Sparkle

by Inactive Pone

5.Meeting

“Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh,” You chant to yourself. “Ughhhh how do I do this!?”

You are pacing back and forth. In where? In the throne room of Frisk Dreemur’s Palace In Britannica. You are as nervous as an ant on a frying pan. Your mind could not think of anything else but this very meetup with Twilight Sparkle, the very friend you’ve been talking to for the past few months. You try to find some kind of formula of dialogue to speak to Twilight, like actors do on a play. But you couldn’t- Because you think it’s awkward.

You look back and forth at the floor beneath you and the very portal to Equestria. You are literally only a few short steps away from seeing the land you’ve dreamed of. But you couldn’t without feeling shy and weird- What if the ponies think you are some kind of spy? What if they’re scared of you for being a human that’s not Frisk?

On her throne, Frisk moans.

“What’s the matter?” She asks.

You try to convey your nervousness towards her, even though it’s only been 10 minutes since you’ve entered and met her, which made you even more nervous.

“Ash, don’t be worried. Ponies are nice people. They won’t bully you like your peers do. They are charming and are all amazing in their own way. I’ve know Twilight for a long time. Judging by how you both felt while chatting the other day, I’m sure she’ll be excited. Either that, or she’s just as nervous as you. So there’s no need to feel nervous.”

You stop pacing. Then you look at her and nod.

“You’re right. But... That’s just the first part. Why did I agree to seeing Celestia, too!? How could you not be nervous!? She’s the ruler of Equestria! The whole freaking pony nation!”

“I’m sure Celestia will be delighted to know you, Ash,” Frisk says, opening the portal. “Now, you come, or you stay. What do you say, then?”

She reaches out a hand. You hesitate to grab it, since you’re male and don’t want her to get the wrong idea, but you gently and gratefully accept her request anyway. So, she takes your hand, and you run straight into the portal with her.

********

After finally getting to Equestria and a while of train travelling to get to Ponyville, you and Frisk finally reach Twilight’s Castle. Your heart was either pounding, or it’s completely dead. You were so close to meeting her, and you’ve been blushing the moment you stepped off the train.

Frisk looks at you as she knocks on the door, and rolls her eyes. A minute later, Spike comes to open the door.

“Hi Frisk, looks like you brought someone new,” He says. “Is that the Ash guy Twilight’s been talking about lately? She sure is into you.”

You freeze.

“Is th-that so?” You coughed out, your face turning red.

You follow Frisk and Spike to Twilight’s room after he closes the main doors.

“Oh, Yeah. She said you haven’t spoken to her for two weeks, and she’s pretty lonely and sad. But, she woke up like, waaaaaaay too early today. Like that time where she woke up early for winter wrap up!”

“Geezus! She must be really excited!” Frisk exclaims, nudging you. “You’re in for a treat today.”

You chuckle nervously. Then, finally, you arrive at Twilight’s bedroom. Frisk left early since she had things to do. You are almost dead inside for being so nervous.

“Uhhh, Spike?”

“Hm? What can I do for you?”

You gulp once before speaking. “I’m... I’m a little worried she would be too surprised when she sees me barging in like that. Would you mind giving her a heads up?”

“Not a problem.”

So he goes in, and you stay out. You hear their voices inside.

“Twilight, your friend is here.”

She looks away from her book that she was reading and gets up fast. She must’ve whispered to him about something, because you couldn’t hear what she was saying, and then, he came back out.

“Okie! Have fun, you two~” He chuckles as he runs off.

You were confused to why they were being so secretive, but you knocked on the door anyway. No response, so you just took the fact that Twilight let you open the door instead. You step inside. Twi’s bed was on the right side of the room, and there was this cool yellow couch on the other side. All these shelves and a mirror were decor. However, the weird part was that you couldn’t see Twilight anywhere. That is, until you spotted a pair of purple hooves from the other side of the couch.

You sigh and smile coldly.

“Hide and seek?” You ask, creeping over. “Hello~? Twilight...?”

As soon you got close, there was a loud bang and she was gone! Then, there was this huge bulge formed by the blankets of Twilight’s Navy blue bed. So, you went over to investigate. But when you flipped the blankets, she was gone again! You were confused.

You felt two hooves land swiftly on your shoulder and you get pulled backwards.

“Hey!”

“Waaa!” You scream as you turned.

It was then- You realise who did it. Standing in front of you, an alicorn was beaming. She was lavender coloured, with a three-colour mane, complete with wings and horns, and her cutie mark- A six-pointed-star.

It was her.

“*giggles* Hi, Ash,” Twilight says.

You step back for just one second. You decided that you needed a couple of seconds or even a minute to process what was happening in front of you. For heavn’s sake, you thought to yourself. This is THE princess of friendship. The nervousness spread through your whole body, and you couldn’t help but just stare at her beauty.

She is very confused to the whole situation, but just smiles back at you.

“I... I’ve been waiting all week for us to meet. It’s nice to see you.”

You feel a sense of shyness when she said that. You realize- She was no different from you, and she is just as nervous. Her hooves were shaking a little and her wing was stiff. You then recognize her as a princess, so naturally, you bent down on one knee to bow to her as a greeting.

“Your highness,” You say, “I am most delighted to meet you and visit Equestria today.”

Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof and softly chuckled.

