A Valuble Lessonby th3l0stch1ldChaptersIntroThe Trip to a New HomeLesson 1: KindnessLesson 2: LoyaltyLesson 4: GenerosityLesson 5: LaughterLesson 6: MagicLesson 7: LoveThe Result of Choices MadeLesson 3: HonestyIntroThe day was hot. Too hot to go outside. Then again, if you ask me, any day is a bad one to go outside. I’ve always been different, never liked going outside, never tried to make friends, hated just about everything there was in existence. Few things brought me happiness, and I was made fun of for those things. Sixteen years I lived like this, until I eventually became a mystery to everyone, even my own family. I never really connected with my parents. My mother was always too happy and cheery to be around, and my father…always too drunk when he was home. So many nights I would lie awake and listen to them argue. He’s threatened me with my life, told me to my face that he hated me, and even tries to get me to believe he’s not my real father. Oh how I wish that were true. But I’m getting off topic, so I’ll get to the point. We’ll start just after my sixteenth birthday, which in my family was just another day. No one knew it was my birthday, and those who did always forgot. There I am, standing six foot two, one-hundred-thirty-two pounds, wearing the same outfit I wore every day, being an old pair of hand-me-down blue jeans and a black shirt that read Disturbed across the top, a faceless man wearing a tattered hoodie depicted on it. The school year was coming to an end, and honestly I couldn’t care, because it didn’t make any difference. We don’t get out of school until 2:00, and when we don’t have school, I’m never out of bed until at least 12. There were still things on my to do list that I know would never get done, and I mean never. There’s getting straight A’s, nope. I could tell my crush how I really feel, yeah right. Start driving? Wasn’t looking forward to it. You see, when you’re paranoid, your mind makes everything much worse than it really is, and I was always blowing things out of proportion. Try and make friends? Eh, I have enough. Two’s plenty, right? Around this time was when I started getting bored with everything. I had nearly beaten every video game I had, I hated going outside, being very unfit. Watching t.v. would mean being in the same room as my father, so no. it was just about then I decided to start writing. The Changeling King, the title of my first real story. Sure, I had creative writing that year in school, but I only wrote one story in that class, and even though it scored a perfect, I never considered it a story. Amor, however, had been a failed creation of my mind for almost a year now, and whenever I could get the time, my mind would wander into a fantasy world, where I live the life of one of my personas, now numbering eight. Amor was my only MLP oc though, and he was one of the two most used. He was an almost exact copy of Chrysalis with shorter hair, no eyelashes or eyeliner, and a cutie mark. Oh yeah, and he’s a guy, obviously. It wasn’t until a month later when a friend of mine recreated him into the cover picture I was going to use for my story, but Amor would always be the one I saw in my mind, no matter how grateful I was. I had all the pieces in my head, and it was just a matter of putting it together. I started slow, but over time, I began writing faster and faster, some being because I was getting used to it, but mostly my paranoia. When I posted the first two chapters and it got twenty views in a day, I sort of freaked. I told myself to pace myself, do a chapter a week, but I ended up doing a chapter a day. Short ones, but hey, it was something. I started to worry about disappointing the people reading by not posting an update, so I started doing thousand word chapters every day. Halfway through, I made the mistake of typing it in the view of my family. You see, it wasn’t until around chapter thirteen that I couldn’t stand sitting in my dull little room while I typed, so I would go and lie on the living room couch to type. My brother could care less what I was doing, over his thirteen years of life we came to a mental agreement of I leave him alone he leave me alone. My parents on the other hand, they weren’t as easy. My mother was the first one home, and she saw me on the couch with my laptop, typing away like I never had before. This was so unlike me, because I barely ever used my computer, and usually I was on xbox with my friends. So like the normal parent, she had to pester me. “What are you doing?” “Nothing.” “It doesn’t look like nothing.” “And?” “And I want to know what you’re doing.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I’m writing.” “What are you writing?” “A story.” “Can I see?” “No!” I blurted that out fast. You see, I’m a closet brony. No one knows it, other than online friends, and the only two people who had ever figured out that my Black ops emblem was Queen Chrysalis. It was something I learned after a while: no one needs to know anything about you, especially your parents. “Why can’t I read it?” “I don’t want you to.” “Why?” “I’m paranoid and I know you’ll laugh at me.” “Is that what you think?” “That’s what I know.” “I won’t laugh, I promise.” “The answer is still no.” She didn’t want to push the issue any farther, but she made it a permanent game to try and look over my shoulder and see what I was typing, even though I never let her. Hours passed, and I decided to type ahead. I don’t remember what chapter I was on, but it was then I heard him pull in the drive way. I could practically smell the alcohol before he even entered the house, so I knew I was in for it. He only picked on me, never my brother, never my mother, only me. It started almost immediately after he walked in the door. “What the fuck are you doing with that thing, dialing up porn?” I had to speak through locked teeth. “No dad.” “Then what the hell are you doing?” “Nothing.” “Don’t raise your voice to me, fucker! I’ll kick your teeth in and make you swallow them.” It didn’t even faze me. He made threats to me like that, and I never even raised my voice to him. I just went back to typing, trying to ignore everything he had to say, but that was even harder to do when he was drunk. It was a week later when the next event happened. I was typing chapter twenty, sitting in the living room, my father on the couch behind me with a beer in his hand. I was thinking real hard at the time and didn’t notice him. You deserve better than this.” He began digging with his hooves. He was sore, numb, and lost to emotions, but he dug. “Who the fuck was digging with hooves?” I don’t know how I didn’t smell him, but he was two inches away from my face. He was too drunk to put the pieces together, and he was stuck on the hooves part, laughing the whole time. “Is nothing personal?” He immediately stopped laughing and looked at me with those dialated eyes. “No, not while you’re in this house. So shut the fuck up.” I gritted my teeth and obeyed. It was no secret he couldn’t wait for me to leave. The next event, the final one, was much farther ahead, chapter 33. I had just started, and no one was even paying attention to me. “No. The hive needs a leader while you’re gone anyways.” She pushed forward and wrapped around Amor, half on the bed and hanging in the middle. Amor started to fall back, pulling Chrysalis on top of him. “Woah!” She didn’t try to stop herself and Amor didn’t try to save it either. His crown hit the ground with a ping and rolled around beside them. Amor looked up at Chrysalis, giggling on top of him. She looked into his eyes and stared for a minute before kissing him. “He’s writing a fucking love story!” I turned to see my father laughing as much as he could behind me. He just couldn’t leave me alone. “Is it a porn book? Come on, is it the kind of book that some slut will buy?” I had to leave there, I couldn’t take him when he was drunk. “Hey, where the fuck you going?” I slammed the door behind me when I reached my room. I began typing away trying to finish the chapter I was on, but I couldn’t concentrate, my parents were arguing again. “Do you have to fuck with him every day?” “I didn’t even say anything!” “Yes you did! I heard every last word of it!” “Oh, shut the fuck up and go back to your boyfriend.” My father always started accusing my mother of cheating on him when he was drunk. At that point, I had to turn the music on. I was going through everything on my computer by release date, and I was in 2005. Avenged Sevenfold blasting in my ears as I typed away. It was then that my entire life would change. “Travis.” I could barely hear it through my headphones. I thought it was just my parents again, so I went back to typing, pulling one earphone out in case someone was calling me. “Travis.” I definitely heard something that time. The voice was strangely familiar, but it couldn’t be who I thought it was. What scared me even more was that I came from somewhere in my room. I looked around. There was nowhere anything could hide it here. “Great, he finally drove me to insanity. Thanks dad.” “Travis, over here.” I shot up. It was coming from the foot of my bed, but there was nothing down there except for a poster. “Come closer.” I couldn’t resist. I looked close at the poster at the foot of my bed. It was an Avenged Sevenfold poster, Buried Alive spread across the top in bold red letters while two hands popped out of a grave, reaching for something that wasn’t there. Whatever, whoever was calling me, it seemed to be coming from the poster. I leaned in as close as I could get. I put my head to the poster, and just fell through. I lost my balance, and fell right into nothingness. ………. I awoke some time later, unsure of where I was. I noticed something was definitely different. Ever thing was so much more…vibrant. Colors were bright and lively. The world I was used to was dull, almost colorless. “Ah, you’re finally awake.” The voice was definitely familiar. It was calm, majestic, and soothing. I looked up from the smooth white floor to see the source of the voice. It was exactly who I thought it was. Sitting on a throne before me, was none other than the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. “I am Princess Celestia, the princess of the sun.” “Oh I know who you are. The question is why am I here?” “Right to business huh? Very well. I brought you here through a portal.” “How?” “Equestria has powers that people from your world would never begin to understand. Just know that you are here.” “Okay, why?” “Because I have been watching you for some time now. You are very unhappy with your life, unhappy with the people you know.” “Unhappy doesn’t begin to explain it.” I was at my feet by this time. “Yes, well. I brought you here in an attempt to help you learn a very important lesson in friendship, or rather, six lessons.” “Okay, well I thank you for the chance.” Something possessed me to bow. It could have just been the fact that I was standing in front of one of the most powerful beings ever, but still. “So, when do I leave?” “Well you can’t leave looking like that.” “What’s wrong with how I look?” “Nothing, except that you would never fit in. there is currently a spell placed on you. Think really hard. What would you look like as a being from my world? What do you want to look like?” There was no contest. I closed my eyes, and seconds later, I was engulfed in a white light. When it subsided, I wasn’t me. I was much better. Four solid black holy legs. A greenish blue tail. A solid black coat. Two large fangs were sticking out of my mouth. My eyes were no longer brown, but were now green. A mended heart was on my new flank. I was a changeling. I was Amor. “A changeling? Well, it’s your choice. Shall I continue calling you by your name?” To tell the truth, I’ve always hated my name. “No, please call me Amor.” Celestia smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful name. Now I have some people I want you to meet.” Just then, the large golden doors to the room burst open, and I could just barely make out the shadowed figures of six ponies. Knowing what I already know, it didn’t take much to guess who they were. “Ah, right on time, girls.” “Princess Celestia, we came as soon as Spike brought us the news. What is it you need us…oh, I didn’t realize you would have compan-is that a changeling!?” The pony who was speaking was a light purple unicorn, a pink stripe through here hair and mane. I took one step back, unsure how to respond, but with every step closer to Celestia I took, they seemed to grow more and more hostile toward me, something I was well too acquainted with. I decided it would be best if I just stopped where I was at. “Girls, please calm down.” Celestia tried to calm the six ponies down, but for some it didn’t seem to work. A sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane flew up to me, pressing her face up to mine and looking me in the eyes, a look in her face that spoke clearly: I don’t trust you. “How do we know he doesn’t have the princess under some mind control spell like the last time? I say we beat it out of him until he lets her go.” “Mind…what? I have no idea what you are talking about. I just got here myself.” They seemed surprised that I said anything. “He doesn’t sound like a changeling.” “And how would you know?” “Well, for one, Rainbowdash, all the ones we fought off were hissing at us, and the queen spoke in old english.” “So? If you hadn’t realized this isn’t a normal changeling.” The blue pegasus indicated to my flank. The whole groups eyes widened as they all called out at the same time. “A cutie mark?” “Enough!” Celestia’s voice thundered through the room, calming everyone down. “Everyone, this is Tr-uh, Amor. I brought him here from a place very far away. I want you six to teach him about the magic of friendship.” They hesitated. Everyone was silent for a few minutes while they decided how to react. Finally, the purple unicorn spoke up. “Alright princess. We’ll do it.” She approached me and extended a hoof. “Hello, and glad to meet you. I am Twilight Sparkles.” I stuck my newly acquired hoof out and met hers. “Hello.” “You don’t speak much, do you?” “I’d prefer to stay quiet.” “Right… well, you’ve already met Rainbowdash in a sense.” She pointed to the rainbow pegasus. “Sup.” “Not much.” “This is Rarity.” A white unicorn with a purple mane that was obviously well cared for approached. She was practically glowing with beauty…in a weird pony way. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure is all mine.” “Well, aren’t you a gentle colt.” I had to roll my eyes. “This is Applejack.” An orange pony with a western style hat approached. Her mane and hair were both in ponytails. She didn’t have wings or a horn like the rest, she was just a normal pony. “Howdy.” She stuck a hoof out like the first. “Hi.” I took her hoof and she violently shook me in an attempt at a hoofshake. “This is Fluttershy.” A small yellow pegasus with a long pink mane approached, her head low to the ground and her wings clapped tightly against her body. “H-hi.” She spoke in a tone that could only be described as quieter than a whisper. “Hi.” She had a look of fear in her eye. “I’m probably going to like talking to you.” “Eep!” She quickly fled behind the other pegasus. “S-sorry.” “And this is-“ “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” A wild pink pony appeared right in front of me, causing me to rear back. “Eh, hi.” “So, do you like cake? Because I love cake! Especially cupcakes which are just really really small cakes that you don’t have to share which is fine for me because I really like my sweets.” The only reason she stopped talking was because she needed to take in air to keep going, but I cut her off. “Yeah, I can tell.” Celestia spoke up. “Alright, now that you all have met, you are all to help Amor learn the magic of friendship in your own ways. Each day he will help you in a way you deem necessary and you will help him. I feel I can trust the Elements of Harmony to help him learn the ways of friendship.” “You can count on us, princess!” The Trip to a New HomeThe train ride was nearly silent, but I didn’t know if that was normal or if it was just me making it awkward. The only noise I heard was Pinkie Pie singing something. I really wasn’t paying attention though. I sat with my head propped on my hoof looking out the window, watching the scenery go by. No one was even trying to speak to me, they weren’t trying to be social, and that was just the way I liked it. “So…Amor, how do you like Equestria so far?” “It’s a nice place. Much brighter than I am used to, but I like it here.” “That’s good.” “So Amor,” Rainbowdash cut it. “Why do you look so much like the queen of the changelings?” “Rainbow!” “What?” Well of course I knew the answer, but how would the truth sound? Oh yeah, I’m a human and Celestia said I could look like whatever I imagined, so I chose this. “I don’t know. I guess this is just how I look.” “Okay…and why does a changeling have a cutie mark?” I saw this as a chance to have some fun. “What makes you think a changeling can’t have a cutie mark?” “Well, uh, none of the others had any.” “Do you know anything about changelings?” “Well, no, but…wait a minute.” She must have seen the smirk on my face, because she grinned too. “You’re just as clueless as me, aren’t you?” “Yeah, pretty much. I have no clue why I have one, I just do.” “Alright, good one.” I replaced my head on my hoof as I looked out the window. “So we’re going to Ponyville?” “Yes. There is an empty house in town, and Celestia said you are to stay there for the time being. It’s a little unfurnished, but there’s a bed there and it’s a place to stay. Sorry, but that’s all there is for you.” “It’s fine, I’m not going to be there often anyways. So long as I can sleep there I’ll be fine.” “That’s…good, I guess.” “Don’t worry about me.” “Amor, we want to be your friends, and that’s going to be hard if you don’t let us.” I looked around at them sitting around me. I saw it in their faces, they did mean that, but it would take some time to adjust. “I understand that you want to help, and I hope we can be friends soon, but it will take some time for me to get used to the area. Eventually when I settle in I’ll work on friends. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I need some sleep.” I let out a heavy yawn as I crossed my hooves and put my head in my lap. I was out in an instant. ………. By the time I woke up, it was already dark. Everyone was gone except for Rainbowdash, who lazily had her head propped on her hoof. “Where is everyone?” She immediately brought herself to attention. “Finally awake. Everypony is in the next cart asleep.” “Why are they in the next cart?” “There’s beds in there, and Rarity needs her beauty sleep.” “Waitwaitwait, there’s beds?” “Yeah, sorry bout’ that. We meant to tell you, but you were already asleep.” “So why are you in here?” “Someone needs to watch you, and you seem kinda cool so far.” “Only kinda?” We both got a small chuckle out of it. “So when are we going to reach Ponyville?” “I don’t keep track of that kind of stuff. We get there when we get there.” “Sounds like a good answer to me.” “I like you. You’re cool for a changeling. But no one’s as cool as me.” “If you say so.” “Is that a challenge?” “Nope. I know I’m nowhere close, but there’s gotta be competition.” “Yeah right!” “What about the Wonderbolts?” She stopped, her mouth hanging open in thought. “Alright, you beat me.” “It’s not a matter of win or lose, more of just outsmarting.” “Ugh, none of that philosophy stuff. I can barely understand Twilight half the time.” A slight grin was spreading across my face. I could feel it, but I didn’t want it there. “Well, I guess we should get some sleep, unless you have something else you want to say.” “No,” as if the simple thought brought it on, she yawned. “I really am tired. I should have gotten some sleep a while ago. C’mon.” Rainbowdash trotted to the end of the car, and I felt obligated to follow. She stopped before entering and put an ear to the door. “It sounds quiet in there, so I think they’re already sleeping. Try and be quiet.” She slowly swung the door open, and sure enough, the cart was dark, no noise at all. She slipped into one of the nearby beds, pointing to an open one nearby as she pulled the divider between her and the rest. I looked around and found that the one she indicated to was one of the few that was left open, so I had very few options. Even if I did, what difference would it make? A bed is a bed, and so long as no one else is in it, it works. Climbing in, I pulled the divider over to block my view from the rest of the train, listening to the sound of the train thundering over the tracks. I finally had a moment to think about the events that have happened today. I was brought to a different world through a portal in a poster in my old room to live a happy life. So many things would have to change. No more school, no more of the same old bullies, no more of getting to see my crush, and best of all, no more of my family. