A New Hero

by Alex The Lone Wolf

Planting Fences

This past week has been so exhausting for both Twilight and me. With Spirit tagging along the way the majority of the time, I couldn't blame her if she felt the same way. After all, by the way I've been figuring things, since I've been feeling pretty drained, she'd be too. I'd say one of the most exhausting events was the yakkity yaks Twilight invited over to establish a friendship with.

It was no surprise when Pinkie Pie made us realize that we had to be showing them our way, the pony way, of home instead of trying to perfect their home here. Honestly, I didn't think they had much of a brain when they immediately resorted to violence and even a call to war when they didn't like the way we handled things first. In fact, when they first tore up the banquet in the castle Twilight prepared for them, I sort of wanted to straighten them out both physically and angrily. However, I suppose it was a good thing Twilight stopped me from doing that, considering their violent nature.

Either way, I'm just glad all of that was over. Plus, we learned a little more information we probably wouldn't have expected at all from Pinkie Pie. I don't know when or how she found the time to have a file of every single pony in Ponyville that contained their birthdays and their likes and dislikes. But whatever. Pinkie is…her own little character. Interestingly enough, Spirit found my file ironic, since Pinkie added a side note that decided her birthday fell on the same day as mine. Considering the situation, I guess it only made sense.

I think I was ready to take a whole week off until Spike began doing the dishes. There was a pretty heavy amount leftover to wash, so Spirit and I decided to help out before we knocked out for the night.

"Thanks for helping out, you guys." He thanked. "These pile of dishes is like ten times bigger than me."

"Well, sometimes I think you do a lot more that you should for a baby dragon." I mentioned, using my magic to speed up the process and hovered the majority of washed dishes over to Spirit to dry.

"Yeah, but I'm kind of used to it." Spike attested. "Those checklists of checklists to check the checklists don't write themselves, you know?"

"Sure…" I refrained from questioning the need of such a complex chain of checklists and focused on finishing the remainder of the dishes.

After stacking them away neatly, Spike turned off the water faucet and began to return to the room Twilight had been relaxing and reading the past week away.

"Hey, um…" Spirit suddenly spoke, stopping me from following Spike. "You know…it's been such a long time where I sort of…just let you do your own thing, y'know? Back when I was all secretive and didn't want you to know what I was and yadayada. We've been running around together ever since we got the castle, and I'm considering letting you have a break from me."

"You don't think I'm feeling bothered of you, do you?" I asked, growing concerned over her unexpected statement.

"No, no." She lightly swung and dragged her hoof across the floor. "I'm just thinking that maybe it's best we sometimes keep to our own. Especially after a week like this one, I'm considering starting that break with a big and long nap. After all, if I stay inside and don't come out, I wouldn't have to do all the boring chores and stuff." She commented with a small giggle afterwards.

"Hey, if that's what you want to do, by all means, do it." I encouraged her as long as she was doing it for the right reasons. "I just don't want you to think that you're annoying me or anything because you're not. But if you want to have a break and stay inside like before, go right ahead."

With a small but tired grin, she embraced me and proceeded to dissipate into the air with a soft glow. "Call me if you need me."

I only slightly nodded before she completely vanished.

Then, I decided to join the others inside the room.

"It's kinda funny, isn't it? All these ponies comin' to you for advice about friendship?" I heard Spike as I entered the room.

"What's funny about that?" Twilight genuinely asked.

"You know, 'cause you used to be famous for being such a bad friend."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight no longer hosted a smile on her face after setting the book she had been reading back into the bookshelf. "I had good friends in Canterlot."

"Come on, Twilight. Look at the wall." Spike pointed out. "D'ya see any photos from before we moved to Ponyville? And look at you now – the Princess of Friendship."

After literally looking at the big picture on the wall, which was our coronation, Twilight gasped sharply. "This is a disaster! All my old friends! I can't remember any of their names right now!" She paced worriedly around the room. "But do you really think that they think I'm a bad friend?!"

"Well, I only meant that you've come so far. You're a great friend now and—"

"Oh, I feel terrible! I've gotta make it up to them! Pack a bag, Spike! We're going to Canterlot!" Twilight ran towards the door, but she didn't leave just yet until she made one last notice. "And make a list of my friends' names."

"Aw. Me and my big mouth."

"Actually, Spike, that was a good thing to point out." I mentioned. "Wouldn't you want somepony you cared about to see you again if they had left without saying goodbye?"

Spike sighed and placed down the book he had been planning to read to his side so he could begin taking care of what Twilight asked him to do. "Good point, I guess."

Out in the hallway, Twilight confronted me. "You're coming too, right?"

"Sure. I'll see you in the morning." I stated, beginning to walk past before she stopped me with an unexpected response.

"Um…I was thinking about going right now…"

"Now?" I returned a little alarmed. "It's night."

"Yeah, well…it's one of those things that I'd rather get started pronto. I wouldn't be able to go to sleep after learning something I had been blinded to this entire time!"

With a light sigh, somewhat heavy eyes, but a small smile, I answered. "Just for you."

Twilight immediately squeezed me before she ran off to finish the rest of her preparations.

Afterwards, there was another unexpected event to add on to this extended night. Knocks came from the front door.

"I'll get it." I mentioned before heading my way down there.

Who could be over so late at night? Could there be an emergency or something?

Opening the front doors enough to see the pony on the other side, I found Starlight standing casually in front of me.

"Starlight? What are you doing here so late?" I asked.

"I've uh…" She shuffled her feet a little oddly. "I've…kind of got some bad news for you."

This had my concern as hearing something like this coming from Starlight was new.

"Bad news? Of what?" I inquired.

"You're not really going to like it."

"Just spit it out." I felt myself growing uneasy and impatient as every second passed.

She drew out a heavy sigh. "It's dad." She pulled out an opened envelope containing a letter within.

"Dad?"

I couldn't quite grasp what she meant at first. For some weird reason, I wondered how she could have known about that dad until I realized I had almost forgotten about the one who practically caused a big scar in my life. My past life, at least.

"So? What does he want?" I quickly returned, wanting to dash through the subject as quickly as possible.

"Well…he wants to meet with you."

I could feel my heart drop at that.

"Meet with me? For what?! Aren't I supposed to not exist to him?"

"Apparently…" Starlight tucked the letter and envelope away as she spoke. "You had a story written about you some time ago? Dad caught wind of it and learned that…you mentioned the kind of… environment…you were raised in."

"So?" I refused to find any kind of requests from him reasonable. "He's lucky I didn't mention any names or anything."

"Either way, he's pretty ticked. And it sounds more like he's demanding that you meet with him rather than just asking politely."

"So you're telling me I should go then?" I questioned quite bitterly.

Starlight raised her hoof to show that she had no hold of me. "Hey. I'm just telling you what he said to me. I'm not telling you to do anything. It's your choice." She now looked at me a little more seriously. "But I do know that the last pony you haven't tied up things with is him. In fact, I think the last time you saw him was at the Canterlot wedding." She then turned her head to the side to avoid eye contact with me. "If you ask me, maybe you should go, to finally get some closure. But if you really don't care anymore, then you can ignore him for all I care."

I couldn't answer to that straight away. I was now stuck dwelling within my own thoughts that began to multiply at an alarming accelerating rate concerning the situation at hoof.

Starlight must have noticed or sensed my anxiety, so she didn't wait long to hear something from me. "Look, I didn't go through the same things you did, so I don't know exactly how you feel or how bad this seems. All I can tell you is…try not to worry about it. You've grown so much since then. You're an Alicorn and a Prince of Equestria for crying out loud. He has no control over you. And there's no way he should even think about hurting you again. I know you're stronger than him."

Hearing those words come from her did manage to lightly ease my worries here and there, but it was definitely not an entirely effective cure. "Thanks, Starlight…"

"If you decide to go, you know where to find him." She mentioned. "Otherwise…if you need something, let me know." She stood in front of my silent expression for a moment before she lightly wrapped herself around me. For the brief amount of time, I could definitely feel there was sincerity and meaning behind it. When she pulled away, she began turning her body around to leave. "I'll see you around."

Sometime after she took her leave, Twilight approach me from behind, tapping me when she must have seen me there standing like an idiot in front of an open door. "Who was it?"

"Starlight." I answered.

"Starlight?" Twilight repeated, revealing the same kind of surprise I had when I had just seen her past the front doors. "What did she need?"

"She stopped by to tell me something." I responded, hesitating on revealing the whole conversation. "That…" I paused, but we heard Spike's voice announce in, giving me somewhat relief.

"I'm ready, Twilight."

Twilight turned back towards me as if she insisted on hearing the rest of what I had to say before we left, but I didn't want to hold her up.

"I'll tell you later."

---

We arrived at Canterlot by flight, landing near a darkened and seemingly unlived building.

"I don't think you've ever seen the place I lived in before I moved to Ponyville, have you?" Twilight asked near the entrance.

