Spider in Equestria

by DarkSpider


25. A New Member Of The Family

(Third Person POV, Restaurant Row, Canterlot)

After spending a great time at The Tasty Treat at Pinkie’s suggestion, Dark and his sister were departing the restaurant with their friends and acquaintances, when out of the blue, Rarity suggested with flair, “Alright, dears, as much fun I had this afternoon, I must go check how’s my store faring at the fashion district. Tata!” as she left the group.

Taking the cue, all the ponies began saying their goodbyes and spreading out - leaving only Dark, Rainbow, Screwball, and Cece together.

“So now what?” Cece asked as she adjusted her hood.

Screwball had her back to the group, reading something, when it suddenly disappeared and she turned around with a snicker. “Well, I think you and I should check on Rarity. I need to talk to her about something I just thought of, and you can talk with Coco.” She then turned to Rainbow and Dark. “You two can just spend some time with each other until we get back. If anything, go to the park, Joe's, or get some ice cream, and we'll catch up when we're done. See ya in a bit.” Before anyone can reply, Screwball grabbed Cece's hand, and they both disappeared in a flash.

The remaining members just stared at where Screwball just was before Dark said, “Well...didn't expect that.” He then looked to Rainbow and suddenly felt that familiar feeling in his chest. He shook his head before saying, “How bout we get some ice cream and just walk around til the others come back.”

Rainbow nodded before the two of them left to the nearest spot to get ice cream, the pegasus feeling a bit uneasy.


(Canterlot Boutique)

Rarity had just entered her shop with Coco when the manager, Sassy Saddles, came from the back and said, “Welcome to Canterlot Boutique. How may I-” she then opened her eyes and saw who she was talking to. “Oh, Rarity. How nice of you to come visit.”

Rarity smiled. “Hello Sassy. It's good to see you too.”

Sassy then noticed the mare behind Rarity. “Oh, and who's your friend?”

Rarity took a step back and place a hand on Coco's shoulder. “Sassy, this is Coco Pommel, a friend of mines from Manehatten who I trusted to manage Rarity For You. Coco, this is Sassy Saddles. She's the manager of Canterlot Boutique. And while she wasn't exactly the best mare to work with at first, I know she's the perfect choice now.”

Coco cleared her throat. “Well, it's nice to meet you,” she told Sassy with a smile.

“And to you as well, Ms Pommel,” Sassy replied. “Now Rarity, I don't mean to sound rude, but is there a reason you came today?”

Before Rarity can reply, a bright flash came and suddenly Screwball and Cece were standing in front of them.

“Here we are,” Screwball said. “Canterlot Boutique.”

Cece shook her head to clear the dizziness she gained from the teleport before looking ahead of her and seeing an unfamiliar unicorn mare. “Um, who are you?”

Before anyone else can answer her question, Screwball said, “Oh, that's Sassy Saddles. Rarity hired her a while ago to watch this place for her. Though she's lucky Rarity allowed her to keep her job after that mess with the Princess Dress.”

Sassy stared at the two newcomers with wide eyes, mostly because they were (presumably) two fillies without anypony with them, and they had just teleported into the boutique when none appears to be a unicorn. Not to mention the one in the beanie had no pupils, with her irises just being pink spirals.

“Um, excuse me, but who may the two of you be?” Sassy asked.

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well Sassy, these are Screwball and Cece. They're friends of ours. Though, I don't know why they're here right now.”

Screwball chuckled. “Oh, that's simple. I found out what you were doing and decided to join.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Whatever do you mean, darling?”

Screwball rolled her eyes. “Come on Rarity. The princesses ask all of you to come specifically so Dark can hang out with his friends after so long, and yet you all suddenly just split up without much information? It's kinda obvious something was up, and after a bit of reading, I know what you were doing.”

“And what exactly am I doing?”

Screwball shrugged. “Simple. You're trying to get Tito and Rainbow alone with each other.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “And why would I want to do that?”

