//------------------------------// // 6 - Journeys end in lovers // Story: She's the flan // by TheInfamousFly //------------------------------// Twilight awoke to find herself in bed, the covers pulled tightly over her and Cadence sitting on a nearby stool. "Wha-where am I? What happened to Rainbow Dash and Ember?!" Twilight tried to sit up and but immediately lay back down to avoid being sick in front of her sister-in-law. "You're in your bedroom in the castle, Twilight. Spike had to take Ember to the hospital and I thought it best that the two of you have some time apart after all that's happened." "Cadence, I didn't...I didn't mean-" "I know, Twilight. I know you well enough to know that violence is not in your nature. But also, your friends explained everything to me. They wanted to be here with you, even Rainbow Dash. But I figured you'd need some time alone as well." Cadence said with a wink. Twilight shuddered. "I-I failed...it's my job to make sure everypony is safe, Cadence and I didn't just not make sure they were safe...I...I put everypony in danger." Cadence sighed and her horn began to project a soothing blue light. The tide of bile rising in Twilight's throat subsided and the constriction around her lungs loosened. "Twilight, when you and your friends weren't able to get to the Elements of Harmony to defeat Chrysalis, when it was me and your brother's love which repelled her army, was that a failure? What about when you couldn't bring the Crystal Heart to me and Spike had to do it for you? Did you fail then?" Twilight looked down at her lap uncertainly. "Celestia picked you and your friends to protect the kingdom because she knew that she wouldn't be able to do it alone. Being the princess of Equestria doesn't mean relying on your own strength, it means relying on the strength of your subjects." Cadence smiled. "From what I hear, you saved at least four ponies from losing their minds. If that isn't a success, I don't know what is." She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "And if we can forgive Luna for trying to block out the sun, and Discord for almost destroying Equestria, twice, then I think we can forgive you for almost starting a war with dragonkind." With that, she slid off the stool. "Now, you need to get some rest. I will deal with Ember and every creature else for a little while." Twilight's guilt didn't seem to fully abate but she nodded, too tired and too comfy thanks to Cadence's enchantment to refuse a chance for more rest. As she exited the room, Cadence wove another spell over it, one which Twilight had used not too long ago to make sure that Silver Spoon's rest would remain uninterrupted. Then she took a deep breath. It would take every ounce of diplomatic training she had to smooth things over in the next few hours. It was turning out to be a very long Hearts and Hooves Day. "If I ever get my hooves on that dragon-!" Applejack began. Rainbow laughed and reached out and grabbed Applejack's hoof. "Relax. Tenderheart said I'd be back up in the air in a few weeks." "She coulda killed you, Rainbow!" Applejack insisted. Rainbow smiled. "You're so cute when you're worrying about everypony." Applejack looked away. "It wouldn'ta happened if I hadn't kicked ya out." "Hey. None of this is your fault, okay?" Rainbow said, wincing as she leaned further forward to touch Applejack's cheek. "And you didn't kick me out. I left." "I'm sorry for all the stuff I said last night." Applejack began. "I shoulda been honest with you about not liking how often you were away. I shoulda been honest I was afraid of losing ya." "I don't blame you." Rainbow said, lowering her second hoof. "I've been a pretty lousy marefriend all things considered." She looked back at Applejack. "I've never been ashamed of you...I was too busy worrying about what other ponies think, to realize I was hurting you." "I shoulda told you I was hurtin'." Applejack said, looking down. "I'm just glad I didn't lose ya." With that, she leaned closer and tightening her grip on Rainbow's hoof as she nuzzled her neck. Rainbow's expression softened and she closed her eyes as she rubbed her chin against the soft blonde mane of what had to be the best marefriend in the world. The door to the hospital room opened then and she had to fight the instinct to pull away from Applejack and cover up the affection with some lame excuse. It was Scootaloo, with Tank under one hoof. She blushed at the sight of the two of them but then gave Rainbow a reassuring smile, mirrored by Tank's good natured one. It was Applejack's turn to try to pull away when Scootaloo was followed in by Rainbow's parents, both rushing to past to check her over and ask what hurt and demand to know what they could do. But Rainbow didn't let her go. She needed all the strength she could get. "Get away!" Ember hissed, lashing out with her tail and all four of her claws to dissuade Ponyville's nurses and to free herself of the thick covers constricting her movement. "Ember, they're just trying to help!" Spike implored, grabbing her right claw to calm her. "I don't need their help!" Ember insisted, tearing free of his grasp. "And I certainly don't need yours either!" Spike flinched but still reached out to take her claw again. Ember ignored him, climbing off the bed and ripping the flower-patterned hospital gown off her blackened scales with a roar. "Ember, please-!" Spike begged, as she slid off the bed. "You're still hurt!" Ember whirled back toward him with her teeth bared. Then the fire died in her throat. She lowered her head and turned away, stomping past Ponyville Hospital's cowering nurses and rocketing up through the ceiling above with a shriek of rage. "And has she always felt this way?" Rarity asked. "I don't know. I just know that she was super sad when she heard you were going with somepony else!" Pinkie said. She sulked on her side of the jacuzzi, despite being surrounded by bubbles