//------------------------------//
// Doubts 
// Story: Getting Tough 
// by Manaphy 
//------------------------------//

	Ponies of all shapes and sizes trotted along the grasslands that made up Ponyville's town square, traveling in all sorts of directions. Fillies and colts galloped in circles, emitting noises of joy that echoed in the air. At the same time, mares and stallions as far as the eye could see were conversing with each other, adding to the constant noise that polluted the air. Ponyville, therefore, was a town that was always on the move. However, Misty Fly couldn't help herself from finding the setting oddly quiet. Then again, everything felt quiet when there were the streets of Canterlot to consider.

Misty took a deep breath and looked over to where Amethyst and Bulk were. Neither of them had gone off on their own and their faces neither smiled nor frowned. They were just simply there. Misty's ears then picked up a grinding sound, growing more and more intense as each second went by, and winced slightly.

"You know what? I don't care what anypony tells me, I want to quit," said Amethyst, whose face then formed a deep frown. "Iron Will isn't a teacher, he's an idiot. He's doing this for the money and just wants his students to spread the word as a supposed test so that he can make more money."

Misty tilted her head slightly and paused for a moment. "How did you figure this all out? True or false, I'm not quitting yet, as I do have a reason stay."

"Think about it." Amethyst cleared her throat and a flame sparked in her eyes. "Iron Will told us he'd be watching our every move as we went off to buy some stuff, and when we found him, he was gambling. I'm almost certain that if we waited for him and didn't embarrass him, he'd tell us to give up the stuff we bought and get us to sell them before sending us on this mission. It's so stupid!" Amethyst stomped on the ground and some dirt rose up, nearly striking her face.

"That's really complicated." Misty raised an eyebrow and looked at Amethyst's eyes. "However, I have a feeling that you might have something. I can't comment on the whole selling our stuff part, but everything else you said sounds reasonable."

"Just tell Iron Will that I'm out!" Amethyst took a deep breath and turned around in a huff. "Misty Fly, Bulk Biceps, it was wonderful meeting you." Her tone of voice grew softer as she continued speaking. "I hope we see each other again without having to worry about Iron Will. Goodbye, my friends."

"Remember our promise," Bulk said, extending his foreleg in front of Amethyst's chest.

Amethyst looked down at the muscular foreleg and stepped back slightly. She then looked up and gazed into Bulk's eyes as she shuffled back and forth. Gently kicking the dirt, Amethyst took a deep breath and remained perfectly frozen. "I'll do it for you, but if this exercise is also a joke, I'm leaving."

"I'm glad to see you're sticking around a little longer." Bulk danced around as though he consumed an entire bag of sugar and smiled, his teeth sparkling and glowing under the sunlight.

"I'll wait for you right here." Amethyst looked over to Misty with a smirk, catching Misty's eye the moment she spotted it.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Do you have anything else to say?" she asked in a soft tone.

Amethyst shook her head. "I'll be fine. I wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you," Misty and Bulk both said with a slight smile.

Amethyst waved and then slowly trotted away from the pair, her steps digging into the dirt like shovels. As Misty looked on, one question looped inside of her head. Should she have joined Amethyst in trying to quit? Misty winced slightly before she shook her head. She had a valid reason to stay, and even if the exercises were painful, it would be worth it in the end. But if Amethyst was right, would the exercises ever end? Misty took a few deep breaths and looked at Bulk, who was staring blankly at the town hall.

"I'm going to complete this task as well," said Bulk in a stern tone. "I'll meet you here when I'm done. Good luck, Misty Fly."

"Thank you," said Misty. "Good luck to you, too."

As Bulk trotted to his left, Misty trotted forwards to the town hall and pressed her weight against the wall. The wall's wooden texture didn't scratch her shoulder. She then gazed at the clipboard Iron Will gave her, the scribbles on the piece of paper all her mind processed for some time. The piece of paper attached had a list of numbers from one to twenty and a straight line next to each number. Did Iron Will seriously expect her to get twenty signatures? Maybe Amethyst was right to try and leave.

