//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: “So what's the catch?” // Story: The Might of a Quill // by derpyland //------------------------------// The next morning Twilight Sparkle woke up happy and refreshed. She was still angry with Celestia for throwing her out of Canterlot Castle, but she decided that she no longer cared about Celestia at all. Celestia was part of the old way of doing things, and her kingdom was about to come to an end. Equestria was just days away from entering a bold new era. Thanks to Twilight's wisdom and leadership, everypony was going to have everything that they ever wanted. It would be wonderful. Best of all, Twilight already had everything that she wanted! She had Sunshine. Every evening Sunshine told her goodnight and put her to bed, and every morning she woke up to find Sunshine standing in her room, watching over her. At first it creeped her out, but she had grown used to it. She knew that Sunshine only did it because she loved Twilight and just couldn't wait for her to wake up so they could spend more time together. Sunshine is so fantastic, Twilight thought happily. Why can't Celestia be more like her? Besides, I've done so much for Celestia! She owes me. Yet the one time I actually ask her for something, she throws me out. I should have replaced her a long time ago. Twilight yawned, stretched, and said good morning to Sunshine. A moment later Moondancer brought her breakfast in bed – freshly made, as always. While she munched her way through a stack of perfectly made haycakes, she remembered what Sunshine had told her the previous day. “So how did things go with Celestia last night?” Twilight asked. “Funny you should mention that! The princess actually sent you a letter early this morning. I told Spike to wait until you were awake to give it to you. Just a moment – I'll go get him.” Sunshine left the bedroom and returned a moment later with the young dragon. “Here you go,” Spike said wearily. He handed the letter to Twilight, and then plopped down onto a chair beside her bed. “You know, we've got to talk to Celestia about sending those things so early! I was fast asleep when that letter came in. Being woken up like that was not a good experience. She should hold off until at least noon. I'm not a mailbox, you know.” “Join the club,” Twilight said bitterly. “Celestia hasn't exactly been treating me very well either. She keeps making me all these big promises, and then she fails to keep them. Let's see what she has to say for herself.” Twilight read the letter. Her brow furrowed, and a look of confusion appeared on her face. “Well that's strange. Celestia is claiming that I visited her last night.” “Really?” Sunshine asked. “I didn't know you made a trip to Canterlot last night! Why didn't you tell me? We could have traveled together.” “But that's just it – I didn't! I don't know what she's thinking. You are the one who went to see her, not me. And look at this. Celestia claims that as soon as I showed up, we went into a private room and she fell asleep on the couch. Did she really do that?” Sunshine nodded. “Yes, actually, she did. I guess she was tired after spending all day with the delegates. I don't think she heard anything I had to say.” “Seriously?” Twilight shrieked. “So you mean to tell me that when you finally did get to see Celestia, she ignored you and fell asleep? And then she wrote a letter where she confused you with me? Hello, Celestia! I don't know if you noticed, but I'm purple and Sunshine is white. It's kind of easy to tell us apart!” “Maybe Celestia was drunk,” Sunshine suggested. “That would certainly explain a lot,” Twilight agreed. “I am so done with that witch. That is the worst apology letter I've ever received. Next time, Celestia, pay attention.” Twilight lit up her horn, and a second later the letter burst into flames. The intense fire quickly consumed the scroll, and its ashes gently rained down onto the floor. Spike spoke up. “Um, wow, that was awkward. So I'm guessing you don't want me to send her a response?” Twilight glared at Spike. He swallowed uncomfortably. “All right, then. Got it. If that's all you need then I guess I'll be going.” “One moment!” Sunshine called out. She took a green book off the end table and handed it to Spike. “I made this just for you. I hope you like it.” Spike took the book and sighed. “Oh, wonderful. A book. Just what I always wanted. You and Twilight really are just alike, aren't you?” Sunshine laughed. “No, Spike, it's not that kind of book. What you are holding is a comic – a very special comic that I wrote just for you. That comic's world is just like Equestria, but with a twist. In that world Rarity likes you – quite a lot, in fact. She thinks that you're wonderful, and she's glad that you love her because she loves you back.” Spike turned bright red. He stared at the comic, and then looked back at Sunshine. “Is