in desperate need of a good popping. "But there is no other pony! It's all my fault! You were just so depressed when I came to see you the other day, I wanted to make you happy again no matter what and I messed everything up again-" "But it worked." Rarity said with a smile. "You gave me a present that lifted my spirits and then you got me a date for the Hearts and Hooves dance. I think you did rather wonderfully, Pinkie." Pinkie rubbed her hooves together. "But I almost ruined everything! If you hadn't come and saved me from that big meanie cat-" "But I did." Rarity said, lifting Pinkie's chin. "You helped me and I helped you. That's what friends do, Pinkie." Pinkie shifted a little, staring at her reflection in the water. Then a smile returned to her face and Rarity thanked the stars that she was starting to act normal again. Being around Pinkie when she was sad, was like being around Fluttershy when she was angry. It wasn't just concerning. It was unnatural. "So, you are going to go to the dance with Fluttershy then?" Pinkie asked with a smile. Now it was Rarity's turn to frown. "Well, listen, Darling...I know you think that the two of us would be perfect for each other..." "But you are perfect for each other! It's just like Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They're Loyalty and Honesty, and you're Generosity and Kindness. It's kismet!" Rarity's frown deepened. "Rainbow Dash and Applejack are...together?" "Yepperoni! They were being silly and not wanting to tell anypony though until just now so I kept their secret!" "And how exactly do you know they just told somepony?" "My Pinkie Sense, duh!" Pinkie answered. Rarity took a moment to process this information. In the past 24 hours, she had believed that Rainbow Dash was interested in her, then learned that Fluttershy was also interested in her, then learned that Rainbow Dash wasn't interested in her at all. "But they told you about their relationship?" Rarity asked, feeling a little left out that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were able to confide in Pinkie but not in her. She hardly gossiped about ponies behind their flank these days. "Oh no, they didn't tell me! I was spying on them to plan parties for them, and I figured it out. You don't get to be the number one party-planning pony by not picking up on peculiar particulars like that!" Rarity nodded and made a mental note to talk to Twilight about Pinkie's rapidly apparent need to stalk all of them, a behavior she found far more disturbing than Pinkie's lopsided matchmaking attempts. "The matter is Pinkie, that I'm not sure if me and Fluttershy are as...compatible as you think." "Whatt? Why not?" "Well, the problem is...well, she lives with all those animals..." "Yeah, think of all the cute little clothes you can make for them!" "...and we're both very busy, her with the shelter, me with my business..." "Plenty of ponies don't see each other every day! My Grandma Pie only saw her husband one day a week because the rest of the time he was down in the mine! But doesn't mean she didn't love him or that they didn't support each other. Besides, Fluttershy has always been there for you in the past, why wouldn't she be able to be there for you in the future?" "...and then there's Discord." Pinkie grinned. "I know, right! You, Fluttershy, Discord and a house full of animals. Can you imagine how fun it will be?" Rarity imagined and then wished she hadn't. "It's very kind of you to want to make us both happy, darling." Pinkie's smile dropped. "Oh." She looked back at the water, the frizz rapidly leaving her soaked curls. "So, you don't like Fluttershy, then, huh?" Rarity squirmed. "I'm just...hesitant, about doing something that could ruin our friendship, darling..." Pinkie brightened up. "Oh, that's silly! We've all been through too much for something silly like love to ever make us stop being friends! We've been kidnapped, possessed, mind-controlled, drained of all magic and stripped of our cutie marks. Of course you'll still be friends. This just means you'll get to kiss each other too!" Rarity considered the words. Then a little smile appeared on her face. "Very well, Diane. I will attempt to pursue this matter with Fluttershy, but I make no promises." Pinkie squeed so loudly that Aloe probably thought the hot water pipes had another leak. "But..." Rarity said, putting a hoof over Pinkie's muzzle with a menacing smirk. "You have to do something for me." Pinkie grinned. "Of course, Silly-filly! That's what friends are for." Rarity chuckled darkly and Pinkie's grin lapsed slightly. "Umm, can I ask you a question?" She asked. "Of course," Rarity said, sliding up and out of the jacuzzi and toweling off carefully. Pinkie moved to the edge of the jacuzzi, her eyes drawn to the slightly shifting saddlebag in the corner of the room. "How did you do what you did to that meanie cat? I mean, I thought that I was gonna get sucked into a vortex and psychically preyed on until the end of time. But you didn't even flinch!" "Oh, that's easy darling." Rarity said, floating the jar up and out of her bag, so that she could better regard its pulsating contents. "I almost lost my little sister yesterday. Do you really think I was going to let some creature steal one of my friends just because it was an eldritch monstrosity?" "I'm sorry I tried to stab you..." Scootaloo said, although her tone failed to reflect her words. Apple Bloom glared at her and then glanced back at Silver Spoon, who was half hiding behind Diamond Tiara. "It's okay." Silver said. "I don't blame you." Apple Bloom's glare only deepened and Scootaloo looked pathetically over at Silver Spoon. "Could you just...not mention it to Sweetie Belle?" Silver Spoon nodded. "Of course." "I'm sorry too, Scootaloo..." Diamond Tiara said. "I know I said a lot of terrible things to you when I was younger...I told myself that if I apologized for them it would only