//------------------------------// // A Demon Never Reveals Their Secrets // Story: Book 1: A New Element of Friendship // by Medley of MLP //------------------------------// A New Element of Friendship A Demon Never Reveals Their Secrets         Well, damn it. It seems after all that excitement, I had completely forgotten to check up on how Trixie was doing. Not that she was someone I could ever forget, but in all the excitement of Zecora coming to Ponyville, an infestation of Parasprites, a near fashion disaster, and the death-defying experience that was a dragon ready to sleep near Ponyville, one tends to lose track of things. So, after falling out of the bed tangled in the sheets and getting ready for the day like normal, I went off in search of Trixie’s caravan/mobile home. I looked around for a while before I finally found it. Strangely enough, it was in the exact same spot she left it in when she came into town. I knocked on the door politely and waited patiently for her to answer before I also realized that she was an entertainer, which meant a lot of work to be done. As I was about to leave though, the door opened and Trixie was at the door, smiling a bit nervously when she realized it was me.         “Hello once again Medley. It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.         I sheepishly smiled and kicked a hoof. “Sorry about that Trixie. But duty calls as an Element Bearer, and schoolwork can be burdening on one’s self. Thankfully I’ve finished all the exams and concert pieces and let the little ones have their fun time. Last class of the day too, so they can leave whenever.”         “I see,” Trixie seemed to be less worried and smirked a bit. “You do realize you can ask Trix- me- to perform at the elementary school, right?”         “Yeah… I realize this. I’m not great with remembering things when it doesn’t relate to music. And when you’re doing a bunch of crazy things in a short amount of time, well…” I trailed off, looking a bit embarrassed.         Trixie giggled and waved a hoof inside. “Well since you’re stopping by, I can at least give you a bit of the total payment. Surprisingly, I managed to make about 10,000 bits so far, leaving you with a 10% total of about 1,000 bits. However, most of the shows were charity, so they’ve been donated at this point. What I managed to get from shows for my profit was around 1,000, which leaves you with 100 actual bits to spend. Don’t get too wild with it now.”         I rolled my eyes a bit and chuckled. “Hey, you managed to take off a chunk of the debt, that’s still good to me. Besides, I never planned on getting much money from this at all. Like I said, it was more so to teach you a lesson and remind you that actions have consequences.”         “You sound a lot like Twilight Sparkle there for a moment from what I overhear from her annunciated letters to the Princess,” Trixie commented as she passed over a bottle of apple cider, pure green apple if you please, with a straw in it for easy drinking.         I raised an eyebrow a bit, taking a gulp of the cider. “Now what do you mean by that statement, Trixie? And thank you for the cider, very delicious.”         “Not a problem, Medley. And you know fully well what I mean by that,” Trixie smirked as I gave her an oblivious look.         “You didn’t answer the question there,” I restated, causing her to giggle and shake her head at me.         “Why must the stallions always be so clueless?” She looked at me and smiled, plainly saying, without any sort of hidden tones, “You have a crush on Twilight Sparkle, don’t you.”         I stared at her for a moment before vigorously shaking my head. “I do not have a crush on her! She’s just a friend!”         “Oh? I see then,” Trixie kept grinning as she pondered for a moment, randomly saying, “What’s her favorite book?”         “The History of Equestria: Unabridged Edition, signed by Celestia herself,” I rattled off without thinking at all.         “Favorite color?”         “The colors of her mane and midnight blues.”         “Usual lunch?”         “A daisy sandwich with a glass of milk to go with it.”         Trixie giggled as I stopped and looked at her. I was coming to a realization that I might’ve possibly had a crush on her, but I refused to accept it. After all, even in a paradise like this, there was no such thing as ‘love at first sight’.         “So, you don’t have a crush on Twilight Sparkle at all, you say? Trixie finds that to be a bit odd, considering what you knew about her,” She calmed down enough to speak again, still grinning at my expression.         “Still, she’s just a friend that happens to be a mare. That’s not uncommon in Equestria, is it?” I tried to rebuttal her, but even to me it sounded like an excuse.         Trixie just shook her head and changed the subject of conversation, letting me sigh in relief.         “Though Tr- I- must ask… why was your tuxedo so… strange, during that fashion show that unicorn put on? I was in the very back and it seemed very unlike you, from what little I’ve heard and seen from you before,” Trixie asked.         I froze up a bit at that answer, though I wasn’t sure why. After all, I could tell the truth and say that I had no bucking clue what in Tartartus caused me to ask and wear that… thing. But for some reason, it felt like it would be lying to a friend.         “I… I’m honestly not quite sure at all why, Trixie. Perhaps my memory isn’t as good as I thought it was?” I offered.         Trixie’s glare showed that she didn’t believe me for a second, which was further supported by her next sentence, “I know that you’re lying to me, Medley. Tell Trixie the truth, immediately!”         I tried to speak up before a blinding headache caused me to drop my cider and stumble a bit, yelling in pain. I yelled out as I felt my body change, but my eyes were closed and as soon as it ended, I blacked out. But before I did, I could hear a small gasp escaping from Trixie, meaning that something had happened, and not at all for good. The conversation that took place was added later, with help from Trixie         “̧A͝h͜,͢ ̛so m͝uc̵h b͢e̛ţter͜ n͘o͘w̕ ̷t҉h͡a̧t ͠Ì’m͡ ̕f̛r͞ee~͏”̀ I smirked as I stretched out my hooves, letting out a few shots of magic to warm it up a bit.         “Wh-What in the name of LaurFastia?! Who the Tartarus are you?! And what have you done to Medley?!” Trixie cried out, readying her own magic.         I chuckled as I changed the surrounding area to look more like home, causing her to shriek in surprise.  ̕“W̸el̸l̡,͞ ỳo̧u c͢ou̡l̸d ̀say͜ t͝hat ͜I’̀m j̴u̧st́ a…͏ gue̛s҉t͢… ͟in ̷Me̛dley͠’s͠ ͢body.”̶         “Back demon! Give me back Medley!” She cried out as she shot a pathetically weak spell at me.         “I̡’m͜ ͜af͢r͞ai͠d no͟t, Miss Lu͜l͘am̶oo͢n,̛” I shook my head as I casually shot the spell back at her, missing her by an inch, which caused her to pale considerably. “͟In ͜fact͡, ̴I ̡h҉a͢ve͞ all̸ th̨e ti̸m̶é ̀in͞ t́h͞e͠ ̴wo̵r̴ld ŕight n͏o ͠t̸o̢ do as̀ I ̨w̨ish~”̷         “Wh-What do you mean by that? And who are you?” Trixie trembled, most likely in fear, which is always good in my book.         “̀Nam͘es͠ h͟av̡e ҉powèr,͘ ҉Mis͘ś Ĺulam͟oon. ̷It’̵s̷ ņo͟t w̨i̸se t͟o re̛v̴éa͢ĺ ́o̧ne̴’͝s ńaḿe̶ cas̨u̷al͢ly. As f͠or͠ ̛wha͠t ̀m͟y ̧p̕u͢rpo̧se is…͝ ̴W̡e͢ll,̛ ̧l͟e̛t’̸s͢ ͝j̵u͞st ̧s͏ay̸ it i͠sń’ţ ver̀y f̸riendly,”~”̴ I chuckled darkly.         “What do you want with Trixie then?” She asked, rather fearfully, and rightly so.         I looked over at her with appraising eyes, calculating her worth. “̧Hm̡…͡ ͏A slig̴htly abov̸e ̡ma̷gic͞a po̸ol… No̸t̀ t̢o͜o b́a̧d̕ ̨of̀ ͏a f̧i͘gu͞r̴e ͞ei̛t̶h̴er… ́Y̸o͠u̢ ͠w͘ould ͘p͢erh̛a͏ps͢ ̶m̸a͡ke͜ ̢a͡ d̢e͟cent̷ c̕o͢n̴cu҉bine͡ o͏nce ̕I͝ ̵t̢ak̨e o̧v̨er̢ ͞Èqu͘èstri͝a ̛wi͘ţh͢ ͡t̶he͢ ͠C͟a͘ribo̷u.̷”̕         Trixie’s blood ran cold at the mention of the Caribou. That particular race was banned from all civilised nations, essentially banished to the farthest regions to the arctic tundras. They were well known for their blatant misogyny, seeing mares and females of any species weak and useful only to males for pleasure and breeding. They particularly liked capturing ponies because of the way their government empowers females more so than males. It got to the point of the Royal Sisters themselves intervening and personally dealing with the Caribou threat. They had remained dormant for a long time, for about a 1000 years, give or take a decade, but they could easily be persuaded to once again attack Equestria and conquer it for themselves.         “You… You monster!” Trixie shuddered as she looked around, most likely trying to find an exit. “How could you do such a thing?! Have you no honor or morals at all?”         I shrugged as I laid back comfortably, relaxed just like a cat would be. “I d͡o͟ǹ’͏t pla͘n o̡n ̨kèe̵p͏ing͝ ͝the͜m͡ a͢r͟o̕und̴ fǫr͢ long ̧a҉n̕yw̕ay̴s͢.