Speak Up

Chapters

Starlight Arrives
Diamond Tiara's Earliest Memory
Memories Resurfaced
Revelations
The Furious Five
Fury of the Tempest
The Trial
Riot
Twilight's Announcement

Starlight Arrives

Twilight ran Trixie and Spike ragged getting the castle set up for Starlight’s visit. While Spike was to to sweep and mop the floors and prepare the food, Trixie was in charge of straightening up Starlight’s old bedroom. Though, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in this regard, largely in part of the fact that Starlight’s room had remained untouched since she’d first ventured out on her own, which may have been a problem in hindsight seeing as how almost everything within the room was coated in a fine layer of dust and dirt. There were even a few cobwebs strung out in the corners of the ceiling. Trixie was able to get rid of these with the pink feather duster that Spike seemed to be so fond of. Even when Spike was helping Trixie clean Starlight’s room via vacuuming the floor, the two of them still found time to argue regarding the name of their cart. They had thankfully come to a compromise, but were now arguing about whether the name should be The Dark Storm or The Mauve Avenger. Spike insisted that The Dark Avenger sounded cooler than The Dark Storm, while Trixie had the complete opposite opinion. She insisted that The Mauve Avenger alluded to mystery and intrigue, whereas The Dark Avenger sounded like some kind of superhero out of, as she put it, “some lame comic book.”

Spike let out an angry growl, throwing up his hands in frustration. “You’re impossible, you know that!?”

Trixie chuckled. “And that’s why you love me, Spikey-wikey.” She leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek against his. Spike shoved her away.

Trixie’s expression hardened. She cast an aggravated look around them, then fixed her glare on Spike. “You seem to be done in here, so why don’t you be a good little dragon and finish the hallway?” She motioned for him to head out the door.

Spike snorted. “Gladly.” He grabbed his broom and walked out.

Sighing, Trixie went back to removing the sheets and comforter from Starlight’s bed, figuring that the linens needed washing. She couldn’t even remember the last time they had been washed. She recoiled in disgust just thinking about it. Even if she wasn’t Rarity, she still had some standards when it came to cleanliness. Levitating the sheets behind her, she began making her way towards the laundry room.

While Trixie was busy washing Starlight’s bed sheets, Spike figured he might as well get busy preparing the food for Starlight’s visit. He found a roll of parchment resting on the counter near the stove. He looked at it with a dull expression at first, only for his eyes to widen in horror as the parchment began to unroll, dropping to the floor and rolling out the kitchen door. His eye twitched. “She’s got to be kidding,” he mumbled. “She wants me to make all of this!?” Hearing a chuckle, he whipped his head around to see Twilight walking in the kitchen, donning a chef’s hat and apron, both of which were so white that they temporarily blinded Spike.

“Don’t worry, Spike,” she said, “I’m here to help.”

He raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming across his face. “I don’t know. You in the kitchen cooking? Sounds like a bad idea to me.”

“Hey!” She playfully shoved him. She walked over to the stove and studied it closely, rubbing her chin in thought. “Now, uh, how do you turn this thing on?”

While Twilight fiddled with the switches and knobs on the stove, Spike, against his better judgment, studied the list in his hands. “You really want to make all of this?” he asked. He looked up at Twilight.

“Mm-hmm. Those are all of Starlight’s favorite dishes – whoa!” She suddenly leaped up, having pressed a switch that resulted in one of the burners igniting to life, nearly singeing her mane in the process. She hastily turned the burner off and gave Spike a pleading look. “Perhaps you could be of some assistance.”

Smiling, Spike rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Alright, I think it’s time you took some courses in cooking. First thing’s first . . .”

All three occupants of Twilight’s castle found it difficult to fall asleep on the eve that Starlight was set to arrive. While Twilight and Trixie were at the train station picking up Starlight, Spike would be back home making sure everything was ready for when Starlight arrived. True, they had gotten a lot of work done the previous day, but Twilight insisted that they do one more inspection to make sure that the place was completely spotless. Besides which, Spike also had to prepare the table for lunch. There was very little doubt in anypony’s mind that Starlight would be hungry after the long train ride from her old village to Ponyville.

Thankfully, Starlight wasn’t expected to arrive in Ponyville until early in the afternoon, which meant that Trixie, Twilight, and Spike spent their morning making sure the kitchen was clean once they’d finished up breakfast. It had been a light meal, seeing as how they would be having quite a banquet for lunch. They had each had omelets, each with their own individual drink. While Twilight had drank coffee, Trixie had fixed herself a glass of milk, while Spike had drank a glass of orange juice. He sat quietly, eating his omelet and occasionally taking a sip of his drink, while Twilight and Trixie chatted excitedly about all of the things that they were going to do while Starlight was in town. Trixie was elated about showing Starlight some of her newest magic tricks that she’d perfected so that she could use them in her magic show. Twilight was the same; she was ecstatic about seeing any kind of magic trick that Starlight had learned while she’d been away, as well as hear up on how she was doing in her friendship studies.

The time for leaving for the train station finally arrived. Spike stood at the front entrance of the castle, waving goodbye to Trixie and Twilight as they made their way down the road. Once they were gone, he sighed and closed the door, thankful for the two of them being away for the time being. Figuring that there was nothing else he could do to improve the castle, he decided to retire to his bedroom to read some comics.

By the time Trixie and Twilight arrived back at the castle with Starlight, Spike was working on his third comic book. He actually jumped when he heard Twilight call out, “Spike! Come say hi to Starlight!” He stowed his comic away and made his way to the front entrance, where he spotted Trixie, Twilight, and Starlight all waiting for him, smiling.

“Hi, Spike,” Starlight chirped, reaching out a hoof with a friendly smile. “How’s my favorite dragon?”

Spike gave her a pleasant smile, shaking her hoof. “Starlight.”

“Let’s get your things upstairs to your bedroom.” With her magic, Twilight grabbed a couple of Starlight’s suitcases, her former student getting the rest with her magic, and began leading the way upstairs. “And I hope you’re hungry, because once we’re done putting your things away, we’ve got quite a hefty lunch to get through.”

Starlight licked her lips at that. “Mm, great! I’m starved!” She followed Trixie and Twilight up the stairs, noticing Spike walking alongside her out of the corner of her eye. He walked ahead of her, walking between Twilight and Trixie.

“And here we are,” Twilight announced once they’d made it to Starlight’s room, pushing the door open and bowing, allowing Starlight to enter first.

“Wow,” Starlight cried, looking around. “It’s exactly how I left it.”

“Mm-hmm,” Twilight said.

Starlight bent down, taking a long whiff of her bed sheets. She beamed at Twilight and the others. “You even went through the trouble of washing my bed sheets for me?”

“Don’t thank me,” Twilight replied. She nodded her head towards Trixie. “Thank Trixie.”

Trixie smiled and bowed. “It was the least Trixie could do for her best friend, after all.”

Starlight gave the show mare a grateful smile. She ran up and hugged Trixie. “Thank you, Trixie.”

“Think nothing of it, Starlight,” Trixie replied, patting the unicorn’s head. “It is what friends do, after all.” She looked over at Twilight. “Or so I’m told.”

The four of them went about unpacking Starlight’s things and putting them up. Upon setting some pictures on her dresser, Starlight was surprised and elated to find that her mirror had been preserved. It looked as if it had even been recently cleaned; there wasn’t a speck of dust or dirt on it. She could see her reflection so clearly. She smiled at herself. She noticed that the pictures that Twilight had added to them were still there. She turned to Twilight and Trixie. “Okay,” she said, “I think that’s everything. We can do whatever is left later. Right now, this pony needs some food in her belly. Now” – she looked around the room excitedly – “where’s that lunch you were talking about, Twilight?”

Twilight giggled. “It’s just downstairs in the kitchen. Come on.” With a flick of her tail, she led the group back downstairs and to the kitchen. Starlight’s jaw dropped open upon them entering, seeing the table decked out in all of her favorite dishes, the sight and smells emanating from the food making her mouth water.

They quickly seated themselves at the kitchen and proceeded to dig in. Almost immediately, Trixie and Starlight started talking about all things related to magic, with Twilight adding in her own two cents every once in a while. Spike, for the most part, remained silent, quietly eating his food. It wasn’t until Trixie brought up the fact that both she and Spike would be competing in the Applewood Derby that Spike finally spoke up.

“You should come watch,” Trixie suggested, smiling brightly. She nodded towards Twilight. “I know Twilight will be there.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Twilight replied. “We’d be happy to have you with us. Speaking of which” – she looked over at Spike – “you guys have to get started on your cart.”

“We will as soon as we settle on a name,” Spike said.

“I told you, we’re naming it The Dark Storm,” Trixie said.

Spike shook his head. “No, we’re not. We’re naming it The Maybe Avenger.”

Starlight chuckled. “I think arguing over the name is silly, if you ask me.”

Spike nodded at that. “I suppose you’re right."

“You never answered my question earlier, Spike,” Starlight said. “How have you been?”

Spike took a drink, then set down his glass. “Fine. And you?”

“Things have been going great in my village. Sugar Belle has come a long way in her baking. I suppose I have Pinkie to thank for that. Baking with her seems to have rubbed off on me.”

Twilight grinned. “Great. Maybe sometime this week you can make dessert.”

“Sure,” Starlight said, shrugging. “What would you like? I’ve gotten really good at this baking thing, so I can practically make you anything you want.”

Trixie said, “Well, you know me, I love tea cakes, cinnamon nuts, apples, ice cream ––”

Starlight laughed. “Is there anything you don’t love?”

“Being upstaged, having my soul sucked out of me by an evil amulet, that sort of thing.” Both unicorns chuckled at that.

Starlight yawned and stretched her hooves. “As soon as this meal’s over, I feel like taking a nap. That ride here really took a lot out of me.”

“That sounds great,” Spike said. “I think I’ll take a nap too.”

Starlight grinned at him. “Maybe tonight I could put you to bed, just like I used to when I lived here. You can even wear those blue footie pajamas that you like so much. You know, the dark blue ones with the stars and moons on them.”

“Yeah, I always hated those,” Spike said.

Starlight frowned. She turned to Twilight. “Didn’t I get him those?”

Twilight thought for a moment and shook her head. “No, I think Luna might have gotten him those for Hearth’s Warming Eve one year.” She chuckled. “Leave it to Luna to get somepony something moon-related as a present.”

“Could I be excused, please?” Spike asked. He got up from his seat.

“Is everything okay?” Twilight asked, her head turning to watch him as he started walking out of the room.

He turned back to her and nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired, I guess. I think I’ll go take that nap now.” He yawned and stretched.

“Well, alright, then,” Starlight said. “Sleep well!”

“Speaking of naps, I hope you don’t mind me joining you,” Trixie said to Starlight, nuzzling her cheek against Starlight’s. “It’ll be just like old times, whenever I would sleep over.”

Twilight chuckled. “Just keep the noise level down, girls.”

“We’ll try, but we can’t promise nothing,” Trixie said.

“But, before you do that, Starlight,” Twilight said, getting up from the table, “would you like to have some dessert?”

Starlight licked her lips. “You bet!”

“Spike and I made all of your favorites.” Twilight started heading towards the kitchen. “Trixie, give me a hoof?”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “I suppose I could.” She tossed down her napkin once she was done wiping her mouth, sneaking in a peck to Starlight’s cheek just before she followed Twilight into the kitchen. She and Twilight returned moments later, levitating a pecan pie, cheesecake, and a bowl of banana pudding in their wake. They set them on the table.

Starlight licked her lips. “Mm, that looks great.”

“Help yourself,” Twilight offered, sitting down at the table once more, Trixie also returning to her seat beside Starlight.

“Don’t mind if I do.” Starlight levitated a piece of cheesecake onto her plate and immediately began digging in, while Trixie and Twilight busied themselves with eating a slice of pecan pie. “So,” she went on between mouthfuls of dessert, “I was wondering about Spike.”

“What about him?” Twilight asked.

“Well, he didn’t talk that much. It’s not like him.” She shook her head. “I don’t understand it.” She took a drink of her beverage.

Twilight sighed. “I don’t understand it either, Starlight. Did things end on a bad note just before you left?”

“No! Things between us were great! You should know, Twilight! We got along great!”

Twilight smiled. “I can attest to that. You two were always sleeping together.”

Trixie recoiled. “Ew! Gross, Twilight!”

“Not like that, Trixie,” Starlight and Twilight cried in unison.

“So you have no idea what’s wrong with him?” Starlight asked Twilight.

“Don’t take it personally, Starlight,” Twilight advised. “He’s probably just tired. I’m sure he’ll be in a better mood when dinner rolls around.”

“He usually perks up at dinnertime,” Trixie said.

Starlight stuffed another bite of cheesecake into her mouth. “Well, let’s not worry about that now. Why not try a little bit of everything?” And with that, she proceeded to pile a heaping amount of banana pudding onto her plate, along with a slice of pecan pie. She blushed upon seeing the surprised looks from Trixie and Twilight. “What can I say? I’ve missed Spike’s cooking.” She shoved a forkful of banana pudding into her mouth, grinning and letting out a pleased moan. “Wow! Try this, Trixie!” Without waiting to hear any objections from the mare, she popped another forkful of the pudding into Trixie’s mouth, making the mare’s entire face light up in delight.

“Whoa!” the show mare cried. With her magic, she grabbed her fork.

Starlight smacked it away. “I don’t think so,” she said playfully. “Get your own if you want some so bad.”

“Fair enough,” Trixie replied. She proceeded to do just that.

Spike pulled the covers up to his neck, sighing in content feeling his head falling onto the soft pillow beneath him. In his mind’s eye, a brief memory made its presence known. He remembered being in this room along with Starlight, her standing on her hindhooves, holding him in her hooves, and playfully spinning him around, making whooshing noises with her mouth. She let go of him and he landed softly on his bed. It was at this point that a single sentence came to his attention.

“Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey.”

Diamond Tiara's Earliest Memory

Chapter 3

The next day saw Spike roaming around the streets of Ponyville. Back at home, Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight were engaging in a three-way magic duel. Thus, Spike had made a hasty escape from the castle for his own safety, in spite of the fact that the three had taken safety precautions beforehand so that nopony would get hurt. Still, it paid to be on the safe side, hence why Spike was walking around looking for something to do.

He decided to go to Sugarcube Corner. It was near lunchtime anyway and he was in the mood for something sweet to eat. There was already a queue forming outside the front door to Sugarcube Corner. He went ahead and took his place in line, holding tightly onto the sack of bits he’d brought along with him.

“Next!”

Stepping inside the confectionery Spike spotted Pinkie behind the counter. Upon meeting his gaze, she beamed and waved at him. “Hey, Spike,” she said as he walked up to the counter. “What can I get you today? Turnover? Cake? Pie?”

“Could I get a strawberry turnover?” He reached inside his sack for a handful of bits. He deposited the correct amount onto the counter. In an instant, almost as if by magic itself, Pinkie was holding out a strawberry turnover for him. Grinning, he grabbed it, both of them thanking the other, before he walked off in search of an empty table. Scanning the area, he spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon seated at a booth, both sipping at a chocolate milkshake while they pored through a magazine. Walking over, he cleared his throat to get their attention. Once he had it, he asked, “Hey, Diamond Tiara, can I ask you a question?”

The filly shrugged. “Shoot.” She took a sip of her milkshake.

“What’s your earliest memory?” He bit into his turnover.

Diamond Tiara gave the dragon an odd look. “That’s a weird, random question.”

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes. “Just answer the question.” He swallowed his bite of food.

“Hmm, let’s see . . .” Diamond Tiara pondered to herself for a moment or two. Then, she said, “I was four years old. I didn’t invite Silver Spoon to my birthday party and she didn’t talk to me for a year.”

“I kind of regret that,” Silver Spoon said, popping the cherry from her milkshake into her mouth. Spike nudged her.

“What about you?” he asked her.

“I was seven,” Silver Spoon said, “and I’d signed up for the school talent show. Big day came. I went up on stage. And ended getting stage fright and peeing on myself.” Her face turned red. “It was, like, so embarrassing.” From across from her, Diamond Tiara could be heard laughing.

“It was hysterical,” she cried.

“No, it wasn’t,” Silver Spoon cried.

Still laughing, Diamond Tiara playfully nudged Spike. “Oh, you should’ve been there, Spike. The look on her face!”

Silver Spoon glared. “You’re one to talk, little miss I-can’t-make-a-rabbit-disappear.”

“At least I didn’t pee myself on stage in front of everypony in Ponyville!”

“No, you just proved you suck at magic.”

Her laughter dying down, Diamond Tiara turned to Spike. “Getting back on topic, why do you ask, Spike?”

Spike shook his head. “Anything after Starlight came into the picture is kind of foggy and hazy.”

“Well . . . there was a lot that happened after she arrived in Ponyville,” Diamond Tiara said. “That snowstorm in the Crystal Empire, that show with Trixie, spending Hearth’s Warming Eve together, the Changeling scare in the Crystal Empire, not to mention Chrysalis coming back for revenge.” She plucked her cherry off her own milkshake and popped it in her mouth. “Why are you bringing up Starlight Glimmer anyway? Is she back in town?”

“Only for a couple of days,” Spike said, taking another bite of his treat.

“What happens then?” Silver Spoon asked, resting the crook of her foreleg on the table and pressing her hoof against her cheek.

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know.” He smiled. “Trixie seems to be happy that she’s back.”

“You know, Daddy managed to book her for one of my parties one year,” Diamond Tiara said, smirking. “She was amazing!”

“That, she was,” Silver Spoon agreed.

Spike eyed the magazine resting between the two fillies. “What were you guys looking at?”

“Just trying to decide which colors would go best for our carts,” Diamond Tiara explained. “I hear you’re competing in the Applewood Derby this year?”

“Yeah, me and Trixie,” Spike said, nodding. “And you guys are going with your parents, I imagine?”

“I am,” Silver Spoon said.

“I’m not,” Diamond Tiara said. “Daddy has a business meeting in Fillydelphia and Mother wouldn’t be caught dead doing one of these things. So, it looks like it’s going to be me and Randolph again this year.”

“And I bet he’s helping you with your cart?” Spike tossed what was left of his treat into his mouth, quickly chewed it, and swallowed. Silver Spoon pushed her milkshake towards him and he gratefully took a drink.

“Well, duh,” Diamond Tiara replied. “I mean, who else would be?”

“Maybe when me and Trixie get done with our cart, we can help you,” Spike offered.

“Sure, why not? We could use the extra help.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Spike grinned. Hearing a bell jingle, he turned his head to see Starlight, Trixie, and Twilight walking in. He bid the fillies farewell, then walked over to the three mares. “Hey, you guys done already?”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “A three-way magic duel sure takes a lot out of you.”

“Tell me about it,” Trixie said with a groan, while Starlight giggled behind a hoof.

“Hey, Spike, why don’t you join us?” Starlight asked.

“I was just about to head out and go back home,” Spike said. “I just got done with my snack. Sorry, girls. I’ll see you guys back at the castle.”

“Okay, then.” Twilight and the others watched him leave. She turned to Starlight. “Starlight, why don’t you go ahead and find us a seat while me and Trixie order? I already know what you want.”

Starlight shrugged. “Sure thing.” She walked over to an empty table and sat down. Looking across from her, she noticed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She nodded at them and called, “Hey, cutie, what’s your name?”

Diamond Tiara flicked back her mane and said, “I’m Diamond Tiara.”

Starlight shook her head and nodded towards Silver Spoon. “I was talking about your friend.”

Silver Spoon blinked and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Me?” Starlight nodded. “I’m Silver Spoon.” Blushing, she began running her hooves through her pigtail.

“Starlight Glimmer,” the unicorn said. “Pleasure to meet you both.” She opened her mouth to say more, only to be caught off guard upon seeing Twilight and Trixie walking over with the food. She instantly began chatting with them as they dug into lunch.

Grinning, Silver Spoon turned to Diamond Tiara and said, “How weird was that?”

“I know, right?” Diamond Tiara replied, frowning. “For a moment, it was like I didn’t even, like, exist.” She downed the rest of her drink and slammed it down on the table, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Ready to go?”

Silver Spoon finished off her beverage as well and nodded. “Yep. Let’s kick it!” With Diamond Tiara, she made her way out of Sugarcube Corner.

“And the fork goes over here . . .” Trixie mumbled to herself as she helped Spike set the table. She looked over at him. “Knife goes inwards, towards the plate, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” Spike mumbled, setting down napkins at each individual seat.

Trixie grinned. “Great!” She finished setting the silverware out, then took a step back to observe the results. She smirked and crossed her hooves over her chest. “Looks good to me, wouldn’t you say?” Spike looked over her shoulder at the results and nodded his head. “Of course, what else could you expect except perfection from the Great and Powerful Trixie!?”

Spike smiled, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. “So, how are things going between you and Starlight?”

Trixie grinned. “Things are going great. It’s almost like she never left.”

Spike sighed and looked down at the floor.

“Is everything okay?” Trixie asked, giving him a concerned look.

“I just wish I could remember how it was before.”

Trixie chuckled. “How it was before,” she echoed. “I remember you hogging all of her attention.”

Spike looked up and blinked. “What?”

“Yep. Every time we would try to practice magic, you’d come in and she’d walk off with you to your bedroom to put you down for a nap, just to get you out of the way.”

“She did?”

“Yeah.” Trixie nodded. “But, things are different now, and you’re not going to steal her away from me like you did before. Just keep avoiding her like you have been doing since she got here, and things between us will be peachy keen. I’d like to get in some more magic practice and I’d love to learn some new magic from Starlight, if that’s okay with you.”

Spike nodded. “Fine by me. You get Starlight all to yourself and she stays away from me.”

Trixie sighed, casting a depressed look at the floor. “I’m not trying to be mean. I’d just like to spend as much time with Starlight as possible before she leaves again.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Why do you hate her?”

“What?”

“Starlight. You seem to really hate her all of a sudden.”

“What makes you say that.”

“Well, you’ve been avoiding her since she got here.”

“Trixie, I’d like to spend time with her. Really, I would. I just haven’t gotten the chance yet.”

“Then how about tomorrow?” a new voice asked. Spike spun around and Trixie looked up to see that Starlight, with Twilight right beside her, was walking in the room. She smiled down at Spike. “Why don’t we go out for ice cream? Or we could go to the park and fly some kites?” She sat down at the table.

“I think I’ll take you up on that offer to go fly kites,” Trixie said, sitting down right beside Starlight.

Starlight giggled. “Trixie, we spent the whole day together.” She rested a hoof on her chin and grinned at Spike. “I’d like to spend some time with Spike now.”

“Yeah, sounds great,” Spike replied, sitting down at the table beside Twilight.

“By the way, Trixie, I’ve got good news for you,” Twilight spoke up. “Starlight managed to book you a show.”

“Really?” Trixie looked at both unicorns in surprise.

“Yep, right after the Applewood Derby at three-fifteen,” Starlight said. She smiled at Twilight. “I was thinking we could go out, have a picnic just before the big race.”

“That sounds great!” Twilight beamed.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Spike asked. “I mean, with all of that racing ––”

“The race doesn’t start until half past one,” Twilight reminded him. “We can have lunch at noon. That should be more than enough time for your tummy to settle.”

“Exactly!” Starlight agreed, nodding her head. “Now, Spike, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll toss your salad for you.” She began mixing the salad in the bowl in front of her, smirking when Trixie laughed at her subtle joke. She dumped a heap of the stuff onto Spike’s plate. “There you go.”

“Thanks, Starlight.” Spike grabbed his fork and started eating. He looked over at Twilight. “So, while Starlight and I are hanging out, what do you plan on doing, Twilight?”

Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”

“I think I’ll go shopping,” Trixie said. She glared at Starlight. “Since I’m not wanted anywhere else.”

Starlight sighed. “Trixie, I told you, I want to spend some time with Spike. There will be plenty of time for us to hang out, just the two of us. I promise you.”

Setting down her glass, Twilight said, “You know, I was thinking, wouldn’t you like to go to the Crystal Empire sometime this week and see Sunburst?”

This caught Starlight’s attention. She looked up at her former teacher and nodded. “Yeah, that would be nice.” She licked some ranch dressing off her hoof. “And then maybe me and you can hang out sometime.”

Twilight shrugged. “Sure, why not? Maybe we could all go to the spa together.”

“I’m in,” Trixie cried, lifting up a hoof.

“Me too,” Starlight agreed, beaming.

“Spike, what about you?” Twilight asked.

Spike looked up at the three mares, his fork halfway to his mouth. He took a bite, then nodded his head. “Sure. I’ve been meaning to get my claws done anyway.”

“Then it’s settled,” Twilight said. “We’ll go as a group, sometime this week.”

“Feel free to invite the rest of the girls if you want,” Starlight suggested. “I’d love to spend some time with them too.”

“You’ve got it,” Twilight agreed. “Anything you want, Starlight. Whatever I can do to make your stay here more comfortable. All you have to do is ask.”

“Then would it be all right if I put Spike to bed tonight?” Starlight asked. Her question earned her odd looks from Twilight, Trixie, and Spike. She blinked. “What?”

“That’s a weird question,” Trixie spoke up. “I mean, Spike’s not a baby anymore. I’m sure he could put himself to bed.”

“I know,” Starlight said, “but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. It’ll be just like old times.”

“Actually, I do mind, thank you,” Spike said.

“Okay,” Starlight agreed. “I can take a hint. No means no.” She threw back her head and downed what was left of her drink in her glass. She lowered her head, licking her lips as she set down her glass. “Is there any more cider?”

“I’ll get it for you.” Twilight started to get up.

“No need.” With her magic, Starlight floated over the pitcher of cider, hitting Spike in the back of the head in the process. He winced in pain and rubbed the back of his head. She giggled. “Sorry, Spike.”

“You did that on purpose,” he said.

“I did not. It was a total accident.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet.”

“Oh, stop being so childish, Spike,” Twilight said. “Starlight apologized. There’s no need to go accusing her.” She levitated over a basket of bread sticks. “Bread stick?”

“Sure!” Both Trixie and Starlight grabbed one before Spike could. He grabbed two and set them on his plate while the two unicorns started munching on their own.

“Great as always, Spike,” Starlight said.

“Thanks,” Spike mumbled.

Starlight decided to take a bath after dinner. It didn’t come as a surprise to either Spike or Twilight when Trixie decided to join her, and Starlight didn’t object. The two of them stepped into the tub once it was full, letting out sighs of content, the hot water doing its job in relaxing them. Starlight was suddenly surprised when she felt a stream of water hit her in the face. Once it stopped, she looked up to find Trixie smirking at her. She frowned. “Aren’t we getting a little old for these games?” Instead of answering her, Trixie decided to splash her. Starlight splashed her right back. Soon, a splash fight had ensued, with both mares giggling like a couple of fillies. The fight only stopped when Spike entered the room.

“Don’t mind me,” he said, walking over to the sink. “I’m just going to brush my teeth and then I’m going to bed.” He proceeded to do just that. Before leaving, he noticed that the floor in front of the tub was soaking wet. “Be sure to clean that up before you go to bed.” He stepped out into the hall and turned, heading down the hallway towards his bedroom.

Entering his bedroom, he stopped and stared at his bed. For a moment, he considered sleeping in it. After giving it some thought, however, he decided to grab a blanket and a pillow and camp out in his closet. He gently kicked some things aside, making room on the floor for him to sleep, then laid down, covering himself with his blanket and placing his head on his pillow. Once more, Starlight’s voice echoed in his head.

“Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you.”

Spike woke up a few hours later. Seeing as how he was in a dark closet, he had no knowledge as to what time it was. Opening up his closet door, however, told him that it was morning. He yawned, stretched, and rubbed at his tired eyes before turning and walking out of his bedroom and going to the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed that Trixie was the only one seated at the kitchen table, sipping at her coffee. “Hey,” he called out. She looked over at him. “Where’s Twilight and Starlight?”

“Oh. They went out for donuts.” She chuckled. “Who in Equestria goes to Canterlot just to get some donuts?”

“Well, Donut Joe’s does have the best donuts around.” He poured himself a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table.

She cocked her head to the side, giving him a questioning look. “Really?”

He nodded, taking a drink. “Mm-hmm. Maybe I could take you sometime. How come they didn’t take you?”

“I slept in.”

“Good for me, then, I guess. We can hang out, if you want. You hung out all day yesterday with Twilight and Starlight, now it’s my turn.”

Trixie sighed. “I suppose that’s true. It’s only fair, right?”

Spike nodded. “Right.”

“So, what would you like to do? I’ve got some new magic tricks, if you’d care to take a look.”

Spike shook his head. “No, thanks.”

“Okay, well, what would you like to do?”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know yet, but I’ll let you know when I do.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

“And that’s why you love me.” He smirked.

She blinked. “Good comeback, dragon.”

“Well, I did learn from the best.”

“Point taken.”

Twilight and Starlight didn’t get back home until late in the afternoon. Spike sat in his bedroom, looking through an old photo album, while Trixie had gone out to get some apple fritters. (“I’ve had a craving for them all day,” she’d said.) She’d promised she’d bring Spike some if he really wanted any. Despite her offer to let him tag along, he had declined, saying that he’d like some time to himself.

Starlight went to the library to look up some spells she wanted to try. Twilight had advised her to make sure that the spells were tame, that they weren’t too dangerous or life-threatening. As for Twilight, she decided to check in on Spike. She received no response from her knocking at his bedroom door, leaving her to gently open it and poke her head in to see whether or not he was asleep. She found him seated cross-legged on his bed, an open photo album in his lap. Smiling, she walked in and sat down beside him, looking at the photo album with him. She pointed to a picture showing Spike and Starlight smiling at the camera with cake frosting all over their muzzles. “I remember that. It was the first time we celebrated Starlight’s birthday.”

Spike looked up at her. “Did – did she and I get along when she was here?”

Twilight laughed heartily at that. “Are you kidding!? You two were crazy about each other! I couldn’t keep you apart!” She rested a hoof on his back and gently rubbed. “It’s great having her back home, isn’t it? It’s like we get a second chance to be a family again, to do things right this time. It was a mistake letting her go.” She ceased talking for a moment or two, as if in thought, then she said, “I was thinking about asking her to permanently stay instead of going back to her old village. Would you be all right with her being around more?”

Spike turned a page in the photo album. He swallowed hard. “Sure.”

Twilight bent down and kissed his head. “Thank you, Spike.”

Both jumped as Trixie suddenly burst in the room, grinning, levitating a bag behind her. “I’m back,” she announced in a sing-song manner. She levitated out a similar bag to the one she was carrying from her saddlebags and dumped it on Spike’s bed. “Here are your apple fritters, Spike. Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Trixie,” Spike replied.

“What are you two up to?” Trixie asked, joining them on the bed.

“Just reliving some old memories,” Twilight replied. She chuckled, spotting a picture of Trixie standing in the kitchen with something burnt resting on a plate, the mare sporting a nervous look. “You remember this, don’t you, the first time Spike tried teaching you how to cook?”

Trixie blushed. “Don’t remind Trixie.”

“Like you’re one to talk, Sparkle,” Spike said, playfully nudging her. “She at least got better.”

“That’s true,” Trixie said, “and now Trixie can make all of the sweets she wants.”

“Just make sure you don’t eat too many of them,” Twilight warned. “Don’t want you getting fat.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing,” Spike said, along with another voice. He looked over to see Starlight standing in the doorway.

“Something wrong, Starlight?” Twilight asked.

Starlight shook her head. “No.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay. If you’re not busy, would you mind helping me make dinner? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure thing, Twilight,” Starlight replied.

“Want me to come with?” Trixie offered.

Starlight shook her head. “No, thanks. I’d really like to be alone with Twilight right now, got some things I need to think about.”
Trixie frowned and her ears drooped. “Oh, okay, then.”

Starlight chuckled. “You know, Trixie, sometimes I think you like me a little too much.” She blew each of them a kiss before walking out the door with Twilight.

Dinner was a quiet affair, at least for Spike. He ate his dinner as quickly as possible, then immediately afterward excused himself from the table, retreating to his bedroom once he’d deposited his plate in the sink, figuring that since Starlight and Twilight had cooked dinner, Trixie could do the dishes for the night, which would give him ample time to catch up on his reading. He was sudenly interrupted from it, however, when Starlight opened his door and peeked in. He met her eyes.

“Hey,” she said. She cleared her throat. “Twilight told me that you were okay with me staying here on a permanent basis.” She entered and smiled down at him, running a hoof down his face. “Thank you.”

“Okay,” Spike said.

“It means a lot to me.” She sighed. “It feels so good being back here at home. It’s like nothing’s changed. Well, I’ll get out of your way. Good night.”

“Night,” he called out as she left the room, and turned back to his book, only to look up once again when he heard it open once more.

“Hey, come on,” Trixie said, motioning for him to follow her.

He blinked. “What? Where are we going?”

“Meeting at Sugarcube Corner. All of the Applewood Derby racers are getting together to discuss cart designs and draw up ideas for what the race track is gonna look like. Come on, Pinkie’s serving snacks and drinks!”

Spike bookmarked his page and walked over to the door. “Alright, alright, let’s go.”

Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies. Not only were the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Cheerilee there, but also, but not limited to, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Randolph, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Snips, Twist, Rumble, and Truffle Shuffle. Trixie and Spike entered just as the meeting was getting underway. Pinkie immediately bolted from the store’s kitchen to offer them some snacks and drinks. Spike accepted a cupcake while Trixie asked for a stiff drink. To her displeasure, as well as that of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the latter especially, Pinkie said that alcoholic beverages were not permitted during the meeting, for obvious reasons, leaving Trixie to settle for a soda. Spike immediately requested one as well, having eaten his cupcake by this point and it had made him quite thirsty. The two of them seated themselves at the table that the other fillies and colts were crowded around, the table laying waste to papers, sketches, lists, cupcakes, drinks, and crumpled up pieces of paper, likely ideas that had been turned down or decreed too complicated to do. Both Spike and Trixie guessed that these were ideas for the race track that they would be racing on, and, when they asked Applejack and the other grown-ups, they found that they were correct in drawing this conclusion, although Randolph added that some of the crumpled up pieces of paper were ideas for carts where the imaginations of the children were too imaginative, not that Cheerilee seemed to mind. She seemed to relish in the idea of the children using their brains and imagination to come up with such creative and wonderful ideas for carts of various kinds. Looking at them, Spike had to admit that they were nothing short of creative; even some of the rough sketches for the race tracks were quite imaginative.

The group worked long and hard into the night, more often than not shouting over each other, each filly or colt wanting to be heard, leaving it up to the adults to quieten them down so that each one could be heard individually. Eventually, it occurred to them that it would be best to have some kind of object that would permit whomever was wielding it to speak. At this point, Pinkie ran upstairs and returned with a rattle, apologizing due to the annoyed and disbelieving looks she received upon doing so, saying that it was the only thing she could find and the best that she could do. Despite the juvenile nature of the toy, they agreed to it. Even some of the children, such as Diamond Tiara, agreed with the adults that it was hardly appropriate, but ended up using it anyway. Some of the children, such as Silver Spoon, didn’t seem to mind the toy whatsoever, and spent a majority of their time shaking it while they were holding it, earning odd looks and questioning stares from the others in the room. Thankfully, the noise of the rattle made so much noise that it was hard for the others to hear when its holder was speaking, which meant that a new rule was issued, that of course being that no shaking of the rattle would be permitted while its holder was speaking.

Little by little, the group disbanded, bidding farewell to their friends while they made their exit. Naturally, the children were the first to go, their bedtimes drawing nearer and nearer as the night wore on, leaving only a small portion of the adults left in the room. Some of the adults, once they had seen that their children had gotten home safely, returned to further discuss their ideas for the carts and the track, those being Randolph, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Cheerilee, among others. It was at this point that Pinkie found it appropriate to whip out the more age-appropriate drinks, and soon the adults, sans Spike who just stuck with soda, were downing shot after shot of alcoholic beverage one right after the other. Unbeknownst to the others, Spike would occasionally slip some of these alcoholic beverages into his glass of soda when nopony was looking.

“So it’s agreed,” Cheerilee spoke up as the meeting drew to a close. “The track will start in the Ponyville square, go through the Everfree Forest, through Whitetail Woods, and finally the finish line will be right back where the race started. Does that sound good to everypony?”

“Yep,” the others agreed.

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack said.

“I bet all of Ponyville will be watching,” Rarity said, flicking back her mane with a hoof.

Spike swiped Applejack’s flask of whiskey from her saddlebag and poured some of it into his glass of soda. “Yep,” he said. “Not to mention Twilight and Starlight.”

“Starlight?” Applejack looked over at him. “She’s back in town?”

“Mm-hmm,” Spike said. “Good ol’ Starlight.” He hiccuped. “And she’s here to stay. Isn’t that something?” As he threw his hands in the air, his arm knocked over his glass, spilling its contents onto the floor. He burst out laughing.

“Okay,” Trixie said with a sigh. “You’re drunk. Come on, time to take you home.”

“I’d be happy to take him home,” Cheerilee offered.

Trixie shook her head. “No, you stay. It’s your meeting. Besides, the meeting’s almost over anyway and it’s getting late.”

“Trixie’s right,” Applejack said with a nod of her head. “We’d all best be gettin’ home.”

Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched. “I hear that.”

Cheerilee said, “Well, I guess that’s all the work we’re going to get through tonight.”

“Hey, don’t let it get you down,” Rainbow Dash said, lightly punching Cheerilee in the side. “We kicked butt tonight. We got a lot done.”

“We certainly did,” Rarity said, “but I’m afraid Applejack is right. Some of us have got to get home and get our beauty sleep.”

“Well, let’s hop to it, y’all.” As she made her way to the front entrance along with the others, Applejack called over her shoulder, “Sleep tight, Pinkie Pie! Thanks for havin’ us over!”

“Not a problem, Applejack,” Pinkie called back from the kitchen.

With Spike slung over her back, Trixie entered Twilight’s castle. Walking in the living room, she plopped down on the floor, allowing Spike to slide down her back. She looked over to see Starlight and Twilight seated at couch, both drinking from a couple of wine glasses and reading what appeared to be a romance novel, judging by the saucy cover. Looking closer, Trixie could just make out the title and author: The Quickie by James Trotterton, one of Twilight’s favorite authors.

Rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up onto his feet, Spike swayed for a moment or two before laying eyes on the two unicorns in front of him. “Hey, h-how’s it going?”

Twilight eyed him carefully, paying close attention to his eyes. She gaped and turned her head to look at Trixie. “Has he been drinking?”

“Yeah,” Trixie said, nodding. “He’s, uh . . . he’s a mess. I’m going to bed.”

“Thanks for making sure he got home safely,” Twilight called as the unicorn walked out of the room.

“You’re welcome,” Trixie called back.

“Wow, you two are mad at me instead of each other for a change,” Spike spoke up. “That’s a nice change of pace.”

“Shut up, Spike,” both Trixie and Twilight barked.

“Well, I don’t really know how to feel about this,” Starlight said.

“Surprise and disappointment should suffice,” Twilight added. She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t deal with this right now,” she told Spike. “Just . . . go to bed.”

“We’ll discuss your punishment in the morning,” Starlight said.

Spike turned to walk out the door, only to turn around and say, with a smirk, “Thanks for coming to visit, Starlight.”

Twilight let out an annoyed sigh and snapped, “Spike! Bed! Now!”

“I’m going, I’m going,” Spike mumbled, walking out of the room. He turned to walk down the hall, then stopped, pressing himself against the wall upon hearing Twilight talking with Starlight.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said. “It’s usually Trixie who he’s mad at. She’s usually the one getting under his skin.”

Starlight sighed. “You don’t think he’s still mad at me, do you?” She turned to her former mentor. “Did he ever tell you why?”

“Starlight, the two of you were very close when you were here, and then you just up and left without so much as a goodbye. It’s bound to leave some scars.”

Sighing, Spike turned and continued to walk down the hallway towards his bedroom.

Author's Note

It's perfectly normal for a full-grown mare to refer to a little filly as "cutie", right? Right? :rainbowhuh:

Memories Resurfaced

Spike woke up with a start upon seeing Starlight staring down at him. Rubbing at his eyes, he glared up at her and barked, “What in Celestia’s name are you doing!?”

“Watching you sleep, cutie pie,” Starlight replied, grinning. “Come on! Let’s go! Twilight’s already got breakfast on the table.”

Spike blinked. “Twilight cooked?”

Starlight sputtered her lips and waved a hoof. “Oh, don’t be ridiculous. Of course not. I assisted Trixie with the cooking this morning. Now come on, I’m starved!”

Sighing, Spike got out of bed and followed Starlight out the bedroom door.

“So what would you like to do today, Spike?” Starlight asked as the two of them walked down the streets of Ponyville. “We’ve got the whole day to ourselves.”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, we could go to the park, go to Sugarcube Corner, have lunch at Barnyard Pete’s ––”

“We just ate! Literally, we just got done eating breakfast! You had a huge stack of pancakes, how are you still hungry?”

“Nopony ever said you only had to eat three meals a day, Spike.”

“Whatever. You know, now that I think of it, there is a play that I’ve been wanting to see down at the local theater.”

“Great, let’s go!”

