Equestrian reformation

by Vladilen_pro

Unexpected Revelations

"...and then I punched him right in the nose, and blood came out. It ran down his nose and dripped right onto the pavement..." I said, looking at the surprised reactions of the three fillies. "Hey, you three insisted that I tell you how I got in Equestria..."

"No, no, go on... We just..." Scootaloo didn't finish.

"We just amazed at your strength!" continued Sweetie Belle.

"All right then... Anyway, I was already glad I could fight Mac off, but I was celebrating too early! While I was talking, he..."

"...Pushed you and you fell on the pavement, starting to bleed and unable to get up. And if the police hadn't arrived at that moment..."

All four of us looked at the source of the sound. Applejack was standing at the entrance, leaning against the doorway and smiling slyly.

Silence hung in the air for a few seconds.

"Well... Actually, yeah, she's right..." I said, breaking the silence.

Applejack smiled rather pleased.

"Okay, kids, it's getting dark, time to go home! That goes for you, too, Vlad!" said Applejack with a satisfied smile.

(Did she just call me a kid?)

We all came out of the tree house. The three fillies said their goodbyes and separated. Apple Bloom went with Applejack, and the rest of us headed for the exit of the farm.

"You girls want me to walk you home? It's getting dark." I suggested.

"It's okay Vlad, Rarity will meet us. But thanks for the offer, that's very nice of you!" Sweetie Belle patted my hand. "Speaking of which, there she is!"

At the end of the fence, Rarity stood waving at us.

"Hello, darlings! How was your day?" Rarity asked the two fillies.

"Vlad told us so many interesting things! It was the funniest evening of my life!" said Sweetie Belle cheerfully.

"Yes, he said there are enough interesting stories for many more evenings!" said Scootaloo.

"How interesting... I wouldn't mind hearing something interesting from you too, Vlad," Rarity said as she looked at me.

"Maybe... I've got something for you too, Rarity. I don't know... Maybe I could tell you something about fashion from the human world..." I said uncertainly.

"That would be very nice of you, Vlad! I don't mind hearing more about human fashion at all... Maybe I could even make clothes for you...?"

"Well, don't expect much from me, I don't know much about fashion. I think you can tell by my rather simple-looking clothes." I said, making excuses.

"Well, it's not like I have any other source of knowledge about human fashion besides you, so... Gotta make the most of every opportunity." Rarity said, smiling warmly.

"Well, it's not like I have any other source of knowledge about human fashion besides you, so. Gotta make the most of every opportunity." Rarity said, smiling warmly. "Maybe you can come visit me this weekend?"

"I don't know yet... But as soon as I find out... I'll let you know right away!" I said cheerfully.

"Great. Okay, we should go. See you later, Vlad." Rarity said as she patted my hand.

"Bye, have a good rest today!" said Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at the same time.

I waved to the three of them and headed home. My way home was through Ponyville Market, so I decided to go to the Coffeeine Cream stand and wish her a nice weekend.

(I wonder when she has more customers, morning or evening? I guess coffee is needed in both cases...)

As I approached the stand, I didn't find a coffee pony there.

(Am I late? I guess she leaves early on Fridays. Oh well...)

I was about to continue walking, but suddenly I saw Coffeine Cream coming out from behind one of the houses. She was carrying a bouquet of flowers and some fruits.

(Hmm... A familiar set of items... She goes... To the hospital? She's going to see her mother?)

I knew it wasn't good to spy on someone, but I needed answers... Besides... It wasn't the first time for me.

(Maybe since she won't tell me, it's really none of my business... But what if I can help? Maybe if she had known me longer than a few days, she would tell me everything. But right now, the only way that might give me a chance to find out what's going on is through spying.)

I followed the coffee pony as stealthily as possible, sometimes hiding in dark places. But she hadn't turned around once yet.

(Well, it's better to make sure she doesn't notice me than to have to explain later what I want from her...)

After about ten minutes, we really came to where I expected... The hospital. It looked pretty massive compared to all the other buildings in Ponyville.

(So that's where the hospital is... I guess it wouldn't hurt to know).

Coffeine Creme entered the hospital, and I stood outside for a while, watching through the glass front doors. When she had talked to the mare at the reception, she went on her way.

(Okay... I guess now I can go in without arousing suspicion or attracting much attention).

But I stopped, and a smile appeared on my face.

(A human walking around a town where ponies live certainly doesn't attract much attention... Yes...)

Keeping these thoughts in my head, I finally entered the hospital. After looking around for a moment, I approached the reception desk.

