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// Chapter 5 - Whoever said making up is fun to do is a damn liar 
// Story: The Life and Times of an Alchemist Turned Pony 
// by Thadius0 
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Pop quiz: You've just spilled your guts on how you feel about the latest Alicorn, and none of it was very nice.  Said alicorn is also a student in the magic of friendship slash harmony, and every last word out of your mouth has been about how she's failed at doing anything remotely friendly with you.  Oh, and she heard the whole damn thing.

What do you do next?

If your answer was 'Get lynched by the now-slightly-rabid townfolk,' then you get partial credit, because that was about to happen to me.  Fortunately, I knew what to do.

No, surprisingly, running was the wrong thing to do in this circumstance.  The right thing to do was call out one name.  One very specific name.  And hope that the one who owns said name would answer.

"Pinkie!"

...It took her a moment, but she bounced over.  Aaaaand her grin is gone, great.  "Yes?"

Ideas bounced around in my head.  "We need Twilight's favorite flowers!  And her favorite chocolate!  And we need to dip her favorite flowers in chocolate!"

Pinkie let out a gasp at the last bit.  "Oh my goodness, that's a wonderful idea!  I don't know why I didn't try it before!"

Just as suddenly as it came, Pinkie's good mood vanished.  "But that won't be enough, mister!"

I nodded to her.  "I'm well aware!  But part one of rectifying this is for me to go bearing gifts!  Can I trust this matter to you, Private Pie?"

...No, I don't know where the military fatigues or helmet came from.  All I know is she was wearing it and gave a salute with one foreleg.  "Sir, yes sir!  Where should I rendezvous once the supplies have been acquired, sir?"

I blinked but plowed on despite the suddenly appearing attire.  "It is likely that Twilight teleported into the library and barricaded herself in her room so that she could be alone and ruminate on all the garbage that I spewed!  So I will make my way there, as will you once your mission has been accomplished!"

"Sir, how would you know that, sir?"

I looked to the distant treebary and sighed.  "Because when you're hurt, you seek comfort.  When you're in pain from the unfamiliar, you seek the familiar."  I turned back to Pinkie.  "Prepare to gather the rest of her friends, as well.  Should I fail, they might at least draw her out."

"Sir yes sir!"

And with that, Pinkie was off.  So was I, but I left in a more...normal manner.  I raced to the library and skidded inside just as a lavender translucent dome encased the whole thing, separating Measured and myself.  Measured poked it from the outside with a hoof, making a soft ting sound, but achieving nothing.  I sighed at the sight.  "Exclusion barrier.  Twilight wants to be alone, and she has the power to make it so."

I turned around and took in the reading room to notice a small pile of flowers, chocolates, and flowers dipped in chocolate sitting on one of the tables.  A note nearby read -



I managed to get these done quick!  I'm off to find the rest of our friends!
-Pinkie



Just then, there was another tink from the shield, and I turned to see five more mares, Twilight's friends, standing next to Measured.  I waved at them and smiled as if to say I got this.

I stepped fully inside the library and closed the door, then let my facade drop.  At the time, my thoughts were roughly Oh sweet mercy what the hell can I do to help?!

And that was when I heard the sobbing come from upstairs.  Loud, pitiful sobbing.  The sort of sobbing kids do when their pets have died and they realize the world is not made out of gumdrops and ice cream.

I sighed at the sound and made my way upstairs slowly, trying to put together the right words to say.  It wouldn't be easy, because not only had what I said back in the square been my honest opinion, but it apparently cut Twilight real deep.  Still, any good argument has multiple sides to it.  I would just have to get Twilight to listen to me.

Easier said than done.

I walked upstairs and noticed which room was Twi's right off the bat.  It was the only one with the open door, after all.  She had collapsed in a heap on top of her bed, crying into her forelegs.  Nearby lay a scroll.



Dear Princess Celestia,

It has been brought to my attention that I have been less than friendly with the one known as Auric Fulcrum.  He said several things in anger at the town square today, but I can refute none of them.  And that's what scares me.

I have treated him more like an animal than a pony.  I have done more testing than talking with him.  He has every right to call me the Lavender Terror, because that's all I've done to him: scare him.

And in so doing, I have let both you and Equestria down, because I have clearly failed my lessons in the magic of friendship and potentially alienated Auric from us forever.  I submit myself to your mercy.  Whatever punishment you devise, it will not be enough.

Your student,
Twilight Sparkle



I slowly walked up next to her, and her ears twitched slightly at the sound of my arrival.  One of her eyes focused on me before she blinked and turned to face away from me.  "Come to yell at me more?  Tell me what a buck-up I am?  About how I've done nothing but hound you rather than befriend you?"

I shook my head at that.  "Surprisingly, no.  I'm here to apologize."

At this, she turned to face me.  "But...but everything you said!  It was all true!"

I shook my head again.  "That doesn't make it right to say.  I'm pretty sure there are parts of your friends that you don't like either.  And you would never tell them that to their face, because friends forgive each other for things like that."

Twilight nodded slowly, my point dawning on her.  "So those illusions I dispelled..."

I waved a hoof around.  "Were meant to keep my presence in Ponyville disguised from you.  I would normally never say those things!  And half...most...buck it, all of it was fueled by my anger."

