Friendship is Failure #23: Let's just NOT be friendsby DakariKingMykanChaptersIntro: Coming and GoingAct 1: Flash of MemoriesAct 2: Spying on a FriendAct 3: No Good either wayAct 4: Time and SpaceIntro: Coming and GoingINTRO Romance, a joy, a thrill, a privilege that any creature is capable of learning and experiencing, but no matter how joyful romance may seem, like everything else, it isn’t without it’s shadows, it’s pain, and things that can cause someone to fall apart… maybe irreparably… …And not only can it affect the victim, it can affect those around them too. It all started when Princess Cadance came to Ponyville to visit Twilight Sparkle; taking a much needed break from her duties in the Crystal Empire and leaving her husband to manage. Twilight had already planned a full schedule of things to do, and among them was take her sister-in-law on a tour of Ponyville. Twilight and Spike were going through a checklist. “Tea party set for sundown?” asked Twilight. “Check.” replied Spike as he marked the parchment. “Guest bedroom all setup?” “Check.” “Red carpet rolled out?” Spike kicked the roll by his foot sending the long carpet all the way to the door and replied, “Double-Check.” That was the last thing checked off, and Spike put down the list on a pile of many other lists Twilight had previously made and gone through. “You’re sure going all out for this one.” he grumbled. Twilight gave him a funny look. “Spike, it’s not every day I get to spend time alone with Princess Cadance…” As she continued spouting, Spike playfully said exactly what she said at the same time. “…I just want everything to be perfect. Nothing’s got to go wrong.” A silence followed as Twilight looked at Spike and grinned sheepishly at his unamused expression. Suddenly, Twilight’s cutiemark began flashing, warning her that the Friendship Map was calling her. “Oh, no…! Not now of all times.” she groaned. “Cadance is due to arrive any minute now.” Just there, there was a huge knock at the castle doors. Spike looked out the window, “…Um, right now, actually.” He could see the Princess standing on the stoop with all her luggage. Twilight decided to answer the door first. “Cadance!” “Oh, Twilight!” The two princesses shared warm hugs, which melted Spike’s heart. “Good to see you, Cadance.” he said to her. “Likewise, Spike.” replied Cadance, but then she noticed Twilight’s cutiemark glowing. “Isn’t that the Friendship Map calling?” Twilight chuckled nervously, but she knew she couldn’t fib her way out of it. She led her sister-in-lap into the map room while Spike struggled to drag Cadance’s heavy suitcases inside. The map was glowing brightly, and actually showing Cadance’s cutiemark, as well as Twilight’s hovering over Ponyville. “What does this mean?” asked Cadance. Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. “It’s calling for you, Cadance. Whatever friendship problem there is, it’s a mission specifically for you and me.” She began to feel upset, believing that all her plans and schedules for this visit had just fallen down the drain. However, Cadance was incredibly excited as she leapt with glee. “I’ve never been on a friendship mission before. This is going to be amazing.” Twilight and Spike hadn’t seen Cadance this excited since her wedding. “Um… you do realize this could actually be serious?” asked Spike. Cadance settled down and regained herself. “Yes… of course…” she fought hard not to crack another excited smile, and then she looked at Twilight. “So… should we… go?” Still unable to ignore Cadance’s enthusiasm, and finally deciding that a Friendship Problem was more important than her own schedule, Twilight relented and she and the others headed for the door. “At least it’s something we can do together.” said Twilight. “You mean all three of us.” grumbled Spike. Act 1: Flash of MemoriesACT ONE The trio made it into town, but they couldn’t find exactly what they were looking for, as the map only gave the locations of the problems, but never actually revealed what it was or who was involved. “Every-pony seems so happy.” said Cadance. She was right; there were so many friendly faces, kindness, and sharing going all about; hardly anything to consider a problem in friendship. “We have to keep looking.” explained Twilight. “Sometimes, the problem just comes right up to us.” Just then, some-pony came up to her and the others. He was a light grayish Earth Pony, with a brown mane, and his cutiemark was that of a camera, which looked identical to the one he was holding too. “Pardon me, Princess Twilight… Princess Cadance…” he asked softly yet politely. “Could I have your picture please?” he paused and held out an ID card with his name “Snapshot” “…I’m with the Ponyville Times newspaper. We heard the Princess was in town, and we’d love to feature a small article.” The two princesses couldn’t refuse such a polite-acting pony, and they huddled together, while poor Spike could only stand out of the shot and sulk softly and grumble, “Sure… ignore the ever-faithful assistant.” The picture was taken, and Snap was incredibly pleased. “Can I just take one more to be sure?” “You certainly may.” replied Cadance. Twilight giggled softly. “This isn’t what I had planned, but what the hay.” Just as Snap was ready to take the shot, he could see over the two mares a groups of ponies coming up the street, which make a shiver run up his spine, and he just lowered his camera and began to take off like he was afraid. “Thank you so much!” he quickly called to the ladies before he was gone in a flash leaving the trio of friends confused. “That was weird.” said Spike. “I’ll say,” agreed Twilight. “He didn’t even take the picture. He just up and ran off.” Just then, that gang of ponies approached the trio. There were five of them… A red Earth Pony with a green mane, and a cutiemark of a flower in a pot: His name was Red Bud. A yellow Earth Pony with a tan mane, and a fencing sword being his cutimark: His name Pierce. One blue Pegasus with a cloudy white mane, and her cutiemark was raincloud. Her name was Droplet. Her Colt-Friend, was a gray Unicorn with a black mane. His cutiemark was a text-book. His name was Seeker. The remaining two were also a couple… One of them was Slam Dunk; an orange Pegasus with a bright yellow mane, and a cutimark of--what else-- a basketball hoop. His mare-friend had to be the prettiest of the group. Her name was Pirouette. She was a pink unicorn, with a beautiful long dark golden mane, and a cutiemark of ballet slippers. …Even Spike thought she was pretty. “Princess Twilight Sparkle…” said Red, then he and the others bowed to her and Cadance. “I’m sorry, we didn’t know you were with the Crystal Princess.” Cadance chuckled and insisted “You needn’t be so formal with us.” Twilight agreed, and asked, “Can we help you with anything?” Pirouette stepped up the trio, and she held up a photograph, of the five ponies, but also with Snapshot. “Have you seen a pony like this anywhere?” “Sure, he was just here.” replied Spike. “Then he just took off.” The gang looked frustrated, and Twilight was beginning to think that this was the friendship problem they were looking for. “Why don’t we go someplace and talk.” suggested Cadance. They all headed to the park where there were benches to sit on, and the gang told their story. Snapshot and the gang used to be good friends for many years, especially Snapshot and Seeker. The problem they were having was about Pirouette and Snapshot, and even Slam as well. Snapshot had a huge crush on Pirouette for as long as anyone could remember, and even she knew about it. She thought it was cute and all that, but in truth she only thought of him more as a friend. Slam and Pirouette had known each other since they were younger, and recently they had begun dating. …Cadance could immediately sense what was happening. “Snapshot took it hard?” Everyone nodded, and Droplet replied, “We expected he would, but he took it much harder than any of us expected.” Seeker agreed, “He lost that joyful spirit he once had, and he spent more time to himself rather than hanging with us. We invited him out, but he always seemed to have some kind of excuse, as if he was deliberately avoiding us.” “Long story short…” Slam cut in “He’s jealous that I’m dating Pirouette and he’s not.” The trio didn’t seem to like his tone of voice. It sounded a bit harsh and cold. “Did you try talking to him about it?” asked Twilight. “We tried, and for all the good it did,” replied Pierce. “We told him “They are together now, and you have to accept that.” Red then added, “I told him that Pirouette values him as a friend, and she doesn’t want to hurt him.” Pirouette looked a bit regretful at what she was about to say. “I tried to talk to him myself, and it didn’t work out too well.” She recalled a month ago… It was pouring rain, Pirouette and Slam had started dating, but she sensed that Snap was indeed upset, and she needed to talk to him about it. Pirouette dashed up to him. “Snap, I need to talk to you.” “You don’t have to.” he said calmly. “I know about you and Slam.” Pirouette looked shocked. “You knew about us?” He nodded, “Why didn’t you tell me? You know I’ve always liked you, Pirouette.” “I know that, it’s just that… well…” she tried to choose her next words carefully. “Look, the point is, I’m with Slam now, and I know this hurts, but you’ll just have to get over it.” Snap looked visibly hurt. “You mean just be friends, huh?” Pirouette nodded. “What? Is that not good enough for you?” Snap shook his head. “I don’t think I can do that.” By now Pirouette’s features hardened. “What? You’re just going to brood all the time now? You’re to hope that somehow I cave in, and dump Slam for you? I’m going to tell you this flat out: Even if I wasn’t dating Slam, I would never have gone out with you anyway, Snapshot!” She stopped right then, realizing what she had just said, and the look that Snap was giving her-- a very cold, hurt-felt gaze. She tried to apologize to him, but it was too late. He had backed away from her and run off into the rain, leaving Pirouette feeling guilty and ashamed at what she had just said. There wasn’t much left to say after that. Pirouette wiped a tear away from her eyes, while Slam sighed and held his head low. The others could only shake their heads in dismay, while Twilight and co were positively appalled. “Ouch… that’s cold.” said Spike. The princesses gave him a small, stern glare, but really they, too, had to agree, and it was starting to make sense. “Heartbreak…” said Cadance. “It’s one of the most deadliest and complicated of emotional problems there is.” Even