//------------------------------// // Lesson 6 (Part 2) - When to Leave // Story: Discord Teaches Philosophy: On Love // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Eight couples gone, seven to go. An hour after the Riches released themselves from their chains, other couples soon followed suit. Twilight and Miss Harshwhinny were able to get out of theirs in ten minutes. Seven minutes later, Rarity and Miss Cheerliee were able to walk out. Two minutes later, Sweetie Drops and Lyra managed to figure out to have the right kind of argument to get themselves free. Twelve minutes later Silverstream and Fluttershy broke from their cuffs with Discord’s help of asking the questions again, with and Sandbar with Yona following after them. And three minutes later, both Troubleshoes with Braeburn, along with Gallus and Soarin finally released themselves. That just left Rainbow Dash with Applejack. Trixie with Starlight. Fancy and Fleur. Sugar Belle and Big Mac. Shining with Cadence. The Cakes. And Ocellus and Smolder. Discord frowned at his students. Not that most of them had made some progress. At this point, all of them have a little rust on their chains and cuffs. Yet, they remained stuck. Despite most of them giving their partner the truth, they still sat there – chained to one another. “Riddle me this,” Discord said, scooping up some snow around him to make a snow cone. “How do you run at full gallop away from someone, and yet never move?” “My guess is they’re on a treadmill.” Starlight answered with a deadpanned expression. She took a moment to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “Discord, this isn’t working.” “I’ve noticed,” he agreed, beginning to lick the snow cone with his serpent tongue. “But if I might make this observation, I’d say that the reason why you couldn’t move, is that all of your minds are on a treadmill.” “What does that supposed to mean?” Smolder questioned. “Here’s another riddle: why is it that despite a couple who knows they should separate… don’t? What is it that despite whatever sufferings they’re going through, whatever abuses or neglect they face to the point of insanity, that they refuse to move? It’s like insisting on staying in your house while a volcano is erupting in your backyard.” “Is it stubbornness?” Applejack asked. “Oh, if only it were so easy.” After turning on the snow to rain down on him, he explained, “Truth be told, the reason is heartbreaking in a sense – it’s because you are, to a degree, afraid.” “Afraid of what?” “Well,” Discord got up from his chair and started to make a snow Draconequus. “Let’s pretend for a moment that you have seriously thought about your relationship and decided that you just need to get out. Now let’s say that you sat them down one day and told them that it’s over. How do you think they will react to such news?” “Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Mr. Cake said. “Yeah? Why not?” “Well,” Mr. Cake looked over to his wife for a moment, “If I did want to break up, I would be doing so knowing it would break her heart. She might be devastated if I did.” Discord paused in his snow sculpting, humming, “We’ll come back to that in a minute. What about anyone else, or do I need to get a volunteer?” “Or maybe I wouldn’t break up because I love Applejack?” Rainbow Dash said bluntly. “Besides that,” Discord clarified, “and do try to use your imagination for a second. If for whatever reason you wanted to break up with her, how do you think she would react?” “You mean aside of her lassoing me, tying me up to a bed, and hold me against my will until I change my mind? She might end up killing me.” She looked around at the other students who were staring at her. “What?” “That’s oddly specific,” Fleur commented. “First of all,” Applejack interjected, “no Ah wouldn’t; and second, it’s none of yer business.” “Still Rainbow,” Discord hummed in thought, continuing to sculp his snow Draconequus. “your choice of words is also fascinating. Anyone else?” “Well…” Ocellus said in thought, “could it be possible that the other partner might be manipulative?” “That too,” Discord nodded, admiring the form he gave his sculpture. Then he sneezed in which a stick and a radio antenna appeared. He stuck them in for arms. “But is there any other reason out there?” The remaining students looked around for someone to come up with an answer. “Could it..." Big Mac began, “might be about the whole bad past thin’?” “And bingo was his name-o.” Discord half sang as he quickly added some last details with his snow sculpture. After stepping back from the snow Draconequus, he whacked it with his tail and the snow around it fell – leaving an ice sculpture behind. “There’s a reason why I’m bringing this up, because the reason why none of you have walked out of that door yet, is because all of you are afraid.” Looking around at one another, the students hoped to find someone among them that had an idea of what he was talking about. Only none of them did. Even Shining Armor, who had been mostly quiet during this lesson, finally spoke up. “Excuse me, but what do you mean ‘afraid?’ Afraid of what?” “The key lies in what Big Macintosh said,” Discord replied, leaning on the ice sculpture for a moment. “For all of you stuck ones here, the answer of why you don’t just get up and go when it would take literally anyone else to see that they’re not worth it most likely lies in your pasts. But let’s clarify something here,” patting the sculpture on the back, the chunk of ice began to move its limbs, saying something about a happy birthday, and Discord told it to make itself useful by building a snow fort. Then he returned to his sweaty students. “While foalhood has a great influence on how you act as adults, it’s not solely confined to it. Anytime between infancy to yesterday can play huge roles in how you respond to certain things.” “Like for example…?” Cadence inquired. “Let’s start from the beginning with foals younger than twelve. Since most children are stuck with the parents they happened to be born to, many of them can’t just simply get away or fire them. Regardless of the child has a legitimate complaint about them like say… one or both parents are too sensitive, or too depressed, maybe abusive, cold, frequently angry, strict, have the tendency to underestimate them, expect their child to succeed at everything, and so on. In such situations, foals can both love their parents, but on some level be afraid and hate them for several reasons. Yet, in such situations, it is these unfortunate souls that give us examples of thinking to continue at any cost – regardless of the darker ingredients that are mixed in with their parents’ love. “In such situations, the children will think of at least one of the five common, poisonous thoughts. And yes, I am calling these schools of thought poisonous because if left unaddressed, it could ruin your life for years to come.” “What kind of thoughts?” Mrs. Cake asked. “Starting with…” Discord looked over to his icy double for a moment, seeing that it was busy making snow bricks. “‘Maybe they will change.’ Foals who think this hold onto the belief of the parent will evolve in the desirable direction. That if they hold on long enough, the parent will become nicer, will listen more, will become more concerned about their wellbeing, and so on if they just wait long enough. Regardless of the lack of evidence, the foal holds on the faith that their parents are on the edge of finally seeing the light and improve their behavior. All they have to do is wait one more year, one more month, one more week, one more day to become the kind of parent they wish they could be. Those who grow up thinking like this that end up with partners that prove just as maddening, if not more so, will hope against all hope that the relationship will change for the better if they just wait. Even if it takes thousands of lifetimes to achieve it.” “Trixie’s foalhood in a nutshell,” Trixie said dryly. “So is mine,” Starlight remarked. “I remember it as being frustrating though.” Discord continued. “Perhaps they may think: ‘Well, maybe their behavior is bad on the outside, but on they’re good on the inside!’ This thought takes a tremendous form of mental gymnastics to pull this off. Where despite the open arguments, the scolding, the cruelty, selfishness, or whatever it may be; the one thing the child must hold onto is the idea that deep down the parent is still good. That unshakable truth about their parents must be that at heart sweet, warm, and saintly. Regardless of the foal is a punching bag for the parents most vicious of moods, they believe that they are far from evil, and therefore, they are their most devoted defenders. This explains why adults would allow themselves to be manipulated and defend those who take advantage of them. They would allow their loved ones to get away with pretty much anything like murder, even hiding them from the law in the name of family or love. Regardless of their lack of improvement and break one promise after another, these unfortunate kids will defend these monsters because they believe that deep down, they’re good.” Ocellus’s ears folded flat on her head; her ashamed eyes looked at the ground. Smolder notice this. “What’s wrong with you? Your parents didn’t treat you like that… right?” “Not them just… Chrysalis.” “What?” She blinked. “What does she have anything to do with anything?” “To me, she was the number one figure to appease growing up.” She shook her head. “My parents may have looked after me, but it was her that raised me. And I… had this secret wish that she could evolve into something… kinder.” Discord cleared his throat. “As much as I like to watch some good drama, we still have a lesson to get through.” Ocellus nodded and Discord continued, “Then there’s the thought of: ‘Maybe the reason that they’re bad is because I’m bad.’ Here, the child sowed the seeds of a depressed life where they see their parents having that violent argument, that the bills were higher this month, that countless things have gone horribly wrong must be because in some way – they deserve it. If the parent gets very sad or volcanically angry, then it must be because the child did something wrong. That they’re somehow to blame in all of this. If only they could be different, then the parent wouldn’t be so bad. Above all, there’s one thought that should be avoided at all cost: that the parent they look up to, to take care of them, are monsters. That’s simply not possible! They believe that it’s better to convince oneself of being an irredeemable villain than to realize they’ve ended up with parents unworthy of respect. When they grow up, they feel a duty, in the name of love, to take on every responsibility, every mishap, every argument, every kind of damage from the other and accept it as their own fault. Yes, there are monsters in the world, but it couldn’t be the one that hit them, or cheated on them, or spends all the money on something unnecessary, or simply doesn’t listen – no! It has to be us. The ones who do all this and more are blameless.” No one dared to remark on this. “There’s also: ‘Even if I ran away, it wouldn’t be any better than what I got right here.’ Despite the countless foals that would love to pack up and escape, a good many of them don’t. In a twisted, if humorous way, we adults are taught that we have agency and we could do whatever we want – yet, to a foal, you have next to no choice. Unlike adults, they can’t just pack up and start again with someone, someplace else. To them, the world is a restrictive place. Even the best of childhoods is an open prison with countless rules: You have to wake up at this time, you have to eat everything, you have to go to school, you have to do your homework, you have to do the dishes, you have to be in bed and asleep by nine. Even if they hate it, they can’t really see themselves in any other circumstances besides the one they’re in. What is has to be. So, when they finally turn eighteen, it’s rather odd that they’re expected to become immediately independent. That’s like despite being never being able to stand up on your own legs that suddenly you’re expected to run.” “That Ah can relate to,” Applejack commented. “I don’t know if I can.” Rainbow rubbed a hoof over her mane, feeling the sweat that was collected. “My parents were the strict kind where if I break a rule, they will have a heart attack. There were a few times I got a trophy just for doing something bad.” “Mine had plenty of responsibilities, bein’ on the farm and all that. After all, if somethin’ ain’t done, things will collapse.” “And then, there’s a fear that’s the biggest of them all.” Discord continued, “‘If I don’t keep them happy and be the good colt or filly, they will either die or kill me.’ Now this one may sound absurd to us grown-ups. After all, if someone is feeling down, they will eventually calm down to realize the world hasn’t come to an end – yet. We even know that when our spouse is upset, we just let them rant for a bit, maybe let them smash something just so they could blow off some steam. We’ll keep in mind that they don’t really mean the things they say and pick up the pieces. But from a young foal’s perspective, it takes on something much darker. We tend to forget how frightening an adult could be to a kid when they are much smaller than we are and how much little power they have. After all, how are they supposed to know that the ranting adult wouldn’t pick up a blunt weapon to beat them to a bloody pulp? How would they know that when we smash down the door that we wouldn’t go the extra step and chuck them out the billionth-floor window? And for that sensitive, depressed parent, how would they supposed to know that as long as they keep us happy that we wouldn’t do something drastic like say… commit suicide?” Ocellus cleared her throat, “Okay, I could see how this could have a bad influence. But what about those who’re in a relationship with someone that could manipulate them?” “Well, I’m glad you’ve brought it up.” Discord said while his double was done making the snow bricks and began to lay them down. “After all, they’re probably the hardest in the world to break up with. Which is understandable. That despite doing all sorts of nasty things from abuse to neglect and whatever it is in between, they insist that they love you. With such creatures, it might take you several decades to so much as raise a complaint to where you make a demand that if they don’t make the effort to change for the better, you’ll have to leave. Now, they may respond in one of two ways that will make your life miserable. Either they will confess their wrongs to you, or worst, they deny it. “If they confess, they might say something along the lines of: ‘My goodness, you’re right! I hadn’t realized it until now. Up until now, I didn’t think that I was hurting you. Baby, I hear you! Baby, I’m so sorry.’ You may feel relieved and touched by this – but do not believe it for a second. They might promise to change, go see a therapist, maybe quit that nasty habit or behavior… they won’t. A common tactic is that they will change… for about a month at most before returning to the dark side. “But if they deny it, they’ll insist that there’s nothing wrong with them. It’s you who’s seeing things, you who’s jumping to conclusions, that you don’t trust them enough, maybe it’s you who’s insane, and you’ll be the villain if you broke the relationship up. Now, if you give in to this thinking, questioning your sanity against their reasoning – it’s game over. You may want to be that nice, open-minded, and intelligent kind where you give everycreature the benefit of the doubt. You may say that you’re not perfect and you’ve made misjudgments before, so what if you’re wrong and they’re right? But if you insist that it’s better to think of yourself as crazy than to lose your special someone – you’re done for. “Because either way, time will pass, foals would have been born, and the decision to get up and leave will become harder with time. Your