Screwball crossed her arms and smiled. “I checked up on something to see if there were any clues on what you were doing, and I happened to find out about some…“Colorful Confessions” that happened while you guys were coming here. Not gonna lie, didn't expect her to admit it to you guys. At least, not so soon,” the chaos filly said with a shrugged, a little happy she can finally do what she just did to get the information.

Rarity and Coco's eyes widened when they realized what Screwball was talking about. “Wait, how do you know about that?” Coco asked. “You weren't even there.”

Screwball smiled. “Oh, I just read something and noticed that conversation. Learned that trick from my daddy. Though...some things are blocked off from my copy. Won't be able to see them until much later sadly.”

Everyone looked at her in confusion similar to the way a stranger would react to some of Pinkie's…“talents”.

Cece then said, “Okay, do any of you guys mind telling me what the heck you're talking about?”

“Oh, that's easy,” Screwball replied. “We're talking about Rainbow telling everypony else in the group, and Spike, that she has a crush on Tito.”

“Screwball!” Rarity exclaimed.

“What? She never said anything about telling Cece.”

Rarity opened her mouth to reply when she realized that Screwball was right. Rainbow specifically asked them not to tell Dark. She never said anything about anyone else. She then sighed and muttered, “You're Discord's daughter alright…” to which the filly took as a compliment.

“Wait, you guys just now found that out?” Cece asked. “I guessed that's as far back as the day Nisled showed up.”

“Wait, really?” Rarity asked in surprise.

Cece nodded and crossed her arms. “Delsin told me that he suspected it after the way she reacted with Tito afterwards. After he did, I started to think about how close those two are. Then it started making sense.”

After that, Sassy cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention. “I'm sorry, but I'm very lost right now. All I can understand is your friend Rainbow Dash has a crush on somepony?”

“We talk about this much longer and some readers might start to get annoyed,” Screwball muttered to herself. She then said out loud, “Long story short, we're talking about a friend of ours, and Cece's older brother, called Dark, but Cece, Pinkie Pie, and I call him Tito.”

Sassy nodded slowly before taking a deep breath. “I'll...just be in the back then, checking inventory.” With that, she just walked to the back of the store.

Cece looked to Screwball. “So you just brought us here so they can be alone?”

“Well, that's half the reason I came here. The other half is exactly what I told Tito. I just had an idea, and I wanted to tell Rarity.”

“And what is that?” The aforementioned unicorn asked.

Screwball gave a smirk. “Just had an idea for an outfit for Rainbow. And with your help, I'm sure it'd get Tito’s attention.”

Rarity sighed. “Sorry Screwball, but Rainbow has made it explicitly clear that she doesn't want me to meddle with this situation, and making her a dress will surely make her mad.”

“Not if it's not a dress and it's something she'd like to wear.”

Once again, everyone looked at Screwball in confusion, but not nearly as much as earlier. “Explain,” Cece said.

Screwball shrugged. “If it's something that isn't meant to look pretty, “fabulous”, or…” she cleared her throat,” revealing, but cool and maybe useful, she'll be none the wiser.”

“And how does that make it get Dark's attention?” Coco asked.

Screwball smirked and pulled out a picture of the outfit she had in mind. “I'll explain that, but first…” she then said in a whisper so no one heard her, “so nobody else knows the about the details…” She then snapped her fingers.


(Holy Bale Park, Canterlot, an hour later)

Dark and Rainbow were at the park, with Dark sitting by a tree and watching Rainbow show him some tricks she's been practicing with the WonderBolts. While he was watching, he was turling Mike's miniaturized pokeball in his gloved hand. After she finished another trick, he took a brief look in his bag to check on the egg inside. Before Rainbow can continue, the two of them heard a familiar voice call to them.

“Dark? Rainbow?”

The two of them turned to the voice and spotted Lyra approaching them, with a blue unicorn mare with an hourglass cutie mark behind her.

“Oh, hey Lyra,” Dark said as he stood up, pocketing the pokeball and picking up the bag. “Hope you been well.”

“Yeah. Though, why are you two here? Canterlot seems like a strange place to practice tricks.”

