Twisted: Four Little Foals

---Chapter 11: Rarity and Her Masterpieces---

“It was worth it...all of it.”

Rarity surveyed the scene before her, and felt as thought she was coming to the end of a long journey. What had begun when she had first touched Sweetie Belle had finally reached its pinnacle on this night. Tonight, she was the Artist Triumphant, standing with pride as her work was admired. Even though there were countless foals in the chamber by this time, the four she had brought remained the center of attention. She had finally found patrons who appreciated her art.

And what beautiful art it was. Sweetie Belle was known to some of them, of course. Her sadness, her attempts at defiance, and her eventual resignation to the inevitable, made her a crowd favorite at Fancy's less exclusive parties. Every year she tried a little harder to resist, and every year they got to enjoy breaking her all over again. Other foals might arouse her more in the short term, but Sweetie would forever remain Rarity's favorite piece.

Given enough time, she hoped to turn her into a self-portrait.

Rarity walked through the room, savoring the sights and sounds of sex. On a large couch, hidden slightly out of the way, she saw Silver Spoon. A Unicorn mare pulled on her braid with her teeth while a stallion fucked her from behind.

“You're too damn pretty,” the mare said. “A little whore like you doesn't deserve a mane this nice.”

“You're right. Make me ugly,” Silver said. She spoke with tremendous enthusiasm. “Ruin me!”

The mare pulled as hard as she could, and Silver screamed as her braid was torn out. Rarity watched, with a small amount of awe, as her scream segued into an orgasmic moan.

She's a strange piece, but no less a work of art than the others, Rarity thought. She noticed that this particular work did not have a large following, but its fans seemed especially enthusiastic.

Continuing her tour of her gallery showing, Rarity saw a small horde of ponies gathered around Twist. She stifled a laugh. This piece had been assembled in haste, and she had harbored quite a few doubts about its suitability. Yet it seemed to garner quite the large following. Perhaps that lack of preparation, that roughness, was what shone through and gave the piece its appeal. Rarity looked at the misery on Twist's face as a stallion climaxed inside her, to be replaced almost immediately with another. Twist had gone long past the point of screaming or crying, yet she appeared unable to simply shut herself off the way some of the gallery foals did. She seemed to be acutely aware of everything that was being done to her, yet she offered no resistance, and her response was limited to a few scattered whimpers and forced, gasping breaths. Her abusers seemed to prefer it this way.

Her dress lay in a corner, torn to shreds. Rarity judged it an acceptable loss.

And then there was perhaps the most unique piece at Rarity's debut showing. In the past, Rarity had always focused on fillies, drawn by their beauty, their innocence, and the wonderful fragility of their small bodies. But Pipsqueak was something special. Though a colt, he possessed many of the qualities Rarity loved about fillies: his sweet, submissive manner and effeminate body language aroused Rarity greatly. Yet he combined this with the all-encompassing need for release which was the weakness of so many males. Using this as her base, Rarity had turned Pip into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. She was immensely proud of the conflicted wreck she'd made of his budding sexuality. It had taken months of dedication, but he had turned out wonderfully.

At the moment, Pip still had yet to be released from the frustration Silver had instilled in him earlier that day. As soon as he had landed before the Circle, he had been grabbed and whisked away by a jet-black unicorn mare named Indigo Dream. Rarity knew her only by reputation, but it was an unspoken rule that one did not intrude upon her when she was with a foal. Though a sizable crowd, mostly female, had gathered to watch what she would do to him, none dared to step forward and join in. It was known that Indigo only shared her victims with a very select group: her family.

At present, Indigo hadn't done much more than kiss Pip lightly across his body, and give his member the occasional slow lick. It was driving the little colt mad. Those observing the spectacle were not surprised. Indigo liked to get to know her partners before she made them hers.

Rarity took a moment to savor Pip's pained expression before taking her leave of him. The artist smiled to herself. Her show was a complete success.

Triumphantly, Rarity made her way to the Gallery. The doors flung open magically as she approached. It was enchanted to do so for all Circle members.

Inside, she saw nearly a hundred foals, all hers for the taking. Some lounged on the extravagant furniture with blasé expressions on their faces. Others were tied up, chained to the walls, or strapped to elaborate devices of sexual torture. About a dozen were being used by other members. One unrestrained filly saw Rarity and immediately tried to hide under one of the beds.

