//------------------------------//
// A Genie's Dilemma 
// Story: I Dream of a Genie with a Light Brown Mane 
// by Metool Bard 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 7:
A Genie's Dilemma


As soon as Twilight got home from her luncheon with Fluttershy, she trotted up to her room and cracked open her book on Saddle Arabian folklore.

"Getting a head start on your next assignment so that you don't have to stop time again?" Spike joked as he followed the lavender unicorn upstairs.

"Ha ha," Twilight said dryly, setting the book down on her desk. "Actually, since I'm down to my last wish, I want to figure something out before I think about what I'm going to wish for."

"Figure something out?" asked Spike.

"I want to know why Misty was so insistent on me making wishes."

Spike scratched his head. "Why do you want to know that before you make your last wish?"

Twilight turned to the baby dragon, her eyebrow raised. "I thought that'd be obvious."

"Huh?"

"She was pestering me about wishes for a reason, Spike," Twilight explained. "And if it's something that genies typically do, I want to know what it is."

"You don't trust Misty then?"

As Twilight and Spike continued to talk, Misty stirred from her slumber and crawled out of her lamp.  Becoming curious, she floated upstairs and peeked through a small crack in the door.

"Well, I don't completely trust her, if that's what you're asking," Twilight admitted. "After all, I still don't know who sent her to me, and what's more, I have no way of finding out."

"There's a 'but' in there, I know it," said Spike.

Twilight sighed. "Maybe it's because I'm the first pony to treat her nicely, but she's just been so nervous and confused this whole time.  And knowing that, I kinda feel bad for her."

Hey, the feeling's mutual, kiddo, Misty thought as she continued to eavesdrop.

"And you think it has to do with how genies typically act?" Spike inquired.

"It's possible," said Twilight, continuing to flip through her book.  She then spotted something that caught her attention. "Wait.  Spike, take a look at this."

She levitated the book with her magic and lowered it to the ground for Spike to read.

"It says here that genies are actually tragic creatures," said she. "There is nothing more precious or more sacred to a genie than his or her own freedom.  But they can only be free if their master desires it.  Sometimes, a master will promise a genie freedom, but will break that promise because they forgot, or even just to spite the genie."

"That's terrible," said an aghast Spike.

Oh, you have no idea, Misty thought.

"It all makes sense now," said Twilight somberly. "Misty was pestering me about wishes because she wants her freedom.  And she's been acting nervously because she doesn't want to force my hoof."

"Sure seems like it," said Spike. "Well, what're you gonna do, Twi?"

Twilight closed her eyes and thought for a moment  When she opened them, they reflected a mixture of warmth and determination. "I've made up my mind, Spike.  Tomorrow morning, my third and final wish is going to be for Misty's freedom."

Misty gasped, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Just like that?" asked Spike.

"Why not?" Twilight said with a shrug. "I don't want anything else, and I think she deserves it."

I have to be dreaming, Misty thought. This can't be real, it just can't be.  She actually cares about how I feel?  Nopony ever cared about how I felt.

"Well, why not wish for it now?" Spike inquired.

"After that time-stopping wish?  I think she's had enough for one day," said Twilight. "I think it'd be better if I let her rest up and get her strength back."

Misty took her veil and dabbed a few tears from her eyes. She, really cares.  She cares about me.  She wants to free me.  It's really going to happen, after all these centuries.

She floated back downstairs, smiling to herself and praising her good fortune.  But then, the wind howling outside snapped her from her reverie.  Her smile faded, and a new set of tears welled up in her eyes.

Oh, right.  I'm not that lucky.


***


It was another sleepless night for Misty as she sat in the middle of the floor, wondering what to do.

"How did I get myself into this mess?" she muttered to herself. "I've been putting on this charade for my freedom, which is what Twilight wants her last wish to be.  Except I can't grant her that wish, because I'm still indebted to Orthrus.  But if she tries to wish for my freedom and I can't deliver, she's going to get suspicious, and then, what?  I can't tell her the truth.  Not now.  Not when I'm so close.  Oh, what do I do?"

A howl echoed from outside.

"Hey, I don't need suggestions from you, pal!" Misty snapped.  She then thought for a moment. "Wait, that was just the wind, wasn't it?  Great, I'm being paranoid again.  Just what I needed.  I mean, it isn't bad enough that I'm in the middle of this stinking rut."

She got up and began pacing. "Well, does it really matter where I get my freedom from?  It's not like I trust Orthrus anyway."

But you're still his genie, her inner voice argued. You can't run away from that, no matter how hard you try.

"What's he going to do to me?  His dark magic is being suppressed by Tartarus."

Genies cannot disobey their masters.

"So, what?  Am I supposed to just flail around like an idiot when Twilight tries to free me?"

Twilight cannot free you.

"I know, I know.  But she wants to.  She cares about how I feel."

And because of that, you would defy your master?

"Hey, Orthrus is not half the master that Twilight is!"

She's not your mistress.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me.  I almost forgot that I was taking advantage of an innocent unicorn's trust!"

She doesn't trust you.

"She trusts me enough to try and free me."

Well, she shouldn't.

"Yeah, I know.  But, what should I do?"

There is only one solution.

"And that is?"

Force her to wish for something else.

Misty gasped. "What?  No, I couldn't do that.  It's not right."

You have no choice.

"But if she finds out..."

She won't.  Not until it's too late.

After some more debating with herself, Misty finally relented. "Heh, how ironic.  Me, trying to keep somepony from wishing for my freedom when that's what I'm doing all this for."

She raised her hooves into the air, creating a cloud of mist.  She swirled the mist around and around until it became a thick fog.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," she murmured, blowing the fog away.  She then sighed and went back into her lamp, unaware of a pair of beady brown eyes watching her from the window...