Not to far away at Ebony’s suite, a disguised Discord had just finished his papering and was currently infiltrating her abode. His plan was to get to the bottom of everything and just recently discovered that Ebony is indeed using some form of magic to manipulate Gem. The suite was about 2,000 sq ft in size, there were marble counters, wooden floors , with brown and gold décor through each room. There was a view of the city as well as a large fire place with a wine closet next to it. Upon entering Discord was taken by the sweet fragrance of vanilla that filled the room. The temperature was fair and comfortable and the lighting was subtle. Ebony offered Discord lunch and a drink to which he accepted. He inspected it to make sure there was no poison or some kind of potion, just to be on the safe side he poured the drink into a plant when she wasn’t looking.

“Suit yourself” Ebony Replied.
While Ebony was trotting to the kitchen to get her guest a cold drink of water , he decided to do some snooping around to no avail. Her place was clean and there was nothing suspicious lying around. While snooping around Discord did take time to appreciate the art. He was pleasantly surprised at some of the chaotic designs and complex combinations of color he saw. Just then he was interrupted by a question.
“That circus outside is simply dreadful, don’t you agree, I fear they will never give us peace.”

“Sweetie, there not here for me, No their here for US.”
Ebony tossed Discord the Remaining publications and explained that their Scandal was really becoming the talk of the town.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to know sweetie. This article says you are with me, but this one says that you are seeing Rarity too, Gem I had no idea you were such a playboy” Ebony chuckled while she teased Discord, but she didn’t stop there.
“Welcome to my world, where every moment you’re being watched, and privacy is enjoyed from a luxurious glass house.”
This was bad, very bad. It didn’t take Discord long to figure out, that if Gem’s movements were being watch and documented then that definitely meant that he may have been spotted going to Rarity’s. How could something so important slip his mind so easily? No one could ever find out that Gem was indeed Spike , but if the word got out that there were two Gems the consequences could be catastrophic.
“Gem can I ask you something?”

“Haaa haaaa Ha, Im serious though.. and I trust you’ll tell me what I want to hear?”

“Whats going on between you and Rarity?”
There was a short pause before Discord began to answer the question. He was neither a wordsmith nor a hopeless romantic, so replying with an answer that sounded like something Spike would say wouldn’t be easy.

“Little? Crush? You say…Well you’ve written songs about her, she has obviously inspired you , so I wouldn’t call that a ‘Little Crush” as you so meekly put it. “ Ebony began to step closer and closer to Gem, she reached out her hoof towards him and she walked his way. Ebony embraced Gem and planted a soft kiss upon his cheek, and began to continue prying.

“Good, cause you see the thing is , I felt something last night that Ive never felt before. Your words moved me until only one gesture of passion could express my feelings. And when we kissed I felt a charge, an energy , I saw fireworks”

“NO those were just pyrotechnics “ Discord thought to himself. Ebony continued.

“Gem , I know you can feel it too. Now I know you have a crush and that’s fine, I actually think its cute; but why only a crush? You tell me that even with you being such a talented and wonderful stallion that she’s yet to return your feelings? What is it that you want?”
Discord didn’t know what to say, He wasn’t Spike. Spike would have probably said something like “Its more than a crush, it is Love, I do adore her, she inspires me, she’s the only Pony for me.”
Discord just couldn’t get the words to flow out, so he decided to fight fire with fire, manipulator vs. manipulator.

“Well a wise pony once told me two important things.” Said Discord in an attempt to lure her in.

“Two things, First , Never look a gift horse in the mouth, and Second Everything that glitters isn’t gold, and sometimes what you want isn’t what you need.”
Discord’s words worked more effectively than he had anticipated as Ebony began to swoon. His words were like magic to her ears.
“You know what Gem , youre very sweet, but I think you could probably stand to have a little more sugar in your life”
Ebony began caressing the back of his neck and leaned in closer and closer as to let her sweet scent find its way to his nose. The sweet scent made Discord lightheaded, but he was prepared this time. Faking a sneeze Discord excused himself and ran to the nearest bathroom. Discord attempted to cast a countering spell on himself as a measure to deflect her advances but wasn’t too comfortable getting close enough to test it out. Not the type to run from a problem , Discord left from the bathroom only to find Ebony on her couch willing and waiting. Ebony sipped some of her wine and as she looked at gem she began to smile.

