> As a Family
>  by Dashzilla93
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A New Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Spike!” Twilight called out from the library room of the castle but received no response. She tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow before venturing down the hall. She opened the door to Spike’s room and looked around. She saw comic books in unorganized piles, video games unalphabetized in a cabinet under Spike’s TV, an unfinished bed with his favorite Rarity-looking plushie and posters of the Wonderbolts, Indiana Bones, and Atomic Zilla. The only thing that was missing was the dragon that dwelled in the room.

“Gah! Where is he?” Twilight walked away and closed the door behind her and pressed on to search for her adopted son/draconian assistant. She searched the kitchen, main hall, science lab, magic’s classroom and the five bathrooms this castle had. She searched from top to bottom but found no sign of her son.

“Seriously? Where is he?!” Twilight said, getting very irritated before heading back to the library one last time. “Of all the times I need his help, he goes missing. If I were a betting pony, I’d say he’d be at Rarity’s house,” she shrugged before hearing the castle doorbell ring.

“Who could that be?” she said before walking to castle front doors.

She opened the door and peeked outside. To her surprise, very big surprise actually, she saw Spike with Fluttershy and Scootaloo. Twilight would’ve been happy to see Fluttershy if it wasn’t for the irritated and angry look on her face.

“What happened, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked as she opened the door all the way. Spike nervously rubbed his arm and Scootaloo shuffled a hoof on the ground. Yeah, they were guilty of something.

Twilight gave off a straight face, and asked, “What did Spike do?”

Fluttershy took a slow, calming breath before speaking, “I caught Spike pranking a few of the animals around my home,” she frowned a bit at Twilight. “And, somehow, he persuaded my daughter into joining him,” Fluttershy said in a soft, assertive tone. Spike frowned and secretly glared small daggers at Fluttershy for the false assumption; Scootaloo almost backed him up and spoke out, but she didn’t want to risk getting ‘the stare’ from her mother.

She knew how the animals felt when Fluttershy first gave her the stern, dictating glare. Scootaloo, at first, thought she saw horror in those eyes. How it made her stop in her tracks and cause her to shudder each time she saw that stare. Despite the intense stare down, most of the animals saw a monster in those eyes while she, her friends and the animals that lived near her cottage long enough knew that she was just being protective over them. If only Scootaloo could learn how to gain immunity to her mother’s stare like Discord. Then she wouldn’t have to worry.

“Somehow, I didn’t see that coming,” Twilight said, tilting her head in confusion. Of all the places for Spike to be, she never expected him to be around Fluttershy’s area, and pranking her animals, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. Was there any damage Spike had done?”

Fluttershy took a little time to think, “Well, not really. There were a few scares from bunnies and foxes, but he didn’t do any anything to hurt them,” that was a relief on Spike’s part. “But, I would appreciate it if you kept a closer eye on him,” She said as Twilight nodded at the request. 

Twilight should’ve expected this. Spike was getting a little older, so eyes needed to be on him incase he got into trouble. But, the request was a tad complicated for Twilight as she had lots of things to do, what with being a princess and everything; though the back of her mind told her that some of this stupid responsibility should go to Mayor Mare. She would greatly appreciate it if that lazy mayor took at least some of this responsibility off her back. But in any case, she happily said, “I’ll try a little harder. Hopefully, my ‘princess duties’ don’t get in the way,” Twilight said, smiling at her own joke.

Spike facepalmed and groaned, disappointed and embarrassed from hearing Twilight’s lame joke; Scootaloo even felt the same disappointment. She was glad her mother didn’t make jokes or puns like that, “Leave the jokes to Pinkie Pie, Twilight,” Spike said under his tongue before walking inside and waving to Scootaloo goodbye; Scootaloo waved back with a faint bashful blush.

Twilight chuckled to herself before snapping out of it and looking at her friends with a serious face this time, “I’ll make sure he won’t cause any more trouble,” she said. “Spike’s at that age were pranking is a sport to him.” Or it could be the influences of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie; those two might be prime candidates for causing her draconian son to start pranking; that, or he could’ve been bored. Twilight would take the latter.

Scootaloo couldn’t help but speak up about Twilight’s comment, “Ponies prank just as much as dragons, Twilight,” Scootaloo retorted, referring to not only Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, but to herself, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Cheese Sandwich and, on occasions, Celestia and Luna. “We’re not really all that different,” Scootaloo believed. Fluttershy mentally agreed with her daughter about that, but she decided not to say anything.

Twilight took a mental note of that. “Fair point, Scootaloo,” Twilight said, taking back those words. Perhaps she’ll let Spike off the hook, for now. But that won’t stop her from getting some answers out of the drake. “Well, it was nice seeing you two. Again, sorry for that little event Spike did.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, “It’s quite alright, Twilight,” an idea pops in her mind as she happily said, “Ooo, maybe we can have a get together sometime.”

Twilight grinned excitedly at that, loving the idea, “I’d love that. It’s been awhile since we ever got to hang out and chat. I missed talking to you and the others.”

“Oh, I know. I’ve been so busy with my animal friends, I always lose track of time and forget how you and the others are doing.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle. She knows exactly how Fluttershy feels when it involved her favorite things. Fluttershy had her animals, and Twilight had her books. It was kind of funny.

“But…”

Twilight looked at Fluttershy with a confused look while the timid yellow pegasus craned her head down with a hidden smile before looking back at Scootaloo; Scootaloo giving the same confused look like Twilight before Fluttershy cracked a motherly smile and continued, “I’ve been extra busy taking care of my precious little daughter.” She reached to Scootaloo and pulled her close for a tender hug.

Scootaloo widened her eyes and blushed beat red, “Mom! Stop. You’re embarrassing me.” 

Twilight smiled, again, and placed a hoof over her mouth and muzzle, loving the sight of Fluttershy hugging Scootaloo. It makes her want to hug Spike and give him the same motherly love Fluttershy gives Scootaloo. When it’s around that time for them to spend time together, perhaps Twilight could ask Fluttershy for some pointers. Sure, she does her best, but being a princess and having more responsibly just gets in the way and forces her to treat Spike as an assistant rather than an actual son. Just once, she’d like a day to have quality time with Spike and treat him as such.

Still, it’s been only half a month since Fluttershy told her, Applejack and Rarity about being Scootaloo’s real mother; it was quite a shock and surprise for the three of them. Though, Twilight didn’t blame Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie for keeping it a secret. She completely understands why they did it. It did raise a few questions in the back of her mind, unfortunately, like ‘who the heck is the father?’ and ‘where has he been this whole time?’ Those questions rang hard, but she had to force herself to not ask. Instincts told her that Fluttershy might not be too comfortable answering questions like those. It did come as another surprise at how gosh darn great Fluttershy has been raising Scootaloo. Sure, she’s seen Scootaloo happy before, but not as happy as she was when she was with Fluttershy when they were telling them the truth. Twilight was still happy for them and she hoped they have a great new life together.

Twilight chuckled as she noticed Scootaloo wanting to get out of Fluttershy’s hold, “I’m so proud of you, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy released Scootaloo and gazed back at Twilight, “Thanks, Twilight. That means a lot coming from my friends,” she looks at the sky and noticed it was dawn, “Look at the time, we should get going,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry for keeping you from your duties.”

“No, no, it’s quite alright, Fluttershy,” Twilight said in a friendly tone. “I don’t mind excusing myself from my work. It’s always wonderful to see my friends, even if to tell me a certain dragon has been pranking with or near them.”

“Hey!” Spike said frowning and pouting behind Twilight as she looked back at the young drake and gave him a teasing smile. Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile and giggle a bit, too.

Scootaloo cracked a smile of her own and secretly found Spike’s pouting quite cute.

Twilight giggled again before looking back at Fluttershy, “It was nice seeing you, Fluttershy.” Twilight said. “You two take care now.”

“Oh, you too, Twilight,” Fluttershy said with a friendly, gentle smile. “You have a great day,” Scootaloo waved at Spike goodbye before the two mares left and walked away from Twilight’s castle. Spike waved back and couldn’t help but smile back. Despite being caught by Fluttershy, he had a great time with Scootaloo; maybe someday he, Scootaloo and the other two crusaders can hang out and have fun; and maybe they can hang out at the boutique too, so he can have his quality time with the mare of his dreams.

Spike chuckled and blushed at the thought. The castle doors closed and instantly snapped him out of his fantasy, then gazed at the face of a questionable lavender alicorn.

“So, care to explain why you were around Fluttershy’s cottage pranking her animals?”

Spike crossed his arms, “I was bored. You were busy and I wanted something to do.”

Twilight shook her head, disapprovingly, “There were other things you could’ve occupied yourself with, Spike,” She said. “Of all the places, Spike, you know how dangerous Fluttershy’s animals can be.”

“Twilight, relax. I was only having fun with the deer, chickens, and birds.”

“It doesn’t matter what kind of animals you were having ‘fun’ with, you need to know it’s dangerous to provoke animals; harmless or not” she may have less experience than Fluttershy, but knows that, from reading books, that animals can easily get aggravated and will not hesitate to attack.

“But you heard Fluttershy, I didn’t cause any damage,” Spike retorted. “I was aware, Twilight.”

“Yet, that didn’t stop you from doing what you were doing,” Twilight said with a light glare, but smiles a bit then added, “But I can let you off with a warning. Since Fluttershy wasn’t angry, I guess everything’s alright.”

Spike looked at Twilight surprised and shocked. He scratched his head and pondered why Twilight just let him off with a warning. Usually, when he gets in trouble, Twilight would get serious and stern and either ground him or put him through five hours of studying Starswirl’s book of English literature; it was a pain getting through that, but a good long pretend-to-read-while-Twilight-wasn’t-looking trick always helped him. This warning was a big reward to him, but he still wanted to know why.

“I like that you gave me the warning, but why, Twilight?”

Twilight’s glare turned into a warm, lighthearted smile as she walked up and gave Spike a loving, gentle hug.

Spike was starting to get a little worried, “Are you alright Twilight?”

Twilight nodded and kept her son close, “Yes, Spike. I’m just doing what I think a mother should.”

Spike paused and gazed at Twilight, speechless from hearing her words, “M-mom?” like Twilight, he too forgot that he was hatched by Twilight. Sure, Celestia found him as an egg, but it was all Twilight who hatched and raised him, molded him into who he is. So, in other words, Twilight was a princess and even young like him, but those mattered less when he remembered that Twilight was the only mare he considered his mother, and he was happy for it. A smile grazed the dragon’s face as he wrapped his arms around Twilight, hugging her as Twilight spread and wrapped her wings around him.

Spike nestled close to Twilight, and said, “I love you, mom.”

A tear slowly slid down Twilight’s cheek when Spike said that, her smile grew wider as she tried to resist the urge to cry. I guess this is what her mom felt when she told her the same thing, and now she wondered if Fluttershy felt the same when Scootaloo told her she loved her. 

She looked at Spike with gentle, loving, motherly eyes, and said, “I love you too, Spike. Not as a friend, or just an assistant. I love you as my son. And I’m proud to be your mother.” Her voice was soft and tender. She meant every word of what she said. And she will continue to try and raise her son just right, like how her parents did with her and Shining. 

Spike gazed up at Twilight. He enjoyed this. If other ponies saw this, he’d be very embarrassed and tried to stop her, but the castle was quiet and peaceful, not a soul around. Perfect. Spike hugged Twilight like a panda cub, “Thank you, Mom.”

Twilight chuckled. She’ll have to get used to Spike calling her mom from now on – even though she doesn’t mind in the slightest. Twilight smiled again before asking Spike, “Wanna go watch a movie?”

Spike perked up excitedly, “Would I!” Twilight released Spike from her embrace as the happy little dragon zoomed away to go pick a movie while Twilight got up and giggled, following behind Spike.

***Ponyville***

“Scootaloo, what happened earlier today? Why did you join Spike in pranking my animal friends?” Fluttershy said as she looked at Scootaloo while walking away from Twilight’s castle and through Ponyville. Her tone wasn’t quite assertive. She was just curious to know why her daughter did what she did; and why.

Scootaloo dipped her head in thought before responding, “I just wanted to hang out with Spike. We hardly ever hang out.”

“We?”

“Me, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo continued. “Last time we ever hung out was at my old crummy orphanage when Spike told us he was on a day off from helping Twilight with chores and stuff,” Scootaloo snorted hating that she even brought up that cesspool of an orphanage.

Fluttershy reminisced at the thought, but she pushed it away as she wrapped her soft wing around Scootaloo’s small form, “Don’t let that orphanage get to you, sweetie,” Fluttershy said in a gentle, motherly voice. “Be glad you’re out of that awful place and back with your true mother.”

Scootaloo smiled happily at that. She was more than glad; she was ecstatic; thrilled even. She was so happy to be with her actual mother that she hoped she wasn’t dreaming, again. Fluttershy’s wing proved otherwise. This wasn’t a dream, and it was all too real. She was fully awake and in the hold of her kind mother. Fluttershy noticed the smile and dipped her head down to softly nuzzle Scootaloo’s check. Scootaloo blushed embarrassingly, hoping no pony was watching; a few did notice but paid no heed to it.

Scootaloo scrunched her muzzle before Fluttershy stopped her nuzzling. She sighed quietly, relieved before Fluttershy looked at her with a teasing grin, and asked, “I noticed that blush you made when Spike waved at you,” she unwrapped her wing from her daughter. “Mind explaining that?”

Scootaloo widened her eyes as big as dinner plates. She froze in place and could’ve sworn she felt her heart skip a beat.

There goes the happiness. Now it’s just full-blown embarrassment. Thank Celestia Applebloom and Sweetie Belle wasn't around. She would’ve panicked a lot more than Cheerilee when she found out there was a fire in the school. Only to find out that fire nothing but a stupid, yet hilarious, prank caused by Snips and Snails. Upside, there was no homework. The downside, the two class clowns got eight weeks of detention. Scootaloo would giggle for remembering that, if it hadn’t been for the situation she was currently in.

“Well?” Fluttershy said eager to know; though she might have a few guesses. But she wanted to hear it from her daughter’s mouth.

She kind of got her answer when Scootaloo chokingly replied, “I… um… I…” her blush deepens as she bashfully looked at the ground, feeling some pressure build up in her chest. “I thought he was…” she shyly and quietly mumbled the last word, but it was hard for Fluttershy here.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Fluttershy tried to hear her closer but only got a mumbled slur from Scootaloo, “Didn’t quite catch that, Sweetie.”

Scootaloo’s blush intensified, and she crushed her eyelids. The pressure was too much for her to handle as she blurts out the last word, “Cute!” she shouted. “I thought he was cute, alright. You happy now?”

Fluttershy smiled victoriously, and said, “Very,” while also getting a strange feeling of deja vu. She shrugged it off, and said: “I think it’s sweet you have a little crush on Spike.” 

Scootaloo blushed again, and asked, “Please, don’t tell anyone.”

Fluttershy motioned a cross on her furry chest, “Cross my heart, hope to fly”—She placed her hoof over her left eye—“Stick a cupcake in my eye.”

Scootaloo smiled a bit and hugged her mother close, “Thanks, mom.” Fluttershy smiled softly and hugged Scootaloo just as close. Fluttershy gave her word, and she’ll happily keep it. She wasn’t going to be that kind of mother who openly tells her friends about Scootaloo’s crush; she wanted to be a cool mother, not a harsh one like a few of the mothers in Ponyville. Though, if she were a betting pony, when Rainbow Dash becomes a mother she’ll be doing that exact thing just to tease her child. Fluttershy secretly rolled her eyes at the thought before looking at Scootaloo.

“You’re welcome, Sweetie,” an idea suddenly popped. “Ooo, want to play with your friends today?” she kindly asked.

Scootaloo shook her head, “Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are going to be busy today with Applejack and Rarity. They said they were going on a trip to Mt. Rushmare for a project,” Scootaloo shrugged. “Don’t know what it is, though.”

Fluttershy drooped her ears and frowned a bit, “Oh, alright. Well, maybe we can see if…”

“Besides, I wanna play with my new pet today,” Scootaloo said as she bounced excitedly with a wide grin on her face

Fluttershy flinched at Scootaloo’s decision, “Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly. “I’m not quite sure if he’s ready to play, yet. I mean, he became your pet two days ago and I think he still might be adjusting to his new home,” she tried to reassure Scootaloo about her rash decision, but the little orange filly insisted.

“No way, I’ve been excited to play with Varan ever since he became part of the family,” Scootaloo said with a pleasant look on her face. She was eager to play and nothing was going to stop her, not even Fluttershy. Her little wings buzzing with excitement.

Fluttershy sighed in defeat, “Alright, just be careful with him. I’m not too familiar with an animal like Varan, so I don’t know what he’s capable of.” She knew a lot of animals, but Varan was an animal on a whole different level.

Scootaloo hardly paid attention to her as she crouched down, ready to head home, “Okay, mom. Meet you back home.”

“Scootaloo, wait!” but it was too late. Scootaloo dashed away from Fluttershy and headed straight home, kicking up a dirt cloud in front of her, causing the timid mare to cause, “Oh my, I hope she doesn’t get into trouble.” She was about to follow Scootaloo when an all-too-familiar voice caught her attention.

“Whoa, I knew a sensed a familiar aura nearby,” Fluttershy turned around and gasped in shock as she smiled excitedly at the pony in front of her.

> Scootaloo's New Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy’s eyes brightened up with excitement as she, “Tree Hugger!” she said with a giddy smile.

A green mare with a thick dreadlock mane and tail, holding a pouch-like bag, stood in front of Fluttershy and cracked a small smile looking at her with what others assumed were half-asleep eyes, “Fluttershy, it’s so good to see you,” she said in a relaxed tone as Fluttershy rushed up and hugged her.

“It’s so good to see you, too,” Fluttershy said. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How have you been?” she released Tree Hugger from tight hug as she backed up a bit.

Tree hugger’s grin grew wider as she happily said, “I’ve been drifting the plains of Equestria and meeting new ponies with awesome vibes and smooth auras.”

“Ooo, you must tell me your story, Tree Hugger.” Fluttershy said fluttering her wings a bit. Having not seen her friend for so long really got her excited.

Tree Hugger nodded, but gently held her hoof up to stop her, and she said, “I’ll indeed tell you, but can we stop by your home? I’m feeling a tad parched.”

“Oh, of course,” Fluttershy said with another giddy smile as she happily escorted Tree Hugger to her home. “Hopefully we can meet Scootaloo there, too.”

“Your daughter, right?”

Fluttershy stopped with her ears and tail perked up and turned around with a shocked look on her face, “How did you know she was my daughter?” she asked in a confused tone. She never even mentioned or hinted that Scootaloo is her daughter. She only told Discord, Applejack, Twilight and Rarity; she was going to tell other friends she had when the time came, including Tree Hugger, but it would take some time to tell them since they lived all around Equestria. 

Tree Hugger giggled at Fluttershy’s reactions before nonchalantly responding, “I can read connecting auras, Fluttershy,” she explained. “Scootaloo has soft yet strong and determined aura.”

Fluttershy innocently tilted her head, confused and curious to know what Tree Hugger was talking about, “Go on, please.”

She grinned again, “certainly,” she continued her little, but seemingly complicated, explanation. “Aura is like a challenging puzzle and a feeling indicator.” 

Fluttershy cocked a confused eyebrow, and assumed, “Like a mood ring?” Tree Hugger nodded at her well thought guess.

“Yes, similar to that,” She points to the ground underneath Fluttershy. “Your aura creates a stream that connects only to family members. They show different colors to tell them apart and to tell what mood they’re in. You and Scootaloo have light pink. That means you two are happy,” Fluttershy understood that, but she was still confused either way. “Your parents are blue and orange. Their aura streams connected to yours lead all the way to Cloudsdale. I assume the blue one is sad and the orange other is concerned,” the hippie earth pony noticed Fluttershy’s aura turning orange as well when Fluttershy looked at Tree Hugger with shocked eyes. Tree Hugger gave Fluttershy a reassuring smile, and calmly said, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’m sure they are taking good care of each other. Their auras are as strong as a northern current,” 

Despite what Tree Hugger said, Fluttershy would need to call or visit them to see if everything’s alright with her parents. She knew for a fact Tree Hugger never lies when it comes to aura and other spiritual things. But that doesn’t mean she still needs to see them. 

The hippie pony then pointed behind Fluttershy where a fifth aura stream was connected to her aura field, “But I’m not sure about the fifth one,” She said as she gazed her eyes at the stream, unsure of where this aura leads and who it belongs to.

“There’s a fifth stream connect to my aura?” Fluttershy pondered for a moment as she looked at Tree Hugger pointing at Ponyville where the fifth stream would lead to.

“Do you have any siblings, Fluttershy?”

“No, not that I’m aware of; I have no idea where the ‘fifth stream’ leads to…” a sudden realization smacked Fluttershy like a rock. She gasped and widened her eyes in shock, again. The memories came crawling back to her like spiders on a web. She knew exactly who the fifth stream belonged to, and she wish she didn’t. She looked as the ground as face went from confused and innocent to frustration and regret. Her irises shank a bit and occasionally shook; the memories where hurtful, embarrassing and horrible. More memories began to arise and it caused her anger to swell. Her mind told her to go find the pony and confront him for the things he did to her, but another voice in her head told her to wait and let the stallion find her and then –

“Fluttershy?” a soft voice instantly snapped her back into reality as she looked into the eyes of a concerned Tree Hugger. “Are you alright? Your aura was heating up and turning lava red,” Tree Hugger placed a caring hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. The yellow pegasus shook her head and rubbed her temple before looking back at her friend.

“Y-yes, I’m fine, Tree Hugger,” Fluttershy said a bit groggy. Tree Hugger grew more worried from seeing Fluttershy like that, but soft smile from her timid friend took her rising troubles away. “We should head back to my home. I’ll make us some tea,” Fluttershy offered. Tea was always one good means of getting rid of troubling vibes.

Tree Hugger smiled a bit at that offering, “I’d love that,” she said as she and Fluttershy headed back to her cottage, with Fluttershy leading the way. Despite what Fluttershy was feeling right now, Tree Hugger saw the look in Fluttershy’s eyes and immediately connected the pieces together. That fifth aura stream belongs to the father of Scootaloo. Tree Hugger, at first, suggested to herself to ask Fluttershy if they could go find him, but seeing those unnerving eyes for a brief moment immediately gave her the answer. For now, she will throw away her suggestion and focus on what’s been given to her: to protect Fluttershy; but not just Fluttershy, but the stallion that did this to her. She’d fear if they were to meet face to face, a disaster worse than nature would emerge. And Tree Hugger would do her best to prevent that from happening – even though she has no idea who the stallion is.

Fluttershy suddenly stopped and froze in place, looking down in a depressed manner, “Tree Hugger?” Fluttershy’s voice became serious for a moment as Tree Hugger stopped right behind her. She was confused about her friend’s action before Fluttershy turned her head and asks, “Before we head back, I need to ask you something,” Tree hugger slightly bit her lip as she tried to predict what question Fluttershy was going to ask her, though she may have a good guess. 

“Where does the fifth stream lead to?”

And that guess nailed the target with accuracy more efficient than an arrow with a bullseye. Tree Hugger tried to come up with an excuse as best her mind to muster. She knew exactly where the stream leads to, but she can’t risk a fight starting if Fluttershy and Scootaloo’s father meet. First test is on and she has to do her best. She inhaled long, calming breaths before replying, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, but I don’t know where it leads to. It’s like leaving a mark. The owner moves on while the spot remain there. So, finding the owner of the fifth stream will take time.” Tree Hugger shrugged. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy”

Fluttershy paused for a moment and had a bit of defeat overtaken her, but she just chuckles it out, and said, “Oh, that’s okay,” Fluttershy said with an innocent, small smile. “I was just asking.”

“Oh, I forgot,” Tree Hugger craned her head at Fluttershy when she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you had that kind of talent?”

Tree Hugger laughed a bit, and sheepishly said, “I guess I forgot to mention it to you and few others about that,” She grinned innocently. “When you spend a lot of time with nature, you tend to gain a sixth sense of these things,” She looked to see Fluttershy pouting in disbelief. Tree Hugger couldn’t help but snicker at that.

“I’ve been in nature as long as you have! Why haven’t I gained that ability?”

Tree Hugger smiled proudly and softly patted Fluttershy’s back, “Who knows my timid friend. Maybe you have a lot more to learn. Perhaps many years of meditation would be best.” 

Fluttershy snorted and craned her head down as she looked away from Tree Hugger. Tree Hugger looked at Fluttershy confusingly and thought she was upset or something. She was curious to know what she was thinking before Fluttershy looked back at her with a playful, devious grin. Tree Hugger softly nudged Fluttershy as they both giggled at each other and headed straight back to Fluttershy’s cottage.

***Fluttershy's Cottage***

Scootaloo excitedly galloped back to her home and eagerly gazed her eyes left and right to find her pet and see if he was around. He was nowhere in sight. She huffed in slight disappointment that her pet wasn’t a no show and ready to play, but she didn’t stop as she grinned with determination. She beamed around the cottage with the same speed she ran before and showing no signs of being tired; she was full of energy and wanted to waste it all on playing with her new friend and pet; most of mother’s animal friends saw and waved at her as she waved back. Scootaloo rush to the backyard and hit the brakes, skidding to a halt when saw a large den under the shadow of a large oak tree. She took a few quick breaths before excitedly trotting over to the den with a happy and thrilled grin. She stopped and looked at the darkness before her inside the den. She sat and watched, waiting patiently for her pet to come out. 

The den was almost as big as a bear's den, about seven meters from top to bottom, big enough for almost any pony to fit in; even brawny ponies like Big Macintosh can fit in there. Grass lingered and hung over the mouth of the den making it look like crooked teeth. The sight was terrifying alone, but not enough to make Scootaloo and Fluttershy run away. Other ponies, however, might be a different story. Heck, when Sweetie Belle and Applebloom get back from their trip with their sisters, Scootaloo will no doubt show them what they missed and introduce who’s inside the den.

Speaking of whom, Scootaloo immediately grew impatient and pouted angrily before dunking her head in the mouth of the den “Varan? Hey, Varan?!” Scootaloo called out acting like a living alarm clock. “Wake up! It’s time to play.” She heard low, stubborn hisses emit from the den. Scootaloo reared her head back and scrunch her muzzle, annoyed and slightly frustrated. “Come on; get your scaly butt up! I wanna play,” she barked but received no response, just the calm sound of nothingness. Scootaloo grumbled a bit, “Are you giving me the silent treatment? Don’t make me come in there and drag you out, you lazy reptile,” She said, being bossy and demanding; even though she knew her lazy pet could just own her in a game of wrestling and other physical games. She cracked a smile when she finally saw movement in the den. Her grin grew wider, she was happy and excited to see Varan was about to finally come out and play with her. Now that she’ll be able to play with her pet, she thought that nothing could ever ruin this day and mess up her playtime.

“Well, look what we have here,” a familiar spoiled, uptight voice spoke out behind Scootaloo.

Scootaloo closed her eyes as her smile slowly drained into a frown. She sighed through her muzzle, disappointment and unamused. Not because of who was behind her, but because she had led herself to believe that nothing was going to ruin this day. She nonchalantly turned around with not-so-enthused face, “Hello, Diamond Tiara,” she said as she gazed at pampered earth pony with unwelcomed eyes, but she raised a brow when she noticed a group of three beside Silver Spoon behind her: two colts on the left and a… young griffon on the right? 

This threw Scootaloo for a loop. Why was a griffon with them? It was weird, but she had to ask, “Who are your friends, Diamond?” she gaited her eyes back at Diamond. She had a suspicion something was up, and she wanted to know why these three were here, “Did you pay them to be in your little group, or did you bully them into doing what you want?” she asked in a stern, questioning tone while Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes at her.

“That’s none of your business, blank flank,” Diamond snapped showing hate in her eyes. “I still haven’t gotten you back for giving me that black eye, and for getting me in trouble by my own dad,” She snarled at Scootaloo while Silver Spoon and the two colts share the same evil look. “You and your friends have been a thorn in my side for too long! It’s time you learn a lesson,” the two colts stood beside Diamond and eagerly awaited orders. “And I think now’s the time for you to learn,” she said with an evil grin. She lifts her arm to give the order, but a soft voice cuts her off.

“Um, Diamond, you said we were going to play with Scootaloo?” The griffon said in a soft, naïve, timid voice. “Did you-”

Diamond groaned in annoyance before snapping her hateful gaze at the young griffon and snarled at her for asking such a stupid question, “Yeah, I lied,” she openly admitted, showing no hints of care whatsoever. “I did tell you, Dirt and Grime that we were going to ‘play’ with Scootaloo, but not the kind of play you were thinking of.” The young griffon stepped back, not liking the idea of what ‘play’ Diamond had in mind.

Scootaloo sat down and watched the conflict take place. She thought to herself that she would step in and help, but a new plan came into effect. She looked at the two colts that were being distracted by Diamond scolding the poor griffon. Both colts had dirty brown fur with the same white mane and tail, blue eye color and fur covering the top of their hooves; they both had no cutie marks as well. The only way to tell them apart was that Grime had three freckles on his cheeks and forehead. Were these two twins? Scootaloo nodded to herself at the logical assumption, but she then looked at the frightened griffon being scowled by Diamond Tiara.

Scootaloo remembered Rainbow Dash telling her that griffons did not look exactly like Gilda; they all had different looks to them, so she thought this was kind of neat to see a different griffon; a young one at that. Well, different in attitude. The young griffon looked almost identical to Gilda, just with a smaller build and there was an odd looking spot on her right talon. How Diamond managed to recruit her is mind-boggling, but the aggression factor was lacking in this little griffon when she saw she was crouched and slightly curled her body like a scared lion cub.

This agitated Scootaloo to no end. She hated seeing Diamond bully other kids for no reason. She would so love to go up to that rich uptight filly and slug her in the face like she did before; seeing that black eye again would bring her so much joy. She gritted her teeth but heard a light crack from a branch behind her. She lightly turned her head, but not enough for the bullies to notice, as she saw two faded, beady eyes slowly approach her. Scootaloo cracked a small, devious smile; her plan was set in motion. They have no idea what’s coming

“Hey,” Diamond Tiara barked getting Scootaloo’s attention. “Pay attention stupid!” she snarled before looking back and jerking her head at the young griffon. The little griffon nervously walked between and stood there, legs shaking; she didn’t want to do this, and Scootaloo completely understood that just by looking at her actions. She going to need to talk to this griffon, and hopefully get her on her side and hopefully be her second new friend. After all, she needs to tell someone that this place isn’t safe for ponies who don’t know what their surroundings actually are. And Diamond and her posse clearly do not know what the surrounding environment is capable of.

“Revenge is all mine,” Diamond Tiara boasted. “Your mother isn’t around and your friends are not around. I say you’re in great-”

Scootaloo held up her right hoof, “Hold it!”

Diamond groaned in pure agitation, “What now?!”

“Yeah, we don’t have all day, blank flank,” Silver Spoon said, wanting to watch the action. The three newcomers looked more confused than anything. Well, Dirt and Grime just wanted to pummel Scootaloo. The little griffon was just scared and confused; the pressure was getting to her. She did not want to beat up Scootaloo.

Scootaloo took a short breath before speaking, “look around you, Diamond.” Scootaloo gestured her hoof as Diamond Tiara nonchalantly looked around. She could care less where they are until Scootaloo spoke again, “Do you know where we are?”

Diamond Tiara raised a brow at Scootaloo’s rather stupid question, but she answered anyway with an impatient snort, “Are you stupid or something? We’re near your home.” 

Scootaloo chuckled at Diamond's answer, “You’re only half-right, Diamond.”

“Half-right? What are you talking about, Scootaloo?” Diamond Tiara asked bitterly as her left eyelid twitched.

“You only looked to your right,” Scootaloo said before pointing to the right. “Now, look to your left.” She looked at them in a calm manner but was mentally grinning evilly.

All five gullible kids did what Scootaloo asked and looked to their left at the same time. All they could see was nothing but a wide-open space covered in grass and thousands of oak trees blocking their view. They did notice some squirrels, deer, birds, and blowing leaves but that was about it. It was rather peaceful in a way, but Diamond Tiara didn’t care whatsoever.

Diamond Tiara glared hatefully at Scootaloo, “Just what are you on about, Scootaloo?” she rudely asked.

“Why did you have us look at the forest?” Silver Spoon asked in a confused tone.

Scootaloo cracked a bit of that evil smile before she happily replied, “Because I want you all to know something,” her smile grew wider and slightly eerie. The three newcomers gazed at Scootaloo before she continued. “I’ve been living here with my mother for quite a while. When she took me back and took care of me”-which she still greatly appreciated her for doing that- “she wanted to turn me into a better pony than I was before.” She wasn’t lying, either. Scootaloo still had that urge to beat Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to a bloody pulp, but her mother was strictly against any sort of violence. She did not want her daughter to grow up like a thug or anything of the sort. Even at times, Scootaloo wanted her mother to be assertive like her, but Fluttershy was assertive in her own way and she didn’t mind that about her mother. Besides, there were other means of defending without violence. And Scootaloo set the perfect trap for them. All she needed was to ask a few more questions from these five.

“What, she wanted to turn you into a pansy like her?” Grime asked in a somewhat light southern voice, mocking Scootaloo and her mother. That got a laugh out of Diamond, Silver, and Dirt. The young griffon wasn’t too fond the mean joke, however.

Scootaloo gave a light snarl at Grime’s joke. Her urge to punch was reaching its peak. But she remembered her mother telling her to take deep, calming breaths and not to take stuff like that at heart. She does so and breathes calmly through her muzzle, and then she said to them as a sort of jab at them, “No. She wanted me to be smarter and not do what you guys are doing,” She looked around the forest as she saw a sun bear and a mountain lion appear a few feet away from the five children. She grinned at them before looking at the five unaware children deviously.

Dirt snorted at Scootaloo and assumed Scootaloo's words, “Did you just call us stupid?” he asked talking like Grime but in a more aggressive tone.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes, “I didn't say you were. I was just saying it as a warning.”

“W-what do you mean?” the young griffon asked slightly quivering.

Scootaloo looked at the griffon and spoke in a friendly tone to her than the other four, “I mean you guys are standing on dangerous grounds.” Scootaloo points behind the five to show them the bear and the mountain lion.

“Have a look.”

They look back and flinch at the sight of the dangerous animals, slightly backing up from them. Diamond Tiara widened her eyes as she looked back at Scootaloo with a smug look on her face. Silver Spoon felt her heart sink when she saw the two, she did not expect to see animals like them show up around Fluttershy’s cottage. She and Diamond thought that this was a peaceful place; that only harmless animals would show up.

“What’s the deal here?” Diamond said, slightly shivering. “I thought your mother was just an animal caretaker to harmless animals?”

Scootaloo let out a quick laugh, and said, “She is an animal caretaker but to all animals.” Scootaloo's smile widened a little more for a well her plan was going. Now she needed a few more touches. She continued to explain to the frightened bullies about the land she lived in, “She takes care of all sorts of animals like lions, tigers, bears, snakes, falcons, and plenty more animals that are considered dangerous towards ponies like you.” She looked back real quick as the beady eyes came closer to her. She nodded before looking back at the five still staring at the bear and mountain lion. “Since I’m a part of this home now, all the animals that my mother treated and cared for have accepted me as their friend. And they don’t like seeing trespassers picking on their caretaker’s daughter.” Well, mostly. Some of the animals are still getting used to her.

“Then tell them to leave!” Diamond Tiara barked still looking at the dangerous animals with her group. “Can’t you control them or something?”

Scootaloo shook her nonchalantly, and said, “It isn’t about control. It’s about respect.” She points to the two animals. “Those two are my mother’s animal friends. And my mother’s animal friends only listen to her, not me.”

“Then why aren’t they attacking?” Silver Spoon asked.

That would be the last question. Scootaloo heard her pet approaching as she said with pride, “Because they know I’m fully protected.”

That got all five of them to look at her when Diamond sternly asked, “What are talking…” Her sentence was immediately cut as she gasped in horror. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates and her irises shrank to pea-sized. The other four kids looked up to see small, glowing white dots appear behind Scootaloo and sway from side to side. Something was coming; something big. Dirt, Grime, and the young griffon froze as they watched, paralyzed in fear. Silver Spoon widened her eyes as her glasses nearly slipped from her muzzle. The five children remained silent with their mouths hung open as the sound of patting claws can be heard.

Scootaloo watched in amusement. She wanted to bust out laughing from seeing the pale look on their faces but decided to milk it as she stepped out of the way to her right as the afternoon sun beamed down at the den behind her and exposed a bit of what’s inside.

The children looked down at the exposed ground until a dirty brown, scaly foot with long talon-like claws emerged from the shadows and crunched the branches and dried up leaves as it landed. They quickly look back up without saying a word.

Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Dirt, Grime and the young griffon watched in horror, disbelief, and shock as a huge, bulky lizard emerged from the shadows of its den and stood next to Scootaloo, peering down at them with primal, fearless eyes. The animals that made their presence known quickly evacuated and hid from sight; they want nothing to do with this situation now that Scootaloo’s pet is involved. The children continued to look at the huge beast as it flicked its forked tongue while still giving an eerie glare at them. 

The lizard was twelve feet tall with dark brown skin. Its legs and underbelly had a few faded tan spots that mixed in with the brown skin. Its head was slightly flat and long with a rounded snout, bowed legs with a few scars on them and a strong build that looked like it could withstand a decent amount of blunt force.

Scootaloo smirked as she fearlessly walked in front of the huge lizard, and said to the five, “Meet Varan, my awesome friend, and pet komodo dragon.” Varan dipped his head and nuzzled his snout against Scootalo’s cheek as a form of apology to his young master. He would’ve been out of his den earlier today, but his underground home was just too comfortable for him to leave. He’ll make it up to her with tons of playtime; whatever she wants. He saw the smile on Scootaloo’s face but noted her eyes were focused on the five before them. He raised his scaly, dragonesque head and gazed his reptilian eyes at the five children, observing them until he hooked his sights on one his young master has described to him before. White hair, pink fur, an unnecessary jewel on her head, this matched the description very clearly. Young master did mention her name to him but he was too lazy to remember. The three that stood in front of her, and the gray one that stood beside the pink one, were new; they all were shaking with fear. A reaction he usually expected and loved to take advantage of – when it came to adults. Kids are too easy to scare and it isn’t quite as fun as it used to be, but he’ll make an exception with the pink one and her friends since he figured young master wanted this. He flicked his forked tongue and bellowed a long, slow, eerie, defensive hiss as he barred his serrated teeth at the five children.

The five bullies kept their focus on Varan. They were shocked, scared, speechless and amazed at the sheer size and look of Scootaloo’s pet. Dirt and Grime have seen a lot of ponies with unique pets, like Pinkie and her pet baby alligator for example, but they haven't seen anything like this before. It was very bizarre. They just hope Scootaloo doesn’t ask this thing to attack them. If not, then they’ll still run away. Varan was freaking terrifying! Grime looked at the young griffon, only to see her faint on the spot.

Silver Spoon thought to herself that she should’ve just stayed home and read magazines on the latest fashion craze. Her heart was racing and she looked at Diamond in hopes she wasn’t thinking of still going through with beating up Scootaloo. The gray filly looked back at the giant Komodo dragon and noticed it was looking at Diamond Tiara, and only her. It wasn’t paying attention to her and the other three. What did Scootaloo tell this thing? She took two steps back, rather not wanting to find out what. She turned around and ran, but was halted by the aggressive shout of Diamond Tiara.

“Where are you going?!”

Silver Spoon snapped her gaze at Diamond, and exclaimed, “I’m not going to stand here and be that thing’s food. I’m out of here!” With that, she quickly bolted away, leaving Diamond and the other three.

“Hey, get back here Silver Spoon!” Diamond Tiara barked but it was too late. She disappeared from beside the cottage. Diamond growled in anger and howled orders at the three, but noticed the young griffon was out cold laying on the ground. This aggravated her to a whole new level; her plan was falling apart. Yet, she didn’t want to stop. She wanted to hurt Scootaloo like she did before, and she wanted it now.

“Dirt, Grime, pummel Scootaloo now!” she barked at the twins.

“Are you kidding me?” Dirt objected.

“We’re not going anywhere near that thing. You’re as crazy as our uncle Gravel!” Grime said joining in on his brother’s denial. They weren’t bright, but they knew danger when they saw it. And Scootaloo’s pet was more than enough to be a danger to them. They even figured Snips and Snails wouldn’t be dumb enough to mess with a creature like this; then again, they brought an Ursa Minor to Ponyville that one time. Either way, they wanted Diamond Tiara to know that they were not as dumb as she thinks they are. 

They both look at the pampered, angry filly and said at the same time, “We’re out of here. You’re on your own.” Just like Silver Spoon, the twins bolted out of there as fast as their little hooves could take them. They were gone the moment Scootaloo and Varan watched them. They left Diamond Tiara with the fainted griffon to deal with Scootaloo and her massive Komodo dragon.

Scootaloo giggled evilly as she looked at Diamond Tiara with the same evil grin and glare she always gave her, “Didn’t think this through, did you? Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo said as Diamond Tiara gritted her teeth in anger.

She screamed in rage as she shouted, “You planned this, blank flank?”

Scootaloo proudly shook her head, and said, “Nope. You just stepped into an opportunity even a blind pony could see.” Varan just stood there flicking his forked tongue while looking down at Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara. “Next time, Diamond, think about where you should be, or else you’ll have your butt chewed more times than it already has.”

Varan snapped his jaws to make sure Diamond Tiara got the point. Any wrong and/or stupid move that Diamond Tiara would make would cause who knows what problems to her. 

Diamond Tiara glared up at Varan then back at Scootaloo. She bit her lip and groaned in frustration and rage. Being forced to stop and not get what she wanted really triggered a lot of switches in her head, but she knew she’d get hurt again if she tried to attack, “This isn’t over, Scootaloo!”

“I think it already is,” she said as she watched Diamond Tiara leave. She then noticed the young griffon still out cold from seeing Varan, “Hey, aren’t you going to take your friend with you?”

Diamond Tiara looked back at the fainted griffon before she disgustingly rolled her eyes, “No, she was useless, to begin with. She can be your pet’s food for all I care!” the rich bully ran away, leaving Scootaloo groaning in disappointment.

Scootaloo gazed up at Varan, “Will she ever learn?” Varan just gave her blank eyes and a soft, confused hiss. She shrugs a bit, “You’re probably right, Varan. She never learned before you came along, and I don’t think she ever will.” she said. “And I thought I was stubborn.”

Varan flicked his forked tongue. While he can’t really talk to young master, he can let her know what he’s thinking just by his own gestures and sounds. He was actually thinking of why this catbird thing was asleep. If he scared her, he had no intention. He just wanted to scare the pink one, because he assumed that was what Young master wanted. He didn't care whether the pink one learned anything. But what did peak his interest was the sleeping catbird. 

Scootaloo looked at the unconscious griffon and pondered why she sided with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon; she just had to know. She looked at Varan and jerked her head to the young griffon, “Think you can help me carry her to the house?”

Varan snorted and walked up the little griffon. He lowered his snout as Scootaloo walked around and carefully lifted the surprisingly light griffon over her back and onto Varan’s head. Varan carefully raised his head and walked towards the cottage where he saw Scootaloo rush up and open the back door.

“Alright, bring her down gently. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo flinched in surprise and peered back, only to smile innocently at the one who said her name, “Hi, mom.”

***Fluttershy's Home***

The young griffon twitched her eyes and slowly opened them. Her vision was blurry and she could barely see where she was. She sat up and groaned groggily as she rubbed her feathered head. She blinked a few times before her vision slowly became clear, then she looked around. She saw usual stuff like a few chairs, a coffee table and a really soft couch she was sitting on. But she did notice a few mouse holes, bird houses, and stairs leading to an upper floor. She saw two a few picture frames hanging on the walls that had pictures of Scootaloo and others with her, including the giant lizard with a small rabbit. She chuckled at the scared look on the rabbit’s face.

“Oh good, you’re up,” a gentle, soft-spoken voice said getting the young griffon’s attention.

Fluttershy hovered out of her kitchen, holding a plate of tea as she flapped her quiet wings over to the young griffon and placed the plate on the table. The kind pegasus looked at her with a soft smile, “I was getting worried” she said. “Varan has a bad habit of scaring ponies. But he knows when to mind.”

The young griffon looked out the window to the backyard just in time to see Varan’s tail slither back into the den. She shook a bit before looking back at Fluttershy, and asked, “I-Is he dangerous?”

Fluttershy nodded, “Yes, but only if he needs to be. He’s just a lazy lizard that would rather sleep instead of attack others. He and Scootaloo get along so well.” She looked out the same window with a happy and proud smile.

“Um, Miss Fluttershy, where’s Scootaloo?”

Fluttershy gaited back at the young griffon with a surprised look on her face, “She’s with a friend of mine getting some groceries.” She wasn’t surprised that this little griffon knew Scootaloo’s name because her daughter explained everything that happened when she was gone, but what really surprised was…

“How did you know my name? And can you tell me your name, please?”

The young griffon nodded at Fluttershy and smiled at her with utmost trust, and replied with a cute chirp, “Okay! My name is Glinda, and my sister’s friend talks about you all the time.”

Fluttershy raised a shocked brow and assumed Glinda was talking about Rainbow Dash. If Glinda was talking about Rainbow Dash then she had a hunch who Rainbow Dash could be talking to, but she had to make sure first. Getting into assumptions was never a good idea. She just had to ask one question…

“I see. And, who is your sister?”

Glinda widened her smile and happily said, “Gilda.”
> Heart To Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

All of her assumptions could never have been so true in her life. Fluttershy tried her best to wrap her head around what Glinda just said. It’s as if the shock was putting pressure in her chest. It hurts, but it was still quite a surprise meeting the younger sister of Gilda. Fluttershy hoped she could give a good impression to the little gryphon. She had to say something to break the silence unless it’ll get awkward for her.

“Gilda is your sister?” Fluttershy said while keeping a smile on her face, trying not to act like she’s panicking and hiding something. To her luck, Glinda didn’t notice a thing; which was kind of a relief.

Glinda nodded, and said, “Yeah. I’m Gilda’s younger sister; many months younger. I just can’t remember exactly what,” She twiddled her claws and looked at the ground in thought. She didn’t move from her spot because she didn’t want to be rude; especially when she’s in the home of one of the elements of harmony. 

Fluttershy calmed herself down as she looked at the little gryphon sitting there with a shy demeanor, almost like hers. The only difference was that Glinda was talking and not shying away. Fluttershy was building more confidence, but she remembered the time she first met Twilight; she could barely say a word to her until Spike showed up. After that, their friendship started. Maybe she can get Scootaloo to make friends with Glinda. She’ll have to try when she and Tree Hugger get back. In the meantime, she’ll have to care for Glinda until her parents, or Gilda, get back.

That is if it comes at a smooth start. The last time she and Gilda met, she received a rude, unwelcomed roar to her face. It wasn’t a very friendly hello. But Fluttershy figured that since times changed, hopefully, Gilda has cleaned up her act. Hopefully.

She looked at the adorable, little gryphon, and said, “I made you some tea.” She smiled kindly at Glinda as Glinda looked at the fancy teacup and softly picked it up.

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” she said as she took a sip of the warm tea. She smiled happily before looking up at her with a sudden gleam of excitement in her eyes; it nearly caught Fluttershy off guard.

“I’m so happy I finally get to see you. I have so many questions,” Glinda said with a bit of chirp to her voice. “I met Rainbow Dash a few times and actually got to talk to her once, but that was it. I’ve never met any of the other elements.”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at Glinda’s excitement. She must be a fan of her and her friends. A thought suddenly emerged and made Fluttershy wonder what Glinda’s reaction would be if she met them, besides Rainbow Dash. She could just imagine the adorable excitement from this shy, little gryphon, “Well, you’re meeting another one right now. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.”

That just ignited Glinda’s enthusiasm and fangirlism. The little gryphon’s smile widened with excitement as she asked, “Do you control animals?”

Fluttershy shook her head and chuckled, “Oh, no, no, no. I don’t control animals. I never have,” She said as Angel hops on the coffee table. “It’s more about respect, kinship and knowing when they need help,” She looked at Angel while Angel looked at Glinda. He was secretly thinking of a way to prank their guest. She raised a suspicious brow at him, knowing all too well what he was thinking; even if he was pulling off a cute act. “And most of the time, I keep a few animals in line when they act up. Right, Angel?”

Angel flinched and stiffened his ears up as he looked back at a rather assertive looking Fluttershy. He smiled innocently and nodded to her that he’d behave this time which received an approving smile from Fluttershy. He remembered the last prank he did which involved Scootaloo. He setup a trap inside Scootaloo’s favorite snack: a chocolate chip muffin. When in close quarters to the face, the trap would set off a small explosion and cause the victim quite a scare. Needless to say it went quite well for the white rabbit; a little too well. He expected the trap to work which he got a good laugh out of, but what he didn’t expect was for Scootaloo to get hurt from the prank. The muffin exploded in front of Scootaloo’s face, but the force of the explosion caused her muzzle to bleed and bruise. When Angel noticed the injury, he frowned in disbelief. That’s when a yellow hoof slammed behind him, his ears drooped and his eyes widened in horror. He looked up and saw the rage on Fluttershy’s face. After he saw that face, it went dark and he couldn’t remember anything after that. Angel was kind of scared of Fluttershy now. After she took Scootaloo back into her life, his timid owner became fierce and protective similar to a mother bear. Upside, he admitted he was happy to see Fluttershy have her own flesh and blood back. The downside, she’s changed quite a lot and it lessened the fun out of a few things. 

Glinda chuckled and rubbed Angel’s head. He looked back at her then shoved her claw away before hopping off the coffee table and hopping away from the girls, not wanting to interrupt what they were doing. Perhaps a good prank on Varan could lift his spirits.

“He’s adorable,” Glinda said as she watched him hop through a doggy door.

Fluttershy laughed a bit at that, “He is, but he can be a bit reckless at times.” She looked back at Glinda and asked, “Are there any more questions you’d like to ask, Glinda?”

Glinda nodded excitedly and immediately asked, “What are the other elements like?”

Fluttershy smiled warmly as she happily replied, “They are the greatest friends I’ve ever had. They are hard-working mares like me, and are amazing at what they do; especially Pinkie Pie when she throws all sorts of parties with her coltfriend Cheese Sandwich. They’re really fun.”

Glinda chirped happily at hearing that, “That’s so cool.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Yes. Rarity can craft any clothes of any age. Tuxedos, gowns, shirts, anything,” she said to Glinda. “She can even make a cute dress for you, too.”

Glinda widen her eyes and a bright red blush shaded under her fur. She waved her little claws and said, “Oh no, I don’t do dresses. T-shirts are way cooler.” Glinda chuckled nervously at the mere mention of dresses, having an embarrassing moment wearing one. 

Fluttershy giggled before continuing, “Applejack is an expert in anything apples and exercise. She’s the strongest out of the six of us; well, physical wise, not magical. That goes to Twilight Sparkle.”

“The Princess?”

Fluttershy nodded and drank a bit of her own tea, “Unlike Rarity, Twilight knows almost all sorts of magic from levitation to time travel. Of the six of us, she’s mentally the strongest. Even mean ponies like Trixie, Starlight, and Sunset have all failed to beat her.” 

“Is she powerful enough to fight a dragon or hydra?” Glinda asked, excited to know.

Fluttershy covered her mouth to keep herself from blabbing on even further. Those kinds of feats have never been achieved, none that she’s aware of. Unlike Spike, she and her friends have dealt with dragons and hydras before, but in a more peaceful manner; nothing violent. But Twilight fighting them? Twilight was strong, but not that strong. Fluttershy waved her hooves a bit, assuring Glinda about what she said, “I’m sorry, Glinda. Twilight isn’t that strong. I made a teeny-tiny mistake.”

“Oh,” Glinda said, disappointed from hearing that, but immediately shrugs it off.

Fluttershy giggled softly before speaking again to the little griffon, “May I ask you a few questions?”

“Sure, Fluttershy,” Glinda said as she grabbed her teacup for a drink.

Fluttershy’s smile slowly drained into a concerning frown. Despite what Scootaloo told her, she needed to hear Glinda’s words to see and know if the stories match. She took a quick breath and asked questionably, “Scootaloo told me everything that happened today. Were you trying to attack my daughter?”

She expected Glinda to react to her question. She didn’t expect Glinda to spit up and nearly choke from drinking the tea. She coughed and wheezed, slightly panicked as she grabbed her feathery, furry chest. Fluttershy flinched and cringed, but tried to ease Glinda from further panicking as the little griffon managed to catch her breath before looking at her with shocked, guilty and regretful eyes.

Fluttershy noticed and was about to say something, but a cry from Glinda stopped her as Gilda’s little sister sprang up and hugged her as she immediately bawled, “I’m so sorry,” she said through her crying. “I didn’t know Diamond was evil. I thought she wanted to play. I didn’t know she wanted to beat up Scootaloo,” She held herself close to Fluttershy while Fluttershy looked down at her with calm eyes and a gentle smile. Happy to hear Glinda didn’t want to participate in Diamond Tiara’s usual shenanigans. 

How many times is that filly going to try and hurt Scootaloo? She thought to herself about talking to her father about Diamond’s unusual behavior; perhaps when she has time for it. 

“So, you didn’t want to hurt Scootaloo?” she asked kindly.

“No. I just wanted to make new friends. I didn’t want to be a bully,” Glinda placed her forehead on Fluttershy’s chest as she continued to hiccup and sob. She wanted to apologize to Fluttershy over and over. She knew Scootaloo was Fluttershy’s daughter thanks to Silver Spoon, but she never got to say anything about it when she met the orange filly. She wanted to greet her, but couldn’t work up the nerve because she was so shy. When Diamond Tiara told her to beat up Scootaloo, she was stunned to hear her say that. She didn’t want to do it; she wanted friendship, not enemies. She felt like she was tainted with shame, shame that she fell for such an act. Guilt started to weigh in on her until two soft arms coiled around her for a warm, caring embrace.

Glinda chirped before looking up to see the forgiving eyes of Fluttershy look down at her. No hint of anger on her face whatsoever, “Glinda, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said as she softly rubbed the top of her head. “Scootaloo told me you were the only one who didn’t try to attack her. I’m glad you didn’t.”

Glinda sniffed once as she looked up at Fluttershy. A look of confusion and innocence emerged on Glinda’s face before she let out a soft, sobby “Huh?” She wipes a tear away with her talon, “Y-you’re not mad?”

Fluttershy shook her head as she said, “Of course not. You knew what was right and wrong. You knew when to stop and you chose not to get involved.”

“B-But Diamond…”

“Diamond Tiara may have forced you, but your denial still counts. You chose not to attack my daughter, and I thank you for that,” Fluttershy said before looking at her door. “When all of this is over, I’m going to have a word with Filthy and Spoiled.” She immediately thought of how ironic it was that Diamond’s parents are named Spoiled and Filthy when Diamond Tiara herself acts like their namesake; Must’ve run in the family.

Glinda cracked a small smile. She was glad that Fluttershy forgave her and said what she said. The last thing she wanted was to have one of the mane six be angry with her – especially when she just met one of them. Unlike Gilda, she wanted to make a good approach, not a bad one. She was told by Rainbow Dash that Gilda roared in Fluttershy’s face when they first met. When Glinda heard that, she was furious with Gilda for quite a while. No one should roar in Fluttershy’s face. She was the element of kindness. Why be mean to someone who is kind and sweet to everyone around her? She couldn’t understand it. Gilda didn’t mention anything about the story nor had any thought in bringing it up. Glinda just asked a question to Rainbow Dash, and she got her answer.

Glinda chirped at Fluttershy just for the giggles. She got a warm smile from the motherly pegasus as she felt as though her heart melted from the sound; it was too adorable to her ears. Glinda’s smile widened as her spirit grew, feeling comfortable around Fluttershy. Though another question did dwell in the back of her head, “Hey Fluttershy, where’s Scootaloo?”

***Ponyville***

“Okay. Carrots, whipped cream, eggs, and flour. And… asparagus?! Ugh!” Scootaloo stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Tree Hugger smiled a bit and giggled, “Don’t underestimate asparagus, young Scootaloo. They are good for the senses like sight and hearing.” She looked at Scootaloo as they walked through Ponyville to find what they were looking for.

Scootaloo grazed her eyes at Tree Hugger and raised an unsure brow at her. She tried asparagus before and it ended in a toilet to the face. Never again will she ever let her tongue touch those bumpy, bitter-tasting abominations.

“No thanks. I’ll stick to apples or pears,” Scootaloo said as she placed the grocery list in her bag.

Tree Hugger shrugged and accepted Scootaloo’s decision. She looked around for the first stop on the list until Scootaloo spoke to her and asked, “So, how did you meet my mom?”

Tree Hugger placed her hoof under her chin. She thought about it for a second before responding with a memorable smile, “Well, Scootaloo, I met your mother on, like, a trip to see the Breezies,” She said. “It was a very wondrous and peaceful event.”

Scootaloo slightly chuckled, and said, “That seems about right. My mom always loved animals of any kind from cute like rabbits, mice, and small birds to scary like Manticores, Cockatrice, Platypus, and ferrets; even Breezies.” Her mother may have more experience with animals and how they looked, but she’s still getting used to most of the animals that come near the cottage. She remembered having to feed a cranky crocodile named Gustave. At first, she wanted to see if she could gain a form of friendship with him, but it ended up being a misunderstanding on which was food or not. Scootaloo was happy she ended up with Varan. One animal is all she wanted to be friends with; the rest can befriend Fluttershy.

Tree Hugger nodded in agreement, “You are so right, little shy,” She said as a somewhat nickname joke. “Your mother has an aura so gentle, she is like a dandelion in the wind.”

“Gentle?” Scootaloo said, surprised and disbelieving of Tree Hugger’s words. “My mom is nice, but she hasn’t been gentle ever since she took me back. Especially when the ponies at my old orphanage tried to take me back; she was not happy about that at all.”

“The orphanage?”

“Mom didn’t tell you that story?” Scootaloo asked, receiving a head shake from Tree Hugger. Scootaloo was surprised and thought Fluttershy would’ve told her already. 

“She never did. She just, like, kept it secret from me,” Tree Hugger said truly surprised to hear that. “I knew you were her daughter, but, she didn’t say anything about any orphanage. I, like, assumed she kept you in secret.”

Scootaloo chuckled, “Nope. It’s no secret anymore. I know the truth. My friends know the truth. I don’t know if other ponies we know have been told,” She shrugged. “I just wish my mom would calm down; not every pony is out to get me.”

Tree Hugger gave a reassuring smile knowing all too well about that situation, even though she has no kids of her own, “Don’t let that feeling get to you. Her aura has always been gentle. What she’s doing is just protecting you. She cares about you just as much as she cares for her animals, if not more,” She said. “You are her flesh and blood after all. And your auras have grown stronger from it.” 

Scootaloo blinked and smiled a bit at Tree Hugger’s words. Perhaps she was right. But the talk about aura was still confusing and Scootaloo couldn’t understand what she meant by that ‘aura stream’. She continued to listen to Tree Hugger as she told her what she remembered when she and Fluttershy were at the place where they were watching the Breezies until they arrived at their first stop.

“Oh good, we’re here,” Scootaloo said as she approached the vegetable stand. She neglected to see Tree Hugger suddenly stop behind and stare at her with worried eyes.

Tree Hugger mentally slapped herself for not realizing where they were. She secretly gazed her eyes at the aura streams connected to Scootaloo. Like Fluttershy’s aura, she can see Scootaloo’s aura and noticed there was a connection; Scootaloo’s aura was, of course, connected to Fluttershy’s aura stream but it was also connected to three others. She figured it would be her grandparents, but the black aura stream came up again. Tree Hugger made a soft gasp and realized Scootaloo was heading to the exact spot where the owner of the black stream is.

Tree Hugger called out, “Scootaloo, wait!” but it was too late. Scootaloo walked up and knocked on the desk of the stand three times. “Oh no,” Tree Hugger whispered to herself as she slowly approached behind Scootaloo. Out the tent walked an average, slightly buff-looking, white stallion with a light green apron over his chest. He had a dull frown on his face as he approached Scootaloo.

“Welcome to Rocky’s vegetable stand. We sell vegetables of any kind,” he said in a slightly deep, mellow tone.

Tree Hugger had an uneasy, yet surprised look on her. This stallion was a pegasus with light blue fur that matched the sky above and a dirty white shortcut-style mane and tail; he could blend in with the sky if he wanted to, but the only noticeable part was the purple streaks combined with the white on the edges. But his distinctive feature was a noticeable, almost creepy, and painful-looking scar across his eye down to his muzzle and mouth, yet the eye itself seemed perfectly fine; the magenta pupil did show. It looked as if he had been through one big fight, but who? Tree Hugger would ask, but uneasy and nervous feelings bombarded her. She now knew exactly who the owner of the black aura belonged to, and why it’s connected to Scootaloo as well. This stallion must be Scootaloo’s father, and Scootaloo was completely unaware.

She tried to talk to Scootaloo, but the Scootaloo spoke to the stallion before she could get a word in, “And a hello to you to Mr. Grouchy,” she joked with a mix of dry sarcasm. She wasn’t too fond of the tone this guy was giving. Rocky always had a welcoming approach with customers. What’s this pegasus’s deal?

The stallion rolled his eyes at Scootaloo as he asked, “Can I help you two with anything?” he wasn’t really hiding the fact he was very knackered and bored and really wanting to go home.

Scootaloo ignored the stallion’s tone as she said, “Yeah, I’d like a few carrots and… asparagus, please,” Scootaloo crunched her eyes and cringed, and almost choking on that word she hated it so much. Why Fluttershy wanted her to get them is baffling. She knew how much her daughter hated them. It was so confusing. 

A sudden, soft chuckle from the stallion took her mind off of the thought as she looked up at the stallion, “You hate asparagus too, huh?” he asked the confused little filly when he heard her cringing tone. A slight crooked, small smile peeled onto his face before he walked back to get what she needed, “Glad to know I’m not the only one, kid.”

Scootaloo cracked a little smile at his change of behavior before speaking again, and asking, “Are you new here? Where’s Rocky?” She knew him almost as much as Fluttershy did. They came to the vegetable store all the time, mostly her mother, to buy groceries and have a quick chat before leaving. It happened so often that Scootaloo was surprised she hasn’t seen a picture of Fluttershy on his wall for ‘number one customer’.

“Eh, Rocky’s feeling sick. So he left me in charge while he’s away,” He said as he got the vegetables and placed them in the grocery bag before walking back to Scootaloo and Tree Hugger. “And I’ve been working here for a few months; I’m not that new.”

“If you say so, I guess,” she sarcastically said and prompted the stallion to look at her suspiciously before she chuckled and smiled again at him. “I’m just kidding. I’m Scootaloo and this is Tree Hugger.” She motioned to Tree Hugger before hearing a surprised gasp from the stallion.

His ears perked up at that first name, “Wait, Scootaloo?” he said in surprise from hearing that. “The little filly who rides on a scooter with a blue helmet? That Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo blushed a bit and smiled proudly before letting out a small chuckle, “Yup, the one and only. You’ve heard of me?” she asked enthusiastically.

He nodded, “I sure have. I know you don’t know it, but I see you and your friends cross by all the time talking about ways of how to get your cutie marks. You three really love to shout.”

Scootaloo blushed in slight embarrassment at the last part, “Sorry about that. We just love trying to figure out what we’re good at,” She said. “It’s kind our thing at this point.”

The stallion nodded again with his own enthused smile before he noticed Tree Hugger stand beside Scootaloo in complete silence, “You’re awfully quiet. Is something wrong?” he asked in slight concern.

Tree Hugger blinked and snapped back into the real world before shaking her head and gazing at the stallion and a rather confused Scootaloo, “Oh, forgive me; I was in a meditated state. My chakra was feeling dim and… I had to balance it so it wouldn’t cause me issues, you know?” she said only getting a confused look from Scootaloo and the stallion. But they just shrug it off. Tree Hugger took a breath of relief.

Dodged a bullet.

“I’ll just take the groceries,” Tree Hugger said as she grabbed the grocery sack. He seemed unaware he was talking to his own daughter, that should be so. She almost slipped that time; what else could go wrong? 

“So, what’s your name, sir?” Scootaloo asked.

The stallion smiled at Scootaloo, and happily replied, “My name is…”

“Drift Velocity!” a tomboyish voice called out and interrupted. A voice Scootaloo knew all too well and was happy and surprised to hear. Tree Hugger, however, was just confused.

Scootaloo and Tree Hugger look back to see Rainbow Dash dive down with a bit of grace and land with the utmost ease before rising to her full height and gloried herself for how awesome she stuck the landing.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said as she bolted to her idol and gave her a near tight hug. She smiled with joy, happy to see her.

“Hey, squirt,” Rainbow Dash said as she returned the hug. “Been a while. How’ve things been going with you and your mother?”

“It’s been great for the most part. Mom’s been very protective of me and took great care of me. I have a new pet to play with, and made a few new friends.” Scootaloo said with a joyful grin and a look of excitement when she gets back home.

Rainbow Dash smiled proudly. Hearing Scootaloo say this made her feel a lot better. She had doubts at first when she managed to reunite them, but hearing her little fan say this made her doubts dwindle and fade. “I’m glad to hear it. I knew Fluttershy can be protective, but I never thought she’d be VERY protective,” Rainbow Dash snickered before asking, “So, who’s your new friends?”

Scootaloo peered back and pointed at Tree Hugger, “One of my mom’s friends, Tree Hugger.”

Tree Hugger smiled at them and waved sheepishly. She was a tad surprised to see one of Fluttershy’s Ponyville friends appear. She’s been told by Fluttershy that Rainbow can be very approachable, but her aura spoke out to her the most; Rainbow was very approachable.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion and got a case of familiarity when she looked at Tree Hugger, “Huh, you look familiar,” Rainbow Dash said. “Have we met before?”

Tree Hugger nodded in response before saying, “We have. We met at the Gala when, like, Discord had one of his tantrums.”

A snickered chuckle escaped her Rainbow’s throat, “Pfft, oh yeah, I remember now. You’re Fluttershy’s hippie friend,” Rainbow Dash said before laughing a bit as the memories flew back; Tree Hugger took no offense to her words. She thought that the term was rather innocent and true to her nature. 

“I got a great laugh out of that day. Discord nearly flipped. Thanks for saving us from the smooze, by the way.”

“Trend nothing of it, Rainbow flyer,” Tree Hugger said in kind while secretly analyzing Rainbow Dash’s aura stream. It was as bright and rainbow as her hair and cutie mark, yet it was surprising to her as this type of aura was mixed with different emotions. There can only be one color to an aura, yet Rainbow Dash displayed many. Tree Hugger could tell Rainbow Dash was happy physically, but her aura showed she was focused on something, yet showed no sign of impatience; this was new to Tree Hugger. She also noticed three other aura streams connected to her own, but the nature pony was more fixated on Rainbow’s aura. These mixed emotions questioned her. Why is Rainbow Dash here? Was it because of Scootaloo? No! Something’s odd here, and she needed to know why.

“So, why are you here, Rainbow Dash?” Drift Velocity asked calmly yet hesitantly. His voice cuts off Tree Hugger’s thoughts as she looked at Drift Velocity then back at Rainbow Dash only to witness a sharp glare from the athlete pegasus. 

“You know why I’m here, Drift. Don’t act like you don’t know.”

Her tone of voice threw Tree Hugger off. She went from joyful to irritated in a matter of seconds. Even her emotions ran as fast as she does fly. Just how fast is Rainbow Dash? Tree Hugger was baffled but not really interested to know as she and Scootaloo noticed the glare on Rainbow’s face.

“Do you to, like, know each other?” Tree Hugger asked. That was the only question she had to ask before she heard Scootaloo talk.

“Yeah, are you two friends?”

Drift Velocity held in his words as he looked at Rainbow Dash with aggravated eyes. He wanted to answer Scootaloo’s question, but coming up with something to say was difficult, because he did not want to step on thin eggshells, and Rainbow Dash showing up made things even harder than they needed to be.

Rainbow Dash, thankfully, answered Scootaloo’s question, and said, “No, just acquaintances.”

“Yeah, just acquaintances.”

Tree Hugger scanned their auras and saw that Rainbow Dash had a bright red-orange color; the rainbow aura stopped when that happened. But Drift’s aura remained as black as it always had. Rainbow Dash was annoyed and angry and Drift was stressed out, but why? Tree Hugger grew even more confused by their actions toward one another. That’s when a thought occurred to her; Drift Velocity is Scootaloo’s father and Rainbow Dash knew Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and Drift. So, they might have a past with one another. But why was she here? Could she be trying to tell Drift the truth?

Tree Hugger gasped to herself. She couldn’t, could she?

“I see you’ve met Drift already, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash looked back at Scootaloo to see her nod.

“Yeah, I have.”

“That’s cool,” she said nonchalantly before smiling a bit. “Do I have some news to tell you.”

Tree Hugger froze in place.

She could.

Tree Hugger widened her eyes and felt her heart race before looking around to find any form of distraction. A bird call? No! A nearby mouse? Not one in sight. She looked around until she almost became exasperated. She did hook her eyes to the clock tower and saw the time. She smiled and gasped a bit before she quickly said, “Hey, Scootaloo, look at the time. We’re running a little late, aren’t we?”

Scootaloo gasped and looked at the clock tower, “Oh crap, you’re right, and we still haven’t gotten all the groceries. Mom’s going to be peeved if I’m late.”

“And isn’t there someone waiting for you at home to meet and play with?” Tree Hugger asked, prompting Scootaloo to flinch at the thought.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “I’m sure she can wait a little longer,” she said, eager to tell Scootaloo something.

“Sorry, Rainbow Dash, but I can’t stay. I need to get these groceries done, and fast. I also have a friend waiting for me,” Scootaloo paced before gazing at Tree Hugger. “Come on, Tree Hugger. Bye, Rainbow Dash. We can talk later,” Scootaloo quickly rushed to the nearest store and away from Rainbow Dash and Drift Velocity.

“Wait, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash tried to call back Scootaloo but she galloped away before the words could get to her. She looked at Tree Hugger with a somewhat annoyed and irritated glare.

“Why’d you do that?”

Tree Hugger shrugged and smiled a bit, “I had to let her know time, like, wasn’t waiting? We were in a hurry.” Tree hugger said before giving a slight glare to Rainbow Dash. When Drift was looking in another direction, Tree Hugger looked back at Rainbow Dash and said, “She must never know,” she quickly rushed to catch up to Scootaloo while thinking that was a close one.

“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Rainbow Dash asked but Tree Hugger already left. Rainbow Dash cocked a confused and irritated brow as she frowned. The opportunity to tell Scootaloo was completely ruined. Many questions stirred around in her head, but one erupted from her throat rather quickly.

“What just happened?” She said as she threw her arms up. Tree Hugger acted very strangely. She wanted to stop the hippie pony and force her to tell her what she meant by what she said, but let out an annoyed sigh instead; she had other objectives in mind and figured plan B was in order.

“What happened?” Drift asked as he walked beside Rainbow Dash and sat next to her only to have a glare thrown at him.

Drift noticed and reeled his head back as he confusingly said, “What?”

“You still have to do that thing we talked about,” Rainbow Dash reminded him before getting back up to scowl him. “You had plenty of time to think. Now what’s your decision?”
> Chapter 3.5 Pet Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Angel hopped through the doggy door and looked around; his whiskers twitched and his ears perked. He was looking for his prime target. He hopped on the grass and ventured away from the cottage.

He stopped and looked around; twitching his little snout before finding the giant den holding the newcomer of Fluttershy’s domain. He smiled deviously and eagerly approached the den. Despite what Fluttershy told him before, Angel neglected to hear the parts about who Varan was and who he belonged to; he just wanted to try to come up with a prank for him so he can feel better and let Varan know who the boss was around here. 

By the size of the den, Angel assumed it was a new bear. He never actually saw Varan because he was either busy or sleeping, which was all the time; he just didn’t want to admit he was a lazy bum. The devious bunny looked around for any materials for him to use to prank the newcomer.

Unfortunately, there was nothing for him to use. He hung his ears in disappointment before going old school and just simple scare Varan out of his den. He shrugged to himself before hopping towards the entrance of the hole. He looked around again before letting out a soft chuckle as he thumped the ground with his foot before getting ready.

As he did, he inhaled before a sudden bark stopped him and caused him to groan in irritation.

The white bunny looked behind him to see Applejack’s dog Winona arrive with Tank and Owlowiscious flying beside and Opal and Gummy on her back.

Angel turned around and gestured them a look that said ‘what are you guys doing here?’

Owlowiscious hooted at him in response. They wanted to know if Angel wanted to play with them while their owners were busy. Having tons of work on their hooves has taken time away from play time, so they agreed to come up with other means of keeping them occupied.

Opal lightly mewed to Angel; even she decided to tag along with them being how lazy and evil she can be. Angel respected her for the common traits, but the only difference between them was that the pampered cat was far more aggressive, yet can be terrified of almost anything. Wonder how she’d react if Varan came out?

Tank and Gummy just remained silent as they watched their mammalian friends talk; well, Tank did. Gummy was lazily laying on Winona’s back looking at the den behind Angel.
Angel drooped his ears and looked at them in thought. He looked at the den behind him then at his friends. A day with friends is always a great day, but he still had that urge to prank the one in the den.

When he did look at the large den, it prompted the other pets to look at it as well; all having mixed views on it. Like Angel, they all thought it was a bear living in there; it was awfully big to be fit one. Opal, Tank, and Owlowiscious looked at it with shocked eyes, Winona was just curious to know who was in there, and Gummy was just absent minded.

Angel noticed them and gestured to get their attention; he successfully did before gesturing to them that whoever lives in that large, creepy den belonged to Scootaloo; when he finished, they all understood.

Winona let out a few excited barks. If the animal inside belonged to a friend of their owners, then it should be a part of their group, too. Winona wagged her fluffy tail and was very eager to meet this animal.

Owlowiscious was a little skeptical about it. He let out a few hoots to Winona and thought that it wasn’t such a good idea to bring Scootaloo’s pet out. It may be Fluttershy’s home, but that doesn’t mean any dangerous animals can still live here. Scootaloo may have picked a dangerous animal.

Tank slowly narrowed his head over Angel and floated higher to get a view, but the darkness was too powerful for his sight. He wasn’t able to tell who or what was in that den.

Opal could care less about what the animal looked like. All she wanted was to play or watch. She emitted a few impatient hisses before they all heard a deep, hiss-like snore inside the den. They all flinched at once before Angel turned a quick 360 to look at the dark entrance. That legitimately freaked him out. What on earth made that kind of snore? It wasn’t a bear. Now Angel was just as curious as Winona.

Gummy even showed signs that he was interested in know, too. He blinked a few times before sliding off of Winona and plopping to the ground on his back. He innocently rolled onto his feet and crawled next to Angel while Angel eyed the open darkness.

Owlowiscious shook and hooted in fear as he landed on the ground and backed up a bit. He had no intention of going any closer. What in Equestria made that snore? He was at least curious to know who made that snore; he just wanted to be at a safe distance.

Angel stood in front of the den, flabbergasted at what he just heard. It sounded like a hiss but not like anything he’s heard the other animals make. He looked at Gummy and gestured to him if he’s heard anything like that, only to get head shake from the baby alligator. He then looked at a shaking Opal and gestured to her if she’s heard a hiss like that, but Rarity’s cat shook her head, too. He nodded to her before looking back at the den to think.

If Philomena was here, she’d probably help light up the den. That would’ve been very helpful and made things easier for Angel. Instead, the white rabbit had to think of something else. If the animal inside is sleeping, then an alarm clock would be needed. Angel perked his ears up excitedly. He had a plan, and Winona is the perfect one to help.

He turned his head and gazed at a confused Winona before gesturing her over. He gestured Gummy to step aside as Winona approached her bunny friend and sat on the other side of him; she let out a small whine and wondered what Angel had in mind.

When Gummy stepped back, Angel peered back at Winona and looked up at her with a confident look. Of the ones in the group, Winona was the loudest of them. And it was a perfect that she was here. Opal would’ve been another good choice, but he didn’t want the risk of getting a clawed slapped from stepping on her tail.

Winona tilted her head when Angel started gesturing to her to let out the loudest barks she could muster. The farm dog perked her own ears up and panted happily. If there was one thing she loved, besides everything else, is barking. Angel gestured to her again before Applejack’s best friend gave a quick, excited nod in agreement.

Angel smiled at that and stepped aside to let her start. He didn’t have to wait long for Winona to get up and start to slightly growl to get the bark started.

The other pets watched and waited before Winona lunged and barked so loudly, it echoed inside the den.

Opal, Angel, and Owlowiscious flinched and covered their ears while Tank hid in his shell. Gummy just stood there absent minded and mentally blocked the loud barks.

Winona repeated the process and barked three more times. She attempted to bark again, but a loud, intimidating hiss cut her off and forced her to back off.

The other pets unplugged their ears and watched Winona back away frightened as she whimpered and shook a bit. Tank unsheathed his head and limbs from his shell as he and the mane six pets heard another angry hiss coming from inside the den.

Varan is awake, and he did not sound happy in the slightest.

Another hiss emitted from the den as Angel approached with caution. He was about to gesture to Varan to come and play until a large claw slammed down in front of him. He looked at the claw as his ears drooped down, he frowned and his eyes shrank pea-sized; he immediately regrets making this decision.

Opal, Owlowicsious, Tank and Winona sat stiff as a board. Fear engulfed them when they saw the terrifying brown claw. They all gazed up and witnessed a dragonesque, reptilian head melt out of the darkness and snarl at them with curved teeth flaring. The heated, yellow eyes glared down at the five animals. The stare alone made their colors fade from existence, except Opal’s who had a ghost white color fur; her shrunken irises and shaken body did all the talking. Gummy, however, remained unfazed by the nightmarish approach.

Varan slowly hissed at the rude animals for waking him. He stuck out his pink forked tongue before noticing something white close to his claw. He looked down to see a white rabbit stand in front of his claw.

Angel, still shocked, never expecting this at all; he anticipated seeing fur on this claw, not scales. He was so used to seeing bears around here that seeing a claw like the one in front of him was completely alien. Just what kind of bear had scales, and not fur? He thought about that before peering up to see its owner. Instead of seeing a bear, he was welcomed by the sight of a gigantic lizard looking down at him with a look of irritation in his eyes. Angel paled, paler than his own fur; in his entire life, he never witnessed a lizard like Varan. He stood taller than Winona and his eyes nearly matched Opal’s, but Varan was clearly reptilian like Gummy and Tank. No wonder he never noticed any other predators show up near Fluttershy’s cottage; it was all because of Varan. His appearance alone would scare away something as big as a lion, if not as big as Harry.

So, this is Scootaloo’s pet. If the other pets were thinking the same thing like him, they’d probably be thinking…

Where and how did Scootaloo get Varan?!

Varan peeled his upper lip back and growled at the six other animals. He had every right to scare them off for what they have done but decided to milk it because he actually enjoyed seeing their terrified faces. It brought joy to him. He slowly flicked his forked tongue and gazed at them some more before noticing the white rabbit back away from him. 

He was wise to do that.

Angel backed away from Varan and accidentally bumped into Winona, shaking like a leaf. Thoughts raced and panic aroused; he had no idea what to do in a situation like this. He’s never seen a creature like Varan before. He looked to Owlowiscious in hopes to know if he had any thoughts but saw a prone owl next to a fear-paralyzed Opal. Well, the wise owl is out of the picture, he thought to himself of what should he do now? 

Winona didn’t bark. Opal didn’t hiss. And Philomena wasn’t here to drive back Varan with her flames. He looked at Tank and Gummy and thought that they were not going to help, so he decided to ignore them. He looked back at Varan and watched him walk out of his den. He closed his eyes and thought that this could be the end, but he opened one eye to see Varan stop when Gummy started waddling up to the giant lizard.

Tank followed Gummy and landed beside the baby alligator as the two reptiles calmly looked up at their fellow reptilian brother.

Varan blinked at them and hissed quietly, confused as to why they weren't scared of him like the mammals. Then again, it was kind of refreshing that some were not scared of him; he even liked that it was other reptiles.

He leaned his head close to Gummy and Tank, prompting the mammals to flinch again and try to get their friends out of there. But what started out as fear and confusion turned into shock and astonishment as Angel and the other furry pets heard a small, quick hiss from Gummy.

Varan tilted his head at Gummy. His hiss sounded almost identical to his. He was thrilled about that because he can understand that hiss. The large Komodo dragon hissed in return before they started hissing back in forth with some unique sounds to them while adding a bit of groans and growls in there.

Angel and Opal looked at one another before looking back at the reptiles. They all thought Gummy was just a quiet alligator who loved being in his own world, but there he was having a conversation with a creature that would eat him in one bite; even Tank threw in some honks occasionally to join in the conversation.

They saw Varan lift his head and made sucked in hisses; he was laughing. They all seemed confused before they watched Varan dip his head to have another hiss talk with Gummy and Tank. 

Winona scratched her ear but kept her focus hooked and wondered what they were talking about. She had better hearing than the others, but all she could make out were whispers. She tilted her head and let out a long soft whimper. She wanted to join in, but she was hesitant because she did not know if this huge lizard would attack or not; she’ll just leave it to Gummy and Tank.

Owlowiscious just watched in amazement. Like Angel and the other pets, he has never seen a creature like Varan before. It was quite an amazing and terrifying sight. If his owner was here, she’d document and study the ever-loving daylights out of this enormous lizard; well, aside from getting through fear and shock first. It was truly a revelation to witness Gummy talk to the massive lizard. His owner would definitely get her day made out of this.

Their hissing diminished and Varan looked at the mammals with a blank expression. The furry pets watch as Gummy climbs on Varan’s back as he slowly approached them. They stood still and watched, slightly afraid. They had no idea what Varan was going to do, or what he was thinking.

The giant lizard stopped. Silence took over. They waited for the worse to happen. They watched Varan lean his head forward and realized his first target was Winona. 

The poor dog closed her eyes and waited for anything bad to happen, but what she thought would be the worst thing imaginable turned out to not be something gentle as she can feel a warm, scaly snout rub against her cheek. The border collie snapped her eyes open and gazed at Varan to him showing an affection of friendship. Angel, Opal, and Owlowiscious gazed confusingly at this act, but Winona didn’t give a second thought as she immediately licked the komodo’s snout and accepting his friendship.

Tank flew to Angel and landed in front of him. He didn’t gesture to him like Angel always did, but a slow head turn to Varan, a head turn to him, a slow bite gesture and a slow head shake gave him a quick message. A message the white rabbit quickly got.

Varan doesn’t bite friends.

Angel nodded to the message as Tank’s propeller started up and lifted him back in the air before turning around to be with his new friend. Angel was about to do the same when Varan suddenly gave all his attention to him and looked down at him with suspicious eyes. Angel froze then gazed up at the large lizard and stared directly at those cat-like eyes. Angel watched as Varan leaned his head down close to Angel and gave a slow, eerie, defensive hiss. Angel was confused until another hiss got the point across.

Varan slightly glared at Fluttershy’s rabbit. He knew exactly who Angel was and he was fully aware of what he was capable of thanks to Young Master and Older Master. He remembers seeing Young Master’s injury; he was confused, worried and curious about what happened; when she did tell him the story about with the exploding cupcake and bleeding muzzle, he didn’t like what he heard and he definitely didn’t like the part where she got hurt. He hissed at him again as a clear warning if he ever tried to pull those stunts on him, he will have nightmares and those nightmares will be a very valuable lesson.

Angel shakily nodded and waved his little paws, letting the massive predator know he will not be doing that in the slightest; now that he knows what Varan is and won’t question what he’s capable of.

Varan understood Angel’s gesture and took it wholeheartedly. At first the other pets thought he was going to attack Angel, but they were glad he didn’t; the reason he did not turn Angel into a four course meal was because Young Master told him that Angel belonged to Older Master and he should not kill him because he belongs to Old Master, and she would be very upset if he killed her beloved pet. So a warning hiss was enough. 

And that hiss drilled in deep into Angel’s mind. He got the message quite clear and gave a shaking smile and thumbs up to the massive lizard before Varan pressed his scaly snout against him for a friendship nuzzle like he did with Winona.

The sound of small flapping wings beat for a brief moment before Owlowiscious landing between Varan and Angel, prompting Varan to gaze upon the small owl before he let out a hoot to him. A few hoots more made Varan tilt his head. Owlowiscious placed his wing on his chest and hooted to Varan again, introducing himself and the rest of the pets.

Varan blinked in confusion and slowly flicked his forked tongue. He understood what the owl was saying, and got all the names given to him; he didn’t really care about their names in the slightest; he would just forget them anyway. So he just went with what he saw and naming them after it. 

Since this owl was wise enough to give him space, along with the others, as he crawled out his den, he guessed Wise One would suit him fine. For the dog, since she was the one who woke him up in the first place, she’d be Loud One. The little alligator was the first one to approach him without any hint of fear, and he was chatty at that, which he thought neat, so he’ll be Brave One. The dirty white cat didn’t really approach him at all, he’ll change that in a bit, but her color and attitude reminded him of a purple-haired, pampered looking pony he briefly saw with Older Master and Younger Master while he was in the shadows hiding. He still wished he could’ve scared her; it would’ve been fun. Sometimes Young Master can be no fun.  But if the cat and pony do share a connection, Pampered One might suit her well. He looked at the other reptile of the group and second bravest to approach him. He wasn’t as chatty as Brave One, in fact, he was very quiet for the most part, but the thing on his shell really got his attention and made him wonder how this little tortoise was able to fly with it. Varan took a brief moment to think but figured Quiet One would work; Flying One was another choice, but Wise One already flies, so that’s down the wormhole. 

And then last is the one who hurt his master. Varan took thought into that and came up with dozens of names like bully one, hurtful one or the little devil. All the names would suit this little rabbit because his true name was anything but. From the stories Young Master told up to his first attempt, he thought Devious One was the best name to give to Older Master’s pet because he was no angel.

A new thought then emerged as Varan blinked slowly in question. If these animals are here, what do they want with him?

Varan’s attention was grabbed when he felt certain spots on his back pressure. He swung his head back in confusion and irritation before seeing Pampered and Brave One sit on his back. He hissed quietly but was drawn away by rhythmic hoots. The lazy lizard turned his head to have Wise One fly up to his head and hoot to him, explaining to him why they were here. It wasn’t their intention to wake him, they just wanted Angel; it was Angel who made that decision.

A soul-piercing, one-eyed, death glare beamed directly at Angel; Varan did not like the decision at all, he would have preferred if he slept in peace. Angel flinched and backed up a bit when Scootaloo’s pet did that. Trouble was just around the corner; Angel could feel it. However, a saving grace known as Owlowiscious drew Varan’s attention back to him as he hooted to the komodo dragon.

Winona panted softly as she sat down with Tank while they and the other pets listened. Opal didn’t really pay no mind to the chat, but she did acknowledge how smooth Varan’s skin was; despite it being a tad bumpy. Angel just sat and listened with worried eyes and droopy ears; he wasn’t sure if Varan was really thinking of attacking him for what he did or not. Gummy just laid on Varan’s back being his absent-minded self.

Varan let out a light, quick hiss as he tilted his head when Wise One stopped his hooting. His hoots were clear when he asked him to join their little group. Varan gazed at the other pets in thought before giving his attention back to Wise One. Young Master did tell stories of two other fillies and how she called them friends, and she did tell him to make friends of his own one day when she wasn’t around; guess the one day had finally arrived. Instead of one, he’d have six new friends. 

Varan then curved his neck and dipped his head towards Devious One and gazed at him for a bit, which scared the little rabbit into hiding behind Winona’s front left leg. Varan made some sucked-in hisses before rearing his head back to Wise One and nodded. If messing with Devious One was going to be an option, he would happily join them.

The mane pets made their respected calls, except Angel, as they warmly welcomed their new terrifyingly harmless friend into their group.

Varan looked at each of them before hissing to them if they could play here, and which they agreed to. Varan didn’t feel like walking anywhere today, so here near Older Master’s home was perfect anyway.

Winona wagged her tail and barked before jumping over Varan’s back excitedly and playfully, being the first to play him.

Angel, however, thought that this might’ve been a bad idea as he now knew Scootaloo told Varan everything that he’s done and what he’s capable of. He placed his paws on his head in thought and hoped to any rabbit gods up there that this day would not get any worst. He couldn’t prank the giant lizard and he most certainly can’t prank Scootaloo again as payback. He sagged his paws and ears as he looked at Varan in annoyance.

Karma was having none of Angel’s crap today.
> Inner Conflicting Choices
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Decision?!” Drift said, “Rainbow Dash, I've been busy with my job and other things in life.” He had no clue what to say to her. He had no clue how she found him. And he wished she hadn't; for the past few weeks, she's been antagonizing him to go find Fluttershy and apologize. He had no clue why. He thought that his absence from her life was apologetic enough. 

“I don't care, Drift,” Rainbow barked. “You've caused so much damage to Fluttershy after what you did.” she aggressively poked his chest that caused him to flinch but not enough take his eyes off her as he looked at her annoyed and agitated.

He shoved Rainbow's hoof away, and retorted, “That was in the freaking past. Yes, I know what I did was wrong, but it's done and over with. Now leave me alone!”

Her eyes slowly widen and her brows contorted to a hard V. Rainbow Dash snarled and gave Drift a threatening glare, “Have you forgotten what you did? I'm not going to blow this over like it's some kind of breeze! Do I have to remind you what you did?”

Drift rolled his eyes and shrugged, “Might as well. I can't stop you anyway.” Whatever Rainbow Dash had to say, he would not care in the slightest.

Rainbow noticed that eye roll and immediately got the hint he didn't care. She looked at him, annoyed “Alright, smart-aleck. How about getting Fluttershy pregnant.”

Or maybe he should've stopped her. He gazed at Rainbow Dash, shocked and his whole body felt cold. Now he remembered what happened, but he could not say what he wanted to say. His words were caught in the back of his throat. He couldn't speak for a few minutes until he finally got some words in, sort of, “I... I...” he stuttered until he spoke a coherent sentence, "I don't know what you're talking about.” And he just made an idiot out of himself. Why is Rainbow Dash doing this? He didn't want to deal with this and he especially didn't want to deal with her.

He had to find a way out so he can get on with his life. He had to think of something fast. Anything! The annoyed expression on Rainbow's face sure wasn't helping. He slightly panicked and shook his head, “I don't remember getting Fluttershy pregnant.” He wanted to slap himself for saying that. This just got from bad to worse, but he still saw that annoyed look on her face. He thought she was going to lash out or something. What was her deal?

Rainbow Dash knew he was lying through his teeth and it was aggravating her to no end. Three urges swam through her mind that she wouldn't hesitate to do: the urge to punch, the urge to mentally break him until he admits, or just tell Fluttershy herself; though the urge to punch him had never been so strong. She had to hold that off and be mature for her own sake. She knew she was hot-tempered and wouldn't hesitate to jump into action, but in a situation like this, it was a different ballgame.

Causing a scene could invoke issues to other ponies around them, and she saw some were getting suspicious of what they were talking about. She slightly snarled at them but hooked her gaze back onto Drift. They shouldn't stick their muzzles in other pony's business, but she'll admit that was her own fault. She just wasn't going to let Drift know it.

She needed to calm down and remain level-headed. If Drift was lying, then she needed a different method.

She took a deep breath and softly exhaled before speaking in a stern but calm tone as she glared at him with serious eyes, “I know you're lying Drift. You know as well as I that you got Fluttershy pregnant. I know you remember, so stop your bullshit.”

His mind was at a painful halt. His heart raced. Drift wanted out of this, but Rainbow went on. 

“So, what's your choice?” she asked. “Go to Fluttershy or have me tell her myself. And I know she'll find you.” That last statement wasn't true. Her best friend was not a hunter, but she can picture Fluttershy being upset no matter who told her. Hopefully, this lie will get under his skin.

Drift soaked in what Rainbow Dash just said, but paused when he heard that last statement. He immediately calmed and collected himself. He raised a suspicious brow. He knew Fluttershy, too. Not a whole lot like Rainbow Dash, but he knew she would not likely do that. Something was off here.

“Wait a minute...” Drift grew suspicious and slightly glared at Rainbow Dash, but a panicked, yet familiar voice, called out to Rainbow Dash. 

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash perked her ears as she and Drift looked back to see a brown, eagle-lion female griffin quickly soar down near them and rush up to Rainbow Dash.

“Gilda?” Rainbow Dash turned and approached her griffon friend, but the look in her eyes told her something was wrong.

“You okay?”

“Dash, I'm in trouble. Big trouble,” Gilda panicked, exhaustively panting through her voice as if she just flew fifty laps with twelve dragons chasing her. The beats of sweat around her body threw in a few clues as Rainbow Dash held her hooves up to Gilda's tufted fur to try and get her to calm down and snap out of it.

“Gilda, calm down. You're acting like you've just seen a hydra for the first time.” Rainbow said, “What's the matter with you?”

Even Drift was curious to know what was going on. This griffon seemed like she was in turmoil. Yet through that, he looked at this griffon as a surge of familiarity course through his mind. When he heard the name 'Gilda' is when that surge to effect as he remembered flashbacks of his highschool years when a young griffon with the same features Gilda approached him and his friends with Rainbow Dash. He remembered the wailing she gave to his friends and the hits Rainbow Dash gave on him. He managed to get away from them with his friends, but he was surprised and flabbergasted in himself for digging back into that. It was a bad day for him that day and he assumed the reasons for Rainbow's actions, but not Gilda. It was a mystery, but not one he wanted to be solved. He stayed out of sight as he listened to the two ramble about whatever they had to talk about. 

And since Rainbow Dash was distracted, this would be a perfect opportunity to sneak away on with his life. Drift smiled to himself as he quietly backed away and turned around.

“My little sister. Glinda; she's gone,” Gilda cried out as she grabbed Rainbow Dash's arms.

Rainbow Dash widened her eyes in shock. She's met Gilda's little sister a few times back at Griffonstone and got a chance to talk and play with her for a bit before she and Gilda got to hang out.

“Little Glinda is missing?” Rainbow Dash asked when Gilda responded with a worried nod. 

“I don't know where she is, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash removed Gilda's claws away from her arms, “Okay, when was the last time you saw her?” she asked.

Gilda collected some of her composure before answering her as calmly as possible, “Last time I saw her, I dropped her off at that small schoolhouse.”

Rainbow Dash took thought into what Gilda just said. She almost forgot Gilda and her little sister moved into Ponyville the other day and today was Glinda's first day of school. Some ideas came into mind as she placed a hoof under her chin. An instant smile formed on her face as her first guess came to fruition. She looked back at Gilda and nodded reassuringly.

“I think I might know where she is, but it's only a guess; I'm not always right on this kind of situation,” she chuckled at that little tease to herself.

Gilda puffed a sigh of relief as she calmed down and trusted Rainbow's word; at least she can take what she can get; it's better than nothing. She then took notice of the stallion a few feet away behind her friend, “Who's this guy?” she asked as she watched him flinch awkwardly as his fur stood up.

Rainbow Dash threw her head around and saw he was about to leave. She glared at Drift for attempting to leave before responding and reminding her griffon friend, “I'm surprised you don't remember Drift, Gilda.” she said in hopes of scaring Drift as punishment for even thinking they were done; he was so wrong on so many levels.

Gilda raised a brow and looked at Rainbow Dash confusingly. That name rang a little bell, but she had a hard time figuring out why. She gazed back at the stallion as he turned to face her showing a few hints of fear on his face. She picked up on this as she got a good look at his face. She tilted her head and pondered the moment she saw his eyes. The fear brought some satisfaction to her and she wanted to enjoy it, but it made her ask 'why?'. She still had that intimidation to this day and she was proud of that, but she wasn't really trying to scare either. This stallion really needed to lighten up, otherwise, he'd make the ground under him soggy.

“Drift?” Gilda said as she stood beside Rainbow Dash while she was just watched.

A look of fear and anxiety was brought upon Drift as he looked at Gilda. She looked almost exactly the same as she did back in highschool. The only difference he saw was her attitude and slightly muscular frame. She didn't sound as fierce as she did, but he needed to stay cautious around her. He then looked at Rainbow Dash as she sat there with a serious face. What hell was she trying to bring to him? He could feel his heart racing again, but he tried to remain calm as best he could. If this was another way for her to try and break him, she would need to do a lot more.

“Y-Yes, Gilda?” He responded as kindly, but with a bit of hesitation under his breath.

Gilda let out a brief sigh as she waved a reassuring talon, “Relax, scaredy-cat. I'm not going to slaughter you or anything. I just have a few questions.”

“Um, okay, and what's that?” Drift asked as kept his eyes on Gilda, trying hard not to shake.

Gilda rubbed the back her head, and asked, “Look, I know you're scared of me and I don't blame you, but I want to know why. Why are you scared of me?”

Drift now understood why Rainbow did what she did. He wanted to scold her back for putting him in this position. Someday, when the time comes, he will get her back for lifting Gilda's curiosity.

But he had no other choice left. He took a calm breath, cleared his throat and spoke to the griffon, “B-Because, I never forgot what you did to me and my friends back at Cloudsdale Highschool. You really did a number on us.” Drift said as he revealed to Gilda what she did back then.

Gilda reeled her head back and widen her eyes in confusion and shock. What was this guy talking about? It's been so long since she remembered her days back at that pony highschool. She hardly remembered her lunches let alone interactions with the other ponies. She was a loose cannon and cared less about what the other ponies thought of her; other than Rainbow Dash.

“What are you talking about, dude? My time at that Highschool wasn't all that great. The only fun I had was hangin' with Rainbow Dash, and--” she paused for a moment and thought about what Drift just said. She suddenly remembered one moment where Rainbow Dash asked her to join her in pummeling some stallions for some reason, but she never did care to know, or ask, what that the reason was. All she wanted was to have a little fun and she got a lot of it. That day was fun for her, but now she's changed. She pointed at Drift, and said in a surprising tone, “Wait, are you... no, it can't be.”

Drift slowly nodded to Gilda and ignored the smile Rainbow Dash had on her face, “Long time no see, Gilda.”

If there were any bells above her head, she'd hear the immense noises every gong. Everything was coming back to her.

Gilda threw her head forward as her irises shrank in realization, and said in a tone so shocked and so surprised, she thought she was seeing things, “Drift? Drift Velocity?!”

Drift nodded again, “The one and only.” he slightly cracked a smile and giggled a bit awkwardly.

Rainbow Dash kept her smile up as she spoke to them, much to Drift's dismay, “Yup, this guy is that Drift Velocity, Gilda. Been awhile, huh?” she gave her old friend a playful nudge on the shoulder.

She straightened her form, but her face remained the same. Gilda could not believe she didn't recognize Drift before; a look back wouldn't hurt now and then. She had to make a mental note of that.

“Yeah, I can hardly believe it's you. You look so different.”

Drift smiled a little wider, knowing Gilda was surprised and not wanting another round. She actually seemed excited; which was surprising. Maybe his anxiety got the better of him or something. But he still needed to keep his guard up just to make sure.

“And you look like you've hardly changed.” 

“I'll say. You were the only one that actually put up a fight. The scar on your face is pretty badass, too,” she complimented him, but then gave him an apologetic frown. “Sorry for what I did back then. I wasn't quite thinking straight and joined Rainbow Dash for the heck of it.”

The smile on Rainbow's face instantly retracted and became a mistaking frown.

Drift blinked from hearing that last part and looked over to Rainbow Dash then back at Gilda. His suspicion was back up when he asked, “Apology accepted, but you didn't ask why she wanted you to come with her?”

“No. I didn't even think of asking. I just jumped in to have some fun,” she looked at Rainbow Dash with a curious glance. She knew it was a long time ago, but ever since she's gotten older she's been thinking rationally and asking questions before jumping into action; it was more of the right thing than what she previously did. With her curiosity peaked, she had known what went through Rainbow Dash's mind, “Dash, why did you ask me to go with you?”

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda and tried to come up with ways to get out of this. She slightly panicked but kept her cool, or at least try to. If she were to tell Gilda her reason, she would...

...would she care?

Both Fluttershy and Gilda are her best friends, but they've met only a few times back in highschool and that one time where they bumped into each other in Ponyville. Gilda didn't care about anyone, except for her. 

What changed?

Aside from knowing this and that Glinda was with her, she felt bad for neglecting to know her own griffin friend had a change in attitude. It was great to know that Gilda moved into Ponyville; it meant she would spend more time with her instead of traveling back and forth from Griffinstone to Ponyville; she could really use the time.

“Well?” Gilda said, getting a little impatient with Rainbow's quiet behavior.

“I... uh...” she sighed and gathered some of her thoughts. “I...” 

“Say, Gilda,” Drift said, getting Gilda's attention. “Isn't there someone you two should be looking for?”

Gilda widens her eyes and gasped, “Oh crap, Glinda!” she turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash. “We still have to find her.”

“Oh, right. We almost forgot.”

“But we're not done talking about this. Once we find her, you are going to tell me your reason.” 

Rainbow Dash nodded to Gilda; she'll owe her that for what she tried to do. The look on her face when she'll realize what her reason was, or meet the reason if Glinda is there.

As Gilda turned, a smile formed on Rainbow's face at the thought. She didn't have to tell Gilda, she'll just show her. But she then looked at Drift shaking Gilda's claw as they said 'goodbye' to one another. Her smile became a suspicious frown.

What was Drift planning?

Gilda dispersed her eagle wings and took off. Drift watched with a calm smile before a neon hoof aggressively poked him in the chest.

“Why did you butt in like that?” Rainbow asked sternly.

Drift rolled his eyes and quietly, but firmly, told Rainbow, “Gilda has no business knowing what you're trying to do right now; she has her own problems to deal with. If she finds out, that's fine. I don't really care.”

“Oh, like how you don't care about Fluttershy?”

“That's not what I-- ...” Drift paused his sentence and glared at Rainbow Dash. Anger swelled inside and he felt his urge to argue with Rainbow increased. He didn't want to talk about this any further, but he knew this persistent mare wouldn't stop until he cracked. He bit his lip and groaned, stopping himself from causing a scene, “Just go with Gilda and leave me alone. My shift is over thanks to you.”

Rainbow Dash glared at Drift with an annoyed snarl. She hated the fact that he was right, and her pride wouldn't let her admit it. She will get him to crack and she will make him see his wrongs because what he did to her best friend will not slide. She will bring him to her, maybe question Tree Hugger along the way.

This wrong will be right and she'll not rest until it's fixed.

Gilda calls out to Rainbow Dash as Rainbow Dash gazed up at her friend, “Coming,” she said to Gilda before looking back at Drift. “This isn't over, Drift.”

“I think it is,” Drift glared at Rainbow as she walked around him. He kept his glare on her as she took to the air and flew with Gilda.

Drift Velocity shook his head and sighed in relief. He walked up and entered back to his post until he looked up at the clock tower and groaned disappointingly.

“Dammit. Evening,” he cursed himself before closing up shop. He couldn't believe Rainbow Dash took all his time away from work and almost embarrassed him in front of Gilda and other ponies that unexpectedly, or unintentionally, happened to hear them. At least he got that crazy mare away from him, that's one good thing. Well, then again, that one talk with Scootaloo was nice. He chuckled to himself and remembered how she and her friends always came through and talked about Celestia knows what.

Scootaloo was as energetic as he was when he was younger. It was quite a surprise. Drift sighed again as he packed up the for the day and placed the closed sign on the stand. He reached under the stand and pulled out a decent sized pouch with his hard earned bits. He almost forgot about that third best thing. He was happy his boss didn't forget. Rocky did have a tendency to forget now and then.

He slipped on his bag and placed his pouch of bits inside until he heard something drop with a small thud He turned around and saw a small, half-broken heart stone with a picture attached to the back.

He picked it up and looked at the stone before he gazed at the picture. A small, apologetic, frightened frown formed as he kept his gaze on the picture.

“I'm so sorry,” he said to himself as he placed the stone and picture back in his bag. “I know you'll be angry, but I'm not ready to face you yet.” He zipped the tent shut and walked away.

“I hope you'll forgive me when I see you again.”
> The Tension Of Past Regrets (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh gosh, that's a scary punishment, Fluttershy,” Glinda said, wincing.

Fluttershy smiled a shook her head with an assuring smile, and said, “Oh, don't worry, Angel wasn't hurt. I'd never do that to him” but it was her job to have lessons taught. “I just had to remind Angel that harmful pranks are not permitted.” If a prank such as an exploding muffin were to happen again, she'd just have her other animal friends like Harry the bear or Luca the wolf scare the tar out of him.

Glinda could only imagine, but she couldn't shake the urge to ask, “Wasn't it an accident?”

Fluttershy nodded, confirming her thoughts, “Oh yes, it was an accident, but it was an accident that harmed Scootaloo,” she swerved a spoon in her tea that she was holding, having a somewhat protective and saddened look at she glanced at her reflection in the tea. “I can tolerate mild pranks, but pranks like that is when I draw the line.”

She sighed softly. She loved her pet, but she can't have him pulling any more pranks now that Scootaloo is in their lives. There were many sacrifices, but those sacrifices gained new attributes. She knew some of her animal friends still haven't gotten used to Scootaloo, but progress wasn't that easy; for the most part. She still couldn't believe Scootaloo adapted rather easily to her new home and playing with some of the animals. It still baffles her, but she couldn't be any more proud.

“So what happened to him after that accident?” Glinda asked curiously.

Fluttershy smiled and chuckled softly, yet sounded a bit deviously too, “I had some of my other animal friends give him a scare tactic,” she wasn't gonna say which animal but it was enough to give an answer. “He learned his lesson after that.”

The little griffon blinked and looked at the window leading the backyard. Unfortunately for Fluttershy, Glinda was curious to know what creature scared Angel. She didn't see any other animals aside from that... big.. monster outside...

Glinda shook in fear as she looked back to Fluttershy, and asked, “D-Did you use that big, scaly monster to scare him?”

Fluttershy took a moment to think of what Glinda meant. It didn't take long as she gasped and quickly shook her head, “Oh no, Glinda. Varan wasn't around when the incident happened.” She tried to reassure the little griffon, noticing the frightened and paranoid glance. Whatever Varan did to scare her, he did a good job. She didn't know if Varan intended to scare her or not; all she knew was the story Scootaloo told her.

“Oh, okay,” Glinda said as she slowly calmed down.

Fluttershy looked at Glinda concerned. Having been through that ordeal, there was no doubt in her mind Glinda was gonna tell Gilda about it; she was starting to get nervous again. What if Gilda took it the wrong way and blamed her for everything? Would she attack her and Scootaloo? These thoughts were clawing at her like a cat with a scratch post. She didn't know what to do once Gilda shows up. But then something clicked once she focused on what the little griffon was looking at before. Fluttershy looked to see the back door and immediately realized Glinda was scared of.

A soft chuckle and warm smile appeared as Fluttershy looked back at Glinda, “Glinda?” the timid griffon looked up at Fluttershy with a confused, yet adorable, look. “I know what you might be thinking: Are you scared of Varan?” she asked with a soft, non-pressured tone.

It wasn't a big response, but Glinda shyly tucked her head against her tuft of fur before slightly nodding to her, and barely said, “Y-Yes, he's very... s-scary.”

Fluttershy can vouch for that. When Varan first came into the picture, she had a tough time getting used to the big lizard and always thought he would attack and devour any of her other animals. She was thankful he didn't, somehow. In fact, looking at him reminded her of those creatures that once roamed Equestria 65 million years ago; but that was not the case. Varan was not one of them and he was here with them. Glinda has every right to be scared of him and she understood, but not when it comes to Scootaloo. Varan is Scootaloo's pet and has been since day one. The first two days had been rocky with how Varan would growl at her daughter and claw at her a few times.

She almost had a heart attack when she remembered Varan chomping down on Scootaloo's tail and hoisting her up like how a bat would hang upside down. She heard Scootaloo scream but turn into a laugh after. She would've gotten in there to save her daughter but Varan didn't move a muscle. He just stood there and let Scootaloo swing as he held. He placed her down afterward, but that was still a dangerous thing for him to do, maybe? Varan was a mystery to her. Then again, befriending an animal was a piece of cake to Fluttershy and seeing Scootaloo bond with a huge komodo dragon was a really impressive step up to her; albeit a scary step up at that. But she was proud, worried and hesitant, but proud. She thought a ferret or parakeet would've been a great start, but it didn't go as planned. Scootaloo wanted something big and extreme, so she got it.

Fluttershy gently placed a hoof on Glinda's head and caused Glinda to look at a soft smile and a kind face, “I know he seems scary, but I can assure you he won't hurt you.”

Glinda was still unsure about that. She knew Fluttershy would handle animals, but surely not an animal like that, “H-How do you know?” Glinda asked.

“You're not hurt are you?”

“N-no.”

“There you go,” Fluttershy removed her hoof and chuckled as Glinda blinked a few times before letting out a tiny chirp. A smile slowly formed as she looked at the element of kindness.

“Y-You're right,” she looked back at the back door with a little smile, believing what Fluttershy said. “He didn't hurt me at all.”

“He just scooped you up with his snout and lent you to me and Scootaloo. He didn't do anything after that,” Fluttershy revealed getting an amazed, sparkling look from the little griffon. Fluttershy smiled again, d'awwing mentally.

“That's a relief,” Glinda said before feeling something crawl on her right haunch. She looked down and saw a light brown fuzzy thing with eight gray legs crawl on her. It stopped as Glinda looked at it curiously and confused; eight red eyes shot open and blinked in unison.

Glinda widened her eyes and her face went paler than her fur. A large spider crawled on her.

Fluttershy saw the spider and smiled before hearing Glinda squeal and jump faster than Rainbow Dash's take offs and land in her arms. Fluttershy held her as the spider flipped 360 and landed on its legs with perfect footing.

“S-s-spider!” Glinda cried as she pointed at it only to hear a little laugh from Fluttershy. Glinda looked up at Fluttershy confused.

“Oh, don't worry. That's just Mr. Fuzzy Legs,” Fluttershy said as Mr. Fuzzy Legs waved a friendly front leg at them. “He won't harm you either. He's a Tarantula. And Tarantulas are very friendly.”

Glinda just looked at Mr. Fuzzy Legs as if she saw a demon and thought Fluttershy was nuts. In what world does she think spiders are friendly? Glinda wasn't a fan of spiders. Their eight eyes and how they moved around was very unsettling to her. And seeing a spider as big as Mr. Fuzzy Legs was not helping her ease her fear.

“Hello to you too, Mr. Fuzzy Legs.” Fluttershy greeted.

Her hunches might be right, either Fluttershy was secretly the bravest mare in the world or she was the craziest pony she's ever met in her life. Glinda couldn't tell. She just kept her eyes glued to the spider until she and Fluttershy saw him pointing to the back door.

“What is it, Mr. Fuzzy Legs?” she looked at her arachnid friend as he gestured as best he could to her. Though Fluttershy figured it out rather easily, “Angel and five other animals are near Varan?” That was odd. Most of the animals around her cottage tend to stay away from Varan; well, maybe except for Harry, but she has no idea if they met or not. This peaked her curiosity as she gently placed Glinda down, much to Glinda's dismay.

Mr. Fuzzy Legs jumped on Fluttershy without causing her to flinch. Glinda just sat there as she saw that, wishing she hadn't.

“Glinda, would you like to meet some of my other animal friends?” Fluttershy asked out of the blue.

The little griffon hesitated, seeing that Fluttershy might have more animals she would probably see in her nightmares. She thought Varan and Mr. Fuzzy Legs were scary monsters, but the possibilities of more were actually frightening. She looked away in thought before looking back to see Fluttershy with an assuring smile. Maybe she was overthinking things.

Glinda smiled a bit and nodded to the kind mare, and said with a quick chirp, “Okay.”

Fluttershy nodded back to her as she said, “Just stay by my side, alright? I'll make sure to let them know you're not used to them.” Glinda just nodded as she walked by her side. Mr. Fuzzy Legs crawling to the other side of Fluttershy so he would not scare the guest.

They walked to the back door as Fluttershy opened it. The sun was shining brightly on them but they still headed out. When their vision's cleared, they looked ahead but didn't expect to see a strange but surprising result. Fluttershy's friends' pets were in her backyard playing with Angel and Varan.

“Um, Fluttershy? Are those your animal friends?” Glinda asked confusedly.

“N-Not at all. Those animals belong to my friends,” Fluttershy said as Glinda gasped a little before hooking her gaze back onto them. When did they get here? Fluttershy looked on in confusion for a second before shrugging it off. It didn't matter anyway. Just like her other animal friends, Winona, Tank, Opal, and the others were always welcomed here. But it still baffled her why they aren't scared of Varan. Either way, if they aren't scared, why question it?

Fluttershy giggled as she looked to Glinda, “Come on, I'll go introduce you.” Glinda chirped excitedly as she and Fluttershy headed to the animals...

… until Varan caught sight of them.

“Finally, almost home,” Scootaloo said, happy that the grocery shopping was done and excited to go back and hopefully see if that griffon is awake. That whole ordeal with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon really didn't go so well for her. Then again, when has anything with been good with those two?

Tree Hugger chuckled as they walked away from Ponyville, “Excited are we?” She probably had a few guesses, but she'll let the little filly talk. Her aura was brimming with positive vibes.

“You bet I'm excited. I can make a friend and have her play with me and Varan.”

The smile on Scootaloo's face said it all. Though to her surprise, Scootaloo expressed herself a lot more than her mother does. Sometimes she would keep to herself, but she was improving as time progressed. That was one difference between the two. Must be traits of the father. She then worried. Not because of a horrific event that might not happen, but because someone was willing to make it happen.

“So, what are you planning to do once you see Glinda?” Tree Hugger asked curiously so she could take her mind off of her thoughts.

Scootaloo thought about that for a moment, “Huh? Good question.” She was excited to play and make friends with Glinda but never thought of what they were gonna play.

“Maybe tag, hide and seek, or – wait,” a huge thought just occurred to her the moment they reached the small bridge to the cottage. Tree Hugger looked at her confused. “I think Glinda might still be scared of Varan. He did make a scary entrance after all.” Though she knew he couldn't help it since his size is nearly on par Celestia's size.

Tree Hugger shook her head and cracked a little, assuring smile, “I think you have nothing to worry about, little shy,” she said receiving an odd look from Scootaloo.

“Little Shy?”

As if she hadn't heard Scootaloo, Tree Hugger continued, “I believe your mother has that covered.” She nodded to herself, “With all the time she had, she would've buffed that griffon's mind so she would not fear the animal.” Whether big or small that looked terrifying to other ponies, her friend would always find ways to make sure animals of any kind would not mean harm to ponies; though a rogue one is a different story.

Scootaloo was having a hard time believing that. Her mother may have helped other ponies and animals, but she's never helped a griffon before; neither as herself, but she was willing to try.

“If you say so, Tree Hugger,” She said as she walked up to the cottage with the groceries. As they did, they were unaware of two other figures following them in the sky.

The door closes as Rainbow Dash and Gilda land right as it did.

“Aw man, so close,” Rainbow Dash said slightly disappointed in herself. “If only we made it earlier.”

Gilda chuckled and rolled her eyes, “Does everything have to be a race with you, Dash?”

“Not all the time,” Gilda raised a brow at her. Rainbow Dash smiled innocently but came clean, knowing Gilda wasn't going to buy any of it, “Okay, almost all the time.”

“I thought so,” Gilda teased as Rainbow Dash lightly and playfully punched her arm before she curiously glanced at the cottage in front of them.

“So, this is Fluttershy's place?”

“Yup, this is the place.” Rainbow Dash said before chuckling. “Not as awesome as my home, but it's nice.”

Nice is putting it lightly. Gilda didn't know what to say about it. This was her first time seeing it and she had to admit it was more bizarre looking than the rest in Ponyville. She thought they were somewhat alright with colorful roofs and decorative plants, but it mostly bland to her. Heck, homes like hers were nest-like and very comfortable for perching; it was almost themed in a way. But Fluttershy's home looked nothing like her old home and the homes in Ponyville. This cottage had tile tan chimney with two birdhouses on it, a roof with dozens of leaves to make it look like a giant bush or shrub, four or five windows, another birdhouse over the door and a bridge in front of it with a smooth sounding creek under it. Though the dozens of extra birdhouses were fairly odd; the urge to insult this place was growing, and yet it didn't come out. It's as if her words hung on to a thread.

“Are you sure Glinda's here, Dash?” Gilda asked her to make sure until something came to her before glanced down.

Rainbow Dash nodded proudly “Sure, I'm sure. Scootaloo seemed excited to head back here, so I assumed your little sister might be here, too.” Though her subconscious said otherwise. This was actually the only guess she had. She had no other ideas and if Glinda wasn't at Fluttershy's house, then she'd probably be in a lot of trouble. She mentally sighed, hoping Glinda was here.

“Alright, here goes nothing. You ready... Gilda?” Rainbow Dash looked at her friend in sudden confusion.

Gilda stood beside her with a hesitant look in her eyes. She felt a slight pain in her chest and gently gripped her tuffed fur with one claw. Something was wrong. Her body felt cold all of a sudden. She's never felt something like this before and she didn't like it. She heard Rainbow Dash, but couldn't answer; her voice was caught in the back of her throat. What was going on?

A cyan hoof to her arm brought her out of unknown state. She looked to see Rainbow Dash concerned.

“Hey, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“Y-Yes. I'm fine. It's just... I don't know what went wrong there,” She had no clue why it happened so sudden. Was it because of this place? Or something else. Either way, she had a goal: find Glinda and bring her small furry butt back home. She didn't want to go through this again.

“Well, I'm sure what ever it was can be solved later. Come on, we have to find your sister,” Rainbow Dash said as she approached the door as Gilda followed behind now thinking of what just happened.

Rainbow Dash eagerly knocked on the door and waited as Gilda stood next to her, waiting as well. A nudge from Rainbow Dash snapped Gilda out of her thoughts. She nodded in thanks to the rainbow-maned pegasus until someone finally answered the door. Rainbow Dash cracked a friendly smile as the door opened. Gilda wasn't too surprised, but Rainbow Dash's smile shifted to a slight frown upon who answered.

“You?!”

Tree Hugger wasn't too thrilled either. She sensed extra auras arriving and was quick to answer the door before anyone else could, “Hello, Rainbow Dash.”

“Didn't know you were gonna be here,” Rainbow Dash said with an unamused tone. She hadn't forgotten what she did back in Ponyville. When she has the time, she'll set her straight, even if she's Fluttershy's friend.

“I'm here for a visit. I haven't seen Fluttershy in, like, so long. I couldn't contain my elation.”

Gilda blinked a few times at this strange pony and tilted her head slightly. Of all the ponies she's seen, this mare was probably the second weirdest pony she's met; the first being Pinkie Pie being how energetic and happy-go-lucky she was. But unlike her, this mare sounded very mellow, but defensive for some reason. Who is she? She didn't seem to notice her when she and Rainbow Dash talked, or somewhat of it. Have they met before? If her current situation wasn't confusing enough, this was surely a reaching a new level. She had to step in and stop them; there were goals she needed to do, after all.

“Um, excuse me?” Gilda said breaking the conversation before receiving a shocked look from the weird mare.

“Whoa, my bad. Didn't see you there. My aura must've been tainted with negative vibes,” Tree Hugger chuckled a bit, but Rainbow Dash took it as a jab to her.

“Yeah, um, I don't know what that means, but I was wondering if a little griffon named Glinda was here?” Gilda asked rather calmly. Making fun of this mare would've been so easy to do and it would've been so much fun, but she recalled that wasn't the right thing to do. She was above that now and felt proud of herself for the things she's recently done, like amend with Drift. That's was one on her list, now there's probably a lot more, but she'll do that later.

“Oh, the little shy one?”

Gilda let out a small groan and faceclawed herself. She may be more mature, but there were old habits that remained with her. One of those being that griffons were not 'shy' creature; they were strong and brave. To hear something like this was just not the least bit cool. When they get home, she'll have to teach her younger sister how to be tougher.

“Yes, that would be--” then what the mare just said came to her in a flash “--Wait, she's here?” Gilda widened her eyes in surprise as she beamed them at Tree Hugger.

Tree Hugger nodded, confirming her answer, “Yes, she is playing in the backyard with Fluttershy and Little Shy.”

Rainbow Dash gave Tree Hugger a confused, odd look, “Little Shy?” Scootaloo was anything but shy. She was like a miniature her in every way. The thought of Scootaloo being shy was just idiotic. She was more like Drift than anything.

Gilda smiled ecstatically and sighed in relief. Rainbow Dash was right. Her luck paid off and a lot of time was saved. She'll thank her later. She was just happy Glinda was alright.

“Oh, thank the griffon king,” Gilda said in a calm tone. “I'm sorry if she caused you any trouble. I'm here to pick her up and--”

“Oh no, no. Your little sister hasn't done any harm, Gilda. She's been like a little flower to us.”

Hearing that caused a great deal of pressure to release. Gilda didn't know whether to thank her or apologize again. This mare may be weird, but she was alright and very cooperative. She can respect that. Wait, did she just say her name?

“How did you know my name?” Gilda asked.

“All will be answered when you see your little sister. She's waiting for you.” Tree Hugger moved out of the way and allowed Gilda to pass.

Okay, now the weirdness just kicked up a notch with this mare. She gave the mare a confused, awkward look before passing by her. From hearing her voice and the words she spewed out, she didn't know what to think, just that 'What has this mare been smoking?' she thought as she walked to the back door of the cottage.

Rainbow Dash was about to follow Gilda, but a lime-green hoof blocked her way, making her flinch.

“Hey, what's the deal?” Rainbow Dash said with a snarl.

Tree Hugger glared daggers at Rainbow Dash. Sensing the auras of the two, Gilda was just here for Glinda. But she could tell, even without seeing her aura, Rainbow was still intent on telling Fluttershy the truth about Scootaloo's father; she will not let that happen.

“I know what you're planning to do. It's not a good idea.”

Rainbow Dash raised an agitated brow, “Not a good idea? What are you talking about?”

“Telling Scootaloo and Fluttershy about that stallion. I know that's Scootaloo's father and if you, like, tell Fluttershy, there will be a traumatic storm for not just them.”

“What storm?” Rainbow Dash asked sternly. “And you can't keep them from knowing. They have to know eventually.”

Tree Hugger shook her head with a stern glare, “No. What you are trying to bring to dangerous. I'm willing to protect them.”

“What are you? Some kind of bodyguard?” Rainbow Dash shoved Tree Hugger's arm away. “You may be Fluttershy's new friend, but I've known her longer than you have. You can't stop me from telling her,” Rainbow Dash walks passed Tree Hugger, not even glancing back.

Tree Hugger glared again. She was not one to fight. She was a pacifist, but she will do what she can to prevent this stubborn mare from telling Fluttershy the truth.

Gilda reached for the knob until a new voice caught her attention.

“Gilda?”

She turned to see a little orange filly approach her. She raised a curious brow before getting an idea who it might be. Orange fur, purple mane, and tail, abnormally tiny wings? Yup, this was that filly Rainbow Dash told her about.

“Oh hey, um, Scootaloo, right?” she turned and sat as Scootaloo nodded and stood in front of her. An excited smile forming on her face.

“The one and only,” Scootaloo said buzzing her wings briefly like a hummingbird. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Gilda chuckled a bit, liking this little filly already, “Finally, huh? Did Rainbow Dash tell you about me?” that got a nod from Scootaloo. But it also hit her that what Scootaloo just said is exactly what Drift said when they saw each other again. Probably a coincidence.

“Yup, she told me about a lot of things, like how you two met and how you two became buddies.”

If there's one thing that hasn't changed about herself it was her ego, sort of, she would brag about how she and Dash became friends but hearing Scootaloo mention this was just adorable, “Well, that's neat to hear. She also told me a few things about you, too. How you try to get your cutie mark and how you aren't afraid of anything,” She said recalling the time they hung out and Rainbow Dash mentioned an energetic little filly that goes on adventures with two other fillies. She thought it was somewhat adorable.

Scootaloo's smile widens, happy to know her idol mentions her to Gilda. In fact, she wondered if, since she's friends with Rainbow Dash, she could be friends with her, too. She's already made friends with Glinda the moment she went outside when she and Tree Hugger got back from the grocery stores. And she was right to say that she wasn't scared of anything. She let out a proud snort, boasting a little, “Yup, I ain't scared of nothing. Not even scared of the animals around here.”

Gilda held in a chuckle and nodded, playing along with imagination, “I bet you are. Not scared of all the squirrels and birds, huh?” Gilda joked in a not-too-obvious tone.

Scootaloo looked at Gilda confused by that. Squirrels and birds? There were more than just them here. Perhaps she shouldn't waste time and show her.

“There are more than just squirrels and birds here, Gilda. Fluttershy takes care of other animals, too.”

Gilda raised a brow again, knowing full well there were more animals. Guess she needed work on making a joking tone, “Was just making a joke, kid. What animals do Fluttershy care for anyway?”

Scootaloo smiled, happy to hear that question, instead of telling, “How about I show you, instead. Glinda is out there playing with my pet and my mom,” Scootaloo said as Gilda watched her open the door.

“Oh alright. And I'm glad my-- wait, mom?” Gilda said before looking outside to see the backyard.

They walked outside. Scootaloo turned to glance at Gilda as she eyed the large, peaceful forest in front of her. Her eyes widened again. The wide open field and the lush greenery the forest provided was amazing. She's lived in a mountain region full on other griffons for so long that she's never seen something like this. Well, she's seen forests, but never been in one. While her old home was dry-looking with hot temperatures, this forest was cool and full of life. It was almost alien to her. And Fluttershy lived here? Glinda was here?!

Gilda looked around until she immediately heard Glinda laugh. She looked in front of her and she not only saw said squirrels and birds but she saw other animals like chipmunks, deer, weasels, an owl? a dog? a cat? a turtle? And a baby alligator? Unusual animals to be here but Gilda wasn't going to complain. She even saw Fluttershy tending to an injured snake. But excitement filled her mind when she saw Glinda sit on a weird-looking log rubbing the cat as it relaxed.

“Glinda!” Gilda called out.

Glinda, Fluttershy, and the animals all looked back at the cottage to see Scootaloo and a new face next to her. The animals had a bit of concern floating around. They never had an older griffon come here and when they heard the young griffon call out, they assumed she might've known her.

“Gilda!” Glinda called out in excitement. She was happy to see her older sister finally here. She waved at her but didn't move from her spot.

Gilda was curious about that, but her relief and joy overtook it as she rushed up to meet her younger sister. The animals scurried away as Gilda approached. When she did,  the log began to move as a reptilian head lifted high in the air and turned, facing her. Gilda gasped in sheer shock as she skids to a stop before tripping over herself and landing inches away from her sister.

“Gilda, are you okay?” Glinda peeked over, looking down Gilda with confused, innocent eyes.

Gilda lifted herself up and shook the dirt off her. She groaned and rubbed her head as she held it before feeling a puff of hot air blow on the left side of her head. She let out a short, quick chicken bawk as she opened one eye. She didn't want to look but she had to make sure she wasn't imagining things either. She glanced one shocked eye to her left, and now she wishes she hadn't. She whimpered occasionally before screaming in fear and flying herself back and away from the monster Glinda was sitting on. Her trajectory was off and she ended up landing on her back. She lifted herself with her front arms as the monster rose up and gave her a confused look.

“What is that thing?!” Gilda asked in a panic. She's never seen a creature like this before. Nor has she seen one that would possibly give a Manticore a run back to where it came from.

Glinda hopped off of Varan and walked up to her sister, “Gilda, it's okay. He won't hurt you,” She said trying to reassure her older sister, but it looked like it wasn't working as Gilda kept her terrified gaze at Varan.

Scootaloo quickly rushed up to the griffons and stood next to Glinda and helped her convince Gilda that her pet wasn't a monster, “She's right. Varan won't hurt you. He's a lot friendlier than he looks.” Probably not the best choice, but that's all that came to mind.

“Friendly? Friendly?!” Gilda stood back up and glanced at the two young ones. Her heart racing a mile a minute while staying on guard as she talked. “How is that thing friendly?” Gilda pointed a talon claw at Varan and prompted a defensive hiss from the giant Komodo. He thought that was a sign of assault.

Scootaloo heard the hiss and looked to Varan before approaching him and waving her hooves to get his attention, “Varan, eyes on me, buddy.” Scootaloo called out and it thankfully worked. Varan craned his head down at Scootaloo to see what she wanted, only to have her hug his snout randomly. It should distract him long enough so he wouldn't turn Gilda into a buffet.

Glinda tried to come up with an answer for her but had a hard time doing so, because she didn't know Varan at all. Fluttershy only managed to convince her that he wouldn't hurt her and he hasn't, “Because... because...”

“Because he knows peace here,” a soft, confident and familiar voice took over, getting everyone's attention.

Gilda gazed and saw Fluttershy approach them with a straight face; the snake she healed slithered away with a bandage on its snout. Her panic instantly faded when that feeling from before came back. Now she remembered what caused it. It was easy apologizing to Drift, but now... this was different. Gilda did her best to calm down as Fluttershy stood behind Scootaloo and Glinda.

Suddenly, things got quiet. It was as if a shift took a huge turn. Gilda looked away and hung her head in guilt. Here she was, meeting Fluttershy again. The very same pegasus she bumped into before... and roared in her face. She didn't know what to say. She saw her face and could probably tell she wasn't happy. She had to say something. Something to break the silence.

“H-hey, Fluttershy,” Gilda greeted as she looked at her with awkward, fake innocent eyes.

Fluttershy noticed the look in Gilda's eyes and wasn't buying it. She figured she still remembered that day, but what threw her off was the fact that she wasn't boasting about it. Her eyes spelled guilt. Granted, it was awkward for her, too, since Scootaloo and Glinda were between them. She'll talk to Gilda about it later, right now was playtime for the kids and the animals; or at least for some. Her own animal friends took off; probably scared. Twilight's pet and the rest of her friend's pets remained here either stand in front of or resting on Varan's back. She'll make small talk with Gilda, for now.

“Hello, Gilda. It's nice to meet you again,” Fluttershy greeted politely and hopefully lifted some pressure from Gilda. Something changed in her and she wanted to know what and why.

“Likewise,” Gilda said as Varan, Scootaloo, and Glinda looked at them one after another like clueless infants.

“Have you two met before?” Glinda asked curiously.

“Yes, we have. We met before.”

“Back as far as high school,” Gilda revealed, receiving stumped looks from the young ones and even a bewildered look from Fluttershy. Gilda nodded to Fluttershy in hopes she would remember. Thankfully she did and the kind pegasus smiled and nodded to her.

“Yes, back at Cloudsdale High.”

“Woah,” Scootaloo and Glinda said with glittering eyes, happy to know of this revelation.

Angel wiggled his snout and crossed his arms, not liking this new face showing up. Or was it a new face? He recalled Fluttershy coming back home once crying fountains out of nowhere. He had no clue what was going on until his owner told him what happened. He wasn't happy with what he heard. She told him it was a griffon, but he didn't care. If anyone made Fluttershy cry, he'd have some ideas up his sleeves to get them back. He peered towards his friends who just kept their attention on Gilda; well, just Owlowicious and Tank. Winona was scratching her ear and Opal was pawing at Gummy's tail. Gummy doesn't seem to notice. He then gazed at Varan who just kept his snout close to Scootaloo. Okay, maybe ideas with their help probably won't happen, so a new plan had to be in order.

“So, um, h-how've you been?” Gilda asked Fluttershy awkwardly.

“Hmm? Oh, I'm doing great,” Fluttershy said telling Gilda some good news that brought relief to her mind. “Scootaloo, Tree Hugger and I have been taking good care of Glinda while you were away.”

While she was away? She had no clue where to find Fluttershy's place, let alone find any other places around Ponyville. Almost all the buildings in that town were practically the same. She was just lucky that Rainbow Dash's guess lead her to the right direction. But it did seem odd that Fluttershy would say that.

“You sound like I know where you live, Dwe – I mean, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy raised a confused brow and tilted her head as she asked, “You didn't know where I lived?”

Gilda shook her head and shrugged, “I came here with Rainbow Dash because she guessed Glinda would be here.”

That got some unusual looks from Scootaloo and Fluttershy. Scootaloo thought it was awesome that Rainbow Dash guessed only once where Glinda was and got it right; it would take more or so from her until she'd finally get it right. And she'd be the same if she was in Rainbow's hooves.

Fluttershy thought otherwise. Rainbow Dash guessed where Glinda was? That wasn't really the right way to go. There could've been other ways to know where Glinda was. Guessing was just one in a million. Gilda was very lucky that Glinda ended up here, otherwise, she'd be in circles around Ponyville with Rainbow Dash looking for her. Fluttershy shook her head in disappointment but she was happy that the guess was right.

Glinda looked around for Rainbow Dash until Tank flew down and landed next to her. She then looked at her sister and curiously said, “Where is Rainbow Dash, Gilda?”

“And where's Tree Hugger,” Scootaloo said. “She'd be out here by now.”

Gilda tilted her head before looking back at Fluttershy's cottage and guessed, “Guess they're still in the house. They were talking about something, but I didn't bother to listen.” She looked back at the ponies and Glinda only to see the tortoise next to Gilda suddenly fly by her and head to the cottage. She followed her gaze on the flying reptile confusedly before it went through the doggy door.

“Should I even--”

“That's just Tank. Rainbow Dash and mom gave him a little propeller so he can fly,” Scootaloo explained as Glinda walked up to Gilda and sat next to her, staying close.

Gilda looked back at Scootaloo and nodded, understanding that now, “Oh, okay. Dash told me about her pet, but I didn't expect it to be a turtle.”

“Tortoise,” Glinda innocently corrected her.

“Whatever,” Gilda calmly retorted until she saw the animals behind her. The white rabbit to the giant lizard behind them. If she was told Fluttershy cared for animals, she should've asked, “So, what kind of animals do you take care of, Fluttershy?” She asked as she nervously looked at Varan.

“Oh, did Scootaloo tell you what I do?” Fluttershy asked before seeing her daughter smile a bit at her.

“Not really. She just brought me out here and then I saw you with other animals and my sister.”

“Oh, well, alright,” Fluttershy cleared her throat and did her best to explain what her job is around her home. “I am an animal caretaker. I care for many species animals. Like Angel Bunny, Mr. Fuzzy legs, Varan on occasions, Mr. Slithers and Harry.”

Glinda and Gilda looked at each other for a moment before both of them asked at the same time, “Who's Harry?”

Scootloo interrupted Fluttershy, eager as to answer for her, “Oh Harry? He's --”

A low, rough, growl-like roar emitted from within the forest behind them.

“-- Him.”

A cold feeling of fear and panic washed over Gilda and Glinda as they and Fluttershy and Scootaloo looked at the trees behind them a few feet away. The mane pets looked as well, but they weren't scared; Varan, however, was more angered than scared. Fluttershy and Scootaloo smiled casually as an old friend made his presence known. Out from the trees came a large brown, furry figure in the form of a grizzly bear. The bear let out an echoing roar before immediately charging at the group.

Gilda felt her heart plunge into her throat as she reached for Glinda so they can get the heck out of there, but Scootaloo stopped her just in time right as Fluttershy flew towards the bear. The large grizzly bear stopped and growled at Fluttershy as Fluttershy landed in front of the large ursa.

“Fluttershy!” Gilda called out. Glinda covered her eyes before hearing nothing afterward. She then peeked one eye to see. Scootaloo looked back to see her mother as the griffons looked on in confusion.

The grizzly bear did not attack Fluttershy. It instead gave her a lick on the cheek and a gentle nuzzle. Fluttershy giggled and hugged the bear's snout.