I shook my head. "I don't think so."

She turned her attention towards the front door and escorted me in along with Spike.

However, it looked as if her attention was captured by something far more interesting and captivating.

"It's exactly how we left it!" She wandered in, taking careful look of the dusty settings living amongst webs. Had it been left alone any longer, it probably would have even looked like the Castle of the Two Sisters when we first found it. Suddenly, she gasped out loud. "Alex! Look!" She invited me alongside her, heavily blowing dust off an open book. "It's Predictions and Prophecies! And it's still open to the Elements of Harmony!" She turned to me. "This was the book that started my entire adventure to finding you all and living in Ponyville! This was the book that began an entire chapter with a turn of events for every one of our lives!"

"And here's that present I was gonna give Moon Dancer!" Spike spotted and picked up a teddy bear with its stuffing pouring out as if it had been punctured through with something sharp. "Huh. Guess she won't be needing that." He threw behind him after observing the state it was in. "Hey, look! The rest of it's still here!"

Twilight continued to roam around, taking careful notice of the current state of things. "How could I have let this happen?" She asked, riddled with guilt, as she approached a large window with a vast view of Canterlot.

"Come on, Twilight. Princess Celestia gave you an assignment. Nopony could blame you for that." Spike tended to Twilight, releasing more of their backstory behind leaving the city and moving to Ponyville.

"But look at the way I left this place. It's a total mess! Just like how I left my friendships."

"So…" I stepped forward. "Who were these friends?"

I believed I had always assumed Twilight never really had friends to begin with based on how she had described her prior life. I thought she had always spent her time reading and study rather than make any kind of friendly interaction. For me, I think the real question was how she found friends to begin with, but I didn't ask that.

Twilight stared at me for a moment, remaining silent. Afterwards, she wandered her eyes around as if she was thinking of what to say.

"Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra Heartstrings, and Moon Dancer." Spike answered for her.

"Yeah, them." Twilight accepted. "I've gotta make it up to them."

"I've spoken with Lyra a few times before." I mentioned. "Doesn't she live in Ponyville? I don't think I've ever heard her mention you before."

"Maybe she forgot about me." Twilight walked away from the window. "I wouldn't blame her. Like I've said, I was a terrible friend. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't even like me."

I wondered about the reality of the situation. What would I think if I tried being friends with a pony only for them to ignore me and eventually become the Princess of Friendship? To be honest, I would probably be pretty ticked. Despite that totally not being the case with Twilight, I'd feel as if a pony like that was snobby and rewarded for her despicable behavior. However, Twilight was far far from that. Hopefully with her friends, they would feel the same.

"I'm…going to check out the rest of the place." Spike dismissed himself, walking up the stairs to the higher floors of the building.

Twilight turned to me as if she had something she needed to get off her chest or share. "Alex, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Let's do a little role-playing…" She began. "Imagine we had been friends since we were kids. You always made an attempt to speak to me, but I didn't really bother to make the effort to return the favor or spend any time with you. To make a long list short, I acted like I could care less about you…what would you think? You see one day I left without even saying goodbye, virtually hitting the last nail on the coffin. How would you feel? Would you ever want to see me again?"

Seeing as I had ironically already thought about this just a while ago, I already had a good idea of how to respond to that.

"You want me to be utterly honest?" I asked.

Twilight looked as if she hesitated on her response to that. Nevertheless, she managed to softly nod.

I walked past her and faced the window, not wanting to directly make eye contact while I gave her my answer. "I…probably wouldn't want to see you again."

There was a heavy silence that made us both feel uneasy.

"I'd probably think you were just some snobby pony who didn't consider me good enough to talk to, going by what I would have realistically known about you. And for sure, I would definitely scoff at the idea of you becoming a Princess of Friendship when you were nothing like that in the past. And if you were doing what you are trying to do now, I'd probably think you were just doing it for yourself to look better. After all, you are the Princess of Friendship."

Twilight still didn't answer, and I had become afraid that I possibly hurt her feelings.

I turned to confront her. "But I know you, and that's not true. And the whole situation depends on the kind of ponies you've interacted with in the past. Me? Well, you know I'm pretty much pessimistic, or at the very least I was like that. Had I known you in the past and not now, I would have never known how dedicated you really were to your goals. I would have never known the real reason why you pushed yourself away from others. If the ponies you roamed with at least knew or had a good idea of the reason you were so on your own about everything, I think things will be okay. So don't take the way I'd react to it as what you should expect. Because I know, even if that was the case, I'd eventually have to see how sorry you really are if you really push yourself to show it."

"Could you keep me company?" She asked after having a moment to let all that sink in. "I think it would be better to have you by my side while I try to revive lost friendships. I know you would really give me great advice on what to do…"

I approached her and placed a caring hoof on her shoulder. "Of course. You deserve it."

The moon light lit her face and allowed me to see the smile that softly formed on her face. We looked towards one another for a comfortable moment before we heard Spike snoring from above.

"Looks like he's already asleep…" Twilight reacted with a soft chuckle before she faced back at me. "So…what happened with Starlight?"

The talk with Twilight had practically made me forget about that entire incident, and it might have been a lot better had she not reminded me.

I sighed and wiped my face downwards with my hoof due to the upcoming stress. "It's my dad."

Her smile flipped once she heard that. Her eyes scanned through mine before she answered. "Wait…are you talking about that one you used to live with…?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "He wants to see me."

"W-why?"

"He heard about or read the story that was written about me and the life I lived growing up. Even though I didn't reveal any identities, I'm guessing he isn't liking the idea about other ponies finding out who he really is."

Twilight released a half-chuckle through her response. "Well, you don't have to see him, you know? He can't tell you what to do."

"You're right…" I lowered my head towards the floor. "But…" I sighed in between. "As much as I hate the idea, I think it's something I have to do. Starlight got me thinking. If the idea of meeting with him really didn't bother me now like it actually does, then I should care less about agreeing to the idea. But I feel like I'm trying to find any excuse in the book to avoid this because I'm actually really terrified. And if it stays like that, I don't think I'll ever close and cut ties with him. He'll always haunt me in some way or another, and I'd honestly want to remove him from my life completely…sort of…" I was reminded of my other father. The one pony who most likely would have treated me like someone unlike the one I was actually stuck with.

"…so when were you going to go?" Twilight asked, assuming what my answer was set on.

"I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible…so probably tomorrow…"

"T-tomorrow?" This surprised Twilight.

"I mean…I could probably leave it until after you've made up with your friends. I'd rather stick around you by a landslide."

Twilight shook her head. "I know you've mentioned yourself how you want the two of us to handle important conflicts together, but maybe we should skip this one. After all, my problem is about me and my friends, and you're problem is about you and your dad. No offense, but such personal problems…are probably dealt best on your own." Twilight shook her head again as if she said something wrong. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make it sound like I'm abandoning you or anything, it's just…remember our therapy session? This is a part of your therapy as well. I can't take your place and make you magically all better again." She chuckled with a soft smile. "I wish I could, but even magic can't do that. This is something you have to confront and deal with on your own. Don't get the wrong idea, I'll totally be here to support you and talk to you if you need it. But…" She shared a sigh of her own herself. "I hope you understand what I'm getting at."

I thought about it for some time and chuckled myself. "Based on how I've tried to handle things on my own so you wouldn't be in danger? Yeah, I do." I nodded. "Alright. I'll try to get this over and done with as soon as I can so I make it back to you."

"Take your time." She encouraged. "If you just say one word and leave, thinking that it is all over, nothing will really get done. Make sure you plant your fences."

"I got it." I answered, appreciating her word and help. "And you go ahead and mend yours."

Her smile stretched as she closed her eyes.

Finally, under the moonlight, we shared a warm and tight embrace before preparing for the inevitable obstacles that were to come the next day.

---

Twilight had offered me her bed, especially since she was going to stay up going over things for tomorrow. Nevertheless, I didn't get such a good sleep. I remember tossing and turning and finally waking up in the morning practically drenched in sweat. It didn't come at first, but there were figments of just the thing I dreaded about today. I believe I had dreamt that I was still living back at home with my old family, as if everything that had happened never really happened in the first place. That's what had made it so scary.

I remember ironically wishing that my dream was actually a dream because it felt that real. Waking up, I found it weird how you find yourself believing that your dreams are real, despite how off they can really be. Sometimes, I even question to myself if my current "waking" life is all a lie. If it was all a dream and when I wake up, I'll be back to living my miserable and lonely pathetic life. However, such thoughts sometimes got too overwhelming, and I usually had to force myself to ignore and not believe them.

I overheard Twilight and Spike talking downstairs, so I followed their voices in order to accompany them.

"Hey, you're awake." She said as she spotted me down the stairs.

"I hope you weren't up all night." I frankly mentioned, knowing her already.

