//------------------------------// // Questions and Answers // Story: To Grant A Wish // by Eathlome //------------------------------// To Grant a Wish: Questions and Answers A/N Writing this chapter was really hard for me. I left off in a really awkward spot, and it's been hard for me to find a good way to start writing it again. That said, I finally got around to actually working it out. So please, all of you, enjoy. Wish woke up when a sharp pang ran through her stomach. She groaned and curled up. Eventually she opened her eyes and saw in front of her the most amazing, beautiful thing she had ever saw. A pile of apples. Wish made a lunge at them but was unable to move. Looking at her legs she could see that they were bound with strips of some strange material. Looking around she saw the creature walking towards her. It picked up an apple and held it close enough that she could bite it. It was the most delicious thing that Wish had ever tasted. It was also the only thing Wish had ever tasted. She finished off the apple and the creature held out another one. This continued until all the apples were gone, and Wish was full. Looking up to her savior, she said, "Thank you." After a few moments of silence Wish tried again, "Could you tell me your name?" The creature let out a sigh. "Apex. You can call me Apex." "Thank you for saving me Apex. You can call me Wish." Again silence. "Could you untie me please? This is quite uncomfortable." "If I do are you going to attack me again?" "Attack? I never attacked you." "By the brook, when you touched my leg. It was like you electrocuted me." "That doesn't make sense. All I was doing was casting a memory spell so I could learn your language." "Wait, cast a spell? As in magic?" "Yes. Is three something wrong." "Well where I'm from magic doesn't exist." "That's weird. But speaking about where your from, can you tell me what you are, exactly? I've never seen anything like you before, and I've lived for a long time." Apex looked at her, and raised the ridge above his left eye. "You don't look that old." "Well, no. But I only got this body recently, I've never had one before." Apex had a look of confusion of his face. "What do you mean, never had one before?" "Just that. I've never had a body of my own before, well not a physical body at any rate. I was just ... a force of will I suppose. But enough about me, tell me about you. After you untie me." Apex shrugged and untied her. "Well, I was a human-" "You don't look like any human I've ever seen. That said the last time I saw a human was around eight-thousand years ago, but still..." "I said I was a human. I'm not anymore." "Well what happened?" "Look, no offense but we've just met, and I really have no idea where I am or whats going on. I'm not about to go into my life story with a stranger. Before I start saying anything else, I need to know some things. Where are we? What's the local populace? And are there any other sentient races in existence?" "Well we're currently in the Everfree Forest, which is in Equestria. I suppose the local populace would be Manticores, Hydras, and the other monsters that live in the Everfree. As for sentient species, there are the Griffons, the dragons, and the minotaurs. But the dominant race would be the ponies." "Really? Ponies?" "Yes." "And they all look sort of like you?" "No, not at all, the closest type of pony that I can compare myself to would be an Earth Pony. There are also Pegasus Ponies, who have wings. They can fly, walk on clouds, and control the weather. An there are Unicorn Ponies, which have a horn coming out of their head, and they are the only ponies who can use active magic." Apex took this all in and calmly sorted out his thoughts. What he was hearing now would have both joyed and frustrated his parents, it was just so unrealistic. After a few moments Apex figured out his next question. "You said that only ... Unicorns ... could do magic. So how did you 'cast a memory spell'?" Wish thought for a moment, the confusion evident on her face. "I'm not really sure, I never had a body before so I just used my power the way I always have." "Oh. Well than is that all for the ponies? Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn?" "Well, there is another ... but ... well..." "Another what? Another race of pones?" "Well yes. The Alicorns. There are only two, and they rule Equestria. Alicorns have wings, as well as horns. They are essentially walking goddesses." "Thank you for answering my questions, you've been really helpful." "Now can you tell me what you meant by you were a human?" "No. You're still a stranger, I really don't know if I can trust you enough to tell you about my life." "Would you tell a friend?" "...yes?" "Well then, let's be friends." "...that isn't how friendship works." "Of course it is." "No, it's not." "Yes, it is." "No, it's not." "Yes, it is." "No, it's not." "Yes, it is." "No, it's not." "Yes, it is." "No, it's not." "Yes, it is." "Tell me, do you have any friends?" Wish's face drooped. "I've had many friends, but they always abandon me." Apex grimaced, he hated to be the bearer of bad news, unless it was ban news for someone who deserved it. "I don't think they were really friends." Wish looked shocked, her eyes slightly tearing. "Yes, they were my friends. They said that they were." Apex sighed. "Wish, can you tell me what you think a friend is?" Wish confidently replied, "A friend is someone that you would do anything for." "Is that all?" "Yes..." slightly less confident this time. Apex sighed again. "No, that isn't what a friend is." Wish shot a glare at Apex, "I've been alive since the beginning of everything, what makes you think that you know more than me?" Apex raised the ridge above his left eye. "Even if you have been alive for that long, there are probably many things that you haven't experienced. Also, since you've never seen anything like me, as as you admitted, how can you dictate what I know?" Wish blushed slightly at this and looked down slightly. "I'm telling you something that I learned after many painful losses. A friend, a true friend, not just someone who wants to be with you for gain, is someone that you would do anything for, and who would do anything for you. It's a two-way flow, a bond that builds up as it moves back and forth between two individuals, until it becomes an unbreakable and undeniable. If you have been giving without taking, never asking for anything in return, then I assume that most would see you as more of a servant or slave, than as a friend." Wish, who had slowly become less and less sure of herself over Apex's explanation, started weeping. She had been wrong, she had always been wrong. How could she even hope to have a friend when she didn't even know how to be one. Wish's small body was wracked with sobs, and she was slowly giving in to despair, when a strong hand grabbed her and lifted her up, cradling her gently. "Don't cry. It's all right." Apex said softly, if awkwardly. After several minutes of crying Wish looked up to Apex's face. "Apex ... can you be my friend?" "Maybe someday Wish, but for now we'll just be partners. You help me, I'll help you, is that alright? " "Mmmkay." Wish murmured into Apex's chest, then after a few moments, "Thank you." "Your welcome." Suddenly talking, talking everywhere. And emotions. Again, this chapter was really hard for me to write. So if it appears forced, I'm sorry. Also, if anyone has any ideas about any shenanigans or how some encounters could play out, let me know. I have some ideas, but I'm just one person, and I'm sure you all have thought about what's going to happen, and try to predict what will happen in the story. Right? I'm not the only one who does this, right? Anyways, any comments on the chapter would be great, if you spot any errors please let me know, and don't forget to point out anything that you think might be an error. I know for a fact that the chapter titles for The scent of the Hunt and A Meeting of Two, were both the same as chapter one. This has now been fixed. That's all for now, but take these words with you: Every step is the beginning of a new journey, every note holds the makings of a new song, every thought can bloom into a world of creation, and every time you meet someone, it plants a seed that, with special care, will grow into something beautiful, unique, and wonderful.