ACT THREE
Twilight and her friends met up at Minute’s place and told them of their idea.
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” asked Spike “I mean what if he doesn’t want to rekindle?”
“I’ve already thought of that, Spike.” said Twilight “Besides, if he attends his reunion and sees how much his friends want to make it up to him, maybe he’ll want to make up with them too.”
Starlight still had that bad feeling about it, but she and the others began to make plans anyway and even told the idea to Sandy and Shining. They weren’t too crazy about the idea, but if it meant a chance to make up with their old friend, they were willing to try…
But the first thing they had to do was actually convince Stone to come, and that would not be easy.
Twilight figured the best way was to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
The next day, she came to his house again and knocked on the door. “What do you want now, your highness?”
Twilight expected him to act down in the dumps and be a little rude with her, but she took it well and said to him “I’ve come to invite you to the High School Reunion on behalf of your friends.”
Stone growled softly and sneered “I already told you, I don’t need friends and I don’t want to go to that reunion! Please leave me alone.”
He tried to shut the door, but Twilight used her magic to keep the door stuck in place, insisting she hear him out, “I spoke with Shining Hope, and he works for a book publishing company. If you attend this reunion, I promise, and he promises to publish one of your stories, without any difficulties.”
Stone’s eyes lit up softly, “Honest and for true?”
Twilight nodded and promised it would be done.
Stone honestly didn’t know what to think or do for the moment. Though he felt it was against his better judgment, “As much as I don’t want to… alright, I’ll try.”
Twilight felt giddy with hope and joy. “I promise you won’t regret this.” And she ran off to tell the good news to her friends.
“…I doubt that.” Stone said.
As the days went by, Twilight and Starlight had spread the good news, and offered to attend the reunion themselves with their friends. Of course Sandy and Shining were thrilled to let them come.
So, through a musical number, the days went by as things were planned and prepared, and Twilight even received one of Stone’s stories to send to the publisher.
Stone, however, was stilling lingering doubts about this whole thing, and so was Starlight.
Then the night came. The reunion was held outside of the Magical High School within the village, and many ponies who used to attend arrived, even Stone arrived, dressed in a nice black suit and a bowtie, but with a look of deep regret on his face.
He was escorted by Twilight and her party and was told “Just be yourself, you’ll fit right in.”
Stone sighed, still worried about this, “Okay, here goes.”
Sandy and Shining greeted every one of their friends as they entered the area, and were very surprised to see him.
“Stone Heart…” Sandy said.
“Hello, Sandy… Shining…” Stone spoke in barely more than a tone and he could barely seem to curl his lips into a very awkward smile, but it hung back down again in its usual frowning position.
“Um… it’s good to see you again.” Shining said he extended his hoof for a shake, but Stone couldn’t find the courage at first to do it, until Twilight whispered to him, “Don’t be rude.”
Stone reluctantly shook Shining’s hoof, and desperately tried to hide the sickening feelings that broiling inside him. Then he just walked in to take his seat at a table for the dinner feast.
“Well, it’s a start.” Twilight said, but Starlight, Sandy and Shining, even the other three friends were not so sure.
As the festivities began, many of the ponies began to rekindle and catch up on old times. Some were married happily and had successful jobs and businesses. One of them was even a Royal Canterlot Guard…
“Working for the Princess has its advantages, it’s the best job I could ever have dreamed of.” he bragged.
Other ponies admired him, some of the mares for his handsome appearance.
A mare stepped forth saying that she ran the Second Canterlot Bank, which was only second to the Royal Vaults in the Palace. “And being a government job, it pays very well…” she said “I can buy anything I’ve ever wanted, even stuff I don’t even think I need.”
More and more ponies bragged on about their success and great lives, which did not make Stone feel any better.
“How about you Stone…?”
“Yeah, what’s your success? Did you ever publish a novel yet?”
Stone shook his head, “No, I’m a trash picker.”
Some of the others were shocked.
“What?”
“Still?”
“My stories are just for me…” Stone said “Kind of what happens when you get shot down every time, or when you’ve lost your main source of inspiration.” He gazed over at Sandy, who was chatting with her husband and old friends.
Twilight and friends felt things were not really going as smoothly as they thought. “That’s all you can say?” Twilight asked.
“Well, what else is there to say…” said Stone “Let’s face it, I don’t have a very good life here, and I’m not that interesting to any-pony.” He looked down at his Cutiemark, and began to wonder if this was his destiny after all; a broken pencil over paper, resembling a failed story.
“Oh, come on…” said Minuette “You’re just not trying hard enough.”
“Yeah…” added Lemon “I’m sure you can find at least some ponies willing to open up to you, like Sandy and Shining.”
Moondancer offered her own advice, “Even I gave friendship another chance when I swore it off. Maybe you should too.”
Stone looked over at them again, and still didn’t know if he could even try, but Twilight and her friends persisted.
So, he reluctantly agreed and went to comingle amongst his old friends, but starlight was still worried. “I just hope things don’t get any worse.” said Starlight. Twilight hoped the same thing, but she was confident that things would only go up from here.
Stone sat with his old friends along with Twinkleshine as they were her friends too.
Things seemed to go okay.
“So, Stone…” asked Twinkleshine “Do you ever intend to do anything besides just pick up trash?”
“Nope…” replied Stone “This is all I have, and it is fine as it is.”
“O-kay…” said Sandy “But surely you want to try and be something you’ve always wanted.”
Stone shook his head “The only things I ever wanted just never happened, whether I worked for them or not. So I prefer not to try and just give up.”
Now the friends were starting to feel really concerned about him.