make you uncomfortable...but that was just so I didn't have to face what a bully I was. I-I should have told you how sorry I was...then maybe you would have known something was wrong when I started acting strange..." Scootaloo's frowned and then looked away. "It's okay...I know that wasn't you..." Diamond Tiara wilted. She knew that it wouldn't be that easy. They weren't foals anymore. They couldn't forgive as easily as they once had. She knew that some things, once said, could never be apologized for. Still, even if words were insufficient, she wished there was something she could do which would show Scootaloo how sorry she was. Or better yet, something to soothe her own bruised conscience, something that Scootaloo would never connect to her. "I'm just glad you're all back to our normal selves." Apple Bloom said. "I almost lost all my friends in one day and...well, I was pretty scared is all." The other three shared a look but before anypony could begin to say "Apple Bloom, you know we'll always be your friends", the pony they were all waiting appeared. "Girls!" Sweetie Belle's smile couldn't have been less wide than the day she got her cutie mark and Apple Bloom rushed over to share a classic Cutie Mark Crusaders hug with her. Scootaloo was more hesitant, rubbing her hooves together and looking like she might run. Finally, she spoke, the words busting out. "Are-are you still gonna be able to do magic?!" Apple Bloom stared at Scootaloo in horror, but Sweetie just smirked. "They're going to have to fill part of it with crystal is all. They said it's a 97% chance to work, or something like that." Diamond Tiara let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Silver Spoon on the other hand, remained still, her eyes on the floor. "We don't have to talk about it...if you don't want..." Apple Bloom said, glancing between Sweetie and Scootaloo. "I'm sorry..." The words were supposed to have come from Silver Spoon, but instead they came from Scootaloo. She was just staring sadly at Sweetie Belle's horn. Sweetie looked like she might be angry. "It's not your fault, Scoots." Silver Spoon was on the edge of tears and looked like she might bolt. Diamond Tiara grabbed her before she could and gently squeezed her whithers. "It's not her fault either, Sweetie. I knew something was wrong with her, but I didn't tell anypony, because of how...self-obsessed I was..." Sweetie's expression grew indecipherable, as she marched up to Diamond Tiara. "I know." She said. Then she pulled both Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara into a hug. "I'm just glad both of you are better." Diamond Tiara didn't think she could fall any lower, but that moment made her want to sink into the floor and just wait for the janitor to mop her up. "I'm so sorry..." Diamond heard her best friend whisper. Sweetie nodded a little and then gave each of them a tender squeeze before she turned back to her friends. "It's okay, Scoots...even if the Crystal doesn't work or anything...I'm fine with it. I've thought a lot about it and I'm alright with it, okay?" Scootaloo looked slightly less like she wanted to murder Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara for a moment. But she looked away before Diamond could figure out exactly it was that she was thinking. "Yeah." Apple Bloom said, stepping over to Sweetie. "No matter what, you're still our friend." Scootaloo gave a little nod and Diamond saw the tiniest bit of heartbreak in Sweetie Belle's eyes, before she tried to smile. "We should get going." Diamond said, nudging Silver with her shoulder. Silver looked at her and then at Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. For as long as they'd known them, the three ponies had been like one. Their cutie marks were even all the same, for Celestia's sake. But at the moment they looked...different. Like they were standing close together, but they were each miles from the others. Diamond Tiara hadn't realized until that moment how invested in their relationship she was, but it felt like staring at a foalhood playground left to rot. That would not do. There had been too many tears in the past few days. She would not allow them to draw apart, because of her mistakes. "C'mon," She whispered to Silver as they exited the hospital. "I've got a plan." Silver looked surprised, but at the moment was too distraught to turn away a distraction. "RAGH!" Ember tossed another stone, watching it disappear into the center of the lake with a plume of water. She was too angry right now to skip stones properly. But skipping stones was the only thing which calmed her down. Sure, she could go on a rampage, set fire to something, order her flock to invade Ponyland. But that would just prove Twilight right, just prove that she was like every other dragon. Violent. Greedy. And stupid, stupid, stupid! She never should have come here. She should have known that ponies would never view her as anything but a threat. And Spike...he was like a pony too, wasn't he? He'd probably told Twilight about her crush on him and how much it scared him. He'd come to her rescue of course, but that was because that was what a good pony would do. A good dragon would have watched her be crushed by an opponent and known that if she could be beaten, she didn't deserve the scepter. He would never give up Ponyland for lava and Roc attacks. Even if he didn't want Twilight to kill her, he was still just as scared of her as ever. He was probably only pretending to her friend just to keep her from burning down the kingdom. Suddenly, the moment where he'd given her the scepter, where he'd passed up on becoming the new Dragon Lord made so much more sense. She'd always thought it was because he was selfless or perhaps, in daydreams, that it was because he liked her and believed in her. Now she knew better. His pony friends had probably devised the whole scenario, set her up to become the next Dragon