Twilight understood why Snap had suddenly run away when the gang approached. “He hasn’t spoken to any of us, or hung out with us for all this time.” explained Seeker. “Like we said…We invite him to parties; he doesn’t come. We write him letter; he won’t answer.” “Well, it’s obvious why.” said Spike. “He just doesn’t want to see Pirouette.” Hearing this made Pirouette feel worse, and Slam placed his hoof over hers to comfort her. “It’s worse than that.” said Droplet. “He won’t hang out with any of us, even if Pirouette isn’t around.” Now Twilight was really concerned, but not nearly as much as the others. “We’re really worried about him.” said Pierce. “He’s practically going to great lengths to avoid us.” Seeker felt especially bad, “He’s the best friend I ever had. I want to try and help him.” “We all do.” said Slam “But first he has to be able to help himself, and he needs to start by getting over this whole Pirouette and Me thing.” “Stop it! Just stop!” snapped Pirouette. All of a sudden, everyone was gazing at her. “Sorry I yelled, but I can’t stand going on like this. I hurt Snap, I know I did, but I don’t want him to be like this. I don’t want to cut himself off from his friends. I want to make it up to him.” “That may not be easy.” Cadance cautioned her “Heartbreak can be very serious. I should know, I’ve seen my share of broken-hearted ponies before, but it’s always hopeful that they find strength to carry on.” Right now Twilight felt, “The best thing we need to do is find Snap and talk to him. Does any-pony know where he lives…?” “Yes, but there’s no point in going there.” said Red. “We all tried dropping in on him, and there’s never an answer. It’s like we always just miss him.” Twilight was not deterred. The gang led her and friends to where Snap lived; in a quaint and ordinary house. Twilight and Cadance decided to walk up to the house and talk to Snap without arousing attention from the rest of the gang, whom stood with Spike behind the fence to the house so they could spy on things and still see. Twilight and Cadance were just stepping up to the stoop when the door opened and Snapshot came out, surprising the ladies, and himself to the point that he nearly dropped his bag full of photos he had just developed. “Your highnesses!” he panted while catching his breath. “I wasn’t expecting company. I was on my way to work with these photos.” Twilight cleared her throat after regaining composure. “Snapshot, we’d like to talk with you if you have a minute.” Snap blinked his eyes once. “What is it?” “We’d like to talk to you about your friends.” said Cadance, but the second she mentioned the word friends, Snap’s features hardened softly. He had feared this would happen when he saw the gang coming down the street earlier. “Excuse me please, I’m late for work.” he said trying to get away quickly. Twilight and Cadance’s eyes narrowed, and they both teleported themselves in his way… “So you are avoiding them.” said Cadance. “Why are you avoiding all your friends?” asked Twilight. Snap really didn’t wish to answer them. Now he was more than certain his former friends put the princesses up to this. Pirouette could see through the fence boards, and she felt very nervous. “Gee, Twilight’s really laying into him.” thought Spike. “I don’t see how he can get out of this.” …But just as that moment, Snap quickly whipped out his camera, and snapped a shot of the princesses; at such a close range, the flash blinded the mares, giving him the perfect chance to escape. Red leapt up over the fence. “Snap!!” …But Snap had already gone out of sight. Act 2: Spying on a FriendACT TWO Cadance and Twilight both rubbed their eyes to shake off the flash blindness. “I can’t believe he did that.” said Twilight. “He really was desperate to get away from his friends.” The gang were a mix of feelings. Red, Pierce, and Seeker were shocked by Snap’s actions, while Droplet and Slam were outraged. “I can’t believe he did that!” growled Droplet. “He practically just committed assault.” Slam was especially annoyed. “We ought to have him arrested or something.” “No!” snapped Twilight. “There will be no charges.” “I agree.” added Cadance. “What?!” snapped Slam. Even Spike was inclined to agree with him. “But Twilight, he could have permanently blinded you and Cadance.” “True… but he didn’t.” protested Twilight. “I still want to know his problem. It’s the only way we can sort this out.” Most of the gang agreed, even though they were still appalled by Snap’s actions. “If we hear his side of story,” said Red “It won’t really excuse his actions, but maybe it’ll help explain them better.” Slam was still unconvinced, but then he noted how upset Pirouette looked. “Are you okay?” he asked. His mare-friend shook her head, “I don’t know, but I think I may understand a little why Snap is avoiding us.” Slam sighed, “Look, like I said… he needs get over his crush on you. It’s the only way he’ll find peace, and we can all forget about this mess.” What was this? All of a sudden he went from seemingly uncaring to understanding? Pirouette actually bought into it. She knew the others were just as upset too, which only made her more desperate to learn the truth and fast. “Maybe we can talk to him at work.” she suggested. Spike disagreed, “After what just happened, I don’t think he seems too much up for talking.” Cadance then intervened, “I have a better idea; one so we don’t actually have to talk to him.” “What’s that?” asked Seeker. Later on, he got his answer… At the Ponyville Times headquarters, Twilight had disguised herself as a janitor; complete with a suit, a cap, and even a fake mustache. In the pocket on her side, sat a pink, gold-rimmed pen, with Cadance’s head on the ballpoint; for it really was Cadance transformed. She pulled a cart through the building in search of Snapshot, which would not be easy as there were several floors, plus loads of reporters and other staff members all walking about. “Hey, you there.” called a worker. Twilight gasped and nearly jumped out of her disguise. “Yes?” she squeaked in her normal voice before correcting herself and saying “Yes?” in a disguised, masculine voice. “There’s a spill upstairs in the Editor’s office.” “Um… yeah… I’ll get right on it.” replied Twilight, and she wheeled her cart to the elevator. Luckily, the elevator had a directory to where she needed to go-- the top floor where the Editor’s office was. Would luck have it, the second the elevator doors opened Twilight saw Snapshot at his desk a few ways down the door from the office. He was just going through files of old photos and sorting out new ones, but he looked and felt rather nervous and upset. “I can’t believe I did that.” he grumbled, and he plopped his head down into his arms on his desk in shame. He was feeling extreme remorse for blinding Twilight and Cadance with his camera flash. He felt afraid that maybe he’d get arrested for it, or the Princesses would hold him in contempt for it. He was just so desperate to get away from them, knowing what they were up to about his former friends, he just acted on impulse. He wanted to apologize if he ever saw them again, but he didn’t know what to say or do. He was so lost in his wreck, he didn’t even notice Twilight approaching him from behind, and she magically levitated the Cadance Pen, slipping it into a jar of pencils on the desk. “Hey, you there!” the Editor suddenly called from her officer, making Twilight nearly jump out of character again. Snap also jumped by the sudden surprise of the yelling that he knocked his pencils off the desk, and of all the items to fall off, Cadance was the only pen to fall to the floor, landing just under the desk. “Come on in here, I need this coffee spill cleaned up.” “Yes, ma’am.” replied Twilight. She started to wheel her cart in to get to work, and as Snap watched her go, he couldn’t help but feel “That guy looks kind of familiar.” Obviously, he was too fooled to see past Twilight’s obvious disguise, and then he just gathered up all his own pencils still scattered all over the desk… …Not noticing that Cadance was right below him, and even though she was at such an angle, it was still perfect for what she was about to do. Even as pen, she was going to her magic to look into Snap’s heart, or rather his subconscious and determine what he was up to. And what she saw would be viewed by the rest of the gang… The five ponies were sitting with Spike in a quiet area in the park where no pony else was likely to disturb them. A small glowing ball of sparkling aura had been formed by Twilight, and was linked to Cadance’s powers. “I’ve read about this spell,” said Seeker. “It’ll allow us to see whatever the princess finds out about Snap.” The others all leaned in with excitement. “And Snap can’t hear or see us?” asked Pirouette. “Not at all.” explained Spike. “We just have to hope he doesn’t spot Cadance.” Droplet cringed, “Talk about pressure, but at least we can finally figure things out.” “Shh… it’s starting.” said Pierce. Cadance’s eyes glowed brightly, and so did her cutiemark on the side of the pen. She could see clear into Snapshot’s subconscious… The first things she saw was Pirouette at a dance audition. Her friends were the only ponies in the audience watching her, including Snap. The way Pirouette danced, and spun, and slid on stage so majestically from all her practicing… she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen… He had fallen in love with her the very moment they had first met, even in school. “Can I take a picture of you for the school paper?” asked a young Snapshot, to which Pirouette giggled. “Okay.” So many shots, so many wonderful, warm feelings spreading through him; it was too magical for him. They became good friends, and met up with the rest of the gang and formed a big group of five. Snap always tried to be supportive and caring towards his friends, always lending a hand when he could, but he was especially kind to Pirouette, and always perking her up when she was down. “I’ve always wanted to be a dancer, but I just don’t know if I’m good enough. Would you watch me, Snapshot…? I’d feel comfortable if some pony I knew would watch me dance.” Snap felt as if his heart would race clear out of his body. “Sure, I’d love to.” So he would watch her while she practiced privately, and the more she danced so gracefully, the more and more Snap fell in love with her. More than that, Pirouette did other things besides dancing. She read to children at the library. She helped out the elderly at retirement homes, and she was a straight-A student too. She was starting to seem like a