When I woke up I was staring at a ceiling that was not my own, I was slightly confused but then realized that Spike and I took a spontaneous vacation to the crystal empire. Then it all came back to me, the changeling Thorax, me walking around town, dinner, the piano. I sighed and then got up stretching, and cracking my various bones. I was in my jeans and pretty much nothing else. I walked over to the wall and did a handstand, balancing myself against said wall and started to push up and down. Is it the best thing in the world to do first thing in the morning? I very much doubt it, does it wake me up? Yes, yes it does. I repeated these motions about 25 times before calling it quits, after landing back on my feet I put on a shirt and walked out into the hallway.

I was greeted by a guard on either side of my doorway, I looked to one then to the other. The first was a stallion and the second was a mare, "I don't care if you two whisper about me, just don't go spreading rumors and we'll be good, understood?" I told the both of them and they nodded, "Now, that that's out of the way. Is breakfast still being served?" I asked and the female piped up.

"Yes, sir." She nodded.

"Well then, I think we can safely infer what it is that I desire now can't you?" I asked rhetorically.

And with that they led me to the dining hall once more, in nothing but a gray t-shirt and jeans. Hell I didn't even have socks on but that hardly matters at this point. I entered the room where breakfast was being consumed and I sat down in front of what looked like a breakfast buffet. Fruit was piled high, there was an almost literally mountain of eggs, a cacophony of different flavors of yogurt. It's a breakfast beat down of all my favorite foods, I couldn't turn my head and not see something I loved. Jolting me out of my succulent stupor was Spike subsequently slurping down sapphires, "Hey Mickey? You alright?" He asked.

Shaking my head I looked to the purple dragon, "I just got really f-" I cut myself off as I saw Cadence giving me a little stink eye as Armor was feeding Flurry, "Freaking hungry."

"Help yourself Mickey," Cadence gestured to the table. "There are a few things here and there just for you and Spike."

"I can't help but feel like I don't deserve any of this." I told her.

"It's fine, truth be told. You're like a walking tourist attraction." Armor said and I gave him a look, "Wrong choice of words." He concluded.

"What my sleep deprived husband is trying to say is...wherever you go, you generate interest. That interest boosts our economy, so in turn we reward you." Cadence explained.

"So what, you're saying that I have an occult following?" I asked them.

"There are a couple of...fanatics here and there, however there's nothing to worry about as they know you prefer to be by yourself most of the time. And the Equestrian government and the Crystal Empire have not released your domicile to the public." Armor said.

"Well that's just perfect, I have people obsessed with tracking my every move and it's not the government. That's just greeeeaaaat way to make me even more paranoid." I said as I grabbed some food.

"Habba garabl fttttt!" Flurry tried to interject herself into the conversation.

"Is there something you're trying to say little miss?" I asked Flurry.

The little alicorn, well...little is a bit of an understatement but the baby alicorn paused as I turned my attention to her, "Eee haga!" She shouted excitedly slapping her hands on her highchair.

"Oh really? Is it yummy?" I asked her. Her only reply was nodding, her curls bouncing up and down on her head, "Then I must try some immediately." I returned to my meal and Cadence couldn't help but crack a smile, I looked at her and grinned. "Oh yeah keep it up I Love Cadenza."

She blushed at that and Armor cracked up, "Ever since you pointed that out about her name she has been so self conscious about it."

She started to sputter, "I-I don't want people to literally say that they love me when saying my name, that type of love isn't natural it's forced."

"Like the love you forced on others when you didn't know if they were in a relationship or not?" I asked her, and she stopped. "Have you tried anything to even rectify that?"

Cadence went silent and so did Armor, Flurry looked at her parents and frowned. Spike was silent as well, "Muh-muh? Pa-pu?" Flurry called out reaching for her parents.

Cadence got up and pulled Flurry out of her highchair, rocking the baby alicorn back and forth, "To be honest, we have tried but...it's hard to remember. I did it on a whim so often that even when using memory magic it's a blur." The princess of love admitted.

I gathered food onto my plate slowly, "Every action, has an equal and opposite reaction. When you think you're helping someone along with love, you could hurt someone that was in love the one you just helped. This is why I don't like that you and Twilight are princesses of complex things. Love and Friendship are not easy things to rule over, they're delicate balances that require near omnipotence, and those are things that you and Twilight aren't. You're alicorns yes, but you're not gods or in this case goddesses." I explained while looking at a piece of scrambled egg stabbed to the end of my fork, I took a bite and swallowed. "Too much of an action for one individual might lead to many individuals being hurt, and too much action for multiple individual might lead to a single individual losing faith and getting hurt."

"So you're saying it's what? Hopeless?" Spike asked.

