In the shadows stood Springtrap, watching Sunset Shimmer’s apartment. He had followed the redhead from the school, hoping to get a chance to launch an attack on her. He also wanted to see if she had any weaknesses that he could exploit to his advantage. His anger at having her defeat his army was enough to make him want to kill her now. However, he forced himself to wait, knowing that the emotional torture was going to be fun to witness. Springtrap spied on Sunset as she showed the girls everything and trailed her as she flew to Twilight’s house. He was grateful that her home wasn’t far from the apartment. Furthermore, seeing how both the girls and Twilight reacted to Sunset’s appearance gave Springtrap an idea of how to get under her skin.

“How sweet of the purple-haired nerd to ruin her happy day for me,” said Springtrap, stepping out of the shadows. “She gave me exactly what I need to destroy that bitch she calls a friend.”

Springtrap made his way down the street, ideas forming in his head. An orchestra of crickets accompanied him as he stomped his way back to the abandoned electrical building. He would strike again, but this time the girls weren’t going to be able to destroy him. And the redhead was going to see that she had pissed off the wrong animatronic rabbit. His eyes glowed red as he clenched his fists.

“You’ll see how bad my wrath can be, Sunset Shimmer. Just wait…”

*The Next Day*

Applejack pulled into the student parking lot, parking her truck in the space next to Fluttershy’s van. She was careful about not bumping into the animal lover’s van or running over the curb. She didn’t want to jostle her truck and injure Rarity in the process. Once she had safely pulled into the parking space, Applejack removed her keys from the ignition. The drive from Rarity’s house had been a quiet one. Both girls were worried about Twilight and Sunset, especially since Twilight was finally going to know about Demon Shimmer. Although Applejack was happy to see the redhead coming clean after months of badgering, she didn’t want to see her get hurt. She put her keys into her pocket and looked over at Rarity.

“Do you think that Twilight took it well?” asked Applejack.

“I don’t know, but I hope Twilight did. Sunset did seem pretty rattled after how we reacted to it,” replied Rarity, meeting the cowgirl’s green eyes.

“Yeah, I might’ve been a bit harsh towards her. I just don’t like it when my friends lie to me,” said Applejack as she adjusted her hat. “I prefer to hear the cold, hard truth.”

“I know, darling. It’s one of the things I like about you,” Rarity said, placing her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “Now, how about we get out of here and meet the girls?”

“Yeah. Let me get out, and I’ll help you,” said Applejack, slinging her backpack over her one shoulder.

“It’s alright, AJ. I can get out by myself,” Rarity said, grabbing her backpack from the back seat.

Applejack, having turned around and was about to open her door, stopped moving. That statement made her turn around and look at her girlfriend. Her hand, which had been resting on the door handle, moved towards her girlfriend’s smaller one and gripped it. Applejack’s green eyes grew dark with worry. She didn’t want her to get hurt, not after what happened yesterday. And she was going to be damned if she let anything happen to Rarity on her watch.

“Rare, you still have your stitches in. Getting out of the truck could pull some of them free. So let me help you please,” begged the cowgirl, giving the fashionista her best puppy dog eyes she could manage.

Rarity tried to avoid looking at Applejack. However, she knew that she couldn’t resist her beautiful emerald eyes. It was one of her weaknesses when it came to her girlfriend. And when Applejack did the classic puppy dog eyes, it was just too hard for her to resist it. After a few minutes of trying to ignore the urge, Rarity gave in and looked at her. She gave Applejack a gentle smile as she squeezed her hand.

“Okay, I will let you help. You know that I can’t say no when you give me those eyes, don’t you?” asked Rarity as Applejack let go of her hand and opened the door.

Applejack turned to face Rarity as she stepped out of her truck and said with a smirk on her face, “Yep.”

The fashionista watched as Applejack walked around her truck and opened her door, holding out a hand for her to take. She grabbed her hand and started to move from her seat. Just as she went to step down from the truck, Rarity grimaced as she felt her stitches getting pulled slightly with her movements. She yanked her hand back, wrapping her arms around her abdomen as a wave of pain shot through her. The stitches were still new, and that meant the skin was sensitive to any tugging or tearing on them. So, the movement left her feeling like someone was trying to rip the flesh off her abdomen.

Applejack, concerned for Rarity, kneeled in front of her and said, “Are you okay, Rare? Did your stitches get pulled?”

“Y-yes, they did,” replied Rarity, struggling to speak through the pain.

“I can wait if you need to. I wouldn’t want your stitches to come apart,” said the cowgirl, resting her hand on Rarity’s knee.

Rarity smiled. She appreciated that Applejack cared for her so much. It showed that she had a softer side to her, something which she didn’t show often. Yet, that only made the gesture all the sweeter. Although Applejack probably saw it as a gesture of courtesy rather than one of a worried lover. She took a few deep breaths as the pain in her abdomen eased up and allowed her to uncurl herself. Carefully, Rarity reached out and rested a hand on Applejack’s sturdy shoulder.

“It’s fine, but you may have to help lower me,” said Rarity as she wrapped her arm around Applejack’s neck.

Taking her cue, Applejack slid her arms underneath Rarity’s legs. She then slipped her other arm around Rarity’s waist as the fashionista wrapped both of her arms around her neck. Slowly, she lifted her off the seat and stepped back from her truck. She was grateful that working on her family’s farm had built up her strength, otherwise carrying her girlfriend was going to be a challenge. Of course, it also helped that she had a magical geode, which provided her with some extra strength. Once she had a few feet between her and the truck, Applejack lowered Rarity down onto her feet. She walked over to the still open passenger door and closed it before joining her by the bed of her truck.

“You okay now, Rare?” asked Applejack, slipping the other backpack strap over her shoulder.

“Yes, I’m fine, AJ. Please, don’t worry so much about me. I don’t want you to ruin your beautiful face with worry lines.” Rarity gave Applejack a quick kiss. “Not that it would make you any less beautiful, of course.”

That made the cowgirl blush as Rarity pulled away from the kiss. As Lyra and Bon Bon walked past them, she looked away. Her body tensed up as she heard them whisper between themselves. It was one thing for the whole school to see and know that Applejack and Rarity were dating. However, it was another thing for her to realize that she was dating the most beautiful girl at CHS. Applejack was still trying to adjust to the fact that Rarity had chosen to date her. Not to mention that she shared her feelings about her. It was a dream come true for the cowgirl. One that she hoped would never end because she was enjoying it. Once Lyra and Bon Bon were out of view, she relaxed and smiled back at Rarity.

“Well, I’ll try, but no promises.” Applejack grabbed Rarity’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “How ‘bout we go find our friends right now?”

“Sounds good to me,” replied Rarity, leaning her head against Applejack as they walked towards the school’s entrance.

*** *** *** ***

Back at Twilight’s house, Twilight Sparkle was beginning to stir from her slumber. The sound of an irritating buzzing pulled her further from her sleepy state. Her alarm was going off at its usual 6:00 am time. Shifting onto her side, she reached out a hand and lazily dropped it onto the snooze button. For once, she didn’t want to wake up from her sleep. Twilight’s body felt too relaxed and calm for her to think or consider moving out of her bed right now. Yet, the morning light coming in from her window told her she would eventually have to wake up. As she laid there, tucked tightly into her covers, she yawned and stretched out her arms.

In the corner of her bedroom sat a small purple dog bed. That belonged to Spike, and he was currently stretching out on it. The sound of the alarm clock not only woke up Twilight but also woke him up as well. He had been awake with Twilight last night and trying to calm her down. Yet, he felt terrible for Sunset as he had seen her crying before she left. Spike wondered what had happened while he was gone. Twilight hadn’t said anything despite his attempts to get her to tell him. After a few minutes of stretching, he stood up.

“Stupid alarm,” thought Spike, yawning in the process. “Ruining another good dream. Guess chasing those squirrels can wait.”

Spike looked over at Twilight’s bed and saw that she had hidden under the covers. That was odd for her, especially since she loved to stick her schedule. Puzzled by that, he walked over and jumped onto it.

“Twilight? What’s wrong?” asked Spike, shaking Twilight’s shoulder with one of his front paws.

