Corruption of Harmony

Chapter 4

Betrayal

Spike stared at the door, his claws tapping restlessly on the table. Part of him wanted it to open right now, to get this over with and be done with the whole thing. Part of him wanted it to never open at all. In front of him lay the Elements of Harmony, carefully arranged so they were facing the doorway, the corrupted elements front and centre. He’d insisted that he wait downstairs; he wanted Starbright to see exactly what brought about his downfall. Exactly who had beaten him.

That’s what he’d said, but he wanted far more than that. He wanted to look into Starbright’s eyes, to watch as Star realised he’d been defeated. It was a selfish desire, he knew, but Spike was past caring. Starbright had taken so much from him, and the dragon felt he was owed that much.

He heard the footfalls outside first. Star moved quickly and quietly, assuming Spike would be asleep. He snuck through the door and moved towards the stairs, when Spike coughed loudly. Star’s head snapped round, making out the vague shape of the dragon in the gloom.

“Oh, Spike. I didn’t realise you were still awake. What are you-” He stopped dead as Spike lit a candle, revealing the elements sitting on the table, and lowered his head in pained realisation. “I left the door unlocked,” he said, more to himself than Spike. “I should have known it would be something stupid like that to tip you off.”

“You’re not even going to try to deny it?”

“Would there be any point? You already know the truth; I don’t see why I should give half-hearted lies. Right now the only question is why you’re confronting me over it without seeking help.”

“Who said I didn’t get help?”

Starbright sighed. He should have known Spike wouldn’t be foolish enough to not raise the alert. “The princess?” he asked.

Spike nodded. “She’s upstairs on the balcony. I wanted to talk to you first.”

Starbright stepped closer, his usually calm exterior finally beginning to crack. He shook a little as he took a seat at the table. “What do you want?”

“Answers.”

Starbright laughed callously. “And what makes you think you deserve them?”

“Because I’ve got nothing else left. You owe me that much.”

“I owe you nothing, dragon,” Star snarled. “If you’ll excuse me, it seems I have a meeting to attend.”

Star got up and started towards the stairs again, this time with a different destination in mind. Foiled, by this arrogant brat. He’d thought he would have more time if Spike found out. Careless, that’s what he’d been. And, though he hated to admit it, he’d underestimated Spike.

And apparently he underestimated him still; he wasn’t expecting Spike to leap at him. The dragon was small, but his claws were sharp as knives, and they dug deeply into Star’s side, the pony flailing in panic as pain stabbed through him. Spike hung on, losing his mind in anger after everything he’d endured. Finally Star managed to wrench him off with a well-placed kick, sending him flying into a book case. The heavy tomes rained down around Spike, burying him completely.

The dust settled, and the books lay still. Starbright was breathing heavily, deep gashes in his side sending blood trickling to the floor. He moved closer to the pile, and Spike burst from them with a yell, running on pure adrenaline. Ready for him, Star swatted him aside, and he crashed to floor. Before he could recover, Starbright pinned him under a hoof.

“This is the end of it, Spike.”

Spike looked frantically at the stairs. Where was the princess? Hadn’t she heard the noise?

“You wanted the truth?” asked Star. “Then let me show you.”

Star’s pupils began to expand, growing massively until they reached the sides of his eyes. He blinked, and red pinpoints deep within them began to glow angrily.

“This is the truth you sought,” said Star in a whisper. “Surrender to me and you may yet live.”

“Not a chance.”

Starbright’s face contorted in rage, but before he could act Spike lunged forward, sinking his teeth into Star’s leg. As the pony howled in pain, Spike bolted from underneath him, diving under the table and sprinting towards the door. The pony’s furious screams followed him as he left the library behind, running out into the night.

***

His power contained once more, Starbright surveyed the ruined library. He supposed it wasn’t really his problem. There was no way he could defeat Celestia in combat, even with Irdu’s gift, and Spike’s escape had denied him his final revenge. Despite that, he wasn’t going to go without a fight.

The night was cold, wind lancing deep into Star’s wounds. He limped onto the balcony, knowing any paltry resistance would be quickly demolished under Celestia’s assault.

“Did you hurt the dragon?”

Star’s eyes widened. It wasn’t Celestia.

“I asked you a question, Starbright. Did you hurt the dragon?” Luna repeated.

“No,” replied Star, bitterly.

“Good. There’s no need for bloodshed.”

“He ran.”

“We’ll find him.” Luna noticed the wounds on Starbright’s side, and shook her head. “You were careless.”

“Why are you here?” asked Star, ignoring her rebuke. “I thought Spike would send word straight to Celestia.”

“He did. I was fortunate enough to intercept it.”

Starbright grunted, examining his injuries.

“You really shouldn’t act so nonchalant,” said Luna. “This could have been the end of it tonight.” Her horn glowed, magic surrounding Star’s body and closing the lacerations. “And we’re only halfway there.”

Starbright stretched, testing the newly-healed skin. “You’re overreacting.”

“Overreacting? Spike’s message was headed for Celestia. If it had reached her, this rebellion would be over. I didn’t unbind a demon for you to simply throw everything away with your ill-placed priorities. You should have recruited Spike as early as possible.”

“It’s too late for that now, and you dealt with Irdu without breaking a sweat. Don’t treat it as some great risk.”

“And when he eventually regains his form? We’ll have to seal him again at some point, and that is going to be dangerous.”

“By that point we’ll rule Equestria,” said Starbright. “It will be a trifle to reseal him.”

“Sometimes your confidence borders on insanity.”

He grinned. “Would you have me any other way?”

“No, not at all.” Luna smiled warmly at him. “Now, what’s this I hear about Twilight Sparkle?”

“Ah. That. I was a little… overenthusiastic.”

The princess sighed. “I’ll rectify that before I leave. However, we still have Spike to deal with.”

“We do,” agreed Star. “But I think we can use this to our advantage.”

***

The baby dragon scrambled through the long grass, tears streaking down his face.

Coward. Coward. Coward.

Even Spike’s thoughts betrayed him. When it had come to it, he had run. Run like a coward. He’d left Twilight, left the library, left Ponyville, left everything. He hoped the Princess had been able to defeat Starbright, but why hadn’t she come to help? Luna must have heard the commotion, and yet she’d left him down there, to fight Star alone. It didn’t make any sense.

He wandered aimlessly through the fields, looking for somewhere he could bed down for the night. As a dragon, he wasn’t particularly picky; a nice dry cave would suit him just fine, and there was no way he was heading back to the library. Tomorrow he’d go back to Ponyville, for now he needed to be as far away as possible.

***

Twilight Sparkle opened her eyes. Her previously drained body felt… strong. Around her, the last vestiges of blue magic faded, sinking into her form with a pleasant tingle. Luna stood over her, gentle concern on her features. Twilight’s muscles ached as she lifted herself after their long period of disuse.

“Take it slowly, Twilight,” said Luna. “No need to rush.”

Twilight flexed her wings, relishing the feeling of stretching them after so long.

“How are you feeling?”

Twilight grimaced as she rubbed her neck. “Uncomfortable.”