perfect filly, that Snap was starting to consider asking her out. The gang were astounded by the images shown. “I guess Snap liked you more than we thought.” said Red, and Pirouette could hardly believe her eyes herself, nor could Slam. However, the next images showed that of Slam, in a basketball court whom Pirouette recognized as her oldest friend from kindergarten. “Slam Dunk…?” “Pirouette…?” The two ponies were delighted to see one another, and hugged warmly, much to Snap’s shock. As if that weren’t enough, Snap transferred to the same high-school as the rest of the gang, and Pirouette and Slam seemed to get closer and closer than before. Snap tried his best not to let his jealousy show, but it was too obvious. Pirouette even began to tease Snap a little, as she was fully aware of his crush on her. “You’re not jealous, are you?” “Who, me… jealous…?” Snap asked, trying to keep it cool “Oh, no, no. Me, Jealous....? No way…” Pirouette giggled. …In real life she giggled too, “He was just so funny the way he would try to cover up and act like he was the bigger pony.” Slam thought it was kind of funny too, but all the others didn’t think it was so funny, especially not Spike. “When someone really likes you, it isn’t cool to tease them like that.” he scolded. “What?” said Slam “It was just a friendly tease. Friends tease friends all the time.” Spike was aware, but still, “There’s a difference between teasing someone and taking advantage of their feelings.” Even droplet had to agree with that. “Ponies often made fun of me that I would never find romance. They said I was too plain, or too pushy.” Seeker softly laid his hoof over hers and smiled at her, “They were wrong. I don’t think you’re too plain, or too pushy.” Grinning brightly at him, she leaned forth and pecked him on the cheek. “Wait a minute.” said Pierce, and he began to look a bit remorseful, “I think I know what’s coming now.” All the others felt a bit harsh and down about it too, especially Pirouette. The images continued to show that Slam and Pirouette got closer and closer, spending more time with one another, and Slam was even invited to join the gang as a sixth member. Snapshot didn’t really have any objections to it, but he was starting to object to how much Pirouette paid more attention to Slam. She let Slam watch her dance the way he used to. She would buddy up with him for studying, only because Slam had a hard time with math and stuff, but still it irked Snap to see them getting closer than ever. After graduation, Slam finally asked Pirouette to the prom, and they had been going out ever since, much to Snap’s deep inner heartbreak. Red and the others knew Snap was feeling a bit down, and rather of being truly sympathetic like good friends should, it was a different story and attitude. “Don’t they look so cute together.” sighed Droplet. “They sure do.” agreed Seeker. Red and Pierce were pleased to see them so happy, and watched as they danced. “What do you think, Snap?” asked Red, but then he could see and sense how visibly upset he was. “They are together now, right?” “Yes, I guess they are.” replied Snap. “Snap, you’ll just have to get over it.” said Pierce. “We should all be happy for them both.” Even Seeker was unsympathetic. “It’ll be okay, Snap.” Each and every word was like another knife to the heart. Snap began to feel he was falling out of place not just with Pirouette, but with everyone. As the weeks went by, Snap tried his hardest, but it was no use. He always retained his feelings for Pirouette, but he could see how happy she was with Slam. They went on many dates, he would see them playing basketball, or Slam would watch her dance. Then when it came to meetings with the rest of the gang, they would always talk about how happy they were, or what they did on their dates, and would occasionally flirt with each other and be affectionate, which wooed the others, but inside Snap felt like he was breaking in half. Seeing them so happy only made him more envious, more upset, and he would keep wishing it was him holding Pirouette like that. He did his best to behave and not let things get to him, but it was no use. Finally, Pirouette tried to talk to him herself… just as she said she did, and admitted that she only ever thought of Snap as a friend and would never have dated him anyway. Though she quickly regretted saying such a harsh thing, it was too late; the last straw had been drawn. Act 3: No Good either wayACT THREE The gang all felt terrible and Pirouette was trembling with guilt and shame for having hurt Snap the way she did. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up.” said Slam. “But Slam… he’s my friend. He’s our friend, and I just hurt him like that. That’s probably why he’s avoiding us; because we all haven’t exactly been good friends lately.” “I’m sorry to say this…” said Spike “But you could be right. Some ponies don’t want to settle for just being friends. It’s not enough for them. I should know.” He was referring to his crush on Rarity, which practically every pony in the kingdom knew about, and how even though Rarity and Spike were good friends, and Rarity knew how he felt, Spike always had a small cringe deep down not enjoying the “Just friends” part, but unlike Snapshot he was a little bit stronger and could take in stride. Snap was not like that, as evidenced by what happened next. The final images showed that for the past month, he had been avoiding his friends entirely--skipping on their parties, refusing to hang with them, and going to incredible lengths to keep away. It wasn’t just the anger and heartbreak he felt from what Pirouette had said, but because he just couldn’t bear to hang with them anymore. If he hung out with his friends, he’d eventually have to hang with Slam and Pirouette, and see how happy they were, which would cause him great inner trauma, and of course… he couldn’t ask any of his friends to stop hanging with them; that would be cruel as well as extremely selfish. …But that was the whole story. Snapshot had more than just a friendship problem; he was struggling against his own self too. It was as if he had become his own worst enemy more than the gang. There was nothing more to see, Cadance had seen all she needed and stopped the spell which caused the glowing to cease as well. Now the gang would have to wait where they were until Twilight and Cadance returned. Twilight had finished cleaning the editor’s office and stepped outside. “Hey, just a minute!” the Editor bellowed. Twilight was growing nervous again, fearing her cover was blown, but it turned out the Editor just wanted to give her a small sack of coins. “You don’t expect to just work and not be paid, do you?” Twilight chuckled nervously as she accepted her reward, but now she had another problem; how to get Cadance from under the desk and slip away without causing a scene. She couldn’t try to get too close with Snapshot still brooding at his desk. “Maybe I could write a letter to the princesses, and say I’m sorry that way.” he said to himself. He got a sheet of paper ready and was about to reach for a pencil in the jar, but accidently knocked the jar off the desk, spilling the pencils all over the floor. “Ah, nuts!” he groaned, and he got down to pick them all up, giving Twilight the perfect chance. She could see the Cadance Pen right until the desk, and quickly levitated it back into her possession. Soon she was out of the building. She had left the bag of coins with the janitor tools, figuring she couldn’t take someone else’s pay. Then Cadance changed back to her pony forum, and she told Twilight everything she had learned. Soon, they both teleported back to Spike and the gang, and they didn’t know what to think. “The fact you weren’t even willing to ever give him a chance, Pirouette…” said Cadance. “Don’t you think that’s a little bit harsh?” With a regretful expression, Pirouette nodded. “I just always thought of him as a friend; a good friend.” “We all thought of him that way.” added Pierce. “True we teased him a little, but it was all in good fun.” “Yeah, friends tease friends all the time, for jokes and stuff.” said Droplet. Cadance and Twilight shook their heads. “Real friends should never make fun of real friends the way you did-- playing on his feelings like that. It makes him feel like he’s not important or special to any of you.” “That’s what I told them.” said Spike. “This isn’t fair!” snapped Slam “You’re picking on us and blaming us for all this? All we tried to do was tell him to move on. What’s so bad about that?” Pirouette bolted upright and practically yelled “Because we did it the wrong way!” Everyone gawked at her with shocked expressions, and Pirouette calmed herself. “All we ever told him was “Move on” or “Get over yourself.” It’s like we were giving him an order because we wanted him to move on just like that.” Red looked deep within his thoughts, and as if for the first time he realized maybe that was true. “I guess maybe we haven’t exactly been the greatest of friends. No wonder he’s avoiding us.” “But he still needs to move on.” insisted Slam. “The sooner he gets some help, and gets over this obsession-- the better. Why are we even just sitting here? We know what’s bugging him now, so let’s go to his place when he comes home and straighten this out for good.” Seeker glared him right in the eyes. “Weren’t you just listening to what we’ve been talking about? We can’t force him to just get over himself because we want him to.” Slam was starting to grow more and more irritable. “What? Like all of you are justifying his avoiding us? Like he’s in the right to do what he is.” “Slam, stop it!” snapped Pirouette “With that attitude, you’re only making things worse.” “Every-pony, please!” said Twilight, and everyone hushed up. Then she cleared her throat and allowed Cadance to share her wisdom with Slam. “While it is true, ponies should try and move on, that doesn’t mean they can. I’ve seen my share of many ponies that had their hearts broken. Some of them did manage to move on, and start over, and even find a new love… …But there are still some ponies that just can’t find that strength, and sometimes it’s because they don’t want to find it.” She then used her magic to show a flashback of an elderly fisherman she knew that had his heart broken many years ago by mare he was madly in love with, and she left him for another stallion. He never learned to fall in love again, nor did he even try and often kept to himself. Many ponies began to worry about him, and hated to see him spending his days alone, and some even asked if the Princess would