//-------------------------------------------------------// On the Contrary -by Vyven- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Story //-------------------------------------------------------// The Story A perfect day for a stroll, or a flight rather. Lightning Flash stands up from his heavy sleep, stretching his legs and wings on the cloud he lounged on and rubbing his eyes, releasing a gaping yawn shortly after. "What to do today..." He murmurs, leaping off the cloud, and landing abruptly on the ground, startling some nearby mares, "Sorry for scaring you..." He states, eyeing the wings of the pegasi next to the earth pony, she looks sideways at her wing, and demeans Lightning Flash, "Pervert..." Lightning Flash can't help but hear the mares gossip rudely about him as they walk away, and his ears lower. He shakes his head and becomes oblivious to the thoughts pecking at his mind and flies away. In mid-flight, he looks down to see an Earth Stallion digging a hole in the middle of a rubble-lined path, and he drops down to investigate. "...gotta bury it! I must!" The pony frantically picks up a box, drops it and a gold necklace with an amethyst jewel tumbles out, and the pony hurriedly gathers it into the box, "Hey, don't tell me you're gonna bury that awesome necklace." The stallion holds the box over the hole, "Don't be fooled! This necklace is a bad omen of unwanted love! Unwanted I say!" He drops the box in and begins chucking dirt back into the hole, Lightning Flash refuses to pass up this opportunity for an item he thinks is cool, he takes the box out, being cautious not to get pelted by dirt and places the necklace around his neck, "You could sell this! How much you want for it? Name your price and I'll take it!" The pony's eyes widen, "No! You should not wear that!!! It's not good at all!" He wrings the necklace off of Lightning and tosses it into the hole quickly, covering it with the pile of dirt. "Aw man! What did you do that for? If you don't want it, don't bury it...give it to me!" The pony refuses his offer as quickly as a snake can strike, "This necklace is the only one of it's kind, but that doesn't mean it's worth keeping! It has a curse that changes the personality of any mare you come into contact with...I'm warning you, keep it buried or else..." The stallion walks away with his shovel. "Hm. Fine then. Be that way, I'll find a necklace that's just as cool...I hope..." Lightning turns to walk away, but his legs pause, "...but he did say that necklace is the only one of it's kind, it must be like super rare..." He turns towards the hole, but stops again, "...then again, he also said it's cursed, maybe I should listen to him and leave it buried." He reverses himself towards the other way again, but his legs cease up once more, "Nah, there's no way. It's like Twilight Sparkle says, there's no such thing as a curse..." He turns and approaches the hole, quickly but quietly digging it up, "...besides, it's just a necklace...a necklace I gotta have." Lightning flips the lid off and pulls the necklace out, the amethyst jewel glinting in the sunlight. He then places it around his neck, and refills the hole with dirt before flying off, cackling about the stallion's warning, "Heh...a curse...probably just an excuse to get rid of a piece of jewelry his wife gives more attention to than him..." Lightning snickers, then bumps into a mare in mid-flight, the pegasus spins around glaring, "Watch where you're going!" She notices the necklace and draws closer, "Why are you wearing jewelry?" "Because I think it's cool. It's the only one of it's kind..." Lightning explains, she then scrutinizes the amethyst, then shakes her head, "There's no way this jewel is real, it's too big to be real, looks fake..." She explicates, Lightning holds it up with a hoof, looking at it, then returning his stare at her, "Fake or not, I still think it's cool!" Lightning's thoughts kick into gear, 'Psh, a curse? I knew there wasn't a curse!' His thoughts becoming more chronic the more he thinks, the jewel flashes and the mare's pupils shrink in response then return to normal size. Her expression becomes relaxed, yet interested. "You wanna know what I think is cool? You." She floats towards Lightning and wraps a hoof around his neck, "And you wanna know what else is cool? My house. Wanna head there?" "Woah, where did THIS come from? A minute ago, you were saying my necklace was fake...why are you coming onto me all so suddenly?" Lightning tries pulling away, "Because I think you're hot, you'll