Are You Ready?

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 37

To sleep well was one thing, but to wake up from a dreamless sleep was something else. Dr. Facilier's 'friends' didn't bother to invade his mind during his slumber last night, and this was both surprising and confusing. He rose from his bed and gave a yawn, followed by a few stretches until he hopped from his bed and noticed his shadow staring at him with a crooked frown 'Okay, I know I missed out on a chance at freedom, but it was worth it!' He turned back to look at Fluttershy sleeping and smiled warmly '...Definitely worth it...an' it'll be even better knowin' I have a backup plan for gettin' outta my debt!' He grinned at his little appointment with Princess Celestia, grabbed his suit and hat with his magic, and trotted down the stairs with a spring in his step.

When he reached the living room, he began humming a tune as he put on his clothes and looked in a mirror, admiring himself with confidence and joy. He was practically antsy for his trip to Canterlot, and almost felt compelled to hug one of Fluttershy's animals in the process. He danced a little in his step towards the kitchen as he used his magic to open the cupboard to pull out some bread, and the refridgerator to pull out some jam. After finding a butterknife, he made himself a small sandwich to fill him up before he took his leave.

Fluttershy woke up from her sleep and got off the bed as she made her way downstairs. She tiredly trotted through the living room, and upon seeing Dr. Facilier eat a sandwich, gave a smile "Good morning, Dr. Facilier...You seem to be in a very pleasant mood. Are you that excited to see the princess again?" The Shadowcolt gave an eager nod after he finished his sandwich.

"I jus' can't wait t' see her again!
Gotta mosey on over an' catch my train!"

The timid mare trotted further into the kitchen and gave the doctor a nuzzle "I'll get everything situated with Nurse Redheart when you're on your way. Whatever the princess wants with you must be very important! I'll be sure to wait for you to come back, okay?" Dr. Facilier gave a smile and nodded in response. He could not wait to seek the very mare that could make his life more better than it already has. Once he had some juice and straightened himself up properly, he and Fluttershy made their way out of the cottage and headed for the train station. Fluttershy simply wanted to join to see Dr. Facilier off, much to her interest in him as a coltfriend.

As they trotted through town, they passed by and noticed Pinkie standing on her hind hoofs with a sword in her forelegs. They stopped and gazed upon her in confusion. She was wearing what seemed to be faux fur and brown leather, and the outfit was blowing in a non-existent breeze. The party mare's face was steeled and gruff as her eyes squinted, making Fluttershy curious about her actions. She tilted her head and spoke "Umm...Pinkie?? If you don't mind me asking...why are you doing that exactly?"

Pinkie did not move, as she uttered the words "Brace yourselves...It's going to happen soon..." She sounded serious, though her very appearance was meant for comical purposes. One can only know how Pinkie Pie actually works.

Fluttershy and Dr. Facilier looked at each other in confusion, and simply continued their trip to the station while slightly wincing at Pinkie's unmoving position.

Once they reached the station, they were right on time as the next train to Canterlot was about to depart. Fluttershy gave the Shadowcolt a quick peck on the cheek "I'll see you when you come back, Dr. Facilier. Have fun talking with the princess!" She gave a cute smile, to which the doctor returned with a grin.

"I won't be long, my canary-colored cutie.
Don't worry yourself on waitin' for me..."

Fluttershy frowned a little, but took Dr. Facilier's words into consideration. She knew full well that he would return to her with both forelegs wide open and a happy demeanor upon his audience with Celestia. When they both shared a nod, Dr. Facilier went onto his train and was carried off on the tracks for his next destination. The timid mare gave off one last smile before trotting on over to Ponyville Clinic to give her regards on Dr. Facilier skipping work.

On the train, the Shadowcolt chuckled softly and hummed a little to himself. Meanwhile, his shadow was still sporting the same crooked frown from this morning. The sentient shade never asked for its master to act like such a fool, madly in love with Fluttershy after spending so much time with her. While it remained in Dr. Facilier's servitude, it had a mind of its own when it came to wanting freedom to do whatever it pleased. The doctor's shadow already missed the small amount of fun it and its master had during their stay in Ponyville: Foiling Zecora and taking some of her hair for voodoo, stealing money for dolls, and almost killing another animal since that annoying firefly they came across before that fateful day.

The shadow gave a silent moan and flailed its forelegs like an outraged citizen at its master, and Dr. Facilier took notice with a stern gaze 'We've been over this already! I'm already workin' on Plan B as we speak!' He was happy to know that his gaze alone stopped his shadow from its small tantrum, his shady partner slumping in defeat. Some of the passengers on board stared at the Shadowcolt as if he were crazy for staring at his own shadow, but shrugged it off.