“Paradise,” Rarity said to herself. She walked into the gallery, as the doors slammed shut behind her.

The bed Pip was lying on was larger than the one in Rarity's bedroom, and yet it was dwarfed by some of the other furnishings in the chamber. Pip lay on his back, splayed out in the center of the bed, held down by Indigo's magic. His erect cock was in plain view of the onlookers. In another time, Pip would have felt embarrassed. Right now, he simply didn't care. He found himself rapidly becoming unable to care about anything, except his need to come.

Indigo ran her tongue over Pip's taint, causing him to let out a sound halfway between a moan and a squeal. Several of the onlookers giggled in response.

“Are you enjoying yourself, my lamb?” asked Indigo. Her voice was gentle, reassuring; almost maternal. “Because I'm having the most splendid time playing with you.”

“Uh huh...” Pip said, wincing as Indigo placed a soft kiss on one of his testes. “I...I am...”

“Awww, that doesn't sound very convincing, sweetie...” Indigo said. “Haven't I been nice to you? I haven't hurt you, have I?” There was genuine concern in her voice.

“No...you haven't...”

“And haven't you seen what those other ponies have done to your friends? They're all in so much pain right now. And do you know what's keeping them from doing the same to you? Me. They all know better than to cross me or my family. Together we form one of the most powerful magical dynasties in Equestria. So please relax, little one. No harm will come to you while I'm here.”

“Dy...nasty? What does that mean?”

“Told you he wouldn't know, mom,” said a colt who shared the bed with Indigo. He, like the other two unicorn foals on the bed, had a dark purple mane which matched Indigo's. Their coat colors, however, were all different. This colt, who appeared to be about Pip's age, had a dusky orange coat which reminded Pip of Scootaloo.

“He's just an Earth Pony,” said the colt. “Why would he know anything about magic?”

“Oh, hush, Vermillion,” said Indigo. “Don't tease the boy so.” She stroked Pip's mane lovingly as she spoke.

“A dynasty, my little moppet, is what happens when very powerful magic runs in a family. The Dream clan is known for two things. We are exceptionally powerful. And...we are exceptionally beautiful.”

Indigo motioned for her son to come to her, and he trotted over to her happily. She leaned over and kissed her son hard on the lips. The colt opened his mouth, and mother and son tasted each others' tongues, their obscene display lasting a full minute before Indigo brushed her hoof over her son's cock and simultaneously broke the kiss.

The onlookers seemed to greatly appreciate this display. Pip could hear some of them breathing heavily. From his position, he couldn't see, but he was fairly sure most of them were touching themselves, or each other.

“You be a good colt, and mommy will finish up with you later. But no more teasing sweet little Pip. Now run along and play with your sisters, alright?”

“Okay, mom,” said the colt, and he went to join the other two foals on the far side of the bed.

“Now, Pip,” said Indigo, idly running her hoof over his inner thigh. “Please don't be shy. Tell me what's troubling you.”

“I...” Pip bit his lip as Indigo began to rub his cock. Just as quickly as she had begun, she stopped. “I...I miss my mum...”

“Oh, you dear little angel. I bet your mommy misses you, too,” said Indigo, planting a kiss on Pip's forehead. “Don't worry. You have a three in four chance of seeing her again.”

Her comment was met with snickers from the audience.

“Three in four?” Pip asked. “What do you mean?”

“Never you mind, sweetest,” said Indigo. She was rubbing Pip's chest now. “Tell me about your mommy. Is she nice, like I am?”

“No...” Pip said. “I mean...she's nice...but she's not like you. She's not...sick. Like you are. Like I am...”

“Sick?” Indigo said, feigning offense. “Oh, Pipsy, that's really unfair. Are you saying there's something wrong with me?”

“I'm sorry...” Pip said. “I'm not trying to be mean. There's something wrong with me, too...I mean, just look at my...”

Pip was too embarrassed to speak further, but he nodded in the direction of his cock, which was still hard.

“But it's so pretty...” Indigo said. “I love how it throbs so urgently. You must be very eager to come, sweetness.”

“Yes, I am!” Pip said desperately. “It's all I can think about anymore! So how can you say I'm not sick?”

“Oh, you sweet, confused little moppet,” Indigo cooed. “Someone's gone and filled your little head up with such silly notions! What's happening to you isn't a sickness. It's something every colt in the world goes through! When you get this pent up, of course you're going to get preoccupied with coming, silly!” She giggled.

