11-20: Ready
Mayhem gently floated down to his friends in their circle. “I’m back.”
Tree Leaf opened his eyes and looked around. “Where’s Nega?”
“He’s gone now. I finally confronted my guilt head on, and now I’m ready to move on from it.”
All his friends were looking at him with big smiles, closing the gap so he could join in the circle.
“I feel light as a feather,” Mayhem said contentedly. “I haven’t felt like this in a long time.”
He felt a hoof on his shoulder, and looked behind him to see Twilight there with a warm smile. “You got room for one more in there?”
Mayhem nodded hard, releasing Spring and giving Twilight space so she could complete the circle.
“I’m very proud of all of you,” Twilight said joyfully. “I always knew you could do it.”
“Thanks, Aunt Twilight,” said Flurry.
“We really did it!” said Pound. “We helped Mayhem conquer the darkness.”
Mayhem nodded. “That’s right. I finally beat my Sombra.”
“I want to talk to all of you,” said Twilight, and the group split up to listen to her.
“I watched Mayhem through all his growth. Having seen everything, I believe that Spring’s brother had it a bit off.”
“Hmm?” said Spring. “What do you mean?”
“As we saw with Mayhem and Nega, there never was a ‘Sombra’ inside you. What you both called Sombra was just your own feelings.”
“So you think… my brother did a bad thing? But then why did you let it go on all this time?”
Twilight shook her head. “I don’t think your brother did anything wrong. His reasoning made sense to me, and it did allow you to keep your feelings in check, but seeing what went on here today I don’t believe it was an ideal method. Or, at least, that it’s only good as a temporary measure.”
“Why?” asked Flurry.
“Do you remember earlier when I talked about the value of sadness?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, things like guilt are valuable too, when not in excess. Feelings that are kept inside don’t just go away. They need to be expressed.
“However, before Spring and Mayhem could start to confront all their negative feelings they first needed to be pumped full of love. The two of you needed to get your emotional strength back.
“There’s nothing wrong with putting something aside when you’re not ready for it, but it can become all too easy to never address it because it feels easier. The problem then steadily grows again, feeding on your fear.”
Chocolate raised his hoof. “But Spring didn’t do that, right? She was the one who suggested this Sombra fight in the first place.”
Twilight gave a small nod. “I suppose you’re right. She waited until she gathered her strength to try and confront her problems, but she did make one mistake.”
“What was that?” asked Spring.
She looked directly at the filly. “You took someone else’s actions and equated them with your own.”
“Huh?”
“In watching Mayhem’s fight with Nega you saw him struggling. Eventually it got to the point you didn’t even want to watch anymore. You started to believe that if Mayhem couldn’t cross the finish line then it was hopeless for you too.
“Possibilities are different for each person, so even if someone in a similar position as you fails that doesn’t naturally follow that you will fail as well.
“Coming back to my earlier point, my assertion was about you and Mayhem looking at your inner feelings as an enemy to be vanquished. It worked for a bit when you were pushing your emotions to the side since you knew you weren’t strong enough to confront them yet, but when Mayhem did confront them that same principal didn’t work anymore because he was effectively raging at himself for experiencing negative feelings.
“What happened on the outside with Nega is effectively what happens on the inside. I know it can be hard to visualize your emotions as actual people, but the effect is basically the same. Going to war with yourself never has a good outcome.
“You might be able to distract your inner feelings for a time, by pushing them to the side or doing something else. But when the distraction ends and you’re still not doing well it can just make you feel worse, the feelings intensifying and only attacking you more.
“Until you finally stop putting it to the side and actually look at it directly and acknowledge it then it will never stop haunting you.”
Mayhem nodded. "I get it. That's why I had so much trouble in dealing with Nega."
He turned to Spring. “So how about you? Are you ready to beat your Sombra?” He sucked his cheek. “Sorry. Let me rephrase that. Are you ready to make friends with yourself?”
Spring let out a slow breath. “I… I don’t know yet.”
