//------------------------------//
// Autosaved 
// Story: Happy Anniversary Sug 
// by Bysen 
//------------------------------//

Named as such because I CBF thinking of a better name and that was there after a crash recovered.
~ ~

“YYAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!” another contraction hit her. It had been more than twelve hours now, when the hay where they going to stop? Pinkie’s wish for Dash to let out the pain had long since gone, seeing her scream like that was horrifying but Pinkie wouldn’t let up go of her Dashie’s hoof no matter how loud she screamed. Or how hard Dash crushed Pinkie's hoof when she did. “Ough…” Dash said, almost completely collectedly as she sucked some air back in after screaming it all out.

Applejack and Fluttershy had left an hour ago now. What could possibly be taking them so long? Oh right, all the over-arcing story lines drawing to a conclusion. But Elliot and Octavia should be arriving here soon then. Elliot would be of help but Pinkie couldn’t quite think of why she wanted Octavia here? In all honesty, she didn’t. But she couldn’t just say that to her, to either of them. 

She suddenly felt a hoof on her shoulder. It was Octavia’s. Not only had Pinkie completely not heard her speaking, she had missed her even entering her shop. The bell above the door had ringed, and Octavia had called out as she entered but Pinkie’s mind had been elsewhere. But where it had been wasn’t with Dash either. It was just… elsewhere.

“BWARGH!!!” Pinkie jumped in surprise. She wasn’t used to being snuck up on. Normally she did the sneaking and surprising. “When did you get here? And why didn’t my left rear hoof go ‘clop, clop, clop’ to tell me there’s a happy face coming?” it had, but again, she hadn’t noticed. Dash gave an inward laugh, remembering what had happened two months ago when she and Gilda had snuck in the back door for her kid’s birthday party.

Actually, it had been four months. She just didn’t remember two of them. She may have so little time left, and that she’d already lost two months because of this heart of hers. “Get the hell outta here!” Dash screamed. It took all three of the Pie sisters by surprise. Dash was a little shocked herself but with the pain and the way she felt about Pinkie right now, the words had just kinda escaped her.

Octavia stayed her ground beside Pinkie though, and Elliot came up beside Dash. Dash maintained her stern look, even if she regretted saying it, she wouldn’t let them know. Her stubbornness was pushing way further ahead than it usually did. But that didn’t stop Elliot as she knelt down beside her “I’m going to give you a quick physical then we’ll see how things are going down stairs.” she said as she took of her saddle bag and placed it down next to her.

Elliot took out a stethoscope and put it on. “Is this really necessary? I’m fine. Except the searing pain every few minutes... but that’s normal.” Elliot didn’t answer and just gentle took Dash’s left hoof in her right and used her own left to place the stethoscope on Dash’s chest.

“Alright, now take a deep breath.” Dash sighed an obeyed. There’s wasn’t any reason not to, even if she felt she was being treated like a child slightly. But she knew she wasn’t alright. There was a slight pain in her chest which she didn’t want to acknowledge. She didn’t want to worry Pinkie with it. But mostly she just didn’t want to acknowledge it herself. But this attention brought it to bear. “That’s good, now another deep breath.”

Dash complied. She let out the breath and started breathing normally again for a about minute. She was about to ask before Pinkie did “Dashie’s alright right?” it was half question, half statement and was more directed at Dash for reassurance. Elliot nodded and removed her hooves from Dash.

“It’s a little higher than normal but that can be attributed to begin in labour. I’m not entirely sure, kids aren’t my specialty. And um… I guess I should have a look at your um… bajingo now.” Elliot said cautiously. Worse. Than. Fluttershy…

“Geez… has nopony ever seen a vagina before? I mean really?!” Dash yelled as Elliot moved to down below her. She looked to Pinkie and Octavia, and Dash followed her gaze “What are you even still doing here? Leave!” she yelled at Octavia and then faced Elliot. “And when you’re done you leave too! I don’t want a crowd to see me crap myself when this thing comes out of me!” nopony had told her last time that 80% of pregnancy’s where accompanied by accidental defecation.

Octavia looked at Dash and then to each of her sisters. “I’ll be in the back room if you need me.” she said as she began to walk off, finally taking her hoof from Pinkie’s shoulder. Pinkie hadn’t really thought about it until now but she missed it begin there now that it was gone.