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. No more days listening to my father tell me how much he hated me for ruining his life. I like this place already. ………. “Hey! HEY! Wake up! C’mon, you’ve been out longer than me, you have to get up!” The same as any other day in my old life. My eyes slowly crept open, temporarily blinded by the reintroduction of light to them. Everything was a blur, as it always was when I woke up, so colors were mixed with everything in the area. The first thing I saw was something right in front of my face, something sky blue with a rainbow on top. At first, I had no idea where I was. Did everything really happen? It had to of been a dream. There is just no possible way that I was in Equestria. I tried to wave away what I thought was just a figment of my imagination, but found it extremely hard to move my hand. In fact, it was so hard it felt like it wasn’t even there…wait a minute. When I held my ‘hand’ in front of my face, just close enough that it wasn’t that blurred, I saw only a solid black stump filled with holes. There was no palm. There were no fingers. My eyes finally focused in on my arm to reveal a black hoof. It was then that I decided that this wasn’t a dream. My eyes focused on the rest of the colorful world around me, which was just a train car filled with beds at the time. Standing nearly a foot away was Rainbowdash, still trying to wake me up. “Finally! You do realize it’s almost noon, right?” “Then you woke me up early.” “Early!? When do you wake up?” “About two. I don’t know why, but I always sleep til’ two when I go undisturbed.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, when I woke up, everypony else was gone, so I think they’re in the next car. You can sleep if you want, but I tried.” “I just need a few minutes. Don’t worry, I’ll be out in a little.” She rolled her eyes as she walked to the door. “Whatever. We’ll be waiting. I’m sure everypony wants to talk to you.” I fell back in the bed. “Yeah, great.” I heard the door click shut as she left, giving me the silence I wanted. I always sit in bed a few minutes to clear up what happened to me last night and the day before. Dreams? None. Fights? None. New friends? Guess I can check that off the to do list. Getting sent through a portal to an alternate universe and turned into a pony? Strangely enough, I’m somewhat happy about that. Alright, that sounds like about it. As I sat forward, every bone in my back snapped and cracked, settling back into place. Shaking off the drowsiness I looked at myself in the window, making out my reflection. Large bags were under my eyes, as expected. I stood up and everything blurred again, almost making me lose my balance. When everything finally came into focus, I made my way to the door, expecting the worst. But strangely, when I opened it, they were welcoming. “Amor! You’re finally up. It takes actual skill to outsleep Rainbowdash.” “Sugarcube, you must not work much, cuz I gotta be up atta crack a dawn every mornin’.” “No, not really.” “Well al change at. I wouldn’t mind the help if you’d be willin’.” “Sure. If you need the help, I’ll do what I can.” “Much appreciated.” “So Amor, if you don’t mind me asking, where are you from?” Twilight asked me. I panicked a little. “I’m…not from around here. Sorry, I don’t really like talking about my past, but I’ll answer the best I can.” “Alright…any siblings?” “One brother that I never got along with.” “Parents?” “They never cared for me, and I learned to do the same.” “I…I’m sorry to hear that.” “Don’t be. I’ve made my mistakes, and they are all my fault.” I heard a whisper-like voice from behind me. “Don’t say that. Everything can’t be your fault.” Fluttershy was low in her seat, trying to hide from plain site. I let out a comforting smile. “Thank you.” The train jerked to a stop. “WE’RE HERE!” Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down the train car waiting for the door to open. When they finally did, she shot out like a bullet, everyone else slowly trickling out behind her. I ended up following Rarity to my new house, since everyone else had to go their separate ways. “This is your new place, darling. I’m just a little down the road from here in the boutique. Fluttershy is on the edge of the forest, just follow the path. Pinkie Pie lives in Sugarcube Corner, the bakery down the road. Twilight lives in the library, it’s the tree on the other side of town, can’t miss it. Applejack lives with her family on their farm, which you can see from here.” She pointed to a small red barn in the distance. “And Rainbowdash lives in that cloud.” She pointed to a large cloud shaped like a castle, a light blue pegasus just landing on it. “Thank you.” She flipped her hair as she walked away. When I entered the house, I realized that unfurnished was an understatement. It was a large circular room, no interior walls. In the center of the room was the bed, but there was nothing else in the room. It was shaped like a perfect dome, the circular walls were painted pink. There was one continuous window that went around the entire house/room that let the sun touch most of the floor. It was barren, but it would work for now. The day was still plenty early, and I didn’t have anything to do, so I guess now would be a good time to start on a lesson. Lesson 1: KindnessIt took some time to find the trail that Rarity told me about, and none of the townsponies were willing to help. Everywhere I turned, everyone was giving me displeased looks, but that wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I was too busy making sure I didn’t lose track of Rarity on the way in the town to notice anyone then, but now, it was pretty obvious. That’s what I get when I become a changeling though. Anyways, when I reached the end of the trail, I came to a large tree, dozens of different animals scattered around it. Bird houses were hanging from various branches, a flood of different colored birds flying around them. A small chicken coop was off to the side. When I walked up to the base of the tree, I found a small door. I knocked a few times and waited for an answer. “Just a minute.” I waited a few moments before the door opened. “Hel-eep.” Fluttershy was standing in the door, a look of fear was in her eyes as she looked up at me. “Hello.” “H-hi.” “You don’t need to be afraid of me, I don’t want to hurt you.” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “S-sorry.” “No need to apologize, I know what I look like.” “S-so what brings you here?” “The day’s still early, and I have nothing to do, so I guess now would be a good time for my first lesson. So what do I have to do?” “Gosh, I didn’t expect you so soon. I don’t know what to do.” “Aren’t you the element of kindness?” “Y-yes?” “Then we’ll start there. I can help you around if you need it.” “R-really?” “Of course. What do we need to do?” “Well, I guess I could use some help with the animals.” “Okay, what do I need to do.?” “If you wouldn’t mind, could you please carry the feed? You’re much bigger than me, so it shouldn’t be that hard for you.” “Of course.” ………. I ended up following Fluttershy around the cottage, large bags of various animal feed stacked on my back, my wings hanging lazily off my sides. It was a large amount of added weight, but not too much. “Thank you so much for doing this. Usually I would have to feed them one by one and keep heading back to get more food, but this is much easier. Thank you.” “No need to thank me. So long as you treat me as an equal, I’ll continue to help.” She looked at me, puzzled. “Why would I treat you as any less? You haven’t done anything to make me think of you as anything less than an equal.” “You’d be surprised at how many people think they are better than me.” “You’re not a bad pony. Everypony is just scared, that’s all.” “Maybe.” The bags were getting lighter as she took the various feed out and gave it to the animals. “Thank you again. This makes everything so much easier.” “Glad I can help.” Just then, we heard something whimpering under a nearby bush. It sounded afraid and weak, but as if it wasn’t afraid to fend for itself. “That doesn’t sound good.” She got down low to see what lay under the bush, and immediately shot back out. “It’s a wolf!” “Let me see.” I dropped the feed in a pile and crawled in beside her. Sure enough, cowering against the base, was a wolf pup. Not one of the big wooden ones that eat everything either. It was a small grey wolf, its front paw bent awkwardly. “Come here, little friend. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She stuck her hoof in close, but I growled in defense. Her eyes grew wide as she reared back out of the bush. “That’s never happened before.” “Let me see him.” I crawled deeper under the bush, staring deep into the wolf’s eyes. I stared for a minute, it staring back. Finally, I decided to put a hoof close. Like last time, it growled at me, but I didn’t pull my hoof away. I just stopped, and continued looking it in the eyes. Keeping eye contact, I slowly moved my hoof closer, and closer, and closer. After a few minutes, I felt its fur. It jumped back at the touch, but overall, it was calmer, so I scratched it behind the ear. It gave in, and rolled over onto its back, whimpering in defeat and happiness. “Alright, come on out of there.” I stuck my other hoof under and gently picked it up, slowly pulling him out from his shelter. “Wow, you must be really good with animals.” “Not really. Most things tend to hate me.” “Who told you that?” I lowered my eyes to the ground, trying to avoid eye contact. “My father. I’m not good at anything.” “Yes you are. If you keep telling yourself that, you’ll only believe it.” I looked up to see she had a somewhat comforting look on her face. “And you are good with animals.” The wolf yelped, trying to get attention. “See. He likes you.” “I guess so. So what’s wrong with him?” “It looks like he just hurt his paw. Poor thing, his parents must have left him. Don’t worry, I can help.” I slowly handed the pup over to Fluttershy. He was much calmer than when we initially found him, and was willing to comply. Throwing the remainder of the animal feed onto my back, we headed off to the cottage, where Fluttershy, fixed the wolf pup’s leg and put a gauss wrap around it. “What are we going to do with him?” “Well, he seems to like you. Why don’t you take him?” “Really? I mean if you think it’s a good idea, sure, but, really?” “Well, yes. Why not?” “I don’t know. Sure, I’ll take him.” I took the pup in my hooves, and he just looked straight at me. “I’ll call you…Hazmat.” “H-Hazmat? Why?” “It seems to suit him, and I kinda like the name.” “Oh, okay. Would you mind helping me feed the rest of the animals? I mean, if it’s okay with you.” “Sure.” The bags of feed were placed onto my back once again, Hazmat was placed on top. He curled up and ended up falling asleep on the top of the pile while we wandered around feeding the rest of the animals. ………. Hours had passed since we started, the bags on my back nearly empty after the long day. Hazmat was still asleep, unaffected by the shift bringing him closer to my back. “Thank you again for the help.” “No problem.” By this time we were back at the house. “You can put those bags over there, I’ll get to them later. Right now I need to get the tea ready.” She was pointing to a corner in the room. “Alright.” Tossing the bags into a large pile, I began walking away, but stopped short. “Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?” I heard something fumbling around in the large pile I just created and turned to see what it was. Sticking his head out of the pile of bags, a small grey wolf face starred back at me. “Right, I thought so.” He barked at me in irritation. “I’m doomed.” “It takes some getting used to.” I turned to see Fluttershy walking over to the table with a tray on her back, two cups and a tea pot on it. “Here, have a drink.” She set the tray on the table and began pouring the tea into the glasses. “Thank you.” I took my seat across from her as she handed me one of the cups. I never really liked tea, but I guess I should try and be a good guest and stomach it. Now how do I pick up the cup… oh well. Using both hooves, I picked it up and began sipping at its contents, which I was surprised to find wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. “Thank you again.” “You don’t need to keep thanking me.” “Oh, well, um, okay.” I looked back at Hazmat, who had made himself a bed in the emptied feed sacks. He was watching everything carefully, following every movement with his eyes as his head rested in his paws. He yawned and finally decided to close his eyes. The moon shone through the window as I finished my tea. “Well, I should get home. Thank you for the drink.” “You’re welcome. Come by whenever you like, I mean if it’s okay with you.” “I will, and thank you again.” Placing Hazmat on my back, I opened the door and walked down the moonlit path. "Amor." "Yes?" "Don't worry, you are good at something." I smiled. "Thank you." Lesson 2: LoyaltyThe sun pierced my eyelids, blinding me momentarily as I awoke. It was a much different start than I was used to. Usually, the blinds were pulled shut, keeping any foreign light from entering the room, but, well, it’s hard to find blinds for a circle, and I don’t have any money yet. My new wolf friend was curled up against the wall in a pile of blankets off of my bed. Being the lazy, creative, and messy person I was, I yawned, pulled the sheets off of the bed, and threw them over my head, blocking out most of the light. “Ugh. Too early.” I didn’t even know what time it was, but I knew sunlight was bad. Just then, someone began knocking on my door. “Hey, you still alive?” “Ugghh, go away!” “C’mon, you’ve been out for too long.” I moaned one last time as I threw my pillow at the door…just as my visitor decided to enter. I heard the sound of it fluff off of her face and sat up. Standing in my doorway was Rainbowdash, the pillow still on her face. “Umm, oops?” she grabbed the pillow off of her face and threw it back at me twice as hard. I ducked, trying to avoid it, but my head jerked back as it hooked onto my horn. It fell over my face, blinding me, and I could clearly hear laughter. When I pulled the pillow off of my horn, I saw Rainbowdash laughing and rolling on the ground. “Okay, I deserve that.” “Aww that was hilarious!” “GRRRR.” We both sat up at the sound. I immediately looked over at Hazmat, who was standing up, trying to look as menacing as a pup can look. “Hazmat.” He looked over at me. “Hazmat, down.” With a whimper, he lowered back down into his bed, never taking his eyes off of Rainbow. “When did you get a dog?” “Actually he’s a wolf.” “Okay…when did you get a wolf?” “Yesterday when I was helping Fluttershy. We found him under a bush and she recommended I take him, since he seems to only like me.” “I can see that. He’s a bit vicious for a pup, don’t you think?” “Meh, he’ll be fine.” “Riiigght. So what are you doing today?” I yawned. “I don’t know, I guess I’ll learn from you today.” “Learn?” “Yeah, I follow you around and help you whenever.” “Sounds good to me!” “Why do I feel like I made a mistake?” “Come on, don’t keep me waiting.” I sighed deeply as I rose from my bed. “Alright, let’s go. Hazmat, stay.” He wined, but obeyed as he lowered into his bed. Walking outside, I took in a deep breath of fresh air, looking around at the early life of Ponyville. Rainbowdash walked out beside me. “We’re on weather today. C’mon, let’s go!” She took off like a bullet into the air. I watched as she faded into a dot, then turned around and returned beside me. “You know, when I say come on, I mean come on.” “I don’t know how to fly.” “No seriously, let’s go.” “I am being serious.” I looked back at my wings, which were still hanging at my sides. “How do you fly?” “Well, I don’t know, just flap your wings!” I looked at her awkwardly. All she did was put a hoof to her face. “Close your eyes and think about your wings.” I did as instructed, and strangely enough I began feeling my wings, which were numb up until this point. “I think I can feel my wings.” “Alright, can you move them?” I tried, and at the command my wings flared to life, standing straight up. “Good. Now, flap them really fast!” I again looked at her, puzzled. “I don’t know how changelings work. The only ones I ever saw in flight were trying to kill me, so I wasn’t really paying attention to how they fly.” “Right, okay.” I did as instructed once again and beat my wings rapidly, which surprisingly took very little effort. Faster and faster, it felt like a burden was being lifted off of my legs. “Hey Amor, don’t look now, but your flying.” I looked down at my legs, which were now dangling below me. “So I am.” “You don’t sound very excited for your first flight.” “I never get excited.” “Apparently. So can you move, or are you stuck in one spot?” “I don’t know, let me try.” I tried angling my wings to push air behind me. That did the trick, because I began shooting forward. Angling them the other way, I moved back. “Yeah, I can move.” “Great, now follow me.” Again, she shot into the air, and I followed the best I could. When we were a good distance in the air, she stopped and looked around, scanning the skies. “Can you break a cloud?” “I dunno.” “Okay, let me rephrase that. Go try and break that cloud.” She pointed to the closest cloud, and I floated over to it. I gave it a light kick, and it disintegrated at the touch. “There you go! See, you are learning from me, and I’m an awesome teacher!” “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” “Fine, fine, whatever. Just start kicking clouds, I’ll get to work over there.” She took off into the opposite direction, leaving me in the middle of the sky. With a heavy sigh, I went to work on the other side. ………. It took a few hours, but I broke most of the clouds I could find. Searching the skies, I saw only one other cloud in the sky. I began mumbling under my breath. “Yeah, thanks for the help.” I gave the cloud a kick, and it broke apart, leaving a bright blue figure where it once was, now falling to earth. It was Rainbowdash. She was asleep. I panicked and dive-bombed straight for her, my wings clamping tight to my body. “Ohnoohnoohnoohno!” My tight slender figure was gaining speed faster than her sloppy one, causing some air resistance. I finally caught to her and wrapped my legs around her, now flapping my wings as fast as they could move. I finally slowed the free-fall to a