At that point, Rainbow made it back down. “Me and the others are visiting Dark and Cece today.”

Lyra looked at the two of them in confusion. “But, don't they live in Ponyville? With Twilight?”

Dark narrowed his eyes under his hood. “You seriously don't know? Cece and I came here after what happened in Ponyville a few weeks back.”

“What happened?” The blue unicorn asked.

“Oh, just remembered you two haven't met,” Lyra said, remembering her companion. “Minuette, this is Dark. He's someone I met in Ponyville a little while ago. Dark, this is Minuette. She's one of the friends I have here in Canterlot.”

“I know about you,” Minuette said to Dark. “You're that stallion who saved those fillies in the Everfree.”

Dark blinked. “You actually know about that?”

“I'm sorry, but what?” Lyra said in surprised. “When was this?”

“My first day in Ponyville. Ended up in the Everfree and ran into some timberwolves attacking Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. I somehow managed to deal with them but I...knocked out. When I woke up, I was in Twilight's castle. Pinkie combined a small celebration of it with my welcome party the next day. You said you were away at the time when we met, remember?”

“Oh…”

“Anyway, what happened in Ponyville that made you come here?” Minuette asked him.

Dark sighed. “Surprised you don't know. Especially since rumors go all the way to Manehatten about what happened,” he said, remembering his conversation with Lightning Dust.

“I've heard of them, but they can't be true. I mean, two demons fighting over Ponyville and a single pony that can turn into clouds stopping them? Ponyville may be crazy, but that's doesn't seem possible.”

Dark and Rainbow looked to each other, before he said, to no one in particular, “That's what they think? Sheesh.”

“What does this have to do with you?” Lyra asked.

Dark sighed again. “Long story short, a guy who's known as Nisled attacked Ponyville. I went to take him on and my sister and a friend of ours came to join. He eventually got the upper hand and almost killed me before Rainbow came and stopped him. That friend we made was able to send Nisled away, and I passed out right after.”

“But why are you here then? If anything, you're a hero.”

Dark stayed silent for a moment before he said, “During the fight, my hood came off and everyone saw my face. Same with Cece. And, I found out sometime later, I can look pretty scary when I'm mad.”

Lyra’s eyes widened when she heard that, understanding what he meant. Minuette, on the other hand, said, “Wait, so you and this Nisled guy are the two demons the rumors are about? What's so bad about you that you'd be call a demon? And why is there something about a cloud pony?”

Dark shrugged. “Let's just say Ponyville has a bit of a history of thinking the worst in someone because they look different. Right now, I'll leave it at that.”

“As for the cloud thing, that was me,” Rainbow said casually.

The two unicorns stared at her in confusion and said in unison, “Huh?”

Rainbow smirked before she Cloud Dashed through the two of them and reformed behind them.

When they turned around and saw Rainbow standing there, they stared at her in shock. “Wha...how...why…”

Rainbow shrugged. “Apparently I'm a special kind of pony who has something in their DNA that allows them to do stuff like that. And that's not all I can do,” she said as her arms started to glow.

Dark then lifted a hand up. “I don't think now's the time to start showing off your new abilities, Rainbow.” He then turned to the unicorns. “Anyway, a few days after that fight, Princess Celestia asked for us to come here and explain what happened. When we were about about to leave, she offered my sister and I a chance to stay here until things calm down, considering Ponyville's afraid of me right now and I'm apparently seen as a demon.”

The two stayed silent for a moment before Lyra said, “I don't understand. You've lived in Ponyville for weeks and helped protect it from that monster, and yet everypony is afraid of you now?”

“Not everypony. The Cakes and the Crusaders, as well as Rainbow and her friends are still okay with me. But a majority of the town are afraid.” Dark then sighed again before adjusting his bag. “Honestly, not something I like to think about. And right now, I have something else major to worry about soon. It was nice seeing you again Lyra, and meeting you Minuette, but I think I should go.”

