Domination and Twisted Bone

Only the sound of wind rushing past his window greeted Strange as he awoke his bed. The cold winter air nipped at his exposed toes and fingers. He rubbed at his eyes and swung his legs to the side of the bed, planting his feet on the ground. He reached as high as he could, stretching his dense musculature to its limits and earning several loud *pop*s from his spine.

He paused for a moment, watching his breath form an almost invisible vapor. A large patch of sweat stained the sheets where he'd been lying. Strange clasped his hands together, trying to stop them from trembling. He'd had that dream again, he was sure of it. The one with the wheel.

Pressing his hands against his knees, he stood himself up. The wooden bed frame groaned, relieved to be rid of his immense weight.

Strange trodded over to the small closet off tucked into the corner of the guest room he'd made his own. He pulled the clothes Rarity had made for him off of the top shelf, and slowly started to dress himself. It had taken quite a bit longer for them to arrive than she'd originally said. Twilight had thought it strange that he kept having to go have his measurements taken. Why wouldn't Rarity just write them down? Strange knew why. And he wasn't complaining.

She'd given him several sets of long black denim pants and a few dark woolen sweaters. She had said they would bring out the color in his eyes. Strange had looked in a mirror and found that his eyes were black.

He had helped her with the design for oddly-shaped socks and shoes. Strange smiled at the memory. Helping Rarity with her work had been the highlight of his time here, even after her estrus had ended.

He walked downstairs and into the kitchen to start making the coffee, but was surprised to find it already done. He reached into a cabinet and retrieved one of Twilight's plain mugs. Strange poured the life-giving fluid into the ceramic cup and drew a long sip, then sighed in satisfaction.

He glanced around the kitchen hoping to find signs of the other early riser and heard a tiny sneeze come from the next room over. Peeking his head into the room, he saw a purple pony holding a cup of coffee with both hooves, looking dead to the world.

"Gesundheit."

"Hm? Oh, it's you." The glaze over Twilight's eyes cleared away.

Strange leaned back against the door frame. "Not a morning person?"

She yawned with all the grace a tired Princess could muster. "Not without my caffeine. Spike started making the coffee in the morning a few days ago, but I can't make it quite as strong as he does."

Strange stepped fully into the room and took a seat opposite her. "Actually Sparkles, I've been the one making the coffee. It's plenty good, don't worry."

She looked at him, looking slightly embarrassed. "Oh, um. Thank you."

Strange gave a drowsy smile to the equine librarian. "My pleasure."

He rubbed his arms, feeling unusually cold. The fire pit was unlit. "Sparkles?", he questioned. "You forget something?"

"Hmm?" Twilight looked up at him, not understanding. Strange gestured towards the cold hearth.

"Oh!" Twilight's horn glowed with a start and the fireplace roared to life, bringing some much-needed heat into the chilly reading room.

"Thanks."

The two of them shared a long silence, warming themselves inside and out with coffee and fire. Strange started looking his morning companion over. She'd been overworking herself. Her mane was scraggly and long, and a few feathers in her wings were out of place. Small bags had formed under her distant eyes.

"You alright, Sparkles? You seem stressed out."

The Alicorn's drowsy expression suddenly turned hard as she stared Strange in the eyes. Then just as quickly her gaze softened, looking almost sad. She weakly shook her head, flipping her ragged mane back and forth. The action gave Strange brief glimpses of the long, thin scars healing on her neck.

"It's nothing you can help me with. Princess problems."

Strange frowned at that. He turned his head to look out the window, seeing distant flashes in the darkened sky. It had started to rain.

She called out to him. "Can you tell me something?"

Strange turned back to face her. "What's up?" He sipped his coffee.

"Why...why did you tell everypony that I killed that cyclops?"

He felt his jaw tighten at the question. Strange looked away, rubbing his face with a trembling hand. "I was afraid."

Twilight straightened up. "Afraid? Of what?"

He let out a long, shaky sigh. "I don't really know."

Strange turned back to her, looking directly into her eyes. "Do you remember what happened when we first entered the Everfree? When you first saw just how strong I was?"

She thought back to that morning, remembering her feelings of anger and fear. The way she'd screamed at him.

"Strange, I-"

He held up his hand. "I know, Sparkles. I know you don't think that way anymore, and I know you're sorry you ever did. But...it helped me realize something." Strange brought his hand back down, warming it against the hot porcelain mug. He looked down at the floor.