that – I mean, is that allowed? I like Rarity at all, but what would happen if she ever found out about this? Wouldn't she get mad?” Sunshine shook her head. “Not at all. If you want you can talk to her – she's right down the hall. Rarity's not blind, you know. She knows how you feel about her and she's seen you carry around that plush toy of her. She doesn't mind.” “Well, all right then,” Spike said nervously. “Thanks. This comic does sound pretty great. It's just weird, you know? Especially since the real Rarity lives with us now. But I'll try it.” Spike then left the room, carrying the new book with him. Twilight looked at Sunshine. “Is Rarity really ok with that?” “Absolutely. Why wouldn't she be? That book doesn't hurt her, and it will make Spike happy. Rarity doesn't feel that way about Spike, of course, but in the comic Spike can have things that he could never have in this world. Isn't that what the comics are all about?” “That's true,” Twilight admitted. “I'm sure that Spike isn't the only pony out there who loves somepony that doesn't love them back. Once we release this magic I imagine ponies will use it in all sorts of ways.” “Rarity isn't the only popular pony, you know,” Sunshine teased. “Just think of all of your devoted admirers! I bet they are going to want their own personal copy of you.” Twilight blushed. “You know, I'd really rather not think about that.” Sunshine laughed. “You should be flattered! Ponies like you. That should make you happy. It would be much worse if ponies had the ability to make whoever they liked, and none of them wanted you. You are supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, you know.” “That's true. I just find it deeply revolting. I don't even know those ponies! If I knew them and liked them it might be one thing, but – well, what's fair for me is fair for them, I guess. I did create you, which isn't all that different. Speaking of that, when are we going to release these comics to the world? I know the Moondancers have been working pretty hard on it.” “They certainly have. They are tireless workers – and they are so good at what they do. The good news is that today we are going to make the finishing touches on the master source comic. Once it's done it will take us about two days to leverage it to manufacture millions of books. We still need to work out a distribution plan, but I think we can use thousands of Moondancer clones to give these books out. I've already begun creating the army we will need. Once we have the first definition written, all it takes is a few lines to multiply it to any quantity you desire.” “Fantastic!” Twilight exclaimed. “Let me grab my checklist and we can get started. I love logistics.” * * * * * Four days later, Twilight called a meeting of the Elements of Harmony. It was the first meeting she had called since the original Applejack died. The fact that she'd spent so little time with her friends – and so much time with Sunshine – made her feel a little guilty. I had work to do, she thought defensively. But all that is coming to an end. In a few days I should have all the time in the world. Everypony was there in the castle's map room. The two Pinkies had come – the original and the pegasus – and were sharing Pinkie's throne. Rarity was seated elegantly in her throne, and was wearing a royal outfit she had prepared for the occasion. Fluttershy was seated quietly in her throne. She looked a bit nervous. Rainbow Dash and the pegasus Applejack were seated in their thrones, talking to each other. You would never know they were clones, Twilight thought. The two ponies are better friends than ever. If they were inseparable before, they're even more so now. Spike was here as well, seated on the small throne that was beside Twilight's. Twilight fidgeted nervously in her throne, and Sunshine stood beside her. “Thank you all for coming,” Twilight began. “Oh, it's no problem!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “No problem at all,” the pegasus Pinkie agreed. “It's great to see you again! We haven't seen very much of the famous book pony lately.” “We really haven't,” Pinkie agreed. “It's been kind of sad. You haven't come to any of our parties. Any of them! We've had, like, twelve, and you missed them all. Gummy was so disappointed.” Twilight winced. “I know, girls. You are absolutely right, and I'm so sorry about that. I've just been busy with work, that's all.” “And with raising us from the dead,” Rainbow Dash added. “In fact, you've raised Applejack from the dead twice now!” “I bet that's a record,” Pinkie commented. “Do you think she can beat it?” the pegasus Pinkie asked. “Beat her own record? Of course she can. She's Twilight! And Twilight never fails. I bet she could raise Applejack from the dead lots more times.” Applejack spoke up. “Um, girls, let's not make it a third time, all right? Twice is quite enough. In