Avatar: The Last Alicorn. Book 3: Unicorn

by Jeweled Pen

Chapter 9: Inspiration

Fluttershy looked around, her eyes wide and panicked. She could hear the ponies a few floors down, their heavy hooves tapping against the wood floor. A second later she head the creak of the deck door opening in the room above, signaling the arrival of the pegasus. She was trapped, ponies above and below her. She shook slightly, chewing on her lower lip and searching for anywhere to hide.

A crunch echoed from above, followed by an angry stallion's yell. “Daisyeye! Stop leaving your dishes on the floor! We have a sink for a reason!”

“If it bothers you so much, take care of it yourself,” another stallion's voice yelled from below. She heard the steps at the top of the stairs. With no better options, she dove into one of the wardrobes and lightly closed it behind her, before leaning back. She leaned as far back as she could, before sitting down. She'd chosen the one with the letters, hoping that it would be ignored.

She soon heard the steps coming into the room. She held her breath and waited, listening to the sounds of buckles and straps being moved. She heard a wardrobe open, but fortunately it wasn't hers.

“So, was it just me or did they seem a lot calmer today?” a voice asked, she recognized it as the one she'd heard from above. Rosewing, judging by the letter she'd received.

“Possibly. They've lost enough of them in that sludge, they're probably trying to get their fighting done before we bring their food,” a voice she couldn't recognize said.

“That's probably what all that yelling and jumping around they were doing last night was about,” another voice, this one she recognized as Daisyeye, said. “Maybe they tossed some more overboard last night.”

“That was probably what I saw last night,” Rosewing said, before grunting. “Captain, yah mind giving me a hand?”

“Yeah, hold on,” the voice she hadn't recognized said. Captain Lilyhoof! “You shouldn't tighten it so much if you can't get it off.”

“If I tighten it enough, I don't have to wear the extra pieces. Not like we're out there long enough for it to matter,” Rosewing said.“So, the fighting really seemed less vicious this time.”

“Good,” Lilyhoof said mildly. “Maybe they'll stop starving each other long enough for some of them to get some meat on their bones. Supplies are going to be cut again if we get another audit and I don't think command cares if they starve. This keeps up, there won't be enough earth benders alive to keep on the platform.”

“The way the war's going, I'm sure there will be more to replace them,” a new voice said gruffly.

“Ever the bringer of up beat thoughts, eh Gravel?” Rosewing said with a chuckle.

“Knock it off, both of you,” Lilyhoof ordered. “Rosewing, it's your turn to make dinner tonight. Don't burn anything.”

“Aye aye, captain,” the pegasus grumbled. A moment later she heard the ponies trotting away. Some steps going upstairs, at least one downstairs.

Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief and counted to ten. Then, with slow, nervous movements she pushed the door open. It creaked softly, but nopony came running down the stairs. Cautiously, she put a step outside the wardrobe and pulled herself out. Her hooves clicked against the wooden floor, making her cringe and sweat with fear. Fortunately, the sounds drifting from the room above easily drowned them out.

The room was much less empty now. All the ponyquins now held their full assortment of armor and the room smelt vaguely of sweat and small traces of the bitter scent of poison. Fluttershy trotted across the room and walked a few steps down the stairs, praying her luck would hold out.

The room below had four beds, a window facing the lake and a single desk. More letters covered the desk, along with sheets of paper, vials of ink and a few feathers. Beside the desk were piles of crumbled up pieces of paper, many ink stained. A single candle, unlit, resided by the feathers. All four beds were made and arranged so they barely took up any of the room, in fact they could have easily stored three times that many beds, without resorting to bunks. She wondered how many ponies used to operate this tower for a moment, but was shaken by a loud clatter from below. “Right, think later, escape now,” she whispered.

Fluttershy moved to the steps and gingerly began walking, shivers spreading through her body with each step. She peeped around the corner at the bottom, but she was once again alone. The room was stacked with boxes, all the way to the roof with small towers of them set up. Some were obviously quite old, the boxes near crumbling and on the verge of toppling over. She wished she'd come here to begin with, it would have been easy to hide when those ponies came by and gotten out through the door. She peered inside the nearest box and had to resist coughing.

They were filled with very dry biscuits. She pulled one out and tried crushing it in her hoof, but it was so hard she was afraid her hoof would crack. She gave it another sniff before shaking her head. She peeped into the other boxes and sighed. Travel rations. Hard, unappetizing and nearly tasteless. Still, food. If she had a chance, she'd have stolen a few boxes and brought them to the platform. Alas, if they were noticed, it could alert them to being invaded. Instead, she slowly trotted towards the final floor.