That made Twilight Sparkle groan and pull the covers over herself even more. She didn’t want to get out of her cozy bed and face the day ahead of her. And the idea of having to go to school and see Sunset Shimmer was too much for her. After what occurred last night and nearly staying awake for almost too long crying, she didn’t have the energy to go anywhere. Even more so if that said place was somewhere where she’d likely encounter the redhead. Twilight sighed and turned over onto her back, pulling the blanket down from her shoulders.

“Twilight?” Spike walked over to the side of the bed and licked Twilight’s face. “What’s bothering you?”

Twilight Sparkle reluctantly opened her eyes. She looked over at her window and saw that the sun had risen a bit more, changing the light from a dull blue to a more orange color. That was enough to tell her that it was a little after six. Her body ached and was still stiff from her not moving much since she fell asleep. However, she was awake and alert now, so there was no chance of getting back to her dream. She took a deep breath and sat up against her headboard. Turning to look at Spike, Twilight gave him a scratch behind the ear.

“I’m fine, Spike,” said Twilight Sparkle, trying to hide the fact that she wasn’t okay. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone or any dog for that matter. “Really, I am.”

Spike raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. “Really, Twilight? I know you well enough to know that you,” he moved to sit next to her, “aren’t as okay as you say.”

Twilight sighed. She knew that Spike of people - or animals - would see right through her excuse. Even when she was a little girl, it had always been that way. Twilight could never hide how she felt from him, not even when Twilight tried her hardest to do so. And that was something that she liked about him, especially when she was at her old school, CPA. He was a good companion for Twilight while she tried to pursue her academic studies. Spike came to be hers when he was just a little pup that was squirming around in the pound. To this day, Twilight could still remember that happy day when she went to the pound and chose him.

*Flashback*

A red minivan pulled into a parking lot of a rundown building with a few cracks running down the exterior wall. In the van, sat a five-year-old Twilight Sparkle eagerly bouncing in her car seat. Once the vehicle had gotten parked, and she got freed from the car seatbelts, she jumped down from the seat. Grabbing her mother’s hand in a vice-like grip, she squealed with joy. A young Twilight was practically dragging her mother in an attempt to run towards Canterlot City’s Pound. It was apparent to any passerby that she was excited. Today was the day she would get to choose her puppy, which she had gotten promised for her birthday. And she was growing more impatient by the minute, no longer willing to wait.

“Come on, mommy!! I wanna choose my puppy!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, tugging even harder on her mother’s arm.

“Slow down, sweetie!” shouted Mrs. Velvet as she tried to keep from falling.

Night Light walked behind his wife, smiling at the scene in front of him. He loved his daughter dearly. After all, she was his ray of sunshine. And she was surprisingly smart, similar to her brother, who was planning to leave for school in a few days. Her brother had gotten accepted into a private school of his choice and was going to move out. That made Mr. Light wonder how Twilight was going to cope with that. It was evident that she loved her brother; they would spend every minute that they had hanging out and laughing. And it brought him a lot of happiness to see his children getting along so well and growing close. Somehow, he hoped that Twilight would be able to get through it.

“Slow down for your mom, honey,” said Mr. Light, pushing any thought of Shining Armor leaving aside.

Twilight Sparkle reluctantly slowed down her pace, no longer pulling on her mother’s arm. Eventually, they arrived at the front door and walked inside. The smell of dog kibble and cleaning supplies wafted towards them. Several dogs were barking, almost as if they were greeting them. There were a couple of cats meowing, but they could barely get heard over the louder yipping of some of the dogs. All of this excited the already energetic Twilight. Still gripping her mother’s hand, Twilight tried to run towards the dog kennels. However, she got stopped short when her mother didn’t move.

“Mommy, why aren’t you moving? I wanna see the puppies!” said Twilight Sparkle, her bottom lip quivering.

“We’ll get to the puppies soon, sweetie. We just have to make sure it’s properly trained first,” said Mrs. Velvet, wiping a lone tear off her daughter’s cheek. “Your father and I don’t want it to ruin the house.”

“Oh, okay,” said Twilight Sparkle, sounding a little dejected as she patiently stood by her mother’s side.

After a few minutes of asking questions and searching through logbooks and computer databases, the lady at the counter came back with a manila folder. On the front of the envelope was a picture of a puppy whose fur was a light purple, almost lavender in color, with green ears and tail. Its eyes were a beautiful, iridescent emerald color, and they made the dog look even cuter. And in its mouth was a small, red plastic chew toy shaped like a bone. When Twilight Sparkle saw the picture, she squealed out of excitement and jumped up and down.

“That one! That one! That one! I want that one, mommy!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, pointing at the picture.

Mrs. Velvet laid the folder down on the counter and opened it. “Hmm, a year old. Good. Is the dog potty trained?” Mrs. Velvet looked up from the folder.

“Yes, we trained the dog before it had reached a year old,” said the lady at the counter. “We also neutered him as well.”

“Great.” Mrs. Velvet turned to her daughter and knelt on one knee. “Do you want to see the puppy now, sweetie?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” screamed Twilight Sparkle, jumping up and down excitedly.

With that, Mrs. Velvet took her daughter’s hand and followed the lady to a closed-off area behind the counter. There was a single hallway, barely lit by a dim, yellow light that hung from the ceiling. On either side of them, there were two rows of cages lining the length of the hallway. A few were empty except for ten of the pens. Half of them held cats, ranging from old cats to young, barely alive kittens. The other five had dogs of varying older ages. The last one at the very end of the hallway contained the puppy with no name. As they got closer, he backed further into the cage. Twilight’s eager and ear-piercing screams of joy weren’t helping either.

“Honey, I think you should calm down. You’re scaring the puppy,” said Mr. Light, kneeling next to his daughter.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the puppy, still crouching in the corner. “I’m sorry little puppy.”

“Would you like to see him?” asked the lady who had escorted them.

“Yes, please,” said Twilight Sparkle, keeping her voice low and calm so as not to scare the puppy further.

The lady smiled and grabbed a key from her pocket. Walking over to the cage, she bent down and unlocked the door. As it swung open, the puppy, which still cowered in the corner, looked away from her. It was as if the small creature was scared of people or of being rejected. It had spent months at the pound getting overlooked for other, better dogs. No matter how much it had wagged its tail and yipped happily, no one ever seemed to pay attention to it. That is until today when Twilight Sparkle chose it as her companion.

“Come out, little one. No need to be afraid,” said the lady, holding out her hand.

The puppy only stared at the outstretched hand, eyes wide with fear and hesitation.

“May I try?” asked Twilight Sparkle, walking over to where the lady was standing. “I think he’ll come out for me.”

“Be my guest,” replied the lady, stepping back and allowing twilight Sparkle to have full access to the cage.

Twilight Sparkle sat down on the floor in front of the cage. She looked at the dog, keeping her hands to herself. She didn’t want to make any sudden movements and risk frightening it any more than it already was. As she scooted closer, she could see that its small body was trembling a little. That made Twilight look away from it and sigh. Maybe getting the dog to come out was harder than she thought. However, if there was one thing she didn’t like, it was sad animals. So, picking her head up, she resolved to try and coax it out of the cage.

“Hey, little puppy. My name is Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight slowly outstretched her hand towards the puppy. “Want to come and say hi?”

The puppy glanced at Twilight Sparkle’s hand before meeting her eyes. As soon as he looked at her eyes, he saw something. Something that was different about her, something that made him want to meet her: instead of the usual pitied look that he got, he saw a glimpse of… genuine love in her purple eyes. No one had given him that kind of love, not since he was abruptly abandoned here at the pound. Slowly, the puppy moved one paw towards the girl. When she didn’t flinch away from him, he cautiously moved another paw. Still, she didn’t move or leave. That made him take a few steps closer to her. After a few minutes, he was sitting about a foot away from where Twilight was seated.

“May I pet you?” asked Twilight Sparkle, making sure not to move her hand.

The little puppy nodded, stepping closer to Twilight in the process. He braced himself for the feeling of being pet, instead of getting kicked or slapped harshly. The previous owners always hit him whenever he had done something too annoying or too destructive in their house. Eventually, they dropped him off here and left without so much as a goodbye. When he felt a hand rest lightly on the back of his head, he couldn’t help but shiver a little at the touch. As the puppy felt Twilight rub her hand against his fur, he began to relax ever so slightly. It was nice to have a gentle hand touching him rather than getting beaten to death. The memories tried to resurface, but he pushed them aside, not wanting to ruin the moment.

