ACT EIGHT
In addition to Stone Heart's ways, Cy observed every other subject Twilight attempted to help and fix.
*Cy’s POV*
Talon Ted was a bit like Stone Heart, he was pushed around and horribly mistreated for petty reasons-- namely he was not given any chances out of bigotry and biased attitudes.
So, it wasn’t a matter that he wasn’t willing to work for his dream, nor was he trying to be lazy and expect others to give into his demands-- if that’s what you could call them.
He was trying to do things his own way-- as his dream was to revolutionize the acting industry by showing others that you don’t need certain things to make it happen, and that other ponies should stop being so biased-- feeling that you must have a degree to be accepted.
Yet, you and many others got into his face trying to force him to accept what was being given to him, which would in turn only damage his pride and self-respect, and further reinforce his resolve to refuse.
Then there was Strings…
He knew that he could never win the heart of Princess Cadance, and willfully gave up on that, and yet he remained hopelessly in love with her that he found himself unable to change his feelings or let go of it entirely.
He also found that his singing and his career only brought him more suffering and more emotional pain and wanted to be done with it and get away to give himself time to be alone with his sorrows.
Yet you, and others tried to force him to move on, especially Sun Rae…
She was practically trying to force herself into Strings life-- get him to instantly fall out of love with Princess Cadance, and then immediately fall in love with her.
Strings was quite right when he said, “Love doesn’t work that way.” Just like therapy, it is a process that takes time. One cannot be expected nor demanded to just “Get over it!” like that, especially if others want it that way.
In my personal view, Strings did the right thing by quitting his career. True, his many fans would be disappointed, but if they knew all the emotional pain and trauma, he was suffering… perhaps some of them, at the very least, would understand, rather than continue to put him through torture just to please themselves.
Even if Strings can never move on from his undying feelings for Princess Cadance, that’s perfectly normal. The choice is his of whether he chooses to move on. No one can make it for him.
The same thing can be said about Snapshot…
Perhaps he was being selfish by giving up on his friends and no longer wishing to hang with them, but in another view of retrospect he did have a point in his actions…
He was not willing to settle for just being friends, and he could not bear to see the one he loved with another. He knew it would cause him trouble, and that would lead to trouble with his friends anyway, and he didn’t want that.
Knowing that there would be trouble either way he chose, he tried to do what would cause everyone less amounts of suffering.
By not hanging out with his friends, he doesn’t have to see Pirouette with another, and they don’t have to put up with any of his sulking or attitude problems.
Sometimes, a trial of separation is best.
Then there was Helper Soul, you tried to bring him and your father together to reconcile their friendship when Helper made it perfectly clear that he wished no such thing.
Forgiveness is not some obligation and never has been, and you cannot force it on someone.
You may try to persuade someone to forgive you. You may want to be forgiven, and perhaps you should be, and perhaps even you are entitled to a little forgiveness… but in the end, it is not up to you.
Forgiveness is a choice. Only the subject can decide whether to forgive you for themselves, and sometimes… I’m afraid the answer can still be “No.”
…And if it is, there is very little you can do.
Nagging at them, pestering them, giving them unwanted advice… it will only cause further negative impact, and it makes you come off as selfish and very inconsiderate.
*POV Ends*
At this point, Twilight was completely horrified and outraged.
“Selfish?! Me?! I don’t believe that! I won’t believe that!
I was just trying to help them! I was trying to persuade them to change; to be better beings, and to live better lives full of benefits and wonders and help them live the way they should.”
Cy calmly adjusted his glasses while giving a strict stare, “…For their sake, or for yours?”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and Cy continued to explain…
“Not everyone is like you, Twilight. What you may consider “Beneficial”, “Improvement”, “Wonder” … others may not.
When you see ponies that are not, you make it your business to “solve” their problems and live their lives the way you wish they would.
Trying to Change Others in that sort of manner is being selfish.
Some changes might be good for them, but the fact can't be changed that you are doing it to make yourself happier, or so that you can be satisfied.”
Twilight clutched her head, wailing in denial, “No! No! That’s not true!”
Cy hammered more in, “You also act very presumptuous. You assume you know what’s right for someone else-- what they need or want-- and yet you have no idea of the experiences and traumas they have dealt with.
Those kinds of efforts may be conveying this sort of message: “I know how to solve your problems better than you do. I dont trust your judgment or abilities. You’re incompetent or unmotivated.”
“No!!” Twilight shouted. “That’s not how it is at all!”
Due to the walls and the soundproof spell, no one else could hear her raving.
“I’m trying to help them all-- stop them from being so self-destructive! Stop them from spreading all the hate, all the darkness, all the chaos…!!
It’s my responsibility! It’s my duty to keep the peace!! I… I…!!”
Her tears started to fall no matter how hard she tried to fight them. She finally realized how badly she was shouting and throwing a fit.
“This is it.” Cy said. “It’s time for the last piece of the puzzle to go in-- time to get the complete picture.”
He waited until Twilight had calmed down, and he passed her the tissues again.