Elliot looked down with obvious unease at Dash’s ‘bajingo’ and was immediately greeted with a kick in the chin knocking her onto her back. “AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!....” Dash screamed once more. “Holy mother of celestial flight!” Dash added. It was complete gibberish, just a bunch of words strung together in urgency.

Elliot got back to her hooves and rubbed her very saw jaw. THIS was exactly why she wasn’t about children. But this wasn’t the first time this had happened to her; off in Zebfrica and sadly it wouldn’t be the last time either. At least she didn’t have another tooth to add to her necklace this time. “Now that’s what we call a contraction.” she explained. It was part of how she was trained, to explain what was happening to the patient.

Of course Dash, having done this before and having had many already knew full well what it was and what it was called. But that wasn’t what she called it. “Oh Celestia! That’s what YOU call a contraction you rotten old bat! I call it a fiery ball of pain!” she said through clenched teeth.

“She didn’t mean that. The rotten old bat part.” Pinkie said, trying to keep Elliot form getting to in her head about this. She’d been kicked and insulted. The blonde earth pony could be very self-conscious at times. In fact, she wasn’t even blonde, just dyed it to look good. Though why she chose blonde over of a more vibrant colour like grey, like Mayor Mare did, was beyond Pinkie.

It was all for naught though as Dash countered “I’m pretty sure I meant it!” which worried Pinkie a bit further. Luckily Elliot wasn’t letting her neuroticism take over.

“It’s ok, everypony reacts to the stress and pain differently, believe me I have seen it all.” it calmed Pinkie. It didn’t Dash though.

“I wouldn’t bet on it, Dashie’s a very unique individual!” Pinkie chirped. Unsuccessfully.

“Shut up Pinkie, your voice is incredibly annoying!” Why did she say that? Octavia and Elliot where one thing but Pinkie? She wanted them gone so she could be with her. She wasn’t thinking clearly. She wasn’t sure which hurt more, the pain or what she had just said. But… it was the pain that hurt more. It was what had caused the emotional pain anyway.

Pinkie just kept smiling though. She knew Dash didn’t mean it. Dash wasn’t angry with her. Or Elliot or Octavia or anypony. Pinkie was right though, Elliot had just seen something that she never expected from Dash: insulting Pinkie. “We’ll wait for the contractions get closer together before asking you to push.”

“They get closer together?!” Dash said in exasperation then looked from Elliot to Pinkie. “Wait a minute, I knew that… I knew that right Pinkie, didn’t I?” she was confused at herself and everything that was happening. It frighten her how much control she didn’t have over herself. She looked back to Elliot “I, I’m sorry I called you a rotten old bat.”

“It’s alright. And yes, you did know that.” Elliot said as she stood up and moved to where Octavia had been by Pinkie’s side before leaving. “You know everything you need to know to have this foal, and what you forget, Pinkie will remind you.” she added as she gave her sister a pat on the shoulder before walking off to join Octavia in the back of the store.

“I wha…. wait, Sis?...” Pinkie stumbled as Elliot left. Dash may’ve wanted her gone but Pinkie still wanted her around. Sure she knew what to do but that didn’t make it much easier. Sure she’d even been there herself while her sister hadn’t but that didn’t help either. Or maybe it did. Maybe Pinkie was just as scared and out of control as Dash was. “Right, um… ok so, breathe through your nose…”

“Do not tell me what to do.” Dash snapped.

“Ok.” Pinkie sounded almost defeated in that one single word… or was ‘o-k’ technically two words? Dash hated making her feel that way.

“Bu-but coach me, like we practiced.” she rebuked. She didn’t want to be mad at Pinkie. She wasn’t! But…

“Those are mutually exclusive…”

“Don’t argue with me!”

“Right…” Pinkie replied. She now understood why Dash always seemed confused with her at times. Four contradictions in a row tended to be very disorienting. Suddenly Dash screamed once more as another contraction hit her. She clutched down on Pinkies hooves very tight, very strong and very painfully. Pinkie let out her own scream of pain now. It was genuine but had a tinge of happiness to it. Dash thought she was mockering her!

It hurt Dash even more than the contraction, again not literally though, that Pinkie would make fun of her right now. But then she realised why there was joy behind it. All of what had happened, all of what she’d said, Pinkie had never let go of her hoof. She still held it in hers even though she knew Dash would hurt her every time.