With a small blush of embarrassment, she shrugged. "I managed to find out where one of my old friends live. I guess that's a good thing." Afterwards, her small smile slowly dissipated. "Were you…going to head out already?"

I constantly had to battle with myself on what I wanted do. A part of me wanted to head over to Fillydelphia as soon as possible, and the other part of me wanted to procrastinate the inevitable as long as possible.

"Well…I can probably wait and say hi to one of your friends before I go. I think I might remember them. Their names sound familiar." I decided procrastination won for now.

Twilight looked unsure of whether to enable that opportunity. However, she allowed it.

"Okay, sure."

Apparently, we had stopped by Minuette's house, which, if I remember correctly, was one of Cadence's bridesmaids back at her and Shining Armor's wedding. There was a large hourglass indentation on her door and another on the top portion of her building.

Twilight appeared as if she was gaining the strength to knock on the door. I especially knew how she felt, considering I had to do this kind of thing numerous times and was bound to do it again very soon. When she finally forced a few knocks, she then began nervously tapping her hoof before the door creaked open.

"Minuette?"

"Twilight Sparkle!" A pony shot out from the inside with an utterly joyous greeting along with a merry laugh. "You old so-and-so! What are you doing here?!" She caused Twilight to back down from the steps as she pushed forwards towards her. She also took notice of the baby dragon by her side. "Hey, Spike!" She greeted, receiving a light wave. "Look at these wings, huh?!" She approached Twilight, waving her hoof at her wings. "Oh, and it's Prince Alex too!" It didn't take long before she realized I was there. She practically gave me a Pinkie Pie squeeze with a free joke to boot. "I don't suppose you're single now, are you?"

I kind of had to force up a chuckle. "Sorry.."

Nevertheless, she returned a genuine giggle before she passed a camera along to Spike.

"Hey, grab a picture of me and the prince and princess, will ya?! I tried to tell my co-workers Twilight and I used to be friends back when." She giggled yet again, having me want to believe she's struck with them like hiccups. "But they've never believed me!"

Twilight sent me a sort of small shrug, but she looked calm nonetheless. I was invited to partake in the picture with them, scooching between both Twilight and Minuette. As Spike focused the camera on us, Minuette suddenly spoke up. "Wait-wait-wait! Really fluff 'em up, huh?" She meant towards our wings with another giggle. When Spike was finally going to take the picture, Minuette quickly created a silly pose, extending her hooves out towards the two of us. After the flash, she quickly began bombarding Twilight with questions. "So what are you doing here? I mean, I know you're here all the time, but you never come to see me. Hey! I just had the greatest idea! You wanna go see Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine?"

"Of course! My old friends!" Twilight immediately and enthusiastically agreed.

"It'll be great!" Giggle. "Come on! Let's fly!" She hopped energetically in the air. "Get it?" Laugh.

"This is perfect! I can apologize to all three of them at once!" Twilight mentioned as she followed after Minuette.

"Let's hope they're not as traumatized as Minuette." Spike mentioned sarcastically with bored half-lidded eyes.

"Looks like things are going alright so far." I said, stopping Twilight in her tracks.

"Oh, right…" It looked like she almost forgot about my situation. "You're…going to go now?"

"Yeah…I guess…" I responded. "I don't want to delay what I need to do any more than I should. I'll try to be back in time to meet the rest of your friends."

"Alright…" She hesitantly allowed. "But listen, just make sure to keep in mind you have us. Whatever happens, just remember us. I don't know if that's much help, but…"

I decided to initiate our final farewell for the moment. I wrapped a leg around her and pressed my chest against hers. "I'll manage…"

Twilight only wrapped her leg, seeming to be unable to come up with the right words to say at the moment.

"Come on, you slow pokes!" We heard Minuette call out from a certain distance away.

Twilight and I pulled away from each other and nodded. Then, we finally went our separate ways.

---

I decided to take the train station, wanting to save up as much energy as I could for the confrontation with my father. As I waited for my train arrived, it seemed Spirit had just woken up and yawned outside of me.

"Morning." She greeted.

"Morning." I returned, slipping my serious mood out for her to sense.

"What's going on?" She immediately asked and took a look at her surroundings. "And what are we doing in Canterlot?"

"Twilight's working on her relationship with her old friends."

"And…where are we going?" She asked, taking notice that Twilight wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Fillydelphia." I answered briefly.

"W-why?" Spirit almost stuttered out.

With a heavy and even almost annoyed sigh, the annoyance having nothing to do with Spirit, I bitterly explained the reason for the visit. "Seems like dad wants to see me again."

"Y-you mean?"

"Yep."

"Ugh." Spirit turned her head away and covered her mouth, causing me to look at her funny and wonder if she was possibly being a little too overdramatic about it. "That makes me sick."

"Like…really sick?" I questioned.

"I just don't like that idea. Why do you have to go and see him? Don't you hate him?"

"Let's just say I feel like it's something I have to do…"

Spirit remained silent for a moment. "I know you're still scared of him…" I turned, surprised to hear her say that. "And as you probably know already…that makes me scared of him too. Just as much as I'm scared of water. Maybe even more."

I concerned myself with her state of mind. "I get it… You don't have to be with me like this if you don't want to. If it makes you feel better, I'll handle it on my own."

"I don't want to leave you…" She returned truthfully. "But I definitely don't want to see his face…at all. You sure it's okay if I hide back inside you?"

"Yeah." I nodded. You probably shouldn't have to deal what I know I'm going to deal with when I meet with him.

She hesitated for a moment before she appeared to agree with me. "I'll stay away…but if he ever tries to hurt you, I promise I'll come out and protect you."

I found that to be quite shocking coming from her. I knew she was sort of my guardian already, but talking about protecting me from my own dad didn't fit so normally. Starlight was no doubt right that I could easily overpower him should he try to physically hurt me…but hearing Spirit saying she'd protect me from him…it sounded really personal.

"Thanks…" I expressed before she returned with an almost unnoticeable light.

I soon heard the train arriving, allowing me to stand up and prepare to board the train. Just before it arrived, I felt hooves land on the floor by me and a couple of wings retract towards a body. Expecting it to be some other passenger, I turned to my side casually. Nevertheless, I almost jumped from fright, realizing that it was my mother. The princess of the night, that is.

"W-what are you doing here?!" I asked astonishingly.

"Accompanying you." She calmly answered as if it was no big deal.

"Why…?"

She only glanced her eyes towards me before she turned them back at the arriving train.

"All aboard!"

I found myself sitting alongside her, away from several groups of ponies who were either dumbfounded or star struck by the sight of two of us taking the train with them.

"So…do you know why and where I'm going?" I asked, piercing the solemn silence she seemed to radiate from her.

"Yes."

I waited to hear more, but after moment of no added input, I asked.

"How?"

"I am the keeper of dreams, Alex." She said. "I learned of your nightmare this past night. I overheard your conversation with your newfound friend from the castle and decided as your mother that it is my willing duty to accompany you with your confrontation of your foster father." She groaned with disgust. "He has no right to be called such."

"No offense…mom…but I think that this is maybe something that I take care of on my own."

"Absolutely not." She sternly protested. "Whether you think so or not, this involves me as I regrettably left you with such an abusive family. I am more than willing to give a very strict piece of my mind to that despicable stallion."

"Don't you have important duties to take care of?"

"My most important duties dwell within the night." She then wrapped a leg around me from her seat. "I am happy to make the time to assist my son in any way I can."

I know I didn't exactly call for her help, and I wasn't so sure of her company being a good idea. How will he react when he sees not only me, but the co-ruler of Equestria, my mother herself, by my side? In a way, that honestly actually kind of made me feel better, but at the same time, I was a little nervous how things would turn out, or if I would actually get some closure like that. Nevertheless, I decided to let it run its course and not worry too much about the future.

I spent the majority of the train time thinking about what to say. I'd decide on a prepared speech and then soon feel it was too stupid or reckless. This constantly repeated itself over and over, and I could never figure out what I needed to say. This, in turn, made me feel even more nervous, almost as if I was going to speak to an entire crowd and have no speech planned behind it.

Eventually, the wheels of the train screeched to a halt, and as I took a glance over to the window, it was undeniable that the city sights were Fillydelphia. Just then, the city bell rung, the same bell that would get me up in the mornings here…

I felt glued to my seat until my mother extended out her hoof towards me.

"Let us not waste any more time."

I almost regretted letting her come with me, but at the same time I knew it was for the best. Had it just been me, I probably would have just remained inside the train and cower back to Canterlot. I closed my eyes and released a deep breath, despite my nerves remaining undefeated. I accepted her hoof and company in walking off the train.

The area in which we left the train station wasn't too familiar to me, since it wasn't the part of the area I lived in. It was a lot more heavily populated, and had buildings almost as large as Manehattan. I felt calmly frozen as I stared off into the sight of the city until I heard a voice behind me.

"Do you know where we are heading?"

I didn't answer right away for obvious reasons. "…yeah."

