Three Wishes

I’ve never felt my hands tremble so much, and not even my consistent, deep breathes can settle how fast my heart is beating. It’s Heinrick, the rest of our brigade and I waiting behind a curtain while Her Majesty preps herself for her speech. Just the sounds of everypony gathered outside puts me on edge. It feels like a completely new place to me. I’ve never been this close to so many ponies, and I’m not so sure I’ll be able to handle it. “You feelin’ alright?” Heinrick asks.

“Me?”

“No, I was just talking to myself.”

“Oh, that’s nice. . .”

“Why are you so nervous?”

“You’re not?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“How?”

“Think about it this way: when ‘we’ walk out there, and stand by the Princess’s side, they will already be admiring us. You have absolutely no reason to be afraid.”

“But—”

“—No. Reason.”

“Alright, alright, I got it.”

“I mean, at this rate, how are you going to act when we meet the Elements of Harmony? You’re not gonna faint on me, are ya?”

“If I do, will you catch me?”

“Eh, maybe.”

I chuckle. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Get ready everypony,” says one of our brigade members. “Here comes Her Majesty.”

“Well, here we go.”

I take one last breath, and exhale as calmly as possible. “You got your blade at the ready?”

“Always do. You got that crossbow of yours?”

“Right here.” I tug at the strap across my body keeping my crossbow on my back.

“When are you gonna let me give that baby a whirl?”

“I would, if your hooves would fit the handle.”

“What are you trying to say? Think I’m a bit too ‘big’ to handle it?”

I smile and roll my eyes at his ridiculous claim. “You know what I meant.”

“Oh, I know what you meant, and I’m thinking I might change my mind on letting you practice with ‘my’ blade.”

“Oh, come on—”

“—Ah! You heard me. Our sparring sessions will officially be put on hold. Oh, if only there were something to make me reconsider.”

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Heinrick holds his hoof up to his ear with his eyes looking off into space.

“Fine, we’ll figure something out.”

“You’re gonna let me shoot it?”

“One way or another, yes.”

Heinrick smacks my chest with his hoof, laughing with his eyes full of glee. “Woo! Works every time!”

“I hate it when you do that.”

“Hey, all I know is, I’m gonna have some fun with that toy of yours.”

“Will you two be quiet?!” Our brigade member urges us. “She’s coming.”

Heinrick leans over to me. “Took her long enough,” he whispers, to which we both chuckle.

“Knights,” says Princess Celestia as she approaches us, and Heinrick and I immediately straighten ourselves out and wipe away our smirks. “If you would be so kind as to take the stage?” Single-file, our brigade members walk through the curtain and to the awaiting crowd. Just as Heinrick and I take our first steps towards the curtain, the Princess instantly calls us back. “Except you two.” We freeze in fear, and turn back to her. “I want you two to wait here.”

“Umm . . . Your Highness?”

“Yes, Heinrick?”

“May I ask . . . why?”

Princess Celestia looks past Heinrick, and walks towards the curtain. “Just wait here for now.”

“What? But . . . I thought. . .” Without another word, she leaves, and everypony outside starts to cheer. Heinrick turns to me with the same expression on my face: bewilderment.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, but we should just do as she says.”

“You don’t think she heard what I said, do you? I mean, I whispered that pretty quietly.”

“Eh, well, it wasn’t that quiet.”

“Don’t even joke right now! We could be in some ‘actual’ trouble. I mean, we should be out there right now, standing by her side. That’s why we she wanted us here.”

“Heinrick, let’s just wait here, okay? I think you might be overreacting a bit.”

Heinrick sighs. “This isn’t right.” He takes a seat in the grass; and I, out of curiosity, kneel near the curtain to hear the Princess speak.

“My dearest subjects of Ponyville! I would like to thank each and every one of you for participating in this most wondrous of events. It’s been a year since Equestria was ravaged by that violent blizzard; the culprit of which is still being contained under constant watch by our knights, and as of now everything seems to have returned to normalcy. Let us not forget the acts of bravery and courage performed by, my student, Twilight Sparkle. Against all odds, she endured the harsh storm, and ruthless cold to save Equestria and all its inhabitants. Her acts of heroism shall never be forgotten, and today is the anniversary of evil’s defeat.” The crowd cheers, and I look to Heinrick.