“Good, Then if you wouldn’t mind, Would you sing me a song? Pretty pleasssssssseeeeee?”
This was probably the worst-case scenario. Discord could transform himself to look like Gem and even match his speaking voice, but one thing he could not do is duplicate his mannerisms nor his words and he definitely had no way of cloning Gem’s golden singing voice.
Discord was trying to think of a way out of this tight spot when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Ebony’s excused herself to go and look and see who was at the door, it seemed urgent. Discord could hear whispering but he could not make out what they were saying. A few moments later Ebony closed the door and asked, “Now where were we?”
Discord thought that the knock had saved him but it only delayed the inevitable, Discord was going to have to sing. He cleared his throat and began to warm up with scales in order to buy him some time. Ebony laughed , smiled and said,
“Please get on with it Sweetie, youre killing me, ha ha ha ha”.
Discord was left with no choice and began to sing

Discord wasn’t even half way through the opening line when he felt it , The zapp was sharp, powerful and painful. The attack was relentless; Discord knew that only in his true form could he stand a fighting chance. Unfortunately this was a chance Discord was never afforded as he was quickly drained of his energy and close to passing out.
It had to be his appearance that saved him. Ebony looked on with sympathy in her eyes as her assistant subdued Discord.
“STOP!!!” She shouted.
Her assistant ceased the attack, there was a long pause and silence filled the room. Her assistant turned to her and said
“Im sorry, are you asking me or are you telling me?” She asked with a sharp stern tone.

“IM Sorry, Please, Please, Thank You, Forgive me” Said Ebony groveling to her master.

“Useful to US or useful to YOU?” She asked as she walked away leaving a battered Discord in disguise weak and helpless. Ebony approached him , looked him deep in the eyes and asked “Who are you?”
Discord had little strength left and couldn’t really stand to be his usual witty self but he still found enough energy for a clever retort.

“Bwaha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haaaaaa” Ebony and her Master laughed hysterically at his rhyming exchange, they were so pleased by the response they even took him up on the offer.
Ebony’s Master began to reveal herself, The form visible to the world was a timid looking mare with a yellow mane and a sandy brown coat, however in her true form she was far from timid, she was intimidating. Her brown coat would soon turn from sandy brown to Red and her mane jet black.

“My name is Nmphidia, but you may call ne Nymph”
Discord look on completely flabbergasted to what he had witnessed, if the legends are true then this would mean that Nymph was probably older than Princess Celestia.

“Who are you? We know youre not the real Gem, so who are you ?” She demanded

Ebony attempted her had at persuasion, something she was quite good at doing and said.

“I have no Idea what’s gotten into you guys, Its me Gem, The real Gem”
Discord hadn’t forgotten that there was a strong possibility that the paparazzi may have taken pictures of the real Gem, and that they probably found out, which is why they’re torturing him. He somehow managed to put those thoughts in question form and asked, the two proudly confirmed his suspicion and went on to compliment him.”Youre good.”
He also went on to inquire about the legend, however mid way through his inquiry Nymph got really short with him and cut him off, thus confirming his suspicions. There is a legend that tells the story of a mare and her husband. The mare was beautiful and –young and fell victim to the pursuits of a loving prince. They Prince married her and they spent many happy years together. One day the prince leaves for war , she later learns that the cause of the war was the prince’s gorgeous young mistress. The prince leaves his wife for his mistress only to be defeated in battle and sent home back to his wife. Scorned by his past transgression she cannot find it in her heart to forgive him and does not take him back. The story goes on to say that after she rejects her husband she vowed to regain the youth she wasted and remain young and desirable forever.
Nymph was that very same scorned mare from the legend of old. She went on to explain to Discord the intricacies of her deception. Their plan was simple enough, Using magic Ebony could attract thousands and millions of fans and when they came out to select shows Nymph could steal the energy they were giving off through their infatuation and attraction of Ebony.
“Now that we have shared our little secret I think it’s your turn” said Nymph with a sinister grin.
Discord thought about it , and it actually may present a great opportunity to transform and get out. Discord began to talk in an attempt to stall while he transformed . Ebony and Nymph weren’t foolish enough to allow him to neither transform nor allow him to roam unchecked. Nymph trotted over to Discord and before he could transform gave him a Big kiss. The magic from her kiss enchanted him giving her control over his actions. Discord could do nothing as he began to spill the details of He and Spikes plan. After a lengthy interrogation Ebony had all the answers she needed and began to get ready for her show. Discord finally passed out from exhaustion but Nymph made sure to keep him under control and close by.