"Hello, ma'am. Can you tell me, have you seen a certain Coffeine Cream today?" I asked politely.

"Hello. Yes, she came to visit a sick member of her family. Why do you ask?" asked the reception pony with a little suspicion.

"I need to see her and her sick family member. Please tell me the room number." I continued to be polite.

"And who are you to her? We can't tell that to random ponies, or in your case, humans, it's personal information." said the pony professionally.

"I'm her friend, we agreed to meet here and visit a sick member of her family together, but I'm a little late..." I lied as convincingly as I could.

"Oh really? You know, mister, I am warned in advance about such an event, and I was not warned about your appearance by Coffeine Cream."

"Well, maybe she didn't know that's the way to do it...?" hoping for luck, I asked.

"No, she's been visiting this hospital for a long time, and she definitely knows how to do it right. Besides, she used to bring one of her friends. You know what? She warned me. So she's obviously not a friend or relative of yours. So, I'm sorry, but I can't give you the room number." the reception pony said seriously.

(I suspected this would happen. Shit... What do we do now?)

(Actually, I have an idea... I was hoping it wouldn't come to that, but... I don't have a choice.)

I took a bag of bits out of my pocket, reached behind the reception desk and "accidentally" dropped it there.

"Oh no, what a disaster... Can you help me get it?" I said, making a face that made it clear what was going on.

The pony looked at me hesitantly at first, but then sneaked a visitation log toward me, which contained the information I needed. I quickly found what I needed there, as Coffeine was the last pony to go inside the hospital.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you..." I said in a whisper as the pony looked out from behind the reception desk again.

She didn't answer anything, and she looked sad. I realized that she was sorry for what she had done, but everyone needs money, and I understand that. I didn't say anything else and headed toward the right room. I had to go up to the third floor, and I ran up the stairs as fast as I could.

(I need to speed up even more... I've already lost enough time at the reception!)

When I was finally near the right room, I had to restrain my loud breathing, or I would have given myself away. I pressed my back against the wall near the doorway and started listening.

"Tell me, dear, how have you been lately? Are you getting enough rest? You're not working more than usual, are you?" sounded an elderly voice that belonged to Coffeine Cream's mother.

There was no response.

"Again...? Darling, I've asked you many times, please don't abuse yourself like this."

"But Mom... I'm trying to earn money for your treatment! And in order for me to succeed, I have to work hard... More than before, when everything was fine... But I can do it, I promise! Everything will be fine..." said the coffee pony almost crying.

"Don't worry about me, you have to think about yourself first. I'll be fine, but if you continue to wear yourself out like this... You're a young mare, you've got your whole life ahead of you! You should enjoy it while you can."

"Mom... You know I'm not leaving you here, don't you?" asked Coffeine seriously. "I can't live happily as long as I know my mother is unhappy."

"I know... I know you're stubborn." said the elderly mare, and I could hear the echoes of laughter in her voice. "It's from your father. If he were still with us, he'd be proud of your stubbornness. Maybe you're even more stubborn than he is."

"Yes, Mom... So there's no point in convincing me..."

"Because you're going to do it your way anyway." the old mare concluded.

"Exactly. Your attempts to change my mind won't work." Coffeine said in a slightly more cheerful voice.

"All right, all right, you win again!" said Coffeine's mother cheerfully. "What about friends? Did you find them? You need to communicate more with someone other than me... Maybe you'll find yourself a handsome young stallion, you'll fall in love, get married, and then you can think about foals..." the old mare asked hopefully.

"Mom, I promise you that if we make it..." the coffee pony paused. "And we will! You'll have at least one adorable grandchild. Just keep at it, Mom. It's going to be okay."

"I'll take your word for it, dear!" the old mare said cheerfully. "But you didn't answer my question... How are you doing with your friends?"

"Well... I didn't have time for friends, I was at work all the time... But... You've heard about this human who came to us as part of the reformation program, right? He bought coffee from me several times and tried to talk to me. The first time I wasn't in the mood to talk because I was very upset about your diagnosis, and he kept trying to find out why I was so sad..."

"And? Did you "politely" ask him to mind his own business? Right?" the old mare asked slyly.

"Yes... I'm very ashamed of that time... He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Coffeine said sadly.

"And when did you meet him again?" asked Coffeine's mother.

"Today. This morning he was trying to find my coffee stand, saying he didn't get enough sleep, and if he didn't have coffee, he'd fall asleep while he was walking." the coffee pony paused for a moment. "I showed him the new location of my stand, and started serving him. While I was doing that, he saw your photo and asked about you, but I didn't answer again, telling him not to hold up the queue."

