A Mercenary's Ending

Gregory, escorted by his personal guards/jailers and with his personal maid Starfall by his side, walked down the streets of the ancient and darkened underground city where the nox ponies lived. Earlier, Majesty had suggested that he take a walk to the other cavern where the former Equestrian ponies lived. She suggested this because, in her words, she “…knows surface dwellers need some sunlight, or a facsimile at least…”

Despite having been to the surface a few times since arriving, once in a memory and twice in reality, part of him admitted that he hadn’t gotten a good long exposure to any kind of sunlight for years, having constantly lived in hiding either in his mask or inside the apartment he shared with Tobias.

Even so, there was a little bit of light in this cavern to get some view of the buildings around him. The buildings here, he noted, looked like the kind that might have appeared in ancient historical sites, such as those in Mesopotamia. Some were half destroyed by a rising stalagmite, while others looked like they had been actually destroyed by some kind of violence. Still others were still erect and many of those had dim light coming from it. He even imagined that he saw the light from the torches that his nox guards held reflecting off of pairs of eyes that followed him. He’d seen that before from his maid. Her eyes reflected light similar to that of a nocturnal animal, which in hindsight made sense.

They took a turn, and Gregory saw a slight crack in the cave wall. From that cave, he saw a slight golden light emanating from it. The guards and maid had to cover their eyes with their dark batlike wings, but Gregory didn’t have to do that. He pointed at it, then looked down at his maid. “Is that the place I was told about?” he asked.

The maid nodded, still averting her eyes. “Yes, Sir Gregory,” she said as she reached down into her saddlebags and pulled out a pair of goggles which she put over her eyes.

The other nox pony guards did as well, placing them over their eyes. Gregory quickly realized that these were basically sunglasses, which made sense considering. He turned and walked down with the guards and Starfall. They went through the deformity in the wall, walking through an uneven tunnel that he had to duck down in several times in order not to hit the ceiling, which was worrying considering he was only 5’7”, or 170 cm, tall. The light that came from the other end continued to increase until they exited the tunnel.

His eyes had to adjust to the sudden light, but when they did, he almost lost his composure as he stared in awe at the sight before him.

Were it not for the cavern walls, ceiling, and the bright glowing orb hanging from said ceiling, he would have guessed that he was on the surface. The cavern itself had a large grassy valley full of small but lovely houses with a river running through it. There was an actual forest near the small village and he thought he could see inside clouds in a corner of the cave where rain was falling.

And there were ponies everywhere, all looking genuinely happy. Not just that, but he caught glimpses of other races intermingled with the various members of the three tribes. Gryphons, dragons, and even a hippogriff or two were either engaged in animated conversation with their fellow inhabitants or were playing some innocent looking game.

As a breeze from somewhere brushed against him, a nearby group of three foals galloped past followed by two hippogriff youths. One of the ponies looked over and came to a screeching halt when they saw Gregory. The other four noticed this and slowed to look at Gregory as well. All of them looked at him in awe. One of them, the first one who had spotted him, an earth pony foal with deep red fur, black mane and tail, and deep blue eyes, stepped forward. “Are you…really a human?” The voice sounded like it belonged to a filly.

Gregory slowly nodded. Another foal, this one a sky blue pegasus with light yellow mane and tail and orange eyes, stepped forward and lifted into the air. Suddenly, Gregory found that the pegasus was almost touching noses with him, eyes wide with curiosity as the foal…sniffed him? One of the guards moved to remove the foal, but Gregory held up a hand to stop him. When the foal moved away and landed right in front of him, they said, “You smell nice,” in a voice that made it clear this foal was a colt.

A unicorn foal with light pink and blue striped fur, purple mane and tail, and yellow eyes, stepped forward as well. “Are you really the queen’s guest?” The voice was a bit deeper, but it still belonged to a filly.

Gregory instantly was on guard, but didn’t let it show as he faced the unicorn filly. “I am,” he replied.

One of the hippogriffs walked up to him. This one was a deep green with a dark brown mane and tail and heterochromic eyes which were blue and light evergreen. “Hello, mister human sir,” the hippogriff, clearly a young boy, said as he held out his claw towards him in a clear handshake gesture. The other four, including the other hippogriff who looked identical to the first but with brown coat, deep green mane and tail, and reversed heterochrome eyes, watched this in anticipation.