slow, almost motionless hover. “Huh? What?” She was finally awake. “Next time, tell me what cloud you’re in before you go to sleep.” “Uhhh, what happened? I feel like I was kicked in the back.” “Y-yeah, that was my fault. I broke the cloud you were in and sent you into a free-fall to earth. I am so sorry.” “N-no, no, it’s my fault. Sorry.” “Seriously? I nearly killed you, but you’re sorry?” “Yeah, that was my fault. I shoulda told you.” “And?” “And…I shoulda helped.” “And?” “And…I shouldn’t have been sleeping.” “And?” “And…what else do you want from me?” “I just wanted to see what you would say. Now, could you help?” “What do you…oh, yeah, sorry.” The entire time we were talking, she hadn’t noticed the only reason she wasn’t on the ground was because I was helping her up, holding her in a type of shoulder lock. “Not bad for your first time flying.” “Just start flapping.” “Right, right.” At the command, she pulled herself from my hold and flew up beside me. “I just want you to know that I take full responsibility.” “For what?” “Nearly killing you.” “How is that your fault? You can’t really blame yourself for doing what you were told?” “Sorry, force of habit.” “What habit could possibly have you blaming yourself because of what I did?” “Well…whenever anything bad happens, my father would always blame me, no matter what.” “Seriously?” “Would I lie?” “I don’t know…dang, that sucks.” “Well, I’m cursed.” “Your luck can’t be that bad.” “Someone stole my dog when I was little.” “Well…sorry to hear that. But it can’t be entirely your fault. I’ve been blamed for my fair share of things, most of them were actually my fault though, but always look at the bright side.” “What bright side?” “You just found out you’re a pretty strong flier.” “I guess…” “And you have a lot of friends.” “Okay…” “And you now have a loyal wolf and a friend who owes you her life.” “Alright, I get it. Thanks.” “Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for.” “Yeah, right, friends…” “You…have had friends before…right?” “Not many, and not any that I would actually trust.” “Well, that all changes now. You have the liberty and opportunity to be friends with the one and only Rainbowdash! This is a chance that not many get, and those who do are very lucky.” “Your overdoing it.” “Do you want to be my friend or not?” “A bit harsh, don’t you think?” I smiled. “Alright, sure friend.” “That’s the spirit! So now what do you want to do?” “I don’t know…I’m hungry, how about you?” “Now that you mentioned it, yes, after nearly falling to my death, I am a little hungry. Come on, I’ll buy lunch.” “That sounds great. I can’t remember the last time I ate…well, anything.” “Great! Umm, I don’t really owe you my life, do I?” I rolled my eyes. “No, Rainbowdash, you don’t, just buy me lunch and we’ll call it even.” Lesson 4: GenerosityAs the day began, I awoke, still dazed from the night. I began pacing around my room with nothing better to do for the time being. My choices were growing slimmer with each day, giving me less of a choice. “Let’s see. Element of magic? Not right now. So long as no one else smashes in my door, I shouldn’t have any other issues with that. Laughter?” I shuddered at the thought. “No, no, NO! not yet at least. What else is there? Generosity? Well, I guess so.” I walked to the door, slowly pulling it open. “Well, I guess I’m going to see-“ “Perfect!” I reared back at the sudden outburst. I had no idea anyone was going to be waiting for me. The door swung the rest of the way open without my concern. Standing a few feet away, looking me over with a very thorough eye, was Rarity. “Um, hello?” “Come with me, right now.” I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, a blue aura gripped my horn and dragged me behind her. I stumbled at first, but managed to catch my footing after a few seconds. “Where are we going?” “No time to explain. I need your help right now, it’s an emergency.” She began moving faster, pulling me to follow her speed. “Alright, alright, just lead the way.” ………. We arrived at the boutique moments later. At first glance, I couldn’t see anything wrong. “What’s the emergency?” “I have been asked to design a dress for the Fleur Dis Lee. I need a model for the dress, and your figure is close to hers.” I cocked my head to the side. “Fleur Dis Lee? Supermodel? One of the most beautiful unicorns in Canterlot, possibly Equestria?” “I’m still stuck on the part where you want me to wear a dress.” “It’s just for a few hours.” “I’m not wearing a dress.” “You’ll be inside where no one will see you.” “No.” She was becoming slightly more irritated. “You’re not leaving until you help me.” I gave her the same look and pushed my face close to hers. “Make me.” “Oh I will.” “I’d like to see you try.” After having a staring contest for a few minutes, her horn began to glow, along with all four of my hooves. She held me upside-down while she began digging out various cloths and other materials. “You wouldn’t dare.” “What are you going to do? You would never hurt a lady, would you?” “Of course not.” “Then stay put.” “As if I have a choice.” “Oh, you’ll be fine.” ………. I had no idea how much time had passed. I kept my eyes closed the entire time, I didn’t want to even see what she was doing to me. “Is it over? Is it over yet? Please, tell me it’s over.” “Asking won’t make it go any faster. Now sit still and stop fidgeting.” As if to get her message across, she stuck me with a pin, pricking me on the flank. “Ow! Hey, watch it!” “I said stop moving. Now if you don’t sit still, I may have to start over.” “No! It’s bad enough I am doing this once, I am not doing it again.” “Then sit still. And open your eyes! It’s not as bad as you think.” “I am not opening my eyes until this thing is off of me.” “Fine.” She wrapped something around my body and it began pulling tighter and tighter, smashing my wings against my back. I had never worn a girdle before, but I imagine this is what it felt like. At one point it became hard to draw air into my lungs. “I can’t breathe! What are you trying to do to me?” “Relax. That’s as tight as it will get.” “I will never understand why you put yourselves through so much to alter your appearance.” “It’s a small price to pay to look good.” “Is it worth dying over?” “Possibly. What would you rather me do?” “You’re talking to the wrong stallion for fashion advice.” “Point taken. But you don’t truly think I always look this stunning, do you? Believe it or not, even I must do things to make myself look beautiful.” “It’s so much easier to wake up, pat your hair down, and go on with your day without having a care in the world about what others think of you.” “Yes, I figured that out about you.” “Don’t care.” “You must care a little.” “You realize who you’re talking to, right? Holy legs, matted hair, fangs that stick out over my lips, tattered insectoid wings, etcetera, etcetera.” “Okay, I get it. Not everypony is the same.” “Everyone has their differences. How much longer?” “I’m almost done. Just need to add the finishing touches…there! Now will you open your-“ “Get it off me first.” I heard a heavy sigh. After a few minutes of wrestling, the dress finally came off, so I slowly allowed my eyes to open. I peeked first to make sure it was completely off. When I was sure it was gone, I allowed my eyes to open entirely. I looked around the room, seeing no sign of anything Rarity may have even been working on. “So where is it?” “I locked it away. I want it to stay perfect when it is sent to Canterlot, so I am going to keep it safe and away from the public eye. It’s a shame. If you would have just opened your eyes you would have been the first to see my work.” I rolled my eyes. “Is that all you needed me for today?” “For the time being. Thank you for your help. If my design becomes popular, I may need you more often. Just think, I may become famous for my work!” I could see a strange sparkle in her eyes as she stared out a window. I shuddered again. “Well, I should be heading home.” “Goodbye. Thank you again for the help, darling.” “No one is to ever know that this happened. Understand?” “Of course. That would just be the worst. Possible. Thing!” “Right. Well, I’ll be at my house if you need me.” Author's Note I just want to say that I write these on my own and I don't really revise anything, so if anyone is willing to proofread these, pm me. i'd really like a second opinion. the catch? you get to criticize my writing without me freaking and you get to read ahead. Lesson 5: LaughterLying in my bed, I let my mind begin to wonder. Two days supposedly until my lesson is complete. Random thoughts began flooding into my head. First, and somewhat important, why am I not hungry? I ate maybe once all week, I’ve been feeding Hazmat, so why was it that I wasn’t caving in on myself? Maybe…maybe I was feeding off of love? It’s always a possibility, but I’m not going to get carried away with it. Best to stop thinking about it before I go crazy. What’s worse, I have to spend the day with the party pony. I better get this over with before I do go insane. Who knows, maybe the day with Pinkie Pie won’t be so who am I kidding, it’s going to be horrible. ………. I found the pastry shop after only moments of searching. The large pink building with the gingerbread roof stood out among the colorful streets of the town. As I pushed the door open, I heard the jingle of the bell above the door. “Welcome to-“ A blue mare with a pink mane and an apron began to greet me, but stopped once she caught site of what I look like. I stood waiting as she regained her composure. “Sorry. You must be Pinkie’s new friend. She’s not here right now, but may I interest you in anything?” “No, thank you, though. I’ll just be on my way.” “Alright, come on back whenever you feel it’s right.” I nodded as I walked out the door. Great. Now, on top of spending the day with Pinkie, I have to find her first. This is going to be a long- “GOTCHA!” A pink blur shot through the air and hit me in the back, sending me face first into the ground with whatever it was on top of me. One guess on what that was. “I have been looking all over for you! I went to your house but you didn’t answer so I went to see if you were with Twilight but she hasn’t seen you then I ran into Rainbowdash and she said she hasn’t seen you for a day or two then Rarity said she saw you yesterday but she wouldn’t tell me what you were doing which is really strange then I saw you leaving Sugarcube Corner and here we are!” My mind was still spinning for quite some time after she stopped talking. It took me a few moments to put together just some of what she had said. “So, whatcha doin?” “Looking for you.” She gasped. “Really? That’s so weird, because I was looking for you! So, what do you want to do?” “Well, you’re the element, so you choose.” “Really? THEN LET’S-“ “No parties.” “Drats, you’re no fun.” I grumbled under my breath. “Seriously, when was the last time you smiled?” “When I got here.” “When was the last time you laughed?” I put my hoof to my chin in thought. “What month is it?” “A MONTH!?” “No, no, not a month…a couple of months.” “A COUPLE OF-“ “Yes.” “Well you’re no fun. There has to be something that makes you laugh.” “You can try, but I doubt you’ll find anything.” “You are asking me to find something to make someone smile and laugh! I know I can do it!” “We’ll see.” Boy will I regret those words. ………. The next few hours were spent with futile attempts at getting me to laugh, some in song. She played pranks, told jokes, at one point she brought out a cannon and shot me in the face with confetti. I didn’t even crack a smile. “You have gotta smile eventually.” “No.” “Please?” “No.” Pleeeeeeaaase?” “Stop pleading.” She squinted her eyes at me as if trying to see through me. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she smiled, an extremely wide smile. “What? What are you planning?” suddenly, she took off, not even touching the ground. “Wait! Where are you-“ I sighed heavily. “Should I even follow her?” Like an obedient dog, I walked off into the same direction she shot into, tossing my head side to side to see if I could see her, but all I saw was the usual: a few distasteful glares thrown my way. I decided my chances would be better if I took to the air. Scanning over the town from above, I still couldn’t spot her, then, what sounded like a gunshot. I turned my head in the direction it came from, only to see the same pink blur flying at me. My ears clamped against the back of my head in a mix of fear and brace as I was hammered in the face, sent hurdling through the air with her and I tangled together. It felt like forever to regain control of the situation, or my flight, for lack of a better word. “What are you doing!?” I looked over to see her standing beside me holding a box. “Surprise!” “What is that?” “A cake!” she opened the box to show a white cake with pink icing, happy birthday written across the top.” “It’s not my birthday.” “Early?” “Late.” “Then happy belated birthday!” “Okay…” I then shook my head in shock when I realized something that I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice. Pinkie Pie was standing in front of me. I was flying. She was standing in thin air at least one-hundred yards above the ground. “How are you doing that?” “What?” “This.” I indicated with my hooves, pointing to the ground, slowly moving up to her hooves. “How are you up here?” She shrugged. “I dunno.” Suddenly, she began to plummet to the ground, but I quickly caught her. “Why do I always end up doing this?” She replied with a smile as she held the cake up to me. I couldn’t help but smile. I finally gave in, and no matter how much I tried to hide it, I knew she saw it. “AH-HA! I knew I could do it!” “Yeah, alright, you finally got me.” I began to chuckle. “Mission accomplished.” “And you’re laughing! Yay!” I lowered her back onto the ground, careful not to slip up at all. Once she hit the ground, she handed me the cake. “Alright, I should head home.” “Aww, but I wanted some cake.” “Gotta knife?” She pulled a small butter knife out of nowhere. “I have everything!” “Okay, cut the cake in half, you take half, I take half.” She didn’t hesitate, as if she had done it hundreds of times before, she quickly cut the cake and took her half, leaving me with half and the box. “Bye Amor! Thanks for the cake!” She stuffed the whole thing in her face in one bite. “No, thank you.” Lesson 6: MagicThe cake didn’t last long, but it didn’t seem to nourish me. Half of it went to Hazmat, and he was more than happy to take it. I don’t know how healthy it is or when it becomes dangerous for a wolf to consume too much cake, but he seems fine. It’s the beginning of a new day, and the final lesson. Time to learn something I guess. The final stop. A large oak tree hollowed out and made into a library. A horrible idea if you ask me, but magic can make almost anything possible. I approached the door that was carved into the side and knocked. I waited a few moments before the door swung open. I was greeted by a small purple baby dragon. “Can I help you with any-CHANGELING!” He slammed door in my face and I heard a distinct click as it locked. I sighed as I knocked again. “Go away! Nobody’s home!” “Spike! That’s probably Amor. I told you he would be coming soon.” I could hear the voice of a familiar purple unicorn. “And what if he’s evil? What if he is just trying to learn our secrets so he could tell the queen how to defeat us?” “He’s not evil.” “What if another changeling took his place and is trying to get in?” “You’re overreacting.” The door unlocked and swung open once again, but this time I was greeted by a friendly face. Twilight waved me in as she closed the door. “Hi. Sorry about Spike, he’s a little crazy.” “He has every right to be afraid of me.” “Ha! I told you!” I gave looked at him before turning my attention back to Twilight. “I know what I look like, and I know what the changelings did.” “It’s alright, you had nothing to do with it.” “Right.” I looked at the dragon. “Sorry if I frightened you.” “Apology accepted, but I’m not taking my eye off of you.” He gave me a very serious look, as if he was trying to threaten me. “Alright, so what do you want to do?” “Considering you’re the element of magic, I guess we’ll work on controlling it.” “You can’t control your magic?” “I nearly hit Applejack with some sort of blast when she kicked my door in.” I heard a near silent whisper directed towards Twilight. “Evil.” “Anyways,” I looked at him once again. “I would rather learn to control it instead of zapping anyone who startles me.” “Sounds, like a very reasonable reason to try and control your magic.” She gave me a nervous smile, as if trying to comfort me, or herself. “So where do you want to start?” “Basic magic seems like a good spot. Levitation, things on that level.” “You can’t levitate?” “I never needed to until now.” “Alright, it’s very simple actually. First, concentrate on something.” I looked directly at the dragon in the corner, my eyes burrowing deep under his scales. He could feel it. “Not me!” “Alright, concentrate on something else.” I looked at a book on one of the shelves. A weak green aura formed around it. “Now, think really hard. Where do you want it to go?” I looked at the table nearby. My connection with the book vanished once I took my eyes, or rather my thoughts off of it. I looked at the book again. All I need to do is move the book from the shelf to the table. From the shelf to the table. To the table. The book began to wiggle, and everyone looked at it. It slowly slid off of the shelf and momentarily floated in mid-air. An eager and somewhat hopeful look in Twilight’s face told it all. “Yes, yeeesss!” My concentration broke and the book fell to the floor. “It’s okay, try again!” following orders, I focused on another book, and repeated the process. It made it to the same point where the last one did and fell again. “Try again.” ………. There was a large pile of books in the center of the room after a while, some of the shelves bare without the pages cluttering them. “Maybe I should give up.” “No! I know you can do it. You just have to try harder, but you can do it!” I sighed. Concentrating on yet another book, it slowly made its way off the shelf. It was shaking as it traveled through the air, making sudden drops, but quickly being pulled back up before it hit the ground. It traveled at a slightly slower pace than the rest. It traveled across the room, making it past the large pile, farther than any others had made it before. It finally came to rest on the table I wanted it to stop at. Both me and Twilight were focused on the book, thinking it was just a trick played by our eyes. “I…I think I did it.” “You finally did it! You can levitate!” she began dancing around the room happily, but fell into the pile of books that stood taller than her. “S-sorry about the mess.” “Oh, it’s fine.” Her horn lit up, and every book in the room lifted off the ground. Instinctively, they sorted themselves out it seemed, and were placed in the exact same spot they were taken from off the shelves. “See. It’s fine.” “Alright, that seems like a good stopping point for today. Anything else you want to teach me?” “No, that seems to be enough for now. Just don’t go and blast someone, alright.” “I’ll try.” I turned to the small door that I entered from. I can’t believe these lessons are finally over. They are over, and I feel I learned something. I was still thinking to myself when I pulled the door open, only to hear a surprised, yet extremely happy cry from Twilight. “Cadence!” Author's Note Surprise Lesson 7: Love“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” I witnessed the pink alicorn and purple unicorn singing a chant as they danced. “Cadence, when did you get here? How did you get