//------------------------------//
// II-III. The Doll Collection 
// Story: Hùndùn 
// by LoZLttP13 
//------------------------------//

"Iiiii've... GOTCHA!!"

Pipsqueak squealed and thrashed about in startled protest.

"Stop! Stop, Dad!" Pipsqueak laughed as David Baker grinningly tickled him through his bedcovers.

Dr. Baker was a rather handsome and tall Athenian Human man with short, slicked brown hair and light gray eyes. He was almost always wearing some variation of his brown suit of dress trousers, a vest, an overcoat, and a suede fedora and pair of oxfords. Completing his ensemble was a deep maroon necktie and a long, knitted scarf with subdued stripes of green, red, and yellow. Because of this, very few people had seen the Mark upon his thighs, which was an elegant hourglass with golden bases. Because of this, other Beings were often astonished to learn that Pipsqueak was his son, despite the fact that David was only in his early twenties. He had lost count of the times that people had asked him if he had adopted Pipsqueak, he told them that he was Pip's biological father, and followed this up by saying Pip's mother was four years younger than him when he was pressed on the issue of her age.

Naturally David had come with Pip to Avalon after Dr. Tesseract had died. While it was true that it would have been difficult for David to continue living in the lovely town house his family had lived in in Athens with only his income, he could have still simply bought a smaller and more inexpensive home, or even moved into housing provided freely by Athens University. However, like other lost souls, he had undertaken a pilgrimage to Avalon to escape from the cruelty and persecution he had known in his hometown.

Among the scholars, professors, doctors, and other fellow intellectuals at Athens University, there was by and large a single consensus about Dr. Baker: he was deeply respected as a scientist, hailed as one of the most brilliant mortal Beings currently living, made such great contributions to his field that he absolutely deserved the Owl Prize and knighthood he had received from Princess Athena for scholarly excellence, and that he was widely considered one of the most loathsome, despicable, and reprehensible Beings that had ever been tenured by the University.

David could hardly think of a day since learning of Tesseract's pregnancy and becoming engaged to her that one of his colleagues hadn't shot him a glare of deepest hatred as they passed in the hall, a few of which days he had even been "accidentally" shoved to the ground. He'd also heard his colleagues verbally attack him with extreme malice amongst themselves, and he was sure that they were deliberately ensuring that he overheard them. For instance, he'd heard a senior Professor of Literature mutter to one of the deans, "As brilliant and influential as the playwright Cube Ridge was, few remember how monstrous he was to his crew and actors during any of his performances or rehearsals. It seems that history will forgive even the most heinous sins if the perpetrator is deemed to be a genius." Another whispering he had heard from a fellow doctor was, "I am currently studying prisoners who were convicted of child molestation so that I might aid in adding to our understanding of their psychology. One of the observations I have made is that there seems to be a correlation between pedophilia and sub-average intelligence. Of course, I have recently encountered a child molester who is a doctor and widely considered one of the most brilliant minds in his field, so perhaps it's that only the unintelligent ones that get caught. In either case, regardless of their status or prestige, I believe that all such deviants ought to rot away in prison." 

If David was honest, there was a part of himself that agreed with the vitriol of his colleagues; after all, he had impregnated a preteen girl when he was seventeen.

No one was more surprised that David had done this than David himself; after all, before meeting Tesseract, he had lived a very quiet life in which he never got into any trouble and maintained perfect report cards and a spotless criminal record. He didn't even particularly have any great interest in girls growing up; he was married to science, as they say, and poured any free time he had into extra studies that his peers would have spent going to dances and hanging out with their friends. The closest he came to a life of excitement and risk-taking was his friendship with the flamboyant party animal Grand Finale, who he had helped with schoolwork during their grammar school years.

Despite the fact that Finale was a highly promiscuous, extroverted, and lively young man who would get plastered at one of Athens's gay bars every weekend while David was reservedly and silently researching the latest theories on the properties of atoms in the university library, they were still extremely close friends who did many things together. Such activities included attending theatrical productions, going on camping trips with their fathers and brothers, and watching football matches at the university stadium. They were as close as brothers themselves, and made time to visit each other even after their time in elementary school ended, and Finale was apprenticed to a seamstress while David began his enrollment at Athens University. Naturally, when Finale had taken the young Elf-girl Rarity as his own apprentice, David was one of the first ones to know about it and be introduced to her.

It wasn't difficult to see why Rarity had chosen Finale to be her mentor; both Elves were highly dramatic and emotional, yet polite and dignified fashion designers who wanted more than anything to see their works showcased by the biggest names in upper Elvish society. David also quickly saw that Rarity was every bit as outgoing and flirtatious as Finale; Rarity had playfully and suggestively teased David immediately after Finale introduced her to him, though she soon stopped when she saw how obviously uncomfortable it made him. It wasn't that David wasn't flattered or that he didn't find Rarity attractive, himself; in fact, she was easily one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. However, the fact remained that she was an eleven-year-old child, and so the idea of submitting to her advances was a deeply disturbing one.

However, David and Rarity quickly became close friends, as well, and Rarity was extremely impressed by David's enormous intellect. She told her own ingenious best friend, Tesseract, about him, and Tesseract immediately wanted to meet him, as well. When Rarity introduced them, they were both absolutely delighted; for the first time in their lives, both young Humans had encountered peers of the same caliber of intelligence and studiousness as themselves, and soon they were closer friends than they were even with their old classmates.