“Well, I bet I can help you a bit…” said Shining, and he held up a book he had gotten from his publishing company and passed it to Stone.
Stone gawked at the tittle: Solemn Wishes
“…This is my story.”
He looked through he pages, and it was exactly as he wrote it; a story about a pony like him who had his dreams crushed and so he decided to go on a long journey to find his happy ending, only to end up deeper into despair than before, the story ended on a cliff-hanger; the pony would just keep searching for his happiness, even if would never come. His ultimate fate was left up to the readers.
Stone flipped through all the pages and noted not a single change had been made, like how all the many other publishers wanted and demanded he do. It just plain written as he did it.
“We gave one copy to each guest here today.” Sandy said “Look, some are reading it now.”
Stone could see they weren’t lying, and that several ponies were in fact reading his book.
“I… I don’t know what to say.” said Stone. It almost looked as if he was starting to come out of the darkness.
Twilight and her other friends watched with glee. “I think it’s working.” Twilight cried for joy. Starlight was inclined to agree.
“Well, we’d expect nothing less from the princess of friendship and friend.” said Lemon Hearts.
Minuette and Moondancer nodded in agreement.
…However, things were about to blow up in their faces!
It all started when Stone had to ask Sandy, “Why did you choose Shining over me?”
Sandy felt that would come, and she her husband didn’t know how to break it gently. “I know you liked me, Stone, but… I just… I never had feelings for you. I mean you were my friend, but… I just didn’t feel the same for you as I did for Shining.”
Her husband agreed, “We knew each other long before we met you.”
“Is that why you teased me?” Stone asked “You flirted with each other to make me feel jealous, and then you told me to stop putting you my stories, Sandy as if I was committing a crime.”
“Well, it wasn’t a crime…” Sandy said “I was just annoyed and embarrassed, that’s all.”
Neither she nor her husband could find an excuse about the teasing though.
The conversation was observed and overheard by Twilight’s party.
“Oh, no…” cried Starlight.
“This can’t be good.” added Moondancer.
Twilight felt nervous too, but she was also shocked from what she had heard. True, she heard the story before, but now it was like hearing someone else’s side of it.
“It was all in fun…” Shining said “Weren’t really trying to hurt you.”
Stone had heard enough, and he could see all this was only causing him more pain and anger. It was bad enough he loved Sandy, but she never liked him that way, she and Shining teased him, and then barked at him to not put Sandy in his stories, even though she inspired him.
He got up and decided to leave.
“Stone, wait, please!” cried Sandy.
“We’re sorry if we upset you.” added Shining, but Stone could not believe them. He didn’t want to believe them, and he continued to walk.
“Stone Heart, wait!” Twilight called as she cantered to catch up to him. “Listen, I know what they said isn’t exactly nice, but they were only be honest. They weren’t trying to hurt you.”
Stone stopped and looked straight at her, “Look, I’ve tried, okay, but this isn’t working. Now, please, let me go before something else happens.”
Before Twilight could even ask what that could be… one of the ponies put down the book scoffing, “I’ve never read anything so ridiculous before.”
Stone didn’t like that a bit.
The two more ponies slammed the book down.
“So one-dimensional and pathetic…”
“It’s no wonder Stone never succeeded, and never will.”
Stone was starting to lose his cool.
More of the ponies started to throw the books into a big pile in the center of the party area, all them scoffing at it or criticising it horribly, and then it got way worse.
“Hey, Stone Heart.” a pony called “Thanks for letting me read this, now I feel better about myself” and he laughed at him.
“You sure showed us… how NOT to make a story.” said another and she and her friend laughed too.
“No, please, stop that.” Twilight said to the ponies trying to get them to calm down and cease the needless mockery, but the ponies simple ignored her and kept throwing all the books until they were all in one big pile.
Stone gazed furiously at the pile of his books gnashing his teeth, and finally… some-pony took it way too far, and threw his used napkin on the pile. This was the very pony that teased him the other day in the park, “Hey, trash-pony, you’ll need a big bag for this pile.”
Twilight had lost patience too, but before she could say even a word, Stone Heart began to glow brightly with fury, and with his horn he blasted the pile of books into a mountain of ash. The blast was so strong, that some of the tables were knocked over and the decorations fell down leaving a big mess in the middle of everything.
Now everyone’s expressions were fraught with fear, while Stone had nothing but a deep look of fury on his face as he approached Sandy and shining and finally told them what he had been longing to say…
“You’re pests! Disgraceful… selfish, inconsiderate ponies and I have no desire to be friends with you nor have I any use for you two.
You claimed you were my friends, but in reality you’re the furthest things from. Not only did you hurt my feelings, stomp all over my dreams and hopes, but, once again, you have publicly humiliated me, and instead of making me feel like some-pony who matters, all I am in the pony who makes every-pony else, including you, look good. Do you get what I’m saying…?”
The two gazed at him as if he were about to do something more fretful.
“Now get this straight, both of you…” Stone said to them “I don’t want to see you, I don’t want to know you and I don’t want to remember you!”
Then he turned his back to the couple, and Sandy felt her heart being crushed, and Shining felt shocked, upset, but most of all he felt hurt.
Then Stone pulled off his bowtie, angrily throwing it aside and gazed at Twilight severely, “I beg your pardon, Princess, but I ask you this once and nicely… for you, your friends, and your apprentice to stay away from me and my house.”
He walked angrily to the entrance way and gazed back at everyone bidding them and angry but soft, “…Goodnight.”
Then he was gone.
The second he had left, Spike showed up, having been late for the party for unknown reasons. He was all suited up, but when he saw the mess and all the ponies looking unenthusiastic and grim,
“…Okay, what did I miss?”