Lord so that she would owe them, so that they knew that the next Dragon Lord wasn't the biggest or the strongest...but the most naive. And then the moment that she disagreed with their leader, the moment she stepped out of line and showed her true claws, they tried to execute her. She snarled, ripping apart the stones at her feet with her claws and then letting loose a plume of flame 30 meters into the air. She would show them. She had worked to be Dragon Lord all her life. She wouldn't let them take it away from her. She would hold the trials again if she had to. She would win the scepter again, this time without pony interference. No, she wouldn't burn Equestria down, but she would make it clear to Twilight and her scheming friends that she was not a puppet. And she would build a horde so big and so strong that Princess Twilight would never be a threat to her again. Ember lifted off the ground, the heat in her chest turning from smoldering self-loathing into searing rage. She would show them. She would return the Dragonlands to the greatness they'd once been and they would regret trifling with her. She would return fear to their- "Rough time at the hospital huh?" Ember whirled around to find the pinkest, prettiest alicorn she'd ever seen, standing a few feet below and looking up at her with a simple smile. "My daughter, Flurry, she has a thing about needles." The alicorn said. "My husband has to hold her hoof when it's time for her shots." Ember swooped down and grabbed the alicorn by her horn. "Get out of here! CAN'T YOU SEE I WANT TO BE ALONE!?" The shout was emphasized with another plume of fire, this one narrowly missing the princess' beautifully combed mane. The princess took a deep breath and then spoke in that infuriating way that ponies thought was supposed to calm you down but really just dug under your scales. "It's okay, Dragon Lord Ember...I did not come here to spy on you or to harm you while you were still healing." "NO!" Ember shoved the alicorn backward. "YOU CAME HERE SO YOU COULD RUB IT IN MY FACE! YOU CAME HERE TO LAUGH ABOUT HOW YOU DEFEATED ME AND THEN HAD THE AUDACITY TO OFFER ME HELP, AS IF WE WERE STILL FRIENDS!!" The alicorn shook her head. "No. I came here to apologize and to heal your wounds, if you'll allow it." "NO! No more pony magic! No more stupid, pretty princess ponies...JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Ember roared. "It hurts, when a creature betrays you...especially when you thought that they loved you." The alicorn said, sitting down. "You know that the queen of the changelings once kidnapped me and impersonated me? I was sure that my fiancé, my husband now...I was sure that he'd know the difference between the two of us. When I was down there in the caverns under Canterlot, I was every day that he'd burst in to my rescue..." Ember snarled. "I don't care!! I JUST WANT TO BE ALONE!" "You want to be alone, Ember, because you're hurt. And because when you grew up, if a dragon was hurt, they'd have to roll a boulder in front of their cave, so that no creature tried to steal their hoard. But I'm not here to steal from you, or to take advantage of the fact that you are hurt...neither were the ponies at the hospital and neither was Spike. All of them just wanted to make sure you were alright, because they care about you." "THEN WHY!? WHY DID THEY HUMILIATE ME!? IF YOU WERE MY FRIENDS, WHY DID YOU LET YOUR LEADER ALMOST KILL ME!?" Ember screeched, more fire coming out in little gusts that almost scorched the alicorn's nose. "No pony wanted that to happen, Ember. Twilight was cursed at the time; she couldn't control herself...any more than my husband could control himself when the changeling queen was devouring his mind. A very bad magical creature tried to make Twilight hurt you because it knew she would never forgive herself...do you understand me? None of this is her fault, or Spike's fault. They didn't lure you here, this wasn't a trap, and you are not our enemy..." Ember hung limply in the air. "How can I trust you...how can I ever trust any pony after what you did to me?" "It's hard...when creatures hurt you, when they disappoint you...you're not sure you can ever trust any creature again..." The alicorn said. "But the ability to trust creatures, knowing that they might not trust you...that's strength, Ember." Ember turned away and stared at her tear-stained reflection in the lake. She had never cried in front of a pony before. She had never cried in front of a dragon either. It hurt, but it also felt good somehow. "I came here as a piece offering, Dragon Lord." The alicorn said, using her magic to levitate off her tiara and place it down on the ground close to her hooves. "Twilight is a good princess and a good pony, who would never cause harm intentionally...but if this personal slight is too great to be forgiven, please...take my life." "Wha-what!?" Ember whirled around, rage pumping back into her that this...this pony would think she would ever- "I don't want my daughter to grow up in a world where actions don't have consequences." The alicorn said, as she bowed. "As I understand it, your citizens may not believe that you are capable of protecting them, if they find out you were defeated by an alicorn. So, I offer you, my life. Once you have slayed me, your honor will be restored and Equestria will have paid its debt." Ember stared down at her, in disgust and horror. "No! No! I would never...I...I'm not gonna punish you for what Twilight did! That's wrong!" The alicorn smirked. "Oh, why?" "Because...because you weren't there! You didn't make Twilight do what she did! And besides, there's nothing...honorable about killing a creature which won't fight back." Ember declared. "What about one creature who was there? Who tried again and again to stop the fighting...who put himself in harms way to protect you?" The alicorn asked, lifting an eyebrow. Ember was about to tell the alicorn