be even hotter when you're in my room with me..." Lightning breaks free, "Now hold on, you're coming on WAY too strong. Above all, I don't know you at all!" The mare approaches Lightning, "When we're done in my room, we can get to know each other." What the hell?! "Uh, I'd love to...but I have somewhere I need to be...yeah! So Igottagobye!" He quickly flies off in a full-fledged panic, "What in Equestria WAS THAT?!" Lightning exclaims, "I gotta think of a place to go!" Lightning Flash lands in the park, flustered and confused about the event that occurred back there. He feels his panic die down as he lets the sunlight warm his coat, "Hey, that's a cool necklace! Where'd ya get it?" The voice of an Earth mare sounds beside him, "I, uh, found it..." Lightning stutters, 'Of course I'm not gonna tell her that I dug it up, she'll think I'm nuts!' The pendant flashes again, and the mare's personality changes, "Just like I found you, my prince?" Lightning's head shoots a stare, "H-Huh?!" He darts away from her as she tries to grab him, "How about we take our 'fun' over to that bench right there, my love?" Lightning looks over at the bench, then back at the mare, "Are you crazy?! There are fillies and colts who come to this park with their parents!" She giggles, "All the reason to take it to my place." Lightning shakes his head, "Celestia! Make the bad dream go away!" He takes off into the air and flies towards the library, wrestling the necklace off, "Maybe Twilight will know what's going on!" Breaking into a run as soon as he lands with the necklace in his mouth, he skids to a stop in front of the library door and vigorously bangs on it repeatedly, Twilight opens the door and Lightning drops the necklace onto his hoof, "I'm so glad you're here! Something is really wrong! I've already had two mares try and sex me up! You've gotta help me! Find out what's wrong, what's going on--!" Twilight quiets him, "Slow down! You sound like you're got a problem on your hooves, care to come in and explain?" Lightning blinks, "You're not coming onto me, are you?" Twilight gasps, "How dare you! I offer my assistance and you show your gratitude by asking me that? If you want lessons on how to express your feelings to a mare the 'proper' way, then you've got the wrong pony. You'll need to consult Princess Cadence." She shuts the door, but Lightning sticks his hoof in front of it, forcing the door back open, "Please! I'm sorry! I really need your help! I'm desperate!" "Desperate to have your way with me?! No thank you! Go away and don't come back, you pervert!" Lightning's eyes widen, "What?! That's not what I meant by that at all! Will you please hear me out?!" Twilight peers through the opening in the door, then swings it open, causing Lightning to fall to the floor, "...Fine. Come in and have a seat...but by Celestia's mane, if you try to touch me in a way that I don't approve of, you're going out the window." Lightning stands and nods, taking a seat as Twilight follows and seats herself across from him. "So, what I need you to do, is speak slowly and clearly so I can understand you. What happened?" "I found this necklace, I wanted it because I thought it was cool. So I wore it and two mares invited me back to their place, and I didn't even know who they were." Twilight shakes her head in disapproval, "Sounds like boasting to me...so you decided to come here for me next?" Lightning protests, "Boasting--no! I didn't have sex with either one of them!" Twilight's glare broadens, "At least you made THAT clear...I don't have time for your story, you know where the door is." She turns to take a book off a shelf, and Lightning zips in front of her, "If I put this necklace on, it'll change you, I'm telling you, I'm not lying..." Lightning puts the necklace on and waits. The tick-tocking of the clock is the only thing making sound in the room, and Twilight is watching Lightning impatiently, ".....well? I'm still myself..." Lightning looks at the jewel and taps on it, "It probably takes a minute for it to work..." Silence fills the room again, being broken by Twilight's hoof tapping on the floor, Lightning taps the jewel again, and shakes it, "I think it's broken..." Twilight groans, "....this is ridiculous, I have work to do, and you're holding me up. Get out." "B-But--! It did happen!" Twilight uses her magic to place Lightning in front of the door, "Get. Out." The door swings open as Lightning's head swings around towards Twilight, "Maybe it doesn't work with you specifica--" Twilight raises her