As she walked down the steps, gently raising and lowering her hooves as best she could, the sound of crackling wood and faint smell of smoke assaulted her senses. The heat began to rise with each step. She lowered her body as far as she could and slowly walked off the last steps and looked around the room.

Fluttershy froze. The other pegasus was sitting in a chair, head laying on the table. The pony was aimed right at her. The only thing saving her was the fact the pony had his face resting on his front hooves. She tried to will herself to move, but the slightest sound could alert the pony to her presence. She'd be dead. Her entire body quivered and held her locked in place. After a few seconds she slowly felt the dread releasing her body, allowing her to quickly take a few steps back up the stairs.

Rosewing's voice was heard a moment later. “Go 'way. I'm just waitin' for the stove tah heat then I'll get right on it...”

She released another soft, gentle sigh. She slowly climbed back up the stairs and prepared for her next move. Going that way was a bust. There was only one door and there would be no way to open it without that pony hearing. Even if he didn't look up, once he realized it wasn't one of them they'd know somepony had been in their tower. He was cooking now, or rather had filled a small wood stove and started heating it up, with a pot on top. That meant there were only two exits, the one downstairs and the one upstairs. Both were guarded.

She looked around the storage room and smiled. The room was quite large and filled with boxes all the way to the back. She slowly spread her wings and gently lifted over towards the back, moving some of the boxes aside so she could wedge herself between and behind a few of the unopened ones. While it wasn't the most comfortable position, they'd have to move at least three boxes to find her and she doubted they'd do anything like that. Now she just had to wait for the night and hope she could escape then.

------

Scootaloo slowly nibbled her pie, eyes slightly wide at the mouth watering flavor that enveloped her tongue, with just a hint of bitterness lingering from the pie. Even though it was a bit old and stale, it still felt quite moist and delicious. The captain had even taken a few moments to warm it up before serving it, so it almost tasted fresh. “So, the prisoners made this?”

“Eeyup. Some of them are quite talented and, given the right incentives, are downright useful. Though, most of those earth ponies are just too stubborn to do anything aside from causing problems. I hear one of our outposts was forced to use the children to... well, that's not something I'd like to discuss at dinner.” Grimset gently dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “Tell me, Lady Scootaloo, have you been to the Fire Tribe lands before?”

“Only as far as the Everfree Forest. Have you?”

“Since we've re-opened communications with them I've been here a few dozen times,” Grimset said with a smile. “Though, there is now just one city and a hoofful of towns. I take it you've never been to Manehatten?”

“No,” Scootaloo said. “To be honest, I know next to nothing about the lands. I never thought I'd return, so I never studied it. Had I been given more time, I'd have learned all I could.”

“Well then, my fair lady. Allow me to enlighten you as to how the lands are now. As I imagine you know, the princess Sweetie Belle called in the majority of the forces held in the kingdom. What you may not have known is why there were so many ponies ready and able to answer the call.”

“Actually, I do,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “This country had been more or less left on its own for the last hundred years. The forces we had here mixed with the natives and they allowed pegasi and earth ponies to enter the military forces. The fire benders were all systematically dehorned and separated from any ponies who were not like them. Ironically, it's almost a reverse Water Nation.”

“Oh? Why do you say that?”

“The lowest position are the benders, who are constantly watched and neutralized. Pegasi and earth ponies have the ability to do whatever they like, just about, so long as they follow the whims of the Water Nation.”

“Ah, quite right, quite right,” the stallion sipped his drink and smiled at her. “Granted, it wasn't quite as perfect as some would have you believe. There are a few ponies who tried forming rebellions at points, but they have all been suppressed. Ponies who show loyalty and obedience have been granted the same rights and promotions as any pony born of the Water Nation and, I will admit, having their commander be an actual native was quite an interesting move. Your friend, Sweetie Belle, was quite brilliant in her acceptance. Had she tried subjugating the earth ponies and pegasi, she likely would have had the entire country rioting on her.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Sweetie only wanted the job done, she's never cared who did it. That's why me and her have always been such good friends.” She paused for a moment and nudged her pie. “Do you really think it could have gone that bad?”