Mayhem’s face fell. “Why not? Isn’t that why we came here? Isn’t that what all of this was leading up to? You saw me do it, so-”
“Mayhem!” Twilight said sharply, getting his attention. “Enough.”
He opened his mouth to complain, then closed it again.
She walked over and rubbed his head. “In a way you’re like Pound,” she said gently, “back when he was first trying to win over Drill Bit. He was taking personal responsibility for the feelings of another when it’s something you can’t control.
“You, all of you, have provided her with support, but you can’t rush self-forgiveness. It’s something she has to do when she’s ready, and not when she’s being pressured to do it. Same as you, Mayhem.
“Just like the day you met her don’t take it as a failure to succeed. Think of it as helping her walk a few more steps towards the finish line.”
He hung his head. “But I wanted her to cross with me.”
“And who says she won’t? When everything is high intensity there’s no time to think and feel, and fighting with Nega certainly fits that bill. Once her emotions have settled down and she has some time to reflect on what happened today it may very well give her the final push she needs to confront her own Nega.
“But you remember what I said earlier about the will to live?”
Mayhem let out a little sigh, looking back up at her. “It can’t come from a place of guilt or a sense of obligation.”
She nodded. “Correct. You finally found the north path, but you can’t drag someone to that path. They have to choose to walk it on their own. Trying to force them onto it will only cause them to go off in another direction.”
She patted his shoulder. “If you really want to see her succeed then just continue being a good friend to her and show her what you’ve gained from this.”
He smiled at her. “I will!”
Flurry looked around and let out a gentle sigh. “Dang, Mayhem. Your other self really did a number on the Crystal Empire. I know it was just an illusion, but I’m ready to get out of this world.”
“Sure.” He snapped once, and before their eyes time went backwards, the Crystal Empire forming itself again until it looked untouched. He gave Flurry a wink. “Thought you’d like that before we go.”
Flurry smiled at him as he snapped again, and now they were back in the castle.
Mayhem let out a slow breath. “I went in there one person, but coming out I almost feel like someone else.”
He clenched his claw. “I feel ready to take on anything!”
Flash put a hoof around his shoulder. “That’s what I want to hear.”
Plum giggled. “We kicked some serious butt today!”
“Yeah we did!” said Masky, grinning from ear to ear.
Mayhem watched his friends celebrating, then looked up at Twilight. “Twilight, it’s not over yet.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“Not over yet?” Twilight asked. “You solved your issue and acknowledged you can’t force Spring to solve hers before she’s ready. What’s left?”
“I need to account for myself. All this time we’ve been keeping my past a secret from the parents of my new friends. I’m finally ready to talk.”
“What’s the point of that?” asked Pumpkin. “It’s only going to make things complicated again.”
“I agree with Pumpkin,” said Flurry. “What are you expecting to get out of doing that?”
Mayhem turned to her. “Do you remember why Starlight told you about her past?”
Flurry let out a groan, her head going down. “Yes…I do.”
“What happened with Starlight?” asked Plum. “She said something about being like Sombra in the past.”
Flurry turned to her. “In a way she was. She did control other ponies, but she was nothing like Sombra. She did the wrong things, but she wasn’t power hungry like he was. She just had the wrong ideas about how to deal with her past.”
“Starlight lost her best friend as a child,” said Twilight, making everyone look at her. “After he got his cutie mark he was admitted to Celestia’s school.”
Flurry moved to stand next to Twilight so the others wouldn’t have to keep looking back and forth as they talked. “She got it in her head that cutie marks are bad things that brainwash other ponies. In the end she was the one brainwashing others with her spell, but she wasn’t doing it to hurt them. She was afraid of losing another friend, and thought everyone would be happier without cutie marks.
“Every bad thing she did happened when I was just a baby, but after Aunt Twilight stopped her and offered her friendship she turned over a new leaf. She thought that I might eventually find out about her past somehow, and so she told me directly about what she did. She thought it would be better to hear it from her than for me to overhear it from someone else.