voice, "GET. OUT." She says opening a book, Lightning frets, she doesn't believe him, but he wasn't going to give up, "Please spare just one more minute! Please! I'm begging you!" Twilight huffs, setting the book aside, "One more minute, but that's all I'm giving you. Ugh, curse my patience..." Lightning asks the closest mare to join him in a demonstration near the door with Twilight watching, he places the necklace around his neck, it suddenly glows, casting the spell on the participating mare. Looking at Lightning as he backs away slowly from her, she smirks, "Hey there, stud." She looks at Twilight inside the library, "Who's your friend? Does she wanna have some fun too? A threesome sounds fun!" Twilight's expression droops with shock, Lightning hovers in the air and flies into the library, shutting the door before the mare is allowed a chance to infiltrate the library. "Threesome?" She gets a book using her magic, skimming through the pages, "...three ponies considered as a unit. I don't get it...what did she mean?" Lightning rolls his eyes, "It means she wanted to sex both of us up! That's what it means!" Twilight looks at the word, back at Lightning, then at the word again, her face suddenly flushes with red, she throws the book across the room, "That's what a threesome is?!" She shivers and Lightning takes the necklace off, "NOW do you believe me?" Twilight nods, her face still red. "But why didn't this thing work on you?" Lightning ponders the thought, looking at the necklace. "The necklace..." Twilight stammers, "...may I see it please?" The necklace floats to Twilight, she checks it thoroughly, "I don't know if it's you that caused that pony to flip, or this necklace. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. We'll get to the bottom of this!" Lightning, being escorted by Twilight, heads into town to gather up her friends, "Soooo....what exactly are we doing?" Lightning inquires, "We're going to perform a field test..." She looks up to see Rainbow Dash lounging on a lone cloud, "...Rainbow Dash! Can you come down here for a second?! Please?!" The pegasus opens an eye, stretches and rolls over on her stomach, "What for?" Twilight raises an eyebrow, "Will you just come down here for a minute?" Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes, "Tch. Fine." She hops off the cloud and slows her descent with her wings, "What's up?" She looks at Lightning, and Twilight proceeds to explain, "This may sound odd, but I'm lead to believe that there's something supernatural about this necklace he has..." Dash looks at the necklace, then at Lightning, "...cool necklace." She averts her attention to Twilight, "So what exactly do you want from me?" "We're going to see if either the necklace or Lightning Flash himself has some sort of infatuation spell..." Rainbow Dash bites her lip trying to hold back a laugh, "What?" Twilight steps closer, "I'm serious, there really is something going on, from what I saw, all the mares suddenly fall in love with him whenever he wears the necklace." Rainbow Dash bursts out laughing, falling onto her back, "In your dreams!" Twilight glares, motioning Lightning Flash to put the necklace on, and in response, the usual happens: It flashes, and Rainbow Dash's laughter ceases, "Uh, Twilight? Do you really think this is a good idea?" Twilight nods, "Of course. Why do you ask?" Lightning backs away as Rainbow Dash faces him, "Because if I recall correctly, I highly doubt that I can out-fly her...unless she isn't the fastest pegasus in Ponyville..." Twilight's sheepish grin fades, "...oh no..." Rainbow Dash stands, smirking at Lightning Flash, "So...ya wanna have a little competition to see which one of us can last longer in bed?" Twilight plugs her ears, "What did my delicate ears just hear?!" Lightning is entangled in Rainbow Dash's forelegs, kissing his cheek, "Twilight, a little help?! This isn't what I had in mind!" Twilight shakes her head, and uses her magic to teleport Rainbow Dash off of him, she lands on the ground just a few feet away, but she takes into the air, and dashes like a speeding bullet, barreling towards Lightning as he stifles a shriek, he ducks as the cyan pegasus zips over him, "Aw, come on! Don't be shy! Give your lover a kiss, Lightning!" "WE'RE NOT LOVERS!!!" Lightning shouts, but Rainbow Dash doesn't seem to care as she latches onto him, "Pucker up and give me a smooch!" Lightning holds his face away from Dash's as Twilight tries physically pulling Rainbow Dash off, the kissing noises emanating from Rainbow Dash