"My strength is scary. My appearance is terrifying. If I want to live here peacefully...I can't let people know that I'm even more powerful than they think. Over the past few weeks, I've been able to start building a life here. There's just too much at stake now."

Strange turned his head up, facing Twilight with a serious expression. "I have to hide that part of myself, or I'll lose everything."

She stared at him with widened eyes. Strange was more complex than she'd given him credit for.

"Strange..." Twilight adjusted herself in her chair. "I'm glad you want to stay. Truly, I am. But you probably already have a family somewhere else! Aren't you even a little concerned about them?"

Strange thought back to the dream he'd been having. Back to the wheel. To that voice. He shook his head. "No. I've got no interest in finding out who I used to be. This is my home now, my family."

She sighed and smiled at him. "That makes me a little happy. The library will always be your home, Strange. No matter what."

Twilight sat up in her chair and gave Strange a more serious look. "So. You've told me you don't want to find out about your past and as your friend, I can respect that. But as a scientist...I can't help but wonder. Pygmies have been extinct for thousands of years. Why did you suddenly appear now? And your amnesia, your fragmented memories of a parallel world...where did they all come from?"

Strange averted his eyes. He wouldn't correct her. There was no way he was going to be able to convince her that he wasn't a pygmy without showing her that crater. And maybe she was right. Maybe he was a pygmy. As far as he knew, humans couldn't punch holes through solid rock.

She reached over and put her hoof on his knee. Strange pulled his hands down and looked up at her. Their eyes met and Twilight smiled up at him. "Just promise me you'll give it time, Strange. If you start helping others like you helped me, then the ponies in this town will grow to love you."

His eyes followed her as she set her mug on the coffee table and trotted upstairs to her room. She needed to write a letter.

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

*THUNK*

"Careful! That couch has been here longer than we have."

Strange set the chair against the wall and gave Twilight an annoyed look.

"If it's so important, then why aren't you helping?"

She walked over and sat upside down in the lounge chair he'd just moved, letting the tip of her mane brush against the floor.

"Isn't it obvious? I have to finish planning the party."

He gave an incredulous look to the inverted, lounging Alicorn who now scratching away on an over-sized notepad with an over-sized magic quill.

"And why exactly are we having a party in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

"Come on, a party'll be fun. And besides, you need to meet everypony else."

"Who is everypony else?"

"The rest of my friends." Twilight twisted herself to sit upright in the cushy recliner. "It's good that you're getting along with Rarity, but you haven't really had a chance to meet the rest of the gang. This'll be a good way for you to break the ice with the others."

"Trust her, man!" yelled Spike from the kitchen. "She's kinda the expert on making friends!"

"And why can't you help me move this shit!?", Strange yelled back.

"Spike is in charge of preparing the food."

The adolescent dragon appeared in the doorway wearing a smug look and a tiny pink apron. "Sorry man, my hands are tied."

Strange made a rude hand gesture he'd read about in a book describing ancient dragon customs. Spike didn't recognize it. Twilight did.

"Strange!", rebuked Twilight with the practiced voice of a scolding older sister.

The green giant gave Twilight an unabashed grin. "Sorry, Sparkles."

"You need to get a move on, the others will be here s-"

*knock* *knock*

"Ohh, first arrival!" Twilight hopped up off the chair and glid over to the front door. Strange watched her almost bouncing through the air, and smiled. The troubled Princess he'd been speaking to this morning was nowhere to be found.

"Welcome, please come in! Oh, hi Fluttershy! And you brought Angel! Here, let me take your umbrella."

"Thanks, Twilight." Their first visitor stepped into their makeshift living room.

A pale yellow pony with delicate-looking wings trotted over to the row of cushions that had been set up in front of the television. She turned her head behind her and used her teeth to pick up the small white rabbit that had been nested in her long, flowing pink mane. She set the rabbit down on the floor by the cushions and turned to face Strange, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she'd walked in.

The slender pegasus looked up at him with droopy cyan eyes. Cute.

Twilight walked over to the mare, standing between her and Strange. "Fluttershy, this is Strange. Strange, Fluttershy."

Strange towered over the small yellow creature. Perhaps the past few days had been him more sensitive to these kinds of things, but he thought he could see her trembling.

He crouched down to greet her at eye level. Strange was going to have to play this carefully.