life will be wasted because you didn’t have the courage to cut it out as soon as you’ve realized they’re not worth it. In a way, it’s like weeding out a garden, the longer you wait, the more difficult it’ll be to pull them out.” “Even so,” Starlight said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “And that you’re saying the main reason we’re stuck is because of a bad past, how do you expect anyone to get out of it if they’re so used to it? By the way, you’re making it, trying to get out of a bad relationship sounds like it’s next to impossible.” “If left without any tools, it absolutely is.” Discord nodded, taking a moment to look over to see the progress of his double. By now, the ice sculpture was installing windows in the snow fortress. “Especially when you don’t know the art of a mature breakup. But I have a feeling that all of you are just itching to get out of this.” They nodded. “Well, before I give you the tools, you’ll need to know how to effectively break up in three steps. All by no means easy, but they’re still essential nonetheless. “Step one: Do not linger. If you decide to break up – do it. It doesn’t matter if it’ll be awkward to do so if the holidays or a birthday is coming up, even if tickets for that vacation or whatever are booked. The longer you put it off, the more difficult it’ll become. So, if you decided that you need to get out – don’t wait, nip it in the bud and get it over with. “Step two: as calmly as you can, give your reasons why this isn’t going to work out. Be specific with your details and remain focused. Don’t accuse them of anything that they’re not directly guilty of like your unsuccessful job or your mental unwellness. In other words, don’t accuse them of your own faults. “And step three: be honest with yourself. This will be the most difficult of them all, but in your reasons why you should break up, you’ll need to tell them about how you’re difficult to live with. Leave them without any doubt that being around you won’t result in a happily ever after. “But even with knowing these steps that for anyone to get out of it, there’re seven important tips that you’ll need to drill in your heads if you have any hope of getting yourself unstuck. “The first, regardless of how bad your relationship is, if you really want out, you might need some help. Ask a mountain climber, and they will tell you that there some spots on those jagged peaks where you’d need a buddy to overcome them. In this case, the kind of buddy you need should be someone who would willingly put in the time for you to support your sanity and, at times, motivate you to help overcome such a difficult choice – we’ll call them a psychotherapist or a very good friend. “Second, if you find that special someone you’ve grown attached to isn’t so loving anymore but you want to be nice about it, then you’ll have to keep in mind that you’re in love with someone who’s deeply damaged and more than likely, you’re not the cause. They may not really change when you want them to, and they’re probably using you as a crutch. A reason not to change. Perhaps they’re in denial and they’re taking advantage of your generosity and self-doubt to protect themselves from whatever harsh truth about themselves. “Thirdly, although you may try to prolong the relationship out of kindness, you have to remember something that Fluttershy once told me about the difference between being kind and seeming kind.” “Excuse me,” Fancy Pants raised a hoof, “What exactly do you mean by that?” “There is a difference between doing everything you can to never anger or distress someone so they could avoid an uncomfortable truth, and setting them down to tell them a harsh-sounding criticism that they could use. So, with relationships, if you’re dragging it out day after day, decade after decade because you’re trying to avoid even a few distressing moments, you’re not only ruining your life but theirs too. To be truly kind, as Fluttershy best puts it: ‘Sometimes you’ll have to be hated by someone, even for a second, so they could move on to something better.’ I get how you stuck ones would rather drop dead than make a fuss, but as much as you think it would cause them tremendous harm for doing so, it may, in the end, help them. Even the hurt lover can and will recover – and come to appreciate the benefits of freedom rather than endure having an unmentioned emotional flimsy band-aid around their heart. Sure, you can be civil when breaking the news, but you don’t owe them to be nice about it when you’re in the process of firing them. “Forth, to get yourself unstuck, you’ll have to practice something icky – value yourself a little more. The point in being in a relationship isn’t to suffer in one, because no one, not even death isn’t gonna give you an award for having wasted your lives. I know this suffering is like eating an old family recipe but ask any food critic, and they will tell you that even you deserve better. “Fifth, and look, I get it. The alternative in not being in a relationship is scary enough. You’re afraid that if you leave the relationship, regardless of how bad it is, that it might be worse by being forever alone. That if you do leave, then you’ll never be in a better one – if at all. We might be condemning ourselves to permanent isolation for all we know. What is in reality a minor, if annoying