“Oh Harry, it's good to see you too. Where have you been?” Fluttershy asked as Harry let out some little, soft groaning purrs, talking to her while Fluttershy nodded. “Oh, I see. You got distracted by honey, again.” she smiled and giggled in amusement before rubbing the bear's snout. “No wonder your breath smells like honey.” she teased her bear friend while Gilda and Glinda just watched on as if Fluttershy became the craziest pony to ever exist.

“She's talking to a bear. A big, bloodthirsty bear.” Gilda pointed a shaking talon at them.

Glinda sat there stiff as a wooden board; her fear cranked to eleven. If that spider from before didn't scare her, this surely did. “She... she didn't tell me she had a flipping bear.” She was just getting used to Varan. Did Fluttershy plan for her to meet the bear next?

The two griffons had so many questions about this that it was hard to choose. That is until Scootaloo started laughing at how they were acting. They looked at her confused and bewildered. Why wasn't she scared?

“Scootaloo? Why aren't you scared?” Glinda asked.

Scootaloo laughed a little more before slowly calming herself down so she can explain, “Well, for one thing, Harry isn't like that. He's too nice to be 'bloodthirsty'. And I'm not scared because of two reasons: one, I've met Harry before and was never scared of him. Two, I have a pet Komodo Dragon. That should've given you some clues, Glinda.” Glinda soon calmed down and realized Scootaloo was right. She showed no fear towards Varan when he came out of his burrow.

Gilda looked at Scootaloo as if she was insane just like Fluttershy, 'Nice?! Which part of that sharp-clawed, fang-bearing killing machine is nice?!' Gilda thought as she started to panic. All that was racing through her mind was that she didn't want to be dinner for that bear... and the giant lizard sitting behind Scootaloo, and that she really wanted to head back inside with Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger, because now that she knows that dangerous animals like Varan and Harry were around she wanted Glinda and herself to be somewhere safe.

Fluttershy overheard Scootaloo and looked back, “Oh no, Scootaloo. You've been scared of Harry, too. I remember you coming out here one day to play with Angel Bunny while I was helping some ferrets recover,” Fluttershy recalled. “One minute I finished with Mrs. Ferret's injury, the next I hear you screaming and crying back into the house shouting 'Bear, bear, bear!'”

Scootaloo immediately blushed as red as a tomato when her mother told that story, “Mom!” Scootaloo felt embarrassed, but Fluttershy kept going.

Gilda beamed her eyes on Scootaloo in shock. At first, she thought her ears were playing tricks on her but it turned out to be true. Was Scootaloo adopted? Did Glinda find out? Did Rainbow Dash know about this? There were so many questions in her mind, she couldn't pick just one.

“I had quite a while to teach you about the animals here. Harry, especially.” Fluttershy said as she giggled before softly grabbing both of Harry's cheeks and rubbing snouts, “It took her a while for her to realize that Harry isn't mean at all.  He's just a big ol' soft teddy bear. Isn't that right, Harry?”

Harry gave a cooing purr as an answer before giving his loving caretaker another lick on the cheek, making her giggle.

Scootaloo blushed embarrassingly before hearing a chuckle come from Glinda. Scootaloo pouted and made her wings buzz out of frustration, “Not funny.”

Angel watched Harry and Fluttershy and took a moment to think. Maybe Harry would be a perfect opportunity to use against Gilda. He rubbed his paws together and chuckled evilly. Maybe get the grizzly to think Gilda was attacking one of them would convince the bear to attack or perhaps a little acting, too. Many ideas were forming in the little demon's head, unbeknownst that it was about to fall apart real quick.

Hooting from Owlowicious got his attention. Angel grimaced before turning his attention to his friends, only to see them staring up at Varan with boiling anger in his eyes. His ears drooped in slight fear. Angel didn't know what was going through Varan's head, but something was setting him off. He looked at Fluttershy and Harry, then back to Varan confused. Then he gazed up at Varan's eyes and trailed them to where he was looking at. Angel raised his eyebrows at Varan's target...

Harry.

All plans were out the window, he had to get his friends off the giant lizard before he goes on a rampage. Then he gazed at Fluttershy and gasped. Fluttershy would get in the crossfire! He needed a way to get her attention until he saw Winona in front of Varan. He raised his ears and smiled before rushing off of Varan, jumped up and bopped the border collie on the snout.

Winona flinched and whimpered before immediately giving the little rabbit an aggressive growl. She then barked so loudly at him that it got everyone's attention; she was gonna give him a huge scolding.

It worked as it got Fluttershy's attention, but the barking caused more than just that. Varan stood up as he kept his primal gaze on Harry, forcing Opal, Gummy, and Owlowicious off him while Winona scurried away towards Gilda.

Scootaloo watched Varan get up and looked at him confusedly and concerned, “Varan?” Scootaloo said as Varan hissed aggressively and caught Scootaloo off-guard.

Angel gasped in horror and disbelief. He managed to get their attention in time, but it helped little as he had another thing to worry about and that was Varan's claw about to stomp on him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worse until a cyan blur quickly whooshed him away.

Harry heard the unusual hissing. He gazed behind Fluttershy and saw a large reptile hissing in his direction. He looked at the reptile confusedly, wondering what its deal was. But it quickly dawned on him that some of the animals in the forest informed him of a 'new face' around Fluttershy's cottage. He didn't pay any mind to it as that usually meant a new animal was being taken care of. He didn't expect it to something like this. Nor did he expect it to be hissing at him. He growled at the reptile, not liking how it thinks he can scare him off. Or if it was trying to. Either way, this thing was going to know that messing with him was gonna be a huge mistake. Harry walked around Fluttershy and continued to growl defensively, letting the reptile know he was not gonna back down.

“Gilda, Glinda, Scootaloo, over here,” Rainbow Dash called out and managed to get Glinda's and Gilda's attention, but Scootaloo kept her attention on Varan, wondering why he's acting like this.

“Varan, what's gotten into you?” Scootaloo asked but got no response from the Komodo. He just kept his gaze on Harry, intent on doing something. Scootaloo was starting to get scared. Was he planning to hurt Harry?

“Scootaloo, get away from the lizard!” Rainbow Dash ordered.

“No,” Scootaloo said, rejecting Rainbow Dash's demand. “Something's wrong with Varan. I have to know what.” Scootaloo rushed around Varan and stopped in front of him to get his attention. “Varan! Please, calm down.”

Yet Varan refused to. He glared his primal eyes onto this bear and never looked away. He had a deep hatred towards bears ever since he was a hatchling. All he could remember was climbing up a tree and watch as a big furry beast was attacking other Komodo dragons. The last thing he could remember was seeing dirty brown, evil eyes. He couldn't remember anything else, but what he saw looked like a bear and ever since he hated them to no end. This one had brown eyes and an evil looking glare, this had to be the one. And now he can get his revenge. Young Master was not gonna stop him this time.

“Varan, please, Harry isn't – whoa!” A cyan blur scooped her up and flew her away from Varan.

“Are you crazy, Scootaloo? That thing will tear you apart.” Rainbow Dash said as Scootaloo struggled.

“Let me go! He's not dangerous. Something's wrong with him,” Scootaloo said as Rainbow Dash stopped next to the griffons and Tree Hugger.  “Varan!”

Harry stood on his hind legs and roared furiously at the lizard trying to intimidate it, but that only provoked it into hissing loudly at him and charging at him like a rampaging bull. Harry obliged by getting back on all fours and thundered his way toward the lizard.

The group watched in horror as a fight was about to take place. Scootaloo tried to break free from Rainbow's hold, wanting to stop Varan. Glinda hid behind Gilda as Gilda watched. And Tree Hugger rushed out to the field as Fluttershy flew at the charging animals.

Immediately, both animals clashed. Varan tried to draw first blood by attempting to dig his claws into Harry's fur, but Harry was quick on paws as he grabbed the giant lizard with his powerful arms and tossed the lizard aside, causing him roll before quickly standing back up. Varan let out another hiss, ready to strike. Harry kept his ground and waited for his attacker to come at him. He bellowed a terrifying roar that would make any other predator know when to run and stay away.

He didn't have to wait long.

Varan charged at the bear again, wanting to bite into him. He wasn't going to give up until he was dead. But he suddenly stopped when Old Master flew in front of him with her arms out. Varan looked at her confused and looked at her oddly before growling in annoyance. She should not be in his way. His attacker was right in front of him and he was not going to let him go.

Fluttershy did not budge. She kept herself calm and firm as Varan let out barking hisses at her, wanting her to leave. But Fluttershy was not having it. Varan did know peace here, but behavior like this was not tolerated. She closed her eyes for a brief second before opening them back up to give the giant komodo and stern glare that put him in a slight trance.

Varan suddenly found himself in a new situation. He didn't know what to think as he stared at Old Master's stare. He didn't know how to feel about this, but he did get the sense that he might be in huge trouble. Young Master told him about something like this and that when Old Master threw this out to any other animals around, it means you better listen or else. This was happening to him right now... and he didn't like it. In fact, he was now feeling scared more than anything. He wanted it to stop. He then saw Odd One come up to him right as Old Master stopped her demonic glare and went to go tend to the bear. He didn't know what Odd One was gonna do. He felt confused until she started to whistle a soothing, rhythmic tune to him.

Tree Hugger kept her whistle tune going. She approached Varan but had no clue if it'll work on him. It worked on animals like birds and small mammals, but it was never used on reptiles. She whistled a higher tune and saw that Varan wasn't budging. It must be working, yet this was still very different to her.

Varan kept his attention onto Tree Hugger and felt more confused than ever. He didn't know what Odd One was doing or why Old Master used her demonic stare on him. What was he suppose to do? He felt so conflicted, yet a tune relaxed his mind when it caught his attention. He listened to Odd One's whistling and it sounded nice and smooth. Almost like a lullaby, in a way. Varan let out a small, confused hiss before hearing Old Master call his name and giving him an order...

“Den, now,” Fluttershy said in a stern tone as she pointed to his den.

He couldn't fight back against her words. As much as he wanted to fight the bear behind her, he couldn't bring himself to do. He saw the disappointment in her eyes and he couldn't bear to look at Young Master for what he did. When Odd One stopped her whistling, he walked away with a glare still hooked on Harry. He knows he did wrong, but that won't change how he feels towards the bear.

Tree Hugger watched as Varan walked to his den and melt into the shadows. She took a sigh of relief and a moment to sit down and clear her chakra.

“That was easy, but it sure was scary,” Tree Hugger said as she placed her hooves together and meditated.

Fluttershy ignored Tree Hugger and focused on Harry, making sure he's not hurt, “Harry, are you alright?” she asked her bear friend receiving a nod in response. Fluttershy lifted his right arm to check for injuries. She saw Varan tried to scratch at his chest and had to make sure. She sighed in relief when she saw only pieces of fur were sliced off.

“That's a relief.” If Varan were to bite into him, then she would've had more than a heart attack. The rest of her animal friends were right to be cautious around Varan. Harry was brave to face him. But why?

“Harry, why did you do that?” Harry let out some gurgled groans and growls, talking in his own language to speak to Fluttershy. While she was happy he didn't get bitten, she wasn't too thrilled to hear what Harry said, “Harry, that's not a good idea. I know you're capable of fighting, but you have to remember Varan isn't the kind of animal to mess with. If he bit you, I don't know what would happen.” And she meant it, too. Neither her or Scootaloo have seen him bitten any other animals around her home, but a vet informed them that his bite is strong enough to take out animals larger than him.

Harry looked at Fluttershy concerned. She's never been wrong with this kind of stuff and this was his first time meeting this Varan. All he got from him was that he seemed aggressive towards him and no one else. If anything, Varan seemed more like a threat than a friend. He looked at the den with a slight glare. He was lucky he didn't get bitten, but he'll still be watching him. That is until he felt Fluttershy grab his cheeks.

“Harry, I know those eyes,” Fluttershy said. “You don't need to worry about him. Just leave him to me and Scootaloo.” It confused him as to why Fluttershy would involve Scootaloo, but what she says goes. “You don't have any injuries, so you're free to go." Fluttershy smiled softly and gave his snout a gentle peck before Harry gave her another friendly lick to the cheek.

“I'm sorry for cutting this visit short, but perhaps next time will go smoothly,” Fluttershy said, promising to make it up to her beloved bear. Perhaps some jars of sweet honey would do the trick.

Harry let out a rumbling purr before heading back to the forest. This may have been an odd encounter, but Harry was pretty understanding about it. Still, that lizard needs to work out some issues.

Fluttershy waved at Harry as he disappeared into the forest. When he did, Fluttershy turned her head and gave a sharp glare at Scootaloo. Scootaloo didn't notice because of her attention on Varan's den, but Rainbow and the others sure did. And it was about that time for the mane pets to head home, so they quickly bolted away heading back to their respective owner's homes; only Tank and Angel stayed behind.

Tree Hugger finished her meditation and sensed Fluttershy's aura; it was ghost-white with a tint of yellow. She was frustrated and tired. She saw her friend walk towards her other friends before following her. She took a look at the others auras and found Glinda's aura to be a slight dark gray; she was scared. Rainbow Dash's aura was a sharp yellow; confused as always. Tree Hugger was not surprised. Scootaloo's aura was a strong gray and black mix. She must be worried about her pet, and rightfully so. But Gilda's aura was the strongest. It had a mix of yellow, black, gray and blood-red. Something about her doesn't seem right. She may be calm on the outside, well, a little tense after what just happen, but deep down she must be hiding something. What was it?

“Something tells me they don't get along,” Glinda said as she timidly walked around Gilda. Gilda kept her close and hugged her wing around her little sister for comfort.

“So, mind telling me what that was about, Scootaloo?” Fluttershy said in a sharp tone. She was in no mood for any excuses. She hated seeing her animals get attacked, and the very fact that it was Scootaloo's own pet that attacked needed answers right now.

Scootaloo just sat there as Rainbow Dash released her from her hold. She was in shock from seeing that. She had no clue why Varan would do something like that. Why would he do that? She was so confused.

“Well?”

“I don't know, mom?!” Scootaloo snapped, putting her attention onto Fluttershy with tears rolling down her eyes. “I don't know why Varan did that. It happened out of nowhere.” She honestly didn't expect it either. She thought Varan was just gonna lounge about and not care if another predator like Harry was around.

“He's your pet and that makes him your responsibility,” Fluttershy reminded. She then talked through her teeth and slightly snarled, “He attacked Harry for no reason and nearly scared our guests. How could you not know if he was gonna do that? He's your pet!”

Scootaloo snarled back with an angry glare of her own, and retorted out of frustration and annoyance, “Did you even pay attention? I can't talk to animals. You do!” Scootaloo huffed and tried not to cry, but it was difficult because of her own mother was putting the blame on her. “If you want answers so badly, why don't you just go up and talk to him. You're more better at talking to animals than talking to other ponies like dad!” her voice echoed throughout in the air, then it slowly went ghost-quiet.

Glinda, Gilda, Tree Hugger, Rainbow Dash and Angel were in utter shock to hear Scootaloo shout that out. That was going too far.

Rainbow Dash was thrown back by Scootaloo's words. She would've expected Scootaloo to throw a fit, but she never thought she'd bring up her own father. She didn't know if she should break up the fight, or was it too late.

Tree Hugger was just the same as Rainbow Dash. Their auras now changing different color and intensified at an alarming rate. It was like looking at a fire growing stronger over a puddle of oil. This needed to end now or things'll get worse.

Angel covered his mouth and widened his eyes. He may have done some bad things, but that was crossing the line. Even he knew when to stopped when it came to a situation like that. Sure there were some slip-ups like the pie prank, but Scootaloo's words were even worse.

Glinda and Gilda looked at each other in shock before looking back at Fluttershy and Scootaloo. What started out as a great day turned into something completely different. Glinda wanted to break up the fight and Gilda thought that ponies and griffons were a lot alike than she thought when it came to arguments. It reminded her of her time when she argued with her parents almost all the time. She felt bad for them. She really did.

But none were more shocked and hurt than Fluttershy. She stood there stunned and mortified by what Scootaloo just said. She wasn't ready for that, nor did she expect to bring 'him' up. She took some time to process what she said, but she could not come up with any words to say to her own daughter.

Scootaloo glared at Fluttershy one more time before walking away, heading back inside.

Rainbow Dash broke the silence and spoke, “Scootaloo, that was a little too far.”

“I don't care,” Scootaloo sharply said before opening and slamming the door behind her, going back to her room to get away from her mother.

“Um, okay then. Uh, that went deep,” Gilda said, not knowing what to say about what just happened.

“L-Lets head inside. I-I'll explain everything when things cool down,” Fluttershy sighed disappointedly in herself for being so stupid as she walked passed her friends and opened the door. “Heh, guests first.” She gave a weak smile as Gilda and the others walked in right as Fluttershy closed the door behind her.
> The Tension Of Past Regrets (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drift hung his head and sighed, annoyed today didn't go as smoothly as he'd hoped. He walked through Ponyville and entered the neighborhood part of the town, ignoring other ponies around him and ignoring the odd looks they were giving him. To them, he looked like a friend to Cranky Doodle Donkey, but to himself, he was just a guy who wanted to be left alone. Today was supposed to be a peaceful day and just do his job as always.

Then that annoying, moronic, nuisance of a mare showed up and ruined it all. If it wasn't for Gilda, he'd never get out of Rainbow Dash's torment. That's the first time he ever thanked Gilda for anything; even so much as appreciated it. Last time he saw her, she and Rainbow Dash beat the ever-loving flank out of him and a few of his friends. And he didn't even know why! Gilda shouldn't have been involved, to begin with. He quickly stopped himself before he made himself go crazy. The past was the past, and Gilda apologized for what she did; he was thankful that someone changed over the years. He should focus on Rainbow Dash and try to figure out how to stop her...

“Wait, why should I even care?” Drift thought to himself as he passed a few ponies walking around him. 'She needs to let go and move on!' he rolls his eyes to himself. He doesn't care about Rainbow Dash and he wasn't going to let her manipulate him into having a guilt trip. What's done is done and there wasn't a thing he could do about it; nor did he ever want to.

But he couldn't shake the feeling he had to. He stared off into the bright blue, cloudy sky and pondered if he should. He crushed his eyelids and let out a small, sharp groan; he was annoyed and confused and tired. He really wished Rainbow Dash would've just left him alone. Now all he wanted to do was go home and sleep the day away.

Lucky for him, he didn't have any other plans today, so that was a plus.

He walked several blocks down the neighborhood district and approached a unique looking house. While other houses looked off-putting and almost identical, he decided to have his own house be vastly different from the others. Despite the average two-story height, his house was fifteen feet in length and width and had a perfect triangular-shaped roof with a sky blue coating to match the cloudy-white color spots. The walls were also coated with light green tint and decorated with brown leaf-like spots. The windows were placed evenly with an oval-shaped door between them. And to add more to his perfect house, there was a large round window under the roof with a camo-style curtain blocking the room it was attached to.

Drift smiled wholeheartedly at a sight he so loved to see. If there was anything he was proud of, it was buying a house like this. It was his castle and he loved it. He approached his home and was about to get his key before he noticed something off about the door. He looked at it confused for a moment so he could process until a click in his brain pointed to what was wrong.

“What rotten luck,” Drift utter as he gazed at the slightly opened door. Someone broke into his home, but there wasn't a scratch on his door; not one chip of wood off place. One specific answer would be that magic was involved. Something like a crowbar would leave an imprint or something. He hummed to himself and went with the magic guess. But another question came up: is the intruder still inside? Only one way to find out.

Drift Velocity placed a shaky, hesitant hoof on the door and gently pushed it open to find nothing but a hallway with four rooms, mossy green walls and swirling stairs at the end. He gulped one time before entering. He quietly closed the front door with his back hoof and placed his bag onto a small table. He looked back at the front door and locked it with his wing. If the intruder thinks they were going to escape easily, they'd be wrong. His tired and annoyed attitude became defensive, determined and ready.

“Picked the wrong house to be in, whoever you are,” Drift said as he ventured into his own home, being as cautious as a wolf on the hunt.

He trotted quietly and kept his ears focused, listening in; if the intruder was gonna hide, luck will not be on their side since there a few places to hide. He passed another small round table to his left with two picture frames of him with a giant boa in a cage and him with another stallion pony standing over the carcass of a large cockatrice. He stealthily looked to the first room on the left to see the kitchen, but no pony there. Room 1 was clear. Then he looked into the room behind him and saw a large wooden table with four chairs and pictures of himself with his parents and his sibling framed on the walls and on furniture.

He let out a slow, relieving breath and saw that nothing was missing from the dining room. Which was strange to him, because most thieves would leave a form of mess or leave some clues behind. But Room 2 was clean, which confused him the longer he stayed around. He walked away from the dining room and walked further down the hall, walking passed another picture frame of his younger days in high school with two other pegasus stallions. He decided to skip the room next to the dining room because he thought that would be a really dumb place to be. There were no windows to escape out of and, unless they were a rat or small filly or colt, hiding under the sink would be another really stupid option, so there was no need to check it. He looked at the door facing the door to the bathroom and opened it to see a room with a medium-screen TV on top of a furniture with a game station underneath and a small, yet comfortable, bed was laying sideways with the head facing next to a window and a fan lazily hanging from the ceiling. He smiled calmly, seeing the bed had nothing to support it so no one would hide under there. He walked in to check the window, but it looked completely untouched; no scratch, no attempted to escape. There was nothing. This room was clear, too.

“What is going on here?” Drift said to himself as he walked out of the guestroom. If this intruder really wanted to steal anything, they were either doing a lousy job or really great job. Did this intruder love to clean up after themselves before leaving? Or was this intruder doing this just to tick him off? Either way, it was working as his annoyance was growing by each passing minute. He rubbed his head slowly. He was thinking way too hard about this and it was making him exhausted, or more exhausted than he already was. This intruder confused him and the last room left was his bedroom above him. He looked up at the wooden roof and was ready to go up there. But other thoughts suddenly rang throughout his mind, on one hoof if there really was an intruder then there would be signs and he'd call the police, but on the other hoof was there really an intruder, to begin with.

He then felt dumbfounded and embarrassed of himself, and then asked himself “Did I forget to lock the door earlier?” He shook his head before heading to the stairs...

Then there was a flush behind the bathroom door.

He swung his head around and widened his eyes, flabbergasted. He was right, there was an intruder, but he didn't expect the intruder to pull a 360 with his thoughts. All his thoughts now shifted and came up with more guesses, but he had little time; the intruder will be out soon. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was damaged. And he was proven without the intruder knowing it. He turned around and waited as he tried to put all the pieces to this new mysterious puzzle together; this intruder was the kind to come in unannounced and hang out without any of his consent. Whoever this intruder was, they'll get more than a scolding.

Until a sudden click in his head made him confused and have a second thought of this situation. He couldn't shake the feeling this happened before. But why? It was an itch he couldn't scratch and it was slowly irritating him. He can't get himself to recall who would come to his home unannounced without reason and... and...

“Wait, a minute? This has happened before. I know who this,” Drift said to himself and snarled a little. He was annoyed at himself for not figuring this out sooner. The water to the faucet and whistling can be heard before the water turned off; then the door finally opened.

Drift sat down, annoyed, as the intruder revealed themselves, or now herself, to him. A unicorn mare with pale yellow fur and a mix of blue for the main color and light blue for the secondary. She had on a pair of glasses with magenta lenses and a set of earphones on over her ears. Most likely blocking out any sound she could hear. And her music note cutie mark was also a dead giveaway to him. His annoyance became a sudden shock of surprise and curiosity; why was she here? More importantly, how did she find him? He did not recall telling her where he lived just yet. But she was here now, so answers were in order. To others, she was a highly popular DJ, but to him, she was his little, music-loving step-sister.

“Hello, Vinyl Scratch,” Drift greeted.

Vinyl smiled at Drift, keeping herself cool but she was excited to see her older step-brother, “Yo, D-bro, how's it going? Haven't seen you in ages,” Vinyl greeted in her tomboy accent.

As much as he was hating himself right now, Drift couldn't help but give her a small smile in return. He couldn't really be mad at her, but he had cut to the chase right now, “Oh you know, good, wondering why my sister came in here without my permission.

“You left your door unlocked, so I took advantage of it,” Vinyl closed the bathroom door with her back hoof and let out a chuckle as she took off her glasses to get a better look at him.

But now he had a reason to be mad, at himself. He mentally cursed for being so foolish for forgetting a simple thing, he even uttered a quiet “D'oh!”, but what's done is done. He really should work on that.

“So, how did you find me?” Drift asked. “I only told--”

“Yup,” Vinyl said answering his question before he could get another word in. It threw him off-guard but Vinyl explained to him rather casually and straightforward, “Thunderlane told me where you lived and I had to see you when I got the chance.”

She nudged an arm on him with a smug smile, “And I couldn't waste this chance. I missed you, D-Bro.”

“Please don't make a habit of that.”

“No promises.”

“Well, I'm glad it's you and not some other pony,” Though he loved seeing his little step-sister, he secretly wanted to beat the holy tar out of Thunderlane for pulling a stunt like this and telling her; he wasn't ready. The rage bug was biting and it was biting hard.

He breathed a calm, soft sigh to hopefully settle his nerves. He came close to attacking his little sister. Had he not stopped himself and done so, he'd never forgive himself. And that would've made things a whole lot worse given he was already in a stressful situation.

“Would you like a tour around the house, V-Sis,” he asked as she waved an assuring hoof at him.

“I gave myself a small tour while you were gone. The only place I haven't seen is the room upstairs.”

He looked at the spiral stairs and figured Vinyl arrived probably a few hours before he did, “Guess it hasn't been that long, then” He looked back at nudged his head to his left. “Come on, I'll show you my room.”

“Before we do, how's that scar?” Vinyl asked curiously. After she heard what happened to him from her parents when one of her concerts was over, she wasn't too thrilled about it and it worried her a lot. She never got the whole story and wanted to know from the source. “What happened, exactly?”

Drift widened his eyes and placed a hoof on his face, rubbing the scar gingerly. He hadn't really paid any attention the scar ever since it fully healed after his... 'accident'. But now that it's being brought up, some shocking memories came back and it was hard to answer right away. But what confused him was that Vinyl didn't receive what happened to him from their parents. Why didn't they tell her the whole story?

”Really?” Drift pondered confusedly. “Mom and Dad never told you what happened?”

Vinyl shook her head and explained, “No, they never told me. All they told me was that you got attacked by something or someone,” She scoffed a bit. “and they told me something about your face and you were out cold. That's it. They were talking so fast, I could barely understand what they were saying before they hung up.”

He put his hoof down and frowned in slight disappointment, “That doesn't sound like them,” he shrugged carelessly. He wasn't in the mood to know right away, because “I have a lot of time on my hooves, so I can tell you what happened.”

Vinyl smiled a bit at Drift. She was happy to hear he was willing to tell her what happened. She was also excited to not only talk to him but spend time with him for once – even though she broke in instead of waiting for him. Her excitement gets the better of her.

“Just let me get settled, alright? I know my home isn't really all nice or fancy, but it's still a good home. Might as well make it like it's yours.”

She knew exactly what that meant and Vinyl wasn't going to refuse that offer, “Thanks, D-Bro,” Vinyl said appreciatively and immediately rushed to the spiral stairs without Drift. Drift tried to call to her but she was already in his room faster before he could get a word.

“And she's already upstairs,” Drift paused for a bit but chuckled. “Ah well, it can't be helped.” and he thought Rainbow Dash had speed. He shortly followed her upstairs and poked his head out and watched his little sister crash onto a large blue beanbag with a fuzzy comfy outer layer a few feet away from a turned off forty-inch TV on top of a strong two-door wooden furniture.

Vinyl looked around his room. It was nothing like looking at a dusty attic. There were light green coloring with darker green colors to mix with it on the ceiling with different shapes of leaves and branches and a painting of three Wonderbolts flying over a cloud was on the far right over Drift's bed. There was a fan lazily hanging directly in the middle of a ceiling. And some rather large wooden chests next to the bed and his TV.  But unlike most attics, this one had a room had a closet in front of Drift's bed. She didn't know what to think about it, but Vinyl wasn't going to complain; turning an attic into your own room was somewhat creative, in a way.

“Now this is the life, Drift. I don't care if it's fancy or not; we never grew up in a fancy house anyway.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Drift climbed up into his room and walked up to her before sitting on a soft chair with thick padding next to the beanbag.

“So, spill it, D-Bro. How'd you get that scar?” Vinyl asked very enthusiastically.

Drift leaned back in his chair and relaxed, thinking hard about what happened, “Well,” it's been a while since the incident and he wasn't really good with explaining situations, so he had to be blunt and straightforward; it was easier that way for him. But he did remember what his objective was when that horrifying event happened.

“I went on a hunting trip with at least five other hunters helping me out. We were trophy hunting and our only goal was to find an elusive manticore in the Everfree Forest.”

“A manticore?” Vinyl tilted her head and raised a confused brow. “Aren't manticores supposed to live in rocky areas?” She barely passed biology class but she did recall hearing about Manticore habitats; usually in a cave or rocky areas.

Drift shook his head and corrected her about that information, “Oh no, Vinyl. Not in the slightest. You're half-right, but Manticores can live where ever they so, please. What you're thinking of are stone golems.” Which he was relieved to still remember stone golems are way more friendlier than manticores, but trophy hunting at least one of them would be near impossible since... well... almost nothing can harm them.

“Oh, alright. Figured something was off there. Biology wasn't my strong suit,” though she was happy Drift was there to help her out when she needed it. She had too many headaches to count.

“Ya think?” Drift teased as Vinyl glared at him with a pout, but continued his story. “Anyway, we ventured into a good chunk of the forest; I'd say miles even. We were walking along a path, keeping our eyes out for the damn thing. It wasn't hard finding it...” he suddenly looked down and cast his eyes at the grassy-green wooden floor. “Or rather... it found us.” He concentrated hard and actually managed to remember what occurred. “We weren't hunting it, it was hunting us,” he snorts at the irony in it but continued. “We didn't see it coming before it was too late. It leaped out of a bush, ambushing us.”

Vinyl widened her eyes a bit and kept her ears open, “Then what happened?”

Drift slightly snarled. He thought he was on a simple task. Just an easy way to get bits. He didn't expect his trip to be a death trap and it was biting back at him like a snake bite, “We thought we were hunting an albino manticore or something like that. What we were not prepared for was for it to be a rogue.” he sighed disappointingly. He regretted ever going on that had he not known that would happen, but now he could see it clear as day.

He sat back on his chair, and continued, “Tiger skin. Dark mane. Brown eyes. Bat-like wing. Teeth and claws that could possibly tear even dragon scales. This... this thing wasn't a normal manticore. It looked like it came straight out of Tartarus.”

Vinyl widens her eyes in shock. Guess biology class never told her about this, or maybe she just wasn't paying attention when the teacher brought up manticores. But now she felt like she was taking lessons all over again because this story was probably all she needed to know about how dangerous these creatures can be. To hear one going rogue made it more convincing to her, but she knew there was more to the story and something in her told her to tell Drift she got the idea and he can stop while another voice told her to have him keep going.

She chose the latter and allowed him to continue. If she stopped him, things wouldn't end well for him mentally.

His body twitched and shuddered violently as the memories were coming back with a vengeance. Images of the fight began to burn, “We did what we could to try and take it down. Crossbows, spears, guns, even illegal weapons like grenades and tear gas, nothing took this thing down. If one of us did manage to injure it, it probably brushed it off like it was a tickle or something,” he said as he tried to keep himself steady; it was harder than he'd wish. The horrific memory that really stood out from that event was the beast striking him down, pinning him down by the arms. He was lucky that his claws had missed, but that was the very least of his worries as the monster of a manticore glared its primal eyes down at him while having one of the hunters in its mouth, dangling as a lifeless corpse. It was not a pretty sight but it was already burned in his mind. He never moved an inch or even breathe as all he could do was stare right back at the creature's eyes. The creature let out a growl through its kill. He seemed satisfied with one hunter instead of five; one seemed filling enough for it, so as if by some miracle, he was going to spare the four. Drift's body was paralyzed from the shock and he braced for the end put down its kill before lifting its head; if he was going to be killed next, he'd prayed the creature at least made it a fast one. What happened wasn't pain, but a roar in his face. How he didn't go deaf from that is beyond miracles; he didn't know if it was a warning or threat... Probably both. With a satisfied snort, the creature took his kill and left, and right at that moment, Drift passed out with only the fading calls of the other hunters coming to his side.

He placed a hoof on his scarred muzzle, and said with a disheartened sigh, “But in the end, we were gnats compared to it. It killed one of my fellow hunters and lashed its stinger at me. It cut across my face, but it felt like a minotaur wearing a spiked brace knuckle punching me dead center in the face.” He knew his wound was healed but he couldn't help but rub his face as though the pain came back all over again.

Vinyl looked at him in utter shock and horror. She couldn't bring up the words to say when she heard this. What could she say? She was so relieved that her brother was alive to tell this story but felt bad for bringing up now. She felt ashamed of herself. She tried to speak to him, but Drift kept going.

“All of us were hurt. Most of us, including me, was out cold after the attack. The last thing I remember was that damn manticore roaring in my face and leaving with one of our own in its jaws as if he was prey.” he said with a growl in his tone and slammed his right hoof on the chair arm.

Vinyl flinched and quickly reached her hoof over and placed it on his shoulder, “Drift?” Vinyl called to get his attention. She didn't know what to say to him, but she had to say something to calm him down, “It's okay. It's all in the past now. You don't have to deal with that thing anymore.”

Drifted felt his sister's hoof on him, but didn't react. He shook his head, refusing to believe that, “No, Vinyl. He's still out there. As long as that beast of Tartarus is still around, that pain will never leave,” Drift said. “When the rest of us woke up from the hospital, we gave him a name. A name we will never forget.”

“W-What was his name?” Vinyl asked a bit timidly, actually getting scared not just because of the story, but because it was bringing out a side she'd never seen in her step-brother.

Drift glanced at his sister and spoke his name to her, unaware he was scaring her, “We named him, Marabunda.”

“Marabunda?”

Drift nodded, “It means nature's tank.” He looked away and shook his head as the horrific look on their faces when the Manticore attacked came back and the brutal, primal, killing intents in the manticores' eyes gave him slight dread and anguish. “And he showed it without any hesitation. He was a monster.” His tone sounded serious and full of hate. He wanted revenge, and Vinyl could tell right away.

“D-Bro, are planning on doing what I think you're--”

“No,” he said and cutting her off. “I'm not capable. Not yet, at least.” he sighed again, contemplating on what to do. “I quit the trophy hunting business because of what happened. I believe the rest of the hunters did the same. I don't really know what they're doing right now.”

She didn't have the answer for that, but that did answer one thing that was going through her mind, “So, that's why Mom and Dad didn't say much. I guess they didn't want me to worry about you.”

Drift took note of that and looked at Vinyl puzzled, “If that's the case, they must've known you were a busy mare.” he chuckled then said, “After all, you are the world's famous DJ.” He nudged his elbow against her and teased her as she blushed bashfully.

“Oh, you know me, I don't like to toot my own horn, but I am pretty famous. Octavia and I are both famous music ponies after all,” she giggled and bashfully looked away. Even when she was younger, she always wanted to entertain a crowd. It was in her nature, in a way.

“Octavia?” Drift said. “I think I've heard her name in a magazine before. She your girlfriend or something?” he teased her again but Vinyl just swiped a sharp glare at him and blushed embarrassingly and somewhat angrily. She didn't find it the least bit funny.

“Where did you hear that kind of info from?!” Vinyl asked in a sharp tone and waited a bit for Drift to respond.

He looked away in thought for a moment then gave her an answer, “I don't know? Fuzzfeed, I guess.” he looked back at Vinyl only to see her give him a straight face that clearly spoke 'You're an idiot'.

“What?”

Vinyl gave Drift a solid clunk on the noggin with her hoof that sounded like she hit a coconut.

“Ow! What was that for?” Drift asked irritated as he rubbed his head tenderly.

“First off, it felt good. Second, I'm straight and so is Octavia. Third, why in Celestia's bloody name are you reading news from Fuzzfeed? All they spread is nothing but garbage. I was their target for I don't know how many times and ponies believed them,” She presses a hoof against him and gave him a stern look. “Don't you dare fall for their idiotic lies, you got that?”

Poor Drift was a little scared now, he only wanted to joke around with that. He didn't expect that big of a reaction out of his sister, 'I dunno know who's scarier at the moment, Marabunda or Vinyl?' Either way, do not joke with her about Fuzzfeed. Lesson learned.

“Alright, alright. Sorry. I was just clowning around.”

Vinyl removed her hoof from him and relaxed after hearing that, “Good.” she then giggled innocently and apologetic as she rubbed her head awkwardly, “Sorry about that, I just don't need any of my friends and family thinking I'm something I'm not,” she then thought about one thing they said. “Though, I will admit, me as a vampire does sound awesome.” she shrugged it off, of course. But that didn't change her mind about them, though.

“Eh, it's alright. I've dealt with crazy customers back where I work. I'm kind of use to it,” that and a boss who knows a thing or two about dealing with them; he still wonders if Rocky was just as crazy or has an immunity to it.

Vinyl smiled a bit and nodded before asking, “Think you're gonna be alright after that little skirmish of yours?” She wanted to know how he got that scar. She didn't expect him to have an episode. Hearing that story was downright horrifying.

He nodded to her, looking a bit tired. He didn't mind telling her the story, but it wasn't enough to make him go insane. Sure, it was traumatizing to him and he knew he couldn't face Marabunda again, he couldn't leave his sister hanging. Besides, it actually felt good for him to get that off his chest. Though, there was one issue he couldn't escape if his life depended on it. It almost felt like a tumor in a way.

“Yeah, I'll be fine, V-Sis,” Drift said with a positive smile but looked away in thought, but his sister caught it right away.

“Something wrong, Drift?”

“Well, sort of. It's complicated to say,” he didn't really know how to break it to her or what to even say? 'A crazy pegasus mare is trying to get me back with someone who probably wants to kill me?' that seemed a bit much. He turned his head and noticed the radio on a box next to the window. Then a few things came to mind and he loathed himself for not thinking this sooner.

“But before I tell ya, I need to do a few things here,” Vinyl looked at him confused as she watched him hop off his chair and turned on the ceiling fan. He then walked up to a radio and turned it on. It was on a station that played all kinds of rock and roll music. And the sound of the music made Vinyl gush with happiness. It may not be a large stereotype speaker, but it was better than not listening to anything. She would listen to her music in her earphones, but she didn't want to be rude.

“I knew there was something missing around here,” she giggled jokingly as Drift came back and sat on his chair more comfortably. Drift was a former trophy hunter and Vinyl was a DJ, but if there was one thing that they shared in common with the absolute most was their love for music; rock, jazz, disco, a bit of pop, any kind they seem fit to them. And they absolutely loved it.

Drift smiled ecstatically as an upbeat song came up on the radio. It was loud, but not loud enough to rattle the house and bring attention to other ponies. It was in a good volume for the siblings to hear each other speak.

“This place isn't perfect without music around,” he lively said as Vinyl bobbed her head a bit to the song.

“You got that right, D-bro,” she giggled before asking him, “So, what were you going to say?”

With the music soothing and helping his nerves, Drift could nearly think straight. He leaned back in his chair and explained, “Alright, so, you know Rainbow Dash right?”

Vinyl thought about that name for a moment and nodded right away, recognizing it, “Yeah, I know her through Pinkie Pie. I haven't hung out with her, but I know she's really awesome like me. At least that's what ponies tell me.”

Awesome wasn't the word he was looking for, but he was glad to know Vinyl knew of her and somewhat surprised she never hung out with her in high school. Either way, he was glad that never happened. He figured it was alright to tell her since she most likely wouldn't care.

“She's been getting on my back lately trying to get me to go talk to an ex-girlfriend of mine I had back in high school.”

A look of shock jolted onto Vinyl and she beamed her eyes on Drift, “Seriously?!” she had no idea he had a girlfriend before. During high school, she minded her own business hanging with ponies like Octavia and a few other ponies. Now and then she'll hang with Drift if she wanted to. But this was an absolute shock.

“Why would she do that? She has no business trying to force you to do something you don't want to. But why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend before? I thought we were close, D-bro.” she teased childishly.

Drift rolled his eyes and chuckled, “We are, Vinyl. And I wanted to; loved to, in fact. But she always hung around Rainbow Dash constantly or always wanted to be alone with me. She was always so shy around others, it got really annoying over time.”

Vinyl raised a suspicious brow, taking note of what Drift said. His ex-girlfriend hung around Rainbow Dash a lot, but she was shy around others. That didn't seem like anyone she knew, unless...

“I mean don't get me wrong, what she did was really annoying, but we were together because I thought she was quite the looker; hotter than Rarity, that's for sure. She was like a trophy mare.”

As Drift talked, some memories of high school came flowing back bit by bit in Vinyl's mind. She seemed to recall spending some time with a mare in the cafeteria. She was so shy and quiet, she didn't know if one single movement from her would scare her off. But lucky for her, she wasn't as scared as what she thought and she sat next to her to hopefully start a chat with her. To her surprise, she did and she was super sweet. Vinyl would make fun of her just for giggles, but she made it so hard to. Vinyl thought this mare was alright. She wasn't weird; just quiet and shy. They hung around with each other for a while until they stopped suddenly. She hung out with Octavia from then on.

She forgot her name, so it wouldn't hurt to ask, “Drift, what was her name?”

“What?” he asked and looked at her slightly confused.

“What was her name? I think I might know who you're talking about.”

Drift wondered why she would ask that, but shrugged and told her Fluttershy's name, “Oh, well, her name was Fluttershy.”

“Pink mane, yellow fur, totally shy?”

“Um, yes, yes, that's her. Why? Do you know her?” he felt puzzled a bit. Vinyl wasn't so curious about much.

Realization could never hit so hard in all her life. The mare Drift was talking about was Fluttershy and he never told her about this? Now she has a reason to be upset at him. Well, excited mostly. But she just decided to refrain herself before she caught what Drift said about Fluttershy being a 'trophy mare' and that wasn't too appealing to her ears. Drift was a trophy hunter when it came to animals, but to a mare? Something was off here.

She relaxed on the beanbag and nodded to him, answering his question, “Yeah, I know her. Not by a lot.” She lied knowing full well she knew more than what she planned for Drift to think. She had to pull an act to get more of the story. “We only hung out for thirty minutes until I decided to go find Lyra.” The look he was giving to her was like a gullible fish – buying it hook, line and sinker. She mentally sighed in relief as he nodded.

“Well, if you say so,” Drift said with a shrug as he continued, “We use to date for quite a while. A good year and it was okay... I guess.” Bittersweet would've been a better word for him.

“I see,” she was quite impressed with him for holding a relationship for that long. “And were you two close?”

“Heh, oh, we were close all right,” Drift smiled as he drifted into space, recalling that 'certain moment' with Fluttershy and how fun it was. How Rainbow Dash never knew before hoof was still surprising to him, “Very, very close.”

Vinyl caught what Drift was talking about and her eyes widened as big as dinner plates, blushing tomato-red.  She waved her hooves frantically at him to get him to stop from going any further, “Not like that, D-Bro!”, she barked. “I mean were you two best friends before you got together?”

Drift looked at his little sister and blushed awkwardly, feeling like he shouldn't have gotten straight to 'that' point just yet. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled apologetically, “Whoops, sorry, V-Sis. I guess I got a little carried away.”

Carried away was an understatement. She pouted at him and wanted to swing another hoof at him; hopefully in the face. She just wanted a simple conversation and that's it. She didn't need the image of Drift and Fluttershy doing the dirty deed. Guess some things haven't changed.

“I'll ask again, perv. How close were you and Fluttershy?”

Now back to reality, Drift can answer properly instead of making it awkward again. Though Vinyl's reacting was very hilarious to him. He refrained himself from laughing and explained, “We were close, but not close enough to be best friends. We were just friends,” more or less like acquaintances. He still to this day never knew what Fluttershy saw in him. But he wasn't complaining. She was perfect to him and that was it.

Something about that didn't quite set right. If they weren't that close, why be together? Unless it had something to do with that trophy business. But she needed to ask a few more questions before bringing that up. She needed a few more pieces to this puzzle.

“Then who asked who, if you two weren't that close?”

Drift let out a light chuckle and openly admitted, “Believe it or not, she asked me out. We were hanging out with other one day and she popped the question. She was straightforward about it – in her shy way, I guess.”

“Wait? Seriously?” Vinyl said completely thrown back by that. “She asked you out?”

Drift nodded in response, “Yeah. Of course, I said 'yes'. I couldn't pass that up. Rainbow Dash wasn't too happy about it, but I didn't care.” He really didn't. Even in high school, he thought that tomboy Rainbow Dash was just a nuisance. But it looks like he had to tolerate her since he was gonna be with Fluttershy. Well, that and the fact that said tomboy was friends with Fluttershy, too.

Drift was right. She found it hard to believe Fluttershy would ask first; she didn't seem like the mare to do so. What gave her the bulk to ask Drift out? This was starting to get interesting.

“Then what happened after that?” Vinyl asked.

“Once we made it official, things were going great,” Drift said with a smile. “Our relationship was strong and I couldn't be happier.”

His smile slowly sank to a disapproval frown, and he said in an annoyed tone, “But then things went south when she kept bring up the idea of starting a family.” it was weird to him, but even he knew they were too young to start a family.

Vinyl lifted her head and leered at Drift in shock and excitement. That can't be right. Fluttershy wanted a what?! “Whoa, wait-wait-wait wait...” she had to speak up about this new info she just received. “Ok, timeout.” Vinyl requested as she tapped her hooves in a timeout gesture. “Fluttershy wanted to start a family with you?” Even she didn't see that coming. Back when she knew her, Fluttershy didn't even tell or give a hint that she wanted to start a family. What gives? “Both of you were too young!”

“I thought the same thing,” Drift agreed with her. “Why would anyone start a family while still in high school? It makes no sense.”

She sat back down and leaned back as she thought about this, “No, it doesn't.” She then started pieces the story together or tried to at least. It didn't take long to click that he answered his own question, and she was gonna let him know. She glared disappointingly at Drift.

“Apparently she did, D-bro. And you gave it to her.”

Drift raised a confused brow and asked in a deadpan tone, “Uh, come again?”

Vinyl pushed herself off the beanbag and kept her stern glare at Drift. It was time he knew what he did wrong, “Spill it, Drift. What did you mean by trophy mare? And did you ever love Fluttershy?”

Drift leaned his head back, confused by Vinyl's actions, “Why do you care? You said you barely knew her?” he had no idea what was going on. Vinyl didn't seem like she cared and now she looked upset.

Vinyl shook her head, “I lied. We used to hang out for a while in the cafeteria before I started hanging out with Lyra and other students in the music room and I actually got to know her.”

“You what? Why would you do that?” Drift asked concerned. Was she playing a game with him? “Why?”

“Because I know you'd lie to me,” Vinyl said dryly. Drift was gonna talk whether he wanted to or not.

Drift didn't say anything to that as they locked eyes. She read him like a book. 'Clever girl' was all he could describe his sister after hearing her answer. He would've done exactly that because he didn't want any more scolding from anybody, not even from his own family, especially his sister. No point in hiding anything anymore. he looked away, ashamed of himself.

Being cool wasn't thrown aside. Vinyl was as serious as she's ever been. More serious than the time she lost her glasses. She knew her brother and she knew he can be deceiving.

“Now talk. Did you or did you not love Fluttershy and did you do the unthinkable?”

Drift blinked a few times and answered truthfully, “At first, no. I saw her as a means to say 'I have a marefriend' and because she was very beautiful. I didn't really care about her feelings or what she wanted. I only cared for her looks.”

Vinyl stood there jaw-dropped and with eyes widened once more. Her snout folded into a slight snarl and her irises shrank to the size of pennies. If her body was a furnace, boiling-hot steam would jet out of her back at that moment and engulf the whole house.

Drift didn't look at his step-sister, but he can tell she was getting pissed. He played into her trap and now he's paying the price. He honestly can't blame anyone but himself for this. He would say he was so proud of her if it weren't for the situation they were in. And he understood Vinyl's anger and doesn't even try to convince her to calm down because the answer to her second question will be set in stone. He actually felt a little cold for what he is about to say.

“And... for the whole family part, I got fed up with Fluttershy bringing it up over and over; it broke me. On one of our dates, we did it. I wasn't in the mood to hear anything she had to say,” he sighed having to think back to that moment. It wasn't fun at all. He should've been more smarter about his actions. “I didn't even think to ask if it was her first time or if I was hurting her. I just... went in. No protection”

Her jaw closed up and her teeth bared like hyena's. The rage she had within her was building up at an alarming rapid pace. Vinyl had never been so furious towards her brother in all her life. Joking around, sure, she got huffy with him but laughed it off. She couldn't recall a single moment she had ever been so mad at her brother because unless it involved her business or that newsfeed, hardly anything made her mad...

Until now.

“When all was done, weeks passed and I got word that Fluttershy was pregnant...” the moment he was told was the moment he bolted. He was not ready to be a father and all he had to do was hide until school was over. His friends were supporting him for doing the deed then bailing on her. “...but, instead of being happy, I ran and I had Thunderlane tell Fluttershy it was over between us. I couldn't bare to face her after what I did.” he gave Fluttershy her wish, but it had major consequences both had to endure.

“After I ran, I didn't see her again. I don't know if she was happy, sad or what about what happened. No doubt she had the kid. Shame I don't know who it is,” and that's all he had to say.

He didn't hear a word from Vinyl. No doubt she was angry. He couldn't blame her. He screwed up and he was willing to admit it. Back then he was energetic and tough, now he's laid back and carefree. Or at least he thought he did. Thinking about what he said earlier was just wrong but he was too scared to fix it. He was hoping Fluttershy would forget about what happened... and forget about him.

He glanced at Vinyl for the moment of truth.

She didn't have to say a word, as her face said it all for her. Her eyes were cherry-red, close to fire colored, they were full of anger and rage. Her muzzle was all scrunched up and her teeth were locked shut and baring. Her body shook in occasional bursts and her horn was seething of blazing magic. Like a bomb, she was about ready to burst at any given moment. Vinyl was not just pissed, but outraged for what her brother did to Fluttershy.

He knew he couldn't escape this. Talking to Vinyl would be useless and she'd no doubt side with Rainbow Dash. Actually, he can say this, “If it makes you feel any better, Rainbow Dash and Gilda found me and my friends kicked our flanks. I'd say she was a messenger or something. Now she wants me to get back with her. Are you on her side?”

The question was asked and the info was received, but Vinyl couldn't hold in her bottled fury any longer. She reeled her right hoof back, “You--” she threw her arm and slammed a firm right hook right across Drift's cheek; directly on the scar “--Idiot!”

Drift was knocked onto the floor with the chair with a hard thud. He lifted his upper body and rubbed his cheek. He hissed in pain and looked at his hoof, seeing a bit of blood. He couldn't tell if this was a new injury or if that scar partially reopened. She may be his little sister, but Vinyl seriously has some muscle around those tiny bones.

He let out a weak chuckle and complemented Vinyl with a joke, “Ow. Crap. You sure know how to knock a stallion off his hooves,” He rolled on his back to look at his sister, only to see she was not laughing. She was in no mood for jokes.

“I'll knock your teeth out next, you buckin', abandoning jerk!” Vinyl threatened with a snarl. “Of all the things you could have done, you had to go and do something as stupid as that!.”

Drift sat up and held his cheek as he glared defensively at Vinyl, “Stupid? Vinyl, all I did was--”

“Make her life a living hell,” Vinyl interrupted with a scold. “Not only did you knock her up and up and abandon her, but you left her in pain.”

“What are you talking about? I thought I made her happy when I left. I gave her what she wanted.”

“No, you didn't. You gave her so much pain, it was hurtful to those close to her; including me.”

That right there bewildered Drift. He sat there in front of her motion, trying to process what she just said and what she meant, “W-What do you mean?”

Vinyl walked up to Drift like a mother to a son and looked him straight in the eyes a mere foot away and said in a stern, venomous tone, “Did it ever occur to you how fragile Fluttershy was? Huh?”

Drift bit his lip and felt his heart start to race. Looking at Vinyl was like looking at his own mother. It was really scary. He shook a bit in fear and anxiously answer, “N-No.”

Vinyl looked at him with disappointed eyes, but she expected that answer, “I figured you wouldn't. You were too caught up with how much of a 'trophy mare' Fluttershy was, that you neglected to actually get to know her,” she scowled so hard that Drift thought her face was going to crack and break like one of mom and dad's commemorative plates. “From what I can tell that relationship went south the moment you said 'yes'.”

Drift didn't know if he should feel insulted or agree with Vinyl out of fear. Either way, Vinyl was unleashing her berserk mode upon him. This wasn't the V-Sis he remembered. He had no clue Vinyl and Fluttershy were friends. He didn't even think to ask her because of high school and stuff.

Vinyl retracted herself away from Drift and spoke a bit of trivia to him, “Fluttershy told me before how shy she was around others. It took some time for her to get used to me. She was used to Rainbow Dash and, somehow, you.” She assumed Fluttershy had a crush of Drift before all that happened.

He looked at her with remorse. He didn't know. He was scared to face what he did. He didn't know he caused Fluttershy so much pain. All he wanted to do was get it over with so he could break up with her while she had his 'gift'; it was wrong. So very wrong. He slowly curled into a fetal position hiding his face behind his arms. Time had passed but it was coming back thanks to Vinyl. And she was right.

“I don't remember much of what happened, but I remember seeing Fluttershy crying her eyes out next to Rainbow Dash. And I think her belly was strangely abnormal for such a young mare. And you said Marabunda was a monster.”

Adding salt to the wounds just like that. Vinyl wasn't holding any punching. He got the message loud and clear; he just wanted Vinyl to stop now.

“Please, Vinyl. No more. I get what you mean.”

“No more?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow, not buying that in the slightest. “Drift, I'm not--” He looked up at her with puffy-red, teary eyes and a snotty muzzle “-- on her side. Whoa.” her rage slowly diminished as she looked at him rather astonished and somewhat guilty. She thought Drift was gonna fight back and try and counter her own arguments, but instead of doing that he just looks like a tortured pony.

“Drift, why aren't you saying anything about this. I'm telling you what you've done, and you're not fighting back? This is not how this should go,” She was getting confused now. What was the deal here?

He sniffed and almost choked on his words, but he managed to get some out, “You're right. I... I did abandon her,” he said with a few hiccups. Throughout those years, he suppressed his real emotion and disguised it for another. Now Vinyl has broken that disguise and brought it out. He felt extremely guilty for what he's done and he can't do anything about it unless he goes to Fluttershy.

“But, I can't see her, Vinyl.”

Vinyl was actually surprised by this. She thought Drift still didn't care for her and yet he said she's right. He was admitting to her and she didn't know what to say to it. She was in the zone of chewing him out, but now she can't. What else can she say? Maybe a few things.

“Now hold on, Drift. You may be in a lot of wrongs, but so is Fluttershy,” Vinyl said as Drift gazed his sorrowful eyes at her. Vinyl let out some calm breaths and explained as best she could, “She should've waited. I don't have a family of my own because I knew not to start one so early.” She rubbed her head and threw another unknowing verbal punch at Fluttershy, “Sounds to me like Fluttershy wasn't thinking either.”

Drift mindlessly nodded. Vinyl was right, again. Both of them have suffered consequences because of their idiotic actions. And in the end, those actions created a new one. Drift gasped softly and realized what had been done.

“And because of what we did, we brought a baby into the world.”

Vinyl nodded in return, “That's right. You two made something you can't fix.” She then smiled and giggled, giving a little tease. “You also made me an aunt,” the tease actually managed to get them to giggle a bit, bringing down the tension, to a degree that Drift can talk more clearly. Although, now that she thinks about it, the thought of being an aunt doesn't sound so bad to her now that she knows her step-brother has a kid. Maybe she can teach the little one some of her famous beats.

“But, the thing is, I'm too scared to even face Fluttershy,” Drift admitted. “It's been so long since I've seen her, I don't know if she'll be upset, sad or what.”

Vinyl smiled a bit and shrugged, “Won't know until we find out.” Her smile contorted to an 'almost forgot' face, “Um, but first, let's fix you up. I think I've might've tortured you rather than give you a lesson.” She tried to lighten the mood with that joke, but she was also being serious.

“Sorry about that. I'm not much of a therapy pony.”

Drift looked at himself and stood up before wiping his eyes from getting stung by more tears, “Don't be. I had that coming miles away. And you seemed to know what you were doing for someone who hasn't in Fluttershy's shoes.”

Vinyl let out an innocent giggle and blushed bashfully, “I guess I picked up what mom put down.”

Drift chuckled before thinking about right now. Should he go and see Fluttershy right now or wait until he's ready? That decision was making him rather nervous. He rubbed the back of his head until a cotton-white hoof touched his shoulder. He looked to see Vinyl with a soft, assuring smile knowing what he was thinking.

“Don't worry, we don't have to see Fluttershy right now. We can wait until you're ready.”

Wise words he never thought he'd hear from his little sister. How did Vinyl become so smart with this? But there was one itch that hadn't been scratched yet, “What about Rainbow Dash? She's been on my back for a while and won't give up until I break.”

Vinyl shook her head at Drift and gave him a determined glare, “You don't need to worry about Rainbow Dash, Drift. She had the right intention but she's being pushy and forceful with how she's doing things. You leave her to me, D-Bro. You just need to worry about yourself.” She nudged her head to the stairs. “Come on. Just let me know where the med-kit is and I can try and patch you up.”

Drift smiled a bit and nodded to her as he got up and walked down the stairs. All while thinking that Vinyl was acting very caring, almost like their mother in a way. He shrugged to himself and thought it was a coincidence. But he did want to ask her something when she got here.

“So, why did you want to come here?” he looked back as Vinyl stopped halfway down the stairs. “I know you didn't just come here just to see me.”

Vinyl blushed tomato-red as she looked at Drift, trying to come up with an excuse to hide her true intention, “Um...”

Drift raised a brow, acknowledging the attempt but he tried doing that just now and it failed miserably.

“V-Sis, come clean. What are you hiding?” He asked as he opened the bathroom door to get a box of tissues for his runny nose.

Vinyl sighed in defeat and just chuckled, “I'm trying to keep it low. Ponyrazzi is trying to hunt me down for more fake news. Can't take any more of their crap.”

Drift laughed a little at that. He can completely understand that. Being famous can't be easy for any celebrity. Truth be told, he didn't mind that she hid here. Having her here was enjoyable to him; even though the punch he got still hurts. But still, better her than anyone else.

He opened the mirror door and grabbed the med-kit, “Here it is, V-sis.” Drift said holding it in his teeth before placing it down on the sink's edge. Lucky for them, the bathroom was big enough for two ponies, so it should be easy for them.

“So, how do you feel about being a dad, D-Bro?” Vinyl asked as she opened the med-kit.

“Hmm, hard to say. I don't know who my kid is, but I'm excited to know I am a dad.”

“Oh yeah, duh. My bad. Once we get the whole Fluttershy thing over with, we are so going to find out who your mini you is.”
> The Right Choice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A sense of dread and discomfort loomed in Fluttershy's cottage. The sound of cricket chirps echoed outside, but no one made a noise of their own after hearing Fluttershy's story. Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger had their reasons for being quiet; they were fully aware of what happened with Fluttershy – well, more so than Rainbow Dash. She was there when Fluttershy was pregnant with Scootaloo, but after that she remained quiet until now. Tree Hugger kind of figured out the pieces on her own. Having seen Drift himself, she got some unique vibes from him. Angel raised a brow at her after hearing this story. He knew that his owner used to be a bit of a pushover, but after hearing this 'phase' of hers, apparently she was wacky in the head like a cotton-candy mare he knew. Gilda and Glinda, however, were thrown for a loop when Fluttershy told her story.

“So, let me get this straight,” Gilda said, breaking the silence and wrapping her head by what she just heard, “You wanted to start a family with Drift, even though you were young and in high school?”

“That's right,” Fluttershy replied. “I was going through a... rather odd phase, at the time” she rubbed the back of her head, her cheeks turning a light shade of red, feeling rather embarrassed and awkward for explaining that story.

“And it looks like that phase won,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her arms and giving Fluttershy a slight scowl, remembering those days of her trying to convince her friend that it was a bad idea; but it failed either way.

Fluttershy turned to her left and drooped her ears. She felt awful for ignoring her friend's warning back then, knowing how Dash always looked out for her at high school, “I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash... I was just so happy... I... I wasn't thinking straight.” She knew she's made some stupid mistakes, especially in high school; but when she was together with Drift, she actually believed that he was the one after he agreed to go out with her. But after she got pregnant and got dumped by him after receiving word of her pregnancy, that seemed to have gone down the drain. Angel looked up at his owner sadly, his ears lowered as he felt bad for her. He knew she was upset with what had happened and it must hurt a bit to tell exactly what happened, but he wanted to let her know that he's here for her as he placed a comforting paw on her hoof. Fluttershy looked to him and gave him a warm little smile, grateful for his comfort.

That was putting it mildly. She'll admit to herself that she's stubborn, but Rainbow Dash would not even consider what Fluttershy did. She let out a rough, frustrated sigh and was about to speak until Tree Hugger butted in...

“Fluttershy, what's done is done,” the hippie mare said in an assuring, comforting voice. “Even if you went through those rough times, it still turned out well in the end.” and she was right. Though she never asked how it all came into play, Fluttershy still ended up having Scootaloo back in her life and she felt happy for her.

Fluttershy looked at Tree Hugger and smiled a bit, feeling a little better about that. Unaware of Rainbow Dash glaring suspiciously at her other friend.

“And how would you know, Tree Hugger?” Rainbow Dash impeded rather aggressively, looking over Fluttershy and glaring down at Tree Hugger; she was sensing some bullcrap here and it was annoying her to no end. She called out Tree Hugger, “You weren't there when all this happened. You don't know anything about this!”

Tree Hugger didn't give no mind to Rainbow Dash's actions, but she did reply calmly just to not make things worse, “I may not have been there, but Fluttershy told me some stories and I can feel the flowing chakra around her and I know when she's troubled.” Not one to toot her own metaphorical horn, Tree Hugger proves once again she is unique among friends. Most ponies don't read chakra as she does. “It's what I do.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes slowly and wanted to groan as loud as possible for how stupid Tree Hugger sounded. She couldn't believe the words coming out of this pony's mouth. She retorted and carelessly asked, “You sure you're not on something when you talk?”

Fluttershy gasped a little, “Rainbow, please,” Fluttershy said. “Don't be rude. I know you haven't spent any time with Tree Hugger as much as I have, but what she's saying is true.”

Tree Hugger smiled approvingly and nodded a few times, and joined in this 'tag team', “Besides, it isn't about us. It's about this graceful mother right here,” Tree Hugger complimented. She can tell Fluttershy tries her best to care for her daughter and the animals around the cottage; it must be a real challenge for her.

Rainbow Dash snarled at Tree Hugger and growled quietly to herself, “I think you're missing the point, Tree Hugger. Fluttershy was gonna tell us about her time with he-who-must-not-be-named.” Rainbow Dash corrected or tried to. She wanted to know if Drift actually said anything to her before finding out the 'surprise' they made for themselves.

Tree Hugger felt appalled and her calm demeanor turned into a slight feisty tone. This rainbow mare has no business trying to force her friend to speak against her wishes. She had no right; there was no chill with this mare, “Okay, that is so not cool, Rainbow Dash. You don't get to make a call like that.” she had a vibe, not just a hunch, that Fluttershy would be too uncomfortable. She may have felt a dark presence within Fluttershy's aura before, but she'll let her speak. Once she's ready, she'd try and calm her down if needed, but if not, she knew she cannot force it out of her like Dash is trying to do, “Fluttershy doesn't have to tell us if she doesn't want to. I'm sure it'll be uncomfortable for her.” She frowned mellowly at the cyan pegasus, "It's no use getting feisty-tempered as a dragon and hardheaded as a crumbling boulder over it.. your vibe is becoming really unsettling." She could see Dash's chakra and her aura was ablaze like a dragon's flame, she was trying to keep the peace, but Celestia-damn it, was this mare stubborn.

Her right eye twitched, she could never understand what the buck this pony was talking about, but the way she said it felt like she was insulting her in a way, which was a jab at her pride, “I'll never understand what the heck you just said, but I think that time should be now. You don't get to make any calls either,” Rainbow Dash barked, jabbing back at Tree Hugger that she doesn't have any right, either. If anything, she should just shut up and let Fluttershy talk.

But the banter between these two was actually the one thing that was making Fluttershy uncomfortable. She sunk down a bit and curled up, watching them squabble. Why were they so invested in what happened after she gave birth to Scootaloo? It didn't add up. She just wanted to tell her story and that's it. She let out a tiny whimper as Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash lifted themselves up with the arms of Fluttershy's chair, continuing their odd argument. 

Angel facepalmed upon seeing these two start to argue. Are these two serious right now? It's frustrating enough that Dash is being pushy while Tree Hugger's being defensive, but this is getting ridiculous. 'And I thought I was a pain in the fuzztail.' He thought as he glared at the two ponies. He kept close to Fluttershy and actually tried to shield her from this scene, despite his small stature.

Gilda, however, was growing impatient and very annoyed. Her eyes were closed and trying so hard to find her happy place so she can wait for these two to zip their yaps. Unlike the two arguing mares, she was actually enjoying this story and had thoughts of her own to give. At least, she would tell them if Rainbow Dash and this other mare would shut up and quit ruining her chance. She may have been thinking clearly now, but she was still a griffon and griffons always have a temper flare.

A snarl form on her face, “Glinda?” Gilda said as she opend her eyes and looked at her little sister twiddling at her back paws with her talons. She must've gotten bored with the story and decided to find something entertaining. Honestly, she thought it was cute, but how she wasn't focused on these blabbering mares is beyond her.

Kids.

Gilda humorously rolled her eyes and whispered to her to get her attention, “Hey, squirt?”

Glinda let out a carnal chirp and looked up at her older sister, “Yes, Gilda?”

She motioned her head to the stairs and asked, “Mind checking on Scootaloo? I'm sure she'd like a friend by her side.”

Glinda smiled at that request and hopped off the couch and trotted to the stairs. She was actually thinking the same thing. She just didn't know if she should go or not. She was secretly worried about Scootaloo.

Gilda watched Glinda walk upstairs, but once the little griffon disappeared from her view, Gilda jerked her agitated view back onto Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger and frowned in pure annoyance. That is gonna end. Now!

Fluttershy remained pinned to her chair, feeling cornered by her friends. She wanted to say something but felt like it wouldn't help either way. Why were they arguing so much? It felt like an Angel and Devil were talking, but instead of one angel, they were both devils! She hid her face behind her mane and hoped this would stop soon.

Angel was reaching his limit as he rubbed at his temple and twitched his whiskers about, his left foot thumping at a quick pace. This was to show frustration, and he was definitely frustrated with these two hounding mares. He had been patient with them for this long, but this has gone far enough. One glance at his owner, and he knew that this had to stop. Immediately.

“They should talk to one another and set things right. Quit trying to be a stupid bodyguard always trying to protect her,” Rainbow Dash quipped, getting irked every second this mare talked. She wanted this mare to lay off!

But that wish will never come to Rainbow Dash, “No, they shouldn't. It would disrupt their current flow and set an imbalance between them,” Tree Hugger countered, still not going to let Rainbow's words effect her. This act should be stopped right now, “You need to lower your guard a notch and not be so forceful on her.”

“Lower my guard? Forceful?!” Rainbow Dash said in a snapping tone. “The one being forceful here is--”

A pair of talon claws grabbed both Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger by the napes of their necks and pulled them away from Fluttershy, making both mares shout 'whoa!' in unison. And a thump came down on Tree Hugger's muzzle from a white foot and a slap across Dash's right cheek from a white paw, making the pegasus say 'Ow!' while the earth pony yelped. 

With the sudden quiet, Fluttershy peeked an eye out and shyly sat up and sighed in relief, glad to know that was finally over. Her mane slid away from her face as she watched Gilda hold both mares with ease and hung them by the back of their necks while Angel Bunny stood before the three, tapping his foot impatiently with a firm glare. Fluttershy slightly smiled at that and chuckled, thinking of how lionesses would hold their cubs by the nap of their necks. Ironic, actually. Although, she was a bit surprised that Angel, of all animals, was getting physical with somepony other than her.

Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger swing occasionally in Gilda's hold. Her grip kind of hurt and it felt like she was intending to not let go.

“Hey, what gives, Gilda?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking back at her friend.

“Yeah, we were just having a talk is all,” Tree Hugger said, confused by this griffons actions.

That was a load of horse-crap and she had just about enough, “How about you two shut up for once and let Fluttershy talk,” Gilda said with a slight growl in her voice. She gets into Tree Hugger's face, “She's a grown mare who can act and think for herself,” then gets into Rainbow's face “And she doesn't need anyone getting in her business, telling her what to do.” She held the two mares still and looked at Fluttershy who gave her an approving nod. She gave the shy mare an allied smile before glaring at both mares.

Both of them tried to explain their reasoning for this annoying banter, but Gilda simply growled, “I may have changed, but now and then griffons will have angry moments if there's something to cause it,” She glared at the two mares and released a spurt of her anger, “And you two are really starting to cause mine!” Gilda swung her arms and, with a loud clonk to each others heads, both mares wobbled their heads and dizzily mumbled to themselves.

Angel glared at the two and like Gilda, decided enough was enough. After seeing Gilda clonk their heads together, he hopped up to their faces and started letting out a barrage of squeaks, pointing at them angrily and then at Fluttershy normally before facepalming and tugging his ears in frustration as he squeaked repeatedly at the two dangling ponies; he was chewing the two out for being annoying and controlling. His owner didn't need this, and he was sure to let the two know this. He too had his own thoughts to share with Shy about this whole story, but at the moment, he wanted these two mares to shut up and pay attention. 

Fluttershy winced at that. That was a bit unnecessary, but she would be lying to herself if she didn't want to do the same thing. Her eyes then widened as Angel started getting a bit... vulgar in his act of 'chewing out' the mares, she spoke up to him before he could get too far "Angel Bunny! That isn't nice!" But judging by Angel's huff and crossed arms as he looked away from the two dangling mares, it looked like he could care less if it was nice or not. 

Gilda blinked at this little scene, she didn't quite expect the rabbit to pitch in, but unfortunately she couldn't speak rabbit. When Fluttershy cut him off, she looked to her and asked out of curiosity, knowing she could talk to creatures like this little bunny. Maybe a word of translate? "What did he say?" 

Fluttershy was blushing heavily, but wore a face of bewilderment; she heard every word out of Angel, but to answer Gilda, she shook her head, not wanting to translate all of what Angel had said to Dash and Tree Hugger, “I wouldn't dare repeat it.” 

Brushing it off, Gilda then got back on topic, glaring at the two dangling ponies in her talons, she gave her own two cents, “Now, if you two can stop acting like a married couple, let Fluttershy deal with her own life like a freaking adult and not like a mindless child.” 

Gilda drops Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger, plopping them separately on the couch as Gilda focused her attention back onto Fluttershy, now happy to give her thoughts on the story.

“Thanks, Gilda.”

Gilda shrugged and thought nothing of it, “Hey, I know what it's like having others argue about what you should do in life,” Gilda said. “If I were you, I'd just go ahead and choose what you wanna do. Don't let others tell you otherwise.” 

Fluttershy smiled, appreciating that advice. She was surprised, too. Never expecting advice from the one creature that bullied her before. It actually felt alien to her. Almost as if this Gilda was not the Gilda she knew back then; it was remarkable. But when she said what she said, it got her wondering something, “um, Gilda?”

Gilda lifts a claw and stops her, “I'll explain later, Fluttershy. If you want my honest thoughts, I'm glad you're doing well as a mother and Scootaloo seems like she's happy now,” or was until that fight broke out. Probably not the right choice of words, but she wasn't used to giving compliments just yet.

Fluttershy looked towards the stairs and sighed disappointingly at herself, “If only--”

“But.”

Fluttershy looked back at Gilda as Gilda continued, “That's the one side of the story I understand. The other side, I don't.”

“Oh, um, it's complicated to explain, Gilda.”

“Complicated, huh?” Gilda raised a brow, finding it kind of hard to believe. “I understand you're taking care of your daughter. Believe me, I got my little sister to take of,” two totally different situations, but also similar, too, “but what I wanna know is why are you trying to hide her from her father?”

Fluttershy winced and widened her eyes in shock, feeling her body go cold from receiving that question. She shook her head, trying to dodge the question with a lie, “I-I'm not trying to hide her, Gilda. I'm not ready yet, is all.” She giggled awkwardly and hoped Gilda would fall for it.

Gilda paused and stared at Fluttershy with a straight, questioned face, keeping her view only locked on her for a short time. About around enough time for Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger to snap out of their dazed state. Fluttershy kept her eyes glued to the focused griffon, as well. She still hoped she'd buy what she said. Silence engulfed the room, again. No one made a sound while the two had their staring contest. But not in a sense of game and play. Something else was up. They stared into each other's eyes and waited for one to crack. 

Until one ultimately did...

Gilda sighed and finally closed her eyes so she wouldn't irritate them, “Well, then, I guess you're right,” she opened them back up and resumed her gaze on Fluttershy.

Fluttershy looked at her surprised and puzzled, but sighed in relief, happy to know she won that pressured round, “I am?”

“Oh yeah, of course.” Gilda said in a surprisingly chilled tone and crossed her arms.

Fluttershy was thrown back by this sudden change. But she was still relieved and happy her dodge was a success. She smiled calmly and said, “See, I told you I wasn't--”

“Why are you trying to hide yourself from him?”

And the cold feeling came shooting back into her body like it was some kind of injection. 

“W-What?”

***Fluttershy's Cottage's Hallway***

Glinda walked up the stairs and looked back, pondering about what her sister and her friends were talking about. Well, kind of. What Rainbow Dash and that dreadlock mare were talking about was pretty boring. She felt bad about what Fluttershy went through, but why wasn't she letting Scootaloo see her dad? Curiosity was eating away at the little griffon and she wanted to know! Shame she didn't say anything to them. Then again, would they even listen?

“Wish I could hear more of that story,” Glinda said with a sulk. “Rainbow Dash and that other mare were being so rude.” But she immediately reminded herself of what Gilda told her.

“Oh yeah, Scootaloo,” she'll ask Gilda what happened later. She treaded down the hall, pitter-pattering her small paws and talons before stopping in front of Fluttershy's bedroom door. Scootaloo was in here, right? She tilted her head in thought. She wasn't too sure. She looked to her left and right and saw two other doors, but they didn't have any signs on them. She shrugged to herself and took a guess with the one door in front of her.

She reached up and was about to knock but paused herself, recalling what happened earlier. She widened her eyes a bit. That fight between Scootaloo and her mother was pretty intense. She retracted her arm and thought to herself, “Wait, If I knock, will she be mad at me?” she could only imagine what would happen in her anxious mind. One knock and Scootaloo would burst out from that and yell at her in a fit of anger. “It's kind of like what mom always did,” she said to herself. Remembering that was a nightmare in itself. But she could still knock, if she wanted, too. Scootaloo isn't her mother and chances are she won't get mad, right? She was hesitant to knock and the conflict in her head wasn't helping, she sighed disappointingly, frustrated in herself, “Maybe I should just walk back? I don't want to disturb her.” She quietly backed away and turned around, but her legs halted and she reminded herself, again. “No, Gilda asked me to do this. If I told her I didn't do what she said, she'd be mad at me,” she had to fulfill it; heck, maybe this was another way of her saying to make a new friend. The first time wasn't all that great.

She then sat down and pouted angrily, “Dumb Diamond Tiara. Using me like that. I just wanted to make friends and she used me,” she growled a tad. She had to do this and she had to do it now. Otherwise, she'd be a wreck. She walked back to the door and reached her arm up as she reminded herself “Okay, you can do this, Glinda. Just talk to her. how hard can it be? She's not Diamond Tiara. And she's not my mother. You can do this.”

Her talon was inches away from the door, but in a cruel twist of fate, the door swung open and Scootaloo stood right in front of Glinda. The sudden appearance made her talon screech to a stop as Glinda flinched in surprise and shock a baby chicken peep coming out of her as her talon was only inches away from Scootaloo's nose.

Glinda widened her eyes and jumped back, landing on her haunches, “Scootaloo!” she looked up at the filly and tried to make a casual smile, trying to make it seem like nothing happened. “H-Hey there. Um, I was just... uh... I was...”

Scootaloo blinked a few times and raised a brow, easily catching on to Glinda's poor acting, “If you're trying to make yourself look cool, you might need some practice,” Scootaloo teased. “Did you want to hang out with me?”

The little griffon nodded and suddenly went on a talking frenzy, kind of like Pinkie Pie, “Y-Yeah. My sister was talking to Fluttershy and the others about school and then Rainbow Dash and that other mare – can't remember her name – started arguing and I got bored. Then Gilda wanted me to see how you were doing. Well, we both thought that. She's downstairs--” an orange hoof pressed against her beak, stopping her.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, Glinda,” Scootaloo said, removing her hoof from Glinda's beak, “I don't have a problem with you wanting to hang out with me.” Scootaloo smiled and motioned her inside, “Come on, we can talk about this in my room. We can play a board game or watch a movie. Plus, I heard you mumble behind the door.” She snickered as Glinda blushed embarrassingly.

Those things Scootaloo said, however, caught her attention. She tilted her head as she walked in passed Scootaloo, “Movie? Board games?”

“Yeah?” Scootaloo said confused, closing the door. “You've never watched a movie before or played any board games?”

All Scootaloo got out of her was an innocent, adorably confused face and a simple shake of a fluffy head, “Uh-uh, not a one.” She looked around the room and saw a queen-sized bed with drawers next to the head of the bed. She looked to her right and saw a weird gray box-like thing in front of the bed. She tilted her head and approached it, tweeting in amusement, yet mystification, “At Griffonstone, we always come up with ideas to have fun. But, it's very rare for me.” As she mentioned Griffonstone, she can recall the types of fun that her fellow griffons tend to 'play' around there. 'Fun,' she thought, 'Ha! More like painful wrestling or paying a bit every time you wanna play a different game. I'll never understand why everygriffon has to be so greedy with bits.'

Though Glinda was told by her parents that they as a species are a proud regal race, she hardly found that an excuse for every griffon to be rude to everyone. It wouldn't hurt them to crack a genuine smile or not ask for bits every 5 minutes over a simple question.

Scootaloo walked up to Glinda, curiously, “So, you don't have a TV or have any like that back home?” Scootaloo asked. “And what do you mean by 'rare'? Are other griffons that bad that they wouldn't want to play with you?” She never went to Griffonstone, but Rainbow Dash did tell her some stories. At first, she didn't believe her that griffons were all that bad, but to hear one say others 'very rarely' play with her was just not right, at all. “There has to be one griffon that's gotta be your friend, right?” 

Glinda shook her head a little, “No, we don't have this 'thing'” – she points to the TV-- “or any board games. It's outside or you don't 'play' at all.” She dipped her head and let out a slow exhale before giving her a confirming nod, “Griffons would rather roughhouse than play anything else.” she turned to look at Scootaloo. “Compared to my other siblings, I'm the runt.”

Scootaloo was surprised by this revelation. She never expected to meet a runt face to face, “That explains why you're smaller than me. Last time I met a griffon, she was twice the size of me and my other friends.”

Glinda raised a brow and had no idea who she was talking about, but she kept explaining as best she could to Scootaloo, “And by 'rare', I mean there is only one griffon who played with me and actually acted like a friend to me. We hardly see each other because he goes to a school,” she then smiled brightly, “But, thanks to that place, we became pen-pals. Most of my time was always writing back to him when he sent me letters. It was very fun.” 

Scootaloo smiled at that. Glad to know at least one griffon was giving Glinda attention. Being a runt must be very difficult for her. 'Wait, School?', Scootaloo thought for a moment, 'She doesn't mean Twilight's friendship school, does she?' if that was the case then that would be something. Glinda being pen-pals with one of Twilight's students. It's actually pretty cool. And seeing that there's only one griffon in that school, she had to ask, “Who's your pen-pal, Glinda?”

Glinda smiled and tried to surprise Scootaloo, “You might not have met him, but his name is Gallus.”

Nope, definitely from Twilight's school and she thought correctly. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Truthfully, the only student she's met was Sandbar and not the others. She was busy with other things to go find them, but Gallus's name was mentioned a few times by Sandbar.

“Gallus, huh? That's pretty cool.” Scootaloo said, playing off that she's surprised.

Glinda chirped and perked up with a cheering, somewhat bragging, smile, “Yup!” she hopped a bit. “Gallus is my pen-pal. When I write to him that I moved to Ponyville, he'll be surprised, too.”

“Move to Ponyville?!” Scootaloo said in a more surprised tone. “You're moving to Ponyville? No wonder you've hung around with Diamond Tiara.” It made sense now. Glinda showing up randomly and hanging around ponies. Why Diamond of all ponies was beyond her, but it still surprised her nonetheless. 

Glinda tilted her head in confusion, “Yeah, didn't the teacher tell you I was a new student?” Glinda asked Scootaloo.

That might've been one part she slept through. Cheerilee's have been so boring that she sometimes sleeps through them. It took either Applebloom or Sweetie Belle to wake her up before Cheerilee noticed. 

“Um... yes,” Scootaloo responded with a little lie and awkward smile, hoping Glinda will fall for it.

Glinda kept her head tilted for a few seconds, before bouncing her head straight with a naive smile “Okay!”

Close call. She was glad this tiger-striped griffon was so gullible, otherwise, this would've gotten really awkward. Scootaloo gave herself a mental high-hoof before realizing what kind of griffon Glinda was. 'Orange coloring with black stripes?  And I thought Griffons were only half-lion and half-eagle? Glinda's half-tiger. This is awesome!' she thought to herself, feeling rather excited actually. Another opportunity was presented to her and she was going to take it. To have a griffon like Glinda as a friend would be very cool.  

“So, wanna watch a movie?” Scootaloo asked, receiving an enthused, twinkling glance from Glinda. Scootaloo tried so hard not to laugh, but that pretty much gave her the answer. “I'll take that as a 'yes'” she said with an amused chuckle. She approached the TV and turned it on. It made hissing sounds, but Scootaloo quickly turned down the volume. She reached under and pulled out five movies.

“Okay, I have five movies,” she turned around, “which one do you – uh, you okay?” she saw Glinda hiding under the bed, shaking like a leaf.

“Th-that was scary.”

Scootaloo took a moment to think and looked at the TV, confused, 'Must've been the hissing sound that spooked her', she looked back at Glinda with an assuring smile. “Ah, don't let this thing scare ya. It does that a lot. Mom tends to forget to turn it down when the sun goes down before turning it off. It doesn't bite.”

Glinda crawled out from under the bed, “Are you sure?” she asked. The hissing sound of the static from the TV reminded her of that frightful fight earlier with Varan and that scary-looking bear. “I-It kind of sounded like... like... like that your giant lizard. When he got angry...”

“Course I'm sure!” Scootaloo said excitedly. “You've got nothing to worry about here. This place is safe and the animal's outside won't hurt you either, not even Varan.” Though when she said that last part, she reassured, “I promise Glinda, you're safe here.” She sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, I'f anything, I'm sorry Varan scared you like that... again.” I honestly don't know what got into him.” She honestly didn't; her Komodo Dragon is usually so well-behaved and chill, but his violent, angry outburst left her concerned. But deciding to deal with him later, she shook her head and focused on the task at hoof: hanging with her new friend.

A thought then occurred to the little griffon: how did she get a scary animal like Varan? Did she raise it? Did she adopt it? Glinda was in mental spiral. But the sounds of clanking quickly brought her out of it. She looked down and saw five different boxes with pictures on it, “What are those?” she asked.

“Movies,” Scootaloo answered excitedly as she pointed. “I have Acrobatic Hawk, Atomic Zilla vs. Queen Medorah, Hotel Pransylvania, A Nightmare on Elf Lane and Midnight.” 

Glinda crawled out from under the bed and took a look at the movie cases. It took about a minute before she finally decided, “This one,” she pointed to Midnight.

Scootaloo let out a slight chuckle at her choice. Of all the movies she had to choose.

“W-What?”

“Oh, n-nothing,” she said, trying to calm herself down. “Just you choose a movie everyone makes fun of. Worth a watch, but great to watch with friends just to make fun of it.”

Glinda was slightly confused, “Did I pick a wrong one?”

Scootaloo shook her head, and quickly assured her, “No, no, it's not that. You picked a great movie. What I'm trying to say is that it's a dumb love story about a Vampony and a Werepony,” She waved a hoof as she explain, very poorly, “Vampony stallion falls in love with a Werepony mare and clans of the two go to war because of their love. It's pretty generic, if you ask me.”

Having that explained to her, she still wanted to watch it; it sounded sweet and intense. She picked her first movie, and she had to see it. Glinda clapped her talons together and eagerly asked with the same eager, twinkling eyes, “Can we still watch it, anyway?”

Scootaloo was almost thrown a back by this but shrugged to herself and nodded, “Yeah, sure, why not. I could use a good laugh after what I went through,” She said in a passive-aggressive tone as she brought the tape out and went to go put it in the VHS.

Glinda tilted her head a bit, letting out a canary tweet, “Are you still mad at your mother?”

She put the tape in and answered, annoyed, “Yeah. I love my mother, but I just wish she'd let me see dad,” She walked back to Glinda and sat next to her, “Every time I ask her, she just dodges my question or just flat-out ignores it. It's so frustrating, I can't take it any more.”

Glinda looked up at Scootaloo with a sad frown, “I'm sorry to hear that.”

Scootaloo shrugged, “It's not your fault. My mom can be overprotective. Wonder if she got that from the animals?” She chuckled at her own joke, but wondered about something, as well.

“Hey, Glinda, why are you moving to Ponyville, anyway? Did your parents decide to move, or what?”

Glinda looked away. She was silent for a few seconds before responding, but not in a really happy tone, “It wasn't my parents. It was Gilda. She wanted to move to Ponyville and she brought me along.” Glinda looked depressed, all of a sudden. Something about that question brought back some memories she would've gladly forgotten about.

***“I can't believe this!” Gilda's voice yelled at her parents. “I can't believe the two of you!” She sounded really mad.

Glinda sat alone on a wooden chair, keeping her eyes cast down and having tear streaks run down her eyes. Her parents had been arguing again, but this time it had gotten worse. Way worse since her sister Gilda is involved. Out of all her siblings, Gilda is more the cool-headed one, but boy, was she scary when you cross her.

“So, that's it? You're just going to leave Glinda all by herself while you two head your separate ways to Grover-knows-where?” Gilda's voice spoke again from her parent's bedroom, and she sounded disappointed.

“It's just the way it is, Gilda...” Their father, Lionel, reared his tan-feathered head at his eldest daughter, “Guster and I don't want anything to do with one another, anymore, but we can't stay around just for Glinda...” he let out a frustrated squawk. “If anything, she would've left the nest by now, just like her other siblings did.”

“It's not that we don't love you or Glinda, Gilda... it's just... we need some time apart from one another,” Their mother, Guster, uttered under her breath, “In completely different locations.” One look at Guster and anygriffon could tell that Gilda got her looks from her, except that Gilda's 'bangs' are light violet while Guster's was sky blue. “Glinda can't always depend on us...”

“Oh, will you two stop lying out your tail-feathers?!” Gilda's voice made not only them but Glinda jump as she heard that all the way from her spot. “Glinda's too young to understand what you're doing... you carry on what you're doing right now, she's not going to stand a chance. She's too small to fend for herself!”

Glinda winced. What was her sister and her parents talking about? They've been yelling at one another for quite a while.

“...Fine. If you two really feel that way, then who gives a flying feather anymore? Screw you two!” Glinda heard a door slam and footsteps coming her way. She looked up to find Gilda coming to her and scooping her up in her arm. “C'mon, squirt... we're leaving.”

“Leaving?! When will we be back? Where are we going?”

Gilda sighed lightly before looking at her little sister, “I don't know where, but I know we're... we're not coming back to Griffonstone.” Seeing her concerned look, Gilda quickly added, “It's not because of you, Glinda,” she sneered, a vulture squawk uttering in her throat “it's more likely mom and dad being stubborn pains in the a--”

“Gilda, w-what's going to happen to us?” Glinda's question cut her off and left her thinking. She didn't want to stay in Griffonstone, that's for sure. But, where would they go? If only Dash were around to give her advice on where to go...

Wait!

“Glinda, we're moving out of the nest. Just you and me.” The thought of Dash instantly gave her an idea of where to go: Ponyville. “And I think I know where we can go.”

“W-Where, big sis?” Her little sister asked, which she answered to give Glinda hope.

“We're going to pay a certain friend of mine's hometown a visit.”***

Glinda's eyes looked a little glossy. She may be a bit too young to understand, but she felt as if she had something to do with her parent's split-up. Gilda said it wasn't because of her, but still, it hurt to just think about it.

Scootaloo looked concerned. She placed a hoof on Glinda's shoulder, “Hey, I didn't mean to dig into something I should've. If you're not ready to talk about it, I won't ask.”

Glinda looked up at Scootaloo and nodded, appreciating that. She looked to the TV Screen as the movie started. Then all focus was on it rather than what just occurred. It's as if that little depression moment never happened. She let out an adorable dove-coo when the Vampony Stallion showed up at the start of the film.

Scootaloo chuckled, 'note to self, Glinda gets easily amused'.

By the time the second act of the movie came up, Glinda kept her eyes glued and Scootaloo nearly fell asleep; the movie was so boring it was a good way to get some good sleep. That is until she faintly heard Glinda call her name.

“Hey, Scootaloo, who's that in the picture?”

Scootaloo snorted and aimlessly looked around, “wha? Huh?” she rubbed her eyes and looked down at Glinda, and said in a dreary tone, “What did you say, Glinda?”

Glinda pointed up at the picture on top of the TV. While she was enjoying the movie, her eyes trailed up to a picture of Scootaloo with someone else; a dragon, maybe? Scootaloo gazed at the picture of her with Spike and yawned out loud, “Oh, that's Spike. He's a friend of mine that lives around here.” She made a poor gesture of a castle to Glinda, “Big castle on a crystal tree. Not hard to miss.” She chuckled at herself.

Glinda gasped enthusiastically, having seen that castle before. A dragon lived there? This small town was full of surprises. And it made her feel better knowing that not just ponies live here in Ponyville, but a dragon, as well! Ponyville may be a very great place to live in. Aside from a few bad fillies and colts, she'll learn to love it here.

“Think we can meet him, someday?”

Scootaloo's eyes shot open and rosy-pink blush marks suddenly appear on her cheeks. A look of shock appeared on her face and she had to come up with an excuse. Something to distract Glinda from knowing, “Uh... maybe? Maybe.. we can..uh... oh, look, The vampony meets the werepony,” She snickered, mockingly, “Check this out, this is gonna get corny in a second.”

Glinda perked her head and tweeted like a canary and focused back on the screen, seeing the light-blue Vampony and yellowish-tan werepony lock eyes. At first, Glinda didn't know what to think, all they were doing was having an argument about what they were and who they were from. It really confused her and she couldn't understand why. Shouldn't they be friends first?

Scootaloo, however, watched the movie with the same blush on her face. Instead of seeing the vampony and werepony, she pictured herself and Spike in the same scenario in a later scene. Seeing herself in his arms, locking eyes and about to kiss, it made Scootaloo's blush intensify. And it was only a mere thought. Scootaloo suddenly felt a little woozy and lightheaded and she could've sworn she felt steam burst out her ears and nose. She aimlessly looked at the screen and ignored everything around her. Okay, maybe this movie was a bad idea. For the past few months, Scootaloo has had a crush on Spike and she tried so hard to deny it. She still had a hard time believing she told her mother and she was worried she'd tell Twilight. She thought about the times she and Spike would hang out and cause pranks just like Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. It became frequent and it really showed her how awesome Spike could be. During those months, she started feeling something towards the purple dragon and she couldn't really explain what it was. Yet, she's still trying to deny it. She looked away from Glinda.

'Oh, am I really falling in love with Spike?' Scootaloo mentally asked herself. 'He's supposed to be one of my friends. Why am I falling for him?' Her mind slowly spiraled out of control. She couldn't figure out why she was attracted to him. But, she had to keep it locked up. She doesn't need Spike to know, because it would feel awkward for the both of them. 'Okay, maybe picking this movie was a bad--”

“Scootaloo?” Glinda tugged softly on her fur to get her attention.

Scootaloo snapped out of her mental breakdown and looked down at Glinda, “W-What's up, Glinda?”

“The vampony and werepony separated. What was all that about?”

Scootaloo looked at the screen and watched as the two characters made their departure, “Well, the vampony and werepony decided not to get into a fight because they couldn't bring themselves to do it. So, they left to go talk to their clans or something.”

“Oh, well, now it's on the werepony. Is she alright?” Glinda asked, not really knowing what was going on with the werepony. They watch as the werepony talks to her sister and begins to reveal her true feelings: she was in love with the vampony. 

“Well, it doesn't take math to know what she's thinking of. She likes the Vampony and that other werepony” – she points to the brown werepony – “is her sister. She's a good listener and always tries her best help her in any way she can.”

“Oh!” Glinda smiled and looked at the screen, happy to know the werepony has someone to help her. She can relate to that.

“Oh, boy, here come the cheesy parts,* Scootaloo said, in a sarcastic tone as the werepony began to explain to her sister.

Fluttershy's Living Room

“I'm not trying to hide from him, I swear!” Fluttershy said, cracking under the pressure from Gilda's question. Angel tried to guard her from the griffon as he eyed her suspiciously, wondering what she's up to when she asked that. 

Gilda had her in the bag. A reaction like that was the perfect indicator that this spoke more volumes than her previous one and that Fluttershy was indeed hiding something, “Your reaction says otherwise, Fluttershy.”

“Um, Gilda? What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused. “Are you trying to scare her into answering?”

“That's not a good idea,” Tree Hugger obliged, agreeing with Rainbow, for one. “If her aura is not going to change color, then her blood pressure will surely rise.”

“Will you two shut up,” Gilda bonked the two mares on their heads and temporarily dazing them. “I'm not trying to do any of that. If you'll let me finish, I was going to say something else.” Fluttershy already told the truth by action. But, deciding for her was not an intention she wanted to do. “Fluttershy, what I'm trying to say is, you—”

“I don't know what he'll do...”

“What?”

Fluttershy looked away, grieving about the mere thought of seeing Drift, again. Drift harmed her in more ways than anyone could imagine. He used her like a toy, hardly paid any attention to her, barely gave her affection, what she wanted and all he cared about was her looks. He didn't harm her physically, well, aside from that day. But, not only that, it was herself that ruined her own life, too. She made stupid decisions, was blinded by her own love to see what Drift really wanted, didn't listen to the one friend who tried to be her voice of reason and she got what she wanted, but what she wanted abandoned her. She wanted to start a family, she didn't want what came after until she was older. But now, the only thing that came out of her life... was Scootaloo. And she was happy to have her back into her life; deep down she just wanted her family to be whole.

“If I see Drift again, I don't know what he'd do,” Fluttershy said, “That's why I try to hide Scootaloo and myself from him. I don't know what he'd do if he saw us. ...Saw me, again.” Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane. She didn't know what to do. She whimpered a bit, trying to prevent herself from breaking down in front of Gilda.

Angel lowered his ears as he looked at his owner with compassion. At last, they knew the truth of why Fluttershy was reluctant to see Drift after all this time, she was afraid... afraid of what he'd do to her. Would he hurt her again? Would he even feel bad? Whatever the case may be, Angel brushed it off before stroking and brushing Shy's mane as he sat on the left arm of the chair, comforting her as best he can.

Gilda felt bad for Fluttershy. Even to this day, those scars have not yet healed. She can kind of vouch for that, giving she made her decision to raise Glinda without help from her stubborn, selfish parents. Plus, it didn't help that two of her other friends were giving her different decisions. She looked at Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash disappointingly as they came to before looking back at Fluttershy. She didn't care what these two thought, she needed to know.

“I'm sure he'll feel sorry for what he did. I met him earlier today.”

Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger looked at Gilda as if they felt so betrayed by an ally – Rainbow dash, especially.

Fluttershy popped her head out of her mane wide-eyed and slack-jawed, “You met him?!” That revelation completely floored her and she was shocked beyond recognition. “What did he say?”

Gilda slightly leaned her head back from that sudden reaction, “Whoa, okay, cool the flames and listen carefully.” She straightened her neck as Fluttershy tried to keep a cool mind, “He didn't say anything about you. When I saw him, he was scared of me, really.” Which wasn't a hard thing to do. She was intimidating, but she was used to it. “I was looking for Glinda and Rainbow Dash quickly introduced me to Drift.”

Rainbow Dash gasped in betrayal, “Gilda!”

“Wait?” Fluttershy looked to Rainbow Dash confused and suspicious. “You found Drift and you didn't tell me? Why?”

The look in Rainbow Dash's eyes spoke volumes. Her body shook a bit from anxiety and her mind went blank for a second. But, thanks to Gilda, she had to say something, “I-I wanted to say hi, too. Heh.” Rainbow dash lied. This was out-of-character for her, but now she didn't know what Fluttershy was gonna do. “It's been a long time since I last saw him, I--”

“liar!” Gilda said sternly, not falling for this bullcrap. She saw the actions Rainbow Dash was giving off and she remembered what happened when they were talking to Drift, “You still haven't answered my question when we were talking to him,” she pointed a claw into the tuff of Rainbow Dash's fur, “You owe us an explanation.”

Fluttershy looked more confused than she already did. She didn't know was going on or what was Gilda talking about? What was Rainbow Dash hiding? 

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash,” Tree Hugger intervened, thinking she was gonna be a free mare, “What's your explana--”

“Don't think for a sec you're not involved in this, either, Dreadlocks,” Gilda interrupted while keeping her eyes on a panicked Rainbow Dash. “You're hiding something, too.”

Tree Hugger widened her eyes and closed her mouth shut. She didn't expect the griffon to pick up what she's hiding. She then looked to Fluttershy who glared betrayed eyes at her.

Angel crossed his arms and looked at Dash disapprovingly; She met with Drift and she didn't say anything? 'What the heck, Dash?' He wiggled his whiskers in annoyance. There were actually some days he even wondered whyShy was friends with this one. Though his eyes widened as Gilda tells that Tree Hugger also was involved. Now he was hopping mad; these two involved themselves in a business that was not their own, and they have the gall to try and force Shy into making the decision of going to see Drift or not? This was unacceptable. 

'I never thought I'd say it... but I'd give anything to be able to speak Ponish right now so I can really tear into these two idiots,' He thought as he clenched his little fists, shaking in absolute frustration.

“You, too, Tree Hugger?” Now she was in a world of confusion. She looked at the two mares before her confusion turned to anger. She crossed her arms and frowned at them. “Okay, stop, please,” she asked Gilda and Gilda gladly retreated herself away from Rainbow Dash as Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger looked at Fluttershy like guilty puppies.

“Meeting Drift without telling me? Keeping something from me since High School? Having Gilda Involved? And my new friend keeping something from?” Fluttershy growled angrily and annoyed. She snapped, “What is going on here?!”

Both Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash flinched at this outburst. One of them had to say something, but they were too frightened to speak.

“On second thought, no, I'll choose,” Fluttershy beamed her glare at Rainbow Dash, “Rainbow Dash, I want to know what you did.” Of the two, Rainbow Dash's case had her interest peaked. “What did you and Gilda do and what did you do today?”

Rainbow Dash shivered anxiously. She was used to getting in trouble, but in this case, it was a different scenario. She looked at Gilda who crossed her arms and gave her a frustrated glare, “I...” she looked back at Fluttershy and sighed in defeat, “I asked Gilda to join me because I wanted to teach Drift a lesson and get revenge for you. He hurt you, so I figured I'd might hurt him back with some help by my side.” She then looked to Gilda, “And if I told you why, you wouldn't tag along. Or maybe you wouldn't have cared and tagged along anyway. ”

That... was actually accurate. Gilda thought about that and it actually made sense. If she knew the reason, chances are she still would've joined anyway and not cared what the reasons were. Again, she wanted to join for fun. Looking back, she really was stupid back then. Gilda looked down in question and shrugged, “Okay, that's a fair point. I would've jumped in, anyway.” Tensions were calm, but the storm was still above them. “But using me like that was still not cool, Dashie.”

She nodded and felt pressure in her chest, “I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Gilda.”

“Don't apologize to me,” she pointed to Fluttershy, “apologize to her once you're done explaining”

Rainbow Dash looked at Fluttershy with guilt and shame all over her face. Guess it's all over now. She sighed, and explained, “It wasn't just today. I've seen Drift more than once. And I've been trying to get him to go find you and apologize to you.” She started to wallow up as Fluttershy's eyes started to widen. “I was just trying to help you. He knew what he did was wrong and he had to face it – face you. I wanted you and Drift to meet and hopefully work something out.” She took a few breaths and continued, “He's Scootaloo's dad, he needs to know.” A tear shed down from her eye, “I didn't even think of how you'd react.”

Fluttershy widened eyes contorted into a disappointed glare. She didn't say a word, and there was no need too. She felt betrayed. Her own best friend went behind her back and tried to force the one stallion that hurt her to apologize without consent from either of them. One one hoof, there was some good intentions to that: bring justice to her and finally get an apology. But on the other hoof, Rainbow Dash had no right getting in her family business. As much as she wanted to feel grateful for trying to help her, she just couldn't bring herself to say it. She was so angry with Rainbow Dash, she couldn't even think of what to say. Now she could only imagine what Tree Hugger was hiding.

“Tree Hugger?” Fluttershy asked in a stern tone with a cold glare.

As if Rainbow Dash didn't feel guilty enough, Tree Hugger was on the same level. She was trained to keep herself in check and keep her aura in balance, but in this state of situations, she was feeling cold and scared. She looked at Fluttershy's aura and saw it had changed from yellow to red. Fluttershy was not happy and... her daughter was involved in her situation! Tree Hugger tried to speak, but she choked up on her words. She didn't know if what she was hiding was far worse. 

“Hey, dreadlocks?” Gilda grabbed her attention. “It's okay, don't tear yourself apart, just relax and tell her.”

Gilda was right. She needed to relax and tell the truth. Scootaloo was involved, but if Fluttershy heard her intentions, she'd probably get more slack than Rainbow. She took a long inhale and held it before slowly releasing, “Okay, when Scootaloo and I were in Ponyville to get groceries, we came across Drift and Scootaloo was talking to him.”

As if her fears were true, Fluttershy's anger came out in a sudden burst like a geyser, “You met him?! And you had my daughter talking to him?!” Fluttershy leaned over and nearly fell from her chair, but her rage-coated eyes were on Tree Hugger. She was thinking Tree Hugger openly told Drift and made an ultimate betrayal just like Rainbow Dash

Gilda, Rainbow Dash and Angel were stunned.

'Okay, now I see why Dreadlocks was hesitant. Whoops,' Gilda thought. 

'This was a bad idea,' Dash's own thought added. 

'Now you really bucked up, hippie,' Angel's thought concurred as they stood there speechless

Tree Hugger flinched in fear and waved her hooves and tried to reassure her, “Wait, it's not what you think. I didn't say anything. I was trying to keep her away. Scootaloo and Drift don't know. Honest!” She was scared out of her mind. She knew Fluttershy would get angry, but not this demonic. “My mistake was letting Scootaloo talk to him, I admit that. But it was a casual talk. I didn't say much, at all. Just small talk. I didn't say anything to Scootaloo, too. I was trying to keep you and Drift apart because the auras will collide and create a huge emotional storm.” She looked to Rainbow Dash and pointed to her, “That's when she showed up and tried to ruin everything.”

Rainbow Dash snarled and glared angry daggers at Tree Hugger. The nerve of this pony! “Me?! If you kept Scootaloo from knowing who her father is, she would still be having arguments with Fluttershy. You saw what happened out there!.”

Tree Hugger shook her head in denial, “If I told her, then everything would collapse and Fluttershy's life would be in more danger than it already is.”

Gilda looked at these mares annoyed and out of patience. Both of these mares have no business trying to set Fluttershy's life. And frankly, she's had enough. But the sudden red face of Fluttershy says it all right there. 

“uh, girls?”

“Her life was already in danger when Drift knocked her up!”

“Girl?”

“And it's going to get even more dangerous if she sees Drift, again. You are so blind!”

No point in trying to stop them, so, Gilda leaned back on the couch and braced for impact. If she wasn't gonna stop them, well...

Angel tilted his head at Gilda and turned to look up at Fluttershy. His ears drooped and his irises shrank at the upcoming terror about to approach. One look at Shy's red face was all Angel needed to know exactly what Gilda was thinking, this wasn't going to be pretty. He stepped back and joined Gilda on the couch, bracing himself as he covered his eyes, not wanting to watch.

Then it happened. Like a volcano of molten rage, Fluttershy erupted, “Shut up!” Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger scrunched up like cats and immediately halted their argument. These two have bickered quite enough. Gilda and Angel said nothing as the onslaught commenced. 

Fluttershy's face was light red. Her eyes beamed raw rage at her two cowering friends. Her breaths were heavy; almost as if a bull was snorting at them, “How dare you two,” She said in a fed-up tone. She huffed heavily out her muzzle. She was done with this crap. “My life is not something for you to make. My life is not something for you to fight over. My life... is none of your business!”

And right there was a stepping stone for Fluttershy: let it all out. Gilda couldn't be more proud. And, for a timid pony, it's always the quiet ones. Honestly, her anger is similar to her's now that she thinks about it. Then again, she is a protective mother. 

Angel smiled proudly at his owner; finally, she's speaking out that it's her life, and that it's her choice on whether she goes to see that stallion or not. Seeing her tell these two off herself felt... relieving, in some way. It meant Shy's asserting herself in this situation and she's got this.

Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash huddled back and endured the onslaught that is Fluttershy's rage.

“You two have no business trying to make decisions for me. If I wanted help, I'd ask for it. Instead, what do I get, heads flying over me trying to decide for me. Well, I got news for you two … I can make my own decisions!” 

'You tell 'em, girl' Gilda thought, nodding in approval.

“Next time you pull stuff like this, talk to me first instead of going behind my back and making decisions without someone knowing!” Fluttershy lashed, her anger was coming to a close when she panted steamy, angry breaths out. Then she slowly started to calm down.

It was quiet for a moment and Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger uncurled their bodies and looked at Fluttershy with frightened, apologetic eyes. But those eyes were not gonna save them from what they did. Fluttershy's anger was set and stone and mere apologizes were not gonna cut it.

But Fluttershy had one more thing to say...

“As far as I'm concerned, Gilda has been the voice of reason here, and she used to be my bully!”

Gilda was thrown aback by that. She blinked a few times and processed that. Must've been another thing she forgot in high school, “Huh, completely forgot about that.” This picture really has got something wrong here, but she couldn't help but chuckle to herself at it.

Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger flinched, again, but straightened themselves up, still a bit shaken from that monstrous outburst. She's probably gonna need a lot of time to cool down after that.

“F-Fluttershy, we didn't mean--”

“No, Rainbow Dash, you and Tree Hugger have done enough,” Fluttershy snapped at her like a little filly. This was ironic in so many ways. “I don't want to hear any more of this and don't want you two to do any more of this. From now on, you two are going to answer to me if there's something that involves me or Scootaloo. Got it?” Fluttershy was going all commander mom on them, it almost made Gilda want to burst out laughing.

Tree hugger tried to intervene again, “B-But...”

“Got. It?” 

“Y-Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am,” both mares said simultaneously. They don't want to go through another one of Fluttershy's rampages like this one. They now know she's outright angry with them that they refused to talk any further. Because if they spoke again, they'd most likely get in even more trouble.

Gilda sat up straight and crossed her arms, looking at Fluttershy with the same approving smile and nod, “you done, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy lifted herself back and sat back on her chair, panted from that verbal warpath. She spoke in a calm, exhausted tone, “Yes. Dear sweet Celestia, I needed that out.” As if she wasn't going through enough pains as it is. First the orphanage, then planning to remodel the house and now this. She needs a break or something.

“Need anything to calm your nerves?”

Fluttershy nodded, rubbing her temples to prevent a headache from coming on, “Y-Yes, please. S-Some tea wouldn't hurt,” She pointed to her kitchen, “I have a full jug of peach tea in the fridge.” Tea was always a good way to calm her nerves. If it wasn't her animal friends calming her nerves, it was sure going to be some nice tea. 

Gilda nodded and got up and walked away from the two silent mares to go get some tea for Fluttershy, “Gotta say, that was pretty awesome.” She was impressed with that breakdown. Maybe ponies and griffons aren't as different as she thought.

“Oh, thanks, I guess.”

Angel smiled proudly at his owner; finally, she's speaking out that it's her life, and that it's her choice on whether she goes to see that stallion or not. Seeing her tell these two off herself felt... relieving, in some way. It meant Shy's asserting herself in this situation and she's got this.

Gilda came back with a cup of peach tea and gave it to her. She sat back down between Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger. She can make her own decisions, so, wouldn't hurt to ask.

“So, have you decided?”

Fluttershy took a sip of her tea and tried to think of one. Her meltdown gave her a slight headache, but she still gave Gilda an answer, “I can't really decide right now. It's hard to choose.” She looked at the three in front of her and took some thoughts, “Well, then again, it's hard to decide when three options are given to me.”

All three of them looked at Fluttershy, confused.

“Well, one wants me to go see Drift. One wants me to stay away from Drift. And you want me to decide for myself, right?”

Gilda snickered and gladly answered, “Duh. It is your life, after all.”

Fluttershy perked up and smiled sweetly, saying in agreement, “Exactly. But I can't really decide. Three different opinions, it's hard to choose.”

“Are you wanting someone else's opinion?” Gilda asked.

“Would be nice,” Shy nodded, wanting someone else's opinion on this as she found herself in a little fork in the road in this decision.

Angel looked up at Shy before gently tugging the curl of her mane, catching her attention as she looked down at him. He squeaked gently at her, talking to her in a way that only he can. He squeaked out the words from his thoughts 'Fluttershy, as much as I wanna help in this situation, I know it's your choice alone, it always has been. But, if there's one thing, I want you to know, it's this....' 

He whistled to one of the doorways which got the attention of a few of the smaller animals, such as Hummingway and his friends, Fuzzylegs, Mr. Otterton, and his family, Mr. Mousey with his wife and kid, Slithers the snake and Mina the kitty. They gave Fluttershy a smile as they peeked in, giving her their undying support and love. Angel stands before them as he squeaked to Shy with a loyal smile

'...No matter what you decide to do right now, me and the rest of the critters support you. And whatever you decide, we're with you until the end.'

It lifted Fluttershy's heart that her own animal friends were being supportive and loyal like this. They respect her choices and even if this was a big choice to make, their love and support lessened the pressure. "Thank you Angel Bunny... my little friends..." She brought the small animals into her arms for a hug which they happily accepted. She kissed Angel's head and smiled at him, "You're such a good bunny." She then wondered "But I don't really know who else would--”

Suddenly, the phone next to her began to ring, making her flinch and almost dropping her tea. It drew the other's attention, as well.

“Well now, I think you might have your answer.”

Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion before placing her tea down. She reached for the still ringing phone and answered, “H-Hello?”

“Hi, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy held the phone back from her ear as an excited, semi-flamboyant voice came bursting out of the phone. It was almost loud enough for Gilda and the other two to hear.

Gilda looked at Fluttershy confused and somewhat worried. Whoever that was on the phone, seemed more of a pain than these two sitting beside her.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, knowing full well who that is. 

Angel pinched the bridge of his nose as his brows furrowed, realizing who exactly was calling. That one pegasus who brought a bunny lawn gnome here for him to befriend, which was short-lived. 

Fluttershy sighed and really wanted to hang up the phone right now to save herself from suffering any more pain, but she had to reach out and answer. So, here goes nothing. She placed the phone on her ear, and greeted under her breath, “Hello, Zephyr Breeze. How are you doing?”

“Oh, just fantastic. I got a job at a local animal barbershop and things have been going so well,” Zephyr said, very enthused.

The other girls looked on in worry. Angel looked rather mortified, but Fluttershy was outright frightened, worried about the animals. But she reluctantly asked, “And, how are things going?” She feared for the worse, praying for a miracle for Zephyr and those little creatures. 

“Well, it's going pretty well. Um, you know how you're always busy with animals at home and at the vets? Well, turns out, I have a knack for making great animal hair-styles. One day, I had a Dalmatian come in needing a simple haircut, the owner loved the bow I picked for her dog.”

This threw Fluttershy for a loop. She'd expect to hear a disaster, but this was new indeed. And Zephyr doesn't sound so narcissistic about it.

“Oh, that's good to hear. I'm very proud of you, little brother,” words she never thought she'd hear come out of her mouth.

'She has a brother?' Gilda thought. Learn something new every day.

Tree Hugger was beyond surprised. She saw four aura streams and Fluttershy's own aura. She was unaware of Fluttershy having a brother. She didn't see his aura stream. She squinted her eyes and took another look. She saw a space between the mother's and father's aura. Tree Hugger focused and saw... an aura thread. Tree Hugger raised her eyebrows and looked in utter shock. How could she miss this? She was so confused. She placed a hoof on her head and leaned back on the couch. 'How are auras that small?' She asked herself that.

“So, how are you? What has my older sister been up to, Fluttershy?” Zephyr asked, interested because it's been a while since they talked.

“Well, I've been decent. And...” an idea suddenly came to her, “I'm in a situation right now and I need a second opinion. I'm actually glad you called.”

“Oh? Really! Boy, do I have timing,” he chuckled to himself, “What'cha need, big sis?”

Fluttershy explained to Zephyr about the whole story of what's going on. How she's been raising her daughter and the situation she is currently in. Every detail from beginning to end. And it threw Zephyr in more loops and twisted his mind at what's been told to him.

“So, any thoughts?”

“W-Well, uh, for starters, I'm an uncle and you want to know if you should see your baby-daddy, again?”

Fluttershy blushed embarrassingly and nodded, “That's about it. Sorry for not telling you sooner. So, any thoughts, baby brother?”

“Honestly, I'd go with the griffon on this one.”

“Yes! Score two for me,” Gilda cheered.

Fluttershy looked at Gilda and chuckled before asking, “You think so?”

“Yes. It's your life, Fluttershy. You made some bad decisions. Believe me, I should know, because I made some bad ones myself,” he openly admitted to her, “And we all have to live with them. Besides, heh, you sure made a decision that gave you a neat gift. Well, a gift for the whole family, honestly.”

Fluttershy was speechless. Zephyr was right. She did have an amazing gift given to her. She did put her in an orphanage, but she never actually left. She wasn't there for Scootaloo physically, but she was there in spirit. But now, she has her back in her life and she couldn't be happier. So, it's time she returned the favor by making her happy.

“Thank you, Zephyr. That means a lot. You've been a big help.”

“Hey, don't mention it, big sis. I'm always here if you need me. And I'd like to see my niece, too.”

Fluttershy giggled softly, “Of course, Zephyr. You'll meet Scootaloo soon.”

“Can't wait. Well, I better get off here. I actually do have a date of my own to go, too. And it's... almost time! Oh man, I'm gonna be late. It was nice talking to you, big sis. But I have to go. Bye!'

The phone beeps and Fluttershy hangs up.

The three girls and the critters look to Fluttershy in wonder. Angel hopped over to her and climbed onto her back, reaching her shoulder. He saw a smile appearing on her face and he returned it with a confident and proud nod, making a determined face.

“So, have you made your decision?” Gilda asked, curiously.

Fluttershy gave them a confident smile and nodded, “Yes, I have.”

Tree Hugger, though still in trouble for what she did, gave more courage than Rainbow Dash gave at Fluttershy shocked and disbelief look. She spoke out, confused, recalling a certain moment, "I thought you said you didn't have any siblings?"

As much as she didn't want to talk to them right now, Fluttershy will give Tree Hugger that, only once, she may have goofed on that one. She looked at Tree Hugger slightly embarrassed and slightly chuckled innocently, "Okay, I may have been hiding more than just my ex-coltfirend."
> Chapter 7.5: Pay Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That Scootaloo's going to pay… One way, or another…" An all-too-familiar snobbish voice spoke out at the Rich Household's swimming pool where all-too-familiar rich fillies were hanging out at in their bathing suits. Although…only one remained out of the water while the other chilled out.

Diamond Tiara was furious, humiliated, basically, she was downright livid. 

Silver Spoon watched as Diamond paced near the swimming pools ledge as she floated on an inflatable recliner. Her friend has been going at this for almost an hour or maybe two, she lost count. She knew what she was talking about: their failure of harming Scootaloo; Ever since Scootaloo gave Diamond that black eye, and got her in trouble with Filthy Rich, Diamond wanted nothing more than to get even with the blank flank. Only thing is, when you're a diamond, that means you never break… and it also means you hit harder. Silver too was mad at Scootaloo for what she did to her friend and wanted to see the Pegasus filly squirm as the pink filly gets her revenge.

However… they had not counted on the blank flank being heavily protected on what they believed were normal grounds at that cottage. For all they knew, they believed that all Scootaloo's mother had there were small, harmless woodland creatures that couldn't do any harm to them…. Well, except for porcupines…and skunks…and bees. Okay, there were a couple of small woodland critters that could do some harm to them; but what they didn't see coming was those larger predators. Silver shivered at the thought of seeing those two carnivores that eyed her, Diamond, Grime, and Dirt with those possibly-hungry glares; just what else was Fluttershy hiding in that cottage? Her thoughts then went to that little griffon that was with them until that monstrous lizard came out of its den after Scootaloo told them that the animals don't attack because they knew she was protected by that beast, what had happened to her? Did that monster eat her? Did those predators get her themselves? The more she thought of what went on at Scootaloo's and Fluttershy's home, the more worried and afraid she became. 

And the more worried and afraid Silver Spoon became… the more reluctant she felt about helping Diamond with her revenge plan.

Diamond stopped her pacing and glared out the gates, looking off into the distance, looking off to where that Luna-forsaken cottage was. She clenched her teeth in anger as she snorted smoke out of her flaring nostrils, "Nopony gets away with getting me into trouble with daddy, or giving me a black eye… NOPONY!" She clenched her hoof as she continued her rant, "Just you wait, Scootaloo… I'll get you back, and when I do, you're going to regret ever crossing Diamond Tiara!" 

"Um… Diamond Tiara? D-Don't you think we should just… you know… forget about it? Forget this whole ‘revenge' thing?" 

Diamond froze. She slowly looked over her shoulder with a glare at the spectacle-wearing gray filly that is her friend. "Excuse me?" Her tone was angered and like a cold icicle in winter. "You wanna run that by me again, Silver Spoon?" She turned around, approaching her slowly, that glare so cold, the pool may as well freeze over.

Silver winced from her spot, the rubber whining under her as she backed up a bit "I-I'm just saying… t-that maybe we should just forget about getting revenge on the blank flank… I mean, you saw those monsters back there!" She pointed off in that same direction her friend had looked in during her rant, "If we even do carry out our revenge, those creatures will get to us before we even get to her!" She attempted to talk Diamond out of this as she worried about what would happen to the two of them. Dirt and Grime chickened out of the group after their encounter with that komodo dragon of Scootaloo's, which only left the two of them.

Diamond scoffed and shrugged a shoulder, "So?" 

Silver looked at her, stunned. Had she completely forgotten what occurred back there? "‘So?'?! Diamond, those beasts could kill us, or even worse, eat the two of us, especially that huge lizard! He probably already ate that little griffon that was with us before! Pounding the daylights out of the blank flank is now basically suicide a-and that's all you can say, ‘So?'?!"

Diamond frowned at her, a bit disgusted that she's trying to weasel her way out of this, her own best friend, "That little pushover was slowing us down anyway… but am I really hearing this from you, Silver? After all, we've been through, you're trying to weasel your way out of teaching that flightless blank flank a lesson… because of a few stupid animals?" 

Silver frowned at her, "I'm only trying to keep us alive! Most of them are carnivores, you know." 

Diamond scoffed and rolled her eyes, sourly admitting, "All right, so it was a mistake trying to pummel her at her own place, but it wasn't that bad."

Silver Spoon stamped her hoof, incredulous, "Not that bad? She knew we'd do something like that! I swear, she knew that we'd probably pull something like this, but now she has a surefire way to get rid of us instead of us getting rid of her." 

And if her words were going to fall on deaf ears, she had no choice. Silver sighed but shook her head as she said the nine words that she never would've expected to say to Diamond's face before "Diamond… I don't want to do this anymore."

A pin drop could only be heard as Diamond absorbed those words.

Silver, the closest and only friend she has, is chickening out. She could understand that those beasts were dangerous, but that was no excuse. Whatever she and Silver decided, they execute their actions together.

But apparently, not this time.

"Wait… Are you chickening out on helping me with making Chicken-loo pay?" Her eyes narrowed as her bestie slowly but firmly nodded her head "I guess I am." Was all that Silver could respond back before letting out a yelp as she is bounced off the rubber recliner as Diamond leaped onto it with fury and landing into the pool; She gasped for breath as she surfaced before yelping as Diamond grabbed her by her bathing suit and looked her in the eye "Let me remind you, Silver Spoon,… if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be popular… without me, you wouldn't be one of the top students… if anything, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have gotten your cutie mark!" 

It was at that point, something in Silver Spoon snapped as she glared back at the pink earth filly, "Like you were picking daisies!" She got in her face, causing her to lean back on the floating furniture, "You're only popular because you're rich!" She bares her teeth, "And you're only rich because of your dad's successful business!" She barked out in anger, "You're only top of the class because of me doing your homework that you can't be bothered to do yourself, you're just jealous because I'm smarter than you!"

Diamond glared at her furiously for that last comment before tackling her back into the water as they fight, screaming and pulling each other's manes while splashing water about.

"Take it back!" 

"No!" 

"TAKE IT BACK!" 

"NEVER!"

The two fillies kept fighting one another before a snooty voice yelled out to them, causing the two of them to freeze

"Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon! What is going on out here?!" 

Silver winced as she slowly looked over while Diamond looked over with her best ‘pouty filly' face as the wife of Filthy Rich, Spoiled Rich, approached them with a no-nonsense frown and a raised brow at this behavior. 

"Moooooom! Silver doesn't want to help me anymore!" She tattled as she points at Silver who glared angrily at her for being a tattler. 

Spoiled looked at Silver with a firm frown as the two fillies climbed out of the swimming pool, "What did you do to upset her?" It sounded more like an accusation than a question. 

"I didn't do anything! I'm trying to talk her out of getting revenge on Scootaloo because of the advantage she has over us! But she won't listen to me!" The older mare's brows furrowed as she gazed down at Silver expectantly, "Silver Spoon… what have we learned?"

Silver knew what was happening and sighed sadly, gazing down as she answered, "Diamonds never break…" Spoiled Rich raised her brow, wanting her to finish, causing her to sigh once more "…and diamonds hit back to get even." 

The pointy-nosed mare nodded approvingly "That's right."

"But—" Poor Silver was cut off "No ‘buts'. I expect more out of you. Where would you be without Diamond, Filthy, and I?" 

Silver winced, "Nowhere…" She backs up as Spoiled advances towards her to intimidate her as she forced her to remember her place, 

"Who took you in when no one else would?" 

Silver timidly spoke out, "F-Filthy Rich..." 

Spoiled frowned as she leaned in, their noses touching, "And who used her own money to enroll you into school to get an education?" 

Silver answered her out of fear "You!" 

The older mare was standing right above Silver Spoon now, "And are you going to just throw it all away because of one blank flank? You're that ungrateful?"

Silver shook her head, "No-no! I-I'm not! I—!" 

She winced as Spoiled poked her chest as she reminded her, "We are the richest family in all of Ponyville, Silver Spoon. Our social status starts here and reaches all over Equestria. And we cannot and absolutely will not let anypony disrespect us in such a way. Do you understand?" 

Silver looked down, depressed but answered, "Yes…" 

Spoiled nodded approvingly, lifting Silver's chin with a ‘loving' smile, "I'm glad we're clear. Don't forget your place here, Silver Spoon…" She frowned firmly, her eyes narrowed as Silver winced deeply "…Ever!" She spoke in a warning tone towards her as she lifted herself "Do I make myself clear?"

Silver sighed in defeat, her ears pressed against her head and her glasses resting at the tip of her nose, "Yes, mommy…"

Diamond smiled victoriously as her sister agreed.

"Good," Their mother nodded before motioning them to come inside "Come along, my daughters. Mommy wants to know all about what you're planning."

Diamond quickly followed, immediately informing her of what went on while Silver kept her head down while following them.

*Rich's Hallway*

"So this blank flank thinks she can get away with being a troublemaker all because of having a large reptile on her side, does she?" Spoiled spoke after Diamond filled her in on everything that had happened back at the cottage.

Diamond nodded, "Yeah, she's been a thorn in my side for far too long, Mom… and it's high time that it comes to an end."

Her mother nodded, "Indeed," She stopped her walk, "However… your sister is right about it being dangerous, my dear." 

Diamond froze and glared at her while Silver gazed up a bit in surprise. "Who's side are you on, Mom?!" 

She calmed down when her mother replied "Why, your side, of course. I only agree that facing such a beastly creature is suicide…" She smirked down at her daughters, "Which is why mommy is going to lend a hoof." She looked to the door before them.

The two fillies looked and Silver was the first to identify it in a worried tone, "T-This is daddy's office." Their mother chuckled in confirmation as she led them inside, "M-Mother, daddy says we can't be allowed in here while he does his work!" She remembered her father's words whenever he had to do work and not be distracted. Spoiled simply chuckled 

"Well, dear, he didn't say you can't be allowed in here unless mommy was with you, did he?" She had a point, which they were a bit reluctant to admit, but they always believed that Filthy only allowed her in because she was his wife and therefore had a right to be involved in his work when needed.

Spoiled walked to her husband's work desk and opened the drawer, she then started searching while her daughters watched.

Diamond was curious about what their mother was doing but was interested to know on what she's going to do to help her get revenge.

Silver, however, was still unsure about this whole thing. She really didn't want any part of this anymore. She may be part of a rich family, but even she had her limits.

Spoiled soon took out a wooden box and the key that was under it. She smirked as she gazed at her children, "Daddy never said anything to you girls about this… but he told me about this little tool one night that can be of some use to you." Actually, Filthy had told her about this ‘little tool' while he was drunk one night after such a hard stressful day at work. "If he says anything, Mommy will take care of it personally." She winked and smirked with Diamond Tiara as the pink filly started to chuckle in a devious way before it became full-blown laughter.

Finally, she can stop Scootaloo once and for all. 

Silver looked really worried about this, she didn't know what was in there, and she really didn't want to know. It gave her all the more reason to chicken out of this scheme her sister had. So while her sister and mother weren't looking, she quietly backed out of the office and quickly galloped away into the hall as her sister laughed a bit maniacally.

Diamond stopped her laughter and smirked with her mother before looking out her father's work window, gazing off to the distance of where Scootaloo lived. With revenge in mind, she spoke out in a venomous tone…

"You've embarrassed and humiliated me, Scootaloo… for the last time!"
> Chapter 7.10 The Reason
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy smiled confidently before Rainbow Dash, Tree Hugger and Gilda, voicing her final decision “I’m going to see Drift…” She gazed upstairs towards her daughter’s room and softened a bit “…so we can finally be a true family again.” She wasn’t going to do this just for herself, but for her beloved Scootaloo. 

“Alright, Flutter—“ Rainbow Dash started to cheer before Fluttershy glared her Stare at her, making her flinch as Fluttershy asserts that both she and Tree Hugger are to stay out of this. “And I’m doing it myself. And if you two even dare try to involve yourselves in somepony else’s business again, you are going to answer to me. Understand?” Her two friends wince and nodded in a mix of sheepishness and a hint of fear, they both cannot deny it, but despite being “the shy one” Fluttershy definitely was assertive and bold. To Rainbow Dash, if Fluttershy never had Scootaloo, she'd never grow a spine thicker than a crocodile's.

Fluttershy then smiled as she set Angel down, kneeling down to him and spoke in a soft, motherly tone, “Angel… thanks for always sticking by me.” She had to tell him that she was grateful he and Gilda were on her side, but as her beloved pet, she felt she owed it to him for easing her by reminding her that no matter what she chooses, he and the rest of her animal friends will support and respect her decision. Angel blushed faintly, shuffling a foot and waving a paw. The time was near and Fluttershy had to go prepare. She dipped her head, “Go play for a bit, okay?” She nudges him gently, “Momma’s gotta prepare.” If she was going to see Drift, she had to get ready for this moment, but she noted to herself to reward Angel for his help later.

At first, Angel would’ve rejected the idea of playing. Playing with others just wasn't his thing; it was more about him and how he wanted to try other things with Fluttershy. But, an idea came to him. An idea that got him thinking he could use this free time to his advantage, so he nodded to himself and hopped out the back door; although before he could go outside, he paused to see Tank struggling with his propeller. He hit a corner and fell on his back. Shaking his head, he hopped over to the tortoise and helped him up and tied his propeller back on as it spun, letting the tortoise back into the air again. Tank gave him a slow but grateful smile, although he looked curious as the bunny motioned him to follow him outside and gather the rest of the pets, informing him he’s got a little idea.


***Outside, Near Varan’s Den***


“Are you sure this is safe, Angel?” Opal’s Dutch voice mewed at him in worry as the six pets head for Varan’s cave. “What if he’s still upset?”

“Well, then he’s gonna have to deal with it, Opal,” His slight tough-but-high-pitched voice responded to the fashionable feline. 

Winona whimpered though, she felt a bit unsure though, “But what if he doesn’t wanna see anybody, sugarcube?” Her light mix of southern bell and tomboy accent fitted her so well, she would do her owner proud.

But Angel remained undettered and repeated, “Once again, he’s just gonna have to deal with it. Now, c’mon!” He motioned them to follow as he was about to step into the cave that was owned by the Komodo Dragon, until he was stopped by a sophisticated voice.

“But, Angel, my dearest old chap, my dearest friend… why visit Varan after his little meltdown?” It was Owlowicious and he wondered what Angel was thinking as Tank nodded slowly in agreement, “If anything, I don’t blame him for wanting to be alone since Fluttershy’s mad at him.” 

Tank slurred out slowly “Yeeeeah.”

The bunny paused and sighed. He knew he had to tell them what’s on his mind; he had his reasons to see Varan, even if that large reptile was the last creature he wanted to be near right now, though. And this was rare for him to be like this.

“Because I’m worried about him,” The pets look somewhat stunned to hear such words come out of his mouth. “He’s never acted this way before… now, I may not have known him very long since we all recently became his friends, but I’ve never seen him so mad like he was earlier… and I think it has something to do with Harry.” The five pets look at one another, they knew that was true. While they had been friends with Varan for a while, and just like Angel, they too have never seen him as mad as he was earlier before and were worried something was wrong that made Varan act that way, and whatever it was concerned their grizzly comrade. “And I wanna know why.”

“After all this time… you’re thinkin’ and carin’ about someone other than yourself.” A soft-spoken, slightly blank but understanding voice came out of none other than Gummy. This comment made Angel blush deeply. “Ah shaddup.” 


***Inside the Cave***


Knowing that since Fluttershy sent him to his den in her firm voice, the Pet Six took deep breathes and went inside to go face their reptilian friend. Angel looked around as he leads them, Owlowicious keeping an eye out with his vision to see in the dark.

“Varan, we know you’re in here. I can feel the dense atmosphere after Fluttershy confined you to your den,” Angel said. Though the others didn't expect him to use words like that. Quite a surprise, really.

At first, it seemed they would not get an answer, but after a few minutes of slight eerie silence, a hissing, rough, tough but gentle voice spoke out, “Since when did you have the carrot-sticks to come in here, Carrots...?” And it was no hint to the others who it was directed to.

Angel sighed lightly as they found who they were looking for. There he was; laying there in a comfy spot of his den where the darkness is relaxing but enough lighting can cast in and rouse him from sleep, unless he was too lazy. But at the moment, he wasn’t feeling like sleeping. He was just slouching, curled up and yet he was at least a millimeter amount of surprised to see his friends come inside. “Varan… we need to talk.”

“Did Old Master send you?”

“No, darling. We came on our own accord,” Opal answered first as she sat near Angel, curling her tail around her legs. “We’re worried about you, dear.” 

Gummy nodded and hissed lightly, “We never seen you so mad before… and at Harry of all animals.” Varan snarled lightly at the name but cooled down, knowing no good will come of it getting mad around his new friends. New Master always told him that bad behavior like that would sometimes be surefire ways to hurt your friends or even lose your friends. Winona whimpered in worry, “But you look like Scootaloo took away your favorite food or stamped you hard on the tail.” She knew that was untrue, but with how slouchy their large friend was, she had to compare it to something, she even tried to cheer him up a bit as she tapped him, “Hey, Varry!~” He looked in time to see her pull a funny dog face and flap her tongue about, making odd funny noises. As amusing as it was, he didn’t seem to chuckle at her attempt, making the dog sadden a little at her fail “Nothin’, huh?”

“Sorry… I’m just… not feeling it.” Was all he could say to try to ease her. 

Owlowiscious hooted, “Varan, we’re curious… why did you attack Harry like that? From what we gathered from your fight, he seemed to be meeting you for the first time.” 

Tank nodded as he croaks, chiming in, “He waaassn’t doing annnything wrong.” 

Gummy hissed lightly, and asked, “Is it because of how he appeared at first? He was just milking his ‘intimidation’ tactic, that’s all. He’s actually really kind and gentle.” 

Opal added with a light cat-smile, “He’s a sweetheart.” 

Varan nearly scoffed at that, “Yeah, right…”

Angel glared lightly at that response, “He really is, Varan.” He softened a bit “And I should know…because he’s Fluttershy’s, Scootaloo’s and my friend.” He defended Harry because sometimes around the cottage, he and the bear were good friends. And he knew that bear was very close to Shy like he was while being a teddy for Scootaloo if she had a bad day at school. “Just…” He groaned in frustration before thrusts his arms out as he looked to Varan, speaking out the question that’s been biting him, “What happened back there? What got into you so bad when you looked at the big guy? What made you look like you were trying to kill him back there?” As he asks these questions Varan closed his eyes and exhaled softly when he heard that last question of Angel’s. “What could’ve possibly happened to you that made you act that way?!”

“You really wanna know why I lost my shit?” The pets, though wincing at his language, nodded in confirmation of wanting to know as Varan sat up slowly, at first his back faced them. “I’ll tell you,” He took a deep breath and exhaled before looking at them over his shoulder as he started telling him his backstory. “A bear-creature killed my family and attacked my kind in cold-blood when I was but a hatchling.”

His friends gasp in shock and horror as he starts revealing his past with such a shocker. “A bear? No…!” Gummy whispered in dismay while Opal covered her mouth in shock, Owlowiscious held a wing over his chest and widened his eyes, Tank looked stunned, Winona crouched down and whimpered in shock and sadness, but none looked more stunned and a bit horrified than Angel who couldn’t say a word.

Varan looked away and hissed lowly, “Yeah. It all started on a warm afternoon. My mother, father and I were holding a little special meal of carrion of a forest hog as it was my hatchday…” He remembered it well; he, his friends and family were gathered to acknowledge that he was growing into a mature komodo dragon and he had recently developed his little teeth that he could use to defend himself. “Gathered around my family and friends, feeling loved by all of them as they knew I was going to grow into a big, strong lizard as I recently grew in my teeth and started developing my bite technique. Although, it’s weak for the moment when you’re a hatchling.” 