For some reason, neither of us flew. We silently walked the city streets to our apparent destination. I suppose it wasn't exactly that I didn't feel like flying, but I somewhat felt deprived of energy. That, or I was trying to stall for time…

We followed signs, waited corners, and roamed around like normal ponies. Although we received stares and murmurs from others, that all seemed nonexistent towards me. I could only imagine Luna ignored it as well since she was in a serious mood.

As we entered the less populated area, our surroundings grew more familiar. I was now entering the place of my nightmares and repressed memories.

I stood and looked across the distance. I could see the familiar top of the school house. "There's the school house…" I mentioned and began following the roads around it. "If they really still live at the same place…then…" I got an unfortunately good idea of where we would see him.

Once again, I wasn't sure if I was really feeling thirsty, hungry, or just yet again stalling for time, but I felt like stopping and refueling before the big event. However, I really just wanted this to be over with. I wanted to end this and plant my fences like Twilight said. Afterwards, I can go back…see how well she's doing with her friends and spend the rest of the night with her, preferably forgetting everything that will take place here.

As we took sort of the route I was take back then, we passed by that one place where certain events would take place. It was where the smaller area of the city, which it in itself could be a separate town, would gather for events like Hearth's Warming Eve, contests, and the like. To be honest, it could have been a really great place to live…had it not been for such horrible circumstances I had to go through.

It appeared I had been standing and staring at this currently empty area. Luna called to me, most likely concerned about my thoughts.

"What is it?" She asked.

At that moment, I had realized that this was also the same area I had been in my dreams. That one encounter with that…mysterious stallion. Thinking about him made me feel as…if he could still be silently watching us even now.

"Nothing…" I turned and began leading her to the old house.

My hesitation grew extremely when we arrived at the house. Luna somewhat roughly encouraged me by lightly pushing me forward. Tough Love, huh?

I sighed and approached the door. I knocked, shivering at the suspense of who would answer the door. It felt like a long while where the door remained unopened, having me feel as if I should believe no one was home and that we should leave. Nevertheless, the door opened, petrifying my body.

However, in an almost immediate wave of relief, it was not him.

"Alex…? Is that you…?!"

"Hi, Rosy."

She quickly looked behind her and immediately walked out, shutting the door.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, sounding as if I was unwanted or in danger of standing in the very place I was.

"I think you may know why." I responded, expecting her to know about the message as well.

"You really want to do this?" She asked.

I turned back and noticed Luna patiently but solemnly standing several steps away from me. "I think it's best that I do."

Rosy almost noticed the sight of the Princess of the Night standing in front of her home. "So…that's really her…?"

I only nodded.

Rosy sighed heavily. "…I'll go and call him out."

As she turned to leave, my heart jumped as if telling me to yell at her and say, No! Forget about it! I'm leaving!

As I waited, I tried to grow a solemn face. I tried to shake out the fear so I wouldn't look like I was intimidated. If your opponent knew that, you were done. Even though I hated thinking back on bad memories, I attempted to focus on the times that actually sort of fueled my hatred for him. In a short time, I then realized how much of a different pony I had become over the span of several minutes. I had been a friendly loving pony around those I care for as long as I remember. Coming here and trying to cope with bad memoirs only really turned me around to what felt like my dark side.

I had been staring at the ground collecting my thoughts when I had heard a pair of hooves gather at the front door. Without thinking twice, I looked up and noticed a disapproving and stern stare. I was then frozen at the sight, unable to dodge the paralyzing daggers thrown at me.

However, my mother returned to my side, appearing to take control of the situation for me. "As you may know, I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night. I come to escort and accompany Prince Alexander. Let us make haste so we may run about to more important manners."

Knowing my father, I'm sure he would have reacted more aggressively to that had it not been a princess. With such a high and important figure, he seemed to show restraint. Instead of speaking, he gestured his head behind him, seeming to direct us to the backyard.

It looked like as if I had been in deep trouble and I was going to get a serious punishment for it. But I have to remember that I don't have to take it anymore. I refuse to.

My mother and I followed him around to the back. It was weird. Here were my mother and father by technicality, but I didn't believe the two had met or known each other prior. I had to admit it was pretty awkward. Even though I appreciated it since I was still pretty petrified, it was a little silly seeing my mother practically handling my problems for me.

Once at the backyard, he directed his sight towards a picnic table. It was your old fashioned wooden table for four. However, it looked like it had hardly been used or hadn't been used in a while. He then took it upon himself to sit and expect us to join him across while not sparing a word.

My mother extended her wing and placed it around me, encouraging me to walk forward and sit with her at the table. After doing so, I tried keeping eye contact with the one across, but it was near impossible to do so.

"So?" I forced myself to say, growing extremely annoyed at the silence as if he was expecting me to already know what had been on his mind.

"I want you to call up that little storywriter of yours and republish your 'story' again. But this time, leave out the lies."

I was puzzled for a moment, flinching at the question of what he was talking about. "Lies? What are you talking about?"

"Don't be an idiot." He voiced strongly yet a little slowly, as if to restrain his temper as much as he could. "That story you got published. About how you were 'abused' during your time here. Treated unfairly. I thought you'd be old enough to grow out from your childish thoughts."

"W…what?" I couldn't understand him for a moment. At that point, I surprisingly felt my blood begin to boil. "You're saying that didn't happen?!"

"I'm saying that you're letting your imagination run off and write itself as reality."

I then couldn't believe what he was saying. "Hold on. You think that I just imagined everything that happened to me back when I lived here? You think I just imagined you coming into my room over the silliest accusation and hitting me senselessly without even questioning what happened? That's not abuse?!"

"You were disciplined. Not abused." He informed. "Those little antics you caused for me, my wife, and my daughter, were not to go unpunished. Even now you are causing us trouble with your little story of tales. We took you in, fed you, shelter you, and you had the audacity to cause trouble for all of us. Because you never wanted to take responsibility for your selfishness, you believed we were out to get you."

"Hey!" I threw my hooves at the table, causing it to shake a little violently. "Everything in that story is what I saw and experienced! Don't try to turn this around and make yourself look like the victim!"

"Get your hooves off my table." He ordered as he glared at me.

Receiving the notion that this conversation or more like confrontation wouldn't progress any further if I didn't listen. I silently and slowly retracted my hooves, sitting back down on my seat.

"We are struggling to live out our lives. What you mentioned in your 'story' may just ruin reputations for some. You may have not mentioned or pointed out any specific identities, but any pony could surely investigate and track down on your ridiculous claims."

"I don't care." I mentioned carelessly. "You can call them lies, fables, whatever. It's the truth. And you can't blame me for what you did. If ponies want to know me or my background, I'm not going to lie and say 'Oh yeah, the ponies that took care of me growing up were really supportive and friendly'."

Before I could continue on with any more I possibly had to say, his hoof came crashing down towards what he labeled as 'his table'.

"If you've done any growing up whatsoever over these past years, you'll do as I say. Quit being a child and listen to your elders for once. I raised you."

My teeth clenched.

Who did he think he was?! Ordering me around like if I was supposed to have respect for him? Respect for all the things he did to make my early life a pain? To miss out on a childhood that I'll never have the opportunity to have again?!

"NO!" I shouted fiercely. "You didn't.. Don't you lie to me! I know you didn't want me to begin with! You hated the idea of being around somepony you didn't want to bother with in the first place! I didn't ask to stay in your stupid house! You hated me so bad?! Then you should have given me to someone else! But you didn't, and you can't blame me for that! Maybe it's because you wanted some pony to do your stupid chores for you? But you didn't want to bother with having to take responsibility for that pony. You know what? You're the kid! You're the selfish one here! You're lucky that I didn't outright point you out for every pony in Equestria to despise! But you know what? Even after everything you did, you managed to teach and prove something to me. I know for sure, when I have a family, I'll be nothing like you!" Even through my aggressive rant, I realized something. "You know what?" I pushed myself off the picnic table, ready to leave in a storm. "I shouldn't even be here. I've got way too many important ponies in my life I'd rather dedicate my time too. You want my final answer to your demand? It's NO! Count yourself lucky that I don't hoof you out to everyone else!"

I could tell the fire burning in his eyes at that very moment. The same kind of expression I absolutely dreaded seeing when I was a colt. "You get back here right now! I'm not finished with you."

"You might not be, but I am." I passionately defended, placing a hoof on my chest. "You think you can order and push me around to do what you want? You're not my dad. You never were. I wished I would had the guts to tell you this back then but… I hate you!"

As I began walking off, I heard the picnic table almost flip over. For a second, I saw him appear to storm after me, but my mother immediately intervened. "Do not lay a hoof on him."

Surprisingly having the time and effort to apparently think about his actions and not act on them on impulse, he refrained from passing her. Nevertheless, his expression did not dissipate to the calmness he once originally had approaching us.