“Hear that?” I ask.

“Yeah . . . I heard,” says Heinrick.

“I wish I could’ve seen it all happen. I mean, it sounds incredible how just one mare saved this land. Especially what she went up against: some power-driven psycho. That monster ‘deserves’ to be locked away. If we do meet ‘the’ Twilight Sparkle, it’ll be like meeting a legend.”

“I’ll say. Let’s just hope I ‘am’ overreacting.”

“You have before . . . several times.”

“Pshh, name one.”

“The day you found out we were assigned to the same brigade.”

“. . . Name another.”

“The day after that.”

“. . . Point taken.”

“On another note,” Princess Celestia continues. “Today is a day that marks something revolutionary. Something that I feel that I, along with my valiant knights—”

“Yeah, and us, I guess,” Heinrick scorns.

“—must share with the rest of you. There are two individuals in particular, who have demonstrated time and time again that they truly treasure the meaning and values of friendship.”

“Is she talking about . . . us?” I ask.

“Hold on, what?!” Heinrick hurries to my side with his ear to the curtain as the both of us intently continue to listen.

“They’ve come a long way from where they began, and under the care and guidance of my sister and I, my trust in them has only grown. We’ve been practicing our new methods of teaching, and in turn, they’ve become two of my most trusted knights. I believe it’s time they gain some recognition that’s been long overdue. This gathering is for them, and to celebrate our progress. This will be the first time anypony’s seen them since their initiation into our teachings, and the first time they will have met any of you. I hope you all will show them the warmest of greetings. It is with great honor that I first introduce to you, Knight Heinrick.”

“What?!” Heinrick’s eyes grow wide as he turns to me.

“What are you waiting for?” I ask. “Go! Get out there!” I hurry him through the curtain, and is immediately greeted by the crowd’s cheers and the stomping of their hooves. I wish I could see the look on his face. I must say that I wasn’t expecting something quite like this.

“And now, fillies and gentlecolts, our next knight. . .” Instantly, my hands start to tremble again, and I can feel myself beginning to sweat. “On the outside this individual is much, much different from the rest of us.” I can hear the audience whisper to themselves in confusion. “An unknown species, but is no animal. This will be the first time he has seen anypony other than his fellow knights, my sister and I; and the first time you will have seen anything like him. I hope that despite his differences, you’ll accept him as part of our society, as his heart is just the same. Just like Knight Heinrick, his devotion to the values of friendship and duty to serve and protect all of Equestria is just as strong. Please welcome, Knight Aireal.” Completely out of breath and with my heart racing faster than I’ve ever felt, I grab hold of the edge of the curtain in hesitation. I shut my eyes, and hope for the best. Pulling open the curtain with my arm, I step outside to every last eye set on me.

My brigade members, Princess Celestia, Heinrick, then the enormous crowd behind them all add to the anxiety that’s already built up inside me. Everypony in the crowd looks on with shock, curiosity, confusion and even disgust as they mutter to themselves. “I know that the initial shock of seeing something completely different from us can be a bit jarring,” says Princess Celestia. “But I would hope that you all will show him the same respect you would show any other pony. As far as you’re all concerned, he’s just another stranger to you, so why not let him feel welcome? Aireal, would you care to share a few words?” I turn to Her Majesty as a tingling sensation crawls up my spine. Turning back to the crowd as they curiously wait in silence. I clear my throat, and wave to the crowd.

“Umm . . . Hey, everypony,” I begin. The crowd’s eyes grow wide as they spurt out little gasps and mutters to the pony next to them. “It’s . . . a pleasure to be here, and to accompany our Princess. . . I w-wasn’t really ready for this, so . . . let me just say that this feels like a wish come true. I’ve always wanted to meet other ponies outside of Canterlot Castle, and now that I have, I’ve never felt more terrified in my whole life.” Some of the ponies in the crowd smirk, and even chuckle at my attempt to ease some of this anxiety in me. Since it seems I’ve broken through some of this awkwardness between the crowd and I; I might as well keep it going. “I’ve also heard you guys have the craziest parties, is that true?”

“Aw, yeah!” An ecstatic, pink mare screams as she hops up and above the crowd. The crowd following up her cheer with cheers of their own.

