//------------------------------//
// Made of Silver 
// Story: Wheel in the Sky 
// by LightningBass94 
//------------------------------//

    The door opened and slammed shut, startling me out of my confusion. "Rarity! Is dinner ready yet?!" The deep, smooth voice was obviously male. There was just a hint of irritation in the owner's tone, but it made Rarity jump with an audible "Eep!" and feverishly continue to dice vegetables. The owner of the voice rounded the corner through the doorway, not yet seeing me. "Hey! Answer me when I'm-" He stopped dead in his tracks as he completed the turn, noticing me for the first time, "Talking...to...you..." He turned to Rarity and pointed an accusing hoof at me. "Who the buck is this?!" he snapped.

Rarity took a break from dicing and set the knife down, daring to take a glance at the stallion. Much like most of the house, he was black and white. He had a sparkling, white coat with black hooves and a large, black spot over one of his eyes. His mane was short, black and wavy. It was carefully styled. His cutie mark was that of a large, golden star much like the starts at Ponywood Boulevard. I knew immediately who her was. This was Super Star. He was in more movies than any other pony and was the most famous of all Manehattan's residents. Much like Fancy Pants in Canterlot, everypony in Manehattan hung on his every word. No business was successful or otherwise without his two bits. What was he doing here, though? "T-This is Spike. H-He's a friend...from Ponyville..." Rarity spoke quietly, barely audible.

Super Star raised an irritated brow. "Ponyville, huh?" He turned to me, a glare painted across his face. He had a sort of holier-than-thou attitude about him. "Excuse me, but could I speak to my marefriend...alone?"

Wow. That hit me like a brick wall. I should have guessed it, but somewhere deep in my subconscious, I suppose I still felt for Rarity. I didn't want to believe it. That aside, Super Star seemed increasingly angry. I glared back at him suspiciously, then looked away. "Rarity, where is your restroom?" I asked. I already knew the approximate answer, but as a guest, it seemed rude to snoop around.

"Down the hall, first door on your right," She responded. She didn't break her tentative gaze on the stallion before her.

"Thank you," I hopped off the stool and left the room at a brisk pace, bumping into Super Star on my way out. I walked down the hall toward my destination. When I got there, I burst in and closed the door behind me. I could already hear a muffled argument exploding through the walls. What had just happened? What had I just caused? I was starting to wish I'd never made this trip in the first place.

A lone tear made its way down the right side of my cheek. It hit the floor with a soft plop! My back against the door, I slid down to the ground and brought my knees against my chest. I wanted to cry more, but no more came. I sat there and listened to the argument unfold. I couldn't hear the words being spoken, but I understood their tones well. Super Star's voice was uproarious, almost loud enough for me to understand what he was saying. As he got angrier and louder, Rarity's voice did the opposite. She spoke exponentially mousily and pleadingly each time she opened her mouth.

The point at which I could barely hear her at all, I stood up. I had always been the voice of reason before, and Rarity needed my help. I opened the door and stepped out into the hall determinedly. Across from me, I could finally see one of the pictures. It was the one of all of us back in Ponyville. The picture seemed so ancient and foreign to me, as if it were an artifact salvaged from an archeological dig. I sighed and looked away from it before it brought back any more painful memories.

I took a deep breath and began to make my way back to the kitchen. As I got closer to them, I began to hear what they were saying. "...got you this apartment, I did not allow you to invite small-town, ho-bunk riff-raff here!"

For the first time since the beginning of the argument, Rarity raised her voice, "Do not talk about Spike or any of them like that!!" I turned the corner to see a hoof connect with her muzzle with a loud CLOP! I stopped dead in my tracks. My initial expression of shock twisted into one of pure rage as Rarity's frail form plummeted to the ground.

Her mane flailing wildly, I could finally see the eye she had been hiding from me, black and purple with a large, fresh bruise. I snapped. "RRRUUUUAAAAGHHH!!!" I lumbered toward my target, blinded by rage. On my way, I grabbed the wok off the counter and shot super-heated dragon flames into it. He spun around quickly, surprised. My arm came back and lashed forward. There was a sizzle and a pop as the bottom of the wok made contact with his face, singing hair and searing flesh. He tumbled to his side on the floor and I stomped on his rib cage, causing his to shout out in pain and gasp loudly with pain. His face was already beginning to blister from the heat of the wok. I picked him up by the scruff of his neck, strengthened by my fury. "Get the BUCK out of here, you sorry piece of shit!" I screamed in his face and tossed him toward the doorway.

He didn't go but a hoof or two before falling to the floor on his burnt face. He stood up painfully and turned to us. "You're going to regret this, you bitch!" He pointed at Rarity. I growled angrily, motivating him to turn around quickly exit the building.

After a couple minutes, I calmed down enough to turn and look at Rarity. She had stood up and was facing me, eyes glued to the floor. Her mane covered most of her bruised face. I put a hand on her shoulder. "Rarity, a-" SLAP! My ears rang as a hoof made hard contact with my scaled cheek.

"Get out," Rarity whispered coldly, her tears hitting the floor beneath her. She never even looked at me.

"B-but-"

"I SAID GET OUT!" She roared, looking up at me with eyes full of hurt and broken trust. What had I done?

Hurt, I turned away from her and grabbed my belongings. On my way out the door, I looked back at her. She had sat on her haunches and was quietly sobbing in the same spot she had been. "I don't know where I'll be tomorrow..." I told her. She didn't respond, and I left.