"Don't even bother with me. I want nothing to do with you ever again." I stated and finally focused on leaving the scene.

After Luna seemed to make sure he wouldn't do anything in an attempt to harm me, she removed her cautious glance from him and returned to accompany me.

"I am proud of you, Alex." She praised.

I didn't feel particularly proud, but really only upset that this had to happen. "I said what I've been needing to say and that's it. I'm done."

"Are you worried he might try to hurt you in some kind of way?" She asked with concern.

"If he tries, he'll regret it." I returned with solemn confidence. "Besides, I don't think he wants spend the rest of his life banished from Equestria or stuck in a dungeon."

Despite my current mood, Luna, with a somewhat sly smirk, wrapped her wing around me.

Nevertheless, I thought about Rosy since I had first seen her before the talk with the other. I hoped that she didn't and wouldn't suffer because of my decisions and actions. I felt bad…but there was nothing I could think of really doing…

---

I believe I remained heavily silent the majority of the way. I felt I was in somewhat a state of shock. I couldn't believe what I had just did or said, but at the same time I was relieved. Luna had told me she was proud of me, and I'm sure she would want me to be proud of myself. However, I felt uneasy. I couldn't stop worrying or thinking about the events that just took place. It almost felt like a dream.

Speaking of dreams, by the time we arrived back to Canterlot, it had already been the time of the day, or night, that Princess Luna was to focus on her most important duties.

"I hope I didn't make you late…" I apologized.

"Nonsense." She no longer held the serious agitated look from before but now hosted a small sweet smile. She caressed my face lightly. "If anyone should be sorry, it is I."

"For what?" I asked. "You willingly spent your time to help me with my problems."

"As your mother, I should have spent my entire time with you since you were born. At the very least, I should have been a part of your life. Instead…"

"Don't worry about it." I assured her. "I'm glad to know that I would have been wanted with you."

Luna smiled for a short second, but it appeared it didn't completely wipe away her frown.

"You should get going, mom. I wouldn't something horrible to happen to Equestria because you were too busy with me." I chuckled lightly.

She nodded quietly. "Goodnight, Alex."

Afterwards, she flew off in the direction of Canterlot Castle, and I was left to wander around with no one but my thoughts.

To be honest, I had expected Spirit to come out and accompany me now, but she was probably keeping to herself for the moment. Like she mentioned earlier, she had been staying inside of me practically the entire time before the castle showed up, so it shouldn't really be a surprise.

As I stared at the streets I walked on, I felt somepony bump into me roughly. However, there was no apology or stop of concern. The pony only continued walking on, appearing extremely upset or moody. I didn't care though. I suppose I knew or related to such a mood, so in my mind, the rudeness was understandable.

As I turned back onto my own direction, I couldn't help but feel an unwarranted presence or vibe. I quickly looked back, searching for something out of the ordinary, but it wasn't there. I thought I might have seen something…wrong…but maybe it was just me. Today was just a drag…

It took me sometime before I was able to find Twilight's old place. I had to try to recall the places we had past near it, and it didn't help that it was nighttime. Nevertheless, I was hoping to just throw myself to bed and literally forget all about today once I arrived past the front doors.

"You're back…!" Twilight must have heard me when I entered inside.

"Yeah…" I released a sigh of exhaustion.

"How did it go…?" She appeared to be hesitant to ask.

"I don't know, to be honest." She followed me as I made my way back to the comfort of her bed. "I went over there. Kind of lost my cool. Let him have it. And left it at that."

"I guess the important question is…" Twilight watched as I sat on the edge of her bed. "…are you satisfied with how things ended?"

"I can't say." I shared honestly. "It's not like I was happy-go-lucky afterwards about it. I didn't jump around and feel like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I don't know what I was expecting. I guess I finally got out what I wish I could have said to him back when it kind of still mattered. But you know, Twilight…?" I began covering myself with the sheets. "Sometimes, things don't have happy endings. And I think this is going to be one of those times."

"Do you really think so…?" She appeared bothered by that.

I shrugged. "Seems like it. It's not like he'll apologize for what he did and things will all be hunky dory. It's just like you can't expect everyone to like you. You just deal with it." She turned away, unable to respond. It looked as if I somehow hurt her feelings. "What? What's wrong?"

"It's funny that you say that…" She softly mentioned. "I managed to make things up with my friends… All but one…"

"Huh?" I sat up, almost having had forgotten about her friend-mending quest. "What happened with you?"

"Right before I left to Ponyville…" Twilight began to explain, sitting on the edge of her bed by me. "I was invited to this party for my friend Moondancer. But since I thought friendship was a waste of time, I didn't bother to go or even say hi. She was really hurt by that, and even though she won't exactly admit it, I know this is what's keeping me from being friends with her. No. She doesn't want anything to do with friends because of me."

"Did her friends go…?" I asked.

"Yes. Everyone but me."

"That seems a little…extreme, doesn't it?" It felt kind of…bad to say this…but… "It's not like no one showed up at all."

"What if you invited the most important pony to you to a party and they didn't bother to show up at all? Like they considered you a waste of their time?" Twilight created a point.

"I guess…" I didn't think too much into it, finding that I was exhausted enough as it was.

"Do you think there's any chance I can make it up to her…?" Twilight asked with deep concern.

Only one thing popped in my mind. Without carefully thinking over it, I spat it out. "I think…if you show her that you're really trying, then she just has to break…" When I said that myself, I almost choked over an exact instance. "Didn't you help me with a situation like this one time? With Octavia? Even though I kept trying, she refused to befriend me. And just when I thought there was no more hope…a certain pony told me to fix things when they really meant it. And well now…look at us."

Twilight stared at the floor for a moment and then turned towards the moon out her window. "I'm going to give it another shot… Just maybe…I can make up her party with another party. And who else does parties better than Pinkie Pie?"

"No one." I blatantly responded. "And this time, I'll be there to support you. I'm done with my issues after all."

Twilight looked as if she wasn't so sure that she agreed with me on that, but she didn't continue acknowledge it anyway.

"Thanks, Alex…"

"Get some sleep, Twi. I think it'll really be good for you." I encouraged.

"Alright…"

I made sure to leave her enough room before I closed my eyes and tried to let the remainder of today pass.

---

Twilight woke me up the next morning with an unexpected request.

"I'm going to run by Ponyville, pick up Pinkie Pie, and bring her back here as soon as possible. Can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

Twilight adverted her eyes sideways. "I'm not sure if Moondancer knows you're my best friend…but either way…could you maybe…try to talk to her?"

"Talk to her?" I repeated, slightly taken aback with surprise.

"You've always been so good with talking to ponies." She shared her passionate opinion. "If she hears from you…maybe…I don't know."

"I've got it." I placed a firm hoof on her chest. "I'll try to talk with her. How can I find her?"

"She's always at the Canterlot library every day all day. She shouldn't be too hard to find. Just…think of me when you're looking for her. However, she's wearing glasses that could definitely use a replacement. Her mane's…a little different too."

"Uhh…" I hesitated, unsure if I would find her based on that description.

"Just trust me." Twilight assured. "Think of me and you can't miss her."

"Alright…" I wasn't too sure what she meant by that, but I decided to accept without a doubt.

"When you're finished, meet us in the park. See if you can bring her along with you. If you can't…well we'll see what we can do." She ended.

After Twilight had left with Spike, I roamed around Canterlot in search for the library. Being a public place, it definitely wasn't hard to find like Twilight's old living quarters was.

I entered inside, looking around in search of Moon Dancer. Everypony definitely looked too busy gawking at their books and keeping utterly silent. In fact, it was so silent that any kind of small peep could be heard from anywhere inside the library. And the library was a big place.

I decided to carefully pan my head over the first floor, beginning from the left side over to the right. I immediately stopped to the first pony wearing huge glasses with tape wrapped tightly among the middle portion, keeping them from obviously falling apart.

Okay. She has glasses and seeing as she's using tape to keep them usable, she could use a replacement. But how do I know this is the pony Twilight was talking about?

Then it struck me.

Taking a second glance at the color of her mane, the sharp edges of said mane, and the obvious appearance of a completely intensely serious pony when it came to books, I realized that this had to be Moon Dancer. By what I could see from the area I stood, she was practically the only pony wearing glasses. Second, her mane was virtually the same as Twilight's, except for the top portion. Frankly, it appeared as if she didn't bother brushing it but only focused on moving it away from her eyes no matter how silly it might have looked.

In a way, I could see this pony being the spitting image of Twilight, which was a bit disturbing to think about. Either way, how was I going to go about this? I guess I could just go introduce myself… I don't really have any other better idea.

I calmly made my way towards her, and as expected, she was too focused on her work to notice anything. I noticed she also wore a turtleneck sweater, giving me the impression she was a student for some reason.

"Are you Moon Dancer?" I quietly asked.

"I'm busy right now." She stated bluntly, keep her eyes on her books as she pressed her hooves against her head.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a bit."

