The mountain of merchandise began piling up next to me. I knew the chances of getting exactly what I was looking for weren't high, with so many possible options... but still, it stung every time I used a card. Plushies, posters, figurines, mugs, keychains, clothes... everything kept stacking while Elise grew more and more surprised. The images on the items gave her a first impression of what I planned to show her, but instead of satisfying her curiosity, they only made it worse.
Honestly, I would've loved to skip all this effort, but I had no other way. I hadn't actually seen the show myself, just fragments and spinoffs. A movie I saw with my sister —which included humans—, a couple of scattered episodes, some video essays, songs, fanmades, isolated fanfics... really, I had no clear idea. But luckily, after insisting enough, I finally managed to get what I wanted: pirated DVDs with a few movies and seasons, and some more official ones with more consistent, complete content. It was a considerable waste of time and resources... and also quite stressful, but I finally had it.
Elise stood off to the side throughout the whole process. I was already using the projector to generate a floating screen in the air. And just like that, it began.
—"My little ponyMy little ponyAaah aaah…"
I sat on a transfigured stone beside Elise. She kept her eyes fixed on the screen, captivated by the bright colors and music. It was completely different from when we watched human movies. The only time she had shown this level of focus was during The Lion King, which she somewhat liked... but not this much.
The first episode ended, and Elise hadn't looked away once. She only broke her focus to ask me questions, which I tried to answer with the little knowledge I had. Then came the second... the third... the fourth... and before we knew it, we had finished the entire first season. We moved on to the second… and continued like that. Fortunately, I had activated double temporal speed in the area we were in.
I was amazed at how absorbed Elise was in the story. I even think she was forcing herself to pay close attention, as if she were trying to understand something important.
When the final episode of the fourth season ended, everything went quiet. Elise was still there, motionless, staring at the black screen. She was clearly deep in thought.
"Why didn't you show me this before? What were you hiding from me?" she finally asked.
"It never crossed my mind," I admitted honestly. "That series was buried somewhere deep... something I only started to remember after you transformed into an alicorn…"
"Like Celestia, Luna, or…" she murmured, understanding where I had gotten the name of her species back then.
"Yeah. That's what I thought of the moment I saw you."(Red)
"Did you want me to be like them?" she asked, trying to gesture toward the black screen with her hoof, imitating the movements of the equines in the series — though her anatomy was still different.
"No, it was pure coincidence… but an interesting one," I said with a smile. "Besides, they're not exactly the same. It's just a cartoon."
"Did you like this cartoon?" she asked, still lost in thought.
"I'd never watched it like this before, not in full, but... yeah, I guess it's entertaining. I only knew about it because it had a huge fanbase," I replied.
"A big fanbase? A lot of people like equines?" she asked, her gaze turning more intense—almost serious.
"Yeah, it was a pretty big group. And I think I get why… the show's not bad. And honestly, it'd be hypocritical of me to deny my love for magical equines… considering you," I sighed, fully aware of the irony, though I didn't regret a thing.
"Which alicorn do you like the most?" she asked while rummaging through the pile of merchandise.
"You," I smiled and blew her a kiss.
"From the ponies…" she snorted, but I could feel her happiness. I could also sense how dangerous it would've been not to say that.
"They're all cute in their own way. I guess I like each one for different reasons… I don't think I could pick just one," I answered with evasive diplomacy.
"And if you had to choose for a relationship like ours?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
A cold sweat ran down my back. It was one of those questions. The kind your partner asks that puts you right on the edge of a cliff. And the worst part was that I could feel Elise's divine power. She had learned to use it to sense the truth. In theory, it shouldn't affect me due to my own abilities... but since I carried the "kindness of Elise" inside me, it had turned into a kind of lie detector — and unfortunately, it did work on me.
I shook my head, knowing there was no escape.
"I don't know… Celestia?" I said at random. I really couldn't decide.
"Why? What does she have?" she asked. But her tone wasn't jealous... it was more inquisitive, like she was searching for a point of comparison.
"Powerful, motherly... huge ass…?" I replied without much conviction.
"How do you know she has a huge ass? I didn't see her with one that stands out that much. If that were the case, everyone in that world would have one," she said, puzzled and skeptical.
"There's… a lot of porn about her," I replied without thinking. Yeah, that was one of the ways I first learned about the show.
"Porn?" she repeated, now with a much more intense tone in her voice.
"It's…" I scratched my head, already feeling a headache coming on, but I still tried to explain. "Like movies, shows, and other media made to arouse you. Stuff you watch to, you know… have sex."
Before I realized it, Elise had shoved me to the ground and was now on top of me, her face dangerously close.
"You watched things to get aroused by other mares?!" she shouted, part outraged, part hurt.
"Yes— I mean, no! I mean, it was a long time ago, and it was just one of many random porn things I stumbled across," I tried to explain, desperately wishing she'd calm down and get off me—though she clearly wasn't planning on it.
"And when were you going to tell me? You watched other mares in the past! Then why did it take you so long to... mate with me?!" (Lys)
"I barely remembered! And like I said, it was just one among tons of stuff... And stop yelling at me!" I raised my voice, hoping it would snap her out of it.
"But it still means you could do it with them!" she insisted, wounded.
Despite her tone, thanks to our connection, I could feel that what was really eating away at her wasn't anger… it was insecurity.
"What does that Celestia have that I don't? Why does she attract you more?" she asked, her voice softer now. I calmed myself and hugged her, trying to transmit my emotions. Using the [Calm] ability wasn't as effective anymore—her level of existence had become too high.