fact, just once is plenty. I'd like to stay alive this time, if it's all right with everypony.” Fluttershy spoke up. “Twilight, I don't mean to interrupt or anything, but I heard you were writing some books. Is that true? I know we talked about it that one day when you came over. Are you really done now? Because we've all missed you.” Twilight nodded. “That's exactly what I've been working on, and yes, I am done. I know I've been neglecting all of you, and I apologize for that. But things are about to change. That is, if you all approve.” “Oh, we approve, darling,” Rarity said. “I've seen what you've been working on, and it is just marvelous! It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen.” “Is it ever!” Spike exclaimed. “It's amazing. Sunshine gave me an early copy a few days ago, and I have loved every minute of it. Why–” Spike suddenly stopped himself. “Um, that is, never mind.” “It's all right, Spike,” Twilight replied, grinning. “Could you tell me what is going on?” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I don't want to be rude, but I'm kind of lost. Just a little.” Sunshine spoke up. “I would be more than happy to shed a little light on this situation. As you all know, Twilight has discovered a way to create things out of pure magic. All she has to do is write about it in a book, and whatever she writes comes to life. She can create entirely new worlds – and ponies can then enter those worlds and live in them for as long as they like.” “Just like that one time we became Power Ponies,” Twilight added. Fluttershy shuddered. “That was kind of scary.” “Yes it was,” Sunshine agreed. “But these worlds are different. In these new worlds you are in control, and you can make anything happen. You can create a world that is perfect for you.” “Which sounds totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I am going to have so much fun with this magic. I can finally start having real adventures with Daring Do.” “You already did that,” Applejack pointed out. “Yeah – one time. But now I can have fun all the time.” “I'm already having fun,” Pinkie Pie remarked. “My clone and I are best friends.” “Exactly!” Sunshine said. “As you can see, this magic has already started to change the lives of those who are seated around this map. It has saved the lives of both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and it has provided Pinkie with a new companion. What Twilight wants to do is release this magic to the whole world so that everypony can enjoy it.” Fluttershy spoke up. “So, um, does that mean that everypony will be able to create things and bring them into Equestria? But what if they make scary things? I don't want to be mean or anything, but I don't know if everypony can be trusted. Some ponies aren't very nice.” “That is a good point,” Sunshine agreed. “That is exactly why we're not going to allow them to do that. Ponies can make any kind of world that they want, and they can live in it, but they can't bring anything out of that world and into Equestria. As you pointed out, it just isn't safe.” “I got a question,” Applejack said. “What about visitors? I mean, suppose I create a world and I want to keep out, say, members of the Orange clan. Can I do that?” “Absolutely. The comic will be turned to you specifically. The only ponies who will be able to use and change your comic will be you and those you specifically add to the story.” “Are there any other questions?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy spoke up again. “Well, I have more questions. I don't know how this magic is going to work, and I don't know how ponies who aren't unicorns will be able to use it. But I'm sure that will be explained. So I guess I don't have any other questions.” “I've already written a how-to guide to answer those very question,” Twilight said. “Well, technically, Sunshine and the Moondancers wrote it. But you get my point.” Twilight looked around the room. No one else said anything. “All right, then! Since that's all the questions we have, let's take a vote. Is there anypony who thinks that we shouldn't do this? Does anyone think that we should put a stop to this magic?” Sunshine smiled. She had already taken steps to ensure that this vote would succeed. Rarity is a clone; she will agree to whatever Twilight wants. Applejack and Rainbow Dash are clones too, so they won't object either. Pinkie isn't a clone, but she's been compromised. She loves the new pegasus copy of herself and she would never agree to anything that might take that away. She's going to vote yes. The same goes for Spike. He's been spending a lot of time in that book I gave him – which is why I gave it to him in the first place. He's grown to enjoy this new magic, and he's not going to vote to get rid of it. As far as Luna goes, I've heard that she has been enjoying the new world I gave her. And Celestia is a clone now, so she's not going to be standing in the way of anything that Twilight wants. The only pony who might possibly object is Fluttershy. Since she had such a positive opinion of it that one time Twilight visited her, I'm sure she will agree to it now. If she doesn't, though, I'll pay her a visit tonight and she will have a different opinion by morning. Everything is taken care of. My Twilight is going to get exactly what she wants. I am not going to disappoint her again. “I say we do it,” Rainbow said. “As do I,” Rarity added. “I'll agree to that,” Applejack remarked. “No objections here!