David would never have imagined that he and Tesseract would ever be more than friends, however; especially while Tesseract wasn't even old enough to drink yet. However, one day, Tesseract had nervously (but politely and formally) asked David to go on a dinner date with her. David was stunned and terrified by this; he immediately and emphatically refused, to which he expected Tesseract to throw a tearful, screaming temper tantrum, like most girls her age would. However, he was again stunned to see her respond with the same maturity and dignity as an adult; though she was obviously very disappointed and saddened, she politely accepted his refusal, then respectfully expressed hope that they could still be friends. Though utterly baffled by how well she was taking his rejection, David happily assured her that they could.

After this incident, however, David never quite saw Tesseract the same way again; she had shown great romantic interest in him, and she seemed to regard the possibility of becoming his girlfriend with every bit as much of the seriousness and gravity as a woman twice her age would. Additionally, David would be lying if he claimed he wasn't at all attracted to her, too; though Tesseract wasn't as pretty as Rarity, she was still a small and adorable girl with a lightly freckled face; large, brown eyes that rested behind thick round eyeglasses; and a head of well-groomed, wavy auburn hair. Tesseract often bound her long hair together into two loose pigtails, and all of this contributed to a sweetly intellectual persona that David found unusually alluring. David found that a small interest in Tesseract was slowly growing within him, which was only amplified by how maturely Tesseract was behaving, even during the tension that laid between them after she had unsuccessfully asked David out.

Tesseract seemed to detect her affections for David being slowly returned; a few weeks later, she made another attempt to invite him on a date. Still a bit surprised, though more prepared for it this time, David again refused. Tesseract again handled David's rejection with great grace and dignity, and so they were able to resume the normal rhythm of their platonic friendship again, though David was now growing deeply worried.

About a month later, Tesseract asked David to go on a date with her again. Deciding that he had to put a stop to this, David asked Tesseract not to ask him out anymore, then suggested she try asking out other boys her own age. Tesseract then began weeping, and quietly told David that she would, except that she couldn't find anyone else who even remotely understood her besides him.

David now felt extremely sorry for Tesseract; he completely understood how painful it was to feel so isolated and lonely, especially due to having such great intelligence that you were almost inaccessible to nearly all other children. He wanted to do something to help her soothe her pain, even a little, and so he finally relented and agreed to go out with her, but only if her parents gave him permission to do it.

David, of course, thought that this would at last put an end to it; he knew that the idea of Tesseract's parents allowing her to become his lover was nothing short of absurd, and he was sure that their refusal was a foregone conclusion. He had also planned a speech to give to Tesseract's parents privately to explain that he was just trying to help their daughter feel better so that they wouldn't murder him on the spot in an (understandable) fit of protective rage. Of course, David knew that there was a good chance that they would kill him anyway before he ever got a chance to explain the situation to them, but at least then Tesseract wouldn't have to worry about being rejected by him ever again.

However, when he had approached Tesseract's parents to ask permission to court their daughter, he was shocked by their reaction; they were fearful and a bit incensed, as he'd predicted they would be, but he'd never imagined that the first words he'd hear from Tesseract's Elf father would be: "Was she the one who initiated this?"

Stunned, David replied, "Y-yes, she was, actually. You see, I don't want to-"

"You don't want to break her heart, so you came to us to forbid it so that you wouldn't have to, right?"

David gazed astonishedly at Tesseract's Human mother, who was the one who had interrupted him. How could she guess that? Even more puzzlingly, David didn't see any anger in her expression; she was gazing at him with an intensely studious frown, as though she were thinking very hard in an attempt to decide something about him.

"In another circumstance," Tesseract's father said after a few moments of tense silence lingered in the air, "I might've flailed you alive. But Tesseract isn't like most other girls, and you're not like most other boys. You're not a stupid lad, and we know that Tess has some powerful feelings for you; she told us as much herself. I know that if you were really determined to have your way with our little girl, telling us would have been the very last thing you'd have done. In fact, coming to us was so astonishingly stupid that you can only have done it if you really, really care about her."

Tesseract's father closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then turned to his wife. "Darling...." he quietly muttered. "What do you think...?"

Tesseract's mother cast another quick glance at David, then nodded. After she sat up straight again, she said, "So, Mr. Baker... tell me, would you really like to be our daughter's boyfriend?"

David's eyes widened, and he paled with fright. "Wha-?! No! No, Miss! I promise-!"

"We know that wasn't your original goal in coming here," Tesseract's father said, waving his hand dismissively. "You needn't worry about that. However, we ask you: please answer honestly. In truth, I think I'd prefer it if that really was your honest answer, but I promise we won't retaliate against any answer you give. We ask, once again: would you like to be Tesseract's lover?"

Under the fierceness of the man's gaze, David shrunk away slightly, hesitated a moment, then said quietly, "Y- ... yes. Yes, I... I would, Sir...."

Tesseract's father stared at David for a few more moments, then he deeply sighed, nodded, and laid back in his chair. "Very well," he muttered wearily. "From us, at least, you have our permission to court our daughter."

David's eyes widened. "W-what?!" he exclaimed, his face burning as he leaned forward in shock. "B-but she's-!"