With most of the hours of daylight burned out, it was almost time for the crew to meet up at the show. Rarity contemplated not going to the concert at all , but could not afford to breach the contract and besides it was always a treat to hear Gem sing. Rarity began to get ready and Gem thought it would be a good idea to check on Discord before he went to the show just to see what the word on the Ebony was.

Gem and Rarity shared a passionate good-bye kiss and Gem was off. Gem made his way through the crowd of photographers and galloped down to his suite in his effort to meet up with Discord. Gem trotted as fast as his hooves could muster and arrived back at his suite in what seemed like no time. Gem looked around for Discord but there was no sight of him, perhaps he had not even come back he thought for a moment. There was nothing he could do to contact Discord so Gem gathered his accessories for the show and was out the door within minutes. Before he left he noticed a paper at his door steep with a headlining reading “Two Places at Once.” Bellow the caption there was a photo showing him and Discord In disguise, his only salvation was the fact that this was a tabloid; but it did raise the question What Happened To Discord?
Gem left and headed towards the arena and made it there about the same time Rarity arrived.

“Darling, you look exhausted, Is everything okay?” Rarity asked with concern.

“Im fine, Perhaps I just need to rest for a bit.” Gem leaned in to Rarity for a hug , however Rarity stuck her hoof out in an effort to not get sweat on her.

“No buts Darling, this simply cannot wait, were not far from ShowTime.”
Gem’s head hung low as Rarity’s rejection made him down, she saw this however and trotted to him and gave him a sweet peck on his cheek. With his spirits lifted and breath back in his lungs Gem trotted off to take a quick bath before ShowTime.
Rarity was headed to Ebony’s dressing room when she passed by her assistant creeping in one of the doors, something was just not right so she decided to snoop around a bit. Rarity carefully trailed the assistant making sure not to get caught when suddenly.

Rarity heard her name called and had no choice but to head over to Ebony, but she wasn’t going to let it slide that easily. Rarity arrived at Ebony’s dressing room and began to assist her with getting dressed for the show. Ebony was in a great mood and although she didn’t say much to Rarity, but she was all smiles.

“Sweetie did you happen to see these?” Said Ebony as she tossed a paper to Rarity. Rarity saw the headline and was baffled, how could there be two Gems? Rarity giggled and brushed off the notion carelessly. Ebony would applaud her stubbornness but that did not change the fact that Rarity was enemy number one and her time was almost up. Ebony began to talk about Gem and this began to bother Rarity, maybe it was the affect Gem had on her maybe it was just in her nature but Rarity was territorial and possessive and this was unacceptable. Rarity figured it was time to quit going in circles and get straight to the point.

“Darling, I do think you are a wonderful performer and I can tell of your great personality on the inside; however I would much appreciate it if you would cease advancing on Gem. You see it just makes things kind of awkward. SO do forgive me for being so forward, but I hope you understand.”

Ebony’s smirk faded and her expression changed to an angry scowl.
“Its all about you isn’t it?”

“Its always about you, I, I ,I, My, My, My, no pony ever gives you No for an answer do they?”
Fear filled Rarity’s eyes as Ebony’s anger began to grow.

“Brat !?, Ohhhhh noooooo,” Said Rarity asserting herself.”
No Pony Talks to me that way . I am a lady and I wish to be addressed as such. So do show some manners and home training and cease these petty accusations.”
Just then Ebony couldn’t contain herself and she zapped Rarity forcing her against the wall and thus confining her to it and she also covered her mouth.

“Can I tell you a story Rarity? Well Once upon a time there lived a Donkey, he wasn’t the most handsome thing in Equestria, but he had a great voice and a slick tongue. One day the Donkey meets a beautiful Mare and he said to himself “She’s the one.”