“Aww, you’re so soft and cute,” said Twilight Sparkle, gently petting the puppy. “Wanna meet my mommy and daddy?”

Nodding, the puppy allowed himself to get pulled out of the cage. As he was seated in Twilight’s lap, he adjusted himself so that his back legs rested nicely against her thighs. It felt so good to be in a loving embrace of a young child. And it was almost enough to make him forget where he had once been. He looked up and saw two tall figures standing in front of him. He assumed that they were Twilight’s parents. When the mother bent down, the puppy pushed himself against Twilight, frightened by the sudden movement of another person coming near him.

“It’s okay. Mommy just wants to meet you,” Twilight Sparkle said, rubbing the puppy’s head gently.

Mrs. Velvet reached out a hand and slowly scratched the back of the puppy’s ear. It took her by surprise that the puppy’s fur, although rough looking, was actually soft and silky despite the appearance. Feeling the small creature trembling beneath her hand, she pulled her hand away. Mrs. Velvet didn’t want to stress it out too much. Stepping back, she joined her husband.

“Well, he certainly is sweet. And a very good boy,” said Mr. Light, holding his wife’s one hand.

The lady smiled and said, “Yes, he is a good boy. But sadly, today is his last day here if no one adopts him. The shelter can’t afford to keep him anymore.”

Twilight Sparkle nudged the puppy off her lap. She didn’t want him or herself to get injured. After a few reluctant minutes, he got off and walked back into his cage. Once he was sitting near the entrance of it, she jumped to her feet.

“What do you mean it’s his last day?!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, unknowingly making the puppy shrink back from her.

The lady knelt in front of Twilight Sparkle and rested a hand on her shoulder. “I mean, we are going to have to put him to sleep by the end of the day.”

Tears welled up on the outer corners of Twilight Sparkle’s eyes as her bottom lip began to quiver. She was smart enough to know what the lady meant by that. Her intellect was a bit higher than an average five-year-old’s, which benefited her in many ways. And her growing curiosity made her want to know about everything around her and in the world. However, today it didn’t do that. Instead, it made Twilight realize the stark reality that the beloved puppy was going to face.

Waking over to her mother, she said, “Mommy, can we please get this puppy?”

Mrs. Velvet looked at her husband. “Well, what do you think, hon?”

“I think… we’ll take the puppy,” replied Mr. Light, giving his daughter a wide smile.

That made Twilight Sparkle jump up and down several times as she was beyond excited. Still jittery, she watched as the lady grabbed the puppy, carrying him in her arms. With her parents behind her, she followed the lady to a room where there were rows upon rows of collars hanging from shelves. It seemed that every color of the rainbow and in between was there. It was like she had stepped into a colorful wonderland of collars. The rows looked like they went on endlessly. As Twilight stood in awe at the sight in front of her, the lady went down one of the aisles and grabbed three collars. When she came back, she laid them down on the counter.

“Okay, which collar would you like?” asked the lady, bending down on one knee in front of Twilight Sparkle.

Twilight Sparkle looked over the three options. One of the collars was a bright baby blue with many metallic silver paw prints all around it. The second one was a fiery fuchsia with tiny phoenixes all over it instead of paw prints. But the last one was very different from the others. It was a very dark purple, dark enough to look black in the right lighting. There were small metal spikes that were barely sharp. And the spikes ran the length of the collar, giving it an edgy vibe. Seeing that one, Twilight smiled.

“This one,” said Twilight Sparkle, pointing to the purple collar on the end.

“Okay. The spiked collar it is.” the lady grabbed the collar and walked behind the counter. Turning her back to Twilight, she grabbed a bone-shaped pendant that was gold on the edges and red in the middle.

Laying the pendant on a laser etching device, she turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Okay, what shall your new puppy’s name be?”

Twilight looked around at the pound. She saw various flyers with pictures of other dogs posted near the entrance. Nothing about the photos did anything to spur any name ideas. Moving her attention to the rows upon rows of collars, she looked at each collar separately. They all varied in different ways, making her head spin staring at them. With so many combinations, it seemed plausible to come up with a name for her new puppy. But surprisingly, it seemed to overwhelm Twilight instead of helping her. Deciding to give up on her search, she turned back to the collar she chose. As she saw the spikes, that’s when an idea came to her.

“I will name him… Spike,” said Twilight Sparkle, her eyes lighting up as if a light bulb came on.

“Are you sure that’s the one you want to go with?” asked the lady as she slid the pendant underneath the laser etcher.

“Yes, it is,” said Twilight Sparkle, giving Spike a wide smile. “Do you like your new name, Spike?”

Spike nodded and let out a small bark. For the first time in ages, he wagged his tail. His new owner also seemed to have the same amount of happiness. Before he could realize it, he was in a hug – and a very tight one at that. He was struggling to breathe under the grip-like vice he was in. Luckily, before he was about to pass out from lack of oxygen, Twilight let go of him and allowed him to breathe again.

“Okay, here’s the pendant and collar,” said the lady as he placed the pendant onto the collar. It made a light jingling sound as she moved the collar.

Mrs. Velvet grabbed the collar and handed it to Twilight Sparkle. “Go ahead and put it on him, sweetie.”

Obliging, Twilight Sparkle slipped the collar around Spike’s neck. Once she had it around him, her father helped her fasten the collar. Standing back, she looked at the collar on Spike. The dark purple contrasted well with his lavender colored fur. The spikes on it made him look unique as well. Twilight beamed, delighted with her choice. Her happy mood got furthered when she saw the excited tail wag she got from Spike.

“Mom. Dad. Why don’t you two follow me to the counter to sign a few papers?” asked the lady, handing Twilight Sparkle a leash to put onto Spike’s collar.

Mrs. Velvet and her husband walked with the lady back to the front counter, where the file on Spike was still sitting. Twilight Sparkle followed suit, with Spike on his leash. As her parents stood at the counter, signing off on the adoption papers, she looked down at Spike. She couldn’t believe that she had a puppy of her own. After two years of persistent asking, she finally got her birthday wish. And now here he was, wagging his green, fluffy tail behind him. Squealing, she bent down and kissed him on the nose.

“I love you, Spike,” whispered Twilight Sparkle, her violet eyes meeting his green ones.

Spike jumped onto Twilight, licking her cheek a few times and coating it in slobber. As he watched her wipe her cheek dry, he saw that she was grinning from ear to ear. It was apparent that she was going to love him and that Spike was no longer going to spend another day at the horrible pound. In his excitement, he jumped up and accidentally knocked Twilight over, landing in her lap. Spike turned his head as he heard footsteps approaching them.

“Well, Spike’s yours now, sweetie. Are you ready to go home?” asked Mrs. Velvet, holding the adoption documents in her one hand.

Twilight Sparkle nodded and let Spike get down from her lap. With one hand holding her mother’s and the other holding Spike’s leash, she walked out of the pound. Unbeknownst to her, Spike stole one last glance at the place where he had spent most of his life. With a content sigh, he looked at Twilight. For the first time, he was sure he had found his forever home.

To Twilight Sparkle, the car ride home seemed much shorter than the one to the pound. She spent most of the time petting Spike and looking out the window at the passing cars. She was as happy as a five-year-old could get, smiling widely as she watched the vehicle turn onto her street. But as her house came into view, the happiness faded. Standing outside on the porch was her brother, Shining Armor. In his arms was the last box of his stuff. He had applied to go to Crystal Prep, a very prestigious school. However, with it being a private school, it meant that he would have to leave his family. Something that Twilight had unfortunately become acutely aware of over the last few months.

“Mommy, why is Shining Armor leaving now?” asked Twilight Sparkle, her voice on the verge of breaking.

Mrs. Velvet sighed. Turning to face her daughter, she broke the news. “Honey, he was planning on leaving in a few days. I guess he had to leave now instead.”

That only made Twilight’s lip quiver more. As her father parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition, she unbuckled herself and opened her door. Not waiting for her parents, she ran over to Shining Armor. As she threw herself onto him, she hugged him tightly.

“Please… don’t go, big brother!” sobbed Twilight Sparkle, crying against her brother as he set down the box and hugged her back.