talk to him and try and sort him out. Cadance agreed to talk to the fisherman, and he gave her a strong sense of advice she could use for her future in sorting problems like his. “Ponies often tell me “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” and they are correct, but as I am the fisherman, it is entirely up to me if whether or not I wish to catch any. Occasionally, a fish may just jump right into the boat, whereas just the same I suppose I could meet another mare who would want to be with me, but I don’t feel I can love her the way I loved the one that got away. It may seem harsh, but I cannot lie to myself, and even if there are other ponies would love me, don’t you think they deserve better than some-pony who cannot find it to return their love to them?” The gang was deeply moved by that speech, and even Cadance was as touched by it as she was the day she learned that. “Some ponies just can’t find it to move on, and they don’t wish to hurt others, so they keep to themselves and eventually die alone, but it is their own decision to make. No pony else can make that for them.” Slam still didn’t know if he could agree with such a concept. To him it felt like the pony was just making an excuse to be miserable and make everyone else feel sorry for him, the same way Snap was acting. Act 4: Time and SpaceACT FOUR It wasn’t until about sundown that Snap finally got off work. He was pacing back and forth around his house wondering if whether or not to give the letter he wrote to the princesses, still fretting if whether or not they’d forgive him. “Oh, what am I going to do?” he groaned. “It seems I can’t do anything right. No matter which way I go, it never ends up good.” There was a knock at his door. He walked over and looked through the peephole, and saw Twilight and Co-- the gang was nowhere to be seen. “EEP!!” he groaned as he fell to the floor. “What are they doing here?” Not that he didn’t already know…They had either come to reprimand him for blinding them, or come to talk more about the gang and trying to reconcile with them. “Snapshot?” called Twilight. “Please, we just want to talk to you.” “We don’t want any trouble.” added Cadance. “We’re not angry at you either.” Snap still didn’t know if he could trust them, and knowing he would let them in meant he would have to hear about the gang again, but seeing as there was no other way to clear his conscience, and he agreed to let them in. He apologised whole-heartedly for what he did, and they two mares expressed their forgiveness, he felt most relieved… at least for that part. “That’s not why you’ve really come, is it?” he asked. Spike quickly answered, “No, we came to talk about you and your friends.” Snap sighed and hung his head low. “We talked with them, and we know about your avoiding them.” said Cadance. Neither she nor the others explained how they spied on him; fearing it would make them look bad. They also didn’t tell him that the gang was right outside, behind the fence, and once again using the viewing spell to listen in on everything that was said. Pirouette did all she could to keep herself from freaking out. All the others hoped the trio could convince Snap to change his mind about seeing them again, but Slam was still being grumpy about it, however he didn’t want to make any more scenes for fear of getting the others mad at him, especially his mare friend. The trio spoke with Snap as best they could. “I’m sorry, but the answer is “No.” said Snap. “I just can’t hang with them again; especially not Pirouette. I just can’t settle for being just friends with her. It makes me sound selfish, yes-- I admit it, but look at it this way… If I don’t hang out with her and the gang, I don’t have to suffer, and they don’t either.” “But they ARE suffering.” Twilight protested. “They miss you lots, and they hate that you’re avoiding them like this, and the way you’re behaving is completely unhealthy.” Snap blinked once in confusion. Cadance spoke, “I know that heartbreak seems harsh, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw away all your friends because of one pony.” Snap began to feel his shame and guilt creep up on him again, and it did burn. He thought of all the others-- Red, Pierce, Droplet, and especially his best pal, Seeker. He missed him dearly, and all the good times they used to have-- playing sports, or studying, and Seeker even knew of shots Snap could take for the paper. But of course, there was still the difficulty of having to hang with Pirouette and Slam if he hung out with any of his friends. “It’s no use.” he said “No matter what way I go… there will be pain and upset. At least this way it’s not as harsh. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it.” Spike sighed, and shook his head. Then he looked up at the mares, and they were starting to realize the hopelessness of this too. “Whatever you decide, we won’t try to force you.” said Cadance. Snap was shaking painfully trying not to shed frightful and shameful tears. “I just can’t do it. Maybe I should just say goodbye to the gang for good.” The gang heard all this and gasped hard, and the trio didn’t like what they heard either. “…I’ll start over; make some new friends, and I’ll make sure not to let love get in my way ever again.” Normally, Twilight was all for the idea of starting over, but the say Snap was talking made her question it. “Snap, you can’t mean that.” He just gave her a strict look. “…I think he does.” said Spike. Cadance didn’t know what to think or say anymore. It was obvious, even to her, that nothing they could say or do would convince him to change. She hated to fail her first-ever Friendship Mission, but she was starting to think this was all for the best. “Now wait just a minute!” snapped a voice at the door. Everyone turned and saw the gang standing there. Some of them looking cross, especially Slam, while Seeker and Pirouette looked deeply concerned. Snap’s features hardened. “What are you all doing here?” “Trying to stop you from doing something really stupid and morally wrong.” sneered Red. “Snap, you can’t just abandon us like this,” scolded Pierce. “Just because you’re not happy that Pirouette doesn’t want to date you doesn’t give you the right to up and abandon all of us like this. It makes you look selfish and insane.” Snap was growing angrier and felt most insulted. “So what are you saying?” he spat. “That you’d rather I just hang with you guys and see Pirouette with some pony else, and let it bring me pain?!” Slam stepped forth and let it out with all he had, “No… what we’d rather you stop being such a spoiled and bratty colt, and learn to grow up and GET OVER YOURSELF!!” “Slam!” snapped Pirouette. “You stay out of this!” he thundered at her. “I’ve had just about enough of all this “Oh, poor Snapshot.” As far as I see, we don’t owe him anything!” “I never said you did owe me anything!” protested Snap. “What I am though is sick and tired of others telling me how to live my life just because they want it so.” he paused. “So in a way… that makes you just as worse as you make me out to be.” Just as Twilight was about to break the two up and insist they calm down, Pirouette beat her to it, shouting. “STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!” The entire room went silent and everyone was gawking at her. First she scolded her Colt-Friend. “Slam, this is exactly the attitude that’s driving this group apart in the first place.” Slam was shocked at her. “Pirouette…” “Don’t try and defend yourself!” she balked at him. “We’re all supposed to be friends here, and do we act like it? No! We boss him around; we demand he do as we say. Is that how a friend is supposed to behave?!” The rest of the gang members, even Slam rubbed the backs of their heads, or looked down at the floor nervously. Pirouette then turned to face Snap, and rather than scold him, she spoke calmly and carefully. “Snap…” she paused “I’m really sorry that you’re hurt, and I’m very sorry for what I said, but you are important to me; you’re important to us all.” The others nodded, especially Seeker. “We’ve all been bad friends to you,” he said. “That was wrong of us. We knew you liked Pirouette, and we tried to push you into getting over yourself.” Droplet was starting to soften up herself and feeling less angry. She stepped up next to Seeker and nodded in agreement with him. Then Red stepped up, and Pierce too. For all their pleas and sincerities, Snap was moved deep down, but not nearly enough, even Pirouette could see this without him saying, “…I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it. I don’t want to cause trouble for you guys, for myself. Even if I came back to the group, then we’d all just be bending over and trying too hard to make it work, and it still may not matter. I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if we don’t.” Faces turned bluer than a wet weekend, some of the friends shook their heads in dismay. “Look…” said Red “We won’t force you, like you said, but if you ever do get the guts to find the strength, we’ll all be here waiting for you.” The others all nodded agreeing that the friendship was not truly over, but just on “Pause” They all had some thinking to do themselves. With that settled, Twilight suggested everyone clear out of the house and give Snap the space he needed to deal with his emotions. Snap was left alone to surrender to the despairing state he had asked for. “Poor guy.” said Spike. “I hope he makes it.” “So do I.” agreed Twilight. Cadance felt really bummed. “My first friendship mission; a failure…” “Not really.” said Twilight. “Our job is just to sort out the problems, and help those involved understand Friendship better. In a way, that’s what we did. Now Snap can take time to find himself, and the others know what it means to be better friends.” Her sister-in-law felt no better, and there was worse to come. “What are you talking about?” wailed Slam. “You heard me.” said Pirouette. “I need a break too. Maybe we all could use one.” “Look, I’m sorry for the way I acted.” protested Slam. “Don’t let this whole mess affect you too.” “Oh? But you let it affect you!” protested Pirouette. “That’s why you said all those mean things about Snap.” “Pirouette, come on…” “No, Slam! Like I said, I just need a break myself right now. I need time to think.” Then she walked off. She hadn’t broken up with him, or the gang like Snap did. She just wanted space. The rest of the gang shook their heads pitifully at Slam before turning to walk down the road without him. Slam could only kick a small rock in the road, but then he felt ashamed. Whether or not he and Pirouette would continue dating, or however this friendship with the gang and Snap would lead… …Only time would tell.