Gregory, not sure what to do other than shake the young hippogriff’s claw, knelt down and did just that. His hand was obviously bigger than the young one’s claw, but the grip was definitely no joke. The hippogriff boy’s eyes widened as Gregory shook his claw. Unable to help himself, Gregory gave the youth a small smile. “Hello to you too, young hippogriff,” he said.

As one, the other four shot forward, offering their own appendages to be shaken as well. Starfall and the two guards watched from nearby as Gregory exchanged handshakes with all five youths. When he had finished, he looked up to see a small gathering of adults and other children approaching. This included, to his surprise, a young tabby colored abyssinian who was wearing what looked a lot like a magician’s wardrobe, only this abyssinian looked female. She strode forward and gave him a warm and welcoming smile, extending her paw. “I’m Katherine Silverpaws,” she said in a kind tone, “and welcome to Sanctuary.”

He shook her paw, and instantly realized that he missed his own abyssinian friend so very much. He held back his emotions as he nodded at her. “Thank you, Miss Silverpaws,” he said after he broke the handshake.

Katherine chuckled, then turned to the continuing gathered crowd. “Everybody, go about your day, and let’s not crowd our guest,” she said. She turned back to him. “He is to be one of the guests of honor at our feast tonight, after all.”

With that, the crowd dispersed, some looking disappointed that, presumably, they wouldn’t get to speak to the human. Gregory felt a sense of relief wash over him as he nodded at Silver. “Thanks,” he said, “and guest of honor?”

“No need to thank me,” Katherine replied. “The queen sent me a message earlier saying that you were coming and that you had endured terrible hardships, so she asked me to give you a tour and keep the others from being too much of a bother. And yes, Queen Majesty is coming to pay us a visit this evening, and whenever she does, we throw her a welcome feast as thanks for all she’s done for us. You being here has doubled the excitement because you are the queen’s honored guest.”

Gregory almost snorted at the terrible hardships line, thinking it ironic that part of those hardships had been because of her, but he set it aside. He also shuddered a bit at the praise he was getting. Didn’t these people know that humans weren’t all that perfect? He knew now that there had been native humans to this world, if the human form Scorpan took in G1 was any indication. Surely, he mused, Majesty has heard the good and bad? “I appreciate that, and I’m honored that I am invited as a guest of honor” he said, unsure of what else to say.

She smiled at him, then fell into step beside him as they walked towards the village. Gregory pushed down how uncomfortable he felt and instead took the time to take the architecture of the underground village in, and found that while it may have looked simplistic, it was deceptively so. The houses and other buildings had power and apparently running water, judging from the group of children playing through a sprinkler in one of the yards. There were plenty of gardens in the yards as well, and he noted that some ponies were watering and tending to them.

That got him to thinking, and since he figured that these ponies and other creatures were loyal to Majesty, he decided to try and get some information. “I have to say,” he said in an appreciative tone, hands on hips as he looked around, “this Sanctuary is a beautiful place. It must have taken a lot of work to build and even more to maintain.”

Katherine smiled and nodded eagerly. “It was a lot of work, and it would have taken ten to fifteen years to bring it to fruition. But,” and here she held up a paw. To Gregory’s surprise, a magical aura began forming around it, “our Queen provided me and my fellow lithess with witchweed potion.”

“Lithess?” Gregory repeated the unfamiliar word with confusion.

Katherine gestured to herself. “I’m a lithess,” she explained. “You’ve no doubt heard of abyssinians, correct?” After Gregory nodded, Katherine continued. “We are a, well, you might call us a precursor to them. Unlike abyssinians, we can wield magic. One that’s not the same as those of unicorns, but still powerful, even more so if enhanced by witchweed.”

Gregory immediately remembered the G1 special Escape from Catrina, and wondered if Catrina was a lithess. He nodded at this explanation. “I know an abyssinian,” he said, “and he says no one in Panthera can use magic.”

Katherine nodded sadly. “Many ages ago, we were hunted down for being witches and burned at the stake,” she said sorrowfully.

Gregory shook his head. “Tobias would never do such a thing,” he said.

“I don’t doubt it, Mr. Gregory,” Katherine agreed, “but this was back in a time when the nation of Panthera was not yet formed and abyssinians were more fearful than today.”

“How many lithess are left?” Gregory asked, almost afraid to know.

Katherine looked out at the town sadly. “There are about a hundred and twenty here, myself included, but we are all females. That’s one reason why we were hunted by the abyssinians: we were a threat to their patriarchal society. We still may be.”

