The Impact of Humans on Ponies

by the koopanater

Resolve of the Past

"What am I going to do..."

After Jasmine accepted Xavier's feelings, everyone thought that the two would grow closer. The thing is, they didn't. Instead, it seemed like Xavier was straying away from Jasmine unlike before. Everyone did understand some parts however, as he was probably confused as what to do now. They were partially right, as he was embarrassed to see her. The other half of him however was questioning what to do, as this would be the first time that he would be growing close to someone in a long time. He was thinking of this multiple times a day, and as he worked at the spa today.

"What am I supposed to say to her? Everything I can think of just doesn't seem right..." He muttered as he worked. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice his coworkers staring at him gossiping.

"So what's going on with him?"

"Apparently his feelings managed to get to Jasmine and she accepted."

"Okay? But why does he seem so... stressed?"

"I'm not exactly sure. The only thing I can think of is that he wants the best for her."

"That would make sense." As they were gossiping, Xavier began to think of the past.

---

You reeaally need to get over this thing."

Right now Xavier was thinking about a time he was inside the room that was given to him by the Mirmadons. The room was barren in his mind, all except the figure of someone, speaking in an uncaring and melancholy tone.

"Oh shut up! What would you be doing in my situation?!" Xavier shouted at them, his voice portraying annoyance and irritation at them. "I Just lost my family and you act like nothing's changed!"

"You ask me like I would be in that situation in the first place." The figure responded as they walked over somewhere and began to lie down in the air, presumably in or on something. "Growing close to someone isn't in the job description."

"Yeah yeah yeah, and you'd be the one to put someone into that situation as well."

"Pretty much. Besides, there's too much effort in that sort of thing."

"The only thing you don't find a hassle is sneaking off to find somewhere to laze about and chocolate."

"Well you should know that even if you promise yourself that you will never grow close to someone, you're setting yourself up for disaster. My father said the same thing, and you can guess how that went. Some promises aren't meant to keep..."

---

"Grr, I hate the fact I have to agree with her for once." Xavier said, his face showing irritation. "*sigh* That doesn't exactly help in what I want to say though..." Xavier worked in silence for a while until he finished. After packing up and earning his pay, he began the walk home. As he was, his mind went back to his past.

"I can't even tell if was being genuine or not. She could show at least some emotion."

"Who could?"

"Bah! Pinkie!?" Xavier jumped when Pinkie appeared out of nowhere again, smiling at him. "When did you get there?"

"Just now. But who are you talking about? A new friend?"

"Didn't you just befriend that donkey?"

"Doesn't mean I can't make any more." Pinkie's explanation and smile earned a sigh from Xavier as he held his hand on his forehead.

"Well I hope you'll never meet them to be honest. But I get the feeling that she'd end up avoiding you like the plague... Not like she could hide from you..."

"Aww..." Pinkie continued to follow Xavier for a while before speaking again. "So how are you and Jasmine doing?" That question got a conflicted look from Xavier as he looked to the side.

"I honestly don't know. I... really don't know how to approach this."

"Hmm, well why don't we-"

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a party is not a 'solve-all' solution." Xavier cut Pinkie off to her dismay. "And no offense, but I doubt you have any good relationship advice."

"Hmph. Well I'll make sure you'll eat your words when I find a special somepony before anypony else."

"Sure."

"But why don't you ask our other friends for advice? I'm sure they have good ideas."

"I doubt it to be honest. Honestly the only ones that would give good advice would be Fluttershy and Huston. Everyone else would probably either have no clue, crack a joke, or read something off of a book."

"Well is there anyone who you can talk to?" Pinkie's question reminded Xavier of someone, but he knew he couldn't talk to them right now.

"...Not really."

"Oh well. I need to meet up with Rarity, we're going to look around the market today!" Pinkie said as she hopped off.

"Have fun." Xavier waved. As Pinkie left, Xavier's mind wandered again.

---

This time Xavier's mind went to a time where he was outside, sitting in the sun and thinking without a destination. As he was, his attention turned to inside the estate. Inside was Zenix and another figure similar in height, but this one's bottom half was more bell-shaped, as this person was a maid who worked in the estate.

"How is Xavier, Ash?" Zenix asked, his face portraying worry.