But it didn’t matter to Pinkie. She just wanted to be there for her Dashie. “Remember, four quick breathes” Pinkie said as she took four quick gasps of air.

Dash just laughed at that. “You sound like a quacking duck.”

“Quack.”

~ ~

Her head hurt as she tried to open her eyes. The light above her seemed brighter than normal. Twilight squinted and let out a moan of discomfort. She felt something on her hoof and turned to looked “Ah so glad y’alright!” Big Mac said as both his hooves squeezed hers. He had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last ten hours as he sat by her side all night. He’d hear the occasional noise she made in her sleep and would instantly jump awake. This time she had woken up though.

“Uh, what happened Mac?”

“Ah’m sorry Twilight. I didn’t mean ta yell and all that other stuff ah said.” he whispered to her, his eyes closed and his hooves squeezing hers tight. “Ah’m sorry ah made ya try an’ run. Ah only want what’s best fer ya.”

“Run?” Twilight asked. She remembered the fight but she hadn’t run away or anything. What had she done? Everything seemed a lot brighter. Her eyes where dilated so she was drugged up most likely. She remembered trying to teleport and failing… and she remembered forcing the spell to work. Apparently it hadn’t. If she had to guess, the energy had hit the crack in her horn, been blocked and built up until it jumped past it, or jumped out of it, and was too strong and uncontrollable beyond that point causing a misfire.

Big Mac had rushed her here, immediately telling the doctors what had happened. This wasn’t the mental ward though; this was the intensive care unit. He’d spoken with both Whooves and Horse MD for a few hours last night. Whooves was satisfied that she didn’t do it to intentionally harm herself leaving this to be a wholly medical issue and Horse’s charge. But he was kept a while longer when Big Mac brought up what their argument had been about.

Whooves was aware that Twilight was scared about going off her medication in order to regain her magical talents and knew to some degree that she had acknowledged she may never get them back if she stayed on them. But he didn’t know she was willing to lose them altogether. It was a drastic escalation and one he hadn’t thought she would even consider. He hadn’t even considered it. Horse however confirmed Twilight’s theory: it was doable and relatively simple, in terms of neurosurgery at least.

But while the success rate was very high, there where almost always side effects. Even if performed flawlessly, on the most mentally sound patient, there was a 80-90% chance of unexplainable and unpredictable anomaly. Now what that anomaly was was completely random and could be a little as always blinking twice in a row or a new found fear of a specific species of fish. However, it could also be something as severe as blindness, deafness or other sensory loss.

It was a magical malady in nature and couldn’t really be quantified. As such, not much actual data had ever been collected, let alone written about.  And while there was the 10-20% chance of nothing affecting Twilight should she have the operation, it was speculated that something had happened in those cases but due to its obscurity, what had happened was never discovered.

“Have you… spoken to Whooves? Or Horse, or whoever about my horn?”

“Ah have.” Big Mac replied with a tinge of sorrow in his mostly steady voice.

“I-I don’t like it, I don’t want it but… it’s for the best I guess.” Twilight said as she looked him in the eyes. She knew Big Mac didn’t want to do anything to harm her and what he did do, he did because he cared and worried. “If you really think I should, I’ll get the prostatic horn implant. I don’t want to go off the magsulin again but if you promise to be there for me, no matter what I do or say, I will.”

“Hehe…” Big Mac chuckled. “It’s ironic really. Ah talked ta Horse and ‘nother surgeon. But not ‘bout the fake horn o’ yours. I asked ‘em if it could be removed. It can be. Not here, they’d have ta move ya to a bigger hospital but yeah. They can do it.”

Twilight didn’t know what to say. He’d been so adamant about it before, why change his mind so fast? Was he simply worried that what happened to her would happen again? “Wh…”

“Because you want it. Ah said it where ma choice, but it ain’t. Remember what you said when ah first got this power over ya? You said ‘don’t do anything ah wouldn’t do’. You wouldn’t want that fake horn, but more importantly, you wouldn’t force it onta somepony who didn’t wan’ it. Ah still don’t like th’idea maself, but this ain’t about me. You know what’s best for ya, even if ah disagree.”