Luna laughed. “I’m not surprised.”

Twilight finished stretching and looked around the room. When she spotted Starbright at the foot of her bed, she gasped in panic and jumped to the floor. Luna’s horn lit up, pre-empting anything Twilight might try if the night princesses’ healing had reversed the corruption, but to both Luna’s and Starbright’s surprise, Twilight prostrated herself in front of him, with the same respect she’d previously afforded only Celestia herself. Luna shot him a sideways look, and he shrugged.

“I really did overdo it,” he said.

“What is your command, master?” asked Twilight from the floor, head bowed almost to the wood.

Luna sighed, extinguishing her prepared magic. At least this was better than having to subdue her.

“Firstly,” said Star, “no more of that ‘master’ and bowing nonsense. Especially in public. Address me as you would before I recruited you. And secondly, I need your advice.”

Twilight raised her head. “Advice?”

***

As much as it pains me to admit it, I should have handled Spike better. When Luna reprimanded me about not corrupting him earlier, she was right. I avoided it because I wanted to focus on the bearers, and unfortunately that strategy had proved less than effective. It wouldn’t have taken more than a couple of days to break Spike’s will, and I had the relative safety of the library to do it in. But there was so little time. If Celestia got the slightest inkling something was off then that was the end of it.

And Luna had saved me. I thought her usefulness would probably extend beyond the dissolution of Irdu, and she’d proven that. I should stress that she was in no way under my command. It was merely her own anger towards Celestia that fuelled our alliance, and understandably so. To be banished for a thousand years is something I could painfully relate to. The problem with longevity and relative immortality is that the only way to truly defeat a foe is to imprison them, and that was something Celestia was very fond of doing. In many respects, we’d done Irdu a favour. If he was smart, he could live free for the rest of his days, though I’m sure you’ve realised that’s not really his method of dealing with things.

The problem with imprisonment is that inevitably we gain our freedom. And if you then allow those escapees around yourself, as Celestia had done with Luna and I, your reign is going to be very short lived indeed.

***

The warm light against Spike’s scales stirred him from sleep. The small hollow he’d found to bed down in was filthy, but dry, and that had been enough for him. He yawned, and as he did so he noticed the dark red on his claws. Star’s blood.

Spike wouldn’t deny the vindictive happiness that sight gave him. That bastard deserved everything he got, and more. Spike had no idea if Twilight would ever recover now, though; it depended on what exactly Starbright had done to her. With a heavy heart he made his way back to Ponyville.

The small houses on the edge of town were a welcoming sight after the chaos of last night. Spike was making his way between them, down an alley, when he spotted a rainbow coloured mane on the street. There was only one pony it could belong to, and Spike hurried towards the pegasus, when a very familiar purple alicorn alighted next to her. He immediately shrank back. Spike didn’t know why, he should have rushed to see her, but something in the back of his mind told him to wait. To hide behind something and watch. That unexplained feeling ended up saving him.

“I still can’t believe it,” said Dash, turning to Twilight. “I mean, he’s so… innocent.”

“It’s not Spike, though,” she replied. “It’s whatever’s possessed him we’re worried about.”

Spike pressed himself further into the side alley he’d hidden in. What the hell were they talking about?

“Yeah, but Spike? Really? Why would a demon even bother with him? Why not go for someone with a bit more… muscle? Upper body strength?”

“Doesn’t that make it the perfect disguise?” asked Twilight. “I mean, did you suspect Spike before we told you?”

“I guess not. Jeez, I saw him just the other day, too.”

“How do you think I feel? He’s been with me at the library pretty much all week.”

“Yeah, you had a lucky escape there, huh? And I guess that’s one bright side to this.”

“Me not being possessed?”

“No, I meant getting you out of the library. We… uh…” Rainbow rubbed her mane in embarrassment. “We missed you.”

Twilight blushed as Dash peered into the alley, pretending to ignore what she’d just said. She couldn’t see the dragon, hidden behind a wall.

“Hey,” said Dash. “Did you see how Rarity and Fluttershy were acting earlier?”

Twilight frowned. “No?”

“Fluttershy kept staring daggers at her. Rarity was trying to ignore it, but you could tell she noticed. No one else even seemed to spot it, or if they did they didn’t care. Wonder what’s up with that.”

“No idea,” said Twilight. “I imagine it’s just some petty argument; I’m sure they’ll sort it out.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Dash’s ears suddenly perked up. “Hey, did you hear that?”

“What?”

“Down there.” Dash pointed a hoof down the alley. “There’s something down there.”

Spike scowled at the can he’d kicked while shifting position.

“Can’t hurt to check it out, right?” Dash started down between the buildings, and Spike was running out of options. The side passage he was hiding in ended in a brick wall; there was no escape there. Closer and closer she drew, and Spike closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable shout as she found him.

“Agh!” yelled the pegasus.

“What!?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. “It’s just a rat. We’re good.”

“Alright, let’s keep going.”

The pair moved off and Spike sighed in relief, looking down at the squeaking bundle of fur by his feet.

“Thanks little buddy,” he whispered. “I’m pretty sure you just saved my life.”

The rat eyed him inquisitively before scampering away. With its departure, Spike was left to dwell on these latest revelations. Starbright had escaped, and somehow he’d defeated Luna. Everyone now thought he was a demon, and were trying to catch him to bring him to Starbright. Twilight was back, but was either corrupted or had fallen for Star’s ploy. And Spike had no idea what the hell he was going to do about it.

***

“Well?” Luna raised an eyebrow as Star entered the library.

“Hook, line and sinker. It helps that half of them are already devoted to our cause. What are you going to do about Celestia?”

“She doesn’t have to know anything about this, and she won’t. And this time try to keep it that way, will you?”

Star nodded solemnly. “This won’t happen again. And with the six of them scouring Ponyville, we’ll find Spike before long.”

Luna smiled, her icy expression melting into innocence. “This is really happening, isn’t it? We’re actually doing this.”

“You’re just realising this now?”

“No, well… It’s just setting in. We’re past the point of no return.”

“We are,” said Star. “Though I still wonder why you were so eager to join me.”

Luna laughed humourlessly. “Please. I’m supposedly one of the two ruling princesses, and yet even Twilight has more power than I do. If anything, I’m little more than an advisor to my sister, and it’s not as though she listens to me. Why do you think I rebelled originally?”

Starbright shrugged. “Sisters fight. I was a little preoccupied at the time.”

“Sisters may indeed fight. Sisters don’t often imprison the other for a millennium.”

“No, I grant you that your relationship with Celestia is somewhat… unique in that regard. But you shouldn’t hold on to the past. That anger will cause mistakes.”

The princess snorted. “Coming from you? Forgive me if I don’t think that means much.”

“There’s one big difference between my revenge and yours, Luna.”

“Which is?”

Starbright grinned at her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “I’m enjoying it.”

***

“Hold on there, Spike, we ain’t gonna hurt ya!”