stop, and she turns to look at Twilight, "Twilight. I'm touched that you wanna be friends with benefits. How about we start right here, right now with my stallionfriend?" Rainbow Dash releases Lightning and reaches for Twilight, "I think this field test of yours is now a struggle to keep our virginity intact!" Twilight profligately runs away, shouting at the top of her lungs, "GOOD GRACIOUS! KEEP HER AWAY FROM ME!!!" Rainbow Dash gives chase, leaving the radius of the necklace's spell, she snaps back to normal and ends up skipping along the surface of the ground, sliding to a stop, and rubbing her head, "Ow! That hurt!" She looks around, "...how did I get here?" She huffs at all the ponies staring at her as she stands, "If I don't have something on my face, then quit staring!" Twilight skids to a stop, hearing her friend's familiar shouting, she turns to look, then runs back towards Dash, "Rainbow Dash! You're back to your usual self!" Twilight hugs her, leaving Rainbow Dash blinks, "Uhhhh...yeah?" Lightning Flash, unaware that he still has the necklace on, runs to their side, "Is she...? No, I'm not getting that close this time." Twilight nods, "Yes! She's back! She's okay!" The necklace once again casts a spell over Rainbow Dash, and she smiles, "Thanks Twilight, I think you're okay too...well, MORE than okay." Rainbow Dash gives in to her temptation and slaps Twilight's flank. The mare's face floods with red, spiraling into shock, "M-My flank is off limits! Let go of me!" Rainbow Dash snickers, "Yeah, off limits to everypony else except me!" Lightning struggles to take the necklace off due to his embarrassment while Rainbow Dash pulls Twilight closer, holds her as she hovers into the air and rubs between her legs, she yelps with embarrassment, and the intimate sight compels Lightning to wriggle the necklace off forcefully, chucking it off into the distance and therefore causing the spell to wear off. Rainbow Dash, with her hoof still between Twilight's legs, quickly screams and lets Twilight fall to the ground, "W-What in Equestria?! Why was I--?!" She sniffs her hoof and screams again, landing with a thud and grasps Twilight, "Tell me right now why I was ponyhandling you!!! What did you do to me?!" Twilight stutters, "I-It was that necklace! It cast an infatuation spell on you...thank Celestia it only works when it's being worn..." Twilight looks over at Lightning, "...hey, what did you do with it? Where is it?" Pinkie Pie comes skipping up happily, wearing the necklace, "Hey! Somepony threw this pretty doohicky-thing and it landed around my neck! I should throw a Some-random-pony-gave-me-a-present party! Not the kind of present with wrapping paper and a bow, but still a present!" Twilight uses her magic to take the necklace off, "Pinkie Pie, Lightning threw this necklace in an attempt to get rid of it...what were the odds it was going to land around YOUR neck? Anyways, it's endowed with an infatuation spell, and it can no longer see the light of day. I'm disposing of this right now." "But it's my present. Why would you wanna get rid of it? *gasp* Maybe because you're jealous? Ms. Twilight JealousSparklePants!" Twilight rolls her eyes, "It's not that I'm jealous, Pinkie Pie, I'm just worried that this necklace's power could affect somepony in a very negative way. It's bound to ruin something, possibly even a devoted marriage." Rainbow Dash yelps, "Gross! That necklace made me ponyhandle you?!" Pinkie Pie ponders, "Ponyhandle? Is that something a pony wears that looks like a handle?" She looks at Lightning Flash, "Ohhhh, I got it! It's like that 'thing' Lightning Flash has...a Ponyhandle!" Dash, Twilight and Lightning gasp, "PINKIE!" Applejack comes galloping up to the group, "Ah heard ya hollerin', Twi! Are you okay?! Ah came as soon as Ah heard!" Pinkie Pie jumps up and down, "She's okay! They were talking about Ponyhandles!" Rainbow Dash and Twilight floor with disbelief, "No we were not! Pinkie, where did you get such an idea that strays from what we mean?!" Applejack looks at the pink pony, "I got it from a magazine I read once...I think it was called Ponyplay. Why? Oh! If you want to read it, you can! I get every single issue!" Twilight, unfortunately, has heard of the title, "PINKIE! That's pornographic material!" Applejack scratches her head, "How did Ah go from runnin' to a distress call straight'ta talkin' about porno?" Rainbow Dash hides her face in her hooves, "So....wrong.....!!!!!" Twilight stomps her hoof, "Can we please just drop it?!" Applejack protests, "Not 