Despite the circumstances, Gregory felt for her. Having a female only population of magic wielding lithess would definitely tip the scales of power in Panthera, skewing the dynamic towards the females. Leaders, out of fear of losing their power, might strike at the lithess. “I wish you could meet my friend,” he said. “We may be a mercenary team, but he is my best friend and very understanding.”

“If destiny wills it, I would be honored to meet this abyssinian you speak so highly of,” Katherine replied with a smile. “Now, though, let’s cast away sad tales of the past. I have much to show you.”

And much to show she did. The town of Sanctuary was a lovely paradise. He was surprised that there were more non-ponies than he had initially seen living in this town. In fact, according to Katherine, the total population of non-ponies were about equal to the population of ponies, including chiropterans, although those batlike ponies lived in the neighboring ancient city of Nocturne with the nox.

He was deeply surprised that in the span of only a few years they had managed to find a large number of inhabitants for Sanctuary and Nocturne, and this was when he heard about something called the Slumber. When he asked about it, Katherine seemed surprised. “Our queen hasn’t told you?”

“No,” Gregory slowly replied, suspicious now.

Katherine became quiet for a bit, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “Well, it’s not for me to say,” she said. “It’s best that you hear it from her or from Lord Spyke.”

Gregory nodded slowly, promising himself he would ask Majesty about it, or even Spyke. Perhaps after this feast he was attending.

The tour continued, and he saw that there were a few houses placed in the underground woods similar to Zecora’s and Twilight’s former home in Ponyville. When asked, Katherine explained that these were a special kind of tree called a houseoak. They could be grown and used as housing with the proper use of magic. Majesty herself had helped to grow these tree houses with her vast reservoir of magic. A part of Gregory wondered if earth pony magic could activate it, especially when she described how Majesty’s hoof had glowed a bright green during the growth of these houseoaks.

He saw gryphons, dragons, hippogriffs, yaks, changelings who had apparently gone through the reformation process, and he even saw ten zebras who were sitting in a large fairy ring in a sort of meditation. Strangely, he saw no races from G1 there. No bushwoolies, no gnomes, none of those elf-like humanoids from that episode with the prince and baby ponies, none of them. The only exception were the lithess, but he barely counted them because they were precursors to the abyssinians.

When he asked why these creatures were here, Katherine explained, “All of the ponies here are either outcasts from the conformist Equestrians or they have seen the inner corruption of their fellow ponies and want a better life, one where they can be free of their prejudices and fears. As for the other creatures, they’re here because they believe in Majesty’s vision for a better world.”

Now we’re getting somewhere, Gregory thought. “True harmony through the world?”

“More specifically, through Equestria first,” Katherine replied. “Don’t get me wrong, she has a soft spot for her dear ponies, but she does care about those of us not from her own race. She’s working to open the eyes of Equestria and bring about change. The shadows will fall before the age of majesty.”

Now Gregory knew that the mysterious group scattered throughout Equestria in recent years was Majesty’s doing, he knew he had to play it cool and smart, although truth be told, it felt hopeless the more he learned of her overwhelming power. Not to mention, she was much older than he was and even older than the princesses.

Putting that aside for a moment, he looked back at the town. “That’s rather…ambitious,” he said. “Ponies are rather resistant to change, though, and they might not accept your queen.”

Katherine nodded. “Our queen understands this, and assures us that she has planned for that.”

“And what about the Equestrian government or its military?” Gregory asked.

“She has her plans,” Katherine repeated.

That made him inwardly frown. If she was right, then Majesty had thought of everything. Deciding to think about it at another time, he looked back at her. “Well, what else is there to see here?”

Katherine smiled at him. “Well, would you like to see our orchards?”

“There was definitely something off about our visit there,” Tobias said as the group gathered around him in the train on their way to Canterlot.

“Spike didn’t seem all that different,” Twilight replied, sounding confused. “He wasn’t acting like how I remember, but who can blame him? Especially after what we did to him.”

Tobias shook his head, not giving any of the former Elements time to feel guilty. “It was too fast,” he began, “and it so happens to lead us to Queen Majesty’s former castle?”

“Doesn’t that make sense?” Zephyr asked.

“About as much sense as it would be for someone like Opaline to live in her ancient castle,” Tobias muttered, remembering the villain from the possible future of Equestria.