"A child, yes, we're fully aware of that," Tesseract's father said, his lips twisted in something something between a smirk and a sneer. "However, she already has the mind of an adult, despite how short her life has been. And she's unimaginably lonely because of that. Hell, not even I can understand her most of the time. Believe me, lad, I would not be doing this if there was any other way to help our daughter be a little happier."

David stared at Tesseract's parents with greater shock than he'd ever felt before in his entire life. However, before he could respond, Tesseract's mother said, "However, we have no wish to be in defiance of the law. Therefore, we are going to petition Princess Athena to make an allowance for this particular circumstance."

David turned to her. "W-what...?" he said.

Tesseract's father scoffed. "For a prodigy, you are rather dense, Boy," he said. "Perhaps you don't remember that it is unlawful to engage in sexual relations with a Being under fifteen years of age?"

David paled again. "B-but- but I...!" he stammered.

"Even if it's not what you're thinking about now, Boy, you are still a young man," Tesseract's father said.

Tesseract's mother added, "It would be foolish of any of us to think that a romantic relationship between you and Tesseract would not eventually culminate in a physical one. But, as things stand now, you'd get a life sentence in the Princess's dungeon if such a thing indeed occurred, wouldn't you? Don't look so frightened; we're also going to ask the Princess's discretion in this matter. Should she allow it, we promise our discretion, too."

Tesseract's father narrowed his eyes. "However," he said with frightening calmness, "know this, Boy: if you do begin courting my daughter, I will be watching you very closely. If you so much as put one toe out of line, I'll know about it; I'm going to ask Tess every day how you've been treating her, and if you do anything to hurt her, the Royal Guard will be the least of your problems. If anything is even slightly wrong, I expect you to sever your relationship with her immediately. You two will then never see each other again. Are we understood?"

David gulped, faltered under Tesseract's father's stare for a few moments, then made a small nod.

After taking another deep breath, Tesseract's father said, "Alright. We'll write that letter to the Princess for you. You may go home now."

Swallowing, David nodded and replied, "Y-yes, Sir...." before standing up from the armchair he was seated in, turning to the door, and exiting their library.

David tried to forget what had happened at Tesseract's home for a few days; however, he soon received an envelope bearing a brown wax seal of Athena's owl-emblazoned Coat of Arms, which he opened and read. After learning that the Princess had granted him special permission to have an intimate relationship with Tesseract, as well, he decided to seek advice from Finale.

"Of bloody course you should go out with Tess, Bruv!" Finale cried. "Gods, Mate, why haven't you already?!"

"But she's as old as Rarity!" David cried. "She's still just a little girl!"

"Any other time, you might have a point there," Finale replied with a smirk. "But you two ain't like other Beings, are you? Tesseract is every bit as brilliant and mature as you are. Maybe even more. I think there'd be more of an imbalance in your favor if you were to court some forty-year-old MILF you met on the street."

"Everyone worries too much," Rarity interjected, catching David by surprise. He turned to the doorway that opened into Finale's workroom and saw that Rarity was standing in it, leaning against the frame and eavesdropping on them. Rarity casually strolled in, continuing, "Beings are always throwing fits over the idea of kids having... relations, especially with older Beings. But I don't know what all the fuss is about; as long as they want it, too, and aren't being hurt or threatened, what's the problem anyway?"

David gaped with horrified astonishment at Rarity, who continued, "Besides, you're not that much older than her."

"I'm sixteen!" David cried. "You two are twelve!"

"And when I was ten, I was fooling around with one of my teachers," Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. "And he was actually sweeter and gentler than some of the classmates I'd been with."

The whole conversation had become so surreal and frightening that David was beginning to wonder if he was having a nightmare. "W-what?!" he cried. "Rarity, who-?!"

"I'm not gonna tell you!" Rarity said exasperatedly. "Bloody hell, you think I'm gonna let him get put away for doing something I asked for, I initiated, and that I was able to cut off at any time?! Stop worrying so much about me, David; I'm fine!"

David gave a desperate look to Finale, who sighed and said, "Look, I don't think that Rarity should've done it, either. But any way you look at it, is it really as bad as it could have been? From the sound of it, she wanted to do it, it was completely consensual, and nobody got hurt. Besides, that's not the point right now; we're talking about you, not Rarity. And here's my opinion on you and Tess: I can't think of any reason why you two shouldn't be a couple. You two obviously care very much for each other, you're both intellectual equals, and Tess has her parents, the Guard, and me and Rarity to protect her should you do something to harm her. But I doubt she'll need it; you're the kindest, most honest, most respectful bloke I know. I wish that other boys were as sweet as you are. The fact that you've come to us for advice makes me know that you would do anything to keep Tess from getting hurt. You don't have to listen to me, Mate, but that's what I think; there's no reason you and Tess shouldn't be together."

After hearing this from his other friends and thinking it over for a few days, David finally made his decision; he approached Tesseract and told her that he accepted her invitation to go have dinner with her.

Tesseract was, of course, delighted. She and David greatly enjoyed their first date together, and soon arranged another one. They kept their relationship a secret from everyone else, except for their closest friends and parents, and their romance progressed at a very slow pace. They didn't begin having a physical relationship until they had been a couple for several months, and even then David never initiated any of their lovemaking sessions, nor did he do or ask anything to Tesseract of his own volition. Tesseract expressed to him that she wished he would show more initiative and be less inhibited during these times, but David replied that he wanted to be absolutely sure he didn't harm her, which only caused Tesseract to adore him even more.