Shining Armor looked at his parents. They both gave him an apologetic look. Looking down at his sister, who was now gripping his shirt tightly, he sighed. He could feel her body rocking slightly from her sobbing. It broke his heart to leave his home and to leave behind his sweet, little sister. But he needed to, despite how much it hurt to do it. Crystal Prep was one of the best schools in Canterlot City. And through it, he could pursue his career as a Canterlot City police officer. He hoped that he could be Chief of Police one day, just like his father had been.

“Twily…” Shining Armor pulled himself away from his sister’s tight hug. “Look at me.”

Twilight Sparkle, sniffling, looked up at her brother. “What, big brother?”

“I am leaving today. I have to.” Shining Armor watched as his sister started to cry more. He rested a hand on her chin, pulling her eyes to meet his. “But I’ll never be more than a phone call away, okay?”

“Really?” asked Twilight Sparkle, rubbing her nose on the sleeve of her shirt.

“Yes, Twily,” Shining Armor said, resting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Here’s my number.” He handed her a piece of paper with a series of numbers written hastily on it. “Call me whenever you need your big bro, alright?”

“Okay. Thanks, big brother,” said Twilight Sparkle, sniffling as she wiped a few tears off her face.

Shining Armor watched as his sister ran into the house. He walked over to their parents, unaware that Twilight had hidden behind the doorway and was still watching them.

“Will Twilight be okay?” asked Shining Armor. “I hate leaving on such short notice.”

Mrs. Velvet looked at her son, smiling at him. “I’m sure your sister will be fine. She is just as resilient and smart as you are.”

Shining Armor gave his mom a quick hug, saying, “I hope so. I can see her getting into Crystal Prep as well.”

Night Light grabbed his son’s arm, pulling him into a hug. As he felt his son hug back, he felt a few solitary tears run down the side of his cheek. He was as proud as a father could be of his son. After seeing Shining Armor growing up from a toddler to the grown man he was becoming now, Night Light was happy. And to see his beautiful daughter and son getting along made him the proudest father. He wanted a happy family with the girl of his dreams, and he got that wish. Finally, after a few minutes, he pulled away and looked at his son, meeting his gaze.

“I’m very proud of you. I knew that those late nights would pay off,” said Mr. Light.

“Yep, dad. All those late nights did pay off. Now, I have many more ahead of me,” joked Shining Armor.

“I’m sure they’ll be worth it as well, son,” Mr. Light said as he chuckled.

“Well, I should probably get going now. And Twilight should get to enjoy her new companion. Hopefully, that’ll fill the void a little,” said Shining Armor as Spike ran up to him.

Giving the puppy a few scratches behind the ear, Shining Armor gave Twilight Sparkle a wink. He grabbed the box of his stuff and walked over to his van. Stepping inside, he closed the door, watching Spike and his parents head towards the house. He buckled up before putting his keys into the ignition. The van sputtered to life with a loud roar of the engine. Shining Armor looked up to see Twilight standing next to their parents. With a final wave goodbye, he backed out of the driveway.

As Twilight Sparkle saw her brother’s van disappear from view, the tears she was previously holding back, started to fall. Still crying, she ran up the stairs; her destination was her safe bedroom. She opened the door and saw the vacant side of her room. The only thing that sat on the other side was what used to be her brother’s bed. But now stripped of the sheets, quilts, and pillows, it looked sad. Even his desk was as barren as his bed. All the posters he had now left blank walls behind. The side of her room, which she had shared with her brother, was now bare and cold. Sitting on her bed, Twilight sobbed quietly. It hurt to see that she would spend the rest of her school life without her big brother to show her the way. He was barely gone 15-20 minutes, yet, she knew that it would be much longer before she ever saw him again.

Spike, having followed Twilight Sparkle to her room, sat in the doorway. He let out a small whimper, tilting his head to the side. He was concerned for his new owner. Why was she crying? And what should he do? Should he walk over to her? Or just stay where he was? He wasn’t sure of the answer. But letting out another whimper, he saw her lift her head and look at him.

“Come here, Spike,” said Twilight Sparkle, sounding like she had a stuffy nose as she spoke.

Obeying, Spike walked over to Twilight and jumped up on her bed. Still seeing tears falling off Twilight’s cheek, he licked her one cheek. He could taste the salty tears on his tongue. But it didn’t matter to him at the moment. Spike licked her cheek again, seeing that it made Twilight smile a little. Licking her cheek a third time, he heard her laugh, even if it was weak. Wagging his tail, he was happy that he had succeeded in cheering up his new owner.

“Th-Thanks, Spike. I’m so glad I have you,” whispered Twilight Sparkle, hugging her new puppy.

*End of Flashback*

“Uh, Twilight?” asked Spike, waving a paw in front of her face. “Earth to Twilight!”

Twilight Sparkle blinked, seeing a purple fur-covered paw waving in front of her. Realizing that she had accidentally zoned out, she turned to Spike. “Uh, sorry. You were saying?”

“Gee, Twilight. You really must not be okay. I was just saying that I know well enough to know that you’re not okay,” replied Spike, scratching an itch underneath his collar.

“Oh, uh, right.” Twilight Sparkle shifted in her bed, leaning forward. “Well, I am fine.”

“Seriously, Twi? I can see that you’re not fine, despite what you say.” Spike moved closer to Twilight, sitting underneath one of her wings. “Come on, what’s wrong? And what happened with Sunset?”

“Um, we got into an argument, and Sunset… injured me.” The words came out in a small whisper. The attack was still fresh to Twilight Sparkle, and the bandage on her arm served as a reminder of it.

“Wait. You got injured by Sunset?” asked Spike, raising an eyebrow. It was shocking to hear that Sunset Shimmer, someone who he knew cared about Twilight, would injure her. That seemed very unlike her.

Twilight Sparkle, in her annoyance at Spike’s disbelief, pulled her injured arm out from the covers. Rolling up her sleeve, she revealed the bandage covering the five lacerations caused by the redhead. It started to become soaked with her blood, making her realize that she’d have to change it. Twilight figured the blood came from her moving around in her sleep and opening the wounds a little.

“Yes, I did! She grabbed my arm and left me with this!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, pointing to the bloodied bandage.

Spike shrunk away from Twilight, eyeing the bandage on her arm. Seeing the blood on the front of it was enough to make him gag. Yet, the smell of it was another thing. His stomach gurgled at the scent of the metallic liquid as he tried to avoid inhaling more of it. It was evident that the blood was recent, which only made his nausea worse. Turning away, Spike covered his muzzle, trying to keep himself from gagging. Unfortunately, Twilight noticed his change in demeanor.

Hiding her arm beneath the blanket again, Twilight Sparkle said, “Sorry, Spike. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Spike, finally able to keep his stomach contents under control, turned to look at Twilight. He was glad that she had put her injured arm back under the blanket. The smell of blood was making him start to lose his appetite. And he wanted to eat breakfast rather than miss out on it, especially since today her parents were making waffles. That was his favorite breakfast food, and he hoped that Twilight would share some with him. But for now, Spike pushed his thoughts on food aside.

“I-It’s okay, Twi. I am sorry that you got injured. Do you think it was Sunset’s doing?” asked Spike, curling up against Twilight Sparkle, enjoying the warmth of her wings around him.

“I-I don’t know. Sunset grabbed my arm, but I was the one who pulled away from her. I don’t think she meant for it to happen. Yet, that doesn’t change what happened between us,” replied Twilight Sparkle, burrowing her eyebrows and staring at her blanket as she recalled the event.

Spike, still enjoying the warmth and comfort of Twilight’s wing, yawned. It was nice to be close to her and didn’t mind her feathery appendages. If anything, he was glad they had stuck around for a while. Their warmth and softness made Spike feel like he was lying on a cloud. His lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him. And sitting in the warmth was making him even sleepier. Once he finished yawning, he looked up at Twilight.

“What exactly happened when Sunset attacked you?” asked Spike.

Instinctively, Twilight Sparkle gripped her arm under the blanket. As she touched her skin, she felt the heat that was radiating off of it. It didn’t shock her as that part of her arm was also sensitive to anything brushing against it. Even the lightest of touches made her feel like pins and needles were getting poked into her. Unable to stand the pinprick feeling any longer, she let her hand fall away. Letting her move over her arm, Twilight felt the cuts move as well, causing her to inhale shapely as she felt her pain increase. She hadn’t realized how close her hand had gotten to the cuts. Once it was safely off her arm, she sighed.