"If it doesn't work out in a week, then we can quit," Misty repeated to herself. "But it's been two days since I heard Bulk say that. Was Amethyst that stressed out? She didn't show any signs of stress, so maybe it's something else." Misty let out a barely audible sigh. "Maybe Iron Will has lost his mind. That or he didn't have one to begin with." Misty clenched her teeth and muttered more motivational phrases as her eyes shifted from left to right, focusing on every pony that passed by.

"I have done an excellent job at making friends," Misty told herself. "There's Amethyst Star and Bulk Biceps, but there's also Fleetfoot and Spitfire. If I could make friends with them quickly, I shouldn't have any trouble convincing ponies to try out Iron Will's course, right?" Misty tapped her hoof against the ground a few times and groaned. "If I can't pass this, then I'll consider leaving."

A silky smooth material brushed against Misty's foreleg, producing a tingling feeling as it went by. She jumped up ever so slightly and quickly turned her head left and right before spotting somepony right next to her.

Misty noticed a gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane and tail right next to her. The mare ceased moving for a second as though she was frozen in time and then turned around, revealing a sheepish grin. The mare looked at her with blushing cheeks and a high pitched giggle escaped her throat. Misty looked at the mare in eyes, which were pointed in different directions. Did she have difficulties with her eyesight? Misty's heart ached more and more as she stared at the mare's crossed vision. She couldn't imagine how tough it must have been for the mare, especially when some ponies weren't quite so sympathetic.

"Hello," said Misty, her lips curling into a smile. "What's your name?"

"My name is Derpy," the pegasus said in a cheerful tone. "Did you say something earlier?"

Misty froze for a moment. Her eyes then widened and her face changed color to a light blue. "Well, um, it's personal."

"That's okay." Derpy clicked her hooves together and grinned. Misty let out the quietest of sighs. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to get signatures to help promote Iron Will's class." Misty cleared her throat and tapped the ground again. The taps were more frequent than before. "He specializes in, um, making ponies tough and assertive. Are you interested in his course?"

Derpy frowned and her shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry. I truly am. I'm just too busy with being a mailmare and all, so I don't have time to join or sign up for something like that."

Misty audibly sighed and looked down at the ground beneath her for a moment. The grass was still green, but it was a dark green and the grass lacked any dew. She then looked back at Derpy. "I understand, but do you know of anypony who might be interested?"

Derpy shook her head. Misty felt her heart sinking into the abyss and her throat prevented any words from coming out. "Sorry, but I don't. Why do you need these signatures anyway? Are you an employee of this Iron Will guy?"

Misty's eyes widened and a spark erupted in her mind. Why did she need these signatures? There's no possible way that Iron Will would know she was being assertive in order to get the signatures. All he would probably do is check the handwriting and go from there. In fact, why did she even bother staying in this course? What did she learn? Did she really want to become a Royal Guard that badly? Something was going on, and the more questions that flowed in Misty's mind, the more it felt as though a jackhammer violently thrashed against her forehead.

"I, um, I don't know," Misty said as her spine froze and her legs felt lighter and lighter. "I don't know why I'm doing this."

"If you need somepony to talk to, I'll try to make some time for you," said Derpy. "Just drop on by at the post office and we can talk about how you're feeling."

"Thank you." Misty felt the strength in her legs slowly returning. "I hope you have a good day."

"I hope you have a good day as well, um—"

"Misty Fly. Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Derpy."

Derpy nodded enthusiastically and her lips arced into a wide smile. "It was nice to meet you, too. I hope you have a good day, Misty Fly. Goodbye!"

"I hope you have a good day as well. Goodbye, Derpy."

As Derpy skipped across the grass and whistled a catchy tune, all that Misty could do was look at the piece of paper and frown. She knew that Iron Will's latest task was going to be a challenge, as they tended to be, but there was something about this assignment that tickled her brain. Misty closed her eyes gently and waited for the thought to fully develop, but as seconds became minutes, all that came up was nothingness.

Misty opened her eyes and slowly turned her head from left to right. Her ears could pick up every conversation going on if she chose to focus on it, and the sounds of the dancing leaves rustling in the warm breeze became audible once again. As she surveyed everything around her, a peculiar building caught her eye. It looked like any other brown, rectangular building on the outside. However, there was something about it that spoke to her as though it was yearning for her to come to it. It's not like she had anything to lose for going there. Misty's legs then moved without thinking, each step taking her closer to the building until she was next to the front door.