̴ I’̀ll k͜ee͜p ̛t̕hem̸ ͜unt̸iĺ t̕h̨ey ҉com̀plete͜l̢y͠ ruĺe͞ over ̷t͘h̡i҉s c͢ount͠r̕y,͝ t̀h͘en͡ ͞t̶a̶k̸e ̀ço̢nt͏ro͡l̸ m̵y̡şe͏lf.̵ Us͏ef҉u͘l̶ as͘ fod҉d҉er an͜d ͜as͠ sca҉pȩgo̵at̶s̨ ̛f́or̢ my̡ ̕plan҉ ́f̀o̢r͠ ̵e̢v̵en͜tu̸a͟l̀ w͜o̡r͢l̴d̀ ̶domínati͡on. E҉qu̴est̸r̴ia̧’s͠ t͡he͠ ̛pe̛rf͜ect͢ pļác͟e̴ ͘t̡o st͢ar͜t, as̵ ͡I ̷ca͞n̛ ͏at ͟l͝e̡a҉s͞t͟ som̛e͠wh͟at́ agree wi҉th́ the C͏aribòu:́ ͟f̨ęma̷les ̵s̀hoưld҉n̡’t͢ b̷e̴ in sųch̶ hi̛gh̶ ͢po̕s̕i̡ti̶ons͞ ͝of̢ ͡po̸we̕r͞, es͜pec̶i̴al͏ly ̴w̢ith̕ r̷ul͝i̷ng ͜ov̨er͠ ̢an ̡e͠ntire͝ couņţr̀y͘. I̵nste̛a̷d, st͏a͝llions̴ s̶h͏oưl̛ḑ be v̸o͡te͘d ͢int̵o̶ of̵f̸ic͢e̴, m͢u҉c͜h ̡l͝ike a͝ may͢or͏ would b͡e͜. Th̷is ̢w̛ay͟,̶ ͡the co͞u̷ntry shòuld̴ ͜p͡ro͏s̸p̧èr̀ ́g͡r҉ȩa̧t͞e̸r͟ o͟n̴c͝e ́i͡t̡’͢s̷ b̷eińg͝ ̡led̕ b̢y͞ a͢ ̶male ̴who̶ ͏was ͞v̷o҉te͟d͡ ̸by͠ ̡the ̀p̴ơni҉es wh̀o͟ m͟at̢t͘e͟r.”         Trixie blinked and stumbled back a bit by the analytical tone I was using before taking in my full appearance. “What in the name of Equestria ARE you?”         “My͜ ͞f̧orm҉?͞ Oh̵,̕ ͢t̶hat͘’s v͡er͞y ͜s̡im͘p͝l͘e.́ ͘I̢’̕ḿ ͘pa̢rt̷ po̡n͜y ̕a͢n͝d ͡part h̕u̷man̷.̡ À ̕cen̢t̴a̸u̢r, ͏if̀ you ͝w̕i͢l͘l̵,”҉ I smirked as I clarified, “̀Ju̢şt ̴a b̕i͝t͝ ͜dįffe̴r͜ent f͜r͝o͏m͡ ͏th̨e ̵o͜n͢es͞ iń your̛ ͜wor̡l̴d.̧”̢         “Part… part human?” Trixie stammered as she took a step back from me. “But, but those are just mythical creatures! Never has one existed in this world, and especially not a demon like yourself!”         “͡Yǫu҉ a̷ŗe ̸p͝a̷rt͞i҉all͠ỳ right̨. I̸ ͢wa̡s not́ ͡na͢t͜ive҉ly͜ bor̛n͡ ͢l̸ike͝ t͏his in ̴y̢o̵ưr ҉wǫrld҉.́ ҉R͠ather, ͠I am t̀h̷e̶ ̕br̀i͞dg͏e ̷that̛ ̕is th̶e g͏a͢p ̀be̕tw҉e͝e͞n b҉ot͟h ͞w͠o̡rlds͘ ̵th͜ąt͟ I ̛n͡o͡w h͝ai͟l͠ f̶rom. I̷ ́rȩp̛res͡ent h̕uma͡ni͠ty’̧s͢ ̸an̶d҉ ͞p̵ony҉ kin̨d’́s ̕wòrs̀t͜ flaws͡,̕ ́a ̧d̴e҉m͟ón̸ ̵i̸n ͝a͞l͏l ̶p҉ra͢ctića͞l ͞t͜erm̕s̷.̵ ̢As ͞f̵or ҉wh҉y̢ ̢I’̧m͠ h̕e͏re͘ n͡o̷w…͟ I’m ̵ju̶s͝t̸ ͝si̵m̶p̢ly҉ bore̡d͜ ̸and̛ ne͞èd ͡so͟meth͟ing ͜tơ amu̶şe m̧y͞s̸e̷lf̢ w̨i̕t̡h.̸ ̢Pla͠ying ̧a̵round҉ ̴w͏ìth ̀m̶o͡r͝t̛als͠ ͡a͞r̸e̢ alw͢ay̷s ̕go̢od ̡fo̸r̀ ̵a c͢húck̀le͜,̛”̴ I grinned as I looked down at Trixie.         She was about to speak before I grimace in pain a bit. Apparently my host had decided to fight back, but rather than the previous attempts, which could be ignored with ease, this one felt like an alicorn was directing all of it’s power at my mental barrier. I started to hold my head in my hands, the surroundings bleeding back to what it was before my changes to it. I then roared in pain, as I was forcefully pushed back into a corner of the mind, locked away very tightly before darkness flooded my vision. End of added conversation         I groaned in pain as I got up on wobbly hooves, looking blearily all around me. It felt like my wings were on fire, my head was pounding and my hooves felt very weak, like they were supporting more weight than they should’ve.         “Oh thank LaurFastia, you’re back!” Trixie called out in relief and joy as she hugged me, squeezing out all the air in my lungs.         “What… Trixie… Air…” I managed to wheeze out as she blushed a little bit, letting go of me as I sat down, trying to get back to normal.         “What in Equestria just happened?” Trixie asked as she looked at me concernedly.         “Funny, I was just about to ask that myself,” I looked at her strangely.         “You… You don’t even know at all? About him?” Trixie looked dumbfounded as I started feeling better.         “Who on Equus are you talking about?” I raised an eyebrow as I got back on my hooves, feeling much stronger than before.         “Trixie cannot believe she has to say this… You have a demon inside you for LaurFastia’s sake! A damned soul inside you trying to break free!” Trixie yelled at me, making me flinch and take a few steps back.         “Wh-What? A demon? That can’t be so, I would know if there was some kind of demon inside me,” I tried to rationalize, yet it was starting to make more and more sense the longer I thought about it.         It now suddenly started to make sense why my friends thought I had a cold whenever they looked at me strangely. It would also explain my first reaction to hearing that Trixie was back in town and why it felt like someone was always watching me. I shivered a bit as I heard a cold and quiet chuckle in the back of my mind before it was crushed ruthlessly by some kind of force.         “...I need to contact the Princesses. Immediately,” I spoke hurriedly as I started to run out the door, soon running into a magical barrier.         “Trixie thinks not now,” She gave me a look as she further explained, “As Trixie was key witness to this, you’ll be needing to bring her along. For another, you could simply ask Twilight Sparkle to have her contact and bring the Princesses here.”         I started to marginally calm down enough to nod in agreement, as she took down the barrier and ran off alongside me, getting to the Library in record time. I practically pounded on the door to the library, Spike answering the door, giving me an odd look.         “Med? What brings you here? Something important?” Spike asked before he was nearly bowled over as I ran inside, calling for Twilight.         “I do apologize for Medley. It seems some… disturbing… information has been brought to light and he needs to contact the Princesses,” Trixie explained as Twilight quickly came running down the stairs.         “Spike, send a letter quickly to both Princesses! This is urgent and we need their power and expertise immediately!” Twilight shouted at Spike, who hurriedly nodded and sent off two short letters to both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.         Within moments, both sisters appeared in the balcony, worry and fear prominent in their expressions. I vaguely heard Trixie tell Spike to get out of the home and to the local arcade, most likely to both distract him and to keep him out of the way, but soon the only voices I could really hear were the Princesses and Twilight.         “What has befallen the stallion Medley? Art thou stable?” Luna asked worriedly as her old speech patterns emerged.         “What would require BOTH of us, especially during twilight hours?” Celestia repeated, both princesses giving their full, undivided attention.         “Your Majesties, I do apologize, but I feel that there is a crisis that could be catastrophic if left unattended,” Trixie spoke up as she looked at me, continuing, “There is a demon spirit living inside him, much like the Wendigos, but a true demon. His plans were… gastly.”         “Explain, fair mare! What foul demon? What plans have they concocted?” Luna demanded.         Trixie took a shaky breath and relayed the information, “This demon’s name… he would not tell it. His plans were to… to join with the Caribou, helping them take over and conquer Equestria brutally. Once that was accomplished, he would dispose of the Caribou, making himself the ruler of Equestria, and with it change the foundations of the laws in Equestria to benefit males greatly over females and then let the next leader be voted into power, most likely letting only stallions vote.”         Everyone was stunned by the news, especially me, as I could hear the cold chuckling in my mind start to be audible again. Both Princesses looked frozen, and Twilight… I could feel a small pang somewhere in me as she stared at me, her eyes filled with horror and fear.         “That explains so much… The strange voice that you couldn’t hear and we thought was just an illness… The comments themselves…” Twilight recalled.         “Unfortunately, we no longer can simply banish the demon away from the body. A demon is naturally Chaotic, and while Harmonic magic does work, Order magic does not. As alicorns, we both have become filled with Order magic. Thus, we can only further bury the demon inside your mind, Medley,” Celestia sadly explained.         “Unless…” Luna looked over at Twilight and Trixie, looking like an idea was being formed in her head.         “Sister, what are you planning?” Celestia asked, looking over at the two of them before it seemed like she was making the same plan. “Dear sister, what you’re planning is very dangerous. One misstep, and this will become disastrous.”         “It is worth at least a try, dear sister! They are the only ones who can do it! It also helps that one is an above-average unicorn and another is your on student,” Luna shot back, confusing all of us.         “Princess Celestia… Princess Luna… what are you two talking about?” Twilight nervously asked.         “While it is true that alicorns only have Order magic, unicorns themselves have Harmony magic. While we can only bury the demon… you both have the capabilities of actually sending the demon straight back into the jaws of Tartarus, where it belongs,” Princess Luna explained, slowly losing the olden accent.         Trixie and Twilight looked at each other, having a silent conversation before they both nodded, while I asked the important question on my mind, “What happens… if they don’t succeed?”         