It had been several days since Mark had left, and Twilight Sparkle felt alone. She didn’t know why, but she did. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were out of town, which led to the cancellation of that week’s Pony-Pet Playdate. Rarity was entirely occupied with a large order of dresses she had to fill. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were doing volunteer work at Ponyville General, which precluded her spending time with them.

It wasn’t the first time she’d been on her own due to her friends simply having booked schedules, in fact it happened with some regularity. But still, books were having little effect to fill the void in her soul she felt right then. Her latest attempt, which was to read the newest Daring Do book, failed a mere two pages in despite the exciting hook at the beginning.

Twilight looked to the clock on her wall, staring at it intensely. It was five after ten in the morning according to the slender hands of the clock, and the seconds passed by at an agonizingly slow rate. But it was that persistent feeling of loneliness that continued to bother her.

I started feeling like this a bit after Mark and his friends left. Sometime around then, something occurred to impart this feeling. The question, quite clearly, is what? It feels as though there’s an emotional hole, a wound.

I’ve felt like this before, I know I did. When, where?

Manehattan. After the first time Mark checked on me, when he left for an assignment I felt like this. Then when he came back covered in blood and bruises I felt worse. And when I thought he was dead, even more so.

But, none of my friends stimulate such an emotion by their absence. The common factor is Mark, so I must have a different sort of bond with him. But my friends and I, we’ve done so much together, been through so much together, and we’re the Elements of Harmony. What stronger bond is there than a combination of those?

The answer dawned upon her, and her features clearly displayed it. She tried to rationalize it away as a result of shared trauma, but she couldn’t, no matter how much logic she applied. All she came up with instead were positive attributes Mark had.

Strength of will. Duty. Loyalty. Mental resilience. Discipline. Compassion. Selflessness. Honor. Modesty. A sense of humor. Good looks as far as humans went. Intelligence in not just the sense of knowing facts, but being able to apply them and improvise solutions under stress.

I love him. But how do I tell him? I don’t want to ruin a friendship, one of the few he has, by springing this on him. I can’t ask my friends, because they’re all busy. Spike is in the same boat as me, so he’s not worth much as far as advice goes.

Twilight cantered upstairs to her bedroom and levitated a scroll from a box. She rolled it out, the parchment levitating in front of her as she lay on her bed. A quill and an inkwell floated nearby, and she began to write.

***

A familiar puff of smoke materialized in Princess Celestia’s chambers, condensing into a rolled up scroll wrapped in a red bow. It had been some time since she had gotten a friendship report from Twilight or her friends. She was surprised to find that this was a note of a more personal nature.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m sure you’ve noticed already the hoofwriting is different for this letter than it usually is. I chose to write this letter myself rather than let Spike take the letter because its subject is personal in nature.

Until now I’ve never thought about it. Love, I mean. Not about whether it’d be with a stallion or a mare, and not about sexual attraction of any sort. I could’ve been accurately described as asexual or aromantic. But now I think I might be in love.

I don’t know how to tell him, because he always seems a bit distant. Friendly and caring, but distant. We’ve argued before, but we always made up. He doesn’t have many friends, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship by telling him I love him.

I need your advice. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in love, but I’m sure your wisdom will help me.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

***

To my faithful student,

I’m very happy for you. I know I sent you to Ponyville to study friendship, but to think I helped you to find love makes me happy in ways I cannot express. Love is something that goes beyond friendship, and perhaps someday I’ll tell you about the stallion I loved.

I think you should wait for an intimate moment before telling him. Perhaps when you two are alone at some romantic spot. But before you tell him, please tell me who the lucky stallion is.

With love,
Princess Celestia

The response had come quicker than Twilight had expected, and she was elated by the positive response she’d received. A new scroll hovered in front of her as she drew up a response.

***

Dear Princess Celestia,

Thank you for responding so quickly. I was thinking of asking him out on a date, but I don’t think either of us would know what to do on one, since neither of us get out much per se. I’ll tell him when the time is right, though.

About him; he’s not a stallion, but you’ve met him before. His name is Mark, you know, the SPARTAN who saved my life several times? He’s always been kind to me, there when I was down in the dumps, there when I was hurt, there when I wallowed in self-pity. I’m happy to be his friend, but I want to be more.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

“Oh dear,” Celestia murmured. She immediately considered this a doomed romance, one she would not wish upon anypony, least of all her star student, whom she privately considered to be one of her closest friends. No, more than that. She was the daughter she'd never have.