in?” “I flew in the window upstairs. I wanted to surprise you.” “Oh, this is Amor. Princess Celestia sent him here to learn the magic of friendship.” The alicorn walked circles around me, trying to find everything and everything there was to know just by looking at me. She stopped right in front of me, still concentrating on my face. I braced myself and prepared for the worse. “Hello, I’m Cadence.” I was somewhat surprised. Greeting me with open hooves was the alicorn princess whose wedding was nearly destroyed by the changeling hive, and she seemed welcoming. “Hi, I’m Amor.” “Pleased to meet you.” “Likewise.” Twilight stepped forward. “Cadence was my foalsitter when I was little. She’s married to my older brother.” She stuck a hoof out in greeting. I reared back at first, but eventually I met the gold-covered hoof halfway before I bowed. “Oh, no need to do that.” “In the presence of a princess? It feels necessary.” She rolled her eyes at me sarcastically. ………. We all sat around the table, I began to feel more comfortable. “If you don’t mind me asking, how has your marriage been?” “Shining Armor is the most wonderful person anyone could ever hope for.” “I’m happy for you.” “What about you? Who’s your special somepony?” I did my best to stay calm. “I don’t have one. I have no one to love and no one loves me.” “Now you don’t honestly think that’s true, do you?” “Do you see who you’re talking to? I’m a monstrosity.” “Looks have nothing to do with love.” “Coming from a princess.” “Are you insisting that princesses are beautiful?” “I can’t really deny it can I?” “You just need to open your heart to someone.” “Easier said than done.” “How so?” “Who can I trust? Who can I talk to and expect to keep quiet? Who can I expect to understand? Paranoia makes you do things.” “You have friends who you can speak to. Friends who trust you and were willing to help you already. I’m sure someone is willing to be a great friend and listen.” “If you say so. I’m a very…hateful person.” “I can fix that.” Her horn began to glow. The sky blue aura formed at the tip and formed a heart, that floated lazily toward me before it burst. Somehow, I didn’t feel hateful anymore. I felt as if a burden had been lifted off of me, a burden I had been carrying all my life. It just felt so hard to believe. Sixteen years of pain and misery, and it’s just gone, as if it never was there. I felt happy. “I don’t know what you did, but…thank you.” “Of course. Spreading love and happiness is what I do. Now, anything you want to talk about?” I released a heavy sigh. “Alright, if you insist.” So I told them, everything since my sixteenth birthday until now, doing my best not to let the whole human thing slip out. ………. “…and that’s when Celestia teleported me to her throne. You know the rest of the story.” “That’s…so sad. I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be. If there was anything that could have been done to avoid it, I would have done it.” “Don’t worry, it’s all in the past. Now you have friends all around you. New friends, new home, a new life.” They had no idea. “Yeah. I’ve never been happier then when Celestia brought me here.” “I can tell. From what you’ve told us, you’re very happy for what’s happened.” “I guess that’s just the magic of friendship.” Wow, even I feel like that was too cheesy. Cadence stood, stretching her wings and legs. “Well, I need to get going. It was good seeing you again, Twilight. Amor, I am happy to have made your acquaintance.” “Likewise.” “Bye Cadence. I hope to see you again soon.” She walked out the front door, where she spread her wings and took off in flight. “She seems like a good person.” “Of course. She’s only the best foalsitter in the world!” Author's Note sorry for the really short chapter. this one was harder to write than I thought it would be. please don't hate me The Result of Choices Made“Amor, wake up! It’s almost noon!” Everything flooded into my view again, the bright colors blinding me momentarily. “Sugarcube, ya gotta get up!” “WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!” I could just barely make out three familiar voices from the other side of my door. “Should ah kick it in again?” I shot out of bed. “I’m up, what’s the hurry?” “The princess wants to see all of us, including you.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” “We did! We’ve been out here for ten minutes!” “Sorry.” “Just get out here.” I rose to my unsteady legs and began hobbling towards the door. I opened it to see Rainbowdash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie waiting on the other side. “Finally!” “Where is everyone else?” I said as I rubbed my eye. “Already waiting for us at the train station. We came to get your lazy flank out of bed. We’ve wasted enough time already, let’s go!” “Wait, what am I going to do with him,” I said, indicating towards Hazmat. “Don’t worry, Spike is going to stop by to bring him to the library soon. Come on!” A rainbow streak took off in the direction of the train station, Pinkie Pie and Applejack barely having to try to keep up, while I buzzed in flight behind them, working my hardest to keep the three in sight. I was panting at the halfway point. I remember it being hard to run on two legs, but I just got these ones, and I wasn’t quite used to them yet. I rounded the final corner to see all six waiting for me. “Man, you are slow.” “Yeah, thanks for waiting up.” I managed to get out through heavy breaths. “ALL ABORD! LAST TRAIN TO CANTERLOT!” “That’s us,” Twilight said. “Come on, let’s not keep Princess Celestia waiting any longer.” Everyone lined up and slowly made their way onto the train, taking their seats. I found the first empty one and scooted in towards the window, propping my head on my hoof like last time. I felt the seat shift, and looked over to see Fluttershy sitting next to me. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you want to be alone?” “No no, if you would like to sit there, it’s fine. I probably could use the company. But, don’t expect me to start a conversation.” “Oh. Okay. Thank you.” The train jerked forward, and we were off to Canterlot. Everyone else was having their own conversations while I sat quietly, thinking to myself, letting my thoughts wander like they always do. I think weird things, like how could such opposites be friends? Pinkie Pie, loud and cheerful, while Fluttershy was quiet and afraid. Rarity, clean and sophisticated, while Applejack was a farm pony. Twilight, the brains of the bunch, and Rainbowdash, an athlete who wouldn’t even admit to reading a good book. Together, these opposites form a dangerous weapon, and Equestria’s last hope. And just then, I nodded off. ………. “How can you still be sleeping!?” My eyes shot open to meet Rainbowdash’s, who was hovering only inches away from my face. “I swear, you spend more of your time with Luna than you do with us!” I yawned, showing my fangs without trying. “How much longer?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, maybe a few more minutes.” I looked out the window to see the snowcapped mountain we were headed to, a large gleaming city hanging off its one side. Good, almost there. I scanned the train car, only to see everyone still going on with their conversations. “So what do you think the princess wants?” “I don’t know, it could be important.” “Yeah, maybe the changelings are back!” “Rainbow!” “Right, sorry Amor.” “No hard feelings.” I closed my eyes, resting my temple on the window. “So no one has any idea why the princess wants to see us?” “Who knows, it could be anything.” “Yeah, great.” I had an idea, but it wasn’t anything important, it wasn’t life or death or anything. “So what do you think, Amor?” I shook my head, focusing on the world at the sound of the unexpected question. “Well, considering how long it has been, probably something to do with me, but that could just be my paranoia. We’ll see what happens when we get there.” I caught sight of Fluttershy out of the corner of my eye. She looked as if she had something to say, but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. “Do you have any ideas?” she let out a nervous squeak. “W-well…I…Don’t know.” I didn’t hear a word she said. I leaned in close, picking my ear up. “What was that?” I could tell she was extremely nervous. She leaned in close so no one else would hear her. Luckily, none were paying attention to our conversation. “I think it has something to do with your lessons.” I whispered back. “Why does that make you nervous?” “Because…I don’t…think you learned anything.” “What are you talking about? Of course I did.” “R-really? What?” “You’ll find out later. If in fact that is why she wants to see us, you’ll know. Otherwise, I’ll tell you on the way back. Now let’s stop whispering before anyone hears us.” I sat back up and pretended nothing ever happened before anyone saw me. Fluttershy still looked worried, but she seemed to have eased slightly. ………. We were escorted through the castle, taking twists and turns until we came to a large set of doors. Two guards used their magic to swing the doors open, revealing Celestia sitting in her throne, a guard on either side of her. “Ah, you’ve made it.” Twilight, of course was the first to step forward. “Princess Celestia. May I ask what we have been called for?” “Just checking in. Amor, how have you been doing in Ponyville?” I stepped forward. “Everything has been fine.” “And?” I looked at her, puzzled. “Have you learned anything?” “Of course.” “Then please, share with us.” I looked around at all the faces in the room. There was the princess, the stern royal guards, and my friends, sending me comforting looks, trying to urge me on. “Well, I have learned so much from my time in Ponyville, but seven lessons stick out above all else. They may not be the best of lessons, but they are things to live by. I learned that you need to have an open mind to all, whether it be a friend, a pet, or just someone in need. I learned that you should never give up on a friend, even if the chances look slim, or even life threatening. I learned that you need to do whatever it takes to help your friend and comfort them, even if it means lying sometimes. Even if it is against everything you are about, it’s okay to help your friend with something if they need the help.” I paused to look back at the six behind me, who seemed comforted, if not surprised that I learned so much from them. “I learned that, you can’t always be serious. It’s okay to let loose every so often and just have fun and get rid of stress. I learned that helping someone in need is just the right thing to do. If you can find a way to help someone, or anyone, don’t be afraid to do it. Finally, I learned that you need to open your heart, or your emotions will tear you apart. If you hide who you truly are, keep your emotions hidden away, they will ravage you. Just tell someone.” “Is that all?” “Yes.” “Are you certain?” “I am certain.” “Congratulations, Amor. You have learned the magic of friendship.” I felt proud of myself. I learned something, I actually found something I’m good at, I made new friends who care about me, and I’m happy. Not on the outside, but all the way through for once. “I can send you home now.” My happiness was cut short. I took a step back. “I’m not going back.” “Amor?” “No. I am actually happy for once. No one cared for me, no one acknowledged me. Now I have friends. I have a happy life. I have emotions other than those of sorrow and hatred. I am not going back there. This is my home now.” “Is…is that your final decision?” “Yes.” She sighed heavily. “Very well. You…may stay in Equestria. You have certainly earned it.” I let out a weak smile in relief. “I am glad to call you a citizen of our fair land.” She stepped down from her seat above us. “I can see that you are much happier here, and I would never want to take that away from anypony. You may stay in Ponyville with your friends.” “Thank you, princess.” “And Amor,” I looked up to meet her eyes. “I know you will make the right decisions in the future. Your friends will help you.” I closed my eyes as I smiled. So this is it. Author's Note Hi guys. sorry for such a long wait. I cant explain myself for that, but this is the end. I thank all of you for reading this, and following me through this adventure, even if it wasn't that good. In all honesty, I had fun getting this one out. it started out as a vent, a way for me to let out anger, but as it grew I saw that many of you liked this. Thank you all for reading, liking, faving, and anything else you did for me, it really means a lot! Lesson 3: HonestyThe door flew open and Hazmat was up with a start. I shot through the door and began flying around the room, cheering to my small companion. “Look, Hazmat. I can fly!” I got a happy bark in reply as the pup tried to jump for me, barely getting off the ground. I landed in my bed and my wolf followed. “Let’s see, I guess I should go see Applejack next. I don’t know, I think I should sleep on it. After all, I finally got a meal, and I did nearly kill someone today.” And it was there that the paranoia set in. I put my hooves to my face. “How many people saw that? What did they think? Do they think I am evil and just tried to kill her? I really have to stop talking to myself, it’s only going to drive me insane.” Hazmat only barked in reply, unsure of what I actually said. I looked out the window, looking at the late night moon. “Thank Celestia for giving me this chance. I am already much happier with my life.” I fell back into the bed. Hazmat looked around the room, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. He finally hopped out of the bed and walked over to his pile of blankets in the corner. I looked at the ceiling above me, growing darker as the moon rose higher. I began getting sleepy. Slowly, my eyes began to shut, only a sliver of moonlight making it in. ………. “Ay, you in there?” My eyes shot open. It was barely bright enough to see, indicating that it was still early. “What time is it?” “It’s a little pass five.” I fell back into the bed. “Give me at least five hours and I’ll be out.” I fell back asleep, unresponsive. “Sugarcube?” I didn’t respond. “If you aint gettn up, al hafta come in there.” I still didn’t respond. “Aright, you asked for it.” The door flew open, almost breaking off the hinges as it smashed against the wall. I sat up instantly, an uncontrolled blast of energy shooting out of my horn, hitting the corner of the door, right above Applejack. “What happened? Who’s there? What? Why? What?” Applejack was too stunned to answer. She was too busy starring at the smoldering mark in the door frame. “Uuhh, that was an accident.” “Ya didn’t have to try an kill me.” “And you didn’t need to bash in my door. It was unlocked you know.” “Why would ya leave it unlocked?” “Please, there’s nothing in here to steal except for me or the bed. I don’t think anyone would waste their time with me. Besides, he seems to be a good guard dog…when he’s awake.” She looked at the wolf pup against the wall. “Honestly, how could he still be asleep after that?” “Is that?” “Yup.” “An he’s?” “Yup.” “Why?” “Fluttershy found him.” “Aright, well, come on, sugarcube! We got work to do! Ya can bring the pup, too. He could use the fresh air, and Winona can use a friend.” “Alright, just…just give me a minute. I need some time to get adjusted. My eyes were just beginning to focus in again. Putting both hooves on my head, I tried to steady myself as I moved to the edge of the bed. Putting all four hooves on the ground, I stood, still a little shaky. My mind was foggy, I was barely able to think a reasonable thought, but the basics came to me. That was Applejack. I was helping her today. “So? Ya comin?” I shook my head. “Yeah. Let’s go. Hazmat?” His eyes eased open slowly, but immediately widened when he realized the new presence in the room. He was to his feet, staring straight at Applejack. “Okay, we need to work on that. Hazmat, down.” At the command, he eased to his stomach, still eyeing Applejack. “Eh, ahm startin to second think this.” “He’ll be fine. I don’t think he will do something that stupid.” “Ah hope so.” “Hazmat, come on.” He jumped back to his feet and looked at me. “Let’s go.” ………. We were walking through a large apple orchard off the side of the main farm, trees lining us on either side dotted with red specs that glistened in the sun. Hazmat was weaving through trees trying to keep up with his new playmate. I lost sight of him, but I knew he would be back. “So what are we doing?” I managed to get out in a yawn. “We’s bucking for apples.” She walked to a larger tree, Apples easily noticeable. “Watch.” She turned around. In the same fashion that she attacked my door, she kicked both legs up in a double barrel kick, striking the tree hard enough to shake it. Apples began falling around her, shaken free from the thunderous hit. “Now you.” “How?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “I mean, is there a technique or something?” “Tech-what?” “What do I do?” She rolled her eyes at me. “Kick. The. Tree.” I let out a heavy sigh as I picked a tree that seemed suitable to work. Trying to replicate exactly what Applejack did to knock as many apples out of the tree. All I had to do was kick as hard as I could, right? I spun around, planted my front hooves on the ground, and kicked as hard as I could with my back legs. The tree barely even moved. “Sugarcube, ahm sorry, but ah think Granny Smith could kick harder than that.” “Let me try again.” “If ya want to, but don’t hurt yerself.” Only one thing ever angered me enough to attack, and that was when I actually released the anger that built up in me. But could I do it again? My life has been so peaceful since I began my life here, and I’ve nearly forgotten anything that made me mad. But I had to try. I thought really hard, thought about things that would never leave my mind, no matter how much I wanted the thoughts gone. One thing stuck out above all, and that was what my father told me one day after having way too many. I will take that knife of yours and stab you in the throat with it. Yeah, that will do. Concentrating only on this thought, I bared my fangs. With a hiss, I kicked at the tree, much harder than the last time. Apples began falling, clusters circling the tree now. “Now that’s more like it!” “Just needed a little motivation.” “What could motivate you like that?” “Pure hatred.” “Ah don’t follow.” “Hatred for the person who has turned me into the freak and monster I am now. Hatred for my father.” “How could ya hate yer father?” “You wouldn’t begin to understand.” “Ah want to try.” “Long story short, he hated me, called me everything he could think of. Ugly, stupid, a failure, weak, and many other things.” “Now not alla that is true.” “How so?” “Well, you did a number on that there tree. And you are a very…handsome…stallion.” I directed my attention to her now, and it was quite the sight to behold. Her face was scrunched up, her lips were quivering, she did everything she could to avoid eye contact as she tried to hold a straight face. “You know, I can easily identify most liars. The element of honesty is a very horrible liar.” “Ah was just tryin to help.” “It’s fine, thanks for trying at least.” Just then, a small brown and white collie tore through out of nowhere, a familiar grey wolf following. “Hazmat, come here.” He stopped in his tracks trying to change direction. He walked over to me, looking as if he thought he did something wrong. I pushed him onto his back with my hoof and began rubbing his stomach. “Anything else you needed me for?” “We’ll get a few more trees done today. Ah can give ya twenty bits for the day when we’re done.” “Sounds good for me.” Author's Note yeah, I have no idea what I was trying to do with this one.