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“Never mind,” Tobias said, waving his paw dismissively. “My point is, Majesty isn’t a fool. Would she really be working from the shadows from Dream Castle?”

“It’s not so far-fetched,” Sunset replied, but she also looked unsure. “I mean, who would suspect that an enemy would work from their old haunt?”

“That should be the first place someone searches for an ancient enemy,” Tobias countered.

“Tobias, nopony knew who this Majesty was until Revan told Twilight about her,” Rarity reminded him.

“I knew a bit,” Sunset replied, “but yes, to the general public, an alicorn named Majesty isn’t something taught in the school system.”

“How did you learn about her?” Rainbow asked.

“Sneaking into Canterlot Library’s restricted archive,” Sunset replied. “Multiple times.”

That caught Twilight’s attention. “There’s a…restricted archive?” She sounded almost breathless.

“Then why didn’t the princesses know?” Applejack asked.

“Psh,” Sunset waved a hoof dismissively. “Why would they care? Looking at the past isn’t something ponies like doing unless it’s to look at their glorious past, like Hearth’s Warming Eve. They don’t care to learn about stuff like their failures, trying to instead brush them under a rug and forget about them.”

“She’s got a point,” Applejack said sadly.

“Not to mention that Celestia is the physical embodiment of this,” Sunset continued. “She tried to push this incident under the rug by moving Ponyville to a part of the kingdom where she didn’t have to look down at the failure of a town every day and remember her own failings.”

“Should she have arrested all of us??” Rarity asked with a scowl.

“Yes,” was Sunset’s simple response. “You all committed abuse of an innocent human and caused him to kill himself.”

“You don’t sugarcoat things,” Applejack observed.

“That’s not my style,” Sunset replied, “and you don’t deserve to have your sins sanitized. Constantly reminders need to be said or else you’ll shove it down to try and forget it.”

“We’re getting off topic,” Tobias interrupted. “Listen, I’m not saying that what we were able to get from that message was wrong, but it was, shall we say, convenient.”

“Are you saying we shouldn’t report it?” Marble asked softly.

Tobias shook his head. “No, we should report it just in case it is the truth, but-” he stopped, then looked down at the mask in his lap. Slowly, he lifted it up and looked at the faceplate, a contemplative look on his face. “Part of me really thinks this is far from over. I can’t explain it.”

This was just one of many things he couldn’t explain about himself. He had recently been questioning things about his past that seemed off. His kittenhood in Panthera was hazy at best despite fellow abyssinians having clearer memories. He always seemed to have better instincts than other abyssinians and if he ignored these nagging feelings, something bad would happen. It had happened before his best friend was abducted by Majesty, it had happened when there had been dangers in their previous missions, and any time he acted on them, things went miraculously well for him and Gregory, but when he ignored them, things went terribly.

He took another breath as he put the mask down in his lap. “Sunset, we’re getting off at the next stop,” he said.

To her credit, Sunset didn’t question it. Twilight, however, did. “What’s going on?” she asked.

He almost replied, but remembered that Majesty knew things without having to be there. “Best you don’t know,” he replied. “Suffice to say, I’m following a hunch.”

“The entire town turned into WHAT?!” Twilight practically screeched in alarm as she and her friends stood on the platform at the Maretime Bay train station.

In front of them, the exhausted Princesses Celestia and Luna both stood, ears drooped and bags under their eyes. “Not the entire town,” Celestia corrected, “anypony under the age of around twelve or thirteen wasn’t changed. The city guards weren’t and a number of adults weren’t transformed.”

“Fear not, Miss Applejack and Miss Rarity,” Luna added, “your families were not one of the transformed.”

As Rarity and Applejack relaxed, Fluttershy stepped forward. “Um…were all the ponies transformed from Ponyville?” she asked.

Luna nodded, looking surprised at her observation. “Correct, Miss Fluttershy. Very few ponies from Ponyville were left untouched by Majesty.”

Twilight was sitting on the ground, deep in thought now. An entire village of ponies, turned into humans. It was truly an ironic punishment, especially for the town who abused one human for the sole crime of being, well, human. Looking up, she spoke her thoughts aloud. “The adults from Ponyville who weren’t changed: did they have any interaction with Jason before his…?” She paused, unable to say the word.

“No, they didn’t,” Celestia said, “and one pony told us that she had actually given Jason a few muffins when he had been hiding from one of the mobs chasing him.”

