MLP: Living with Equestrians

"Um, I'll answer whatever I can." Spike answered hesitantly, clearly a bit nervous due to the fact that he was being interrogated by a literal queen from another world. "I just hope I have whatever answers you're searching for."

Celestia smiled warmly at him, and nodded. "Of course, thank you for being so understanding." She said diplomatically, while Luna grinned as well before raising a note pad and pen using her horn. "Now, onto the first question..."

As it turns out, most of the questions were pretty standard. Why he was at the Festival, who he was with, when he first noticed the shooter. During the questioning, Spike was able to get some answers about the events at the fairgrounds and what happened in the aftermath.

Apparently, the shooter's name was William O'Malley. He was identified as a mercenary who was payed twenty-million dollars to assassinate Twilight Sparkle and disrupt the local celebration. Currently, both the local government and Equestrian officials were interrogating him and attempting to track down the individual who hired Mr. O'Malley. Unfortunately, not much progress had been made.

Even worse was the events that followed. Apparently, whoever hired O'Malley also hired a second individual by the name of Harrison Goodwill. Whoever was behind the attack decided that the Friendship Festival and Twilight weren't the only targets, because the day after the first attack, Goodwill detonated several incendiary devices around the entrance of the processing center for Equestrians. Amazingly, no one was killed, but two dozen people were injured and Goodwill was in the wind.

In other words, Sanctuary City was falling apart at the seams, and everyone was looking for answers. Hence Spike's current questioning.

"Well, I suppose that about covers it." Celestia said, frowning at the notes that she and her sister had received. While Spike's information was valuable, it wasn't the earth-shattering revelations or answers they needed either. Upon noticing the frown mirroring her own on the boy's face, she offered a small smile to him. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Drake."

"Oh, um, of course, Ms. Celestia...er, your highness?" Spike asked with a nervous chuckle, turning to Twilight for clarification. "Um, what should I address her as?"

Both Twilight and Luna chuckled, while Celestia herself bowed her head in a surprisingly bashful manner. "Celestia is fine, Spike. I doubt she minds." Twilight answered, followed by a nod from the princess herself.

"Yes, Celestia is fine." She confirmed, allowing her own chuckle as Spike raised his hand in question. "Yes, Mr. Drake?"

"Um, I was just wondering..." Spike started, trailing off momentarily as he scanned the room before continuing. "Where's Sunset?"

The atmosphere of the room immediately shifted back to a more somber, uncomfortable feeling as all of the girls avoid his gaze. All but one.

"Sunset...Sunset didn't take your injury well." Starlight stated, visibly uncomfortable. "Hell, none of us really did, but Sunset..."

Another stretch of tense silence passed over the room as the guard trailed off. Spike scanned the room once more, before shifting in his bed, ignoring the dull pain in his chest as he swung his legs over the side. Twilight let out a gasp of alarm, and moved to support Spike as his feet met the ground. Rainbow Dash quickly assisted the alicorn, the pair supporting Spike as he rose, turning to Starlight while the rest of the girls gawked at him in shock. He growled a quick question, clear despite the strain from his chest wound.

"Where is she?"

Line Break

Sunset swirled the brown liquid in her cup repeatedly, watching the ice cubes tap the sides and bounce off in mild interest. In her defense, she was completely wasted, bitter, and sad as hell. Alcohol tended to numb that pain.

"Ey, bacon hair!" The bartender jeered, wiping up a spilled drink from the bar. "You've been here what, two days? I think ya best start headin' home."

Sunset shot the man a thin glare, prompting a groan and a muttered comment about "stubborn women" before leaving her to her devices. Sunset took another sip of the drink, and hummed in acceptance of the bitter taste. Alcohol had never really been her thing, but after what happened...

Sunset mentally cursed herself as the images started to rush back. The human in black. The gun against an Equestrian's head. A gunshot. A red circle of blood staining with the white cloth of Spike's t-shirt...getting larger...

Sunset shuddered as her fist hit the table of the booth she was siting at, and she downed the rest of her glass in an act of desperation to forget once more. She was lucky she swallowed the liquid when she did, because the voice that rang out from her left would have made her choke mid-sip.

"Sunset?"

Her eyes flicked up, and sure enough, there he stood. Spike. Fucking. Drake. A look of bewilderment, concern...and slight disappointment on his face. Sunset discreetly pinched herself, making sure this wasn't another black-out-drunk dream. It wasn't.

"H-hey, killer." She slurred, the alcohol in her system clearly not doing her any favors. "How...how are you?"

"I've...been better." Spike answered carefully, offering a kind smile to the girl and making her heart flutter. Gods, what she wouldn't give to hug him, to kiss him, to tear his cloths right off his body and fu-

Down girl, down. She growled to herself mentally, not yet far enough gone that she wasn't in control. She snapped back to reality as Spike extended a hand to her, still smiling.

"Hey, you...wanna head home?"

Sunset gazed into those gleaming emerald eyes for a few seconds before nodding, accepting his hand and allowing herself to be pulled up by the boy. She was almost a head taller than him, but that didn't stop him from supporting her weight with his own, while groaning quietly due to the dulled pain. Sunset still noticed, and tried to take a step on her own. She almost faceplanted, only to be hauled back up by Spike, who shot her a playful scowl.

"Hey, we help each other, ok?" He clarified, receiving a shaky nod from Sunset in response. With that, the pair stumbled toward the doorway, while the bartender watched the pair with a small grin.

"Heh, Ol' Drake. Always the gentleman."