IntroThe day was hot. Too hot to go outside. Then again, if you ask me, any day is a bad one to go outside. I’ve always been different, never liked going outside, never tried to make friends, hated just about everything there was in existence. Few things brought me happiness, and I was made fun of for those things. Sixteen years I lived like this, until I eventually became a mystery to everyone, even my own family. I never really connected with my parents. My mother was always too happy and cheery to be around, and my father…always too drunk when he was home. So many nights I would lie awake and listen to them argue. He’s threatened me with my life, told me to my face that he hated me, and even tries to get me to believe he’s not my real father. Oh how I wish that were true. But I’m getting off topic, so I’ll get to the point. We’ll start just after my sixteenth birthday, which in my family was just another day. No one knew it was my birthday, and those who did always forgot. There I am, standing six foot two, one-hundred-thirty-two pounds, wearing the same outfit I wore every day, being an old pair of hand-me-down blue jeans and a black shirt that read Disturbed across the top, a faceless man wearing a tattered hoodie depicted on it. The school year was coming to an end, and honestly I couldn’t care, because it didn’t make any difference. We don’t get out of school until 2:00, and when we don’t have school, I’m never out of bed until at least 12. There were still things on my to do list that I know would never get done, and I mean never. There’s getting straight A’s, nope. I could tell my crush how I really feel, yeah right. Start driving? Wasn’t looking forward to it. You see, when you’re paranoid, your mind makes everything much worse than it really is, and I was always blowing things out of proportion. Try and make friends? Eh, I have enough. Two’s plenty, right? Around this time was when I started getting bored with everything. I had nearly beaten every video game I had, I hated going outside, being very unfit. Watching t.v. would mean being in the same room as my father, so no. it was just about then I decided to start writing. The Changeling King, the title of my first real story. Sure, I had creative writing that year in school, but I only wrote one story in that class, and even though it scored a perfect, I never considered it a story. Amor, however, had been a failed creation of my mind for almost a year now, and whenever I could get the time, my mind would wander into a fantasy world, where I live the life of one of my personas, now numbering eight. Amor was my only MLP oc though, and he was one of the two most used. He was an almost exact copy of Chrysalis with shorter hair, no eyelashes or eyeliner, and a cutie mark. Oh yeah, and he’s a guy, obviously. It wasn’t until a month later when a friend of mine recreated him into the cover picture I was going to use for my story, but Amor would always be the one I saw in my mind, no matter how grateful I was. I had all the pieces in my head, and it was just a matter of putting it together. I started slow, but over time, I began writing faster and faster, some being because I was getting used to it, but mostly my paranoia. When I posted the first two chapters and it got twenty views in a day, I sort of freaked. I told myself to pace myself, do a chapter a week, but I ended up doing a chapter a day. Short ones, but hey, it was something. I started to worry about disappointing the people reading by not posting an update, so I started doing thousand word chapters every day. Halfway through, I made the mistake of typing it in the view of my family. You see, it wasn’t until around chapter thirteen that I couldn’t stand sitting in my dull little room while I typed, so I would go and lie on the living room couch to type. My brother could care less what I was doing, over his thirteen years of life we came to a mental agreement of I leave him alone he leave me alone. My parents on the other hand, they weren’t as easy. My mother was the first one home, and she saw me on the couch with my laptop, typing away like I never had before. This was so unlike me, because I barely ever used my computer, and usually I was on xbox with my friends. So like the normal parent, she had to pester me. “What are you doing?” “Nothing.” “It doesn’t look like nothing.” “And?” “And I want to know what you’re doing.” I rolled my eyes at her. “I’m writing.” “What are you writing?” “A story.” “Can I see?” “No!” I blurted that out fast. You see, I’m a closet brony. No one knows it, other than online friends, and the only two people who had ever figured out that my Black ops emblem was Queen Chrysalis. It was something I learned after a while: no one needs to know anything about you, especially your parents. “Why can’t I read it?” “I don’t want you to.” “Why?” “I’m paranoid and I know you’ll laugh at me.” “Is that what you think?” “That’s what I know.” “I won’t laugh, I promise.” “The answer is still no.” She didn’t want to push the issue any farther, but she made it a permanent game to try and look over my shoulder and see what I was typing, even though I never let her. Hours passed, and I decided to type ahead. I don’t remember what chapter I was on, but it was then I heard him pull in the drive way. I could practically smell the alcohol before he even entered the house, so I knew I was in for it. He only picked on me, never my brother, never my mother, only me. It started almost immediately after he walked in the door. “What the fuck are you doing with that thing, dialing up porn?” I had to speak through locked teeth. “No dad.” “Then what the hell are you doing?” “Nothing.” “Don’t raise your voice to me, fucker! I’ll kick your teeth in and make you swallow them.” It didn’t even faze me. He made threats to me like that, and I never even raised my voice to him. I just went back to typing, trying to ignore everything he had to say, but that was even harder to do when he was drunk. It was a week later when the next event happened. I was typing chapter twenty, sitting in the living room, my father on the couch behind me with a beer in his hand. I was thinking real hard at the time and didn’t notice him. You deserve better than this.” He began digging with his hooves. He was sore, numb, and lost to emotions, but he dug. “Who the fuck was digging with hooves?” I don’t know how I didn’t smell him, but he was two inches away from my face. He was too drunk to put the pieces together, and he was stuck on the hooves part, laughing the whole time. “Is nothing personal?” He immediately stopped laughing and looked at me with those dialated eyes. “No, not while you’re in this house. So shut the fuck up.” I gritted my teeth and obeyed. It was no secret he couldn’t wait for me to leave. The next event, the final one, was much farther ahead, chapter 33. I had just started, and no one was even paying attention to me. “No. The hive needs a leader while you’re gone anyways.” She pushed forward and wrapped around Amor, half on the bed and hanging in the middle. Amor started to fall back, pulling Chrysalis on top of him. “Woah!” She didn’t try to stop herself and Amor didn’t try to save it either. His crown hit the ground with a ping and rolled around beside them. Amor looked up at Chrysalis, giggling on top of him. She looked into his eyes and stared for a minute before kissing him. “He’s writing a fucking love story!” I turned to see my father laughing as much as he could behind me. He just couldn’t leave me alone. “Is it a porn book? Come on, is it the kind of book that some slut will buy?” I had to leave there, I couldn’t take him when he was drunk. “Hey, where the fuck you going?” I slammed the door behind me when I reached my room. I began typing away trying to finish the chapter I was on, but I couldn’t concentrate, my parents were arguing again. “Do you have to fuck with him every day?” “I didn’t even say anything!” “Yes you did! I heard every last word of it!” “Oh, shut the fuck up and go back to your boyfriend.” My father always started accusing my mother of cheating on him when he was drunk. At that point, I had to turn the music on. I was going through everything on my computer by release date, and I was in 2005. Avenged Sevenfold blasting in my ears as I typed away. It was then that my entire life would change. “Travis.” I could barely hear it through my headphones. I thought it was just my parents again, so I went back to typing, pulling one earphone out in case someone was calling me. “Travis.” I definitely heard something that time. The voice was strangely familiar, but it couldn’t be who I thought it was. What scared me even more was that I came from somewhere in my room. I looked around. There was nowhere anything could hide it here. “Great, he finally drove me to insanity. Thanks dad.” “Travis, over here.” I shot up. It was coming from the foot of my bed, but there was nothing down there except for a poster. “Come closer.” I couldn’t resist. I looked close at the poster at the foot of my bed. It was an Avenged Sevenfold poster, Buried Alive spread across the top in bold red letters while two hands popped out of a grave, reaching for something that wasn’t there. Whatever, whoever was calling me, it seemed to be coming from the poster. I leaned in as close as I could get. I put my head to the poster, and just fell through. I lost my balance, and fell right into nothingness. ………. I awoke some time later, unsure of where I was. I noticed something was definitely different. Ever thing was so much more…vibrant. Colors were bright and lively. The world I was used to was dull, almost colorless. “Ah, you’re finally awake.” The voice was definitely familiar. It was calm, majestic, and soothing. I looked up from the smooth white floor to see the source of the voice. It was exactly who I thought it was. Sitting on a throne before me, was none other than the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia. “I am Princess Celestia, the princess of the sun.” “Oh I know who you are. The question is why am I here?” “Right to business huh? Very well. I brought you here through a portal.” “How?” “Equestria has powers that people from your world would never begin to understand. Just know that you are here.” “Okay, why?” “Because I have been watching you for some time now. You are very unhappy with your life, unhappy with the people you know.” “Unhappy doesn’t begin to explain it.” I was at my feet by this time. “Yes, well. I brought you here in an attempt to help you learn a very important lesson in friendship, or rather, six lessons.” “Okay, well I thank you for the chance.” Something possessed me to bow. It could have just been the fact that I was standing in front of one of the most powerful beings ever, but still. “So, when do I leave?” “Well you can’t leave looking like that.” “What’s wrong with how I look?” “Nothing, except that you would never fit in. there is currently a spell placed on you. Think really hard. What would you look like as a being from my world? What do you want to look like?” There was no contest. I closed my eyes, and seconds later, I was engulfed in a white light. When it subsided, I wasn’t me. I was much better. Four solid black holy legs. A greenish blue tail. A solid black coat. Two large fangs were sticking out of my mouth. My eyes were no longer brown, but were now green. A mended heart was on my new flank. I was a changeling. I was Amor. “A changeling? Well, it’s your choice. Shall I continue calling you by your name?” To tell the truth, I’ve always hated my name. “No, please call me Amor.” Celestia smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful name. Now I have some people I want you to meet.” Just then, the large golden doors to the room burst open, and I could just barely make out the shadowed figures of six ponies. Knowing what I already know, it didn’t take much to guess who they were. “Ah, right on time, girls.” “Princess Celestia, we came as soon as Spike brought us the news. What is it you need us…oh, I didn’t realize you would have compan-is that a changeling!?” The pony who was speaking was a light purple unicorn, a pink stripe through here hair and mane. I took one step back, unsure how to respond, but with every step closer to Celestia I took, they seemed to grow more and more hostile toward me, something I was well too acquainted with. I decided it would be best if I just stopped where I was at. “Girls, please calm down.” Celestia tried to calm the six ponies down, but for some it didn’t seem to work. A sky blue pegasus with a rainbow mane flew up to me, pressing her face up to mine and looking me in the eyes, a look in her face that spoke clearly: I don’t trust you. “How do we know he doesn’t have the princess under some mind control spell like the last time? I say we beat it out of him until he lets her go.” “Mind…what? I have no idea what you are talking about. I just got here myself.” They seemed surprised that I said anything. “He doesn’t sound like a changeling.” “And how would you know?” “Well, for one, Rainbowdash, all the ones we fought off were hissing at us, and the queen spoke in old english.” “So? If you hadn’t realized this isn’t a normal changeling.” The blue pegasus indicated to my flank. The whole groups eyes widened as they all called out at the same time. “A cutie mark?” “Enough!” Celestia’s voice thundered through the room, calming everyone down. “Everyone, this is Tr-uh, Amor. I brought him here from a place very far away. I want you six to teach him about the magic of friendship.” They hesitated. Everyone was silent for a few minutes while they decided how to react. Finally, the purple unicorn spoke up. “Alright princess. We’ll do it.” She approached me and extended a hoof. “Hello, and glad to meet you. I am Twilight Sparkles.” I stuck my newly acquired hoof out and met hers. “Hello.” “You don’t speak much, do you?” “I’d prefer to stay quiet.” “Right… well, you’ve already met Rainbowdash in a sense.” She pointed to the rainbow pegasus. “Sup.” “Not much.” “This is Rarity.” A white unicorn with a purple mane that was obviously well cared for approached. She was practically glowing with beauty…in a weird pony way. “It is a pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure is all mine.” “Well, aren’t you a gentle colt.” I had to roll my eyes. “This is Applejack.” An orange pony with a western style hat approached. Her mane and hair were both in ponytails. She didn’t have wings or a horn like the rest, she was just a normal pony. “Howdy.” She stuck a hoof out like the first. “Hi.” I took her hoof and she violently shook me in an attempt at a hoofshake. “This is Fluttershy.” A small yellow pegasus with a long pink mane approached, her head low to the ground and her wings clapped tightly against her body. “H-hi.” She spoke in a tone that could only be described as quieter than a whisper. “Hi.” She had a look of fear in her eye. “I’m probably going to like talking to you.” “Eep!” She quickly fled behind the other pegasus. “S-sorry.” “And this is-“ “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!” A wild pink pony appeared right in front of me, causing me to rear back. “Eh, hi.” “So, do you like cake? Because I love cake! Especially cupcakes which are just really really small cakes that you don’t have to share which is fine for me because I really like my sweets.” The only reason she stopped talking was because she needed to take in air to keep going, but I cut her off. “Yeah, I can tell.” Celestia spoke up. “Alright, now that you all have met, you are all to help Amor learn the magic of friendship in your own ways. Each day he will help you in a way you deem necessary and you will help him. I feel I can trust the Elements of Harmony to help him learn the ways of friendship.” “You can count on us, princess!”
