Alliance is Magic

by artsyfartsy1998

Self Reform

The ride to Ponyville was a few hours long, mostly downwind from the cliffs of Canterlot to the valley of Ponyville. Spike leaned out the window, noticing all of the farmland surrounding the town, excepting a pathway that lead out to the main roads. The land was lush and green, with flowers and trees dotting the ground. It was as pretty as a picture.

“Hey Twilight, look!” Spike called behind him. “I can see Whitetail Wood below us!”

“Nicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenicenice...” Twilight muttered, still raving.

“And Ghastly Gorge over there! I’ve always wanted to see the eels that are famed for living there!” Spike turned back to Twilight, excitement showing in his face. That didn’t last.

“Twilight, stop being so full of yourself.”

“FULL OF YOURSELF?!” Twilight popped up, staring Spike straight in the green eyes. “I’M not full of yourself!”

“Geeze, honey, you’re taking things awful fast.”

“SHUT UP.”

“Look out at the scenery! Be decently sociable! Faust, Twilight, maybe you SHOULD make some friends in Ponyville.”

“SHUT. UP.”

Twilight was crying. Not hard, but she was. She disconsolately stepped back over to her side of the carriage and curled up into a ball on the golden bench that rimmed it. She rolled over into the corner so that Spike couldn’t see her face, and whinnied softly into her hoofs. The pegasi turned at the sound of her sniffles and knickered sympathetically.

“Should we stop?” one asked.

“No, it’s alright. I can talk to her.” Spike lightly jogged the short distance and put his claw on her mane. “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“I didn’t get the memo, Spike.”

“What?”

“I never understood that in order to be successful in life, you had to be NICE. I thought that if you worked hard, and you were smart, and you were responsible, and right, and good, then maybe you’d be able to do well in the world. Maybe you’d get to fulfill your dream.”

“You mean to be Queen?” Spike asked.

“Yeah. Cotton is STUPID, Spike. Cotton isn’t as good at what I do as me, and I liked her, because she was okay with not being as good as I am at that stuff, but she still got to be in the Queen’s favor, and that’s why I’m unhappy, Spike, because I now have to do extra work to prove myself, even though I’ve been proving myself my whole life, and the Queen doesn’t trust me or anything! I hate it, Spike, I just hate it, because the world is unfair. The world is unfair, and life sucks, and I just hate it all.”

They sat like that for a while, with Spike petting Twilight’s mane, and her sobbing quietly in the corner. Suddenly, Spike started speaking.

“Twilight, maybe you are worthy of being Queen. You’re intelligent, and dedicated, and pretty, and you would be a great ruler, because ponies would respect you. But you don’t respect other ponies. You haven’t realized that Cotton Kadabra is extremely talented in her sewing abilities, she’s got an eye for strategy, and she’s empathetic as heck. You don’t understand that she’s earned a right to things just as much as you have, because maybe she’s not book smart like you, but she’s not stupid. Can’t you be understanding, Twilight? Sympathize!”

“They never taught us that in class.” Twilight smiled shakily at him and lay her head down in her forehooves again. “I know that I have that problem, Spike. I’m sorry that I judged her. I’m sorry that I can be so bad at understanding other ponies. I’m sure that I can change, maybe I can do it here. Maybe I can prove myself in that regard to Queen Nightmare when I’m in Ponyville.” She raised her head suddenly, and directed Spike to grab a pen and pad. “I’ve got to make a vow.”

I, Twilight Sparkle, vow to be more empathetic to my fellow creatures, and dedicate to learning outside of the classroom. I vow to be humble, and make friends.

“That... is a crap vow,” Spike commented.

“You just can’t stand my having self esteem, can you?”

Author's Note:

Yay, new updates! She'll be in Ponyville next time, don't worry!