Twilight just stared at him. He wasn’t doing this out of fear. He was doing it because it was what she wanted. Even if it was something he didn’t want for her. Magnum had described it as a curse, but how could anything be a curse if just talking about it showed you how much somepony truly cared for you. “When?” was all she managed to ask.

“Ah can go get the ball rollin’ now. If it’s truly what’n ya want.”

“It is. It’ll make me more like you.” she said as she lazily moved her hooves around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She could barely move much still. She was heavily sedated, she hoped, so he moved towards her. After a moment together, he pulled and took a moment to look at her. She seemed happy with this idea. There would be plenty of time for him to get Twilght to change her mind still though. It would be weeks, if not month before the operation would be performed and he would try to help her recover what she’d lost right up until the lasts, in the hope that she would change her mind. As he turned and walked away she said calmly and happily “Thank you. For believing in me.”

“You don’t have ta thank somepony who loves ya fer believing in you.” he replied.

Twilight could only think of one thing to add to that. “I love you too…”

~ ~

Sil could hear them screaming at each other every so often. It was mostly Sweetie Belle but now and then she’d hear Rarity or Spike yell something. Most of it she couldn’t make out but there was one very distinct phrase Sweetie Belle had yelled: ‘Raped me!’. 

Belle had told Sil about her father in the past. But not that. She knew he had been abusive at times but Belle never told her that part. This morning was the first she’d heard of it. Spike knew, and Sil couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous that he knew something so important about one of her closest friends while she didn’t.

Belle had two brothers. This… this was completely new to all of them. Sil wasn’t even sure if Baritone had known Belle was his sister until Rarity showed up. Calling Sweetie Belle by her nickname ‘Belle’ the entire time they were together probably stumped him. After all, who would connect two completely different names like ‘Belle’ and ‘Sweetie Belle’ together?

And that moment Sil heard the first yell that had come from Baritone. She wasn’t sure if it was muffled or it had been in Prench but she didn’t understand any of it. She had to wonder if he had known about what his father did to Sweetie Belle, or if he had ever abused them. Physically or sexually. Or if those two colts even knew what sex was. If they didn’t, what Sweetie Belle had yelled earlier, they did now.

Sil hated letting them be part of a conversation like that. They didn’t need to hear this kind of stuff at such a young age. And neither did Ace and Ven, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. When it was over, Belle would need her. There was no way Rarity could comfort her after all this. Spike… maybe he could. He knew about this when Sil hadn’t so Belle obviously trusted him with this. He would be there for her once this was over.

And that would be more than Sil could offer anyway. She knew she’d just want to ask questions… hay, she had so many she wanted to ask right now. But Spike knew it. He was part of whatever they were ‘talking’ about now. But most importantly, Ace and Ven weren’t part of this and didn’t need to be either. “Ace, Ven, let’s go for a walk shall me?”

“Ok.” Both said in unison with equal parts excitement and caution. They didn’t like what little they could hear. Even if only Dash’s child really took after Pinkie, both of them hated conflict as much as she did. Even if they both constantly, though accidently, caused it. Sil put on her saddle bag and headed towards the door, though got dragged to the door by the two would more aptly describe it. She opened the door in perfect time to get a hoof to the face.

“Oh, geez. Sorry there Silverspoon.” AJ said as she accidently punched the filly when she’d gone to knock. Sil groaned and shook her head before placing a hoof to her nose. Of course Ace and Ven laughed. Mild pain and conflict where two very different things to them and they found the former hil-R-E-S. “As much as I’d like ta make up fer that there noggen knockin’ ah just gave ya, this is kinda more important. You don’t happen ta know where Sweetie Belle is do ya? I gotta spea…”

Applejack stopped mid-sentence as she heard Sweetie Belle scream from somewhere in the house. Followed by Rarity screaming back. It wasn’t clear what they had said but it was apparent they were here. Sil didn’t need to answer but did. “They’re here. But I don’t think you should go… you, you know what happened don’t you?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy said. “Um, do you?” she asked, not really wanting an answer. Sil just turned her head and looked away.