“Yeah, right” thought Spike, trying to control his breathing while running as fast as his little legs could carry him. Applejack’s lasso landed in the dust next to him, and he quickly sidestepped to stay as clear from it as possible. He could hear the farm pony curse loudly behind him as the rope came back empty. Pinkie zoomed past her, although her grasp on the situation was minimal at best.

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Pinkie! Y’all ain’t helpin’!”

“Well sorry. Gee, spoilsport.”

“Do ya even know why we’re trying to catch him? Were ya even listening to Star?”

“I was, at first. But then it started to get boring, so I was thinking about parties and fun stuff to try and keep myself from getting bored, and I must have missed the part where we had to play tag with Spike because…”

“Never mind, jus’ keep outta my way!” Applejack lowered her head and increased her speed.

When Spike glanced back and saw how much the pair was gaining on him he realised he needed to change tactic in order to escape. He’d been stupid in getting spotted in the first place, trying to sneak around the edges of Ponyville. He didn’t even know where he’d been going, he was just trying to find someone, anyone, that could help. Spike had proved that letters to the princess didn’t help; he had to try to find a way to get to Celestia personally. And then Applejack had seen him and everything had gone to hell.

“Ah’m tryin’ to help you Spike!”

“I know he got to you!” Spike yelled back.

Applejack gritted her teeth and kept silent.

“Who was Spike talking about?” asked Pinkie, bounding along next to her seemingly effortlessly. The farm pony didn’t reply.

Spike suddenly changed direction, tearing towards the thick trees of the Everfree forest. He was cutting it dangerously close, he knew. He could hear their hooves stamping the ground behind him, closer and closer. He could hear Applejack’s breath, quick but still strong and still ready to tackle him if she got just a little closer. Her hooves left the ground as she threw herself at him, but Spike nipped between the trees and into the coarse thickets just in time. Applejack fell short, landing in the bushes and tangling herself up completely. She looked up as Spike disappeared into the forest.

“So… did we lose?” asked Pinkie, watching her struggle free.

Applejack sighed, pulling the thorns out of her coat. “Yep, ah think we did.”

***

Starbright yanked on a barb. To Applejack’s credit, she barely winced. The library was dark, lit by a single candle. Rarity sat examining her hooves while Star tended to Applejack. Twilight was still out searching.

“Yes,” he said, “it could be worse. At least we know where he is. And how big can this forest be anyway?”

Applejack and Rarity gave each other a nervous glance.

“That big?” Starbright gently caressed Applejack’s now well-groomed back. “And it’s dangerous?”

“Surely ya remember when we were last in there?”

Starbright beamed. “Then this is perfect! It’s most likely the situation with Spike will simply resolve itself. We keep up the idea that Spike is possessed and I can safely stay here until we’re ready. But we need somepony to make sure he doesn’t manage to get out.”

“Like a sentry?” asked Rarity.

“Exactly. Someone who can cover a large perimeter quickly. A pegasus.”

Applejack retrieved her hat and pressed it back on her head. Immediately she felt more comfortable. “What about Twilight?”

Star shook his head. “Too conspicuous. I’ll need to recruit someone else. Rarity, did you manage to reconcile with Fluttershy?”

“Hardly. She barely looked at me the entire time.”

Starbright had put them together in the vain hope that Rarity would be able to make some headway in improving Fluttershy’s attitude towards Star. He didn’t really expect a result there, so this outcome was unsurprising.

“She’s not the strongest of fliers, either,” said Applejack.

“Then Rainbow Dash it is,” replied Star. “As for you two, just be ready if I need you. Keep up appearances for the time being.”

The pair nodded.

“And if Spike escapes the forest in the meantime?” asked Rarity.

“If it’s as big as you say it is, that’s not an immediate possibility. He knows better than to come back to Ponyville, so he’ll probably be trying to get to Canterlot. I’ll have Rainbow Dash wait the other side when she’s ready.” Starbright ran a hoof through his mane. “Though with any luck, Spike won’t be leaving the forest at all.”

***

Every time a twig snapped underfoot, every time the wind rustled through the leaves, Spike jumped. You’d think he’d get used to it eventually, but he never did. It didn’t help that he was entirely lost, though that was probably to be expected; the Everfree forest was a maze even to those most acquainted with its twisting paths.

Between the trees, Spike could see the hunched over shapes following him. He didn’t know what they were, but they’d been chasing him for the last hour or so. They seemed to have actually grown in number, but Spike couldn’t be sure that wasn’t just paranoia. Either way, they hadn’t shown any signs of aggression. Not yet.

But as the day turned to night, and the forest darkened, the shadows drew closer. It was obvious they’d been waiting for that, for the perfect time to gather around him. Spike grew more and more agitated as they circled him, eventually breaking into a run. But it didn’t save him from the slow transition to night. The unknown creatures kept pace easily, and Spike was already numb from fatigue. Eventually he tripped, landing in the leaves. He’d given up, he just wanted it all to end. And end it did, though not in the way he was expecting.

The shadows flocked around him, ready to feast, when a torch flared in the darkness. Screeches and shrieks rose up as the denizens of the forest recoiled, disappearing into the woods.

“And just who is it that we have here? Young Spike, alone and cowering in fear?”

Spike felt himself pulled to his feet, face to face with the zebra that had saved him.

“Zecora?!” he gasped.

“You don’t have to react with such surprise; I’m not the one that’s a sight for sore eyes.” Zecora gave him a kind smile. “It’s a wonder I found you out here at all, the forest is no place for one so small.”

“Zecora, I need your help!”

“That at least is plain to see. Alright, little dragon, come home with me.”

“But…”

“After I’ve made sure you’re well, only then do you have a story to tell.”

Relieved simply to have found someone not trying to chase him, Spike wordlessly followed Zecora as she led the way back to her hut.

***

Fire. Black obsidian. Anarchy. Celestia’s face glowed orange, illuminated by the magic orb in front of her that displayed the dreadful landscape. Her face was drawn, a deep frown carved into her features. She barely glanced at her sister as she opened the door.

“You really ought to stop looking at that thing Tia, it just worries you.”

Luna’s indifference immediately annoyed Celestia, as she knew it would.

“I have to remind myself what will happen if we fail,” said Celestia, still unable to tear herself away from the orb. “I have to remind myself what Equestria was like when the demons ruled.”

“Sounds terribly boring.”

Celestia’s horn flashed and the orb dissipated, small sparkles floating slowly to the floor. “How was your excursion to Ponyville?”

For once, Luna looked surprised. “I… You knew I went?”

“I knew you’d gone somewhere. I had a hunch, and you’ve confirmed it.”

“You’re too smart for your own good,” said Luna.

“And what did you learn there?”

“Nothing much, unfortunately. He’s still tracking it down.”

“I hope the trip sated your curiosity. I don’t want you visiting there again until we know where Irdu is.”

Luna scowled. “You don’t control me.”

“Fine, I advise you not to visit again. The risks are too great.”

“You don’t think I can handle myself.”

“That’s not what I said.” Celestia rested a hoof on her sister’s shoulder, but Luna shied away from the contact. “I’m not going either. We can’t afford to be taken by surprise.”

