"We hate some persons because we do not know them, and will not know them because we hate them." ~ Charles Caleb Colton
"They judge me before they even know me. That's why I'm better off alone." ~ Shrek
“Before you hate something you should try to understand it.” ~ Martha Grimes
Chapter 2: Equestria’s Most Hated
Twilight stood silently, still in shock over what has happened in just the past few seconds. The pegasus still waiting for her reply stood there, with his patience wearing thin. When he finally got tired of waiting he said, “Well? First you order me to come down here, then you insult me, and now here I am waiting for you to tell me who you are and what you want and you’re just standing there refusing to answer my question?” Twilight still didn’t answer, the pegasus got angry and raised his hoof and stomp it on the ground and yelled, “WELL ANSWER ME!” A sound of thunder from his house struck which brought Twilight back to her senses.
Now that she was out of her trance she cleared her throat and said, “I’m very sorry for insulting you and ordering you around like that. I really didn’t mean to insult you, I just got a little frustrated because I called out to you but there was no answer, and after a few tries I sort of lost my temper and I shouted thinking there was nopony home. As it turns out, you were home and I regret shouting at you like that. If I had known you were inside, I wouldn't have shouted at you. I hope you can forgive me.” Twilight then bowed her head as she finished speaking hoping that the pegasus would accept her apology.
The pegasus stood there silently as Twilight was waiting for his response, a few seconds passed by before the pegasus responded in a calmer but still mean tone, “Fine, apology accepted.”
Twilight raised her head now relieved that the pegasus accepted her apology. She decided to answer the pegasus’s question so she walked a few steps toward him and introduced herself. “My name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m from the town of Ponyville. What is your name?”
“I’m Shadow Bolt and I’m from up there.” he pointed to his cloud house, the house gave out a small rumble, as if it was introducing itself.
Trying to make sure she was on Shadow Bolts good side she complimented his house. “It’s a very nice house, it’s so big and …….. unique.” The house was about three stories high but only had two openings. One at the bottom which she assumed was the front door and the other was up at the top floor which she also assumed was a window.
Shadow took the compliment well and responded, “Thank you, I made it myself.” He looked up at his house somehow taking pride of his work. He looked back at Twilight with a curious look, “Anyway what are you doing here?”
Twilight stood there trying to remember why she was here in the first place but it only took a few seconds before she remembered. “I came here to investigate your house because it was making a lot of loud sounds which is scaring my friend and is causing her animal friends to run from her house which is outside of the forest.”
Shadow just stood not saying a word until he started chuckling. Twilight feeling offended from his laughter said in a mad tone, “And just what are you laughing about?”
Shadow chuckled for a few more seconds before stopping immediately. It seemed his laugh was fake but Twilight mistook it for real laughter. He responded for in an annoyed tone, “It seems your manners haven’t improved much in the short time you’ve been here.”
I’m really not doing a good job at making a good first impression here, Feeling ashamed from his statement, Twilight was reminded of losing her temper earlier. She apologized again, “I’m sorry again I didn’t mean to talk to you like that. I thought you were laughing at me and I felt offended.”
Shadow stared at her coldly and said, “Fine apology accepted again. The reason I was laughing was the thought that I just moved here and I haven’t been here for a few hours and it seems I’m already getting kicked out of one of the most dangerous places in Equestria.”
Twilight curious from his response asked, “Wait you just moved here?”
“Yes that’s right,” he said. “I spent all night moving my house here and I finally went to sleep until SOMEPONY woke me up.” His eyes shooting daggers at Twilight.
“Again sorry about that. Anyway why did you move here to the Everfree Forest?”
“Because my little pony I heard that nopony ever goes to the Everfree Forest, so I moved here so I could be left alone.”
He moved here so he could be left alone? Twilight repeating what he said in her mind. “Why do you want to be left alone?”
“Because I got tired of being hated by everypony, wherever I go.” was his response now sounding a little angry with that remark.
“Why does everypony hate you?”
“I don’t know, everywhere I go everypony gives me a hateful look. Some ignore me, some run away from me, once a family of four even threw rocks at me. I remember the father was an earth pony with muttonchops and he wore a pilgrim hat, he called me a demon. It seems ponies take one look at me and they instantly hate or scared of me.” he said in a sad but still angry tone.