“I should get going. I’m taking Ace and Ven out to the park. You’re welcome to join us…” she offered, they wouldn’t but she had to try. “No? Ok. Listen, I know Rarity is your friend and you know her better than I do, but Sweetie Belle’s my friend. She won’t want you there.” Sil said. It didn’t change their minds though. She just stepped aside and let them in. “Well, I’ll be going. Come on you two.” she added towards Ace and Ven as they lifted her onto her rear hooves and dragged her out the door. She called back to AJ and Fluttershy “If Belle needs me I’ll be at the park. Make sure to let her know.”

Neither Applejack or Fluttershy could reply before the two foals had dragged her to far away to hear anyway. They watched her leave and then took a look in the direction Magnum and Elusive where. They couldn’t see them from the front of the house but knew there where both just out of sight. The problem was though, if Sweetie Belle went off to find Sil, she’d walk right past him.

Fluttershy walked inside quicker than Applejack did. That resolve dissolved quicker than Applejack’s too as she slowed to the loud cry from Rarity that sounded something liked ‘I was there too!’. Fluttershy stopped and just looked in the direction of Sweetie Belle’s old room. She then turned around and walked away. Applejack was going to stop her, saying that Rarity would need them but didn’t have to as Fluttershy took a seat on the couch that Sil had been sitting on not so long ago.

Applejack came and took the spot beside her. Sil had been right. Rarity may appreciate the support but Sweetie Belle wouldn’t. Once it was all over, they’d offer it and if she took it, well good. If not, then at least they hadn’t made things any worse. However, the longer they waited there, the more Applejack wondered what support she could really offer even Rarity. Fluttershy seemed to know more than she did and AJ didn’t really feel it right to pry for details from her. The last time AJ had tried to help Rarity didn’t end to well. But at the very least, Fluttershy could help her.

A small bit of time passed, thought it seemed much longer than it really was. Maybe only ten or twenty minutes. Every so often, they’d hear somepony raise their voice loud enough for them to make out what they were arguing about. More often than not it was Sweetie Belle. From ‘It wasn’t your fault’ from Sweetie Belle, to Rarity’s ‘Yes! Are you happy now? Yes!’ and apparently Spike was in there too ‘Maybe that’s not enough!’ and a fourth male voice that sounded young and Prench ‘It’s all he can offer!’.

It wasn’t too much longer until all of it stopped. No pony was yelling any more. A few more minutes passed before they heard the door jangle open. Both Fluttershy and Applejack turned to see who’d come out first. It was Spike; he didn’t notice them for a moment, or at least he didn’t acknowledge them. He walked into the kitchen and came back out soon after with a glass of water and sat on the chair opposite the two.

“Hello spike.” Fluttershy spoke first. “I, um… is it, over?” she asked. He looked up at her, took a sip of the water and nodded. “Do you think we should um, go in, maybe?” he did the same again but shook his head: no. Fluttershy didn’t speak again for about a minute, just looking in the direction Rarity and Sweetie Belle where. After finally gathering the courage to say it, she turned back to Spike “I know about their father, I um, guess you do too. I know why he left.”

“Did you know he had two sons that Sweetie Belle or Rarity didn’t even know about?” he said, speaking for the first time since coming out. His tone as grim as his inflection. The unsurprised look on both Applejack and Fluttershy’s faces answered the question for him

“Yeah, we heard. Not half an hour ago when we ran inta him.” AJ replied. "We know why Sweetie Belle and Rarity are, uh... 'upset' about him bein' back here.

Spike wished he could be as ignorant of the matter as she was. He knew a little about it all already. He had just learnt EVERYTHING else about it though. He knew her father had hit Rarity. He didn’t know that she had lost teeth over it and had her muzzle set after breaking it. Twice. It was far worse than he had pictured before now. He felt broken inside a little. Not for himself, nor Sweetie Belle or Rarity, but for Baritone and Lucy who just heard a prolilixity of horrible thing about their father.

“I wish it where that simple...” he replied. And despite how mad those words had made AJ just an hour earlier, she couldn’t help but think Magnum had truly meant them.

“So do I…” Sweetie Belle whimpered as she practically fell onto him in the chair, burying her face into his chest and hugging him. She visibly convulsed as she cried and gasped between each sob. Spike ran his claw through her mane and let her be. When this had started, he had been on Magnum's side: that she should at least see him. But now he hated him so much. Not because anything he had done to his daughters in the past, but because he still could hurt Sweetie Belle this much even now.

