorry we didn't see what was really going on with you until it was too late." "Same here." Snails added. "This Buckball thing has been moving so fast and I was so wrapped up in it that I almost lost my best friend." "No." Snips shook his head. "I'm... actually happy for you. I think its awesome that you're a sports star now, it's just... seeing you succeed just reminded me of what a loser I am. I was angry and I took it out on Buckball instead of just being honest with you... and myself." "Snips." Sweetie Belle came in. "I know things are usually rocky between us all, but we are your friends. You should have been able to talk to us if you needed, but we get why you felt you couldn't." "Yeah." Scootaloo nodded. "We had no idea how bad you actually felt inside." "Well, just take it to heart." Applejack patted her head. "It's easy to get used to treating some pony a certain way, even if you don't mean to." She looked to Snips. "What's worse, it's even easier for some pony to accept being treated a certain way." "You're not a loser, Snips." Applebloom smiled. "We're sorry if we made you feel that way." "Thanks." Snips quietly nodded. "And don't worry, buddy." Snails patted his foreleg. "Even if we are a little lame, we'll always be lame together. That's what best friends are for, right?" "Right." Snips hoof bumped him with a huge smile. "That's not..." Applejack sighed with a shrug. "Close enough." Twilight returned to the Hospital and bore the bad news of Renaissance's escape. In turn, she was relieved to see that every pony was on their way to recovery. Everyone took shifts coming and going from the recovery room to keep the patients company and by the next day they were able to get out of bed and move around. The three of them took some time to walk the greenery of the rear grounds, all of their spirits lifted high by the reconciliation with their family and friends. "Huh." Zephyr looked up at the sky. "It's funny how a nice a day can feel after being trapped in a hospital bed for so long." "Yeah." Snips stretched. "Who would have thought lying around all day would get old." He laughed. Marble looked between them. "Listen, I know what brought us together wasn't exactly... healthy." She began. "But, I'm glad we got to become friends." "Same here." Zephyr halted. "You guys are pretty cool." "Does this mean we can keep hanging out?" Snips asked. "I mean, with Snails so much busier now it would be nice to have other ponies to do stuff with." "You read my mind, smalls." Zephyr smiled. "I'd... like that." Marble nodded. "Cool, we can..." Zephyr stopped as he saw a nurse approaching with Rainbow Dash. "Oh... hey, give me a minute." "Sure." Snips nodded as he and Marble continued on. "Hey, Dash." Zephyr walked over as the nurse left them. "Hey." Rainbow Dash smiled. "How you doing? That was a pretty nasty crash." "I'm good... better actually." He nodded. "Sorry I didn't come by yesterday but I figured your family should come first." She rubbed the back of her head. "That... and I have concussion." "It's cool." He sighed, soon realizing he was trying to put on an act again. "I'm sorry, Rainbow." He hung his head. "Not just for the fight, for everything." "I'm sorry too." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath to swallow her pride. "Look, I know haven't treated you as well as I should and it's partly my fault. I should have just been up front with you a long time ago." She looked into his eyes sincerely. "Zephyr, you're just not my type. It has nothing to do with who you are as a stallion, I just... don't have those feelings for you and I never will." She felt the sting as his face saddened. "But that doesn't mean I don't care about you or don't want to be your friend. I just can't when you're constantly hitting on me, but like I said... I never just gave you the 'no' I should have." She stepped closer and took his shoulder. "I'm sorry for not being honest with you when I needed to; I have a bad habit of hurting others in the long run by trying to spare their feelings in the moment." Zephyr slowly nodded. "Okay." A small smile formed on his lips. "Thanks for being up front. I won't bother you anymore." "I don't want you to just disappear." Rainbow Dash added. "Let's just... start over; as friends." He let out a short, approving laugh. "Sounds good." He was taken by surprise when she hugged him, he gently hugged her back; suppressing the urge to try and say something cool and simply taking the moment for what it was. Down the path, Marble and Snips stopped short as they came across Big Mac and Sugar Belle. The couple approached them with cautious smiles. "I should... take off." Snips began to leave. "No, it's okay." Marble stopped him as they neared. "Hi." She smiled timidly. "Hi, Marble." Big Mac looked her over. "How are you?" "I'm okay now." She nodded. "We're glad to hear." Sugar Belle noted. "Applejack caught us up on everything but we wanted to come see you ourselves." "Thank you." Marble said graciously. "I'm glad you did, I owe you an apology; both of you." She looked up at Big Mac. "I was angry about so many things, but that didn't give me the right to try and break what you two have made together. You're an amazing stallion, Big Mac; and I'm glad you've got some pony so right for you." "Thank you." Big Mac went to her and sat. "I'm sorry too. When we first met, I wasn't good at speaking up either and honestly the only reason I am now is because of Sugar Belle. I didn't know what to say to you, or if I should say anything... and as usual I chose to say nothing. I'm sorry I hurt you like that, Marble. I can't undo it, but I hope that we can we can remain close." "Thank you." Marble smiled. "I want us to be able to too." She looked over at Sugar Belle. "All of us." "Of course." Sugar Belle went to her. "No hard feelings?" "No." Marble shook her head and hugged her. "I'm done with all that." From the distance, Twilight watched the scenes from the second story window of the hospital. Her mind twisted with conflicted thought as she stared blankly through the glass pane. "Twilight, darling." Rarity called as she and Applejack joined her. "Are you alright?" "I don't know." Twilight responded blandly. "What's the matter, Sugarcube." Applejack asked. "All in all, I'd say things have turned out pretty well." "That's just it, they did." "I'm sorry." Rarity cocked her head with a puzzled look. "Is that a bad thing?" "She was right." Twilight walked past them. "Who?" Applejack followed after her. "Renaissance." Twilight clarified. "Oh don't be silly, darling." Rarity scoffed. "We stopped her plan." "No, we didn't." Twilight looked back at them. "This was her plan. She told me that she was there for them when no pony else would be, gave them what they needed to have their voices heard and when all was said and done it would lead to their rebirth." She detailed. "That's exactly what happened. Zephyr reconciled his feelings with his family and even had an honest talk with Rainbow Dash. Snips did the same with Snails and the CMC. Marble was finally able to let her family know how she felt and they're closer than ever... they're all doing so much better now in spite of the dangerous battle." "I see what you mean." Rarity admitted. "Is she right?" Twilight asked. "Is her warped method really better than what we've been doing? I know what she is doing in dangerous and wrong but... she succeeded." A heavy sigh escaped her. "I don't know what to think now." "Twilight." Applejack saw how harried she was over this and quickly went to her side. "You're some pony who is used to having an answer for everything, but honestly... I don't think there is an answer this time. I think this time we just need to be happy that everything turned out okay and not fret about who is right or wrong or who did or didn't do what." "We understand how you feel, Twilight." Rarity joined them. "Renaissance is a unique creature that doesn't walk the black and white lines of good and evil; she truly seems to exist in the grey between genuine compassion and malicious intent." "But we know where you stand, Twilight. Applejack said surely. "You're the Princess of Friendship for a reason, don't go doubting yourself." "Right." Twilight collected herself. "Thanks, girls." She walked back over to the window and looked out over the grounds again. "I've definitely learned a lot from this encounter. I know we'll cross paths with her again; and when we do, I'll be ready to face her philosophy." She could see Zephyr, Marble and Snips together from her vantage. Even as Princess, she learned a powerful friendship lesson that opened up an entirely new perspective for her. A lesson that she vowed never to forget as she moved closer to the day when she would take the reigns of Equestria.