//------------------------------// // Fourteenth Entry // Story: Even the Strong Need Help // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Dear Twilight, I hope this letter finds you and your friends well. I also hope that you might be able to help me with a bit of a problem I find myself facing, and am uncertain of how to address. It was recently brought to our attention that one of our palace guards has been maintaining an unhealthy, obsessive work schedule for far longer than anypony would believe to be wise or acceptable; a fact I'm sorry to say we didn't discover until after he'd collapsed in the showers with a broken leg while getting ready for the morning shift, after having already been awake and working for twenty-four hours the day previously. Once we learned that his condition stemmed from overworking rather than being attacked by a potential villain, a careful audit of palace records was performed in search of answers. And after finding what we did, I'm honestly surprised that he's still alive. In the seven and a half years he's been employed as a royal guard, he's logged two thousand, seven hundred and forty days without ever taking a day off for any reason. If he were merely working a single eight hour shift each day it would be one thing. But with all of the overtime he's recorded as having logged, that amounts to twenty-nine thousand, six hundred and forty hours he's spent on the job. And what little time he has to himself that isn't otherwise occupied with working his own shift, is primarily dominated by either covering for other guards, or working to improve himself in an effort to perform his job better. The only time not dedicated to his job appears limited to when he's eating and sleeping. As it is, I'm the only pony at the palace currently logging more time on the job than he is. I tried speaking with him once he was released from the hospital, to try and help him understand just how dangerous his work schedule was, and just how badly it could negatively impact his health and overall wellbeing. But no matter what I said to him, even when I told him he'd nearly died from sheer exhaustion, he was entirely unmoved and simply expressed a desire to go back to work yet again. It's as if he honestly believed the sum total of his worth as a pony begins and ends at his service. In a way he reminds me a lot of you, when you were just a little filly attending my school, and always dedicated to doing your very best; often to the point of losing sleep in the pursuit of studying so you'd never be caught off guard by a pop quiz. But whereas you at least had the support of your family while growing up, ensuring that you were never truly alone, he had no such benefit while growing up and had to rely solely on his own strength in pursuit of his goal of becoming a royal guard. I'm worried the years of isolation he experienced while growing up may have done more psychological harm than anypony truly realizes. He spent his formative years learning how to be a guard, and I honestly don't think he knows how to be anything but a guard. In the times that we've talked since his accident, he's struggled to understand that his worth as a pony isn't contingent upon the quality of his service as a guard, and he seems utterly incapable of grasping the notion that his fellow guards see him as a friend, rather than a coworker that's easily replaced. I've tried explaining to him just how important it is to properly rest and recover from what he experienced, but he's been as receptive to the message as you were when I first tried to tell you just how important friends were. He refuses to accept any downtime that would take him away from performing his duties, to the point he even sleepwalked his way onto the night shift. Even his dreams offer him no refuge from his unrelenting work ethic, as they consist of him working even more. If he doesn't stop and find some way to learn how to relax, one day he's going to drop dead from exhaustion, and none of us can seem to get him to care about that. I'm honestly afraid one day we're going to find him dead at his post, and still standing at attention from muscle memory alone. If I knew that he was genuinely happy being a guard it would be one thing. But this isn't happiness, this is obsession. He never had a chance to truly live and experience what others take for granted, because he stopped being a pony when he was five years old and focused exclusively on becoming a royal guard. He sacrificed everything he could've had in pursuit of a single goal, and that goal is slowly killing him. And the most painful part of it all, is the simple fact that he just doesn't care. Frankly I'm at a loss on just what to do in this matter. Can you and your friends suggest anything that might help him? Signed, Celestia Twilight slowly looked up from the letter as she concluded reading its contents out loud. "So you can see why I asked you all to come over," she explained. All around the main room of the library, her friends looked on uncomfortably in silence, each of them trying to process what they'd just heard. Understandably, even to her, they looked rather horrified by it all. She was quite certain she'd had the same look on her face the first time she'd read through the letter this afternoon. "So... what exactly are we supposed to do?" Rainbow Dash asked, breaking up the silence that was in the room. "I mean, sure, we've saved the world a couple of times. But that was from things like mad tyrants and whatnot. We had the Elements of Harmony and backup on our side every time. But this? Isn't this more like a psychiatrist sort of problem?" "I'm sorry, Darling, but I do believe I must agree with Rainbow Dash on this matter," Rarity chimed in as she looked towards Twilight. "I just don't see how we can be of any help in this particular matter. I understand that Princess Celestia is concerned and all, but this isn't something we have any experience in." "No? But, what about the time Applejack thought she could harvest all of Sweet Apple Acres by herself and needed our help?" Fluttershy asked. "Isn't that sort of like this?" Rarity simply shook her head. "I don't believe so, no. What Applejack tried to do, while not the wisest course of action, was at least possible in theory. If not for time constraints that forced her to work so much longer and harder than normal, it could've technically been done. If she allowed time for proper rest, she could've potentially picked the orchards bare by herself." Applejack's retort died in her throat at Rarity's words. At least she understood. "This is an entirely different matter from that. We've all been around each other for long enough to have at least some understanding of each other's nuances and quirks. We can, at least in some circumstances, get a read on each other and know when one of us needs a helping. We were in close enough proximity to observe Applejack and have an idea of how she was faring, so we could