How I Fell In Love With A Pony

I spent the rest of that day wandering around behind Twilight. I am sure she thought of me as some type of annoying shadow that wouldn’t dissipate, but she kindly allowed me to keep pace with her. Her flowing mane was almost like a beacon of light to me, and the way she treated her fellow pony was inspiring. Whenever she saw somepony (at least, I think that’s how they said “somebody”) who was hurting, she would always take the time to stop and speak with them. Her words were always gentle and moving, and sometimes they even drove me to the brink of tears.

For instance, she came upon one of the cleaning ponies in the palace who was having a rough go of it, to say the least. She cried about how her husband had been murdered and she had miscarried their only foal. Her tears were many and honest. In my opinion, you can tell when someone is crying honestly because they aren’t wailing or screaming. Someone who is honestly broken will shed a lot of tears, but they will show their brokenness in their spirit. When you saw this mare, you could instantly sense that she had been yanked from a world filled with light and happiness into a world of chaos and despair. Her emotions were heart wrenching to observe.

But that’s when Princess Twilight stepped in. I was in awe as the ruler of an entire nation softly bent down and hugged her sad employee. She shed some tears of sympathy as she spoke words of kindness and encouragement. She took all the time in the world just to soothe one pony who might not have been treated with friendliness otherwise. My shock turned to joy when I saw the cleaning mare smile back up at the Princess, her blue eyes filled with thanks. You could still tell that she was in a great deal of pain, but you could also tell that Twilight’s small moments of amiability had paid dividends. The edge had been taken away and now the pain wasn’t quite so bad.

As we said a friendly farewell to the sad pony, I looked up at the ruler. “Excuse me, Princess, but…why did you take so much time just to calm her?”

“Because that’s what friends do,” Twilight responded simply.

She didn’t say anything more but left me to my own devices as we trotted down the carpeted hallway. I still didn’t understand why she had done that, but I didn’t really know anything about friendship in the first place. I had been friendless in my world, and other people simply saw me as just another neighborhood pizza delivery guy. But here, the ponies treated me with such kindness that I felt as if I had been a part of this society for hundreds of years. Could Princess Twilight actually have that amount of care for everypony? I thought to myself.

Twilight led me down the hall until we got to a certain doorway. Unlike some of the other doors I had seen, this one did not have an incredible amount of security around it. It was simply locked. But when I tried to open it, I found I could not do so. I tried again and again and Twilight giggled a bit at my futility.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she stifled a smile, “I don’t mean to laugh, but this door is specially sealed. It takes my magic to open it.”

With that, she waved her graceful head around a bit and a beautiful aura was instantly created. She softly touched her great horn to the door, and three magic talismans unraveled before us. When they fell from their places, the door opened and my eyes grew wide at the treasure trove that was revealed. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a great lover of the written word, and I suddenly found myself in my very own Valhalla. Row after row of books and other assorted literary works met my gaze, and I turned and silently thanked the Princess for showing me these things.

She smiled and silently led me over to a certain pedestal. On it rested the biggest book I had ever seen, and I fairly drooled over it. She chuckled and closed her eyes. She weaved magic over the book, causing it to turn its own pages as I observed. “Stony Tail,” she said to me, “since you are from Shire Lanka, you should learn all there is to know about Equestrian history and tradition. We hold these things in the highest regard, and I want you to remain here in Canterlot as my guest until I feel as though you are ready to be instated into Equestrian society.”

“A…are you serious?” I asked in disbelief.

“I’ve never been more serious in my life,” Twilight said as she opened her eyes and stopped weaving, “I want you to learn everything about us, our way of life, and how much we value friendship and The Elements of Harmony. One of which, I’m sad to say, you’ve already broken.”

Huh? I thought to myself. I didn’t even know what these Elements were! How the hell could I have already broken them? The entire scenario didn’t make one lick of sense, and I gave Twilight a confused look. I noticed then that her own look hardened and she sat on her haunches in front of me. She looked at the ground and then back at me. I could tell she was trying not to scream at me.

“Your Majesty?” I asked cautiously.

“I’m waiting,” she said patiently.

“For what?”

“For you to take responsibility for your dishonesty,” she said as her eyes glowed with an odd mixture of anger, understanding, and hurt.

“I haven’t been dishonest!” I protested, though I knew I was lying through my teeth.

“Yes, you have,” the princess responded gravely, “and as much as I want to be your friend, I know we cannot have a true friendship built on the false foundation of lies and mistrust. I know you’re not from Shire Lanka. If your family had truly been there for fifteen generations as you insisted, then other explorer ponies would have reported about it. As such, every explorer we’ve ever sent there has reported a desolate wasteland populated only by undiscovered creatures. Now, for the last time, TELL ME THE TRUTH.”

Her eyes burned with fire, and her mane itself began glowing. I cowered at her hooves, fearful that she might call on lightning to strike me down and end my existence. “Oh, please, Your Highness,” I begged, “I’m so sorry! I was dishonest! Please, please, forgive me!”

Her look immediately softened and her eyes turned from burning with fire to glowing with a warm love and understanding. She bent down and picked me back up on my hooves, and I stared at her. “I forgive you,” she said. I thought I would melt at her voice. It was so soothing. It still sounded disappointed in the path I chose to take, but it also betrayed her own sense of happiness that I had come back to my senses.

“Now,” she went on, “I want the truth.”