“Oh, come on, none of that, Ash! Come here and give me a hug!”

Since she was shorter than you, you keep yourself crouched down before hugging her so she doesn’t have to balance on two hooves. Your arms gently wrapped around the pony’s neck, as she wraps her big purple wing around your back. You started to nuzzle a little on Twilight’s cheek, and she giggles at your action.

You both finally let go a minute later.

“I’m so glad to see you too, Twilight.”

“I know. This was like two friends seeing each other for the first time in so long... Only difference was that this was the first time we met ever.”

You motion her to come to the couch to talk.

“Right, So...” Twilight chuckles nervously, “I originally planned stuff for us to do, but I would rather just let us do whatever we feel like doing. It’s around eleven in the morning right now, and your meeting with Celestia is in the afternoon. Other than that, we can spend the day together. Just the two of us, so we can know each other better.”

You nod, but without looking at your friend. You are too shy to do so. Because of this, Twilight smiles and brings a hoof under your chin and turns your vision towards her.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

“I’m nervous too, Ash. I haven’t met another human as a friend in... A long time. When you’re from different racial and cultural backgrounds... Getting along is a little more tricky. So you don’t have to worry that you’ll be awkward today. Just be yourself.”

You smile.

“Thanks for understanding. So... What’s it like, being a princess?”

“It’s wonderful. Sure, my title doesn’t get too much recognition compared to Celestia and Luna, but I get my own castle to live in. All taxes exempted, Lots of money, the whole shebang. But all of that doesn’t necessarily make me happy. Friendship is what makes my life so great.”

You shrug and let out a chuckle. “You ponies are so different from humans. We just care about money- And nothing more.”

“Really? That’s boring. By the way, Celestia’s thinking about opening our borders to you, the human world. I’m not here to talk politics, but I’m just wondering- How do you think we will come into play in your modern society?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know this about us, Ash. Our technology is way far behind than yours. How are we going to come into play, then? How do we benefit you guys?”

You think for a moment.

“Hmmm, I have a feeling agriculture could possibly be heavily dependent on you ponies, since your land is much better than ours. Trade could work too- You might have materials that we don’t have. Entertainment definitely works in my opinion. Your kind is so talented, because their adapted to their destiny or hobby.”

Twilight hums in agreement.

“Good ideas. Anyway, we’re not here to talk diplomatic things, haha. Oh yeah! A little question, Ash.”

“What’s up?”

“You once told me you could sing. Would you... Would you mind singing a song right now?”

Your cheeks burn with embarrassment. This is only the first time Twilight has ever talked to you in person, and she’s already feeling interested in your singing. You recall being laughed at for this specific thing- And this is the first time anyone really asked you to sing.

But of course, you don’t want to disappoint her and reject her request. So you decided to sing one of the songs she sang with her friends: Flawless. She joins in during the middle of the song, and both of you gave each other a high-five when you are done.

“See?” Twilight giggles. “You weren’t that bad.”

“Oh, did you ask me that because I told you once I was horrible at singing?”

She tilts her head with a grin. “Mhmm. I think your biggest fear isn’t being bullied. You are afraid of criticism. I don’t want to hurt your feelings in any way, but I think it’s true. I waited until today to meet you in person because I wanted to know more about your personality and see where your problem lies. When we were texting, I could tell you were very shy and you were very harsh on yourself and your abilities. The truth is... There’s no need to listen to people who judge you.”

“Really?”

“Believe me, Ash. I’ve seen these cases. Bullies aren’t trying to hurt you. They are trying to find something to laugh about. Does that ring a bell?”

You shake your head.

“The reason why you feel so negative, is because you look at their criticism in a negative way,” Twilight explains. “Everyone has their own strength and weaknesses inside them. You just have to experiment to find and improve it. If you’re really unsure, consider asking someone you know that actually has experience on the subject. Other than that, you know those bullies are laughing just for fun. Then there’s no need to listen to what they think. You’re the only one who can change what you do, not them.”

You nod.

“It’s sad, actually. I hear it every day.”

Twilight sighs and puts a hoof around your neck. You turn to her with a blush.

“Ash, you know I love you as a friend. I would protect you, but I can’t. All I could do is to cheer you up when you’re feeling blue. You’re an outsider, I know. And that’s fine. You could be what you want to be. But... I want you to know how important friendship is to our lives. You can’t be alone forever, and I don’t want you to be lonely. That’s why I want to be your friend, to let you experience how great it is to have a good friend like me.”

You look at her charming face. You couldn’t help but give a grin from ear to ear, and put your arm around her.

“Yeah. I agree,” You reply, “I don’t want to be alone. That’s why I’m so glad to have you chat with me every day, even though we weren’t next to each other. *blissful sigh* Friendship across worlds is such a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

“It sure is.”

You and Twilight share a bittersweet hug and shuffled a bit. You play with Twilight’s mane- And she gives out chuckles as you tug it.

“Why was I the one who met you, we will never know. But... Thanks, Twilight.” You say.

She lets go and holds your hand. “You’re welcome. Now, let’s chat some more and we’ll go to Canterlot to see Celestia after lunch. How long can you stay for the afternoon?”

You pull her back into a tight hug. She just smiles and sighs as she rests her body onto yours.

“Dont worry about it.”