“It did shake me up for the next week, but I eventually forgave her and forgot about it.”
“You understand my reasoning, don’t you?” said Mayhem, looking up at Twilight.
She could see strength in his eyes. “I do. However, if you’re going to take this on then I can’t come to your rescue. Just as it was for Cup and the rest of the parents, they won’t take kindly to this news. I have to respect their decisions.”
Plum’s face fell. “But… b-but…”
Mayhem turned to her. “What’s up?”
Chocolate also looked put out. “The day we met Twilight told us we were there as replacement friends until you could see your old ones again, and it took a few months before we got to this point.”
“Exactly!” said Plum, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t want to not see you for three months.”
“Now, now,” Twilight said gently. “There’s no need for tears. I can’t promise anything, but I doubt they’ll kick up too big a fuss.”
“Why not?” asked Flash, frowning.
“The parents got so mad because their children were injured as Mayhem coldly went after them. He just did it all for kicks and to offset his boredom. However, Mayhem has never hurt any of you, his new friends, so there’s already less of a reason to take things personally.
“It took a few months for the parents to give him a chance again, but that’s also been three months without any new incidents. That’s another reason for them to not get too crazy.
“And now that Mayhem has confronted his past and solidified his resolve he’s far less likely to ever act like he did in the past.
“So there you have three good reasons I don’t believe they’re going to give him much trouble.”
Sweet Pea was pouting. “But you don’t know that. You’re just guessing.
“I don’t care about not getting wishes for a while. I just don’t want to see him alone.”
“But he won’t be alone. The parents of all the children of his old friends have already heard about his past and forgiven him for it. Spring’s parents also know. They had their doubts about him, but Spring chewed them out for it, reminding them that their child would still be in a coma if he hadn’t been around.
“So, even if worse comes to worst, he’ll still have Spring and all his old friends.”
Flash gently kicked a chair. “But we might not.”
Twilight let out a little sigh, but before she could say anything Mayhem spoke up.
“Chin up, Flash!” he said brightly. “Whatever comes next I’m not afraid. No matter how far apart we are our hearts will still be connected, giving me strength.”
Mayhem snapped, and notebooks appeared, floating in front of his new friends. “These are for you.”
Plum took her notebook, flipping through it. “It’s blank.”
“This is something special for all of us. All my old friends have one too.”
“What’s special about a notebook?” asked Sweet Pea.
“They’re all connected,” said Pound. “Whatever you write in one notebook gets transferred to every notebook connected to it.”
“It allows a group to talk to one another no matter the distance between them,” said Pumpkin.
Masky got a wistful look on his face. “During the long months we had to wait to play with Mayhem again this was the only thing we had to remain in contact and chat with him.”
“That’s cool!” said Spring, taking her notebook. “Now we can talk no matter where we are.”
The rest of them took their notebooks.
Chocolate hugged his notebook to him, a bit of melancholy on his face. “I’m glad we have these, but I guess I’m still worried.”
“I understand,” said Mayhem, “but this is something I have to do. It will be better to be honest than to keep it a secret that might come out in the future.”
Sweet Pea sighed. “I get it. I do. But… but I still can’t help but be worried. We’ve gotten so close over the past couple of months, especially since you helped my best friend and our families. What if my parents aren’t as forgiving as Springs or the others? What if they tell me I can never see you again?”
Tears brimmed in her eyes. “If that happened I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise to you.”
Mayhem hugged her. “Don’t cry, Sweet Pea. I don’t know how your parents are going to respond to this, but no matter what they say it won’t change how we feel about each other. And with the notebook we can still share our hearts with each other. As long as you support me and don’t abandon our friendship then your promise won’t ever be broken.”
He backed up, smiling at her. “Don’t get so down. Just support me, and I’ll be fine.”
She wiped her eyes. “O-okay.”
Mayhem turned to the rest. “That goes for the rest of you too. I know you care about me, but no matter what happens I want you to stay out of it. This is something personal for me, just like when I fought Nega. Don’t start fighting with your parents.”
