Rainbow Dash took in a long, firm, deep breath, and then pushed the door open, violet eyes looking all around the bookstore. She was determined to find the next Daring Do novel that had come out. True, the blue-furred Pegasus had to confess, most of the copies were sold out according to Twilight, but she wanted to try to find it all the same.

"I'm sure there's a copy in here SOMEWHERE." She told Twilight as the two made their way down the bookstore's ailes. Rainbow Dash glanced left and right, peering at the various Daring Do novels on sale before taking notice of someone who was looking over a large book just across from Daring Do's latest installment: "Daring Do and the Crystal Skull".  She'd heard mixed reviews about this one, but that wasn't what got her attention. No, what got her attention was the ugly old schmuck reading the immense book nearby. It was JERRY. Jerry, the UFO-shaped monster, who was looking into a book on monster-human relations and...

Looking over it with an odd, almost unearthly white Earth Pony that almost looked familiar, with deep black eyes. "Well, what do you think?" The Earth Pony inquired of Jerry.

Jerry raised a existent eyebrow. "This is is all Daring Do's research based on her expeditions to the Monster Ruins and the Underground she's done?"

"Yes. Do you find it to your liking, pray tell?" The Earth Pony asked. "I admit, it's still a first edition, it's getting updated every time a new discovery is made."

"There's nothing in here about my family, and little about humans that isn't just plain ridiculous." Jerry said. "EPIC FAIL."

"Your EXISTENCE is an Epic Fail." Rainbow Dash remarked as Jerry and the Earth pony turned around, the Earth Pony sighing as he stepped slightly away, Jerry "harrumphing" as the odd-smelling monster glared at her. "I didn't think a bully like you would even know how to read."

"If I know how to wifi, I know how to read." Jerry snidely commented. "What is the big jock Rainbow Dash doing here? Shouldn't you be blowing apart clouds for fun?"

"I'll have you know I'm not just some dumb jock. I've read ALL the Daring Do novels and know every one of them by heart. She's a brilliant, amazing archeologist and I won't have you trashing ANY of her work!" Rainbow Dash insisted, slamming a hoof on her chest as Jerry tossed the book he had at her, the book THWACKING her in the face.

"It's a load of crap. She doesn't know anything about what really happened." He said, Twilight raising an eyebrow up. Huh?

"Does anyone, really?" The Earth Pony mysteriously mused, vanishing into the nearby aisles almost like a ghost as Rainbow Dash snorted.

"And you would?" She inquired, picking up the book and trotting off to go put it back as Gerald folded his arms over his chest, then sighed as he walked towards the 'History' section, picking up a biography that Mettaton had written, which brought up his grandfather, the Royal Magician for the Kingdom of Monsters...one of the monsters who had taught humans the art of magic.

"...yeah. I would." Jerry softly muttered as Twilight approached him, a notebook hovering out of her belt pouch as she took out a quill.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Like you really wanna hear. And it's a long story."

"No, I do. I'm a student of magic. I like long stories." Twilight insisted with a nod. "Please, tell me everything you can. Don't you want to talk about yourself?" She added with a small smile, trying to appeal to his vanity before she saw Jerry's eyes gain a quality she'd never seen before.

"It ain't about ME."

...

...

...

...He held his hand up, trying to focus, cringing as he grit his teeth. His body shook, vibrating intensely as faint light glowed off his body, and the long-haired human concentrated hard as he could. Deep brown eyes gazed intensely at the gold coin below him as his teacher sat nearby, calmly waiting.

"Magic is more than just knocking things down. This is very simple, Leopold."

Leopold cringed. His grey hair felt hot and heavy against the longsleeve white shirt he wore, and he panted and heaved, light glowing more fiercely off his form. But though it emanated brightly off his body, the gold coin remained on the ground in the large stony church hall. Soft light filtered in through the stained glass windows of the Holy Roman Empire's finest purchase in the valley, casting the room in a soft glow of natural light.

But still, despite his best efforts, Leopold couldn't get the coin to rise up. Though it shook and shook back and forth on the stony grey floor beneath him...

It wouldn't rise. He flopped onto his cotton panted behind, groaning, scratching at the golden circlet he wore atop his head as his teacher frowned, shaking his unique head back and forth. "I cannot do it! 'Tis simply impossible!"

"One who believes in the impossible will never get ANYTHING done." Gerald remarked, the circlet-wearing monster walking towards Leopold and the coin, nonchalantly placing a long-armed hand right on Leopold's shoulder. Gerald the Monster Magician was a unique specimen, his entire body was a head, with a large, mountain-like middle atop of an oblong frame, with long, thin arms and three thin legs. He had faint freckles on his pale form, and three spikes atop his long and tall "hill" that was the central region of his head, and the golden circlet on his head displayed the symbol of the Kingdom of Monsters, proudly gleaming in the light of the church. "Now."