He sighed lightly after reminiscing before continuing his tale of tragedy, “Anyways, just when it was going well for me, it all changed in a blink of an eye. I heard alarmed hissing and calls, I looked to see my friends running from a gigantic furry beast that rushed into our territory. It looked like a demon out of Tartarus. My parents nudged me up a tree to keep me safe while trying to hold it off. I escaped and survived the attack…” He slowly saddened as he gazed down, craned his head a bit, “but my mother, father, and friends--” he hissed in anger “--they didn’t!” He slapped the ground with his tail out of frustration. The pet six looked horrified to hear such a creature attacked his family in cold blood, “There was nothing I could do. I could only watch that monster ruthlessly attack my family, my friends, my kind. I don't know if other hatchlings survived by climbing, but I remember it tried to attack me. He couldn’t climb.” He gazed out towards the entry of his cave, “All I can remember were those brown evil eyes. He glared up at me and growled at me. But as I looked at this thing, I was scared and angry. It looked like a bear and ever since then I grew to dislike, no, downright hate bears because of him!” He snorted lightly, his eyes glossy as he finished his tale “Next thing I remember, he walked away and disappeared into the forest. I never saw that beast again. Then after that, nothing” Mostly likely he fainted after going through something like that, and Owlowiscious secretly picked that up.

Poor Winona was bawling her eyes out, making whining cries as Opal and Owlowicious frantically try to ease her, “No wonder you attacked him.”

Angel blinked in shock and astonishment as he looked at Varan, “You’re saying you think that Harry…?” He couldn’t believe it. Varan believes Harry was the one who did it and believes that their large friend was a murderer. “B-But, Varan, that can’t be true!”

He snorted lightly, “But it is! That bear attacked my family! He’s got brown eyes and an evil-looking glare. There’s no doubt about it!” He snarled “Your ‘friend’ is a murderer… he killed my family and friends!”

Gummy saddened as he exchanged looks with Tank, “But that doesn’t make any sense.” Tank nodded, he had been around the cottage before Dash ever adopted him and he knew Harry, too. He may be a slow tortoise, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew that Harry was too soft and too kind to be bloodthirsty. “Harry wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“Well, that didn’t stop him from attacking today, did it?” Varan gave a snarky comment. 

Angel frowned, “That’s because you threatened him!” 

Opal nodded “He’s never met you before, darling! I doubt he even knows you!”

Varan sneered “It doesn’t matter. I should’ve done him in when I had the chance--”

“You said this ‘bear-creature’ couldn’t climb after you?” Owlowiscious asked, interrupting Varan.

Blinking, he stared at ‘Wise One’ and raised a scaly brow, “What are you talking about?”

Owlowiscious asked again, “You said that this ‘bear-creature’ couldn’t climb, did you not?” 

Confused, Varan nodded, “Yes?” 

The owl thought about that before looking at the lizard as a thought came to him, “Varan, I don’t think that was a bear that attacked your kind.”

Varan sneered, “Of course it was! It definitely was! What other monster could--” 

The owl held up a wing “Please, let me finish.” Varan snorted but allowed him to talk. “I’m starting to think that while it looked like a bear to you as a hatchling, it couldn’t possibly have been one.” He was greeted with a hissing raspberry from the komodo’s tongue. 

“Oh, yeah? And how would you know?” 

Owlowiscious blinked before telling him a straight solid fact about bears that everyone knew, “Because bears are excellent climbers and this ‘bear-creature’ of your tragic tale couldn’t climb trees; which means it wasn’t a bear at all!”

Though it may be hard to believe, Varan’s eyes widened in shock. He hadn’t considered that fact, at all. If It was true, bears can climb trees. He just hadn't witnessed it himself, or was told. Maybe Young Master or Old Master told him? He might've fallen asleep through those lesson. Yet, the creature he saw couldn’t. He wouldn't be here if that creature was able to climb. Something's missing from this puzzle. 

Winona sniffled before nodding, “And Harry couldn’t have done it either if this attack happened when you were a hatchling. Harry was a young one himself. And young ones can’t do much damage unless they had a good arm or were trying to defend itself.” Which is true. Despite being young, young ones can defend themselves if threatened. “And could not go anywhere without a parent watching them.” She too had a theory; there was no way their grizzly pal could’ve done enough damage as a young one.

Varan blinked in stunned silence. These good points in theory that these two had. Could they be telling the truth? Could he… have been wrong all this time? “But… if this ‘Harry’ truly is innocent as you told me, then who attacked my family?”

Tank croaked, “We don’t know what could’ve attacked your kind, but what we do know is that--” 

Angel finished Tank’s thought “--You may have made a big mistake in blaming the wrong creature.”

Varan was silent, this was so much to take in and yet he didn’t crack – he was contemplating if it really was a mistake he made. Had he really blamed their friend for something he didn’t do out of blind anger?

The sound of hoofsteps was heard approaching the cave, they sounded light but young, which gave them the hint that Scootaloo was coming.

“Think about it, Varan,” Angel looked to him with a neutral but resigned look, he didn’t want to argue or guilt him, but he wanted him to think about this new information and make a right decision should he want to make things right ,“Scootaloo wouldn’t want you to stoop to your killer’s level.” He sighed lightly but gave him a light smile, “But never forget this: you’re not alone anymore. You have us.” He motioned to the others as they all smile reassuringly at him. “And Scootaloo… and Fluttershy… and we’re your family.”

Something about those last three words touched that reptile’s heart as he found himself giving a lizard-like smile at the six. Tears slowly ran down his cheeks. He felt a bit more comfortable facing Young Master now that he knows that for the first time in his life, he felt like he truly had a real family, again, in the form of ponies and these courageous little animals.

“Guys…” They look up at him returning the smile with his own, he nodded gratefully “…Thanks.” He looked ahead and went to meet with Young Master halfway, knowing she’s wanting answers out of him, too. He knew he’s got a lot to think about, but at least he had friends and family to help him out and to guide him into making the right choices.
> Time Heals All Wounds.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

***Earlier***

After watching their first movie together, Scootaloo and Glinda watched another movie shortly after. Needless to say, during the next movie, Scootaloo noticed Glinda had not kept her eyes away from the screen. She mentally chuckled, admitting to herself she was glad Glinda was enjoying the movie. Surprisingly, since the movie they chose was a movie called Atomic Zilla vs. Queen Midorah, she would've at least expected Glinda to hide under the bed when the leviathans showed. But to her credit, she stood strong. Guess even shy griffons have their tough moments. When the movie reached the end credits, Glinda smiled and giggled excitedly with a mix of bird tweets, “That was awesome! I didn't expect Atomic Zilla to survive a drop like that,” Glinda said, giving her opinion on the movie she just watched. “And Mecha-Midorah was awesome, too! How were they able to build her armor so fast?” she asked, enthused about what occurred. Being this was her first time watching a monster movie, she had dozens of questions, but the climax had her attention the most.

Scootaloo just snickered and smiled at Glinda's excitement. Just like Spike and a few other ponies she knew, she was excited around monster flicks. Can't go wrong with that, especially when a new face gets involved. Looks like there's a new member to add to the list and Scootaloo is all for it. Although, explaining the lore to a monster movie – especially if time travel is involved – was as difficult as solving a math problem to pre-schoolers; it's headache-inducing.

“I have no idea, Glinda. Time travel is really weird,” Scootaloo said. “But, at least the action was awesome.”

“Awesome!” Glinda squawked and hopped on all fours as if Scootaloo said the wrong word to describe what she saw. “That was incredible! All those ponies flying around Queen Midorah and Midorah was like 'zappity zap zap' with her mouth bolts. And Atomic Zilla comes in and was all 'roawr' and fights Midorah! It was so cool!.” Adrenaline was coursing through the little griffon like a chipmunk drinking coffee -- and Scootaloo was enjoying every second of it. Shame they didn't have any popcorn with them, but she doubted any of them would get any of it, anyway.

“If you think that was cool, wait until you watch Atomic Zilla vs Gothra. That one has some great fights in it, too,” Scootaloo said, prompting Glinda to just look at her with eyes full of excitement and glee; they were just sparkling with life and full of energy. And she would vouch for that, too. 

It was nice to make a new friend while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were away. Granted, making friends with her mother's animals were nice and all, but she would've liked some communications that weren't gestures, grunts and other animal noises. Glinda fixed that mold and Scootaloo couldn't be happier. To think she'd make friends with a griffon was, well, unexpected really. And for this little griffon to be Gilda's little sister? Bonus! 

“I do have one question, though,” Glinda announced, curiously as she looked at the cover of the movie and pointed to a name, “Who's DJ-pon3?” Glinda wagged her tail slowly, unaware of what she just caused.

That question ignited the inner fangirl in Scootaloo and she widened her eyes in shock from what she just heard, “What?! You don't know who DJ-Pon3 is?” Scootaloo jumped to her hooves and quickly crawled under her bed. Glinda flinched from Scootaloo's sudden outburst and looked at her confused and somewhat terrified.

“Did I say something wrong?” Glinda asked, having innocent, apologetic eyes and letting out a soft dove coo. 

“No way, Glinda,” Scootaloo said and dragged out a medium-sized box. The top of the box had writing on it in near zig-zag, bold letters 'Scootaloo's stuff'. Scootaloo wrote that down just to make it look cool, but her writing was a little crooked to make it perfect, “I'm gonna show you who DJ-Pon3 is.” Glinda looked at Scootaloo surprised and curious as Scootaloo quickly opened the box and dug through it.

Glinda noticed a few toys and trading cards. But then she reached one talon in and pulled an item out to look. She held a small piece of black fabric with a light green lightning bolt on it. She looked at it for a second as she tilted her head, “What's this?” Glinda asked, but Scootaloo immediately grabbed it, tore it up with her jaws and threw it in the trash next to Fluttershy's side of the bed. Glinda watched as Scootaloo went back to digging through her box; a sour look on her face.

“S-Scootaloo?” Glinda stuttered, worried she might've angered her new friend. Whatever that was, it really made Scootaloo angry. Paranoia started to peak, again.

Scootaloo took a moment to calm herself down taking slow, steady breaths as she said in scorn tone, “Don't worry about it, Glinda. If you think I'm mad at you, I'm not.” She thought she got rid of all her items that had those insane ponies on them, but, clearly, she was wrong. “Long story short, what you saw was a piece of a stupid mistake I made. A mistake that nearly ruined my friendship with somepony and nearly got me killed.” She'd lie to herself if she said that she probably acted way worse than Diamond Tiara, but she wasn't going to say that to Glinda. She wanted to be above that troubled filly and she didn't want to relive those memories, again; not now; not ever.

Glinda felt sympathetic towards Scootaloo, whatever happened must've hit pretty hard. She too had memories she didn't want to relive and she always tried to think of something else to stay positive. She glanced down at the box and noticed a tiny figure of the same mare she saw in that movie. Her eyes glistened and she reached out and grabbed it, “Is this her?” She asked.

Scootaloo looked at Glinda and grinned excitedly, she nodded and answered, her tone shifted right away, “Oh yeah. That's her,” she was giddy and tried so hard not to go all fangirl, but much to her dismay, she failed. “That's DJ-Pon3, her real name is Vinyl Scratch and she's amazing. Her music is so good and listening to it gets your blood pumping for action”-- Scootaloo hopped on her back-hooves and punched the air a few times-- “Or just dance along, too.” She sat back down and smiled, feeling energized just thinking about her music.

Glinda reared her head back and couldn't help but smile herself. And she thought she was energetic, “And the movie she was in?” Glinda pointed at the screen beside them as she put the tiny figurine back in the box.

“Oh, in one interview, she said she loved monster movies and would love to be in a few. And it turns out, she got her wish.”

They both looked at the screen and watched the end credits stop as the movie case slid out.

“How would you feel if you got to meet her?” Glinda asked, very curious to know.

The thought of meeting another pony she was a fan of would just make her soar over the sun and moon. She got to meet her first idol and she ended up becoming a sister-figure to her; she couldn't be happier. But if it was Vinyl Scratch, “If I meet Vinyl Scratch in person, it would be the coolest thing ever.” Her wings buzzed with excitement. The mere thought of it just sparked her imagination like wildfire, “I'd ask her to hangout, see if I can get her autograph, take pictures, she's so cool, she's as cool as Rainbow Dash and few other ponies.” Scootaloo talked so much, she almost lost her breath. A little talon to her shoulder got her out of her fangirl state.

“Whoa there, calm down, Scootaloo,” Glinda said with a slight chuckle. “I was only asking”

Scootaloo blushed faintly and sheepishly smiled, embarrassed that she nearly lost herself through that freakout, again. She had to make mental notes to control herself every time the ponies she's a fan of are brought up; old habits died hard, apparently.

“Heh, sorry. Force of habit.”

“Does that happen a lot?”

Sootaloo slowly gestured a 'kind of' hoof to her, “Only when ponies like DJ, Rainbow Dash, Wild Outback and few others are brought up,” she mentally snickered to herself. “You, my mom and Rainbow Dash have seen me like this,” – totally lying out her flank, there – “others like Varan hasn't seen me like that, yet.” She didn't want to admit that more ponies have seen her fangirl before and would gladly tell stories; all the more reason for Scootaloo to hide it and less worry about being embarrassed. But then it dawned on her that she had to talk to Varan about what happened earlier.

“Oh, that's right, I almost forgot,” she closed the box and slid it under the bed, “I have to go talk to Varan.” Aside from that stupid argument she and her mother got into, she had to figure out why Varan acted the way he did. And she do it without her mother's help; she was still rightfully mad.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot,” Glinda said as she shuddered a little. “That was scary what he did.” as much as she wanted to go see the giant lizard, she felt it was best to steer clear, and Scootaloo was aware.

“He doesn't normally act like that,” which is true with how long Scootaloo's known him. “You can stay inside if you want, Glinda. I don't have to tag along.”

She didn't have to tell her twice. Glinda was not used to nature life like Scootaloo is. Being around other animals seemed rather uncomfortable for her, “Alright.” She did smile at her, sweetly and happily said, “I had fun hanging out with you, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo looked at Glinda and couldn't help but gloat, thinking she did great as a host. An unexpected host, but still, “I did, too. Not often I get to hang out with griffons. It's pretty cool, really.”

Glinda unintentionally let out a cute, robin tweet and couldn't help but ask Scootaloo, “Does this mean we're--”

Scootaloo smiled and gave Glinda a gentle nudge to her shoulder, “You bet, Glinda.” 

The look on Glinda's face was full of life and excitement. For the first time ever, she finally got to make a new friend in her new home in Ponyville. She felt like she was gonna erupt with glee.

Scootaloo walked up and opened the door as she and Glinda walked out.

Down in the living room, the grown-ups continued their chat until they heard tiny hoof and paw steps come down the stares. They were relieved to know they were doing fine until Fluttershy spoke up, nervously.

“Scootaloo, sweetie, I--”

Scootaloo ignored her mother and slammed the backdoor behind her. That pretty much said it all right there.

“Well, that happened,” Gilda chimed in, having thoughts that Scootaloo would do that; Rainbow Dand Tree Hugger thought the same thing. 

Fluttershy sighed and lowered her ears, still regretting she accused Scootaloo of not knowing Varan's actions, “I'll give her more time. She deserves it, I guess.”

Gilda then turned her attention to Glinda and asked her, curiously, “Did Scootaloo treat you okay, squirt?”


***Now***


Scootaloo approached her pet's den with a firm upper lip and a pair of narrowed eyes. She stopped right at the entrance and called inside, "Varan! We need to talk."

The sound of the heavy footsteps dragging across the floor were coming towards her and no sooner did she call him, meeting her halfway out was her beloved pet.

He hissed a bit at her in a soft manner, as if to greet her. But Scootaloo didn't want to have it as she walked toward him with that reprimanding look in her eyes.

"Don't you ‘Hello' me, buster. You've got a lot of explainin' to do." She cut to the chase because she and Varan both knew why she was here.

Varan knew she was upset with him, he could tell by that tone in her voice. He slowly nodded in response to her words, agreeing with her instead of being nonchalant or ignorant about it. He grumbled lightly and lowered himself to the ground as Young Master came inside to him; At times, he allowed her to come into his cave, he didn't mind her company – plus she makes a good cuddler when he tries to be lazy only for her to play around with him in retaliation. 

He would smile at that memory but he knew she was going to give him a scolding. Taking a small breath through his nostrils, he gazed back at his 6 friends who motion him to go ahead. Looking at Winona, he recalled how dogs get in a submissive position when they know they're in trouble – guess this was one of those times that he had to show he was willing to accept his fate.

With a hissing whine, he laid down on his front, his tail between his hind legs and gazing up at Young Master with the best 'I'm sorry' eyes he could attempt giving her. Those tears he had shed minutes before had slowly leaked down his cheeks.

"What the heck happened back there, huh?" Scootaloo snapped at him. "Everything was going really well with everypony until you suddenly got all mad at Harry when he arrived!" She stamped her hoof, frustrated. "And you didn't even want to listen to me either when I tried to calm you down!" She was still concerned about why he wouldn't listen to her when she tried to calm him down during his encounter with Harry, but she had to point out the consequences of his actions had caused first, "Now, thanks to that little stunt of yours, Varan, you got me in trouble with Mom!"

Varan winced hard when she chewed him out on his actions, and for once he felt the piercing stab of guilt run through his chest and he found it hard to look her directly in the eyes. It was true – he was just so blind with anger, that he didn't want Young Master to stop him from killing the grizzly who he once believed was the perpetrator of attacking his kind. And now because of him, Old Master is angry at Young Master. Old Master was punishing Young Master for something that he did – and since he belonged to her, she has to become responsible for something that he had done.

And he didn't like that. Not one bit.

He whimpered and hissed lightly and let out light puffs of air through his snout. The guilt was starting to pound right on top of him and he couldn't do anything to stop it, or Young Master from scolding him. 

He knew he had to take it, but why did it have to hurt so much? 

It even hurt to a point that he laid completely down in front of his owner; He covered his eyes with his paws and curled his tail tight around him, forming himself in somewhat a reptilian ball as he continued to whimper and hiss lightly. Even given an occasional shuddery inhale of air which was identified from the Pet Six as… sniffling.

Angel, Tank, Gummy, Opal, Winona, and Owlowicious could not believe what they were seeing – Varan, the fearsome reptile they had ever seen and have known in a short time, was beginning to break down at the hooves of his owner! 

Winona could understand just how he felt, for she does the same type of thing when she knows she did something wrong when Applejack scolded her.

"How could you just attack—" Scootaloo slowed down a bit when she took notice "—Harry… like… that, whoa…" She couldn't believe it herself, her awesome pet, her best friend aside from Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and now Glinda, was weeping in front of her.

Now she knew something was definitely wrong with him. For as long as she had known Varan, she had never seen him break down in front of her; Heck, he never cried in front of her mother either! So what's bothering her awesome buddy?

"V-Varan… h-hey, it's okay, bud…" Cooling down just a bit from her outburst, she sat next to him and rubbed at a spot down his neck, a spot that he loved having scratched just right. It started working as it paused his whimpering enough to let out a few purr-like growls as Scootaloo rubbed and scratched that spot just right. "N-No need to flood your cave…" She knew that wasn't remotely possible, but looking back on memory, she recalled that Pinkie, of all ponies in Ponyville, makes the most impossible possible. And if that crazy mare can do something that was remotely impossible to pony eyes, then it might be possible for Varan to nearly flood his cave with his tears – if he cried hard enough, that is. 

But there wasn't gonna be a crying komodo on her watch. No way. "C'mon, buddy… I'm a little upset at you, yeah… but I'm not downright furious at you." She had to reassure her pet that while she was upset with his actions, that didn't mean he was going to be hated for it. 

Her words managed to get his attention as he slowly uncovered his left eye to look at her, tears running down his cheek as he whimpered at her. He was asking her if she means that, because he worried that due to what his anger made him do, she might reconsider getting a new pet.

What he saw was a smiling face and words that sounded like a heavenly choir inside his mind…

"I love you, ya big, goofy, lazy-butted lizard," She giggled and scratched under her pet's chin. "Nothing's gonna change that, not even a fight."

Hearing those words from his master, his sweet, sweet Young Master, brought hope and relief to Varan and it lessened the hurt that he had felt. His owner still loved him, and even if he messed up, she wouldn't get rid of him that easily.

He gave a shaking, but happy lizard smile as his tears stopped falling, he leaned his head down onto her shoulder and started licking at her cheek with his tongue, causing her to laugh as the slimy appendage rubbed against her cheek.

"Varan, stop it, that tickles!" She laughed as her pet gave her affection in the form of a few loving licks after that reassuring. She repaid it by hugging him around his strong neck, laughing still as he nuzzled into her.

The sight alone made the Pet Six smile as they witness the bond between the young Pegasus filly and her Komodo Dragon. They knew that feeling of a loving bond all too well, and it was a very pleasant feeling to have when you have an owner that loves you, no matter how many times you messed up or got into trouble.

The sight was just so heartwarming, the six pets made their way over to the two and let their presence be known to Scootaloo who understandably looked surprised to see that they were here in Varan's cave.

"Angel? Tank? Gummy? Opal? Winona? Owl? What are you six doing in here?" 

Owlowicious simply hooted and motions to Varan with his wing, seemingly smiling at him. Opal came between the two of them and rubbed against them in a passive matter, purring and mewing as if wanting attention, too. With a playful eye roll, she patted the cat that belonged to Rarity with a smile, she looked to the other pets and chuckled; Did they want the same treatment? If so, then why not? "Ain't that sweet? You six want a little bit of love too?" She allowed them to gather and gave them a few rubbings and some hugs. Although Angel struggled just a teeny bit, he did prefer Fluttershy's hugs better – not that there was anything wrong with Scootaloo's hugs, but Fluttershy's hugs were like hugging a soft pillow.

Angel then hopped out of her arms and started making faces, some even resembling other animals; he was attempting to help Varan explain his behavior. He points his brows down into a glare, bared his teeth and flexed his fingers into claw shapes, taking on a slightly hunched but towering type of form, making a few weak growls that only a bunny would attempt.

Scootaloo, amused by Angel's antics, chuckled before noticing that Varan was nodding at this. Remembering her question, she wondered – are these pets helping Varan – in the form of a few charades? This just got a little interesting. And with Angel's posture, she realized who he was imitating "Harry…" Angel nodded as Gummy approached and imitated Varan by making his best snarl face "Varan…"

Varan snorted in amusement from his fellow reptile trying to imitate him. But he was grateful that his new friends were helping him out with explaining his behavior, though he tilted his head at the Wise One's pose; He seemed to be taking some sort of thinking pose.

Scootaloo was a bit curious about that one before recalling a lesson from Miss Cheerilee's class and remembered seeing that same pose in a schoolbook once. "Thinker…" She started to piece together the clues and looked to Varan, "Varan… you know Harry?"

Varan wouldn't say ‘know', but now that his friends helped him out and despite setting off on him before, recalling the bear's earlier behavior around Old Master, he now knows that Harry was only about as dangerous and vicious as a marshmallow. He gave Young Master a so-so type of shrug and made a groaning "eh" sound. 

Opal came forward next and started pawing at the dirt. Although she hated getting dirty just as much as her owner did, just like Rarity, she was willing to get her paws a little dirty if it means to help her friends. She seemed to be drawing something as Winona came over to help her out.

Intrigued, the group watched the cat and dog before the two showed their work. They seemed to have drawn a group of quadrupeds around a messy-looking forest area, but one was circled out from the rest. 

It took Scootaloo a while to actually grasp what she was looking at but she finally got it when Varan sniffed and growled gently at the picture. She looked at him, then back at the quadrupeds before noticing they looked lizard-ish design to them. ‘Wait..' she thought, exchanging looks with Varan and the picture, it suddenly clicked once she saw a bit of longing in her awesome pet's eyes. She gasped, "Is that… your family, Varan?"

Her answer was a simple nod. "But… what does that have to do with Harry?"

Tank started erasing the picture with the komodos in it while Angel makes bunny-sized bear growls, making swiping motions at the picture. The bunny even snarled like one.

It was weird, but Scootaloo noticed it a mile away and gasped lightly. "Your family… was attacked… by a bear?"

Varan nodded but hissed lightly, adding a word in hissing that would translate to ‘creature', while looking down sorrowfully, revealing to his Young Master the sad truth.

Lowering her ears, Scootaloo knew just how he felt, as she had been all alone way before she adopted him. "Aw… guess we both know what it feels like to be orphans, huh boy?"

Varan could only make light cooing noises as she stroked his head in comfort.

“Okay, if it wasn't a bear, then what creature could it be?” She was baffled by this. She hasn't gotten quite enough knowledge to know how strong Varan's species could be, but judging from what happened it had to be a creature of immense strength to take out dozens of Komodo Dragons. And she knew for a fact Harry couldn't do it, nor could any other Grizzlies for that matter. 

“Unless...”

“Scootaloo?”

A familiar voice cut her train of thought as she slowly gazed at the entrance with a sour look. What does she want now? As if dodging questions and accusing her wasn't enough, now she has to pester her in front of her pet, too? What part of 'leave me alone' does she not understand?

Varan turned his head and saw Old Master stand there at the entrance of his cave. He expected her to chew him out for attacking one of her friends, but the look on her face said otherwise. Old Master looked sad and she reeked of guilt. No. It didn't take him long to realize he was not Old Master's target. Was she needing Young Master's attention? Well, she got it.

The Mane Six pets looked towards the entrance, too, wondering what Fluttershy wanted. Angel approached Fluttershy, nose twitching instinctively.

“Hello, Angel, is Scootaloo in there?”

Angel nodded, pointed towards Varan. Fluttershy looked but was stunned to see her friend's pets here with Varan. Never in her life has she seen them all together in one place without their owners.

“W-What are you guys doing here?” Fluttershy asked.

All of them came out, aside from Varan, and approached Fluttershy and made their own respected calls and noises to tell her the story. Winona whimpered and barked, Opal mewed, Tank honked, Owlowicous hooted, but Gummy just stood there like nothing was a care in the world to him. They all seemed somewhat excited, which was no surprise there. But, there were so many vocals Fluttershy could take.

“Okay, Okay, slow down. One at a time,” Fluttershy quickly got them to calm, before hearing their sides of the story, and getting answers to why they were here. Fluttershy nodded understandably.

“I see. Well, I...” she paused herself and took a slow, steady breath as she talked to the Pet Six. She hoped Scootaloo was hearing this, “...I came to apologize. I was wrong to accuse her of what happened.” She rubbed the back of her head. She really was sorry about that. Hopefully, this'll put her and her daughter on good terms. She really doesn't like arguing with her pride and joy and it hurt her just as much as it hurt Scootaloo. “We didn't expect Varan to do what he did.”

Varan let out a moaning hiss, letting Old Master know he was dreadfully sorry.

“It's alright, Varan. Harry doesn't hold grudges,” Fluttershy assured. “We'll try again, later.”

The fact that Varan would attack Harry still mind-boggled her. She'd like to know what caused this outburst and hopefully get a better understanding of Varan and his behaviors. Well, later down the line. Right now, she had one priority in mind and she'd like for her to come out. She's surprised Scootaloo hasn't come out and yelled at her. Then again, she's already done that. Fluttershy took another slow, calming breath and prepared for her next step in life in being a great mother.

“Scootaloo, I know you're in there. I know your upset for what I did and I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have accused you. I just got mad and... didn't think straight.” She said in a regretting tone. “I'd like for you to come out. I want to ask you something. If you don't--”

“Okay, okay,” Scootaloo spoke out and walked around Varan and out of the cave. A tiny blush on her face, “Please, don't be so sappy, mom. You know how I feel when you do something like that.” Even if there weren't other ponies around, hearing her mother get all emotional like that just made her feel awkward. She wanted to be tough, not very emotional. 

Fluttershy giggled softly, “And I remember I'm not the only one like that, too. Remember what you said earlier?”

That tiny blush became a bright red blush and Fluttershy saw it, “Mom! Really? In front of the animals?” She wanted to keep that a secret – even from her animal friends.

“Alright, I won't step any further on that,” Fluttershy said with a smile, happy she's talking to her daughter, again. But out of the blue, said daughter came up to her and hugged her close. Fluttershy felt her soul lift as she hugged her flesh and blood close.

“And I'm sorry for yelling at you. You know I'm still learning about Varan, too,” She really was. She did her best to learn as much as she could about her Komodo Dragon, but even still! It was hard for her since she's still developing that ability to talk to animals. She can understand Varan's gestures and facial expressions, but that's about it. The noises he makes and just noises. But what really hit home was what Scootaloo said earlier, “And about what I said. I didn't mean to bring that up. I'm s-sorry, mom.”

Fluttershy took a moment of silence, pondering that. Scootaloo was right. She pegged herself as a horrible pony for keeping it away from her child. Dodging questions and keeping quiet, trying to push him out of her life and trying to have Scootaloo live life without him? She was scared. Not just for what he'd do to her if she saw him again, but what he'd do to Scootaloo if he saw her. All she was doing was keeping a wall between them and Drift. But, Scootaloo's curiosity grew and so did her excitement. She hate having to burst that balloon and hurt her daughter. Then it dawned on her, time and age changed Gilda from a savage bully to a mellow, reasonable griffon. If that affected her, maybe it affected Drift? She had to tell her. It wasn't for her anymore...

It was for her pride and joy.

“Yeah, about that,” Fluttershy said with an accepting tone and smile.

Scootaloo perked her ears and looked up at her mother. The Pet Six and Varan looked on, curious, as well.

“I think I've kept it low for far too long,” Fluttershy said. “Tomorrow, would you like to meet your father?”

Scootaloo locked her eyes on Fluttershy and had a tough time processing what she just heard. Did she hear that right? Or was she going crazy, “Um, c-can you repeat that? If you don't mind?” Scootaloo asked, near mimicking her own mother.

Fluttershy held in a chuckle and proudly ask, “Would you like to go meet your father?”

As if a big wish had been made, Scootaloo's face contorted from confused and clueless to outright shock and surprise. Her wide-eyed and slack-jawed face said it all to Fluttershy. Now all she needed was to wait for the excited shock wave.

As if to beat the clock, Fluttershy looked at the remaining Pet five and asked them, “I think it's best you guys get home. It's getting pretty late and I'm sure your families are waiting.”

Without any hesitation, the pets head back to their respected homes. But right as they ran around Fluttershy's cottage, they flinch as they all heard a loud, happy squeal from the backyard. That shock wave arrived and Scootaloo was letting them know.

“You mean it? You actually mean it?” Scootaloo said, jumping in the air as her tiny wings buzzed with excitement.

Fluttershy laughed in amusement at Scootaloo's excitement, “Of course. And I can answer any questions you might have, sweetie.” The back of her mind thought that was not gonna an issue because Scootaloo might have a million questions for her. But, then she tilted her head slightly. “Um, Scootaloo?”

“Oh my Celestia, I can't wait! I have so many questions to ask him. Ask you. I just can't wait to meet him,” all of her excitement was showing and she couldn't contain herself. Yet she failed to see Angel, Varan and Fluttershy giving her surprised looks.

“Scootaloo?”

“What's he like? What does he look like?”

Scootaloo, sweetie?”

“Does he like the Wonderbolts? Does he have pets?” she gasped. “Is he a member of the Wonderbolts?!”

“Scootaloo!”

“What?” Scootaloo snapped out of her train of thought and glanced at Fluttershy, only to see her eye-level. Confused, Scootaloo asked, “Uh, mom, did you get shorter?”

Fluttershy shook her head and pointed at her back. Scootaloo looked back and widen her eyes, again.

“Am I... flying?” Her wings were buzzing fast and keeping her in the air. Fluttershy examined her patterns and quickly figured out what was going on. But...

“I'm flying! I'm flying!” Scootaloo said, full of excitement. This day was becoming the best day for her.

Even Varan was thrown aback by this. He never expected Young Master to fly so soon. He saw she had wings, but never seen her use them. This was the first time he's seeing her in the air.

“Now hold on, Scootaloo. This isn't flying. At least not yet.” Fluttershy said but noticed the bubble about to burst in Scootaloo's eyes. “It's not flying, you're hovering. It's sort of a first step in a pegasus' life.” Having experienced this, despite not flying as much like Rainbow Dash and Gilda, she knows a thing or two, sort of. 

Still, that kept a smile on Scootaloo's face, “Still, I'm off the ground. Finally! First I get to go see dad and now this? This day is great!” she was feeling the adrenaline pump through her body. But now she needed to know one thing: “but, how do I get going?”

“Heh, that's easy, just tilt your body just a little and you can go,” Fluttershy informed, loving being a teacher to her daughter. First in Twilight's school, now this. Bonus!

Scootaloo nodded and glanced over the cottage, “Okay, just tilt my body forward.” Scootaloo tilted her body, but not a little like her mother said. Instead of a little, she tilted her body far to the point she did a front flip and plopped on her back. Scootaloo let out a sudden “whoa” and a hard “Oof” when she landed.

Varan, Angel and Fluttershy winced, “Don't worry, it's still for first try, sweetie,” Fluttershy said as she helped Scootaloo up. Angel couldn't help but laugh a little at the mistake. But Varan at least gave an approving nod for trying. 

“Oh, should've worn a helmet for that,” Scootaloo joked but felt slightly disappointed she did that.

Fluttershy smiled and gave her daughter a soft motherly cheek nuzzle, “Don't worry about it. Every Pegasi makes a mistake the first time. Once you've gotten used to hovering, then we can see if you're able to fly.” Fluttershy saw the sparkle in Scootaloo's eyes. Seeing her daughter light up like this made her heart felt so warm. She couldn't be more prouder and relieved that Scootaloo was able to hover, now. Guess her excitement must've done something with her wings. She shrugged to herself. Maybe she should think about this another time, she didn't want to pull a 'Twilight' and overwork her brain.

Scootaloo then realized something was a little off, “Wait, where are the others?” She noticed they weren't around with her when she came out to find her.

“Oh, they all went home. Gilda and Glinda are living with Rainbow Dash until they get a new home and Tree Hugger left soon after.”

“Aw man, I didn't even get to say good-bye,” Scootaloo said with a pout, whimpering like a puppy.

Fluttershy giggled again and nuzzled her daughter again to make her feel better, “Now, now, Scootaloo, we'll see them again. I assure you.” She knew it wasn't gonna be the last time they'd see them, again. Though, it's gonna be a few days before Fluttershy can chat with Rainbow and Tree Hugger, again. What they did was still hurtful, but she'll get over it soon.

“Come on, I'll make you your favorite meal,” Fluttershy said.

Scootaloo beamed her eyes at her mother and smiled giddy at her and asked, “Think we can eat out her with Varan?” Varan let out a long, hissing yawn before walking back into his cave to sleep.

“I think Varan wants to just sleep, for now.”

“Aw, come on! Really? Right now?” Scootaloo walked to Varan's cave entrance and tried to get him back out.

“It is getting a tad late, Scootaloo.”

“Oh, fine,” Scootaloo walked away, letting Varan go get some sleep.

Angel followed, heading back with the Mother-daughter duo before hoping through the doggy-door.

“So, what's dad like?”

"He was an... interesting stallion. He was always so full of himself," She chuckled and playfully jabbed, "Kind of like Rainbow Dash usually acts sometimes." That actually made Scootaloo laugh a little, while she admires her idol with every fiber of her being, she knew every once in a while Dash tended to get a little cocky – her mom's joke was funny because it was oh so true. "But he did care about me," Fluttershy opened the door as Scootaloo walked in first. Fluttershy walked after and closed the door as her voice slowly fades out while continuing to tell her daughter about her daddy until it was time to head to bed.

As she tucked her daughter in and kissed her goodnight, she smiled fondly down at her daughter's smiling, sleeping face. It felt so good to see her happy. With a short yawn, she trotted off to go make sure her critters were turned in for the night before she turns in herself. Clicking the light off with her wing on the switch and holding the door open just a crack as she left the room to have one last look at her daughter for the night; she smiled lovingly at her daughter and whispered, "Goodnight, Scootaloo…"

She slowly closed the door behind her with a soft click.


***The Next Morning, At Sugarcube Corner***


"So… who do you think the kid will look like more? You or Fluttershy?" Vinyl said as she smiled enthusiastically while she and Drift talk about her new little step-niece or step-nephew as they sat at a table at Sugarcube Corner. It was calm, warm, welcoming and no sign of the paparazzi tailing her anywhere. It was the perfect place to have a little sweet snack before breakfast.

Nopony could blame her for wanting to figure out more on her new step-niece/nephew, she was hyped to meet the kid and be, in Twilight's words, the best aunt ever.

Drift chuckles lightly and teased, "Well, let's just hope, for Shy's sake, that our child resembles her most."

She snickered as she joked, "It could be worse, the kid may end up a unicorn or an earth pony like those two twins of the Cakes," She said as she shrugs at the highly unlikely possibility, seeing how most of Shy's relatives were pegasi and she was the only unicorn from Drift's side as far as she knew.

Drift sarcastically laughed while imagining what his child would look like. Ever since his chat with his step-sister yesterday, he was eager to meet his kid. "Ha ha ha. Yeah, what would the chances of that be? I just hope the kid turns out to be a great one... with his or her mother's eyes," He said as he chuckled lightly. He thought about it more, though, "Maybe my attitude?" He shook his head and spoke what truly mattered to him, while he wanted to meet his kid; he hoped the little one won't end up like him, mostly concerning the scarred part of him. "But as long as the little one resembles Shy most, it doesn't matter what he/she looks like. I highly doubt the squirt would want to end up with an ugly mug like mine," He motioned to his scar.

Vinyl paused to take a look at the scar and gave him an unphased, nonchalant shrug, "It's not that bad, D-Bro." She really didn't see the issue with it. In fact, she thought it made him look cool. And she wouldn't be surprised if his kid thought it was cool, too.

"I agree, sweetheart," said a sweet welcoming, out-of-nowhere voice.

Drift nearly jumped out of his seat but turned to see Mrs.Cake standing between them and in front of their table. He blushed in embarrassment, remembering where he was. "S-Sorry I didn't notice you there, Mrs.Cake." 

The pudgy blue mare with frosting-like hair smiled warmly and waved a hoof, "It's all right, dear. I don't mean to eavesdrop, but… I consider who-ever your child is could very much be lucky to have you as a father," She complimented, having only seen Drift every once in a while and almost ofter come inside to order something; she didn't expect him to be a father, however.

He looked surprised that she'd say such a thing, and wondered why she'd say that; she beat him to it, however. "A patient, kind stallion like you seemingly daring to risk it all for those he cares about," She gazed up at Vinyl as an example, with the unicorn flinching and trying to hide her face, the earth mare giggles lightly, "No other foal would be as lucky to have someone like that as a dad." She winks at them, hinting she overheard that part about her children. "Take it from me, I know." She was a mother herself, so she knew what it was like when it came to a stallion showing how much he cared for his family, like how her Carrot Cake would do anything to keep her and the twins happy. She giggles as she walked off to head to the kitchen.

Once she was gone, Drift snorted as he looked to Vinyl. He gave her a flat look for her earlier comment, raising his right brow at her. That look in his magenta eyes clearly read ‘You're buckin' kiddin', right?' as he stared at his V-Sis flatly. If anything, if he looked himself in the mirror, he'd tell her that his scar makes him stick out like a sore hoof.

"Don't look at me like that," She pouted as she quietly spoke because she didn't want to make the Cakes uncomfortable in any way as she brings up his old job, "Nopony asked you to get yourself mangled up back in your trophy hunting days."

That was uncalled for. "Ouch," He flatly said but humored her as he playfully swiped her shades, ushering her to yell out a "Hey!" and try to grab them back as he placed a hoof on her forehead once she got near. "You're just lucky I love you, V-Sis."

"Yeah, I love you, too, D-Bro. Now gimme back my shades, you wing-brained jerk!" She struggled against his hoof, her eyes narrowing in annoyance at Drift and her lower lip sticking out in a fierce pout once she got close enough to grab those glasses of hers only for his wing to cover her face, further preventing her from reclaiming her prized possession. "That's the only pair I got!"

He smirked and chuckled lightly, "Sis, nopony cares if your eyes are unlike any color they've seen; they still dig you and your beats," He winked, "And I don't doubt my kid will agree with me on that."

She paused, again, and chuckled at that, "You're lucky you're my bro, otherwise I would'a kicked your flanks 6 feet under if it means getting them shades back." Not that she had any problems with her eyes; she just liked wearing her shades all the time. She wouldn't care if she had to get physical, she wanted her shades back – they're her trademark, after all. 

"Heh… ya already opened up my scar earlier…so…" He pushed her shades back onto her with a faint ‘boop' sound emitting. Her shades a little crooked.

She winced when he brought that little bit up and pouted at him, giving him an unamused frown, "You aren't gonna let that go, are you?" 

He smirked and smiled smugly as he pointed to his face, "It's my face ya punched, how can I not let that go?"

She had to admit, as she straightens her glasses back to their normal position, that he had her there. He had a right to hold it against her for a while. But she was mad, so he couldn't exactly blame her for punching him like she had earlier either, "Touché." 

It took a minute to calm down from that little playful sibling scuff, but Vinyl knew she had to break the ice. She looked up at Drift, lowering her shades a bit, gazing her magenta eyes at him, "So, what are you going to do?"

Drift looked at his step-sister, confused, "Huh?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Drift. I know I said we don't have to immediately go to her, but I wanna know what the plan is."

But that was the thing. At the moment, he didn't have a plan whatsoever.

He winced as he looked away from her, rubbing his neck as he gave her his answer, "I… don't really have a plan. I'm still a little nervous about what will happen," He sighed lightly as a seed of doubt was planted, "W-What if -- what if she never forgives me?"

"Then you're just gonna have to work your way up to earn her forgiveness," Vinyl advised. While she knows that Fluttershy is the sweetest mare she's ever known and that she's quite sensitive, especially by emotional terms if hurt real bad, Shy can be known to have quite the outbursts from bottled up emotions. 

"But… I'm just not sure if she'd accept me again," While he wanted to make up with Shy, he was afraid that while she's understandably mad at him from what he had gathered since he dumped her while she was pregnant, that she wouldn't accept him back into her life.

"Fluttershy would totally forgive you and accept you again, silly!" Pinkie said as she impossibly popped out from within the cup of punch Vinyl had, grinning at Drift. 

This outburst caused the two to scream a bit and back up from their table, both their eyes widened in shock, surprise and unholy confusion.

Drift held his chest tight and groans once he realized who it was, "Oh dear sweet mother of Celestia and Luna themselves! Pinkie, ya almost gave me a heart attack!" How that mare always manages to sneak about like that is mind-boggling, and yet she always manages to get them with the element of surprise. He took a moment to breathe to get his heart to slow down from that near heart-attack.

The bubbly pink mare giggles, "Silly Drifty, you need to have a heart before you can have an attack!~" 

Raising a brow at her, Vinyl sat back up and regained her composure. Unlike her step-brother, she didn't have that much of a reaction to her antics since she is always invited to Pinkie's parties; no matter what they are. But in a situation like this, "How much did you hear, Pinkie Pie?" She asked as she pointed at the party mare. She may be friends with this hyperactive, crazy mare, but there were some things that shouldn't be any of her business. 

Pinkie Pie popped her way out of the cup and onto the wooden floor, innocently shaking off little drips from her hoofs, "Oh, just enough," She said as she smiled at Drift over her shoulder. "Enough

to know that you don't have to be afraid of your feelings, or how Fluttershy would react towards seeing you again. What you should be focusing on, is telling her the words she wants to hear – which is a ‘super-duper-double-scooper-gooper-BIG-"I'm-sorry-for-hurting-you-so-badly-I-really-miss-you-I'll-do-anything-you-want-so-I-can-make-it-up-to-you-and-I-love-you-soooooooo-much!"' apology," She said as she giggled as if it were the simplest thing in the world to do. With Pinkie, knowing Fluttershy and her element, she would no doubt forgive him if he apologized.

The two ponies blink at her. How in Equestria is that mare able to breathe when speaking long complex sentences like that?

"Uh… yeah…" He blinked slowly at Pinkie's words of ‘encouragement'. "I'm afraid it's not that simple." 

But he was only greeted with a laugh and a boop on the nose "That's ‘cuz you're only making it harder on yourself than it needs to be, Drifty!" She points out to him, "It's been like, what, a few years since you've seen each other, like high school, right?"

Vinyl blinked at that and tilted her head in astonishment, asking for him. "How'd you know that one?" Well, she was curious herself. Pinkie was a literal party animal, but she can't be psychic, can she?

"Just a hunch." She grinned widely. Though, deep down, she was actually quite surprised, too. She quickly figured out Fluttershy was Scootaloo's mother after she caught her sobbing and talking with Angel while no one else was looking. But she never thought the father would be Drift. At first, she thought he was a huge meanie-pants for what he did to her, but overhearing him say how doubtful he was and that he was willing to see his kid and make things right with them made her have second thoughts and she just had to help him. Besides, she didn't like seeing sad faces.

"Well… yeah… it's been quite a long time since we last saw each other," He raised a brow at her, wondering why she'd ask that type of thing when she herself wasn't even in their school. "Why?"

Pinkie Pie only shook her head as her smile turned fond, "Because… I know my bestie. And I know that Shy and your daughter may be much closer than you think. Drift… years are a very, very looooong time…" She approached their table and set down a plate of freshly made cupcakes and muffins for them along with fresh new glasses of punch to replace the ones she popped out of. "And time… has a way of changing things." She winked at him before trotting off, leaving them to ponder what she meant. 

Although, Drift became buggy-eyed when he realized Pinkie said *daughter*; that oddball mare, she knew who his child was?! "W-Wait, Pinkie! Wait!" He tried to call her back, but she kept hopping away.

Vinyl blinked and tried to call her back when she also noticed she left the muffins and cupcakes on their table, and they didn't even order them yet. "Wait, what about the muffins and cupcakes?!?" 

Pinkie Pie called back over as she vanished into her kitchen, "On the house!"

Blinking at this random, yet uncharacteristically wise encounter of Ponyville's most smile-inducing party mare, Drift could only stare at Vinyl and comment…

"Sometimes, I'll never understand that mare."

Vinyl laughed a bit at that, finding it all too true. Pinkie means well, although sometimes the way she tries to help in her own way is unique, which is why it makes it difficult for other ponies to understand.

"Me either, D-Bro," She chuckled, shaking her head after the pink mare when she disappeared. "Me either…"

"Should we go after her? She knows who my kid is."

Vinyl thought that was a bad idea and shook her head at him, "I know you're eager to find out, but it's not a good idea to disturb a busy mare -- especially when it comes to baking."

"Why?"

It was then, the door opened and the bell rung. Sweets hour was here and customers wanted their little bit of sugar to start their morning off with a little pep.

"That," Vinyl pointed to the doors as customers came in.

"Are you serious about these ponies making gem cupcakes?" The two ponies looked to see Spike entering in with a younger dragon with him, an orange dragon with purple spines from her head to her tail. Following them was a sky blue griffon, who looked about Gilda's age, only a bit smaller and was clearly a male.

"Sure I'm sure, Smolder. They gave me a special sapphire-sprinkled one for my birthday; so when they heard there was going to be more than one dragon in Ponyville, they said they may as well start stocking and baking those kinds of cupcakes," Spike explained to her, with a smile, about the Cake's latest selling they have for dragons like them.

"You'd better not be joshing me, Spike," She warned him while the griffon waved a talon, scoffing lightly at his dragon friends.

"Pfft, just as long as we get cupcakes, it doesn't matter what's sprinkled on. I'm hungry!" 

Spike only laughed as he led the two to go get a table and place an order, "Alright, keep your feathers on, Gallus."

"Looks like we're not the only ones wanting to get a little extra pep this morning, huh?" Vinyl smiled lightly, recognizing Spike and the two students from Twilight's School of Friendship.

"Heh, yeah," He smiled softly, recognizing Spike as he waved a hoof at the trio. Smolder noticed first and gave a little smile, waving her claw back at him.

However, they too weren't the only ones joining for a bit of ‘pep-cupcakes' as the bell rang, again. However, they could not predict whose voice was heard next.

Drift was enjoying his muffin; the soft, yet sun-sweet berry-filled taste was quite delicious yet soothing. Although, he nearly choked when he heard a voice call to him, in a quite surprised, yet recognizable tone. Vinyl gave him his punch as he quickly grabbed it and drank it. He planted his drink down and breathed steadily.

"Drift?"

His eyes widened in alarm, shock and a bit of fear as he softly gasped. He knew that voice, he recognized it anywhere. He could never forget it either as he heard soft clopping of gentle hooves heading his way. Only one pony had soft-as-a-cloud hoofsteps like that.

"Is that you?" The soft voice spoke to him, riddled with shock, yet awe.

He winced, lowering his ears as Vinyl looked at him in shock, and she was just as surprised as he was. Letting out a silent sigh, he knew. 

It was time to face the music.

He slowly turned around to face the one mare he had been worried about seeing…

And froze.

Fluttershy was stunned; She felt like treating her daughter to some cupcakes before they go find her father, which Scootaloo wholeheartedly agreed. No use searching on an empty stomach. Plus, Pinkie Pie's cupcakes were awesome! 

She and Scootaloo also met up with Spike, Smolder, and Gallus who were also heading there. She invited them to join them for a little breakfast hangout at Sugarcube Corner, not that Scootaloo minded – it was still morning, she and her mother had plenty of time to spare – until she realized Spike was with them and desperately tried to fight her blush whenever he gave her a smile. Something which Smolder caught and couldn't help but smirk at. 

Although, when Scootaloo and Smolder first looked at one another, they looked at each other as if they were looking in an alternate mirror after seeing they had similar colors. Like Smolder's the dragon version of Scootaloo, or vice versa.


***Earlier when meeting at Ponyville***


Smolder glanced at Scootaloo as if she was looking at her own reflection and raised a brow, "Whoa, this is bizarre." Smolder was mind-boggled. Though Spike and Gallus were just as surprised, yet they thought it was pretty cool, too.

Scootaloo walked around her, looking surprised and intrigued, "You're telling me." 

Fluttershy was equally just as surprised and baffled by this. Seeing another creature bearing the same colors as her daughter really made things interesting and raised a lot of thoughts, but one came to mind: Smolder looked like she could pass off as Scootaloo's fraternal twin. Then she shook her head at the thought of her laying an egg. That would just be near impossible and, frankly, odd for pegasus to do. Unless magic was involved and -- 'nope! Going into taboo territory there.' That's the last thing she needed on her mind right now. 

Smolder scratched her spines as she looked over the Pegasus, just as stumped as she was, "This can't be real, Can it?"

But it was as the pegasi filly was thinking the same thing. She pointed a hoof at her, realizing as she exclaimed in shock, "You look like the dragon version of me!"

The dragoness pointed at her, just as equally appalled as she was, "And you look like the pony version of me!" Their eyes bugged out in shock...

…Then joy. "Sweet!" They both grinned.


***Back at Sugarcube Corner***


It was nice to see her daughter make another new friend, this time with one of the students from the school. Even if they knew each other by name, they never properly got to hang out with each other. So, this was a good opportunity to do so. It still confused her as to why they looked alike in color, somehow though. It was like looking at them like they were from a different universe. Oh well, then. Better not linger on it for too much. Scootaloo did say once that she thought dragons were cool. But the mere thought of Scootaloo falling for one was just adorable.

But what Fluttershy didn't expect as they arrived at Sugarcube Corner to order some delicious cupcakes and muffins, was to run into Drift and… Vinyl Scratch?

Drift's body was suddenly frozen in place and his eyes couldn't pry themselves away from what they saw. Was this a mare or the angel standing before him? A heavenly choir played in his mind as the ginger light of Celestia's sun shined down on her as she slowly bats her eyes. Her long, luscious, pink hair hugging her shoulders. Her wings looked visibly stronger from what he remembered from the feeble flier he knew in school. Her tail was as long as her hair and it easily wrapped around her legs while cushioning her flank well like a pillow. When he saw that butterfly cutie mark, he knew it was her. Nopony else had three pink butterflies as a cutie mark here in Ponyville, or at Cloudsdale High when he last saw her. 

And as he stared at her lovely moderate cyan eyes, it was like they were shining like the brightest sapphires. He felt his chest slowly compress as if his heart skipped occasional beats. He wanted to look away, but his body wouldn't allow it. He was looking into the eyes of a mare he's never seen in a long time.

He never saw her again, not ever since Cloudsdale high school, where he left her after getting her pregnant. Was he seeing things? This beautiful angel couldn't be the same Fluttershy. It couldn't be! His mind had to be playing tricks on him. 

"I…I…I… uh… um…" Desperate as he tried to convey a word, sentence, anything, he couldn't speak. His words just wouldn't come out. They were clogged deep in his throat.

But, lucky for him, the gods above saved him from acting like an awkward nutcase when the calls of a happy filly rang him out of his trance.

"Oh… my… gosh…!!!" Fluttershy blinked and looked just in time to see her daughter having a very big fangirl moment. "Y-You're… You're… You're…!!!" and upon seeing her daughter's very wide sparkly eyes and Cheshire-growing grin, she used her own wings to plug her ears as Scootaloo exploded in glee. "DJ-Pon3!!!" 

Vinyl flinched a bit and tried to shush her, looking around to make sure no paparazzi heard that. Amazingly, while it earned a little stare or two from a patron or passing citizen, no sign of the paparazzi was anywhere to be seen, much to her relief. That's the last thing she needed at the moment. She looked back at the young filly who screamed her name, to see her dancing in place with the biggest grin and sparkly eyes she had ever seen. It was highly adorable for a filly her age. Especially when it's concerning a fan of hers, "Thee Vinyl Scratch. I can't believe it's really, really you!"

She giggled a bit and gave a salute towards the filly, "That's me." She smiles as she lifted her shades to get a better look at the filly as she offered a hoof to shake, playfully stating, "That's my name, don't wear it out, little trooper." 

Her eyes were wide in amazement and glee that another idol of hers is meeting her, and wanting to shake her hoof; not wanting to miss such a chance, she excitedly accepted it, letting out a big excited squeal as she shook her hoof very vigorously. Much to Vinyl's surprise, and very slight concern – hope the little filly doesn't lose her voice from repeated squealing.

"Uh… is she okay?" Gallus pointed a talon at the filly, looking a little freaked out as Scootaloo continued to squeal. There are some things about ponies he has yet to understand – especially with odd moments like this one.

Spike chuckled and nods as if used to such behavior, "Yeah, just a classic fanfilly-reaction. Just give her a minute, she'll cool down." 

Smolder held her head as she could feel her own ears ringing, "Well, she better stick a cork in it soon, bro," She looked at the display cases with him which he now noticed had started to shake a little from the slightly high-pitch squealing. "The display cases are starting to shake."

Acknowledging that Scootaloo can unintentionally cause property damage, he flinched and hurried over, covering her mouth, causing the filly to look bug-eyed. "Let's… try not to cause damage to the Cakes' property, shall we?" 

Blushing in embarrassment, she nods as he takes his claw away. Vinyl snickered a bit, "Nice set of lungs and quite a shake ya got." She rubbed her arm after being shaken like a rag doll by her vigorous hoof-shake. 

Poor Scootaloo was trying so hard not to lose it as she twitched and fidgeted in glee, "I'm so sorry. it's just… EEEH!" She clapped her hoofs and pointed at her. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting you! I'm your biggest fan! I love your music, and-and-and…" She tried to speak but her excitement was betraying her.

Vinyl chuckled and pats her on the head, "Breathe, kid. You're gonna pass out if ya keep hyperventilating like this," She loved her fans just as much as they loved her and her music – but she didn't want them to end up hurting themselves if they happen to find themselves face to face with her. But as she looked at Scootaloo, she could almost instantly tell what this little cute Pegasus filly wanted; and thankfully, for this unicorn, she had come prepared for something like this one.

Using her magic, she brought a pen over and got out a photo of herself from one of her latest hits that she recently released. She clicks her pen repeatedly to get it started up, "What's your name, little trotter?" 

Scootaloo could almost feel her heart jump out of her chest when she realized what was happening: DJ-Pon3 was giving her an autograph! "S-S-S… S-S… Scootaloo…" She barely managed to squeak out, blushing heavily as she covered her mouth from that squeaky voice.

Fluttershy giggled lightly, for that one moment, her daughter sounded like her when she was put on the spot.

Vinyl smiled as she scribbled on the corner of the picture and then gave it to her.

Scootaloo gasped largely, her eyes wide as beach balls as she received it and gazed upon her signature; ‘For my awesome and ecstatic biggest fan, Scootaloo. – Your biggest friend, DJ-PON3, Vinyl Scratch.' She looked up at Vinyl, who lifted her shades up and gave her a wink. Scootaloo squealed once more but thankfully it was shorter and she danced about, hugging the photo close to her chest.

Watching this little squirt fangirl over Vinyl snapped Drift out of it a little and he chuckled lightly, nudging her with his elbow. "Looks like you've made another little fan happy, huh, V-Sis?" He winked at her as she blushed a bit.

Scootaloo paused and looked up at the stallion, she looked shocked. "Hey… you're that pony I saw yesterday at Rocky's workshop! Drift, right?"

The stallion smiled, remembering her very well, "That's me. Nice to see you, again." He ruffled her mane, before noticing she was looking up at him in awe.

"You know DJ-Pon3? Thee DJ Pon3??" She was stunned that the stallion she had met before with Tree Hugger and Rainbow Dash at the store knew one of her favorite idols.

He chuckled as he exchanged glances with the unicorn who knew what was going to be told; she shrugged a shoulder at him to give him the OK, "Of course I know her," He gazed at her, smiling softly as he shrugged a shoulder almost nonchalantly. He then told the little filly the reason why he knew Vinyl well, "She's my step-sister."

It was as if time froze.

Scootaloo's eyes were wide as watermelons, her jaw dropped to the ground and her wings sprung out. Fluttershy looked surprised as anything, her ears perked up high. Gallus and Smolder look impressed, this guy with a cool-looking scar had a famous DJ as a step-sister? That was cool. Spike too was surprised but shrugged, still used to surprises that Ponyville has to offer.

Fluttershy looked to Drift and softly spoke, "You never mentioned having a step-sister before?" 

Though a bit nervous, he for once spoke to her since this one involved his V-Sis, "Th-There was nothing to mention." And just like her, he subconsciously covered his ears with his wings with her as Scootaloo fangasmed to the max, squealing in joy.

"I can't believe I know the stallion who has Vinyl Scratch as a sister!" She danced about, spinning around while squealing, even dragging herself around in circles.

"She's doing it, again!" Smolder held her ears with Gallus using his wings to cover his, both wincing at the squealing.

Thankfully, before anything could shatter from the high-pitched squealing, Pinkie popped up and stuffed a cupcake in Scootaloo's mouth, making her pause enough to chew. 

From the playroom, Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake rubbed their ears from all the squealing they heard. Pound snorted softly, babbling in annoyance. "Dat… wa gebbin' anoyin'..." His sister nodded in agreement as she suckled on her stuffed turtle.

Spike chuckled, amused but thankful she did that, "Thank you, Pinkie."

She smiles, "It's what I do," She winks at him, making him blush lightly.

Drift chuckled lightly as he and Fluttershy unplugged their ears while Vinyl went to Scootaloo to have a talk with her, "She sure is quite an excitable one, ain't she?" He was amused Scootaloo was acting that way after meeting his step-sister, although he couldn't blame her. V-Sis was amazing, famous and did pretty awesome sick beats. 

She smiles lightly and giggled lightly, amused by her daughter's antics "Yes, she is." She looked to him, her surprised expression coming back as she looked him over. He had grown well from how she remembered him; he had gotten stronger, sleeker, perhaps wiser… although, she worried about what happened to him that made him get that scar. He never had it before when they were in high-school. Did he get into a fight? Did it still hurt? Was he okay?

Nevertheless, he was still, to her surprise, as handsome as she remembered him. However, she still had to talk things over with him before making the final decision that will confirm his fate, "I never thought I'd find you here…"

He lowered his ears a bit and smiled sadly, "I didn't expect you to find me, either." 

He really didn't. He never thought Shy would be the one to find him when he thought it was to be the other way around. He sighed lightly, looking down, his ears folded down completely as he closed his eyes, "Fluttershy… listen…" He tried to make eye contact with her but found himself struggling a little. "About what happened… d-during high school… I wanna, I mean-I really…" He tried to find the right words. He didn't want to stutter or slip-up or tongue-twist himself, "Look, I wish…" He sighed deeply, looking down once more, feeling ashamed he's making it so hard for himself to speak to her. They unknowingly caught the attention of their friends and family as they look over. Their eyes slightly wide as they listen while slowly munching their cupcakes. He had to say it. She was right there! He had no pride to swallow and he knew what he did was wrong. He had to tell her. She needed to hear it. If not, then this was all for nothing and she'd hate him for the rest of her life. The pressure was building, but she was waiting. 

He finally caved-in, his lips quivered, "I'm... I'm so sorry I hurt you." 

Fluttershy watched him as he continued on. She watched his eyes start to swell up with tears. Her eyes widen in bewilderment as she watched him try not to cry in front of her, and learning his real reasons.

"I know what you're going to say… ‘Weren't you happy before?' Yes, I was… I didn't regret our time together in high-school. I do regret that I only went for your looks and never got to truly know you." 

He sniffled, remembering how happy they used to be in their relationship, but recalled he never cared for her feelings, only her looks; as he looked back, he could only kick himself hard for that. "I was so happy to be with you despite my own selfish views of seeing you as a ‘trophy mare'."

He sighed lightly, "A-And when I got you pregnant ever since you brought up the idea of starting a family…'Why didn't you come back to you? To our child?'" All the emotion he was presenting were real. He felt so much regret and guilt for what he did, it hurt him so much. He could only imagine the pain and trauma she felt when he did what he did to her. He never wanted her to go through that, but she did. And now, he felt so much pain making that choice. 

Both of them blushed lightly, Fluttershy – from embarrassment from how foolish she was when she was young, while Drift – from ashamedness as he recalled his cowardly actions. 

All the while, Scootaloo was watching with stunned eyes when Drift brought up how he and Shy used to be together, then brought up the subject of pregnancy. That's when she realized… Drift was her father. "W-What?" she whispered to herself.

Fluttershy looked back up at him as he admitted his wrongdoings, before starting to walk slowly up to him. "I was just so scared. I wasn't ready to be a father and because of how cowardly I was, I ran out on you when you needed me most." 

Vinyl held her heart as she watched her brother pour his heart out to Fluttershy in the most sincere, heartfelt apology he could give. She wanted to comfort him, but knew she shouldn't interrupt.

Spike held Smolder close as he noticed his sister was starting to get a little emotional as her eyes looked a bit glossy; Smolder admired how much courage Drift was showing, knowing this must be scary for him.

Gallus too was admiring his courage, knowing this must not be easy for him. But he felt somewhat proud he's admitting his mistakes.

Pinkie Pie grinned softly as she watched, dancing in place behind the counter while the Cakes watch in awe.

His tears started falling as he whimpered before saying, "I was stupid. I was an idiot. I was cowardly. I just… wasn't thinking, at all."

He literally started kicking himself as he realized that's what got him in all this trouble in the first place. How he wanted it to be done with, he neglected her feelings and wanted her for her looks -- talk about being very shallow. 

But he had to tell her how much he regretted it now, because as he talked to her about this, the pain was becoming unbearable as he choked back a sob, "I thought after giving you what you wanted, you would be happy. But--" 

He facehoofed and groaned from his emotional pain, "--I only made your life worse when I left you. I… I was wrong to do that to you, Fluttershy. I really am!" He took a shuddery breath as he gazed up, he was shocked to see her approaching him, fear started grasping his heart as his tears shed quicker. 

"I know I left you to raise our baby alone, but I thought you'd be better off without me. I was really stupid that day." He backed up a bit as he hyperventilated a little. He found himself eye-to-eye with her as she was getting closer and closer. "A-And I was wrong. I see that now! A-And I'm so sorry for everything I've done!" He said as he whimpered before being cornered by the wall, the table, and Fluttershy herself, who by now was just inches away from him. 

He was terrified out of his skin, as she reached a hoof towards him. 

Why hasn't she started yelling at him yet?!

"Stop being so stoic, Fluttershy! Go on, yell at me, scream! Say something!" He held his breath as he waited for the inevitable. But, instead of being bombarded with screams and harsh words, he felt her hoof gingerly touch his scar.

She looked into his eyes and she held his cheek. Her hoof gently touched his scar with the tenderness of a butterfly's kiss. Her own eyes became as glossy as his as she slowly smiled at him. Her ears folded down just like his. 

And to the surprise of all, what came out of her mouth was not yelling or screaming… or even violence, but…

"I missed you so much, Drift Velocity." 

Her eyes twinkled with tears that ran down her cheeks, her smile showing genuine happiness, her cheeks themselves rosy and that tone in her voice spoke out… with love.

Overwhelmed with shock, remorse and genuine affection he started developing for her on this emotional rollercoaster, a whimper escaped from him, uttering out one last tearful "I'm so sorry" before she gently held both of his cheeks; she closed her eyes as she leaned up to him while tilting her head to the left and gingerly placed her lips upon his in a passionate, tear-filled kiss.

He was still so overwhelmed. But he could only return it as his wings, as if they had a mind of their own, wrapped themselves around the kind mare. He kissed her with all the bottled up love he held back but showed no force, only genuine care. It was at that point, he knew what Pinkie meant now.

Time had its way of changing things – but it also had its way of changing others, too. 

Gilda had mellowed down, Dash somewhat matured enough to not be so hot-blooded, Scootaloo may still be daredevil-ish, but she was even happier now that she had a family and gained new friends, Shy settled easily back in her mother role… and he, he himself, finally apologized for his actions, and in return, he got Fluttershy back.

Time has changed all of them. And it will no doubt heal those wounds.
> A Healing Future, A Damaged Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their kiss separated. Their eyes locked with one another. The thoughts of those who believed pain, anguish, and hate would arise failed to stop this reunion from happening. And the thoughts of those who believed that aggression and force would be the right answer were wrong. Nature took its course and did what those who tried to do couldn't. Expectations were exceeded while others were crushed. Yet, some were not expecting the outcome before them. 

Everyone inside Sugarcube Corners sure didn't expect to see a something like this. Well, except for Vinyl and Pinkie – they were enjoying the sight before them and knew the outcome as they and everyone around them watched as Fluttershy and Drift shared a moment with one another, regaining the love they once lost.

Drift's teary, puffy, red eyes were glued to Fluttershy. For once in his life, he felt at ease. His mind calming down from all those anxiety attacks. The fear of being disowned by the one mare he treated as a 'trophy mare' slowly descended. He looked into her beautiful eyes and had feelings he never thought he'd feel, again: love. He was falling in love with Fluttershy all over again, and this time, it was for real. Drift didn't see her as a trophy mare to show off; he saw her as a lovely angel he would vow to protect with his very life.

Fluttershy never looked away from Drift. She didn't care if others were watching. She finally got to see the stallion she fell in love with back in high-school. Though, previously, she had thoughts of wanting to hurt Drift for the actions he did: leaving her to carry his child and having to put said child in an orphanage because she was too young. She would've raged like no tomorrow if she ever saw him, again… but, she didn't. Right here, right now, she found him. But her rage never flourished, it was all null and void. She briefly had the thought of shouting at him for what he did, but after hearing what he had to say to her and saw how much the grief was tearing him apart because he was not there with her to help raise Scootaloo made her think differently. The truth has come out, they had both changed from what had happened, and the stallion she had been so peeved at, was at this point almost as emotional as she was when having a breakdown. This was all she needed to see to know that the former Drift was gone, and now this current Drift needed her… just as much as she needed him. 

The rage she once had shifted into something calm, caring and sweet. It was her element, after all. Fluttershy missed Drift so much and all she wanted was to have him back by her side.

Drift tried to regain his composure, but all his emotion was all out and everyone saw, but he didn't care. He had Fluttershy in his embrace – both winged and normal. "Fluttershy, I--"

Fluttershy gave him a soft, sweet smile and cutely rubbed her muzzle against his, making him stop, "Don't. You've already hurt yourself, enough." Which she can't deny, either. But they needed to get to the eye of this emotional storm, soon. "Seeing you like this makes me feel worse," she said before chuckling, "I thought I was supposed to cry, not you." Clearly, she was wrong. But she needed to joke around to balance the mood. Pretty sure Pinkie would appreciate that.

Drift occasionally giggled through his stuttering breaths, "W-We're both crying. It's not just me, Fluttershy," Drift said as he smiled at her, really needing that chuckle. Even if she was a shy pony, he was still happy to know Fluttershy still had her silly moments.

Everyone else kept quiet as they watched. This was a very touching moment and they didn't want to ruin it – not one bit.

Smolder smiled tearfully at this while Spike kept an arm around her in case she was about to cry. Spike knew his sister was tough, but she had a soft heart and seeing moments like this always got to her – which goes to show that while dragons like to be tough, they can show they have soft sides sometimes. ‘This is so beautiful…' 

Spike smiled, as well. He was happy for Fluttershy. He had to tell Twilight what happened later; she was gonna be in for a shock when she hears this. They didn't who this stallion was, but they guessed this must be Fluttershy's ex-coltfriend. 

Gallus watched with a more steady demeanor. He didn't know the stallion hugging professor Fluttershy, either. But he gave him props for throwing all his feeling to her and his teacher took it with kindness and forgiveness. Gallus smiled at Fluttershy, commending her for acting the way she did. If this was the power of kindness, he was learning quite well from it. And he loved to use these lessons sometime. Gallus had more respect for Fluttershy.

Vinyl leaned back on the counter and watched her step-brother amend to Fluttershy. She felt proud of him for doing this.

"That went rather well, doncha think?" Pinkie Pie asked, leaning forward on the countertop, talking to Vinyl, resting her head on her hooves.

"Heh, I guess so. I expected him to be sappy, but not like that," Vinyl said as she gave Drift a proud smile. But she was also proud of Fluttershy, as well, "I'm just glad Fluttershy forgave him so easily. I know she's the element of kindness and all, but I was sort of thinking she was gonna flip out, too." Vinyl knew Fluttershy back then and was aware she was a shy pony with a timid nature, but she guessed she didn't know Fluttershy that well...

…Unlike Pinkie Pie who knew Shy much longer.

"Silly Vinyl," she said with a giggle-snort, "Fluttershy does get angry, but only if it's for a good reason. Like, really good reason."

"Really? How do you know this?" A physiological wave of realization hit like a freight train when she asked that question, making her feel like she's answered her own question to Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie nonchalantly gazed at Vinyl with a sassy, teasing grin, "Because I've known her longer than you have."

Yup, she definitely answered her own question, but Pinkie Pie had answered it anyway. She playing rolled her eyes and chuckled. As much as she wanted to counter that, Pinkie Pie had a legit point. While Vinyl technically knew Fluttershy back in High-School, she didn't exactly get to know her more than she already did. She knew Fluttershy was a sweet and shy mare and that's it. She never knew anything else outside of that. So, to her, Vinyl saw herself as more an acquaintance. And with how much her job kept her from hanging out with other friends made things difficult.

Pinkie Pie, however, knew Fluttershy way more than what she could ever learn. How she keeps tabs on her is beyond her. Then again, how she keeps info about everypony else is on a whole different level. Also, the fact that Pinkie Pie helped Fluttershy and the other four save the world on multiple occasions probably gave her more time to get to know her. And she worked in a bakery where she has free roam to talk to anypony she wishes. Funny how jobs work like that. But because that, and everything else, Pinkie Pie knew more about Fluttershy than she ever will and it was actually pretty scary.

How this mare hasn't gotten a lead role in a horror movie is astounding.

Vinyl let out a defeated sigh and admittedly said, "You make a good point, Pinkie Pie. Now turn your bragging into a cake and eat it."

Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle, taking that idea into consideration, but she had other sweets to make, "I'll save that idea for later. Right now, I still have something in the oven. Shouldn't take long, but when they cool, I think I'll have the reunited couple have the first bite," she then turned her attention to Scootaloo, briefly, "Or better yet, the whole--" but Scootaloo disappeared while Vinyl and Pinkie Pie were talking "--family?" 

Vinyl looked at the same spot Scootaloo used to be before both mares looked straight ahead to see Scootaloo slowly walk towards Drift.

"What's with Scootaloo?" Vinyl asked.

"Didn't you figure it out yet, Vinyl?"

"Figure what out?" Pinkie Pie gave her a raised brow, and for once not saying anything so Vinyl can figure it out. Vinyl gave Pinkie Pie a confused shrug before she looked back at Scootaloo. 

That's when something new started to click. The whole time she and her step-brother were here, they were trying to find Fluttershy and figure out who his kid was. And judging by who all was here in the bakery, Scootaloo was the only filly here. The timer was clicking. Vinyl's glasses slid down the edge of her muzzle, revealing shocked eyes, "Wait, Scootaloo was with those three right?" Vinyl asked as she pointed to the dragons and griffon.

Gallus overheard that and peered back at Vinyl, shrugging a shoulder as he confessed to the DJ mare, "Eh…Not really. She was with Professor Fluttershy when we met up." He put his attention back to Scootaloo walking up to the distracted couple.

The timer for the oven in the kitchen went off, "Cookies are done!" Pinkie Pie beamed back into the kitchen to get them out as Vinyl sat their wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

'She's Drift's kid?,' she shockingly pointed a shaky hoof at Scootaloo, ‘She's my niece?!'

Then it dawned on Drift, with Fluttershy being here, their kid should be here, too, right? "Hey, Fluttershy, do you know where our child is?" he asked curiously and with a hint of nervousness too as he even looked around the floor around their legs for a moment as if to try and spot a shy foal to peek out from behind Fluttershy.

Fluttershy caught that little nervous bit and giggled softly. She knew Scootaloo would eventually be brought up, "She's here in the bakery with us, Drift."

Scootaloo walked up to the pegasus couple, slowly. Her eyes glued onto them as her brain tried rebooting to fully grasp what just happened. "Mom?..." She almost quietly spoke out, yet her mother was able to hear her among the emotional trance she was in. 

Fluttershy looked over to her daughter, seeing the bewildered but stunned look on her face. She smiled lightly, knowing it was a lot for her to take in, 'And speaking of our daughter,' she had a feeling Scootaloo would behave like this. Though, another dramatic thought told her that Scootaloo might react the same way she did when she found out she was her real mother – hopefully, that doesn't come back. 

"Mom... d-did he just say..." She wanted to double check, it was just almost completely unreal. 

Despite that though, Fluttershy didn't want it to ruin this moment. Her daughter was there and wanted to know, "Yes, Scootaloo..." Fluttershy nodded with a soft, but tender smile as Drift looked at Scootaloo in equal shock yet realization. She noticed the look on his face and tried so hard not to giggle. His behavior was so much like Scootaloo's, it was adorably funny. But the moment was here and Fluttershy motioned with her head to Drift and proudly said, "Meet your daddy."

Drift looked at Fluttershy with that same shocked face before he looked back at Scootaloo.

"And Drift?"

Drift looked back at Fluttershy, again, as she gave him a smile so true, it would make Applejack proud, "Meet your daughter, Scootaloo"

"S-Scootaloo," Drift repeated, learning his own daughter's name while looking back feeling nervous, now. Ironic that he had learned her name when they met the other day, but it never occurred to him that they were closer than they ever thought.

The filly and the stallion couldn't believe it. This entire time, they had been father and daughter and had just been face-to-face with one other the other day at Rocky's workshop. 

They both had unintentionally found each other and they didn't even know it!

It was quiet between the two as their brains finally restarted and they took in this new information, with new thoughts flowing in. 

Scootaloo was stunned, the stallion she had met at Rocky's stall, filling in for him while he was sick – the one who knew her personally by her reputation from seeing her and her two besties on their crusades through town – was actually her father.

Drift was no better – actually, he was in disbelief; the little orange filly he had met the other day with Tree Hugger, was his daughter. Now that he was getting a good look at her, he would've laughed because earlier he and V-Sis were joking about who his kid would look like more -- and ironically, while ending up with a daughter, this little daredevil of a filly resembled the filly version of that bull-headed pegasus that tried to force him to make his decision quick. Hopefully, that mare hasn't done anything to his daughter that warranted her of taking anything from her instead of actually taking things from her real mother.

'Why am I not surprised by the resemblance?' He inwardly chuckled to himself about the uncanny resemblance between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. 

However, he looked a bit concerned when he noticed her wings. They seemed rather small for a filly her age – underdeveloped, even. He had another realization hit him: pegasus foals have their parents to teach them how to fly, with the fathers giving the most support while teaching his son or daughter how to fly. He felt another stab of guilt run through his veins. 

About this age, Scootaloo would've been flying by now. But after he had noticed her small buzzing wings, he felt he was inadvertently responsible for his daughter's suffering – because he felt that since he wasn't there to support and teach her how to fly, she can't exactly fly like everyone else. "Scootaloo, I..." He tried to speak to Scootaloo, finally breaking the pregnant silence between them. But what could he say to her? This was his first intentional time seeing her as his daughter. But then he heard her speak.

"D-Daddy?" Scootaloo said about to choke up for not figuring this out sooner. Yesterday, she thought he was just a regular stallion living in Ponyville and didn't think much else, other than he was fun to talk to. But now, she's seeing him, again, and learned he was her father the whole time. What could she say? What could she do? Her body was moving on its own and she could think straight. Her real father was right in front of her and that's all she could focus on. Everyone else was just noise.

Drift looked at Scootaloo sympathetically and walked a few inches away from Fluttershy and sat down while she watched them. He was still processing what was going on, but he could think clearly enough to at least know what to say. What he and his step-sister thought would be a long journey only lasted for mere hours and now they did it. Time felt slow to them, but he had to say something to her. And he did with a soft smile and opened his arms for a welcoming hug to his little one, "It's so good to see you, baby girl."

She didn't hold anything back. Tears of happiness, joy, and fulfillment ran down Scootaloo's cheeks and she hiccuped and sobs. Her body ran on auto-pilot and she rushed up to Drift, "Daddy!" She jumped into his arms and hugged him close, Drift's arms closing as father and daughter hugged for the very first time in many years. 

Drift shed his own tears as he looked down at Scootaloo sobbing in his arms, nuzzling into his embrace almost feverishly while she cried. It felt so new to him, but he didn't care. He finally got to hold his daughter in his arms. She felt so soft and light, but so strong for a filly. He couldn't be more proud of her. He looked back at Fluttershy with a smile, trying so hard to hold back from sobbing.

Fluttershy just held her hooves against her muzzle and smiled, keeping quiet while shedding tears of joy at this moment. She was proud, happy and full of fulfillment, as well. Their family was reunited and no one could ever ruin it.

With the pressure being too much, Drift looked back at Scootaloo and cried the same tears with her as he returned the nuzzling his daughter was giving, his head right above hers, nestling into her mane. They didn't care if anyone else was watching, they were just so happy to be reunited with each other.

"Daddy, I missed you so much," Scootaloo said through her sobbing.

"I missed you, too, Scootaloo," Drift said as he rubbed Scootaloo's head and down her back. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, but I'm here for you now."

"Please, don't leave mommy and me again," She sniffled through her tears, now that she finally got her father back, she begged for him to stay with her and Fluttershy this time.

This almost threw both parents off-guard, but they both knew it was understandable. Their child deserved having both of them in her life – and since they've finally made up, who were they to reject this for their little one?

"Don't worry, squirt, I won't. That'll never happen, again," He gave Fluttershy another teary, but warm smile as he gazed upon her blushing but gleeful face. "That is, If your mother will let me start over with her," He added with a loving voice towards her direction.

Scootaloo immediately perked up and looked at her mother almost pleadingly, wanting her to accept the offer.

Fluttershy held her heart, her eyes twinkling and the words trying to emerge out of her throat were jamming up in her throat. She was speechless; her now former ex-coltfriend was willing to be there for her and their child this time and wanted to properly start over. "Drift…"

He took her wing in his, looked her in the eye and gingerly asked out of the blue, "Fluttershy, will you make me the luckiest stallion in the world, and our child the happiest foal in Ponyville, and start over with me? We can be a true family, like how you always wanted." 

Both Fluttershy, their friends and family gasped softly, realizing what Drift was doing now. 

He didn't want to be cheesy or anything, and having the feeling that Fluttershy wouldn't want a big scene happening and put her right on the spot, either. He remembered how much of a shy girl she was at school, usually hiding in the halls. So, he decided to make it simple, yet warm with honesty and love, with just a little drop of syrupy sweetness just for her. 

Fluttershy was almost speechless by the proposal. Her heart was racing a bit, he had won her over of course with his apology and she took him back with open arms, but now he's proposing to her? Granted, she was grateful that it wasn't over-the-top, but sweet and simple, it was almost breathtaking and nearly felt unreal like a dream. 

She was a bit conflicted with her inner thoughts – should she accept his proposal or should they take it slow? But when she saw how honest, gentle and ready Drift was being and how happy Scootaloo was looking despite her tears running down her face, she looked inside her own heart and found the answer: She wanted to be a whole family, just as much as Scootaloo and Drift did.

"Oh, Drift, of course, I will," Her wing tenderly squeezed his as her tears ran down her smiling face. She collapsed on her knees and joined the hug with her daughter and her stallion, which both happily yet tearfully took.

"Aww…" Sugarcube Corner filled with happiness for the three as the patrons, including friends and family, were touched by what they were witnessing – touched to even the point of starting to get teary-eyed.

"That did it," Smolder gave in to her pressuring emotions and sobbed a bit from the scene before her, covering her eyes as she cried. Spike held her close to comfort her.

"Breathe, sis… breathe…" He stroked her back as she sobbed in his chest. Though he looked a bit intrigued when he heard a sniff on his left. He looked to see Gallus wiping a lone tear away from his eye; he looked a bit stunned at the steady-headed griffon's actions. While he couldn't deny he expected his own sister to be emotional about this due to her soft heart, but it was surprising to see Gallus shed a tear to this. "Whoa, dude, are you crying?"

Flinching, the young griffon tries to play it cool. But something about Drift's little proposal to make his little family whole again tugged his own heartstrings. Griffons were supposed to be tough, prideful creatures, not emotional fledglings. "No-no, I'm not! It's just the mushiness is starting to hurt my eyes and—" He noticed the unimpressed look Spike was giving him and slouched his shoulders, his wings touching the ground. "Alright, so I'm not as heartless as the other griffons from Griffonstone."

Even Mrs.Cake couldn't resist shedding a tear to this happy family scene before her and Mr.Cake, a loving smile on her face, "This kind of reminds me of when you first proposed to me, my carrot-muffin." This made him blush brightly but he smiled lovingly at her and wrapped an arm around his wife.

Vinyl was still standing in shock from her realization, little Scootaloo was her niece, and she too didn't know that this filly with such a powerful set of lungs for that squealing was the kid that she had been hoping to meet. But it did warm her heart to make her happy with her autograph before learning the truth – and witnessing her step-brother's little proposal towards Fluttershy just made her heart lift and play a loving beat.

"Vinyl…" 

She snapped out of her dazed state when her brother called her, she looked over to see him smiling in her direction and he motioned for her to come over. 

Ironically, a bit of anxiousness almost came over her as she took a second to look around and points at herself when looking back at him. 

Drift rolled his eyes in an amused way before remarking to her, "Oh, for the love of all the great wonderbolts in the sky, V-Sis. Get your flanks over here and meet your niece." He chuckled a little. ‘And here I thought I was the one who was a bit reluctant to meet with Fluttershy and my kid.' He thought to himself as his sister came over.

Scootaloo blinked a few times and wiped the tears from her eyes as she tried to process what her father just said, "N-Niece?" Scootaloo's eyes slowly widened when she quickly registered what her father had said. Was he saying what she thought that he was saying?

He chuckled lightly and nods at his daughter, finding her fangirl moments kind of adorable now. "That's right, squirt. Care to give your Auntie Vinyl a big hug?"

Vinyl pouted at Drift for that little nickname but had almost no time to react when she heard the squeal and she yelped as Scootaloo practically tackle-hugged her down to the floor and was hanging on tight, squealing out in excitement and wings buzzing fast that would rival a hummingbird's wings.

"DJ Pon3 is my aunt! DJ Pon3 is my aunt! This is the greatest day of my life!" First, she found her mother, then she gets an awesome pet and now she found not only her father but realized one of the idols she looked up to and was a big fan of was none other than her flipping aunt. If this was a dream, Scootaloo wished she'd never wake up.

Vinyl blushed highly but smiled as she hugged her little niece close, rubbing her back as the filly fangasmed hard in her arms. Seeing how she's practically a big fan of hers and she stated she loved her music, looks like teaching Scootaloo her latest beats was going to be a cinch.

Spike snickered a bit and leaned towards Drift, whispering to him as he referred to Scootaloo's fangirl moment, "You just made her century."

Drift chuckled lightly and shook his head, "I'm probably never going to hear the end of this squealing, am I?"

Fluttershy giggled at his comment and nuzzled up to him, smiling at her daughter having the time of her life, "Nope. Not by a long shot." She pecked his cheek, causing him to blush bright and make his wings buzz just like Scootaloo's would.

Vinyl chuckled lightly and teased him after noticing the similarity of how Scootaloo's wings sound compared to Drift's, "Yep, Little Scoots is your daughter, alright."

And Scootaloo could only squeal and giggle in glee.

***a few hours later***

"So, you live in a cottage close by to the Everfree Forest and you're surrounded in an abundance of forest animals?" Drift asked his daughter and marefriend as he sat with his step-sister. After their emotional moment, and finally getting Scootaloo to stop her squeal-fest, things slowly returned to normal in Sugarcube Corner. Now, they were sitting at a table outside Sugarcube Corner for some air and a bit of privacy to themselves.

And since he and Fluttershy finally reconciled, he made sure to use this time to properly get to know her properly this time, both her and their daughter. But he became surprised when he heard that after high school, after her pregnancy, she had placed Scootaloo into an orphanage because she was too young to care for a foal, and had recently brought her back into her life a few months ago. But he also didn't expect them to be living close by to that spooky forest, surrounded by wild animals.

Fluttershy smiled and nodded with a cheery "Mhm" that would make Pinkie's baby sister Marble Pie proud.

"So, whatever happened to that orphanage?" Drift asked, curiously.

Fluttershy shrugged and didn't seem to care about what happened to it, "As far as I know, that orphanage is still around. After I got my daughter's stuff out of that dreadful place, I didn't think much of it anymore." With having her daughter back in her life, there was no point in thinking of it, anymore. "But, the ponies who worked there tried suing me to get Scootaloo back," the fact the Greedy Bags tried to actually do something astounded her, but the outcome was not in her and her boss's favor.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and shook her head at the mention of that cesspool of an orphanage, "I hated that place. Nearly every colt and filly was either bullies, thieves or just caused havoc for fun." She's just grateful her mother and friends kicked Greedy Bags and whoever that boss was to the curb.

Vinyl cringed and couldn't imagine what that must've been like. She's had a clean plate for years and would love to keep it that way. Going to court is a real drag. But she had to ask, "What did you do to get them off your back?"

Fluttershy smiled proudly and made like Trixie, sort of, and boasted, "With the help of Celestia and Twilight and tons of evidence, I got a restraining order on them and I haven't seen them since."

Drift and Vinyl were floored by that. To have two princesses back her up must've been overkill for the orphanage.

"Two princesses backing you up… with Celestia, of all princesses, being one of them… might've been a teensy bit overkill for them, don't-cha think?" Vinyl honestly asked since it was on her mind. That only got a shrug out of them, which she soon followed. It was over and done with, no need to worry now.

"Well, I'm glad you won so easily to keep our daughter safe," Drift nuzzled close to Fluttershy, feeling so proud and happy Fluttershy stood up for Scootaloo. "I'd like her to be with us instead of some crummy orphanage."

Fluttershy blushed rosy-red and shyly hid behind her mane, bringing out a nostalgic giggle from Drift. Even as a full adult, Fluttershy still does that; Drift loved it and missed seeing it. But then it dawned on him, "And those animals?"

Scootaloo grinned as she ecstatically told her father and aunt about their animal friends, "The animals there are totally awesome, dad, auntie! There's spiders, lions, snakes, weasels—"

Drift looked a bit astounded as he listens to her list off the types of animals there while Vinyl seemed a bit concerned, "All these dangerous animals live around you?" Drift asked as he looked to Fluttershy, slightly concerned while she had a sheepish blush on her cheeks. "And none of them scare you?"

His beloved angel of Equestria giggled lightly and shook her head at his question; her animal friends could never scare her unless they hurt themselves. "Of course not, Drift," She showed them her cutie mark of the three pink butterflies, "I just have a special way of understanding them. They would never hurt me or our daughter after treating them with such kindness."

"Makes sense to me," Vinyl shrugged a bit.

‘So that's what her cutie mark meant,' He thought to himself, now it made sense. When he saw her cutie mark at school, he simply thought it meant something butterfly related, like she was a social butterfly or she was meant to be a butterfly keeper. ‘Man, I was way off.'

"We even have our own pets among them," She smiled sweetly and giggled softly to them.

But, like he always did, he couldn't help but want to crack a joke, "Are you sure all those creatures that our daughter is listing aren't your pets? Because, the way she makes it sound, you basically have all of these creatures wrapped around your hoof." 

She chuckled in amusement and shook her head, "They're just very close to us. That's all. Most of them even started to view Scootaloo as their own little one." Fluttershy brought her daughter in a one-armed hug, much to her dismay as she blushed and grumbled a bit.

"Let's hope I don't make them feel like I'm taking away their little foal, then." He laughed a bit, but also nervously knowing how defensive animals can get. "So, if they're not your pets but animal companions, what type of animal do you have as a pet?"

"A bunny named Angel Bunny." The yellow Pegasus smiled wholeheartedly.

"That figures," He teased her with a fond tone of voice that made her heart flutter; he had a feeling out of all these animals that Scootaloo is listing off, his girl would more likely choose something cute as a pet.

Vinyl chuckled and looked to Scootaloo, ruffling her mane. "What about you, squirt?" she made few guesses just to have fun, "Did you get a squirrel, a bird, a mouse, a ferret? Am I close?" Vinyl smiled playfully and being cheeky, but Scootaloo just shook her head and give Vinyl a confident brow raise and proud smile.

"Not even close, auntie," Scootaloo said as she revealed to them in a sort of dramatic way, "My pet is a Komodo Dragon!"

Both her aunt and father looked a bit dumbstruck, shocked and a bit worried in her choice of animal. But Fluttershy only laughed when she saw the looks on their faces.

"Don't worry, I was worried about her choice, too. But Varan is a rather… mellow reptile." ‘Mellow' was the best word she could come up with for Varan from memory of him not minding Scootaloo's presence around him or making up with lots of playtime for her whenever he tried to be lazy some mornings.

Vinyl chuckled lightly, for some reason she could believe Scootaloo would want something cool for a pet instead of something cute like a bunny, "I can strangely believe that."

"Dad, do you have a pet?" She smiled eagerly, wanting to know more about him. If he had a pet, then that means Varan, Angel and the other animals will have a new friend to meet.

While he admired his daughter's eagerness to learn more about him, which he couldn't blame her for one second, and absolutely loved how gutsy she is, especially to train and raise a bloody komodo dragon, he had to be honest with her with that question. He smiled lightly and apologetically at his daughter as he lowered his ears while answering her question, "Not really, sweetheart." He smirked towards his V-sis, directing this next comment to her, "Not unless you count your auntie when she sneaks into my house to escape the paparazzi every once in a while." He laughed as Vinyl smacked him one upside the head while she scowled at him with a dark blush. 

This got the girls to laugh a little too, thankfully getting it because they knew a celebrity life must be quite flashy when those camera carrying ponies piranha their way around them.

"Not funny, D-Bro…"

"Yes it is, and you know you love me, V-Sis," He countered with a sly but brotherly smile which she returned in a sisterly fashion, which then turned into a sibling hug and a noogie on her brother's head.

Scootaloo looked on at them as Drift laughed and struggled to get out of his sister's grip, ever since she met him at Rocky's, that scar of his caught her attention, somewhat. While she admitted it looked awesome, like he was some sort of mafia boss or a pirate, she also wondered how he got it in the first place. She knew something must've happened, but she just had to know, "Dad?"

The two siblings pause and look towards the filly as did Fluttershy, who looked to her out of curiosity.

"If you don't mind me asking… How did you get that scar? Where did it come from?"

The amount of silence seemed endless as it breezed through Drift and Vinyl. They pondered for an answer, but were reluctant – Drift especially. From what they've told them, Fluttershy and Scootaloo live in an area where a lot of animals roam and live free. It seemed like a sanctuary there.

"Well..." Drift awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He didn't know how to put it. He didn't know how these two would react if they knew he used to be a trophy hunter. He felt a little paranoid thinking they'd hate him for what he's done. That, and thinking about what happened still hurt him, "Um, it's a complicated story." Drift chuckled a little and looked to Vinyl for any ideas, but Vinyl just shrugged as if it wasn't her problem. She wasn't there when he was attacked.

"Don't look at me, she asked you that question. I wasn't there that day." That sparked curiosity to Fluttershy and Scootaloo. Now they were very interested in where he got that scar.

Drift rolled his eyes at his step-sister for not being any help and looked back at his family but collected him as best he could, "Okay, to make a long story short, I got this scar from a monster while doing my job."

"A monster?" Scootaloo tilted her head in thought. That's the second time a monster was brought up. First her pet, and now her father. What's going on here?

"You got a scar from a monster?" Fluttershy said, repeating him as if she heard that right. But his job caught her ears and she looked at him suspiciously. Was he hiding something? "What was your job, Drift?" She asked a bit hesitantly. If this 'monster' was some kind of animal, then she'd have a lot to say to Drift. This job seemed like it involved animals in some way and she was split in knowing this.

Drift felt a cold chill down his spine. It's bad enough his own daughter had to ask where he got the scar, but he could've chosen his words right. Now Fluttershy asked him about his job. If he told them he used to be a hunter, could they trust him; would they trust him? He didn't know. Yes, he hunted animals but only the animals that were... "Rogue?" That's it, maybe that can ease him from being so paranoid.

"What?" Fluttershy asked, confused but a bit worried. Drift was acting a little off and she wondered if this was making him fidgety.  

"What about a rogue?" Scootaloo asked as well. That word came out of nowhere and she could figure out what he meant by that. What did it mean?

Vinyl shook her head and stopped this awkward silence by explaining what he meant to them for Drift, "Okay, Drift used to be a trophy hunter back in the day," This caught Scootaloo and Fluttershy by surprise and they looked at Drift in shock, but Vinyl continued while Drift felt his heart race and had thoughts of wanting to smack Vinyl for this but also thank her for stepping in, "He worked for a company that hunted animals for a living. Made a lot of bits out of it, too."

And then the thought of punching Vinyl came to mind. She could've worded that differently, but the angered snap of Fluttershy woke him up from his mental trance.

"You what?!" Fluttershy stood up and looked at Drift angrily. "Drift, are you a poacher?!" That was the one thing she hated most of all in Equestria. To think that ponies poach animals as a means to get bits is just cruel and undeserving. And for Drift to be a part of that was making her see different lights, again. First abandoning her and now shooting animals for money? This was uncalled for.

Drift flinched in panic and frantically waved his arms, "No, No, No, Fluttershy. It's not the kind that you think!" He just got her back. He didn't want to lose her again, especially over something like this. "It's not like that. I swear. Please, let me explain," He pleaded to Fluttershy to calm down. He didn't want her to be angry at him after seeing her for the first time in years. He wanted to make things right, not worse.

Vinyl leaned her head back in shock and thought to herself that she really should've worded what she said better, "He's right, Fluttershy. Just let him explain before you have a chance to kill him this time," she backed him up on this and tried to put humor into it but Drift saw no ounce of this being funny. The last thing they wanted was for Fluttershy and Scootaloo to be angry at Drift. Speaking of Scootaloo, Vinyl glanced at Scootaloo who was actually distracted by her own thoughts. Did she even hear any of this? 

Fluttershy snorted and sat back down with her arms crossed. She gave him a slight death glare and latched her attention to him, "Then explain, Drift," Fluttershy barked sternly, "You have no idea how seriously I care for my animals." She even went so far to grab him by the fur and snarl that vicious slight death glare, to give him a warning, "And if you hurt my animal friends in any way… so help me…" She narrowed her eyes at him as he gulped lightly.

Drift could only imagine what she would do. He never knew how serious Fluttershy got, especially if it concerned their daughter's wellbeing or, as he now learned, her animals' safety. She's changed so much and he felt so bad he missed all of it. She does deserve an explanation. Hopefully, he can calm her down with it, "Okay, so, I don't poach animals, Fluttershy. Back when I was a bit younger, I used to be a part of a group of trophy hunters for hire. It's like mercenary work, but instead of hunting ponies in contracts, we hunt down animals who've gone rogue and give them to the pony who gave us the contract. We've earned a living doing that job." 

That was actually more than enough to get all that loaded anger off her back and help calm her down. Fluttershy looked stunned. She didn't think of trophy hunting, at all. It was always poaching this and poaching that. Trophy hunting was never brought up on any scrolls, articles or newspapers she's read. It blew her mind and she tilted her head as she said in a surprised tone, "Really? You trophy hunted animals who've gone --" she gasped when he told her that last bit "-- no wonder the forests have been at ease for so many years." Like Drift, she too has heard of rogues. Rogue animals are no doubt considered bad news – they're not only dangerous, but they listened to no one, and would not hesitate to pick a fight. 

But lately, the forests have been at ease. She had no idea that it was because of her coltfriend and his friends taking care of the rogues.

Drift perked his ears and smiled a little, not only happy he got through to Fluttershy but also happy to know she seems to understand. This was a big relief to him, "So, you get what I'm talking about."

"Yes, actually. I know about rogues and what they're capable of," Fluttershy said before she let out a disappointed sigh and revealed a dark truth that caught Scootaloo's attention, "I came across one four years ago. It didn't see me, thank Celestia. But I hid from it when I was helping a family of snakes find a new home," Fluttershy explained with a wince to her body, "It was a jaguar. Its fur was all messy and its eyes were red. I think it had foam in its mouth, too. But it left before I could sneak away. I don't know if it passed away or not, but I never want to see it, again." Fluttershy rested her arms on the table while talking to Drift and Vinyl. Although she loved animals, that was one terrifying experience that she didn't want to find herself in again.

"Yikes, first Drift and now you?" Vinyl said as she compared, "Between you two, I think Drift had it worse. One of the members of his group got killed by a rogue manticore."

"What?!" Fluttershy and Scootaloo looked at Vinyl and Drift in pure shock.

"Yeah, it was pretty ugly. I'm glad I wasn't there to see it, but poor D-Bro had the bad end of it." Vinyl motioned to Drift with her arm, while she was glad she wasn't there to witness the brutal fight, she was still sorry that he got himself hurt in the midst of it.

Drift shook his head at that remark. If anyone had the bad end of anything, it was the pony who died in the jaws of Marabunda, "I'm just someone who's lucky to be alive. When I try and think back on it, just hurts a lot." Even to this day, he still remembers the monster's face and what he did to him and his crew. He sadly felt his scar as he turned his head, allowing his mare and daughter to see the scar that beast left him during their scuffle, "Ever since our little ‘tango' with that crazy manticore… I quit the business," He didn't want to go through another mix of danger and loss like that again. "I never wanted to go through a dangerous mix of loss and life-threatening danger like that ever again." 

Fluttershy and Scootaloo just look at him with grief and sorrow. They felt so bad that he had to go through that, but they could only imagine what it'd be like in his hooves. Then again, Fluttershy wouldn't and she sure wasn't gonna let Scootaloo anywhere near rogue animals. But as much as they felt bad to hear one of his comrades died, they were just happy and relieved Drift was alive and with them. 

"Don't worry, dad, at least you're still around and with us," Scootaloo smiled sweetly at Drift and if there were any butterflies flying around his heart, he'd feel them for sure.

"Aw, thanks, baby girl. That means a lot," Drift said as he smiled at his girls. "I'm happy I finally got to see you--" he gazed at Fluttershy and gave her a little wink "-- and you, too." Fluttershy blushed brightly and unintentionally hid her face behind her mane, feeling bashful and awkward. She giggled like a school filly, again.

Both Vinyl and Scootaloo looked at the lover ponies and just dry gagged at that. But Vinyl did wonder something when she noticed Scootaloo's behavior earlier.

"So, what was with the zoning, little niece?" Vinyl asked, curious to know what Scootaloo was thing. She'd expected her to react the same way Fluttershy acted when he said he was a trophy hunter, but Scootaloo just brushed it off like it was nothing of interest. "Did you hear the trophy hunting part?"

Scootaloo looked at Vinyl confused for a second but nodded nonchalantly, "Yeah, I heard. I think it's pretty cool. Seeing dad hold a weapon and hunting down bad animals, I think it's like being a hero, in a way."

Vinyl blinked a few times and had an astonished look on her face, "Huh, I didn't even think of that." Normally, it would be common for everyone to just think trophy hunting would be similar to a mercenary's job or be labeled bad and compared to poaching. Scootaloo's point of view is not quite what she was expecting. This kid had a unique imagination. 

Scootaloo nodded an explained a little, "Yeah, it's like a balance thing. If a rogue is an animal that causes damage to other animals and a certain area, a trophy hunter, or trophy hunters, would go out and take care of the problem and the problem solves itself after that. They still get paid, but the forests and animals will be safe from harm."

Drift and Fluttershy overheard what Scootaloo said and they were just as stumped as Vinyl was. They never expected anypony to have a point of view like that – not even Drift thought of that. He was just in it for the bits. Which made him think back to his job and some of the contracts he had –every contract he and his group were assigned to did have an animal that went rogue. He did really know why, nor did he bother to question it; it was just for bits and that's it. But now, to hear his own daughter explain this. Was Scootaloo on to something? This was starting to get intriguingly scary. 

"You might be on to something, baby girl." Drift said, surprised by Scootaloo's theory. For a little filly, she was smart when it came to something like this. But she had to be learning this from somewhere and he looked at the very source of where she might've gotten this mindset and looked at her teasingly, "Did she get that from you?"

Fluttershy perked up and looked at Drift as if he was accusing her of something she was unaware of, "Don't look at me. I didn't give that point of view," she blushed faintly then smiled sheepishly, though it makes sense if she did, "All I did was just give her info on what I know about most of the animals. I even let her interact with them. I don't know where she's getting this from?"

Although, now that she brings up the animals, he winced lightly and gazed at her a little pleadingly, "You will put in a good word about me to your animal buddies, right?" The last thing he wanted was for her animal friends to be scared or high on defense when he's around, with the belief that he's a regular hunter instead of a trophy hunter. 

Despite the difference between the two as he explained to Fluttershy, he highly doubted her animal friends knew the difference between a regular hunter and a trophy hunter. All it would take was one look at a gun and that would be it, panic rising.

It took her a minute to realize but she smiled and pats his hoof, reassuring him. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they know that it's only bad rogue animals you used to hunt. Not regular animals like them." She understood his fear, but she knew her critters will understand once she explains.

Drift sighed in relief, holding his heart as she reassured him that he'll be safe. "Good, because the last thing I need is to be strangled in my sleep by a snake, clawed to pieces by a lion or, Luna forbid, mauled by a grizzly bear," He shuddered a little, "I'm perfectly okay with having only one scar from Marabunda, thank you."

Fluttershy only giggled in slight amusement from his worrying, even though it was understandable, "I understand."

"Marabunda?" Scootaloo tilted her head at that name, which Vinyl answered in her step-brother's place with a wave of her hoof. 

"Oh, that's just a name your father gave that rogue Manticore that gave him his scar." 

Once again, Scootaloo found herself looking into her thoughts as she scratched her head. Ever since this manticore has been brought up, it got her to think.

Manticores usually keep to themselves, but the creatures themselves were not afraid to defend themselves, or their territory. She once saw one on stage during a magic show though, heck, her own mother stood up to one the first time Twilight ever came to town – much to her shock, once she learned of this after she brought her back home – and she found that sometimes, these said creatures came in different sizes. 

"Um… dad?" Drift looked to his daughter when she called him, finding her in a thinking position. She gazed up at him, asking a bit slowly as if to make sure she didn't miss anything, "How big was Marabunda, anyway?"

Drift blinked, wondering why she would want to know that. Better yet, why in the world of Equestria would his daughter want to know more about that monster, period? "Uh… average-wise, a bit bigger than a normal-sized manticore. But concerning someone small -- like you sweetheart – if you were ever to come face to face with him," He quickly muttered to his mare and step-sister worriedly and desperately, "which I pray to Celestia will never happen," He looked back at his daughter and continued, clearing his throat, "I'd say he was probably about as big as a bear." He raised a brow at her, confused. "Why?"

When he spoke those words, Scootaloo gasped deeply as her eyes widened to the size of beach balls as if she had found the final missing piece of a puzzle she had been forming inside her head.

However, her reaction caught the three adults by surprise and got them to slightly worry due to how sudden she did that.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Fluttershy looked concerned at her daughter when she gasped like that. She flinched when Scootaloo lunged at her, her little hooves on her chest as she looked up at her with wide eyes.

"That's it, mom!" Scootaloo stated out loud, but it only further confused her mother, her aunt, and her father.

"What's it, squirt?" Vinyl tilted her head while Drift raised a brow at her, "Is there a problem?" He didn't know what to make of his daughter suddenly looking like she was having an epiphany.

"W-What are you talking about, honey?" Fluttershy gently held her daughter's shoulders to steady her and hopefully calm her down, but she was not prepared when her daughter told her what she was talking about, "Mom, I think I figured out what was wrong with Varan!" 

Her mother gasped with her eyes wide in amazement; her daughter had found out the source of her pet's problem before she could? "Really, dear?"

Vinyl and Drift blinked and looked at one another, with the unicorn shrugging a bit helplessly. Drift looked to his daughter, a bit concerned "Uh, baby girl, what's going on?" Sliding off his seat, he approached her to figure out what's up. "Is something wrong with your Komodo dragon?" 

Scootaloo looked to her family and was about to explain before another young voice rung out, but this one caught her by surprise as it was calling her name.

"Scootaloo! Scootaloo!! Fluttershy!!" 

The group of four ponies looked towards the source to find it was Silver Spoon hurrying to them as if Cerberus was chasing her. 

"Silver Spoon?" Fluttershy was a bit surprised. She had known that the little gray filly was Diamond's friend, and had also participated in teasing and taunting her little Scootaloo – but what's gotten her so frightened, and running to them of all ponies?

Scootaloo, however, was not as surprised as her mother to see Silver Spoon. She frowned firmly at the earth filly once she got near their table.

The poor filly panted hard, trying to catch her breath, which caused Vinyl to pat her back while Drift got her a little glass of water to help her calm down and steady her breathing at least for a minute. "Scoot…aloo…" She breathed in a bit of wheeze due to having ran out of the mansion shortly after meeting with her father real quick to notify him what Spoiled and Diamond were doing. 

When she told him that the two were in his office and searching his desk, he started looking concerned and asked if Spoiled had taken out a specific box, which she agreed she did, which gravely alarmed him. He told her to hurry into town, find a stallion named Drift and get to Scootaloo before Diamond does and that he'll soon meet her there – whatever was in that box, worried her father greatly which was worrisome for her and she knew what she had to do – she had to warn Scootaloo. 

"Scootaloo… Fluttershy…." She tried to fix her glasses, but they just kept sliding down the tip of her nose while she attempted to talk while gasping for air from such a run.

"What do you want?" Scootaloo asked sourly, she was clearly not amused to be facing one of her bullies right now. "Come to make fun of me again?" She rolled her eyes; she found it kind of sad if Silver couldn't go a day without teasing her… or so she believed.

"Now, now, little trotter," Vinyl gently scolded her, "Poor filly can hardly talk right this second."

Drift offered her the glass of water, holding it with his wing as he tilts it carefully, helping her drink. "What's wrong with you, little filly? You look like you were being chased by some sort of beast from the Everfree Forest." While it wasn't too often, every once in a while, a creature that resides in the Everfree would try to sneak into town, and no doubt give someone a spook.

Breathing a bit more calmly, Silver Spoon slowly panted before looking up at Scootaloo and her family, worry etched on her face, "I'm so glad I found you!" She was relieved she got to them first, glad that she was able to beat her sister to get to her first. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Scootaloo raised a brow at her, suspicious why she would say that. "You're… glad you found me?" Seeing only Silver here, she then gazed around the area, frowning before looking back at the spectacled filly, "Where's Diamond Tiara? Is she sneaking around to catch me by surprise?"

Silver finally got the air back in her lungs before she shook her head, "No, she's not… I came alone." She looked down at the ground regretfully before looking up at Scootaloo, again, her eyes filled with regret and her ears lowering in sadness. "Scootaloo, I want to… a-apologize."

This caught her attention as her look of frustration melted within an instant and a look of surprise took its place. Silver Spoon, Diamond's ‘partner-in-crime', wanted to apologize to her? "You want to apologize?" She raises a brow, a bit cautious, "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Silver Spoon?"

The earth filly sighed lightly, she no longer had any mocking words for her question, especially if said question was to spite her, herself. "Look, Scootaloo, I've been a real big bully to you, lately. I have no excuse. I admit, I enjoyed making you miserable for a little while," This made the parents glare lightly down at the filly, who was gazing down at the ground in guilt, "But now, after the recent events that happened up to the point Diamond getting that black-eye and wanting to get back at you, now I feel like I've got an upset stomach." 

It was true; as she thought back on her actions, she started feeling queasy once she realized that she's been really petty about picking on Scootaloo all the time.

Fluttershy looked to her and spoke out to her in a slightly firm but understanding tone, "So you want to apologize to my daughter because you now realize that what you've been doing was wrong and you're feeling the horrible guilt along with that realization?" 

Silver could only weakly nod as she whimpered as her glasses start to fog up when she started to hiccup and sniffle, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for it to go this far," She started to cry as she sat down, the weight of guilt was eating her alive. 

Scootaloo was needless-to-say stunned. Silver Spoon was breaking down in front of her, which was not a very common sight. And from the looks of it, she clearly wasn't faking it.

"I was only doing what my sister and mother told me to do!" She sobbed, the tears stinging her eyes.

Both mother/daughter duo gave Silver Spoon a shocked glance at this revelation, not expecting that to come out of the grey filly's mouth, "Your mother?" and then followed by, "and your sister?" Scootaloo and Fluttershy looked to one another when they spoke at the same time then back at Silver Spoon who just gave them all a guilty, sorrowful, heartbroken face. It was enough to make even the strongest minotaur drop to one knee and pick her up and give her a comforting hug.

But Drift knelt near her and tried to comfort her, "Who's your sister and mother, Silver?"

Silver hiccupped and sniffled before telling him the truth as he took her glasses off, allowing her to wipe her teary eyes, "D-Diamond Tiara… and Spoiled Rich."

Scootaloo's eyes widen in shock, stunned to learn that Silver wasn't just Diamond's supposed best friend, but her sister as well. She didn't see that coming, at all, "You're Diamond's sister?!"

Silver let out a shuddery breath as she confessed to Scootaloo the truth, "Adopted sister, really. Her parents took me in when no one else did and Spoiled wanted me to be like Diamond, following in her hoofsteps in becoming the most socially popular pony in Equestria." She sniffled as she looked up at Scootaloo desperately, "But Diamond has become so obsessed with wanting to make you pay even after your pet scared the living hay out of us, that it's starting to scare even me," She looked down, lowering her ears in shame. "I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I just want to say how sorry I am for acting the way I did, Scootaloo. For trying to be just like my sister and my mother," She shook her head, no longer wanting to be what the two high-horses have been trying to mold her into, "I don't want to follow their drums anymore!"

Now fully convinced why Silver had been acting the way she did and that she was being really genuine with her here, Scootaloo couldn't help but feel bad for her. She hopped down and approached the crying filly. 

"Silver Spoon…"

Looking up with leaky eyes, red from the salty tears, Silver looked to Scootaloo, and for the first time since that encounter with that monstrous komodo dragon she and Diamond witnessed, she felt very nervous. The look of fear visible in her eyes, she flinched when Scootaloo moved in quick as if to attack her, causing her to brace herself only for her eyes to pop wide open when she felt arms wrapped around her.

Scootaloo held onto Silver, hugging her close to not only bring her comfort, but to show her that she forgives her, for everything she had done, "It's alright, Silver," She said, "I forgive you."

If the guilt was enough to make her cry, those three words made Silver Spoon's heart soar sky-high as she hugged her tight, a smile making its way on her muzzle, "Thanks, Scootaloo. You're alright."

"At least now I know this is the real you," Scootaloo lightly joked but was also serious, despite her aiding her sister, Silver hardly did any other damage than a bit of emotional damage. But now that she had come all this way to apologize to her, she could see that Silver was just a lonely filly who was pretending to be someone she didn't want to be. 

Drift blinked and looked at Silver once Scootaloo calmed her down enough to fully compose herself and remember what she was doing here; When he heard her mention the last name of her mother, he looked a bit surprised and took a minute to ask the filly, "Y-Young filly, who's your father?"

Silver wiped the last of her tears away and looked up at him, "Filthy Rich…"

Now it was Drift's turn to be surprised, "Ol' Filthy moneybags is your daddy?" He rubbed his chin in wonder, catching his girl, stepsister, and the two children by surprise as he spoke of this. "I haven't seen him in ages."

Silver paused and looked up at him, she uttered in surprise "Wait, you're Ol' Drifter?" 

That nickname caused a blush to appear on Drift's face, he hasn't heard that name in so long. ‘Yep… that's Ol' Filthy, alright.'

Vinyl blinked at her stepbrother and pouted at him, "Okay, is there anything else you didn't wanna tell me, D-Bro?"

Fluttershy was surprised; she was familiar with Diamond's father, but unlike said filly, Filthy Rich was more mellow-minded. If anything, despite being the richest pony in Ponyville, he was richer in kindness as he respects both his friends and partners in business, "You know Filthy, honeybunch?"

Drift blushed faintly and chuckled lightly as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "You can say we kinda go way back."

Silver trotted up to him, a look of worry in her eyes as she connected pieces "You're Scootaloo's daddy?" Drift nodded to answer her question, she sighed a bit in relief before continuing to speak, "You have to take her and Fluttershy out of here"

Vinyl raised a brow at this, suspicious, "Why should he do that, specta-squirt?"

Silver whimpered as she explained what was going on; She told them about her argument with Diamond, trying to get her to drop this ‘revenge plan', but then their mother got involved. She added that she herself no longer wants to do this ‘revenge', but she also told that Spoiled is now placing a presumably dangerous weapon in Diamond's possession, and she's making her way to Scootaloo as they speak, "So, I told daddy about what they were doing and he told me to find you and get Scootaloo out of here!"

Needless to say, this greatly concerned the family – Diamond has gone off the deep end, it looks like. And whatever she has now, she was going to use it to hurt Scootaloo.

Fluttershy held her daughter tight as Scootaloo whimpered into her chest, "Oh dear…" 

Vinyl could only shake her head, a look of deep concern with this filly's state of mind, "When this is all over, this Diamond is gonna need some serious therapy."

Drift helped his family to their feet and offered a hoof to Silver Spoon, surprising her. "You did the right thing, coming to us. I know you already have a family, little princess," Since this was Filthy's adopted daughter, he gave her a teeny little nickname for the rich filly, "but I have a feeling you'll be safer with us at the moment." He worried what Diamond and Spoiled would do to the little gray filly with this state of mind, so he offered her to come with them.

A bit surprised at this little offer, it only took Silver a minute or two to consider it before taking his hoof, "Thank you," She galloped after the four ponies, but no sooner than a few feet, a voice spoke out and addressed not only them, but Silver herself.

"Well, well, well," Silver froze in terror when she recognized the voice of her adoptive sister, "Look who decided to spoil the entire surprise we had for Scootaloo." 

Silver gasped as they looked to the left side of Ponyville to see the furious Diamond Tiara, with a not-too-pleased Spoiled Rich escorting her and a mortified Filthy Rich was seen hurrying after his wife and child. "Silver Spoon… I'm disappointed in you." Spoiled scolded coldly, "I expected you to aid your sister, not educate the blank-flank that must be punished."

Fluttershy did not take too kindly to that as she glared at the snobby mare, "You leave our daughter alone!" She was not going to let this mare hurt hers and Drift's child.

Drift wrapped a wing around his mare and narrowed his eyes. He was going to attempt to defuse this situation as it started to catch the attention of the citizens and the customers of Sugarcube Corner who looked out the window to see this, "Madam, whatever you and your daughter are planning, it's clearly a bad idea."

"Silver, come over here, right this minute," Spoiled narrowed her eyes at Silver Spoon, who stepped back and was brought into the embrace of Vinyl.

"No, mother, I don't want to help Diamond do this anymore," Silver glared, boldly defying her.

Diamond scowled lightly, "I always knew you were a spineless, backstabbing lowlife."

Scootaloo frowned at those harsh words and glared at the spoiled brat, "You leave Silver alone, Diamond Tiara! She doesn't have to listen to anything you say anymore!"

But instead of arguing, Diamond gave her a smug smirk, "Hello, Scootaloo, where's your pet?" She gazed around sarcastically, seeing no sign of Scootaloo's komodo dragon anywhere, "Did he run away?"

Angered that she was going to taunt her pet, Scootaloo hopped out of her mother's arms. If Diamond thinks she's going to get away with talking crap about her pet, she's got another thing coming!

"Don't you dare bring Varan into this, Diamond Tiara!" She glared at her in fury.

Spoiled simply smirked proudly at her daughter for getting under the little pegasus filly's skin and for ruffling up those feathers. She held the box as she watched her daughter taunt Fluttershy's daughter.

"I can if I want to," Diamond smirked at Scootaloo wickedly, which got her to look a bit worried as her ears fold down a little, "actually, I don't think you've met my pet, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo gulped lightly but swallowed down any intimidated feelings, because she knew that was just what Diamond wanted, "Y-Your… Your pet?" 

What was this tiara-wearing nut talking about now?

"Mom?" Diamond held out her hoof as her mother opened the box.

"Diamond Tiara! Spoiled! Don't touch what's in that box!" Filthy caught up with them and tried to get the box back, but his wife held him back as their daughter reached inside and took out a silver whistle with golden lining and small red diamonds on the sides shaped like glaring eyes.

Diamond ignored her father as she smugly gazed at Scootaloo, "You're not the only one who's got an awesome pet, Scootaloo," She chuckled lightly as Scootaloo stared at the whistle oddly, "Mine is more amazing than your silly lizard could ever be." She taps her chin as she pretended to take thought on this. "Hmm," She brightened up with a grin, "Oh, I know!" Her grin then turned dark as she leaned in toward Scootaloo, their noses touching, "How about I call my pet here so you can say hello?"

Filthy was terrified. First his wife abused the trust he put into her about bringing his children in his office, then aided Diamond into getting into his private work and lastly, they outright stole from him. But as he saw his little Diamond Tiara hold up the whistle, his heart nearly stopped as he raced forward to stop her. 

"DIAMOND, DON'T BLOW THAT WHISTLE!!!" He called out desperately as he lunged at his daughter to snatch the whistle away from her.

But it was too late as Diamond blew the whistle as hard as she could until her cheeks turned violet; the whistle's sound was so clear and loud, its sound rang out throughout the town. 

‘Thweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!'

Once it stopped, Diamond grinned victoriously as she grasped the whistle, looking at it as if she had received the key to Canterlot's royal palace. Although her victory was short-lived as her furious father grabbed her arm and tugged her hard, their muzzles smacking together; He glared at her with utmost anger which got her to look nervous – despite being a rich little filly, the one thing she was scared of was seeing her father this angry at her. 

"Diamond Tiara, do you and your mother have any idea what you've done?!" He scolded her, his voice filled with rage.

"B-But Daddy, I…"

"I would expect this type of behavior from troublemaking hoodlums with no common sense, but this is the most foalish thing I have ever seen you do!" He barked in fury, "What were you thinking?!"

"I… I just wanted Scootaloo to…"

He scowled down at her, "Is this because of that black eye incident?" It took a sheepish glance away from making eye contact with him to give him the answer. He face-hoofed and groaned loudly, "Oh, for buck's sake and by Tirek's biceps," He motioned to her, "Diamond, Scootaloo was defending herself and her friends," He frowned firmly at her shaking figure, "because lately, you've been doing a lot of bullying, from what I've been hearing. I've received complaint after complaint about your behavior – and now I see that you're trying to harm Scootaloo in an act of foolish, petty revenge?! What the buck!?"

Diamond only whimpered.

Spoiled was about to speak to her husband before he turned on her too, her eyes widened as he points at her, "And as for you!" He berated his own wife, knowing she was involved, "You're encouraging our own daughter into doing these hurtful, foalish actions?!" 

She tried to defend herself, "She was a thorn in our daughter's side for far too long, Filthy." 

But he would not have it, he glared and jabbed a hoof at her chest, "The only thorn in anyone's side, is you and your despicable behavior, Spoiled Rotten Milk," The citizens gasp as Filthy back-sassed his own wife, "And now, because of you, we're all in danger!!"

Before Spoiled could ask what he meant by that, a loud roar was heard and it sounded really close.

Smolder looked up into the sky in time to see some sort of bulky creature flying through the sky before taking a dive as it roared once more… 

…and it was coming right in their direction!

Smolder widened her eyes in shock and quickly called out, "Whoa, incoming!" She yelled out in warning as the citizens spotted the creature too and ran in separate directions so not to get flattened by the source – just in time too because the source crash-landed right near Sugarcube Corner, narrowly missing the Rich Family and the Shy Family.

"What was that?!" Vinyl flinched as the force of the crash had knocked them off their hooves.

They looked to see a cloud of dust flying up from the crash, but nopony felt brave enough to approach, "W-What is that thing?" Roseluck asked and whimpered as she peeked from her gardens.

They soon got their answer as wings spread out from the cloud of dust and dirt; a red tail with a pointy stinger followed, slithering out in a slow, eerie fashion– a scorpion tail. A growl emitted as a pair of eyes opened up from the dust cloud as it slowly cleared up.

The townsfolk gasped as they witnessed the creature reveal itself. It was four-legged, but its appearance was nightmarish beyond belief. Dirty grey fur with a haunting black mane and devil horns protruding out from the sides of its head. A body near covered in scars from years of fighting. The wing membranes had numerous holes and ripped edges and scars – no doubt they've been used as weapons. The wingtips had one spike protruding out – sharp just like the unsheathed claws and dagger-like teeth. The sheer size of the creature was stunning to the foals but worrisome for the adults as the beast reared up on its haunches and roared, showing off the scorpion tail, sharp claws, and scarred wings. The beast – now revealed to be a manticore – glared those vicious glowing red eyes, filled with nothing but uncontrollable rage, hate, blood-lust, and pure evil as he now had his sights on the surrounding townsfolk.

Drift watched in horror as the nightmare he never wanted to see again return. His body shook on its own, his soul felt cold. Filthy was right to call out his wife and daughter for their nonsense, because now they'll be from snobby bullies to idiotic murderers, "Marabunda…" Drift uttered under his breath in horror and fear.
> Face Your Fears...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chaos. It's a mysterious form of life that could happen to anyone or anything. Whether on purpose or by accident, those who make the choice could cause multiple occurrences that might harm someone, or something, or change the world by doing something little that will cause something big. Those who stop to think ponder what might happen either think that they would do something, but stop themselves and ask themselves if they should. Some do just that, while others don't. The ripple that they caused by their choices can always make different outcomes. That's the wonder of chaos theory. 

But for one entity, chaos is nothing but a mere power that can bend logic to his will. And thus he can choose whether there would be bad or good forms of chaos, and that's all in the fun for him – if he wanted to observe it or if he decided to choose to get involved. So, with his presence looming about, there are types of chaos that could ensue; good or bad.

And Ponyville was right in the center of it, or what appeared before the town was in the center of it – all thanks to the wrongful choice of a mad filly and her evil mother.

Now, any form of chaos could happen in this very scenario. It all depends on one choice now.

The nightmarish, hell-fire eyes of a dangerous rogue manticore slowly scanned its surroundings with a soft growl. It heard an annoying ring-like sound coming from this direction and it had to investigate – investigate and kill with no remorse.

Marabunda stood there eyeing the surrounding location he arrived at. He had no idea where he was at or why that ring sound led him here, but what was he to complain about? Whatever made the noise led him to a location filled with smaller morsels just waiting to be dined on or killed for the fun of it; his claws were ready to grind on flesh. He slowly peered his eyes to each target he could see that was around him. So many to choose from, it was hard to pick just one. And just the sight of so many in the same place at the same time was starting to make him salivate. The mere thought of just going at it and ripping into every victim was enticing. 

But what would be the fun in that? His urge to kill was strong, but his mind was not yet gone; the act of a game loomed about; a choosing game. With a twisted smirk on his scarred face, and a deep growling chuckle within his throat, he knew just how to mess with these ponies. He was in no rush either; he was willing to wait all day if he must – because looking at the sheer horror and panic on their faces were very entertaining and somewhat a compliment to him. Seeing others fear him pleased him significantly. He could choose which victim to attack or they can decide for him – it was all enjoyable and a thrill to him, as it makes the chase more interesting for him. Yet, it was funny; he could've sworn he'd seen these smaller creatures before? No matter, they were nothing but playthings and food to him.

Silence. That's all that could be heard from everyone in Ponyville. Those outside witnessed the monster that stood in their hometown; some wanted to run, scream, hide, but shock and fear enveloped them. What could they do? If they made just one movement, or make the slightest shriek, they would be the first to meet a fate worse than anything they could imagine. Others thought the same, but they wanted to push another towards the beast and let it dine on the helpless victim while they ran for their lives and find safety. Many choices, many reactions, they were left in a gruesome game for a massive predator. 

But they were smart enough to freeze, for the beast will not attack if they don't move a muscle – although, judging by that twisted smirk on its face, they knew he wasn't going to be in any kind of rush. In fact, it looked like he was taunting them, daring them to make the first move.

Those inside their own homes felt the landing impact of the creature outside. Some weren't aware that it was a creature outside; they were just minding their own businesses. But, for reasons they didn't know, they felt the need to not move a single inch and not make a single noise. Whatever was out there, they were glad they were inside. But for those who saw the beast outside their windows felt the same as those outside – whether to back away and/or close their curtains so the creature doesn't spot them. It was all but survival now.

Drift, Vinyl, Fluttershy and Scootaloo, gazed only in horror and shock to encounter what just arrived in front of them and in Ponyville. Marabunda had his back turned to them, so it was good that he wasn't facing them first. But it was bad for anypony else who became a victim in that monster's sight.

Drift felt his heart race and his body grew cold, a sweat started working up as he tried to keep his breathing down; he was in a panic, but he didn't want to make a sound – as Marabunda could react at even the slightest sound and begin his attack. His past has come back to haunt him and his fear rose every second he looked at this rogue manticore. The very creature that had killed one of his comrades and rendered him and his team helpless was back. Was it to finish the job? He didn't know – all he wanted to do was panic and get his family out of there. 

He leered at the little pink filly with the magical whistle. Why? Why did this little brat have to do that? She had just endangered everyone in Ponyville by making that stupid decision. If they make it out of this alive, Filthy and his family have a lot to answer for.

Vinyl was in a frozen state of fear. Her glasses slipped down to her muzzle as she eyed the mammoth beast before her. She recalled Drift telling her Marabunda was big, but she didn't expect to the manticore to be this big. He's standing on all fours, so he had to have been nine feet tall, twelve-six in length. And the wings this thing has are massive; even folded, they're roughly thirty-five feet in length. But what was worrisome was the tail Marabunda possessed – eleven feet with a five-inched curved stinger. If there were any other creature she could be dealing with right now, or not wish to deal with for her sake, it would be better than dealing with Marabunda. What did Drift do to make this creature so angry?

Fluttershy and Scootaloo were caught in a frozen state of fear. For Fluttershy, never in her life had she ever dealt with a creature like this; well, a regular manticore, yes. She's dealt with them before. But, comparing them to Marabunda was like comparing a simple cave to an endless abyss. Fluttershy didn't know if she was able to calm this beast down, but she didn't want to try; as she stated before, rogues are unpredictable. So, a miracle had to happen soon, or now – now would be good.

Scootaloo tried so hard not to panic around everypony. A large nightmarish manticore just landed violently in Ponyville in front of her and she had no idea what to do in this situation. She gave an equally scared Diamond Tiara a look of panic and anger. 

Of all the things she could've done, she had to go and do this. Has she gone nuts? All because she wanted to get her back for what she did to her? She deserved it! Heck, Scootaloo would do it again, if she got the chance. And then she noticed the whistle in Diamond Tiara's hoof. She would ask what that thing was and what was it made for, but right now was not a really good time. 

She gazed back to Marabunda and eyed him carefully. Drift doing the exact same thing. 

'So, this is Marabunda?' Scootaloo thought, trying her best not to make a noise to draw his attention. 'Dad wasn't kidding. He really is scary. I can see why he lost to this thing.' Lost was an understatement. Drift spoke to them as if he and his comrades were massacred. 

Then another thought occurred as she gazed back at the whistle. If she could get that whistle away from Diamond Tiara maybe she could – no! It's too risky. If she called him, chances are he could get hurt and she'd never forgive herself. Then it dawned on her of that very thought: Varan mentioned how a 'bear-like' creature came out of nowhere and killed his family and friends. A glance back at Marabunda gave her the final piece of the puzzle and it all made sense now. 

'Marabunda… He must've been the one that did all of that. He's as big as Harry, so that has to be him, right?' She asked herself this and nodded slowly. 

There was no mistaking it: Marabunda was the one that killed Varan's family and friends. 

Now she had an option to use the whistle. She just needed the perfect opportunity to get it. But how?

Inside Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie and the Cake family managed to hide behind the counter. Pinkie Pie shook like a leaf; her hooves over her mouth to prevent the chattering sound of her teeth to emit for fear that this monster will hear and target them first. She didn't see exactly what landed in front of the bakery, but she knew that whatever it was wasn't any explosion. She looked to the Cake family and saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake cover the cake twins' mouths while holding each other closely; the latter in tears from what happened outside. There were very quiet whimpers under the parents' hooves, but the two earth ponies held them close.

Mrs. Cake was scared to death, but she and her husband strained to keep quiet, as did their foals. She looked over to Pinkie and saw she was equally scared – she desperately reached for her, to hold her close and never let her go. Pinkie may not be legally part of the family, but she's done so much for them over the years, she practically was part of the family in hers and Carrot Cake's eyes.

Noticing the fear in her eyes, Pinkie very gingerly scooted closer and grabbed onto her hoof, miraculously preventing any creak from the floor to emit. Quietly, she peeped over the counter and saw Spike and Smolder standing in front of a window, looking outside to the beast that had landed in town. Gallus was hiding under a table, shaking just like she was. 

"N-Not… cool…!" Gallus whispered out in fear, his eyes widen in panic as he strained to keep still. 

Spike and Smolder, on the other hoof, were far from shaking. In fact, the popped out claws and steam puffing out of the sides of their mouths meant only one thing...

Spike and Smolder were battle-ready. And their defensive instincts were on high alert. If the monster outside so much as roared, that's when they'll strike. 

They overheard Diamond Tiara's speech and were none too happy with what they heard. Granted, they were not aware of what she had used, but whatever it was summoned this thing out of nowhere. Now both young dragons were eager to fight. 

Spike was raised by ponies and taught to be a kind soul towards others while Smolder was born in dragon territory and was taught to be like every other dragon; tough as nails and always ready for anything. Both are polar opposites and recently found out they were siblings separated at birth, but they both shared a common trait all dragons had that even other creatures would agree: dragons had a powerful fighting spirit. And these two were not shy in showing just how strong their fighting spirits were; the fiery determination and eagerness bloomed in their eyes. 

A challenge was about to start.

Filthy Rich stood there with his family, gazing up at the monster his own daughter summoned. Words could not express how angry, scared and shocked he was. 

Over the course of time, his family was known for being kind, sturdy and generous and knew when to keep a steady business. His father and his father before him and so on had always had a great reputation towards other ponies and businesses; it was never about competition. And they themselves always knew when to pick the right one and raise their children right. 

But on this day, in this very moment, he broke that line – he just didn't plan it; his own wife did. And she manipulated his daughter, poisoned her mind to do this. Even using the item he swore to never use again was brought into this and the mare he thought he trusted would keep it a secret; clearly, he was wrong. Filthy Rich had never felt so betrayed in all his life -- betrayed and stupid. He glared death daggers an equally terrified Spoiled Milk for the choices she made, a snarl on his muzzle, and his teeth bared like a wild dog. 

Spoiled caught wind of her husband's glare and felt a cold chill down her spine as she winced and withered under his glare. She was in a huge amount of trouble. 

Filthy even looked at poor Silver Spoon who was just as scared as Diamond, shaking nearly violently in terror while trying not to draw attention to herself. At least he was glad that she wasn't persuaded by Spoiled's manipulation and he was proud that she warned him about this ridiculous plan.

"Psst, Vinyl," Drift whispered to her, trying to get her attention while trying to remain as quiet as possible so not to draw Marabunda's attention.

Vinyl glanced at her step-brother while Marabunda kept his focus on the other ponies in front of him. She was glad this beast hadn't turned around, yet.

"Y-Yeah?" Vinyl replied with a bit of petrified stutter in her voice.

"You know magic, right? Teleportation?"

Vinyl looked at Drift as if what he asked meant he knew nothing about her, "You're kidding, right?"

Taking that as a 'yes', he continued and requested something she'd hope she can do, "Remember what I showed you in my basement, I need you to bring one of them here."

Vinyl widened her eyes in shock and tried to rethink what he was asking quietly as if he lost his mind, "D-bro, are you serious right now? What if I bring something that could harm somepony else?!"

Drift snarled in a bit of annoyance at her and gave her that glare that reminded her of her mother when she disobeyed as a filly. He pointed to Marabunda and snapped quietly, "Can't be as harmful as what's right in front of us, for Celestia's sake!" he was not in the mood for arguments, "Please, just do it!"

Vinyl was hesitant. She never performed as much magic as Twilight, Moondancer or any of those other unicorns. She learned levitation and a few other basic spells, but teleportation was something she was practicing. She feared she would mess it up and cause trouble; the anxiety was eating away at her and this was nothing like performing in front of a large crowd. But she had to at least try, to see if she can do it. Her D-Bro was right; whatever she brings out couldn't possibly be as more dangerous than the murderous manticore right in front of them.

She sighed in defeat and looked at Drift, determined, "Which one do you need?"

"Sound amplifier. I just need the one and when we get to safety, I need you to teleport one of the duffel bags to us," He pointed to Filthy and told a sudden revelation, "Filthy and I have a score to settle with that monster."

Vinyl leaned her head back in shock. Fluttershy and Scootaloo overheard and were stunned, as well. Filthy was part of his crew of trophy hunters? If that was the case, Drift wasn't gonna be the only one fighting Marabunda, if they survive – or if Filthy would even participate.

"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do," Vinyl looked away from Drift and concentrated, trying not to focus on the killer manticore in front of them.

Drift smiled, relieved to hear that, "Thank you, V-sis." He watched as his step-sister concentrated. Her cheeks puffed as bits of magic sparked out of her horn.

Vinyl scrunched her eyes shut and focused as hard as she could. She pictured Drift's basement and pictured where the device would be. She pinpointed it and launched her magic, casting it out of existence and popping it right between her and Drift. Drift quickly grabbed the dark green alarm clock-like item and immediately pressed a button to the side and cracked a notch by two. This got his family's and Filthy's family's attention...

… Unfortunately, the clicks from the item were more than enough to get Marabunda to turn his head. 

Drift saw the manticore about to turn, but he quickly and lightly threw the item just under Marabunda's chin level.

Marabunda heard the random clank sound and looked down, eyeing a weird thing right under him. That wasn't there before? But it made weird clicking sounds. Marabunda leaned his head down and sniffed it a few times before giving it a nudge, to see if it would do something or if this object would come alive – a minute of his time wouldn't kill him, he'll be dining on their bones anyway. 

Whether everypony noticed him throw it or not, Drift took this opportunity and jumped on the table while Marabunda was distracted. He looked back at Fluttershy and Scootaloo, then at the window where Spike and Smolder were. They must be rearing to fight. Good, maybe they can hold Marabunda at bay until he and Filthy suit up to join in. Marabunda will not be claiming any more lives. Drift took a deep breath right as the sound amplifier went off, making a high-frequency noise only Manticores can hear.