“Sunset had claws, very sharp claws. And when I tried to leave my room, she grabbed my arm tightly. That caused them… to dig into it. When I asked her to let go of me, she didn’t respond. So… I yanked my arm back and her claws, they… sliced through my skin,” said Twilight Sparkle, her voice quivering as she replayed the events in her head. A shiver ran through her body as the pain came back.

As Spike heard Twilight speak, he was unable to move. The pain in her voice made it evident that she had gotten badly hurt, emotionally, and physically. And the images that played in his mind as he tried to imagine the scene paralyzed him. Spike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It shocked him that Sunset Shimmer would hurt Twilight at all, even if he had seen proof of it. However, he remembered that Sunset was crying as she was on her way out, so she obviously felt some remorse for the accidental attack. Yet, that did little to nothing to change the shock factor.

“By any chance, did Sunset have red skin, bat-like wings, and black sclera as well as her claws?” asked Spike.

Twilight Sparkle at Spike, her eyes wide with shock. “Y-yeah! How did you-”

“Know? I overheard the girls talking about Sunset’s past transformation when you were getting ready to leave the library a few months ago. I believe they called her demon form… Demon Shimmer,” replied Spike, answering Twilight‘s question.

“Wait. What? Did you know this whole fucking time? And you didn't bother to tell me about it?!” shouted Twilight Sparkle. She felt a tingling sensation at the base of her wings. As the feeling built up, she felt them open in response to her anger, knocking off one of her pillows.

Spike gulped. He never saw Twilight get this angry before, least of all at him. She was usually mild-mannered, but today was she different. Today, she seemed more aggressive than usual. Yet, he could see that it was for a good reason. He had lied to her, and to top that off, Twilight had gotten lied to and injured by Sunset. That made Spike lower his head while he continued to meet Twilight’s gaze. Watching her eyes go from wide to pinpoint small made his body tense up as he tried to keep from baking away. As Spike looked at Twilight, he saw the edges of her glasses turn into bright blue as they slowly spread, illuminating her eyes.

“Twi-Twilight?” said Spike “Your glasses are, um, disappearing.”

That made Twilight Sparkle blink, momentarily snapping her out of her anger. She jumped out of her bed, tossing the covers aside as she ran towards her mirror. Seeing her glasses, she saw the blue flames that were slowly enveloping the frames of her glasses. As she reached a hand up to touch the flames, she felt the frames become solid again. However, Twilight couldn’t forget what she saw in the reflection. Just as Spike had said, they were blue flames. The same blue flames she had as Midnight Sparkle.

“Why did that happen? Was it because I was… angry?” thought Twilight Sparkle as she stared at her reflection.

“That was weird,” Spike said as he jumped down from Twilight’s bed and joined her by the mirror.

Looking at Spike, Twilight Sparkle said, “Yeah, it was. I hope it doesn’t happen again. Now, back to you knowing about Demon Shimmer. Is that really what the girls called Sunset’s demon form?”

“Yep,” replied Spike.

“Why did you keep that from me, Spike? Don’t you think I deserved to know about Sunset becoming a she-demon considering what happened at the Friendship Games?” asked Twilight Sparkle, gesturing to her appearance.

“Yeah, I do. But, I promised that I would keep it a secret. The girls told me that Sunset wanted to wait until the right time to tell you,” said Spike.

“Why did Sunset want to keep it from me?” Twilight’s voice trembled a little as she asked the question.

“The girls said something about Sunset fearing that you would see her differently and that she’d lose you because of her past,” Spike said, laying down.

“Sunset was scared of losing me and that I would see her differently? Is that why she was so insistent on me telling her how I saw her now that I have seen Demon Shimmer? Does Sunset really feel that I would walk if I knew the truth?” thought Twilight Sparkle, looking down at the floor, staring at the various scratches that covered it. “Is that what she thought of me?”

“Well, you did that. You basically walked away when you said you couldn’t be Sunset’s friend anymore. You also judged her and let her appearance as well as her past change your view of her. And that is exactly what Sunset didn’t want to happen,” said Twilight’s inner voice.

“I have my reasons for how I acted. Sunset betrayed my trust when she chose to lie to me for a whole year,” thought Twilight Sparkle.

“So, you decided to break Sunset’s heart and prove that she was right to be scared? Do you understand that she was scared of losing you because you might see her differently if you knew how she used to be?” asked Twilight’s conscience.

“I-I see your point. However, I can’t forgive Sunset, let alone look at her right now. So, just shut up about what I did wrong,” thought Twilight Sparkle as she looked away from the floor.

There was no response from Twilight’s conscience.

“Really? That’s what the girls said about why Sunset lied to me?” asked Twilight Sparkle as she walked over to her dresser, opening the top drawer as she spoke.

“Uh-huh. That was before Sunset walked up and explained everything about how she transformed into Demon Shimmer,” replied Spike, lifting one of his back legs to scratch an inch that was forming behind his ear. “She seemed to be scared that you’d never see her as the same girl. She also worried that you’d hate for what she did and for keeping it from you.”

“Hate her?! I became the same thing and tried to destroy this world on a wild quest for knowledge. Why did Sunset think that I would hate her when I am not better?” Twilight Sparkle asked, her voice sounding muffled as she bent down and grabbed a new blouse from the drawer.

Pulling off her nightshirt, which now had holes where her wings had ripped though, she tossed it aside. As she slipped her head through the top of the blouse, she felt her arm start to sting. That caused her to stop moving, lowering her injured arm. It felt like the lacerations were getting pulled open along the bandage’s movement. And it was making her want to scream from the sheer amount of pain traveling up her forearm. As Twilight stared at the bandage, she saw that it was becoming soaked in more blood.

“Great. Now I’ll have to change the bandage,” muttered Twilight Sparkle, reluctantly pulling her arm through the blouse’s sleeve.

“I don’t know. The girls wouldn’t say. All they would tell me is that Sunset was ashamed of what she had done in the past. And that she was disturbed enough by it that it was a sensitive subject for her,” replied Spike, making his way back to his bed and laying down.

“Well, then I guess I will have to ask the girls myself then,” said Twilight Sparkle, pulling her shirt all the way down, letting the fabric hug her figure.

“Guess so…” mumbled Spike as he dozed off back to sleep.

Twilight Sparkle turned around and smiled. Despite her anger at Spike for keeping the fact he knew about Sunset’s past a secret, she couldn’t resist forgiving him when he looked so peaceful. When she turned back to her drawer, she saw that the time was 6:23 am. As soon as she saw the time, she quickly pulled off the rest of her pajamas and grabbed a skirt from the second drawer below the one she had opened earlier. Twilight slipped on her skirt and felt her tail twitch in response to her touch. When it twitched, she recalled the same thing happening when Sunset was talking about how unsettling her appearance was to look at. The image of the yellow and red tail flicking in response to Sunset’s hatred and disgust at her appearance replayed in her head. It made her freeze, her hand touching the base of her tail.

“Why Sunset? Why couldn’t you have told me the truth to begin with?” thought Twilight Sparkle as she let her hand fall away from her tail. “Why must you hurt me like this, leaving me wondering if you ever cared about me…”

Just then, a knocking sound on her door pulled Twilight away from her thoughts. She looked at the door just as it opened a crack. Behind it, was her father giving her a look of worry.

“Hey honey, are you okay? You didn’t come down for breakfast, so your mom sent me up here,” said Mr. Light as he opened the door a little more and stepped inside his daughter’s room. “Plus… I was worried about my special girl,” added Mr. Light, giving his daughter a small smile.

Twilight Sparkle pulled her wings close to her body, hiding her face from her father. It was amazing that he was the one who had come to check on her. As of late, she had gotten used to him avoiding her room entirely. Yet, today, he decided to come in, and that made her smile. It was sweet to see him finally acknowledging her the way he used to, instead of acting like she was a different person. Twilight understood why her father had avoided being around her for a while. After all, she knew that it was not easy for him to look at her when she had the appearance of a she-demon. Still, she appreciated the fact that he was willing to come in and check on her, despite that change. And Twilight had to admit; it was nice to see him smile again.

“I’m fine, dad,” said Twilight Sparkle, her one hand covering the blood on her bandage.