He tightened his grip on Leopold's arm, the youth cringing before rising back up, Gerald holding his hand. "Alright. Alright." The human magician sighed, holding his other hand up again, Gerald closing his eyes and calmly breathing and out. The young human's body faintly glowed, Gerald's eyes shooting open as a glitter came to his pupils, and Leopold could see the coin rising higher and higher, finally depositing itself in the nearby poor box as Leopold lowered his hand.

"There. Was that truly so difficult?" Gerald inquired.

"But I only succeeded because you were holding my hand." Leopold protested, shaking his head back and forth, long hair flopping about. "Such an action is hardly commendable."

"Leopold, I am all about bringing out potential. I shall do the same with you that Smartblook did with his apprentice, the very first royal magician. But even better, for I shall not explode after I perform a spell, and neither will you." Gerald promised, taking Leopold's hands and shaking them, giving him a wry smile.

"Gerald, REALLY!" Leopold said with an admonishing frown. "The man was blown to pieces! The court was amazed his spirit survived and transformed into a ghost!" He then scratched his head. "Which makes me wonder. When is a ghost a monster spirit and when is it a human spirit?"

"What I've always wondered is where the skeleton family cometh from." Gerald confessed as they exited the church, hands behind his back as he walked down the long path, past people who were staring and glaring at Gerald. They were somewhat staring at Leopold, but most of their bile seemed to be directed at Gerald. "There are tales that they're not normal monsters at all, but descendants of humans. But I feel the answer may be something else entirely. Their unique bloodline magic that allows them to manipulate matter in such a way makes me feel as though they're otherworldly."

"But I can lift matter about and the like when you assist me."

"Thus, my hypothesis. Their form of magic is meant to be used by humans. I've yet to met a single monster who can do what they do, but human magicians all know that type of spell quite easily."

"I KNOW it, but I surely cannot DO it."

"Give it time." Gerald said calmly, nodding at Leopold. "You'll find the type of magic that's your forte, and you'll do spectacularly with my guidance, of this I've no-"

But  before he could finish, a faintly draconic, faintly bird-like monster with icy wings bumped hard into Gerald as he passed by in the road, Gerald cringing as he nursed his shoulder, Frostdrake smirking slightly at the unfortunate teacher. "My apologies, Gerald. I meant to hit your pet monkey."

Leopold was about to step forward, but Gerald held a hand up, shaking his head back and forth, his human student glancing about. Hundreds of eyes were upon them all, peering out from windows, or watching from across the way, peering out of alleys. The city was on the border of the kingdoms, a joint venture between monster and human, but monsters had a slight majority. It would not be prudent to act.

Frowning slightly but sighing, Leopold stepped back as Gerald dusted himself off, Frostdrake smirking. "You've trained your monkey well."

"One day you will find we shall ALL walk down the street together." Gerald just said, Frostdrake giving him a "harrumph" as the two made their way towards the front gate to go to their usual spot out in the large stretch of plains that surrounded the city. A faintly fish-like woman in powerful-looking silver and grey armor stood there at the drawbridge, standing by the crank with a gauntleted hand resting on it, golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"Gerald, I must ask. Why is it it that you teach this human magic? Many of our kind are unsettled at the prospect of a human gaining our boon. A human having such power is discomforting to us."

"Well, now you know how my kind feel every single day here." Leopold harshly snapped back, arms folded across his chest as Melusine the Royal Guard's black pupiled eyes looked him over. "What, pray tell, should stop one such as yourself from entering our homes and killing us in our slumber? Even a whelp such as I could wrestle a knife-wielding drunk to the ground. Should you or one such as Pyrope or Frostdrake enter my home with the desire to kill, we would be in pieces before we could take so much as a step. Every day we fear we may anger one of you too much, and you will lash out and make us perish."

"Our concern is that if you are taught magic, our own kind will be less powerful. We will have no advantages, we will be lessened and made weak." Melusine commented quietly.

"Did the works of Jesus the Christ taketh away from the works of Moses? Or did they not build upon the majesty of the Lord, God? The raising of one does not equal the lowering of another." Gerald reasoned as he placed his hands together and slightly bowed his head, Melusine looking the two over, thoughtfully rubbing her chin.

"Perhaps you present a fair point." She confessed freely. "Enjoy your time out there. I've much to do. The new recruits to the Royal Guard are foolish little pups who have much disicipline to be whipped into them."

"I hope thou will be slightly more lenient on thy child than your newcomers to the guard." Gerald offered as Melusine rested a hand on her swollen belly and chuckled. "How is the little one doing?"

