//------------------------------//
// Hierarchy 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
//------------------------------//

"I'm not sure if I'm in the right mental space to do this right now."
"Someone's gotta do it. Come on. I believe in you."
"It'd be weird if you didn't. It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't really trust you to be all that objective in regards to this. I'm sure you understand."
"I do. That doesn't mean I'm wrong. You can do it."
"That doesn't mean I will. I'm not saying I can't, just that right now is not a good time for me to try. It's a lot more likely I'll mess up than it would usually be, and I'm not really feeling it."
"What's the worst that could happen?"
"My day is ruined and theirs is soured? It's nothing major, but that's also kind of the reason why I don't really want to do it. There's no pressing reason to. Someone else can do it."
"No one else can do your part."
"Maybe they don't need my part. Maybe they're perfectly fine without my part. I can just go out there and stand in the background and wave and that'll be it and everyone's day will be better than if I had been forced to do anything."
"You've already done so much."
"Yeah, so much that didn't require me to talk with a crowd."
"But they'll want to see you. You're important to them."
"What they want is important to them if they'll want to see me. If I'm important to them, then my want to not be there should be more important than theirs."
"That's egotistical."
"If I'm so important why am I not allowed to be egotistical?"
"That's silly."
"Yes. It's most of the humour you'll get out of me in this state. Please. You know I don't want to do this. Maybe some other day, at some other time. Just leave me be for today."
"Is there really nothing I can do to convince you?"
"Unless you can magically fix my mood, I'm afraid so."
"I can always try to improve it."
"You're more than welcome to. I'd be glad if it worked, too. I just don't expect it to happen. Knowing myself, mostly. I have things I need to mull over and I can't focus on something else right now, especially not that."
"So you need time to brood, huh?"
"I suppose. I feel the seriousness of the events affords me the perceived pretentiousness of the action."
"Hey. You did the right thing, okay?"
"I did the most right thing I could do. That doesn't take away the weight of it. I don't think I should let go of it just because it was the best alternative. I don't think I should chain myself down to it and I think I should forgive myself, but it merits reflection. It merits time. I can't ensure I won't do something like it when I shouldn't if I don't at least take time to observe it when I had to. Not personally, at least, that's just how I feel about it with myself."
"You could tell them."
"It's not what they want to hear. They want hope right now. They need it, and they deserve it. I can give them hope, but I can't speak of it, not today at least. So it's best if I don't speak at all and let them enjoy their time."
"Some of them saw what you did."
"Then they'll understand why I'm not there. Or they won't, and they'll be happy."