"I'm sorry young master, but he still hasn't opened up to me." The maid said, her voice sad and disappointed.

"*sigh* well don't beat yourself up, Ash. It's not your fault."

"Please don't beat yourself up either. I'm sure it's hard for you too."

"It is. He hasn't been the happiest person in the world, but seeing him like this is... grah."

"Is there anyone who you can ask?" Zenix crossed his arms in thought.

"I can't think of anyone. I wish I was useful." Zenix turned his back to the maid, frustration on his face as the maid raised their arms in worry.

"Don't worry, young master. You and your family are doing so much for him."

"Not enough..."

---

"...I hope your okay out there, Ashley."

Xavier's thinking rose even more uncertainties as he walked, not realizing where he was. When he stopped, he noticed that he was outside Twilight's library.

"...Maybe talking to someone would help me." He thought out loud as he knocked on the door of the library. "Hey Twilight, you there?" A shuffling could be heard inside when he spoke, and a few moments later the door opened to Spike.

"Hey Xavier. What's up?"

"Oh, hello Spike. Is Twilight home?"

"Nope. She's up in Canterlot today. Her parents needed her for something."

"Well that's a shame..." Xavier looked at Spike for a second, an idea coming to mind. "Well maybe you can help me more."

"Huh? I can?"

"Yeah, you mind if I come in?" Spike allowed him inside, where the two pulled up chairs to sit on. "You see, I need some advice. Or at least someone to talk to."

"Well, I'm not sure how much help I can be..."

"It's about love." Xavier's statement got wide eyes from Spike, as he understood the situation.

"R-really?! B-but wouldn't-"

"I already told Pinkie this, the only ones that would give good advice would be Fluttershy and Huston. Everyone else would probably either have no clue, crack a joke, or read something off of a book." Leaning in, Xavier pointed to Spike with a calm look. "You however understand what I'm going through for the most part with yours with Rarity."

"W-well I mean I did tell you, but-"

"Please Spike." Xavier looked into the dragon's eyes with a pleading look. "I know I'm asking a lot, but I really need someone to talk to that knows what I'm going through." Spike looked at Xavier for a bit, considering his option. On one claw, he was being asked for advice which wasn't something that happened often, and it made him feel good. On the other however, it was over a topic he wasn't sure he could help in, and it was even part of a secret of his. In the end however, he decided to help.

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Well, facing Jasmine right now is... difficult. I don't even know if things can go back to the way they used to be." Xavier explained, his face conflicted. Spike took his words to heart, and began to speak.

"Well, maybe you two should start simply as friends."

"...Aren't we already friends?"

"Yeah, but try not to think too deeply about 'love'." Spike corrected. "Start by acting like you always have and work your way up to love. Don't rush things y'know?" Spike's words resonated with Xavier, but for two different reasons. Obviously Spike's message was one, but the other was one of Xavier's memories yet again.

"...Thanks for the advice, Spike. That's honestly pretty helpful." Xavier said as he stood up. "I need to go find someone, but you helped a lot, really."

"You're welcome. Good luck with Jasmine!" Spike wished as he got up as well. "I need to get clean a few things, so I'll catch you later." Waving to each other, Xavier left the library and looked forward.

"I need to find him. I need to settle things with him first."

---

"Pleasure doin' business with you."

With a wide grin and a pouch full of bits, Zenix was wrapping up one last transaction with a pony. As the pony put a few bits into the pouch and Zenix handed them a box, Zenix waved them and shook the bag a bit.

"Yep, definitely made a profit here, Nyahaha! Although..." Zenix paused and put a hand to his chin in thought. "These are just individual bottles of water. When will I have the opportunity to make some big-" Zenix was cut off by someone grabbing his shawl, causing him to jump in shock. When he looked behind him however, he saw Xavier with a serious face on him. "X-Xavier?"

"We need to talk." Zenix heard the tone of his voice, and his expression calmed down.

"Right, what do you want to talk about?" Xavier led Zenix away to a more secluded spot in town.

"I wanted to talk about something you said before."

"You're gonna have to be more specific about that."

"Back at our world." Zenix's eyes widened a bit.

"You mean..." A nod from Xavier confirmed his thoughts.

---

A knocking at a door was the start of the memory, as Xavier went to a door and opened it for Zenix.