So try and try as he might the Mare never gave him the time of day. One day his advances finally paid off and the mare agreed to go out with him. After many encounters together the Donkey asked the mare for her hoof, she agreed and they lived happily ever after. Together they raised their one and only daughter; a mule named….ME”
Ebony’s eyes began to glow and magic smoke filled the room, Within moments Ebony was back in her true form, she was actually not a Mare at all but really a Mule in disguise. She Continued…

“Confined to the wall, Rarity looked on with amazement at what had unfolded before her eyes. “

“You know my family use to tell me I was beautiful and special everyday. You see my mother was very beautiful, she was one of the most beautiful mares to ever exist, but Donkey’s and Mares don’t mix and when they do you get mules. The funny thing about me was when I was a young filly I actually got a Cutie Mark. No one ever heard of a Mule with a Cute Mark, but music and signing were my talents so I proudly worked on my craft daily. I remember My parents encouraging me every step of the way.”
Rarity was constantly squirming, and was finally able to get the seal removed from her mouth and began to ask. ” So Why are you doing this? “
Ebony walked to Rarity reaching out one hoof to her face. She gently caressed the side of Rarity’s white face before leaving it red with a hard SMACK.

“NO ONE TOLD YOU TO SPEAK”
Ebony continued…
“BUT Since you asked I will tell you…..My parents were loving and nurturing there was nothing I wanted for my entire life, except one thing. Love. Real love. True Love.
You see there was not a day that went by where my parents didn’t tell me I was beautiful, so I spent my life assuming everyone felt this way. I use to marvel at how other ponies loved my mother, she was so magnificent, but as for me all their smiles were hollow and fake. They only pretended to act like I resembled my mother. One day I remember meeting this colt, he was the most handsome Colt I had ever seen. He had a white coat, blue hair and was strong and sweet. I attempted to get his attention but he never noticed me. Well one day a couple of hoodlums were harassing me and he came to my rescue. I was so taken by his heroic gesture I fell for him completely. I remember every day I would write him letters, try to cook him lunch and show him how I felt, however my love went on unrequited. He understood who I was and accepted the real me, but ended up choosing some pretty bimbo of a mare. Was I not good enough? Or perhaps I was just Ugly!!!”

“I don’t know this Colt but Im sure he is quite the gentlecolt you say he is ,I doubt that somepony so heroic could be so cold” Interjected Rarity.

“Silence…What could you possibly know? You with your beautiful white coat, and bouncy hair, I bet you were a pony every pony wanted to know when you were a filly. You cant possibly convince me that nopony’s love for you has gone unrequited”
Ebony was spot on but now was not the time to boast this truthful tidbit so Rarity turned her head and said nothing.

“Even after that colts rejection I tried to get back out there and date. Every pony loved my voice, but when they saw me the real me, they ran in disgust and never looked back, some would even leave while we were out on dates. IT’S NOT FAIR”

Although she was being held captive Rarity could not help but feel sympathetic towards Ebony, she was but a mere Mule who never found love and became scorned after years of rejection.
“SO you see that brings me to today. One day in Cantorlot I came across a beautiful mare, who said she could make me beautiful, just as beautiful on the outside as I was on the inside. I originally laughed at the notion, but I was hardly in a position to do without, so I took her up on the offer and poof. There were a few other odds and ends but you get the gist of it.”
Nymph appeared in her true form bringing the reality of the situation fill surface. Rarity was shocked that this was even real.

Nymph decided to do some explaining this time and filled Rarity in on the details of her demise.
“Why? Ill tell you why.. Survival! The purpose of our little charade is survival. I may not look it but I am as old as Princess Celestia, and DO you know how I’ve been able to stay so fabulous all these years? L-O-V-E.”

‘”Who said that they had to love me directly…? Ebony was the perfect choice, look at her she is a star, her passion and inner beauty,when physically manifested, displays a proud and rather unmatched beauty. Her fans love her, but at some shows they are certain fans who go beyond love and infatuation; some fans are obsessed. They want to be her, they want to be with her, they stalk her, they mimic her and that passion, that OBSESSION is what I am drawn to. The energy I get from those adoring-yet unfortunate fans is what sustains me., ha ha ha ha ha.”

“Precisely… “
Ebony couldn’t hold it in any longer, she had to get something off of her chest. She approached the subdued mare and went off.