Though David continued to worry about Tesseract's well-being, and question his own morality for having an intimate relationship with her, he found that he was quite happy with her. It was clear that he dearly loved Tesseract, and that her love for him was just as strong; in her college-preparation academy, Tesseract's friends could see the bliss constantly radiating off of her, and asked her if she had a boyfriend. Tesseract replied that she did, though she adamantly refused to give them David's identity.

Until Tesseract became pregnant with Pip, that is.

Tesseract was just a few days away from her thirteenth birthday when she first felt her unborn baby boy kicking from within her womb. David was panicked and horrified, but Tesseract was simply ecstatic; she'd always wanted to be a mother, though she admitted that it would have been preferable to become one at an older age. David wished desperately that he had been born an Elf, so that he could have prevented Tesseract's preadolescent pregnancy from ever happening through magical birth control, which was the only known method with a zero percent failure rate. In any case, Tesseract then asked him to marry her and help her raise their child, which David happily (but still quite anxiously) accepted.

David and Tesseract immediately bought engagement rings for each other, and Tesseract moved with David into his apartment near the university. Though Tesseract's friends saw the ring on her finger, they thought nothing of it; however, David's colleagues immediately deduced that he had a fiancé through his own one. It didn't take long for Tesseract's teachers and classmates to realize that she was pregnant, and the identity of her fiancé and child's father quickly became known to everyone within her and David's social spheres.

David's colleagues and superiors would have been more outwardly hostile to him, except that both Tesseract and Princess Athena herself demanded that they leave him alone; Athena confirmed that they had her special permission to be together, and Tesseract angrily asserted that anyone who claimed David was abusing her was personally patronizing her, insulting her intelligence, and causing unnecessary grief for their yet-unborn child. As a result, David's colleagues resentfully left him somewhat alone, though he never fully escaped their ire.

Regardless, David and Tesseract continued to share a happy relationship, and were married in a joyous wedding in which Rarity was their Maid of Honor and Finale was their Best Man. David received his doctorate just before Pipsqueak was born, then he stayed home and cared for Pip while Tesseract finished getting her doctorate at the university. David supported the both of them by writing for the university's journals while Pip slept; once Tesseract had graduated, as well, they divided the responsibility of caring for him equally. Pip was quite happy and healthy, and so the stress his parents experienced while caring for him was somewhat manageable.

As far as David was concerned, though his life wasn't exactly a walk in the part, it fell completely into hell when Tesseract was suddenly killed. The most tragic and infuriating thing about it wasn't that she was only sixteen when it happened, or even that she had left a doting husband without the love of his life and their little child without a mother; it was that it wasn't even her fault. Her coworkers said that she was extremely careful, and that she tried to choose the safest experiments possible so as to cause as little danger to her own life as possible; however, one of her fellow doctor's lab assistants was grievously careless with their equipment and materials, which resulted in the accidental synthesis of an extremely deadly poison that was spilled onto Tesseract and killed her nearly instantly.

Though the lab assistant responsible was imprisoned for negligent homicide, and the doctor who employed him was fired by the university and stripped of her certification, Tesseract's parents and David still felt that justice hadn't been properly served. The assistant was sentenced only to five years' incarceration, and the doctor overseeing him received no jail time at all, which all of Tesseract's friends and family agreed were far too lenient as punishments. However, David's in-laws lost any resentment they had left for him, and they personally apologized for distrusting him and thanked him for being such a wonderful friend and partner to their daughter.

However, David's colleagues weren't so sympathetic to his sorrows; now that Tesseract wasn't there to personally defend her relationship with him anymore, David's colleagues were free to hound and torment him all they liked. With the advice and aid of his parents, in-laws, and friends, David eventually left Athens and took Pip to Avalon, where he and his tiny son could morn Tesseract's untimely death together in peace.

David was quite glad that Rarity was now in Avalon, as well; not only did she help him move to his new home and get settled into life in the little farm-town, she also introduced him to Rose Luck, who of course became his second wife and Pip's stepmother. David told Rose about the circumstances that led to Pip's birth and their exodus from Athens, though she was quite compassionate and understanding; she trusted him, and she told him that she knew he never would have exploited Tesseract purely for his own self-gratification. And though Rose wasn't even remotely as intellectually gifted as Tesseract, David still grew to love her very deeply, and was infinitely grateful to her for giving Pip another mother.

"Come on, Pip; it's time to get up. You have school in a few hours, remember?"

"Of course I remember, Dad!" Pip replied, grinning. "I can't wait to go there, and see Scootaloo again!"

David chuckled. "Come on," he said. "Rose and I made scrambled eggs for breakfast."

Pipsqueak cheered, leapt out of bed, and swiftly got changed out of his pajamas into his school clothes.

As Pip, David, and Rose were eating, however, they heard a town crier walk past their house and shout while forcefully ringing a handbell, "All citizens of Avalon, gather around Town Hall immediately! Urgent town meeting from Mayor Meyer in ten minutes!"