She glanced at me for a second before she returned to her book. "Do I know you?"

"No, you don't. At least, I don't think so."

"Well, I'm trying to study. I don't want to be bothered right now."

"But…"

"Shh!" She shushed, gaining the attentions of others in the library.

She was definitely a tough nut to crack. I could see why Twilight was having trouble to her compared to the energetic Minuette.

Deciding it was going to be near to impossible to get her to listen to me seriously for even a second, I thought I would play fair game for a moment. I didn't have much time to think of some kind of elaborate scheme, so I planted myself inside an empty custodian's closet with the door slightly ajar where I could get a view of Moon Dancer. She, of course, kept her eyes glued to her book. Perfect.

I squinted my eyes and began focusing my magic on her book. Once I could see a faint aura, I slowly began dragging it off the table until it fell to the floor.

Her head shot back, surprised of the sight. She looked as if she was going to shrug it off and pick it back up until I continued dragging it away from her and up the stairs towards the closet I was in. I supposed it was a book she was too invested in or one she needed to study as she decided to follow after it.

When she was close by, I threw the book inside the dark room. She entered, muttering words of annoyance under her breath. Finally, I closed the door shut and turned on the lights.

"Huh?!" She looked back with an exclamation of surprise. She noticed me stand in front of the door to prevent her from leaving. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Sorry, but you weren't going to bother listening to what I had to say down there, so I figured I'd bring you up here so we won't bother anyone."

"Well, guess what?" She said as she picked up her book. "You're bothering me, so I'd appreciate it if you let me back down."

"Come on. Just listen to me." I lightly pleaded.

"Why should I listen to you? I don't even know who you are."

"You're Twilight Sparkle's friend, aren't you?" I brought up, silencing her for a short moment.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"It's dumb to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." I said. "You had a party, and she didn't show up. That's why you don't want to bother with her or friendship at all."

Moon Dancer groaned strongly. "Ughhh. I don't do parties! Now just leave me alone!"

"Just listen for a minute, please. Then I'll let you get back to work." I asked. She stood there with furrowed eyes, waiting for me to finish what I had to say so she could leave. "You should really give her a second chance…" I began, unsure what exactly to say since this was all improvised. "Trust me, I know it must have hurt and probably still does when your expectations stab you in the back. But at some times, you have to just…forget what happened in the past and give it another chance. If it hasn't changed, then you have every right to do what you want. What I'm trying to say is, Twilight is the best friend a pony could ever have. I may have not known her as long as you have, but the point is the pony she is now is amazing. I'm sure you could see that, but your grudge from the past is blinding you."

Moon Dancer returned a heavy sigh after I finished. "Look, I don't care what kind of pony she is now. My point is that I don't care nor want anything to do with friendship. I just want to study, alright? Why is that so much to ask?" I had more to say, but honestly felt it would just be beating a dead horse. "Can I go now?"

With a silent sigh, I stepped to the side and allowed her to pass.

Just as she walked past, I made one last comment in hopes to convince her.

"So, I guess learning all of Twilight's studying methods won't matter either, huh?"

She stopped as her ears perked up. "…she promised to teach me Hayscartes' method."

"Well, she's going to be at the park in Canterlot, so…"

She lowered her head and appeared to think for a moment. Finally, she turned back to me. "I'll go, but only for her to keep her promise. That doesn't mean I have to be 'friends' with her."

I didn't exactly expect to change her ways miraculously with a single conversation. Twilight did have a plan and that was the whole point of bringing her to the park. I did the best I could, and all I could hope for Twilight was that she earned what she deserved.

"Sure." I shrugged. "Whatever you say…"

At least I was able to lead her to the park.

---

"What is she doing in the park anyway?" She asked as we arrived. "I'd figured she would have gone and left already."

"She has a surprise for you." I answered.

"The only 'surprise' I'm interested in is Hayscartes' method." She was almost starting to sound like a broken record. "I'm not staying for anything else."

It was no time after that when we saw the area practically filled to the brim with streamers, balloons, and all other kind of erratic party supplies. It had Pinkie written all over it. Despite Moon Dancer's attitude, it was absolutely clear she was taken aback by this surprise as she had released a large gasp.

"What is this?!" She asked, sounding both shocked yet agitated.

"It's a party. For you." Twilight came out of nowhere, wearing a party hat of her own. As Spike brought the cake and Twilight's friends joined along, she whispered to me softly. "Thanks for bringing her here."

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie suddenly jumped out from the cake, planting a party hat on top of Moon Dancer's head and a party horn onto her mouth.

"Come on in!" Twilight invited.

Moon Dancer spat out her party horn. "Thanks but no thanks. I don't do parties." She repeated what she told me back at the library, following with a crushing of her party hat.

She started walking away from the direction of the party until Twilight teleported onto her way. "I know. And I think it's my fault. Back when we were in school together, you invited me to a party. I was so focused on my studies that I didn't show up."

"Big deal!" She exclaimed bitterly.

"It was a big deal. Twilight continued. "And now that I realize how important friendship is, I'd like to make up for my mistake with a new party. A party in honor of my friend Moon Dancer! Please, you've got to let me make this up to you." She passed over a stick to club the piñata she directed towards.

Moon Dancer rolled her eyes and annoyingly accepted, possibly to get the request over with and sneak in a release of aggression as well.

"And you think this is gonna do it, huh?" She inordinately stated as she walked towards the target.

"Uh, yes?" Twilight responded unsurely.

"Well, sure, why wouldn't it?" Moon Dancer took her first swing at the dangling puppet. "That was only the first time I put myself out there, and then you didn't even bother to show up!" She angrily pointed the stick towards Twilight. "Then you left town without saying goodbye even though we were supposed to be friends!" She turned her body around now, seeming to completely forget about the piñata. "I was humiliated! I felt like I wasn't important! I never wanted to let myself be hurt like that again! Those three finally convinced me that I had value!" She referred to the rest of Twilight's friends. "That other ponies might like me and want to be my friend! And you! Didn't! Show! Up!" At her breaking point, she screamed and threw the stick over Twilight's head, causing for others to duck behind. She threw herself to the ground and began sobbing, and none of us could feel anything other than pity or maybe even misery at the sight of her reaction.

Twilight walked forward and approached her, planting a hoof on hers. "You're right. This party can't make up for the way I hurt you. But please, don't let my mistake be the reason you can't be friends with anypony else."

Moon Dancer lifted her head up with tears streaming from her eyes.

"We were your friends then and we'd be honored to be your friends now." Minuette joined with the others.

Moon Dancer seemed to turn her quivering frown around when hearing this. However, Twilight grabbed her attention and directed her sight towards the entrance of the park. Spike presented three ponies, to which Moon Dancer recognized.

"What? That's the librarian! The bookseller! My sister!"

"You've got a lot of friends, Moon Dancer." Minuette reminded.

"I'm sorry, Moon Dancer." Twilight continued to apologize from the bottom of her heart. "I've faced magical creatures, the end of Equestria, all sorts of things. But seeing how my actions affected you, that was one of the worst feelings I've ever had."

With a final quiver and sniffle, she responded. "Thank you, Twilight. I never realized how much I needed to hear that." Glad to find their fences mended, Twilight invited Moon Dancer for an expressive embrace. Moon Dancer hesitated at first, but she soon delightfully accepted the feeling. By the time they pulled away, even Twilight was wiping tears from her eyes. "Now come on, everypony!" Moon Dancer surprisingly announced. "Let's party! Right?" She referred with Pinkie.

"Right!" As always, Pinkie Pie pulled out her party cannon and blasted a cannon ball of confetti.

As so, the party began, and it grew to last for a pretty long while. The whole day actually.

Spirit timidly joined in with a look on her face that seemed to express that she wasn't sure if she was invited or not. However, with the majority of Pinkie Pie's parties, any friend was invited. I was sure Spirit couldn't walk away from the smell of frosting and sight of candies and fun either way.

I was glad to be able be distracted from my earlier problems, almost completely forgetting them myself. Nevertheless, even with the moon raised, the party remained lively. But of course, everything soon had to come to an end.

"I think it's time for us to go, Moon Dancer." Twilight announced, approaching her as the rest of us from Ponyville tagged along.

"Thank you for helping me make some new friends. Even if they are my old friends." She expressed, showing her gratitude with a gentle hug.

"We'll come back and visit soon." Twilight assured.

"That would be great! You've still gotta teach me that Hayscartes technique!"

"Deal."

"Um, Moon Dancer?" Spike walked forward, holding something behind his back. "It got kinda banged up, but here's a little something I wanted to give you back at your first party."

Moon Dancer accepted the banged up gift-wrapped box, which actually was the present Spike had found when we first arrived at Twilight's old home. She unwrapped and soon came to tears when she saw what was inside. It was a picture frame with a picture obviously inside.

"Thank you so much, Spike! This is amazing!"