"Honey, you hold so much inside. I understand that it's hard for you to make friends right now, but understand... After all, you already have one potential friend. This human. Maybe you should talk to him. If he, unlike the others, has tried to find out why you're sad... It means he cares, I see that he has a good heart and he will listen to you." the old mare said wisely. "You might do things your way again, but I know one thing for sure... You need to talk to him. Just keep my words in mind."

"Hmm... Maybe you're right, Mom... If I see him again, I'll talk to him. I don't think it would do any harm."

"You won't regret it, I'm sure." the old mare said with motherly kindness in her voice.

Meanwhile, I tried to think about what I had heard.

(I was right... Coffeine needs money for her mother's treatment, and because of that she works hard... And that's why she moved her stand... It all makes sense now).

(And now she also wants to talk to me... Will she tell me what I already know...?)

I stood there for about a minute wondering how I could help Coffeine in this situation. My thoughts were interrupted by a voice coming from a loudspeaker.

"Reception hours will end in five minutes. All visitors must leave the hospital."

"Okay mom, I have to go. I'll see you again soon." said Coffeine as she began to prepare to leave.

(I have to go, too, if I don't want her to see me now.)

I quickly headed down the stairs and ran for the exit. The reception pony was going home, too, and she looked at me as I ran for the exit. I just gave her the thumbs up and ran on.

It was already dark outside. I ran farther from the hospital and stood behind one of the houses so as not to give myself away in case anything happened.

(Okay, I think I have an idea... To Twilight!)

I was running pretty fast again, since I thought Twilight might be going to bed by now. When I arrived, I was happy to find that the lights were still on in the windows.

(Great, I made it in time...)

I knocked on the door, and Twilight opened it for me.

"Oh, Vlad, hi... I didn't expect to see you today. Come in." said Twilight, stepping aside.

"Thank you Twilight. Good thing you're still awake..." I said out of breath after running.

"Did something happen? Did someone chase you?" asked Twilight worriedly, closing the door.

"No, no, I just... Look, I need to write a letter to Princess Celestia, right away." I said, sitting down on the couch and starting to catch my breath.

"Ah, so that' s the matter... Sure, no problem." Twilight turned toward the stairs and began to rant. "Spike, bring the paper, please!"

"Okay, Twilight, just a second!" came Spike's voice from the second floor.

"I'm glad you want to write a letter to Princess Celestia even if you're not required to. Asking her advice is always a good idea." Twilight said with a smile.

At that moment Spike came down the stairs with a stack of paper.

"I wasn't sure how much paper you'd need, Twilight, so... Oh, Vlad, hi! I didn't know you were here." Spike said as he placed the stack of paper on the table near the couch.

"Hi!" I said, and we shook hands. "Will you send a letter to the princess?"

"Sure!" said Spike cheerfully.

"But, I don't know if she'll answer today ... It's late, you may have to wait until tomorrow." Twilight said, getting up from the couch.

"Well, I have to write a letter first... And then we'll see." I said, taking a pen out of my pocket and picking up one of thE papers.

"All right, you write for now, and I'll boil the kettle. You wouldn't say no to tea, would you?" asked Twilight as she went into the kitchen.

"Yes, of course!" I said, making myself comfortable. "Unless there's a bear knocking on the door in the meantime..."

"Twilight, I'll help you!" said Spike and went into the kitchen.

(Okay, the sooner I start, the better...)

"Hello princess, I hope it's not too late.

Due to certain circumstances, I urgently need to meet with you to discuss a certain problem. I think this would be the best solution, since it would be long and inconvenient to discuss it through letters. I hope you will find time to meet with me, I really need it, I assure you. I may have some other questions for you.

Goodbye, princess.
Vlad."

I reread the letter several times to make sure everything was okay.

(Great. I hope Twilight doesn't want to edit this letter of mine, too?)

Just at that time Spike came out of the kitchen.

"Spike, it's done." I said, holding out the letter to him.

"Got it!" said Spike and took the letter from me.

Spike rolled the letter into a tube and held it out in front of his face. The next moment he breathed green fire into the letter, and it disintegrated into green particles, then into a small cloud and flew out the window.

"Wow, cool! Last time I didn't see you do it, finally I saw it this time." I said with fascination.

"At your service!" said Spike with a chuckle.

I chuckled, too, and we made a BroFist. After that, Spike went back to the second floor. I leaned back on the couch with relaxation.

(Celestia, please answer as soon as possible...)