"Undyne is a kicker." Melusine giggled softly, turning the crank on the drawbridge and allowing the two to walk over the moat and towards a far-off bench, sitting down as a soft wind blew and they just allowed its touch to drift over them. The grass in the plains drifted about in the wind as Leopold slightly hesitated, and then spoke.

"Gerald, I must ask of you. Why me? Why did you not choose another human to teach magic with? After all, the former Royal Magician asked to teach that delightful young human prince, and even though his tragic accident has left him an apparition, he still is able to impart much. But why did you not choose, perhaps, the new acolyte of magic over in the new world I've heard of? In the land of Arcadia, they speak tales of him and his mastery over elemental magic, which is in dire need of a steady hand to guide him." Leopold confessed. "Would you not have leapt at the chance to work for a future master of the elements? I don't even know what my truest talent is."

"You shall discover it the same way my family did. I chose you because I see in you myself." Gerald confessed. "I...my species is unique among monsters. We have no abilities of our own but the skill to empower others. Without helping others, we are nothing. Worthless. We are the runt of the litter, looked down upon for the little we can do. But I see greatness in you." Gerald offered, the monster taking Leopold's hand. "And I want to bring that out."

"It must be hard knowing that you can't match others efforts in magical skill. That if someone such as Frostdrake should persecute you, you cannot do much."

"Another reason I and my family sympathize with you. We are much in the same boat, and might as well be humans ourselves. Birds of a feather must flock together." Gerald said, giving Leopold a firm handshake before leaning back on the bench, gazing out at the grassy plains. The sunset was casting golden rays that danced upon the meadows that surrounded the high walls of the city, the main castle far off in the distance as he sighed. "Everything is so beautiful in the sunlight, no matter what time of day it is."

Leopold nodded softly, smiling in delight. "I could sit here and look at this forever. But I must also say, I've...not truly thanked thee for taking me under your wing."

Gerald simply smiled. "I require no gratitude. Your success will be...epic. Of this I've no doubt."

...

...

...

... Twilight's mouth slightly gaped, her notebook lowered in her hooves as she looked at Jerry, the white-furred earth pony watching from afar, sitting in a chair as he calmly rested his hooves in his lap. Jerry quietly finished his tale, sighing as he took out his cell phone,  beginning to text. "So...now you know why monsters hate my family."

"...did...you start acting this way because they hated your family for their relationship with humans, or were you like this before, though?" Twilight inquired as Jerry slightly shrugged.

"I don't even remember anymore. All I remember is the hate." He mumbled, texting away on his cell phone before putting it away. "My grandpa was the first one up against the wall when monsters decided to get even with human sympathizers, along with anyone else who taught humans magic."

"That's horrible!" Twilight said, cringing before Jerry gave her a look.

"Don't get too up on your moral high horse, pony. What about your kind and how you treat Changelings? You guys STILL don't trust 'em much even though you got a truce. Name a single Changeling shopkeeper or author or something that you've got in this town or Canterlot or ANYWHERE."

Twilight cringed more harshly at this, slightly looking away. It was true, truce with Chrysalis or not, many a pony still did NOT like Changelings.

"Everyone has treated everyone like crap." Jerry muttered. "And they always will find some reason to do it. It's a lesson I had to learn early."

"I don't think that's true. Didn't Leopold love your grandfather for all he did?"

"..." Jerry bit his lip. "...not everyone can be like ol' Leo. Or like Frisk. Or even like you, egghead." He said, heading for the exit, reaching for the doorknob before briefly turning back around. "...and don't tell anyone I told you this." He muttered. "Not like anyone would care. I don't really need a pity party from 'em. I just wanted you to understand."

With that, he opened the door and headed out, Twilight sighing as she watched him go, Rainbow Dash trotting over to her, the newest Daring Do novel in her mouth.

"God 'id!" She proclaimed, blinking as she saw Twilight's face, putting the novel in her own satchel. "What's with you?"

"Sometimes I wonder if there's anything you can do for people who grow up being taught they're hated." Twilight admitted.

"Is this about Jerry? Folks hate him cuz he's gross-looking and smells bad." Rainbow Dash muttered, rolling her eyes.

"They don't just hate HIM. He's told me they've hated his entire family for years. Can you imagine what that must do to someone?" Twilight asked. "How do you change how people feel about you when hating you is all they've known?"

"If Chrysalis can do it, why can't he?"

"But you don't even really LIKE her."

"...guess you're right." Rainbow Dash admitted with a shrug. "But I'm not as smart as you. I don't have the answer to that. What IS someone supposed to do?"

Twilight looked out the window of the bookstore, Jerry sitting on a bench across the way, head hung as he texted on his cell phone, and she sighed.

"...I don't know."