Misty pushed the door open and the ever familiar noise of a bell's chime rang in her ears. The noise was only a whisper, as the conglomeration of voices echoing in the dimly lit room shut it up. Round tables, each with four seats next to it, covered the floor of the establishment. A long table at the far end of the room had bar stools lined alongside it. Waiters and waitresses shimmied through chairs and other ponies, holding trays with bottles of beer, wine, vodka, or whatever drink somepony might want. Despite this, there was one feature that pulled Misty's eyes towards it like a magnet. It was the bartender, who was none other than Ocean Current.

Dropping her jaw slightly, Misty rubbed her eyes and her limbs froze when the image remained the same. She then carefully made her way through the pub, her wings neatly folded, and sat on the first empty bar stool she could get her hooves on. The leather material felt surprisingly comfortable to her, but her mind was focused solely on Ocean Current.

Ocean Current turned around and his eyes locked onto Misty. His cheeks blushed and his smile became as wide as a ruler. Rushing over to her and nearly tripping over thin air, he leaned against the desk and extended his hoof out, to which Misty politely accepted and shook gently.

"It's so nice to see you here, Misty Fly!" shouted Ocean Current as he shook her hoof rapidly. "How is everything going?"

"It's been a mixed bag if I must be honest," said Misty. "I've made a number of new friends, but this Iron Will is rubbing me the wrong way."

Ocean Current gently let go of Misty's hoof and raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He makes us do all sorts of crazy things." Misty groaned and rolled her eyes. "We were confused by his erratic behavior at Cafe Canterlot and now it seems as though he is trying to use us to make money. His brain can't be wired correctly. One of his students and a friend of mine almost quit in the middle of the thing."

"What was her name?"

"Amethyst Star." Misty smiled ever so slightly. "She's a really nice mare and a great friend."

"I hope to meet her one day. Anyway, are you the only other student?"

"There's one more. His name is Bulk Biceps, and he's also a friend of mine."

"Bulk Biceps?" Ocean's pupils dilated. "I've heard about him. He's one of the top weightlifters in all of Equestria! He's definitely going to be a force to be reckoned with if he participates in weightlifting competitions."

Misty let out a brief, albeit nervous, chuckle. "He's quite strong. Anyway, I'm in a difficult spot here."

Ocean leaned closer to Misty and placed his hoof back onto Misty's. "What's wrong? I can help you if you need it."

"I need to get twenty signatures for ponies that want to attend one of Iron Will's course. In other words, he's making Amethyst, Bulk, and I do Iron Will's advertising for him." Misty groaned and her vision became slightly blurry. "Even I have to say that it's impossible. I just don't know what to do."

Ocean rubbed Misty's hoof gently, the warmth clearing her sight somewhat. "That can't be easy, but I believe that you can do it."

Misty let out a deep sigh and stared at the smooth oak table for a second. "I doubt that I can do it. I don't know whether I should quit, because if I pass, I can become a Royal Guard."

"What happened to the optimist I knew?" Ocean continued massaging Misty's hoof. "Not everything is going to go as planned."

"I know, but this feels different. What am I supposed to do if I don't pass?" Misty's vision blurred even more than the last time as she felt tears flow down her cheeks. "I'm supposed to be an optimist, but nothing good can come from this. It's hopeless!"

Ocean continued massaging Misty's hoof. "It's okay. If it doesn't work out, I can give you a job here if you want."

Misty's lips formed the faintest of smiles, but the tears continued to cascade down onto the table. Misty looked down at the puddle of tears and saw her own reflection. "Thank you. However, what about careers outside of that if it doesn't work out for me."

"Why not become a Wonderbolt?"

There's that group again, and what caught Misty's mind was that Ocean appeared to say it without hesitating. Was she really destined to join the Wonderbolts? Misty looked at her reflection again and an exact copy of the image she saw in the gym's floor appeared. Misty gulped, rubbed the puddle of tears away, and gazed back into Ocean's eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked Ocean.