After hours of travel, Dr. Facilier finally touched base at Canterlot and exited his train as he looked around. This place hasn't changed one bit since his last visit, especially with the high-class ponies walking around with their noses in the air. It felt weird not wanting to wreck some lives before meeting Celestia, but it didn't matter now, for the Royal Castle beckoned for his presence.

It was an amazing feat to ignore every single sneer and scoff aimed at him while he trotted along the busy streets of Canterlot, but the Shadowcolt reached his destination. He stopped and looked at the pegasi stationed to guard the gates and how easy it was for them to keep such a hardened expression on a daily basis. Rainbow Dash told him how they were nearly unbreakable in resolved, and he could only come to the conclusion that they have seen many horrible things in their line of work as guards. It was no easy task being a soldier, after all.

He cleared his throat calmly to get their attention, and both guards shifted their eyes towards him with their expression unchanged. Dr. Facilier then took off his hat and gave a bow.

"The princess requested my audience inside.
If you would lead me, I'd be most satisfied..."

The guards looked at each other with raised eyebrows, and then went back to glaring at the doctor as the one on the left spoke "We require proper notification before we could lead you to the throne room. Your note of summons?"

Dr. Facilier flinched, realizing that he did not plan ahead for this. While he wrote to Celestia and was given a quick reply, he wasn't met with a legitimate invitation to her castle save for her words on her letter. His shadow shared the same panic as it began to shiver in fear. The two shared worried glances at each other, and turned to the guards with growing worry until a voice was heard "Hold, guards! The Shadowcolt hast been summoned by our sister! Thou would be wise to heed her word!"

This was unexpected, to say the least. The one pony to save him in his time of need, and it had to be Celestia's younger sister, Luna. She stood proud behind the two guards with a serious gaze, her mane and tail flowing and glimmering. It was relaxing to know she wasn't using the Royal Canterlot Voice this time and give the doctor another migraine. The guards quickly recoiled, as if being threatened, and bowed "Forgive us, Princess of the Night! We were unsure about this one!" The one one right spoke before raising and turning to Dr. Facilier "Well, you check out then. Sorry for the trouble, sir. Be on your way..." The two guards shifted out of the way to give Dr. Facilier room to walk through the gates as they opened.

Luna was standing in front of the opened gates with the same serious expression, before showing a small smile "Dr. Facilier, shall we? Thoust seems most eager to meet Celestia..." The Shadowcolt grinned to know he was going to be escorted by a princess instead of some guards. His shadow couldn't help but smile as well, though it was more out of relief of not being taken to prison under false pretenses. The two made their way inside the castle and trotted along the carpeted halls.

As they trekked at a good pace, Luna turned to Dr. Facilier and wondered about his happiness "Dr. Facilier, forgive our curiousity, but thou seem to be in the best of moods today. Art thou enjoying thine time in Ponyville with the other element bearers??" She was only half right with what the Shadowcolt had in mind, but he nodded anyway.

"I wanted to see your sister today,
About my little dilemma, per se.
I figured that if with her I'd confide,
She'd help deal with my friends on th' other side..."

Luna's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Dr. Facilier's 'friends'. She already cursed herself for being overpowered by the mischievous spirits in terms of monitoring the Shadowcolt's dreams. The only logical reasoning for this could be how deep in debt the doctor was in. She wanted to know more, knowing the severity of the situation "Pray tell...How exactly do you wish for our sister to deal with thine problem regarding your.." She shuddered reluctantly "...friends? Art thou seeking to tap powers that are beyond thine grasp? Celestia is not exa-" She was interrupted by Dr. Facilier, who only smiled confidently.

"I have faith in your sister helpin' me out!
Clearly, her powers are never in doubt!"

The princess of the night gave a nervous and unsure expression as she took full notice on how the doctor was acting. Beneath the overbearing joy on his face lied desperation. She could only wonder what he was desperate about, and wanted to speak again "If we may speak, Doctor...While our sister may be the Regent of the Sun, thou musn't set thy expectations so high in he-" She was once again interrupted as the doctor waved a dismissive hoof.

"I'd say I got nothin' much t' fear.
What's t' worry about, my dear?"

Luna glared a little at his interruption, but donned one of worry once more "Dr. Facilier, we fear that thou may be thinking TOO highly of our sister...Surely thou art not considering her to perform some task that is out of her element?" She only hoped she were wrong on this matter. The Shadowcolt shook his head at Luna, prompting her to drop her worry a little as they approached the large doors leadign to the throne room.