"No, it's not hopeless Spike. The people here have all the tools they need to function on their own without needing advice on how to make a friend or how to find love, but they're scared. Scared of failure." I said, "Hence they flock to experts. Here's the kicker, there's nothing wrong with failing, nothing bad about making a mistake. So long as you don't let it consume you."

"That's what ponies do, they let their failures consume them until there's nothing left but evil." Spike stated.

"Bingo." I said, "It's not just their failures either, it's the thought of failing that will consume them. So they don't take any risks, and thus we stagnate."

"Why?" Armor asked.

"Beats me," I said. "If I were to hazard to guess, and this is just me guessing. Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Discord when he was evil, wild dragons, Sombra, Tirek, amongst others. Now don't take this as gospel. But it seems to me that whenever someone tries to shake up the status quo, they're instantly blasted with a rainbow beam of who knows what will happen. Those are just EXTREME examples but it subconsciously implants a fear that you're not supposed to do anything that's supposed to change the way if life for ponies. Be it good or bad." I explained, "Even if a pony has a genius idea that could revolutionize the world, someone could take it the wrong way and out of fear they just won't do it. Like I said, I'm just guessing here. I don't really know the motivations of a whole 'nother species. I hardly even know my own if I'm being honest."

Cadence, Spike, Armor, and Flurry just stared at me expecting me to come up some magical answer. "What else?" Cadence asked.

"Damn it miss I love myself, I don't have the answers!" I nearly shouted, "I'm not some messiah that has descended from another universe to solve everyone's problems! I have my own messes to deal with and take care of."

Spike, Cadence, Armor, and Flurry looked at each other and frowned, "We're so-" Spike started but I cut him off.

"No, I'm sorry." I put down my fork and stood up, "You have been nothing but hospitable to me and I've replied to that with abrasiveness and being rude. I apologize."

The group was shocked, "I-I don't know what to say." Armor said.

"You don't have to say anything," I told them. "I've just gotten so overwhelmed with everything that's been going on with my life, first this whole Anti-Magic thing. Then Starlight, then Spike and my cabin is breaking down, and everyone turning to me for their answers and I just get so angry. I lash out-" I was cut off when Cadence approached me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Wait, what are you doing?"

She then pressed with a gentle yet firm touch into my shoulders, "Just relax." She said, "And it will help."

I did as she asked and soon I was melting into her touch, "Where did you learn how to do this?"

"I had other jobs besides babysitting." Cadence said, "You have a lot of stress in your shoulders. How are you not stiff?"

"I am, just not in my shoulders at the moment." I said receiving a light smack on the cheek with a baseball glove sized hand.

"There are children present." Cadence said.

I looked over to Flurry who was busy making raspberries, "I'm not that concerned." I stated.

"Just try to relax the rest of the time you're here." Cadence suggested.

"I would but I'm leaving tomorrow, Spike you're staying here another week or so." I told him as Cadence worked through a knot in my shoulder, "CIRCUMSTANCES, have changed and I need to get back to Ponyville as soon as possible, I also need to make sure that Starlight hasn't tried to plot a revenge scheme or something like that. Besides this was supposed to be a getaway for you, and I'm hogging it to myself."

"I thought this was about me eating or well not eating meat?" Spike asked.

"This trip is about you being comfortable in your own skin, and having your own self confidence. Spike, you're dependant on others for how you value yourself. The only opinion that you should care about is your own. And you need to spend some time away from the girls to find that for yourself. I just kicked you in the ass to get the fuck over here." I stated.

"Fuck!" The swear came from Flurry.

I hung my head. "I'll pack my things later tonight, and you use a mind wiping spell on her to forget that word." I pointed to a fuming Cadence after standing from my seat. I took a deep breath in and left the Crystal Palace before I get chased by the Princess of Love and The Prince of Being Whipped. When I got far enough away I sighed and looked around, the crystals sparkling in my vision as the inhabitants of the empire went along their business, some stared, some whispered, I didn't care anymore. I smirked to myself, walking through the local park and frowned. Staring at the reflection in the pond that currently held my attention, "What the fuck am I doing anymore?"

I came into this world and instantly made into a science experiment, through some grit and determination I escaped and made a life for myself in a forest, I made friends with the elements of harmony and now I'm going off on random adventures whilst having a roommate who doubles as my indentured servant. I made a spy network because I'm a paranoid motherfucker with nothing better to do. I gave my reflection a thousand yard stare, it did the same. I was broken, and I knew it, I have my burdens and I think it's time I share. "I need therapy." I told myself.

Author's Note

My life is settling, I'm finally getting ready to move out on my own, and I'm going to have a well paying job that I like. I was thinking about this story a bit and decided to pick it back up, I think I'm ready to write again.