Starlight and Spike weren’t the only ones in the theater when they arrived. It seemed as if the children from the local schoolhouse were on some kind of field trip. The youngsters took up a majority of the seats in the house, but there were quite a few full-grown ponies to be found among the many faces as well. Spike spotted the Cutie Mark Crusaders amongst the crowd and decided to join them, giving a friendly wave to Miss Cheerilee, who gave him a a smile and a friendly nod in kind. This, of course, left Starlight by her lonesome. She didn’t seem to particularly mind. In fact, based on how he had been acting around her as of late, she had, on their way to the theater, pretty much predicted that Spike would stray from her as soon as they entered the theater. Thankfully, this gave her the perfect opportunity to look for a familiar face in the crowd, and, after scanning for a moment or two, she finally found it, or rather, them.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat amongst their classmates, the two of them chatting with each other while they waited for the play to begin. Starlight smiled to herself. While their names slipped her mind, she was still able to recognize their faces. Who could forget that cute little braid, those geeky little glasses, that curly, two-toned tail? Without missing a beat, she stood up and strode over to the pair. It took them a moment to realize that they weren’t alone, the shadow falling over them when she approached being a pretty good indicator of this fact. Upon their gazes meeting each other’s, she very politely asked if it would be okay if she joined them. They turned to each other, silently discussing it in hushed tones, before turning back to her and nodding their heads, and she promptly sat down next to Silver Spoon, using her rear end to gently nudge Pipsqueak aside, her tail beating against the side of his head in the process. If the colt didn’t know any better, he’d swear that the mare was shaking her behind in his face on purpose. Nonetheless, he moved aside, being grateful for the closeness that being by Rumble, Button Mash, Chowder, and Featherweight provided him, and the five colts quickly got into a heated debate regarding which of the Cutie Mark Crusaders was the best kisser. Starlight’s ear twitched as she caught snippets of the conversation here and there, but otherwise kept her attention fixed on the stage in front of her, but she mostly kept her eyes on Silver Spoon, and Diamond Tiara, both of whom had once again started up their conversation, almost as if the mare wasn’t there.

The lights dimmed. The curtain was raised. The audience applauded as the stage lights came on, and a tan pony with a dark brown mane and tail stepped out onto the stage. . . .

The play itself, more or less, was a love story regarding a same-sex couple, one that many of the fillies and other females in the audience found quite engaging and interesting, whereas a majority of the males didn’t find quite as entertaining as the females. Every time the couple would kiss, hug, cuddle, or tell each other how much they loved the other, all of the females in the room would let out a collective, “Awww”, whereas the males would either retch or verbalize their disgust. Starlight couldn’t help but feel that, had the roles been reversed – that is to say, had the play been about two lesbians in love – the reactions themselves would have been reversed – the females would be disgusted and the males would have been getting cum all over the floor. This mental image in her mind’s eye caused Starlight’s loins to be set ablaze, and she had to stifle a moan by way of biting her lower lip. Throughout the entirety of the performance, her hoof had been constantly slipping over to rest on Silver Spoon’s thigh, and the filly would, in quite the aggravated manner, roughly shove her hoof off. That was where Starlight’s hoof was when her vulva was set on fire, and she gave the filly’s thigh a tight squeeze to steady herself. This action proved to be quite the undesired one on Silver Spoon’s end, as the filly angrily smacked her hoof. Starlight bit down on her free hoof to hold in the yelp of pain she wanted to release.

At long last, the play itself came to a close, and the audience, though it was mostly the females, jumped to their hooves and stomped their hooves in applause. Looking around, however, Starlight noticed that a decent-sized portion of the males in the room were clapping quite enthusiastically. Looking over, she saw that Spike was one of them, standing alongside the Cutie Mark Crusaders as the four friends cheered, whooped, whistled, and applauded while the actors and actresses took their bows one by one. Each subsequent bow from a performer resulted in the applause and cheers growing ever louder, until the applause itself was quite deafening. This mattered little to the audience, nor did it matter in the slightest to the actors up on stage themselves, as they relished in the praise before retreating backstage to take off their costumes and congratulate each other on a job well done. This left the audience with nothing to do but depart from the theater to head home.

Almost as soon as the room was empty, Silver Spoon turned to Starlight and hissed, “What was with you? You had your hoof on my thigh the entire time?”

“Oh, sorry about that.” Starlight smiled and patted the filly on the head. “I just really had to use the bathroom. I’ll tell you what. Let me go use the restroom really quick and then I’ll walk you girls home.”

The two fillies looked at each other, unsure of whether or not to accept the mare’s offer. They shrugged their shoulders and nodded their heads at her. She beamed and exclaimed, “Great!” before turning and trotting out of the room, down the hall, and towards the ladies’ restroom, leaving the two fillies by themselves.

Diamond Tiara turned to Silver Spoon. With a raised eyebrow, she asked, “Bail?”

Silver Spoon nodded her head. “Bail!” She scooted behind her friend and began pushing her towards the door. “Come on, let's get out of here! Quick, before she comes back!”

“I heard that!”

“Okay, girls, are you ready to ––” Starlight halted in mid-step, her sentence being cut off as she observed that she was the only one in the auditorium. She frowned to herself, turning slowly and walking in a sulking manner out of the room. Briefly, she wondered where Spike was, but didn't see any sign of him while she made her way out of the theater. By now, Miss Cheerilee and the rest of the class had gone home, it being late in the afternoon. Using her hoof as a visor, she scanned the area for any sign of Spike, but still came up empty. She sighed to herself, all the while wondering, Now what? Shrugging her shoulders, she figured she might as well head on home. Perhaps Trixie and Twilight could provide her with some entertainment. Even as this thought entered her head, her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and she hoped that she would get to see them again sometime soon. They were awfully cute fillies for their age, after all, especially that Silver Spoon, and she would be delighted to spend some time with them.

As soon as he was out of sight of Starlight Glimmer, Spike hightailed it back to the castle and stayed in his room for the remainder of the day. He was just lucky that he'd been able to conceal himself within the throng of fillies and colts while they had made their way out of the auditorium. Once he was safely outside, he was home free to do as he wished. It wasn't until dinnertime that he ventured out of his room, if only due to his own hunger. He smelled no food being cooked, heard no dishes being washed, nor heard the rattle of pots and pans, like he usually did on a normal evening. Looking into the kitchen, he didn’t see Starlight, Trixie, or even Twilight. He blinked, wondering where in Equestria they might be.

Walking in the living room, he spotted Trixie on the couch, lounging on her belly while she busied herself with reading a book on advanced magic spells. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye and a smirk grew on her face. “Trixie has her first show in six months. You remember, right? Trixie is performing a show after the Applewood Derby.” She waved her hoof. “Go on, be impressed by me.”

“Where are Starlight and Twilight?” Spike asked.

Trixie frowned. “‘Oh, that’s great, Trixie. I’m so happy for you.’”

“Trixie, I’m happy for you. Really, I am. Now could you please answer my question?”

“They went out.”

“Really? Did they say when they were going to be back?”

“No, they didn’t. They went to go see a play in Canterlot, one written by the great William Neighspeare.”

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you, sweet, merciful Celestia.”

Trixie glowered at him and hopped down to the floor. “Alright, dragon, what’s with you lately?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been in a really pissy mood ever since Starlight showed up here. What is going on!?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out!”

Trixie growled and stomped a hoof. “Why can’t you just be happy for me, be happy for Twilight!? She’s happy now that Starlight’s back! I’m happy now that Starlight’s back! You’re the only one of us who isn’t happy with her being here! Why!?”

Spike didn’t answer. He looked down at the floor.

Trixie spat on the floor. “You don’t remember a thing that happened when Starlight was here!? Well, I do! I remember you talking trash about Starlight and ––”

“Well, what did I used to say!?” Spike cried in exasperation.

“Just stop!” She shook her head. “You were always stealing Starlight’s attention away from me! Always! I hated it then and I hate it now! You and your damn backwards pajamas!”

Spike’s jaw dropped open, his eyes widened. “Oh, my . . .” he muttered under his breath. “Oh, my . . .” He quickly turned and darted out of the room.

“Now where are you going!?” Trixie called after him.

“I’m crashing at Applejack’s! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Spike wandered aimlessly among the streets of Ponyville, going down alleyways, going through backyards, climbing over fences, walking between the various buildings. Though he wasn’t sure how, his wandering eventually led him to Sweet Apple Acres, despite the fact that he hadn’t actually planned on going there. Him saying that he would be crashing at Applejack’s had just been an excuse to get Trixie off his back. Where he was wasn’t on his mind anyhow.

“You and your damn backwards pajamas!”

“Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you.”

He stumbled across the barn in his mindless wandering. Over to his right, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the farmhouse that the Apple family occupied. All of the lights in the house were off. No doubt the Apples were fast asleep by now. They weren’t exactly sound sleepers. Even so, surely they wouldn’t mind if he spent the night. After all, Applejack and the other Apples had made it clear that he was welcome over at Sweet Apple Acres anytime he felt like it.

There was no shortage of hay within the barn, Spike discovered as he walked in. He imagined that hay wasn’t exactly comfortable, that it didn’t make for an ideal bed, but he would have to make due with what he had. He wasn’t about to knock on Applejack’s door in the middle of the night and ask if he could sleep with her. Not that he didn’t think she would object, mind you, but he didn’t feel like waking her up. What time was it, anyway? He wasn’t entirely sure, but he hardly cared at the moment. There was little doubt in his mind that both Twilight and Starlight, despite his actions the previous evening, would be worried about him when they came home to find that only Trixie was home. Surely she would inform them as to where he had gone, so there would be no need for either of them to worry. They could rest soundly knowing that he was safe at Sweet Apple Acres while in Applejack’s care.

As he climbed onto the nearest pile of hay he could find, he suddenly found himself wishing that he had a blanket. It was warm out, it being summer after all, but, still, a blanket would be comforting nonetheless. Sighing, he rolled over onto his side, drawing his legs up to his chest, his tail curling between them, and he instinctively grabbed at the pointed tip and hugged it, giving it a gentle squeeze, all while the words of Trixie and Starlight reverberated in his head.

“You and your damn backwards pajamas!”

“Silly Spikey-wikey, you put your pajamas on backwards again. Now you be a good boy, Spikey-wikey, while Auntie Starlight fixes them for you.”

He fell asleep with these words echoing in his head over and over again. It made for a very restless night.

Revelations

On the day of the Applewood Derby, while everypony was excitedly heading towards where the Applewood Derby was set to take place, elsewhere Mayor Mare was on her way towards the mayor’s office in Manehattan, the mayor of said city, that of course being Majesty, having scheduled to meet with her to have a discussion relating to an incident the other day, in which two ponies had gotten into a heated argument that had unfortunately ended in bloodshed. The elderly mare entered the building wherein she knew Majesty to be, inquired the head desk as to what room she would be in, and made her upstairs. Standing outside the mayor’s office, she gently opened the door, poking her head inside and taking a glance around before spotting the alabaster unicorn seated at her desk. Said unicorn pointed to the front of her desk, gesturing for Mayor Mare to enter. The mayor of Ponyville did so, slipping inside and quietly shutting the door behind her, and proceeded to make her way to the designated area. For the first few seconds, neither pony said or did anything. They merely stared at one another until Majesty finally spoke.

“There are rumors in the streets, mayor.”

Mayor Mare raised an eyebrow. “Rumors, Majesty?”

“Don't be coy with me,” Majesty said, smiling and rising up out of her seat. She proceeded to walk around her desk and stand in front of Mayor Mare. “This pony Starlight Glimmer arrives into Ponyville and is welcomed like a queen. Chrysalis wants to kill her but does nothing, and you promise me that you can keep peace in Ponyville, but I had to use force! These changelings will not be silent forever!”

“Yes, but these supposedly reformed villains –”

Majesty pounded her desk with her hoof and snapped, “Don't speak to me about reformed villains! I don't care about your corrupt justice system, I care about peace!”

“Peace, yes, I too care about peace –”

“Well, then get control of this pony!”

“I fear my power is . . . limited.”

There was a moment of silence before Majesty spoke again. “Oh, so you want me to do your dirty work for you?”

“I have no choice. I cannot endanger the lives of innocent ponies for the sake of one pony.”

Majesty rotated her neck, eliciting audible pops and cracks in the process. Sighing, she said, “Very well, then. Bring her to me. I will eliminate her.” After saying this, she gestured towards the door and Mayor Mare made her way out. Meanwhile, Majesty sat back down at her desk, awaiting Starlight Glimmer’s arrival.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, Spike practically leaped out of bed in excitement on the day that the race was set to begin. He grabbed a large towel, as well as a small washcloth from the hall closet, and made a mad dash to the bathroom to get ready for the day. However, upon entering the bathroom, he found that he wasn’t the only one who had gotten up early. The room was filled with steam, so much so that it was hard to see. He could hear the soft pitter-patter of water falling on porcelain. If Spike listened carefully, he could just barely make out the sound of somepony humming. He tilted his head in confusion, curious about who it was behind the curtain that shrouded the occupant of the shower, and called, “Trixie, is that you?”

“Yes, it is I,” Trixie bellowed, “the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie will be out in just a moment, just as soon as she’s done bathing!” She began washing her body, by way of applying some body wash to her back, shuddering and shivering as the cold dark blue liquid trickled down the length of it. Capturing a scrub brush in her magic, she began scrubbing.

Spike went to sit down on the toilet, drawing his knees up to his chest and hugging his legs, as he patiently waited for Trixie to get done with her shower.

“So,” Trixie said, “are you excited about today?”

Spike grinned. “You bet! We’re gonna smoke those chumps today!” He hopped down from the toilet and began making his way to the bathroom door. “I'm going to go ahead and go on down for breakfast.”

“Save me a plate,” she called after him from within the shower. “I'm going to need my energy for my grand performance today!”

Spike chuckled and rolled his eyes, finally opening the door and walking down the hallway. As he neared the kitchen, he could hear the voices of Starlight and Twilight as they talked. He slowed his walk, his curiosity getting the better of him, eager to hear what they were discussing. Alas, as he got closer, he realized that it was nothing of interest, much less of significance or importance, so he resigned himself to entering the kitchen and taking his seat at the table as he did on most mornings.

Twilight, seeing Spike but not Trixie, which in itself was quite odd as the pair were usually seen together, looked up at the door, expecting to see Trixie enter right behind him. When the blue mare failed to show up, she turned to Spike and asked, “Where's Trixie?”

“Showering,” Spike replied, chewing a mouthful of waffle. He reached across the table for the syrup and squirted a healthy amount onto the stack on his plate. “She'll be down as soon as she's done.”

“Shouldn't we wait for her?” Starlight asked.

Spike shook his head. “She said to just save her a plate.” He grabbed the pitcher of orange juice and poured himself a glass.

Twilight placed her hooves together underneath her chin and leaned forward. “So, is everything ready?”

“I think so,” Spike mumbled with his mouth full. He took a sip of his juice.

“You two should be proud,” Starlight said. “You've worked hard and all that hard work is about to pay off.”

Spike looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Let's hope so.” He moved his head to look back over at Twilight. “The only thing we haven't settled on is a name.”

Twilight shrugged, lifting her own glass of juice to her lips. “Ah, don't worry about it. I'm sure you two will be able to come up with something on your way there.” She took a drink and set her glass back down.

All three parties suddenly jumped as a voice bellowed, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived!” Upon hearing this exclamation, all three occupants at the table turned in their seats to see none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie, dressed in her usual starry attire that she always wore when performing. Grinning, she strode across the room and took her seat beside Spike, happily helping herself to the food laid out before her by piling a few waffles onto her plate and drenching them in syrup.

“Nice of you to join us, Trixie,” Twilight said.

“It's always nice when the Great and Powerful Trixie graces others with her presence,” Trixie replied, beaming.

“Oh, just shut up and eat your waffles,” Spike said, shoving one of said waffles into Trixie’s mouth.

Despite Twilight's assurance that Spike and Trixie would come up with a name for their cart before they reached the starting point of the race, the two had no such luck. As they walked along the streets of Ponyville, pushing their cart along with the aid of both Starlight and Twilight, the two of them continuously argued about what the name of their cart should be. Both still felt that the name they had come up with was still better than the other’s. They were attracting quite a great deal of attention, their constant bickering and yelling in each other's faces causing some concerned parents to either cover their child's ears or steering them away from the commotion. The constant back and forth between the two of them was apparently starting to irk Twilight as well, because she used her magic to clamp their mouths shut. Stepping in between them, she said, “Would you two cut it out already!? We'll worry about the name of the cart when we get there. Now come on!” She then proceeded to lead the group onward, Starlight giggling behind a hoof at Spike and Trixie's antics.

The park of Ponyville was packed with fillies and colts with their carts and parents. Everywhere Spike looked friends were talking excitedly with one another, trading hoof bumps and playful noogies. Looking over his shoulder when he heard footsteps, he saw Starlight walking over to the Crusaders, who were talking with Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Babs Seed, while Twilight wandered over to her own friends and struck up a conversation with them. He jumped when he felt a hard jab into his side. He turned his head to see Trixie smiling down at him. She nodded towards a table where a queue was forming of fillies and colts signing in with their partners, most of them being either their parents or older siblings. He followed her over to the table. When it was their turn, she started to sign them in, but suddenly stopped when it came to giving the name of their cart.

He looked at her in confusion. “What's wrong?”

She looked down at him and frowned. “We never did settle on a name for our cart,” she said. She looked back down at the sign-in sheet. She shrugged her shoulders and said, “Well, I'll just leave that blank for now. Come on, Spike.” She set the quill down and walked off with him at her side.

As they approached Applejack and the others, Spike had suddenly become aware of the fact that Twilight and Starlight were no longer present, and he turned his head this way and that way in an effort to locate them, though he was mostly looking for Starlight, only to come up with no such luck. Not finding his target of interest, he decided to ask the girls if they had seen Starlight. “Hey, have you guys seen Starlight anywhere?”

Applejack, along with the others, looked about herself for any sign of the aforementioned pony, turning her head every which way, looking in all directions, in a futile attempt to catch a glimpse of her, only to come up short. She turned back to Spike and said, “That's funny. She and Twilight were here just a minute ago.” She glanced at the others. “Where do y'all suppose they could've gone?” She received a shrug of the shoulders from her friends for her efforts.

“Well, if you see her, will you let me know?” Spike asked.

“Sure thing, Spike,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding along with her friends.

This conversation must have irritated Trixie a great deal, because Spike suddenly found himself being grabbed by the tail and dragged quite a distance from the others, at least until they were out of earshot of prying ears. Then, Trixie fixed him with a questioning look by way of arching her eyebrows and asking, “Why do you need to know where Starlight is?”

“Because I need to figure this out,” Spike said, trying to get past her, only to be blocked by her hooves. “I need to talk to her about what happened when I was little, back when she was living with us.”

She gripped his arms and fixed him with a piercing glare. “No, you need to stop!” she said. “I'm happy. Twilight's happy. Starlight's happy. She's trying to be a better pony. Why can't you accept that and just leave her alone?”

Spike shook his head. “I can't do that, not until I talk to her about what happened when I was little!”

“What are you talking about?” Trixie cried in exasperation.

“Think about it, Trixie,” he growled. “Why do you think it took her so long to put me to bed?”

Trixie stood there, staring at him, slowly putting the pieces together in her head.

Spike turned his head, giving Trixie a sidewise glance, as he said, “Hmm?”

“She just . . . she just said that you got fussy, that you took forever to go to sleep,” Trixie said in a quiet voice.

Spike crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Really? Did she tell you to keep it a secret too?”

Realization slowly dawned on Trixie's face, and the expression on her face became one of shock and horror, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping open. “Oh, my Celestia . . .” she said in a voice that was just barely above a whisper.

Spike stared at her for a moment or two before shaking his head and walking past her in frustration. She watched him go with a saddened expression on her face.

Spike walked around, turning his head this way and that, trying to see if he could spot Starlight anywhere. He came up short. At one point he thought he heard a familiar voice calling for him, but when he turned his head he didn’t see anypony. He walked past Diamond Tiara, who was talking excitedly with the Cutie Mark Crusaders (“ . . . and so,” she was saying, “by capturing the whole sale market . . .”), gently squeezing his way past them while he continued his search.

“Spike!”

He jumped and turned his head in the direction from whence the voice had come from. Despite his mood, his face brightened up upon seeing the familiar face of Ember. She stood waving at him with a smile on his face. He ran up to her and threw his arms around her waist, pressing his head up against her stomach.

She let out a nervous chuckle and patted his head as she said, “Right. The hugging thing.”

“Ember! There you are!”

Once more, Spike turned his head in the direction of the sudden outburst, and, if possible, his face brightened up even more as his eyes met those of his Changeling friend, Thorax. The Changeling was holding a stick of cotton candy, from which he took a bite and flashed a toothy grin, showing that his teeth were covered in the pink gunk. He stepped forward, wrapping a foreleg around the dragon and pulling him into a hug. “Great to see you, Spike,” he said.

“Yeah, great to see you too, thorax,” Spike said. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just in Canterlot visiting Princess Celestia to talk about something,” Thorax said. “Figured I'd check out this Applewood Derby that everypony is talking about while I was in town.”

“Sounds great,” Spike muttered quietly, quickly pulling away and continuing his search for Starlight.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ember asked, raising an eyebrow. “You seem distracted.”

“Yeah, fine,” Spike replied, rotating his head in every direction in the faint hope of catching a glimpse of Starlight.

Ember crossed her arms and glowered at him. She grabbed his head and forced him to look forward, then leaned down to meet his eye. “I know when you’re lying to me, Spike. There’s something you're not telling me.”

Thorax nodded his head in agreement as he took another bite of his sweet treat. “Yeah, Spike, you're usually much more talkative than this.”

“We're friends, right?” Ember said.

Spike nodded. “Of course.”

“And friends tell each other things, right?”

“Mm-hmm,” Spike replied.

“So would you please tell us what's going on with you? You seem a little preoccupied at the moment.” Ember said. She began looking around, as did Thorax. “What are you looking for?”

“I can't say,” Spike said.

Ember huffed in agitation and straightened up, sneering down at Spike. “You don't want to tell me, fine! I thought we were friends! Come on, Thorax!” She stormed off along with the Changeling, who was still merrily munching away on his cotton candy.

Spike sighed and continued his search for Starlight for at least as much time as he had left until the race was to begin.

“. . . and, so,” Diamond Tiara told the Cutie Mark Crusaders, “by capturing the whole sale market, purchasing in bulk and slashing all prices, Barnyard Bargains undermines every other gift market in town, and that’s how my father’s company Barnyard Bargains became the cornerstone of retail in Ponyville. Now do you get it?”

The three Crusaders all looked at each other, each one adopting an expression that seemed to imply that they understood what Diamond was saying, only for their faces to adopt expressions of confusion.

“No,” Apple Bloom said.

“Not really,” Scootaloo said.

Diamond Tiara sighed, glaring up at the three of them. “See, this is exactly what me and Spoon have been talking about! I can’t relate to you guys anymore because you’re too immature.”

“Huh?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I’ve got to start hanging out with friends that are a little more – how should I say this? – mature and understand economics and stuff. Sorry, girls.” She turned and, looking over her shoulder, said, “I’ll see you girls later.” She ran off.

“What do you think she meant by that?” Scootaloo asked, scratching her head.

Apple Bloom sputtered her lips. “Who cares?” She looked around and her eyes widened upon spotting a familiar face. “Hey, girls! Doesn’t that griffin over there sure look familiar?”

“You don’t think that’s . . .” Sweetie said.

“I bet it is,” Scootaloo replied. “Come on!” She ran ahead of them while her friends gave chase.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had wandered away from her friends in search of something to eat. In her wanderings, a familiar voice caused her to come to a stop.

“What's up, doofus?”

The pegasus looked around until spotting three griffons, one of whom she was familiar with, and Pinkie Pie all walking towards her. She threw her hooves around the brown one, happily exclaiming, “Hey, Gilda!” Pulling away, she beamed at her friend and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“In town for the Applewood Derby,” Gilda replied. She nodded towards Pinkie. “Pinkie here invited me.”

Rainbow Dash looked over at the two griffons, both of who were bright green, albeit one was a darker shade of green than the other. “And who do we have here?”

Gilda grinned. “This is —”

“Gabby!” three high-pitched voices cried.

Before said griffon could turn around, she was tackled to the ground by the Cutie Mark Crusaders. All four laughed as they got up off the ground. Gabby wrapped all three Crusaders in her arms, pressing them against her chest in a bone-crushing hug not unlike the one she'd given them upon their first encounter when they’d first met her. She set them back down on the ground.

Gilda smiled at Rainbow. “Gabby begged me to let her tag along.” She turned to the other griffon. “And this is —”

“Gallus.” The griffin stretched out a talon, which Rainbow Dash shook. “Gabby's older brother.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Who would've guessed.”

"I thought I recognized that voice."

Rainbow Dash turned her head to see Quibble Pants walking up with Clear Sky and Wind Sprint. She beamed upon seeing the threesome. "Hey, wasn't expecting to see you guys here. What brings you to Ponyville?"

"Pfft, what, are you kidding?" Quibble ruffled Wind Sprint's mane, smiling down at her. "We came here to try out this racing thing. With how big a fan that Wind Sprint here is of sports, how could I say no?"

"Besides, I thought it'd be a great way for Wind and Quibble to bond," Clear Sky added.

Rainbow Dash grinned and playfully punched Wind Sprint on the hoof. "Good luck, kiddo. I hope you're prepared to lose."

Spike's search for Starlight Glimmer hadn't turned up any results. Mind you, his search was not helped by the immense crowd he was currently waddling through, gently and carefully pushing his way past various stallions and mares, often being on the receiving end of harsh glares and even harsher comments, all which he ignored as he searched for his quarry, occasionally turning his head this way and that in the vain hope that he would somehow be able to spot her in his peripheral vision, but always coming up short in the process, leading him to nothing but disappointment.

Finally, at long last, after searching for what felt like thirty minutes but in reality couldn't have been no more than ten minutes at the most, he found her. She was isolated away from all of the other ponies, seemingly preoccupied with talking to Babs Seed. Seeing as the two of them were completely alone, and seemingly without caring whether or not she was spotted, Starlight suddenly cupped Babs' chin in her hoof, smiled down at the little filly, and bent down to place a chaste kiss on the filly's lips. This seemingly innocent act filled Spike to the brim with rage. His claws formed into fists and his body started to shake as a fire erupted in his belly, prompting him to do the unthinkable. Without thinking of the consequences of his actions, he ran forward, his arms outstretched as if he was preparing to strangle Starlight. As he neared the pair, he roared at the top of his lungs, "Get your filthy hooves off of her!" His outstretched claws made contact with Starlight's side, causing the pony to lose her footing and topple over onto the floor in a heap. Starlight, completely bewildered by the side turn of events, looked up at Spike in puzzlement as he sneered down at her and, still shaking with anger, growled, "Get away from her! Now!" Babs, on the other hand, could only stare in confusion at what was going on.

Starlight, rather than do as ordered, got to her hooves and said, "Spike, there you are! Where have you been?! Twilight's been sick with worry!"

Spike didn't answer. Instead, he continued to glower at Starlight, his fists quivering at his sides, as he asked, "How could you do that to me? I was just a little kid."

This statement only seemed to add to the confusion for Starlight, who could only blink in response to this question. "I don't know what you're talking about, Spike."

"Oh, I think you do. I remember. I remember every night, before you left, when you would put me to bed —"

Starlight cut him off. "Spike, please." She cleared her throat. "Look, I know you're not thrilled about the fact that I'm back in Twilight's life, but there's no need to tell stories." She took a step toward him. "It was a long time ago. You're confused."

"No," Spike cried. "No, I'm not!"

Starlight opened her mouth, as if she was preparing herself to offer up her rebuttal, but suddenly stopped and broke out into a big grin as she looked past Spike and saw Trixie approaching them. As the stage mare reached them, she said, "Trixie, thank Celestia you're here. Your little brother's making up stories again."

Trixie came to a stop next to the threesome, sneering. Her jaw was clenched, her lips curled into a snarl. She looked so livid that even Spike took a cautious step back from her, having never seen her look so furious before. It seemed it took her a moment to notice Babs, as her eyes seemed to be transfixed on Starlight. She looked down at the orange filly, gently wrapped a hoof around her and pulled her close until the filly's head was touching her chest, after which she draped her cape over Babs, as if protecting her from Starlight. She slowly shook her head, that same look of contempt and disgust mixed with rage etched on her face. "No," she said quietly. "He's got it right." Her voice was cold, devoid of emotion despite the look on her face, so much so that it scared Spike, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. In a way, it would have been preferable had she shouted.

Starlight's face fell. "Trixie, come on —"

Trixie's voice cut her off. "You need to go. Now. Nopony in this family ever wants to see your face again."

Starlight opened her mouth to say something, but relented. Without a word, she turned and walked off. As soon as she was gone, Trixie looked down at Babs and said, "Babs, are you all right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

“No," Babs said. "No, I'm fine."

Trixie didn't appear to be convinced, as she raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you sure?" Babs' nod seemed to be enough to convince her, however, and she smiled down at the filly and gently scooted her forward with a hoof as she said, "Alright, run along, then."

After the filly was out of earshot, Spike spoke up. "It's funny."

Trixie glared at him. "What could possibly be funny?"

"I figured you'd pick Babs to be your partner," he replied, "especially considering how close you two are."

Trixie nodded. "You would think so, but she was unfortunately taken. Besides, I'd already chosen to be your partner. Speaking of you, are you alright?"

"I'm okay."

"You're sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

Trixie sighed. "Alright, as long as you're sure." She turned. Looking back at him over her shoulder, she added, "We should get back to the race."

He nodded in agreement and began to follow her. Along the way, she suddenly stopped, causing him to run face-first into her rear end. She turned her head, her eyes following Snips and Snails. She looked back at him and said, "Why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up with you." He proceeded to walk ahead of her She stayed put for the time being, making sure that he got to safety before turning and making her way over to Snips and Snails. They seemed to spot her heading towards them out of their peripheral vision, because they instantly started to walk a little faster. Seeing this, she too sped up, to the point where she was practically sprinting towards them. She came to a halt in front of them, skidding, creating two very deep dirt trails in her wake as she did so. They took a couple of steps back, but did not bolt as she had predicted they would do.

She glanced up at them. "Trixie is glad she caught you. Trixie wishes to talk to you both."

The two boys glanced at each other worriedly, then glanced back at Trixie.

"Kay," Snails said.

Trixie cleared her throat, then spoke up. "Trixie wishes to talk to you both about Starlight."

"You mean that pony with the wings?" Snips asked.

Trixie shook her head. "No, the other unicorn."

"Which other unicorn?" Snips asked.

Trixie groaned. "The purple one."
"Which purple one?" Snails asked.

"Oh, for the love of . . ." Trixie facepalmed so hard that she was likely to give herself a headache if she wasn't careful. "The one that always hangs around Twilight Sparkle."

It finally clicked for both colts and they said, "Oh," in realization.

"We know who you're talking about now," Snips said, grinning.

"Thank Celestia," Trixie grumbled. Once more, she cleared her throat and addressed the two. "Now, how would you describe Starlight?"

Yet again, both colts gave each a glance before turning back to Trixie and answering her question. Snails merely shrugged and said, "She's cool, I guess."

"Yeah, she's alright," Snips agreed.

"Would you say she's nice?" Trixie asked.

Both boys shrugged and replied, "I guess so."

"Okay, then. Let's say all four of us have a pie."

"What kind of pie?" Snails asked.

"It doesn't matter!"

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?!" Snips cried. "Of course it matters! There's a big difference between an apple pie and a pecan pie!"

"Okay, fine, it's a cherry pie," Trixie said.

Snips stuck his tongue out and gagged. "Ew, I hate cherry!"

"Fine, it's a pecan pie," Trixie said.

“Ew –” Snails said, and started to gag just as Snips did.

Trixie cut him off. "Would you two put a lid on it?! Now, let's say all four of us have a cherry pie, but Starlight may not like cherry pie. She may like other flavors."

"Okay," Snips said.

Trixie had to mentally prepare herself for what was coming next, for she predicted that it would only cause even more confusion and worsen her headache. Nevertheless, she took a deep breath and said, "Now, did Starlight, at any time, ever try to put something in your butt? You don't have to be ashamed or embarrassed. Just, did she ever try to put something in your butt?"

This inquiry certainly got the boys' attention. Even so, they predictably looked at each other in confusion, then turned their attention back to Trixie.

“What, like a goldfish?” Snips asked.

Trixie shook her head. "No, did she ever try to put something belonging to her in your butt?"

"No," Snips and Snails said in unison.

Trixie frowned in response, but thanked them for their time and walked off, leaving them alone by themselves.

"Boy, that was weird," Snails said.

“You said it,” Snips agreed. "What in Equestria was she going on about anyway?"

"Beats me."

They sat down and began mulling it over.

"What would a pony like Starlight . . . possibly want to put in our butts?" Snips asked.

Snails' face suddenly lit up in realization. "Maybe . . . no."

"Hey, guys."

Both boys turned to see Pipsqueak and Button Mash standing beside them.

"What are you guys doing?" Button Mash asked.

"Trixie's weird," Snails said.

"What makes you say that?" Pipsqueak asked.

"She just came up to us and asked us if Starlight ever tried to put anything in our butts?"

Pipsqueak and Button Mash looked at each other in confusion.

"In your butts?" Pipsqueak asked.

"Yeah, isn't that the darndest thing?" Snips said.

"What would Starlight want to put in your butts?" Button Mash asked.

"We don't know!" Snips cried. "That's what we're trying to figure out!"

Both Pipsqueak and Button Mash sat down and began pondering with Snips and Snails. Pipsqueak suddenly looked up and noticed Miss Cheerilee walking a few feet away from them. "Oh, hey," he said, pointing at the teacher, "there's Miss Cheerilee! She'll know!"

"Hello, boys," Miss Cheerilee said, walking up to the foursome and grinning at them.

"Miss Cheerilee," Button Mash said, "what would a pony want to stick up my butt?"

"Goodbye!" Miss Cheerilee promptly turned and walked off, leaving the foursome by themselves.

Surprisingly enough, despite the events that had occurred throughout the morning, Spike was still enthusiastic to take part in the Applewood Derby. Trixie figured that it was merely as a means of getting his mind off Starlight. They came to an abrupt halt as they came to a sudden realization.

"Oh, crap," Trixie moaned. "I completely forgot to name our go-cart."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Twilight said, smiling as she walked up to them. "I already took the liberty of naming your cart for you."

"What do you mean by that?" Trixie asked.

Twilight motioned for the pair to follow her as she said, "Come on, I'll show you."

Spike and Trixie glanced at each other worriedly, but nonetheless followed Twilight until they came to a stop. Their faces fell in dismay when they saw the name that Twilight had, rather hastily, painted onto the side of their go-cart.

"I can't believe you named our go-cart The Mauve Avenger," Spike said with a groan.

"Well, it was either that or The Dark Storm," Twilight said.

"The Dark Storm would've sounded cooler," Spike said.

"Trixie agrees."

Twilight shrugged. "Too bad. Anyway, you guys better get ready. The race is about to start."

Spike and Trixie proceeded to get ready. As they were strapping on their helmets, Trixie gave Spike a concerned look as she asked, "Are you sure you're up for this? We don't have to do this if you don't want to. If you want to go back home —"

Spike chuckled. "Are you kidding? I'm ready to ice some competition. I've been looking forward to this for weeks!" He started to get into the driver's seat until a new problem made its presence known. "Aw, crap!"

"What's wrong?" Trixie asked.

"I can't drive," Spike said, looking at her sadly. "I'm too short."

Trixie shrugged. "Trixie supposes she could take the wheel."

Spike stared at her up and down. "Are you sure about that? I think you might be a mite too big."

Trixie suddenly got in his face, glaring down at him. "Are you saying that Trixie is fat?"

"Not in the slightest," Spike replied.

"Trixie will have you know that she is quite fit for somepony her age, and furthermore, she assures you that she is quite capable of driving, thank you very much." As if to prove this claim, she proceeded to climb into the driver's seat, buckling herself in and putting both hooves on the wheel, achieving this feat with no problem at all, prompting her to give Spike a triumphant smirk. She patted the seat beside her, still smirking, as she said, "Hop in." As Spike did this, albeit begrudgingly, she added, "Be sure to buckle up, now."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Spike grumbled, proceeding to do so. He was suddenly jerked backward against his seat, wind rushing into his face, as Trixie took the opportunity to take off, testing the cart's speed. In very little time, they were at the starting point for the race.

"Hey, Trixie," Rainbow Dash said tauntingly, "ready to know what it feels like to eat dirt?"

Trixie chuckled and smirked. "You can let Trixie know that after she finishes wiping the floor with you."

Rainbow Dash tightened the strap on her helmet. "We'll see about that."

Alas, Trixie's threat to Rainbow Dash never came to light, as it turned out that Trixie was in fact less skilled at the wheel as she liked to claim that she was, especially when it came to the other drivers. Mind you, it didn't help that said other drivers were constantly trying to ram her off the road or needlessly taunting her. Needless to say, this taunting came from the adults accompanying the drivers at the wheels of their vehicles, which, naturally, turned out to be the children that made up Ponyivlle. So, due to Trixie’s atrocious driving and the constant battering of their cart from the other racers, it was only natural that they ended up in last place. Even so, it warmed Spike's heart to know that Twilight was cheering him and Trixie on throughout the entire thing. Due to Trixie's poor driving, he couldn’t help but think that it was only natural that they would end up losing the race. In spite of this, however, both Spike and Trixie admitted that they did in fact have a fun time.

Unfortunately, whatever good mood the race might have put Spike in was soured greatly by an event he happened to witness as he was making his way through the crowd of ponies, trying his best to get back to the castle. He happened to come across Spoiled Rich and Diamond Tiara, the former of whom was quite angrily dragging the latter along the ground, leaving Diamond Tiara trying her best to keep up. "I'm sorry I didn't win, Mother," the poor filly said. Instead of answering her or, better yet, doing anything to console her child over her loss, Spoiled Rich instead decided to turn around and swiftly smack Diamond across the face before continuing to drag her through the crowd. Witnessing this event filled Spike with the same amount of rage that witnessing Starlight kissing Babs had done, and he promptly turned around and started following the pair to give that poor excuse of a mother a piece of his mind. But, his short legs weren't able to keep up with them, and he ended up losing them among the throng of ponies that made up the crowd, leaving him to give up his pursuit and return home to the castle.

Unbeknownst to Spike, he wasn't the only heading towards the castle. Starlight Glimmer herself was headed there. Seeing as how Trixie had unofficially banned her from attending the Applewood Derby, she figured she might as well go home and take a relaxing bath. She could've used one after the intense day she'd had already. However, upon walking in through the front doors of the castle, she found that she wasn't alone, for standing in the foyer just so happened to be Gilda, the griffin standing there, turning her head this way and that, as if looking for something. “Hey!” As she spoke, the sudden noise must've startled Gilda because she jumped, swiftly turning her head to find Starlight standing just a couple of feet away from her. Closing the doors with her magic, Starlight walked up to Gilda and said, “You're . . . Gilda, right? A friend of Rainbow Dash's?”

“Chyeah,” Gilda replied. She looked Starlight up and down. “And who are you?”

With a bow, Starlight proclaimed, “Starlight Glimmer, former friendship student to Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“Oh, yeah, Dash mentioned you in one of her letters, I think.” She turned her head back and forth, once again seeming to be looking for something. “Speaking of Dash, have you seen her? She was supposed to meet me here. We were supposed to go out to lunch with Scoots and Apple Bloom after the derby.”

Starlight shook her head. “Can't say I have. Why would you want to hang out with her anyway? Didn't she ditch you?”

“Yeah, but we made up, so it's all good.”

“Why would you want to give somepony who treated you like crap a second chance?”

“Because that's what friends do.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on!” With her magic, Starlight floated over the friendship journal, which was resting on a table off to the side. She looked at it, then, gesturing towards it, she looked over at Gilda and said with a laugh, “You don't actually believe this bullshit, do you?”

Gilda blinked in confusion. “Well, yeah. Don't you?” She raised an eyebrow.

Starlight threw back her head and guffawed. “Are you kidding me?! Elements of Harmony? Magic of friendship? That's all bullshit, Gilda!” She gestured towards a window and added, “Those idiots out there might buy that crap, but I thought you were smart enough to see what was actually going on, to see through the bullshit.”

“So, you don't really believe in this whole friendship thing?”

Starlight was practically in tears as she cackled. “Celestia, no! Like I said, it's all bullshit! I knew that Twilight would end up forgiving me if I just played my cards right! All I had to do was cry a few crocodile tears! I still can't believe she was dumb enough to fall for my act! I mean, for crying out loud, the first thing I did upon gaining her trust was mentioning how I wanted to enslave the entire population of Ponyville! She should've known something was up! Of course, when she called me out on it, I played it off as me just kidding around!”

“What I don't get it is why you did it?”

“I may have tried to destroy all of Equestria by going back in time to get back at Twilight for destroying my village. If I didn’t do something, I was going to be incarcerated in Tartarus for life. I wanted an easy out, that's all there is to it. But, if I'm being honest, I partially did just so I could spend some time with Spike.”

A flash of light suddenly appeared between the two of them out of thin air. In the same instant, Discord appeared standing between the two of them. He stood, arms crossed over his chest, giving Starlight a stern look. He reached up and dug a claw into his ear as he said, “Pardon me, it seems I must be going deaf. Either that or I must be hearing things because I could’ve sworn I just heard you say that you pretended to be reformed just so you could spend time with Spike. Is that it?”

Starlight groaned and slapped a hoof against her face. “What are you even doing here, Discord?”

“Funny you should ask that,” Discord said, “because I myself came here to spend some time with Spike, though if I had to wager a guess, I'd say that my definition of alone time differs greatly from yours. It was my understanding that Spike wanted to play a game of Ogres and Oubliettes after the Applewood Derby.”

“Didn't you go?” Gilda asked.

Discord limped his wrist at her as he said, “Oh, please, I have far better things to do with my time than watch a bunch of schoolchildren race against each other for a meaningless prize. At the very least I will say that the course this year was much better than last year's. You know, the one that resulted in that pileup? And for the record, I had absolutely nothing to do with that, none whatsoever!”

“Uh, no, I don't know,” Gilda replied.

