The sun shined down on Ponyville as if this was like any other summer day. It felt wrong, to hear birds singing and the warm rays falling upon the colored roofs of the picturesque town. Like this was a day to sing and dance and worry not about all the issues and problems in the world. It was so easy to forget in Ponyville, that there was a whole world out there, with wars and sickness and strife. Here, in this little town, everything seemed...fine.

And yet, this time around the world had reminded the ponies of its presence. And no quaint summer day and no bird tweeting could do something against the depressed and fearful mood that had captured the citizens of Ponyville. If one looked up to Canterlot, one could still smoke rising up from the capital. Even days after Twilight's defeat, the unrest hadn't been fully quelled, although nopony made themselves hope that it would change anything. Twilight looked up to the Canterlot Castle and clenched her fist, before looking away.

Well. I can't help but feel a little snubbed. A more paranoid entity might think that someone is screening Twilight's calls, so to speak. After all, what fun is a game if there's no chance of the other side winning, whether through skillful play or fortune's favor?

Ah, but it's rude to talk about someone when she's listening, assuming she'll hear me. I commend your concern for your friends, Twilight, though you may want to consider more ambivalent acquaintances as well. A certain chaos avatar is glaring in his absence. Now, by no means am I suggesting you use Discord to subvert the challenge. That would end in disaster at best. However, I imagine he'll provide insights that the sane never could. If nothing else, he'll likely find five hundred years of eternal debauchery even duller than I would, to say nothing of some other being toying with his Fluttershy.

And again, while you may not like your demonic power, it's what you have to work with. Only a fool bemoans her helplessness while shunning the tools at her disposal. You will, quite frankly, need all the help you can get. Use every asset at your command: mental, magical, interpersonal, and every other adjective you can think of. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll have a chance.

Twilight frowned, as once again the Convent invaded her thoughts. This one seemed weirdly friendly, but she couldn't help but pick up a condescending undertone to it. Maybe she was just imagining it, given how alien the idea of a friendly demon was to her.

"Discord is on vacation.", she simply answered, causing a few passersby to look at her funny, as she talked to the empty air. She quickly distanced herself and lowered her voice. "Fluttershy tried to contact him, when Scortatus first showed up, be he didn't answer her."

In retrospect, it was convenient timing for the draconequus to disappear just as Scortatus attacked them. Had he anticipated this? If so, why did he leave? Betrayal?

No, he wouldn't leave Fluttershy alone. Which left Fear as the only option. Discord feared Scortatus. The god of chaos had run away from a True Demon. Twilight's stomach clenched upon this realization. If there had been any doubts about Scortatus overwhelming power, they were wiped away by now.

Hello, hello twilight is this spell on?

Ah hello, twilight it's nice to meet the girl who had the, well the balls to not only face the top dog of the demons of tartarous but Also to make a deal with him and make it a show for demons that decided to stay in tartarous instead of joining the invasion.

I got ask why do you still resist, you know that Equestria has fallen and it's only a matter of moment until the remaining resisting cities have fallen to his control and everyone you care about will soon join the fate of your princess.

And I know you will make a speech for us stating that they are stronger than that and will resist the temptation, but be honest do you really think that they will resist when they will see the benefits of joining them the pleasure and power they will get?

So as advice if you will continue to resist I recommend who you figure out who you can really trust like finding those who are actually immune to the demons and are still willing like maybe the villains you have faced, I don't think they like the competition they will soon factor and the other advice you should take to heart is let go your pride and that stick up your ass and try to curry up a favor from not only us but also the new people in charge be a bit more willing to their demands will give you something in return may be a favor or an item you will need your pride and reservation to sex will not help you in the new Equestria you'll live In a year or possibly beyond that.

That was more like it! Twilight grimaced, as the other voice babbled over the first one. This one felt slimy and conniving like she expected a demon to be. It was almost funny, really. Both were suggesting essentially the same thing, but the way they worded it was completely different. She shook her head.

"Ah, yes. Of course. When all else fails, I have to use my feminine wiles, huh?" She snorted. "Good to know that sexism has not died out in Tartarus. Maybe I should swing my hips a bit more, put up some make-up? Why, I'm sure ponies will be scrambling to help me, once they see the Element of Magic sucking a nobles dick!" Every word was dripping with sarcasm and Twilight was getting genuinely angry.

"You lowlifes really are the worst! Which makes sense, given where you are. Mark my words, I will not debase myself for your pleasure. If you really think, I'm that stupid, then I'm not surprised that in five-thousand millennia, none of you geniuses ever escaped Tartarus."