Marabunda roared in agitation and reared up as he covered his ears from the awful noise this tiny thing made, desperately trying to block it out as he roared in agony and frustration. This object was alive in its own way – and it was hurting his ears real bad.

Drift saw his chance and immediately seized it once the fearsome beast had reacted to the distraction.

"Everypony, RUN!" Drift yelled out at the crowd of ponies. And no sooner did he say that was when a stampede of frightened, screaming Ponyville citizens occurred.

And it was at the moment, Spike and Smolder got their signal and burst out the door, flying directly at Marabunda.

Scootaloo took that exact moment to dash over to Diamond Tiara and snatch the whistle away from her. Diamond Tiara flinched but glared at Scootaloo when she took it from her.

"Hey--!" 

Scootaloo was not in the mood for Diamond's crap and no sooner did she grab that whistle, she decked the rich filly right in the face. To say that was deserving was an understatement, but she sure did get a déjà-vu moment there. Diamond Tiara reeled back and grabbed her face, letting out a pained cry as Scootaloo headed back to her parents and aunt. 

Fluttershy caught her child as they hurried inside Sugarcube Corner; she quickly pointed it out to Vinyl and her man. "In there!" They didn't argue and quickly head inside.

Filthy wasted no time and pushed his wife towards Sugarcube Corner, their temporary sanctuary; Silver Spoon did the exact same thing to Diamond. "Go, go, go, go!" Filthy snapped as he ushered his family inside, keeping an eye on the manticore before getting inside himself.

Once Scootaloo's family and Diamond's family were in the bakery, Fluttershy slammed the door shut and glared the same death daggers at Spoiled and Diamond. 

Gallus whimpered as he peeked out from his hiding spot, pointing at the door, "What… in King Grover's name… was that?!"

"The result of a moronic decision, that's what." Vinyl glared, answering Gallus' question as she starts to concentrate once more to teleport a duffel bag to their location.

"Diamond Tiara, Spoiled Milk, have you completely lost your minds?!" Filthy snarled at his wife and daughter. "You just endangered everypony in Ponyville!"

Diamond winced under her father's tone, "B-But, daddy…"

He wasn't going to have it. He stomped a hoof as he approached his daughter, "Don't ‘but daddy' me, young filly! This is a direct result of what your obsession with revenge has caused! I told you not to blow that whistle, but you did it anyway!"

Diamond whimpered as she backed a step back. "But I didn't know it was going to bring something like that!"

"Of course you didn't know," Fluttershy scowled, crossing her hooves. "As a matter of fact, it looks like you weren't thinking at all."

Looking at Filthy Rich, this begged a question and they knew he had the answer. 

"More importantly, Filthy… what is that whistle and why do you have it in your possession?" Fluttershy asked him, knowing that someone had to ask, so she took the chance.

"I'd like to know too, ol' Moneybags." Drift frowned lightly at his former comrade. His friend may have been trying to prevent this mad filly and crazy mare from doing this, but he still had something to explain about that whistle that doomed them all.

Filthy winced deeply as he faced his old comrade from their trophy hunting days, but he sighed hard as he looked down, his ears lowering. "I guess it's no longer a secret, as I can no longer hide it from my friends. It's an artifact called "The Primeval Whistle" – it is said that it can summon any type of creature that comes to mind, and allows said creature to come right towards the user who had blown the whistle. It is also said that by rare chance, the same creature can come to the call that was made by the last user… or someone who did not think of a different creature before blowing the whistle." He narrowed his eyes at his wife and daughter. "I had bought it one night on the black-market back in my old days. I was keeping it under lock and key because it's a part of my past that I was not proud of and wished to leave behind as much as Drift did." 

Fluttershy asked him once more while Drift looked a bit surprised at his revelation, "Drift said you were part of his crew of trophy hunters, is that true?"

Filthy had no pride to swallow, so with his eyes closed, he answered her question without hesitation, "Yes… it's true." He rubbed his arm, "Don't get me wrong, I care for the environment and for the animals that live within it, it's just rogues I can't stand – although it had to be done with what pay the contracts were offered to us. I just didn't expect a blast from the past to come around." He narrowed his eyes out the window, referring to the rogue beast outside. Nopony could blame him there. He looked to Fluttershy, apologetically. "I am so sorry about my wife and my daughter for causing this…" He sighed sadly, ashamed of himself as he paced around in the building, "It's too late for that, I know. And I take full responsibility for this mess… this is actually all my fault, really. I'm the one to blame here."

Pinkie tilted her head while everyone wondered what he meant, what else had he done to make him pin this whole mess on himself, of all ponies. "What do you mean, Filthy Rich?"

Mr. Cake spoke up while cradling Pound Cake, looking concerned. "I understand you feel guilty about your wife and daughter's actions, but why are you blaming yourself for this entire mess?"

Mrs. Cake nodded, sounding a bit worried due to how guilty their rich but kind friend looked and how insistent he was on blaming himself. "You're making it sound like you've committed a murder, dear."

"I may as well have, Mrs. Cake." Filthy sighed once more, but it sounded very guilty before he looked to Drift with guilt-ridden eyes. It was time that his friend knew the truth. "Ol' Drifter… I… I have a confession to make." He looked out the window once more before looking to his old friend, revealing a dark secret to him. "It's because of me that Marabunda attacked us the first time."

Vinyl, Fluttershy, Drift, Scootaloo and Silver gasped in shock while his daughter and wife looked stunned as he confessed a looming guilt that he had not told anypony else. Gallus, Pinkie and the Cakes looked surprised, so surprised that they couldn't form the words while Pinkie's mane and tail frazzled out and stood up. Her frizz has been freaked, apparently.

"What?" Drift flatly said, looking at Filthy in shock.

"When we got that contract to get a Manticore, I-I thought that the whistle would make our jobs easier…" Filthy confessed, looking heartbroken as he revealed what he had done. "So the morning we started to hunt for the beast, I was the first one to wake up and away from the others, I blew the whistle…" But now as he looked back on his actions, he knew that it was a fool move to have done that. Now, the beast of his and Drift's past was here to haunt them again.

"You led Marabunda right to us…" Drift slowly said.

"I didn't know it was a monster of a rogue that responded to the whistle, Drift…" He begged to his old friend, trying to tell him that it was a terrible accident on his part. "I swear I didn't know!"

"You led that monster right to us years ago, got one of our own comrades killed, got the rest of the crew and I scarred for life – literally!" He pointed at his scar to remind him of the attack, glaring. "And you didn't even tell me?" Drift sounded betrayed that his old friend never told him this until now. But his glare melted some when Filthy admitted to why he never told him.

"I didn't want to lose my closest comrade… and I just wanted to leave it all behind." Filthy looked down after he told the truth. "I kept that whistle to remind me of what I had done… and vowed to never use it again."

Fluttershy blinked, looking to Spoiled and Diamond with a firm frown before asking him, "How did Spoiled and Diamond Tiara find out?"

Filthy exhaled through his nostrils, "Only my wife knew about it…" He facehoofed, "I was drunk when I told her… but I made her swear to keep it secret." He glared angrily at his wife and daughter who both winced, knowing he's understandably furious with them both. "But now I know that's not gonna happen anymore."

Diamond whimpered as she approached her irate father, but he wasn't buying anything that was coming out of her mouth. "Daddy, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to!" She started tearing up, feeling ashamed that she has angered her father to such a point, for once starting to feel really guilty, if not really stupid. "I-I didn't know!"

Mrs. Cake stuttered but glared at the young filly, "A magical whistle that lures a random beast from Cadenza-knows-where to the very spot the said whistle's user is at – " She facehoofed and flailed it out, motioning to the terror that's going on outside, stupefied but furious that the young filly didn't think of the consequences for getting into something she clearly wasn't supposed to get into in the first place. "—what in Equestria did you think was going to happen?!"

Diamond stuttered as she's glared at from all families in the room, gazing around at all of them, meeting all of their gazes, "I-I thought it would've brought something bigger than Scootaloo's pet and scare her!"

Scootaloo scoffed, "Oh, I'm scared alright," She sarcastically said as she rolled her eyes, "Scared that the last thing we ever see is this beast's face as he devours us all! Including you!" She pointed at the horrified young filly.

"B-But—" The rich filly was cut off quickly.

"You went too far this time!" Scootaloo glared angrily at her, "Now because of you and your mother, we're under attack by a monster that haunts my dad and your dad! Spike and Smolder are out there trying to fight this thing, and pretty soon, we're all gonna die!"

"Well, none of this would've happened if you hadn't laid a hoof on my daughter in the first place." Spoiled frowned down at Scootaloo, only to be face to face with mama bear Fluttershy who got in her face and snarled.

"Don't you dare try to pin this all on my baby, you despicable wench!" She snarled at the snobby mare. "You are just as responsible for this as your daughter is!"

Scootaloo nodded in agreement, "So I punched Diamond Tiara, so what?" She grunted as she admitted that she was a bit in the wrong but explained her reason at the same time, "Okay, yes, I shouldn't have done it, but it was her fault! She takes pleasure in making me and my friends miserable, and thinks she can get away with it all! Especially when she thinks she can get away with insulting that my own mother wouldn't have wanted to adopt me months ago!"

They all gasped at such an insult. That was a real low blow, even for somepony like Diamond Tiara. Now they could see why Diamond had gotten that black eye before – Scootaloo wasn't just defending herself or her friends, but she was also defending her mother.

Gallus frowned at the two as he quickly caught on to what was going on; all of this was happening as an act of petty revenge?

"…Seriously?" He climbed out from under the table and glared at the scared mare and filly, "All of this – for a stupid punch – that resulted into getting a stupid black eye? That's what all of this was about?" He motioned outside, now knowing his friends are out there, fighting a monster; and it was all because of these two? "Are you freakin' kidding me?!" He had gotten himself in detention for way worse things than that!

"She humiliated me and got me in trouble with daddy!" She glared at the young adolescent griffon, only for her glare to be rivaled by a sickened one on his face.

"Dudette… it's just a black eye," He scoffed, looking quite annoyed and sickened that she made such a big deal out of it, "So you got in trouble with your ol' man – so what?" He flailed his talons out, frustrated that this was happening over something so small and so stupid. "That's no reason to bring our home into ruin. You could've just suck it up and moved on with your life, but noo-ooo-oo, you had to pull this stunt like a whiny little witch?? How stupid could you get?!" 

Silver Spoon nodded in agreement, confirming to the Griffon that she's been trying to get Diamond to stop only for her sister to take this path. "That's what I've been screaming!"

He jabbed a claw in her sister's chest as she looked terrified, narrowing his eyes at her, his tone darkened somewhat, "Man, if you were in my school, kid, I would've suspended you by your tail to the top of a flagpole." He snarled as he comes face to face with Spoiled, pointing at her, "And now because of you and your daughter, my best friend is out there with her brother fighting that monster."

Diamond Tiara looked down in regret as she could hear the screeches of dragons and the roar of a manticore.

"At least I know one thing… if this was your intention," Scootaloo pointed outside with a scowl on her face, she then pointed at Diamond herself. "On taking me down ‘one way or another', at least you're going down with me!" She turned away and walked to the window, to watch the fight, gripping the whistle.

There was nothing else Diamond Tiara could say, what else could she say? This was caused by her blowing that whistle – it wasn't going to just go away with an 'I'm sorry', even if Ponyville has the reputation of being the most forgiving place around as well as being the most targeted location for things like this.

Filthy went to join little Scootaloo and gave her some company as he did not want to look at his wife right now. Silver Spoon quickly followed him while Spoiled winced lightly. 

"H-Honey, I…" She tried to speak to him, only for him to turn his head and give her a venomous glare. With nothing left to say to her, he led his innocent Silver to Scootaloo, he also gave Drift one last apologetic glance before he sat next to Scootaloo and watched.


***Outside***


"Hey, ugly!" Smolder called Marabunda, glaring at him from the sky. "Wanna play?!"

The rogue manticore, managing to swipe that annoying device away, noticed the young dragoness and growled. His ears were still ringing badly, so it's going to be a bit of time for him to hear real clearly – but he could still make out that this little one was insulting him. He let out a roar at her, which got her to immediately respond.

Spike growled in irritation, flying next to his sister, "Of all the things for Diamond to do, she goes and does this? Has that filly lost it?" He was hoping to have a good time today and spend time with his old and new friends and sister, but no that had to be ruined by some filly's obsession with one of his best friends.

"Does she normally do something like this?" Smolder asked, curiously. She's never met this filly before, so had to ask. But a headshake from Spike gave her the answer.

"No. She can be cruel, but she wouldn't do something like this," he scratched his head confusedly as Marabunda glared at them, keeping his attention onto them, "At least, I don't think?" he hasn't hung around Diamond Tiara long enough to know, or if he even wanted to.

Smolder rolled her eyes and dove down at the rampaging manticore, "Either way, let's have some fun!" Smolder hasn't had any action in a long while, so this huge target Diamond provided will do, "Crazy or not, I'm itching for a fight!" Smolder took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire at him, trying to set him on fire. 

Spike shrugged and joined her as he flew around the back of Marabunda and breathed a fiery green breath at him that mixed with his sister's red-hot one. Despite not having any training to fight -- just flight maneuvers -- against any threat, that wasn't gonna stop them from defending their home. 

Marabunda growled before wrapping his wings around himself and braced himself as the fire made contact. He roared a bit in pain as the fire nicked his skin and nearly enveloped him in a blanket of fire, but this was nothing new. He had faced scarier enemies and it took more than just a blast of fire to defeat him. With a quick side slice of his wings, he cut the fire-breaths in half, roaring in defiance and causing the young dragons to cease their fire assault.

"What?!" Spike looked shocked while Smolder looked somewhat horrified. 

Marabunda just gave them a cocky smirk only a manticore knew how and mockingly flapped his wings at them, kicking up some dirt to prove his point. He was not gonna go down easy and he was gonna let these young ones know; that's for darn sure.

Spike gave in to the taunt and patted his sister on the shoulder to wake her up. Smolder shook her head and noticed the taunt for a split second before the menace gave them another glare.

"Is... is he taunting us?" Smolder asked somewhat aggressively, having that horrified feeling turn into annoyed and irritated.

Spike nodded and growled down at Marabunda, "Cocky manticore thinks he can take both of us out," Spike said with a snarl, testosterone was reaching its peak with Spike and all the male dragon wanted to do was bring this manticore down.

Smolder nodded in agreement. Her instinct to fight restored and she nearly forgot dragons don't just have flame breaths, "I don't know about you, bro, but I'm ready for round two," she sneered down at the manticore, claws at the ready.

Spike glanced at Smolder, drawing claws out with her, "Round two?"

"Round two?"

"Round two!" Both teenage dragons dove down, ready to start round two and caught Marabunda off-guard.

The manticore let out a roar and took the first swing at Spike, but Spike dodged and grinded his left sharp claw across Marabunda's arm before flying away, giving the rogue manticore enough to react from the speedy attack.

Marabunda let out a pained yip as he backed up, grabbing his paw, before feeling a sharp pain cut across between his back, making him jump forward a little. The beast turned his gaze to the left and saw the other dragon zip by before stopping.

Smolder gave Marabunda a mocking face, blowing a raspberry at him before flying up and away from the beast.

Marabunda growled in annoyance and tried to charge after Smolder, but a sudden pain in his right side made him stop. He looked to find the purple dragon had struck him, once again. Marabunda growled at the young dragon but was caught off-guard and blindsided by the orange dragon from a cut to the left cheek. Maranbunda hissed in pain from the assault, shaking his head as he backed up slightly. A cut to the hip and the cheek? This was ridiculous! They were like bees attacking a bear. He can't hit one of them without the other striking first. Their attacks were causing him pain, but not nearly enough to make him bleed.

"Think you're so tough now?" Smolder called out in a cocky tone, but received a growling response from Marabunda.

Despite being pumped right now, Spike can still think clearly enough to know what the manticore was gonna try and do. The tag team was effective, but it wasn't gonna be enough to take this thing down. It's tough, that's for sure, but he and his sister had to keep away from those claws, jaws, and stinger. One false move and they’re done for -- unless backup arrived. Doubt that'll happen. If his friends in Sugarcube corner are coming up with ideas, they better hurry and help out.

"Smolder, don't," Spike barked at her and made the young dragoness flinch. "Don't underestimate this thing. Even if we have the speed advantage, it's still capable of killing both of us. Riling it up would be suicide!" Smolder winced and nodded, completely forgetting about that.

"So, what do we do now, Spike?" Smolder asked. Normally, she'd want to dive in and fight, but in a situation like this, a plan had to be made. Marabunda was bigger than them and going in blindly would get them hurt badly. She was actually happy these ponies raised him to be smart. Well, dragons are smart, too, they're just too hot-headed to think strategically. 

While analyzing Marabunda, Spike was already coming up with some ideas to try and take this monster down. On his free time, He'd visit his friends; mostly visit Scootaloo and her mother and just hangout. During his visit, he'd talk about all kinds of animals with Fluttershy and play with Scootaloo, too. It just so happened Manticores were brought into one conversion and he tried to think back what he saw, ‘Manticores are tough to take down, but they're like other creatures they have blind spots.’ That's it! One can distract Marabunda and the other can go for a blindspot. "I got it!" He looked to Smolder who looked at him eager and ready. "Smolder, you're stronger than me, but Marabunda doesn't know that. I'll keep him distracted and you go around and aim for the back; that's his blindspot."

Smolder was taken back by this idea, but she had no complaints. She had no idea where her brother got this info from, but she'll take it. She gave her brother a battle-ready smile and glared down at Marabunda who just growled and glared back.

Spike and Smolder took their positions, ready to resume the fight. Spike kept his eyes on Marabunda and was ready to give Smolder the signal. Eyes locked and waited. 

"Okay, ready...."

Smolder lowered her head and waited for Spike's signal. She was ready for some more action as she flexed her claws and bared her teeth.

"Set...

Wings at the ready and claws aching to cut. Both dragons couldn't wait any longer.

"G--"

A large shadow loomed over them before Spike could even say 'go'. In a horrifying, unexpected turn of events, Marabunda turned the tides and swiftly flew up in the sky mere inches from the young dragons. Eagerness turned into panic when the manticore caught them off-guard and started to resume the attack -- his way. His left claw was raised, but Spike assumed he was aiming for Smolder, "Look out!" Spike yelled as they both tried to separate so they could dodge his swipe. Smolder flew back in time, but Spike failed to react the same as a large, powerful paw came in fast and swiped at the purple dragon with powerful force, hitting him hard like a flyswatter to an unsuspected fly. 

Spike let out a pained yelp and fell from the air like a shooting star, screaming as he fell before he crashed into Sugar Cube, slamming against the front counter headfirst, knocking him out while causing those inside to scream in panic and horror. The rubble and pastries from the counter came toppling over him, blanketing parts of his body.

"Spike!" Smolder and Scootaloo shouted in horror as Spike was hindered unconscious from that surprise attack. Everyone else watched in horror as Spike didn't get up from that attack.

‘So, these two want to play a game of cat-and-mouse, then?' Marabunda thought, ‘Let's have at it.' He was all too willing to brawl with the likes of dragons -- land and air. They weren't the only ones with wings, so he wanted to make it even; heck, even go easy on them by staying on the ground. But, he got bored and had enough entertainment from them. He growled at the unconscious purple dragon and noticed other onlookers coming to aid him. It mattered little to the beast. Like him, Marabunda studied his two naive opponents – there was a male and a female, both seem so tempted to fight, but they had different attributes to them. One was stronger than the other and he figured that out when these two were attacking. He glared at the female dragon; it seemed she was the youngest of the two. With the strongest out of the way, he can go for her now. With a barely noticeable nod, he selected his first target and went after Smolder. ‘Let's see how much this young one can put up a fight without the other.’

Smolder kept her eyes on Spike. Worry and fear clouded her thoughts as she tried to fly down after him, but immediately forgot who was right in front of her. Smolder widened her eyes as she stared at the living nightmare in front of her; she made a mistake; no, they made a mistake. She couldn't think straight. All she wanted to do was get out of there so she couldn't get hurt. But the nightmare had only just begun as the monster that attacked her brother came flying after her.


**Inside Sugarcube Corner**


Everyone came to Spike's aid when Vinyl managed to pluck him out of the wooden structure with her magic. She gently placed him down as Scootaloo and everyone else looked absolutely horrified -- Scootaloo especially. Her crush was out cold and there was nothing she could do to help. But it got worse when she realized Smolder was still out there being a target for Diamond's 'pet'.

"Oh that poor little girl!" Filthy and Silver watched on as Smolder cried out trying to evade Marabunda. He could not tear his eyes away from this, his papa instincts on high while Silver held onto him in fear.

"Smolder..." Scootaloo whispered to herself. But then an idea immediately came to her. She held her hoof and saw she still had the whistle. She looked outside and wondered. If this could summon Marabunda, then she can use it to summon -- 'It's the only way,' Scootaloo thought.

Pinkie was terrified; one of the students of their school was in trouble, and was in high risk of becoming the first course! "What are we gonna do?!"

"I'm not sure… but I can't stay inside and watch this!" Filthy motioned to the sky at the screaming Smolder who turned a sharp right to try and lose Marabunda. "That little one needs our help!"

"I can see that, Filthy," Drift slightly snapped at him. He was concerned just as much as he was. "But we don't have the equipment to fight Marabunda." He darted his gaze onto Vinyl, but was surprised to see she was trying to use her magic like she did earlier. "Vinyl, what’re you--"

Vinyl grunted and crushed her eyelids as she attempted to use magic like she did bringing that noise-maker over to Drift. Only this time, it'll be a bigger item. She just had to imagine it being at that spot he showed her earlier and concentrated as best she could so she can save that little orange dragon. It took a lot of energy, but she finally succeeded and conjured a duffel bag in front of her, which got the others to notice. "Got it!"

Drift widened his eyes and couldn't help but bask in how awesome his step-sister was, "Vinyl, you are amazing!" 

Vinyl wobbled her head a little due to being dizzy from using too much of her magic. But she shook her head and smiled determinedly at Drift, "Thank me later. Use whatever you have in here!”

"Right! Filthy, over here," Drift called as Filthy approached curiously. Drift took the duffel bag quickly and opened it, seeing the equipment that he, Filthy and the crew had used for trophy-hunting. "Perfect… it's all still here."

Fluttershy looked concerned about Drift and what he had planned with Filthy, "Drift, what are you doing?" She hoped he didn't think of doing what she thought he was doing.

Mrs. Cake looked concerned, "Tell us you’re not going out there to fight that monster, are you?"

Drift closed his eyes and nodded to them, "I can't run from my past forever… it's time I face it and end it, once and for all." He answered them as he started digging into the bag.

Fluttershy gasped and hurried to her coltfriend, her eyes wide in fear for what he's about to do, "B-But, Drift, that's too dangerous! He'll kill you!" Fluttershy tried to get him to reconsider. She just got him back and for him to fight out there was too much for her to handle. 

He sighed lightly and pointed at himself as he looked to his angel, "Well, I'm the one he wants!" He had to face the demon that had haunted him, and it'll be possible that the manticore will recognize him due to his scar since he was the one who put it there. "I need you to stay here."

"While I watch you get killed by that beast's claws?!" She frowned lightly. "I don't think so!"

Drift was getting irritated by his marefriend's stubbornness. Marabunda was out there causing havoc, he had to fight or else things will get uglier by the minute, "I'm asking you to stay safe!" He looked to her for a moment before equipping a strange wrist gadget and giving Filthy some flashbangs.

But Fluttershy wouldn't stop. She had get Drift to reconsider, "But I'm telling you, I can't do that. Not after everything we've been through." She stubbornly rebuffed.

"Fluttershy, Filthy and I have to do this!" He just as stubbornly jabbed, but before she was about to respond, he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her a little, stressing the point he's trying to make; his eyes glossy. "I can't lose you again!" He sighed, looking down sadly. Fluttershy paused and felt confused by that, but Drift softly told her, "Fluttershy… I lost you once because I was an absolute coward. ...And now I just got you back." He looked at her tearfully. "I just can't lose you now…not again – especially by Marabunda's claws." If his angel fell by Marabunda's claws, he'd never forgive himself. "Please… for all our sakes…" He pleaded as he looked to Scootaloo who looked near tears herself. "Stay here and keep Scootaloo safe…"

Fluttershy looked near tears but lowered her ears as she held his hooves; she understood that he had to face his past before it'd destroy them. She sniffled and hugged him tight, "Please come back alive…"

He nods and added, "I'll try… and take care of Silver Spoon, too." Now that got Fluttershy confused for a moment, but quickly put two and two together.

Silver Spoon looked surprised and was about to ask about what he meant about that, but Drift looked away from his girlfriend and looked to Filthy Rich with a bit of a neutral frown on his face. Filthy Rich pulled a wrist crossbow out of the duffel bag and equipped it to his right hoof, then a few gas pellets and pellet bombs. Both stallions gave each other serious looks that spelled 'ready for action', but they both knew once this was over, the aftermath won't be so pretty.

"I'm willing to forgive you since this is a life-or-death situation, Moneybags. It's because of that whistle that Marabunda's back!"

Filthy rolled his eyes in annoyance. He already knew of his mistake, but begrudgingly said, "I don't need to be reminded, Drift," he loaded his wrist crossbow with a flashbang pellet, "It's bad enough I used that whistle on us. I don't need to be reminded of that past failure. I've already made a new one!" Spoiled and Diamond actually felt that painful jab and backed up to a corner next to the stairs. They felt useless at this point. 

As much as he wanted to scold Filthy, Drift nodded understandably. He wasn't gonna give Filthy too much of a hard time because he made a mistake, too. “Okay, fair enough. So, are you coming or not?" He asked; he knew that his friend had good intentions, and he wouldn't have known that Marabunda was this dangerous, but now he can make things right between them by helping him fight the beast. "Work as a team? Like old times?"

Filthy looked a bit shocked but knew he was given the chance to redeem himself in Drift's eyes. But he smiled determinedly and nodded, "Right behind ya," He narrowed his eyes as Drift and Filthy shook hooves before walking over to the gaping hole Spike made.

"Be careful, dad!" Scootaloo said before Drift came over and gave his little girl a fatherly, loving hug.

"I will, baby girl. Daddy will be back and we can hang out like you always wanted," Drift said in a proud tone. "Longer than what's going on right now.”

Scootaloo smiled before Drift and Filthy walked to the front of the bakery. Scootaloo glared at Spoiled and Diamond as she held the whistle before glancing at it, "You wanted to see my pet? You'll get your chance," Scootaloo took a breath and blew into the whistle, calling for backup.

Under a bit of rubble, wood, and glass, Spike's eyes twitched when Scootaloo blew the whistle.


**Outside**


Smolder dodged as best she could from those claws and that stinger, she was terrified but she tried to reassert herself; Dragons are tough, and dragons are NOT afraid to fight! Spike may be a strategist, but so was she in her own way. She just had to pull off an act to trick this manticore before going for an assault.

Marabunda was hot on her tail, trying to bite at her tail. Smolder was circling around the area between Sugarcube Corner and the houses next to and across from it. She was not gonna let this thing anywhere near other areas in Ponyville, but it made maneuvering a little challenge. But it was especially tricky for Marabunda. That's when Smolder got an idea.

'That's it!' Smolder thought. 'Okay, just slow down a notch.' and so she did. Marabunda sped up to her thinking that she was running low on fumes, an easy chase for him, but he didn't take to an account what Smolder planned.

Marabunda came in fast, but Smolder halted her flight and came back to him. Marabunda was caught off-guard by that action and widened his eyes in shock as he watched his prey pull a fast on him by turning around and delivering a solid kick right between the eyes.

Marabunda howled in pain as he grabbed his eyes right as Smolder hopped of the beast's head and flew a good distance away. But the young dragoness was far from done. 

Onlookers who remained hidden peeked out to find the monster screaming in pain. They noticed Smolder and wanted to cheer her on, but they didn't want to distract while she was busy.

She glared as Marabunda lunged for a bite on his arm and swiped her sharp claws on the arm she was latched onto. Marabunda, slightly blinded from that kick used his jaws to nab Smolder, but was quick to act and caught the manticore one tooth on both jaws with her claws.

Something wasn't right here. He managed to knock the eldest out of the fight, right? How is this orange dragon holding her own against him? Marabunda was getting annoyed and tried to swipe at Smolder, but a hard impact under his jaw forced his mouth to close, making him reel back and grab his jaw from what just occurred. Nothing broken, but it hurt like Tartarus. He licked his jaw and paused for a moment. A piece of his left fanged tooth was chipped off! 

Smolder lowered her right leg and looked down at the piece of tooth in her claw, she chuckled and glared daggers at the manticore, "How do you like that, ya overgrown gray freak?!" She lashed and snarled at him as she threw the tooth piece away next to Derpy hiding in a trashcan.

Filthy, Drift, Gallus and Scootaloo looked on in shock from what they witnessed. Was Smolder holding her own against Marabunda? How?!

"Okay, am I seeing things, or is that little lady turning Marabunda into her own personal punching-bag?" Filthy asked, stunned himself a little dragon was actually fighting back.

"This might sound crazy to you guys, but Smolder is stronger than you think," Gallus said as he informed the two older stallions. They looked at him confused, but curious. Gallus slightly rolled his eyes and explained, "Smolder is strong enough to beat on rocks and boulders when she's mad. Yona, Silversteam and I witnessed this a few times when Smolder found out her favorite shows got canceled --" he gazed up at Smolder "-- turned a boulder to a pile of ash in mere minutes."

"Um, not to sound rude, but... what does that have to do with what's going on?" Drift asked, wondering why Gallus was telling them this.

Gallus facepalmed and groaned in a bit of frustration, "You haven't hung around dragons, have you?" Gallus snarkily asked. "Smolder is strong enough to handle that thing up there, so long as she doesn't lose her temper."

"You mean like that?" Filthy replied as he pointed up at a steam-breathing Smolder.

Gallus and Drift looked up, but Gallus widened his eyes, "Oh no."

Marabunda looked almost stunned that she managed to get a strike at him; a strike that actually hurt. He'd give her praise by killing her quickly. He gave her a wicked smirk and his face darkened while letting out a growl at Smolder, but paused when he noticed something off about her.

Orange cheeks flared red, eyes slit to cat-like, snout curled into a raging-snarl and flaring teeth, claws at the ready and smoke streamed out from the edges of her mouth. Rage built up inside Smolder and she made Marabunda her target, "You attacked my brother and thought you could use me as a chew toy?" Smolder glared death-daggers at Marabunda, but Marabunda wasn't affected by it. "No one does that and gets away with it! I'll kill you! You hear me?! I'll kill you!" Smolder let out a roar of her own as her rage exploded like a miniature volcano. First, a filly came in with a whistle and then summoned this? All she wanted was to hang out with her brother and friends. But no, a snobby filly and her twice-as-snobby mother had to ruin it. Now Spike is injured and she's dealing with this monster alone. She'll make quick work of it, even if it means getting herself hurt.

Marabunda tilted his head and thought what he did was no big deal, but a blast of smoke from the orange dragon begged to differ. Marabunda roared and went on the defense, covering his eyes so as not to get blinded, again. The smoke made from the little orange dragon buildup to where Marabunda was coated in it. Smolder stopped as she watched the wall of smoke she created, ranging across the street below.

Everyone who watched was amazed to see Smolder cough up a large stream of smoke like that. They hoped she had a plan up her sleeve or something.

But that smokescreen was just a distraction. Once Marabunda was covered head to tail in smoke, she made no hesitation and darted right after the rogue manticore, shocking everyone who witnessed it.

Marabunda swatted at the smoke to try and blow it away so he could see what was going on. Blind, again, and not knowing where anything was really started to rile him up and he was getting real tired of it. He growled lightly and looked around for the dragoness, quickly realizing that she must be using this to her advantage. He was about to flap his wings to blow the smoke away so he could find his prey, but a hard force appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his abdomen, almost knocking the wind out of him. Marabunda shrieked in pain with his eyes bugging out, and those outside the smokescreen heard him.

Gallus and the others winced when they heard the pained shriek and hard smack. It's as if they felt what Marabunda felt.

Smolder growled when she rammed into Marabunda, but she wasn't done, yet. She was gonna bring this thing back down to earth and make her ancestors proud! Smolder backed up just mere inches from Marabunda and rocket herself up, bashing him in the lower jaw again with both fists, knocking his head up and stunning him momentarily as he is knocked back some from the force. A pained grunt emitted from the manticore, but Smolder popped out of the smokescreen. She glared down and didn’t focus on anything else. Everyone would've cheered for her, had it not been for Smolder acting fast and flying down like a missile back into the smokescreen and pushing Marabunda down and making him crash to the ground just like he did with Spike.

Smolder dragged Marabunda across the ground like he was a surfboard a couple of feet away from Sugarcube Corner before stopping. She glared down at the prone manticore for a moment, but knew that was not gonna stop him -- even if he seemed out cold. One last-minute glance at him and she flew back up into the air above the buildings. She clenched her fists and slowly inhaled as much air as she could; flames began to build up in the back of her throat.

Gallus, Drift, Filthy, Scootaloo, everyone who was watching could not believe what they were looking at. A young dragoness took down a large manticore all on her own? If this was over like that, they'd peg her as Ponyville's newest hero -- but right now was not the time for it.

"Everycreature, hit the deck!" Gallus shouted as everyone looked to him, confused. But the message was clear when they saw the fire around Smolder's mouth build-up to make her look like a living will-o-wisp.

Everyone braced themselves as Smolder threw her head down and launched a big, powerful stream of concentrated fire down at Marabunda, coating his body with raw intense flames that could melt a boulder in mere seconds.

Marabunda cried out in agony as the flames blanket his body and singed his fur. He thrashed about, trying to escape, but the roaring flames had him pinned and burning his hide. There was nothing the manticore could do other than endure. Of all the creatures he fought, he didn't expect a small dragon to best him. She was intent on roasting him and he was feeling it all.

Smolder didn't let up. She wanted to see his body charred and lifeless. She would regret it later for acting this way, but she was too upset to see reason. But, it was ironic Marabunda attacked Spike first and not her. If this manticore was smart to figure it out, Smolder was stronger than Spike; that's why he came up with this plan. He was the distraction and she was the assault. Marabunda thought he'd turn the tides, but Smolder turned the tides on him, and she was gonna prove it right here. Now, all Smolder wanted was to see Marabunda burn! She launched more power into her flames and cranked up the heat. She never produced this much fire before, but had no other options. It was now or never!

The ponies near the vicinity and range of the fire attack felt the heat. The heat wasn't enough to melt the foundations, but it was still hot enough for them to feel it. Drift and Filthy were sweating a little from it, but they kept their eyes glued to the fight. They knew all too well what dragon fire was capable through hearing stories of others and witnessing at least one that fought another. Dragon's were no joke, and Smolder was proving those stories right. If her parents were here, she'd make them proud.

Marabunda howled in agony for some time until he suddenly went silent. It caught the ears of onlookers -- even Drift and Filthy, but Smolder looked like she wasn't quite done just yet.

Smolder had the upper hand, but when she sensed Marabunda wasn't moving, she stopped her all-out assault and looked down at what she caused. All she saw was a charred, motionless body sprawled on the ground lying in a bed of black dirt; smoke flowing off of his body. He didn’t seem to be breathing either. Smolder breathed heavily from using too much energy on her flames, having also worked up quite a sweat, but she did it. She defeated Marabunda. She flew back down with what little energy she had left and glided away from him. She landed near Drift, Gallus, and Filthy who looked on in shock from what they witnessed as they came to help Smolder in case she fell over herself.

Smolder huffed and puffed out of exhaustion, but she could still talk, just barely, "Taken... care of... guys..." Smolder breathed exhausted breaths and her heart was racing a mile a minute, but she slowly calmed down long enough to smile proudly and victorious from winning that fight against Marabunda.

"Smolder, that was awesome!" Gallus said, smiling with excitement as the two stallions nodded in agreement. 

"You feeling okay?" Drift asked, a little worried since Smolder looked like she could barely move after that.

Smolder would make a comeback for that silly and stupid question, but she was far too tired to think of one. Scootaloo couldn't believe it herself. With all the stories her father told her and her mother, she believed Marabunda was gonna be tough to take down, but Smolder took him out and saved Ponyville. Fluttershy walked up to Scootaloo and witnessed what just occurred. She was more than surprised.

Smolder smiled, again, a little cheeky at them and wanted to brag about her victory, but her worry for her brother overlapped anything else and she gazed at Sugarcube Corner, concerned, "Is... Spike... okay?" Smolder asked as she tried to walk.

Everyone else looked worried and tried to come up with a comforting answer for Smolder, but miraculously --

"Heh, I'll live!" Spike said as he got back up from that crash. A little woozy and dented, but he was up and about. He limped from Pinkie Pie and the cake family and towards what used to be the front door next to a very worried Fluttershy and a worried, but relieved, Scootaloo. Smolder was more than happy to see her brother was still alive. Compared to her, that hit must've hurt like a mother. 

"I knew... you wouldn't go... down that easy," Smolder still tried to catch her breath, but she was too happy to care. She started to walk over to Spike while Drift and Filthy had her back.

Spike smiled softly, he couldn't be more proud of his sister for taking down that monster. If any of their family were there, heck, any of their ancestors were there, they'd make them proud. Spike was about to walk out and celebrate with her, but something in the corner of his eye got his attention and before anyone could react, a charred paw came swooping across and snatched Smolder, knocking Filthy and Drift away and catching the other off-guard.

"Smolder!" Spike screamed as Smolder screamed in fear as Marabunda came back from the 'dead' and nabbed Smolder without her knowing. Scootaloo, Fluttershy and everyone else gasped in horror as the little dragon was caught in the beast's grip.

Marabunda roared in fury as he dragged Smolder across the ground and pinned her under his paw and crushing her with his weight, making her wail in pain. 

Smolder couldn't fight back. Her energy was near depleted from that fire attack. All she could do was look up as Marabunda glared down at her with savage eyes. He shook the charcoal off his body and revealed that the fire barely touched his skin, but did singe off a lot of his fur. Smolder did a number on him, but not even that would take him out. All the bravery Smolder had turned into fear as the last thing she could do was call out for help, and so she desperately did, "HELP!" Just how strong was this animal?

Spike snarled angrily as instincts to save his sister quickly took over. As if his pain barely mattered, Spike spread his bruised wings and soared passed Drift and Filthy who were next to go after him. 

"How in the world did he survive that?" Filthy asked, concerned.

Drift looked at him as if what he asked was an impossible question, "How should I know? No one can live through dragon fire like that!"

Scootaloo and Fluttershy felt useless in this situation, Scootaloo tried again and blew the whistle as hard as she could, this time getting a louder ring out of it. Fluttershy looked at her daughter and wondered what she was doing.

Spike weakly flew at the manticore and swung his claws, clawing off more pieces of fur and raking skin, "Let go of my sister, you jerk!" He grunted in pain when Marabunda swung his tail and smacked him away, but Spike grabbed it and tried hanging on. Marabunda glared back at Spike while Smolder watched as her injured brother tried in vain to help her. Then Marabunda had an idea: if this purple dragon is trying to save this female dragon, then it would be all the more fun to wipe her out and then the rest. Keep him alive as he watched. Or, maybe do it to the female dragon. Seeing the trauma on his prey's faces gave him great joy. It's how he works – traumatize the rest of the prey by killing their closest member, be it friend or family, and then pick them off while they're stunned, but for this little one he pinned down, he'll make sure it's slow and painful. He licked his chops down at Smolder and opened his mouth, showing off his razor-sharp teeth, his hot stinky breath hitting her face.

Smolder whimpered as she tried to escape, but his grip was too strong. She screamed out in horror and sheer terror as Marabunda started lowering his mouth towards her, preparing to tear into her scales.

Spike saw this and tried to pull at Marabunda's tail with what strength he had in him, trying desperately to get him away from Smolder. If she were to die right here, he'd never forgive himself and his actual dragon family would disown him for Smolder's death. He had to save her by any means, "No!" He snarled and bit down on Marabunda's tail, getting his attention.

Marabunda grunted a bit from the bite. That hurt a bit, but not enough to get a bloody mess from his tail -- but it sure got his attention. He rose up and gazed back at the purple nuisance behind him. Change of plans, he'll traumatize the little orange dragon instead. Without a second thought, Marabunda pulled his tail back, lifted Spike in the air and slammed him back down, dazing him as he released Maranbunda's tail. Drift and Filthy prepared to use their weapons while Smolder watched in horror as Spike groaned in pain and tried to get up, but a loud piercing noise echoed and Spike let out a scream of absolute pain. 

Time almost seemed to stop when Drift, Filthy, Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Smolder, and Pinkie Pie watched in dismay, shock, horror and disbelief as Marabunda lifted his tail off of Spike and reeled it back, poison dripping from the stinger tip. Spike barely let out a breath as he looked at his sister before dropping his head to the ground, eyes closed. No one knew if he was out cold... or worse. 

Everything went quiet and the only thing that could be heard was the snickering cackle of Marabunda as he gazed upon the defeated drake. He then turned his attention to a destroyed Smolder who was tearing up under his paw. He didn't care about what the others felt. All he cared about was what was about to be in his blood-hungry maw. He hungrily licked his chops and opened his mouth as he prepared to make a dragoness one fine delicacy.

Drift gazed at Spike's motionless body and felt his body go cold. whether it was from guilt or something else, he knew what he saw was never gonna leave his mind. He couldn't believe this just happened. Spike seemed like a really cool guy. Very likable and fun to hang around; Gallus was right to say what he said. He hadn't hung around dragons that much, but he and Smolder seemed like chill dragons and his daughter seemed like have goo-goo eyes over.... 'Wait, Scootaloo!' He turned his head and saw his daughter on her haunches crying out to Spike, heartbroken. Fluttershy grabbed a hold on her and tried to keep her from going out there. His daughter destroyed, a friend down, and another soon to follow? No, seeing this ignited a new flame to him. This was supposed to a peaceful day and Marabunda was ruining it; Filthy better have a good idea of what punishment his witch of a wife and brat of a daughter are gonna have, because this was out of line! He's had enough and he knew his friend and comrade was the same. He widened his eyes and snarled in anger. He swung his wrist weapon at Marabunda, glaring at the demon, aiming carefully at his head. "You son of a --"

Suddenly, an apple came out of nowhere and slammed hard onto Marabunda's nose, then some pies flew by and splattered all over his face as he roared in pain and shock from this surprise attack. All the trauma Smolder saw caused her to pass out before she could even see who saved her.

Marabunda reeled back and clench his nose, whipping the pies off his face and unintentionally releasing Smolder. He grasped his muzzle tight, momentarily halting the pain – but he could feel the warm touch of his own blood leaking out of his nose from the hard impact of the fruit. It didn't feel broken, but it still hurt. He opened his demon eyes and glared over at the source with a vicious growl; who dares attempt to harm him and defy his traumatizing tactics? 

Drift was stunned by the sudden aid and looked to where the apple goods came from, and much to his happiness, shock and relief, aid came in the form of three familiar earth ponies and two unicorns.

Scootaloo, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie noticed as well and looked to find who came just in the nick of time to help and what a surprise they got!

Applejack and her siblings came back from Mount Rushmare. They expected to have a warm welcome, but nothing quite like this.

Applejack glared furiously as she pulled her hat down, "Y'all stay away from those dragons, ya flea-pickin' varmint!"

Marabunda glared at these new arrivals and roared in fury. He was gonna make them suffer for hitting him with food.

Applebloom tossed up another pie and yelled, "Fire!" Big Mac quickly turned and bucked the pie tin, making the pie sail before it struck the rogue manticore right in the face, its juices splattering all over and getting in his eyes, causing him some eye pain as the beast roared in agony from the sudden sting in his eyes. "Good shot, big brother!" She grinned up at her brother who smirked and looked proud of his direct hit.

"Lucky shot, little sis." He winked, modest that it was but luck that helped him there.

A blue aura surrounded the unconscious Smolder and pulled her away from Marabunda as a diamond-like magic shield appeared once she was a safe distance from the manticore. Smolder barely opened her eyes, but she noticed a unicorn filly was using light green magic blasts, assuming they were fired at Marabunda. She was surprised, but her body was too tired to show it, by such magic, she moved her eye up and noticed another unicorn casting some kind of spell over herself and the smaller unicorn, but to her own shock and relief, she figured out it was none other than Rarity and Sweetie Belle who saved her! "R-Rarity? S-Sweetie Belle?" Smolder passed out again before the two unicorns could get a word in.

Sweetie Belle glared as she blasted another green beam at the manticore, striking him across the cheek like a knife, causing him to roar and take another step back. "Leave her alone, you big bully!"

Rarity smiled proudly at her sister while using her magic to create dazzling diamond shields to give them some protection against the beast. "Smashing shot, Sweetie Belle~"

She grinned happily up at her big sister, proud that she got in a few hits with her magic. "Thanks, Rarity!" She squeaked out in joy.

Though they witnessed Spike getting hurt, they were unable to rescue him from Marabunda, but lucky for the unicorns and earth ponies, two shadows in the form of a Griffon and Pegasus came down over Marabunda and grabbed Spike before the beast could notice. Drift and Filthy saw this and were relieved to see that they showed up as well.

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie watched worriedly as Gilda and Rainbow Dash came down and placed Spike down in front of them and Scootaloo.

“Rainbow Dash… Gilda…!” Scootaloo lightly smiled in relief upon seeing her idol and new friend.

“Hold Spike!” Rainbow Dash barked to Fluttershy as she quickly grabbed him and held him in a motherly embrace.

"So, can someone tell us why a giant manticore is attacking Ponyville?" Gilda pointed back at Marabunda, confused and shocked.

But Rainbow Dash shook her head at her, thinking there was no time for questions, "No time, let's just take this thing out!" she barked before flying back to help her friends, glaring furiously at this rogue manticore.

Gilda nodded but glanced back at Spike and winced as she got a good look at where he got stung. “Yeesh… hope someone knows how to treat stings like this?” She pointed at the disturbing hole in Spike's back before she glared at Marabunda and followed after her best friend before Fluttershy could get a word in.

Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes at Spike then back at Marabunda in anger. That tore it right there, “No manticore stings Spike and gets away with it!” Uncharacteristically yet understandably, filled with rage, she raced after Dash and Gilda.

“Pinkie Pie!” Scootaloo gasped while her mother desperately reached to stop the pink mare from being reckless.

Mr. Cake looked ready to faint while Pound reached for her in fear, babbling out in fear “Pinkie!”

Pumpkin cried out in fear for her foalsitter and unofficial aunt-figure. “Pie!” 

Mrs.Cake gasped deeply in fear and called for the party mare desperately, “Pinkie, sweetheart, stay here!!!” 

However, Pinkie would not listen – this manticore was going to pay for making all these unhappy faces and for hurting her best dragon friend.

Filthy saw the opening and nodded to Drift, they had to out-think the beast and outnumber him. Thankfully, Drift caught that and nodded.

With their tactical plan in mind, they raced after the three girls, flying and running into battle as the Apples and Gems aid them with everything they got. 

An all-out war between the ponies and griffon against a creature none of which have ever faced before. With the dragons out of commission, odds are not looking up, but none cared as Pinkie Pie let out the call.

“CHAAAAAAAAARGE!”
> Stand Up To Them...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marabunda's ear twitched, signaling him something was wrong. He looked behind himself, but, once again, was caught off-guard. Normally, he would easily take on a group, but this one was working together from all sides and forced him to put more effort into his actions. He growled in anger and made swipes at the earth ponies first, but yipped in shock when one of them somehow zoomed closed to him, smiling at him somewhat disturbingly. He blinked a few times before this pink pony pulled a blue cannon out of nowhere from her odd mane and immediately blasted him in the face with confetti. He roared in hysteria and frantically rubbed at his muzzle, spitting out some that got in his mouth before glaring back at the one responsible for this without a shred of fear -- though he was still confused how this pony did that. And why wasn't she showing fear towards him? He took great pride in intimidating others, so why wasn't this one afraid?

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie grinned once he saw her. She opened up a random birthday gift and showed it to him, much to his already noticeable confusion. He looked inside, but a thick-layered cake launched itself out and splattered all over his face, making him roar in agitation, "Hehe!~ Double surprise!" Pinkie Pie chuckled at the manticore, showing no fear herself.

Marabunda groaned in irritation as the sweet's frosting stung his eyes. He quickly wiped at his eyes so he could see his attackers; the repeated attacks to his face, he quickly figured out they're aiming there so he wouldn't see the others coming – something he found clever, but not clever enough. He took one step, but his eyes bug out as suddenly tripped. He slammed to the ground with decent force, but it wasn't enough to knock him out. Out of the blue, something wrapped around his feet and pulled them out from under him? Just how fast are these little morsels? He looked to the right and saw the fleeing rainbow tail of a cyan Pegasus before he noticed his hind legs were tied up by a rope. Guess earth ponies and unicorns aren't the only ones joining in this fight.

Rainbow Dash smirked proudly as she managed to knock him off his paws, and Applejack managed to stall him with her lasso, "Nice work of that rope, AJ."

Applejack pulled her rope loose. She nodded proudly and smugly smiled at Marabunda that's stalling the monster, "Not so bad yourself with that rainbow wrap around the front." She complimented, pulling her attention away from Marabunda as Rainbow Dash landed right next to her.

Marabunda growled in fury as he got up and raised his stinger. An opportunity presented itself to him. Like the miserable dragon, he was gonna impale these mares and knock them out, for good. 

Gilda quickly noticed Marabunda's sneak attack and gasped. Instincts kicked in and she dashed over to her friends and tackled the two away as she spouted, "LOOK OUT!" The stinger stabbed into the ground, narrowly missing them.

Marabunda increasingly grew frustrated every minute. For such little morsels and playthings, these beings were quite a slippery bunch. However, his frustration vanished when an oddly familiar voice yelled to him. 

"Hey, you overgrown inbred of a scorpion and a lion!" 

Marabunda paused, feeling truly insulted by that; it infuriated him! Calling him ugly was one thing, but to mock his appearance by labeling him with such a vulgar term easily riled him up. He growled lowly and looked to the voice. He found a pegasus pony and an earth pony armed with weapons. He tilted his head, getting an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Remember me?" The pegasus pony smirked at him and turned his head, revealing the scar on his face. 

Filthy stood by and glared at Marabunda. He kept a tough exterior going, but deep down he was terrified. It's been a long time since he and Drift ever did something like this -- and this was the very creature that ended it. He hoped to Celestia he hadn't lost his touch. 'I think he doesn't remember me,' Filthy thought, 'I should be happy, but I'm not.' He felt a bit of jealous from Drift, but chuckled to himself. Figured the one with the scar would have the bad-stallion moment.

He took a minute to think, but Marabunda actually froze when he figured it out and his eyes widen in surprise and recognition. And for good reason. He knew there was a reason why he felt he knew these creatures from somewhere, and by encountering this pony – it came to him. 

Years ago, he had fought a group of ponies, and this group had two specific ponies that look just like the pegasus and earth pony – even their features are the same. But when he fought their group, he took one of their own out as his meal for the day and left them, scarred, literally for one of them. He looked on in shock as he quickly connected the pieces – these two ponies before him are the same ponies he fought years ago. The scarred one proved it. 

He gave a low growl, narrowing his devilish eyes at the Pegasus, his tongue lightly rubbing against his chipped fang and extending a claw further from one of his paws – he definitely remembered him alright. Same goes for the earth pony next to him. He let out a roar at both of them, ready to settle this once and for all.

"Well, say ‘Hello' to my little friend!" Drift shouted as he pointed his wrist crossbow at Marabunda.

"Oh? He does remember me?" Filthy said, surprised for a moment. "I guess I should feel honored." Filthy pointed his wrist bomb-flinger at Marabunda as both of them fired their respective weapon. Drift launched steel pebbles at Marabunda and Filthy fired a gas-bomb afterward.

Marabunda roared in agony as their shots manage to hit their mark, backing him up a decent distance away. The pebbles struck him in his furless spots and made him yip; they felt like hard pinches, but not enough to make him bleed or anything; they were just annoying. Marabunda roared in annoyance and tried to get them to stop, but was suddenly met by a green football-shaped object that soared up and crashed onto his snout, causing him further pain as it exploded on impact. 

Marabunda howled in shock, confusion, and agitation as to what the heck just happened and wondered what was just thrown at him. He was stunned as an unknown green mist appeared and circled his head. Marabunda had no clue what those ponies just did, but that was very annoying and very new to him. He didn't think much of the green mist, so he tried to fix his muzzle by giving it a whiff of air -- huge mistake! He snapped his eyes open and mental glass broke as he grabbed his snout, clenching it hard as he howled in unbridled pain and irritation. 

Of all pains he could've taken, he would've gladly taken the pain inflicted by the object or the explosion that came after, or even both! Granted, it would still hurt like a mother, but it would be better than whatever this smell was. It reeked so bad that it threw his senses in a whirligig of uncomfortable nausea and pain. He didn't know what those ponies threw at him, but it was unbearable and he came close to feeling dizzy from being in this mist. It didn't seem poisonous, but it sure left him wanting to backtrack what he was thinking for even taking a whiff of this ungodly painful mist. Then he started to feel the skin on his face get irritated and itchy for some reason and his breathing started to slow. He had to think of something fast!

This was great for Drift and Filthy as that gas bomb was strong enough to cover any other scent Marabunda could pick up -- meaning they now had another advantage, but for how long was the real question. It wasn't gonna be enough to take the rogue manticore down, so they needed to find further weak points or make new ones.

The ponies and griffon yelled as they maneuver their attacks on the manticore while keeping a distance from his claws, his teeth, and his tail. Once they got away and saw what just occurred, they were shocked to find that they managed to make Marabunda howl in agony. But how?

Even Filthy was confused by this. Just what did he launch at Marabunda to make him acted like a cowardly kitten? "Drift, what was that I just launched?" Filthy asked, confused by what he did. Of all the weapons he seen back in the day, he's never seen a gas bomb powerful enough to cause that much pain to a creature like Marabunda.

To say he was proud was an understatement. Drift knew this new ammunition would work, but never anticipated it would work that well, "I can't explain too much, but I had a lot of time on my hooves and I may have made a couple of tear gas bombs."

This caught Filthy by surprise. Gilda and Rainbow Dash overheard this and listened in on their conversation, "You made tear gas bombs?!" Filthy said in shock from this revelation. "Just what did you put in these bombs to make them stronger?" This was beyond anything he remembered when using weapons like tear gas bombs. He recalled them able to stun ponies, but nothing of the sort that would affect animals. Just what was Drift hiding?

Drift was silent for a moment as he calmly looked to the side, but hesitated to reveal just what he used to make those powerful versions of the regular tear gas bombs, but to put it simply, he quickly explained in a slight hesitant tone, "I... uh... may have used raw lemon juice, pepper spray, and skunk fumes to make those."

Filthy just looked at him blankly and blinked several times to process what he just heard. He was about to speak, but Rainbow Dash cut them off before they could continue the fight.

"Are you kidding me right now, Drift?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell anypony about this?" Gilda just gave Rainbow Dash a confused glance, wondering why she would ask that when clearly there was no reason for Drift to tell anyone. It was just a coincidence that this was brought into play.

Drift rolled his eyes and glared back at Rainbow Dash, "Now is not the time, Rainbow Dash. I'll explain everything when Marabunda is dead!" He glared back at Marabunda who flapped his wings and blew the gas away. The gas may be gone, but the sight of Marabunda's face all red and near bubbly from the gas was unnerving. 

"Drift, buddy, is there something else you're not--"

"Less talky, more fighty!" Drift interrupted as Marabunda wiped his eyes before finding Drift and Filthy and roared in mass annoyance.

Everyone went back into battle mode as they prepared for Marabunda's next attack, but it seemed he was more focused on Drift and Filthy rather than Applejack and the others.

"Get him, daddy!" Scootaloo cheered her father on.

"Go, daddy, go!" Silver Spoon agreed as she cheered for her dad as well.

Drift and Filthy heard their children cheer for them, but they remained focused on Marabunda. Having their attention away for only a second would spell disaster.

Drift spoke to Filthy while he kept his focus on the enraged manticore, "Filthy, let's change things up a bit. I'm only going to explain this once." Filthy glanced at Drift, wondering what he meant by that. "Our wrist weapons can change ammunition with just a switch."

Filthy took a look at his weapon and noticed there were three extra tubes around it. They weren't opened like the one above his hoof, but they seemed to act as storage. How many, he didn't know, but with what he launched at Marabunda seemed light, so that explained why it didn't have much weight to it and why it wasn't holding him back. How he hadn't noticed this was beyond him, but it was the least of his problems right now, "I can see that, but what are you planning?" Filthy asked.

"We just used defense, now we go offense," Drift suggested as he clicked the switch on his weapon to change the ammunition.

Filthy went on ahead and did the same thing and clicked his switch. Whatever was the next ammunition in this thing, he was more than anticipated to see. How Drift managed to make these devices seemed impossible to him. Nopony has ever once made weapons quite like them; he was truly blown away, but he didn't show it to Drift or anyone else, but another thought did cross his mind and it made him itch for an answer, "Drift, who did give us that contract, anyway?"

Drift paused for a moment, it never occurred to him who gave them the contract, but it's been years since it was given, "I don't know who gave it to us, but I get the feeling we might find out soon -- if we succeed."

Filthy nodded and turned his attention back to Marabunda, "Right."

Without hesitation, Marabunda charged at the former trophy hunters, roaring in absolute fury.

Drift quickly barked "Break!" as they managed to dodge in time just as Marabunda landed a strong swipe at the ground, leaving a deep claw mark. The manticore growled, only to see his two assailants run in opposite directions of one another. He would be confused, but the tactic they seemed to use felt familiar to the rogue -- go separate so one can be a distraction while the other attacked. As if that tactic would ever work on him. So, he waited them out, waiting for one to make the first move. Sure, he wanted to tear them apart, but he wasn't gonna be fooled easily. He glanced at the two circling around him, but which one was he gonna go first? Or should he do a fake-out and go for the other, leaving the second one thinking he was going for him. Yeah, that's the plan.

Filthy was determined to find out what else was in his weapon. He clicked the switch and now he was eager, but a bit hesitant, to fire it. He didn't know what other ammunition was in this bomb-flinger, but he was about to find out once he found his target of range. He and Drift kept running around Marabunda in hopes he could find the right target. There was no telling who this beast was going after first, but a voice in the back of his head asked, 'why isn't he attacking right now?' and 'Is he going to attack Drift first?' The latter question was soon answered.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash were just as eager to join in the fight. Like Spike and Smolder, they were ready to jump into action when Marabunda or the two stallions decide to make a move.

While ready if needed, Applejack, Big Mac and Rarity were too fixated on the fight at hoof. All three of them were capable fighters, but if they joined in right now it would be overcrowded. Besides, they had to keep their unconscious dragon friend safe for the time being and Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom would gladly take that mission while the adults kept watch in case the fillies were needed for the fight. 

Spoiled Rich was stunned by what she was seeing – her husband, showing a side she had never personally witnessed before. She remembered him telling her of his stories back in his trophy hunting days, but she thought all of that was just a fluke; just stories to make him sound cool. Truth be told, the reason she married him was just for his bits, nothing more, nothing less; she wanted to feel like she was on top. But, to now see him unleash this side on this beast? It was real! He wasn't faking it. It was happening as she watched, out the window, her own husband fight off a monster like he said in his stories. She couldn't believe her eyes, nor could she keep them away from him. Needless to say, for the first time since they married, her heart started to pound in an odd rhythm and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks; a genuine loving smile formed on her face as she witnessed this hidden personally, swooning over her husband's bravery. "That's my stallion…" she whispered softly to herself, falling in love with her husband all over again. She may be in trouble with him, but this new side of his sure got her attention and made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and she didn't care if anypony saw her.

Diamond was amazed to see her father fight with Drift against the monster she had summoned. While she loved her father with all her heart, she had never seen him get so physical before. This made her respect her father even more, although she knew she was in for quite the punishment afterwards. "Please make it out okay, dad…"

With a few more laps around Marabunda, the beast made a move going after Drift. He let out a roar but Filthy whistled to him loudly to get his attention -- it worked. Marabunda turned around and saw the other pony stand and glare at him without any hint of fear, but he could smell it from him. If this pony was willing to die now, he'd be obliged to do so. Marabunda cackled a bit and made a toothy grin at Filthy before noticing him lift the strange weapon up at him. Maranbunda covered his muzzle, expecting this one to launch the same thing he launched before. His muzzle slowly recovered, but he was smart enough to learn from his first mistake. He was ready for him, this time.

Filthy focused his aim at Marabunda before Drift shouted at his friends to "Look away!" Marabunda heard that and glanced at Drift, but then heard a loud foomp. Quickly, he turned his head just in time to see a pineapple-shaped object fly up to his forehead and barely tap between his eyes.

Having heeded Drift's words, all their friends and family looked away or ducked for cover. Drift and Filthy averted their eyes away while Marabunda kept his attention on this second strange object the pony flew. Instincts told him to quickly get out of there when he realized this could be another explosive object -- but it was too late. The odd-shaped object exploded in his face and creates a powerful blast of light, brighter than the sun's morning rays. Those who weren't caught in the blast, looking away and/or ducking cover, still had to cover their eyes due to the intense light the projectile emitted. Marabunda howled in agony yet again and grabbed his eyes, but the damage was already done. His eyes felt like they've been jabbed with daggers and he could not pull them out. Out of desperation, Marabunda started swinging his paws randomly, hoping to hit something. He roared in irritated panic. First his snout, now his eyes?! He was fooled, yet again! Okay, that tore it right there. No more games, all these ponies will die by his teeth and claws! Everyone dies! He didn't care who he hit.

It lasted for a few seconds, but the flash ceased and the offensive allies went for the attack. Drift aimed his dart launcher and fired first, planting a pin needle-like dart dead center in Marabunda's right paw. A perfect shot, but Marabunda felt the sting on the needle and instantly headed to the direction where the dart was launched. He swiped but hit nothing as Drift dodged to the right and fired his weapon again; launching two more pin needle darts at Marabunda's shoulder and hip. Marabunda tried to jump at Drift, but with fast reflexes, Drift evaded the assault like a salmon evading the jaws of a shark. Drift ran to the left this time and fired again, launching three more pin needle darts with pinpoint accuracy. The darts pierced themselves into a bald spot on Marabunda's right arm, his right thigh and achilles heel. Drift glared determinedly as he heard Marabunda howl each time a dart was planted into him. A dragon's wrath, tag-teams from the other groups, but this was the tag-team that needed to end this. There was no way Marabunda was gonna survive this kind of tag-team assault for long. They were not gonna get up close -- it was all about long-ranged assault. Drift and Filthy had to finish this now and avenge their fallen friend. The thought of that contract meant nothing to them.

Like Diamond and Spoiled, Fluttershy and Scootaloo were in awe as they watched Drift fight off against Marabunda. Like the Riches, they got to experience they're loved one in action -- and they were in awe by what they were watching.

Scootaloo smiled excitedly and cheered for her father. Seeing him like this made her respect him for more than she should. He was fighting a monster and injuring him. Not only that, but he was gonna help her get revenge for what that monster did to Spike. "Get him, daddy! You can do it!" Scootaloo cheered. She didn't know what Filthy was doing, but she didn't care because whatever her daddy had planned, it was working.

Fluttershy just remained silent, but she would be lying to herself if she said this was not the most coolest thing she's ever seen her stallion do. Drift ran around, dodging swipes and tail lashes while fighting back without throwing a punch. As much as she wanted to stop him, she was not gonna do just that; she knew what Drift had to do and she couldn't be more proud of him. She hated this fact, but rogues had to be put down. It hurt her because they were animals, too, but she understood they were a threat to other animals; she wanted to help them turn back to what they were and help them have a better life, but it just pained her to know that some rogues just can't see reason and the best way to take care of them, and put them out of their misery, was to put them down. And it seems Marabunda was a lost cause and beyond redemption because from what she witnessed from him during this fight, while he still has his sanity, he doesn't even regret what he does or who he kills. Marabunda needed to be put down. Even with this caring side of her going on, another side of her loved seeing Drift take action and fend off against Marabunda. It was so mesmerizing - it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, too. 'Please, be careful, Drift,' Fluttershy thought as she kept her attention to her stallion.

Vinyl was overjoyed when she managed to get a view of what went down outside. It didn't take her long to rush outside to see the action. Granted, she should be inside, but she didn't want to miss any of this. She stood next to Fluttershy and Scootaloo, but never kept her eyes away from Drift who was kicking serious flank right now. "Get him, D-Bro!" Vinyl cheered. "Take him down!" 

She witnessed the dragons had their round, then Applejack and her family along with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, but now she anticipated this moment. With what she did to bring Drift's weapons over here, she hoped it paid off. She smiled excitedly and felt herself get pumped watching this fight. Drift was already in combat with Filthy and she loved what she was seeing. 

But the fight was about to end shortly...

Drift ran around Marabunda and glared at Filthy. Filthy glared back. Drift motioned him away and Filthy nodded, quickly leaving the fray to get back to his daughters and wife as Drift straightened his arm and fired one more dart, planting it right onto Marabunda's chest. His wrist weapon suddenly beeped and a red button flash on the right side of it. He looked down at it for a moment then back at Marabunda, but the rogue manticore heard it and tried to land a bite for it. Drift flinched and side-stepped out of the way; Marabunda just inches away from him. But a hardy, buck to an injury on his muzzle, Marabunda was stunned momentarily. Drift jumped a good few feet away from his foe and glared at him with no hint of sympathy, at all, as the beast howled in pain from the kick and being turned into a pincushion. 

Drift stood there for a moment to let Marabunda soak in the pain he and Filthy gave him, glaring coldly down at the monster who scarred him, "Yeah, it hurts doesn't it?" he said to the beast as everyone watched with anticipation. "Go back to Tartarus where you belong, you murdering bastard." Drift turned around and looked at his marefriend and daughter and smiled at both of them. Both looked at him back and wondered what he was planning. Marabunda was blind temporarily and everyone knew that, but Drift inhaled and shouted "Hey!" to get Marabunda's attention. Marabunda heard him and roared right behind him, but a quick slam on the button and the red tips on all the darts turned into a beeping frenzy.

Marabunda's ears twitched and flopped from the unusual beeping. He groaned confusingly until the one dart in his right paw beeped faster until it exploded with strong force, pushing his paw away, then the one on his shoulder exploded; the darts exploded a trailed on Marabunda left by Drift. And Drift stood there facing away from Marabunda and hearing his cried pains of agony from the timed and controlled explosions.

Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Vinyl, everyone there who stayed behind watched as Marabunda was bombarded with explosion after explosion. Could this be it? Could this be the moment that Marabunda finally goes down? They couldn't tell, but from the wails of Marabunda, it seemed like it was.

The dart that sunk into Marabunda's achilles heel was next to explode and the force pushed his leg up before the next needle exploded and lifted him up a few inches. He slammed to the ground on his back and groaned groggily. Marabunda actually whimpered in pain and tried his darnedest to withstand the blows, but it was more than he could handle. How many explosions was he gonna take? Marabunda felt like he went through a swamp full of crocodiles and thorn bushes. Two ponies bested him in a short amount of time? How stupid can that get? He was still alive, so he could get back up and -- ....then he heard a louder version of the beeps he heard seconds ago and opened his eyes and looked down. With his vision coming back to him, he could finally see. But what he didn't want to see was a larger dart planted in his chest. The beeping stopped. Marabunda widened his eyes in shock and let out a quick grunt before an explosion with greater magnitude erupted and overtook his body, rocketing a large smoke plume in its wake.

Drift stood there when the explosion went off, never looking back and not even acknowledging the last cry of his fallen enemy. He felt the force of the blast but kept his ground, staying strong as he felt his mane flow with the wind. He and Filthy had won. 

The explosion echoed across Ponyville. Those who managed to get away from the fight and outside of Ponyville heard the blast, but didn't want to see the result. They were only concerned about their safety and that's it.

With the explosion having done its job but kept that smoke plume in play, Drift just walked away, heading back to his friends and family. All while they had faces like they've just witnessed the end of an action film taking place -- but this actually happened right in front of them.

They were also confused by what just happened, too. Did they win? They weren't sure. Marabunda didn't jump out of the smoke plume to ambush Drift. So, they must've won!

Drift approached a flabbergasted Fluttershy, Scootaloo and Vinyl. All having slack-jawed mouths and dinner-plate-sized eyes. Drift chuckled and jokingly teased them, "You know you girls'll catch flies if you keep your mouths open like that." But he was immediately tackled by a pink blur and pinned down rather easily.

"That was awesome, Drift!" Drift flinched as he was caught off-guard and facing a very relieved and thankful Pinkie Pie. She looked at his weapon and asked him dozens of questions, like "What is this?" and "How did you make this?" Drift tried to answer her questions as best he could, but with fighting Marabunda he was well exhausted. Lucky for him, Rainbow Dash came by and pushed Pinkie pie off him.

"Come on, Pinkie, give him some space."

"Aww, come on Dashie! Aren't you curious, too?"

Drift blinked in confusion, wondering what just happened before a talon reached out to him. He looked up to see Gilda, before offering a hoof up. The Apple family soon followed. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had Smolder in their magic grasp before placing her on a bench.

Drift smiled a bit and happily took Gilda's talon, getting up as he dusted himself off. "Thanks, Gilda."

"Pfft, more like we should be thanking you and your friend," Gilda retorted as he pointed to Filthy hugging his wife and daughters. 

Drift smiled as Dash gave him a light punch on the arm with a proud grin as she agreed with Gilda, "I gotta admit man, that was 200% awesome!" He blushed bashfully, wanting to say that it was nothing and that he was simply keeping everyone safe until Gilda asked, "But Pinkie does have some good questions. Just what the heck are those things?"

Drift looked at his Dart launcher and tried to come up with a good explanation, but none didn't really seem to come to mind, "It's kind of hard for me to explain just exactly what I used to construct these weapons. I was just in the zone and used my free time."

"Heh, apparently ya'll use your free time rather well if you made those do-hickies. Ammunition like that is not something I've ever seen before," and with the weapons Applejack and her family have in their barn, that's saying something.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said, agreeing with Applejack.

Drift rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a little. He didn't really think much of what he made. When he set his mind to what he wanted to make, he does it. And it just so happened he had those wrist weapons in mind. But, he didn't know if he made them out of revenge for his fallen friend or not... but, if it meant anything, he was glad he made them and used them against the very monster that killed him. Drift looked over to Diamond and Spoiled in a conflicted glare. What those two did was outright stupid and would've gotten tons of ponies killed, but on the other hoof, he wanted to thank them for letting him have the opportunity to get his revenge. He raised a brow to himself; best not to say that in front of his family. But, speaking of family, he glanced over to Fluttershy and Scootaloo who rushed him and hugged him close. He saw his step-sister approach him and give him a light hoofbump on the shoulder.

"D-bro, that was one of the coolest things I've seen you do, ever," Vinyl complimented. Throughout her life, she's never seen anything like that before from Drift. If this was what he did before, he would've been a champ at this.

Drift merely chuckled at that, and rewardingly joked about himself, "You think so? I thought I was rusty there with my aiming."

"Rusty my flank!" Scootaloo spouted excitedly, wagging her tail like a puppy. "You were awesome, daddy! You dodged those attacks as fast as Rainbow Dash dodged lightning one time."

Dodging lightning? Drift blinked a few times and gazed at Rainbow Dash who promptly looked away, nonchalantly whistling. Drift just chuckled and looked back at Scootaloo, "Guess your old stallion still has some fight left in him, huh?" Scootaloo just smiled excitedly and hugged her dad close, happy to know she came from a stallion who just did what he did.

Then Drift gazed to his marefriend and smiled lovingly, happy to see her in one piece, "Sorry you had to see all that, babe," Drift softly apologized, knowing that watching the fight may have been hard for her, due to her care of animals – she may have had some sympathy towards Marabunda, but it was also probably not worth it as she must've figured out. "I bet it was tough for you to --" he noticed the flutter in her eyes and how glossy they looked '--Oh, I think I know what she's thinking right now.' She leaned close to him and nuzzled against him like a lioness would rub against her pack leader. She was also glad that he kept his promise and made it out alive.

"I'm just glad you did it, Drift," Fluttershy said, with a little worry in her voice. "If it wasn't for you, Filthy and everyone else, Marabunda would've caused severe damage to Ponyville."

Ain't that the truth. He was relieved they managed to pull off taking down Marabunda. But, then it dawned on him, "Oh yeah, we need to get Spike and Smolder to the hospital. Let's hope they have anti-venom for Spike." Drift gazed over to Spike while the others did so, too. He was right, Spike was out of commission and Smolder was unconscious.

"Oh, Twilight is not gonna be too happy to see this," Rarity said before everyone else had the idea of Twilight going in a fit of rage. If a manticore wasn't bad enough, a rage-filled alicorn would be just as bad.

"Wait, where is Twilight, anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by her absence. "I thought she'd show up by now?"

"I think she went to a royal gathering with Princess Celestia and Ember," Applejack recalled. At least, that's what she thought.

"Well, either way, we need to get them to the hospital, fast," Gilda suggested.

Fluttershy nodded, "Right, I'll see if I can extract --" Fluttershy looked ahead to where Marabunda was... until her eyes widened and the look of panic on her was known. Drift saw this and quickly turned around. Everyone else did the same thing.

Filthy and his family looked as well, but they were none too pleased.

The smoke plume nearly faded, but that didn't stop Marabunda from slowly walking out as if nothing ever happened to him. He looked more damaged than usual thanks to the explosions; smoke trailed flowed out of his fur, while some were singed off and his skin was burnt, bleeding and bruised, but he was all too alive and ready to resume his warpath. He glared coldly at them, baring his fangs.

"Oh, come on! Can't this guy stay down already?!" Rainbow Dash barked in frustration. After all that, he still won't go down? What was this manticore's damage?

Drift looked on in shock and dismay. His tactic didn't work? But how? He could've sworn he made those weapons powerful enough to take down animals like Marabunda. Just what happened to him over the years? Drift growled and shouted, "Why won't you die?!" as Marabunda let out a loud primal roar, ready to resume the fight.

"Yelling at him is not gonna bring him down," Gilda exclaimed, "We just have to keep fighting until he goes down. Who has more fight in them?" 

Of course, she had Rainbow Dash eagerly by her side ready to fight, but Drift and Filthy gave their battle-ready glares and prepared their weapons. As much as their families didn't want them to continue, they had to. The Apple Family was more than ready to join in. Rarity and Sweetie Belle used their magic to levitate Smolder and Spike back into Sugar Cube Corner, but Vinyl followed them and headed inside. Gallus was already inside before anyone noticed. It didn't take long for the Cake family to quickly come by and help Rarity and Sweetie Belle take Smolder and Spike up to a guest bedroom and place them on separate beds. The cake twins were being tended to by Pinkie Pie, who rushed in before anyone else could, in the master bedroom. She held them close to her while the roars of Marabunda went off outside; they were not gonna have the twins watch any of what was happening outside.

Fluttershy and Scootaloo followed next, but Fluttershy looked back and gazed at Drift, 'Be careful, honey,' she thought as she went into Sugar Cube Corners.

"I'll cast a shield spell around the bakery if things get out of hoof!" Rarity suggested and announced to her friends.

But in no time, at all, Marabunda's persistence showed and, like a crazed rhino, charged at his seven opponents, intent on killing them all. No more stalling, playing, nothing. He was out for blood now. ‘That's it! No more fooling around!' He thought in fury. He was done playing games – these seven were going down and he will not quit until they fall.

Like Marabunda, Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew first after the manticore, but Sweetie Belle, wanting to have some action of her own and rushed to the entrance of Sugar Cube Corners and used her own magic to fire a single blast of magic. That blast turned out to be useful as it flew passed Gilda and struck Marabunda in his charred cheek, catching him off-guard.

Gilda took this advantage and swung her claw at him. She got a hit in and sliced some bits of charred fur off of the manticore's cheek, right on the spot Sweetie Belle blasted, drawing some blood. But seeing as how this beast was larger than her, she made sure to fly back a distance to avoid the claws. "Punch and run!" She was going for a hit and run tactic, only she wasn't going to run, she was hitting and getting distance. 

Dash smirked as she taunted him, sticking her tongue out at him "Nyah-nyah!" She ducked her head down and barrel-rolled to the side, dodging a swing from that scorpion tail. "Missed me a mile!" Rainbow Dash taunted.

Gallus peeked over the window and watched the fight. He saw his Glinda's sister and cheered for Gilda eagerly, pumping his talon as he grinned, "Get him, Gilda!"

Scootaloo hoped her idol would come out okay after witnessing that near dodge from the tail, "Come on, Dash… get him…!" She uttered in worry.

Gilda smirked when she heard Gallus cheer for her and dove down to Marabunda, slicing his left flank and his wing with her talons. If he can't fly, he'll be grounded. Then that's the plan! "Rainbow, Drift, Filthy, go for the wings! If he can't fly, he won't have an -- ack!" She was struck hard in the side and gut by a charred wing.

Marabunda growled as he pulled a cheap shot by swinging his wing and knocking Gilda away with powerful force. Gilda let out a screaming squawk as she is sent flying back.

Fluttershy and Gallus looked horrified when that happened, calling out in worry for her, "Gilda!"

Gilda crashed into a wagon and managed to knock it over. Thankfully, there was a hay pile to cushion her crash, but it was still a sore crash-landing either way. She let out a dove coo of pain once she hit the ground, sprinkling hay on herself.

Rainbow Dash winced and flew over to her best friend within minutes and shook her on the shoulder, worried deeply that the manticore may have hurt her bad, "Gilda? Are you alright?"

Gilda groaned and opened her eyes, dazed a little. She sat back up and rubbed her head and holding her gut. She nearly had the wind knocked out of her but she miraculously avoided the claw tip on the wing; she was down, she was sore, but she wasn't completely out yet. "Geez, that hurt. How can a manticore be that tough? Where is he from, the darkest parts of the Everfree?" She wiped the sweat off her forehead and caught her breath a bit slowly so as not to increase the pain from getting knocked in the gut by a rogue. 

Gilda was tough and considered herself a fighter, but if she got struck like that again, it could only end badly for her.

Rainbow Dash was relieved her best friend was alright but she growled as she looked back at the fight, watching her friends giving it everything they've got against the persistent manticore. "We gotta take him down one way or another…"

"Come on ya'll, don't let this buzzard anywhere near us!" Applejack commanded. "Give him all ya got!" Applejack and her siblings launched more pies and fritters at Marabunda and Drift aided them by launching more iron pebbles. Marabunda blocked his face from being assaulted, but his arms were bombarded with pastries and pebbles, juices splattering and crumbs flying while pebbles bounced off of him. Filthy was about to get in the fray, but Marabunda roared loudly at them which got them to stop and cover their ears. But Drift took it like a champ and stepped ahead a bit.

Drift was out of explosive darts, so he had to come up with another plan. He snorted disappointedly to himself, 'Bummer, and I thought those darts would do the trick,' he thought to himself as he rushed toward Marabunda, firing more iron pebbles. Filthy had more ammunition to use and the thought of using his third round would be an ace in the hole. He gave his weapon another click as it switched ammunition. He was about to aim, but a sudden pained scream from Drift caught him by surprise.

Marabunda swung his left arm as hard and fast as he could and actually managed to strike Drift. To his luck, the manticore had him in his palm; he could've grabbed him right then and there, but instead, he launched him back with powerful force. Big Mac and Applebloom got out of the way, but Applejack and Filthy weren't as lucky as Drift crashed onto them with a hard thud, all three screaming or yelping in pain as they hit the ground in a heap. Marabunda smiled evilly; proud he managed to get a hit in this time.

Scootaloo gasped in horror, "Daddy!" but she wasn't the only one to get a jolt of horror as Diamond and Silver screamed to their father to get back up and fight, but it didn't look too good for him or Drift or Applejack. They were down, and they didn't seem to be getting back up. The force may have momentarily knocked them out, or at least dazed them good.

Marabunda then turned his attention to Big Macintosh and Applebloom near a tree. With them left, there was no way they were gonna win.

"Uh-oh…" Applebloom gulped as Big Mac winced once the manticore set his sights on them. Big Mac stood protectively in front of his sister as they started to back up when Marabunda began to approach the two to trap them. The look of death was all the Apple siblings could see from the approaching abomination.

"Applebloom, stay behind me…" He ordered while glaring at the beast.

Having no other ideas to take on this monster, Gilda growled in frustration, "Argh! What is up with this thing? Why is he so hard to take down?" Gilda glared at Marabunda wishing he'd just fall over and die already because this was not normal for any animal. 

Rainbow Dash shrugged, feeling defeated, "How should I know Gilda? Fluttershy might know, but she's in Sugar Cude Corner. If we even move, that freak of nature will come after us." She dropped on her butt next to Gilda and just watched. She could fight back, but what would she do? "Wait..." then it just occurred to her. A smiled rolled on her face, "Maybe I can use my sonic rainboom? With that kind of power, it can surely take him down, right?"

Gilda shook her head, "Doubt it. You could risk causing more damage than that thing over there. There has to be another way."

Suddenly, an eerie hiss filled the air and caught Rainbow Dash and Gilda's attention. They looked to their left and found something quite unexpected and shocking.

Big Mac and Applebloom were backed into a corner. They didn't know what else to do in this situation. It'd be suicide to fight this beast with bare hooves. Their long-ranged fighters were out of commission and they were almost out of pies to throw. Gilda and Rainbow Dash could keep him at bay, but they didn't know for how long. They look to see their friends watching in dismay. 

Big Mac gazed sadly at his Little Sugarcube, silently apologizing that he couldn't stop this monster and that she had to see him and Applebloom perish like this. But if he has to fight up close, it's a risk that he'll take to the end. ‘Little Sugarcube, if this is the end… then I'm glad that the last face I ever see along with my family's is yours.' He glared at the beast lightly and prepared to face him head-on.

Applebloom saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle watching helplessly, but she kept a firm smile on her face determined to fight till the end. She looked back at Marabunda with her big brother by her side and watched as the rogue manticore charged, aiming to finish them both off.

Both Apples braced for the worse, but to their surprise; to Fluttershy's and Scootaloo's surprise; to everyone's surprise who was still watching through their windows; a large lizard-like creature came out of nowhere and rushed Marabunda with a loud hiss, jumping onto him and forcing him to roll away, saving Applebloom and Big Macintosh.

Scootaloo gasped again, but this time with pure excitement and joy, "Varan!" 

Everyone watched in awe as they were about to watch nature fight nature. The whistle did the trick and now Varan came and joined the fight.

Both animals rolled against one another in a vicious tumble-fest, but it was Varan who came out on top and pushed Marabunda away and forced him on his back, but the manticore quickly got back on his feet and growled as he watched this new challenger stand in front of the ponies like a guardian among mortals. This was a perfect opportunity for Gilda and Rainbow to get out of harm's way as they swooped by and got Applejack, Filthy and Drift to safety while Big Mac took Applebloom and rushed away, leaving Varan to fight Marabunda. But Applebloom and Big Mac stopped a good few feet away to watch the fight take place.

Varan took a defensive stance, glaring daggers at the Marabunda. Having answered the whistle's call, Varan followed his instincts and raced for the location it came from – and when he heard fighting going on, he noticed it was a huge battle in the middle of town. And when he noticed his owner was in the middle of it, shaking in the middle of a sweets building; he glared and charged in to take part in the fight. 

Finally, another animal from the forest had arrived to fight him. He admitted these ponies put up quite a fight, but they were no match for his ferocity, stamina, and determination; he was injured to no end, but that was never gonna stop him. 

Perhaps this one could offer a challenge. It was a Komodo Dragon, so this had to be fun. Marabunda let out a deep roar to challenge the mighty lizard. The komodo immediately responded back with an intimidating hiss. 

Perfect.

Hissing loudly to Marabunda's challenge, Varan lunged with incredible speed and tackled the manticore by the front, pinning him down once knocking him off his feet and catching him completely off-guard by making him emit a sudden shocked yip. Varan started clawing at Marabunda, raking his front and back claws against Marabunda's charred skin. Marabunda repeated that same tactic with his claws, raking against Varan's thick hide.

The ponies and griffons could only watch as Scootaloo's pet fought against the manticore. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Gilda were happy to see him here, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were less than enthused but relieved someone came to the rescue, the others had no idea Varan was Scootaloo's pet; they just assumed a random Komodo Dragon showed up and wanted to fight. But with how Scootaloo was reacting, they trusted her motives to know that the Komodo Dragon was on their side.

"Go, Varan! Get him, boy!" Scootaloo called ecstatically. "Show him no mercy!"

The two beasts tussled with one another, swiping their respective claws at one another. Varan hissed aggressively as he tried to use his tail, but ended up smacking Marabunda's scorpion tail away with his claw. He was lucky, but he wasn't gonna celebrate just yet. Varan twirled around, slammed his powerful tail onto Marabunda's midsection and threw him onto his back, causing the manticore to howl in pain. Quickly, Varan ran up and slammed his talon-like claws onto Marabunda's cheek and pinned him down as he opened his jaw, ready to give a bite to his throat. Unfortunately for Varan, Marabunda slammed his fist into his face and knocked him off, making the Komodo squeal in pain. Varan backtracked and shook his head to null the pain away and watched as Marabunda got back up.

Gallus looked confused by what was going on. He looked to Scootaloo and pointed to Varan, "Wait, that's your pet?" Gallus asked, curiously.

Scootaloo turned to Gallus and gave him a confused look, "Yeah, why?"

Gallus shrugged nonchalantly, "No real reason. I'm just wondering how he's gonna take that thing down when Smolder, Spike, and your father and his friend couldn't take him down. All that and he's still standing. What does your pet have that they haven't tried?" 

Scootaloo would be insulted by that question, but Gallus knew nothing about Varan and his abilities -- even she doesn't know about them. But she had to think why she called him here, "I know I called him to help us. He's fast and strong."

"And scary," Silver Spoon pointed out.

"But, if I know Varan, he has abilities we don't even know, yet. Mom and I are trying to figure out what they are," Scootaloo said as she watched Varan tussle with Marabunda. As long as she's known the large komodo, she's wanted to know exactly what he's capable of -- this would be that opportunity. "But more importantly, I want him to help me get revenge for what he did to our friends, but this is also an opportunity for him, too." She gave Gallus a serious, determined glare, "Don't you want to get back at him for hurting Smolder and Spike?" This was a win-win for her and Varan. If Varan won, and she hoped he did, then they'd both get their revenge and everything would be at peace, again -- with her dad back in the picture, she'll have another to care about. But, the thought of seeing Spike getting better crossed her mind, as well.

As much as he wanted to hide it, she was right. He wanted revenge for what that manticore did to Spike and Smolder. They were his friends and now they were out of commission -- Spike being worse than Smolder. He felt useless right now and he was ashamed he didn't help but cowered like a scared little fledgling, but what else could he have done? All he'd do was just get in the way. "Fair enough, Scootaloo." 

Then both of them heard Varan hiss outside. They quickly looked out the window and saw Varan dodge a claw swipe from Marabunda then twirled around and gave Marabunda another solid smack to the thigh with his tail, forcing Marabunda back onto the ground. This got them to cheer some for the lizard, encouraging him to kick this monster's tail and grind him to dust.

"Hit him where it hurts, big fella!" Gallus called out to Varan while Scootaloo cheered in happiness.

Marabunda grunted in pain but he easily got back up. He bared his teeth and glared coldly into the Komodo Dragon's eyes, somehow sending a cold chill down his spine.

Varan froze a little from that cold glare as his own eyes widened from such a look; something about this manticore didn't seem quite right. That evil look in his eyes. Something about them felt familiar, but how? They reminded him of… the beast who killed his family and friends when he was young. 

Gallus looked confused by what was going on. They were just standing there not doing anything, but staring each other down, "Uh, Scootaloo, what's your pet doing?"

Scootaloo tried to figure that out herself, but then it dawned on her that the pieces she was trying to figure out earlier were not yet solved, but now she tried to think back to what she tried to remember what she got out of talking to Varan and her father. Then the pieces came back together. She gasped out loud and immediately rushed to the doors, heading outside.

Gallus flinched and widened his eyes in shock, "Scootaloo, what are you doing?!" Was she nuts? There was a monster out there that could tear her to pieces easily. 

Sweetie Belle and everyone else who saw her tried to get her to come back, but she would not listen. She stood in front of the door and gazed upon the two animals glaring at one another

Fluttershy, having been with her unconscious stallionfriend the whole time when Gilda placed him down next to her, Filthy was placed by Rainbow Dash in front of his family to be tended to by them, had noticed and heard everyone freaking out and then saw her daughter rush out the doors. Mother instincts quickly snapped on and she gasped in horror before rushing over to the doors, but it was too late. "Scootaloo, no!"

"Varan!" Scootaloo called out, getting his and Marabunda's attention. Varan looked at his owner confusedly, until he heard her shout to him, revealing the truth to him about what she has found out, "Varan, it was Marabunda who killed your friends and family, not Harry!"

Fluttershy opened the doors and yelled at Scootaloo to get back here, "Scootaloo, get back here this instant. You are gonna get yourself hurt!" But her words go by deaf ears as Scootaloo continued.

"Your trauma, your childhood, everything that was taken from you was because of him," she pointed to Marabunda, who was about to go after her, "Marabunda took it all away, so don't hold back anything. Take him down and avenge your friends and family!" Fluttershy rushed up, grabbed her and took her back inside.

Varan listened very closely before seeing his young master go back inside. He heard everything and the memories of his childhood came crawling back to him as his eyes slowly widened. 

The tree, the branch, the massacre, the monster, everything came back to him and what he saw attacking all his friends and family was not a bear... it was a manticore. 

A manticore that looked identical to Marabunda.

Varan stood there, shocked, but he came back to his senses and slowly gazed his vengeful eyes on Marabunda as he hissed in rage and realization. 

Now it all made sense why Angel and the others doubted that part of his tragic backstory about his supposed hatred for bears, he had been missing that one remaining piece of the puzzle and now his young master had completed it. The truth is right there, standing in front of him – his anger had been directed at the wrong creature! This behemoth was the one who took everything away from him and ruined his life, not Harry.

Marabunda looked back at Varan as he hissed at him furiously, ‘So, it was you, then. You took everything from me. I'll kill you, you demon! You killed my family! You killed my friends! You'll pay!' he hissed at him, letting Marabunda know of his rage. But Marabunda was unfazed.

The Manticore smirked at him, growling mockingly, ‘Well, well… now that the little speck mentioned it, I do recall one little lizard that slipped through my grasp years ago. And look at you now, all grown up and wanting revenge.' He could care less about any changes, but it was interesting to recognize the komodo that got away came crawling back as a full-grown adult. It pleased him to see the komodo was rearing for a fight, ‘Shall we finish what we started, then?' He licked his lips, rubbing his tongue against his teeth, leering at the lizard. ‘Komodo meat is considered a delicacy where I'm from~' He purred, chuckling darkly at Varan who glared viciously and furiously at him.

He ignored that last bit and growled lowly and angrily, 'Lets,' Varan hissed as he immediately charged and swung his claws, but Marabunda countered with a slash of his paw, managing to knick him on the shoulder.

Varan bellowed in pain and backed a step away, looking at his shoulder, he saw two cuts on his arm, yet he can still operate it. He glared and charged, tackling the manticore forcefully. He furiously hissed as he sliced at the bare spots that were missing fur and were charred, actually managing to cut into skin as he dug his claws in on them, causing Marabunda to roar in agony as warm blood started to pool under the komodo's claws. Varan desperately tried to latch his jaws on the beast's throat, but Marabunda was too quick and pushed his jaws away. 

He had to avenge his loved ones… he had to avenge his friends…

He gazed over to see Scootaloo near the window inside a building along with kind master looking to him with hope and shock in her eyes. Then he noticed others with young master -- those must be her friends.

…He had to protect his owner and her friends. ...He had to protect his new family!

However, he flinched as he was suddenly knocked off of his target due to being distracted, wheezing as Marabunda smacked him off of him. He tumbled on the ground and looked a bit dizzy but growled as Marabunda approached him to cause further damage.

Marabunda growled lowly to Varan, ‘I will give you this… these ponies are really starting to piss me off… but they got guts. Even ruffled me up something good.' He smirked evilly down at the lizard as he pinned him down with one paw by his head to prevent him from biting. He looked worse for wear, but this lizard was never gonna get that chance to kill him, ‘But too bad you can't do what they did.' He reared another paw up to deal a painful swipe to a struggling Varan.

Applebloom watched as she heard Varan whimper and struggle to break free. She heard Scootaloo got all preacher to him and wondered if she was friends with the big lizard. If she was, then it was hero time! 

She rushed up to Marabunda, shocking Big Mac, "Hey! Leave him alone, ya big bully!" She yelled at the rogue before giving him a head-butt to the leg, letting out a squeaky grunt once she literally hit her target head-on. 

Everyone who saw Applebloom watched on in absolute terror and dismay. They didn't know what to do to save her. Big Mac was the only one out there and he didn't seem strong enough to fight off that monster himself. Can this day get any worse? Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle freaked out and went into panic mode as they tried to go out there and help her.

"Okay, what is that kid doing?" Gilda asked, freaking out that a filly would throw herself out like that in front of a monster.

"Is she crazy?!" Scootaloo said in a panicked tone.

"She's gonna get herself killed!" Sweetie Belle said as they made an attempt to go for the door, but Fluttershy and Rarity intervened and grabbed them so they would leave; they wanted to protect them from getting hurt. Outraged, the fillies tried to break from their grasp but all their struggling managed to wake up Applejack.

"Oh, my head. What happened?" she looked over to find Fluttershy and Rarity trying to stop Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo from leaving. But she looked to her left to see Pinkie Pie tending to the cake family and caring for the twins. She didn't think much of it because she was too groggy from being used as a cushion for Drift, but reality set in and she shook her head to wake herself up and got up, wobbling a bit. 'Oh shoot, that manticore is still around!' She managed to right herself and rush up to the front, only to see Applebloom standing in front of the creature. Her heart skipped a beat and her whole orange color turned pale-white; now all she could think of was hoping this was a nightmare.

Curious, yet unfazed by the sudden bump to his hind leg, he turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see Applebloom rubbing her sore head. He smirked darkly as he growled to get the young filly's attention. Varan widened his eyes and attempted to hiss, but with his head pinned under his paw, there was nothing he could do to save the filly; his struggling would go unnoticed by the monster. All he could do was watch in fear and defeat as she looked up at him.

Applebloom rubbed her head to soften the pain, groaning softly. She knew that was a dumb move on her part. "Not one of my better ideas…" She wasn't as strong as her brother and sister, but she was getting there the more she trained, but she was still pretty young. Now she wondered if she got this varmint's attention long enough for Scootaloo's pet lizard to do something. A gust of hot air made her think otherwise. She looked up to find the nightmarish beast staring down at her with the intent of flattening her; that dark smirk still on his face, his teeth shining as he growled at her. Applebloom gulped as she could see her reflection in his teeth, blinking in worry, she sheepishly smiled and nervously waved at Marabunda, "Um, hehe…hi...?"

Marabunda didn't have to think twice as he roared down at the little filly and swiped her with his paw as if she was nothing but a gnat to him. The strong smack didn't seem much for the manticore, but for a small filly like Applebloom, it was a lot and it sent her flying back and crashing into the wagon full of leftover pie. 

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo called out in fear as they felt their own hearts break, thinking their friend just got killed. 

"APPLEBLOOM!!!" Applejack looked horrified while Big Mac immediately rushed to the wagon. She then heard magic go on before she looked to Rarity who just snapped her magic off and sighed in relief. "Rarity, what did you do?" Applejack asked, wondering in a state of panic.

Rarity gave a light chuckle and rubbed her horn to ease any stress from using that spell, "Shield spell. And just in time, too." Rarity had to act fast before that monster could -- and it paid off well. Though, as she cast her shield spell on Applebloom, she too felt the force of the strike; it almost felt like she got hit by a locomotive. But, now she just wished Applebloom made it out alright.

Applejack sighed in relief. She was gonna thank Rarity later for this.

Big Mac quickly reached into the pie wagon and pulled his little sister out; worried out of his mind. He looked down at her. Applebloom was out cold and a pie-covered mess with noticeable claw marks and bruises on her little body. Tears slowly ran down her face; even out cold, she was in deep pain. Big Mac placed an ear over her chest and heard a heartbeat; she was still alive. That protective shield of Rarity's never ceased to amaze them. He examined her body and saw that the claw marks ranged from her leg, torso, and cheek. She was nicked pretty good and bleeding a little, but she'll live.

Upon holding her unconscious form, he didn't look away as he felt his body go cold; he was in a strong case of guilt and shock. He didn't know if Applejack woke up and saw what happened, but if she was, she'd feel the same. 

The Apple Family looked out for each other through thick and thin and to see his little sister like this, hurt him to no end. He didn't focus on anything else around him -- not even the monster that struck her. He didn't know if Applebloom would make it or not. The eldest of the apple siblings started to tear up as he felt useless because he couldn't reach for his little sister in time. 

Why didn't he go after her? Why didn't he take her place? 

Big Mac felt near broken, until something in him snapped like a branch. That cold feeling he felt started to quickly warm up, his muzzle sneered and his eyes reddened. He got up and placed Applebloom back in the wagon; not on the ground. Then, all of his attention... now turned to Marabunda who felt nothing more than glee from what he did.

Applejack was indeed watching this and she wanted to go out and retrieve Applebloom, but she had to wait for the fire to cross by. She tensed up and her eyes spoke fear and shock when she saw the look in her brother's eyes, "Oh no...." 

Rainbow Dash noticed Applejack's unusual behavior and looked at her in confusion, "Uh, AJ, are you okay?" Other than witnessing her little sister get swatted by the manticore, Applejack should be mad, not scared.

Big Mac stood tall and growled angrily. He furiously turned to face Marabunda with a soul-piercing glare; his eyes glowing red with pure hate and unhinged rage. Marabunda noticed.

She didn't give much of an explanation, but she spoke as best she could while a few others were confused by her behavior, too, "Okay, y-ya'll know how Big Mac is usually quiet and friendly, but mostly keeps to himself?" Applejack asked to anyone who could answer her.

Not surprised, but expected, nonetheless, her friends that knew Big Mac for as long as memory served nodded to her. Well, yeah, it was no surprise.

Aside from Gallus, Vinyl, Smolder and Gilda, everyone knew Big Mac long enough to know he was a genuinely sweet, chilled guy with a gold heart. A hard worker and loved to help those when he can, but he never spoke out or said anything rebellious to them; he just went along for the ride, unless it was something very serious, but that was very rare. But, they have noticed his silent tongue before, but they never thought to ask why he was always quiet, but they also did not force him to speak – that one was his call; they just appreciated his help, company, and so on. Heck, to some of them, he was like a big brother no one ever had. 

But then, it slowly crept up onto them. They never once saw Big Macintosh in a fit of rage. Not one hissy fit, not one fury-filled scowl, not even a smidge of anger, or outburst, nothing. He had always had that calm smile on his face – but now as they watched, that calm smile had been replaced by a demonic snarl. 

A cold chill emanated within Sugarcube Corner. Gears turned and unsettled fears took over. It never occurred to them how Big Mac felt around them when they asked for help; now they wondered if they ever thanked him or appreciated him for the efforts he brought to help them with whatever they needed. Now the question that loomed in everyone's minds were: how long has that bottle been filling up? 

They all look to Applejack who nodded nervously in return before they looked out the window to see what was about to unfold.

"I… I never thought about it, Applejack," Rarity worriedly said. "You never brought it up when we were on our trip."

"That's cause it wasn't a big deal until now," AJ whimpered out, gripping her hat, tempted to pull it down and shield her eyes – but she couldn't. She's witnessed his rage moments before and it was no rocket science that he got it from their dad. Now she'll get to see it at its fullest.

"It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" Silver asked nervously and scared to even find out what Applejack meant by what she said.

Scootaloo looked scared herself. She knew her older brother-figure could get frustrated, which she knew quite well, but she never saw what he was like at his breaking point. She kept her eyes glued to the window, watching and waiting with maxed anticipation.

"Wait, I'm confused," Gilda said as she scratched her head. "Why are you guys getting so nervous?"

Gallus raised a confused brow and joined in on Gilda's little confused boat, "Yeah. Professor Applejack, you told us before your brother was a hard worker and other stuff. You're making it sound like he's a time bomb. He can't be that dangerous, can he?" But Applejack only responded with a serious look and nod as she simply turned his head back to the fight – if he doesn't believe her, surely what was about to occur will convince him.

Seeing this stallion stand up to him without fear made the manticore a bit curious, raising a brow at the furious look on his face. But he couldn't help but smirk and chuckle darkly as he listened to Applebloom's soft whimpering – he only intended to strike fear into the filly's heart by faking her out with a mock swipe, but it looked like he got himself too carried away; it felt like he hit nothing but a mere fly. ‘Here I was just expecting to scare that little runt into fainting on the spot…' He chuckled within his throat, ‘Silly me. I'm such a butter-claws.'  He sarcastically thought to himself through his smirk.

He didn't know if his strike left a mark, but it did reward his ears with pained whimpers. A deserving tune for him, but now he wanted to add more to it as he gave the stallion before him an eager glare. He taunted the stallion with a low groan and a swiping paw to the ground – the very same paw that he used to swipe at Applebloom with.

The mock went noticed, but that was a mistake Marabunda would regret. He was used to seeing families of any species tremble and fall under his paws and he held no remorse for them, but he was unaware of the hard lesson he was about to learn. If vengeance took form, it wouldn't just be Varan, Filthy and Drift, but it would take on the new form of an elder sibling's wrath. 

Big Mac considered himself a reasonable, responsible, sensitive and understanding pony. He loved his family, he cared for his friends, and he would not let anything dangerous harm them. That especially included protecting his siblings, including his Little Sugarcube. He would do what it took to protect them at all costs, but today he failed. Two of his siblings were hurt and he couldn't do anything to save them. 

He wasn't just mad at himself, but he was pumped with rage at the monster that was responsible for this was before him. To see Applebloom in a state of pain threw his nerves all out of whack, and the mental bottle that he had built up over decades finally shattered. All sense of sensitivity and reason was thrown out the window. He lost all sense of control as to what was happening now – Big Mac was nothing more than a red juggernaut ready to mow down anything in his path. 

This manticore was going down and he'll make sure he stayed down!

His breathing intensified and his chest heaved some as he struggled to try and keep his anger down, but it was to no avail. All Apple Family members had one shared trait: they were all stubborn. But unlike Applejack and Applebloom, who were very expressive with their stubbornness, he was stubborn through action -- it would've taken a lot to make them get over their stubbornness. But in a situation like this, no one was gonna stop Big Macintosh.

He had kept his anger in for a long time, but after what this manticore had done, he finally let all of it out. He stomped his hooves on the ground and let out a rageful cry that would've made a dragon drop bricks in fear.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

His roar echoed. Everyone in the bakery was stunned and shocked by what they heard; it was as if a warrior had joined the fray to take on the beast. Varan winced deeply and laid completely still, fearing if he moved, he would tempt the beast within the earth pony.

Everyone covered their ears, but it wasn't enough to drown out the anger-released roar. Rarity stayed away from the window and Sweetie Belle just stayed by Scootaloo's side as they covered their ears, but kept watch. The sisters never anticipated such a thing from such a kind-hearted stallion, it almost horrified them. Guess it was true about gentle giants having a savage side. 

"Poor Marabunda…" Sweetie Belle squeaked out quietly in fear, eyes wide in shock and fright.

"He knows not what he had done…" Rarity dramatically yet rightfully concluded as she bared witness to a stallion's inner rage.

Applejack stood there and withstood the noise ringing in her ears. With a response like that, her brother was gonna show no mercy to that varmint. She had no intention of stopping him, but she was gonna get Applebloom out of there. Then she noticed Fluttershy approaching her with ears dropped down to drown out the howling. Applejack raised a brow at Fluttershy. What was she doing? What did she want? The cowgirl pony and nature pony stared at each other momentarily. The urge to talk to one another was out of the question, but Applejack noticed Fluttershy motion to the doors and motioned to the whistle Scootaloo had. Applejack could barely understand what Fluttershy was getting at, but she nodded to her anyway. They had to move, now!

Pinkie Pie's frizz was freaked yet she was wide-eyed and grinning wildly as the Cake Twin's looked on in confusion, holding their ears closed as Big Mac roared in fury against the manticore. "Oh, yeah, Maccy-baby!" Pinkie Pie called out as she could only hear herself, but she got an earful of that monstrous call. Mr. Cake ran in to get the twins, but it gave Pinkie Pie the signal to go and check what was going on. She zoomed out of the master bedroom and back down to the main hall where everyone was. She was not gonna miss this.

The sound of that roar immediately roused Smolder out of her semi-coma. She gasped as she sat back up and breathed in slow breaths to ease herself. She didn't know how long she was out, what was going on or how she got in this room, but she did know that whatever was making that battle-harden call made her not want to know who or what was making it. She noticed Spike next to her on another bed on his stomach. Worry and sadness waved over her as she saw the hole in his back. She tried to reach for him, but to her shock and relief, Spike slightly opened one eye and looked at Smolder. Smolder smiled in relief, but Spike was none too happy as everything was still fuzzy to him and his body hurt like Tartarus. 

Everyone in Sugarcube Corner shook in fear – aside from Pinkie Pie who was enjoying this – and were almost white as ghosts from hearing this call from Big Mac. If this was one side of him that was lying dormant for this long, they never want it to come back. They were just happy he was gonna take his anger out on Marabunda. But the call not only woke Smolder and Spike, but it shot Drift and Filthy out of their dazed state, as well. 

Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Milk were almost horrified and rendered speechless. Normally, Spoiled would've taken any moment to insult the Apples because of how they lived and how unclean they looked. For the longest time, she had no idea why her husband would ever want to start a business with them when they seemed like they had no idea what business was; even respecting them felt wrong to her. She just saw them as ponies to stomp on and nothing more. She never wanted to interact with them and only focused on what she wanted; that was one reason why she was with Filthy, to begin with -- or so she thought. But, upon seeing Big Mac's anger being displayed, she worried if had that happened if she pushed him over the edge, she'd suffer the same fate. She wasn't just scared, but she was relieved as all Tartarus that she dodged a severe bullet like that. But, then again, she and her daughter shot themselves in the hooves for bringing that monster here, to begin with. Spoiled Milk thought to herself that she didn't really dodge any bullets, at all. The pressure of guilt rang true over her form.

Fluttershy stood with Applejack as they watched out the window on the left. The shy mare was absolutely stumped by Big Mac's raw anger. 'He's bottled in that much anger?' she felt bad for him for doing such a thing. It wasn't healthy, but she could understand, too; she bottled in her own anger when something frustrated her. And she had a feeling Applejack was the same way. Perfect example would be to scold that manticore for going after Applebloom, but it looked like Big Mac beat her to it. She winced a little, thinking that she did not want to be in Marabunda's paws right now. But the plan was set in motion and she quickly snatched the whistle from Scootaloo, much to her daughter's confusion.

Marabunda was caught completely off-guard by this outcome. For once in his very existence, he actually became a bit concerned for his own safety as this stallion roared a roar that sounded like it came from a beast of a million years ago. He actually flinched in slight fear from the reaction of the earth pony and tried to take flight to avoid what this stallion could do to show his rage, but he yelped in shock when the red stallion made a mad dash after him and was quickly grabbed by the tail with his jaws. Marabunda let out a small kitten mew and widened his eyes in shock.

Varan took this opportunity to crawl away before anything could happen to him. Hurrying to the tree with the wagon Applebloom was lying in, he curled around it and watched all Tartarus break loose.

The stallion was seeing red. Nopony hurts his sisters! With inhumane strength, he pulled the manticore back down and slammed him to the ground, then lifted him right over his head and slammed him to the ground, again. Then he used the same tactic back and forth, over and over, slamming him on the ground face-first.

Scootaloo went wide-eyed and slacked jawed from what she was looking at. In fact, everyone else who was watching was the same way. Confused, blown away, and flabbergasted – every pony and every creature had no idea how to react to something like that. Big Mac was slamming Marabunda around like a colt slamming an easily broken toy on the ground in the form of a tantrum.

"Whoa-ho, remind me not to get on his bad-side," Vinyl quipped, asking a rhetorical question while trying to be funny, yet no one was laughing.

Gallus and Gilda were just as surprised as their pony friends; actually, they were stunned. Gallus had to think twice about who to anger from now on. Sure, hotheads like Smolder, Garble, some of Ocellus's siblings and a bunch of griffons were easy to anger, but now he had to take into consideration that maybe friendly ones like Silverstream, Gabby, Ocellus and a few other students might not be a good idea to push them over the edge. He'll still joke and crack snarky remarks, but he'll definitely see that line. Gilda was no different. She was tough as nails, but she knew when she was beaten – especially when it came to stronger foes. But back then, messing with ponies was fun and she could always get away with it because she was so strong. Or, at least, that's what she thought until Big Mac showed otherwise by using Marabunda as a hammer. Now she wondered what would've happened if she came across a pony like him in High School. Pretty sure the outcome would result in the same way. Gilda winced at the mere thought and felt genuinely glad it never did happen. She appreciated herself even more for letting time and age change her the way it did. She was also thankful that her little sister would not be able to witness this since Rainbow's parents took Glinda in for a few days; this whole experience could traumatize the poor runt.

Big Mac swung the beast over his head like a lasso at a dizzying pace. His jaws locked tight on that scorpion tail and he made sure he would not let go until the momentum was right. Marabunda let out a dizzied lion howl and felt like he was gonna barf. But he soon felt the red psycho let go of his tail and threw him. Marabunda roared and crashed onto the town well, causing him some bruising to the back. A crack was heard yet went momentarily unnoticed by all due to this unnatural and unexpected scene that just occurred. 

Marabunda groaned in pain and felt dazed by what just happened. First, an orange dragon pummeled him down and burned him alive. Then, he was used as a pincushion for exploding needles. And now, he's being thrown around and tossed aside by a red stallion? In what world could a picture like this be so wrong?! This was insane! And he thought he was the rogue one?!

Marabunda winced and twitched, but grunted as he tried to get up. He was not down yet, but a sharp pain in his back went off and ultimately pinned him back down. Could something be wrong with his wings? He tried to look back and find out, but he opened his eyes to the sight he didn't expect so soon. His eyes bugged out when the crazed stallion dashed after him and tackled onto him, slamming his bulk and further pinned him down to where he could fall into the well. He didn't get a chance to utter out a sound as the stallion already started throwing punches down and not giving him a chance to counter.

Applejack lightly bumped Fluttershy, "Alright, let's go." Applejack signaled.

"Right," Fluttershy followed her as friends and family watched them, already confused by what was going on. What were they doing?

"Hey, where are you two going?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Rainbow, stay back. Don't get involved," Applejack barked as she rushed to Applebloom. That just made Rainbow even more confused, but none more so than Scootaloo when she noticed her mother heading away from everyone with the whistle. 

"Mother?" Scootaloo said as Drift limped to her and watched as Fluttershy left. Not even her family knew what she was about to do.
> And Conquer Them
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of gentle wings flapped the air. Fluttershy flew as fast as her wings could take her. She was nowhere near as fast as Rainbow Dash, but she didn't care. She had to muster up as much energy as she can to get back to her home. She had to take another route because of the hoarding crowd around on the bridge near Town Hall. And what better way than to just fly up and over the crowd. She wasn't too fond of heights, but she to do what she must to save her friends and family. She felt bad for leaving them behind and vowed herself to make it up to them later. 

'Varan shouldn't be the only one to fight,' Fluttershy thought as she flew passed the cow farm. 'If Marabunda is this strong, then we'll need more claws and teeth.' Fluttershy clenched her hoof that held the whistle and was about to make it back to her cottage. She could only imagine what Big Mac must be doing right now. She wasn't just worried about her family, but she was worried about the apple family, too. Poor Applebloom… She pondered if Applejack got her in time while Big Mac kept Marabunda at bay.


***Ponyville***


A massive fight broke out. The painful sounds of hard hooves slammed against fur and flesh as each strike received either a distressed wait or the assumed sound of bones cracking. In Sugarcube Corner, Scootaloo, Drift, the Rich family and the others who were with them watched in wonder and shock as the Apple family's gentle giant pinned the murderous Marabunda down and assaulted him with a barrage of powerful, relentless punches. Big Mac was on a tirade and the one who caused it was gonna know just how much wrong he was in. Everyone who heard the strikes could only describe them as either bone-breaking jabs or skin-tearing slaps. Whatever Big Mac was doing, they were so glad they were not a victim right now.

*PUNCH, SMACK, PUNCH, SMACK, PUNCH!* was all they could hear as they witnessed Big Mac throwing punch after punch down at Marabunda.

From the left, to the right, to the left again, the irate brother decked the manticore repeatedly in the face and jaw in rageful fury; Each part of Marabunda's face was not gonna be left unnoticed. Big Mac was gonna make sure he received a punch worse than the last. No mercy! No remorse! No chance in Tartarus will he ever let this manticore take another life! Big Macintosh put all his hulking strength into wailing on the manticore until he was unconscious or dead. The only thing he could hear was Marabunda's pained cries and howls -- he was not gonna give him a chance to counter.

In the Ponyville school, a few miles away from Ponyville, the foals of Miss Cheerilee's class were frozen in shock as they witnessed the fight within the town. The hill made it easy to see where it was, but with the distance, it was a somewhat blur to them; some couldn't tell who was winning, but others could tell just by the red dot. Cheerilee, peeping over another window, was gaping in sheer shock from the pillar of strength that Big Mac had within himself. The one time they were possessed by that love poison, she vaguely remembered the strength Big Macintosh had and now she's experiencing it at its fullest -- it was amazing, yet kind of scary. Enough for her to understand why he was acting like this. She had never seen him like this, but she hoped it would end soon. Big Macintosh was a kind soul to her, not a hulking brute. "Big Mac…" she whispered to herself as she heard her students wince and tense their 'oohs' when they heard Big Mac's punches.

Big Mac was so infuriated, he kept his punches up to a point that Marabunda's cheeks started to swell, yelling out a single word with each punch, from the left and right, emphasizing his point to the monster and forcing him to learn this brutal lesson. "No… Creature… Hurts… My… Friends... And... My… SISTERS!" He took a mighty swing to Marabunda's jaw and knocked a tooth out, but he further emphasized with a few kicks on the chest, "Ya'll… are... gonna regret... ever... messin' with us!" A dual front hoof slam to his midsection forced Marabunda to squeal in pain, but Big Mac quickly lifted his head and slammed it against the manticore's forehead. Marabunda went back down and nearly fell into the well.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Big Mac, all his built-up anger was spent as the punches and kicks ended. He looked down to see his result and all he saw was a beaten and bruised husk of what was once Marabunda. He would feel proud, but all he felt was satisfaction and relief knowing he avenged his sisters. He kept his gaze down on the manticore like a sniper, just waiting for this idiot to make a move. A few minutes passed and, aside from taking in long, exhausted breaths, Marabunda never attempted to move -- not even twitch a muscle.

Big Mac nodded to himself and turned away then hopped off of the creature. He walked away without ever looking back at his opponent. Everyone was about to cheer at Big Mac's victory, but Marabunda suddenly resurrected himself and sprang up to try and surprise attack the red stallion. He roared in fury as everyone who watched gasped in terror and tried to warn Big Mac, but a precise, well-timed, lucky, powerful buck right between the eyes careened the manticore's head up and caused the beast to nearly cry out in sheer pain before he stumbled back and accidentally fell back and slid into the well, roaring as he fell deep into the well.

Big Mac was rewarded with the sound of a large splash of water that uprooted from the well, letting him know Marabunda landed and was right where he belonged.

He could only guess, but he could barely make out a small sound as he walked away. Marabunda was still alive, but he was squirming to get out. "No point in climbing out of there. There's nothing to grab onto for ya to climb out. You're just stuck there for a long time." Big Mac said as he walked away, but was stopped when he found himself face to face with the giant lizard that fought Marabunda. Varan glued his sights on Big Mac. His posture was calm and collected, yet he was curious and observant. But that didn't mean his presence alone made Big Mac nervous. He may have fought off Marabunda, but he didn't know tit for tat about what this large lizard could do. 

"Uh, hey, there, big fella," Big Mac said nervously. "Y-You're Scootaloo's pet, right?" He had to guess. Why else would this monstrous lizard be here? Though, he flinched when the Komodo leaned his head forward upon saying Scootaloo's name.

Scootaloo noticed Varan observing Big Mac and got a cheeky chuckle out of it. As much as it amused her to see everyone around her, her dad included, get nervous and scared reactions out of watching Varan. She knew her pet wasn't gonna do anything unless there was an actual threat. She decided it was best to go out and explain. As she did, she was stopped by her dad placing a worried hoof on her.

"Uh, Scootaloo, you sure it's okay to go out there?" Drift asked, worried if this lizard was as big a threat as Marabunda was, but a chuckling grin and cheerful eyes told him that what he was thinking wasn't the case. He looked confused at her sudden cheerful behavior about this humongous lizard.

"Dad, it's okay, Varan isn't a threat to anyone," Scootaloo motioned to her pet Komodo, "He's a big softy."

Drift wasn't sure of what to think about this. Fighting Marabunda was one thing, but another animal showing up and helping them aid in the fight and not knowing its origin seemed risky. Yet, his daughter knew this thing, somehow. "Okay, so, short story, baby girl," he asked curiously. He was out cold through most of the fight, so, at least one explanation can work.

Scootaloo chuckled and proudly and smugly looked at her father and said, "He's my pet, dad."

That one sentence was more than enough to blow his ever-loving mind. He blinked a few times as he tried so hard to process what he just heard. Her pet? That giant lizard out there is Scootaloo's pet? His baby girl owned a huge mother-bucking lizard?! How? When? Where? So many thoughts rushed through his mind in one go and it gave him such a headache. 'How in the wide world of Equeastria did Fluttershy approved this?' Scootaloo mentioned she owned a pet Komodo, but she didn't specify if it was a baby or not. But seeing her pet that big would make anypony think she's crazy. He looked out the window and got a good look at the size of this thing compared to Big Mac; its head was hunched down a little, but if it stood up it would stand a few inches taller than Big Mac. He nervously pondered if this was actually a Komodo Dragon, he had a few guesses but said to his daughter, "You sure that's a Komodo Dragon? It looks more like a -- Scootaloo?" He looked down only to see his daughter casually walk out of the bakery. "Scootaloo!"

Gallus looked outside the window and eyed the huge lizard, analyzing it. It looked really cool and Scootaloo owned it? "That's one lucky filly. Wish I had a pet like that." He could picture it now: flying in the air with a pet of his own. But what kind of pet would it be? 'Ooo, a flying reptile would be awesome.' He smiled excitedly to himself until a familiar voice called to everyone.

"Okay, what's this talk of a pet I'm hearing?" Smolder asked as she stood on the stairs, held herself steady with one arm against the wall and holding her gut with the other. She was still exhausted and hurt from her fight, but that wasn't enough to bring her down. She snickered as Gallus and Rarity rushed over to her.

"Darling, what are you doing up?" Rarity asked, quite surprised Smolder was back on her feet.

"Yeah, I thought you'd be out cold?"

Smolder snickered as she walked down the steps to meet her friend and professor. Though she had blackish-purple bruises on parts of her body, a slight black eye on the right side of her face and a fat lip, she was more than alive. "It's gonna take more than a Manticore to bring this dragoness down," she proudly boasted, but secretly second thought herself, wondering how she was still able to stand when she felt like some of her insides have been bruised, too. But holding her gut nulled the pain, just a little.

"You should be back in bed, sweetie," Mrs. Cake intervened, concerned for Smolder's well-being and condition. Rarity and Gallus second that notion. Seeing Smolder up like this was worrying, but the young dragoness just shrugged it off stubbornly.

"I'm fine, really," Smolder said as she took the last step down to the floor to meet everyone. She, unfortunately, wobbled a little upon that step but Gallus caught her in time as she looked up to find unsure eyes staring down at her. Smolder smiled cheekily and tried to jokingly play it off like it was no big deal, "Heh, timber?."

Rarity just rolled her eyes, unamused. If Applejack and Rainbow Dash weren't bad enough with their stubbornness, other creatures share the same thing. But she wasn't gonna say anything because she was at fault, too. She mentally shrugged at herself, before asking Smolder worriedly, "Well, since you're up already, how's Spike?" That attack from Marabunda grazed her mind and she had to know if he was okay.

All joking aside, Smolder looked at Rarity worried and unsure. "He's alive, but he isn't moving a muscle," Smolder informed, letting Rarity and Gallus know, but she didn't know much else, "I tried to talk to him, but he never spoke." She tried to keep her composure, but the worry for her brother was beginning to shine as Rarity and Gallus noticed Smolder's eyes became glossy and teary. She was scared and worried about her brother. She knew it was risky fighting Marabunda, but she never thought it would lead to this.

Gallus tried to comment on this, but seeing Smolder hurt made him feel just as bad. He never hung out with Spike all that much, but now that he did, he thought he was actually pretty cool; a total dork, but still cool. And with the knowledge that he and Smolder were long lost siblings, it brought out a softer side of Smolder. Normally, she would hide her true feelings, but since then she's changed and she was more open. Gallus respected Spike for that and it did the same for him, sort of. Gallus didn't know what to do right now, but all he could think of was to keep Smolder close. He looked to Rarity who felt the same way.

Rarity had an equal amount of care for her little Spikey. Granted, she didn't do what Twilight did when she hatched Spike, but like Twilight, Spike was a great assistant and valuable friend. She was aware of his little crush on her, but at a moment like this, that was less important. She looked up at the stairs and had to know something. She looked back at Smolder and told her, "Smolder, I'm gonna check on Spike."

Smolder nodded," Uh, okay?" She didn't know what Rarity had in mind, but she wasn't gonna object.

As Rarity went up, Mrs. Cake informed Smolder about what happened before she woke up, "There is some good news, dear," Smolder looked at Mrs. Cake, curiously, "That awful manticore has finally been defeated." 

With that news heard, it brought a small smile to the young dragoness' face, but then she looked to the crowd watching out the windows... only to spot Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Milk. That smile slowly turned into a frustrated snarl.

"Heh, yeah. Big Mac trashed that manticore and tossed him in a well," Gallus said as he snickered. "I doubt he'll be climbing out of there any time soon." But he got no response, "Smolder?" he looked to his friend, but widened his eyes as he caught Smolder giving death glares. "Oh, no..."

Mrs. Cake noticed, too, and figured who she was glaring, "Now, dear, calm down. We all know what they did was wrong and they'll get what's coming to them." she had to calm Smolder down so she would worsen her injuries. But the look Smolder was giving to the filly and mare was nothing but unforgiving. All her worry and grief turned into hate and anger.

Smolder got up. She didn't care how injured she was; she still remembered it was their fault they were all in this mess. And it was because of them, Spike was in a room suffering from the injury he got from that psycho manticore. Even if Gallus and Mrs. Cake pleaded her not to go over to them, Smolder wanted to see them burn for what they did. She tried to move herself off of Gallus, but a squeaky voice caught their attention

Sweetie Belle pumped a hoof, grinning as she squeaked out in joy "Hooray, Big Mac!" Even if that large lizard was out there, she was happier to know that crazy manticore was down and out. Someone had to break the silence and she'd gladly do it.

Applejack was amazed. Comparing her mad episodes, what she just witnessed her older brother do made them look like she was having a decent day and the punches she heard once she rushed inside with Applebloom made her punches look like love-taps more than anything, yet she couldn't prevent herself from gazing back at her brother with a storm of different feelings – shock that he had kept in so much anger all these years; relief that it was finally over; yet she also felt a punch of pride swelling up in her chest after seeing her brother, the strongest Apple Family member of Sweet Apple Acres, had thrashed the living daylights and actually defeated a manticore twice his size with only his bare hooves. "Wow…" She uttered out in shock, "I didn't know he had it in him." She then smiled in joy and joined Sweetie Belle in praising her brother as the others smile widely at such heroic action. "All right Big Mac!!" She didn't jump for joy or anything. Applebloom was still in her arms and she needed to be careful with her. 'Oh, right,' she reminded herself as she looked down at her little sister to check if she was still breathing. She worried to no end, but a light heaving little chest told her she was alive. Applejack smiled in utmost relief, but now she had to get her to a hospital or somewhere. She looked up to find Rarity climbing up the stairs. She raised a confused brow but got up and followed her while still holding Applebloom.

Rainbow Dash grinned. She was stunned he had that kind of firepower in him, but it pleased her to see him let loose on that monster. "Awesome!" She said as she laughed gleefully, "That was totally more than being 20% cooler!" The fight was so epic, it made her want to join back in.

Drift rushed outside to be with his daughter, but when he did he was amazed and shocked to see her casually walk up to Varan and Big Macintosh, then watch her give Big Mac a slight tackle-hug. What was more astounding is that what Scootaloo said about the lizard was right: he really was a softy. As Drift watched the giant lizard nuzzle against his baby girl, Filthy walked out with his family close behind -- most like to get away from the crowd inside the bakery. Drift heard them come out and looked to find Filthy with a proud smile. He didn't know Big Mac all that well and to see him lash out the way he did made him wonder why he wasn't a part of their crew before, but he had to ask Filthy, "What was that all about?" He was amazed, for sure.

He motioned to what he saw before Filthy answered him honestly, "That, ol' Drifter, is 'Protective Older Brother Instinct' at its finest. I'm certain you're familiar with it, right?" He said with a teasing chuckle, knowing he probably hasn't done that with Vinyl, but the faint hesitant blush on Drift face gave him that answer. Filthy motioned to Big Macintosh introduced Drift to his partner-in-business and close friend – relishing that amazed expression on Drift's face, "Meet Big Macintosh, Drift, not only the strongest, hard-working stallion the apple family has on the farm, but he's also one of my business partners and close friend, and, from what he told me before --" he smiled as he looked to Drift, "-- your daughter's big brother figure."

That last bit shocked him the most. He looked to his old comrade in shock before he peered back to Big Macintosh. This startling revelation made him ponder so much that he didn't know what to say. He felt glad this stallion took it upon himself to be a big brother figure for his daughter. Was Fluttershy okay with that? Does she know? He wished he knew, but never did. As bad as it was to leave Fluttershy alone with his child, someone else stepped in and filled in. If it happened, maybe even fill in to become a father-figure for Scootaloo. No way! He was glad that never happened. Fluttershy was his angel and Scootaloo was his flesh and blood. He was happy he found them and now he had to stand up and be the family stallion he had to be. 

Well, since Filthy said 'Brother-figure', so he wasn't gonna have an issue over it. After all, Big Macintosh looked like he wasn't the kind of stallion to steal other stallion's mares. 'Gotta admit, big guy's strong as a rhino but he looks like he keeps to himself.' He looked to his daughter and saw her little wings buzzing like crazy and her tail wagging like a puppy tail. She was happy, so he wasn't gonna complain.

Scootaloo smiled when she released Big Mac from her hug, "Big Mac, that was awesome!" she said as she tried to mimic what he did to Marabunda, but failed and only gave straight punches to the air. "You pummeled down that manticore like it was nothing!" She was having a blast with what she saw. This whole day had been nothing but chaos and not the kind Discord would usually like. Yet the action she saw him perform out there remedied that. "And the way you kicked him right in the face, that was so brutal!" It was like watching an action film, only this was real.

Big Macintosh chuckled sheepishly with a sheepish blush to boot, appreciating Scootaloo's enthusiasm yet he felt somewhat embarrassed toward himself – he didn't expect his anger to get the pure better of him like that – if anything, he started to think maybe he overdid it a bit. Oh well, that manticore deserved it all. But words couldn't really describe what he felt. His sisters were hurt by that creature and he just stood there. If it wasn't Marabunda, it was definitely himself who was hurting him. That blind rage was really all he needed to break through his petrified state. "Heh, eeyup." He then looked to Varan who confusedly looked down at Scootaloo as she threw punches in the air. He felt a little awkward, nervous and tense around the big lizard. He didn't know if he was gonna attack or what. He was never good at reading animals, and the only animals he was used to were Winona and a few rabbits that hang around the apple fields. This large lizard was on a whole different ball-game. "Uh, little sugarcube?"

Scootaloo stopped her 'punching' and looked up to Big Mac as he motioned to Varan next to him. Scootaloo chuckled a little and waved a reassuring hoof to her older brother-figure, "Oh, don't worry Big Mac. Varan's a big softy. He's really sweet," her chuckling grew a little as she added which got her big brother to blush, "kinda like you." she casually walked up to Varan like she usually does. "I'll show you." Big Mac tensed up as he watched Scootaloo stand right in front of the big reptile; she better know what she's doing. Even if Varan fought Marabunda, Big Mac wasn't sure if he was a threat or not.

Varan kept his eyes glued onto his young master. After witnessing what occurred with the red horse and his family and friend's killer, he wanted to know if he was a friend or foe. But when young master approached him and embraced him, he had second thoughts. It did amuse him to see young master so excited and giddy. Varan watched young master approach him like she always did and it warmed his soul knowing she still gave him attention. As she stood in front of him, he leaned his head down and immediately nuzzled up to her. Granted, the wounds inflicted on him still hurt, but that didn't stop him from wanting to feel his master's embrace -- and so he was rewarded.

Scootaloo sat on her haunches as Varan rubbed his snout against her and she returned it with a warm hug, shocking not only Big Mac but Drift, Vinyl, Gallus, Smolder, and everyone who watched that had never witnessed Varan before. To them, a little filly hugging the snout of a possibly dangerous animal sparked their fear factors, and wanted her to get away from that thing. Yet, to Scootaloo, it was like any other day. Weird or not, Varan was her pet and she never wanted that to change. While the faces staring at them were scared, Scootaloo was proud. Proud of Varan for standing up to Marabunda.

Scootaloo gently brushed a hoof across his head and smiled proudly, "I was hoping to introduce him to you guys later, but I guess that changed." A little jab at Diamond and Spoiled, but that was the least of her focus right now. "I'm glad he came when he did and helped out. I'm so proud of you, Varan." She gave him another hug on the snout, but Varan just gave a light, calming hiss. He was happy he succeeded in keeping Scootaloo safe.

The sight before him could not be more bizarre and baffling. Of all the animals for a filly to have, he never would've guessed Scootaloo would own a pet like this. He didn't know if she was brave or crazy, but Big Macintosh would need time to process this. Maybe she was telling the truth, "So, is he safe to -- ya know..." he gestured a pet motion to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo looked at Big Mac and nodded, "Oh, yeah, totally. Varan would let ya pet him when he gets to know ya." She looked back to Drift and waved him over, "That same goes to you too, dad."

Did he hear that right? Did his own daughter call him over to introduce him to her pet monster lizard? 'Well, never expected this in my entire life,' he thought to himself as he spoke to her in a bit of volume. "You sure?"

Scootaloo just rolled her eyes nonchalantly and smiled, responding back with a bit of sass, "Yes, daddy. Don't be such a scaredy-cat. He's not gonna bite."

"I can't tell if she's joking or not, and that's very concerning," Filthy said as he and his family looked at Scootaloo very puzzled and very hesitant. 

Vinyl rushed out and stood next to Drift with an excited grin, "D-Bro, I don't know what's crazier, those little do-dads you made or the fact that your mini you owns an awesome-looking pet." She gave Drift a good smack on the back, loving the fact she was a part of this family. Hesitation was not processing for Vinyl and before Drift could get a word in, she dashed toward Scootaloo, Big Mac, and Varan.

Drift could only process so much. It took so much to take down Marabunda that it seemed like it would never end, but with the combined might of the dragons, apple and gem family, him and Filthy, and Varan, they finally defeated the rogue manticore and brought peace back to Ponyville. But, something was missing from this picture and he couldn't help but wonder -- then it dawned on him as he gasped in shock, "Where'd Fluttershy run off to?!"


***At the forest behind Fluttershy's Cottage***


Her wings gave out, but she made it. Fluttershy got close enough to the forest area behind her home and plopped on her rump to rest and catch her breath. Her heart raced every second and her ribs felt like they were caving in. Running on hooves or flying with wings, the results were the same: unbearable exhaustion and pain. She had to take a small break, but she still had to do this. She looked at the whistle in her hoof and contemplated using it. She sighed to herself as she collected her thoughts on all this.

This day was supposed to be a peaceful day. Her only goal was to have her daughter have a great day. Spend time with not only her crush but other friends, too. Head to Sugarcube Corner and hang out, only to meet Drift unexpectedly. But the day rewarded all her efforts with not only a happy reunion, but having to get back together with the stallion she loved. It was funny, before, she wanted to hurt him for what he did to her. But now, after seeing him so hurt for what he did, it was as if someone listened and it made her change her mind. Drift had a moral compass and he knew he goofed up and she couldn't be mad at that. She felt so at ease when she got back together with him. But some ponies had to go and ruin that!

She wasn't just exhausted but she was also frustrated to no end. Filthy's wife and daughter are such a hooveful and it begged her to ask how does he put up with them. To top it all off, they used this thing to summon a dangerous rogue into Ponyville. What kind of whistle was this? A magic-wielding whistle? There were so many questions bombarding her mind that she needed to go to Twilight and have her look at this. But for now, it still has one last purpose to fulfill. She glared determinedly up at the forest and nodded, slowly bringing the whistle up to her mouth. If Scootaloo could summon Varan with it, then why doesn't she summon her own aid? She paused and pondered for a moment with the whistle inches from her muzzle, but snapped out of it immediately.

'Please, please for the love of the royal sisters... let this work,' She prayed for this to work out before she took in as much air as her lungs could carry and blew the whistle as loud as she could.

The noise rang across the forest and echoed for a mile. The call was sent and all the air in her lungs was used up. Fluttershy released her muzzle from the whistle and inhaled deeply before glancing out at the forest before her.

She then waited for a response. It took a few minutes, but, thankfully, she didn't need to wait too long as the trees started to shake and the rough noise of branches breaking could be heard. She watched on as the sound of heavy, powerful paws hit the ground. A low, rough, protective growl emitted once she realized who was arriving. Yellow beady eyes were shown before she backed up as her eyes narrowed up to face her summoned animal as it revealed itself to her. A firm frown was all she needed to let her summoned animal know that it was needed for something dire. Both she and her chosen animal were prepared for this.

It was the only chance they had for an even fight with a Manticore from the deepest pits of the Everfree or Tartarus – if they want to win in this fight, they needed a creature with just as much experience in the forest and the right amount of fighting experience to be evenly matched.

With its familiar bulky form lumbering its way toward Fluttershy, it growled lightly. Seeing Fluttershy look so serious only meant one thing, there wasn't much time for pleasantries. In fact, there were no words needed; just by exchanging equally firm looks, the message was received: She needed his help ASA-NOW. Fluttershy was too exhausted to fly back to Ponyville, but with the help of her summoned animal, he easily lifted her onto his back as he made a mad dash to Ponyville letting out a loud, intimidating, growl-like roar; Fluttershy held on tight as he did. 


***Ponyville***


"So, this is Varan?" Vinyl asked Scootaloo as she lifted her shades over her horn to get a better look. She was all for this! No one in her family ever had a pet like this and it really intrigued her. Though, Varan didn't pay any mind to her as he didn't really think much of her. No threat, no issue. That went the same with Big Macintosh, too. 

Although, for the stallion's case, the red horse did just beat the daylights out of the murderer of his kind in a fit of rage. And judging by how apparently close his Young Master is with the stallion, the red pony was friends with her. For this act, he was grateful because he, in a way, helped him get rid of that beast and avenged his family and friends.

Scootaloo blushed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head, "Heh, yup, Auntie Vinyl. This is Varan. My pet komodo and best friend." She tried to impress her aunt with that little introduction to make him sound very cool. But, that didn't really take much. 