Applejack didn’t dare say anything more. She shouldn’t be here and she shouldn’t even be involved in this conversation. Fluttershy had other ideas though as she stood up from the couch and walked over to Spike and Sweetie belle. She extended her wing out and lay it over both while resting her head against them. She remembered the last time she’d seen Sweetie Belle cry like this. Not just cry but all out bawling. It had been so many years, back when she had been crying over the loss of her father. But she remembered something that had cheered her back then. “Hush now quiet now, it’s time to rest your sleepy head.” she began to since.

“I’m not a child!” Sweetie Nelle screamed into spike’s chest.

“Hush now quiet now, it’s time to go to bed…” Fluttershy continued. She sang the entirety of the song. Sweetie Belle didn’t protest again. Honestly, it did calm her. She felt so small, like a little child being wrapped in Fluttershy’s wings. But it worked. She kept crying but she wasn’t sobbing so heavily anymore.

Fluttershy saw it had worked. She considered singing another song but thought against it. She still sung it in her head though. ‘Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur…’ she removed her wing from around the two and talked past them, on into the room Sweetie Belle had some from, where Rarity still was. As she entered, Rarity wasn’t crying. But she was consoling a little colt that was.

“II ne ferait pas ça. Il ne voulait pas…” (He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t…) he said as he looked out the door past Fluttershy. He didn’t even seem to notice her. Another, older colt did see her enter though. He looked at her then looked past her. Fluttershy followed his gaze and saw Applejack was just a few steps behind her.

“Well hey there Rarity.” AJ said, announcing both of their presence.

“Hello Applejack. Fluttershy.” she said without facing them, instead just keeping her hooves wrapped around the colt. She didn’t need to look to know Fluttershy was there too, it was only a matter of time before she showed up. Fluttershy was the only other pony who knew about all this from the very beginning. It was all a secret between them but for multiple reasons Rarity wouldn’t blame her if she had told Applejack.

“So um, are these two… your brothers?” Fluttershy asked. Rarity had never heard of them which meant that until lately, neither had Fluttershy. Their age told that to Applejack too. Not that she forgave Magnum but that was one less than she would hate him for. Fluttershy walked into the room and sat down beside Rarity. The little colt in her embrace didn’t follow her and one look at his eyes told Fluttershy he was blind. She’d seen many animals with those same eyes. “What’s your name little guy?”

“My name’s…” he sniffled strongly “my name’s Elusive.” it was almost as if everything today was designed to stump Applejack’s mind. But this was the first thing that surprised Fluttershy so far.

Before either of them could really react the other colt added “And my name is Baritone.” normally he’d add ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you’ or some exuberance but he didn’t have it in him right now. He knew what sex was and knew a little about what his father had gone. Lucy didn’t know though and that made it all the worse that he’d just discovered both in such a terrible manor.

While Fluttershy turned towards Baritone as he had spoken, Applejack had kept starring are the colt Rarity was holding. “Elusive?” she asked. Her mind must be flat out broken at this point if she’d heard him say that was his name.

“It’s a long story…” Rarity said as she turned to face Applejack. “One that I’d rather not be told a third time.” as she just done explaining it to her sister who didn’t seem to care at all. “I’m grateful that you’re here. But it really isn’t necessary. I’m sure work must be piling up on the farm after that little celebration and all. I wouldn’t want to hold you up. I’m fine, really.” it wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t entirely true either.

“It ain’t no problem Rarity. ‘Side’s we got some news that’ll… shoot, ah where meant ta tell Silverspoon too. Uh well, we got some news that’ll cheer yous up.” AJ said proudly. “Rainbow Dash is havin’ her foal.”

“Well, that’s wonderful. I-I’d hate to keep you from that then. I’m afraid I don’t think I’ll be able to lend my support to her though, I’m rather, as you can see, pre-occupied.” Rarity replied. She had really been looking forward to the birth of the child but it had all but slipped her mind in the last few days. “I’ll try to be there though.” she wanted to be there to support Dash the way AJ and Fluttershy where supporting her now. Even though she knew she’d get the reception from Dash that she was giving these two right now.