Mr. Light walked over to his daughter. As he got closer, he saw that she had a bandage on her arm. That made his heart race faster, and a thousand questions flooded his mind. Why was she hurt? Who had hurt her? Why didn’t she come to him or her mother? Did she feel that she needed to hide it from them? Or… was it because he had… failed as a father? As the questions swarmed in his head, they started to become too much. Shaking his head, Mr. Light cleared the swarm of questions. Right now, his daughter was more important. And he could see that she wasn’t okay, not in the least.

“Hon… I can see that you’re not fine. Please, talk to me,” said Mr. Light, hesitantly resting a hand on one of his daughter’s wings.

Twilight turned to look up at her father. As tempting as the desire to pull away from his touch was, she ignored it. Instead, she let him rest his hand on her wing. A part of her was happy just to enjoy the moment, not to speak and stay there with her father. She didn’t want to risk scaring him. Not when it had been almost a week since she was able to have this kind of moment with him. And with all that had happened in the recent week, she needed his support more than ever. But Twilight knew that her father wasn’t going to let her enjoy it. At least, not until she talked to him. Her father was irritably stubborn that way, something she got from him.

“Dad, when Sunset came over last night, she injured me,” replied Twilight Sparkle, letting her hand fall away and revealing the dark red bloodstains on the gauze.

Turning around, Twilight faced her father and lowered her wings. She pulled them against her back, making sure that they didn’t obscure the bandage. Allowing her father to see the bandage on her arm was terrifying. And it made her worry about how he was going to react to seeing it. She knew that he was protective of her, but she didn’t want him to do anything drastic. Twilight knew that it was likely her fault for the injury happening in the first place. Although she wasn’t willing to acknowledge that fact, especially when she was still pissed at Sunset Shimmer.

“Wait. What?! She injured you?” As Mr. Light watched his daughter lower her wings, pulling them away and turning to face him, his jaw dropped as he saw the sight of dark red bloodstains. “Oh my…”

Twilight Sparkle gulped. It was getting uncomfortable standing there and having her father stare at the bandage. However, she understood his shock and disbelief. She was still trying to wrap her head around what occurred last night as well. The feeling of having Sunset’s claws raking through her skin as she pulled away took her by surprise. She couldn’t figure out whether it was because she didn’t think her claws would be able to do that or if she hadn’t expected to get injured. Yet, Twilight was aware that she had yanked her arm away. And despite what she wanted to believe, it was apparent that Sunset never wanted to harm her, even though that happened anyway.

“D-Dad? Are you okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle when her father hadn’t said anything for the last five minutes.

Mr. Light blinked and shook his head, snapping himself out of his initial shock. He gently grabbed his daughter’s arm, examining the bandage. It was clear that it needed to be changed soon. There were large amounts of dried blood all over, forming five lines linear to the lacerations. But on top of it was fresh blood, telling him that the wounds must’ve recently opened. Cautiously, Mr. Light stepped a little closer to Twilight.

“Yes, I am fine. Would you mind if I took a look, Twilight? Just to make sure that your wounds aren’t infected.” Mr. Light looked up at his daughter, hoping that she would allow him to make sure she was okay.

“Go ahead, dad,” said Twilight Sparkle, grateful that she wouldn’t have to remove her bandages on her own.

Mr. Light let go of his daughter’s arm and walked over to her bathroom. He pulled out the first aid kit, which had sat on the shelves next to her towels, the same as the one in the guest bathroom. It was because of his insistence that she kept one just in case of emergencies like this one. Once he had it, he walked back out of the bathroom and sat down on her bed. Mr. Light set the kit down and motioned for his daughter to join him.

“Come over here, hon,” said Mr. Light as he pulled out a pair of scissors along with a gauze pad and some butterfly bandages.

Twilight Sparkle sat on her bed, next to the first aid kit. She was careful to keep her wings from bumping into anything. However, their large size made that rather tricky to pull off. Thankfully, her father moved the stuff and allowed her to have enough room to rest them comfortably. She held out her arm, letting her father peel off the strips of tape. With a ripping sound, each piece of tape was removed from her forearm one by one. Eventually, only the gauze was left getting held onto by the dried blood, which coated Twilight’s arm. As her father started to pull off the gauze pad, Twilight felt her skin getting pulled along with it, and that resulted in her trying to tug her arm away. Seconds later, she felt the gauze settle back onto her skin, letting her know that her father had released his grip on it. Looking up, she saw his worried gaze staring back at her.

“Are you alright? Should I stop?” asked Mr. Light as he pulled his hand away from the gauze, not wanting to make his daughter pull away again. “I don’t want to hurt you, sweetie.”

Twilight Sparkle managed a weak smile, not wanting to show her father the sharp fangs which had replaced her canines. Grabbing his hand, she said, “I’m okay, dad. It just hurt a little is all. Just pull it off quickly like one oversized bandaid.”

“Are you sure?” asked Mr. Light as he gripped the edge of the gauze again.

Twilight nodded and tried her best to brace herself for what was to come. Biting her lip, she accidentally let one of her fangs show in the process. She heard her father gasp softly, and she realized that he had seen her exposed fang. And it dug at Twilight to know that he was still scared of her, even though he was helping her with her injury. She turned away and hid her face, not wanting to frighten him any further. Moments later, she felt a quick tug on her arm, and the feeling of the gauze getting pulled free from her skin. A wave of brief, sharp stinging, searing pain hit her instantly afterward. However, it only lasted a few seconds before dying out into a dull ache across her forearm.

Mr. Light covered his mouth as his gag reflex threatened to kick in. He saw the five lacerations that ran across the inside portion of his daughter’s arm. The cuts looked like they had healed slightly around the edges and corners, where the injuries ended. Across each of them were 2-3 butterfly bandages, which had gotten covered in a layer of blood, turning their usual white appearance red. The lacerations themselves were surprisingly even spaced, making the skin in between them look like it could fall away with a single slice. To him, Twilight’s arm looked like it had lost a war with a set of tiger claws. It was a very sickening sight for Mr. Light to see. He used all of his willpower and shoved his urge to vomit aside. After taking a deep breath, he grasped his daughter’s hand.

“Are you ready for the next part?” asked Mr. Light, wishing that his daughter would look at him.

Twilight Sparkle felt her father’s hand grab her smaller one. That made her glance at him from the corner of her eye, wondering if she could look at him again. However, his earlier reaction made her hesitate in doing so. She didn’t want to get hurt again, especially by her father. Instead, Twilight resigned herself to looking at the quilt on her bed, letting her eyes wander over the design on the fabric.

“No, but go ahead,” replied Twilight Sparkle, keeping her voice low.

Mr. Light sighed. He knew that his daughter had realized that he was still a bit scared of her. And he knew the minute the gasp slipped past his lips that it would hurt Twilight. However, there was nothing he could do to take it back, even though he wanted to. Deep down, he knew that it wasn’t right to be afraid… of his daughter. It was supposed to be his job to show her unconditional love, to support her no matter what her dreams are. Yet, he was acting like she was going to harm him. His own daughter. All because she looked different from how she usually did. Still ashamed that he had hurt his daughter’s feelings, Mr. Light set to work removing the bloodied butterfly bandages.

“So… how did Sunset attack you? These look like claw marks, which is unusual, to say the last,” Mr. Light said, trying to break the heavy silence in the room.

Twilight Sparkle gulped, feeling a lump forming in her throat. She hadn’t expected her father to ask that question right away, especially since he didn’t seem to want to talk about her appearance. Then again, she knew he probably would ask it at some point. However, there was a problem; her parents weren’t aware of what had happened to Sunset. And if they were to find out, they may decide to keep her from seeing her. Despite everything that occurred last night, there was some part of Twilight that couldn’t stand the thought of never being able to see Sunset again. She didn’t like that she still cared for the redhead after everything, but she couldn’t help it.

“Uh, Sunset…” Twilight Sparkle wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to reveal Sunset’s secret to her father. Yet, what else could she say to explain the lacerations? Her father was right; those were claw marks on her forearm. Taking a deep breath, Twilight said, “Well, she has claws, dad. And when she grabbed me, that’s when I got injured.”

“Woah, wait. Sunset has… claws? How?” Mr. Light pulled off the last butterfly bandage and looked up at his daughter with wide eyes.

“Um, because like me, Sunset has transformed into her demon form,” replied Twilight Sparkle, hoping her father wouldn’t freak out too much.