The Trip to a New HomeThe train ride was nearly silent, but I didn’t know if that was normal or if it was just me making it awkward. The only noise I heard was Pinkie Pie singing something. I really wasn’t paying attention though. I sat with my head propped on my hoof looking out the window, watching the scenery go by. No one was even trying to speak to me, they weren’t trying to be social, and that was just the way I liked it. “So…Amor, how do you like Equestria so far?” “It’s a nice place. Much brighter than I am used to, but I like it here.” “That’s good.” “So Amor,” Rainbowdash cut it. “Why do you look so much like the queen of the changelings?” “Rainbow!” “What?” Well of course I knew the answer, but how would the truth sound? Oh yeah, I’m a human and Celestia said I could look like whatever I imagined, so I chose this. “I don’t know. I guess this is just how I look.” “Okay…and why does a changeling have a cutie mark?” I saw this as a chance to have some fun. “What makes you think a changeling can’t have a cutie mark?” “Well, uh, none of the others had any.” “Do you know anything about changelings?” “Well, no, but…wait a minute.” She must have seen the smirk on my face, because she grinned too. “You’re just as clueless as me, aren’t you?” “Yeah, pretty much. I have no clue why I have one, I just do.” “Alright, good one.” I replaced my head on my hoof as I looked out the window. “So we’re going to Ponyville?” “Yes. There is an empty house in town, and Celestia said you are to stay there for the time being. It’s a little unfurnished, but there’s a bed there and it’s a place to stay. Sorry, but that’s all there is for you.” “It’s fine, I’m not going to be there often anyways. So long as I can sleep there I’ll be fine.” “That’s…good, I guess.” “Don’t worry about me.” “Amor, we want to be your friends, and that’s going to be hard if you don’t let us.” I looked around at them sitting around me. I saw it in their faces, they did mean that, but it would take some time to adjust. “I understand that you want to help, and I hope we can be friends soon, but it will take some time for me to get used to the area. Eventually when I settle in I’ll work on friends. Now if you’ll please excuse me, I need some sleep.” I let out a heavy yawn as I crossed my hooves and put my head in my lap. I was out in an instant. ………. By the time I woke up, it was already dark. Everyone was gone except for Rainbowdash, who lazily had her head propped on her hoof. “Where is everyone?” She immediately brought herself to attention. “Finally awake. Everypony is in the next cart asleep.” “Why are they in the next cart?” “There’s beds in there, and Rarity needs her beauty sleep.” “Waitwaitwait, there’s beds?” “Yeah, sorry bout’ that. We meant to tell you, but you were already asleep.” “So why are you in here?” “Someone needs to watch you, and you seem kinda cool so far.” “Only kinda?” We both got a small chuckle out of it. “So when are we going to reach Ponyville?” “I don’t keep track of that kind of stuff. We get there when we get there.” “Sounds like a good answer to me.” “I like you. You’re cool for a changeling. But no one’s as cool as me.” “If you say so.” “Is that a challenge?” “Nope. I know I’m nowhere close, but there’s gotta be competition.” “Yeah right!” “What about the Wonderbolts?” She stopped, her mouth hanging open in thought. “Alright, you beat me.” “It’s not a matter of win or lose, more of just outsmarting.” “Ugh, none of that philosophy stuff. I can barely understand Twilight half the time.” A slight grin was spreading across my face. I could feel it, but I didn’t want it there. “Well, I guess we should get some sleep, unless you have something else you want to say.” “No,” as if the simple thought brought it on, she yawned. “I really am tired. I should have gotten some sleep a while ago. C’mon.” Rainbowdash trotted to the end of the car, and I felt obligated to follow. She stopped before entering and put an ear to the door. “It sounds quiet in there, so I think they’re already sleeping. Try and be quiet.” She slowly swung the door open, and sure enough, the cart was dark, no noise at all. She slipped into one of the nearby beds, pointing to an open one nearby as she pulled the divider between her and the rest. I looked around and found that the one she indicated to was one of the few that was left open, so I had very few options. Even if I did, what difference would it make? A bed is a bed, and so long as no one else is in it, it works. Climbing in, I pulled the divider over to block my view from the rest of the train, listening to the sound of the train thundering over the tracks. I finally had a moment to think about the events that have happened today. I was brought to a different world through a portal in a poster in my old room to live a happy life. So many things would have to change. No more school, no more of the same old bullies, no more of getting to see my crush, and best of all, no more of my family. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought. No more days listening to my father tell me how much he hated me for ruining his life. I like this place already. ………. “Hey! HEY! Wake up! C’mon, you’ve been out longer than me, you have to get up!” The same as any other day in my old life. My eyes slowly crept open, temporarily blinded by the reintroduction of light to them. Everything was a blur, as it always was when I woke up, so colors were mixed with everything in the area. The first thing I saw was something right in front of my face, something sky blue with a rainbow on top. At first, I had no idea where I was. Did everything really happen? It had to of been a dream. There is just no possible way that I was in Equestria. I tried to wave away what I thought was just a figment of my imagination, but found it extremely hard to move my hand. In fact, it was so hard it felt like it wasn’t even there…wait a minute. When I held my ‘hand’ in front of my face, just close enough that it wasn’t that blurred, I saw only a solid black stump filled with holes. There was no palm. There were no fingers. My eyes finally focused in on my arm to reveal a black hoof. It was then that I decided that this wasn’t a dream. My eyes focused on the rest of the colorful world around me, which was just a train car filled with beds at the time. Standing nearly a foot away was Rainbowdash, still trying to wake me up. “Finally! You do realize it’s almost noon, right?” “Then you woke me up early.” “Early!? When do you wake up?” “About two. I don’t know why, but I always sleep til’ two when I go undisturbed.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, when I woke up, everypony else was gone, so I think they’re in the next car. You can sleep if you want, but I tried.” “I just need a few minutes. Don’t worry, I’ll be out in a little.” She rolled her eyes as she walked to the door. “Whatever. We’ll be waiting. I’m sure everypony wants to talk to you.” I fell back in the bed. “Yeah, great.” I heard the door click shut as she left, giving me the silence I wanted. I always sit in bed a few minutes to clear up what happened to me last night and the day before. Dreams? None. Fights? None. New friends? Guess I can check that off the to do list. Getting sent through a portal to an alternate universe and turned into a pony? Strangely enough, I’m somewhat happy about that. Alright, that sounds like about it. As I sat forward, every bone in my back snapped and cracked, settling back into place. Shaking off the drowsiness I looked at myself in the window, making out my reflection. Large bags were under my eyes, as expected. I stood up and everything blurred again, almost making me lose my balance. When everything finally came into focus, I made my way to the door, expecting the worst. But strangely, when I opened it, they were welcoming. “Amor! You’re finally up. It takes actual skill to outsleep Rainbowdash.” “Sugarcube, you must not work much, cuz I gotta be up atta crack a dawn every mornin’.” “No, not really.” “Well al change at. I wouldn’t mind the help if you’d be willin’.” “Sure. If you need the help, I’ll do what I can.” “Much appreciated.” “So Amor, if you don’t mind me asking, where are you from?” Twilight asked me. I panicked a little. “I’m…not from around here. Sorry, I don’t really like talking about my past, but I’ll answer the best I can.” “Alright…any siblings?” “One brother that I never got along with.” “Parents?” “They never cared for me, and I learned to do the same.” “I…I’m sorry to hear that.” “Don’t be. I’ve made my mistakes, and they are all my fault.” I heard a whisper-like voice from behind me. “Don’t say that. Everything can’t be your fault.” Fluttershy was low in her seat, trying to hide from plain site. I let out a comforting smile. “Thank you.” The train jerked to a stop. “WE’RE HERE!” Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down the train car waiting for the door to open. When they finally did, she shot out like a bullet, everyone else slowly trickling out behind her. I ended up following Rarity to my new house, since everyone else had to go their separate ways. “This is your new place, darling. I’m just a little down the road from here in the boutique. Fluttershy is on the edge of the forest, just follow the path. Pinkie Pie lives in Sugarcube Corner, the bakery down the road. Twilight lives in the library, it’s the tree on the other side of town, can’t miss it. Applejack lives with her family on their farm, which you can see from here.” She pointed to a small red barn in the distance. “And Rainbowdash lives in that cloud.” She pointed to a large cloud shaped like a castle, a light blue pegasus just landing on it. “Thank you.” She flipped her hair as she walked away. When I entered the house, I realized that unfurnished was an understatement. It was a large circular room, no interior walls. In the center of the room was the bed, but there was nothing else in the room. It was shaped like a perfect dome, the circular walls were painted pink. There was one continuous window that went around the entire house/room that let the sun touch most of the floor. It was barren, but it would work for now. The day was still plenty early, and I didn’t have anything to do, so I guess now would be a good time to start on a lesson.
Lesson 1: KindnessIt took some time to find the trail that Rarity told me about, and none of the townsponies were willing to help. Everywhere I turned, everyone was giving me displeased looks, but that wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I was too busy making sure I didn’t lose track of Rarity on the way in the town to notice anyone then, but now, it was pretty obvious. That’s what I get when I become a changeling though. Anyways, when I reached the end of the trail, I came to a large tree, dozens of different animals scattered around it. Bird houses were hanging from various branches, a flood of different colored birds flying around them. A small chicken coop was off to the side. When I walked up to the base of the tree, I found a small door. I knocked a few times and waited for an answer. “Just a minute.” I waited a few moments before the door opened. “Hel-eep.” Fluttershy was standing in the door, a look of fear was in her eyes as she looked up at me. “Hello.” “H-hi.” “You don’t need to be afraid of me, I don’t want to hurt you.” She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “S-sorry.” “No need to apologize, I know what I look like.” “S-so what brings you here?” “The day’s still early, and I have nothing to do, so I guess now would be a good time for my first lesson. So what do I have to do?” “Gosh, I didn’t expect you so soon. I don’t know what to do.” “Aren’t you the element of kindness?” “Y-yes?” “Then we’ll start there. I can help you around if you need it.” “R-really?” “Of course. What do we need to do?” “Well, I guess I could use some help with the animals.” “Okay, what do I need to do.?” “If you wouldn’t mind, could you please carry the feed? You’re much bigger than me, so it shouldn’t be that hard for you.” “Of course.” ………. I ended up following Fluttershy around the cottage, large bags of various animal feed stacked on my back, my wings hanging lazily off my sides. It was a large amount of added weight, but not too much. “Thank you so much for doing this. Usually I would have to feed them one by one and keep heading back to get more food, but this is much easier. Thank you.” “No need to thank me. So long as you treat me as an equal, I’ll continue to help.” She looked at me, puzzled. “Why would I treat you as any less? You haven’t done anything to make me think of you as anything less than an equal.” “You’d be surprised at how many people think they are better than me.” “You’re not a bad pony. Everypony is just scared, that’s all.” “Maybe.” The bags were getting lighter as she took the various feed out and gave it to the animals. “Thank you again. This makes everything so much easier.” “Glad I can help.” Just then, we heard something whimpering under a nearby bush. It sounded afraid and weak, but as if it wasn’t afraid to fend for itself. “That doesn’t sound good.” She got down low to see what lay under the bush, and immediately shot back out. “It’s a wolf!” “Let me see.” I dropped the feed in a pile and crawled in beside her. Sure enough, cowering against the base, was a wolf pup. Not one of the big wooden ones that eat everything either. It was a small grey wolf, its front paw bent awkwardly. “Come here, little friend. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She stuck her hoof in close, but I growled in defense. Her eyes grew wide as she reared back out of the bush. “That’s never happened before.” “Let me see him.” I crawled deeper under the bush, staring deep into the wolf’s eyes. I stared for a minute, it staring back. Finally, I decided to put a hoof close. Like last time, it growled at me, but I didn’t pull my hoof away. I just stopped, and continued looking it in the eyes. Keeping eye contact, I slowly moved my hoof closer, and closer, and closer. After a few minutes, I felt its fur. It jumped back at the touch, but overall, it was calmer, so I scratched it behind the ear. It gave in, and rolled over onto its back, whimpering in defeat and happiness. “Alright, come on out of there.” I stuck my other hoof under and gently picked it up, slowly pulling him out from his shelter. “Wow, you must be really good with animals.” “Not really. Most things tend to hate me.” “Who told you that?” I lowered my eyes to the ground, trying to avoid eye contact. “My father. I’m not good at anything.” “Yes you are. If you keep telling yourself that, you’ll only believe it.” I looked up to see she had a somewhat comforting look on her face. “And you are good with animals.” The wolf yelped, trying to get attention. “See. He likes you.” “I guess so. So what’s wrong with him?” “It looks like he just hurt his paw. Poor thing, his parents must have left him. Don’t worry, I can help.” I slowly handed the pup over to Fluttershy. He was much calmer than when we initially found him, and was willing to comply. Throwing the remainder of the animal feed onto my back, we headed off to the cottage, where Fluttershy, fixed the wolf pup’s leg and put a gauss wrap around it. “What are we going to do with him?” “Well, he seems to like you. Why don’t you take him?” “Really? I mean if you think it’s a good idea, sure, but, really?” “Well, yes. Why not?” “I don’t know. Sure, I’ll take him.” I took the pup in my hooves, and he just looked straight at me. “I’ll call you…Hazmat.” “H-Hazmat? Why?” “It seems to suit him, and I kinda like the name.” “Oh, okay. Would you mind helping me feed the rest of the animals? I mean, if it’s okay with you.” “Sure.” The bags of feed were placed onto my back once again, Hazmat was placed on top. He curled up and ended up falling asleep on the top of the pile while we wandered around feeding the rest of the animals. ………. Hours had passed since we started, the bags on my back nearly empty after the long day. Hazmat was still asleep, unaffected by the shift bringing him closer to my back. “Thank you again for the help.” “No problem.” By this time we were back at the house. “You can put those bags over there, I’ll get to them later. Right now I need to get the tea ready.” She was pointing to a corner in the room. “Alright.” Tossing the bags into a large pile, I began walking away, but stopped short. “Why do I feel like I’m forgetting something?” I heard something fumbling around in the large pile I just created and turned to see what it was. Sticking his head out of the pile of bags, a small grey wolf face starred back at me. “Right, I thought so.” He barked at me in irritation. “I’m doomed.” “It takes some getting used to.” I turned to see Fluttershy walking over to the table with a tray on her back, two cups and a tea pot on it. “Here, have a drink.” She set the tray on the table and began pouring the tea into the glasses. “Thank you.” I took my seat across from her as she handed me one of the cups. I never really liked tea, but I guess I should try and be a good guest and stomach it. Now how do I pick up the cup… oh well. Using both hooves, I picked it up and began sipping at its contents, which I was surprised to find wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. “Thank you again.” “You don’t need to keep thanking me.” “Oh, well, um, okay.” I looked back at Hazmat, who had made himself a bed in the emptied feed sacks. He was watching everything carefully, following every movement with his eyes as his head rested in his paws. He yawned and finally decided to close his eyes. The moon shone through the window as I finished my tea. “Well, I should get home. Thank you for the drink.” “You’re welcome. Come by whenever you like, I mean if it’s okay with you.” “I will, and thank you again.” Placing Hazmat on my back, I opened the door and walked down the moonlit path. "Amor." "Yes?" "Don't worry, you are good at something." I smiled. "Thank you."
Lesson 2: LoyaltyThe sun pierced my eyelids, blinding me momentarily as I awoke. It was a much different start than I was used to. Usually, the blinds were pulled shut, keeping any foreign light from entering the room, but, well, it’s hard to find blinds for a circle, and I don’t have any money yet. My new wolf friend was curled up against the wall in a pile of blankets off of my bed. Being the lazy, creative, and messy person I was, I yawned, pulled the sheets off of the bed, and threw them over my head, blocking out most of the light. “Ugh. Too early.” I didn’t even know what time it was, but I knew sunlight was bad. Just then, someone began knocking on my door. “Hey, you still alive?” “Ugghh, go away!” “C’mon, you’ve been out for too long.” I moaned one last time as I threw my pillow at the door…just as my visitor decided to enter. I heard the sound of it fluff off of her face and sat up. Standing in my doorway was Rainbowdash, the pillow still on her face. “Umm, oops?” she grabbed the pillow off of her face and threw it back at me twice as hard. I ducked, trying to avoid it, but my head jerked back as it hooked onto my horn. It fell over my face, blinding me, and I could clearly hear laughter. When I pulled the pillow off of my horn, I saw Rainbowdash laughing and rolling on the ground. “Okay, I deserve that.” “Aww that was hilarious!” “GRRRR.” We both sat up at the sound. I immediately looked over at Hazmat, who was standing up, trying to look as menacing as a pup can look. “Hazmat.” He looked over at me. “Hazmat, down.” With a whimper, he lowered back down into his bed, never taking his eyes off of Rainbow. “When did you get a dog?” “Actually he’s a wolf.” “Okay…when did you get a wolf?” “Yesterday when I was helping Fluttershy. We found him under a bush and she recommended I take him, since he seems to only like me.” “I can see that. He’s a bit vicious for a pup, don’t you think?” “Meh, he’ll be fine.” “Riiigght. So what are you doing today?” I yawned. “I don’t know, I guess I’ll learn from you today.” “Learn?” “Yeah, I follow you around and help you whenever.” “Sounds good to me!” “Why do I feel like I made a mistake?” “Come on, don’t keep me waiting.” I sighed deeply as I rose from my bed. “Alright, let’s go. Hazmat, stay.” He wined, but obeyed as he lowered into his bed. Walking outside, I took in a deep breath of fresh air, looking around at the early life of Ponyville. Rainbowdash walked out beside me. “We’re on weather today. C’mon, let’s go!” She took off like a bullet into the air. I watched as she faded into a dot, then turned around and returned beside me. “You know, when I say come on, I mean come on.” “I don’t know how to fly.” “No seriously, let’s go.” “I am being serious.” I looked back at my wings, which were still hanging at my sides. “How do you fly?” “Well, I don’t know, just flap your wings!” I looked at her awkwardly. All she did was put a hoof to her face. “Close your eyes and think about your wings.” I did as instructed, and strangely enough I began feeling my wings, which were numb up until this point. “I think I can feel my wings.” “Alright, can you move them?” I tried, and at the command my wings flared to life, standing straight up. “Good. Now, flap them really fast!” I again looked at her, puzzled. “I don’t know how changelings work. The only ones I ever saw in flight were trying to kill me, so I wasn’t really paying attention to how they fly.” “Right, okay.” I did as instructed once again and beat my wings rapidly, which surprisingly took very little effort. Faster and faster, it felt like a burden was being lifted off of my legs. “Hey Amor, don’t look now, but your flying.” I looked down at my legs, which were now dangling below me. “So I am.” “You don’t sound very excited for your first flight.” “I never get excited.” “Apparently. So can you move, or are you stuck in one spot?” “I don’t know, let me try.” I tried angling my wings to push air behind me. That did the trick, because I began shooting forward. Angling them the other way, I moved back. “Yeah, I can move.” “Great, now follow me.” Again, she shot into the air, and I followed the best I could. When we were a good distance in the air, she stopped and looked around, scanning the skies. “Can you break a cloud?” “I dunno.” “Okay, let me rephrase that. Go try and break that cloud.” She pointed to the closest cloud, and I floated over to it. I gave it a light kick, and it disintegrated at the touch. “There you go! See, you are learning from me, and I’m an awesome teacher!” “Don’t get ahead of yourself.” “Fine, fine, whatever. Just start kicking clouds, I’ll get to work over there.” She took off into the opposite direction, leaving me in the middle of the sky. With a heavy sigh, I went to work on the other side. ………. It took a few hours, but I broke most of the clouds I could find. Searching the skies, I saw only one other cloud in the sky. I began mumbling under my breath. “Yeah, thanks for the help.” I gave the cloud a kick, and it broke apart, leaving a bright blue figure where it once was, now falling to earth. It was Rainbowdash. She was asleep. I panicked and dive-bombed straight for her, my wings clamping tight to my body. “Ohnoohnoohnoohno!” My tight slender figure was gaining speed faster than her sloppy one, causing some air resistance. I finally caught to her and wrapped my legs around her, now flapping my wings as fast as they could move. I finally slowed the free-fall to a slow, almost motionless hover. “Huh? What?” She was finally awake. “Next time, tell me what cloud you’re in before you go to sleep.” “Uhhh, what happened? I feel like I was kicked in the back.” “Y-yeah, that was my fault. I broke the cloud you were in and sent you into a free-fall to earth. I am so sorry.” “N-no, no, it’s my fault. Sorry.” “Seriously? I nearly killed you, but you’re sorry?” “Yeah, that was my fault. I shoulda told you.” “And?” “And…I shoulda helped.” “And?” “And…I shouldn’t have been sleeping.” “And?” “And…what else do you want from me?” “I just wanted to see what you would say. Now, could you help?” “What do you…oh, yeah, sorry.” The entire time we were talking, she hadn’t noticed the only reason she wasn’t on the ground was because I was helping her up, holding her in a type of shoulder lock. “Not bad for your first time flying.” “Just start flapping.” “Right, right.” At the command, she pulled herself from my hold and flew up beside me. “I just want you to know that I take full responsibility.” “For what?” “Nearly killing you.” “How is that your fault? You can’t really blame yourself for doing what you were told?” “Sorry, force of habit.” “What habit could possibly have you blaming yourself because of what I did?” “Well…whenever anything bad happens, my father would always blame me, no matter what.” “Seriously?” “Would I lie?” “I don’t know…dang, that sucks.” “Well, I’m cursed.” “Your luck can’t be that bad.” “Someone stole my dog when I was little.” “Well…sorry to hear that. But it can’t be entirely your fault. I’ve been blamed for my fair share of things, most of them were actually my fault though, but always look at the bright side.” “What bright side?” “You just found out you’re a pretty strong flier.” “I guess…” “And you have a lot of friends.” “Okay…” “And you now have a loyal wolf and a friend who owes you her life.” “Alright, I get it. Thanks.” “Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for.” “Yeah, right, friends…” “You…have had friends before…right?” “Not many, and not any that I would actually trust.” “Well, that all changes now. You have the liberty and opportunity to be friends with the one and only Rainbowdash! This is a chance that not many get, and those who do are very lucky.” “Your overdoing it.” “Do you want to be my friend or not?” “A bit harsh, don’t you think?” I smiled. “Alright, sure friend.” “That’s the spirit! So now what do you want to do?” “I don’t know…I’m hungry, how about you?” “Now that you mentioned it, yes, after nearly falling to my death, I am a little hungry. Come on, I’ll buy lunch.” “That sounds great. I can’t remember the last time I ate…well, anything.” “Great! Umm, I don’t really owe you my life, do I?” I rolled my eyes. “No, Rainbowdash, you don’t, just buy me lunch and we’ll call it even.”