“ Rarity , don’t get me wrong , I like you , I think you really are the most talented designer in all of Equestria, however at the moment I simply cannot stand you! Everything was fine, until that night Gem trotted into the picture. He was handsome, strong and talented. He is soooo my type and there was no way he could resist my charm, or so I thought. However things didn’t turn out the way I had imagined because Gem fancied YOU of all ponies. Not me the star, but you a lowly fashion designer. Why? What was so special about you? He sang for you, every song he writes is about you, even when I finally had him all to myself you were in his thoughts. You had his heart way before I could even Get his name. I hate you for that. ” Rarity snickered and replied “It is not my fault he could not resist one so Fabulous such as I…”
Nymph stepped in and picked up where Ebony left off.

“He not only loves you but he was obsessed from the beginning, I could smell his passion and I could see the aura of his obsession the moment he walked into the building. I have never came across a creature with such a loving, devoted and obsessed passion for another. He looked delicious.”
Ebony interjected.

“So Nymph and I made a deal. If I could somehow seduce and win Gem over with my affections and make him mine, then all the passion he had for you would be directed towards me thus feeding us for ages. “

Nymph and Ebony boasted so much about their plan they ended up telling Rarity almost everything. It was all too much to take in, she couldn’t even believe this was happening let alone process the concept. Rarity fainted and Ebony sent Nymph to go and fetch Gem so they could move forward with their diabolical plan.

After transforming back a disguised Nymph found Gem as he exited the gentlecolts room and relayed a message informing him It was time for sound check. Considering all that had happened in the past 24 hours Gem was reluctant to go but being a colt of his word he made up his mind to do it. Gem trotted to Ebony’s suite while Rarity’s unconscious body was hidden backstage. Gem made it to Ebony’s suite with plenty time to spare for practice however Ebony had no intention of going over the duet, her plan was seduction and interrogation. Upon entering Ebony slammed the door shut and pounced on gem like a lion to an antelope. With Gem pinned down she began to force herself onto him. Gem had fallen for this trick several times in the past but tonight something was different, he was in control and wasn’t going to take her advances lying down.
Prior to leaving the shower Gem made sure to keep his cologne on him. Gem used his words to convince Ebony to allow him to get up. He asked if it would be okay to freshen up and she agreed however unknown to her he took this opportunity to spray on his cologne. With the cologne serving as his armor, Gem was prepared. Ebony needed Gem under her control and, due to Discords intervention Ebony and Nymph had to push their plans up. This would mean that tonight’s show would be the finale nd there would be no show on Sunday evening. Ebony was up to her usual tricks, however with assistance from the double coat of cologne Gem was able to keep the upper hand. His magic was as equally as effective as hers was and this led to a stalemate. Ebony began to get frustrated, as her plan was not working the way she intended it to. Seeing that things weren’t working out the way she would have liked, Ebony asked him to meet her backstage and saw him out.

Ebony and Nymph conversed amongst themselves putting the final touches on their sinister endeavor and with the opening curtain the final act of their affair was amidst.
The crowd roared and cheered shaking the walls of the arena. They were eagerly anticipating the entrance of their idol. Due to the reviews and the most recent scandal to rock Manehattan not one seat was left unfilled. The fire marshal was on high alert also because the venue was filled to capacity; but even he was a fan. The lights grew dim and with it the crowd’s volume. “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
Not one peep was heard for those few moments, and suddenly in a burst of lights, and magic Ebony made her grand entrance.

Ebony began to perform, putting on a show that was surly to be remembered, especially to those who would survive. 1 by 1 members of the audience were falling unconscious from having their energy drained. Gem watched from backstage. He awaited Rarity to come but she never did, but whenever he asked about her whereabouts they assured him that she was on the way. It was about halfway through Ebony’s show when he realized that Rarity might not be coming. Not only was Discord unaccounted for but also Rarity had gone missing. Something was not right and Gem could feel it. He knew he would be needed for the encore so he had a good 45 minutes to investigate, or so he thought.. Gem charged towards the hallway exit but was intercepted by security. He informed Gem that he was under strict orders not to let you leave the stage. Gem was appalled. “Orders? From who?”

Gem turned slowly to the source of the name and with his chest out and voice said.
“Who are you? And where is Rarity?”