"Vlad, I heard you finished your letter? Come to the kitchen then!" came Twilight's voice from the kitchen.

"I'm coming!"

I got up from the couch lazily and went to the kitchen.

"Sit down, please." said Twilight, moving the chair with magic.

I sat down and immediately smelled the aroma of tea.

"Blackberry! Right?" I asked, sniffing my cup of tea.

"Right. Are you good with tea?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to brag." I said with a smile.

Twilight smiled back.

On the table, in addition to tea, there was a large plate of cookies. The smell of these cookies seemed familiar to me.

"Is something wrong?" asked Twilight, when she saw me looking at the cookies for too long.

"No, it's fine, it's just... For some reason the smell of these cookies is familiar to me..." I said thoughtfully.

"Ah, I see... These are Fluttershy's cookies. She recently started learning how to bake, and she loved it so much... Anyway, now we all have a supply of cookies for the next year or more..." said Twilight with a smile.

(Yeah... That makes sense. By the way, I never got to try the cookies Fluttershy gave me...)

"Well, okay, that makes sense then. I'd love to try some of Fluttershy's cookies," I said, and took one of the cookies off the plate.

The cookies tasted like... Like an ordinary tasty cookie.

"Of course, as I expected, the cookie tasted good. Could it have been any other way?" I said.

"Yeah, too bad you didn't get to try it that day..." said Twilight with a sly smile.

I almost spit out my tea when I heard that.

"What do you mean?" I asked warily.

"Well, that time Harry showed up." Twilight said with a laugh.

"Oh no... Did Fluttershy tell you about that?" I asked a little upset.

"Yes, she told me. She also told me that you left, saying that you had to write a letter to Princess Celestia, and she was very surprised when she found out that you didn't come here that day to write that very letter." Twilight continued to speak with a sly smile.

"Well, you know, I just... I thought..." I tried to start talking, but the look on Twilight's face made it clear that I couldn't lie.

"Ah, okay... It feels like it's impossible to lie to you, Twilight..." I said, accepting the fact that I was exposed.

"Yes, lying in my presence is very difficult..." Twilight took a sip of tea. "Admit it... You were just scared, weren't you?"

"Yes... You know, in my world we don't have bears visiting us and asking for massages..." I said, trying to excuse myself.

"It's okay, I'm not judging you... " said Twilight with a smile. "But of course you could have told the truth..." the sly smile returned to Twilight.

"Sometimes lies are for the greater good... I just didn't want to offend Fluttershy." I said, taking another sip of tea.

"Okay, maybe you're right..." Twilight smiled warmly. "How was your first day on the job with Applejack? Are you tired?"

"Yes, I'm tired... But I think I'd be even more tired if Applejack made me pull apple wagons... But, to my relief, that's what Mac did," I said, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Actually, this job isn't as bad as I thought it would be... In breaks between work, Mac and I had a good time. We drank apple cider from the reserve, talked about different things, had a strength contest."

"Looks like the reformation program is in full swing, huh?" asked Twilight cheerfully.

"Yes... Even Applejack said after work today that maybe I'm not as bad as she thought." I said proudly.

"See? I told you that sooner or later you would become friends. All it takes is time..."

"Yeah, I guess you were right after all, Twilight." I agreed.

At that moment, I had a sudden urge to try to find out from Twilight about Celestia's plans.

(Shouldn't I ask? Not directly, of course...)

"Listen, Twilight, do you happen to know...?" but I didn't have time to finish, because Spike's voice came from the second floor.

"Vlad, Princess Celestia sent a letter with an answer!"

"Wow, I didn't think she'd answer today!" Twilight was surprised.

I got up and left the kitchen. I met Spike in the library room.

"Here you go." Spike said, handing me the letter.

I unwrapped the letter and began to read it. To my happiness, Celestia agreed to meet with me tomorrow.

"Everything okay, Vlad? Did you get the answer you wanted?" asked Twilight.

"Yes! I have to get ready for tomorrow. Thanks for the tea, I have to go!" I said, hugging Twilight.

"Oh, please... It's nothing." said Twilight, hugging me back.

"And thank you, Spike, for sending my letter to Celestia." I said, and we shook hands.

After that, I went outside and walked home at an accelerated pace. When I turned around, I saw Twilight and Spike waving at me. I waved back and continued on my way home.

(I need to get some sleep, so I can properly present my idea to Celestia...)

Comments

[FanOfSun]

I followed the coffee pony as stealthily as possible, sometimes hiding in dark places. But she hadn't turned around once yet.

"Snake, where is your BOX?!"