The Princess had outlived her own lover, and it haunted her to this day. To let somepony so close experience the same remorse, and not even with the comfort of knowing that it was a natural and peaceful death, was an unthinkable cruelty.

***

To my faithful student,

I’m quite concerned about you now. I grant that Colonel Thompson is an excellent warrior, but that’s all he is, a warrior. There are several clinical terms for what you’re experiencing right now, but I’d rather not degrade you by using them.

You’ve always been idealistic about aliens, since your first science fiction book. Always told me about how friendly the advanced beings were.

Sigmund Frog would say that this attraction is a result of his similarities to your brother, and I would be inclined to disagree based on said psychologist’s infamous sexualization of most everything. But even then his similarities are less than they appear.

I strongly urge you to re-assess your true feelings about him.

With love,
Princess Celestia

“Wha- What? What the hay does that even mean?”

Twilight furiously jotted down a response, and asked Spike to send it to the Princess. The baby dragon sent it without hesitation, although he was suspicious of this sudden exchange of letters.

***

Dear Princess Celestia,

You always told me that love could conquer all, and could only be destroyed by the partners themselves. I realized how much I care about him, and you told me I’m wrong to do that. Can you please explain to me why that statement is no longer true?

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

Celestia sighed deeply, a lament heard by nopony but her pet phoenix, Philomena. This would be difficult for her.

Mother, give me the strength to turn her back to light.
***

To my faithful student,

I’m sorry to tell you this, but it was never true. When I told you that you were but a filly, just beginning your time under my wing. I couldn’t in good conscience tell you what a dreary place the world could be, and I expected you to realize that I had told you a falsehood when you became older and wiser. It seems that I was wrong.

I outlived my love, and shortly after his untimely death his family shunned me for supposedly leading him on. His sister’s rage still burns me inside, knowing that the mare who introduced him to me would reject me, and that I would be robbed of somepony who was truly mine. It is better you don’t know the circumstances under which I subjected myself to her rage.

I know the Colonel’s few friends would likewise reject you for deluding him into believing he could have something of his own, not because they would think you caused a betrayal, but because you would give him a false hope. Though I abhor such defeatism, it is a fact of life that many die unfulfilled, unhappy, unloved; their profession their only purpose, and some lack even that. As tragic as his existence is, there is nothing that can alleviate it more than temporarily.

Colonel Thompson is a soldier, a necessary one, but an Agent of Disharmony, while you are an Element of Harmony. No matter how much you want to reality be otherwise, there can never be a happy ending for you two.

I care about you more than you can know, and that’s why I urge you to realize that you don’t love him. I know you could never fall in love with a man as dark as him, and I don’t want you to be hurt. I sincerely wish it could be otherwise, that you could spend your lives together happily, but some things are not meant to be.

Please, don’t waste your life on a lost cause. I sympathize with him as you do, but I know his miserable existence can only continue as such. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can find somepony to love, somepony who can give you the time you deserve.

With love,
Princess Celestia

Twilight’s jaw fell more than seemed equinely possible. The Princess of the Sun was saying that her's was a reckless and stupid love, oblivious to facts. And she was right, as the young mare had scarcely thought of anything more than the present. But a single letter was not nearly enough to deter her.

***

Dear Princess Celestia,

I have to disagree with you. Mark may not be completely innocent. He may not be the most cheery man either. But he's been through everything this world as well as his own and dozens more had to offer, and he still hasn't hurt an innocent being. If he hasn't done it yet, I don't think he is able to.

Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle

This was turning into a test of will and wit. Celestia had the advantage as far as eloquence and experience in debates, but her student held the advantage of defending. Unfortunately for her, she’d side-stepped the Princess’ points for the most part, leaving her open.

Ironically, while Celestia tried to dissuade Twilight Sparkle from a romance with a soldier, she herself was using skills not entirely unlike those of a military leader; drawing out parts of the opposing argument so that the points made earlier could be pushed further.

But she knew things about Mark's past some of his teammates didn't. Not all soldiers were "Agents of Disharmony", and neither were all SPARTANs, but some just happened to be so, causing pain and violence beyond what was reasonably necessary to achieve a goal; Mark was one of them. He did not promote chaos, but some of his actions sowed hatred among those affected by them.

***

To my faithful student,

I’ve read reports on some of the missions Colonel Thompson has been on, and the things he’s done are enough to make a pony sick. When he returns from his current mission, ask him what he did; he’ll either lie or dodge the question. And eventually, he will die in some forsaken land, leaving you behind.