“But....when I do it...it hurts...or maybe...it's that she hurts me...” Pip trailed off, as he began to realize that Indigo might be right.

“You mean Rarity? That's just her way, dear. Don't confuse her little pain fetish for anything to do with you. Here, let me show you something.”

Indigo's horn flashed, and Pip felt the magical restraints on his legs coming loose. He got to his legs, happy to be able to move again, and smiled weakly at Indigo.

“There you are, dumpling, is that better?”

Pip nodded. “Thank you...” he said.

“You are so very welcome, dearest. Now, look behind you. I don't think you four have been formally introduced.”

Pip turned around and let out a tiny gasp.

“These are my children, Pip. See how much they love each other?”

On the far side of the bed, Pip saw two fillies, along with Vermillion, the colt who had teased him earlier. All three sported the same beautiful dark mane as their mother. Vermillion was lying on his back while his sister, who appeared to be about twelve years old, sucked his cock. His other sister, who was about the same age as Sweetie Belle, let out a happy squeak as she ground her cunt into her brother's face.

“They're like that all the time, those three,” said Indigo. “They never fight, never argue. They just...play with each other. You see how happy my son looks, Pip? He's no different than you, except he's not ashamed of what he is. He's a colt, and colts need release. Why fight it, Pipsy? Why deny what you are?”

“I...but....I don't want to be like that...”

“Don't you?” Indigo reached down and began gently rubbing Pip's cock. The little colt turned and embraced her, moaning into her chest as she continued.

“Oh, my goodness, Pip,” Indigo said, letting go of his member. “You seem to want something very badly. Whatever could it be, my sweet?”

Just then, Vermillion cried out, as he climaxed in his sister's mouth. The filly, who sported a bright green coat, took his full load in her mouth, then got up, crawled over to her sister, and gave her a deep kiss.

“I want to come!” Pip shouted. As he spoke the words, he felt as though he'd lost something. But he also felt liberated.

“Please, Miss Indigo...all day...I've needed to so badly....” Pip said, hugging her even tighter. “Please...”

“Oh, you darling!” Indigo laughed in delight, then returned Pip's embrace. “Of course I'll help you. Tell me, have you ever penetrated a filly before?”

“Um...I think so,” Pip said. He was pretty sure he knew what that word meant. “This morning, Silver Spoon got on top of me...but she wouldn't let me finish. I've been tense all day...”

“Well, let's fix that,” said Indigo. She clapped her forehooves together. “Shamrock! Could you tend to Pip for me, please?”

The bright green unicorn filly broke her kiss with her sister and made her way to pip's side of the bed. As she approached him, Pip noticed something about her that he had somehow missed. Perhaps it was the earlier confusion which had distracted him from noticing the obvious, but little Shamrock was quite visibly pregnant. Her belly wasn't unusually large, but on her small young frame it looked almost obscenely disproportionate.

“Um...hello...” said Pip as the lustful unicorn filly made her way to him. “Er...can I ask...um...how old are you?”

“Pip! You never ask a lady her age!” Indigo said. “Shame on you, young stallion!”

Shamrock giggled. “Oh mom, you're so old fashioned! Let's just say I got started pretty early, Pip.”

“Oh, um...I didn't know fillies could...at that age...I'm sorry!” he hid his face behind his hooves. “I don't mean to be rude! There's just so much going on today!”

Shamrock ignored Pip's embarrassment and bent down to lick his cock. Pip shuddered with pleasure.

“I don't mind! I get asked about it all the time. Especially at parties like this,” she said. “Before you ask, I'm eight months along, and yes, you can fuck me without hurting the baby. And no, my brother is NOT the daddy.”

Vermillion, who was still on the other side of the bed, burst out laughing. His sister sat next to him, rubbing her clit.

“I wasn't going to ask that...” Pip said, feeling more awkward by the second.

“Sorry. Lots of ponies do. I don't know why, I mean, he's like your age. He can't give anyone foals just yet.”

“The father is actually a resident of the Gallery,” Indigo said. “Our family takes trips there quite frequently. That's how I ended up with these three darlings, as a matter of fact!”

Pip only had a vague idea of what the Gallery was, but he decided it wasn't worth asking about.

“The daddy of Shamrock's baby is one of the older colts there, I think. Well, it was either him or one of our house servants.” Indigo said with a giggle.

“Mom, I told you, I'm sure he was from the gallery! It was the blue Pegasus with the pretty eyes!”