Princess Celestia answered, a bit of terror in her voice, “Then… Then Medley will be the only being banished… Meaning the demon is free to take over.”         Our blood ran cold as we gulped. Or at least, that’s what happened to me for sure. It was a pretty high-risk bet, that’s for sure. Either me or the demon would be sent to Tartarus while the other would get to keep the body. I had to admit, this was not the first thing I thought about as I woke up this morning. At least this could be dealt with early so that something couldn’t try and surface my demon. Silver linings, I guess.         “Trixie, Twilight… I am willing to undergo the process as long as you both are willing to do it. I now know the risks, but I am willing to take them. Besides… I have good feelings about this,” I smiled nervously at them as they nodded and had a private conversation between themselves.         While they were doing that, I saw Luna smiling slightly and shaking her head, saying quietly to me, “Next time, let us meet in a much less dire situation, shall we? While a Princess’ job can be stuffy, we don’t need this kind of dynamic break from it. For once, maybe just talk in a coffee shop?”         I blushed slightly but still raised an eyebrow as I replied in the same kind of whisper, “Aren’t you the Princess of the Dream Realm, and therefore talk with anypony you so choose while they sleep in their mindscape?”         Luna looked at me before giggling quietly and shaking her head. “At this rate, you might get a herd with how smooth and charming you are~”         Luna giggled harder at my brighter blush, causing Celestia to look over at us with a questioning look before Luna just grinned and shook her head. Celestia sighed with a small smile and nodded right before Trixie and Twilight finished their conversation and gave their attention to the Princesses.         “Have you both decided? Will either or both of you do as we are about to ask of you?” Luna asked them both.         “Yes Princess Luna,” Both Trixie and Twilight replied at the same time, causing them to look at each other as I snickered quietly before very quickly snapping back into attention.         “Very well then. Twilight, create a summoning circle. Trixie, gather a few items please. The items are one bit, a feather from Medley and a gemstone, most preferably ruby or diamond,” Celestia ordered.         Twilight nodded as she grabbed some spare chalk she had stored away next to a couple of blackboards while Trixie took out a bit from her cape and plucked a feather from my wing, setting them down as Twilight told her where Spike’s stash of gems were. They quickly accomplished this task, as Twilight made a perfect circle around the room as Trixie came back with a large diamond. She set it next to the other ingredients and awaited further instruction.         “Now, in most of these kinds of rituals, blood is the final ingredient. However, since we are trying to do a banishment instead, we must use holy water. Fortunately for us, any water blessed by an alicorn of any kind, unless they are dark, is considered to be holy water. All we need is a cup of water and we shall bless it, making our fourth ingredient that we need. In the meantime… Medley, place the objects to the south, east and west cardinal directions. The holy water will be placed on the north direction once it has arrived,” Luna explained.         Again, it was done in a quick fashion, with Twilight getting a cup while I placed the objects don. Once the water came up, Celestia and Luna both gave their blessings on the cup, making it very dimly glow in the twilight. They set it on the northern part and gave their final instructions.         “Twilight and Trixie. I want you both to share your magic with one another as Twilight chants. Twilight, you shall chant repeatedly, ‘Out demon! Harmony compels you to do so!’ until the demon is unearthed. Once it has, immediately start to chant, ‘I banish thee to the jaws of Tartarus! Harmony compels you to do so!’ three times in quick succession. If successful and powerful enough, it should banish the demon from him almost completely, leaving behind residuals, which cannot influence him greatly unless he chooses to let it. If this fails, the demon will instead let Medley be the one banished and we shall act swiftly to end the demon before it begins anything,” Celestia explained, which caused us to pale a bit, but we all nodded in understanding.         “Very well then. Let us begin the banishment,” Luna announced as she closed the curtains and the door to the room, lighting the candles as they remained the only source of light.         “Out demon! Harmony compels you to!” Twilight started to chant, making sure to be clear and powerful, Trixie sharing her magic with twilight as Twilight activated hers.         I once again started to feel pain as my body contorted, but this time I didn’t black out, but rather saw it as though I was slightly detached from my own body. My body began to grow a bit, causing my lower body to thicken as my upper body changed completely. The wings shrunk into nothingness as I began to form a human torso that seemed to smoothly connect with the now horse-like lower half, and everything above the torso turned human as well, giving me two human arms with all 10 fingers, slightly sharper teeth than a regular pony’s, and a human head. In fact, I looked very much like how humans imagined centaurs to look like, though without the red eyes that looked nearly black and the cruel grin that promised pain and torture to whomever it pleased.         “You rang?~” The demon purred before he saw what was happening in full and began to angrily yell, soon becoming in pain.         “I banish thee to the jaws of Tartarus! Harmony compels you to do so!” Twilight quickly chanted three times, each time causing the demon to roar in pain.         After the third time, it seemed like nothing had happened and the demon looked to be recovering. But then, out of nowhere, a small ball of pure white shot out of Twilight’s horn and zoomed straight into the body, which made the demon’s eyes bulge out widely. He then started to slowly shift back down to my normal body as I could feel his influence from my mind slipping away, letting me slowly gain control. Just as I was to enter my own body, I swear I could hear two voices arguing with each other, about what I couldn’t tell. But then I opened my eyes and looked around the room, my smile slowly getting bigger.         “I… I’m free. I’m finally free,” I was so relieved that I fainted right there on the spot, a joyful expression on my face. Added conversations by Twilight in lieu of letter         “Medley!” I cried out in fear as I checked him for a pulse, something I read about for what to do if somepony faints.         “It is alright, Twilight. I believe he is just too relieved at the moment. After all, that demon was most likely a reminder of his past, and a particularly awful one at that. He’ll come to soon,” Princess Celestia told me, calming me down a bit.         “Past? What do you mean, past? Was he always a centaur before some magical accident?” Trixie asked, scowling in confusion.         Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna turned to look at each other, with Princess Luna giving Princess Celestia an odd look. Princess Celestia sighed and nodded slightly, turning to me.         “Twilight, my faithful student, please help explain to Trixie about Medley’s past. I believe that you must have written down something when Medley went to explain to all 6 of you girls, from what I could gleam from my sister,” Princess Celestia requested of me.         “Y-Yeah, I do… How did you know?” I blushed a bit at the hidden praise.         Princess Celestia smiled and pointed out, “I have known you for a long while now, Twilight Sparkle. Not once did you ever forget to write down any and all information you came across, especially when it came to other species.”         “I have no trouble believing that, considering she lives in a library,” I could hear Trixie mumble.         “We must be off, dear sister. The night court awaits me, and I believe your bed does as well for you,” Princess Luna giggled a bit as she flew off towards Canterlot.         Princess Celestia just shook her head with a small smile and did the same as well, leaving me with Trixie and Medley. Trixie looked very eager for information as she turned to me.         “Now, what in Equestria is going on here? Tri- I- had not imagined how this day would be happening. It was going so pleasantly too. Medley had decided to visit me today because I believe he felt he was sidelining me in favor of adventures with you 6 mares,” Trixie recounted.         “Wait, what?” I raised my voice slightly, feeling a pang of hurt and… jealousy? Anger?         Trixie rolled her eyes at me and chuckled at my response. “Calm down, Sparkle. It was just for some conversation. Though I wouldn’t mind if it was a little something else~”         I glared at her before realizing I was also starting to growl a bit as well. “You keep your hooves off him Trixie!”         “Why should I? He isn’t with another mare or stallion is he? Unless…” She then grinned smugly as I froze up.         “N-No… he isn’t with anypony as far as I know…” I mumbled.         “Then do try and fix that, Twilight. Trust me, he won’t say no to you,” Trixie cryptically told me.         “Now what do you mean by that?” I narrowed my eyes at her before I heard Medley groaning a bit, shifting.         “You’re a smart mare, you can figure it out,” Trixie grinned. “Now, where is that book about Medley?”         “One moment,” I snapped at her a tiny bit before the book came flying towards Trixie, who effortlessly caught it with her own magic.         “Thank you Sparkle. Now, I must be off. I do have rehearsals tomorrow for my next show at the end of the week. Goodbye, and good luck~” Trixie giggled before she threw down a smoke pellet and quickly dashed off.         I shook my head as I tried to break down what she said pertaining to Medley. What did she mean by, ‘He won’t say no to me’? And why was she trying to sink her hooves into him? She needed to ask her later, but for right now, Medley was waking up. End of added conversation         I groaned as I blearily opened my eyes, seeing myself in a room that was illuminated by the moon and a few candles. As my eyesight came back, I could see one pony still around, as what had happened to me finally reached my brain, jerking me into the realm of awake fully.         “It worked? Please tell me it worked and this isn’t my torture in Tartarus?” I babbled, still worried.         Twilight just shook her head and smiled. “It actually worked Medley. That demon is all but banished.”         I sighed in relief as I got back up on my hooves, looking around the room in confusion.         “Both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had to leave for Canterlot, and trixie has a show going on at the end of the week,” She explained.         “I see… Wish I could thank them as well for doing all this for me. That was Rarity levels of generosity for both their time and attention. But for now… Thank you Twilight. Thank you for helping me with this very dangerous task,” I smiled at Twilight as I stretched out my wings, making sure they were in working order.         I could see a small blush on her cheeks, as she nodded a bit. “Anything to help a friend.”         I smiled a bit more at that as I was heading out the door. “Hopefully Trixie isn’t too frightened of me next time I see her after reading my human past.”         Twilight stopped me from leaving, giving me a heated glare as she asked, “Why are you so worried about Trixie?”         I tilted my head in confusion as I replied, “She’s probably had a very weird day today, and she’ll be reading about a species that wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows since ever. Normal ponies don’t usually get involved with this kind of stuff. Plus, she’s trying to change herself to not be as arrogant and obnoxious as before. Isn’t it a friend’s job to make sure they’re doing alright?”         “I… sorry about that Medley. You’re right, I wasn’t quite thinking there,” Twilight admitted as she removed herself from my path.         “Hey now, we’ve all had kind of a long day today. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a bit tired right now and are a bit less logical,” I chuckled a bit as I made my way out once again.         What happened next almost threw me for a loop. Just as I was about to take off, Twilight ran out, stopping me once again. Just as I was about to ask what it as this time before she gave me a quick peck on the cheek before bolting back inside, slamming the door shut with seemingly unnecessary force. However, that action threw me for a loop as I stumbled on back home, absently rubbing the cheek she kissed with my hoof. Even while I was going to bed and finally drifted off to sleep, contemplating how such a day had gone from normal to whacked-out in no time flat, one question was burning through my head: Why did Twilight, of all ponies, give me a kiss on the cheek?