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “I second the opinion of the previous Pinkie,” the pegasus Pinkie said. She laughed. “I don't have a problem with it either,” Spike said. “In fact, I think it will be a big hit.” “That's wonderful,” Twilight said happily. “Fluttershy, you're the only one left. What do you think?” Fluttershy paused for a long time. “I'm just wondering something. This magic sounds really, really wonderful. I've had some really nice dreams, and it would be so relaxing to spend more time in them when I'm awake. I do like all of this. But, you know, isn't it's possible that ponies might want to start living in their dreams all the time? After all, I could certainly see me wanting to do that. So I was wondering what was going to happen to all the animals.” Twilight looked confused. “The animals? I don't understand. What are you talking about?” “Well, I mean, they depend on us, you know. Ponies make the seasons change. We bring in winter, and then we bring in the springtime. We help the breezies migrate, and we go get the birds that flew south for the winter, and we wake up all the cute little animals from hibernation. You remember Winter Wrap-Up, don't you? If all of us ponies start living in our dreams then that's not going to leave anypony around to take care of all the wonderful furry creatures in the world. I'm worried about that.” “Oh, I see what you mean,” Twilight said. “I hadn't even thought of that. Still, that's not a problem. I can send ponies out to round up all the animals and put them in your world with you. I could also put them in other worlds too. That way there are still ponies around who love and care for them. Sunshine, you can take care of that, right?” Sunshine nodded. “Absolutely. I can just clone more Moondancers to round them all up. It won't be a problem.” “Ok, then,” Fluttershy said softly. “In that case I vote that we do it. As long as our animal friends aren't neglected.” “Then it's settled!” Twilight exclaimed. “We already have Moondancers in place all over the country, and tomorrow they will start handing out the new comics to anypony who wants one. It's going to be so great!” Applejack spoke up. “You mean the comics are free? Really? You ain't chargin' anything for them? Not even a single bit?” “Of course not! After all, it's not like it cost me anything to create them. Sunshine and I used magic in the manufacturing process. There's no reason to charge anything for them. We have no costs to recover.” “Then I bet they'll sell like hotcakes,” Applejack said. “You bet!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Everypony will want to get their hooves on one, once they find out what they can do.” “That's exactly what I'm hoping for,” Twilight said. “I just hope that everypony likes what I've done. I know that some of you didn't really care for the idea very much at first.” Rarity spoke up. “I know, darling, and I am so sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking.” “It's all right,” Sunshine replied. “Twilight, I'm sure that nopony will object. If anyone does then I'll just go talk to them. I'm sure that any criticism of this magic will be based on some easily-reconciled misunderstanding. I am fully confident that this will succeed.” “I hope you're right,” Twilight said nervously. “I guess we'll find out, won't we? But here, where are my manners?” Twilight levitated a large stack of books off the floor. She then went around the room and gave everyone two large books and a silver quill. “There you go! The green one is the world book, and the blue one explains how to use it. You won't need to use any magic; the quill will take care of everything. Be careful not to lose it! If you have any questions just let me know.” “Or let me know,” Sunshine added. “I'm always more than happy to help.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “This is going to be the coolest thing ever. I know what I'm doing tonight!” “Tonight?” Twilight asked. She glanced outside and saw that the sun was low on the horizon. “Oh my goodness – the time! I completely forgot. I was going to give Frosted Arrow one of the first copies. I'd better go do that before the comic store closes. I'll see you later, everypony!” “Wait!