Discord scoffed. “You know, you really should get out more. But, more to the point, Starlight, would you mind repeating what you just said?”

“Oh, you mean about pretending to be reformed so I could have my way with Spike, or about me breaking Angel's neck?”

“That's what I thought you said!” Discord grabbed Starlight by the throat and slammed her against the wall. She let out a short gasp of pain, feeling crystal digging into her back, Discord having pushed her so hard against the wall with such force that it resulted in leaving an indent. She feebly kicked her legs. This only resulted in scattering the shards of crystal that lied on the floor in various directions. Her forehooves grabbed at Discord's talons, which were digging into her throat, cutting off her windpipe. “Oh, honey, if you thought I was pissed when I found out that Chrysalis kidnapped Fluttershy, you haven’t even begun to see how mad I can get!”

“You don't want me as your enemy, Discord,” Starlight said, sneering at him. “Now I'm warning you. Back off now or you'll get hurt.”

Gilda pointed a sharp talon at Starlight's throat. “You wanna start something, dweeb? These talons just ain't for show, you know!”

With her magic, Starlight pierced her own throat with Gilda’s talon, then proceeded to draw a line across it. A stream of blood trickled out of the cut and ran down her front. She chuckled. “If you’re going to threaten me, you might as well do it properly by cutting me a little.” She laughed and roughly shoved Gilda away. “Not that I would bother trying to best you in a fight anyway, so please don’t flatter yourself, chicken; you're no match for me! I could take you down with both hooves tied behind my back!”

“Don't tempt me,” Discord said coldly. Tightening his grip on her throat, drawing even more blood out of Starlight's self-inflicted wound, thus drenching her chest and stomach in blood, he threw her to the floor with such force that she quite literally bounced off the floor and landed a couple of feet away. “Starlight Glimmer, you are going to march down that hallway this instant and tell Twilight exactly what you just told me!”

Getting up, Starlight continued to laugh. “Oh, shut up. Don't act like you're so high and mighty. You're no better than I am. Don't act like you are.”

“Twilight's not here,” Gilda said, seemingly ignoring Starlight's comment. “She's out, along with everypony else, it seems. Kind of a shame, to be honest. I was really looking forward to spending some time with Dashie.” Despite herself, she grinned and chuckled to herself as she said, “I’d even go as far as to say that I wouldn't mind spending some time with Pinkie Pie, to be honest.”

Starlight smirked. “See?” she said to Discord. “If I wanted to do what you asked me to, not that I want to anyway, I wouldn’t be able to. So, I guess you’re out of options.”

Discord ground his teeth and sneered down at her as he said, “Foolish pony! I don’t think you know who I am! Allow me to give you a hint!” He snapped his fingers. A tub of water appeared out of nowhere. Starlight was suddenly lifted up into the air and had her head forcibly dunked into the tub of water. She kicked and thrashed in desperation, trying to get free, only to be held down by an invisible force. Discord kept this going for a few minutes, looking on in glee as the pony thrashed about, while Gilda looked on in bemusement, before he finally let up, leaving Starlight gasping, panting, and sputtering as she came up for air. The tub vanished. “Now,” he said, “are you going to do as I tell you or would you like to go through that again?”

Coughing, Starlight said, “Piss off, Discord.” She inhaled heavily through her nose and added, “I’m not doing anything you say!”

“Don’t bet on it!” a voice barked.

All three parties turned to see the doors to the castle having been opened, and standing there before them was none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie. Apparently her mood had not been improved since she’d last seen Starlight, as she stood glaring at the pony before she walked up to the threesome. She jabbed a hoof in Starlight's chest, seemingly not caring that it was covered in blood or questioning as to why it was, leaning forward so far as to press her nose against Starlight's, as she growled, “You are telling Twilight everything as soon as she gets home! I have half a mind to tell her myself!”

Starlight chuckled in amusement as she shoved Trixie away.. “You go right ahead and do that, Trix. Nopony would believe you anyway.”

“Oh, really now?” Discord spoke up. He snapped his fingers, a tape recorder appearing in his paw. He pressed “play” and suddenly Starlight's own words echoed across the foyer: “Oh, you mean about pretending to be reformed so I could have my way with Spike, or about me breaking Angel's neck?” He smirked down at her. “What’s that you were saying again? Something about nopony believing us?”

Starlight didn’t look the least bit worried. She merely smirked back at him. Her horn flared and the tape recorder disappeared out of Discord’s paw, only to reappear in front of Starlight. Smiling wickedly, she lifted her hoof and proceeded to smash the tape recorder into tiny pieces. Her horn flared once again, and the smashed bits of plastic on the floor suddenly came alight with fire. She watched in glee as she watched the plastic pieces burn to a crisp, singeing the carpet in the process and leaving hole that showed the crystalline flooring beneath it, surrounded by black.

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “What makes you so sure nopony would believe me?”

“Because you’re jealous of Twilight! You told me yourself! Not that I blame you, of course. She’s smarter than you. She’s better at magic than you. She’s prettier than you. And guess what? She’s popular.”

“What’s your point?” Trixie asked.

“My point is that anything you say, I’ll just deny! What in Celestia’s name has gotten into you, Trix? Why are you doing this? You don’t even like Spike!”

“When your little brother’s in trouble, you’re supposed to do something about it,” Trixie said. “It doesn’t matter if you like him or not. You’re supposed to do something.”

Starlight laughed. “Oh, that’s rich! How touching! What, did you get that from that stupid friendship journal of Twilight’s?”

Discord groaned in annoyance. He gently pushed Trixie aside and, folding his arms across his chest, he told Starlight, “Enough of this nonsense! You either do as I say or suffer the consequences!”

Starlight once more threw back her head and cackled in amusement. “As if!”

“Very well, then.” Discord snapped his fingers and Starlight suddenly vanished.

“What did you do?” Gilda asked with a curious expression.

Discord smirked. “I merely sent her to an alternate dimension, for the time being at least.”

Starlight blinked upon the flash of light dissipating and looked about herself. It seemed as if Discord had sent her to a farmland. This was made evident by the silo and barn that was just before her. On either side of her, along the dirt road that she stood upon, was a picket fence housed by several bright, tall, colorful flowers with large petals. There were a couple of trees here and there. For a moment she watched them, thinking that she saw movement among the branches due to hearing the leaves rustle. Still looking about herself, she cupped a hoof over her mouth and called out, “Um . . . hello? I seem to be lost here. Trixie? Anypony?” She suddenly gasped, as her suspicions regarding not being alone proved to be correct, as several short, brightly colored bipedal creatures with human-like faces made their appearance known by hanging down from the branches of the trees, popping up out of holes in the ground, and revealing that they had been hiding in the silo and barn.

One of these bipedal creatures, colored red, walked up to Starlight, extended a hand in greeting, and said, “Hi there! Today we’re looking for something pink! Do you see anything pink?”

“Here?” asked another.

“There?” said another.

“Where?” asked another.

The red creature looked up at Starlight and asked, “Have you seen something pink?”

“Yeah, I got your pink right here, felt face!” Starlight yelled, glaring down at the creature and charging up her horn.

“Horray! Happy pink day!” Several pink balloons cascaded down on Starlight and the creatures.

Starlight shook with fury as she blasted away the balloons with her magic and shouted, “Pipe down, before I slaughter the lot of you!”

“Ooh,” the red one said, “you don’t sound very nice! You’re a meanie!”

Starlight threw back her head and laughed. “Am I now? Well, I suggest you get used to it!”

“And we all know who visits meanies, don’t we?” the red creature asked his comrades.

“Mr. Sit-Down,” they chorused together.

Starlight blinked in confusion. “Who now?” Seeing a shadow suddenly cast over her, she looked up just in time to see another bipedal creature, this one being of enormous size and colored yellow, squatting down above her, as if proceeding to sit on her. She grinned. “Oh, no, you don’t!” She once more charged up her horn and a turquoise beam of magic was fired into the giant’s behind. He instantly stopped what he was doing and began to inflate up like a balloon, becoming rounder and rounder with the more magic that Starlight pumped into him, letting out whimpers and moans of distress all the while. Starlight seemed to not hear any of this as she continued to fire her magic at him. She kept him levitated above the ground, continuing to pump him full of her magic, his head, legs, and arms slowly but surely being swallowed up by his flesh, until he resembled a ginormous beach ball. It seemed that the poor fellow had reached his limit, as, with just a bit more magic courtesy of Starlight's horn, he finally exploded. Rather than colorful sparkles, blood and innards and other bodily organs rained down from the sky. All the while, Starlight stood, laughing manically as she, the road, flowers, fence, silo, barn, and all of the other inhabitants of the land were completely soaked in blood.

There was a long silence as Starlight stood, relishing in the blood raining down around, seeming to take delight in the heinous act that she had committed, continuing to laugh merrily even as she licked her teeth clean of blood and wiped down her front with a hoof, done with a smug look on her face.

The red creature, his face horror-stricken and trembling from head to toe, pointed a shaking finger at Starlight as he said, “You . . . you killed Mr. Sit-Down.”

Sighing happily and stretching, Starlight replied, “Yep.” Then, smiling, her horn flared as she asked, “Now then, who’s next?”

The inhabitants, as one would expect, naturally screamed in terror and began to frantically run around, screaming at the top of their lungs all while they desperately looked for any means of escape, but found none. Mind you, their search was not helped by the fact that Starlight proceeded to set the barn on fire, laughing in delight as the terrified screams of the inhabitants therein reached her ears, begging to be let out while others screamed at the top of their lungs in pain and agony as they were slowly but surely burnt to death. The silo was quickly taken care of, thanks in no small part to Starlight's magic, leaving the poor creatures with nothing to do but run in panic. This, needless to say, caused panic and chaos to quickly erupt throughout the land. All of this and more was observed by Starlight with an amused smile. There was no need to worry about these creatures escaping. Therefore, she could take her time and enjoy the light show taking place in front of her by way of the barn burning down, all accompanied by the music of the creatures screaming within it Then, after the barn had become a smoldered pile of ash and the fire had died down, Starlight cracked her neck and said, “Ah, I love the thrill of a chase!” Then, like a ravenous, wild animal, she began to chase after the creatures, turning her head and using her horn to blast away at them constantly with her magic, laughing maniacally as they swelled up like balloons before exploding soon thereafter, leaving splotches of blood and organs in their wake.

Meanwhile, back at Twilight’s castle, Discord turned to Trixie and said, “Go ahead and tell Twilight if you want. I’ve a feeling that if you don’t, Spike eventually will. I, on the other hand, have some housecleaning to attend to.” He once more snapped his fingers, and he too was gone in a flash of light.

Now it was just Trixie and Gilda alone in the foyer. The two looked at each other before Gilda spread her wings and took flight. She flew over to one of the windowless windows in the foyer and, turning to Trixie, said, “Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go look for Dash. Good luck with everything. Later.” With a small friendly wave and a flap of her wings, she was gone.

And Trixie suddenly found that she was all alone.

Surprisingly, there was nopony home when Spike walked in. He supposed that Twilight and the others were out somewhere getting a bite to eat to celebrate Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash's victory in having won the race. That, however, did not account for Trixie's whereabouts. Then he remembered that she had said that she was scheduled to do a show after the race. He figured that she must've been busy with that. Even more surprisingly, he wasn't uneasy about being on his own, even if the thought of Starlight lurking around the corner to nab him still lingered in the back of his mind. His senses didn't detect anypony else's presence other than his own, the sound of his claws clicking against the crystalline floor echoing off the crystal walls as he made his way to his bedroom. The uneasiness, which made its presence known by way of him feeling queasy in his stomach, didn't make its presence fully known until he had reached his bedroom door, and suddenly the thought that Starlight might have been lurking in his bedroom, just waiting for him to come through so she could graab him, was at the forefront of his thoughts once more, making him hesitate going in. He inched his hand forward, only to flinch away at the last second, just as he was about to grab the doorknob. After several minutes of repeating this action, he finally came to a decision, said, “Screw it,” grabbed the doorknob, and, with a twist of his wrist, flung the door open.

He crept into the room cautiously, looking every which way, even going as far as checking behind the door, underneath the bed, and his closet, just to be sure that he was completely alone. Relieved to see that he in fact was alone, he reclined on his bed, reaching underneath his mattress to pull out a Power Ponies comic. Over time, his eyelids began to get heavy and before long, his head lulled to the side as he began to fall asleep.

He was suddenly standing in the throne room in front of the map table, around which sat, in their respective thrones, not only Twilight, but the rest of his friends as well, all of their eyes on him, the expressions on their faces filled with worry and concern. Looking around, he glanced from one worried face to the next, wondering just what in Equestira they were all doing there. For the longest time, nopony spoke. They all just continued to stare at him.

Finally, Twilight spoke, breaking the silence. “You know why we're all here, right?”

Spike, completely perplexed by what was going on, merely blinked and shook his head. He tried his best at a guess. “Uh . . .”

“This has to do with Starlight, doesn't ti?” Twilight asked.

Spike swallowed hard at the very mention of her name.

Twilight put her hooves together and rested her chin atop them, fixing Spike with a stern look. “I know something's going on between the two of you, Spike. I've noticed it for the past couple of days, ever since Starlight first came back here, in fact.”

Spike began to sweat.

“Yer gonna have to come clean eventually, sugarcube,” Applejack said, “so ya might as well just spill it.”

Spike shook his head, Despite the lump in his throat, he somehow managed to find his voice. “I can't.” The sound of his voice was barely audible. His throat suddenly felt sore. He coughed. This did nothing to alleviate the soreness in his throat. He tensed up, suddenly feeling somepony put their hoof around him, and he turned his head to see Rainbow Dash beaming at him.

“Come on, you can tell us anything,” she assured him. “We're best friends.”

“We're not going to judge you, darling,” Rarity spoke up.

“You'll feel so much better once you get it off your chest,” Fluttershy added. “We're here to listen.”

Spike tried to speak yet again, but the soreness in his throat seemed to have worsened somehow. It felt unnaturally tight. His mouth felt dry. His tongue and the roof of his mouth both felt like sandpaper. He desperately wanted something to drink. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like his friends were too keen on letting him go easily any time soon.

“The sooner you tell us the sooner you can get out of here,” Twilight said.

“It has something to do with Starlight, we know that,” Rainbow said.

A new voice joined the conversation. “Perhaps I can be of some assistance.” Spike felt his body turn cold upon hearing said voice, and a chill ran down his spine as he turned his head to see Starlight enter the room, a big grin on her face. She trotted over to the table and cleared her throat.

“Since Spike won't tell you,” she said, “I suppose I always could.” She put her hoof around Spike, pulling him into a close hug, his face pressing against her chest, and beamed at them all. “You see, Spikey Wikey and I are in love. For the past year or so, Spike's taken great pleasure in being my bitch.” She grinned down at Spike and patted his head. “Isn't that right, Spikey Wikey?”

This declaration was met with a bout of silence for a couple of minutes before Twilight, once again, broke it by speaking up and asking, “Is that true, Spike?”

Spike finally managed to find his voice. “No! It's not like that!”

Rarity guffawed. “Our little Spikey Wikey, who would've thought? Sissy little dragon just loves taking it up the ass, don't you?”

Spike's eyes brimmed with tears. “No! S-stop it!”

Pinkie Pie, who had remained silent up until this point, pointed a hoof at Spike and bellowed, “Hey, everypony! Spike's a total fag!” This quip was met with a roar of laughter from the others, who began prancing around Spike, chanting, “Spike's a little faggot! Spike's a little faggot!” This chant was capped off with more uproarious laughter from the group.

Spike, meanwhile, was lying curled up on the floor in a ball, sobbing, stroking his tail as he feebly begged, “Stop . . . stop it. Stop laughing at me . . .”

“Enough!” a thunderous voice boomed, so loud that it could have very well deafened Spike. This shout was met with silence, and Spike slowly lifted his head to look around, only to see that he was now completely alone. Feeling a gentle breeze sweep past him, he looked up to see Princess Luna hovering up above just a few feet away from him. She landed in front of him, fixing him with a compassionate smile. He slowly got to his feet.

“Princess Luna?” he asked.

“Good afternoon, Spike,” she said.

“Wait, I'm dreaming right now? This is just a dream?” He reached his hand out and gave a poke at the air. Like water, it rippled.

“I assure you that you are asleep,” Princess Luna told him.

“Why am I dreaming a dream like this?”

“Sometimes dreams can be a means of our subconscious grappling with a problem.” She stepped forward and placed her hoof on his chest. “And you do have a problem, don't you?”

Spike glanced down and rubbed at the back of his head. “I suppose you could say that.”

“You have a problem with Starlight Glimmer, it seems. You're afraid, aren't you?” She lifted his chin so that they were looking at each other. “Don't be. Cast all that doubt aside and have faith in your friends. Know that they always have your best interests at heart.”

“You've been hanging around Twilight too much.”

Luna chuckled. “I may have read a letter or two she wrote to my sister. After what happened during my first Nightmare Night, my sister suggested that I read a few of them. But getting back on point, Spike, you have nothing to fear. Know that your friends have your back.”

Spike nodded. “Okay. I suppose I can at least start with Twilight.”

“A very wise decision. If you need assistance, just let me know. I'm always a breath away. You should know what I mean by that.”

“I do.”

“Good. Now, time to wake up.”

Rainbow Dash was pissed. While she flew to Twilight's castle, she couldn’t stop kicking herself for forgetting that she was to meet Gilda at Twilight’s castle so that the two of them could meet up for lunch. It hadn’t been until she and the others had arrived at the restaurant that Rainbow had realized her mistake. Now, thanks to her forgetfulness, the others would just have to wait until she got back with Gilda to get a table. It was just a lucky thing that she just so happened to be the fastest thing in all of Equestria, so, hopefully, they wouldn’t have to wait too long for her to get back, permitting that Gilda was as hungry as she was and was looking forward to chowing down.

Alas, as she opened up the front doors to the castle, as she was expecting to see Gilda pacing back and forth in the foyer anxiously awaiting her arrival and expecting to be chewed out for making her wait, she was, however, not met with this sight, but instead met with an empty foyer and, more troubling still, complete and total silence. She looked around, yet there was no sign of Gilda’s presence anywhere. She cupped a hoof over her mouth and called, “Hello? Gilda? You in here?” The doors closed behind her while she made her way further into the castle, the clopping of her hooves against the crystalline floor echoing off the equally crystalline walls. Her steps were the only sound that met her ears, at least until she reached the bathroom. Thinking that perhaps Gilda had gone in there to relieve herself, she took a peek inside. It was here that the sound of what was inside met her ears fully, but, yet again, she was disappointed to find that Gilda was also not in the bathroom. Nevertheless, what met her eyes transfixed her, and she found that she couldn’t turn away from the scene that was unfolding right before her.

There, in the middle of the bathroom, was Spike, pacing back and forth, his claws tightly gripping his head, his chest heaving in and out as he breathed heavily, tears running down his bloodshot eyes, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. Hovering near the ceiling, with a concerned look on her face, was none other than Fluttershy, the shy pony’s eyes following every move that Spike made.

“Please,” Fluttershy was saying amid Spike’s crying and sniffling, “please, Spike, stop crying. Stop crying and talk to me. What’s wrong? Please, tell me what’s wrong. Maybe I can help? If I can’t, then at least maybe Twilight –”

“No,” Spike said, cutting her off. He finally came to a stop in the middle of the bathroom, his claws at his sides, shaking like the rest of his body was. “Nopony can help me.” He inhaled shakily. “I can’t . . . I can’t do it . . .” He seemed to be more talking to himself more than Fluttershy now, and he spoke so low that Rainbow Dash had to strain her ears just to hear him properly. “I can’t tell her . . . I can’t tell anypony . . . She said she’d kill me, my friends, my family if I did . . .”

Fluttershy said exactly what Rainbow Dash was thinking. “Who?” Her voice, very much like her face, suddenly became angry as she flew and hovered in front of Spike’s face,.asking, “Who said this to you?” Who’s threatening you? You tell me right now, Spike!”

Against her better judgment, Rainbow Dash crept further into the bathroom, the hinges on the door creaking quietly as she did so. Neither Fluttershy nor Spike seemed to notice, not that any of them could hear the disturbance anyway over Spike’s crying. The dragon suddenly gasped, clutching at his chest as he stumbled forward, his breathing seeming to intensify as a result.

Fluttershy to let out a shriek of fright. “Oh, my goodness! Are you all right?” She continued to hover over the dragon, covering her mouth with her hooves, looking down at him in fright.

Instead of answering Fluttershy, Spike instead chose to completely ignore her and turned, walking over to the sink. Gripping the sides of it tightly, he stared down into it, his chest continuing to heave as he drew in heavy breaths while he continued to sob uncontrollably.

Finally, a new voice met this conversation, a voice that neither Spike nor Fluttershy was expecting. Concern for the little dragon had finally overwhelmed Rainbow Dash to the point where she couldn’t help but speak up. The scene that had unfolded had unfortunately taken her by shock so badly, however, that it took her a moment to find her voice. But once she had, she asked, “Dude, you okay?” This inquiry made Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak of surprise, but otherwise she received no response from Spike.

Complete silence filled the space between the three parties, as it seemed Spike had finally ceased his excessive crying. For the next couple of seconds, no one did anything. After these tense couple of seconds had passed, however, Spike suddenly lifted his head, drawing his eyes towards the mirror, and, upon seeing Rainbow Dash looking at him in its reflection, his eyes widened, for it wasn’t Rainbow Dash he was seeing, but Starlight Glimmer. He quickly spun around, baring his teeth, a fierce, angry expression on his face, his fists shaking at his sides with fury.

Rainbow Dash didn’t like the look Spike was giving her one bit. Her heartbeat racing and breathing just as heavily as Spike was, she lifted a shaking hoof towards him, as if trying to halt him from performing any action, and said, “Whoa, Spike, look, dude, just . . . j-j-j-just calm down for just a moment, alright, and we’ll talk this out.” Despite the situation, she tried her best at a friendly smile. “Okay? Sound good?”

It apparently didn’t sound good to Spike, as, with speed that impressed even Rainbow Dash herself, he ran across the room, charging at her, smoke billowing out of his nose in time with his heavy breaths, a crazed look in his eye. He suddenly lunged at her with such speed that she didn’t have any time to react, and she suddenly found herself flat on her back, with Spike on top of her, her head being slammed against the tile floor as she landed, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped, feeling Spike wrapping his claws around her throat and beginning to strangle her, repeatedly slamming her head against the floor, all with that same crazed look in his eye.

“NO! NO!” Fluttershy screamed. “STOP! STOP! STOP IT!”

But Spike didn’t let up. Even after he stopped choking Rainbow Dash, he began slashing at her with his claws like a dog, aiming mostly at her face and throat. He would alternate between slashing at her face and throat and punching her in the face, drawing blood as his fist slammed against her nose, mouth, and eyes. She could do nothing to defend herself except throw her hooves over her face and beg, “Spike, please stop attacking me while I try to think of a way to help you!” These pleas, sadly, fell on deaf ears, as Spike continued to claw and kick and punch at her, all the while crying and sniffling hysterically. For her part, Fluttershy made a valiant attempt to pry him off her childhood best friend, but to no avail as Spike simply kicked her away and continued his assault on Rainbow, and Fluttershy’s screams and pleading for him to stop continued to be in vain. Meanwhile, all Rainbow Dash could do was wait for it to be over.

It finally did come to a stop, thanks mainly due to Fluttershy talking to Spike, encouraging him to take deep breaths and counting backwards from ten. Even if the ordeal had finally come to an end, it did so in a rather unpleasant way. As if whatever demon that had suddenly possessed Spike had similarly been exorcised from him, the punching and slashing ceased and, lowering her hooves, Rainbow Dash stared up into Spike’s horror-stricken face. Slowly, the dragon backed away from her, shaking his head in disbelief. Rainbow Dash sat up, reaching out a hoof towards him as she quietly reassured him, “Spike, it’s okay. Come here . . . it’s okay . . .”

Spike, however, merely shook his head, still staring at Rainbow Dash in shock, before turning on his heels and running as fast as he could out the bathroom door, not daring to look back.

And suddenly Rainbow Dash found herself to be not so hungry anymore.

It was late in the afternoon by the time Twilight got home. She waved goodbye to her friends (sans Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, both of whom had, despite not feeling very hungry or festive in the slightest, had joined Gilda, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo at the restaurant for lunch) and then proceeded to enter her home, briefly wondering just where in Equestira Trixie had gotten off to. She shrugged her shoulders in indifference, figuring that the showmare would arrive home as soon as her show was over. She entered the kitchen, fixed herself a cup of sweet tea, then made her way to her bedroom. Setting the cup down on her bedside table, she grabbed the book resting underneath her lamp, opened it up to where she'd last put her bookmark, and started to read, only to be distracted when her hooves happened to brush up against a piece of parchment. Her curiosity grew the better of her, and, with her magic, she scooped up the parchment and read what was scribbled on it, although there wasn't much to read. There was only one statement.

We need to talk NOW!

There was no need to ask who the note was from. She could tell by the handwriting that Spike had written it. She immediately discarded her book and trotted out her bedroom and made her way to Spike's room.

Spike lay curled on his bed, stroking his tail that lay nestled between his legs, his head resting on a fluffy pillow. He sniffled and said, “When you and your friends would go on your friendship missions, or when you were up late studying or working on some experiment, she would tuck me in. Said she was trying to help me get to sleep. She told me that my pajamas were buttoned wrong and that she would help me fix them. It was . . . so long ago.” He took a deep breath in. “Then she'd curl up with me in bed and . . . and touch herself. Trixie, I . . . I don't know, I guess she was off practicing her magic or something.”

Twilight inhaled shakily. “Why didn't you ever tell me?”

Spike's breath rattled as he took another breath in. “After she left, I didn't have to worry about it anymore. I thought we weren't going to talk about it. The whole time I kept thinking maybe it was my fault. Maybe it was something I did.”

“Oh, Spike, never think it's your fault.” Beginning to cry, she enveloped him in her magic and then embraced him in a tight hug, gently rocking back and forth. “Oh, Spike, I'm so sorry . . .” she said as she continued to sob.

All Spike could do was cling to Twilight and bury his face in her shoulder as he cried alongside her. He felt a new presence make itself known, and he looked up to see that Trixie had joined them, wrapping them both in her hooves as she hugged them tightly. The three stayed that way for several minutes before finally detaching from each other.

Wiping her eyes and sniffling, Twilight told Spike, “I need to go to Manehattan. Trixie, could you and the others watch him for me while I'm gone?”

“Of course,” Trixie replied, giving the alicorn a warm smile.

Twilight hugged her. “Thank you. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll be back as soon as I can, promise.” She gave Spike a worried look. “Will you be okay while I'm gone?”

He nodded. “I'll be fine. As long as I have my friends, I know everything will be alright.”

She smiled. “Great.” She leaped over him and trotted over to the bedroom door.

“Wait,” Spike called. “What are you going to Manehattan for?”

Twilight looked back at him. “For some reinforcement. We're going to need a little bit of help.” Without another word, she sprinted off down the hall toward the front doors of the castle.

While Twilight made her way towards Manehattan, Majesty was conversing with Celestia and Luna. She stood by the thrones that the pair of princesses had erected to watch the royal guard practice. Currently, Shining Armor was busy sparring with Flash Sentry. Though, with Majesty talking, the two princesses, in particular Celestia, found it quite difficult to maintain concentration on what was going on below them.

“This pony must be arrested,” Majesty was saying.

“In the middle of this ridiculous festival?” Luna inquired.

“The Summer Sun Celebration,” Celestia corrected her.

“Whatever!” Luna hissed irritably.

Celestia apparently wasn't listening to her, as she suddenly bellowed to the two sparring ponies down below, “No, no! Block, then thrust, Flash!”

Luna continued onward as if she hadn't been interrupted. “Whoever heard of a festival to celebrate that your own princess didn't destroy you? These ponies are mad.”

“These ponies are dangerous!” Majesty said.

“I can't arrest their current hero while there are thousands of them in town,” Celestia cried in aggravation. “I'd have a riot on my hooves! Think, Majesty!”

Majesty sat down on the edge of the cubicle the three of them were seated behind.“Then do it at night,” she suggested. “Find somepony to betray her, get her alone, I don't care, but if you don't stop her, she's going to bring us all down. She must be stopped – dead!”

Celestia sighed and rolled her eyes. “I thought you were a better ruler than this, Majesty.” Looking past her, she shouted down to the two ponies below, “Shining Armor, teach him to counter that attack!”

“If there is another rebellion in this miserable place,” Luna said to Celestia, “the Higher Council will throw both of us to the lions! The last thing we need is another repeat of what happened after Shining and Cadence’s wedding!”

“I could kill this pony tomorrow and there would be another one right after her,” Celestia said.

“Or?” Majesty said, raising an eyebrow.

“Or,” Celestia said, “we could see to it that she becomes a problem for some of her own kind, and they could solve the problem for us.” Down below, Flash Sentry finally succeeded in blocking and counterattacking Shining Armor and she suddenly rose to her hooves and began to clap, laughing happily, as she yelled, “Bravo, Flash Sentry!”

If there was one good thing about being a princess, it was the fact that getting a train to Manehattan was surprisingly easy. Normally, Twilight didn't like flaunting her ties to royalty, but in situations like this, it was worth it. She seated herself comfortably on the cushioned seat and gazed out the window at the scenery the train was speeding past. While she could've easily flown to her designation, she had chosen to take the train for the sole purpose of doing some thinking during the long trip. The train to Manehattan took at least a couple of hours, so she figured that she had more than enough time to do some deep thinking.

Throughout her thinking, in which hundreds, if not thousands, of questions ran through her head, she became lost in her thoughts, wondering if anything Spike had told her was true or if he was just looking for an excuse to get rid of Starlight, seeing as how the dragon had been less than keen on her staying with them since Twilight had first announced that the former student would be arriving back in Ponyville. But that didn’t seem likely; Spike wasn’t one to make up stories, and she was usually good about knowing whether or not he was lying, and this time he didn’t seem to be lying in the slightest. Unfortunately for Twilight, her thoughts were disturbed by her being thrown to the floor as the train came to a screeching halt. Rubbing her sore head, she looked out the window to see that she had arrived in Manehattan. She opened up her compartment door and joined the other ponies trotting down the corridor.

Once she'd gotten off the train, she levitated a map out of her saddlebags and looked through it. She had been to Manehattan very little in her time as a princess and, given how vast the city was, she was still finding her way around the place. She wished she had asked Rarity to tag along with her to help her as a guide, especially seeing as how the fashionista had a store here and therefore visited the city quite regularly. Nevertheless, she managed to find her way just fine, thanks to the friendly locals whom she asked for directions, eventually ending up at the apartment building that she wanted to go to. She stopped at the reception desk, inquired as to what apartment number her quarry was in, and proceeded to make her way up the stairs. Walking along the hallway of the fifth floor, she walked until she came to her destination. She stopped at apartment number 0527. Hearing a creak, however, made her stop as she was reaching up to knock, and she turned her head to see Rarity walking out of apartment 0526. “Rarity?”

The white mare jumped, having apparently not been expecting to run into somepony she knew, and she turned and beamed upon seeing Twilight. “Twilight, darling, wasn't expecting to see you here.”

“Yeah. I figured you'd be back in Ponyville with Sweetie Belle.”

“Oh, well, Sweetie decided that she wanted to hang out with her friends.”

“So, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I'm just dropping Babs off, then heading back to Ponyville.”

This seemed to be news to Twilight, as she blinked upon hearing this. “You mean, you and Babs . . .”

Rarity nodded. “Mm-hmm. She and I were a team during the Applewood Derby. I had to fight tooth and nail to convince Trixie to let her, but she eventually gave in.”

“So that's why Spike chose Trixie. What about Sweetie Belle?”

“She decided she wanted Applejack to be her partner, and Apple Bloom chose Rainbow Dash. Scootlaoo went with Gilda.”

“I see.”

“Well, it's been lovely chatting with you, darling, but I really must be going.”

“Okay, I'll see you back in Ponyville.” As Rarity turned to leave, she called out, “Oh, and, Rarity?”

“Yes, darling?” Rarity asked, turning back around.

“If it's not too much trouble, could you stop by my place and check on Spike for me?”

Rarity chuckled. “I think he's more than capable of looking after himself, but, sure, I'll stop by to see how he's doing.”

“Thank you.” She waved goodbye to Rarity, then turned back to the door of apartment 0527. Lifting a hoof, she knocked. Then, she waited. After only a few seconds, the door opened. Slowly, a dark magenta-colored mare stepped forward out of the darkness.

“Hello, Twilight Sparkle,” she said.

Twilight smiled. “Hello, Tempest.”

The Furious Five

Tempest Shadow couldn’t help but give the pony before her a warm smile, pleasant feelings filling her as she observed the pony who had restored her faith in friendship, the pony who had given up her chance to retrieve the Staff of Sacanas just to save her life, thus giving up her chance to save all of Equestira at the same time. It seemed that she suddenly realized that she was in the presence of royalty, because she suddenly gave a sweeping bow, bending down low, showing reverence for the alicorn. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked.

Twilight bent down, cupping Tempest’s chin in her hoof and lifting up her head until they were eye-level with each other. She put down her hoof while Tempest straightened up. “No need for that, Tempest. We’re friends, remember.”

Tempest nodded. “Yes, of course.” She cleared her throat, then, stepping aside, she gestured for Twilight to enter her humble abode as she said, “Please, make yourself at home.”

Twilight entered. The apartment wasn’t very spacious at all. It was very small. To the right was the living room that housed a couch, a coffee table, and a couple of recliners. To the left was the dining room, beyond which, through an archway, was the kitchen. In front of her was a long, narrow hallway that had two doors on either side, the rooms on the right being bedrooms and the rooms on the left being the bathroom and the laundry room. After taking all of this in, Twilight made her way towards the living room couch.

“Can I get you anything?” Tempest asked, following Twilight. “Something to drink, a snack? I have juice, milk, tea —”

“Tea, please.”

“Sugar?”

“Yes, please.”

“One lump or two.”

“Two.”

“Coming right up.” She made her way to the kitchen, busying herself with making both Twilight and herself some tea. Whereas Twilight preferred her tea sweet, Tempest herself didn’t, thus, as requested, she added a couple of spoonfuls of sugar to Twilight’s cup of tea, then made her way back to the living room. As Twilight took hers, the alicorn thanked her while she made her way to the recliner positioned across from the alicorn, setting her own cup of tea down on the coffee table between them. She sat down, her rump sinking into the seat of the cushion, and she let out a sigh of content. Leaning forward, she seized her cup of tea and, looking at Twilight over the rim of her cup with a warm smile on her face, asked, “So, Twilight, what brings you to Manehattan?” She took a sip of her tea.

For her part, Twilight was not sure where to begin. She was still trying to process everything that Spike had told her, still reeling from the revelation of it all. Shakily, she took a sip of her own tea, then, leaning forward, set it down on the table. Her voice shaking, she began telling Tempest all about what had happened over the past few years, about how Princess Celestia had sent her to Ponyville to learn about the magic of friendship, about how in doing so she had become an alicorn, eventually dubbing herself the Princess of Friendship, and how in doing so she had acquired a student of her own, a student that had lived with her for well over a year before saving all of Equestria from Queen Chrysalis, eventually graduating and striking out on her own and how, just a couple of days ago, she had arrived back in Ponyville out of the blue, just to spend some time with her former mentor. Tempest sat, listening in rapt attention, nodding her head at the appropriate moments but otherwise remaining completely silent throughout the whole story.

Finally, when Twilight reached the end of her tale, Tempest could do little more besides give a small chuckle and say in reply, “Twilight, I asked you why you were in Manehattan. I didn’t ask you for your whole life story.” Still chuckling amusingly, she once more lifted her cup to her lips and took a drink. Setting it back down, she added, “If you need me to go to Ponyville for a couple of days, I’d be more than happy to.”

Twilight’s ears perked up at that. “You will? Really? You don’t mind?”

Tempest nodded. “Of course,” she said, getting to her hooves. “I don't mind in the slightest. We could leave right now if you’d like.”

Twilight finished off her tea in a swig, knocking back her head to empty the cup, straightening her head and tossing the beverage around in her mouth with a swish as if it was mouthwash, before swallowing and setting her teacup down on the table and getting to her hooves as well. “Let’s not waste any more time, then! Let’s get going!”

“Quite right,” Tempest agreed, nodding her head sharply. “Just let me pack a few things real quick and we’ll be on our way.” So saying, she turned and trotted down the hallway while Twilight watched her go.

Rarity was a mare true to her word, so true in fact that she easily could’ve given Applejack a run for her money. The instant she stepped off the train upon arriving back in Ponyville, she turned, beginning to trot down the dirt road towards the Castle of Friendship. Upon arriving, it was only natural that she would assume that she’d be venturing on her quest alone, yet when she entered the throne room, she found not only Trixie there, but each one of her friends sans Twilight, each one seated at their respective seat that occupied the circumference of the cutie map table. She briskly walked in the room, uttering a friendly greeting towards her friends and a friendly nod towards Trixie, then settled down in her seat that was between Pinkie Pie and Applejack’s seats. Directly across from her sat Rainbow Dash. Despite the warm reception that her arrival had prompted, the atmosphere in the room was anything but friendly, if Rainbow Dash’s body language and facial expression were anything to go by.

Rainbow Dash sat rigid, a scowl seemingly permanently etched onto her face, her wings, which normally would’ve been folded at her sides as she sat, were completely extended. While she may not have been moving, her body was certainly giving away her true emotions at the moment, the pegasus silently seething in her barely contained inner rage, looking as if she might explode from all of the pent up anger that she was currently holding in if one were to provoke her in just the right way, even if only slightly. From beside her and directly across from her, both Fluttershy and Applejack respectively were mimicking her behavior, each sitting stiff as a board, sneers etched on their faces, and their bodies equally shaking with just as much rage as Rainbow Dash seemed to be holding in, if only for the benefit of not only her friends, but Spike as well. Even Pinkie Pie, usually the bubbly one of their group, sat quite still, not saying a word or moving whatsoever. Unlike her other three friends, however, she was not glowering; instead, she had a sad expression on her face, like she’d never be happy again, her mane and tail having lost their usual poofiness, resulting in both of them being straightened, her mane falling past her shoulders as if it was nothing more than a hijab. It reminded Rarity of the time that the pink pony had mistakenly assumed that all of her friends had been avoiding her all day just so they could kick her out of the group when in fact they’d been hard at work preparing for her surprise birthday party. The look hadn’t suited her well back then and now, given the circumstances behind why they were all gathered in one single room, it was even worse.

Finally, there was Trixie. While usually boastful and arrogant beyond belief, the magician was seated in Twilight’s seat, wallowing in her anger very much like Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. She wasn’t even wearing her usual get-up, instead choosing to sit as bare as the others. Rarity supposed that she shouldn’t have been too surprised by this, given how close she and Spike were, despite their constant bickering and fighting. Like Sweetie Belle and herself, Rarity knew that deep down the two siblings, regardless of their differing views and opinions on a large number of issues and topics, cared deeply for each other, Trixie more so for Spike than he her, as she, like Shining Armor and her former rival Twilight Sparkle, saw him as being akin to something of a little brother of sorts and thus, she felt it was her duty to look out for his best interests. Hence, why she was just barely holding it together, the mare sat, visibly shaking with fury, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was alternating between gnashing her teeth and biting down on her bottom lip so hard that she was actually drawing blood. She didn’t seem to notice, let alone care, as blood trickled down her chin and onto the floor below.

There was complete and utter silence within the room, neither pony knowing exactly what to say or do, each one of them, very much like Twilight herself, still reeling from the news that they’d been presented with via Trixie upon arriving at the castle. Unfortunately, given that neither Trixie nor Rarity were highly skilled when it came to magic, there was nothing preventing Starlight form entering the castle. However, should she so much as have the audacity to actually show her face in their presence, there was likewise nothing stopping them from beating the ever-loving snot out of her to within an inch of her life, until she was nothing more than a shivering, bloody mess of a corpse. Even so, Starlight was so highly skilled in terms of magic that she easily gave Twilight a run for her money, and she could easily evade them if she so desired, again, due to the fact that neither Trixie nor Rarity were highly skilled when it came to magic-related combat. The most magic Rarity could do was levitation, and those were such basic spells that they were one of the first spells a unicorn ever learned in their lifetime when they were first starting to use their magic. Regardless, it was still a six to one fight between them and Starlight, seven if Spike were so inclined to get involved, which Rarity seriously doubted given the little guy’s lack of fighting ability or stature. In spite of this, though, Rarity still remembered how he had put up an admirable fight against the Diamond Dogs when they attempted to kidnap her. Had he not been pushed into the ground and then brutally catapulted into a nearby tree, he easily would’ve succeeded in holding them off.

The memory of the Diamond Dogs made her visibly shudder, yet also remembering how Spike had so bravely and valiantly tried to protect her was nothing short of a sweet and happy one. Between that and all of the generosity and kindness he’d shown towards her, thus proving just how deep his love for her truly was, really brought a smile to her face despite the circumstances she found herself in. She couldn’t help but feel as if her being here were the Fates’ way of allowing her to make up for all that he’d done for her. He’d always been there for her, through thick and thin, just as he’d been there every step of the way for Twilight. Now it was her turn to return the favor. In truth, though, she would have preferred that the circumferences be different, as the situation in which she found herself in was anything but ideal.

The silence was suddenly pricked by the metaphorical pin of a sound that resembled somepony having just finished teleporting into the room, and after turning her head, much like the others had done in response to the the sudden interruption, Rarity’s jaw went slack when her eyes fell upon none other than Starlight Glimmer herself, utterly drenched from head to tail in blood. She gave a warm smile to the assembled group, showing that even her once brilliantly white teeth were now stained with blood. She lifted her head, beaming at them all, before opening her mouth to speak. “Evening, all. Anypony seen Twilight around?”