“Oh, Sunset has?” asked Mr. Light, seemingly calm and collected. “So, you two have something in common with you both having gotten turned into… she-demons?”

Twilight looked directly at her father, her eyes wide with shock. How could he be taking this so well? Moments ago, he could barely handle seeing the sight of her fangs. And he could barely handle looking at her for the last week. Now, out of nowhere, he seems fine with knowing that her best friend has claws that can cut skin? The sudden change in her father’s demeanor made Twilight’s head spin around.

“Yeah, I guess we do. Dad, how are you suddenly okay with that? Earlier, you gasped when I accidentally showed you my… fangs.” Twilight Sparkle hesitated in saying the word, not sure if her father was okay with her mentioning it.

Mr. Light met his daughter’s eyes, smiling as he saw the brilliant mulberry they had become. For once, he saw his daughter. Not her wings, or her fangs, or even the tail, which was now flicking back and forth behind her for some odd reason. All that was in front of him was his beautiful daughter, someone who he had raised for the better part of 17 years. And his love for her was more than enough to help him see past the changes. Ignoring his uneasiness, Mr. Light squeezed his daughter’s hand.

“While I was standing here next to you, I had an epiphany. I realized that despite your recent, uh, changes, you’re still my baby girl,” said Mr. Light.

As her father said those words, tears began to well up on the corner of Twilight Sparkle’s eyes. Blinking, she caused some of the tears to fall down her cheeks. To hear that her father saw past the changes and that she was still his daughter, it meant the world to her. And it made her feel better, something that she needed after Sunset’s betrayal. Twilight wiped one of the tears away with her good arm, not wanting to move her other one. Without the gauze or butterfly bandages covering them, she feared any movement would reopen the cuts.

“Do you… do you mean that dad?” asked Twilight Sparkle, smiling at her father.

Mr. Light nodded. “Yes, I do mean that, honey. You’re my baby girl, how could I not love you, wings and all?”

That was all it took for Twilight’s floodgate of tears to break. However, they were joyful tears because she had her father back. For a brief moment, she went to go and hug him. But a stinging sensation in her arm prevented her from doing that. Remembering that her injuries needed to get tended to, she grabbed the antiseptic bottle.

“Well, I am happy to hear that. I really am. But… mind helping me finish cleaning my arm?” asked Twilight Sparkle, handing the bottle to her father.

Mr. Light chuckled as he grabbed the bottle. “Sure, hon. I wouldn’t want those cuts to get reopened.”

With that, Mr. Light walks back to the bathroom, wanting to grab a washcloth. Finding them located near the towels on the shelf, he took one and turned to the sink. Turning on the faucet, he ran the cloth under the water, ringing it out afterward. Once he had a wet washcloth, Mr. Light walked back to where Twilight was sitting on her bed. As he sat next to her, he felt her put one of her wings against his back. And he could tell that she was hesitant to do that because of his earlier reaction. Yet, he didn’t flinch or move away, wanting his actions to show that he had meant what he said. The feelings of her feathers touching him was an odd, yet comforting sensation. He smiled to himself as he held the washcloth over her forearm.

“May I?” asked Mr. Light, holding the washcloth as if he was holding an engagement ring.

Giggling at the sight of her father holding the washcloth as if he was proposing to her, Twilight Sparkle said, “You may.”

Smiling, Mr. Light pressed the wet washcloth to his daughter’s skin. Being as gentle as he could manage, he tried not to reopen the cuts as he washed off the dried blood. Once he had finished that, the once tan cloth had gotten tainted with the reddish-brown color. Taking the antiseptic bottle, he doused a cotton ball. Now with it in hand, he began to dab the cuts, trying to be as gentle as he could. However, despite his best efforts, Mr. Light still felt Twilight jerk slightly every time he touched the cotton to her arm. After a few minutes of applying the antiseptic and knee-jerk reaction, he managed to finish with the red wad of cotton. He set it aside and grabbed the box of butterfly bandages.

“So, are you planning on telling the rest of your friends what happened to you?” asked Mr. Light as he placed the first bandage on Twilight’s arm.

Twilight Sparkle winced as she felt the bandage touch her skin. “I… don’t know. I’m not even sure I can see the girls right now.”

“Why is that?” Mr. Light continued placing another bandage.

“Because… the girls lied to me. All of them,” replied Twilight Sparkle, her voice shaking as she spoke.

“Sunset too?” Mr. Light finished placing bandages on the first cut. Moving onto the next one, he looked up at his daughter, his eyes filled with concern.

“Yeah, Sunset too… sadly…” Twilight Sparkle looked over at her nightstand. There, underneath the lamp, sat a picture of her and the girls that had gotten taken the day of the Friendship Games. In the photo, Sunset’s arm was slung around her shoulders as Pinkie Pie pulled them into a big group hug. It was the day she met her friends and decided to transfer to CHS. It was also one of the happiest days for her, minus the whole turning into a magic-crazed she-demon incident.

Placing the last bandage on Twilight’s final cut, Mr. Light looked up. He saw his daughter looking at the photo of her friends. He looked down and sighed. From personal experience, he knew what it was like to have friends betray your trust. It happened between him and his friends back when he was in high school. It was tough, deciding to walk away from his best friends, especially when he had known them since kindergarten. Yet, in the end, he chose to make friends that he could trust. Clearing his head, Mr. Light rested a hand on his daughter’s shoulder, not minding that the feathers from her wing rested against his hand.

“Twilight, if they are truly your friends, they’ll tell you the truth. But you have to give them a chance to explain. I’m sure they had their reasons.” Mr. Light squeezed his daughter’s shoulder gently, giving her a small smile. “I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I did when I was your age.”

“I know. It’s just hard to think about talking to my friends, especially when I told Sunset to stay away from me,” said Twilight Sparkle, looking at her father.

“Wow, that is serious. Well, as I said, just give your friends a chance to explain. And as for Sunset, when you feel ready to, I would suggest listening to her as well,” said Mr. Light, meeting his daughter’s worried gaze. “From what I know about her, I don’t think she meant for you to get hurt.”

“Okay. I will try to listen to Sunset and the girls when I feel like I can,” said Twilight Sparkle, dreading the moment that she would have to confront her friends.

“Good. Now, shall we put on the gauze and finish this?” asked Mr. Light, letting his hand fall from Twilight’s shoulder.

“Yes, please. My arm is very sore.” Twilight Sparkle could feel the heat radiating off her arm as she gingerly rested her hand a few inches away from the lacerations.

Mr. Light cut a piece of gauze just big enough to cover the area where the lacerations were. Holding it onto Twilight’s arm, he grabbed the tape with his free hand. Using his one hand, he peeled off a strip of the tape. He placed that strip on top of the gauze and freed up his other hand. Mr. Light repeated that with the bottom edge as well as the sides of the gauze pad, securing it firmly to Twilight’s forearm.

“And… there we go,” said Mr. Light as he placed the last strip of tape on the side of the gauze. “You’re all patched up now.”

Before Twilight Sparkle could say anything, her mother walked into the room. She saw her mother’s gaze drift towards the bandage on her arm. Instinctively, Twilight let one of her wings wrap around her shoulder, hiding the bandage from her mother’s view. She didn’t want her mother to see her injury, mainly since Sunset caused it. And she had said enough about Sunset’s situation to her father. Twilight didn’t feel like putting the redhead into a bad position with her parents, not when she had done her share of damage to her.

“What happened to your arm, sweetie?” asked Mrs. Velvet.

Twilight Sparkle looked down, not sure what she should say. “Uh…”

“Twilight just tripped yesterday and cut her arm. But I have already checked it out, and she is fine,” said Mr. Light, covering for his daughter.

“Are you sure our daughter is okay?” persisted Mrs. Velvet.

Mr. Light walked over to his wife and rested both of his hands on her shoulders. He smiled at her as he met her eyes.

“She is fine. She’s tough, just like you,” said Mr. Light, pulling his wife in for a hug.

Mrs. Velvet wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist as she felt herself getting pulled into a hug. She smiled, enjoying the embrace. It was amazing that she had found someone who loved her so much. As she rested her head on his chest, she felt him kiss her forehead.

“I love you, Night,” whispered Mrs. Velvet as she closed her eyes for a moment, listening to his heartbeat.

“I love you too, Twilight,” said Mr. Light rubbed his wife’s shoulder, smiling.