'til Ah know what's goin' on 'round here. Ah cain't get mah head around this porno deal that y'all are talkin' about. How did Ah git sucked inta this chit-chat? Mindin' mah own business bah apple bucking. Why porno? Why not talk 'bout books, or the weather, or one'a them buttonbox thangs?" Twilight eyes Applejack, "...you mean a Typewriter?" Applejack nods. "Very well..." Twilight starts, clearing her throat, "...what happened was Lightning Flash found this...'thing'...and it has a spell that makes any mare fall in love..." Applejack cocks an eyebrow, "That don't sound bad at all...what's the problem?" Rainbow Dash shakes in her hooves, "It made me do baaaaad things to Twilight...very bad things..." Pinkie Pie tilts her head, "Twilight Sparkle doesn't have a Ponyhandle, silly!" Rainbow Dash revolts, "I didn't mean it like 'that' when I said it--stop talking!" Pinkie Pie giggles, "Ponyhandle?" Applejack asks, "...give me some sorta inquiry, Twi. What are they talkin' about?" Twilight whispers in Applejack's ear, she gasps, "Ya should'a stopped at Pen before sayin' the last two letters!!! Why are we talkin' about Lightnin's penis?!" Twilight covers up Applejack's mouth, "Keep it down! In case you haven't noticed, nopony knows what we're talking about and we're intent on keeping it that way!" Rainbow Dash pokes Twilight's back, "I think you spoke too soon..." Twilight looks around to see a crowd of ponies with their eyes fixed on them in disbelief, Lightning Flash covers his eyes with a hoof, "Someone please kill me..." Twilight nudges the degraded pegasus, "Get up. Let's just go back to the library and sort this out...I'm concerned who's mouth I should be worried about the most, Pinkie Pie's or AJ's." The group hurries back to the library to stoop into hiding, Twilight spots Fluttershy just now leaving, and the yellow pony shines a smile at them, "Oh, Twilight. I dropped by to say hello, but I wasn't sure if you were busy or not....are you?" "No, you caught me at the right time, Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "Right time? Do you mean when we stopped talking about--" Dash's hoof covers Pinkie's mouth, and Twilight sighs in relief, knowing that Fluttershy will be involved in being as embarrassed as everyone else is. "Talking about what? Should I ask? Or no?" Fluttershy is answered with Twilight's simple head shake. With the necklace in Twilight's grasp, everypony enters the library, and the lavender unicorn whispers to Applejack, Lightning, Dash, and Pinkie, 'You all have to promise not to talk about what we discussed. Understood?' "Twilight, that's a wonderful looking necklace." Fluttershy says in her gentle, monotone voice, "Well, it's Lightning's necklace..." Fluttershy peeks at Lightning, "I...don't think I've met you...my name is Fluttershy..." Lightning smiles, "I'm Lightning Flash. It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy." She squeaks, and Applejack comforts her, "It's okay. Lightnin' is friendly." Twilight paces back and forth with the necklace, Spike wanders down the steps, "Oh! Uh, hi everypony..." He spots the amethyst necklace and almost drools, "Twilight, um...what'cha got there? That's a pretty nice looking....jewel." Twilight immediately understood, "No, Spike. You will not eat this necklace." Spike crosses his arms and his eyes wander to the floor, "No....just the jewel part." Twilight still refuses to relinquish any part of the necklace to Spike. "Aw, why not? If I can't have that amethyst, then...does it belong to anypony?" Spike peers over at Lightning when everypony in the room points to him, "Lightning Flash! Um, are you planning to keep that necklace? Because, if you aren't then, would it be too much to ask if I can give it to Rarity? I think she would love to have that necklace!" Twilight declines, "Bad idea. This necklace is endowed with a--" Rainbow Dash leaps into the air, "Infatuation spell! We heard it a thousand times!" Spike and Fluttershy's heads tilt, "Um...infatuation spell? Is it okay if I know?" Twilight groans inwardly, "Great...now I have to explain it to two more innocent bystanders that'll end up getting involved in a way that nopony in this room will want to mention.........yes, an infatuation spell. It causes any mares who come into contact with the wearer of the necklace to fall in love..." Twilight faces Spike, "W-What? I'm not getting any ideas!" Spike exclaims. "Obviously by what Lightning Flash and I have witnessed, the desire to find love through this necklace's power can very easily