This seemed to shut them up, as she felt the Convent actually retreat from her mind. It was only a small victory, but it still felt gratifying. These demonic spawns were not that tough. Annoying, yes. But she had dealt with creeps and idiots before. A year of this...was very much doable.

Suddenly her head throbbed. Twilight stumbled, as a sharp pain invaded her mind and made her gasp. She leaned against a nearby wall, as the pain quickly spread from her head down to her body and limbs. It felt like someone had dipped her in a liquid fire for a moment and she could feel the Convent bearing down at her.

Then, as quickly as the pain had appeared, it was gone. Twilight panted, gripping her chest and trying to get her heart rate down. "....bastards...." She didn't get a response, but the message was clear. They could very much hurt her if they wanted to. But she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing her afraid. Not in their lifetime.

She shook her head and continued on her way.

Walking through the streets, Twilight was looking for any sign of damage or attack by Scortatus guards. Thankfully there were none. Ponyville was completely untouched by the violence that had erupted, thanks in part to Mayor Mare's decision to immediately surrender to the demon. It was a bitter pill, but Twilight understood why she had done it. Still, she could see ponies walking by, heads low and bitter expressions. When their eyes met Twilight, they quickly averted their gaze. When she passed them, she could feel them stare at her back.

She walked by a mother with her filly and the little foal waved at her, too young to understand why everypony was in such a bad mood. Twilight smiled, as she waved back. The filly squeaked in fear when she saw her sharp teeth and quickly cowered behind her mother's dress. The mare quickly ushered her away, as if Twilight was a plague-victim. The former princess just stood there, slowly lowering her hand.

She shouldn't be surprised, really. But it still hurt, like she was betrayed. It was silly to think like that, of course. With time, they would surely understand. Maybe some sense of normality could return...Twilight shook her head. It was naive to think, things would ever be normal again. Not after what happened. She better get used to this for the rest of the year. The alternative was hiding in her castle and that would not do. It would send the wrong message. Not to mention, that Twilight had never been one to hide and self-pity herself.

Speaking of self-pity, she had finally reached her destination. A small hot-air balloon, that was attached to a cord, which winded up to a cloud in the sky. It looked innocuous if not for the fact, that it never moved, even with a strong wind present. For a moment, Twilight wanted to fly up, before she realized her wings were gone. Another thing she lost, although she almost had forgotten it. She never had been a good flier, so the absence of her wings wasn't so much a practical loss as more a symbolical one, no longer being an alicorn.

Stepping into the ballon, Twilight banished those thoughts and focused on getting up. After a few seconds, she had arrived and stepped onto the cloud itself. The fluffy white ground gave way a bit but otherwise kept its shape. Solidus Cumulus, or Earth Clouds to use the common term, had been used in pegasus construction for millennia, although the knowledge of producing them had been briefly lost after the fall of the Pegasopolian Empire. It allowed for some amazing constructions in the sky, like Rainbow Dash's mansion.

It was easy to forget that her friend was a successful athlete, with several million bits in her bank account. Her mansion was done in a modernized prench style, with a tall tower that went up several stories, made out of bluestone and cloud-gardens on multiple levels. The rainbow-lakes in the gardens cascaded down to the courtyard, creating some beautiful falls. It was amusing really, that the most elaborate and fancy house in Ponyville, after Twilight castle, belonged to the infamously brash and tomcoltish Rainbow Dash.

Twilight walked up to the door. A sign hung from the doorknob, saying FUCK OFF! in big red letters. She hesitated for a moment. Dash clearly had taken the loss hard. And given that she even refused to Applejack...Twilight shook her head. If they wanted to get back up to their feet, Dash needed to get out of her funk. At the very least, she had to know whats going on.

She knocked on the door, but no response. It was closed, so she walked over to the nearby cloud-bush, where Dash usually hid her keys. No sign of them, either, which meant she was home. Twilight sighed and knocked again, louder this time around.

"...fuck off...leave me alone!" came the answer somewhere in the mansion.

"Dash, it's me, Twilight! We need to talk."

Seconds passed, then she heard steps. Bottles clanged and then faint noises of somepony bumping into furniture. Finally, the door opened a tiny bit and she could see Dash's face. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, her mane was a mess and there was a distinct stench of alcohol on her. When she spotted Twilight, she stared at her for a moment, her eyes wide.

"Hey..." said Twilight gently and tried a smile.

"You're alive..."

She nodded. "Yes."