Lesson 4: GenerosityAs the day began, I awoke, still dazed from the night. I began pacing around my room with nothing better to do for the time being. My choices were growing slimmer with each day, giving me less of a choice. “Let’s see. Element of magic? Not right now. So long as no one else smashes in my door, I shouldn’t have any other issues with that. Laughter?” I shuddered at the thought. “No, no, NO! not yet at least. What else is there? Generosity? Well, I guess so.” I walked to the door, slowly pulling it open. “Well, I guess I’m going to see-“ “Perfect!” I reared back at the sudden outburst. I had no idea anyone was going to be waiting for me. The door swung the rest of the way open without my concern. Standing a few feet away, looking me over with a very thorough eye, was Rarity. “Um, hello?” “Come with me, right now.” I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, a blue aura gripped my horn and dragged me behind her. I stumbled at first, but managed to catch my footing after a few seconds. “Where are we going?” “No time to explain. I need your help right now, it’s an emergency.” She began moving faster, pulling me to follow her speed. “Alright, alright, just lead the way.” ………. We arrived at the boutique moments later. At first glance, I couldn’t see anything wrong. “What’s the emergency?” “I have been asked to design a dress for the Fleur Dis Lee. I need a model for the dress, and your figure is close to hers.” I cocked my head to the side. “Fleur Dis Lee? Supermodel? One of the most beautiful unicorns in Canterlot, possibly Equestria?” “I’m still stuck on the part where you want me to wear a dress.” “It’s just for a few hours.” “I’m not wearing a dress.” “You’ll be inside where no one will see you.” “No.” She was becoming slightly more irritated. “You’re not leaving until you help me.” I gave her the same look and pushed my face close to hers. “Make me.” “Oh I will.” “I’d like to see you try.” After having a staring contest for a few minutes, her horn began to glow, along with all four of my hooves. She held me upside-down while she began digging out various cloths and other materials. “You wouldn’t dare.” “What are you going to do? You would never hurt a lady, would you?” “Of course not.” “Then stay put.” “As if I have a choice.” “Oh, you’ll be fine.” ………. I had no idea how much time had passed. I kept my eyes closed the entire time, I didn’t want to even see what she was doing to me. “Is it over? Is it over yet? Please, tell me it’s over.” “Asking won’t make it go any faster. Now sit still and stop fidgeting.” As if to get her message across, she stuck me with a pin, pricking me on the flank. “Ow! Hey, watch it!” “I said stop moving. Now if you don’t sit still, I may have to start over.” “No! It’s bad enough I am doing this once, I am not doing it again.” “Then sit still. And open your eyes! It’s not as bad as you think.” “I am not opening my eyes until this thing is off of me.” “Fine.” She wrapped something around my body and it began pulling tighter and tighter, smashing my wings against my back. I had never worn a girdle before, but I imagine this is what it felt like. At one point it became hard to draw air into my lungs. “I can’t breathe! What are you trying to do to me?” “Relax. That’s as tight as it will get.” “I will never understand why you put yourselves through so much to alter your appearance.” “It’s a small price to pay to look good.” “Is it worth dying over?” “Possibly. What would you rather me do?” “You’re talking to the wrong stallion for fashion advice.” “Point taken. But you don’t truly think I always look this stunning, do you? Believe it or not, even I must do things to make myself look beautiful.” “It’s so much easier to wake up, pat your hair down, and go on with your day without having a care in the world about what others think of you.” “Yes, I figured that out about you.” “Don’t care.” “You must care a little.” “You realize who you’re talking to, right? Holy legs, matted hair, fangs that stick out over my lips, tattered insectoid wings, etcetera, etcetera.” “Okay, I get it. Not everypony is the same.” “Everyone has their differences. How much longer?” “I’m almost done. Just need to add the finishing touches…there! Now will you open your-“ “Get it off me first.” I heard a heavy sigh. After a few minutes of wrestling, the dress finally came off, so I slowly allowed my eyes to open. I peeked first to make sure it was completely off. When I was sure it was gone, I allowed my eyes to open entirely. I looked around the room, seeing no sign of anything Rarity may have even been working on. “So where is it?” “I locked it away. I want it to stay perfect when it is sent to Canterlot, so I am going to keep it safe and away from the public eye. It’s a shame. If you would have just opened your eyes you would have been the first to see my work.” I rolled my eyes. “Is that all you needed me for today?” “For the time being. Thank you for your help. If my design becomes popular, I may need you more often. Just think, I may become famous for my work!” I could see a strange sparkle in her eyes as she stared out a window. I shuddered again. “Well, I should be heading home.” “Goodbye. Thank you again for the help, darling.” “No one is to ever know that this happened. Understand?” “Of course. That would just be the worst. Possible. Thing!” “Right. Well, I’ll be at my house if you need me.” Author's Note I just want to say that I write these on my own and I don't really revise anything, so if anyone is willing to proofread these, pm me. i'd really like a second opinion. the catch? you get to criticize my writing without me freaking and you get to read ahead.
Lesson 5: LaughterLying in my bed, I let my mind begin to wonder. Two days supposedly until my lesson is complete. Random thoughts began flooding into my head. First, and somewhat important, why am I not hungry? I ate maybe once all week, I’ve been feeding Hazmat, so why was it that I wasn’t caving in on myself? Maybe…maybe I was feeding off of love? It’s always a possibility, but I’m not going to get carried away with it. Best to stop thinking about it before I go crazy. What’s worse, I have to spend the day with the party pony. I better get this over with before I do go insane. Who knows, maybe the day with Pinkie Pie won’t be so who am I kidding, it’s going to be horrible. ………. I found the pastry shop after only moments of searching. The large pink building with the gingerbread roof stood out among the colorful streets of the town. As I pushed the door open, I heard the jingle of the bell above the door. “Welcome to-“ A blue mare with a pink mane and an apron began to greet me, but stopped once she caught site of what I look like. I stood waiting as she regained her composure. “Sorry. You must be Pinkie’s new friend. She’s not here right now, but may I interest you in anything?” “No, thank you, though. I’ll just be on my way.” “Alright, come on back whenever you feel it’s right.” I nodded as I walked out the door. Great. Now, on top of spending the day with Pinkie, I have to find her first. This is going to be a long- “GOTCHA!” A pink blur shot through the air and hit me in the back, sending me face first into the ground with whatever it was on top of me. One guess on what that was. “I have been looking all over for you! I went to your house but you didn’t answer so I went to see if you were with Twilight but she hasn’t seen you then I ran into Rainbowdash and she said she hasn’t seen you for a day or two then Rarity said she saw you yesterday but she wouldn’t tell me what you were doing which is really strange then I saw you leaving Sugarcube Corner and here we are!” My mind was still spinning for quite some time after she stopped talking. It took me a few moments to put together just some of what she had said. “So, whatcha doin?” “Looking for you.” She gasped. “Really? That’s so weird, because I was looking for you! So, what do you want to do?” “Well, you’re the element, so you choose.” “Really? THEN LET’S-“ “No parties.” “Drats, you’re no fun.” I grumbled under my breath. “Seriously, when was the last time you smiled?” “When I got here.” “When was the last time you laughed?” I put my hoof to my chin in thought. “What month is it?” “A MONTH!?” “No, no, not a month…a couple of months.” “A COUPLE OF-“ “Yes.” “Well you’re no fun. There has to be something that makes you laugh.” “You can try, but I doubt you’ll find anything.” “You are asking me to find something to make someone smile and laugh! I know I can do it!” “We’ll see.” Boy will I regret those words. ………. The next few hours were spent with futile attempts at getting me to laugh, some in song. She played pranks, told jokes, at one point she brought out a cannon and shot me in the face with confetti. I didn’t even crack a smile. “You have gotta smile eventually.” “No.” “Please?” “No.” Pleeeeeeaaase?” “Stop pleading.” She squinted her eyes at me as if trying to see through me. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she smiled, an extremely wide smile. “What? What are you planning?” suddenly, she took off, not even touching the ground. “Wait! Where are you-“ I sighed heavily. “Should I even follow her?” Like an obedient dog, I walked off into the same direction she shot into, tossing my head side to side to see if I could see her, but all I saw was the usual: a few distasteful glares thrown my way. I decided my chances would be better if I took to the air. Scanning over the town from above, I still couldn’t spot her, then, what sounded like a gunshot. I turned my head in the direction it came from, only to see the same pink blur flying at me. My ears clamped against the back of my head in a mix of fear and brace as I was hammered in the face, sent hurdling through the air with her and I tangled together. It felt like forever to regain control of the situation, or my flight, for lack of a better word. “What are you doing!?” I looked over to see her standing beside me holding a box. “Surprise!” “What is that?” “A cake!” she opened the box to show a white cake with pink icing, happy birthday written across the top.” “It’s not my birthday.” “Early?” “Late.” “Then happy belated birthday!” “Okay…” I then shook my head in shock when I realized something that I couldn’t believe I didn’t notice. Pinkie Pie was standing in front of me. I was flying. She was standing in thin air at least one-hundred yards above the ground. “How are you doing that?” “What?” “This.” I indicated with my hooves, pointing to the ground, slowly moving up to her hooves. “How are you up here?” She shrugged. “I dunno.” Suddenly, she began to plummet to the ground, but I quickly caught her. “Why do I always end up doing this?” She replied with a smile as she held the cake up to me. I couldn’t help but smile. I finally gave in, and no matter how much I tried to hide it, I knew she saw it. “AH-HA! I knew I could do it!” “Yeah, alright, you finally got me.” I began to chuckle. “Mission accomplished.” “And you’re laughing! Yay!” I lowered her back onto the ground, careful not to slip up at all. Once she hit the ground, she handed me the cake. “Alright, I should head home.” “Aww, but I wanted some cake.” “Gotta knife?” She pulled a small butter knife out of nowhere. “I have everything!” “Okay, cut the cake in half, you take half, I take half.” She didn’t hesitate, as if she had done it hundreds of times before, she quickly cut the cake and took her half, leaving me with half and the box. “Bye Amor! Thanks for the cake!” She stuffed the whole thing in her face in one bite. “No, thank you.”