Rarity’s heart pounded in her chest. Surely all parties within the room would seize the opportunity that had so graciously been bestowed upon them to rush at Starlight and beat her to within an inch of her life. Yet, to Rarity’s surprise, not a single pony did such a thing. They all sat, still as rigid as ever, simply glowering at their former friend. At first, nopony said anything in response to Starlight’s quip, and Rarity immediately predicted that somepony would comment on the fact that the pony standing before them was covered in blood, yet it seemed as if nopony was interested in commenting on this fact. When somepony, that being Applejack, finally did lift up their voice to speak next, Rarity was not expecting to hear the following words proceed out of Applejack’s mouth.

The farmer cleared her throat before speaking. “Sorry, Starlight, but your princess is in another castle.”

Starlight blinked in confusion. “What/”

“What?” Pinkie echoed, before her pupils shrank, her mane and tail curled into a tight coil, and she thumped her hind leg against the seat of her chair, and, after a few seconds of this, gave out a contented sigh as if she’d just gotten done having the best orgasm of her life. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Anywho —”

At long last, it seemed that Trixie had found her voice, for before Pinkie could go any further, the stage magician lifted up her voice to speak. "Starlight, wha . . ." The pony seemed at a loss for words. "What are you doing covered in blood?"

Starlight smirked. "Oh, that village Discord sent me to? Yeah, I took care of that." She lifted a hoof and licked the blood of her limb.

Applejack stood up to her full height in her chair and pounded on the table with both hooves as she bellowed. “Just what in Celestia’s name do you think you’re doing here, Starlight?”

Starlight chuckled. “Why, visiting my friends, of course.”

Rainbow snorted in amusement, her hooves crossed over her chest. “That’s a laugh.”

Applejack marched up to Starlight and Rarity, in all honesty, was half expecting Applejack to knock her senseless. Instead, the mare said, in a dark tone, “Girl, your best bet is get out of here while you still can. Otherwise, I’m gonna beat you to within an inch of your life, and then I’m gonna knock your daddy’s dick so hard in the dirt that he can never foul Equestira with another little cunt like you!”

Starlight laughed at that. “Oh, really, now?” She leaned forward until she and Applejack were touching noses while the farmer continued to sneer at her. With a smirk on her face, she said, “I’d love to see you try.”

“Oh, honey, don’t even tempt me,” Applejack replied. “There’s nothing I’d love to do more right now than to inflict some pain on you!”

“You got that right,” Rainbow yelled.

Starlight opened her mouth, getting ready to reply, until she was suddenly smacked right in the face with a water balloon. Seeing this, Rainbow turned to Pinkie and, lifting her hoof for a hoof bump, cried, “Nice one, Pinkie Pie!”

“Uh, that wasn’t me,” Pinkie Pie replied.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Then who —” Looking up, she got her answer.

Fluttershy was hovering in the air, furiously beating her wings, savagely grinding her teeth, and breathing heavily, a box tucked under a hoof that was stuffed to the brim with water balloons, She didn’t hesitate to grab another water balloon, this one fit to burst due to the volume of water stored inside it, and hurtled it right at Starlight's face. She did this with such speed and accuracy in terms of aim that not only did Starlight have no time whatsoever to stop it, even with her magic, but even Rainbow was impressed with her skill. “Soak in it,” she screamed, continuing to pelt Starlight with water balloons. “Soak in your lies!” She grunted as she yet again sent another balloon flying right at Starlight’s head, the balloon bursting instantly as soon as it made contact with Starlight’s horn, and the pony was left standing there with rivulets of water running down her face, dripping down onto the floor below from her chin, mane, ears, and nose.

“My face hurts,” Starlight said.

“Yeah, and it’ll match your ass after I’m done kickin’ it,” Applejack replied.

Before Applejack could make good on her promise, however, Fluttershy didn’t hesitate to hurtle another water balloon at Starlight. Rather than run or try to stop Fluttershy, Starlight merely stood there, taking the water balloons to the face like a champion, waiting patiently until Fluttershy was done. If nothing else, at least the water balloons were getting rid of the blood that coated her body. Unfortunately, this naturally had the side effect of creating a mess on the floor, not that anypony seemed to mind or care at the moment. The five friends watched gleefully as Fluttershy continued to assault Starlight with water balloon after water balloon until finally, panting, Fluttershy was left with no more ammunition and she, albeit reluctantly, discarded the box that had at one point contained the numerous water balloons.

Smiling, Starlight lifted a hoof and brushed off a stray piece of balloon that had gotten stuck to her chest via the water, then lifted her eyes towards Fluttershy and, raising an inquisitive eyebrow, said, “You finished?”

Fluttershy gave no response.

“Good,” Starlight said, continuing to smile, “because that means I get to do this.” Her horn flared with its usual turquoise aura, and Fluttershy suddenly let out a strangled gasp, tightly clutching her throat, her eyes watering and her wings failing her miserably as Starlight’s magic tightly squeezed at her windpipe, the unicorn seeming to take great pleasure in slowly but surely strangling Fluttershy to death. The poor pegasus was left with no other options except to hope and pray that one of her friends would come to her aid. “I’ve wanted to do this ever since that day in my village, when you and that bitch of a cunt Twilight Snarkle” (“Hey, that’s my line,” Trixie yelled) “ruined my life! Oh, I’m going to enjoy every last second of draining every last breath out of you that I can!”

Luckily, Applejack immediately came to Fluttershy’s rescue, the farmer rearing back her hooves and slamming them against Starlight’s face, knocking the pony off her hooves and sending her flying across the room, resulting in her slamming against the crystal wall, hard, with a resounding crunch, the impact leaving behind an imprint as she fell. Applejack stepped forward, biting down on Starlight's mane and jerking her up to her hooves before slamming her up against the wall, tightly pressing a hoof against her throat as she got nose to nose with the unicorn, sneering at her as she yelled, “You get your ass the hell out of here before I lose what sliver of sanity I have left and beat the living shit out of you, girl!” She threw Starlight to the floor, glowering down at her. “Now get!”

Whatever pain Applejack had been hoping to inflict on Starlight was merely brushed off by her, the pony getting to her hooves and silently wiping some dirt off herself, then silently turned. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll go.” With that, she trotted out the door.

Applejack snorted indignantly. “Good riddance,” she muttered, turning around and walking back to her seat.

Meanwhile, both Rarity and Rainbow Dash were tending to a shaking Fluttershy, who was still struggling to get some air back into her lungs and catch her breath.

Trixie beamed at Applejack. “Don’t tell anypony I said this, and if you do I’ll just deny it, but that was freaking awesome!” She lifted a hoof for a hoof bump, only for Applejack to pay it no mind, and she silently put her hoof down.

“No offense, Trixie,” the farmer replied, “but I ain’t exactly in the mood for talkin’ right now, you hear?”

Trixie merely nodded her head in understanding.

While he had been completely confident that he’d be perfectly safe with his friends looking out for him, Spike still couldn’t help but feel a little jittery, especially seeing as he was all by his lonesome in his room. He lounged on his bed, one leg crossed over the other as he lay reading a Power Ponies comic. The heroes at least gave him some reprieve regarding the current situation. Perhaps Twilight was right in saying that reading could be a great way to escape one’s troubles. Even so, his concentration was occasionally broken up by the odd noise here and there, and there was little he could do to prevent himself from jumping at every little noise that made its presence known.

His fears were beginning to get the best of him. Surely there was no way Starlight was capable of entering his room. Then again, in her haste to leave for Manehattan, Twilight had neglected to put a shield spell around his room, let alone the castle, hence why, for at least a moment or two, he thought he could hear Starlight’s voice coming from the throne room, followed by Applejack screaming at her to get out. He waved this away as his imagination and tried, once again, to concentrate on what he was reading. He plucked a sapphire from the bowl of gems that Rarity had so graciously given him as a means of easing his nerves and making him feel better and popped it in his mouth, merrily chewing and swallowing as he turned a page in his comic.

His concentration was broken up yet again by something else that made its presence known. He had the sudden urge to relieve himself. Perhaps that forty-four-ounce soda hadn’t been the best idea. He discarded his comic and hopped up from his bed, making his way out of his room and down the hall towards the bathroom. It would be a quick trip that wouldn’t take him more than a couple of minutes before he was back in bed enjoying his comic. Or, at least, that’s how the scenario played out in his head, for as he entered the bathroom he noticed that Owlowiscious had somehow managed to get inside and had left several droppings on the floor. He grumbled to himself and, after retrieving the broom from the nearby hall closet, began sweeping up the droppings and depositing them in the toilet before flushing it along with his urine once he’d finished his business. It was as he was turning to leave that he ran right into somepony, a certain pink pony that stood with a scowl on her face. He backed up, and a grimace came across his face, his stomach churning, making him feel queasy, as he beheld Starlight’s sneering face glaring down at him.

“So,” she said, quirking an eyebrow, “I raped you? With my looks, I could have any guy I wanted. Why would I rape you? You're not even that attractive." With a grunt, she smacked him hard across the face. "Do you have any idea how badly you've fucked things up for me!?" She didn’t give him a chance to respond. She lunged forward, grabbing him by the throat and choking him. His eyes watered, blurring his vision, kicking his legs in vain, his tail thrashing against the wall behind him, his claws tightly wrapped around her hoof, trying his best to loosen the tight hold she had on him, but his efforts proved futile, as there was no doubt that she was not only physically bigger than him, but stronger than him too. Thus, she had the upper hand. She looked down at him with absolute fury as she said, "Do you know what you’re going to do? You’re going to go to every single pony you told and tell them that you lied, do you understand me? You're going to tell them—”

He was left with no options but to do the only thing he could think of. He screamed, “No!”, and raised his claws, bringing them down hard across Starlight’s face, slashing her cheek. She screamed in pain, lifting a hoof to the fresh wound, immediately dropping him, and he seized his chance, running as fast as his legs could carry him to the bathroom door. Alas, she was quicker, as he suddenly felt her tugging on his tail with her magic, pulling him back. She rolled him over onto his back, towering over him, breathing heavily as she glared down at him.

“You little prick! I’m going to enjoy this!” She flipped him back over onto his stomach and, with her magic, conjured up a strap-on, which she immediately began putting on. Unfortunately, given that she was preoccupied at the moment, she didn’t see that Spike had gotten to his feet, so she was surprised when she had the wind knocked out of her by a surprisingly powerful kick from him, knocking her back on her rump. In retaliation, she reared back a hoof and struck him across the face, knocking him to the floor. She didn’t so much as give him a chance to get up, roughly kicking him in the stomach. Panting, she flipped him over onto his back, merely so she could smack him across the face as she yelled, “You little fucking asshole! How dare you not let me fuck you in the ass!”

He reared back a leg and delivered another powerful kick to her stomach, and she gave out a strangled gasp, feeling the air being knocked out of her yet again, and he ran as fast as he could. Behind him, he heard her yell, “You’ll pay for that!” He looked behind him just in time to see her charging up a spell and he just had enough time to duck. Her spell missed him, and the sound of shattering glass, followed by the broken shards falling into the porcelain sink below, told him that she had hit the mirror instead. Feeling her trying to pull him back towards her yet again, he turned and punched her in the throat before once more making another run towards the bathroom door. Unfortunately for him, she seemed to have anticipated this move because he skidded to a halt when she suddenly teleported in front of him, blocking his only means of escape. He looked around for any way to get out, silently cursing the fact that the bathroom contained no windows to the outside world, leaving the both of them completely boxed in by nothing but crystalline walls. He mentally made a note to remind himself to talk to Twilight about this as soon as he had the chance.

For the time being, though, he had other matters to contend with at the moment. He watched as she slowly approached him, and he immediately began backing up, until he felt his rump bump into the edge of the edge of the tub. He looked behind him to see that she had him completely cornered and, fearfully, turned to see that she was just a couple of inches away from his face, but the thing that surprised him was that she was no longer scowling, but instead had a sweet smile on her face that, if he was being honest with himself, seemed to be forced. A chill ran through him as she lifted a hoof and gently brushed it across the side of his face. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that blood was trickling down the left side of her face from when he’d slashed her earlier.

“Tell you what, half-pint,” she said. “I’ll forgive you if you agree to come with me. What say you and me get out of here? We can go to Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Canterlot, just name your destination.” Her smile widened. “And there you’ll be by my side, just as you’ve always been with me here in Ponyville, your tongue and your marvelous cock constantly driving me higher and higher to even greater heights of pleasure, until there isn’t an inch of my body that hasn’t been utterly coated in your delicious cum!”

He’d finally decided that he’d had enough. His claws shook at his sides, the expression on his face adopting one of determination as he spoke quite clearly: “No.”

The smile instantly vanished from her face to be replaced by her sneer. “What did you say?”

“I said no.”

She snapped. She knocked him to the floor with a swift smack across the face. “Why you little —” Whatever she was going to say next was cut off by him knocking her off her hooves by sweeping his tail at the place where she stood and he once more made a mad dash for the bathroom door.

Meanwhile in the throne room, Fluttershy was still trying to recover from her ordeal. Rarity had fetched her a drink, and the pegasus gratefully took it and gulped it down.

“That was really cool, Fluttershy,” Applejack said, giving the pony a congratulatory pat on the back. “But what got into you?”

Before Fluttershy could answer, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Her brother’s a registered sex offender.” She hovered in the air, her hooves crossed over her chest, a glare on her face as she said this.

“You mean Zephyr?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Of course I mean Zephyr! It’s not too surprising, really, given all the times he tried to have his way with me.” She glared at Rarity.

Rarity, for her part, looked down at the floor in shame, idly kicking at the floor with a hoof before sheepishly looking up at Rainbow and saying, “I’m so sorry, darling. Of course had I known about your past with him, I never would’ve insisted that you try to wow him just to get the crown for Twilight.”

Rainbow, thankfully, grinned with a smirk as she replied, “I got the last laugh, though. After I gave him a nice kick to the balls, he left me alone.” She snickered.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Good one, Rainbow. I —”

“Pinkie, be quiet for a moment,” Applejack suddenly spoke up, turning her head, her ears twitching.

“Aw, come on, Applejack, I was just gonna say —”

“No, seriously, Pinkie Pie, be quiet!” Applejack barked, and she seemed satisfied when complete silence filled the room.

As the others stood, the silence of the room was suddenly shattered by some sort of commotion coming from down the hall. Listening closely, they could hear screaming and, at various points, voices yelling.

Applejack’s ears twitched yet again. “What in the name of Celestia . . .” she wondered.

It was hopeless. Starlight had him covered from every angle. There was no move he could make that she wouldn’t anticipate, and she was always ready for a counterattack, merrily slapping and smacking him in the face, punching and kicking him in the gut, even going so far as to pretend as he was some sort of ball and began kicking him around the room. He would bounce off the wall and then she, upon teleporting to his anticipated destination based on basic physics and his trajectory, would swiftly deliver a kick to his backside, sending him bouncing off the wall yet again, only to be kicked by her once more, sending him hurtling towards the ceiling, bouncing off the wall, off another wall, just to end up getting kicked by her once more. It seemed that he’d reached the end of his patience because he screamed, ‘Stop!” and, planting a foot against the wall he was hurtling towards, launched himself across the room at her and, upon reaching her, slammed a fist against her jaw, knocking her off her hooves. She growled and, jumping to her hooves and firing another blast of magic at him. She once again managed to miss, instead hitting the crystalline wall behind him, sending shards of crystal flying in all directions.

Suddenly, somepony was furiously knocking on the door, and Applejack’s voice could be heard shouting on the other side, “What’s goin’ on in there? Open this door right now!”

The two occupants of the room completely ignored her, as Starlight once again used her magic in an attempt to physically drag Spike across the floor towards her. Upon reaching her and her letting go of him, he screamed, “No!” and didn’t hesitate to seize the opportunity to grab the nearest object he could find, that being a bottle of mace, and he, turning, sprayed a healthy dose of it in Starlight's eyes. As she screamed in pain, he sprang to his feet, but he wasn’t headed towards the bathroom door as one would expect; instead, he was heading towards the sink. He could hear her sprinting after him. How she was able to tell where he was he had no clue, but he figured that she must’ve been using her other senses to keep track of him. He felt her feebly trying to grab onto his tail with a hoof and he, after reaching the sink, grabbed a shard of glass, then, turning, seized her by the throat, running forward until he slammed her up against a wall, putting the shard of glass up to her throat, the both of them panting heavily as he glared at her.

The room was suddenly flooded with light and Spike, despite his better judgment, turned his head, still being sure to watch Starlight out of the corner of his eye just to be safe, to see not only Applejack, but the whole gang standing there. Breathing heavily, he turned back to Starlight, tightly pressing the shard of glass against her throat. He saw her swallow hard, and he felt his spirits lift at that moment, thinking that he had finally managed to make her afraid of him for a change instead of the other way around. This thought was shattered, however, when she managed to rear back a hoof, as if she was getting ready to strike him. Aside from the sound of his and Starlight's heavy breathing, there was complete silence, that is until Applejack spoke in an angry tone, “Oh, do it! Please hit him! Please hit him! I wanna see you do it! It’ll be the last mistake you ever make in this lifetime, I guarantee you that!” Then, to Spike, she said authoritatively, “Come out of there, Spike!” In spite of himself, he did as commanded, dropping the shard of glass on the floor, leaving him to discover that he’d apparently been holding the piece of glass so tightly that he’d actually managed to cut himself, leaving a long gash on his hand that was currently drawing blood. Ignoring this, he stumbled towards the bathroom door, where he was immediately enveloped in a hug that consisted of himself, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Trixie, whereas Applejack and Pinkie Pie stayed put.

Glaring, Applejack barked at Starlight, “What the hell is wrong with you?” When Starlight offered up no reply except for a wheeze as she rubbed at her eyes, she screamed, “Answer me!" Lowering her voice, she added, “Everypony knows what you did.” When Starlight continued to remain silent, she screamed, "Say something, cunt!"

Breathing hard and letting out pained gasps, Starlight began walking forward, feeling her way towards the bathroom door. “Please, please . . .”

"You're not leaving," Applejack said.

"I can't see," Starlight cried. "Please, move . . ."

“You’re not going anywhere,” Pinkie Pie snapped in a voice that was very much unlike her own.

“Please, move, I can’t see anything,” Starlight cried. "AH! My eyes!"

“I don’t care,” Applejack shouted.

Meanwhile, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Trixie led Spike away from the confrontation, insisting that he get his hand looked at. They led him to the kitchen, where Rarity immediately went to work at wetting a washcloth while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy presented him with something to eat and drink, which he, to everypony’s surprise, politely declined, stating that he wasn’t hungry, but, at their insistence, he went ahead and ate a little bit of an apple turnover and drank a little juice. Rarity walked back over to the pair, sitting down on her haunches while she gently mopped up the blood and pressed the warm cloth against his hand, insisting that he keep it pressed, thus applying as much pressure as possible, for the next few minutes. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, the warmth of the cloth only seeming to do nothing except make his pain all the worse. Trixie silently soothed him, running a hoof through his scales while she sat beside him.

“I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now,” Fluttershy said.

“I can,” Rainbow Dash replied.

Spike snorted in amusement at that. “How can any of you possibly know what I’m going through right now.”

“I can,” Rarity replied, and everypony immediately turned to look at her.

“You?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity inhaled deeply, then spoke. “I have . . . been raped twice in my life.”

Fury of the Tempest

“You?” Rainbow repeated.

Rarity nodded. “The first time was back when I was stuck with those Diamond Dogs.” She visibly shuddered. “You remember, don’t you, Spikey-Wikey?” At his nod, she continued. “In hindsight, I suppose I brought it on myself. After all, I was going out of my way just to annoy them.” A small smile came to her lips. “They didn’t much care for my whining. Finally, the biggest of them, whom I’m guessing was sort of their leader, suddenly started strangling me, repeatedly telling me to shut up. Of course, not being very skilled in terms of magic, there was little I could do to fend him off, and so I was left to his mercy as he continued to choke me, continuing to demand that I shut up. By this point, of course, I had fallen silent due to him choking and shaking me. His companions attempted to help me by begging him to stop and trying to pry him off me, but he simply brushed them off as if they were nothing.” Her voice cracked and tears flooded her eyes as she continued. “The next thing I know he was on top of me, forcing himself inside me, laughing the whole time while he had his way with me. His companions could do nothing else except watch on as he brutally raped me. Then, at his suggestion, they took turns having their way with me, forcing me to . . . do things with them. I’d rather not get into the details, as you can well imagine.

“The next time was later that year, at the Grand Galloping Gala. You all remember that night fondly, I’m sure.” She cleared her throat while the others smiled as they reminisced about that night. “It was all supposed to go so perfectly. I was meant to find my one true love at that Gala, and he was meant to treat me like a lady.” She scoffed. “So much for that fantasy coming true. I got stuck with Prince Blueblood, if any of you need reminding. The guy I was with turned out to be a real jerk.” She shook her head. “I thought he liked me for me, you know?” She received a series of nods of understanding for her troubles. She continued. “Anyway, he invites me back to his suite for a little wining and dining. Stubborn bastard couldn’t even so much as hold the door open for me, so I ended up falling flat on my face while he just walked on, didn’t even bother to help me up. So, anyway, we go back to his place and we, uh . . . well, we start . . . doing typical things you do with someone that’s gotten your fancy. I know I should’ve just ditched him, but I kept telling myself to give him a chance, that his princely side was sure to come out sooner or later if I was just patient. It started out quite nice, the two of us kissing while he put his hooves on me, touched me, caressed me. Then he started to get a little rough, pinching and squeezing my rump, forcing his tongue down my throat, and all manner of other rough behavior. I told him to slow down, that he was going too fast. He ignored me. Before I knew it, we were both on his bed and he was beside himself as he roughly had his way with me. I begged and begged for him to stop, but he wouldn’t. Afterward, he got up and suggested that we go get something to eat, almost as if the whole thing had never happened.” She looked at Applejack. “And that’s when we ran into you, Applejack.”

“Land sakes, Rarity, why didn’t you say something?” Applejack asked.

“I didn’t want to make a scene or cause a fuss,” Rarity replied. “After all, he is the nephew of Princess Celestia herself. Can you imagine how damaging it’d be to my reputation if I accused him of rape? It’d be his word against mine, and Celestia’s ruling surely would be biased, seeing as how he is family and all. So, I decided to just put on a brave face for your sake.” She snorted indignantly. “Bastard couldn’t even be bothered to pay for my food, was going to make me pay if it hadn’t been for you, Applejack.” She shook her head. “Something like that isn’t exactly something you just get over. It stays with you, years later. You often find yourself reliving it in your dreams, and you’ll wake up with a jolt, screaming into the night.” These words were met with nods from both Rainbow Dash and Spike. She smiled as she walked up to Spike and, cupping his chin in her hoof, lifted up his gaze so that they were looking at each other. “I wish I could tell you that the pain eventually does go away, but I can’t. However, what I can tell you is that things indeed do get better over time. For you, things will get better. I promise.”

“So what did you end up doing?” Spike asked.

“I’m actually still going to weekly therapy visits. You’d be amazed at what wonders it does. Before that, I merely threw myself into my work, hoping that by keeping busy I’d be able to forget about it. But I never did. After several nights suffering from night terrors because of it, I finally broke down and told my parents what had happened, and they insisted that I seek some professional help.”

“Yeah, therapy’s not really my thing,” Rainbow said. “Not really into the whole talking-about-my-feelings thing.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “You really should give it a try, Rainbow. You’d be surprised at how much it helps.”

“Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Rainbow replied.

“Hey, Trix, where are you going?” Spike asked.

Every head turned towards the entryway into the kitchen to see the blue mare making her way down the hallway. She stopped upon being called upon and turned. “I’m just heading out to run a quick errand. Shouldn’t be too long. I’ll be back soon. Just carry on as if I wasn’t here.” Turning back around, she continued to walk down the hall.

“You are so full of crap, Soarin,” Fleetfoot said with a chuckle.

“Am not,” Soarin countered. “Ask Misty Fly. Go on, ask her.”

Fleetfoot turned to the Wonderbolt in question and was about to question the mare before a blue mare entered the locker room and cleared her throat.

“What are you doing here?” Spitfire snapped. “No civilians are allowed to be back here! Why isn’t somepony on this?!”

Trixie ignored her. “My name is . . . Trucy, Trucy Gladmare, and I need to report a crime anonymously.”

“Okay, what’s the crime?” Spitfire asked.

“Well, I live in Ponyville,” Trixie continued, “and one of the residents is having sex with a minor.”

All of the Wonderbolts sprang to their feet and rushed over to Trixie.

“Oh, my Celestia,” Soarin cried.

“This is terrible,” High Winds said.

“You did the right thing by coming to us, Trucy,” Spitfire said, putting a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Now, where does this sicko live? Who is he? What’s his name?”

“Well, it’s not a guy, it’s a mare,” Trixie corrected.

“A mare?” Surprise asked, raising an eyebrow and rubbing her chin.

“But she’s ugly, right?” Lightning Streak said, grinning.

Trixie shook her head. “No, not really. Her name is Starlight Glimmer.”

“You mean that pony who’s always hanging around Princess Twilight?” Thunderlane asked.

“Yes,” Trixie replied. “And she’s been having sex with Spike.”

“Isn’t he Twilight’s pet lizard?” Soarin asked.

“No, no, that’s Pinkie Pie you’re thinking of,” Misty Fly replied.

“I could’ve sworn that Pinkie had a pet alligator for a pet,” Fleetfoot said.

“We’re getting off-topic here, everypony,” Spitfire barked. She turned back to Trixie and asked, “So, let me see if I understand this. You’re saying that Starlight Glimmer, the former student of the Princess of Friendship, is having sex with Spike, Twilight’s number one assistant, who’s a minor? Spike the dragon is having sex with Starlight Glimmer?”

“Yes,” Trixie said.

The Wonderbolts looked at each other and smiled.

“Nice,” Soarin said.

“Nice,” Thunderlane said.

Trixie groaned. “What!? No, you don’t understand —”

“You’re sure they’ve had sex?” Thunderlane asked.

“Yes,” Trixie replied.

“Has she performed oral sex on him?” Fleetfoot asked.

“I think so,” Trixie said.

Once more, the Wonderbolts glanced at each and grinned.

“Nice,” Lightning Streak said.

“Nice,” Thunderlane said.

“Nice,” Soarin said.

“So, wait, what’s the crime?” Spitfire asked.

“The crime is she isn’t doing it with me,” Soarin said, nudging Fire Streak, one of his fellow Wonderbolts, his comment being met with rounds of laughter from everypony in the room except for Trixie.

“Hey,” she snapped, glaring, “this isn’t funny! He’s underage! She’s taking advantage of him!”

“No, no, no,” Spitfire said, her laughter slowly dying down. “She’s right, everypony. We’re sorry. This is serious, everypony! We need to track this boy down and . . . give him his ‘Luckiest Dragon in Equestria’ medal right away!” This remark was met with another round of uproarious laughter from her teammates.

Seething, Trixie turned and left while the Wonderbolts rolled with laughter.

Only a couple of hours after leaving Manehattan, Twilight and Tempest stepped off the train upon arriving in Ponyville. Tempest stood, taking a moment to look around while Twilight retrieved her luggage from the train.

“This place looks familiar,” Tempest said.

“It should,” Twilight replied. “You laid siege to it when you were working for the Storm King. It took us over a year to repair the damage you did.”

“Oh, r-right.” She cleared her throat. “Well, then, shall we get going?” She pointed forward. “Lead the way, princess.”

Twilight nodded. “This way.”

As they walked, Tempest spoke. “So, tell me more about this Starlight Glimmer. What’s she like?”

Twilight exhaled deeply. “Oh, boy, where do I begin? Well, her story is eerily similar to yours.”

“How so?” Tempest inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, like you, she used to have friends until her friends up and abandoned her. She blamed cutie marks and eventually ended up starting a cult in a small village of her making, insisting that her followers give up their cutie marks if they wanted to be a part of her community. We ended up defeating her once before, freeing her followers of her tyranny, but she ended up coming back to seek revenge. I managed to talk her down and she, like you, reformed. Or at least that’s what I thought. Turns out it was all just a ploy just so she could get close to Spike.” She shook her head. “How could I be so stupid?”

Tempest chuckled in amusement. “You, Twilight Sparkle, are the farthest thing from being stupid, trust me. I don’t think I’ve ever met another pony like you. Your only problem is you’re too trusting, too quick to forgive. I’m a prime example of that.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re right about that. I won’t make that same mistake again.”

“Talk to me. Tell me more.”

Throughout their walk, Twilight told Tempest everything she wanted to know, answering her questions promptly. Tempest had been too busy sleeping and Twilight occupied with her reading for them to do any actual talking on the train ride, Tempest insisting that she get some rest seeing as how she hadn’t slept well the night before and Twilight had promised not to disturb her. Thus, they made up for lost time as they walked, Tempest listening carefully to everything Twilight said, storing it away in her long-term memory just in case she needed it for later.

“Well, here we are,” Twilight said happily upon finally reaching their destination. With her magic, she opened the double doors and gestured for Tempest to enter. “Guests first.”

Smirking to herself, Tempest made her way inside the castle, stopping in the foyer to survey her surroundings while Twilight followed. A chill ran through her. The temperature in the castle was bone-chillingly cold. Shuddering, she turned to Twilight and asked, “Sweet Celestia, Twilight, how do you stand it being so cold in here?”

Twilight chuckled. “Lots of blankets. Come on, the others should be expecting us in the throne room.”

Tempest raised an eyebrow. “The others?” She followed at Twilight’s heels, her head turning constantly to observe the castle, though there wasn’t much to see. Every corridor and door looked exactly the same, leaving her wondering just how in the world Twilight, let anypony for that matter, managed to find their way around this place. For her part, though, Twilight seemed to know exactly where she was going, as they soon came to a halt in front of a door that looked exactly like all the others. With her magic, Twilight pried open the door, revealing the throne room to Tempest, around which were seated not only her friends but also Spike and Trixie. Tempest entered alongside Twilight, who took her seat in her throne that was seated to the left of Spike’s.

“So, anything interesting happen while I was gone?” Twilight asked.

“Funny you should say that,” Pinkie Pie said, “because —”

Applejack stuffed a cupcake in Pinkie’s mouth. “Nope, smooth sailing, sugarcube.”

Twilight gave her a look of concern. “Are you sure nothing happened while I was gone? It looked like Pinkie was about to say something.”

Applejack shook her head. “Nope. Nothing at all. Just us sitting around talking, that’s all.”

Twilight sighed in annoyance. “If you say so, Applejack. You can all go now if you’d like.”

Applejack nodded. “Sounds good to me. Come on, y’all.” She led the group out of the room and down the hall towards the front door.

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Rarity hissed in Applejack’s ear. “Surely she’s going to know why the mirror in the bathroom is broken and why there’s blood all over the floor.”

“I don’t wanna get her riled up,” Applejack replied. “You’re worrying about nothing. I managed to replace the mirror and clean up the mess. Besides which, with Tempest here, Starlight doesn’t stand a chance against her. Everything will be fine.”

“Still, I say we got to the authorities,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’ll check in with the Wonderbolts.”

“Great idea,” Rarity said, nodding her head in approval.

“While I’m at it,” Rainbow Dash said, “I’ll alert the royal guard and Shining Armor too.” With a flap of her wings, she was off.

Back in the throne room, Spike and Tempest spent several seconds staring at each other before Spike spoke up. “I’m surprised to see you here, Tempest,” he said.

“Twilight insisted that I come provide extra protection,” Tempest said. “For the time being, I’ll be staying here if that’s alright.”

Spike shrugged. “Fine by me.” He stretched and yawned. “I think I’ll hit the hay early tonight.”

Twilight suddenly stopped him as he turned to leave, grabbing at his wrist and turning his hand towards her with her magic so she could closely inspect it. “Spike, what happened to you?”

Spike glanced down at the gash left from the shard of glass he’d been holding. “Cut it open while trying to get a jar of pickles open,” he said.

“That’s a nasty cut,” Twilight observed. “Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

Spike shook his head. “No. It’s just a minor cut. No big deal. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright. Well, just to be safe, make sure you put some disinfectant on that and a bandage. Trixie, could you help him with that.”

Trixie nodded her head. “Sure thing, Come on, Spike.” She led Spike down the hallway.

Twilight yawned and stretched. “I’m probably going to head off to bed soon myself. Tempest, feel free to make yourself at home. The kitchen is all yours.”

Tempest gave the alicorn a grateful smile. “Thank you, Twilight. I am feeling a bit peckish from the trip.”

“Well, we have plenty of food here. Just go in and get whatever suits your fancy.”

Some time later, as he was brushing his teeth, Spike noticed Tempest standing in the doorway watching him. His brushing slowed until he finally stopped and turned, his lips coated in toothpaste. “Uh . . . can I help you?”

Tempest shook her head. “No. I was instructed to watch over you throughout my stay here.”

“Oh, uh . . . okay . . .” He turned back towards the mirror, feeling relieved that Rarity had been able to replace the mirror that had been shattered in his fight with Starlight. He bent down, rinsing out his mouth after depositing the toothpaste from it before turning and walking down the hallway towards his bedroom, politely requesting that Tempest stand guard outside his room while he changed, allowing her to come inside soon thereafter. He crawled into bed with Tempest standing beside his bed.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “You have nothing to fear. Go to sleep. I’ll stand guard. I only ask that you do not make me smile. I’m forbidden to smile.”

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle in amusement at that. Surely she couldn’t be serious, could she? Given the serious expression on her face, he took that to mean that she wasn’t kidding around. He turned over onto his side, looking over his shoulder as he said, “You know if you’d rather go get something to eat, you’re more than welcome to. My bedroom is right next to Twilight’s. If I need anything, I can holler for her.”

Tempest shrugged. “As you wish. Suit yourself.” She walked out of the room, switching off the bedroom light and shutting the bedroom door as she went. Trixie had graciously given her a map as a means of helping her find her way around. She withdrew it from her saddlebag now as she stood in the middle of the hallway, studying it closely before making a turn and walking down the hallway, keeping her eyes on the map as she went.

It turned out that the kitchen was surprisingly close to the throne room and it, like seemingly every other room within the castle walls, was completely made of crystal. She went about looking through the cabinets and various other cupboards, quickly learning that Twilight had not been lying when she’d said that the castle was well-stocked with food. With three occupants living within said castle, it would naturally occur to Twilight to make sure that they had a surplus of food, especially when guests were over, which there usually were. To combat the cold temperature in the room, she went ahead and made herself some soup. The smell of it alone was enough to cause her to salivate, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, her lunch hour being taken up by her catching up on some reading that had quickly eaten up the hours.

Some time later she sat alone at the kitchen table, eating spoonful after spoonful of soup, mulling over everything that Twilight had told her during their journey to the castle. She had said that Starlight and Tempest were eerily similar, hadn’t she? The only similarities that Tempest could see, though, was their childhood and how they had each been bad guys reformed by the same Princess of Friendship. Twilight had told her all about Starlight, going into every little detail, and Tempest couldn’t help but imagine the battle that had been waged between the two during their escapades in the past. If nothing else, these mental images kept her mind busy and helped combat the silent atmosphere that filled the kitchen, aside from the telltale signs of her eating.

Later that evening, Tempest went about taking care of the dishes, if for no reason other than to be a good guest. Her military background training was still very much a part of herself, as the Storm King had insisted that the dishes be done after mealtimes. Back then, Tempest had often found herself doing them of her own accord, if only because she couldn’t sleep knowing that the kitchen was a mess. It was so now. She wouldn’t have been able to sleep knowing that Twilight’s kitchen was a mess. It was kind of pointless, really, especially since she doubted that she would even bother with sleep tonight anyway, seeing as how she was supposed to be serving as a sort of night guard during her stay here.

Meanwhile, in her own bedroom, Trixie sat at her desk, a roll of parchment placed in front of her and a quill resting in her inkwell. She sighed deeply, then, with her magic, lifted the quill from its home and began writing.

Twilight Sparkle,
There is something that has been on my mind for a long time now. It’s high time you get to hear what I’ve been meaning to tell you. I would have told you this in person, but I don’t want you to forget these words, ever.

You truly are one incredible pony. You never cease to amaze me. I have spent many nights tossing and turning wondering just how you do it. You were always ready to face the next challenge, even if it was bigger than you were. You’ve always been that way, ever since the day I first met you. When I first came to Ponyville, your magical abilities had increased so substantially since our days at school that it left me in sheer awe. If there was ever any good that came of that day it’s that my defeat at your hooves spurred me on to work harder and get better at my magic. Ever since that day I’ve lived with the sole purpose of surpassing you. However, in the end, I was unable to surpass you. Though I suspect I trained harder than you did, yet no matter how much I improved, your magic still exceeded mine in every way. You seem to have been born with a natural talent for going even higher than I. No amount of training could ever close the gap between us. No matter how much time has passed, that difference has not changed. I realize that now. It was made painfully clear to me watching you and Starlight spar with each other. It was a shock, Twilight. Imagine my shock to see the undeniable proof, to discover that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be able to catch up with you nor surpass you, forever overshadowed, outclassed, and outdistanced by you, forever living in your shadow.

After you humiliated me by showing me up with that Ursa Minor, that’s when I secretly made up my mind and made my resolution. While at Celestia’s school, I recalled hearing about an amulet that could help a unicorn increase their power dramatically and I began to think. I knew that if I allowed myself to fall under its influence, what it’d done for others in the past it could also do for me. I knew that if I were to allow myself to be controlled by it, the gap between us might be closed. Looking back, I say that the result was just as I thought. I was quite pleased with the results, even if they did come at a price. I say that the end more than justified the means.

At first, I thought that it was because you had something to protect, because of your friends and loved ones, that it was your instinct to protect them, because you have a strong mind towards defending something that gave rise to some mysterious, hidden power within you, that spurred you on and pushed you beyond your limits. Yet if that were the case, then the same would’ve been true for me as well, yet even when I found myself with a family of my own, I noticed that my power didn’t increase at all. You could have if you really wanted to, but in the end, you never killed me. Instead, you went so far as to be kind to even me. Personally, I would’ve preferred it had you just killed me. When we last met, I felt I had failed to live up to what was expected of me as a magician. Broken and with nothing left to fight for, I was ready to abandon my walk down the path of show business. But you, Spike, and Starlight all had faith in me. Not just you three, but your friends as well. You all returned both my confidence and my faith in myself. All I had ever wanted was my revenge, to make you suffer. Yet, you came to my aid in my darkest moment, and I wanted to hate you so much for it, but I just couldn’t, because in my heart I knew that you were not some sort of obstacle to defeat. During my last duel with you, even when I was winning, I felt I was losing something infinitely more important, and now I know what it was. It was the realization that we are not enemies, you and I, no matter what I previously may have thought. In light of this, I am grateful to have you not only as my opponent, but also as my friend. Whatever happens, I will always be a magician and you will always be a princess, a Princess of Friendship. Even if we stand opposed on opposite sides on a large number of topics, we work towards a common goal — to help make Equestria a better world to live in. And to do that, we must have faith in one another. Never forget who you are and what you’re fighting for, Twilight Sparkle. I trust we will meet again someday. Until that day, I’m afraid I must say farewell to you. Thank you for everything you have done for me. It’s as if you knew that I would eventually come to have the slightest bit of a heart. Slowly, over the years, I became one of you, and I hated it! I hated how, before I had even realized it, I had become influenced by you and your friends and become so gentle. My quest for greatness fell to the wayside to make way for this life of mediocrity. Then I, of all ponies, awoke one day to find that I had settled down and formed a family. I had even become quite fond of them, and it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. I came to like this comfortable lifestyle as well.

I used to perform magic for the sheer pleasure of it, for the thrill of leaving my spectators in awe at the prowess of my magical abilities. I spared no expense when it came to putting on my shows. But you were different, Twilight. You didn’t use your magic in order to win a duel. You used your magic to push yourself to your limits, to help others, even going as far as to show mercy to your enemies, some of which were some of the most fiercest monsters Equestria has ever seen. You never worried about taking an opponent’s life. You never fought to win or kill or even for revenge, only to test your limits when it came to your magical abilities, to push yourself beyond them, to become the strongest you could possibly be.

How could somepony be that powerful yet so gentle and kind she wouldn’t hurt a fly? Oh, it makes me angry just thinking about it! It’s maddening! But, perhaps it is my anger that has blinded me to the truth for so long. I see it now. My defeat at your hooves has made it all too clear. I am absolutely no match for Starlight Glimmer. You’re the only one who can fight with her. You are better than me, Twilight Sparkle. You are the best.

Signed,
The Great and Powerful Trixie

Sniffling and wiping her eyes, Trixie put the quill back in its inkwell only long enough to retrieve an envelope. She carefully folded up the letter and slipped it inside before sealing it and turning it over. Then, once more grabbing her quill, scrawled Twilight’s name across the center. Getting up, she carefully and quietly ventured to Twilight’s bedroom. Luckily, the alicorn was sound asleep. Even so, she carefully made her way across the room and laid the envelope on Twilight’s bedside table. Then, bending down, she pecked Twilight on the forehead. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I love you.” Straightening up, she turned and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall.

It was soon after she’d finished washing the dishes and wiping everything down that Tempest heard the telltale sounds of trotting echoing off the castle walls. Drying her hooves on a dry washcloth, she walked over to the entryway to the kitchen and looked out into the hallway to see Trixie making her way towards the front door with a saddlebag strapped across her back. “Hey, you, where are you going?”

“Out,” Trixie replied without so much as turning to look at Tempest. “Don’t expect me back any time soon.”

Tempest nodded. “Okay, have fun. Be careful.”

Trixie merely nodded in response, then made her exit.