"He didn't tell us what happened. Just...send us back and next thing we know, you're in your bed, screaming in pain"

Twilight winced. Hearing it from Dash made it sound really bad, even if she didn't feel like it. "I'm fi...well, not fine, no. But I'm alive," she said. Then she tried to look behind Dash. "Can I come in?"

A few seconds passed, but then Dash opened the door completely. Twilight was shocked to see the state her friend was in. She wore only a dirty white undershirt, which looked like she had puked on it at least twice. The wing-feathers were dirty and looked like they hadn't been combed for days. Her black panties preserved some dignity, at least. And behind her, the floor was littered with cider-bottles.

"Oh...oh, Dash..." Twilight couldn't hide her dismay, but it was Rainbow Dash who looked on the verge of tears, as she looked at her.

"Shit...you really are a demon," she mumbled. "Fuck...fuckfuckfuckFUCK!"

Twilight reached out for her, but Dash stepped away. There was a brief silence before she turned around and stumbled down the hallway. Twilight followed her. The rest of the mansion followed the state of the hallways. The living room looked like Dash had vented her frustration at it, with the couch overturned, her trophies smashed against the wall, and even the picture of her winning her first race hanging crooked. The kitchen was even worse, with more bottles and dirty plates, that had never been washed, piling up high.

"Sorry, about the mess..." Dash couldn't even look at it and instead reached for a nearby bottle. Twilight stepped up to her and grabbed her hand before she could do so.

"I think, you had enough..." she told her gently. Looking around, she sighed. "How about you take a shower and I clean up a bit, okay?"

Dash didn't object and was gently pushed towards the bathroom. Then Twilight turned around and got to work. In a sense, it was liberating to just focus on helping her friend and forget her own troubles for a bit. It was heartbreaking to see how badly Scortatus victory had affected Dash and helping her at least a little bit made Twilight feel almost like herself again. She put the couch back in place, washed the plates, and gathered all empty bottles in trash-bags, stacking them in the courtyard to be discarded later.

She didn't have enough time to truly clean up and the lack of magic hurt her efforts, but when she was done, it at least no longer looked like a complete dump. Frying some eggs and pouring some water in two glasses, she waited on the couch for Dash to get out of the shower. The pegasus stepped to the living-room a few minutes later.

She looked better. Her shirt was a different one and she had gotten rid of the stench at least a bit. It was a testament to her looks, that Dash still looked attractive even in her current state. A tight, athletic body, with nice muscle-definition and light abs. Her small waist went up to svelte, flexible hips, and a heartshaped, tight butt. Her perky A-Cup breasts were visible through the shirt, as she didn't wear a bra. Smooth cyan skin and a face that on good days almost always had a cocky smile on them, supported by her wild, rainbow-colored mane.

Dash slumped down on the couch next to Twilight. "Sorry, about that. It was just...a rough few days..."

"It's okay, Dash. I understand--"

"No! Stop that crap!" interrupted her Rainbow Dash. "It's not okay! I should have been stronger! Everything has gone to shit and I just...I just..." She choked tears in her eyes.

"He...simply turned me. With a fucking snap of his fingers! Like I was a doll or something. And when it happened, it felt...good. I was so horny and so happy. Fuck, I thought about raping you! About raping everypony! I dreamed about Scootaloo and...and...and..."

Twilight stared at her friend, her heart feeling like somepony was battering it. She knew Dash had taken the loss bad, but this...she hadn't thought about what the transformations had done to her friends. How it would feel for somepony like Dash to be turned and corrupted.

"He turned you into this!", yelled Dash and gestured at Twilights horn. "How the fuck am I supposed to know if he didn't do the same to me? Somewhere deep down...just waiting...I'm supposed to be the Element of Loyalty. And I was useless! A few seconds and all I wanted was to suck that fuckers dick! ME! SUCKING COCK!"

Twilight gently grabbed Dash by the shoulder, as the pegasus began to sob. She had never seen Dash lose herself like that and it broke her heart. She pulled her friend into a deep hug and Dash began to cry into her shoulder. It wasn't just the corruption that had shaken her. For everything to be turned around, even her sexuality...it must have been horrifying.

"Dash... it's not your fault. It was mind control. You would never do these things out of your own free will. Scortatus...he tricked you. He tricked all of us."

Dash slowly stopped crying, looking at her. "You...really think that?"

Twilight nodded. For a while, they did nothing but lay in each others arms, with her stroking Dash's head. "We are not out of this, yet. I bought us one year. One year for us to get back at him and save everypony."