to go fly a kite. Then she realized who she was referring to. She sunk to the ground. "Spike..." She said, her voice raw from yelling. "He still cares about you, Ember...as much as he cares about his sister...if you ask him, he will go with you." "He...he..." "He did nothing wrong." The alicorn said, sitting down beside her. "He cares for you deeply, as you care for him. I have felt it in his heart. He does not seek to change you, but he has made you better. And at the moment he is worried for your wellbeing as no dragon ever has." "How would you know?" Ember snarled. "Oh, didn't I mention? Hello, Dragon Lord. I'm Cadence, the Alicorn of Love..." Cadence said, bowing her wings slightly in the traditional manner of dragon greeting. "I'm Twilight's sister-in-law." Ember stared at her. "You...you knew I wasn't going to hurt you, didn't you?" Cadence lifted slightly and did her best to hide her smirk. "I thought a leap of trust was needed on our part, to re-assure you of our devotion to diplomatic harmony." Ember stared at the ground. "You think if I get together with Spike...you think that will just solve all our problems." "Oh, no...love doesn't solve all the problems in the world. In fact, it's responsible for most of them." Cadence said, standing up. "But what we be worth without it?" "Are you...sure about this?" Pinkie asked, glancing down at the strange garment which Rarity had insisted on fitting her with. "Oh yes, with just a little fitting...here...annnnnnd here...you will look absolutely perfect." Rarity said, between the pins in her teeth. Pinkie shifted. "But...it's so...serious." Rarity rolled her eyes. "Darling, not every dress has to have pieces of cake on it...trust me, take a break from the baking and the party supplies for one evening...stop worrying about everypony but yourself...just...let yourself be seen and loved..." She paused and looked away. "That's what everypony deserves." "But I don't have a date for the dance..." Pinkie said, prodding at the silky-smooth fabric. "Not yet." Rarity said with a grin. "Where are you going?" Scootaloo paused. She'd been just about to ask herself that question. She'd wanted to go join Rainbow and her family at Sweet Apple Acres. But she wasn't sure that she could be around Apple Bloom right now. Not because of what Apple Bloom had said to her last night, but because she knew that Apple Bloom would want to ask...about this morning...and Scootaloo couldn't deal with that. Not after everything that had almost happened. Still, she wasn't particularly enthusiastic to find Silver Spoon still on this plane of existence and asking her questions. "What do you want?" Scootaloo groaned. Silver stared at her hooves. "I just...I thought you'd be with Sweetie Belle..." "What's that supposed to mean?" Scootaloo demanded. "Well, she's in love with you, isn't she?" Silver said. "Just like how Diamond was in love with her and how you were in love with Apple Bloom." She paused. "And how I was in love with Diamond..." Scootaloo hated how perceptive Silver Spoon could be. "Hold up, okay? I liked Apple Bloom...before...I knew what I now know, alright? But Sweetie Belle is not in love with me, okay? And even if she was, after what you did to her..." Silver flinched. "...I doubt she is now." Silver looked up at her and pushed her spectacles up her muzzle. "Why?" Scootaloo stamped the ground. "Because it's my fault, okay!? You only attacked Sweetie because she hit Diamond Tiara...if she didn't...care about me so much..." "You don't think Diamond was wrong..." Sweetie said, her eyes widening. "What? No! I-" Silver stepped closer, beginning to cry again. "You-you think because of your wings...you don't deserve to be loved..." Scootaloo looked away. "You don't know what you're talking about. Just...go away okay!?" "Scootaloo, I am truly sorry about what me and Diamond Tiara said to you...and I'm sorry if any other pony ever made you think there was something wrong with you...because of your wings...because of who you are." "I said go away!!" Scootaloo yelled, ashamed to feel tears beginning to gather in her eyes as well. "I don't need you to tell me to love myself okay?! I'm fine! I was fine before you...you..." "Go ahead...yell at me...I'm the one you should be angry with," Silver Spoon said. "Not yourself...I...I didn't know what I was doing...but I still did it..." "But it's not your fault!" Scootaloo yelled, suddenly unable to control the tears. "And if it's not your fault or Diamond's fault or my fault, whose is it? Sweetie Belle is never gonna be able to do magic the way she could before...that's what the nurses said...whose fault is that, Silver? It has to be somepony's, because it's not fair...Sweetie...she's so kind, she never deserved...she-she..." Silver Spoon stepped closer. "Like you deserved to have your wings?" Scootaloo turned away again. "I'd never been in love with anypony...before that curse was cast on me..." Silver Spoon said. "And I-I don't think that thing I had was love...not the way love should be anyway. But I do know...that I miss it. Even if Diamond didn't love me back, when Princess Twilight took it away...it felt like I was losing one of my legs..." Silver looked away. "I don't know much, Scootaloo, but I know that Sweetie Belle loves you...the way you are...not the way you could be...and I know that she'll still punch anypony who hurts you like that...because she cares about you." Silver took a deep breath. "And...I know that love is a terrible thing to let go to waste..." With that, she turned, marching back in the direction of town and failing to notice when Scootaloo glanced back at her. Applejack sat at the dining room table, listening to Granny swapping embarrassing stories with Windy Whistles while Big Mac and Bo played horseshoes out front. She turned to look at Rainbow, who, despite one wing still being in a cast, was trying to swat her mother and get her to stop talking