“Oh don’t worry she’s fine, she’s resting comfortably back in her dressing room”
Gem lowered his stance and began to breath heavily. He was ready to charge, buck, fight, and bite if he had to.

She’s right over there. ”
Gem looked in the direction she was pointing only to see Rarity in chains, on stage.

“Now why don’t you be a good little pony and do as youre told. Ebony needs you on stage for this next number and I would hate for something to happen to your precious beloved Rarity. “

Gem was reluctant to agree and refused to give in , even with Rarity hostage.
The crowd thought it was all part of the act; some even found it symbolic. Rarity was in chains and dressed as a dragon, Ebony was the heroine and would zap the dragon; but unknown to the audience this was actually draining Rarity’s youth. Ebony was on stage putting on a theatrical show, and the audience ate every bit of it. Gem didn’t know what to do, his first instinct was to charge on stage and save his damsel in distress, however the assistant was beginning to make it clear that he wasn’t doing anything. Nymph took offence to Gem’s insubordination. Feeling frustrated and angry the assistant transformed to her true form. Gem’s mouth hit the floor as couldn’t believe his eyes, and just when things looked their worse, the unthinkable happened. Standing behind her was another him, he knew who it was but didn’t know what was going on. It was Discord, and while he was still in disguise he was very much under the heavy influence of Nymph’s magic. Gem attempted to reason with him, but he wasn’t hearing it, he wasn’t hearing anything that didn’t come from his mistress.

Discord charged at Gem tackled him but Gem rolled it off and stood back on his hoofs. Discord charged again and again, each time Gem dodged as if a matador taming a bull. Discord charged again only this time Gem kicked him square in his chin. This made Discord angry, suddenly he began to grow wings, and his eye lit ablaze with a bright red. His single fang grew long and sharp and so the rest of his teeth. He was fierce looking. In a rage Discord trashed the backstage area and eventually made his way to the stage. Nymph attempted to control him but to no avail. The crowed looked on with fear, but this wasn’t the fear of a life threatening catastrophe it was similar to the thrill you get as you go up a roller coaster. The crowd by now was fully convinced this was the greatest show of all time. The excitement from the crowd reached its peak and drove Nymph to drain a few unfortunate audience members completely unnoticed. Once full Nymph’s powers were at their maximum level. She used only a portion of her power to lock down the arena and destroy all cameras. Ebony went on singing as if it were all part of the act. However there was one pony in the crowd who watched it all and was positive that this wasn’t part of the show.
Discord was now onstage and out of control, Ebony didn’t even know what to do to control him, she tried to subdue him and was smacked across the stage landing all the way on the other side. It was at that moment when the crowd began to panic. In this panic one pony approached the stage. Normally she seemed timid and quiet, but tonight she was stern , assertive and pissed off. Fluttershy was in attendance and conveniently so, because she was the only one who Discord may even listen to. Fluttershy didn’t waste anytime trying to get Discord in line. Her first attempt was her signature Stare it made him flinch but that was about it. In retaliation for provoking him Discord took a swing at Fluttershy. Fluttershy avoided the blow but was so hurt by the attempt she pulled her foreleg back as far as she could and slapped Discord.

*SMACK* “Snap Out Of It”!
Discord paused and raised his left hoof to his face.

“Discord quit playing around and do something. Quick”!!
Discord quickly assessed the surroundings and transformed back to his original form. This transformation did not go unnoticed by Nymph who rushed over and confronted Discord.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhuuuummmmmm” Discord stretched as if ignoring Nymph completely. When he was don’t he looked at her and said.

“Ok Im done talking”
ZAPP
Discord blasted Nymph with a powerful beam that knocked her to the ceiling. When she finally came down she was thoroughly pissed and charged Discord blasting a powerful fire spell at him. Discord defused it with Ice and spent a few minutes toying with her until Nymph got the urge to take a hostage. “Fluttershy RUN!” he yelled but it was too late, Nymph moved faster than Fluttershy could even react and just like that Fluttershy was in her grip. Gem used this time to rescue Rarity who had began to age and weaken. Gem was able to get her free from her chains but she was too weak to move and could barley talk.

A deathly look of concern took over Gems face as he look at Raritys aged and withered appearance; this was followed by a boiling rage.

“No my dear , its okay . Don’t scream you’ll ruin that golden voice of yours, then I wont get to hear you sing.”