inconvenience, is often seen by most as a catastrophe. But to get yourself out of that, is take on a dark sounding but redeeming truth – although you may have someone who claims to love you and you’re scared of being alone, the fact is… you’re already alone. What you might be terrified of what could happen – has already happened to you. Leaving a relationship isn’t going to intensify your isolation, but merely the first steps towards ending it. “Sixth. You’ll have to kill the idea that giving up on someone would be seen as disloyal and heartless. I know some national heroines would say otherwise,” he eyed Rainbow Dash, “that they insist that one should keep the faith with those they care for. That they shouldn’t just throw in the towel when hardship comes along. They may argue that any thinking, feeling beings shouldn’t be dispensable. But, this truth is missing out one key qualification: that for one to remain sane, they would, in the name of health and maturity would to an extent have the ability to give up one or two individuals.” “Now wait a minute-!” Rainbow Dash interjected but was quickly interrupted. “Hear me out first. I’m not talking about giving someone the benefit of the doubt, or to forgive them one more time, or to figure out the nicer things they were trying to say and do. Because all of those things are indeed worth giving someone – but they have to be earned. Yes, I know it’s rich to hear it coming from me, but sometimes, not everyone you come across will take redeeming themselves on bored. Not everyone will put in the effort to become the good guy. Trust me, I know at times there are those who will seek forgiveness. But even you, Rainbow Dash, would have to learn a weird sounding lesson that at times, you’ll have to be a little less loyal. You’ll find out sooner or later, some just don’t change when you want them to. Who your partner is has been wielded shut because of past trauma and there’s little to no chance that they will ever evolve, despite how sweetly they say it and how intensely they promise they will. I know this sounds unbelievably harsh, but not everyone you’ll encounter will become good, and you’re not the problem. If you want to have any hope of getting out of a stuck relationship, then you’ll have to learn how to blame someone besides yourself. As well as do something truly weird – walk away. They might call the action cowardly, but it’s far braver to get up and get away from a problem that refuses to become better than stay with someone too scared to grow up.” Rainbow Dash didn’t reply. “Seventh, and I’m going to be blunt on this point – the reason for most of those delays, the avoidance, the incompetence, the head-bashing-through-a-wall stupidity, and your heartless cruelty for not leaving may not be because you’re stupid or evil. But you may have a particular type of sentimentality. Maybe the reason you haven’t cut yourselves off is that you desire to be liked by someone – anyone really – even if you don’t like them back and couldn’t be bothered to be around with. A masquerading kindness where you want to get all the love and attention, without giving anything in return. Which I believe there’s a word for that – stealing, I think it is. Ask anyone on the burned, charcoaled end of a relationship, and they will tell you this sort of ‘kindness’ is no favor to them. Just being sweet and understanding while giving the bare minimum of loving them back only extend their torture. If you’re not ready to show that same love back as they are clearly trying to show you, frankly, you’re not ready for a relationship to begin with.” “That’s a whole lot of harsh words coming from you.” “Perhaps,” Discord shrugged, looking back at the ice double operating a snow crane to get the snow cone domes into place. “But for anyone to get free, they have to grasp these truths. I admit every one of these is as bitter as Ms. Harshwhinny’s favorite cup of tea. However, I do think that if… or in some cases, when it happens, then it helps if you have a guide.” Finishing, he let out a “Phew! I didn’t think I was gonna be talking my head off in this one.” Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Discord looked over to the ice sculpture of himself, offering a tall glass of lemonade now that the ice fortress has been completed. “I don’t know about the rest of you,” he said, turning to the fortress, “but it’s starting to get really hot out here.” Just as Discord started to walk away from that Trixie called out, “Hey! Where are you going?” “At this point,” he said after taking a refreshing sip, “I’m gonna step out of this so the rest of you can have some screen time. My throat needs the rest anyway. Besides, I’ve already given all of you the tools you’d need to break from those chains. Now you’ll just have to use them.” Retreating into the cold fortress, Discord left the remaining couples alone in the humid sun. Smolder sat down in defeat. Her claws over her head and said, “This is a lot harder than I thought.” Ocellus sat next to her, putting a comforting hoof on her back. “We’ll get out of this.” “That’s not what I mean. This whole relationship thing is so mind-bogglingly complicated. I’m barely comprehending everything I’ve heard nearly the past week. Here I thought just going into a relationship would be simple. Just follow your heart and all that mushy stuff and