Varan took a moment to give a proud appearance for Vinyl as Scootaloo showed him off, humoring his young master before leaning his head towards Big Mac once more. The stallion winced when he did, understandable since they were meeting for the first time – but his owner was correct, he wasn't going to bite him, he was merely going to give him a little sign of his gratitude. He gently pressed his left scaly cheek against the stallion's right one and lightly nuzzled him for a bit, emitting what sounded like growl-like purrs out of his throat. The expression on his face read only relief, peace and thankfulness.

Scootaloo noticed and snickered up a storm while her big brother figure looked both confused on what he was doing and a bit terrified that he was this close to him. She saved him by explaining quickly, "My best buddy's thanking you for helping defeat that stupid Manticore, Marabunda."

Big Mac was a bit stumped, but since Scootaloo said this huge lizard won't hurt them in any way, and was merely showing him gratitude for aiding in defeating that beast, he quickly understood and took it as the lizard continued to gently rub cheeks with him in a nuzzling matter. "Um… y-you're welcome, big fella." With that acknowledgment, Varan soon backed off and ceased his growling purrs.

Sweetie Belle was amazed at seeing this reptile display such emotion, but she also pouted when she heard what Scootaloo said about him being her best friend. She squeaked out as she approached them, "Scootaloo, I thought Applebloom and I were your best friends?" she teased, of course. But, she wanted to see if she could manipulate this tactic and hopefully get something.

Scootaloo just raised a brow and playfully rolled her eyes, smirking lightly as she saw through her tactic, "Sweetie Belle, you and Applebloom have been my best friends since day one," Yeah, that manipulation tactic failed. "Don't turn this into a soap opera episode." That got a silent laugh out of Vinyl when she noticed Sweetie Belle blush in embarrassment and defeat.

But, then it dawned on them and Big Mac what they really needed to do, "Applebloom!" The sudden shout made Varan flinch before he saw his young master and friends rush to the building they came out of earlier. The last thing Varan heard from Scootaloo was "I hope Spike is okay!" before disappearing inside.

"Well, that was a little quick to the draw?" Vinyl said as she watched her niece and friends head back passing Drift, the rich family, and Gallus and Smolder who recently walked out. She then narrowed her eyes back at Varan who looked confused. "Eh, don't worry, big guy, she's just checkin' on her friend and crush." 

Varan gazed down at Vinyl still confused, but shrugged it off. It wasn't the first time he's seen his young master run around like a hyperactive lemming.

Vinyl examined Varan and saw a lot of claw marks on him. That fight was sure something and he took all those hits like a champ, "Gotta say, you're one tough lizard. Haven't seen anything like ya, but I'm glad you're one of us." Varan didn't give much of a response but he gave what seemed like a little smile towards her as if to agree with her about being tough. He then placed his arms down and rested his head to take a breather. His wounds didn't seem too serious – nothing a few days of rest and relaxation couldn't handle to allow them to heal up.

Drift would follow after his daughter, but there were so many things going on at once, he didn't know where to start first. Fluttershy's disappearance, Scootaloo's pet, and then Marabunda's defeat at the hooves of Big Mac. This had been one crazy day.

Filthy, however, had his gaze on his family. Now that Marabunda was taken care of, it was high time his wife and daughter had their punishments. He was rightfully mad and they knew it.

Even if he was mad, Spoiled still spoke up. Her snooty behavior was not in play, this time. No, she threw that away when she realized how wrong of a scenario she was in. The fact that she put her own daughter in this situation just made things worse for her. She guiltily said, "H-Honey, we--"

"Don't," he sternly said to her and caused her to back down. Diamond was in no room to talk because she felt like she'd make things worse. "Just don't. Both of you have caused all this mess to begin with." If there were any paperwork involved in any of this, then he would have to deal with all of it. He rubbed his forehead to try and soothe his stress, but that barely worked. "I can't believe you two would do something like this!"

Gallus and Smolder watched as Silver Spoon sat next to them. They had no intention of stopping Filthy. And why would they? They were enjoying the scolding Diamond and Spoiled got -- especially Silver Spoon. With how they treated her, this was wholesome revenge served on a silver platter to her. Seeing them shake in fear reminded her so much of what Scootaloo did when she glared those eyes at her. It felt good to not be on the receiving end, this time.

Diamond and Spoiled just stood there and took it, refusing to speak after what they did. 

Filthy stamped a hoof and glared daggers at them, "Do you have any idea what you two have done? No, scratch that, you don't." he thrust his hoof at Sugarcube Corner, pointing up to where Spike is. "Answer me this: who is in that room badly hurt?" He asked sternly. "Who is in that room incapacitated from an attack caused by that monster you two summoned?!"

Spoiled and Diamond hesitated to answer because they were so scared, but Diamond had to be the big girl and answer her father, albeit shaking in her hooves and near tears, "S-Spike?"

Filthy widened his eyes and let all his anger out on them, which it got some attention from onlookers who stayed and watched the fight, "Yes! Spike!" he yelled to near tears himself. "Spike Sparkle! Princess Twilight Sparkle's son!" Spoiled and Diamond flinched as they backed up but still received the full blast of Filthy's rage. Gallus, Smolder, and Silver even flinched from the soul-rattling scream, "That monster you two summoned harmed the princess's son! I can pay off the medical bills for the Apple family and fix what happened to that poor dragoness over there -- " he pointed at Smolder who looked back at him confused, but didn't say a word, so she wouldn't interrupt anything "-- but with how bad Spike is hurt, all of Twilight's fury is gonna go onto me!" The irate rich stallion flared his muzzle, "Because of your idiotic decision, I'm going to get blamed and get in trouble! Everything you two do always comes back to me and I have to pay for it! We may be rich, but money doesn't grow on trees!"

Drift tried to go up to his friend to calm him down, but Vinyl placed a hoof on his shoulder and shook her head. They deserved to get chewed out like this. Though, in the back of her mind, she would've liked to see that terrible mother get the full force of that scolding. She's not a mother, and she doesn't plan on being one anytime soon, but she had an uneasy feeling that Diamond should a least get some slack; she was a kid, after all.

Filthy heaved short, quick breaths and tried not to cry in front of his family, but the decision they made may have cost them so much to pay off that they might lose everything. He turned around to regain his composure, but when he did he could hear Diamond sob. He knew that was a little much for his daughter to handle but he didn't care. His wife and daughter put everyone at risk and now he had to face the consequences. Not only that, but he tore himself apart for getting drunk that one day and showing Spoiled that cursed whistle. He should've destroyed it long ago, but it was too late. He took a moment to think before gazing back at a guilt-aching Spoiled Milk and a destroyed Diamond Tiara.

He recalled those things they said about his family being higher than other ponies just made him sick to his stomach. So, he was gonna change that, soon. Jail was out of the question because they weren't gonna learn anything in an empty cell, so, a different way had to suffice. An idea quickly made itself known to him. 

He looked to and pointed a frustrated, shaky hoof at his wife and daughter and sternly said through angry breaths, "You two... you two are going to therapy. What you two said and what you two believe in, that's not what this family is about. By saying what you said to our friends gave us a bad reputation and tarnished the Rich name. Our business is to make steady, balanced and strong relationships with other businesses to make good profits and make everyone happy. Teamwork and friendship are key in this business and to act like the way you two did just might as well damage it!" But then he glared at his wife. He married her because he loved her and thought she was the one for him, but this act broke his heart and lost his trust in her. If she so much as said or did anything to other business partners that might've tarnished anything he worked so hard and strived for, then he had more work on his back to do. "Spoiled Milk, when we get home, you and I are making some calls."

Spoiled Milk just nodded through her shaken body. She loved her husband very much and she'd do anything to gain his trust and love back. She felt like therapy would've been taken too easy on her, but she'll take that over divorce. 

Then he looked to his daughter. To think, his own flesh and blood would follow in her mother's hoofsteps that it actually led to something he didn't want to see. He was hoping to take his kin down the right path and teach her the right ways so she can carry on the Rich legacy, and that same would go to Silver Spoon, too. But now, here she was going down the wrong path with her mother. He should've been there with her more so she could learn to befriend other ponies instead of treating them like doormats; Silver Spoon almost went down that path but she came to her senses and went to him. To say he was disappointed was an understatement. "Diamond Tiara. You, young lady, will not only go to therapy with your mother, but the amount of allowance you make will drop to the amount every other fillies and colts make. You will not be treating them like they're beneath you anymore." She nodded once, understanding and not making any effort to argue with him. He hated to put pressure on his daughter, but she had to learn from this immediately. He sighed and shook his head as he looked down at his daughter, "Young lady, I'm furious and extremely disappointed with you!"

Diamond could only look down in shame, her ears folded down as she tried to make her eyes stop leaking, but the tears just kept on coming. She messed up big time – but to hear that all of this heat will go to her father, one of the most powerful yet loving parents she had, made her feel sick to her stomach. It was true, every time something happened, he was the one that tried to fix it – but the damages done today may as well put them in bankruptcy and out on the streets. She sighed in sadness and regret as she quietly answered her father, acknowledging his justified fury with her and her mother. "I know, daddy…" She winced deeply as he continued to speak, but she felt a cold chill throughout her body when he jabbed the following words into her and her mother.

"Do you know what would happen if Spike ends up dead? Twilight may as well throw all of us into prison or banish us to who knows where or even slam us to Tartarus, in her fury!" He pierced into them, stressing how serious this is. He was rightfully scared of what Twilight would do once she got word of what happened to her son. "What's worse: you didn't even have one shred of regret, at all!"

Diamond whimpered and sobbed a bit, "I'm sorry, daddy… I really am! I really didn't mean for this to happen at all!" But she knew that it was going to take more than an apology to fix what has happened. All she wanted was to get back at Scootaloo, that's it. She never anticipated Marabunda would even go for the ponies around them.

Filthy only sighed and decided not to go any deeper, knowing his daughter knew full well that she was wrong and she was going to take her punishment. "Next time, Diamond Tiara… think before you act. No more of this selfish nonsense." He narrowed his eyes slightly down at her. "Do you understand me?" He uttered in a serious, yet also venomous tone, making sure this time she got his point.

She whimpered once more but nodded her head while looking down, her tears flowing like fountains. She got his point loud and clear. And this time, she was going to listen to him. "Yes, daddy…"

He nodded firmly and exhaled, his shoulders slouching. His anger finally drained, for the moment. These two will have to work hard to get any other affection or trust from him without a doubt, but if he had to suffer, they had to, too.

Though Diamond felt guilty for what she did, Spoiled felt even worse when Filthy brought up Spike. Not only was she not thinking, but she didn't take into account that Spike was Twilight's son. If anything, children of the higher-ups should deserve respect; Spoiled knew this. But now that Spike is injured from their mistakes, she may as well be treated like dog feces from Twilight. This whole scenario was a nightmare. And to make matters worse, she put her own daughter into the mix, too. She realized this was her own fault, not Diamond's; she had to say something to Filthy. Make him see that Diamond doesn't need therapy... she'll need to stay away from her.

But, for now, Filthy needed time to recuperate from that emotional rampage. Spoiled leaned to Diamond and motioned her over to an empty bench away from Sugarcube corner. If they kept their distance, maybe they won't be a burden to them. They've caused enough damage for today. But, the idea of sparing Diamond still stood strong with Spoiled. 

Filthy watched but didn't stop them. He was in no mood to talk to them anymore. He grabbed his head from the tension he put on himself for blowing up on them, but they deserved it. He couldn't tell what was more of a headache; then again, what wasn't these days.

Vinyl and Drift winced a little at Filthy's rampage and were hesitated to speak to him, but after Drift pushed his step-sister's hoof away, he approached Filthy and reached a hoof for his old friend, "Y-You gonna be okay, Moneybags?"

A sharp inhale through the nostrils was heard from Filthy but he had no more anger at the moment to spend, the stress and fury were still there, but he already said his piece. He calmly spoke to his old friend, responding to his question. "We'll see…" He knew one thing's for sure – explaining this to Twilight and therapists was going to be Tartarus itself.

"That was quite a rant you threw at them," Drift said in a slight concerned tone. He looked to the mother-daughter duo sitting next to one another depressed, but he had to say something. He looked to Filthy, "Hey, moneybags, is it okay if I tell ya something?"

Filthy didn't glace or even turn a dime, but he listened clearly to him, even though he really wasn't in any mood, "What?"

He smiled a bit and gave him a little advice, "Now, I know what your daughter did was wrong, but --" oh, wrong was not the right word to choose for what they did "-- I would've gone easy on her. She was just doing what--"

"Drift, stop!" Filthy barked, causing Drift to flinch in shock. "I don't wanna hear it. I know we're friends and all, but I don't need another getting into my family business." He snorted in frustration. "I don't want any advice from someone who doesn't know a thing about being a father."

Drift paused and felt a bit of resentment. He was only trying to help, but he didn't want to make the situation worse, so, he just spoke in a serious tone to Filthy, "But I'm willing to learn, Filthy." Filthy's ears perked up as he just realized the error of what he said and looked at his friend with regret, sorrow, and guilt in his eyes. In the midst of all his anger and rage, he completely forgot that Drift was a father, too. Now he felt like a total jerk.

"Oh, Drift, forgive me. I didn't mean anything by that. I was just --"

Drift placed a hoof on Filthy's muzzle and quickly got him to shut up. If he was gonna keep doing this to himself, Drift would have to scold him, "Moneybags, relax, please," Drift moved his hoof away from Flithy, "Take slow, deep breaths and calm down."

Filthy did just as such and calmed down well enough to listen to Drift.

"Okay, as I was saying...."


*With Spike*


Rarity worriedly came up to the bedroom door that Spike was resting behind. She stood there and paused in thought. She could only imagine the pain he must be in right now. Smolder said he hadn't moved or answered when she tried to talk to him. Would he react the same? Well, it was good news knowing he was still alive, but that attack left by that awful manticore was so brutal to watch. She then recalled his little crush on her and wondered, 'Maybe I can use that to get his attention. I know it's a little odd of myself to do that, but if he wasn't gonna answer Smolder. Maybe he can answer me?' It was worth a shot. She leaned her head forward and poked her head inside. Her ears perked when she heard a light, pained groan from her friend. Her eyes twinkled with glee; Granted, it wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear, but it was slight music to her ears knowing he was alive. Thank Celestia.

Pain. That's all Spike could feel. Of all the things that could've happened today, this had to be it. He would've loved to just sit around and talk with friends and family; get to know them a little more. Heck, he only found out Smolder was his sister a couple of days ago and it still blew his mind. Then, he would've gotten the chance to hang out with his crush today. Today would've been great if it weren't for those rotten ponies calling that psycho manticore. His body was durable enough to withstand blunt force, reflect needles and endure claw marks. But this? Being pierced by a manticore's stinger was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. Describing it was difficult, but he could only imagine being covered under a rockslide, bitten by a cragadile or some other third thing to inflict pain would be cake compared to this. Marabunda stung him hard, but the pain was so bad he couldn't tell exactly where the crazed manticore stung him. To make matters worse, he couldn't move; not even give a single twitch. Only facing the other bed Smolder was laying in. Just what did that beast's poison do? He felt bad for not answering his sister, but he didn't want to risk anything else. He didn't know if the poison affected his voice, or what. Paranoia set in and thoughts of the worse just lingered around him. His body was aching, but his mind ached of frustration, annoyance, and fear. he closed his eyes and waited for anything to happen. A single tear dropped from his eye. He waited until something did happen; though what he expected was more of a huge surprise.

"Spikey-Wikey?" She gingerly called to him as she walked into the room.

His eyes bugged out and his irises shrank. That warm, beautiful voice; of all the voices, he didn't expect to hear her gentle yet proper speech again. After what he had gone through, he completely forgot she and the others came to help them fight back against Marabunda. The last thing he could remember was being on the ground before passing out. He would've expected Smolder, again, Scootaloo, Pinkie Pie, or his own mother -- any gods above who listened he'd praise if it wasn't Twilight. But, Rarity? He was thrilled, genuinely happy. The motivation he needed came to him and he took a shot and tried to move any muscle that would cooperate -- or at least try and speak. After such a thrashing, he spoke as his shoulders slowly rose and lowered, giving her a sign he's still kicking.

"R-Rarity?" His voice cracked out a little, yet she heard him clearly. He was able to speak; that was a relief for both of them.

She almost sobbed in relief as she approached the bed, her forehead dipping down to meet the soft cushioning of the bed itself – she was deeply relieved to hear his voice, and to see he was still breathing. "Oh, thank goodness…"

"R-Rarity… you're back… from your trip. W-what happened?" He tried to move his head to look at her, but his stupid muscles would've co-operated with him. He didn't know which was more of a pain: moving his muscles or the literal pain coursing through his body. He growled in frustration, but ultimately stopped when he felt the gentle touch of hooves grab his head and shift it so he can face his company. Her arms moved and he gazed up to her, his eyes regaining some life in them as he looked at the beauty in front of him. Though he appreciated her help, it was still awkward she had to do it; best to keep his mouth shut about that. But when he saw her, he slightly whimpered in worry, recalling Smolder had left earlier, "W-Where's Smolder?" He asked as he tried to get his muscles to work, again; only his mouth was working and that's it. He struggled to get moving, but the pain was unbearable. He had so many things he needed to know and do. He couldn't just lay there and do nothing. He instantly felt himself calm down a little when a gentle touch of a white hoof brushed across his spines; suddenly, he didn't feel the pain as much. Spike let out a soft coo; even to this day, Rarity still had that soft touch. It was very useful since it overlapped the pain. He momentarily forgot everything -- including the pain -- and focused on the gentle rubbing go to his head. 

Rarity gently stroked his head spines to calm him down as she cooed in his ear to comfort him, "Shh, shh… don't strain yourself, darling. Everything's okay now. That beastly beast has been taken care of, for now, at least." She nodded before adding to relieve him of his worry. "Smolder is okay, she's just downstairs with the others. Poor thing is still a little bruised, but she's remarkably still standing." 

He sighed in relief once he heard that, he was grateful to know his sister is alright and the danger is over. "Thank Celestia," He grunted a little as he attempted to move a little, but try as he might, he could only manage to twitch some parts of his body. "What happened?" He groaned a bit in pain, "I feel just as sore as when I belly-flopped on lava in the Dragonlands." And that one wasn't fun from how he remembered.

She winced as she explained to him what had occurred in battle after he had passed out, "That vicious brute stung you and you blacked out shortly before your sister followed suit from the terror… but thankfully, Applejack, her family, Sweetie Belle and I got the two of you out of there." She looked worried as she gazed to his back, finding the hole left by Marabunda. She shuddered at the sight, but was relieved Marabunda missed any vital spots, "Although, the mark that beast left on you is ghastly…" just between his ribcage; it looked bad, but she was still glad he was alive. Her worry turned to relief, grateful to see he's okay, giving him a loving smile. "I'm just happy you're still alive." She came closer to him and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

Spike only had a faint blush and a soft smile from the kiss, having grown used to the small affection from Rarity, the both of them sharing a tender little nuzzle. 

"I thought we lost you," Rarity lowered her ears as her eyes looked a bit shiny and glossy; she desperately tried to prevent her tears from becoming visible, trying very hard not to break down in front of Spike. She couldn't help it – she had been worried out of her mind for him and was terrified at the thought of nearly losing him. She was more than glad he was going to be alright. If they lost him, she would be an emotional wreck – to her and the rest of their friends, Spike is considered an invaluable and irreplaceable friend.

Spike smiled nonchalantly and waved his left claw, trying to play it cool like his sister did, "Nah… takes more than a manticore sting to keep down this dragon." He winked as if trying to humor her. But he ultimately saw her with a shocked, silent look on her face. He didn't know why she had that sudden look, but he looked at his arm to find he had control over it. It was back! 

"M-My arm, I can feel it!" but only just his arm. How? It was incapacitated just moments ago. What's going on? He looked to Rarity to see if she had any explanations, but...

She sniffled and took a small opportunity to gently hugged him, whimpering lightly. Good! He got some feeling back. But her worries still lingered over her, and she said, "Just… please, don't put yourself in danger like that again, Spikey-Wikey… if we lost you and couldn't save you, Twilight would never forgive us." That was an understatement. Spike was Twilight's son, and his safety was very important to the princess. "And we've had enough hurt souls for one day, especially with your upcoming neighbor."

He blushed and smiled a bit sheepishly as wrapped his resurrected arm around Rarity. But being his joking self, again, he jokingly said, "No promises," Before he heard her say something about a neighbor, "Neighbor? What happened?"

Rarity sighed sadly, looking down as she explained what went on when he was unconscious, what she told him got him to worry as much as her, "Poor little Applebloom got struck by that heartless brute. She's hurt very badly."

Spike looks concerned and tried to get up but winced as his arm muscles spasmed a bit; his other arm was about to be resurrected. She tried to place him back down to rest, "She's not… p-please tell me she isn't—"

"She's still alive, darling." She quickly reassured him. "Thank Celestia," She muttered to herself, she then explained, "She just needs to be tended to quickly. And hopefully, you, Smolder and Applebloom will be right as rain."

Spike sighed in utmost relief but gave her his own reassuring, "I'm okay, I don't need any treatment…" He lifted his other arm and soon wiggled his toes as he slowly found feeling coming back to his muscles. "I just need to let the feeling get back to my muscles." Though, that being said, he found out where he had been stung and it felt like he was stabbed in the back by a stalagmite. 

Rarity noticed the jery motion on his back and saw the pained look on his face. She quietly rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. He may be sweet and helpful, but he was still a dragon as always. She chuckled a bit and teased him for the heck of it, "Feeling something else, darling?"

He felt the spot hit home and it wasn't being too nice. He blushed when she made that remark and hoped she wasn't making some kind of innuendo out of this, "Rarity, that's not funny!" Spike cringed from the now located injury. If it wasn't his whole body, this spot on his back was way worse. Uncomfortable, even.

She couldn't help but make a little joke to lighten the mood. But, all jokes aside, She pouted and set him straight as she said, "You may need some type of treatment for that ghastly hole in your back" But then she blinked in thought when he said what he had said. He only lost feeling in his muscles? She looked confused, "Wait… you mean you don't feel any pain other than from your tussling with that manticore?"

Spike powered through the pain from that sting wound as he looked up to his former crush, "Uh, yeah? Before you showed up, my whole body felt like it was asleep. I couldn't move an inch and all I could feel was nothing but pain." Now that she mentioned it, he recalled being in Fluttershy's class one day as an assistant and the lesson had something to do with venom. Cobra, Wasp, Bugbear and even Manticore. If he remembered right, when a manticore stings an unlucky victim with their scorpion tail, the venom injected attacks the nervous system but doesn't stop the blood; they'll feel pain, but it's very rare for nanycreature to die from it. tMarabunda stung him and he couldn't move for a while. He didn't feel poisoned, at all, but he still felt the effects. "But now, I'm starting to get feeling back. Slowly, but I sure don't feel like I'm dyin'," he joked, but the pain he felt sure wasn't. "Ack! Yet this pain in back kind of feels like I got stabbed with a dull knife and then I forgot how to use my muscles." that's as best he could describe it, but it gave Rarity some clues as to how strong this venom might be.

Rarity took a look at his wound and winced but also noticed where it ended up, "That beast missed your spine and only got under your ribcage…" just saying that ghastly description made her churn a bit. But, it still made her wonder just how that venom worked. If Fluttershy was here, she'd crack this case easily. But, it was fascinating nonetheless. She considered herself a detective, but a case like this was a challenge. "Hmm, I wonder," she took a moment to put pieces together and came up with a, somewhat, theory, "Perhaps Marabunda's venom is weaker than we thought."

Spike blinked at looked at her confused, "Is… there such a thing…" Spike grunted as he started to ask, contemplating what was going on as he carefully managed to actually sit up. "…as a Manticore having weak venom?" If anything, it felt like a bad bugbear sting at its worst. And instead of poisoning him, it almost felt like that Marabunda may have actually… just temporarily paralyzed him.

The realization hit them like a ton of bricks. Marabunda - the toughest creature they ever faced without Twilight being around to help - despite being strong and persistent, had revealed a major flaw. Granted, it wasn't the kind to help out in a fight to win against him, but it was a flaw no doubt.

While he spent years in the wild training up his body and improving his strength, he, of all things, forgotten to train the venom in his tail and maybe the tail, itself!

This revelation sparked interest within the unicorn and dragon. And this information would no doubt be told to the others, if the theory was correct, "Spike… I think we just found out Marabunda's little weakness, if that dastardly monster dares try to escape his confinement." Rarity smirked, now having a good idea to tell the others what she and Spike had learned. She looked to him affectionately, "Even on top of a bed temporarily paralyzed, you still manage to solve unexpected mysteries," She rewarded him with another kiss, which made him smile like a dope. She then heard the hoofsteps of Applejack coming in and placing Applebloom on the bed where Smolder used to lay – momentarily not noticing Spike was conscious – Rarity then looked to Spike. "I shall return shortly, darling. The others simply must hear about this advantage. You just keep resting for a while." She had to tell their friends immediately. She then decided to have a little moment to tease him as she smiled knowingly and sent a wink in his direction when he tried to get up – most likely to deny her request of continuing to rest- and leaned in to whisper. "And FYI, Scootaloo was ve-eee-eeery concerned about you when you went unconscious."

Spike's face glowed bright pink as his eyes widened a bit while Rarity gave a little giggle at the expression on his face.

"R-Really?" the young dragon asked as Rarity heard hoofsteps coming.

"Why, yes," She looked to Applejack and requested, "Applejack, be a dear and watch over Spike, I have some news to tell the others."

Applejack just looked at her confused as all heavens before she noticed Spike had sat up on his bed, "Whoa, hey Spike, I almost -- wait, I thought you were out cold?" the southern mare wondered, receiving an awkward chuckle out of Spike. She was glad to see he wasn't, but that strike Marabunda gave him should, at least, conked him out for a while.

"I'll explain as best as I can," Spike said as Rarity walked away right as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle burst the door open, catching their attention.

"Applebloom, Spike!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said before Scootaloo made a mishap of wanting to jump over Sweetie Belle and Fly to whoever she could see. And she saw Spike alive and well right in front of her, but the timing to stop was not in her favor.

Spike widened his eyes in shock and Scootaloo gasped in shock. They never had a second to react Scootaloo crashed onto Spike and forced him back down on the bed, lying on top of him. 

Applejack and Sweetie Belle cringed and winced before they glanced at the result of that awkward crash.

They both felt a little dizzy upon impact, though the pain Spike experienced before jolted right back and he tried so hard to stay strong and fight it like a champ; that hole in his back will take longer to heal now. Guess karma loved messing with him -- he'll get back for this, one way or another. 

Scootaloo thought Spike was still laying in bed in sheer pain; she did not expect him to be up this soon. Marabunda speared and knocked him out; even for a dragon, he should be out from that attack. Either way, she was happy he was awake and the spot she was on was surprisingly warm and comfy and oddly rough on a few places. She momentarily forgot why she jumped over Sweetie Belle; whatever the Cakes did to this bed, it was really --

Wait, rough spots? Beds don't have rough spots! Scootaloo came to her senses and snapped her eyes wide open. She lifted herself and gazed down to see where, or who, she was on. She heard Sweetie Belle try to hold in her chuckling, but it was obvious she wanted to laugh. Scootaloo glared small daggers at her and blushed brightly when she realized she was on top of Spike. Of all the awkward situations she had to be in, why'd it have to be this one?

Spike faired no better either as he glanced into the eyes of his new crush. He tried not to be very awkward about this, but he couldn't help but think that Scootaloo's fur was very soft.

"Uh, hey," breaking the silence between the two, Scootaloo smiled sheepishly while Sweetie Belle tried not to laugh, almost forgetting about Applebloom. 

Applejack noticed this little rough house, but she was too fixated on trying to help her little sister feel better. She would intervene, but something told her those two need to talk things out. Then again, Scootaloo needed to get off of Spike, right now.

Spike glanced at Scootaloo with warm, sparkling eyes. It hadn't been a few months since he developed this crush on her. He didn't know how or why this happened; it just showed up out of nowhere. It took him some time to get over his puppy love of Rarity, but now it re-emerged and hooked onto Scootaloo. Was it because she loved sports, was it because she was a tomboy, or was it because of something else. Every time he hung out with her, it felt like he found something that was missing in his life. While Rarity did show affection to him, it was more of a caring affection. Scootaloo showed something else. Something he figured out but didn't know how to say it. 

"H-Hey, yourself," Spike tried to smile, but the weight from Scootaloo sandwiching him between her and the bed kind of made him uncomfortable and the pain from the hole in his back didn't fare any better. "Um, Scootaloo, think you can --"

Scootaloo gasped and looked down to realize he was still injured and she was making it way worse than usual, "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Spike.* Quickly, she rolled off of Spike as he sat right back up to hold his back. Needless to say, Applejack, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo saw the hole in his back; how it wasn't bleeding was beyond them.

"Okay, no, that needs to be wrapped up, now," Applejack sternly said as she looked for a first aid kit. "First Spike and Smolder and now my little sister? Those two ponies have done it now."

Spike tried to assure Applejack that he was fine and that his wound will heal on its own, but Applejack was having none of it and acted like that stern mother who demanded their kids not fight back. Spike sighed in defeat and was immediately reminded of his own mother. 

Sweetie Belle chuckled when Scootaloo approached her, not to enthused by that, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Sweetie Belle said as she walked away to go check on Applebloom. While it was funny to see Scootaloo topple onto Spike, she still worried about Applebloom. And as shocking as it was to see her get swat like a bee, she and Scootaloo were happy to see she was still breathing. Applebloom was bruised from hoof to head, but she was breathing steady breaths. 

Spike noticed Applebloom's condition and felt just as bad as the others. He was durable enough to last longer in a fight, but Applebloom looked like she suffered more than that. He didn't see what happened to her, but from looking at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle she must've been through something rough. "Just what did I miss while I was out?"

Finding a first aid kit in a drawer under a tabletop, Applejack brought it to Spike and opened it to find gauze. With no time to waste, she went to work on Spike while mentally wondering why Rarity didn't stay to help out. "Ya missed quite a lot, sugarcube." Applejack said while trying to wrap the gauze around Spike's midsection.

"What happened?" Spike asked curiously while he held the gauze in place.

Scootaloo took over and explained what all went down while Applejack tended to Spike.


***outside***


"And that's why I think you should go easy on Diamond, Filthy," Drift said, receiving glossy eyes from Filthy.

He had to take a moment to soak all that in. Maybe he had a point. While Filthy had been a father for so long, he nearly had forgotten some core details. In all his anger, now he felt bad for lashing out at Diamond. He craned his head back to Spoiled and Diamond. He sighed softly and looked to Drift. "Drift, I may have been wrong about you. Maybe you do know more than what you lead on."

"Ha! Moneybags, I'm still learning myself. It's only been a couple of hours since I've been an actual father," that much was true and he laughed for calling himself out. "But, I'll leave you to your family so you can talk things out with your mare."

Filthy nodded and got up to go talk to his wife.

'Speaking of a mare, where's mine?' Drift wondered as Pinkie Pie called him, Vinyl, Gallus, and Smolder back, leaving the Rich family to do what they needed to do. Silver Spoon stayed behind and joined her family in that personal talk.

Smolder and Gallus had no idea why Pinkie would call them in, but they did as they're told. As much fun as it was watching Spoiled and Diamond get their flanks chewed out, maybe sitting inside would be good for them.

Drift walked in last before everyone was gathered around while Rarity stood in the center of the main hall, "What's up, dresses?" He didn't know Rarity all that well, so a nickname felt more accurate for him.

Varan walked up to Sugarcube Corner, but slinked to the window to the left and curled up for a good rest, ignoring the shocked Rich family a good distance away.

Gilda, Rainbow Dash, the cake family, Pinkie, and those in the barely-standing bakery all listened closely while Rarity did what she could to explain what she discovered.

"Okay, so, we all don't know where Fluttershy went to, so she can't be here to confirm this."

Drift tilted his head in confusion as to why she'd bring his girl up to confirm something. But, yes, they all had no idea, but what did that have to do with this?

"Uh, Rarity, why would Fluttershy need to --"

"Hush, Dash. I'm not done," Rarity cleared her throat and went on. "Okay, first off all, Spike is doing fine upstairs. My sister, Applejack and Scootaloo are tending to him and Applebloom as we speak." Though, Big Mac was already heading up the stairs to meet them. 

Smolder smiled a bit, relieved to hear her brother is doing okay and up and about, "That's good to know. I knew my bro would walk out of this." She had no doubt Spike would get out of this strong and proud.

"That's the thing, Smolder," Rarity retorted. "Do you remember what Fluttershy taught you in class two weeks ago? That same goes to you too, Gallus."

Both Gallus and Smolder reeled back in surprise and looked at each other bewildered. A lesson Professor Fluttershy taught them? They didn't exactly what lesson Rarity was referring to. Fluttershy taught them a lot about animals, but they couldn't recall what the lesson was about. The friendship school was fascinating and they loved to learn about friendship, but what made Fluttershy so unique was her decision to teach them about many different species of animals and what they do in life. On the day they were in Fluttershy's class, she brought up...

"I think I do," Gallus replied, everyone else listened thoroughly. "She taught us about how some animals have different ways of defending themselves."

Smolder perked her head and recalled that, "Hey, yeah. I remember. Fluttershy also showed us one of her animal friends as an example. I think it was a --" both young griffon and dragon widen their eyes in surprise from this revelation as the both of them hastily blurted out.

"--Scorpion!"

Rarity smiled proudly as she nodded in approval of their answer. With Fluttershy momentarily absent, her knowledge would've certainly passed down to the students. And it paid off so well.

"Well, that's convenient," Gilda said, surprised and now even more curious as to what Rarity was going on about. 

Rainbow Dash was the same way. She scratched her head cluelessly as to what this had to do with anything they're dealing with. 

"Uh, I hate to be that kind of pony, but where are you going with this, Rarity?" Vinyl asked confused, probably asking what everyone else was thinking.

While proud of the students for figuring out what she was trying to say, Rarity had to explain it in a different way to the others, "Sorry, Vinyl. What I'm getting at is that, Marabunda struck Spike in the back with that ghastly stinger--" just saying that made her not want to think of that, and she's pretty sure the others don't want to be reminded "-- but I checked on him minutes ago; he's moving just fine now; he wasn't earlier." Saying all of this just made Vinyl, Pinkie and Rainbow confused. But Rarity rambled on, "Judging by the amount of time given right when the beast struck him up until now--"

"It's only been a few hours," Mrs. Cake interrupted while holding Pound Cake to keep him calm: Mr. Cake doing the same with Pumpkin She was paying attention, too. And from how she looked at Spike before to how Rarity was describing, it couldn't have lasted more than a few hours.

Rarity lifted a hoof and pointed to Mrs. Cake, "Exactly!" she paced a little, "Given Marabunda's size and physique, he should be far older than what he's shown."

"Wait, time out, Rarity," Rainbow Dash spoke up and caused Rarity to look at her. "Are you saying a scorpion and that monster that attacked us are in-cahoots?" 

Everything went awkwardly silent as Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash as if what she just said was the most stupid, misdirected thing she's ever said. She was about to tell her straight that was not it in the slightest, but Gilda beat her to the punch and did her the favor.

"Dash, did you skip biology class or something?" Rainbow was about to answer, but the griffon just shut her mouth with her talon. "Don't answer that; that was a rhetorical question." Gilda removed her talon from a slightly frustrated Rainbow Dash and looked to Rarity as she came to her own conclusion, "So, let me get this straight, you're saying that Marabunda is so old that the venom he produces is so weak that it just renders the victim paralyzed for a few hours?"

If there was another word for 'surprise', a lot of them would be that. Rarity was blown away by how easily Gilda deduced what she meant. Drift, Rainbow, and Gallus were astonished Gilda came up with that conclusion. For Drift, Vinyl and Rainbow, they never expected Gilda to pay attention during class. For Gallus, he was wondering where this level of intellect from and how was Gilda not a teacher herself?

Gilda, however, gave everyone a slightly sour look and felt uncomfortable with all this attention on her, "What? I knew some stuff growing up."

Pinkie Pie bounced over to Gilda and patted her shoulder, thinking what she said was awesome, "Wow, Gilda, I didn't know you studied animals before." Not did Dash, Vinyl and Drift. Back then, Gilda wouldn't pay attention worth a darn. Where did this come from?

With the attention somewhat getting to her, Gilda comically shoved Pinkie aside and blurted out to them something they did not expect, "I liked biology, alright?! I thought learning how some animals worked was kind of awesome."

Rainbow Dash snickered a bit and teased Gilda when she said, "You just wanted to dissect animals, did ya?"

Gilda didn't even bat an eye and gave Dash a look so cold she would've thought she was gonna dissect her, "Shut up, Dash." But Rainbow wasn't phased by it and just stuck her tongue out at her.

Rarity smiled a little by this little revelation. She never participated in the high-school Gilda and her friends were in, but it was good to know Gilda knew something similar to what Fluttershy knew. The first time she met Gilda, she always thought she was nothing but a brute who thrived on hurting others. But, now, in this situation, she gave us a little something about herself. What changed? Rarity would ask her more, but Drift spoke up.

"So, a scorpion and Marabunda?" he was trying to put the pieces together, too. But he tried his best to put his answer out there. He didn't know why Rarity was doing this, but this was kind of fun. But viewing a scorpion and Marabunda, "Only comparison I see between the two are their tails. But I don't see how that helps our case." Marabunda may be incapacitated down that well, but there's no telling when he'll climb his way back out of there.

"I think the connection might as well involve their tails," Smolder chimed in, getting eyes on her. Unlike Gilda who didn't really like that much attention, Smolder didn't mind. "Scorpions, If I remember this right, have weak venom the bigger the claws they have, right?" she looked to Gallus for confirmation, because he was there when Fluttershy taught them this.

Unfortunately, Gallus was kind of under the rock on this one as he shrugged his shoulders, "Don't look at me, I didn't even want to get near Paprika. She looked like she was wanting to pinch my eyes out." Insects and arachnids were not his strong suit. And just a glance would just make him shiver out of fear.

Smolder just rolled her eyes and crossed in a bit of frustration. She was not buying that in the slightest, "That scorpion was nice and you know it. You didn't want to go near it because -- oh, yeah that's right, you were too chicken to even go near any insect." She chuckled as she called him out, though Gallus tried to deny that.

"Was not, I wanted to... keep my distance so the others could see her," Gallus said, trying to excuse his way out of that conversation.

Rarity just sighed to herself. She didn't think a fight would break out so easily. Kids, really. But they had pressing matters to attend, too, and she shot them a glare as best as Fluttershy could do, but it wasn't as spine-chilling as her stare. The students quickly caught her giving them a warning stare and quickly stopped.

"If we could get back to the situation at hoof, thank you," though she commended the two for trying. Smolder was half-right. "Why I'm bringing that day up and comparing it to that awful beast is because Marabunda is losing focus on his tail."

Everyone looked at her as if what she had might have a great point. Though Pinkie and Vinyl were not keen on this whole animal talk, Gilda and Drift put two and two together and came to their own conclusions.

"That means that Marabunda's weakness is his own tail," Gilda said with widening eyes of shock.

"Going with scorpion knowledge, with how big Marabunda is and how old he is, his venom is so weak it can't hold his victims down very long," that was great news to hear, but Drift was unsure

"Which means if we remove the tail, we can beat him 'til he's down for good!" Smolder said, concluding this with Rainbow giving her an approving smile.

"Now there's something I can understand!" Rainbow Dash was feeling chipper about that. If Marabunda does come back, they'll go after that tail of his and he'd be as good as done.


***


Ponyville was silent after the battle with Marabunda. Most of the ponies left in the somewhat ghost town didn't want to come out of their homes, fearing the beast that arrived earlier was still out there. 

However, two ponies, a light green unicorn with a mint-colored mane and tail and a tan earth pony with a pink-dark blue mane and tail, walked out of their house to check the outcome of the fight. 

“Lyra, is it over?” The earth pony whimpered as the unicorn peeked out first.

“I dunno, Bon Bon. I’ll check it out,” The unicorn peeked out from the door, taking a look around and became quite shocked. “Holy haycakes!”

Blinking at her response, Sweetie Drops peeked out with her and gasped at the sight. “Whoa, it looks like a twister hit the place." If this was what that monster caused, she was sure glad she didn't witness it.

They were surprised to see it had finally ended and they saw, what they assumed was the winner, resting in front of Sugarcube corner.

"Lyra, what is that thing?" Sweetie Drops said, pointing to the unknown animal.

Lyra looked to SugarCube Corner, but was stumped upon the sight before her, "I don't know, but it sure looks awesome. Almost looks like a dragon... but without wings?" That baffled her right there. Sure, Sike had no wings, but he was a baby dragon; that thing looked like an adult. She looked at the well and noticed it was half destroyed. "But, I bet that's where that other creature might be." She suggested while pointing to the well, and being daring yet curious; she wanted to go over to see if it was still down there.

But Sweetie Drops didn't want her to do that. She was still nervous about what happened. All the noises they heard; that monstrous roar, the explosions, the fire! When did Ponyville become such a battle zone? Granted, their town had some crazy encounters with crazy creatures, like that time Cerberus was in town, or when Snips and Snails accidentally lured an Ursa Minor, or more recently in her memories, that bugbear that threatened Cranky and Matilda’s wedding day; But this, no doubt, was one of their craziest battles yet – and she and her friend weren’t the ones fighting out there! Not to mention, whatever came to their town, this time, was no doubt one of the most dangerous and difficult creatures that Twilight’s friends ever tried taking down without her.

"I don't know if we should be out here any longer," She looked around worriedly, worried that something else dangerous would jump out and attack them; like that lizard! He may have won the fight, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be on guard. "I don't want to be-- Lyra?" she looked to her right and saw her trusted friend wasn't there. "Lyra!?" She looked around until she saw her.

She headed straight for the broken well.

Sweetie Drops flinched in a mix of fear and shock and rushed after her. "Lyra, what are you doing? We don't know if that thing is dead or not," she pleaded her to stop. She was scared, worried and anxious to get back home where it was safe. 

It was bad enough they had to endure the carnage they heard out here, she didn't want to be a part of the aftermath; that same went with Lyra, too.

Lyra stopped and chuckled lightly, not worried as she looked to her bestie to reassure her that the danger has passed and they can calm down. Whatever happened out here, it was over. So, what was there to worry about? "Bon Bon, relax, it's over. That lizard over there won the fight. Besides, I wanna see what showed up, anyway." She approached the broken well once more with morbid curiosity in her eyes. 

Although, either she may have been looking at the wreckage too long, or her curiosity had momentarily taken away her hearing because while she was thinking of what could’ve possibly shown up here, she didn’t hear a haunting yet low growl emitting from the well…

“Lyra…” Sweetie Drops whimpered, looking terrified and lowered her ears in fear. Her friend may not have heard it, but she sure did. She was having a very, very, very bad feeling about this.

Lyra looked back at her friend and saw she was still quaking in fear. That feeling never faded from inside the earth pony’s shaken, frightened soul - something wasn't right.

"Oh, Bon Bon, will you relax? Everything's fine now," Lyra said, growing a tiny bit frustrated with her for being such a scaredy-cat. She shook her head, reassured that they were safe now and nothing was out to get them. “Nothing is going to happen!”

Varan lifted his head and noticed the two new ponies approaching the well. His eyes widen in shock. Just what in the animal kingdom are they doing? He needed to stop them, now! He got up and accidentally knocked over a potted plant with his tail out of agitation. Fortunately for him, it got a lot of attention inside and outside Sugarcube corner. 

Smolder, Gallus, the Rich family and Vinyl heard the commotion and wondered why Varan got up so suddenly. Gallus was the first to rush out and quickly caught sight of two ponies near the well.

"Whoa-whoa-whoa! Hey!” Gallus called after them, his eyes widening in shock and realized that Lyra was getting closer to the well to see if Marabunda was still alive. “Stop!” He quickly spread his wings and dove to get them.

Varan hissed as loud as he could to the two ponies, but it only caught the earth pony's attention. She freaked out from his hissing, but right when she was about to scream, Gallus grabbed her and pulled her away.

“Get away from there!” He yelled at her, he shook her a bit. “Trust me, you don’t want to get too close to that well and you do not want to look in there; it’s too dangerous!” He quickly got back on his feet and was about to make a grab for Lyra, but…

Lyra approached the well and gazed into the hole that had only one way to go – down. She looked inside to try and see the body of the creature the lizard had defeated. All she saw was nothing but darkness. She pouted at this sight. “What a ripoff. I can't see a thing!” She was disappointed...

...until a large darkened paw shot up from the well like lightning and gripped her whole head tight!

Lyra widened her eyes in shock and fear; everything was not! She screamed in terror as she tried to break free immediately, struggling to get her head loose. “BON BON!”  Sweetie Drops barely had any time to react before she heard the haunting, frightful screams of Lyra as she was easily dragged down into well where the monster was.

Gallus gasped in horror as this sudden action happened. “No!” he didn't even need a second to think before he quickly dove after her out of reflex.

Sweetie Drops barely had any time to react before she heard the haunting, frightful, if not, horrifying screams of Lyra as she was easily dragged down into well where the monster was.

But refusing to lose another one, Gallus latched onto the sturdy bricks with his lion hind legs and quickly grabbed onto Lyra’s tail with his talons. He started to pull with all his might and he flapped his wings hard to, hopefully, gain leverage, keeping his grip on her tail. He desperately tried to get her back out; grunting as he wrestled to get her free from the paw’s grip. He had to try to save her, but it was proving to be a losing battle. 

“Hold on! I’ve got you!” He flapped his wings desperately as he tried to fly up and pull Lyra back up, but to his horror, his strength failed him and the darkened paw tugged her out of his grasp and caused the young griffon to lose traction in his flight. He spun and landed on the ground on his back. He quickly sat back up and looked at his talons to find only bits of her tail hairs. Lyra was pulled into the darkness, screaming in panic and fear. “No!” He yelled, getting up, rushing to the well and reaching for her only to disappear with the darkness.

"Lyra!" Sweetie Drops shouted in utmost fear as she rushed to the well as she still heard Lyra scream for help, but it ultimately ended as the poor earth pony heard a hard, sickening crunch.

Gallus gasped in shock and grief when he heard that grotesque sound. He used his left wing to stop Sweetie Drops dead in her tracks mere inches from the well as Lyra's screams could no longer be heard. He turned his head away, dismayed and grief-struck.

He was not the only one. When the screaming stopped, Sweetie froze dead in her tracks, the griffon’s wing holding her back; her eyes were wide in horror, fear and ultimately grief, "L-Lyra?" Sweetie Drops plopped on her haunches and kept her eyes on the broken well. She waited for a response but got nothing. Gallus looked at her sadly and with great reluctance on his part, he slowly shook his head. “Lyra?" She whimpered, her eyes becoming shiny and a lump forming in her throat. Her instincts told her to dive in and save her best friend, but she was too petrified to move; she didn't want the same thing to happen to her. And with Gallus giving her that head shake, she knew… she was too late.

She didn't have to wait long for a response...

Varan hissed aggressively as the very paw that took Lyra Heartstrings rose out and gripped the side of the well, cracking it upon grip, and slowly tried to drag its owner out. Sweetie Drops screamed and backed away while Gallus turned his heard to look as another arm came out and slammed its paw to the ground, then dug the claws in the dirt for leverage. Then the head rose out as the arms succeeded and beamed ghostly-white eyes down at Sweetie Drops and Gallus.

As if there was cold weather approaching, Gallus felt his body shake in utter fear and terror as he watched what looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. He nearly wanted to vomit when he saw a green unicorn horn drop from the monster's teeth. “Not… cool!” He once again whimpered in pure horror upon coming face-to-face, and eye-to-eye with the beast. He started backing up in fear, trying to escape its haunting gaze as Sweetie Drops followed his example.

Varan hissed in pure, primal rage. Rest was gonna have to wait; he was ready for another fight.

"Guys? Guys! We have a problem. A very, very big problem!" Gallus called out. The Rich family already saw what just happened and they were just as scared and horrified, but Drift and the others came bursting out of Sugarcube corners to see what was going on.

Getting enough distance, Sweetie Drops managed to turn and run away, screaming her head off as she ran back home, slamming the door behind her and leaving everyone, including Gallus, behind.

No one else noticed, but more so fixated on what, or who, just returned. They didn't expect him to be back so soon, but the massive form crawling out of the well and rising on his hind legs proved to them he was back and willing to go for another round.

Gallus flinched and backed up more as the monster dragged itself further out of the well, keeping its terrifying ghostly eyes on him. He screamed as he turned and hurried back to his friends just as the tar-colored monster managed to get out of its imprisonment

He was wet, bruised, broken, burned and beaten, but the demonic, belligerent glare on his face meant he was not gonna go down; he will never go down until he killed every last one of these ants in this stupid town. He cringed in pain but quickly rotated his back and popped his wings back into place. The grotesque noise from his bones echoed and it made anyone who heard it cringe and sick to their stomachs. He was in pain, but he ignored every last nerve of it. His determination was deiform and everyone was gonna die around him.

Varan did not hesitate to get into viewing range as he snarled up at the monster. This was gonna be the last fight this beast will ever have, and he'll make sure it would be his last. He would be his last opponent.

He glanced at Varan with his blank-white eyes. What was full of life and willing to commute was nothing more than soulless rage and hate. The last resistance is this weak lizard? Pathetic. But, he'll be the first to die. 

Both reptile and manticore glared each other down like gods ready to settle a never-ending score. Only this time, it would be the very last.

Scootaloo opened the window up above Sugarcube Corner and glanced in horror as she watched her pet about to get into another fight.

Varan let out an angry, battle-born hiss and bared his teeth, ready to dig them into his opponent and finish this once and for all.

Marabunda swung his arms up and threw them down as he let out a loud, guttural, battle-ready roar that echoed across Ponyville. He was gonna let the whole world know that he was back and ready to fight.
> A Final Confrontation (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville was once again a battlefield. What time they had earned after a struggling battle was ultimately stripped away from them as the entity they tried so hard to bring down rose right back up and was ready to fight and see blood drawn. Yet, one approached and had no intention of backing down. The cloudy air that once held a peaceful silence now sang with an enraged, battle-ready roar and a vengeful, hate-filled hiss as two competitors stared each other down; a very injured, but highly persistent rogue Manticore and a very angry, ready-to-fight Komodo Dragon.

They both stood on their respective sides of Ponyville, keeping their deadset-focused eyes on one another. Marabunda snarled as he glared those blank-white eyes at his opponent; after all those beatings, after all that pain, he had finally gone over the edge – he had given up on any common sense and had gone full rogue. Communication, reasoning, it didn't matter to him anymore -- even to the point self-harm meant nothing to him. All that mattered now was slaughtering anything in front of him until they were nothing but dead waste under his paws. And the lizard before him would be the next to go.

Varan hissed aggressively as he narrowed his eyes at the monster glaring back at him. He stood tall as a show of intimidation towards Marabunda, but his attempt failed to cause any reaction from him. It didn't matter anyway. What mattered was who was gonna be left standing. This monster ruined his life; killing his family; his friends; his former home; it traumatized him to no end. He took everything that was important to him when he was a hatchling. But this time, he won't get that opportunity a second time. He won't take young master, he won't take old master, he won't take anyone else. And he won't ever back down from this fight. This manticore was going down and he'll make sure he stayed down for good.

Varan let out another primal hiss. This was their final showdown.

Scootaloo watched out from the upper window of Sugercube Corner. The scene before brought a mix of dread and horror to her when she heard the hiss of her beloved pet. Her body ran cold in fear for not just the monster out there still alive, but that Varan was the only one out there about to fight it. The fear of death coursed through her mind; she wanted Varan to get away from him. But if she said anything right then and there, she'd risk Varan's life if she so much as distracted him. At least, she hoped that wasn't the case.

Spike stood over Scootaloo and peered out the window, too. Needless to say, he was shocked to find her pet willing to still fight, but he was amazed to see he still dared to fight Marabunda. Varan was no dragon by any means, but his determination made him similar to one. He looked down to Scootaloo and gently bumped her shoulder, getting her attention, "Hey, Scootaloo, I know you're worried, but at least let's cheer him on, okay?" Scootaloo took that to heart and nodded. There was nothing she could do physically, but she could at least cheer him on. She smiled a bit at what Spike said and appreciated the idea.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash, just downstairs of the bakery noticed the sky darken as storm clouds slowly approached Ponyville. Both griffon and pegasus were confused before they looked at each other in question.

"Uh, Dash, is there a storm scheduled today?" Gilda raised a brow at her as she asked her.

Rainbow Dash just shook her head in response, "Not that I'm aware of."

A storm did approach, but the ones focused on the battle barely noticed; not moving a single inch. Marabunda and Varan waited for one another to make a move, or one to slip up. Minutes felt like hours as both animals glared each other down, but it wasn't until the sound of thunder from the storm suddenly cracked the air. The fight was on!

Marabunda let out a blood-curdling roar and he charged after his nemesis. Varan quickly obliged him and made a mad dash after the rogue manticore. Both animals clashed, bellowing their respective calls as claws swung at one another. But Marabunda was a second faster as he swung his sharp claw at the lizard, striking him in the arm and drawing first blood. He fully intended to cause as much damage to the lizard as possible like he would've done to that measly speck of a filly he swatted earlier. But Varan wasn't gonna go down that easily and was quicker on his feet as he managed to narrowly avoid another swipe from those claws.

Varan bellowed in revenge as he swiftly twirled his body and whipped Marabunda in the leg with his tail and actually managed to sweep the beast off his paws and crash onto his back. Scootaloo, Spike, Drift and everyone cheered, but Varan wasn't done. He ignored the cheering and watched as Marabunda slowly got up, but the moment to strike was now and Varan was not gonna allow him to make another move. The large komodo charged, again, and slammed his weight right into the beast, knocking him back down and immediately started clawing at whatever he could slash at. The rogue wholeheartedly returned with his own strikes. Claws raked on scales and fur, but Varan's claws proved more effective when his hooked talons sliced parts of Marabunda's mane off. If he was going to end it all right here, right now, he needed a good clear shot. A bare blind side; a solid target that he could sink his fangs in and finally bring this maniac down. He used everything he had from his front and back claws and getting one headbutt in. He managed to daze Marabunda with that headbutt, but it ultimately proved fruitless as Marabunda returned with a swipe with left claw. Varan yipped as he was slapped across the face, gaining another pair of cuts on his right cheek but he responded with a claw to the face on his attacker. The force from that strike almost knocked him off, but Varan quickly regained his balance and hissed at Marabunda. 

Everyone still cheered, but Scootaloo noticed something was wrong. With how much they've been fighting Marabunda, she never knew if Varan was still exhausted from his previous fight. He looked like he was gaining an advantage, but she just wasn't sure. She snarled at herself and kept cheering him on, "Kick his butt, Varan!" She shouted as she saw Varan swung a right hooked claw at Marabunda.

The hit succeeded in drawing some blood and caused Marabunda quite the face pain as he roared in agony, but he responded back by balling his left claw into a fist and swung hard, slamming it into the komodo's head and sending him off and rolling onto the ground with a squeak. Varan hissed in pain as he stopped on his belly, lying prone on the ground.

Scootaloo gasped in shock and watched in horror, 'No, no, no' her thoughts raced to where she almost couldn't think straight and she almost tried to jump out from the window, but Spike and Sweetie Belle managed to quickly grab her before she could; Spike, despite recovering from his injury, held onto Scootaloo while Sweetie Belle used her magic to prevent her from moving, or, at least try to; Scootaloo's moving and surprising strength almost ruined her concentration. 

The commotion caught Applejack's attention and she rushed over to try and calm down the situation, "Ya'll need to calm down, Scootaloo." She said, trying to get through to the little filly, but she wasn't having it. Her beloved pet was fighting for his life out there and she had to be there for him. She didn't want him to die by that psychopathic manticore; she wanted him to stay alive because it was bad enough that most of her life months ago was near torturous, she thought she had no parents only to find out her mother was closer than she ever thought. And just today, she finally found her father and her aunt. Her life was gonna be happier that she found more of her family tree, but with that beast of her father's past threatening to kill them all; she worried if they would be taken from her.

"Why can't that manticore just die?!" Scootaloo cried in tears as she panicked and tried to break free from Spike and Sweetie Belle's hold.

"Scootaloo, please, it's not gonna help Varan if you go out there and get yourself killed," Sweetie Belle chimed in. As much as she wanted to fight, she was too small and weak to even face him. Applebloom was lucky she made it out with only a bruised body.

Scootaloo struggled. Though try as she might, a dragon's strength and unicorn's magic was a powerful combination and Scootaloo gave in as she was in Spike's hold, but the tears rolled down her cheeks as she cried in front of everyone in the guestroom. "I don't want him to die!" This whole thing was getting to her and she just wanted it to stop. "I can't handle it. Diamond Tiara went too far and now she's gonna kill my pet... my... Varan." She was heartbroken, frustrated, annoyed, and sore. She and her mother went too far. She felt completely useless. "I just can't..."

She sobbed, tears running down her face. She looked everyone in the room with her puffy, red yet terrified and broken eyes. Varan was more than a pet to her, they had to know this. "I can't lose Varan... he's... he's family!" She whimpered in pain from her heartbreak, "It's bad enough I had to suffer as an orphan before finally finding my parents and my auntie..." She gazed toward the outside as she could hear her Varan squeal a bit as Marabunda landed another strike on him "...but I don't want to lose another member of my family, too."

Her struggling worsened the pain in his back for a moment, but he ignored it long enough for Scootaloo's struggling to cease. Spike looked down and, to his grief, saw Scootaloo sobbing and choking up having to know Varan is fighting to protect them. Scootaloo didn't want the risk of Varan getting hurt to happen; he understood that loud and clear. He listened and felt heartbroken; he noticed Sweetie Belle was the same way as him. They didn't want to see Scootaloo breakdown and cry like this. Yes, they didn't want any more fighting either, but what could any of them do? Spike was at a loss right now. His sister and he tried to take Marabunda down and failed; Applebloom and her family failed; Rarity and Sweetie Belle; Drift and Filthy; even Rainbow and Gilda. What was left for them to use? But, right now, his priority wasn't to fight Marabunda again, it was to try and find a way to calm Scootaloo down. Then something dawned on him. He widened his eyes and realized he had forgotten something. He looked back at Scootaloo and had an idea... "Scootaloo? Scootaloo, look at me. Please."

The poor filly barely opened her eyes because her salty tears stung so badly. But she heard Spike and listened; Spike motioned a hand to Sweetie Belle to turn off the magic. And so she did. Before she knew it, Scootaloo was in Spike's hold, or, in this case, a warm hug.

Applejack and Sweetie Belle were surprised by this turn of events. What was Spike up to?

Spike wasn't good at being a sweet-talker, but what he knew best was encouragement and Scootaloo desperately needed some, "It's gonna be alright. From what you told us before, Varan seems like he's more than capable of handling this. You said he was strong and fierce, right?"

And that was true. Scootaloo always loved to say how awesome Varan was, that she neglected to remember that. But with how Marabunda was, she just wasn't sure anymore, she sniffed then glanced at Spike. She wiped her tears away and saw a reassuring smile on his face. She didn't know how to take that, nor did she realize she was in his arms. She looked from side to side real quick then back to him, "Y-Yeah, I did say all those things." she was slowly calming down. His hug was rather inviting and comfortable. It made her feel better, just slightly. She almost forgot Sweetie Belle and Applejack were watching, much to their confusion, but she didn't care. She finally got to be in her crush's arms. 

To his surprise, it was working. He smiled in relief and said to her, "Just believe that he can win this. Varan can win this. He can -- huh?" He rambled for a bit and realized his scaly chest had a fuzzy cheek planted on it. He looked down and blushed brightly. He didn't expect this but what didn't help was the slight snickering from Applejack and Sweetie Belle. He pouted at them to not even think about laughing at a time like this. He won't hear the end of it, but it came at a price for someone he cared about so much. That was one reason why he hung out with her so much. He had feelings for her for quite some time and he didn't know how to express them. Now was the time to say something to her now that she wasn't panicking. He looked down at Scootaloo and softly said, "By the way, I know." 

Scootaloo shot her puffy, red eyes open and gazed up at Spike. "I-I...

.... an unsettling hiss from Varan caught their attention.

Outside, the clouds began to darken to the sky as the rain started to drip pat everything every drop touched. That barely fazed the two animals as Varan and Marabunda locked eyes with one another; nothing but malice and hate. Both huffed breaths of exhaustion, but Varan was almost at his peak. Marabunda, however, showed no signs of stopping. The rain slowly began to pick up, washing away any blood still on their bodies. Varan quickly got back up from being thrown, but his short, pained, breaths were a clear sign he was tired from this fight, but he had to push himself to protect what he loved. Marabunda will never get any chance of going near them! Varan let out a still-fighting hiss, but that only signaled Marabunda to attack. The manticore ran up and took a swipe at Varan, but the komodo ducked and swiftly dodged under Marabunda's arm and quickly went for a tail-whip but a chomp and an unbridled jolt of pain shot across Varan's body as something clamped hard around his tail. Varan let out a hissing-wail as he looked back to find the cause of the pain was Marabunda's jaws around his tail. Marabunda bit into his tail and his fangs easily broke the skin – similar to how Big Mac had grabbed onto him. Varan's eyes bugged out in shock, but Marabunda had him right where he wanted him and he looked at the large lizard with no intention of showing mercy. A long, eerie, gurgling growl escaped Marabunda's throat as he was ready for the toss.

Drift and the others watched on in horror, but Scootaloo gasped in terror when she saw Marabunda twirl his body and easily tossed Varan away like a ragdoll, throwing him into the air and causing the hapless reptile to slam into the wagon that saved Applebloom from almost getting severely hurt. Only in Varan's case, his weight and mass broke the wagon like cardboard and it crumbled over his body, burying him under wet wood and pastries – by the level impact, it looked like a clean solid hit.

Her mind was at an overload. Terrified and worried, Scootaloo kicked herself off of Spike and climbed over the edge. Spike grunted in pain, but Sweetie Belle caught him as the watched Scootaloo jump out the window. Applejack tried to reach for the filly, but it was too late. Scootaloo glided down to the ground a few feet away Sugarcube Corners and looked over to the pile of wood Varan was under. She was about to call over to him while Marabunda wasn't looking, but her father immediately ran out in the battlefield and grabbed her and pulled her away, "Varan!" Scootaloo instinctively called out. But that only drew Marabunda's attention.

Drift gasped in horror as his nightmare glanced at him and his daughter. He didn't know what to do. His options were limited. He could try and make a run for it with Scootaloo back to the bakery, but that would only lead him to the others and that wouldn't end well for anyone. He could use himself as a distraction while someone handled Scootaloo. His eyes fixated on Marabunda; Scootaloo was exactly like him. Both were scared to know what Marabunda was going do and anticipate when he'd do it. Scootaloo made a horrible mistake and now she brought her own father into it. 

Filthy froze in fear, as well, but he had to try and help. He could pounce in and distract Marabunda long enough for Drift and Scootaloo to get back, but he was too scared to move. Paranoia set in and thoughts of harm to others rang in. He didn't want his family hurt, but he didn't want his friends to get hurt either. What should he do? He couldn't handle any more pressure like that. If this was what an ultimatum was, he was not a fan of it.

The manticore now spotted Drift and Scootaloo. His stance was strong and fierce. His scorpion tail curved as if it had a mind of its out. The monster had won the fight, but it never roared out his victory – almost as if it never satisfied his lust for blood. He narrowed his soulless eyes at the two with a hate-filled growl escaping his throat. He looked to the two vulnerable pegasi before him, then at the ones contained in the makeshift cave behind them and the ones next to it. Glaring at the two pegasi once more, he growled sinisterly and gave a single yet creepy lick of his lips, licking the blood of Varan off of his fangs – making it clear that when he’s finished with Varan, they’ll be getting VIP tickets for a tour in his stomach. He was still aware there were more victims to be taken, but then he turned his attention back onto the one who fought him. Clearly, it still showed signs of life and it would try to stop him from achieving a true genocide -- he'll make short work of him.

Vinyl winced as her stepbrother and niece were out there facing that beast. But then she saw Marabunda face away from them and quickly, without a second thought, she launched herself out and shouted to them, "Drift, Scootaloo get back here. Quick!" Drift craned his head back at Vinyl at the front door and did just that with Scootaloo in one arm. Scootaloo watched as Marabunda began to approach Varan.

Marabunda growled lowly as he slowly approached the collapsed wagon, glaring coldly at the wreckage – right at the lizard who had escaped him years ago as a little helpless hatchling. But now, as an adult, he was just as persistent and annoying as these other creatures that tried to take him down. This was the best the runt can do to stop him? Pathetic.

The pain was undeniably bad, but he was still alive. His muscles ached and he felt a little dizzy. He had never been tossed like that by any other animal. The only animal that came close was that bear he met earlier. If only he were here, he'd apologize for mistaking him for Marabunda. That was if he got out of this alive. Despite feeling the pain and debris on him, he felt the raindrops gently touch and slide down his scales. It felt good, in a way. He's been living in a den for so long, he almost forgot how good it felt. Varan reminisced a day with a similar feeling. Before he met his young master and the old one, he had a moment one day where he'd lay on a grass field just minding his own business, then he felt a gentle breeze brush across his scales. He had no idea who or what touched him, but waking up to it just to see nothing really confused him, yet it felt comforting in some way; it was as if something told him that he was gonna be fine. And that he'd find peace one day. After that, the feeling was gone. Whether he was imagining that or not, he'd like to revisit that moment and feel exactly what he felt before. A lion's paw slammed onto the wheel over him, knocking him out of his trace and making him hiss in pain -- unfortunately, those good feelings didn't last long as the pain he felt became worst. He gazed up and saw the demonic eyes of Marabunda. He snarled unintelligibly but as Varan slowly lifted his head from under the wheel of the wagon that pinned him, he could faintly make out, 'This… ends… now. No… more… fooling around!' He pushed on the wheel with his weight, fully intending to crush the lizard and make him squeal for his life – His tail slowly rose. To make sure this lizard would never get up, a few good stings would make the job way easier. 

And once he's done, the rest of those littler preys were his for the taking. He would smile with glee, but he saw no point in it. All he wanted was to end them. No one could stop him now. He pressed his paw on the wheel and further crushed Varan underneath, warranting a pained shriek and desperate cry for help from the defenseless lizard

"We gotta do something!" Rainbow Dash cried out, wanting to help out.

"What can we do, Dash? We threw everything we had at that thing and it wasn't enough," Gilda retorted. She was not gonna throw her life over a losing battle.

"Drift, can't you and Filthy use your whatever-they-are to stop him?" Rarity asked, worried for the lizard outside.

Drift held onto Scootaloo close as she sobbed in his hold. As much as he would love to reload his wrist-launcher, there wasn't enough time. Marabunda was already on Varan and Filthy's weapon was almost out, too, "I wish we could, but reloading would take a bit of time and Varan doesn't have any."

Varan winced and struggled to get free. He looked alarmed as he saw Marabunda's stinger about to sink into him. He hissed in defiance and tried to muster the strength he had left – it won't end like this! He won't allow it! Any energy he had left, he had to use it.

Scootaloo looked out the window and saw Marabunda about to make the killing blow. All her fears were about to be a reality. She didn't want to see it but she couldn't. She saw the stringer lift itself. Nobody even dared to help him. She tried to save him, but it was fruitless. She remembered what Spike told her, but it was all wrong. Varan was losing and soon she'd lose him. Scootaloo quivered her lips as she could no longer contain herself. Drift tried to calm her down, but she called out in desperation, pleading to anything that would save her friend, "Varan, No! Please! Someone save him!"

A powerful blast of lavender magic suddenly shot down like a comet and slammed into the manticore, hitting him in the back on the spot where he fixed his wings and caused him to roar in agony -- the blast left a noticeable burn mark. If anyone had good hearing, they would've heard sizzling noises after that attack struck the skin. Varan watched in confusion as Marabunda backed away and tried to feel at the spot where he was struck. Having no luck, the manticore growled in absolute fury and annoyance for not only falling for an ambush attack but because someone actually grew a pair and struck him on one of his weak points. He swiftly turned to face his new challenger but ultimately fell victim to another shot of powerful magic and this new one easily blasted him away from the lizard. He careened back and crashed the ground with a sharp wince as his body scooted across the ground. That second time hurt like a mother, but he got right back up and glared his cold white eyes up at who was responsible – only to find a puny sight so unexpected that it almost insulted him in some way. 

For now, it went silent, again. Everyone inside and outside of Sugercube corner who saw the blast never saw that coming, not did they expect it. Like Marabunda, they looked to find who showed up and saved Varan. Some thought whoever did that was a brave soul while others thought it was an idiotic move. Who would make such a move like that?

The sound of familiar wings caught their attention as the lightning from the storm clouds revealed that Twilight returned and she was none too happy by what she saw. She glared furiously as she flew in place, her horn flaring up bright like a flare-gun. She growled like a wolf as she kept her eyes right on this beast.

The sudden appearance caused a new light of hope for everyone. Their savior and valued friend came back to help them finally defeat the monster. "Twilight!" Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Gallus, Smolder, Vinyl and everyone who saw her chorused in surprise.

Marabunda snarled in anger as he got back up on his feet. Another pony was able to bring him down? What kind of trash was that? The powerful manticore shook off any pain he felt from her attack, shaking the dirt off of his pelt and let out a defiant roar to the unfazed alicorn. He kicked up dirt and charged, but a sudden light blue streak zoomed by from the left and struck him in the lower jaw, causing enough force to turn his head and use his momentum to twirl around and land on his back again. 

He groaned in confusion and forced himself back up, but the light blue streak struck and slammed into his right hind leg, then his left arm and left cheek. He howled from the assault and tried to take a swing in with his tail, but it was no good. Marabunda was then struck again on the snout, quite hard at that. He yelped in pain and grabbed his face as he desperately backed away a few steps, cradling his snout. Once the assault stopped, he pried his paws away from his snout and looked at his paws to find his own blood, only for the rain to wash it off seconds later. He wasn't in pain so much as he was confused. Those attacks were strong, but what baffled him was that these attacks didn't seem blunt -- something was slashing at him. Marabunda gazed up at the alicorn and growled. She can't be the one causing this, can she? There had to be another.

Twilight smiled with a devious smugness and just waited. Her attack may have been strong, but this was not of her doing. She never once gazed at her friends and only kept her attention on the manticore. She had several questions, but she'll ask them later. For now, this monstrosity needed to be put down. But, she didn't come unprepared.

While Drift and the other ponies and griffons had no idea what was attacking Marabunda, Smolder watched and carefully examined what was going on. Headmare Twilight was here, but she only attacked twice, but now something else was attacking Marabunda. But who?

Spike, after recovering from Scootaloo's kick, watched from the guest bedroom window with Sweetie and did the same thing. A crazy-fast blue blur came out of nowhere? His mother was here, but she wasn't doing anything now. After what occurred, this puzzle was interesting. But his question now was: where did Twilight's backup go?

His answer came at an instant when he heard Marabunda growl above Twilight.

Marabunda watched as a newcomer flew down and landed with grace and power before rising back to its full height. He snarled as he eyed it thoroughly. It was another dragon. But unlike the ones he fought before, this one seemed older and more experienced in battle. He gazed at the dragon's claws and noticed they were tainted red. No doubt his blood. 

Smolder and Spike nearly jumped out of their scales from what they just saw, immediately recognizing who that dragon with Twilight was. Not only did Twilight show up, but... 

"Ember!" they young dragons said as the Dragon Lord herself shook Marabunda's blood off her claws.

"Twilight and Ember are here?" Pinkie Pie said with a positive smile. Now things were looking up for everyone. "Can this day get any better?"

"But what took them so long?" Rarity asked.

"Who knows, Rarity," Gilda shrugged. "I'm just glad back-up arrived."

Ember glared at the growling manticore before her and crossed her arms, not giving in to his intimidation. She was no stranger to manticores, as she knew what type of creature Marabunda was without so much as a double-check. Though how did one show up into a town? That’s what she wanted to know. 

"So, is anyone going to explain to us how a manticore got here of all places?" the dragon lord asked, but Spoiled Milk and Diamond Tiara were not gonna say a word. They silently crawled away to the side of Sugarcube Corner with Filthy and Silver Spoon watching. If Twilight wasn't bad enough, the dragon lord had to show up with her.

Twilight landed beside Ember. She kept her gaze on Marabunda, but spoke to her as if it was a casual talk, "I don't know, but once this is over. We are getting answers." All she wanted was a little get together with the leaders of Equestria, but instead, she and her back-up had to be summoned to clean up a mess.

"That's a manticore?" a mysterious voice chimed before Marabunda got impatient and let out another roar, causing Ember and Twilight to flinch.

Marabunda lunged at the girls, but a snap from a taloned claw behind Twilight's horn conjured several ghostly-like yellow chains that wrapped around Marabunda's body like anacondas and pinned him down to the dirt, making him yelp from the surprise attack, his eyes bugging out in shock. Where the blue blazes did that come from?!

Needless to say, it caught everyone else by surprise. 

"I thought it was something that came back from Death's door?" Hearing the voice again, Twilight only rolled her eyes as she recognized who it belonged to before Discord slithered out from the back of her head like a snake and coiled himself in the air before popping himself back into floating midair. Ember noticed and wasn't too thrilled by that little entrance. Ember noticed and wasn't too thrilled by that. She wasn't used to his antics.

"I will never get used to that," Ember said with a shiver as Discord laughed at her reaction.

"Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud, Ember. It's gonna take a while to get used to someone like me. Just ask Twilight," He said with a smug smirk and jabbing a thumb in said alicorn’s direction as Ember looked to Twilight who gave her a regretful nod of confirmation.

"Discord, too?!" Rainbow Dash said excitedly with an air bump. "Heck yeah, now this fight can be over with." 

"I wouldn't be so sure, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said as she looked to Discord, unsure if he's gonna help out. "Discord is powerful, but let's not forget the times he could've helped us, but chose not to."

Rarity held a valid point. For as long as they knew Discord, he could've been a huge help to them when it came to situations before. Sure he'd help, but most of the time, it was them that had to solve the problem. Granted, it was a good way to not rely on someone with magic to fix their problems, but in a situation like this -- 

"I don't mean to intervene, girls, but out there might be different," Mr. Cake pointed out. With what the girls went through, this situation might be different under this circumstance.

Scootaloo kept her eyes on the scene outside and saw that Twilight, Ember, and Discord. She couldn't find the words to thank them for showing up and saving Varan. She smiled for once and looked to find Varan had managed to crawl his way out of the cart pile. Relief came to her at a quick pace and she looked back.

"So, are you gonna help out this time, or is this another one of your 'lessons' to help me?" Twilight asked begrudgingly and gave him a slight cold shoulder.

Discord playfully gasped and acted like a drama queen, placing a talon on his chest, "Twilight, you wound me so. I would never just put you in circumstances to teach you a lesson." he snapped a tissue next to him and wiped away fresh crocodile tears. "You know this is none of my doing. Besides, if this was your story, maybe it would be my doing." Discord looked at Twilight with a smug smile, knowing full well he'd do better than what they were dealing with right now.

Twilight rolled her eyes until Ember sprung up and flew into Discord's face in a fit of annoyance at his tone, "Can we just deal with this thing and be over with it? I'm getting bored with all this talking and you sure as Tartarus aren't helping." Ember growled, getting very impatient but Discord looked at the dragon lord nonchalantly and comically pushed her away.

"Alright, yeesh. Don't have such a cow, little miss firecracker." he looked to Twilight and clearly said with the right answer, "This clearly isn't my doing, Twilight – if it was, I would’ve used something much less dangerous than a demon manticore with an attitude.” He wasn’t any fool either. Even if he’s a powerful lord of chaos, he knew limits and that creatures like manticores are meant to be left alone. “I told you there was something chaotic going on and it led me here."

Twilight looked at Discord, surprised. Something even he found chaotic? That was ironic and big coming from him. "You know, I'll believe you this time." She had no other comments. That sentence alone made her believe him. But, glancing back at the psychopathic, war-like manticore, she had to ask, "Then who brought this thing here?" 

"We'll get answers later, Twilight. Right now, I'm ready for some actions," Ember cracked her knuckles and unsheathed her claws. As much as she loved hanging out with her new friends, she had the battle-driven itch that needed to be scratched. Those fiery-eyes just beaming on their target.

"As much as I'd love to sit this one out, I'll have to agree with the hothead," he loved calling Ember that just to get a rise out of her. But in a situation like this, it made sense. His goofy demeanor then changed once he gazed his mischievous eyes on the one who caused the one thing he hated more than not having playful fun among friends. He snarled viciously as Marabunda managed to break out of his magic hold and let out a revenge roar. Discord's pupils shined a bright red, showing malice and hate towards the manticore, "Chaos is my job, you freak of nature." he didn't know where this thing came from or why it was causing such chaos among Ponyville, but the chaos it did cause needed to be cleansed. "And I don't appreciate you trying to imitate it."

Twilight gave the same malice and hateful gaze at Marabunda, "Nor do I appreciate this assault and destruction on our home." Twilight snarled as her horn flared and charged with magic, sparking, and lighting the open air as she faced the manticore.

Ember readied herself to fight, too. Unlike Twilight and Discord, she didn't have a specific reason to fight the manticore. She just wanted to aid her friends. However, something didn't quite sit right. She wanted to fight, but something caught her attention when she sniffed the air. The rain made it a tad challenging, but it was a faint scent; two scents, both were familiar and in the vicinity of where she was. She gasped and looked around confused by what she caught. The scent of two dragons was around, but where? She gazed back to luckily find one of them. It was Smolder! But what was she doing here? Ember looked to her confused and then shot her a look that asked 'why are you here?' but her confusion turned to worry as she saw her fellow dragoness was beaten and bruised. 

Smolder noticed her Dragon Lord stared back at her and figured she wanted answers. It was gonna be tricky, but she motioned her claw to upward to the guest room and then pointed to Twilight to let Ember know what that meant. Then, regrettably but ultimately pointed to herself and weakly swiped the air to indicate a fight. She immediately pointed to the source of how she and Spike got hurt. Her message was noticed by others, but she ignored them and continued. Her Dragon Lord wanted an answer and Smolder was gonna give her one. Smolder pointed to Marabunda and snarled, flaring her teeth to finish her message. To which Ember pointed to Marabunda, too.

With a nod from Smolder, the message was clear and Ember gazed her fiery eyes back at Marabunda and now found a good reason to fight. Steam huffed from the sides of her jaws and out her snout. Ember growled in rage and relayed Smolder's message to Twilight, "Smolder and Spike are here and in that building. They fought that thing and lost. Smolder is still standing, but she said Spike is badly hurt. She didn't specify what injury he had." Both of her fellow dragons have been hurt and now she will make this manticore pay for his actions. But Twilight never respond to her as she expected her to. She glanced at Twilight and noticed something very off about her. She stood eerily still and stiff, like a statue that's been planted on soil for ten-thousand years. 

Nervous, Ember called to her friend again, "Twilight, are you okay?" Again, no response...

... she was far from okay.

An unknown presence mysteriously made itself known to Discord, Smolder and everyone inside and outside of SugarCube Corner. An unsettling, frightening feeling coursed through their bodies. They never experienced such an unknown, chilling pressure before; it didn't make anything better when the air around them suddenly felt like it compressed and became tough to breathe. They all didn't know who or what was doing this but they all felt the same feeling -- even those who weren't watching the fight felt the nightmarish feeling. It was quiet for what seemed like an eternity, yet lasted for only minutes. No one moved a muscle or bat an eye; no one knew what was going on, yet they all felt so scared. But that all changed as the sound of hooves moving back broke the pregnant silence. As if their bodies were moving on their own, Rarity moved back first, then Pinkie Pie, then Gilda; not long until everyone followed suit, too, moving back and wanting to stay away from whatever, or whoever, was causing such a dark presence. They were terrified and intimidated by what was about to transpire. 

Spike held himself up as he tried to get a good look at the fight, but something in his mind told him to back off and so he did. Spike plopped on his rear and felt something off; it was as if something from beyond the cosmos told him that he should be prepared for what's about to happen once the fight was done. Sweetie Belle, Applejack and he looked at each other, suddenly nervous and anxious to know what was going on outside. But they had a feeling someone was about to die a horrible death.

Applebloom woke up. She didn't know how long she was out, but her body hurt like no other; more so than usual. How she was still alive, she had no idea but she was grateful, nonetheless. She felt like death, but wanted to smile anyway, yet, she couldn't. She felt dreadful and scared for some strange reason. She took a few calm breaths before glancing up to find her friends and older sister looking out the window and then looked to her left to find her older brother quivering in the corner of the room. How odd. She was hurting, but her curiosity overlapped her pain and she wanted to know what was going on and why she felt so scared. She slowly got up, but groaned in pain and dropped back on her back. She was not going anywhere. Whatever was making them act so scared, she knew it was happening outside. She was just disappointed she wasn't having a chance to find out what it was, yet at the same time glad she's not.

Discord kept his gaze on Marabunda and waited for him to make a move, but, without warning, an uneasy vibe crept up his spine like a spider crawling up a wall. He froze in place and his body gave a violent shiver. He pondered why he suddenly felt so cold and... petrified? He tried to figure out where this was coming from until he sensed it was close; next to him, in fact. Though the rain was camouflaging it, a drop of sweat rolled down his head as he craned his vision down to Twilight, but she was not moving a muscle.

He looked to Ember next and saw she was just as scared. At first, she looked eager to fight, but now she wanted to back off? What made her want to suddenly bolt out of the fight? Discord gazed back to Twilight until the rain started to pick up and the sound of thunder rolling in made itself known. Electricity around Twilight's horn began to intensify. Then it immediately hit him: it was Twilight! Something was wrong with Twilight. He and Ember flinched when lightning cracked over Ponyville, lighting the dark sky. Discord and Ember looked at each other for a moment and shared the same thought as they gazed back to Twilight, wanting to not get involved with what she had planned.

Marabunda glowered at the three new opponents. He didn't care what they were, so long as they were victims under his claws. He made a charge at them but ultimately came to a sudden halt when his instincts rang a code red. He paused himself and glared at his opponents, examining the one in the middle; her eyes were covered by her mane. Either she wasn't looking at him or she was just ignoring him. He looked at the other two cowering away from her and rushed to the other ponies inside a building and prompted to let her be. Were they backing down so the one in the middle could fight? It mattered little, but why did he stop? What was persuading him to not attack this feeble little pony? Marabunda growled at himself before roaring directly at the pony before him, trying to earn a scare out of her -- but received only silence from his soon-to-be prey and she remained statue-still. His temper and impatience could only get so high.

The roar was heard but received no responses from anyone. Marabunda thought he could intimidate Twilight with his usual tactics, but the beast could roar all he'd like, Twilight would not respond to any of them. Twilight just stood in place as the rushing winds and rain blew across the battlefield, electricity surging around her horn, building up magic. Twilight barely moved her head downward. Her mane still covered her eyes, but behind it, she was glaring at Marabunda all the same. She heard Marabunda roar again, but the only thing Twilight heard was 'Spike is badly hurt' echo in her mind.

Marabunda roared in rage and spread his wings to try and further his intimidation, but it went by deaf ears and he grew tired of this pony's ignorance. He will not be ignored! He fought through his alarming instincts and charged at Twilight. Already over her, he roared in her face to try and get her to make some kind of reaction, ignoring the electricity coursing around her horn. The manticore raised his right claw to take a swing at Twilight, but a flash of lightning revealed something the manticore was not prepared for. As he took a swing, he was knocked away by a powerful blast of magic from Twilight. He rolled across the ground before stopping back at the same spot he was at before. He cringed but lifted himself back up to face his opponent in shock.

A flash of lightning brightened the dark sky, again. Twilight began to walk and slowly advance toward Marabunda. Pupils slit similar to venomous snakes, irises red like the blood in her body, and a stare that would give the toughest enemy nightmares for many moons. As she walked closer to Marabunda, the storm began to strengthen and the sounds of thunder grew stronger. Another flash of lightning and her wings unfolded, showing what intimidation really was. The words still rang in her head and her motherly instincts and urge to kill have never been in peak condition; far worse was when they combined into one the moment Ember said what she said. Twilight wasn't one to resort to violence when it came to a confrontation among peers, she always resolved it with a calm conversation to ease the tension. But now, all that was out the window when Spike got involved. If Spike was truly hurt, then Twilight wanted nothing more than to rid Marabunda herself. Nothing around her mattered except the thought of wanting the thing that harmed her son to be as good as dead!

Discord and Ember quickly entered Sugarcube Corner as Discord snapped his fingers and conjured a protective forcefield around the bakery if the lightning were to hit them. Whatever happened to Twilight, they did not want to be in the middle of that god-tier rage. 

Both dragoness and draconequus puffed heavy breaths. They expected some kind of excitement out of the manticore, but they never expected something like THAT to happen.

"Okay, what in the blue blazes happened out there?" Discord asked in worry by what he had just seen, in all his time he's known Twilight, he never saw her act that way. It's as if she's a completely different pony, and for once, this new behavior of hers started to worry him. Yes, he loved to mess around with her the most out of all the six – and yes, he was aware his behavior can irk her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about her. Actually, he cared very deeply about her – she was one of his closest friends after all, and quite frankly, he held her very close to his heart like he held Fluttershy close to it; "Why did Twilight suddenly become the harbinger of doom?" 

Seeing Twilight’s new scary behavior was strikingly worrisome and put a bit fear in his heart. This wasn’t the Twilight he was fond of – this was almost a doomsday bringer of a mare. And he didn’t like it one bit! He wanted normal Twilight back; normal, dorky but well-meaning and confident leader Twilight. Not this scary, lightning-zapping demon mare. He wouldn’t admit it to Twilight at the moment, or anyone else at this rate, but the reason he always messed around with her – to either screw around with her or help in his own way to aid her or teach her a lesson in his own way – was because he actually secretly liked her very much… similarly to how Spike used to like Rarity in such a way before the dragon moved on to Scootaloo.

"Is that what's causing the storm out there?" Mrs. Cake asked, shocked as everyone else.

Discord shrugged, "Far as I know, we didn't notice the storm until little miss purple destroyer went bonkers." Granted, there was rain, but that seemed to matter little to him.

Rarity looked to Ember who looked suspiciously nervous. With the force-field around the bakery, they were at least protected by danger -- even if it was Twilight.

"Ember, darling, are you alright?"

Ember looked to Rarity. She didn't think something like that would happen from Twilight. All she did was relay a message and that was it. Was it really her fault? "I just told Twilight what Smolder told me when we were still out there."

Discord cocked his head and gazed at Ember, suspiciously. His nostrils flared in a bit of frustration when she said that. "What was the message, hothead?"

"I told Dragon Lord Ember that Spike and I fought that thing. We both got banged up pretty bad, but Spike got the bad end of it," Smolder spoke out and told Discord herself, saving Ember from getting chewed out. But that barely did anything.

Discord widened his eyes in shock and glared at Ember. Smolder may have told Ember, but... 

"Are you crazy?!" Everyone flinched at Discord's response. This type of behavior was a complete U-turn, even for him.

Ember flinched, but quickly retaliated and barked back, "Hey, don't yell at me, noodle-brain! How was I supposed to know Twilight would go insane like that?"

Discord rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Were you even paying attention to what she said during our get-together?"

Ember shot a leering, confused glare. That 'get-together' was for the leaders and royalty. Discord just invited himself, "What are you talking about? You invited yourself and dragged us over here because you thought 'something was wrong' in Ponyville." she motioned to Twilight and Marabunda. "Well, look what's happening outside."

"Oh, I see and it was caused by you. I knew you haven't been paying attention. So, allow me to illiterate you," Discord cleared his throat while Ember just stared at him, annoyed. "Twilight is a mother!"

Ember looked confused and didn't quite understand where Discord was going with that. In fact, why was he being so serious? Wasn't he the goofy kind of creature? "Just what are you on about. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Guys, break it up!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, getting between the dragoness and draconequus. "Okay, arguing is not gonna help anything."

"Yeah," Pinkie pie joined in. "But, what are you on about, Discord? Do you know why Twilight's acting more monster than the monster outside?" She asked and that got everyone else curious, too.

As much as they wanted to go at it, Ember and Discord backed off. Discord looked to the others in a more serious glance -- even though that wasn't his usual behavior, which started to concern them. Seeing him so focused and so deadly serious on something that concerned one of his friends, which usually involved Fluttershy – but not this time, was starting to bring worry to their beings. "You all really want to know? Fine." He crossed his arms and explained, "If any of you haven't noticed, an alicorn can be very protective. But, did you know they can have huge tempers, too?"

An alicorn being very protective? That was plain as day since the ponies knew that Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were willing to protect their friends and family at all costs. The mane six knew that all too well. Twilight was the same way, but a 'huge temper' was what had them stumped.

"I'm having a hard time believing that," Gilda responded. "Griffons and dragons are known to have bad tempers --" not even Ember, Smolder, and Gallus were gonna deny that "-- but an alicorn? From what I've been told, they were just supposed to be peaceful rulers, right? And fix everything in a snap."

Discord took a moment to soak in what Gilda just said before laughing his butt off as if that were a joke. Gilda wasn't taking that lightly and just looked at him confused, but she'd be lying to herself if she didn't want to tear his noodle body in half if Marabunda doesn't get to him. "I don't know who told you that, but they must be a good comedian," Discord said, chuckling a little more as he wiped a tear away.

"I wasn't joking, but okay."

"Before any of you were around, I knew Celestia and Luna much longer than what any scrolls, books, or notes say about them." Whether that was believable or not was beyond them, but what he said had a bit of truth to it. Discord was around much longer than any of them and he might've known more about them than what was told to them or read in current media.

"Alright, then, Mr. Know-it-all. Tell us something we don't know about our own princesses; other than them turning you to stone that one time," Drift said, taking a jab at Discord and ripping a bandage off that he didn't really appreciate as it could be seen by the lord of chaos stiffening up before turning to face Drift with a cold, almost murderous glare in his eyes which got him to jump a teeny bit.

"What did you just say?" Discord whispered threateningly with a scowl on his face and a deep growl emitting in his throat. His talon and lion paw started flaring up a yellow aura and the sound effect of a cocking gun could be heard as he was tempted to blast Drift into oblivion for that one. Even if he no longer held it against the sisters or even the six for turning him into stone about twice in his life, it was still a very sore, if not a very tender subject to bring up around the draconequus.

Vinyl widened her eyes when she saw this 180 behavior of the usually laid-back draconequus before she quickly clonked Drift on the head to shut him up, causing him to yelp in pain as she stood between her stepbrother and the lord of chaos, "Uh, ignore him, Discord. Please, continue."

Unlike Drift, she was trying to be more respectful around him – she personally didn’t mind his behavior or his wacky magic because she trusted Fluttershy’s judgment and any friend of Fluttershy’s is a friend of hers – which included Discord. She gave her stepbrother a warning glance to remind him of who he’s speaking to and to not tear off that bandage any further or they’d be in more trouble than it’s worth. It's never a good idea to upset someone who can rip all of reality apart with just a mere snap of his fingers!

Discord huffed and let that slide before he continued, "Anyway, before that little incident happened. When Celestia and Luna were younger, they had temper issues -- especially Celestia." Which made sense, ironically. "Celestia never told any of you this, but back when she was a teen, she had major anger issues towards everyone around her. Oddly enough, Luna was the level-headed one of the two." Which really gave their ruling the sun and moon titles more meaning. 

Everyone looked at Discord like what he said seemed like it was out of petty. They couldn't tell if he was lying or telling the truth, even the ones outside of the knowledge of him were stumped. Was it really true that Celestia and Luna were like that? Then again, they never studied what they were like as kids growing up. It really baffled them.

Though the pondering looks were an enjoying view for Discord. He relished in them thinking twice about their rulers. But, now was the time to tell them a little something more, "Oh yes, allow me to tell you much more of them. Celestia -- "

"Was like every other teen like me, Smolder, Scootaloo, and a few others."

Discord flinched with that stern tone as he and everyone else looked up the stairway to see Spike in bandages being supported by Sweetie Belle.

"Spike!" Everyone said in unison as Sweetie Belle helped Spike down the stairs.

Spike snickered and casually waved to everyone, brushing off his injuries like nothing ever happened, but that didn't stop everyone who was friends with him to care for his well-being.

"Spike, what are you doing out of bed?" Mrs. Cake asked, shocked.

Spike smiled calmly and looked to everyone that was wondering the same thing with a go-to smile, "I didn't want to be late to the party. Sorry, I didn't dress properly," though he joked and teasingly made a small jab at Rarity. Even though he could walk again, He still felt the pain left by that crazy manitcore. It didn't hurt to walk, but the hole in his back left him tender enough for hugs to hurt; he just hoped no one was gonna jump him and hug him. While yes, he should be back in the guest room resting, he had to be out here for a lot of reasons...

... but the biggest reason was outside. And it wasn't Marabunda.

Smolder, Gallus, Gilda and Scootaloo rolled their eyes at that joke as Spike and Sweetie Belle stepped down to meet everyone.

"Thanks for the help, Sweetie Belle," he smiled gratefully at her.

Sweetie Belle gave him a happy-go-lucky smile but looked outside to see the storm outside caused by Twilight. It was ominous, but she wondered why she was acting like this, to begin with.

"I see someone couldn't keep himself away from the danger," Ember said as she approached Spike. It wasn't the right time for greetings but she just couldn't resist seeing her friend as she couldn’t fight a smile off her face and offered a fist-bump.

Spike smiled cheek and fist-bumped the dragon lord, "Heh, what can I say, I can't stay away from the action." Smolder and Ember can relate, but the ponies and griffons were a bit more adamant to go straight into the fight unless a tactic was involved.

"Spike, my game buddy, I thought you were out for the count?" Discord pondered, but Spike shook his head. Despite the injuries, Spike was far from being KO'd. This was something he himself was quite surprised by, but he was relieved to see his game-pal still kicking.

"Not even close. I had to get back in the game because my mom is out there."

Well, that's really noble of you, but --"

"And to stop you from lying to everyone."

Discord flinched and paused from that turn of events as everyone who heard that chuckled, giggle-snorted or just flat-out laughed from that. Discord blushed an embarrassment when he looked at everyone, but looked back to Spike, a little annoyed.

"I was not gonna lie to them!"

But Spike was not quite done. Sweetie Belle unwrapped his arm around her shoulders as he sat on an empty chair. As she backed away to be with her sister, Spike continued, "True, but you're neglecting the one fact that the reason Celestia had anger issues was that you loved pestering her so much." Spike said as he snickered a little, but gave Discord some slack because he was nice like that, "But you were right about Luna. She was the level-headed one of the two, but she was a prankster, like you. And if I recall when I hung out with her for a few days, she mentioned you always loved hanging with her because she had a sense of humor." That right there rewarded a bright blush from Discord. Spike didn't even need a verbal answer to know that was true and just laughed at his response.

"Oh, is that right?" Rainbow Dash said, crossing her arms. "So, were you just exaggerating an alicorn's anger, Discord?"

Discord shook his head at her quite frantically, "What? No! I was being serious, this time!” He reassured her that he wasn’t making that one up, as for once since he arrived here, he sounded completely honest with what he was telling them. “I'd never exaggerated over something like that." He then lashed his annoyed glare at Spike. Was he trying to make him look like a fool? "You... I thought we were friends, Spike? How could you possibly know any of that?" Discord barked. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Spike just looked at him without a single hint of fear and smiled casually at him as if he was immune to this little fear tactic, "Because if there's anything I've learned from Applejack, it's that honesty can be a valuable weapon. That, and mom read a few secret books that you don't even know about."

Discord was surprised, but he looked away with a slight pout. “Touche,” He sighed lightly, “Okay, yes…” He admitted to everybody in the room with them that Spike was telling some truth as well about what he was saying about his own actions during Celestia and Luna’s youth. “…I take the blame for pestering Celly when we were teenagers.” He pouted somewhat childishly and shrugs his shoulders before crossing his arms while blushing brightly in embarrassment as Spike snickered more at his reaction. “But what did you expect? I was a stupid teenager myself back then too and you should know by now that even I can’t resist a few magical practical jokes.” It was true – like any other magical being, he loved to play a few magical practical jokes as much as the next creature.

"Anyway, I'm glad you two are here. I --" Spike noticed everyone was still unsettled by what occurred. No doubt they felt the power Twilight emitted. He thought a good joke would lighten the mood for everyone; even Pinkie Pie would've gladly joined him. But, something like this was different and he could tell everyone wasn't used to it. " -- you guys can sense it, too. Can you?" Everyone looked to Spike and gave their respective nods. For as long as they knew Twilight, no one here had ever seen her act like a destroyer before.

Everyone, except Spike. Spike looked out the window and saw the commotion. Discord's force-field was strong, but it was clear enough to see everything, and Spike and the others saw what was taking place.

Marabunda let out another roar before charging head-on after Twilight, but broke left and dodged a lightning bolt that nearly singed his skin. He toppled over but immediately got back up and lunged for the alicorn. But Twilight launched another spell pulse and knocked the manticore back and away from Twilight. Twilight never once moved her gaze away and another flicker of magic summoned two lightning bolts down from the sky. Marabunda noticed and quickly rolled out of the way. For once, he actually felt intimidated. He couldn't get near this pony and the tactics he knew always failed. Yet, he still had to try. 

Another lightning bolt came down, but this one struck the corner of an empty home. Spike saw it and felt a sheet of horror cover him. Twilight wasn't focused. She was letting her anger get the better of her. 

"This isn't good," Spike said. "We have to stop her." That was easier said than done.

"Any plans, Bookworm Jr?" Gallus asked, giving him a little jab.

Spike snapped his clawed fingers and casually announced to everyone, "Actually, I do have a plan, Gallus." Almost like a trigger, everyone looked to Spike, surprised. Or did he have a plan? Spike was known to joke around with them, but this was no time for jokes. But, from how he seemed so calm about it, maybe he wasn't joking.

"A plan?" Ember said as she crossed her arms, curious. "Hope it's effective because Twilight didn't come up with anything."

"That's cuz you told her something that made her go crazy," Discord poked fun at her, but Ember growled at him to shut up and give it a rest. Thankfully Spike stopped them from arguing any further.

"You're right; my mom didn't come up with anything because you three just got here. So --" he snickered a little "-- I'll be filling in until we get this sorted out. And it just so happens that my plan involves you two." Ember and Discord looked to Spike bewildered. Just what did he have planned?

Spike nodded to them, but Rainbow Dash spoke out to Spike, slightly impatient, but curious, "Well, let's hear it, Spike. Don't leave us out of the loop!" If he did have a plan, hopefully, it'll be enough to take that monster out. She would've loved for Discord to just snap this whole event away, but she could only hope and dream.

"I hope your plan doesn't include us," Mrs. Cake said with great anxiety and worry. She and her husband were happy to provide shelter from that beast outside, but she didn't want her family involved in the carnage.

Spike waved an assuring claw and smiled calmly at the frantic mare, "Oh, don't worry, Mrs. Cake, you and your family won't be a part of it," and that immediately rewarded him with some relieving sighs from the cake family. If any of them were to get hurt, he would never forgive himself -- not to mention a broken friendship with Pinkie Pie would be devastating if one, or both, of the twins got hurt; the plan was to bring fighters, not just bring anyone randomly. So, with that played, Spike looked to Smolder and Scootaloo, "That same goes to the both of you. I don't want you two getting hurt." Smolder had been through enough and Scootaloo was hardly a fighter. If they got hurt, then he might as well shun himself from everyone.

Smolder pouted but didn't argue. She wanted to join in, but what Marabunda did to her did a number and risking herself getting injured, again. Scootaloo didn't object, either. She wanted to go out there and fight, compared to Ember, Discord, Gilda, her own father, they were all capable of handling themselves; she was able to handle herself when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon kept bullying her for so long, but something like Marabunda was out of her control. She'd only be in the way. It was best not to pull that stupid mistake she made before thinking she'd saved Varan. Wait, Varan? She looked out the window and wondered where Varan went. Surely he didn't run away, did he?

That decision caught him by surprise. Drift would've expected Spike to make a plan that involved all of them, but he's only picking specific candidates? He smiled respectfully at Spike. For a young dragon, that was a mature move. But why only his daughter and the other dragon? He wondered, "Hey, Spike? So, what's this plan of yours?" Just like Rainbow Dash, he was curious to know, too.

"Hey, yeah! Just what is this super-duper plan of yours? Does it involve cake?" Pinkie Pie asked, trying to be upbeat in this dark time.

"You think everything needs cake, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash shook her head at her, but she was trying not to get shaken herself.

Gilda and Rarity just roll their eyes at the two before glancing back to Spike. Like Drift, they were curious about his plan.

"Ignore them, Spike. If there's a plan, then let's hear it."

"Yes, darling. Please, tell us." As far as anyone else was concerned, they were sitting duck. They gave there all and they still felt useless.

Spike crossed his arms and leaned back, but the pain in his back forced him to sit up with a hissing wince. Okay, best to be careful with that injury. He wasn't paralyzed anymore, but that stab still stung like a thousand hornets. "Okay, I know my mother better than anyone else here," which was true considering Twilight hatched him from an egg when she was a filly. He even let it slide when he heard Discord jab a quick ‘Obviously.’ comment to knowing Twilight better because even Discord knew that was the truth. "And the best way to calm her down would normally be books or a hayburger --" which still baffled him how that last one worked. But, it did. "-- but, in this case, she needs to see that I'm alright." He motioned outside and elaborated, "All we need is to get out there and snap Twilight out of it while distracting that jerk outside."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Discord asked, but the room got silent as everyone looked to him as if what he said was the dumbest thing he ever said. "What?" Pinkie Pie approached Discord, outstretched her arm, grabbed Discord's lion arm and lightly slapped Discord on the wrist. "Oh, right." he blushed in embarrassment, feeling like a basket case saying that.

Some chuckled at that little brain fart. A little laugh couldn't hurt every now and then, but it all stopped when lightning hit the force-field with powerful force. Everyone flinched and the cake twins started to whimper and cry in their parent's holds. 

“But seriously… this plan of yours better work, Spike, because I believe we’ll only add fuel to this monster’s fire with our distractions.” Discord had to point out that with a dash of concern; it didn’t take a genius to see that basically anything can rile up this manticore. He can distract him easily all by his lonesome, but he’d be damned if that beast pulled one more cheap shot on one of his friends. They’re going to have to keep on their toes.

Spike regained composure and hurried his explanation, "Okay, the plan is to stop Twilight. Discord, Ember and Fluttershy are vital to this plan." Spike forgot to mention Fluttershy, but he corrected himself. But now that Fluttershy's name was brought up, there was no sign of her. 

Since she was mentioned, the last thing they saw was her scurrying away. It worried them, but none more so than Drift and Scootaloo. Drift was worried out of his mind and Scootaloo now had something new to worry over; Varan and her mother are out there and she had no idea if they're okay. She understood Varan's reason, but not her mother's reason. Why would she run off like that?

Drift asked before Spike could say anything else, worried about his girlfriend, "If you know where Fluttershy went to, please, tell us. She took off without saying anything." There had to have been some reason as to why Fluttershy left.

Vinyl, Rarity, and everyone else wondered that, too. Aside from the Apple Family upstairs tending to Applebloom. They were clueless.

Spike took a moment to ponder as he looked to Scootaloo and Drift. A confident smile rolled up and he nodded to them, agreeing to tell them where she went, "She's getting someone to help us. She'll be back --" he shrugged "-- when? I have no clue. Applejack told me before Sweetie Belle and I came out once Twilight went insane."

Everyone looked to Spike shocked. Fluttershy went to go get help without telling them? And Applejack knew, too?

"Wish Applejack would've told us instead of keeping us under the loop," Rarity said, a little peeved but they were focused on other things.

"Yeah, just who is Professor Fluttershy getting? If it's someone who can take down that monster out there, then they're taking their sweet time getting here," Gallus said in a snappy tone, agitated and angry. Guilt was tearing him apart from what happened earlier. He wasn't just worried about everyone else, but he was worried about Bon Bon, too.

"Gallus, calm down, it wasn't your fault what happened to Lyra," Pinkie chimed in, trying to comfort Gallus, but it barely worked.

"No! Everyone who tried to bring that monster down all failed and look what it did; fire, claws, magic, objects, hooves, everything was thrown at it and it's still standing!" he glared teary eyes at Pinkie, having doubts anything would kill Marabunda. He failed to participate in the fight, he failed to save a life and he felt like such a coward. He grieved for Bon Bon and tore himself apart inside. "Why stop Headmare Twilight? Why don't we just let her kill that son of a --"

"Gallus!" Gilda barked, forcing Gallus to halt his irate state. The young griffon looked to her, tears running down his face, "Look, I know your upset. But, please, relax and take a breath." it hurt her seeing Gallus like this. She never built a close friendship with him before, but ever since he and Glinda became penpals and close friends, she rewarded him with high respect. She could see he had a warrior's heart, he just didn't know how to unlock that potential. Compared to her, she saw herself as more of a punk than a warrior; well, back then. Now, she felt more like a guardian when she saved Glinda from being thrown out of the nest by her so-called parents. "Marabunda can be put down. As far as we know, he could be running on fumes." whether that was true or not, Marabunda was an animal and not an alien or robot made by a mad mechanic. He would be taken down, eventually – he’s just being highly stubborn and relentless. "We may still have a chance."

She also had a feeling Fluttershy will pull through for this attack; true, she’s wondering why she’s taking so long, but she also remembered that Fluttershy’s cottage is quite a distance away from town, being on the edge near a forest – so that’s probably why she’s taking so long to get here. Not to mention possibly trying to catch her breath too because that’s a distance-trip that even she would need to stop to catch her breath. Poor yellow pegasus looked more like a ground pegasus than a sky-loving one.

Gallus paused and tried to calm down, but Spike spoke out and gave him an opinion, "It's not just them, anyone can join in this fight. I know Marabunda is strong, but --"

"I'm in."

"What?"

"I'll join in. I'm not strong like you dragons or have magic like the unicorns, but griffons are fast like pegasus. If all we're doing is distracting him, then I can do that. I’m tired of being scared… it’s time to take a stand!" He glared lightly in determination. He was tired of cowering scared, it was time to teach Marabunda a lesson that he shouldn’t mess with any creature here. 

"I'm in, too," Gilda said with a confident tone as she pounded her talons together. "I wanna get a few hits in on that freak outside." Just this once, she'll bring back her old self. She missed having a chance to punch something.

"Yeah, I'm in, too. There's no way I'm backing down from this," Rainbow Dash stepped up. She was eager to go another round with Marabunda and she'll make sure to hit twice as hard.

Spike looked at the three participants and smiled confidently, "Alright, anyone else?" he asked, getting good results.

"I will," Drift announced. "I may not have enough ammunition in my wrist launcher, but it should be enough to distract Marabunda once Fluttershy comes back with back-up." Then he had a thought, "If he's still here, Filthy can tag in, too."

"Hey, where is he anyway?" Vinyl looked around for said rich family but couldn't find them anywhere.

Drift immediately rushed to the right window and looked outside only to find Filthy and his family were gone, "You've gotta be kidding me?!" he closed the window and looked to everyone a little sour. "Nevermind, he up and left with his family." He was a little disappointed his friend left, but he couldn't blame him for leaving, either. He had his family to protect, too. And he figured if they stuck around any longer, it would make things worse for everyone since Spoiled and Diamond are viewed as public enemies to them.

"tch, good riddance," Rarity said in a slightly disgusted tone. "They still have a lot to answer for, for what they did." They couldn't agree more, but now was not the time to talk about them.

"Alright, anyone else want to help out?" Spike asked and got one more volunteer out of it.

"I'll pitch in, Spike,' Rarity said, receiving a warm smile from the dragon. He was hoping she'd join in. “I once again must admit that fighting normally isn’t my thing.” She fluffed her mane back, admitting to the others that she doesn’t like to fight much as she is a mare of passionate tastes rather than a fighter. “I’m more into fashion and being safe indoors with my little sister…” She wrapped an arm around her little sister who smiled up at her which she returned; until a battle-ready scowl appeared on the fashionista’s face – she was willing to make this an exception. “..But I will rip this brute to pieces for harming my friends and stinging our Spikey-Wikey’s poor little back!”

Ember smirked lightly at Rarity’s bold and ready-to-fight declaration. She liked seeing this type of attitude – as it reminded her all-too-well of her own battle-ready attitude. Rarity just earned her respect, she chuckled and crossed her arms while keeping her light, proud smirk. “Spoken like a true warrior dragon in the form of a pony.” A blush formed on Rarity’s cheeks but while appreciating the compliment, she returned the smirk. She was ready for anything Spike had in mind.

Seeing such a fiery attitude made him blush lightly at his former crush, but he smiled appreciatively at her before nodding in agreement, satisfied with these volunteers for his plan. "Sweet. Now then…Shall I continue?" Everyone nodded and allowed Spike to finish explaining his plan to them.
> A Final Confrontation (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Before the force-field was made*

He couldn't take any more of it. Twilight was here and he couldn't bear the thought to go up to her and face her once this troublesome fight was over with. He did all he could to try and take out Marabunda, but now the situation just got worse -- well, it was good for everyone that somepony with great power and equally powerful allies came to aid them. But it was bad for him because Twilight would get word of what happened to Spike and he could only imagine the consequences he and his family would endure. With all that's been said and all that's been done, they were sure to be shunned for what happened. Filthy couldn't handle the thought of meeting her once this was over. He couldn't stay here any longer; he needed to get his family out of here as soon as possible. He removed the wrist launcher and placed it on the table as he looked to his family who gazed at Twilight and her friends glaring at the monster that stood before them.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," Filthy said. "If we stick around, we would only be in the way." Spoiled looked to her husband and nodded. She and her daughter have done enough trouble for today. It didn't make things any better when the Dragon Lord asked who brought Marabunda here.

"Y-You're right. If Twilight saw us, who knows what she'd --"

A sickening feeling suddenly coursed through their bodies. A chill ran up their spines and they had no idea why. Spoiled and Filthy looked at each other, confused and scared. Who, or what, was making them feel this way?

"Mommy, Daddy, I don't feel so good," Silver Spoon said as she whimpered, scared of what was going on, but she walked up to Filthy as he immediately placed an arm around her as she started shaking in his arms. She didn't feel sick, but she felt strangely guilty. If that's the case, she felt so much of it that she had to right the wrongs she committed. And she knew exactly what the wrongs were.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Diamond asked as she started to tear up, terrified as well. Like Silver Spoon, that guilty chill ran across her body, but she felt it much worse than her sister did. It's as if something was making her pay for her actions. She wanted it to end, so she could apologize to whomever, or whatever, made her felt like that.

Spoiled frowned in worry, "I don't know sweetie, but mommy's scared, too," she hugged her shaking, terrified daughter close, forgetting what they did before and deciding to be a good mother for once. She was in trouble, that much was crystal clear, but was it also a sign that the gods and goddesses were punishing her for her's and Diamond Tiara's actions? If so, she wanted them to punish her, not her daughter.

Filthy tried to move, but his body wouldn't allow it. He wanted to know what was going on until he looked at right as Ember and Discord ran into Sugarcube Corners and left Twilight behind. He was confused, but his attention was quickly drawn to the rain and wind slowly picking up.

"What in blazes?" He said, but it went by deaf ears as the chaos began. Lightning struck down between Twilight and Marabunda. The crackling noise from the lightning spooked the fillies and made Spoiled jump, but it gave Filthy the answer as to what, or now who, was causing this mystic force that made them feel how they are now. Filthy widened his eyes is fear, his hearing rang from the noise, but he kept his attention onto Twilight. Marabunda made a hasty move by charging after Twilight, but the power from her when she easily knocked the manticore away made his body responsive, again. 

The storm kicked up. Lightning bolts rained down occasionally, but they weren't aiming for the manticore; they were aimless. Filthy and Spoiled watched as they got to experience what the true power of an alicorn really was, and they were terrified more than anything. Twilight wasn't looking at them, but they could only imagine what she was feeling right now; Twilight was angry and with what she was doing, it seemed like she was taking her anger out on Marabunda; a fair metaphor of taking her anger out on them.

They needed to go, now!

Filthy nudged Silver Spoon and Spoiled with Diamond, "Come on, we need to head home!" Filthy ordered.

"But what about the others?" Spoiled looked to her husband, knowing Drift may need him.

But Filthy shook his head, "Spoiled, they have their own priorities to deal with. Mine is protecting you and my family. Now go!" Spoiled didn't argue and she and the fillies headed straight home. Filthy was about to follow suit, but he craned his head back and looked to the bakery. "I'm sorry, Drift. I wish I could stay, but I'm not wanted here, anymore." With that, he rushed to his family, passing a duck-and-covered Varan under a tree.

***Now***

Marabunda roared furiously. No matter what he did, he was not able to land a single hit on this tiny pony. It aggravated him and made him want to kill her twice over; if he can get his claws on her. He ignored the rushing winds and rain and made another attempt at attacking his prey. He charged like a locomotive, but with a different tactic. He put his feline anatomy to use and quickly zigzagged his movements to disorientate his opponent. Thinking he surprised her, he got closer and tempted fate by making the lunge with his claws out. He thought he finally had her this time and nearly relished in the thought of tearing her limb from limb...

... but all he felt was nothing but air against his paws. And he strangely couldn't any part of his body. He looked around confused before gazing at his opponent to find she was the cause of it. He was trapped in a purple aura that kept him still while in the air. Marabunda growled and tried to break free, but the pony's tactic was incredibly strong; he couldn't move an inch.

Twilight, however, never once felt any urge to stop. She was all too focused and determined to end this manticore. She was angry and rightfully so; this creature harmed her son and never showed an ounce of regret doing it. Her muzzle craned back a horrible snarl and her rageful glare never changed. Then so be it; he will regret it by paying with his life! Twilight shifted her capture spell to only encase Marabunda's neck, manhandling him like he was stuck on a branch to a tree and barely strangling him in the spell; which Marabunda barely showed it having any effect.

Marabunda struggled to get free. He gripped his neck to try and break out of Twilight's hold, but it was all for not as he saw the demented look on the purple alicorn. The last thing he saw was an evil smile from her before meeting dirt and gravel.

Twilight slammed Marabunda down to the ground, then lifted him back up and repeated the motion, again, rewarding her with pained yelps from the incapacitated manticore. An evil grin began to creep up on her muzzle. The back of her mind told her to avenge her son, but another part of her wanted to torture this manticore, too. Like all balances, the angel always needs a demon. And Twilight was no stranger to either of them and their conflicts; this time, the demon won. Anger turned into hate and mercy turned into cruelty. 

Marabunda let out a pained yelp as Twilight slammed him back to the ground and dragged him across the dirt so she could force him to learn what it meant to be inferior. She hoisted him and slammed him back down, again, dragging him across in front of her. She had no idea if anyone was watching or why she was acting the way she was, but she relished it. It felt so wrong, yet so right. If this manticore thought he knew what power was, he doesn't understand the meaning of it. So, she was gonna make him understand.

Twilight held Marabunda in the air, his body dangled almost lifeless. She analyzed him for a second, but was bored with making him eat dirt. She looked up at the clouds and immediately came up with another idea. With a sinister grin, she swung her head and threw Marabunda back. The manticore howled as he was thrown, but Twilight caught him immediately in her capture spell, again, and was slammed back to the ground, pinned and facing the stormy sky above. 

Marabunda was dazed and confused. He had no idea what was going on or why he was suddenly facing the sky. The last thing he remembered was seeing the ground and feeling pain all around his body. He shook his head while the rain washed away the dirt on his fur or what's left of it and tried to move -- but he couldn't. Shocked, he looked around before a light caught his attention.

Twilight glared murderously. Her horn crackled with powerful magical energy. The lightning from the storm occasionally flashed the dark skies, but that didn't faze the princess of friendship. In fact, it made her look intimidating, like she was the demon of this fight. Another quick flash of lightning, however, also revealed the eerie shadow of the inner demon within her.

Marabunda howled and struggled as much as he could, but try as he might, he could not break free from his magic prison. He noticed the lightning flashing above and looked up to find the clouds above began to slowly rotate as lightning shot across within. It was like they were dancing and performing a show. Marabunda watched in awe and wonderment before realizing what was going on. He had a feeling the crazy pony that trapped him was behind this and he tried in vain to get free, but it was no use like before. Those chains that the snake-thing used were much easier to break free. He ultimately stopped and watched the dancing clouds spiral. For once, he felt helpless and his rage slowly began to drift into fear. The lightning above began to brighten and the sounds of thunder grew ever so powerful.

Twilight built up more of her magic. 'Just a few more minutes and it'll all be over.' was what she thought as her horn crackled with more magical power. Head lowered, but full of unbridled focus, Twilight was more than ready to end it all. She then lifted her head and focused her magic to manipulate the storm into doing her bidding. The wind picked up just a little and the lightning crackled louder as if it were a titan ready to attack. She heard the fearful cries of the manticore, but that only fed her lust to continue her onslaught. The time was now and the lightning continued to crackle overhead. With no hint of stopping, Twilight threw her head down with a hard grunt.

As if on cue, the lightning within the storm clouds intensified and five powerful, concentrated streams of lightning speared down and aimed directly at Marabunda as if the god of thunder from myths and legends listened to Twilight and attacked under her order. Marabunda widened his eyes in dread before he screamed and howled in absolute fear as something he'd never witnessed before came at him at an alarming rate. He didn't know what to do or what to think; this tiny pony bested him without a second thought. Death was approaching and she was enjoying every second of it! He watched in sheer horror, but it didn't make things any better when the five bolts suddenly combined into one, making a lightning bolt much bigger than what a normal one would be. 

Twilight smiled evilly and Marabunda cried out for his life, the lightning bolt mere feet away from him and it was closing in fast. Seeing no other option as it was getting ever so closer, Marabunda closed his eyes, looked away from the lightning bolt and braced for the inevitable.

Then, the harsh wind and rain suddenly stopped. 

Marabunda almost didn't want to look, but he cracked one eye open only to find the night sky full of stars, not clouds and lightning. What just happened?

Twilight paused and looked just as puzzled. Where did her attack go? She blinked a few times and craned her head up to look at the thunderstorm, but saw only Luna's shining stars; the storm had vanished. Her horn withered its magical power and confusion quickly settled in. 

"Mom!" a familiar voice called out to her.

She looked back to find Spike alive and well. He was in bandages, but still standing with Scootaloo helping him. "Spike?" her red eyes turned back to the normal state as her worries and anger diminished. Her son was okay and that brought a smile back to her face.

{Discord, I want you to get rid of the storm, first. That'll distract mom long enough for me to call her. Seeing me should snap her out of it.} And it did. Discord snapped his talon claws and whisked the storm away for Twilight to notice. He saw Twilight look over to him and Spike. The first part of the plan was done, so he just stood there and waited for the next part.

Twilight felt a wave of relief wash over her and felt the light in her heart brighten. The demon within her faded away. She turned and started to rush over to Spike, until a massive shadow hovered upon her. She widened her eyes in horror when she realized she had also let go of who she was torturing; she winced deeply and looked back to see Marabunda free from her grasp, back on his paws and already about to pounce. The manticore did not look too happy with her either. Anger turned to fear and hate turned into panic; Twilight got distracted and now she feared she'll pay with her life. 

Though, Karma had not planned anything to ruin Twilight's life. In a quick burst of speed, a rainbow streak, a brown-grey streak, a dark blue and light blue streak zoomed over Twilight and headed straight for Marabunda. Twilight was caught off-guard but she kept her eyes glued when she saw Rainbow Dash and Gilda came to her rescue and pushed the mad manticore back with decent force.

"Mom, quick, get inside before things get worse!" Spike called out, catching Twilight's attention. No sooner did he say that was when Twilight rushed back to her son. As she did, Discord passed her to join the fight.

{Once the storm is cleared, Marabunda will no doubt get right back up and go after her. And that's where you four come in. Push him back and carry out the fight as long as you can.} Rainbow Dash and Gilda flew with matching speed and slammed right into Marabunda, which forced a pained grunt out of him. They pushed him a couple of feet away from Twilight before flying away fast enough so not to get struck by the manticore's claws or tail. 

Marabunda skidded against the ground but stopped himself with ease, dirt flying up. He growled coldly but Gallus flew up to him, catching him off-guard and giving him a hard swing to his snout. Causing him to recoil in pain and grab his snout with a whine of shock, Gallus quickly backed up from Marabunda. {If some of you get lucky, go for the snout. That should stun him and give any of you some time to get away or continue fighting} And Gallus, Gilda and Rainbow Dash chose to fight until Fluttershy came back with backup. But the next part of Spike's plan was not done.

Marabunda held his snout and growled again. His malice sight was on Gallus. This puny bird thing will pay for that! Marabunda shook his head and prepared to charge, but a newcomer dashed in front of him and blocked his path. Marabunda flinched and backed up as the blue dragon from before came back. He didn't know what to expect, but he didn't care and growled coldly, about to attack her.

{And Ember? Don't hold back giving that monster what a Dragon Lord's fire can really do} And that's what she planned from the start. Spike didn't even need to tell her to do that. The look he gave her when he ordered her to do that seemed funny; she guessed it must've been new to him to give an order to her. And not choke up about it? She had to admit, she was proud of him. He may have been raised by ponies, but she'll be a skunk ape's aunt if he didn't have the spirit of his species. Ember inhaled and pinpointed her aim at Marabunda. The manticore lunged, but the dragoness was quicker and exhaled a blue fire of roaring power, stopping Marabunda in his tracks and forcing him to block in order to save his hide. 

Gilda, Rainbow Dash, Gallus and Discord watched on as the songs of Marabunda's pained wails could be heard. They had him backed into a corner thanks to Ember. Spike's plan was a simple one, but it was working. Gallus peered back to see Twilight hugging Spike before they headed inside with Scootaloo. It was good to see them reunited, but then he noticed the gadget on the table Filthy left. He tilted his head in curiosity before gazing back to the fight.

The manticore felt his skin starting to burn. This kind of fire was not like the one the orange dragon had used, but it still hurt like just the same if not a little worse. Marabunda was outnumbered, but he would not give up. An idea came to him as he fought through the pain in his back. He used his wings to fan the fire back, fighting against the blue dragoness' fire breath to push it back. To his luck, it was working. And then he swiped the ground with his left paw, picking up some dirt.

Ember tried to fight back Marabunda's wind gust. But even for her, he was proving to be a challenge. This elemental clash proved something new to experience. But for every fight, one would always pull a cheap shot. Before Ember could counter, Marabunda made a swipe and flung some dirt in her face, forcing her to stop her attack.

"AAH!!" Ember yelled in pain as the dirt got in her eyes, wincing in pain as she turned away from her challenger. She tried to quickly wipe the dirt off, but Marabunda swiped her off the ground and gripped her hard enough for her to squeal in pain. 

Her friends gasped in shock but were too late to save her as the manticore slammed her to the ground with force strong enough to render her motionless then threw her away like an old toy. Ember was thrown to a nearby grill stand. She screamed as she was sent flying before she crashed into the grill on display and caused an explosion big enough for her friends to feel the heat. Ember was swallowed up within the explosion and disappeared.

"Ember!" Everyone called out in shock. They didn't know if she made it or not. That toss was brutal and that explosion sure didn't help. Gallus took the risk and made a dive for that gadget Filthy left. Discord, thinking Ember perished, growled in anger and took over the fight. Now, it's personal!

Glaring, he looked to the griffon and pegasus before pointing to Sugarcube Corner. "Gilda, Rainbow Dash, get back to Sugarcube Corner and protect the others." His command made them quickly realize he was planning to fight Marabunda himself after seeing Ember fall.

The girls tried to argue, "No way, we're in this together!" Rainbow Dash glared at him while Gilda nodded.

"You're crazier than you already are if you think we're letting you fight that beast alone!" The griffon jabbed, not wanting to let him do this alone.

But Discord motioned them to go, glaring at them protectively as he snapped his fingers, conjuring a knight's helmet and cape on his head and body. "Just get out of here!" He then turned and focused his furious glare at the beast that stood proudly after defeating Ember. "I'll handle this psychopath." With that, he charged, ready to avenge his fallen friend. Wincing, but left with no other choice and no way to change his mind, Gilda and Rainbow Dash obliged his order and headed back to the bakery, but Gilda remained outside the force-field while Rainbow Dash headed on inside. Gallus remained with Gilda.

Discord glared as he charges right for the manticore who then noticed him coming his way. "Banzaaaaaaai!"

Marabunda snarled and charged after Discord. With no one else to get in his way, he can tear at this noodle-thing easily. He charged in close but grunted as Discord socked him in the muzzle and jabbed him in the eyes with his talons before teleporting to the left side, gaining distance when the manticore swiped for him while growling in pain. 

Noticing the draconequus near his left, he lunged for him to bite into him, but using his serpentine body, Discord quickly swerved out of the way, with the beast barely missing the tuft on his tail. 

Chomp!

Marabunda growled lightly in frustration when he tasted nothing but air. He then spotted Discord on the right now, he lunged once more but Discord anticipated that and teleported out of the way, using his magic to make a big wrestling glove appear in his face and bopping the manticore in the face, dazing the monster somewhat.

Drift gasped lightly – the lord of chaos was willing to fight Marabunda and risk his own life for the others? The stories he heard about him growing up felt like they were a candle in the wind. He really had changed! 

Their hidden audiences who remained safely in their homes, to wait out until the fight was finally over were impressed by how well Discord was handling himself. Marabunda had some brute force and inhumane stamina, but Discord's got speed in his favor thanks to how nimble he was. Every pony in their homes started rooting for him, hoping he can wear the beast out with his speed and magical sneak-attacks. 

At the schoolhouse, the foals were really impressed by how this turn of events went. It was like watching an epic brawl between The Lodge Crew and The Justice Stables. Some of them had been shaky around Discord because of his unpredictableness, and on a bad day, his temper – but seeing him outsmarting Marabunda at every turn started putting them a little at ease.

"Hehehe... Look at Discord, riskin' his neck like that!" Snips slightly chuckled a bit uneasily but he was really impressed by how brave the draconequus was being. If only he helped out more often like that!

"Well, he better wear that beast of burden down soon, I dunno how much longer he can fight!" Rumble winced as Twist hid near him, shaking quite fearfully.

Snails chuckled a little, being in his own little world, but he viewed that while their ally was being quite a fighter, racing in without any gameplan would be a grave error. "Heh, what a dope." 

Dinky Doo glared at the unicorn colt for that type of comment, standing up for their slippery ally. "He is not!" She knew for a fact that Discord was doing his best out there to save everyone.

*Inside Sugarcube Corner…*

Drift was in awe by how quickly Discord was moving and pulling quite a few punches on the manticore. Seeing the lord of chaos act protective in such a way, he knew that Discord really had changed for the better. And for that, he felt like he needed to help out. He said he could handle Marabunda, but he didn't know him as much as he thought. He didn't care if Discord handled the fight alone, he needed help. 

He glared lightly – he would not stand by scared this time. He looked to Vinyl, "Take care of Scootaloo. I'm helping Discord." He then charged out after the two, glaring as he fully intended to beat Marabunda with his bare hooves. "Discord!" He yelled out as he ran towards the fight to aid the magical lord of chaos with the persistent and demonic beast of the underworld.

Vinyl flinched and tried to reach for her step-brother to stop him, "Whoa, hey, wait, Drift!"

"Daddy!" Scootaloo cried out as Twilight almost prepared a force-field of her own to replace the one Discord made.

"What does that stallion think he's doing?" Twilight asked. Comparing him to Discord, he had no powers to use against that monster.

*Back to the fight*

"Toro! Toro!" Discord held his cape out, which he had turned red and now had dressed himself as a bull-fighter, glaring at Marabunda as he shook his cape. "Toro! Come on! Come on!" Marabunda roared as he charged for Discord, but the former pulled the cape over his eyes and leaped over his head, allowing him to run blindly. He smirked as he floated in mid-air with a sombrero, having a rose in his teeth as he struck a pose. "Ole!" 

Marabunda stopped and groaned confusedly. He had no idea what just happened or why he had this weird thing on his head. But it sure was a pain not seeing through it. He grabbed at the cape to try and pull it off, but Drift glared angrily when he saw an opportunity. He saw his chance and took it.

He made a mad dash right for the manticore and leaped on top of Marabunda's back with a rage-filled grunt. The manticore was caught off-guard by that, but he had no means to counterattack once his assailant grabbed a hold of the cape and pulled back. Marabunda could finally see where he was at but the cape was pulled back and wrapped between his jaws. Drift held on to the cape and planted his back hooves tight onto the fur of the beast. 

Marabunda growled and hissed in annoyance and tried to swipe at Drift, but clumsily swiped the air. He then shook his head violently to get the cape off, but to no avail. He continued to shake his head about while rearing up on his hind-legs in attempt to fling Drift off, but Drift kept his grip on his fur and the cape. Finding this annoying, with a highly angered growl through the cloth, the manticore then started to buck around to knock Drift loose from his back.

Discord widened his eyes and snarled at Drift's interference, but this antic he was doing was highly amusing to him. Yet something was missing from this, but what? To the others, it was dangerous, but watching Marabunda flail his body around and buck about like a bull reminded him of a rodeo. Wait, a rodeo? An idea clicked, 'what was it that Applejack said?' He pondered for a second before snapping his pawed fingers and poofing a hat and holster onto Drift while he was holding on for dear life, the latter not noticing at all. 

Now highly amused by the sight, Discord swung his sombrero around, grinning in amusement by this little sight, calling out "Yee-haw, ride 'em cowboy!"

The apple family felt a sudden disturbance and the sudden urge to hit someone when this whole fiasco was done.

Applejack peered to Big Mac while standing next to Applebloom who was still lying on her bed and said to him, "I don't know if I should feel offended or annoyed. But, someone is gonna get whacked after this."

"Eeyup." He pouted, not sure whether to feel insulted or not.

Marabunda snarled and swung his head about while he bucked like a bronco. He felt a strange presence on his back and he had to get it off, somehow. He felt the cape try to dig into his mouth and it started to hurt. He growled in annoyance when he came to a stop and went with another means to rid this nuisance; he silently lifted his tail.

Varan peeked out from behind the tree he was hiding behind. He snarled and lightly hissed as he watched his friends put their lives on the line. He was hurt, but he could still fight. He watched as his master's father and this new face square off against Marabunda. If he had the chance, he could try to get a bite in. But stealth was gonna need to be top-tier for this. 

"Daddy, look out!!!" He heard his young master's voice and looked over to her. She was with the dragon and white unicorn, calling out to warn her father, but he also noticed the magic-using winged one had summoned a force-field as the white unicorn ran off towards Marabunda. No sense in being with young master, for now. Though, he could sense despair from her. Marabunda had to go; he was causing so many problems that it felt like balance had been disrupted. 

Drift grunted as he held on tight to the cape while keeping a firm stance on Marabunda as he bucked around like a bull. It was like wrestling with an alligator or worse. Holding him down was near impossible for him, so it was best to distract him as long as he could. He glared furious eyes at Marabunda and scolded him as they struggled, "Get out of our town and out our lives! If you can hear me, you monster, you caused nothing but misery to all of us. Why won't you just leave or die?!" He grunted when the beast jolted to a stop, ceasing his bucking about. 

Marabunda heard him loud and clear, but there was one problem: he will never take that request. This pony wanted him gone, he wanted him dead. So, one of them had to fix that issue. Now that he knew it was a pony, it would be easy to get him off. He couldn't see him, but he can hear him and that was enough to target him. His stinger snuck up on Drift and aimed.

Discord saw the manticore about to stab Drift from behind. He gasped in shock and called out to him, "Drift, look out! Behind you!" He was about to snap his fingers, but a newcomer came to their aid.

Confused by Discord's warning, Drift looked behind himself and gasped upon seeing the stinger aimed right for him. He frantically spread his wings to get out of the way. If anything, he'd laugh if he managed to get Marabunda to accidentally sting himself.

{And Rarity, if someone gets in trouble, help them as best you can. I know you got this.} Rarity aimed sharp and launched a rock right into Marabunda's face, striking Marabunda across the cheek and causing him yelp as the rock manage to leave a scraping cut which allowed a little blood to leak. Rarity wasn't as advanced in magic as Twilight was, but her magic was keen on levitation and defense. Spike's plan was a success and they managed to get Twilight back, but there were others still fighting Marabunda. So, it was now a fight for time. She'll help Discord and Drift as best as her abilities will allow, but she couldn't help shake off a feeling that this'll be over soon. "Drift, quick, jump off before he --"

But, it was too late, Marabunda bit the cape clean in two and scowled as Drift lost his footing but was struck in the ribs by his tail and was sent flying back like a ragdoll; Drift howled in pain as he nearly collided with Rarity.

With quick thinking and reflexes, Rarity lit her horn with magic and caught him just before he could crash, but his toss was still strong enough for her to also grab onto him with a lady-like yelp from the force of it. She held Drift in her arms and looked down to check and see if he was okay; unfortunately, to her shock and worry, Drift had been slashed across his side and was not moving an inch. He was wincing from the hit, just like Applebloom had been crying when she got hit. Marabunda's venom was in his system and already taking effect; Drift will be out for a while. 

"Oh, bugger all to Tartarus!" Rarity exclaimed. She was frustrated she didn't save him in time and now she had to deal with a downed pony. She looked back to the force-field and saw a horrified Twilight watching. In no time did she realize that he was down, Twilight immediately used her own magic to transport him back into the force-field she made. She had a feeling Scootaloo was not gonna be happy once she saw his prone state. Rarity turned to Marabunda and snarled at him as he spat out the fabric from his mouth; 'Fluttershy better get back here. I've just about had it with this obnoxious beast!' Rarity kicked up her magic again as Marabunda spotted her and made a leap for her to tear her into pieces like he did the fabric, but the manticore was sideswiped and rammed to the side by Discord who swiped with his talon and rammed with his horns, knocking the wind out of the beast. 

Rarity flinched and backed up as she watched what was occurring right in front of her. "Oh, my!"

Discord snapped his fingers and transformed himself into a snake, hissing as he narrowed his serpent eyes into slits, baring his fangs. His transformation caught the demon manticore by surprise, but only for a moment or two which was all the draconequus needed. He lunged and quickly wrapped himself around the manticore, coiling him into a constrictive hug and started squeezing. This manticore really should know the difference between a weakling and a challenge. Discord figured Marabunda would go after Rarity, but he was not gonna have that – enough of his friends had taken some sort of hit from him, and he was not going to allow his lovely fashionista friend to get injured and ruin her coat with her own blood. Scarlet liquid wouldn't really blend well with her white fur coat.

Marabunda was gonna have his attention on him and no one else. He was not gonna have another one of his friends hurt! Marabunda's arms and wings were bound and tight; he was not going anywhere anytime soon.

Smolder winced sharply as she watched Discord fend off Marabunda. She called out to the lord of chaos as she sees him attempt to strangle Marabunda into submission. "Get him, Discord!" It wasn't long before Sweetie Belle, the Cake Family and Pinkie Pie watched Discord hogtie Marabunda that they began to cheer him on as did the hidden ponies within the safe confinements of their homes. 

Rarity cheered on, as well. Discord had the monster pinned. It was a moment to take a break, but not a break from worrying. She hoped Discord knew what he was doing. Why he hasn't snapped this barbaric creature out of existence was beyond her, but there's always a method for some madness, she guessed.

Marabunda struggled, trying to get free from the chaotic serpent's grasp, but each movement he made caused his attacker to tighten his grip in this serpent-like hug and breathing was getting difficult with each passing minute; he could almost swear that he could almost feel his ribs start to crack a little under the pressure of his coiled hug. He was impressed but annoyed at the same time. This one was proving to be a challenge; much more so than the lizard, dragons, ponies, and others who opposed him but he was proving to be a parasite, too. He had to get this snake off of him. His arms and wings were incapacitated, and all he had were his tail and... Marabunda widened his eyes as an idea came to mind. The mighty beast still stood and his opponent made a grave mistake: he left himself exposed to his teeth. He smirked yet growled out in a mix of annoyance and pain from the tightening hug as he turned his head just a bit and he bit down onto the transformed draconequus' coil, biting right into his rib and back.