After gazing anxiously and perplexedly at each other for a few moments, Pip and his parents stood up from their breakfasts and exited their house, where they joined the crowd of other Beings that were leaving their homes and made the town-wide trek to Town Square.

Once all the citizens of Avalon were standing around the tower of Town Hall, Pip and his family were approached by Ditzy Do and Dinky, who were close friends of theirs. "What do you think's going on?" Ditzy asked Rose.

Rose shook her head. "I have no idea," she replied.

The crowd continued murmuring amongst themselves for a few minutes, during which time Rainbow and Rarity joined Pip and David, as well. They were excitedly discussing theories on what had happened while Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Twilight, Spike, and the Crusaders joined them, and soon all of them were exchanging ideas about what had happened- except, of course, for Twilight and Spike, who were completely silent.

At last, however, Mayor Meyer emerged from Town Hall's balcony, and with the trumpets sounding from the hands of a few guards, the crowd fell silent.

"Citizens of Avalon!" Mayor Meyer cried. "I have gathered you all here to deliver a message to you on behalf of Her Royal Majesty, High Princess Celestia. Listen closely, and heed my words carefully: the Sixth Seal of Tartarus has been broken, and the God of Storms Prince Scorpan has returned to this Earth."

Gasps and cries of fear rose up from the crowd, and the guards again had to blow their trumpets to restore order. Mayor Meyer continued, "At the moment we know little else; we don't know his current location, we don't know his plans, and we don't know the identities of those responsible for his release. We do know this, however: Scorpan is extremely dangerous, and he absolutely must be captured at any cost. Do not seek him out, and report any sightings of him to the Town Guard immediately. Princess Celestia wishes to let us all know that defending us remains her primary concern, and that recapturing Scorpan is therefore her first priority. We also ask that all of you never travel alone, and that you remain inside at nighttime, if possible. Thank you all for your cooperation; you may now return to your usual routines, and we wish you all days of safety and good health."

The Mayor reentered the tower, and the Guards blew their trumpets again, signaling to the crowd to disperse.

"Another Dark God's been unsealed?!" Applejack cried to her friends. "Good Celestia, what is happenin'?! It was only a few months ago that Princess Luna escaped Tartarus...!"

"Yeah, somethin's definitely up!" Rainbow agreed. "I mean, the Sealed Gods have been locked in the Seven Hells for eons, and only now are they starting to escape?!"

"Ah'm scared, Sis!" Apple Bloom cried, fearful tears welling in her eyes. "What if- what if Scorpan makes a thunder-twister, and drives it through Avalon, and-?!"

"Hey, don't worry, Bloom!" Scootaloo interrupted her, smirking. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are still protecting us, remember? They've kicked Scorpan's sorry ass once; I'm sure they'll do it again!"

"Watch your mouth, Missy!" Applejack said angrily.

"She does have a point, though," Pinkie said with a small smile. "I mean, didn't they say that Celestia's battle with Scorpan was shorter than her battle with any other God? Capturing him again is probably gonna be a piece of cake for her!"

"Y'know, she's right," Pip interjected, grinning. "I was just reading a book about storms! Earth's storms might be pretty scary, but some of the Sun's storms are even bigger than the whole Earth! Scorpan's no match for Celestia; in fact, I bet he's hiding from her right now!"

"That's a good point, Pip," David said, rubbing Pipsqueak's head and smiling warmly. "But you still need to be careful, alright? Scorpan can still hurt you or someone else until Celestia's got him locked up again."

"I will, Dad," Pip replied with a wide smile.

"Well, we'd all best be headed back home," Applejack said. "The young'uns have school, and all the rest of us have work to do."

"You're absolutely right, Applejack," Twilight said, smiling at her. "C'mon, Spike; let's go back to the library."

As Applejack and Twilight were returning to their homes, however, Rainbow stayed where she was and gazed suspiciously after Twilight. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Ditzy noticed this as they were walking away, and turned around and walked back to her. "Um... what's wrong, Dashie?" Fluttershy said anxiously.

"Something's a little off about Twilight...." Rainbow muttered.

Rarity told Sweetie Belle to head back to the Carousel Boutique without her while Fluttershy replied, "What do you mean, Rainbow?"

"She's oddly calm, considering what we just heard," Rainbow muttered. "I mean, you remember how she was when Luna showed up? She was downright hysterical. And now she just seems... mildly concerned?"

"You think that she might be involved somehow, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity said, a tinge of concern in her voice.

"Well, I doubt it, but...." Rainbow said, tapping her foot rhythmically. "I went to the library this morning, but she wasn't there."

Rarity replied, "Well, I'm sure that she was just off doing a bit of shopping or-"

"Um, actually..." Ditzy said quietly, drawing the attention of the other girls. "I just saw her and Spike getting off of a train from Olympus while I was picking up tickets from their office this morning...."

The others' eyes widened, and Rainbow glared in Twilight's direction. "That's it," she muttered quietly. "I'm gonna figure out what the fuck's goin' on," she added before taking to the air.

"Wait- Dashie!" Fluttershy cried, flying up after her.

Rarity began running towards the Golden Oak Library, as well, leaving Ditzy alone with Dinky. After a moment, Ditzy stroked Dinky's cheek and said, "Come on, Sweetie; you've got to finish getting ready for school."