Twilight leaned over, taking a glance at it. It caused her to chuckle. "Heh. Wow. Look at me, huh?"

I also managed to have a glance and soon immediately stretched my eyes wide open at the sight of Moon Dancer in the picture. "You weren't kidding, Twilight! You two look really alike!"

The two looked at each other and soon began laughing out loud at my reaction, the others joining lightly.

After exchanging our goodbyes, as well as receiving a few more jokes of admiration from Minuette and the rest of her friends who also happened to the be the bridesmaids back at Princess Cadence's wedding, we began heading towards Ponyville on train this time.

"I'm glad to see things are all patched up now." I told Twilight.

"Yeah." She answered with a soft smile before it slowly moved to a small frown. "I'm sorry…about your dad though."

"It's fine." I responded, staring out at the moon past the window. "It's sort of weird. I can't say I exactly…forgive him. It's more like I've put it all past me, but obviously that doesn't mean I'll like him." I chuckled lightly. "To be honest, I don't think things will ever get any better between me and him. I guess it's the way it's meant to be. But hey…that's life. The important thing is…well…he's not the important thing. What matters are those who are actually important." I made sure to look at her. "An important lesson to keep in mind: Look towards those who help you, not back at those who hurt you."

"You're totally right about that." Twilight agreed. "Maybe that was what was holding Moon Dancer back… Maybe in her heart, she still thought of me as a pony who hurts her…but eventually, she fortunately saw that it was actually the other way around. I don't blame her. With the way I left, it's hard to forgive someone who treated you like the way I did to not only her but the rest of my old friends…"

"Well, you should probably move on and look forward to more new memories you'll make with them." I turned towards the window and at the moon. "I know I need to do the same."

I may not exactly have any friends I need to 'mend' with…but I think I might have just planted my last fences.

Comments

[PegasusMesa]

7519083

I hope they aren't, because that would be pretty sad. And I don't mean in a "boo-hoo" kind of way.

[ShadowLight96]

7519083 I'm well aware of that fact.

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

7519736

I think he means that the narrator, the one who is telling the story, is that character. Not the one actually writing it, lol. Then again, I guess it's technically sort of canon in this story that he's actually writing lol. Idk.

[timbo8]

7533056 yeah that is my pony i made and i didn't steal the cover picture

[Crazy the Clone]

7542594

Probably because it'd be a self-insert. Self-inserts are usually made to be what the author wants themselves to be (not really what they really are), and if they're a main character...well, the end result makes people cringe at the very least.

[ShadowLight96]

7557184 some times it comes out of nowhere and grabs your metaphorical balls like chuck noris.

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

7557184

Bro, you do realize you're on a MLP fanfiction website, right?

[Egil]

7557694 If you could listen to "Friends Are Always There For You" and not cringe, you are literally immune to it.

Just trying to balance out the titanic hypocrisy the season 5 finale exposed.

[Egil]

Also congrats on reaching one million words.

[Truthseeker]

7702211 I was specifying the reason for my downvote. Most people do not have the courtesy to do so. I was letting the author know why I downvoted the story so he could make sure not to use those same elements in the future.

[Truthseeker]

7807821 I get much more rude when intentionally provoked.

[Egil]

What exactly has this fic done that deserves more hate and vitriol than the four fuckwipes who beat up that disabled kid?

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

7849165
Meh. I've grown accustomed to hate mostly because it's the internet and people will say whatever they want that they wouldn't normally say in person because they feel protected behind the screen. People have the right to say what they want. However, they love to contradict themselves when it comes the other way around. Like you've mentioned before, should you give any type of positive feedback whatsoever, you'll instantly be gunned down because you don't hate it 100% as other people do. Either way, the difference is that these guys on the internet will never have the guts to surpass making meaningless insults over the internet. Makes me wonder if no one has ever told them that their opinion isn't worth that much lol.

7845266

Thanks for the feedback. I must admit though that your review ironically speaks more about yourself than what you've noticed in the story does to me. When people have to stop and go out of their way to throw a tantrum about something they hate so much yet spend the extra time to focus on it led me to realize something over the years. In this case, I've noticed that whenever somebody makes an OC and has them interact or form relationships with the established characters from the show, it automatically makes them a self-insert/Gary Stu/Mary Sue/Whatever Poo. Why? Well, the most sensible thing I can think up is that readers, like you for instance, hate to see someone else's OC interacting with the established characters of the show because you can't other stand people's creations, or even themselves in some cases I suppose, stepping near said characters. In other words, you don't want anyone else but yourself getting close to your "pony waifus". It's also the reason why you and many others can't make up your mind on whether the narrator of this story is either a Gary Stu or a Self-Insert when it's really neither, at least in my honest opinon. I mean, at the very least the term "Gary Stu" is heavily subjective, or objective to those who can't distinguish between an opinion and fact, so it's understandable to why they think a character is one should they have a well-thought argument besides just personal disdain. But just throwing "self-insert" out there like people do with "racist" nowadays is just really pathetic. What I got from your feedback led me to believe that all the things you said that I was pertains more to what you are and how you hate yourself for having said things. What you were trying to accomplish here was trying to move and plant your traits onto me so you would end up hating someone else rather than yourself.

This story is just a story. Despite you or anyone else feeling the need to constantly tell me how much it sucks or not in the end doesn't make you feel any better. And when you realize this in private, because you're not going to admit it in public obviously, you'll realize that it only takes you in the opposite direction than you had thought. In conclusion, I'm going to work in seeing that I finish this story because honestly, despite whatever this story is to anyone, it's important that I see it to the end.

Haha, look at me. Getting so deep about a My Little Pony story lol.

Thanks for reading by the way. I appreciate the advice, but I have enough on my plate as it is.

[yayme]

7849165

What exactly has this fic done that deserves more hate and vitriol than the four fuckwipes who beat up that disabled kid?

2/10

*2 points for sticking up for a story you seem to like.

*Lost 8 points by saying a story that has been around for awhile now, and only really gets 'hate and vitriol' on one website, is being treated worse than four "people" whos actions are fairly recent.
And resulted in arrest and them being damned all across the internet.

But to answer your question, read the reviews and comments. A lot of people pointed out things that made this story less than it could have been.

[Egil]

7880221 I did, and since then the story has improved. Fluttershy is only weak when her actual strength isn't needed as the show has proven numerous times. She also has her stare which barely stopped a cockatrice from turning her to stone. I'd go so far as to say she's slightly stronger here than the show, so I'm looking forward to her rage in, I think it was Buckball Season? I haven't seen anything past Stranger Than Fanfiction. Rainbow Dash of course helped her when she got bullied or suffered PTSD from it in Hurricane Fluttershy. Alex had no such shoulder to lean on and as such the bullying ate away at him to cause severe mental issues.

People who do not think that that is a real issue and goes away with time are obviously stronger than the bully, Alex was not and made worse by his (by the latest chapter) abusive family. As for the notion that Equestrian is sunshine and rainbows, there are other cities not entirely dominated by Celestia's only-when-the-plot-demands-it rule. Mental issues take a long time to heal with some of them being permanent. As Starlight Glimmer defenders who hypocritically despise this fic said: what may not be a big deal to you is a huge deal to someone else. This shouldn't stop at a show for young children.

Also the story fixes some episode's problems that the writers couldn't be bothered with, like a proper ending to Too Many Pinkie Pies where they know for sure they have the right one instead of waiting for the all the fake ones to be distracted. And for the record, some well loved stories are being damned as much as possible here too like they did something unspeakably evil, as well as condemning people who like them. Seriously if it wasn't for certain fanfics or animations, I wouldn't have even bothered with this show outside of seeing the occasional cuteness when browsing good Paper Mario fanart.

[yayme]

7851486

Pt 1.

Thanks for the feedback.

You're welcome.

I must admit though that your review ironically speaks more about yourself than what you've noticed in the story does to me. When people have to stop and go out of their way to throw a tantrum about something they hate so much yet spend the extra time to focus on it led me to realize something over the years.

Nice try sport.
I didn't "throw a tantrum". I pointed out, in an admittedly snarky way, things that are wrong with the story.

But thats just how I am, the milk of human kindness just gushes through my veins.

And given how you don't seem to bother listening to the readers who commented on ways to make your story better. There was no reason not be snarky. As for spending the time to write comments. When I have free time I do.

In this case, I've noticed that whenever somebody makes an OC and has them interact or form relationships with the established characters from the show, it automatically makes them a self-insert/Gary Stu/Mary Sue/Whatever Poo.

Well, when you name an OC after yourself, how do you expect people to think it isn't a self-insert?