The two of the nodded and the pairs went their separate ways. When Dark and Rainbow made it to the edge of the park, Rainbow said, “So where to now?”

Dark shrugged. “How about we just go to Joe's and wait for the others. Either that, or until sunset. Whichever comes first.”

Rainbow nodded. “Okay then. Let's go.” She then spread her wings and took off, with Dark shaking his head and chuckling before running off close behind her.


(Dark's POV, Royal Castle, 2 hours later)

When Rainbow and I arrived at the castle, I took off my cover, and let Mike out of his pokeball. After that, we headed to the throne room, where Celestia and Luna were already waiting for us.

Celestia smiled at us. “Ah, Dark, Rainbow Dash, glad you're back.” She then noticed we were alone and frowned. “Where are the others?”

“We all separated a little while ago,” I told the sisters. “We all agreed to meet each other back here on sunset.” I then remembered something. “Hey, I'll be right back. Need to grab something for Twilight.”

With that, I left and headed to my room. I then rummaged through the nightstand by my bed and pulled out the gauntlets I got from Shocker back in Manehatten. After I placed them in my bag, I headed back in the throne room. I only made it a few feet when my spider-sense picked up on something, but before I can react…

“Hi Tito,” an all too familiar high voice said right behind me.

I won't lie, I jumped a bit, but not as much as in the past. I calmed down, turned around and saw Pinkie standing there, smiling at me. I cleared my throat and said, “Oh, hi Pinkie. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the others?”

Pinkie shrugged. “Just thought I'd walk with you for a bit.”

“Uh huh…” I nodded. I just decided to continue walking, with Pinkie skipping beside me.

“So, how was your day with Rainbow?”

I shrugged. “It was good. It's always nice hanging out with any of you guys.”

Pinkie just smiled in response. We stood silent for a bit until she asked, “So what are you getting her for her birthaversary?”

I immediately stopped. “What?”

“Her birthaversary. The celebration of her birthday and the anniversary of when she came to Ponyville. You know, that thing I had a goof off with Cheese Sandwich over and got my key that-”

I immediately put a hand up in a “stop” gesture. “I know what it is, but why did you bring it up?”

“Oh, because it's in a couple of weeks, and I figured with how close you two are, you'd want to give her something nice. So what are you getting her?”

I blinked. “I...honestly have no idea. I didn't even know when it was.”

“Really? I would've thought she'd tell you about it. I mean, you two are pretty close, and it's gonna be pretty big.”

“Knowing her, and knowing your skill with parties, I believe that.”

“Yeah. It's going to be pretty big. I mean, not as big as when Cheese helped, but still big. You'll see when you get...there…” she then widened her eyes before frowning, her ears folding back. “Oh. I think I know why Rainbow didn't mention it…”

After a few seconds, I realized what she meant and sighed. “Yeah. Still can't go to Ponyville Pinkie. But I'm sure it'd be fun.” I then continued walking. “Come on, the others should be here by now. We can see how they are and hang out for a bit before you guys go home,” I said, wanting to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Pinkie perked up a bit and we headed to the throne room once more. When we got there, everyone was already back. Cece, Coco, and Rarity were talking amongst themselves, as well as Applejack and Rainbow, and Screwball with Luna, surprisingly enough. I headed to Twilight, who was in the middle of talking to Celestia. But what Twilight said caught my attention.

“-nks that he's a monster, and no matter how hard we try, she somehow keeps convincing the town that. As far as they know, he hypnotized us or something into thinking he's good.”

“That's pretty grim,” Celestia said.

“So, what are you guys talking about?” I asked, making Twilight jump.

“Dark! Don't do that.”

I chuckled a little. “Sorry Twi.” I then sighed. “But it sounds like someone is causing some trouble in Ponyville.”

Twilight rubbed her arm, actually looking a bit nervous. “Yeah. It's a mare named Spoiled Rich.”

The moment she said that, I felt my blood boil. “What?” I growled out.

Twilight stepped back in shock with a bit of fear in her eyes. “Dark, are you okay?”

“It seems that your eyes do change when you are angry,” Celestia commented.