Intro: Coming and GoingINTRO Romance, a joy, a thrill, a privilege that any creature is capable of learning and experiencing, but no matter how joyful romance may seem, like everything else, it isn’t without it’s shadows, it’s pain, and things that can cause someone to fall apart… maybe irreparably… …And not only can it affect the victim, it can affect those around them too. It all started when Princess Cadance came to Ponyville to visit Twilight Sparkle; taking a much needed break from her duties in the Crystal Empire and leaving her husband to manage. Twilight had already planned a full schedule of things to do, and among them was take her sister-in-law on a tour of Ponyville. Twilight and Spike were going through a checklist. “Tea party set for sundown?” asked Twilight. “Check.” replied Spike as he marked the parchment. “Guest bedroom all setup?” “Check.” “Red carpet rolled out?” Spike kicked the roll by his foot sending the long carpet all the way to the door and replied, “Double-Check.” That was the last thing checked off, and Spike put down the list on a pile of many other lists Twilight had previously made and gone through. “You’re sure going all out for this one.” he grumbled. Twilight gave him a funny look. “Spike, it’s not every day I get to spend time alone with Princess Cadance…” As she continued spouting, Spike playfully said exactly what she said at the same time. “…I just want everything to be perfect. Nothing’s got to go wrong.” A silence followed as Twilight looked at Spike and grinned sheepishly at his unamused expression. Suddenly, Twilight’s cutiemark began flashing, warning her that the Friendship Map was calling her. “Oh, no…! Not now of all times.” she groaned. “Cadance is due to arrive any minute now.” Just there, there was a huge knock at the castle doors. Spike looked out the window, “…Um, right now, actually.” He could see the Princess standing on the stoop with all her luggage. Twilight decided to answer the door first. “Cadance!” “Oh, Twilight!” The two princesses shared warm hugs, which melted Spike’s heart. “Good to see you, Cadance.” he said to her. “Likewise, Spike.” replied Cadance, but then she noticed Twilight’s cutiemark glowing. “Isn’t that the Friendship Map calling?” Twilight chuckled nervously, but she knew she couldn’t fib her way out of it. She led her sister-in-lap into the map room while Spike struggled to drag Cadance’s heavy suitcases inside. The map was glowing brightly, and actually showing Cadance’s cutiemark, as well as Twilight’s hovering over Ponyville. “What does this mean?” asked Cadance. Twilight could hardly believe her eyes. “It’s calling for you, Cadance. Whatever friendship problem there is, it’s a mission specifically for you and me.” She began to feel upset, believing that all her plans and schedules for this visit had just fallen down the drain. However, Cadance was incredibly excited as she leapt with glee. “I’ve never been on a friendship mission before. This is going to be amazing.” Twilight and Spike hadn’t seen Cadance this excited since her wedding. “Um… you do realize this could actually be serious?” asked Spike. Cadance settled down and regained herself. “Yes… of course…” she fought hard not to crack another excited smile, and then she looked at Twilight. “So… should we… go?” Still unable to ignore Cadance’s enthusiasm, and finally deciding that a Friendship Problem was more important than her own schedule, Twilight relented and she and the others headed for the door. “At least it’s something we can do together.” said Twilight. “You mean all three of us.” grumbled Spike.
Act 1: Flash of MemoriesACT ONE The trio made it into town, but they couldn’t find exactly what they were looking for, as the map only gave the locations of the problems, but never actually revealed what it was or who was involved. “Every-pony seems so happy.” said Cadance. She was right; there were so many friendly faces, kindness, and sharing going all about; hardly anything to consider a problem in friendship. “We have to keep looking.” explained Twilight. “Sometimes, the problem just comes right up to us.” Just then, some-pony came up to her and the others. He was a light grayish Earth Pony, with a brown mane, and his cutiemark was that of a camera, which looked identical to the one he was holding too. “Pardon me, Princess Twilight… Princess Cadance…” he asked softly yet politely. “Could I have your picture please?” he paused and held out an ID card with his name “Snapshot” “…I’m with the Ponyville Times newspaper. We heard the Princess was in town, and we’d love to feature a small article.” The two princesses couldn’t refuse such a polite-acting pony, and they huddled together, while poor Spike could only stand out of the shot and sulk softly and grumble, “Sure… ignore the ever-faithful assistant.” The picture was taken, and Snap was incredibly pleased. “Can I just take one more to be sure?” “You certainly may.” replied Cadance. Twilight giggled softly. “This isn’t what I had planned, but what the hay.” Just as Snap was ready to take the shot, he could see over the two mares a groups of ponies coming up the street, which make a shiver run up his spine, and he just lowered his camera and began to take off like he was afraid. “Thank you so much!” he quickly called to the ladies before he was gone in a flash leaving the trio of friends confused. “That was weird.” said Spike. “I’ll say,” agreed Twilight. “He didn’t even take the picture. He just up and ran off.” Just then, that gang of ponies approached the trio. There were five of them… A red Earth Pony with a green mane, and a cutiemark of a flower in a pot: His name was Red Bud. A yellow Earth Pony with a tan mane, and a fencing sword being his cutimark: His name Pierce. One blue Pegasus with a cloudy white mane, and her cutiemark was raincloud. Her name was Droplet. Her Colt-Friend, was a gray Unicorn with a black mane. His cutiemark was a text-book. His name was Seeker. The remaining two were also a couple… One of them was Slam Dunk; an orange Pegasus with a bright yellow mane, and a cutimark of--what else-- a basketball hoop. His mare-friend had to be the prettiest of the group. Her name was Pirouette. She was a pink unicorn, with a beautiful long dark golden mane, and a cutiemark of ballet slippers. …Even Spike thought she was pretty. “Princess Twilight Sparkle…” said Red, then he and the others bowed to her and Cadance. “I’m sorry, we didn’t know you were with the Crystal Princess.” Cadance chuckled and insisted “You needn’t be so formal with us.” Twilight agreed, and asked, “Can we help you with anything?” Pirouette stepped up the trio, and she held up a photograph, of the five ponies, but also with Snapshot. “Have you seen a pony like this anywhere?” “Sure, he was just here.” replied Spike. “Then he just took off.” The gang looked frustrated, and Twilight was beginning to think that this was the friendship problem they were looking for. “Why don’t we go someplace and talk.” suggested Cadance. They all headed to the park where there were benches to sit on, and the gang told their story. Snapshot and the gang used to be good friends for many years, especially Snapshot and Seeker. The problem they were having was about Pirouette and Snapshot, and even Slam as well. Snapshot had a huge crush on Pirouette for as long as anyone could remember, and even she knew about it. She thought it was cute and all that, but in truth she only thought of him more as a friend. Slam and Pirouette had known each other since they were younger, and recently they had begun dating. …Cadance could immediately sense what was happening. “Snapshot took it hard?” Everyone nodded, and Droplet replied, “We expected he would, but he took it much harder than any of us expected.” Seeker agreed, “He lost that joyful spirit he once had, and he spent more time to himself rather than hanging with us. We invited him out, but he always seemed to have some kind of excuse, as if he was deliberately avoiding us.” “Long story short…” Slam cut in “He’s jealous that I’m dating Pirouette and he’s not.” The trio didn’t seem to like his tone of voice. It sounded a bit harsh and cold. “Did you try talking to him about it?” asked Twilight. “We tried, and for all the good it did,” replied Pierce. “We told him “They are together now, and you have to accept that.” Red then added, “I told him that Pirouette values him as a friend, and she doesn’t want to hurt him.” Pirouette looked a bit regretful at what she was about to say. “I tried to talk to him myself, and it didn’t work out too well.” She recalled a month ago… It was pouring rain, Pirouette and Slam had started dating, but she sensed that Snap was indeed upset, and she needed to talk to him about it. Pirouette dashed up to him. “Snap, I need to talk to you.” “You don’t have to.” he said calmly. “I know about you and Slam.” Pirouette looked shocked. “You knew about us?” He nodded, “Why didn’t you tell me? You know I’ve always liked you, Pirouette.” “I know that, it’s just that… well…” she tried to choose her next words carefully. “Look, the point is, I’m with Slam now, and I know this hurts, but you’ll just have to get over it.” Snap looked visibly hurt. “You mean just be friends, huh?” Pirouette nodded. “What? Is that not good enough for you?” Snap shook his head. “I don’t think I can do that.” By now Pirouette’s features hardened. “What? You’re just going to brood all the time now? You’re to hope that somehow I cave in, and dump Slam for you? I’m going to tell you this flat out: Even if I wasn’t dating Slam, I would never have gone out with you anyway, Snapshot!” She stopped right then, realizing what she had just said, and the look that Snap was giving her-- a very cold, hurt-felt gaze. She tried to apologize to him, but it was too late. He had backed away from her and run off into the rain, leaving Pirouette feeling guilty and ashamed at what she had just said. There wasn’t much left to say after that. Pirouette wiped a tear away from her eyes, while Slam sighed and held his head low. The others could only shake their heads in dismay, while Twilight and co were positively appalled. “Ouch… that’s cold.” said Spike. The princesses gave him a small, stern glare, but really they, too, had to agree, and it was starting to make sense. “Heartbreak…” said Cadance. “It’s one of the most deadliest and complicated of emotional problems there is.” Even Twilight understood why Snap had suddenly run away when the gang approached. “He