Twilight looked a bit downcast at that.  "Anger which I deserve."

I shook my head fiercely.  "No, nobody deserves to have somebody else angry at them.  Not even you."

She blinked at that and began to protest, but I would not be stopped, again.  "True, you've done a lot of things to me lately.  But you wouldn't be Twilight Sparkle if you didn't seek to understand the world around you to the fullest extent of your capabilities.  The fact that I'm such an anomaly doesn't help matters either.  If anything, I'm at fault."

At that, she gasped, but I shook my head at her shock.  "I let my anger get to the point where I would rant and rage about how you treat me.  I let it get away from me.  I may think those things, but its the other sides of the argument, the other positions, that matter.  Not the sole one that you heard, but the ones that balance it out."

She blinked in confusion, and I smiled and placed a hoof on her withers.  "Twilight Sparkle, you are an amazing mare.  The student of royalty, she who studies friendship and magic and both combined.  Savior five times over of this land, recently crowned a princess in your own right.  True, you're a little awkward in social situations, but hey, you're better than Fluttershy."

At that, we both let out a soft, slightly strangled, laugh, before Twilight nodded slowly at the praise.  I still wasn't done, though.  "As such, I must ask your forgiveness in saying all that I did to you.  It was...there are no words to describe how beyond rude it was.  Any punishment you devise will not be enough."

At this, she sighed a bit and looked back to the letter.  "I...I need time to think.  Time to myself.  Can you tell my friends I would like to be alone for a little bit?"

I sagged, but nodded and turned to leave.  Before I fully left her room, I remembered two important things.  "Oh, yeah.  There's a gift downstairs for you, and you're gonna need to take the barrier down so I can leave."

Her horn flared once, and I left the library to see six mares looking at me.  Five were displeased, whereas the sixth was merely concerned.  "Look, things were said today that should not have been said.  I've apologized for my harsh words to Twilight, but she's still rather shaken and wants to be alone for right now.  I think we should honor her wishes for today, but only for today.  If she wants to be alone longer than that, you'll have to cheer her up."

I made to leave, and Rainbow Dash got in my face.  "And where do you think you're going?"

I walked around her.  "The only place where I, too, can be alone."

Pinkie bounced up next to me.  "Silly, if Twi shouldn't be alone longer than a day, why should we leave you be?"

I glared at her and then at the rest of them.  "Because I caused this.  Because you should hate me for breaking your friend so badly.  Because I bucking deserve to be alone."

And before any of them could offer a counter-argument, I left them behind.


-----


It was days later.  I had only left my tower once, and that was to Luna's room in Canterlot Castle for a project.

It had become clear to me that the loss of my Tokens had hit me hard.  The thought of not being able to Call, even it was just for a friendly chat with someone who would truly understand me...

There had been numerous pleads to see me again.  Apparently the townsfolk were kinder than I'd given them credit for, but none of the pleas were from the one I'd hurt most.

Until Twilight wanted to see me again, I'd stay here and rot, if that's what it took.  The look on her face, the amount of hurt I'd caused...

I'm not heartless.  It hurt me too.  I'd caused that, and now I'd live with it.

Measured walked up behind me and looked at what I was looking at.  Which, for reference, was a huge, silvery mirror.

I'd transmuted the thing out of base materials, altered the very structure of it with some leftover Void-energy in Luna's room, and given it both a taste of my power and blood, along with leftover particles from the Tokens.

Bottom line: It could focus on those that had given me Tokens, my Tokens, or just those that were human.  Currently I was watching a certain Knight of the Sun and...a rule 63 version of himself.  I waved my hoof, and it went to the next, which was my old pal Gilgy.

"Auric, this isn't healthy."

I just murmured at her while Gilgamesh tore through several walls and vaults following the compass I'd made for him.

"You need to get out there, meet the ponies."

"And do what," I said to the image of Nocturne meeting Jack, "Blow up at them too?  Or maybe I should just deconstruct their lives around them?  Perhaps this time I could do it in song!"

Measured sighed and placed a hoof on my withers.  "You know that's not fair.  You had every right to blow up at her.  Tartarus, if you hadn't, I would have one day."

I shook my head.  "That excuses nothing.  Part of being better is knowing better.  Had I only held my tongue..."

Measured shook her head as well as an image of Alice and her 'house' flickered past.  "You do not blame the mountain for the avalanche when you kick a stone into the precarious rock pile.  You do not blame the forest for the fire if you leave yours unattended.  She provoked you constantly, and a reaction was inevitable."

I went to correct her, before the mirror focused on...

A gaunt, skeletal figure and slightly more anthropomorphic version of Twilight, stuck in the Void Eternal.  The figure flipped a golden coin, and then I heard the words.

"I am Xante, Baron of the Frozen Wastelands, First among Liches, Lord of the Undead, and Fabulous Rainbow Magician. Me and my friend are stranded here in The Void, and need your help!"

I turned to Measured.  "The guest room is made up, right?"

She nodded, then her brow furrowed.  "You can't just bring other creatures from Beyond into this world, the consequences could be-"

I merely replied with the words "Watch me" and went up to the mirror, placing my front hooves on it and focusing...