“Well, I suppose we'll know once the foal comes out, won't we, dearest?” Indigo said.

“I hope so,” said Shamrock. “Lie down, Pip.”

The little colt did as he was told. Shamrock loomed over him, just like Silver had that morning. Every other pony in the room seemed to vanish, as the totality of Pip's body and mind became hyper focused on this single filly. All he could think about was being inside her. He needed it more than anything.

“When I have my baby, I'm going to name her Dewdrop Dream,” the filly said, “And she's going to be so beautiful. And she'll get to watch all of us have sex as much as she wants. And then when she gets to be about your age, I'm going to make love to her for the first time. That's how old I was when mommy first made love to me. And when her mommy first made love to her.”

Pip couldn't believe his ears. Was everypony in Canterlot like this?

“Well, I guess your family isn't like mine, or you wouldn't need this so bad,” said Shamrock as she straddled the little Earth Pony. Pip could feel the slickness of her cunt on his leg. “Don't worry, Pip. I'll give you everything you need...”

Pip grabbed the bedcovers with his hooves as Shamrock lowered herself unto his member.

There it was again. That soft, tight warmth, caressing his dick with such wonderful intensity. Pip noticed that despite being older, Shamrock was a bit tighter than Silver Spoon.

The filly had no interest in easing herself in. With an enthusiasm befitting her age, she began riding Pip mercilessly, slowing down every now and then to grind his cock into a particular spot within her before picking up the pace again.

“You like that, Pip?” she said as she bounced on Pip's member, “You like fucking me? Huh? Cause I love how you feel inside me!”

Pip just moaned in response. The ability to speak was a bit beyond him at the moment.

Indigo was touching herself as she watched her daughter fuck the little colt. Shamrock cried out several times as she went, while Pip let out little squeals of pleasure that were somehow higher-pitched than those of the filly.

Pip wasn't sure how long this went on. He lost track of time as the heavenly sensation of being ridden overwhelmed his being.

“Are you close, sweetheart?” Indigo said to her daughter.

“Mmmhmmm...” said Shamrock. “Little more...oooh, he's so hard, mommy!”

“Tell him what else you're going to do when your daughter's born. I know that gets you off. Go ahead.” Indigo said.

“Uhhh...me and Dewdrop...we're going to have sex all the time...and she's going to do it with my mommy, and my brother and sister, and anyone else she wants, because I want her to be my little slut...”

“And?” Indigo said.

“And when she gets to be my age, she's going to become the youngest pony to ever be accepted into the Circle! Everyone will love her! And then, to celebrate, we'll go to the gallery, and we'll find the same pretty blue Pegasus who got me pregnant with her...and I'm going to watch...while he gets her pregnant...and..and...oh, Pip...I can't wait...” Shamrock threw her head back as her orgasm began to grip her. Yet she kept speaking through her moans. “Pip, do you want to fuck her too? When she's your age, do you want to fuck her like you're fucking me? Do you, Pip?”

Pip was young, and more than a bit naive. But he wasn't stupid. He knew full well that the scenario he had just heard was completely perverse, and that what Shamrock was asking him to take part in was unquestionably wrong.

He knew this. But at that moment, he simply did not care.

“Yes! Yes, I want to!” he shouted.”I want to co-”

The world vanished.

For just one blessed instant, Pip's entire mind turned blank. This had happened before. He squealed as the intensity of his orgasm sent him crashing back to reality. Spurt after spurt fired into Shamrock's cunt. For Pip, this was more than release, more than pleasure. This was utter ecstasy. And it was something even more important: clarity. In that fleeting moment, Pip did not feel confused. Everything made sense, and everything felt good.

Shamrock climbed off of the panting, happy colt, and walked over to her mother, giving her a hug. “Thanks for letting me have him, mom. He was great.” she said, giving her mother a kiss on the lips. Indigo rubbed her daughter's pregnant belly gently as the filly laid down next to her.

“Mommy! Can we go to the Gallery now?” asked the younger filly, who had been watching the entire event along with her brother. “Vermillion got to come and Shamrock got to come but I haven't come at all tonight!”

“No whining, dear. It's unladylike.” said Indigo. “But yes, I'm sure we can find you a playmate or two in the Gallery. Come along, children.”

Indigo Dream hopped off the bed and headed in the direction of the gallery, with her foals following close behind.