Widening his eyes before they clenched tightly shut, Discord screamed in genuine pain from such a dirty move. The crunch from the bite was loud enough for his friends to hear and it caused them to wince in pain, themselves. And right as he's caught off-guard, he yelped as his hold loosened and the rouge freed his right paw. Without hesitation, the rouge let go and cracked him one across the muzzle, dazing him as his limp snake body unwrapped, yelping again once he was smacked away. 

The poor Draconequus shapeshifted back the moment Marabunda tossed him aside and hit the ground. Forcing himself up with one arm, Discord was wincing a bit sharply as he held his lower back and rib. "That… was a bad idea." He grunted as he tenderly rubbed at the bite he received and tried to prevent himself from bleeding, "Ooh…my sacroiliac…" That was definitely going to smart in the morning.

Pinkie Pie glared angrily at that dirty cheap trick. Something within her suddenly told her to put on the gauntlets, get back out there and fight. She had only fought Marabunda once but that was only for a little bit, now something in her wanted to go round two with him. She knew Discord was hurt and needed help; whether his chaos magic could heal him or not, he needed saving. She tempted herself. Standing next to the Cake family, then eyeing the force-field, then Twilight; these ponies were protected anyway; so, that meant that it was time for a new hero to take a stand. She heard Discord yelp again when he tried to get up, that's when she decided and shook her head, "Nope! Getting my spine back." A response that got the cakes and her friends looking at her oddly, about to ask what she meant by that.

Without thinking twice, Pinkie Pie sprung out of the bakery window, causing everyone to holler at her to come back only to fall on deaf ears, and heroically crashed out of the force-field.  She joined back into the fight and ran after Marabunda who had approached the downed Draconequus to further hurt him, "You can't do that to Discord!" Discord snapped his gaze at Pinkie as Pinkie Pie jumped over his body and landed in front of him. She then glared at Marabunda, growling like a wolf.

"Pinkie!" Discord yelled in shock as she stood before their enemy.

Marabunda stood over Pinkie Pie as she protected Discord, not the least bit intimidated and almost wanted to chuckle. Just what was this puny little pink pony going to do to him? Blast him with more confetti or shove a slice of cake in his face?

Pinkie Pie suddenly reached into her mane and somehow slowly pulled out a hardwood baseball bat with sharp barbed-wire wrapped around the wood part of the bat. Pinkie Pie sneered and snickered deviously as she then stood on her hindlegs to grip the bat in her forelegs – which even Marabunda found a bit unnatural. Marabunda looked shocked and let a confused groan. 

"Already wet yourself?" Pinkie said, casually twirling the bat in her right hoof. "Shouldn't be. Your trip to Pee-Pee City ain't registered, yet. Was gonna save this little beauty for some brain-dead pony thinking they could rob the Cake Family's bakery." Not to kill, but to scare. Pinkie was not like that and everyone knew it, but the mere sight of that weapon was enough to give them quite the chills. Not as much as what Twilight did, but still. It was intimidating in itself. "But, not only did you show up and cause a bigger ruckus than the Cake Twins not having their milk, you gone and hurt some of my friends." She motioned her nightmarish bat at Discord, Drift, where Ember was, Smolder and Spike in the bakery. She chuckled a bit and leaned against the worried Discord's shoulder, eyeing her in concern as he wondered what she was going to do. She continued to speak to the demon "Normally, Bundy, I am a kind pony and would say to knock that stuff off, but you've made one doozy of a mistake."

Marabunda had no idea what this pink pony was talking about or why he should care about anything she said. What really got him was how she managed to pull a weapon out of her mane. He blinked a few times while keeping his eyes on her. How in the world did that get in there? Better yet, where in the deepest pits of Tartarus did she even get that and how did she place it in her hair of all places?! It was so confusing and new, that he needed a bit of time to process. This was a weird pony, that's for sure.

She seemed distracted, however, as she made casual talk with him, so he assumed he should attack right now. He started inching closer as she kept running her mouth, huffing lightly.

Varan hissed quietly as he found an opportunity to strike. He snuck out from behind the tree while Marabunda was distracted by the pink one, the manticore now just mere inches from her. Like the rogue, he had no idea what she was doing but it was a great opportunity for him to get back in the fight, too. Carefully, he crept up on Marabunda like he was on the prowl, getting closer and closer to where his tail was just in range for his jaws. He opened his mouth... 

"Now, I could forgive you, and I normally would forgive creatures if they apologized, but in this case --" Marabunda dove his head down and clamped his jaws, thinking he nabbed the pink pony. Varan perked up in shock, as did Discord who managed to roll out of the way and narrowly avoid the teeth. Marabunda chewed but felt and tasted nothing but dirt in his mouth. He spat it out and looked around for the pink pony, only to see her look at him upside-down standing on top of his head. Varan noticed and tilted his head, confusedly. Marabunda grunted in confusion again, "-- No exceptions!" Pinkie swung her bat and thwacked Marabunda between the eyes, causing him to cry out in absolute pain. 

Varan never expected that to happen. Guess he could try his sneak attack now, but a sudden appearance came rushing by and caught him off-guard. He moved back to the tree to find another opportunity to strike. He had to win, at all cost, but Marabunda really made it difficult for him and everyone who faced him. 

How long can he keep fighting? At this rate, Marabunda looked like something that came out of the grave. Burned, bruised, broken, he was everything on the list? Can anything take this freak down? 

No, he had to forget an opportunity; he had to join the pink one.

A few good smacks from her bat were enough to draw trinkets of blood and daze the rogue manticore, but Marabunda reached up and managed to grab Pinkie in a tight grip. He growled and roared in her face.

Discord gasped in shock and winced, trying to force himself to get up. He was still kicking, but his injury was not to be ignored. He was still able to use his magic and that's what he intended to do to save Pinkie Pie. But the sudden appearance of a giant lizard came out of nowhere and zoomed after Marabunda. "What in blazes?" He watched as the lizard clawed at the manticore, but was easily overpowered and pinned under his paw. Now Marabunda had Pinkie Pie and Varan in his paws.

Gallus gasped in fear as he and Gilda watched from the skies. They were intent on saving Pinkie Pie from being a victim of Marabunda, "Oh man, No! I won't let him take another!" Gallus was not gonna have it anymore. He was not gonna let this monster take another life -- especially if it was one of his professors! He had the gadget Filthy left and quickly snapped it onto his wrist.

Gilda second that one, looking really worried about this turn of events "This is not good, not good at all -- Gallus what are you doing?" She watched him put something on his wrist. "What is that?" she asked, it looked like something Drift and Filthy used earlier but Gallus ignored her and tried to figure out how the contraption Drift made worked.

Gallus wanted to help. He had to help as best he could. He pressed every button on that wrist thing to get it to work, "Come on, come on!" He couldn't even save Lyra with strength alone. And now he wasn't able to save Pinkie. He felt useless. He had to get this thing to work. He growled as he smacked at the contraption, glaring in frustration at it while trying to get it working. Filthy used it before, but he didn't use all the ammunition in it. The last piece of ammunition inside was all he needed. But the darn thing wouldn't budge! 

"Work, ya piece of crap!" He messed with the controls, trying to get it to load.

This was looking very bad – very, very bad. 

They're trying their hardest to win, but their hardest was slowly showing that it wasn't enough… and worst of all…

…Marabunda was winning.

Varan squealed in pain as Marabunda easily lifted him up, claws dug in his skin and threw him across the battlefield. The lizard rolled across the ground and slammed headfirst onto the force-field protecting Sugarcube Corner, causing those who were still inside to scream in panic. But unfortunately, the brunt of the force had also temporarily knocked out the poor lizard. His head slid down and laid on the ground. Varan wasn't moving a muscle.

Scootaloo cried in fear as she hurried to his side, ignoring her aunt's screams to get back. "Varan!" She ran passed Twilight and unknowingly out of the barrier and slid onto her knees right next to him before she took his head into her arms and started to shake him, trying to wake him up. "Varan, buddy! Wake up! Please, wake up!" She cried desperately as Marabunda noticed the little filly and slowly advanced towards her to finish the job. "Wake up!"

Twilight gasped in absolute horror when Scootaloo put herself in the line of fire, "Scootaloo, no!" she used her magic to deactivate the force-field and leaving everyone wide-open for Marabunda to attack. Yes, she was happy Spike was okay, but now it was her duty to protect her friends. 

Spike reached out to Twilight, but it was too late. "Mom!"

She rushed up and skid between Scootaloo and Marabunda, horn brimming with magic. She glared as the beast was making his way over while gripping a screaming Pinkie Pie.

Drift, in Vinyl's hold, heard all the commotion and barely cracked an eye open. His body ached like a thousand bee stings, but everything he could hear was muffled and his vision blurred. But he could feel he was in someone's hold. He tried looking up, but his body wouldn't respond. What happened to him? He felt like trash, but he seemed too alive. Then he started to hear voice; the ringing didn't help, but he still heard voices. How long had he been out? He didn't know and he wished he did. Last thing he could remember was fighting that monster of a manticore. Then it hit him... 'Marabunda!' he tried to open his eyes and force himself to move, but when he heard Scootaloo's voice was when bad news really hit him. His hearing returned and his vision began to clear, and he could see Twilight facing Marabunda with Scootaloo behind her, "No, No, No! Don't hurt them!" he called out.

Vinyl looked to her step-brother was relieved to see he was awake, but he awoke at a wrong time, "D-bro! You're awake!"

"Yeah, I'm awake, now help Twilight save my daughter!" He tried to move, but that blasted manticore's venom prevented him from doing so. Even if Vinyl helped, she'd just be in the way.

Scootaloo looked up and screamed in fear as Marabunda was right above her, Varan and Twilight, in all his horrifying, terrifying, fearful glory – glaring down at them. 

"Don't you take a step closer!" Twilight ordered. "And let go of Pinkie!" She aimed her horn and shot Marabunda in the arm with her magic, forcing him to throw Pinkie away and roar in pain as he grabbed his arm, waving his stinging paw to cool it off.

Pinkie Pie screamed in horror as she somersaulted in the air but was saved when Discord snapped her out of the air and next to him. Pinkie Pie plopped on the ground next to him and casually looked to him and smiled sweetly in thanks. Discord smiled happily in return, relieved that she was okay.

That blast may have hurt but Marabunda let out a roar into the sky, knowing he had won this fight and he was gonna relish this; all that opposed him fell before him. He soaked it in and it felt good. He didn't care if this purple pony was left. What was she gonna do? His blind fury made him forget what she did earlier, but he did not care whatsoever. After all, there was no one else to stand in his way. He reared his paw up and prepared to strike Twilight just as she crouched and lights up her horn once more.

A small rock suddenly flew by and hit Marabunda straight across the temple with a solid smack. Marabunda yipped and rubbed the side of his face, stopping his gloating, his eyes wide in surprise.

Everyone noticed the small rock and gazed over to who threw it. No one else threw it. So, who did?

That sudden appearance was none other than Fluttershy who stood before them with a battle-ready look. She was finally back and she was not happy.

Fluttershy had regained enough strength to fly back to the fight; her backup following closely behind her. She panted softly as she just made it back to Ponyville – but she was also horrified to see that the manticore was now setting his sights on her daughter and Twilight! She looked over to find Discord and Pinkie hurt, a grill stand nearly destroyed and her boyfriend was incapacitated.

"Mommy!" Scootaloo cried out in fear as she held onto the unconscious Varan, getting her attention. Twilight was the only one not hurt. So she was the last line of defense? Not anymore!

Something snapped in her. It was one thing that Marabunda hurt her friends, but this beast was not going to lay a claw on her daughter! Not while she was around!

Picking up another rock, she aimed and with a sharp grunt, she threw it right at the same spot she hit him before.

Marabunda growled in frustration and turned his horrific gaze onto Fluttershy. The manticore had no idea why this pony did that, but it already made a death wish.

"Fluttershy, what are you --" Twilight widened her eyes when she saw the unthinkable happen.

Behind Fluttershy, breaking through an abandoned food stand and shattering it to pieces, with vegetables and fruit flying in each direction, letting out a mighty roar as he entered the scene was none other than a grizzly bear!

Harry roared out in the area, announcing his presence after breaking through the food stand that was in his way. The town square was a wreck, like a monsoon hit the place – but he immediately spotted the source of it all, and locked eyes with it. 

A Manticore. 

Glaring at this beast, he roared out to catch his attention, but to also challenge him.

Marabunda immediately forgot all about his previous prey behind him and focused on this newcomer; this one had his attention and it was challenging him. For this new opponent, he was more than ready to oblige – as this one looked more like it was worth his time and worth the fight than these little pests. He roared back at the bear, accepting his challenge as the grizzly approached the area as he stepped away from the building, the alicorn, the komodo, and filly.

Harry stood next to Fluttershy. His blood boiled and his form tensed yet revved up with a sheer will to fight and pound this beast into a quivering bloody pulp. For years, bears have always been known for their strength – they as a species were referred to as the juggernauts of the forest; they were the strongest forest animal that ever walked the grassy floors. They were brave, they were fearless and nobody dared mess with them – they had these claws and teeth sharpened for a reason. And Harry would prove that title was right for him and his species.

But there was one creature that rivaled them in strength. An equally strong magical creature, the creature with the strength of a lion but with the stinger of a scorpion – the beast known as the manticore.

Both species hated one another with a burning vengeance. They were both equally strong but their pride stood in the scenario and it told them that there was only enough room in the forest for one strong creature. And it is said that the minute one or the other made eye contact with each other, they immediately engage – not just for territory, not just for dominance, but to the death. 

And now, the battle between a mythical titan and a modern titan was about to clash.

Harry then noticed that the rival of his species was standing over someone; the lizard that he encountered before; the same lizard that picked a fight with him. It looked like the lizard tried to fight this monstrous manticore, but judging by him looking unconscious and the beast still standing – he lost that battle. Then again, everyone else looked banged up, too. Just what did this manticore do?

Although, when Marabunda stepped away, Harry also spotted little Scootaloo right by the lizard – looking very terrified by what was happening yet stunned when he entered into the fight. He noticed Twilight was there defending her, she also looked surprised to see him appear, but that didn't stop him from gazing at little Scootaloo. He was in utter shock and his lips peeled back to show sharp teeth ready to rip and tear. 

Protective instincts swelled up inside the bear, and he knew right then and there just what he needed to do. This manticore will regret ever messing with his friends and family.

Fluttershy panted lightly as she looked up at the grizzly as he stood over her with his teeth bared and growling hatefully at his rival, before looking over at her family with worry in her eyes.

Drift was stumped. That's where his girl was? She was getting reinforcements like that?! And judging by what she had brought into the fight, he prayed that this will be enough to end Marabunda.

The two rivaling titans roar out at one another, asserting to each other that they're ready to fight and they were not going to back down.

Fluttershy looked back at Marabunda before getting out of Harry's way as she said, "Harry... sic 'im." And with that, Harry let out a loud guttural roar, obliging her order just as Twilight immediately resumed the protective force-field with wide eyes once Fluttershy joined them.

The final battle began.

Harry made the first move and he charged like a large, furry locomotive. Marabunda responded with his own roar and charged at the grizzly. It didn't even last a second before both titans of Gaia's nature brutally clashed with each other, almost making a loud boom upon impact, causing the viewers to wince deeply at the collision. Instead of clawing, Harry immediately went straight to work with his teeth to grip a fold of Marabunda's skin and easily pushed him away from everyone, saving them the trouble of dealing with him. Still having him in his teeth, Harry violently shook his head as Marabunda howled in pain. The manticore tried to go for a swipe with his claw, but the grizzly bear tossed him away and dodged the cutting claws of his rival. Marabunda supported himself from falling back and started to go after his rival, again. But Harry stood up on his hind legs and reached out with his claws and caught him, both growling ferociously at one another. Both powerful animals got into a struggle-fest with Marabunda trying to use his weight to push against the grizzly and overpower his grip. He succeeded and knocked the bear against a streetlight for extra measure. Marabunda smiled evilly, thinking he had the edge.

But Harry was no pushover. While Marabunda thought he was still strong, Harry never used up all of his energy and was not running on reserves. The grizzly easily pushed back with just as much force as Marabunda was using onto him. Marabunda was caught off-guard and Harry took the opportunity to sink his teeth onto his rival's neck, tearing off more of the scorpion-tailed demon's mane off. But Harry wasn't done just yet. He swung and dug his claws into fur and skin, causing some bleeding with some lucky deep cuts, drawing more painful wails from Marabunda as he struggled to fight back against the more energized bear. Harry tried to get a bite in on Marabunda's neck, but the manticore was lucky enough to dodge a gruesome fate and returned the favor biting the grizzly right between his chest and neck, causing squeals of pain from the ursa. 

Marabunda started to topple Harry, but the bear was not having it at all and began to push back. Harry growled in rage and easily won the struggle-fest, again. He swiped a powerful claw across Marabunda's face and got him to release his toothy hold. Marabunda stepped back to regain his composure, but that was an opportunity for Harry to come back with an ursa's wrath by charging in and swiping his claws multiple times across his face and chest. Marabunda howled and cried out in pain again, but managed to dodge one swipe and jump back a safe distance away to regain his bearings and not get overpowered like that. Harry stopped and watched as his rival dropped to one knee, but used his big arms to support himself as he began to pant with exhaustion. His fumes were about to run out and he felt it. But that was not gonna stop him from killing that bear! He didn't want to go down just yet.

Harry growled in annoyance. This manticore was stubborn, that's for sure. With how he looked now, this manticore should be dead already. Harry won't deny Marabunda has inhumane stamina, but stamina was never limitless; Marabunda would fall, whether he liked it or not. And unfortunately for the manticore, Harry himself was also stubborn once he had his mind set. The bear let out another roar to intimidate Marabunda, but Marabunda did not heed that call and came back, dashing after the grizzly, going right into swipe-city like Harry did to him, swiping and smacking Harry some as he cut into his fur. 

Harry swiped back, but immediately got himself free and backed away. But Marabunda wasn't gonna let this ursa escape and tried to go in for a bite. But Harry counted on that and lunged himself back on his hind legs, forcing Marabunda's jaw shut and bit right back into him, shaking him around. Marabunda winced but the monster retaliated and used his hind claws and front claws to cut into his fur and his skin, managing to draw some blood this time, causing the bear to whimper. Claws and fangs flew and no one seemed to have the upper hand this time. Harry released Marabunda and backed a bit, managing to dodge another bloody swipe from the manticore. He let out another fury-filled roar at the beast, stepping back one more step as the Manticore responded by trying to bite into his neck to take his head off – a move he narrowly dodged. He responded with a mean smack across the Manticore's face right when he got close enough to come after him.

Fluttershy gasped as she watched her mighty friend fearlessly face this manticore – no matter how many swipes, no matter what dirty cheap shot would be pulled; Harry was not going to give up so easily. Still, she was worried sick about her giant friend and hoped that he will prevail. She scrambled to Twilight and Scootaloo as Discord and Pinkie managed to join them.

"Mom!" Scootaloo sobbed as she rushed up and held on tight to her mother. "I thought you left us. I was beginning to think you just ran off."

Fluttershy held her daughter like a snake keeps hold of a rat, never letting go of her terrified daughter, "No, sweetie. I would never do that. I went to go get help. Don't ever think I'd abandoned you, again." That was the one thing she'd never do to her. She felt sorry for not explaining to Scootaloo where she went, but she was back and here for her and Drift. 

Scootaloo looked up at her tearfully but smiled thankfully, she then wondered "Why'd you bring Harry, mom? I-I know we really need help, but still…"

Fluttershy held her close and looked up to the battle that is occurring outside the force-field. She explained to her daughter, "If we're going to finish this, we need a fighter who's just as experienced in the forest as Marabunda is. And that experienced fighter is the rival species of the Manticore: The Grizzly Bear."It was a smart move to bring a rival species to help against another, but hat kind of knowledge never went to Scootaloo or anyone else; this was entirely new to them. But then it dawned on her as she looked to her daughter, worriedly, "What happened to your father?"

"He's with Vinyl," Twilight informed. She pointed over to Vinyl and Drift. Vinyl looked to them then back to Drift. Worried for her boyfriend, Fluttershy immediately went to him. "Marabunda struck him before Rarity could save him."

Rarity felt a little guilty for not saving him on time, but with what she gathered thanks to Spike, Drift should recover in a couple of hours, but that didn't stop her from feeling bad. She just hoped Fluttershy wasn't gonna be upset at her.

Fluttershy approached as Drifted watched and gazed down at him with utmost worry. The look on her face made him want to look away and beat himself up, but he kept his gaze on her. He didn't want to have her see him like this; paralyzed and defeated, "S-Sorry you had to see me like --"

"No --" Fluttershy interrupted and smiled just a little "--I'm just happy you're still alive." She noticed his injury and was glad to show up when she did; now Harry will take care of things. "I'm back and not leaving, ever." She had a lot of work on her plate now, but with Twilight and her friends, she can get things done quicker. She'd ask when Twilight and Discord got here, but questions were for later. She looked to Twilight and smiled thankfully at her, "Thank you for saving my daughter, Twilight." Then she looked to Rarity and noticed the guilt look on her face, "And thank you for helping Drift." Her gentle tone warmed Rarity's soul and got the fashionista to smile a little. Least Rarity knew Fluttershy wasn't angry with her. That was good news.

Twilight watched the fight go down, but shook her head, "Don't thank me, yet. We still have a problem on our hooves." She pointed at the battling titans. Harry was doing fine, but she didn't know if he could handle a creature like Marabunda. 

Fluttershy smiled confidently. She was worried, but she also had faith Harry had this fight covered, "I wouldn't worry, Twilight. My Harry is a capable fighter. With what everyone else did, I'm pretty sure Marabunda will tire down soon."

"I hope you're right Fluttershy. I've never seen an animal behave like this before. Have you?" She asked but Fluttershy shook her head.

Pinkie glanced up at Discord who winced a bit – both from his injury and from seeing those two clash. She was actually worried the strain on his lower back from the manticore's bite was trying to keep him down. They had no sense in being out here while a fight between titans was going on. She had to help her friend, at least. "Discord, get up! We're heading back in." She ducked her head under his lion paw and wrapped it around her shoulder. "C'mon!" while he would say hi to Fluttershy, now was not the time.

Discord grunted in a bit of pain. He looked down at Pinkie Pie and said in an appreciative tone, "Thank you, Pinkie Pie." With her aid, he managed to get up and quickly moved with her to Sugarcube Corner before looking back to see Marabunda slam Harry into the ground and try to pin him for a bit. Discord winced deeper but headed inside with Pinkie Pie, immediately holding her close in a bit of fear as the bear shook the ground once he slammed into it back-first.

Harry growled in a bit of pain from the landing, but glared up at the manticore and grabbed his swiping paw when he swung towards his face. Already, he was on him and not letting him get up. This manticore was strong and seemed like, judging by all those wounds, had years of experience fighting. He may be momentarily down, but he was not out just yet. And just like him, he has a few years of fighting experience under his furry belt. How else did Fluttershy's cottage stay protected all this time when an unfamiliar face came near? However, he noticed that the Manticore was grinning down at him concerningly evilly. He tilted his head and saw the reason. Yet, for the bear, he wasn't concerned. Harry growled in Marabunda's grinning face and lashed out, biting the manticore on the snout, hard.

Marabunda squealed in absolute pain and reeled back, but ultimately and unintentionally dragging the bear back on his paws. The manticore flailed his arms and howled again, but a smack across the bear's snout forced him to let go. Marabunda grabbed his snout and whimpered – tears of pain running down his cheeks, but he glared darkly at Harry. He growled with utter malice and lashed out with his tail. Harry faced the manticore, but was too late to counter as the stringer stabbed him right in the shoulder!

"NO!" Scootaloo screamed in panic when she saw that happen. "Harry!!!" But a gentle hoof from Fluttershy caught her attention. She looked up at her mother and smiled calmly. Scootaloo didn't understand why her mother wasn't freaking out over Harry being stung, but when she looked back and wiped her tears away to get a clearer look, she was shocked by what she saw.

Varan slowly opened his eyes and regained consciousness. Hearing his young master shout woke him up. He shook his head and looked around as he rubbed his head with his clawed paw before hearing Marabunda's growls and some new growls. He darted his head to the source and was just as shocked as Scootaloo.

Marabunda smirked victoriously and wickedly. He landed the killing blow and victory was his yet again. Not even a rival species could take him down. He felt smug and proud of himself. Once that venom kicks in, it's over. He glanced at his enemy to watch him fall, to watch with malicious intent, and to take great pleasure in seeing his rival fall.Or, at least that's what he was hoping for. His victory was short-lived when he got the shock of his life; He even grunted in disbelief and bewilderment when he noticed something off.

Harry stood in front of him like nothing ever happened. The stinger was embedded in him, but it seemed like it did nothing to him. He snorted a light mocking snicker at the manticore. He even raised a furry brow at his rival, giving him an odd look. 'Was that supposed to be his trump card? What a joke.' He thought to himself, he didn't even roar in pain after being stung.

'What?!' Marabunda growled to himself before reeling his stinger back and repeatedly stung him over and over; neck, shoulder, arm, nothing was working.

What was going on here?! Why isn't the venom working?!

'What the heck?! Why isn't my venom bringing him down?! I stung him at least ten times!' He glared at Harry, who got tired of waiting and backhand his stinger away like it was a bee. He snarled in unbridled rage, managing to ask him through his full-rogue broken mind and unintelligible growls. 'Why…aren't you…dying?!'

"W-What's going on, mom?" Scootaloo asked in shock and surprise, having no idea why Harry wasn't affected. "Wh-Why isn't Harry collapsing? He got stung at least a dozen times by now!" She was stunned that the bear was still standing and taking those stings like a champ.

Fluttershy smiled lightly and sat down with her daughter as she explained, "There's still a lot of things I need to teach you, sweetie. But, one thing you need to know about bears -- " she pointed a smug hoof to Harry who's fur bristled a bit as she revealed a little fun fact to her daughter " -- bears have thick fur. Thicker than ours. Even fully-venomed manticores have a tough time getting through their fur." Scootaloo never knew that. She flipped out over nothing and thought Harry was in trouble, but it turned out he had his own ace in the hole. She rubbed the back of her head before receiving a gentle nudge from Varan. Immediately, she teared up and hugged his snout, smiling happily that he was awake and alive.

Harry seemed to be smirking, making some growl-like chuckling sounds in his throat. He eyed him tauntingly as he revealed to his mortal enemy, growling at him in his language. 'Sometimes, it pays to have thick fur. Protects the skin from weather and ... lousy stings like yours!' He saw him swing that tail at him in anger for insulting him before he planted his powerful paw on his tail and pinned it down, rending Marabunda incapable of using it. The grizzly smirked again as he held onto the squirming appendage. 'I think it's clear you won't need this anymore.' Without giving him a chance to respond, Harry sunk his teeth into Marabunda's tail as he released his paw from it. Marabunda howled in pain and before he knew it, he was being swung around by the bear. 

Everyone cheered Harry on and watched as he slammed the manticore back down on the ground, dazing him and pinning his tail, again. Quickly and without mercy, with a sharp grunt and a snap of his neck, Harry easily tore half of Marabunda's tail clean off and tossed it over to the ponies. The tearing noise echoed and rang in their ears, forcing them to wince, but they almost felt bad when Marabunda bellowed out in agony over the loss of his stinger.

Unfortunately, the other half of the stinger landed in from of Twilight. She tried not to upchuck from what she just witnessed. To say she was repulsed by what Harry did was an understatement, but she wasn't gonna deny that it was a good opportunity to rid his opponent of his secret weapon.

Marabunda screamed in absolute pain. That bear just ripped his tail off! He lost his stinger. That blubbering ursa actually injured him! He growled in rage. He'll pay for that! He glared furiously at the smugly smirking grizzly bear through the pain of his tail being torn off and got up and lunged; He may not have his tail anymore, but he still had his might. And Harry soon found that out as he balled his paw into a fist and cracked one across his face. Harry snorted in pain and back away, grabbing his cheek. He didn't expect Marabunda to do that, but he wasn't gonna take that lightly. He growled at Marabunda and prepared to charge, but the manticore came back and decked Harry again; this time across the jaw. Harry yipped and backed away, again.

Marabunda didn't let up. His combat style suddenly changed -- without his tail, he was now using his fists. Harry shook his head to clear it up quick and rubbed his jaw. This was entirely new to him; manticores usually use their claws, teeth, and tail, but this manticore managed to use his fists and change his fighting style to a brawler stance. This was not a normal manticore and Harry was learning that lesson the hard way. But he wasn't gonna give up that easily. Not when he had something to protect. Harry charged at Marabunda and swiped a claw at him, but Marabunda dodged the powerful claw and decked Harry hard across the temple, reeling the ursa back. Harry yipped as pain itself shot through his head, but Marabunda wasn't done. He charged forth and went all-out on the grizzly, punching him across the face, slashing at his arm – getting four clean solid claw marks on his arm, making his rival roar in pain – he then launched an uppercut under his jaw - knocking a few of his teeth out - and slammed a straight-down punch on top of Harry's skull, actually dazing the poor ursa.

Fluttershy gasped in shock by what was happening. Now she was truly worried about her friend. She thought he had the upper-hand, but somehow Marabunda found a new way to win the fight. If Harry loses, she would never forgive herself and it would be all her fault if he ended up dead. "Harry!" 

Scootaloo and those who watched were none too thrilled by the fight either. They were worried by this turn of events, while the tail has been taken out, that blasted manticore has turned brawler.

"Oh no!" Sweetie Belle squeaked in fear.

Smolder winced deeply and covered her eyes, not wanting to watch those punches bash the bear's face in. "I can't look!" But something inside her begged her to peek, so she slightly opened her claws to do so.

Varan looked on and hissed lowly. He weakly got up, gaining attention from the other ponies including old master. He heard his young master plead him to stand down and rest, but he could not stand by and let the bear he mistook for Marabunda get killed. Not while he was alive, and not when old and young master were here. And most certainly not when he knew he owed the poor bear an apology for his actions from before. His body ached, but his spirit was still strong.

Scootaloo backed up to her mother and glanced up at her pet. He was looking out at the fight and saw the determination in his eyes. Varan had to fight and she knew it. There was nothing she could do to convince him to stop and she shook her head, "I can't stop you, can I?" Scootaloo said as Varan slowly opened his mouth, his saliva-coated teeth at the ready as the drool dripped from the roof of his mouth and on his teeth. Scootaloo and Fluttershy knew what they meant and both the mother/daughter duo looked to the Komodo Dragon and nodded, pointing to the Manticore as they yell together, "Get him, Varan!"

Harry let out a pained roar before Marabunda held him in a headlock and pinned him down. The manticore growled sadistically and cracked his knuckles into a fist and slammed it multiple times in Harry's face. He kept his head pinned while Harry tried to break free. It was proving very difficult for the bear and he felt himself losing consciousness; compared to this and Marabunda's claws, he'd prefer the claws over the fists. A few more blows to the head and Harry went down. His body slumped and his head drooped to the ground. Marabunda released Harry but kept his head pinned. He put all his weight on holding the bear down if he so much as tried to break free before looking to his throat – if he was also playing possum, one bite will be enough to put this bear down once and for all. He won't get the chance for a surprise attack.

Marabunda leaned his head down and opened his mouth, about to sink his fangs into his rival's exposed neck...

...Until a hiss-like roar caught his attention.

Varan bellowed a prehistoric-like roar unlike anyone had ever heard before and charged as fast as lightning toward Marabunda. He launched himself, 'Get away from him, you freak!' and climbed onto Marabunda's back. Marabunda was caught off-guard and tried to get the lizard off, but he finally took the opportunity to bite down on a patch of exposed skin on his shoulder. Varan bit down hard, digging his serrated teeth as deep as they could go.

The attack managed to pull Marabunda away and save Harry. Marabunda howled in pain as the Komodo dragon latched his claws onto him and kept his bite firm and tight.  Marabunda swung his arms about to try and pry the lizard off him, but he had him in a blind spot. The rogue manticore never anticipated this lizard to return. And bite him, no less. He will pay for that with his life!

Unfortunately for him, Varan gave Harry just enough time to wake up and get back into the fight. Varan noticed Harry shaking himself from his pain then eyed him and Marabunda and immediately began charging.

Varan released his clawed and toothy grip on Marabunda and jumped out of harm's way as Harry roared his return and bit into Marabunda once more, colliding with him. Marabunda was caught off-guard by such a move and squealed in both shock and pain as he was pushed across the ground and slammed into another food stall, splattering the food underneath him. Harry backed away as Marabunda got back up but Varan swiftly ran by and planted his jaws into Marabunda's right arm.

Marabunda let out another pained wail and tried to strike Varan, but Harry intervened and tackled Marabunda. Varan released his arm while Harry bit down and swiped at the manticore. A solid clawed slap across the face sent Marabunda careening on his back. It wasn't long until both komodo and grizzly were about to push the rogue manticore and force him to the bridge leading out of Ponyville.

Lowering the force-field, Gilda, Gallus, Twilight and everyone else who weren't injured followed after the lizard/bear duo and watched them tag-team against Marabunda in awe. They almost didn't want to believe it was happening. They were actually winning! It won't be long until they reached the bridge.

Gallus dove toward the war among animals, much to Gilda's shock. She tried to stop him, but it was too late. Flapping his wings and taking steady breaths, he had to get this gadget to work. It made a few strange clink noises, but not much else. Whatever that meant, he hoped it worked. He aimed the launcher and steadied himself.

Marabunda reared up and roared in sheer pain as Varan sunk his teeth into his left thigh. The manticore started to feel a little off, but he kept fighting. He punched the Komodo Dragon, but Harry lunged forward and tackled him again, knocking him back down while Varan scurried a safe distance away. Marabunda got back up on his feet and growled, but Harry didn't want to hear it and ran up and thrashed his arms around, swiping at Marabunda and overpowering him with his own strength to push him down. 

Varan swiftly ran up and made short work with one of the manticore's wings, using his claws to tear apart the membrane and unexpectedly dislocated the wing that was dislocated before. A sickening crack was heard and then the songs of agonizing cries from Marabunda came after. Marabunda growled in rage and countered by smacking Varan off with his arm, sending him flying into the fountain, surprisingly, it didn't cause too much damage; it sure got the lizard soaking wet. Nonetheless, he got back up with a hiss and charged right back into the fight.

Yet, Harry was still fighting. Harry immediately took advantage of Marabunda's distraction and shoved the manticore against a tree near the bridge, managing to uproot it with just a bit of force, causing the monster to grunt in pain from the splintery kiss of the tree.

Gallus couldn't aim properly and followed the animals; everyone else in hot pursuit. He closed an eye and took aim once more.

Marabunda tried in vain to fight back. But for some reason, he wasn't using enough effort. Something was weighing him down. He tried to fight back against the bear, but his swiped and swings were clumsy at best. He backed up a little more to gain distance, but the Grizzly Bear and Komodo Dragon kept attacking, never giving him a chance to fight back.

Varan hissed angrily and charged at Marabunda, grabbing a hold of his face and tried to take another bite in, but the manticore pushed him aside, only for Harry to step in and bull-rush Marabunda. With enough strength,  he tossed him into the middle of the Ponyville bridge, letting out a mighty roar as he did.

Marabunda yipped as he was thrown. He grunted in sheer pain but slowly got back up, forcing himself to get a good grip – to get some sort of support on the bridge. He finally got a good distance from the two fighters and breathed heavy exhausted breaths. He was now more worse than he'd ever been. The bear was one thing, proving a challenge until the lizard joined in. His fumes were out and he could no longer feel anything but pain. Marabunda whimpered as he finally felt all the pain he received coming here up to now. He didn't know what was going on; he should be stronger than this! What was making him feel so weak?

Harry and Varan stood strong together as they stood across from the mortally wounded manticore, glaring at the bloody, beaten beast. Both animals were exhausted as they pant a bit hard themselves. The persistent beast slowly got up using the edges of the bridge to support his weight, but they noticed his hind legs were shaking. He was all but beat. They knew he couldn't fight anymore. What sense was there to keep going? They watched him and anticipated to see what he'd do next, wondering why won't this guy just give up?

Marabunda rubbed at its eyes and noticed his vision was slowly getting blurry. He didn't know what was going on, but he glanced over at the komodo and saw a strand of saliva seep down his mouth and onto the ground. That must be it. That wretched lizard's bites were venom-coated. He gazed at the spots where Varan bit him and realized he was losing blood, fast. His body barely responded and it was finally taking its toll on him. He noticed the two had stopped their assault and waited for him to make a move... or they realized he was nearing death's door. He sneered at them and hissed a lion-like growl at them. If they were gonna let this venom run its course, then they were sorely mistaken. Using what reserves he had left, he stood up on his hind-legs like a last soldier standing over his defeated army and glared death daggers at Harry and Varan. The latter prepared to fight once he did so.

The stubborn, mangled manticore glowered at the two animals that have thrashed him like a ragdoll and roared at them, arms up and daring them to come at him. The latter two responded with their own battle-ready hisses and roars. They were ready to settle this once and for all.

An unknown object zoomed over Harry and Varan which caught them off-guard. The mammal and reptile looked at each other confused until they heard a sickening crunch in front of them. They looked to Marabunda and wondered what happened to him, only to regret they wish they hadn't. 

Marabunda's arms suddenly slumped down, yet he still stood. His eyes rolled in the back of his head as his head was forced up like something struck him hard -- and something did. Foamy saliva bubbled in the back of his throat, making it hard for him to breathe; thus he gargled and choked. His body couldn't register what happened, so his muscles twitched and his wings occasionally spasmed. It was like looking at a zombie that recently came out of the grave. Whatever hit him, hit him hard enough for not even him to expect it.  It was only when Varan and Harry caught sight of a perfectly round stone embedded in his head that really made them wince and cringe; the stone had planted itself right between Marabunda's eyes; right on the very spot where Pinkie Pie smacked him with her bat.

Varan and Harry looked at each other again, wondering who threw that stone before glancing back behind them to see the culprit. 

Gallus stood behind them with his shaking arm stretched out, aiming the smoked wrist-launcher. He glared death daggers back at Marabunda, "That... was for Lyra." he dropped back on all fours and soaked in what he just did. Before, he pressed a lot of buttons to try and get the darn thing to work. But when he was in range to take some kind of shot, he finally managed to get the contraption to work and take a shot. He didn't know if it was actually gonna work, but luck rained down upon him and risked it. He saw what he did and actually hit Marabunda. It didn't bring him down, but stunning him was a bonus. Or, at least that's what he thought.

Marabunda's body finally gave out and he fell back and collapsed with a hard thud. Varan and Harry took notice and headed over to him, but stopped at the edge of the bridge and kept a safe distance. They watched him thoroughly and waited for him to make a move, a single twitch, a sign of breathing, anything to signal them that he was still alive. The grizzly and komodo never took their eyes off of Marabunda. Instincts told them to be on guard -- Varan in particular. He was aware Marabunda had a sick habit of playing possum. So, it was wise he and Harry stayed back.

They didn't know how long it'd been, but they heard the clomping sounds of hooves and the gentle beat of wings. Their masters and their friends were right behind them and they could tell they knew why they haven't returned to them. But, surprisingly, Marabunda never moved from his spot. Not a single breath came out of the massive body. No sign of life.

Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and Twilight came up to Harry and Varan while they eyed the body of Marabunda, wondering if he was really down and out. Twilight didn't know, but Scootaloo and Fluttershy were on high alert.

Everything was silent. Nothing but the gentle winds sang in everyone's ears. One might think it was so quiet, heartbeats and fainted breaths of any creature could be heard. Not a single soul moved an inch or made a sound. They waited. Waited with pleading faith that it was finally over. No one celebrated until they knew for sure the trouble was completely gone.

Scootaloo was the one to finally break the silence and asked out of fright she might've tested fate and luck, "Is... is it over?"

Twilight, Fluttershy, Harry, and Varan braced themselves if what Scootaloo just asked was a trigger for karma to easily turn around and betray them. But, there was nothing. Marabunda never moved. 

"I think... it is, Scootaloo," Fluttershy replied under her relieved breath. She took a moment to breathe calmly, but Harry wanted to know for sure. The Grizzy approached Marabunda's body and sniffed him for a moment. 

Fluttershy and Scootaloo were tense, again, hoping Marabunda didn't spring up like he did before and attack, but once Harry peered back to them, he shook his head and smiled calmly at them.

They immediately relaxed and felt their tension deflate like a balloon. Twilight was the same way. That fight was a nightmare.

But, it was over. It was finally over.

Marabunda was dead.
> Chapter 14.5: The Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It's… It's over?" Scootaloo slowly registered, never taking her eyes of Marabunda. If she even moved, or simply blinked, her anxiety and fear would alarm her that he'd get up and attack, again. But with a confirmed nod from Fluttershy, that was immediately destroyed and Scootaloo grinned once it clicked. She hugged her mother happily as tears of relief rolled down her cheeks. 

"It's finally over!"

Scootaloo announced as everyone around them took a rewarding sigh of relief and could finally relax after that whole nightmarish ordeal.

A massive weight lifted off her shoulders when she heard that. Twilight couldn't handle any more fighting after using up a lot of her magic energy. A cataclysmic thunderstorm she had no recollection of casting, yet she was told she did; guess they don't call it 'blind rage' for nothing. Then again, she remembered what Ember told her -- and after that, she was drawing blanks. She sat down and relaxed, "That was the most difficult beast we've ever faced; sure gives that bugbear we faced a run for its bits." She looked to Fluttershy, recalling the creature they fought off almost all afternoon on the wedding day of Cranky and Matilda.

Fluttershy would vouch for that. Nodding in agreement, she hugged her daughter close to her chest as she remembered the creatures they've faced before. The Hydra. Cockatrice. Even the manticore before when they first started their journey was way more docile in comparison. "I agree." She looked at the dead manticore lying on the bridge and lowered her ears a bit, not even smiling over their victory. It didn't feel right. Even though he chose to go rogue for unknown reasons, she felt bad for him. Why did he choose to live like that if it brought him nothing but so much pain? Even in death, Marabunda was still mysterious. Letting go of her daughter for a moment, she breathed slowly and quietly so she wouldn't make herself feel nervous as she walked to the beast's body with Harry watching her carefully while her friends watched on nervously; he may finally be dead, but caution was still up in the wind.

So not to make her friends worry, Fluttershy remained cautious around Marabunda. She carefully flew over him like a gentle hummingbird to a flower and landed next to his head and took a look at his face. She winced from the horrid, sad sight. Not only was his entire body bruised, burned, and mammocked but his eyes were ghost-white; dimmed and void of any life. His muzzle opened in a permanent snarl of pain and rejection after gurgling out his last breath; almost as if he dared death to try and claim him; Death complied and did just that. Fluttershy was horrified and amazed by how powerful his ferocity was, but she felt sad and mournful over the positive morals he sacrificed. She gazed back at his heavily scarred, burned body, seeing not only his current injuries, but years' worth of past battle scars that coalesced with them; his wings from base to the tip were even shredded to resemble torched tree branches. It was too much for her. Just seeing how much Marabunda had fought over the years and how much he tried to keep going, brought tears to the poor kind mare's eyes as her heart ached badly for the fallen beast. "Oh, Marabunda… You were in so much pain… yet you pushed yourself to keep going. Why didn't you stop before it got worse?" She ran a gentle front hoof through what remains of his mane, feeling its rough and ragged yet warm, fluffy touch against her hoof. She whimpered lightly to herself as her tears slowly leaked down her cheeks. Against better judgment, she leaned in and gently wrapped her forelegs around his neck, nuzzling the top of his head and giving him the only hug he'd ever gotten in his entire roguish life.

"I'm so sorry it had to be this way," Fluttershy said sympathetically for what happened to him and guilty for what they had to do. Everyone looked at Fluttershy confused by what she was doing. It was weird of her to do such a thing after what Marabunda did, but oddly, and understandably, nobody tried to stop her. Even with all the carnage they went through to bring the crazy manticore down, they knew she still had a caring heart for every creature big and small – and seeing Marabunda this way must've allowed her to finally show pity for the creature. It was still strange of her to hug his corpse and they'll need time to process she actually did that, but they knew she was no fool and her reasons. As much as she cared about all living creatures, Marabunda had to be taken out once and for all.

With a closing sigh and her kindhearted, mournful hug done, she carefully closed his mouth and then ran her hoof down his face, closing his lifeless eyes for him for good, giving him the appearance of going into a peaceful sleep. "Goodnight, Marabunda. All the pain you suffered, it cannot hurt you anymore." She walked away, heading back to her friends only to be approached by Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

Twilight was stunned. She never expected Fluttershy to do something like that, "Why did you do that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, wondering what was the point in hugging a corpse.

Rainbow Dash was just as confused. Of all the times she's known Fluttershy, she had not once seen her do something that bizarre, "Yeah. That was weird. You've never done that before." Rainbow Dash said slightly judging that moment. With what Marabunda tried to do with all of them, she would've left the corpse to be eaten by scavengers or something. What gives?

Fluttershy shook her head. Kindness and her love of animals took over her heart, "I couldn't bear knowing the life Marabunda chose would turn him into a monster." It wasn't in her to just leave. She felt like his spirit needed closure if he just had one hug. Something to remind him of what love and kindness felt like before descending and she hoped he got the message. "I know he can't feel it now, but I wanted to give him a sense of something before he went to the afterlife."

Twilight and Rainbow Dash didn't know what to make of that, but they just smiled in unison and accepted it. Marabunda was gone and that's all that mattered to them.

Even though it was odd of her mother to do that, Scootaloo understood why her mother felt this way and she couldn't blame her; even though he hurt a lot of creatures today, and though he was a roguish monster, he was still a living breathing creature just as they were. After all, with what they've gone through, deep down, with her mother bidding him one final goodnight, she hoped that after all this time, this nightmarish manticore finally found peace.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a familiar snout rubbing against her with a soft hiss-like purr; she smiled tearfully up at her pet and hugged him around his neck close, "You did it, buddy. You kicked Marabunda's butt." 

Varan felt truly proud of himself as the chains of his past finally broke. He knew he avenged all his loved ones, protected his family, and finally rid himself of the monster that had ruined his life so long ago. He lightly made a hiss-like honk and licked her cheek, making a toothy smile as best a lizard knew how -- much to those who caught that freaked them out, just a bit.

Harry and Varan can't take all the credit, though. Pinkie Pie smiled happily as she hopped over to Gallus, wanting to congratulate him for his act of bravery, "That was a great aim, Gallus." Pinkie complimented. "That was really brave! I never saw it coming!" It made her wonder who actually got the win in this fight. But, other than that, she had a party to whip up later once Sugarcube Corner was rebuild.

Smolder smiled lightly as she limply approached her friend, patting his shoulder and giving him a solid fistbump after, "Gotta admit, man, that was really cool." She softly praised him for delivering the last blow. Here she thought she could take out Marabunda easily; that sure bit her on her scaly butt. She was blown away that her griffon friend was able to pull off such an unexpected feat. It made her feel a little jealous in some way; kind of like aiming for a trophy only to be taken by someone else. Eh, it didn't matter anyway. This was no competition and Smolder was just glad someone else took out the monster.

The young griffon blushed a bit, feeling shyer than Professor Fluttershy ever could -- if that was possible. He was unsure of how to take this praise from others; it was still fairly new to him, but the attention from familiar faces was more comforting to him than an overwhelming crowd. Still, just like everyone else, he was glad it was finally over. "Uh… no problem, I guess." He smiled tenderly at Smolder and Pinkie Pie, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this bittersweet victory was... well... just like that.

Friends alike smiled in relief as they calmed down at last and chattered softly to each other and among themselves. They agreed that what they've gone through was something that they don't want to go through again so soon, but it was also something they won't soon forget. 

It wasn't until a pained, exhausted whimper from Harry that friends and family alike looked on with wide, shocked eyes at this unexpected predicament. Yet, it shouldn't be unexpected, either.

Mother-mode was on high alert as Fluttershy winced from Harry's whimper and she hurried to her bear friend, seeing him gripping his arm and wincing sharply in pain. "Harry!" She looked very worried as she came to his side. She almost forgot. She was kind enough to give Marabunda a little respect to his spirit, but she almost forgot what Marabunda did to Harry and Varan after they defeated him. She checked Harry's injuries and didn't like what she found.

Harry huffed a wheezing whimper to her; his head wobbly from dizziness. The adrenaline that was pumping through his body began to slowly dwindle and the pain inflicted on him began to crawl all over like an unkillable bug. His eyes slightly dilated. So many blows to the face and head from Marabunda's unnatural brawling style resulted in him seeing blurs; his right eyelid was swollen and his snout was bruised and near-broken. Fluttershy noticed patches of fur around his body were wet with fresh blood.

Harry looked like a bloody mess and it broke her heart that she brought him here. She regretted her choice, but it was a choice she had to make or else others would get hurt. Despite the bittersweet choice, Harry grunted and gazed at her in noticeable pain and sadness. He had a feeling this was gonna scare her, but it was worth it in the end. He trusted his best friend to look over his injuries, but it pained him to know what her reaction might be. Still, he had to show her. Hesitantly, he uncovered his right arm and showed her a thrawn, painful sight of four slash marks he received from Marabunda's swipe across his arm. They were bleeding pretty badly and dripped down his arm to the ground.

Fluttershy gasped and covered her muzzle in horror, her eyes widened and quivered as tears pricked them while their friends gasp in shock upon noticing Harry's injuries. He needed to go to a vet. Now!

But, Harry wasn't the only one suffering. A woozy, pained groan was heard and Fluttershy immediately looked over to find a wobbly, exhausted komodo dragon next to a very worried, frightened Scootaloo.

Varan felt a little lightheaded, too. Once the battle had finally been won, his adrenaline ultimately died down and his body began to ache and tire. Everything hurt, really bad; he groaned as he tried to hold himself up to not worry Scootaloo and everyone else, but his body was too banged up to keep going and he collapsed on his belly, causing his young owner to gasp in horror. 

"Varan!" Scootaloo caught his head quickly and gazed at him worriedly. 
Whimpering up at her as he gave her sad eyes, Varan looked to his own wounds that Marabunda had inflicted on him during the fight. His own clawed injuries and bitten tail were leaking small trails of blood. 

Scootaloo winced in panic and looked to her horrified mother, "Mom! Varan's hurt!" That was obvious, but that's all she could say. She had no idea what to do to save her friend. Varan was bleeding in front of her and she was panicking. It didn't make things any better when she saw Harry's injuries as well and winced at how bad he looked.

It quickly came rushing back to everyone that while they won the battle, they did not come out completely unscathed. Most of them needed tending to and others needed to go to the hospital.

"We can't stay here any longer," Fluttershy said trying to keep a calm demeanor as she looked to Twilight in hopes she'd help her. With Marabunda dead, now was a good time as any to get those who were wounded to a hospital, stat. "We need to get everyone who's wounded to the hospital!" 

Twilight nodded firmly, making no hesitation to help her friend and knew that this called for immediate action. "Right!" Looking to Rainbow Dash and Gilda, she pointed to them. "Rainbow Dash, Gilda – get Big Mac and Applejack, we need some extra muscle to carry those who got wounded to the Ponyville Hospital." Then it dawned on her that Ember was still missing. No doubt still out cold in that grill shop. "I'll get Ember. See if she's alright."

As the two nod their affirmative, she looked to the two wounded animals and softened her firm glance, looking worried for Fluttershy and Scootaloo who both looked near tears upon seeing their animal companions in pain. "Fluttershy, see if you can get Discord to help get Varan and Harry to the vet. Hopefully, Doctor Fauna is there to help them."

Fluttershy nodded once, understanding immediately as everyone got moving to go do their objectives. "Right." She looked to Harry who was still conscious. Unlike Varan, Harry was still strong enough to lift himself back on his paws, but his injuries were challenging him as much as that fight. He felt like he was running on reserves, but he didn't have to worry when it involved friends with powerful abilities. He had a feeling he was gonna be fine, but he was not gonna push it.

Varan hissed softly as he felt his eyes drooping, everything starting to sound fuzzy in his ears. He could make out his Young Master as she leaned in worriedly towards him, calling for him while tearing up. "Varan… please… hold on…" As it all slowly went black, the last thing he heard from his Young Master was her words of plead. 


"Hold on…"

****

It was quiet. Very quiet. Not a sound except the gentle kiss of the wind blowing across a calm grassy field, and the gentle rumble of thunder as little raindrops fell from the sky.

Varan couldn't see anything, and his whole body was in a new level of pain. The lizard groaned lightly as he laid motionless on the ground. His body twitched and spasmed occasionally -- even his eyes were not cooperating as they were shut tight. He wasn't dead, but he sure felt like he was about to be. Yet, he still tried to power through the overwhelming soreness in his body.

Varan groaned again, "Oh, my aching head." He hissed in agony but he slowly managed to pry his eyes open just a little when calm rain suddenly came down and gently pelted his body. He didn't know what to think of this, but it didn't faze him, much. He wasn't much of a rain reptile, but like he had a choice in moving away anyway. And he made the right call; the rain, surprisingly, felt nice. Soothing, even. But things quickly got strange when the pain began to slowly subside; kind of like he was regenerating in some weird way. "W-What…?" he was able to move parts of his body, but he wasn't gonna jump the gun and think he was fine to go; baby steps were a thing for a reason. That being said, he couldn't help but wonder if this was how his Anole brethren felt when they had their tails chopped off by predators and slowly grew them back. He couldn't imagine the pain they must've gone through. Speaking of his own pain, once his aching head eased up and the muscles in his neck finally relaxed, he slowly looked around his surroundings, wondering what this alien environment was. 

The air felt nice, cool, and thin, perfectly matching the soft rain dancing about. Then he felt an unusual but familiar softness under him. He looked down and found himself on top of a patch of pink-while flowers. Confusion rang out and he quickly noticed that the flowers spread out for miles on end like a very large blanket. And that was it. He couldn't make out anything else other than the sky itself being a mixture of orange and white like the carrot cakes. He knew a certain little rabbit would enjoy this sight. Still, he had no idea where he was, but it was quite peaceful. Not a speck of harshness or a touch of violence anywhere. He must be the first to step claw on this sanctuary. Not one soul around other than him. Wait? No one around? It now dawned on him and that peace didn't last for very long. This place was peaceful, but something was missing from this picture. 

"Y-Young Master… Friends?" He called out softly, but only heard his echo. He whimpered to himself when he couldn't spot his young master or any of his friends. "Young Master! S-S-Scootaloo! Where are you?!" He called out a little louder, using her actual name for once. But the more he called out for his beloved young master, the more he heard his calling echoes. His body still needed recovering, but he desperately got back to his feet. He wanted to hear her voice again and feel her embrace. He didn't want to make her worry.

Yet, he was worried out of his mind! Where was she? Where was Old Master and everycreature else? Where was Harry? 

Then he remembered Harry, "Harry!" He called for him, hoping to hear a response, a bear roar, something! However, his response was answered when the powering crackles of thunder rumbled and the lightning gently flashed.

A cold feeling started to envelop him. There really was nobody here with him. He was all alone. His body ached, again, and dread filled his mind. Though the rain eased his pain, it didn't help his broken heart. He closed his eyes in regret and deep agony when nobody answered his call. There was no sign of anyone here, no sign of Scootaloo, his friends… not even the monster, Marabunda. The light around the environment began to dim a darkish blue, but he ignored it. Bringing them all up had to be one thing...

Was all of his efforts to protect everyone wasted?

Was it all for nothing? 

Did he…fail?

That had to be it. He must have perished in battle and all he loved have fallen with him. The quietness of the area and the rumble of the thunder made the pain in his chest even worse. The pain that was his heart, breaking at the grief of failing to protect his loved ones from the beast. As tears formed in his closed eyes, he whimpered as he curled his body into a ball, the achiness from the fight didn't hurt as much as the pain of his broken heart. He hardly reacted to the rain gently pelting him now; only one thought filled his mind.

"I… have failed." 

Covering his eyes, he started to cry for the loss of his fallen friends and his beloved owner; depression, guilt, and blame bombarded him. "S-Scootaloo… I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you. I never… got to tell her…" He whimpered softly as he cried harder at the pain of losing his beloved little master, "I love you…" whimpering, he tried to get his tears to stop but they just kept coming as he thought of the rest of his master's friends, Old Master and those who tried to help him in battle, "I'm sorry everyone. I c-couldn't protect any of you…" He choked on his words and looked up to the rainy skies as he spoke out one more apology. 

"I'm sorry, Harry…" He had accused the poor bear wrongly of false identity, and now he'll never get the chance to tell him he was sorry. He was a fool for being so blind by his rage. He sniffled and looked down, weeping as his tears leaked from his eyes, his voice giving in to the sorrow he felt. "I'm so sorry…" this world, this purgatory, it didn't mean anything to him. The peace here didn't feel earned, to him. He failed, why would he earn such peace?

It wasn't until he finally heard something through the sprinkling rainfall as the dark blue sky returned to its orange-white color. A voice chimed into his ears, but he dared not to look; he was too distraught by his loss to care.

"Oh, Varan, you don't have to be sorry," A feminine voice spoke to him and broke him from his sorrow state. She sounded soft, loving, and hopeful. It surprised him, but the voice seemed oddly familiar to him. Like he heard it somewhere before, but where?

A male voice spoke next. He sounded strong, encouraging, and proud. He seemed like he wanted to get him to buck up and not quit. "It'll be okay. C'mon, wipe away those tears and face us like a true komodo… my son."

His eyes widen in sheer shock to the size of pinpricks upon hearing those last words. He swung his head up and perked his neck high as if it moved on its own. He quickly got up and watched as two very familiar figures manifested through thin air and approached him calmly without making so much as a sound. His breath nearly caught in his throat. Was he seeing things? Two older-looking komodo dragons stood before him; one of them was slightly smaller than the other but both were just inches above Varan's height. His eyes had to be playing tricks. His mind had to be hallucinating. There was no way it could be them. They were killed by Marabunda, how could they be here? Yet, something in the back of his mind told him 'no' they were the real deal. And they looked exactly like how he remembered them since he was a hatchling.

"Mom… Dad?"

His parents smiled as warm as two adult Komodo dragons can in their own lizard way, coming toward him before nuzzling their necks against his from both sides, allowing him to feel their touch, again – and allowing him to realize that they weren't visions made by sorrow to mock him.

Now knowing these weren't illusions, the dams fully broke. Varan's sobbing intensified as he immediately nuzzled into his parents' embrace. "Mama… Papa…" 

His mother Nara, her gentle tan scales rubbing against his, lightly puffed a soft, melodic hiss to comfort her hatchling-all-grown-up as they nuzzled close. "Shh… there, there… it's going to be alright now… you'll see."

Her mate, Smoothclaw, wrapped his green gentle arms and claws around his son's shoulders as his wife comforted their son. "We're here, son." He lightly hissed his own words of comfort after his wife's comforting coos toward their now grown hatchling.

"Our son…" Nara purred as she used her cheek to catch a few of his tears, smiling proudly as she and Smoothclaw backed up to get a good look at their child – whom they haven't seen since Marabunda's attack. Nara looked her son over and was impressed with how much he's grown. "Our gorgeous boy. Oh, look at you! You've grown so big." She smiled lovingly at him, proud of him for what's become. Although she was sad that she didn't get to see him grow up, she was ecstatic to hold her child again. "And so handsome~"

Smoothclaw looked at his son proudly and nodded approvingly, thrilled to see his son grew up powerful and bold, but like his made, he wasn't keen on being a ghost. He wished he was alive to raise his son, but it turned out fine in the end for him, "Handsome? Like me, but he has your claws and swift wit." he complimented his son, proud regardless.

"Mom… dad…" Varan whimpered while his cheeks became rosy-red. He couldn't help it, he was in shock, "I can't believe it's you!" He couldn't believe it; his parents were here and he could feel their touch, smell their scent and he recognized them not only by sight or scent or even touch, but by their love.
Heck, they were talking to him so casually, it's as if what happened never happened. How?

Smoothclaw cocked his head a bit and chuckled amusingly, "Course it's us, son. Who else would we be?" Smoothclaw teased to lighten the mood and hoped to make his son feel better.

It did, for a bit, but he winced as he made eye contact with his parents. He was able to see his parents after so many years, but he nearly caved-in to his heartbreak and struggled to keep his mind from racing, he tried to explain, apologize as best he could, "Mom, Dad…" He cried a bit in hisses, "I'm so sorry!" His parents wince and immediately came back to him and held him close in the biggest komodo hug they could give him, "I couldn't beat Marabunda… I-I couldn't avenge you… I couldn't protect any of my friends or my new family…" He coughed a bit from the pressure in his chest and hiccupped as his breathing was hitched during his sobbing. "I really tried; I tried to save everyone… I did the best I could…"

"Varan, Varan, sweetheart, calm down…" Nara held his shoulders, holding him still as her voice managed to get him to pause his blubbering, yet it didn't stop his lips from quivering and his eyes from shedding tears.


That was not gonna stand and Smoothclaw was gonna let his son know, "Son, don't you dare ever put yourself down like that in front of me!" Smoothclaw firmly growled but kept his mind calm as he and his mate comforted their grown hatchling. 

"And you don't have to apologize for anything, honeyscales--" His mother smiled soothingly, "--because you didn't fail." That right there - that caused her son's sobbing to pause and his tears to momentarily stop their leaking.

Varan sniffled and huffed air out of his nostrils, his shaky voice betraying him yet holding an ounce of surprise within it when his loving mother told him this. "I… I didn't?"

Nara shook her head, confirming what she said to be true, "Of course not!" she smiled fondly down at him as they take a seat on the grass while she explained. "You fought that brute valiantly, just like a true komodo we had always hoped you would grow into."

His father nodded proudly, but seeing his son attack himself like that was not gonna fly. He earned this victory and he was gonna stand tall,  "Don't you ever doubt yourself like that, young lizard. You may be a grown komodo now, but so help me…" He pouted as he pointed at his son, "…if I ever hear you putting yourself down like this again, I will tan your tail silly."
Smoothclaw didn't care if he was dead. Even in the afterlife, he was still Varan's tough-love father. It also felt good to let out his fatherly motives to Varan, too.

Varan blushed faintly in embarrassment, but he still looked at them confused. If he wasn't dead, where was he? He heard Nara chuckled lovingly and told him reassuringly, "Sweetie, you didn't fail. Because of your efforts to help out your friends, that monster is gone for good." She hissed out in pride as her serrated teeth turned into a big toothy smile that a komodo like her could make. "You won, my darling!"

"But, granted, you did pass out after the battle," Smoothclaw said with no hint of lying as if to tease him just to have a bit of fun. He earned a pout from his son, but he was equally proud as his wife was. A gratified, serrated-filled toothy smile curved far enough for Varan to notice -- a smile he was relieved to see. "But that's to be expected. That manticore was a literal demon of Tartarus – even by rogue standards. And you took quite a beating there, son." 

Wait, how did they know about rogues? Varan had so many questions to ask them. But Varan slowly widened his eyes as he realized something; He won the battle? And Marabunda was finally dead? And he had passed out? But if that's the case, then this puzzle lead to one simple answer, "Wait. So I'm dreaming?" He looked up at his parents who both nodded to him, confirming his theory. "Then, how do you know all of this without being there?"

Smoothclaw answered that casually like it was no big deal, "We all watch you above the clouds. We keep an eye on you almost everyday and see how life's treating you."

Okay, as casual as that sounded, Varan couldn't help but think that was a tad creepy, too. He understood they were gone and that they were watching him, but did his father really have to make it sound like that? That just raised further questions!

Even his mother thought that was unnecessary, but she secretly rolled her eyes and readjusted what Smoothclaw meant, "What your father meant was that we're always with you; in your heart and memories," That was a lot better and Varan felt good hearing that. 

She smiled again and gladly informed him, "Your friends are taking you and your bear friend to get treated." Having sustained those injuries really took a lot out of them and Nara felt so bad for her son and friend, but relieved that they had other friends to help them recover.

His father nodded once, and said, "While it seems like the rest of your friends who took a shot at that murderer are getting their own treatment, too." Using his tail, he pats him on the back while letting out a firm laugh. "So, calm your frazzled nerves, Varan. Everyone is perfectly safe and can rest easy. Marabunda ain't gonna be bothering anyone anytime soon." And that was a straight-up fact. The nightmare was over. Lives have been avenged. And peace was finally earned. 

Hearing this news was more than what Varan could handle and the wave of relief hit him like a tsunami. He breathed heavily in relief as he visibly slouched, "Oh… Oh, thank goodness… I-I… I thought I…" He looked up at his parents, almost a bit scared but slowly calming down from his panic attack. "I thought that I was…"

"Killed?" Smoothclaw finished, raising a brow ridge at his son while keeping a calm, yet knowing smile. His son slowly nodded, "I'm not surprised. But you shouldn't worry anymore, son. Your mother and I can rest easy now, knowing that you are safe and still alive."

Nara nodded, holding her chest. "I was so worried about you and it hurt me to no end to have left you all those years ago." But she did it to protect him to the very end, like how a true mother would for her child. "But seeing you here now, brings me joy and relief." She nuzzled her child, again, which he gleefully returned. "You and everyone took out Marabunda, Varan. And now, we can all finally rest in peace."

"All?" Varan tilted his head confusedly before looking around. Not any sooner did he found what his parents were talking about, he let out a gasping hiss as other fellow komodos, his friends, all appeared and gathered around him and his parents. And they were singing his praises and overjoyed to know he took down their murderer.

"Let's hear it for Varan!" His oldest friend, a slightly smaller dirt-brown komodo, Scales cheered among his grown komodo comrades, celebrating his victory over his mortal enemy. "The bravest of us all!"

The komodos hissed and cheered in happiness, they bellowed in praise for their friend's bravery. It was a time to celebrate and they were gonna let him know it. Varan was rendered shocked beyond comprehension. As he stuttered and tried to speak, he looked to his mother and father who smiled proudly at him.

"They all wanted a chance to see you one last time," Nara smiled sweetly as she motioned to his cheering friends. "And they are all just as proud of you as we are."

Quivering his lips as he gazed at his parents, for once since this painful conga-line, his muzzle broke into a tearful, overjoyed grin as he hugged his parents tight which they wholeheartedly returned. He exchanged nuzzles with various members of the bank, shedding tears of joy. For once in his life, he felt truly at bliss. "I missed you… all of you…"


"We missed you too, my baby," Nara shed tears as she and her son nuzzle deeply against one another. "We missed you so much."

The bank of komodos stayed like that for quite some time, just embracing each other and exchanging nose rubs, scales pressing against each other, tails clapping each other; they all embraced Varan with open claws. It kept like that until the field slowly shook just a bit.

"Looks like you're due to regain consciousness shortly, my boy," Smoothclaws smiled calmly as he looked to his son.

Varan pouted lightly, feeling like the hatchling he once was, amusing his parents and his friends. "Yeah, but it feels too soon." He sadly looked up at his family and friends, "I really wish I didn't have to say goodbye."

"Varan, you don't have to say goodbye to any of us," His mother smiled gingerly, "Because we will never be apart from you." She gently poked his chest, "As long as you keep us within your heart and your mind…" She booped her snout against his in a loving way, causing him to hissily giggle a little. "You will always find us here, in your dreams."

"Listen to the old bag of scales, Vars." His bulky friend Kamo with a scar on his face leading down to his muzzle had jabbed at him as he lightly slugged him in the shoulder. "Seeing how you went through literal Tartarus, you at the very least deserve to see us more than just once." He winked his scarred eye.

His father breathed out a sigh of relaxation and acceptance, feeling at peace now with every lizard here. "We love you. And we'll always be here for you." He looked to his son lovingly. "But, right now, your new family and friends still need you in their lives."

"And you still have someone to apologize to," His mother nodded, causing her son to wince – knowing she was right, he nodded.

"I promise this won't be the last time we ever see one another," Varan smiled lightly; glad to have gotten this chance to finally reunite with not only his parents but his friends as well. "I'll always remember you. All of you!" And he made sure of.

Nodding proudly, the komodos slowly vanished one by one as the area slowly shook a bit more, feeling stronger.

Looking at his beloved, proud parents, he could only smile at them as they waved their claws at him with loving eyes, "I love you."

The area brightened as bright as the sun with the clouds clearing up, bathing the lizard in warmth as real sound slowly returned to him.

***

Groaning softly, he slowly and groggily cracked his eyes a little, waking up from his deep sleep. His body still ached, but not nearly as much as it was before. How long had he been sleeping, he didn't know. He didn't even know what happened when he was out. All he knew now was that he was in someplace new and even if he was half asleep, he still felt everything around him; the cool air, warm lights, a cold feeling sliding across his chest. Wait, that last one didn't seem right. Was someone next to him? And why was their touch so cold? The light over him sure wasn't helping his case wondering who or what was with him in the room. But he had to try and attempt to get them to back off. He hissed lowly and weakly in slight annoyance get whoever was on him to stop and get some kind of response, but they kept going. Was he was being ignored? Oh, this will not stand! He blinked a few times and managed to push himself to fully wake up. 

Still tired but growing impatient, he lifted and turned his head just a bit to meet the stranger next to him. He attempted to make another low, threatening hiss as his vision started to clear. But upon seeing who was there, he was greeted by an earth pony in a doctor's wear.
His hissing stopped and he was then highly confused by her, looking at her like a confused puppy. He attempted a light hiss at her to get a reaction; scare her, even. He got her attention. But, like before, she didn't budge an inch. For Fluttershy and Scootaloo, his hisses would get plenty of reactions out of them; this pony was a completely different story. She looked up at him with a light smile and calm eyes, relieved he was awake. He attempted to snap at her as another option, but her scent caught his snout and he barely picked up Fluttershy's scent on this earth pony. Was she a friend of hers? Interesting.

"Oh, good. You're awake!" Doctor Fauna spoke professionally and kindly but was relieved to see Varan come to as she placed her stethoscope away after listening in on his heartbeat and breathing. "Good morning, sunshine. You took quite a beating and with the injuries you sustained in that fight, I would've assumed you'd be knocked out for an entire week." He only looked at her in a bit of curiosity, allowing her to run a hoof down his neck to pet him, oddly trusting her with how positive she handled him. He was not getting any bad vibes from her and it was quite refreshing. This pony knew what she was doing.

The doctor mare smiled sweetly up at him, "My name is Doctor Fauna, and you're lucky Fluttershy and Scootaloo got you and your friend here before I hit closing hours." She noticed him perking up and looking around for Scootaloo and Fluttershy, almost startled and worried. With what Scootaloo and Fluttershy told her, she had a feeling Varan was gonna be freak out once she told him. A gentle hoof to his snout got him to stop and she reassured him with a few calming words, "Don't worry, Varan. They're both fine –" but her tone kind of shifted, suddenly, when she was reminded of why they were here, to begin with  "-- Fluttershy had to go make a personal arrangement meeting. So, you'll be here for a bit." 

She sounded serious. Where ever Fluttershy was, she had a feeling she'd take care of it. Despite not speaking her language, Varan still nodded to her and gave her a sign that he understood. Old Master – er, Fluttershy, did have other ponies to tend to and made sure they weren't too badly wounded, after all. While he hoped to see Scootaloo soon; he knew she must be dreadfully worried about him.

Thankfully, his answer came when Fauna told him, but not in an enthused tone as he saw the frustration in her eyes, "While Scootaloo... Poor Scootaloo practically begged both her father's doctor and I to save both you and Drift Velocity," She said disappointedly from what Fluttershy told her. She was sick at heart by how another mother and her own daughter would go out of their way just to hurt others to feed their egos. What a bunch of sick ponies. But, thankfully, they never got the satisfaction -- except for one casualty. She fluffed the pillow under Varan's head and pulled his blanket back to show the wrapped bandages on his tail and where he had been scratched about. But, if it wasn't for this lizard -- well, if it wasn't for those who risked their lives fighting the beast mentioned before -- they could've lost more. But right now, "The poor dear is worried sick about the both of you." 

That didn't make Varan feel any better. He wept a light, exhausted hiss, feeling hangdog at the sound of his owner being so terrified for him. He would've objected her to stop, but he noticed she smiled fondly up at him and quickly reassured him, trying her best to cheer him up. "No, No. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. Please, let me explain --" if Varan could understand her, that was "--despite the overexerted exhaustion and the treatment I gave you to tend to your injuries," She chuckled lightly once he noticed the bandages around his body, "With plenty of rest and with me keeping an eye on you; you're expected to make a full recovery within a week's time."

Now that right there, that was good news. And rest was something he can definitely handle after all he went through. Hearing her say all this gave him a grasp of relief and he looked at her calmly and gave her a soft hiss of thanks. An understanding nod made sure she got that message.

However, the good news was for him, the bad news, "Your friend on the other hoof..." Fauna winced reluctantly, her smile turning into a sad, heartbroken frown as she looked to his neighbor.

Varan curiously looked with her and was almost horrified by what he saw…

Harry.

The mountain of fur that was Fluttershy's grizzly bear was lying on his left side, out-cold. His right arm was all bandaged up to look nearly mummified. He had a hot-water bottle wrapped around his head that seemed to treat any soreness, as well as do something for a slight concussion from so many blows to the head. A little ice-pack was neatly pressed against his muzzle before Doctor Fauna carefully took off as the ice was melting inside the sack; that was to reduce the swelling in his mouth, but that didn't do much to make the swelling go down; a noticeable fat lip and a few canines missing made the komodo wince in related pain. Harry had his muzzle banged up pretty hard. His right eye had a wet rag compressed to it which she lifted to check the swelling. He noticed some extra bandages were snug around his torso and neck; few dried-up bloodstains, but nothing too serious. But, unfortunately, unlike Varan, he didn't seem to be showing signs of waking up. Varan grew worried.

Fauna sighed tiredly, yet worriedly as she looked at her bandaged-up patient. She managed to sedate Harry and prevented him from feeling anything, his injuries were a lot to handle when she applied them; reapplying them would be challenging since Harry was the biggest patient she ever dealt with. Varan was easy because of his size, Harry proved otherwise. But, changing his bandages she had to do since they were getting dirty. With how patched up they are, Varan had a feeling they've been here for quite some time; sunlight leaked through the window curtain. 

Once she removed Harry's compressions, she saw the swellings barely gone down, but was good to know her treatments were working. She gazed over at Varan apologetically. "Poor thing took quite a beating," She gently stroked the bear's back as she explained while keeping her eyes on Harry, "Black eye, mild concussion, a bite bad enough to break at least a layer of skin, four clean cuts on his arm, and at least three fangs got knocked out--" it broke her heart to see these two in bad conditions, but she was still grateful Varan woke up first  "--It's a miracle you two were brought here on time." 

Although for Varan, the guilt hit him hard. While he'll be alright in a week's time, Harry had suffered more than he thought. He whimpered to her, asking her if he was going to be okay. He didn't know if she understood, but he had to try. The vet looked at him sympathetically and nodded; not because she understood him, but because she had that gut feeling that's what he was wondering.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. He'll need rest is all," Fauna informed. With the sedation taken effect, that should be no problem, at all. "That, and a bit of supervision just in case of any nausea or worsening symptoms from the mild concussion. Within a month, he should be fine." She lightly smiled at the komodo. She gazed at the poor grizzly, "Although… maybe to be on the safe side, I should get some animal-safe medicine in case anything happens." She gazed at Varan worriedly, "You think you can keep an eye on him while I make a little check and stock in inventory?" Receiving a nod from him, she trotted out of her workroom to go double-check her inventory, leaving the komodo and grizzly bear alone.

***

Once Fauna left, Varan gazed over to Harry who still never moved. Though the sound of his sleeping breaths told him he was alive; that was good. It didn't take a few movements for his body to ache, but it took some effort and Varan managed to get up and crawl out of the animal bed Fauna set him in so he could rest, groaning a little and dragging his tail out last. His walking reduced to limping and every step felt like he was walking on pin-needles, but he was able to move and he managed to approach the fallen bear. He examined this friend; despair in his eyes. His injuries were rough, but not critical. Still, what he sustained in battle alongside him was brutal and he couldn't imagine what would've happened if it got worse. 

"Harry…" He growled lightly and sadly as he called out near him. The bear never responded, still unconscious. The lizard looked down – worrying that his injuries might have been more severe than Doctor Fauna believed. She never saw the fight. She never knew what they went through, but that was not important. He was racked with guilt, "Oh, this is all my fault…" He blamed himself for not getting up sooner to help him in the fight, if he had, he wouldn't have gotten so banged-up. "If only I got there quicker…" He groaned softly in frustration toward himself. Despite his parents from his dream stating that everyone was alright, he worried that the fight may have been too much for Harry.

"Please, wake up…" He begged him as he talked to him in a pained, pleading tone, coming to his left side and curling up next to him, praying he could hear him. "We won, Harry… we beat Marabunda. He's dead!" He was hoping that reminder would snap him out of it. They both won. They should both be up to celebrate with their friends and family. "A-And Fluttershy… And Scootaloo… they're all safe and sound!" Sniffling, he came up and placed his head on Harry's good arm, near tears as he nuzzled into his fur. "Just… please…don't die on me."

But before he could think to grieve thinking he wasn't gonna make it, the bear's body began to quiver a bit and a rumbling was heard, it sounded distinctly like… chuckling? 

"Me? Die here?"

Varan quickly removed his head from his shoulder and looked at him in shock and hidden relief as the goliath bear gingerly rose up to not irritate his injuries and sat down with a heavy plop, looking down at the komodo like he was being silly and dramatic for thinking he was on his last leg.

"Who decided that?" Harry asked as he let out a soft groaning chuckle. "I decide if I kick the bucket or not. And it sure isn't gonna be here." He spoke so proudly. He knew they won that fight and he knew how injured he was, but he was far from gone. He just wanted that well-earned rest before Varan came over and acted like a wuss in front of him. But, it was understandable, because looking at himself, he must've definitely looked dead to the lizard – so he will let it slide, especially when it's funny to see him become red in the face. Still... 

It baffled him, "But, of all critters crying over me, I never expected it to be you," Harry smiled the one half that wasn't swollen as his deep but gentle voice spoke out to the lizard, his eyes pinned to the komodo dragon seemingly crying over him. It was quite a sight; appreciative, understandable, and very hilarious. But confusing since this lizard seemed more on the tough side than sharing a soft side. Something changed.

Yet, that tough side took a back seat as Varan looked up at him in joy before happily nuzzling into his chest – further surprising him; glad he was up, "You're alive!" Varan gleefully exclaimed before he could stop himself, but he couldn't hide it even if he tried. "I thought those injuries were too much for you… even by that vet's understanding." Despite thinking he was gonna pass, Fauna said she gave him sedatives to numb him from the pain.

Harry felt a little smug, but he said casually, "Course I'm alive. Takes more than a fight to knock me out." Though, he did admit that fight was brutal, he was just grateful to come out of there with everything still intact. "That vet did sedate me, but she didn't use a whole lot. Was asleep for... I don't know how long, honestly." Harry smirked at himself, believing she may have used more; he didn't really know. He was being silly, too, but that changed when he groaned and winced in pain as he rubbed his head. "Yeah, I'll definitely feel that in the morning." Sedated or not, Harry felt pain he didn't know existed. For a manticore, Marabunda gave him a wallop he'll never forget.

"How're you feeling?" Varan instinctively asked, even though it was a foolish question.

Harry raised a brow. Even he knew that was a foolish question as he gave Varan a look that said, 'I get throttled around by a crazed manticore after tearing off his stinger and nearly got my big fat furry butt handed to me, how do ya think I'm feeling?'. 

"Right, that was a dumb question," Varan muttered in embarrassment.

"You think?" The bear pouted at him, but brushed it off. "Eh, but it wasn't my first tussle in life." he pointed a claw at Varan and told him, "I've fought other animals like a tiger, wolf, a fellow bear -- " he looked at Varan curious and wondered if he was aware " -- even one of your kind that's been roaming around here. Probably as big as you if it didn't stand on two legs, hissed kind of like you, but it had this weird neck-fold thing that made a noise like those rattlesnake guys." Saying that made him wonder if Varan knew anything about that.

Sadly, Varan only blinked confusedly. Not in his entire life had he ever encountered a lizard like that before. A frilled lizard came to mind, but Harry sounded like it seemed bigger. "I have no idea who you're talking about," Varan said, but with Harry bringing that up. "Before I met Scootaloo and Fluttershy, in my travels I did come across one weird-looking lizard with a round head that stood on two legs near a bunch of trees munching on a bush." Varan had no idea what to make of it, but he never stood around to say hi. The last thing he needed was for it to headbutt him.

Okay, so he wasn't the only one. That was good to know. A little disappointing he didn't have any info regarding his own encounter, but he wasn't gonna complain. Equestria was full of mysteries. Harry gave a nod to Varan before he noticed Varan had his head down, just a little.

"Harry?" 

The bear looked to him, head tilted, "What's up?" What had him bummed out? They won the fight.

He felt awkward. His first encounter with Harry ended up in a fight. How was he gonna approach this? "About attacking you before… I can explain that…"

The grizzly perked immediately. He had almost forgotten about that moment. He completely forgot about being attacked by Varan when they first met. His good mood diminished and he looked at Varan a little coldly as a firm frown took place on his muzzle, "I'm sure you can…" The grizzly grumbled. Despite their team-up and what they went through, now that Varan brought it up he wondered why he attacked him. He better have a good explanation.

"It's sort of a long story…" Varan shyly admitted, letting him know he's going to thoroughly give every detail and was warning him to get comfortable.

But Harry wasn't going anywhere, he carefully crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at the reptile as he prepared to listen to him explain his behavior. "This better be good."

***

Varan took the time to explain to Harry what had happened to him in his childhood long ago. How Marabunda came and ruined everything, "And when Marabunda came along all those years ago, I was the only survivor of his attack, as far as I knew." He sighed softly as he kept himself from panicking. He wondered if any other little komodos managed to escape, but he regrettably doubted it. As he listened, Harry slowly stopped glaring and looked a bit shocked; especially when Varan told that he was the sole survivor of such a dangerous encounter. "But being a little one, I mistook him for a bear. Claws, teeth, evil glare, huge and furry," He left out the scorpion tail because it didn't register with him. But that didn't stop him from feeling ashamed of himself, "When he disappeared, I thought I would never see him again and because of my mistake, I grew to hate your kind for something they didn't even do…" Wincing sharply, he admitted to his actions when they first met. "A-and when I first saw you, I kinda… sorta… y-you know…"

Harry lifted his good paw and Varan stopped. That was enough for him to understand why he did what he did. He didn't blame him; not one bit, "You thought I was that blood-hungry manticore, didn't you?" Harry said, figuring out where Varan was going with that story. The komodo looked up in surprise, just in time to see that Harry was looking at him with calm, understanding eyes. His cold glare long melted and he felt bad for Varan. There were quite a few hints of pity in them too, especially when he learned the whole story. "Yikes… all of that, and all on your birthday, too." He shook his head with a light wince, immediately catching on that alone would definitely ruin anyone's day. He's seen and heard about some pretty bad days in his lifetime, but the truth behind Varan's actions sure takes the figurative cake! Shocked, he shortly summed it all up, confessing just how screwed up Varan's horrific and traumatizing event was. "Man, that's just messed up. Like really messed up; like 'someone just pissed in the watering hole while I was drinking!' messed up!"

Varan sighed and nodded regretfully, "I know, I know, and I'm an idiot… I was just so angry. I got so caught up in wanting to avenge my family and friends, that I didn't stop to think that maybe I got the wrong guy." He sadly looked up at the bear, pain, anger, and guilt in full display for the bear to see. "And lo and behold, I got just that and made a complete Dodo of myself." That earned a slight chuckle out of the bear, but Varan continued on with what he was saying, so to make sure he could get those two certain words spoken out to the bear. "I tried to kill you for something you didn't do." He hissed a raspberry lightly, beating the tar out of himself for stupidly doing all of that to him and if he succeeded in biting him to end his life, that would've ended astronomically bad and put him in a horrifying light. "H-Harry… what I'm trying to say is, I…I'm…" A bear paw came up from under his jaw and planted it shut; shutting him up before he hurt himself. Varan looked confused as he looked down at Harry's paw and back to Harry a couple of times.

As much as he found it hilarious that Varan threw his tough side away just to get him to forgive him, Harry was still quite tired and today was a day of rest after all the Tartarus he went through; although, he really appreciated the fact that Varan was trying to apologize to him. "Kid, that psycho manticore had you fartin' out your own teeth. Best not to make things worse for yourself and just hunker down." Being the peacekeeper here, Harry looked at Varan with a light smile before retracting his good claw away, "It was just an honest mistake. Could happen to anyone." Varan felt a bit embarrassed for letting his emotions get to him, but he was more shocked than anything. How quickly and easily Harry forgave him like that was unexpected. How can he be so laid-back after what he tried to do? "I mean, I'd hate whoever killed my family too if I'd been in your claws." He chuckled lightly, looking at himself and back to Varan, "Although… concerning what happened to us, we almost came close to that, didn't we?"

"Y-Yeah…" Varan slowly nodded in agreement, but he was still confused. Harry wasn't angry and he treated it as if it was just yesterday's problem. He quickly questioned him, wanting to know, "J-Just like that? I attacked you for no reason other than mistaken identity, and you're basically saying 'it's all good.'? You're not mad?" His surprise was greeted with an amused yet warm chuckle from the grizzly.

"Kid, if you knew me as long as the others have back at Fluttershy's little cottage, you would know that I'm not one to hold a grudge." Harry smiled lightly at the Komodo Dragon. From cub to adult, Harry had never been one to hold grudges against anyone. Sure, if someone openly picked a fight or messed with his loved ones, which would be a very different story. But other than that, "It's not in me to hold something we all know won't go anywhere in the end. Besides, I guess I kind of provoked you at first too while I was visiting mama. So, half of that first encounter was on me."

He had a good point. 'Kind of' was a good way of putting it, but he wasn't gonna say anything like that out loud to the bear. That, and the sedatives used on Harry might be helping him relax more than what he's been implying. Either way, he was happy the bear wasn't gonna go all rage-tank on him and this got the two to actually laugh a bit, finally loosening the tension between them.

But then it dawned on Varan real quick when Harry mentioned that last part to him, "Mama?" Varan snickered a little but curiously asked when he heard Harry call Fluttershy 'mama'.

Harry, despite his slightly tender face, blushed and smiled fondly as he reminisced. The cat was out of the bag and he wasn't gonna put it back in, "Yeah, she found me when I was a cub. Presumably, quite sometime after she dropped off Scootaloo at that orphanage." He sighed lightly as he revealed something surprising to the lizard, his eyes showing a bit of sadness, "My parents were shot down by poachers a long time ago when I was very young." He rubbed his bandaged arm, "It was a bit tricky having to get used to being on my own, even as small as I was." his eyes glistened with happiness, "That is until the sweetest pony I ever met found me, half-starved. I don't know if it happened in an instant, but she took me in a heartbeat and nursed me back to health. She took care of me and every second was bliss." He smiled lightly at the memories of Fluttershy's care when he needed it, "I love that mare."

One fond memory came up of him as a cub sitting on a couch being spoon-fed a jar of honey-flavored ice cream by the beautiful, kind pegasus. It was quite delicious too. But one snout poke with the spoon and he had a little bit of ice cream on his little snout by accident. Confused at first, but a lap of his tongue got it off and he looked at Fluttershy with a face so innocent, the mare could not help but hug him like the teddy bear he was. 

Harry had more memories, but that one stuck to him the most. And from then on, that's when he referred to Fluttershy as his 'mama'.

Varan looked quite surprised as he listened to the tale, "But… if she's like your mama, why did you come out of the forest when we first met? Wouldn't it make sense to stay with your mama?"

Now that was a fair point, too. Harry nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I was gettin' to that." As disappointing as it was, time had to be a spoiled sport and make him age, "As I grew bigger, Fluttershy knew I shouldn't become too dependent on her – I had to survive on my own, find a cave and live my own life in the wilderness – independent and free, but she told me that if I ever felt homesick, I was always welcomed back to stay at the cottage for as long as I needed… and I admit, it's become home to me." He chuckled lightly, and with guidance from Fluttershy and how big he got, he made it quite well in the wild. "So, it didn't surprise me that I found a cave not way too far from the cottage. I was lucky and I knew just where to go when I could always visit." He blushes a bit, as if embarrassed while admitting something else to Varan, while he seems fine being alone, he ironically felt lonesome and homesick without company "…or if I ever get lonely." He smiled as he looked to the Komodo, "Then I met Scootaloo; quite a spunky little filly, she is – kind of like a little sister or even a little cub I never had." It still surprised him how Fluttershy even had a filly of her own when she was still young herself. So bizarre.

He then winked his good eye at Varan who smiled at the mention of Scootaloo. "I guess I should've predicted she'd like someone like you." After Fluttershy had called him off and told him that she and Scootaloo would handle it, he took some thought into why Scootaloo would be involved with the lizard, only to conclude that not only is he new here, but he was also Scootaloo's pet. "And since you've been adopted by Scootaloo…" He chuckled and admitted, shrugging his wrapped arm gently so not to strain it. "…You're practically family. There was no way I was about to let my whole family become Manticore chow." Even though he was told before by another grizzly he befriended months ago about a rivalry between manticores and bears, he was not one of those bears to openly go with it. There was one manticore that hung around Fluttershy's cottage and Harry had no problems with him; So, that rivalry was nonsense to him.

The lizard was astounded; the bear had not only forgiven him but also considered him part of the family, as well. "You… fought to the near-death… to protect not only your family… but also to protect me?" He held his chest, feeling a bit tearful and overwhelmed by how easily he earned the bear's forgiveness and trust. "Even after I had been such a jerk?"

The bear simply smiled and wrapped his bandaged arm around the Komodo Dragon, bringing him into one of his specialty bear hugs. That alone gave him the answer. 

Shocked by the hug, but finding it a warm feeling, Varan slowly wrapped his arm around Harry and returned the hug as much as he could. A smile slowly appeared on his muzzle as they hugged.

From that moment on, they both knew. The two had not only found common ground with each other and reached an understanding that they wanted to protect the same creatures they considered family – but they had also finally become friends.
> Chapter 14.10 A Bittersweet Victory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle was over. They had won the fight. Now it was up to them to get their friends who were injured in the fight to the hospital. It was a nightmare, but they fought and prevailed.

Having been told to bring any of the injured to the hospital, Gallus, along with Smolder and Spike – the latter helping Gallus in case Smolder needed extra leverage – returned to the area where the battle took place, instead. The fight scared them to no end but they did their best in their participation. They wanted to come back to examine the carnage; see if they could find anyone else that may have been harmed from the destruction. Fortune smiled upon them when they saw not a whole lot of the area was damaged, but that didn't mean it was a happy end. The area looked bleak and empty like Ponyville became a ghost town for decades. The griffon and dragons felt uneasy, feeling so sorrowful for what happened. The damage Marabunda had caused was grim and haunting. Some of their friends got hurt and a few of them would likely need therapy soon, especially the one who didn't deserve the casualty that she had got – Gallus knew all too well and the image of Bon Bon's terrified yet heartbroken look was burned in his mind. He had to find her and make sure that she was alright. As soon as possible – if she was still around the area, since she disappeared halfway through the battle after that monster managed to climb his way out of the well.

Spike and Smolder saw the wrecked-but-still-standing Sugar Cube Corner. The large hole on the front made Spike wince, his already pained body feeling sore – not just from the beating it took, but also from guilt. Even though it wasn't his fault, that didn't stop him from feeling so guilty for trashing someone else's home. Smolder wasn't feeling any better. When Marabunda swiped Spike out of the air, she was all alone in that first fight and, try as she might bring the beast down to bitter success, she wasn't able to fully defeat Marabunda; that resulted in her being the most injured out of the three there. But, she mentally cherished the thought that of the three dragons that participated she was able to cause more damage to the manticore; that was a one-up, she guessed. She wasn't gonna say that out loud because it wasn't the best time to boast. Right now, she was just happy and relieved Spike, Gallus, and she made it out alive.

"Hard to believe one manticore did all this destruction," Gallus said, holding Smolder by her arm over his shoulder. He could still barely believe that a lone manticore was capable of doing so much damage.

"Well, we believe it now," Smolder replied, not even attempting to joke or sass back when it was true. The well, the Apple families pie cart, it was remarkable that Marabunda didn't go after any other buildings. He was just deadset on attacking anything that moved.

Spike snarled and growled in frustration, smoke puffing from his snout, "Darn you Diamond Tiara and Spoiled Rich. You two went too far!" There was no doubt Twilight was aiming to bring the Rich family back and tear their hides for what they did – well, mainly Diamond and Spoiled. But even if Filthy helped out, Spike didn't know if it was gonna be hard to convince his mother not to bite Filthy's head off for what his family did or tried to do; it was mainly Spoiled who started it all; Diamond was just with her. Or Diamond was the one behind it all and Spoiled just encouraged it. Regardless of who started it and what went through their psychotic minds, they failed and now they'll get what's coming to them.

Even if all this started because of a black eye, something about those two ponies made him ponder if they had their own checkered history with Ponyville. Gallus looked over to Spike, "So, what was their damage anyway? Do they always hold psychotic grudges?" Gallus wondered because he never thought ponies would ever go so far as to bring an abnormal animal into their grudges. Griffons were known for their greed, wrath and bad attitudes, even some held grudges, too. But he started to think that maybe ponies had more in common with the griffons than he thought.

That question got Smolder pondering. From what she recalled, ponies are usually a lot more accepting than dragons and griffons. Since Spike was raised by Twilight and her friends, somewhat, she wondered if he knew something they didn't.

"Yeah, what's the deal with that crazy filly and her even crazier mother? What exactly is her problem anyway?" Smolder asked. She thought Headmare Twilight was crazy when it came to teaching her and her friends about themes she was interested in; friendship felt like an afterthought when things like Starswirl, grammar, or math came up. Now she knew that there was a good crazy... and then there's just plain psychotic.

Spike can only answer half of that question. Throughout his experiences in Ponyville, he only had a few run-ins with Diamond Tiara. And, like everyone else, he was not a fan of her for obvious reasons. He's never had any encounters with her mother, so he had no info on her, and thank Celestia he hadn't, "I only know a few things about Diamond Tiara. Apparently, she and her sister had some kind of beef with Scootaloo and her friends," Spike shrugged. "Don't ask me why because I don't know; I rarely got involved with any of their shenanigans. If I were to guess, it probably had something to do about their butt-marks – er, cutie-marks. To him, they were butt-marks because it sounded funny; the confused looks from Smolder and Gallus gave to the name were a rightfully earned bonus. As much as he loved getting into pranks and hanging with Scootaloo, to this day she and her friends still don't have their own cutie-marks. He felt sorry for them, but that didn't seem to stop her. "Diamond was always quick to rub it in the Cutie Mark Crusader's faces about them not having their cutie marks yet like the rest of their class does."

Still, he had no clue why other ponies would belittle, bully or shun other ponies for not having a cutie mark. Why would they feel superior about getting them? They got a tattoo on their butt and they think they can walk all over other ponies. Where was the logic in that? Then again, he's never encountered other ponies who behaved like that, so it must've just been Diamond, Silver, and Spoiled. Still, the amount of weirdness of that thought alone made him so glad he was a massive introvert. 

"That or it could be a social status thing – concerning how her mom seems to act." He could only guess with how Spoiled seemed to behave or look. "I honestly don't know about her mom." He admitted with a shrug. "Hey, I'm just as confused as you two. I'm just glad we don't get them."

"I don't know what's weirder, growing to monster-size by greed or getting so full of yourself because of a mark," Gallus said teasingly but was also genuine. "So, I guess ponies aren't as kind as we were told before, right?"

Smolder and Spike pouted at the greed-growth comment. But, as much as he hated to admit it, Gallus guessed right. Most ponies were not as kind as stories lead on. Equestria was full of positive energy, but to say there was no negative energy would be a big fat lie. He loathed that fact since ponies like Diamond and Spoiled exist, but he couldn't imagine there could be more out there. The stuck-up ponies in Canterlot came to mind, but that'd be scratching the surface. Oh, how he hated some of them. He looked at Gallus and nodded, confirming his curiosity, "Yeah. Not all ponies are as nice as you think."

"And what about that Filthy guy?" Smolder asked. "Does he have a few screws loose like his family?" She makes a cuckoo sign, twirling her claw counterclockwise on the right side of her head as she looked at her brother.

Surprisingly, no! Spike shook his head at his sister. "Not even the least, sis. Filthy Rich isn't insane like his wife." Though, if he had to guess, he also had a feeling Gallus and Smolder might want to know a few other things, "And, his name isn't just a name, either." There was another thing Spike found out that was bizarre about ponies, too: their names kind of tie-in with their personalities – at least that was his theory. With Gallus and Smolder listening to him, he went on and explained as best he could from what he was told by other pony folks, "As odd as it sounds, Filthy's got tons of bits. More so than a dragon could hoard – at least that's one of the rumors. Twilight told me that his grandfather's business had been around since the founding of Ponyville." He didn't know exactly how rich Filthy Rich was, but exaggerated rumors floated around that he held a massive record; some say he had a vault with a pool of bits in it; a rumor of a secret island full of his riches. There was a lot, but he couldn't boil it down to what was true and what wasn't. It was a mystery. And it was gonna be like that for a long time. 

Although, Twilight did give him a little information that the Rich's family business had been around for quite some time – he may not have paid too much attention to detail, but he distinctly recalled that part.

That sparked some interest. Gallus and Smolder looked baffled and amazed by this nugget of info. A pony that hoarded more than any dragon or griffon? It seemed remarkable. They never expected a pony to hoard so much. Perhaps ponies are a lot like dragons and griffons after all regarding their behaviors – just, the only difference was accepting friendships.

Spike chuckled, amused by Smolder's and Gallus's faces, "I know, crazy, huh?" But he waved a reassuring claw, "But, even with all those bits, Filthy never really was a bad guy." As hard as it was to believe, Spike was honest with that. 

"Actually, I ran into him a couple of times and he seemed like a chilled guy. Whether out doing business stuff or not, he seemed to always have a leveled head. Not once have I heard

from anyone else say anything bad about him. In fact, compared to his crazy wife and one of his wacko daughters, he's really nice." And it still surprised him to this day! However, his surprise might be amplified since no one ever mentioned, or told him, anything about that stunt he did with his friend when they fought off Marabunda. Just what were those gadgets they had? Did Filthy know martial arts, too? What else was Filthy hiding?

As much as it seemed cool to theorized, Smolder and Gallus were still unsure about him and his family. Spike may have just said Filthy seemed like a down-to-Equestria kind of guy, but they still didn't trust him; mainly for one reason...

"Alright, then. If he's so awesome, then why did he marry a crazy pony, bro?" Smolder asked, unsure about Filthy's decision in that. "He sure wasn't awesome doing that."

Gallus nodded in agreement. If he ever got together with someone, his first choice wouldn't be some wacko griffon girl, "Yeah. What does he see in her?" 

Now that was a question only Filthy knew. Spike merely shrugged at Gallus. All he knew was what was told to him. He never bothered asking about Filthy's love life because he never gave a ten-ton crap and it wasn't any of his business, either. As far as he was concerned, he was just happy this whole chaos ended. "That's something only he'll tell ya."

Their conversation was quickly cut short when a soft, pained, irritated grumbling groan caught their attention near a grill shop with an open hole near identical to the one Sugar Cube Corner had. There didn't need to be a click for them to realize who was in there and Spike and Smolder were beyond worried. Smoke rose out from within the building and they were about to rush over, but the revived form of Ember casually walked out dusting herself off before using her tail to pluck a spatula out from behind her back spines and tossed it away. The young dragons were immediately relieved. They thought she was a goner or worse.

"Never thought I'd be caught off-guard like that," Ember said, embarrassed of herself for being thrown away so easily as she stretched her wings out and popped her wing-bones before she folded them back.  "Man, these tough scales sure do come in handy." She muttered to herself as she fixed her back-spines and ruffled head-spines. She was lucky to have survived that explosion. Her body was sore and she thought one of her back spines was dented, but she was back on her feet and breathing – heavily – like everyone else. She was so lucky she was born with tough scale; her body was bruised in some places and, thanks to the grill she crashed onto, she had dark scorch marks, too – but her pride was probably more bruised than anything. Training was definitely in order when she goes home. 

"Welp… as we dragons always say… "Push past the pain!"." She reminded herself; despite any rough spot dragons get into and if they got roughed up, they as a tough-scaled bunch of fighters always encouraged their fellow dragons to walk it off.

Still, she was glad she was the only one injured in that area. She looked back with a sincere smile and waved at the ponies inside the grill shop once the smoke cleared, a little pink blush on her cheeks as she apologized to the owner. "Sorry, again, for what happened. I'll make sure to pay back for the damages." She couldn't control where she was gonna land, but she was grateful the ponies inside were so forgiving and understanding – and the fact they didn't run off screaming upon seeing her. That was remarkable to her! Least a dark note wasn't written on her; she was very relieved she didn't land on any of them when she crashed. Dragonlords above could only imagine how that could've ended. She was definitely gonna make a mental note and repay them for unintentionally saving her. 

A light dirty-tan earth pony mare with black hair wearing a trucker-like hat waved back to Ember with a kind smile as her two little colts stood next to her and waved back with her.

"Oh, thank you, dear. But, don't worry about it, for now, we're just happy you're alright," Sandy Hooves said, relief in her voice. 

Before, when she looked out her window when she was about to go out into her built-in grill shop, she saw a huge menacing creature looming outside. Mother-mode turned on right away and she immediately grabbed her kids before they could have a chance to see it or have it see them. She had no idea where her husband was or what he was doing, but it was her duty to protect her little boys and hoped that her husband was alright. They hid under their bed in the master bedroom. They were terrified and unaware of what was going on but waited until it was all to be over. They expected to hear magic blasts, feel powerful tremors, or something unexplainable. They got just that and were rightfully scared. They expected that, but what they didn't expect was to find a dragon – and a young dragoness too at that – planted into one of their highly expensive grills.

Sandy Hooves felt a lot of emotions rushing through her. She would've been so furious by how her grills were smashed into. Scared by the fact that it was a dragon of all creatures, but concerned about her well-being when she saw that while this dragon crashed into one of her grills – she had also been knocked unconscious from the impact. Sandy was also protective of her little ones if the dragon decided to attack. She looked outside and saw the circumstances regarding what happened and saw a fight between a large lizard, a bear, and the creature from before. Just what was going on? How did all this happen? She'll have to close down her grill shop so her grill stand can be repaired. Even if it was a dragon, she still cared enough to tend to her if she needed it. But the moment that dragon got up, there was a bit of fire dancing near the other grills that could spread around her home. She could've quickly gotten a fire extinguisher, but the poor dragon was very quick to act and already blew the flames away with her wings like a fan and all that was left was the smoke.

"Thanks for putting the fire out!" Dirt called out innocently, thanking Ember for saving his home. He never knew dragons were so friendly. He was told before by his parents that some dragons were aggressive and wouldn't think twice about eating him. It scared him, at first. Seeing Ember scared him! He thought she was gonna go after him but after seeing her risk her life to put out the fire, injured no less, he thought that was pretty awesome. 

"Heh, she's very pretty," Grime said with a puppy-love grin on his face. Like his brother, he was told dragons were fearsome creatures and that he should stay away from them. But after seeing Ember save them and their shop, kindly apologize for what happened and smiled at them so kindly, his heart fluttered and he didn't see a fearsome creature; he saw a sweet angel. And having said that out loud, Dirt smacked him out of his love trance. Grime smiled and chuckled awkwardly. Sandy thought it was just adorable as she giggled in amusement at her little boy's little crush.

Ember blushed a little by that little compliment and smiled lightly at them, especially little Grime. Flattered, she gave him a little soft patting on the head, similarly how she had done with a certain purple dragon. She waved goodbye to them and walked off, with her thoughts accompanying her. She'll meet them, again; hopefully to start a new friendship with them, too. They seemed rather nice, too, so having the common courtesy to help them pay for the damage was definitely on her to-do list. The first was to go find her other friends before tending to her injuries. 

Smolder and Spike widened their eyes in shock when they saw her, but they were so happy and relieved that Ember was up and about. "Dragon Lord Ember!" Smolder called out and waved to her. Spike waved, too, letting her know they were here.

And one thing on her to-do list was done. Ember heard Smolder and Spike and noticed them waving next to Gallus. She gasped once she saw them. Aside from the annoying pain in her body and her need to help out those pony folk, her worry skyrocketed when she saw Smolder and Spike so hurt. She was happy to see them alive, but that didn't stop her from having a newfound heartache. Pushing down her own pain, she rushed up to them, and hugged them close; all three of them tight, "Smolder, Spike, you guys are alright!" Ember said in a relieved, caring tone. It pained her to see them so banged up and bruised. 

Spike, Smolder, and Gallus were all thrown back by this sudden turn. Ember hugging them threw them off-guard, just a bit. But, Ember showing deep care for them really had them confused. Ember wouldn't normally act like this, would she?

"Ember, are you alright?" Spike asked, wondering what this was all about. Back before he got a little growth spurt - when he was still a small dragon when they met, whenever he hugged her, she gave him an affectionate pat on the head.

"Yeah. You're usually not the hugging type. What gives?" Smolder was weirded out. Spike was an exception, but dragons don't normally hug others out of nowhere.

Unlike the dragons, Gallus just watched. He didn't really know what to think about Ember's mood swing. But, he oddly accepted the hug; he felt like he needed it after today. But that didn't stop him from wondering what was going on like Smolder and Spike thought.

Ember ignored her underlings, released them from her caring hug and looked at them with glossy eyes, almost as if she was about to cry. Smolder and Spike noticed Ember's snout quiver until she made a U-turn and thumped both of them on their already bruised heads with those glossy but now narrowed eyes. 

Both young dragons yelped in pain. "Ow!" They frantically rubbed at their bruised yet sensitive heads.

"Are you two out of your minds?! Going out there like that and fighting something that clearly outmatched you?!" Ember barked, lightly scolding the two for pulling such an idiotic move that would've cost them their lives.

Gallus backed off a little as she went off on them. He was gonna sit this one out and just continue. He was slightly amused by the banter, but felt a little bad that they were being told off. Sometimes it's great to be smart. But, as he watched, he noticed the glossy shine from Ember's eyes as a tiny tear rolled down.

It was instinct to go out there and fight. What else could they have done? If that manticore were to go attack right away without someone to hold it off, things could've ended badly, Spike tried to explain that to her, "Ember, we were trying to defend Ponyville. No one else would – "

But Ember wasn't having it. Spike and Smolder risked their lives over something that could've ended differently, but instead, they just jumped in without thinking, "I don't want to hear it, Spike!" She sharply pointed over to Sugar Cube Corner while keeping her glare at them. "You could've killed others by doing what you two did." She clenched her fists, "Dragons like to fight, obviously. But our limits are met if we fight someone stronger than us! We know when to stop and ponies can defend themselves!" She knew; Spike knew; everyone knew. Ponies seem like pushovers, but they've proven they had fighting spirits like dragons. 

Smolder winced and crouched a little, groaning in pain but she tried to hide it, "Dragon Lord Ember, all we tried to do was help. Isn't one of our lessons to help friends in need?" Smolder paused and watched in bewilderment as a few tears drop to the ground. She looked up and saw her leader... crying? Ember was trying to keep a firm stance but it was hard to when she was clearly hiding something.

Spike saw it, too. It didn't take him long to figure out why Ember was acting the way she was. And it was obvious from her shaking hands and quivering lips, "We're sorry, Ember." It had to be said. Ember was worried, scared, and cared for their well-being. How could he and Smolder rebel? They knew better than to put Ember through such grief.

Smolder got back up and looked at Ember innocently and apologetically, "We didn't know. We just jumped in because it seemed right." She thought she and her brother could take Marabunda on no sweat, but they didn't take to account it could lead to something worse.

Her tough demeanor was shattered. Ember couldn't fight back the tear anymore, she scolded them and brought out her feelings to them, "My whole job is to keep my subjects safe – that includes you two. You two are still young. And that stunt you pulled with that psycho-core could've cost you your lives!" And that's what terrified her the most, she had almost came close to losing the two of them and such a thought tore her apart. "If anything were to happen to you two, it would come back to me!" she pointed at herself. Her breathing was quick because she tried to hold back her pain, but her stress and worry for them were too much. "Just... just..." she came up and hugged them both, again. "You two had me so scared. If you two were to die, I wouldn't forgive myself." Not only that, but Spike was the first legit friend she ever made. If he and Smolder were to end up dead, Twilight would be furious, but so would their biological parents.

Spike and Smolder looked at each other, feeling so bad for putting Ember into such turmoil. They hugged her close and gave her apologetic comfort, letting her know that they were more than alive and were willing to be more careful. But they shared the same thought: with how Ember was acting and how much she cared about them, she seemed like a caring older sister rather than a scolding, strict leader. And it was something they appreciated and it earned more respect out of the two for how great a leader Ember actually was.

Gallus watched Ember speak her feelings to the two. For how long he's known Smolder, he always thought dragons had a tough exterior, that it was always pride, greed, and all about themselves that drove them to be what they actually were. But that quickly changed when he saw Ember sob over Spike and Smolder – what she shows right now, is that even dragons have soft sides. If only Grandpa Gruff and the other griffons in Griffonstone were like that. Sure, his somewhat guardian was a grouch, but he took it upon himself to take Gallus to the Headmare Twilight's school. So that was a subtle hint he somewhat cared. The only other griffons he could think of that were so caring and friendly were Glinda, Gilda, and Gabby. The former he knew through letters and the latter two he had met face-to-face and they weren't so bad to talk to. Additionally, Grandpa Gruff also requested Gabby to give him daily letter reports on how he was doing in school – so that was a plus. Unlike other griffons, he and the three girls were willing to try making new friends. But, with that thought in mind and how the way Ember was behaving towards Smolder and Spike made him wonder something.

"Uh, Dragon Lord Ember?" Gallus said, wanting to get her attention.

Ember calmly looked at Gallus, letting go of Spike and Smolder as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Yes, uh, Gallus was it?" 

Gallus nodded. He was a little nervous to talk because Ember was a higher-up for dragons and some of his words might not get through to her, but he had to at least try to calm her down, "If I may share my view of that story, it was two ponies who brought that manticore here and caused all this carnage, to begin with. We – they got hurt because they wanted to save everyone else, not because of impulse or something like that." 

Ember widened her eyes in shock. Two ponies brought that monster here? She thought that creature came here of its own choice. So, Spike and Smolder jumped into action to protect others, not because they wanted to fight. That revelation made more sense and she felt a little silly getting all worked up – even though it was justified.

But, Gallus continued to speak to her calmly and reassuringly, "I don't see you getting in trouble for something someone else caused. The fault will go to them, not you. You fought bravely like Smolder and Spike did. I believe you'll be fine regardless." Gallus hoped that got through to her and calmed her down. Ember had every right to be upset, but in a scenario where she thought she was gonna get in trouble, Gallus had to let her know. She was still a great leader and a formidable fighter from what he saw. There was no denying that.

Ember stood there and looked at Gallus a little baffled – Spike and Smolder were more surprised and overwhelmed with how strong Gallus's silver tongue was. Spike felt so silly for not bringing up that part of the story. Guess it slipped his mind.

If it was all true, Ember nodded to him. His story checked out and she could rest easy knowing it wasn't her fault, "That's a relief.' Her body was already sore as it was, she didn't need to have a sore mind to weigh her down. "Thank you, Gallus," She said in an appreciated, soft tone that made Gallus smile.

His smile quickly faded as another thought occurred to him. It was only two ponies that brought a creature to their own hometown to attack others. Dragons, griffons, and ponies alike were victims of the assault and he had to ask her, "Are you still wanting to be friends with ponies after what happened?" He didn't ask her to manipulate her. In fact, he sounded sincere and curious to know. This act seemed like an act of treachery on different species and it worried him that Ember might go against ponykind and hate them for what occurred.

Ember paused when Gallus asked that, but kept a calm, collected look to her after letting that emotional storm of worry out. Since Gallus saw her breakdown, there was no point in keeping a tough leader act toward the young griffon. She looked down in thought as she crossed her arms, trying to come up with a good answer. His question also held a good point to it and it made her wonder. Yes, it was a pony that had used a creature to attack her kind. But, the creature attacked other ponies, too. She arrived with Twilight; a friend; an ally; a pony. No, after all they've worked to achieve, it shouldn't end like that so excessively and easily.

Smolder and Spike were a little worried when Gallus asked her that. He pulled a risky move asking that question and they prayed she wouldn't just throw everything away like that.

Ember sighed heavily once she came to a conclusion and answered him, maturely, "Just because a few rotten ponies made a stupid decision doesn't mean all ponies are like that. My friendship with Twilight and her friends are still strong as ever, so there won't be any conflict between us over this."

Gallus, Smolder, and Spike smiled happily and were so relieved to hear that. The last thing they needed was to have another fight go down.

"That's good to hear, ma'am," Gallus said, accepting that answer wholeheartedly as he bowed his head.

Ember blushed a little and cringed at what Gallus said, "Okay, you can refrain from calling me 'Ma'am'. It makes me sound old," Ember said as Smolder and Spike chuckled at how funny Ember winced. But that made her beam her glare at them. "But, as for you two – " she pointed at them " – you two are going to the hospital."

Smolder objected to that and groaned out loud, refusing to go because she wanted to stay, "Aw, but I don't wanna. I'm fine."

But, like she did with Spike, she wasn't having it, "Are you refusing a direct order from your dragon lord?" Ember barked. "This is not up for discussion, you two are injured. So, you both are going to the hospital."

Spike chimed in next and tried to convince Ember, "But mom told us to --"

"Twilight is not here right now. So, you two are coming with me, that's your new order," Ember said, throwing

her leadership at them at full force. Though, it seemed more like now Ember was acting like a mother than a sister. "You are coming with me to the hospital to get those injuries checked and that's final." She crossed her arms, giving the final say and they will not change her mind.

But, then it dawned on Gallus: with all of what's going on around him, he almost forgot something he needed to do. He looked over to the damaged well and felt a cold chill run through his body, remembering his own objective. "Bon Bon..." Gallus whispered under his breath.

"You say something, Gallus?" Ember asked as she thought she heard him say something. Smolder and Spike peeked over, but they saw Gallus wave a claw.

"Uh, nothing. I'll catch you guys later, I need to go see someone." Gallus quickly left before the dragons could say anything to him. 
The direction he was going gave them a clue, so they didn't object or even attempted to stop him. For now, Ember had to get Smolder and Spike to the hospital. She'll leave Gallus to deal with this himself.

****

Gallus stopped by the well. Immediately wincing at the horrid sight before him, from the impacts it took, it was busted some and yet there was still blood that had spilled there. He could still feel the little bits of tail hair that his talons had dropped, which got him to sulk a bit. He still felt guilty for not saving Lyra, but the least he could do was do his best to help Bon Bon, or try to. He looked down at the ground and froze in place; eyes widened in shock if not horror, and almost felt the need to vomit when he saw the abandoned horn of Lyra Heartstrings that had fallen from Marabunda's jaws. He wished he hadn't seen it, but he did. He then noticed hoof steps heading to a house nearby and quickly got away from the gruesome sight mere inches away from him.

Nopony should've suffered what Lyra went through.

*****

Bon Bon sobbed in her arms. Her back was planted behind her door leading outside as she curled up. She couldn't move, nor did she want to. It happened so fast, so suddenly. She tried to stop her, but she couldn't. Now she was gone. She didn't want to believe it. She wanted it to be a dream; be some nightmare.

She wanted to wake up from this nightmare!

But, there was no graceful appearance of Princess Luna to help her clear the nightmare away. No void to bring her into a dark realm of emptiness. Not even a graceful touch of her sweet Lyra to help wake her up. It was real. 

And it hurt.

The one she loved was taken from her and she felt her life crumbling apart. She was in so much pain and all she wanted to do was just scream at the world. She wanted to curse at it for taking what was hers. Curse at that manticore who had done the deed. Curse at Spoiled and Diamond who brought him here. Curse at anyone who got in her way. She was furious! Angry that Lyra made a stupid decision and got herself killed. She shunned herself for not stopping her; she could've been firm with her, but no. She stayed behind like a frightened idiot and now she was taken from her.

She was heartbroken. Her best friend, her comfort in life, her true love, was murdered right in front of her. She didn't want it to be true, but it was. Her mind raced a mile a minute. She didn't know what to do. The atmosphere felt so different without her here. Lyra wasn't great with words, but her comfort and company always made her feel so good. She could still live life, but she couldn't function without someone as special as Lyra had been to be by her side. 

But not today. Today, she wanted to be alone. Today took a piece of her. She didn't want to see anyone after what had happened today. The weight of her loss was too much for her to handle and no one else could help her like how Lyra could. If she saw anyone right now, she'd just reject them.

She didn't want to see anyone. She didn't want to see anything. Nothing mattered to her and anything else today felt pointless. All she felt was anger and rage but also heartbreak and sorrow. If she so much as saw a glimpse of Spoiled, she would not hesitate to --

Knock. Knock.

A couple of knocks on the door snapped her back into reality. She lifted her head and looked behind her, confused. She paused and looked at the door like a confused puppy; she didn't know what to do. Should she answer or leave them? She didn't want to deal with anyone right now and whoever was at the door wasn't helping her, at all.

A few more knocks told her whoever was in front of that door wouldn't leave, her anger vented out and a loud, furious "Go away!" came out of her mouth. She was not in the mood, not after what happened today.

"It's me, Bon Bon," a familiar voice rang in her ears and she perked up, shocked. And it sounded like he was not gonna leave.

Bon Bon turned and looked at the door. Okay, maybe there was one exception. And that one beacon of light pointed in that direction as she asked him, "M-Me who?" she asked, trying not to choke on her words and desperately trying to keep herself together. 

They knew they hadn't properly introduced themselves, especially now was okay for the most part, "My name is Gallus. I tried to help you save Lyra."

"How do you know our names, Gallus?" Bon Bon asked, not sure how to handle that nugget of info that was handed to him. 

"Your names are on the sign next to your door," Gallus plainly said as he taps said sign, he had just a teeny bit of humor in his voice for that one but it quickly vanished because this was no time for jokes.

Oh, she completely forgot about that. She shook her head to wake herself up. All her crying was making her mind go off track, "Right. One second." She reached up and unlocked the door.

When she opened it, her red, puffy, teary eyes were introduced to the one who tried his hardest to help save Lyra, but even he wasn't so happy, either. Like her, he was hurt by what happened. Unlike her who was mentally damaged, he had patches of fur that were ruffled, dirt spots in some places, and eyes that spoke guilt and heartache as tears start to build in them. 

How could she reject him? He was the only one that tried. He at least earned respect for it, but who else was she going to turn to? 

"Please, come in," Bon Bon opened the door as Gallus walked in. He looked around her home as she closed the door but never looked at him.

"Quite a nice place you got here," Gallus complimented, but received no response. He looked back and saw Bon Bon just standing there looking down at her floor as if she was nothing more than a husk of her former self.

Guess lightening the mood was out of the question. He sighed to himself as he calmly approached Bon Bon and sat next to her, "I'm so sorry for what happened out there, Bonbon. I really tried to help but--" he noticed the teary streams leaking down her cheeks. Her eyelids crushed. She couldn't hold the dam in for any longer as whimpers started escaping her.

Gallus didn't have a clue what to say, he came to try and give Bon Bon as much comfort as he could. But, it hadn't been a second and he felt the pain of grief in his body start to ache. He failed to save Lyra and he knew he had to make it right by talking to Bon Bon, but he just didn't know what to say, the only things that came out as he too looked down in agony, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to save the both of you… I did the best I could… If only I was -- " but a tight embrace latched onto him as Bon Bon brought him in for a mournful, but thankful, hug for risking his life to try and save Lyra after he had saved her first. She knew he had tried his best, and that was what mattered, and right now – his accepted presence was comfort enough.

"You tried, Gallus… y-you tried… t-that's all that matters…" Bon Bon was failing to say any more words. The last thing she could mutter was a choky, stuttery, "Th-thank you…" before she broke down crying over Gallus's shoulder. Unable to keep his own tears in any longer, Gallus cried alongside her. He couldn't hold it in himself and he wrapped his arms around Bon Bon as they both cried, grieving over a painful, undeserving loss.

The only thing that they could do was support each other in comfort as they both take the first steps of healing.
> Drift's New Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Ugh,' Drift groaned. 'My head. What happened?'

He felt groggy, a little dizzy and weak, but he was alive and kicking – just really tired. But, why though? He tried to open his eyes but he couldn't. 'Ngh', he grunted in slight pain. Did opening his eyes just hurt him? But not just his eyes. His entire left side was hurting, but not to an extent where it had him crying; just felt uncomfortable. He tried moving his hind legs, but they never responded. Not a twitch or anything. He tried to move any other part of his body to get some form of life for himself. Yet, nothing. He was alive, but he wasn't moving.

'W-What's going on? Where am I?' his voice echoed, floating in a vast void of darkness. 'Is anyone there?' he called out to anyone who could listen. 'Vinyl? Filthy? Scootaloo? ...Fluttershy?' but there was no response. He was all alone. And he couldn't remember what happened. He started to worry and fear for the worse.

'Is this limbo?' he asked through deaf ears. If it was, were the gods just waiting to decide what to do with him? If that was the case, he was unsure of what they had planned. He couldn't remember what happened, but he remembered the names of the ponies he knew and cared for. Fluttershy and Scootaloo were strong in his thoughts. He couldn't remember what happened earlier today or how he got here, but now all he could think of was then – his family. Or, were they his family? He and Fluttershy made Scootaloo but... he wasn't there from the start. Fluttershy's pregnancy, Scootaloo's birth, helping Fluttershy raise their daughter; he wasn't there. When they finally reunited and he finally got to see his daughter, he thought for sure they were gonna hate him for the pain he caused on them – especially Fluttershy. How he hurt her the way he did made him want to shun himself. He was a coward! A child running from responsibility. How could he face the mare he loved knowing she would hate him; heart and soul. But, that didn't happen. He reunited with them and they took him in with open arms like nothing ever happened. As if the pain he inflicted was nothing but a scrape. Why? They had every right to angry with him. He didn't deserve their kindness or sympathy.

'Fluttershy, Scootaloo, I... I'm so sorry,' he said under guilty breath. He didn't feel like he was a part of the family. He still had something left to fix. His clouded mind shrouded him from figuring it out. If Fluttershy could hear him, he had to say it, 'I'm sorry I was never there, Fluttershy. I'm sorry I ran away. I didn't run away and leave you thinking you meant nothing to me.' He didn't get a response, but he kept going. He didn't know if Fluttershy thought that, but he had a suspension she did at one point. 'I was not ready to be a father. I was fooling around with you, but we made a filly anyway. I ran from our responsibilities and I shouldn't have done that,' he started to tear up. 'I blame myself. For everything. You putting Scootaloo in that orphanage. Becoming a single mother. It was all my fault… Not secretly being there for her like you did. I'm so sorry. If I ever see you again, I just wanna tell you – ' his lips quivered as tears dropped from his cheeks '– I love you!'

His voice echoed the last part of his redemption speech, but his answer was still the ambiance of the void he floated in. He said what he said and he still felt hurt. What else could be missing?

It wasn't until a pressuring pain suddenly engulfed his body and another hard force smashed against his back. He was caught off-guard by that and nearly panicked. 

He could hardly breathe, but he kept his cool and tried to collect his thoughts. It felt like something heavy had him pinned. But what? He started to panic. Is this what limbo was like? No! Something was off here. Whatever had him 'pinned' he wasn't gonna let them get the opportunity to do more. He still felt weak but was gonna say to Tartarus to that. He struggled and managed to open his eyes.

… He wished he hadn't.

"No, no!" he said through choppy breath as he stared up at the form of a large dark, nightmarish entity resembling a manticore. Glowing red-eyes beamed back down at him. "Marabunda!" he said out loud as he looked around and saw Ponyville reduced to rubble with bright flames dancing over them. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Ponyville was destroyed. No other pony in sight.

"Fluttershy! Scootaloo! Vinyl!" Drift called out as Marabunda kept him pinned. He groaned from the weight of the monster's paw on top of him and stared back at him with hate and rage. He feared the worst may have happened and he lost it all. He took everything from him. Then it all came back to him in one fell swoop; the fight with Marabunda. Everything they threw at him. Was it all for nothing? Did they fail? Did he fail? He heard the roars of the flames and the growl of Marabunda ring in his ears. He was the only one alive and the others were missing. Why the torment? He glared his last rageful daggers at him and lashed vengeful words as tears start flowing in his eyes. It's all he could do while he assumed Marabunda was waiting to do the inevitable. No more.

"You won, Marabunda!" Drift shouted venomously at the dark manticore who stared down at him, his white eyes slowly fading to red and back to brown, yet he seemed to be humoring the pony by letting him speak. "You hear me! You blood-thirsty monster! You took everything from me!" his tears rolled down as he vented, but the monster still would not budge. "You show up to cause havoc to us! You took away one of my friends! Because of you, I lost my job! You traumatized me and my friends! Gave me this scar! I thought I was finally gonna get away from what had happened, finally get away from you! But now?" He sobbed but never stopped his irate rant.

"Now you took away my family! You took away Vinyl – my stepsister! You took Fluttershy, the one mare I loved with all my heart, away from me! And you took my daughter away!" Drift snarled as Marabunda leaned his head down close to him shining those reddish-brown eyes down at him like they were spotlights, softly growling but keeping silent. He sobbed a bit but yelled up at him in fury for his actions – for leaving him for last after taking everything else. "Why take them?! Why not me?!" The flames around them were intensifying. Their muzzles were almost touching as his scarred one sniffed Drift's, as if to get one last whiff of his prey's scent.

This was it. He was gonna do it. Drift waited but still, he spat out the last of what he needed to say to the murderous monster, "Burn in Tartarus, you psychopath! You demon! You've killed so much. Now, do it!" He glared up at him as his tears ran down in flows.

Yet the manticore seemed to be frozen, blinking slowly down at him as if he was being curious for the first time. Drift yelled to him, "You've won; you wanted to end this so badly – then go on, do it! Kill me! Kill me now!" he panted heavy breaths as he glared up at Marabunda. He used up all the energy he had left and so he waited. Waited to join his loved ones. "Just do it..." his lips quivered and closed his eyes as he looked away, crying lightly under his paws. He didn't care what happened to himself; he just wanted the pain to end. What more did he have to lose?

"Relax yourself, Drift." A calming voice sang soothingly in his ears, and it came from right above him. "Your worries only blind you."

Drift opened his eyes again. Where did that voice come from? He gazed around to find where the voice came from until he called out to it, "Who said that?" It wasn't until he saw the flames suddenly die down that he looked up to find Marabunda now had blue, almost comforting eyes and what looked like a pitying and comforting frown on his muzzle.

Marabunda seemed to slowly let his arms go before he looked him right in the eyes, and he actually spoke to him in a deep, powerful, calm yet sorrowful voice… "I am… sorry…" before he quickly disintegrated in front of the stunned Drift, never to be seen again.

And in his place stood a dark alicorn mare that had him pinned instead. Drift blinked a couple of times and looked at her, very puzzled. The dark blue fur, crescent moon cutie-mark, the luminous mane that resembles the night sky, and the dark crown. There was no denying who had him under her hoof and save him from that horrible nightmare.

"P-Princess Luna?" Drift said, happy and relieved she made the save, but was also confused why she was here. "What are you doing here? Where's Marabunda? Where are Fluttershy and Scootaloo?"

Princess Luna smiled gingerly down at Drift and removed her hoof from him. The scarred stallion felt all his energy return to him and he could feel his body, again. He sat up and looked at Luna like a confused colt.

"I'm here because of your nightmare, Drift Velocity," Luna said, easing his stress by letting him know what was happening to him wasn't real. "I was alerted right away and came as soon as I could."

The lunar princess had unbelievable timing. But it did help him ease the burden of stress on him, "It was... all a dream?" Now it all made sense! He was only dreaming! "That's a relief." He looked around to find the burning ashes of Ponyville changed to an icy tundra where the Northern Lights could be seen dancing above them. This environment sat a good, easy feeling to him and the sudden feel of slight pressure hugging his body felt warm despite being in a cold area. "Perfect."

But, then he paused himself in realization at what just occurred. A faint blush reddens his cheeks slightly as he looked at Luna sheepishly, "Um, if what happened wasn't real and it was all a hallucination, was I yelling at you the entire time?" He hoped that wasn't the case, because he'd throw himself six feet under tons of concrete and steel if anyone found out an idiotic stallion yelled at one of the royal sisters for no good reason. Life in Equestria would turn into Tartarus real quick for him.

Luna chuckled lightly and understandably, but she shook her head and reassured him with a calm look of midnight beauty that actually put his soul at ease. But that didn't stop her from internally laughing at how he was behaving right now. He was acting like such a colt, "Of course not. I happened to show up right as ye got done with your spouting. One simple spell and I was able to take the place of that shadow creature and fix the damages." And that put Drift at ease. The last thing he needed was to have an angry princess under his belt. Luna was very understanding – he appreciated that.

Then Luna looked around. The area Drift picked even impressed her. Of all the dreams she had been in, not a single pony ever once dreamed of something like this. And it seemed like a perfect spot to answer more of his question, "Marabunda has been slain. Twilight reported to Celestia and I about what happened. You and everyone involved tried your hardest to take this creature down and I must say: you all did outstanding." The story told from Twilight seemed like it was from a movie or folktale. But, she had to see the creature to believe – even though what Twilight said was very convincing. "And Fluttershy and Scootaloo are alright."

This news brought a pleasant smile back to his face, "So, we did it after all. Marabunda is finally dead and our nightmare is over." He felt at peace knowing Marabunda won't cause any more havoc to anyone around him. But, then what Luna said made him nod, "Good to know." Now his fallen friend can rest in peace.

"So, what about the others?" Drift asked, curious to know. He had a hunch some certain ponies were gonna get an alligator-pressured flank chewing from a mama-bear angered friendship princess.

His hunch was right on the market. Luna nodded, confirming, "Right now, Fluttershy and the others are talking to Filthy and his horrid wife," Luna said with a small snap. She's had a previous encounter with Spoiled Rich before and the approach was not a pleasant one. "Disguising herself as a flank-kissing mare to get me on my good side? I won't tolerate it."

Hearing that made him chuckle a little. Even Luna despised Filthy's wife. You know you've done goofed when you got one of the royal sisters hating your guts. Nice to know she was on his side, "Heh, ain't that the truth. I have no idea what ol' Moneybags sees in her." But, love is a mysterious force. Makes him wonder what Cadence was thinking – or was she involved in that? Probably ask her if he sees her.

The lunar princess then smiled softly again at him, "And Scootaloo? Well, she's closer than you think." she winked, giving him a hint of where she could be.

Drift took a moment to think, but was quick to get some ideas, "Heh, that's my girls." But, then he frowned and looked away, feeling uneasy and doubting himself.

Luna picked up the guilt Drift was thinking and placed an assuring hoof on his shoulder, giving him remorse similar to how she felt with her past, "Drift, you don't need to cling to this guilt anymore," Luna said trying to ease him again, but he turned and looked at her with tearful eyes full of sorrow and guilt.

"How can I, Princess?" Drift asked. "I put Fluttershy through so much. I ruined her life by giving her something that she wasn't ready for – something that I wasn't ready for." Though the nightmare was over, the guilt still weighed him down. And he couldn't figure out how to get rid of it. "They found me and I feared they hate me, but --"

"But they didn't," Luna interrupted, surprising Drift. "They accepted you back into their lives. Took you in as if you've always been a part of the family. And you don't understand why they won't hate you?"

"Y-Yes," Drift wiped the tears from his eyes. "H-How did you know?"

For the first time for him, he made Luna chuckle in a warm matter. He was caught completely off-guard but the night princess explained as she revealed to him, "Because when I was free from Nightmare Moon's grasp, I feared that no other pony would accept me for the things I've done." it was a long road to recovery for her, but she knew that no one held her faults against her for what she did; even her sister forgave her for the things she did. And for that, she'll cherish that moment until the end. All the ponies in Equestria forgave her – all but one. And it was high time she learned the one very important lesson...

"And I was wrong. All my friends forgave me, but I didn't. It took me a while, but I had to forgive myself," she took her hoof away from his shoulder and smiled. She said with wisdom like a great teacher, "Forgive yourself, Drift. If you wish to heal what's broken, learn to forgive yourself first."

That lesson sunk in and Drift was left pondering. She was right. The moment Fluttershy and Scootaloo found him, they were over the moon. What he thought was going to be a slap across the face turned out to be a soft, angelic kiss to the lips from Fluttershy. Fluttershy forgave him and Scootaloo was so excited to meet him. It was a tender moment and he couldn't be any more happier. He wiped another sliding tear and smiled wholeheartedly.

"You're right, Luna. I should forgive myself," Drift looked at his hooves. "I need to let go of my past and focus on what I have now." he looked at Luna, feeling confident and ready. "Thank you, Princess Luna."

Luna nodded, proud of that answer and confidence. Luna could see the resemblance between Scootaloo and Drift; both were ready for anything that came their way. It was almost uncanny, "You're welcome. I cannot fathom how great of a father you'll be to her."

Drift blushed a little at that compliment and smiled dorkishly at her. He hadn't done a whole lot to warrant a compliment like that, but he already had shown to others he would try his best. He was already trying to prove to Fluttershy he was good father material for Scootaloo, but he hoped to try that again once he wakes up.

But then it dawned on him. There was something he once thought about telling Princess Luna one day if they ever crossed paths with one another. As a colt, he always wanted to tell her, "Oh, Princess Luna, I almost forgot. There was something I wanted to tell you if I ever got the chance to meet you." He then rubbed the back of his head a little awkwardly because he didn't know how well she'd take it. But, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he had to take it.

Luna tilted her head, perplexed by this sudden moment, "What is it?"

Drift took a long, slow inhale and gently breathed through his muzzle, trying to calm his heart before telling her. He had no intention of making things awkward for them, so he had to let her know right now before she would leave, "I always thought your night was very beautiful." Luna perked up, surprised. "Comparing to Celestia's day, I prefer your night because it felt comforting, in some way. How the moon always lights up any area for ponies to see what's around them; basking the view from where ever they are or if they want to stroll at night. I love it." He smiled sweetly at her, letting her know that there were other ponies out there that enjoyed the night sky; not all ponies slept throughout the night. Most of them wanted to see and experience the gentle ambiance the moon gave them.

To hear this from him and to know other ponies loved her night brought her so much peace to her heart. She almost teared up from it. She didn't know what to say, either. She felt good knowing this and it made her smile ever so positively, "Thank you, Drift. That means so much to me." She looked over the horizon and noticed the scenery shake just a bit.

Drift noticed this, too, and looked up, "Am I about to wake up?" he asked her.

"Yes, it won't be long now. So, I must take my leave." She nods, but his touching words about her night have definitely made her visit very happy.

As Luna and Drift stood, Drift couldn't help but lunge up and hug Luna for all she did. Luna was almost thrown back by this, but with a warm smile, she hugged her subject in return. If this was an opportunity to form a friendship with her, he earned it. Much like he earned the family he made with the mare waiting for him and the filly waiting for him.

"Take care, Drift. Until we meet again," Luna waved. "And tell Scootaloo I said hi."

"You too, Luna." Drift waved as Luna flew away and blinked out of his dream.

Drift watched on as the scenery began to fade and he'd soon awaken. Whatever was out there, he'd be ready for it. He was ready to reunite with his daughter and Fluttershy. Reunite with his friends. No worries about Marabunda. Life would begin anew.