I was confused at first when I remembered what Sebaste and Delsin said about how I look when mad. I placed my hand on my head and took a few deep breaths. When I was sure I was calm enough, I took my hand away and sighed. “Sorry about that…”

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

“Apparently, something with Equestria makes it that my eyes turn red when I'm mad. My body reacting to the magic in the atmosphere or something like that. At least that's what Delsin thinks. It's also presumably why everyone thinks I'm a demon while I was fighting Nisled, since my hood fell off and I was definitely angry.”

“Okay...but why did you look like that when I mentioned Spoiled. I didn't think you met her.”

“I didn't. I just know she's Diamond Tiara’s mother, somehow is the head of the school board, and a popular nickname for her is Spoiled Bitch.”

Twilight and Celestia’s eyes widened at that last part. Twilight then cleared her throat. “Well, that's a pretty bad thing to call her…”

“But accurate,” someone said behind me. I turned my head and saw Rainbow with an annoyed expression, her arms crossed with some steam coming from them.

“Rainbow…” Twilight began.

“Twilight, she straight up insulted Scootaloo and her friends to their faces and is a pain in the flank to everypony. What does Filthy Rich even see in her anyway?”

“That's about as big a mystery as how Pinkie Sense works in my opinion,” I replied. “Anyway, what were you saying Twilight?”

The lavender princess sighed. “She thinks you’re some kind of demon and should be locked up in Tartarus. And she says the only reason we vouch for you is because you have us in some kind of mind control or something, and she's convinced the town of that. If I'm being honest, she's probably the main reason why things are still pretty difficult for us convincing Ponyville you're a hero.”

I growled a bit and punched the wall, leaving a hole on it, my eyes closed so nobody sees them, but checking my spider-sense allows me to know everyone is now looking at me.

Once I calmed down enough, I sighed. “Sorry...just really mad about that. My new life is now being ruined by a bitch who thinks that national heroes are just puppets of mine now…”

“Um...you can't actually do that, can you?” Spike asked.

“Never heard of any Spidey who can, and my powers are all based on the original. Besides, if I could, not like I would. To be honest, it's more of a villain power than a hero, and I don't want anyone thinking that.”

The room stood in an uneasy silence for a few moments. I was about to say something when I start feeling something on my back. Everyone else seemed to notice since they all looked at me in confusion.

“Dark, why's your bag shaking?” Starlight asked.

I took off my bag and opened it to see that the incubator was vibrating. I pulled it out and looked at the egg, which was shaking side to side a bit.

“Um, is it supposed to do that?” Applejack asked in a concerned voice when cracks started to appear in the egg and a white light shining through the cracks.

“If I remember correctly, yeah,” I said as I removed the egg from the incubator.

“You sure that's an egg an not a bomb?” Spike asked as more cracks appeared.

“Yes. Now, you guys may want to cover your eyes. Things are about to be very bright,” I said. After the next crack appeared, the whole egg was enveloped in a bright light. I immediately closed my eyes to avoid getting blinded by it. The light held for a few seconds, all of which I felt the egg change shape in my hands. A couple of seconds after the change stopped, I opened my eyes and saw the light had vanished, as well as the egg. In its place was a small, blue, bipedal pup that was very familiar to me. It had black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a small yellow collar around its neck, as well as rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws, and a black "mask” that resembled raccoons, with small appendages hanging from the side.

“No...way…” I muttered with wide eyes.

A moment later, everyone else seemed to notice the light was gone, all of them opening their eyes, though it looked like Celestia never closed hers. When everyone saw the pup in hands, they all gasped.

“What is that?” Rarity asked.

Before I can answer her, Twilight said, “A Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon and a Fighting type. It uses those things on the side of its head to sense the emotion of others.”

When most of the group stared at her, wondering how she knew any of that, Spike, Starlight, Rainbow, Screwball, Cece and I knew. “Forgot that journal had info on a lot of pokemon,” I said.