Dinky grinned and giggled, "Okay, mom!" before accompanying her back to their home.





"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Twilight sighed upon closing the library door behind her.

"So... can I have the rest of the day off?" Spike said hopefully.

Twilight smirkingly scoffed. "You wish," she said. She went to one of the bookshelves, pulled down an Alchemy textbook, and set it down on the library's writing-desk. "Start studying pages eight through thirteen," she commanded Spike, pointing at the book. "Once you've finished that, start memorizing the formulas at the end of the chapter. I'm gonna quiz you on them in a few days, so come to me if you have any questions, alright?"

Spike sighed and rolled his eyes exasperatedly. "Celestia, Twi, you wouldn't let me have a day off if the Seven Hells froze over...."

Twilight lightly chuckled.

However, Spike had only barely opened the cover of the textbook when the library's front door was slammed open, and Rainbow Dash shouted in at them, "You've got some explaining to do, Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight and Spike turned to gaze with anxious surprise at Rainbow, who was glaring back at them with deep suspicion. "Wait- Dashie!" they heard Fluttershy cry from behind her, and soon she pantingly descended to the ground behind Rainbow. "I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why they were gone...." Fluttershy continued nervously, setting her hand gently on Rainbow's shoulder.

"Fine, then I wanna hear it!" Rainbow growled, advancing menacingly on Twilight.

Rarity joined Fluttershy in entering the library as Twilight worriedly said, "W-what are you talking about, Rainbow? I-"

"Don't play dumb with me!" Rainbow snarled, jabbing her index finger into the center of Twilight's chest. "I know you two were in Olympus this morning! I came to the library to ask if you'd like to grab a drink at the pub with me-"

"Wait- you what?" Twilight exclaimed, blushing.

Rainbow's frown softened, her eyes widened with realization at what she'd just confessed, and she began blushing intensely, as well. "D-don't change the subject!" she cried, briefly glancing away from Twilight's gaze. Her glare soon returned, however, and she again locked eyes with Twilight as she continued, "Anyway, when I came you weren't home, and so I thought you might be getting some groceries or something! But Ditzy just told me that she saw you and Spike getting off of a train from Olympus this morning!"

Twilight was now paling. "I... I...." she began.

"What's goin' on, Twi?!" Rainbow shouted. "I know you've got somethin' to do with all of this!"

"Oh, come now, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity cried angrily. "What in the world could Twilight and Spike possibly have to do with this? You aren't suggesting that they are the ones who released Scorpan, are you?!"

Rainbow folded her arms and scoffed back. "Yeah? Well, maybe I am!"

Twilight's eyes narrowed with tremendous, affronted anger. "Are you serious, Rainbow Dash?!" she cried disbelievingly. "Are you really going to accuse me of releasing a Dark Sealed God?!"

"It would explain a lot!" Rainbow countered. "For instance, why did you and Spike move out of Olympus? And why did you disappear after Spike's birthday party?! I notice that you were conveniently absent when both Dark Gods were unsealed!"

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried despairingly as tears began welling in her eyes. "Why would you say such terrible things-?!"

"You know what I think?!" Rainbow continued, ignoring Fluttershy. "I think that you two released Luna and Scorpan, and that you just came to Avalon from Olympus so that you wouldn't have Celestia breathing down your neck anymore!"

Before Twilight could retort, however, they heard yet another voice in the doorframe of the library's entrance; "Oh, please, Rainbow Dash. What, are you gonna say that Spike and Twilight are secretly lizard-people, too?!"

The girls all turned to the open door, where they saw Pinkie Pie, who was glaring at Rainbow, folding her arms, and holding a rolled-up newspaper in her hand.

Rainbow scoffed. "Oh, and you just happen to know what the fuck they were doing in Olympus last night, Pinkie?!" she shouted.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Pinkie replied icily. She then walked forward, unrolled the newspaper in her hand, and shoved it into Rainbow's face, adding, "Besides, read what this says! The only ones who saw Scorpan were Horus and his Royal Court, and they saw him yesterday afternoon!"

Rainbow took the paper and held it a few centimeters away from her face as Pinkie placed her hands on her hips and spat, "It's ridiculous that you'd ever think Twilight could've done this anyway; she was the one who saved us from being captured by Luna when she returned, remember?! Is there any other horrific crime you'd like to accuse one of our best friends of?!"

Rainbow read the first few lines on the paper's front page, then her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly with surprise. "... Oh.... Oh my... gosh...." Rainbow said.

Rainbow turned back to Spike and Twilight. "Yo, guys...." she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I... I'm so, so sorry, I...."

Rainbow looked so genuinely ashamed and remorseful that she was on the verge of tears, and Twilight and Spike felt their glares immediately melt away. Rainbow then looked down at the paper again, then she quietly muttered, "But... but.... it still doesn't make sense.... I mean, what're the odds of Twilight and Spike disappearing without a word on the exact same day Scorpan gets released? If they weren't releasing Scorpan, exactly what were they doing?"

Rainbow looked up at Pinkie, as though expecting an answer. After a few moments, however, Pinkie said exasperatedly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Rainbow frowned angrily again. "What?! Why not?!" she cried.

"I Pinkie Promised that I wouldn't tell," Pinkie replied firmly. "It's no one's business but theirs."