“Yes. The key incentive to keep ponies from rebelling and obedient to our country was the fact they knew they had no limits placed on them. Had new limits been placed, they may have decided rebelling and freeing themselves was the right and noble thing to do. As it is, your princess has quite a few supporters all through these lands. Barely a day goes by when I'm there that I don't hear some soldier singing her praises.” He paused for a moment. “Especially considering the prized position she gave Caballeron. I imagine that has created quite the stir in the motherland.”

“It has. But nothing that hasn't been dealt with. As far as I know, none of the assassination attempts have come close to actually getting him.” She paused for a moment. “Though, this tells me nothing of the land itself. What is it like now? With so many of their forces gone, how is it fairing?”

“Ah yes, that's the important information.” Grimset wiped a napkin over his mouth and tossed it on the plate. “You'll be happy to know, the fire benders are sufficiently disheartened. There was a time when they believed the avatar would save them, but she has failed them four times. They don't believe they'll ever be saved.”

Scootaloo cocked an eye. “Failed them? How?”

“Ah, right. Well, for a while there was talk of an uprising. When the avatar first returned and the sun rose, many ponies believed she would come to save them. However, as the days passed they lost faith. Then, the Great Dragon was seen again, and ponies believed that they would surely be saved. There were talks in the streets, riots, all manner of dangers. If the avatar had shown her face, the country may well have been lost. Many of the native soldiers likely would have turned their coats and followed her. Fortunately, she never showed her face. Then, the sun began to set, as well as the moon. Ponies firmly believed she would save them now. The entire country was pulled taut as could be. All the mare would have had to do was walk into a city and call for them to cast off their shackles, and the war would have begun.” He paused for a moment and rubbed his chin. “In fact, things may have turned out quite differently. The Water Nation wouldn't have had quite the reinforcements they received. You would have had to fight a war on an extra front then.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Interesting. A good thing she never tried then. And the fourth?”

“When Cloudsdale was saved. Ponies never believed so much that she would save them. She had air benders, the Water Nation was severely damaged and she had a great power. Practically an army there to help her.” A slow, grim smile spread across his lips. “Dozens of riots occurred around the country. But, as time wore on and she didn't appear, hope began to drain. The ponies began to believe that they would never be saved, that the avatar didn't care about them. By the time the princess requested their help, many ponies were so angry and bitter they jumped at a shot to destroy the avatar. I'm certain even a few of the fire benders would be so willing at this point, given a chance. After all, the avatar has done nothing for them but raise their hopes needlessly. The Water Nation, on the other hoof, has fed and clothed them and, so long as they perform as needed, haven't been too cruel. It's the life they grew up with, and they no longer see a hope to fight it. They've been talking about her return for over a hundred years and when she finally shows her face, nothing happens.”

Scootaloo slowly nodded. “I see. That's good. That means most of the ponies I find there won't cause problems, even if natives. That does open up the number I could select from. You mentioned Manehatten?” She weighed the notion of choosing a few natives just for appearances sake.

“Ah yes. That's the one remaining city in the country. With so many of their forces being called, the commander quickly took all he could, then sent all remaining forces to gather up every town, city and village into a few, consolidated areas. Manehatten now holds the main force and is the only location still housing horned fire benders. Now, tell me, are you aware of the horn removal process?”

Scootaloo slowly nodded. “I... yes I am. I'd rather not talk about it.”

“Understandable. You'll want to visit all the other small towns as well, though. Pegasi make up the majority of the scouts and higher command in those towns, so you'll need them to find the best.”

Scootaloo nodded and took another small bite of her pie. She found her appetite was slipping. “This is all quite fascinating, really. I'm happy I was granted a captain who knew the area so well.” She glanced towards him again and narrowed her eyes. “You're not a Shadowbolt, however. So I trust you won't try to take over or interfere in my mission at any time, correct?”

The stallion quickly shook his head. “No! Not at all, Lady Scootaloo. I am only the captain of this ship, and your guide if you'd wish for it. I will try my best to help, never interfere.” He smiled at her, a soft, caring grin that made her relax slightly. “I would never dream of causing you any grief.”

She slowly nodded. “Good. Is there anything else I should know about the region?”

He closed his eyes for a few moments before shaking his head. “No. You should be fine, so long as you don't raise a fuss. Many of the ponies will probably treat you as they would the princess. It's not often that high ranking officials come to these colonies. Especially a member of the Shadowbolts.”