"I'm...honestly not sure if that is enough."

Twilight hesitated, before nodding. "Neither am I," she admitted. "But we will try regardless. That's all we can do."

"Oh, Twilight..." Dash sniffed, as she nuzzled her. Then she looked at her, their eyes meeting. Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the lips!

She was so surprised, she at first didn't even resist. Dash's tongue invaded her mouth and the pegasus pulled her close to her, pressing her body against hers. Twilight tried to pull away, but Dash wasn't about to be denied. Her hands began to grab her shirt, slowly pulling it up, while her tongue wrestled Twilights in a heated, lustful embrace.

"D-Dash...please, I-I'm not.."

"I need you, Twilight. I'm so alone! P-Please, I-I need this...", stammered Dash, her eyes glazed over with lust as she pushed her down on the couch, locking her legs and beginning to grind her hips. "It's in me...ever since the throne-room. I-I cannot stop thinking about..."

"S-Stop...pl-please...STOP!!!" Twilight horn flared. An explosion rocked the room and Rainbow Dash was pushed off her with so much force, she crashed against the wall. The framed picture of her first race shook, then fell down on the floor, shattering the glass.

Twilight stared at Dash, panting and holding her breasts, her shirt halfway stripped off and her bra loose. Her friend whimpered, leaning against the wall, hugging herself. "I'm sorry...please, don't...I couldn't help myself. Y-You smell so nice..."

She stumbled back, over the couch.

"Twilight...no, please..."

Turning around, Twilight rushed for the door and ran out onto the courtyard. Her mouth still tasted like Dash's drunken breath and her heart felt like it would break any minute. She felt violated, hurt...betrayed.

"Don't leave me...." was the last thing she heard, when she reached the air-balloon and raced down. In her ears, she could still hear Rainbow Dash's cries...

A few minutes later...

She sat on a bench in Ponyville Plaza. The fountain was happily letting its water trickle. The statue of Celestia holding a water-bowl, looking like a motherly goddess down at her people. It almost felt comforting, if Twilight would have cared for it.

Why would Dash do this? She knew Twilight wasn't homosexual. She didn't wait for her consent, just pinned her down like...like...

She shook her head. She shouldn't have run away like that. Rainbow Dash was hurt, drunk and vulnerable after her ordeal at Scortatus hands. Twilight should have stayed and helped her. But the sudden attack...it had shocked her. It had felt so...wrong.

Almost, as if they had sensed her misery, the Convent returned to her mind.

"Hello, Twilight. We are Evening Star,-" a deep tenor introduces itself, breathing over her shoulder.
"And Morning Star," a smoky feminine voice finishes, whispering into her other ear.
"You may also call us Venus, if you like," they continue in stereo. As the one-sided conversation continues, the two sultry voices twist and intertwine, at times sounding like two distinct entities, while other times speaking in such unison that they could only be of one mind.

"You seem to be struggling under many preconceived notions. Let me introduce ourselves properly. You may think us demons. Perhaps you are even right. But that is not all we are. To some we are demons, to others gods. Masters. And playthings. We are avatars of duality. Yin and Yang. Balance. Contrast. Opposition. And completion. There are many perspectives to everything, some may even say they are infinite. And all of them paths to knowledge."

"Look in your heart, you know this to be true. You cannot see the outside of the barn from inside, nor the back from the front, to borrow from your friend Applejack. Every path reveals some and obscures others."

"What have you hidden away from yourself by the path you have previously walked? What was hidden away from you by those who guided you towards such a path? Are you not a scientist, an emissary of knowledge and voyager of the unknown?"

"There are spells and abilities open to you, now. Ones you could not cast before. Same as there are spells you can no longer wield.
You have seen but a sample of them, bent to one soul's will. There is more, so much more."

"Look at yourself. You stand there, lamenting the loss of your alicorn magic. But you now possess the form of one who cast off such spellwork like rain off a duck's back, and yet struggle to lift even a sheet of paper. You are holding yourself back; you know it. You do it out of fear, out of a desire to stay "uncorrupted," as though there is such a thing. But magic, demonic, unicorn, or the myriad others yet hidden to you, they are all tools."

"You stand defiant, as though alicorn magic is somehow divine and demonic, profane. But your own memories put the truth to that lie. You remember the Alicorn Amulet and the trouble it caused, no? All magic are but tools, they perform only the will of the caster, good or evil, for as much value as those descriptions provide within one fixed perspective."