Tempest turned to go about drying the dishes and putting them away. In only a short amount of time, she’d already memorized where everything was. Twilight was such a stickler for details that she even arranged her silverware by size. Butter knives were on the left, large spoons to the right of those, followed by two separate trays containing small forks and large forks, respectively, Below the four containers was a separate container solely for small spoons. Smirking in amusement and chuckling to herself, Tempest went about putting the eating utensils away. She suddenly stopped, hearing the telltale sound of somepony teleporting into the room. Her neck creaking, she turned her head to see that Starlight had teleported into the room, her back to Tempest, looking around. As if solely just to get her attention, Tempest slammed several forks, spoons, and knives down on the counter, creating quite a loud racket, so much so that the sudden noise made Starlight jump, and the pony turned around to come face to face with Tempest Shadow.

“Hi,” she said with a cheerful smile and a friendly wave. “You must be Tempest. I’m —”

“I know who you are,” Tempest replied coldly. “Starlight Glimmer, A.K.A little miss child molesting pedophile.”

“I’m looking for Spike.”

Tempest’s nostrils flared and she snorted indignantly. “Do you have any idea how badly you hurt him? You’re not getting anywhere near that boy.”

Starlight chuckled in amusement at that. “I have my reasons for doing what I did.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Tempest said. “All I heard was blah-blah-blah I like to fuck little kids.”

“I have to talk to him. And there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Tempest chuckled. “Oh, honey, there’s a lot that I can do to stop you.”

Starlight reared back her head and cackled in delight. “With what? That dinky little horn of yours?”

“I’ll tell you what, sweet cheeks.” Tempest grunted as she bent down, beginning to stretch her legs, eliciting audible pops and cracks from her bones. “You get by me, I’ll let you leave here with your teeth intact.” She pressed her left hoof against her left jaw, turning her head, cracking her neck in the process, then proceeded to do the same with her right hoof against her right jaw, cracking her neck even more, before rotating her head, eliciting more pops and cracks from her neck all the while. She rotated her neck in a quick manner then bellowed, “Whoo! Feeling crazy!” Then, smiling, she gestured towards Starlight with a come-hither gesture with her hooves. “Come to mama!”

Starlight bent low, bellowing out her nostrils as she pawed at the ground, then took off at a full sprint towards Tempest. As she leaped in the air, Tempest merely stepped to the side, then stretched out a hoof. She didn’t have time to react quick enough as her throat caught on the crook of Tempest’s hoof, knocking her flat on her back on the floor.

Tempest smiled down at Starlight. “I was a military commander for over ten years. You’re going to have to do better than that.”

Starlight reared back a hoof and slammed it against Tempest’s groin at least three separate times, resulting in Tempest letting out a grunt with every kick, then she guffawed. “What are you kicking for?” she asked as she laughed hysterically. “I don’t have any balls, dummy!” She seized Starlight with her hooves, then, lifting the pony above her head, began spinning around on her hind legs, laughing and whooping all the while, leaving Starlight with nothing to do but to helplessly beat against Tempest’s back.

“Put me down,” she shouted. “Put me down!”

“Whatever you say, sweet cheeks,” Tempest replied, proceeding to hurtle Starlight towards the kitchen table. There was a startled scream from Starlight, followed by a resounding crash and crunching of wood as the pony collided with the table, the force of Tempest’s throw being more than enough to render the table completely useless, its legs giving way, leaving the tabletop to fall to the floor with Starlight on top of it. Smiling and feeling quite pleased with herself, Tempest walked over to her and asked, “Had enough?”

Panting, Starlight got to her hooves.

Grinning, Tempest seized a knife and once again gestured for Starlight to come forward. “Bring your raping ass over here!”

Once more, Starlight sprinted towards Tempest. Rather than step out of the way this time, however, Tempest timed her attack just right and delivered a powerful uppercut to Starlight’s chin, knocking her backwards, resulting in the pony once again landing on the floor flat on her back. Her teeth rattled in her mouth from the force of the impact.

“We can keep this going all night,” Tempest said. “I can go for as long as you can. It could all be over if you’d just turn tail and run.”

Starlight once again got up, wiping a spot of blood from her mouth. “Fat chance of that,” she said.

Tempest merely shrugged her shoulders in indifference. “Suit yourself.” This time, she charged at Starlight, seizing her by the throat and pushing her backwards until the pony was pressed against the wall. Starlight feebly kicked at Tempest’s stomach, grabbed at Tempest’s hooves with her own. She charged her horn, and suddenly Tempest was sent flying across the room, slamming against the door of the stove before falling to the floor. She groaned, shakily getting to her hooves, only to be knocked back down to the floor as Starlight delivered a sharp kick to her ribs.

Panting and grinning down at her, Starlight said, “You might have strength, but I have magic on my side.”

Tempest gave Starlight a toothy grin. “Oh, you shouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Wha —” Before she could get her question out, Starlight suddenly felt herself being electrocuted through the electricity coming out of Tempest’s horn. She fell to the floor, flat on her back, her body convulsing and jerking violently in response to the electric current coursing through her body. Tempest kept it going, being sure to put a lot of power behind her attack, but not so much that it would actually kill her.

“You want me to stop?” she asked, sneering down at Starlight, continuing to fire electricity at her. “Just say the word. Just say the word and I’ll stop, on the condition that you get the hell out of here as soon as I do. Get the picture?”

There was no possible way for Starlight to verbally give her answer, so she was left with no choice other than to nod her head to show that she understood. Immediately, Tempest ceased her attack and stared down at her while she struggled to get her bearings. Shaking, she got to her hooves.

“Now,” Tempest said, “get out of here before I decide it’s a better idea to kill you than to let you live with your teeth intact. Or do I need to make good on my promise of knocking your teeth out?” So saying, she raised a hoof and waved it in a threatening manner near Starlight’s face.

Starlight nodded. “Fine, I’ll go, but don’t consider this a victory.” She turned, slapping Tempest in the face with her tail before making her leave.

Tempest followed her, making sure that the pony was true to her word. Upon exiting out the front door, Tempest watched her go until Starlight was no longer visible, then turned and walked back in the kitchen to resume her task of putting the dishes away.

Twilight awoke the next morning, stretching her hooves and trying to get the crust out from under her eyes. The sun was barely up, but that hardly mattered to her. As she proceeded to get out of bed, pulling back her covers as she did so, she thought she saw something white resting on her bedside table, but thought nothing of it. She made her way to the kitchen. She wasn’t surprised to find Tempest standing at the sink, quietly sipping her coffee while she stared out the window. Letting out another yawn, Twilight made her way over to the coffeemaker and began making herself a mug of coffee. “Morning, Tempest,” she said.

“Good morning, Twilight,” Tempest replied, taking another sip of her coffee. “Sleep well?”

Twilight shrugged. “Okay, I guess. What was that racket I heard earlier?”

“Oh. A mouse scared the crap out of me and I was trying to kill.” She chuckled. “I ended up breaking the table when I tried crushing the little booger when he tried getting to my food. Sorry about that.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow as she turned with her coffee hovering just below her chin. “Really? I could’ve sworn I heard you talking to somepony.” She lfited her mug to her lips and took a sip.

“Trixie. We didn’t really get to introduce ourselves before she decided to go to bed. She came in here a little while after I finally caught the mouse wondering what all the noise was about, said she was in the mood for a midnight snack. So while she ate, we talked for a little bit.”

“Hmm, I see. I’ll have to look for a new table while I’m out today.”

“Again, really sorry about that.”

Twilight shook her head. “Ah, don’t worry about it. Nothing that can’t be replaced.” She cleared her throat. “Speaking of Trixie, have you seen her anywhere? Is she up yet?”

“I think she said she was going to get a quick shower before she got something to eat,” Tempest replied.

“I’ll check the bathroom.” She walked out of the kitchen, sipping her coffee as she went. While she originally intended to go to the bathroom straightaway, she stopped at her bedroom, being sure that she’d seen something white out of the corner of her eye as she’d gotten out of bed. It turned out that she had indeed seen something, for on her bedside table was a white enveloped addressed to her. Setting her mug of coffee aside, she pried open the envelope and pulled out the letter enclosed within, carefully unfolding it and begin to read.

Afterward, smiling, she carefully folded the letter back up and once more put it back in the envelope, silently mulling over what Trixie had said while she sat and drank her coffee. Tempest had lied to her, sure, there was no doubt about that, but she knew that Tempest had only lied to spare her feelings. There was one thing that was troubling her, though: How was she going to tell Spike and how was he going to take it?

Spike quickly found out that Tempest had not been lying when she’d said that Twilight had instructed her to protect him during her stay in Ponyville. Tempest was there when he got up in the morning and followed him wherever he went, going so far as to stand guard outside the bathroom door as he did his business. In a way, it was kind of cool, making him feel as if he had his own personal bodyguard; on the other hand, it was dreadfully annoying, making him feel as if he had no sense of personal space, much less privacy. It was incredibly awkward when it was just him and her in his bedroom while he merrily read his comics. To these she showed much interest, and he delighted in telling her all about the Power Ponies and all of the other comics he’d collected, his love for them starting back when he was very young. Shining Armor, serving as a big brother of sorts to him back in his younger days, had graciously allowed him to read some of his comics, and there were many a night in which the two of them would stay up late talking about their favorite ones. Tempest listened to everything he said, finally, albeit rather sheepishly, admitting that she herself had been into comic books in her younger years, long before her downfall had started. It was afterward that her comics provided her with a means of comfort during those dark times before she finally struck out on her own.

Naturally, when Spike told Twilight that he was going out, Tempest insisted that she come with, and no matter how much he tried, Spike couldn’t dissuade her. He could see her reasoning after all, especially given what had happened the day before, once again reminding himself to tell Twilight to beef up security around the castle to prevent such a thing from ever happening again. It struck him as odd that the others hadn’t bothered telling her about what had happened, but he decided not to question it and made his way out of the castle.

While he wasn’t entirely certain whether or not she’d still be in Ponyville, he went looking for Ember. Tempest offered up her services and, after getting an adequate description of what their quarry looked like, began searching for the seemingly disappeared dragon. He asked various ponies around town, only to come up with no answers. He finally found her at the local ice cream shop with Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be introducing the dragon to the frozen treat. The dragon stood, holding an ice cream cone in her hand, looking at the treat questioningly before leaning forward and giving it a tentative lick, tossing the flavor around on her tongue before nodding her head in approval and began to take several licks thereafter while Pinkie happily munched on her own ice cream.

“There you are,” Spike said, walking up to her. “I’ve been looking all over for you. You’re not still mad at me, are you?”

Ember didn’t answer. She was staring at Tempest.

“Oh,” Tempest cried, suddenly seeming to notice she was being watched. “Just pretend I’m not here.” She turned and busied herself with ordering some ice cream for herself, momentarily asking Spike if he wanted any and was taken aback when he declined.

Ember looked down at Spike. “I thought about it. If you don’t want to tell me, then I figure you must have a pretty good reason as to why? What do you want?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted to go out this evening,” Spike said.

Ember raised an eyebrow. “You mean like a date? You and me?”

“Aw, that’s so cute,” Pinkie cried.

Spike ignored her as he shook his head. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a date. We’re just two friends hanging out, that’s all.”

Ember shrugged. “Okay. What did you have in mind?”

Smiling, Spike withdrew two tickets from his saddlebag and showed them to her. “Rainbow Dash gave me two tickets to the Wonderbolts show this weekend. You want to come with?”

Ember nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about these Wonderbolts. They’re supposed to be pretty amazing.” She smirked. “But I’m sure not as amazing as us dragons, am I right?”

He smirked at that. “You’d be surprised.”

She took one of the tickets from him and inspected it. “Alright, I’ll see you around six, then?”

“You can count on it.”

“Hold on.” She pointed at Tempest. “She’s not going to be with you, is she?”

“Probably. Why?”

Bending down, Ember whispered to him, “It’s just that it’d be a little weird having her with us. What’s she doing here with you anyway? Didn’t she try to kill Starlight?”

“No, that’s Twilight you’re thinking of, and she was only after Twilight’s magic, but she’s reformed. She’s one of us now. As for what she’s doing here . . . well, it’s complicated.”

Straightening up, Ember replied, “Okay, if you say so.”

“I’ll see if I can’t talk Twilight into letting her stay at the castle tonight.”

“Okay. So I’ll see you at six, right?”

“On the dot.”

“Great. It’s a date, then!” She flapped her wings and took off.

“It’s not a date!” Spike yelled after her.

“Mmm, cookies and cream,” Tempest said, walking back over to Spike with a cup of ice cream. Smiling, she scooped up a spoonful and popped it in her mouth. Glancing down at Spike, she asked, “You sure you don’t want any?”

“Uh-huh,” Spike replied.

Convincing Twilight to let Tempest stay home that evening turned out to be surprisingly easy. Even so, Twilight insisted that she needed to talk to him, telling him that they needed to sit down and talk about something important. He brushed it off, saying that it could wait, that they would talk about it later, as he needed to get ready. He figured that the reason why Twilight was allowing him and Ember to go out on their own was because she must’ve thought that any trouble they might run into, Ember could handle on her own. As scheduled, the dragon princess arrived promptly at six and both dragons were all set to head out. Just before he left, however, Twilight requested that Spike do her a favor.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“As soon as you come back, promise me that you and I can sit down and talk. It’s about Trixie.”

“What about her?” he asked. He tapped his chin in thought. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her all day. She must be putting on one of her shows.”

“It’s important. And, well, if you see her, could please tell her that she’s more than welcome to come back home if and when she feels like it.”

He nodded. “I don’t know what you mean by that, Twilight, but, sure. Will do.” With that, he shut the front door.

“You want a lift?” Ember asked, bending down and stretching out her wings. “We can get there faster if we fly. Hop on.”

He clambered onto her back and gasped upon suddenly being thrown back when she took off. He smiled to himself, feeling the wind whip past him. He’d spent so much time riding on Twilight’s back during her many flights that he’d gotten quite used to the wind resistance, so it was easy for him to keep his eyes open. They soared past Ponyville. Down below ponies were beginning to close down their shops and head home for the night. Meanwhile, others were getting ready for a relaxing evening inside, putting the little ones away to bed and sitting down with a good book and a piping hot cup of tea. The little quaint village of Ponyville shined against the setting sun while the stars beginning to make their presence known against the blackness of the sky and the light of the moon. Spike chastised himself for never taking the time to truly appreciate the beauty of nighttime before. No wonder Princess Luna had gotten so pissed off and turned into Nightmare Moon.

They were soon in Canterlot, the city being much more lit than Ponyville was with its abundance of buildings and streetlamps. He directed her as to where she should go, and soon they were in the stands awaiting for the show to begin. Spike in particular was excited to see Rainbow Dash in action as a full-fledged Wonderbolt, seeing as how he had sadly missed on her first outing, thanks to Pinkie Pie. It was because of this that he didn’t bother going to the concession stand for anything, even when Ember went to go get something to drink and a snack and asked him if he wanted anything, which he declined. Even so, she came back with two drinks and a large bucket of popcorn for the both of them, and he gave her a grateful smile as he popped a handful of popped kernels into his mouth.

As expected, the show was amazing. Rainbow Dash in particular stuck out, seeing as how the Wonderbolts had graciously given her a routine all to herself as a means of making up for all that they’d put her through during her first week as a Wonderbolt. Regardless, she had gone the extra mile in incorporating the others into her routine, particularly with Spitfire and Soarin, the three of them coming off more as aerial ballerinas than anything else as they gracefully soared through the skies. Ember was left thoroughly impressed with the show, and joined the others in the applause after the show was over. Just before leaving, she stopped to get a refill on her drink and Spike went ahead and got a refill on his iwn drink as well, if only so he’d have something to drink on the journey home.

On the flight home, they talked animatedly about the show, discussing their favorite bits. Spike talked most of all about Rainbow Dash while Ember told him that she was impressed with all of them, but agreed that Rainbow Dash had stood out among the rest. She could clearly see why the Wonderbolts had been hoping and praying that somepony would resign just so they could get her on the team.

They quickly arrived back at Twilight’s castle. He hopped down off her back, thanked her for the pleasure of joining him, and started to head inside.

“Hold on,” she suddenly said. “There’s something every date ends with.”

He turned around and saw her bend down low, cup his chin in her hand, tilt his head up, and lean forward, slowly closing her eyes and drawing her lips closer to his. His heartbeat quickened and his breath became erratic. “No!” he screamed, beginning to hit and claw at her, leaving Ember to be taken aback by shock and bewilderment at what he was doing. As he continued to yell, his volume increased with every word he spoke until he was practically screaming at the top of his lungs. “No! I said no! Get out! Get out of my room! You’re not allowed in here! I said get out! Leave me alone! Get away from me! Get away! Get away! Get away!” Without fully realizing what he was doing, he reared back his claws and brought them down hard on the side of Ember’s face, slashing her cheek, leaving three decent-sized cuts along it, just as he’d done with Starlight.

She screamed in pain and immediately brought a hand up to the fresh wound, staring back at him in shock. It seemed her scream brought him back to reality and the scowl that had previously been on his face instantly vanished as he stared in horror at what he’d done while she continued to stare at him in shock, horror, and puzzlement. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His throat hurt. He tried again, only to come up short. When he finally did find his voice, he fumbled with himself. “I . . . Ember, I . . .I’m so . . . I’m sor . . . I need to go!” He hastily turned around and, in his haste to get away from her, fumbled with the doorknob before finally remembering that it turned the other way, and quickly made his retreat inside, slamming the door shut behind him without so much as giving her a parting glance back. Breathing heavily, his heart hammering against his rib cage, he stood with his body pressed against the front door, listening closely. He faintly heard Ember say, “I’m sorry. . . . What did I do wrong? I’m sorry.” He finally heard the telltale sign of her wings flapping, telling him that she’d made her departure. He stood there, silently taking in what had just happened. Drawing in a shaky breath, he completely sank down to the floor until he was curled up in a ball and he began to sob quietly to himself.

“Did you do or say anything that might have offended him?” Rainbow Dash asked Ember.

“No,” Ember replied.

“Did you touch him anywhere he might not have wanted you to?”

Ember shook her head. “No. All I did was try to give him a goodnight kiss, that’s all.”

“Wait, you tried to kisshim!?’ Rainbow asked, her jaw going slack.

“Yeah,” Ember replied. “Why? Is that bad?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t get a chance to answer, for right at that moment, Ember spotted Spike walking towards Sugarcube Corner. She ran after him, calling out his name. She caught up to him, saying, “Listen, Spike, about last night, if I did anything to upset you, I’m sorry.” When he gave no response, she grabbed his arm and forced him to stop and turn, facing her. “Would you listen to me for a minute?”

He glared at her, smacking her hand away. “Don’t touch me, do you understand me? I don’t like being touched. Is that clear?”

She nodded. “Perfectly. Can we talk about last night?”

“No! I don’t want to talk to you, alright? Leave me alone!”

“Spike —”

“I said leave me alone! I don’t want to talk about it, okay?!” So saying, he turned on his heel and dashed off, leaving Ember completely alone.

She heard Rainbow Dash trot up to her, the pony giving her a concerned look. She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know why he’s acting like this. It was just a goodnight kiss.” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Do you have any idea why he’s acting this way.”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “I do, but I’m not going to tell you. I think it’s best if you hear it from him.”

Ember scoffed and crossed her arms. “Fat chance of that happening.”

But, contrary to Ember’s belief, it did in fact happen, for later that day, as Ember was in the midst of pondering over what she should have to eat for lunch, Spike walked up to her and said, “Hey, I think you and I should have a talk.”

She raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “You’re ready to talk?”

He nodded. “I am.”

“Is there anywhere we could go to get some privacy?”

“Yes, I know a place.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Ember asked, staring in disbelief at the clubhouse in front of her.

“No,” Spike said, beginning to make his way up the planks that led to the front door. “No one should bother us here. We should have complete privacy.”

Ember sighed and rolled her eyes, but nonetheless followed Spike up the planks and into the clubhouse. Naturally, there wasn’t very much room at all. The clubhouse in question was a perfect square, housing only three windows — two on either side of the room and another just above the front door. She watched as Spike pulled over a couple of beanbags and flopped down on one of them, patting the one beside him to suggest that she should do the same. She did so without complaint, and let out a sigh of content upon feeling how soft and comfortable the impromptu seat was despite herself.

“Ember, there’s some things about me I think you should know about,” Spike began.

“Okay,” Ember replied.

“Starlight and I, well, we have a complicated history.”

She nodded at that. “I’m aware of that. The two of you do seem to have a history with each other.”

He swallowed hard. “This isn’t easy for me to say.”

“Look, if you’re coming out of the closet, just so you know, it’s cool with me. I honestly couldn’t care less.” She had meant this comment as a joke, but when Spike didn’t laugh, her smile fell and the chuckle that had come along with it completely died in her throat.

“You’re right,” Spike said, seeming as if he hadn’t heard Ember’s quip or was choosing instead to ignore it. “Best friends should tell each other everything.” He cleared his throat. “Not too long ago, Twilight encountered this pony named Starlight Glimmer who ran this cult of sorts. Luckily, Twilight and the others were able to free her followers from her reign of tyranny, but she came back for revenge not too long after that. She went back in time and almost ended up destroying all of Equestria, but Twilight managed to talk her down. She became Twilight’s pupil as a means of helping her turn her life around. Or so we all thought that was the case.

“Starlight moved in with Twilight and me, and eventually Trixie was made an honorary family member. She became almost like a sister to me.” Here, he swallowed hard, fighting back tears as he remembered the talk he and Twilight had had the night before. “But she had to leave town often to put on a show somewhere. And Twilight and her friends would get called away on official friendship business, leaving me alone with Starlight. And when we were alone, she started to look at me in a funny way. It started out small. At first, she made me sit on her lap. And then she made me touch” — he swallowed hard — “touch it and . . . other stuff.”

Ember began to comprehend what Spike was getting at. Her mouth hung open. All she could say in response was, “Oh, my Celestia . . .”

“She said if I told anypony that they wouldn’t believe me and I’d just end up making Twilight mad at me. She told me that if I ever told anypony she’d kill me, my friends, and my family. She told me that I made her do it, that it was my fault.”

Ember’s knuckles cracked, her hands balling into fists, exhaling heavily through her nose. “But you were just a little kid.”

Spike went on as if he hadn’t heard her. “Twilight found out finally.” A small smile came to his lips. “And the best part was that she wasn’t mad. That’s why Tempest was with me all day yesterday. But anytime anypony, particularly girls, get too close to me . . .” He inhaled shakily, positioning himself so that he was lying on his side, his tail curled between his legs. “Most of the time I can forget, but sometimes I have these dreams.” His voice cracked as he continued, beginning to stroke his tail while his eyes brimmed with tears. “I . . . I-I can see her. I can see her coming into my room. I can feel her. She’s on top of me. She weighs so much. I . . . I-I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I feel so dirty. . . .”

Ember embraced him in a tight hug. “You’ve got to talk to somepony who can help.”

For the third time, it seemed as if her words had fallen on deaf ears as Spike simply repeated, “I feel so dirty,” over and over again as Ember rocked with him back and forth in her tight hug.

The Trial

Sugarcube Corner was packed with ponies of various colors and sizes. The tables that usually decorated the dining room of the restaurant had been stored away for the night, if only to make room so that ponies would have more space to stand around in. The lights that normally brightened up the restaurant had been dimmed, with only a single disco ball being the only means of illumination in the room, allowing spots of light to dance across the walls and the bodies of the various ponies packed inside, making it rather difficult to make out any faces. Loud, deep-bass music was all that could be heard, to the point where nopony present could make out any of the lyrics to the song due to the bass being so loud.

And yet, despite the already tightly-packed crowd, even more ponies were entering. Among the latest batch of guests were none other than Spike and Starlight Glimmer.

“Finally, we’re here,” Starlight with a sigh of relief.

“We would’ve gotten here a lot earlier if you hadn’t spent so much time on your hair,” Spike said through gritted teeth as he glared at her.

Starlight merely smirked in response and offered up a quip of her own. “Well, if you hadn’t spent so much time in the shower we would have arrived here ages ago!”

“Starlight! You made it!”

Both parties jumped upon hearing Twilight’s voice. It was necessary for the pony to practically scream at the top of her lungs in order to be heard over the bass of the music. She approached the group, enveloping Starlight in a tight hug. “So, you decided to show up after all!” Smirking, she added, “Took you long enough.” Chuckling, she lifted a cup of punch to her lips and took a sip, using her magic to levitate over two other cups of punch for both Spike and Starlight.

Spike rolled his eyes and gestured at Starlight and muttered, “Girls.”

Starlight apparently didn’t take too kindly to his snide remark because she roughly jabbed the crook of her hoof into his ribs and replied, “Boys.”

Spike groaned in pain while Twilight laughed.

“Wow,” Starlight said, taking the chance to survey the room and observe the various ponies dancing around. “Pinkie pulled this together quick! Great party!”

“Thanks,” Pinkie Pie replied, suddenly popping up between Starlight and Spike, startling the both of them. She beamed at Starlight as she said, “It took a lot of effort, but it was so worth it!”

Spike crossed his arms and smirked. “You won’t be saying that when the Cakes bust you.”

Pinkie laughed. “They’re not gonna find out about this, silly.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“They’re out of town,” Pinkie explained. “Besides, I cleared it with them before they left. They said it was okay as long as I made sure there wasn’t a huge mess for them to clean up after they got back.”

Spike joined Pinkie in laughing while Starlight rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Starlight,” Pinkie said. “Let’s go shake our pretty pony plots down on the dance floor!”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Spike agreed.

Pinkie took Starlight by the hoof and led her into the middle of the room. Even Twilight, after setting her drink aside, decided to get in on the dance act. Spike couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched Twilight attempt to dance. The pony stood on her legs, flailing her forehooves around before setting all fours hooves back on the floor, only to deliver a powerful buck at the air. Several ponies backed away from her, if for no other reason than fear that she might injure one of them in the process. For his part, Spike remained with Pinkie and Starlight. The three of them bumped their hips together and took turns delivering playful swats on each other’s backsides, Starlight in particular seemed to really enjoy smacking Spike’s rump, getting a good deal out of laughter out of him for her efforts.

At long last, the song ended and Pinkie excused herself to get something to drink. A new song, one much slower and softer on the ears, began to play over the loudspeakers. Starlight gingerly tapped Spike on the shoulder. Once she had his attention, she reared up on her hooves. Getting the idea, he took hold of her hooves and the two of them began dancing together, slowly moving side to side on the spot. Sighing in content, Starlight rested her head delicately on Spike’s right shoulder, her mane falling down around her shoulders, a small smile plastered on her face. Spike held on to her tightly, a happy expression on his face. Around them, many other couples began to dance as well.

“Spike, we’re so close right now,” Starlight said softly. He tightened his grip on her waist. “Too bad we’re not like this all the time.”

“You know, I think you like me,” Spike replied. “Are you a big love ballad fan? I wouldn’t think this would be your thing.”

“I’ll answer that after I get something to drink.” She licked her lips.

“Please and thank you,” Spike said. “I am parched.” As Starlight started making her way over to the refreshments table, he playfully slapped her hindquarters. He watched her go and turned his head, jumping back in surprise when he noticed Applejack standing there giving him a concerned look.

“Hey,” she said gently, “listen, sugarcube, I know it’s a party and all, but you might want to chill and take it easy, okay?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just . . .” She bit her lip. “She’s a little old for you, don’t you think?”

Spike chuckled. “And I think you’re a little jealous.” He waved her away just as Starlight returned with drinks for them.

“Spike?” she asked. “Everything okay?”

Spike smiled up at her. “Everything is perfect.” He clinked his bottle of soda with hers and took a swig. He figured that he must’ve drunk it too fast because he coughed some of it back up. He felt Starlight pat him on the back and he gave her a grateful smile. “Hey, it’s a little bit loud in here. You want to go outside, get some fresh air?”

Starlight shrugged. “Sure.” She led the way to the front door, opening it up for him and following him outside.

Spike took another drink of his soda and smiled at her. “The whole team was great, but you . . . just, wow . . . you really stood out.”

She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. “I did?”

He blinked. “What are you looking at?”

“Your eyes.” She reached down and began lovingly petting his scales. “You have the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen. They’re very beautiful.”

Spike couldn’t help but blush in response. He jumped, feeling somepony suddenly tapping him on the shoulder. He turned and was taken aback to see Miss Applejack standing there. “Yes?”

“I think I’m gonna turn in for the night,” Applejack replied. “How about you, sugarcube? Come on, I’ll walk ya home.”

Spike shook his head. “No, thanks.” He turned to Starlight. “You know what, on second thought, it’s a little chilly out here.” He wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. “Do you think we could somewhere a little more private?”

Starlight finished off the rest of her soda and tossed the empty bottle over her shoulder. It shattered against a tree. Smiling down at him, she opened the front door and gestured him inside. “After you.” She followed after him, her hoof wrapped around his waist. The two of them made their way through the crowd, politely excusing themselves along the way, until they reached the stairs. She once more reached down to lovingly stroke his scales. “You’re so cute.” She nodded towards the stairs. “I think Pinkie’s room should be quiet enough.”

He nodded in agreement and allowed her to take him by the hand and lead him up the stairs. When they finally reached Pinkie’s room, he felt around on the wall for the light switch and turned on the lights. Starlight, however, immediately turned them off.

“I like it better when it’s dark,” she said, closing and locking the door.

Spike giggled. “But I can’t see anything.”

“There’s the bed,” Starlight said, nodding towards it, “here’s the door, and downstairs is the party.”

Spike frowned. “Why are we whispering.”

“Well, we don’t our friends to know we’re up here, do we, so we don’t want them to hear us, right? Okay?”

Spike nodded. “O-okay.”

She leaned forward and puckered her lips. He stood on the tips of his toes, closing his eyes and puckering his lips, preparing for his first kiss. Their lips met and lingered for several seconds. For his part, Spike couldn’t believe it. They were both kissing. Both pony and dragon had their lips firmly pressed against each other. The pony was desperate for more while the dragon was visibly anxious and nervous. Starlight deepened the kiss, Spike holding onto her face with his gentle claws, keeping her in place if only just so he could reassure himself that it was actually happening, that it was really her in front of him and not some fake.

Oddly enough, Spike managed to notice that Starlight herself seemed rather nervous and anxious as well. This was probably because this was the very first time either one of them had shared an actual kiss with the other before. Even so, he held her so lovingly, so sincerely. At long last, both of them panting for breath, they, albeit reluctantly, pulled away from each other.

Silence filled the room. Spike looked anywhere but into Starlight’s eyes. He looked at the floor, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, looking lost and trapped. It sounded as if the party taking place downstairs was still at top-notch; the music was still at full blast; several ponies were screaming and having the time of their lives. Starlight bit her lip nervously. She rubbed at a hoof, silently hoping that Spike didn’t suddenly want to join them. Rather, she hoped that he wanted to stay in her embrace. So far, it looked that way. At long last, Spike looked up at her. Smiling down at him, she leaned down and gave him a small peck on the nose.

“You are so adorable,” Starlight whispered.

Spike blushed. “I am?”

Starlight nodded.

Both of their lips met yet again, but this kiss was completely different than the first they’d shared. They were both passionate, hungry, and loving. Starlight opened her mouth, forcing Spike’s mouth open with her tongue so she could explore the depths of his mouth. She felt his tongue trying to reciprocate. He wanted to explore her mouth too. He was no longer afraid. She could sense that. He was no longer trembling, his breath no longer shaky. He was strong, passionate, lustful. His body almost overpowered hers despite the differences in their height. Both of their bodies screamed for more and more.

“Come here,” she said. She suddenly levitated him in her magic and tossed him down on Pinkie’s bed before clambering up and towering over him. “Is this okay?”

Breathing heavily, Spike shook his head. “No. I-I mean . . . yes.” Smiling, Starlight bent down and began kissing his nose. “Just . . . take it slow, okay?”He pulled her down, both holding onto each other’s faces as they kissed passionately into each other’s mouths.

It was Pinkie’s bed they were lying on, but this bit of information didn’t register in their minds. If anything, the green comforter on the bed added to the romantic atmosphere that was created in the room. Adding to this effect was the moonlight that shone through the open window.

There were no thoughts in either one of their heads. There was no thinking on the part of either party whatsoever. The only thing their bodies were running on at the moment was pure emotion and feeling.

Spike had his arms tightly wrapped around Starlight’s neck even when she was lying on top of him and he was on the bottom, his legs wrapped tight around her waist, not wanting to let go as they continued to kiss.

Starlight moved down, now leaving wet kisses on his neck. Breathing heavily, she asked, “Do you want to?”

Spike, being of a particularly young age, didn’t fully comprehend what she meant. “Want to what?”

She didn’t answer him and instead moved downward and began peppering his chest and belly with kisses. He gasped and pressed his hands against her head, trying to force her off. “Starlight, I said slow!”

She suddenly sat up, removing a condom from her saddlebags. He stared up at her, bewildered. “W-what are you doing?” He watched as she unwrapped the condom and moved it towards his groin. His eyes widened in horror and he sat up. “I think I should go.” He turned, attempting to get off the bed and to the door, only to have himself violently shoved back down by Starlight’s magic. Now completely paralyzed by both Starlight’s magic and utter fear, he had no choice but to watch as Starlight wrapped the condom around his erection before beginning to lower herself onto it. “Starlight, I said no!” He gasped, feeling the confines of her vagina enveloping his penis. “Please . . . stop . . .”

Despite the animosity they’d previously had towards one another, Gabby and Rarity had managed to patch things up and become quite close. The two made plans to meet up at the local eatery. After getting seated and ordering their drinks, they struck up a friendly conversation.

“So, I was thinking,” Gabby said, “since me and Spike didn’t get to go out this Saturday, I figured we’d go out this weekend. I thought maybe we’d check out a Wonderbolts show.” She noticed Rarity’s worried look and asked, “What? Wonderbolts are lame?”

“What?” Rarity said. “Oh, no, darling, it’s just . . . If I were you, sweetness, I think I’d give Spikey-Wikey some space and let him ask you out instead. I mean, after all, he’s so busy these days, what, with helping Twilight, being the friendship ambassador of the Dragon Lands ––”

Gabby raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What are you saying?”

Rarity shook her head. “Nothing, nothing. Just forget about it.” She momentarily stopped talking when their drinks arrived. She lifted her glass to her lips and took a sip. “I just heard some . . . things.” When Gabby rotated her hand, gesturing for her to give more detail, she sighed and said, “The truth, Gabby, darling, is that . . . he hooked up somepony else.”

Gabby blinked. “What are you talking about?”

“That party we went to on Saturday night? He was there. I saw him dancing with Starlight.”

Gabby shook her head. “No, no, no, that can’t be. Twilight was sick. Spike wouldn’t lie to me. I got the . . . I got . . . I-I didn’t see him there. Or Twilight for that matter.” Her face fell.

“I’m terribly sorry, darling,” Rarity said, leaning forward and consolingly patting Gabby’s hand.

“I . . . I have to go. Really sorry about this, Rarity.”

“Oh, no, no offense taken, my dear. We can do this some other time. Please, go do what you have to do.”

Gabby slung her bag over her shoulder and took off with a flap of her wings. She soon spotted Spike walking down the street, headed towards the castle. She landed behind him. “Spike!”

Said dragon turned to look at her. “Oh, hey, Gabby.”

She began walking along beside him. “How’s Twilight?”

He stopped and turned to her, giving her a befuddled look. “What?”

“You know, the pony who’s practically your mom, the one that was sick on Saturday night?”

“Oh! She’s fine, thanks for asking.” He continued walking.

Gabby watched him go for a couple of seconds before asking, “Yeah? And Starlight? How’s she doing?” He stopped and turned to her. “I know what happened, okay?”

Stomping forward, Spike glared up at her and barked, “Yeah? Were you in the room with me, because I don’t think you were!” He turned to walk off, only for Gabby to grab his arm.

“You lied to me,” she growled.

“Don’t touch me,” he yelled. “Do you hear me!? Don’t you ever touch me!”

She sneered. “Why not!? Everypony else does!”

He gawked at her in shock before his expression hardened and he smacked her across the face before turning and running for the castle, while Gabby was left standing with a shocked look on her face. He ran through the castle doors and down the halls, not even bothering to say hello to Twilight on his way. He retreated to his bedroom, closing and slamming the door behind him before diving into his bed and hiding underneath the covers, breathing heavily. He wasn’t sure how long he spent lying there, but it must not have been for long because shortly after he covered himself up, he heard his bedroom door open and close.

“Spike?” Applejack’s voice called. “Spike? I just saw what happened, sugarcube. Gabby was completely out of line.” She spotted a lump in his basket and walked over. The lump quivered. “Spike? Honey?”

Spike inhaled shakily as he spoke. “It wasn’t what I thought, you know. My first time . . . I kind of hoped it’d be beautiful or something.” His voice cracked. “I’m so stupid.”

Not sure what else to do, Applejack gently began rubbing his back. “You ain’t stupid, sugarcube.”

He suddenly sat up, throwing off his blanket, wrapping his arms around his legs and rocking back and forth on his haunches. “I wanted it to work! I wanted her to want to be with me.”

“She did, Spike.”

He snorted indignantly. “Yeah, sure she did.”

She followed as he made his way to the adjacent bathroom. “You’ll see her again. There ain’t no reason to get so upset.”

Staring at his reflection in the bathroom, tightly clutching the sink, he finally broke down in tears. “I didn’t even want to do it, Applejack! I said no over and over again!”

Applejack’s expression became worried. “You said no?” She saw his reflection nod while tears streamed down his face. “And she didn’t listen to you?”

He shook his head. “She just pushed me down! She didn’t stop! She wouldn’t stop!”

Applejack came up behind him. “Oh, Spike, honey . . .” She gently put a hoof on his shoulder, only for him to gently brush it off. “If you said no and she didn’t listen to . . . that’s called rape.”

What little composure Spike had completely crumbled, the little dragon falling to the floor into a fetal position, rocking back and forth, whimpering, “No,” over and over again as he sobbed.

Surprisingly enough, Spike found himself to be in quite a good mood as he made his way back to the castle after he and Ember had said goodbye to each other. His spirits were lifted any higher when, upon entering the throne room, his eyes met those of both Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, both of whom were talking with Twilight. As he entered, their conversation came to a sudden halt and the couple walked over to him, bending down low to give him a warm, loving hug.

“Twilight told us about what happened,” Cadence said. She smiled and lovingly ran a hoof down his face. “Glad to see you’re holding up okay.”

“Well the better half of me is at least,’ Spike said.

Shining Armor laughed. “Nice to see that your sense of humor is still as good as ever.”

Spike suddenly became aware of the fact that Tempest was nowhere to be found. “Where’s Tempest?” he asked, looking around for her.

“She went out for lunch,” Twilight said. “I told her that you’d be fine with us.”

“Speaking of which, we were just about to grab some lunch. You in?” Shining Armor said.

“Like you have to ask,” Spike said.

“Good to see your appetite is still as strong as ever,” Cadence said. “Come on.”

The four of them made their way out of the castle and towards the local eatery, choosing to eat outside seeing as how pleasant the weather was. They grabbed a table, Shining Armor and Cadence taking a seat across from Spike and Twilight.

“We heard about what happened today,” Shining Armor said. When Spike gave him a puzzled look, he added, “You made quite a scene in town today with Ember.”

“She said she was sorry for anything she might’ve done that upset you,” Twilight added to the dragon. “She seemed really upset that you wouldn’t let her apologize.”

“So what, you’re on her side now?” Spike asked.

“No, I’m on your side,” Twilight replied.

Spike snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.”

“What was the big deal anyway?” Cadence asked. “I mean, it was just a little peck.”

Spike glared at her, balling his hand into a fist. “Oh, right, you’ll kiss any guy who offers to give you a smooch, won’t you?”

“No,” Cadence replied, “but I think it’s perfectly okay to kiss somepony you like goodnight.”

“Yeah, well, it’s easy to see why you got pregnant,” Spike said.

All three ponies gawked at Spike, then Cadence’s expression hardened. “What the hell kind of cheap shot was that?” She didn’t receive any answer from him.

“Spike, that was uncalled for,” Shining Armor said, glaring.

“Completely uncalled for,” Twilight agreed.

“What’s going inside your mind?” Cadence asked.

“Please, Spike, talk to us,” Twilight said. “We’re your family. You can talk to us about anything.”

“Why don’t you tell us what’s wrong?” Shining Armor asked. “We’ve known each other literally ever since you were an egg.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, then turned to Spike and added, “I tell you everything.” She put a comforting hoof on Spike’s fist. “Maybe we could help.” From across from her, both Shining Armor and Cadence nodded their heads.

Spike shook his head. “You can’t.”

Twilight sighed. “Alright, if that’s how you want it.” She turned to her menu and began perusing the items while the others did the same.

After lunch, Spike, despite Twilight being wary about him being out and about on his own, walked around Ponyville. During his walk, he happened to bump into Rainbow Dash. Grinning and giving her a friendly wave, he said, “Hiya, Rainbow.”

Rainbow, walking with her head lung low and her tail limp, simply muttered a silent, “Hi,” without so much as bothering to lift her head to look up at him.

Spike frowned. He grabbed Rainbow’s tail and pulled, jerking her back and preventing her from going any farther until she looked over her shoulder at him. Once he was convinced that she wasn’t going to make any attempts to run away, he crossed his arms and, with a questioning look, asked, “Okay, Rainbow Dash, what’s your problem?”

She blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about? I don’t have one.”

“You haven’t come up with a smartass comment for me for the past couple of days.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m coming up with some new material and I’m not ready to launch it.”