"It wasn't particularly Celestia. There was content about a lot of characters," I explained, sitting up and gently lifting her now that she no longer resisted.
"And what do they have… that I don't…?" she murmured, more to herself than to me.
"They don't have anything, Elise. It's your power to grow—by taking control of your emotions," I said as I gently stroked her.
It was true: Elise was unstable. Her body and mind hadn't fully adapted to the divine power now coursing through her, constantly enhancing her. And considering how far we still were from fully expanding her world… that stability would take time. Worst of all, Elise was already an emotional being by nature.
"Who do you like more? Them or me?" she asked again, activating her truth-sensing ability.
"You," I replied honestly, without looking away from her eyes.
"And if you didn't know me? If I were just an ordinary unicorn, and you had to choose one of them or me… who would you choose as a partner?" she asked, now with full clarity.
At that moment, I fell silent. I knew anything I said—she either wouldn't like it or would know it was a lie. But that silence was enough. I saw it in her face, in the way she lowered her gaze, hurt.
"Why, if we're the same… do they win?" she said through clenched teeth, stomping the ground in frustration. "Even though I try everything to make you like my form…"
It was a sincere complaint about the loneliness of being the only non-human partner—a kind of confirmation that her species wasn't attractive. But now, this new situation planted a deeper doubt: Was she not beautiful enough?
"It's not that, Elise," I tried to reassure her. "They're not the same, and this was just a hypothetical question. Yes, they have traits I find attractive—but nothing you can't surpass."
"What do they have? What makes us different? If we're both equines and you prefer them… what do they have that I don't?" (Lys)
She stood up suddenly and walked over to the projector. Clumsily but with determination, she used magic to rewind the footage to a scene where the alicorns were gathered. She sat back down, eyes locked on the screen.
"Tell me," she ordered calmly but firmly, visibly struggling to hold in her emotions. "Tell me what you like about them, one by one."
I approached and sat beside her, leaning against her body. I could feel her trembling slightly. She was hurt, confused, but still willing to listen. I decided to be honest—because she deserved nothing less.
"I guess… I like their legs. And their butts," I said in a neutral tone, looking at the image.
"I have a big butt too," she snapped back immediately.
"Yes. And it's beautiful, Elise. A big, strong butt, worthy of a powerful mare. But… it's different. Theirs has a different aesthetic—softer, more stylized. I don't know. Their legs are also fuller. Yours are fine, but sometimes I can see the bones, and I don't like that—not in humans, not in anyone. Plus, their joints are way more versatile. I guess the possibilities excite me," I confessed with full honesty. I knew truth was the only thing she would accept—even if that meant pointing out what I didn't like.
I saw Elise glance down at her legs. She had never considered them a flaw… until now. Still, she continued.
"What else?" (Lys)
"Their heads. They're rounder, with big eyes… very big." (Rojo)
"My eyes are big too," she whispered, uncertain. "And my snout...? Do you really not like it?"
"Elise… I love you. Just the way you are… Yes, your eyes are big, but not like theirs. The ones in the show are exaggeratedly large—but they're hypnotic. Of course, big eyes only work if they harmonize with the rest of the face. And their eyes are designed to look forward and to the sides at once. Yours—real equine eyes—are set to the sides."
"The big alicorns also have less round heads," she argued, as if trying to convince herself I was wrong.
"Yeah… and funnily enough, they're the ones I like most. That middle point between round and elongated… that's perfect to me," I said, destroying the last bit of confidence she was trying to hold on to.
"Anything else?" she asked in a near-whisper, like she didn't want to hear the answer.
"Well… I love Luna and Celestia's manes. That ethereal, floating quality. It gives them a magical aura. It's awesome." (Red)
"You're right about that," she snorted, as if everything else I'd said had been nonsense. "Now leave."
"What?" (Red)
"I want to be alone. I don't want to see you today," she said, not even angry—just wounded. "We'll continue working on my world later. There need to be changes… big ones. I don't know how we'll do it, but you will."
"Elise…" (Rojo)
I tried to touch her, but she turned her head sharply away.
"Don't touch me. You've insulted my body enough. And I haven't forgiven you." (Lys)
I sighed again. I knew that mood well—the phase where she'd pretend not to need comfort, while demanding it silently. But this time, the dynamic was different.
"Go! Seriously, I don't want to see you now. And if you expect me to forgive you someday… you'd better bring me a crown bigger than Celestia's… and those shiny things they wear on their hooves. Those are awesome! And you've never given me anything like that… Dummy!" she blurted, trying to sound hurtful, though her voice trembled more from frustration than actual anger. She didn't have the words to fully express what she felt, so she attacked however she could.
"Didn't you say you hated accessories?" I asked, confused. This wasn't like her… or like how these situations usually played out.
"Well now I do like them… now that I'm sure if any of those ponies were here, you would give those gifts to them!" she growled, turning her back to me. "Now go! I'm going to sleep… and spend the night thinking about how my stallion prefers other mares over me."
She shoved me away with a mix of resentment and sorrow, pushing me back. But just as I was crossing the doorway, her voice reached me one last time:
"And I'm keeping everything… the projector, the movies… and the plushies. All of them. I'll use them as a bed… or target practice for my magic. I'll decide later."Her tone was somewhere between vengeful and melancholic—like she wasn't sure whether she wanted to punish me or just find comfort in something that made her feel better.