backfire, meaning that not only does your target mare fall in love with you, but ANY mare falls in love with you." She recalls what Rainbow Dash did, and she rattles like a leaf. "Not to mention that the infatuated mare goes after anypony nearby, whether they be Stallion or mare." The day was rather long, the group wanted it to be over, and in the meantime wanted the necklace gone and out of their manes. But how were they possibly going to make up for the vast amount of embarrassment they've been through? The sunset marks the end of the day, and everypony is ready for bed. "Goodnight, everypony. Sleep well, and Spike? Don't touch the necklace...okay?" Spike nods and falls asleep, as does everypony else. About an hour into the night, Spike wakes up with a growling stomach, he remembers seeing some jewels in the fridge, and scratches his head, "Gotta move those to the pantry...they shouldn't be in the fridge..." He says to himself, hopping out of his bed, then grabbing the necklace. "I know Twilight said not to touch it, but I just want to see what it's like wearing it, besides, I'll take it right off after I eat..." He feels his way around in the dark, stumbling into the kitchen and checking into the fridge. The light practically blinds him upon opening it, through his squinted eyes, he spots the jewels, grabs one and shoves it in his mouth, and continues eating one after another. Just before closing the fridge after getting his fill, he pauses, "Maybe a little dessert wouldn't hurt..." He pokes his head back into the fridge and checks each shelf. While Spike searches in the fridge for a snack, Applejack enters the kitchen for a glass of water, Spike looks over his shoulder, "Oh, hey Applejack. Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Applejack shakes her head, "Jus' gittin' a glass'a water, that's all. What 'bout you?" Spike groans, "I don't see anything in here that I want!" The jewel glows and affects Applejack, she grins and sets the glass down, "...Ah see what Ah want." Spike nods, "Yeah yeah, a glass of water--" Applejack spins Spike around and plants a kiss, Spike's eyes widen, and he brings his claw up and separates his lips from her's, "Plegh! Applejack! What are you thinking?!" He quickly bolts past Applejack, runs to Twilight's room and leaps into her bed, waking the mare. "Mmmmm...h...huh? Spike?" Twilight's eyes shoot open when Spike shakes her violently, "Wake up! Applejack has lost it!" Twilight notices the necklace around Spike's neck, "Spike! The necklace! Take it o--!" The spell is cast onto Twilight, and Spike backs away, climbing off her bed, Twilight sits up, "Is it hot in here or what..?" Twilight hops off the bed and giggles at Spike, "Twilight? Did I shake you too hard? Are you....okay?" Twilight nods, "Oh, I'm more then okay...I just...really need to get out of these sheets....they're crimping my style..." Twilight pushes the bedsheets off in a seductive manner, and Rainbow Dash enters the room, "Why is the door locked--WHAT THE HAY--?!" Twilight slides down the bedpost, rubbing her back against it, charming Spike, "Me and Spike got a thing going on..." Rainbow Dash panics, "This isn't right!" Fluttershy holding a hoof over her mouth, "O-Oh my...!" Twilight, shaking her flank at Spike, finally escaping the bedsheet, Twilight exhales, "Excellent." Rainbow Dash yells, "WHO ARE YOU??!!" She spots the necklace on Spike, who is being backed against the wall by Twilight, she swoops in, grabs Spike and hurls him across the room. Spike hits the wall upside-down, lands in a posture that allows the necklace to fall off, and Twilight snaps out of the spell. "Huh? What?" She peers at her bed over her shoulder, "When did I get out of my bed?" She notes the sexy posture she's in, and jumps in shock, her face now enshrouded in red blush. Applejack is heard on the other side of Twilight's door, "Last thang Ah remember, Ah was gittin' water! Don't know why Ah'm up here with no glass'a water!" Pinkie Pie bursts into the room, bouncing over Applejack, "Woohoo! Late night party!" Twilight stares at Spike with a disappointed look in her eye, "Spike, I told you not to touch the necklace." Spike begs, "I'm so sorry, Twilight! I had no idea it was 'that' serious!" Twilight blinks, "...okay then. I accept your apology, but don't do it again." Spike nods graciously, "It won't happen again, I can assure you!" Everypony returns to bed, awaiting tomorrow to arrive, and once everypony is gone, Twilight gets back in her bed, places the necklace back on the end table beside