Gem lowered his head and smiled. Even though Rarity was old frail and weak he held her tightly as he always would if given the chance and as he cradled her body he began to softly sing in her ear.
Across the stage Ebony was just recovering from her attack, she had never seen Discords true form so she had no clue who he was, but by the time she figured out who was who and what was what, Discord said…

With just a snap Discord had Ebony in his grasp, he wasn’t foolish enough to negotiate mare for mere, oh no he was far too clever for that. Discord began to explain he had read all about her magic and knew what needed to be done to bring the game to an end. With his paw Discord grabbed Ebony’s horn and snapped it off.
Ebony Howled in pain as at part of her body was just torn from her and with it all her magic and energy she had stole. The magic from her horn flowed out uncontrollably; Discord also used the distraction to rescue Fluttershy. Once she was safe he created a force field over Fluttershy ,Rarity Gem and himself and watched as Ebony wept in agony as the magic spewed from her body. Once the magic was out and the dust settled the gang was in an arena full of thousands of sleeping fans and an awaken Rarity. Rarity was back to normal, but something was going on with Ebony. She was still undergoing some sort of transformation. Once she was done Ebony stood there a mere mule her cutie mark even disappeared. Gem looked on completely shocked, even though the two had this in common Gem still could not find it in his heart to forgive Ebony and gave her no sympathy. Nerly defeated and out numbered Nymph decided to pull a desperation move. She made the entire arena go black, snatched a beam from the falling curtain and launched it toward Rarity.

There was a thud. The body hit the floor with enough force to cause it to slide several feet. Rarity used her horn to generate light and Discord just tore a hole in the roof . It was a cool moon lit night and with enough light to see their surroundings the gang found Gem bleeding on the floor with a metal beam lodged in his side. Rarity ran over to him with no delay. Nymph laughed at Gems misfortune and used a powerful blast to set the arena ablaze.
“Ha ha ha ha Poor , poor Gem, Don’t let him fool you , he is just as guilty as Ebony or myself. So how about I let you in on his little secret… he’s not who he says he is, ha ha Oh no, in actuality he is….”
Rarity couldn’t take it anymore, she was hurt, confused and had been though too much.

“SHUT UP , SHUT UP SHUT UP !!!”. Just then she took a deep breath and with all the might she could muster she screamed

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.”
Suddenly a big blue light came from her horn and with it she zapped Nymph before she could escape turning her body into crystal. Her crystal body fell from the top of the arena and shattered to a million pieces the moment it impacted the floor. With the place coming down around them, there was no time to waste, everyone had to escape. Discord used his magic to put out the rest of the fire and transported the crowd outside.

“Discord? Fluttershy… why ARE You two here? “
Discord Shrugged his shoulders an replied

“Royal Business you say?...Right anyway; we have to go back and save her” Pleaded Rarity.

“Youre in no condition darling, Please stay and gather your strength.” She continued.

“No I’m fine”
Gem stood up and limped back into the falling building.
Rarity tried to run after him but was held back by Fluttershy. She kicked and begged for them to let her stop him but they could not let her go. Gem ran back inside and found Ebony in the back corner of the stage. She was alive, conscious but not for long. She had planned to commit suicide as she couldn’t go on living the lie anymore. Maybe it was the pain , maybe it was the defeat but Ebony felt the need to atone for the lives she’s taken.
Ebony summed up her tragic past as she ran away from Gem in attempt to martyr herself.
Gem wasn’t having any luck so he decided to talk things out.

“Look I’m sorry, Truly I am. See I know what its like to not fit in, to go un-noticed and to sit back while the world gets to be happy while you suffer. I know what its like to want somepony. To want them; have them so close, but yet so far away. Who doesn’t want to to be happy? To love and be loved in return?”. Gem’s words were beginning to get through to Ebony as she stop trying to get away from him.

“I lied and lied and got other wrapped up in this whole mess all because of my obsession. I was so caught up in my own selfish desire to achieve my own happiness, that I didn’t even consider the pain and chaos I could inflict on those around me. I even ended up hurting the one mare I did all this for. “
Gem was feeling the full weight of the consequences of his actions and with remorse in his heart , he made Ebony an offer.