He laughed at that. “Oh, please, you and I both know that’s complete crap. As if you have a self-editing bone in your entire body. Besides, you never even had old material to begin with.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Okay, I’m going to talk about my feelings for a minute here, so bear with me if I’m not as articulate as usual. I’m not into the whole touchy-feely sappy thing.”

Spike grinned. “Now that’s more like it.”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “It’s just . . . when I look at you and see all that pain and heartache in your eyes and I think about the pony who did this to you, I get so . . . mad. All I want to do is find the pony who did this to you and beat the living hell out of them!” Her expression hardened into a harsh glare as she said this, only to immediately transition to one of complete sadness as she went on, her voice cracking and eyes brimming with tears as she did so. “You’re my little brother, it’s my job to protect you,” she said, tears streaming down her face as she started to cry. “It’s one thing if I push you around, but nopony else can, not if I have anything to say about it. Does that make any sense to you?”

Spike’s face and heart completely fell. “Rainbow Dash . . .” he said, his own eyes beginning to brim with tears. He reached forward, only for Rainbow Dash to back away from him.

“Whoa, dude, not in public,” she said. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes.

“So, you’re doing okay?” Spike asked.

Rainbow nodded. “Couldn’t be better.” She turned and began trotting away.

“Hey,” he called after her. “Are you sure?”

Turning around and trotting backwards, Rainbow replied, “Yes, definitely sure!”

“Well, alright, then,” Spike replied, turning around and beginning to walk away himself.

It had been several days since the news regarding Starlight Glimmer had to come to light and in that time several ponies had frequently stopped by the castle solely to check in on Spike, only to be told by Twilight that he wished not to be disturbed and left it at that.

If there was anypony Twilight was worried about, it was definitely Trixie. The magician had been gone for almost a week and Twilight fretted that she may not ever return. While he wasn’t saying it, she knew for a fact that Spike missed Trixie terribly, as the two of them had been rather close despite their bouts of animosity towards each other that more than not frequently cropped up.

Tempest, for her part, despite Twilight telling her that she was relieved of her duties, insisted that she stay with Twilight and Spike, purely for Spike’s benefit as she seemed greatly concerned for him. She continued to go with him wherever he went, still insisting that she stand guard outside the bathroom while he did his business. She stayed with him in his bedroom as he slept, staying awake by drinking copious amounts of coffee and keeping herself busy, a feat she achieved by searching through each and every spellbook she could get her hooves on, trying to locate any spell that would help her restore her horn, only to come up short. She didn’t know what she’d been expecting; after all, she’d done this same thing back when she was a child, only to come up with the same results. By the time she’d met the Storm King, she’d gotten used to it, but she still couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get her horn restored to normal. She supposed that she was stuck this way; it wasn’t like it was a bad thing, either. After all, she was perfectly capable of defending herself if she found herself in a bind.

The only time Spike was able to get away from Tempest was when he told her that he would be going to somewhere such as Sweet Apple Acres or Rarity’s boutique and she felt fine with him going there as she knew that the ponies there could be trusted to look out for his best interest. Regardless, she insisted that she escort him there, if for no reason other than to make sure he got there safely. Thankfully, he didn’t resent her for this, as their journeys to his desired destinations led to many fascinating conversations between the pair. For one thing, he found her magic abilities utterly fascinating, as he had never seen anypony with the ability to shoot lightning out of their horn before, and she couldn’t help but grin smugly in response to this praise.

It was one day in particular that Rarity was fretting about needing somepony to watch over Sweetie Belle while she went off to Manehattan, and their parents unfortunately unavailable due to them being in Las Pegasus on vacation. Thus, Spike offered his services to watch her, and he arrived early in the morning to help her pack her things and see her off.

“I’m still not so sure about this,” Rarity said, looking anxious. “Are you sure it’s wise to leave for Manehattan right now?”

“Those ponies are expecting those orders,” Spike said. He shooed her away. “Go on. I’ll watch Sweetie Belle for you. If worse comes to worse, I’ll send her to Sweet Apple Acres.”

Rarity sighed. “Well, alright, if you’re sure.”

“I’ll have Twilight put protection spells around the boutique,” Spike said, pushing Rarity towards the door. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Well, if you’re sure, Spike,” Rarity said. She turned, giving him a grateful smile. “Thank you for doing this, Spike. You’re sure she’ll be all right?”

“She couldn’t be in any safer hands,” Spike assured her.

Rarity tilted her head, giving the dragon a concerned look. “And what about you, dear? How are you doing? Holding up well? Sleeping well? Appetite good?”

“For the hundredth time, Rarity, I’m doing fine.” He gave her a grateful smile in return. “But I thank you for your concern.”

She ran a hoof through his scales. “Alright. You know if you need anything, you just need to holler.”

He nodded and saw her off before closing the door and turning. “Okay, Sweetie Belle, how about some lunch?”

She nodded her head in agreement. “Mm-hmm! Sounds good to me!”

“Come on, then.” He led her into the kitchen. “I’m sure I could rustle something good up for you. I am a pretty good cook, after all.”

“So I’ve heard,” Sweetie said, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

“Okay, now, let’s see here . . . what have we got to work with?” he asked himself, opening up the cabinets to have a look around.

It was after lunch that Sweetie Belle left for Twilight’s castle, saying that she wanted to get a spellbook and try out some new spells. She requested that Twilight give her an advanced spellbook, but the alicorn declined, stating that a unicorn just starting out with learning magic should cover the basics first. Thus, Sweetie Belle soon found herself in the middle of the park, the spellbook opened up in front of her. The first couple of chapters talked about exactly what magic was and how unicorns used their magic. Being a little older yet still fairly young, Sweetie Belle already knew all of this, being raised around unicorns all her life, yet she still found it fascinating.

Two of the most basic spells a unicorn ever learns in their lifetime are levitation and teleportation. Teleportation requires a deal of skill and concentration, whereas levitation, while fairly simple, still requires a sharp mind. The amount of concentration required to levitate depends heavily on the mass of the object. It was for these reasons why, when Sweetie Belle first made an attempt at levitation, that she purposely chose something rather light, just to try it out for the first time. She chose a light stick – not skinny enough to be a twig but not thick enough to be a branch either. She set this on the ground and concentrated hard, squeezing her eyes shut. From within, she could feel the magic flowing towards her horn, coiling around it as if her horn was a spiral staircase, until, finally, the tip of her horn glowed a light green. She concentrated harder, putting even more power into her spell. Sparks of magic shot out of her horn and landed on the ground below. Her cheeks grew hot and her muscles ached from the physical strain that attempting the spell was putting on her. Desperately needing some fresh air in her lungs and to relieve of the physical strain she was under, she ceased trying to cast the spell and instead relaxed, taking a deep breath. She wiped some sweat from her brow. “Wow. This magic stuff is harder than it looks.”

“You can say that again,” a voice spoke up.

Sweetie Belle turned to see Starlight Glimmer smiling down at her. The older pony stepped forward, taking a seat beside Sweetie Belle, then, leaning forward, peered at the book that Sweetie Belle had opened on the ground. “Ah,” she said, leaning back. “You must be young, still undergoing the basics of spellcasting.” She looked down at Sweetie and tilted her head in confusion. “Didn’t your parents teach you anything about casting spells when you were younger?”

Sweetie shook her head. “No. My parents are wealthier than most, considering that we live in a two-story house. Most ponies can barely afford a two-bedroom apartment. Thanks to work, they get a lot of vacation time, so they’re away a lot.”

“What about your sister, Rarity?”

Sweetie looked up at Starlight in surprise. “You know my sister?”

“Pfft,” Starlight said, waving a hoof. “Who doesn’t? Your sister is only one of the biggest names in the fashion industry right now, not to mention all the times she’s helped save Equestria.”

Sweetie nodded at that. “I suppose that’s true. But, no, my sister hasn’t had the time to teach me anything regarding spellcasting.”

“I could tutor you if you want. I know a thing or two about casting spells.” She offered her hoof. “You wouldn’t be the first pony I’ve tutored in the magical arts. Forgive me, where are my manners? I’m Starlight Glimmer. And you are?”

“Sweetie Belle,” the littlest of the two unicorns said, shaking Starlight’s hoof.

“Well, Sweetie Belle, what spell were you working on?” She once more leaned forward to peer at the book. “It looked like you were attempting a basic levitation spell, is that correct?”

“Mm-hmm,” Sweetie replied, nodding her head.

“It’s actually fairly simple.” She straightened up again. “You needn’t strain yourself so much, otherwise you’ll end up popping a blood vessel or busting an artery.” She gave Sweetie an encouraging pat on the back. “Give it another try.”

Sweetie breathed in, then breathed out slowly. “Okay, here it goes.”

“In your mind’s eye,” Starlight said, “picture the object leaving the ground and floating up towards you.”

Sweetie closed her eyes and concentrated hard, doing as instructed, picturing the stick levitating off the ground. Unlike before, where she’d been physically straining herself, she relaxed her muscles and mind. As before, she felt her magic aura flowing throughout her body, ending in the tip of her horn glowing a faint green. Sure enough, the stick itself began to glow a faint green as well and, with the more power that Sweetie put into her spell, the stick began to rise off the ground. Despite having her eyes closed, she could still sense something happening. She peeked open one eye, then her eyes shot open in amazement as she saw the stick floating about a foot away from her face, and she broke out into a big smile. “I did it,” she cheered, pumping her hooves up into the air in triumph.

Starlight chuckled and wrapped the small filly into a warm hug. “Well done! I knew you could do it!”

Sweetie smiled up at Starlight. “Thanks! Could you teach me more!”

Starlight nodded. “Of course! I could become your permanent tutor if you really wanted me to.”

Sweetie’s entire face lit up. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm. Like I said, you wouldn’t be the first pony I’ve tutored in magic.”

Hearing this, Sweetie looked down. “Twilight Sparkle used to tutor me in magic, but it’s been so long since we’ve had a session. I guess she’s just too busy these days.”

“Well, it can’t really be helped, I suppose,” Starlight replied. “I mean, after all, she’s a princess now and princesses have a lot of responsibilities. It isn’t all fun and games, you know.”

“Could you teach me more right now?”

Starlight shook her head. “I’m sorry, but no. I’m supposed to be somewhere in a couple of minutes. I’ll let you know when I’m available, though, okay?” She lovingly ruffled Sweetie’s mane.

Sweetie giggled. “Okay. So, I guess I’ll be seeing you around town, then, huh?”

Starlight nodded. “Yes, you never can tell. It was lovely meeting you. Keep at that magic stuff. Who knows? Maybe one day you’ll rival even Twilight Sparkle in terms of power.” She lenaed down and pecked Sweetie on the cheek. “See you around, kiddo.” Saying this, she straightened up and began trotting out of the park.

Upon exiting the park, she briefly stopped and looked around in order to get her sense of direction, to make sure that she was headed in the right direction. She took a left, knowing that her destination was on the outskirts of Ponyville. She was keen on visiting a certain pink filly that day, as the little filly had been on her mind as of late. Along the way, she spotted Sweetie Belle’s parents, her mother out doing her gardening while her father was busy fishing. Right next to the childhood home of Sweetie Belle just so happened to be her destination – Diamond Tiara’s home. She walked up to the front porch and knocked.

Randolph, the butler to the family whom Diamond Tiara was born into, answered the door almost immediately. “Yes,” he said. “How may I help you?”

“Is Diamond Tiara home?” Starlight asked, looking past Randolph inside. “I need to speak to her.”

Randolph nodded. “Yes, Miss Tiara is home, but I’m afraid she’s in no position to be seeing visitors right now. She is in the middle of piano practice, you see, and ––”

“Is surely in need of a break,” Starlight finished for him. “Could I just borrow a few minutes of her time?”

“I suppose, if Miss Tiara is willing, I could let you speak with her, however, it must be brief. No longer than ten, fifteen minutes.”

“That’ll do.” So saying, she made her way inside, making herself comfortable in the living room while Randolph called for Diamond Tiara.

The little filly sprinted into the room, seeming eager to get a break from piano practice, only for her face to fall when she beheld who her guest happened to be. “Oh, it’s you,” she said.

“We got off on the wrong hoof,” Starlight said, hopping off the couch and stepping forward. “Please let me make it up to you. Let’s start over with a clean slate. Hello, my name is Starlight Glimmer.” She extended a hoof in greeting.

Though reluctantly, Diamond shook Starlight’s hoof. “Diamond Tiara,” she replied.

“So, Diamond Tiara,” Starlight said, “what are you doing inside on a beautiful day like this? Shouldn’t you be out having fun with your friends.” She thanked Randolph as the butler set a tray containing snacks and a pot of tea and two teacups on the table that sat before them. She seized a snack and popped it into her mouth.

“My friends and I aren’t exactly on speaking terms right now,” Diamond Tiara replied, “which suits Mother just fine seeing as how she doesn’t much care for them. It’s nothing against them exactly, it’s just that they’re too immature.”

“Really, now?” Starlight asked, stroking her chin and raising an eyebrow.

Diamond nodded. “I want older friends, friends who are more mature and understand the inner workings of economics and business.”

“I see.” Starlight popped another snack itno her mouth. “I could probably help you out with that.”

Diamond looked up at Starlight in surprise. “You could? How?”

“I know this is quite sudden, given that we just met and all, but how would you like to come to a little get-together I’m having? All of the big business tycoons will be there. It’s kind of like a business convention of sorts. Who knows? If you bring your friends along, it might teach them a thing or two.”

“Hmm . . .” Diamond gave it some thought. “Well, I have been trying to make older friends, but I haven’t had much success lately. Where would this little get-together be? What time would it be? How long would it last?”

“I haven’t worked out all of the details yet. But, basically, it’ll be a meeting where we can discuss business and economics. Just the sort of thing a young upcoming business tycoon needs, am I right?”

Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “It would be a big help, yes, especially since I’ll be majoring in business and marketing after I graduate and go on to college.”

“It’s settled, then.” Starlight hopped off the couch and, turning and grinning at Diamond Tiara said, “Expect a letter from me in the next couple of days.”

Diamond Tiara blinked in surprise. “You can get it all together that quickly?”

Starlight nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

“Uh . . . okay, great. I . . . guess I’ll see you in a couple of days, then.”

“And now,” Randolph said, “if you please, Miss Tiara needs to get back to her piano practice.”

“Of course.” Starlight headed to the front door. Before leaving, she turned her head and told Diamond Tiara, “There aren’t going to be very many of there. After all, my village is quite small, so I advise you to bring a few of your friends, as many as you want.”

“Like I said, I haven’t had very much to do with my friends since they’re so immature,” Diamond Tiara said, “but I’ll see if I can’t convince them to tag along. One of them happens to be Applejack’s little sister. I’m sure I can persuade her to tag along.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “You don’t say. We’ll have to get together some other time when you’re not so busy. I’d love to hear more about your friends.”

“You got it. I’m free tomorrow. How about then?”

“Yes, that would work out very well for me. Feel free to stop by my village. We’ll have lunch and talk.”

“Sounds good.”

“I look forward to it.” With that, she opened up the door and stepped out.

One of the things that Starlight Glimmer prided herself on was her memory. Though, in this instance, she didn’t require her memory to get to her next destination – the mirror pool. It was just a good thing that Maud’s residence just so happened to be literally right next door to the mirror pool. Even so, she could’ve easily found the place without even trying, thanks to a helpful rhyme she’d found in a book, a rhyme that most children in Ponyville knew.

Oddly enough, Maud was not home at the moment. This Starlight found peculiar since Maud spent almost all of her time in the gem caves, as Maud liked to be by her lonesome most of her time. Starlight merely figured that Maud must’ve been hanging out with Pinkie. There was no way that Maud could’ve been hanging out with Trixie since nopony had seen or heard from Trixie in over a week. Thus, Starlight kept going, walking down a narrow passageway that led directly to the Mirror Pool. Soon enough, she found herself staring at her reflection, standing on the bank of the pool. “Hmm,” she said to herself, “now how did that poem go again?” After giving it a moment’s thought, it came to her instantly. “Ah, yes, yes, I remember.” She cleared her throat and began reciting the poem:

”And into her own reflection she stared

Yearning for one’s reflection she shared

And solemnly sweared

Not to be scared

At the prospect of being doubly mared”

So saying, she stepped into the water and came out on the other side. Stepping out, she turned, reaching out a hoof to help her double out. She grinned in satisfaction. “Worked like a charm. Now, then . . .” Her horn flared and her double did the same. She closed her eyes, concentrating hard. Momentarily, she felt a chill run throughout her body, and felt as if part of her own being had been drained from her. Opening up her eyes, she saw two more copies of her, standing by her double and the other standing by her. She grinned. “Excellent. Come along.” She turned and began leading the group out.

Despite his reservations about it, Spike and the others agreed that meeting with a counselor was their next best course of action for the time being. Rather than have Spike alone, Twilight, her friends, family, Tempest Shadow, and Ember all agreed to go together for emotional support. All of them were taken when, after getting seated in the office, a very small blue-eyed dalmatian puppy entered the room. She entered the room and took her seat behind her desk. Clearing her throat she said, “Good afternoon. My name is Cadpig and I shall be your counselor today. To start, I want to applaud Spike for being brave enough to share his story. The healing process isn’t easy, but with all of you” – she smiled as she observed the group of ponies collected together in the room – “working together as a family, this is an important first step.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said.

“I thought you were ashamed of me,” Spike said.

Twilight shook her head. “I wanted to believe my best of my student.” She shook her head. “I didn’t protect you.”

Spike shook his head. “I just a little kid.”

“Still . . .”

He leaned forward and squeezed her hoof, giving her an encouraging smile. “You’re here now.”

“So,” Cadpig said, clicking open her pen, “shall we get started?”

Spike took in a breath of air before glancing down at his notebook and reading from it. “‘What you did changed my life. I still can’t sleep without the light on. Sometimes I look under the bed, worried that you might be there. I made a mistake going upstairs with you, but, Starlight, you made more than a mistake. You made a choice.’”

Cadpig, sitting across from him, smiled approvingly. “An important distinction.”

Spike snorted indignantly. “Well, this whole thing” – he tapped his notebook – “belongs on her conscience.”

“And what about your conscience?” Cadpig lifted her mug of coffee to her lips and took a drink.

“I said no, so how could I be responsible?”

Setting her mug back down on the table beside her, Cadpig’s smile widened. “You’ve stopped blaming yourself. Very good. Excellent progress, Spike. And we’ll keep working on it.” She got up from her chair and walked over to her desk, grabbing a pen and beginning to write something down. “Same time next week?”

“Um, Cadpig, therapy is great and all, but ––”

“I strongly recommend we continue. I’ll pencil you in anyway.”

Getting up from his chair, Spike walked over to the office door. “Pencil away all you want, Cadpig, but it’s a waste of an appointment. I’m over this.” He started to turn the handle to walk out of the room, but suddenly stopped. Walking back over to Cadpig’s desk, he said, “Before I leave, I wanted to ask you about pressing charges against Starlight.”

She nodded. “Alright. We’ll have to set up a meeting with your folks.”

He shook his head. “No, I know that, but . . . what actually happens?”

“Well, the police will get involved. You’ll probably be asked to testify.”

He gave her a hopeful smile. “And then we can send her to jail?”

“If there’s enough evidence, yes.”

“Well, I did have all of those doctors exams.”

“And they reassured us that you were free of injury and that you hadn’t developed any STDs.”

He sighed dejectedly. “Which means we have no evidence.”

“Unfortunately, Spike, the longer you wait to report it, the less physical evidence there is.”

He frowned. “So, what, I could go to court, tell the truth, and I could still lose?”

“Possibly.”

“But that’s not fair.”

“Don’t get discouraged. If this is what you really want, then we’ll make the best case we can.”

“Forget it. I just thought I’d ask.” He turned and walked out of the office.

Spike wasn’t expecting to see Starlight waiting for him as he exited the building. They made eye contact, but he continued walking, pretending to not notice her. She called out to him, but he kept going.

“Hold on,” she called, trotting to catch up to him. Walking alongside him, she asked, “So, what’s in today’s plans? Some gem hunting with Rarity or helping Gabby with her rounds?”

“This is my town and I don’t want to see or talk to you again.” He quicked his steps, only to be surprised when she was more than able to keep up with him.

“Lighten up, alright. We had fun.”

“Fun!?” he shouted, turning around and glaring at her. “You think what you did to me was fun!?”

Starlight, noticing Applejack walking up to them, said, “Hey, hayseed, you were there at the party. Who was Spike dancing and flirting with that night? Me, right.”

“I said no,” Spike replied.

Applejack took Spike’s arm in her hoof and led him away before Starlight could get a word in edgewise. “I told Big Mac about what happened,” she said.

He looked at her in surprise. “You told Big Mac.”

“I wanted him to understand.”

“Well, what did he say?”

Applejack shook her head. “He didn’t believe me.”

“So, what, he thinks I wanted it, right?” He shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe this. I’m going home.” He began walking faster.

“Spike,” Applejack called.

“Look, you were right, okay. I should have just gone home like you said.”

“Spike! Hey, wait up! Spike! What if I scheduled an appointment with the doctor for you?”

“Why should I go to the doctor?”

Applejack shrugged. “Oh, gee, I don’t know, maybe to check for STDs?”

“She made sure I wore a condom when we did it. Safe sex, all the way. I’m fine.”

Applejack suddenly turned Spike so that they were facing each other. “Now you listen here, sugarcube. What she did was illegal. You understand that, right?”

“And what about what I did?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“So I didn’t come on to her in front of everypony at that party?”

“Spike ––”

“I guess I didn’t ask her to go upstairs either.”

“You said no!”

“It doesn’t matter!” Turning, he began walking once again.

“It does matter,” Applejack replied, trotting along beside him. “Spike, you gotta report this to somepony.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t! I can deal with it!”

“Spike, you were sexually abused!”

He spun around, getting in her face and scowling. “Look! My business! My problem! Alright? I’m fine! Just leave me alone!” Turning, he spotted Pipsqueak speaking with Starlight. Pipsqueak’s eyes met his and the little colt ran up to Spike. “What were you doing talking to Starlight?”

“As if,” Pipsqueak replied. “She started talking to me!”

“No problem, just, uh, don’t be alone with her, okay? Somepony tried to warn me about her once and I didn’t listen. I know she seems nice, but ––”

“She is nice,” Pipsqueak said.

“How would you know? You talked to her for, like, five minutes!”

“Oh, get over yourself! Look, I know you guys had a thing for each other, and I know she never spoke to you again after that failed date you guys had. You’re just jealous. Get over yourself.” Turning, he stormed off.

“What in Celestia’s name was all that about?”

Spike turned to see Maud standing there with a bewildered look on her face. He walked past, mumbling, “It’s nothing, forget about it.”

“It was about some mare, right?” Maud asked, turning and chasing after Spike. She came to an abrupt halt, however, when Spike suddenly turned on his heel, facing her.

“You mean Starlight Glimmer?” he asked. “Equestira’s latest hero, savior of the Changelings? And ––” He choked back some sobs. “And Ponyville’s very own child molester.”

“What?” Maud asked breathlessly.

Spike nodded. “Yeah, she sexually abused me, and nopony in all of Equestria seems to be able to do anything about it.”

Maud stared down at Spike for several seconds before turning her head and glancing back at Starlight, who was now chatting it up with Rumble. She looked back down at Spike before turning and making her way towards Starlight.

“Maud?” Spike asked, running after her.

Maud completely ignored Spike, her hoofsteps heavy as she stomped over to Starlight, lifted a hoof, and struck her square in the jaw. Spike could only watch silently as a crowd quickly gathered around to watch the fight. Maud proceeded to kick Starlight in the stomach as the injured doubled over from the blow. Gasping in pain, Starlight rolled over onto her back, staring wide-eyed at the sky above. Maud stomped down on Starlight’s stomach, and Starlight groaned in pain.

“What’s the matter?” Maud asked. “Too much for you, Miss Pedophile?”

Starlight glared up at her. Her horn glowed, getting ready to attack Maud back, only for Twilight to completely envelope Starlight in her magic.

“Alright, break it up, everypony,” Twilight shouted. “There’s nothing to see here! What are you all standing around for? Get lost!”

“Spike, what is going on?”

Spike jumped, having been so enraptured in what was happening between Maud and Starlight that he hadn’t noticed Big Mac standing there. He looked up at the stallion and replied, “It’s nothing.”

“Maud attacking Starlight is not nothing.” As Spike turned to walk off, he grabbed the dragon’s arm. “Spike . . .”

“Big Mac, could you please ––”

“Something happened to you, didn’t it?”

Sobbing, Spike replied, “I just got what I asked for, right?”

“Nope,” Big Mac replied. “She was the one who took it too far, like Applejack said, right? Didn’t she?” He looked ahead of Spike to see Starlight. As the mare started to walk off, he started walking towards her. “Hey! Stop!” When Starlight kept walking, he picked up his speed catching up to her. “I said stop!” He grabbed her by the hoof and slammed her up against the side of Twilight’s castle. “You’re not going anywhere!”

Starlight sneered at him. “Hey, your sister came at me, dude. “

“You think that’s what this is about!?” Big Mac shouted.

“Big Mac, stop,” Spike said gently.

Big Mac glared down at the little dragon. “Stop?! How could you say stop?! She deserves it!”

Spike lifted a hand and gently pried Big Mac off Starlight. “Big Mac, please.”

Starlight smirked. “Big lug your boyfriend, Spike?”

Spike glared up at her. “I have only one thing to say to you, Starlight. Get ready because I’m coming after you this time! Not like Big Mac or Maud! For real!”

Starlight chuckled. “Is that a threat? Are you threatening me?”

“No, that’s a promise . . . bitch.”

“Alright, dragon. You want a fight, you got one.” With a flare of her horn, she was gone.

Spike looked up at Big Mac. “I think it’s time I repaid a visit to my therapist.”

“You’re sure?” Cadpig asked.

Spike nodded. “Twilight and I talked. I want to press charges.”

She grinned. “Good. So now it’s a legal matter. So no more conversations with Starlight.”

He smiled. “Fine by me.”

“So, is Tuesday okay with you?”

The jail was cool, in complete contrast to the early heat of summer outside. Twilight was relieved for the cool air as she sat at the visiting table and waited. She almost laughed when she recognized Starlight filing through the prisoner's door. She was wearing an orange jumpsuit. Twilight remembered reading about her arrest in the newspaper. She was currently awaiting trial. She hoped that she was locked away for a good, long while.

Starlight stopped when she saw Twilight at the table. She recognized her. She knew why she was here. Her eyes moved from side to side, as if looking for an escape route. Eventually, she smiled and sat down at the table. "Twilight," she said, "this is a big surprise."

"Not really," Twilight said. She took a moment to study her. She seemed unsure of how to act as she watched her warily. Her eyes traveled across a swollen nose and black eye (she discerned that these injuries were fairly recent), the dirty orange jumpsuit, the battered, bandaged hoof resting on the table top. "They don't like you much in here."

Starlight attempted a smile, but Twilight was anything but completely ignorant. She knew what the other jailers did to her kind.

"You know why I'm here," she said, her voice low.

Starlight nodded. "Your assistant."

She closed her eyes. "Spike," she said quietly.

"What?"

"His name is Spike." Her eyes snapped open. "You know that, and he is not a zero. He is not a nothing or a nopony. He is worth more than you'll ever be, you piece of shit." She realized she was trembling and forced herself to breathe. "You're lucky I can't touch you." Her voice was low and gruff. So unlike her. "Otherwise, I would have killed you by now."

Starlight swallowed.

She felt a glimmer of satisfaction. "I'm glad you're in here," she hissed. "I hope they lock you up for a very long time, and I hope the other jailers show you just how much they don't like you every single fucking night. Then you might know how it feels."

She suddenly felt very tired. She didn't want to be looking at the unicorn who had cast a dark shadow over Spike's life for so long.

She stood up. "I think we're done here."

"Twilight, wait." She put a hoof on top of Twilight’s.

Twilight stared coldly at it. Starlight pulled back and Twilight leaned down until their faces were very close. "If you actually get out of here, by some miracle, and you come anywhere near Spike or anypony in my family ever again, I will personally make sure you are physically unable to carry out your filthy misdeeds ever again. Do you understand me?"

Starlight nodded, her eyes wide.

"As I said, we're done here." She signaled to the guard and walked through the door.

She didn't even look back.

Spike was sleeping in his basket when she got home. She smiled slightly before going to the kitchen to fix herself some coffee, a habit she had picked up ever since she lived in Canterlot, and one she had been unable to kick since.

She stared out the window, the tiny espresso cup clutched in her magic. She wondered if she should tell Spike where she'd been.

"Hey."

Spike's voice was sleepy. Twilight turned to see him standing in the doorway, rubbing at his eyes. She smiled. "Hey."

"Where were you?" he asked through a yawn. "I got back from Rarity's and you were gone."

She hesitated, unsure of what to say as she watched him. "I went to see Starlight."

His reaction was immediate. He suddenly didn't look as sleepy.

They never talked about Starlight.

"Why?" His voice was scratchy.

She felt her heart clench a little. "Because we never talk about it." She put her still full espresso cup on the counter and started to approach him. "Because as much as you like to pretend it didn't happen, it did." She knew Spike knew where Starlight was. She'd made it a point to leave the article about his arrest on the coffee table. "And because if she does get out, I wanted to make sure she would never come near you ever again,"

Spike stood very still.

For a moment, Twilight was afraid he would bolt like a frightened animal. "Spike," she said softly, and closed the gap between them.

He stared into her eyes, pleading silently with her to make it all okay. She placed a shaking hoof on his cheek. He closed his eyes as she embraced him in a hug. The hug was soft and undemanding. All too soon it was over, and he rested his head on her chest as she ran a hoof up and down his spine. "It's okay," she said.

If Starlight was scared when she saw Twilight at the table, she looked positively terrified to see Spike sitting there as well. For a full minute, Twilight thought Starlight was going to run, but the unicorn squared her shoulders and walked over to sit with them. She had a scar on his face that Twilight hadn't noticed before, a fine silvery line that cut diagonally across her nose and left cheek.

Under the table, Spike gripped Twilight's hoof.

"I sure am getting a lot of visitors this week," Starlight said weakly.

Twilight only regarded her coldly.

"Twilight," Starlight said, "it's nice to see you again. And –" She broke off suddenly under Twilight's glare. She coughed. "Spike," he added, "you too."

For a long moment, no one spoke. Finally, Spike spoke very quietly. "I'm here because I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Twilight brushed her hoof across the back of Spike's hand, encouraging him to continue.

"I know I'm going to be able to walk away from this place and never have to think of you again, but I have no doubt that you've thought of me every night for the past year, and will think of me every night for the next year, and the next year after that, and after that." His grip on Twilight's hoof was so tight it was painful, but Twilight's face was impassive. "I'll forget you and what you did to me, but you will never be able to forget me. And that just kills you."

Spike didn't let Starlight speak. Twilight knew that Starlight had never heard Spike talk this much before.

"I'm also here to say that if, by some huge miscarriage of justice, you aren't found guilty, I'm willing to stand up and reveal everything you did to me to get you behind bars."

Twilight stared at him, unable to hide her surprise. Had Spike just decided that on the spot? Or was that the reason he had wanted to come here in the first place?

"I have friends, Starlight," Spike said. "Twilight is one of them. The rest of our friends. Hell, practically the whole town of Ponyville knows what you did." He was unable to completely conceal the bitterness in his voice.

Twilight squeezed his hand.

"For a child molester, you aren't very smart."

Twilight saw the way Starlight flinched at the word.

Spike's lips twist into an unpleasant smile. "Don't like to hear the truth about yourself?" he asked. "Well then, let me lay it out for you. You raped and molested me every night for over a year. You abused your position of authority over me, and told me I was so unimportant that nopony would care even if I did tell them. But you were wrong." He stared at Starlight for a moment, then turned to Twilight, his eyes sad and tired. "Can we go home?"

Twilight was already standing, pulling Spike up with her.

"This is over," Spike said. His voice didn't shake.

Outside the jail, Spike stopped suddenly. For a moment, Twilight thought he might collapse. She held him close and whispered into his ear, "It really is over now. It really is okay."

Gilda was standing outside the castle when the two of them arrived home. Hearing their footsteps, she turned and, gesturing between the two of them, said, “I’m looking for Spike the dragon, said to be living at this address. Which one of you is Spike?”

Twilight and Spike glanced at each other awkwardly before Spike stepped forward. Pointing to himself, he said, “Uh . . . I’m Spike.” He took the letter that Gilda handed him. He looked up at her. “Notice to appear?”

Gilda nodded. “You pressed charges in a sexual abuse case last week.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Um . . wow! Really, now? Do I really have to appear in court? I mean ––”

Gilda shook her head. “You don’t get a choice. That’s a court order you’re holding in your hands right there. Look at the signature.”

Spike did so. “Majesty herself!?”

Gilda nodded. “Yes.”

“Will she be presiding over the trial?”

“She fought tooth and nail to get this case, but certain circumstances maintain that Celestia will be presiding over the trial. If Majesty wasn’t needed in Yakyakistan that day, she would be taking Celestia’s place as judge. She even tried to talk Celestia into taking her place so she could preside over the trial, but Celestia wouldn’t budge. So, I probably shouldn’t have to tell either one of you this, but if I were you I’d avoid Majesty for the next couple of days. She’s in one hell of a pissy mood.”

“I can well imagine. You will come to the trial, won’t you?”

Gilda shook her head. “I can’t make any promises, as I’m needed back at the Dragon Lands, but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

“I advise you to get plenty of rest tonight. You’re going to need your strength for tomorrow.”

Spike nodded. “I hear you. So, is that all you needed?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You want to come in?”

Gilda shook her head. “Can’t. I’m supposed to be meeting Dash for lunch. You want to come with?”

“I think we’ll just order in,” Twilight said.

Gilda shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She turned and with a flap of her wings she was gone.

“Spike, why don’t you go get us something to eat?” Twilight suggested. She handed him a few bits.

“Okay.”

It was while he was walking back to the castle with a fresh pizza that Spike happened to bump into Starlight.

“Hey, Spike,” she called, walking up to him.

He stopped, taken aback that she was present in town. “What are you doing here?”

She smirked. “Did you forget that I can be in two places at once?”

“Oh, yeah. Look, don’t talk to me, alright.” He walked ahead of her, only for her to continue walking alongside him.

“Wait, Spike! I’m not stalking you, alright. I mean, for crying out loud, we’re in public! There are ponies everywhere! Can we talk? Please? Just for one minute?” When he gave no objections but rather kept walking, she resumed. “So, court, huh?”

“I’m not supposed to talk to you.”

“It’s going to be really horrible going through it all. Your family and friends hearing all the details. My family, your family. It was a really long time ago. I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. It was a huge mistake. If I could go back ––”

“Do you have a point?” he snapped.

She sighed. “Why are you doing this? Why go through all this? You could tell them you don’t want to testify. It’d be that easy. They’d have to drop the case.”

“If you don’t mind, my dinner is getting cold, now get out of my way!” He hurried along the dirt path.

“Alright,” Starlight called after him. “But you’ll think about it, right? I mean, maybe we never see each other again and you can forget all about it!”

“This isn’t good,” Twilight said, looking over the court order with her friends. “We’re going to need a really good lawyer.”

“I know just the one,” Rainbow Dash said. “Nix!”

“Who?” Twilight asked, blinking in confusion along with her friends.

“Come on, you know! About a year and a half ago, I was accused of murdering that pony Ace Swift with a storm cloud and that awesome lawyer guy you summoned, Twilight, he defended me and got me off the hook. His name was Phoenix Wright. Anyway, it turned out Ace Swift’s girlfriend ended up going to jail for a while.” She tapped her chin. “Come to think of it, she should be getting out fairly soon.”

“Oh, brother, not this again,” Applejack groaned. “Look, Rainbow Dash, for the last time, we told ya that was just a really bad dream.”

“But I remember it so well,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It was a dream,” her friends cried in unison.

“Hmph!” Rainbow Dash pouted, crossing her hooves and grumbling underneath her breath.

Pinkie Pie giggled. “You know, Rainbow, you’re kinda cute when you’re angry.”

“Ah, shut up, Pinkie,” Rainbow growled.

“So what are we going to do, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight sighed. “We’ll come up with something, we always do.” She suddenly looked up, noticing Rainbow Dash flying away. “Hey, Rainbow, where are you going? Come on, we didn’t mean anything by it, did we, girls?”

“Shoot, no,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, sugarcube.”

Rainbow Dash turned. “Oh, no, it’s nothing, you guys. I just got a lot to think about, that’s all.” She flew down the corridor and out the front door, mumbling to herself, “Maybe Gilda remembers. I mean, she was a witness in that trial, after all . . .”

Diamond Tiara was feeling more than a little excited as she walked down the dirt trails of Sweet Apple Acres leading to the Cutie Mark Clubhouse. “You guys!” she called. “You guys!” She ran up to the front door, bursting into the room. “You guys!”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I’ve got big news,” Diamond Tiara said, looking as if she was about ready to explode with excitement. “I got invited to this high-class party. All of the big wigs of Equestria will be there, talking business and economics. You know, all that jazz. It’s only for the most mature of us ponies. And the best part is . . . you can’t come.”

Apple Bloom laughed. “Like we’d want to come anyway.”

Diamond Tiara raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I’d figure you’d be all for it, Apple Bloom, considering the fact that your family is one of the primary providers of apples here in Ponyville. After all, your big sister pretty much runs this apple business all by herself.”

“Hardly,” Apple Bloom replied. “Me and Big Mac have helped out plenty of times. Heck, there’s been multiple times where Applejack’s let me run the market by myself. And she may be old, but even Granny Smith has been known to help out.”

“We’ve even helped out a time or two,” Scootaloo said.

“Sure have,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“I figured you’d want to come too, Sweetie Belle,” Diamond Tiara said. “After all, your sister is one of the biggest names in the fashion industry at the moment. I come across her name all the time in the most well-known and highly-acclaimed fashion magazines in all of Equestria. Your sister has quite the track record, doesn’t she? She’s been known to design clothes for some of the big wigs of Equestria: Sapphire Shores, Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, even Sapphire Shores’ rival, Countess Coloratura, among countless others. Honestly, I’m surprised she and Applejack weren’t invited to this little shindig. I’m sure they could teach these ponies a thing or two about business and marketing.”

“Now who’s putting this party together?” Apple Bloom asked.

Diamond Tiara shrugged. “Somepony named Starlight Glimmer.”

“Did you say Starlight Glimmer?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah,” Diamond said. “You know her?”

“Of course,” Sweetie continued. “She used to be Twilight’s pupil. We were at her graduation party, remember, girls?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Scootaloo said. “It was the same day that she, Trixie, Thorax, and Discord all got their Equestira Pink Hearts of Courage.” She tapped her chin in thought, saying, “I wonder if they still have those.”

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” Apple Bloom said. “I mean, the Equestrian Pink Heart of Courage is one of the highest honors a pony can get.”

“So you three know her, do you?” Diamond said. “Well, in that case, you guys can come, but you have to promise not to embarrass me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Oh, please, I’ve seen the way you eat sweets, Sweetie Belle,” Diamond said.

Sweetie blushed while Apple Bloom nodded her head and said, “She does have a point.”

“Okay, we’ll come,” Scootaloo said. “When is it?”

“Tomorrow,” Diamond replied.

“Is Silver Spoon coming too?” Sweetie asked.

“Oh, that’s right,” Diamond said. “Starlight said I could invite as many friends as I wanted. I’d better go to tell Dinky, Peach Fuzz, Silver Spoon ––”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Apple Bloom said, putting a hoof to Diamond’s mouth. She spun the pony around and began pushing her towards the door. “Why don’t you go and do that?”

Diamond was still rattling off names as she made her way out of Sweet Apple Acres.

While the grown-ups were busy planning out their next move, Spike and Gabby were staring up at the night sky on the hilltop overlooking the local schoolhouse.

“Aren’t you supposed to go to court tomorrow?” Gabby asked, looking over at her dragon friend.

Spike sighed. “It was supposed to be tomorrow.”

“Wait. ‘Supposed to?’”

He shook his head. “I’m not going. I don’t really see the point.”

“Well, I do!”

Spike shrugged. “Well, okay, then, you can go!”

“Really? You’re not going?”

He shook his head, folded his claws behind his head, and crossed his legs. “Nope. I don’t need the trial. All that stuff happened well over a year ago. I’ve moved on. You know I have. Look, could we just not talk about it? Let’s just focus on us for right now.”

Gabby couldn’t help but smile. “I guess I’d be setting a pretty bad example if I turned that down.”

Giggling, Spike leaned over and gave her a peck. She cupped his face and kissed him. She pulled away. “Is this okay?” He nodded and she resumed.

“Mm,” he moaned. “Crickets sound like ––”

“Shh . . .” She leaned forward and began kissing his neck. Noticing him beginning to pull away from her, she gave him a concerned look and asked, “What? Did I do something wrong?”

He shook his head. “No. Sorry.”

She placed a hand on his shoulder and once again kissed his neck. “No,” he cried. “Stop!”

“What?”

“Stop! No!” He thrashed around on the ground, kicking and clawing at her.

She tightly gripped his arms, attempting to get him still. “Hey, Spike, come on.”

“I said no!”

“You’re okay.”

“I’m not!” He sat up, gripping his head, breathing heavily. “I’m not okay!”

She soothingly rubbed his back. “Spike . . .”

Still panting, he said, “I have to do it. I have to go.”

She smiled. “I’ll go with you.”

Spike found it next to impossible to sleep the night of the trial. He found himself constantly tossing and turning. His brain simply wouldn’t shut up. Sighing in frustration, he kicked his blankets off himself, hopped down from his bed, and made his way to the kitchen. Perhaps a midnight snack would put his mind at ease enough to where he could get some sleep. As he was bent over looking into the fridge for something sweet to eat, he heard a voice say, “Spike, what are you doing up?” He jumped, bumping his head on the shelf above him. Groaning in pain and rubbing the sore lump on his head, he turned to see Tempest standing there looking at him. “Oh, hi, Tempest.”