“And now, Heinrick, would ‘you’ care to speak to the ponies of Ponyville?”

“Uh, well, if I had known about this, I would’ve written a speech of my own. Although, all I have to say is. . .” Heinrick brings me in with his foreleg around my shoulder. “It’s great to meet you all, but get one thing straight, ol’ Two-Legs here is my best friend; and if ‘any’ of you have a problem with him, then you’ve got a problem with me.” I knew he and I were friends; I mean, he’s my only friend. However, I feel like I never truly understood how much our friendship meant up until now. Just listening to him announce it to an entire town, and how he’s always by my side, it warms me to know that I have a friend like him. I hope he knows I value him all the same.

“You see. . .” Princess Celestia begins. “This is why I’m glad I decided to give you two a break.”

“Beg your pardon?” Heinrick asks.

“Indeed, you two deserve some time away from the castle. Well, that and more.”

“Well . . . I . . . thanks, Your Majesty!”

“You have nothing to thank me for, knight. Now, I feel I’ve gone on long enough. How’s about we get that music started?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah!” The pink mare from before shouts. “Hit it!” Heinrick and I confusedly turn to a band of ponies armed with an array of several different instruments, and as commanded, they all erupt simultaneously with music. We turn back to the Princess, lost in bewilderment as she looks to us.

“Well, what are you two waiting for?” she asks. “Go on and celebrate. You both deserve it.”

“. . . Well, come on, Two-Legs! Let’s go!” Heinrick urges as he drags me away and into the crowd of partying ponies. Some are dancing, chatting, or helping themselves to the snack tables set up all around us. “This is it. Time to mingle, my friend!” Heinrick starts to stray away from me, and I immediately grab his shoulder.

“Wait, where are you going? You don’t expect me to just go and just . . . start talking to them, do you? I mean, what am I supposed to do?”

“Exactly what you just said, go and start talking.” Heinrick laughs. “You’re funny, did I ever tell you that? You literally just spoke to ‘everypony’, so how is this any different? Besides, we ‘wanted’ this! This is our chance to live a little, and I suggest you make the most of it. Now, go on and make some friends! I’m gonna go see what’s happening over here.” Heinrick takes off into the other side of the party, and I decide to take his advice and turn the other way. Before my eyes can take in the view of the other half of the party, I find myself being swarmed by a group of ponies as they analyze every inch of my body. Some of them poke at my armor, and others examine my arms as they theorize about what I could be.

“So, where did you come from? The Everfree Forest?” A mare asks.

“No, Canterlot,” I say.

“She means before that,” A stallion chimes in. “Like, where were you born?”

“Oh! Windpine Island.”

“Windpine Island? I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s quite a ways away from here. It’s a small island, but the trees that grow there are taller than any tree I’ve seen here; so tall that they almost block out the sky. The trees also serve as homes for winged creatures that are just as large, and the strong winds that blow across the island allows them to gracefully soar. I don't think I've ever gotten a good look at one, but I do remember looking up and catching short glimpses through the trees.”

“Wow. . . Are there more like you?”

“Well . . . not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“A war broke out, and my species managed to completely wipe itself out. While it happened, I hid. Leaving me as the only survivor.”

“That’s terrible,” the mare comments.

“But that’s when Her Majesty found me, and took me back to Canterlot. It’s hard to remember every detail since it was so long ago; I've made just so much better memories here. That’s why when you asked, I said Canterlot. I just consider it to be my only home.”

“Hey, what do you eat?” Another pony asks. “Fruits? Insects?”

“Well, I mean, you look pretty tasty.” Their eyes widen, and jaws hang open as they stare at me in silence. “Got ya!” I laugh and jokingly point at the pony who asked the question as the fear fades from their faces, and they laugh along with me.

“Hey, Two-Legs!” Heinrick calls out to me. I turn to see him beckoning me over, then back to the group of ponies.

“Sorry, I’d love to stay, but my friend needs me. We’ll chat later!” I wave them goodbye as I jog to Hienrick, who appears to be eager to tell me what’s on his mind. “What is it?”

“You are not going to believe who I just scored us lunch with.”

“Don’t tell me. . .”

“Seven words. The-Elements-of-Harmony-in-the-flesh!”