He looked up at Twilight, sucking on his cheek. “I want to say the same to you, but I know you. You’ll try to stay out of it as best you can, but you’ll intervene if you think things are going off in the wrong direction.”
Twilight nodded. “Exactly right. I don’t seek to stick myself in the middle of things for no reason. My goal is to always try and promote harmony.
“I fully acknowledge that a lot of times restoring harmony comes from a place of baring hurt feelings. Usually it's only after releasing the pain they have inside that that connection can be reformed, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about that.”
She gave him an encouraging smile. “I have to say I’m quite eager to see the new Mayhem in action. I saw how Flurry’s personality has changed since making friends and getting her cutie mark. Now it’s your turn.”
Mayhem grinned back at her. “I’ll make you proud, Twilight. I finally feel like I can hold my head up high.”
She rubbed his head. “Glad to hear it.
“You think I should bring Fluttershy too? I think she’d love to see what today has done for you.”
Mayhem looked uncertain. “I don’t know. I do want her to see how I’ve changed, but I also don’t want her to feel like she has to protect me.”
“Well, I can explain that to her.”
He tapped his hoof on the floor a few times. “Umm… alright.”
“Well, I’ll be back as soon as I can. With my teleportation it shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes to get everyone.”
“Okay, Twilight.”
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I think Twilight did the right thing by expanding Mayhem’s circle of friends. Hopefully she can teach him to keep expanding it, some will always be closer but having many friends will probably make it so he can have some creature to talk too if he needs it.
10354314 Well, as she explained at the start of this adventure, she hit gold with the first four children she chose for wishes. Since they genuinely cared for him outside of his powers she kept bringing them along every week to strengthen his bond with them. Eventually she would start bringing in new children to expand his circle, but the more important thing at the time was ensuring the connections he did have remained strong until he got his old friends back. While Mayhem was still recovering from his loss of control she didn't want to see his confidence diminished by getting a group of children that only cared for his abilities more than the one who had them.
Now that Mayhem has found his confidence and fought past his guilt she wouldn't be worried. Mayhem wouldn't be afraid about calling those children out for only wanting to use him.
I wish this little chaos spawn the best of luck
Awww...that was nice.
I think a better analogy would be to say that Mayhem's path was Northeast, whereas Spring's path is Southeast. Spring would have to walk her own path. And though her goal is the same, she can't walk the same path as Mayhem to succeed.
I know the idea of going "South" makes it seem negative. But if Mayhem and Spring have the same starting point, and the goal is to get to the other side of the planet, any direction will eventually get to the same destination. But everyone has to go in different directions, because everyone is different. So Spring can't walk a path that's already been made, because the point is to create your own path.
10354332
Calling those children out is one thing. But would Mayhem be opposed to the idea of (for lack of a better term) being a "tourist attraction"? I mean, wasn't that one of the anticipated ideas in the first place? I make is sound bad by labeling him as a tourist attraction. But my point is that it's something he'd be used for rather than genuine friendship, but it's something he may be willing to do if it makes others happy, even if it's just a one-time visit.
I know Mayhem said he needs to do this on his own and told his friends not to interfere. But I think a good idea is to have the new friends' parents meet the old friends' parents. That way, they can get the opinions of the parents who were affected, and what they think of him now.
10356430
Well, the directions thing is a metaphor of up is better and down is worse. Mayhem had fallen into the darkness, and so needed to come up out of it. And once you hit south you've hit the point of no return.
As mentioned in the Christmas chapter, non-canon as it is, Mayhem mentions about how Twilight doesn't want Mayhem becoming too well known. It's why she usually downplays his powers. She knows she has to be careful in introducing him to others since, as Cup said, when you get introduced to someone with his kind of power it can be all too easy to focus on the abilities rather than the person behind them. She doesn't want to see him get taken advantage of.
And as for the confession chapters it starts out with the new parents at first, then when he's ready to talk about his triumph of Nega he brings in the old ones.