everything will be fine! But no. Discord had to come along to show how stunningly hard this really is.” In frustration, she kicked at her chain adding, “What’s the point of being in a relationship with you if I can’t go along with breaking it up with you – even if I don’t mean it?” For a long time, Ocellus didn’t answer, letting her marefriend brood underneath the scorching sun. Her thoughts turned to what she had learned over these past several days. Of the harsh lessons in love that had surprised her. Finally, she made her reply. “For one thing, Discord had explained something to me that I had taken for granted – in particular, a parable.” “A what?” “A parable. It’s basically a very small story that guides one to a particular truth or another. We Changelings have a few parables, but there was one that, up until recently, I didn’t quite understand.” “Yeah?” Smolder raised her head up. “How does it go?” “Well… There were two gardeners, each of them was given seeds and a plot of land. The difference between the two was that one was wise and the other foolish. At the beginning of Spring, the foolish gardener simply tossed the seeds above the ground. Thinking to let nature take care, that all these seeds needed was the earth, the sun, and the rain – and the garden will grow by itself. The wise gardener knew better. At the start, they took the time to plant each seed into the ground, water it each day, and when the earliest signs for weeds appear – pluck them out. In the summer, the foolish gardener was upset that nothing, but weeds were growing. No product had begun to bear fruit. The garden was dry, the seeds had been either been eaten by the birds or withered. The wise gardener had patients, knowing that despite the difficult work to pull the weeds, remembering to water each day, and so wanted results now, knew that food will come later on. By Autumn, the foolish gardener had nothing for the harvest, while the wise gardener had plenty, even had more seeds to be planted for the Spring.” “Okay, so what does a story about plants have anything to do with relationships?” “I think what the parable and Discord are trying to say is that love, in the end, isn’t just a gut feeling or something that following your heart will cover. Love is a skill that could be learned, and it doesn’t come easy at first. Much like taking care of a garden, if you expect to toss your seeds on the ground and expect it to prosper without putting in the effort to let it grow – you might as well not have one, to begin with. Those problems should be dwelt with as soon as they’re spotted. That you need to put in the time to take care of them as they would to you. And if you find that it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t make sense to stick around, only to find that you’ve grown nothing for the harvest.” After a pause to sense Smolder’s overall emotions, she added, “I don’t believe that Discord is trying to discourage you or anyone from being in a relationship. Maybe it’s been said before, but it’s best to hear it here. I could sense in Discord that what he’s trying to accomplish is his way to prepare us. Even if some of the things he showed us may never happen, even if we do live that happily ever after, that we would at least know what to do when the worst hits us. That may be what we’ll experience will suck, but it wouldn’t be the end. And if either of us feels stuck, we’ll know that there is a way out.” “Not to interrupt,” Cadence said, “but has anyone here have any idea how to get ourselves out of this?” “Dearie,” Mrs. Cake spoke up, “I think Discord has already given us a way to do it.” “How?” Mr. Cake questioned with a raised eyebrow. “How do we break up without ruining our marriage?” A funny look came across her face, with a twinkle in her eye she turned to her husband. “Honeybun, I think we should see other ponies,” she said with a wink. Confused, her husband tilted her head. “We should?” “Yes dear, perhaps we should take a break from one another,” she held up her chain, rattling it to empathize with the increasing rust growing on it. Realizing what was happening, Mr. Cake caught on. “Why yes, we should. But why do you want to?” “Well, I’m self-aware of my gaining weight problem and that we haven’t exactly been as close as I’ve hoped, concerning the twins and the bakery. The fact of the matter is we’re too busy. And I know I haven’t exactly been in the best… shape. That, and I find it frustrating that you keep forgetting to put the toothpaste cap back on every single time so… I think we should make our separate ways.” “…. Since you put it that way.” “So, I guess this is goodbye,” Mrs. Cake pulled on her rusty chain, and with a quick tug, it snapped in two. An excited jubilant whinny from the couple escaped their mouths as they hugged each other in joy. Shouts of “We did it! We did it!” were chanted as they danced around one another. But after calming down, Mr. Cake looked at his wife. “Honey, you know I don’t care what you look like, I still love you all the same. But why bring up the toothpaste?” “Because it was one of the things that you annoy me that come at the top of my head. Still, let’s go home. There’s a pint of ice cream with our names on it.” Before they left, she turned to the other couples that were still chained down. “You don’t have to mean it, but speaking the truth