mylittlejamjar | 10th E-Book: The Crippling Shame of Reflection [Visual]

(Twilight's face is a bright red with half of it hidden behind a hoof. It takes her some time to find the composure to actually speak after that cripplingly incriminating post, but after some time, she speaks up. Her displeasure is suppressed and her tone is flat.)

I just want to make one thing clear: I'm not attempting to gain sympathy here. There's no sympathy to be gained from this. All I'm doing is explaining myself.

(She sighs.)

Yes, I do feel uncomfortable around changelings. Yes, it's racism and yes, I'm aware of it. I know that racism is unacceptable, but it's a part of me I haven't fully worked out yet. Simply put: all of my previous interactions with changelings were less than preferable.

There was the royal wedding, of course. The marriage of Cadence and Shining Armor, my now sister-in-law and my brother. The first invasion happened, it was repelled, the marriage was saved and it ended at that...for everyone but me. Mayfield made me see...experience an alternate ending to that day. An ending where Chrysalis won. Everyone I knew and loved died. Equestria was falling apart and even the changelings were dying off. Nobody won in that future; try as I did, everything lead to failure. It all died with a whimper. The logical conclusion would've been to direct my emotions solely at Chrysalis...but it's not easy being logical when you see the world around you literally fall apart.

So naturally, current events left me incredibly uncomfortable.

I'm not going to deny what's there. I want to work it out of my system, but until then, that's what I have to deal with. To all changelings listening in, I apologize for my negative behavior. It in no way represents Equestria's outlook on interspecies relationships; only mine. Hain, consider this an official apology on behalf of Andrew and myself. To everyone else...I apologize.

(Twilight refrains from mentioning Chrysalis any more than she needs to, for risk of enraging herself and worsening everyone else's opinion of her. She rolls up her scroll after her message ends.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You of all ponies...

I am so disappointed in you I don't even know what to say, Twilight.

You can belittle me for it. You can call me a hypocrite, too. You have plenty of options.

I'm just disappointed. You're better than this.

I know...

(There's really nothing for Twilight to argue. She said her piece and that was all she had to say.)

I don't understand it. Especially since you've been around non-ponies, too.

...guess now I know why you never listened to me when I suggested you visit Hain.

(Twilight rubbed her foreleg with a hoof.)

...I panicked.

Why?

Because I saw everything I knew and loved die.

But it wasn't real. It didn't happen. And even if it had, it wasn't anypony's fault but Chrysalis.

I know the blame is entirely Chrysalis', but I ended up blaming every changeling in existence as well. I don't want to judge an entire species like that, Rainbow, but I do so subconsciously. I want it to stop...I really do.

Besides, you know I can't discount something because it "wasn't real."

We're not getting into that discussion again.

You should spend more time around the changelings.

Assuming any of them would want to spend time with me. I just confessed to racism against them.

Especially with Chrysalis not Queen any more, a lot of them are... pretty innocent. I don't think you'd have as much trouble as you think.

You think so?

Twilight. Think. Who's their new queen?

...You're right. Melissa will do a much better job than Chrysalis. Even if they still use a hivemind, at least theirs won't be linked with Chrysalis' anymore.

...Rainbow, you know I'll always care about you, right? I know you can take care of yourself, but if you really needed my help, you'd tell me, right?

She won't just do a better job, she's going to influence them to like ponies and work with them. Like they are. And you might thing that's dangerous, that they can be affected by their queen so much, but the only difference between them and ponies is that it's a lot quicker change for us. Imagine how ponykind would be, if our wise and powerful ruler had been Chrysalis! Or Nightmare Moon, or King Sombra. Sure, we wouldn't change overnight, but after a thousand years under them, we'd be worse than the changelings. A lot worse.

[Rainbow winds down this speech, not entirely sure where it had come from, but not questioning at all its veracity. She believes what she's said, even if she hadn't really thought about it until just now.]

And you know I would, Twilight. We're friends.

(Rainbow had a point. As much as the thought of a unified mind bothered her (for particularly Mayfieldian reasons), at least theirs is one who's understanding and willing to work things out not through violence, but reasoning, communication and respect. And if any of those three were to really have lead ponykind...

...She doesn't like thinking about such alternate timelines. Just one of them messed her up badly enough. After a moment of thought, Twilight nods.)

Alright. I'll give them a chance. And I'll be here, if you ever need me.

I know, Twilight.

Same goes for me, too.

[What's she supposed to say? All she can do is... hope that Twilight will see the light. As understandable as her feelings are, she can't hate an entire species like that. It just can't be.]

10th E-Book: The Crippling Shame of Reflection [Visual]

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