her bed, and uses her magic to turn the lights out. As soon as light filled the room, Twilight rose from her bed and stretches, looking at the necklace. A thought pops into her head, 'What if it were to have the same effects on Stallions when a mare wears it? No...too risky..." She looks to see Spike wide awake, laying in his bed staring at the ceiling, "Spike? How long were you awake?" Spike blinks, "All night. I couldn't sleep, not after what I saw what you did last night." Twilight snarls, "I believe that to be a suitable punishment for not heeding my words when I told you not to touch the necklace." Spike shudders in response, turning his backside towards Twilight. "I had bad dreams because of that." Twilight hops off her bed, approaches Spike and pats his side, "Was it really that bad?" Twilight contends, and Spike looks up at her, "Was it that bad? It's burned into my retinas and I can't get it out of my head. After you fell asleep, I tried going to the bathroom with the thought of fear in my head, that made it very hard to go, you know!" Rainbow Dash knocks and opens the door, "Morning Spike......Twilight...." Twilight takes note of Dash's expression change upon staring at her, "What? Why are you staring at me like that?" Rainbow Dash shakes her head, "Last night, that necklace turned you into a stripper when Spike wore it..." Twilight's face turns beat red, "Stripper?! Me?!" Pinkie Pie's giggling fills the room as she enters carrying a stack of magazines, "Here you go, Twilight! I'll let you borrow the first 10 issues!" The red fills Twilight's face even more, Rainbow Dash begins laughing, "You'd better read up on those, Egghead! You might learn something." Pinkie joins in laughter, snorting as she sets the magazines on her bed, "P-Pinkie! I never said I wanted to--!" Pinkie Pie nods, "I know, but I figured that I should turn that frown upside-down! You wanted to stop thinking about Ponyhandles, so these magazines show nothing but mares in them!" She grabs one, and flips through the pages, "This one is my favorite!" Pinkie shows Twilight a picture of a mare, and before seeing anything else, Twilight slams the magazine shut and screams, causing everypony in the room to grovel, even the brave Rainbow Dash, "THIS ENDS NOW!!!" She storms to the necklace and exasperatedly takes it off the end table, "I'm DONE being on this wild goose-chase trying to get rid of this cursed necklace!" Leaving the library, she notices Lightning Flash with widened eyes, and she huffs, "I'm going to do what YOU should have done in the first place! Before any of this!" Shoving the doors open, she storms through the street, huffing, and anger burning in her eyes. A few passing ponies hurry past her, while others would hide behind objects. "Ah ain't ever seen Twi this pipin' mad before..." Applejack remarks, "Now, Pinkie Pie, she ain't mad at you...that necklace is jus' gittin' to her head is all...and Ah can relate ta what she's feelin'." The group catches up to Twilight, she stops in the middle of the park, her horn glows purple and the necklace vanishes as if being incinerated, and the swelling anger shrinks, causing her eyes to return to their usual observant stare. "Twilight! What did you do with the necklace? Did you destroy it, like in that one book I read where they destroy the ring by throwing it into the lava? What was that book called...?" "Lord of the Rings...an excellent novel..." Twilight answers, turning to face everypony with a smile, "...I just finished reading that. Again. And as for the necklace? Yeah, I guess I did...too angry to think what spell to cast. But whatever the case may be, at least it's gone now." Suddenly, a burst of light flashes besides Twilight, revealing Future Twilight, singed in some places, holding the necklace, she gives it to Twilight, and she shrieks, "I DON'T WANT IT BACK!!!" Future Twilight nods, "You'll thank me later!" She vanishes in a bright light, and Twilight drops the necklace and begins sobbing, "What did I do to deserve this?! YOU!" She shouts, pointing at Lightning and giving him the necklace, "Put it back where you found it. I don't care where you found it, just get rid of it!" "But, why me?" Lightning jumps when Twilight stomps her hoof, "Because YOU found it, YOU got us all in this mess, so YOU get rid of it!" Fluttershy composes Twilight, "...please calm down..." Twilight sighs, and Applejack pats her on the back, "Come now, sugarcube, ya need ta keep yer head on yer shoulders. Don't be gittin' in a huff over a tinker-chest piece'a