He slowly reached out his hand, hoping to shake her hoof. "Hi Fluttershy, I'm Str-OOHG" The biped had the air knocked out of him as the meek-looking pegasus suddenly tackled him.

"Oh you poor, poor thing," Fluttershy whispered as she stroked Strange's back like he was a frightened animal. "You must be so lonely...the only one of your kind left in the world. But don't worry, momma Fluttershy is here to take care of you. You can come live with me at the cottage with the rest of the animals."

Despite being unable to breathe, Strange felt decidedly safe wrapped in her forehooves. The offer was incredibly tempting, but he couldn't help but feel like she'd misunderstood something. Especially since Twilight was doing her best to contain her laughter.

"Fluttershy. I'm sure he appreciates the offer, but Strange isn't exactly the defenseless creature you think he is."

Strange felt the corners of his mouth start to pull backward. "Oh no, I definitely am. Please Fluttershy, tell me more about this cottage of yours."

Fluttershy pulled back from her bear hug and looked Strange in the eyes. Strange felt a strange melancholy as oxygen returned to his lungs. "You're...you can speak?"

"Damn, the jig is up," he said, now fully grinning. He reached out and rested his hand on the top of her head.

"My name is Strange. Nice to meet you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy recoiled and her face turned bright red. Refusing to look Strange in the eye, she quickly turned and all but galloped away. She hopped up in the large recliner Twilight had been using and curled up into a ball, covering her eyes with her hooves. You could practically see steam rising from her face.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Strange watched Twilight hoof it up the stairs, leaving him alone to greet oncoming the guests.

*knock knock knock*

A muffled voice came from the other side of the front door. "Strange, honey. Can you open the door, please?"

Strange stood up and walked over to the library entrance. He opened the door and was greeted by what appeared to be a giant talking suitcase.

"Rarity, is that you back there? Damn, you brought the whole closet with you." Strange lifted the case with both hands, taking great care to ease it through the doorway. He set it by the staircase and turned back.

Rarity stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Spike stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Hey, Rarity. Did Belle come too?" Rarity gave him a mocking smirk. "I'm afraid Sweetie Belle is spending the night at a friend's house tonight. Maybe next time, killer." A pink blush somehow appeared across Spike's scaly complexion, and he withdrew into the kitchen. She turned to face Strange, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she'd entered the room.

"Hello sir," teased Rarity, biting her lip. A pink glow had formed on her face. Strange smiled back, feeling his face start to warm up. This would be an interesting night.

"I didn't know you guys were friends." The pegasus who'd been trying to hide between the sheet cushions now sat on her haunches, hooves forward, in the padded recliner.

"Oh, hi Fluttershy! Yes, Strange and I have become the best of friends over the past few weeks. He's been a huge help."
Rarity back to face Strange and fluttered her long eyelashes. "He's very good with those hands of his."

Fluttershy's blush returned with a vengeance.

"Strange, could you please be a dear and carry my luggage upstairs to Twilight's room?" An innocent request. He'd be happy to oblige.

"Sure thing." He hoisted the suitcase up onto his shoulder and turned to walk up the stairs.

"Hold on a minute darling, let me lead the way. It wouldn't do for you to get lost." Rarity started walking upstairs ahead of him, swaying her hips and tail from side to side with each step. That was a hell of an invitation. He wasted no time following her up.

When they reached the door to Twilight's room, he set the immense suitcase down against the ground as gently as he could manage. Standing up straight, he turned to face Rarity just in time to catch her as she jumped into his chest. The little unicorn wrapped her forehooves around his neck and hooked her hind legs around his hips. Strange grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up, running hands over the curve of her haunches. She pressed her hooves against his chest and leaned back, unlocking their lips with a small *pop*. She started running her hooves over his chest and pressed her forehead against his.

"Good evening, Miss Rarity."

"Good evening, sir. I just wanted to give you a proper hello."

Strange grinned, pulling on her thighs and grinding her lower body against his abdominals. "Maybe you can pay me a visit tonight and give me an even better one."

A sudden shuffling from inside Twilight's room startled them both. The two managed to separate themselves just as Twilight opened the door.

"Oh! Rarity, you're here!" Twilight stepped into the hallway, followed by a small floating box with the word 'HORROR' on the side.

"Hi Twilight. It's good to see you." The two of them shared a brief hug. "What's that you've brought?"