“That’s ok, I, I don’t think we’ll be making it there either.” Fluttershy said softly “If you need to talk I’m here. We both are. And um, if you don’t want to talk, that’s ok too if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you.” Rarity said graciously. She wanted to talk, but not while Baritone and Lucy where still around. More precisely she wanted to talk to Fluttershy but felt it rude to ask Applejack to leave. “Is Silverspoon still here?”

“No, ah’m ‘fraid she took Ace and Ven ta the park.”

“Good, good. There’s no reason they needed to hear this too.” all stayed silent for a few moments after that. Fluttershy could offer her support but really didn’t have the nerve to say anything. Applejack had the nerve but no idea what to say. Rarity just wanted to be at piece for the time. Baritone and Lucy didn’t really know these two new ponies and didn’t speak either.

Applejack came and took a seat next to Fluttershy and lent her head and Fluttershy’s side, she was alright with the quiet, the calm. Baritone did the same but to his brother instead. Lucy was still sniffling but not as much as earlier. As Applejack paid more attention, she noticed a few dried tear lines on Rarity’s face, along with the fact she wasn’t wearing any make-up. Still she didn’t say anything about it and had no plan to.

After a few more minutes eventually the silence was broken. But not by any of them. A fizzling puff of smoke wafted in and burst into a letter. Spike had sent it obviously. Rarity grabbed it with her magic and began to read. It didn’t really concern her so she made it little mind, if anything it cheered up slightly. Fluttershy though asked “What did it say?”

“It’s nothing. They’ve just headed to the park to find Silverspoon.”

“Uh oh…” Fluttershy meeped and a moment later Applejack realised why.

“’Uh oh’? Why ‘uh oh’?” Rarity asked, now suddenly a lot more concerned about the letter.

“He’s just outside! Your father, he’s just ou…” Fluttershy was cut off by Rarity leaping up and bolting towards the door. Applejack quickly followed while Fluttershy took a moment to make sure Lucy and Baritone where alright. They followed their sister, though not as fast as Applejack and Fluttershy followed them. 

Rarity had just made to the front door of the house before she heard the first scream. No it wasn’t a scream, it was a roar. She ran in the direction it came from. She found them, just out of sight form the house and… Sweetie Belle had him pinned down as she punched him over and over. She was screaming and punching him as loud and hard as she could. Even Elusive had been knocked over by her initial tackle and had only just gotten to his feet.

Elusive took a step towards them; intent on breaking them apart, but Spike stepped in front of him and raised his arms. He’d never seen Sweetie Belle so angry at any pony. She needed this. He’d stop her if she went too far but Spike would let her get it out of herself.

Sweetie Belle stopped punching him and stood away from him. She’d landed about eight strong blows to the face already, even from her dainty frame it had left more than just a mark on him. “Get up.” she said, almost calmly but with clear angry in her tone. “GET UP!!!” she yelled after it took him more than a second too respond. He dizzily made it to his hooves but before he was fully standing, Sweetie Belle turned, reared up and bucked him hard in the chest with her rear legs.

He slid a meter or so across the ground, ripping his shirt and landing on his hat that had come off earlier. Sweetie Belle marched back over to him, ready to start beating him once more. Like he deserved! Like used to do to her… but she stopped as she stood on something. His tail. She had a good view of him as he lay sprawled out on the ground. His tail under her foot, a meter away from him, his shirt ripped open exposing his scarred body, his sombrero underneath him. His head being the only part of him that still looked the same as she remembered. Expect without a horn. 

There was no point beating this bastard for what he’d done… he’d already paid. Sweetie Belle didn’t even really hate him but she was still so angry at him. She just stood there looking at him. Her eyes started to glass over as tears formed in them. Sweetie Belle raised a hoof and stomped it on the ground. She did it again and again and again as she started screaming and yelling at nothing while she kept stomping.

She took another two steps towards him scrunched her eyes closed tight, planted both her front hooves on the ground and pushed her neck as far forwards as possible and roared in her father’s face until she was out of breath. Then she collapse and finally let the tears out. She made a few more weak stomps at the ground before she stopped. Her horn glowed and she was gone…

Magnum still lay there on the ground, Spike stood in front of Elusive. Fluttershy, Baritone and Lucy had arrived at some time during the spectacle and Applejack had been standing next to Rarity the whole time. Though Rarity hadn’t noticed. She took a breath and said “Well that…”

“That went better than I expected it too.”