“I'm not officially a--”

“You're a student, as well as one they trust deeply. That will make you very, very important to many ponies.” He glanced down at her plate. “You should finish eating. It won't do for you to get sick and malnourished on my ship. Her highness would have my head.”

She chuckled. “I'm nowhere near that. I'm just not... feeling hungry.” She pulled back and shook her head. “Thank you for the meal, it has given me plenty to think about.”

“Of course,” Grimset got up and trotted up besides her, before taking her hoof and giving it another gentle kiss. “Please, if you require anything, no matter how difficult it is to attain, do not hesitate to ask. My ship, and I, are at your beck and call.”

Scootaloo nodded slowly, though her cheeks got a small hint of red. “I see. I appreciate the offer, and will make use of it if I think of anything. For now, I really must retire to my room. Have somepony wake me if there is any trouble or any changes.”

“As you wish,” the stallion said, before finally pulling his hoof from hers. He watched her go, a large smile on his face.

------

Fluttershy struggled to stay awake as the hours drifted by. Her entire body was sore from laying in the same position, unmoving, for such a long period. The ponies on the top floor were too far for her to hear, so she couldn't even try to eavesdrop. To make it worse, the pony cooking the meal was so close that if she made too much noise, she knew she'd be discovered. It didn't help that the pony was taking forever, she doubted he was cooking so much as laying about. She forced herself to stay awake, even as her eyes got heavy and her entire body felt like lead. If she passed out and then rolled over, or snored, she knew she'd be doomed.

Fortunately, from inside, the tower seemed far more shabbier than she thought it had been. Dozens of little holes and cracks, and a painted over window, allowed light to filter into the room so she could still tell when it was getting dark. It also allowed her to read the papers and markings attached to most of the boxes. The majority were shipped from a place called Breachpass, though some of the older looking boxes were marked from other locations. They were all filled with lines of boring, mostly useless information, but with nothing better to do she read through them.

As expected, the room slowly dimmed as the sun began to set. Without the minor, tedious distraction of reading names of quartermasters and commanding officers labeled on deliveries, she found her eyes beginning to droop. With no other choice, she finally reached up and slapped herself as hard as she could. Her face burned and she was certain she'd get a bruise, but the painful throbbing kept her awake. At least for now.

Finally, when she wasn't sure she could take it any more, she heard a loud yell. “Dinners done! Get your flanks down here unless you want it older, staler and harder than rocks!

Her entire body tensed up again and she held her breath, waiting. It wasn't long before she heard the light clopping of hooves coming down the steps. She dared to peep out, just a tiny bit, and watched as the three stallions trotted by the storage boxes and down the stairs, holding a candle to light their way. Every nerve in her body wanted to run the moment the third one disappeared from view, but she didn't dare until she heard more sounds from below, as well as light chatting.

She got up, and nearly fell over. She had laid still for so long her hooves had fallen asleep, sending little numbing pricks through her body with each movement. She suppressed her groans and slowly crawled along the boxes, lightly extending and retracting her wings as she tried to spread blood back through her body. She finally made it to the end of the stack, jumping off. Her numb legs brushed against one of the boxes, toppling it over and spilling the contents across the floor.

Her eyes bulged as the entire world seemed to go silent, aside from the sounds of the biscuits spreading across the floor and a few pieces bouncing down the stairs. After a few seconds she heard a groan from below. “Daisyeye, with me,” she heard Lilyhoof snap. She flapped her wings and took off, flying up the stairs as quietly as she could before lightly dropping down on the third floor. She barely resisted the urge to dash back and hide under the beds.

She soon saw a small flickering light casting shadows of ponies against the stairs. She waited with bated breath, leaning forward slightly. “Boxes fell over again.”

“What if there was an earthquake and it pushed it over the edge?” Daisyeye asked, their voices echoing up the staircase.

“If there was an earthquake we all would have felt it,” Lilyhoof said, his voice tinted with annoyance. “If there was an earth bender strong enough to break through the water defenses, we'd all be in a pile of rubble now. This? Is just a sign of one of you louts bumping into it on your way down. Now come on, help me pick this junk up.”

Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief before slowly turning and gingerly climbing up the stairs. She tried to use her wings more than her hooves, though the darkness made it difficult and required her to feel her way to the top more often than not. Fortunately, when she got back to the card room, a small candle was burning in the middle of the table, giving the room a small glow. Nervous sweat gathered all over her body, but she slowly made her way across the floor, stepping around each noise landmine, and finally made it to the door with a sigh of relief. It pulled open and she slowly trotted out, her entire body shaking so hard she worried she'd make it rattle. Once she was outside and felt the cold night air against her, she closed the door and flew up, over the tower and came around the back. She now knew there were no windows for them to see her there, hidden or otherwise.