hasn’t spoken to any of us, or hung out with us for all this time.” explained Seeker. “Like we said…We invite him to parties; he doesn’t come. We write him letter; he won’t answer.” “Well, it’s obvious why.” said Spike. “He just doesn’t want to see Pirouette.” Hearing this made Pirouette feel worse, and Slam placed his hoof over hers to comfort her. “It’s worse than that.” said Droplet. “He won’t hang out with any of us, even if Pirouette isn’t around.” Now Twilight was really concerned, but not nearly as much as the others. “We’re really worried about him.” said Pierce. “He’s practically going to great lengths to avoid us.” Seeker felt especially bad, “He’s the best friend I ever had. I want to try and help him.” “We all do.” said Slam “But first he has to be able to help himself, and he needs to start by getting over this whole Pirouette and Me thing.” “Stop it! Just stop!” snapped Pirouette. All of a sudden, everyone was gazing at her. “Sorry I yelled, but I can’t stand going on like this. I hurt Snap, I know I did, but I don’t want him to be like this. I don’t want to cut himself off from his friends. I want to make it up to him.” “That may not be easy.” Cadance cautioned her “Heartbreak can be very serious. I should know, I’ve seen my share of broken-hearted ponies before, but it’s always hopeful that they find strength to carry on.” Right now Twilight felt, “The best thing we need to do is find Snap and talk to him. Does any-pony know where he lives…?” “Yes, but there’s no point in going there.” said Red. “We all tried dropping in on him, and there’s never an answer. It’s like we always just miss him.” Twilight was not deterred. The gang led her and friends to where Snap lived; in a quaint and ordinary house. Twilight and Cadance decided to walk up to the house and talk to Snap without arousing attention from the rest of the gang, whom stood with Spike behind the fence to the house so they could spy on things and still see. Twilight and Cadance were just stepping up to the stoop when the door opened and Snapshot came out, surprising the ladies, and himself to the point that he nearly dropped his bag full of photos he had just developed. “Your highnesses!” he panted while catching his breath. “I wasn’t expecting company. I was on my way to work with these photos.” Twilight cleared her throat after regaining composure. “Snapshot, we’d like to talk with you if you have a minute.” Snap blinked his eyes once. “What is it?” “We’d like to talk to you about your friends.” said Cadance, but the second she mentioned the word friends, Snap’s features hardened softly. He had feared this would happen when he saw the gang coming down the street earlier. “Excuse me please, I’m late for work.” he said trying to get away quickly. Twilight and Cadance’s eyes narrowed, and they both teleported themselves in his way… “So you are avoiding them.” said Cadance. “Why are you avoiding all your friends?” asked Twilight. Snap really didn’t wish to answer them. Now he was more than certain his former friends put the princesses up to this. Pirouette could see through the fence boards, and she felt very nervous. “Gee, Twilight’s really laying into him.” thought Spike. “I don’t see how he can get out of this.” …But just as that moment, Snap quickly whipped out his camera, and snapped a shot of the princesses; at such a close range, the flash blinded the mares, giving him the perfect chance to escape. Red leapt up over the fence. “Snap!!” …But Snap had already gone out of sight.
Act 2: Spying on a FriendACT TWO Cadance and Twilight both rubbed their eyes to shake off the flash blindness. “I can’t believe he did that.” said Twilight. “He really was desperate to get away from his friends.” The gang were a mix of feelings. Red, Pierce, and Seeker were shocked by Snap’s actions, while Droplet and Slam were outraged. “I can’t believe he did that!” growled Droplet. “He practically just committed assault.” Slam was especially annoyed. “We ought to have him arrested or something.” “No!” snapped Twilight. “There will be no charges.” “I agree.” added Cadance. “What?!” snapped Slam. Even Spike was inclined to agree with him. “But Twilight, he could have permanently blinded you and Cadance.” “True… but he didn’t.” protested Twilight. “I still want to know his problem. It’s the only way we can sort this out.” Most of the gang agreed, even though they were still appalled by Snap’s actions. “If we hear his side of story,” said Red “It won’t really excuse his actions, but maybe it’ll help explain them better.” Slam was still unconvinced, but then he noted how upset Pirouette looked. “Are you okay?” he asked. His mare-friend shook her head, “I don’t know, but I think I may understand a little why Snap is avoiding us.” Slam sighed, “Look, like I said… he needs get over his crush on you. It’s the only way he’ll find peace, and we can all forget about this mess.” What was this? All of a sudden he went from seemingly uncaring to understanding? Pirouette actually bought into it. She knew the others were just as upset too, which only made her more desperate to learn the truth and fast. “Maybe we can talk to him at work.” she suggested. Spike disagreed, “After what just happened, I don’t think he seems too much up for talking.” Cadance then intervened, “I have a better idea; one so we don’t actually have to talk to him.” “What’s that?” asked Seeker. Later on, he got his answer… At the Ponyville Times headquarters, Twilight had disguised herself as a janitor; complete with a suit, a cap, and even a fake mustache. In the pocket on her side, sat a pink, gold-rimmed pen, with Cadance’s head on the ballpoint; for it really was Cadance transformed. She pulled a cart through the building in search of Snapshot, which would not be easy as there were several floors, plus loads of reporters and other staff members all walking about. “Hey, you there.” called a worker. Twilight gasped and nearly jumped out of her disguise. “Yes?” she squeaked in her normal voice before correcting herself and saying “Yes?” in a disguised, masculine voice. “There’s a spill upstairs in the Editor’s office.” “Um… yeah… I’ll get right on it.” replied Twilight, and she wheeled her cart to the elevator. Luckily, the elevator had a directory to where she needed to go-- the top floor where the Editor’s office was. Would luck have it, the second the elevator doors opened Twilight saw Snapshot at his desk a few ways down the door from the office. He was just going through files of old photos and sorting out new ones, but he looked and felt rather nervous and upset. “I can’t believe I did that.” he grumbled, and he plopped his head down into his arms on his desk in shame. He was feeling extreme remorse for blinding Twilight and Cadance with his camera flash. He felt afraid that maybe he’d get arrested for it, or the Princesses would hold him in contempt for it. He was just so desperate to get away from them, knowing what they were up to about his former friends, he just acted on impulse. He wanted to apologize if he ever saw them again, but he didn’t know what to say or do. He was so lost in his wreck, he didn’t even notice Twilight approaching him from behind, and she magically levitated the Cadance Pen, slipping it into a jar of pencils on the desk. “Hey, you there!” the Editor suddenly called from her officer, making Twilight nearly jump out of character again. Snap also jumped by the sudden surprise of the yelling that he knocked his pencils off the desk, and of all the items to fall off, Cadance was the only pen to fall to the floor, landing just under the desk. “Come on in here, I need this coffee spill cleaned up.” “Yes, ma’am.” replied Twilight. She started to wheel her cart in to get to work, and as Snap watched her go, he couldn’t help but feel “That guy looks kind of familiar.” Obviously, he was too fooled to see past Twilight’s obvious disguise, and then he just gathered up all his own pencils still scattered all over the desk… …Not noticing that Cadance was right below him, and even though she was at such an angle, it was still perfect for what she was about to do. Even as pen, she was going to her magic to look into Snap’s heart, or rather his subconscious and determine what he was up to. And what she saw would be viewed by the rest of the gang… The five ponies were sitting with Spike in a quiet area in the park where no pony else was likely to disturb them. A small glowing ball of sparkling aura had been formed by Twilight, and was linked to Cadance’s powers. “I’ve read about this spell,” said Seeker. “It’ll allow us to see whatever the princess finds out about Snap.” The others all leaned in with excitement. “And Snap can’t hear or see us?” asked Pirouette. “Not at all.” explained Spike. “We just have to hope he doesn’t spot Cadance.” Droplet cringed, “Talk about pressure, but at least we can finally figure things out.” “Shh… it’s starting.” said Pierce. Cadance’s eyes glowed brightly, and so did her cutiemark on the side of the pen. She could see clear into Snapshot’s subconscious… The first things she saw was Pirouette at a dance audition. Her friends were the only ponies in the audience watching her, including Snap. The way Pirouette danced, and spun, and slid on stage so majestically from all her practicing… she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen… He had fallen in love with her the very moment they had first met, even in school. “Can I take a picture of you for the school paper?” asked a young Snapshot, to which Pirouette giggled. “Okay.” So many shots, so many wonderful, warm feelings spreading through him; it was too magical for him. They became good friends, and met up with the rest of the gang and formed a big group of five. Snap always tried to be supportive and caring towards his friends, always lending a hand when he could, but he was especially kind to Pirouette, and always perking her up when she was down. “I’ve always wanted to be a dancer, but I just don’t know if I’m good enough. Would you watch me, Snapshot…? I’d feel comfortable if some pony I knew would watch me dance.” Snap felt as if his heart would race clear out of his body. “Sure, I’d love to.” So he would watch her while she practiced privately, and the more she danced so gracefully, the more and more Snap fell in love with her. More than that, Pirouette did other things besides dancing. She read to children at the library. She helped out the elderly at retirement homes, and she was a straight-A student too. She was starting to seem like a perfect filly, that Snap was starting to consider asking her out. The gang were