“You should be resting,” Tempest said. “It’s nearly four in the morning. What in the wide, wide world of Equestria are you doing up at this hour?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Spike replied, retrieving a slice of strawberry cheesecake from the fridge and putting it on a plate. He turned, bending his leg and resting one foot on the cabinet door behind him as he cut off a slice. “What about you?” He popped the forkful of cheesecake into his mouth.

“That is of none of your concern,” she said. “Your concern should be putting together the best defense you can for the trial, which, if I’m not mistaken, is set to begin in only a few hours. You will need your rest. More importantly, you should be in bed. You’ll need to get up early in order to get ready.” She seemed to know exactly what he was going to say next because she shook her head and said, “You needn’t worry about trivial things like cooking breakfast or doing the dishes. Twilight and I can easily manage. You just worry about winning.” She went about fixing him a glass of warm milk and set it down on the counter he was leaning against.

“Thank you,” he said.

She smiled. “My pleasure. Have you heard from Trixie lately?”

He sadly shook his head, taking another bite of his treat. “Not a word. I still can’t believe she would just up and leave Twilight and me like that.”

“From my understanding, she felt as if she had not only failed you as a big sister, but failed Twilight as a daughter as well. It seems to me she felt that she was no longer needed here. She felt that you and Twilight didn’t deserve a pony like her in your lives.”

“Sure, she could be a little hard to get along with, but, still, I really did like her. She was like family, like a bigger sister.”

“And I’m sure she was very fond of you as well. Give her time. Maybe in time she’ll come to her senses and return. In the meantime, you have me.” She stepped forward and began lovingly stroking his scales. “I may not know what foods you like, what stories you like, or what your favorite songs, but I do know that I do love about you and care about you a great deal. I hope that’s enough until I can get the other things sorted out.”

“Thank you, Tempest. It really means a lot to me hearing you say that.” He turned, picking up the glass of milk and taking a drink.

“Well, I’ll be on my rounds. You be sure to get back to bed as soon as you’re finished. I want you well-rested for the trial. You hear me?”

He nodded. “I hear you.”

“I mean it, Spike.”

“I got you.”

“Alright, then. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Alright.” Smiling, he quickly finished off his slice of cheesecake, then quickly chugged the remaining milk in his glass, then, after putting both in the sink, made his way down the hall back to his bedroom, where he clambered into bed, feeling a dull warmth come from his blankets, the cheesecake and milk having made him feel cold.

Alas, sleep never came. Every little noise made the little dragon jump, making him quite restless. He began breathing hard, sitting bolt upright in his bed, his heart hammering against his chest. Sweat ran down his brow. Tightly clutching his blankets, he muttered to himself, “She’s coming . . . she’s coming . . .” He was sure he heard Starlight’s footsteps right outside his door. It soon became unable to bear it anymore, and he sprang to his feet, rushing over to his desk, grabbed his quill, dunked it repeatedly into its inkwell, splattering ink all over his desk, to which he paid no mind, and immediately began hastily scribbling a note, which, after he’d finished writing, he breathed on, and the note evaporated into a puff of smoke afterward. Now all he had to do was wait.

Within minutes, his request was met by the likes of not only Rainbow Dash and the Wonderbolts, but also Shining Armor, as well as a couple of royal guards, all of whom burst into the bedroom, looking around wildly.

“Alright, where is she?” Shining Armor bellowed. To his comrades, he barked, “Do a complete search! I want this castle searched from top to bottom!”

“You heard him, Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said. “Get moving!”

Alas, their search produced no results and Spike was left looking down at the floor in embarrassment, twisting his tail in his hands all the while. He sheepishly looked up at the group assembled in his room and said, “Oh, Celestia, I am so sorry! I am the biggest idiot in the world! I hate that you all had to come down here this late!”

“No,” Soarin corrected him loudly, placing a comforting hoof on his chest and giving him a warm smile. “You did the right thing! You were right to summon us!”

“Soarin’s right,” Spitfire agreed.

Spike glanced at the clock. “Jeez, look at that, it’s half past five in the morning. I might as well just stay up. I’m going to have to get up in just a couple of hours anyway.”

“No, you go ahead and get some sleep,” Tempest suggested. “You’ll get maybe two or three hours of sleep at most, but I’d rather you at least get a little sleep than no sleep at all. You needn’t worry. I’ll stand guard.”

“Same here,” Shining Armor said.

“If Shining’s staying, then I’m staying,” Rainbow Dash said.

“And if Rainbow Dash is staying, then I’m definitely staying,” Soarin said.

“Same,” Spitfire said.

Spike shook his head. “Really, you guys, you don’t have to do that. I just let my nerves get the best of me, that’s all.”

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, “as Twilight taught us, it’s better to trust your instincts. Better safe than sorry, right?”

“Absolutely,” Spitfire said. “You go ahead and go back to sleep, Spike.” To the group she added, “We’ll work in shifts. Me and my group will work the first hour. When our hour is up, Shining, I want you and your gorup to pick up where we left off.”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” Shining said, giving her a salute.

Smiling, Spitfire and the entire Wonderbolts group gave him a salute, then, turning, began trotting down the hallway.

Shining seemed to suddenly become aware of Tempest’s presence as he coughed into a hoof and said, “So, you must be Tempest, hmm?”

Tempest nodded. “That’s right. And you are . . .?”

Shining Armor puffed out his chest proudly. “Shining Armor, Spike’s big brother.”

“Ah, yes. You’re related to Twilight Sparkle, correct?”

“Mm-hmm, but Twilight hatched Spike when he was an egg. He came to live with me and my family, so he’s pretty much family. Besides, we all think of him as something akin to a little brother. What about you? What’s your relation to him?”

“Me? Oh, I’m here on bodyguard duty thanks to Twilight Sparkle. I follow Spike wherever he goes.”

“Even when he’s . . . well, you know.”

Tempest’s cheeks turned red. “Yes, though I am not in the room when he’s, well, doing that. So, you’re captain of the royal guard, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Interesting. Tell me, where were you when I was busy laying siege to Canterlot back when I was working for the Storm King?”

Shining Armor grinned sheepishly, nervously rubbing his neck as he said, “Well, you see, I was on vacation with my wife and daughter during that time, so . . . there’s really not a whole lot I could’ve done to stop you.” He laughed. “I’m not very good at magic, you see. That’s more Twilight’s area of expertise.”

Tempest smirked. “That is the understatement of the century.”

“Tell me about it. My little sister’s always been great when it comes to magic. It’s not everypony whose magic impresses the Princess so much that the Princess decides to take them under her wing and have them be their protege.”

“Fat chance of Starlight getting a guilty verdict. I don’t understand how the Higher Council doesn’t see the flaw in this plan. Surely Celestia’s verdict is going to be biased.”

“That’s why they didn’t let Celestia preside over that trial a year and a half ago; they were afraid that Celestia’s ruling would be biased.”

“Understandable as that is, it doesn’t change the fact that we have little to no defense at all. We haven’t even begun to prepare for today’s trial.”

“Hmm?” Shining Armor raised an eyebrow. “But aren’t you staying behind to look after the place? That’s what Twilight told me.”

Tempest nodded her head. “Yes, that’s right. Somepony needs to stay behind and clean house. Look at this place.” She swept a hoof across the floor, the entirety of her hoof coming covered in dirt, grime, and dust. “These floors look like they haven’t been mopped or swept in over a week.”

“Twilight did say that Spike had been slacking on his chores. Given what the poor little guy has been through over these past several days, I can’t really say I blame him. That’s probably why Twilight’s been so lenient with him lately.”

“Most likely, yes.”

“Ah, look the sun’s starting to come up.”

Tempest looked out the window to see that the sky was at least somewhat visible, the sun’s rays just barely making their presence known, lighting up the room they were in. “Twilight will be getting up soon. Perhaps Spike was right; maybe it would’ve been better for him had he just stayed up instead of going to bed at this hour.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “No, the little guy’s going to need his strength today. It’s just a good thing I got in bed by ten last night, otherwise I’d be exhausted by now. The others should be finishing up their shift soon.”

“Mm-hmm,” Tempest agreed, nodding her head.

A couple of hours later, Spike awoke, feeling weary given how little sleep he’d gotten, but still feeling better than he would have had he not gotten any sleep at all. The little dragon made his way downstairs to the kitchen to find that, true to her word, Tempest was stationed at the stove busily making flapjacks.

“Good morning, Spike,” she said, turning upon hearing him enter the room. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll make your plate just as soon as I’m making your breakfast.”

“Thanks,” Spike replied, pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

Just as Twilight was entering the kitchen and making herself a mug of coffee, an orange mare with a yellow mane and tail wearing a dark purple suit, a light pink scarf, and earrings entered the kitchen, setting down a file, a notebook, a pen, and a tape recorder down on the table, taking a seat across from Spike. “Alright, let’s get started,” she said. She removed a pair of reading glasses from an inner pocket in her jacket, flipped them open, and put them on. “We have no time to waste. We need to get started immediately.”

Spike blinked. “Ms. Harshwhinny?” he asked. “You’re a lawyer?”

“I was able to get in touch with her thanks to Rainbow Dash,” Twilight explained.

The pony indicated as Ms. Harshwhinny pressed the record button on the tape recorder, loudly clearing her throat as she flipped open the file in front of her. “Now, Mr. the Dragon, it’s my understanding that you have been repeatedly sexually abused by this pony known as Starlight Glimmer. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Spike said as Tempest set his food and drink in front of him. He immediately grabbed his fork, cut off a chunk of pancake, and popped it in his mouth.

“Now, according to the transcript from Miss Starlight’s deposition,” Ms. Harshwhinny said, reading from a paper, “you supposedly enticed her into sleeping with you. Is that correct?”

“No. When did she say I did that?”

“She claims that it was at her graduation party,” Ms. Harshwhinny stated, continuing to glance at her paper. “Several witnesses attest to the fact that you were gone for a considerably long amount of time.”

“Yes,” Spike said, nodding his head. “But I was with her the whole time.” He pointed to Twilight.

“Celestia can confirm this,” Twilight spoke up.

“As she has,” Ms. Harshwhinny said. “Several witnesses account for Starlight’s being present within the room throughout the entire duration of the party while you were off with Twilight and Celestia. Tell me” – she removed her glasses – “what exactly were the three of you up to during this time where you were alone?”

“We ––” Twilight began.

“Please, Ms. Sparkle, let Spike answer,” Ms. Harshwhinny said. She looked over at Spike. “Well?”

“We discussed what to do with Starlight now that she’d graduated from being Twilight’s pupil,” Spike said.

“I see,” Ms. Harshwhinny said, writing it down. “Is that all?”

“Basically, yes,” Spike replied.

“Mm-hmm,” Ms. Harshwhinny mumbled. “Spike, you are very close with Ms. Glimmer, are you not?”

“Very, yes,” Spike said.

“You were alone with her quite often, were you not?”

“Frequently, yes.”

“What would the two of you get up to during these periods in which you were alone with each other?”

“We talked.”

“About what?”

“Lots of things.”

“What do you mean by ‘lots of things?’”

Spike began counting on his fingers. “Magic, her past, my past, uh . . .” He stopped to think for a moment, taking the opportunity to take another bite of his pancakes while Tempest set Twilight’s food and drink in front of her. “Hmm . . .”

“If you can’t remember, that’s fine,” Ms. Harshwhinny said, once again writing something down. “Now . . .”

The questioning didn’t stop after Spike finished breakfast, nor when he left the castle. Ms. Harshwhinny also questioned him throughout the entirety of the trip to Canterlot. She knew, as well as Twilight, that the constant barrage of questions was straining on Spike, both mentally and emotionally, but she insisted that the more questions he truthfully answered, the better a defense they would have. The questioning continued on as the group made their way into the lobby and took a seat. It finally came to a halt when a gray mare with a dark brown mane and tail and an eye for a cutie mark walked up to them and, with a chuckle, said, “Enough, Ms. Harshwhinny. You’re going to wear the poor boy out to the point where he won’t have any energy to answer any questions that may come up during the trial.”

Ms. Harshwhinny nodded her head at the mare. “Understood. I’m just trying to be thorough, that’s all.”

“Naturally,” the pony said.

“Wait, I know you,” Rainbow Dash said, pointing at the mare, looking shocked. “You were Ace Swift’s girlfriend, weren’t you? Sonata Tarot, right?”

It seemed this inquiry struck a nerve with the newcomer because she glared at Rainbow Dash harshly and said in a cold tone, “Ms. Rainbow Dash, I suggest you understand this quickly. Allow me to make this as plain and as clear as possible for you: I was not, in any sense of the word, Ace Swift’s girlfriend. I was his manager and business partner, nothing more. Although, he did try to rape me on the night he died . . .”

“Sorry,” Rainbow Dash replied, looking down in shame.

“You have nothing to worry about, Spike,” Twilight said, wrapping a hoof around the dragon and pulling him close for a warm hug. “You have us to defend you. That’s why we’re here.”

“Why we’re all here,” a country-sounding voice suddenly spoke up.

Turning, Spike was left aghast at the group from which this voice had spoken up from, for not only did he see Applejack and the rest of Twilight’s friends there, but also Ember, Thorax, Discord, and, to his utter delight and surprise, the Great and Powerful Trixie. He ran up to her, giving her a warm hug. Pulling away, he suddenly drew back his hand and smacked her hard across the face. “Where have you been all this time? I’ve been worried sick about you!”

Sheepishly grinning and rubbing the back of her head, Trixie nervously replied, “I was on the rock farm, trying to make some extra money.”

“I can attest to the fact that Trixie has indeed been on the rock farm,” Maud said.

“Besides,” Trixie went on, “like I’m going to miss getting to see my little brother kick Starlight’s ass in court.”

“With Ms. Harshwhinny and I serving as the prosecution,” Sonata said, “we can’t lose.” She smirked. “I’m a little surprised to see you here, Trixie. After your humiliating defeat in court almost two years ago, I was thinking you wouldn’t want to be seen in a courtroom ever again.”

“Shove it, Sonata,” Trixie snapped through gritted teeth, sneering.

Sonata chuckled. “Still as hotheaded and ego-driven as ever, I see. At least Rainbow Dash has taken to humbling herself, unlike you.”

Trixie began to walk towards Sonata, her nostrils flaring as she bent low and angrily pawed at the ground.

Sonata laughed. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Surely you’re not thinking it a good idea to attack an employee of the Equestrian government. You thought your life was bad before? Go ahead and try it, Trixie. I dare you. I could make your life such a living hell more than it is now that you would be praying for death.”

Twilight got in between the pair, giving Trixie a harsh glare. “Don’t,” she advised. “It could look bad for us.”

“Hmph!” Trixie said, turning her head and glaring at Sonata out of the corner of her eye. “It’s just a good thing that I’ll be observing the trial through the gallery this time around rather than the prosecutor’s box. You should count yourself lucky for that, Sonata. But, it’s a shame, really. Had I known you would be involved in this case, I would’ve gladly stepped in to serve as prosecutor just so I’d have another crack at you. I would’ve wiped the floor with you.”

Sonata smirked. “Is that so? Well, looks like you missed your chance.”

“Sure,” Trixie agreed, “this time again. I’ll get my chance soon enough.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Trixie,” Sonata said.

Spike was surprised to see Night Light and Twilight Velvet present within the crowd. He ran up to them and gave them a hug. “Thanks for being her today, you guys.”

Twilight Velvet smiled and ran a hoof through Spike’s scales. “Oh, of course, honey, where else would we be? You’re going to do great in there.”

Spike sighed. “I just want all of this to end.”

Twilight Velvet nodded. “I know, and it will.”

“When she’s in jail,” Spike said, glaring daggers at Starlight as she entered the lobby.

“You seem optimistic,” she said, walking up to the dragon. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up if I were you. Let me tell you how this trial is going to go down. I’m going to be declared innocent and I’m going to walk through these doors a free pony.”

“Oh, you think so, huh?” Spike asked, sneering.

Starlight chuckled. “I know so. My father just so happens to be one of the most respected lawyers in all of Equestria.” With a smug smirk, she sauntered off to the other side of the room.

“I hate her, I hate her, I hate her,” Spike mumbled under his breath as smoke blew out of his flared nostrils.

“Ignore her,” Twilight Velvet whispered. “She can’t hurt as long as you’re in here.”

“Remember what we talked about in counseling, Spike,” Night Light said, “about why we’re doing this, so you can get some closure, so you can feel heard.”

“Spike,” Thorax said, bending down to shake the dragon’s hand. “Hey, Spike.” He waved at Twilight and Trixie. “Hey, Twilight. Hey, Trixie.”

“Hello, Thorax,” Twilight said, waving back.

“Morning, all,” Miss Harshwhinny said. She turned to Twilight. “Twilight, could I just have a quick word with you, please?”

Twilight nodded. “Sure.” She gave Spike a concerned look. “Are you going to be okay?” When Spike gave her a nod, she walked off with Miss Harshwhinny.

“Look,” Spike said to the group at large, “I appreciate all of you coming out, but none of you have to be here if you don’t want to. I think it’s all best if you guys just went home.”

Applejack sputtered her lips and limped her hoof. “No can do, sugarcube. We’re stickin’ to you like caramel on a candy apple.” She reached down and gave him a noogie.

“I don’t want any of you hearing all this,” Spike said.

“We all know what happened,” Trixie spoke up.

“Not the details,” Spike said. “When you hear them, you’ll have no choice but to picture it, and it’ll keep playing over and over in the record player in your head. Over and over and over again. You can’t stop it. You’ll all dump me as your friend and I’ll be all alone with nothing but my comic books to bring me comfort.”

“Parish the thought, darling,” Rarity said. “We’ll never dump you.” She wrapped him in her hooves, squeezing him.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “We could never dump a dragon as cool as you and you just being here, doing this, is amazingly cool.”

“You said it, Dash,” Gilda agreed.

“I am to instruct the plaintiff and their co-counsel to make their way to courtroom number three,” one of the royal guard spoke up.

“That’s us,” Twilight said. “We’d better get in there.”

“Same as us,” Applejack said. To the rest of her group, she said, “Come on, y’all. We’d better get a good seat before all the good ones are taken.”

Spike sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

The trial started promptly at ten o’ clock as scheduled. It turned out that Starlight’s father, Firelight, worked as a defense lawyer from the small town of Sire’s Hollow. To Rarity’s dismay (“Good grief,” she groaned), Prince Blueblood was serving as Firelight’s co-counsel. The trial was quickly underway. Spike was immediately called to the stand and, after taking the oath, Firelight and Prince Blueblood began asking Spike many of the same questions that Ms. Harshwhinny had asked him just an hour or so prior. He answered them as truthfully as possible.

“So, Mr. Spike,” Firelight said, “would you describe your relationship with Ms. Glimmer as completely platonic?”

“Yes,” Spike said.

“Interesting,” Firelight said. “You seem to have a thing for older ponies, don’t you, Mr. Spike?”

“I don’t understand the question,” Spike said.

“You’ve been known to have a sexual infatuation with one pony known as Rarity,” Firelight said.

“Objection, Your Honor,” Ms. Harshwhinny said. “The defense is leading the witness.”

“Overruled,” Celestia said. She looked down at Spike. “Answer the question.”

“No,” Spike said to Firelight.

“You don’t have a plushie of Ms. Rarity in your bedroom?” Firelight asked, raising an eyebrow. These comment was met with a few bouts of laughter from various ponies in the room.

Spike’s face went red. “Well, yes, but ––”

“So would you therefore say that you have a sexual infatuation with Ms. Rarity?”

“No. Our relationship is completely platonic.”

“And yet despite that you have been known to ask Ms. Rarity out on several occasions, have you not?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” Ms. Harshwhinny spoke up. “This question is irrelevant and has nothing to do with this case.”

“Overruled,” Celestia said yet again. “Witness, please answer the question.”

Spike’s face, if possible turned even redder. “Yes, I’ve been known to ask Rarity out on several occasions.”

“And she has rejected each time, hasn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“So would you say you are attracted to older ponies, then?”

“Not all, just one.”

“I see. You were alone with my client quite a bit, weren’t you, Spike?”

“Yes.”

“How often were you alone with her?”

“Quite frequently, usually whenever Twilight and her friends were out on a friendship mission or when Twilight was busy at night.”

“Did you ever force yourself on my client?”

“No.”

“Did you ever kiss her, say anything inappropriate to her, touch somewhere she might not have wanted you to?”

“No.”

“You never fantasized about making love to her?”

“No.”

“But you are guilty of fantasizing about making love to Ms. Rarity, correct?”

“I . . . I . . .” Spike began to sweat.

“Objection, Your Honor,” Sonata spoke up. “Your Honor, this question is inappropriate and has no relevance to this case.”

“Your Honor,” Firelight said, “I’m merely ––”

“Objection sustained,” Celestia said. “Mr. Firelight, please keep your questions appropriate and relevant to the case at hand.”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Firelight said. He turned back to Spike. “You do indeed have a crush on the pony in question, do you not, Spike?”

“Yes,” Spike replied.

“Did you ever find yourself having similar feelings towards my client?”

“No.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’m absolutely sure.”

“I see. Going back to what you said earlier, what would you two get up to during these periods in which you were alone with my client?”

“Usually, we talked.”

“Did you do anything else?”

“Nothing, aside from cooking together.”

“What things would you talk to my client about?”

“Several things.”

“Could you be more elaborate, please?”

Spike took a moment to think and listed off as many things as he could.

“Thank you,” Firelight said. “Are you a virgin, Spike?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” Ms. Harshwhinny said. “Your Honor, I fail to see what this question has to do with this case. Besides which, it’s highly inappropriate.”

“Objection overruled,” Celestia said. “Witness, answer the question.”

“No, I’m not,” Spike said.

“You are quoted as saying, just before my client’s graduation party, that you intended on having a good time at said party. What did you mean by that?”

“Well, doesn’t everypony?” Spike asked.

“You bet,” Pinkie cried.

“Order,” Celestia barked. “Ms. Pie, another outburst like that and I’ll have you removed from this courtroom. Is that clear?”

“Right, sorry,” Pinkie said.

“Ms. Spike,” Firelight continued, “what did you mean when you said that you intended to have a good time at this party?” Firelight asked. “Was it perhaps that you intended on getting my client drunk and having your way with her afterwards? Were you perhaps intending on drugging her and forcing yourself on her, hoping that she wouldn’t notice? Did you go upstairs willingly with my client? Did you not in fact suggest it?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah.”

“Why did you do that?”

Spike swallowed hard. “I just thought that ––”

“Thought what?” Firelight asked. “Play cards? Crazy eights?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” Miss Harshwhinny barked.

“Rephrase the question,” Celestia ordered.

“Mr. Spike, what was your intentions in going up to that room?”

“I just thought that we’d be alone together,” Spike said.

Firelight raised an eyebrow as he asked, “And you find my client attractive?”

“Yes, I did. Before.”

“When my client kissed you for the first time, did you immediately reject her? Stop her? For the record, please.”

Spike shook his head. “No.”

Firelight nodded. “This is very difficult for you, I know, but when my client touched you, how did you respond? Did you enjoy it?”

“No. Well, at first, yes, I did.”

“You’re telling us, for the record, Mr. Spike, that you did. Did my client ever threaten your life? Did she put a knife to your threat? Threaten you in any way, shape, or form?”

“No.”

“Did she not in fact make sure that you wore protection?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make her ––”

Firelight held up a condom. “You could show me how he maanged to open up one of these and roll it onto your penis without offering you a chance to get away, if you wanted to, could you not?”

Spike sneered. “I said no! She’s bigger than I am! Stronger, even. I . . . I was afraid. I . . . I’m not sure.”

Firelight smirked. “Oh, so you don’t know? How many ponies have you had sex with, Mr. Spike?”

“Objection,” Sonata bellowed.

Spike began to sweat.

“Spike!” Ember suddenly called out, standing up and giving him a piercing glare. “A dragon never yields. Even when wounded, a dragon bites down hard and never lets go until its dying breath! It glares, it roars, and it latches its jaws firmly onto its prey until the bitter end!”

“Order in the court,” Celestia bellowed, pounding her gavel. “One more pony speaks out of turn and I’ll have them held in contempt of court! Is that understood!?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Ember said, taking her seat. “Understood.”

Ember’s encouraging comment seemed to have given Spike some resolve. “Actually, I’d like to answer that question.” He sat up straighter and sneered at Firelight. “That was my only experience and I certainly would not have chosen to lose my virginity upstairs at a house party with a pony I’d known for only a couple of months!”

“You make it sound as if you were completely defenseless,” Firelight said, “which couldn’t possibly be the case given that you are a dragon and therefore, are much stronger than the accused, are you not?”

“Objection, Your Honor,” Sonata spoke up. “Your Honor, may I remind the court that the plaintiff is, in every sense of the word, a baby dragon and therefore physically unable to defend himself.”

“Yet he still has the ability to breathe fire,” Firelight said. “He could’ve easily defended himself.”

“Not if she was using magic,” Spike spoke up. “She physically restrained me with her magic, to where I couldn’t move at all.”

“That hardly matters, given that you could still breathe fire,” Firelight stated.

“She used her magic to cut off my windpipe. I have witnesses who can attest that she has this ability, given that they’ve seen her do it themselves to another one of my friends.”

“Is that so? Then kindly point them out.” Once Spike had done so, he added, “That hardly matters, given that there were no witnesses available at the time, doesn’t it?”

“But it’s still a possibility,” Ms. Harshwhinny said.

“That, it is,” Firelight agreed, nodding his head. To Celestia, he added, “No further questions, Your Honor.”

Celestia looked over at Ms. Harshwinny and Sonata. “Would the prosecution like to cross-examine the witness?”

“No, Your Honor,” Sonata said.

“Very well, then,” Celestia replied. She turned to Spike. “You may step down.”

The trial lasted for quite a while, culminating in Starlight being questioned by the plaintiff, followed by her being cross-examined by the defense.

After a short recess, the bailiff bellowed, “All rise!”

“It’s good that she’s ready with the verdict already, right?” Spike asked Miss Harshwhinny and Sonata.

“Sure,” Miss Harshwhinny replied, lifting her glass of water to her lips and taking a sip.

“Yeah, sure it is,” Sonata agreed.

“First and foremost,” she said, “I would like to say that Spike’s testimony was extremely compelling and I want to applaud him for having the courage and the strength for doing what he did here today. It’s the kind of case that keeps me awake at night because it’s not the kind a justice in my position wants to hear. However, it pains me to say that, given that there are no eyewitnesses and no physical evidence, I have no choice but to find the defendant not guilty. Miss Starlight Glimmer, you are are hereby cleared of all charges and are free to go. Court is adjourned.”

The sound of Celestia pounding her gavel was drowned out by every single pony in the courtroom letting out an expletive at the same time.

Author's Note

Cadpig belongs to The Walt Disney Company.
Sonata Tarot belongs to NeoArtimus.

Riot

It was complete, unrestrained, unadulterated chaos outside the courthouse. As Starlight made her way outside, surrounded on all sides by various members of the royal guard, the crowd gathered around the courthouse that were currently trying to get their hooves on Starlight had to be restrained by other members of the royal guard. With a smug smile on her face, Starlight made her way past the crowds and, once the royal guard were certain that she was safe, she used her magic to teleport away just before anypony could grab her and give her the pummeling of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, as Twilight and the others exited the courthouse themselves, the crowd gathered around the courthouse was much more gentle, as nopony was making any attempts to get their hooves on the group. Feeling utterly dejected, Spike rode atop Twilight’s back, surrounded by his friends and loved ones as they made their way past the crowd and down the road that would ultimately lead them to the train station. Nopony spoke, partly because nopony was in a particularly good mood. Celestia had declared Starlight innocent of any wrongdoing, and everypony was feeling hostile and angry. As far as they were concerned, by giving Starlight a not guilty verdict, she had inadvertently put all of Equestria at risk by letting a known criminal go free, thus putting their children at risk of being kidnapped and put through the same turmoil that she had inflicted upon poor Spike, who had yet to fully recover from his ordeal, and none of them thought that the events that had happened today would do anything to help in that regard.

Up above the group, both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew, the former looking utterly crushed while the latter looked as if she would’ve liked nothing more than to punch somepony in the face, if for no reason other than to get out some of her pent up aggression. Fluttershy glanced down at Spike and Rainbow Dash, despite herself, gave the little dragon a sad look. Just before the group had left, she had flown up to Celestia, reared back her head, and had spat right in Celestia’s face, then had said, “You sit on a throne of lies! You sicken me!” She supposed that she should have felt remorse for this course of action, but she couldn’t help but feel quite proud of herself. After the events of today, no longer would she be loyal to the princess. However, the other princesses had nothing but her complete devotion, particularly Twilight and Cadence since, after all, Cadence was considered family.

It was around lunchtime by the time the group exited the courthouse, yet nopony, not even Pinkie Pie, felt like eating anything. Needless to say, not a single pony was in a good mood as they headed back home; if anything, everypony was in quite a foul mood, none more so than Twilight and her friends, but especially Spike, the dragon choosing to sit by his lonesome on the train ride home. Applejack attempted to console him by wrapping a hoof around him, giving him a warm hug, and told him how sorry she was that things hadn’t turned out how they wanted. He managed a grateful smile and gave her his thanks.

Most ponies were avoiding Rainbow Dash, and for good reason. She sat, gnashing her teeth, seething with rage as she sneered out the window she sat by. Cautiously, Twilight approached and put a comforting hoof on her back. She snapped her head around and, scowling, snapped, “Don’t touch me.”

“Sorry.” Twilight set her hoof down and looked at Rainbow Dash with concern. “How are you holding up? Are you doing okay?”

“No, Twilight, I am not okay,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“I advise you to talk about your feelings, darling,” Rarity said, turning around in her seat to look at the pair. “It’s not going to do anypony any good for you to bottle up your feelings like this.” She popped a few chocolates into her mouth.

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Come on, Dash, you can be honest with us. You can tell us anything.”

Rainbow sighed. “All my life . . . I’ve vowed that I would always be loyal to the Princess. But after today . . .” She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s no longer possible.”

With a pop and a flash of light, Discord was suddenly with them on the train. “I agree,” he spoke up, “and oddly enough, I was just beginning to like Celestia too.”

“Well, you can’t really blame Celestia for her ruling, darling,” Rarity said.

“What!?” Rainbow snapped her head up to glare at Rarity. “You agree with her!?”

Rarity shook her head. “Oh, goodness, no, Rainbow, I’m just saying that I can see why she ruled the way that she did. We simply didn’t have any evidence to back up our claims. Of course she’s not going to side with us, especially not when we acted like an angry mob.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed. “That wasn’t an angry mob! I’ll show her what an angry mob looks like!”

“Calm down, Rainbow,” Twilight said.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Rainbow growled.

“That’s enough,” Twilight snapped, sneering. “We’re all upset too, but you don’t see us biting each other’s heads off, do you!? I understand why you’re upset, but that doesn’t give you the right to take it out on all of us!”

Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily through her nose, yet nodded her head. “Understood,” she said simply, turning her head back towards the window.

“We gave it our best shot, y’all,” Applejack said, “and our best just wasn’t good enough. Tough luck. That’s life. But I’ll tell you this right now, I see that girl in Ponyville, there ain’t nothin’ stoppin’ me from beatin’ her to death!”

“Mm-hmm,” Rainbow Dash agreed, nodding her head, giving Applejack a smile.

“No, no,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “That puts you in the wrong. Two wrongs don’t make a right and ––”

“Oh, for the love of ––” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Can the sappy friendship speeches for one day, will you, Twilight!”

“Girl, I oughta ––” Applejack began, stepping forward threateningly.

“Hold it,” Spike spoke up. “Look, we’re all really upset right now. What say we take a few days to cool off and then regroup, see how everypony’s holding up after that? Besides, none of you have more of a right to be pissed off than I do.”

“Little fella does have a point,” Applejack agreed.

“Alright,” Twilight said. “We’ve all been up since late last night. What say we all take a nap? I think we’re all a little on-edge due to lack of sleep. We’ll feel better once we get rested up.”

“Sounds good to me,” Pinkie Pie said, yawning.

“Don’t gotta tell me twice,” Applejack agreed, pulling the brim of her hat over her eyes.

Discord looked over at Spike and quietly said, “Spike, I’m sorry. I take it guys’ night is off the table for this evening.” He wasn’t surprised when Spike nodded his head. To Fluttershy he added, “Fluttershy, I think an impromptu afternoon tea party is in order.” At Fluttershy’s nod, he snapped his fingers and the two of them vanished.

“Well, sister,” Luna said, “if you thought things were bad after Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding, you’d better get ready.” She chuckled darkly. “Twilight and her friends – strike that, scores of ponies – are going to want your head on a platter. I think I’ll go ready the guillotine.” She turned and began walking away, still laughing in that same dark manner. “Pleasant dreams tonight, sister. Oh, I haven’t laughed this much in years.”

“Really?” Celestia barked, raising an eyebrow, “because I seem to recall you telling me not to kill her yourself. Isn’t that what you said to me earlier? Every time I looked over at you, you were shaking your head.”

Luna coughed into a hoof. “Yes, well, that was before I was aware of her crime.”

“What!?” Celestia’s eye twitched. “You are the Princess of the Night! How could you not know about her crime! If the accused is indeed guilty, then surely the victim must have dreamed about it a number of times!”

Luna nodded. “Oh, yes, I’m definitely sure of that, but what’s done is done. It cannot be helped.” She smiled. “Oh, wait until the Higher Council gets a load of this! They are going to be pissed! Oh, I’m sure Majesty is fit to burst with how angry she’s bound to be!” Still laughing, she made her way back inside the palace.

Meanwhile, Celestia watched Starlight teleport away from Canterlot with a flash of her horn. Despite herself, a proud smile came to her lips and she shook her head in amusement. “That girl never ceases to amaze me,” she said to herself before turning and retreating into the palace once again.

Upon reaching Twilight’s castle, the Mane Six each made their way to the throne room, taking a seat in their respective thrones, each one sneering down at the table in front of them, each shaking with rage.

Tempest suddenly entered the room, carrying a tray containing eight teacups and a teapot. “So, how ––”

“Piss off,” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Tempest jumped. “Oh, well, alright, then. I, uh, I guess I’ll leave you alone, then.” She cleared her throat. “Excuse me.” She turned and walked out of the room.

Applejack shook her head, being the first to finally speak up since the end of the trial. “Damn that Celestia! What in the hell is she thinking!?”

“See?” Rainbow Dash said. “This is exactly why I said Majesty should’ve been leading this case, because I knew this would happen!”

“Oh, Majesty would’ve given her a guilty verdict in a heartbeat,” Rarity agreed, flicking back her hair with a hoof. “No doubt about it. The trial would’ve been over in less than five minutes had Majesty been presiding over the case.”

“Mm-hmm,” Rainbow Dash agreed, nodding her head. “Spike, I am obligated to keep loving you, so I will therefore take my rage out on my own body.” Flapping her wings, she took to the air, heading to the nearest window. Turning, she said, “I think I’m going to go visit my parents for a while. Fluttershy, you want to come with?”

“Sure,” Fluttershy said. She gave Spike one last concerned look, then followed Rainbow Dash out the window and towards Cloudsdale.

“Anypony hungry?” Twilight asked. “How about lunch?”

“Mm-mm,” the group replied, shaking their heads.

Twilight gently nudged Spike. “Spike, how about you? You want something to eat?”

“No, Twilight,” Spike said quietly, staring down at his folded hands in his lap. He suddenly hopped down from his chair, heading towards the door. “I just want to be alone for a while. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Twilight said, nodding her head, “but, just to be safe, I’ll have Tempest stand guard.”

Spike didn’t argue with her. He made his way out of the room and down the hall.

“Well, I guess I’d best be gettin’ back home myself,” Applejack said, getting up from her own throne. “I’ll see y’all later.”

“And I as well,” Rarity said, heading towards the door. “I need to get back to the boutique. Lots of orders to fill, you know.”

“I should probably go check on the twins,” Pinkie Pie said. “See you later, Twilight.”

“Yeah, okay,” Twilight said. “Guess I’ll be seeing you around, Pinkie.” She sighed. She was in such a depressed state that she didn’t even feel like reading. Silently, she wandered to her bedroom. Flopping down, she tightly hugged her pillow and began to cry within it.

Nopony felt like eating until around dinnertime. The group met up once again at Twilight’s castle, each taking a seat around the dining table. Despite none of them feeling particularly hungry, they agreed that they should at least try to eat something. It seemed Rainbow Dash had spent the better part of the afternoon gorging herself like mad, hence what she meant by taking her rage out on her own body, because the pegasus’ belly had distended considerably since she’d left the castle earlier that afternoon. Nopony made a comment on this, however, as they went about fixing their plates and drinks, Rainbow Dash and Applejack both piling a great heap of just about everything that was available to them onto their plates before sitting back and, tying napkins around their necks, beginning to dig in along with everypony else.

It was in the middle of the meal that Tempest walked in with the evening paper, a copy of The Ponyville Chronicle, setting it down in front of Twilight, who craned her neck to begin reading the article underneath the headline.

“‘There was panic in the streets of Ponyville today when Celestia declared Starlight Glimmer, the former pupil of one Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, who had been accused of sexual abuse towards a minor, innocent and had her cleared of all charges. Starlight had no comment for the press as she made her way out of the courthouse just minutes after the verdict was given, only to suddenly teleport away as soon as she was a good distance away from the press. Her current whereabouts are unknown. A bounty has been placed on Starlight’s head. Anypony who can find and kill her will receive a large sum of money. All of Equestria is currently on a manhunt for Starlight Glimmer.

“‘Naturally, ponies were none too pleased at the verdict, none more so than the ponies of Ponyville. Reports of looting, violence, and robberies have been pouring in ever since the trial ended earlier today. Several parents and other groups are clamoring for Celestia to be removed from her position as ruler of Equestria, by force if necessary, whereas others have taken a much more violent approach, several of which have requested that Celestia be made an example of by being publicly executed in the middle of Ponyville. Others have said that Celestia shouldn’t bear the sin of Starlight Glimmer, as they have requested that Starlight Glimmer herself be made an example of by suffering the same punishment. But this wish may not come to fruition, as there may not be much of a Ponyville to speak of, as several ponies were quoted as saying, ‘Tonight, Ponyville burns.’”

“Nopony’s going to be torching anything as long as I’m around,” Rainbow Dash said proudly, folding her hooves across her chest and sticking her nose in the air.

“You might want to rethink your position on that, sugarcube,” Applejack said from the window.

Rainbow Dash looked over at her curiously. “What are you talking about?”

“Come take a look outside,” Applejack said, gesturing for her friends to come over. “Check it out. Ponies are fucking pissed off about this.”

This was a complete understatement, as complete warfare had broken out all over Ponyville. Ponies, desperate to take their anger out on something, had resorted to setting houses and various businesses on fire. Fights had broken out within the streets, whereas others, as the news report had stated, had taken to robbing former friends and neighbors and threatening others with violence. The group could do little except watch the hellish nightmare of the chaos unfold. Over the various screams of fright from parents and little children rose shouts of ponies calling for Celestia’s death, pumping their hooves into the air as they rallied to have Celestia beheaded and have her severed head placed in the middle of Ponyville as a grim reminder to all those who dared to defile a child the likes with which Starlight Glimmer had. And yet still others, rather than take their anger out on their neighbors and friends or even Celestia herself, cried for the death of Starlight Glimmer, requesting that she be publicly hanged in the middle of Ponyville and her corpse left to rot, while the vultures feasted on the flesh of her dead carcass. Others suggested she be made to suffer by everypony taking turns gangbanging her, insisting that Spike be the first one to take part in this activity.

“Jeez, and I thought things were bad when I switched all of your cutie marks,” Twilight said. She shook her head. “This is even worse.”

“What are we gonna do, y’all?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie said, “but I’d better get home to check on the twins, just to make sure they’re okay.”

Rarity gasped. “I just remembered! Sweetie Belle is staying over at the boutique tonight! I’d better get there and make sure she’s safe.” She followed Pinkie out of the room.

“Not much we can do, Applejack,” Twilight said in response to Applejack’s question.

“What?” Rainbow Dash cried. “What are you talking about? You’re a princess. You practically run this town!”

“Rainbow, I can’t even get a taxi in Manehattan,” Twiligh replied. “What in Celestia’s name makes you think they’re going to listen to me? Besides, shouldn’t Mayor Mare be doing something about all of this?”

“Reports say that Mayor Mare is currently hunkered down behind her desk like a frightened little foal,” Tempest said. “I just came from there myself to speak with her. According to her, Majesty is not the least bit happy about what happened today. She herself is asking for Celestia to be removed as ruler of Equestria.”

“Well, if I know Celestia as well as I think I do,” Twilight said, “she won’t go down without a fight, I can tell you that right now. If they want to take down Celestia, they’re going to have to fight like hell. They can try, but there’s no way they’re going to be able to take down Celestia.”

“Seemed pretty easy for Chrysalis,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Celestia was overpowered,” Twilight replied.

“Come to think of it,” Rainbow Dash went on, “it seems Celestia is always getting taken down relatively easily. Seems to me she’s not as great and powerful as you say, Twilight.”

“Somepony call me?” a voice asked.

Twilight and the others turned to see Trixie standing there, her head held high with a smirk on her face.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Rainbow Dash said, “but I’ve never been more glad to see Trixie.”

“Where have you been?” Twilight asked, walking up to the mare.

“Oh, you know, here and there,” Trixie replied. “But I’m back, for good this time.”

“I’ll let you come back on the condition that you never do that again,” Twilight replied.