Twilight looked up. She hadn’t known that fact. “Then…why didn’t this pony leave and find another place to go instead of in Maretime Bay?” she asked. “Or any of those ponies?”

“You would have to find them and ask them yourself,” Celestia said.

“We had little time to query the mare,” Luna said, “as we had to return here and send relief to that town.”

“Please tell us that you have some good news in regard to Revan,” Celestia pleaded.

Twilight nodded. “He’s being held across the continent, past Gryphonstone, in a place that Tobias mentioned was once called Dream Castle.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other in dismay, then nodded slowly. “Unfortunately,” Celestia said, “we can’t spare many of our guards for a search and rescue mission.”

“There have been some disturbances among the ponies throughout the kingdom these past few months,” Luna added. “Small disturbances, but enough that we have had to scatter the Royal Guard and Lunar Guard as peacekeeping forces to help settle them.”

“Still,” Celestia mused, “we can send some guards from both factions out that way.” She turned to Luna. “Chiropterans and pegasi?”

“I know just the chiropterans to send,” Luna nodded.

“And I know just the right pegasi,” Celestia added. The two turned back to the seven ponies before them, Zephyr having gone back home to his girlfriend Gilda. “Thank you for telling us all this,” Celestia added, “but where are Sunset and Tobias?”

“They disembarked early,” Rarity explained. “Tobias said he was following a hunch. His words.”

The princesses nodded. “You six may stay here tonight before returning to your homes tomorrow,” Luna said. “We will be sending some emergency supplies to Maretime Bay tomorrow. I think you all can stay in Twilight’s old castle bedroom.”

Twilight and the others bowed gratefully before they left. As they left the throne room, Rainbow Dash flew over the eight, a thoughtful look on. “Hey, about what the princesses just said about disturbances…I’ve heard about them at my job.”

“Oh dear, are they that bad?” Fluttershy asked, sounding nervous.

“Well, from what I’ve heard from customers, it started about…maybe a year ago?” Rainbow patted her chin with her right hoof. “The first thing I heard about was some fight between ponies in a small town about what harmony meant. I think that’s what it was, I wasn’t really listening that hard.”

“Ah haven’t heard much ‘bout this sorta thing,” Applejack said.

“Because you were hiding in Sweet Apple Acres for the past two years,” Rainbow retorted, suddenly sounding bitter.

“Ah weren’t hidin’ none!” Applejack replied defensively. “Ah was workin’ the farm tah provide fer mah family and fer Equestria!”

“Oh yes, because Equestria runs on Apples,” Rainbow mocked. “You were safe in your hidey hole while the rest of us were ostracized more than anypony else!”

Applejack snorted angrily and lowered her head to face Rainbow. “What are yah sayin’? Am ah the one who shot lightnin’ at somecreature who had no magic!?”

Rainbow lowered in the air a bit, clearly stung by that remark, but instead landed and lowered her own head threateningly to face Applejack. “And whose dead dog tore into a defenseless creature’s flesh on their orders? Hmmm…”

That did it. Applejack reared up, whinneyed, and shot at Rainbow, slamming her hoof into the side of Rainbow’s face. The speed was enough that it caught the pegasus off guard, sending her slamming into a wall hard. “Yah think ah don’t know what ah did?!” Applejack bellowed, tears welling in her eyes. “Ah have tah live with that every day! Ah had tah see that same tree where he hung! Ah had tah watch mah dog die! You got tah leave!”

Rainbow stood up, shook her mane, and was about to launch at Applejack when the two were encased in magic. Twilight stepped forward, her own eyes threatening to break out in tears. “Girls…that’s enough,” she said in a completely broken tone. “W-We’re all to blame for what happened…”

“Pointing hooves won’t bring Jason Wright back,” Marble said as she stepped forward to stand beside Twilight. “You all should never forget what happened. Think of it as…the most important friendship lesson you have ever learned.”

Pinkie walked up and put a hoof around Marble, looking at the two ponies who were still encased in the magic of the former princess of friendship. “We all…we all fucked up,” she said, stunning the other ponies around them. “We can’t put blame on anypony else but ourselves for what happened. We can’t…”

Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other, a chastened look on their faces. Twilight slowly released them, and they stood in the middle of the hallway, looking anywhere but at their former friends. Twilight sniffed, then said, “Come on, everypony. Let’s get settled in for the night…” With that, she turned to head to her old room.

“Twilight and her old friends were here and you didn’t tell us?” Spike’s mom asked, looking down at Spike with a frown.