"We offer you nothing now, Princess. You are not ready to accept such an offer, anyway. But think upon what we've said, analyze your thoughts objectively. And when you are ready to hear our offer, call and we shall hear in turn."

This time Twilight said nothing. There was nothing really to say to this. The beings were...not wrong, even if she loathed to admit it. But the thought of using demonic magic....it terrified her. How she had lifted Dash off the ground. There was power, but it would only hurt her friends. She couldn't use it!

No...no, they had to do it together. Friendship was the solution to this. And with her friends, she could solve this crisis. Twilight stood up, nodding to herself. She had to apologize to Rainbow Dash. She likely would not want to see her again, after what just happened, though. After thinking a bit, she turned around and walked down the street out of town. Better she asked Applejack for help. Together, they could surely help Dash.

After several minutes, she reached Sweet Apple Acres.

The farm laid outside of town and the walk there was actually quite enjoyable, as she walked under rows and rows of apple-trees, with the promenade stretching down the hill towards the Apples house. There wasn't much activity, as Apple Bloom was still at school, and Big Mac likely busy in the orchard. But Twilight could hear Applejack, as she approached the house.

"For the last time, get out of there, Braeburn! Are ya completely mental!? You've seen what they did to New Coltsville!...No, Ah want ya to be safe! Ah'm not a fuckin' coward! Its--"

As Twilight stepped in, Applejack cut herself off. She nodded at Twilight, then returned to the call. "Talk to ya later...yes, Ah will call, even if ya don't want me to!" With that, she hung up like she wanted to crush the phone.

"Bad time?" asked Twilight.

Applejack sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Nah, it's fine...not like there is good times comin'.." She turned around and took a deep breath.

Applejack was a big mare. Easily half a head taller than Twilight, she towered over most mares and even some stallions. A strong, amazonian build, with clear muscle-definition and strong, thick legs. Despite her physically intense lifestyle, Applejack nonetheless had managed to have some curves, with her narrow waist accentuating her plush ass and a proud D-Cup chest. It was no secret that many stallions wanted to date her, which made it even more ironic when she decided to deepen her relationship with Rainbow Dash instead.

Currently, she wore a thick, checkered work-shirt and some tight jeans, having likely been working just a few minutes ago. Applejack hated leisure-time and rather spent her time doing something useful. Even her hobbies were some kind of work, like woodwork. If there was anypony able to just stand up and shrug off a defeat, it was her.

"So, you look better..." she said, looking Twilight up and down. She frowned when she saw the horn, but thankfully didn't comment. "How're ya feelin'?"

"Could be better, but I'm not dead." Twilight hugged Applejack. She felt her friend tense before she broke it up. "I...visited Dash."

Applejack grimaced. "Not pretty, Ah know. She blew up on ya, too?"

"Worse. She..kissed me."

There was a brief silence before Applejack groaned. "Well, shit..."

"I think, she is confused. I'm sure, it was just--"

"Nah, it's okay. Rough time and Ah can see why she did it."

"Yes, exactly and that's why...wait, what?" Twilight looked up when she realized what Applejack had just said. "What do you mean with that?

The mare just shrugged. "That you're hot, that's all. Ah mean, Ah'm kinda feelin' it too, which is weird...Ah usually only feel that way with Dash, but..."

Twilight's heart stopped for a moment. A dreadful possibility popped up in her head. The sudden pain in the town, when she had told off the Convent. The stares, Dash's breakdown...could it be?

"You bastards..."

"Excuse me?"

"Not you, Applejack. Th-the voices. They did something to me! Some kind of aura...or scent, or something, that causes attraction. Scortatus mentioned they would change me, I just thought it would be something obvious, like my body. These little, demonic assholes!" Twilight seethed, clenching her fist until it hurt.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Just so Ah'm gettin' this right. You sayin' these...demons are transformin' ya?"

"Slowly, but yes. They have one year before I stand before Scortatus and either submit or defy him," explained Twilight, while she wracked her brain over how to deal with this. Focusing back on the constant background noise in her mind, she tried, for the first time, to actively contact the Convent again.

You can hear me, right? You bastards, what did you do to me?, she shouted into the arcane void.

Snickering was her answer, while they laughed at her. She could practically seem them shake their heads in amusement. None of them stepped forward, but eventually, a familiar voice returned, invading her mind with ease, as it pushed aside the crowd.