“Deal,” Trixie replied. “So” – she looked around – “where’s Spike?”

“He’s currently in his bedroom,” Tempest said, “and he has requested that he not be disturbed. For the time being, he just wants to be alone.”

Trixie nodded. “Completely understandable.” She nodded towards the window. “Have you guys seen outside?”

“Oh, yeah, believe me, we have,” Applejack said. “All Tartarus has broken loose here in Ponyville.”

“Mm-hmm,” Tempest said, nodding her head, “and ponies won’t be satisfied until they have either Starlight or Celestia’s head on a platter, preferably both.”

“I’m honestly surprised ponies aren’t storming Canterlot right now trying to get their hooves on Celestia,” Trixie said. “Enough about that, though.” She took a step forward. “Does anypony know where Starlight is at this very moment?”

“If I had to guess,” Twilight said, “I’d say she’s most likely back at her old village or in Sire’s Hollow. Most ponies don’t know where those places are at, much less that they even exist, so she probably figured she’d be safest at either of those two places. The only ponies who even know about those places are me and my friends” – she pointed at Trixie – “you, and Sugar Belle.”

Trixie blinked in confusion. “Sugar Belle?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. “She and Big Mac got married recently. You didn’t know that?”

“Wait, you mean to tell me that the two of them dated and got married?” Trixie asked.

“You seriously didn’t know that?” Applejack asked.

“No, I had no idea,” Trixie replied.

“You really need to get out more,” Rainbow Dash said.

Trixie suddenly glared at Applejack. “If I were you, I would get my sister as far away from her as possible. Remember that Starlight’s a cult leader. She more than likely brainwashed all of her followers to follow her way of thinking.”

“Yes, we’re well aware of that fact, Trixie, thank you,” Twilight said. “That’s why her followers see her as something of a revolutionary.”

“Big Mac’s been made fully aware of the current situation,” Applejack assured Trixie. “After all, he is friends with Spike and Discord. It’s only natural that one of them would tell him about what’s going on. Hell, he’s already filed for divorce.”

“You’re kidding me,” Rainbow Dash said. “That fast?”

“Big Mac may not be much of a talker,” Applejack said, “but he’s a pony who can get things done and get ’em done quick.”

“And how does Sugar Belle feel about all of this?” Twilight asked.

“Who cares how Sugar Belle feels about all of this?” Rainbow Dash cried. “She’s one of Starlight’s minions, so of course she’s going to try and get her hooves on Apple Bloom.”

“The only reason she hasn’t been able to is because Big Mac, Granny, and I are always around Apple Bloom,” Applejack said.

“Don’t forget, though, that, like Starlight, Sugar Belle is a unicorn,” Twilight said. “She could easily get Big Mac and Granny Smith out of the way.”

Applejack laughed at this. “Oh, please. Big Mac’s twice as big as she is. He could easily overpower her no problem. I mean, for crying out loud, Twilight, you’re talking about a pony who once had enough strength to pull a house and that didn’t slow him down one bit.”

“That’s true,” Twilight replied.

“Well, I’m not waiting for Starlight to make the first move,” Tempest said. “I say we hunt this cunt down and give her what for.”

“Hear, hear,” Rainbow Dash agreed, pumping her hoof into the air.

“No,” Twilight replied. “We’re not going to take the law into our own hooves. We would be just as guilty as Starlight. Two wrongs do not ––”

“Oh, shut up,” Rainbow Dash hollered. “Who cares about the consequences? Yeah, we might have to do a little jail time, but it’s worth it if it means protecting our kids from that monster!”

“I agree with Dash,” Applejack said.

“Same here,” Trixie said.

“I’m all for it,” Fluttershy said, raising a hoof.

“And while we’re at it,” Trixie said, snickering evilly, “I say we kill each and every single one of her followers and then burn that village down to the ground!”

Twilight gawked at her. “Trixie, what in Equestria has gotten into you?”

“What!?” Trixie cried. “Tell me I’m wrong! Besides, nopony would miss them and that village is barely a blip on Equestria’s map. Nopony would even notice them missing.”

“Yes,” Rainbow Dash cried. “I am all for this! Let’s do it! Let’s do it!”

“I’ve been rearing to kick somepony’s teeth in all day,” Applejack said, kicking her back legs.

“Listen to all of you,” Twilight cried. “And you dare to call yourselves the heroes of Equestria? We’re supposed to represent the Elements of Harmony!”

“This isn’t about the Elements of Harmony or upholding some moral code, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash shouted. “It’s about delivering swift, hard, cold justice! That cunt obstructed justice and it’s about time she paid her dues for her crimes! I’m not about to go to bed at night knowing that that monster is still out there! I just couldn’t live with myself knowing that I didn’t do anything to protect our kids! I wouldn’t be able to get a wink of sleep! But you’d rather just let Starlight go on her merry little way like nothing ever happened, like you don’t care that she raped and abused your little brother for over a year right under your nose! Ow!” She cried out in pain, tightly gripping her muzzle from where Twilight had smacked her across the face.

“How dare you!” Twilight yelled as she glared up at Rainbow Dash. “I care about him more than you could ever know! He’s practically a son to me! Yes, I’m beyond pissed too about what happened, but I’m not about to go out and commit murder just because I think I got cheated by the system!”

“It’s not murder if it’s warranted,” Rainbow Dash replied, glowering at Twilight while she rubbed her nose. “It’s more or less justifiable homicide.”

“That is true,” Tempest agreed.

“Hmm,” Rainbow Dash said to herself, stroking her chin, “I wonder what Nix would say in this situation.”

“What was that?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Nothing, nothing,” Rainbow Dash said. She yawned and stretched. “Listen, it’s late. I think I’m gonna go crash at my parents’ place. It’s too crazy around here. I’ll see you guys later.” She smiled at Twilight. “No hard feelings?”

Despite herself, Twilight smiled and wrapped Rainbow Dash in a hug. “No hard feelings. But you need to stop taking your anger out on all of us. We don’t deserve that. It’s not our fault Starlight was declared innocent.”

Rainbow nodded. “I know. But, still, you didn’t need to hit me.”

“You’re right. For that, I apologize.”

“Hey, to make it up to you, you’re more than welcome to come to my parents’ place for breakfast tomorrow. My mom makes the best food you’ve ever tasted in your life.”

Chuckling, Applejack playfully poked at Rainbow’s paunch of a stomach as she said, “Sugarcube, if I were you, I’d think about laying off your mama’s cookin’ for a little while.”

Blushing, Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head. “Heh, yeah, I guess I ate a little too much today.” She belched and gave her chubby belly a few playful pokes. “I tend to overeat. It’s not my fault if my mom’s cooking is so good. But my parents have always liked the fact that I have a bigger appetite than most, and they have a tendency of overfeeding me.”

“Well, that just comes with being an athlete,” Applejack replied.

“You got that right,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “I’d invite you too, AJ, but, uh . . .”

“Oh, right,” Applejack said. “No wings.”

“I’d be more than happy to use that cloud-walking spell on you,” Twilight offered.

“Thanks, honey, but I’d think it’d be best if we all just avoided each other for the time being,” Applejack said, “at least until this whole mess blows over. We all need to take some to cool down and get our heads on straight. And, Rainbow, you be sure to be careful on your way home.”

“You too,” Rainbow Dash said. She turned to Fluttershy. “Hey, Flutters, how about you crash at my parents’ place too? It’ll be like a sleepover, just like when we were kids. Besides, I’d sleep better knowing that you were safe with me. Don’t want you getting caught up in some robbery or anything.”

Smiling gratefully, Fluttershy took to the air. “Are you sure my animals will be all right?”

“Are you kidding?” Rainbow Dash asked as they started flying out the window. “That little rascally bunny of yours can handle anything. He’ll be fine.”

“I’d be more than happy to escort you home if you’d like,” Tempest offered Applejack. “It would be my pleasure.”

“Well, if you’re offering, can’t really say no, can I?” Applejack said with a chuckle.

“Let’s get going, then,” Tempest said. Upon reaching the door, she stopped and turned her head to address both Trixie and Twilight. “Tell Spike I’ll be back soon. I shouldn’t be gone long.”

“He’s probably asleep by now,” Twilight said. “He probably won’t even know you were gone.”

“Still, do me a favor and check in on him, will you?” Tempest asked.

“Of course,” Trixie replied. “Hurry back!”

Contrary to Twilight’s belief, Spike wasn’t in bed at all. While the others had been preoccupied with their arguing, he had taken it upon himself to sneak out of the castle and board a train to Starlight’s old village. It was still relatively early in the evening. He figured that by all accounts Starlight and her clan still should’ve been up, most likely celebrating Starlight’s victory earlier that day. Sure enough, as he looked down at the little village a couple of hours later, the group was indeed celebrating, ponies laughing and talking as they cooked food and guzzled down beverages. Spike made his way down, going out of his way to not be seen by hiding behind various rocks and trees until he made it to Starlight’s house, slipping inside through an open window.

He ducked down underneath a table as he heard Starlight exiting a room. He watched as the pony strode over to the front door and puffed out her chest before exhaling and saying, “Time to make my grand entrance.” It was here that he made his presence known, crawling out from underneath the table, standing up to his full height and saying, “Your grand entrance, huh?”

Gasping, Starlight spun around and locked eyes with Spike. “You! I don’t believe you were invited.”

“I’m onto you, Starlight,” he said.

Starlight chuckled. “My, my, you’ve certainly grown some balls since the last time we met, haven’t you? Tell me, did your testicles recently drop or something?”

“Shut up.”

“Ooh, great comeback. You’re still chasing me, I see.”

“You’re the one who’s still obsessed with me.”

Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you believe? Well, how do you know what to believe, Spike? Maybe I’ve moved on from you. Maybe you’re the one who’s obsessed with me. After all, I didn’t suggest you come here, now, did I? But, then again, perhaps I haven’t moved on from you. Maybe I’m still as obsessed with you as I was before I first left Ponyville. Of course, it could also be that you’re just paranoid.”

The word “paranoid” in this sentence was suddenly reverberated all around Spike, and he turned to see that the front door to Starlight’s house had been opened, allowing all of the occupants outside to hear this conversation.

“By the way,” Starlight said, smiling at Spike, “did you know about my latest spell?” She tapped her horn. “It allows me to transmit audio to whomever I wish, to however many ponies I like.” This comment was met with a round of laughter from all those present and Starlight, still smiling, spoke to the crowd: “Fillies and gentlecolts, I’d like you all to meet the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious.” She cupped a hoof over her mouth and added, “He’s here because he didn’t get a conviction.” She winked while another round of laughter erupted from the crowd.

Spike merely glared at Starlight. “You can laugh and mock all you like, Starlight, but you and I both know that I’m going to put you away.” He stepped forward, getting in Starlight’s face as he added, “Because you can’t help yourself. You can’t stop.” Starlight was left with no response other than to glare back at him. He walked past her and addressed the crowd. “Do any of you know who your leader really is? Because I could tell you things about her that would make your skin crawl.”

Whatever those things were, Spike never got a chance to say what they were because Starlight grabbed him by the arm, leading him away from the others until they were out of earshot. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing at,” she hissed, scowling down at him, “but you have no business being here. We’re trying to have a party and here you have the gall to come chasing after me simply because you didn’t like the verdict Celestia gave? Well, too bad. I won. You lost. Get over it and move on with your life already.”

“You don’t seem to get that I was just a little kid. You ruined my life. You raped me.”

Starlight grinned, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah. And?” She chuckled.

Spike blinked. “So you admit it? Just like that?”

Starlight shrugged. “I figured I must’ve done something wrong if you insist on keeping on punishing me.”

Spike sneered. “You didn’t say that in court today.”

Starlight smirked. “No, I must’ve done something right too if you keep coming back like this.”

Spike chuckled in amusement. “I’m not coming back.”

“Well, I can’t say I blame if you want some more of this.” She suddenly turned, lifted up her tail, and shook her rear at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Listen, dragon, go home. Talk to your griffon girlfriend. But I’ll tell you what, half-pint: if you’re ever feeling horny and that snobby bitch Rarity won’t give you the time of day and you want to have some fun, come find me. I’d love to have another ride on that marvelous cock of yours. You were a great fuck.” She patted his cheek, then, turning on her heel, made her way back over to her friends.

It was past midnight by the time Spike got back home to the castle. He slipped inside, silently shutting the front door and making his way to the kitchen to grab a midnight snack. Opening up the fridge, he bent down and leaned forward.

“Nice night out for a walk, isn’t it, Spike?” a voice asked.

He jumped, bumping his head on the shelf above him. Groaning in pain, he stepped back away from the fridge and turned to see Tempest standing there. “Stop doing that!”

Tempest chuckled. “My apologies.”

He turned back to the fridge, removing a Tupperware container that contained a healthy helping of banana pudding. He removed the lid and retrieved a spoon from the drawer in front of him, then seated himself down at the kitchen table and began chowing down.

Sighing, Tempest sat down beside him. “Spike, I’m sorry about what happened today.”

He swallowed a mouthful of pudding before saying, “Why? Because you lost your stupid bet with Rainbow Dash?”

Tempest shook her head. “No. Because you’re hurt.”

He scoffed. “You wouldn’t know anything about it.” He popped another spoonful of banana pudding into his mouth.

Once more, Tempest sighed. “You know, Spike,” she said, “growing up I never saw much of my parents. They could barely take care of themselves, so taking care of me was out of the question.” She glanced down at him. “I’m not sure the pain that caused ever goes away.” She suddenly turned his head to face hers, then tilted his head so that they were locking eyes with one another. “But I do know that you can’t go through thinking everypony you meet will one day let you down. Because if you do, a very bad thing will happen. You’ll wind up like me.” She glanced up at the clock. “It’s getting late. I’m going to bed. Enjoy your snack.” With that, she got up and walked out of the room.

Over the next several days, Spike received much more attention and affection from all those around him than he usually did. Rainbow Dash and Trixie, who usually delighted in picking on the little dragon just to get under his skin, were acting uncharacteristically sweet towards him, Rainbow Dash inviting him to a Wonderbolts show in Manehattan free of charge and Trixie even went so far as to offer to clean his room for him and serve him breakfast in bed. Even Rarity, who usually deemed her relationship with him as a completely platonic one, showed up at the castle one day with a sack filled to the brim with unused gems, stating that she had no use for them and probably wouldn’t need them. Her only stipulation with her giving them to him was that he promise not to eat them all in one day. He promised her that he would try his best to restrain himself. At one point, even Applejack invited him to a cider tasting along with her, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Maud, but, given that the cider was alcoholic, he declined, only to be embarrassed when Rainbow Dash blatantly reminded him that it wouldn’t have been the first time he’d gotten drunk. Even Quibble Pants stopped by to play a few games of chess with him, and the little dragon suggested that he come over for one of his usual guys’ nights with him, Discord, Big Mac, and Shining Armor upon finding out that he was as big a fan of Ogres and Oubliettes as they were. Quibble Pants seemed delighted at this idea and promised that he would.

For Spike, while all this attention and affection was absolutely wonderful, it was also quite smothering. It was weird. Most of the time he didn’t want anypony bothering him. He just wanted to be by himself. However, any time he found himself alone the loneliness got to him so badly that he eventually went looking for somepony to hang out with. Worse yet, thoughts consumed his head and buzzed around his brain like a swarm of angry twittermites. He had been wronged on more than one occasion, that much was true, and he felt that Starlight should’ve paid for her crimes against him, but, alas, he couldn’t bring himself to take the law into his own hands, as he would surely be punished for it. And then ponies would have all the reason more to want Celestia dead. He couldn’t blame them, really. What Starlight had done was wrong and had hurt him greatly, but to have Celestia, a pony whom he saw as something of a mother to him in the same way as he saw Twilight, declare Starlight innocent had hurt all the more, to the point where it felt as if Celestia had torn out his heart through his mouth and had trampled all over it. Yet he knew that Celestia was not on any one pony’s side; she had merely been doing her job, nothing more, and she had been correct in saying that his case was extremely weak as he had presented little to no evidence at all regarding his allegations, the only defense he had going for him being his word and his word alone, and that surely hadn’t been enough, at least not enough to get a conviction.

Still, he couldn’t help feeling that Starlight needed to be reprimanded for what she’d done to him, but he could never bring himself to go through with actually killing her, as it wasn’t in his nature to do anyone any harm. Starlight was at least correct about that much. Sure, it may have been in Ember or Garble’s nature to do such a thing, but he, being raised by ponies his whole life, had a much more gentler nature about him that wouldn’t allow him to harm another living being. Despite killing and fighting being in her nature, Ember had adopted a much more gentler attitude thanks in part to her not only spending so much time with Spike but also with Twilight and the other ponies that made up Ponyville.

Things in Ponyville hadn’t simmered down at all. Ponies were still aggressive and hostile towards one another as a result of the trial. It made going out downright depressing, ponies being rude and insulting and calling each other names. A fight had broken out the other day when one pony had cut in line at Sugarcube Corner and it took the efforts of Pinkie Pie and Mr. and Mrs. Cake to break up the fight. The only relief that anypony could get from all of the chaos was by going to the local spa. Spike, like many of his friends, found himself venturing to the spa on most days, enjoying a relaxing back massage, as well as the sauna. If nothing else, it helped get his mind off things.

The bedlam that had broken out within Ponyville had left the Apples worried, fearing that they would have to cancel the family reunion that year, if for no other reason than to protect their kin from getting hurt, lest another fight should break out. However, Granny Smith insisted that they hold the reunion anyway, as the reunion would be held at Sweet Apple Acres, far away from all of the hullabaloo and thus, nopony would be at risk of getting hurt. In the end, the Apples agreed, which delighted Apple Bloom to no end as she was looking forward to seeing Babs yet again.

It was during the family reunion that Spike found himself overlooking the festivities from a nearby hill, sitting underneath a tree. Hearing footsteps, he turned his head to see Rarity standing there. “Hey, Rarity,” he said. Rarity didn’t answer him, instead choosing to sit down beside him. “They’re having a family reunion over at Sweet Apple Acres today.” He grinned. “Sure looks like a lot of fun.” After a moment of silence, he added, “Listen, Rarity, I’d really like to thank you and the others for all the help you’ve been to me these past several days.”

“Oh, yeah,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. “A great deal of help we’ve been to you.”

“No, I mean it.” His hand shaking, he reached over and gave her foreleg a light squeeze. “I really appreciate all of the efforts you guys have gone to in trying to make me feel better.” He shook his head. “I’m so sick and tired of being dumped on. Just once I’d like to . . . just win at something. You know I’ve never won at anything my entire life?”

Rarity smiled, reached down to lovingly stroke his scales. “Ah, come on, Spike. You’re cool, as Rainbow Dash would say.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, I’m cool, alright. Being humiliated by that psychopath in public was really cool.”

“Hey, at least you stood up to her,” Rarity said. “Nopony else had the guts to. We should’ve backed you up!”

“Rarity, when are we going to start sticking up for ourselves?”

Rarity didn’t say anything at first. Then, after giving it some thought, she replied, “Right now, Spike. How about right now?”

Spike, beginning to feel excited, suddenly sprang to his feet, a determined look on his face. “Yeah! Let’s go round up everypony and go kick her ass!”

“Yeah!”

He sharply turned on his heel, intending to begin running towards Ponyville, only to be stopped by Rarity pulling him back with her magic.

“Whoa, hold it, Spike,” she lightly scolded. “Hold it, hold it, hold it! Look, we’ve got to be smart about this. If there’s one thing that being a fashionista has taught me it’s that there’s some proper channels that you have to go through. But, with any luck, we’ll be able to dispose of Starlight properly. She is one and we are many.”

Spike grinned. “Yeah, she’s not so tough!” He held out his hand, palm open, and Rarity, smiling, happily slapped it.

“I’m still not too sure about this,” Sweetie Belle said. She, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and a majority of their friends stood within the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, once again going over the plan that Apple Bloom had cooked up.

“What’s there to worry about?” Scootaloo asked. “We’re just inviting Starlight to a hike in the woods.”

“Still ––” Sweetie Belle began.

“Enough,” Scootaloo said, putting a hoof to her friend’s lips. “We’ve got nothing to worry about. This is a cleansing hike.”

“But what if Starlight tries using her magic?” Dinky asked.

“You needn’t worry about that,” Sweetie Belle said, grinning, “because I’ve got this!” From her saddlebag she produced a ring.

“Oh,” Silver Spoon said, nodding her head. She tilted her head in confusion. “What is it?”

“It’s a magic dampening ring,” Sweetie explained.

“I’ve read about those,” Dinky said. “They prevent unicorns from using their magic.”

“Exactly,” Sweetie said. “We just slip this on Starlight and she’s pretty much helpless.”

“And how exactly do you propose we get it on her without her noticing?” Diamond Tiara asked, folding her hooves across her chest and raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll think of something,” Sweetie said, tossing the ring in the air and catching it. “I’ll demonstrate how it works. Any takers? How about you, Dinky?”

Dinky shook her head. “Sorry, but I’m still a novice when it comes to magic. There would be no point in me doing it since I can’t really do any magic anyway.”

“Alright, then, I’ll do it.” Sweetie slipped the ring over her horn. She attempted to levitate the book the notebook that Apple Bloom had laid out in front of her. She strained and strained, sweat running down her face, her cheeks puffing out, her face turning red with the amount of concentration she was putting into her effort to lift the book, only for her efforts to be in vain as the book remained right where it was. She suddenly collapsed, falling flat on her belly in a heap.

“Interesting,” Silver Spoon said, stepping forward and tapping Sweetie’s horn. “So you can’t do any kind of magic at all?”

Sweetie Belle got to her hooves. “Nope.”

“Fascinating,” Button Mash said.

“Alright,” Apple Bloom said, setting the quill she’d been writing with aside. “I think we’re all done. Now all we have to do is get this letter to Starlight. Our best bet is probably Sugar Belle. The only drawback is that I have no idea where she is. Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applejack kicked her out a couple of days and I haven’t seen her since. But, luckily Big Mac is delivering divorce papers to Sugar Belle in Starlight’s village this afternoon. I could probably talk him into delivering it to Sugar Belle.”

“They’re still on speaking terms?” Scootaloo asked.

“Er, more or less,” Apple Bloom replied, nervously smiling and rubbing the back of her head.

“I still don’t think this is such a good idea,” Sweetie Belle said. “We could get in a lot of trouble for this.”

“We’ve got everything planned out to the tiniest detail,” Dinky said. “Nothing can go wrong.”

Sweetie Belle sighed. “If you say so . . .”

As Dinky predicted, the plan went flawlessly. Apple Bloom was able to mix the letter she’d written in with the divorce papers that Big Mac was delivering to Sugar Belle, the stallion making it quite clear that the trip to Starlight’s old village was strictly a business-related one. The papers were delivered as planned and Sugar Belle, noticing that one envelope was addressed to Starlight, promptly delivered it to the pony in question, who had no issues whatsoever with meeting the group in Whitetail Woods. She appeared as requested, teleporting in front of the group of children, all of whom had camping gear strapped to their backs.

“Alright, let’s get movin’,” Apple Bloom instructed, turning and beginning to walk along the trail.

“By all means, lead the way,” Starlight said.

“You got it,” Apple Bloom replied over her shoulder.

In silence, the group marched along the trails, ducking out of the way of low-hanging tree branches and stepping over sharp rocks. It seemed the silence was too much for Starlight to bear because she suddenly spoke up, saying, “So, what made you guys want to get together?”

“Well, Twilight and her friends gave you a second chance,” Scootaloo said. “We figured we might as well do the same.”

“Hmm, very mature of you,” Starlight replied.

“Yeah, right,” Diamond Tiara hissed to Silver Spoon’s ear. “Fat chance.”

The group continued on in silence. At one point, Skedaddle almost ended up falling into a pit that was unseen thanks to the fallen leaves covering it, but was quickly rescued by Rumble before he could fall in, to which he thanked Rumble, who merely replied, “Don’t mention it.” They finally came to a halt on a cliff overlooking the western side of Ponyville.

“Perfect,” Apple Bloom said, sitting down on her haunches. “Let’s stop here and rest for a while. I’m sure we’d all like to get a bite to eat and something to drink.”

“Good idea,” Starlight said. “I say we keep this hike going indefinitely. Let’s take an hour-long break and then we can start climbing that thousand-foot cliff.” She nodded towards the cliff in question.

“With no rock climbing gear?” Kettle Corn asked.

“I know you can do it,” Starlight said encouragingly.

“We don’t want to rock climb,” Button Mash said. “We want to have fun!”

Starlight grinned. “Button Mash here wants to have some fun.” She rotated her neck, popping it. “Alright, Button Mash, let’s have some fun.” She turned sharply on her heels, taking off at a sprint towards the edge of the cliff, leaping off it, grabbing onto a tree branch that protruded over the cliff’s edge, doing several swings around it.

“Holy shit,” Pipsqueak cried.

“Whoo-hoo!” Starlight shouted. “I’m on the top of the world!” Still holding onto the tree branch, the stretched out her body along its length. “How’s this for fun, Button Mash? Scootaloo, you little daredevil, why don’t you come out and join me?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m on my way,” Scootaloo said.

“She’s going to get us killed,” Silver Spoon hissed to Peach Fuzz. “We’ve got to do something about this!”

“Yeah, but what?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“What’s that, I missed it,” Starlight said, leaping back in front of the group.

“Oh, uh,” Sweetie said, “I was just saying that, uh, we need to relax a little.”

Starlight nodded. “Good idea. Why don’t I teach you all a little something about yoga?”

“Uh, yeah, sounds great,” Apple Bloom said.

Minutes later, Starlight stood in front of the group attempting to teach them various poses, seemingly unaware of the fact that nopony in the group was paying attention to her.

“Hey,” Diamond Tiara whispered to Apple Bloom, “I say screw the plan. Let’s just push her over. There’s not a jury in all of Equestria who could convict us.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “No, too messy. We can do better.”

After over fifteen minutes of doing yoga, Starlight resigned herself to sitting down, cross-legged, silently meditating to herself. Her ear twitched, hearing the group of children beginning to clamor. She concentrated harder, attempting to drown our their squabbling. After three separate failed attempts at doing this, she finally cursed underneath her breath and, getting up, walked over to the group and bellowed, “Hey! Who’s causing all of the commotion, hmm?”

“Well, we’ve been having something of a debate,” Apple Bloom said.

“I have a question,” Scootaloo said, raising a hoof.

“Go ahead, Scootaloo, ask away,” Starlight said with a smile.

“Is it true that you can do a sit-up if you can’t see or hear?” Scootaloo inquired.

“Yes, Scootaloo, it is possible,” Starlight said with a chuckle.

“Well, Rumble says it’s impossible.” Scootaloo nodded at Rumble, who nodded his head.

“Well, why don’t we rock Rumble’s world?” Starlight suggested. She laid down on her back, folding her hooves behind her head as she said, “There are so many myths about the abdominal muscles. I’m happy to put this one to bed.”

Scootaloo grinned as she wrapped a handkerchief around Starlight’s head, covering her eyes, and tying it in a knot behind her head, looking up at Rumble and saying, “See, Rumble, I told you.”

“Now, remember, Starlight,” Apple Bloom said, “don’t get up until we reach three.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I know all the rules,” Starlight said.

“Okay, good,” Apple Bloom said. She took the magic dampening ring from Sweetie Belle and carefully slipped it onto Starlight’s horn.

“One, two, three,” the group cried in unison.

As soon as Starlight sat up, Babs struck her in the side of the head with a heavy two-by-four. She groaned, falling over onto her side, then, as if nothing had happened, she leaped to her feet, ripping off the blindfold and turning around, glowering at them all. “Alright, which one of you little shits just signed their own death warrant!? Well, come on, speak up!”

Babs raised her hoof, looking quite pleased with herself as she said, “Uh, that would be me, ma’am.”

Starlight gritted her teeth. “Why, you little pig-headed cunt, just wait until I get my hooves on you!”

Immediately, Babs turned tail and ran and Starlight gave chase while the group ran after the two. While she may not have had the magic of a unicorn or the speed of a pegasus, Babs was still quite speedy for a filly her size and age. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Starlight was right on her heels. She grinned to herself, leaping over a branch, only to gasp in surprise upon seeing that she was heading straight towards another branch that was in her way. She had no means of stopping, resulting in her crashing face-first into the branch and falling flat on her back on the ground. Groaning, she lifted a hoof to her nose and pulled it away to see that she was bleeding. Hearing the rustling of leaves, she quickly rolled over onto her stomach and looked up to see Starlight grinning down at her a couple of feet away.

“That should teach you to watch where you’re going next time,” the mare said, stepping forward. Ironically enough, she tripped over the branch that Babs had leaped over due to her not watching where she was going and, with a gasp, she fell forward, falling into the pit that Rumble had saved Skedaddle from earlier. She groaned, rolling over onto her back to see over a dozen eyes staring down at her.

“My friends,” Apple Bloom said with a grin, “we have reached the point of no return.” Along with the others, she cheered uproariously as she traded hoof bumps and hugs along with the rest of them.

“Did you talk to the ponies at Child Protective Services?” Ember asked Cadence.

Cadence nodded. “Yes. They said they’d be more than happy to come out and investigate, but they can’t come for another two months.”

“Two months!?” Ember cried. “That’s too long!” She shook her head. “Thorax, what did your brother say?”

“Well, as far as he’s concerned,” Thorax said, “he thinks it’s dicey. We have no hard evidence.”

“Hard evidence!?” Ember said. “Starlight’s the hard evidence, just take one look at her!”

“That’s what Pharynx said,” Thorax replied.

“So, basically, we have nothing,” Ember said.

Thorax nodded. “Basically.”

“Hey,” Sunburst said, walking up to the group. “Have you guys seen Starlight anywhere? That cunt owes me six hundred bits! I’m gonna kill that bitch!” He shook his head, grumbling, “Busting my ass off around here for nothing,” as he walked off.

“Hmm . . .” Ember said, stroking her chin. “Yo, Sunburst, wait up!” Flapping her wings, she flew over to the unicorn. She briefly spoke with him before turning and flying back over to Thorax and Cadence. “Well, he agreed to it, but the only problem is that he wants a lot of money.”

“Uh, how much money?” Cadence asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A lot more than they pay royal crystallers, that’s for sure,” Ember replied.

“How about a bake sale?” Thorax asked, licking his lips. “I bet that would bring in a lot of money.”

“Hey, is that Apple Bloom?” Ember asked, pointing.

Both Thorax and Cadence turned their heads to see Apple Bloom sprinting towards them. The filly was breathless by the time she reached them.

“Apple Bloom,” Cadence cried. “Are you all right? Where have you been all day? Your sister’s been worried sick.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Apple Bloom said between pants.

“Good,” Cadence said. “Well, we’re still working on a plan to get rid of Starlight.”

Ember grinned. “Just wait ‘til you hear what we’ve come up with.”

“Oh, that’s great, guys,” Apple Bloom said, “but, uh, we already came up with a plan of our own.”

“You did?” Cadence asked. “That is so cute.”

“Uh, yeah, whatever,” Apple Bloom said. “Come with me.”

“Hey, Sunburst, come on,” Thorax called. “I think you’re gonna want to see this.” He chuckled and added to the others, “This ought to be good.”

Apple Bloom led the group to the barn at Sweet Apple Acres, where Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs were standing guard.

“I’ve got a very bad feeling about this,” Cadence said as they approached.

“Just try to stay open-minded,” Apple Bloom said.

“Password?” Babs asked once they’d reached the entrance.

“Cranky Doodle,” Apple Bloom said.

Babs opened the door, revealing Starlight situated at the back of the barn tied to a chair within the confines of an enclosed area that was closed off by a chain-link fence that was lined with electrical wiring, the electricity of which was provided thanks to a bug zapper. The mare sat, her face beet-red with rage and frustration, her mouth gagged and taped shut, growling and violently twisting and turning in a futile attempt to escape, her tail thrashing along the floor, scattering dirt and hay in every direction. She would’ve used her magic to escape had she not been wearing a magic dampening ring.

“Oh, my Celestia,” Sunburst said, his jaw dropping along with the others. “This is unbelievable.”

“So, uh,” Apple Bloom said with a grin, “what was your plan?”

“What do you guys think you’re doing!?” Thorax demanded as they began approaching Starlight.

“Uh, getting back at Starlight?” Scootaloo offered.

“This is great,” Cadence said joyfully.

“What are you talking about!?” Thorax cried. “This is insane!”

“We had to do something,” Sweetie Belle said. “She completely snapped!”

“She was swinging from a branch,” Silver Spoon said.

“She was going to make us climb a mountain, with no rock climbing gear,” Dinky added.

“You guys, you can’t kidnap the former student of the Princess of Friendship!” Sunburst said. “They give ponies the chair for this kind of thing!”

“It was self-defense,” Babs said. “You’ve got to believe us!”

“I believe you,” Cadence said.

“Alright,” Thorax said, stomping a hoof. “This is going to end right now!” To the cries of the dismay of the various children gathered around, the Changeling stepped toward the enclosed area, only to be halted by Biscuit. “Out of my way, Biscuit!” When the colt didn’t budge, he rolled his eyes and said, “Cranky Doodle.” Immediately, Biscuit stepped out of the way. Thorax unlocked and opened the door and stepped inside, bending down low so that he was eye-level with Starlight. “Starlight, I am so sorry about this! I’ll untie you right away!” He reached out and pulled the duct tape off Starlight’s mouth and fished out the dirty sock that was stuffed in her mouth.

She inhaled deeply, breathing heavily before saying, “Thank you. You know, when this is all over, I’m going to deliver a well-placed kick to your dick to stop you from ever having children again, you worthless piece of shi ––”

Her swear was cut off by Thorax aggressively stuffing the sock back in her mouth, followed by taping the duct tape back over her mouth. He turned his head to glance at the crowd of children and adults standing behind the chain-link fence. “Are these ropes tight enough,” he said, “because we can get more if we need ’em!” His statement was met with an uproar of applause and cheers from the children. He turned back to Starlight, glowering. “I was going to help you out, but now . . .” He leaned forward until he was right next to her ear and said, “Now I’m gonna have to take you down!” Standing back up and walking back over to the door, he grinned, looking quite pleased with himself as he said, “I always wanted to say that to somepony! Alright, guys, looks like our best course of action is to just ride this thing out. Now, I think there might be a way out of this that doesn’t involve any of you getting in trouble, but if we’re going to succeed, we’re all going to have to stick together and work as a team.” His attention was momentarily brought back to Starlight, who, as a result of her constant kicking and thrashing about, ended up falling onto the floor on her side, much to the amusement of the children as they laughed at her misfortune.

Twilight's Announcement

For what felt like the umpteenth time in a row that day, Spike cast an anxious glance over at the clock on the wall opposite him. He realized that very little time had passed since the last time he had looked at it, and he sighed, drumming his claws onto the desk, one after the other like an arpeggio. Funnily enough, the drumming created two things: a distraction from the clock and a rhythmic beat in common time. He soon found himself tapping his foot and bobbing his head along with the beat of his claws. Even so, this did little to improve his mood. He let out an annoyed sigh, his eyes once again meeting the face of the clock. Only a total of twenty seconds had passed by since he’d last checked it.

“Spike?”

He looked upon his name being called to meet the eyes of Miss Cheerilee. A look of concern was on her face. “Yeah?”

“Where is your partner?” Miss Cheerilee asked. “You only have a few minutes left to sign up.”

“She’ll be here, she’ll be here,” Spike said. Come on, Trixie, you’re killing me here. He gave an irritated look at the schoolhouse door, silently hoping that at any moment Trixie would come waltzing through it. He sighed yet again when no such thing occurred, folding his arms on top of the desk he sat at and resting his chin atop them, a bored look coming across his face.

Both parties jumped, however, as the door to the schoolhouse suddenly burst opened, and entered The Great and Powerful Trixie. She gave galloping in the room, running past where Spike sat and coming to a screeching halt beside Miss Cheerilee’s desk. Her breathing was irregular. She took a big inhale of air, an idication that she was out of breath, most likely due to her having sprinted from Twilight’s castle all the way to the schoolhouse without stopping. It took her more than a minute or so to get her breathing under control. She swallowed another gulp of air before finding the ability to speak. “The . . . Great and Power . .. Powerful Trixe . . . has . . . arrived,” she stated, still panting.

Miss Cheerilee fixed the mare with a questioning look. “And you are?”

“His . . . partner . . .” Trixie replied, pointing to Spike.

“Ah, wonderful!” Miss Cheerilee thrust a clipboard towards Trixie. “Sign here, please.”

With her magic, Trixie grabbed the pen and signed both her and Spike’s names onto the sign-up sheet.

“What’s the name of your cart?” Miss Cheerilee asked.

“The Mauve Storm,” Spike spoke up.

“The Mauve Storm?” Trixie cried incredulously, turning to look at him. “No, no, no, no. Fat chance of that. We are not calling our cart The Mauve Storm. We are calling it The Dark Avenger?”

Spike glowered. “The Mauve Storm,” he insisted.

Trixie gritted her teeth, planting her forehooves on top of the desk that Spike sat in, leaning forward, glaring at him. “The Dark Avenger.”

Spike leaned forward as well until his nose touched Trixie’s. “The Mauve Storm!”

Trixie slammed a hoof against the desk, causing it to jolt, tipping forward. “The Dark Avenger!”

“I could just . . .” Miss Cheerilee said.

“It’s my cart and I say we’re calling it The Mauve Storm!” Spike cried.

“Yeah? Well, Trixie is older, so Trixie gets the final say, and Trixie says we’re calling it The Dark Avenger and that’s all there is to it!” Trixie yelled.

“I’ll, um, just leave that blank for now,” Miss Cheerilee said, giving the pair a nervous smile. She nodded to Spike. “You can go now.”

Still glaring daggers at each other, Spike and Trixie made their way out of the schoolhouse and began heading towards home.

Spike and Trixie were still arguing about the name of their cart by the time dinner rolled around. They finally settled down once Twilight called them to the table. They still scowled at one another even as they fixed their plates. Twilight, having picked up on this, gave the two a worried look. “Um, guys, is there something I should know about?”

With his eyes locked on Trixie, Spike growled through gritted teeth, “Nope.”

“Trixie is good,” Trixie replied, not taking her eyes off Spike.

Twilight swallowed. “Um . . . okay.” She coughed into her hoof and finished fixing her plate. “In that case, I have some exciting news.” She flicked back her mane with a hoof, a smile coming across her face. “You guys remember my student, Starlight Glimmer, don’t you?” Both Spike and Trixie finally took their eyes off each other to meet her gaze, their scowls disappearing entirely.

“Yeah,” Trixie said. “Trixie remembers her.” She smiled. “How could Trixie not? Starlight was here for a long time. She was Trixie’s first real friend. She only left a year or so ago. Didn’t she go back to her old village?” Twilight nodded. “Why are you bringing her up, anyway?”

Twilight beamed. “She’s coming to visit in a couple of days.”

Spike, about to take a bite of food, dropped his fork, his eyes going wide and his jaw dropping open. “She is?” he asked.

Twilight nodded. “Mm-hmm, so I’m going to need some help getting this place cleaned up. Her old bedroom could use some straightening up, too.”

Trixie sighed and rolled her eyes. “If Trixie must, then fine.”

Spike nodded. “I guess I could help out. Not like I have anything better to do.”

Twilight blinked in surprise at that. “Don’t you have the annual Applewood Derby coming up? You should be working on your cart, shouldn’t you?”

Spike’s scowl returned and he turned his head in Trixie’s direction. “Well, I would if it weren’t for somepony.”

Trixie returned Spike’s glare with one of her own. “For the last time, we are naming it The Dark Avenger and that’s final!”

“It’s The Mauve Storm,” Spike snapped, clenching a fist and slamming it down on the table, making the utensils and plates rattle.

“I have an idea,” Twilight spoke up. “How about a compromise? Why not call it The Mauve Avenger?” Both Trixie and Spike looked at her as if she’d gone mad.

“Twilight,” Spike said in a deadpanned tone, “we are not calling my cart The Mauve Avenger.”

“It’s our cart, lizard lips,” Trixie said. “Why don’t we call it The Dark Storm?”

“I’m a dragon! And that sounds even worse!”

“Enough!” Slamming both hooves down on the table, Twilight stood up, sneering at them both. “Either you two learn to work together or I’m not letting either one of you compete in the race! I’m not going to put up with this racket for the whole time that Starlight is here! Understood!?” Both Spike and Trixie nodded.

“Twilight’s right, Spike.” Trixie suddenly hooked a foreleg around Spike’s neck, Spike wincing as she did so, pulling him close and giving him a noogie. “We shouldn’t be fighting.” She giggled, only to suddenly frown when Spike angrily smacked her hoof away and pried himself off her. She sneered.”Well, fine, forget you too, buddy!”

Spike snorted irritably, going back to his seat and hastily shoving a bite of food into his mouth.

Trixie let out an excited squeal. “Ooh, I can’t wait to see Starlight again! It’s been so long since we last saw each other. Keeping in touch with her via letters was great and all, but this will be the first time we get to hang out again in over a year!”

Twilight grinned as well. “I’m excited, too. I can’t wait to hear all about how much progress she’s made in her friendship studies.”

Trixie giggled. “Yes, yes, that too.”

“How was your day!" Spike asked Twilight. "My day was great, aside from a few hiccups!” He sneered at Trixie.

Trixie sputtered her lips and waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, are you still on about that stupid fight we had earlier? No wonder you’re in such a foul mood. Don’t let that silly, petty argument get you down.” She leaned forward, nuzzling against Spike's cheek. “Twilight’s right. If we work together, I’m sure we can come up with a solution.”

“Well, alright, then,” Twilight said. She cleared her throat, then proceeded to go into an hour-long spiel about how her day had gone, while Trixie and Spike listened with rapt attention.