“It was so much fun meeting you, Pip!” she called back. “Say hi to your mother for me!”

With those words, Pip's sense of contentment totally collapsed. Indigo's sick style of parenting had made him completely forget about his own mother. But now all he could think about was her: how much he missed her, how ashamed she must be of him, and how every time he did these perverted things, he got further away from her.

What had once been peaceful afterglow now felt like paralysis. Pip wanted to escape the bed, but he was so drained that he couldn't bring himself to move.

What would be the point, anyway? There was no way out. There was no running from what he had become.

“I'm sorry, mum...” Pip whispered.

“What did you call me?” responded a haughty sounding voice.

Pip turned around. A new occupant had joined him on the bed. It was a stallion, and one who had stood out in the crowd from the beginning. Pip recognized him for his huge, pompadoured mane, and more importantly, for being one of the few Circle members who was not a Unicorn.

Hoity Toity regarded Pip with a critical eye. His demeanor was like that of a pony who was mulling over the purchase of a new suit. He rubbed his chin for a moment before allowing himself a slight smile.

“Oh, yes, I think you'll do quite well,” he said. “I was dreadfully annoyed when Rarity's offering turned out to be mostly fillies, but...a colt as pretty as you more than makes up for it, I'd say.”

There were some murmurs of agreement from the onlookers.

“Um...thank...you...” Pip said.

“Such a shame that bitch Indigo had to drain you before I had a chance to feel that gorgeous little prick inside me,” Hoity said, patting Pip's spent member. “Oh, well, no matter. You're young, you should recover quickly. And in the meantime...”

Hoity grabbed Pip, picked him up and placed him on the bed on his hooves.

“...I can give you a demonstration of what you'll be expected to do for me.”

Hoity lifted up Pip's tail. The little colt shut his eyes tight. He knew what was about to happen.

How could he have forgotten? Not once, in all the times Miss Rarity had been with him, had she allowed him to feel pleasure without pain. That was how it worked. Agony always followed ecstasy.

Good, Pip thought. It's what I deserve. I'm a horrid little colt. Maybe if it hurts a whole lot, I'll stop wanting this. Maybe he can help me get better.

Pip felt Hoity's cock as he rubbed it slowly over his belly, before poking the tip against his rectum. The little colt shuddered; Hoity was massive.

“I hope you're ready,” Hoity said.

“I'm not sure I am, sir,” said Pip “But I think...it would be best if you went ahead...”

“I wasn't asking for your permission,” Hoity said. “But it's good to hear. I hate it when my colts fight me. Or even worse, when they start crying, like disgusting little girls. But you're not like that, are you, Pip? You're not ungrateful and selfish, like so many others. You want to feel me, don't you? Say you want to feel me, Pip...”

“Yes sir...” Pip said. He tried his best to make his voice sound steady. “I...want it...”

“Good boy...” said Hoity. “Good, sweet, beautiful boy...”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the chamber.

Fancypants made his way through the crowd, granting hellos to those whose status warranted one. Gatherings were different for him. As host, he had a special responsibility to make sure his guests were enjoying themselves. More importantly, these events were chances to connect with potential future business partners, fellow social climbers, and other ponies of high esteem. And there was no better time to conduct business than when one's negotiating partner was coming down from an orgasm, or waiting their turn to abuse some lovely foal. Their guards were down, and often Fancy could swindle them out of a vast sum simply by trotting the right gallery foal out in front of them.

Because of this, Fancy was usually the last to indulge himself at Gatherings, waiting until the festivities were winding down before he found a few well-used foals to enjoy.

But this year had been different. This year, he had met Silver Spoon.

It did not matter to Fancy that he had probably lost countless bits in potential deals by putting pleasure before business. It had been worth it to have his time with Silver before the others had gotten their hooves on her.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that evening, Fancy walked back to Silver Spoon's area. The couch had fresh bloodstains on it, and the little filly could barely be seen amid a group of three stallions who were presently having their way with her. On the floor by the couch was a long braid of hair, badly frayed at the edges.

“My sun,” Fancy said, “They're...defacing her.”

Fancypants had planned to wait until the end of the night before making his move, but this could no longer wait. He began to make his way to the other side of the chamber, with a determined look on his face. A highly influential mare called out to him, and was ignored.

“They're all taking advantage of her wantonness...using it as an excuse to brutalize her...” Fancy said under his breath. “But I'll save you, my darling little whore...a proper stallion always defends his property...”