"I'm fine," said Misty, shifting her eyes left and right. Ocean leaned slightly closer to her with a blank expression. Misty flinched as she felt gravity nearly push her off of the stool. "Okay, fine. I'm lost. I keep getting reminded of the Wonderbolts and I'm confused if it's just a coincidence or destiny trying to tell me something."

"There's that d-word." Ocean paused for a moment and rubbed his muzzle. "Hmm. Maybe you should ask Princess Celestia about that?"

"Princess Celestia?" Misty's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as the words struggled to escape her throat clearly. "H-how am I supposed to see Princess Celestia and expect that I'll be allowed to ask something as trivial as destiny?"

Ocean shrugged put his hooves up into the air. "Beats me."

Misty placed her forelegs onto the table and buried her head into them. She sighed into her forelegs and looked back at Ocean. "Can I get a drink?"

"Do you have a valid form of identification?"

"I just want some soda pop, please."

Ocean smirked and chuckled faintly. "Fine with me. I just thought you were asking for, well, you know."

Ocean trotted away from Misty, leaving her alone in the crowded pub once more. She looked around and all her eyes saw were smiles and all her ears heard were laughs. Everything in the pub shone brightly, from the folk songs to the lamps overhead. However, one of the lamps wasn't working at all, which happened to be the one directly above her. Misty tapped her hoof against the table in a rhythmic fashion and froze when Ocean returned with her drink.

"Thank you," said Misty, firmly grabbing the glass with her hoof. She shivered for a moment, but her hoof refused to let go as she pulled the drink towards her and sipped through the straw. Her tongue cried out in joy upon receiving the refreshment as she continued drinking until there was about three-quarters of the soda remaining.

Misty gently pushed the glass away from her and looked at the faulty lamp above her before looking back down to the clipboard next to her drink. Not a single name was printed on it, and the longer Misty gazed at it, the more her lips frowned and her heart sunk.

Something then touched Misty's sagging shoulders. Quivering, Misty's heart rate rose and her head rotated from left to right, stopping upon seeing the mare sitting right next to her. It was Amethyst Star, and a smile adorned her face. Misty then felt the room lighten up slightly and as she looked up, her eyes squinted upon seeing that the lamp above her was on and working again. She then turned back to Amethyst and stared into her eyes. Misty's vision blurred up and a burp suddenly escaped her throat.

"Nice one, Misty Fly," said Amethyst. Misty blushed and the two shared a laugh. "Anyway, I wasn't expecting you here. How's the whole list thing going?"

"I-I think I want to quit," Misty said. "You're right. Iron Will doesn't care about making us assertive. He just wants to make money."

"Exactly. Now then, if the two of us leave, that will leave Bulk Biceps all alone. We should ask him as well."

Misty nodded enthusiastically. "We should. However, I don't think it will be easy to convince him."

"Good point. Maybe if somepony who knew Iron Will told him how bad he was."

"Where is he right now?"

Amethyst shrugged. "Beats me. We just need to let him know before Iron Will meets us again."

"Agreed." Misty paused for a moment. What about the Royal Guard. Her chest tightened and she cleared her throat. "But what about the Royal Guard?"

"Forget them. Misty, so what if you're not scary? You're kind, generous, and know how to make friends. Just because you might not get into the Royal Guard doesn't mean that you won't be able to succeed in the future. Your personality is just right for finding something that will fit you perfectly." Amethyst arose from her stool. Tears filled her eyes and cascaded down her cheeks. "You've helped so many ponies before, and now it's my turn to help you!"

Misty rose up from her stool and felt her heart escape from the abyss. Her vision became blurry, but her lips formed a smile nonetheless. Without thinking, Misty's forelegs wrapped around Amethyst, whose own forelegs did the same.

Maybe the Royal Guard wasn't the place for her to be. She'd give it some more thought, but since they were the ones who put her in this situation, perhaps they weren't worth all of this trouble. As she continued hugging Amethyst, her ears picked up a faint whisper.

"I have an idea on how we can convince Bulk to quit as well," Amethyst said.