astounded by the images shown. “I guess Snap liked you more than we thought.” said Red, and Pirouette could hardly believe her eyes herself, nor could Slam. However, the next images showed that of Slam, in a basketball court whom Pirouette recognized as her oldest friend from kindergarten. “Slam Dunk…?” “Pirouette…?” The two ponies were delighted to see one another, and hugged warmly, much to Snap’s shock. As if that weren’t enough, Snap transferred to the same high-school as the rest of the gang, and Pirouette and Slam seemed to get closer and closer than before. Snap tried his best not to let his jealousy show, but it was too obvious. Pirouette even began to tease Snap a little, as she was fully aware of his crush on her. “You’re not jealous, are you?” “Who, me… jealous…?” Snap asked, trying to keep it cool “Oh, no, no. Me, Jealous....? No way…” Pirouette giggled. …In real life she giggled too, “He was just so funny the way he would try to cover up and act like he was the bigger pony.” Slam thought it was kind of funny too, but all the others didn’t think it was so funny, especially not Spike. “When someone really likes you, it isn’t cool to tease them like that.” he scolded. “What?” said Slam “It was just a friendly tease. Friends tease friends all the time.” Spike was aware, but still, “There’s a difference between teasing someone and taking advantage of their feelings.” Even droplet had to agree with that. “Ponies often made fun of me that I would never find romance. They said I was too plain, or too pushy.” Seeker softly laid his hoof over hers and smiled at her, “They were wrong. I don’t think you’re too plain, or too pushy.” Grinning brightly at him, she leaned forth and pecked him on the cheek. “Wait a minute.” said Pierce, and he began to look a bit remorseful, “I think I know what’s coming now.” All the others felt a bit harsh and down about it too, especially Pirouette. The images continued to show that Slam and Pirouette got closer and closer, spending more time with one another, and Slam was even invited to join the gang as a sixth member. Snapshot didn’t really have any objections to it, but he was starting to object to how much Pirouette paid more attention to Slam. She let Slam watch her dance the way he used to. She would buddy up with him for studying, only because Slam had a hard time with math and stuff, but still it irked Snap to see them getting closer than ever. After graduation, Slam finally asked Pirouette to the prom, and they had been going out ever since, much to Snap’s deep inner heartbreak. Red and the others knew Snap was feeling a bit down, and rather of being truly sympathetic like good friends should, it was a different story and attitude. “Don’t they look so cute together.” sighed Droplet. “They sure do.” agreed Seeker. Red and Pierce were pleased to see them so happy, and watched as they danced. “What do you think, Snap?” asked Red, but then he could see and sense how visibly upset he was. “They are together now, right?” “Yes, I guess they are.” replied Snap. “Snap, you’ll just have to get over it.” said Pierce. “We should all be happy for them both.” Even Seeker was unsympathetic. “It’ll be okay, Snap.” Each and every word was like another knife to the heart. Snap began to feel he was falling out of place not just with Pirouette, but with everyone. As the weeks went by, Snap tried his hardest, but it was no use. He always retained his feelings for Pirouette, but he could see how happy she was with Slam. They went on many dates, he would see them playing basketball, or Slam would watch her dance. Then when it came to meetings with the rest of the gang, they would always talk about how happy they were, or what they did on their dates, and would occasionally flirt with each other and be affectionate, which wooed the others, but inside Snap felt like he was breaking in half. Seeing them so happy only made him more envious, more upset, and he would keep wishing it was him holding Pirouette like that. He did his best to behave and not let things get to him, but it was no use. Finally, Pirouette tried to talk to him herself… just as she said she did, and admitted that she only ever thought of Snap as a friend and would never have dated him anyway. Though she quickly regretted saying such a harsh thing, it was too late; the last straw had been drawn.
Act 3: No Good either wayACT THREE The gang all felt terrible and Pirouette was trembling with guilt and shame for having hurt Snap the way she did. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up.” said Slam. “But Slam… he’s my friend. He’s our friend, and I just hurt him like that. That’s probably why he’s avoiding us; because we all haven’t exactly been good friends lately.” “I’m sorry to say this…” said Spike “But you could be right. Some ponies don’t want to settle for just being friends. It’s not enough for them. I should know.” He was referring to his crush on Rarity, which practically every pony in the kingdom knew about, and how even though Rarity and Spike were good friends, and Rarity knew how he felt, Spike always had a small cringe deep down not enjoying the “Just friends” part, but unlike Snapshot he was a little bit stronger and could take in stride. Snap was not like that, as evidenced by what happened next. The final images showed that for the past month, he had been avoiding his friends entirely--skipping on their parties, refusing to hang with them, and going to incredible lengths to keep away. It wasn’t just the anger and heartbreak he felt from what Pirouette had said, but because he just couldn’t bear to hang with them anymore. If he hung out with his friends, he’d eventually have to hang with Slam and Pirouette, and see how happy they were, which would cause him great inner trauma, and of course… he couldn’t ask any of his friends to stop hanging with them; that would be cruel as well as extremely selfish. …But that was the whole story. Snapshot had more than just a friendship problem; he was struggling against his own self too. It was as if he had become his own worst enemy more than the gang. There was nothing more to see, Cadance had seen all she needed and stopped the spell which caused the glowing to cease as well. Now the gang would have to wait where they were until Twilight and Cadance returned. Twilight had finished cleaning the editor’s office and stepped outside. “Hey, just a minute!” the Editor bellowed. Twilight was growing nervous again, fearing her cover was blown, but it turned out the Editor just wanted to give her a small sack of coins. “You don’t expect to just work and not be paid, do you?” Twilight chuckled nervously as she accepted her reward, but now she had another problem; how to get Cadance from under the desk and slip away without causing a scene. She couldn’t try to get too close with Snapshot still brooding at his desk. “Maybe I could write a letter to the princesses, and say I’m sorry that way.” he said to himself. He got a sheet of paper ready and was about to reach for a pencil in the jar, but accidently knocked the jar off the desk, spilling the pencils all over the floor. “Ah, nuts!” he groaned, and he got down to pick them all up, giving Twilight the perfect chance. She could see the Cadance Pen right until the desk, and quickly levitated it back into her possession. Soon she was out of the building. She had left the bag of coins with the janitor tools, figuring she couldn’t take someone else’s pay. Then Cadance changed back to her pony forum, and she told Twilight everything she had learned. Soon, they both teleported back to Spike and the gang, and they didn’t know what to think. “The fact you weren’t even willing to ever give him a chance, Pirouette…” said Cadance. “Don’t you think that’s a little bit harsh?” With a regretful expression, Pirouette nodded. “I just always thought of him as a friend; a good friend.” “We all thought of him that way.” added Pierce. “True we teased him a little, but it was all in good fun.” “Yeah, friends tease friends all the time, for jokes and stuff.” said Droplet. Cadance and Twilight shook their heads. “Real friends should never make fun of real friends the way you did-- playing on his feelings like that. It makes him feel like he’s not important or special to any of you.” “That’s what I told them.” said Spike. “This isn’t fair!” snapped Slam “You’re picking on us and blaming us for all this? All we tried to do was tell him to move on. What’s so bad about that?” Pirouette bolted upright and practically yelled “Because we did it the wrong way!” Everyone gawked at her with shocked expressions, and Pirouette calmed herself. “All we ever told him was “Move on” or “Get over yourself.” It’s like we were giving him an order because we wanted him to move on just like that.” Red looked deep within his thoughts, and as if for the first time he realized maybe that was true. “I guess maybe we haven’t exactly been the greatest of friends. No wonder he’s avoiding us.” “But he still needs to move on.” insisted Slam. “The sooner he gets some help, and gets over this obsession-- the better. Why are we even just sitting here? We know what’s bugging him now, so let’s go to his place when he comes home and straighten this out for good.” Seeker glared him right in the eyes. “Weren’t you just listening to what we’ve been talking about? We can’t force him to just get over himself because we want him to.” Slam was starting to grow more and more irritable. “What? Like all of you are justifying his avoiding us? Like he’s in the right to do what he is.” “Slam, stop it!” snapped Pirouette “With that attitude, you’re only making things worse.” “Every-pony, please!” said Twilight, and everyone hushed up. Then she cleared her throat and allowed Cadance to share her wisdom with Slam. “While it is true, ponies should try and move on, that doesn’t mean they can. I’ve seen my share of many ponies that had their hearts broken. Some of them did manage to move on, and start over, and even find a new love… …But there are still some ponies that just can’t find that strength, and sometimes it’s because they don’t want to find it.” She then used her magic to show a flashback of an elderly fisherman she knew that had his heart broken many years ago by mare he was madly in love with, and she left him for another stallion. He never learned to fall in love again, nor did he even try and often kept to himself. Many ponies began to worry about him, and hated to see him spending his days alone, and some even asked if the Princess would talk to him and try and sort him out. Cadance agreed to talk to the fisherman, and he gave her a strong sense of advice she could use for her future in sorting problems like his. “Ponies often tell me “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” and they are correct, but as I am the fisherman, it is entirely up to me if whether or not I wish to catch any. Occasionally, a fish may just jump right into the boat, whereas just the same I suppose I could meet another mare who would want to be with me, but I don’t feel I can love her the way I loved the one that got away. It may seem harsh, but I cannot lie to myself, and even if there are other ponies would love me, don’t you think they deserve better than some-pony who cannot find it to return their love to them?” The gang was deeply moved by that speech, and even Cadance was as touched by it as she was the day she learned that. “Some ponies just can’t find it to move on, and they don’t wish to hurt others, so they keep to themselves and eventually die alone, but it is their own decision to make. No pony else can make that for them.” Slam still didn’t know if he could agree with such a concept. To him it felt like the pony was just making an excuse to be miserable and make everyone else feel sorry for him, the same way Snap was acting.