Around that time, the Riolu slowly opened its red eyes and blinked at me before tilting its head in confusion for a moment. I felt like I was forgetting something when it suddenly yipped before hugging me and nuzzled my chest.

Rainbow chuckled at the sight of my surprised face looking at the Riolu. “Looks like it likes you already Dark.”

“Makes sense,” Twilight said. “It probably think he's its dad.”

That surprised everyone and they looked at her and said, “What?” in unison, and I remembered the thing about newly hatched pokemon that I was thinking about a moment ago.

“According to the journal, when a pokemon hatches, it usually imprints on the first living thing it sees,” Twilight explained.

“Imprints?” Cece asked.

“It means that whoever they see when they first open their eyes, they believe is their parent,” I told her.

Rainbow started laughing. “So now you have a small dog that thinks your its dad?”

“Jackal, to be accurate.”

Rainbow then bent down so she was within eye level to the Riolu. “So this is your kid now, huh?”

Before I can say anything, the Riolu looked at Rainbow for a second before it jumped onto her and tackled her in a hug, surprising Rainbow. I just laughed at the sight of Rainbow on the floor with the pup hugging her. “Looks like it likes you as well Rainbow.”

Fluttershy was the next one to approach the newborn pup, crouching down to get a closer look at it. “Aww. She's so cute.” She then reached a hand out out and started scratching it behind its right ear, which it seemed to enjoy.

A moment later, I realized what she said. “Wait, did you say “she”?” I asked. “How can you tell?”

Fluttershy blinked before she had a confused expression on her face. “I...don't know. I just seem to be able to tell these things.”

I stared at the Riolu as it gave Fluttershy a hug as well, though it didn't look like it was as strong as the ones she gave me and Rainbow. “So it's a girl, huh? Didn't expect that.”

“And why's that?” Celestia asked.

“Female Riolu are pretty rare. About a one in ten chance to find one.”

“Twelve point five percent to be more specific,” Twilight added.

“Yeah…” I said as I began thinking.

Pinkie then approached her. “She's so cute. Oh, I need to get plans for her birthday ready!”

“I believe it is best to wait for that for when Dark and Cece return to Ponyville, Pinkie,” Luna said.

“Awe,” Pinkie said, a little disappointed.

Cece then looked to me. “So, whatcha gonna name her?”

I thought about it for a moment before I remembered a name I thought was nice. I gave a small smile before approaching Fluttershy. I then took the Riolu into my arms and looked her in the eyes and she smiled back at me. “How about I call you Brianna?”

She let out a yip, which I took as her saying yes. She then gave me another hug, which I returned.

“So, let me get this straight,” Cece said. “That thing is an emotion sensing dog that somehow came from an egg from another dimension, thinks you're her dad, and you're just accepting it without any questions?”

I shrugged, petting Brianna. “None of this is really a surprise to me, besides what she is. I knew for a while that pokemon imprint on the first thing they see. I just forgot about it for a bit.”

Cece sighed. “Well then, I guess we have a new member in the family.”

“Um, Tito?” I heard beside me. Turning around, I saw Screwball holding up a pokeball. “I think you're forgetting something else.”

I nodded and grabbed the pokeball before putting Brianna on her feet and kneeling to her so I was around eye level and looked at her confused face. “The answer may be a bit obvious, but do you want to stay with me and be one of my partners?” I asked, raising the pokeball in front of her. She smiled and gave a quick nod. I smiled back and tapped the button on her forehead.

The pokeball immediately opened and she was turn into data and was sucked into it, with the pokeball quickly closing afterwards. It shook in my hand for a couple of seconds before it flashed a small light. I opened it again to let her out and she immediately jumped onto me, giving me a hug and causing me to take a couple of steps back due to the force.

Applejack chuckled. “Having a hard time with a pup, Dark?”

I gave her an annoyed look. “For your information, AJ, Riolu are a type of pokemon that is known for being strong, and have a lot of stamina. Heck, when she evolves, she may be able to match Cece in terms of strength.”