In the area of the chamber where Fancypants was headed, a little white unicorn had been bound to the floor. Metal rods had been used to keep her in a standing position with her legs spread, while her hooves were held in place by heavy chains. Her neck was restrained as well, making her incapable of looking behind her, so she couldn't even see the faces of the ponies who were raping her.

Sweetie Belle remained silent as an unseen mare cried out behind her. The huge strapon she had forced inside Sweetie finally dropped out of the filly's asshole.

The mare walked over to Sweetie's front and placed the toy inches from her face.

“Looks like you lost control while I was in there. You made a real mess, you little freak,” the mare said. Sweetie had been in too much pain to notice, but it was true: the toy was covered in her waste. Several onlookers began laughing at her.

Sweetie had thought that after all this time, there were no ways left in which she could be humiliated. She had been wrong.

“Lick it clean,” said the mare. Her voice was deep and rough.

This was new. Sweetie had never been asked to do something like this. She had never even considered that another pony would want to see something that disgusting.

“Please...” she said. “It's...dirty...I might get sick...you know I haven't fought you tonight...I've been good...so please don't make me do tha-”

“LICK IT!” the mare screamed.

Tears began to fall from Sweetie's eyes. Year after year, they always found new ways to degrade her. And every time she thought she'd finally hit bottom, they found new, even lower depths to drag her down to.

“Now,” said the mare. “Or I jam it all the way down your throat.”

The filly shut her eyes tight. The smell alone made her want to throw up, but she fought the urge, knowing that it would only enrage the mare further. Slowly, she opened her mouth.

“Sapphire! A moment of your time, please!” Fancypants' voice interrupted them at the very last second. The mare turned around to greet Fancy, and Sweetie mentally thanked Celestia for his timely arrival.

She did not know that Fancy had been watching the entire event, intentionally waiting until the last possible second before announcing himself. All the better to maximize Sweetie's fear, and her gratitude.

“What do you want, Fancy?” the mare said. “I'm busy with Rarity's pet whore.”

“Now, Miss Shores, where's that lovely voice of yours? Where's the flair and panache?” Fancy said, knowing the answer full well.

“Shut the hell up. You know I just put that show on to impress the rubes,” replied Sapphire Shores. “You should see what a hooflicking fangirl this cunt's big sister turns into whenever I do the diva routine in front of her.”

Fancypants laughed. “Yes, our newest inductee is a bit starstruck this evening, I'd imagine. But I suppose that's true of most members on their first night.”

“Where's she go, anyway?” asked Sapphire. “I'd love to have her watch what I'm about to do to her sister.”

“I think she's in the gallery. No doubt a couple of the foals are being put through hell right now. But no matter. I was wondering if I could borrow Sweetie Belle for a bit.”

“Now? But I was just about to-”

“Sapphire,” said Fancy, “I'm afraid I must insist.”

The diva narrowed her gaze. “You think you're real hot shit, don't you?” she said. “You should watch yourself, Fancypants. You can only throw your status around for so long.”

“Why, Miss Shores,” said Fancy calmly. “That almost sounded like a threat.” Upon finishing the sentence, Fancy's smile vanished.

“Just a friendly warning,” said Sapphire, in a decidedly hostile tone. “Have fun with the little brat.” She removed the filthy strapon, dropped it on the ground, and walked off.

Fancypants walked up to Sweetie Belle and gave her a kind-looking smile. “Hello, my dear. How goes your evening?”

Sweetie Belle made no effort to hide her disdain for her host. “What are you going to do to me, Fancy?” she asked, in an exasperated tone.

“Oh, don't flatter yourself, my dear. I've no interest in you at the moment,” he said, keeping his voice down so the onlookers could not hear. “Although, it did come to my attention that Miss Shores was about to make you do something absolutely vile. But, no worries. I know a quick spell that would leave that toy of hers absolutely spotless. Of course, if you don't want my help, I could just call Sapphire back here. No doubt she would be quite happy to pick up where she left off.”

Sweetie blinked her eyes. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked. “What do you want?”

“It's not what I want,” said Fancypants. “It's who I want. I'm about to make a very special offer to a little friend of yours, but I'd appreciate a bit of inside information first.”

“Information?” Sweetie asked, not liking at all where this was going.

“Oh yes,” said Fancypants. “Sweetie Belle, what can you tell me about Silver Spoon?”