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Pinkie and I want to invite you to a party tomorrow. We need to celebrate your new book!” “That sounds wonderful. I'll be there! Sunshine, put it down on my calendar.” “Consider it done,” Sunshine replied. The pegasus Pinkie spoke up. “Don't forget to invite all the Moondancers! They deserve to come too. And you too, Sunshine! We don't want to leave you out.” Twilight quickly grabbed two books off a small stack that was on floor beside her throne. She then stuffed them into her saddlebag, tossed in a silver quill, threw her saddlebag over her back, and raced out the front door. “Well that went well,” Sunshine commented. “Friends, can I get anyone some tea?” * * * * * Twilight quickly galloped through the streets of Ponyville. The sun was sinking low on the horizon, and she knew that the comic book store would close in a few minutes. Time was short. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed running through town. It was just so refreshing – the flow of cool air running through her mane, the noise her hooves made as they struck the dirt road, and the gentle warmth of the evening sun. Twilight had spent a lot of time lately indoors, working and reading. She had missed the beauties and wonders of nature more than she realized. Maybe I do need to get my head out of those dusty old books, she thought. It truly was a fantastic day. Ponies were wandering about, living their lives. Many of them stopped and stared, open-mouthed, as the Princess of Friendship raced through the streets like a crazy pony, but Twilight didn't care. She was having too much fun. Everything was falling into place and everything was going her way. At long last, all of her friends liked her new magic. Nopony objected or thought it was bad. She was about to change the world and fulfill the dreams of all the ponies in Equestria! Nopony will ever need to be sad or lonely again, she thought with pride. I will have fixed everything. Forever. No more pain or suffering – just endless happiness. Twilight skidded to a stop right in front of the comic book store. Inside, Frosted Arrow had just reached up a hoof to switch the sign on the door from Open to Closed. When he saw the princess he froze. “Wait!” Twilight exclaimed. “I have something for you! A present. Can I come in?” “Of course,” the white pony said. “Far be it from me to turn away royalty.” He courteously opened the glass door, and Twilight walked in. Twilight looked around the store. She saw signs everywhere, advertising comics at 70% and 80% off. She winced. “So, um, I heard you've been running a sale on comic books.” “A sale?” Frosted Arrow asked bitterly. “We've been practically giving them away! Even at these prices the public hasn't been buying them. All anyone cares about anymore is this new magic that you've invented. You've managed to destroy the entire comic book market in the span of a couple weeks. If things don't turn around soon I'm going to be out of a job.” He sighed. “Look, princess, I admit this isn't the most glamorous job. You meet some strange ponies in this line of work, and sometimes the customers aren't very nice – although there are a lot of nice ones too. But it is a job, and it does pay the bills. This humble job is one of the few things that I had in life, and you're taking that away – not just from me, but from ponies all over Equestria. Comics used to be a big industry. Until you killed it dead.” “I know,” Twilight said apologetically. She smiled. “That's why I'm here! If you could have anything that you wanted in life, what would it be?” “I just want my job back. I'm not asking for much. It would be mighty nice to have a roof over my head and bits to pay my bills.” Twilight waved a hoof in front of his face. “No no no. Be serious! You told me once that you wanted to be the hero, remember? You said that you wanted to be a powerful alicorn who saved the day, and lived in a castle, and had superheroes for friends. That is what you really want. So that's why I'm here: to give it to you. You can have the life of your dreams.” The purple alicorn levitated open her saddlebag and took out two books and an enchanted quill. She set them down on the counter. “What's this – your latest book?” Frosted Arrow asked. “It's a whole new world,” Twilight said grandly. “The blue book is the instruction guide, and the green book is your own personal copy of Equestria. You can live there for the rest of your life, and you can do anything that you want. You see, since it's a comic, you have absolute control over it. You can be whoever you want to be and you can have whatever you want to have. You can have vast riches and power. You can have all the friends you want. You can have dozens of castles and entire mountains made of bits. You can rule over the entire world – a world that is just as real as this one. You can make every single dream that you've ever had come true. The instruction guide explains how it's