Applejack’s eyes widened and I think she paled a bit. I guess since she and Rainbow are a few of the only ponies here who know first hand how strong Cece can be.

Celestia then sighed. “Well, as much as it pains me to say, it's getting late, and you all need to return home before it gets too late.”

Everyone immediately got sad when she said that. We all left the throne room, with Brianna hanging off my back with her arms around my neck. Celestia and Luna both separated from the group so they can go to sleep and begin their nightly jobs, respectively. When we reached the entrance, everyone except Screwball, Cece, me, and our pokemon headed towards the doors before turning to us.

“Sorry we didn't spend that much time together Dark,” Twilight said with an expression that told me that she felt guilty.

I shrugged. “It's okay, Twilight. It was nice just that you came to visit. To be honest, I was actually thinking about you guys this morning.”

‘As well as had that weird thought about Rainbow…’

I've been wondering multiple times today what caused me to have that thought I had after the training, and still couldn't figure it out, which annoyed me quite a bit.

What I said seemed to help Twilight a bit since she gave me a small smile in return. “I promise, we'll figure out how to help you.”

“I know. And contact us if you ever need anything Twilight.”

“Though it would be nice if you visit more often,” Screwball said with a shrug. “Doesn't have to be all of you guys. Just one or two every once in a while.”

“We'll keep that in mind Screwball,” Twilight replied.

Screwball then looked at me. “Hey Tito, didn't you have something to give Twilight?”

I was confused for a second before I remembered what she was talking about. I immediately opened my bag and pulled out the Shocker gauntlets and gave them to her.

“What are these?” She asked.

“Those are the souvenirs I got from my fight with Shocker a few weeks ago,” I answered. “They allowed him to fire pretty effective energy blasts, despite being an earth pony. I was hoping you can find some way to have it be useful for us.”

She looked at the gauntlets for a moment. “I can't promise anything, but I'll try.”

“That's all I asked.”

Most of us said our goodbyes after that, with Pinkie squeezing all of us in a hug, and they exited the castle. The last ones were Rainbow and Rarity, and Rainbow looked...uneasy I think is the word, her hands in her the pockets of her jacket.

She walked up to me and chuckled. “Another eventful day we had, huh?”

I nodded. “Beat up a bunch of guards, talked to my friends again, spent the day with my best friend, and basically became a dad. Yeah, I think that fits under “eventful”.”

She sighed and looked down. “Yeah…”

I thought for a moment before saying, “Hey, maybe next time you come, we can have a bit of a sparring match. See how good you are with those swords.”

She looked at me with a surprised look on her face. “Seriously? You do know how dangerous that is, right?”

I shrugged. “So is facing a pack of timberwolves alone, fighting a bunch of giant bugs, and jumping off a skyscraper without wings or a parachute. Hasn't stopped me before. But if you're afraid I'll beat you again, I understand.”

Her eyes widened before she narrowed them, her wings flaring and her arms glowing. “You think you can actually beat me now? As if. I can beat you just fine before. Now I can beat you easily.”

I couldn't help but have a smirk on my face from that. I knew mocking Rainbow will get her to be more like her usual self, and I was right. “Okay then. We'll see about that.” She nodded before Cloud Dashing (she told me the names of her moves) outside.

Rarity then walked up to me after having some conversation with Cece and Screwball while I was talking to Rainbow, with those two already heading to our room. “Well, you seem to know how to rile her up.”

I shrugged. “That was just to get her to act like herself. Pretty sure you noticed that she was acting...different.”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, I've noticed how she's been acting lately. But I'm sure she'll be fine. She just need to figure something out is all.”

“I hope it's not something serious.”

“Oh, nothing you need to worry about, darling. I'm sure once she's comfortable enough, she'll tell you what's been ailing her. Until then, you just need to be patient.”

I sighed. “Okay. Well, it was nice seeing you again Rarity.”

“You as well Dark. And this trip had me thinking about a few things. I'll see if I can visit again soon. Ta ta.” With that, she left.

A few moments later, I sighed again. “Come on Bri. It's time for us to go to bed.”