about the time she tried to break into a Wonderbolt show while she was grounded. She smiled and curled closer to the pony she loved, feeling her delicate feathers tickle her face as she rested her head on Rainbow's shoulder. Rainbow leaned back, their manes mingling as they listened not just to the laughter which bubbled all around them, but to the beating in the other's chest. They would miss the dance tonight. But Applejack couldn't imagine anything more romantic than this. Fluttershy sat at the edge of the arena, watching pairs of every gender and species joining in a synchronized and terribly formal looking dance. She glanced down at her gown, the one that Rarity had made for her for the Grand Galloping Galla and which she had painstakingly cleaned after getting it so dirty. She remembered her and Rarity bonding over how stuck up both the guests and the menagerie animals were as they ate at Donut Joe's. She remembered Rarity's hoof almost touching her own and how she had felt like she might fly into a hurricane to have another moment like that. She had always been willing to do whatever Rarity wanted her to. To become a model. To run a whole store. To step out of her comfort zone, if it meant that she got one of those wonderful Rarity smiles which lit up her whole, already radiant face. This was just another step, another chance to prove that she had grown as a pony. She could dance with a pony she liked in public, that she wasn't too shy to have a good time on Hearts and Hooves Day. Still, she was glad that it had been Rarity who invited her. After all the confusion and rejection of the past few days she was still fighting the inkling deep inside that this was all some terrible joke. A tiny voice deep inside was telling her that Rarity would show up and see the old dress and laugh at Fluttershy's terrible fashion sense and then everypony else would laugh too, in unison, just like they were dancing, and she would run home, crying all the way and never be able to show her face in town again. But she had learned not to listen to that terrible little voice. Rarity had assured her that her previous date was just a mix-up caused by the wacky magic shenanigans which had been going around town in Fluttershy's absence and that Pinkie had explained the whole situation. Fluttershy felt ashamed, that she had to have Pinkie talk to Rarity for her, like they were still school fillies or something. Rarity deserved a pony who was confident, a pony who was good in social situations like she was. A pony who- "Darling!" Fluttershy turned and almost fainted. Rarity's dresses were always beautiful, even when Fluttershy didn't fully understand why. After the incident with this particular dress, Fluttershy had felt so torn up about abusing Rarity's generosity and almost ruining her career, that she'd made an active effort to suppress what little she knew about fashion. But this dress...it was almost as mesmerizing as the pony who wore it. A beautiful lavender gown, with wildflowers of every color tied into the belt and collar and naturalistic patterns looping all over it. Fluttershy looked back down at her own dress and immediately knew how much of a mistake this was. She couldn't keep up with Rarity. She was too beautiful, too stylish. Everypony was staring at her and soon they'd be staring at Fluttershy too, and Fluttershy didn't know anything about dancing either and- Mwah! Rarity kissed Fluttershy on the cheek. "I just wanted to tell you darling how beautiful you are tonight. And I wanted to let you know that no matter what happens tonight or any other night...you and I will always be friends." Fluttershy was staring into Rarity's beautiful amethyst eyes and realizing very suddenly just how much she wanted to be much more than that. Ponies were unsure about what happened next. Most said that Rarity leaned in for another kiss and Fluttershy energetically welcomed her. However, Octavia and DJ-PON3, who had been hired to perform the music for that evening, would always claim that it was Fluttershy who initiated the next kiss, shocking Rarity with the volume of her passion. As for Fluttershy and Rarity, whenever this particular moment was brought up...well, they would always just look at one another and start giggling. "Are you sure about this?" "Of course, I am." Diamond Tiara said, as she adjusted the gown she had insisted on giving Sweetie for the dance tonight. "It's a little...risque, isn't it?" Sweetie asked, shifting under the gaze of the mirror. Diamond smirked and leaned closer. "It's beautiful, just like you are..." Sweetie blushed and Diamond returned to her wardrobe, from which she removed a tiny crown, glistening with rhinestones. "Oh, Diamond...I...I can't take your back-up crown..." Sweetie said. "Of course, you can. And you can keep it too, until you get that crystal, alright? You said you wanted to hide the crack in your horn and you deserve to feel pretty tonight..." Diamond said, careful placing the tiara which was slightly smaller but no less fantastic than her own, onto Sweetie's head. "Okay. But only if you promise you aren't doing this to make up for what you said when you were cursed, alright?" Sweetie said. Diamond rolled her eyes. "You know me and Silver already feel like dirt, right? You don't have to keep rubbing it in with how much kinder you are than us." "Diamond, I'm serious...I don't blame you, okay?" Sweetie insisted as Diamond pulled out her make-up case. "I'm sure you don't, but I do, alright? So let me make it up to myself, alright?" Diamond asked, as she opened the case. Sweetie glanced down at the assortment of eyeshadow, lipstick and rogue. Then she sighed. "Fine. Just don't make me look like Rarity, okay?" Diamond rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Sweetie, by the time I'm done with you...no pony is going to remember your sister even exists, alright?" Sweetie watched herself transform in the