helps.” If there was one thing that Discord was curious about regarding that day’s lesson, it was who would be the last to leave. Sure, he could bet who would be able to go first, but in his mind, he already knew that the Riches would do it before anyone else. To him, there’s nothing fun about knowing that sort of outcome. But to find out which couple would go last in saying that they should break up? Now that was interesting. From the air-conditioned ice fortress, Discord watched on as one couple after another finally broke off their chains. All they had to do was simply tell the truth. It was, after all, a matter of time. From the Cakes, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were freed, shortly after they admitted something that the other found annoying. Ocellus hesitated for a while before finally telling Smolder that there have been times that she found her pushy. Starlight and Trixie followed soon after they scolded each other over living arrangements, especially bringing up a plant named Phillis. Fancy and Fleur broke away from their chains after they had a long discussion of how they might prove to be difficult towards the other. It all came down to the last two couples – Sugar Belle and Big Mac; and Shining Armor with Cadence. Throughout the scorching afternoon, the two couples have hesitated of being the first to break their chain. Both of them were so close to finally walk out of this lesson. By five o’clock, Discord thought it was about time he gives them a little push. He walked out of his fortress of ice with a bowl full of a variety of mochi. The couples, baked and sweaty from being in the sun all day, looked at him with thirsty looks on their faces. “Wow…” Discord said, popping a ranch-flavored mochi in his mouth. “Just… wow.” “Discord… you got to let us out,” Shining said, eyeing the icy delights. “Sorry, but you all know I can’t just do that.” He swallowed, “Otherwise, what would you learn?” “We’ve been here since this morning,” Sugar Belle deadpanned. “We’re hot. Tired, thirsty, and hungry. We just want to go home.” “That’s obvious,” Discord agreed, picking up a chaolite flavored mochi into his mouth. “So why have either of you broke off yet? And don’t give me the excuse that you don’t know how, I’ve already given you all the tools. Plus, you all know how it’s done. So again, why haven’t you?” “Because I lo-” Cadence started to answer, but a talon hushed her. “Ah-ah! Don’t give me that ‘Because I love my husband more than life itself,’ bull crap. I mean, why?” “Because I-” Cadence answered before quickly being interrupted. “Even if it’s to get out in such a bad situation like this, why don’t you just say that enough is enough and break away?” “It’s just that-” “Why prolong the torture any further? You saw how easy it is to just step away if you just told the truth.” “But it’s not that-” “So why would you prefer to just stay here and die in the middle of nowhere than do the mature thing and leave?” “BECAUSE I WOULD NEVER BE HAPPY AGAIN!” Cadence shouted. “Have you, in all those lectures you’ve been giving us ever considered that maybe if I did, I would never live with myself for doing so?! Yes, I do have a mile-long list of complaints concerning Shining, but to tell him in a way that he’s not good enough for me… I don’t think I can live with that. As much as he annoys me at times with this or that, at the end of the day, I never regretted marrying him! And you ask me why I, or frankly, why any of us haven’t done it is because if we did, we would be spitting in the face of the one that brought us that kind of happiness that we may never get again!” Cadence heaved at the end of her rant; it took her a minute to notice the reaction around her. Especially from Shining. In his eyes, he held a complicated expression of hurt, compassion, and tiredness. “Cade,” Shining said softly, raising his foreleg that he was chained to. “Am I happy now? Are you happy now?” He lowered his leg. “I’m flattered that you’ve stuck around this long because that’s how you saw me. However, sticking around because it’s what you think it’s what will make me, and then you happy – isn’t doing either of us any favors if it’s making us miserable.” “How can you say that?” Cadence questioned. “Shining, when I married you, we took a vow: for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, we promise we would honor, cherish, and support each other until death do we part. When I married you, I didn’t do so willy-nilly, but because I had invested that you would be the right pony for me – something I don’t take lightly.” “I know,” Shining kissed her, “but I also know of an old saying. ‘If you truly love someone, let them go. If they come back, they were always yours. If they don’t, they never were.’ There are a million ways to be happy other than just through me. You of all ponies know that. From helping advance the lives of our Crystal Ponies to letting our guards know that they are appreciated, and Flurry… Sometimes genuine happiness doesn’t come from someone who will love you romantically but from small but meaningful things. The trick is to recognize them when they show up.” “And look at that,” Discord pointed out, “looks like both of you have made tremendous progress.” Cadence and Shining looked down at their chains that have rusted so much that it looks fragile. “I believe Cadence just needs to make the final push.” Cadence looked at her hoof that she’d been chained to all day. She sighed, “Some days… I don’t think I deserve you.” Shining gave the chain a pull, and it snapped easily. They were free. He hugged her tightly. Despite being sweaty, he held her there for a long moment. “No,” he told her softly, “but to me, you were always good enough.” “Huh.” Discord commented after swallowing a mochi that tasted of earthworms. “And here I thought you would be the last to break off.” He pointed at Big Mac, “So what’s taking you so long?” Sugar Belle sighed, “Remember that lesson yesterday, the one involving arguments and the real reason why he doesn’t say much?” “Oh, I see,” Discord let his tail hold the bowl while he folded his arms, “he’s not used to saying what’s on his mind yet.” Mac nodded. Cadence eyed the couple’s chain and observed to Sugar, “I can’t help but notice that yours looks it’s about to its breaking point.” “I know.” Sugar Belle said, “I’ve been waiting on Mac this whole time. I think, no, I know he has something to say to me, but he’s been scared stiff from telling me.” “I-It’s not…” Mac rubbed the back of his neck, blushing, “more uh… embarassin’…” “What do you mean?” His wife tilted her head. “Ah uh…” he swallowed, “if Ah said… y-you wouldn’t love me no more.” “How come?” “It’s…” Mac let out an uneasy sigh, “Remember one of the reasons we attended this class ta begin with?” “Well apart from communication the only thing was…” her eyes widened, “wait, is that it. As in… it it?” Mac swallowed, then nodded. He felt his wife’s hoof on his cheek, gently forced him to look at her in the eye. “Mac, I will still love you, even if whatever it is might not be my thing.” “B-But-” “You can’t help whatever you find uh… appealing for just being you. Even if it’s not my cup of tea, I still want to know what you prefer than rather guessing. And even if I say no, then look at it this way, you’ll be less afraid that at least you’ll know.” Mac let out another uneasy sigh. Eyeing Candence, Shining, and Discord, he said, “Can Ah uh… whisper it?” Sugar Belle told him that was fine and lend him an ear to tell that secret desire to her. A beat later, Sugar recoiled back, not out of disgust, but in surprise. “Really? You wanted to do that?” “Ah know, Ah know,” Mac bowed his head in shame, “Ya must think Ah’m disgustin’.” With that, their chains at long last came undone. Despite being hot and sweaty, Sugar Belle nuzzled her husband. “Mac, I can think of a thousand things more revolting than that. I admit, I never think you would be into… that. But truth be told, I never did that either.” “Sorry if I’m butting in,” Cadence asked, “but what are you talking about?” Mac and Sugar paused. They looked from one another and Mac gave a nod. Sugar waved over to her to whisper something to her. Cadence listened for a moment, then her ears perked up and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink. “Well well…” Cadence grinned, “You two happen to be in luck!” Discord blew a whistle. They looked up at him to find him changed into a hoofball referee outfit, “Whatever it is, keep it outside of my classroom.” And tossed a red card on the ground. “Go cool off in a lake or something.” They agreed, Shining saying that he could use a shower about now before they were escorted out into the school’s hallway. Discord was pacing. Fluttershy could do nothing but watch the anxious Draconequus wear a ring on the floor and was currently up to his neck was the only thing at ground level. Ever since after dinner, she brewed up a pot of Camille tea for him, and she has been waiting on him to pour him a cup. In the meantime, since Discord hasn’t said anything for the past hour or so, she only watched for the right moment. She knew why Discord was showing this unusually nervous behavior. Not that Discord didn’t know what he was going to do for the final lesson tomorrow – for he had talked about that in great length about his plans. If anything, he often said how proud he was that his students have made it this far. It was, however, what was to come right after it. Their deal will come into effect once the lesson is over – the reason why Discord was creating a trench in the middle of the room. Sure, she understood why he would be worried, maybe more than she. “Ten more minutes?” She asked. “Huh?” Discord snapped his attention to her. “Or do you want me to wait until you’ve drilled a hole to the center of the world?” “Oh, no, no…” Discord snapped a talon and the floor that he had walked over was brought up along with him with a ding! “It’s just that…” He trailed off and waved his paw to the teapot to sprout wings to fly over to him. “Tomorrow’s judgment day.” “I know.” Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah…” Discord poured his tea upside down. “I scared that the author had lost his touch and it’s going to go wrong somehow.” “It won’t.” “And even if it does go well, you’ll say…” Discord could bring himself to finish that sentence, so he upped his drink instead. Fluttershy flew over to nuzzle him. “Everything will be alright in the end.” “And if it isn’t?” “Then it’s not the end.” Discord let out an uneasy breath. “I don’t know if you noticed… but I’m terrified.” “I can see that,” she kissed his forehead, “but everything will be okay. Just wait and see.”