"Hey boss, you got a minute?" Zenix asked, a tilt of his head and a calm expression on his usually smiling face.

"...Sure." Letting Zenix into his room, Xavier looked at him with caution. "Please, don't-"

"I'm not going to talk about the incident, I promise." Zenix said, letting Xavier lower his guard. "What I am here to tell you however is that you've been alone for a while."

"...That doesn't sound like you're promise."

"You never let me finish." Zenix said, putting fingers up. "You've been alone for a while, and it's not healthy. Remember, you've got me, my family, Ashley, and-"

"Don't you even suggest her." Xavier growled.

"...Anyway... What I'm trying to say, is that we're all here for you. But don't rush things. Take all the time you need." Looking Zenix up and down, Xavier sighed.

"I'll keep that in mind."

---

"...So why are you bring this up?" Zenix asked, the memory fading.

"I want to start anew." Xavier admitted, Zenix tilting his head in response. "When I first came here to Equestria, I decided to try and restart. After all, I was in a place where no one knew me. They didn't even know what the human race was capable of and were willing to put their full trust in me. But, I kept thinking back to the past. Even as I met more and more ponies and humans, I still couldn't stop. Not to say it's your fault, but with you coming here it just cements the idea. So... I want to say that I want to move on. But I can't do this alone."

"Does this mean that you want to tell-"

"Not yet." Xavier stopped Zenix. "I will eventually, but not now. For now though, I want to work on getting closer to everyone. Most importantly though, I want to work on getting closer to Jasmine." Zenix looked at him with amazement.

"A-are you really going to-" Xavier stood up, stopping Zenix.

"Yes. I'm going to find her. I'll see you later, Zen." As Xavier walked away, Zenix realized something.

"Zen?"

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's just a surprise... Ver." Both smiled at each other, nodding as they separated. This time however, it won't be for long.

---

Meanwhile

Jasmine was conflicted on the current events. She knew that Xavier needed time to process the idea, and yet she felt that she was too forward when she acted. Now, as the sun set, she was sat at the same spot where Xavier let out his troubles, staring at her reflection in silence. Her silence was broken however.

"Jasmine." Jumping in shock, Jasmine was standing when she saw Xavier looking at her with confusion.

"Oh, hey."

"Did I interrupt something?"

"N-no. I was just thinking."

"Oh, okay." The two stood in awkward silence for a few moments before speaking again. "So I wanted to-"

"I wanted to ap-" Hearing each other speak, they stopped again. "Y-you can go ahead first."

"R-right." Xavier rubbed his arm and looked to the side. "So, I want to work on getting closer to everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I want to get to a point where I am willing to share my secret with them." Xavier admitted. "It's been difficult to grow close with anyone since the accident, so I want to work on that. Right now though, I hope we can start fresh."

"Start fresh."

"As in working up to the point where we can... you know..." Xavier hesitated at the last part. Not out of uncertainty however, more so out of nervousness. Seeing it, Jasmine smiled and walked close, taking his hands.

"That sounds like a good idea." Jasmine smiled. "To be honest, I was thinking about how I acted and I was a bit too forward."

"It's okay, I get it." Xavier sighed. "For now though, let's just slow it down for now."

"Sure." Letting go, Jasmine went back to sit down and patted next to her. "If you're okay with it, we can start with this?"

"Sure." Xavier want to sit next to her. The two didn't do much after that however, just enjoyed each other's company in silence. The two also had the same thoughts as they sat.

I promise, you will never be alone again.

Author's Note:

You thought that this was going to be about time, but it was me! Originality
This one is pretty short not gonna lie. But it is something that's important for development. As for the time it took, well Terraria's one hell of a distraction for getting my motivation back. The next one should be longer, and also original. It's... in the brainstorm phase though, so this one may take longer than normal. Until then, Koops out!

Comments

[CGG]

great chapter mate and it's nice that Xavier is thinking on about having a fresh start and also working on sharing his secret with everyone it very brave of him to do so.

[Luckyfanisaac]

"The only thing you don't find a hassle is sneaking off to find somewhere to laze about and eat chocolate."

"I can't even tell if she was being genuine or not. She could show at least some emotion."

"I need to get clean a few things, so I'll catch you later."