jewelry, that ain't the Twilight we know." Twilight smiles just as Applejack does, "You're right. I shouldn't have gone overboard, and mainly, I'm sorry for snapping at you, Lightning. It's just that, everything this necklace has put us through is putting a lot of stress--a LOT of stress on me, probably everypony here, and thank Celestia it hasn't gotten to Fluttershy or Rarity." Rainbow Dash steps forward, "Speaking of her, I haven't seen her all day." Lightning looks at the necklace, "I may have to reconsider letting Spike have it to give as a gift to Rarity." Becoming the limelight of the group, Twilight instantly protests, "Lightning Flash, we discussed this. No." Lightning holds up a hoof, "Hold on, don't you know a spell that can lift the curse on this necklace?" Twilight clears her throat, "Spell. Not a curse. And......that might be worth a shot. I can't guarantee it'll work, but I can't say it's failed either. Lightning, if you would be so kind to hold it up for me, I would very much appreciate it." Lightning does as she says, the gold necklace dangling from his hoof as Twilight aims her glowing horn, and zaps it with magic. The dust on the ground agitates as the necklace hits the ground, and the ponies group around it, peering down at the shimmering gold piece of jewelry. "Did it work?" Rainbow Dash asks, "Only one way to find out!" Spike exclaims as he snatches the necklace from the ground and darts back into town, with the group giving chase, and Twilight calling out, "Spike, wait!" Spike bounds up to the door of Rarity's boutique, and knocks on the door, hiding the necklace behind his back. Rarity, the pony he has been waiting to see, opens the door and gasps, "My Spikey-Wikey!" She scoops the little dragon up and greets him with a hug, Spike accidentally drops the necklace, making a 'chink!' as it hits the ground. Rarity becomes captivated by the large amethyst set into the gold, setting Spike down and lifting the necklace up with her magic, "Such...dazzling beauty!" She winces as she spots a layer of dust on the jewel, a handkerchief floats out through the door and graciously wipes the dust away, the jewel gleams a pretty purple hue, and Rarity's eyes light up, "Why...I've never seen an amethyst shine so beautifully before! And the gold compliments it amazingly...Spike, is this necklace.....for me?" Spike can tell in Rarity's eyes that she's begging for it to be given to her, and it would hurt Spike to disappoint her, "It.....could be." Rarity's grin fades, "Could be..? Why not yes or no...mainly yes? Wait! I musn't be greedy, we all know how THAT turned out..." Applejack snickers, "And it turned out that ya named a boulder Tom!" ~~~ Upon entering, Twilight and the gang are greeted with Celestia's warm smile, "Well, hello, Twilight Sparkle. What can I do for you?" Twilight holds the necklace up, "Is it too much to ask if you can stow this necklace away? Along with the other forbidden items?" Princess Celestia stands, "Whatever for, my faithful student? Is it due to a curse bestowed onto the necklace?" Twilight nods, "Yes. A curse. Well, more of a spell, but not the good kind. An Infatua--" Celestia interrupts Twilight, "Infatuation Spell..." She approaches Twilight, "...I'm aware of this necklace, and I'm glad that I was the first for you to bring it to." Applejack raises an eyebrow, "Yer aware? How?" "Because it's my necklace..." A voice sounds from behind Celestia and a familiar figure appears. "Cadence?! This is yours?!" Twilight exclaims, and the alicorn nods, "Yes, it's mine. But the spell was not my work...this necklace was merely meant to be an anniversary gift to my love, Shining Armor. I had no idea it was missing until a few days ago." Rainbow Dash steps forward, "So you can get the spell off of it?" Cadence nods, her horn glows as the necklace is lifted into the air and flashes blue, she then takes up a small gift box and places it neatly inside before closing, and she squees with joy. "That's it? The spell is lifted?" Twilight questions, and Cadence answers with a nod, "Now I finally have my gift for Shining Armor! I was devastated when it turned up missing. Thank you all so much for finding it!" Cadence runs past the group and leaves. "But, I don't understand what Future Twilight meant by 'I'll thank her later." Twilight wonders and Celestia speaks up, "That necklace had a very powerful infatuation spell on it, and surely, if it fell into Chrysallis' hooves, she would have gained an infinite amount of power through that necklace. You are all dismissed."