Once she knew there was no way for them to see her, she took off at her full panic speed, all her energy for shaking and trembling directed into her wings. She dove behind trees and rocks at an almost blur until she finally found the cave where her friends were hiding. She darted inside!

She found herself on the ground, straddled by Rainbow an lacking air. “Who sent you, why ar-- Fluttershy!” The pegasus gasped once a small light appeared and revealed the two. The blue pegasus gave her friend a hug so tight it made the poor mare's wings pop. “Where have you been? Where did you get that bruise, I'll kill them! We've been almost panicking trying to find you!”

“S-s-sorry... w-where is everypony?”

“I'm here,” Twilight said softly. “Pinkie and Applejack are out looking for you.”

“I'd be out there too, but no pony trusted me...” Rainbow grumbled.

“You wanted to blow up the tower!” Twilight snapped. “Anyway. Fluttershy, where were you? We thought you went to gather grass, but we couldn't find you. Then it started to get dark and we thought you might have been captured.” She pushed Rainbow off their friend and helped the poor mare up. “Here.” The alicorn held out the mare's bag of herbs and medicines.

“I ummm... couldn't sleep. Then I decided to go investigate the tower.” A grin slowly spread across her lips. “I... I ummm... I have a plan...” She smiled to Rainbow. “Do... do you still have your uniform?”

“Of course,” the mare smirked. “What do you have in mind?”

Fluttershy nodded. “It'll be dangerous, but I think we can pull this off and save everypony. Here's what I learned...”

------

Rarity lightly nudged her hooves together and stared at the door to her sister's room. On the one hoof, she knew she had to do this. On the other hoof, she was a tad frightened on what she'd see. Spike hadn't been returned to her room and she hadn't heard from her sister since their earlier encounter. She was a little terrified she'd find Spike's head on a pike.

With a nervous hoof, she reached out and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, her sister answered. “Who is it?”

“Sweetie, it's me. Your si--” The door swung open, making her freeze. Her eyes went wide with horror and her mouth fell open. “How... you... what have you... oh Sweetie Belle, what have you done?” She charged into the room, slamming the door behind her and looking around in a wide eyed panic. “This... this is disastrous! Devastating! Destructive! Deplorable! Where did you get all this glue?”

Sweetie just stared up in confusion. Her mane and coat were covered in glue, glitter and gold. “What?” The room had fared no better. Piles of glitter were stacked on the floor, the bedding would have to be replaced. Thick globs of glue were dropped all through the carpet and covered in specks. And Spike was even worse! One of his arms were glued to his side and his other claw was working with a pair of scissors which she was certain were just as glued as him. Not to mention the blades looked crushed and abused, she couldn't imagine what he had been cutting.

“What happened here? Why were you two performing such... arts and crafts?” Rarity said with a forced, trembling smile on her lips. It took every ounce of control she had not to run screaming from the mess. Alas, such a thing would cause an investigation and reveal the presence of the dragon to the guards and, by extension, her mother. Keeping him a secret was worth all the glue in the world. Even if it did get in her mane.

“We made you something!” Spike said happily, before frowning and wiping a big glob of glue off on the carpet. A fresh horror entered her mind as she realized all the little 'specks' on the ground weren't little pieces of paper like she'd initially hoped. It was dirt. The room was covered in dirt and glue. She tensed up, forced to drive her hooves into the ground to avoid running off screaming.

“Made me... s-something. Isn't that... that nice?” Rarity squeaked and awaited the monstrous, gluey mess to appear.

“Here it is!” Sweetie said happily as her horn glowed. Something flew out of the chest and dangled in front of the elder princess, making her gasp.

It was nothing like she'd imagined. A large, shiny fire ruby was laid inside a necklace of gold. There were some hints of glue around the back, to keep the gemstone inside, and little dents around the edges, but it was still beautiful. Her eyes glimmered at the sight of the brilliant gem. “Why... how?”

Spike blushed and poked his claws together, which stuck. He tried pulling them apart, but quickly toppled over with a shriek, landing in another pile of glue. “Ahhh!”