Twilight Sparkle sat there, staring at her parents. For a moment, she saw herself and Sunset where they were. She saw Sunset hugging her the way her father was hugging her mother. The image stayed there in her head for a while, making her stomach knot up. It also made the hurt and pain caused by the redhead sting much more. Why must her heart fall for her when all she did was lie about her past? There was no trust there anymore, not when it was apparent that Sunset never trusted her the same way she had. So, to have her heart caring for her, it was just cruel to Twilight. And what happened last night left her questioning whether anything she and her had was real. Or if it was just fake…

Suddenly, a loud chirp from Twilight’s phone broke the silence, which had begun to settle in the room. Reaching for her phone, Twilight unlocked it, wanting to see who had sent her a message. She saw that it was a message from Sunset Shimmer and that nearly made her drop her phone. However, Twilight was able to gather herself enough to prevent that. With a shaky hand, she read the text message.

SunShim: Twi, I know you said not to talk to you. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be picking you up. I will respect your wishes and keep my distance from you.

Twi: Sunset…

SunShim: Look, I know you probably hate me right now. So, I won’t talk to you after this. I just wanted to tell you that you should get a ride from your parents. Anyway, I have to go, so bye…

Twi: …

Twilight Sparkle set her phone down as she turned it off. It was odd to talk to Sunset and to hear her sound so… distant. It made Twilight wonder just how much her words had hurt her. And if her father was right about Sunset not meaning to harm her. Shaking her head, she tried to keep her mind from wandering. She wasn’t sure at the moment, so she shoved the emotions and thoughts aside. Right now, Twilight just wanted to focus on herself and getting the courage to talk to the girls.

“Hon, who was that?” asked Mrs. Velvet, pulling herself away from her husband's embrace.

“Sunset isn’t going to pick me up for school today,” replied Twilight Sparkle.

“Alright, I’ll have your father drop you off. Did… something happen between you two?” asked Mrs. Velvet.

Twilight swallowed hard, feeling like her throat was closing. It wasn’t getting any easier to say that Sunset had injured her. If anything, every time she said it, it caused the attack to seem more real. As if the bandage on her arm didn't serve as enough of a reminder of what lay beneath the gauze. Not to mention the scars that would remain when the lacerations had healed. That realization that Sunset had left permanent marks on her haunted Twilight. And it scared her to know that she might not have Sunset to turn to when this was all over.

Looking down at her hands, Twilight Sparkle said, “Yeah, but I would rather not talk about it right now.”

Mrs. Velvet, seeing her daughter’s reluctance and hurt, said, “Okay. I will be in the kitchen when you two finish.”

With that, Mrs. Velvet walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Twilight Sparkle waited until her mother was out of earshot before she sighed. Looking up at her father, she smiled.

“Thanks, dad. You know, for covering for me,” said Twilight Sparkle, her tail flicking back and forth in rhythm with her pulse. “I appreciate it.”

Mr. Light gave his daughter a toothy grin back. “Anything for you. Besides, I could see that having me poking around was enough for today. But… you know you’ll have to talk to your mother eventually, right?”

Sighing, Twilight Sparkle said, “Yeah, I know. I just didn't want to talk about it today.”

“Okay.” Mr, Light walked up to his daughter, resting a hand on her shoulder. For a moment, he felt a desire to pull his daughter into a hug. However, when he saw her wings, he decided it was too risky. “Well, that’s all for me. I will be waiting in the kitchen with your mother.”

Twilight Sparkle saw what her father wanted to do. As he started to walk away, she grabbed his hand as it slid off her shoulder. Gripping it tightly, she pulled him back towards her.

“You know, you can still hug me right, dad?” Twilight Sparkle said, giving her father a goofy half-smile.

“Can I really? What about your… wings?” asked Mr. Light, seemingly nervous and skittish.

It was unusual and surprising to see her father looking so nervous. That was a stark change from his usual strong, brave, and slightly dorky demeanor. Yet, here he was, afraid to hug her because he didn’t want to hurt her. Seeing that made Twilight laugh on the inside. It was cute and super sweet to see that side of her father.

“It’s alright, dad. You’re not going to injure my wings by hugging me, I promise,” said Twilight Sparkle, placing her other hand over her father’s.

Twilight Sparkle slowly stood next to her father, letting go of his hand. As she stepped closer, she wrapped her arms around his back. Her hands rested on his shoulders as she waited for him to hug her back. Gently, as if he was afraid she had gotten made of porcelain, Twilight felt her father’s hands wrap tightly around her waist. As she felt her body getting pushed against his, she let her wings wrap around him. She rested them lightly against his back just as she had done with her mom. For a split second, Twilight felt her father pull away before relaxing once more and resting his head on her shoulder.

Mr. Light, shocked by the feeling of having feathers touching his back, tried to pull away. Yet, just as quickly as he tried to get away, he relaxed. This was his daughter, not someone who was going to hurt him. Letting his head rest on her shoulder, he took a deep breath. Mr. Light enjoyed the feeling of being able to hug his daughter. It was almost comparable to when he first held her after she had been born. The warmth and softness of her wings were also comforting. And it made it nearly impossible for him to want to let go of his beautiful baby girl. As Mr. Light reached up, his fingers brushed against the area where her wings were attached to her shoulder blades. When he felt his fingers touch the base of them, he felt Twilight shudder in response. Worried, he moved his hands away, not sure if that was a good thing.

Twilight felt her father move his hands away from the base of her wings, resting them on her shoulders. Gently, so it was not to spook him, she let them wrap around him tighter. That pushed him closer to her, allowing her to revel in his loving embrace. Feeling her father grip her even tighter in response, Twilight smiled. This moment was what she wanted after she had transformed into Midnight Sparkle. She just wanted to see her father accept her, even though she looked like a she-demon rather than his daughter. And now she had that moment right here. After hugging him for a few minutes, Twilight pulled away and let her feathery attachments fall back around her shoulders.

“See? You didn’t hurt me,” said Twilight Sparkle, kissing her father on the cheek. “I’m still your daughter, just with wings now. Kind of like an angel.”

“You were always my angel, even without the wings.” Mr. Light kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Now, I will let you finish getting dressed.”

Okay, thanks,” Twilight Sparkle said as she went to her closet and grabbed her shoes. As she heard her door open, she looked over her shoulder and said, “Oh, and dad?”

“What?” asked Mr. Light as he stopped, his hand resting on the doorknob.

“I love you,” said Twilight Sparkle, a wide grin appearing as she looked at her father.

Mr. Light returned the grin, saying, “ I love you too, sweetheart.”

With those words, Mr. Light closed his daughter’s bedroom door as he walked out into the hallway. As he went to make his way downstairs, he saw his wife smiling at him as she leaned forward on the railing.

“Still uncomfortable, honey?” asked Mrs. Velvet, a sly smirk evident on her face.

“Not anymore. I have finally gotten over the way our daughter looks like now,” replied Mr. Light, walking over to his wife.

“Oh? So, you have decided that she isn’t scary anymore?” asked Mrs. Velvet as she looked at her husband.

“Yeah. I can see that Twilight is still our little girl. She hasn’t changed even though she has wings, fangs, and even a tail now,” said Mr. Light as he leaned against the railing.

“Good to see that you have finally come around. I was beginning to worry that I would have to force you two into a padded room,” replied Mrs. Velvet, chuckling.

“Haha, you’re so funny. However, I am happy that I forced myself to face the impossible,” said Mr. Light, grabbing his wife’s hand. “And Twilight’s wings are so soft. Did you feel them?”

“Yeah, I did, when she hugged me at Sunset’s house. It’s like getting hugged by an angel,” replied Mrs. Velvet.

“I know, right? Our very own little darling angel,” said Mr. Light as he and his wife stepped away from the railing. “So, shall we go eat those waffles now?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” said Mrs. Velvet, pulling her husband down the steps as she headed to the kitchen. “I was beginning to get so hungry that I could’ve eaten a horse.”

Author's Note

Well, at least this chapter ended on a lighter. Since I needed a filler chapter after the last two emotionally charged ones, I decided to use the opportunity to explore how Sci-Twi got her beloved dog. I figured everyone would like a break from what happened in the prior chapters. I know I needed it after writing those two. I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts and feelings about how Spike came into Sci-Twi's life. Also, please enjoy the extra Rarijack content!