//------------------------------// // (32) Life: Reveal // Story: The nature of the beast. // by Kintra //------------------------------// ((Warning, This chapter may have content that will make you hate, Or love this story. Chances are if your still reading your willing to give it a shot, But I felt compelled to leave this here next to the shiny "Hate" button.)) Talk? To light? “Uh princess, he and I aren’t really on ‘body swapping’ terms right now, There was a…Accident involving Vinyl and I may have gotten pissed at him...” Celestia just nodded. “Can you summon him? We do not need you to ‘Body swap’ as you said. I have recently come across a spell that allows ponies to see the unseeable. If he is truly there, in any form, He will appear. Otherwise I’m afraid it truly is psychosis. If it is a brain manipulation though, then it will appear.” Oh good. For a moment there I was worried that this may actually work. “Alright fine. I’m gonna go sit down.” Celestia nodded and looked to her sister. Luna raised her voice. “We require all who are participating in the viewing to come to the living room at once!” It was amazing. Everyone was there, except brew. But still. The set up was as follows, I was on the far right couch, Next to me was Vinyl and next to her was fluttershy. Couch next to ours, Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack. Next to them, were Rarity, Pinkie pie, and Thorn. The last couch held Be and Luna. Celestia stood in the center next to the unlit fireplace. The table was then levitated out of the center to make a small stage. I didn’t know what was going to happen so I just held back a moment. “Eclipse. When Luna tells you, summon Light.” Celestia just stared at me till I nodded and started casting a spell. Luna turned to me after a few moments and nodded. Celestia’s head was lowered and her eyes were closed. In focus? “Alright. Light?” I said his name in English and he phased in Kneeling on the ground in front of me. He stood. The gasps were audible. “What do you need Eclipse? I thought you were angry at me?” God dammit. She’s right… He has knowledge and memories but no experience. “I….Am angry at you… No, No I’m sorry, I’m not angry at you.” I rose from my seat stepping toward him. “I am fucking PISSED at you! Twice now, TWICE you have almost cost me the friendship of someone I held dear! TWICE I trusted you to just behave yourself and TWICE I ended up taking the brunt for YOUR mistakes! I’m sick of it!” I felt something grab my jacket and saw both Vinyl and fluttershy had grabbed my coat-tails with their teeth. Holding me back… I sighed. “Twice…” I felt my anger fading. I couldn’t do it here in front of these girls. “Twice you betrayed me Light…Twice you made me feel a rage I hadn’t felt since before I got you implanted. And twice you helped me. Both times you lied, or did something you shouldn’t. But I can forgive twice. I can forgive you ragging on Celestia because you thought she wouldn’t act. I can forgive you for telling my friends all lies so they would back off with relationships till I was good and ready. I can even forgive you for everything else. But the one thing I can’t forgive you for Light. Is your immaturity. You’re a child. You have my memories, my feelings and my soul. But you really are just a child.” I rubbed my face. And sat back down. “And I expect you to at least try and be more human from now on. Or, more pony if that makes you comfortable. But never again. NEVER, again. Do I want to see you do anything I wouldn’t… Okay?” I expected to find him standing there. Just staring at me through the whole thing. He wasn’t. And Princess Luna was just as surprised as me to find him hugging her…*Sigh* I would do it too I guess. Vinyl poked me. “That was way too much Eclipse. I understand you’re angry. But…” I nodded. “It was more than enough. But it was less then I wanted to do.” My right hand was still balled into a fist. I wanted to hurt the little fuck. But for what? Being curious? He knows these things but he’s been alive only a few months. I couldn’t bring myself to hate him at the level I wanted. By the time he had stopped crying and regained his composure. About ten minutes by the way. He stepped back into the center. “I’m…Sorry about crying. I can take any more you have.” I laughed. Every pony but Celestia turned their heads to look at me. Light just looked hurt... “Eclipse that is rude!” Rarity started shushing me, I obliged. “Anyone else? No? Oh good…” he slumped. He was me without emotional defenses. Of course. Fluttershy starts. “Oh... Um, I have a question if you don’t mind.” Light looked at fluttershy and almost instantly