Act 4: Time and SpaceACT FOUR It wasn’t until about sundown that Snap finally got off work. He was pacing back and forth around his house wondering if whether or not to give the letter he wrote to the princesses, still fretting if whether or not they’d forgive him. “Oh, what am I going to do?” he groaned. “It seems I can’t do anything right. No matter which way I go, it never ends up good.” There was a knock at his door. He walked over and looked through the peephole, and saw Twilight and Co-- the gang was nowhere to be seen. “EEP!!” he groaned as he fell to the floor. “What are they doing here?” Not that he didn’t already know…They had either come to reprimand him for blinding them, or come to talk more about the gang and trying to reconcile with them. “Snapshot?” called Twilight. “Please, we just want to talk to you.” “We don’t want any trouble.” added Cadance. “We’re not angry at you either.” Snap still didn’t know if he could trust them, and knowing he would let them in meant he would have to hear about the gang again, but seeing as there was no other way to clear his conscience, and he agreed to let them in. He apologised whole-heartedly for what he did, and they two mares expressed their forgiveness, he felt most relieved… at least for that part. “That’s not why you’ve really come, is it?” he asked. Spike quickly answered, “No, we came to talk about you and your friends.” Snap sighed and hung his head low. “We talked with them, and we know about your avoiding them.” said Cadance. Neither she nor the others explained how they spied on him; fearing it would make them look bad. They also didn’t tell him that the gang was right outside, behind the fence, and once again using the viewing spell to listen in on everything that was said. Pirouette did all she could to keep herself from freaking out. All the others hoped the trio could convince Snap to change his mind about seeing them again, but Slam was still being grumpy about it, however he didn’t want to make any more scenes for fear of getting the others mad at him, especially his mare friend. The trio spoke with Snap as best they could. “I’m sorry, but the answer is “No.” said Snap. “I just can’t hang with them again; especially not Pirouette. I just can’t settle for being just friends with her. It makes me sound selfish, yes-- I admit it, but look at it this way… If I don’t hang out with her and the gang, I don’t have to suffer, and they don’t either.” “But they ARE suffering.” Twilight protested. “They miss you lots, and they hate that you’re avoiding them like this, and the way you’re behaving is completely unhealthy.” Snap blinked once in confusion. Cadance spoke, “I know that heartbreak seems harsh, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw away all your friends because of one pony.” Snap began to feel his shame and guilt creep up on him again, and it did burn. He thought of all the others-- Red, Pierce, Droplet, and especially his best pal, Seeker. He missed him dearly, and all the good times they used to have-- playing sports, or studying, and Seeker even knew of shots Snap could take for the paper. But of course, there was still the difficulty of having to hang with Pirouette and Slam if he hung out with any of his friends. “It’s no use.” he said “No matter what way I go… there will be pain and upset. At least this way it’s not as harsh. I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it.” Spike sighed, and shook his head. Then he looked up at the mares, and they were starting to realize the hopelessness of this too. “Whatever you decide, we won’t try to force you.” said Cadance. Snap was shaking painfully trying not to shed frightful and shameful tears. “I just can’t do it. Maybe I should just say goodbye to the gang for good.” The gang heard all this and gasped hard, and the trio didn’t like what they heard either. “…I’ll start over; make some new friends, and I’ll make sure not to let love get in my way ever again.” Normally, Twilight was all for the idea of starting over, but the say Snap was talking made her question it. “Snap, you can’t mean that.” He just gave her a strict look. “…I think he does.” said Spike. Cadance didn’t know what to think or say anymore. It was obvious, even to her, that nothing they could say or do would convince him to change. She hated to fail her first-ever Friendship Mission, but she was starting to think this was all for the best. “Now wait just a minute!” snapped a voice at the door. Everyone turned and saw the gang standing there. Some of them looking cross, especially Slam, while Seeker and Pirouette looked deeply concerned. Snap’s features hardened. “What are you all doing here?” “Trying to stop you from doing something really stupid and morally wrong.” sneered Red. “Snap, you can’t just abandon us like this,” scolded Pierce. “Just because you’re not happy that Pirouette doesn’t want to date you doesn’t give you the right to up and abandon all of us like this. It makes you look selfish and insane.” Snap was growing angrier and felt most insulted. “So what are you saying?” he spat. “That you’d rather I just hang with you guys and see Pirouette with some pony else, and let it bring me pain?!” Slam stepped forth and let it out with all he had, “No… what we’d rather you stop being such a spoiled and bratty colt, and learn to grow up and GET OVER YOURSELF!!” “Slam!” snapped Pirouette. “You stay out of this!” he thundered at her. “I’ve had just about enough of all this “Oh, poor Snapshot.” As far as I see, we don’t owe him anything!” “I never said you did owe me anything!” protested Snap. “What I am though is sick and tired of others telling me how to live my life just because they want it so.” he paused. “So in a way… that makes you just as worse as you make me out to be.” Just as Twilight was about to break the two up and insist they calm down, Pirouette beat her to it, shouting. “STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!!” The entire room went silent and everyone was gawking at her. First she scolded her Colt-Friend. “Slam, this is exactly the attitude that’s driving this group apart in the first place.” Slam was shocked at her. “Pirouette…” “Don’t try and defend yourself!” she balked at him. “We’re all supposed to be friends here, and do we act like it? No! We boss him around; we demand he do as we say. Is that how a friend is supposed to behave?!” The rest of the gang members, even Slam rubbed the backs of their heads, or looked down at the floor nervously. Pirouette then turned to face Snap, and rather than scold him, she spoke calmly and carefully. “Snap…” she paused “I’m really sorry that you’re hurt, and I’m very sorry for what I said, but you are important to me; you’re important to us all.” The others nodded, especially Seeker. “We’ve all been bad friends to you,” he said. “That was wrong of us. We knew you liked Pirouette, and we tried to push you into getting over yourself.” Droplet was starting to soften up herself and feeling less angry. She stepped up next to Seeker and nodded in agreement with him. Then Red stepped up, and Pierce too. For all their pleas and sincerities, Snap was moved deep down, but not nearly enough, even Pirouette could see this without him saying, “…I’m sorry, but I just can’t do it. I don’t want to cause trouble for you guys, for myself. Even if I came back to the group, then we’d all just be bending over and trying too hard to make it work, and it still may not matter. I’m sorry, but I think it’s best if we don’t.” Faces turned bluer than a wet weekend, some of the friends shook their heads in dismay. “Look…” said Red “We won’t force you, like you said, but if you ever do get the guts to find the strength, we’ll all be here waiting for you.” The others all nodded agreeing that the friendship was not truly over, but just on “Pause” They all had some thinking to do themselves. With that settled, Twilight suggested everyone clear out of the house and give Snap the space he needed to deal with his emotions. Snap was left alone to surrender to the despairing state he had asked for. “Poor guy.” said Spike. “I hope he makes it.” “So do I.” agreed Twilight. Cadance felt really bummed. “My first friendship mission; a failure…” “Not really.” said Twilight. “Our job is just to sort out the problems, and help those involved understand Friendship better. In a way, that’s what we did. Now Snap can take time to find himself, and the others know what it means to be better friends.” Her sister-in-law felt no better, and there was worse to come. “What are you talking about?” wailed Slam. “You heard me.” said Pirouette. “I need a break too. Maybe we all could use one.” “Look, I’m sorry for the way I acted.” protested Slam. “Don’t let this whole mess affect you too.” “Oh? But you let it affect you!” protested Pirouette. “That’s why you said all those mean things about Snap.” “Pirouette, come on…” “No, Slam! Like I said, I just need a break myself right now. I need time to think.” Then she walked off. She hadn’t broken up with him, or the gang like Snap did. She just wanted space. The rest of the gang shook their heads pitifully at Slam before turning to walk down the road without him. Slam could only kick a small rock in the road, but then he felt ashamed. Whether or not he and Pirouette would continue dating, or however this friendship with the gang and Snap would lead… …Only time would tell.