Twilight realized she never paid attention to what Shadow Bolt looks like and took a good look at him. He was a tall pegasus, his hair was spiky, the front and back of his mane was red while the middle was black. His wings were bigger than the average pegasus. His hooves were black and she noticed that he wore bracelets around his hooves, they were sliver and had a round red gem in the center. The inside of his tail was red while the outside was black. She then noticed that his flank had no cutie mark.
Shadow noticed that Twilight was staring at him and got angry thinking she was judging him just like everyone else did when they first saw him. He raised his hoof and shouted, “STOP STARING AT ME!” his hoof stomped the ground.
That was when Twilight noticed something, as his hoof stomped the ground a red aura started covering his body and then disappeared. What was that? For a moment she felt something she couldn't explain. She felt angry, power, and loneliness coming from the aura. She didn’t understand what she just saw it must have been swamp gas or the forest playing tricks on me was her excuse to herself.
Putting her attention back to the angry pegasus she said, “Sorry didn’t mean to stare at you.” She quickly changed the subject, “So you live all by yourself? You don’t have any friends?”
He didn’t reply right away because he was still angry at the lavender unicorn constantly offending him, but he was able to cool down before he answered her question. “I never had friends and I don’t need any.”
“Don’t you get very lonely without anypony to keep you company,” she asked.
He responded, The only company I need is my hate.”
“Hate?” she said.
He replied, “Yes hate, It's kept me company over the years and made me strong. I liked to think it's the most powerful thing in Equestria.”
Twilight shocked from his response, his words repeating in her head. Hate…. Most powerful thing….. in Equestria? Now it was Twilights turn to be angry, What makes him think that? I know for a fact that’s not true, friendship is the most powerful thing in Equestria and I should know since I’m one of the Elements of Harmony and my friends and I have saved Equestria many times because we had the power of friendship by our side.
Twilight said to Shadow Bolt in a disagreeing tone, “Hate is not the most powerful thing in Equestria.”
“Oh it’s not? Then tell me what is the most powerful thing in Equestria?”
“It’s friendship,” was her response.
He replied, “Should have known you would say that. Everypony thinks that something like friendship or love is the most powerful thing in Equestria. Well I hate to disappoint you sweetie but it’s not, hate is more powerful than love and friendship combine.”
Twilight responded, “Well I respectively disagree with you sir, because I know what I’m talking about because I’m one of The Elements of Harmony.”
“Oh really now, you’re one of The Elements of Harmony?” he asked not believing her.
“Yes I am,” she replied. “I, Twilight Sparkle, represent The Element of Magic, the most powerful Element of Harmony.” She stood on her hind legs as she said this with a hoof over her chest. She continued, “And that’s why I know that hate is not more powerful than friendship, it’s because of friendship that my friends and I were able to save Equestria multiple times.”
After Twilight finished her statement she stood there waiting for Shadow Bolt to admit that he was wrong about hate being more powerful than friendship but Shadow simply smirked and said, “Well it might be true, from what I heard that you saved Equestria with the power of friendship, but I’m pretty sure that with the power of hate you and your so called friends would have saved Equestria faster than you did with the power of friendship by your side.”
It seems that both ponies were at a stalemate when it came with this argument and neither one was backing down. Twilight saying that friendship is more powerful since she has witnessed firsthand what the power of friendship can do. Shadow saying that hate is more powerful since he’s has lived his whole life with hate which made him have no need for anything insignificant like friends and claims it made him stronger than before.
They both stood there staring at each not saying one word until Twilight finally broke the silence, “I’ll prove to you that friendship is more powerful than hate. I know that once you experience its magic you will no longer think that hate is the most powerful thing in Equestria.”
“Fine, I accept your challenge,” was Shadow’s response.
Twilight thinking This is going to be a piece of cake. Once he finally makes some friends he’ll thank me for changing his mind. She smiled as she headed towards the entrance of the Everfree Forest with Shadow Bolt following right behind her in the air. Her smile got even bigger with the thought of writing to Princess Celestia about this assignment. Once I write to the princess about what I’m doing and when I succeed she is going to be so proud of me.