looked happier. She had that effect on me too. “Yes?” She twiddled her hooves a bit before speaking. “Um. I just... Wanted to know what it’s like…Being a tree.” The sounds of ‘Oh wows’ everywhere was only punctuated by my laughter. I kept it to a minimum. Eventually I stopped and Light answered. “It uh… Its peaceful I suppose. I mean, I’m not really a tree. As eclipse would tell you, we don’t get much sun. So to be honest, I think I may be a little sick. But, aside from that? It’s…Nice.” Fluttershy just nodded and smiled. To be honest it made Light look better too. “Any other questions? I rather like this.” I sighed. But rarity took up the question torch. “Yes darling, I simply must ask, is what Eclipse said true? You lied to help him?” I sat back as Light started to look visibly ill. “Yep, that’s why I don’t lie.” I said to no one in particular. He was able to continue after a few minutes of silence. “Uh...Yea, I lied to you all about Eclipses arranged marriages. I could tell you the truth about why he doesn’t want to date or have sex with you but I think he might hit me.” Light looked at me. “You want my opinion? Dude, you dug yourself into a hole. You want to explain why I’m not willing to date or screw just yet then fine. I’m going to go make some coffee.” I stood and walked into the kitchen as I heard Light start with “Well. On earth.” And off he goes. I sat in the kitchen for a good ten minutes till the coffee finished. I then poured myself a cup, Downed it. And poured another while my throat was still on fire. I could hear Light in the living room going “Ow! Eclipse why are you burning me!?” In a strangely calm voice. I walked out with the hot coffee and just smiled. He continued. As I stood leaning in the door way to the living room. I of course was more focused on the bird outside my window then the reactions of the mares as he said “And so he fears intimacy.” I knew I did. I didn’t need some stupid lecture from soul tree to know that. “That’s…It. That’s all I got on the subject. I would tell you my feelings on it but I don’t have any.” Yea. “So…You mean he really does love us, but fears what his people would think?” Nope. “No... He does not fear what his people would think, In fact if the human race as a whole was to be against his relationship…He would likely date two of you at once, just to spit in its eye.” Eeyep. “But then, why doesn’t he want a relationship? Vinyl here is obviously MORE than interested in him. Not to mention he already takes care of most of the town, which according to him isn’t very hard, but yes. Why doesn’t he seek love?” Rarity. You traitor. Light looked at me. I looked at him. “Well. If the truths gonna come out. Why not now?” Light just nodded at me. “He fears rejection. It’s not that he doesn’t love each and every one of you with all his heart; it’s what would happen if he were forced to choose one of you over the other. It truly has nothing to do with his reservation on you being ponies, to be honest he finds your form more pleasing then most…All, humans. Not that he can remember many at this point. He has been systematically deleting his memories and replacing them with happy ponies. I enjoy it as well.” Light blushed and looked at me again, like he wanted my gratitude. *Sigh.* “So there we go. All of it out in the open. You girls are free to go if you want. That’s really all there is about ME, Sure is a shame we didn’t get to learn about light in this whole summon fiasco.” I headed upstairs. But I didn’t go all the way; I just sat on the steps. Staring at my coffee. Only one of three things could happen at this point. One, the ponies I’ve chosen to love and care for will abandon me and my selfish desires. Two, the ponies I’ve chosen to love and care for will try to make everything better and explain that choosing one of them is best. Or three, and the most likely scenario, as well as the most painful. They won’t even acknowledge what was said. And everything will fall back into day to day monotony. Full of swearing, showers sleeping, coffee and staring at mares I can never have. *Sigh* God I’m creepy. I felt brew climb up on my back until she just kind of laid on my head. The rest were still talking to light, asking him questions. “Hey brew… coffee?” I offered her the cup. She drank some and handed it back down. “It’s really hot…” I laughed. “Yea... Yea it is.” She ended up falling asleep on my head. I would have to re-adjust her every few minutes because her breathing would naturally destabilize her. All I could do was wait. Wait to be hated, loved, or forgotten. When the choices are put into perspective…They hurt that much more.