“You always let your fear get the better of you,” snapped Luna.

“Your past recklessness has done far more damage than I ever have.”

Celestia immediately regretted her retort. Her sister never could take criticism, and the hurt in Luna’s eyes showed that she’d said too much. Without a word, Luna spun on her hooves and stormed out the room. Celestia wanted to follow her, to apologise, to say something, but she didn’t trust herself not to get angry with her again. Better to let Luna stew for a while, cool her head. Then she could apologise properly. Head bowed, her horn lit up, and the orb began to materialise once more.

Outside in the corridor, Luna was furious. How dare she? Why did Celestia always treat her as inferior? It was as if Luna was the only one capable of making mistakes, and the only one culpable for them when they arose. Did Tia not realise she’d been spending hours lost in that damn ball rather than actually doing anything? She was too cautious.

What Luna would never admit, and especially not to Starbright, is that this whole thing had been a test. A test Luna had set up for Celestia. She wanted to give her sister one final chance to prove that she valued Luna as an equal. But Celestia had made it clear which side she was on: her own, as usual.

Well Tia, thought Luna, soon you’ll see that you should have listened to me. That I wasn’t to just be cast aside. That I’m not worthless. It was too late for Celestia to redeem herself now. She’d dismissed her sister too many times. Now it was Luna’s chance to show her that she deserved respect; the same respect she’d had in the past. And it was going to be wonderful.

***

Rainbow looked over at the earth pony beside her, his brown coat glossy in the sun. The street was lively for this early in the morning, considering most of the shops had only just opened. Privately, Dash thought this was a bit of a waste of time. It wasn’t likely that Spike would be hanging around Ponyville anymore, not after all that had happened. “What’s in this for you?” she asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Why are you here? Ponies always have a reason.”

“I’m not sure I follow,” said Star. “Isn’t stopping the destruction of the world good enough?”

“Pfft.” Dash blew the hair out of her eyes. “I don’t get the ‘hero’ vibe from you. There’s gotta be something else that’s brought you out here.”

“I won’t deny Celestia promised me a large monetary incentive…”

“Nah, that’s not it either.”

“Oh?”

“You wanna know what I think?” asked Dash.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“I think,” said Dash, ignoring his remark, “that you’re doing this because you love outsmarting ponies. And demons. You love proving you’re better than them.”

Starbright laughed in surprise. “You’re pretty sharp.”

“Eh, it was easy enough to figure out. I’m the same.” Dash floated beside him, lying on her back, seemingly defying gravity with lazy wing strokes. “I mean, I do it by just being generally awesome, but smarts are something, I guess. You’ve got nothing on Twilight though.”

Star thought back to the docile alicorn he’d shared his bed with last night. How she’d called him master, ready to serve him in any way he asked. “I’m sure,” he said.

“I’m serious,” insisted Dash. “No offense, but I wouldn’t have believed you about Spike if Twilight wasn’t backing you up.”

“I know it’s rather a lot to take in, but remember it’s not Spike we’re chasing, not really. He’s just an unfortunate victim in all this,” he said.

“Well, yeah. Spike’s hardly dangerous.”

Starbright glanced at the silvery scars on his leg, almost invisible under his hair, the only damage that Luna hadn’t been able to heal. Bite marks. An uncomfortable silence stretched out between them as other ponies wandered unconcernedly by.

“Hey, so-” began Dash.
“About the-” said Star, simultaneously.

Damn it. Starbright couldn’t help but be terribly aware of the lack of chemistry between him and Rainbow, at least compared to the other bearers. Perhaps he’d unwittingly saved the more difficult ponies until last. Fluttershy was certainly going to be a challenge.

“I just wanted to talk about the other day,” said Rainbow. “That’s… That’s not me.”

“What isn’t you?”

“Don’t act stupid. The drinking. It was just a mistake. A once-off.”

Star shrugged. “It’s not really any of my business.”

Rainbow dropped to the floor, confused. “Wait, you’re not going to ask about it?”

“Did you expect me to?”

“Well, yeah, actually. Most everyone does.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I can’t make you,” said Star. “After all, we barely know each other, and if you’re not going to tell your closest friends, you’re not going to tell me.”

Dash sighed. “You’ve been talking to Rarity, then?”

“As I said, it’s none of my business.”

“So you’re really not going to ask?”

“If you keep this up, I might have to.” Star grinned at her.

“Aha, funny.”

“I don’t see you laughing.” Starbright forged ahead, forcing Rainbow to trot to catch up.

“Hey, so what’s the deal with Twilight?” she asked. “You know, her holing up in the library all this time.”

“For someone who’s so desperate to keep their matters private, you really don’t have a problem with sticking your nose in other’s affairs.”

“I’m just asking!” protested Dash. “And… I just wanted to say thanks, for whatever you did.”

“I wasn’t aware I’d done anything.”

“I haven’t seen her for ages, but the last time I did she was completely out of it. Like she was somewhere else… it was weird. But now, even though everything’s kinda screwed, she looks so much better. I dunno, if you look at her, her eyes are happier now. It’s like they have this… glow.”

Star stopped in his tracks. “Her eyes are glowing?”

“Not literally. That’d be pretty strange.”

Star breathed out in relief. Unfortunately, Rainbow noticed.

“You alright?” she asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, I zoned out.”

“Hey, no worries. I guess you got a lot on your mind, huh?”

Star nodded.

“Tell you what you need,” said Dash. “A drink. I know a great little place, nice and quiet. We could shoot down there after we’re done searching.”

“Are you sure that’s such a good idea?”

She chuckled. “I told you, it was a one off. And besides, I’ll have you there, right? Stop me if I start going overboard. Come on, first round’s on me.”

“Alright, you’ve got a deal.”

***

“You weren’t kidding when you said this place was quiet,” said Starbright. The bar was virtually empty, save for a couple of grizzled ponies at the counter, surrounded by a low haze of cigarette smoke. There was no music; the jukebox in the corner had evidently been out of order for some time, judging by the sizeable hole in the front where somepony had put a hoof through it.

“Yep, just the way I like it. You should see it late in the evenings though, totally crazy. Vinyl does a wicked set in here sometimes, it’s awesome.”

“I’ll bet.” Starbright had no idea who ‘Vinyl’ was, or why their sets were so wicked. He doubted if he’d enjoy it.

“I suppose it’s probably not your kind of deal,” said Rainbow, picking up on his lack of enthusiasm. “So come on then, what do you normally do to unwind?”

“To unwind?”

“You know, chill? Kick back? Jeez, you’re not easy to talk to, are you?”

Star said nothing, focusing on a point behind her.

“Hey, Star!” She waved a hoof in front of his face. “You there?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I…” Starbright’s eyes drifted back to over her shoulder. “Say, do you know that pony?”

“Whi- oh shit!” Dash spun back around and covered her face with a hoof, leaving Starbright to wonder if she honestly thought that would help. It wasn’t as though her mane was inconspicuous.

“Not a friend of yours, I take it?” he asked.

“Is… is he coming over?”

“No, just watching. Should he be?”