***

Drift groggily cracked his eyelids open. He looked around but saw darkness yet again. He didn't know if this was another dream or back in the real world. If this was another dream, then Olympus forbids he ever had a nice life. He could barely think straight but he was awake enough to know he wasn't being tortured by some demonic imp.

So far, he had feeling in his body, again. And he felt the soft touch of a comfy blanket over his body and a gentle pillow in the back of his head. Was he back home? He wasn't sure. He opened his eyes fully to find his eyes adjusting to the darkness around him. It didn't feel like his room and it seemed nicer, too.

He blinked a few times to try and wake himself up before letting out a soft yawn as he sat up – or at least tried, too. His body ached like he just got out of a gym made for Minotaurs. He managed to stretch a little but a sharp sting of his hip caught his attention.

"Ngh," he grabbed his side and felt something off. He grew a little concerned and looked around for any light source. As he did, he felt a small tint of pressure on the left side of his leg. He didn't know what it was, but it grabbed his attention. Where ever he was, he had to know. If only he could find a light somewhere-- that was until a faint crack of light began to reveal itself to the right side.

Drift looked and reached out, placing a hoof on rather thick fabrics. 'Curtains?' Drift thought. Now he realized this was not his room. This was not his home. He weakly sat up and felt over the curtain before he could grab a hold of the left edge of it. One pull and he finally had light shine into the room he was in.

Drift smiled tenderly as he watched Celestia's sun begin to rise, "Perfect," Not quite as cozy as the dream he had, but it was a close second. And from when he woke up, Luna must've left right as her sister woke up. Coincidence, really. He chuckled to himself before gazing over to his room, only to find an adorable surprise on his bed.

Drift smiled and cooed, nearly shedding a tear. Though the morning sun gave him sight to know he was in a hospital room, his focus was not on that; not anymore. Instead of focusing on the where, he was now focused on the who.

And who grabbed his half-asleep attention was none other than his own daughter all curled up and nestled like a puppy on the end of his bed; fast asleep and snoring softly. She looked so peaceful like that. He smiled, so blessed and glad, but puzzled and curious. Was Scootaloo with him the entire time while he was out like a light? If it was, then the doctors and nurses were very kind to let her stay during the night. He would wake her, but something in him forced him to hesitate on that. She looked so adorable asleep like that; he didn't want to wake her.

This little conflict annoyed him a little, but he had to at least try. He had no idea what was going on with him, yet he had to know what happened while he was asleep. Luna did give him some answers, but he needed to know more than that.

He softly tried to call to his daughter, trying to wake her. "Scoo--" but before he could Drift sharply looked to his left as the door ahead of him opened. A pale-white earth pony with a red cross cutie-mark came in with a soft smile and calming approach.

"Oh good, you're awake," Nurse Redheart said as she approached Drift relieved he was alright and not in any pain. "I was beginning to think you were going to be asleep a little longer."

Drift smiled a little but grew a little concerned, wondering something, "How long was I out?" he asked in a soft tone that Red Heart could hear but wouldn't wake up Scootaloo. He was curious to know, but he also wanted to know what occurred when he passed out. He asked calmly to her without showing a sign of agitation and discomfort, "What happened while I was out?" That dream he had with Princess Luna was enough to convince him to not freak out because of the fact Marabunda was dead, but he had to know just what happened to everyone else in the real world.

Red Heart appreciated Drift for not being hastily and being very calm and collected despite just waking up; it made her job a little easier. Though she was not part of the operation, she had a clipboard explaining everything thanks to her lead doctor, "Well, you were out for eighteen hours; much longer than a regular pony should." Obviously! No wonder he felt heavy and weak. Sleep like that would mess his body up, kind of. When he finally gets back on his hooves, he'll no doubt be well-rested enough to do what he can.

Red Heart continued, but she was a bit hesitant to explain, "I do have some good news and bad news, though--" something Drift wasn't partially thrilled about but he didn't cause a scene to stir things up "--Bad news: when the doctors operated on you, it seemed that Marabunda's poison had more of an effect on you than they originally thought."

Drift was thrown off-guard by that, "Wait, what?" From what Spike said during the fight, Marabunda's venom was so weak, it barely fazed Spike. What changed? "So, what happened? And how did you know Marabunda's name?" He asked, though it might've been obvious who told her, but he was barely awake to realize that. Heck, just happy some of the mental cogs were functioning.

But, Red Heart complied happily, anyway. Drift had every right to know what happened during his deep sleep, "Fluttershy told me what happened. Name of the creature and all. But, anyway, there was a piece of Marabunda's stinger that got lodged into your skin. He said it wasn't a difficult procedure, but it came at a risk."

Drift looked to Red Heart, uneasy. He then recalled the moment Marabunda struck him. He expected the venom to die down in about an hour, but apparently not. Drift silently growled to himself. Even in death, Marabunda had a way to get at him. Monster. He then mentally chuckled confidently, 'Joke's on you, Marabunda, I'm still alive.' With that knowledge present, Drift had the last laugh. It did puzzle him to figure something out, though.

"So, it worked like a bee sting, then?" Drift asked, confusing Red Heart.

"I beg your pardon?" She looked to him for an explanation.

"What I mean is that piece had a little more venom in it and when the doctors tried to get it out it leaked more venom, right?" Drift hypothesized, getting the confused nurse even more confused before she looked at him astonished as it soon clicked.

"Yes. That's exactly it. But –" she smiled softly, happy to inform him "-- Good news is, we made an anti-venom from the severed tail that was given to us by Fluttershy." She still gagged that Fluttershy carried it in her mouth instead of putting it in a bag. For a very sweet mare, that was a hardcore move – but also smart, too.

Drift smiled tenderly and appreciatively at Fluttershy for doing that. That girl had a lot of guts for doing that. He made a mental note that even timid ponies can have a tough side – no wonder she dealt with him all those years ago. "And?" he asked, eagerly.

Red heart continued, happy to tell him, "The anti-venom worked, we patched you up and you should be fine." She then looked to Scootaloo who was still fast asleep on the bed. She smiled softly at the filly's loyalty for her father, "And she never wanted to leave. The whole time she was here, she wanted to be by your side." It surprised her to no end how determined Scootaloo was to wait for her father to wake up. She had no idea why, but she could make some guess – but that wasn't her business to pry.

Drift perked up and looked at his daughter, surprised. Scootaloo wasted her whole time waiting for him to wake up? He didn't know what to say or what to think. He thought back to his nightmare and remembered how much he felt so disgusted with himself for abandoning his family. He had a small seed of doubt growing in his mind making him think that any of his friends and family members would take the time to be here by his side when he woke up. Nor did he ever thought if they'd stick around. Vinyl, Filthy, Pinkie, Fluttershy... but, he never expected it to be his own flesh and blood. He felt so moved, so delighted, so happy. He reached out to try and wake her up, but Red Heart stopped him before he could.

She shook her head at him, warning him as she pointed to his side, "I wouldn't do that. You've got stitches closing that wound from your surgery. Any rash movement could open it back up."

He looked down at his injury and carefully moved his blanket to see what she was talking about. It was good he didn't rebel. One bad move and the bandages around his midsection would be tainted red and he'd be in more pain than he already was. He looked at himself cautiously then nodded to Red Heart. "Good call, nurse. I didn't see this, at all."

And he wouldn't. He still needed some time to wake up from being in such a long sleep. She was glad to catch him before he could've made a wrong move. But, seeing that he wanted his daughter awake, she went up to Scootaloo and gently nudged her while he watched, "Scootaloo, time to wake up." she said in a soft tone, not much like how Fluttershy did it but it was enough to wake her up.

Like a little piglet, Scootaloo snorted softly and lifted her head up like she hadn't slept in a week. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Nurse Red Heart, but due to the sleep in her eyes, it was all fuzzy and she groaned, groggily, thinking she was still at home, "Five more minutes, mommy."

Drift and Red Heart tried not to laugh, but they couldn't resist a little snicker while the nurse had a slight blush on her cheeks from the understandable mistake. Half-asleep and she had already forgotten she was at the hospital. Kids can be funny. But, Drift had to pitch in this time. He knew Scootaloo was still awake, or trying to wake up and was failing, so how was he gonna get his little girl up? 'Hmm', there was one idea he had in mind, "Breakfast will be ready in five minutes."

As if it was a secret button to start up an engine, Scootaloo shot up like an energized rabbit and widened her eyes as if she was given gold for the first time in her entire life, "Breakfast? Where?"

And the urge to hold in a laugh could not be any higher. Drift and Red Heart smiled, tickled that was what woke Scootaloo up. Drift, however, snickered out loud and caught her attention, "Knew that would work." Why wouldn't it? No pony passes up breakfast. Though, saying that, he hoped breakfast was made at this time. He looked at Red Heart curiously as the nurse mare got the implication rather easily.

"Yes, breakfast has been made. I'll have someone come by when you two are ready."

Drift was happy to hear that. He nodded to the nurse then looked to his daughter and asked her, "Hey, Scootaloo, I bet you – huh?" he was caught off-guard when he noticed Scootaloo sitting there with a groggy, surprised look. He expected her to be happy breakfast was coming, but he should've expected this instead. He had a gut feeling she was thinking she was either dreaming or hallucinating – neither of which was true.

He chuckled softly and looked to Red Heart, "Think you could give us a moment?" He asked politely. With how things were going right now, he knew he had to have a moment with Scootaloo. The poor filly looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. He saw the tears well up, yet she was trying to be strong so she wouldn't seem weak in front of another pony.

Nurse Red Heart noticed how Scootaloo was behaving and how hard she tried to prevent the dams from breaking. There was no denying a request like this and without hesitation for Drift, she understood and nodded to him, walking away and leaving the father-daughter duo to themselves as she gently closed the door behind her so she could go get their breakfast.

Despite his covered injury, Drift thanked Red Heart in silence. He had a feeling he could handle the rest because this was gonna be a rather sensitive moment between them. Now with Red Heart gone, Drift could talk to Scootaloo in peace and hoped he could calm her down. He paused, suddenly. There was just one problem: he had no idea what to say to her! He didn't think that one through. Not to mention this was the first time he got to have a one-on-one talk with her which made it slightly awkward for him. Dealing with friends, getting a home, dealing with trophy animals were a lot of things to deal with in his life, but of all the conundrums he's been through in his whole life this was one part of his past he didn't think would make him think so much; he could've sworn he had a headache coming in. It was still hard to believe that this little filly was his daughter. All the things he missed out on in her life. Her birth. Raising her with Fluttershy. Molding her into what could've been either a mini him or a mini Shy. This was all bizarre to him and he had no idea how to handle it. If he had stuck around with Fluttershy while she was pregnant and not have been such a coward, maybe he'd learn something from, well, any pony who was a parent – heck, his own parents would've helped!

Then a thought occurred to him: what if he stayed? What if he stuck around and supported Fluttershy? Would Scootaloo come out different? Just the mere thought itself brought in such a gargantuan butterfly effect that it raised more questions than offering answers. During Fluttershy's pregnancy, He would've likely told Fluttershy if they were gonna have a son, that would've been something great for his family tree because a son would bring easy tension and not cause that much drama – or so he was led to believe.

Yeah, he was glad that didn't happen. If he told Fluttershy that, she would've likely looked at him confused and annoyed he'd chosen a son over a daughter; he'd make himself look like a total jerk. Somehow, it felt like the Cosmos answered a question to that whole 'butterfly effect' thing he never knew he asked until now. Funny how that stuff works -- and ironic considering the butterfly cutie-mark Fluttershy had. Okay, now he felt like he was thinking too hard about this. The last thing he needed was a headache.

Butterflies and a risky headache aside, he still had no idea why his own dad raised him to think having a son would be a good thing. From what he's seen growing up from other ponies or other different species, neither gender would bring an easy tension to any family – some kids would be spoiled, little demons, or just all-around brats who treat their parents like garbage. Just seeing that made him wonder why his dad would think one gender was better than the other; it really wasn't. Then again, he was told he was a good colt by his parents, so maybe he wasn't seeing the picture here. 

Either way, with how today's parents are, he'd be surprised if he didn't find other parents who believed that bogus stuff like his dad did – it was weird, but he was just relieved Vinyl didn't grow up have that mindset, too. But now, time and life gave him a kid of his own and -- the joke was on his father – he had a daughter the whole time. So, the idea of a son was out the window and buried under piles of mud. And knowing this made the surprise unexpected and even more special. If his dad was here with him to see his granddaughter, it probably wouldn't compute and he'd just power down. 

...he made a mental note to introduce Scootaloo to his dad later just to see what his reaction would be. He was looking forward to that.

But, still, when they met before, they talked as casual strangers having no idea who one another was and just talking like it was no big deal. Now, it was different. Here they were again, now knowing each other as blood relatives... and he never felt so awkward about it. He didn't know what to say. It was so easy to talk to her before and when Fluttershy was around, but she wasn't around and now he was alone with his daughter. He felt like he was gonna botch it up, bad. No! He had to say something to Scootaloo to let her know he was alive and kicking.

He took a calm inhale through his muzzle and sighed softly before calmly saying to Scootaloo, "Morning, Scootaloo. Did you sleep well?" A good start for sure. He smiled softly but then he noticed tears in Scootaloo's eyes started to well and then dripped down her cheeks. "S-Scootaloo?" he was worried. He tried to reach out to her to bring her close and hug her.

What started off as a surprised shock turned into ungodly relief. Scootaloo hoped she wouldn't wake up to find her father still asleep. A peaceful smile loomed and her heart could rest. She didn't want to leave his side, no matter what anyone else told her. Yes, she still had Varan, but he's being tended to by Doctor Fauna. It was tough on her when she realized what she needed to do. She could've stayed at home with Discord, stay with Varan at the vet's, stay with her aunt at Drift's place or stay with Drift at the hospital – she did not hesitate and chose to be with her father; thankfully, Fluttershy, Discord, and Vinyl understood and granted her just that. Wait for him to wake up and be there when he did. It was a hard choice and she cared for both of them, but... "D-Daddy, y-you're awake," she said, choking up. Everyone, other than her mother, Discord, and aunt, tried to convince her to go home and stay where it was safe, thinking she's been through enough and seeing loved ones in hospitals would hurt her even worse – same lectures went at Fluttershy, too, but she would not have it with them. She was in no mood and she needed to be with her friends to talk to the ones responsible for all the trouble they gave them. The least they could do was grant their wishes. And Scootaloo chose to be with her father; Fluttershy had no issue with that. She could intervene and would've happily made the decision for her, but she felt like Scootaloo was in control and Fluttershy decided not to step in; she knew her daughter needed to be with her father. And Scootaloo proved that her determination was that powerful and her stubbornness led to everyone else's downfall. There was no way she was gonna go home without her family – her whole family. To Tartarus with that! She missed her father so much. She finally found him after so long and then he was almost taken away from her? 

"Daddy!" Scootaloo said in utmost joy. Her small wings buzzed so fast, she jumped in the air and glided right over to him faster than she could think. She hugged him close, ignoring the bandages for a moment. She smiled happily, relieved to see her dad was awake.

"Whoa," Drift caught Scootaloo in his arms and held her close, letting her snuggle her head on his shoulder. Even with those little wings, she was able to glide to him pretty fast. He felt so proud of her, but he had to calm her down so they could chat. Like Scootaloo, he had a lot of questions, too, "Easy there, little torpedo," Drift teased his daughter. "Careful of the bandages. Daddy's still recovering."

"Oh, sorry, daddy. I didn't mean to," Scootaloo said, "But, I couldn't help it. I thought you'd never wake up."

Drifted chuckled a little, tickled she was so excited to see him up. And so moved she cared so much about him. She really was like her mother in that aspect. It was so uncanny, "Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," he playfully boasted to lighten the mood and try to make his little girl crack a smile. "Your old man is not gonna go down that easily." he acted tough for a moment just to get a reaction out of her. If he was gonna be a good dad, getting his kid to either laugh or crack a smile would be a good start.

He chuckled softly and waited for Scootaloo to make some kind of response, but got something else instead. What he wanted to hear was happy giggles, but the sound of light sobbing was what he heard and the feel of small wet patches touched his shoulder. He paused for a moment and looked to his daughter. She was crying. Her hug got a little tighter, too.

"S-Scootaloo, are you alright?" Drift asked, worried about her. She seemed so happy at first, but now she was crying. "Why are you crying?" He didn't understand what was wrong. He was awake like she wanted. What else could be wrong?

Scootaloo lifted her head, tears rolling down her cheeks and her eyes stained red from crying. She almost wanted to cry out loud, but she had to keep it together, for him. Be strong like he was when he faced that monster, "I…I…" or she tried to keep it together. Yes, he fought hard but seeing him out cold on the ground... "…I thought I lost you."

"What?" He gently spoke, shocked.

Scootaloo sniffled and tried her hardest to tell him, but she spoke through heavy, unsteady breaths that it sounded like she was about to panic, "I thought I lost you, again. I... I finally found you and I thought I'd lose you, again." The pain in her eyes was too much and she crushed them, but that didn't stop the tears from coming out. "I thought you weren't gonna wake up. That you were gonna leave me and mom and never come back." She started to sob, again, feeling like her life just couldn't catch a break and that her patience was all for nothing.

Drift winced and quickly shook his head at what Scootaloo said. That was not true, at all, and he was gonna make sure that it wasn't, "Oh, baby girl, I'd never do that. Ever!" He reassured her that he wasn't going anywhere this time. "Please, don't cry. I'm awake and here for you." Luckily he had tissues next to him on a table and he reached out to get on then wiped the tears away so Scootaloo could see him. With a calm, reassuring smile, he tossed the tissue away and reached out to her, bringing her in for another warm, loving hug. "The last thing I'd want is to have you cry around me." He knew she was scared. Scared of what happened and scared of what came after. It was all a nightmare and they knew it; they all knew it.

"Then Diamond and her mother came and ruined it all. They tried to take everything from me. You, Varan, Harry, they tried using that monster to take it all," She said in such an angered tone. She was slowly turning into an emotional wreck and it showed.

"Hey, hey, baby girl, calm down now," Drift had her look him in the eyes and very gently, but firmly, told her, "It's alright now. Those two are being scolded and they are not here to bother us," At least, that's what he was told, or guessed, from what Luna implied. "It's alright now. Now follow my lead: breathe in and out, slowly." He slowly took in some air and lightly breathed out. "Just like that." Some breathing exercises were always enough to help him ease his stress – if only he would do that more often.

And Scootaloo did. Slowly, she inhaled as much air as she could and exhaled a long, calm breath. Drift motioned a hoof for her to do it a few more times so she can be stable. As she did, Drift could tell she's been through so much in her life. He was aware of the orphanage and how bad it was; much to his delight that she was out of there. It made him wonder what she went through before finding him and her mother. If what he dreamed of meant something, then he could only imagine the nightmares she went through. Well, she was not going to experience that anymore.

The whole time, he thought his family would not accept him back and assumed he was a deadbeat dad like most other families. Shun him away for abandoning them. It took but his daughter's tears to make him see that was not the case. His anxiety, stress, and worry faded away when his own kin was here, frightened by the thought that she'd lose him. A new feeling bloomed over him and his soul felt rejuvenated. He promised himself he'd be a good dad and now he made it his goal.

"Scootaloo?" Drift said, getting her attention. She looked like she was still hurting from what happened, but he was going to change that. He brought her back in for another hug, "I won't go anywhere. You and your mother mean the world to me and... and --" he started to tear up himself, lips quivering. He pulled himself together as best he could and not choke on his words "– I'm sorry for leaving you the first time." If Scootaloo was thinking that, she had every right to know.

Scootaloo was confused at first but she never moved in her father's hold, "Daddy?" Hearing that last part, Scootaloo wondered. "Why did you leave mommy?"

The question was asked and it was time to remove the bandage. The tears started to roll and he almost choked up, "Be-because.... because your father was a coward. He left your mother because he wasn't ready." Scootaloo looked up to him, wide-eyed and confused but didn't say anything when she saw the sorrowed, pained look in his eyes. "I-I... I left your mother because I wasn't ready. I was a c-coward and ran away." Looking back at those memories hurt as much as when it actually did happen. But he had to get through the pain of the past to get to the serenity of the present. And he saw the shocked look on his daughter's face, but still went on, "When I left, I thought I'd never see her again. I thought she'd hate me for leaving. And because of my cowardice and stupidity, I never went back to find her." He sniffled and hiccuped. "I missed so much and I'm so sorry. Could you ever forgive your old man for what he's done?"

Scootaloo didn't know what to think. Her dad was scared to raise her with her mother and that made her mother put her in the orphanage. It was something to take in and she would be upset, but... she couldn't. He's done so much and said what he said to her that convinced her he's been through a lot, just like her. And now, seeing him like this made her feel better.

There was a brief pause between father and daughter. Scootaloo thought about it for a moment, but her answer was crystal clear. Her heart could not take it anymore and she smiled at him, accepting his apology as fast as Rainbow Dash's flight record, "Yes. I forgive you, Daddy."

Drift smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks, "Thank you, baby girl. Thank you." He felt at peace. All he ever wanted was to be accepted and his daughter took him back without any hesitation. He didn't have any words left. All he felt was happiness and joy to be reunited with his child.

Scootaloo smiled again before getting the tissue box as she came up with a little idea, "Once mom gets back, we can start over and hang out, again, without interruptions."

"Yeah," Drift grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears and snot from his face. "You're right, we can –" he paused "– wait, say that again, please?"

Scootaloo looked at Drift oddly, but complied with his request, "We can start over?"

Drift smiled, again. He recalled what he said back at Sugarcube Corner and hoped he'd start things over with Fluttershy. Yes, he can still do that. He can start over! That's how he can fix it. "Start over." He looked to Scootaloo excitedly. "Baby girl, you're a genius!"

Scootaloo didn't know what the heck he was talking about, but she'll take this compliment and brush her hoof against her chest fluff, "Well, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but..." she playfully pretended to pull on a string to a train horn. "Toot, toot." She giggled sweetly as Drift laughed a bit along with her.

Until the faint sound of two stomach growls caught their attention. Both of them blushed embarrassingly as they looked at one another, with Drift remembering that Redheart was getting their breakfast.

"Heh. Let's get our breakfast first before we see everyone else, shall we?" Drift said.

"Yeah. I'm starving." Scootaloo smiled up at Drift.
> A Moment Of Bittersweet Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday night; hours before the morning sun

It happened so suddenly yet ended so quickly. If Discord hadn't sensed what was going on and never told her, she wouldn't have known about the catastrophe that took place. She was relieved that she'd returned when she did; not only her but Ember and Discord, too. It just hurt her knowing that she wasn't on time, sadly. She didn't know how long it had been since they got back, but images of the battlefield were more than enough to give her a clear answer. She was grateful ponies pitched in to help remove Marabunda from their town and away from other civilians, but she didn't feel too keen on giving that monster a proper burial. She would've preferred to see it burn in dragon fire right down to the bone. She snarled in agitation but quickly refrained herself before taking slow, deep breaths and then exhaling. As much as she'd want that to happen, Fluttershy wouldn't have been too happy with her. Much to her perspective of the beast, Marabunda was still an animal and it wouldn't be wise to burn a 'pained' soul -- according to Fluttershy.

Twilight walked into her room and sat in the center, still pondering about what happened. Why ponies wanted a chance to look at their attacker before its burial was beyond her, but denying them of curiosity would've been a bad move if she decided that. But, as she looked back on it, she couldn't help but remember the words Fluttershy told her.

'So, why bury this monster, Fluttershy?' Twilight asked standing next to Fluttershy as Marabunda's body was buried, not really understanding Fluttershy's logic here. 'You do realize this thing attacked Ponyville and caused so much havoc, right?'

It just didn't make sense to her. Of all the things to choose, a burial seemed too merciful for such a murderous creature like Marabunda. She looked over to Fluttershy confused, but Fluttershy simply nodded to her. 

'Yes, I know Marabunda did horrible things to us,' Fluttershy said. "But, like you and I, he was a living creature." She softly smiled at her friend, feeling happy about the burial. 'And every creature deserves a chance for peace and kindness. Even in spirit, Marabunda needed that kindness so he could rest in peace because he never got that in his life.' Her smile slowly dropped to a pained frown. 

Despite all that happened, Fluttershy wished she could've been there to help Marabunda when he was still in his right mind. She could've imagined how he'd turned out if she helped him. But, there was only one her and no one else. She cursed at herself for not being as fast as Rainbow Dash or Soarin or Spitfire. 

Twilight noticed the pain and sorrow in Fluttershy's eyes. She didn't know why but what she did know was that she wasn't as knowledgeable about animals as Fluttershy was. So, whatever Fluttershy saw made her wonder.

'You saw something about that Manticore, didn't you?' Twilight asked. 'What did you see?'

Fluttershy wiped a tear from her eye and sniffed a bit before she said to Twilight, 'Anger. Bitterness. Rage. Pain.' That's all Fluttershy could see and it was more than enough for her to get a read on what Marabunda's life was like up until this point. 'Like all animals, no matter what kind, each one tells a story in their own way. And Marabunda's story was nothing but that. He survived for so long and lost so much that he took it out on everything and didn't care if it hurt others. All he wanted was for others to feel his pain. And in the end, he became rogue.'

Twilight was awestruck by that. So, this whole time, Marabunda wanted nothing more than revenge? And Fluttershy picked that up just by looking at his eyes? Hmm, she may not understand animals as well as her, but the thought of being in such a state for so long did allow her to have just a little bit of pity for the creature. As crazy as that might sound, she wasn't gonna object to it since other crazy things have happened in Equestria. But, a few questions now lingered...

'I see. Then, why did he come here? How did he get here?'

Twilight noticed Fluttershy's sorrowful eyes turn into fiery anger as she looked at Marabunda's grave. Unlike the manticore who was ultimately labeled as a monster by others before, the real monster was the one who summoned him. And she had a sickening feeling she up and left the moment the fight with Harry and Marabunda took place.

'You wanna know, Twilight? I'll gladly tell you...'

Her teeth gritted as a rageful snarl formed. The story Fluttershy told her made Twilight's blood boil. After the burial, things nearly went out of control. Civilians were scared now knowing rogue animals existed. Unlike fighting bad guys like changelings, griffons, and centaurs, calming down a scared crowd was another. It took her, her uninjured friends, and Mayor Mare everything they could to settle the citizens of Ponyville down after this whole would-be crisis situation had finally died down. They were lucky enough that no one was dumb enough to start a riot, but that didn't save them from seeing the fear, worry, hesitation, and anxiety in their eyes. She saw it all and it rang like a death bell. She knew what they all were thinking and she had to enforce it on them that they were safe, again. That she'd be the one to protect them like how Celestia and Luna protected Equatria; she vowed it to them. And that thankfully calmed them down.

Although with him under the ground, everypony who saw Marabunda still thought for a moment he was gonna rise again like some kind of self-made zombie. As silly as that might sound, Twilight had to be firm with them and told all of them that everything was going to be fine now. Marabunda was dead and everything would be back to normal. And after that, the storm started to settle.

Twilight stamped her hoof and growled angrily. Or was it ever gonna be?!

Twilight scowled and glared death daggers at the window showing Ponyville. Would everything truly be safe? Would normal ever come back? She eyed the small town like a spotlight trying to find a hidden intruder. Even though repairs were underway, she looked at the spot where the fight took place and could only feel her frustration build the more she looked at it; then her frustration grew into seething rage. The story Fluttershy told her; about that 'hidden intruder' who ran away with her husband after the fight. If she knew where she was, she'd gladly get her hooves around her neck and strangle her for the treacherous choice she had made.

Not only did Spoiled Rich use her own daughter to somehow bring in a rogue animal into Ponyville, have it harm others, harm her friends, and destroy property, all for the sake of hurting their 'reputation', but ... Spike was involved in the fight and he got hurt, badly. 

The image of Spike injured threw Twilight into a pained frenzy. She growled out loud and stomped her hooves multiple times on the crystallized floor so hard, that one could easily assume and mistake it for the sound of thunder, "That stupid mare!" Twilight roared as she ignited her horn with magic and threw books and furniture around her room, destroying half of the stuff that was thrown. Her assistant, her family, her only son! Spike was injured and the one who hurt him got away! 

Fluttershy was right. Marabunda wasn't the real monster, Spoiled Rich was. And because of her, it was gonna take days or weeks for peace to come back to Ponyville. If she finds Spoiled Rich... when she finds Spoiled Rich, there will be no pony that'll save her from her wrath.

A sudden poof lightly manifested into the room and out came a familiar Frankenstein-ish, noodle body. That heavy stamp and loud roars sure didn't go unnoticed.

"My, My, Twilight. If it was a bug you were trying to stomp on, I don't think Fluttershy would've appreciated her friend stomping on one of her animal friends," Discord joked a bit darkly as he floated casually in the air like a serpent before letting out a silly little chuckle to lighten the mood. Only, instead of lightening that mood like he wanted, he found Twilight's room almost completely destroyed like a tornado took a small visit. His attempt became fruitless when the only response he got from her was an unamused, one-eyed glare with aqua-blue flames briefly around it. Twilight was in no mood for any of Discord's shenanigans, and he knew it. 

Seeing that horrifying sight quickly made him rethink what he wanted to say next. He understood the message, so he had to tread lightly and carefully. He snapped his finger and poofed himself next to Twilight, laying next to her almost cat-like. Now he was worried and concerned about her. 

Discord looked at her thoroughly without saying a word. From how she was behaving and the mess she made, and with how the current situation was with Ponyville, he could only guess as to why she lashed out the way she did. Twilight was not happy, that was obvious, but if he could read her mind, he'd say, "She sure rattled your chains, didn't she? If you'd like, I could –"

"Why are you here, Discord?" Twilight snapped, interrupting him before he could finish his idea. "I thought I told you to stay in the infirmary?" Like anyone else who got injured in the fight, Twilight wanted them to get medical attention – she didn't care if they were gods or not. That, and she wished to be alone.

Discord flinched at her quick outburst, but recollected himself. Now he really needed to tread lightly so he would not anger Twilight any further -- but, he wasn't going anywhere. He wasn't gonna leave Twilight alone to hurt herself. Lucky for him, he recalled having a few things in his arsenal to help calm her down, "Twilight, did you forget?" he snapped his fingers and conjured a fake first-aid kit that opened up to reveal a squirrel with a band-aid. He snapped his fingers again and poofed his creation out of existence. "I can heal myself with just a snap of my fingers." Indeed, he was all healed up like what happened earlier wasn't a big deal to him. It was all part of his powers and he relished it like he always had. That, and he wanted to show Twilight he was fine and in tip-top shape. Though he winced lightly as he could still feel the tenderness of where he got bitten. "Although… despite that, that spot is very tender still at the given moment." He pouted lightly, scolding himself for not counting on that sneaky attack. "Can't believe I left myself open like that."

His effort didn't really pass through to her, however, as that was no excuse to make Twilight feel any better. She just looked at him annoyed and she was on the brink of impatience with him. If he was here to tell her something, then he'd better make it quick because she was seconds away from booting him out of her room, "Then you better explain why you're here." she demanded from him. "I'm not in the mood to deal with any of your jokes right now." Nor was she in the mood for any of his antics, at all.

Discord awkwardly cleared his throat, finding this scenario a bit challenging. Her funny bone was clearly broken, so getting her to laugh was out of the question; plan B was next in his utility belt. He quickly threw his funny side out the window so as not to infuriate Twilight any further and make things infinitely worse; the last thing he wanted was to have another angry alicorn on his list, "Right, yes. Uh, what I'm trying to say is that I'm fine, Twilight. There's no need to worry about me. Granted, I'll be sore for a few days. Even my magic can't fix that, but it's nothing to fuss over," He was a powerful deity, after all. And as much as he wanted her to not worry about him, that was not the real fuss, however, and he knew it.

The real fuss was actually what made Twilight frustrated in the first place. And that's what Discord wanted to figure out. He knew he had to be careful with his words, but he also tried to figure out what got Twilight to go berserk. Discord felt that stomp throughout the castle and, if he were to make a highly logical guess, Fluttershy and everyone else in the castle might've felt that, too. So, it's likely they'll check up on her immediately. It was good that he tracked her down before they could; he wanted to try his hands at calming Twilight down, but he had to make this quick...

Or, buy himself all the time he needed. He raised his talon claw and snapped his fingers. Nothing happened around the area, but he made sure the two of them had privacy until he decided he was done with what he had to do.

And seeing Twilight the way she was after the whole crowd-control episode finally ended, he didn't blame her for being so upset. Discord had – no, wanted – to be a critic of the situation but couldn't express just how unnerved and appalled he himself was by it all. Seeing the crowd in total despair and sorrow, tons of frowns and furrowed brows? He didn't like it; not one bit.

Which was why he showed up first. He hoped to talk to Twilight in private because he didn't want to see her so upset. In fact, he couldn't stand seeing her upset in such a way. 

"I can tell you're quite overwhelmed by what had happened earlier," he spoke, genuinely concerned about her.

Unlike Twilight who was all for teaching, Discord was all for fun and games -- especially parties. Who wouldn't love to join a party and be with friends who would enjoy a thrilling presence such as his? It's why he and Pinkie got along so well after he turned his life around and came to accept friendship. While Twilight took years to understand the lessons of friendship, it took him eons to realize how important friendship really was. And it took a few feel-good, fun-loving lessons from a party-loving mare much younger than him that there was a good side to chaos. And, funny enough, he enjoyed that kind of chaos. Not only did it bring smiles to everyone's faces. And for discovering that revelation, he secretly made himself a vow: so long as no harm befell upon others and everyone produced joyful, delighted smiles, chaos will continue to reign. And so he did just that. 

Before he ever met Twilight and her friends, he enjoyed spreading chaos for his own personal gain and his own amusement – especially with his sense of humor. Laughing at others' misery and enjoying the interactions his own world brought. It brought him great amusement and he never wanted that kind of fun to end. But now, that end came and he had to adapt one way or another. In a new era, and after being knocked down a peg or two by Twilight and her friends, ponies and other creatures alike were an audience to him; a new mindset and friends by his side, whoever laughed and enjoyed the chaos he provided warmed his old heart so much. These new ways earned a lot of trust and respect from them. So much so that he truly felt accepted. It was hilarious, in a way; a sudden twist of irony. Oh, how he still giggled at that. Celestia and Luna were sure grateful for his evolution.

But, now, what he saw out there was not the kind of chaos he enjoyed; far from it. What good was it if an audience can't laugh and enjoy their day; it insulted him to no end. Ponies got hurt and he heard nothing but crying. All because of one mare and her spoiled brat. If he wanted to, he could go find those two and punish them himself. It would make things much easier for everyone else.

"Overwhelmed?" Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, if not shocked from Discord's assumption of her current situation, but that shock transformed into anger. "Overwhelmed?" She got up and walked to him as she said in a growing state of anger, "Overwhelmed is putting it mildly, Discord. Oh, I'm not overwhelmed…" With a yell as she stomped on the tile floor, allowing an echo to sound in the room and down the hall which got him to wince sharply, "I'm over-the-edge FURIOUS!!! I can't believe somepony would do this! Risking other ponies' lives to get back at one all because of some stupid squabble, and by children, no less?" It made no sense to her. Why would somepony put others at risk over some stupid, petty reason? 

"And not only that... my... my..." Twilight's anger began to slip and her true feelings began to take over as she looked at Discord with teary, red eyes; her lips quivering and her body felt weak that she nearly collapsed on herself.

Discord widened his eyes in shock and lightly lunged to Twilight, wrapping his arms around her as Twilight started to cry in his fur. Wrapping himself around her carefully with his long serpentine body, Discord held Twilight when she did and he never moved a muscle. He almost dared not to even speak or breathe when she immediately wrapped her arms around his body, crying into his chest. The poor mare was in such pain and it showed. Something didn't seem right. He started to worry when he looked at her.

"Twilight, what's wrong? We know that harlot messed up, so why are you -- wait..." It wasn't until he realized it now. The rage, the pain, the regret he feels radiating off her, it all made sense to him, now. It wasn't about Spoiled, at all. "Oh…" He understood now, and looked at her with understanding and pity, "…you're upset at yourself, aren't you?"

Twilight flew her head back and looked up at Discord like she saw all of Tartarus at once and couldn't believe the horrors it held. But, the only horror she held was, "I-I should've been there sooner. If I was there, I could've ended it and my... my s-son..." She was so upset with herself that her son got hurt. And not only that, but she was also upset that he threw himself out there in harm's way. Everything happened all at once and Spike was involved in it. Her motherly side kicked the door down and threw her princess side out. Spike's safety was on the line and he got hurt through it all -- almost to the point he nearly got killed!

That not only upset her but scared her; scared her so much that if no one was able to wake her up, she could've successfully killed Marabunda herself but might've caused more harm than good. She was not in control at that moment and she started to lose herself right now. She hyperventilated so much that each quick breath sounded like the air started to crawl out from the back of her throat. And the pain she felt in her chest grew more and more intense every second.

"I... I... I want to find... Spoiled... make her pay for hurting my son, my baby!" Twilight said in a fit of rage and pain. "I want her here and --"

But a talon finger placed itself on Twilight's muzzle, stopping her in her verbal tracks. She looked confused before she looked at Discord who gestured for her to hush.

"Twilight, my sweet," Discord said as calmly as he could and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's alright. It's all over." He looked at her, calmly and tenderly. Twilight blinked a couple of times and looked at him confusedly about this change in him before he snapped his fingers and conjured a tissue box for her.

"Please, relax," he said as he wiped tears away from Twilight's eyes. "That beast is gone and Spike is still alive. Your 'baby dragon' is still out there as we speak, breathing another breath thanks to all of us" Even if Spike was growing up, Discord knew Twilight still saw him as her son; adopted or not. It was obvious from the start and he thought it was adorable -- even though he'd tease them both on occasion about it. Twilight mothering Spike just seemed so odd, and yet, who was he to judge? It was Celestia's idea to give Spike's egg to her, after all, from what Twilight told him.

Twilight's breathing began to halt and she tried to calm herself down. Discord was right. It was all over and she did all she could to help Ponyville, "B-But..." she still had a lot on her mind, and finding Spoiled was one of them. She still had a lot on her plate...

Discord shook his head with a firm pout, " 'But', nothing!" he was not gonna have Twilight put herself under any more stress. After all she's been through, she needed to relax. He softened and smiled softly, running his paw through her mane while holding her close in a comforting hug, his coils gingerly starting to rub against her body and the tuft of his tail forming a hand had starting rubbing down her back. Cooing softly, he spoke calmly to the stressed princess. "I want you to relax. You've done enough. And so has your son." That little bombshell had to be put on her for this. And Twilight's eyes widened when he said that.

"Spike?" She looked at him, surprised yet wanting to know more.

Discord chuckled at how cute Twilight looked when she was surprised, "Spike takes a lot after you, ya ever noticed that? If it wasn't for him forming that plan when he did, we could've lost so much more than what we did today." He knew there were some casualties in the fight but it could've been much worse. If anything, he had a lot of thanks from everybody.

Twilight took some thought into that. Again, Discord was right. From what she was told, Spike pulled a lot of effort to help out against Marabunda and it all stalled for time to get Fluttershy some reinforcements. Still, it scared her to death knowing the injuries he received.

She whimpered at the thought, "But, my son still got hurt. I just can't help it, Discord --"

"And that's fine," Discord replied with soft enthusiasm. A confident, morale smile formed on his face as he cupped her cheeks and looked at her right in the eyes. "You are his mother; it's completely obvious and very understandable. It's your job as his mother to worry. It's a fact many other parents know, heck – it's something that everyone in this world knows." And how! Even he was no stranger to how parents worry about their children; heck, he was smart enough to know that parents act that way because they care. "Including me." He chuckled lightly, "And after what we witnessed, you two are the living representation of 'Like mother, like son'. More so than Big Mac being a reincarnation of Hercules but I digress." It was a no-brainer that fact spread like wildfire -- gods and above knows that it was an obvious fact. But, it's not just that fact that surprised him.

"Yes, you have every right to be worried. But, need I remind you that you should feel proud, too?" And he did not hold that back, either. While Twilight was off doing her princess-y stuff, he dug a little and asked some questions and received so much info from everyone who took part in that whole scenario, "Your son impressed everyone there from how he fought off that monster to forming plans to not only stall the thing but bring his mother back." He could even say he was proud of Spike for his efforts in the fight. If he was there to see it all, he'd likely take orders from him because "Everyone there who saw Spike take charge all thought the same thing: they were looking at another you." Just by those responses, it felt so uncanny.

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was all of that true? It couldn't be. Was Discord telling the truth? She didn't know and she wished she was there to see it. The only thing she could go by was his own word and, with how caring he sounded, he sounded so genuine. But, she didn't say a word because he seemed to be at a momentum here. Twilight raised a brow lightly while she heard him ramble these sweet things to her but now she couldn't shake the feeling something felt 'different' with him. He wasn't pulling anything to have laughs, and with how he was speaking these things to her, he almost uncharacteristically seemed to be – dare she say it? – being affectionate towards her.

Still, the fact Spike learned so much from her and used that to his advantage out on the battlefield really did make her feel so proud as a smile of pride slowly starts growing on her face.

"And honestly, just when I thought I couldn't respect Spike – one of my very best friends – any more than I already do - after what he did today, he continues to surprise me. It makes me proud and I'm not even his father," Discord started to ramble and his thoughts started to come out as he spilled them onto Twilight, he gazed out to the fields out the window, smiling proudly because he too felt proud of Spike. "If only I could go back in time, I'd bring your beautiful self along and we'd cheer him and the others on, and I'd say 'That's my boy' and -- " Discord caught himself and quickly scrunched his mouth shut, covering his muzzle with his talon and paw and his eyes widened upon realizing what he just said among that ramble. He looked at Twilight and saw glistening sparkles in her eyes along with a faint blush. 

"W-What?" She softly spoke, her eyes wide in awe yet sparkling like stars.

'By the gods, she really is adorable when she makes that kind of face', he thought to himself, but it sure brought a bit of a blush on his own cheeks.

Discord awkwardly looked away and let go of Twilight, slithering onto the floor before he twiddled his thumbs and blushed like a pre-teen meeting his crush. "Uh, I mean, uh," His face even started turning a brilliant shade of pink, feeling bashful and sheepish all of a sudden, "Y-you're lucky you have a child like him because you and Fluttershy have more in common than you think -- adopted or not." But, when he looked back at Twilight, all he saw was the same look in her eyes and he felt more awkward than he already did. It seemed whatever he said completely fixed Twilight's pain and now she looked fine, so ...

Discord sighed as he held his head, feeling like he made a fool out of himself, "Okay, I'll go find Spoiled. We should start a trial or something to see what we should do with her." He snapped his fingers and removed the dimension they were currently in. 

She looked around and looked back up again with starry-eyes, those words he said replaying in her brain. "Discord…"

"Talk it over with your friends and... I'll explain everything later." He was about to snap his fingers before she spoke again.

"Discord… thank you." Looking over, he saw she seemed to smile gratefully at him, her eyes were still sparkling. "I really needed to hear this. And it means a lot coming from you."

Blushing once more, he cleared his throat, "Well, I much prefer seeing a smile on your face rather than a sad frown." He smiles lightly at her, gazing towards her. "A smile suits you better… and I think Pinkie would agree."

She giggled lightly and nodded as they both took a seat to have just another moment or two with each other's company. "I almost didn't think of you as the honest yet kind speaker…" He pouts but chuckled in a well-mannered matter, knowing his behavior sometimes. She smiled warmly as she looked up to him, seeing the impactful change that Discord had in him. "But I suppose Applejack and Fluttershy have had that influence on you."

He smiled warmly and nodded at her, "Suppose they have."

"You really have changed." Twilight smiled and laid a hoof on his lion paw; looking out the window towards the town, after listening to his kind words – she had a calmer head now, reassuring that with a bit of patience and hard work to fix the damages, peace can be brought back to the town.

Discord looked to her hoof on his paw and smiled softly, following her gaze to gaze upon their beloved little town  – he too could see that in time, their home will soon be peaceful and normal again. "I had good teachers." He had to admit that, despite the little struggles they had with one another before, he gradually came to view them as good teachers in teaching the Magic of Friendship. "I know we'll get through this…" Gazing to Twilight who was still listening to his every word while admiring the thought that they can fix their town working together, his smile only matched hers as he gave the last special word to her. "You and your friends always have a way of getting out of trouble… and sneaking into others' hearts."

It wasn't until Twilight felt something gingerly yet magically touch her cheek, which got her eyes widened into saucers. She looked up in time to see he had lowered his neck down to meet with her head level, as if he had…

She gasped softly in awe, her eyes glistening once more.

Gasping as his cheeks turned hot pink, he winced as he let go of her hoof before quickly getting up and walking away to get some space to teleport away, "Um… I think I hear your friends calling. I'm going to find that Spoiled rotten mare now. Farewell until we meet again, Twilight." 

He winces as he then started tugging on his horns, then his ears, and then started slapping at his cheeks, scolding himself. "Why did I do that, why did I do that, why did I do that, why in Holy Equestria's Love and Light itself did I do that?!" 

He poofed away as Twilight, though collapsing on her knees while holding her cheek, started to regain some composure, and giggled a little after quickly realizing what Discord's true feelings were.

Oh, this was gonna be fun. Then she also realized something too late, "Wait, what was that part about Big Mac?"

It wasn't until her friends burst the doors open and snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Twilight, we heard you scream. Is everything alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, worried.

"Are you hurt? You look like you've been crying?" Fluttershy said, worried as well when she said the red in her friend's eyes.

But, Twilight waved a hoof at them and smiled softly yet reassuringly, "Yes, I'm fine girls. I just needed to cool off, is all." But, what Discord said came to mind next, and then she looked at her friends with a serious glance.

"But, I'm glad all of you are here," Discord's idea of a trial seemed like a good idea and she had a few more to back up that idea. "It's time we start a trial. If Ponyville needs to be safe, we have to reinforce rules around the town."

The other five were unsure of what to think about that. They had no clue what happened or what caused Twilight to come up with this idea. But, someone had to ask...

"A trial?" Pinkie asked.

"Basically, we'll all be judges," Twilight explained it short and simple to them.

And with that being said, all five mares gave their princess an understanding, 'Oh!"

"And for starters, it's time we brought a certain member of the Rich family to the stand," Twilight frowned firmly, this time her friends quickly caught on and their faces became serious, and firm frowns took their places while giving a more understanding "Oh…"

A trial indeed was in order, and they were definitely ready.
> A Reconcile R&R
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They arrived at the hospital's cafeteria. Scootaloo stood next to her father who was currently bound to a wheelchair – with the information given by the nurse assigned to take care of Drift after the doctors looked over his injuries, to his dismay that due to his injury, he had to be wheelchair-bound for a few weeks. He could not fly for a while either, as it would risk opening his stitches and make the pain even worse.

Drift wasn't too thrilled about being in a wheelchair but he also wasn't gonna argue about it, either. He hated being grounded and pushed about; it made him feel contained like he was some dog or a wild animal. Now he knew how his daughter must've felt about not being able to fly, but he promised to change that real quickly once he was back on his hooves.

"Alright, pick a spot where you wanna sit and I'll fetch you your food," A griffon nurse said as she stood on the other side of Drift's wheelchair after pushing him here.

Despite the metaphorical shackles being a massive hassle to him, that didn't ruin his good mood about being out of his room. It felt good to be somewhat free and he looked up at his nurse, giving her a sweet smile, lightly nodding at her, "Alright, Gretchen, give us a sec. And, thank you." Gretchen gave a light smile back before Drift latched his attention on to Scootaloo who already had an excited grin on her face which made him coo at her cuteness.

"Heh, did you already find a table, baby girl?" Drift asked.

Indeed she did. After looking around the rather large cafeteria, out of the nine circular tables presented, she immediately pointed at the center table and showed her father. When Drift looked, he realized why Scootaloo picked that table specifically and saw two familiar faces sitting down next to one another and talking to each other.

"I see we found our spot," Drift chuckled and looked over at Gretchen. "We'd like to sit with them if that's alright?" The nasally-talking griffon noticed the two who were sitting at the table, and she was not going to object. She got back behind Drift's wheelchair and pushed him to where Applebloom and Big Macintosh sat.

Scootaloo followed them. Her excitement got to her when her wings started to buzz and lift her off the ground. Drift and Gretchen noticed and watched, one with pride and one with surprise, as Scootaloo glided over to the two earth ponies, calling their names.

"Applebloom! Big Mac!"

Applebloom and Big Macintosh looked over and watched as Scootaloo glided right toward them. Their eyes widened in shock from this turn of events; they started to process what they just saw.  Did it really just happen? Did Scootaloo actually get off the ground? When did this happen?!

"Scootaloo?!" Applebloom squeaked in shock, her eyes wide in awe and shock.

Big Mac was equally shocked, but he felt an overwhelming sense of pride for the little filly who he saw as a littler baby sister. "Little Sugarcube! Y-You're…" He held his arms out to catch her, his eyes wide in amazement. "You're flying!!!" He yelps as Scootaloo glided into his arms and around him as she hugged him happily before making a u-turn, flying right down and landing perfectly on her chair. 

The two were in absolute shock at what they had just witnessed. Scootaloo actually glided off the ground and made a perfect landing. They almost struggled with what to say about this until Scootaloo's excitement quickly broke them from their amazed yet confused stupor. 

"It's so good to see you're up, Applebloom. How are you doing?" Scootaloo asked.

Applebloom, like Drift, sat in a wheelchair with Big Macintosh accompanying her. Her left arm up to her shoulder was in a cast and bandaged down to her ribs; her cast arm was held in an arm sling. Her left cheek had gauze over it that was gently wrapped over with bandage gauze.

Applebloom looked near worse for wear, and it showed. Marabunda swiped her pretty hard and the results almost made Scootaloo feel bad for asking that question.

Almost, if Applebloom didn't crack a half smile and chuckled softly at her, "Been better, Scootaloo." She would ask about how the heck she flew, but that was for later.

Scootaloo winced at how drained Applebloom looked, "Oh jeez. Guess Marabunda got you good, didn't he?" And from how she talked, even one sentence seemed like it could take energy.

'Good' was putting it mildly. Once she was put in that hospital after Big Macintosh and Applejack took her there, all that pain she received from that monster came with her and it swarmed her entire body like a horde of centipedes constantly pierced at her flesh with their thousand legs. High pain tolerance ran in her family, and she was very grateful for that, but any god above would pity her and wouldn't blame her for cursing if she didn't admit being slapped by that claw from that brutal manticore didn't feel like it came straight out of Tartarus itself. Her pain felt like a grueling trial that lasted for hours but she thankfully made it through.

She was fortunate that the painkillers the doctors gave her were doing their job rather well, but they didn't help get rid of the memory of the stupid thing she did to get her here in the first place, she chuckled lightheartedly and admitted to it, "Not my best idea, honestly."

That distraction gave everyone else time, but it almost got her killed doing so. She was lucky she made it out of there alive -- unconscious, but alive.

"No, it wasn't," Big Mac chimed in and teased his little sister, earning a slight pout from his sister. But the eldest apple sibling just smiled back, a smile that spoke great relief. "But, what you did made a difference."

And that was the truth. Granted, he and Applejack weren't happy Applebloom pulled a stunt like that, but they were so relieved that she was still alive and with them.

"So, what happened to you?" Scootaloo asked Applebloom but felt a little hesitant that she asked that and thought that might've embarrassed her.

To Scootaloo's relief, Applebloom shrugged and happily complied; any hint of embarrassment was non-existent with the southern filly. Applebloom was about to answer Scootaloo's question but Big Macintosh took notice of her momentarily wincing lightly as she feels her stitches, it was that moment he took over for that one for a good reason -- even though he wasn't much of a talker. But, in this case, he had to stretch his vocabulary so Applebloom doesn't overexert herself.

"Broken arm and fractured ribs. She even has slight gashes on her left cheek, flank, and right where her ribs are," Big Mac motioned to the gauze over Applebloom's cheek. 

"Doctors patched them up but they say she's gonna be here for a while. They advise her not to talk much because of her stitches while she heals, they don't want her to overexert herself. Same goes for walking, that's just gonna mess her ribs and stitches up twice over. So, she'll be in a wheelchair for a couple weeks, until then. But, her family has her covered." Big Mac smiled calmly but it pained him to see her like this, but he was now determined to care for his little sister -- Applejack and Granny Smith were on board, too.

Scootaloo smiled softly, knowing her friend was gonna be alright, but since the apple family was brought up, that reminded her and she almost winced bringing this up, "Oh jeez… Does Granny Smith know?" Scootaloo asked since Granny Smith wasn't involved in the fight, but she had a feeling that Granny had to be informed about her condition.

Applebloom and Big Mac were reluctant to answer that question, at first. The two siblings winced as they gazed at one another. Once Granny Smith got word from Applejack about Applebloom being in the hospital...

"Uh, well, Granny wasn't too happy to hear Applebloom was in the hospital, at all." Big Macintosh said before he let out a scared sigh, shaking his head in dismay while Applebloom looked embarrassed and regretful. "She was more irate than a wolverine losing its meal to a hawk. She also said, if it weren't for the fact that Applebloom was injured, she would've belted her little flank for pulling such a stunt like that." From what Applejack told him.

Scootaloo winced. Now she wondered how Applejack felt after all of this, "I'm glad I wasn't there to see that." She didn't want to be a fly on the wall to see Applejack get scolded. Big Mac was lucky to stay here.

"But, where is Applejack, anyway?" Scootaloo asked.

"Called in for something important," Big Mac shrugged. "Twilight needed her."

While Scootaloo and Big Mac were talking, Applebloom crossed her arms and looked away with a stern but disappointed frown -- the last thing she needed was for Granny Smith to blow a gasket. No doubt she was gonna get an earful once she gets back or if Granny Smith visited her herself. She really couldn't blame her for being so worried though – the old mare cherished every member of the apple family kin, and she loved her, Big Mac and Applejack with all her heart – so to hear that one of them got really injured would no doubt put her worry into overdrive. She then winced lightly and hissed when she realized she touched the spots where her fractured ribs were and one spot on her cheek where the gash was. She didn't like being in a wheelchair. She wanted to walk around and stretch her legs, not be tied down like a mule. 

Oh, what a price to pay. But, at least it was worth it to her since her brother, sister and her best friends were safe.

Then a little laugh caught their attention as they look up just in time to see Gretchen parking Drift next to Scootaloo's chair. Drift chuckled when he saw Applebloom in a wheelchair, smiling lightly at the earth filly.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's being grounded to a wheelchair for some time," Drift chuckled, finding it funny to know he's not alone here at being bound to a wheelchair. "Don't worry, squirt, I know how you feel." That statement alone seemed to cheer Applebloom up, knowing she's not alone at being confined like this. She sent a little smile at Scootaloo's father, appreciating that she won't be alone during this.

The whole time, Drift had caught Applebloom's gestures and crooked movements to get what she was thinking. Pain or not, he too felt like he was going get an earful from Fluttershy when she got back. He missed the part where she got hurt but he heard enough from Big Macintosh to know what went down.

And, he wasn't gonna ignore the said big red elephant with the half-cut green apple in the room. Even if he got himself beaten by Marabunda, he still had two cents to remember what happened after Applebloom pulled her stunt. And he had a feeling this would cheer Applebloom up right away.

"Besides, despite what we're about to face next, we shouldn't forget what you caused," Drift pointed at Big Macintosh with a snickering smile on his face, being a little cheeky when the stallion gazed at him curiously. "If it wasn't for that 'sacrifice' you made, your brother over there wouldn't have gone all God of War on Marabunda."

Big Mac flinched as his eyes widened as big as dinner plates. Well, that cat's out of the bag.

Applebloom looked at Drift in a look of surprise before she glanced over at her older brother with a look that asked 'is that true?', raising a brow at him because she could not remember for the life of her if that actually happened.

"He never mentioned that," Applebloom said a little carefully yet suspiciously while trying not to move her cheek muscles so much.

When she woke up, Big Mac told her only what he remembered from the fight. He never mentioned anything about what Drift said. So, she felt like she needed to be enlightened on that part.

Big Mac looked away awkwardly, knowing full-well Applebloom was giving him those 'tell me now' eyes and a 'don't you dare lie to me' pout. Even for a child, he could see their mother's eyes in Applebloom. He kinda cursed Drift for spilling that because he didn't want to make that fuel for some kind of ego trip. He did what he did because he had to; he didn't want to but that brute of a beast left him no choice when he struck Applebloom, his baby sister, aside so heartlessly. It still surprised him that Marabunda walked out of that – bruised, wet, filthy, and at the end of his sanity at that. He gave him everything he had and it barely did anything except wear his energy down and piss him off over the edge. He had to admit, that manticore was one tough fighter.

"Well, I -- " He was about to speak before Scootalook excitedly cut him off to tell her best friend personally.

"It was awesome! You should've seen it, Applebloom," Scootaloo said with a very excited grin, happy to know this was now being brought up. She brought the apple siblings' attention onto her while she explained as best as she could, buzzing those little wings like a hyper hummingbird, making motions with her hooves to describe each action as she tells Applebloom what went down.

Of all the things for her brother-figure to do, this was by far the most coolest thing he's ever done. Even with everything that happened, that moment still played back like it was from a scene from an action movie.

"When Big Mac saw how hurt you gotten, he had gotten really mad – so mad that he let out a scream that could be heard all over Ponyville – it even scared Marabunda for a second and almost got him running! But he ran after Marabunda and grabbed him by the tail," She smirked widely as she makes a grabbing motion, holding onto an imaginary tail in thin air, "And he slammed him on the ground over and over, swinging him around!" Scootaloo moved her arms left and right and tried to mimic what Big Macintosh did as she swung her hooves up above. "Marabunda screamed like a little girl and totally looked scared for his life. He wanted to get away but Big Mac wouldn't let him!"

Everyone listening to her was floored -- even Big Mac had a hard time remembering that part. The last thing he remembered was seeing Applebloom down on the ground then everything turned red and then it all went blank after that. Did he really go that ballistic?

They weren't the only ones though, some of the other patients of the hospital who were brought in for lunch started to gaze over to their table at least once or twice, just to feed their curiosity when they overheard someone had wailed on a Manticore, their eyes full of curiosity and their ears slightly perked with interest.

"With a mighty throw, he tossed that beast right against a well – I think he even dislocated one of his wings!" She grinned as she pounded her little hoof on the table before she started throwing punches. "Tackling him further in, he started throwing punches into his face without stopping! One hoof after the other pounding his face in and just when he thought he was done Marabunda got back up and tried to attack Big Mac from the back, but one buck to his face and Marabunda flew back and fell right into the well Big Mac pinned him up against!" Scootaloo took a moment to take a breath after explaining that bit to them, panting a bit quickly but excitedly. She remembered it all, and who could blame her?

Apparently, he did. Big Macintosh sat there processing what Scootaloo said and had no clue she had this good of a photographic memory. He looked over to Applebloom who had a glisten in her eyes.

Not only was she shocked by what she was told -- and with how excited Scootaloo sounded -- she couldn't help but believe it all. She knew her brother was strong but she never knew he was that strong to hold his own against Marabunda. Not only was she surprised but she was so disappointed that she missed it all. She would've gladly watched her brother out-hulk a manticore.

"You… actually… did that?" Applebloom slowly said so not to stress her stitches, looking at him in awe yet disbelief, unfortunately she had to hold her enthusiasm because of her injuries. "And I missed it?!" She pouted lightly and a bit angrily, mostly at the fact that she had been out cold during all of this. She would've killed to see her brother do that before her very eyes! Lightly crossing her good arm over her sling one, carefully without putting too much pressure on it, she simply let out a semi-disappointed "Phooey…"

But, she wasn't too upset, actually she was really so happy he made it out of there unscathed.

Big Macintosh blushed brightly and looked away sheepishly because of the praise he was getting, rubbing the back of his neck while jostling his yoke. Scootaloo's excitement was adorable and energetic but she needed to tone it down so she wouldn't draw any attention from the other hospitalized ponies. The last thing he wanted right now at the moment was a little fan-club thinking of him as some sort of superhero.

But if he was to be honest, he was shocked that he let his anger get the best of him like that.

"Okay, Scootaloo, I think it's time to cool it now. You're getting too excited, again," With how she reacted about Vinyl being her aunt, Drift had to try and get his baby girl's excitement under control otherwise they'll be in trouble by not just the nurses. Almost answering his prayers, the curious but awed private listeners that were the other hospitalized ponies quickly gazed away to mind their own business, to appear like they weren't listening in anymore, especially since the little filly seems to be done.

Scootaloo winced and quickly piped down the tube that was her throat, "Right, sorry, dad." She agreed and needed to work on that, but she just couldn't help it -- she gets so easily excited, especially when it comes to something action-y.

But, Drift just chuckled lightly, not at all frustrated in the slightest, "It's okay to get excited but let's hold that back a little. Okay?" Drift said to his little girl.

Even if she was maturing, she was still a filly and she had much to learn -- ironic, too, since this was now the start of his journey through parenthood.

Then Big Mac suddenly realized something; he remembered now. After his part in the fight, he had an encounter with Scootaloo's monstrous pet lizard and then met Drift face to face. Yet, out of all of this, he realized he had never properly met Scootaloo's father. That can be arranged.

"So, you're Scootaloo's pa?" Big Macintosh said then introduced himself and his little sister who takes notice of him. "I'm Big Macintosh and this is my little sis, Applebloom." Applebloom smiled happily and in a slightly cute matter as much as her stitches can allow, waving her good hoof.

Drift looked at Big Macintosh dumbfoundedly at his sudden introduction. "Eh?" that came out of left field but then it quickly hit him like a bat that the farm stallion had a point – they never got each other's names properly, sure Filthy mentioned his name to him and the fact that he was a big brother figure to little Scootaloo – but not personally did they get to formally meet. He smiled lightly, "Oh, yeah, we never did introduce ourselves. I'm -- "

"Still alive and kicking, I see?" A familiar calm, slightly gruff voice spoke out and caught the ponies' attention.

"Gilda?" Drift said surprised to see her show up as she casually walked up to them. "This is a surprise. What are you doing here?" 

Of all the visitors to show up, he never expected to see his former bully visit. He didn't know if she had anything planned to mess with him but now was not a good time. Then again, it just occurred to him that he might be jumping to conclusions too soon. What happened then hasn't happened now. So, he'll just wait to see what'll happen.

"Hi Gilda," Scootaloo waved to the tomboy griffon, happy she showed up.

Gilda just smiled softly and lightly waved back, "Hey, squirt." Coming over, she gave Scootaloo a ruffling on her mane, causing her to squeal happily. She then looked over at Drift and shrugged at him with a carefree look. "Eh, I figured I'd swing by and say hi, see how you're doing. Oh, and my little passenger wanted to see Scootaloo."

Scootaloo perked up when her name was mentioned. That said passenger poked her head over Gilda and shyly waved at everyone.

And that 'little passenger' brought a big grin to Scootaloo's face, "Glinda!" Scootaloo hopped off her chair as Glinda fluttered down off her sister.

Before Glinda could get a word in, she was lightly glomped by the pegasi and hugged closely. The little griffon hugged back, happy to see her new friend was alright. "Scootaloo!" She happily chirped

Drift perked his head, too, more surprised than anyone else. Gilda had a little sister? He never knew that. Then again, he didn't know a lot about Gilda. And to top it all off, Scootaloo knew Gilda, too?

'Holy crap! What did I miss?' Drift thought to himself as he tried to process this new info given to him while still asking himself more questions.

Applebloom looked over and slightly tilted her head, confused by this new turn of events. Did Scootaloo make a new friend while she and Sweetie Belle were away? This was interesting. And with how wholesome this griffon looked, she seemed like the friendly kind, unlike Gilda who still had that mess-around-and-find-out look about her.

"It's so good to see you, Glinda. How've you been?" Scootaloo asked, happy to see her new griffon friend, again.

Glinda let out a canary-like tweet and happily replied, "I'm okay. How are you?" She then grew concerned when she noticed the others behind Scootaloo. "Is everyone else okay?"

"I told her what happened when I went to go see Dash's parents with Rainbow Dash," Gilda explained to the three recovering ponies while Scootaloo and Glinda talked to one another. "She wanted to see you guys real badly, but I told her we had to wait til tomorrow."

She was roughed up, too, but not as much as the others. Gilda was fortunate enough to go when she did with Rainbow Dash. The moment they got back to Rainbow Dash's parent's house, Glinda and Rainbow's parents came out to see them but were shocked to see how banged up they looked. It took them a couple of hours to get Glinda and Windy Whistle to calm down after they told them their story; Bow Hothoof was just amazed that, out of all of them, they were the ones barely injured -- even though the two tomboys would jump into action without thinking. Well, maybe in Rainbow's case, Gilda became a different story, to him. But, with the fight being told to him and his wife, He could only imagine what the others might look like.

"After we got some sleep I decided it was time to come see you guys," Gilda said. "So, here we are."

"I see. And since you two are here, where's your partner in crime?" Drift teased Gilda, knowing she had shown up with her little sister but Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. How strange.

Gilda took the tease but nonchalantly brushed it off. That tease was so weak that even Glinda could come up with a better one; she will give Drift an A for effort for remembering that awesome bond she had with Rainbow Dash back in high school. Those were good times -- kind of.

"Eh, Dashie got called into that big eyesore of a castle. I guess Princess Nerdicorn needed her for something – something important apparently." She didn't care about the name-calling. To her, it felt like a fact because Rainbow Dash allows told her that Twilight had her face buried in books almost every day. 

Though it's highly ironic considering Rainbow Dash had her face buried in books, too. It was just one series, yet there was still a decent amount of them to still consider it ironic. But, she didn't care one way or another. She will admit to herself that she did read every now and then, too, when she had the time. She just didn't feel like telling everyone else that.

But, to her absolute surprise, everyone around the table didn't take any offense to her jab about Twilight's castle, or the fact that she called her a nerd, better yet they actually agreed with her, wholeheartedly at that. Compared to everything else in Ponyville, that new castle Twilight had really was a total eyesore. As much as they respect Twilight as a hero and new princess, that tree really could've turned into a less fancy-looking palace and the reflections from the sun did not help its case in any way for anyone.

Residents in Ponyville lost count of how many times they woke up near blinded just by walking out of their homes or ultimately fell victim to an obnoxious beam of light blasting into their room; not even curtains can help them with that mess.

As for Twilight being a nerd, it was really one of her traits; the town's residents knew that their new princess is without a doubt smart for one her age, and her love of books and the fact that she used to be their local librarian made her quirky at best. They wouldn't say right to her face in a blunt matter that she was a nerd, but it was something they all loved about her.

"So, she was called in, too?" Big Macintosh said to Gilda kind of puzzled after Drift lightly pouted at Gilda for not being remotely phased by his jab at her. "Applejack was called in by Twilight earlier. I have no idea why," But, he didn't feel like snooping, anyway. It wasn't his place to snoop into something private. Unless it's something his sister and her friends will need help with, he will mind his own business. Applejack will tell if she wants to or not.

Gilda blinked a few times when she got a good look at Big Macintosh. There was a brief silence as they took notice of one another before she tilted her head a little and pointed a talon at him, "Wait, don't I know you from somewhere?" Gilda asked, curiously with a raised eyebrow.

Everyone around the table was confused by what Gilda said before they glanced over to Big Mac who then gave her a light snickering smile. He wondered when she'd notice. Gilda had a good eye, that's for sure.

He nodded at Gilda and casually told her right off the bat, "Kind of. We met back at Suger Cube Corner the first time you came to town; One of Pinkie's pranks got to ya." He then tapped his chin, wondering if it was actually Pinkie's prank or Dash's prank, he knew that pegasus is quite a prankster too. "Or, was it Rainbow Dash?"

Now things got really interesting. Not only did Gilda come to visit, but now he's learning she and Big Mac have some history? Drift and Scootaloo looked at each other with the same surprised look then back at Gilda and Big Macintosh curiously.

Glinda was just as surprised. She looked up at her older sister only to find the fur on her cheeks lighten red with embarrassment and slight guilt. Glinda let out a small shocked tweet when she saw Gilda act like this. What was going on here?

Now things started to click when he brought that up, her cheeks started glowing red, "O-Oh, heh, you remember that?" Gilda cringed and rubbed the back of her head, nervously and sheepishly as she gazed away for a moment. 

"Heh, I may not be the most talkative earth pony here in Ponyville at times – but I do have a good memory sometimes." Big Mac tapped his noggin with a little smirk, knowing he tended to have a good memory for certain events that happened.

It's been a long time since that happened and she figured all of those ponies around that bakery would forget; guess she was proven wrong. She hoped no one held a grudge over that because she didn't know any better and was going through some phases. But, still...

"I was such a Queen B back then, wasn't I?" Gilda asked, innocently for once instead of keeping a cool head, rubbing her right shoulder with a little wince when she made eye contact with him.

Big Macintosh just shrugged but lightly teased her for what she did, "Actually, quite more of a drama llama than I've ever seen one."

Gilda cringed at being called that but the others had a good laugh out of it. It was an obvious fact and she couldn't back out from it.

Yeah, she wasn't gonna deny it. She was a jerk back then and she knew it. She can still be like that but she toned that down and did a good job; her friendship with Fluttershy was proof of that.

"I'm sorry about that." Gilda apologized. "Hope no one got hurt when I went on that rampage."

He spared her and admitted that nopony had gotten hurt after her meltdown. "No, no one did," He rubbed a hoof on his chin as he took thought, before chuckling lightly to himself as he then pointed at the griffon. "But, Granny Smith still remembers that rattlesnake prank you pulled."

That one wasn't forgotten?! Gilda was impressed someone still remembered that. Gilda said awkwardly to Big Macintosh, "Oh, the rattlesnake prank? Heh, I'm surprised someone remembered that one –" Before it hit her when he said 'granny', which got her eyes to widen when she connected the dots that there was a relationship involved here. "W-wait, that was your grandmother? How did she find out it was me?" She was shocked to hear that she's talking to not only someone who met her before, but apparently he's the grandson of that old granny pony she pranked before when she first came to town – when she was still a big jerk, that is.

That really gave her a shocking punch to her chest. She didn't think anyone would bring that up let alone tell anyone else. It was a simple prank that she didn't think would hurt anyone. Scare, yes. Traumatize, at least she thought not; rattlesnakes were rarely seen. But, now, she wondered if that old mare was doing okay. She didn't give her a heart attack, did she?

"I never knew she was your grandmother! I swear! Is that old coot doing okay?" Gilda asked, concerned about what happened if her prank caused some kind of damage to Big Mac's grandmother.

Big Macintosh looked surprised by her concern, but he simply smiled softly and thankfully gave the poor griffon good news that his grandmother is still alive and kicking, "Oh, she's doing fine!" He waved a hoof reassuringly and even gave a little chuckle, "That little snake-in-the-produce prank ya pulled sure did scare the bones out of her and got her ticker going good, but it's gonna take a lot more than a rattlesnake prank to take Granny Smith down."

"Trust us," Applebloom hopped in, understanding Gilda's anxiety, too. That old mare had given them moments of anxiety and fear, too. "Granny's tougher than she looks for a pony her age." And for her, that was saying something!

"And how she figured out it was you? She came back to Ponyville, saw you and your tail while you were walking in town, and put the pieces together rather quickly."

And to give Gilda a little defense, they had done their fair share of pranks on her before -- Applejack was always excluded -- and it always ended up with them flat on the ground, beaten to a pulp or pranked back -- the latter was always the option she went with.

That was a relief. Gilda cracked a small smile knowing her prank didn't harm their grandmother but she was deathly surprised that the old mare figured her out by just glancing at her tail tip. Ponies are very surprising but the last thing she needed on her to-do list was to cause death in someone's family. She was a rough, tough griffon, not a murderer.

"Well, that's good to hear," Gilda said after she let out a heavy sigh of relief to get that weight off her shoulders and chest.

Glinda lightly tugged on Gilda's tufted fur to try and get her attention, "Gilda, what's a Queen B?"

Gilda's eyes widened when her little sister asked that, just now remembering that her little sister is among them, but she immediately responded to her and said in a spastic tone, "Uh, I'll tell you when you're older. Let's move on to something else, please." If this kept up, she might just faint from embarrassment or something.

As much as Drift loved to see Gilda get thrown into a tizzy, she had a point. But it surprised him to learn that Big Mac and Gilda knew each other, somewhat. This was perfect! Plus, it was also a bonus to see Gilda bring out a more emotional side to her. 

Back then, he thought she was just a brute that only enjoyed beating up others for the sake of enjoyment and only wanted to be friends with those she deemed tolerable and below her; an alpha to a pack; hence why he's always seen her with Rainbow Dash.

But, after their unexpected reunion near his workplace thanks to Rainbow Dash and her obnoxious meddling, he saw a different light in her that he didn't expect to see. Her attitude and mindset turned a complete one-eighty, and here she was with her little sister acting as a guardian to her. He understood why she was here, but that can't be the only reason, right?

Then, he noticed something a little off with Gilda. He squinted his eyes a bit and noticed faint bags under her eyes and her muscles seemed tense. Gilda's behavior seemed anxious, too, but about what? He raised a questionable brow and started to speak up to Gilda. 

"Alright, we can talk about something else," Drift looked over to see Glinda flying over and briefly chatting with Scootaloo and Applebloom – most likely to make another new friend, and then he looked back to Gilda, wondering. He asked her curiously and worriedly, "Is there another reason why you're back in Ponyville, Gilda?"

He pointed out the details he found on the griffon and said, "You look like you haven't slept in weeks. Is something wrong?"

Gilda looked at Drift and was caught off-guard by that out-of-the-blue question. She didn't expect him to catch on so quickly like that. She briefly glanced over to Big Macintosh and the little ones and noticed the curious looks on their faces. A couple of innocent blinks and she chuckled lightly, but then she said in a hesitant tone, "A-Actually... yeah, there are a few reasons." She walked over and sat next to him. She remained quiet for a moment once she sat down, her head dipped down slightly as her shoulders sagged a little.

Glinda and Scootaloo were quiet when Gilda said that. Either they were hearing things, or did they just hear Gilda talk real strange? Glinda and Scootaloo walked over and sat next to their respected guardians to listen to what was going on.

Applebloom and Big Mac were wondering the same thing. Gilda seemed like she had a cool head on her shoulders. But, now she suddenly went quiet. Was she alright?

Gilda sat there for a minute before she placed her arms on the table, talons held together then gripped tight. She never looked at anyone around her almost like she was hiding her eyes from them. She remained quiet like she was focused on something.

Then Drift broke the silence and asked her, "Gilda, are you okay? Is there somethin --" 

Then he noticed a tear drop from her face; then another; then another. Each drop dripped onto the table, her talons slightly gripping the table as a little weak sad baby bird coo peeped out of her clenched beak.

Everyone around the table noticed these actions and started to get worried about Gilda. Now the pleasant welcome started turning into a somber one when they started to hear Gilda hiccup softly. She was crying, but why?

"Big sis?" Glinda said worried and scared about her older sister. She tried to get her attention but it was no good.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Big Macintosh asked, hoping her feelings weren't hurt or anything like that. All they did was joke around with her. If it was about Granny Smith, he didn't mean to scare her if that's what she was thinking.

"Gilda? Why are you crying?" Drift asked, getting concerned as well. He never saw Gilda before and this had him worried. Was it because of the jab earlier? 

"Hey, if you are upset about my joke, I didn't mean -- "

"I'm... s-sorry... Drift..." Gilda said under choking breaths. 

She kept her pained gaze on the table, trying to keep her composure, keep her cool, anything to not cause a scene. She wanted to be tough and get this over with. But, with her next Drift, the weight she secretly held grew too heavy on her to bear, and it came crashing down. The tears overflowed and came out like little rivers. She expected this; expected this apology to be painful, but she didn't think of how much it'd hurt her -- the pain hurt her much harder than any of the hardest punch she'd ever thrown.

"I-I'm... s-so sorry..." Gilda apologized, the words choking in the back of her throat.

"G-Gilda?" Scootaloo said, concerned about why Gilda was starting to cry all of a sudden.

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" Drift asked, slightly surprised to hear her apologize to him. He didn't know what to think right now, but it was obvious Gilda was in pain. His hunch and suspicions were right about Gilda looking off.

But, why was she in pain? He didn't understand that; none of them did.

"F-For what I did... back then... What Dash and I did..."

If Drift wasn't confused already, he was now more than ever, "Oh, that? Gilda, that was a long time ago. And you already apologized for that."

She was bringing that up, again? Why was she crying over that? That was all water under the bridge, right?

But Gilda lifted her head and looked at Drift with red, teary, puffy, pained eyes that screamed 'guilty', "I know I did. But... but... after what happened. I never bothered to ask. I just jumped in without thinking and helped Rainbow Dash with her little plan."

**

It all started coming back to her now as she envisioned herself, younger and in school with Dash and Drift.

The day Rainbow Dash asked her to help beat up Drift and his friends still lingered in the back of her mind. After the fight last night, and when she tried to get some sleep while she stayed at Dash's parents' home, she had hoped that this nightmarish day would just go away and never come back, but the memory of when she was younger never left. In fact, this time it felt different… very, very different. 

When she tried to sleep through the night, in her dream, she remembered everything that went down, again -- the constant fights, theirs and her own injuries, the pained faces, the brutal enjoyment, she remembered it all. She was an absolute brute and she relished in it. But now? 

Now? Her younger self was an absolute tyrant, relishing the pain she puts others through, not caring if anyone got seriously hurt because of her – even to the point that blood was shed, as long as her younger self saw the absolute fear in their eyes, she was satisfied. Seeing how her younger self acted, she hated herself for it. She was glad she was never like that anymore.

And then as she watched herself go into one of the girl's restrooms after that fight she got into with Dash against Drift and his friends, she followed her inside and saw herself looking at her reflection in a mirror just chuckling at how much fun she had; no one else was around. At that moment, she found it strange to see herself like this; Full of energy, tough as nails, and powerful yet proud. She looked like she had the time of her life. Was she really that enthralled to cause such mayhem toward others? It was so hard to fathom how much she's changed over the years.

But then she began to notice something off; a slow change started to happen to her younger self as her young talons started to grip the sink. She kept her gaze on her younger self still chuckling to herself before that cheeky chuckle became an eerie laugh, almost evilly and maniacally as she belted it out. Gilda didn't know what was going on with her younger self before she widened her eyes in pure shock as her younger self's fur and feathers suddenly began to change color from brown and white to dark and light blood red. Gilda watched on in horror as her younger self then groaned in rage and pain as her body started to twitch and violently contort before she began to swell in size and her eyes began to light up with an eerie white hue – to a point that nopony or griffon could see her pupils anymore. Her fur was messier and her beak was sharper. Her claws curved like sickles, managing to crack the sink's surface and her wings morphed, shredded, and resembled that of a bat. Her younger self stopped her eerie laughter as she grew to a size similar to a manticore's and bear's size, now that laughter was replaced by animalistic snarls and growls. And to her horror as she saw her younger self's reflection, it almost looked like she was looking into an actual mirror because she could've sworn that her younger self started to look… to actually look like…

Gilda took a step back from herself but her demonic 'younger self' swiftly turned to look her right in the eyes; ram-like horns had sprouted from the top of her head. Gilda started to panic as she squawked in fear. Her 'younger self' let out a demon-like roar and lunged at her, but she sat up and screamed in a panic, panting like she was out of breath as she woken up from that nightmare.

She looked at her shaking talons and then closed them tight. She didn't feel the pain for a long time until that fight woke her up. Now she can't help but compare herself to that blood-thirsty manticore. If she didn't decide to take care of Glinda and help out in the fight with Marabunda. Would she end up like him? It scared her to know what she could've ended up as. 

All these thoughts scared her to no end and that night, she silently cried to herself now knowing that the choices she made had a much greater impact than she originally thought. She felt like she needed redemption and the first thing that came to her mind was to meet up with Drift and apologize; actually apologize this time instead of just throwing it aside like it was a shed feather. If she could do that, then she'd hope it would help fix this unbearable pain.

**

"I didn't think of how much I hurt you and your friends," Gilda said, slowly wallowing in pained tears. "I just enjoyed beating you up so much and I didn't care what you'd say or think. I shouldn't have; I should've stopped when I saw how hurt you looked."

Comparing the two and seeing them side by side, Gilda couldn't help but think of her past self as nothing more than a...

"I was a monster..." Gilda said with genuine pain. She looked at her claws and covered her eyes, feeling sorrowful as she admitted it. " I was a monster to you and your friends…" She groaned as she even dared to compare herself to the horror they faced, "God… I was even worse than that crazy bastard manticore!" She sighed lightly, feeling foolish for her actions, "What was I thinking about doing all those things? I'm so sorry I --"

But a hoof reached out and placed itself on Gilda's shoulder, stopping her before she could say anything else and catching her off-guard. She looked surprised before she looked to find the serious eyes of Drift glaring back at her.

"Gilda, stop," Drift said firmly. "You are not a monster. Yes, what you did back then was cruel. But, I can say the same for me, too; What I've done to Fluttershy was cruel. But we can't forget that we were freaking kids back then. You, Rainbow Dash, and I were all idiots; crazy messed up kids who didn't know any better."

And he couldn't say it any better. What he did was foolish; what Gilda did was foolish; everyone they knew who used to be kids probably did something that was just as foolish. It was a common thing! And to hear Gilda compare herself to Marabunda of all creatures couldn't be further from the truth.

"You've changed, Gilda. You really have. I don't know what you did in your life that made you change the way you did, but you made it work. And look at what you've become."

Gilda paused in thought. He was right; every word of it. Yet, she just couldn't shake the comparison off of her. She felt like a monster and it tore her apart. Yet, what Drift said was true. She changed --

"You are the best big sister I ever had, Gilda. You really are!" Glinda chimed in, getting Gilda's attention. Everyone else looked over to the runt of Gilda's family.

Glinda knew she was getting a lot of attention right now, but she didn't care. Seeing her older sister cry like this wasn't right. The story she was told by her and Rainbow Dash made her see Gilda as a hero, not a monster. Where she got the idea of seeing herself as a monster, she didn't know, but she was not gonna hear any more of it. 

In fact, she knew what real monsters were the entire time, and to her, "Gilda, you are awesome. You've taken care of me when all mom and dad wanted to do was abandon me." She hurried up to her big sister and hugged her closely as much as her little fluffy body could allow. "You stuck by me… and only a true, loyal, great big sister would do that." 

Everyone around the table heard that crystal clear and they couldn't believe what they just heard. Was all that true? Was Glinda being honest? For Drift, he could believe it; after what Scootaloo went through, he, and Fluttershy if she were here too, could believe it. He didn't know about Big Mac and his little sister. But, the shocked looks might tell a story, too.

The cat was out of the bag and everyone around the table knew; she still didn't care anyway because she needed to bring this up. She knew she was a runt and she accepted it. She was scared to be out there in the world and she was so thankful Gilda took her under her wing. She couldn't ask for a better sister.

Gilda was shocked that Glinda brought that up. No one around here needed to know about that just yet, but now it was thrown out there. Yet, she wasn't gonna object. After all, Glinda was right. If anything, when she took Glinda without any hesitation – she did it because she actually loved her. Normally, when a griffon was at the right age, they would be strong enough to fend for themselves. But, Glinda was a different case, she was born smaller than the rest of her siblings and her growth was slow. Gilda knew this and felt bad.

She also knew her other siblings were not gonna help out and would rather take care of themselves -- per brainwashing from dear old sweet mom and dad. She mentally growled at the mere thought of picturing her family, again. That's why she left with Glinda. They didn't care; they wanted no part of it; so, why stick around? Besides, she made the right call to just abandon them like what they were about to do with Glinda.

And from support from Rainbow Dash and her folks when they took them in, they had a much better life moving forward. Come to think of it, in a way, she could relate to Fluttershy when it came to raising Scootaloo. It was kinda the same but with different scenarios.

Gilda wiped her tears away and smiled softly down at her little sister as she wrapped her talons around her, "You're right. I did do that."

And she still was. It honestly felt more like she was being a mother to Glinda instead of their actual mother doing that. She was supposed to be a big sister or guardian, not a mother figure. It was so weird and awkward but no one around was judging her for it, at all. It was nice.

"And I plan to continue doing that. I want to see my little sis grow up to be big, strong, and cool just like her older sister." She picked up her little sister and hugged her close and tight in front of everyone around them, her little sister's arms wrapping around her neck as she cuddled close to her.

At this point, she didn't care. She was with a few faces that wouldn't judge her. But that didn't matter to her. She smiled softly and as Glinda returned with a hug so tight, she wanted to let Gilda know she was happy and grateful to have a big sister like her.

Then the griffon sisters heard a slight low chuckle from the other side of the table. They look over to find Big Macintosh briefly chuckle then smiled happily at them in their moment.

Gilda looked a little confused and raised a brow at him for that little snicker, "Got something on your mind over there?" she asked a bit firmly. She didn't know if he thought this was weird or if what they were doing was really sappy. But, he better choose his words wisely because she was in no mood to be made fun of right now.

Big Macintosh just waved and smiled reassuringly at Gilda. He meant nothing by it and quickly explained before he made things real awkward around here, "Yes, I do. But, it's nothing bad." He smiled softly down at the little griffon in her arms, "Just lookin' at you two like this, it's just like how Applebloom and I are sometimes." Applebloom smiled lightly, laying her good hoof on his, their hooves gently holding each other as they proudly displayed their own sibling relationship for the two griffons. "Just kind of happy to know you'd do anything for your little sister, just like I would for my sisters."

Glinda smiled up at her big sister who slowly softened as she heard him out. Hearing this did help her feel better, so she gave him a little smile back. 

Smiling lightly at her but soon letting out a little sigh, he admitted to what else was on his mind, "I can actually relate to what you're going through, Gilda -- Applejack can relate, too, if she was here to see this."

Gilda's defensive wall slowly went down and she looked at Big Macintosh shocked and surprised. She looked over to Applebloom who glanced over at her older brother, feeling embarrassed that he's saying this before she looked at her eye to eye. Gilda then pointed at the two and tried to wrap her head around what Big Macintosh was trying to say.

"Wait, you too?" Gilda asked. "You're taking care of her?" It was almost astounding to her. Here she thought she was the only one but it never clicked with her that ponies can go through the same thing. But, it just made her wonder what ever happened to their parents. Did they abandon them, too?

Big Mac nodded, "Eeyup. Been that way ever since -- well, uh…" He winced lightly as he gazed a bit uncomfortably at Scootaloo and Glinda for a moment. He breathed softly as he knew his sister wouldn't like this to be mentioned since it is a sore subject. He winced lightly, knowing this may get too sore for his sister, so before he goes too deep, he quickly gazed to Scootaloo. "Mm… Little Sugarcube?"

Scootaloo perked up as she heard her nickname and looked at her big brother in an alerted manner, "Yeah?" 

He gazes at her, asking a request of her with a little look of plead in his eyes, "Would you mind taking your little friend and Applebloom outside for a minute? Get some air?" He shifted his eyes towards Applebloom to give her a hint.

Scootaloo tilted her head before noticing the hint and then seeing a slightly uncomfortable look on Applebloom's face when he started to mention that he too was looking after her, it came to her. Realizing what he was about to say, she quickly recognized the situation with wide eyes, "Oh!" She then nodded, quickly agreeing to take them out for air. "R-Right." 

She started wheeling Applebloom's wheelchair, and gazing towards Glinda, she cleared her throat a little loudly. Quickly realizing their cue, Glinda flew after her with a quick nod. "E-Excuse us." The little griffon sheepishly grinned as she hurried after them.

Sighing softly as his sister is being taken out for fresh air, he gazed to Gilda and admitted… "We've been caring for her since our folks passed." 

Then the world around Gilda slowed down. That answered her question and she felt glad she didn't ask but shocked he would be so open about that.

"W-Wait, what?" Gilda replied a little weakly.

It was true. Just like in Glinda and Gilda's case, he figured he could make them feel better by sharing his story to them -- even if the Apple Family were against it. It was still a rough story to tell, but hearing Glinda share her part about her parents got him to think that perhaps he shouldn't hide it like the rest of his family. Applebloom would need to learn that, too, even if it hurt her. She's probably going to hate him for bringing this up to someone like Gilda and he understood that.

Glinda almost froze when she heard that just when she was about to leave the room, she gazed back in shock. Scootaloo winced in shock, gazing towards Applebloom who too was wincing, looking pained at the mention of her parents. Realizing that this could open a can of worms, she quickly rolled her outside with Glinda hastily flying after just as Big Mac started to continue.

"Eeyup… our parents passed away years ago." He somberly gazed aside, that look of hidden pain and sadness of his parent's passing took place on his face.

Gilda was stunned. They never expected to hear something like this and it sure grabbed their attention. Big Macintosh didn't have to do that and they weren't asking him to, yet here he was spilling it. Why, though? "How…?" She wanted to ask but her voice was starting to get stuck in her throat.

Drift was just as surprised as his daughter had been. Drift didn't expect this type of subject from his new friend, but judging by how he sent Scootaloo out with Applebloom and Glinda, he could tell Scootaloo had a feeling this would come up which told him the fact that perhaps Scootaloo knew something about this little subject too before she and Fluttershy had found him.

Both Drift and Gilda watched Scootaloo, Glinda and Applebloom leave the room, with Gilda hoping that they'll be okay. She had noticed Applebloom looked troubled and Glinda had a knack for making others feel better – so hopefully, Glinda can help cheer her up; she was kinda like that Gabby chick back at Griffonstone before they left to go live in Ponyville.

After making sure the kids were out of the room, after he watched the kids leave, Big Macintosh looked back at Gilda and Drift with a bit of hesitation. He knew sharing this story was gonna hurt but he had to be strong to tell it, "Alright, about our parents..."

***In the hospital hallway near the entrance***

The hallway was silent. Only the sound of Applebloom's wheelchair's squeaking wheels can be heard. The silence was awkward and there wasn't anyone around to break it. When she would be with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, normally, Applebloom would break the silence.

But, today?

"You okay, Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked, concerned about her best friend's strong silence. "You're awfully quiet."

Applebloom never looked back. She secretly rolled her eyes at the question Scootaloo asked. She was stitched up, in a wheelchair, and had to hear others talk about their own issues or family issues.

Not that there was anything wrong with it, of course not – everyone has struggles and she knew from personal lessons from her sister that it was better to speak your feelings in an honest matter than keep it all in.

But now, after hearing out their two bits, her big brother was back there about to tell that horrible story about what happened to her parents. She didn't want to be around to hear that; she wanted it buried. It hurt her too much to even think about it. And to hear Glinda bring up that part with her parents? That was so cruel of them to do.

She wanted to understand why Big Mac chose to spill that personal info of theirs, but her frustration and stubbornness were too strong to let it go. She wanted to thrash about and tell Big Macintosh to 'shut up' or beg him not to tell. But she couldn't just yell it out with these blasted stitches on her. Applebloom felt like a wreck and she tried to hide it from Scootaloo and Glinda. Not only that, it was the first time meeting Glinda, and here she was being a massive sulk. Yet, she couldn't help it.

Well, not just a wreck but at war with herself, too. She shouldn't be feeling this bad, should she? Yes, the subject of family was touchy right now because of who was being brought up, and yet when Glinda told what Gilda had done for her? When she heard that part from her… she almost felt jealous. She wasn't just aggravated by the fact her parents were being brought up, but she felt so bad for what happened to Glinda. She didn't exactly know the whole story but just the mention of her parents wanting to abandon her gave her the idea; Gilda was really cool for taking care of her. She just didn't know how or what to react to all of this and it started to hurt both her head and her heart.

"Applebloom?"

Applebloom flinched and snapped out of her mental war and back to reality. Speaking of said griffon, Applebloom looked in front of her to see her wheelchair had stopped and she found Glinda and Scootaloo in front of her with concerned looks.

Applebloom blushed a little, embarrassed that she was in her own head for a second there. Even if she couldn't move her muscles all that much, she could still talk without moving her lips. So, she carefully spoke to them to the best of her abilities.

"Sorry. I was... thinking is all..." Applebloom said in a glum tone.

"About what?" Glinda asked, curiously.

"N-Nothing..."

Yeah, that was a bald-faced lie and Scootaloo knew it. She pouted slightly at her and knew exactly why Applebloom was quiet. She didn't have to hide it and she knew ponies would find out eventually. It hurt her, yes, but she had to let it go and move on.

"Applebloom, you and I both know you're a terrible liar like your sister." Her best friend was spittin' facts there. Due to being super honest in the apple family, lying was not one of their strongest suits – that was enough to make a little blush quickly take place on her cheeks, but it faded as quickly as it appeared. "I know what you're thinking," Scootaloo called out. "I get you're upset, but I don't think they --"

Appleblooms eyes widened and her emotions spilled over a little as she pouted a bit firmly, "Upset? Upset?! I'm not upset. I'm frustrated, Scootaloo!"

Applebloom winced in pain and held her cheek where her stitches are when she felt a little twinge of pain, but she kept her anger-fueled gaze at Scootaloo and said, "I'm frustrated and annoyed because... I... get where you two are coming from, but at the same time, it still hurts."

Scootaloo flinched in shock. She didn't expect that kind of response from Applebloom. Something didn't add up and she couldn't understand why, neither could Glinda as the little griffon gasped lightly from her reaction.
Gilda wasn't the only one in pain today. Applebloom got herself hurt and here she was at the hospital. Her brother was here, but her sister and grandmother were off somewhere else. Even if she was gonna be here for a while, she wanted to have the whole family here to help her recover and get better -- but she can't because not all of her family was here to help her. A piece of her felt broken and it made things worse knowing Scootaloo found her parents. But, she didn't want to sound like a total jerk, too. 

She wasn't that, at all. Yes, she wanted to move on but it was hard to. She really missed her parents and she would give anything to see them again and hug them. She vaguely remembered their faces, as she was only a young filly but it wasn't enough. When Scootaloo reunited with her parents, it made her feel incredibly jealous. Jealous to a point she wanted to distance herself from Scootaloo so she wouldn't have her pain thrown at her. It wasn't just anger and sympathy colliding with each other, but a third party was in the mix and she didn't want Scootaloo to know.
"It's just…" She tried to keep it in, but it oozed out of her because her honest tongue could not let her hide the truth any longer. She let out a little frustrated groan before looking at the two little girls of her age, "The both of ya'll… you're really lucky, ya know??"

Poor Applebloom, she really wanted to understand but she also didn't want to hurt her friend, or scare her new one away. She was supposed to a best friend, not some jealous, hate-fuming brat. She didn't want to put her problems onto Scootaloo because Scootaloo had something to be happy about. She knew she was so happy but it was so tricky not to get jealous. And it hurts her more than Scootaloo would know. She had kept it bottled in. If she told Scootaloo that she was outright jealous, she'd fear she'd get into a fallout with Scootaloo.

But it just hurt so much! Scootaloo got her parents back, why couldn't she have hers back? It wasn't fair.

"It's just… I miss 'em. So much." Applebloom wanted to cry but she had to hold it in so she wouldn't mess up her stitches. So she settled with looking down in sadness, her lower lip puckered out. She didn't need this, she knew it's been such a long time. She wanted to move on from it, but it felt like a never-ending struggle.

She looked to Glinda, "You..." The little griffon winced a bit lightly but heard her out, "I'm so sorry to hear how your own folks wanted to abandon you; it's not right. You have an awesome sister and I can relate. My sister is the same way." The two gave a tiny little smile, bonding over the fact that they both had awesome sisters. In fact, Applebloom had no ill-will about Glinda, at all; they just met, for Celestia's sake. But Scootaloo...

"But, you..." Scootaloo flinched when Applebloom pointed at her. This was not gonna be pretty and she braced for it. "You... you..." She hesitated and held her words back, but that didn't stop her from slamming her hoof on her wheelchair arm and looking up at the ceiling. Tears were about to come out and she tried to hold them in. Her pain was getting to her and tried to fight it. "I'm happy for you, Scootaloo… I really am…!" She sniffled while trying to get her tears to stop from falling out, "But, it's just not fair…!" She gazed at her sadly, "You found your family… and that's huge! It's really great!" She looked to Glinda, "And having someone you can really trust to look after you, that's really wonderful…" She groaned sadly as she looked to Scootaloo once more, "But I wish I had what you have, Scootaloo!" Rubbing her stitches that slowly started to hurt from her starting to use a bit more of her vocabulary than what was allowed, she continued, "You finally found your mom months ago… and it looks like y'all finally found your pa, too…" She bitterly looked away as her tears formed once more while she crossed her good hoof over her hoof in the sling, "But… My parents are gone… especially when I was just a baby. I barely even remember what mom and dad even looked like!"

The two widened their eyes, looking at each other in shock as the truth finally spilled out from Applebloom. Guilt started to rake Scootaloo because she then realized that while Applebloom has a loving brother and sister, a wise grandmother and a wide-load of Apple Family members all over Equestria, her parents were no longer around – while she herself still had hers. Glinda winced sadly as she cooed sadly at the earth filly, feeling bad for her pain.

"I appreciate the loving care I get from the rest of my family, like Glinda does with her sister…" Applebloom whimpered and choked up, looking up at Scootaloo in heartbreak. "But how come you get to be so lucky to actually get to know your parents and actually get to have them in your life…" The dams break as the earth filly finally broke down just as the stitches forced her to quit talking after this last anguished word, the sorrow in her voice revealing itself as she sobbed out. "…When I doooon't?!"

Glinda and Scootaloo were getting very worried about Applebloom, but were shocked by how badly it had affected her. They wanted to reassure her that everything was gonna be okay, but they couldn't get Applebloom to calm down – especially after she let out these personal feelings. Were her pain meds finally wearing off? They didn't know and it started to scare them. They knew Applebloom was upset, but try as they might, Applebloom was still struggling. They didn't want to see their friend in this much pain but there was nothing they themselves could do. They had to get back to Big Mac or find the nearest nurse.

"Oh, Applebloom, it's okay," a familiar voice behind Scootaloo and Glinda to her and snapped Applebloom out of her troubled, grieving state.

Applebloom looked ahead tearfully as Scootaloo and Glinda looked behind to see Fluttershy had arrived. She had a calm smile and reassuring eyes like Scootaloo and Glinda had, but it felt different, somehow.

Scootaloo gasped and smiled happily and excitedly to see her mother, again, "Mama!" She rushed up and hugged her close. "It's so good to see you. Where've you been?"

Fluttershy nuzzled her daughter softly and looked at her proudly for trying to tend to her friend, "Hi sweetie. I'm sorry I'm late. I've been at Twilight's castle for the past few hours. Twilight and the rest of us have something big going on later today but she gave me permission to come see you and Drift."

Which was a relief on her part considering she really missed being with her family up until she took one step into the hospital and saw Applebloom about to break the dam once more. Before she could get a chance to talk any further to Scootaloo and then go see Drift afterward, she couldn't help but feel her heart break in two when she saw Applebloom so hurt.

Scootaloo and Glinda wanted about to explain what was going on but Fluttershy shushed them calmly before they could get a chance to. She knew what was up just by looking at the poor filly. Mother instincts kicked in and she walked over to Applebloom and sat in front of her; a pleasant smile that warmed any heart who saw it.

Applebloom sat there confused as to what Fluttershy was doing; tears slowly leaked down her face. She didn't need to waste her time making her feel better; she had her own priorities, didn't she?

"Applebloom, sweetie, it's okay," Fluttershy said in a gentle tone. "Please, don't bottle in your feelings. I know you're hurt and that's okay. But, the best step is to move forward and not let it hold you back." 

Fluttershy heard everything the moment she stepped into the hospital. She noticed her daughter with Glinda trying to calm Applebloom down, but they were failing to do so. And she expected it. Because it's not their words that she needed to hear. She knew what her pain was and Scootaloo should know that all too well -- or did she forget? Granted, she had never met Pear Butter and Bright Mac but she could tell their spirits lie within their children and it made sense.

"Your parents would be so proud of you for what you've done today. And it would hurt them knowing their littlest one hadn't moved on," She knew it wasn't easy but she had let Applebloom know. "I know it's tough but you need to know that you still have a family that will support you no matter how bad things get." She motioned to Glinda and Scootaloo. "Not just your family but your friends, too."

Scootaloo nodded slowly, gazing up at her best friend with lowered ears. "No matter what anyone says… You've always been like a sister to me too." She confessed she saw her best friend like a sister and as far as she's concerned, Applebloom was part of her family too.

Applebloom looked over to Scootaloo and Glinda but her attention was back on Fluttershy. She was right. She had her friends and family by her side and even if her parents are gone, they were still with her watching her grow up. But, she still couldn't get that bug off her. The tears started to form, again, and she couldn't hold them in.

"But... But..." 

When Fluttershy looked back at Applebloom after she heard her she noticed something felt different here -- she was still holding on, but why? While it was true that her friends were here and the rest of her family was still with her, something still felt like it missing for her. And then it clicked when she saw the pained look in Applebloom's eyes.

Fluttershy softly gasped to herself, realizing, "Oh… I think I know exactly what you need." This should've been the first thing that came up. 

Applebloom looked at Fluttershy confused as well as Scootaloo and Glinda. They didn't know what she meant by that until Fluttershy reached out to Applebloom, carefully carrying her out of her wheelchair, and gave her a gentle motherly hug. Applebloom's face was slightly buried in her fur.

"Mom?" Scootaloo said shocked by this sudden move. What was she doing? But, Fluttershy shushed her, again, and kept Applebloom in her warm embrace.

Then it hit her like a powerful freight train. This was it. This was what she was missing. It wasn't the same as when her actual mother held her like this, but it felt just as warm and comforting regardless. Even if she wasn't a foal anymore, she somehow remembered the feeling of being in her mother's embrace and snuggling in her hold when she was just a baby. And so she did the same to Fluttershy and then everything she held in came out in one wave. Applebloom embraced and snuggled close to Fluttershy, letting the rest of her tears flow out of her while Fluttershy just let it happen. 

Fluttershy smiled nurturingly down at Applebloom while she bawled softly into her fur. Even if she wasn't a foal, Applebloom was still young just like Scootaloo and Glinda. And even little fillies needed a comforting hug; especially when they're in pain. But this hug was different… it was just a hug from a friend, but it was a motherly hug.

Scootaloo and Glinda remained silent as they watched this tender moment. They couldn't figure out what Fluttershy had planned but the light sobs from Applebloom gave them some form of a clue.

It wasn't difficult to figure out. It took a little bit, but Fluttershy figured it out. Words were not the answer to help this kind of pain. She did this to Scootaloo when she was a foal and now was the perfect time to give Applebloom what she missed most of all. Granted, it was one of them, but it was enough.

Applebloom continued to bawl her pain away. She waited so long but she was given a different chance. And she took this chance and accepted it without any hesitation. Even if her actual mother wasn't there to comfort her, she was just so happy someone was willing to give her this moment -- and for it to be Fluttershy couldn't have been a coincidence. Fluttershy wasn't Pear Butter but her heart, soul, and embrace were warm and nurturing, all the same. She didn't care if anyone saw her like this, she was just so happy to be in a mother's embrace, again. 

Nuzzling into her fur with a whimper, she felt her pain starting to ooze away. Granted, it was a slow process for all of it to completely fade away, but still – she knew she needed this. And she was grateful Fluttershy granted this to her, and for the first time since she got out of the hospital for air, she smiled softly while her tears continued their flow slowly.

***back at the cafeteria ***

It was a double whammy for Gilda and Drift when Big Macintosh finished his story about what happened with his parents. Big Mac nodded to them in clear confirmation while he let them soak in what he told them. Now it was clear to Gilda why Big Mac could relate to her.

But For Drift, it felt a little different yet all three of them could feel the same feeling. It was so astonishing and parallel that it was mind-boggling. For Gilda, it was abandonment; for Big Macintosh and his family, it was death; but for himself... 

"And what about you, Drift?" Big Mac asked.

"Hmm?" Drifted looked at him perplexed.

"Hey, yeah," Gilda said, realizing. "We basically said what our parents were like. What are yours like?" 

It had her wondering because, like Big Macintosh, she didn't know much about Drift other than his relationship with Fluttershy.

Drift got a little nervous being in the spotlight for once. Unlike Gilda and Big Mac who are siblings taking care of their younger siblings, he was actually willing to raise his daughter with his... well, he didn't know what to call Fluttershy right now. Like he'll ever call her his ex-girlfriend; he didn't want that but he needed to talk to Fluttershy when she ever shows up.

"Uh, well," He rubbed the back of his head and was a bit hesitant. "I'm a little different here since I'm actually raising a daughter and not a little sibling. Though, if I were to count my little step-sister, Vinyl, then I guess I can relate here." If Vinyl were here, she'd deck him hard for that one.

It felt nice to hear Gilda and Big Mac get a chuckle out of what he said, but he was being honest. Vinyl was his little step-sister but even back when she was younger, she could take care of herself.

"But, honestly, my actual parents... It's a little complicated for me to say. Vinyl still talks to them, but I... my dad and I... uh..." 

How was he gonna explain it to them? It was complicated but he felt tongue-tied right now. And he felt a little awkward, too, since it involved getting a tad bit personal, too. 

"After my parents found out I slept with a mare they didn't like and that I used her for stupid reasons, they..."

"Well, I wouldn't say 'used', honey - we both played each other. I would much rather prefer the term, 'being little childish fools.'"  Fluttershy said with a tender giggle as she walked up behind Drift and made him nearly jump out of his wheelchair.

"Yo Fluttershy, been a bit," Gilda said, actually happy to see her new friend.

"Howdy, Fluttershy," Big Mac greeted.

Drift felt a cold chill run down his spine when Fluttershy surprised him like that. She was so quiet even her hoofsteps rivaled that of a tiny mouse.

"Jeez, Fluttershy, you nearly scared the crap out of me! I swear, you're about as quiet as a mouse when you do that…" Drift said as he leaned his head close to Fluttershy's with a silly pout but a little kiss on the cheek knocked him out of his pouty stupor. 

Fluttershy giggled softly at Drift's goofy, lovey-dovey face as he leaned back on his wheelchair while slouching a little in a love-like trance like nothing ever happened.

"I missed you, too, sweetie," Fluttershy said extra cutely to him and prompted him to blush red like a cherry on a mistletoe hanging from a ceiling before she sat on his left side at the table. "Good to see you awake."

Drift looked over to Fluttershy and smiled softly and lovingly at her, "Heh, it's good to see you here. Did you see Scootaloo and the girls?"

Fluttershy nodded, "I did. I met them when I came in through the entrance. Poor Applebloom was hurting so bad I had to help her."

Big Macintosh looked worried, "Is Applebloom alright?" He worried the pain meds she took were wearing off or that her stitches might've snagged or... or...

Fluttershy nodded at Big Macintosh, "Yes, she's alright. She was hurting because she missed her parents so much. A simple hug was all she needed." Well, it was a mother's hug she really needed but she wasn't gonna be that specific or cheesy about it.

Besides, she wasn't trying to be funny when it involved one of the kids. She held Applebloom like how she would with Scootaloo when she felt upset and she told her, to the best of her stitched-up abilities, what was upsetting her and she wasn't too thrilled to hear what she told her.

"Big Mac, were you not aware that Applebloom was hurting when you started to bring up your parents?" Fluttershy asked, softly in a stern matter at him so she wouldn't cause a scene.

Big Mac winced and hesitated for a bit but nodded to her, "Yeah, I knew. I know I shouldn't have but I figured it would be time to open up and move on. Applebloom is -- "

"Still a child, Big Mac," Fluttershy cut him off a little and let out her motherly tone on him which got him to gaze away in shame. "I know what you tried to do was fine and all, but what happened still traumatizes Applebloom. Whatever was going on here earlier shouldn't have warranted that. What got you to say that in the first place?"

"That would be me, Fluttershy," Gilda chimed in to defend Big Macintosh, looking at her with light red eyes that had dry tear stains down her cheeks. She sheepishly admitted that it was a bit uncool that she somehow must've dragged this out – but on the bright side, she had gotten to know him and Drift more during their talks. "I guess I owe a 'my bad' for that." She cleared her throat and confessed to Fluttershy why she got Big Mac to spill. "Glinda spilled the beans about what happened with us after I had my episode. He thought it was fair to share his."

Gilda looked over to Big Mac who nodded in agreement and confirmed with a simple nod and his casual "Eeyup".

Fluttershy paused and took all this in before she looked over to Gilda and worriedly asked, "Is... everything alright, Gilda?" Seeing those eyes of hers really didn't sit well and her mentioning that 'episode' didn't really help her case.

Gilda breathed as she dusted it off her shoulders and answered just as casually since she let out all her emotional baggage out earlier, "Oh, yeah. I just had to reconcile with Drift about what I did to him with Rainbow Dash." She then pointed a taloned thumb at Drift, near praising him for this part. "Drift here brought me out of my little funk before I could make a pansy out of myself."

She joked, but oh was she not wrong. Drift felt a little flustered. He just couldn't see Gilda become such an emotional wreck. It just wasn't her style -- ironic that he'd be thinking that but it was what it was.

"Well, I can't take all the credit, really," He said being as modest as he could. He wasn't gonna deny any of it and Gilda wasn't gonna be a sad sack on his watch.

Fluttershy was just flabbergasted. She looked at the three and noticed a lot had gone down before she even got here. She looked at Big Mac and could easily read that he was aware and somewhat ashamed of what he did and knew Applebloom was probably gonna be mad at him for a while. But, his reason was clear thanks to Gilda who looked like she went through the wringer a bunch of times before collapsing. And to hear that Drift helped her made her all the more curious to know what else happened. 

"What did I miss?" Fluttershy asked, lost for words.

Drift chuckled, "A lot, Flutterfly." Drift smiled sweetly, knowing she was confused about all of this, but a bright blush on her cheeks woke her out of her stupor like what she did with him seconds ago as he gave her a kiss on the cheek after spouting out a different name for her.

Fluttershy squeaked and immediately planted her hoof on his cheek to try and shut him up, pouting adorably at him. "Drift, why that nickname of all things?" She thought he'd forget that nickname after so many years.

But, it was too late, Big Mac and Gilda heard it and both started to chuckle at how cute that sounded; it made sense, really.

"What can I shay?" Drift said a little muffled, his cheek pressed against Fluttershy's hoof. "It's shtill adorable afther awl these yearsh."

Fluttershy wished she could hide under a rock right now. Even after so many years, Drift had a great memory but the timing couldn't be worse.

"Flutterfly?" Big Mac said, snickering at the nickname. This was new to him and he would love to hear more about them if Fluttershy would get Drift to talk, or get them both to start talking. He gave a little amused smirk and shook his head at the two with that smirk. "Heard Fluttershy been called a lot of things over the years, but I never heard that one before."

"Neither did I," Gilda said. But, to be fair, they'd been friends for a short time and she still hardly knew Fluttershy. But, that might change since they were having 'special' kinds of discussions.

One question, in particular, had her eager to know and since both of them are here this was a perfect opportunity. And she had a feeling the big red lug would get a kick out of this one.

"Okay, Okay, I gotta ask this," Gilda said with a smile so devious, Drift and Fluttershy could sense it coming before she could even throw the question out -- even Big Mac was curious to know what Gilda wanted to ask them.

Letting all her snickering out while Fluttershy took her talon in a concerned way – wondering if there was anything else wrong, before the griffon looked at the two pegasi and asked them smugly and deviously, "So, since you two were such an item back then, tell me… who was top and who was bottom?" Gilda leaned forward and held her head over her talons with the smuggest, most devious smile on her face while she waited for them to react.

Big Mac went wide-eyed and slack-jawed at Gilda's question before he tried so hard not to laugh his flanks off. Now that was a golden question right there and he so wanted to hear that, too. This was gonna be fun and the moment he looked over to Drift and Fluttershy, both pegasi were red in the face with powerful embarrassment. That was more than enough to get Big Mac to start laughing like a hyena.

It didn't take but a second and both pegasi were red in the face after Gilda asked them her question. Drift was calmer about it and tried to find a good answer for her since that was a perfect scapegoat to answer that previous question earlier. 

Fluttershy was apprehensive about spilling that bean on them and felt really embarrassed that Gilda would ask such a thing; not that she wouldn't expect it from her, but still and why. That was so personal and revealing that she didn't know how to respond to it... because it was so long ago since she and Drift 'tied the knot'.

"Gilda, don't you think that's an invasion of priva--"

"Her," Drift said nonchalantly as he pointed at her. "She was the top… I was her bottom bitch."

Well, it's not so private anymore!

"Drift Velocity!" Fluttershy barked at him in shock for saying that so casually and without hesitation. Did he have no shame?

And it was at that point Big Mac busted out laughing and fell off his chair, grabbing his ribs because of how hilarious that turned out.

Yet, Gilda looked at Fluttershy stunned and outright amazed to hear that. Of the two, she expected Drift to be the big dog of the group, but her? Really? She didn't know what to say, but she had the heart to feel proud and give respect to Fluttershy.

'Dang girl, didn't know you had it in you?' Gilda thought before Drift said a little more to her and Big Mac who just got back on his chair after laughing so hard. Thank Celestia they were the only ones in the cafeteria now; everyone else must've left when they weren't looking.

"Well, I'm sorry, Flutterfly. They told me something personal and I had to make it even. I still haven't forgotten how much of a horn dog you were for such a shy little girl." And he had some scars to prove it. Fluttershy blushed even heavier as her eyes widened in shock yet comical horror as he spoke this part of her.

Big Mac took calm, deep breaths, trying to calm his hyperventilation down after laughing at Drift's response then looked at them curiously before he asked Drift, "Wait... wait, you remember everything that down?"

Okay, for Fluttershy's sake, he was not gonna go into details on how they did it. Fluttershy would thank him for that, but he will respond with a little advice if Big Mac hadn't already gone through it.

"Big Mac, if there's one thing a stallion remembers the most in his life it's his first experience being with a mare. And let me tell you, mine was an experience I regret running from." Drift smiled softly at his girl and laid a hoof on top of hers while she wrapped a wing around his shoulder. 

Big Mac was amazed. He didn't expect a mature response like that out of him. He thought for a second he was gonna say something worse to make Fluttershy feel bad, but instead, he got the complete opposite. This made him see a different light. When he took up the mantle of being Scootaloo's brother-figure, he had always assumed Drift was some kind of scumbag for leaving Fluttershy to tend to Scootaloo, only for Fluttershy to put Scootaloo in an orphange after. 

But, he was wrong.

He actually cared about Fluttershy and Fluttershy cared for him -- so quickly now that he noticed. How Drift convinced Fluttershy to forgive him, he didn't know. But, whatever the case was, he was happy to know they had patches to fix and one of those patches was Scootaloo. Now he wondered how she felt knowing her parents are getting along. 

Fluttershy looked at Drift with a slight gloss in her eyes. She smiled softly and heartwarmingly at him for saying that. She wasn't looking at a scared stallion anymore. In fact, he really evolved and she knew it. But, she was curious to know if he was ready for that next step, if he wanted it, though. It was too early to bring that up anyway and Drift was still recovering. Still, she wanted to let him know she was very grateful and it just made her day to know that Scootaloo was thrilled and overjoyed to have her father back.

Gilda was just as impressed, if not more. To think Rainbow Dash and Tree Hugger were arguing with each other about whether or not Fluttershy should be with Drift was even more ridiculous and time-wasting. These two look fine with each other and she couldn't spot a lick of negative vibes with them. She made a mental note to clobber those two when she got the chance.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Big Mac said, grabbing everyone's attention. "Where are the kids, anyway?"

Fluttershy perked her ears and almost forgot herself, "Oh yeah, I told them that Spike and Smolder were here with Ember in one of the recovery rooms." Fluttershy giggled when Scootaloo reacted to what she said. "She immediately took them there without even thinking. So, she's still here with the girls spending time with the dragons."

Pink in the face, eyes as wide as dinner plates, body shaken with eagerness and she could've sworn she saw her jaw unhinge, too. She knew Sccootaloo was anticipated to see her crush and she was willing to bring Glinda and Applebloom along. Before she could get another word in after she told her which room Spike was in, she swooped the two other girls over her head and ran over to Spike's room. It was the most funniest yet cutest thing she had seen all day.

"I never thought Scootaloo would have a crush on a dragon, of all creatures," Drift said nearly astonished that his little girl had eyes on a dragon. Pretty bold of her to make that choice, but he was still proud of her. "I would assume she'd just have a crush on a colt? But, I ain't gonna object to her choice."

"Neither am I," Gilda said since that topic was brought up. Girls got some guts. I'll give her that." It was still a bizarre outcome for her to learn that a pony fell in love with a dragon. It's not unheard of, yet she could only imagine what could happen if a griffon fell in love with a dragon. 

Big Mac, however, chuckled warmly as he felt proud – his little sister figure was growing up, and to hear that she has a crush on Spike - one of his very good friends, his Ogres and Oubliettes gaming buddy, and Twilight's son, made that pride even stronger. "Heh, Little Sugarcube has good tastes - I'll give her that." He winked at the two parents, sending a hint that he is on board with this new little couple boat with them and she had his support.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, but as much as she loved to chat about anything, she had to get back to business with her friends and Drift, "Hey, if we could change the subject for a bit, I'd like to ask you three something."

The three in question looked to Fluttershy confused but curious. If it had to do with anything that involved Twilight and why the rest of the six are gone, they were all ears -- Big Mac, especially, because he wanted to know why Applejack was called in by her.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Gilda asked, curiously.

Fluttershy took in a soft inhale of air and breathed out slowly. She needed to not get nervous about asking this because she had a gut feeling they would join in without any hesitation. But she worked up her courage and asked them with a soft frown as she brought up who helped get them here in the first place, "Since you three participated in that awful fight, will you guys join me as witnesses for Spoiled Milk's trial?"
> Chapter 17.5 Crossing The Broken Road Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*The Same Morning close to Bon Bon's home*

The morning sun rose over Ponyville to start a new day. The birds sang their routine tweets as some flew over Ponyville while others were perched on foundations of homes, shops, and other structures in the small town. Carefree and peaceful, they enjoyed the day that was given to them.

However, what would normally be a shimmering, positive, feel-good day in Ponyville didn't seem to be like that, at all, for the residents in Ponyville. Every day would've been a pleasant morning for them and they'd share that positivity with others within their small town. It was nearly every day that felt like a schedule to them.

But now...

Today felt different. What was normally supposed to be a bright, sunny morning became nothing more than a mellow, quiet, day; barely any pony who lived in Ponyville came out of their homes. Almost everyone stayed inside and for good reason. After what happened yesterday, paranoia and anxiety were at an all-time high. Parents wouldn't let their children out of their sights, and families kept themselves locked in, keeping an eye out for any sign of an attack coming their way. After that demonic rouge came along, they were justifiably jumpy, worried that somehow, someway, that crazy manticore was going to lunge out somewhere. Even in spirit, what he put them through was horrifying, if not traumatizing, and it will take some time for them to recuperate from his terrifying, blood-lusting, psychotic rampage.

Despite some ponies daring to roam outside in Ponyville to take a look at the damage from the brutal fight, Ponyville felt like a ghost-town.

*Bon Bon's home*

Gallus barely cracked his eyelids open with a light moan. He knew it was morning but he had no hint of caring whatsoever. He groaned lightly before he sat up and let out a yawn, his head feathers messed up like a sort of bedhead. Despite what happened yesterday, he had surprisingly good sleep -- he'll gladly take it for what it's worth. He felt a little groggy but he was up and ready to start the day, sort of.

He wanted to go back to sleep because the couch he slept on was remarkably comfortable and the blanket he had around him was so cozy that it felt like someone was hugging him while he slept.

Wait… he was sleeping on a couch?

Gallus shot his eyes open and quickly sat back up. He looked around frantically to see where he was only to find he was in a rather pleasant-looking living room with a few small tables, a few chairs, and a tv across from him and the couch. Gallus looked at the furniture that the tv was planted in and noticed a picture right above that showed Bon Bon with Lyra next to her.

Gallus let out a sigh of relief and laid back down, now remembering where he was at. He was still in Bon Bon's home. All that hell last night really depleted him of his energy, so much that he had almost forgotten where he was. He chuckled to himself, feeling a bit stupid for that little panicking moment of his, but then he realized something: where was Bon Bon?

"Bon Bon?" Gallus called out.

"In here," Bon Bon responded, calling from her kitchen.

Gallus got up off the couch and, as he was about to walk, he caught a scent of something good. He took a whiff and smiled a bit. It smelled sweet and delicious and it urged him to investigate what that sweet smell was.

As he walked to the kitchen close to the living room, he found Bon Bon sitting on the right side of her kitchen table in front of a wall with a window planted in it just above the table.

Gallus was happy to see Bon Bon up but then noticed she still had that somber look on her face. He expected that, he really did, especially after what she had gone through.

He noticed the food on the table as he walked and sat on the opposite side, "I see you made waffles. They look so good," Gallus said somewhat eagerly, trying to start a small conversation while also trying to lift Bon Bon's spirit a little.

Bon Bon appreciated the compliment but her smile never came. She looked away a little and said, in a deadpan tone, "Thanks. Enjoy." Even though she had breakfast made for herself, she just didn't feel like eating. Her thoughts were solely on Lyra. All the times she and her had shared, all their plans that they had for their lives together, for their future – all snatched away from her, mere hours ago – with Lyra being ripped away from her, by a dangerous, psychotic, ruthless beast. Breakfast just wasn't the same without her beloved, those sweet yet goofy compliments of hers towards her cooking, just her being her own endearing self. But now, she's being forced to deal with the fact that she'll never see her special somepony again.

Gallus nodded and gladly ate his breakfast, but the way Bon Bon looked made him feel bad. He didn't want to think too much of it, but he made an oath to care for Bon Bon until she was back on her hooves, again. And Day 1 started now.

There was just one problem: how was he gonna cut this awkward silence? He had no idea what Lyra and Bon Bon's routines were so he was left with nothing. So, what was he gonna do? What's a good way to start this healing process?

"Um, Bon Bon, if you don't mind me asking," -- Bon Bon looked at him with pained, agitated eyes, letting him know that he should likely word this right and very carefully -- "Uh, what would you like to do today?"

Gallus winced for a split second when he said that last bit, he even gave himself a small facepalm for that. That was not the right question to ask her, especially when she's going through a tragic time. It seemed plain and simple what Bon Bon wanted to do and her face pretty much gave him the answer. He had a feeling Bon Bon was gonna lash out right now and he prepared for the worse.

Bon Bon looked away again and thought about that. She had no plans to do anything, not after what she went through and what she lost. She sighed and shook her head, "Right now, I don't want to do much. I just have a few things in mind but I don't know if anyone would help me out."

Gallus relaxed when he got that answer, it wasn't a painful lashout, so that's a good thing. Guess his exaggeration got the better of him but he still kept his guard up, anyway. Still, he was making progress. But that last bit probably had it covered and she might not know it just yet.

"I'm sure Headmare Twilight has something cooked up. There's no telling what she has planned for Spoiled."

Bon Bon snarled and gripped her kitchen knife tight, "I know what I want to do when I see her." She was fuming with rage. Spoiled and her little brat had taken something from her and she hoped something would be taken from them. No one deserved any of this -- not a soul. 

"I want Spoiled brought to justice. I want to see her suffer. I want her to feel how all of us feel the minute she unleashed that unholy monstrous bastard here. I want -- " a talon reached out and grabbed her hoof that held the knife.

Bon Bon stopped and looked over to see Gallus looking at her with wide, troubled eyes. She looked confused before she looked over to see what she was holding in her hoof. She gasped in shock and dropped the knife on the table with an audible clang.

"Oh no, Gallus. I'm so sorry," Bon Bon said apologetically, having no intention to scare him like that. She was just so angry that she almost lost control. Lyra probably didn't want her to do that and likely wanted her to keep her head on straight.

But Gallus held no ill will toward it. He knew she didn't mean anything by it, "It's alright, really. Just take some deep breaths and relax. As far as any of us know, Spoiled is definitely gonna get her flanks chewed out soon. I don't know how, but I'm sure they'll think of a very suitable punishment for her."

And he had a few ideas on what Twilight might do with that rotten mare but he wasn't gonna say them out loud. Though, he'd love to be a fly on the wall just to hear her own husband give her an earful of what happened. Oh-ho-ho, he could almost see how hard Filthy will cut into her and it almost made him smirk in an excited matter. He really wanted to see her get what's coming to her after what happened to Smolder and Spike.

Even if Gallus had a point, Bon Bon still wasn't sure how long it'll take or what Twilight and her friends had planned; she knew Lyra had a childhood friendship with Twilight years ago and they do stay in touch every now and then. But, not once did she ever take advantage of that status. Lyra was more fixated on her relationship with her than anything else. She was grateful but Bon Bon wouldn't mind Lyra going to see Twilight and her other childhood friends. But, guess that can't happen now due to this tragedy. She sadly looked down, knowing that either she or Twilight will have to deliver that bad news to Lyra's and Twilight's childhood friends.

Bon Bon sighed softly and openly brought up a piece about Lyra, "You know, I believe you. Lyra and Twilight used to be childhood friends growing up before Twilight moved here to Ponyville. Lyra never talked about it all that much, but she remembered it fondly."

That was something he never knew about Headmare Twilight. Then again, she was the Princess of Friendship, after all, so he should've expected it.

Then a thought occurred to him and he asked her curiously, "So, what was Lyra like? How did you two meet?" He wasn't sure if asking these questions was a good idea but it was a start.

Bon Bon looked at Gallus oddly at his questions and pondered why he'd ask her them. She was a little hesitant to answer him right away for plenty of reasons; she didn't know how he would react to what relationship she was into and what his judgments were. She just wasn't ready, yet.

In fact, why was Gallus still here? Didn't he have something else to do or somewhere to be? Why still keep her company? She was highly grateful for what he did but he didn't have to stick around and chit-chat with her all day. So, what was his deal?

"Wait, wait, Gallus," Bon Bon said a little firmly, as she held a hoof up to stop him from going any further. "I know you mean well, I really do and I'm grateful for what you did. I'm glad you wanted to stay the night and keep me company, but, aren't you supposed to be back at that school, or back at Griffonstone? Why are you still here?"

It didn't make any sense to her and it was really jarring to her mind, "Aren't your parents worried sick that you might be missing?" The last thing she needed was to have angry griffon parents storming up to Ponyville and accusing her of kidnapping their child.

There was a long pause and the awkward silence quickly crept its way back to them. Bon Bon waited for Gallus to answer her but she then noticed something was a little off with him once he looked down at the table. He seemed restrained, almost refusing to answer her as he looked away with an almost unreadable face. Well, he didn't really refuse as much as trying to find an excuse to give her. Did she stump him? Her irritation actually dwindled and her concern took over when she noticed him acting all hesitant toward her. Was he hiding something? Then she started to attempt to read him to get some clues on what was going on in his mind -- though, it was a bit challenging since he was hiding his eyes from her.

"Gallus?" Bon Bon said softly concerned, knowing what she said might've gone too far and she couldn't shake the feeling she might've hurt his feelings, too. He just wanted to help was all, but even so, he was still a little kid, after all.

Even though she was near broken herself, that didn't stop her from wanting to be analytical about the situation in front of her -- plus, this could also be a good distraction for her to keep her mind off what happened, just a little. It was wrong to do that to him, and she knew that, but whatever Gallus was thinking had her curious and worried.

Gallus was a little tongue-tied right now. He didn't expect Bon Bon to ask him that so suddenly. But, she did have a point about him being here; if anything, he felt that was bound to come up, "W-Well... uh... th-the thing is... I... uh..."

Bon Bon crossed her arms but refrained herself from giving him any form of glare. She was filled to the brim with rage and hate, but she couldn't help but feel worried now. She'd be damned if she took all her anger out on Gallus – the poor little guy didn't even do anything wrong! He saved her and he tried to save Lyra, he wasn't who she was mad at, at all. She had to keep it together. He did so much for her that she'd feel even worse if she bit him for no good reason. She felt broken but something told her that Gallus must've felt the same -- but, for some reason, it didn't seem like it was towards Lyra's death. Something was very off and she had to pry it out of him.

"Gallus, look at me," Bon Bon asked a little firmly, wanting his attention. "It's okay. Please, don't stress yourself. Take it slow and tell me piece by piece." He didn't have to hide anything from her; it was not like she was gonna use anything to manipulate him. That wasn't her.

But, if he really was trying to hide his folks from her? Why? Were they treating him that badly? She had no idea. This was her first time meeting a griffon, so she knew next to nothing about their culture.

Gallus paused, again. She was right. He had to take it slow or else he'll fumble over himself. He took a few deep breaths and explained as best he could to her as he looked at her with semi-blank eyes, "I would go back to Griffonstone. But, I don't want to."

That got a raised eyebrow out of her. Now her curiosity was really piqued, "You... don't want to go back to Griffonstone, why?" Was it really that bad up there?

Gallus nodded and casually said, "Yeah, I don't want to go back. There... really isn't anything for me up there." He crossed his arms while gazing away with a slightly bitter look in his eyes.

Okay, now he wasn't speaking any sense. Something didn't add up and that's when she noticed the look in his slightly bitter eyes - they barely had any life to them. Bon Bon secretly gasped, Gallus was in pain and he was hiding it. No, this was not gonna happen around here – not in her house! As much as she wanted to pour her pain out, Gallus had to do the same. He was gonna spill whether he liked it or not.

Bon Bon got a little serious, "Nothing up there for you? That can't be true. I'm sure there's plenty of something in Griffonstone that draws to you? I'm sure your parents can help you find what you're looking for."

But Gallus shook his head, "They would if they tried, or even wanted to if they were around. You should know that Griffons these days aren't all about being overly affectionate towards each other." He would know, he seen for himself how grumpy or bitter some of the other griffons are at Griffonstone. If he had a bit for every time he saw a scowl or a face that simply spelled out 'I don't care about you or your shit', he'd be quite a rich young griffon. It doesn't help that it's also their damn pride that makes his fellow griffons act like jerks.

"'Weren't around'? What's that supposed to mean?" Bon Bon said. "Are they too busy? Are they neglectful? Gallus, what are you getting at?"

Gallus shrugged with a little snappy tone, trying to avoid the prying eye contact, his talons started gripping his arms, "They're just never around. That's just about it." He was trying to keep it in, but Bon Bon was really pushing his buttons on this tender subject, and it was getting harder to hold the truth in.

Yeah, no. Bon Bon wasn't buying it. She got within his line of vision and gave Gallus a stern look that caught him a little off-guard, "Okay, no. Gallus, tell me what's going on!" Bon Bon demanded, he flinched but gazed away with a frown. "I'm not getting any of this. Why don't you want to go back to Griffonstone?" She motioned outside while he secretly scowled and started to shake, "Why are you acting like this?! They're probably out there, looking for you! They're probably worried sick!" She returned her gaze back at him, appalled that he would think his parents wouldn't care about him not being home, "You seriously believe that your parents don't even care about-- "

"I don't want to go back to Griffonstone because I don't have a family there, okay?!" Gallus suddenly blurted out as he sharply turned to her with a glare. When her questions stopped, he looked away as his body suddenly began to shake and his beak started to quiver. "Just drop it, okay…" He begged as he got out of his seat, looking down in grief as he walked away from the table.

Bon Bon looked quite shocked by what she had just heard. He didn't have a family? "You… you don't…?" She looked over at the griffon who was now sulking in the center of her kitchen, his shoulders slouched and that look on his face spoke grief of his own. She approached him but knew she had to tread carefully because she obviously had touched a tender subject with him. "Gallus… what do you mean you don't have a family in Griffonstone??" She looked at him, concern lacing her voice.

With a sad sigh, Gallus came clean and confessed to her, his voice filled with pain. "I'm an orphan."

And then her whole world came to a sudden halt when he told her that. To say she was shocked was now an understatement. Did she really hear that right? She couldn't believe what she just heard and she couldn't fathom the thought.

"Y-You're... what?" Bon Bon said in utter bewilderment.

Those blank eyes of his gained life back and the pain he tried to hold back was crawling to the surface. Gallus collapsed on all fours and planted his forehead on his arms and hid his face from Bon Bon. But he explained from the bottom of his heart, "I've always been one. When I hatched, my parents weren't around. They just straight-up abandoned me when I was an egg, and I don't even know why. Heck, from how quick they've done it, it's very clear that they didn't want me at all!" His eyes filled with tears as he finally unleashed his pain, "My parents obviously didn't want me; I'm just a burden to them – something they can just throw away! And the minute they got the chance, they just leave me there in their nest to die – they just took off and never looked back, they didn't even care if I survived or not! They just straight up left me before I could hatch because I'm obviously just a mistake!" 

As she heard Gallus cry heavily in his arms, Bon Bon was floored and truly heartbroken to hear what he had been going through, though she was also horrified when he started calling himself a burden and a mistake. And she thought she had it bad right now. If what he said was true, then how could he manage to care for himself up until he was like this? It was astounding yet very tragic to hear this.

"Oh, Gallus, I'm so sorry to hear that," Bon Bon said apologetically as she came to him, kneeling down as she rubbed his back. She felt so sorry for him. "How did you survive the way you did?"

That was the tricky part. He was lucky being a scavenger had its advantages, but he wasn't gonna say it like that. With a sniffle, he gazed his slightly red, teary eyes up at her and admitted "I just... got lucky. That's it. I never had a moment where I thought maybe one day I could live with a family that would take me in. If my own parents didn't want me, then what's the point of bothering to hope that there's someone else out there who would care?"

In a way, being here kinda changed that. He didn't mind it, at all, and it felt cozy -- kind of like a newly made nest. Bon Bon had it made here and he saw that clear as day.

"If anything… Ponyville had been a bit more of home than what I was going through with Griffonstone… especially ever since I started coming to school here," He sighed. "Because at least other ponies here - and slowly but surely, other creatures too - have enough decency to show that they care – unlike the prideful bunch that is my kind." He held his cheek while looking emotionally drained.

Bon Bon stopped before she could even take a step. Now that right there broke her heart to pieces. It nearly made her physically ill to hear him say this. His voice sounded genuine and his body looked like it ached in pain and misery. This poor griffon grew up parentless and yet here he was with a good attitude and a kind heart. No one with that kind of life should have that attitude unless something in his life changed that.

"But… what about that griffon that brought you to the school in the first place?" Bon Bon worriedly asked him, almost regretting to ask because it was clear her little guest was deeply hurting. A piece of her hoped that there was at least one griffon in Griffonstone who cared about him, but seeing him so upset was starting to break that little hopeful piece of her.

Poor Gallus continued to pour his soul out to her, confessing to her the truth of everything.

"Grandpa Gruff is just Griffonstone's crazy old buzzard of a griffon… he may have brought me to Ponyville to represent Griffonstone, but even he doesn't like to publicly show that he cares – doubt he even does for that matter." He sighed lightly yet depressingly – having had the feeling even his somewhat guardian doesn't care much about him either, and he added to clear up confusion, "And before you ask, no – he's not my grandpa, that's just his name. He doesn't really have any actual grandkids of his own whatsoever. He's just somegriffon who keeps an eye on me every now and then when he feels like it." He honestly didn't care if he looked like a mess at this point, he really didn't. He thought he had his emotions under control now and that he'd be able to get through life without any form of trouble. He was sure he could forget about his parents abandoning him and move on without a care in the world. He was wrong.

The whole time he went through life repressing his real emotions. Bottling them in so much that one day they would eventually explode. Seeing griffons together, ponies together, any species at all for that matter – each one that had a family with one another, he would see every pair, every day and it hurt him, yet he wouldn't throw it in their faces. There was no point. 

True, he did have Grandpa Gruff keeping an eye on him at Griffonstone – which he at least appreciated from the old griffon, but like he told Bon Bon that was just a name; he wasn't his actual granddad – he wasn't someone who would tell him he loved him or was proud of him; the young griffon even struggled to grasp why he would even care about making him proud when the grump himself acts crotchety all the time. In short - Gallus had no family, he had no one. Yes, he had his new friends and his pen pal, but that wasn't enough to fill in the gaping hole in his heart. All he wanted was to have a family, someone to adopt him. But, no one came, and ever since then, he quit trying and just accept it.