done, and it's quite simple. You don't have to be a unicorn – the quill takes care of the magic for you. All you need are dreams.” Frosted Arrow's eyes widened. He looked at the comic in amazement. “Wow. That's a lot to take in. So what's the catch?” “There isn't one. Oh, well, I guess there are a few rules. You can't take anything out of the comic; what's in the comic stays there. I had to add that for security, because I didn't want ponies creating monsters and trying to burn down Equestria. Also, you need to take good care of that book. If it gets destroyed while you're inside it then you will die. But don't worry: I created a special vault to protect these books. Once you've created the world that you want, you can just bring it to me and I'll put it in a safe place.” “So I can have anything that I want?” Frosted Arrow asked. “Anything? And I can live there forever? You know that enchanted comics aren't like that, right? They're only designed to last for a short period of time, and then they self-destruct.” “I know. That's why I created this. It's a whole new level of magic. You actually can spend an entire lifetime there, and while you are there you can be anypony that you want to be. You can even be an alicorn king, if that's your thing.” “Will I be immortal?” Twilight shook her head. “I'm afraid not. You will still age – but thanks to the transformative magic you won't feel it. Even at the end of your days you will still feel young and healthy and full of life. Now, you should live a little bit longer there than you would here, since you're probably not going to be exposed to diseases or danger. But you won't live forever.” “Woah. No wonder comic book sales have tanked! This is way better than anything we have for sale. Have you already started selling these? How much do they cost? I bet they cost a fortune, don't they?” Twilight shook her head. “Nope. They're absolutely free. I have ponies stationed all over the country who will start handing them out first thing tomorrow to anyone who wants one. I just wanted to come here and give you one of the first ones, since you're the pony who started all of this.” “I am? What do you mean?” “Don't you remember? You came to me one morning with some comic books that Spike had ordered. You lectured me about how I was out of touch and had everything I wanted, and how ponies like you suffered and led miserable lives. You said that I had never experienced any real pain in my whole life.” Frosted Arrow blushed. “I'm so sorry about all that – about what I said. I don't know what came over me. I had no right to talk to a princess like that.” “Oh, there's no need to apologize. I needed to hear it because you were right. That was the day Applejack died, and on that day I learned what real pain was. And you know something? Pain hurts. Loss hurts. So after going through that terrible ordeal, I decided to fix the problem. I decided to fix everypony's pain, forever. No pony would ever again have to feel loss and suffering, or spend their entire life longing for something they could never have. The magic in that green book right there gives you everything. You once complained that since I was a princess, I had options that no one else had. Well, now you have those options too! You have a whole world in your hooves, and you can do whatever you want in it. Your only limit is your imagination.” Frosted Arrow smiled wryly. “Uh-huh. Sure. But the fact is, you did place limits on this, right? I'm sure there are all sorts of things that you don't allow. I remember how freaked out you were over your action figures. I bet you've added rules that make it impossible to use your likeness, or the likeness of your friends. Am I right?” “Nope, you're wrong. In fact, copies of myself and my friends are already in that world. You can do whatever you want with them. You can erase them and replace them with somepony else. You can make them your friends. You can even date them if you want. You are in control now, Arrow. You can make all the characters in your world respond however you want them to. Once you define their character, that's who they are going to be.” Frosted Arrow laughed. “You're kidding me, right? There's no way you would allow that.” “Why not? After all, I made a copy of Celestia, and she lives with me and manages my castle. She'll do anything that I tell her to. It would be the height of hypocrisy for me to make copies of other ponies for my own purposes, and yet deny that same right to others. If I can copy Celestia then it's only fair to let you make a copy of the Elements of Harmony. Go for it. Nopony will stop you.” Frosted Arrow stopped laughing. He looked nervously at the green book on the counter. “Are you serious? This is a world where I'm in control – a world every bit as real as this one? And I can make new ponies if I want?” “That's right! And yes, you can even write new ponies into existence. Now, if you would rather create foals the old-fashioned way then you can do that too, but keep in mind they'll be fictional and you can't take them out of the comic. If you want a real foal then you'll have to have one with a real pony. Fictional ponies can only give you fictional children.” Frosted Arrow blushed bright red. “That's not at all what I meant! I'm not that kind of pony. I promise that–” “ –that was the very first thought that crossed your mind,” Twilight said. “I'm not naïve, Arrow. Sunshine explained it all to me. What you do in your world is your business. No one is going to police you.” “Is that really a good idea? Aren't you worried that this magic will be, well, a bit corrupting?” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked. Frosted Arrow paused. “Well, I'm sure you and Sunshine have talked about all the possible downsides of this, right?” “What downsides? I don't see any downsides. Sunshine has had nothing but positive things to say about all this.” “Oh. Then maybe I don't understand how this all works. Mind you, I haven't read your instruction guide yet – you just gave it to me. But, well, I'm just wondering. It seems to me that if you give ponies these worlds and tell them there are no rules, they'll do everything that they want. In fact, they'll probably spend time doing things that are very illegal in this world. I've seen this same thing happen in video games. Some players want to be the hero, and other players want to be the villain. Once you remove all limits, ponies are going to do some dark things. Aren't you worried that this is going to corrupt ponies and turn them evil?” “I hadn't really thought about it,” Twilight said. “But surely not many ponies would do that, right? I mean, it would never even occur to me.” “Of course it hasn't. You're so good and moral that it's ridiculous. But temptation is a real thing. The whole reason it's called temptation is because it's tempting. Being a good pony is all about looking at evil and saying no, I'm not going to do that. It's about resisting temptation. But once you remove all reasons to resist temptation, the chances become really good that ponies are going to give into it. They're going to do things they never would have done before. Oh, sure, you can argue that none of it is real because it's all happening in a magical book. But the desires are real and the feelings are real. Even if the event itself isn't real, the experience is. This is going to change ponies, and not for the better. After all, you said that this world is every bit as real as Equestria, right? Well, if you went around Equestria killing ponies, that would damage your soul. If this new world is equally real then why would the consequences be any different?” Twilight frowned. “Come on, Arrow. Be serious. When you talked to me the day Applejack died, you said you wanted to save ponies. At least, I think that's what you said. Maybe you said that on some other day. Anyway, the point is that you wanted to be a hero. I don't think the ponies in this world are evil. I've seen the dreams of my friends, and they're not evil dreams – they're good. Sure, I guess a few ponies might misuse this magic, but I can't relate to that kind of thinking. You would certainly never do a thing like that.” “Your friends are heroes,” Frosted Arrow pointed out. “You hang out with princesses and Elements of Harmony! In fact, your friends are more like caricatures than real ponies. Your friends are literally the living embodiment of generosity, kindness, laughter, loyalty, and honesty. They might as well be walking, talking virtues. They are so good and upright that sometimes it's painful. Most ponies are not the living embodiment of a virtue. Darkness is a lot closer to our hearts than you realize.” “My friends are wonderful ponies,” Twilight said defensively. “They certainly are. In fact, that's my whole point. I don't think you realize what most ponies are actually like, or how easy it is to slip into evil. But I've said too much as it is. I'm sure that this new magic will work out just fine. After all, everything that you've ever done has worked out fine. You have never failed at anything, and I'm sure this will be no different.” “I think you worry too much,” Twilight said. “Just trust me. I've got this.” “I don't think we really have a choice, do we? The decision has already been made. But thank you for the books. It's a very thoughtful gift, and I am sure I will enjoy it.” Twilight hesitated. She stood there for a moment, thinking. A memory came back to her – a memory of a dream she once had. A dream where Celestia attacked her for destroying the world. “It will be fine,” Twilight said aloud. “Yes. It's going to be just fine. You are welcome, Arrow. Have a nice day.” Twilight turned around and left the store. Frosted Arrow walked over to the door and turned the sign to Closed.