Dash whimpered a little. “This is bad, this is really bad.”

“Who is he?”

“Well, the other day, when I was…”

“Yes?”

“I have to fund that somehow, and I’m a crack shot at pool. I may have downplayed my abilities a little until there was some serious money on the table.”

Starbright sighed. “How much did you take him for?”

“Not much.”

“And how much is ‘not much’?”

Rainbow mumbled a figure.

“Didn’t quite catch that,” said Star.

“A couple of hundred.”

“Okay, that’s… quite a lot. I imagine he didn’t take too kindly to that.”

“I guess not. Is he still looking?” she asked.

Behind her, a voice spoke: “Yeah. I am.”

Dash winced, turning slowly to face the pony behind her. “H-hey… buddy… How’s it going?” There was an uncharacteristic waver in her voice. Not fear, she wasn’t scared of the guy, more an intense regret.

The stallion in question was a well-built earth pony, looming over her. “You vanished pretty quickly the other night,” he rumbled. “Didn’t even get to offer you a rematch.”

“Oh… yeah… Um, sorry about that. Had to jet.”

The pony nodded at Starbright. “Who’s your friend?”

“Just a friend, y’know. Staying in town for a few weeks, and…”

He interrupted her stammering. “I don’t appreciate being messed around, Dash. You played me the other night, and I want my money back.”

Rainbow shook her head indignantly. “I won it fair and square. It’s not my fault you couldn’t beat me, trying to take advantage of a drunk mare that could barely hold the cue the right way round. Call it instant karma.”

The corners of the pony’s mouth twitched. “I’ll call it what it was: a fucking scam.”

“Even if it was,” said Starbright, finally entering the conversation, “the fact remains you were only caught out because you tried to take Dash for everything she had. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

The earth pony’s head snapped round. “And who the hell do you think you are?”

Dash jumped to her feet, stepping between them before the situation got out of hand. Even though she was a fair bit smaller than the belligerent stallion, he stepped back a little.

“Walk away,” she said, a hard edge to her voice. “You’re not getting anything back; I spent it all anyway. So get out of here before we end up doing something both of us will regret.”

The stallion considered for a moment. Perhaps if Dash had been alone, he might have felt a bit more confident. Starbright wasn’t exactly a heavyweight, it was still two against one. “Bitch.” And with that he turned away, back to the counter to order a particularly heavy drink.

“He seems nice,” commented Starbright. “When’s the wedding?”

“Don’t do that,” said Dash, quietly.

“I suppose it was in poor taste…”

“I didn’t mean the joke. I meant back there, you jumping in. I don’t need you to fight my battles for me; I can handle myself. Probably better than you can.”

“I didn’t mean to-”

“Whatever,” said Rainbow, interrupting him. “I like standing up for myself, and I don’t want ponies feeling the need to come to my rescue. I… I need to take care of myself. To show I can handle it.”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-”

“No. Don’t apologise. It’s normal, I get that. But I’m different. I’ve always had to prove myself, y’know? Dunno why, Twilight says it’s ‘innate’, whatever that means. Like, when you stepped in there, immediately that guy changed focus to you. But really, who do you think would actually be the most threatening? So I can’t have ponies thinking I don’t stick up for myself, or they’ll start saying I’m a coward, or that I’m weak.” She paused. “And I’m not,” she finished lamely, before downing her cider. “Be right back.”

Dash stood and headed towards the toilets at the back of the bar. After ordering a couple more drinks at the bar, Star rummaged around in his satchel, pulling out a light blue mixture. With a cursory glance at the bar patrons and satisfied that none of them were watching, Starbright emptied the bottle into Dash’s drink. He dropped it back into his bag, where it landed with a soft clink, the label facing upwards.

Insecurity.

***

The inside of Zecora’s hut was small but comfortable. Glass jars lined the shelves, strange and unidentifiable things suspended in various mixtures. Hung up on hooks were wooden masks, faces carved and painted onto each one. In the centre of the room was Zecora’s cauldron, the thick fluid inside glowing a bright acid-green. Against the far wall was a wooden bench, a large object on top of it covered up by a sheet. It moved slightly as Spike got near, and when he went to lift up the corner of the covering, Zecora smacked his claw away with a hoof.

“Do not concern yourself with that,” she said. “Remember, curiosity killed the cat.”

She pulled him over a chair, and planted him into it.

“Now, what brought you out into this wood? I highly doubt it was anything good.”

Spike told her everything. Starbright’s arrival, Twilight’s sleep, finding the cracked elements, his confrontation with Star, how he’d escaped, Twilight’s recovery, and that he was being chased by the bearers, whether they were corrupted or not. He told her of his escape into the forest, right up until Zecora found him. He didn’t know how he’d expected her to react; disbelief, most likely. Perhaps anger, thinking he was lying. Or even for her to laugh at him, assuming he’d just made up his outlandish story, but she did none of those. Instead, she waited with patient understanding as he explained. She didn’t even show surprise, if she felt it, and that was exactly what Spike needed; someone to understand and believe him.

“That is indeed a disturbing tale. We cannot let the elements fail.”

“So… so you believe me?” Spike couldn’t quite allow himself to feel hope. Not just yet.

“I have reasons to believe what you say is true. The question right now is: what can we do?”

“It’s easy,” said Spike. Zecora shot him a questioning look. “We just have to get rid of Starbright.”

The zebra laughed. “And what exactly do you propose? Do you think you could enter Ponyville right under Star’s nose?”

“We have to do something! How can you be so calm about this?!”

“If we rush we may waste our only chance. Instead we should prepare a plan in advance.”

“Okay, so what now?”

“I believe I know a way to end this blight. For now, I suggest you stay the night.”

“Stay the night?!” yelled Spike. “We can’t wait, or he’ll win.”

“Do not fret Spike, we have time to spare. The bearers of the elements aren’t going anywhere.” She pointed to a small pile of cushions, clearly intended for him to sleep on. Spike couldn’t resist one last question.

“Zecora… Do you know what Starbright is?”

She sighed. “I have my suspicions, but I cannot say; Celestia’s rule caused plenty to stray. There are many beings that live in the dark, and the deep. Don’t waste your time worrying now, just try and sleep.”

***

Rainbow pressed Starbright against the wall, and her lips against his with such immediacy their teeth bumped lightly against each other. The moon shone brightly, but its light barely touched the street, and even if somebody had been out that late, no one would have seen them in the shadows.

Their kiss became more forceful, Rainbow Dash pushing herself up against him, her body intertwined with his. Starbright wasn’t used to standing on hind legs, and so he was grateful of the wall to rest his weight on. Not that he had much choice, Rainbow was holding him up as much as the wall was. Their hooves caressed each other; not gently, but with that fiery passion that pure lust inspires, roaming over curves with intense commitment, feeling every inch they could. And eventually tiring of adventuring across the more mundane areas, they both traced their way around to the front, to the far more interesting (and relevant) places. But as Star’s hoof drifted lower, Rainbow pushed herself away, breaking the kiss and stepping back.

“No,” she whispered.