Being here in this home, even if it was a day, felt so cozy and nice that he suddenly didn't want to let that go. He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't budge.

Bon Bon was in tears, she was brokenhearted to hear such a sweet little child like Gallus talk through so much pain, even his mindset worried her. "Gallus…" She tried to speak, but her eyes widen as he cut her off with one more thing to say, motioning towards the ponies he could see out her window nervously but slightly casually walking their own trails outside.

"Everywhere I go, I see others together and enjoying their lives – they get to have the happiness and love of having a family to come home to, while I'm just all by myself with no family to be with. It's not fair!" He pounds a fist on the tiled floor in agonized frustration. He let out a caw of frustration and agony, facepalming himself with his free talon as he let out his despair, "Dammit! Why can't I have just a little ray of sunshine in my life?!"

"Gallus, sweetie," Bon Bon reached for him and forced him to look her in the eyes. Her worried eyes met with his extremely pained eyes and it got him to momentarily pause, confused at what she wanted now. "Gallus, please, calm down. Sit up for a minute…"

Gallus didn't know what else to do. Like a droid, he obeyed Bon Bon and weakly sat up, barely able to even try to stand up with how hurt he was, his legs were like jello while on pins and needles. Bon Bon still held his cheeks in her hooves and, once he was off the floor, her firm face shifted into a caring one. Gallus looked confused at her sudden face change.

A soft smile grew on her face. There wasn't much reading from him now that he pretty much told her as much as she needed to know. She didn't need to read anymore; Gallus spoke truthfully to her and she appreciated it. But, having this brought out to the light made her realize something.

"Come here, sweetie," Bon Bon said warmly and openly as she brought Gallus in for a tender, snuggly hug that she was definitely sure he really needed.

Gallus widened his eyes, shocked and confused. What was Bon Bon doing? She didn't need to do this. He never asked for this. He felt so awkward, yet… it also felt good. Why did it feel good? He wanted to know why Bon Bon was hugging him liked and he wondered what possessed her to do that. He lifted his arms to attempt to push her away but his body wouldn't allow it. Why? This wasn't supposed to happen; Bon Bon needed recovery, not him.

His red, puffy eyes gazed over to look at Bon Bon still hugging him. He didn't know what to do; he didn't know what to say; he only felt confused and hurt. Then his arms began to move on their own and they soon found themselves wrapped around Bon Bon's back; he hugged her close. He felt a painful pressure coursing throughout his body before the dam finally burst inside, he closed his eyes again and wept hard in Bon Bon's hold, hiding his face in her chest as he sobbed his pain out. Gallus gave and received plenty of hugs from his friends before, so why did this feel completely different? He didn't get it but right now, he didn't care. It felt so nice and warm that he didn't want to let it go.

Bon Bon let it all happen and she kept her smile going. Gallus was a lost child that really needed guidance. Yes, she could tell he had guidance before but not the kind she had in mind. The realization hadn't hit Gallus yet, but it did with her and it was something she and Lyra wanted for so long but never had the opportunity to get.

Bon Bon had found a way for both of them to recover. And even if Lyra wasn't around to see this, Bon Bon had a feeling she'd take this idea with stride and just go for it. But, for now, Gallus needed to know what it felt like to be in a mother's embrace and Bon Bon's maternal drive to care for Gallus began to bloom.

"Just let it all out and don't worry about anything anymore," Bon Bon said so caring. "You're helping me more than you realize. Now, please, let me help you." She softly and gingerly rubbed his fluffy back while she could hear Gallus choke up and bawl in her hold.

Once everything was cooled down, then she'll go on to explain what Gallus wanted to know.

*(A few hours later)*

After that emotional meltdown, Gallus and Bon Bon finally settled down and finished their breakfast, courtesy of Bon Bon, they sat on the couch in the living room and had a good chat, conversing with one another about many different stories that involved them.

One in particular Bon Bon promised to tell Gallus.

"Wait, so, that's how you two met?" Gallus said after he stopped his chuckling after her explanation.

Bon Bon nodded, "Oh yes, and her goofiness won me over."

"Huh," Gallus wondered. "So, she was obsessed with hands for a couple years and no one ever questioned her why?"

Bon Bon shrugged, "Even I'm still confused by it. She mentioned something about having a dream where she was a creature called a 'hoo-man' but I never really got into what she was talking about. So, I just listened to her rambles."

She giggled sweetly at the thought of that day. She still didn't know what a hoo-man was, or why Lyra even had that dream, but some cases are better left unsolved.

It still flabbergasted Gallus so much that he considered asking Twilight about it to see if she knew anything about something like this – about what these "hoo-mans" are. Equestria was full of bizarre creatures that he wouldn't be surprised if whatever Lyra dreamt of could be real.

"And you stuck with her ever since? You never thought she was crazy?" Gallus asked curiously, with cat-like curiosity yet the keen attention of a baby bird.

Bon Bon shook her head and wholeheartedly explained, "Oh no, I thought she was crazy for thinking of these kinds of things. But, I never once considered leaving her for it because it was a passion of hers."

Passion, dream, or whatever it was that lured her to it. Bon Bon never thought twice about it and allowed her to continue to have those kinds of dreams. As bizarre as it sounded, even with that obsession, Lyra was never too crazy about it. Sure, it was alien to her but it didn't really harm anything. In fact, she kinda kept it a secret from everyone else; only they knew about it.

"That and she wasn't crazy-crazy about it either," Bon Bon said. "She wanted to wait until an opportunity came to her. If it ever arrived, she'd go for it."

Gallus was astonished. He'd never expected to learn about a pony with that kind of mentality. Not going overboard with it and yet keeping it a secret? It sounded crazy, which it was, but he didn't think it wouldn't hurt to talk to something else they knew. The info came to her and dreams, from what he remembered from Fluttershy's classes, do have meaning. Maybe it was a sign?

"Well, maybe Twilight knows something about what Lyra was fantasizing about?" Gallus hunched. "If we have the time, maybe we could talk to her --"

"I'd rather not," Bon Bon objected with a slight snort. "Once this whole thing blows over, I want to stay away from them for a while."

"What, why?" Gallus asked, a bit surprised by her reaction towards the mention of the headmare of his school.

Bon Bon shook her head again, a firm frown on her face, "Every time something happens, Twilight or one of her friends is usually involved with it. Almost all the time when something happens like a scary creature or a supervillain or some other hogwash moment it usually happens when one or all of them is involved. I can't handle it anymore."

Gallus blinked. In hindsight, she did have a point. Almost every bad occurrence that happened always involved Headmare Twilight and the five other teachers. From what was told to him by others like Scootaloo and a few other fillies and colts, they all remembered random moments of insanity once Twilight and the other five enter the fray. Coincidence, he thought not. But, it still baffled him that it could happen at any given moment.

Still, they always prevailed in the end and saved the day for others to see another day. So, it's not all bad.

"Yeah, okay, I see your point," Gallus said, siding with Bon Bon. "It's like a curse in some way. They obviously mean well, but sometimes it just seems to backfire on them in the most uncool way."

"Right?!" Bon Bon said excitedly. "I'm just glad none of it went our way for the longest time." Until what happened yesterday.

"But, at least they do make up for it to allow most of you to see another day, I guess." He had to point that out, he wasn't choosing their side, he just felt that needed to be said.

She would beg to differ, but taking another deeper thought about it, Gallus too had a point. Despite what Twilight and her friends get into, they do make sure everyone else survives every random ordeal and let them see another day. Now that she thought about it, it's almost like a little routine – though it's a little routine she'd like to take a break from. "Well, you at least got me there." She admitted, until yesterday happened – the six always made sure everypony was safe in the end, including her and Lyra.

But, even with what happened yesterday, Bon Bon was happy Gallus came by and stood by her side to help her recover. It's still gonna be a long road but she was thrilled to know she'd have someone with her to help her. But, with the knowledge of him being an orphan now thrown in the air, that actually gave her an idea and it brought a big smile to her face. A smile Gallus noticed quite quickly, leaning his head back as he felt a bit odded out by it – at least for a moment.

"What's with the face?" Gallus asked, curiously tilting his head a notch like a hatchling learning about basic math, a baby bird peep emitting from him.

Bon Bon snickered. She, for some reason, liked how Gallus looked with his head tilted like that; it looked so adorable and she couldn't resist a few giggles.

"Nothing," Bon Bon said. "Just have an idea is all and I think you might like it."

That got his attention real quick. The young griffon perked his head and hooted a bit when she told him that.

"What's your idea?" Gallus asked.

But before she could tell him, there were a few knocks on the door.

Curiously, Bon Bon got off her couch and approached the door, "Coming," she said as she opened the door. "Yes?"

She wasn't expecting any visitors but, when she saw who it was, she should've expected it. Just so soon was a surprise to her.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood at the entrance of Bon Bon's home; both had concerned and worried looks plastered on their faces.

"Hey, Bon Bon, how are you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked, refraining, for once, from being her energetic self – she even refrained from giving a smile, which alone made this serious. "We wanted to stop by and cheer you up."

"And we also wanted to see how you're holding up," Rainbow Dash chimed in. "All of us felt guilty for what happened and we wanted to ask --"

"I'm pretty sure you already have your answer already, Rainbow Dash," Bon Bon said sternly to her as she pointed to herself. "I just lost the love of my life, to a monster at that - no less than 24 hours ago… does it look like I'm doing okay?"

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie winced. From how she looked, she looked like she just woke up from a five-day sleep and was woken up by the sound of tubas playing; messing mane, baggy eyes, sour attitude, wearing a messy robe Rarity would faint over, and looking to punch a pony in the face? Yeah, all the signs are clear indicators she was not in the best of moods. Which was highly understandable.

"I'm… guessin' that's a 'not good.' " Rainbow Dash correctly deduced.

A deduction that Bon Bon made clear was that she was in no mood for any foolishness today. "I lost someone who I loved very much and was planning a future with, and I was too scared to stop her from getting near that damn well…" She glared at the two, her eyes slightly shiny as a part of her still blamed herself for not being able to stop Lyra from getting too close to that well where that beast took her, "…how do you think I'm feeling?!"

She had a Pinkie sense Bon Bon would be like this and lucky for Pinkie Pie, she came prepared, "Ooo, I have something that might cheer you up."

She reached into her mane and pulled out a case full of high-grade baked chocolate chip cookies that looked freshly made. The scent from the cookies easily wafted into Bon Bon's muzzle and into her home where Gallus could smell it.

Bon Bon looked at the cookies for a moment. She was not in any mood to have cookies right now and this was certainly not gonna fix anything. But, the gesture was nice and no one could resist Pinkie's cookies. She still had that stern look on her face then looked at the two mares -- Bon Bon's left ear twitched as the sound of Gallus cutely sniffing the air caught her attention. Then a thought occurred to her: why waste this opportunity?

Her stern face shifted to a calm and thankful smile, "Thank you, Pinkie Pie. These are perfect," She chuckled softly. "Gallus will love these."

As Bon Bon took the tray, Pinkie Pie was delighted that she accepted them without any hesitation -- even though she and Rainbow Dash saw her death glare seconds ago.

"You're welcome, Bon Bon. I made those first because I --" A record scratch echoed when she just realized what Bon Bon said. She looked highly puzzled before she said to Bon Bon, "wait, what?"

"Yo, Professor Rainbow Dash and Professor Pinkie Pie, how's it going?" Gallus said as he came up to the three while he waved at his teachers behind Bon Bon who had a cheeky grin on her face.

"Gallus?" Both mares said utterly shocked.

"What are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked, unaware that one of her students slipped through the cracks and stayed over at Bon Bon's of all places.

"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be back at the Friendship school? Your friends are worried sick! Well, they're worried about Smolder, too, but they're wondering where you are. We were wondering where you are... or were... or..."

Rainbow Dash planted a hoof over Pinkie's mouth and clamped her mouth shut while having a worried look herself before she looked over to Bon Bon, confused.

"Bon Bon, why is Gallus here with you? What's going on?"

Bon Bon motioned them to come inside her home, "Come inside. I'll explain everything."

Once she allowed them access, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie walked in without any hesitation. Of course, they had several questions lingering in their heads but it was also a relief to know one of their students was alright. Still, they had no idea what was going on.

It took a few minutes to fully explain what was going on, but after Bon Bon and Gallus explained to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash what they did, both mares surprisingly understood the situation. Not one of them object to what Gallus's intentions were. In fact, they felt proud of the young griffon for his actions. But, that wasn't gonna stop them from remarking Gallus as a 'therapy griffon' which Gallus blushed highly from that and felt so embarrassed about it.

"Okay, I gotta admit, that's pretty awesome of you, Gallus," Rainbow Dash complimented, not only sticking around to help Bon Bon but also he was using her lessons on loyalty to do so. He had her respect for that. "Looks like those loyalty lessons I've been teaching you paid off."

"Not only that, but you're managing to help Bon Bon recover and make her smile again!" That made Pinkie Pie smile in return. To hear Gallus used her lesson as well to help Bon Bon made her feel oh so sparkling and joyful on the inside... and outside, too.

And not that, but Pinkie Pie could see the smile on Bon Bon's face was legit genuine. But, something about it felt more than just happiness. Pinkie Pie knew smiles since day one and each smile had a different characteristic feel to them, from a fake smile to a half smile, to a genuine smile. Happy, gloomy, and accepting, Pinkie Pie knew each and every one of them.

And she saw more than just happiness form on that smile. Pinkie pie could tell Bon Bon was eager for something. Eager, but determined. Now, this was something very enticing to her. Whatever Bon Bon had planned, she knew it involved Gallus in some form or fashion. But, what was it? It could be the fact that he was an --

'Oh, I see what you have planned, Bon Bon,' Pinkie thought as she looked over to Gallus childishly munching on her cookies. 'Huh, this oughta be interesting. If she hasn't told him, he's gonna be in for a whole new world.' And she will be there to support it when the paperwork was underway. Well, not just her but the others, too.

Gallus swallowed his cookie down and smiled sheepishly. He felt a little embarrassed like this but he just couldn't help himself, "What can I say? I learned from the best."

That being said, though, Rainbow Dash's proud smile then became a serious look and she looked over at Bon Bon with some news she should hear, "Okay, before I forget, we didn't just come here to see how you're doing, Bon Bon. We came here for another reason, too."

Bon Bon raised a brow. The sudden tension caught her by surprise but she never once flinched from the shift, "And what reason is that, Rainbow Dash?" Bon Bon asked in an equally serious tone that rivaled Rainbow Dash's tone.

"We came here to ask you if you would like to join Pinkie Pie and me to the castle. We are about to bring Spoiled Milk to justice."

The tension just got more severe. The house became quiet and recluse as Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie awaited Bon Bon's response.

Gallus sat next to Bon Bon, patiently. So soon? Really? He figured it would've taken them a few days or more. At least give Bon Bon some more time to recover mentally from the trauma she went through.

But, the pregnant silence and tension broke when Bon Bon spoke and asked them, "Before I answer, I just have a few questions: what happened to that monster's body, and what do you girls have planned for Spoiled?"

All sense of peace took a backseat and all Bon Bon wanted was answers. Yes, she needed more time to recover but what was thrown at her was gonna be caught even if lead to a mess; she wanted to know what they had planned and if it will benefit her in any way.

Rainbow Dash complied and spoke to her with honest answers Applejack would've done, "Marabunda was buried; Fluttershy wanted us to give him some kind of burial she thought would bring him peace."

Bon Bon's eyes widened and a light snarl formed on her face. They gave that monster a burial? After all the trouble that thing had put them through, they all decided to go with Fluttershy's idea and bury him like he was some kind of innocent soul? What loud of crap was that? She tightened her teeth and looked down at the floor with a fierce, intense glare as she processed what was told to her.

"I would not bury that monster," Bon Bon said, venomously. "I would watch that monster's corpse burn to ash for taking my Lyra away from me. But, you girls went on ahead and bury it because that animal-loving hippie idiot thought it deserved it?" She looked at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie with an icy-cold glare that would freeze any gorgon with fear.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash said, defensively. "Believe me, a lot of us didn't think it was a good idea either; didn't make sense to me either after the hell he put all of us through. Most of us had other ideas for the creature but Twilight insisted we go with Fluttershy's idea because --"

"Oh, here we go," Bon Bon interrupted, blankly. "Of course, Twilight would go for something like that for the sake of a nature-loving idiot like Fluttershy..." She did not care if she insulted any of them. The fact that they went on ahead and buried a bloodthirsty monster for some idiotic 'peaceful' reason just made her sick to her stomach. She rolled her eyes angrily, "After what he did to my Lyra and her son, little Miss Princess is now too pussywhipped to her friend's opinions to even resort to burning that monster alive?!" She growled angrily.

"Hey!" Rainbow glared at that insult toward her friends, but Bon Bon wouldn't let her speak because she still had something to say here.

Pinkie flinched in worry, "Bon-Bon!" Her eyes were wide in panic at seeing the mare get so personal, even though inside, they knew she would not approve of his fate either. 

Gallus winced sharply and reached a talon towards Bon Bon, he was worried this anger of hers would end up making her do something she'll regret, justified or not. 

"Newsflash: Not every creature is worth giving peace to! That bastard deserves to burn!" She snorted smoke out of her nostrils, declaring "This is hydra-shit!" Bon Bon was not on board with any of this; not one bit. She had hoped that they'd burn that abomination to nothingness, hell – they even had dragons to lend their fire to do that right here, right now! The mere thought of seeing that monster's soul burn for eternity made her want nothing more. He should suffer just as much as she'd been suffering. But, no, Fluttershy took that away from her! 

Rainbow Dash flinched a little. This wasn't going as smoothly as she thought. She didn't appreciate her childhood friend being name-called like that, but at the same time, she couldn't blame Bon Bon for being angry, either.

Lucky for her, Pinkie Pie stepped up and spoke to the irate mare, "Whoa, whoa, it's okay, Bon Bon. We haven't gotten to the other part, yet."

"And what part is that?" Bon Bon barked, hoping this had better be good because the first half of this story made her want to slap Fluttershy so hard that it'd leave a permanent bruise on that fragile face of hers. To hell if it got quite a few folks mad at her for doing so.

"The part where we bring Spoiled to justice once and for all," Pinkie Pie said with seriousness in her voice, hoping that would at least ease Bon Bon of any tension she had. There was no need for violence anymore.

Thankfully, Bon Bon complied once she heard that part, "I'm listening." She leaned back on her couch and crossed her arms.

Pinkie cleared her throat and explained, "Okay, Twilight's plan is to have a trial. Everyone who was involved in that whole chaotic fight is to gather around and vent out what had happened. And after that is all said and done, we all take a vote to see what shall happen to Spoiled."

She may have changed what the plan actually could've been but that was actually the gist of what Twilight had planned. There were a lot of folks that wanted to give Spoiled a piece of their mind for what she did but everyone willing to set off this plan knew that Bon Bon would've likely want to take part in it – especially since this stunt of Spoiled's caused the murder of her beloved. The hunch was high and they could see it clear as day.

Bon Bon did not take any time to answer and gave Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash a new smile, one that looked devious – almost even evil or at the very least unhinged. One that had determination, revenge, and malice to it, "Do you even need to ask me twice?" Her tone even shifted, almost pleased to hear that crazy mare was being put on trial and she almost sounded sinister, "Everyone's gonna give a piece of their minds, huh? Oh, just wait until she hears what I have to say…" She smirked wickedly at them with a malice-filled chuckle which started worrying the girls, "Tell me girls: When do we start?" 

The evil intention in that smile unnerved Pinkie Pie. It started out so good and then this had to happen. Now she wasn't so sure if inviting Bon Bon was such a good idea.

But, Gallus reach an arm out, again, and grabbed Bon Bon's hoof, successfully gaining her attention, this time. Bon Bon looked over to Gallus who had a worried, pleading look on him that told her to stop and calm down. Bon Bon took that look openly and gasped at herself, stopping herself immediately and shaking her head to rid those bad thoughts away.

'No, no! Bad Bon Bon, bad! Control yourself… bad thoughts always lead to bad actions!' She scolded herself internally. After seeing how worried and almost scared Gallus looked at her, twice now today, she knew she had to keep these malicious thoughts under control – otherwise, she'll end up stooping to Spoiled's level and do something she'll regret later. Something of which Lyra wouldn't want her to do, and something she herself wouldn't want to do.

"Sorry, sorry, I meant to say yes, I'll gladly tag along," Bon Bon said but her tone was calmer and more apologetic. She took a few deep breaths and tried to relax herself; Gallus kept holding her hoof which gradually helped her calm down. The last thing she needed was to go berserk, especially when she had a son to adopt.

She cleared her throat and smiled lightly, repeating in a calmer tone now that Gallus snapped her back to her right state of mind. "When do we start?"

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash smiled calmly and at ease. With Gallus here, Bon Bon could live her life a little easier and they couldn't be more proud of the young griffon. They could only imagine what his reaction will be when he's given the good news.
> The Trial of Spoiled Milk (Part 1)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Filthy and his family managed to escape that horrid fight with their lives intact but that didn't save them from what the aftermath had in store for them. Filthy opened the doors to his mansion and stormed in before his family did. The doors behind them slammed closed once the girls came inside and a dead silence made its presence known.

Butlers and maids who worked for the Rich family arrived to greet them and offer to get them a beverage or snack, but all of them halted when they saw Filthy's cold, anger-fueled eyes leer hard at his wife and one of his daughters. That glare alone was enough to tell them that any warm greetings and their services will have to wait and questions would be for later.

Yet, Filthy never said a word to his Spoiled and Diamond. He already said his piece to them and now he had nothing left. They were in trouble. He knew it; Diamond knew it; Silver knew it; Spoiled knew it most of all. They were safe and away for the time being but Filthy had a sixth sense that told him Twilight was gonna send someone after them, to answer for what has happened; He just couldn't figure out who. The pressure of thinking that was near agonizing to him, but the pressure felt more intense when four eyes of intense disappointment peered directly on Diamond and Spoiled.

Filthy and Silver Spoon were not done with Spoiled and Diamond. Well, Filthy was. Silver had her piece to say next.

Both mares were petrified. They watched and waited for Filthy and Silver Spoon to shout at them for what they did. They knew what they did was monstrous and there was no coming back from it. They were in for an endless rollercoaster of punishments, and a rollercoaster of pain in return for the pain that they caused.

Two butlers and three maids stood a good distance away, standing at the edge of the entrance of the east hallway watching their master and his daughter eye down the mistress and their firstborn with interest.

"W-What's going on?" a mocha-colored unicorn maid with cream-colored hair whispered to the others near her, confused yet concerned.

Another maid next to her shrugged. "I don't know," a greyish blue, wolf-like diamond dog maid said to her just as confused. "But I hope it's nothing bad." She glanced over to the Rich family, worried that something bad actually did happen.

A large dirty white, falcon-headed, griffon butler with three dark red stripes across his face spoke up, bluntly yet seriously, "I know what's going on." He said in a sharp, calm tone that got the others' attention as they turned their heads toward his direction. "Our mistress and little lady Diamond Tiara had caused something that might've damaged the entire family."

"And how do you know this?" An earth pony butler said to him.

Then a curvy turquoise dragoness with a slender build and whip-like tail spoke up as she stood next to the griffon butler, "Silver told him. And she told me, as well. She told us everything. I had a feeling the mistress was too prideful for her own good and she wanted young Diamond to be just as prideful as her…" Her tone was of pure disappointment and disbelief toward her mistress and young Diamond Tiara. "…I just can't believe they'd go through with it."

The earth pony butler was still confused. Silver told them but not anyone else? And what did Mistress Spoiled Milk and little Diamond do?

"Okay, so, care to tell me what happened, Ryker and Glitter?" he asked his 'boss' and the dragoness maid.

"Mistress Spoiled got into Master Filthy's things without his permission and got some kind of item to give to Diamond," Ryker explained. "I don't know what the item was but Glitter and I went with Silver Spoon to report it to Master Filthy."

"But, we were too late," Glitter said. "Spoiled and Diamond had left as we told Master Filthy."

Diamond Tiara felt a jolt of guilt run across her body once Silver Spoon glared daggers at her. She messed up; she knew that. But, what stabbed her hard was the look Silver had in her. She wasn't just hurt by what had happened in Ponyville but the way she was treated also played a part in it, too. Diamond should've listened; Silver Spoon was right all along but her stubbornness and arrogance got the better of her.

Not only that, but she should've put two and two together when she realized the irony that was placed before her. She widened her eyes after she realized and placed a hoof over her head. She waited for her to talk and scold her for her stupidity but no words came out of her sister. She never spoke. Her eyes did all the talking and Diamond picked that up crystal clear.

"S-Silver Spoon, I...I…" Diamond tried to talk to her but Silver shook her head at her.

"Don't…" Silver cut her off from saying anything, not wanting to her so-called sister's excuses. "Just… just don't."

Spoiled noticed that and with the cloud of entitlement, and everything else that she was negatively associated with, all cleared up she couldn't really blame Silver for acting like this. She acted like a demon to her and Silver never should've deserved that. She was somber over the fact that she not only verbally abused her for a long while but she neglected and chose her own daughter instead of choosing both. The whole time, Filthy had more influence over Silver than she did and she was not aware -- she would be furious but she wasn't. She was not only thankful for her husband to give their adopted child the time to teach her right from wrong but grateful for Silver for choosing to be by Filthy's side instead of hers; if only she knew right from wrong years ago but it was too late now. For once, she was proud of Silver.

And, just like her daughter, she was plagued with guilt for what she did and had Diamond do. She didn't expect all this to happen -- she expected some random regular creature to show up and scare Scootaloo and her family, not summon a bloodthirsty monster -  a rouge at that - that was going to kill them all. It made her wonder how he got the whistle in the first place. He mentioned it before but she could not remember if her life depended on it. It was a bad time to not pay attention on that specific day.

"Um, Silver..." Spoiled said, hoping to get her to talk since Filthy had nothing to say, "If you wouldn't mind --"
Her gaze sharply aimed at Spoiled and that got the snooty mare to flinch in shock.

"Oh, I do mind, Spoiled Milk," Silver Spoon said with sheer venom in her tone, refusing to acknowledge Spoiled as her own mother, causing her mother to look shocked when she called her by name. "I mind so much that half of it still can't believe you two did this! Why?! Why would you two do this to us?! To me?!"

"To you?" Both mother and daughter said, confused and hurt.

Tears began to well up and her bottom lip visibly quivered as she points at herself, "Yes, me!" She shouted angrily as Filthy just watched her have her piece, having a look of pride for Silver and disappointment for his wife and daughter. He then looked over to his maids and butlers to find them watching them but said nothing to them; they had the right to listen to this, as well.

"I thought I was living a good life," Silver Spoon said, shaking from the pain given by the negative treatment from them. "When I..." She sniffled repeatedly as she spoke to them, "When I was adopted... I thought my life... w-was gonna change." Her eyes slowly fill with tears as she finally spoke her feelings, "I felt like… I finally had a family," She looked up at Spoiled with a look of betrayal, "…a family who would love me and take care of me... I never dreamt of being in a rich family and, yet, here I am living that life." And she thought she was gonna love it, at first. Being under wealth was great but she secretly didn't like how it made ponies act. 

She previously acted like that to get Diamond and Spoiled's attention because she wanted to be a further part of the family. She almost fell into that hole after she realized what she's been doing in school. Bullying? Really? She hated it! That orphanage was torture enough, especially when she too was bullied there, but she felt like she was shoving her hatred onto others. After that fight with Scootaloo and the scolding she got from her father, that day was the moment she had finally woke up.

She wanted to be a part of the family so she could fit in. But after seeing a different side of her family, she chose to stay on Filthy's side. And being on that side had more perks than being on her so-called mother's and sister's side. She wanted to be a part of the family, just not the wrong part.

They took her words in without hesitation but Silver's tone was not of happiness and gratitude, it was of pain, misery, and grief.

"But, I never expected to be in a family where it brought me here," Silver Spoon pointed to Filthy with a shaky hoof and a whimpering sniffle. "The only ones who ever gave me comfort and love... was him..." -- She then pointed to the butlers and maids who watched them -- "... and them!" She glared at the mare and filly who dared call themselves her mother and sister, "But, you two. What did I get from you two? A fat load of lessons on how to be a dislikable high-horse, and a bully who is just as worse as that, if not worser – treating everyone like dirt!"

One of those perks, a great one at that, was the fact that she was introduced to such kind creatures who worked for her father. The maids and butlers here helped raise her equally to how Filthy raised her. When she fell into Spoiled's manipulation at first, she began to treat them like garbage similar to how Diamond did to Randolph before the poor old stallion had passed away from an incurable illness. She recalled her father being torn about his passing, but Spoiled and Diamond seemed indifferent about it -- she took it just as hard as Filthy, but she digressed. Looking back on this part now, she felt truly terrible, Randolph had been a kind, patient, and devoted butler to the Riches – actually, to Filthy, he was more than that; He was family, and when he passed away before she could ever say sorry to him for any grief she gave him before – it was a gloomy day for her and her father. She remembered that but she neglected to remember what she did to the other maids and butlers until her father snapped her out of it and brought her back to reality. She felt guilty for what she did that day and she knew she had to make it up to them, somehow. They were like family to her, even if they were from different races and locations. She was grateful that they accepted her apology that day.

Spoiled and Diamond continued to say nothing as Silver continued to vent, keeping their eyes on her. Silver paced before them as she admitted what she truly wanted from them, as part of this family. "I wanted to have a mother who would give me the same love and comfort like dad… a mother who was proud of me, no matter what I do." Silver looked down sadly before glaring at her mother, "I got that from Glitter, not you, Spoiled." She turned her attention to her big sister, the firstborn of the family. Her ears lowered as she spoke to her sister, "And I wanted a sister who would always have my back if I got into trouble or be there for me, to comfort me if I felt sad, angry, or whatever -- guess what, I didn't get that from you, Diamond Tiara, I got that from Sonia!" She motioned to the dragoness and the diamond dog, "I got that from two other creatures who were meant to be my maids! And, instead, what did I get out of you two? I get treated like a rat for no reason instead of being treated like a daughter and I get labeled like some kind of henchman from some stupid tv show instead of being labeled as a little sister." 

Ryker furrowed a confused brow then looked over to Glitter and Sonia, curiously if what Silver Spoon said was true or not.

"Is this true?" Ryker asked.

Sonia looked briefly at Ryker before she quickly looked away and tried to whistle like nothing happened. But she couldn't deny the truth from Ryker. Sonia wanted to be a better sister figure for Silver and that was just about it. She rightfully got called out for it but the diamond dog did not want to be on the worse end of Spoiled when that bombshell was dropped.

Glitter, however, was not afraid to admit it. She knew what she did was right and held no regrets about it. Even if she'd worked with the Rich family for a couple years now, she knew Spoiled Rich was not gonna be a nice soul. That was made clear one day when she spotted Spoiled talking down to Silver for absolutely no reason. She left the poor filly crying with no hint of care. It made her sick to her stomach to see a mare treat a filly so coldly and she had a vendetta against that witch ever since. So, without any hesitation, under Spoiled's muzzle, she secretly gave Silver the love and care she should've gotten since day one. Now the cat's out of the bag, she didn't care. The dragoness knew she was gonna fine, regardless.

She glanced down at Ryker with a confident look, "I'm not apologizing, you know."

But Ryker was indifferent about it, "Don't be," he said bluntly to his friend but agreed to that statement. "You did what you had to do – you did what you thought was right. And you're rewarded for it." He looked back at the Rich family to hear more of Silver's understandable tantrum.

Silver Spoon's shaking became more obvious. Spoiled and Diamond backed up a bit, letting her go on – knowing that she had to let it all out, all of it. This was painful for them, especially when they forgot that crucial last bit Silver said. She was right. Silver used to be an orphan for a long while until Filthy and Spoiled adopted her into the family.

How could he forget that day? Filthy remembered the bright, joyful, heartwarming smile when Spoiled and he chose her to be a part of the family. Filthy recalled wanting more than one foal to continue the legacy of the Rich family but Spoiled only wanted one, for some odd reason. He never understood why, nor did he think to question her, but he just rolled with it. And now that he thought about it, he started to remember how Spoiled acted when he chose Silver Spoon...

She did not care, in the slightest. Spoiled remembered that day exactly. The crumby orphanage, the screaming foals, the rude staff, all of it was just revolting and she never understood why that place still stood to this day. But, her husband wanted to go there and she couldn't change his mind, not that she would since they had so many bits. How else would they spend all that cash? Really, though, she only wanted one foal and that's it. The whole pregnancy process was too much for her to handle, to go through it again was not gonna happen; the constantly changing mood swings, the cravings, the sickness, all of which she had to deal with for months, and she just hated how fat she got; not only that but her attitude was twice as bad as how it was before. Lots of maids and butlers quit because of her including either before or during her pregnancy and she held no care for them at all. Life was hell until Diamond Tiara was finally born. When that was said and done, she was happy, for once, that she managed to have a child to continue the family tree. A little diamond was all she was to her; hence why she named her firstborn Diamond. It still held a good spot in her heart. And that was the only good spot.

But, Filthy wanted another and she refused on a whim. Once they got inside, the look inside the orphanage wasn't all that to write home about, but it was stable enough to house a hoofful of load fillies and colts. And it annoyed her to no end. Yet, Spoiled had to put on a fake smile so Filthy wouldn't get suspicious -- not that he would since he was so love-struck over her.

Then there was the big room with all those children. So many of them scouring about making too much of a racket to even let her hear her own thoughts. She couldn't recall how Filthy reacted to them but she noticed him with awe in his eyes. She was confused but she looked over at where he was looking to find a gray filly sitting on a chair next to some orange filly with purple hair, just talking like innocent little children rather than make a fracas like the others were doing. 

The grey filly was more shy and recluse while the orange filly had some energy to her that she did not like whatsoever. She didn't like energetic kids and there was a room chockfull of them right now. Yet, Filthy talked to one of the staff members and she brought over the little grey filly.

Spoiled recalled how tattered Silver looked. Dirt covering that grey fur of hers and her mane and tail were knotted up and tangled; she looked like a total mess and the squinting she did when she came to meet them also told them she was partially blind, nearsighted at best.

She was smaller and weaker than the other kids in that orphanage and it was obvious she wouldn't make it further in life. Heck, if she wanted to choose, she could've chosen that orange filly with the purple mane and tail; at least she had some gusto to her. The other orphans to her were just nothing to her and she never cared about them, at all. Once the paperwork was signed, Filthy was over Luna's moon.

Filthy was ecstatic to finally have another kid to carry on the Rich name. And while Filthy thought this was great, Spoiled did not. Spoiled didn't want anything to do with Silver Spoon for plenty of reasons. One, in particular, was the fact that a filly from some other family tree she knew next to nothing about was gonna be a part of her family tree. She didn't like that; she outright hated it. Why should she help her husband raise this child? They had butlers and maids for that and it was a weight off her shoulders since she had her own child to tend to – the child she worked so hard to bring into the world. But, she had to swallow her pride and live with it.

But, now, it felt different. Right now made her feel different. She stood there in her home and listened to this adopted filly burst into tears and yell at her for how she treated her. She held it all in for so long and she never knew it until today. Looking down at Silver Spoon, seeing her in so much pain was not a pleasant sight and she now saw that. She looked over to Filthy who still had that disappointed look on his face since he blew up on her earlier. Whatever Silver told him, she was right. And she didn't know if she would be able to fix it.

"I'm not your daughter, I'm not your friend, I'm not your sister… then what am I to you two?!" Silver Spoon cried out before she started to pant heavily, nearly winded and near dizzy from all her yelling, but she was far from done. She was brought into this family for a reason and one reason was great from Filthy, but her so-called sister and mother? 

"Am I even a part of this family?!" Silver yelled out before collapsing on her flanks as she hyperventilated, she was about to cry in front of them as her tears were flowing like overfilled dams.

Diamond Tiara almost broke down in front of her father and Silver. Silver… she was right. What was she to her? That was a good question. She wanted to answer the right way but the right way still felt so wrong. When Silver first came into her life, Diamond didn't think much of her until her father told her that she was her new little sister and that she was going to be Silver Spoon's big sister. The idea of having a sister was actually nice and she accepted it rather quickly – almost in an excited and childish way too at first, but over time she didn't view Silver Spoon as a sister, at all. She had seen her as an underling; a henchman to a crime boss. Silver Spoon looked like she didn't mind that -- it didn't seem to bother her, at first. But, this whole time, she never even bothered to ask how she felt about all this. 

And now? Now she knew that her own sister was actually bottling all her emotions in. She was going along with the constant bullying she had been doing towards other kids and joining in because she thought she'd fit in with her. She wanted to act like her, so she could get her mother's approval. 

But, why didn't she say anything? Why didn't she stop her sooner before she…

Oh. Oh, now… now she got it. She wasn't just a bully to others, she was a monster to Silver. If only she'd listened.

"Y-Y-You're my sister, m-my baby sister…" Diamond said, choking on her words a little and all she could muster was that.

But that wasn't enough to convince her. Silver Spoon widened her eyes at that response before she glared at Diamond once more, "Really? Well, it sure doesn't feel like it, Diamond."

Spoiled tried to chime in and nearly pleaded her for forgiveness, "S-Silver Spoon, I didn't mean-- "

But, Silver Spoon didn't want to hear another peep out of Spoiled, "Lies!" Silver interrupted her. "You never cared about me! You never cared about anyone! You only cared about Diamond and yourself, nothing more." She gave her mother an anguished and genuinely crushed face, showing her how badly she had hurt her. "I tried, for so long, to be like Diamond to get your approval, I tried to follow in her hoofprints to make you proud… but it was never enough! Dad and the maids and butlers felt more like a family because they actually cared about me."

"I didn't know you felt this way. Honest." Spoiled softly spoke to her in regret.

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes in disgust, "Course you didn't. You never bothered to ask me. The only thing I got out of you was that you only cared about Dad's wealth and riches." She glared at them with just as much disgust as she felt towards her words, "Do you two even care about your family, at all?"

That question rang hard in both Spoiled and Diamond's ears. Filthy wondered the same thing and he never expected something like this to come out of Silver Spoon's mouth; she was so smart for such a little filly and he couldn't be any more prouder. Even the maids and butlers were impressed by Silver's courageous tongue against their mistress.

"Woof, Silver's not pulling any punches," Ash said, surprised by the stance Silver Spoon had against her own sister and mother.

"Can you blame her?" Sonia said, having Silver's back and feeling so proud of her for being strong as stone against the mistress and her rotten apple seed. "Those two have been demons for years now. 'Bout time they were brought down a notch or two."

Diamond couldn't take any more of Silver's rage. She broke down in front of her and her father to the point her pink fur was strawberry-red. She bawled out, "Yes, yes! I care about Daddy. I really do!" She whimpered almost pathetically but sobbed as she looked at her sister in regret, "I'm sorry. I really am! I'm sorry for how I treated you. I didn't mean to make you feel like this. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." She sniffled, her nose stuffed with phlegm as she cried her heart out, "I love you and Dad so much. I really do."

Diamond was being genuine; truly genuine, this time. She really did care and she wanted Silver to no that. The tears under her eyes were pure, not crocodile tears. She didn't want them to be mad at her anymore, the pressure was too much -- but the damage was already done. She messed up and she desperately wanted a way to fix it. She really did. But, she just didn't know what to do and that hurt her just as much as what she did to Silver Spoon and her father.

"I… I just didn't know how to say that for the longest time." Diamond Tiara looked down in shame.

"Oh, man… I…" Silver looked at her sister, her glaring eyes holding only grief and betrayal as they melt into a look of sadness. "I trusted you, Diamond Tiara."

"I… I know…" Diamond whimpered softly, "I'm really sorry…" She spoke in regret once more.

Spoiled, however, remained on her hooves. But, she was silent in thought when Silver asked her that deep-cut question, she frowned sadly and looked over to her husband who waited for a response. She saw the pain in his eyes and she knew she was not gonna weasel her way out of this -- nor did she want to. She looked down in shame as she fully realized the severity of this pain.

Filthy loved her so much and she knew it like the back of her head. So in love that he'd do anything to warrant her happiness and she saw it as a way to manipulate it to her benefit. It worked like a charm for years and she pretended to love him back in return. 

There was that keyword: pretend. 

She had loved him for his bits and nothing more; not for his honesty and personality. How Filthy never noticed that was beyond her and yet she never brought it up. Why would she? She took advantage of that obliviousness so hard and she had gotten away with so much. Even in their teens, their parents from both sides of the family tree even wondered how they got together. 

For Filthy, it was love at first sight and he'd do so much to make her happy. But, for Spoiled, it was just a means to get away from responsibilities and just buy her way out of trouble.

Simple as that and just dust to sweep under the rug. 

But, today, there was no buying out of this one. Answering Silver's question was going to be the hardest thing that she ever had to deal with. And talking her way out of it was dead and gone. When she took a moment to think, she questioned herself thoroughly. Did she really love Filthy? Bits aside and everything, did she love him as a stallion? As her equal? After what she saw earlier and how much he tried to help the others, looking back at how he treated her up till now and the life she actually had, she had it made and her own mentality turned her into a false authoritarian, entitled, stereotypical snooty rich mare that it all narrowed down to her being a -- 

"I...I..." She bit her lip and gazed down with a conflicted moan as she tried to find the right words, "Mmm…"

Silver looked destroyed, she could piece it from that reaction alone. "I knew it." She looked down in grief herself, she was crushed to learn this by herself. She sighed and gazed up at her mother, "If you're so stuck on this question, Spoiled… why don't I give you an easier question to think about?" When Spoiled looked at her, she greeted her with a cold, yet emotionally drained glare as she spoke one question that plagued her for quite a while after how her mother had treated her. "Did you even want me, when we first met – or did you really just hate me and wished I wasn't your daughter?"

Widening her eyes in horror at such a scathing question – which got the maids and butlers to actually gasp a little with her – she winced and wanted to explain, but once again, she was fumbling on trying to find the right words for this one. "I… I…" She sadly looked to her daughter and attempted to reach for her only for her youngest daughter to back away from her, "S-Silver Spoon, I…"

"Oh, while I do love a good family drama," an eerie voice said that caused everyone in the mansion a cause for alarm and put an end to the argument. "I think it's best that we put this little scene on hold."

Filthy tensed and glanced about the room with a wary eye. He was right. Twilight did send someone to bring them back. He was not too shocked by it but he still kept his guard up. He kept a strong stance while his family ducked down and cowered at the voice. Silver Spoon was out of her pained stupor as she gasped lightly and looked around for the voice, backing up towards his side in a bit of fear and Spoiled and Diamond just cowered beneath the sheer pressure and terror the voice provided.

Just like Filthy, Ryker stood strong and looked around cautiously for the source of their unwanted guest, "Who are you?" the bulky falcon griffon butler called out, being the first to speak up. "Show yourself!" He tried to make their unwanted, uninvited guest come out.

But the voice remained undeterred when the griffon asked that question or demanded to reveal itself, "I'm merely just an escort. I won't be here for too long."

Ryker was worried. He was unfamiliar with this kind of presence and he looked over to his masters and noticed all but Filthy were cowering. 

"Master Filthy, what's going on?" Ryker asked.

Filthy didn't answer. He just stood there and basked in the atmosphere his 'guest' had given him and his family. The voice sounded sharp and angry, demanding even. The growl in it sure gave off an icy-cold feel, as well.

Yet, Filthy knew who this was and he anticipated his arrival. For some Twilight knew, it'd be easy for him to converse with since her friends were familiar faces he worked with before -- business-wise. However, Twilight sent him a challenge...

"You've caused quite a stir, Spoiled Milk and Diamond Tiara," the nightmarish voice said, specifically to the mother/daughter duo who shook under the voice's tone – it sure sounded angry with them, and judging by what went on, whoever this voice belonged to – they certainly didn't blame the being. "Summoning a monster just to get back at a filly who was already a victim of your bullying? I must say you two are the pettiest ponies I've ever seen."

Filthy snarled a little. This little scare act was not warranted. Twilight's escort needed a reminder that he shouldn't be using his old ways anymore; Spoiled and Diamond have been through enough and they don't need another face to make things worse.

"That's enough! You can come out now. So quit the horror act, Discord," Filthy barked. "You know this kind of style doesn't suit you."

There was a slight pause of silence. Filthy and his family waited for a response until the voice begrudgingly complied, "Fine. I'll make this brief. Ruin my fun, why don't you?"

"Discord?" Latte said a little scared.

A swirling portal emerged beside the Rich family. A long silhouette came into view until a familiar draconequus casually walked out to meet with the family, but he was not there for a friendly visit. The portal closed behind him and Discord stood before the Rich family with venom in his eyes. The bite he had received from that monster had been closed up, but they could still just barely see the outline of where he had gotten bitten – where he actually gotten hurt, for once. He looked at Spoiled and Diamond like he was an embodiment of death itself, wanting to escort them into the afterlife. A snarl took place on his muzzle as his eyes glowed ominously while a growl escaped his throat.

Latte widened her eyes in shock and horror – seeing that look in his eyes ignited her fear, so she shook her head, refusing to be seen by him.  "Nope. Nope. Nope. No-no-no-no-no-no, so much nope." She backed up, shaking her head as she held up her hooves in surrender, "Not dealing with that." She winced and gazed at the others, "Sorry, but you guys are on your own. I'm out of here!" Latte quickly trotted herself away from everyone else to go hide somewhere where her greatest fear wouldn't find her.

Discord towered over the ponies before him and loomed his anger-fueled gaze at them, pointing specifically to Spoiled and Diamond, "Our faithful princess would like to have a word with the two of you," Discord said with horrifying authority as he crossed his arms firmly while glaring down at them.

But Spoiled and Diamond just shook like leaves at the mere presence of Discord, not moving a muscle but fighting the urge to wet themselves.

"You see," Discord said after he gave them a fiendish chuckle after seeing their fear of him, especially his justified anger. "What you two did really didn't sit well with everyone in Ponyville -- Twilight, in particular. She gave me direct orders to come and get you two back to Ponyville. And, I have no clue what she has in store, she left out that part."

"H-How did you find us?" Silver Spoon asked hesitantly, wondering because they were sure no one spotted them leave.

But, Discord merely chuckled softly at that little question, and said in an eerie tone that made everyone thought they were in some nightmare, "Isn't it obvious? I can smell your fear coming from miles away. Finding you was a piece of cake... and I'm not talking about the kind of cakes Pinkie Pie makes either."

On instinct, Ryker spread his wings and flew ahead of Glitter and the others, surprising them. He skidded to a stop and landed between Discord and Filthy in a pounce stance similar to a lion and glared daggers at Discord -- a glare Discord was unfazed by but was surprised to see a hulking griffon show up out of nowhere as he backed only a step from this fellow. Discord did however give him a firm little glare as if to chastise him for interfering with his little discussion.

"Ryker?" Filthy said, caught off-guard by his lead butler's interference.

The griffon stood strong before Discord. He was ready to defend his family at all costs. He didn't care if Discord had unpredictable power within him, he will not yield to a creature such as him. And if he wanted his family, he'll have to go through him first. "You will not lay a talon or paw on the mistresses! Your business should be elsewhere, not here."

Bold as this griffon was, Discord never budged. He crossed his arms and glanced at this newcomer, analytically. Rough around the edges and stern to the bone; this guy was a warrior, plain and simple. And while he admired the courage this griffon had, he came here for a reason and he planned to fulfill it.

"I don't think so," Discord said in calm retaliation. "This became all of our business when that little hussy and her bratty spawn whistled a living death machine over to a small town full of ponies all for the sake of getting back at someone." He leered at Filthy and then at Spoiled and Diamond before he glanced back at Ryker to tell him why this is his business as well.
"And that someone happens to be my best friend and her daughter." He glared back at Filthy, accommodating him for his valiant efforts in battle. "He may have tried to help but there is no escape from what his family tried to do. Ponyville is gonna get its justice, whether you like it or not."

The sound of that got Ryker to tense as he spread his wings to shield the Riches, his talons unsheathed as he deepened his glare at the draconequus.

"But, don't get the wrong idea, whoever you are. I don't intend to kill them. I'm here as an escort, not an executioner -- that isn't my job, anyway," Discord leered down at the battle-torn, warriorlike griffon with no hint of backing down. 

Filthy quickly ran next to Ryker's side and placed a hoof on his shoulder, "Ryker, it's okay. Stand down."

"But, sir, he shouldn't be here. This is a family matter between you and Mistress Spoiled."

"I know that," Filthy said calmly, before regrettably sighing, "But, he has a point. What had happened out there had become everyone's business. As much as I hate to say it, he has every right to be here."

"And my time, as well as my patience, is running thin," Discord said as he conjured a ticking coo-coo clock that sprung out towards them, but a little mini discord figure – dressed like a devil – sprung out at them, pointing a mini devil pitchfork at them with a glare before going back into its coo-coo clock.

"Wait, Discord," Filthy called out, wondering something once he gained his attention. "If we do this, and we will do this, does Twilight really need to see my wife and daughter? Does it have to be both?"

Discord paused in thought. He remembered something about what Twilight told him before and what she said to him only mentioned Spoiled, not Diamond. Filthy held a good question and it was a simple one to answer, "Hmm. Actually, no. Not specifically both. In fact, she would be fine with just the gold digger alone." He pointed a talon at Spoiled who flinched lightly.

Filthy smiled, "Then that's good news I'll take. Just, let me do a few things real quick and we will go." An idea came to him once Discord nodded to him to get on with it. He then looked to his best butler and dearest friend, "Ryker, I need you to do me a favor, and this is a big one."

Ryker looked at him confusedly and worriedly. Whatever he had planned better be good, "Filthy, what are you planning to do?"

Filthy glanced over to a near-shaken Glitter then back to Ryker with a confident smile, "I want you and Glitter to take care of my daughters while we are away."

Ryker was shocked by this request; Taking care of his daughters in his absence? Filthy almost made it sound like he's about to walk to his death and he's appointing that Ryker will care for the two little ones like they were his own fledglings. "Are you sure?" he asked, worriedly. "How long are you two gonna be gone?" 

Filthy shrugged, "I don't know. But, what I do know is that I have trust in you and others to take care of my little girls."

Ryker was still unsure of that. He had experience around the mansion, but he had barely interacted with the young mistresses. When it came to that, it wasn't always pleasant. He still had an unsure look on his face. A face Filthy noticed and calmly spoke to him to calm him.

"Ryker, you and I have known each other since our years as Trophy Hunters. You had loyalty to all of us until we separated after our encounter with Marabunda. The fact that you chose to find and work for me as a butler tells me that loyalty is still there, and is as strong as ever. You've been around long enough to know my daughters; Silver Spoon told me before that she looked up to you like an uncle. That made me feel good to hear that."

Ryker was stunned. He didn't know what to think and the mention of his Trophy Hunter days was behind him; he wanted to forget those times. But, Filthy was right. He had been loyal for years to the point his old friends at arms were like a family to him. And now, here he was with one he worked for. To an extent, that loyalty never left and he guessed he needed a new kind of leverage to keep him going. 

"You still remember those moments?" Ryker asked Filthy, surprised that he still remembered.

Filthy nodded with a tender smile, "I do, old friend. I haven't forgotten." He lifted a hoof to the large falcon-headed griffon and smiled confidently, again. "Now, do you accept this task not only as a friend and butler but as a brother, too?"

Ryker looked down at Filthy's hoof for a second then looked over to Glitter and the others. It felt like a task worthy of only Glitter and Sonia since they were the ones that tended to Silver Spoon. But, to hear Filthy say she looked up to him like an uncle made him feel a little good inside – it even got a little blush to appear on his cheeks for once… but most importantly, Filthy trusted him. If anything, Ryker owed Filthy his life for taking him in and giving him purpose, again. Those times as a Trophy Hunter were over, but this new path was more than acceptable.

Ryker looked back at Filthy and clasped his claw on his hoof and squeezed light with a strong, single shake, "You have my word, Money Bags."

Filthy smiled widely before he let out a hearty laugh when Ryker called him that, "Really? You too? I thought Drift was the only one that called me that?"

After they let go of each other, Ryker walked away while Filthy walked to his wife to see how she was doing. And from the looks of it when he stood by her, she could be better.

"Hey," he gently bumped her on the shoulder to snap her out of it. "You okay?"

Spoiled Rich had a look of unholy fear in her eyes. Of all the creatures for Twilight to send, she sent her chaos demon to come and get her. If Twilight wanted to see her that badly, then she had a feeling all of Ponyville wanted the same thing. She felt like public enemy number one with Discord in her house acting like death itself ready to escort her into the afterlife. They had every right to think that but she still couldn't believe it. She was definitely not gonna get out of this one and she might as well accept her fate.

"Y-Yeah, I'll live. I think." She shakily answered her husband.

Filthy snorted lightly at her nervousness, "Relax, he's not gonna hurt us." He looked over to Discord with a firm glare. "Right?" Like Ryker, he has shown he too was not going to let Discord scare him, and he'd be damned if he let this slippery noodle do harm to his wife and daughter.

Discord let out a heavy sigh with his eyes rolling – quite literally as they almost rolled right out of his head before catching them and shoving them back into his face, he humored Filthy. He nonchalantly held his talon to his chest and held his paw up, "You have my word. As I stated before, I was sent as an escort, not a destroyer." Not that he could. His magic was made for fun, not harm. "Besides…" He pouts as he gave a little eye-roll, but secretly and unknowingly to them, it was a fond one when he mentions Twilight, "…even if I wanted to send you to my realm or destroy you as punishment, Twilight would never forgive me." Although, if he had it his way, Spoiled and Diamond would be in a world of lunacy when he'd done with them. But, he dreaded going back to his old ways yet that didn't stop him from pulling a good intimidation tactic.

Filthy looked away from Discord and back to his wife. Even if Discord kept his word, Filthy still didn't drop his guard around him.

"It's time we got this over with. You want to redeem yourself, right?" He spoke to his wife.

As much as she wanted to back down and run and hide, it was no use. What could she do, anyway? There was no running or talking her way out of it. She took in a deep inhale and breathed slowly to try and calm herself down. 

"I do. I messed up. I really did," Spoiled looked to Filthy with regret in her eyes. "I don't know what I can do to earn your trust back, Filthy. But, I wanna tell you - honestly this time - I'm so sorry for what I did. For what I've done to you and our family. I've been a monster since day one and I never once thought about changing."

Filthy was taken aback by that, sort of. He felt it a little difficult to trust her when she said that to him. He had to keep his guard up not only at Discord but at his own wife, too. He was no longer blind and could see through her manipulative tongue. But, if what she said was truly honest...

"Then say that to Silver Spoon," Filthy said, firmly. "You owe her so much, Spoiled. If you really want my trust back, the first step is to treat our second like she's truly a part of the family. No more of this 'bloodline' crap. You hear me, Spoiled Milk?"

It was loud and clear. That was the first obvious step and she did not hesitate to accept it. Though, she was hesitant herself. Silver Spoon outright hated her for several reasons and she didn't know what to say when she goes to her. But, she had to at least try.

She nodded to Filthy before she walked over to her daughters with a somber look, only to find Silver Spoon being held in Glitter's arms. She sighed to herself, pained to see one of her maids had taken the role she was meant to have but she understood why Glitter did so, too. But, just as she approached, Glitter noticed her and tightened her hold on Silver, just a little. A defensive glare shot right at her.

Spoiled tensed a little at that. For once, she was outright scared to go even near Glitter with how defensive she got, "Glitter, it's okay. I won't harm Silver Spoon. I swear."

But, Glitter never backed down. Like Filthy, she had a hard time believing anything Spoiled said. For all she knew, Spoiled could be lying right now, "I have a better idea," Glitter said in a venomous tone. "How about you say what you want to say in front of all of us?" She growled lightly. "This involves us too, ya know."

That was one thing Filthy neglected to say, and she would gladly correct that. The dragoness was fed up with Spoiled and she didn't care what her punishment was after this was over. She was not gonna let go of Silver until the witch in front of her said her piece and left. While in her arms, Silver Spoon was a tad bit scared and traumatized by Discord.

Spoiled Milk tensed up again. Even her own top maid was against her. She really did it now and she couldn't blame Glitter for her behavior. Spoiled rubbed the back of her head slowly, before she nodded to the dragoness.

"Yes, you're right, I really do owe you that much…" Spoiled said, with no hint of retaliation in her tone. "I... I am so sorry for how I treated you." She looked to her maids and butlers with remorse, "All of you. What I've done was unwarranted and unkind. I've treated you all like dirt and I didn't regret any of it." She looked down in regret, but instead of wallowing, she spoke with resolve. She will make amends, and she'll start right here. "But, I do now. I went as far as turn my own daughter against you guys and I shouldn't have done that. You're not just workers for my husband and I or for our children… you're family. And for my harsh neglectful behavior of that, I'm so, so sorry for how I treated you."

The butlers and maids looked at each other for a moment before they heard Spoiled speak again.

"And, Silver," The sign of an ear perk was there when her name was mentioned. Man, this one was gonna hurt the most. Spoiled could feel herself split apart from all the pain she inflicted on her littlest one. And she regretted it all, "I know you hate me for what I've done. And you have every right to be. I should've been a mother to you," She sighed sadly, "But instead, I was a monster. You deserve to have a loving mother, not a monster." She gazes up at Glitter, "And… I couldn't be more proud of Glitter to become what you desperately needed, what I couldn't give you before." Glitter's glare softened a bit, blinking at her small praise of pride, almost surprised. Spoiled winced lightly and gazed at her youngest daughter, "I know there isn't anything I can do to fix what I caused to you, but I just want you to know, I am sorry for not being the mother you wanted and I am sorry for turning Diamond into... what I wanted her to be. I can just hope that I can fix the trust I've broken, become the mother you deserve, and I hope that maybe you can forgive me one day."

Once she was done speaking, Silver Spoon never seemed to look back. She never gave an inkling of a hint she listened other than her ears folding down. She stayed bundled up in Glitter's arms, tightening her hug. Spoiled waited for a few minutes to get something out of Silver Spoon but Silver Spoon refused to look at her, her voice finally emerged… but it was resigned and heartbroken.

"Just go away, Spoiled…" She buried her face into Glitter's scales, "I want to be alone…" Shutting her eyes, she refused to look at the mare that called herself her mother. 

Spoiled understood the message and turned away without a word; she was hurt by the bitter yet heartbroken words of her daughter, yet it was ultimately deserved. She walked back to Filthy and Discord but turned to look at Diamond, who was curled up next to Ryker, looking confused and scared as to what was going on.

Sighing sadly, she leaned down and gave her flesh and blood an apologetic nuzzle, something of which her daughter desperately nuzzled into her as a form of comfort yet worry for what was going to happen to her mother. Spoiled finally spoke her regretful apology for the one she tried molding into becoming her. "And I'm so sorry for what I tried to do to you, my precious little diamond." 

She looked at Filthy and Discord as she approached, she took a deep breath and then nodded to Discord, confirming that she was ready, "I'm ready to go to Ponyville now."

Discord raised a talon claw and snapped a portal open behind him, "Very well. Come with me."

And with that, Discord walked through first. Filthy and Spoiled walked for a second before they both looked at each other for a moment. Before Spoiled could walk, she felt Filthy's hoof grab a hold of hers. She widened her eyes as she looked to find their hooves locked together, and she looked back at Filthy who held a confident smile. She did great with that first step, so, he had her back until this was over.

For once, Spoiled smiled a genuine smile at Filthy. A faint blush formed over her cheeks. She was happy, truly happy that he was still by her side. This was the first step, but there will be more to take and this time, she was ready for it. She just hoped Twilight would go easy on her -- she hoped everybody would go easy on her.

The Rich couple then walked through the portal and followed Discord. Hearing the hoofsteps of her parents growing fainter, Silver Spoon gazed back curiously just in time to see her mother's tail fade into the portal as it closed behind her parents, leaving Ryker, Glitter, and the rest of the butlers and maids to tend to Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara.
> The Trial Of Spoiled Milk (Part 2)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bon Bon sat down and looked up, indifferent but still very much angry at the position she was brought into and where she was for this to take place. It was still roughly in the afternoon when she was given the choice to become a witness for Spoiled's trial -- personally, she would've preferred to be an executioner, but that would, unfortunately, go against Twilight's wishes. She took a slow, calm breath as a welcoming, cool mistral brushed against her body. It was a clear indicator that it was the afternoon but the shadow that loomed over her made it seem like the morning sun still hadn't shown itself. 

She sighed softly to herself as she sat there and looked at Twilight's castle with the same indifference. She then looked behind her to see the other homes that resided in Ponyville, ignoring the ponies that had noticed her and the ones that chose to come out and wait for Spoiled Rich to return. As she looked back at Twilight's castle, she never said a word -- nor gawked at how fancy the castle looked. If it were different, sure she'd marvel at how this alien structure was made. Instead, she just pondered about it. Sometimes, when she'd notice, a lot of ponies would waste some of their time just to show their awe at how different and unique Twilight's castle looked. Was it because they saw it was something to take photos of, get jealous of, or talk about? Or is it just something they wished they could have – a fancier home to live in?

To think it all started between a fight with Tirek. Twilight literally fought tooth and hoof against that magic-hungry monster – even being on par in strength of his level, which the centaur was impressed by as he commented about that during their fight - and with the help of her friends – of course - she earned a castle in the end, replacing the library which sadly had gotten destroyed by the big bastard during their fight. Bon Bon found it a little ironic, actually; when it first appeared, it genuinely felt like an end to a chapter of a story. But, with it actually here and not leaving anytime soon, she knew for others in this town it was still an amazing sight, and she would've gladly agreed with those ponies. But, now, after a traumatizing wake-up call like the one she went through, she just viewed this blasted castle as nothing more than a ... 

"Total eyesore, isn't it?" Gilda said poking fun at Twilight's castle as she sat next to Bon Bon while looking up at the castle and causing Bon Bon to flinch out of her zone.

"Ack, what the hell?!" Bon Bon said, nearly jumping out of her skin as she turned with a panicked snort. That griffon showed up out of nowhere.

But, Gilda merely chuckled and took it as a natural thing, "Sorry, force of habit."

She calmed down after that little sneak-up and lightly pouted at the stranger, "Is it now?" She said, a tad bit agitated, before she then looked back up at the castle with her. She was right about what she called it, though, "But, yeah, it's a big eyesore. Feels out of place compared to everything else around Ponyville." 

Bon Bon pouted lightly but she softened as she mentioned why it was here in the first place – remembering that it was Twilight's technically third home, "I almost miss seeing the library instead of this big honking thing. But after Tirek made his attack – no thanks to him in destroying the place - now our town has a castle." She made a sarcastic yet dramatic motion to the castle as if to present it for the first time.

In truth, no offense to Twilight in any way shape, or form, Bon Bon hated seeing the castle. Before, Ponyville was such a smooth, settled town that was easy to look around and not have anything flashy affect anyone's eyes. Now, with Twilight's castle planted next to Ponyville, that kind of changed things here -- and from what this griffon said, she wasn't the only one who thought the same thing. Did other ponies share the same thought? That was good to know, at least. 

It was a mesmerizing sight in the beginning, but now it's just an ugly eyesore. But, she wasn't gonna tell Twilight that; that wasn't on her to-do list.

"Heh, ain't that the truth," Gilda said, agreeing with her. "We have a castle kinda like this back at Griffonstone, but it's not crystal-y like this one." She pointed at Twilight's castle's crystalline design, dragging a talon on its smooth surface. "It's a bit run down and somewhat abandoned."

Bon Bon looked at her, indifferently and a little annoyed. She was in no mood to learn anything today. She came here specifically to get this day ... wait, Griffonstone? Hold on, a griffon?! She widened her eyes in surprise when the realization finally hit her and she whipped her head to look at the griffon girl next to her.

"Wait, you?" Bon Bon said surprised, her eyes did not deceive her. She didn't expect to see another griffon here. She thought Gallus was the only one around in Ponyville. Maybe she was here before and she just didn't notice her? If that was the case then what was she doing here?

Gilda looked at her oddly and cocked her head to the side a little with a curious chicken cluck emitting from her, "Uh, yes, me?" she said confused, not quite understanding why this pony acted so surprised. "My name is Gilda. In case you're wondering."

Bon Bon blinked a couple of times before she shook her head to snap herself out of her stupor, "Right, sorry. I was just surprised is all. I didn't expect to see another griffon here." Which was actually another golden opportunity when the thought now occurred to her after what Gallus told her earlier.

"I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking." She smiled a little, maybe there was something good out of this that she can learn, especially with what she had in mind for little Gallus.

Gilda looked perplexed. Did this pony not recognize her? She's acting like she's never seen a griffon before. And here she assumed she was well-known around Ponyville for her rotten attitude episode, but, apparently, she was proven wrong. She was genuinely surprised but she wasn't gonna let that tidbit out, at all. For now, she'll just roll with it.

However, there was one thing that was missing in this get-together, and she held a talon up to stop this mare from going any further, "Hold it." Gilda said. "Before I answer any of your questions, care to tell me your name? It seems fair, don't-cha think?"

Bon Bon paused before she realized her own mistake, "Oh, right, I'm Sweetie Drops. But, you can call me Bon Bon, if you want. Either one is good…" She didn't really care about either name, whatsoever, anymore. As far as she was concerned, what she was called didn't matter.

Gilda silently flinched. Fluttershy mentioned Bon Bon before while she visited her boyfriend and brought up the moment Marabunda snagged her girlfriend down the well and axed her. This mare must be that Bon Bon Fluttershy was talking about. Now that she got a good look at her, the mare looked a little worse for wear and the makeup she had on didn't help her case. But, she did seem stable right now. Wonder why that is?

In any case, Gilda felt bad for Bon Bon, and with her here, she had a feeling she was told by someone to come here. If she were to guess, it likely could've been Twilight herself or one of the others hence why Fluttershy showed up the way she did. She honestly didn't know what to think here, but, if by chance, she would've gladly told Twilight, Rainbow Dash, or any one of them who suggested bringing Bon Bon here that it might've been a bad idea. Bon Bon looked like she was still grieving and if Spoiled were to show up right now, Tartarus would be unleashed. At least, that's what she thought, but, right now, something or someone was keeping a stable head on this mare's shoulders to make her think clearly and it brought some relief to her. But, she did have some questions for her that she wouldn't mind answering once she knew what they were.

"So, your questions?" Gilda said, reminding Bon Bon.

Bon Bon nodded and got straight to it, "Alright, um, I don't know how well griffons know each other in Griffonstone, but, do you know a griffon named Gallus?"

Gilda's eyes went wide at that question. 'Course she knew Gallus; he was Glinda's pen-pal for a long while. Every now and then, she'd see him in Griffonstone and would chat with him if she got the chance, too, or if she was in the mood to talk. She couldn't remember the last time Glinda brought him up when they'd have their conversations. She started to think Glinda might've gained a little cub crush on Gallus or something – which, when one thinks about it, was kind of cute for someone little Glinda's age. But, she never bothered to ask about it because it wasn't her business to pry.

"Yeah, I know him," Gilda said, but now that he was brought up, she heard he went missing after the fight with Marabunda. She wondered where he went after that but never bothered to go investigate. "He's a friend of my little sister, and her pen-pal, as a matter of fact."

Bon Bon smiled lightly at that last part, "That's good to know." She was happy to know he, at least, had more friends around to be by his side. When she gets back, she'd ask Gallus if he knew Gilda's little sister. Learning about this was very interesting, to her.

"But, why, though? Is he okay?" Gilda asked, concerned about why she would ask about him. "Is he hurt?"

Bon Bon quickly raised a hoof and smiled reassuringly. "Oh, no-no-no, don't worry. He's fine," Bon Bon motioned back to Ponyville before she told Gilda the truth. "He's been living with me for a bit. He felt bad for what happened and blamed himself for not being able to save Lyra. So, he wanted to help me get back on my hooves."

Now, she wouldn't openly say these kinds of stuff to anyone after she just met them, but Gilda was an exception for several reasons. And then she smiled a little wider. He was willing to help her after what happened and he'd try as hard as he could do it, but, after what he told her and the idea she now had in mind, she now has something new to look forward to. She was wanting to repay him for his kind and loyal efforts. However, she needed to confirm something, too, and Gilda was gonna be that second opinion.

"So, Gallus has been at your place the whole time?" Gilda asked, surprised that he's been there the whole time.

But, now that she thought about it, it was coming back to her. Gallus tried to save a unicorn from falling into that broken well Big Mac used to trap Marabunda into. She didn't know what else happened after because she was confined in that bakery but she knew Gallus tried to help as much as he could. She was proud and she'll let him know when she sees him – he was very brave that night, and she's proud of him, and she's proud to call him a friend of hers and Glinda's.

"Yes," said Bon Bon. "He's been telling me a lot of stuff he's been through throughout his life. And, it had me wondering," She looked at her in a slightly curious manner, "Is Griffonstone really as bad as what he's been telling me?"

She almost hesitated to ask that since she assumed Gilda might've lived there her whole life and would've given her a different answer, should she take offense by someone talking bad about her home. Gallus said some pretty nasty things about Griffonstone and she wanted input from another griffon to learn if what Gallus said was true. And with Gilda here, she wanted to know if she had a different --

"Oh, yeah, it's pretty bad," Gilda said so casually that this moment might as well be regular chit-chat for her, nodding at her that whatever Gallus must've told her is no doubt true.

Nevermind, her view was just as identical as he was. Wow! Bon Bon shot her eyes open again in utter astonishment.

"Really?" she said with eagerness in her tone.

Gilda nodded. She had no clue what Gallus told her, but, "Whatever he said to you I can bet you is more than likely true." She gazed off into the distance into the skies, most likely to gaze off in the direction of Griffonstone, "Griffonstone is not what you ponies would call a happy place. It used to be a prideful home to us griffons, but after the Idol of Boreas vanished, life was never the same for anygriffon. And frankly, it's turned into quite a depressing crap-town." She shrugged a shoulder as she admitted one little perk while turning back to BonBon, "I mean, it's learning to accept friendship from what I've last seen, but it's not enough to convince me to stay there. That's why I'm moving here with my little sister. Start fresh, with a clean slate, ya know?"

"I see," Bon Bon said, that last part she understood perfectly. She can't blame someone wanting a clean slate and a fresher start. "So, you had a rough life up there, too?"

"Yeah, I did. But, I won't go into too much about it. Long story short, Griffonstone is rough and a warm welcome from anyone is not likely gonna happen – even if ya paid the greedy cluckers."

So, her hunch was right. Gallus did have a rough life, after all. She felt ever-so-bad for him now than she ever did; Gilda pretty much confirmed it since she sounded like she had more experience than he did. This was why she was now more motivated to do what she had planned and once this whole stupid trial was done and over with, she will find Filthy because he had something she needed from him.

"Alright. Thank you, Gilda. That's all I needed to hear." She nodded in gratitude.

But, Gilda still looked perplexed by what Bon Bon asked her. Why did she ask her those questions and what did it have to do with Gallus?

"Uh, no problem. But, Bon Bon, what's this all about, anyway?" Gilda asked, curiously. "You seem like you got something on your mind and that smile isn't doing you any favors." She chuckled and lightly teased her since she noticed that eager grin on her face, giving a teeny poke to one of her cheeks with her talon.

Bon Bon blushed brightly at the touch and waved a hoof at Gilda, "Oh, uh, sorry. I had something in mind for Gallus that I think he'd absolutely love." Bon Bon explained before she asked Gilda, her tone changing from bright to a somber yet worried tone while asking her, "Are you aware that Gallus is an orphan?"

Gilda nodded. She knew that as much as everyone in Griffonstone knew; it was common knowledge. And, unlike the other griffons, it pained her to no end to know this. Gallus was a smart-alecky griffon who liked to poke fun at others when he could - like a little punk, but he had a good heart and didn't hold anything against anyone. If it were possible, she could've taken him under her wing, but she had her own priorities with herself and Glinda to deal with.

"Yeah, I knew. A lot of us did," Gilda said, regrettably as she rubbed the back of her neck. "No one knew who his parents were and no one once thought of taking him in…" She admitted to her, assuring her if she hadn't had her own problems, she would've changed that herself. "If I didn't have my own problems and priorities to deal with, along with caring for my little sister, I would've taken him under my wing myself." She sighed lightly, she felt bad for the kid. It's not easy for anyone who has the orphan life. 

"His 'guardian' Grandpa Gruff took him in to give him shelter, a bit of food, and basically a roof over his head, but that's just about it. I talked to him every now and then when I could until he went to that school Twilight runs." And that's all Gilda had for her. As far as Gilda knew, he was just someone she knew – but after what they had gone through recently, she was willing to call him a friend she was proud of having.

But, she still noticed the smile on the mare's face, "What do you have in mind for him?" Gilda asked curiously.

Bon Bon blushed lightly but looked up at Gilda with excitement in her eyes, "Well, I was thinking with what Gallus told me and how much he's done for me, I figured I'd -- "

"Gilda!" a familiar voice called out to the griffon and got hers and Bon Bon's attention.

Both looked back to find Rainbow Dash approaching them with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Drift behind her.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash," Gilda greeted, happy to see her friend but unaware that Bon Bon's excited smile dulled back to a stern frown before she looked away from them. She came to her friend and exchanged a hoof-talon bump with her in greeting.

"Is everyone almost ready?" Gilda asked, wondering if everyone who was involved in the fight was gonna join this trial.

"Well, kinda, Rarity is gonna be joining us, in a bit. She's dropping off Sweetie Belle back at her parent's place," Rainbow Dash explained. "Scootaloo would be here, but..."

"She's too busy patching up her 'dragon hoard'," Drift said jokingly with a chuckle, winking at the girls who gradually got his little hint and either blushed or looked amused. "Heard Flame Queen say she had things under control, but my baby girl wasn't having it."

Fluttershy pouted at Drift for that little name he gave to Ember, "Drift, she's the 'Dragon Lord', not Flame Queen."

Yet, Drift just raised his scarred brow at her, "You sure?" he said, questionably. "Doesn't seem like it, to me." With how things are going at that hospital, Ember doesn't have a rule to stamp onto when Scootaloo steps in. He knows after she's done with Spike and Smolder, Varan's gonna get a wholesome visit next. But he also added, "Plus Smolder's friends wanted to check on her and Spike, too, including that little griffon." He felt that at least needed to be known that Smolder and Gallus' friends will be keeping them company at the hospital.

"Anyway," Rainbow Dash nodded, giving the status report once Ember was brought up. "Ember will be joining us in a bit, too. All that's left is Discord and he's bringing..." She frowns lightly, not wanting to look at the mare herself, "…you-know-who." She noticed Bon Bon sitting next to Gilda and kept herself from saying Spoiled's name in front of her. She feared if that name was mentioned, she'd go into a frenzy like she did before.

Fluttershy, after finishing her talk with Drift, noticed Bon Bon looking away from everyone and quietly gasped to herself in surprise that Bon Bon actually showed up. She wanted to know how she was doing and holding up after what happened with Lyra. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were being very vague about it after they met up but she had to know.

Fluttershy was about to approach Bon Bon to greet her but a pink blur stepped in front of her and blocked her path. Pinkie Pie stood in front of Fluttershy and shook her head slowly with tense eyes.

"Pinkie?" Fluttershy said, shocked. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me, Fluttershy, you do not want to go near her right now," Pinkie Pie warned her, nearly sounding like she pleaded with her not to go near Bon Bon. "She's not in any mood to talk to anybody. If I were you, I'd let her be."

Fluttershy would've objected to this, but with how serious Pinkie Pie sounded -- Pinkie Pie, of all ponies -- she couldn't object to the warning. Whatever else happened between Bon Bon, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash, it had to have been serious. But, for now, she'll let her be.

Pinkie Pie had the right call to back her off. Bon Bon overheard her and appreciated her for doing that. She was still pissed off at Fluttershy for that ridiculous choice and for persuading everyone to join her side. The last thing she wanted was to have a conversation with that sensitive hippie.

Not only that, but she overheard Gilda having a talk with Rainbow Dash. It didn't take her much to put two and two together that they were friends; figured as much. But, she wasn't gonna hold anything against Gilda; she didn't deserve it. In fact, she had no more use for Gilda since all her questions were answered and she got the info she needed. So, as far as she was concerned, everyone around her can just leave her alone. Once Filthy shows up, she'll get what she needs.

Rainbow Dash noticed Bon Bon next to Gilda and felt a little nervous and concerned, "Uh, Gilda, how are things going out here?" She motioned to Bon Bon, quietly but also warned her that the mare in question was also a time bomb waiting to happen.

Gilda got the hint right away and looked over at Bon Bon briefly, "Doing good, I suppose." She shrugged at Rainbow Dash as a sign that told her nothing happened. "We just talked about a few things and that's about it."

That was a good note to write on. Rainbow Dash felt a wave of relief wash over her. The last thing she ever wanted was for her old friend to have a mouthful from a mare who's been grieving for hours.

"That's good to know." She was at least grateful to know that Bon Bon isn't closing herself off completely from everyone. While she understood she needed time to grieve, cutting herself off from others who care about her or want to help her wasn't healthy. She dealt with that herself when she tried to convince Scootaloo to give Fluttershy a chance months ago.

Gilda nodded in response but something caught her attention at the top of her eyes just above the group. As she glanced up, her friends noticed and looked at where she was looking at.

Bon Bon didn't budge for a moment until she heard what sounded like light wings flapping. Curious, she turned her gaze and spotted a turquoise-colored dragoness soar down and land in a near-heroic fashion.

The dragoness rose up and folded her wings. She arrived just in time to be a part of the trial, but Ember couldn't resist landing near her friends to greet them.

"Am I late to the -- "

"Ember!!!" almost all her friends called out in shock and surprise that she was alive and well.

The dragoness flinched when Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie jumped her and glomped her for a tight hug. They were all happy to see she was here. "Oh… great… more pony hugs!" She blushed faintly but fought her urge to look uncomfortable with the contact. She could read from the body language they had been worried about her.

"Ember, you made it!" Pinkie Pie said, so happy to see Ember was alright. "We thought you were burnt to crisp dragon tenders after that monster tossed you away." And she was relieved that wasn't the case.

"Yeah, how did you survive?" Rainbow Dash asked, utterly surprised she survived a hard throw like that -- not to mention an explosion, after.

As much as Ember liked the attention, she was still far from accepting hugs. Aside from Spike, and now Smolder from what Scootaloo told her, she was still not too keen on that whole mushy, huggy stuff. But, she evolved to a point where she could work around it.

"You do know who you're talking to, right?" Ember said in a bit of a gloat as she easily got back up and held the mares each in one of her respective claws. "And you do realize who you're friends with, don't-cha?"

Ember easily hoisted both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash over her head and smiled boastfully and proudly at the strength she was demonstrating. She was not gonna show up looking like a scared hatchling. Oh no!

Drift, Fluttershy, and Gilda were getting a good kick out of this. Seeing Rainbow Dash want to be put down was hilarious and seeing Pinkie Pie just rolling with it and acting like she was flying made them chuckle. But, Bon Bon was not really wanting to indulge, so she just ignored them, although she smirked lightly at hearing them yelp from being hoisted up. It was a bit of dark humor for her, but she won't say it out loud.

"I can survive lava," Ember said as she used Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie as living dumbbells just for the giggles as the two squealed but then laugh once they realized what she was doing. "I survived a fight with a chimera. Endured other dragons' ramblings…" She pouts and makes a exaggerated stressed face, "…especially suffered through one dragon's complaints you know too well." That was a jab at one teen dragon at least Dash was familiar with. "I survived getting stomped on by a hydra –" She blinked and pointed with Rainbow Dash in her claw, assuring that one was an accidental stomp. "-- accidentally, of course! A mere throw from a manticore into an explosive grill means nothing to me!"

She tossed Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie up in the air with relative ease as her friends watched as Rainbow Dash regained her flight and Pinkie Pie just... hovered back down with her tail right next to Ember who instantly looked confused by her ability to do that.

"I still have so many questions about you," Ember said puzzled at Pinkie Pie before Pinkie Pie just smiled happy-go-lucky and hopped away back to Fluttershy.

Gilda let out a surprised whistle at Ember's feats. She knew dragons were hardheaded and strong but she didn't think this one was able to endure that much, "Gotta say, that's pretty metal."

Ember nodded at that compliment and proudly beat her chest once, letting Gilda hear the thick thump of her claws hitting solid thick scaly skin, "Thick scales. They really come in handy when you're dealing with the tough stuff."

A few minutes rolled by until Applejack and Rarity finally arrived alongside Big Mac. The crowd who arrived to witness Spoiled's arrival arrived in lines on each side of the trail to Twilight's castle. Not a single one wanted to miss this moment.

But, by the time the crowd did show up, the Mane Five, Drift, Big Mac, Ember, Gilda, and Bon Bon were all gathered in the main hall behind the entrance doors.

And, on cue, Twilight arrived to meet them. Her friends noticed she looked better than she did after her rampage in her room but they kind of anticipated what her reaction will be once Spoiled Rich showed up.

"Darling, how are you doing?" Rarity asked. "You feeling any better?"

Twilight nodded, "Yes, Rarity, I'm fine. I've had plenty of time to cool down." But, her attention was quickly drawn to Bon Bon who looked away from everyone.

Unlike Fluttershy from before, Twilight gently approached Bon Bon as she said, "But, it's not me who needs to be asked that." She sat down in front of Bon Bon who still had a cold shoulder to her.

"So, what's with this one?" Ember asked, confused by what was going on. "Why is she here and being all sulky?"

"Long story short, Ember, she's a personal victim of Marabunda's attack," Rainbow Dash answered, trying to be careful with what she was saying. Bon Bon had been through enough and to have that story told over and over might get her nerves in a tight knot, so she tried to dance around it and add a different but fitting and true term to what can sum it up.

But, Bon Bon overheard Rainbow Dash. Her nerves were more than shot. She didn't want to hear any more of it and yet Lyra's death was still being spread like gossip. And before Twilight could even ask if Bon Bon was doing alright, her answer came in a short-tempered burst, "Oh don't even try to be so subtle about it, Rainbow Dash. In fact, why don't I just spill it out in case it wasn't clear enough for you and everyone else here in this damn castle."

Everyone in the main hall flinched and stood back as they watched Bon Bon begin to flare up with rage. It was obvious she was still in the anger phase of grief and they had no clue if it was a wise idea to try and calm her down. Twilight and the other five knew they needed to bring her over as a witness but the tension wasn't supposed to be like this.

Bon Bon gave everyone a death glare and snarled like a feral wolf, "My Lyra was taken from me because a stupid mare and her brain-dead brat called over a blood-hungry monster to kill those two and their child over there -- " she pointed to Drift and Fluttershy who had a look of worry on their faces " -- all because of some stupid thing two fillies did."

How she guessed that was anyone's guess -- ironic as that was.

Twilight held her ground, this time, and tried to ease Bon Bon's tension as best as she could as she carefully approached to place a hoof on her shoulder, "Bon Bon, I know that you're upset, but like you, we're all upset, too, and we're still processing what happened yesterday. It was out of our control that what happened had happened. We'll bring her to justice, I swear."

But, Bon Bon wasn't buying it. That calm yet understanding tone Twilight had going on was all but white noise to her. Lyra may have been Twilight's childhood friend but Twilight acted as though she barely cared. Either she was hiding her true feelings or she just didn't want to express them like her pompous, formal mentor. All Bon Bon had to show for Twilight was nothing but pain in her eyes and, if she wanted to, she could go all out on this alicorn and really nail it in that book-obsessed head of hers what true pain felt.

"I wanna make something crystal clear to you, Twilight Sparkle," Bon Bon said with a highly potent venomous tone that felt as though it wasn't just aimed at her, it was aimed at the other five, too. And they got that message immediately.

"I came here because I wanna see you go by your word. I wanna see you bring that bitch to justice. Throw her in a slammer, turn her into a damn statue, or something remotely punishable for her. I don't want to hear you lecture her about friendship. I wanna hear you throw a hammer down on her and give her a punishment that is nice and fit for an entitled sow like her. I want her answering for what she's done – especially to me. You hear me, Twilight Sparkle?" Bon Bon gave Twilight a cold-shoulder glare, demanding to hear Twilight give her word. Her trust in Twilight and her friends was all but withering in front of them, and she wanted them to know.

Twilight held her ground, again, and looked Bon Bon in the eyes. She sensed a world of hate and pain in them. Twilight did not appreciate being told what to do since she was of higher authority as the fourth princess, but she knew Bon Bon didn't care about that in the slightest. If she even uttered a word, she had a sickening feeling Bon Bon would not believe any of it. Bon Bon really put her in a bind here, yet she knew where she was coming from. She missed Lyra, she really did; she was one of her childhood friends. But, she had to keep a strong head on her shoulders so this trial could go smoothly. She couldn't abuse her power like some kind of dictator -- she wasn't Sombra. Yes, she was mad at Spoiled too for what she had done, but she had no idea what punishment she had in mind for Spoiled, yet. Sure, a jail cell was fine but she could get out at any time with how many bits she had. But, it wasn't just about her word -- in fact... 

"I hear you, Bon Bon; and I understand that you're angry and don't want anything to do with anyone with what you're going through." She was no fool, she knew that loss was never easy to get over. But she will promise her that Spoiled will be answering for this. "Everyone here gets to say their piece to Spoiled -- even you. And I know you have a lot to say to her. That's why I invited you here." She nodded in understanding and tried to settle her. "But taking it out on others instead of her is not going to help things. Spoiled Rich is the one that deserves every bit of anger from you." This started to settle Bon Bon, while she didn't want to admit it – the princess had a point there. "We only wish to help you as best we can during this time. So, please, save whatever anger you feel and hurtful thing you need to say for her."

And there was another point the princess had. While she's justifiably angry and hurting, she does know they just wanted to help her. 

"Try to relax and take deep breaths until it's time to start," Twilight calmly laid a hoof on hers, gingerly pleading to her to save her energy for Spoiled Rich.

As Twilight tried to defuse the situation, Fluttershy gingerly approached the two mares and attempted to talk to Bon Bon with an idea she might want to hear, "Bon Bon, if you'll let me, I know someone who works in therapy that can help ease your nerves -- "

The tension in the hall around everyone suddenly intensified. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash tried to get Fluttershy back so she wouldn't get hurt but it was too late. Pinkie Pie warned her before but Fluttershy clearly forgot.

Bon Bon stiffened up before she slowly turned and looked at Fluttershy with a stare so cold that a cockatrice would freeze over faster than its stone gaze. Fluttershy froze in place and stopped before she could say anything else. A look of fear on her face; everyone who saw the glare felt a cold chill run up their spine.

"You..." Bon Bon said in a heavy, anger-fueled tone. "... are the last pony I want to hear, right now, Fluttershy. Don't even think for one damn second that Spoiled is the only one I have a bone to pick with. You -- " but Bon Bon quickly stopped herself and jerked her head away from Fluttershy so she wouldn't look at her. "You…!" She then took a single deep breath and slowly exhaled to ease her nerves, or attempt to. Twilight was right about one thing – she needs to save the energy, her anger, for when the trial starts – only then will she be able to give that sow a piece of her mind and let her see how much she hurt not only her, but the others, too.

"No, on second thought, never mind. You're not worth it, anymore," Bon Bon said disappointingly as she glanced down at the crystal floor, looking back at her reflection. She grimaced at herself when she saw a fury-filled scowl and a cold glare being reflected toward her. She gasped only lightly and flinched just a little at how she just acted and remembered why she was actually here. Gallus wouldn't want her to act up, not now.

"Please… just… for all our sakes… just leave me alone, Fluttershy," Bon Bon said somberly while she walked away from her, Twilight, and everyone else around her. She wanted this trial over with so she could talk to Filthy when she got the chance.

And Fluttershy gladly did as such and backed away, shaking from that sudden ordeal. She expected Bon Bon to grieve but she didn't expect her to turn into an outright demon with that glare. And yet, an odd sense of irony washed over her for some reason.

"Geez," Ember said awkwardly as she scratched her horns in disbelief at witnessing the anger of a pony like Bonbon be displayed in such a way. And here she thought her fellow dragons were hotheads. "And I thought I had anger issues."

*Outside of Twilight's Castle*

Discord appeared before the crowd with Filthy and Spoiled. Already, the crowd grew silent and all eyes latched onto the three. Discord was aware of this and knew if anyone tried something, he'd snap them back into place -- even remind them to watch themselves. Everyone wasn't happy, that was an obvious fact, but there shouldn't be any more blood spilled, even if it was Spoiled's blood.

Just like Discord, Filthy was aware too. He was not gonna let these piercing eyes bring him down, especially since he tried to help in that fight. Even with all the anger boiling around, they should at least know that he tried his best and was willing to face what was coming to him. The silence, however, was loud enough for him to know that he didn't have to worry about anyone trying to make a move. In a way, this type of silence felt really nostalgic, to him, when he was younger. The silence reminded him of a day he and his trophy hunting squad went to go track down and hunt a creature thought to be a large bear roaming around a forest near a small town full of Diamond Dogs.

Once they started to track the beast, no one heard anything. Not any kind of noise they were familiar with -- from small birds chirping, rodents scurrying around the ground, cricket tuning each other. Nothing. Not even the wind made its breeze known. By the time they reached a large patch of grass deep in the forest miles from that small town, they easily found the beast lumbering about and munching on berries hanging from a tree. Filthy and his crew were mesmerized by the sheer size of the creature. Far larger than a grizzly bear but roughly equal to that of an elephant. Reports said it was a bear-like creature but the creature described didn't match up with the reports, at all. It resembled a sloth more than anything and it held no interest in harming any of them when it spotted them. The reports never mentioned if they had to kill the creature; just track it and see if it was aggressive or not. Probably one of the easiest missions he and his crew received that day. And to this day, he still had no clue what the name of that creature was, so he just referred to it as a 'Giant Sloth' instead of a bear creature. That one was for the history books after that mission.

Spoiled, however, felt like a nervous wreck when she saw some of the glares were directed solely on her. They all came to see her get what she deserved. And what stung her the most was that some of the ponies there who came to watch her trial, she actually viewed as friends, even if she neglected to show it all that well -- Chiffon Swirl and Derpy Hooves were just a few she viewed as friends. To see them, with their families, glare at her with disappointment and anger struck a hard blow on her. Not just them but all eyes glared at her -- well, she assumed all of them were on her. It was uncomfortable and soul-piercing, but she couldn't blame them. As she walked to Twilight's castle with Discord and Filthy, she couldn't help but think of what everyone out here was thinking. She carefully glanced at everyone who kept their glares on her. She winced lightly, easily reading what they were thinking, and it didn't help matters that they were whispering among or towards one another about her, their glares tightening when they made eye contact with her.

Deceiving, deceitful, heartless, outrageous, shameful, disgraceful, cruel, traitorous. A disgrace to ponykind. An abusive monster. Throw her in a jail cell or be exiled. Those seemed kind and just barely scratching the surface of what they could be thinking. Heck, some might be waiting for her to say something so they could verbally pounce on her -- yet, they never moved from their spots. It didn't spare her from their disgusted scowls or disapproving and angered glares though. She'd figured at least one or two ponies would rile the crowd to start a riot against her, but other than an occasional disgusted whisper or two, not one soul moved or dared to speak out loud and out of line. Why though?

Spoiled looked confused until she looked up to find out why. The answer was right in front of her and she didn't think to see that first. He was keeping an eye on the crowd while walking the two toward the castle doors. If anyone around here stepped out of line, they'll answer to her chaotic bodyguard. If he wasn't there, who knows what could happen.

For now, she was safe and that's all she needed right now. But, that held little value when she eyed the castle, and the nerve-racking pressure of meeting Twilight and the others grew stronger and stronger the more she approached, following closely behind Discord. 

She didn't even see Twilight's face to know one thing and one thing only: Hell hath no fury over the scorning wrath of an irate mother alicorn.

As the doors opened, Discord, Filthy, and Spoiled walked in to meet the council waiting for them. Spoiled took a moment to look back at the crowd behind her as the doors began to close with Discord and Twilight's magic surrounding them. She winced lightly and could only have regret in her eyes as she looked at them.

All she saw were shaking heads, cold frowns, and some – including Chiffon and Derpy - even looking away from her to ignore and shun her for what she had done before the doors finally closed behind her.
> The Trial of Spoiled Milk (Part 3)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's castle was silent. Not a whisper; not a step of any hoof; not a shift in movement; not even the sound of mice scurrying around the halls. While outside the castle looked bright and alive and bustling, the inside felt haunted, in a way, with this caged silence. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't. For the eerie silence was for purpose terms. And the biggest reason resided in the main room of the castle where an important trial took place.

What was once the centerpiece for the map of Equestria now had turned into a semi-courtroom for one specific soul and for others to determine its fate. What would usually be a place for peaceful times among friends or to answer a call from the Equestrian map for some who were in need of assistance was now rendered a room full of dread and judgment.

Spoiled Milk sat shoulder to shoulder next to her husband and shook a little in fear like how a frightened foal would be when their parents took them to go see a doctor or a henhouse of frightened chickens being corned by a very hungry fox. 

Filthy never budged but he and his wife looked up and faced the six judges before them that sat in front of their respective benches. From the first and second left sat Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the middle sat Fluttershy, and the second and first right sat Rainbow Dash and Rarity. And the large podium behind them helmed the leader of them all: Twilight Sparkle.

Small jury boxes from left and right only held two or three residents. From the left sat Ember, Discord, and Bon-Bon. The right sat Big Mac, Drift, and Gilda.

It was twelve verses two but Filthy was not phased in the slightest. He sat strong as he faced Twilight, and only Twilight, with firm, focused eyes. He never looked away from her and ignored everyone else within the room -- including his friend Drift. He knew Drift wouldn't chew him out for what happened yesterday; how could he? He knew that Drift knew he had nothing to do with it. He never intended for any of this to happen. And yet, it did. He hid that whistle for so long that he thought it would be put behind him; lost and forgotten in time. But, no, his drunken self had to spill the beans about it to Spoiled.

Now, that bloody whistle was brought back into the light and used by his own wife for petty reasons. That fact still hurt him to his core but here he was, with her on trial. He may as well feel just as guilty for not just destroying it sooner instead of hiding it. He never should have bought it, to begin with. To him, in this courtroom, this was his punishment and he was going to take it like a soldier ready to endure the challenge. He knew Drift held nothing against him, but he didn't know anything about the others. The Apple siblings could be a problem and Rarity could share some of that anger, but he was gonna find out once it was about to begin.

Spoiled, however, was shaking like a puppy in front of everyone. She was scared; more than she ever thought she would. And she had a good reason to be. All eyes leered at her like sniper dots aiming precisely at their target. Anxiety and fear crawled all over her and the hammer of guilt didn't make things any better for her either. But, it wasn't just the eyes from everyone torturing her; it was the stare Twilight was giving directly at her. If there was any stare that scared her more than the judging looks or looks of disapproval, disgust, or anger like those in the room and those who watched her head for the castle with Discord and Filthy minutes ago, it was quite possibly hers.

Spoiled looked at her nervously, gulping lightly to herself. Twilight sat at her desk calmly and professionally, not saying a word until the time was right for her as she gave a calm, almost serene look-over of her, as if to size her up. Spoiled eyed Twilight's stare cautiously. On the outside, to a common pony, Twilight looked like she was relaxed and level-headed, ready to start the day with no hint of stress whatsoever; it was a great way to persuade other ponies to let them know she was doing just fine with her life and that nothing was bothering her. But, on the inside was a different story. Spoiled could see it clear as day and she secretly wondered if anyone else noticed, too. There was no mistaking it, because behind those calm eyes was a glare so venomous that it might as well poison her soul – if anything, Spoiled felt she should've been the one to have gotten stung by Marabunda and left poisoned and paralyzed. She looked down and took her eyes away from the princess. That professional behavior was just a disguise for what she actually felt about her.

And she had no clue how this trial will turn out in the end. She didn't bother to look at everyone else. She already knew what they must've felt based on how Twilight felt. Anger, disappointment, disgust, greatly offended, filled with shame; it was just like outside with all the others.

"So," Twilight said in a piercing tone, breaking the haunting silence and making Spoiled flinch a little from the tone, the princess keeping her eyes on the two before her like a lioness waiting to strike. "I assume you know why you're here?"

"We do, Twilight," Filthy replied.

"That's Princess Twilight to --" Pinkie Pie was about to say, glaring at the two like they had no right to call her that. They were in the presence of the fourth princess of Equestria and she should be treated as such in this case.

"Pinkie, it's fine," Twilight said, stopping Pinkie Pie right there. "There's no need for formal introductions when we all know who we are."

Besides, Twilight was in no mood to be called a princess right now. That ship set sail once this trial started and the fact that mama bear mode was still active.

Pinkie Pie ceased her babbling and nodded to her friend, crossing her arms as she scowled at the couple standing in the middle of the courtroom.

"Now then, as I was saying," Twilight resumed as she glared down at Filthy and Spoiled before she took a soft breath. She said in a restrained but professional tone, "I get that we have fights. Friends, families, and acquaintances alike get into fights about anything and everything -- usually, it would end peacefully. And rarely, would physical conflict solve the issue."

The last bit caught Filthy and Spoiled by surprise. Twilight must've been informed about what happened that caused this to begin with. They look over to Fluttershy who had a distained look to her; that fight between Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon should've been water under the bridge. Filthy already punished his daughters for picking a fight with Scootaloo and now it was brought up, again? Why would Fluttershy bring that old scar back up when it was already --

"However, even with that notion, physical contact can still be resolved. Though, I think it's highly unnecessary."

"Uh, Twilight," Filthy spoke up, although a bit cautiously. "Pardon my interrupting but, what exactly are you implying here?"

"This is a recap of how all this started," Fluttershy took over, having a soft sour disappointing tone. "Your daughters picked a fight with mine all because she doesn't have a cutie mark. Then they, along with three other children I assumed they persuaded, one of which happened to be Gilda's little sister, came over to my home to continue that fight." She glared firmly at the fact that Filthy's daughters not only came barging over to her home to further torment her daughter but that they couldn't get over that. It sickened her to know that those fillies held such a grudge for so long.

"And you two should consider yourselves so lucky that my little sister didn't get hurt because of them," Gilda added to them with a slight snarl on her beak. "I don't know what made your kids think it was okay to convince her to go with them but she is not fit to be in a fight, or any fight for that matter." She glared as she cracked her talons, her talons popping as she got quite protective and was willing to beat down these two just as a warning to stay away from her little sister with whatever her daughters tried to poison her little mind with. "And if she had gotten hurt, this whole thing would've been the least of your worries…"

"Wait, what?!" Filthy said, backtracking right now. His daughters were trying to pick a fight on the home-grounds of Fluttershy, even after he punished them for their bullying months ago? "I was not informed of this. My daughters never told me-- " 

He paused as if a click sounded off in his head, his eyes widen as he made a realization. He was not aware of that moment Gilda and Fluttershy brought up; Diamond and Silver never mentioned anything about gathering other kids to start a fight with Scootaloo. He never raised them to do that. If that were true, then he was more than likely very busy that day when that moment occurred. He didn't want to believe it; He would rightfully reject all of that and call them all liars for accusing his daughters of behaving as such.

But then again, he mentally punched his fatherhood mentality out cold when the realization dawned on him that it might as well be the case. Then, it all came back to him; he never raised Diamond and Silver to persuade others. 'I didn't raise my children to do something so violent… Then it had to be –' He turned to look at his wife with a light scowl. Who else would it be?

"-- They never told me a thing about this."

Spoiled shook a little in fear and winced lightly at her husband's small scowl. That was definitely a blunder on her part and she knew it too well. She was guilty of it and she had no way of talking her way out of this one. She looked at everyone cautiously and explained her reason as best she could.

"W-Well, I... may have had something to do with that." She sheepishly admitted.

"Oh, there's a big surprise," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "This outta be good coming from you. Better yet, how do we know you're not just gonna lie out of that plothole of yours?" She looked annoyed as she also added in a snide tone. "Like you usually do."

She had a point. Rainbow Dash was quick to point that out and everyone was on board to agree with that. After that whole ordeal with Marabunda, they're inclined to not trust and believe a word Spoiled had to say. As far as they were concerned, her words were gonna be white noise to them. 

At least, that was what Spoiled thought when a saving grace spoke up amongst the crowd.

"Hold on there, Rainbow Dash," Applejack intervened, not in the least bit riled up like the others. "I doubt she would lie around us after what she did." 

Everyone was unsure about that. It didn't make much sense since Spoiled was in a situation that could definitely rile that manipulative tongue of hers. So, what did Applejack mean by that?

"Uh, I don't mean to be that stallion, Legs," Drift said, unsure about what Applejack meant. "But, Spoiled has a tendency to -- "

"Trust me, Drift, I know," Applejack stopped him before he could say anything else and she kinda snapped at him for that little nickname since she already named those well-toned legs of hers. "I may not have been around Spoiled for a long while since I was pretty young at the time, but her attitude was more than enough to give me an idea of what she's like. I may be the element of honesty but before I even got that title, I had other 'hobbies' than just gathering apples. I won't go into too much about it, so, all I can say is that I can tell when a pony is lying to me." There was something about her calm tone that sent a message secretly to Spoiled, that if she wanted to save her skin, she has to tell the truth; the whole truth and nothing but the truth. "And right now, I want to hear her out. I'm curious to hear what she has to say. So, no interruptions, please?"

That was a clear-cut jab at the other five and the witnesses. Applejack had a keen eye that everyone was pissed at Spoiled right now, but if she wanted to hear her side of the story, she had to have everyone simmer down.

With that being said, the room got quiet, again. Not because they wanted to hear Spoiled but because what Applejack said out loud had them moderately curious and a tad bit uncomfortable. This whole time, she had the ability to know when a pony was lying? Carefully listening in on vocal tones and pitches, picking up on certain facial features like muscle tensions and wrinkles, knowing when a pony's eyes are dilated, and who knows what else. She had this secret precise ability under her belt and she used it to determine, without any of them knowing, whether or not they were lying or telling the truth. Forget uncomfortable and curious, that actually scared them. If Applejack was able to read their faces like a book then why would she hide it from them after so long? On second thought, her reasons would've made sense.

Even still, they all were happy she was on their side because if Applejack were to use her hidden ability on any of them, the mere ideas would've been unpleasant. Honesty may be the best policy but never underestimate an honest pony who might as well be a living lie detector. For now, it seemed like they had an anti-manipulator on their side and they were not gonna ignore that. Twilight made a mental note, 'I'm so glad Applejack is on our side. Hopefully, she can teach us this stuff'. Hearing this was quite a bonus if she was gonna be ironically honest.

As uncomfortable and scary as that was, Spoiled smiled just a little at Applejack for fanning the storm away, "Thank you, Miss Applejack. You won't hear a lie from me, honest." She spoke gratefully.

"Now don't get the right idea, Spoiled," Applejack barked at her, frowning softly yet firmly down at her to remind her that while she wants to hear her out – that doesn't mean she's taking her side on this. "I do wanna hear your side of this farce but don't you forget why I'm here, too -- and why my brother is here." She pointed to Big Mac who leered down at Spoiled for the same reason as Applejack.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac said very sternly at her with a firm nod.

While it's true that Applejack was willing to hear Spoiled out, her defense for her was paper-thin and her trust was as equal as everyone else. However, she also believed in fairness, and Spoiled had the right to talk -- even if no one wanted to hear her out. And that was clear when she noticed one of them on the verge of acting out.

"So, if you want my advice here missy, y'all better spill the truth out right now, or else one of us, specifically one in the witness booths, will take over," A warning was all she had for Spoiled, and nothing else.

Spoiled looked confused about what Applejack meant by that. Who in the witness booth had more vendettas against her than Fluttershy, Twilight, and -- the moment she gazed over to Bon Bon was when she got her answer clearer than any clean water out in the world. Spoiled flinched heavily when she locked eyes with a death-hungry glare aimed directly at her. Bon Bon looked eager to tear her hide twice over and make a bloody coat out of it. That mare scowled at her and pounded a hoof into her other one, making a subtle hint that while she had to hold back for now since she was in a trial room, but rest assured – she will get justice for her Lyra.

Spoiled was scared out of her wits. Out of all the ones here, Bon-Bon looked the most genuine about her feelings; she was shaking with rage, trying so hard to keep herself under control but her presence made it a challenge for her. Spoiled could feel Bon Bon's rage oozing out of her and it wasn't pleasant. If she had her way, that woman could snap her neck right here, right now. She now understood what Applejack meant and she had to pick her words wisely.

"Right," Spoiled said as she continued after she took a deep breath to settle her frazzled nerves. "Okay. I approached my daughters first. Diamond told me everything that happened that day she had gotten a black eye, that it was from Scootaloo's hoof, and I suppose that due to my pride – and not the mother in me at that moment, once I heard about this - it got me riled up." She felt ashamed and foolish, especially when she remembered this clear as day and the guilt hit her when she thought of her poor little Silver. And her little diamond, she should've been the bigger pony and taught her to move on instead, yet here they are now. "Instead of telling her to move on like any bigger reasonable pony would – like any parent would, I... encouraged her to keep the mentality I gave her. And that was --"

"Selfish Entitlement?" Rarity calmly chimed in, looking just as disappointed as she guessed the word she was going for. "Wanting to get even?"

Spoiled cleared her throat, blushing in shame as she rubbed the back of her head. Rarity nailed the word she was looking for on the head. "Yes, that."

"Rarity, do you have anything to say?" Twilight asked, curious to know what her fashionista friend had to say about all this.

Indeed, Rarity had her piece to say but it wasn't very much. Granted, she wasn't involved in any of this whole tomfoolery but she always had Sweetie Belle come home feeling down almost all the time when she came back from school. It worried her that somepony was out to bully her little sister and that there wasn't gonna be any consequences to this, but after hearing that it was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying Sweetie Belle and her friends, that didn't really go too well with her.

"I don't have much to say as much as everyone else here does other than now I know why Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon act the way they do. Sweetie Belle would always come home in near tears after heading back from school all because some fillies have been bullying her for not having a cutie mark."

The mere fact that unwarranted prejudice fell upon her little sister and friends sickened her to her core. She longed to see Sweetie Belle achieve her cutie mark one day. She would go out of her way to support her when she needed it -- even having friends build that support was great news for her to hear. Now, her antics with Scootaloo and Applebloom, granted they have sometimes been a little too much but she was happy to learn her sister had others behind her back. But, it wasn't until she heard about some other ponies had belittled and name-called Sweetie Belle for not having a cutie mark.

Why? What was their purpose? What did they gain from it? Rarity was appalled by the very act. If she had the time she would've stopped her duties to go help her little sister, but...

"I've been trying to find a way to get justice myself for how hurt Sweetie Belle was but I've always been too busy to do so. I feel bad for not doing something sooner, but now I feel worse knowing that it was my business partner's kids bullying my little sister."

Just like his business with the Apple Family and reselling their zap apple jams for good profit and sharing that profit, the same applied with Rarity and her business. Rarity and Filthy Rich had made a deal long ago that would allow her dresses to be sold in high societal locations -- and it worked with no hint of retaliation from customers. Her dresses sold for a good while and she and Filthy gained a fair amount of bits from it; splitting it an even fifty-fifty. All seemed fine up until this moment.

If guilt didn't hit him harder than ever, it sure did at this very moment. Not just Applejack and her family but Rarity, too? There was never meant to be any prejudism in his family and now he's hearing his own daughters have been expressing that with other kids? Sure, they had behaved irrationally before around him but he set the record straight with them. 

"Rarity, I'm deeply sorry about that," Filthy said with a great amount of regret in his voice. "I will set that right with my kids. If they haven't apologized to Sweetie Belle, I can -- "

"Filthy, it's okay," Rarity said, actually in a calm tone for a good reason regarding him, a tender smile being sent in his direction, surprising him greatly. "This isn't about them, at all. I know you'll set them right, anyway." She had faith in him as their father that he can successfully get his daughters to see right from wrong – and especially get rid of this mentality that took over their little minds for so long. "The last thing I need is to be at odds with a business partner who has been good to me and my folks for a long while. You're alright, darling."

That pushed the stress off of him when she said that. Filthy thought Rarity was gonna cut ties with him for this whole thing. But, she was right, this wasn't about his daughters and his business. Like he thought earlier, no one here had any ill will towards him. That was good news. But, there was still the matter of Spoiled's case.

"Well, I beg to differ, Rarity," Pinkie Pie spoke out aggressively, which was out of character for her. She glared at the stallion and mare before her, "You may be fine here, Filthy, but I'm not."

"Pinkie Pie, do you have something to say?" Twilight asked, off-put by her usually quirky friend's new behavior.

"Yeah, I got something to say," Pinkie Pie said as she kept her leering eyes on the Rich family. "That fight with that cruel monster released possibly from the fiery depths of Tartarus… He and that fight nearly destroyed Sugar Cube Corner. Out of all the buildings in Ponyville, that bakery was hit the hardest. Spike crashing through the front door, lightning and wind when Twilight went ballistic, and who knows what else. But, more importantly, that place isn't just a bakery, it's a home for the Cakes... my bosses!" 

She stamped a hoof, glaring as she preached this out, but she looked sickened as she reminded that it wasn't just home to the Cakes, but to their own little ones and her as well. "And their little foals – two innocent little babies who are barely 1-2 years old!" She stressed to the Riches that there were two babies in this mix. "And speaking of, those two haven't had a lick of sleep ever since Marabunda stormed his ugly face in Ponyville. They're too terrified to even stay asleep for more than a few minutes!" She took a deep breath and frowned firmly. "But… worst of all… the second home that I have in my life was nearly taken away from me."

She was irate and it showed. She'd normally be all happy-go-lucky even under depressing times. But, today was not gonna be that day and she was gonna let Filthy know. The twins couldn't sleep, Mr. And Mrs. Cake were under stress because of their home being damaged, and she couldn't think straight after that whole fight, especially since Sugarcube Corner was home to her as well due to the kindness of the Cakes' hearts. Of all the fights she got into over the years, this one literally hit home.

"You wanna be on my good side again, I want the damages to that bakery paid for. You two owe the Cakes so much after what happened. And don't expect a cookie when all this is done... Spoiled."

Spoiled couldn't argue. She had that coming and she had a feeling that was gonna be brought up at any given moment. She deserved it and she accepted it. Truth be told, she was just happy the Cakes made it out of that alive, and if there was anyone who deserved a huge apology from her, it was Chiffon after what her actions with her daughter had done. That sweet, beautiful pudgy mare never did anything to her to deserve what had happened, and to fix this, Spoiled's going to have to work her butt off to make amends with not only Pinkie Pie, but the Cakes as well – especially to show Chiffon that she's willing to do anything to earn her forgiveness, or at the very least to let her know she's really sorry. 

"I can pay for the damages, Pinkie," Filthy said genuinely to her. "You have my word."

"And at this point…" Spoiled let out a regretful sigh but stood tall with her husband, placing a hoof on his own to show she was going to help him – he can't shoulder all of this by himself. "I will do what it takes to hopefully make amends – not just with you, Pinkie… but with the cakes… especially Chiffon." Spoiled looked down slightly, "I haven't treated her like the friend she deserves… and after what happened yesterday, I don't blame her if she doesn't want to speak to me again. But…" She breathed softly and gazed up at Pinkie Pie, keeping eye contact with her as she made a promise herself. "…I hope to change that. It will take time to even think of forgiveness, but I will do what it takes to help rebuild Sugarcube Corner…" She gazed to her husband who gazed an eye at her. "My husband can't shoulder the stress alone." She gave him a little tender smile, earning her a small but grateful smile from him for her considerate promise. 

Pinkie Pie never smiled at those responses and never said a word back to him. Instead, she looked over to Applejack for confirmation.

"Applejack?" She gazed at her honest friend, to make sure she was not being lied to.

"Oh yeah, he's telling the truth, Pinkie Pie," Applejack said casually, having looked at his form, facial features, tone, and attitude. No tension and stiffness, just calmness and bravery. She gazed at Spoiled, a bit judgmentally, to see if she can spot a lie in her words. But looking closely at her form, her tone, and the honest vibe from speaking from her heart, she gave Spoiled the benefit of the doubt because she seemed honest about wanting to make amends with the Cakes and Pinkie. Perhaps this event has finally knocked sense into the snob's head. 

"And amazingly… so is she," She uttered cautiously, she gazed at the mare. So far, she hasn't lied to defend herself yet, but she's still keeping an eye on her.

That brought a small smile back on her face. Casual and quick on the draw, she appreciated Applejack for that and was secretly amazed at how well she picked up on Filthy's behavior. It was amazing, "Good. I can't wait to tell the Cakes the good news." She pouted lightly at Spoiled though, considering her words after getting Applejack's green light. "And Mrs. Cake will be expecting a very big apology from you, missy – no lying, no weaseling out." 

Spoiled simply gave her a nod, understanding she has a lot of work to do.

"Alright," Twilight said. "Anyone else?" She was willing to wait until her turn came. She peered over to Bon Bon who still had that rip-and-tear look in her eyes and wondered when she was gonna say her piece, the mare didn't even seem to buy what she spoke of when Pinkie had her piece. She did recall offering that to her.

"If it's okay with you, Twilight, can I say something for everyone in here?" Spoiled said, wanting to say her piece to everyone in the room she had wronged. Twilight nodded to her and granted her the opinion to speak. 

With a soft sigh and a few calming breaths to settle her racing heart, she spoke out in guilt, genuine guilt, "I made a mistake. I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have done what I did." She held her heart, gazing aside with a look of shame. "And what happened yesterday, is really all my fault – and I got all of you involved in my pettiness." She gave a small sighing breath before gazing back up to those around her, to speak honestly. "I know I can't fix what happened but I just wanna say I'm sorry for causing so much -- "

"Oh, spare me the crocodile tears!" Bon Bon shouted loudly as she got up on her hooves, causing everyone in the room to flinch in shock from that outburst.

Spoiled looked up in fright once Bon-Bon lashed out like that. She watched on worriedly as she marched past the other witnesses, down the stairs, and towards them to meet them face-to-face.

"You think, for one second, I'm gonna buy any of that from you? That a simple 'I'm sorry' will work?" Bon Bon said, aggressively as she walked up to Spoiled, ignoring Filthy and giving Spoiled that exact same death-dagger glare like before, jabbing a hoof into her chest as the mare winced under her glare. "You really expect me to believe that you're telling the truth in being regretful for this shit?!"

Spoiled backed up a bit, caught off-guard by Bon Bon's interruption, "But, I ...I am." Spoiled said, pleading to Bon Bon to believe her that she truly was sorry and that what she did was unjustifiable. "I'm sorry for bringing that monster to Ponyville, I really am. And I truly do feel terrible for what I had done."

Bon Bon snarled and slowly shook her head, "No. No, you're not. You're not sorry for any of it. You don't even know what that word means, nor do you know what regret is. You wanna know what sorry means you entitled, petty, bitch?"

She gestured to her broken self as she sat down and showed Spoiled and Filthy the pain inflicted on her after that whole fight happened. Outside, she had no injuries to speak of; she looked fine and uninjured. But, the duo could see that she wasn't mentally well. Her red eyes roared pain, anguish, sorrow, and anger. The bottom of her eyes nearly wallowed with tears. Her mane, though slightly combed, still looked like a mess. There was no denying it, Spoiled and Filthy saw how much grief Bon Bon was in and it broke their hearts to see her in this condition.

They knew why she was like this, but with how piercing her eyes were at Spoiled alone, something else was also held in that Bon Bon wanted to bring out. And now the opportunity was given to her.

"Uh, Twilight, should we stop her?" Rainbow Dash asked while looking to her friend, worried this could get ugly in a second.

But, Twilight simply shook her head, "No, I promised Bon-Bon she would have her piece. And now she will." A promise was a promise and she was not gonna interfere unless it lead to violence. Even if Bon-Bon walked down in the middle of the main room, Twilight never moved a muscle and so everyone followed her motive.

"This... This is what sorry means!" Bon Bon said, her pain and sorrow coming back to her and pouring out after she held in till this moment.

"B-Bon Bon," Filthy said to get her attention. "I know you've suffered a lot and I'm so sorry for your loss, but, you gotta understand that my wife wants to redeem herself."

Try as he might to calm the grieving mare from a possible meltdown, he wasn't doing anything good. And that struck hard once she heard him say that one certain word.

She let out a cross between a scoff and a gasp, almost choking on that kind of word. "Redeem? Redeem!" Bon Bon snarled again at Filthy for even uttering that one word that doesn't even fit a mare like Spoiled. Did he not know? That was gonna change real quick. "That bitch isn't worth the redemption! That may have worked for others like Discord," She motioned to Discord who leaned his head back and tried to nonchalantly avoid eye contact by making little mini cotton candy cloud animals to entertain himself – to keep from interrupting her. "But Spoiled…" She glared at his wife angrily.

"This goes back far more than that, Filthy! Did you really not notice the whole time what your wife was doing behind your back? Are you really that blind and oblivious to what she has done to me and the rest of Ponyville?! Are you not aware of the rest of the damages she caused on all of us?!"

She swung her left arm around and motioned to the mane six and the rest of the witnesses and then pointed outside of the castle, "Look at them, look at the ones outside this bloody castle, look at me! All of Ponyville has been miserable all because of Spoiled! You think your pampered little brats are the only bullies in your family? You're married to one! This is way before your 'darling wife' brought that monster here all because of some stupid, petty fight your kids and Fluttershy's kid got into."

Filthy saw the pain in Bon Bon's eyes. She was right. They had a story behind them and he never noticed. He wanted to object but something about what Bon-Bon said made him want to know more. And everyone else knew about this, too? Why did no one speak up? Was Spoiled really that scary to them? He sat in disbelief as he soaked up what Bon Bon was talking about. He never noticed until now. Now it made sense to him. This was unacceptable but it was far too late to do anything right now. He glanced over to Spoiled and glared, teeth flared in a snarl of his own.

"There's more to this?" Filthy said in a soft yet furious tone, asking Spoiled who looked ashamed once more. He looked to Bon Bon, questioning her. "But why didn't any of you tell me before?" He could've prevented it if they simply told him, but Bon-Bon continued.

"Yes, there's more. There always was. No one said anything because none of us worked up the nerve to say anything to her for fear of being sued and harassed by you and her -- not anymore. I'm not gonna bite my tongue anymore." She wanted to let Spoiled have it and her husband was there to hear it.

"You have given us hell for so long, Spoiled Rich. The moment you moved to Ponyville, we tried to be friendly and welcoming, to make you feel welcomed and safe here. The day we heard you and Filthy were getting married, we all embraced the fact that we believed you two would be very happy together, some of us even tried welcoming you into our lives with open arms -- Minuette, Amethyst, Roseluck, Derpy, Donut Joe, me, every last one of us!" She took a sharp breath before looking tremendously hurt, despite the glare on her face as she finally spoke out the pain she had been holding back, to get Spoiled to finally understand just how much she had hurt others. 

"Our kindness, our hospitality, our generosity, we tried offering our friendship to you and you shot all of us down with hate, prejudice, belittlement and so much more. We've given you so much and yet you never once returned the favor. We tried, so many years, to be nice to you, to befriend you… hoping that yours and Filthy's marriage would loosen you up, hoping you'd open up to us. But it was never enough for you." She glared as she motioned to Filthy Rich. "The only reason we endured your constant cruelty and snooty behavior… was for that man, who would've moved the Canterlot Mountains to please you." She sniffled and hiccupped but continued her emotional tirade. "We saw how happy he was with you… and we didn't wish to ruin that, so we simply took every last bit of your attitude – praying that one day, you'd come to your senses on your own."

Spoiled said nothing. She sat there and listened to Bon Bon pour her pain and rage onto her. What could she say in this moment? Bon Bon was so right about her; she was a hateful pony that only cared about herself and the wealth she married into. She was so blind to see the positivity that she damaged so many for so long, those who didn't do anything to her but offer her their hooves in friendship. She wanted to help Bon Bon, truly she would but it looked like she was too late to help her, and now she's gonna suffer for it. There was no doubt everyone outside felt the same.

She looked over to her husband and saw the sheer disappointment on his face. He didn't know what to say right now. With how Bon Bon was, Filthy could see the truth pouring out of her. Spoiled and Filthy gave their attention back to Bon Bon as the poor mare stood on twigs to keep herself steady but looked like she was about keel over at any moment.

Bon Bon nearly hyperventilated and her heart raced a mile a minute from what she was doing. But, Bon Bon didn't care, and so she continued her verbal onslaught, "And now, here we are, where we stand... here I stand, suffering from what you caused. You could've resolved this if you'd just pulled your head out of your ass and talked things out. But, no, instead, you had to make all of us suffer – if your little sniveling brat had to suffer for something, then you had to bring not just them down…" She motioned to Fluttershy and Drift, who were holding one another as they looked worried for Bon Bon's state. "…but take all of us down with them… and for what?"

Everyone in the room listened quietly to Bon Bon and watched her speak out her troubled soul to Spoiled. No one said a thing; they never realized just how much pain Bon Bon was holding back. They felt so bad and they wished they all could offer to help their friend. But, right now, they had no idea what to do. They know the reason for Bon Bon's pain but they didn't expect for this to go further back -- well, maybe Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity who had encounters with Spoiled before and experienced how evil she could be. When all this was said and done, they had to try and figure something out; They had to try and figure out how to help Bon Bon.

"Bon Bon…" Spoiled spoke softly, horrified as the sheer weight of her actions came crashing down on her. The guilt was eating her alive now that her eyes were open at last. "I…" But she flinches as her head was suddenly jerked to the side as a loud clap of a hoof connecting with fur and flesh filled the room.

Those in the booths gasped a bit, their eyes wide in shock. Yes, they couldn't blame Bon Bon for feeling this way, but wow! 

The Mane Six were almost ready to act on Twilight's order, but the princess – despite her wince and almost reaching to stop Bon Bon – she saw no further violence coming from Bon Bon other than that slap as the mare stood before Spoiled, breathing heavily. She held them back because she knew there was still a little more to be said, even if she herself wanted to help Bon Bon so badly and comfort her.

Yet, Bon Bon kept going, her hyperventilating quickly turned into heavy breaths of rage and pain as she looked to Spoiled with foaming tears in her eyes, glaring those destroyed eyes at her – they only held hurt, anger, and heartbreak, "My Lyra is gone, because of you."

Spoiled could only look at her with heartbreak. What else could she say to her? She tries to reach for her, but the destroyed mare wouldn't allow it as Bon Bon took a step back from her and her voice changed into pure grief as she coughed out to her. "Are you happy now? You got to take something from someone. Because of that monster, its actions reflect on to you. Everyone here got to keep what belonged to them, but I had my girlfriend taken from me – the one special mare I wanted to spend the rest of my life with?" Then Bon Bon's lips started to quiver and her body began to ache and weaken. She was about to burn out but her eyes never left Spoiled and she wanted her to know that the unbearable pain finally burst out as she motioned to her in agony.

"Spoiled Milk, you murderous, psychotic, bitch… What the fuck did I ever do to you?!" Bon Bon shouted in raw pain and rage before collapsing as she started crying out in front of the Rich family and everyone around the room. Her rage fit was over but the pain still remained as she plopped on the floor, arms covering her head and sobbing her grief away.

The room went silent, again – only this time, those in the room were looking at Bon Bon with sorrow, with heartbreak that she had kept this in for so long, and the fact that it took losing Lyra to finally let it all out. She really needed help, and they could see that clear as day. Despite what just happened, the trial still had to go on. So, someone had to escort Bon Bon out of the room. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Big Mac, and Fluttershy were about to offer to take her home but Discord stepped up.

"Don't," Discord said, feeling slightly awkward doing this but he was free to do as he pleased and he was able to take Bon Bon home since she was done with her turn. He will not deny that after hearing her complete and utter meltdown, he felt a strong grip of disbelief yet sadness in his heart. This mare had carried so much inside – and after letting out so much grief, chances are her strength had depleted. "You guys continue doing what you're doing and let me know how it goes later. I'll get Bon Bon out of here and take her home."

"Please do," Applejack said, feeling uneasy about how Bon Bon acted. She was grateful for her to let all her emotions out but that was a lot to soak in. "I think Bon Bon needs more than just therapy too."

Discord walked up to Bon Bon while he noticed Spoiled was shocked, horrorstruck, and yet undeniably feeling horrible by the trauma she created in front of her. While he appreciated and commended Spoiled for accepting redemption – while he would offer his hand himself as one being who accepted redemption to another, he was still ashamed to even be around her at the moment. It was clear that she had a lot to fix and how she was gonna do that he didn't know -- and it wasn't his concern right now. She's gonna need to work her plot off big time if she wanted him to forgive her as well after the fact that this had concerned those he cared about and he got hurt in the middle of it.

He placed a paw on Bon Bon's shoulder, causing Bon Bon to snap out of her funk with a sharp little gasp and looked up at him with those red, teary, puffy eyes of hers.

"Come on, Bon Bon," Discord said in a soft and caring voice to her as he gingerly helped her to her hooves. "I'll take you home."

Bon Bon sniffed a bit and wiped her tears as she got up and said to him in a hesitant tone, "W-Wait, I still need to talk to Filthy about something. And... wait..." She looked at Discord thoroughly and realized something she hadn't thought of before, her eyes slightly widen.

Discord raised a slight suspicious brow at why she was looking at him like that but replied to her, "Yes?"

"C-Can I talk to you outside, Discord? I want to ask you something important... alone," she said heavily on that last part. If what she had in mind was true, then maybe she had a chance.

Discord was unsure of what Bon Bon's request was but he shrugged it off since Bon Bon was going through so much right now. He'll play along with her and try his best to comfort her as much as possible. He just had to figure out what it was that she wanted and he'd see what he could do from there.

"I suppose so," Discord said. But, as he did, he looked back to Twilight who nodded at him to do so – a soft tender yet commending smile directed towards him for stepping forward to help. Like him, she wanted Bon Bon to recover and she trusted Discord to help Bon Bon. With that go-ahead and a nod in acknowledgment given back to her, Discord looked back at Bon Bon, snapped his talon fingers, and teleported both her and himself out of the room.

"Gosh," Ember said, softly and heartbroken from what she heard, breaking the silence after what felt like minutes. She had no idea that ponies like her could go through so much. Before, she had thought they were overly sensitive, mushy, and soft creatures, but after hearing Bon Bon's piece, she realized that they're more than that. Ponies like her had limits to how much they could take, and this proved it. "I... I got nothing to say here. Does anyone else?"

"Eenope," Big Mac replied, feeling bad himself about Bon-Bon. She said what he was thinking and spoke for him so he didn't have to.

"I got nothing, either," Drift said, feeling sorry for Bon Bon. "I think it's clear she said what all of us had been thinking for a long time."

He was right. Bon Bon had said what everyone in the room had been thinking for a long while. That being what Bon Bon said, there was one other thing that itched in the back of some of their minds. But, they didn't know if Spoiled or Filthy will comply.

Spoiled felt her whole being torn apart from that huge wake-up call. Bon Bon was right the whole time. Marabunda's actions were like a reflection of her own. She had Diamond use that whistle to call him over and he went on a rampage. But, not only that, even before that whole ordeal, she had treated everybody in Ponyville with hate and bitterness, acting as if she was superior around everyone else because of how rich she was. She never realized it until now and there was no way for her to fully fix the pain she put everyone through. She looked at her husband who shared the same guilt as she did. She wouldn't blame Filthy if he never wanted to speak to her, again.

"There's one thing I want to know, Spoiled," Applejack said as Spoiled looked up at her with guilt and shame in her eyes. "What exactly do you see in Filthy? It's obvious he loves you to bits but you acted like you don't want anything to do with him? Do you really love him?"

"Hey, yeah," Rainbow Dash said, chiming in. "What's the deal here? Don't you care about your husband, at all?" 

And there it was! There was the question that no one else ever thought of asking her. Spoiled widened her eyes in surprise as everyone who heard Applejack agreed with her statement, softly chattering their agreement. That question had been on their mind for so long, but they just couldn't find the right moment to ask such a thing. She looked at them briefly before she glanced over to Filthy who looked at her firmly yet curiously, a brow raised at her. He wanted to know right now if she actually loved him or not; that what he gave her mattered and that what his love brought her meant anything. Filthy was hurt enough as it was; the least he asked for was the truth.

Spoiled had trails of tears roll down her cheeks. It was obvious that a simple answer wasn't gonna be enough. She looked down at where Bon Bon had collapsed in tears, then she looked at Twilight and everyone else and spoke truthfully to the best of her ability about herself, "I... I do love him. But, before... when I first came into this town… I was just using him for his wealth. My parents came from a line of... well, gold diggers. Lying, manipulating, you name it. We would do anything to get into a wealthy life and not have to lift a hoof for ourselves." 

And she would go into detail about it but she knew she had to make it quick for them. So, she saved them some time and got straight to the point regarding her. And she deeply regretted it now that her eyes were open.

"By the time I was born, my parents were not very well. They raised me to think that life of wealth and power was all that mattered for a perfect life; they never taught me how to love, cherish, and support those who came into my life – they never taught me to need anybody in my life just as long as I had a way to have the bits. I grew up thinking of and wanting to live a life of luxury. That manipulating an oblivious pony would be my ticket into wealth and having a luxurious life from there on out. No one I met before Filthy had the kind of expectations I was looking for – not a one, none of them even remotely interested me in the slightest. And then, one day, I met Filthy Rich."

She remembered that moment like it was yesterday and how he approached her was rather funny and cute now that it came to her, but, even so, she continued to explain, "And I didn't even have to do anything big to grab his attention. The moment he saw me, he was just all over me like I was some kind of treasure." She smiled briefly at them, a blush coating her cheeks as she now realized with open eyes that Filthy had fallen hard and believed she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. She was unaware of smiling and blushing before everyone, the moment she and Filthy met was playing in her head right now and it was causing her heart to flutter.

Hearing that kind of got a faint blush from Filthy, almost shyly gazing away with a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head bashfully with a shy chuckle when she described that part of him falling so hard, he treated her like a goddess, a treasure that he wanted to shelter and protect. He recalled that moment, as well. Her eyes, soft adorable little smile, and soft appearance made him want to have her by his side and cherish the love he had for her. There wasn't a time a day when he wouldn't keep his eyes off her and how happy she made him feel.

Drift blushed lightly, too. In some way, he felt that same love with Fluttershy, and that love he had for her was coming back every second. But, the moment he first met her was love at first sight. Hearing Spoiled made him think back, how a wave of euphoria struck him when he looked at Fluttershy. His heart beating like a drum, a goofy smile on his face, and even a wobbly dance in his step. Seeing Fluttershy be all timid around him and how she always hid her face behind that fluffy pink mane of hers was the cutest thing he had ever seen. When he was around her, he thought he'd always drop to his knees because of how cute she was. He looked over to Fluttershy with a soft smile -- she was still cute. But now, she was the most beautiful mare he's ever seen in his entire life.

Catching her coltfriend's gaze, she blushed a bright pink and smiled adorably at him with an adorable 'squee' emitting. 

…And he had regretted running away from her. When this trial was over, he had to pop the question. Scootaloo would likely want that, too.

But, Spoiled's smile slowly dropped to a disappointed frown, "I saw the love he had for me and he asked me out right then and there. At first, I wasn't interested to be near him because I thought he was a total dork that wasn't worth my time." She knew this was going to no doubt hurt her husband once she confessed it out loud but with Applejack as her living lie detector, she knew she had to tell the truth. "But after I overheard some mares say how rich he was, I jumped on that opportunity and I was making it big. The whole time up until recently, I never once cared about him; whatever happened to him meant nothing to me because the money was just so good. The act worked like a charm and he never caught on."

She looked over at Filthy, expecting what his reaction would be once she finally told the truth. And as such, she saw the deep hurt in his wide shaking eyes, his jaw slightly dropped in disbelief and the tears rolling down his cheeks. She felt a mental blow to her soul and she felt a deep crack in her heart from how he looked at her like that. She knew that would hurt him greatly and she regretted ever doing that – in fact, she wanted nothing more than to hug her husband close and tight, to tell him that from here on out – she and him were a team, partners who will love one another and that she would never hurt him again. But, today, this was gonna change for the better and she wanted to work hard to earn Filthy's love and trust back.

"This whole time, I lived a great life. I married a loving husband that loved me so much. I lived in a mansion with maids and butlers that took care of me and had great patience with me just as he did. I made a family for myself. I had a great life and I was too greedy to notice it or even cherish it in return for how much they cherished me. I didn't know what I had until I nearly lost it," She sighed deeply and looked at Filthy, again, with loving eyes this time and an apologetic smile.

"But, I realize that now," She then looked back at everyone in front of her, "Instead, I let my greed get the better of me. And that's the funny thing: there should be a better version of me. Yet, you guys get a gold-digging bitch that only cared about herself and her wealth. I want to say I'm sorry but I know that's not enough to fix the years of hurt I inflicted on all of you. I want to redeem myself in any way I can and I am willing to do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness… your trust… and maybe, hopefully… your friendship. If there's a punishment fit for a spoiled mare like me, I'll take it. No resistance."

The room got quiet, not even a cricket would dare sing its song in this room. Everyone took a moment to sink all that in as they look at one another, perplexed and amazed. This explained so much about her. Spoiled grew up in an entitled home, she was raised into believing that leeching off other pony's wealth was the way to live. That kind of life was not the right way to live and it never goes well for anyone. Yet, Spoiled admitted to it all and she didn't seem like she was half-assing what she was saying.

Ember felt a hit hearing that. She can relate in some form or fashion. Dragons had a tendency to let their greed get the better of them once they have eyes on something that they want to hoard, and they let that greed turn them into a selfish, hoarding, unstable, monstrous version of themselves. It would usually take other dragons to snap a greedy dragon out of it with combat. At least, that was the easy way. But to hear a pony act the same way felt a little poetic to her.

Ember shrugged and calmly said, "I think a light punishment is in order."

"Yeah, I agree," Drift said. "She does seem genuine with what she's saying. Maybe therapy or something like that can work? Hey, Legs, is Spoiled telling the truth?"

From what she's seen of Spoiled's tone and form and how weak she looked, it was clear to Applejack that this mare was, in fact, telling the truth this time, "Yeah, she's telling the truth. I don't see a hint of acting coming from her." She nodded at the suggestion of therapy, it was plain to see that most of them, including the Rich family and Bon Bon will be needing therapy for quite a long while. 

"Yeah, I think therapy's good." She then pouted firmly at his snickering face when she realized he once again slipped that nickname in there. "And consarnit boy, stop calling me 'Legs'!"

Fluttershy looked at Twilight for the final word on Spoiled's punishment, "What do you say, Twilight? What should her punishment be?" she asked curiously. With how honest she was in wanting to change, she was on board with Ember's idea.

With all of the info gathered and the genuine tones thrown out, Spoiled no doubt wanted to amend for her actions. And with this info regarding how she admitted that her old lifestyle when she was younger was outright atrocious, it held a few key reasons why she acted the way she did. Twilight commended Spoiled for choosing to break the branch off her rotten family tree. However, there was still the fact that her son got hurt during that fight. The mother side of her wanted to slam this mare behind bars or give her any form of heavy punishment like Bon Bon asked her before. The many ideas floating around seemed too good not to pass up, but her princess side came crawling back and it wanted to put her in a peaceful punishment – especially after what they all went through within the last few hours. Something therapeutic, maybe?

Wait? That's it! It may not be the punishment Bon Bon wanted to be thrown on to Spoiled but what Fluttershy mentioned earlier held some ground.

"Actually, I agree with Ember's idea," Twilight said with a bright smile, having an idea in mind. "I think a light punishment would work just fine." She gazed knowingly toward Fluttershy, knowing just where to start. "And Fluttershy, I think I'll have you take part in this. Does that therapist you know want to have a few new clients?"

Ember perked her head a bit, genuinely surprised everyone in the courtroom was on board with her idea. She curved a small excited smile and held in her joy, but in her thoughts 'Oh yeah! I'm on a roll today! Score one for the Dragon Lord!'.