* "tragic" background.
* Plus the name it self just screams 'pay attention to me!!!'. It sounds like nothing more than a kid failing at being all edgy and cool.
* You made him an Element of Harmony. With a ridiculous sounding element at that.
* You made him an Alicorn.
* You had him duel A Changling Queen, that knocked Sunn-Butt on her ass.
* You made Luna his MOM!
* And beat up Sombra, a villain it took both sisters to beat.
* You had him fight off Discords magic and kick him.
* You have him spell out the lessons the others should be figuring out for themselves, so they can grow as characters.
* You made sure the M6 and everyone else seems to think what ever drivel he spews is pure wisdom, when they weren't trying to drag him into bed.

How is this NOT a Gary Stu?

Why? Well, the most sensible thing I can think up is that readers, like you for instance, hate to see someone else's OC interacting with the established characters of the show because you can't other stand people's creations, or even themselves in some cases I suppose, stepping near said characters.

Lots of authors make OCs. For example; Estee and Georg Read their stories, you can learn from them. They are just two of the many out there who make OCs. And actually put some real thought behind them, and how they act/interact with the M6 and background ponies.

Your OC, I'm sad to say, has no actual depth to his character. Making an OC moody and emo-ish isn't doing anything constructive. There is NO reason to like him, or care what's going on with him, or happening to him. Hell, the story would have been better if Rainbow Dash had picked him up and dropped him in the middle of the Ponyville Ocean.

You remember that one right? The ocean that got put there out of the blue, even the Royal Sisters never knew it was there!

you don't want anyone else but yourself getting close to your "pony waifus".

Again, not even close. Some of us like living breathing human girls.
Also, Fluttershy isn't even the best of the M6.

It's also the reason why you and many others can't make up your mind on whether the narrator of this story is either a Gary Stu or a Self-Insert when it's really neither, at least in my honest opinon. I mean, at the very least the term "Gary Stu" is heavily subjective, or objective to those who can't distinguish between an opinion and fact, so it's understandable to why they think a character is one should they have a well-thought argument besides just personal disdain.

Its both. A poorly thought out OC. One that just has to be the center of attention at all times. And an over-powered emo who has no redeeming character traits.

Lets re-cap, shall we?
* "tragic" background.
* Plus the name it self just screams 'pay attention to me!!!'. It sounds like nothing more than a kid failing at being all edgy and cool.
* You made him an Element of Harmony. With a ridiculous sounding element at that.
* You made him an Alicorn.
* You had him duel A Changling Queen, that knocked Sunn-Butt on her ass.
* You made Luna his MOM!
* And beat up Sombra, a villain it took both sisters to beat.
* You had him fight off Discords magic and kick him.
* You have him spell out the lessons the others should be figuring out for themselves, so they can grow as characters.
* You made sure the M6 and everyone else seems to think what ever drivel he spews is pure wisdom, when they weren't trying to drag him into bed.

How is this NOT a Gary Stu?

But just throwing "self-insert" out there like people do with "racist" nowadays is just really pathetic.

As is the use of self-inserts, especially when its poorly executed.

[yayme]

7851486

PT 2.

What I got from your feedback led me to believe that all the things you said that I was pertains more to what you are and how you hate yourself for having said things.

I'm not sure what your trying to say here. Maybe run it through google translate and try it again?

What you were trying to accomplish here was trying to move and plant your traits onto me so you would end up hating someone else rather than yourself.

Wow. You need to put down the crack pipe.
I sure as hell don't hate myself. I mean it isn't like I have lame self-inserts and re-write popular shows to make myself the center of the universe. All the while ignoring advice from others on how to make something I'm "writing" half way decent.

This story is just a story. Despite you or anyone else feeling the need to constantly tell me how much it sucks or not in the end doesn't make you feel any better. And when you realize this in private, because you're not going to admit it in public obviously, you'll realize that it only takes you in the opposite direction than you had thought. In conclusion,

Its thing like this that make me wonder if English is not your native language? If thats the case, then I applaud you writing in a second language. But would strongly urge you to find a pre-reader.

If it isn't the case, then I have no real idea what the hell you're trying to say.
If you're saying this doesn't amuse me, you would be wrong.
It is, however, annoying the way you just blow off all the advice people gave you.

I'm going to work in seeing that I finish this story because honestly, despite whatever this story is to anyone, it's important that I see it to the end.

While I do applaud your commitment to seeing this through, I can't help but think your time would be better spent taking workshops or classes on writing. And learning to use words that fit better.

Thanks for reading by the way. I appreciate the advice, but I have enough on my plate as it is.

Glad to help.

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

7880544

Nice try sport.

I didn't "throw a tantrum". I pointed out, in an admittedly snarky way, things that are wrong with the story.

But thats just how I am, the milk of human kindness just gushes through my veins.

And given how you don't seem to bother listening to the readers who commented on ways to make your story better. There was no reason not be snarky. As for spending the time to write comments. When I have free time I do.

Right back at ya. And sorry man, but just because I don't bow down to your feet, kiss each toe, and thank you for expressing your opinion like it's a fact doesn't mean I don't listen. In fact, I would think to respond to your comment in the first place meant I had to listen, or in this case read, something first lol. Also advice does not equal crying about what you hate about the story or getting personal with the person you're speaking with.

Well, when you name an OC after yourself, how do you expect people to think it isn't a self-insert?

* "tragic" background.

* Plus the name it self just screams 'pay attention to me!!!'. It sounds like nothing more than a kid failing at being all edgy and cool.

* You made him an Element of Harmony. With a ridiculous sounding element at that.

* You made him an Alicorn.

* You had him duel A Changling Queen, that knocked Sunn-Butt on her ass.

* You made Luna his MOM!

* And beat up Sombra, a villain it took both sisters to beat.

* You had him fight off Discords magic and kick him.

* You have him spell out the lessons the others should be figuring out for themselves, so they can grow as characters.

* You made sure the M6 and everyone else seems to think what ever drivel he spews is pure wisdom, when they weren't trying to drag him into bed.

How is this NOT a Gary Stu?

How people love to assume. Apparently just because the pony has a "human" name automatically means that it's my name? I hate to break it to you "sport", but as much as people like to think so they can use this as ammunition are pretty much wrong. Alex is far off from my actual name whether you believe it or not. I can't imagine if you were to meet an Alex in real life. I guess you'd think that they're 2edgy4u.

You think his element is ridiculous? I'm sorry, but have you heard what all the other elements are? Element of Laughter? OMG, that's so cool!

Lots of authors make OCs. For example; Estee and Georg Read their stories, you can learn from them. They are just two of the many out there who make OCs. And actually put some real thought behind them, and how they act/interact with the M6 and background ponies.

Your OC, I'm sad to say, has no actual depth to his character. Making an OC moody and emo-ish isn't doing anything constructive. There is NO reason to like him, or care what's going on with him, or happening to him. Hell, the story would have been better if Rainbow Dash had picked him up and dropped him in the middle of the Ponyville Ocean.

You remember that one right? The ocean that got put there out of the blue, even the Royal Sisters never knew it was there!

Haha, I will admit the ocean thing was a mistake on my part. Again, most of this is your opinion, which I respect. Although, you're not exactly doing anything constructive yourself when all you're going to do is cry about what you don't like instead of respectfully offering ways it either could have been done differently or improved on.

Again, not even close. Some of us like living breathing human girls.

Also, Fluttershy isn't even the best of the M6.

That's what they all say.

I'm not sure what your trying to say here. Maybe run it through google translate and try it again?

I worry about you.

Wow. You need to put down the crack pipe.

I sure as hell don't hate myself. I mean it isn't like I have lame self-inserts and re-write popular shows to make myself the center of the universe. All the while ignoring advice from others on how to make something I'm "writing" half way decent.

Again: Advice does not equally blatant insults or crying over a story you hate so much yet continue to read. Speaking of being the "center of the universe", isn't that what you're ironically doing right now? Crying to everyone about how this story doesn't meet your standards and saying it sucks because you don't like it? Get a grip, kid. Try googling "advice" before you try pulling that card again.

Its thing like this that make me wonder if English is not your native language? If thats the case, then I applaud you writing in a second language. But would strongly urge you to find a pre-reader.

If it isn't the case, then I have no real idea what the hell you're trying to say.

If you're saying this doesn't amuse me, you would be wrong.

It is, however, annoying the way you just blow off all the advice people gave you.

Love the use of misdirection here. I'm not going to repeat myself over the "advice" situation again though.

While I do applaud your commitment to seeing this through, I can't help but think your time would be better spent taking workshops or classes on writing. And learning to use words that fit better.

Out of everything you've shared, I have to admit that only this sounds like actual constructive criticism or, in the way you put it, advice. However, if you didn't act like such a wise-ass, I probably would have taken you seriously.

[TGM]

So, when are you tagging this as a self insert?

[Alex The Lone Wolf]

7920465

Give me a million bucks and I'll let it be whatever you want it to be.

[AdamAperture]

8079810 Yeah there we go XD

[MLPFIMsakol]

Nothing is wrong with the story. I really like it.
While i admit there are parts that seem repetitive liie reworking some episodes, the stort is quite nice. 7880722