Star panted slightly, such was the ferocity they’d been entwined at. “No?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s not… we can’t.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned and shot into the air, away between the clouds, leaving Starbright both confused and thoroughly unsatisfied.

***

My head may have been slightly lightened by the cider, but not enough for me to lose my judgement to any serious degree. I’d watched Rainbow drink the potion, there was no chance it hadn’t been affecting her. Her actions towards me were proof enough, which of course resulted in only one possible answer.

I’d done exactly what I said I wouldn’t. I’d rushed, and made a mistake.

Insecurity was a weakness, but not the weakness. Not the one that Rainbow Dash was most fearful of, not the one that controlled her, the one that occupied her every waking thought. That was something else, and at the time I thought I’d just ruined any chance of finding it.

***

Clouds can mean a lot of things. To some, they’re nothing more than random swirls in the sky, not even worth a glance. To others, they make shapes, but only because you’re looking for them. And to a rare few, the shapes are meaningful, some sort of preordination. Any pegasus could tell you it was a ridiculous notion, cloud structure was one of the most important lessons a fledgling learnt, and there was no part of them that “told the future”, but how can you explain that to an earth pony who has lived their life by the clouds?

To Rainbow Dash, clouds meant one thing and one thing only. Home. Even excluding Cloudsdale itself, they served as an escape. They were a known quantity, she knew how they worked, she had an affinity for them, and flight in general. She was the youngest of her class to start flying, and ever since then she’d sought to keep that advantage up, becoming the youngest pony to ever qualify from the Wonderbolts academy.

Unfortunately, being quite so advanced had its disadvantages as well. The most notable was the age requirement for the Wonderbolts. Obviously designed to keep inexperienced fliers from applying, it made no difference that Rainbow had proved herself more than capable. It was simply “how things were done”.

And so Dash kept her dead end job on the weather patrol, with no prospects or future, because she knew that as soon as possible, that spot on the Wonderbolts would be hers, no matter what.

Unlike the future, clouds could be anticipated. They could be controlled to some extent, but even where they couldn’t they were at least understood. They worked. The future was far less precise. She’d proven her worth over and over again, saving the Wonderbolts at the young flier’s competition, graduating from the academy with the best score ever seen, and yet she was still held back. There was always one more obstacle, one more arbitrary hoop to jump through. Clouds made sense, and all of that meant that her home in Cloudsdale was one of her favourite places in the world. The huge amount of snack foods in the fridge didn’t hurt either.

She did feel bad about Starbright. She knew he probably deserved an explanation, and Dash regretted leading him on like that. It wasn’t intentional; Rainbow hated the teases she’d been acquainted with so often. She preferred everything to be clear, in the open. But there was no way she could tell Starbright why she’d run, how would she even begin to explain it? She could just blame the cider, tell him she’d drunk too much the next time she saw him. With any luck they’d find Spike soon enough. Then Star could leave and she’d be able to put the whole thing behind her.

She was ready to spend the night wallowing on the sofa watching awful late night TV, when the knock came. It was late, far too late for anypony to be visiting her, and yet there it was again, more urgent this time and it didn’t stop, a barrage of unceasing sound that was becoming more and more frantic.

“Fine!” Dash yelled. “I’m coming, stop with the knocking already!”

Dash slammed the bolt back and threw the door open, a gesture that probably would have had more effect were it, and the wall it collided with, not made entirely out of soft, fluffy cloud. She was more than ready to give her late caller a piece of her mind, but the tirade died in her throat as Dash was presented with a rather nervous looking Starbright.

“What are… How… Huh?” Rainbow’s confusion somewhat hampered her ability to form coherent sentences.

“Twilight. Hot Air Balloon. Cloudwalking spell.” Starbright rattled through the answers, getting through them as quickly as he could with a wild look in his eyes. “Please can I come in? It’s both freezing and very, very high up.”

Speechless, Dash let him in, where he visibly relaxed. Sure, he was technically still in the same position he’d been in a few minutes before, but at least now he could PRETEND he wasn’t miles above the hard, unforgiving ground that would smash him to a pulp if he were to fall.
Don’t think about that; whatever you do stop thinking about that.

“Okay, I get the how,” said Dash, “but why are you all the way up here? I’m sorry about the bar thing, but I made it pretty clear that-”

“I know, but you were obviously upset and I’d hoped to talk about it. Purely platonically, of course.”

“Pla-whatnow?”

“Platonically. Not… intimate.”

“Oh!” Dash’s cheeks reddened. “Yeah, alright. Can I get you a drink or something? I think I have a couple of beers.”

“Don’t you think a clear head would be better?”

She shrugged. “Probably. I’m gonna grab something to eat at least.” Leaving Star alone, she vanished into the kitchen, various rummaging sounds making their way out to him. Rainbow clearly didn’t care much for housekeeping, old food packets and empty glasses lay everywhere. Starbright didn’t mind the disorganised mess; in some ways it was comforting.

Can you hear me? A voice in Star’s head.

Yes, thought Star. Was there really no other way to do this? It feels horribly… impersonal.

I know, responded Twilight. But a mind link spell was the only way you could be subtle about it, unless you wanted to bring all those fragile bottles up into the sky.

If the cloudwalking spell wears off, I have a feeling that smashing bottles will be the least of my worries. I mostly didn’t want to make Rainbow Dash suspicious; this is going to be hard enough as it is. Just be ready when I need it. You’ll probably have to be quick.

Not a problem.

Ugh. Starbright reeled as Twilight broke the connection. He hadn’t expected it to feel so unpleasant. Like something was slithering around in his mind. He wondered if it was as bad for Twilight as it had been for him.

“Hey, you want some of these?” asked Dash.

She held out a bowl of potato chips, which Star waved away, before dropping onto the sofa beside him.

“I appreciate you coming up here, but I think you might have wasted a trip. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Starbright shrugged. “Then don’t.”

“Huh?”

“You either want to talk about it or you don’t. And I’m not going to make you do something you don’t want to, but I couldn’t leave it the way you tried to. You’d probably just blame it on the drink.”

Rainbow winced.

“Yeah, I thought so,” said Star. “But there’s clearly something deeper there. If you’re not going to tell me what it is, then okay, but it’s something you need to get off your chest. I’m here to listen if you want. If not, I’ll leave right now.”

Rainbow was stunned, and not for the first time. Starbright had a sincerity in his statements that she hadn’t seen for a long time. It was one of the reasons she’d never told her friends. Especially Rarity. Rarity had asked a lot, but every time there had been that hint of regret. As if she was really hoping that Dash would once again shake off her question. Eventually it had become little more than a ritual between them; Rarity half-heartedly asking, purely to hear the “no” that Dash was expected to give. Sometimes Rainbow had toyed with the idea of actually talking about it, just to see the look on Rarity’s face when she said “Okay”. But it wasn’t worth it, not if the unicorn didn’t care about what she had to say. She just viewed it as her duty, and that was that.

