• Published 20th Jun 2012
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Statues - TypewriterError



When is being brave...being yourself?

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Part 6: Decided

“Breakfast!” Majesty heard her mom call from downstairs. She had not slept all night but it was finally done: everything was out of her trunk and piled around her room. Clothes she had forgotten about, books she had wanted to read, and bought multiple copies of so she could finally finish them, papers, quills, homework that had never been turned in...most of it was all the gifts her relatives had given her in hopes she would follow a specific career in the future.

Her mom’s voice called again and Majesty felt a deep tearing in her heart. Letting go of objects on the floor was easy. Her parents were something different entirely.

“Majesty? Are you awake?” Her voice was at the door and Majesty couldn’t stop her in time. The door opened and her mom saw the piles of junk around her daughter’s room.

“I can explain...” Majesty offered.

“Please. Do.”

“I...I enchanted the trunk you got me for my tenth birthday so it would be bottomless and I went through it last night. I...haven’t looked through it in years.” Her mom’s brain seemed to have broken as she stared around the piles of stuff.

“Are all those books...?”

“The same exact book? Yeah...” Her mom stared at the stack that almost reached her muzzle and burst out laughing!

“I think you have a few extra copies!” Majesty laughed with her. For some reason they couldn’t stop laughing for the next few minutes. Finally, her mom just shook her head and smiled in a way she had not for weeks.

“I’ll take care of it...”

“Come downstairs, we have to show this to your dad!” her mom laughed and magically carried the large stack of The Legend of the Headless Horse and led her daughter downstairs.


Majesty and her dad sat on the back porch later that evening. it had been a warm day especially with all the trips to charity her and her family had made. A large box sat in the front hall with clothes to be given to her cousins who might like them. The merciful cool night was rolling in lazily but Majesty couldn't enjoy it. Her decision took precedence in her mind.

“Dad?” she began.

“Hmm?”

“What have you always wished for me to be?” There was a long pause.

“I don’t know, honestly. I think when you were born I thought you might make a decent athlete. I remember even the pegasi you would run into were scared to cross you because they knew you were stronger.”

“I remember... Do you remember when Celestia met us that one trip to the garden the year I got my cutie mark?”

“Yes.”

“Dad... When do you know when a sacrifice is the right one to make?”

“Majesty, where did that come from?" he said with a laugh before showing concern, "Are you in trouble?”

“No, don’t worry. I just... I want to know...if I had to do something, something I believed was right, what cost would be worth it?”

“Well, what is it?”

“I don’t think I can tell you...”

"I have a feeling this isn't purely hypothetical."

"Hypothetical questions rarely are." Majesty mumbled to herself. Her dad paused.

“Does this involve Princess Celestia?” he finally asked.

“In a way.”

“If you...truly believe and know that what your goal is...is right. Then you should sacrifice anything you have a right to sacrifice.”

“Like...myself?”

“Majesty...what’s causing you to ask me these questions? What has Princess Celestia asked you to do?”

“Dad...what sacrifice would you make to keep Mom and me safe?”

“...Anything...everything...myself. All I could give. Especially for you.” he said and wrapped his foreleg over his daughter’s shoulders, “I love you above anything else on this earth. I would give everything I had to make sure you were safe.” Majesty nodded. She knew what to ask now.

“What if I was the one who had to make the choice? Would you and Mom understand if I felt I had to make a sacrifice that separated us, because I thought it was the right thing to do?”

Her father’s silence built on her. She just needed the answer to this question. He cleared his throat and stared at the railing of the porch. He just needed to answer. That was all Majesty wanted: just one answer. He sighed and shook his head but there was a smile on his muzzle.

“I always knew I would have to let you go some day. I always knew that you seemed...set on something more than what was offered to you. If your mother and I knew that you truly believed your sacrifice was made because you believed it was the right thing to do. Even if we didn’t agree with it, we would always love you and always support you.” Majesty nodded. That was the answer she knew he would give. But hearing it...still helped somehow.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“Can you tell me what this is about?” Majesty took a shaky deep breath.

“I’ll try. I can’t tell you everything...but I’ll tell you what I can. There is a cause for...Celestia that she told me about and I believe I want to join. I feel like it’s the right choice for me. It means though...that I can’t ever see you and Mom again.”

“When does that happen?”

“I have a week to decide.”

“A week...how long have you known about this?”

“Since yesterday.”

“Why couldn’t she have told you sooner?”

“She tried to the night Cherry Blossom died...”

“So that’s why you went through all your stuff...”

“I still have time to decide.” Her father grew pensive.

“Majesty Song...I believe you’ve already decided what your choice will be.”


The trunk was in front of her again. She could hear her parents speaking, with rushed voices, downstairs. Even though the voices weren't fighting, her mom did not sound happy. What else did she expect? Her mother had been very protective of her despite the constant prodding for Majesty to grow up and settle her adult life with the perfect stallion. Her mother: always wanting her to grow up and decide but never wanting her to leave or make her own choices.

The remaining piles around her towered towards the ceiling. All the potential of all she could be overshadowing her, taunting her with her decision. One stack of music-related books from Grandpa Bass, one stack of clothing design books from her aunt Peony, who had bought them so Majesty could get some good use out of the sewing machine she had given her, blank scrolls and journal notebooks were next to the typewriter from Grandpa Snap; a pile for cooking, for being a homemaker, for office work and how to get ahead in business...none of the piles had ever been used.