Twilight smiled, bringing the box in front of her. "Only the pinnacle of traditional sleepover entertainment: classic horror movies on VHS!"

"Very cool. Can I take a look?" Strange reached out his hand to grab the tape box, but Twilight moved it out of his grasp.

"Nuh-uh. No spoilers. Movies are always better if you go in totally blind."

Strange frowned, restraining himself from just snatching the box faster than she could see it. "I guess that's...probably true. I just wanted to see what a civilization that deals with mythical creatures on a regular basis could possibly find scary."

Twilight started laughing loudly. "Strange, trying to exploit my respect for intellectual curiosity are you? For shame! Now, let's get back downstairs." The three of them made their way back downstairs, where Fluttershy was talking to two other ponies with their backs turned to the stairs.

"AJ! Pinkie! Glad you guys could make it!" Twilight pulled them both into a hug.

"A' course we'd come Twi'," the orange mare spoke with a strange accent as she returned her friend's affections. She wore a large leather stetson, and her pale blonde mane framed her white freckled face. Her body was broad and muscular, and her bright green eyes were warm and strong.

The pink pony snorted. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss our slumber parties for the world!" Her bouncy, pink mane shook up and down as she laughed.

The three of them separated, and Twilight cleared her throat. "Oh, before I forget: Applejack, Pinkie Pie. Meet Strange." She gestured towards the goliath standing a few feet away.

Applejack stammered out, "G-gosh, he's-"

"HUGE! Hey, hey, can you lift me up, PLEEAASE?"

Twilight rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Just ignore her, Str-"

Strange leaned down, hooked his hands behind Pinkie's forehooves, and lifted her above his head in one smooth motion. Pinkie cheered with delight, continuing to laugh even after he set her back on the ground. He smiled and turned back to Twilight and Applejack, the first of whom was holding back a laugh and the latter of whom was staring at him with her mouth hanging open.

"You want a turn?"

"Wh-what?" Applejack blinked a few times, closing her mouth. "Oh, no thanks sugarcube. I'm a little afraid of..." She looked him up and down, her gaze lingering on his broad hands and sharp teeth. "...heights."

Strange frowned at her.

The front door burst opened, and thunder boomed in the distance. A few of the mares screamed, and Twilight hid behind Strange's legs.

"Hey everybody, sorry I'm late!" A hooded mare rushed inside and closed the door behind her. "Nopony at the weather factory expected a storm this strong this early in the year. Super bucking lame."

The mare pulled off her soaking raincoat and set it on the coat rack by the door, revealing a light blue fur and a bright rainbow mane. The wings on her body were long and immaculate, accenting her slender, muscled frame. She turned away from the coat rack and started to walk towards the center of the room, but came to a dead stop when she noticed the giant standing in her way.

"Holy shit." Her eyes grew wider as her gaze traveled up Strange's massive frame. "You're pretty big."

Strange crouched down to look her in the eye. "And you're pretty small," he retorted. "What's your name?"

The mare stood up straight and gestured to herself with a forehoof. "I'm Rainbow Dash, the fastest pony in Equestria."

She posed for a bit longer before asking, "And you are?"

He offered his hand. "I'm Strange."

The mare snorted. "Yeah, you are. Alright, 'Strange'." Rainbow matched his hand with her hoof. "It's nice to meet you."

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Everyone seemed to get used to Strange rather quickly. They finished watching a few of the movies Twilight had brought with her, then the group almost immediately devolved into talks about the latest town gossip, or talks about the latest news from Canterlot. The subject of conversation had driven Spike to head to bed early. Eventually, the flow of the conversation shifted to Strange himself. They were all curious about who he was, where he came from, and why he was staying at the library.

Strange leaned back into the couch, careful not to sit on Rarity's coiffed tail. "I don't really remember my life before Ponyville."

The bubble-gum colored earth pony let out a gasp from her spot on the pillow-covered floor. "Really? You don't remember a single thing?"

Strange rubbed his chin. "Well I don't have a memory per se, but I keep having this dream over and over again."

Rainbow looked up at him from her cocoon of blankets with sparkles in her eyes. "A dream? What's it about? A lost city of gold? A secret passage in a castle?"

He shook his head. "Nothing like that. I only ever remember one thing. There's always a wheel"

"A wheel?" Twilight looked at him from her seat, shifting on her haunches in the lounge chair across from him. "What kind of a wheel?"