Star though, he really did care, for some reason. She had no idea why, as far as he was concerned she was just a pony that might be targeted by a demon. But now they knew where the demon was, so that didn’t make sense any more either. Another possibility was that he was just in it for a quick lay, and thought that trying to connect with her would get him there. She’d dealt with those types before. But that didn’t fit with Star’s character, and he’d insisted he was only here to talk. She realised she’d been silent for quite some time, digesting all that.

“Okay,” she mumbled, unsure even herself. Star just waited for her to carry on, not rushing her. “I don’t know how much you know about me, but I’m a great flier. I’m not boasting there, it’s just something I’m good at. Always have been. It’d be like you saying you’re pretty clever. It’s not a boast, it just… is. And I knew it, even when I was younger. A filly, even. I was always the first to manage something new if it was to do with flying; I even made a Sonic Rainboom, something that hadn’t been done for so long people thought it was like an urban legend. Do you know what it’s like to be truly good at something, Star? To be so good at it, and for it to be such a big part of you, that you can’t imagine what you’d be like without it?”

“Yes.”

She laughed. “Then you know that I had to keep going with it. I couldn’t just stop flying when I got older. You know the Wonderbolts?”

Starbright nodded.

“Well, that’s the dream, and it always has been. It’s the highest point of flying. The top of the heap, only the best of the best.”

“Seems you’ll fit right in.”

“You’d think so, wouldn’t you? The thing is they seem to be trying to keep me out of it. Every time I get closer to it there’s some other thing getting in the way. I’ve done so much, far more than anypony has done before, and I’m still not in. I’ve gone through the academy with some of the best scores they ever recorded, better than any of the current Wonderbolts, and yet they still haven’t even shown the slightest bit of interest. What more can I do?”

“So what’s stopping you now?”

“I’m too young, supposedly, which doesn’t make any sense because I’ve proven I’m good enough.”

“Is that why you’ve been drinking?”

“Pretty much. Occasionally it gets to me that I’m stuck with a terrible job and maybe I won’t ever get out of it. That maybe this is all I have for pretty much the rest of my life. So yeah, sometimes I end up going out to drink and forget about all this crap.” She shrugged. “But it’s not like there’s much I can do about it. I just have to keep on going, even though I don’t think I’ll ever make it. There’ll always be one more thing I haven’t done.” She stood and stretched. “I need a drink, badly. You sure you don’t want one?”

“No, I’m good.”

I was so close, thought Star as Dash headed back to the kitchen. So close and yet so far. Rainbow’s insecurities weren’t the cause, but the result. She was scared of showing failure, not because it was her weakness, but because in her mind she already had. She thought she was covering up for mistakes already made, when of course no such problems existed.

A brief line of thought to Twilight, and a bottle filled with clear fluid winked into existence next to him.

Inadequacy.

Having a subservient alicorn really did have its benefits. Star drenched the potato chips in the potion, before the bottle vanished once again, just as Rainbow returned with her half-drunk bottle. She crashed back down onto the sofa next to him, before grabbing the bowl.

“You know what I think?” asked Star.

“Mmph?” Rainbow mumbled through a mouthful of chips.

“I think you’re so concerned you’re going to fail that you can’t see any other outcome. I think you really are going to be a Wonderbolt one day, but if you keep thinking they don’t want you then you’re going to be holding yourself back, because you’re torn between feeling like you deserve it… knowing you deserve it, and feeling that you’ll never be good enough, when the fact is you already are. You pick up on every little negativity, while overlooking the huge positives. I mean, I don’t pretend to be a master of pegasus custom, but I know even getting in to the academy in the first place is hard enough. To do as well as you did pretty much ensured they’ll grab you the second they can, and they probably already would before you did that. It’s not the Wonderbolts that are stopping you; it’s your own fear of not being good enough.”

There was a long silence. “That… that was quite a speech,” said Dash.

“You said it yourself: I’m pretty clever.” Starbright grinned.

For a while, Dash didn’t break eye contact, biting her lip as she gauged Star’s honesty. Just before it started to become uncomfortable, she threw herself at him, sending the half empty bowl flying.

Rainbow had never been one for subtleties when it came to courtship. To her, ponies always seemed to skirt around the matter at hand, holding their cards close to their chest. “Screw that,” was her sentiment. Everyone wasted so much time when they could be busy enjoying themselves.

Funnily enough, “Screw that” was also her attitude in this particular situation, grinding herself against Star. He shifted underneath her, and Dash assumed he was trying to get more comfortable, but then he hooked his front legs around her rear and lifted her up. Like all pegasi, Rainbow was fairly light for her size, but it still took some strength to actually lift a whole pony.

“Impressive,” she murmured, running kisses up his neck. Star pushed her against the wall in a perfect opposite to the alley earlier. Her hoof idly stroked his already erect member while he rubbed against her nethers, teasing along the sensitive folds and occasionally moving up just enough to lightly tease her clit, sending a burst of sensation up through her body each time. His hoof turned slick against her wet and ready opening, his length pressing against her, hot and insistent.

She gasped as he entered her; she couldn’t help it. It had been a long time since she’d rutted a stallion, longer still since there had been such a fiery intensity to it. Star held her in place against the wall, both hooves now under Dash’s rump, holding her up while fucking her in short, quick motions. Her hindlegs were wrapped around his waist, forelegs around his neck, clinging against him as his thrusts penetrated deep inside of her.

Toys were great, and Rainbow had her fair share of them, but there was something an aroused stallion brought to the table that they could never replace. Passion, closeness, the feeling of a warm body against her. And Rainbow liked the idea of someone else taking pleasure from her. Vibrators were so… impersonal. There was no give-and-take, no satisfaction for anyone other than herself. She’d always enjoyed making somepony else orgasm; there was something incredibly satisfying about giving that to someone.

Which was all well and good, except Rainbow had never lasted long. She supposed that might be a problem were she a stallion, but as a mare all it meant was that sex was always great, for both her and whoever her partner happened to be at the time. One of Star’s hooves had moved round to lightly caress her clit as he pumped in and out, and Dash felt herself reaching her peak. She pulled him in closer as she came, panting in short breaths over his shoulder. Her walls tightened in pulses around his cock as she moaned in bliss.

She didn’t really know how they made it into the bedroom, such was the state she was in, but she didn’t blame Starbright for wanting a break. Their previous position couldn’t have been easy for him to hold, as great as it had been for her. Dash must have taken the lead at some point, because now she was on top, holding him down as he sunk into the soft cloud that made up her bed. Riding him, she was able to set the pace, and did so with great enthusiasm, rocking rapidly back and forth and drawing as much stimulation from Star as she could. Not that he wasn’t enjoying it; his grunts joining her moans in that unmistakeable sound of lust being sated.

It took a while for them to realise Starbright was sinking. Unfamiliar with the makeup of clouds, he though it must just be the way pegasi beds were made, and Rainbow was too preoccupied to notice, her eyes tightly shut. And then he fell through it, disappearing from sight, and Rainbow would have been hard pressed not to notice that.

Starbright flailed in panic as he fell from the sky, plummeting towards the earth. The spell had worn off, and after mentally cursing Twilight, he realised he only had one choice. In order to survive, he would have to cast off the shackles of this form, which would cripple his chance to succeed here. Star mentally prepared himself, but moments before destroying his illusion, a bolt of blue smashed into him, stopping his deadly descent.