mirror. She had always liked pretty things, but she had also always felt they didn't belong to her, that they were somepony else's. "Are you...are you sure about this?" She asked as Diamond finished curling her eyelashes. "Of course, I am." Diamond said, stepping back from her masterpiece. "Everypony deserves to feel beautiful sometimes." "But...about you and me..." Sweetie began. There was knock on the door and Diamond held up a hoof to dismiss the topic of conversation as she moved over to the door and opened it up. Standing in the hallway was Scootaloo, not at all looking ready for the dance, coated in dust and mud and holding a small bouquet of daisies in one hoof. "I...I heard that Sweetie was here..." Scootaloo began, out of breath. "...and I wanted to talk to her." Diamond smirked and stepped out of the way allowing the lovebirds to share an unencumbered view of each other. As Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle spent the next few minutes trying to revive the fainted Scootaloo, one asked the other "Too much?" And they began to laugh. Spike sat on the roof of the new Golden Oaks Library, watching the proceedings as Rarity and Fluttershy accepted the "Best Dancer Trophy." He looked down in his claws at the picture of Rarity which he had kept on him for the past few years. Then he dropped it, watching as it fluttered to the ground and was blown away down an alley by the breeze. "Should I be jealous?" Spike almost fell off the roof with surprise when he found that Ember had landed right behind him without a sound and was grinning down at him. He shot up to his feet. "Ember, are you-" She held up a claw to his lips. "Rule number 1; we don't talk about what happened yesterday, unless I bring it up, okay?" Spike stared at her claw and then nodded. She leaned in closer. "Rule number 2...you tell me if I'm ever being a bad friend, alright?" Spike stared into her eyes and nodded again, slower this time. She pulled her claw away. "Is your pegasus friend alright?" He nodded. Again, slowly. "She knows you didn't mean to hurt her..." He said, looking away. Ember cringed. Then she forced herself to smile. "Look, I've got all the crystals I could ask for out of this trade deal, so I was planning on heading back." "What? I mean...oh, okay...ummm...you talked to Cadence then?" "Yeah, she had some pretty choice words to say about you." Ember said with a wink. "But I figured all this lovey-dovey pony stuff might not be for me. Besides, if I don't go soon, some new monster might show up and then I'll never get away." Spike nodded. "Have a safe flight then...I'm...sorry about everything, Ember." Ember turned and raised her wings. Then she groaned. "Ugh! Aren't you going to tell me to stay?" Spike frowned. "Wha-why would I-?" "Because you love me, you idiot!" Ember said, folding her arms. "That's what Cadence told me." "Oh." Spike blushed. "Well, uh, yeah...I mean, I'm not happy you're going, but I...I wasn't going to stop you..." "Isn't that what you ponies do though!? You rush to stop some creature from leaving and profess how much you want them in your life?" Spike thought about this for a moment and then said. "It's just...I...thought you hated me and this place and...I know you have a lot of work as Dragon Lord, so I didn't want to-" Ember groaned and ran her claw across her face. "Okay, just ask me if you can come with me then!" Spike paused. "Go? With you? To the Dragon Lands?" "Yeah, fire breathing dragons, lava everywhere, bloodthirsty monsters where-ever you step and not a lot of demand for dragons who can crochet...sound like fun?" Ember said. Spike glanced back at the dancing ponies. "Uh, can I say goodbye before we go?" Ember sighed. "Yeah, sure, fine. Just y'know...hurry up, I was hoping to make it dramatic and...well, it's too late, just go and get it over with, alright?" Spike nodded and opened his wings to fly off the roof. Then he stopped, right at the edge and ran back over, wrapping his claws around Ember's midsection. "I'm glad you're alright." He said into her belly. "I'm sorry if I'm not good at this romance stuff, I've never had any pony...I mean...no creature has ever liked me back so..." She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us..." Then he turned and leaped off the edge flying down and disappearing into the bright festivities. Ember watched him go with a strange warmth in her chest and her stomach. Then she smiled. "Classic ponies." Twilight stood at the edge of the celebrations, watching her friends and neighbor's dance. That was a nicer way to think about them. Neighbors, not subjects. It made it easier to believe they could handle things on their own from time to time. Rarity and Pinkie had saved the day. And Twilight had almost done the unthinkable. Why hadn't she trusted her friends instead of trying to handle everything herself? Well, her thinking had been somewhat altered. Still, she remembered how she'd underestimated Pinkie only a few days ago. It was hard to remember sometimes that an intelligent, determined pony dwelled underneath those cotton candy curls sometimes. But Twilight was ashamed she had forgotten how resourceful any of her neighbors were. "Feeling better?" Cadence said as she appeared beside her with a plate stacked with heart-shaped cookies. "I shouldn't be here. I'm ruining the festival..." Twilight said. Cadence sighed. "Twilight, do your friends blame you for what happened?" "No! But I'm-I'm the Princess of Friendship, I'm supposed to-" Twilight began. Cadence looked sad for a moment. "Twilight, if they don't blame you, why do you?" As the thought percolated in Twilight's mind, a familiar silver coated earth pony approached Cadence. "Umm, Princess?" "Yes, dear?" Cadence asked. "I have a friend who, uh...I think she isn't interested in love, not like most ponies are at least...but she's the one of the nicest ponies I know, and I'm worried she doesn't have anypony