step in before it was too late. "This isn't like that at all. We don't know anything about this guard. We can't just translate an appropriate response for one workaholic over to another like they're identical. We'd need to get to know him, understand what makes him tick on an individual level, be close enough to observe him over the course of his day. We'd-" Rarity suddenly paused mid-sentence, the look on her face as if she'd realized the answer to the question had just presented itself to them. "What is it, Rarity?" Twilight asked curiously. "It just occurred to me, that if Princess Celestia wants us to help this guard, we'd need him here with us in Ponyville," she explained. "Perhaps what the dear needs most is a simple vacation. Some time away from the palace, away from anything he could associate with his work, so that he's free to just relax and unwind," she suggested. "A vacation? Rar', Ah know jus' how important time off can be fer a pony. But isn' that jus' a bit of a stretch? Thinkin' all this feller needs is a vacation?" Applejack asked skeptically. "Perhaps, if I was saying it was all that he needed, which I'm not," Rarity pointed out, shaking her head as she did. "No, I don't believe it's all that he needs, but I do believe that it's something he needs. Possibly the first of many somethings that he's been denying himself." "Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie bounced excitedly, eager to be heard. "We can throw him a party! We can throw him a dozen parties! We can get the ball rolling with a "Welcome to Ponyville" party since he'll be new to town! Then we can do a "You deserve love and respect" party so he'll know that all the hard work he does is appreciated! Ooh! If he's here on his birthday we even can throw him a birthday party too! The possibilities are limitless!" Spike had been staying silent for the most part since the letter had made its appearance and he'd passed it to Twilight. But the way Pinkie was going, he didn't feel like he could stay silent any longer. "Uh, Pinkie? I'm not really sure that's a good idea. He might not like that..." Pinkie immediately whirled around and looked in Spike in sheer, mind-boggled confusion. "Say what? Don't be silly, Spike, what kind of pony wouldn't want to have a birthday party? Or any party for that matter?" "The kind of pony that worked straight through seven of his own birthdays without a second thought," he replied as he glanced at the letter and scanned over it. "The whole time Twilight and I lived at the palace, Princess Celestia always let the staff take their birthday off with pay, no questions asked. Even Shining Armor would take his birthday off to spend the day with his family. "But this guy? Her letter makes it sound like he's worked every birthday and holiday without fail. That doesn't sound like the kind of guy who actually wants to have a party; he sounds like he's actively trying to avoid them." "W... what?" Pinkie asked, too stunned by what she was hearing to maintain her usual speech volume. "Why... why would he do something like that?" She needed to sit down. The idea of a pony doing everything in their power to avoid a party, to actively avoid having fun was far too unsettling for her to want to think about right now. "... Because he didn't have the benefit of the same lessons in friendship that I did," Twilight surmised slowly as she looked at her friends, a horrified expression slowly working its way across her face. "This letter that Celestia sent us, it suddenly makes sense. This guard... he's what I would've been under different circumstances. "The whole reason I came to Ponyville and made friends in the first place was because of Nightmare Moon. If she hadn't been a threat needing to be stopped, that never would have happened otherwise. My life would've been dominated by pursuits of knowledge and academic excellence that would make what you're seeing now pale in comparison. My thirst would scholarly knowledge would've been unquenchable in my pursuit of learning more and more. There wouldn't have been room in my life for anything else except my studies. "At one point in my life that wouldn't have seemed so bad. I could've eventually become one of Celestia's most trusted court advisors. But now... now I realize just how empty and unfulfilling that sort of existence would ultimately be. Being one of the smartest scholars in history really doesn't mean much if you don't have anypony to share that prestige and accomplishment with..." She had to take a moment to compose herself, lest she burst into tears as unpleasant thoughts made themselves known. "I think Rarity might be right. Why else would Celestia be asking us for help in this matter, if she didn't want us to get involved? You all showed me that there's so much to life that just can't be found inside of a book. You taught me about living life rather than just studying it in a clinical fashion that was detached from everything. I think she wants us to do the same for him." "Huh," Rainbow Dash commented as she absently scratched her head. "You know, when you put it like that it does kinda make sense. We have kinda gotten each other through some really dark times." "We really have," Fluttershy agreed. "I think Rarity's right. I think we should write Princess Celestia back and suggest this guard come to Ponyville for a little vacation. If that doesn't do any good and he needs something more involved, like actual psychiatric care, at least we tried everything we know how to do to help." Like dominoes, the others in the library fell in agreement that the best course of action to the problem at hoof was to act as hosts to the guard in question. Except for Applejack who was keeping quiet as the others talked. The whole thing had been a might bit weird in how it all transpired so fast like it had. Not that being hospitable and friendly was out of the question. But if Celestia had intended for them to reach that conclusion, wouldn't it have been better to just ask up front instead of expecting them to figure it out on their own? Whatever their response was, it'd be simple and to the point in comparison. So it really wasn't asking too much for a little reciprocity on that matter, was it? But that was neither here nor there. Their help had been requested, and she really couldn't think of a reason to not provide it. If this stallion really was in as bad of shape as the letter suggested, then she'd feel lower than the belly of a snake if she didn't offer him a friendly hoof. "A'right, Ah'm up fer it. Let's see 'bout getting this feller here an' helpin' 'im learn how ta relax," she spoke up. "Right then! Spike, take a letter!" Twilight stated. Spike had a quill and scroll in claws before Twilight had even fully gotten the words out, and was already penning the opening sentence that he knew was going to follow. "Dear Princess Celestia. I've been discussing the matter with my friends, and I think we have an idea on what to do..."