Strange stared down at the ground. "It's a giant stone wheel with a handle sticking out of the middle. It looked like an old piece of farming equipment." He shivered. For some reason, imagining it made him feel sick.

"What about your name, dear?" Rarity leaned into him on the couch, stroking his arm with her hoof. Her warmth seeped into his cold skin, and his shivering stopped.

"I couldn't remember that either. I thought up my new one after I came here. Actually Rarity, you helped me come up with it."

Rarity looked surprised. "I did?"

Strange grinned at her. "Yeah. You remember the first time we met, right? You kept calling it 'strange'."

Rarity's face turned red, and she loudly cleared her throat. "W-well, I suppose I did. You have to admit, a pygmy isn't something you see every day."

"That's true." Strange looked around, letting his gaze wander over every mare's flank.

"H-hold on, partner." Applejack started to stammer. "Jus' where d'ya think yer lookin'?

Strange turned to look at her. "I've just been wondering what those tattoos are on your butts. Every pony I've seen seems to have one. Do they mean anything?"

Twilight looked at him, a bit red-faced but still curious. "What is a 'tattoo'?"

"You guys don't have them? They're like drawings you put on your skin. People get them to make a statement about who they are, or where they came from."

Her eyebrows went as high as they could go. "That actually sounds a lot like cutie marks!"

Strange laughed. "They're called cutie marks? What the hell, that's adorable."

Twilight straightened up and began speaking with all the authority of a first-grade math teacher. "Cutie marks are symbols that represent each pony's purpose in life. We are born without them, but as a young pony experiences more of what life has to offer, they discover their true passion! Cutie marks appear when a pony has realized what they want to do with their lives."

Strange re-examined everyone's cutie marks thoughtfully. "Cutie marks, huh? That sounds pretty damn useful. If I had one of those, I'd be a hell of a lot less confused right now." He turned his gaze to Rarity, examining the three diamonds on her flanks. "Still though, it's a ridiculously adorable name."

He looked back to the center of the circle. "So what does everyone's cutie mark represent, then?"

Rarity re-positioned herself on the couch to give Strange a better view of her cutie mark. She brushed her delicately curled tail across his face as she turned to show him her flank.

"My cutie mark is of three immaculately cut diamonds. It conveys my affinity for gemstones, as well as my appreciation of the refined." Rarity sat back down, rubbing her haunches against Strange's thigh and laying her tail over his lap.

Twilight turned her body in her chair, showing an unusual pattern of multi-colored stars. "My cutie mark is of six smaller white stars surrounding a large purple one. I used to think it represented my talent for magic, but now I think it has more to do with my position as the leader of the Elements."

Strange cocked his eyebrow. "The elements?"

"The Elements of Harmony. The six of us represent different aspects of harmony, and the Elements we represent give us the power we need to protect Equestria."

Strange leaned back and began running his hands through Rarity's tail. "Is Equestria the only country with elements like these?"

Twilight paused, bringing a hoof to her chin. "I think that we are. I can't think of any other country with magic as powerful as ours."

"That's 'cause we're the best, obviously! Nopony bucks with Equestria these days." The rainbow pony beamed with pride.

"Oh, and while I'm at it." Rainbow uncoiled herself from her thick wool blanket and showed off a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt shooting out of it.

"My cutie mark tells everypony that I was born to fly and that I'm as fast as lightning!"

Strange's eyes widened. Was she as fast as him? He questioned her, "As fast as lightning? Really?"

"Well," Rainbow rubbed the back of her head with a hoof and showed Strange a bashful grin. "Not quite. But I am pretty damn fast."

Rainbow sat back down and rewrapped herself back in her blankets before tapping the orange mare sitting next to her.

"Hmm?" Applejack looked over at Rainbow. She'd been looking down, staring into space with an anxious expression.

"Tell Strange how you got your cutie mark, airhead," Rainbow teased.

"Oh, um," Applejack shifted the blanket covering her back and looked up at Strange. "Alright. I got my cutie mark when I realized how much I loved working at Sweet Apple Acres."

"Sweet Apple Acres? Is that a family farm?"

"Sure is." Applejack pulled the blanket off of her flank, showing three bright red apples adorning her muscled flank. "The orchard's been in the farm fer generations."

Strange nodded his head. "So a cutie mark can represent your talent, your passion, or your calling in life. It must mean a lot to you."