to be with right now, and I know her two best friends are going to be dating soon. So, anyway, I was hoping you could talk to her maybe and-" Silver Spoon said, rubbing her hooves together. "Tell her that it's alright if she doesn't have a special somepony and that she doesn't want one?" Cadence finished. She smiled at Twilight. "You have a wonderful little community here, Twilight. I'll have to come back here sometime soon." With that, she winked at Silver Spoon and lifted off, disappearing into the reddish pink sky and flying off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres without having to ask for directions. Twilight stared at Silver Spoon for a moment and Silver Spoon shifted and said "Thank you...for everything, Princess." Twilight was about to respond, when she felt a familiar claw tugging lightly at her leg. "Oh, Spike...umm, have you seen Ember around at all?" Spike took a deep breath. "Yeah, actually...she's already talked with Cadence so she's heading back to the Dragon Lands...I thought I might go with her...maybe stay for a little while." Twilight remained quiet. "Not because of what happened, I swear! It's just...you and me have been together for so long...I mean, I'm an adult now, right? I-I should want to be around other dragons, to...figure out what it is that I want, right?" Twilight looked away. "I...Of course, Spike...you-you don't have to apologize...I...I just want you to be happy." "I know." He hugged her and realizing how long it might be before she was next able to hold him, she wrapped her arms over his shoulders and folded her wings tight. "Just...be careful, okay? It's a scary world out there." "I know..." He said with a laugh. "And don't worry...I'll be back before you know it, okay?" Twilight smiled through her tears. "Okay..." As he flew up into the air he turned once to wave back at her, and she was possessed to yell after him "Don't forget to write!" She didn't know if he heard him. All she knew was that she could see Ember joining him, high above Ponyville's streets and the two dragons swerving and soaring to side by side into the horizon. She sighed then and took a deep breath. He would be alright. She had taught him everything he needed to know. She didn't blame him either, if he couldn't return to their little routines after all he'd seen. She'd known this day was coming. Still, she'd never thought it would be this day. She wondered then, what was next. Well, the world wasn't as safe as she'd once thought, so perhaps investigating the motives of the mysterious stranger who'd instigated all this chaos might adequately distract her for the next few months. She would have to have Pinkie give her a proper description of the thing. And maybe visit New Abyssinia, see if they'd knew anything about it and hopefully not nearly murder their current leader. But if there were more creatures like the one that Rarity had defeated...well, it wouldn't do to wait for them to make themselves known. Maybe a trip to Silver Shoals wouldn't be out of order either. Luna and Celestia had fought all manner of creatures before becoming the leaders of Equestria. If they didn't know anything about Bard, then maybe one of the Pillars would. She was about to head over to the School of Friendship and see if Rockhoof was around, when she noticed that the dancing had stopped. All the creatures who'd been slow dancing only a few minutes ago had now formed a circle and were clopping their hooves together and whistling. She pushed through the outside of the crowd to see what it was they were applauding. It was Pinkie. But Twilight hardly recognized her. Her hair's normal wildness had been almost, but not quite tamed by a series of gold pins. But it was her dress which drew Twilight's attention. A beautiful maroon piece, with little hearts running along the trim. And she was blushing. In all the time that she had known her, Twilight didn't think she'd ever seen Pinkie blush before. She wasn't aware that Pinkie was physically capable of blushing, but there was something so profoundly adorable about the sight that she instantly wished to see it again. Pinkie's gaze shifted from the smile she was sharing with Rarity and Fluttershy to Twilight and her eyes lit up just as they had the day they first met. Then she sprang forward, grabbing Twilight's forelimb and dragging her into the circle of the dancers. There was a great cheer to see the Princess of Friendship joining the festivities and Twilight stumbled at first trying to match the rhythm. In all her magical and political research, she'd never memorized the etiquette of the traditional Canterlot dances. Neither had Pinkie though, as she took Twilight's hooves in her own and danced a strange, but nonetheless energetic jig that was as enticing as it was entertaining. And in that moment, while high above the stars watched and deep within fear festered, nothing mattered except the pounding of their hearts and sound of the other's laughter. All Aboard stepped off the platform, eager to remove his uniform and return to his tidy cottage for the two days he had between shifts. No, Van Hoover was not the largest or the most exotic place which the Friendship Express traveled through each day. Still, it was quiet. You could be sure that no monsters would be in its near future. As he strolled along Foal Harbor, he noticed a strange weight in one of his pockets and dug into it. Out came a strange coin, a token of an even stranger creature. It was bigger and heavier than a bit, which meant it was probably worth something to somepony. But something about its indecipherable engravings made him uneasy. He ended up dropping it into the hat of the first busker he passed, and it wasn't until over a week later, when the Vanhoover Star published Princess Twilight's statement that "anypony with information regarding the Abyssinian described below should come forward", that he realized his mistake.