“Damn Star, warn me if that’s about to happen next time, will you?” Rainbow laughed, her bright mane streaming behind her.

“I can assure you it wasn’t intentional…” replied Star, trying to keep the tremor out of his voice. He’d been very close to ending any chance whatsoever of corrupting the remaining bearers. If Rainbow had seen him change, there’s no telling what would have happened. Surely nothing good.

“Man, and I was so close too…” Dash gave him a sidelong look. “Hey, I’ve got an idea.”

He frowned, realising her intentions. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why not? Pegasi do it all the time! It’s meant to be awesome, like the ultimate height of excitement.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t have wings. How would even work?”

“Simple.” Dash flipped in the air, so Star was lying on top of her, his weight fully supported. “My wings’ll hold us up; you just do your thing.”

“I don’t…”

“Stop being such a wimp Star. Get to it!”

Star gripped her tightly, positioning his hindquarters so he could reach her. Having sex miles above the ground while holding on for dear life was something he could safely say he never anticipated doing, but there was a first time for everything, he supposed.

Thanks to the brevity of his fall, he’d managed to stay hard from before, which Star was grateful for. He doubted he’d be able to start again from scratch this high up. After taking a second to adjust himself and trying as hard as possible not to look down, Starbright thrust forward, penetrating her again. It was certainly a novel experience, and not an unpleasant one. Every time Rainbow beat her wings, her inner walls tightened around him, relaxing when they fanned open again.

The night air rushed past them, and if it hadn’t been such a pleasant evening it most likely would have been bitterly cold. As it was, it only served to cool the joined pair as they flew. Dash had reached a sudden understanding as to why pegasi spoke so highly of this. It was, speaking frankly, incredible. All of her nerves were heightened, far more responsive, and with every thrust she shuddered in bliss. Oh god she should have done this before, why had she not done this before? Starbright seemed to be getting into it too, his movements becoming faster and harder, driving wonderfully into her. She wrapped her hooves around him, holding him closer as yet another idea dawned on her.

Without warning, Dash’s wings suddenly snapped shut, sending the pair arcing downwards. Star froze as they fell, but her wings opened and brought them round in an enormous loop.

“What are you doing!?” exclaimed Star.

“Just keep going, let me worry about the flying!”

And, after a moment to recompose himself, he did. They zipped through the sky as Star finally managed to give himself fully to the experience. The wind whistling past his ears, Dash’s ecstatic cries, the wonderful feeling of her clenching around him, wanting nothing more than to keep going.

Dash herself felt better than she had in months. This was a pegasi mating ritual, sure, but she’d never heard of it done with an earth pony before. While it may not be the sort of thing she could put on her application to the Wonderbolts, there was still a sort of pride there. In a way it proved she was more than capable of doing anything the Wonderbolts could throw at her. And she certainly had to try this again.

Rainbow lived for the skies, and as they soared, spinning and diving against that starry backdrop, she wouldn’t have traded her situation for the world.

Starbright, on the other end of their tryst, was nearing his limit. He found himself strangely excited by the candidness of their public display (he briefly wondered if anypony has looked out at the night sky and seen a silhouette of a pair of fucking ponies, and had to stifle a laugh) and his pumps became more erratic. Those varied thrusts were enough to drive Rainbow to her second orgasm, Star following soon after. Rainbow felt his warm seed inside her, and let herself fall backwards, her wings closing, mind blanking and allowing her to just revel in sensation.

Recovering quickly, Star couldn’t help but feel a little panicked at their hasty descent.

“Uh, Rainbow?”

“Mmmmmmm…” Rainbow smiled blissfully, seemingly unable to hear him.

“Rainbow, seriously, why are we dropping so fast?”

She merely sighed happily in response.

“RAINBOW!” Star hated shouting. It always sounded so desperate, but that was exactly how he felt. “PULL UP!”

No answer. The fields beneath them were close now, far too close, and getting even closer, a vast green expanse ready to swat them against it. He shook Rainbow Dash’s shoulders frantically, to no avail. This was it; it was all going to be over because of this crazy pegasus. Star dreaded what Luna would make of his failure, though admittedly he’d be past caring.

And then, at the very last second, Dash’s head whipped up, giving Starbright a mischievous wink before her wings shot back out. Immediately their drop flattened out, so close to the ground that Star could actually feel the grass against his hooves. Rainbow let herself fall the final foot or so, and they tumbled gently to a stop, Starbright rolling a little further away from her.

“That. Was. AMAZING!” Dash yelled the last word to the sky. “Okay, we are gonna have to do that again sometime.”

Star climbed slowly to his feet, remarkably steady. He didn’t reply to her.

“Oh come on,” she said. “You’re not actually that annoyed about that trick, right? You kinda deserved it, it’s not like I wasn’t worried when you fell through my damn bed.”

Still nothing.

“Starbright?” A hint of concern in her voice. “You alright there?”

And then Star turned round.

Suddenly everything made sense. The demon had never been in Spike, it was Star. The empty holes where his eyes should be were proof of that. To her credit, Dash tried her very best to resist. She spun round and broke into a canter, preparing for take-off. But it was far too late to try and run.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Star.

She stopped in her tracks. Every part of her was urging her to move, to keep running, but she didn’t seem to be able to. Slowly, inexorably, she felt herself turn round, to face the thing in all its horror.

It smiled. A terrible smile, reaching from ear to ear. “You are mine,” it said.

She muttered some incomprehensible refusal, trying to pull away. If anything, it’s grin only widened as she struggled, shaking her head in an attempt to clear the dark clouds that had started rolling over her thoughts. Dash sank to her knees, feeling the cool dew against her body. As her vision finally completely faded, she was left with a last glimpse of Starbright, standing over her.

***

Spike was restless. It had been two days since he’d fled Ponyville, and in that time he’d achieved absolutely nothing. The hut that had felt so comforting to him when he’d first arrived now seemed like a prison. Yes, it kept him safe, but without Zecora’s assistance he couldn’t leave without risking the dangers of the forest. It was nearing a full moon, and the beasts were always wilder around that time.

“Zecora, when are we going to do something?”

“We will strike when the time is right. We’re waiting for our ally to be ready to fight.”

“You keep mentioning this ally of ours, but I’ve never even met them. Who are you talking about?”

“She’s talking about me.”

What Spike had taken for a sheet in the corner suddenly shifted, revealing the fact it was actually a flowing cloak. Underneath it, four black legs protruded, which could have been mistaken for pony limbs at a distance. Up close, it was clear they were made of nothing but curling shadows. Deep under the hood, a pair of white orbs shined, glowing malevolently at the dragon. They were the only features Spike could make out, but he doubted the hood would shroud that much. More likely they were the only features that actually existed. When it spoke, its voice was quiet and husky, but it seemed to reverberate through Spike’s skull.

“Hello Spike.” The thing stepped closer, and the air grew chill where it walked. “You may call me Irdu.”