Rainbow looked extremely annoyed. "Aww, come on, Pink!" she whined. "I mean, what the fuck could they-?!"

However, an idea suddenly struck Rainbow, and her eyes widened with realization. "Wait...." she said quietly, turning back to Twilight and Spike. Her eyes darted between them, then she weakly pointed at them as she said, "Did... did you two...?"

Rarity and Fluttershy gasped as the realization struck them, as well. "Oh, Celestia!" Rarity cried disbelievingly. "Don't tell me that you two are a... a couple?!"

Twilight began blushing again, though Spike sighed and muttered, "Well, Twi, I guess the jig is up. We've been found out."

Rainbow's eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't believe you," she said suspiciously. "I mean, no one slaves over stupid rules like Twi."

Twilight looked offended, though Spike smirked and scoffed. "Oh?" he said. "So you don't believe I could get Twilight to break a rule? Well, then; I guess I'll just have to break one with her right now!"

Before Twilight had a chance to respond, Spike swiftly reached across her front, grabbed her wrist, turned her to face him, then leapt up to wrap his arms around her neck and grip her torso between his legs. Spike was kissing her; right then, right there, for all of their friends to see.

Twilight made a muffled cry in protest, and her face burned violently as she cast a glance towards the other four girls, who were all gaping astonishedly at the astounding sight that laid before them.

Spike wasn't just kissing her; he was kissing her deeply. It was quite passionate and sensual, as though he really was her lover. Twilight had never been kissed before, and so she was utterly lost as to how to respond for a few moments, but then she decided to play along; she closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around him, as well, and began mimicking the motions he made with his lips and tongue. She actually found it extremely enjoyable, and she felt herself growing deeply aroused by her apprentice's alluring scent, beguiling taste, and soft, gentle touch....

Spike drew back and panted softly to catch his breath, then he released Twilight and landed sharply back on the ground. Spike's face was intensely flushing, as well, though he made a self-satisfied smirk to their four friends.

"Oh my...." Fluttershy whispered, covering her mouth with the fingers of one of her hands. "You... you two really are...." she continued.

Rainbow nodded, her face in a deeply impressed expression. "Yep. That was definitely real," she observed.

Rainbow then narrowed her eyes and smirked mischievously at Spike, adding, "Look at you, man. Not only were you able to charm your way into your mentor's panties; that mentor is fucking Twilight Sparkle. Maybe I should have ya wingman for me at the Salt on the Rim sometime..."

Twilight closed her eyes, swallowed, and trembled as her face burned with embarrassment. "Just... please, please don't tell anyone..." she said meekly. "I mean... I... I really, really love Spike, and... if anyone were to find out, I...."

"Oh, don't worry, darlings!" Rarity said, beaming. She continued with kindly assurance, "I completely understand! Oh, this is just the sweetest and most adorable thing I've ever seen!"

"I won't tell anyone, either," Fluttershy said, gently smiling and blushing lightly. "Spike might be your apprentice, Twilight, but you're both really smart and really sweet to each other. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing wrong with it."

Pinkie grinned. "You already have my Pinkie Promise!" she cried.

"Snitching on you guys would be a first-caliber violation of the Bro Code. No way in Tartarus am I gonna do that," Rainbow added. She then snickered, "No wonder you weren't more hysterical that Scorpan was released, Twi; I bet you just got the best dicking you've had in weeks!"

"That's right," Spike replied, chuckling as he wrapped an arm around Twilight's waist. "Back in Olympus, we had rooms that shared the same bathroom, so we were able to sneak into each other's rooms to do it every night. Since we've come to Avalon, we've had to be a bit more careful; that's why we decided to go back to Camelot for the night after the Back-to-School party. We figured that you all would sleep in, and we'd have enough time to get back before any of you noticed we were gone."

"I bet that was Spike's idea too, huh?" Rainbow said, leering at Twilight. "My gosh, Twi, you're such a geek! You still have no idea how to make out properly!" Rainbow then chuckled lustfully and purred, "That's hot. I bet it's fucking awesome."

Twilight frowned a little angrily at Rainbow, who burst into laughter. "You're still so damn innocent!" Rainbow cried, wiping a tear away from her eye. "You really are somethin' else, Twi. Well, anyway, I'd better go to work now; Ms. Stamp's really gonna let me have it. Catch ya later, guys!"

Twilight and Spike's other friends bid them farewell, as well, then Twilight closed the door and sighed in enormous relief. "That was close..." she muttered.

"That was your first kiss, wasn't it, Twilight?" Spike said. Twilight turned to him, and saw that his expression was apologetic. "I'm sorry," Spike continued with genuine remorse. "I just had to do something, you know?"

"It's... it's alright, Spike," Twilight said, blushing and looking away from him. "You... you're right; we didn't really... have any other option...."

Spike shrugged. "Well, if it helps at all, it was my first kiss, too," he said. Twilight's eyes widened with shock, and she turned to look back at Spike again. Spike awkwardly chuckled, "To be honest, I'm kinda surprised they bought it...."

"It was?!" Twilight cried in great shock. "But... but it was so...!"

Spike laughed nervously. "Sunset was making out with other Beings all the time," he said. "I think it would've been harder for me not to pick it up."

"You... you watched Sunset kiss other Beings...?!" Twilight cried with shock and a bit of disgust.