Applejack took on a happy, nostalgic expression and looked away. "It sure does. The farm represents everythin' I love about livin' in Ponyvill. I don't know what I'd do without it." The anxious look on Applejack's face reappeared. "Though I suppose I may have ta' find out."

Twilight's expression turned worried. "What does that mean, Applejack?"

Applejack sighed. "Big Mac...broke his leg this mornin'."

The room shared a collective gasp. Fluttershy's head rose from her chair with her eyes wide. "Oh my gosh, is he okay?"

Applejack let out another sigh. "The doc says it's a clean break, but it won't heal soon enough. Spring's just started, and there's way too much for me ta' do on mah own."

Twilight stood up out of her chair. "We can help, Applejack. Just tell us what to do."

She shook her head. "This ain't the kind of work I can ask y'all to do. Big Mac was a hard worker, waking up every day at dawn and workin' till sunset. I appreciate tha' offer, I really do. But there's no way I can ask you guys to work all day, every day until the end of Spring. And besides," Applejack pulled the blanket tighter around her body. "None a' y'all are anywhere near as strong as him. I couldn't bear it if any a' y'all got hurt."

"But even then," Twilight said. "One missed harvest couldn't bankrupt the farm."

Applejack's eyes filled with tears and she hid her face with the blanket. "Except that I pushed Big Mac to invest in better farming equipment this year. It took everything we had, but..." She let out a sob. "...I thought we had earned it. I thought we'd worked hard enough ta' deserve somethin' a little better than tha' same tools Granny Smith'd been usin' since she was a filly. I guess...I guess I was wrong." Applejack continued to sob quietly, and Rainbow pulled her into a hug.

The party fell quiet. Nothing could be heard but the howls of wind and rain straining uselessly against the enchanted library windows. A somber tone had drifted over the room. They sat for a while, watching the dancing flames in the hearth cast strange shadows over the darkened room. Eventually, Applejack stopped crying but continued to lean her head into Rainbow's chest.

Strange was lost in thought. He yawned deeply, only to have everyone look at him. "Um, sorry."

Twilight let out a sigh. "No, it's fine. Everypony," she called everyone's attention. "It's late. Let's all go to bed."

Everyone slowly began to stand up, leaving their blankets on the floor. The other mares continued to comfort Applejack as they all walked upstairs. Strange tapped Twilight on the back as she began to follow them back to her room. She turned back to face him and was met with Strange's anxious expression.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Twilight nodded and followed him into the kitchen, where Spike had left a few ingredients out to prepare breakfast in the morning. Strange picked up a large sack of flour like it was a sheet of paper before setting it back down by the kitchen counter.

"I know what you're going to say. And I think it's a bad idea."

Strange turned around to face her. "I know it's a bad idea, Sparkles. That's why I need you to tell me it's okay."

"You can't, Strange. Don't you remember what you told me this morning? You've got too much to lose if you try to help her, and we can find another way to help Applejack."

Strange set a hand on his hip and rubbed his furrowed brow with the other. "It's not just about that, Sparkles. You told me that if I helped the ponies in this town, then they'd be able to accept me no matter what I was. This is the perfect opportunity to do just that."

Twilight shook her head. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"It doesn't matter, Sparkles."

Strange turned away from her and pressed his hands into the edges of the wooden countertop. He looked out the kitchen window, remembering the look on AJ's face as she felt her future crumble away.

"I can't be the kind of person who walks away from somebody who needs my help. I won't be. You already know that."

Twilight walked up behind him and put her hoof over his hand on the counter. A long silence passed between them as they both stared out into the stormy night. Finally, she let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I guess I do."

She shook her head, defeated. "Fine. I'll convince AJ to let you help."

Strange smiled and breathed an internal sigh of relief. "Thanks, Sparkles."

"But, Strange?" He turned his head down to face her. "Remember that AJ is a proud mare. She's going to want to pay you for your work, and you're going to have to let her."

Strange shook his head. "I've got no problem with that."

Twilight smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Good. I'll see you in the morning."

She pulled her hoof away and walked back up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Strange."

"G'night, Sparkles. See you in the morning."

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

"They will never thank you for it.

You will toil endlessly in your doomed existence, devoting every fiber of your being towards perpetuating their meaningless cycle, but they will never even know your name. Most of them won't know you exist at all.

But one day they will call for you. And on that day, you must be ready."