Sweetie giggled. “Well, I had plenty of gems brought to my room to feed him, but we decided we should try some crafts to make it look like I was using them and not hiding a dragon in here. Once we found that gemstone, though, Spike took one look at it and said 'This gemstone is almost as beautiful as Rarity'. We were going to put it on this but...” A small poster with a crudely drawn picture of the two princesses, surrounded by a heart of jewels, hovered out of the chest. “But it was too big. Then I found one of my old golden necklaces with those big rocks in it, remember them? I got it when I turned five from one of the nobles... Bignose or something. You said how tacky it was? We reshaped it a bit and stuck the gem in. What do you think?”

Rarity gripped the necklace in her magic and pulled it back against her throat. She felt it tighten and, aside from a slight bit of stickiness, it felt marvelous. “It's... it's beautiful. I don't... I...” She looked at Spike and her sister, before feeling tears well up in her eyes. “I... I need to l-lay down for a bit.”

“Huh? Are you sick?” Sweetie asked, concern covering her face.

“I just... it's late. I just... I just need some more sleep. Sweetie, can you watch Spike again tonight?” She paused and looked around at the mess. “And perhaps clean most of this up without risking Spike being found?”

“Sure!” Sweetie said with a nod. “But why--”

“I just... I just want to be alone,” Rarity said quickly, before turning and dashing out of the room, her entire body trembling. She ran to her room, ignoring all she passed on the way. When she finally arrived, she flung herself down on the bed and sobbed softly. “B-buck it... Spike. I don't deserve your gifts. I don't. Oh Sweetie, why can't you be... why can't you always be like this.” She rolled onto her back and stared at the roof. “She's a kind, sweet girl. He's a generous, selfless dragon. And I... I...” She closed her eyes and envisioned the creature she'd unleashed on the Avatar. “And I am a liar and a monster. A pony who can't even save her sister, let alone hope to be the princess this kingdom needs.”

Comments

[eric-emanwu]

Hmm, fascinating. So, with the prison search, Fluttershy had several close calls, but overall managed to get in, get information, get out, and make it home. The writing her is well done, really giving you a sense of suspense for Shy's hunt for information and to avoid the few guards present. Although, Shy hiding under a box reminded me of a certain hilarious video game. It's hilarious. And after her daring return, she finally had a plan that the rest of team harmony avatar to do. After tight hugs of course.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo was getting a history from Grimset of how the fire tribes reacted to the coming of the avatar. In a word, sporadically. While Twilight was trying to carry out her avatar duties to raise the sun, protect her tribe, master the 4 elements, defend the major cities from the water nation, save her friends, find the alicorn amulet and wage war against the water nation, it seems that the other parts of the nation got left out of the glory, and though the avatar tried to inspire them to heroism by just sending great deeds, her lack of actually showing up means that these citizens were holding out for a hero, and that hero never truly came. It's kinda sad. The avatar is one of them. A firebender at heart. Her taking the blame is bad semantics, as she had to be busy elsewhere, and she was but one pony. Alas, the enticement of freedom vs the comfort of colonialization meant that the fire lands were taken out of team avatar's hands for...well, for a while at least. There's a lot for the chicken winged pegasi to look forward to in her training the nations. Though Grimwing would have no reason to lie to her, I still have to wonder. Has the spirit of fire independence truly drained from the fire lands? Or is the fire of freedom another thing that might rekindle when she is among them?

And finally, we have Rarity. Rarity, getting a surprising sight that sweetie and spike were doing together. While she feared she'd find spike's head on a pike Instead, she found a Mess! A glue and paper and scissors mess, but a great mess that held a great diamond in the rough. A special fire ruby with a necklace of gold. A fire ruby?....I'm still calling it! I still think that we're gonna get spikezilla in this fic! Also, I like how you worked in the sisterhooves social with the picture of the 2 princesses, but the gem being too big means we got the spike birthday nod instead.

It was so beautiful, it actually caused rarity's world to come crashing down on her. Seeing the generosity of spike, and the love of sweetie. One makes the best of being separated from his big sister, while the other just wants her big sister to be there for her. And while their love created great beauty, Rarity's becoming more aware of the ugliness in her soul. Now, she just needs to realize her mistakes, bite the hay, and join up in the war against mother to make the world right again, and everything will be better. To defeat discord with harmony, and save the world.

[DualKitsune]

Fluttershy is best spy.

[ThePonyWriterThing]

"That Fluttershy is Spy!"
"Yellow Spy is in the base!"