//------------------------------// // Act 3: Can't Help It // Story: Friendship is Failure #18: If I Can't Love Her... // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// ACT THREE Strings began to pack up immediately to prepare for his move, and then, not as if he didn’t expect it, there was a knock at his door, and Twilight calling to him. “Strings…! Strings, please, we wish to talk to you.” Strings didn’t even have to look outside to know that Cadance was out there too. Instead of answering the door, he simply called out, “I am extraordinarily busy.” Cadance wouldn’t hear of this and stuck her chest up high, “Strings, open this door, by order of the Princess!” Unable to refuse a royal command, Strings opened the door to find the two princesses and Fluttershy there. “Please make this fast, I am very busy.” Fluttershy softly approached him and held out his guitar. “You left it behind.” Rather than thank her for it and accept it back, Strings bluntly said “You may keep it, I won’t be needed it any longer.” “What?” said Fluttershy. Twilight immediately assumed the worst and asked, “Are you planning to give up your career as well?” Strings didn’t answer, and he didn’t have to. Just the way he stood with a hesitant expression said it all, and the ladies were nothing short of shocked and a bit appalled. “Strings, you can’t!” cried Cadance. “I can, and it’s for the best. I need to do this.” “Who says you need to?” asked Twilight. “PLEASE!!” snapped Strings, followed by a moment of silence, and the vibrations of his shouting caused the record player containing his forbidden song to start playing. He quickly scrambled around many boxes and crates of his things and shut it off before any of the others heard too much, but Cadance had already heard a good amount of the song and thought it was lovely, even if it had no audible lyrics. Strings looked at the ladies. “Forgive me, but please. I have my reasons, I’ve made my decision.” “But why?” asked Twilight “What possible reason could you have to just run away and give up your career? Not to mention abandoning all your fans who look up to you.” Strings shut his eyes tight, looking really distressed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. I’d rather you didn’t know why.” Twilight and Fluttershy suspected that whatever it was had to be something really deep. Twilight then asked “Is it because you’re lonely?” Strings remained still, frozen on the spot. Cadance and Fluttershy began to agree, that would be the problem. With Hearts and Hooves Day ever so close, and all the love and joy going around, it was a terrible time for Ponies who had no family, and worse, no date. “Strings?” asked Cadance “Don’t you have a special some-pony in your life?” He didn’t answer, and he still didn’t have to. Even Twilight and Fluttershy could see the truth now, and part of Fluttershy’s theory was confirmed. “Did some pony reject you long ago?” she asked. Strings shook his head. “No, I was not rejected. It just wasn’t meant to be.” Then he felt cross with himself for letting that bit out. Cadance approached him softly and asked, “How do you know it wasn’t meant to be? I’ve known you for a long time, Strings, and I’ve never actually seen you really interact with a mare before.” Strings looked up at her, looking deeply into her eyes, and his eyes seemed glow softly, but only Fluttershy noticed this, and she put the rest of the pieces in place, and she held her hoof to her mouth softly, “Ohhhh…” “Strings,” said Cadance “I’m an authority on matters of the heart. Won’t you let me help you, or at least tell me what bothers you?” Strings snapped himself back to his senses and looked away from her. “I’m sorry, Princess, but there is nothing that you can do for this, and I already sought help. My doctor suggested that I leave the empire and give up music, and I believe he is right. Staying here is causing me great discomfort. I can’t do this anymore, and even channeling it all into creativity isn’t working.” Cadance felt concerned about such an opinion and order, as did Twilight. “What kind of doctor would order you to gives up what you love and leave your home?” “Those are my doctor’s orders!” snapped Strings “And I have every intention of following them. That is my decision!” He stopped when he realized how loud he was yelling. “Please, I don’t wish there to be any more trouble. Please, just leave me in peace and let me make my own decisions.” He said no more, and the others decided it best not to harass him. “Let’s go.” said Cadance, she sounded rather dejected and she walked rather down-hearted for the door. Twilight was very livid with Strings. “You’ve known Cadance since you were young. She taught you the creativity song because she thought you were special, and now you’ve really hurt her because of some selfish need to give you and run away from your troubles?” Strings didn’t turn to face her. She didn’t see the look of extreme hurt and regret he had, and she scorned him one last time. “Imagine what your fans will feel like.” Then she left with Fluttershy, who was more disturbed with what she knew now rather being upset with Strings. Strings, feeling overly remorseful of the way he had just acted, sat down on the floor as his tears fell. “I’m sorry, Princess,” he said to no one “I’m trying to do this for your own good as well as my own.”