“Twilight…” he asked softly. “I want to ask you a very big question now, and the answer will finally determine your troubles, but are willing to hear it? Are you willing to answer me truthfully?”
Twilight could barely bring herself to speak, but she looked at him, and managed a barely visible nod.
Cy took a moment himself to ask his question. “I want to know… What exactly are you so afraid of?”
“Huh…?”
“You can tell me now because I think you’re ready to, but if not, I understand.
Again… what is scaring you so much?”
Twilight could see and feel every image from her nightmares flashing before her eyes-- all the darkness, the monsters, the hate, the doom…! Not even realizing she was actually spilling it all out to Cy.
“So, that’s it…” said Cy as he wrote down in his notes.
With her eyes still full of tears, Twilight confessed, “I don’t want Equestria to fall into chaos, and as Princess of Friendship, I must do everything I can to keep that from happening.”
A single tear fell from her eyes and landed on her hoof. “Friendship means so much to me. I owe it my life! I cannot… I will not let it fail!
…Why can’t we all just live in a world of all friendship and love-- No evil, no more problems, no chaos or fighting amongst each other.”
Cy hated to see her upset like this, like he did with any other patient he tried to help. These were common reactions for him, and he remained calm as ever and took pity on her.
“…I know perfectly well how you feel, and I’m not being presumptuous.
Many of us wish for the same thing you do, but…” he paused and looked Twilight deeply in the eye while shaking his head “…You’re asking for the impossible.”
“But why?” sobbed Twilight. “Why does it have to be this way? I’ve always been able to make the impossible possible! I’ve always turned hopelessness into a fighting chance!”
Cy disagreed, “Not always… Look at you now.
Ever since being crowned Princess of Friendship, you’ve had so many extra duties, responsibilities, and obligations.
It’s your responsibility to uphold friendship, and help others understand it, but that doesn’t mean you have to interfere with every single problem that shows up and act like a control freak.
We already talked about this…
You may have good intentions, but your fears of Equestria’s future, and your own reputation being ruined…
It causes you to overstep your thinking and to cross your boundaries. You try to solve other’s problems and hope they change in way you believe they should or want to…
…You only end up making things worse instead of better because you didn’t stop to think.
Don’t you see? Even when we do everything right, even if our intentions are purely good… bad things still sometimes happen.
Even my booklet showed you that there’s a difference between “Control” and “Influence.”
He took a moment to prepare himself for what he was about to say next to the distraught pony before him.
“I know this is extremely hard to accept, especially a pony like you, but the sad fact is that there are some things that we have the power to change, or control, but sometimes, the hardest thing to admit-- especially one as powerful and magical as you-- is that sometimes… we are…”
“…Powerless!” sobbed Twilight.
Cy nodded sadly.
Twilight cringed miserably. “I don’t want to be-- I hate-- I can’t be…!” she couldn’t bring herself to saw that awful word again.
Cy then said, “You are a remarkable pony, Twilight Sparkle, and you try to do so much for others.
…But you’re still only one pony-- a mere speck in a massive world where anything can happen when you least expect it.
You cannot be expected to make everything turn out alright or prevent bad things from ever happening.
What you can do is stop a minute and think about things instead of jumping the gun.
Just because a few friends have a falling out does not mean the world is going to end.
You may be able to solve some problems, but you can’t expect gratefulness every single time.
Even with the experiences you may have in your own life, you still have no idea how the other pony is thinking-- how it affects them.
And you can’t possibly think that friendship will solve all their problems, because it may not, and there’s no sense in forcing it further.”
Twilight wiped her eyes. “So, you’re not going to tell me that I should stop trying to help, period?”
“Certainly not…” replied Cy. “I can’t make you stop being who you are. Just like every other patient I’ve ever had…
You needed help, and you were willing to try, and you came to me, and that was very good. You’ve finally realized, and you’ve admitted what troubles you.
…But like I told you before, I can’t cure you. I can only give advice and helpful suggestions so that you can work hard to cure yourself…
…That is, if you’re willing to try. If you really want to change.
…It all depends on you, and the decision you make.”
At this time, Cy stopped the nature sound record himself, and used his magic to flip it over, which played a beautiful song he wanted to sing for Twilight.
(0:59)
Everyone has problems, some that are so big,
And seeing others suffer a lot can make you flip your wig.
We try our best to help them out, but sometimes it goes wrong,
We need to take some time to think of ways to help us along,
Because when you look…
Look inside you, Dear…
Deep in your mind, and you will find,
There’s one thing that is clear…
We try our best, to make our way through,
There is nothing more that we can try or do,
Only one person can have your view,
No one… Nobody… but you.
The things that we choose that shape up our days,
May not always be the greatest and best ways.
Not everyone can be the same, or know just what to do,
Because whatever’s right to them may often seem wrong for you,
Because when you look…
Look inside you, Dear…
Deep in your mind, and you will find,
There’s one thing that is clear…
We try our best, to make our way through,
There is nothing more that we can try or do,
Only one person can have your view,
No one… Nobody… but you.
No one… Nobody… but you.
The song ended, and Twilight wiped her eyes dry.