“Ebony you are very talented and passionate about your craft, Im so sorry I hurt you and caused you this pain, so to atone I would like to offer you my life.”

“Your life what do you mean?”
Gem sighed deeply “ As you know this is not my true form so maybe I can use the magic stored up in this body and you can get your body back. Im sure Discord could make that happen.”

“Yes , See the thing is , I don’t belong here, in this form in this life, in this lie. I have to correct things, It wouldn’t be fair to Rarity to continue to lie to her.”

“You really love her don’t you Spike.”
Ebony limped over to Gem when suddenly a s large beam began to fall from the ceiling . Ebony and Gem covered their heads and were saved by Discords intervention.

“What’s going on here, Don’t you idiots see this building is coming down, we have to get you guys out of here.”

“Wait” said Gem.
He went on to fill Discord in on his plans for atonement, Discord wasn’t all to pleased with the notion of assisting Ebony, but he understood that this may be the best way to mend the situation and get things back to normal.
Discord poofed out of the falling building with Ebony Éclair in hoof. She was just as beautiful of a mare as she’d ever been, but somepony was missing.

“My dearest Rarity, I am sorry but this is all I found when I went back in.” Discord gave Rarity his emerald bowtie . Upon receiving it , Rarity feared the worst and began to bawl uncontrollably..

“There , There” Said Fluttershy as she attempted to console a Devastated Rarity

“Gem!!! Gem!!!” Cried Rarity as Fluttershy waved down a cab forcing her inside.
Rarity was torn up inside and eventually cried herself to sleep.

“Well its been fun , but got to go” Discord snapped and within seconds was back at his suite and along for the ride was none other than Spike.
The following day Discord and Spike took one more look around before leaving to Ponyville. Spike found a paper at the door with a headline reading “Explosion Cancels Encore: Greatest show of all time cut short” The article went on to explain how Ebony was saved by Gem Jagger who went missing during the rescue. Just like that Gem Jagger was put to rest. Ebony still had her career and with none of Nymphs manipulative magic influencing her went on to atone for her past by going on dates with less privileged young gentlecolts. Back at her suite Rarity was still in awe over the previous night, suddenly there was a knock at the door. Fluttershy answered for her devastated friend and at the door found a letter address to her.
“Rarity it’s a letter for you” Rarity could careless that was until she was informed who it was from. Rarity levitated the letter to her, unpackaged it and began reading.

“My Dearest Rarity, I hope this letter finds you well. It was never my intention to cause you any hurt or pain so if I ever did I apologize. I have loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you and ever since that day I could not stop thinking of you. Being with you and making you smile became my ultimate goals, and while our time together was short I do believe I have accomplished that. It is not my wish to tell you good bye, unfortunately it seems as though destiny only intended our hearts to cross paths and not walk side by side. You will forever have my heart and I will always love you. Thank you for just being you and making our moments together magical. Farewell my love Adeu…
Sincerely, Gem Jagger”

Rarity smiled as tears of joy began to swell in her eyes. With the best smile she could muster Rarity turned to her friend and said “Lets go home”.
About an hour later Rarity and Fluttershy were on the first train back to Ponnyville and spent most of the ride quietly taking in all that had just happened. When Rarity and Fluttershy arrived back in Ponyville they were greeted by Twilight who had just made it back from her tour with a few days to spare. She expressed how she missed her friends and also strange activity was happening in Manehattan and Princess Celestia had to check it out. Twilight saw Rarity’s melancholy expression and asked

“Why don’t we go to the spa and you can tell me all about it, Oh before I forget, look who’s here to see you.”
It was Spike, he smiled and waved to Rarity and also presented her some flowers.

“Hey I’m the one who’s been gone for about a month, where are my flowers?”
The gang all laughed, enjoying the bliss of their reunion. Rarity Looked at Spike and then got closer and closer.

“Oh nothing … ya know Spike Ive never noticed before but your eyes remind me of gems”
Fluttershy gasped causing a very awkward moment.

“OK Great , but yes Spike your eyes remind me of gems more specially emeralds”

“Wheew…” Spike whipped the sweat from his forehead. Relived and content Spike hopped on Twilights back and the gang trotted off to the spa to enjoy a beautiful day of catching up.

The Effects Of Affection

by SSXIV

The Effects Of Affection (Chapter 3)