He is a killer capable of torturing and murdering without hesitation, and I don’t want you to associate with a monster like that. He knows nothing but war, and his only experience as a regular person extended to age six; from there all he has done is train for war and make war. I grant that these things are not his fault, but they are facts that cannot be changed.

His sole devotion is to his perceived duty. While he may not like doing some of the things he does, he does them anyway, and doesn’t hesitate at all. He believes that the end justifies the means, and that morals have no place in his work. I believe that the kindness he has shown you is nothing more to him than cultivating an asset.

I urge you to realize the fate you would bring upon yourself by loving him. Do you really think he can change? That he could grow old with you? That he could genuinely love you? The tragic answer is that he cannot.

I’m sorry Twilight, I really wish that you could be happy with him, but he’s simply too mired in darkness to see the light of your love. But these are dark times, and perhaps an Agent of Disharmony like him is what is needed to defeat the evils we face, with malice of his own. He may be a lesser of the evils on this world, but he is still one of the evils that plague us.

Cruel. Ruthless. Self-loathing. He is a blade of darkness, honed to a fine edge to slice through the evil with which it belongs. As an Element of Harmony, you are a shield of light that protects us all, and to spend time with him is to corrode your own purity and righteousness. There is a song he is allegedly fond of, one he derives too much meaning from. It is called “Sympathy for the Devil”, and I fear you grant him that request.

Please look to your moral compass and right yourself, before you fall as he has.

With love,
Princess Celestia

There was nothing Twilight could do to counter this, but her emotions remained unharmed, perhaps even strengthened. She couldn’t help but be offended by her mentor, though she understood the good intentions behind her words. Celestia meant what she wrote, not out of malice, but genuine sympathy. Despite some opinions that she was a heartless tyrant, the Princess had one of the biggest hearts there were, and only the best for those close to her.

But she's not infallible. She's wrong about Mark, she has to be.

As if on cue, a new letter appeared in front of her. It hadn’t gone through Spike, and the material it was written on was not familiar. It was quite clear that this was a different sender altogether.

She almost threw it away, thinking it was mistakenly sent to her. At least until she saw a strangely familiar eye on the wax seal, and a pair of names attached.

The first name was completely familiar; it was hers. The second was familiar and yet alien; she’d heard it and read it, but never met the owner. “Argus” it read, a mythological guardian with a thousand eyes.

He curiosity piqued, she gently slid off the ribbon binding the scroll, and unfurled the paper.

Twilight Sparkle,

It has come to my attention through the surveillance carried out by my subordinates that you have a problem. Your mentor is rejecting your emotions, attempting to use logic to overwhelm an inherently illogical emotion. I can put you in touch with Colonel Thompson, who is currently operating here in Unikraine. A face-to-face meeting with him can be arranged, and all I ask is that you give me a chance. Rest assured, I am not operating on behalf of the Unikrainian government.

An ancient temple in southern Unikraine is where some of my associates and I are currently located. Below are the coordinates of the structure, and a pair of spells. One is to help you find the temple, and the other is to allow you passage through the many wards projected within that would otherwise impede your progress.

One last thing. The area in which you’ll be searching is a known stronghold of the Ponies’ Liberation Front, a terrorist organization based in the region. As such, I’ve sent one of my stallions, a unicorn by the name of “Steel Saber”, to protect you.

Attached are plane tickets for a flight from Canterlot International to an airport in the Coltcasus, where Mr. Saber will be waiting for you.

With sincerity and hope,
Argus

“Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Something came up and I have to go out of town for a while. I’m not sure how long.”

Later, onboard the flight, Twilight would look back astounded by how quickly and easily she’d made the decision.

Author's Note

I never intended to write Cruelestia in this chapter. I wanted to make her pragmatic, logical, and caring all at the same time. Twilight is the daughter she'd never have, and the last thing she wants is for her to get hurt. And let's face it, she knows the kind of things Mark does, and how dangerous his job is. Heartbreak is a pretty reasonable expectation for that kind of romance.

There's no reason for anypony to believe that Mark would harbor feelings toward Twi, and SPARTANs have experienced more loss than anyone, so any potential partner could be used as an antidepressant (This is why Leroy Jethro Gibbs' second wife divorced him, she felt he was using her as an antidepressant for his loss of his wife Shannon and daughter Kelly).

And given that he hasn't hesitated to use torture in this fic except to make sure nobody saw him torturing, we can extrapolate that he's tortured before, which would likely be in the files on him Princess Celestia has read. Seriously, could someone that emotionally calloused be any good as a lover?