You missed my point earlier, Twilight. I can certainly see why you'd want to avoid your princesses being turned into demons. But what's done is done and can be hard to simply undo. I don't expect your friends to abandon you. I merely expect they might doubt your abilities or even disagree with you. Your friends have stood beside each other and encouraged them to go forward and embrace things they didn't think they enjoy. Haha, perhaps embracing demonic lust could be the shy little bookworm's answer to embracing reading as a passion. You've explored your sexuality as little as Rainbow Dash explored expanding her mind.

The "snake" again, almost slithering around her brain, while it whispered in its dark, seductive voice. "You knew this would happen..." mumbled Twilight angrily. The demon just chuckled.

Maybe...but besides that, consider two things. Firstly Scortatus promised you uprisings and rebellions would be put down. Do you think it would be better for the consciences of the royal guard if they were putting down those rebellions as their non-demonic selves? And before you think it would be better for the rebels, let me assure you if they were not put down with a certain amount of force Scortatus would step in himself. And a demon king in battle, especially with corruption off the table, would not be better for anyone.

And Scortatus told you Celestia and Luna would be his concubines. He never recanted on that statement. Celestia and Luna the ponies will no doubt be raped many times in this following year besides having to watch their little ponies be subject to the whims of a demon, Celestia and Luna the demons would not be raped once and would not view the current situation with any negative feelings.

Requesting your loved ones to feel what could be a good time as torture is not a very caring thing to do. Requesting your friends, the other Elements of Harmony, back to normal; or at least as close as they can get; makes sense from the perspective that it theoretically gives you greater power. The Princesses offer you nothing. Scortatus won't allow you to regularly communicate with them, even if he did, he's already defeated your best so any secrets magically are worthless or they would have been used in the battle against him already. Their plight inspiring rebellion gets more ponies killed where their demonic forms would likely see rebellions cowed before they started, after all, if the Princesses can be conquered what chance does the average pony have. And let's face it, you're better off hoping ponies behave either as normally as possible or as defeated as possible in this next year if you want them to see the year after.

Really, you're the only thing it's safe for them to pin hope on any time soon. So no pressure.

"Oh, shut up!" yelled Twilight, as she rose up so fast, she almost threw her chair off. "I could not let them continue being...wrong like this! Defiled! And I'm not the only one fighting! We will defeat him. Me and my friends and you will eat your words!"

Applejack blinked a bit confused. Twilight panted, staring up the ceiling. No answer came back and she felt like a fool for shouting in the first place. She slowly calmed down and sunk back onto her chair. "Sorry, Applejack. But...they are provoking me constantly," she explained to her friend. "Trying to make me lose hope. But they don't know anything. We will show them that Scortatus hasn't seen the last of us!"

Applejack didn't respond. Instead, she stood up and walked over to the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of water. "About that..."

She sighed. "Ah won't be joinin' ya."

Twilight blinked. "W-Wait...what!?"

Applejack winced, didn't meet her eyes. "Ah won't fight Scortatus again. Can't do that a second time."

Twilight stood up, this time throwing her chair off for real. "You can't be serious! He needs to be defeated! How can you just give up!?"

"You've seen his power! He just corrupted may in an instant! What point is there in fightin' somethin' like that!?" protested Applejack. "Ah get calls from all over the country. Family members gettin' arrested or-or worse! Uncle Apple Fry got killed when they busted down at New Coltsville! What do ya think, they gonna do when they find out Ah'm plannin' to rebel mahself!"

"B-But...you cannot..." stammered Twilight.

"Ah can and Ah will! Scortatus cannot be defeated. Ah cannot defeat him and neither can you. Not with mah family on the line." Applejack panted after that outburst. She looked down to her feet, before downing the water. "We just gonna keep our heads low. If lucky, we will just get ignored..." She winced visibly, as they both knew that last part was a lie.

Twilight stared at her. She had no words. No argument. For a while, nopony said anything.

Finally, Applejack stepped past her, patting her on the shoulder. "Ah'm gonna check on Dash. Ya...take it easy," she said. Before she stepped through the door, she stopped for a moment. "Ah'm sorry, Twilight." Then she left.

Twilight would stand there for ten full minutes before she silently turned around and left herself. Without a word, she left Sweet Apple Acres behind and returned home. She rushed back into her room, went to bed, and spent the rest of the day crying.

Author's Note

Wow...that was a close race. 4 dominated for long stretches, before 3 finally caught up. In the end, there was only one vote difference between them.

The final results were: 1 (6 votes); 2 (2 votes); 3 (20 votes); 4 (19 votes)

Thank you very much to everyone who voted. For those that didn't get their favorite option, no need to lose heart. There is always next time.