Spike was sitting at the dinner table with his sister and parents as they ate a lovely meal of lasagna, salad, and sweet tea to drink. He looked up at his mom and nodded. “I just wanted to try and prove to myself and to you that I could take care of things as a prince without needing to go to you,” he said honestly. And that had been the truth.

Over the course of the past few days, he had felt a bit odd, but that feeling was slowly going away. He had chalked it up to his personal feelings for the day of remembrance that Equestria now observed, although he hadn’t felt quite the same last year.

His dad looked over at him, then back at Cadance. “Cady, he wants to be more independent,” he said in Spike’s defense, “I know what it’s like at his age.”

Cadance still wasn’t having it, until Flurry spoke up. “Um…but didn’t Aunt Twilight hurt big brother?”

Cadance had to stop at that, looking back at her daughter with a shocked expression. “Where did you hear that?” she asked, giving Spike another disapproving look.

“My friends told me,” Flurry said.

Cadance seemed to relax a bit at that, then she took a deep breath and faced Spike again. “I wish you’d told us when they came,” she said, “you shouldn’t have had to be alone with them, especially since they came here just to ask for help.”

“Like I said, I wanted to take care of this on my own without help,” Spike repeated, although as he said that, it felt a bit strange. He remembered talking to the ponies and abyssinian clear as day, but there was something that he couldn’t put his talon on about that meeting. Shrugging, he brushed it aside, putting it up to nerves at meeting the six ponies who he once thought of as friends. “I-I wanted to prove myself to you and me.”

Cadance softened, got up, and walked over to Spike, leaning down to nuzzle him before wrapping him in her wings and forehooves and kissing his forehead. “You don’t have anything to prove to me, Spike,” she said softly, rubbing his back reassuringly. “You’re my son, and I love you so much.” She released him and smiled warmly down at him. “You didn’t have to face them on your own to prove anything. You’re a brave, strong, and smart dragon.”

“And you’re really getting better in combat,” Shining added with a proud smile. “Soon, you’ll be able to maybe beat me, but don’t count on me going easy on you.” He gave Spike a knowing smirk.

Spike returned it, then spread his wings. “I’ll beat you someday, dad,” he replied, and everyone laughed at that before returning to dinner.

Later that night, Spike was standing on the balcony in his room that overlooked Crystalia. He reminisced about his life. It had certainly been one wild ride for him and he wasn’t even eighteen yet. Growing up in Canterlot, he’d always felt somewhat isolated from the others in his so-called family. Twilight’s parents were polite enough, but never showed him the love he wanted. Twilight had done some of that at first, but then he became relegated to an assistant, then practically an unpaid servant. Shining…well, he was Shining, he mused with a chuckle. A bit absent minded sometimes, but he was the one who actually treated Spike well. He’d been making up for his own failings with his training of Spike and doing father/son things with him, something that Night Light had done with Shining but never with Spike.

Cadance was the closest thing he had to a mother at this point. She had been there for some of his early breakdowns, had comforted him, sung him to sleep, and in general gave him the motherly love and affection that he so desperately craved.

Being in the Empire was the best thing that could have happened to him, and he couldn’t be happier. Still, though, ever since a few days ago, something had felt off about his day to day life. He’d felt tired, and not physically, but mentally. The feeling was gone now, but for the past couple of days it had been there.

He sighed and shook his head, looking up at the stars that were just beginning to come out as the sun went down. Being so far north, the Empire experienced longer nights than most of the rest of the continent. He didn’t mind. He had begun developing an appreciation for the night sky, and had even gotten a telescope for his birthday this past year so that he could use it at night. He’d gotten some modern day stargazing books imported from Equestria and had loved every minute of reading them and using them.

He watched as more and more stars filled the darkening sky. That is, until he heard the sound of somepony teleporting into his room behind him. Whirling around, immediately on the defense, he launched himself at the intruders without hesitation, just as his dad had taught him. However, he was caught in midair by an orange magic glow. When he saw who the intruders were, his eyebrows shot up. “What…what are you two doing back?” he asked.

The abyssinian stepped forward, looking closely at Spike, then gave the orange unicorn a nod. The unicorn lowered Spike back down and released him. “Sorry to come in unannounced,” the abyssinian said, “but we were hoping to speak to your parents about something.”

“About what?” Spike asked, looking at the two suspiciously.

“About what exactly happened when we were last here.”