10. Endings and Beginnings.
Slant stayed frozen by the door. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think. All he could do was stand there perplexed and confused.
*knock knock knock*
There it was again. Slant decided that at this point he had nothing to lose. He opened the door.
He wasn’t surprised by what he saw. In all of Ponyville there were only six ponies with a reason and motivation to come see him. Still, just because he wasn’t surprised at seeing the six ponies standing at his doorstep, it did not mean he was not intimidated. He looked at Twilight, who was standing at the front of the group.
“I was about to leave, I swear. I have all I need in my bag and I…”
“It’s ok,” Twilight interrupted. She took a deep sigh and said, “Look, we just came by to have a talk with you. Can we come in?”
Slant was obviously confused, but he was not about to turn down a course of action that did not involve a confrontation. He stepped aside, letting them in. The six walked inside silently, studying the small home. Pinkie, being the only one to ever have been inside the house, noticed the empty frame where the large mirror used to be, but said nothing.
Once they were inside, they formed a semi-circle, facing Slant. He closed the door and turned to face the six, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, he was not left waiting for long.
“After you left,” Twilight began, “the girls and I stayed and talked for a very long time. We talked about what you told us, about what we thought, and about what we felt. We then decided that we should tell you this in person, which is why we’re here. Also, even though I will be the only one doing any talking, I want you to know that everything I’m saying speaks for the group and has been agreed on by all of us in advance.”
Slant nodded. He was a bit taken aback by her formal tone, but he was decided not to voice his concern. He allowed her to continue.
“First of all, I want to apologize for the way that we treated you at Sugarcube Corner. We were shocked and confused, but that is no excuse for the way we acted. I just hope you understand that everything you told us was a lot to take in, and we’ve never seen anypony like you before. We’ve heard certain things, had a general knowledge that ponies like you existed, but we had never met one. It was a lot to try to make sense of, and because of that we didn’t think before we spoke and stayed silent when we should’ve said something. Still, as I said, it’s no excuse.”
Twilight turned and noticed the giant empty frame next to the stairs. The length to width ratio was off, so she wasn’t sure what type of portrait it was supposed to hold. She noticed a bit of broken reflective glass in the lower right hand corner of the frame before turning to face Slant again.
“I did some research on trans ponies and trans issues after I got home. There’s not a lot, actually; I only found two books on the subject, but they did give me a better understanding of what you’re going through. I’ve read about what ponies like you go through, and I know that it’s not something anypony would go through willingly if they could avoid it.”
She turned to look at the ‘frame’ on the wall, causing Slant to follow her gaze.
“You have enough difficulties to deal with without ponies like us questioning your judgment.”
She turned to look at him again.
“Besides, it’s not like we have any right to question. This is who you are, and even though it’s new and different to us, it doesn’t make it any stranger than the other differences ponies have. It’s nothing to be ashamed of or something anypony should have to hide, and we’re ashamed of making you feel like it was.” She paused for a moment before continuing.
“And even though it’s who you are, it is not what defines you. What defines you is what you do. I talked to the girls about what they thought of you, not during the conversation but when they were hanging out with you, when they were getting to know you. Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all said that you were intelligent, fun, and appreciative. Pinkie Pie said that you were kind and forgiving. Applejack said you were responsible, hardworking, and trustworthy.” Each of the ponies in the half circle nodded in agreement as she said this. “That’s what defines you and that’s all we should need to know about you.”
“I never really got to know you in Canterlot, but I want to know you now, and based on what my friends have told me… I want to be your friend as well.” Twilight stopped, thinking to make sure she had covered everything they had talked about.
“I guess that’s the long version. The short version of it is, ‘We’re really sorry about how we treated you, we hope you’ll forgive us, and we want you to stay.’ We’re sorry about what happened in Canterlot, and that you lost your home, but Ponyville can be your home now, if you’re willing to let it.”
Slant stared at her with disbelief in his eyes. He had heard everything Twilight had said, but was still having trouble comprehending it. They weren’t mad, they weren’t upset, and they wanted him to stay. He looked around the semi-circle. Each pony looked back at him, anxiously waiting for his response.
“Do.. Do you mean it?” he asked.
All six heads nodded.
Tears formed in his eyes as a smile formed on his lips. He didn’t know what to say. He began to utter a thank you but Rainbow Dash cut him off, stepping up next to him.
“By the way, when we say we want you to stay, we mean the real you.”
Applejack stepped up next.
“That’s right! We want you to know that you can be whoever you want to be. No more having to hide.”
The rest of the ponies walked closer as the pony tried to formulate a response. She looked at them with appreciation in her eyes and fixed her voice register as she uttered a simple “Thank you.”
Many tears were shed as they all shared in a group hug. Rose felt her anxieties from the past twenty-four hours just fade away. Eventually the hug broke off and the tears stopped, leaving the house in silence. However, this silence was different. It was calm, warm, and comforting. Still, like any silence, it was not long before it was broken.
“Well I’m glad we sorted this out when we did,” Rarity said, observing the dress draped over the chair. “I cannot believe you were going to take your old dress and leave this one behind. We had a deal!”
Laughter filled the house in what Evening Rose hoped would be the first of many instances.