Spike shrugged. "Well, I didn't watch, per se, but I was around it, and it didn't really bother me," he said simply. "Sunset and I have just always been perfectly comfortable around each other, you know? We've never had a problem with sharing a bed, or bathing together, or anything else like that."

Twilight gaped at Spike, not comprehending what he was telling her; he, Spike, her cute little apprentice who was quite horny even for a boy his age, and Sunset, his extremely gorgeous and promiscuous older sister, had been able to bathe together without anything happening between them? The idea was an extremely difficult one to wrap her mind around.

Spike scoffed derisively. "Oh, come on, Twi!" he said, drawing Twilight's attention back to him. "Of course I don't think of Sunset that way! She's my sister, for fuck's sake!"

"It... it's just...." Twilight said, finding herself at a loss for words. "Well, um... most other siblings aren't like that...."

Spike shrugged. "Yeah, well, she wasn't just my sister; she was also my absolute best friend. How's it any different from you bathing or sharing a bed with our friends?"

Twilight looked down at the ground and was silent for a few moments. "I... I guess you're right...." she muttered.

Spike shrugged and walked to the writing-desk, saying, "Anyway, I'm gonna get started on that assignment now. You look pretty tired, Twi; why don't you go take a nap for a couple hours? I'll handle any patrons who come."

After a moment, Twilight nodded. "Y-yes, Spike. That's a good idea...." she said.

Twilight walked to Spike, gave him a small hug from behind, then went up to her bedroom. As she slid into the covers and laid while waiting for sleep to overcome her, however, Twilight placed her fingertips over her lips as she remembered the kiss that she and Spike had shared. Even if it was just to keep their friends from learning their true secret, it had still been an absolutely amazing first kiss....





Once Pip was fully ready for school, Rose led him to the apartment complex where Ditzy and Dinky lived. Ditzy and her blonde, Elvish daughter were waiting just outside their apartment door for them, and when they met, Rose knelt down and said to Pip, "Go to school and come back with Dinky, alright? I'll be waiting here with Ditzy to take you back home."

Pip nodded. "I will, Mum," he replied.

Rose nodded, gave Pip a kiss on the cheek, and embraced him. "Love you," she said.

"Love ya too, Mum," Pip replied, hugging her back.

After Dinky had embraced, kissed, and bid farewell to her mother, as well, she and Pip began walking side-by-side to Avalon Elementary together.

Once they had reached one of the streets in the middle of town, Dinky said to Pipsqueak, "Are you having a good morning, Pip?"

"Oh, yeah!" Pip cried. "I wish we didn't miss two hours of school, but I'm so excited to be there again!"

"Me too!" Dinky cried. "Mrs. Honeycomb said we're going to start studying metamorphosis today, didn't she? I'm so excited to start raising a butterfly!"

Pip made to agree, but a sudden flash of electric-blue Ether startled them and caused them to both look forward before he could.

Standing before them was a very tall, muscular, tanned young man with vibrantly blue eyes; long, storm cloud-silver hair tucked behind pointed ears; and a pair of enormous feathered wings as silver as his hair. He had blue lightning and silver storm cloud Markings on his hands, shoulders, and arms, and he was smirking down at them with an unfriendly glint in his eye. "Hello, little ones," Scorpan said softly.

Pipsqueak and Dinky Do would have screamed for help, but Scorpan thrust his hands forward so quickly that they became blurs, and he caught each of them by their necks, silencing them before they could make a sound. He then lifted them both up into the air, and both of them struggled and kicked in an attempt to escape his hold, though his fingers were far too strong to loosen. Chuckling darkly, Scorpan's Marks glowed for an instant as he teleported again; Pip and Dinky found themselves deep in the Everfree Forest, suspended over a long-range Teleportation Circle and surrounded by several other frightening-looking young men.

"Not a bad catch, I should think," Scorpan said, smirking at the terrified children he was holding in the air. He looked at Dinky as he commented, "This one's a rather cute little Elf-girl, isn't she? A little young, maybe, but I'm sure she'll be quite popular as she gets older...."

The brothers of Alpha Supreme all laughed and voiced their agreement.

Scorpan frowned slightly as he shifted his attention to Pipsqueak. "This one, however...." he muttered. "A bit of a grotesque, isn't he? That birthmark is quite unsightly. But he is still rather handsome otherwise, and I'm sure there will be some with a taste for his deformities...."

Making another satisfied smirk, Scorpan lowered Pip and Dinky enough that his followers could reach them as he said with a casualness bordering on boredom, "Take them to the others."

As the fraternal brothers were shackling and gagging the two fearfully-weeping children and carrying them deeper into the woods, Scorpan turned to Noir and said, "How many do we have now, Commander?"

Noir bowed as he replied, "With them, we now have twenty-seven, My Lord."

Scorpan smiled. "They were ridiculously easy to capture," he said. "And I've seen many more handsome children in this little hamlet. I think we shall gather the other seventy-three from here." He turned to two of the others and barked, "You there! Scout out a suitable campsite. By the end of this day, we shall all be free of my hysterical sister's tyranny!"

The brothers of Alpha Supreme all cheered uproariously. Scorpan made a wide, malicious smile, then his Marks glowed blue with Ether for a moment before he again teleported with another bright flash.