'She can't even decide for herself what she wants!' the statue had taunted her... it had been right.

'Bravery? That's a joke! She can't even tell her family that she doesn't want to follow their plans!' That was right too... Celestia had always called her brave. What was it that made her brave though? Her cutie mark? Sneaking into the garden? Even if she was, hypothetically, "marked to be a soldier," was she even close to being ready? How was she "brave"?

The voices downstairs had stopped. Majesty expected her mother to be there in a few minutes to try to convince her not to leave...if only she knew how she would disappear, that she would never truly leave.

"Majesty? Are you in there?"

Bingo.

"Come in, Mom." Majesty said. She might as well face her now rather than later. The tan mare entered the room, restrained.

"I've just had a talk with your father. Do you want to explain to me what you're up to?"

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me you were asking him questions about sacrificing yourself to keep us safe? What are you really up to? You can tell me, I'll forgive you, no matter what you did."

"Mom...Princess Celestia has asked me to join a cause that I believe in—" Her mother cut her off with her hoof to Majesty's muzzle.

"Majesty...if you're scared we're going to kick you out if you don't get a second job—" Majesty gently pushed her mother's hoof off her mouth.

"Mom. It's not that—"

"We'll still love you no matter which career you choose. Grandpa Bass will—"

"Mom, it's not that."

"What is it then, honey? Why don't you tell me what this job is that's so dangerous you can't ever see us?"

"Mom, I did not say that. I said I wouldn't be able to see you—"

"So, it's not dangerous?"

"It is dangerous—"

"Majesty! Please just tell me what the problem is! Have we been pushing you too much?"

"No, Mom. You haven't. I just believe this is right."

"Why would Celestia want to take you away from us? Please, tell me why you're running away."

"I'm not running away."

"Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because Celestia doesn't want me to."

"Did she say that?"

"Not exactly."

"What did she say?"

"Mom..."

"What? Please, just tell me why you're running away! We love you—"

"I told you, I am not running away! I know you love me."

"Then why are you not going to be able to see us?"

"MOM!" Majesty screamed. Her mom stared.

"Well, what is it?" her mother said after a pause, her tone rough, as it always was when she was offended. Majesty paused long enough to calm down but not long enough to give her mother a chance to speak again.

"Mom...I love you. I love dad. I love you both and everyone in our family...I never thanked you enough for how you raised me. You've given me a lot and...I've just never appreciated it. But...but last night Princess Celestia told me something in the garden—"

"You've been visiting the garden at night?! Majesty! You know it's dangerous! How have you been—"

"Mom! Please!...I'm trying to talk to you and it's not easy...I feel like I can't talk anymore..." she breathed deeply before continuing, "Remember when I was five and you used to listen? I know you probably only heard half of what I said, it wasn't wrong or mean I just talked too fast and about nothing, but anyway, Mom...I need you to listen to me now. It means so much to me right now that you just. Let. Me. Talk." her mother stared at her.

"I will listen. Go on." she said, calmly.

"All...my life I've been pushed to be one thing or another by people who genuinely love me...but, I've always felt like they were trying to live their lives through me...like I was their second chance to have their dreams come true. All these gifts sitting around me are unused. They never interested me but I was too scared to tell them to stop giving me...to stop pushing me to live they life they wanted. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I could never say anything... Mom, what is the one gift I've been given that you have seen with me after it's been opened?"

Her mother's eyes answered the question by pointing to the shield. Majesty continued, gently,

"Mom, that shield... I value that not because of who gave it to me or who it belonged to before me...but because...it fits me somehow. It fit me even when it was too big for me. It's like...I feel most comfortable when I'm carrying it around. It's not a dress or a shiny instrument, but I feel...beautiful somehow when I wear it. Like something is right about it.

"Now, Princess Celestia has offered me a chance to join a cause which that shield stands for. It means that you'd have to lose me." Majesty hated seeing tears in her mothers eyes but felt like every sentence allowed her heart to beat more freely, "The truth is: you can't hold on to me forever...even though I wish you could as much as you probably wish you could...but we will lose each other some day. I will lose you the same day you lose me.

"Mom, we can't hold on to each other forever no matter how much we both want to. Would you rather have me be lost after living a long life of never amounting to anything, becoming a copy of someone else, always being scared to state what I believe...or would you rather lose me because you know I am doing something I believe is right? You always call me 'my little Majesty'...Mom...I'm 21. While I will always be your daughter...I'm an adult now... I will have to make this choice myself. All that you can choose to do...is say good-bye to me one last time before I leave and give me one last good memory of you and Dad to hold on to."

Majesty's mom was crying silently. Majesty couldn't stand looking at her tears anymore and turned away to let her own tears of relief flow down her muzzle. How long had she been holding that back? It felt weird to no longer be under the pressure of her own silence. No matter what happened now...she had finally said it.

"I love you, Majesty." her mom said before giving a quick gasp to control a sob. Majesty looked up to see her mom giving her a brave smile. Majesty smiled back.

"I know."