The doors opened to reveal Princess Celestia sitting on her throne in all of her majestic beauty. She noticed the doctor with a warm smile and motioned for him to come in. Luna followed at his side as they approached the sun goddess herself, and the doctor took off his hat and bowed chivalrously as he smiled.

"Nice t' see you this fine day, Princess!
An' with your little sister, no less!"

Celestia nodded and spoke "It's nice to see you as well, Dr. Facilier. I take it you have come to talk about what you have learned during your stay in Ponyville? Contrary to what Twilight had sent me recently, she spoke highly of your's and Fluttershy's relationship. You make me proud with your change." Her tone was the same as last time, sounding as if she were a loving mother speaking with her child. Dr. Facilier took this moment to raise himself and speak with a grin.

"Actually, it's somethin' y'all already know well,
Regardin' my friends an' their little spell.
I was wonderin' if, since you're so powerful an' such,
Y'all could remove me from my master's clutch?"

Both princesses widened their eyes at this and traded uneasy glances at each other, confusing the Shadowcolt. At that moment, Celestia signalled her guards to make their way out of the throne room and close the door so that the three were alone. After seeing this, Dr. Facilier and his shadow looked at each other, and then towards Celestia, who had her eyes shut with what seemed to be a soft frown. Luna's expression was more sorrowful as she looked at the doctor.

"Was it somethin' I said? What gives, milady?
Jus' like my friend, y'all are actin' shady..."

Celestia was silent, and then took a deep breath as she opened her eyes with a stoic expression "Dr. Facilier...If I heard you correctly, you asked if I could go so far as to personally cancelling out the debt that you yourself had made completely for the sake of freedom?" Dr. Facilier was confused, but beamed at what he had heard.

"Y'all read my mind like Twilight with books!
But tell me, what's up with your's an' Luna's looks?"

The sun goddess rose from her throne and trotted down from her steps towards Dr. Facilier. Her eyes were locked on him as she spoke "You do not recognize your position or your request clearly enough. While it is good to know that you are learning well under my student's tutelage, you're asking for something that is beyond even my power..." The Shadowcolt was confused upon this, and wanted to know why until the Princess spoke again "You wish to be relieved of your debt upon your deathbed so that you would not suffer a painful afterlife...I am well-versed in advanced magic, but there is not much I can do for you once you leave this world, Dr. Facilier...I'm sorry, but your request cannot be done..."

He couldn't believe it. Dr. Facilier's failsafe plan on freedom had crumbled before him like a poorly constructed wall. The shadow shared his sadness with a crooked frown as it noticed how wide its master's mouth was in disbelief 'N-No...So there's...there's nothin' I can do about it?? There's no way in Equestria that'll save me from my crimes?? It can't be real! It jus' can't!' He snapped himself out of what seemed to be utter hopelessness until he defended himself.

"Come on now, princess! Don' be like this!
Surely, there's somethin' y'all may have missed!
Ya pulled me outta hell t' set me straight!
I'm sure y'all can also change my fate!"

Celestia paused, and then nodded "Yes, that much is true...I did save you out of the goodness of my heart, but I could only convince so much of your friends. They informed me that it was impossible to change you completely, but that is the only way you can be free entirely from your debt. That is why I ask that you simply bear with me and continue learning from Twilight and her friends..." While it seemed plausible to know she couldn't use her powers under the terms of her words with his 'friends', Dr. Facilier couldn't help but feel betrayed at what his new ruler had placed in front of him. He felt like crying while a tiny part of him wanted to lash out in anger.

The Shadowcolt never imagined that his need to go off on Celestia could be outweighed by the need to shed countless tears and bawl like a child. He stammered and shuddered as he stood still, only to be taken in a small embrace by Celestia. She leaned her neck down and gave Dr. Facilier a motherly nuzzle "Don't despair, doctor. I have faith in you changing your ways...I shall offer you one of the castle's guest rooms for the night before your trip back. Until then, perhaps you can take the time to look at our library and expand your knowledge there maybe?" She broke the embrace as she called out "Guards!" The doors opened to reveal two unicorn guards trotting inside the throne room and bowing to the princess "Lead Dr. Facilier to his room, please." The guards nodded as they rose and began escorting the Shadowcolt to his room.

So it came to this. Dr. Facilier's only hope was on changing completely in order to escape his 'friends'. While the idea was plausible enough, given his current circumstances, a small part of him began to feel that it did not seem right at all. What could be nagging at the doctor to consider him to think that this wasn't a good idea? He acquired a good amount of things in Equestria: A roof over his head, a loving marefriend, a decent paying job, and all the magic he could learn. He had all of this, yet the small part of his mind continued bugging him.

Would complete change be worth it to Dr. Facilier?