Lesson 6: MagicThe cake didn’t last long, but it didn’t seem to nourish me. Half of it went to Hazmat, and he was more than happy to take it. I don’t know how healthy it is or when it becomes dangerous for a wolf to consume too much cake, but he seems fine. It’s the beginning of a new day, and the final lesson. Time to learn something I guess. The final stop. A large oak tree hollowed out and made into a library. A horrible idea if you ask me, but magic can make almost anything possible. I approached the door that was carved into the side and knocked. I waited a few moments before the door swung open. I was greeted by a small purple baby dragon. “Can I help you with any-CHANGELING!” He slammed door in my face and I heard a distinct click as it locked. I sighed as I knocked again. “Go away! Nobody’s home!” “Spike! That’s probably Amor. I told you he would be coming soon.” I could hear the voice of a familiar purple unicorn. “And what if he’s evil? What if he is just trying to learn our secrets so he could tell the queen how to defeat us?” “He’s not evil.” “What if another changeling took his place and is trying to get in?” “You’re overreacting.” The door unlocked and swung open once again, but this time I was greeted by a friendly face. Twilight waved me in as she closed the door. “Hi. Sorry about Spike, he’s a little crazy.” “He has every right to be afraid of me.” “Ha! I told you!” I gave looked at him before turning my attention back to Twilight. “I know what I look like, and I know what the changelings did.” “It’s alright, you had nothing to do with it.” “Right.” I looked at the dragon. “Sorry if I frightened you.” “Apology accepted, but I’m not taking my eye off of you.” He gave me a very serious look, as if he was trying to threaten me. “Alright, so what do you want to do?” “Considering you’re the element of magic, I guess we’ll work on controlling it.” “You can’t control your magic?” “I nearly hit Applejack with some sort of blast when she kicked my door in.” I heard a near silent whisper directed towards Twilight. “Evil.” “Anyways,” I looked at him once again. “I would rather learn to control it instead of zapping anyone who startles me.” “Sounds, like a very reasonable reason to try and control your magic.” She gave me a nervous smile, as if trying to comfort me, or herself. “So where do you want to start?” “Basic magic seems like a good spot. Levitation, things on that level.” “You can’t levitate?” “I never needed to until now.” “Alright, it’s very simple actually. First, concentrate on something.” I looked directly at the dragon in the corner, my eyes burrowing deep under his scales. He could feel it. “Not me!” “Alright, concentrate on something else.” I looked at a book on one of the shelves. A weak green aura formed around it. “Now, think really hard. Where do you want it to go?” I looked at the table nearby. My connection with the book vanished once I took my eyes, or rather my thoughts off of it. I looked at the book again. All I need to do is move the book from the shelf to the table. From the shelf to the table. To the table. The book began to wiggle, and everyone looked at it. It slowly slid off of the shelf and momentarily floated in mid-air. An eager and somewhat hopeful look in Twilight’s face told it all. “Yes, yeeesss!” My concentration broke and the book fell to the floor. “It’s okay, try again!” following orders, I focused on another book, and repeated the process. It made it to the same point where the last one did and fell again. “Try again.” ………. There was a large pile of books in the center of the room after a while, some of the shelves bare without the pages cluttering them. “Maybe I should give up.” “No! I know you can do it. You just have to try harder, but you can do it!” I sighed. Concentrating on yet another book, it slowly made its way off the shelf. It was shaking as it traveled through the air, making sudden drops, but quickly being pulled back up before it hit the ground. It traveled at a slightly slower pace than the rest. It traveled across the room, making it past the large pile, farther than any others had made it before. It finally came to rest on the table I wanted it to stop at. Both me and Twilight were focused on the book, thinking it was just a trick played by our eyes. “I…I think I did it.” “You finally did it! You can levitate!” she began dancing around the room happily, but fell into the pile of books that stood taller than her. “S-sorry about the mess.” “Oh, it’s fine.” Her horn lit up, and every book in the room lifted off the ground. Instinctively, they sorted themselves out it seemed, and were placed in the exact same spot they were taken from off the shelves. “See. It’s fine.” “Alright, that seems like a good stopping point for today. Anything else you want to teach me?” “No, that seems to be enough for now. Just don’t go and blast someone, alright.” “I’ll try.” I turned to the small door that I entered from. I can’t believe these lessons are finally over. They are over, and I feel I learned something. I was still thinking to myself when I pulled the door open, only to hear a surprised, yet extremely happy cry from Twilight. “Cadence!” Author's Note Surprise
Lesson 7: Love“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” I witnessed the pink alicorn and purple unicorn singing a chant as they danced. “Cadence, when did you get here? How did you get in?” “I flew in the window upstairs. I wanted to surprise you.” “Oh, this is Amor. Princess Celestia sent him here to learn the magic of friendship.” The alicorn walked circles around me, trying to find everything and everything there was to know just by looking at me. She stopped right in front of me, still concentrating on my face. I braced myself and prepared for the worse. “Hello, I’m Cadence.” I was somewhat surprised. Greeting me with open hooves was the alicorn princess whose wedding was nearly destroyed by the changeling hive, and she seemed welcoming. “Hi, I’m Amor.” “Pleased to meet you.” “Likewise.” Twilight stepped forward. “Cadence was my foalsitter when I was little. She’s married to my older brother.” She stuck a hoof out in greeting. I reared back at first, but eventually I met the gold-covered hoof halfway before I bowed. “Oh, no need to do that.” “In the presence of a princess? It feels necessary.” She rolled her eyes at me sarcastically. ………. We all sat around the table, I began to feel more comfortable. “If you don’t mind me asking, how has your marriage been?” “Shining Armor is the most wonderful person anyone could ever hope for.” “I’m happy for you.” “What about you? Who’s your special somepony?” I did my best to stay calm. “I don’t have one. I have no one to love and no one loves me.” “Now you don’t honestly think that’s true, do you?” “Do you see who you’re talking to? I’m a monstrosity.” “Looks have nothing to do with love.” “Coming from a princess.” “Are you insisting that princesses are beautiful?” “I can’t really deny it can I?” “You just need to open your heart to someone.” “Easier said than done.” “How so?” “Who can I trust? Who can I talk to and expect to keep quiet? Who can I expect to understand? Paranoia makes you do things.” “You have friends who you can speak to. Friends who trust you and were willing to help you already. I’m sure someone is willing to be a great friend and listen.” “If you say so. I’m a very…hateful person.” “I can fix that.” Her horn began to glow. The sky blue aura formed at the tip and formed a heart, that floated lazily toward me before it burst. Somehow, I didn’t feel hateful anymore. I felt as if a burden had been lifted off of me, a burden I had been carrying all my life. It just felt so hard to believe. Sixteen years of pain and misery, and it’s just gone, as if it never was there. I felt happy. “I don’t know what you did, but…thank you.” “Of course. Spreading love and happiness is what I do. Now, anything you want to talk about?” I released a heavy sigh. “Alright, if you insist.” So I told them, everything since my sixteenth birthday until now, doing my best not to let the whole human thing slip out. ………. “…and that’s when Celestia teleported me to her throne. You know the rest of the story.” “That’s…so sad. I’m so sorry.” “Don’t be. If there was anything that could have been done to avoid it, I would have done it.” “Don’t worry, it’s all in the past. Now you have friends all around you. New friends, new home, a new life.” They had no idea. “Yeah. I’ve never been happier then when Celestia brought me here.” “I can tell. From what you’ve told us, you’re very happy for what’s happened.” “I guess that’s just the magic of friendship.” Wow, even I feel like that was too cheesy. Cadence stood, stretching her wings and legs. “Well, I need to get going. It was good seeing you again, Twilight. Amor, I am happy to have made your acquaintance.” “Likewise.” “Bye Cadence. I hope to see you again soon.” She walked out the front door, where she spread her wings and took off in flight. “She seems like a good person.” “Of course. She’s only the best foalsitter in the world!” Author's Note sorry for the really short chapter. this one was harder to write than I thought it would be. please don't hate me
The Result of Choices Made“Amor, wake up! It’s almost noon!” Everything flooded into my view again, the bright colors blinding me momentarily. “Sugarcube, ya gotta get up!” “WAKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!” I could just barely make out three familiar voices from the other side of my door. “Should ah kick it in again?” I shot out of bed. “I’m up, what’s the hurry?” “The princess wants to see all of us, including you.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” “We did! We’ve been out here for ten minutes!” “Sorry.” “Just get out here.” I rose to my unsteady legs and began hobbling towards the door. I opened it to see Rainbowdash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie waiting on the other side. “Finally!” “Where is everyone else?” I said as I rubbed my eye. “Already waiting for us at the train station. We came to get your lazy flank out of bed. We’ve wasted enough time already, let’s go!” “Wait, what am I going to do with him,” I said, indicating towards Hazmat. “Don’t worry, Spike is going to stop by to bring him to the library soon. Come on!” A rainbow streak took off in the direction of the train station, Pinkie Pie and Applejack barely having to try to keep up, while I buzzed in flight behind them, working my hardest to keep the three in sight. I was panting at the halfway point. I remember it being hard to run on two legs, but I just got these ones, and I wasn’t quite used to them yet. I rounded the final corner to see all six waiting for me. “Man, you are slow.” “Yeah, thanks for waiting up.” I managed to get out through heavy breaths. “ALL ABORD! LAST TRAIN TO CANTERLOT!” “That’s us,” Twilight said. “Come on, let’s not keep Princess Celestia waiting any longer.” Everyone lined up and slowly made their way onto the train, taking their seats. I found the first empty one and scooted in towards the window, propping my head on my hoof like last time. I felt the seat shift, and looked over to see Fluttershy sitting next to me. “Oh, I’m sorry, did you want to be alone?” “No no, if you would like to sit there, it’s fine. I probably could use the company. But, don’t expect me to start a conversation.” “Oh. Okay. Thank you.” The train jerked forward, and we were off to Canterlot. Everyone else was having their own conversations while I sat quietly, thinking to myself, letting my thoughts wander like they always do. I think weird things, like how could such opposites be friends? Pinkie Pie, loud and cheerful, while Fluttershy was quiet and afraid. Rarity, clean and sophisticated, while Applejack was a farm pony. Twilight, the brains of the bunch, and Rainbowdash, an athlete who wouldn’t even admit to reading a good book. Together, these opposites form a dangerous weapon, and Equestria’s last hope. And just then, I nodded off. ………. “How can you still be sleeping!?” My eyes shot open to meet Rainbowdash’s, who was hovering only inches away from my face. “I swear, you spend more of your time with Luna than you do with us!” I yawned, showing my fangs without trying. “How much longer?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, maybe a few more minutes.” I looked out the window to see the snowcapped mountain we were headed to, a large gleaming city hanging off its one side. Good, almost there. I scanned the train car, only to see everyone still going on with their conversations. “So what do you think the princess wants?” “I don’t know, it could be important.” “Yeah, maybe the changelings are back!” “Rainbow!” “Right, sorry Amor.” “No hard feelings.” I closed my eyes, resting my temple on the window. “So no one has any idea why the princess wants to see us?” “Who knows, it could be anything.” “Yeah, great.” I had an idea, but it wasn’t anything important, it wasn’t life or death or anything. “So what do you think, Amor?” I shook my head, focusing on the world at the sound of the unexpected question. “Well, considering how long it has been, probably something to do with me, but that could just be my paranoia. We’ll see what happens when we get there.” I caught sight of Fluttershy out of the corner of my eye. She looked as if she had something to say, but couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud. “Do you have any ideas?” she let out a nervous squeak. “W-well…I…Don’t know.” I didn’t hear a word she said. I leaned in close, picking my ear up. “What was that?” I could tell she was extremely nervous. She leaned in close so no one else would hear her. Luckily, none were paying attention to our conversation. “I think it has something to do with your lessons.” I whispered back. “Why does that make you nervous?” “Because…I don’t…think you learned anything.” “What are you talking about? Of course I did.” “R-really? What?” “You’ll find out later. If in fact that is why she wants to see us, you’ll know. Otherwise, I’ll tell you on the way back. Now let’s stop whispering before anyone hears us.” I sat back up and pretended nothing ever happened before anyone saw me. Fluttershy still looked worried, but she seemed to have eased slightly. ………. We were escorted through the castle, taking twists and turns until we came to a large set of doors. Two guards used their magic to swing the doors open, revealing Celestia sitting in her throne, a guard on either side of her. “Ah, you’ve made it.” Twilight, of course was the first to step forward. “Princess Celestia. May I ask what we have been called for?” “Just checking in. Amor, how have you been doing in Ponyville?” I stepped forward. “Everything has been fine.” “And?” I looked at her, puzzled. “Have you learned anything?” “Of course.” “Then please, share with us.” I looked around at all the faces in the room. There was the princess, the stern royal guards, and my friends, sending me comforting looks, trying to urge me on. “Well, I have learned so much from my time in Ponyville, but seven lessons stick out above all else. They may not be the best of lessons, but they are things to live by. I learned that you need to have an open mind to all, whether it be a friend, a pet, or just someone in need. I learned that you should never give up on a friend, even if the chances look slim, or even life threatening. I learned that you need to do whatever it takes to help your friend and comfort them, even if it means lying sometimes. Even if it is against everything you are about, it’s okay to help your friend with something if they need the help.” I paused to look back at the six behind me, who seemed comforted, if not surprised that I learned so much from them. “I learned that, you can’t always be serious. It’s okay to let loose every so often and just have fun and get rid of stress. I learned that helping someone in need is just the right thing to do. If you can find a way to help someone, or anyone, don’t be afraid to do it. Finally, I learned that you need to open your heart, or your emotions will tear you apart. If you hide who you truly are, keep your emotions hidden away, they will ravage you. Just tell someone.” “Is that all?” “Yes.” “Are you certain?” “I am certain.” “Congratulations, Amor. You have learned the magic of friendship.” I felt proud of myself. I learned something, I actually found something I’m good at, I made new friends who care about me, and I’m happy. Not on the outside, but all the way through for once. “I can send you home now.” My happiness was cut short. I took a step back. “I’m not going back.” “Amor?” “No. I am actually happy for once. No one cared for me, no one acknowledged me. Now I have friends. I have a happy life. I have emotions other than those of sorrow and hatred. I am not going back there. This is my home now.” “Is…is that your final decision?” “Yes.” She sighed heavily. “Very well. You…may stay in Equestria. You have certainly earned it.” I let out a weak smile in relief. “I am glad to call you a citizen of our fair land.” She stepped down from her seat above us. “I can see that you are much happier here, and I would never want to take that away from anypony. You may stay in Ponyville with your friends.” “Thank you, princess.” “And Amor,” I looked up to meet her eyes. “I know you will make the right decisions in the future. Your friends will help you.” I closed my eyes as I smiled. So this is it. Author's Note Hi guys. sorry for such a long wait. I cant explain myself for that, but this is the end. I thank all of you for reading this, and following me through this adventure, even if it wasn't that good. In all honesty, I had fun getting this one out. it started out as a vent, a way for me to let out anger, but as it grew I saw that many of you liked this. Thank you all for reading, liking, faving, and anything else you did for me, it really means a lot!
Lesson 3: HonestyThe door flew open and Hazmat was up with a start. I shot through the door and began flying around the room, cheering to my small companion. “Look, Hazmat. I can fly!” I got a happy bark in reply as the pup tried to jump for me, barely getting off the ground. I landed in my bed and my wolf followed. “Let’s see, I guess I should go see Applejack next. I don’t know, I think I should sleep on it. After all, I finally got a meal, and I did nearly kill someone today.” And it was there that the paranoia set in. I put my hooves to my face. “How many people saw that? What did they think? Do they think I am evil and just tried to kill her? I really have to stop talking to myself, it’s only going to drive me insane.” Hazmat only barked in reply, unsure of what I actually said. I looked out the window, looking at the late night moon. “Thank Celestia for giving me this chance. I am already much happier with my life.” I fell back into the bed. Hazmat looked around the room, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. He finally hopped out of the bed and walked over to his pile of blankets in the corner. I looked at the ceiling above me, growing darker as the moon rose higher. I began getting sleepy. Slowly, my eyes began to shut, only a sliver of moonlight making it in. ………. “Ay, you in there?” My eyes shot open. It was barely bright enough to see, indicating that it was still early. “What time is it?” “It’s a little pass five.” I fell back into the bed. “Give me at least five hours and I’ll be out.” I fell back asleep, unresponsive. “Sugarcube?” I didn’t respond. “If you aint gettn up, al hafta come in there.” I still didn’t respond. “Aright, you asked for it.” The door flew open, almost breaking off the hinges as it smashed against the wall. I sat up instantly, an uncontrolled blast of energy shooting out of my horn, hitting the corner of the door, right above Applejack. “What happened? Who’s there? What? Why? What?” Applejack was too stunned to answer. She was too busy starring at the smoldering mark in the door frame. “Uuhh, that was an accident.” “Ya didn’t have to try an kill me.” “And you didn’t need to bash in my door. It was unlocked you know.” “Why would ya leave it unlocked?” “Please, there’s nothing in here to steal except for me or the bed. I don’t think anyone would waste their time with me. Besides, he seems to be a good guard dog…when he’s awake.” She looked at the wolf pup against the wall. “Honestly, how could he still be asleep after that?” “Is that?” “Yup.” “An he’s?” “Yup.” “Why?” “Fluttershy found him.” “Aright, well, come on, sugarcube! We got work to do! Ya can bring the pup, too. He could use the fresh air, and Winona can use a friend.” “Alright, just…just give me a minute. I need some time to get adjusted. My eyes were just beginning to focus in again. Putting both hooves on my head, I tried to steady myself as I moved to the edge of the bed. Putting all four hooves on the ground, I stood, still a little shaky. My mind was foggy, I was barely able to think a reasonable thought, but the basics came to me. That was Applejack. I was helping her today. “So? Ya comin?” I shook my head. “Yeah. Let’s go. Hazmat?” His eyes eased open slowly, but immediately widened when he realized the new presence in the room. He was to his feet, staring straight at Applejack. “Okay, we need to work on that. Hazmat, down.” At the command, he eased to his stomach, still eyeing Applejack. “Eh, ahm startin to second think this.” “He’ll be fine. I don’t think he will do something that stupid.” “Ah hope so.” “Hazmat, come on.” He jumped back to his feet and looked at me. “Let’s go.” ………. We were walking through a large apple orchard off the side of the main farm, trees lining us on either side dotted with red specs that glistened in the sun. Hazmat was weaving through trees trying to keep up with his new playmate. I lost sight of him, but I knew he would be back. “So what are we doing?” I managed to get out in a yawn. “We’s bucking for apples.” She walked to a larger tree, Apples easily noticeable. “Watch.” She turned around. In the same fashion that she attacked my door, she kicked both legs up in a double barrel kick, striking the tree hard enough to shake it. Apples began falling around her, shaken free from the thunderous hit. “Now you.” “How?” She looked at me like I was crazy. “I mean, is there a technique or something?” “Tech-what?” “What do I do?” She rolled her eyes at me. “Kick. The. Tree.” I let out a heavy sigh as I picked a tree that seemed suitable to work. Trying to replicate exactly what Applejack did to knock as many apples out of the tree. All I had to do was kick as hard as I could, right? I spun around, planted my front hooves on the ground, and kicked as hard as I could with my back legs. The tree barely even moved. “Sugarcube, ahm sorry, but ah think Granny Smith could kick harder than that.” “Let me try again.” “If ya want to, but don’t hurt yerself.” Only one thing ever angered me enough to attack, and that was when I actually released the anger that built up in me. But could I do it again? My life has been so peaceful since I began my life here, and I’ve nearly forgotten anything that made me mad. But I had to try. I thought really hard, thought about things that would never leave my mind, no matter how much I wanted the thoughts gone. One thing stuck out above all, and that was what my father told me one day after having way too many. I will take that knife of yours and stab you in the throat with it. Yeah, that will do. Concentrating only on this thought, I bared my fangs. With a hiss, I kicked at the tree, much harder than the last time. Apples began falling, clusters circling the tree now. “Now that’s more like it!” “Just needed a little motivation.” “What could motivate you like that?” “Pure hatred.” “Ah don’t follow.” “Hatred for the person who has turned me into the freak and monster I am now. Hatred for my father.” “How could ya hate yer father?” “You wouldn’t begin to understand.” “Ah want to try.” “Long story short, he hated me, called me everything he could think of. Ugly, stupid, a failure, weak, and many other things.” “Now not alla that is true.” “How so?” “Well, you did a number on that there tree. And you are a very…handsome…stallion.” I directed my attention to her now, and it was quite the sight to behold. Her face was scrunched up, her lips were quivering, she did everything she could to avoid eye contact as she tried to hold a straight face. “You know, I can easily identify most liars. The element of honesty is a very horrible liar.” “Ah was just tryin to help.” “It’s fine, thanks for trying at least.” Just then, a small brown and white collie tore through out of nowhere, a familiar grey wolf following. “Hazmat, come here.” He stopped in his tracks trying to change direction. He walked over to me, looking as if he thought he did something wrong. I pushed him onto his back with my hoof and began rubbing his stomach. “Anything else you needed me for?” “We’ll get a few more trees done today. Ah can give ya twenty bits for the day when we’re done.” “Sounds good for me.” Author's Note yeah, I have no idea what I was trying to do with this one.
